November 19, 2025, Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Meeting (2025-11-19)

1 Master Facility Plan Implementation Tracking the impact of the voter approved half-penny sales surtax November 19,2025, Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Meeting Committee Members Present Dan Janson, Cynthia Brown, David Kilcrease, Trey Perry, Wanda Ford, Hunter Sleiman, Amy Henderson, Mike Hightower, Darryl Edwards II, Ryan Murphy, Robert Stafford, Stephanie Schaap, Marion Tischler, Karen Nuland, Anita Vining Ex-Officio, Non-Voting Members Present Dr. Christopher Bernier Call Meeting to Order Chairman, Dan Janson, called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. He announced there is a Quorum and that the committee could move forward with voting and conducting the committee business on the agenda. Welcome and Telephone Participation Chair Janson welcomed the committee and announced that Hunter Sleiman will be joining via phone, and the committee will need to vote to approve his participation via phone for today’s meeting. Motion: That the Oversight Committee vote to approve Hunter Sleiman attending the Oversight Committee Meeting via phone. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Mike Hightower Second: David Kilcrease Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Approval of Agenda Motion: Chair Janson made a motion to approve the November 19, 2025, agenda. Motion: That the Oversight Committee approve the November 19, 2025, Agenda as submitted to the committee.

2 Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Mike Hightower Second: Trey Perry Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Approval of Minutes Chair Janson made a motion to the committee to approve the minutes from September 17, 2025. Motion: That the Oversight Committee votes to approve the September 17, 2025, Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: None Second: None Vote Results: NOT PASSED Chair Janson opened the floor for discussions regarding the minutes from September 17, 2025. Marion Tischler made a request to add language to the minutes, and Darryl Edwards II asked for a correction to his name where it’s referenced in the minutes from September 17, 2025. The following members held discussions regarding Ms. Tischler’s request to edit the Draft Minutes: Dan Janson, Mike Hightower, Darryl Edwards II. • Ms. Tischler would like language added on page 6 “Dr. Bernier explained the charter schools are eligible to bid on surplus property at fair market value and there are no prerequisites” • Mr. Edwards gave 2 corrections to the spelling of his name on page 6 and page 8. • The committee requested that Ms. Mihalik revisit the September 17, 2025, audio recording, to verify the comment from Dr. Bernier that Ms. Tischler requested be added to the drafted September 17th regular meeting minutes. Mr. Edwards made a motion to the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Members. Motion: That the Oversight Committee vote to add the mentioned changes for review and move approval of the September 17, 2025, Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes the next Regular Meeting on February 18, 2026. Vote Results: 15-0

3 Motion: Mike Hightower Second: Marion Tischler Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Public Comment There were no public comments. Items to be Discussed Charter School Dashboard Overview Chair Janson welcomed Director of Strategic Planning, Ashley Barr, who gave a PowerPoint Presentation, Reporting of Charter School Revenues & Expenditures. Topics Included: Background, Statutory Requirements, Allowable Uses for Sales-Surtax Revenue, Key Guardrails for Charter Schools, Reporting Process, Charter School Reports: Data Collected on a Quarterly Basis, Publicly Available Dashboard, New Design Mockup, Dashboard Preview, and Committee Feedback. Key points that were provided regarding the oversight and reporting of charter schools included: • Charter schools are not required to report on this revenue to this committee or the school district based on state statute. • The committee received a handout that has the questions the district charter school finance team sends to each charter school to request and collect the finance reporting for the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee. This form aligns with the states report based on what the district is allowed to ask for, and the charter schools are asked to submit this information so the charter finance office can report on the submissions to this committee. • The committee received a preview of the updated charter school dashboard and a sample of the draft update and were asked to provide comments and feedback at the February 18th Regular Meeting. Ms. Barr welcomed questions and feedback from the committee. The following committee members asked questions and gave feedback: Dan Janson, Mike Hightower, Darryl Edwards II, Stephanie Schaap, Marion Tischler, Trey Pery, Darryl Edwards II, and Amy Henderson regarding the following topics: • That future samples are printed in a larger font. • Ability to capture on the dashboard that a school did not submit. • Marion Tischler acknowledged various statutes and expressed concerns regarding the language in those statutes referencing “school sponsor” and that the funding and reporting should be required. o The response is that the monitoring and reporting required by the district has been followed by the charter finance office regarding reporting any findings to the State, but the district does not govern whether the reporting is accepted and approved for receipt of funds. That falls beyond the scope of the district’s duties and the scope of this committee.

