MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — After a long and contentious discussion Tuesday night, the Manatee County school board approved a long-term contract for Superintendent Cynthia Saunders.
- Saunders named Superintendent amid DOE investigation
- Saunders accused of inflating graduation rates
During the final vote, Rev. James Golden was the tiebreaker. He declined to state his position when called upon to vote and asked that the school board reopen the issue for discussion. After stating his final opinion, he ultimately voted in favor of Saunders.
The vote was originally slated to take place in December, but has been postponed twice due to an ongoing investigation. The Florida Department of Education sent Saunders a letter late last year, accusing her of abusing her power by inflating graduation rates. The accusations date back roughly 4 years, to when she was working as the Deputy Superintendent of Instruction.
Former Commissioner of Education, Pam Stewart, claims that Saunders instructed employees to code drop out students as home school transfers.
School Board Member Scott Hopes says he voted in support of Saunders, and is confident her name will be cleared in the coming weeks.
“We have gone through every single student file of the 121 students that were named in the complaint, and I am confident and convinced that there is no evidence that supports the claim from the prior administration,” he said.
Many parents and community members who voiced their concerns on Tuesday said they felt the vote was too premature, given the status of the investigation.
Saunders has been serving as the interim superintendent for months. She told board members she would not stay on as interim any longer if they didn’t make a decision Tuesday night.
“We’re out of time because they didn’t do their job in the beginning, and they’re not doing their job now,” said Rodney Jones, who lives in Bradenton. “The only thing for us to do is file more complaints with the DOE, which we’re prepared to do.”
Saunder’s annual salary is $196,000.