School Board of Palm Beach County Packet Summary — August 19, 2026
The School Board of Palm Beach County is scheduled to hold its regular meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in the Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center Board Room. The packet includes a broad consent agenda covering academic programs, construction, technology, purchasing, personnel, insurance, workforce programs, and intergovernmental agreements, along with a separate discussion item on esports.
Key Items on the Agenda
Dual Enrollment Agreements
The consent agenda includes proposed 2026–2028 dual enrollment articulation agreements with Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College, both scheduled to run from August 20, 2026, through June 30, 2028.
Under the FAU agreement, eligible students can take college courses that count toward high school and postsecondary credentials. Among the provisions:
- Students in grades 10–12 generally must maintain at least a 3.0 unweighted cumulative high school GPA; students in grades 6–9 must have at least a 3.5.
- Early Admission at FAU requires a 3.8 weighted cumulative GPA plus specified SAT, CLT, or ACT scores.
- Dual-enrollment students generally must earn a C or better in college courses to remain eligible.
- The district would pay FAU's standard tuition rate, listed as $105.07 per credit hour as of 2026, for qualifying fall and spring enrollment.
- Required instructional materials for district public-school students are to be provided without charge to the student.
K–12 Virtual Education Contract
Staff recommends a three-year agreement with K12 Florida LLC, running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The packet's technology business case describes K12 Stride as an approved Florida Department of Education virtual-instruction provider serving part-time and full-time K–12 virtual students.
The expenditure is listed at $450,000 per year, or $1.35 million over three years. The business case states that the service helps the district meet its statutory requirement to provide a virtual-school option, including at the elementary level.
Driver Education Funding
The Board is scheduled to consider an interlocal agreement with Palm Beach County to receive money from the Driver Education Safety Trust Fund. The funding comes from an additional $5 collected with certain civil traffic penalties and is restricted to driver-safety education programs.
The agreement requires the funds to supplement, rather than replace, existing driver-education funding and limits spending to direct education expenses rather than administrative costs. Payments would be distributed quarterly based on the district's share of eligible students.
Workforce Preapprenticeship Partnerships
Two five-year partnering agreements are on the consent agenda for the district's Adult Workforce & Community Education preapprenticeship program. One is with Florida Training Services, Inc., and the other is with Independent Electrical Contractors–FECC, Inc.
The IEC agreement covers an electrician pathway and calls for district training aligned with registered-apprenticeship standards. Qualified completers would receive priority consideration for apprenticeship admission and may receive 144 hours of related technical-instruction credit upon meeting the agreement's requirements.
Major Financial and Purchasing Items
Technology and Software
Several technology purchases and contracts are scheduled for consideration:
- LAN equipment: Staff recommends awarding Bid 27C-4J to PC Solutions & Integration, Inc. The packet lists an annual financial impact of up to $2,203,588.04.
- Mobile communication services: The proposed renewal with AT&T and T-Mobile carries an annual spending limit of $3.3 million and would run retroactively from August 4, 2026, through August 3, 2031.
- Imagine Learning: The proposed software purchase totals $540,400 for a term ending June 30, 2027. The quote includes 5,800 Imagine Language & Literacy reusable licenses plus professional-learning services.
- Burlington English: The proposed August 20, 2026–June 30, 2027 purchase totals $336,000. The proposal provides 3,500 paid annual seats at $96 each plus 500 complimentary seats.
- Rethink Ed: The agenda includes a retroactive software-license purchase covering July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
- McGraw Hill: The Board is scheduled to consider a memorandum of understanding and software-license purchase for a July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027 term.
Geotechnical and Construction Testing Services
Staff recommends awarding continuing contracts for geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing to NOVA Engineering and Environmental, Thomas Geotechnical Services, Tierra South Florida, and UES Professional Solutions.
The proposed contracts would run from August 20, 2026, through August 19, 2027, with four additional one-year renewal options. The packet sets the total cumulative annual expenditure at no more than $1 million, funded from capital, general, capital-maintenance-transfer, and sales-tax referendum sources.
Books and Library Materials
The Board is also scheduled to consider consenting to assignment of the district's books and non-print library materials contract from Garrett Operating Company to The Library Collective LLC, doing business as Garrett Books. The underlying purchasing documentation lists an annual financial impact of up to $2 million across various budgets.
University of Florida Consulting
A proposed consultant agreement with the University of Florida Board of Trustees carries a financial impact of $214,500 and would run from August 20, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The packet also contains an amendment addressing intellectual-property ownership, liability, insurance, termination, and other contract provisions.
