Levy County board approves teacher and staff compensation package, adopts policy changes and schedules Clearinghouse workshop

The Levy County School Board on an oral voice vote approved a tentative agreement with the teachers' union that awards recurring salary increases, tiered bonuses and one-time market adjustments, adopted a set of proposed board policies and voted to advertise changes to the district's professional ethics policy. The board also directed staff to schedule a workshop to review procedures and discretionary exemptions related to the state's background-check Clearinghouse.

The superintendent, Tammy, said the negotiated package includes performance pay and recurring salary increases for teachers and other personnel. "We agree to performance pay, so distinguished or ... highly effective would be a thousand dollars," Tammy said, adding that "proficient or effective would be $750." She described two bonus tiers: "$500 if they were hired between 12/31/2021 to 12/31/2024, and $1,500 for any of those hired prior to 12/31/2021." Tammy said the district will also sunset the $1,000 reading-endorsement supplement for new recipients while maintaining it for current holders through the start of the next school year.

The superintendent presented cost and funding details to the board. She said the district portion of the teacher salary increase allocation is "almost a $185,000" and that the negotiated package contains a large nonrecurring component: she described roughly 62% of some items as nonrecurring and said the plan would leave the district with an estimated financial-condition ratio near 8% at the end of the next fiscal year (from about 12% at the end of the current year), subject to several unknowns including future health-insurance increases. On benefits, the superintendent said the parties agreed to a 50/50 split on health-insurance premium increases with a cap of $10 per month for employee-only coverage.

Board member Mr. Lott introduced several proposed policy updates and told the board there were changes to "statute 14.313" in the materials. The board voted to adopt the batch of proposed board policies that had been re-advertised for the required public-notice period and then voted to advertise the proposed changes to the professional-ethics policy for public comment.

Board members approved routine business by voice vote, including minutes from the prior meeting, the consent agenda and the finance consent agenda. On the union contract, the superintendent said the tentative agreement had been ratified by staff and asked the board for final approval; a board member moved to approve and the motion carried without recorded roll-call tallies.

The Clearinghouse background-check process drew extended discussion. The superintendent described the Clearinghouse as a "deep dive" into someone’s background and said the district is re-fingerprinting employees on a three-year cycle as older prints expire. She explained volunteers and chaperones previously underwent only a limited Raptor check but will now face a full Clearinghouse background check and said current employees have the fingerprinting cost paid by the district while volunteers and new hires pay the fee themselves. Several board members expressed concern about the Clearinghouse producing notices of ineligibility and asked for clearer guidance about exemptions. Board member Miss Lake asked if there is "a place to look at what exactly the process is by the Clearinghouse," and a subsequent exchange among members produced a direction to hold a workshop; one board member noted the superintendent has discretion but that the board would share responsibility if the district allowed an employee or volunteer with a Clearinghouse warning to participate and an incident occurred.

The board recorded no formal roll-call vote tallies in the public transcript; multiple motions were adopted by voice vote with the chair saying "Motion carries." The superintendent and board members said they will bring more-detailed materials and examples from other districts to the planned workshop on Clearinghouse procedures and exemptions.

The board also heard brief superintendent remarks about school activities and local safety improvements, but no formal actions were taken on those items at this meeting.

The board directed staff to schedule the Clearinghouse workshop, to post the advertised professional-ethics revisions for public comment, and to implement the ratified contract as presented.