Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:00 (upbeat music)
0:30 (upbeat music continues)
8:30 (gavel bangs)
8:31 - Good afternoon.
8:32 The November 14th, 2023 board work session is now in order.
8:35 Paul, roll call, please.
8:37 - Mr. Susan.
8:38 - Here.
8:38 - Ms. Wright.
8:39 - Here.
8:40 - Mr. Trent.
8:41 - Here.
8:42 - Ms. Campbell.
8:43 - Here.
8:43 - Ms. Jenkins.
8:44 - Here.
8:45 - Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
8:49 Wait on two.
8:51 Two.
8:53 - I pledge allegiance to the flag
8:55 of the United States of America
8:57 and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation,
9:00 under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
9:05 - First order of business in rule development
9:06 is board policy 2120, school improvement.
9:17 Ms. Wright, I could take a second and say,
9:19 how’s everybody doing?
9:22 Weather changing a little bit?
9:24 Excited about the Thanksgiving vacation that we have?
9:27 - Yes, excited about what we’ve got.
9:30 - Okay, we are, thank you for that nice pause
9:33 so that I could flip the page.
9:35 We are discussing 2120 where we looked at
9:38 just adding some components from NEOLA,
9:42 but also just being mindful that we,
9:45 a lot of what was in NEOLA was already in our practice.
9:47 So even though it wasn’t in our current policy,
9:50 it was in our practice.
9:54 (papers rustling)
9:56 - If you go to section five,
9:59 where it speaks to early warning systems,
10:02 that’s where you’ll find things.
10:03 We’ve already been using the state template
10:05 for our school improvement process.
10:07 So those are indicators we’ve already been tracking.
10:14 - Any questions of the board?
10:18 - This is the public hearing.
10:19 So this is where we ask for public comment.
10:25 - Okay.
10:29 - We’ll get it.
10:33 - Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
10:35 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
10:39 Hearing none, any board have any discussion?
10:46 Hearing none, we’re good?
10:48 You need a vote on this one there?
10:50 - No. - Okay, we’re just moving on.
10:52 All right, next order in rule development
10:54 is on board policy 2131, educational goals.
10:58 Ms. Harris.
10:59 - So this one, we made the revisions
11:01 when this was in work session last time.
11:03 And so we discussed the using NEOLA
11:06 specifically around the section around art and culture.
11:10 I think there was an error in putting some content in there.
11:13 So we revised that.
11:17 - Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
11:20 Any member of the public wish to speak to this item?
11:22 Hearing none, any board members wish to speak to this item?
11:26 Hearing none, move on.
11:27 Next in rule development is on board policy 2210,
11:30 curriculum development.
11:33 - This one, the last time we discussed this one
11:35 in the red line version, there were no revisions.
11:37 So it’s the same as it was last time.
11:40 - Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
11:42 Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
11:44 Hearing none, does any board member
11:45 wish to speak to this item?
11:48 Hearing none, next in rule development
11:50 is on board policy 2216, gifted education.
11:53 - Again, no new revisions since the last time
11:56 we looked at this one.
11:57 This one was basically combining elementary and secondary
12:00 so that we have a gifted procedure.
12:06 - Anybody wish to speak to this item?
12:08 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
12:10 Hearing none, any board member wish to discuss this item?
12:13 - I’m just glad it’s condensed down
12:14 ‘cause it was quite a healthy policy.
12:16 Thank you for doing that.
12:20 - Hearing no other further comment, moving on,
12:21 the next in rule development is on board policy 2260,
12:24 non-discrimination and access
12:26 to equal education opportunity.
12:28 Any, Ms. Harris.
12:31 - I believe that is,
12:36 Ms. Dampier, is that your policy?
12:41 2260.
12:47 Yeah.
12:50 (faintly speaking)
12:56 - Yeah, this one was just changing the numbering
12:58 so that it didn’t conflict with the NEOLA template.
13:02 (faintly speaking)
13:07 - Right.
13:08 - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, we made it the statute, yeah.
13:10 - Right.
13:16 - It is number 2260.
13:20 (faintly speaking)
13:32 - We, for this particular policy 2260,
13:37 it was adding the definition, which we did,
13:40 and it says as defined by bylaw 0100,
13:43 and we were questioning whether or not we had that,
13:45 and we actually have that, we have bylaw,
13:49 and we have that information posted there.
13:51 So there was a need to change to statute.
13:58 (faintly speaking)
14:06 - Everybody okay?
14:08 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
14:12 Any board member wish to speak to this item?
14:14 Hearing none, we’re gonna move on.
14:15 The next rule development is on board policy 2260.01,
14:20 anti-harassment and non-discrimination appeal process.
14:29 - That was just the renumbering
14:31 to not conflict with the NEOLA template.
14:35 - Okay, does anybody wish to speak to this item?
14:39 Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
14:41 Any board member wish to speak to this item?
14:43 Hearing none, moving on.
14:45 Next in rule development is on board policy 2410,
14:48 school health services.
14:55 - There were no changes to 2410.
14:58 I think we were pretty, we took,
15:01 NEOLA was the revisions.
15:04 - Okay.
15:05 - And we added based on what we were actually doing here
15:08 within our district.
15:11 - Okay.
15:13 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
15:18 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this item?
15:23 None, we’ll move on.
15:24 The next rule development is on board policy 2410,
15:26 mental health services.
15:30 - This was a new policy to ensure compliance
15:33 with federal and state law to be aligned with 2410,
15:37 the procedures.
15:39 - Okay, anybody wish to speak to this item?
15:41 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
15:44 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this item?
15:48 Next in rule development is on board policy 2410.01,
15:52 mental health services.
15:54 Oh, I apologize.
15:56 Next rule development is on board policy 5114,
15:59 foreign students.
16:01 - And that one, we make no changes last time.
16:04 So the only feedback from our last discussion on this
16:07 is that we’re seeking feedback from other districts
16:10 as to what their process is for this.
16:12 - Thank you for that.
16:14 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
16:18 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this item?
16:23 Hearing none, next in rule development
16:25 is on board policy 5410, student progression.
16:28 - And there were no changes the last time
16:30 we brought the red line, so this one stays the same.
16:34 - Anybody wish to speak to this item?
16:37 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
16:39 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this item?
16:44 Hearing none, moving on.
16:46 The next in rule development is on board policy 5420,
16:48 report student progress.
16:51 - So on this one, the feedback from last time
16:53 was just some formatting, and so that has been fixed.
16:58 - Okay.
17:00 - It was the section under report cards,
17:02 having those be subsections underneath that.
17:06 - Anybody wish to speak to this item?
17:08 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
17:10 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this item?
17:16 Hearing none, moving on.
17:19 The next in rule development is on board policy 5421,
17:22 grading.
17:24 - There are no changes based on our last discussion
17:27 on this policy.
17:29 - Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
17:32 Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
17:34 Hearing none, any board members wish to speak to this item?
17:40 Okay, moving on.
17:41 The next in rule development is on board policy 5421.01,
17:44 grade forgiveness.
17:47 - And this one we brought last time,
17:48 it was a brand new policy, so we went with Neola.
17:51 There is no changes since we last discussed this.
17:56 - Okay, anybody wish to speak to this item?
17:58 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
18:00 Hearing none, moving on.
18:03 Next in rule development is on board policy 5430,
18:05 class rank.
18:10 - There are no changes since we last discussed
18:12 this at work session.
18:16 - Anybody wish to speak to this item?
18:18 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
18:20 Hearing none, moving on to the school board.
18:24 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
18:27 Hearing none, moving on.
18:30 Next in rule development is on board policy 5451,
18:33 student recognition.
18:35 Ms. Harris.
18:36 - There are no changes to this one since we last discussed.
18:39 - Okay, anybody wish to speak to this item?
18:42 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
18:44 Hearing none, any school board member wish to speak
18:47 to this item?
18:49 Hearing none, moving on.
18:51 Board policy 546B.01, graduation requirements
18:56 for transfer students.
18:57 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
19:00 Oh, I’m sorry, Ms. Harris.
19:01 - I don’t wish to speak.
19:02 It’s no changes since we last discussed, yeah.
19:05 - Okay, anybody wish to speak to this item?
19:09 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
19:11 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this item?
19:15 All right, moving on.
19:16 The next rule in development policy 5464,
19:19 accelerated graduation options.
19:21 Ms. Harris.
19:22 - No changes since we last discussed.
19:24 - Okay.
19:26 Anybody wish to speak to this item?
19:31 Hearing none, any board member wish to?
19:35 Oh, Ms. Campbell. - There we go.
19:36 - Welcome to the– - Just to break
19:38 the monotony before we get on,
19:41 before we let you lose,
19:42 except for I know you have some more later.
19:43 I just want to thank you and your division
19:46 for your work on all these policies
19:47 ‘cause it’s not like you haven’t had a lot to do
19:48 over the last several months.
19:50 But taking the time to rework these
19:52 and work with us on it, I very much appreciate it.
19:55 And Ms. Dan Perry, you too.
19:57 - We have good teams.
19:58 - The 5,000’s for a lot of you.
20:00 I just want to thank you this time.
20:02 - Thank you, we have good teams.
20:07 - Okay.
20:08 - Thank you for that, Ms. Campbell.
20:12 Okay, anybody else?
20:15 Hearing none, let’s move on.
20:16 The last in rule development on board policy 6320,
20:18 Procurement and Contracting.
20:20 You gonna tackle that one or no?
20:22 - There were no changes since the board last considered it.
20:25 - Right, this is the one. - Right.
20:26 - I’ll speak for Mr. Wilson, he’s on a call right now.
20:29 Yeah, this just reflects the changes
20:30 that were suggested in the work session.
20:32 Some stuff about preferences for veteran owned businesses
20:36 and some language change about renewals.
20:40 But all things that were agreed upon last work session.
20:44 - Sounds like a plan.
20:45 Anybody else wish to speak to this item?
20:47 Any member from the public wish to speak to this item?
20:50 Hearing none, any board member wish to speak to this?
20:54 No?
20:55 Okay.
20:56 Moving on, the next topic
20:57 is a charter school application presentation.
21:03 - I don’t see the, is there a representative
21:06 from Orion Charter?
21:15 - Wow, it’s a short presentation.
21:16 - Yeah, we’ll just push it.
21:18 Yeah, we’ll just push it back.
21:18 - Yeah, we’ll just hold it and see if they–
21:21 - Is there anybody in here that might be able
21:23 to like reach out to them and say, hey?
21:24 - Yes, I can reach out to someone
21:28 that can reach out to them.
21:33 - I don’t know if we’ve received any documentation
21:34 regarding their application either.
21:36 I mean, usually there’s a big binder for each.
21:40 Okay.
21:42 - 5,000 pages.
21:44 - Okay, can we just send a reminder?
21:46 Can you please, Lena, send a reminder
21:48 so we can take a look at it?
