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Ex-charter school chief lists demands

The former head of the Academy of Environmental Science says she owns rights to a sheaf of instructional materials and is owed $1,167 in back pay.

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published August 13, 2005

CRYSTAL RIVER - Lisa Merritt left her post as director of the Academy of Environmental Science more than three months ago, but her name continues to surface at School Board meetings.

On Wednesday, the first day of school, the academy board discussed Merritt's latest correspondence, a letter that forbids academy teachers from using about 200 pages of instructional materials that she said she created between 1989 and 1998.

Last month, the academy received a letter from Merritt that said the school owes her $1,167 in wages. Merritt wrote that she was never paid for 45 extra hours she said she worked between 1999 and 2004.

"It's absolutely tragic," board chairman Carl Hansen said in an interview. "It's creating a lot of trouble for the school."

Hansen questioned the timing of Merritt's most recent letter, which arrived less than a week before the start of the new school year. Forty-six students attended the first day of classes at the academy.

"You have to wonder what her intent is," Hansen said.

Merritt did not return a phone call Friday afternoon.

Merritt's latest correspondence came after the board decided not to bring her back as either a teacher or head of the charter school. In late April, the board voted to immediately release Merritt from employment after she was criticized for removing crucial materials from the school. Merritt now teaches at Lecanto High School.

Hansen said the board has asked School Board attorney Richard "Spike" Fitzpatrick to look into whether Merritt owns rights to materials that Hansen said she developed while she was being paid to teach at the school.

He said the board would follow Fitzpatrick's recommendation. The salary claim is expected to be decided at the next meeting, Sept. 10. Merritt's latest correspondence, dated Aug. 5, includes an extensive list of materials, among them a workbook with teaching tips and lesson plans, and photos on the school's Web site. Merritt has said she created those materials before coming to the school.

In the letter, she said she intends to publish those materials for profit. The letter also notes that copyright laws protect authors from unauthorized duplication of their original works by imposing damages, criminal penalties or both on those who use those materials without permission.

The academy has received some good news.

Hansen said the Southwest Florida Water Management District will give the school $7,500 toward a camera that will be part of a weather station at the school. The new weather station will give students a chance to learn about forecasting and meteorology.

Eddy Ramirez can be reached at eramirez@sptimes.com or 813 661-2441.

[Last modified August 13, 2005, 01:22:17]