The Alachua County School Board voted 3-2 to approve interim Superintendent Kamela Patton’s personnel recommendation to promote the district’s budget director to a senior-level position.
During the tense Dec. 16 meeting, board members Leanetta McNealy and Janine Plavac voiced concerns about Michael Reneke’s promotion to ACPS chief financial officer over his lack of relevant education and experience.
In a Dec. 14 letter to the editor published by the Alachua Chronicle, Plavac wrote that she does not believe Reneke, who has been employed by the district for three months and does not have a degree in business or finance, is qualified to manage the school district’s $605 million budget.
Plavac said at the Dec. 16 meeting that Reneke does not meet the job qualifications listed in the job description for CFO. Those qualifications include “Masters degree from an approved accredited educational institution with specialization in public or business administration, finance, or other acceptable field; or Bachelors degree in accounting or other related field and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credentials.” As well as a “minimum of ten (10) years progressively responsible administrative and supervisory experience.”
She added that it would be irresponsible for the board to approve his promotion.
The district’s attorney, David Delaney, clarified for the board that the job qualifications include two pathways, education or experience.
Superintendent Patton vouched for Reneke, who may not have a degree in business but has 26 years of fund accounting experience and has held multiple senior roles in business administration.
“He’s shown leadership direction…he demonstrates initiative…and takes action and has already driven change around processes. He’s an effective communicator,” she said.
McNealy called on the board to repost the position and continue to look for more qualified candidates. She had concerns about how often Reneke moved from job to job, often staying in one position for only a year or two, and the fact that he might need to pursue additional management training.
Patton pushed back, saying Reneke had spent 18 years with one company and that the training course he was encouraged to take, the Institute of Florida School of Finance, is a course many other CFOs who work for other school districts enroll in. In fact, she said, the course was created because school districts in the state were having trouble finding qualified candidates for the role.
In response to Patton, Plavac cited state statute that a district school board can reject a superintendent nominee for “good cause,” legally defined as a nominee’s lack of fitness for a role, including failure to meet minimum educational qualifications, professional experience or an inability to perform the necessary work.
In his legal opinion, attorney Delaney said there was no “good cause” to object to Reneke’s appointment, when asked by board member Sarah Rockwell.
Plavac also noted that after making a public records request, she could not find any documentation of Reneke’s interview or the hiring process.
“In my view, approving a recommendation when required process documentation cannot be produced, places the board in a difficult fiduciary position, particularly given the scope and responsibility of the chief financial officer,” she said.
Patton assured the board that Reneke was one the best applicants she had received and that “there’s no way myself or anybody on our team decide to put somebody in that’s going to drive us backwards.”
Reneke was in attendance at the meeting, and Patton introduced him to the board.
“He’s actually a graduate of Gainesville High School. His kids all went to Alachua County public schools. You always get that extra lift from people that are from here and want to be here,” she said. “So, we thank you, Mr. Reneke, for joining our team.”
The position had been vacant since July 1. Board members Thomas Vu, Tina Certain and Rockwell voted in favor of the recommendation.
ICE in schools
The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) and allies held a rally outside of the ACPS administration building before the Dec. 16 meeting. Program manager Ethan Maia de Needell said GINI is asking the board to amend current district guidance that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to enter schools and interrogate or remove a student without a warrant or identification without parental notice or consent.
“These are very basic protections,” Maia de Needell said. “I believe that regardless of politics, this is something that we, as a community can get behind, protecting our students.”
Other school districts, including those in Polk, Santa Rosa and Lee counties, have updated their policies to require ICE to identify themselves, provide a warrant to interview or remove a child and for a school district’s legal counsel to review the validity of a warrant, according to the organization.
GINI and members of the Alachua County Education Association have been trying to meet with the district leaders for over a year. GINI has not received a response from the superintendent or the board.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County School Board approves CFO pick despite concerns
Reporting by Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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