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School board approves legislative priorities including $1M environmental center ask, $750K for 24/7 security operations center
Summary
The school board approved OLA (legislative) priorities that include a $1 million request for environmental center enhancements, funding for an aquatic facility at the new high school AAA, and a $750,000 ask to establish a 24/7 security operations center to handle after‑hours alerts and reduce burden on administrators and law enforcement.
The Osceola County School Board on Oct. 14 approved legislative priorities to be advanced by OLA, the district’s intergovernmental lobby team, including several funding requests the district described as communitywide infrastructure and safety investments.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff outlined the priorities and dollar amounts during the presentation, saying the district is seeking $1,000,000 to build or replace educational structures along the district environmental center’s boardwalk, and $750,000 to stand up a 24/7 security operations center that would provide third‑shift monitoring, upgraded cameras and communications and direct connections to 911 dispatchers. The district also included the aquatic facility planned adjacent to high school AAA as a capital and programmatic ask.
Shanoff said the aquatic facility would support athletics and provide water‑safety, drowning‑prevention and therapy programming with features tailored to students with sensory differences and physical impairments. He told the board the request would fund both construction features and startup programming staff to operate therapeutic and inclusive aquatic services.
On the security operations center, Shanoff said the center would let the district route Gaggle (student‑safety) alerts and other after‑hours incidents to trained security staff rather than pulling school administrators from duties or requiring immediate law enforcement follow‑up. He said the approach would “bypass our administrators and our school staff that would otherwise have to do this at all hours.”
Board member Terry Castillo moved to approve the OLA priorities; the motion was seconded by Board member Bettsaida Garcia and carried. The district described the environmental center work as partially serving the public — the center hosts elementary visits and weekend public access — and said the aquatic facility would open with the new high school AAA in the 2026–27 school year.
The board also included a non‑appropriation, student‑led “Build A Veil” mental‑health item in the priorities; Shanoff said that item is legislative engagement tied to student civics and would not request state appropriation. The approved priorities will be carried by OLA as the district’s platform for the upcoming legislative session.
No detailed funding timelines or external funding commitments were provided at the meeting; Shanoff said additional design and procurement steps remain for the board’s later review.
