[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_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",6493166,"mediaKeyId","5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220","parentId",5717997,"title","Board reviews five-year capital plan; transportation requests larger recurring bus funding","audioSeconds",2556,"startMs",2773000,"endMs",5329000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220&start=2773&end=5329","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220/thumbnail_2773000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6493166/Florida/Board-reviews-five-year-capital-plan-transportation-requests-larger-recurring-bus-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493166-02c30d0ed54c5a7930e504b94e2a0f52/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148830&Signature=JneTNsjZXamMVKhUoh5ipLPCs00DAHJD~EVjwB5ianuzD-5nTvpvw6IabXHOlSQ-5tjnBbgWJqHLqRiabOUybU~QP095TBwl5vprapCxMtDRkhNybiPQGJRz8wyPZawMQidX0XFcu58jLUEIhI5bdFmGRdQLGSY3fGTAbAR~9UZkde9D30FlMtbhS9BQYT6t16wJ3p0tue-RNhkT~9BOrnKQekqFVFWemjWL6ONMnNovkWXJIXrMVNFtKjS~JF7dsqKxRWnp~GGI52tUEQlOjG1t6Lr70VYdlthUUT0dDD0X9vDekNytOofUJfIurkTF92pa77JzZXYWN1Z5e-RsvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Marion County School Board","date","2025-09-04T10:59:34Z","article","Marion County Public Schools staff presented a draft five-year capital plan during the Sept. 4 administrative work session and briefed the board on transportation fleet needs and major maintenance priorities.

Ms. Usher introduced the capital plan, summarizing statutory reporting requirements and the district’s revenue projections. She said the projected revenue for 2025–26 is about $114 million, and noted new and returning revenue sources including impact fees, a reinstated local sales surtax and local capital improvement millage. “Under the millage, the local capital improvement millage … we received about $6,000,000 more in millage than last year,” Ms. Usher said.

Transportation supervisor Mr. Stanek told the board the district currently operates 249 routes and keeps 12 spare buses. He said the fleet accumulates roughly 33,000 miles daily across all routes and that manufacturer warranties generally cover components up to roughly 100,000 miles. “Mileage wise, we are … I think it’s like 33,000 miles a day that we’re running,” Stanek said. He described an industry goal to refresh about 10% of the fleet each year so the average bus age remains within a 10- to 12-year target and noted that new buses cost roughly $165,000 each.

Stanek requested a $4,000,000 annual appropriation to support continuous fleet replacement; the board said it had budgeted $3,000,000 for the year and discussed the difficulty of negotiating warranty terms on state-bid vehicles. Board members asked staff to explore extended-warranty options and to identify funding sources that could sustain a rolling replacement program.

The facilities team led by director Yvonne Wambach and Ms. Usher then reviewed noncapacity (minor and major maintenance) and capacity projects. Funded projects this year include HVAC upgrades at Bellevue Middle (initial $1,000,000 allocation to start design/construction), a Dunnellon High well-house replacement (rollover project), bus-loop canopy repairs at Emil Schwartz and Shady Hill, a Greenway Elementary cooling-tower replacement and a new data center design kickoff. The list also included roof replacements, playground funding and athletic capital needs; the board directed staff to provide an itemized list for the $2,000,000 athletic allocation.

Staff explained how sales surtax proceeds, impact fees and local millage are being allocated among debt service, noncapacity maintenance and new capacity projects. Ms. Usher also said the district’s consultants (JB Pro and Roth EMS) are providing student-generation and facility-condition assessments to refine capacity and maintenance timing. The presentation outlined longer-range capacity projects such as a new middle-high campus in Dunnellon, a new high school (South Marion High) continuing through GMPs, Bellevue Elementary (sales tax-funded), and pre-K–8 options in the southwest area.

Board members raised concerns about the interplay among projected residential permitting, impact-fee revenue and capacity planning; several asked staff to provide clearer slides showing where additional maintenance funding for the later years is coming from. Staff said the distribution among categories varies year to year depending on capacity projects and FF&E costs for new schools.

