Kennedy Gives Sworn Affidavit on Charter School Water Bill

PALMETTO – Charlie Kennedy, the sitting chair of the Manatee County School Board, has confirmed through a sworn affidavit allegations made by Lincoln Memorial Academy officials regarding the status of the school's water bill with the City of Palmetto–an issue that was central to the school district's 2019 revocation of LMA's charter.

When Lincoln Memorial Academy–a public school that had taken itself charter–was taken back over by the Manatee School District in the summer of 2019, the school's alleged inability to pay back-owed water bills and the health risks of an impending suspension of service were cited as major contributors. At the time, officials for Lincoln Memorial alleged that a fraudulent invoice was part of a conspiracy between city and school district officials to bring the school back under district stewardship. An affidavit signed by Kennedy on Friday seems to give credence to at least one aspect of those allegations.

Kennedy notes that the shut-off notification the district received on July 22, 2019, was a primary piece of evidence used by the school board when members approved the immediate termination of LMA's charter school contract at a meeting held the next day. Kennedy closed his affidavit with a powerful final point, stating, "For these reasons, it is my belief that the termination of LMA was not based on an immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of children."

When the district took over Lincoln Memorial Academy, it claimed that the move was both justified and necessitated by the failure of Lincoln's administration to remain financially viable. Lincoln officials and supporters, however, have long accused the district of conspiring to block funding owed to the school as well as presenting false financial documentation in order to facilitate a takeover it desired for political and financial reasons.

A ruling by Florida's Division of Administrative Hearings previously upheld the decision to revoke Lincoln's charter and ruled that the takeover was justified. However, the judge in that hearing also relied heavily on the shut-off notice in his ruling.

The district has countered that even if a mistake had been made on the bill, it wouldn't have changed the school's financial viability. However, LMA officials also claimed that the district withheld "funding allocations" that led to other deficits. Regardless of whether or not the shut-off notice alone would have changed LMA's ultimate fate, both the document's irregularities and the role it played in the process seems to raise serious questions.

Eddie Hundley, the former principal of Lincoln Memorial Academy whose career has been reduced to shambles as a result of the LMA fiasco, told TBT on Saturday that he was pleased with Kennedy's decision to go on the record.

"I truly appreciate Board Chair Kennedy for showing such integrity by coming forward with the truth surrounding the wrongful termination of the LMA charter," said Hundley. "While the truth and facts in this case have not changed, I am pleased the narrative is beginning to. It is my hope that we can do what is best for the children, staff, and community of LMA by resolving this case and returning the school to those that worked hard during the year-long process to convert it. Continuing to use hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in attempts to litigate lies into legitimacy should no longer be tolerated."

The school district could not be reached immediately for comment. Mr. Kennedy said that he could not comment on the matter, as it involved pending litigation.

Click here to read Kennedy's affidavit in full.