Sarasota School Board grants Asplen emergency-recovery powers

Sarasota School Board members on Tuesday morning unanimously granted Superintendent Brennan Asplen emergency powers to move forward with repair and recovery of school facilities and programs following the effects of Hurricane Ian.

In a 5-0 vote, the board approved emergency powers to act on behalf of the school board and district to "do any and all things necessary to provide for the fulfillment of the legal responsibility of the School Board for the education of children in Sarasota County to protect, secure and  if necessary, re-establish educational programs and to rebuild the educational facilities and infrastructure without the need of formal resolution and without the need of formal school board action or quorum."

The emergency order, enabled by Gov. Ron DeSantis' declaration of an emergency for Sarasota and other counties affected by Ian, would run for 45 days, unless an extension was approved by the school board, and would require expenditures of $100,000 or more be reported to the board.

Asplen reminded school board members that dollars spent on recovery would likely be eligible for federal disaster reimbursement.

"We have 45,000 students not in school, and a variety of other urgent issues related to the storm that we will need to pay for as they come up," Asplen said. "As we always strive for transparency, so we can get the schools open as fast as possible, we'll need the ability to act quickly, which we have had so far, and we want to continue to have."

Asplen said he expects to announce later this morning a plan for moving forward. Largely, schools in the northern half of Sarasota County fared better than those in the south. 

During the brief emergency meeting, at which public comment was not permitted, School Board members thanked the community and school district employees for their patience and persistence. Many school staffers worked in the 14 public school buildings that operated as evacuation shelters. 

"It's just remarkable to see the amount of effort and time put in here," School Board member Bridget Ziegler said. "I know this is a very trying time, and I think needs to be highlighted that many of the people in our staff who are working around the clock also have been displaced themselves, but still are committed themselves to serving our community."