001We're good. Here we go. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome as I call to order the July 31st special meeting of the Escamia County School Board. Whether you're joining us via live stream or in the audience, we appreciate your interest in education of the students of Escamia County. There will be a public forum session for agenda items only, including items for public hearing and the budget hearing at the beginning of the meeting. If you wish to speak to either of the forms, you must complete the appropriate form located on the table at the rear of the room and bring it forth to Miss Harris at the front table. All speaker forms must be submitted prior to the start of agenda public forum. This meeting was properly advertised in the Pensacola News Journal on July the
00225th. legal notice number 10378732. At this time, we'll move to the adoption of the agenda. Mr. Superintendent, are there any changes or deletions to your recommended agenda? There's one addition for finance letter A is added. Do I have a motion to adopt the agenda as presented? Have moved. Second. Has been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote by show of hands. Approve five to zero. We now begin the agenda public form. All forms must be submitted at this time. I do not have any forms. So we move right into items required for public hearing. Our first item is the student progression plan. Is there a motion? So moved. It's been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote by show of hands. Approve five to zero. Thank you, Miss Morgan. At this
003time, we are next. We're moving to the presentation of the 2022 2023 tenative mill and tenative budget. Mr. Saint Seir is prepared to do the same review that he did last time if you need so need for him to do so or we can have a conversation amongst each other whatever you so desire. open for discussion for the board hearing. None, we move on to a public hearing here. Yes, sir. I'll go ahead and get it out of the way. It's not going to be any surprise because I never have voted for a tax increase since I've been on this school board and I do not plan to do it tonight. Okay. And I would really like to see us re um size this district. We cannot put that burden onto the taxpayers. What we
004should be doing and I and the reason I do this is because I've told my constituences on my campaign cards that if you support the half cent sales tax, I will never raise your property taxes. And they just did it again. Okay. Only 19 school district, state of Florida, has that building. And we are blessed that our citizens because it would be a traumatic. You're talking about a a budget nightmare. That would be a budget nightmare right there. So, um but we've got to get back on our way to resize this district. And I heard Paul with that being a fiveyear plan, a five-year plan of enrollment going down to 500 every year, you know, so that we do not come to the last minute. I remember me and Paul in meetings before we kind
005of wanted to to know before we get to some crazy number that we're short, which I've heard several different numbers. I had people call me and tell me numbers, but uh but that don't matter there. But uh but anyway, I just want to let let everybody know that's what I'm planning on doing is voting no on it. And um I I am right there with Governor Sanders. I think there's a good chance it's going to be gone next year. So you really better rightsize this district because there for people homestead property would have gone this year if the house would have cooperated. Senate was there, the governor's there. So don't act like this money is going to be there for you forever and ever because u he don't like the idea of people renting the
006government renting people's houses and I don't either. So, uh, anyway, I just get that out of the way so when I vote no on these categories, you'll know. That's Yeah, I I do want to respond. Um, Mr. Mr. Adams and I have spoken over the years um in in a similar manner and that uh because we had the half cent sales tax, I have never voted in favor of raising anything else, but I've never had a budget situation like we have now. in my since 2000 when I at the district level started um knowing more and more and being involved in the whole budgeting process and what's going on. Um I have never seen the lack of funding from Tallahassee as it is now and next year. We are in a budget crisis at this
007point that will cause us to have some, as I've said publicly, catastrophic situations. We don't do something ourselves. Um, and I'm I'm right there with you on right sizing. I'm right there on doing things with K8. That will take a year, 18 months at the shortest because of all those processes that have to be gone through. As you know, Mr. Adams, you've been on SEAC before. You know what it is to to reszone and and make those changes and everything else. But in the meantime, we have got to maintain our employees. We need we we are heading in the right direction academically. We need to show that our employees, our students, and families that we value what's going on with education. In order to keep that going, we're going to have to do something different.
008Even if it's just for a year or two until we could get a different way of doing it and then change with what's going to happen with uh with millage rates. But if we don't do it now at this point this year, then then we are shooting ourselves in the foot academically and employeewise. Um that's the sole reason that I'm doing it. If if there was another way that we could do and and have it in as in as an expedient way as we'll need it to. You know, no one foresaw that that we would have such a devastating lack of funding from Tallahassee. Okay. Yeah. The entire budget increased over last year by $1 million. Well, there's more than that just in what we need to do with uh benefits, what we need to
009do with the retirees, what we need to do with all these other things that there's no control over. So if we don't do this with the millillage so that we have some flexibility to be able to maintain a a uh improvement to our salary schedule for our employees. We won't have the employees to keep going. And and I dare say that over the last two years we have had a steady employee number. People aren't leaving us. We're not having a hard time filling. We're We're doing well. And so for those reasons alone and and only I I will have to vote in favor of things tonight. And I'm not trying to forego and tell people stuff. I've had the emails. I've had the phone calls. I've had the text messages. People saying, "Cut the fat."
