By AMBER PATINO
The Washington County School Board held its annual reorganizational meeting following the regular session on Monday, November 10. During the meeting, board members made several key appointments and administrative decisions for the upcoming year.
A motion was approved to reappoint Will “Tonka” Taylor as Board Chair and Cindy Johnson Brown as Vice Chair. Cheryl Williams was also reappointed to serve as the district’s liaison to the Small School District Council Consortium (SSDCC) Board of Directors.
The board made a motion to maintain its regular meeting schedule, continuing to convene at 5 p.m. on the second Monday of each month throughout 2026.
The board also adopted the school board member salary rate as prescribed by the State of Florida. The new annual salary of $34,960 reflects a cost-of-living adjustment from the previous rate of $33,865, as recommended by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research based on county population.
Additionally, the board approved a motion to retain Matthew Fuqua and Clay Milton as the school board attorneys, including a cost-of-living adjustment and the following compensation structure: a monthly retainer of $750, with additional services billed at $185 per hour for attorney services, $150 per hour for law clerk services, $100 per hour for paralegal work, and $75 per hour for staff time. According to the contract, all services will be billed in quarter-hour increments, with a minimum of one hour billed for any meeting or special meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Washington County School Board is set for 5 p.m. on Monday, December 8.
Ali Moreland