Broward Public Schools swears in Hepburn as new superintendent. He’ll make $340,000
After inking a contract last week that grants him a $340,000 annual salary, Howard Hepburn officially became the new superintendent of Broward County Public Schools on Wednesday.
Hepburn, 45, became the fourth permanent superintendent in the last three years in Broward.
The school district, the sixth largest in the country, has been recently ridden with extreme staff turnover and a precarious decline in student enrollment. Still, Hepburn seemed optimistic.
“I’m incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve our students, staff and community,” he said after officially taking over. “Together, we will navigate some immediate challenges, including our budget and the need to redefine our schools for the future.”
Hepburn’s 10-minute swearing-in ceremony took place at the Kathleen C. Wright Office in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
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In 1974, Kathleen C. Wright became the first Black woman to win a county-wide election in Florida, as well as the first Black Broward County School Board member. She died in 1985.
On Wednesday, Kathleen Wright’s partner, a retired Broward County judge, swore Hepburn in.
“I’m Zebedee Wright, Kathleen’s husband, and I was the first Black judge in this county,” he said.
Hepburn’s wife, Sheba Howard, held the Bible. After, Hepburn celebrated their wedding anniversary, which was also Wednesday, May 29.
“Happy anniversary to my beautiful wife,” he said, “and thank you for sharing me with the amazing school district and all 200-thousand-plus kids of this school district. I love you.”
Hepburn said he’ll focus on improving the grade the state’s Department of Education issues for performance from a B, which has been the constant for nine years, to an A. He also said he wants to improve transparency and stability.
Lori Alhadeff, the Broward School Board’s chair, liked those goals.
“We can’t wait to team up and create an amazing brighter future for Broward County Public Schools together,” Alhadeff said at the ceremony.
About a month ago, on April 26, Alhadeff negotiated the tentative employment agreement with Hepburn. Last week, on May 21, the School Board unanimously approved the terms.
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The contract pays Hepburn $340,000 annually — a $120,000 raise from his $220,000 salary as deputy superintendent for teaching and learning. He’ll get a $15,000 stipend to move from Palm Beach County to Broward County by Dec. 31, 2025.
He could also get an additional $20,000 in performance bonuses — $10,000 dependent upon the school district achieving and maintaining an A-rating from the state, and another $10,000 dependent upon the progression of the SMART bond program by 2025.
He’ll get a $1,200 vehicle allowance and the most comprehensive plans for health, dental and vision insurance for him and his family.
He will get no severance pay if terminated without cause during the first six months on the job. After six months, he will gradually accrue severance pay — getting 3.3 weeks per month — until he hits 20 weeks of severance on his first-year anniversary.
Hepburn became the superintendent abruptly on April 16, after his predecessor, Peter Licata, unexpectedly announced he would step down due to health reasons.
Licata served as superintendent from June 2023 to April 2024. He replaced Vickie Cartwright, who served from February 2022 to February 2023. She, in turn, replaced Robert Runcie, who stepped down in April 2021.
