Teachers, parents and members of the public packed the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) meeting Thursday night to speak on recent comments made by Chair Sarah Rockwell in regard to the passing of pro wrestler Hulk Hogan. 

Hogan, 71, died on July 24 as a result of what authorities have now confirmed was a heart attack.

Following Hogan’s death, Rockwell wrote in a since-deleted comment on her personal Facebook account: “Oh did Hulk die? I didn’t even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world.” 

In a follow-up comment referencing Hogan, Rockwell wrote: “[H]e worked with the McMahons to union bust professional wrestling. [H]e’s never been a good guy. I feel absolutely nothing about his death.” 

Rockwell’s comments went viral on social media, with some, such as the Alachua County Republican Party, calling for her to resign. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Friday to be Hulk Hogan Day in Florida and ordered flags be flown at half-staff to honor of the wrestling icon.

Just days after making the comments, Rockwell issued an apology on her school board Facebook account, saying “that I never have and never will wish harm on anyone regardless of whether we share political views.” 

At the beginning of the board meeting, Rockwell issued another public apology, saying she takes “full responsibility” for her comments.  

“This mistake was mine alone, and I regret that it has distracted [us] from the important work we are doing in this district,” she said while giving remarks. “As a public official, I know that I am held to a higher standard, and I should have been more thoughtful. I’m not perfect, and I know that. And I know that I can—and will—do better.” 

Rockwell went on to say that since making the comments about Hogan, she and her family and friends “have been subjected to death threats and harassment,” including the release of her home address. 

“While I remain fully accountable for my actions, I do not condone political violence,” she said, “and I believe no one, especially my children, should be put at risk because of my mistake.” 

During the meeting, Jackie Johnson, a spokesperson for Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS), said 32 people had signed up for public comment. 

With so many people scheduled to speak, board member Thomas Vu made a motion to move the folks who had already signed up for remarks to the first public comment portion of the meeting. Anyone who came in after would have to wait until the second public input session. 

The motion was approved unanimously by the board. 

One by one, teachers, parents and community members stepped up to the podium facing the dais, with a majority of the folks voicing their support for Rockwell.  

Supporters, while not excusing the comments, emphasized that everyone makes mistakes and stressed the importance of moving forward for the betterment of the teachers and students.  

“I don’t excuse what was said, but I also don’t pretend like it’s some great moral failing,” one parent said. “Because the truth is, we’ve all said dumb things online. The question is whether we’re willing to learn and take responsibility, which Dr. Rockwell has done repeatedly.” 

Others in the audience felt like Rockwell should be held more accountable for her actions. 

“We have to hold our public officials to a higher standard,” resident Mark Alfieri said. “A lot of confidence—although it’s not reflected in this room today—throughout the community has been lost, and we cannot give our children this kind of impression as to what we should be thinking or believing when someone passes, despite what part of the political aisle you are on.” 

While giving her remarks, Rockwell told the crowd that she would listen to their statements “fully and respectfully for as long as I’m physically able,” adding she was still recovering from a recent surgery.  

“After tonight, I will not revisit this topic again,” she said of her comments on Hogan. “My focus, and our collective focus, must return to the work this community expects from us as a board: improving our schools, supporting our teachers, staff and students, and moving this district forward.” 

Board adopts tentative millage and budget 

During a public hearing, the board approved the tentative millage and budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. 

For property taxes, ACPS has four separate components that add up together to create its overall millage.  

The proposed millage revenues include $82,843,200 for Required Local Effort (RLE), $27,586,813 for voter referendum, $20,634,936 for discretionary and $41,380,220 for discretionary local capital improvement. Combined, this equates to a total of $172,445,169.  

The proposed millage is set at 6.251, which is less than the 2024 rate (6.261) and greater than the 2025 rolled-back rate of 5.840. 

The increase in millage this year comes from the Required Local Effort (RLE), which is set by the state. The RLE is proposed to be 3.003 mills—a change of 0.1925 mills from the prior year. 

Meanwhile, the total proposed ACPS budget for FY 2025-26 has been set at $585,136,199. This includes $345 million for the general fund, $46 million for special revenue, $8.9 million for debt service, $130 million for capital projects and $53 million for internal service.  

A final budget hearing to adopt the 2025-26 budget and millage rate is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 inside the ACPS District Office Board Room (620 E. University Ave., Gainesville). 

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News.