Article in Sarasota Herald Tribune:

Article published Jun 19, 2008

Too little, too late

Riverview High proposal received a fair hearing but fell shortIt was a lot to ask.

An aspirational concept, a detailed site plan, a solid business model, a list of prospective tenants, a show of money in the bank and multimillion-dollar financial commitments -- the Sarasota County School Board wanted it all.

By Tuesday night.The board's five members didn't get all they had sought from proponents of a proposal to redesign the reconstruction of Riverview High School and, in the process, restore an architecturally significant building and create an innovative music center.

So, the board voted 3-2 to reject the proposal and maintain the current plan for renovating Riverview, which includes the demolition of a 1958 building complex designed by a one-time Sarasotan, Paul Rudolph.

The decision pleased Riverview teachers, parents, students and others who feared that the redesign would delay the sorely needed renovation that's under way, shrink student facilities, reduce parking space and possibly leave the school district with an unsustainable project.

The decision disappointed architects, preservationists, arts leaders and others who wanted to save the Rudolph buildings and convert them into a cleverly conceived Riverview Music Quadrangle.

The proposal -- made by a first-class architectural firm, with the School Board's agreement and the support of both preservationists and architects -- was, in fact, aspirational, if not inspirational. It called for preservation and adaptation, as well as the introduction of more environmentally friendly features on the campus. The proposal was not simply about saving an "old" building, as some critics charged.

But the proposal materialized late in the life of the Riverview reconstruction project, which was years overdue but is proceeding on schedule. The architects' concept also lacked the level of specificity -- especially in economic terms -- that would have given more School Board members the assurance they needed to take a big leap of faith.

Opponents of redesigning the Riverview project and protecting the Rudolph buildings mischaracterized the decision facing the School Board as a no-brainer. The proposal deserved a fair hearing, and it received one: Board members rightly gave it a lot of thought.

As we wrote in an editorial before Tuesday's vote, the board was asking for a lot. But so were the proponents of redesigning the project.

The burden was on the proponents to meet the reasonable conditions; on the financial side, they didn't come close, leaving the board with no choice but to proceed as previously planned.

The architects who delivered the proposal deserved a better reception than they received in many sectors of the community. Their challenge to the community to dream about the possibilities of the Riverview Music Quadrangle was courageous and the designs were impressive but, sadly, the proposal wasn't tempered by reality.

Report on School Board Decision

School Board comments:

"When we granted the extension six months ago, why didn’t these questions come up? Now we’re looking for another extension? I’m just having a hard time with this." -–Sarasota County School Board Vice Chairwoman Caroline Zucker on the adaptive reuse project for Riverview High School during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

[TALK] No Saving Riverview

There were too many unanswered questions, school board members said, for an architectural proposal to turn famed architect Paul Rudolph’s Riverview building into a music quadrangle. School board members voted 3 to 2 on Tuesday to reject plans to save the building. During the meeting, Riverview students and parents asked the school board not to allow the music quadrangle to be constructed on campus, citing security and space concerns.

Architects pleaded with members to save the structure, which is listed on the World Monument Fund’s 100 Most Endangered Sites. “If you allow this vote to go yes, it will draw a lot of attention to this community,” said Joel May, president of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

School board members repeatedly asked architects representing the project how much total money the music quadrangle would cost and how much money was already raised. Architects explained they couldn’t get major foundations to donate to the project until it was approved.

“It (the project) seems to have morphed from this local group and now we’re talking about all these groups from New York and that area in all these contracts,” school board member Shirley Brown said. “You’re asking us to go into a contract with somebody…I don’t know who it is. I have the public trust of our local tax dollars. It seems so gray.”

From: PAGE 1 is produced by the editors and writers of SRQ: Sarasota's Premier Magazine, an e-mail newsletter.

School Board Votes to Tear Down Rudolph Building

From the SHT

Board votes to tear down historic building on Riverview campus
Tiffany Lankes
Published Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 7:06 p.m.Last updated Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 7:10 p.m.

Sarasota County — The School Board decided to move forward with plans to tear down historic buildings at Riverview High School, ending a two-year-long effort by local activists to save the structures.

The split vote — 3 to 2 — came after an hour of emotional comments from about 20 teachers, parents and architects forcing the board to weigh the value of preserving the building against what they say is the practicality of rebuilding a high school.

