The schoolboard work session begins in 2 minutes. Please take your seats. Again, the schoolboard work session begins in two minutes. The schoolboard work session begins in 1 minute. Please take your seats. Again, the school board work session begins in
one minute. Good morning. I now call the June 18th, 2026 administrative briefing and work session of the Marian County School Board to order at 900 a.m. At this Oh, sorry. Um, please silence your electronic devices to avoid disturbing others. Mary and modeling how our
students begin each day. I ask that you please pause with us for a moment of silence. Please join me. I will now read our board commitment statement. We are the Marian County School District Leadership Team. When we come together to work, we are efficient, effective, and productive. Our three
most important characteristics are dedicated, transparent, and individually responsible. To work well together, we must demonstrate respect, confront reality, and be accountable. We will always put students first, and we'll leave a legacy of success. I would like to ask the school board attorney to
explain the rules for this public workshop. Good morning, Attorney Powers. >> Good morning, and thank you. This work session is a public meeting as defined in Florida Sunshine Law. The board is dedicated to full transparency in its meetings and its work. In compliance with the sunshine law, the board has
adopted uniform meeting procedures, including the rights for citizens to participate. The board will allow public comment regarding any work session item listed on today's agenda at the appropriate time. Speakers must fill out a request form located in the lobby and
hand it to the board clerk. After the board and superintendent have completed their discussion on a particular agenda item, the board clerk will call the speaker names in the order received. Each speaker will have three minutes as required by Sunshine Law. The board must
maintain orderly conduct and proper decorum throughout the meeting. Speakers may criticize subject matter and decisions in a respectful manner, but not people. Finally, speakers must be very careful not to violate the privacy rights of others, especially students
and their family members, by mentioning their names or other identifying information. Thank you for your attention to these important rules. Madam Chair, >> thank you. Attorney Powers. Miss Martinez Jean, can you please provide the proof of publication for today's meeting?
>> The notice for the June 18th, 2026 administrative briefing and work session was published on the district website on June 11th, 2026. Proof of publication has been attached to board docs under proof of publication. >> Thank you so much. I am going to hand it over to Mr. White House who is here for Dr. Brewer this morning. Would you like
to start off with an administrative briefing? Do you have anything to share? >> Not at the beginning, ma'am. We have quite a robust agenda, so I think we should probably go ahead and get into it. All right. Well, then we are going to start with our RSM audit. Um, and I will let them introduce themselves, I think, and then we're going to go into a shade session because one of the items
we do have to discuss in the shade. So, we will go ahead and you guys can introduce yourselves and then we will um reconvene into a shade. Okay. >> Morning everyone. Clara Yuing, managing director with RSM and I have a team with me, Michelle Copala, who's one of the
managers, Weiss Campbell, another manager, and Jack Hughes. Um we're so we're here to present uh three reports to you, one in the shade. >> Okay. Wonderful. Well, at this time we are going to go ahead and take a recess at 9:04 um to hear the shade portion and then we will come back um as soon as
we're finished. So I will take a recess at 9:04. All right. All right, we are back from our recess at 9:37. Um, we had a shade session to discuss one of our items from our auditor. So, I welcome back our auditor to the podium
to dig into the rest of our items. >> All right. Thank you very much. Next up, we have the halfsent sales sir tax. To be respectful of your time, I've asked my colleague to go a little bit more high level, but feel free to stop us if you have any detailed questions. All
right, Jack, you're up. >> Good morning, everyone. I'll walk us through our halfsent sales uh sales sir tax review. So, we looked at the overall program of the halfsent sales sir tax. So, we looked at the revenues, how those are collected, recorded. We looked at how those dollars are expended and
reported and ultimately we also looked at some of the procurement compliance around the program as well and where is this program going where have we been I do want to highlight on the next slide we had and you'll see in the top there
no exceptions in our detailed testing as they related to how the revenues were recorded and supported how expenditures were expended and recorded and that's in with respect to allowability where are those dollars going and were we in line with uh procurement standards uh statute
board policy the lot. So really want to highlight that that's the positive biggest takeaway from our review. We do have four observations as it relates to our overall uh inspection of the program and its processes. Two high risk, one
moderate risk and one low risk. And you'll see at the bottom a process improvement opportunity. the difference between an observation and a process improvement opportunity. An observation represents a risk material to the district. Whereas a process improvement opportunity is something that through
our experience we've identified this is something that management can consider to make the program better. But there's nothing inherently wrong with the way it's structured currently. Our first observation halfsent sales certax board policy. The capital outlay certax
oversight committee membership is currently established by a committee charter but the resolution also requires board policy to define that membership. At the time of our review, that policy had not yet been created and established. And so our recommendation was quite simple. In line with the
referendum language, update the board policy to reflect that requirement. management is already working with legal to refine that language and have it included in the next round of board uh policy revisions. Any questions about observation one?
>> No, I will say board I am going to talk about board policy and comments today because we do need to have a meeting regarding one policy. So, uh attorney powers potentially we just can work to make sure we add this policy to that discussion that we'll have this summer. Our
second observation halfcent sales certex planning and governance primarily those expenditures now are going through the capital plan. So all of the expenditures incurred to date and planned over the next couple years are flowing through that capital plan as part of construction prog uh projects. The
resolution allows for broader spending and allowability categories and that includes technology, safety and security as well as a couple others. So the current structure all goes to the capital plan. But what happens if we want to some years down the line expend in technology or maybe a safety and
security project that doesn't fall explicitly within the capital plan. Currently there's not there's a governance risk because there's not an existing expenditure plan that would encompass an allowability review for instance before we spend these dollars
because we know if it goes to the capital plan it's broadly allowable. But what happens if we have a technology product that we look to source? Where is a review in the lens of a half cent allowability? And how do we want to spend those funds over the future? Will it continue to sit in the capital plan
or will we start to explore some of these other options as a district's growth kind of continues? So we recommended formalizing that governance structure. If expenditure is identified as a priority outside of that capital plan, develop a plan around that
specific to the halfsent expenditure on the go forward. This is a very forwardlooking observation and not reflective of where we've been but where we might go over the next 5 10 15 years. I know management has committed to reviewing and providing some type of
governance structure and plan around this and complementing that with procedures for how we perform those reviews and what that will look like going forward. Uh so those steps are already underway. Any questions about observation number two?
>> Board member Thur. >> Thank you. I just appreciate you confirming that this is forwardlooking and that there isn't anything currently that is unourred or something that we should be shocked about. Um, but I I
love the recommendations for more best practices and procedures, you know, moving forward and continuing to formalize how we're doing these things. I think those are two very distinct uh observations. Thank you. >> Absolutely. And just as a a general statement, this is a very new program.
This is the first really full year of expenditure that the district's incurred. And so we took that lens when we looked at the overall program development. So that forward lens is an important part of our review procedures here. >> I guess I just have a quick question. Would you say then that the planning and
governance would be a procedure? It's not a board policy that needs to be created, but rather an operational procedure. >> An operational procedure would be most apt. Okay, thank you. >> Similar lens then our third observation is with regard to standard operating
procedures and what I want to highlight these are things that we noted during a review that are currently performed but there's not a documented procedure around that. So as there's transition in leadership or as there's turnover in operational staff how do we ensure
consistency going forward? How do we promote that compliance with the good structure and the good bones that we have? With any new function, with any mature function, there's usually opportunity to continue to develop and refine standard operating procedures and have those documented and available for
staff. It's one of our most common audit findings. And so, we highlighted a couple points that again, these procedures are performed currently by management, but documented procedures around those are still in development. And that includes the governance and
allowability framework that we just spoke to, project identification, prioritization and approval. So what are those conversations look like? Who are the key stakeholders and roles and responsibilities in performing that assessment? Financial management and expenditure controls. So outside of our
standard policy and our standard procedures in financial management specific to say revenues and interest right interest revenue for halfsent how is that going to be managed or prioritized or reviewed and reported and then finally oversight reporting and transparency there's an oversight
committee we were able to actually attend one of the meetings. There's a lot of reporting that's available but who's responsible for pulling that reporting together? What are the the bare minimum requirements to that reporting? How will that reporting continue to develop? And at what cadence will it be provided to stakeholders?
