School Boss Robert Runcie’s Many Broken Promises Overlooked
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Everyone from the Sun-Sentinel to Parkland parents want Broward School Superintendent Robert Runcie removed because of his failures surrounding the Stoneman Douglas High shootings.
But Runcie failures are not confined to Parkland.
Robert Runcie
Have we forgotten the promises he made about $800 million school renovation bonds?
Runcie promises that he broke…repeatedly.
Construction is running years behind schedule and the costs have climbed by $100s of millions. Runcie’s handpicked construction chief Leo Bobadilla was shown the door in October and a new bond boss was hired.
It’s not like Runcie wasn’t warned about this outcome when he hired Bobadilla to run the bond program in October 2015.
Bobadilla had a controversial record running Houston’s $2.1 billion school construction bond program. He was blamed for huge cost overruns and delays.
“What’s happening in Houston should be a cautionary tale for us in Broward,” Nathalie Lynch-Walsh, chair of the district’s civilian advisory Facilities Task Force, warned. “It’s like a glimpse into our future,” she added.
Still, Runcie was intent on hiring Bobadilla to run Broward’s similar but smaller $800 million bond construction program.
“We did background checks, we checked references, we spoke to (Houston) board members,” Runcie told the Broward board. “Every reference we had was glowing.”
Runcie couldn’t convince three School Board members. Robin Bartleman, Heather Brinkworth and Nora Rupert opposed Bobadilla’s hiring.
The superintendent’s word was good enough for the rest of the School Board, which consisted of mostly Runcie’s School Board flunkies like Abby Freedman and Rosalind Osgood.
Rosalind Osgood
Freedman praised Runcie for hiring Bobadilla, who she called the “best of the best.”
Remember that Freedman quote if she runs again. She decided not to run last year, but political talk has her running for School Board again in 2020.
Osgood remains on the Board. She continues to excuse Runcie’s widespread mismangement on soooo many issues.
When Broward’s School Board debating hiring Bobadilla, Osgood said she felt “very, very comfortable” in supporting Runcie’s hiring of Bobadilla.
Osgood added, ”I also feel just as comfortable, if it doesn’t work, in making our superintendent accountable for that.”
So when is Osgood going to hold “our superintendent accountable” for hiring Bobadilla and the bond program failures?
That would be….don’t hold your breath.
Osgood’s failure to live up to her promise about holding Runcie accountable proves that hypocrisy is the hallmark of her politics.
January 17th, 2019 at 11:10 am
There is no way out for Me.Runcie.These parents want him gone.Best u hire head Hunter and move on.Right now Gov.looking into if he can remove u.My take.Get out now.Save face.These parents want closure.Which means they will not stop until Mr.Runcie is gone.Good luck to u..
January 17th, 2019 at 11:12 am
Buddy, Couldn’t agree more. That’s why, when I was on the school board, I voted against hiring Runcie in the fist place. He was then, and he remains, a bad fit for Broward Schools.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Osgood should know that we will NEVER forget the way she sat up there wearing that ridiculous sorority hat while she disrespected and dismissed parents of disabled children and their advocate Rhonda Ward. It’s disheartening that the parents of her district do not care enough about their own children to find the right candidate to run against her. Don’t think you need to worry about Freedman running again; her antics at MSD just prior to the massacre would cause too much bad publicity. RIP A.F.
January 17th, 2019 at 2:00 pm
Runcie knows at best there are 4 votes to oust him and they need 5. Pollack and Petty can kiss his black ass.
January 17th, 2019 at 2:45 pm
The Parkland parents are indeed adamant that Runcie be fired. Imagine the strength in numbers of parents dedicated to that cause if the parents from Northeast High School, Stranahan High School, and all of the other schools that have been denied repairs and remodeling for years joined together! Thousands of students have been forced to take classes in substandard conditions while exposed to mold, standing water, lack of air conditioning, and inadequate technology because of Runcie’s incompetence.
It is time for him to hit the road.
January 17th, 2019 at 3:57 pm
Cold, hard FACT; Scott Israel had his SURVIVAL News Conference at Dr Rosalind Osgood’s Church where she seems involved with 6 or 12 or corporations DIRECTLY or in directly FUNDED BY THE PUBLUC. Scott Israel didnt blog on Broward Beat for SURVIVAL
January 17th, 2019 at 9:52 pm
Look at Runcie’s last evaluation. Osgood’s rating went down. My inside source says that Osgood was heard in her office yelling at Runcie about Bolbadilla saying that he was useless . A week later he was resigning. What I see is when Osgood wrote runcie up about staff, many people in District high level positions were force to resign. Buddy I think you like that aweful green bini that she is wearing. You keep reposting it.
