Alachua County Public Schools General Counsel resigns
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – William Spillias, who was hired as the General Counsel for Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) in July 2024, has resigned.
Spillias was hired by former Superintendent Shane Andrew and came to ACPS from the Leon County School District; the second and third years of his three-year contract (from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027) were approved by the School Board on June 3, 2025. Spillias submitted his five-week notice on July 31, 2025, with a final date of September 4.
In his resignation letter, Spillias said he had accepted “another challenging and exciting opportunity” in Jacksonville, and “family considerations” also factored into the decision. According to his letter, he intended to transition his responsibilities to School Board Attorney David Delaney, and Board Vice Chair Tina Certain stated at the State Board of Education (BOE) meeting on November 13 that Delaney was too “bogged down” to provide her with legal assistance for her appearance before the BOE, so Delaney approved hiring an outside attorney.
ACPS is a very poor example of professional leadership and an embarrassment to Alachua County.
Please explain different responsibilities of “General Counsel for Alachua County Public Schools” and “School Board Attorney -David Delaney”
A possible example of STATE intimidation and suppression of dissent…
The General Counsel (recently renamed from Staff Attorney) is hired by the Superintendent and works for the school district. The board attorney is hired by the school board and works for the school board.
Can you blame him?
Maybe his wife couldn’t find a decent job here? Or they want to put their kids in private school?
Are you kidding me? Not only was she going to use the staff attorney, they approved hiring an outside lawyer for her personal Facebook post as an individual person, per her comments!!!! What in the world is going on down there?!?!
Lisa, she would not have been called before a kangaroo court run by the state board of education if she had not been a school board member. Of course this was state business caused expense she incurred due to her position with the school board.
Wrong.
So You voted, it is your contention that her job did not cause her being called before the kangaroo court? Want to explain that? I bet you don’t.
Already have dumbass.
It’s her inability to remain unbiased in her duties as a board member.
Want to explain why you want to give her a pass on her obvious violations of District policy? Try not use her color as an excuse.
Please link us to your explanation of how her appearance before the board of education was not work related. I apparently missed it.
No you didn’t. You replied to other comments after I posted my comment so unless you used that selective blindness ability you seem to have, you’ve seen it.
My guess is you didn’t have a rebuttal. That’s okay, happens occasionally.
In the meantime, what about her violations of District policy? Remember, despite your continued calls that society is causing minorities to be unfairly treated; try not to use that as an excuse. She was elected for her ability to show impartiality and without favoritism towards ALL children. Unless you think that’s not the reason she was elected.
So true!
He wanted to get out of this mess.
So Tina, you claim your post was free speech on your personal page, why then are you using a lawyer the school is paying for? Are you saying your personal page speaks for your professional opinion therefor the ACPS paid for lawyer is justified? Well that takes your free speech and throws it right out the window since your opinion breaches the ACPS rules for professional behavior!
Steev1der the comment was on her personal page; the lawyer is one of her employment perks. GET OVER IT!
That’s not a perk.
That’s an abuse.
Steev, her mandatory appearance before the State Board of Education kangaroo Kirk court is based on her job. You get that she wouldn’t have been there if she didn’t have that job, right? It was that court’s FU determination that her opinions expressed off work hours and not at work were subject to work rules.
The County Attorney doesn’t represent its employees.
The City Attorney doesn’t represent its employees.
The Clerk’s Attorney doesn’t represent its employees.
People like yourself are so politically prejudiced you aren’t capable of common sense or logic.
The STATE cannot/should not extort compliance and impose monetary costs by invoking hearings that require legal assistance at a targeted individual expense.
The burden of those costs, when the actions in question are constitutionally protected and not under their regulatory jurisdiction, cannot fall on the victim of STATE overreach and intimidation tactics.
Thank our Education Commissioner for the wasteful dog and pony show attempt to enhance his tough guy image. His schtick is not the right one for improving education in Florida.
Is this the school board lawyer that Tina Certain used on taxpayer dime to advise her before the board of education because of her stupid remarks about Charlie Kirk being an uneducated white boy?
Congratulations. Your BP just dropped to normal.