Levy County board narrows 2025 legislative platform to roofing, school safety and mental health; seeks larger roofing appropriation

Levy County School Board members agreed at a Jan. 7 workshop to make school roofing repairs, school safety and student mental health the district’s top legislative priorities and to pursue state funding for immediate roofing repairs.

The board was told consultants from the law firm GrayRobinson had secured sponsorship from two local legislators for a member-funded appropriation for roofing repairs. “They both said yes to sponsoring these appropriations for the roofing projects for 750,000,” consultant Kim McDougall told the board. McDougall and Jessica Love advised the board on strategy for the upcoming session.

Why it matters: Board members described leaking roofs as an immediate safety and operational risk — including roof leaks in facilities that serve students with special needs — and said capital maintenance shortages limit schools’ ability to deliver programs. Board members and staff pressed for a request that would cover more work than the initial $750,000 figure. After discussion the board reached consensus to ask GrayRobinson to inquire about raising the request to $975,000; that increase is pending counsel confirmation and the approval of the legislators who had agreed to sponsor the appropriation.

Consultants cautioned the board to be realistic about state budget constraints. “We’re losing all the federal dollars in the state budget. So it’s gonna be a very, very tight budget year,” McDougall said, urging the district to pair its member project request with clear one-page case statements that describe need and priorities.

Several board members described the local maintenance shortfall as chronic. “We have to come up with a way to maintain these buildings, and we don’t have the tax base,” said Board Member Cameron Asbell, pointing to older roofs and storm damage across the district.

The board also gave staff and the consultants direction to prepare one-page summaries for its top issues and to schedule delegation meetings in Tallahassee. The group discussed travel windows during committee weeks and settled on the week of Feb. 18–19 as the tentative date for district visits and legislator meetings.

The board’s action on the roofing appropriation was consensus-based direction; no formal roll-call vote was recorded at the workshop.

Ending: District staff and GrayRobinson will refine the appropriation request amount and the district’s one-page “case studies” for legislators, then return to the board before final submission.