Sumter County School Board member David Williams said Tuesday evening he does “not have confidence” in the process by which an investigation was set up into a principal’s allegations that Superintendent Rick Shirley strong-armed employees to work on his re-election effort.
The investigation cleared Shirley, who has been in office for two decades, of charges that he leaned on employees to campaign on his behalf. Shirley defeated Wildwood Elementary Principal John Temple in the Aug. 30 GOP Primary.
Williams, known in The Villages as the golf pro at Cane Garden Country Club, said he was concerned that the board learned by email that the board chair had opted to hire the Citrus County School Board attorney to conduct the investigation into allegations by South Sumter High School Principal Preston Morgan, who is running without party affiliation against Shirley in November’s election.
“To me the findings are immaterial. It’s the process I have a problem with,” Williams said. “I’m a PGA professional. I think you have to play by the rules.”
Citrus County School Board attorney Wes Bradshaw said he interviewed 32 employees in the Historic Courtroom at the Sumter County Courthouse. But three of those employees told school board members at Tuesday’s meeting they felt “uncomfortable” and did not believe the investigation was being conducted in “a fair and unbiased manner.”
School Board Chair Kenneth Jones said he had to move swiftly because Morgan had raised the charge of “bullying.” It was Jones’ decision to bring in Bradshaw to conduct the investigation.
Williams suggested the Sumter County School Board, which pays more than $10,000 in dues each year to the Florida School Board Association, could have reached out to that organization for investigatory advice. Williams also said the board chair should have considered calling an emergency school board meeting.
In addition, Morgan cited a school board rule that “clearly gives the board chair the authority to appoint committees, not hire an attorney for investigations.”
Morgan alleged that Sumter School Board Attorney Felix Adams was not fit to give the board advice on the matter as he had donated $1,000 to Shirley’s campaign.
However, the chair pointed out that Morgan earlier this year had also donated to Shirley’s campaign.
Morgan admitted he had made a donation to Shirley’s campaign, but said he did it to keep his job.
“I gave him $500 and asked him by email if I was going to get a new contract. The next day, he told me I would,” Morgan said.
Shirley pointed to a number of vehicles adorned with Morgan campaign signs in the school board office parking lot that evening.
“It feels like a political circus,” Shirley said.
School Board member Haydn Evans, a Villager, moved to accept the report and close the investigation. It was agreed to unanimously.
