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Alee Academy Board Removes Administrator From Post

    The Alee Academy charter high school is undergoing a change in leadership.  At a marathon, three-hour meeting of the school’s charter board on September 15, Alee administrator Cindy Emerick was relieved of her duties at the school.
    Emerick had led Alee for several years, overseeing increased student performance that this past summer led to the alternative educational facility receiving the state’s highest notation for portfolio style programs.  Alee doesn’t receive a grade like traditional public schools, but rather is judged based on a broader student performance rubric.  This past year, Alee earned its first ‘commendable’ rating.
    School officials this week declined to comment on the situation.
    “It is our practice not to discuss or comment on personnel matters,” said charter board vice chairman Jennings Neeld.
    However, minutes from the September 15 meeting available on the school website indicate Neeld initiated a probe into Emerick’s performance, citing potential violations of the Florida Department of Education Code of Ethics.  The charter board at the meeting discussed items including potential payroll problems, issues with personal records, billing problems, and more.  The minutes indicate Neeld  ‘expressed a lack of confidence’ in Emerick’s ability to continue running the school.
    By a 3-1 vote, with board chair Chloe Bonds Womack dissenting, the charter board voted to remove Emerick from her post.
    The move resulted in three prospective members to the board - Colleen Wallace, Willie Hawkins, and Jason Sayre, to remove their names from consideration in protest to the move.
    Neeld, a former administrator of the school who helped oversee its move years ago to its current location on CR 44 between Umatilla and Eustis, is reportedly assisting day-to-day operations while the school seeks a permanent replacement for Emerick.