The School Board of Orange County held its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. on July 27, 2010 at the Educational Leadership Center. Please find below the highlights of that meeting:
Proposed millage to support the tentative budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year approved
Upon recommendation of staff, the board approved the following millage rates to support the tentative budget. For informational purposes the proposed millage is contrasted with the millage levied for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Required Local Effort | 5.425 | 5.396 |
| Basic Discretionary | .748 | .748 |
| Critical Needs (New for FY10) | .000 | .250 |
| Capital Improvement | 1.500 | 1.500 |
| Total | 7.673 | 7.894 |
Florida Statutes require that the school board adopt a proposed millage for funding the tentative budget and notify the property appraiser of its action.
Board approves tentative budget for fiscal year 2010-2011
The school board is required after conducting a public hearing and after adopting a tentative millage rate to annually adopt a tentative budget. The following tentative budget was approved
| 1. | Approve the 2010-11 Tentative Budget for the General Fund | 1,423,638,948 |
| 2. | Approve the 2010-11 Tentative Budget for the Special Revenue Fund | 170,535,205 |
| 3. | Approve the 2010-11 Tentative Budget for the Debt Service Fund | 271,135,776 |
| 4. | Approve the 2010-11 Tentative Budget for the Capital Projects Fund | 777,533,525 |
| 5. | Approve the 2010-11 Tentative Budget for the Internal Service Fund | 188,870,858 |
| 6. | Approve the date for the final public hearing for the FY10-11 budget for 5:45 PM on September 14, 2010 at the Educational Leadership Center, 445 West Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida. |
To see the presentation made regarding the budget for fiscal ’11, please click here. The school board will vote on the final budget at the September 14, 2010 meeting at 5:30 p.m. after a public hearing and final consideration.
Strategies to comply with Class Size Amendment approved
In November 2002, the Class Size Amendment was approved in Florida requiring full implementation by the 2010 school year. This amendment sets the maximum students assigned to each teacher at 18 for grades K-3, 22 for grades 4-8, and 25 for grades 9-12 for core classes (it does not apply to extracurricular classes). The board held a public hearing tonight to discuss the following strategies to comply with the law. Most of the strategies below are already in use in Orange County Public Schools but now have been formally approved.
- Dual enrollment
- Virtual instruction (including franchise)
- Review of graduation policies
- Maximize use of instructional staff (repurpose)
- Move to seven periods at middle and high schools
- Alternative grade configurations to maximize facility utilization
- Use of prototypes to reduce cost
- Rezoning to balance facility utilization
- Use of modular classrooms as needed
- Use of critical needs operating millage to provide additional instructional staff
- Set aside Class Size Reduction resource pool of teachers to assist schools only after all reasonable actions have been taken
Voters will have a choice to preserve school budget
The school board approved a resolution to ask voters to support a property millage (tax) increase of one mill starting in the 2011-12 fiscal year (a year from now). Florida lawmakers enabled school districts to put the choice to voters in their 2010 session. The millage referendum will be on the general election ballot this November. If approved, the millage increase will expire after four years.
Drastic funding reductions in recent years and the end of federal stimulus funding support next year will lead to a “funding cliff.” Approval of a one mill increase by voters will help preserve academic programs, retain highly qualified teachers, and protect arts, athletics, and student activities necessary to maintain high quality educational opportunities for students.
A one mill increase would cost the owner of a house valued at $150,000 with a $25,000 homestead exemption $125 per year or $10.42 a month. The millage/tax increase would restore an estimated $85 million a year to the Orange County Public Schools budget.
Changes regarding administrative personnel
Beginning with this School Board Meeting Highlights news release, you will find names of administrators who were introduced by Superintendent Blocker for their promotion or appointment. Tonight Superintendent Blocker introduced the following administrators:
- Rodney Bellamy, Assistant Principal, Wolf Lake Elementary School
- Robert Bonesteel, Assistant Principal, Evans High School
- Jeffery Davis, Assistant Principal, Evans High School
- Carletta Davis-Wilson, Assistant Principal, Shingle Creek Elementary School
- Jenifer Kuras, Assistant Principal, Jackson Middle School
- Nathaniel Stephens, Assistant Principal, Lakeview Middle School
- Christine Szymanski, Assistant Principal, Ocoee Middle School
- Matthew Arnold, Principal, Southwest Middle School
- Karen Furno, Principal, Chain of Lakes Middle School
- Johnny Nash, Principal, Meadowbrook Middle School
