April 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cThe Broward County School Board Chair confirms the district funded the Democrat party with taxpayer dollars. Our Inspector General is conducting a formal investigation. Totally unacceptable!\u201d he wrote on Friday.<\/p>\n
In a Thursday night response titled \u201cStatement of Facts,\u201d which Kamoutsas posted on X, Board Chairwoman Sarah Leonardi said that her executive secretary had submitted the ad with the logo on it and mistakenly used Leonardi\u2019s district procurement card to pay for a $150 ticket to the gala. Leonardi said she immediately reimbursed the district after learning about this.<\/p>\n
Leonardi wrote that the district\u2019s human resources department is conducting its own investigation and will take disciplinary action, \u201cwhich may include termination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leonardi plans to ask the School Board to consider five additional steps, which are scheduled to be discussed at a meeting that starts at 3 p.m. Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Direct the superintendent to bring back the job descriptions for the board secretaries to consider having them report to the superintendent\u2019s designee, such as the chief of staff, instead of School Board members, \u201cthereby providing unified oversight and supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Direct the general counsel to develop board policies governing the use of the district\u2019s name and logo and direct the superintendent to update the guidelines on these.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Direct the general counsel to review and update procurement card policies and direct the superintendent to train School Board staff \u201con the standards and procedures for the use of P-Cards\u201d and \u201cto review the training, guidelines, and standard operating procedures for P-Card use to enhance accountability and enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Direct the chief auditor to conduct an audit of procurement card use in the district for the past year.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Authorize the general counsel to retain an outside law firm to investigate this matter and provide recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take this matter seriously and have acted swiftly at every step to ensure accountability,\u201d Leonardi wrote. \u201d I remain fully committed to upholding the law and complying with Board policies, maintaining the integrity of District resources, holding those responsible accountable, training staff and ensuring that this does not occur again,\u201d Leonardi wrote to the commissioner.<\/p>\n
The program ad featured the district\u2019s logo and said, \u201cThe School Board of Broward County celebrates the Broward Democratic Party\u2019s Obama Roosevelt Legacy Dinner.\u201d Six School Board members were pictured: Leonardi, Jeff Holness, Maura McCarthy Bulman, Nora Rupert, Debbi Hixon and Adam Cervera.<\/p>\n
All except Cervera are Democrats. Cervera, the only Republican on the board, is so far the only board member besides Leonardi to publicly comment on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a Broward County School Board member, I was extremely disappointed to learn about the allegations involving the School Board Chair,\u201d Cervera wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. \u201cI fully support the Inspector General\u2019s formal investigation and expect a detailed, comprehensive and thorough independent review.\u201d<\/p>\n
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