- November 20, 2024
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The Flagler County School Board will continue to meet on Tuesdays, but the board’s workshops and business meetings will now be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month instead of the first and third Tuesday when they have traditionally been held.
The board adopted the change at its Nov. 19 business meeting to accommodate board attorney David Delaney of the Weiss Serota firm. Delaney has been advising the board on a temporary basis since January when the board terminated the contract of attorney Kristy Gavin.
Later in the Nov. 19 meeting, the board agreed to a contract with Weiss Serota through Dec. 31, 2025. The contract allows the board to terminate the agreement at any time with 30 days written notice following a majority decision by the full board.
The contract calls for the firm to be paid for legal services by a rate of $310 per hour for partners, $235 for associates and $115 for paralegals.
At the board’s Nov. 12 workshop, Delaney said the first and third Tuesday of the month conflicts with his prior commitments to other school districts. He suggested that the board switch its meetings to Wednesdays or the second and fourth Tuesdays. In that scenario, he would attend the agenda workshop virtually on the second Tuesday, and he would attend the business meeting in person on the fourth Tuesday.
With the board chambers unavailable on Wednesdays, the district presented the board with four options for its meetings for the next year: second and fourth Tuesdays, first and fourth Tuesdays, second and fourth Thursdays and the current first and third Tuesdays.
Derek Barrs and Chair Will Furry noted that it was important to have the attorney attend the business meetings in person. Janie Ruddy questioned why it was necessary to change the longstanding calendar to accommodate a contracted law firm when the new board has not made a longterm decision on legal services.
Christy Chong said that as much as she likes the current attorney it was more important to make sure all of the board members could be present for the meetings.
Delaney was not at the Nov. 19 meeting. Weiss Serota partner Milton R. Collins attended the meeting in his place.
In the end, the board unanimously agreed to schedule its meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month with exceptions for holidays and school breaks, including the next business meeting, which will be on Dec. 17.
