Gadsden board hears preliminary test-score gains as staff and union press for clarity on staffing and funds

Gadsden County School Board members on Monday heard district staff report preliminary gains on state assessments and fielded detailed questions from the teachers’ association about staffing, bargaining timelines and the distribution of leftover school funds.

Judith Mandela, president of the Gadsden County Classroom Teachers Association, told the board she was seeking clarity on a recently referenced statute (recorded in the meeting as “Senate Bill 12 96”) and how new rules for TSIA funds will affect bargaining timelines and decisions on teacher assignments. “So what we want is the same thing we wanted last year — to make sure that all of the financial information that we need is available so that we can make a decision quickly,” Mandela said during the citizen-comment period.

The superintendent responded that teacher supply funds approved by the board will be loaded in Class Wallet and available to individual teachers beginning July 1, and that finance staff will complete reconciliation and cut checks to schools as needed. He emphasized the Class Wallet process allows the district to identify leftover school-specific balances and disperse those monies to school SAC (School Advisory Council) accounts, a step the district said it has not previously been able to automate.

On staffing, board members pressed whether a reported “hold on teachers” meant layoffs or hiring freezes. The superintendent said the staffing plan approved that night will be funded beginning July 1 and that, for current staff, “there is no cuts” at this time; he said some limited reassignments are possible and that administration would meet principals and potentially call a special board meeting to finalize changes required to meet state reporting or budget requirements.

District academic staff presented preliminary, school-level gains across multiple subjects. A district presenter identified as Miss Robinson described percentage-point improvements in reading and math at several grade levels, cited sizable point increases at individual schools (including an 82-point gain at Havana in the preliminary tally), and said the district had performed strong gains in math and steady growth in reading. She said the data are preliminary, that cohort calculations could change final percentages, and that academic services will use root-cause analysis to inform next-year interventions.

Board members and the superintendent repeatedly framed the results as early indicators rather than finalized scores. The superintendent noted the district’s historical ranking but urged focus on growth. “We’ve seen significant growth,” he said, but added the cohort method could reduce some headline percentages when finalized.

Next steps offered during the meeting included targeted follow-up by finance on the distribution of leftover school supply funds, administrative meetings with principals about staffing placements, and a possible special board session to work through recommendations tied to state requirements.

The meeting ended with board members congratulating teachers and staff and with the superintendent promising continued updates as the district reconciles preliminary data and finalizes staffing decisions.