Bay District Schools board approves staff terminations, facilities contracts, tech purchases and staffing allocations

The Bay District Schools Board of Education approved a slate of personnel, procurement and program decisions at its regular meeting, including the superintendent’s recommendations to terminate or suspend three employees, awards for facilities and classroom purchases, purchase agreements for two data/AI platforms and a package of add-on teaching units for the 2025–26 school year.

Board action focused on four categories: personnel decisions the superintendent recommended after investigations; facilities and school-technology contracts (architect selection, classroom furniture and audiovisual upgrades); districtwide tech and instructional-platform purchases (an AI pilot and a data/assessment platform); and approval of add-on staffing units and curriculum adoptions for next year.

Why it matters: The personnel actions change staffing and human-resources status for individual employees; the facilities and technology purchases are funded largely from local half-cent sales-tax proceeds and grant reimbursement and will affect school security, classroom infrastructure and district data systems; the staffing allocations affect how many teachers/counselors schools can hire before the 2025–26 school year.

Personnel decisions Superintendent McQueen presented recommended personnel actions that the board approved by roll call. The board voted to: (1) terminate the employment of Elijah Gibbs, a physical education teacher, subject to the employee’s due-process rights; (2) terminate the instructional-professional employment of Britney Ward and place her on suspension without pay pending any requested hearing; and (3) place benefits specialist Mary Harper on suspension without pay. For each recommendation the superintendent said the actions were based on findings from investigations (the Ward recommendation referenced findings by the Florida Department of Children and Families). The board recorded unanimous yes votes on each item (Register, Leonard, Chester, Moore, Moss). The superintendent noted that if hearings are requested, employees remain suspended without pay during the proceedings.

Facilities, security and campus projects The board approved a set of facilities- and equipment-related contracts and procurements: - Approval to negotiate and contract with the top-ranked firm (DAG/DNG Architects as ranked by the selection committee) to serve as architect for the MKL school project (committee rank presented by facilities staff). Board members approved moving forward with the top-ranked firm; final fees and any subsequent contract will be brought back as required. - Purchase and installation of DSX access controls and Panasonic cameras at Parker Elementary, funded from half-cent sales-tax funds (district amount listed in the backup materials). The board approved the purchase to replace earlier-generation cameras and to add corridor coverage and updated access control functionality. - An acoustic study (sound survey) at property under consideration on Tyndall/Temple Air Force Base to support the mitigated environmental assessment; the board authorized a contract with Tetra Tech for the acoustic work to support the environmental assessment and future leasing/lease-negotiation steps. - New classroom furniture orders for Cherry Street Elementary, Patterson Academy and Lucille Moore Elementary (LCI or half-cent funds as specified for each), amounts described in the meeting backup were approved so classrooms can be furnished as grade levels shift. - Cafetorium/AV and PA system refreshes at multiple schools, including a cafetorium audio/projector replacement at Petromas and PA upgrades (Valcom systems) across district schools to replace aging equipment.

Board members emphasized careful scope and fee accounting for the MKL architect engagement before authorizing change orders.

Technology, curriculum and data platforms The board approved two major instructional-technology purchases: - A district pilot and rollout agreement with MagicSchool AI to support teacher training and controlled classroom AI use. The superintendent’s office described a phased rollout beginning with teacher training; the board approved funding from local sales-tax funds for the pilot. - A multi-component agreement with Renaissance (proposed modules SchoolCity and EduCLIMBER) to replace the district’s current MasteryConnect authoring platform, compile assessment and behavior/intervention data into a single warehouse, and add an MTSS/whole-student layer. District staff said Renaissance will import ~1,800 local assessments and provide implementation services; initial and ongoing costs were discussed and contract language is being finalized. The board approved pursuing the contracts and the funding plan (half-cent funds and contract negotiations to follow).

Procurement funding notes: The Board approved a Triumph grant–funded initial purchase for CTE workstations (a purchase up to $578,696.30 to be initially paid from half-cent funds and reimbursed by the Triumph grant) and other purchases tied to the half-cent local sales-tax fund or LCI allocations were approved in the agenda.