21:49 Usually there is and it’s written on the agenda item
21:51 that wasn’t there, so I didn’t know to look.
21:54 But again, and they also usually come
21:56 and talk to us about their plan.
21:57 - Well, that’s what we were expecting today
21:58 was a brief PowerPoint presentation from them today.
22:02 That’s what we were expecting.
22:03 - I’m fine with holding them to space later
22:04 if we have time.
22:05 - Yeah, it’s possible.
22:06 Maybe someone told them to like wait a little
22:08 since there was all those policies ahead of time.
22:10 - Right.
22:10 - That’s true.
22:11 - Yeah, they probably didn’t expect 15 minutes
22:13 to get through them.
22:13 - And they might have read my email where it said 2 o’clock.
22:16 - Yeah.
22:17 - Oh.
22:18 (audience laughs)
22:19 - No, they didn’t get that email, but.
22:23 - If you want to move to reproduction,
22:26 health and disease– - Yep, that’s all
22:27 we’re gonna do. - Okay, okay.
22:28 - Just wanna give them the opportunity.
22:29 The next topic is reproductive health and disease
22:32 education materials.
22:34 - So these are materials we’ve discussed before.
22:38 One proposal, and I think Lena had the materials there,
22:41 would be to remove sections in the workbook.
22:45 So we would actually be removing those pages
22:48 when they were purchased,
22:49 and then when they were on the state adopted list,
22:51 that was prior to language that now is specific
22:56 to the type of instruction we can do.
22:58 So that is one proposal.
23:00 If that proposal is not, does not work for the board,
23:06 we would need to then either bring in a committee
23:09 to write some curriculum or go out for a bid
23:14 and basically begin the instructional material review
23:16 for that course.
23:18 I can tell you just in doing a little homework,
23:20 there are not a lot of perfect products
23:22 out there right now.
23:24 So even if we wanted to entertain that,
23:26 it would take some time.
23:27 And we do have some students in a course
23:30 that will need this instruction soon.
23:33 So we would just need to decide what that looks like
23:35 for those benchmarks and standards.
23:40 - Anybody wish to have a conversation?
23:42 - Yeah, I’ve got three suggestions.
23:44 One, that we go with this plan for right now,
23:46 because we do have people in mid-course
23:49 that have curriculum requirements that need to get it done,
23:52 pulling out these pages.
23:54 Two, that we send a note to the DOE
23:55 saying that they have a book that’s, I’m assuming,
23:57 still on their list that is out of compliance,
24:00 and they need to send notice to all the districts
24:02 who might be using this.
24:03 And then three, that we potentially get together
24:06 a committee to work on new curriculum
24:09 that will meet the standards for next year.
24:11 We’d go ahead and start working on that
24:14 so that we’ve got maybe a better product in place.
24:16 And of course, at this point, we could have time to go,
24:18 but you said to go look and do a new adoption,
24:21 but if there’s not something good out there,
24:23 that’s not helpful.
24:24 - Right now, just because of the publishing time,
24:27 like publishing companies just have not had time
24:29 to get in front of this,
24:31 and so there’s just not something available.
24:33 I want to update you as well from the Department of Ed,
24:37 ‘cause remember we talked about how they said
24:39 if your board approved these before,
24:40 you’re probably fine to just move forward,
24:42 and then we’ll later come and approve them.
24:45 I can tell you they have just now sought teacher input,
24:48 so they’re gonna be creating a team of teachers
24:50 to come in and review instructional materials.
24:53 And remember, that language was effective day one,
24:56 and so I’m assuming if they’re soliciting teachers now,
24:59 that that could be February before they bring that team in.
25:03 So I think it behooves us to do something
25:05 for our students today,
25:06 and then as they work that process,
25:09 we look at our next steps as well.
25:13 - Can I just ask the one question that I had before,
25:15 was is the material still available to the students
25:18 through their Google Classroom?
25:21 Do we have an online version of the material
25:23 where it’s still accessible and we could be in trouble?
25:25 - Here is the good news for this,
25:26 is that was because the adoption, when you buy that digital,
25:31 it’s usually for five years,
25:32 and then you buy it a traditional year,
25:34 that was not purchased,
25:35 and so we no longer have access to allow students
25:39 to even access it digitally.
25:40 - Okay, good.
25:41 So this will just be the paperback, good old-fashioned copies.
25:44 All right, and what does that look like as far as,
25:46 ‘cause we’re gonna be removing these sections,
25:48 who exactly will be doing that part?
25:51 - I’ve talked to our Director of Secondary Programs,
25:53 Molly Vega.
25:54 We have talked about bringing in a team of people
25:56 to go out and support schools in this,
25:59 because it can be time-consuming.
26:01 Fortunately, we’re not talking about
26:03 a whole school using this book.
26:05 It’s just students in those sections,
26:07 but we feel strongly that we want to support schools
26:10 in doing that to ensure that
26:15 it’s exactly as you plan.
26:18 - So you want to join the page-ripping-out party?
26:21 - Oh, yeah. (laughing)
26:23 I will help for help with speeding, so.
26:25 All right, thank you for your work on this.
26:26 I know this is not a perfect solution,
26:28 but I guess it’s a band-aid right now
26:29 until we can find the best solution, so.
26:34 Okay.
26:35 - Anybody else?
26:38 - Tara, so that works for me, too,
26:40 is remove the pages.
26:42 We have the books.
26:44 I mean, even moving forward,
26:45 if we don’t have to purchase anything else
26:48 and we already have these, we’re good.
26:50 So, appreciate it.
26:51 - Okay.
26:52 And you will see that again on the agenda for tonight.
27:00 - All right.
27:01 Anybody else?
27:02 - Okay, 5463.
27:03 - Hearing none, we’ll move on to the next topic,
27:05 which is board policy 5463, credits from other schools.
27:10 Thank you, Ms. Harris, for bringing your notebook today.
27:13 - Yes.
27:14 - It’s like you have the–
27:15 - Thank goodness for the notebook.
27:16 - It’s Tara Harris’ show today.
27:17 - Yes.
27:19 That’s just one meeting.
27:20 So, with this policy, 5463, credits from other schools,
27:24 the only change is that we added the link
27:27 to our student progression plan.
27:30 Thank you.
27:32 - Which is good.
27:34 Anybody else have anything to add?
27:36 Thank you for doing that, Ms. Harris.
27:40 Next topic is the fee increase
27:42 for Brevard before and after school.
27:44 - Yes, so Dr. Mayer, our assistant director
27:49 of school choice and charter will be doing that.
27:52 She is not here, and so I’m gonna just go back to my phone
27:55 ‘cause I just need to…
27:59 The notebook can’t rescue me for that.
28:01 - Yeah, we’re just way ahead of schedule,
28:03 so we gotta get the next presenter in here.
28:06 - We’ve got a lot on the schedule,
28:07 so we can just keep moving up and coming back.
28:11 - Yeah, you wanna give her some breathing room?
28:13 - It’s the next thing.
28:14 - Yeah.
28:15 - Yeah, you want something?
28:17 - Supplements.
28:18 - Supplements are here and moving forward.
28:21 - When she walks in, she’s gonna need some time to sleep.
28:30 - All right, we’ll give her a little bit of time.
28:34 The next topic is the supplements review
28:36 and moving forward discussion,
28:38 just so everybody understands, I put this on here.
28:40 The idea was is that we had said inside the meeting
28:43 that we wanted to publicly have a conversation
28:47 wrapped around what we were gonna do with it.
28:49 Mike, can you give me a thumbs up
28:51 that you can actually hear me in there?
28:52 We’re good?
28:53 Okay, so when we had this discussion back
28:56 when we made the decisions and stuff like that,
28:58 there was some concern by some of the other entities
29:00 that were a part of this, that we were not going
29:03 to be serious about what we did, right?
29:05 And the argument was is that one of the things
29:07 that we wanted they had asked was they said,
29:09 look, can you publicly state,
29:13 can you guys publicly state what you guys said
29:16 and make it public so that we knew
29:17 and it’s on the record and stuff like that?
29:19 Meaning that we had said that in the event
29:21 that if the supplements, there’s a large amount
29:23 at the end of it that were not used or rollover,
29:25 that we would then engage in having a conversation
29:28 wrapped around what to do with those,
29:29 that they would not just go somewhere else.
29:31 Does that make sense to you?
29:33 And I just wanted to kind of publicly have that.
29:35 That was kind of a conversation that was brought to me
29:37 and I said that’s easy for us to just put down.
29:39 Does anybody have any issue with that direction
29:41 or did you wanna engage in it?
29:43 - Oh, that’s–
29:45 - It was just what we had in the training.
29:46 - It’s interesting ‘cause that’s not what I thought
29:47 this conversation was gonna be about.
29:48 - Okay.
29:50 It’s just to say what we, moving forward
29:52 with the discussion was we had a lump sum of revenue.
29:58 We have a moving target on the millage, right,
30:00 that may have more or less based on that.
30:03 At the end of the supplements,
30:04 there will be X amount left over
30:05 and it’ll be up to us to come back and discuss,
30:08 not just let it roll somewhere else.
30:09 That’s all.
30:12 - Okay.
30:13 All right, so looking at that
30:15 and how that works out logistically,
30:18 I’m 100% an advocate for hey,
30:19 if we are saying we’re gonna use it for supplements,
30:21 we want it in supplements.
30:22 We don’t want it to roll to the bottom
30:23 and just fall into the general fund, right?
30:25 And that is, I think that was the concern.
30:27 So I do have a question though how that looks
30:30 for us to look retrospectively and say,
30:33 oh, these coaches or these teachers agreed to this
30:37 and now, I don’t know if that,
30:39 I think what would be better is for us to look at this
30:42 and take a deep dive into how we are using our supplements
30:45 and finding out, hey, have we accurately estimated
30:48 the supplements so that we know next year moving forward,
30:51 we have more money to work with on supplements
30:53 because we’re not spending it all.
30:54 Does that make sense?
30:55 I think it’s gonna be really, really hard
30:56 to retroactively do that.
30:57 I don’t–
30:58 - I don’t think we should discuss retro.
30:59 - I think it stays with supplements though.
31:01 Like, hear me when I say that.
31:02 Like, I think it stays with supplements,
31:03 but it just retroactively giving it to them
31:05 I think is gonna be very challenging.
31:07 I don’t know how our, I don’t know how we would do that.
31:10 And then would we go back to bargaining and I don’t,
31:12 I’m just thinking, wow, that might be really difficult,
31:15 right?
31:16 - I think we had agreed to that.
31:17 I think we had said that retroactively
31:19 would be too difficult to do.
31:20 I think where our direction was is that at the end,
31:22 there will be, if there is a sum of money,
31:25 that we would come together and collectively figure out
31:27 what we would do with that,
31:28 not just let it fall to the bottom line
31:30 is what they were afraid of.
31:31 - Right, and I mean, I’m an advocate for,
31:33 hey, don’t let it fall to the bottom.