No formal votes were recorded on the capital plan at the work session; staff will return with additional detail for board review at future meetings and will present specific contract/GMP items when ready.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Marion County School Board Work Session, September 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","District staff presented a draft five-year capital plan and outlined transportation fleet needs, including a request for $4 million a year to support a 10-year rolling bus-replacement program.","taxTitle","Marion, School Districts, Florida","taxId",15365,"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},6493161,"Board discusses legislative priorities including attendance, kindergarten requirements and gifted education",1192,6797000,7989000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220&start=6797&end=7989","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220/thumbnail_6797000.jpg","/articles/6493161/Florida/Board-discusses-legislative-priorities-including-attendance-kindergarten-requirements-and-gifted-education","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493161-de466fbb6540187ecf5b6e0cbea1f38b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148830&Signature=erLc4lFr8poTeqYMgZIokejKifrkbtucRGCCX8ceYEKoC-a9fkxNWUB71Nqba~Etw0M-0IwYG9REkQJ6kbQHKxdTuhsUsSx-p6zyixOEY2zBT4h-HlPhoBZmgjUXycC3OPTxc3IA3EZOqcahdfT~5IBl9~ys09XDl1D1dMv9m3BjqCdlLri7GLYE62P0IBmp24emZApLu11wV0VgEpaCU0U0VHQGPUsuagLtvzd~4senUDzSSpzE6du1lfMsq4g-oFJQGA9hVeBRIbFh0Gny80A1xwZyJNBpAKRoD8UBw5Q8faDpIM94BnECuT4B97g7iL3h5VlAoQBVCi-PDaEuDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Board members used the Sept. 4 work session to finalize and discuss a set of proposed legislative priorities they plan to submit to the Florida School Boards Association and to use in meetings with legislators.

Board member Doctor Campbell introduced the list and asked for consensus on each item. The priorities discussed included: (1) amending statute language on chronic absenteeism to allow districts to initiate interventions after five unexcused student absences; (2) changing kindergarten rules so kindergarten meets 720 net instructional hours and revising school-age statute language to require a child to be 5 years old by the first day of school in any district school year; (3) increasing the FEFP safe-schools allocation to match rising costs; (4) removing gifted education from the Exceptional Student Education statute and creating a standalone statute that defines gifted services, identification and a funding mechanism; (5) adjusting the FEFP transportation rurality index threshold to capture districts of approximately 1,300 square miles (to increase funding for large, rural districts); and (6) requesting a state appropriation for innovative career and technical education programming.

Board members generally expressed support for advancing attendance as a top priority. Doctor Campbell said the attendance statute has not been revisited since 1980 and argued the state needs urgency; “this statute … has not been reviewed since 1980,” Campbell said. Several members agreed to submit the proposal to FSBA as drafted, with the expectation that language could be refined by the association’s legislative committee.

Members also debated the kindergarten change. Some said a 720-hour requirement aligns kindergarten to current instructional expectations and is an easier sell to legislators, while others cautioned that lowering the statutory entry age to 5 by the first day of school could be politically sensitive and would need careful phrasing and advocacy materials. Attorney Powers noted legal implications and suggested staff prepare comparative analyses of state law so proposed changes would align with federal requirements.

On gifted education, members favored pulling it out of ESE statute to create a clearer, standalone definition and funding path; staff noted examples from other states and warned that the board would need to supply draft statutory language if they want the idea to advance.

The board asked Dr. Campbell and staff to submit the priorities to FSBA and to report back on the association’s platform and any proposed “pretty language” that would make the items legible to legislators. Several board members volunteered to lead advocacy for specific priorities when the board meets legislators in Tallahassee.","Board members agreed to submit several legislative priorities to the Florida School Boards Association, elevating attendance interventions, kindergarten instructional requirements and a standalone statute for gifted education among the top items.",{"_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},6493155,"School district updates board on workforce housing discussions with developer; next legal review scheduled",237,8083000,8320000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220&start=8083&end=8320","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220/thumbnail_8083000.jpg","/articles/6493155/Florida/School-district-updates-board-on-workforce-housing-discussions-with-developer-next-legal-review-scheduled","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493155-5598a7fb6fb2102930259904aed8dee1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148830&Signature=hH2rnBnxd6PmSlPb-hFAjPu6iUbCd5hJrjhvDuWRUZWhzLC55Tm28BkLZt3Jq-mI7iIkpOW9vLwvO93Co-kIhBENP2HcMVhYzvUdEAeCbvFXNSiJ6qkUEhOQM-qrugcDdaKs4DKaI9FloOIQXKNpslaZXmktm1FPo6~bwzSwwZAzT~9yF2xFGg2rd1BY8bTTCozhsAiEClAAXciX88G7uWvNkoXWnBP7KhF8retErXlpfJHfo5ID9~5052xDYRLv7NusOI0azkYjIe4dqb-Hgjq3cANxE02d2LBKxO35BTm80knpqRM6~NIEdCylwSeI4jPDHwmrasDNqxEjsShDAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Marion County School Board received an update Sept. 4 on discussions with a workforce-housing developer (referred to in meetings as Uptown) that is exploring a public-private partnership to provide affordable housing for school employees.

