More information has emerged regarding Zoie Saunders’ brief stint as Chief School Executioner (Ed. Note: Actual title may vary) for the Broward County Public Schools. It’s not exactly flattering, and it raises questions about the timing of Gov. Phil Scott’s hiring process.

Reminder that in December, a mere three months ago, Saunders was hired specifically to manage a consolidation effort in Broward County’s schools, many of which are underenrolled. The plan has been awash in controversy as school officials have dropped unsubtle hints that it’s a done deal even before a series of public forums was held, and many fear the closures will disproportionately hit students of color. There are also massive questions about the scale of the effort; as few as five schools or as many as several dozen could be targeted.

And a March 9 article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the plan “could turn into a major land grab for local cities and developers,” including operators of charter schools. “The district owns about 38 million square feet worth of property in a county where open land is scarce,” according to the Sun Sentinel, so you can see how this unschooling plan could touch off a feeding frenzy.

This casts the plan in a different light, as a way for system administrators to ease budgetary pressure by cashing in some prime real estate. Might work in the short run, but it’s not a strategy for sustainability.

And managing this process, which she is abandoning well before her job is done, is the sum total of Zoie Saunders’ experience in public school management.

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