Will it be explicit to the oversight meetings? Will it be part of a a board reporting process? Whatever the determination by management is, let's have it documented to make sure we have that consistency and we don't miss a reporting uh milestone as these
procedures continue over time. >> Third, did you have something? just um side by side with our funding referendum when um Mike Gonzalez for many years was was the head of our referendum uh committee, he would come
forward every year and and do a public review and and it was really helpful to the community and and there was a lot of transparency around it. I think that that would be potentially a good model um to follow for the sales tax as we
continue to refine our procedures. Okay, >> our fourth observation then the school capital outlay certex oversight committee charter document. So there is as mentioned a charter document that defines the governance the roles and responsibilities and the mandate of the
independent oversight committee. That document outlines how 11 of the 12 members are to be appointed to the committee. it does not specify how the 12th member is intended to be appointed to the committee. So that is a gap in the intent of the language versus what
the actual structure provides guidance on. And so our recommendation was to update that charter to say we've got 11 of the 12 identified and how they get there. Where does that 12th member come from? Is it another board appointment? Is it another independent community
member? Whatever it is, let's have it documented and included as part of the charter. Okay, board. Is there any questions about this item? No. Okay, we're ready to move on to the next one, I think. All right, last up, we have the proposed
internal audit plan for f fiscal year 2627. First, I just want to thank Michelle. You all are familiar with Michelle these past few years. She is going to be rolling on to some of the state work that we do, our firm does for the state of Florida. So I brought in, we brought
in Weiss Campbell. He also goes William is his forname, but he goes by Weiss. I brought in Weiss. Weiss works very with various school districts with through throughout the state of Florida as well. So we have brought him onto the team. So I just want to thank Michelle for all her work and Weiss is going to present
the internal audit plan with me. So, we all met with you um individually recently for our annual risk assessment meeting. We've met with senior leadership, management, etc. We watch your board meetings. We keep up with what is going on with Marian County public schools. And we also keep keep up with what's going on in Florida school
districts internal audit as a as a whole as well. And so, working within the budgetary confines of what we have for internal audit, this is our proposed internal audit plan for fiscal year 2627. Um we have our normal follow-up procedures. We have six reports that we
will be following up including the halfsent that we just presented to you. Um so we'll be uh working on those follow-up procedures during this fiscal year and also working through the next um proposed internal audit plan as well. So I'll let Weiss walk you through facilities work order.
Oh, we don't have the detail and the change orders. >> Thank you, Clara. And uh I know some of you have had an opportunity to meet. So it's it's a pleasure to see you again. For those that haven't had a chance, I look forward to working with you uh as we move forward. So as Clare alluded to,
we do have four items here uh proposed on the fiscal year 27 plan. I'll talk you through the first two here as well as the last two, but uh really dive into the scope that we're proposing for the first two. Uh both of the of these two are operational audits, pure operational audits. Um we have done some plan design
uh work in the past related to construction. So these will be an extension of those operation audits. Um an opportunity to dive a little bit deeper into some of those subprocesses. So the first item that you'll see here is the maintenance work order process. This is a very common audit that we do for our school districts. It adds uh quite a bit of value. It gives you some
context into the operational efficiency of this uh function as well as its ability to meet the overarching objectives, maintenance objectives of the district. U work orders obviously are critical as it directly impacts condition, safety and the longevity of these district buildings. Um, it's also
important to consider, you know, preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance and how proactive we are in those actions uh to reduce costs long term. So, this is definitely another project that's going to look at key risk throughout the district, operational risk such as delays, backlogs, you know, poor prioritization of these work um
that might impact school operations. Uh compliance risk of course as it relates to internal policies or procedures that may be required to meet those turnaround times. uh performance risk um limited tracking of productivity limits your ability to make decisions and certainly manage assets if you don't have the ability to track your maintenance um
across the different assets that are managed by the district and financial risk of course and and and and how labor materials and contractor costs might be captured within this work order process. So what will we be doing in terms of an approach broadly speaking we'll be first looking at policies and procedures that
surround these areas. Um, as Jack alluded to earlier, that's that's common commonly an area where we see gaps where there may be sufficient processes in place, but those might not be memorialized and that might impact consistency of operations across district sites. Um, we'll be looking at how the work orders are initiated, how
they're triaged, how they're prioritized and assigned to technicians, and then review procedures. So, what's being done on the back end to ensure that those maintenance activities are meeting uh the intention of those end users uh initial requests. We'll be doing some detailed testing where we'll look to validate that those approvals um were
captured in line with expectations that c costs were captured transparently and consistently across work orders. Uh we'll look at vendor management where where applicable within the work order process to understand uh contractually how they're complying with those expectations, how we're monitoring those vendors um and then our internal
staffing uh processes around managing those vendors. Lastly, we'll look at performance monitoring and whether or not that is a capability within the current maintenance work order process just to evaluate turnaround time and um other key productivity met metrics that we would expect in a standard uh school district uh maintenance process.
>> And it's important to note the district went through a modernization with your work order process. This is a great time for us to look at this process. We're really excited to see what the district has done and be able to kind of compare what we see at other districts as well. So I just wanted to make sure we verbalize that you have gone through a
modernization which is fantastic. So this is a great time for internal audit to be able to look at it as well. >> Any question as as it relates to the approach or the scope? >> No, I think it's fitting. >> All right. Well then with that I I'll
transition to our second item here. Facilities construction change orders. Uh this is definitely a hot topic uh for what it's worth across our districts right now. uh the change orders cons consider continue to be a big challenge for districts. The volume of change orders, the nature of the change orders, the timing that the change orders are
processed. Um so so definitely a critical part of this of this uh district operations that I alluded to earlier u and in in efforts to maintain the capital program. So key risks that we're considering here are cost risk of course. So over overruns, budget overruns that might be impacted due to
some of these uh processes, increased uh project costs due to scope changes that may occur. C certainly if those are late stage scope additions that might impact timelines as well as financial costs that might be associated with those change orders. Uh reviewing documentation that support those cost estimates that might be provided uh
through the board obviously for approval of the information that you have that you're making decisions off of making sure that that information is complete that it's accurate that it's timely reported so that you're making decisions based on information that is accurate and and uh of course complete. We'll also look at on a sample basis testing
compliance with those board approval thresholds that are in place. So ma make sure that those expectations are being met and then of course how are change orders being tracked? How are they being reported and more importantly how are they being reflected in project budgets so that again that transparency and communication is constantly at the
forefront of these decisions? Any questions as it relate to change orders? >> It's been a hot topic so I feel like we probably all are in agreement that we want it to be reviewed. >> Wonderful. Is >> there anyone else who has comments on
looking at this item? No. Okay. >> Well, just to speak again briefly to follow up. We have six reports, 24 open items. So, it's definitely growing. As we continue to complete reports, that list will grow. Hopefully, through these procedures, the more we continue to work with our with these key stakeholders and
process owners within the district, we'll continue to see those follow-up items close quickly and efficiently. Um, our goal is to make sure that that underlying risk through the follow-up process is being met. Um, so we'll continue to communicate those results uh throughout throughout the life cycle of this audit plan. And then of course of
course lastly uh in fiscal year 28 the proposed audit plan will be coming back similar to what we're doing now to to give you some insight into where we should go next. >> Okay. Um and boarders do you have comments questions regarding this item and our
proposal for what we will be looking at for this coming year? No. We're all good. Anything from you, Reverend Cummings? Okay. Well, I think it all sounds good. We appreciate you guys taking the time to meet with us individually and then obviously come
here today to have a more in-depth conversation about it. Um, we're all committed to continuing to audit what we're doing internally and externally to make sure we're stewarding the funds correctly and having safety and security
is a top priority. Is there anything else the board wants to add? Okay. Any public comment on this item? Thank you. >> Thank you. Well, we are grateful for you all being here today and um I'm sure we'll hear from you again soon. Hearing
no public comment, we will move into item 5.1, which is our general liability insurance. So, I do believe um Mr. Vio Walsh is at a conference um this week. And so, could you what is this?
>> Yes. So, we have Mr. Ben F here with Ben Fu and Company who's going to provide the general insurance updates and board. I do just want to make you aware that um after this ite was posted, we were still negotiating insurance rates. So, we actually have some lower rates um than what you'll see in in the presentation.