31:34 Keep it in supplements.
31:35 That’s what we’re saying the money was allocated for.
31:38 So if that means we have more dollars next year
31:40 to negotiate supplements,
31:41 then that means we have more dollars
31:42 to negotiate supplements,
31:44 which means they’re gonna get a higher supplement.
31:45 And in essence, it’s the same thing.
31:47 You’re giving it to them, it’s just,
31:48 you’re gonna give it to them next year
31:49 when we know we have more money to negotiate with, right?
31:51 - Absolutely.
31:52 - So part of the process that we are embarking upon
31:56 with the millage with our New Citizens Oversight Committee
32:00 will be just like the half cent sales tax
32:03 oversight committee, the ICOC,
32:05 that part of their job is to make sure that each bucket,
32:09 we even actually have it broken down in policy
32:11 for the sales tax.
32:12 This percentage goes to facility renewal.
32:14 This percentage goes to security.
32:15 This percentage goes to technology, right?
32:20 And same thing with the millage
32:21 because we have broken it down.
32:23 I absolutely agree that that percentage,
32:25 if this, of that, I can’t remember what it was called,
32:29 B1 or A1, A2, all of that, right?
32:32 The letters, you know, the bucket that is for supplements,
32:38 I mean, for salary supplements, that needs to all,
32:42 and if we don’t use it all up,
32:43 we roll it into the next year,
32:44 that’s for the supplement supplements (laughs)
32:48 like the coaching and EOC and all that
32:51 ‘cause we did that 30% increase is in our contract,
32:54 that that needs to stay there,
32:56 the technology needs to stay there,
32:58 that whatever we put, whatever we’ve broken it down into,
33:02 there is a portion that can be a fall to the bottom.
33:06 It’s already written out in MOUs, those things,
33:10 but yeah, you’re specifically talking about the supplements
33:13 like for coaches and stuff like that.
33:15 - All supplements, at the end of it all,
33:17 we will evaluate what we wanna do
33:18 for the next direction. - But it needs to stay
33:19 in its own bucket, but I agree, Ms. Wright,
33:22 it’s going back and giving somebody extra $35.22
33:27 because we divvied it up, yeah.
33:28 It just needs to be that committee,
33:30 that supplement committee that meets
33:32 with between the unions and the district,
33:35 and they work on this every year when the contract,
33:37 I think that’s some work that they can do
33:38 with whatever money is left over there.
33:40 - And there’s so many needs between–
33:41 - Just like we did for the Seltzer tax, that’s okay.
33:43 - There’s so many needs between now and then
33:45 that we may find that we need to allocate resources
33:48 into a different direction, to a different place,
33:50 having that ability at the end.
33:52 I think the idea was just that we did not wanna let it fall
33:54 to the bottom line, that we would have the conversation,
33:56 and that’s it, right?
33:58 - So I don’t know if this already happens
34:01 on the union side of things,
34:02 so they might say we do that already,
34:07 but is there a way for us to analyze or to survey
34:11 what positions of teacher sponsorships for certain clubs
34:15 or activities or sports, if anything,
34:17 are not necessarily receiving a supplement right now?
34:20 For instance, I’ve advocated for sources of strength, right?
34:23 That’s just one example, but there might be other ones
34:25 out there where teachers aren’t really speaking up
34:27 about the service that they’re doing for our kids
34:28 that they’re not necessarily getting rewarded for,
34:31 financially, so if we do have stuff fall to the bottom,
34:34 that would be the perfect way to kind of bring those people
34:36 into the fold, if we can.
34:38 - Yeah, I don’t necessarily wanna give Kevin Robinson
34:40 more work to do, but–
34:41 - Right, I mean, if it’s excessive,
34:42 I completely understand that, but if it’s possible–
34:44 - No, I think a simple survey of the principals
34:47 should yield that information.
34:49 I think also, not speaking for him,
34:51 but I believe he plans to look at supplements
34:54 we already have and kind of do an analysis
34:56 of what gets filled every year and what doesn’t,
34:59 and if there are certain supplements
35:00 that are not getting filled every year,
35:02 we had a discussion about this,
35:03 it might be time to eliminate those.
35:05 For example, school newspaper, there’s not too many schools
35:09 that still have a school newspaper.
35:10 Some do, but not as many, but schools that aren’t operating
35:15 a school newspaper still have that supplement
35:17 on their sheet, we budget for it,
35:18 and then we don’t necessarily issue it.
35:22 So some analysis of what supplements we already have
35:27 and see where maybe some of them aren’t getting filled,
35:29 and then an analysis of maybe some services
35:33 that we’re providing that aren’t supplemented,
35:36 and maybe replace those or something like that.
35:37 - ‘Cause there’s that line item that,
35:40 I’m calling it what I’m calling it,
35:41 it’s not what it’s labeled as,
35:42 but basically that discretionary line item
35:44 that you explained that things like sources of strain
35:46 sometimes are being supplemented
35:47 depending on the administrator.
35:48 So sometimes it could be inequitable–
35:50 - Sure, there’s a few unique supplements, basically,
35:53 and the school can write in those,
35:55 but they’re like 500, and now they’d be 500 plus 30%.
35:59 But I think, I believe Kevin plans on doing that work,
36:04 kind of looking at what we’re doing,
36:06 what’s not ever being filled, should we replace it?
36:13 - Okay, I think we’re all in agreeance.
36:16 I think publicly we’ve stated we’re in good.
36:18 - All right, next up we have the Brevard before
36:20 and after school program analysis.
36:22 Thank you so much for coming in, appreciate you.
36:24 We’re moving kind of quick today, so thank you.
36:28 - Welcome, thank you for having me.
36:32 Sorry.
36:33 First, I’m gonna provide a little information
36:34 about Brevard before and aftercare,
36:36 and then I’m gonna show a comparative analysis
36:39 between our before and aftercare and summer programs
36:42 to the existing ones that are in the surrounding area
36:44 in our county, and then I’m gonna take a deep dive
36:47 into the analysis of financials with our revenues
36:50 and our expenditures for the program,
36:52 and then I’m gonna project a proposal
36:55 for a scheduled fee increase.
36:59 Okay, so we have three different program offerings
37:02 through BAS, we have the fee-based program
37:05 of the before, after summer program, and you can do both.
37:10 Then we have a grant,
37:11 the 21st Century Community Learning Centers,
37:14 that’s funded for aftercare for certain schools
37:17 that are awarded that grant,
37:19 and then we also have another Iowa grant
37:22 that’s an intensive afterschool
37:23 and weekend academics program.
37:29 Okay, we do give a great benefit to our employees.
37:32 We have deeply discounted rates for employee limited use,
37:36 beforecare, aftercare, both before and aftercare,
37:40 summer camps, and daily drop-ins.
37:44 So the way we run BAS, we run it like a business.
37:49 It’s through an enterprise fund.
37:52 It’s a district-operated fund that provides beforecare,
37:55 aftercare, and summer programs.
37:58 We treat it like a business,
37:59 and we use the general accepted accounting principles.
38:06 Okay, the areas of success.
38:07 We have an enrichment program
38:09 where we allow vendors to come in
38:11 and provide enrichment for our children.
38:14 That totaled last year $26,000 and $41.
38:18 We increased full-time fee-based enrollment,
38:21 which is like before, after, and summer by 10%.
38:24 We improved our increased summer camp by 25%.
38:28 We were awarded the Iowa grant
38:31 that we just went over for those programs for 10 sites.
38:34 We maintained three 21st Century grants
38:38 and awarded three additional,
38:41 and we reinstated our Gold Key Safety Program,
38:43 which is where they go out to the sites
38:45 and ensure that they are safe for our children.
38:50 Okay, looking at this comparative analysis,
38:53 these are the programs that are
38:56 in the surrounding community
38:58 that offer a before and after summer program.
39:03 We are significantly less in our registration fees
39:06 throughout our program.
39:08 Comparing to one, we’re 42% of the cost of Berry Patch,
39:13 which is the next one in line.
39:15 Our before and aftercare rate, like together combined,
39:18 is $10 lower per week than the lowest one,
39:22 which is Kid Connection.
39:24 And then we’re $12 per week cheaper
39:27 than the cheapest site of Jellybean Junction.
39:35 Okay, so looking at our 2023 fiscal year,
39:38 which was last year,
39:42 our beginning fund balance after all the fees was,
39:45 the parentheses just mean the deficit,
39:47 so a negative balance of $1,734,639.
39:52 And if you just look at how much we made in our fees
39:56 without that beginning negative fund balance,
39:59 we were at $1,054,770.
40:04 Transferring that to this year,
40:07 we are projected to be in a negative of $2,224,181.
40:14 And then after the fees and the fund balance,
40:16 the negative fund balance is not looked at,
40:18 we’re down $489,542.
40:24 Okay.
40:25 Can I pause here?
40:25 Yes, yes ma’am.
40:26 Is that, ‘cause I didn’t see this in the presentation,
40:28 is that mainly due to the raises that we’re projecting?
40:31 Raises and we bought computers, 54 per site, yes.
40:35 Okay, thank you.
40:38 57, sorry, 57 computers.
40:42 Okay, so most of our revenue is generated
40:46 through our pay fee program for the before, after,
40:49 and our summer camps.
40:52 And most of our expenditures is due to the salaries
40:55 and our benefits that we give the employees.
41:01 Okay, so we have just three areas of concern.
41:04 The negative fund balance that we’re coming
41:06 to the table with.
41:07 Recruitment and retention, as across education,
41:12 it’s difficult to find people.
41:14 And then replacement of the 57 computers,
41:16 because the software program and they’re just outdated,
41:20 they were just not able to handle the workload.
41:27 I have a question.
41:28 Oh, go right ahead.
41:28 I don’t know if I can stop you and ask you.
41:29 Yep.
41:30 If you go back to the slide,
41:31 there’s a transfers out portion that I’m seeing in here
41:34 of the tune of $2 million.
41:36 Yes, ma’am.
41:37 So what is–
41:37 It goes to general fund.
41:38 We take it.
41:39 That goes to the general fund?
41:40 Yes, ma’am.
41:41 Why is that?
41:42 I asked the same question.
41:44 ‘Cause we steal it from ‘em.
41:45 That’s exactly what we do.
41:46 We take it from ‘em.
41:47 It’s a business intended to make money for the district,
41:51 and that is the amount of money that we budget every year
41:54 that it’s going to make for us to go into our general fund.
41:58 Okay, but this is a service to the community,
42:01 it really is, and to our staff.
42:02 So if we weren’t to take that $2 million,
42:05 you wouldn’t be operating in a deficit, is that correct?
42:09 In the past long ago,
42:11 prior to this going to the general fund,
42:14 revenue was actually shared between schools
42:16 and the district.
42:17 Which would be amazing.
42:18 And so principals could earn funding
42:21 by hosting this program,
42:22 and then some went to the district, it was half.
