Alachua County School Board releases state audit, interim superintendent contract
The Alachua County School Board released its state audit report, discussed the interim superintendent contract and commended Superintendent Shane Andrew and District 2 Board Member Diyonne McGraw for their final ACSB meeting on Nov. 6.
Superintendent contract
The ACSB unanimously voted to hire Kamela Patton as the interim superintendent at a special meeting Nov. 4. Patton served as superintendent of Collier County Public Schools from 2011 to 2023.
By the end of Patton's tenure at CCPS, the graduation rate was at 92.7%, up from 72.5% when she originally took the position. She was also Florida Superintendent of the Year in 2022 , and in the same year, was a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year.
Patton's appointment comes at a crucial time for ACPS, as the district looks to navigate administration shifts as Shane Andrew departs on Nov. 15.
According to Patton's contract, which is not yet approved by the ACSB, her term would be from Nov. 18 to June 30, 2025.
Her base monthly salary would be $19,500 and a $2,000 monthly living allowance, in addition to travel and technology allowances.
During the meeting, District 4 board member Leanetta McNealy worried that a six month contract is too short to complete a national search for a long-term superintendent.
"I don't see us getting everything done that we need to do with our schedule and all the other things we have going on in the district in six months," she said.
District 5 board member Kay Abbitt said she supported the current monthly salary and additional allowances.
"I think her reputation precedes her, I think we've decided we all feel very comfortable with her," she said.
Taylor Gilfillan, a 33-year-old Gainesville resident and data analyst, spoke in public comment. He said he worried about the three-day gap between the ending of Andrew's contract and the beginning of Patton's.
"We're all aware it's going to be a quick on-ramp," he said. "They [Patton] need to set up for success from day one."
The ACSB will hold a special meeting to discuss contract approval on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.
State audit findings
The ACSB also discussed the state operational audit regarding findings from the 2023-24 school year.
The audit is conducted every three years by the Florida Auditor General's office. Its purpose is to check how internal controls are managed, make sure laws are followed and find any weak spots to boost accountability and efficiency.
The document discussed eight findings within ACPS, some of which echo issues raised in previous reports.
The audit revealed not all school resource officers completed required mental health crisis prevention training. Although ACPS contracts local law enforcement to provide SROs, records were not initially available to confirm training and completion.
In addition, ACPS did not consistently conduct fire and emergency drills as required by state law. Specifically, some drills were conducted concurrently, violating state board rules, and many were late, with delays ranging from nine to 123 days.
The audit questioned the district's commitment to financial transparency, revealing it failed to meet requirements for posting budget information on its website. The failure was attributed to ACPS personnel changes.
During the 2023-24 school year, there were eight incidents involving employee misconduct. The audit reported ACPS had not established adequate procedures to complete employee investigations or report misconduct.
According to the document, ACPS personnel indicated they were unaware they were required to investigate and issue a final order even when law enforcement performed an investigation. Investigations were not completed for two incidents.
Furthermore, ACPS overreported instructional contact hours for adult general education classes. Part of the funding for these classes are based on enrollment data provided to the Florida Department of Education.
The misreporting stemmed from programming errors.
The district also lacked policies for evaluating facility maintenance operations.
The ACSB is required to provide evidence that the corrective action plans to correct these failures have been initiated within 45 days, or by Nov. 30.
All actions must be completed within 180 days, or by April 14, 2025.
A final goodbye
In both Andrew and McGraw's last board meeting, nine community members spoke in recognition of both of them, giving thanks for their tenure.
In final words, Andrew reflected on his over 30-year involvement in ACPS.
"I encourage all of our fellow educators to not run away from the hard work," he said. "I thank God for all the work that we've done together."
McGraw focused on continuing to celebrate the faculty and staff in ACPS.
"This is it for me, and I've enjoyed this chapter," she said. "We'll see what God has planned for what's next."