In the end, board members said their decision hung on whether the group trying to save the buildings could come up with enough money for the project.

Despite giving the group three months to come up with a financial plan, board members said they were not convinced the group could raise the funding and were afraid the district would get stuck with the old, deterioriated buildings.

“The time to show me the money was today,” said board member Shirley Brown. “I’m sorry.”

Message from Carl Abbott

Dear All,

On June 17 the Sarasota County School Board is going to make a final decision about demolishing or saving the original Riverview High School.

I am asking you to join me in urging them to vote in favor of preserving and rehabilitating this world-reknonwned architectural icon which was designed by architect Paul Rudolph in 1958.

Riverview High School is listed as one of the most important endangered buildings by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, by the National American Institute of Architects, Time Magazine, numerous publications around the world, and by the World Monument Foundation. Riverview High School is an important part of Sarasota's reputation as a Cultural Center.

Presently, the original School maintenance issues are extreme - the building is structurally sound as is stated in a 2004 Report. New York architect Diane Lewis has designed a handsome rehabilitation with the Riverview Music Quadrangle that will be a multi-purpose space for the musical arts.

Saving the building will not interfere with the new Riverview High School which is now under construction. The result will be a restored architectural gem with a vibrant musical life which all the community can enjoy. Letters and e-mails from you and your friends (the more, the better) can make a significant impact. Please write before June 17.

Thank you.

For more information, please go to the website of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation: info@SarasotaArchitecturalFoundation.org.

The school board members and their contact information follow:
Dr. Kathy Kleinlein, Chair kathy_kleinlein@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mrs. Caroline Zucker caroline_zucker@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mrs. Shirley Brown shirley_brown@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mrs. Carol Todd carol_todd@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Mr. Frank Kovach frank_kovach@sarasota.k12.fl.us

You can write all five of them in one e-mail.

Sarasota County Schools; 1960 Landings Blvd; Sarasota, FL. 34231

CARLCARL ABBOTT FAIA ARCHITECT / PLANNER
2846 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
SARASOTA FL
34234
941.351.5016

The process continues

The latest information from Sarasota:

From the Pelican Press:

Group wins reprieve for Rudolph buildin
By Rachel Brown Hackney

The request was for six months, the staff proposed six weeks, but in the end, the Sarasota County School Board voted 4-1 on March 4 to give the Sarasota Architectural Foundation a three-month extension to get plans and funds in place to save the historic Paul Rudolph structure at Riverview High School.

The lone "No" vote came from board member Frank Kovach, who has made his position known on numerous occasions that he would prefer to see the building razed on the campus where new facilities are scheduled to open for the 2009-2010 school year.

Kovach said the board had given the Revive Rudolph's Riverview group and SAF a year since a design charrette organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation was held in March 2007 to find a way to save the 1958 Rudolph building, "and I have not seen any kind of forward motion."

However, board member Carol Todd pointed to a presentation earlier in the evening about the plans for transforming the original 1920s Sarasota High School building into a museum of modern and contemporary art along with studios for Ringling College of Art and Design students."

If anyone had told me when I voted [to allow the museum plans to go forward] that they would be where they are today," Todd said, she would not have believed them. "I am awed by where they are today."

Further, Todd said, "How do you ask people for millions of dollars if you don't have [a firm] commitment" from the school board. It would be a good faith effort, she added, for the board to give the SAF the full six-month extension.

Board member Shirley Brown agreed that it would be hard for the SAF to raise money without a commitment from the board. Still, she said she felt the board first needs to see where the group was with its efforts to save the structure.

"Does this plan have dollars in it that make sense?" When Vice Chairman Caroline Zucker asked whether a three-month extension would have any negative impact on the construction of the new school, Chief Operating Officer Scott Lempe responded that it would not. However, he said, "Six months makes me real nervous."

Kovach also pointed out that the Music Quadrangle plan for the building, envisioned by New York City architect Diane Lewis, was not the type of future the board had foreseen when it approved an April 17, 2007, resolution with the SAF. "

They seem to want to use our resources.""All I hear is 'we,' 'they,' 'we,' 'they,' " Todd responded. "Are we going to partner with them or are we going to parcel out the barrels so they will never be successful?"

