School Board agrees to hire former Collier County Superintendent while national search is conducted

The School Board of Alachua County held a Special Meeting on Nov. 4

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the November 4 Special Meeting of the School Board of Alachua County, the board voted unanimously to hire Dr. Kamela Patton to serve as Superintendent while they conduct a national search for a new permanent Superintendent.

After deciding to hear citizen input after the nominations, Chair Diyonne McGraw introduced Andrea Messina from the Florida School Board Association, who had given the board a list of candidates to consider, and called on the board members for their nominations.

Nominations

Member Leanetta McNealy nominated Dr. Kamela “Kam” Patton from Collier County. Patton has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Messiah University in Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Reading Education from Nova Southeastern University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Miami. She was Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools from 2011 to 2023 and currently runs an educational consulting company, along with co-leading the American Association of School Administrators’ Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Women. McNealy said Patton would be “a good fit for us and to handle the work that needs to be done, up until the search is complete.”

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