Osceola County School Board finishes voting for new superintendent

WESH | By Megan Mellado | June 13, 2023

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —

The Osceola County School Board has finished voting for the superintendent after the search for a new candidate began about six months ago when Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace announced that she’d be resigning.

That’s when the board hired the Florida School Board Association to help them find someone to fill her shoes.

“We had our interviews with the top four and community meet and greet last week, so today is the final portion of that long process,” Osceola County School Board Chair Terry Castillo said.

Castillo said candidates were narrowed down to 12, then seven, then four.

The final four are Dr. Michael Allen, who’s currently an assistant superintendent for middle and K-8 schools for the Osceola County School District; Terrance Conner, the deputy superintendent and chief academic officer for Hillsborough County Public Schools; Dr. Ann Hembrook, the area superintendent for Marion County Public Schools; and Dr. Mark Shanoff, the interim chief information officer for Orange County Public Schools.

The district held online and in-person opportunities for the community to share their thoughts and asked the candidates for video messages.

“Anyone who is selected today will be an amazing addition to Osceola County,” Castillo said.

On Tuesday, the school board voted to offer the job to Dr. Mark Shanoff, and now the contract negotiation process will begin.