Superintendent Gary Norris told the board an SAF representative had phoned him to say that district staff "had potentially delayed them by six weeks" in working on their site plans and fundraising. " I told him immediately I wanted to make it right." That was why staff had suggested the six-week extension, he added.

Chairman Kathy Kleinlein noted that Lewis' design entails moving athletic fields and reconfiguring other parts of the new campus - something that was not a factor with the historic SHS building. However, she added, "I like the idea of the Music Quadrangle. ... I would be in favor of giving them three months more. I think that's more than fair."

After the vote, SAF Chairman Les Fishman told the Pelican Press, "Three months is better than nothing." As Todd had pointed out, he continued, it was difficult to raise funds without a commitment from the board.Further, he said that, in light of the economic downturn, it would be very difficult in the Sarasota area, or even in the United States, to raise all the money needed to save the building. However, with Rudolph fans all over the world, he said, the SAF, could seek international support.

Mark Smith of Siesta Key, immediate past president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, was delighted on March 5 to hear about the board's vote. " That's excellent. That's much, much better."

A civil engineer with the WilsonMiller firm in Naples is working with SAF to oversee the necessary site work to enable Lewis' plan to blend with the new Riverview, he said. The first round of fundraising for the Lewis plan will cover that consultant's expenses, he added."It's such a worthwhile project," he said of the Music Quadrangle. "I'm glad that the school board's giving it every opportunity to succeed."
-----------------------------
Earlier articles in the Pelican Press describing the process are listed below:

http://www.pelicannews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=4669&SectionID=130&S=1

http://www.pelicannews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=4542&SectionID=132&S=1

News About the "Save Riverview" Proposals

Four proposals were selected for review by the jury and the school board.

Local news articles about the status of saving the Riverview are in the Sarasota Herald Tribume and the Pelican Press.

A Pelican Press article about the selection process is here.

The public meeting tonight to view the selection results was well attended. Diane Lewis , architect for the chosen design, participated via telephone from New York. The proposal is exciting and was very well recieved.

More news and graphics will be posted when they are available.

Riverview Editorial

Editorial published Feb 9, 2007 in Sarasota Herald Tribune
The Riverview review

Requirement of a strict timeline is lamentable but necessaryAfter a parents' group pleaded, in a Herald-Tribune guest column, for construction of a new Riverview High School to proceed without delay, a community group proposed, in another guest column, an expert review of the possibilities of preservation.

The Sarasota County School Board and superintendent agreed on both counts.

The board and Superintendent Gary Norris took a principled yet politically practical stand Tuesday. They accepted a proposal by the Save Riverview Committee to let the National Trust for Historic Preservation facilitate a three-day workshop. The workshop will examine the feasibility of rehabilitating the school courtyard buildings designed by the renowned Paul Rudolph and incorporating them into a new campus.

The School Board's agreement came with important caveats, such as limits on costs and a provision that preservation proposals not delay the sorely needed, overdue Riverview campus-reconstruction plan.It's lamentable that adherence to a strict timeline is required, but it's necessary. As we wrote in an editorial last June, the Riverview campus -- which includes "Sarasota School of Architecture" designs by Rudolph -- is overcrowded, outdated and rundown. Even one of the leading proponents of rehabilitation, architect (and Riverview graduate and parent) Mark H. Smith, wrote that today's campus is a "dreadful place.

"The school district, preservationists and the community should be embarrassed by the fact that any school -- much less one of distinctive design -- has deteriorated to the condition of Riverview.

We sympathize with the preservationists' desire to save the architecture. More than history is at stake, however. The health, safety and welfare of students and staff are at risk. If those priorities can be met through preservation, wonderful, but they must be met without delay.

School Board OKs National Trust Review

Article published Feb 7, 2007

Sarasota board open to saving historic school
School Board OKs Riverview study
By LIZ BABIARZ
liz.babiarz@heraldtribune.com

After weeks of lobbying by local architects, school district officials appear more open to saving the historic buildings at Riverview High as they rebuild the school.

But it can't delay construction, increase costs, diminish security or interfere with student learning, those officials said Tuesday.

"We still want the school open by 2009; this is what we want to see," board member Shirley Brown said. "If we can see that and save that portion of the old school, we'll go forward.

