School Board Workshop: October 13, 2026

The School District of Lee County school board workshop on October 13, 2026, covered school safety, construction, academics, enrollment-based budgeting, and policy briefings. The August 2026 construction change order report showed zero direct material purchases and zero change orders, alongside four contingency adjustments. The largest was a $2 million transfer of project buyout savings into shared contingency for unforeseen or additional project needs; other work included electrical repairs at Littleton and site improvements. Staff confirmed the Alba High School project remained within its approved budget. For school safety improvements, staff said the district seeks state appropriations and grants, rather than school-level budgets, to fund items such as lighting, window treatments, and exterior door replacements; security coverage for after-school events may include contracted officer details. No procurement award or spending vote was reported.

The budget presentation reported that day-14 enrollment was about 1,200 students below the district projection, leading to approximately $11 million in school allocation adjustments, with $1.7 million in bridge funding returned to schools. Officials projected an $18.5 million funding decrease across the day-14 and October FTE periods and described a districtwide expenditure-reduction effort: about $1.8 million had already been included in the approved FY27 budget, approximately $4.7 million in reductions were underway, and a further $20.9 million was being pursued, for a stated total target of roughly $25.6 million. The board also received first readings of policy revisions and a student athletics and activities eligibility addendum; these were to be published for a 28-day public review period and returned for later consideration, with no adoption vote taken at this workshop.