Teachers association urges Columbia County board to alert parents about state budget impact; board honors district employee

Janae Delaney, president of the Columbia Teachers Association, asked the Columbia County School Board to inform parents and contact state lawmakers about the possible effects of competing budgets in Tallahassee.

“We have received information … they are being told that it is not a cut to education,” Delaney said, urging the board to tell parents “the truth about what that budget is going to do to our schools.” She said districts around the state were already notifying parents through district messaging apps and asked Columbia’s board and Superintendent (identified in the transcript as Mr. Cooley) to do the same.

Board members responded that they were aware of the budget activity and appreciated Delaney’s alert. Several members used the opportunity to acknowledge district staff achievements and transitions. A board member said the district recently honored Kelsey Rodriguez as the district’s non‑instructional employee of the year and that Rodriguez had also won a state award; the Chair and other members praised her accomplishment. The transcript also records multiple speakers offering best wishes to a staff member referenced as Mr. Giddens, who is leaving the district to take a position in Baker County.

Delaney warned that the budget changes would affect Advanced Placement programs and other services. “They need to hear from their constituents, their parents, their school boards,” she said. Board members repeatedly framed the situation as a collective effort to protect school quality and urged unity in advocacy.

No formal board action on the state budget was recorded at the meeting; Delaney’s remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the agenda.

Ending Board members said they would continue to monitor state budget developments and praised district employees for recent honors and work supporting students.