"The School Board on Tuesday agreed to invite an architect from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to Sarasota in the next few weeks to study the viability of saving the historic courtyard buildings, designed by architect Paul Rudolph.

The Historic Trust will host a three-day "brainstorming session" with 15 to 20 interested parties -- including architects, Riverview teachers and parents, residents and district officials -- to see what can be done to preserve the Rudolph buildings and build a school that meets the needs of 21st century education.

The board's decision to hold the independent review was supported by all the members except Chairman Frank Kovach.It is a victory for local architects who have been pushing the board to reconsider its vote last fall to tear down the Rudolph buildings to make way for a parking lot and bus loop.

"It's an iconic building," said Edward "Tim" Seibert, an AIA fellow and member of the Save Riverview Committee.

"Paul Rudolph was a very fine architect, known around the world. I hope we can open up a conversation and make (the preservation) happen."But while they were open to the idea of investigating ways to preserve Rudolph's work, the School Board was clear it may not result in any change.

"I think our students deserve a safe and healthy school to go to," board member Caroline Zucker said. "If it is going to delay the project at all, I'm not in favor of it.

"At the end of the three-day "charrette," the National Trust architect will make a recommendation to the School Board on how to proceed with Riverview High, a suggestion the board can accept, reject or modify.If the board chooses to proceed with the demolition, Superintendent Gary Norris is suggesting it wait at least two years to give the community a chance to raise money and find another use for the structure.

Norris compared it to the process the district used to save Sarasota High School's old red brick building, by accepting a proposal from the Ringling School of Art and Design to transform it into a visual arts education center.

"If there's really this cry out there to save the building, I think the money is out there, too," Norris said.

Mold, drainage and other problems have plagued Riverview for years, and school officials have maintained it would cost too much to save it.

But preservationists say the district didn't do enough to try to save the buildings designed by Rudolph, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of architecture. They recently nominated the glass and steel structures to be included on the list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historical Sites.

"At Tuesday's meeting, the board also instructed BMK Architects to proceed with its construction drawings for Riverview. Under the current plan, construction of a new school building on vacant land would start in September and be completed in fall 2009. The students would relocate to the new building and the Rudolph buildings would be demolished in late 2009 or early 2010. Then a parking lot and bus loop would be built.

School Board members continue to express concern about the project's price tag, now hovering at $134 million. At their meeting next week, they will discuss ways to reduce costs, which may mean cutting back on extras such as the planetarium, a balcony in the auditorium and computers for students.

School Board Accepts National Trust's Offer

Today the Sarasota School Board voted 4-1 to accept the offer made by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to facilitate an independent review of the Rudolph buildings on the Riverview site.

The review will likely be a three-day workshop at no cost to the community or the Sarasota County School Board and will focus on the feasibility of rehabilitating the original Paul Rudolph courtyard buildings and incorporating them into the campus of the new 21st-century Riverview.

We are pleased that the School Board took this step.

Good News

Saving school may be studied
By LATISHA R. GRAY
latisha.gray@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA COUNTY -- School Superintendent Gary Norris agreed Friday to recommend an independent study to see if some parts of Riverview High School can be spared the wrecking ball.

Norris met with the Save Riverview Committee and said he would talk to School Board members about allowing the National Trust for Historic Preservation to study the viability of saving some of the original courtyard buildings, designed by architect Paul Rudolph.

School Board members voted in the fall to demolish the buildings and use the land for parking and a bus loop once the new school is built.

Mold, drainage and other problems have plagued the school for years, and school officials have maintained it would cost too much to save them.

But architects and preservationists say the district didn't do enough to try to save the buildings designed by Rudolph, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of architecture.

They recently nominated the part of the Rudolph campus to be included on the list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historical Sites."

"We're pleased that an organization of this stature will be looking into how the Rudolph courtyard buildings can really be used," said Mark Smith, a member of the Save Riverview Committee. "The National Trust will be picking up the costs, and we'll be working in close cooperation with the associate superintendent to make this happen.

"If the School Board agrees, the National Trust will bring in an architect to hold workshops and look at factors such as safety, costs and security.

The National Trust is a nonprofit preservation organization with about 250,000 members.The district hopes to have the new three-story campus building completed by August 2009.

