Osceola County Schools is looking for its next superintendent and it wants the community’s feedback during the hiring process.
Osceola County Schools Superintendent Debra Pace will retire in June, after working in the district for more than three decades.
The district has already sent out an online survey that asks community members to think about the challenges and opportunities that face the next superintendent.
There will also be four in-person community forums where parents, stakeholders and community members can share what they’re looking for from their district leader.
School Board Chair Terry Castillo said the goal is to get the community engaged throughout the entire process of finding Pace’s replacement.
“As a board member, there are things that we are looking for," said Castillo. "And statutorily there are things that a superintendent must do and commit to, such as financial literacy, being really familiar with the education system, but we also wanted to include in that profile, very specific things that the people in Osceola County are requesting.”
Castillo called the superintendent one of the most important leadership positions in the county.
"So this is a role that will affect everybody in our county, whether or not they have children in the school system, whether or not they had been in Osceola for hundreds of years, or whether or not they just got here from another state or another country or another city," said Castillo. "This position is central to the way that Osceola works."
The community forums are scheduled for February 27th and 28th and March 1st and 2nd at the following locations:
- NeoCity Academy - February 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the mixer space
- Poinciana High - February 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the Business Academy mixer space
- Celebration High - March 1 at 10:00 a.m. in the media center
- St. Cloud High - March 2 at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria
For more on the superintendent search, click here.