So, Mr. F is going to go through what those rate updates are for this presentation and then we'll talk about next steps afterwards. >> Wonderful. >> Okay. Uh Deputy Superintendent White House, members of the board, attorney powers, madam clerk, I'm Ben F of Benf &
Company Risk Management Consultants. Um and as uh you are aware uh this this time every year we're going to talk about the general insurance renewal that being your property insurance, your third party liability alliance and workers compensation. And I will preface this by saying if you
have questions at any time, please feel free to speak up. I'm happy to uh answer meaningful uh information as opposed to to droning on about the world of insurance. Um, okay. So, uh, just a refresher on who we
are. Um, and I've added this to the very bottom of my slides. We are an independent riskmanagement consultant. We do not sell insurance. I think that's important to to sometimes have to remind people. Uh, we work in tandem with your team either as an entire risk management
department or in a supplementary fashion the way we do with the board and have done so since about 2012. Um, and what this means is we're bringing in house knowledge to you. so that you can make decisions on your own um and understand that you you drive your program where
you need it to go. As the market conditions go this year, we're in the third year of a downward trend in property insurance. I'm sure you're probably seeing this in your own personal lives with respect to homeowners coverage. Um the market is much softer as it relates to um property
exposures in Florida. Um, in 2023, the market was reacting to uh the likes of Ian, Nicole, etc. and so forth and and several uh not so great storm seasons leading up to that renewal uh where many folks were seeing increases to the tune
of 100% limits being cut, retentions being increased uh all involuntarily uh simply because the market could not handle uh the losses that it was sustaining. Since then, um the Atlantic storm seasons in particular have tended to trend down. Um and because of that,
what a lot of larger insurers are seeing, um is a commensurate downward trend in pricing. Uh many insurers are seeing 20%. Um large property portfolios are seeing if they're clean, they're seeing 20%. You know, if you have loss experience, might
not be 20. Um but it's it's generally favorable for large property portfolios like the district. Uh the casualty market is relatively stable as it relates to um public entity
exposure. Um I think again to relate it to your personal lives and I'm sure what you see the world of auto insurance is is not uh becoming any more forgiving and if you've taken a drive recently I'm sure you can see why. um but largely for
an exposure such as this um pricing and the market at large remain stable. So to get right into pricing and what I have here is uh much nicer than what we're showing there. Um the biggest difference is going to be in property
and I can get to why this is in a later slide or we can talk about it now uh as I go through the the various lines. Um your renewal premium for 2627 very first line uh for property is 2.4
million. Uh so that represents just under 9% increase over expiring and there is a slight structural change to the program. Uh right now what you do is you ensure your property at a $40 million loss limit uh as is shown in the slide that you've seen. Um this year
we're moving to a $50 million loss limit um inclusive of these changes. Uh, and I will get to the reasons why later on. I have an a slide further on down the line that explains the reasoning behind it. Terrorism is down slightly. That's 8
grand. Um, boiler machinery is down as well. I show 32474. Um, and a lot of this is highly dependent on the valuation of your property. Um, I've been harping on it for years that you've needed an appraisal. while that happened and and this is what's this is what's driving
this. So we'll talk more about that in a subsequent slide. Um overall the property total uh is 2.5 million which represents just over 9% increase. >> Sorry I'm just going to interject real quick board because it took me a second to track. Just remember that the numbers
you're saying orally are the updated numbers that are not reflective in the PowerPoint. >> I'm sorry. And those are all going to come to you on Tuesday for your approval. The updated numbers. >> Yes. We have a board item on Tuesday night for this item. So, they'll be updated in that packet. But, sorry, I wasn't tracking for a second and then I
remembered >> because of the timing with which we have to submit. Uh, >> absolutely. >> It's it's much improved now and I want to deliver good news. Uh, >> yes, thank you. I just wanted to make sure a point of clarification as people are listening at home as well. The PowerPoint is not showing the numbers
that you're saying because that came in late. >> Actual pricing is much lower than what we're showing here. >> Wonderful. Thank you. Um, as the excess or as the the casualty coverage goes, there's not much change there. Um, there was a slight downward tick to cyber
liability. Um, that being a renewal of $34,500. Uh, that being the only change there from what was originally submitted to you. Um but again the changes here year-over-year have to do with a slight rate increase in the excess general and auto liability lines and the decrease in
excess workers compens uh compensation excuse me is due to a uh downward tick in underlying exposures that being payroll. >> I just have a quick point of clarification. As we bring new schools online the cost to ensure our total
package is going to go up. Is that an accurate statement? >> Yes. Okay. So, just as a point of clarification, we added two schools last year and then we're adding obviously a school, a very big school this year. So, aside from the market, we're going to
see an increase because we're adding and without taking away any property, we're adding property to our bottom line. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. >> And that's what this represents right here. Um the midterm property additions uh the 154,000 from the current year that was your two elementary schools
were added as of the start of the school year. Um they're not um they were not part of the the renewal program as of 71. They were not open yet. I figured let's save six weeks of wind insurance premium. Um so they were added as of the the start date and also assuming they
have a builder's risk on them. Um they were covered until that point. So they get added to your statement of values as of the opening of school. this the plan is the same for the new high school at South Marian. Um so long as it's going to be operational as of the start of the school year that will be added in the
same fashion and that's what this 200,000 represents. Um that's an estimate for the time being because if the date changes, if something changes in the meantime, I'm trying to use a conservative estimate um so that you can plan accordingly. But for now, the plan is add it as of the first day of school.
>> Understood. Does that make sense to the board? we're all on the same page. Okay. >> And the same will be true for the following year if construction plans um go according to plan.
>> All right. So the bottom line here uh this is showing a difference of 19% um when you do the math and what you will see on Tuesday um the difference is just under 9%. Uh it's a $271,928 increase year-over-year. um which when I
again as I get to a subsequent slide to explain why we are where we are um that is outstanding. All right, the self- insurance loss fund replenishment figure um just going straight to the bottom is 2.693 million.
Uh, and what this represents is um a a actuarially derived um loss fund that would be required as of the dates shown if your operation was to cease operations immediately. What you would need in order to settle self-insured
claims. Uh so this is what is used to replenish your loss fund each year for liability and workers compensation claims. Uh I also have a slide uh that sort of gives um gives some context to this. The replenishment figure is on the higher
end than what it normally is uh for the spectrum. However, um what what you can't necessarily account for is closing claims that took place in a prior year and a subsequent year. Um so this is not to say that you're having more claims or more expensive claims. It's simply to
say that you brought more to resolution over the past year and it represented a claims expense. It's actually in the grand scheme of things probably a good thing. >> We also had our didn't this last fiscal year was when we brought the redo of the
um maintenance building from the fire, wasn't it? This last year that we brought we finished that project I believe. And so I mean that was a big project that required you know had significant hit. So that would have been represented here if the timeline. >> Yes. >> Right.
>> Depending on when those bills come due. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> All right. Uh with respect to property, this is uh basically to show that your total insured value as a result of having completed an appraisal earlier in the year has increased 57%.
um your total insured value that you were already insuring plus the addition of the two elementary schools accounts for a 57% increase year-over-year. Um again, as I've said in prior years, the appraisal has not taken place since
2013. So, it was it was long overdue. We knew the effect that it would have. Um, but your rate, the property rate, and that's the red line, what we're showing is down 30% year-over-year due to market fluctuations. So, it couldn't have
picked a better time to do this, quite frankly. Um, the increase in total insured value year-over-year is threequarters of a billion dollars. Um, we've we've trended this up over the years to try to catch up to this to offset the effects of having not done an appraisal. But having
done it, it it was it rendered results that quite frankly we expected it would result in. All right. We use RMS risk link and AIRIR as a second um software that is used to um statistically model what your
probable maximum loss would be in the event of a 250-year storm. What was submitted earlier shows a 37.1 million uh PML. Um currently that's 50.2 million. Hence the recommendation to raise your loss
limit from 40 million to 50 million so as to remain what FEMA would consider reasonable if you are to submit to the state for funds. Um quite frankly uh I I can't believe it wasn't higher but in years past as I've explained when getting a replacement
cost appraisal capturing that data um is going to show where you are hardened i.e. the two new schools. Um, and that favorable construction is going to work in your favor uh when it comes to PML analysis. So,
moving on to the next slide. This is kind of what I was mentioning before. Um, with respect to your self- insurance fund, um, it's not to say that, um, you know, the the larger replenishment amount is necessarily indicative that you are having more claims or more expensive claims. Indeed over the years
with a couple of peaks um it is generally trending down. So um I will also say that um the required amount of funding last year was 14.8 million um and this year it's 14.7. You've added a
year of experience and yet the required funding is down. So that is another indicator that you're doing exactly as you should be doing with respect to risk management uh on the front end. another list of items uh on the casualty side. Um these are just things that I
like to to be mindful of. Uh I'd like to remind you of um that we're doing behind the scenes. Um contractual insurance risk transfer. Uh something I deal with risk and the risk department on almost a daily basis with um analysis of new exposures that being drones, the CDL
driving program. believe the most recent one was aircraft uh liability as it relates to um uh not not being pilots ourselves. Um new technology is always a big one. Um
cyber claims and the and that world uh has has been relatively stable as it relates to um as it relates to public entities. I've not seen the bottom fallout on that just yet. Um knock on wood. Uh but as as insurance carriers go
and as relates to laws that were passed um a few years ago, there have not been any major payouts. Hopefully um what that leads to is that um bad actors would see public entities as less of a less of a target. That's what we hope
for anyways. Um the law enforcement exposure that you all have uh albeit minimal is covered. Uh it's something to be aware of as you go forward in the event you'd like to expand that. And another one was active shooter coverage that was added a number of years ago.
