James “Jim” Notter, a lifelong educator who was credited with providing Broward County Public Schools calm and steady leadership during a time of turmoil, died earlier this month. He was 78.
Notter, the district’s superintendent from 2006 to 2011, died on May 7 at his home in West Palm Beach surrounded by family, following a 14-month battle with cancer, his wife, Judith Notter, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“Jim was deeply devoted to improving the lives of others. He served the students, teachers and staff of Broward County with unwavering commitment, dedicating his life to public education,” said State Rep. Robin Bartleman, who was a Broward School Board member during Notter’s tenure. “His integrity, compassion, and tireless service made him a truly honorable man.”
He also was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, his wife said.
“He was a great man who was kind. He put family first and then his job, but he worked hard,” Judith Notter said.
Notter was a native of Buffalo where he spent 13 years as a teacher and administrator before taking an administrative job in 1986 with the district’s Career, Technical, Adult, & Community Education department.
Judith Notter said she and her husband didn’t want to go through another blizzard in Buffalo, so the opportunity to work in Broward seemed like a good fit.
He ended up staying in Broward for most of his career, serving as an area superintendent for vocational and alternative schools, an associate superintendent, a deputy superintendent and a chief of staff to former Superintendent Frank Till.
After School Board members voted 5-4 to fire Till in 2006, they named Notter as the interim superintendent. They offered him the permanent job in 2007.
“Throughout my years in BCPS. I have seen it all, experienced it all and had the opportunity to work on it all,” Notter wrote in a letter to the School Board in 2021 when he applied — before later dropping out — to be interim superintendent again. “I am passionate about the success of our students, teachers, principals, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodial workers, cafeteria workers, every employee and every single piece that makes teaching and learning work.”
During Notter’s tenure as superintendent, the district was consistently A-rated, a distinction the district lost after he left in 2011 and didn’t regain until 2024.
But it also was a time marked by furloughs and layoffs due to recession-related budget cuts as well as corruption-related investigations and arrests of some School Board members.
“It’s amazing when you think about it. We were able to maintain that A rating, and that was because of him,” said Lisa Maxwell, the longtime executive director of the Broward Principals and Assistants Association. “He kept everyone focused on the job and not the noise that was going on all around.”
The district faced dramatic budget cuts during that time. Charter schools started to explode in popularity, leading to enrollment declines and fewer dollars for district-run schools. The housing collapse and recession also happened during his tenure. The district laid off and furloughed employees during that time, while scrapping plans to renovate or rebuild many decaying schools.
At the same time, a statewide grand jury, the FBI and state prosecutors were investigating corruption among public officials, including some in Broward schools. One School board member at the time, Beverly Gallagher, was sent to federal prison in 2009 for accepting bribes. Another, Stephanie Kraft, was found guilty of official misconduct due to a relationship she and her husband had with a district contractor. She was acquitted of other charges. Her husband was acquitted of charges.
A statewide grand jury report, released in 2011, criticized Notter for not always standing up to the board but did not implicate him with any corruption. Still, he decided to retire as superintendent shortly after the release of the grand jury report. Notter said at the time that the grand jury had created a distraction, and he wanted the district to be able to move forward with new leadership.
“I can’t imagine the stress and strain he must have been under, but he did an incredible job,” Maxwell said. “He left with the love and appreciation of an entire community.”
Judith Notter said she helped talk him into retirement.
“After 39 years plus, we talked about it. I told him it was time to enjoy his grandchildren, so it was a family decision,” she said.
The Notters moved from Broward to West Palm Beach after he retired to be closer to their grandchildren. He remained active as a consultant for South Tech Academy, a vocational high school in Boynton Beach.
Nora Rupert, a longtime Broward School Board member who also knew Notter when she was a teacher in the district, said one of her favorite memories came years after he retired. He was serving food to students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, which was reopening a few days after the 2018 mass shooting.
“He and many other administrators and former administrators showed up to volunteer at the school,” Rupert recalled. “He was so kind, so thoughtful and truly a servant at that point. His point was to make sure the transition coming back was a good experience. I saw a picture of the man I didn’t know before.”
In addition to his wife, Notter is survived by two daughters, Kimberly Randolph and Michelle Garcia, who both live in the West Palm Beach area, and four grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. May 31 in the auditorium at Dillard High School, 2501 NW 11th St., Fort Lauderdale.