Board attorney Powers said the district and the developer have met multiple times and that Uptown provided redlines to proposed documents; Powers said he was reviewing those redlines and that the developer had agreed to provide legal memoranda explaining the rationale for particular structures. “They have now sent us some red lines that I’m currently reviewing, and we have another meeting scheduled with them on the eighth specifically to deal with those red line issues,” Powers said.

Powers said Uptown agreed to hold weekly legal-team meetings and to offer separate sessions with district staff to answer operational questions about recruitment, retention, housing locations and other nonlegal matters. Staff members named as participating in discussions included Ms. Usher and Mr. Blackman; the district’s legal and staff teams will continue to coordinate with county and city partners. A board member noted that the county and the City of Ocala have been part of conversations and may also pursue visits to model projects out of state.

No agreements or commitments were signed at the work session. Powers and staff said further progress will be reported after the next scheduled meeting and that any interlocal arrangements or formal commitments would return to the board for approval.","District attorney reported ongoing negotiations with a workforce-housing partner (Uptown); redlines are under review, staff and legal teams are meeting and county and city partners are engaged. Staff said the developer will provide legal memoranda and that a follow-up meeting was scheduled.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6493172,"Marion County board work session advances recommendation to rename Marion Technical Institute to Bridgeway Academy",636,2158000,2794000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220&start=2158&end=2794","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5717997-13b857712de6224de4562b2ed7152220/thumbnail_2158000.jpg","/articles/6493172/Florida/Marion-County-board-work-session-advances-recommendation-to-rename-Marion-Technical-Institute-to-Bridgeway-Academy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493172-f81b897cf44dfaaa5c8941480f84c9ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148830&Signature=WFrnylKkCtFNJUNDQujaChdgU~4lqNJA3D1~jTcejWHakAcK55FZNadU6H1hJUW98Kxm6eGQxrzC3cMeLyDtgj5KbeKVxdqyBfkaJ9l5Ssie8QmPK6iRDmlB~C9-yiGbx3f3jC2fBrtmGiyz82c3XtS2XrYA734F4CRt-rB2C1cnAl-WL-L0GgDiMtWI4FBdjJFP3sDDxpg33IuXR5YSfN4XWJhq1uYQ-bjAxpzLJuGBnLSI7rs2A-aOP9B5RjKbwgejmlmGifjvJOHU7QxgqKYjc6zPJ3b4NOpiaxq8nEATGaDDZZo-f0ZAxRiPVP9bcnBmq8b4YCKn8BrcHtS19Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Marion County School Board’s Sept. 4 administrative work session reviewed a recommendation to rename Marion Technical Institute to Bridgeway Academy and agreed to place the item on the board agenda for a final vote on Sept. 23.

Chad Fraser, who presented timelines and survey results, said the renaming committee — made up of community members, parents and educators — ran two surveys. “Survey 1 was conducted from June 25 through 08/03/2025 and yielded 93 responses, generating more than a 140 unique name submissions,” Fraser said. A second survey produced 148 responses. Fraser reported the top three names from survey 2 were Bridgeway Academy (29.7 percent), New Path Academy (14.5 percent) and Level Up Academy (13.8 percent).

The board discussion showed broad support for Bridgeway Academy. Reverend Cummings said, “I think Bridgeway Academy is very appropriate because what the mission is for the school.” Board member Thrower said she was “pretty confident” Principal Ronnie Jones agreed with the recommendation. Several board members emphasized the school’s role as an alternative placement and voiced support for a name that reflects transition and return to home schools.

Board members also asked staff to provide more information about rebranding costs before the formal vote. Miss Conner asked, “When we rename a school, what does it cost us? Like, between a sign and, like, what does it cost us?” Interim Superintendent Dr. Brewer and staff said they would follow up with comparative figures, using a recent rebranding as an example. Fraser said the campus marquee is district-owned and could remain, but “actual branding around the school is gonna be something that we’re gonna have to look at a funding source for.”

No formal action or vote was recorded at the work session. The board clerk will call the speaker names in order at the Sept. 23 agenda item, where the board will vote on the school name. The recommendation, as presented, will appear on that agenda.

The work session also included public comment rules and a reminder that the board must avoid identifying students or otherwise violating privacy during public testimony.","A renaming committee recommended Bridgeway Academy as the preferred new name for Marion Technical Institute after two stakeholder surveys. The board expressed consensus and will place the item on the Sept. 23 meeting agenda for a formal vote; rebranding costs were not finalized.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board reviews five-year capital plan; transportation requests larger recurring bus funding

Board discusses legislative priorities including attendance, kindergarten requirements and gifted education

School district updates board on workforce housing discussions with developer; next legal review scheduled

Marion County board work session advances recommendation to rename Marion Technical Institute to Bridgeway Academy