Leon Schools superintendent's race heats up with questions, accusations about spending

Two days after Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna won the local Democratic primary, things are heating up for the upcoming general election that pits him against Chiles High School Principal Joe Burgess.

In a Facebook post Thursday, Burgess shared an image of a graph, highlighting a rise in the salaries of district office staff members from 2015 to 2024.

"It has come to light that over $8 million has been diverted to expand staffing at the central office—funds that could have, and should have, been directed toward our students, teachers, and essential school staff," Burgess wrote in the post. "This misallocation has left our schools struggling, with morale and retention at an all-time low."

Burgess said he obtained the information through a public records request he made to the district in October 2023, and he uploaded the data into a Google spreadsheet document in order to share it with others.

According to the document, the district office salaries amounted to $8.2 million in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Burgess' Google document reflects that the cost of salaries for district staff increased to $16.6 million by 2023. The cost of salaries includes retirement plans and health benefits that are on a steady rise in cost for employers.

"I’m not sure how or why my opponent has taken whatever information he’s received and manipulated it to fit his misleading narrative," Hanna told the Tallahassee Democrat. "Over the last eight years, non-school related expenses, including district salaries and operating costs, have decreased from 11.98% to 10.58% of the total budget."

While on the campaign trail, Hanna has boasted about driving more dollars into local schools to directly help students and teachers and cutting wasteful spending at the district office. Most recently, to cut costs for the 2024-25 fiscal year, the district axed its general counsel, Will Spillias, whose 2023-24 contract amounted to $123,920.

"When I took office, one of my top priorities was to eliminate wasteful spending at the district and provide more resources to our schools, our classrooms, and to our employees for salary increases," Hanna said.

'It’s time to demand accountability'

Burgess said he believes the talking point has been a cover for grandstanding and covering the truth behind the matter: "We cannot ignore these facts. It’s time to demand accountability and transparency from our leadership. Our schools deserve better, and our community deserves the truth."

Burgess is running for superintendent as a no party affiliated candidate and has prioritized improving school safety, school grades and technology resources for students. He has worked in the district for 25 years, serving as a teacher, coach and principal.

In September, Burgess was placed on a two-week suspension without pay after a law firm's investigation determined he violated district policy for paying teachers for extra work without documentation. The violation and punishment was upheld by the school board, an administrative law judge and appeals court.

Hanna, meanwhile, is currently on a two-year probation following an investigation by the Florida Department of Education for allegedly infusing his "personal views" into his role as administrative head of the district in 2022.

The two will face off in the November general election.

More: Chiles principal Joe Burgess files to run for Leon Schools Superintendent

More: Rocky Hanna wins Leon County Schools superintendent primary race

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3 .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon Schools superintendent's race heats up with questions, accusations about spending