McLeod: ACPS, the new Zombie Land
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor,
Thank you once again for the opportunity to share my thoughts on your platform. I am writing not just as a concerned citizen, but as one of many who feel misled, disheartened, and hopeless about the current state of Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS).
As of July 17, 2025, the Finance Department has five vacancies, three of which are at the high-level position. Currently, there is no Assistant Superintendent, there are no directors, and two senior accountants have also left. The remaining employees appear demotivated and fearful, almost as if they have stepped out of Zombie Land, and they are deeply concerned about what the future holds. Therefore, I ask: How will the Superintendent and the School Board present a budget for the new school year without adequate financial guidance?
It seems we are witnessing a recurrence of the issue that previously affected the Human Resources Department, where appointments were made based on favoritism instead of qualifications. For instance, the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources had previously collaborated with the Superintendent. Unfortunately, it appears that influence peddling has become standard practice. Additionally, I have heard that the Superintendent plans to bring in one of her friends as a consultant for the Finance Department, which raises concerns about the associated costs. I am already worried about the financial implications of this decision.
I have learned that the Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance and Operations, one of the few competent leaders remaining, is retiring to take a better-paying position, likely due to burnout from constant micromanagement and ongoing internal drama. However, instead of following proper procedures, the Superintendent reportedly appointed the former principal of Newberry High School as the Director of Maintenance and Operations without posting the position or conducting interviews. Is this even legal? How can a peer-level director oversee another director, such as the one in Transportation?
Morale throughout the district is deteriorating. Principals and district staff are feeling overwhelmed and emotionally distressed. However, the Superintendent continues to focus on the new website, curated newsletters, and photo opportunities, while neglecting the essential task of supporting students and staff. She has reduced hours for teachers, paraprofessionals, and vital support staff, yet our students have still made academic progress. This success is a reflection of our hardworking educators, not of her leadership.
I find the recent school grades to be misleading. How can schools led by ineffective principals suddenly achieve impressive scores? Take Bishop Middle, for example. The principal lacks leadership, yet the school benefits from its Magnet Program. This means that the grades are primarily based on the performance of Magnet students, rather than the general student population, which faces issues such as poor academic performance, bullying, mistreatment, and negligence. In contrast, Williams Elementary’s grades dropped after the Magnet Program, which they never truly had, was quietly removed mid-year. This situation feels like manipulation, creating an illusion that is maintained by the board to disguise its failure.
The truth is that the state is aware of the School Board’s reputation, especially concerning the behavior of members like Leanetta McNealy, Sarah Rockwell, and Tina Certain, who is known for her dishonesty. Many of us are eagerly awaiting the moment when the state intervenes and takes control. This action is not only necessary, but also urgent.
I learned that the three new positions created in the Project Development Department were quietly removed from the job opportunities website after funding for that department was reportedly “frozen.” Candidates did not receive rejection notices, suggesting that these roles were eliminated or reassigned without any public announcement. This pattern is deeply troubling because it indicates that the School Board is not following a consistent and organized approach, but rather making decisions on the fly. We are discussing budgeting here; our teachers and instructional staff are facing challenges, yet at the same time, new positions are being created that offer salaries higher than those for teachers.
Let us be honest: the district has become too focused on ideological agendas, particularly during the 2020-2024 period, instead of prioritizing education. Blaming other demographics for the struggles faced by Black students does not address the underlying behavioral challenges or academic gaps. Moreover, we should stop pretending that this issue is solely about systemic racism, as it is more accurately described as a social crisis. The daily jail bookings reported by the Alachua Chronicle reveal a heartbreaking reality rather than a political narrative. The majority of the youth mugshots are of Black individuals, highlighting a deeply social problem that reflects the responsibilities of how some minorities raise their kids. Furthermore, Black Americans hold many high-level positions within the school district, which demonstrates that this is not simply a matter of Whites against Blacks, or of Asians or Hispanics against Blacks; in fact, it can often be the other way around. There appears to be a tendency within their community to protect one another’s missteps and conceal them, rather than addressing the issues openly.
If the ACPS budget has failed, the blame rests with the Board’s mismanagement. This is why they did not want Karen Clarke back, because she would not tolerate their schemes. They preferred someone who would protect them.
Despite everything, I still have faith in our state, our people, and our students. We need to take action. We must vote for candidates who genuinely care about education and demand an end to this disorder.
It’s time to challenge the myths created by candidates like McNealy and Certain, leaders whose actions have divided our community and harmed the integrity of our school system. Their campaigns rely on emotional narratives that foster a misleading perception of widespread racism in communities where cooperation among individuals of all backgrounds, including Hispanic and Asian residents, is the norm.
