Last month, Karen Gaffney agreed to try to determine whether she could work for the School Board full time.
By MARY SPICUZZA
Published October 20, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - School Board attorney Karen Gaffney will not be renewing her contract.
"This is good for the district and this is good for me, given my personal circumstances," Gaffney told board members at their Tuesday afternoon workshop.
Gaffney declined to discuss her decision further after the meeting. But in the past she has cited continuing health problems stemming from a 2002 car crash and has expressed concern that unpredictable absences from work might strain the district at inopportune times.
"I don't want to be responsible for letting this board down," she said.
Her decision was a clear shift from discussions last month, when Gaffney agreed to work with superintendent Wendy Tellone to determine whether she could continue working for the board, but in a full-time position.
At that time, School Board members said they would be comfortable letting Gaffney work from home periodically and not necessarily having her on the site 40 hours a week.
They even dismissed Vice Chairman Jim Malcolm's suggestion to go ahead and advertise for the position in light of Gaffney's earlier reluctance to seek the position full time.
Board members worried that they might not find anyone as qualified or knowledgeable about the district as Gaffney.
The Inverness resident has held the board attorney position part time for nearly a decade, while maintaining a private law practice. Taking the full-time position would have meant an overall pay cut for Gaffney, who made $120,000 working for the school district last year.
"I think the district would best be served by a full-time attorney," Gaffney told board members Tuesday. She said she informed Tellone of her decision last Tuesday. The discussion of finding her replacement was included as a late addition to the workshop's agenda.
Board member Gail David expressed shock at the news and said she hadn't heard anything about Gaffney's departure until the day of the meeting.
Sandra Nicholson said Gaffney would be missed.
"I think she's benefited the district in the years she's been here," Nicholson said. "We just have to think about moving on."
Gaffney's contract ends Dec. 31, but she told board members Tuesday she would continue working for them until her replacement is found.
Board members said they would discuss salary ranges for the incoming board attorney and job postings at their Nov. 9 meeting.