It's a a prudent policy to carry and a common policy. House Bill 145. Uh it's been a hot topic earlier in the year, but has not received much fanfare until earlier this week. Um and it's now been submitted to the governor. If you're not familiar
with it, this is the increase to sovereign immunity limits. Um, in my personal opinion, I don't think this is necessarily going to lead to more uh severe claims as the numbers would seem to indicate so much as it will lead to um a a greater frequency. Someone sees a
target going to increase the interest in it for you. This is not going to have any impact obviously for the current renewal uh because it's not going to go into effect if it if it does till October 1. Um, and for most insureds, even with renewals as of October 1, I do
not believe that this is going to affect them this year. It's going to take at least a year before the insurance carriers kind of uh reconfigure, see what that does to claims activity. Um, they may come back to you and say, "We're putting new retentions out there. If you're a clean account, they may come
back to you and and give you great news and say, well, we'll write you on a first dollar basis." Really what remains to be seen is how that is how that first year goes and then we'll all have a better idea of of what that will mean uh from an excess insurance standpoint. Um
you know they may come to you and say well you have to retain that entire sovereign immunity cap and it may do nothing to the pricing but then you may be looking at a situation where your actuary says well you're gonna have to fund a little bit more on the front end in order to handle those claims out of
pocket. again, as I say, will not affect you this year, but as the year moves on, and again, assuming this goes, this is not vetoed, um, we're basically playing the waiting game now. So, we'll have to give it a year and see what that looks
like. So, the action plan for the coming renewal is to renew at a $50 million loss limit, not the 40 as is shown in your packet, but you will see on Tuesday. Um, monitor House Bill 145 obviously, uh, to see what they do with
that. continue our contractual reviews, uh, exposure analysis, work with your actuaries, and continue to drill down on property values, uh, especially as relates to the new high school and beyond, um, to refine your statement of values and make your program as
attractive as can be to the greater market. >> Okay, >> so that was a lot. Uh, any other questions? >> Uh, board Dr. Campbell, >> thank you. Thank you, Mr. F. Thank you for your partnership and for always coming in and consulting us on this
area. Uh because you are the consultant and you're not the insurance carrier. Who is our insurance carrier for property casualty? >> It's it's a quota share program for your property. It's it's probably 30 different carriers that all vy for a certain piece at various different
attachment points. >> Okay. Okay. >> Um I I do have a graphic here that I could show you, but it's it's um it's basically a bunch of uh ENS markets that operate out of London. >> Okay. And what about workers comp? >> Workers comp
is going to be >> and the reason I ask is we're we've been talking insurance a lot lately. Obviously, health insurance. We know we all have Florida blue. So, it's like whenever we talk property casualty, all of the things with risk, we we don't tend to talk about actually the
businesses that we're insured with. >> Your excess package is Ambridge, formerly Britt. Um, and your work comp is ARCH. >> Okay. >> And you're in a second year of a two-year rate guarantee with ARCH, which is a good thing.
>> All right. That concludes my question. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh, Reverend uh, Reverend Cummings or >> Thank you. Thank you for the presentation. Um, it it explains a whole lot that I think the community sometimes don't understand this insurance piece
that we're in, especially with us being selfunded. So, thank you. >> Um, and board member Third, did you have anything you wanted to add? >> Just thank you very much. You're always just straightforward, concise, and tells it like it is, so I respect that. Thank
you. Yes, thank you for being the expert in the room on this to help guide us as we make decisions regarding our risk management and liability. Um, we're grateful for your partnership and your willingness to work with Marian County Public Schools. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Is there any public
comment on this item? >> All right. Hearing none, we're going to move into item 6.1, which is educational impact fee annual indexing procedures. Um, I don't know, Mr. White House. Did you want to just give that high level review of why we're doing this? And >> yes, I will. But if you don't mind, can
I just speak to the board item that's on the agenda for next Tuesday just for awareness? >> Sorry. >> So, next Tuesday, the 23rd, we have a board item. It's already under discussion. It's discussion item D27.2 for the general insurance package, which is effective July 1. So, obviously, it
needed to be on the board agenda prior to July 1. Um, so we're after this meeting, we're going to update the dollar amounts to reflect the new dollar amounts uh for this item. Currently, the dollar amount is a total of $6.4 million. It's going to go down to $6.1
million when we update this for the total ask. Um, the increase right now is listed as 67,774. The actual increase is going to be $271,928. So, a much uh smaller increase than what's currently listed. So, we will update those numbers on this board item
for Tuesday and we'll also provide you with the updated chart of all of those insurance pieces that were shared in this presentation. So, you have that. >> Thank you. Um, is it possible when you add those updated um numbers, can you also go back to this work session and
attach the updated information as well since those numbers were mentioned in the work session as well? >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Or is there anything you all wanted Mr. White House to do regarding the agenda item for next Tuesday beyond what he shared. We're good. Okay. Okay.
>> All right. So, Mr. Blair is going to be providing our annual indexing uh for our impact fees. This for awareness board is actually a county ordinance um that has been on the books for quite some time. We just haven't collected impact fees for quite some time. So, we haven't had to perform this exercise. Um in the
past, we actually could use this process to request an increase annually in our impact fees. However, state statute has been passed since that actually supersedes it says we can only request every four years. So, even though we're going to go through this exercise as part of the county ordinance and share
the information with you, we can't make another request to increase impact fees until 2028. Um, so we'll actually start probably in 2027, so not too far out with with that um process so we can get that ready for you all for 2028.
>> I think we're all looking forward to that opportunity. So the floor is yours. Welcome and thank you for being here. >> Thank you. Good morning board chair Dr. James, board members, deputy superintendent Mr. White House. It's a pleasure to be here with you today. Xavier Bolity, planning manager for
Marian County Public Schools. I'm here to briefly discuss the annual index calculation process related to our educational system impact fee ordinance. So context is going to be very important in this presentation and Mr. White House did an excellent job giving you the the
high level overview of of why we're here. Uh the reason this item is before you today is because Marian County's educational system impact fee ordinance includes an annual indexing procedure under section 10-432. There's a hyperlink in the slide if you need to
refer to it. A few weeks ago, we were approached by county staff letting us know it was time to begin the exercise. The last time this process was completed in 2008. At that time, like Mr. White House said impact fee rates could potentially be adjusted annually based on changes on construction costs and on
changes in land values. This annual indexing process was the mechanism uh to do so. In 2021, however, uh amendments to Florida's impact fee act significantly changed how and when impact fee rates can be increased. Under current state
law, impact fees generally may only be increased once every four years and are subject to phased implementation requirements. There is a pathway to exceed those limitations, but it requires a demonstrated need study, publicly noticed workshops, and unanimous approval by the board of
county of uh board of county commissioners among other criteria. Uh because of these changes in state statute, I want to be very clear. We are not requesting any increase in impact fee rates. uh we have a legacy portion of an ordinance that effect uh
essentially conflicts with state statute. Uh instead to remain consistent with the local ordinance and to establish a benchmark for future discussions, we moved forward with completing the annual indexing exercise and are presenting those results for your awareness.
So this slide shows the history of our impact fee rates. As you know, we resumed collecting impact fees in 2024. We currently assess fees across several different categories depending on the type and in some cases the size of development. And just uh just just to
point out for future discussions, we are collecting impact fees uh at 40% of the suggested recommendation from the 2023 Bes impact fee study. Here you can see a summary of impact fee collections. Since collections resumed
in 2024, approximately uh 5,700 residential units have generated roughly 23.7 million in impact fee revenues. That is since 2024. As of April 21st of this year, we have received 22.4 million. Uh the difference between those
figures is due to payment timing as fees are received in batches. So with the next payment expected in the coming weeks, uh you can expect a reconciliation process occurring shortly afterwards. Of the revenue collected, a pro approximately 20.6 million has been
allocated toward debt service leaving a current balance of about of about 3.2 million. Now turning to the annual index results. Uh the methodology used for this calculation was originally developed by Henderson Young and Company uh when the
district regularly performed this annual exercise in the 2000s. Uh for this analysis, we also relied on baseline values from the 2023 Benes impact fee study. But to be clear, we did not reinvent the wheel uh that we did not reinvent the 2008 wheel uh so to speak.
So the county uh and the county ordinance itself prescribes much of the process. Uh using this methodology, we calculated an annual index value of 2.75%. The corresponding tables show what the rate increases are would be and adjusted
fee rates would be if the index were applied. And again I just want to reiterate we are not recommending any changes to current impact fee rates at this time. Uh, one important concept to keep in mind during future discussions is that any future impact fee adjustment most likely begins with the current
adopted fee rates. Uh, and finally, just to share to update, earlier this week, we did receive guidance from the county saying that uh, they just need a simple communication from the school board acknowledging the ordinance requirements while referencing that Florida statute has preempted the annual indexing
process. Um so that would be our our next steps to take regarding uh this procedure. Uh at the board's pleasure I can briefly walk through the sevenstep methodology used to arrive at this uh index result in the following slides or I can conclude here and answer any
questions you may have. >> I mean board I'll let the board decide but there's I don't we we don't we're not changing anything. So this is a matter of simply um being compliance board. Do you want him to go through all of the steps or would you rather just
have a bit of a discourse regarding in um impact fees and move into the good news about PM3 data? >> Yeah, let's that >> conversation. Okay, Dr. Campbell, you want to start? >> Sure. So, I I want to start with what you referenced on slide four just for
the community's sake. I know that the slide itself says that we've allocated $20.5 million to debt service. We have to acknowledge though the way the impact fees are established that those dollars
actually are spent in the areas and so that just means that the dollars out of our capital fund the millillage that we collect actually is the money that's going into the debt service. We're just showing it here as an offset. Just for
clarification, want to make sure that the community is aware we are not using impact fees for debt service. We're using the impact fees in the five districts that we have established them. Just the projects that are going on in those areas that we would have spent our millage on, those dollars are going to
the debt service. So >> to Dr. Campbell's point, and you're new to this conversation, um, but Dr. Campbell and I specifically have been beating this very dead horse for three years now. The way this is presented, in
my opinion, should never ever be presented like this again. and in fact should be presented as how much money has gone to each individual district because we have collection districts. The money can only be spent in the collection districts. And so it is
not misinformation, but it's certainly not accurate information to say that we've spent it on debt service when as to Dr. Campbell's point, we have not and we know that internally. Um, and so my hope would be that in any further conversation we have, seeing as this is
the first time that you get to do it with us, that we are going to be very crystal clear because every time budgeting has come before us um, or finance, they always say it's being used to debt service and that's not correct.
