[{"_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",6223152,"mediaKeyId","3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a","parentId",3576930,"title","Columbia County School Board approves personnel items and consent agenda by voice vote","audioSeconds",40,"startMs",1550000,"endMs",1590000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a&start=1550&end=1590","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a/thumbnail_1550000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6223152/Florida/Columbia-County-School-Board-approves-personnel-items-and-consent-agenda-by-voice-vote","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6223152-19626acb3e813fdaf37253b9d616f79a/orig.mp4?Expires=1774951402&Signature=P0IH2l9MJ~K6rk41y1vsGiJGCEvMNksXrN2kcLMnnSN8Deoy8jwvDHFnDq74a-dhWDeYSvlUikF9pdfIQMupyUpqHlFhEXwoh8szImBpCFrYvnCWVYEKeWfFRC19fzNQfH1bjj0~lUtgN-MWnyrGtnXbGTdWc6aqS0pgqxGIBvTJI1yACY5gDi17c8cFUr3-9jduTGULNl2DHk63w6hMPiyEZJ~oe0iAtG5AyWzYBB6WDqPGfq3ZRQ7ua8H2j6b~yOX9bBbSwgOTGVLSnIA~zcnkyhqJpXibjyGF17f3wIcRI3SCusC75pxfw5eozNFh5n8d0SFoSdddIBsm6toOSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Columbia County School Board","date","2025-05-28T10:36:34Z","article","The Columbia County School Board approved personnel items and its consent agenda by voice vote at the May 20, 2025 meeting.

A board member moved to approve the personnel action items and addendum; another board member seconded the motion. The chair called for the vote and recorded \"ayes,\" and the motion carried. The board later moved and seconded approval of the consent agenda, again adopting it by voice vote with the chair stating the ayes carried.

The transcript records the motions and the chair's statements that the motions were \"carried,\" but it does not provide a roll‑call tally or list individual yes/no/abstain votes for either the personnel action or the consent agenda.

No amendments to the personnel items or consent agenda were recorded in the meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Columbia County School Board Meeting - May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved a personnel action and the consent agenda, including addendum items, by voice vote at the May 20, 2025 meeting; votes were recorded as 'ayes' with no roll‑call tallies provided in the transcript.","taxTitle","Columbia, School Districts, Florida","taxId",14618,"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},6223157,"Columbia County schools report April fund balance decline; tax collections tick up",64,1446000,1510000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a&start=1446&end=1510","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a/thumbnail_1446000.jpg","/articles/6223157/Florida/Columbia-County-schools-report-April-fund-balance-decline-tax-collections-tick-up","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6223157-5e54d649afc33ae8da42bbc783526845/orig.mp4?Expires=1774951402&Signature=jJWA5eOue6dPYY5KAwUfYR~u9nkRI8pKYnmkr0~AnPwC43DqGNux6jAWPqmMvrwsddqNBo5URK6U~jSok~UKqU7MiLrM3YHEmDurRbOnVd2ocfd~u7wXACE9e9TBxaB1ZN~JmL1zrw~Q-A6H1s-4cT0shC0EVPGIZBdC2~pxQmj3z7tKju1qXTij4mVo3EZpq~51IfLBKZB0HJUgEa7PhbEdaplhDHTeW1o0YxGmBkkx4EGOJOIcJVLQH-k85dystDukrPDg~Ygj4LLM7ekoT-~WwDM~C0G8TeuUe6boVXsMWjcJ3STKw4v7ighP52Hjb6HFrkv2-xV8ghvS-gIeZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Columbia County School District's unassigned fund balance stood at 4.48% as of April 2025, down from 5.37% a year earlier, finance director Lindsay Laxton reported at the May 20, 2025 board meeting.

Laxton told trustees the decline was \"pretty much driven by the raises that we've given this year\" and said final month‑end figures would provide a fuller picture. She said tax collections were 89.8% compared with 88.43% the previous year, an increase of about 0.75 percentage points.

Laxton reported the district's rolling 12‑month sales tax collections totaled $7,600,000, with $7,030,000 remaining in the district to spend. She said electricity expenses were favorable to prior year by approximately $52,000 (about 3%), while diesel costs were down roughly $13,000 (about 2.7%).

