East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Sito Narcisse is one of three candidates left in the running to become the next school superintendent of Broward County, Florida, the nation’s sixth-largest school district.
The nine-member Broward County board met Tuesday morning to narrow down the list of candidates seeking the prominent post. Narcisse was named one of seven semifinalists the board selected on May 22. The board members worked from a list of 16 applicants who met the minimum qualifications previously set for the job.
The Broward board is scheduled to vote June 15 to pick its next superintendent.
The other finalists for the job are:
- Peter Licata, assistant superintendent for Palm Beach County public schools in West Palm Beach, Florida
- Luis Solano, deputy superintendent and chief operating officer for Detroit public schools in Detroit, Michigan
The three finalists are set to return June 14 and 15 for in-person interviews. They and the other four semifinalists, did
Both Licato and Solano earned six votes to advance . That's one more vote than Narcisse received to become a semifinalist.
His new supporters Tuesday were board member David Foganholi and board chair Lori Alhadeff. He lost the support of board member Jeff Holness.
Failing to make the cut with just four votes was Valerie Wanza, acting chief of staff and the local favorite for the job. After the finalist selection, the board rejected a motion to add Wanza as a fourth finalist.
After the vote, a few audience members expressed anger at the board for making Narcisse a finalist, the only finalist singled out for criticism. They pointed to the controversial "Day of Hope" field trip to a local church last September which sparked widespread criticism. Some students and parents claim they were misled into participating in what they say turned out to be a religious event.
Michael Rajner, who chairs the human rights committee in Broward County, faulted Narcisse for failing to express any sympathy for the students who complained about that day's events.
"He only cared about covering his own butt," Rajner said.
Marc Paige, another Broward resident, had similar concerns, saying that Narcisse has fallen short in his public statements about that field trip.
"I don’t think he explained it when explanations were needed," Paige said.
Narcisse took over the East Baton Rouge Parish school system in January 2021, his first time as a superintendent, and his contract does not expire until June 2024.
A native of Long Island, New York, Narcisse in 2002 spent three years as a French teacher at a high school in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. But by 2007, he was an assistant principal in Pittsburgh.
, none lasting more than three years, in Boston, Maryland, Nashville and in Washington, D.C. His most prominent position was serving as chief of schools in Nashville from 2016 to 2019.
Mike Gaudet, who has called Narcisse “a visionary,” in January asked his fellow board members to start contract renewal negotiations with Narcisse. Gaudet ended up pulling the item; six of the nine board members had just taken office and weren’t ready to take such a step.
In a May 18 email informing them of his Broward County application, Narcisse made clear he is open to staying in Baton Rouge.
“I continue to be open to conversations about a partnership that ensures my leadership not just today — but for years to come,” Narcisse wrote.
The Broward school district is much larger than East Baton Rouge. It serves about 260,000 students, employs about 27,000 people and maintains an operating budget of about $2.8 billion. Broward County has about 1.9 million residents and Fort Lauderdale is its largest city.
By contrast, East Baton Rouge serves more than 40,000 students, has about 6,000 employees and has an operating budget of about $531 million.
