[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6246616,"mediaKeyId","3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1","parentId",3217180,"title","Board hears update on Big Bend Technical College construction: GMP near $4.4 million with identified savings","audioSeconds",165,"startMs",2330000,"endMs",2495000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1&start=2330&end=2495","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1/thumbnail_2330000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6246616/Florida/Board-hears-update-on-Big-Bend-Technical-College-construction-GMP-near-44-million-with-identified-savings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246616-18f1385af5eee94902de46a8491f34db/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973584&Signature=KE5CCvk-x7anuI8QHn8VKtmZqg0sVkE5SWacWjAoLQ6jPPeMfSlDOlGc0mELsIzXuXZJmM2xa-9onNmvxQiim45Ik9TkW7duZWKsxHyUD9tSJHir2WrfsqYzrVlpLakBJX6E-DFY25Xv0JOn~gcK-oSMXWWNppdC6TwX7Xl6nkvml3rQ2F7Jil3bj0ylISeaYQ~f07ExKPK7BRLRWNmQHOBU0wSJSzdVe79AyRZ-SiIOcQo4OZs5f4fenUkutlDU4fF1o-UcefNf3VT-ok8rfk10N8le-ACmHRYJErwj0Hr93RWgUH2EsFJxETRkhDYfXYueKyH7C0eiVkWWrzX8Yw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Taylor County Florida School Board","date","2025-05-06T11:48:35Z","article","District staff and the project preconstruction team updated the board on the Big Bend Technical College (BBTC) construction project during the meeting, reporting the project budget, architect fees and the contractor’s gross maximum price.

Dan, a district operations staff member, told the board the project fund was about $4,900,000 and that roughly $450,000 of that would go to architectural fees. He said the project’s gross maximum price (GMP) was about $4.4 million and that the contingency in the current estimate was $194,377.

JT Ward, identified as the project’s construction manager on the preconstruction team, told the board the team had found several bidder savings during the estimating process. Ward said one electrical subcontractor the team expects to use bid about $300,000 lower than the figure currently plugged into the GMP, and the team expected additional adjustments as final bids arrived.

Board members asked about schedule. Ward said the team was advertising and targeting an optimistic construction start and completion timeline; he said they had been “advertising for January,” indicating a January target for occupancy if the timetable holds.

Ending: The board expressed appreciation for the precursory cost control work. Staff said they would return with final bid tallies, a final GMP for board consideration as needed and an updated schedule when procurement concludes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Taylor County School Board Meeting 5/5/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dan, a district operations staff member, said the BBTC project fund stands at about $4.9 million, with architectural fees of about $450,000 and a construction GMP near $4.4 million; contingencies were listed at about $194,377.","taxTitle","Taylor, School Districts, Florida","taxId",38787,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6246621,"Taylor County students honored for Odyssey of the Mind and SkillsUSA, four qualify for nationals",1065,65000,1130000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1&start=65&end=1130","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1/thumbnail_65000.jpg","/articles/6246621/Florida/Taylor-County-students-honored-for-Odyssey-of-the-Mind-and-SkillsUSA-four-qualify-for-nationals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246621-aabc1f1ebe5407d1b598e2f9c1921f4f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973584&Signature=Xv843Isv6F5mJSXLoriBX6~LO5cwf94h8MXVLBVui8FyyDNFjfjlbgcOovIs~4FMi0LG7wCxJuuaoTqYUCb1yQoW0fkvl5bB-wA6M6rLWXwetGJJ8FxLRrfZvQ28uv2jYEtFN~09y3940utoe16Oy~uja9fgFXShf9~0J5-T3gQk9w04hiBUjh0zjgEbCknxp2GvgXDtL8IE40PB0-AUax7OmFX1PMCiPf0KuSN9~WbzJCcYonKjNiOvCryzGnvPyBPmPF6-NIwk1cZIoOqbSqrWtO5mJf2K1HD2bXBKe512ijMsNFpl2bxOjeBQ0G0PH3uQfue3BPvvEVTAh-RYPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the start of the Taylor County School Board meeting, the board recognized student teams and individuals for extracurricular competition results.

Miss Popol, identified in the meeting as an elementary-school principal, described three Odyssey of the Mind elementary teams that advanced to the state competition in their program’s first year in the district: “We had a lot of people at the state competition that were really shocked that we even had teams get there in our first year. And then they did exceptionally well.” Popol said one team placed seventh in the state and another placed about 13th.

The board also recognized students from Big Bend Technical College after Miss McCall, representing the college, announced state-level results from the Florida SkillsUSA leadership and skills conference. McCall said four students won first place in their events and “will be advancing to the National Skills Conference held June in Atlanta, Georgia.” McCall named first-place winners including Ashley Amila Alvarez (nursing assistant), Tamara Del Rio (practical nursing), Daniel Colon (college welding) and Ashton Padgett (high school division welding).

