November 15, 2023
November 15, 2023, Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Meeting
Committee Members Present:
Committee members present: Allison Busuttil, Lynette Clinch, Lawrence Dennis, Dawn Emerick, Wanda Ford, Donald Green, Heather Guzzino, Amy Henderson, Hank Rogers, Monique Tookes, Joshua Trent, Sarah Troup, Anita Vining, Chris Wood.
Call Meeting to Order
Chair Green called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m.
Recognition and welcome were given to the committee.
Chair Green announced there is a quorum and completed a roll call for the meeting.
Chairman, Dr. Green provided an update regarding his presentation at the School Board meeting on November 7, 2023, and reviewed the committee meeting schedule. Dr. Green proposed that the committee consider using the January 17, 2024, interim meeting date for the committee to meet and open the floor for discussion regarding the interim meeting date.
Approval of the November 15, 2023, Agenda
Chairman, Dr. Green, made the following recommendation to the committee:
Motion:
That the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Approve the Meeting Agenda.
Vote Results:
Motion: Allison Busuttil
Second: Anita Vining
Passed
Approval of Minutes: September 20, 2023
Chairman, Dr. Green, made the following recommendation to the committee:
Motion:
That the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee accept and approve the May 17, 2023, Regular Meeting Minutes.
Vote Results:
Motion: Allison Busuttil
Second: Joshua Trent
Passed
Public Comment
The following individuals spoke during public comment:
Susan Aertker gave public comment regarding the public-facing charter school dashboard on the district website, engaging state legislators regarding the impacts of legislative changes, and concerns with transparency to the public regarding taxpayer dollars for the half-penny sales tax.
Marion Tischler – gave public comment regarding capital outlay for Charter Schools and eligibility and addressed legislative changes and the importance of communicating with state legislators regarding the impacts on the school district.
Items to be Discussed
Operations Update
Director of Strategic Planning, Ashley Barr, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Erika Harding, and Executive Director, Byron Page, gave a PowerPoint presentation: Sales Surtax Oversight Committee – DCPS Overview & November 2023 Briefing.
Director of Strategic Planning, Ashley Barr’s Discussion Included: Achieve 2026 goals and guiding principles, overview of the Master Facility Plan’s (MFP) project features, and the Sales-Surtax project dashboards.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Erika Harding, and Executive Director, Byron Page’s Discussion included: Opportunities for contractors, Market Climate (interest rates, unemployment status, architectural billings, and inflation stability measures), MFP Funds (Costs, New Revenue and Cost Reductions), Funding Metrics, Schools That Serve as Shelters, Quarterly Reporting Overview, District Dashboard Overview, Project Updates: projects started, upcoming projects opportunities, and next steps.
The following committee members asked questions to Ashley Barr, Erika Harding, and Byron Page about the Maser Facility Plan (MFP) regarding MFP costs, bonded funds, and grants applied to cover project costs, what programs are impacted by grants and reallocation of funds, the yearly targets and projections of funds in the MFP, the Districts plans for managing grant opportunities, athletic and facility lighting, and schools identified within the MFP as shelters by the City of Jacksonville:
Allison Busuttil, Dawn Emerick, Wanda Ford, Chris Wood, Sara Troup, Dr. Green, Hank Rogers, and Monique Tookes
Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Erika Harding, and Executive Director, Byron Page, addressed all questions from each committee member addressing project funds and allocations from specific millage rates, current grants, and project consolidation methods within the MFP to create cost-effectiveness. They also explained the state grants/funding procedures and what “On Budget” reflects in terms of the Duval County School Board’s decisions on MFP Project Milestones.
Finance Update
Executive Director of Finance, Anthony Cobb gave a PowerPoint Presentation: Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Financial Services & Charter Schools Presentation.
Discussion included: Sales Surtax Funding Overview for 2021, 2022 and 2023, True-up Explanations, Charter School Qualification and Reporting for the 2nd Quarter.
The following committee members asked questions to Executive Director of Finance, Anthony Cobb, Director of Strategic Planning, Ashley Barr, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Erika Harding, DCPS Chief Legal Counsel, Ray Poole, and Director of Charter Schools, Eugene Hays, regarding Charter Schools and Traditional Schools requirements as outlined by the Department of Education, impacts of legislative changes when it comes to the MFP (Phase III Project Funding), True-up payments to Charter Schools, plans to prevent funding exhaustion before completion of the MFP project, an explanation/overview of changes made to legislation that impacts DCPS and the School Board’s agenda to acknowledge and navigate the legislative implications within the District:
Hank Rogers, Allison Busuttil, Joshua Trent, Chris Wood, Anita Vining, Dawn Emerick, Lawrence Dennis, Amy Henderson, Sara Troup, Monique Tookes, and Wanda Ford.
Anthony Cobb, Ashley Barr, Erika Harding, Ray Poole, and Eugene Hays addressed all questions from each committee member addressing the Financial Report Overview, what happens to funds that are retroactive and the disbursement requirements, and the Districts' efforts to engage charter schools and collect reports while remaining compliant with rules outlined in statute by the Department of Education.
The committee made the following requests to the district that included accurate reporting on the District Dashboard on the Duval County Public Schools Half-Penny website, legislative impact reporting keeping the committee informed, presentations at future meetings to capture legislative effects on MFP Projects and the District, and an updated list of the charter schools that are eligible for receiving sales-surtax dollars, and revisiting helpful charter school information previously provided to the committee to support new members understanding of charter school reporting.
Approval of adding the January 17, 2024 Interim Meeting to the committee’s calendar
Chairman, Dr. Green, made the following motion to the committee:
Motion:
That the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee approve adding the interim meeting date, January 17, 2024, to the Meeting Calendar.
Vote Results:
Motion: Monique Tookes
Second: Anita Vining
Passed
The committee also requested that the Duval County School Board and Superintendent, Dr. Kriznar, and Director of Governmental Relations, Kortney Wesley, be in attendance at the January 17, 2024, Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Meeting if possible.
Approval of Minutes
Will take place at the next meeting on January 17, 2024
Next Meeting
Next meeting will be held on January 17, 2024, at 10:00a.m., at the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership.
Adjournment
Chair Green made the following motion to the committee:
Motion:
To adjourn the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Meeting.
Vote Results:
Motion: Joshua Trent
Second: Lynette Clinch
Passed
The meeting was adjourned at 12:03 p.m.
Minutes were taken by Megan Mihalik, Coordinator, Strategic Planning
These minutes were approved at the January 17, 2024, Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Interim Meeting.
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