Partisan ad and $150 event ticket could stir up trouble for Broward School Board

A formal investigation is underway into Broward County Public Schools after a board member’s ticket for a partisan political event was paid for with public funds, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced Friday.

Posting on X, Kamoutsas said the state’s Department of Education Inspector General is looking into Florida’s second-largest school district after six School Board members and the district’s logo were featured on an advertisement for a Broward County Democratic Party gala event. Moreover, a School Board member’s ticket for the event was purchased with a district-issued purchasing card.

School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi, who was featured in the ad, submitted a letter to the commissioner confirming her secretary used the card to buy a $150 ticket to the gala.

In her letter, Leonardi said she had not authorized her secretary to use the purchasing card.

“As has been my consistent practice, I made clear that these expenses would be paid from my personal and other non-district funds, and not from any district resources,” Leonardi wrote in the letter.

She said she immediately took action to reimburse the district with a $150 money order and returned her card “to ensure full accountability.”

“I have also spoken to the Superintendent and the Chief of Human Resources regarding discipline consequences,” Leonardi wrote. “As is the practice and per Board policy, Human Resources is conducting its own investigation and will take appropriate disciplinary action, which may include termination.”

The board is scheduled to meet on April 28. Leonardi said that to ensure this doesn’t happen again in any district department, she’s presenting an agenda item to guard against misuse of district funds and wrongfully using the district logo.

The item also directs the chief auditor to conduct an audit of how purchasing cards have been used in the district for the last year and authorizes general counsel to find an outside firm to investigate.

Florida’s Code of Ethics outlines that officials cannot use taxpayer money to “to secure a special privilege (or) benefit” for themselves or other people. The interpretation is largely concerned with using the money in a way that furthers official duties, not personal use. And the language of the law uses the word “corruptly,” potentially limiting the consequences of this case if it’s concluded to be accidental.

Advertisement for Democratic gala

The ad for the Broward Democratic Party’s Obama Roosevelt Legacy Dinner, which happened in March, included headshot photos of six board members and the district logo.

In the letter, Leonardi contends she had not seen the ad before it went out. “Specifically, I was not aware that the District’s logo would be used,” she wrote, saying its inclusion “undermines the neutrality and integrity that the public rightfully expects from its school system.”

Kamoutsas publicly raised concerns over the ad for the first time on Wednesday.

“Official district branding must never be used to advance partisan efforts,” he wrote at the time on X. “The students, teachers, and community in Broward County deserve leadership that respects this boundary and exercises sound judgment.”

“Public school systems do not exist to promote, align with, or lend credibility to partisan political organizations,” he wrote in a letter to Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn on Wednesday. “The use of an official district logo in connection with a political event creates a clear appearance of endorsement and erodes public trust in the neutrality and integrity of our education system.”

Leonardi responded in a letter the same day. Her letter acknowledging the ticket purchase was posted Friday on X by Kamoutsas, who called Leonardi’s actions “Totally Unacceptable!”

“We agree that public school systems exist to serve students and families,” Leonardi wrote. “We remain firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, accountability and public trust.”

Part of the agenda item at next week’s meeting also directs the general counsel to develop policies regarding the use of the district’s name and/or logo.

The Republican Party of Florida pounced on the news, saying Leonardi’s ticket purchase raised serious concerns about the use of public resources for political purposes.

“We commend the state for taking swift action to investigate and ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” said RPOF Chairman Evan Power in a statement on Friday.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner WLRN Public Media.