42:25 And then I think during times of budget cuts,
42:30 this was a revenue maker,
42:31 and so that’s when that was changed to support.
42:34 But I do know that this is revenue that is counted on
42:39 with our, for our district,
42:41 that our BAS will provide this to the district.
42:44 - So it goes into the bottom general fund, okay?
42:47 And one of the arguments–
42:48 - Yeah, it’s the same, like, it’s yucky feeling, I get it.
42:52 ‘Cause it’s the same thing when we talk about like,
42:53 Head Start and stuff.
42:55 It feels weird that they’ll show up
42:57 and show us a presentation that they’re in a negative,
42:59 and we’re the ones taking that.
43:01 And I’m assuming where your sentiment is,
43:04 and I probably agree with it,
43:06 but then that has to be replaced with something else,
43:09 cut somewhere, if we were to say we don’t do that anymore.
43:12 But I agree with you, ‘cause it feels weird.
43:15 - So historically speaking,
43:17 and when we’re in budget deficits and we’re cutting,
43:19 that’s not where we are right now.
43:21 Am I fair to say that?
43:22 I mean, obviously, our revenues are up quite a bit
43:24 based on the valuations of property.
43:28 That’s bothersome to me, so.
43:30 - We can continue on, go ahead.
43:31 - Our revenues may be up in terms of property values,
43:34 but our population, our enrollment is stagnant,
43:38 if even decreased a little.
43:39 So that’s where we get the bulk of our funding is FTE.
43:43 - Right.
43:44 - So I wouldn’t say we’re flush with money
43:45 or anything like that.
43:46 - No, no, but we’re definitely in a positive
43:48 versus years past, and so, you know.
43:51 My other question is the enrollment.
43:52 That’s one thing I didn’t really see in the slide here.
43:54 Like, where is our enrollment capacity at
43:56 versus our staff for a lot of these sites?
43:59 - Well, that brings up a good point.
44:00 Many of our sites are actually having wait lists
44:04 because of staffing.
44:05 If we can’t, because of that gold key safety,
44:09 there is a number.
44:10 So it’s a little different than during the school day,
44:13 but after school, literally, we cannot go one student over.
44:16 And so we have a lot of our programs on wait list
44:19 because of staff vacancies.
44:22 And without doing an increase to the hourly rate
44:27 of group leader roles,
44:29 we’re really struggling to bring on more staff.
44:33 So I don’t have the exact number
44:35 of how many have wait lists,
44:37 but many of our programs have wait lists
44:39 to include some of our staff on those wait lists.
44:42 - So I wanted to say, when I first became a board member,
44:45 it was the tail end of them moving away
44:47 from allowing the cost share from the schools.
44:50 And there was a lot of upset principals at the time
44:54 who they received a portion of their aftercare.
44:57 And what happened is, is that we decided to just pull that
45:00 from them.
45:01 So funding to the school based location from the parents
45:03 who decided to keep theirs there.
45:05 The other component was is that a lot of the,
45:08 they took ownership more so of their aftercare program
45:12 when they had it, promoted it, did all of that,
45:14 that kind of got lost.
45:15 So there is a different model that we used to be at
45:17 and it’s 100% right that cuts came during the time
45:21 when we had to make budget cuts.
45:23 So I would love to have a conversation wrapped around,
45:26 could that be possible?
45:27 The one problem that we run into is that many of our title
45:30 one schools don’t generate the same revenue
45:34 that the more affluent schools would.
45:36 So some of your schools like Suntree, Manatee,
45:39 all of those guys are jam packed all the way through.
45:41 And some of your title one schools don’t have the same
45:43 aftercare.
45:44 And so one of the reasons that they would allocate
45:45 those funds back was to try to do a redistribution
45:48 is what it is.
45:49 But the bottom line is, is that I would love to have
45:52 that conversation because I think there’s opportunities
45:55 for longer stays after school not only aftercare,
45:57 but tutoring and all those things that we could talk about
45:59 that those kind of fill in.
46:01 So anyways, thank you.
46:02 I just wanted to kind of give them a perspective
46:04 from when I first came on the board.
46:06 - And that 21st century that you brought up a great point
46:09 because as the schools that have the 21st century
46:11 community learning centers might have just as many students
46:14 in their program as a regular Brevard before and after,
46:18 but yet they’re not really generating any income
46:20 because that funding is coming from the 21st century
46:24 grant.
46:25 And so this is where we are.
46:30 This is absolutely legal for us to do it as an enterprise
46:32 fund, it is meant to generate income for the district.
46:35 We as a board can decide how we wanna do it.
46:36 In the past, the board has said, yeah, we’re gonna use this
46:39 to help supplement the general fund.
46:40 And the CFOs have always budgeted that money.
46:44 If we wanna look at a different model,
46:45 I’d say we ask the superintendent to take a look
46:50 at what that might look like, but take into consideration
46:53 that it would not be equitable just to allow the students,
46:57 the schools that have Brevard before and after to,
47:01 they get to keep their money, but the 21st century can’t.
47:04 Then we look at making that change possibly for next year
47:07 or a change of some sort to do some revenue sharing
47:11 with the schools, some kind of model.
47:14 - Right, not to justify necessarily the transfer out,
47:17 but keep in mind, we provide the facility and maintenance
47:20 of the facility and the energy and all that.
47:23 In other words, if they were going to a private
47:26 after school facility or before school facility,
47:29 that facility, that company would be bearing all those costs
47:33 and we were providing the facility and that kind of thing.
47:36 - And the principal, that doesn’t come out
47:36 of the principal’s budget.
47:38 And neither does supervision of the program, right?
47:40 Because supervision of Brevard,
47:44 I can’t say it, before and after school
47:47 all comes at the district level.
47:49 All that supervision comes from the coordinators, right?
47:54 - We do have coordinators that run the program,
47:57 but I would be remiss if I removed the role
48:00 of the principals on this campus because they do often,
48:05 they’re heavily engaged in the program.
48:07 - I’ve been at my schools a lot in the last couple of weeks
48:09 and I’m seeing school staff that’s going and helping
48:11 with before care because there’s people that aren’t there.
48:14 So, and then to do that for just the community,
48:17 I don’t know, for me, I don’t like that transfers out
48:20 and now we’re at a deficit and now we need to pass that on
48:22 to our families when they just pass a millage.
48:24 So they’re already agreed to pay additional money
48:25 in their tax bill for our educators.
48:29 I don’t like that at all.
48:31 So I don’t know how we can look at that
48:32 and do this differently, but.
48:35 - And for schools that do host our summer programs,
48:39 those schools do, because that is an additional burden
48:42 on the campus, but they do keep that revenue.
48:46 There is, for principals that host during the summer,
48:50 that is funding that they’re able to keep
48:51 at their school sites.
48:52 - Right, it’s a little bit different.
48:54 One of the things that I always wondered
48:55 was my O’Gally elementary schools,
48:59 some of them do or don’t have aftercare programs.
49:02 I wonder if there’s an opportunity to,
49:04 in lagging aftercare programs,
49:06 if there’s an opportunity to maybe cost share to drive it,
49:09 ‘cause a lot of those teachers that are inside of there
49:11 would be able to be, you know what I mean,
49:13 that would drive it as an aftercare program
49:16 if they knew that the funds were coming back, I don’t know.
49:18 There’s some innovative ways we could possibly look at it.
49:21 I would say, I know you guys are always looking
49:23 at the new ideas every year.
49:25 I would promote Ms. Wright’s opportunity
49:30 to take a look at how we can possibly do,
49:33 raise some of those issues.
49:34 Does that make sense?
49:37 You guys good?
49:39 - I mean, I think it was already said,
49:41 I mean, I know it was already said,
49:42 but one of the most important things to focus on
49:45 is there are many schools that have wait lists.
49:48 So how do we entice staff to start working
49:50 in our before and after school programs consistently?
49:53 Keyword.
49:55 In order to ensure, number one,
49:56 those children have access to those programs on campus,
49:59 ‘cause it’s the best thing for them and their families,
50:01 as well as it’ll generate some more revenue.
50:03 And I know that that’s a common problem
50:05 throughout the district.
50:08 Many share that with me (laughs)
50:10 and just even as a parent,
50:12 like at my little beachside community school,
50:15 like once that link opens up,
50:18 we’re all texting each other, my friends,
50:19 like make sure you get on there and get your spot,
50:21 because it’s so hard to get in there.
50:23 So it would not only be a benefit for the families
50:25 and the community,
50:26 but of course it would start generating some more revenue.
50:28 So we need to have a conversation
50:29 about how we can entice more people
50:33 to choose that as our career path.
50:37 - All right.
50:40 Just questions around this, just to get my brain thinking.
50:43 I know this is gonna have to be for their conversations,
50:46 and I do want you to finish,
50:47 ‘cause your presentation–
50:49 - Sorry, I know.
50:51 - The before and after care workers
50:54 are governed under the 10/10 contract, correct?
50:59 - I believe so.
51:01 - The coordinators may be non-bargaining.
51:04 - Coordinators, yeah. - I believe the coordinators
51:05 are non-bargaining.
51:06 - But staff would be. - The group leaders
51:08 at the 10/10. - Okay.
51:09 So it’s not like we can run BAS completely like a business
51:12 where it’s separate entity,
51:15 where they can set the salaries differently
51:17 and things like that.
51:18 We are still controlled by the contract.
51:21 - If they’re part of 10/10.
51:23 - Right. - We’ll check.
51:24 - Right, right, okay.
51:25 This is something I’d like to consider
51:26 as we move forward with these ideas.
51:27 - Yeah, ‘cause I mean, just being transparent,
51:30 I picked my daughter up and they thanked
51:33 for what was happening and the increases that they saw,
51:36 which my opinion weren’t high enough,
51:38 but they were happy
51:39 and it was hitting their paycheck already.
51:40 So I believe that they’re part of our group.
51:42 - And they do, we have the dual roles.
51:45 Sometimes there are people who like will work
51:47 in the cafeteria and UBS to make a full-time position.
51:51 So that kind of keeps them all together too.
51:55 Okay, thank you. - All right.
52:01 - This is so small.
52:02 - I know, I’m trying to enlarge it and it’s blurry.
52:04 - So let me just get back to that.
52:06 So we actually have a 10/10 where we support
52:11 giving them a certain raise, right?
52:14 But then we don’t have this funding source
52:17 as part of our conversation to offset those 10/10.
52:21 Does that make sense to you?
52:22 So like they’re getting paid by this entity
52:25 for their wages and everything else,
52:26 but they’re under our bargaining unit.
52:27 So when we go to have the conversation wrapped around,
52:30 this is how much money we have,
52:32 we’re including them into our base salary allocation
52:36 that we’re, does that make sense to you?
52:38 You following me?
52:39 So like, I always thought that they were not a part
52:45 of that conversation, but that might be something
52:46 we have to take a look at just for the future.
