- Brevard County School District Superintendent Mark Mullins is the latest to be ousted via a school board vote
- Newly-elected School Board Chair spearheaded the motion, with two additional members — Gene Trent and Megan Wright — combining to present a majority vote
- Mullins agreed to enter exit negotiations
- State Rep. Randy Fine lauded the move, stating that he is excited to meet with the new leadership
Brevard County School District Superintendent Mark Mullins agreed to step down from his role last week after a majority of the recently-elected school board introduced a motion to seek new leadership.
Mullins agreed to enter exit negotiations with the School Board Chair Matt Susin after he and two additional board members — Gene Trent and Megan Wright — comprised a majority vote against him.
“One of the things that have become very apparent is that we have a lot of issues within our district. We are having them with leaders, we are having them with teachers, and we are having them with students,” said Vice Chair Wright. “We have lost our way to some degree. We have lost our focus on what we are doing, and I believe we are only as strong as our leaders are.”
According to the Brevard Public Schools website, Mullins has overseen the district’s 2021 accreditation process by earning 345 points on a scale of 100-400, an increase from 250 the district earned during the 2016 accreditation process, the launch of Thrive by Five, a community-wide early literacy initiative, and maintaining an “A-rated” district since his appointment in 2018.
“I believe our community has expressed multiple different times that they are calling for a change in leadership,” continued Wright.
State Rep. Randy Fine, who represents the area in the state legislature, praised the move on Facebook, stating that he looks forward to meeting with the new board to “restore quality education in Brevard.”
Boom. https://t.co/LZfwPpz7WM
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) November 22, 2022
The dissenting votes were outspoken against the measure, alleging that Mullins’ removal was a calculated move contingent upon Susin’s installation as School Board Chair.
“This Board Chair, who just two weeks ago was explicitly telling members of the community within his political party that he is going to throw out our Superintendent the second he becomes Board Chair,” said Board member Jennifer Jenkins in a media appearance on WKMG News 6 following the meeting.
Mullins is the latest Superintendent to be removed from his position by newly-elected school boards. Vickie Cartwright captured headlines after she was removed as Broward County’s superintendent earlier this month, while additional removals have taken place in Charlotte and Sarasota counties.
Amid ongoing negotiations that could result in altered exit terms, Mullins is entitled to a severance pay equivalent to five months of his $210,000 salary.
“I am proud of the contribution I have made to our kids and families over nearly 30 years of service, and I admire and respect the thousands of Brevard Public Schools employees who go to work each day with the mission of serving our students with excellence as the standard,” said Mullins in a statement. “Their dedication is a reason Brevard Public Schools is one of the highest-performing school districts in the state. Although the majority of this board desires to go in a different leadership direction, I will always be a fan of Team BPS.”
Brevard Public Schools is expected to begin the initial proceedings of a candidate search this week.