SARASOTA, Fla. — The School Board of Sarasota County voted 4 to 1 to accept a separation agreement for its current superintendent.
Dr. Brennan Asplen has held the position of superintendent since August 2020. The board meeting began at 6:00 p.m. with two hours of public comment.
A handful of people urged the board to terminate the superintendent's contract. They argued he lacked leadership skills and needed to go.
"I would like to see Dr. Asplen get fired. We need a superintendent that will work earnestly with the school board and will focus on the priorities of the school district, which is number one, improving the academic achievement of our students," said Nivia Vega-Claussen with Moms for Liberty-Sarasota County Chapter.
Supporters argued Dr. Asplen is a great leader and earned a "highly-effective" rating on his evaluations. Supporters suggested the move to get rid of him was "political."
"Biggest issue we have is this superintendent had highly effective, which is the highest rating you can have. There seems to be no reason other than partisan politics for terminating his contract," said Lisa Schurr, Co-founder, and CEO of Support Our Schools.
On November 29th, the Board, by a majority vote, agreed to negotiate a severance agreement with the superintendent in lieu of termination without cause. Tuesday's vote accepts the separation agreement.
Under the agreement, Dr. Asplen would remain employed in a consultant role until March 10th. The agreement includes 20 weeks worth of pay, legal, and moving expenses. Asplen's base salary is $227,000.
"I’m very concerned. I think it’s fiscally irresponsible to incur the fees of severance as well at this point; I don’t know the cost of finding a superintendent," said Schurr.
The board voted to appoint Assistant Superintendent Chris Renouf as the acting superintendent until an interim superintendent is selected.
The next board meeting is scheduled for January 17th.