52:48 You know what I mean?
52:49 That there may be a little bit of a variance there.
52:52 Okay, thank you.
52:54 Anybody else?
52:56 So what are you guys looking for?
52:58 - Okay, so the proposed fee increase is 5%
53:01 on the first year, which we looked at January,
53:04 but I think we’re gonna try for August to give everyone a,
53:07 ‘cause this was made previously,
53:10 to look for pushing for August,
53:12 and that would give us enough time to tell parents
53:14 and spread the word.
53:16 So 5% the first year, 3% each additional year
53:19 for four more years after that.
53:21 But for an example, if you’re looking at like
53:23 the before and after, which most people use,
53:26 the before and after, the 5% the first year
53:29 will go up $4 per week, and each additional year,
53:32 it’ll go up $2.
53:33 So it’ll go from, I think it’s 70 to 74,
53:38 and then to 76 and 78.
53:41 - Are you asking for all the way across
53:43 because we have different rates based upon employees
53:46 and everything else? - Yeah, it’s across the board.
53:47 I just gave that one example of the before and after
53:50 just to show you how much money in comparison.
53:54 - It’s always been my argument to, you know what I mean,
53:58 allow our employees to have zero cost for health care
54:02 as part of our attraction, you know.
54:04 - Health care?
54:05 - Well, I’m sorry, zero cost for their aftercare.
54:08 The issue that you have is that we do have to create raises
54:12 and there is a significant difference between the two.
54:15 So I’m okay myself with that.
54:17 - And it’s really, really low. - It’s more than 50% discount
54:19 for, yeah, ‘cause it’s like 70,
54:23 I only pay 33 per week.
54:25 - I get it, listen, I totally get that it’s a great deal
54:27 for afterschool care and beforeschool care.
54:30 My proposal would be X and A the transfers out
54:33 and don’t increase the fees to the family.
54:35 That’s what I would advocate for.
54:37 - Say that again. - No more transfers out.
54:38 You’re not gonna transfer out the money anymore
54:40 and I know that’s gonna cause an issue with the district.
54:42 I know Cindy’s going, oh my gosh,
54:44 what are you doing back there?
54:45 But I just, I feel like this is an unfair ask
54:48 of our families, even if it’s $4,
54:50 a lot of our families are financially struggling.
54:52 If you’ve gone to the grocery store,
54:53 you filled your gas tank up recently,
54:54 you know how expensive it is out there.
54:56 So an additional increase hitting at every angle,
54:59 whether it’s insurance or groceries or childcare
55:01 or all over the place, doesn’t help our families at all.
55:03 So, and if we’re transferring it out
55:06 and we’re taking the money to the district,
55:08 that’s an extra, I dislike that so much,
55:11 it’s not even funny, so.
55:13 - Is the, you have a percentage increase
55:15 based upon all those, they’re not all $4 increases.
55:17 What is the– - No.
55:19 - What’s the largest?
55:19 So like I’ve got six kids I’m putting in there.
55:21 - That would be, the before and after care
55:24 would be the highest. - Okay.
55:26 - Because that’s the most that you can get.
55:27 - Right, right, right, right.
55:28 - So $4 would be the most per week increase.
55:32 - Per child. - I mean, per child, yes.
55:34 - So if you have six, that’s–
55:36 - Well, if you have two– - Yeah, they get an issue.
55:37 - Per week, that’s four. - And to somebody
55:39 that has the money, that’s not a big deal,
55:41 but I’m just telling you, a lot of our families
55:42 are scraping by right now and trying to figure out
55:44 how they’re gonna get through paying their mortgage–
55:45 - And a lot of those families are gonna be
55:47 in the 21st century. - Yeah, right.
55:49 - That is free. - That’s gonna be, yeah.
55:51 - Well, I’m just telling you, that’s my piece.
55:52 If the board doesn’t agree or doesn’t land it,
55:54 that’s totally fine, but I’m just saying for me,
55:56 that’s where I’d be. - I would like to hear
55:57 from Ms. Lasinski.
55:59 - Yeah, so, is this on?
56:02 - Yeah. - Yeah, okay.
56:04 What I wanted to, and I’m gonna mess this up a little bit,
56:08 but GASB and accounting practices changed years ago,
56:13 and why they’re in this deficit
56:17 or the fund balance is negative, and I’m not screaming,
56:20 is because it’s an accounting change that happened,
56:27 and the money is basically, and I’m gonna screw this up,
56:31 I need to get my accountants out here,
56:34 is that it has to cover their pension,
56:38 but in reality, if we stopped having before and after care,
56:43 we would not have to pay for the employee’s pension,
56:45 so that’s why that funding is such a large,
56:50 it used to be three million when I got here,
56:52 the fund balance, now we’re down to a million,
56:55 so it’s not something that’s making us hurt right now,
57:05 because they made money, they made about, I think,
57:10 three million dollars, and two transferred,
57:14 that’s something that when I got here was what they did,
57:20 and I, whatever we wanna do,
57:22 we would have to change how we budget,
57:27 but I just don’t want you to be worried
57:30 about that negative fund balance.
57:35 - I’m not, ‘cause I know where it’s coming from,
57:37 it’s a transfer out, so it’s a, yeah, I mean.
57:40 - Well, see, right, but it’s also based on
57:45 what we would have to pay,
57:47 we’re supposed to have a certain fund balance,
57:49 what we’d have to pay for everyone’s pension
57:52 if we stopped before and after care,
57:54 and in reality, that wouldn’t,
57:57 we wouldn’t be paying their pension,
58:00 so we don’t pay their pension, it’s the state,
58:03 it’s a GASB rule, and it’s very strange,
58:06 I need to get an accountant out here to explain it to you,
58:10 but this is the, this is, we’re following the rules
58:14 that they told us that we have to do for the books,
58:17 and that’s why you see such a negative.
58:21 - So I hear what you’re saying,
58:23 you’re concerned with the, and strongly dislike,
58:26 I heard you loud and clear, the transfer out.
58:29 I am still in favor of us making an increase,
58:31 I thank you for moving to next year,
58:33 ‘cause at this point, it’s middle of November,
58:35 January’s a little soon, so, but here’s the reason why,
58:38 whether we, however we wanna treat this entity,
58:41 which is a business for the district,
58:45 it is still providing, it will still provide,
58:48 even with the increase, the cheapest cost,
58:50 and all these places, some of ‘em have probably
58:53 already gone up since, you know, she’s done that,
58:55 I mean, they can increase at what time,
58:57 we have to stay within the realm,
59:01 except for with our employees,
59:02 who get the drastic discount,
59:03 and this is the only place they can get it,
59:04 we have to stay within the realm of what’s going on
59:08 out there, and also, we are intending to continue
59:13 to hopefully, every year, have an increase in wages
59:16 for these employees, and just like food nutrition services,
59:19 you know, we have food nutrition, when we do our raises,
59:22 food nutrition services, they’re under
59:24 the same bargaining unit, but they provide the money
59:27 for the raise for the people who work for them.
59:29 The Brevard afterschool, they need to, that entity,
59:33 that business entity, needs to provide the funding
59:37 for the people who work in that enterprise.
59:40 - Well, it’s impossible, if you’re transferring out
59:42 2.2 million dollars for them to do that.
59:45 - But if we stop doing that today,
59:48 it’s eventually that, it’s, you know,
59:51 where are we gonna get the increase from?
59:54 - If you are advocating for raising the rates
59:56 in order to pay those people a higher wage,
59:59 and not taking 2.3 million dollars from them,
1:00:02 I would say all day, I support that.
1:00:04 But, to me, I don’t like anything to do with that,
1:00:08 so for me, it’s a hard no, but that may not be
1:00:09 where the board lands, and I understand that,
1:00:11 but I don’t like that transfers out.
1:00:13 That part really, really bothers me.
1:00:15 We are asking our families, and I know it sounds
1:00:17 very, very minimal, but you need to think about
1:00:19 the grand picture of things, where people
1:00:20 are scraping pennies together to get by.
1:00:23 And that’s the reality of what a lot of our families
1:00:24 are going through, so.
1:00:26 - Right, but again, our most struggling families,
1:00:29 they’re in those, are those schools that have the,
1:00:33 I’m not saying anybody else that’s not struggling,
1:00:34 even if they’re not at a poverty level,
1:00:36 which there’s a requirement, you know,
1:00:39 economic requirement to get into those programs.
1:00:42 I’m not saying they’re the only people who are struggling,
1:00:44 but again, this is still the cheapest game in town,
1:00:47 and it still will be the cheapest game in town.
1:00:50 And this is a business, and we have to run this part,
1:00:54 like it or not, like a business,
1:00:56 and that funding, like it or not,
1:00:58 that was transferred out is helping us
1:01:01 take care of the needs of our schools,
1:01:03 of our students, of our staff.
1:01:05 - But is it, though, because they just said
1:01:06 it’s not going back to the schools anymore.
1:01:08 - The $3 million comes to the district,
1:01:11 and the district is providing services to our students,
1:01:14 to our families, to our community, to our staff.
1:01:16 We are doing that as a district.
1:01:18 It may not be directly through the schools,
1:01:20 and I’m not against, that’s what I’m saying earlier,
1:01:22 I’m not against us taking a look at
1:01:24 what that might look like differently,
1:01:26 but to say that that $3 million isn’t benefiting
1:01:29 our community, our district, it is, it is,
1:01:31 because it’s coming into the pot
1:01:33 that is running this district,
1:01:34 and that we have to do, that we’re doing well.
1:01:36 So you may not like that we’re taking it,
1:01:38 but it is doing good work for our communities.
1:01:43 And like I said, in my mind,
1:01:47 we have to think about it as a business.
1:01:49 This is a completely different entity
1:01:51 from everything else that we do.
1:01:53 - I think the question that we kind of may ask
1:01:57 is where does the $2.2 million of the transfer,
1:02:01 is it identified in a specific place,
1:02:03 or does it just go to the bottom line and get reallocated?
1:02:06 - So I get this question a lot,
1:02:09 and I’ve been trying to find a way to answer this.
1:02:12 I like analogies quite a bit.
1:02:16 So we budget what we think our revenue’s gonna be,
1:02:23 so the FEFP, what are we, all the revenue that we expect
1:02:27 from the impact funds, from the transfer,
1:02:31 from the transfers that we get for maintenance,
1:02:34 from facility, and we get all that revenue,
1:02:37 and then we say, what are the expenses?
1:02:40 Well, the expenses are the teachers,
1:02:43 are the utilities, are the, what programs,
1:02:46 all the different things that we need,
1:02:49 and then we allocate money towards that.
1:02:52 So if I were, I don’t wanna be insulting with this analogy,
1:02:56 but if I were to say, you know, Mr. Susan,
1:03:01 that check that you got from, I don’t know, Aunt Susie,
1:03:06 for $50, and you put it in the bank,
1:03:10 where did that $50 go, what did you use it for?