Job descriptions, organizational changes and staffing units The board approved advertising five revised or new job descriptions for public comment: coordinator of multicultural programs; coordinator of strategic planning and marketing; coordinator of school choice options; and a senior operations position described as associate superintendent of facilities and maintenance and a business/finance counterpart. The board voted to advertise the three coordinator descriptions as written and to advertise the two senior operations descriptions with the title amended from “associate superintendent” to “deputy superintendent” for facilities and finance (advertising only; final authorization remains with the board).

The board also approved a district add-on staffing spreadsheet that included multiple add-on units funded from Title I, IDEA, EEA/TISA carryover, school budgets and other sources. The board approved amended allocations for an expanded list of CSI/targeted schools and additional literacy and intervention positions to fund start-of-year hires; district staff said reconciliation of federal IDEA funding and other sources will occur in October.

Curriculum adoption The board approved a ranking for personal-finance and money-management instructional materials, naming Ramsey Education as the first choice, McGraw Hill second and eDynamic Learning third, and directed staff to align final purchases to the state-approved materials list once the Florida Department of Education publishes that list and contracts.

Votes at a glance (selected items) - Approval of agenda (remove item 7A): motion by Chester, second Register — unanimous roll-call approval. - Approval of minutes (April 22): voice vote — adopted. - Principal appointment: Carrie Weatherly named principal for Moet Middle School (motion Moore, second Chester) — unanimous roll-call approval. - Consent agenda: motion Moore, second Chester — unanimous roll-call approval. - Close MSID for New Horizons Learning Center (consolidation to Rosenwald campus under DOE rules): motion Leonard, second Chester — unanimous roll-call approval. - Personnel: termination recommended for Elijah Gibbs (motion Register; second Leonard) — approved; termination/suspension recommended for Britney Ward (motion Register; second Moore) — approved; suspension without pay for Mary Harper (motion Register; second Moore) — approved. - Architect selection for MKL: approve top-ranked firm and proceed to negotiate (motion Leonard; second recorded) — approved. - Security/tech: DSX access control and Panasonic cameras at Parker Elementary (motion Moore; second Leonard) — approved. - Environmental acoustics study with Tetra Tech (motion Register; second Moore) — approved. - Classroom furniture: Cherry Street, Patterson Academy, Lucille Moore (separate motions) — all approved. - Triumph grant CTE workstations (initial payment to be reimbursed by Triumph): approved (motion and roll call recorded). - Wi‑Fi access point refresh (Moseley, Rutherford, Lynn Haven, Oscar Patterson): approved (motion Moore; second Leonard) — approved. - PA refresh (Valcom) and Petromas cafetorium AV upgrade: approved. - Job descriptions for advertising (3 coordinator descriptions as written; two senior operations descriptions to be advertised with title changed to deputy superintendent): motion Moore; second Register — approved. - MagicSchool AI pilot/purchase: approved (motion Moore; second Chester) — approved. - Renaissance (SchoolCity plus EduCLIMBER) platform purchase and implementation plan: approved (motion Moore; second Chester) — approved. - Add-on staffing units and amended allocations spreadsheet (including CSI supports, literacy coaches, ESE/IDEA units and other school-specific add-ons): motion Register; second Moore — approved. - Personal finance / money-management instructional-material rankings (Ramsey Education first choice): approved (motion Register; second Chester).

What the board did not do at this meeting The board did not take final contract approvals where staff recommended subsequent negotiation (architect for MKL is to be negotiated; Renaissance contract language to be finalized; state textbook list pending for the personal-finance materials). Several personnel actions remain subject to employee due-process hearings where requested.

Next steps and context Staff will return with negotiated architect fees and final contract language where required, finalize Renaissance contract terms and timelines for implementation, and proceed with hiring for add-on units so positions are in place for the 2025–26 school year. The superintendent and staff emphasized phased rollout for AI and data platforms, principal-level oversight for facility scopes, and the need to reconcile federal and state funding sources in October.

Ending: The board ended its meeting after approving the final items; members encouraged attendance at upcoming graduation ceremonies and noted implementation work will continue over the summer.