January 18th, 2019 at 11:10 am
#7 Has given us IF TRUE why the School Board is TRASH. Can you IMAGINE A DECENT MINISTER (Osgood is a Minister) or DECENT EDUCATOR (isnt that what her Ph.D. in is) let alone head of EDUCATIKNAL NON PROFITS ‘yelling’? When I saw Murray n Levinson in their SCHMATTAs I couldnt BELIEVE ANYONE WOULD VOTE FOR THEM! Who votes in Broward County? Lobotomy patients?
January 22nd, 2019 at 8:22 am
Runcie has already been superintendent longer than any other. He is too controversial inside and outside the schools. Time to Go!
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:31 am
I was a first hand observer in our Broward School board politics. Levinson was busy mocking Pollack in an effort to get votes and saying he was crazy. He is not. Unbelievable that she was an actual school board member responsible for our county’s children. Osgood is not a nice person and I hope she goes. We need people that care about everone’s children and not just their own political gain. Talk of her being the next supervisor of election is crazy. We need accountability and if Runcie has their support and not the others it’s obvious something is wrong.
January 22nd, 2019 at 3:15 pm
Seriously? This poster had the nerve to say “Kiss Runcie’s black ass”???? …Let’s kiss some “good”, Great Asses in the future! Whether they are black, white, tanned, Chinese, Jamaican,Red,Black, or white…enough is enough with this prejudice stuff…Whatever we decide to vote,lets do it because we know that they will be at our best interest at heart without prejudice to anyone….And let’s not kiss each other’s ass just because of color or tinted spray. Let’s cheer and help whoever gets the position of being one of the cities/counties best… Because in the end, truly it will show who truly got the job on their own merit and got the job done!!!
Isn’t that what everyone wants in the end?
January 22nd, 2019 at 6:45 pm
How much you wanna bet he cancels his “workshop’ at MSD this Thursday at 6pm since an Oust Runcie rally has been planned at that location?
Word on the street is that the mold sufferers from Northeast High and Deerfield Beach plan to attend to have their voices be heard as well. Sounds like a party!
January 23rd, 2019 at 2:10 pm
To add.Mr.Runcie is on thin ice with this new governor.One thing the transformation with Gov.Desanti.Since the election( Nov) he lost weight.Tailored suits, really impressive.As far as Mr.Runcie be careful because if he has the authority to suspend u , trust he will.Although Gov.has to be careful.Just look at Dr.Snipes victory recently.With former gov.Scott shit canning Snipes.He cost us money.All her pay since suspension will be compensated( over 10G( yes), plus I’m sure her atty.fees with be reimbursed ( Congrats to her atty Weeks( well come on it’s about time you prevailed on her behalf, cause u basically lost every other suit filed against her,again congrats).So as u can see u never want to cost the taxpayer money by such stated actions.School be.should help the gov.out and oust Me.Runcie.Its time to move on.With Runcie Chicago connections inquiry about a job at Present.Obama library.Say director of educational studies to the youth on the South side of Chicago, where the library is to be located.So again the school be.should seek new person.Good luck to him.Far as this new gov.keep up the good work.Ps.u r what u eat.Impressive change..
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:00 pm
@12
Mr. Incompetence, AKA Runcie, did indeed cancel the meeting. Hopefully, he is busy finding tickets to fly away back to Chicago. Imagine being afraid to respond to parents who send their children to the schools he has damaged. Leadership?? I think not!
January 25th, 2019 at 11:57 am
Hey – Dunz with the Runz – can you please let me know what the winning numbers are to Saturdays Powerball? Also, kindly let us know when Runcie will finally resign. I am not sure what sequence I would prefer but a positive outcome to both would be appreciated.
January 25th, 2019 at 1:55 pm
@12
Sure, why would coward Runcie sit there and take the heat from parents when he can bypass all of it by putting it all on his funding buddy and supporter at City Furniture? No “good” deed goes unpunished, apparently.
Reportedly, The Northwest Broward parent crowd, FixIt crew, the mold sufferers and folks upset about their shitty furniture purchases will gather in Tamarac at 10:00 on Sat. to say “OUST RUNCIE” and “THIS RECLINER SUCKS” Two things are for sure: Runcie is a bad friend, and Wayfair has FREE shipping !!!!!
January 26th, 2019 at 4:19 pm
The fact that this discussion is going on indicates that Mr. Runcie has been superintendent for too long because he is too divisive.