Schools Superintendent Should Resign, Manatee County GOP Says

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — The Manatee County Republican Executive Committee is calling for the resignation or termination of Manatee County Schools Superintendent Cynthia Saunders after she was reprimanded by the state for instructing district staff members to inflate the district's graduation rates.

“The Committee expects more and demands more from a Superintendent who heads an organization with a $1 billion annual budget and who is responsible for the education of 50,000 Manatee County children. Saunders knowingly and willingly falsified data that led to inflated District graduation rates,” said Steve Vernon, committee chairman said.

He added, “There is absolutely no excuse for that. By her actions, Saunders has tarnished the reputation of the School District and has lost any and all credibility as an effective leader. We need a new Superintendent who has the vision and unquestioned ethical standards to lead a District that faces continued challenges on a multitude of levels.”

The Manatee County NAACP also recently called for her resignation.

Related Stories:

• Superintendent Fined For Inflating Manatee Grad Rates: Report
• NAACP Calls For Resignation Of Manatee Schools Superintendent

In a settlement with Florida's Education Practices Commission earlier this month, Saunders was reprimanded for instructing district staff members to improperly record student withdrawals from 2014 to 2016, inflating the high school graduation rate.

During the 2014-15 school year, when she was executive director of secondary education, only six of the 121 students withdrawn from the district were properly coded.

At the end of 2018 — about six months after being sworn in as superintendent — Saunders was accused of violating two state statutes and five rules, including filing fraudulent information, using coercive means or promised special treatments to influence professional judgements of colleagues, and failure to maintain honesty in all professional dealings.

The commission rejected Saunders' initial proposed settlement in 2019 because it wasn't severe enough.