Public urges Sarasota board to approve ELL plan and press for funding; charter specialist draws debate

Residents and advocacy groups urged the Sarasota County School Board on March 11 to approve and safeguard services for English language learners and to press state and federal officials for funding as uncertainty grows about the U.S. Department of Education and other federal supports.

Speakers at the meeting’s public‑comment period repeatedly asked the board to submit the district’s 2025–28 District English Language Learner (ELL) plan to the Florida Department of Education and to make contingency plans should federal formula grants be reduced or converted to block grants. The board approved the consent agenda — which included the ELL plan submission — in a 5–0 vote.

Lisa Sher, speaking on behalf of Support Our Schools, said the planned programs are essential. “These services are crucial for these students to achieve academic success,” Sher said, urging adoption of the plan and warning that federal formula grants could be reallocated under proposed changes.

Community members — including parents, students and retired district administrators — described ELL services as necessary for a growing multilingual student population and asked the board to press lobbyists in Tallahassee and Washington on the issue. Carol Lerner, who addressed both the ELL plan and a proposed job description for a charter‑school program specialist, said dual‑language immersion programs and Title I schools with high ELL populations should be priorities.

At the same time, several public speakers criticized the proposed charter‑school program specialist (agenda item 11.2). That proposal prompted questions about funding and whether the position should be district‑funded or supported by charter schools that would benefit. Speakers asked that the district provide a budget variance analysis before approving new positions.

Board members and Superintendent Connor responded during discussion. Ms. Ziegler, a school board member, acknowledged public concerns about federal funding and said district leaders are reviewing all federally funded programs and audits. Superintendent Connor said the district would “advocate at every level to ensure we have the right resources” and that he had “no indication at this point that we’re going to lose funding,” while also promising the district would raise alarms if it did.

The consent agenda — which passed 5–0 — included the ELL plan submission (item 10.6). The charter‑school program specialist job description was approved later in the meeting; several board members emphasized they expect charter operators to share costs if the role is to be implemented.

Public commenters who spoke on the topic included Carol Lerner; Lisa Sher (Support Our Schools); Robin Williams; Deb Hayes (retired district administrator); Casanova Docherty; Alex (or Alice) Dougherty (Suncoast Polytech High School student); and others. Many speakers asked the board to produce a concrete contingency plan for potential federal funding reductions and to increase advocacy efforts in Tallahassee and Washington.

Board members said they will continue to track state and federal budget proposals and to discuss specific contingency planning as the district’s 2025–26 budget is developed.