So in actuality, what's occurring is we all have five districts and we have this air conditioning project going on here and this flooring project going on there and different things that are growth related of sorts, whatever that might be. Hurricane shutters here or something
and all of those growth related things that we're doing to ensure the maintenance of our buildings and additional building projects and whatever that looks like. All of those dollars are being used in those five districts. It may equate to 20.5 million
that's offsetting the debt service amount. But uh just ensuring that the community is well aware. We know what our ILA says with the county. Interestingly enough, they certainly know that we have to give them this report and so they're asking for it even
though it's null and void. So, I appreciate the exercise that we've gone through here. Uh, but that the other thing that I want the community to be well aware of is the actual number. Uh, and I was trying to find it. I had it in
my where was it? Oh, it's we'll just use the same slide. So, that the $23.7 million that we've collected in the two and a half years that we've been collecting at 40%. So, anytime the question comes
up why we took out a $330 million bond to build all of the things we're building, it's in part because we're not collecting 40 some odd million dollars that we could have been collecting if we were collecting at 100 40 million more. We
could have been collecting if we had been collecting at 100%. The last thing I'll say, which may sound a bit controversial, but this impact fee conversation started with the school board. And so, because the school board started initiating impact fees again,
even at 40%, we were the first ones to take a bite out of that elephant. Since that time, the county has not hesitated at all to start their own impact fees for various andundry things. and all of those that the county chose have been
selected at 100%. So, as this conversation arises again in 2028, I know Miss Thrower won't be here. I most likely won't be as well. It kind of depends on when it happens. Uh but whenever we come to this conversation again,
my hope is that the new sitting county commissioners, because there will at least be two new ones uh sitting there, will be very receptive to the idea of what the school district needs in addition to what they need. So those conclude my comments.
>> Thank you, Dr. Campbell. And to to piggyback on that, I will say probably a portion of this balance represents district five, right? because we we there's not a lot of growth happening in district 5. And so, um, even if we have an amendment to this that we could share with the board and add to this work
session that says how much money has been collected in each district. And to be very crystal clear, um, that would be helpful for me. Um, because we the only project we got this about a year ago where it said all of the different um, areas that
we've collected and then how we've spent the money. Having that a spreadsheet like that that's that attachment attached to this work session even in the rears to be able to upload for the community to consume as well as the board would be helpful um to clarify the
language of debt service. >> Understood. Completely understood. And that came up with discussions with finance. finance was was able to provide me information in a very short timeline but in our discussions they did mention uh what you all are describing with our EBDS or educational uh benefit districts
and and how that ordinance works. >> Yes. And um and then I will ditto Dr. Campbell's remarks and um someone who's very well may be here in 2028. I certainly look forward to a productive conversation with the county about what
uh a collection percentage would look like to benefit our community for students. >> Correct. It's going to take a lot of long range uh discussions. I I believe. >> Yes. Reverend Cummings, would you have something you wanted to add? I I concur um with uh both of you in those comments
because um we we jumped into this and um we jumped into it with good faith and uh I feel like um I just feel like the conversation didn't go as good as it could have gone looking
at these numbers now and and knowing how the growth was going to happen in Marian County. So, um I'm looking forward to, if I'm still on the board, I'm looking forward to the greater conversation and um a concerning impact fees because, um
our kids, our schools, our communities deserve to get the best and uh we shouldn't we shouldn't have to um settle just to try to get along with folks. So, I think the conversation has to be had. >> Thank you. Board member Thur, did you
have anything to add? >> I mean, I know you probably do. as our liaison who sat through all of that. >> Yes. Um, thank you for your presentation. I'll start by confirming just a couple things
that I think I understand from this presentation and that is that so far we've collected 22.4 million that that we've been able to to to use and spend these couple years. Okay.
And I think about what we've invested over the last couple of years. The what it cost to build two new schools and a new high school. Uh 330 million for the bond
comes to mind and other things. So to me the term drop in a bucket um applies and what continued uh to be a very
frustrating process and I think one of the reasons why it was so frustrating was we held off for so long to even ask. Um, and the reason for that is, you know, we knew anyone that lived here at the time through the Great Recession
knew how bad it got. And we wanted to make darn sure, um, that we had a very strong case to reimplement impact fees. And we did. And the fact of the matter is we got stonewalled for two years and
everything and the kitchen sink got thrown at us. um only in the end to walk away with 40%. So I would echo my fellow board members
and amplify that please consider this a lesson learned. Um it's unfortunate that sometimes no good deed goes unpunished and but when there are a lot of competing interests
um you over time understand what the motivators truly are and where the allegiances lie. And I think we were steadfast in maintaining that our
allegiances lie with students and and making sure that they have what they need um to be as well educated as we can possibly provide within our power. So, I would like to refer back to slide three
um on the Florida Impact Feact because according to the local indexing, which is no longer applicable, there certainly would be room for adjustment. The numbers are right there. And
it was important to me to set the stage with what I just said because those certainly at least in my view prove extraordinary circumstances. We had extraordinary circumstances
through not having impact fees for a very long time. We had a tremendous unpredictable surge in growth. So I would like to know what the definition
of extraordinary circumstances are according to the state and whether or not we match those. Um because if I read section six accurately establishes limited limits and
procedures for increasing impact fees in Florida. And bullet number two clearly states provides a pathway to exceed those limits but only if a recent demonstrated needs study is completed. Publicly
noticed workshops are held and unanimous approval from the governing body is received due to extraordinary circumstances. I think that we need to strike while the iron's hot.
At least consider it. There are going to be two new commissioners. And if I'm reading the room correctly and reading the community correctly, I believe that we have every leg to stand on
to request a review of our extraordinary circumstances. So I would strongly encourage the board to coalition with me on this. I would love to have a work session topic on extraordinary circumstances.
What that means, what it would look like, what process would we go through before deciding whether or not to move forward. >> I concur. >> Those are my comments. >> I concur. Buthor, >> yeah, I don't disagree either. Attorney P, did you have anything you wanted to offer right now or do you want us to get
a work session scheduled to discuss in further uh extraordinary circumstances? Is it is it even something that is applicable and something we can act on? study. >> As to the applicability and whether we can act on it, that's something I'll have to get back to you on. What I can tell you is that the the definition is
fairly straightforward. We went through this before. That is that um in Florida, local governments can't increase impact fees more than 50% unless they approve extraordinary circumstances, which is um they have to it requires a strict
demonstrated need study, which is what we went through. And then we argued for a year and a half over what that study whether that study right >> showed what it said clearly said it showed. Um it has to have two public hearings and then typically unanimous or
twothirds governing vote. So that's the extraordinary circumstances test. >> So my question would be >> can we make use of it? >> Can we make use of it to avoid the four-year weight? I think is what I hear board member Thrower saying. Polarity and I started talking about that very
recently and so we're we're going to try to get information. I'm sorry. Balair >> polarity. Valerity. >> I don't know why Baldair is such a common way to to say the name. There is one clause and if you go and look at the uh Florida uh Florida impact state act
impact fee act um at the very end of sub uh section subsection six uh paragraph G uh sub paragraph 3 uh there is a uh a paragraph that says you cannot basically you cannot go through this alternate
pathway if you have not increased impact fees within the last five years. So my question to touch base with Mr. powers in the future would be does that 2024 reinstatement of impact fees does that count as our increase within the last
five years if not I believe we would have to go through the uh primary uh channels which would be at max a 50% increase over four years uh at an equal allotment of so equal a lotment of 12.5%. And the question there is that that that
statute that subsection is it's filled with double negatives and it's not clear the statutory construction of that particular section. Frankly, it's poorly written. And because of that, it leaves a lot of ambiguity and it leaves room for argument in both directions. And room for argument in both directions
means we're going to argue a lot over it if if we end up needing to push this through to with another uh with another governmental entity. So, um I want to do all the research I can on that and that's particularly 163.318016G
is the one that um Xavier is talking about. >> So, and what I hear is that we want a work session in the near future topic where we're going to have our two experts in the room share with us what our next steps could be or if the
reality is we have no next steps and we must wait until 2028. But we want to understand what does that forecast forward look like? Does that is that summarize what we're looking for, >> Dr. Campbell? >> Yes. And a part of that I I believe we would like to know is our current benes
study sufficient or do we have to go through that process again and what the cost of that would be as well. So having all of that consideration and then if we do go through the cost of that again
if going through it in 2026 2027 will be sufficient for what we need for 2028. And so if we can like we're going to need to get it done at some point and so kind of the timing of when that occurs might also coincide with how to make
this the best possible. >> Understood. where member thor did you have something you wanted to add? >> Uh well yes um again on bullet two but only if a recent speaking of ambiguous language demonstrated need study is completed. What's the definition of
recent? You know >> I can I can address that. There is a a a clause there that says uh the demonstrated need study needs to be completed within 12 months of the adoption of the increase in impact fees. So, it's going to be dependent on when
we request and when the the board of county commissioners would adopt the uh I I I the updated rates. I I I guess I can say. >> So, once we get the study done, adoption has to occur quickly thereafter.