Riverview Demolition Nominated for National Trust's Most Endangered List

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has a story today about our group's application to nominate the planned Riverview demolition to the National Trust's 11 Most Endangered List for 2007. It is currently on the Florida Trust's Endangered List.

Article published Jan 14, 2007

ENDANGERED
By ANNA SCOTT

SARASOTA -- Local architects are trying to dub Riverview High school one of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2007," a designation that carries no legal punch but packs a mean public awareness campaign.

In the 20-year history of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's famed listing, only two of the chosen endangered places were ever demolished: the Mapes Hotel in Reno, Nev., where stars including Tony Bennett performed, and the Madison Lenox Hotel in Detroit, one of the downtown area's original turn-of-the-century buildings.

The Riverview application, filed this week by the head of the state's largest architectural association, came with letters of support from industry leaders from New Jersey to Michigan, each making the case why the Sarasota County School Board should reverse its decision to demolish the school.

"Hopefully it will show the local folks in charge of this thing that they've made the wrong decision," said Mark Smith, a Siesta Key architect and member of the Save Riverview committee.

About 70 to 100 apply for status each year, according to the trust. Winners will be announced May 15.

The movement to save the school is picking up national support.

World-famous urban planner Andres Duany called the demolition plans "barbaric" at a City Hall meeting a few days ago.

But the national attention might not be enough to spare the buildings designed by modernist architect Paul Rudolph, who is considered one of the most talented members of the Sarasota architecture movement of the 1950s, and whose reputation in recent years has been revived.

One of his designs, the architecture school at Yale, even appears on a postage stamp.

School officials say, despite the attention, they'll hold fast to plans to tear down and rebuild by 2010.

The Proctor Street lot is too small to preserve the glass-and-steel Rudolph buildings and still build something suitable for the 21st century, they say.

They're thinking hurricane-proof, high-tech, secure, cost-efficient. They want parking spots.

When the Rudolph buildings come down, pavement will be laid in their place.

"Students first, taxpayers second and architectural design third," said School Board member Caroline Zucker.

The application to the historic trust is the latest turn in the growing war between school leaders and local preservationists since the School Board voted last fall to tear down the school.

After hearing from members of the Save Riverview committee, who believe there is a cost-efficient way to renovate the Rudolph buildings and still build a new school, the Sarasota County government decided to investigate whether there was a code prohibiting destruction of the 58-year-old campus.

School officials are planning to meet with county officials one-on-one this week to share the deteriorating condition of Riverview, from the mold to the dark classrooms, and reasons why restoring the Rudolph buildings won't work.

Several school officials said they worried the national attention might further delay the Riverview rebuild.

"It's frustrating," said Principal Linda Nook. "I'm worried about anything that could halt this."

The school district plans to restore a smaller Rudolph building on the Sarasota High campus, said Superintendent Gary Norris.

And the district is committed to including Rudolph-inspired touches at the new Riverview, such as staircases that seem to float and steel beams.

For some, that will never be enough.

"You know what the world thinks of your tearing down Riverview?" Duany said before a packed City Commission chambers last week. "It doesn't matter how many concerts you have and how many art museums you have. You will be considered forever barbarians if you take it down."

The crowd cheered.

Pelican Press Editorial

Pelican Press
EDITORIAL

Rudolph's Riverview High must be preserved

Unless you've just returned to town, you know by now that despite months of active campaigning by local and national preservationists, the Sarasota School of Architecture-styled, Paul Rudolph-designed Riverview High School, which was built in 1957, has been slated for destruction since last summer.

Since the announcement, Save Riverview, which is committed to finding a way to preserve the Rudolph structures, has generated a groundswell of international support. The county commission recently directed its legal staff to research Florida statutes and determine if there are provisions to block the school board's plan to replace the historic structure with a new one by the autumn of 2009. The commission directed County Attorney Steve DeMarsh to research both applicable laws and the county's comprehensive plan for a report about "historic preservation and off-site impacts." A report has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 25.

And, as reported in this week's Pelican, Metropolis, an internationally known design and architecture magazine, is producing a documentary on the ongoing saga of the Rudolph buildings.

Clearly this is not an issue that is going to fade away gracefully - probably much to the chagrin of the school board, which voted unanimously to demolish the school.

