BREAKING: Did Dr. Moore Breach His Contract?

The email from David Dyer regarding Jackie Rosario’s resolution was not allowed to be shared according to Dr. Moore’s contract.

Superintendent, Dr. David Moore, has been very bashful to the point of “awe shucks” embarrassment over the current discussion of his salary. Some board members are outbidding others on his behalf based on the performance of the school district he leads.

However, in reviewing his current contract, The Sunshine Journal has learned the superintendent may be in breach of it. The possible breach of contract stems from his forwarding of an email dated September 17, 2024 titled “Objection to Resolution #2025-06.” It was written by board-elect, David Dyer, prior to the September 23rd business meeting. That evening, the board was set to approve the resolution by Jackie Rosario regarding the selection process of board membership to the Joint Equity Workgroup under the Desegregation Order. The resolution was praised by Dr. Peggy Jones, Dr. Gene Posca and Kevin McDonald at a previous workshop.

Mr. Dyer spoke directly about his views on the action-item brought before the board. He requested Dr. Moore forwarded his email to board members. He wrote, “Dear Dr. Moore, Upon review of the resolution posted to the website on Monday evening to be considered at the next Workshop and/or Board meeting, I strongly object to the early appointment of Ms. Rosario to the IRC-NAACP Workgroup by the current board.”

He also claimed her appointment “disrespects the Will of the Voter,” and further added, “I will take whatever procedural and legal action necessary to protect my rights as a Board Member Elect and as a Board Member.”

There is a question of whether Dr. Moore violated Sunshine Law by forwarding the email. Read about it here. A citizen has filed a formal complaint. Now, it is learned, Dr. Moore’s contract forbids the exchange as well. It is a simple clause to protect the superintendent from violation of Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine laws.

Dr. Moore’s contract states in Article VII Section C:

C. Procedure for Discussion with School Board Members. 

“Each School Board member may meet individually with the Superintendent subject to applicable law and legislation relating to open government to discuss how the particular board member views the performance of the Superintendent and his progress in light of School Board policy decisions and objectives. Such meetings shall consist of full, frank and honest exchanges, but shall not involve the discussion of any matter that is prohibited by law to be discussed in such private meeting. Without limitation, the Superintendent will not discuss with any School Board member, individually, any matter related to how another School Board member views any topic, nor shall any School Board member and the Superintendent act as a conduit for any other School Board member during the course of any such discussion. The purposes of these individual meetings may include the individual School Board informing the Superintendent how the individual Board member views the performance of the Superintendent or for the Board member to inform the Superintendent regarding matters of District business.” (italics added)

The Sunshine Journal reached out to Dr. Moore for comment, but he did not respond. Included in the email were Communications Director, Cristen Maddux, and board attorney, Molly Shaddock. Mr. Dyer’s email caused a dramatic discussion at the September 23rd meeting when the resolution came to a vote. Board member Kevin McDonald commented, “The obvious and blatant intent of this email from the future member-elect was to let people know he would be available in November to offer a different conclusion … We have a 6th member weighing in on this, and that’s just wrong. It’s borderline illegal, if not, illegal.”

Dr. Peggy Jones had completely changed from being in agreement with the resolution to demanding a vote in November in accordance with Mr. Dyer’s email. She voted against it. Board chair, Teri Barenborg went further, addressing Ms. Rosario directly with a glance and stating, “It doesn’t matter to me … Vote it up vote it down, I just know that I will want to bring it up in November.”

Mrs. Barenborg suggested that she would follow the lead of what Mr. McDonald described in his comments concerning the intent of Mr. Dyer’s email. She would write her own resolution to change the voting process of selecting the workgroup member. She exclaimed, “I will not be voting for this!”

In February of 2022, Dr. Moore took the recommendations of a book committee regarding pornography in the libraries. That committee was required to meet according to Sunshine law and board policy which it did not do. It was led by then Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Richard Myhre. From that committee’s recommendations, the board voted 4-1 to keep 151 of 157 books on the shelves. A citizen filed a criminal Sunshine violation complaint which the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated. While that inquiry found no criminal cause against Dr. Moore, a civil lawsuit was filed against the district which is currently in appeals court. Ultimately, all of those committee recommendations were removed from public school libraries for pornography and Critical Race Theory by the end of August 2023. The sexually explicit and pornographic literature was pulled after a business meeting where parents read explicit passages from the books approved the year before. Three board members, who voted to keep books in 2022, voted to remove those same titles in 2023. The meeting went viral on the internet with over 20 million views.

There has been much discussion about the current contract with Dr. Moore. Board Member, Dr. Gene Posca, wants to keep the Superintendent at the school district. At the September meeting he proposed giving Dr. Moore a 22% raise and increase his deferred compensation from 5% to 10%. The raise would give Dr. Moore an annual salary of $239,000 from his current, $195,699 he receives. It would add $23,900 annual compensation towards a tax deferred annuity plan. Dr. Moore also receives yearly bonuses for certifications and great superintendent reviews. He gets an $850.00 per month car stipend and an expense account to join community organizations. At the October 7th workshop, board member, Jackie Rosario, noted his total compensation would be over $275,000 with the proposed salary. 

The talk of Dr. Moore’s raise heightened more eyebrows when, at the same workshop, Mrs. Barenborg proposed an offer sheet to our small county superintendent. Emotionally choked-up she recommended a salary of $250,000 a year putting his total compensation package over $286,000 annually. Yet, in the effort to award the district superstar, have any of these board members considered the superintendent’s fidelity to his current contract?