School District of Palm Beach County, Florida meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Palm Beach County School Board to weigh $125K settlement, $3.3M contract at Aug. 19 meeting

The School Board of Palm Beach County held four meetings in the past week, but none resulted in final decisions, as all were agenda-only with minutes not yet published. The board is scheduled to take action on a range of items at its regular meeting on Aug. 19, including a workers' compensation settlement and a multi-million-dollar communications contract.

Recent meetings

Aug. 12 special meeting

The board reviewed school calendars for 2027-2028 and 2028-2029, a legal services contract with Christine B. Gardner, LLC, and a final order in a case involving First Student, Inc. (DOAH Case No. 26-2109BID). The agenda also included board member travel for Edwin Ferguson and personnel agenda approval.

Aug. 12 workshop

The board discussed updates to Policy 8.01 on student progression plans, a presentation on the General Counsel's annual evaluation, and a FY27 capital budget workshop.

Aug. 12 proclamation meeting

The board held a special meeting to issue a proclamation for Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day, along with routine items such as approving the agenda and public speakers.

Aug. 13 Construction Oversight Review Committee

The committee reviewed numerous construction change orders, including for West Community ES, Roosevelt ES Phase 2, and Forest Hill HS. It also considered guardhouse projects at seven high schools, an invitation to bid for Lake Worth MS ADA improvements, a geotechnical engineering consultant contract, and proposed changes to the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) contract.

Coming up

Aug. 17 Academic Advisory Committee

The committee will approve minutes from April 13, 2026, and receive an update from Chief Academic Officer Maria Bishop.

Aug. 19 Regular Board Meeting

The board will consider a consent agenda that includes:

• A workers' compensation settlement of $125,000 for claimant Mario Collazo Rosello.
• Three-day suspensions for employees Joseph Mayerchak and Reginald McKelvin.
• Renewal of a mobile communication services bid for $3,300,000.
• Award of a bid for Lake Worth Middle School ADA improvements to Cosugas, LLC.
• Approval of dual enrollment agreements with Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College.

The agenda also includes travel for board members, grants, and additional construction change orders. All items are subject to board approval at the meeting.

Palm Beach County school board adopts tentative $5.79B budget, millage rate

The School District of Palm Beach County Board on July 29 adopted a tentative $5,787,840,012 budget for fiscal year 2027 and set the proposed property tax levy at 6.2870 mills. The votes came during a public hearing that included reports from the Budget Advisory Committee and the district's chief financial officer. Minutes from the meeting have not yet been published, so final vote tallies are not available.

Budget and millage

The board approved resolutions adopting the tentative millage rate of 6.2870 mills and the total district budget of $5,787,840,012 for FY 2027. The millage rate is the amount of tax per $1,000 of assessed property value. The adopted figures are tentative; final approval typically follows a later public hearing.

Teacher salaries and charter schools

In a separate special meeting the same day, the board considered a consent agenda that included a Memorandum of Understanding with the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association for FY27 teacher salary increases. The agenda also included approval of charter school expansions: Renaissance Wellington Charter School would add grades 9-12, and Palm Beach Preparatory Charter Academy Middle School and High School would be combined under one MSID #3971. Also on the agenda was a Youth Development Grant Agreement (RFP #26-003) not to exceed $247,779, and an agreement with the Florida Department of Health for school health services running August 10, 2026 through May 28, 2027. As with the budget meeting, minutes have not yet been published, so the outcomes of these items are not confirmed.

Workshop on health policies and calendars

The board also held a workshop on July 29 to discuss student health and wellness policies, including threat management, severe incident assignment, zero tolerance, and automated external defibrillators (AED). The workshop also covered proposed school calendars for 2027-2028 and 2028-2029. These were discussion items only, not final votes.

Expulsions and proclamation

Two additional special meetings were held July 29. One considered expulsion recommendations for six students (identified as Students 25/26-X-036, 25/26-X-043, 25/26-X-042, 25/26-X-041, 25/26-X-040, and 25/26-X-044), each for one calendar year. The other was a special meeting to issue a posthumous proclamation for Samuel Bruce McDonald. No action details are available because minutes have not been published.

Coming up

• **Aug. 12 – Special Meeting:** The board will consider approval of 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 school calendars, a legal services contract with Christine B. Gardner, LLC, and adoption of a final order in First Student, Inc. v. SDPBC (DOAH Case No. 26-2109BID).
• **Aug. 12 – Special Meeting (Proclamations):** The board will issue a proclamation for Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day.
• **Aug. 12 – Workshop:** Discussion of Policy 8.01 on student progression plans, the General Counsel's annual evaluation, and the FY27 capital budget.
• **Aug. 13 – Construction Oversight Review Committee:** Review of construction change orders, guardhouse projects at multiple high schools, and proposed changes to the Construction Manager at Risk contract.
• **Aug. 17 – Academic Advisory Committee:** Approval of April 13, 2026 minutes and an update from Chief Academic Officer Maria Bishop.
• **Aug. 19 – Regular Board Meeting:** Consent agenda includes a $125,000 workers' compensation settlement for Mario Collazo Rosello, three-day suspensions for employees Joseph Mayerchak and Reginald McKelvin, a $3,300,000 mobile communication services bid renewal, a Lake Worth Middle School ADA improvements bid award to Cosugas, LLC, and dual enrollment agreements with Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College.