Danny Federico
The Suwannee County School District received positive results from a recent Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) audit, approved salary increases for several employee groups and moved forward with a pilot program aimed at addressing chronic absenteeism during the Suwannee County School Board’s Tuesday, Aug. 25, meeting.
The meeting opened with a presentation highlighting Suwannee Springcrest Elementary’s student news program, the Springcrest Scoop.
Former Scoop member Brielle Dukes spoke about how participating in the program helps students build communication, teamwork, responsibility, creativity, confidence, problem-solving and leadership skills.
Brielle Dukes, a former member of the Springcrest Scoop, spoke about how participation in the news program helps students build important skills.
“You don’t have to know everything when you start,” Dukes said. “You just have to be willing to learn, lead and grow. But most importantly, you have to be willing to be yourself, because there’s a place for everyone to lead.”
The meeting also marked the first appearance of this year’s two student ambassadors: Ayden Humphries of Branford High School and Isabella Washington of Suwannee High School.
Humphries currently serves as Branford’s student body president and Future Farmers of America president. He also participates in cross country, soccer, track, Beta Club, the National Honor Society and Interact.
Washington participates in Beta Club, the National Honor Society, Key Club and Leo Club and is also involved in cheerleading, basketball and flag football.
After approving the consent agenda, board members reviewed four new contracts, including an agreement with SchoolStatus LLC, which will be used for a chronic absenteeism pilot at Suwannee High School and Branford High School.
Superintendent Ronnie Gray said SchoolStatus will use attendance data to contact individual students’ guardians to address absenteeism. The company will also provide information back to the district to assist with continued intervention.
He added that the goal is to test the program at Branford High School and Suwannee High School first and evaluate its impact before considering further use throughout the district. The cost was approximately $10,000 for the two schools.
Board members also unanimously approved the district’s negotiated salary schedule and collective bargaining items for the 2026-27 school year.
Isabella Washington, the student ambassador for Suwannee High School, introduced herself during the school board meeting.
In a separate vote, board members unanimously approved a 2% salary increase, which went into effect on July 1, for confidential, secretarial and other office personnel, as well as administrators and district-level coordinators.
During Superintendent Gray’s report, he told board members the district completed an OPPAGA audit examining how the district manages its existing funds as it moves forward with a tax referendum process. According to Gray, auditors told him at the exit meeting that the results were “as good as we’ve ever seen.”
“There was not one single area that did not meet expectations,” he said.
He also quoted the auditors as saying, “You are doing more with less in the Suwannee County School District than we’ve seen anywhere in the state, and you actually need more staff to accomplish your mission.”
Gray said the outside review was intended to examine how the district manages its money and identify potential problems.
“This is an outside organization that comes in looking for mismanagement of dollars,” he said. “To say that everything met expectations … is really good.”
He said completion of the audit allows the district to move forward with the referendum process.
Workforce development also became a lengthy topic during the superintendent’s report.
Gray and Clay Tomlinson, career and technical education director and principal of RIVEROAK Technical College, discussed Suwannee County’s designation as a Space Florida school district and how local career and technical education programs can help prepare students for jobs connected to the aerospace industry.
Ayden Humphries, the student ambassador for Branford High School, provided updates on the Buccaneers’ sports teams.
Tomlinson explained that career opportunities in the space industry extend beyond scientists and engineers.
“Everybody thinks in the space industry you have to be a rocket scientist,” he said. “That is certainly not the case.”
Tomlinson said some of the district’s career and technical programs align with workforce needs in the aerospace industry and can expose students to career pathways they may not otherwise consider.
The discussion also focused on how workforce training could help attract employers to the area by creating a pipeline of trained workers. Gray pointed to shortages in skilled trades, saying large employers need workers who can perform construction, electrical, plumbing and other technical work.
“It’s become a very serious problem,” Gray said. “So it’s something that we want to get behind, and it is something that I strongly support.”
Following a few final comments from the school board members, the meeting was adjourned.
The next regular meeting of the Suwannee County School Board will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the school district administration building, located at 1740 Ohio Ave. S., in Live Oak.
Discover more from Riverbend News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.