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Pinellas School District board meeting, Sep 8, 2026

1 h 56 min

Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 1:37:53Enrollment ▶ 44:37Reading and test scores ▶ 35:35

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 1 h 56 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Pinellas school board adopts $1.76 billion budget and 6.273-mill tax rate 1:10:41

  • The board held its second public hearing on the 2026⁠-⁠27 millage rates and budget, where a presenter said the budget totals $1.76 billion and the millage rate remains unchanged at 6.273 mills. 1:26
  • Earlier, the board approved the 2026⁠-⁠29 district strategic plan 7 to 0 after a staff presentation on the plan's priorities and the prior plan's results. 34:34
  • Speakers at public comment raised noise from a new cooling system at Seminole High School and conditions in schools when air conditioning fails. 57:32
  • The board adopted the proposed 2026⁠-⁠27 budget as presented by a 7 to 0 vote. 1:36:16

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Item by item (15)
  1. Opening of the meeting 1:26
    • The chair called the meeting to order, said some board members were attending via Zoom and said the votes would reflect the 7 board members who are present. 1:26
    • The chair said the second public hearing on the 2026⁠-⁠27 millage rates and district budget would be held at a time certain of 6 o'clock PM. 1:26
  2. Volleyball program segment 5:58
    • The board viewed a segment on a new sport at Osceola Fundamental High as the district expands athletic opportunities for middle and high school students. 5:58
    • The chair said the segment showed the impact of the expansion of volleyball on schools and students. 7:56
  3. Community representatives and school presentation 7:56
    • A district staff member introduced representatives of community and professional organizations and a presentation from the Student Rights and Responsibility Committee from Boca Ciega High School. 8:21
    • Students presenting said the class of 2026 earned over $9 million in scholarships and described the school's academies, medical programs and arts results. 10:29
  4. Adoption of the agenda 15:57
    • A staff member said there were no changes to the agenda. ~16:19
    • The motion to adopt the agenda passed 7 to 0. 16:50
  5. Civic and heritage month proclamations 16:50
    • Katie Blaxberg read a proclamation designating September 2026 as American Founders Month, with Constitution Day on September 17th and Celebrate Freedom Week the last full week of September. 19:44
    • A district staff member introduced a proclamation recognizing September 15th through October 15th, 2026 as Hispanic Heritage Month and said approximately 22% of the district's students and families are Hispanic. 22:09
    • Both proclamations passed 7 to 0. 21:24
  6. Public comment on agenda items 25:59
    • A speaker at public comment addressed items 7.11, 7.12 and 8.2, raising the cost of work on the administration building, HVAC replacement at Highland Lakes Elementary School and the strategic plan's fiscal responsibility priority. 27:30
  7. Consent agenda 30:41
    • The chair said there was no unfinished business and called for a motion to approve the consent agenda. 30:41
    • The consent agenda passed 7 to 0. 31:12
  8. Career readiness workshop agreement 31:12
    • The agreement with CareerSource of Tampa Bay is for a My Journey Career Success Workshops pilot program for 11th and 12th grade students at educational alternative sites. 32:03
    • The agreement provides up to 4 My Journey workshops at each site, to be held from approval through January 2027. 32:03
    • The agreement passed 7 to 0. 34:28
  9. District strategic plan 34:34
    • The director of strategic planning and policy said the district earned an A rating, ranks 14th in the state, improved 3rd grade reading proficiency to 70% and reached a 93.4% graduation rate. 34:55
    • The director said the new plan keeps 6 strategic priorities with 14 objectives and drew on more than 450 pieces of feedback. 35:35
    • One board member said the plan and its numbers are available online and said it is a good plan, and another board member thanked staff for the work. 41:56
    • The strategic plan passed 7 to 0. 44:21
  10. Superintendent's report 44:37
    • The superintendent said 4,100 kindergartners enrolled in traditional schools at the 10-day count and that a workshop on Planning for Progress would be held Thursday. 44:37
    • The superintendent said the state notified districts that the grading scale will not change, so the district's scale remains at 65% for an A. 47:01
  11. Board member reports 52:20
    • Laura Hine said a Florida School Board Association board meeting on August 27th and 28th included a presentation on Amendment 3, the property tax amendment. 52:27
    • Laura Hine said the state had 73% A and B schools in 2018⁠-⁠19 and 76% this past school year, with 30 D or F schools. 53:32
  12. Public comment on school cooling noise 55:54
    • Speakers at public comment said a new cooling system at Seminole High School produces noise 24/7. 57:32
    • One speaker requested that the district install sound-reducing measures around the equipment. 57:54
  13. Public hearing on millage rates 1:03:39
    • The chief financial officer said the budget totals $1.76 billion, the millage rate remains unchanged at 6.273 mills and property taxes are expected to rise by approximately $16.4 million, primarily from tax roll growth. 1:09:19
    • A budget staff member said the proposed millage is less than the rollback rate of 6.2759 mills. 1:14:03
    • A speaker at public comment said people are still paying more and the money is being squandered. 1:19:46
    • The discretionary millage of 0.748 mills passed 7 to 0, and the total millage rate of 6.2730 mills, moved by Katie Blaxberg, passed 7 to 0. 1:23:24
  14. Final 2026-27 budget 1:25:39
    • A budget staff member said the general fund accounts for approximately 63% of the budget, or about $1.1 billion, and the capital outlay fund is roughly $386 million. 1:27:06
    • One board member said Florida fell from 24th to 50th in teacher pay and said, "I for one certainly advocate for stronger funding of our public schools." 1:39:45
    • The budget, moved by Laura Hine, passed 7 to 0, and the resolution determining revenues and millages, moved by Lisa N. Cane, passed 7 to 0. 1:36:11
  15. General public comment 1:44:29
    • A speaker at public comment asked the district to reconsider procedures when air conditioning fails in a whole building and suggested central office staff substitute teach to save money. 1:44:48
    • Another speaker asked the board to remember support staff facing rising costs, including healthcare expenses. 1:49:42

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 “Pinellas County School Board Meeting September 8, 2026”