Facilities, Construction, and Safety
School Zone Flashers at Saddle View Elementary
Staff recommends an agreement with the Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District for five school-zone flashers on Cane Field Trace serving Saddle View Elementary School.
Under the proposed memorandum of understanding, the School Board would reimburse the improvement district for purchase and installation costs up to $75,000. The improvement district would design, permit, construct, own, and initially maintain the improvements.
Construction Change Orders
The packet includes the monthly Construction Change Order and Architect Contingency report as well as separate proposed change orders for Golden Grove and Royal Palm Beach elementary schools.
For Golden Grove Elementary's five-modular relocation project, staff recommends Change Order No. 004 with Kaufman Lynn Construction. Packet documentation shows the change order reducing the contract by $161,046.90, from $2,203,064 to $2,042,017.10.
For the Royal Palm Beach Elementary facility-renovation project, staff recommends Change Order No. 001 with Lego Construction Co. Packet documentation shows a $266,723.44 reduction, taking the contract from $2,401,964.87 to $2,135,241.43.
Lake Worth Middle School ADA Improvements
The Board is scheduled to consider awarding Bid 26-68B to Cosugas, LLC for ADA improvements at Lake Worth Middle School, effective August 20, 2026. The packet's legal review identifies a $339,777 contract value.
Construction Vendor Prequalification
Staff recommends approving new and renewed prequalified construction vendors eligible to participate in solicitations estimated at $300,000 or more. The packet identifies Salomon Construction & Roofing Corp., doing business as Salomon Roofing & Waterproofing, as a new applicant approved by the evaluation committee with a $10 million per-project bond limit, alongside several renewal applicants.
Personnel and Governance
Personnel Agenda and Addendum
The main personnel agenda contains 17,568 personnel transactions, spanning appointments, transfers, pay-rate changes, leaves, retirements, separations, temporary appointments and other employment actions.
Of the 2,733 separation transactions, the packet cautions that the counts represent positions rather than necessarily distinct employees. More than 2,200 are classified as "End Temporary Employment," which can include additional temporary assignments held by regular employees.
A separately added personnel item contains six additional transactions: five transfers and one suspension. The transfers include administrative and specialist assignments, including changes affecting Allamanda Elementary and Watson B. Duncan Middle School.
Proposed Employee Suspensions
Staff recommends that the Board approve separate three-day employment suspensions, effective September 3, 2026, for Joseph Mayerchak and Reginald McKelvin.
The packet states that Office of Professional Standards investigations substantiated allegations in each case. Mayerchak's recommendation concerns inappropriate comments or interactions with students; McKelvin's concerns ethical misconduct and failure to exercise best professional judgment. Both proposed disciplinary actions remain subject to applicable appeal rights.
Audit Committee Chair
The Audit Committee unanimously recommended extending David Talley's term as committee chair for one additional year beyond the normal four-year limit. The School Board is scheduled to consider that recommendation as part of the consent agenda.
Other Community and Operational Items
Vision Benefits and Workers' Compensation
The Board is scheduled to consider a voluntary vision-benefits contract with EyeMed Vision covering January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2030.
A separate consent item proposes a $125,000 workers' compensation settlement for Claim No. 1286134 involving claimant Mario Collazo Rosello.
Police K-9 Transfers
Staff recommends agreements transferring retired School Police K-9s Maggie, an 11-year-old female Dutch Shepherd, and Tango, a 12-year-old male Yellow Lab, to former School Police Sergeant Christopher Ferland following his retirement.
The agreements provide for transfer in consideration of $1 each, with Ferland assuming ownership, veterinary care, vaccinations, and financial responsibility for the dogs.
Professional Learning
The Board is scheduled to consider the district's 2026–2027 Professional Learning Catalog, which includes professional-development components covering areas such as literacy, mathematics, science, classroom management, leadership, ESE, ESOL, technology, school counseling, workplace safety, and legal and ethical compliance.
What to Watch at the Meeting
Much of the substantive business is grouped into consent agendas, meaning numerous contracts, construction actions, personnel matters, and program agreements could be considered together unless individual items are pulled for separate discussion.
Outside the consent agenda, Board Member Edwin Ferguson is scheduled to lead a discussion on esports. The packet lists the topic as a Board Member Discussion Item but does not specify a proposed policy, expenditure, or requested Board action, so the scope and direction of that discussion are not defined in the packet.
