Following its Tuesday meeting, the Alachua County School Board is beginning efforts to rezone schools and hire a new superintendent.
Superintendent search
The school board voted unanimously to identify potential search firms for a new superintendent.
The board approved a “Request for Proposals” process, meaning it will review applicants until a firm is selected.
When appointed, the agency will begin independently evaluating candidates nationwide before presenting them to the school board.
The school board will install a Proposal Evaluation Committee, which will review applications individually before coming together to form a short list of finalists. The list of firms that advance will create presentations for the school board and meet with them, according to the school board’s presentation.
After the board finalizes a contract with a search firm, the firm will make a timeline for the search and it will officially begin.
The selection of a search firm typically takes six to eight weeks and costs around $50,000, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Deborah Terry said.
The search will evaluate candidates nationally. It is unclear how long the search will take.
Board approves teacher salary increase
The board unanimously approved raises for school board employees following lengthy negotiations with the Alachua County Education Association.
Vice Chair Tina Certain acknowledged that the negotiations were different from prior years for the board due to budget changes. She commended Interim Superintendent Kamela Patton for managing the board’s $20 million dollar budget deficit from 2024 to 2025. The funding has deteriorated due to lower student enrollment, reductions in state and federal funding and financial decisions in previous years.
Certain added the county was challenged by its lack of state funding through the teacher salary allocation.
“The funds we were able to provide this year in light of declining enrollment is nothing short of remarkable,” Certain said.
The board put $6.4 million towards staff raises, equating to a 4% increase for employees.
“The ACEA and the [Alachua County Public Schools] ACPS bargaining teams did an amazing and expedited job that we can both be proud of,” ACEA President Carmen Ward said in a press release. “I feel that respect to employees was demonstrated.”
The approved raises and backpay will appear on the first paycheck employees receive this November.
Rezoning efforts
The board passed a tightly contested motion for a rezoning project.
The motion accepts an application from JBPro, an engineering firm, to assist in the county’s rezoning efforts. The firm will evaluate the county’s population and create a framework of future attendance and facility improvements.
The firm will take additional feedback from students, staff and parents in the form of workshops, open houses and project engagement banners that direct individuals to an interactive website.
School Board Member Leanetta McNealy was skeptical of the plan and needed more information, she said. McNealy said she had reservations about the cost of the external firm, estimated at $175,000, because the county already has in-house rezoning experts.
“I need to know the actual facts of what’s going to take place. If we’re talking about rezoning, how many instructional personnel will be involved?” McNealy asked. “I heard you say three phases, but that doesn’t tell me very much,” McNealy said.
Board Member Thomas Vu said rezoning efforts should’ve taken place years ago, and attempts to address it in house have previously failed. Vu said he worked with a team that tried to spearhead a rezoning effort when he worked for the district, but they were unsuccessful.
He added that an outside consulting firm can analyze mapping, projecting new grades and other technical knowledge the board doesn’t currently have.
“We really have no choice in my opinion but to contract it out,” Vu said. “There is always going to be a reason to wait. … It’s something that needed to happen over 10 years ago.”
Public Comment
During public comment, multiple parents and teachers spoke in support of a Talbot Elementary School teacher who was placed on leave over accusations they directed students and staff to address them as “Mx.” rather than “Ms.” or “Mrs.”
This follows a letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stating the request violates school district policy, along with state and federal law.
“‘Mx.’ is an ideologically laden term that seeks to make educational professionals and — most damning — children mouth support for nonsense,” Uthmeier said in the letter.
Lisa Blake, a 42-year-old Gainesville resident and parent of a Talbot student, said she’s disappointed the state has chosen to focus on a teacher who makes students feel valued and safe.
“Instead of focusing on ways to support our educators … our state government has chosen to fixate on a minor political issue and turn it into a spectacle,” Blake said. “They used our children as pawns to score political points in the news cycle.”
Blake added the posts put Talbot students in danger, citing pictures taken by media outlets and “harassing” comments on the schools social media accounts.
Chelsea Wilson, a 35-year-old Gainesville resident, said she felt Uthmeier’s letter reflected an overreach by the state government, adding her two children who attend Talbot and other parents she’s spoken to haven’t heard or experienced what Uthmeier details in his letter.
“Removing this teacher from their position sends a clear message that evangelical nationalist beliefs are protected at the expense of all others, and directly undermines the religious beliefs and practices that I wish to instill in my children,” Wilson said.
The school board will meet again on Nov. 19.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Fall 2025 K-12 education reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
