The Pinellas School Board and the Pinellas Education Foundation have worked together for years, a picture of harmony and mutual admiration. But the relationship has hit a low spot over the foundation’s recent “white paper” proposing to give schools more power over how they are run.

E-mails this week between foundation leaders and some board members reveal hard feelings – not over the substance of the “white paper” but over the foundation’s aggressive push to get board members to formally endorse it.

It started with a decision by board member Janet Clark to bring an attorney with her for a meeting today with foundation leaders. She said she was following the direction of the school board attorney, who says the act of getting the board to formally agree on something outside a public meeting could be perceived as a violation of the Sunshine Law. Foundation leaders balked and said the district was carrying the law too far. See the e-mail thread here.

Then, board member Carol Cook sends the foundation an e-mail saying she won’t be endorsing the white paper because it could be used against the district. She notes the existence of a class action lawsuit alleging the district is responsible for the poor performance of black students. The white paper takes the district to task for not acting sooner to correct the achievement gap and the graduation rate, which stands at 67 percent. Cook said she’d be putting the district “at risk” by signing it.

Finally, foundation leader Bob McIntyre sends a biting personal e-mail to board chairperson Nancy Bostock, saying she has failed to lead on the graduation rate issue. Bostock, who is running for a county commission seat, was among the first to endorse the white paper. McIntyre says he thought Bostock would have “begun something meaningful” before leaving the board. But he added: “We were wrong.” Bostock, of course, has a different view. See the thread here.

The foundation plans a media blitz soon to promote the themes in the white paper.