OUR SCHOOLS

Kinneer demands furlough pay, bonus

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By SEAN KINNEY

skinney@keynoter.com

Posted - Wednesday, July 25, 2012 07:01 AM EDT

There's no love lost between Monroe County School Board Vice Chairman Andy Griffiths and Michael Kinneer, the School District's chief operating officer, formerly the chief financial officer.

Incumbent District 2 rep Griffiths, who's seeking a sixth consecutive four-year term, says he'd like to restructure the district's executive team by eliminating Kinneer's and Chief-of-Staff Ken Gentile's jobs and replacing them both with a "school finance officer."

In response to this criticism, Kinneer this week criticized Griffiths' role in planning a 2010 convention of the Greater Florida Consortium of School Boards held in Key West. Griffiths organized an Old Town Trolley ride to the Hogfish Bar and Grill and to the Green Parrot, as well as a sail on the Schooner Wolf; none of the $4,900 bill was footed by the local schools system. In an email to Superintendent Jesus Jara and board Chairman John Dick, Kinneer says: "Imagine my surprise this morning to read that Mr. Griffiths is advocating for my removal in order to appoint a new finance officer. One wonders what exactly qualifies Mr. Griffiths to make such an observation. Could it be his astute financial acumen?" Kinneer contrasts the stated mission of the consortium -"to increase the average funding per student to ensure that Florida is in the top half of the states and can provide a world class education to enable its students to compete in a global marketplace" - with expenditures made for convention attendees. "How noble," Kinneer says of Griffiths, then proceeds to invoke "all rights afforded to me by board, state and federal whistle blower statutes." "This guy is just a train wreck," Griffiths says. "Does this ever show you something? It's not like one dime of district money went to that. I brought them to Key West and showed them a good time." In a separate email sent to Jara, Kinneer says if he's not paid $5,990 by July 31, "I will cease providing my services to the District effective August 1, 2012." Kinneer says he's owed a $2,500 supplement for serving on the district's collective bargaining team and the remainder for seven unpaid furlough days mandated for all employees that were not in his contract when hired.

Kinneer started a three-year contract on Dec. 16, 2009, good for $126,639 per year. "If he (Kinneer) can leave us on July 31, I'm doing the happy dance," Griffiths says. "I telegraphed my position...and now the board is on notice."