A board member asked Laxton to repeat the electricity figure; she confirmed the $52,000 savings and attributed the change to operational factors. Laxton closed by saying those figures were \"just roughly\" estimates to give trustees an idea ahead of final accounting for the year.

No formal action was taken on the financial report during the meeting.","Finance director Lindsay Laxton told the board the district's unassigned fund balance was 4.48% in April 2025, down from 5.37% a year earlier; tax collections rose slightly and energy costs showed small variances.",{"_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},6223160,"Columbia County School Board honors four \"Teachers of a Lifetime\"",877,431000,1308000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a&start=431&end=1308","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3576930-8323644ffd1a033abd51b9668051677a/thumbnail_431000.jpg","/articles/6223160/Florida/Columbia-County-School-Board-honors-four-Teachers-of-a-Lifetime","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6223160-6c98324866c2cee975a2d71b4fb026e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1774951402&Signature=ckceFGf9Z2qIzNwCAZneFFIKPApxdMVOEBxV7gTUkmtFTlUb9twULx1RSnxCQJeaTEwspswHoA5e5o4SxlOQwxzAa82lUMSsX16OC93cAva2pXIRGVWvtOz1ml0MbFvHHRmFLp~mM7r3KwwkZn60TbmXo9BJJfKdAdDgIp8IZyoz1cskO7ldW9ppwwLcaJFFJGeE4yjQ6VpDyvHOWsSTlfBcHufq89weD6-usrzAvRoTbQhFO-TYCaBBltVUUX0yPKWeGfxy15QObe~FVa51-WOyh-kHmQWLi9uCilbKb9y8PxsaUswd6lgBi5xzhXtDkEYYoVEMru7fCrTu03cgfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Columbia County School Board on May 20, 2025, honored four longtime educators as \"Teachers of a Lifetime,\" recognizing their decades of service to Columbia County schools.

The recognition honored Sarah Lou Blanton, John Brown, Linda Moses and Art Holliday for their multi‑decade careers and community impact. The board and audience members described the event as a way to highlight teachers who have shaped generations of students.

Sarah Lou Blanton, a retired second‑grade teacher who began her career in Columbia County as a remedial math teacher and later taught at Melrose Park Elementary and Columbia City Elementary, was recognized for 37 years of service. \"I am very honored to receive this award,\" Blanton said. The board noted she piloted new teaching strategies and showed \"dramatic academic growth\" in her students.

John Brown, who began his career teaching agricultural science in 1974 and later worked extensively with special needs students across the district, was recognized for 42 years of service. Brown, who also coordinated Columbia County Special Olympics for many years, recounted arriving in the area for a short assignment that turned into a long career and thanked colleagues and family. The district noted Brown led teams to competitions and received the Bill Crutchfield Award for the state of Florida for his Special Olympics work.

Linda Moses, a business education teacher who joined the district in 1976 and ran on‑the‑job training and CBE/DCT programs at Columbia High School, was honored for 43 years of service. Moses told the board she loved teaching and helping students earn while they learned. Art Holliday, a physical education teacher and longtime principal at Summers Elementary, was honored for 35 years of service; the board cited his service as a coach, teacher and school leader.

Board members and Superintendent Cooley praised the honorees for their longevity and impact. Several trustees described the evening as one of the highlights of the year and noted the personal influence long‑serving teachers have on students and on school culture.

The recognition took place during the regular board meeting after the board adopted the agenda and before routine business. No policy decisions or budget votes were associated with the recognition.

The board moved on to financial and personnel items after the ceremony; the meeting was adjourned later the same evening.","The Columbia County School Board recognized four longtime educators — Sarah Lou Blanton, John Brown, Linda Moses and Art Holliday — at its May 20, 2025 meeting for a combined 157 years of service to the district.","actionData","errors"]

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Columbia County School Board approves personnel items and consent agenda by voice vote

Columbia County schools report April fund balance decline; tax collections tick up

Columbia County School Board honors four "Teachers of a Lifetime"