Hillsborough School District board meeting, Sep 15, 2026
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What happened
What happened at this meeting
Hillsborough school board adopts 2026-27 millage rates and $4.2 billion budget 1:19:49
- Earlier, the board unanimously approved naming the new Hillsboro High School stadium after the school's football coach. 40:53
- At the final public hearing on millage rates and the budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, a district staff member recommended adopting proposed millage rates totaling 6.3340 mills, and the chair announced that the motion passed. 53:01
- Board members then approved a $4.2 billion budget and unanimously approved the resolutions adopting the millage rates and budget. 1:19:49
- Late in the meeting, the board passed a motion by Nadia Combs to have staff bring back a proposed resolution on how the superintendent is selected. 2:08:04
Item by item (15)
- Opening and student performances 1:26
- Karen Perez called the meeting to order. 1:26
- Students from Crestwood Elementary School's dual language program led the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Spanish in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. 1:53
- Nadia Combs thanked Plant High School's Chamber Orchestra, and the orchestra director said portions of its performance will be performed at Chicago Symphony Hall in March 2027. 3:09
- Agenda and minutes 9:44
- Hispanic Heritage Month recognition 11:57
- A speaker read a recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed September 15th through October 15th, with a 2026 national theme of Unidos Somos Más, Together We Are More. 11:57
- Public comment 18:06
- Several speakers at public comment read passages from books they said were in district school libraries and asked the board to remove such books. 18:06
- A speaker at public comment said the 2026-27 budget projects expenses to exceed revenue and capital reimbursements by $28 million, reducing the unassigned general fund reserve to 3%. 25:32
- Other speakers asked the board to reevaluate a recent middle school naming decision and proposed having students plant trees across the county. 27:21
- Consent agenda 39:22
- Naming of high school stadium 39:22
- The principal of Hillsboro High School said the coach recently reached 300 victories and that more than 155 student athletes earned college scholarships under the coach. 40:40
- Karen Perez said Member Rendon made the motion and Member Washington seconded it. 44:12
- Nadia Combs and Lynn Gray thanked the coach for work with students. 44:29
- Karen Perez announced the item passed unanimously. 49:14
- Final public hearing on millage rates 53:01
- The chief financial officer presented the millage proposal. 59:47
- The proposed total millage rate was 6.3340 mills, compared with 6.34 last year, a decrease of 0.09%. 1:00:27
- A speaker at public comment said money was being collected and squandered. 1:12:03
- Karen Perez announced the millage rates passed. 1:13:38
- Final public hearing on budget 1:14:13
- A staff member presented a $4.2 billion budget with a general fund estimated at $2.5 billion and said $49 million was added to the general fund to support healthcare. 1:14:13
- Jessica Vaughn asked that the budget explanation be sent to all employees, and a staff member said an email with the final budget presentation would go to all employees. 1:27:04
- Jessica Vaughn asked whether reductions in Title I and IDEA funds were built into the budget, and a staff member said the district had not heard anything to confirm the funding. 1:40:23
- Karen Perez announced the budget passed. 1:51:58
- Budget resolutions and state compliance 1:52:19
- A staff member recommended that the board approve resolutions adopting the millage rates and budget and authorize staff to comply with Truth in Millage requirements in Florida Statute Chapter 200. 1:52:19
- Karen Perez announced that both the resolutions and the compliance authorization passed unanimously. 1:52:42
- Employee and student input 1:53:39
- Karen Perez said 30 minutes were set aside for employees to speak to the board. 1:55:34
- Superintendent update 1:58:15
- The superintendent said 70 students were named semifinalists for the 2027 National Merit Scholarship. 1:58:23
- The superintendent said a tentative compensation agreement for instructional personnel was reached September 11th and still must be ratified by employees and approved by the board. 1:59:30
- The superintendent said annual benefits enrollment runs September 15th to 24th. 2:00:53
- Question on renaming a school 2:03:13
- Nadia Combs announced a Harvest Moon Festival on September 19th at Alonzo High School. 2:03:13
- Nadia Combs asked about the policy and timeline for renaming Monroe, and a staff member said renaming follows policy 7250 and requires community involvement and a vote. 2:03:42
- A staff member said the board would be gauged on starting the renaming process and the matter would come up at the next board meeting. 2:06:00
- Motion on superintendent selection resolution 2:06:19
- Nadia Combs moved that staff bring back at the next regular meeting a proposed resolution supporting the current system in which the superintendent is selected, evaluated and held accountable by the school board. 2:06:19
- A staff member said the board could not discuss the substance of the motion that night, only whether to bring it back. 2:08:27
- Jessica Vaughn asked a staff member to explain the difference between a proclamation and a resolution. 2:09:50
- The motion passed with dissenting votes recorded, and a staff member said the superintendent will prepare a resolution for the next board meeting. 2:11:46
- Board member comments 2:12:57
- Lynn Gray said the district's current policy 2130 does not include specific guardrails for artificial intelligence use in classrooms and that Lynn Gray would submit policy language for discussion at the next workshop. 2:12:57
- Lynn Gray invited board members to a listening forum at Jefferson High School. 2:17:33
- Closing remarks and adjournment 2:18:12
- A speaker noted Start with Hello Week runs September 21st through the 26th and then adjourned the meeting. 2:18:12
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
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Video: posted by the district as “School Board Meeting September 15, 2026”