>> So, we get a study done in 2027 for sure. I mean, that that has to be the most logical. uh but whether or not we're able to go into this emergency status and get it automatic >> extraordinary >> extraord excuse me extraordinary circumstances and make it automatic as
opposed to us continually having to ask would be helpful. >> So I think what I hear is a workshop where we are understanding a timeline and the timeline is about um I think we all are in agreement that we would like the most aggressive timeline possible that is the most financially responsible
as well. We understand the the cumbersome nature of the finances as well as the time the study was. I mean, when I got on the board in November of 22, we were like, I think maybe that was one of my first votes was approving them
to start the study. And we didn't get county commission approved until July 1st of 2024. And so we want to know, paint the timeline for us, paint the cost for us, help us understand the impact because if it's
really going to take that long, then we should get started now because 18 months from now is 2028. So if we're if if truly it's 2028, then we need to get started. >> Well, and that agreement was signed in spring of 2024 with them postdating it
to us not collect until July 1. So The entire 2023 year was focused on impact fees and what all that was and nothing happened until the spring of 24. I mean, I don't want to say nothing. It just >> nothing.
>> It was okay. She was on the committee. It was nothing. Uh, but now that we've gone through it, >> right, >> we all know what to expect. >> Well, and we have better frame for the conversation. We do. And the honestly, the county commission has two new me new members joining them in November. Um,
and so we I think it is time for us to go into a new new positive relationship, have positive conversations, and do what's best for our community. An additional 40 million the last two years would have paid for one of our elementary schools. >> Absolutely. >> And so, and that is an area where it
could have been exclusively used because it is literally being built to address growth. And so the reality is this is a financial burden that the district is funding via certificate of occup a certificate of participation in a loan to be able to make sure we're doing what we have to do for our students. But
there are other ways we could be doing it. And so let's have a workshop in the near in July ideally where we where we discuss this. And if we need to have a a standalone workshop because we think it's going to be a lengthy item, then let's just send us some dates and we'll have a standalone workshop where we just
talk about the understanding of impact fees and what our next steps can be. >> Does that sound good, Board? Board member, >> that sounds great. And and thank you very much for having this conversation. It's it's been on my mind um a lot and
forewarned is is forearmmed. You know, I think we all learned a lot through the process and it was very difficult, but that doesn't mean it has to be difficult moving forward, you know, and and
you take what you learn and you apply it, you know, to future circumstances. And and that's really what what I'm asking for. Um, and I understand as a much smaller scale, you know, business owner and rental
properties and so on through the years, you know, cost of doing business. We all want to reduce cost of doing business. But then there's also that pesky little thing of what the market will bear. You know, you can only pass off so much to
the customer and the rest of it, you know, you have to eat it. But if you're still making some money and you've got some profit margin there, then there isn't a county around us that doesn't have development going on
and has not had impact fees in place for much longer until we reinstated ours. And the folks that we asked for impact fees from are still doing pretty good. So, you know, it's just striking that balance. and and I truly believe that
what we are asking for is completely appropriate. Otherwise, I I wouldn't be so passionate about it. So, those are those conclude my asks and comments. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anything else from the board? All right. Uh public comment on this
item. Did you have anything else you wanted to share? >> No, thank you for your time. >> Thank you for allowing us to um converse passionately. Um any public comment on this item? All right, then I think we're going to move into our most exciting item of the
morning, PM3 data. So um the pro 2025 2026 progress monitoring three. Uh we have Miss Jolene Vining here and um with the support of Mr. White House. >> All right. Thank you. So Miss Vining is going to provide some updates on our PM3
end of the year fast data. Um we've got really exciting results we want to share and we're we're happy to be able to go through those. I do want to just brag on Miss Vining for a moment because um she she stays behind the scenes a lot, but she really has done incredible work this year in supporting our schools and their data analysis and making sure that uh we
continue staying focused on our three-prong approach and moving this district forward. And so we appreciate everything she's done. >> Thank you, Mr. White House. Good morning, chair and board members. I'm excited to share our end of the year progress monitoring and EOCC data that reflects the hard work happening across
our district. ELA Whoops. Let me get Oops, I got it. Okay. Want to make sure you had the slide. ELA fast PM3 showed a 4 percentage point gain overall for students in grades three through 10. Every grade level and cohort increased
when compared to the prior year PM3. Last year we saw some of the highest ELA scores for our district and we are even higher this year. Like ELA, the FA MA fast math scores showed an overall increase of four
percentage points. We saw the largest gains in third, fifth, and eighth grades. Fast math assesses grades three through eight with some students taking the algebra or geometry end of course exam beginning in seventh. Both algebra
and geometry scores improved when compared to last year. At the end of the 2425 school year, we had five D-rated schools that fell into state monitoring. The Bureau of School improvement team worked closely with our
schools and district staff throughout the year and four of our five D schools increased the overall percent of students scoring a three or higher in ELA. All five schools increased their overall math and science scores. There
were changes that attributed to increases in fast ELA and math scores and overall achievement in not only our D-rated schools, but across the district. You may recall we started this year with a three-prong approach to
focus on highquality instruction, early warning indicators, and attendance. We kept a laser focus on each area through administrator meetings, instructional reviews, professional learning, and regular walkthroughs. Administrators
worked closely with their staff to consistently review data, reflect on instruction, and adjust as needed. Now, let's take a closer look at grade level data. As a reminder, kindergarten and first grade take star early literacy
at the beginning of the year, but first grade takes star reading on PM3. So, the most consistent data to compare is star early literacy for kindergarten, star reading for first and second grade, and star math.
As you can see, we saw increases across all grade levels and a four percentage point gain in second grade star reading, which was a focus for us this year. This is our strongest second grade cohort coming into third grade, and we're
excited that this will give us a great opportunity to improve outcomes. This chart shows the last three years of fast ELA data by grade level for our district compared to the state. You can see grade level improvement and track
cohorts. Overall, we saw improvement in every grade level and cohort. The largest improvement year-over-year was in fifth and eighth grades. Every grade level except third is at or above 50% of students scoring a level three or
higher. Equally important to onle performance is decreasing the percent of students scoring a level one. You can see in this chart that we have decreased the percent of students scoring a level one each year since the first year of fast.
This math chart is set up in the same way and represented just like ELA. And like ELA, our largest gains were in fifth and eighth grades. As a reminder, many of our students, high performing students, take algebra or geometry beginning in seventh grade. So, you can
start to see that shift. We are very proud of our science results this year. This is the highest we have seen in a long time. We outpaced the state with every with year-over-year growth in fifth and eighth grade. Last summer, we pulled a group of
teachers that were outperforming the state to get feedback on what worked for them. The lessons learned were an increase of science literacy and hands-on learning, which we worked to embed more opportunities for this year.
You can see in social studies we continue to see progress in civics in US history with the highest scores we've seen in years. Although we've seen a tremendous amount of growth this year, we still have work to do. Our third grade is trending
higher, but we know we need to accelerate that growth. We have increased progress monitoring assessments to track second grade progress and will continue to focus on systematic phonics instruction through UFly. The seventh grade cohort showed
the least progress in ELA, which means we will have to focus on strong supports for eighth grade at the beginning of the year. Sixth grade math showed some growth, but we know seventh grade math will be more challenging and we will need to focus on remediation and
tutoring supports. We saw strong gains in some schools for science, but we'll need to look at schools that didn't show as much growth so that we can prioritize our support. Although we have a few weeks before the official school grades are released,
this is a reminder that the escalator clause went into effect last year for high school combination and district grades. Last the prior year 57% of points was a B, but this year 60% is the
minimum percent for a B. Thank you. And I will turn it back over to Mr. White House for some additional comments. >> Thank you, Miss Ving. So, boy, I will just add one, I want to extend our appreciation for all of our teachers and support staff and administrators and all the hard work that they put in this
year. I think the the fruit is here in the data that we're seeing that um we have some really incredible people on our our team that are doing great work. Um but I also want to point out something we've stated openly multiple times. Even though we're really excited about the progress and growth, uh we're not satisfied until we reach 100%. And
so we know we have a long ways to go. Uh positive momentum is is positive momentum and we're we're grateful for that and we're going to keep building on that success next year to bring those results even higher. >> Thank you, Mr. White House and Miss Vining. uh board, I open it up for remarks.
