Citrus County School District Superintendent Scott Hebert asked the legislative delegation to pursue multiple actions and appropriations the district says are necessary for student safety, operations and workforce training.

Hebert’s top request was that the delegation consider rescinding or delaying a state-mandated required school start time set to take effect in the 2026–27 school year. Hebert said the local district has concerns about elementary students waiting at bus stops before sunrise, later evening high-school athletics and extracurricular schedules, the financial and logistical difficulty of acquiring additional school buses or drivers if shared routes are disrupted, and reliance by families who use older students to pick up younger siblings. Hebert said the district is surveying families and consulting school advisory councils on the issue.

Hebert also described a funding request for a shared public-safety training annex, including an indoor firing range, on district-owned property. The district proposes the facility be used jointly by school guardians, sworn law-enforcement officers, cadets and correctional staff, and indicated a cost estimate was pending.

Other asks included funding to repair and harden facilities damaged by recent storms — specifically the Marine Science Station, bus compound and repairs at Christopher Middle and Primary Schools — and additional transportation funding to address statewide bus-driver shortages. Hebert also renewed a request for funding to support an Academy of Health Careers at Christopher High School to expand career-technical opportunities and meet local health workforce needs.

Why it matters: District leaders said the start-time mandate has direct safety, logistical and financial impacts on students, families and district operations and that the district needs state flexibility. Funding for the training annex and recovery work would address safety training needs and restore facilities used for student programming.

Budget and status: Hebert said the district is compiling estimates for the firing-range annex and that some hurricane-related repairs are underway; the transcript records a $100,000 appropriation previously provided to the district (thanks to the senator) for other relief, and Hebert said he will submit formal appropriation paperwork by the Friday deadline referenced at the meeting.