- Alachua County School Board approved Michael Reneke's transition from budget director to Chief Financial Officer in a split vote on Tuesday night.
- Board members Janine Plavac and Leanetta McNealy opposed the vote due to concerns about Reneke's qualifications and job commitment history.
- Interim Superintendent Kamela Patton recommended Michael Reneke for the CFO role, effective Wednesday, which the School Board approved despite opposition.
The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC), in a split vote on Tuesday night, approved a Personnel Recommendations list by interim Superintendent Kamela Patton that will see current Alachua County Public Schools’ (ACPS) budget director Michael Reneke transition to Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective Wednesday.
Board Members Janine Plavac and Leanetta McNealy were the two dissenting votes, with Sarah Rockwell, Thomas Vu and Tina Certain voting in favor.
Plavac already had concerns about Reneke’s potential move to CFO coming into the meeting, telling Mainstreet in a prior interview that he doesn’t meet the qualifications for the job. She echoed these comments during the meeting.
Like her colleague, McNealy also raised concerns about Reneke’s possible transition during the meeting. While acknowledging that Reneke had held one job for a long period of time (Partnership for Strong Families Inc.), she questioned whether he would be committed to the CFO role, as his resume showed that he had short stints at other past job positions.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.