A former executive director at Florida Virtual School is calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the hiring of the CEO, and later the interim CEO, Channel 9 reporter Shannon Butler found out.
Two board members resigned this week and an interim CEO was picked after CEO Bob Porter passed away last month.
Sara Sprinkle wants the Florida education commissioner to intervene at the school before a new CEO is hired.
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Porter’s hiring was controversial. He was a consultant for the school and was hired after the board of trustees spent $100,000 for a firm to do a national search.
Sprinkle said Porter wreaked havoc at the school, writing in a letter: "I do not like to speak ill of the dead, but I can no longer remain quiet."
Sprinkle also questioned Porter’s hiring of Lady Dhyana Ziegler, a board member who voted to give Porter the CEO job.
In the letter, Sprinkle said, "Porter announced to the leadership team that he was taking over the reins and bringing Lady Di on board as part of the ‘deal.’ I was dismayed since I found it unlikely or even illegal for a sitting board member to vote for a new CEO as part of a job she would eventually take.”
With Porter's death, the issue might have been settled, but the precedent for selection is was questioned.
However, the day after Sprinkle's email was sent, the board voted to give Zeigler the interim CEO job.
“I request you, the education leader of our state, intervene at FLVS and ensure the highest quality programs and people continue to serve our state. I did not want to write this, but it is very difficult to watch the dismantling of what I spent 10 years developing,” Sprinkle wrote.
State education Commissioner Richard Corcoran's office said he read the letter and is reviewing it.
The board is working on a contract for Ziegler. The decision about a new CEO will be taken up at the board of trustees meeting in May.
Cox Media Group
