School Board meets Tuesday
Tuesday's Osceola County School Board meeting could be another tense one if a recent pair of letters between Osceola Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace and embattled School Board District 3 member Jon Arguello become a topic of conversation.
Last week, a letter from Pace to Arguello dated on Wednesday became public. In the letter, she implored Arguello to end a string of attacks against her, in which she called "false, slanderous comments" on both the dais and his social media accounts. A day later, Arguello rebutted her claims in his own letter, posted to the same social media.
Pace reference a handful of incidents, including:
- An October incident when Arguello told a parent "I don't think she will tell me the truth";
- His Feb. 4 letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, in rebuttal to being censored by the Board for his alleged negative contact of vendors and their representatives, when he wrote the Governor that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is "absolutely" being taught in Osceola County despite state regulations otherwise;
- His comments at a Feb. 8 Board meeting, which Pace was not present at, that Arguello said Pace "gave (him) a warning ... it's time to shut your mouth";
- Comments in recent weeks that "we are harboring sexual predators" within the District.
In his response, Arguello said, "I want to make sure you understand there is nothing personal about my comments," but called his comments assessments on Pace's "professional dishonesty."
Among Arguello's rebutting statements:
- He wanted to "correct the record .. that the district is protecting someone who 'supported the illegal sex trade.'" He referenced former state Rep. Mike Horner, who was connected to an Orlando brothel in 2012 but was not charged with any crime, and has since been hired as a School District lobbyist. (Part of the allegations against Arguello levied by an independent investigation is that he harassed Horner for not contributing to his sister's own School Board campaign this year, and he harassed other Horner clients about his work and his past.)
- Noted he was paraphrasing Pace on Feb. 8, going on to state: "You absolutely, unequivocally made it clear that if I continued on my mission of exposing the bad acts at the school district, you would 'take it public' ... it was obvious that you had no intention of changing course, instead you were there specifically to deliver a threat of attacking me publicly.";
- Noting the action taken against him and sent to the Governor, claimed, "If anyone is being bullied, harassed, or in a hostile environment, it is me.";
- Said the actions will not stop his fight to "Serve the people of Osceola County and if you are successful in taking me out, the community will know it was politics and nothing more."
During much of the 15 months of his term on the board, Arguello has openly questioned the District's practices in issuing vendor contracts, saying some have been rife with conflict of interest, including claims the attorney wife of another Board member has represented developers on many land deals.
The Board will meet Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
