VIERA, Fla. – The Brevard County School Board selected Dr. Robert Schiller as the new interim superintendent on Friday.
In a unanimous 5-0 vote, Schiller beat the county’s two other finalists, Mark Rendell and James Larsen.
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“This board made a wise choice in a very difficult time,” said school board member Jennifer Jenkins, who represents District 3.
She said that Schiller’s extensive resume was one of the many reasons he was selected.
Schiller has led six school districts in various urban, suburban and rural environments and has also served in interim superintendent roles in various places from Los Angeles to Baltimore.
Friday’s vote comes after former Superintendent Mark Mullins agreed to step down on Nov. 22. Schiller will officially be named to the office on New Year’s Day, the day after Mullins formally resigns.
Mullins previously agreed to enter into separation negotiations with the school board after some members said they supported new leadership for the school district.
This comes as the county has also received negative attention revolving around disciplinary issues throughout the school district.
It’s for some of these reasons board members met for more than an hour Friday before selecting Schiller.
“I just keep going back to the fact we are hiring for an interim superintendent, and I think we should make our decision based on who would be the best superintendent,” Brevard County School Board Vice Chair Megan Wright said during the discussion.
Various comments were made in support of the other candidates and their unique qualities.
“Pretty much all of them have the same qualifications one way or the other—some have had more experiences in areas, some had less. I think each one of them could qualify,” Brevard County School Board Chair Matt Susin said.
Jenkins said she wants parents to understand the decision they made was with them and their students in mind.
“I just want people to know that I really believe today we selected a man that has their best interests at heart, a man who at least has the experience to jump into a situation that might look like a crisis,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said the search for the full-time superintendent position will take more time.
“(It will take) approximately 6 months to complete the entire process of hiring a full-time superintendent,” she said.
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