Volusia County teachers and parents used the Nov. 18 public-comment period to press the board about staffing for special education and the district's use of outside contractors, while the superintendent highlighted awards and a new state-funded safety pilot.

Speech-language pathologist Alyssa Cherkow told the board the district repeatedly pays outside contractor companies more than in-house staff for the same work and urged the board to "start shifting that investment back to where it belongs, into the people who have chosen to make Volusia County Schools their home." Cherkow said that when contractors return asking for higher rates, the district pays more while employee pay lags, arguing this undermines retention and student support.

Union representative Elizabeth Albert expanded on the staffing picture, stating the district has "28 vacancies in our SLP pool" and that of those positions, many are filled by outside contractors. She urged the board to consider investing in existing employees rather than outsourcing specialist roles.

Superintendent Carmen Balgobin used announcements to highlight district achievements and programs: several schools were named Florida Schools of Excellence; Mainland/Creekside and other campuses earned recognitions; a reading challenge offers prize tiers for students who log minutes (600+ minutes earns top rewards); and athletic and fine-arts successes were celebrated. Balgobin also announced that Volusia was chosen as one of three Florida districts to participate in a state-funded campus-guardian drone pilot intended to supply real-time video to law enforcement and deter intruders during emergency alerts. "This program...deploys drones within seconds of an emergency alert," the superintendent said, thanking state and local partners.

The board received a presentation from Atlantic Center for the Arts and Wharton Smith about a 30-year partnership that brings performing and visual artists into Volusia classrooms; the board also recognized DeLand High School band for a national Blue Ribbon Programs of Excellence distinction.

Why it matters: Public commenters raised persistent staffing and equity questions about how the district allocates money for contractors versus employee compensation—issues that affect student services and staff retention. The announced drone pilot raises questions about deployment, operational oversight and privacy that the board and community may scrutinize as the pilot proceeds.

The transcript shows the board asked HR and procurement staff for clarification about why the district uses contractors for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing interpreter services (item 10.06) and staff explained recruiting challenges and the specialized nature of DHH roles.