School Board of Alachua County approves interim superintendent contract

The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) approved the final draft of a contract for a new interim superintendent during a special meeting on Wednesday.

Dr. Kamela Patton, who retired recently after serving 12 years as superintendent of Collier County Public Schools, on the tail end of a nearly 40-year education career, is set to serve as Alachua County Public Schools' (ACPS) interim superintendent from Nov. 18, 2024, until June 30, 2025.

Due to a prior commitment, Patton will not be able to move to Gainesville and fill the role for the first few days of her appointment, so Deputy Superintendent Cathy Atria will fill in Nov. 18-20 before handing the reigns to Patton on Nov. 21.

Become A Member

Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.

School Board Chair Diyonne McGraw said Patton insisted that she not be paid for those first few days of her contract, when she will not be available.

Patton's contract, which the board revised at its last meeting , includes a $19,500 monthly salary, in addition to a $600 monthly automobile allowance, $175 monthly allowance for cell phone and a temporary living stipend of $2,000 per month.

The board voted unanimously at the beginning of the month to choose Patton as superintendent, to fill the role on an interim basis while ACPS conducts a national search for a permanent superintendent.

Board Member Sarah Rockwell made the motion to approve the contract, seconded by Board Member Leanetta McNealy. The board unanimously voted in favor, with Board Member Tina Certain joining remotely over Zoom.

"I'm very enthusiastic about collaborating with the community to build on the district's strong foundation," Patton said in a press release. "I'm looking forward to making a positive impact and guiding Alachua County Public Schools during this important transition."

School Choice policy amendment

The school board also unanimously shot down an amendment to board policy that would alter magnet program eligibility and clarify the lottery process, as well as move the magnet application timeline up to be more competitive against private and charter schools.

The policy has been appearing before the board repeatedly since its first reading on Sept. 17, and board members have continued to send staff back with more changes to make. At Wednesday's meeting, board members expressed more concerns, especially about the application timeline, how it is expected to affect shadowing days and when students moving up can see their program options for the next school they may attend.

Three middle school band directors attended Wednesday's meeting to tell the board that the accelerated shadow days' timeline was not communicated to them early enough to plan appropriately. They said shadow days are always in January, and if moved to December, they would lose valuable instructional time with eighth-grade students who are touring high schools, harming the students' final winter performances.

"We want to have all the same goals and accomplishments that the district staff has, but when we don't take into consideration all of the stakeholders that are a part of this process, it causes more problems than we can begin to realize," Howard Bishop Middle School band director Amy Beres told the board.

The policy could still come back to the board before the 90-day rulemaking window closes on Dec. 17, according to staff attorney Will Spillias, but board members said the whole process has felt rushed.

"We have got to stop this pattern of pushing through ideas, no matter how good they are," Rockwell said. "Because even the best idea is not going to thrive if we don't get community stakeholder input, and if we don't take adequate time to plan the implementation."

In order to discuss the item, Rockwell had made the motion to approve, and McNealy seconded it, but they both joined the other board members in voting against it.