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Broward School Board Votes 6-3 Against Making Dr. Vickie Cartwright School Superintendent

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - It wasn't the outcome she hoped. After a two hour debate, the Broward School board voted 6-3 Tuesday afternoon to not make Dr. Vickie Cartwright the permanent superintendent.

Cartwright will continue as interim superintendent for the nation's sixth largest school district.

Cartwright was hired two and a half months ago to be the interim superintendent when longtime superintendent Robert Runcie stepped down after his arrest on a perjury charge.  At the time Cartwright signed her contract there was a clause that said she was ineligible to apply for the permanent position of superintendent

However she has impressed the board with her handling of the mask mandate controversy, and her testimony before the MSD public safety commission which was highly critical about the progress the district has made on security after the Parkland tragedy

Because of that, and with the planned hiring of a national headhunter group, school board member Nora Rupert proposed 'appointing' Cartwright to the permanent job

That led to a two hour discussion Tuesday with members of the public and every member of the school board weighing in on the proposal

"Every time I interact with her, she makes Broward the kind of school district it could be," said parent Dana Sanders.

But other parents urged the board not to be too quick on making a decision and also involve the community with the selection process.

Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco supported appointing Cartwright as permanent superintendent.

"It takes a skill set to step into a broken situation and handle it the way she has," Fusco said.

But some school board members expressed reservations about ignoring the clause in her contract.

"I've gotten phone calls about the ethics" said board member Ann Murray.

After the vote, Cartwright said, "I'm not disappointed.  This was about the process. I'm committed to this community and will continue to put students first."

The board agreed to consider at a future meeting removing the clause that makes Cartwright ineligible to apply for the permanent job.

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