Board split over FSBA 'way‑of‑work' training as some members decline to participate

The School Board of Alachua County spent a substantial portion of its Feb. 3 meeting debating whether to schedule a governance training session with the Florida School Boards Association (FSBA).

Chair Mr. Vu proposed scheduling a workshop as a starting point to address community and state concerns about board conduct and meeting efficiency. "I did agree and wanted to add this to the agenda... I do want to limit it to just finding a date where we can all participate," he said.

Several board members supported the idea as a starting point. Dr. Rockwell and Ms. Certain said outside facilitation from FSBA could clarify the legal differences between governance and operations and improve how members address staff and one another.

But Dr. Manili said she would not participate in a short two‑hour session, saying master‑level board training requires many more hours and repeated engagement. "I am not willing to do that in 2 hours," she said. Another member, Ms. Plavic, also said she would not participate in a short session and criticized what she described as public airing of private concerns.

Attorney Delaney and other board members urged following internal policies for communications and emphasized that training is voluntary; the chair said he would continue to seek a date but acknowledged the lack of unanimous will to proceed immediately.

The board did not take a formal vote to require attendance or to schedule a specific date that evening; members said the topic will be revisited at a future meeting and that FSBA trainers could attend to provide feedback if invited.