Instead of promoting unity, they create division by fostering a sense of victimhood among minority groups, many of whom already benefit from inclusive policies, further deepening the divides in our communities. This tactic is not only misleading but also dangerous.
It’s clear that these candidates do not prioritize the best interests of our students, educators, or families. They need to be voted out. We cannot allow personal agendas to overshadow the well-being of our children and the future of public education.
We have seen abuses of power from individuals like McGraw, who has misused her position to protect her associates and gain advantages from a system that she was supposed to oversee. Allegations concerning her management of group homes raise additional concerns. These are not the type of leaders we need.
We need to focus on those truly in need: students who require resources, parents seeking transparency, and educators striving for excellence. It is time to elevate community voices, demand accountability, and reject anyone whose primary goal is to gain political power at the expense of student progress.
The state must take action. We need structural change and bold leadership to restore trust in our public school management. The time for action is now.
I write from a place of determination, not fear. It is time for parents and staff to unite, speak out boldly, and demand accountability. We must put an end to the destructive reign of a school board that has lost its moral compass, as well as a high-priced Superintendent who seems more concerned with appearances than with genuine progress. Public education in Alachua County is being dismantled right before our eyes, but together, we can stop it. Please don’t let me face this fight alone. I believe in our American patriotism and our vision for a strong country.
Fiona McLeod, Gainesville
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Assertions of facts in letters are similarly the responsibility of the author. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
Wow! Awesome letter and so spot on.
I too have found the new Superintendent to be deceitful in her false claims of cutting expenses.
You’ve already mentioned one of Patton’s puppies from South Florida filling the role of Assistant Superintendent of HR. Other hires by the Superintendent: rehiring one of the finance staff as a consultant for “business services,” whatever that entails. Another puppy from her old pound in South Florida, Judy Marte, another so-called “consultant of something”, add to that all of the new software programs she’s spending funds on and it’s clear that besides her bloated salary, she’s hemorrhaging money and bleeding employees like never before.
I think it would be in the public’s best interest to know the salaries her friends are receiving as well as any association and/or ties to the new programs and software she’s forcing on District employees. Patton has her own business; one can’t help but wonder what profits that business is receiving from her spending of SBAC funds? We thought Simon was bad but Patton is uncontrolled chaos.
The taxpayers of Alachua County deserve and should demand answers.
If you have work for the school board for over thirty years, you would truly understand that the corruption going on in most apartments cover ups. The past 5 years it is getting out of control. The governor absolutely needs to step in. The superintendent board members directors are morally corrupt and spiritually bankrupt.
Those you’ve mentioned are doing their best to bankrupt the rest of the district – both financially and morally. Especially a Certain board member who only pretends to know how to balance a checkbook, add in her cohort who obviously never taught math and it’s easy to see why the district is some $20,000,000 over budget.
And yet so many of ACPS students are failing… Right here in Gainesville. Home of the University of Florida, Florida’s flagship university… The smartest kids, and those with helicopter/Tiger parents who have the means, are flying to the Frazer School, like rats, flying from/fleeing a sinking ship. Other wise parents whose kids aren’t exceptionally high IQ are homeschooling and keeping the private school waiting lists full…
Would have been a good editorial to publish in the Gainesville Sun, back when it was an actual newspaper
Howard bishop does have leadership issues the front office has a nasty attitude majority is black and they’re all buddies and there is a lot of bullying that goes in that school fighting and nothing is being done about it alot of kids are failing over there. Also some students was touched over at Metcalf in 2024 by a substitute teacher they kept that quiet too
:the front office has a nasty attitude majority is black and they’re all buddies and there is a lot of bullying that goes in that school fighting and nothing is being done about it”.
Time to send your kids to a private school, homeschool, or charter school unless you want your kids to become racists who come to their own justifiable conclusions. PS. My first year of HS was the first year of integration. Oh what an eye opener that was.
Well said.
Translation: “It’s the n….r’s fault.” Doesn’t rise to the level of “ideological agenda” which the author accuses the SB of practicing, but we get plenty of that from Tally.
Unmentioned in the discussion of finances is the planned defunding of public schools by DeSantis and the GOP.
Off the TDS and the DDS meds again i see
But Jazz is still oh so proud of voting for the likes of the perv Gillum, dementia Joe, and cacklin Kamala.
Perv Epstein and your cover up.
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
While I agree that some things need to be changed in the local system, DeSantis and his anti-Public education regime are not the answer. Let’s start with voting in a clean slate of board members. It is inexcusable that the redistricting has not been done and that major issues haven’t been dealt with in the last 12 to 14 years. By the way, whatever happened with that food truck that the district just had to have? Anyone remember that one?
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ag1p66JwK/
Letter in a sentence: I don’t like the current administration and its friends, so send in an administration I like and their friends.
