Charter Schools System Reaches Settlement With Former Superintendent, Avoids Lawsuit

Avoiding the likelihood of an expensive lawsuit, the trustees of the Lake Wales Charter School have accepted a settlement of issues connected to their abrupt June 7 termination of the system's former superintendent.

Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich had served just under two years at the head of the seven-school system when he was cited for one or more "grievances" filed by employees. Details of the accusations have not been made public but based upon statements made by both Rodolfich and his attorney it can be inferred that he was accused of racial bias, an accusation he has vehemently disputed.

Rodolfich's attorney Kemp Brinson had warned the board that failure to negotiate his departure would result in a lengthy legal battle that would waste precious school resources. Charter school attorney also advised the board of trustees to settle the matter as amicably as possible.

The settlement included paying Rodolfich an amount equivalent to 14 weeks of pay. Rodolfich, in return, wrote a letter to the board of trustees apologizing for the behavior that led to the grievances, apologizing for "creating an environment as Superintendent that that I now understand some people perceived to be hostile."

Courtesy Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich

Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich, the former superintendent of Lake Wales Charter Schools, reached a settlement over his abrupt firing by the board of trustees of the system. He wrote a letter of apology for an incident in which he became angry during a meeting, leading to an employee grievance, but adamantly denied that any racial bias was involved in the his behavior. The accusation "deeply hurt me," he wrote.

"To be accused of treating people differently based on race deeply hurt me," Rodolfich wrote, while admitting that he was "angry" during a meeting and failed to "display graceful leadership...I regret that immensely."

Rodolfich had led the seven-school charter district since July 2022 after a year-long hunt ended in his hiring in March of that year. He came to Lake Wales after leading a school system at Pascagoula, in coastal Mississippi, where he earned honors as the Superintendent of the Year.

Alricky Smith, the former deputy superintendent, is now serving as superintendent of the local system.

The charter school system was created more than 20 years ago to serve the schools of the Lake Wales area, where many leaders and educators felt ignored and deprived of resources by a Polk School System dominated by interests in the western portion of the county. Five of seven local schools voted to join the system with majority votes of both educators and parents.

Created without the participation of the city's only middle school, the charter school system created Edward Bok Academy on the former campus of Warner University. When that school rapidly reached capacity, Bok Academy North was founded on the former site of Lake Wales High School. A historic school building on that campus is presently being remodeled to add classrooms to the growing school.

The Lake Wales Charter School System consists of Lake Wales High School, Bok Academy North and South middle schools, as well as Babson Park, Hillcrest, Polk Avenue, and J.H. Wilson elementary schools.