St. Paul schools Superintendent Silva up for Florida job
St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Valeria Silva is one of 72 applicants for the position of superintendent in the School District of Palm Beach County, Fla.
The news comes only a month after the district extended Silva's contract until 2018.
Enrollment at St. Paul Public Schools in 2014 was 37,844, while the School District of Palm Beach County has more than 181,000 students.
Silvia and other candidates emerged following a national search led by education recruiter Ray and Associates. The candidates' names and their resumes are posted on the district's website.
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The Palm Beach County School Board will review the applicants and select finalists during a public board meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The board will then interview finalists during another public meeting on April 16.
The St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education voted last month to extend Silva's contract until Dec. 15, 2018, in what the board said was an effort to "make our intent and desire clear, that we want her to continue to lead St. Paul Public Schools."
St. Paul Public Schools spokesperson Toya Stewart Downey said Silva is on vacation until Wednesday and unable to comment.
Downey said in a statement that it's not surprising that the superintendent is in demand in other parts of the country.
"She is a nationally recognized education leader. St. Paul schools are notably successful. We have been a model for other districts in many ways," Downey said. "That attracts attention and recruiters."
Silva has served as superintendent in St. Paul since 2009. Prior to that, she worked in the district for 25 years as a teacher and administrator.