By Anita Todd
LAKE WALES — As part of its annual transition, the Lake Wales Charter School Board of Trustees has announced two new members who will take their seats this summer.
Each year, one teacher representative is appointed, and one of the Board’s numbered seats is filled, following the schedule of staggered terms that run from July 1 to May 31.
This year, Teacher Trustee Michael Flood will step down from his one-year term on June 30. Replacing him will be Jaime Winfree, a representative from Polk Avenue Elementary. Winfree was unanimously approved by the Board at its May 19 meeting.
Per Board bylaws, the teacher representative — the only seat allowed to be held by a salaried employee within the charter system — rotates annually among the schools.
The Board also voted to fill Seat 7, currently held by Board Chair Danny Gill, whose term expires in July. In accordance with the bylaws, one of Seats 3, 5, or 7 is selected each year to maintain continuity in governance.
Four nominees were presented for Seat 7: Keith Thompson, TJ McKeon, Scott Thompson, and Skip Alford. Following a 4–3 vote, Keith Thompson was elected. No other nominees were brought to a vote.
Thompson, who currently serves as a Lake Wales City Commissioner, was nominated by Board Vice-Chair Rafael Unzueta, who spoke on his behalf during the workshop prior to the meeting.
“If I could sum up Keith’s character in two words, it would be ‘public servant,’” Unzueta said. “He proudly served our country in the Navy, served our community as a pastor, and most recently, he demonstrated his commitment to our citizens by running for city commission — a role that invites both public scrutiny and public praise.”
Unzueta also noted Thompson’s past collaboration with the former LWCS legal counsel Robin Gibson to champion a debt forgiveness initiative related to the Bok North loan — a move that ultimately saved LWCS $300,000.
With these new appointments, the eight-member Board — which includes seven voting members and one non-voting teacher representative — continues its work in shaping the future of the Lake Wales Charter School System.
The Board will hold its next Workshop on June 16 at 4 p.m. with the Board meeting following at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Wales High School.
