- May 2, 2024
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Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt has said she does not expect to finish out her term, which does not end until November, 2026.
At a board workshop on Tuesday, March 5, Hunt gave a hint to when she might step down.
When board member Cheryl Massaro suggested the board do away with having a School Resource Deputy on duty at the workshops which are usually sparsely attended, Hunt said she would be OK with it if the rest of the board agreed.
“It’s well known that I’m not going to be on the board for that much longer, relatively,” she said.
Hunt and Colleen Conklin were not in the room during the workshop. They were both connected to the meeting by phone. Hunt has said she will eventually be moving.
She told the Observer on March 6 that she and her husband are in the process of putting their house on the market, and she plans to step down when they move. She said the way the housing market is, it’s a fluid situation.
“It could be two months. It could be five months. I know I’m not completing my term,” she said, adding, “I thought I’d be gone by now.”
The SRD was added to workshops after Hunt indicated she felt uncomfortable when a speaker during public comment singled her out as a swing vote on an issue.
Massaro said paying extra for a deputy at the workshops is an unnecessary expense. But Massaro, Hunt and Board Chair Will Furry did agree that a deputy can be added if a “hot-button” topic is on the agenda.
Superintendent LaShakia Moore said they board would need to give the district at least 72 hours notice and they should be careful “not to get too specific on topics as contentious, because that could also be a slippery slope.”
But Furry said the number of people expected to attend a meeting and not the topics themselves would be the consideration a board member would have to ask for a deputy in attendance.
Hunt said it does make her uncomfortable being in a room with only one access point without added security and asked if a door could be locked.
Moore said the meetings have to be accessible to the public.
“Ultimately, I don't want a gun to come into that room and aimed at anybody,” Hunt said.
Furry asked Moore to add a discussion on the issue at the March 20 information workshop.
Other items the board decided to add to the next workshop are:
Hunt asked about changing the public comment policy. Furry said the current policy allows the board to get its business done first. Christy Chong suggested allowing all topics but capping the first public comment period.
“Even if it’s just 15 minutes,” she said. “And we don’t go over it.”