1:03:14 I mean, it’s part of your bank account.
1:03:18 So, but we do, if we don’t get, do the transfer,
1:03:23 then we would have to budget for two million less,
1:03:27 or three million less.
1:03:28 - I think the, where we run into,
1:03:31 and part of the conversation that we had
1:03:33 wrapped around the supplements was,
1:03:35 is that there’s concern with the board
1:03:37 about money going to the bottom line in some areas,
1:03:40 just because we would like to see
1:03:42 where that gets allocated, right?
1:03:44 And some of the, when you sit there
1:03:46 and look at over two million dollars
1:03:48 being reallocated into the general fund,
1:03:50 it’s difficult to find out where that goes.
1:03:52 And I think that that’s the sentiment
1:03:54 that I think is kinda mumbling, like moving here,
1:03:57 is not that it’s not needed.
1:03:58 We all know that the needs of the district are there.
1:04:00 It’s just we are actually creating an increase on our people
1:04:04 that is then going to be allocated to us for a general fund
1:04:08 that we don’t have an allocation need for right now.
1:04:11 Does that make sense to you?
1:04:12 But every year it changes.
1:04:15 - I guess that doesn’t make sense.
1:04:16 - You don’t have a direct allocation
1:04:18 for the money that comes out of this aftercare.
1:04:21 So by doing so, there’s, they’re just putting–
1:04:23 - It’s not designated.
1:04:24 - Right, it’s just one of the general funds.
1:04:25 - They’re just putting it into the general fund
1:04:26 is all it is, and it’s difficult.
1:04:28 - We don’t have a whole lot of money
1:04:30 sitting in the general fund.
1:04:31 We were allocating all the dollars and all the requirements
1:04:36 to cover the expenses.
1:04:37 And in many cases, sometimes the expenses
1:04:39 are more than our revenues.
1:04:42 - That’s a whole ‘nother conversation.
1:04:44 I’m trying to figure out a better way to explain this.
1:04:46 - You don’t have to, we’re all agreeing.
1:04:49 We all know where it’s going.
1:04:50 The only issue is is that at the end of the year,
1:04:52 two point something million dollars comes in,
1:04:55 and then it just goes into the bottom fund, right?
1:04:58 And then it’s re-out–
1:04:59 - You’re absolutely right.
1:05:00 And then we budget for that though.
1:05:02 So we know that two million’s coming in,
1:05:05 and then we budget for that.
1:05:07 So do we need more substitutes?
1:05:09 Do we need more teachers?
1:05:10 So that’s how we have additional dollars
1:05:12 for the emergent requirements.
1:05:14 Well, actually, that’s not even true.
1:05:16 We’re using the revenue to cover the actual expenses
1:05:21 that we’re projecting.
1:05:22 - Imagine what it would look like if all the revenue
1:05:25 that was generated from before and after care
1:05:26 stayed with before and after care.
1:05:28 You could pay the employees everything they wanted.
1:05:30 You could have all kinds of things
1:05:31 that were able to pour into it as far as resources,
1:05:33 computers, field trips, things like that that could happen.
1:05:37 - Tutoring.
1:05:37 - Tutoring, yeah, all those things could happen
1:05:40 if it stayed where it’s at.
1:05:41 So when you say this is a business enterprise,
1:05:43 whose business enterprise is this, BPS?
1:05:46 Or is this its own entity,
1:05:48 the after school care is the enterprise?
1:05:51 - It’s our enterprise, it’s the board’s enterprise.
1:05:53 - The board’s enterprise.
1:05:55 Okay, again, I’ll tell you where I’m at,
1:05:58 and that’s what I think.
1:05:59 I mean, obviously, this year,
1:06:00 we’re already in the middle of it.
1:06:01 I don’t think changing it is advantageous right now.
1:06:06 But for me, I would say no more transfers out
1:06:09 to the general fund and no more increases to our families.
1:06:11 Let’s see what that looks like.
1:06:12 I mean, I think you’ll see that program thrive
1:06:14 in a way that you would probably be blown away.
1:06:19 - So we approved this in the budget
1:06:23 that we approved in September.
1:06:25 It was part of it.
1:06:26 Part of the revenue for this year’s budget
1:06:28 is this transfer in.
1:06:30 Transfer out of BIS and transfer into the general fund.
1:06:34 So we’ve already had eyes on and approved that
1:06:36 for this budget year that’s going to end June 30th, 2024.
1:06:40 I just, when we talk about,
1:06:42 we don’t want to put it on the backs of the people.
1:06:44 We just need to recognize that that $2.2 million,
1:06:48 2.3, whatever it is,
1:06:50 if we take that out of the way we’ve been doing it,
1:06:54 first of all, it can’t all go back into,
1:06:57 because we have to keep a portion
1:07:00 for the management of the program, okay?
1:07:04 But also, we have to find, as a board,
1:07:08 the staff has to find for us how,
1:07:12 what are we gonna replace that?
1:07:13 What are we gonna cut?
1:07:15 What $2.3 million are we gonna cut from our budget
1:07:19 to make up for the $2.3 million that we’re losing?
1:07:23 ‘Cause we are losing it.
1:07:25 That has been counted on for years
1:07:28 as this is one of our incomes,
1:07:30 just like FEFP and the sales tax and now the millage.
1:07:34 It’s a grant.
1:07:35 This is our IDEA budgets.
1:07:38 This is food and nutrition services.
1:07:39 This is something that we’ve counted on.
1:07:41 So if we’re no longer, if we’re gonna say,
1:07:43 we don’t want to count on this in the general fund anymore,
1:07:45 then we have to find where we’re gonna cut $2.3 million.
1:07:49 And that can very likely be,
1:07:53 to use your term, on the backs of our families.
1:07:55 It can be things that we’re having to not provide
1:07:57 as a district, because we don’t have the funding for that.
1:08:00 We had to cut $2.3 million in something.
1:08:04 We’ll have to make that decision.
1:08:06 It’s not an easy decision, but again, this is a business.
1:08:10 This is, this is, this is not a,
1:08:12 it is a service business, but it is a business.
1:08:16 So I just, we just need to,
1:08:18 as we move forward to whatever we’re going to do.
1:08:21 And if we, as a board decide right now
1:08:23 that we’re not going to increase rates for next school year,
1:08:26 I’m not ready to make that decision today.
1:08:28 I think we need to have a further conversation
1:08:30 of what that would exactly look like,
1:08:31 where that $2.3 million will come from,
1:08:33 because board, we need to figure out
1:08:36 what we’re willing to let go of,
1:08:38 to cut $2.3 million from the budget.
1:08:40 Or we’re going to have to decide right here in today,
1:08:43 or whenever we make this decision,
1:08:45 that when it comes time, budget time in the spring,
1:08:48 that the first $2.3 million of whatever
1:08:50 the increase the state might give us, right off the top,
1:08:53 that’s going to go to replace this.
1:08:55 So we’ve already, to me, in my mind,
1:08:57 hamstrung ourselves, because we’re already
1:08:59 going to have increases.
1:09:00 They’re probably going to raise the FRS rates again.
1:09:03 There’s going to be other things that have to be doing.
1:09:05 So, you know, when we get presented the budget,
1:09:08 and like here, the state gave us
1:09:09 an extra $40 million this year.
1:09:11 Well, then we have to pay $18 million extra in FRS,
1:09:15 or whatever it may be.
1:09:16 This is going to be part of that.
1:09:17 And we have to take $2.3 million off the top,
1:09:19 ‘cause we didn’t, we’re not going to take it
1:09:21 out of our after-school for next year.
1:09:23 So we already reduced our, whatever increased revenue,
1:09:26 we will hopefully get this year by $2.3 million.
1:09:29 We just need to acknowledge that from the beginning,
1:09:31 ‘cause that’s what we’re saying right now,
1:09:32 is that we’re going to take that increase
1:09:34 and not put it towards raises for all of our employees,
1:09:37 or any other things that we want to do,
1:09:39 we’re going to put it to replacing this income.
1:09:42 - So, what I feel and what I’m hearing is,
1:09:48 obviously there needs to be like a deep dive
1:09:50 in a presentation of the things that have been discussed,
1:09:52 ‘cause they’re not simple answers.
1:09:53 You can’t just willy-nilly say we’re going to do this
1:09:55 or that with something that would make
1:09:57 such a significant impact in either direction.
1:10:00 The other thing, though, I just, I want to reiterate,
1:10:05 and I’m not saying I’m against it,
1:10:06 I think we need to be presented it,
1:10:07 ‘cause I don’t know enough of what the impacts would be.
1:10:10 But to do that for this program,
1:10:13 and then to ignore the fact that it is being taken
1:10:16 from other ones and required of other ones,
1:10:19 you are going to create an inequity,
1:10:21 and it’s kind of a dysfunction across the district,
1:10:23 so that’s another thing that needs to be presented to us.
1:10:25 Who else is paying us as a revenue source?
1:10:28 ‘Cause again, like a Head Start or our VPK programs,
1:10:37 things of that nature, who are pouring money back into us,
1:10:41 it’s kind of hard to argue which one has more value
1:10:44 and which one should be forgiven.
1:10:45 So I think that that’s something
1:10:48 that needs to come forward as well.
1:10:51 - Ms. Jenkins, you’re saying that there are other
1:10:54 aftercare programs and beforecare programs like–
1:10:56 - There are other enterprise.
1:10:58 There are other enterprises and BPS,
1:11:00 so our VPK programs are paying the district as well,
1:11:04 and they’re struggling to operate within their margin.
1:11:07 So to do it for one and not for the others
1:11:12 is also gonna be a really hard argument to make
1:11:14 for those other areas that are struggling just as much.
1:11:18 So we just need to see the big picture of that decision,
1:11:21 that if we make a decision,
1:11:23 how is that going to impact the other areas
1:11:25 that might hear that change?
1:11:27 - Ms. Harris, you wanted to say something?
1:11:29 - I just wanted to add, as the board continues
1:11:32 to problem solve and think about next steps
1:11:35 for this program, if we were to return
1:11:38 to each school gets their profits, let’s say,
1:11:42 if we’re treating this as a business in its entirety,
1:11:46 if we were running grocery stores,
1:11:48 if we had certain sites that were not making money
1:11:52 in the business land alone, those are shut down.
1:11:55 So I just want us to, as we talk through this,
1:11:58 understand that we do have several schools in that model
1:12:01 that are not covered by the 21st century grant
1:12:04 because we apply for that and some schools get it
1:12:06 and some schools don’t.
1:12:08 And I would say in some cases,
1:12:10 it is some of the schools that typically get all the grants
1:12:13 are not in that program.
1:12:15 And so basically how it’s operated now
1:12:18 is barring from Peter to pay Paul.
