Collier Schools holds first community meeting in search of next superintendent

COLLIER CO., Florida. The search for a new director of Collier County Public Schools continues.

It has been about a month since the school board voted for Dr. Kamela Patton to retire at the end of the school year.

There are community meetings going on in the county tonight to hear from you, to find out what they want from their next superintendent. Meetings where we hear from parents for the first time.

Both of these meetings seemed a bit lackluster to the public as only a few people were present. But this was only the first meeting in a series of ongoing meetings.

“We need someone with experience to manage all of this and, at the same time, understand how to create a team that will keep the ship afloat even during the storm,” said one of the parents present.

Seeking a natural born leader as the next Superintendent of Collier Schools. This appears to have been a common theme for parents at both meetings.

As for these parents, they also said they would like to see transparency in the recruitment process and consistency throughout the district. This means hiring a superintendent who understands everything in Collier County.

It comes after Dr. Kamela Patton, who last year was Florida’s superintendent of the year, was forced out of her position, resigning earlier after a new, more conservative board was voted in November.

As part of the search, an online survey was also sent out to parents so that they, too, could express their opinion.

The district enlisted a special firm to help with the search, saying it had received 2,300 responses to the survey in the last three days alone. The firm hopes to have 30 candidates for the position, but it’s not so much the number of candidates they’re worried about, but the quality of them.

“Our job, ultimately, is not in numbers, but to make sure we have qualified board candidates,” said Dr. Bill Adams, vice president of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. “And if we do our job right, we’re going to make our job difficult to pick from a strong list of candidates.”

It is hoped that a candidate will be selected by the end of April or May 1, and the new superintendent will begin work on July 1.

There are more public meetings to come, the next one will be on 18 January at Naples High School. There will also be virtual meetings, which you can learn more about online right here.