010There is no fat. The only fat around here is my waist. And and that's not going to get us anywhere. and and you know people s usually mean get rid of administrators and I think that I I reached out to our assistant superintendent in HR to get numbers as to where we stand in the state's um records with the ratios of our administrators to uh teachers and and and if I can Mr. Superintendent if you're okay with it I'd like Mrs. cross tag to give us that information. So if you compare like counties, we are we definitely have less um administrator to uh student population. So that's something I want you to know. But I do I do want to say this percentage for us because I don't have specific I don't want to name
011counties just because um you know we actually have less than the next people very close. Um so we have 2.5% of our entire employee group is administrators. So 2.5% of of who we employ are administrators. That's small. So, you also need to realize that we're talking about a ratio of 1 to 280 kids if you look across the district. Um, and if you if you think about that for for an administrator, 1 to 280, that's a lot for for one administrator to have that. Now, you of course we have differentiz schools and all of that, but what we need to remember is we're talking about a ratio where where we don't have fat. you know, you're having to manage a school with three people with with three administrators at a high school. I'm going to
012use that as an example. One principal and two APS. That's not something you see in orange, in Oyola, in Clay, in places closer to us that I'm not going to mention. But, um, we we are we've always paid attention to that uh in our county and made sure we have the way that we staff, we keep to our numbers, and we compare it to our students because the students are where the key is, you know, have making sure we have enough people to to manage our our student population. So, is that what you want to Well, it it is and it leads us into, you know, we have our staffing allocation table. So, schools have to earn positions. They don't just get it. Now, during the ESSER funding, there were some differences, some things that
013were changed that happened, but those positions have dried up and moved and gone back in the classroom or somewhere else, but but those no longer exist. So um in order to generate you have to have the students to do that and when they lose those positions they lose them because of lack of students or student enrollment. We're not we don't have fat. We don't keep people and and have positions in place without it being earned. And and yes, if if we quote rightsized, there would be changes and and and what would happen then is the the people who were displaced would be put into vacant positions, wouldn't create new positions for it. But but again, Mr. Adams, and not argumentative, but that will take time. it, you know, a year to 18 months at the
014earliest before we could do that kind of thing and save a portion of what the Capitol Village will be able to afford us in the next year to two years and and then we could look differently after we've had time to again do the hard work of right sizing. But at at this point and and I understand where you're coming from. I understand what you're saying. Uh philosophically, ideologically, I'm with you. Operationally, I have to worry about what will happen to our employees and then our students for lack of employees. We've been down there when we couldn't fill positions. I don't want to create vacancies. I don't want to have things unfilled. I don't want to have a student going through an entire year with with sub after sub after sub. And and not that
015subs don't work hard and do what they can, but it makes a difference. We know that. We've seen that our academics, our grades have continued to improve and and I do not want to have that disrupted and and uh and and I understand that this is very unpopular and uh I'll be quiet. M gosh. Yes. Uh I too am going to support this. I am I'm not saying I'm for a tax increase, but I really I'm so pleased to see the growth of our district moving in such a positive manner with that superintendent, his staff and all of our teachers diligently working. I want to continue that momentum. Are there areas where they can look at cutting? I think they've done a lot already and they will continue to do that. I trust they will
016that they will continue. But um just to do some statistics looking at the counties in Florida, all 67, eight of them uh prioritize less than 1.5 mills. And the majority of those eight are very high value property rates values I guess I say. um 1.5 we we have assessed that before in our district 2017 and I know that we we decreased after that. I don't know why. Um but I want to ensure that this district moves in the positive direction. Is it going to happen overnight? No, it's not. But, you know, we're slowly but surely gathering that strength. Um, if we look at counties, even neighboring counties, they also assess 1.5. So, I'm asking the community, I heard this this on my brother-in-law's radio show about eating broccoli. And right now, broccoli, I love broccoli,
017but as a kid, I didn't like it. But you're saying having to eat that broccoli, but in hopes one day we're going to eat that steak or that dessert. So right now we have to eat our broccoli or another vegetable, whatever you don't like. So it takes all of us a team approach. So this is a very tough decision, but it's also a tough spot we're in here. Uh as Mr. FTSCO pointed out this is uh and this is something that has happened over a period of time and we probably could have weathered this storm had we not had such a drastic reduction in funds for this year. We got hit with a federal uh uh reduction and we're getting some of that back and we also got hit with the uh uh the uh
