Saunders Asks School Board for Chance to Clear Herself on Accusations

BRADENTON – Amid accusations that she deliberately directed practices meant to inflate high school graduation rates, Manatee Schools interim superintendent Cynthia Saunders addressed the school board Tuesday, asking board members to allow her to clear her reputation before coming to a decision on her status.

Saunders, who'd previously served as deputy superintendent was named to the interim post when her predecessor, Diana Greene–whom she'd followed to Manatee from Marion County–left to take the Duval County position last summer. The board was originally to vote on giving Saunders a long-term contract as the permanent superintendent at its December 11 meeting but voted to push the item in light of the state's notification that it had found probable cause in its investigation.

Outgoing education commissioner Pam Stewart notified Saunders in December that she’d found probable cause that she had "fraudulently inflated graduation rates for her district by instructing subordinate district employees to improperly code student withdrawals," from 2014-16, while she was the district’s deputy superintendent of instruction. Since then, several top administrators have come out against Saunders, claiming that she knowingly directed them to miscode students who dropped out as having opted into homeschooling, so that they would not be counted against the district's graduation rate.

Saunders is attempting to negotiate a settlement with the Florida Department of Education but could face disciplinary action, which, according to Stewart's letter, could include actions against her certificates. Saunders' existing contract runs through June.

Board chair Dave Miner and fellow board member Scott Hopes have expressed confidence in Saunders throughout the ordeal and seem intent to support the contract with a clause that would allow the district options for her removal should she not be successful in defending her actions to the state. However, the other three board members have not been as vocal.

At the December 11 meeting, board members Gina Messenger and Charlie Kennedy drove the movement to slow down the process until the situation was resolved. Newly elected board member James Golden seemed to tepidly join them, making it clear there was not a majority that would support Miner and Hopes' desire to vote in favor of voting in favor of moving forward at that time. The board is now expected to vote on the matter at its next meeting, on January 22.