Anyone want to start? >> Go ahead. Go ahead. You can start. >> I I don't mind. Do you want me to start? >> Okay, start. >> Okay. So, I'll start. Um I think that one I'm going to say bringing you fly to the district five years ago, I think Dr.
Garlet brought it five years ago, has been we're seeing the fruits of that effort now, right? Um, and it one of the very obnoxious things about public education or education in general is that it takes years to see the fruits
of the labor. And in education, we're really good at throwing the baby out with a bath water every couple years. You don't seem to see the results. And so, you give up and try something new. And what consistently using UFly has done over the last four or five years
has demonstrated that our students are coming to third grade better prepared for reading to learn. Um I always tell people a third grade is the year we stop learning to read and we stop start reading to learn. Now we're always teaching students how to read, but fundamentally you need to be able to use
reading to um make decisions and understand. And so um lots of positive stuff is happening. I've sat on the committee with u Mr. White House for the last year uh for the high quality learning and we've had lots of and ming too. We've had lots of in-depth
conversations about an observation tool that was used this year to really dig into specific subjects, specific grade levels. I can tell you I'm and speak to operations has taken a very fine tooth comb to what we are doing in our
classrooms which is why this data is yielding the results it is yielding. Um it didn't just happen. It was incredibly intentional. And so in this reflection slide looking at what we're going to continue to focus on, that is what we talked about just yesterday afternoon in
our meeting is what are we how are we going to change our tool slightly and then use that tool to specifically look at classrooms and grade levels and subjects that we know need the most attention so we can continue to be diligent about how we're addressing the
needs of our students and our classrooms. Um, so lots of work left to do, but we're positively moving in the right direction. We are getting close to being in line with what the state average is. The reality is yes. It's the
narrative. We are in the bottom third of the state. And we've been there for a really long time. And so, are we moving in the right direction to get out of the bottom of the third of the state? And the answer is yes, we are. And so I for one am very excited for school grade
release um and district grade release and to see all of that information. I did have a conversation in the meeting yesterday and board I'll tell you um my expectation and to Mr. Christian uh would be that we have our press release ready because we have a really good idea
of where it's going to be but because we have really great mathematicians who can kind of figure it out. Um, but what I do not love year-over-year is some local newspaper writes our story for us. And this year the story is really good, I believe. And so I would love for Mr.
Christian's office to have the press release ready and all of the information ready so that when we get the official data and the call, the superintendent gets the call or the email that we can have our information ready and we can beat the newspapers to telling the story. So um, that's my opening board.
Who wants to go next? Dr. Campbell. >> Sure. Thank you. So, I appreciate much of what you said there, Dr. James. It It's been a long time since this district, this is going to be a strange way to say this, but it's been a long time since this district has less
students that are proficient than we have more. And so, we had been in the 44, 46, 48% of students proficient. And now we're on the other side of that. And I know that doesn't sound like a you
know I mean still there's only 50 what 52% or whatever of our students are at proficiency but to take that leap to where there are more students who are proficient than less. I mean th this is like moving the the a carrier right so
you have to move in small increments. We have made tremendous gains. I also know that our achieve 2026 plan though we didn't actually reach the you know
top third in the state that started driving us towards a goal like that right now it'll be interesting to see if we are in the bottom third we may still be I mean you know that when you're it's 20 some odd districts that we've got to
make sure that we're better than we we may or may not be just above that third We'll see it. Everybody else is growing, too. And so that's We're all headed in the right direction, which is good. Rising boat, rising tides, rise, all boats, rise. Anyway, whatever that that
phrase is. >> Uh, but I know we've just approved our new strategic plan as well. I'll say something that a fellow district said on the Friday of the Florida Schoolboards Association conference. Somebody made the statement. And I don't even remember
which district it was, but their focus is being top 10 in this state. And so they're like everything they do is hashtag top10 hashtag. It's everywhere on everything. Hashtop10. And so I mean we're not there yet for
sure. We we're like middle of the pack. I mean, like, I'm not saying that, but but as we continue to progress, having something like that that is concise, quick, easy for us to have a focus on the prize. And maybe it's
hashtaggraduate, hashtaggraduate, whatever that needs to, you know, we've just done our portrait of a graduate, but something that our district can focus on every single time they see that child struggling, every time they see that child not understanding, look at
that child as a graduate and what you're doing right there in that moment could cause them to change the trajectory of their pathway. So, I I love the scores. I love what we're seeing. It's been a long time, six years on this board. To see us now over that hump is is a a big
big indicator that we're heading in the right direction. And I agree, Dr. James. I don't want somebody else telling this story for us. I'm tired of seeing the schooldigger.com garbage. This is real data and and we are outpacing the state in some of the areas
in the district. So, thank you. >> Yes. Thank you, Reverend Cummings. >> Thank you, uh, Dr. James, let me get closer. Um, I too, Dr. Campbell, heard the um hashtag top 10
last week, and I I I was thinking the same thing that we too should have some type of um gold. Um, that's what it is. is just putting your goal out there, stating where you're trying to get to, and reiterating it over and over and
over again till it gets into the mindset of the people uh and to the all the stakeholders. Um we've been I've been on the board since 2018. This is um indicative of where we were then and where we are now of us
turning the ship. And we all know you can't just turn an aircraft carrier on a dime. It takes a moment to finally turn it and then once you turn it, then you're going in the right direction. So I feel that now uh here it is uh eight
years later for me that the ship is turned and we are heading the right direction. And I think this this dispels um some of those rumors or any I don't even call it rumor. I'm just going to call it flat out inaccurate information
>> that is pre prevalent in our community that we are we're not going the right right direction that we haven't been going the right direction that we're constantly at the bottom I we've seen improvement every year we've seen improvement to say that we haven't had
improvement is to say that our staff are not working and that's just not the case that's we we we have we have top-notch people who are doing great jobs and have done great jobs these past few years and getting this ship. So, what we're seeing right now is the result of that great
work and it's starting to pay off and starting to move in direct right direction. And I'm I'm I'm encouraged. Um we may still be at the bottom, but maybe we're at the top of the bottom. That's an improvement. Um I'm praying that we're not at the top of the bottom. I'm praying we're higher than that and
we move into another tier, but um we are heading in the right direction. So, this this information that you brought to us this morning is extremely encouraging and I my my prayer is that the community as a whole, especially those that are putting out uh disseminating
bad data, would grasp the true data of what's really happening. And I too agree that um you can't let other folk tell your story because they're going to tell it with their twist. I always tell folks it's it's three sides to every story. is
their side, your side and the truth. Well, I believe this board is dealing with the truth. So, and our data will say that. So, thank you for the presentation this morning. >> Board member Thur. >> Thank you. This is just such encouraging
news and I I really hope that it results in in recruiting even more uh all areas of the community to just get behind us and and keep pushing. our kids deserve it. Um, couldn't ask for anything better
uh from where we are right now. It used to be a lot easier to pull shenanigans and take a school from an F to an A in a year. You know, there's been books written about that and and the strategies that were used really just ignored certain um grade levels because
they weren't tested and you know, just focusing on the ones that were going to get you that bang that year. Uh that's so inauthentic and so against I think what we stand for in terms of raising the boat for all kids. So I I'm I'm just going to throw that, you know, in the
trash where it belongs. Usually it's nothing more than doing the simple things well over and over and over again with fidelity, enthusiasm, and positivity that gets you where you need to go. And acknowledging
where the deficits are. And it's going to come as no surprise to the everyone listening that we have had a huge deficit in attendance for way too long. And when you look at the aid districts and I'll just congratulate Kier County
because they are a perennial uh aid district there our chronic attendance and and our chronic absences are improving the best since COVID. Thank you Mr. White House for the updated information. Uh this year we're we're
down to 30.7%. Down to 30.7% of students are qualified to be chronically absent. That number we all agree is unsustainable and way too high to get us
where we know we want to be and where students deserve to be. So in comparison, Kier County is at 9.2% 2% chronic absenteeism. They're the only county in Florida that are below double
digits and they've been able to maintain that. And here's how. And the good news is is that we've been doing most of that already. And that's what makes it pay off. It is that dedication to students
making those home phone calls coming forward with the statement of okay what's the problem not that junior's terrible the family's terrible they never call us back you know if they would just come to school that's all
they need to do no what is the problem and the and the the concerns and issues are as individual as the families themselves that's the level of commitment that it takes a dedicated hated truency court judge. Collier has that. We've had that now for a couple of
years with Judge King. In fact, there was going to be a shift and and we love the other judge, too. But for continuity, you know, we're glad that Judge King is continuing a great partnership with our community where it is clear across the whole community and the community gets behind
and pushes all the time that having kids come to school regularly is a community value. And we are here to support kids. They have that and we're getting there for sure. So grateful to our community partners, the sheriff's office, a really
strong working relationship with the with the sheriff's office. When it gets to a point where trunci court has to happen and the parents don't show up, they're getting picked up. They're getting held in contempt. And the most important thing for that to
be happening is so that we can bring families in because we have resources. We have so many resources to help support families. And if families don't believe that, please just keep asking until you reach the right person. Understand that it can be exhausting.