018FTE reduction and when you when you see it on paper, oh gosh, we've got a million. We don't have a million dollars. Oh, I heard Mr. St. sincere say that most of that's going to be taken up with increased retirement benefits the other night when we were talking. I am a strong strong conservatives ladies and gentlemen and uh a week ago my mind was set up to vote no for this. I can tell you uh and and I'm being just honest with you. You know I've talked to a number of people uh over this week my mind has changed. You know uh for a whole variety of reasons. One of the things Miss Bgosh said was that uh there were eight counties that did not I looked very closely at that and she's right and
019most of those counties except one are property rich you know or either they have an additional half cent referendum for uh for teacher salaries. So the other thing I looked at was the same thing Miss Bgosh uh looked at and that was uh when was the last time we assessed 1.5. That 1.5 was assessed in 217 uh 2018 and you look at each year if there was a uh a stabilized tax base or we increased and the public did get some benefits from that uh from us not assessing that 1.5. But now it's my belief we're in a critical position here. I'm a, as I said, I'm a strong financial conservative and uh it was hard, it was hard for me to work back and forth through this. Had a lengthy conversation with uh Miss
020Cross Tag today also and a lengthy conversation with the superintendent the other day about this. Um it uh I've got to go back and face one of the most conservative districts uh in this county and tell them why I voted to raise taxes. And I'm going to tell them this. I did it for the children, you know. I did it for the district, you know. I did it because it was the right thing to do at this time and this place. Um, let me look at my notes here. You know, we're going to have an increase in tax. It's going to show in the paper an increase of tax even if we even if we vote no today. Uh, except for that Well, let me back up. that area where uh the required local effort
021it's going to it there's I don't think there's any way we can not do that because of the penalties on the other end. So as a result of that what's going to happen is we're going to show a tax increase anyway. I've had close relatives call me and say some of the same things. Just cut all them administrators. You could cut all of the administrators and it wouldn't make this deficit up. You know, and even if we what we do today, what we do today, there's still a risk, if I hear Mr. St. Seir correctly, there's still a risk of us having our general fund, you know, stay at the percentages we needed to stay at. Is that correct, Mr. Saint Seir? So, even if we do what we're doing today, you know, uh it's
022it's there's going to be an issue there. We continue to face decline in enrollment. And ladies and gentlemen, we have got to deal with this. We don't need to deal with it with the opening of school. We want the opening to school to be as positive as it can be. We want everything with the opening of school to be, you know, uplifting so that we our teachers are starting, our children are starting, but come about January, there are some things that need to change, you know, and one of those things is to deal with this decline in enrollment. It's not going away. the scholarship. The federal government has just recently said uh uh and passed in the big beautiful bill that they're going to give incentives to those people who are homeschool and so forth.
023I I don't know how that's what it's going to look like, but that incentive may be enough to put even a larger number of people into the pool that are going to homeschool. We've got to take things like that into consideration. The other thing is that we we are a county that is long and narrow. We have some smaller schools, larger schools, but we have some smaller schools that did not used to have uh some extra administration that well, I won't go into all the specifics. We have some we have our student population is growing in the north and the west and we're we've got to do some things to look there. They just sold the property across from Molina Elementary School and a builder bought that. There's 500 acres there. There going to be
024a thousand homes there. You know, before it's over with, there going to be a thousand homes. I'm sure on the west side of the town it's the same way. We've got to do everything that we can to match our budget to our student. We cannot let like happened in the past. And I'm not throwing darts at previous boards or anything like that. We cannot let that happen. this it needs to start this January looking at that our our uh personal uh personnel documents that we get uh the projections and so forth. We've got to look at this and we've got to more closely match and I'm not saying anything about the superintendent and what they have or have not done. This was an unfortunate this was an unfortunate thing that happened to us with this
025year. I the other thing I had on my list was that I fully support the superintendent of schools. Y'all all know that, you know. So, having said that, he has presented us a plan to help solve this financial situation and I support that. You know, uh let me see what else here. As I said, I've heard from many people, and this is a very complex this is a very complex issue, but the bottom line is, and I've said this my entire 37year career, is this what's best for the boys and girls that's placed in our care? And I believe it is. All right, enough. Thank you. And and I'll just say this um and we'll move on. Um I've often said we don't toot our horn on at the great job that we've been doing
