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Elizabeth Emery urges action on state funding as district readies 250 new hires
Summary
At a Lake County School Board public hearing, Elizabeth Emery urged the board to press for changes to the state's funding formula, citing decades of underfunding and a per-student gap she said leaves Lake County schools at about $9,500 per pupil versus roughly $13,000 in neighboring Sumter County.
Elizabeth Emery told the Lake County School Board on Monday that decades of funding inequity have left the district struggling to compete with neighboring counties and urged the board to do more to inform employees and the public about how state funding works.
"We must change this reality," Emery said, citing a recent presentation from the district's CFO that she said shows Lake County Schools received approximately $9,500 per student for 2024–25 compared with about $13,000 per student in Sumter County. Emery said the difference is not widely understood by staff or the public and asked the board to increase outreach via the district website, newsletters and social media.
Emery noted that preplanning begins next week and that the district will support nearly 250 new hires at Lake Mineola High School. She said Scott Ward, the district CFO, has offered to speak at schools to explain the fund-balance and funding formula and asked the board to collaborate with educators and labor representatives to identify solutions and better communicate the district's financial situation.
