Six Candidates Remain in Charter School Superintendent Search

Six candidates for superintendent of Lake Wales Charter Schools are still under consideration following the latest meeting of the ten-member search committee, according to consultant Dr. Bill Vogel of the Florida Association of School Boards.

The remaining candidates each received expressions of interest from at least five members of the committee, Vogel said, while two of the eight still under consideration were dropped in the continuation of a slow winnowing of the original 25 applicants.

"It was a very strong field, very well qualified," Vogle said. Four of the six remaining candidates hold doctorate degrees. Despite a nationwide search, five of the six live in Florida. Two are women and four are men.

"The process is moving along very slowly," Vogel told LakeWalesNews.Net. "The committee members did their research," he said, adding that they have been "very thorough and thoughtful."

The remaining six include P.J. D'Aoust of Wellington, Florida, Dr. Wayne Rodolfich of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Dr. Andy Oguntola of Lake Wales, Dr. Emilean Clemons of Alturas, Anuj Saran of Winter Haven, and Dr. Margaret "Peggy" Aune of Naples, Florida. They were not ranked in any fashion and are listed here in the order in which their original applications were submitted.

The search committee "is hiring not only a school leader," Vogle said, but "a community leader, someone expected to do an excellent job of representing the Lake Wales community."

The next step in the process will be conducted on January 20 when the search committee will interview the candidates via Zoom. Four days later the group will meet again to vote, with the expectation that they will then submit "from three to five names" to the Board of Trustees as finalists.

On February 9 and 10 the Trustees will conduct in-person interviews with the finalists and host an open house event at Lake Ashton to introduce the group to the community where each candidate will be given an opportunity to introduce themselves. That reception will begin at 7:00 pm., Vogel said.

A final selection is expected on February 22, when the board will meet at Lake Wales High School to vote. That will be followed by contract negotiations before a new superintendent will take the reins of the seven-school district.