VIERA, Fla. — The search for the next leader of Brevard Public Schools now has a more structured timeline, following school board approval on Tuesday. The district aims to have its new, permanent superintendent in place before school lets out in May.


What You Need To Know

  • The Florida School Boards Association helped craft the timeline for the Brevard Public School superintendent search

  • A public survey will be available from Jan. 30 through Feb. 17

  • BPS aims to have a new, permanent superintendent in place by the end of the current academic school year

  • RELATED coverage: Robert Schiller selected as Brevard Public Schools’ interim superintendent

The timeline was established in partnership with the Florida School Boards Association. Brevard’s school board voted to approve its $49,500 contract on Tuesday as well.

One of the first orders of business was to shore up an online survey (see the draft survey here) that will be open to the community from Jan. 30 through Feb. 17. It asks respondees to select the three most important items in five areas: Academic Excellence, Exceptional Workforce, Community Connection, Operational Sustainability and Personal Leadership Qualities.

During the window of the online survey, there would also be a series of community forums, which are currently being scheduled. The dates, times and locations will be announced soon.

“I want to reiterate once again, our next task as a staff is to support the schools and the students, is to have an outstanding second semester and prepare our district to do a nice, seamless, smooth handoff to the permanent superintendent, whenever she or he is appointed in late spring or early summer,” said Dr. Robert Schiller, the interim superintendent. “To me, that would be mission-accomplished.”

Following the survey, on Feb. 21, the board would discuss the findings during the board meeting on that date before the advertisement period begins on Feb. 24. Ahead of spring break, they would discuss the screening process for the semifinalists and the schedule for finalist interviews.

Then during a special school board meeting on April 4, the board would identify its semifinalists and send them a series of questions. FSBA would then receive those answers and pass them along by April 11.

A second special school board meeting is set for April 18, during which the finalists would be identified and board members would decide on the method by which they would select their preferred candidate. 

On-site interviews would happen on April 27 and 28, with a public reception taking place the evening of April 27, to allow the public to get some face time with the finalists.

Finally, a third special school board meeting on May 2 would result in the selection of the board’s choice for superintendent with a contract being negotiated and approved by the regular meeting May 9.

Deborah Crisafulli was one of the parents who spoke with Spectrum News 13 on Tuesday. She said the outreach that the board is planning is good and said she hopes that they land on a nonpartisan choice.

“I think what every parent desires and dreams and hopes for is to have balance from both sides,” Crisafulli said. “Can’t be all conservative, can’t be all liberal-thinking. You have to meet in the middle for all the needs.”

Another parent, Gregory Ross, said he had concerns about the process, given how the former superintendent, Dr. Mark Mullins, was asked to step down abruptly after the current board was sworn in.

“We’ve only got an interim superintendent for four months, until May, so they gotta find somebody pretty quick,” Ross said. “They fired the last superintendent without cause. And so, I’m concerned that whatever that process is, whatever the timeline is, it’s not going to be done in a quality fashion.”

To read a draft version of the community survey, click here. The final version will be published ahead of Monday’s activation.