Alachua County School Board approves contract for interim superintendent
By Alan Festo
During a special meeting of the Alachua County School Board on Wednesday evening, board members unanimously approved the contract for Kamela Patton, who will serve as interim superintendent until a permanent district leader is found.
The contract, which runs from Nov. 18 through June 30, 2025, includes a salary of $19,500 per month, $2,000 per month for temporary living expenses, a $600 car allowance and a $175 cellphone stipend.
The contract can be terminated or extended by mutual agreement between Patton and the board.
Board Chair Diyonne McGraw, speaking on behalf of Patton, who was not present, said Patton believes it is "critical" that she start on Nov. 18, however, she will work remotely through Nov. 20 due to prior commitments. She also insisted that she not be paid until her arrival on Nov. 21.
"Welcome Dr. Patton, and I think that I would hope that Alachua County, we will embrace her in this community," said McGraw, who was participating in her final meeting on the board. "She will continue the great work we've started here with Superintendent (Shane) Andrew and his team, and we know there's more work to do."
Patton will temporarily fill the shoes of Andrew, who was abruptly fired by the board on Oct. 15, effective Nov. 15, until a national search for a new district leader is complete.
Patton, the 2022 Florida Superintendent of the Year and a finalist for the national award the same year, stepped down in December 2022 after almost 12 years as superintendent of Collier County Public Schools. During her tenure she helped elevate the Collier County School District to one of seven "A" school districts in the state of Florida. She also worked for the Miami-Dade School District for 25 years.
The board on Wednesday night also unanimously voted to table proposed amendment changes to the district policy regarding school choice programs.
Board members expressed concern that the amendment changes, which were passed on first reading on Sept. 17, were being rushed.
The primary concern shared by board members was that moving the application process for magnet programs from January to late November or early December could negatively impact students who are preparing for musical or theater performances at the end of the semester. Students also routinely take exams before the winter break begins.
Students commonly visit and shadow these programs on various dates before making a decision.
The idea behind moving the dates was to compete with local charter and private schools that students may decide they want to attend due to the programs they offer.
"Yes, it will be a problem this year if our magnet application and decision window doesn't align with those of the private and charter schools, but if we wanted to solve it for this year, this rule making should have been happening in the spring or the summer so that we had ample time to get that stakeholder input and so that our teachers would have time to plan with the new timelines in place at the beginning of the school year," board member Sarah Rockwell said.