Hardee County board approves contract language, settled negotiations and routine items in brief special session

The Hardee County School Board approved multiple personnel and administrative items Tuesday during a short special session, passing tentative contract language and settled negotiations and adopting routine minutes and consent items by voice vote.

Board members voted to approve proposed language changes to the ESP master contract and the master teacher contract as reflected in attached tentative agreements. Miss Cornell moved approval of item 4.01; Mister Smith seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote.

The board then approved the settled negotiations for 2024-25 (item 5.01). Miss Cornell moved the motion and Doctor Sharp seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

Other items approved by voice vote included approval of minutes (items 3.01, 3.02 and 3.03), authorization to advertise proposed board-policy revisions and schedule a public hearing (item 8.01) with advertising slated for Jan. 30 and a final-adoption hearing on Feb. 27, 2025, approval of a premium-pay adjustment for select employees (item 9.01), and a consent agenda covering routine district business. The board also voted to move a regular meeting start time from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the scheduled date in late January and confirmed an insurance committee meeting for Jan. 27 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss FSHIP.

The board approved an intent to participate in the 2025-26 Master Board training program; Miss Cornell moved the item and Doctor Sharp seconded. No public speakers opposed any of the items during the meeting.

All votes were taken by voice and recorded as "aye" or "nay"; the meeting record does not list roll-call tallies or individual recorded votes in the transcript.