School board approves consent items, authorizes staffing piggyback and renews Curative health plan amid public pushback

The Volusia County School Board on June 9 approved the bulk of its consent agenda, including a piggyback contract with Kelly Services for substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, and approved a proposed group-benefits renewal with Curative that staff said was negotiated down to an estimated 5% increase.

Chair Ruben Cologne opened the consent portion after the superintendent removed two items (12.03 – Samsula Academy site/contract renewal – and 13.03 – job descriptions) to be returned at a later meeting. With those deletions, the board approved the remainder of the consent agenda by voice vote.

Kelly Services contract: Board members discussed a five‑year piggyback contract that would allow the district to access Kelly’s substitute-staffing pool. Board Member Donna Bromer queried scope and cost; staff said the district will restrict the contract’s use to substitute teachers and substitute paraprofessionals and will only pay for services used. A district representative said the program is expected to boost fill rates and be largely budget‑neutral because budget line items for substitutes (salaries and social-security costs) would be reclassified under contracted services.

Redbird flight simulators: Board members also heard a presentation on a Redbird flight‑simulator CTE program at Atlantic High and Dan High, funded in part with federal CAP grant dollars (presenters cited roughly $436,000). CTE staff said simulators will provide FAA‑approved instructor hours and pathways to aerospace careers in partnership with Embry‑Riddle.

Curative group benefits renewal: The board considered an amendment to the district’s group-benefits arrangement with Curative. Dedra Whittenberger, chief financial officer, and Human Resources staff explained that Curative had initially proposed a larger renewal increase but negotiations produced a lower figure (about 5%). Public commenters and some board members pressed staff over employee‑reported access problems, the procurement path (ITN vs. a full RFP), and the limited role some committee members said they had in final negotiations.

Public comment on benefits: Public commenter Elizabeth Albert asked how vendor credits in benefits packages would be applied and expressed concern about late posting of personnel attachments. Others called for the district to recognize bargaining‑unit membership categories correctly on personnel postings.

Vote and recusal: Board Member Christa Goodrich moved to approve the Curative contract amendment; Donna Bromer seconded. Chair Cologne recused himself from that vote. The clerk recorded three board members voting in favor and one recusal/abstention. Board members asked staff to open a full procurement review next year and to continue monitoring member experiences with Curative.

What’s next: The district will implement the Kelly agreement as a contracted substitute‑services option and proceed with Curative under the negotiated renewal. Staff noted that a broader procurement would be required before the next contract decision year.