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Orange County Schools board meeting, Aug 17, 2026

3 h 20 min · 0 public speakers

Chronic absenteeism ▶ 2:34:34Enrollment ▶ 2:18:30

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 20 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Orange County board hears new elementary school plans and strategic plan final results 1:51:29

  • The board also took up the federal programs consolidated applications and the fiscal year '26-'27 final budget, which staff said totals $117.3 million in operating funds. 1:45:23
  • Staff gave a bond and capital planning update covering agreements with Orange County on annexation and land conveyance for a new elementary school, the school's schematic design and summer construction projects. 1:51:29
  • Staff reported final results for priorities 2, 3 and 4 of the district's strategic plan as the district moves into its new strategic plan, Engage Orange, and Sarah Smylie asked about some targets in the new data tracker. 2:22:58

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Item by item (11)
  1. Closed session and opening 7:01
    • Carrie Doyle called for a motion to enter closed session to consult with the board attorney and consider confidential personnel matters. 7:01
    • After the open session began, Carrie Doyle led the Pledge of Allegiance. 1:19:14
    • A speaker announced the board was in closed session. 7:38
  2. Recognitions 1:21:41
    • An elementary school principal said the school welcomed 430 students on the first day, July 15th. 1:21:55
    • A student services staff member said the 2nd annual Back-to-School Fair and Family Resource Expo drew more than 350 students and families and more than 40 community organizations. 1:23:44
    • A staff member said the district received the Certificate of Excellence for its fiscal year '24-'25 annual comprehensive financial report. 1:25:05
  3. Agenda adoption and public comment 1:25:47
    • Carrie Doyle called for a motion to adopt the agenda and noted a motion and a second. 1:25:47
    • Wendy Padilla said there were no public comments. ~1:26:07
  4. Board member comments 1:26:13
    • Lori Russell said these were their first board comments after being sworn in on July 13th. 1:26:18
    • Will Atherton said the FFA was named a 3-star recipient of a national chapter award for the first time in school history. 1:35:58
    • Wendy Padilla said it was an honor to serve as vice chair again this year. 1:36:51
  5. Superintendent comments 1:40:27
    • The superintendent said staff would present an update on goal completion as the district sunsets portions of the 2021⁠-⁠2026 strategic plan and transitions to Engage Orange. 1:42:49
  6. Consent agenda 1:44:25
    • Bonnie Hauser moved to approve the consent agenda with item 5 pulled and moved to right after. 1:45:08
    • Carrie Doyle noted the motion from Bonnie Hauser and a second from Will Atherton and called the vote. 1:45:17
  7. Federal programs consolidated applications 1:45:23
    • Bonnie Hauser said the district would lose about 12% of its federal grant funds, roughly $160,000, and asked where funding for Title programs was coming from. 1:45:42
    • A staff member said the federal programs director worked with schools to minimize spending, Title II and III went up and Title IV was down about 3%. 1:47:12
    • One board member said the funding summary document was very useful. 1:48:36
  8. Bond and capital planning update 1:49:23
    • A staff member said Orange County will provide an approximately 38-acre tract adjacent to Gravely Hill Middle at no cost for a new elementary school and is requesting a remainder property be conveyed within 90 days of the new school opening. 1:51:29
    • A staff member said there were 10 active construction projects this summer, including a Gravely Hill roof replacement that is approximately 50% done. 1:59:11
    • Lori Russell and Bonnie Hauser asked about Parcel B in the agreement, and a staff member said it is yet to be determined. 2:04:07
  9. Strategic plan final performance results 2:22:28
    • A staff member said the district did not meet its goal of 95% on-time bus arrivals but 100% of students were safe to and from school. 2:26:21
    • A staff member said the chronic absenteeism goal was not met, with a rate of 23.07%. 2:34:34
    • One board member asked staff to consider more ambitious targets for indoor air quality and chronic absenteeism in the new data tracker. 2:38:14
  10. Final budget for the fiscal year 3:10:54
    • A staff member said the operating budget totals $117.3 million and is based on 6,733 students as well as 1,157 charter students. 3:11:57
    • The staff member said the state budget included an average 8% increase for licensed staff and a 3% increase for classified staff, and the capital budget is approximately $74 million. 3:11:57
    • One board member said it was the first increase employees had in 2 years and called the increase disappointing. 3:18:29
  11. Adjournment 3:19:21
    • Carrie Doyle noted a second from Wendy Padilla on a motion to adjourn and called the vote. 3:19:27
    • Carrie Doyle declared the meeting adjourned. 3:19:27

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

What was said

What board members said, in order

First, thank you for pointing out to us— not happy about it, but thank you for pointing out that we will be losing probably about 12% of our federal grant funds, about roughly about $160,000.Bonnie Hauser · Board Member1:45:43
If I recall, one of the reasons our absentee rate went up was because of ICE, because ICE was in town and our Hispanic, the absentee rate of our Hispanic students went up. And we couldn't causally say that definitively, but it coincidentally worked that way.Bonnie Hauser · Board Member3:07:03
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Orange County Board of Education Regular Meeting - August 17, 2026”