The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) voted to terminate Superintendent Shane Andrew in a surprise motion during a regular meeting Tuesday night.
The board members’ annual evaluations of the superintendent were on the agenda, with two “effective” ratings, two “needs improvement” ratings and one “unsatisfactory” rating.
As board members took turns giving brief explanations for their ratings, Board Member Kay Abbitt, who had rated Andrew as “needs improvement,” made a motion to terminate the superintendent effective Nov. 15, and set a special meeting for next week to select an interim superintendent.
Attorney David Delaney advised the board that the existing motion to accept the evaluations should be resolved before another motion could be made. The board unanimously approved the evaluations, and Abbitt made her motion again.
Abbitt said the board’s evaluations made it clear that the district needs new leadership, and the board is getting drawn into too many things that do not help children in classrooms.
“I’ve seen all the evaluations,” Abbitt said. “It was reflected in there, how you feel. And so we don’t need to be going on and on and on about it…. there’s no need to delay this. We need to move forward.”
Board Member Leanetta McNealy said she had not heard Abbitt’s motion originally, and expressed shock but eventually seconded Abbitt’s motion, saying she did not think the board was going to move forward with Andrew.
Board Member Tina Certain said the board needs to escape the cycle of firing superintendents and operating with interims, saying she would rather start a search for Andrew’s replacement while Andrew still holds the position.
“I agree we do need new leadership, but I think we stay this course until we can get a search in, and that is if [Andrew] is willing to stay, but that would be my druthers,” Certain said.
The board fired its last superintendent, Carlee Simon, in another split vote in March 2022, and voted Andrew in two weeks later as superintendent on an interim basis, with another split vote.
Although the board viewed Andrew as an interim, he went on to become the first Alachua County Public Schools superintendent since the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years to stay in office for two consecutive school years. Andrew is the district’s eighth superintendent since 2010.
At Tuesday’s meeting, after the board attorney asked for clarification, Abbitt said the termination would be without cause, and McNealy agreed to the clarified motion.
After a 10-minute recess for board members to process the motion, the board voted 3-2 to terminate Andrew, with Certain and Board Member Sarah Rockwell dissenting.
The 10-minute recess between the motion and the vote also filled with multiple citizen commenters who called in to provide their feedback, over the phone and in person.
Commenter Prescott Cowles said the board was using an old tactic of turning superintendent evaluations into a way to avoid accountability for its own failures. He cited board policy on the evaluation, which provides a purpose of not only assessing the advisability of retaining the superintendent, but also improving the board’s own performance, “as the public body ultimately charged with the educational responsibility of this District.”
Cowles and other commenters also criticized the board for the suddenness of the motion, cutting the opportunity for public comment. In February, the last time Andrew’s contract was on the table, the board room was filled with public commenters speaking for and against his retention.
“The superintendent is the leader of the educational system in Alachua County,” Cowles told the board. “I think a lot of people are gonna have comments on that. I think it’s due diligence to give them the opportunity, if they want to have their voices heard… I appreciate Ms. Abbitt’s urgency on the matter, but I don’t think that urgency supersedes public notice.”
The board’s termination of the superintendent was not unexpected. Rather, the termination’s timing and board alignment were the surprise, contrary to expectations that have been set for months.
Thomas Vu, newly elected to the SBAC, is set to take Chair Diyonne McGraw’s District 2 seat in November and had already planned to join Certain and Rockwell in their push for a superintendent search.
This new move will have Andrew out and a new interim in before the board’s annual organizational meeting on Nov. 19.
The special meeting to select an interim superintendent is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
It would have been great to hear what the board’s cause for firing the superintendent. It seems like they are just play8ng games instead of running the schools. The reporter might have explained why…
There is no valid cause. Merely an expression of the ego and need to satisfy their personal insecurities by exercising power over anothe i fibula. Oblivious and uncaring regarding the consequence to the students to the community of unending turmoil, year after year.
This school board, all of them, create a political nightmare. The way they treat professionals is abhorrent. You’re fired! Where did they get that from? Television? If any one of them took a look at themselves and their possible criminal records from the past, they might need to be careful how they judge others. Anyone can look at the Alachua County Clerk of Court records, and type in a specific two time elected board member’s name, a slew of cases come up where she is the defendant. Not small charges for someone who is to be an example for school children such as bad check charges, battery on law enforcement. Is the answer, people can change? Why not give each superintendent a chance? This repetitive firing of superintendents is counter productive. The point that they are blaming someone else for their own failures is a very good point. Get it together, who would want that job with this kind of treatment? The whole School Board should be fired and start over with people who think ahead of their actions and don’t take personal vendetta out on others, and provide a more progressive and positive role in the community. This board has a lot of money to spend and asking voters to approve a 1% tax for them? No is my answer.
PRoblem is the electorate and the ideology of the population inside Gainesville
Quality education in the community is not a critical success factor to a huge portion of our population.
Gainesville needs a new school board and city commission. The local electorate is to blame. Our elected officials are not competent to manage anything much less our city and schools. This city is an embarrassment. Travel around, see some other college towns, Athens Ga, Tuscaloosa Ala, Fayetteville Ark and many others.
We have all the advantages compared to them but we have a dysfunctional city and county. The superiority of their environments will slap you in the face. I feel ashamed that the UF has to operate in this mess.
We literally just had an election for 3 school board members.
While I’m not disappointed to see Andrews moved out, process & public participation is still important. They should have voted to address his status at the next meeting so the public could participate. They obviously need to negotiate with him to establish what his role would be going forward. Unfortunately, it seems to be another instance of Abbott shooting from the hip with criticism and not having well thought alternatives to put on the table. A leader can’t just vaguely talk about “doing something different”,
This has gone on for years. The entire board system is dysfuvo
It seems to me that it’s time to go back to having an elected Superintendent in Alachua County, one whose job tenure is not dependent on the whims of a dysfunctional school board. At least with this method, we would have some form of stability for four years and the superintendent would have a chance to prove their leadership abilities to the people who hired him or her, the voters of Alachua County.
Can we dissolve the School Board and the numerous money wasting departments they have created. They are really clueless on how to run Schools and educate , not indoctrinate students. The statistics says it all.
Everyone literally just had an opportunity to vote people out. Two of the people in favor of his firing were just elected, so good job voting buddy. Oh, you’re so right, teachers are constantly thinking of ways to indoctrinate children.
Fart, Did I say teacher’s?? It’s the Woke and now Broke Administration leading and pushing in the wrong direction. ACSB 15,000 per student C grade, Gilchrist County 9,000 per student A grade
SBAC is a trainwreck, and they wonder why enrollment is down. Keep voting these people back in and you will continue to get NO good results.
McNealy and McGraw have damaged the county school structure. McGraw is realtor who has no idea how education is fundamental to this great nation.
Literally just got re-elected, so everyone had their chance and now has to live with their choices.
The electorate our citizens is the real problem. Unwilling to vote for people focused on substance and quality. We elect big ego bullies who are all about their personal power plays.
Just because the electorate doesn’t agree with you, doesn’t mean they are the problem. I bet, in the next election, a lot of people will vote for the things that you’re not voting for. It’s the way elections work.
Too busy pushing all that DEI crap?
https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/benefits-of-inclusion-and-diversity-in-the-classroom/
No Comment!
So glad we got that Bible thumper out of office. Let’s hire someone who actually believes in separation of church and state for our public schools.