Superintendent Runcie receives mixed reviews from School Board

Communication, referendum progress cited

The Broward County School Board has given Superintendent Robert Runcie mixed reviews for his leadership during a traumatic year.

A year after rating Runcie as highly effective and extending his contract to

2023, School Board members were less supportive this year in his evaluation, released at 9 p.m. Friday.

While they praised Runcie for student achievement and his leadership during Hurricane Irma in

2017, they complained about communications after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre on Feb.

14 and the slow progress of an $800 million bond referendum passed by voters in

2014.

■ Three school board members — Laurie Rich Levinson, Patti Good and departing member Abby Freedman — rated Runcie highly effective, the same as last year.

■ Three who rated him highly effective last year — Rosalind Osgood, Ann Murray and Donna Korn — downgraded their marks this year to effective. Heather Brinkworth rated him effective both years.

■ School Board Chairwoman Nora Rupert, a longtime critic, gave Runcie’s a rating of “needs improvement” for the third year in a row.

■ Robin Bartleman, who has rated Runcie with a “needs improvement” for the past two years, gave a detailed and critical review

of Runcie’s performance. But she withheld a rating this year, saying she wanted to wait for the results of an investigation from a state commission into what led to the Stoneman Douglas massacre. That review is expected to be finshed by January.

“The MSD tragedy is so consequential that I felt strongly it must be a part of what I consider in Mr. Runcie’s overall evaluation,” Bartleman wrote.

Other board members also appeared torn as to how to rate Runcie’s handling of the tragedy. They praised him for ensuring services were provided to families and employees in the immediate aftermath and for bringing on a safety consultant to identify areas the district could improve. But they said the district’s efforts to communicate with the public were lousy. One example cited was conflicting stories about whether killer Nikolas Cruz participated in the PROMISE program, which provides alternatives to arrests for minor crimes.

“We had to adjust communication on many issues that were stated during the MSD tragedy because staff did not properly vet the information prior to releasing it to the public,” Murray wrote.

Several complained about an increase in negative stories about the district in the media.

“We struggle to share good news and to respond to falsities that are often reported by certain reports or news channels,” Osgood wrote. “We need a stronger communication department that will prioritize communication. It would

help us to be more responsive and to better inform the public with facts. Our external perception is often tainted by fake news and us not responding to it.”

Runcie’s leadership over the bond was another sore spot. Four years after receiving voter approval to renovate dilapidated schools, only 17 of more than 200 projects are under construction and prices have skyrocketed.

“There appears to be a lot of finger-pointing and a lack of accountability and strong leadership,” Bartleman wrote.

Runcie’s most glowing review came from Freedman, who represents the Parkland area. She chose not to seek re-election after the tragedy, and Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa was killed, will replace her in November.

Freedman didn’t mention the massacre in her review. Her entire evaluation was a note of gratitude to Runcie.

“Words cannot truly express how thankful l am to you for always being there to respond, at any hour of the day, to all the concerns I have brought to your attention throughout the past six years,” Freedman wrote. “I have been extremely fortunate to be able to work with you and I know that you have consistently done your best to take care of all the needs of Broward County Public Schools.”

Alhadeff has said she would rate Runcie’s performance as “needs improvement.”

Runcie gave himself a rating of “highly effective,” saying he has done a good job of leading the district during a tumultuous year.

“As we continue to search for answers following the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14,” he wrote, “we are committed to learning from this tragedy and finding ways to create a safer and more secure environment,” he wrote.

JOHN MCCALL/SUN SENTINEL Broward County Superintendent of Schools Robert Runcie has received mixed reviews from the School Board this year, after high ratings last year.