4 • That the district’s legislative affairs representative considers lobbying more for the oversight of the charter schools. • Clear definitions of statutes that state there is exemption from the committee asking for charter school reporting. • The committee held discussions and the Chairman would like the district’s legal team and legislative liaison put the specific language and statutes in writing for the committee’s understanding of charter school reporting, the committee can review this and hold further discussions about submitting something to the Superintendent for review and support of the committee’s request after fully understanding their scope of charter school financial reporting. Ms. Barr also took a moment to address the committee and introduce the new Chief Legal Counsel, William Spillias. Chairman, Dan Janson, announced he is at the end of his term and at the conclusion of meeting business, elections will be held to identify a new chairman and vice-chair if needed. He thanked the committee for his time and the support of the work being accomplished through the sales- surtax dollars. Operations Update Chair Janson welcomed and introduced Chief Operating Officer, Jim Culbert, who introduced the Executive Director of Construction and Design, Virgil Bryan, who gave a PowerPoint Presentation, Capital Project Lifecycle. Topics Included: Phase 1: Planning & Procurement, Phase 2: Design & Pre-Construction, Phase 3: Bidding, Phase 4: Construction & Activation, Phase 5: Closeout & Handover, and Critical Success Factors. Key points that Mr. Bryan wanted to point out that are highlighted in project success include: • Project budget • Established tracking • Continuous valued engineering that doesn’t take away from the established project requirements. • Stakeholder involvement and engagement • Finding cost savings without compromising the project outcomes • The district’s exploration of alternate construction delivery methods to improve the design and developments stages and maximize completion timelines and overall project budgets. The following members asked questions and held conversation with Mr. Bryan: Dan Janson, Trey Perry, Darryl Edwards II, Marion Tischler, Karen Nuland, and Amy Henderson on the following topics: • Fletcher High School’s delay due to an easement issue that caused the project to halt. o Dr. Bernier stated that a contractor stated there was no concern with the easement and when the time for construction came the issue would have been almost building over an easement they would not have approve. This finding meant the project had to be scrapped and pivoted construction plans to a 2-story building to avoid the easement issue. The district is taking preventative measures and working in constant partnership with the city and these contractors to manage project measures and prevent future delays and meets all permit and code enforcement requirements. • Concerns regarding future classroom and storage spaces during design phase. o Dr. Bernier and Mr. Culbert explained that there have been visits back to the drawing board after new builds like Rutledge and Highlands Estates and teacher feedback was

5 the biggest reference. Mr. Culbert and the team reviewed increasing classroom sizes through cost cutting measures, narrowing hallways, removing some of the extra features to open up floor space, and changing future prototypes without changing the overall footprint of the building. • The next building project Picket & Englewood o Dr. Bernier addressed the committee and said his goal has been to revisit the permitting and the city’s code for approval, and the timeline with Jacobs Design and Jim Culbert’s team. When a building is out for bid, it will be put out a more competitive process to get the best outcome in selecting a contractor to complete the project and gain valuable engineering for cost savings. • Is there a grading system in place for contractors and subcontractors during the selection process? o Dr. Bernier said previously no, there was not. However, Mr. Culbert stated there is now a contractor evaluation form to help determine who will be a part of the selection process moving forward. o Mr. Culbert also highlighted Sandalwood High School was reevaluated and the redesign cut the cost from $24 million to $16 million dollars to save costs in the construction phase. • Where is the demolition phase in Operations for Pine Estates o Mr. Culbert answered that similar to MLK the process has already been completed for demolition at the sites that have completed the processing phase. Regarding Pine Estates he needs to follow up with Terry on his team because he is not here and he is in charge of this project. o Mr. Culbert also explained his experience and adjustments to the walk-through process. He advocated for his team’s work commenting on the work they are doing with contractors, the district, teachers and school staff to go through the new build process and facilitating communications to make upcoming new builds better and more equipped with investment in class sizes and the best working environment for our students and staff while still balancing the budget. • Stephanie Schaap with DTU complimented the working relationship with the district and DTU to ensure the design and construction phase is considerate of classroom space and size. o • Regarding the upcoming projects will there be a plan to allow the Oversight Committee opportunities to visit and attend walk-throughs? o Dr. Bernier announced that it will be part of the district’s next steps to include the Oversight Committee but will need to execute a plan and follow the procedure to publicly notice to ensure we follow rules of two or more members of the Committee gathering for committee business. Dr. Bernier also discussed the plans for the new build for Baldwin, the cost savings regarding the potential purchase of land for the new build and the effect it will have on contractual relationships and budget planning moving forward and ensuring operationally we capture critical components like CTE Programs, athletic facilities, etc. • How many properties are dormant due to consolidation, sale or other reasons are you looking at? o Dr. Bernier stated he did not have the number to provide but could follow up with that information. He stated that all of them are planned to be included in the real estate portfolio for potential sell off and they would determine the sale of the property with the building or sale of the property without the building based on the market value. If the market value is higher with the building, we will leave it in place and if not, then we will look to demolish the building and sell the property.

