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Hernando school superintendent named as finalist in Osceola

 
Hernando County school chief Lori Romano, center, is a finalist in Osceola, which offers a pay range between $185K and $225K, much higher than her current salary.
Hernando County school chief Lori Romano, center, is a finalist in Osceola, which offers a pay range between $185K and $225K, much higher than her current salary.
Published Dec. 17, 2015

Complicating her ongoing contract negotiations, Hernando County school superintendent Lori Romano on Tuesday became one of three finalists to fill the same job in Osceola County.

Romano, 43, is the only one of the finalists currently serving as a superintendent. She also was the only candidate chosen both by the district's personnel consultant and the four members of the board who participated.

Board member Beth Narverud said Romano's success in such a competitive process makes her eventual departure a foregone conclusion, even if she is not hired in Osceola.

The district there, with an enrollment about three times as large as Hernando's, has advertised the job's pay range as between $185,000 and $225,000. Romano's base salary is $120,000, one of the lowest among the state's appointed superintendents.

"There's no way we can afford her," Narverud said. "If it's not today, it's going to be two years from now."

Romano's original three-year contract expires June 30, 2016. Board chairman Matt Foreman, who is representing the board in its negotiations with Romano, declined to comment Tuesday other than to say those talks are continuing.

Board member Mark Johnson agreed that Hernando cannot offer as much money as Osceola. But if Hernando can make Romano a reasonable offer, he said, it has a chance to keep her.

"Nothing is dead in the water," he said. "From my conversations with her, I know she would prefer to stay in Hernando County."

Romano has previously said that publicly but did not return a telephone call seeking comment Tuesday.

The two other finalists, like Romano, have doctorate degrees in education.

Anna Diaz of Orlando is an area superintendent for schools in eastern Orange County, a position that gives her responsibility for 40,000 students, she wrote in her job application. That is nearly twice the number of students in Hernando.

Debra Pace of St. Cloud is the associate superintendent for human resources for the Brevard County School District. She also has served as its interim superintendent.

The Osceola board is scheduled to interview the three candidates in mid January and chose a new superintendent Jan. 19, according to a time line published on the district website.

Romano's term in Hernando has been controversial mostly because of her dramatic personnel moves, especially transferring several high-level district staffers or declining to renew their contracts.

One faction on the board, which included Narverud, questioned several of Romano's actions and have pushed for a thorough evaluation process. Another group, which included Johnson, supported her moves and sought to negotiate a new contract as soon as possible.

"I would have liked to have seen it done already," Johnson said.

Contact Dan DeWitt at ddewitt@tampabay.com; follow @ddewitttimes.