We're trying to, you know, make that process as as simple and supportive as we possibly can. Do things fall through the cracks? Sure. But don't give up because you really don't want to be on the punitive side of not sending your kid to school in Marian County. There's
there's too many reasons to not let that happen. Lee County, 21.8%. They're the runner up. And what a big spread, you know, just within those two counties. And then um Charlotte County, where Mr. Viennel is um and was with us
for a very long time. They are at uh 25%. So Lee, you better watch your back. They're they're coming for you. And it's it's exciting. And this is why I know I was a pain, but for our strategic plan, you know, for the next five years, I I
wasn't going to be content without a really no low number on that paper because we can do it. And and it is foundational to a school's success. Collier, Lee, and Charlotte, their school grades are higher than ours. I think that if somebody wanted to delve
into it a little more, you could probably compare chronic absenteeism in school grade and see, you know, correlation if not causation. Um that they it goes hand in hand and I just wanted to make sure that the community
understands that this rolling stone is gathering no moss. You know, it's going to keep continuing. The enthusiasm and the positivity is going to continue. that relentless commitment to students and families and not making
excuses. You know, we have so many examples, some sitting right here in our audience, of maybe not having the the best of everything to get started in life and still achieving at very high levels. And public schools were a huge part of that. So
again, I want to say congratulations to everyone that has acknowledged the work that has gone in over the last many years. Um, you know, like uh board member Cummings, this is my eighth year. Uh, one of my first priorities was to meet with the current truency court
judge and and like quarterly meetings aren't going to make it with a rotating docket. You know, we we need someone that doesn't just draw the short straw and too bad for you. Uh, we need someone that is really committed to partnering with us. our sheriff's office, our, you
know, city of Okala, everybody is pulling on the same side of the rope now. And, you know, you win a tug of war by pulling harder and we are getting there. So, again, I am so thankful. You know, my time is growing short on the board. I only have till November. Um,
but I feel confident that once I'm not in this seat, that this work is going to not just continue, but it's going to accelerate. and and I could not be more appreciative. >> I know that was long, but it deserved it.
>> Thank you, board member Thrower. I think she makes a very valid point, too. I would love to know um some of the data that connects uh our students who represent chronically absent and their achievement. So, understanding, I think it's probably what we all expect, but
understanding, you know, what percentage of our students who are chronically absent are also not on grade level for ELA and math. You know, that's a pretty basic thing we can look at, but it might help paint the picture to parents, too. Um, yesterday in our meeting, Mr. White House said, "If we could just get 15% of
the 30% kids to come to school, imagine what we could accomplish, right?" And so um that attendance I feel confident board member thrower we will continue to echo your name in the halls of this building uh or any future building when we say attendance because
we are all so aware that it has been a passion project for you rightfully so and it has helped improve the work of the school district because of your focus. So we're appreciative of you for that. >> Thank you very much. I appreciate it. And the last bullet point I had was it
we have caught lawmakers attention now. You know change happens slow but an attendance statute that hasn't been revisited since 1980. Come on now. Y >> that's all I'll say. >> We're moving we're moving in the right direction with attendance for sure. Um,
and I think we're going to have some great case studies when school grade comes out with principles who are really good at working on attendance and the work that they can do when students just come to school because our teachers are really great, but they can't teach to empty rooms. And so when students show up to school, what magic can happen in
those classrooms? Board, are there any other comments about our PM3 data? Dr. Campbell, >> the only other thing I wanted to to also give a shout out to is is that level number of level ones that has gone down. Now we are under the quarter, you know,
24%. We now have so much fewer so many fewer students at that level one. Continuing to see that number drop is so positive. and also super excited with
the number of kindergarteners that are on track more than 70% like when you think of all these numbers again it's going to be this long game that we're playing here but putting VP putting you know VPK's in all of our schools and all
the things that have changed the trajectory of Marian County Public Schools that we've been here to be a part of and to see just hope hoping and praying that we continue to see this amazing ing progress that has been done. Every teacher and staff member out there
that has an impact on student education, give yourselves a pat on the back because we are heading in the right direction. >> Absolutely. Anything else from the board? All right. Anything um from public comment? All right. Well, thank you, Miss Vining, for your work and Mr. White House as
well. We're appreciative and we look forward to um proactively sharing our information as soon as we receive it so we can beat the local newspapers. Thank you. Um well, that is going to conclude our agenda items for this morning's
workshop. Um so I will go into some meeting reminders and then we'll do comment. We do have a schoolboard meeting scheduled for the 23rd of June, which is next Tuesday at 5:30. There is a special school board meeting on July 9th uh at 20 2026 at 8 a.m. followed by
the administrative briefing and work session at 9:00. Um board that is a um dispute of discipline consequences that will be coming our way for July 9th at 8 a.m. So for that's a workshop day. Uh the district offices will be closed on July 2nd in observance of the 4th of
July and then July 14th we will have a board meeting at 5:30 PM. Board I also want to make you aware we have um a naming policy. So we we are um we're concluding our work in policy that we we spent some time on and we had had
talked about having quarterly updates or at least three times a year updates on policies. However, in the interim, we do need to have a timely discussion about naming so that we can start our capital campaign for Booster Stadium. And so, uh, Mr. White House, I believe, found
room in the second board, uh, board work session of July to have a policy update discussion where we would discuss the naming policy. Um if it is also appropriate, it may be appropriate to discuss the policy that the audit
brought forward regarding um the sales tax. So um it I just want to make sure that staff is in in very sure that we can properly advertise which is 14 days right attorney powers the 14
days. So, we need to make sure that Miss Martinez Young that that workshop um and the appropriate materials are advertised 14 days out to meet the policy requirements. Okay. >> Policy has to be um uh in the paper, not
just on our website. >> Correct. So, above my pay grade, but whatever we need to do to make sure that we are doing a meeting the requirements board so we can just have that naming conversation for sure. Um the staff really want to be able to start coming
up with a plan for our uh capital campaign, but we need to revisit naming. So um I will open it up. Um any comments from Miss Martinez Young? >> No, Madam Chair >> and Mr. White House. >> Yes, thank you. Um so we are wrapping up week three of summer school this week.
So we actually have just a little over a week, if you can believe that, of our elementary summer program. So it it's going by in a hurry. Um, but a reminder to families, we do have a lot of information on our our district website for families to be able to work with students at home. It's called our rising star summer success guide and it has um
activities that families can do and ways to support your students to help them be prepared to move into the next uh grade level. So, I do encourage them to check that out even when we don't have summer school going. We still have plenty of things available to support um learning at home. Uh we also next week have our
annual reunification training and so we'll have our district staff getting prepared for um that. Hopefully we never have to use it, but it's always good to be prepared. Um and we are certainly looking forward to school grades coming out here in a couple of weeks and we're hoping to have some really exciting uh results with that. Um and also
supporting our America 250 celebrations which are going to be coming up here real quick. That's all my comments. >> Okay, wonderful. Board member Thrower, >> I don't think I have any more comments. >> Okay. We did that for today. >> You did a very comprehensive job today.
So, thank you for your work. Uh, Reverend Cummings, >> no comments. It's been a good >> Okay. Attorney Powers, I didn't mean to skip over you. Do you have anything from your office? >> I have nothing further. Thank you. >> Okay. Dr. Campbell. >> Um, I just received a a question from someone and I will direct it to Mr.
White House and maybe you guys can can help us. Families are curious to know if how the school processes are happening to choose the student representatives to the school board and maybe each school is handling it differently. I'm not certain of that, but maybe they've already been chosen. I'm not sure, but I
I did have a couple of families reach out to ask how that process would work and if their student could be uh considered. Again, I don't know how that pro, but maybe if you could just send that out or or let us know how that's happening so those families can know uh if there's something over the summer
being done or if they've already been chosen. Um and finally, I just wanted to say thank you board uh to a week ago. Uh you all were in Tampa for my swearing in. Um and so I'm grateful that you all were able to attend. The flowers were
beautiful and it was just great to have the support of all of you there. So, thank you. >> All right. And then I um don't have a ton of comments either. Um it is a busy time of year and we have lots of moving pieces. So we will um continue all of
the positive work and doing what is right for students. And I look forward to getting unofficial information from the state hopefully before July 1st. That is when we're supposed to get it. So um in the next two weeks we should have all of the official data and have some really great news for the
community. So uh hearing no further comments we will adjourn this workshop at 11:17. Thank you.