Board unanimously passes consent items; considers future professional development changes for teachers
The Flagler County School Board held both a 1 p.m. workshop and a 6 p.m. regular meeting on December 16, 2025, covering topics ranging from school start time survey results to January proclamations recognizing mentoring, stalking awareness, and human trafficking prevention. All consent items on the evening agenda passed unanimously.
School Start Times Survey Results
Staff presented results from a stakeholder survey on school start times that received approximately 2,000 responses, with the majority coming from parents and guardians. The survey was conducted in response to House Bill 733, which originally required middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. before being amended to allow local decision-making.
The most decisive finding involved combining students from different grade levels on buses. Over 40 percent of both employees and parents indicated a preference that students ride only with others in their grade band. When asked about specific grade combinations, approximately 70 percent of employees and 67-68 percent of parents opposed combining elementary students with high school students on bus routes.
Additional survey results showed employees agreed that changing start times would be disruptive for pickup and drop-off, extracurricular activities, transportation, and could cause families to incur additional childcare costs.
Board member Lauren Ramirez acknowledged the science supporting later start times while recognizing practical limitations. “I truly believe in the science of more sleep,” Ramirez said. “But the way Flagler County is set up, at least now, like our infrastructure and then the safety, you have to think of safety as always going to be number one.”
Superintendent LaShakia Moore noted the community has consistently opposed swapping start times to have elementary students begin earlier. “This is not a new discussion for our community,” Moore said. “Our community has voiced over the years that there is no desire at this time to switch to have elementary starting earlier.”
Staff indicated they would prepare the required report for the Florida Department of Education based on the survey feedback.
Professional Development Discussion
Board members discussed exploring early release days for professional development in future school calendars. The Vice Chair expressed concern about the current system, where weekly Professional Learning Community meetings take away from teachers’ planning time needed for grading, returning parent calls, and emails.
“If we really want to move the needle on many of our school improvement plans, it comes down to professional learning and instruction,” she said. She requested that staff explore options for the 2027-28 calendar that would provide dedicated professional learning time separate from required planning time.
Ramirez suggested surveying teachers about their needs and examining what other districts have implemented, noting some districts use weekly one-hour early releases on specific days.
Superintendent Moore emphasized the need for clear definitions of how early release time would be used, whether for professional learning, professional learning communities, or teacher work time. She also noted that any changes would need to consider impacts on support staff, transportation workers, and paraprofessionals, not just classroom teachers.
January Proclamations
The evening meeting featured several proclamations recognizing January observances.
Remy Battles, a Take Stock in Children student, read the National Mentoring Month proclamation alongside her mentor Mariotta Johnson. Battles was recognized as one of only four students statewide to receive the 2025 Leaders for Life award, which provides a $40,000 scholarship beyond tuition, along with leadership training opportunities.
Teresa Rizzo from the Flagler Education Foundation noted that the Take Stock in Children program, which began in the early 1990s with six to eight students, has grown to over 90 students and maintains a 100 percent graduation rate.
The board also recognized January as National Stalking Awareness Month and National Human Trafficking Awareness Month through proclamations read by staff members.
Dr. Kim Holiday presented a proclamation recognizing December 2nd as National Special Education Day, marking the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The district currently provides special education services to 2,448 individuals from newborns through age 22.
Legislative Updates
Board members shared updates on state and federal legislative matters. Ramirez reported on the governor’s proposed budget, which includes $30.6 billion for Florida K-12 public schools, with $300 million potentially dedicated to safe schools funding and $190 million for student mental health support.
Another member noted concerns about House Bill 209, which proposes property tax relief that could impact school district funding if passed without mitigation measures.
Ramirez highlighted the Secure Rural Schools Program, which could bring $1.5 to $2.5 million in federal funding to Flagler County. Board members plan to meet with Representatives Sam Greco and Tom Leak during the Florida School Board Association’s Day in the Legislature on January 28-29.
It was also noted that House Bill 299, a large-scale development preemption proposal that could allow automatic approvals for developments over 10,000 acres, potentially impacting the district’s ability to plan for school capacity and transportation.
Board Member Requests
The staff were requested to examine the pay structure for adjunct faculty at Flagler Technical College, noting that the current $17 per hour rate means some apprentice students earn more per hour than their educators.
A parent, Jeffrey Franklin, spoke during public comment, expressing concern about recent bus service disruptions and requesting that parents be given the option to decline having their students participate in visits by elected officials to schools.
Student Board Member Reports
Student board members Olivia Delgado from Flagler Palm Coast High School and Ava Molden from Matanzas High School reported on achievements at their schools. Highlights included FPC’s cheer teams earning bids to nationals for the first time in school history, boys wrestling going undefeated at 5-0, and six weightlifting athletes winning national titles and breaking 21 state records at the American Open National Competition.
Matanzas activities included the Key Club’s Breakfast with Santa event, holiday performances, and SGA caroling at a local residential facility.
Consent Items Approved
The board approved minutes from previous meetings on a motion, seconded by Mr. Furry. Finance consent items 7.01 through 7.09 passed 4-0 on a motion by Mr. Furry, seconded by Miss Ramirez. Academic services consent items 9.01 through 9.02 passed unanimously on a motion by Miss Ramirez, seconded by Mr. Furry. Human resource services item 10.01 passed 4-0 on a motion by Mr. Furry, seconded by Miss Ramirez. School Board Policy 6550 regarding travel expenses passed 4-0 on a motion, seconded by Miss Ramirez.
Closing Remarks
Superintendent Moore reminded students to focus on completing work before the winter break and acknowledged administrators of the year, noting Miss Abberay as assistant principal of the year and Mr. Bobby Bosterette as principal of the year.
Moore also reminded the community that support is available during the holiday break for those struggling. “This is a great time of year, but it’s also a very hard time of year,” Moore said. “We want our families, our faculty, our staff, our students to know that you’re not alone and that we’re here.”
Board members wished the community happy holidays and noted the next meeting would be in January, following the winter break.
