Baton Rouge school leader Sito Narcisse 1 of 3 finalists for Broward County superintendent

East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Sito Narcisse is one of three candidates left in the running to become the next superintendent of Broward County, Florida, the nation’s sixth-largest school district.

The nine-member Broward County board met Tuesday to narrow down the list of candidates seeking the prominent post. Narcisse was one of seven semifinalists that the board selected on May 22. choosing from a list of 16 applicants who met the minimum qualifications previously set for the job.

Narcisse completed a short video interview last week after landing among the semifalists.

The Broward board is scheduled to vote June 15 to pick its next superintendent.

Here are the other finalist for the job:

• Peter Licata, assistant superintendent for Palm Beach County public schools in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Luis Solano, deputy superintendent and chief operating officer for Detroit public schools in Detroit, Michigan

The search firm McPherson & Jacobson, has been leading up the search.

Narcisse took over the East Baton Rouge Parish school system in January 2021, his first time as a superintendent, and his contract does not expire until June 2024.

A native of Long Island, New York, Narcisse in 2002 spent three years as a French teacher at a high school in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. But by 2007, he was an assistant principal in Pittsburgh.

He has since held a series of administrative jobs, none lasting more than three years, in Boston, Maryland, Nashville and in Washington, D.C. His most prominent position was serving as chief of schools in Nashville from 2016 to 2019.

Mike Gaudet, who has called Narcisse “a visionary,” in January asked his fellow board members to start contract renewal negotiations with Narcisse. Gaudet ended up pulling the item; six of the nine board members had just taken office and weren’t ready to take such a step.

In a May 18 email informing them of his Broward County application, Narcisse made clear he is open to staying in Baton Rouge.

“I continue to be open to conversations about a partnership that ensures my leadership not just today – but for years to come,” Narcisse wrote.

The Broward school district is much larger than East Baton Rouge. It serves about 260,000 students, employs about 27,000 people and maintains an operating budget of about $2.8 billion. Broward County has about 1.9 million residents and Fort Lauderdale is its largest city.

By contrast, East Baton Rouge serves more than 40,000 students, has about 6,000 employees and has an operating budget of about $531 million.