That’s fair, but you wasted 1,235 words. The solution to ensuring a solid education is to educate your children yourself. If you leave it up to a vote, you get out of it what you put into it (hint: not much).
I don’t think parents educating their own children is a viable option given today’s environs.
Even in this supposedly well educated city of Gainesville there’s little chance that 40% of parents are capable of solving algebraic equations and even less who are capable of performing complex mathematical equations. Hell, we’ve seen how incapable local leaders are at even balancing a checkbook. Many can’t even form a complete sentence without using some descriptive tool or shortcut to convey a thought.
My suggestion is give more incentive for educators. Many educators today don’t do it for the money, but it doesn’t hurt, most do it for the love of kids…I take that back, the new Superintendent does it for the money. I don’t believe she’d be here if she was making less than $200k. The school district has already demonstrated to staff how much they valued their dedication with that 1% raise recently and cutting many of their hours.
I don’t know the current administration or its friends. I do know the mess they’ve made with the school system though and it’s not a good thing. I could care less who’s performing the job as long as they perform what they’ve been tasked to do. So far, and for the past dozen+ years, they haven’t.
If you can’t raise them, don’t have them. Your chosen moniker summarizes the situation more than the 200+ words you wrote, and it’s what I already said.
Admittedly, I struggled to raise a well-rounded young woman, while disabusing her of what she was learning in school, caring for her paraplegic mother with bone disease, teaching doctors and nurses how to do the wound care on a Stage IV decubitus ulcer, and working full time. I know it’s difficult. It even led me to drink at the end (NOT recommended). But I’ll refer back to my first sentence.
I agree that effective educators deserve far better compensation than they receive, but even the effective educators will tell you that no one who interacts with a child for just a few hours a day for nine months out of the year is going to have the impact that an attentive parent will.
It’s already been proven time and time again that giving teachers more money doesn’t equate to better student performance. The US, and particularly urban areas of the US, spends far more per student than nearly everywhere else in the world, and they have nothing to show for it. Kids in places like Philadelphia have tens of thousands of dollars spent on each of them while being some of the dumbest in the country, while other students in more rural and less “diverse” areas perform better at a far lower cost.
You can pay teachers $1,000,000 a year, but they can’t turn 75 IQ idiots into scholars, regardless of what the left may say.
Demographics are destiny, and ours is quickly being flushed down the proverbial 🚽 of DEI.
Those spending numbers conflate dollars spent on infrastructure with teacher salaries. You can throw a million dollars at a building and get nowhere, but throw a million dollars at salaries to attract teachers who are very good at what they do and get somewhere. Either way, those teachers deserve more for being demanded to make underachievers achieve.
What demographics are you referring to? Because study after study has shown that IQ averages among races vary by only a few points, meaning average is still average no matter where you go. Below average and above average are the tails of a bell curve and account for only about 15 percent each. With regard to GPA outcomes, however, resources matter a lot. There was a millionaire who financed learning programs and funded scholarships as incentive in a poor “diverse” Orlando suburb and saw participation, grades, and graduation rates improve notably in just a few years. There is a lot to be said for feeling like someone cares about you and is genuinely invested in your success, and that begins with the parents but doesn’t have to stop there. And regarding the parents who aren’t investing in their kids, can you guess whether anyone invested in them?
It’s less about money than about taking time with someone. But if you expect to sit back and just vote on the solution instead of taking the time, expect to pay big bucks to someone who takes the time for you.
For someone referring to Bell Curves you should have read the book… 15 points is not “a few” when it comes to IQ, especially when you realize that means 50% of the American black population has a sub-85 IQ, and that 15% of them are sub-70.
That’s not true. Cite your nonexistent source, and consider addressing your racist delusions.
Maybe you’re the problem here. Karen Clarke buying inflated real estate and Camp Crystal freebies… come on.
Anyone not an interbred administrator gets chewed up by the staff gossip and slander machine.
The Chronicle crime centered focus is working in creating division and hate and lack of empathy, not unlike Rush Limbaugh, a one sided narrative works and it’s a strategy that distorts and divides.
It is unfair to my black students that are top of the class, overcoming stereotypes, and succeeding to walk into a classroom where someone ASSUMES that they dont have what it takes. There is only one name on each degree. That degree represents one student. As a teacher, we have a general education system that not all children are succeeding in. The individual student should be assessed with the family’s input and acknowledgement of continued services needed for that individual, not an entire race. We have to be real about the fact the education system was not set up to service individual students, parents are meant to be their child’s advocate and the teacher makes the referral for services and accomodations. There needs to be a multidisplinary team for individual students that need it. It needs to involve and acknowledge whether the student’s family has followed up on needed services and if the school system has provided adequate resources for them to do so.