Board approves nominations, research partnership MOU and teacher compensation package; all motions pass unanimously

The Leon County School Board took several unanimous votes during its Oct. 14 meeting.

- The board voted unanimously to endorse the nomination of Dr. Nicole Patentieri and the Florida Center for Reading Research for the American Educational Research Association's Exemplary Contributions to Research-Practice Partnerships Award. A motion to nominate Dr. Patentieri was made by Board Member Roseanne Wood and seconded by Dr. Nicholas.

- The board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding among the Leon County School Board, the Leon County Sheriff's Office and Florida State University to establish a Research-Practice Partnership at Griffin Middle School. The motion was made and seconded during the meeting and board members described the partnership as a collaborative research and practice effort focused on school-based issues.

- The board approved membership for the Lively Technical College Titan Advisory Committee (motion moved by Mr. Jones and seconded). The vote passed unanimously.

- The board approved the compensation and language package between Leon County Schools and the Leon County Classroom Teachers Association (LCTA) for the 2025-26 school year. The motion passed unanimously; members and district staff repeatedly said the teacher-salary allocation authorized by the state (the TISA allocation) and the resulting $40-per-month increase were insufficient. District and board leaders said the state-provided funds were smaller than needed and that the timing of state action contributed to the negotiation window.

Board members repeatedly asked staff to return with a detailed list of cost-savings and revenue-generation options before the winter break to inform future compensation and budget decisions.

Ending: All motions recorded at the Oct. 14 meeting passed unanimously; the board asked staff for follow-up analyses on budget tradeoffs and implementation timelines.