Scandal follows Greene from Manatee county

I have to say I have generally been pleased with Greene. Now I think she has spent too much time hobnobbing with her new friends at JPEF rather than rebuilding relationships with the staff and communication continues to be an issue but she’s off to a good start.

That however doesn’t make the news form Manatee county less troubling especially after we went 

through years of parlor tricks with Vitti.

From the Bradenton Herald: 

Cynthia Saunders, interim superintendent for the School District of Manatee County, is accused of abusing her power and inflating graduation rates, according to a notice from the Florida Department of Education.

In a letter dated Dec. 6, Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart said she found probable cause to justify sanctions against Saunders’ educator certificate, citing alleged misconduct between 2014 and 2016.

Saunders was named interim superintendent after Diana Greene left to become superintendent of Duval County Public Schools in late June…

Earlier in the day, Hopes said any allegations should be directed at the former superintendent.

“Diana Greene was in charge, not Cynthia Saunders,” Hopes said. “I have every expectation that she’s going to challenge it, and she’ll have her day in court.”

The state accused Saunders of: 

Personal conduct which seriously reduces effectiveness as an employee of the school board, in violation of Florida Statutes. 

An offense against the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession, in violation of Florida Statutes. 

Intentionally distorting or misrepresenting facts concerning an educational matter in direct or indirect public expression, in violation of Florida Administrative Code. 

Using institutional privileges for personal gain or advantage, in violation of Florida Administrative Code. 

Failing to maintain honesty in all professional dealings, in violation of Florida Administrative Code. 

Using coercive means or promised special treatment to influence professional judgments of colleagues, in violation of Florida Administrative Code. 

Submitting fraudulent information on a document in connection with professional activities, in violation of Florida Administrative Code.  

https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article222942785.html?fbclid=IwAR2qMmlbZbdJo3z7kKv1GINWNXO-M-rndfCodzNHWW-Tu6jVNSaOWQAWv48 

Those are some pretty troubling accusations, which sadly have been all to typical from a lot of administrators over the years.

I guess the bottom line is if these allegations prove to be true it’s not really credible to think they happened without Greene knowing about them, unless she was willfully ignorant after imposing her will on her subordinates to "get it done" at any cost. Though even if that wasn’t the case, and there was just a rogue employee it’s still bad management. The thought her number two could carry on in such a way for so long without Greene's knowledge. 

There were whispers that Vitti greatly inflated his performance before he came up here that weren’t taken seriously by the board. I hope we are not having a repeat with Greene.