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Monroe County School Board narrows superintendent search to four finalists
Summary
After a workshop facilitated by the Florida School Boards Association, the board agreed on four finalists — Ed Tierney, Darren Burkett, Amber Acevedo and applicant number 16 (recorded as Laura Leotard) — who will be interviewed next week; the board set a four‑finalist pool to encourage consensus at the final vote.
The Monroe County School Board agreed at a workshop to advance four finalists in the district’s superintendent search: applicant number 8 (Ed Tierney), applicant number 24 (Darren Burkett), applicant number 17 (Amber Acevedo) and applicant number 16 (recorded in the meeting transcript as “Laura Leotard”).
The board heard a process overview from Dr. Deborah Pace of the Florida School Boards Association, which is running the selection. Pace said all 11 semifinalists met the submission deadline and that the board would use tally sheets to record which semifinalists each board member wanted to advance. "I am excited to be with you this afternoon on behalf of the Florida School Boards Association," Pace said during her opening remarks.
The FSBA team described the interview schedule that will be used next week. Full‑board interviews are scheduled for Thursday, May 1, followed by individual board interviews on Friday, May 2, with meet‑and‑greet sessions in the evenings. Mike Godrow, who is assisting with logistics, will insert finalist names into the interview schedule after the board takes formal action.
Board members debated the size of the finalist pool. One board member cautioned that selecting five finalists could yield a fragmented vote; another urged the group to aim for consensus rather than simply tallying pluralities. Andrea Messina of FSBA reminded the board of the procedural requirement that a superintendent selection requires a motion, a second and a vote and that a motion would need at least three votes to pass: "There has to be a motion and a second and a vote. So you couldn't select a superintendent with just 2 votes. It would have to be at least 3," Messina said.
After each board member named their preferred semifinalists, the group reported counts and moved to a four‑candidate pool. The board then took formal action later in the meeting to approve the four finalists. A motion to approve the named finalists was made and seconded; no board member voted no and the motion passed.
The finalists will receive individualized schedules and will participate in site visits, community meet‑and‑greets and interviews. FSBA staff and district staff will contact semifinalists and finalists with next steps, and board members were asked to coordinate contract language with the school board attorney in advance of the final selection.
The board will return the finalist list for a formal vote during the board meeting as required by board procedure; the selection and contract negotiation will follow the interview process and any necessary additional vetting.
