“Time will tell”: School Board votes 3-2 to approve controversial CFO candidate

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At today’s School Board of Alachua County meeting, the board voted 3-2 to approve a CFO candidate after Member Janine Plavac questioned the candidate’s qualifications; Member Leanetta McNealy also voted against the candidate, saying, “Time will tell.”

Public comment

During public comment on agenda items, one woman said she was concerned about the candidate, current Budget Director Michael Reneke, and she urged Superintendent Kamela Patton to make sure the CFO has “the highest possible credentials.” A man said people should “have the same energy when it comes to the CFO of Florida, who also doesn’t have any certifications or college degrees but somehow managed to become the Chief Financial Officer for the entire state.”

List of personnel assignments pulled from the consent agenda

During the adoption of the consent agenda, Plavac asked to pull a list of personnel assignments for discussion; the list included the promotion of Reneke from Budget Director to Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 

Motion

When the agenda item was introduced, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Debbie Terry recommended approval of the personnel list. Member Tina Certain made a motion to approve the personnel list, and Member Sarah Rockwell seconded the motion.

Plavac said she would like to hear the Superintendent’s reasons for hiring Reneke as CFO, but Chair Thomas Vu first asked Board Attorney David Delaney what the statutes say about the Superintendent’s authority to make hiring decisions.

Board Attorney David Delaney: “The Superintendent has the authority to select the individuals to fill those positions approved by the board.”

Delaney said Florida law “makes it very clear… The Superintendent has the authority to select the individuals to fill those positions approved by the board… The Superintendent is responsible for the performance of the district, therefore the Superintendent gets to pick the team members who produce that performance.”

Superintendent Patton: “He demonstrates initiative to identify potential problems for improvement and takes action, has already driven change around processes. He’s an effective communicator. He looks for global solutions… He’s been promoted based on his abilities.”

Superintendent Patton said Reneke has “the knowledge, skills, and expertise to do this job, with his 26 years of experience in fund-based accounting, which is what we use here,… having been a Vice President of Administration, a CEO [sic] for over 12 years — that’s over a decade. He was able to assume responsibilities from the day he got into Alachua County Public Schools… He demonstrates initiative to identify potential problems for improvement and takes action, has already driven change around processes. He’s an effective communicator. He looks for global solutions… He’s been promoted based on his abilities.” She said he is “certified in the Federal Office of Management and Budget” and has trained others on audit and cost principles. She said he is also certified in contract administration, contract management, procurement, and negotiations by the State of Florida. She concluded, “He’s done a very good job, and we’re looking forward to extending his skill set to be our CFO.”

Board Member Leanetta McNealy: “I’m not satisfied, and I cannot… go along with what this board wants to do in approving the recommendations.”

McNealy said she understood the statutory responsibilities of the Superintendent and the board, but she thought the district should reopen the recruitment for the position “if we are not going to follow the job descriptions.” She concluded, “I’m not satisfied, and I cannot… go along with what this board wants to do in approving the recommendations… I felt that I needed to publicly say why I am not in favor of this individual at this point.”

Reading from statutes, Plavac said a school board “may only reject the Superintendent nominee for an employee position for ‘good cause.'” She said that Florida court and Attorney General opinions have stated that “good cause” can refer to a candidate’s failure to meet minimum educational qualifications, lack of required professional experience, or an inability to perform the necessary work. 

The job description for the CFO lists the following qualifications:

(1) 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.
(2) Minimum of ten (10) years progressively responsible administrative and supervisory experience.

Plavac asked why the certificates mentioned by Patton were not listed on Reneke’s resume, and she said the largest budget he has managed was $154 milion, compared to over $600 million for the school district. Describing a lack of records documenting the hiring process, Plavac concluded, “It appears reasonable for the Board to request confirmation that all required procedural steps were completed and documented before taking final action.”

Patton said the current financial consultant, Judith Marte, supports hiring Reneke, and she asked Delaney whether Reneke “fits into how our job classification is written.”

Board Attorney Delaney: “It’s my opinion… that the candidate qualifies under the experience pathway for this position.”

Delaney said, “The job description, as it’s written, has two pathways to qualify for the position. It could be by education and having a particular set of degrees; … you can also qualify for this position with 10 years of experience. It’s my opinion… that the candidate qualifies under the experience pathway for this position.”

Certain said she initially questioned Reneke’s hiring, but after meeting with him to discuss some questions about financial statements, “I support the recommendation.” She also said the Superintendent does not need to justify her hires to the board and “accountants are hard to come by.” She said her meeting with Reneke was “promising,” and she hoped he could save her time that she has spent in the past, asking questions about financial statements. 

Rockwell asked Delaney whether, in his legal opinion, he thought there was good cause to object to hiring Reneke, and he said, “No, ma’am.” He added that he believes “board members are required to… support a recommendation unless good cause exists” He said board members can ask questions, “but ultimately, I think the law says that you should only vote against a good candidate when good cause is not present.” Rockwell responded, “Thank you, Mr. Delaney, I fully intend to fulfill my statutory obligation.” She also praised Patton for overcoming a $20 million budget deficit, adding, “I do not for one single second believe that Dr. Patton would recommend an appointment for CFO that would undo that tremendous amount of work.”

Vu said he has found Reneke to be “very intelligent, very capable. I found him to be experienced… I was incredibly impressed.” He said board members “need to continue to stay in our lane.”

McNealy said she still thought it was a problem that Reneke does not have the degrees listed in the job description, “but, you know, time will tell.”

Plavac: The job description requires both qualifications, not one or the other

Plavac said she asked “a senior counsel at a billion-dollar tech firm” to look at the job description, and his opinion was that the way the job description is worded, both qualifications are necessary, not one or the other, because there is no “or” in the job description. She concluded, “It is irresponsible of us to vote for this person.”

Superintendent Patton: “It is not that we have had 13 people sitting here with high qualifications and that we’re unfairly choosing him. He has been the best that we have had.”

Patton said, “It is not that we have had 13 people sitting here with high qualifications and that we’re unfairly choosing him. He has been the best that we have had.” She said that since he was hired as Budget Director, she has observed his “incredible ethical behaviors [and] his leadership, that we’ve been lacking in that department.”

Patton concluded, “It is my job to assemble the team, and hold me accountable. If it doesn’t work out, then that is on me… You hire me and hold me accountable. I hire my team, and I’m very happy to have Michael be part of our team.”

Plavac said, “Yes, he will declare himself, but I don’t think he’s qualified, and I want to put it in the record. I think it’s a huge mistake.”

The motion to approve the list of personnel assignments passed, 3-2, with McNealy and Plavac in dissent.