FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - New members have joined the Broward County School Board, and at the helm are two woman who lost loved ones in the Parkland massacre.
And with that, a new chair and a new school board are now at the helm of Broward County Schools, Tuesday.
“We are the new school board that can set a new path forward to bring leadership, integrity, healing, stabilization and respect back to this board,” Lori Alhadeff, said.
The new chair, Debbie Hixon, and vice chair, Alhadeff, both lost loved ones during the Parkland shooting.
“Really focus on our students and try to have our conversations to be more around our students and our goal to be an A school district,” Alhadeff, said.
The focus seemingly for the past few weeks has been on politics and a controversial late night, sudden vote to fire Superintendent Dr. Vickie Cartwright by the former board last week, the majority of whom were appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Do you want the status quo or do you want change?” said Brenda Fam.
That change taking center stage at the school board’s swearing in ceremony as am, Alhadeff, Jeff Holness, Nora Rupert and Allen Zeman took their oaths of office.
“This is not about friendships, this is not about loyalties, this is about if people are competent to do their job, and this is about how that’s affecting the community,” Fam said.
And one newly elected board member, Rodney Velez, was notably absent from the stage, as questions arose about a past felony conviction that could bar him from serving public office.
“It just won’t be today. I’ll have my own swearing in soon. I look forward to that,” Velez said. “The people have spoke, and today is not about me. Today is about all of our children.”
And as a new board takes their seats, the question remains whether or not Cartwright will be reinstalled in her position.
“Whether this new board wants to take a different direction, we haven’t had the opportunity to have that conversation yet,” Alhadeff said.
“I’ve lifted it up to prayer, and whatever His will be, will be done,” Cartwright said.
A discussion could potentially be held later Tuesday night, during the regularly scheduled school board meeting.
Cartwright will continue to serve up until the new year.
Velez, meanwhile, is waiting for paperwork to be filed in Tallahassee, which is not expected to take too long.
It remains unclear if the board will consider a nationwide search for a new superintendent.
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