Marion school officials lay out 2025 legislative priorities


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Posted January 16, 2025 | By Caroline Brauchler
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The Marion County School Board has asked the Florida Legislature to prioritize several educational and facility issues in the upcoming 2025 legislative session, which begins March 4.

The board urges the legislators to prioritize the following issues:

Attendance and absenteeism

Give flexibility to local school districts by amending 1003.26(1)(b), which would eliminate the 90-day period requirement, allowing school districts to initiate chronic absenteeism strategies immediately upon the 10th student absence. 

As of 2024, 25% of Marion County students are chronically absent, over 7% are nearly chronic and 17% are trending chronic. Statewide, 31% of students were chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year.

A student who is chronically absent misses 10% or more of the academic year, including excused and unexcused absences, suspensions and other time missed. This figure is based off a typical 180-day school year, according to AttendanceWorks.org

In the 2023-24 school year, Marion County Public Schools had 32 truancy cases, compared to 20 in the previous school year.

School safety

Increase the FEFP (Florida Education Finance Program) Safe Schools Allocation to include additional funding for school safety initiatives (including after school activities) and school safety officers.

Across all schools, MCPS currently has 41 Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies who work as School Resource Officers (SROs) to monitor and protect schools. The district also has contracts with the Ocala Police Department and the Belleview Police Department to station law enforcement at every school in the district.

Every SRO is stationed at their respective schools during class hours only, unless requested and paid to be present after school by a principal.

In May 2024, concerns were raised over the lack of SROs present at after-school events after a shooting took place in the parking lot of North Marion Middle School during an evening awards ceremony.

Mental health

Increase the FEFP mental health allocation and provide flexibility to school districts for recruitment and retention efforts of school social workers and guidance counselors. Create high school career pathway for mental health certifications and programming.

In the 2022-23, Marion County’s rate of licensed mental health professionals was drastically lower than the state average, according to data from Florida Health.

Marion County has about 45 licensed mental health counselors per 100,000 people in the population, while the statewide average is about 65 per every 100,000.

[Florida Health]

Funding for Gifted Education

Allocate specific funding to meet the needs of students with Gifted Education Plans.

The statewide model for funding gifted education is combined with funding for Exceptional Student Education (ESE), which provides programs for students with disabilities. MCPS seeks to provide specific funding for students who have been classified as gifted.

Across MCPS, universal gifted screening is conducted in the second grade. In the 2023-24 school year, 3,289 students were screened, with 121 students referred for further evaluation.

In the state of Florida, a gifted education plan includes a statement of the student’s present levels of educational performance, including the student’s strengths and interests, needs beyond the general curriculum, results of the student’s performance on state and district assessments, and evaluation results. This allows teachers and students to establish goals and objectives for gifted students to work toward.

Funding for growing school districts
Correct capital funding disparities by calculating increased capital outlay FTE for districts with three years of growing enrollment.

Currently, the statewide standard for appropriating Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds is for school districts lacking sufficient resources to meet urgent construction needs. The proposed projects must be deemed a critical need recommended for funding by the Special Facility Construction Committee. The school districts must adopt a resolution committing the value of three years of available local capital outlay revenue to the project.

MCPS urged the Legislature to adjust appropriations by calculating the increase in a school district’s continued growth over three years of the enrollment of full-time students. While the school district has enacted measures to generate revenue locally, it still has a shortfall of funding compared to the district’s need for new construction.

In the 2024 general election, Marion County voters approved the school district’s request for a half-cent sales tax increase. The increased revenue will be used to fund school facility construction and capital projects.

Due to the county’s population growth, school district staff has recommended five new schools and nine new wings to existing schools be constructed over the next 15 years. The cost for this new construction, in addition to necessary maintenance and renovations to other schools, is estimated to be about $1.8 billion, and the district is $1 billion short.

The school half-cent sales tax has been a revenue generator for the district in the past, from January 2005 through December 2009. Levying the tax generated over $111 million in revenue and helped to fund the construction of four schools: Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, Legacy Elementary School, Liberty Middle School and Marion Oaks Elementary School, according to MCPS.

The Marion County Board of County Commissioners in 2024 approved the school district’s request to reinstate impact fees, which require home builders to pay one-time fees to help offset the cost of student population growth across MCPS.

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