026for the past 20ome years. I've been in the administrative situation where at the at the end of the eight or the 10 day count where I had to let teachers go because we didn't have enough teach students to cover that teacher. We've been cutting back for years. We've been making do with with less for years. And I think the public needs to understand this is nothing new to us. This is a a means of last resorts. We wouldn't do this if we didn't have to. Uh so we've been cutting back for years. the senior staff and the administration for the past few years been cutting and cutting and cutting and I've been that administrator that that receive less units each year and then we had to make a figure out a way to make it
027work. But right now we don't have any other choice I believe other than do what's best for our students and we'll take the brunt of that because that's why we've been elected to be put in this position and if we're not man enough to do that right now that we probably shouldn't be in this position. Uh let's do what's best for the students of Escamia County. Let's move on. We've already had the hearing on the agenda items and we're moving into the millillage rates. Uh next item is item C, tenative millillage required local effort. Is there a motion? So moved. A second. It's been moved and second. Uh any discussion? Please vote by show of hands. Yes, sir. Mr. Superintendent, Mr. Adams, did you want to vote? Yes. Okay. So, yes. So, you're going to
028you voted yes on C. Okay. I didn't want I just didn't want to remember you and I agree on 95%. All right. So, yes, that that passed five to zero. So, I'll pay close attention. Okay, that was uh C, item C, correct? Yes, sir. Okay, and that's 50. Item D, uh, tender millage prior period funding adjustment. Is there a motion? I move the to adopt the 2025 2026 prior period funding adjustment of 0.007 and I'll second. There's a move and second. Any discussion? Yes. And I want to explain explain to the public what that conversation was. The only thing this board can change. The only thing it can change is that 1 1.5 millillage. Everything else is set by the state. Right. We're going to go through the dog and pony show of just voting
029on these even though it's going to be done. Okay. So, thank you for that explanation. You're absolutely correct. I believe we discussed that. Yes, sir. Yes, we did. Uh that was a discussion. Let's please vote. approved five to zero. Next we have item A, tenative millage and discretionary operating. Is there a motion? I move the adoption of the 2025 2026 discretionary operating at 0.748. A second has been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. passes five to zero. Next item is item F, tenative millillage capital improvement. Is there a motion? I'll move that we adopt the tentative millillage for local capital improvement. I'll second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Approve 4 to one. Next item is item G. Tenative millage total millillage. Is there a motion? a move to adopt the 2526
030local capital improvement. No, it's Oh, it's it's total millage. Total total millage. G. Am I looking at the wrong one? Total millage. I'm sorry. Do I need to say it again? Okay. I move to adopt the 2526 total millage. How much is it? It's 1.5. 1.5 5.3 total millage five oh 5.399 5.3 59 see I don't have my glasses on and I don't have my hearing aid so we're a pair now we're pair 5.359 is what miss said can we get a second second any discussion please vote by show of hands passes four to one next item is item H tenative budget General funding. Is there a motion? I move to adopt the 2025 2026 general fund in the amount of $400,849,570. I'll second. It's been moved and second. Any discussion? Please vote. Approve. Four
031to zero. Excuse me. Four to one. Four to one. numbers are killing me today. Next, we have tender budget um food service. Is there a motion? I move that we adopt the uh 202526 tended budget special revenue for food services. I'll second. It's been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Passes five to zero. Next is item J, tenative budget, other federal programs. Is there a motion? I move to adopt the 2025 2026 special revenue other federal programs at $45,477 no 45 million477,800. I second that motion. It's been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Approve five to zero. Next item is item K, ten of budget. Others C R SA/G2. Is there a motion? I move that we uh adopt the 2252026 tenative special revenue for CR RSA/G2. I'll second.
032And any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Pass is five to zero. Next item is item L, tenative budget, debit services funds. Is there a motion? I move to adopt the 2526 tenative budget debt service fund in the amount of 87,520,27. [Music] I'll second moved and second. Any discussion? Please vote. Approve five to zero. Next item is item M, ten of budget capital projects funds. Is there a motion? I move to adopt the 2025 2026 capital projects funds in the amount of 228,760,928. I second that motion. It's been moved and second. Any discussion? Please vote. Approve 4 to one. Okay. Next item is item N, tender budget internal services. Is there a motion? I move to adopt the 2025 2026 internal service budget of 58,678,000. I'll second move and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote.
