- December 23, 2024
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The Flagler County School District is investigating an electronic transfer of funds to a possibly fraudulent vendor bank account.
The district announced in a press release the evening of Oct. 3 that Superintendent LaShakia Moore reported the incident to the School Board and launched an internal investigation upon discovery.
The release went on to say that the district “is now working with the FBI and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office,” and that because the investigation is active, the district would have no further information.
“We want to assure the public there has been no data breach on our part and that all district information remains secure and protected,” the district said in its statement.
Earlier in the day, Board Chair Cheryl Massaro told the Observer that a School Board executive session scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 3 was canceled because School Board Attorney Kristy Gavin and Superintendent LaShakia Moore were called away on a “legal issue.” Moore did attend the board’s 3 p.m. workshop, but Gavin was not present.
The board is proceeding to hire a law firm to look into options to terminate Gavin’s contract. Board member Will Furry was charged with selecting an employment attorney to review the contract.
Furry selected Tallahassee firm Shutts & Bowen. The firm will charge the board a flat fee of $5,000, for which it will “draft a memorandum analyzing potential options for terminating the contract,” according to a letter to Furry from Daniel E. Nordby, a partner with the firm. Included in the fee is a total of three hours of individual consultation with board members. Any additional services would be charged at the firm’s hourly rate of $570.
The board, by policy, does not have to formally approve the engagement of legal counsel because the fee is less than $10,000. But, following the suggestion of Chief Financial Officer Patty Wormeck, the board will now hire another outside attorney to review the engagement of counsel with Shutts & Bowen before the board signs with the firm. The board will hire one of the outside attorneys the district already works with to review the terms of engagement with Shutts & Bowen.
The board wants Shutts & Bowen to complete its report by Oct. 17, with the intention of discussing the options in a workshop that afternoon and potentially voting on terminating Gavin’s contract at that evening’s business meeting.
Furry said he reached out to Gavin about the possibility of a mutual agreement. He said Gavin indicated she might agree to terminating her contract if she would be allowed to take another position within the district. Gavin has been the School Board’s attorney for 17 years.
The four board members who were present at the workshop said they might want to contract a law firm to handle the board’s legal business in the future, with the district hiring its own full-time attorney.
Board member Colleen Conklin did not attend the workshop due to a personal matter.
