Collier County School Board Sets 2026 Legislative Priorities

Your Voice Matters

District School Board of Collier County

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Rooted in the superintendent’s theme for this school year — The Power of WE — Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) is proud to share the 2026 Legislative Platform adopted by the district school board on October 8. These eight priorities reflect a shared commitment to advocating for strong public education policies and resources that support our local students, staff, and schools.

As the Florida Legislative Session begins on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, now is the time to reach out to our locally elected members of the Florida House and Senate. Your voice matters — and together, WE can make a difference.

The eight priorities are grounded in guiding principles that advocate for local control and flexibility for constitutionally elected school boards to meet community needs through collaboration with the State Board of Education. The platform calls for increased funding to reflect enrollment growth and inflation, advance notice before implementing new programs, and a focus on deregulating mandates that create unequal expectations among school districts, charter schools, and private schools receiving taxpayer dollars.

1. Increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA): Ensure Florida’s education funding keeps pace with inflation to cover rising costs for salaries, insurance, utilities, and state mandates — protecting classroom resources and student services.

2. Restore Local Capital Millage to 2.00 Mills: Reinstate the pre-2009 cap to give school boards local control to meet urgent facility, maintenance, and technology needs without relying on costly referendums or borrowing.

3. Ensure Transparency with Separate “Florida Empowerment Scholarship District”: Improve transparency by separating Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) students and funding from public school district data — protecting public school resources and ensuring accurate reporting.

4. Increase Accountability for Home Education: Allow school districts time to support students returning from home education before their performance impacts school grades — ensuring fairness in Florida’s accountability model.

5. Extend Referendum Duration to Eight Years: Reduce the frequency of voter-approved referendums to every eight years, easing administrative burden and improving long-term financial planning.

6. Provide Flexibility in Teacher Certification: Allow certified teachers to temporarily teach outside their subject area without penalty — helping districts address staffing shortages while maintaining instructional quality.

7. Expand Funding for Pre-Kindergarten: Support full-day, high-quality Pre-K programs by increasing funding, incentivizing certified instructors, and allowing capital dollars to expand access — especially for underserved families.

8. Maintain Funding for Academic Acceleration: Protect current funding levels for the Academic Acceleration Options Supplement, which supports student access to advanced coursework and college-credit opportunities.

These priorities are not just policy points, they are reflections of our community’s values and aspirations for public education. We encourage you to share the platform with family, friends, and neighbors and contact your local legislators about the issues that matter most to you.

Our local delegation to the Florida Legislature includes:

• Senator Kathleen Passidomo (District 28)

• Representative Yvette Benarroch (District 81)

• Representative Lauren Melo (District 82)

• Representative Adam Botana (District 80)

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Public education is a shared responsibility and opportunity to power our future. By engaging with our elected leaders, we can help shape policies that strengthen our schools and support the success of every student in Collier County.