- February 5, 2026
Volusia County School Board members were in Tallahassee on Tuesday, Feb. 3, speaking against a bill that has put the school district in the middle of a discussion in the Legislature concerning public records, budgets and attorney representation.
Senate Bill 1620, filed by Sen. Tom Leek, seeks to establish a "District School Board Member's Bill of Rights," which dictates that officials be given free and timely access to requested school district documents, including those not deemed as public records; be able to see a budget by line item; and have an attorney not employed by the district represent the board, among other provisions.
"What I'm trying to do is strike some balance between the superintendent's authority and a policy-making board's rights," Leek said. "... You have seen where school board members come on and the district is not necessarily aligned with them, and they're doing everything they can to thwart that school board member from doing their job — which is being the policy-making board for the district."
Volusia County School Board member Donna Brosemer said the bill made its way to the session after she spoke with Leek last summer about concerns and problems she was facing. Its companion bill, House Bill 1073, recently advanced in the Education & Employment Committee after a unanimous vote.
The bill did pass the Education Pre-K committee with a 12-6 vote, but notably, Brosemer's counterparts on the School Board spoke before lawmakers in opposition.
School Board Chair Ruben Colon said SB 1620 doesn't "simply refine oversight."
"It shifts Florida's governance model in ways that will be felt immediately in the day-to-day operations of our schools," he said. "Three of my fellows, school board members and superintendent are here to share their thoughts on the bill being advanced by a single member of our board, which has portrayed this as an issue in Volusia County. In my eight years of service, to be clear, I've received every single document I have ever requested, and the superintendent has always facilitated every conversation with staff that I've ever needed."
Colon added that the bill lacked safeguards and guardrails to protect confidentiality, preserve accountability and keep the focus on students.
Colon was asked about the non-disclosure agreements the district asked about 110 employees to sign last August. Brosemer opposed the NDAs under the opinion that they were unconstitutional under Florida's public record laws. The district argued they were valid; though, they did sunset in December.
Colon said the NDAs were a result of conversations between board members and staff being leaked on social media.
"All of the sudden, board conversations start getting leaked," he said. "Conversations that were in process, conversations that were had with the board in its appropriate manner... We really, truly could not hold staff accountable. That's why we've had to do that in Volusia County."
School Board member Krista Goodrich said the bill needed some "minor clarifications to avoid some unintended consequences." She agreed with most of the bill's provisions, like ensuring school board members received public records at no charge, clarifying the attorney rules and the removal of the NDAs.
As the only School Board member with children in VCS, Jessie Thompson said she was concerned with student and staff's personal information being distributed under the new provisions, as well as create confusion if board members can seek information from staff directly without the superintendent's knowledge.
School Board member Jamie Haynes shared the same concerns.
"I need to ensure our children are protected," she said. "I need to ensure our employees are protected, because what if someone has an issue with a principal and they ask to see private information about that principal. They don't need that to do their job."
A representative of Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, who read a statement on his behalf, also voiced opposition to the bill. The sheriff sided with ensuring superintendents continued to manage day-to-day operations, while school board members provide policy directions.
"The current governance model, where the school board provides oversight while the superintendent manages daily operations, has proven to be the most effective structure for both staff accountability and student outcomes," Chitwood's statement read. "Volusia County serves as a strong example of what effective leadership can achieve."
Brosemer said she was surprised the testimony was "surprisingly personal" and said that was never the intent of the bill.
"Most of the provisions in the bill have been assumed to be logical, and there's been some surprise expressed that we even need a bill that that makes these provisions," she said.
She spoke about the NDA conflict, saying she was charged $76.10 from the district when she requested to see copies of all 110 NDAs signed.
Sen. Rosalind Osgood, a former Broward County School Board member, said she understood the bill's intent — but that it sounded like "there's some leadership decisions that need to be made" in Volusia County.
"There are a lot of dynamics within school districts that happen," she said. "I don't want to perhaps help Volusia and then cause more chaos and corruption in other school districts."
Bill co-sponsor Sen. Don Gaetz said he joined in not to get into a "food fight" with Volusia County — or solve a problem for that specific school district.
"There is nothing in this bill that, in my judgment, would interfere with the superintendent of schools being able to operate as the chief administrator of the district," said Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County School Board member and schools superintendent. "But there is plenty in this bill that ensures that school board members have access to the information that they need in order to make decisions that govern the school district.
Gaetz said the bill is helpful for a school board member who finds themselves in the "minority" regarding governing issues and denounced the recent NDAs.
Leek said reiterated that the bill did not target the district. Though, he noted, he was offended by the NDAs.
"I'm sorry Volusia County has internalized all of this," Leek said. "But it's a bill that takes into account things that are happening across the state — makes sure that the members of the school boards across the state have the information that they need, or at least access to the information that they need, to do the jobs that they were elected to do."
