Parents’ rights, book bans, school safety. Here’s what Broward superintendent finalists say

The three men vying for the job of superintendent for Broward County Public Schools on Wednesday faced a round of questioning by principals, teachers, parents and other community members on how they will lead — and improve — the district.

The questioning came a day before the Broward School Board is set to vote on who will lead the sixth-largest school district in the country. The finalists are: Peter Licata, a regional superintendent at Palm Beach County Schools; Sito Narcisse, the superintendent of East Baton Rouge School District in Louisiana; and Luis Solano, a deputy superintendent for the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

While none of the finalists work in the district, all three made a point to share their connection to the community, whether they were born here, attended a Broward school or have family who lives in South Florida.

All three said they were supporters of school choice and that they would support salary increases for new and veteran teachers. They also stressed the importance of professional development and ensuring that schools had the resources they need for student success.

One of the three will replace Vickie Cartwright, the district’s first woman superintendent, who mutually agreed with the board in January to part ways after a tumultuous five months that began when Gov. Ron DeSantis removed four Broward School Board members in August 2022 and replaced them with four political allies. The governor cited a grand jury report that documented financial irregularities in the district’s $1 billion school bond construction program and school safety issues.

The board had hired Cartwright as interim superintendent in July 2021 and promoted her to superintendent in February 2022, a post that paid her a $350,000 annual salary. The board paid her nearly $268,000 in severance.

Here are some of the highlights of the Wednesday forum with the finalists:

Who was at the meeting?

The finalists: Peter Licata, a regional superintendent at Palm Beach County Schools; Sito Narcisse, the superintendent of East Baton Rouge School District in Louisiana; and Luis Solano, a deputy superintendent for the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

How the process worked: Each candidate was questioned individually for 60 minutes by a group of principals and were then questioned for 90 minutes each by teachers, former School Board members, parents and other community members. The competing candidates were kept out of the room to ensure they did not hear the questions beforehand, nor each other’s answers.

The questions: The principals’ questions focused on how the finalists would ensure accountability, equity and resource distribution in the district, provide support to staff, and detail their strategic vision to improve student success. During the forum with community members, candidates were asked a wide range of topics, including how they would navigate new legislation affecting schools, increase enrollment, bolster safety, enhance community engagement and mitigate the learning losses suffered during the pandemic, often affecting the district’s most vulnerable students.

Interpretation of Parents’ Bill of Rights

A parent asked the candidates for their interpretation of Florida’s Parents’ Bill of Rights law, which went into effect July 1, 2021, and stipulates that the state may not “infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent” to direct the upbringing, education, healthcare, and mental health of a child “without demonstrating that such action is reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest.”

Here’s what they said:

Licata: “When I read it, I only see what parents want out of their child’s education and what they deserve. That’s all I see. I don’t see anything different or unique about it ... it’s just parents wanting to be involved in their child’s education,” whether it’s their right to request transcripts or transfer their child to another school.

Narcisse: “I’m a big believer that parents need to be partners in the process and the school system should be working with families to be able to help educate their child.”

Solano: Declined to give an answer because he’s “not well versed” on the bill’s text. He told the parent they could exchange numbers, and after he conducts research, he would call her. He was later chastised by a panelist for not having more information on the district he’s looking to lead.

Concerns about ‘vocal minority’

Broward teacher Tracy Merlin, who has taught in the district for nearly 25 years, has a child in the district and is a former state commissioner with the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. She said she is worried about student safety “and the whims of a vocal minority that they do not curtail curriculum for our students.”

She asked the candidates how they would keep students and faculty safe and how they would ensure students have a well-rounded education that includes “accurate history, personal health, social-emotional learning and inclusivity.”

Since the “Parental Rights in Education” law, dubbed ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ by its critics, was signed into law last year, and Florida legislators expanded it this year to make the process of objecting to books and other instructional materials easier, book challenges have increased across the state.

One parent can object, which can lead to what happened last month at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, where a parent raised issues related to five titles, and the school restricted elementary-aged students from accessing three of the books and one poem. The poem, The Hill We Climb, was recited by Amanda Gorman at President Joe Biden’s Jan. 20, 2021, inauguration. (The titles are available for middle school students in the K-8 school.)

READ MORE: Poet speaks up after Miami-Dade school bars elementary students from reading her poem

Here’s what they answered:

Licata: He said that while the district needs to meet the education standards created by the Legislature, “we’re not going to get involved in how the teacher teaches it simply because that’s the freedom they deserve.” He also mentioned the importance of meeting the mental health needs of children and being actively involved in advocating for or against legislation in Tallahassee.

Narcisse: He said it’s important to create a Security Council to help create a set of guidelines to improve safety at schools. In terms of the curriculum, he said it’s important to follow the law and co-collaborate with parents on what children are reading so there is an “agreement” on what kids are exposed to. “Parents and families are the first teachers of students,” he said.

Solano: He said it’s critical for the district to create a “long-range plan so that we can ensure that we have the right security assets in place and the right systems and processes to ensure safety in our buildings.” He didn’t discuss the issue of the books.

LGBTQ inclusion

Maxx Fenning, founder and president of the youth-led LGBTQ nonprofit Prism, asked finalists to share their experiences on how they’ve led the inclusion of LGBTQ staff, students and families in their school districts and how they would do so in Broward, amid Florida’s recently enacted laws.

Licata: He shared a story about when he was high school principal. He said a group of parents complained about a fairly popular A+ student, who was involved on campus, and dressed differently from the other boys. Licata said he explained to the parents that the student wasn’t violating dress code and he couldn’t “push what you want me to push” because it was inappropriate and the school’s job was to educate the child.

Narcisse: “What we’ve done, where I’ve been, has been to try and make sure that we create an environment that’s inclusive, that there are no policies that are written where children don’t have a choice to feel comfortable, and also, to try to provide opportunities for them to not only be in a safe space, but also to advocate and have support for their particular needs ... so they don’t feel bullied or are in any place that they feel unsafe. As for how the laws are, as a school district we have to follow the laws but we also have partners that we partner with within the community, to help to refer children to if there are things that the school system cannot do by law.”

Solano: He said he’s previously worked with district and school-based staff, such as counselors, to “establish research based-programs” to support LGBTQ students and create supportive spaces for them to engage with counselors and group discussions.

Learning losses

A parent and former educator noted that children are still feeling the effects of pandemic-learning loss, particularly Black, brown and lower socio-economic students. She asked what steps the finalists would do to help students who are still suffering from learning losses, and what steps would they implement, in the event of another pandemic or disaster, to improve students’ educational experience.

Licata: Providing resources to the schools with large black, brown and low-income student population and ensuring that those resources are effectively utilized.

Narcisse: Keeping students engaged through after-school activities and programs, such as tutoring, the YMCA or other community partners.

Solano: Conduct a study to get a better understanding of the actual learning loss that has occurred over time in the district, examine the success of the district’s intervention programs during the pandemic, and look at any instructional inequities to see “the depth of the issues and come up with an actionable strategy.”

When will a decision be made?

School Board members will make a decision Thursday. The meeting, which starts at 9 a.m., is open to the public and will also be livestreamed online at https://www.becon.tv/live-stream.