In 3-2 vote, Alachua County School Board fires superintendent
By Alan Festo
The Alachua County School Board in a split vote on Tuesday night voted to terminate Superintendent Shane Andrew's contract, effective Nov. 15, leaving the district's leadership in limbo just two months into the 2024-25 school year.
The motion to terminate Andrew's contract, which ran through June 30, 2026, came from board member Kay Abbitt as the five board members were voting to formally accept their latest evaluations of the superintendent.
"I think evaluation time is always a time to be reflective, and as much as it pains me to say this, I move that we terminate Superintendent Andrew's contract, effective Nov. 15, with a special board meeting next week to find an interim superintendent to get us through until we find a permanent superintendent doing a national search," said Abbitt, whose evaluation of Andrew was marked "Needs Improvement."
Her comments came just eight months after she said no quality candidate would apply to work for a divided board nor the district after it’s gone through seven superintendents in 10 years.
“The board needs to put aside personal issues with one another and work together to support the superintendent,” Abbitt said in February.
The motion appeared to catch much of the board off guard, including outgoing Chair Diyonne McGraw, who rated Andrew as "Effective."
"Didn't expect that," she said.
Abbitt's motion took a few minutes of discussion before receiving a second by longtime board member Leanetta McNealy, who also rated Andrew "Effective."
"It is obvious that there are many, many miscues based on the superintendent, staff and other persons involved. ... I will second Ms. Abbitt for the mere fact that I don't see things moving forward. ... I don't see based on what all five of us wrote, that we're going to get any further with this individual (Andrew)," McNealy said.
After amending the motion to include that Andrew was being terminated without cause, it passed 3-2 with McGraw, McNealy and Abbitt voting in favor of termination and Sara Rockwell and Tina Certain voting in dissent.
Certain said she preferred to keep Andrew on — if he was willing — while a search for a new superintendent was conducted.
"I agree with you, I just don't want to have another interim," said Certain, who was the lone board member to rate Andrew "Unsatisfactory."
Rockwell, who rated Andrew "Needs Improvement," said she "was more in favor of waiting and potentially doing a search."
Abbitt's evaluation noted her "relationship with the superintendent had deteriorated throughout the year" and included criticisms such as the implementation of the year-round school model at Rawlings Elementary and the decision to end the magnet program at Williams Elementary and start an IB PYP Program.
Evaluations written by McNealy and McGraw remained mostly positive about the work Andrew has done in the district, but also addressed the relationship between Andrew and the board.
“…. It is in an unsatisfactory state as a result of constant undermining of operational decisions made by the superintendent and district staff, constant disrespect and unprofessionalism displayed by some board members, and consistent unethical behavior …" McGraw wrote.
McNealy in her evaluation of Andrew, called unnamed board members’ actions “deceptive, rude, and downright shameful with regard to their comments on the superintendent, particularly in public.
“Disgusting is a relative kind word in describing the Board as a whole. … When you want the actions to totally demoralize the leader in order for termination to occur eventually, then the actions are warranted.”