Board approves consent agenda; tutoring pilot, budget amendments and new diagnostician job description discussed

The Volusia County School Board voted unanimously to approve the consent agenda on Feb. 11, 2025, after brief discussion of several items that drew board questions and public comment.

Key items discussed before the consent vote included: a memorandum of understanding to expand a Florida Advantage Tutoring Program (virtual, monitored tutoring in math and reading) at three elementary schools; budget amendments and the district’s October financial statements; a new job description for a diagnostician (school psychological services) to help address eight current vacancies in school psychologist positions; and a mitigation/impact-fee item tied to the Plantation Oaks development.

Florida Advantage Tutoring Program (agenda item 9.03): District staff said the program—provided virtually with students seated at school under staff supervision—would start the week following board approval and run through the PM3 assessment window (spring testing period). The initial sites named were Champions, Freedom and Pine Trail elementary schools and the program would serve third through fifth grades. Board members asked about start dates, monitoring arrangements and progress metrics; staff said growth would be measured using PM2 and PM3 assessment data. The district noted the math product is Carnegie Learning while the reading contract referenced Amentum (district staff referenced additional free license allocations).

Budget amendments and financial statements (agenda items 11.01 and 11.02): Chief finance staff explained the attachments cover October amendments (changes since the annual budget adoption in September) and that the financial statements include year-over-year comparisons to show trends in revenues and expenditures. Staff said they are still awaiting the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) third calculation from the Florida Department of Education, which will affect full-year revenue projections and could change prorations or allocations once released.

Diagnostician job description (agenda item 14.01): Public commenters, including a representative speaking for Horizon Elementary teachers, asked for clarity before the board vote about whether hiring diagnosticians would reduce allocations for fully certified school psychologists. District staff said the diagnostician role is intended to expand capacity and help with evaluations but does not replace recruitment for certified school psychologists; the board approved the job description as part of the consent agenda.

Plantation Oaks mitigation / impact fees (agenda item 16.13): Board members discussed timing of buildout and use of impact fees for permanent seat capacity. Staff said state reporting counts fixed assets and does not include portable classrooms; impact fees are designated for adding permanent student seats and will not fully cover large construction costs but may contribute toward future building projects. Board members asked about refunds or transfers if lots or projects change hands; staff explained impact-fee credits can be conveyed to subsequent builders in typical local practice.

After these discussions, board member Ruben Colon moved to approve the consent agenda; Donna Brosmer seconded. Chair Jamie Haynes called the vote; the motion passed unanimously. Several public commenters also used the meeting’s public-participation period to press the board on the VPK wraparound program reduction, safety and library materials (see separate articles).