The School Board of Alachua County approved a list of amendments to Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) job descriptions and names, during a regular meeting on Monday.
The position currently known as Chief of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement will become Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services, with performance responsibilities also amended to align with state-approved language.
The current Chief of Finance will become the Assistant Superintendent of Finance, the Chief of Operations will become Assistant Superintendent of Operations, the Chief of Teaching and Learning will be Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, and the Staff Attorney will become General Counsel.
None of the name changes are expected to cost the district financially.
Job descriptions for the amended positions were amended to match, with the “Student Support Services” position focusing on best practices in “areas of prevention and intervention support to increase student achievement and personal development,” instead of in “cultural diversity, inclusion, affirmative action, and equity.”
In the same way, the position is also rephrased to require knowledge of “eliminating educational barriers” instead of how to work with state, federal and local laws and regulations to “relate to educational equity.”
No changes were made to the job requirements and descriptions for the other renamed positions.
Board Member Thomas Vu expressed concern that several of the items stricken from the former Chief of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement related to community engagement and communication with community groups. He asked where those duties would fall, if removed from that position.
Superintendent Kamela Patton said that would depend on the context of the communication. The district’s public information office will take on most communication with community members and stakeholders, while more specific communications will fall to their department heads, she said.
“I think it really depends on what the content of the communication is,” Patton said.
When asked by Board Chair Sarah Rockwell, Patton, who came on as superintendent after the renaming was already in motion, affirmed that she believes the amendment will be valuable to the district.
Board Member Kay Abbitt made the motion to approve the amendments, seconded by Board Member Leanetta McNealy, and the resolution passed unanimously.
The board also voted to table three employee cases until the next meeting on Dec. 10, after Board Member Thomas Vu said he felt board members were not provided enough support for employees’ suspensions and terminations.
An operational audit from the state, which the board received last month, noted eight findings, including ACPS’s failure to timely complete investigations, document required affidavits, issue final orders and report information to the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) on employees who are terminated, resign in lieu of termination, are investigated by law enforcement or are convicted for an offense that disqualifies the person from District employment.
ACPS has instead been leaning on investigations from other entities, such as law enforcement, but State Board of Education rules require the district to conduct its own investigation.
Staff will provide the investigative reports to board members before the next meeting, but they will not be attached to the agenda, to protect employee privacy.