Tuesday the Brevard School Board selected a Superintendent. It’s Mark Mullins, the current COO of the District and Desmond Blackburn’s right hand man. Mullins was the likely call and anticipated frontrunner for the board and it became evident early in the process as he was the only one of the twelve candidates to make every board member’s list of candidates to interview. That being the case, the board moved to save some money and forget the other candidates, some of whom may have had to have been flown in and put up for the interview period.
The board all liked Mullins. They wanted continuity with the current administration and they have a salary range that an internal candidate should appreciate. Why waste time and money interviewing other candidates then? They didn’t.
They selected Mullins and now negotiations will begin.
I see this as a good choice for now. Mullins has been at Blackburn’s side for the last three years. He understands what is and has been happening and, unlike any superintendent I have seen in Brevard, he’s a local product. The continuity the board wanted should be evident. Mullins has been part of the team executing the plan to this point. Oh, he will bring his own ideas and philosophy to the table and we may see some changes. I am interested in the security plan and the discipline procedures. HR needs some attention as do expenditures and allocation of funds.
Mark Mullins has earned this opportunity. It’s up to him to keep earning the job. Mullins is an educator. He’ll need to become a communicator and political operative, hopefully not in the mold of Richard “The Sky is Falling” DiPatri. I hope he communicates as well as Desmond has. I hope he recognized the flaws in “Life of Brian” Binggeli’s MO. If he learns as well as he apparently educates, the board just may have killed the process, but made a good call.