033Approve five to zero. Item all tenative budget total budget. Is there a motion? I move that uh we uh adopt the 225 226 tenative total budget. Do I need an amount? Yes. All right. Help me out, Mr. Sincere. Where? All right. 856,115,363. I'll second move and second. Any discussion? Thank you, Carissa. No discussion. Please vote. Approve 4 to one. Next, we have the resolution number 2026-01 adopting a tenative millage rate. Is there a motion? So moved. I'll second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Approve 4 to one. Next we have item Q, resolution number 2026-02, adopting the tenative budget. Is there a motion? So moved. A second. Moved and second. Any discussion? Please vote. Approve four to one. Anything else for the good of the meeting? Any comments? Yes, sir. I just wanted to make
034one last comment. I noticed on my list here, I forgot something. And uh it's not that I want to have the last word, but I'm gonna have the last word hopefully. Last word. One of the things that I talked about is unless Kevin missed out. Okay. I appreciate it. Um I I had some lengthy conversations with uh the superintendent and Kell, I just want to thank them for uh you know, they were very productive. And one of the things I asked Mrs. cross tag was that we're holding uh some positions and she said yes I know the superintendent's holding one of his own there are numerous administrative positions in in all the departments that are being held you know already so going back to what Mr. William said earlier was we we are already doing
035some of the things that are necessary for us to do to move this district forward financially. But ladies and gentlemen, we have to do more. We have to have a budget that keeps a s our general fund that keeps a surplus. Uh and and and I think we'll move in even more in the right direction come about January when we look at some of these things that we need to do. Now, hush. Uh Mr. chair. Um, in district one, well, it was a tragic thing for the whole county. Uh, we lost a very good man the other day and uh, Jesse Casey, he he passed away and u, it was over something that you wouldn't think would it would happen and uh, but it did happen. And uh, he was a guy that would come
036over and dig a ditch if you needed help digging a ditch or people had a horse pass away and he'd bring his his equipment, buried the horse. I mean, he he he served the public. His funeral's day, I I couldn't get to it, but uh but my prayers go out to his family and and his wife, and uh I wish her them the best, but uh yeah, we we lost a we lost a good man today or yesterday. Mr. Williams, I just want to remind one thing. So, tomorrow our teachers come back to work and we won't have the opportunity to meet again before our students come back. So August 11th be our first day of school. We'll get a report here probably first part of next week. I believe transportation's ready to go. We'll
037be at their um inservice training. I believe that's August the 6th. But we are ready for a really good start. And just want to tell all of you thank you for the assistance you provide us. Thank you. I was going to shut up and I won't. That you you brought it out Mr. Superintendent of Transportation. How are we with filling all those positions? Mr. Dennis, you want to tell them tell them the same conversation you and I had today? Yes, sir. I had a conversation with the director today and we have uh yesterday was the route bid. We had 10 uh routes that were not bid on, but we have enough capacity in the remaining routes to absorb those routes into existing routes. We call that washing routes. so that we are positioned where we
038have every route covered for the first day of school without our route managers on the road. Barring influenza or some act of god that takes a few of them out. We also have 10 additional drivers in the pipeline on top of the ones that are starting. We have about 5% of our drivers will be brand new drivers the first time the first school year this year. But we are optimistic that it looks very very positive compared to years past. Um Mr. chair. Yes, sir. The um out in BA, we have a road that's closed right now. Uh BA road. So, I'm asking all my district one citizens, you know, to have patience because they rerouting the traffic down Rebel Road. I've already talked to Kyle about it. He said he's going to be out there
039watching, but uh it it should be there's only one way to go really, and it's that way. And uh so everybody needs to have patience and leave early and uh hopefully they'll get that road back open soon. Um, I would just like to ask Miss Cross Tag, do we have all our teaching positions filled? We're ready. Um, we do not have all of them filled, but where we do not have them filled, I mean, we're filling like crazy right now and and getting people in. I would say this is the best we've filled in 10 years. Um, and where we don't have that, we've got some permanent subs, some subs, and the subs are there, some of them, until we get the fingerprints back because I you can't I don't know if you remember, well,
040we went to the state database, and that's coming back slower and slower as we get closer to school starting. So, we have them out there. We're bringing them in as fast as we can. We hired several today. Uh, we had we we're turning around if we have any last minute resignations, we're turning those around very quickly. So, I'm very pleased with all that. Is the foreign teacher program going along pretty good, too, or It is. It's going great. They um went to great beginnings yesterday and today um and um they were all on boarded. They're ready to go. Um and they are in place. Thank you, M. Anything else? Okay. Nothing else. This means adjourned.