1:12:22 And so we are able to run that as a business that way
1:12:25 if we were to go to solely a model
1:12:27 where schools get their profits,
1:12:30 we would have to talk about,
1:12:32 does every school have this program?
1:12:34 Because there wouldn’t be something to offset that funding
1:12:37 to keep many of our programs alive.
1:12:39 Because in a classroom, if I give one more student
1:12:45 to that classroom, we don’t have to hire another teacher.
1:12:48 But going back to the 26th student in a program,
1:12:52 we have to have a whole nother adult.
1:12:54 And so in the business model,
1:12:56 we’re looking at how many children do we need
1:12:57 to pay for that additional model.
1:13:00 And so for some of our schools,
1:13:01 it’s just not cost effective,
1:13:04 but we wanna continue to provide the service
1:13:06 to our community.
1:13:07 It’s something to think about.
1:13:09 - So one of the, did you have something you wanted to say?
1:13:13 - Yeah, that’d be great.
1:13:15 I was gonna wait.
1:13:17 It obviously is evident that we’re gonna have
1:13:20 to take a deep dive in the conversations.
1:13:23 And I’m glad Ms. Jenkins spoke up
1:13:24 because I think I can agree with something
1:13:26 from all of us here.
1:13:28 If we’re gonna run this as a business,
1:13:30 some type of revenue sharing does sound
1:13:32 like it makes a lot of sense.
1:13:34 Maybe not, so not 100% what Ms. Wright was saying
1:13:37 is no revenue sharing, but like Dr. Rendell had brought,
1:13:40 or take back or whatever that’s called.
1:13:43 But what Dr. Rendell had mentioned makes sense too is,
1:13:46 these other businesses before and after care,
1:13:48 they have to pay for a building
1:13:50 and they have to pay for electric.
1:13:52 And so we should be cheaper than them
1:13:54 because they have to pay for supervision.
1:13:57 So some of that probably needs to go back to the district,
1:14:00 but the revenue sharing sounds like a plan
1:14:03 that I can look at a little bit there
1:14:05 because when you revenue share and if it is a business,
1:14:07 you wanna reinvest those dollars.
1:14:09 You talked about a wait list.
1:14:10 If that school had a surplus,
1:14:14 maybe they could get rid of a wait list
1:14:16 if they could hire another person,
1:14:17 which then would increase revenue for that school.
1:14:23 Use the grocery store.
1:14:24 If I had people waiting in line and I could buy more goods,
1:14:28 I could actually create more revenue
1:14:30 because they could come in and buy more goods.
1:14:31 So it maybe could help actually raise revenue
1:14:35 if ownership was involved.
1:14:38 I know whenever there’s ownership involved in a situation,
1:14:43 things seem to work out a little bit better
1:14:45 if that school had a little more ownership
1:14:47 of the before and afterschool program
1:14:49 would be beneficial to all.
1:14:53 But again, Ms. Jenkins brought up,
1:14:54 there’s other entities like this and we’re okay.
1:14:57 We’ll take each of them on its own,
1:14:59 but I do believe we need to take a deeper dive into this
1:15:04 and for you to bring back some of your thoughts.
1:15:09 You live this and I mean,
1:15:12 it’s a different board than previous years.
1:15:15 We may decide to do things differently
1:15:17 and I just appreciate you taking the time
1:15:21 to bring this out,
1:15:22 but this is something that we need to take into consideration
1:15:26 and if we need to raise the rates,
1:15:29 you’re the one saying that it needs to be done
1:15:32 and I’m not against that either,
1:15:37 but to totally take away all the money.
1:15:41 I think we need to take a deeper dive into this.
1:15:45 - Thank you, Mr. Trent.
1:15:46 I wanna remind everybody that we did this
1:15:48 where we took the 2 million based upon the fact
1:15:50 that our budget was decreasing
1:15:52 and then we never gave it back away.
1:15:53 So at one point we did not take the $2 million from
1:15:57 or the extra revenue and not saying
1:15:58 that we’re not financially there right now,
1:16:01 but what we end up doing in some cases
1:16:03 is we do these kinds of things
1:16:04 because there was a budget cut
1:16:06 or there was a budget situation
1:16:08 and then we never come back to it, right?
1:16:10 So I wanna remind everybody that we have been there before.
1:16:14 One of the questions I wanted to ask is,
1:16:15 “You had spoken about capacity being limited
1:16:18 “based upon hiring individuals.
1:16:20 “There must be a ratio number of teachers to…
1:16:24 “Explain that to me.”
1:16:25 - 25 to one for before and after here, the fee-based.
1:16:30 It’s just we have a certain amount of numbers.
1:16:33 Say we have a wait list and we advertise
1:16:36 and we advertise and we advertise
1:16:37 and the principals do the hiring
1:16:40 and when there’s no one that applies,
1:16:44 you can’t hire anyone else
1:16:45 so you can’t take off the wait list.
1:16:49 And it’s typically like in certain…
1:16:51 Some schools, they may be a deficit of three people
1:16:54 and they’re just continually trying to hire
1:16:57 and it’s always a struggle.
1:16:59 - What are those hiring besides we know the general, right?
1:17:03 The general is that we’re just having difficulty
1:17:06 across the board on all hiring.
1:17:08 In this specifically, is it that those other entities
1:17:11 are paying their people more and we’re losing them?
1:17:13 - Well, and you also have to think the hours
1:17:15 are not great for an individual who’s working.
1:17:20 You’re either coming in early, early or at two o’clock
1:17:23 and you don’t get benefits if all that’s all you do.
1:17:26 So sometimes we can get cafeteria workers to stay over
1:17:29 and that would be an entire day
1:17:31 where they would get benefits.
1:17:33 So there are some perks but I believe majority is the hours.
1:17:38 Trying to find someone that’ll come in at two o’clock
1:17:40 and stay till 4.30, 5.30 depending on the program.
1:17:45 That’s the most difficult challenge.
1:17:47 - And if we didn’t have any of these vacancies,
1:17:51 how many vacancies do we have?
1:17:53 Say for instance, are you aware of that?
1:17:55 - I’m not, I don’t know the exact number.
1:17:57 - ‘Cause we’re sitting on some of these wait lists, right?
1:18:00 Might be 100 people long which would mean
1:18:02 that we would need four individuals to do that.
1:18:05 But we don’t know what those possibilities are.
1:18:09 - And the only reason I ask that,
1:18:11 it’s a really tough question for you to answer
1:18:13 because of the anomalies.
1:18:14 It’s just that the revenue sources would go up
1:18:17 inconsiderably if we could hire those more people.
1:18:20 - Correct.
1:18:21 - But we’re actually, okay.
1:18:23 So what is the wage comparison
1:18:24 to the other entities around aftercare?
1:18:27 - Well you’re also comparing to now you gave bus drivers
1:18:30 $20 an hour for those same hours.
1:18:32 So they’re driving those same hours
1:18:34 so we’re competing there as well.
1:18:35 Because I mean, yes you need a certification
1:18:40 to drive a bus, a certain license,
1:18:42 so maybe these people may not have it.
1:18:44 But I mean, if you’re comparing at the same time,
1:18:47 you’re giving someone $20 an hour
1:18:49 and you’re still with kids.
1:18:50 I mean, both of them are still with kids,
1:18:52 have to go through the same vetting process.
1:18:56 So it would be really great if we could use some of this
1:18:59 to increase the wages to $20 to be, you know.
1:19:03 - Honest, and have you ever done a market analysis
1:19:06 of what the other entities are paying their people
1:19:09 compared to what we do?
1:19:10 - No, not for before and after.
1:19:12 - I’m not.
1:19:12 - I can say just from experience of being inside
1:19:15 of a lot of them, they’re either equal
1:19:18 or they’re paying less, almost all of them.
1:19:21 Some of the brands are gonna pay higher
1:19:25 but majority are definitely paying less.
1:19:27 They also have, as much as our timeframes
1:19:32 are really limited, theirs are unpredictable sometimes.
1:19:37 They could literally show up for work
1:19:38 and be told to go home because they don’t have the numbers
1:19:41 inside of that facility that day
1:19:42 and then they don’t get paid that day.
1:19:45 So it’s like kind of a weird, risky, unpredictable job
1:19:50 to have when you’re out in the community.
1:19:52 - We’ve never done a market analysis
1:19:54 of the wages of the other groups.
1:19:55 And I understand that Ms. Jenkins says,
1:19:58 ‘cause I’ve seen that also that there’s a perception
1:20:01 that they may not pay them but the actual,
1:20:03 what are they paying them might be a good one
1:20:05 because we’re saying that we’re charging a whole lot less
1:20:08 but we may be paying them a little bit less
1:20:10 if that makes sense.
1:20:11 - And also another thing to think about
1:20:13 is this enterprise also pays for the benefit
1:20:16 for all our employees that utilize the program.
1:20:19 I mean, the fund pays for that.
1:20:21 So I mean, that’s a huge benefit for me, just personally.
1:20:25 I mean, but think about all the employees
1:20:27 that put their kids in this before and after care
1:20:28 so we can work our hours that we need to work.
1:20:30 I mean, it’s a huge benefit.
1:20:32 So I mean, if you think about that–
1:20:34 - $2.3 million is actually going back
1:20:36 into paying for itself, paying for this benefit.
1:20:40 - Right, for, yeah.
1:20:42 - So you’re saying that because you’re an employee
1:20:44 of aftercare that your kids can go there at a reduced rate?
1:20:47 - Well, if you’re an employee of an aftercare, you get free.
1:20:50 - That’s what I was getting at.
1:20:51 - I’m talking about Brevard County Schools,
1:20:53 we put that out as a benefit like the district does.
1:20:56 But BAS, the fund, the enterprise fund covers that benefit.
1:21:00 - Right. - Yeah.
1:21:01 So I mean, if you think about it that way,
1:21:03 we are doing a great thing through BAS for our employees.
1:21:06 - It’s a significant discount for employees.
1:21:08 - Oh, it is significant, I can tell you.
1:21:10 - A lot of our employees take advantage of it
1:21:11 because why would you have a spouse pick up a student
1:21:14 when you’re sitting on the campus with your own student?
1:21:16 It doesn’t make any sense.
1:21:18 - So everybody’s aware that was a huge contention fight
1:21:20 that we were in, I forget how many years ago,
1:21:23 where they were trying to increase the employee rate
1:21:26 and we held it low.
1:21:28 And I appreciate you guys doing that.
1:21:30 So when I get back to the wages,
1:21:31 I’m sorry to just keep harping.
1:21:34 Market analysis has never been done so that we know that.
1:21:38 Also the hours are a little bit different
1:21:40 because there’s a comparison there.
1:21:43 All right, what about the facilities?
1:21:45 Is there a, I’ve gone to the aftercare
1:21:48 and my daughter was in the aftercare.
1:21:49 It’s like everybody’s in the cafeteria, right?
1:21:52 - Yes.
