District staff defend NEFEC consortium renewal as board weighs costs and services

Flagler County School District staff presented a renewal of the district’s contract with the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC), outlining the services covered and answering trustees’ questions about cost and local capacity to provide some services independently.

Louise Bossa (introduced to the meeting) and district counsel described the contract’s components: instructional services and professional development, enterprise resource software hosting and support (Skyward), enterprise resource planning elements, risk‑management services, document archiving and virtual instruction. Staff said the agreement includes licensing, hosted services and a help‑desk function for state reporting and other DOE pushouts.

Board members asked whether the district still obtains a net benefit from the consortium as the district’s size grows. Staff replied that as a relatively large member the district receives significant technical and programmatic support it would otherwise have to hire for directly. Staff noted one module — an RTI (response‑to‑intervention) module — had not been used and staff are negotiating its removal to reduce costs.

Regarding risk management, the district attorney told trustees that the risk‑management piece is offered as a packaged component and not available a la carte; staff said that component still provides value through pooled expertise and services. Trustees and staff agreed to continue reviewing the contract and to pare unused modules where feasible.

Why it matters: The consortium contract covers core administrative systems and professional learning; changes or cancellations could shift cost and staffing burdens locally. Board members said they want ongoing analysis of whether the district’s growth changes the calculus for remaining in the consortium.

The item was presented and discussed at the workshop; no formal approval vote is recorded in the transcript.