- The Newberry Community School Board elected Derek Danne as chair and Jessica Norfleet as treasurer for the 2026-27 term at its Monday meeting.
- The board approved employee handbook revisions and a $188,100 Title 1 plan to support low-income students with literacy and intervention programs.
The Newberry Community School Board (NCSB) elected officers for 2026-27, approved revisions to the employee handbook and adopted a few policies at a meeting on Monday.
Election of officers
One of the first items of business during the meeting was the election of officers for 2026-27.
Current Chairman Derek Danne was elected chair again, while Leslie Hayes-Morrison was elected vice chair. Meanwhile, Leslie McGehee was elected secretary, while new board member Jessica Norfleet was elected treasurer.
Monday was Norfleet’s first official board meeting. She was appointed to the NCSB in May to replace Chuck Clemons, who decided not to renew after hitting his initial term limit on the board.
Clemons attended Monday’s meeting as a member of the public and spoke during the public comment period. While addressing the board, he reflected on the journey of creating Newberry Community School (NCS), the new conversion public charter school that is opening in August in the former Newberry Elementary School (NES) building. Clemons also touched on the vision and faith that they had for NCS in the early stages.
Clemons said as he steps away from the board, he does so “with a full heart.”
“Not because our work is finished, but our work is truly just beginning,” Clemons added.
He encouraged the board to focus on the students’ needs and to remember what their role is.
“You’re not here to run the school. I say it again. [You’re] not here to run the school,” Clemons said. “You’re here to govern it wisely, hire outstanding leadership…support them, hold them accountable, trust them to do the job that you have hired them to do. Your responsibility is to protect the mission, preserve the financial health of our institution, ensure the legal and the ethical governance, and keep the school focused on academic excellence. I charge you all: lead with integrity, lead with humility and courage, and remember this: people are always watching – not just what you decide, but how you decide what you decide.”
Revisions to employee handbook
NCS Principal Lacy Roberts explained to the board that there were a few revisions to the employee handbook, including language on drug-free workplaces and professional conduct.
Roberts said language was also added to address payroll.
She noted at a meeting in September 2025 that the city of Newberry has agreed to support the efforts of NCS as a service provider for human resources (HR) support. That support includes payroll.
“One of the unique things about a school is that we shut down sometimes for a week at a time,” Roberts said at Monday’s meeting, noting the school will close for Thanksgiving and Christmas, along with spring break. “If you work for the city and the city shuts down, then you take sick or vacation. Well, that’s not what happens with the educators, so we had to come up with some language that even if the school is shut down, exempt employees are still considered on payroll and could work or take sick or vacation.”
Roberts said teachers’ paychecks will be spread evenly throughout the year, regardless of the times that the school is closed.
The board unanimously approved the revisions as drafted.
During Monday’s meeting, the NCSB also unanimously approved the student handbook.
Board adopts policies, Title 1 plan
Also, during Monday’s meeting, the board unanimously adopted a background check and reporting policy, along with a Title IX policy.
The NCSB also unanimously approved a Title 1 plan. NES, now NCS, is considered a Title 1 school, which means it has a high concentration of low-income students and receives federal funding to ensure students meet achievement standards.
Roberts said NCS “received a projected tentative allocation of $188,100” for the Title 1 budget. This money, she said, will be used to purchase a literacy coach, an intervention teacher, one field trip for each grade level and attendance at the Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA) conference.
Roberts said the intervention teacher will “pull small groups of students who are performing well below grade level” and assist them. She added that they’ve built this into their schedule so that the students aren’t missing core instruction time.
“We’ve also built in some materials and after-school tutoring for at-risk third and fourth graders into the Title 1 plan,” Roberts said.
The board was also expected to vote on a school improvement plan at Monday’s meeting. However, Roberts explained that Skyward, the management system she would use to get all the data for the plan, has been down since Thursday.
With the first day of school slated for Aug. 10, it was noted that the NCSB might have to hold another meeting to get the plan approved before the start of school.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.