Here are five things you may not know about Broward’s new schools superintendent
For the first time in its 107-year history, a woman will lead Broward County Public Schools.
Her name is Vickie Cartwright, and she may already be a familiar face to some in South Florida because she has served as interim superintendent since August. Still, others may not know who she is and what she sees as her first order of business.
Here are five quick things you may not know about Cartwright:
1. UF graduate
Cartwright, 51, was born in San Antonio, but her relatives are originally from Pensacola. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Florida. She also acquired a master’s degree in music education, an educational specialist degree in educational leadership and a Ph.D. in educational administration and supervision — all from the University of Southern Mississippi.
She most recently served as the superintendent for the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, public school system, but she spent most of her 26-year career with Orange County Public Schools, which encompasses Orlando.
She has been married to Carl Cartwright for 30 years and has a son, Dylan, who recently graduated from college.
2. Her top priorities
Cartwright said her first order of business will be to fill key senior leadership positions that have been open for a while.
“Now being in the shoes of permanent superintendent, it really frees me to be able to start recruiting,” she said.
She also said she will focus on counteracting the negative impact of the pandemic on students and teachers, including dealing with the emotional side of the two-year turmoil.
3. Seeking community’s help with Florida Legislature
The Republican-controlled state Legislature is aiming to limit discussions in schools about race and gender, including the controversial measure dubbed the “Don’t say gay bill.’’
When asked Wednesday what she thought about these proposals, Cartwright replied: “What I think, frankly speaking, is community, we need your help. We need your voice in this conversation.”
“To go in and try to whitewash history, or to say things didn’t happen when they actually happened, or to say that we’re now going to create an environment where our students continue to feel excluded instead of included, is dangerous,” she said.
“That’s not the America I know,” she added, “and I’m very concerned about that.”
4. Defying the state on mask mandates
A few days after she first arrived in South Florida as the interim superintendent last summer, Cartwright refused to comply with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ directive that demanded districts give parents the full power to opt out of mask mandates.
Her bold stance prompted President Joe Biden to call her. Biden told Cartwright that he commended her “leadership and courage to do the right thing for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, and schools,” according to a summary of a call provided to the Miami Herald by the White House.
5. School safety
The Broward school district was forever changed nearly four years ago when 14 students and three faculty members were shot and killed on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland. Former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty in what became Florida’s deadliest school shooting. A jury must now decide on whether he should be executed or sentenced to life.
Last fall, police investigated social media posts and text messages threatening shootings at schools from Miramar to Fort Lauderdale to Coral Springs. Cartwright said investigators tracked the reports back to students.
“When it comes to safety, there is no joking around,” she said. “Any statement that may be interpreted as a threat, including bomb threats made via phone, text, social media post or through other means, will be acted on and there will be consequences.”
