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Superintendent and staff report productive Tallahassee meetings; district presses legislative interest in student behavioral supports
Summary
District delegation met with legislators and education officials in Tallahassee to discuss legislative priorities, particularly student behavior supports; staff said some language is being drafted and that legislators responded to district data.
Superintendent Chambers and senior staff reported on a recent trip to Tallahassee in which district leaders met with legislators and the Florida Department of Education to discuss Okaloosa priorities, including student behavioral supports and teacher recruitment/retention.
Dr. Hale and other staff said they met with the education commissioner (Jose or Richard Diaz was referenced in discussion as "Mr. Diaz") and with local legislators, including Senator Gates and Representative Pat Mahaney. Dr. Hale said the delegation—s presentation emphasized district data and operational realities and that the legislative staff were receptive to the district—s behavioral requests. "They were very, very interested in the things that we provided to them from an Okaloosa standpoint," Dr. Hale said.
Board members noted the district provided concrete data to Tallahassee and that several legislators had asked about local interventions already in place, including risk-management training, MTSS steps, functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans. Dr. Hale and district staff said some legislative language addressing the issue has been drafted by local representatives and that conversations will continue.
Board members also raised funding questions tied to capital needs and to county/state revenue allocations. A board member suggested pursuing restoration of a historical capital allocation that had been reduced about 2010; district leaders said they will continue to press legislative staff and meet with budget staff to explain district needs.
The board did not take formal legislative action at the workshop beyond acknowledging the trip and authorizing continued engagement with legislators; district staff said they will continue follow-up meetings with local representatives and lobbyists.
