The July 27, 2026 meeting centers on the district's annual budget adoption process and preparation for the upcoming school year. The board is scheduled to hold required public hearings on the proposed 2026-2027 tentative millage rate and tentative operating budget before taking formal action to adopt both measures. The tentative district budget totals $38,383,502 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, while the proposed total property tax rate is 5.164 mills, approximately 3.87% above the rolled-back rate.
Alongside the budget hearing, the agenda includes several operational items that will directly affect students and schools, including adoption of the 2026-2027 Code of Student Conduct, approval of the district's Mental Health Assistance Plan, approval of the annual evidence-based reading plan, renewal of the School Resource Officer agreement with the Holmes County Sheriff's Office, speech-language service contracts, and multiple personnel recommendations.
The packet reflects the district's continued emphasis on student safety, behavioral health, academic intervention, and staffing before the start of the new school year. Several teacher and paraprofessional positions are scheduled to be filled effective in early August, while additional Title I liaison positions are proposed to strengthen federally funded student support services.
Residents are also likely to be interested in the district's investments in school security, mental health services, literacy initiatives, and instructional staffing, as these represent ongoing operational priorities that directly affect students, families, employees, and taxpayers.
Major Discussion and Action Items
Tentative Millage Rate and Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget
The primary purpose of the meeting is the required public hearing on the proposed property tax millage and tentative district budget. After staff presentations and opportunities for public comment, the board is scheduled to vote separately on the tentative millage rates and the tentative operating budget.
The proposed budget totals $38,383,502 for the fiscal year running from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The proposed total tax levy is 5.164 mills, consisting of Required Local Effort, Prior Period Funding Adjustment, Discretionary Operating, and Capital Outlay millage.
School Resource Officer Contract
The board is asked to approve a new annual contract with the Holmes County Sheriff's Office for professional law enforcement services beginning August 1, 2026.
The agreement provides for eight School Resource Officers assigned throughout district schools. Officers provide campus security, emergency response, threat assessment participation, safety drill support, student mentoring, drug awareness education, law-related instruction, crime prevention activities, and school board meeting security.
The contract establishes annual compensation of $390,730 along with hourly and event-based reimbursement rates for additional security services.
Mental Health Assistance Plan
The district's 2026-2027 Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plan outlines how state funding will support school-based behavioral health services.
The plan emphasizes:
- Early identification of students needing assistance.
- Multi-tiered intervention systems.
- Expanded counseling access.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
- Resiliency education.
- Coordination with community mental health providers.
- Threat assessment support.
- Required timelines for screenings and referrals.
The application must be submitted to the Florida Department of Education by August 1, 2026.
Student Code of Conduct
The board is scheduled to adopt the updated 2026-2027 Code of Student Conduct before the new school year.
The document covers student discipline, attendance, school safety, transportation, technology use, bullying, health requirements, extracurricular eligibility, grading policies, graduation requirements, student rights, search procedures, FERPA notifications, and school calendar information.
The code also reflects current Florida statutory requirements regarding student safety, moments of silence, resiliency instruction, technology use, and student discipline.
District Reading Plan
Board approval is requested for the 2026-2027 District Comprehensive Evidence-Based Reading Plan.
Although the packet contains limited narrative describing the plan itself, annual approval is required for the district's literacy programming and compliance with state reading requirements.
Student Support Service Agreements
Several agreements supporting instructional and student services are scheduled for approval, including:
- First-year extension of the Speech and Language Pathologist Services contract with GHR.
- FSU MDC Cooperative Agreement.
- Mental Health Assistance Plan implementation.
Together these items support specialized instructional services for students with identified educational or behavioral needs.
Personnel and Staffing
The agenda includes numerous hiring recommendations in advance of the school year.
Recommended hires include classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, and specialized instructional staff serving Bonifay K-8, Holmes County High School, Ponce de Leon Elementary, Ponce de Leon High School, and Poplar Springs School.
The district is also proposing to advertise six Title I Liaison positions, each carrying a $2,500 stipend funded through Title I Part A grant funding.
Financial Matters
The tentative fiscal year 2026-2027 budget totals $38,383,502.
The tentative millage proposal includes:
- Required Local Effort: 2.913 mills
- Prior Period Funding Adjustment: 0.003 mills
- Discretionary Operating: 0.748 mills
- Capital Outlay: 1.500 mills
- Total Millage: 5.164 mills
The total levy is approximately 3.87% above the rolled-back rate.
Other notable financial matters include:
- Annual School Resource Officer contract valued at $390,730.
- Six proposed Title I Liaison stipends funded through federal Title I grants at $2,500 each.
- Mental Health Assistance Allocation resources totaling $493,192.40, consisting of:
- $261,427 current allocation.
- $231,765.40 in previously unspent MHAA funding.
Routine finance reports also include district check registers, wire transfers, vendor payments, and consent agenda financial transactions supporting district operations.
Policies, Ordinances, Resolutions, and Governance
The board is expected to adopt formal resolutions approving both the tentative millage rates and the tentative budget.
