SOUTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Leon County School Board's annual retreat is a chance for the district to outline priorities for the year. Now, stakeholders are weighing in on if these priorities align with the community's ahead of Monday's meeting.
- According to the agenda, the board is expected to discuss budget, Pre-K expansion, enrollment data, school infrastructure and Career and Technical Education data.
- The retreat begins at 9:00 a.m. Monday in the Acquilina Howell Building.
- Watch the video below to hear thoughts both the district and the Leon Classroom Teachers Association expressed before the meeting.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
From budget to Pre-K enrollment, those are just a few of the topics Leon County Schools plans to discuss at its annual retreat.
I’m Brieanna Smith in the Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood.
I’m taking a look at the agenda — what’s taking priority for the district this year.
The Leon County School Board retreat scheduled for Monday will outline priorities for this year
Enrollment is on the agenda as the district had less students enrolled this year.
Less students could mean less money from the state.
Pushes for consolidation of under-capacity schools have been in discussion at previous school board meetings.
The district is considering strengthening its Pre-K enrollment.
The Board will look at expanding Head Start programs – adding four additional classrooms—this fall and reorganizing how parents register for Pre-K and how students are selected.
One of the biggest topics is budget.
Strategies the district used to balance a projected $12.5 million shortfall at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year can’t be sustained next year if less funding is received.
Possible budget cutbacks for the 2026-2027 year like administrative office spending and travel spending are on the agenda.
We talked to school board member and Vice Chair Darryl Jones who believes the retreat is an opportunity to optimize students’ learning.
“The exciting part about every annual Leon County School Board retreat, it gives us an opportunity to look at the resources that we have in the district,” Jones said.
Scott Mazur, the President of the Leon Classroom Teachers Association, says current agenda items are a good start, but believes everything should be on the table
He’s particularly interested in teacher salary, a point of contention for both the board and the teachers' association last fall.
“I don't think that the district's priorities have lined up with our priorities necessarily because where we are right now in salary and turnover and culture and climate has not met the mark to this point,” Mazur said. “What we're asking for is not half measures or slogans. We're asking for boots on the ground, actual tangible results that show that the words are being matched.”
Jones says he believes there will be an opportunity to discuss other topics, like salary.
But he says he can only speak for his district for those who feel the district’s priorities don’t align with those of the community.
When I was first elected, our school district, my district were F’s, D's, and C’s schools. We are now having more A's and B schools. Why? Because we've been intentional about our investments, so I believe that I have been most responsive to my community's interests in terms of how our school district performs. I can only speak for myself,” Jones said.
Other issues include looking at school infrastructure and career and technical education program data.
In Southwest Tallahassee, Brieanna Smith, ABC 27.
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