Miami-Dade County Public Schools' chief academic officer is a top contender to be superintendent of the school district in Sarasota County.
Marie Izquierdo is one of five finalists for the job and the only candidate who received unanimous support to advance to the final round from the Sarasota district’s advisory committee, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Izquierdo was a finalist last year to lead Boston’s schools.
Three of the other finalists are administrators in the Palm Beach County school district. Peter Licata, who serves as regional superintendent overseeing 59 schools in the southern part of the county, is one of them. Licata has made it to the final round of several superintendent searches throughout the state in the last year, including the searches in Hillsborough, Volusia and Indian River counties.
Keith Oswald is also a finalist. He was deputy superintendent in Palm Beach County until last week, when Superintendent Donald Fennoy announced a change in his job title. Oswald is now taking on the new role of chief of student services, wellness, and equity. Fennoy said the reorganization of his leadership team was intended to better care for students’ well being, a priority that has become more urgent in the wake of the 2018 Parkland school shooting and the COVID-19 crisis.
The remaining two finalists for the job are Gonzalo S. La Cava, Palm Beach County’s chief of human resources, and Brennan Asplen III, deputy superintendent of St. Johns County schools.
The Sarasota County school board will consider the advisory committee’s recommendations next week before moving forward into an interview phase. Read more from the Herald-Tribune.
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