On May 18, 2006, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation listed the building as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites in the state. Then, to the surprise of local and international Rudolph devotees, one month later, the school board announced a multimillion-dollar plan for building a new Riverview that means all the existing school's buildings would be demolished to make way for parking.

The school district had already paid approximately $1.2 million for an in-depth facilities assessment by the firm 3D/International (3DI). Unfortunately - and this is really where they missed the boat - the Paul Rudolph-designed structures were left out of the assessment; because they were intended to be razed, no discussion necessary. This, despite a 2004 memorandum to Superintendent Dr. Gary Norris from BMK Architects overviewing its extensive 2002 Long-Range Facilities Review on Riverview High School, which stated "plan on replacing all existing buildings on campus ... with the exception of the original Rudolph buildings, which should be rehabilitated."

Rudolph's designs tend to be polarizing. But whether you love or hate the building is really irrelevant; it is a historically important piece of the Sarasota School of Architecture that should be saved.

Rudolph was a pioneering architect and a major figure of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Before designing Riverview High School in 1957, he focused his groundbreaking talents on designing private residences on Siesta Key and Sarasota.

In his designs, Rudolph synthesized the Modernist ideas of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis I. Kahn. He used sweeping monolithic forms and intricate interior spaces to create a powerful sculptural quality.

This community should have enjoyed a lasting, living legacy with its Sarasota School of Architecture. Instead, the school and what it represented are rapidly becoming relics of the past. And remaining structures designed and built in this style are becoming as rare as affordable housing.

Each historic building's importance increases exponentially every time another piece of our local history is destroyed. The need to preserve this small slice of Sarasota's past becomes painfully obvious when one starts considering all the historic places that have been destroyed in favor of "progress."

Grant money is available for places on the Historic Register, especially if it is being renovated for public use. Contributions from local foundations, federal and state funds and matching grants could be explored.

If the worldwide response to this issue is any indication - and it should be - Riverview must be protected as a historic structure.

The powers that be have managed to whittle away much of what was an already very limited local history.

Do we really want to be remembered for destroying what little remains? Do we want that to be our legacy?

County May Step In On Riverview

Another story about the possibility of Sarasota County Government reviewing the proposed demolition of the Rudolph builidngs at Riverview High School:

Preservationists who want to save Riverview High School have found a glimmer of hope in a Sarasota County government investigation into whether the county could challenge plans to demolish the 48-year-old school.

The Sarasota County School District plans to tear down parts of Riverview, including buildings designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph, and rebuild the school within four years.

But newly elected County Commissioner Joe Barbetta fears the demolition could violate the county's rules about preserving historic resources. Sarasota County staff is investigating whether the county needs to perform a historic evaluation before the three Rudolph buildings can be torn down.

Some county leaders are also concerned the school could worsen traffic in Riverview's suburban Sarasota neighborhood, a charge county staff is investigating as well. A report is expected by mid-January.

The full story, can be found in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Follow Up On School Superintendent

A couple articles describe the turmoil surrounding the superintendent.

Today the superintendent announced he would like to stay. The SHT news item says:

Norris decides to remain as superintendent
By LIZ BABIARZ
liz.babiarz@heraldtribune.com
Gary Norris announced Wednesday afternoon he will stay on as superintendent of Sarasota County schools to bring stability to the district and finish work on his reform plan.

Norris will now start negotiating a new contract with the School Board. He said he intends to remain in his position for at least seven years, until he retires.

Norris abruptly resigned in September, citing obstacles within the district to his plans for reform.

“My goal is to stop this revolving door of superintendents and return consistency and stability to the school district,” Norris said. “I am sorry for the turmoil my resignation caused these past few months but I hope the lessons learned will make us wiser.”

School Superintendent Performance Is Reviewed

Sarasota's School Board is reviewing the performance of the School Superintendent, Dr Gary Norris. Readers of this blog may be aware that Dr Norris made the decision to demolish the Riverview Rudolph buildings and convinced the school board this was the direction the board must take.

This, and other examples of his top down decision making management style has become an issue throughout the community. Lack of opportunity for citizen input prior to decision making can lead to poor decisions.

Read the Sarasota Herald Tribune article about this issue.