Members of the Alachua County School Board faced disagreements over a training meant to improve communication issues in a meeting Tuesday.
Board Chair Thomas Vu proposed a “Way of Work” meeting, hosted by the Florida School Boards Association, which would focus on enhancing the board’s collaboration and communication skills.
The meeting stems from complaints by community members and the state, Vu said, which criticized how board members communicate and address one another.
His proposal was met with pushback from other board members, like Leanetta McNealy, who refused to participate in the proposed meeting.
“I think we can do a better job,” McNealy said, “but you need to look inward at yourselves in order to do that. A workshop is not going to improve that.”
McNealy, who has served on the board for over 12 years, recommended the newer board members attend the meeting but felt the training would be of no benefit to her.
McNealy was not the only board member to refuse the training. Janine Plavac also said she would not attend.
“I will respect the board,” Plavac said. “I will do my job, but I am not going to a ‘Way of Work’ for two hours to tell me how I'm supposed to work together — when I could work together with anybody.”
Plavac said the meeting is an attempt to target her and her unwillingness to speak with Superintendent Kamela Patton following communication issues.
Her frustration follows a conversation Plavac had with Patton about the promotion of Michael Reneke to Chief Financial Officer in December 2025. Plavac’s concerns about Reneke’s qualifications were shared with other board members following their conversation, she said.
The other board members denied such an interaction, insisting it was her opinion piece published by the Alachua Chronicle, not any improper internal discussions among board members, that made them aware of her views.
Within the article, titled “Superintendent must explain promotion of unqualified applicant to CFO,” Plavac questions Reneke’s qualifications ahead of a school board meeting to vote on his promotion.
For Board Member Sarah Rockwell, the issue went against “best practice.”
“We should never telegraph how we're voting ahead of the opportunity to discuss that as a board and to hear from our community,” she said.
The “Way of Work” meeting could have been beneficial, Rockwell said, but she worried it could lack effectiveness if not all board members were willing to attend.
Board Member Tina Certain echoed this sentiment, while also bringing up additional concerns about how board members respond to emails from community members.
“I just want to be able to respond to citizens that respond to us via email,” Certain said. “When you [Plavac] respond and ‘reply all’ and put your opinion out there, I’m advised that I can't reply to the citizen because it's a violation of Florida Sunshine Law.”
Florida Sunshine Law ensures all meetings between board members remain publicly documented and accessible.
If each board member replied individually to an email, everyone would get a chance to respond, Certain said.
Board Chair Vu cut the discussion short as McNealy tried to make additional comments about the proposed training. Claiming everyone had the chance to speak, Vu put the meeting on recess.
McNealy did not reappear following the break and was absent for the remainder of the meeting.
It is unclear if the board will continue to pursue a “Way of Work” training session.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a first-year journalism student, currently serving as K-12 education reporter. She has previously served as city/county commission reporter for The Alligator's metro desk. In her free time, she enjoys staying active and hanging out with her family.
