Board approves routine administrative and capital items including Jay Elementary change order, Gulf Breeze field house phase, architectural contracts

At its meeting, the Santa Rosa County School Board approved a series of routine administrative and capital items by unanimous vote.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (motion carried unanimously). - Surplus property declarations for disposal (approved unanimously). - No changes to bell schedules for 2025–26 (approved unanimously). - Student meal-price changes for next school year (approved unanimously; staff said the increase was to align with USDA requirements and to catch up after last year’s pause). - Jay Elementary School change order (floor slab replacement and beam removal identified during demolition) — staff recommended and the board approved the change order; the motion carried unanimously. - Gulf Breeze High School field house energy upgrades: board approved Phase 1 design and funding request for design (presenter listed a total estimated construction cost of about $830,000); motion carried unanimously. - Architectural continuing-contract selection: board approved three firms for continuing contracts (DAG Architects, Sam Marshall Architects and Caldwell & Associates) to be used on projects estimated at $7 million or less; motion carried unanimously. - Owner direct purchases and routine owner-directed items listed in the packet (approved unanimously). - Human resources procedure manual updates for 2025–26 (approved unanimously). - Administrative leave with pay (case number 05-05152025) approved on the addendum (approved unanimously). - Project graduation requests (two items taken together) approved unanimously. - Memorandum of understanding for the One-Stop Career Center system approved unanimously. - Head Start teacher qualification waiver for three-year-olds approved unanimously. - Financial items: bills and payroll, warrants (VA) for March, and other finance approvals — motions carried unanimously. Staff noted some state funding calculations (FEFP) remain pending and could affect future planning.

Several of the items presented as part of facility project updates were informational; the board also received updates on the TR Jackson Pre-K and Jay Elementary kitchen renovations, Santa Rosa Center for Innovation demolition and plumbing work, and progress at Soundside High and Laughlin Technical College energy upgrades.

Where motions recorded a mover and a seconder, the transcript most often recorded the motion by a board member (for example, "Mister Elliott") and a second (for example, "Missus Sanborn" or "Mister Peaton"). Specific recorded roll-call tallies were not read into the record; the meeting minutes show each motion "carried unanimously."