New Administrators Announced – Poinciana Elementary, Horace O'Bryant School, Coral Shores High School

Superintendent of Schools, Mark T. Porter announced the names of the newly selected administrators for Poinciana Elementary School, Horace O’Bryant School and Coral Shores High School today.  The selected individuals will be recommended to the School Board at their regular meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd when all principal and assistant principal recommendations for the 2014-15 school year are presented to the Board for approval.  The selected candidates are as follows:

• Ms. Christina McPherson will be recommended for the position of Principal at Poinciana Elementary School.
• Mr. Steve Vinson will be recommended for the position of Assistant Principal at Horace O’Bryant School.
• Ms. Kristy Bedell will be recommended for the position of Assistant Principal at Coral Shores High School.

“I am excited to add these outstanding leaders to our leadership team for the 2014-15 school year,” said Superintendent Mark T. Porter, “They were selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates and are cleaerly the best choicees to meet the needs of students in the Monroe County Schools.”  Successful candidates were selected from a pool of applicants that included candidates from New York, Philadelphia and several high-performing Florida school systems.

In addition to a complete written portfolio of application materials, the selection process consisted of two personal interview opportunities and follow up reference checks on selected candidates.  Each candidate was initially required to meet with a committee comprised of a parent from the school community, a school business partner, a district representative, and an administrator.  All initial interviews were facilitated by the Executive Director of Human Resources.  The results of these sessions led to the selection of two to three finalists who were invited to meet with the Superintendent of Schools Mark Porter and the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Theresa Axford.  “The recruitment and selection process is designed to empower as much as it informs the decision making process,” notes Dr. Ramon Dawkins, Executive Director of Human Resources.