Board members praised the students and the district’s career and technical education programs. The board noted instructors and advisers by name during recognition remarks and said the achievements reflect district investment in career and technical education and community training partnerships.

Ending: The board presented the recognitions publicly before moving to the workshop and said the students would be celebrated at school events; Big Bend Technical students were sent to a small celebration after the meeting and told the board they would receive state championship rings in the mail.","Students from Taylor County schools and Big Bend Technical College were recognized at the board meeting for placements at state competitions; four Big Bend Technical students earned first place and will advance to the national SkillsUSA conference in Atlanta.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6246626,"Taylor County board hears budget shortfall after FTE drop; district enacts spending freeze",1146,859000,2005000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1&start=859&end=2005","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217180-79b7ec1219ba7b1d3c67063b6c6737b1/thumbnail_859000.jpg","/articles/6246626/Florida/Taylor-County-board-hears-budget-shortfall-after-FTE-drop-district-enacts-spending-freeze","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246626-2a98f089c7fec46f6e3adb2cc20888f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973584&Signature=O4hs6-ghzhKjDLkkQ9bCU~gu5wAJIXiW7CLnw11OD67obvxr7~ldjowJDbyLTy0G9EwDMgk8ioAOW4rqeL6yGlknHC4BikiT5Bk~kBTJ~aW9OE401hvW52Dz5MvvA5y6c27VtbRKiZZmShlZXr1lmh74xFMDVOAI97Apa7ZvQbb97Hdrx90hZ3yQT6gARD0Bv12ialRnd1cEiL6ObKcPMhDkXJ-j3B4FydpvTWgt1L86BCzvCN7Vud-RIr9x813Ix-1PkYL7lDqE4IzPgped9ZFI8bbQgFjhF6mBMvNjbo3HE-TyIrbPSHXPXYaViW0sedj6XONEgFokQJa2Lrlu-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lacey, a district finance staff member, told the Taylor County School Board during a budget workshop that Department of Education projections originally placed the district at 2,521 FTE for the current fiscal year but the district’s February figure was 2,303 FTE — about 218 FTE below projection, which the presenter said “equates to $1,700,000.”

The presentation showed the Department of Education’s projection for the 2025–26 fiscal year at 2,171 FTE, another drop that staff said would lower recurring funding by roughly $1 million. Lacey said February survey batches had not been finalized by DOE at the time of the presentation, so numbers could be slightly better or worse when the state posts corrections.

Why this matters: the district’s projected available general-fund balance fell to about 6 percent of expenditures when earmarked reserves are excluded, below the board’s 8 percent policy minimum. In response, district leadership said it put a general-fund spending freeze in place on May 1 (all P‑cards turned off; non-grant purchases paused) and is identifying further reductions in staffing, contracted services and miscellaneous expenditures.

Discussion details: the workshop reviewed where reductions would fall if DOE projections hold. Staff showed staffing projections by school that would reduce teaching positions at the primary, middle and high schools while the elementary school was expected to gain teaching positions because of prior vacancies and local enrollment increases. Lacey told the board that some add‑on positions (instructional coaches, staffing specialists, CTE courses) are grant-funded or otherwise mandated and therefore harder to reduce.

Board members and staff discussed potential additional revenue and contingency planning. One board member said they had been told DOE could provide $3 million a year over three years for the district; the board member said, “They told me they would do that. I've got the email that says that.” District staff stressed that any state funding was not yet finalized and that the superintendent’s office and state officials were continuing discussions. The superintendent told the board, “I can assure you as superintendent, we are not going to do anything to hurt our classrooms.”

Other cost uncertainties discussed included hurricane-related capital repairs (roofing and below-deductible work), where the district is awaiting contractor estimates managed by its vendor RMG and FEMA determinations. Staff said those capital costs are handled in capital outlay and are separate from the general fund discussion but acknowledged that the district is still awaiting final figures.

Outcome and next steps: no formal board vote was required at the workshop, but staff and the board agreed to continue developing a balanced budget under the current DOE projections, to further identify non-classroom spending reductions, and to bring additional details on contractor estimates for hurricane repairs to the board once available. The spending freeze remained in effect pending updated state FTE counts and final estimates for capital needs.

Ending note: finance staff asked the board for patience while DOE posts final February counts and while the district completes pending contractor estimates; board members asked for copies of the staffing formula and for regular updates before the next budget deadlines.","District finance staff told the Taylor County School Board that full-time-equivalent (FTE) funding is down about 218 students from projection, translating to roughly $1.7 million; administrators have enacted a general-fund spending freeze and are pursuing grants and other savings as they refine next-year projections.","actionData","errors"]

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Board hears update on Big Bend Technical College construction: GMP near $4.4 million with identified savings

Taylor County students honored for Odyssey of the Mind and SkillsUSA, four qualify for nationals

Taylor County board hears budget shortfall after FTE drop; district enacts spending freeze