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Hardee County School Board approves interagency agreements, contracts and budget amendments

6688894 · October 23, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

At its Oct. 23 meeting the Hardee County School Board unanimously approved a set of resolutions, agreements and budget actions including an interagency agreement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Suncoast, a contract with Arrow Group, a five-year technology agreement for student routing and a final 2024-25 budget amendment.

The Hardee County School Board on Oct. 23 approved a package of resolutions, contracts and budget items that the board said will support student programs, bus routing and district operations.

The board voted unanimously on a series of consent and action items, including an interagency partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Suncoast, a professional services contract with Arrow Group, a five-year hardware, software and support agreement for the district’s Where’s the Bus student routing and tracking system, and final amendments to the district’s 2024-25 budget. Board members present for the votes were Miss Cornell, Miss Dasher (remote), Mister Smith, Doctor Sharp and the board chair (name recorded in minutes but not transcribed). All motions were approved by recorded voice vote with each member saying “aye.”

Why it matters: The approvals combine program partnerships, technology investments and financial housekeeping the district’s administration told the board will affect student transportation operations, mentoring services and food-service equipment management as the district moves into the 2025–26 school year.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution authorizing participation in the Small School District Council Consortium (agenda item 9.01). Motion: moved by Miss Cornell; second by Mister Smith. Vote: Cornell, Dasher (remote), Smith, Doctor Sharp and chair — all voted aye. Outcome: passed.

- Interagency agreement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Suncoast, Inc. (agenda item 10.01). Motion: moved by Doctor Sharp; second by Mister Smith. Vote: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcome: passed. Jeannie Beck, vice president of programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Suncoast, told the board the organization “closed out our year serving, I think, over 80 students” and said some students remain on a wait list.

- Contract agreement with Arrow Group for professional services (agenda item 10.02). Motion: moved by Miss Cornell; second by Doctor Sharp. Vote: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcome: passed. Board discussion included a staff statement that Arrow Group represented the fee as "all inclusive" and would not bill for additional reimbursable expenses beyond the agreed fee.

- Use of board property for overflow parking on Rodeo Drive, June 26, 2026, pending certificate of insurance (agenda item 11.01). Motion: moved by Doctor Sharp; second by Mister Smith. Vote: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcome: passed. The board explicitly recorded that the event cannot use the property without a certificate of insurance being received prior to the event.

- Five-year hardware, software and support agreement for Where’s the Bus beginning Nov. 1, 2025 (agenda item 11.02). Motion: moved by Doctor Sharp; second by Miss Cornell. Vote: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcome: passed. Administrative staff provided a timeline describing installation of equipment and a staged rollout beginning with high school students and an expected operational target around February 2026.

- Final budget amendments for 2024–25 (agenda item 12.01). Motion: moved by Doctor Sharp; second by Mister Smith. Vote: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcome: passed.

- Removal of surplus cafeteria equipment from inventory and storage (agenda item 13.01). Motion: moved by Miss Cornell; second by Doctor Sharp. Vote: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcome: passed. Administrators said equipment being removed is outdated and that the district is restoring more on-site scratch cooking after receiving grant-funded kitchen upgrades.

- 2025–26 school security risk assessment (agenda item 14.01) and 2025–26 district best practices assessment (agenda item 14.02). Motions: moved by Miss Cornell; second by Doctor Sharp. Votes: unanimous (5 ayes). Outcomes: both passed.

What board members said: During discussion of Arrow Group, board members sought clarity about reimbursable expenses; a staff member replied that Arrow Group had stated its fee was all-inclusive and would not submit additional reimbursable fees. On the Rodeo Drive facilities request, the board asked for confirmation that the event organizer understood they may not use the property without submitting the certificate of insurance.

Context: Several items were presented with little extended debate and were moved to unanimous voice votes. The interagency agreement with Big Brothers Big Sisters included a brief presentation from the nonprofit’s representatives describing program reach and scholarship-related work. The Where’s the Bus technology discussion included details on rollout sequencing and expected reporting benefits to transportation, including improved FTE reporting and extra safety layers for drivers.

Ending: The board concluded the action portion of the meeting after the consent agenda passed unanimously and moved to superintendent updates and public comment.