ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen sent a letter to Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas defending himself against accusations made by Kamoutsas in a social-media post and subsequent letter.
Recommended Videos
Last week, Kamoutsas sent a sharply worded letter to Asplen, citing teachers’ allegations that Asplen urged staff to target named legislators with complaints about a scholarship program and to vote those lawmakers out — allegedly said at a meeting at Osceola Elementary this month.
“I was taken back when my Executive Assistant and our Executive Director of Communications alerted me to your post on X prior to your letter arriving to me. As a result, the media outlets began calling me before T was even able to read and process your issues,” Asplen wrote in a response dated April 25.
In his written response, obtained by News4JAX, Asplen denies ever encouraging staff to vote legislators out of office and asks for examples of “divisive” or inaccurate statements. He framed his communications as fact-based transparency for stakeholders.
“I am confident that your point was not to suggest that I hide or downplay critical and honest information,” Asplen wrote. “You also allege that my comments are divisive. I would ask for clarity. How is it divisive to present facts? Do you have any specific example of an inaccurate representation that I have given?”
READ | St. Johns County Superintendent Letter to the Florida Education Commissioner
Asplen has highlighted that millions of dollars in state money are going toward Family Empowerment Scholarships, which are vouchers parents can use to send their kids to charter schools or for homeschooling.
The district said then it could be in a deficit of up to $23 million for the 2026-2027 school year, which is leading to the elimination of 22 district positions and 130 instructional/non-instructional positions despite continued enrollment growth.
Asplen said DOE/Step Up has indicated that about $250M in voucher-related taxpayer dollars are unaccounted for.
“A great concern to St. Johns County School District and other Florida districts is that we have been educating students in our systems with zero funding for those families who received vouchers, but then decided to stay in our public school system. We haven’t received the funds as of yet and we are one month away from the end of the 2025-26 school year,” Asplen wrote.
Asplen said he supports “choice and competition” but argues vouchers create an unlevel playing field because public schools face extensive mandates while private/home schools receive taxpayer dollars with limited accountability and selective admissions.
Asplen said he will stand behind his statements, even if he is referred to professional practices, and urges direct, professional collaboration—recommending that DOE, legislators, and superintendents meet to address these issues for all students.
“As Commissioner of Education for the State of Florida, I would expect that you would ask for the Department of Education to comport itself with professional esteem toward all public-school personnel and sincerely support their efforts, not just the energics of private, charters, and home schools. It is disappointing that our Commissioner would not choose to communicate concerns directly to a fellow leader in lieu of posting an inflammatory blast on social media,” Asplen wrote.
Kamoutsas called Asplen’s alleged comments inappropriate political pressure on a school campus, but added that his department hasn’t opened a formal professional-practices case because complainants won’t sign statements out of fear of retaliation.