6 • There was a question about Hope Charter Schools going into schools that will remain in use. o The superintendent stated that he did not want to go into extensive detail out of respect for time and could discuss further offline. Under the way current state law is written, it is a possibility, but not until 2027. He also stated there is time for this to evolve before 2027. Chair Janson commented on the amazing work he has seen at Southside Elementary and what an amazing project it is. He also complimented the district’s hard work and success of the new Mandarin High School wing. Mr. Culbert also took time to go through the new DCPS Project Dashboard and explained the new layout is geared to highlight the district’s success and make it easier for anyone to access the dashboard and find out project status that they are interested in. This dashboard is pulling live data that is entered from the district’s financial system. He highlighted you can click on any of the programs listed and it will bring up the different programs offered and the schools where these programs are offered. He also highlighted the “Record of Success” section that highlights completed projects and the unique capability to click on the feature that will bring up a one-page live dashboard for that individual site. Dr. Bernier stated that Jim’s experience as Chief of Technology and now the Chief Operating Officer is important because he worked to implement this dashboard where no human is touching the data. Dr. Bernier stated an example is when the district writes a check and the system picks up that a check was written, it will update that data in real time. Amy Henderson asked if the abbreviations could be spelled out moving forward. Mr. Culbert said they would make that adjustment. In closing Mr. Culbert acknowledged Sean Monoghan, Project Controls Manager, who has done most of the work on the dashboard page and mentioned the ADA page for visitors requiring ADA support on the webpage. Chair Janson thanked Mr. Culbert for his presentation and suggested to the Oversight Committee they could email Ms. Mihalik or Mr. Culbert directly with any feedback. He then asked the Oversight Committee to make a motion to amend the agenda and move chairman elections ahead of the Finance Update. Darryl Edwards II asked for a motion to act before moving forward, to establish a date and location for a committee walk through and enter the details into a posted meeting notice, so that those who are available can attend.

7 Mr. Edwards II made the following motion: Motion: That the Oversight Committee vote to establish a date and location for a committee walk through and entering the details into a posted meeting notice so that those Committee Members who are available can attend. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Mike Hightower Second: Anita Vining Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Mr. Edwards II also made the following motion to the Committee: Motion: That the Oversight Committee vote to amend the agenda and move chairman elections ahead of the Finance Update. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Trey Perry Second: Mike Hightower Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Chairman & Vice-Chairman Elections Chair Janson introduced Chief of Staff, Michael Ramirez, to facilitate the voting for Chairman Elections. Chief Ramirez announced that the floor was now open for nominations to appoint a new Chairman. Motion: Dan Janson nominated Mike Hightower and made a motion: Motion: That the Oversight Committee approve the nomination of Mike Hightower as the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Chairman. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Dan Janson Second: Darryl Edwards II Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Chief Ramirez congratulated Mr. Hightower and announced him as the new Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Chairman. Next, he announced that the vice-chair position is now vacant

8 and the committee will need to call for a vote to elect a new vice-chair. He then announced that the floor was open for nominations to appoint a new Vice- chair. Motion: Cynthia Brown nominated Marion Tischler. Ms. Tischler kindly declined and nominated Mr. Darryl Edwards II and made a motion: Motion: That the Oversight Committee approves the nomination of Darryl Edwards II as the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Vice Chair. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Marion Tischler Second: Amy Henderson Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Chief Ramirez congratulated Mr. Edwards II and announced him as the new Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Vice Chairman. Chief Ramirez formally introduced Mr. Mike Hightower as the new Sales Surtax Oversight Committee to continue facilitating the rest of the meeting. Former Chairman, Dan Janson, thanked the Oversight Committee and the district for the opportunity to serve on the committee and complimented the members for their dedication and commitment. He offered to participate in the event of an interim meeting before his term ends on February 17, 2026. He announced that he had to leave early for another commitment and turned the floor back to Chair Hightower. Chair Hightower continued with the agenda and welcomed Mr. Ron Fagan and invited him to present the Finance Update. Finance Update Chief Financial Officer, Ron Fagan, presented a PowerPoint presentation: Sales Surtax Oversight Committee – Financial Services and Charter Schools. Topics Included: Success as of Oct. 2025 & Collections as of Aug. 2025, Funding Overview 2025-2026, Sales-Surtax Funding Overview School Year 2025-2026, 3rd Quarter – Review Observations, and Sales Surtax Revenue & Expenditures as of August 31, 2025. Members of the Oversight Committee asked the following questions to Mr. Fagan. Committee Members included: Marion Tischler, Wanda Ford, David Kilcrease, Darryl Edwards II. • Mr. Fagan was asked if the report is based on the funding information of the charter schools off of what they report and is there a way to get a number directly from the Department of Education? Further clarification was to ask where the report information comes from? Mr. Fagan answered no and that the information is not directly from the state and the information is from his office through the tax collection from the city.

