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Escambia County school board approves classroom materials, software renewal and FY2026 budget amendment
Summary
The Escambia County School Board approved several routine items including handwriting books ($13,299), devices for W.S. Neal High School ($24,723.68), a five-year TeachTown renewal for special-education services (software $118,925; training $8,003), and a FY2026 budget amendment to include federal carryover funds. An August training day and an August 27 regular meeting were scheduled.
The Escambia County School Board approved a series of routine purchases and a budget amendment at its meeting, and set logistics for an early-August teacher professional-development day.
Ivory Ford, presenting the financial report, said the district’s general fund reserve stands at about “4.34 months,” a slight decline from the prior month. Ford attributed prior low balances to the timing of federal reimbursements and said the board should expect future spikes tied to local tax receipts and special state appropriations, including AT funds. “The June and July spike…is where you get the $4,000,000, $3,000,000 we have coming,” Ford said.
On action items, the superintendent recommended and the board approved a subscription to Project Read AI decodable materials (paid from pre-K funds) and a $13,299 purchase of K–3 handwriting books from Zane Blosier, funded from a state elementary-education source (12/27). The superintendent said principals requested the handwriting materials to support cursive instruction tied to the third-grade cursive assessment requirement.
The board also approved an amended summer salary schedule to accommodate bus aides working in summer and adopted a budget amendment for fiscal year 2026 to incorporate federal carryover dollars that must be spent by Sept. 30 and to make smaller adjustments for state programs. Superintendent and finance staff described the amendment as a routine, yearly adjustment to include unspent federal funds from the prior year.
Technology and services approved included devices for W.S. Neal High School totaling $24,723.68 to be paid from the school’s Title I carryover, and a five-year renewal with TeachTown to provide software and professional development for students with autism and special needs (software: $118,925; training: $8,003), paid from IDA funds.
The board also renewed its annual Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB) membership for $14,076.07 covering board members.
Looking ahead, the superintendent outlined an Aug. 4 professional-development day with 16 rooms and more than 30 unique sessions for teachers, including cultural-sensitivity training, mental-health support sessions, Schoology and Microsoft Office 365 instruction, and several presenters from state departments and local schools. The board tentatively set its regular August meeting for Aug. 27 and said staff will circulate details and schedules.
The meeting proceeded by voice votes on listed items; no formal roll-call tallies were recorded in the minutes provided. The board adjourned after the scheduled agenda items and planning discussion about the August training day.
