During the Dec. 1, 2025 Clay County School Board workshop, board members and district staff discussed ways to make professional learning more differentiated for teachers, and the superintendent previewed several routine operational items and recognitions.

Speaker 5 said many teachers want choices on in-service days and recommended separate tracks for master teachers, mid-career teachers and beginning teachers so veteran instructors can pursue advanced topics and share strategies with peers. "Maybe allow some higher development learning for teachers who've been around a long time," Speaker 5 said, advocating for district-level sessions and peer-led presentations. District staff described existing structures — professional learning communities (PLCs), specialists and summer leadership academies — and encouraged teachers to send suggestions to Jenny Shepherd, a curriculum specialist the district identified during discussion.

The superintendent (Speaker 7) listed recognitions and consent-agenda items the board would consider: student contributions to American Cancer Society events, two state swimming champions (one from Clay and one from Fleming), the assistant principal of the year (Britney Senna, Fleming Island High School), Middlebury Elementary's recognition for exceeding expectations, and routine consent-agenda items including policy revisions, controlled open-enrollment, and personnel actions.

Operational and facilities items previewed included a canine grant, final payment and change order for Wright Elementary School fire alarm replacement, a change order for Lakeside Elementary kitchen renovation and classroom addition work, contractor prequalification, and an agreement with the Clay Utility Authority for a fire-main connection at Ritchie Elementary School. The board did not take final action on these items during the workshop; they were listed for the consent agenda or future board action.

Separately, board members discussed community engagement and communications: Speaker 5 proposed adding a "myth vs. fact" section to the quarterly newsletter to clarify topics such as the public status of charter schools and what the school board does compared with the superintendent. Speaker 2 reported the newsletter had about 41,000 opens and agreed to circulate drafts for approval before Christmas.

Next steps: staff will circulate professional-learning and newsletter drafts to board members and proceed with the February workshop planning and the regular consent-agenda process for facilities and contract items.