Anticipating his ouster, Sarasota County (Fla.) Schools Superintendent Brennan Asplen is criticizing the newly formed school board majority for forcing his departure.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that Asplen blames the board for failing to provide direction and bowing to outside political pressure.
"I have a feeling I'm going to be fired after tonight because I just can't hold this back," Asplen said.
His comments came after a nearly five-hour special meeting dominated by people calling on the board to keep Asplen as the top administrator. Nevertheless, the board voted to authorize negotiations for Asplen's resignation with severance, potentially within a matter of days.
The vote was 4-1. Negotiations began last week when the board abruptly indicated it was moving to terminate Asplen's contract.
Asplen has been the superintendent of the district since 2020 and earned consecutive "highly effective" ratings from previous school boards.
Prior to the meeting, the superintendent had sent a letter to district families and employees which he said he "accepted" that he and the district would soon be separated.
"This school district could be number one, but we shoot ourselves in the foot every time" with the politics, Asplen said.
