Sarasota County School Board to Begin Search for Superintendent after Approving Settlement for Sexual Harassment Victim
By, Jessika Ward
At promptly 6:30 p.m. on February 4, 2019, Caroline Zucker, the Chair of the Sarasota County School Board, called Tuesday’s school board meeting to order. After several elementary schools were honored along with two School Resource Officers (SROs), Bill Vogel, of the Florida School Board Association took the podium to present a proposal on behalf of FSBA, vying for the board members to choose his firm to conduct the superintendent search for Sarasota County. Ray & Associates also made a presentation, but the board unanimously voted to use the Florida School Board Association, an organization Zucker and school board member Jane Goodwin shared they worked with and for in the past, as the search firm.
Former Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Todd Bowden resigned in November of 2019 after being accused of mishandling sexual harassment allegations that were reported to him. Cheraina Bonner, the former assistant to the school district’s chief operating officer, Jeff Maultsby. Bonner claimed she filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging that she was being harassed by Maultsby, but before filing the complaint Bonner said she complained directly to Superintendent Todd Bowden and School Board vice chairwoman Caroline Zucker.
Vogel says The Florida School Board Association maintains a network of national contacts through NSBA, state School Board Associations’ Executive Directors, and the National Affiliation of Superintendent Searches. He also noted that the organization has “experience recruiting minority candidates.” FSBA conducted the superintendent search that resulted in the hiring of Bowden who had previous problems with sexual harassment allegations. FSBA faulted Bowden’s previous school district for not sending his entire personnel file to Sarasota County during the search.
Bonner’s sexual harassment case results in a settlement of over $300,000 for Bonner. The Sarasota County School Board did not discuss the settlement in Tuesday’s meeting.
“What I’m looking for now is some closure, hopefully no more harassing everything will stop,” said Bonner. “I can go back to being a normal employee, trying to live a somewhat normal life and begin healing as well. I hope the settlement results in that for both parties”
Bonner will remain an employee at the school board, but says she was offered a higher settlement to resign.
“I have a child. I have a life. This has been very public. In my eyes, I’ve done nothing wrong and I’m a victim, but if I leave here and apply for a job other people might see me as a liability,” said Bonner. “This isn’t easy for me.”
Bonner hopes to set an example for other sexual harassment victims, saying “don’t leave.” FSBA says the organization can begin the search immediately and is looking to have their first meeting with the board on February 18, 2020. The board has not approved or pitched a timeline for the search.