Additional governance actions include:
- Adoption of the 2026-2027 Code of Student Conduct.
- Appointment of a board member and alternate to the 2026 Value Adjustment Board.
- Approval of the Mental Health Assistance Plan.
- Approval of the District Comprehensive Evidence-Based Reading Plan.
- Approval of annual contracts supporting student services and school safety.
Several informational presentations accompany action items.
District administrators will present the proposed tentative millage and tentative budget before required public hearings.
The board also receives an informational update regarding the Summer Meals program.
The Mental Health Assistance Plan provides a detailed overview of district behavioral health programming, including evidence-based interventions, screening procedures, referral timelines, staffing plans, community partnerships, and planned expenditures.
Personnel, Appointments, and Organizational Matters
Personnel recommendations include hiring teachers at Bonifay K-8, Holmes County High School, and Ponce de Leon Elementary.
Additional recommendations include:
- Hiring paraprofessionals for Ponce de Leon Elementary, Ponce de Leon High School, and Poplar Springs School.
- Acceptance of teacher resignations.
- Addition of a teacher to the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP).
- Advertisement of six Title I Liaison positions.
- Appointment of board representatives to the Value Adjustment Board.
Most instructional hires become effective during the first half of August 2026, immediately preceding the new academic year.
Projects, Facilities, Infrastructure, and Operations
Facilities appear as a standalone agenda section, although the packet provides limited narrative describing individual projects.
Operational matters receiving attention include:
- School safety through continued School Resource Officer deployment.
- Mental health service coordination across district schools.
- Literacy programming.
- Speech-language services.
- Food service updates through the Summer Meals program.
- Routine district operational support through annual contracts and consent agenda items.
The meeting includes multiple opportunities for public participation.
Residents may provide public input during:
- Public hearing on the proposed 2026-2027 tentative millage rate.
- Public hearing on the proposed 2026-2027 tentative budget.
- General Hearing of the Public/Recognition portion of the agenda.
These hearings occur before board action on the proposed tax rate and budget.
Students and families may experience expanded mental health supports, updated behavioral expectations through the revised Code of Student Conduct, continued literacy initiatives, and stable instructional staffing as new personnel are hired before classes begin.
District employees are affected through new hiring recommendations, staffing changes, Title I liaison opportunities, and continuation of contracted support services.
Taxpayers are directly affected by the proposed tentative millage rate that exceeds the rolled-back rate, as well as by approval of the district's overall operating budget.
Community partners, including the Holmes County Sheriff's Office and behavioral health providers, continue playing significant roles in student safety and support services.
- How does the proposed budget differ from the current fiscal year's adopted budget?
- What programs account for the largest increases in spending?
- What factors contributed to the proposed millage exceeding the rolled-back rate?
- How will the Mental Health Assistance funds be distributed among schools?
- How will success of the district's mental health initiatives be measured?
- What changes were made in the 2026-2027 Code of Student Conduct compared with last year?
- How are School Resource Officers distributed among district campuses?
- What additional responsibilities will the proposed Title I Liaisons perform?
- Are additional speech-language services expected to reduce student service wait times?
- What literacy goals are established in the new district reading plan?
Important Dates, Deadlines, and Next Steps
- July 27, 2026: Public hearings and tentative adoption of millage and budget.
- August 1, 2026: Mental Health Assistance Plan submission deadline to the Florida Department of Education.
- August 1, 2026: School Resource Officer contract begins.
- August 3, 2026: Several newly hired teachers begin employment.
- August 12, 2026: Several newly hired paraprofessionals begin employment.
- 2026-2027 School Year: Implementation of the updated Code of Student Conduct, Mental Health Assistance Plan, reading plan, and student support contracts.
Key Takeaways
- The board will conduct required public hearings before adopting the tentative tax rate and budget.
- The proposed 2026-2027 district budget totals $38,383,502.
- Proposed total property tax levy equals 5.164 mills.
- The proposed millage is approximately 3.87% above the rolled-back rate.
- A $390,730 School Resource Officer contract is scheduled for approval.
- Nearly $493,192 in Mental Health Assistance funding supports behavioral health services.
- The district is updating its Code of Student Conduct before the school year begins.
- The board will consider the district's evidence-based reading plan.
- Multiple teachers and paraprofessionals are scheduled to begin work in August.
- Six new Title I Liaison positions are proposed with federally funded stipends.
Official Sources
About the Public Body
- Name: Holmes District School Board
- Organization type: school-district
- Government body: school-boards
- Location: Bonifay, florida
- County: Holmes County
- Provider: boarddocs
Keywords
Holmes District School Board, Holmes County School District, Bonifay, Florida, July 27 2026, special session, regular session, tentative budget, tentative millage, property tax, school budget, Mental Health Assistance Plan, MHAA, Code of Student Conduct, School Resource Officers, Holmes County Sheriff's Office, evidence-based reading plan, Title I, speech language services, FSU MDC Cooperative Agreement, Value Adjustment Board, Summer Meals, personnel recommendations, teacher hiring, school safety, literacy, public hearing, capital outlay, district finance
