Morgan Bennett, the school district information technology expert, has found a way to electronically provide school board members with the information they need to make decisions in a board meeting while broadcasting meetings to the public via the internet. But the process requires cords, laptops, cameras, and screens to make it work. It does work pretty well.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Levy County School Board members approved a $100 million budget Tuesday, largest in history, and while the budget looks strong, the board may face a $1.7 million shortfall in state funding in December.
The shutdown of the state economy for two months to limit the spread of the coronavirus reduced state sales tax revenue collections and is likely to cut into state contributions to the school board budget.
School District Finance Director Kim Lake said the district has enough cash on hand to cover the loss of state revenue unless the state funding shortfall in December is more than current estimates.
“We feel good with our current fund balance (cash reserves) that we can get through this year. If it is more than $1.7 million it’s a different story, but with what they are estimating for a shortfall we are cautiously optimistic,” Lake said.
Eighty percent of the school district’s revenue goes to salaries and benefits of employees and most of that money comes from state sources.
Lake encouraged school board members to protect the district’s unrestricted cash reserves of $2.6 million. The money is often used in negotiations with the teachers union. But the board needs solid information on the state funding cut before they can tap those reserve funds.
Millage, CMHS Construction
The board unanimously approved a total property tax millage rate of 5.987 mills for the 2020-21 year.
Board members allocated about $12.4 million for the first phase of construction for the new Chiefland Middle High School. District officials say the construction project will begin sometime between now and December.
The board said the construction area will be fenced off to protect CMHS students.
Student Enrollment
Student enrollment has reached the 5,539 mark.
Students attending face to face classes in brick and mortar schools total 4,302 students while 1,132 students are enrolled in the so-called blended classes where they work from home, while 105 are strictly using home-based computer education.
The district says 565 students are being home-schooled, which means the district receives no funding from the state to educate them. The district won’t receive any funding for virtual students until they successfully complete their courses.
School principals are keeping a close watch on blended students to ensure they aren’t falling behind. Principals will begin making calls to homes where students show signs of losing ground academically. Students may be told they must return to face to face classroom studies before they fall so far behind in their studies they can’t recover.
Blended classroom study was originally conceived as being primarily home study on a computer with at least one face to face meeting with a teacher every week, but the district now allows teachers and students to have direct face to face communications via their computers.
School Bus Wi-Fi
The school district also plans to begin parking school buses equipped with Wi-Fi technology in church parking lots and at other locations next week. The Wi-Fi hot spots are for students to download classroom work. The buses are exclusively for the use of Levy County school students.
The school district will advertise the locations on Facebook and by other means. The district has the permission of churches and owners of the other locations to use their property as school bus Wi-Fi hot spots. The locations will be used on a rotating basis.
Beginning locations for these school bus Wi-Fi hot spots are Morriston Baptist Church, Holy Family Catholic Church, Jack Wilkinson Center (College of Central Florida) north of Chiefland, Concord Baptist Church, Rosewood Athletic Fields, First Baptist Church of Inglis, the entrance of University Oaks near water station and Bronson Road Baptist Church.
Purchasing Parking
School board members approved the purchase of grassy parking lots opposite the Williston football stadium for public parking during a game and other public functions. The land was owned by the McCoy family. The purchase price was $149,000.
Wet-Bulb Technology
In an effort to protect students, athletes, faculty, and staff from heat-related illness the board adopted a policy requiring the monitoring of exposure to heat. School board employees will gauge the danger of heat exhaustion through wet bulb global temperature technology. University of Florida trainers that work with student athletes will carry wet-bulb technology to practices and games. The technology is equipped with sensors to determine exposure levels to heat.
Baker Acting Students
The board adopted a policy requiring principals or other designated staff to verify that de-escalation strategies have been used to control the situation before a law enforcement officer is contacted about Baker Acting a student and sending them for an involuntary examination to a receiving facility.
Using AED
The board adopted a policy authorizing the use of an automatic external defibrillator in a perceived medical emergency. The AED can be used by school board employees trained in the use of the device.
Each school that is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association must have an operational AED on school grounds. The device shall be available in a clearly marked and quickly retrievable and publicized location for all athletic activities including those held outside the school year. The device must be registered with the local emergency medical services director.
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School Board of Levy County Regular Meeting September 10, 2020; Posted September 11, 2020.