9 • The district bases the funding report on what the charter schools report and not what is from the Department of Education – Where can you find whether a school is eligible or not eligible? Executive Director of Financial & Business Services, Evon Nelson Mcintyre announced that the information can be found on the state’s capital outlay website – FDOE Capital Outlay Funding. Dr. Bernier asked if the website link for the eligibility list can be shared in the meeting minutes (see link above). • Where it was mentioned that there are 5 charter schools not eligible, if they become eligible, do funds become retroactive and when the funding is disbursed is it split between them? Mr. Fagan explained once a school becomes eligible, they are able to receive funds moving forward and there is no retro-pay. Dr. Bernier also helped clarify the phrase referring to retroactive and explained that applies to the date they become eligible in the fiscal year, not for prior years. He gave the example if a school became eligible on November 19, 2025, the school would be owed funding from July 1, 2025, to November 19, 2025, to meet the retroactive payment requirement. • Part of statute talks about eligibility requirements for charter schools and measures regarding performance that can disqualify a charter schools’ eligibility – is this correct? Mr. Fagan confirmed this information is correct, but the State is who determines a charter school’s eligibility regarding the criteria in statute. • How is the district accounting for enrollment in charter schools versus the enrollment in traditional schools regarding the discrepancies with reporting after the start of the school year and how is it corrected for reporting purposes? Mr. Fagan explained that charter schools must report their FTE the same way the district does, they give a beginning-of-year projection and that is used to determine their share of the sales-surtax. When the charter schools do their surveys (survey 2 & survey 3) they will correct that FTE and the Finance Department will review that report and adjust their disbursement based on that data. • Is the line for the Year-to-date actuals a cumulative amount because it looks different than the budgeted amount. Mr. Fagan confirmed the “Year-to-date Actual” is a cumulative amount. • To ensure there is clarity, there is 2% of Expenditures labeled as Improvements Other Than Buildings – what are the improvements other than buildings? Mr. Fagan deferred to Chief Operating Officer, Jim Culbert, who stated he would need to confirm but if he had to guess, it could be generators. He asked for an opportunity to get a confirmed answer because this is an accounting code in SAP. Mr. Culbert and Mr. Fagan will have this answer at the February 18, 2026, Regular Meeting. Chair Hightower announced that the next meeting is on February 18, 2026, and he provided some of his observations: he knows that members of the committee all serve various entities, and he would like to follow the correct legal procedures to collect feedback from each member.

10 He then posed the following question: What is it that you need to go back to your principal that you represent? He would like to set up a meeting with the Superintendent to address the needs of each member so as the committee comes into each meeting, these points of feedback can be addressed. He wanted to ensure that the committee is not getting information that he and the Superintendent capture that information and get it. He complimented the district on the efforts put into the dashboards on the website. He restated his goal of learning what the committee needs. In closing he reiterated these three points: 1. What information do you need to report back at the end of the February Meeting? 2. This is what I heard, and this is what I need to bring back to my organization principal. 3. What is it from a high level that you want the Superintendent and his leadership team to bring to the meetings to help you report back to your organization’s principal? Mr. Edwards II gave an example and stated he would like to know on behalf of his community what the total number of school closures are and how many schools have recommended for demolition and how many schools have been sold as-is. Next Meeting Date: Chair Hightower advised the next meeting date for the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee will be on Wednesday, February 19, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Adjournment Chair Hightower announced the adjournment of the meeting and made a motion. Motion: Chair Hightower made a motion to adjourn the meeting: Motion: That the Oversight Committee vote to the September 17, 2025, Oversight Committee Meeting. Vote Results: 15-0 Motion: Anita Vining Second: Karen Nuland Vote Results: PASSED UNANIMOUSLY The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m. Minutes were taken by Megan Mihalik, Coordinator to the Chief of Staff. These minutes were approved at the February 18, 2026, Sales Surtax Oversight Committee Interim Meeting. ***** In order to comply with the Americans with Disability Act, some attachments are not viewable here. To receive any attachments or presentations, please email Megan Mihalik, Coordinator to the Chief of Staff, at mihalikm@duvalschools.org*****