1:21:53 - Do we have a capacity analysis that says,
1:21:57 if we could max out the amount of kids for this school,
1:22:00 this is the capacity?
1:22:01 Have we ever done something like that?
1:22:04 - No, and I don’t think it’s ever,
1:22:06 because there are other rooms you can utilize.
1:22:08 - Explain that, and I appreciate this.
1:22:10 - Just like the 21st century,
1:22:12 that pull out, there’s tutoring in that.
1:22:15 So they’ll be pulled out at certain times
1:22:17 for these kids to get tutoring in other classrooms.
1:22:20 So there are other areas, just like if we have aftercare,
1:22:24 looking at a plain pay for aftercare,
1:22:26 some of those, half the kids are at the playground sometimes
1:22:31 and half the kids are right outside doing something else.
1:22:34 So there are other areas where you can not just
1:22:37 look at the capacity of just the cafeteria.
1:22:40 So especially if there’s an event,
1:22:42 like an afterschool event, we ran into that,
1:22:44 like the principal was using it
1:22:45 for an afterschool event for the parents.
1:22:47 Well, they were dispersed to somewhere else.
1:22:48 So there’s always, because the building is so large,
1:22:51 there’s always other areas that we can put those children.
1:22:54 - So we’re never maxed based upon the capacity
1:22:56 of the school. - Just by employment.
1:22:58 - We’re just maxed by the capacity of the employee.
1:23:01 - Yes.
1:23:02 - And we’ve never done an analysis that says
1:23:03 that if we were able to hire this many
1:23:06 based upon our waiting lists or anything else,
1:23:09 that would be the revenue that could be brought in.
1:23:12 We haven’t done that.
1:23:13 - Well, and I will speak to, Dr. Mayer and I
1:23:17 have only been working in the BAS world
1:23:19 for a couple months.
1:23:20 So prior to that, Dr. Ivory,
1:23:22 and to give credit to Dr. Ivory,
1:23:24 when Ms. Blasinski speaks to a $3 million deficit,
1:23:28 that’s what she walked into and alleviated a lot of that.
1:23:31 So I don’t want to say that that’s never been done.
1:23:34 That’s never been done to our knowledge.
1:23:36 And I know Dr. Mayer has been working very closely
1:23:38 with the BAS staff to learn as much as she can,
1:23:42 but I just don’t want to say that hasn’t been done.
1:23:44 We just are not aware of that.
1:23:46 - It probably, rather than a market analysis,
1:23:48 I think it might be better to a historical,
1:23:51 like go back six, seven years,
1:23:53 when we maybe didn’t have as many baking fees,
1:23:55 what was our capacity then, you know, how, you know,
1:23:58 and maybe we probably have some BAS staff who were,
1:24:01 you know, we can find those numbers from back, you know,
1:24:03 ‘cause if when we, it’s still harder now than it was,
1:24:07 say six, seven years ago, you know,
1:24:09 how much was our capacity.
1:24:11 We have our funding and everything,
1:24:12 but we don’t have our, like our enrollment.
1:24:14 And of course our populations,
1:24:15 it’s not exactly apples and oranges, you know,
1:24:18 I mean apples to apples,
1:24:19 ‘cause some school populations have drastically grown.
1:24:22 Some of our schools didn’t exist.
1:24:23 Like the era elementary or whatever,
1:24:24 but we can maybe see a little bit like what,
1:24:27 how are we doing capacity wise previously,
1:24:33 when we didn’t have as many vacancies.
1:24:34 - I don’t think it’s a bad idea to look at the wages,
1:24:38 but I feel confident in my assumption,
1:24:42 but obviously they’re still not paid enough.
1:24:44 It’s not enticing, right?
1:24:45 And then when you add in the fact that they’re not working
1:24:47 a maximum amount of hours, it’s a really limited schedule.
1:24:50 So if you’re not paying enough of an hourly wage,
1:24:53 it’s really, really not tempting.
1:24:55 But the other thing to consider too,
1:24:56 is just the facilities in which they’re working with
1:24:58 compared to a lot of the ones that are out there
1:25:02 within the community.
1:25:04 Some of them are not great to be inside of.
1:25:06 I’ve been in almost every single one of them.
1:25:08 I’m gonna be honest with you.
1:25:10 Some of them are not good.
1:25:13 That’s all I’m gonna say.
1:25:15 And also you’re dealing with a different population
1:25:17 of kids, an age group of kids too.
1:25:19 You’re not dealing with potty gain or diaper changes
1:25:21 and things of that nature too.
1:25:22 So there are some variances when it comes to that.
1:25:26 But in order to entice people to come work a shorter day,
1:25:29 I do agree you’re gonna have to pay them a higher wages
1:25:31 to get them to show up.
1:25:33 - Okay, thank you.
1:25:34 So programs, let’s talk about those.
1:25:36 Some of those aftercare programs that we have
1:25:38 that we’re partnering with that have produced
1:25:40 a pretty good opportunity for us.
1:25:43 Can you talk through some of those?
1:25:44 - There’s actually one I think on the meeting tonight
1:25:46 that’s going to be trying for proof.
1:25:48 There’s chess, karate.
1:25:51 There’s anything that any person puts forth
1:25:54 to do any type of enrichment.
1:25:56 - They come in, they partner with us.
1:25:58 They give the opportunity for the kids
1:25:59 to go to another location, whether that’s offsite or there.
1:26:04 - It’s typically there.
1:26:05 - Typically there, ‘cause I know there’s a friend of mine
1:26:07 that ran karate and stuff like that.
1:26:10 And then those opportunities rev share
1:26:12 with the actual existing come with us.
1:26:14 - Yes, we make money off of them.
1:26:15 They get their share, but we also get our share.
1:26:18 - Okay, and are those based upon,
1:26:19 like how does a organization come to the,
1:26:23 is that school by school, like they approach the school
1:26:25 or is that through the district?
1:26:26 How does it come? - It’s more working
1:26:27 with the coordinator, Ms. Jennifer Balletti.
1:26:31 And she would like go through the vetting process.
1:26:33 - Sure. - And they contact her
1:26:35 and then she goes through the vetting process.
1:26:37 Of course, they have to do fingerprints and all that
1:26:39 and get solidified like as a vendor through the school.
1:26:43 - Yeah, okay.
1:26:44 - And then the students pay, so the students are paying
1:26:47 at the fee base. - It’s a fee base, yes.
1:26:49 - So if you wanna do money at perhaps school,
1:26:51 you’re gonna pay extra per week, whatever,
1:26:53 and then that’s one time a week,
1:26:55 they’re coming to the school and redistricting.
1:26:58 - Yes. - Gotcha.
1:26:59 - So one of the things that I was looking at
1:27:01 when we were speaking about this,
1:27:04 how do we like rev share, do all these things, right?
1:27:07 ‘Cause right now what we do is we take it
1:27:09 and it goes to the fund and then it, you know what I mean?
1:27:11 It gets allocated the same way it is.
1:27:13 But I think there’s a couple of ways to do it.
1:27:15 One of the ways that you could do it is to say,
1:27:17 hey, here’s historically where your numbers are, right here.
1:27:20 This is your flat numbers.
1:27:21 We haven’t been able to penetrate that level,
1:27:23 whatever it is, you have capacity, which you said
1:27:25 is inside of that school that is a little bit larger.
1:27:28 You could tell the school, hey, if you’re able
1:27:30 to increase your capacity in your aftercare program
1:27:33 past this percentage, you would be able
1:27:35 to take a percentage of that home.
1:27:37 That may be the way to do it because I have a feeling
1:27:39 that like some of your Title I schools that are there
1:27:43 that may not have that aftercare component,
1:27:45 like advertised, pushed by the faculty and staff.
1:27:49 If there’s an opportunity to do that,
1:27:50 bring in some partners and stuff like that,
1:27:52 we might be able to increase that and then allocate it.
1:27:55 So kind of like a market analysis of these five years,
1:27:58 this is where they were, just like what Miss,
1:28:01 I think it was Miss Campbell you were asking for,
1:28:02 to see where they were each year.
1:28:04 I would say that that’s a good capacity, right?
1:28:07 Like you could set capacity at Quest was X,
1:28:09 capacity at Manatee was Y.
1:28:12 If you guys go above that capacity,
1:28:14 50% of the income coming above that would go to you,
1:28:16 50% comes back, we make more money,
1:28:18 that might be an opportunity to drive an increase, right?
1:28:22 So what I would ask is that we do a wage analysis
1:28:27 and do it by the areas outside.
1:28:32 So not just like, it’s very easy to pull
1:28:38 all of the aftercare programs in the county
1:28:40 and figure out the wages that they have inside.
1:28:42 There’s not, there’s businesses and stuff like that,
1:28:44 we can figure those things out.
1:28:46 I would also ask for a capacity analysis by school
1:28:49 to figure out just like what Miss,
1:28:50 I think it was Miss Campbell and I apologize,
1:28:52 said that we could have, that way it would give us
1:28:55 a baseline of where we need to be.
1:28:57 And then I would also, I think one of the things
1:28:59 that we sometimes don’t do is a survey to the employees
1:29:01 to ask what would it take to get more employees?
1:29:04 ‘Cause they live it, right?
1:29:05 They’re right there, they’re on the edge.
1:29:06 And it may come back that the wages and the hours
1:29:10 are the ones that need to be.
1:29:11 And then we can get to work on creating that capacity
1:29:14 and getting that done.
1:29:15 So that would be my ask.
1:29:17 And I really appreciate you coming and doing this.
1:29:19 I know that this is not what you wanted to,
1:29:21 like you’re in the middle of, oh my gosh,
1:29:23 I’m like in this congressional questioning,
1:29:24 but I appreciate it.
1:29:26 What you guys do is phenomenal.
1:29:27 And I’ve gone to my aftercare programs a lot of times
1:29:30 and those coordinators are just busting at the seams
1:29:34 without any help.
1:29:35 And that is what drives me to say,
1:29:37 let’s figure this thing out and let’s do it right.
1:29:40 - Like you mentioned, a push to get the kids
1:29:42 and things like that, we do that for the 21st century
1:29:45 because they have to meet a certain quota of students
1:29:47 to keep that grant.
1:29:48 So those coordinators are constantly contacting parents
1:29:51 and parents and parents.
1:29:52 So I think maybe if we employ the same thing,
1:29:56 like maybe, hey, if you get 100% of this number,
1:29:59 ‘cause we know this, like let’s just say 20%
1:30:02 of your student body should be maybe before and aftercare.
1:30:06 If you push that coordinator and say,
1:30:07 hey, maybe there’s an incentive,
1:30:09 maybe we can, you know.
1:30:11 - Like one of the things that they’ve done
1:30:12 in other school districts is they’ve partnered
1:30:14 with like boys and girls clubs after school.
1:30:16 So they would come into the school,
1:30:17 they would be one of those partners
1:30:18 that you’re talking about.
1:30:19 They would have access to the children
1:30:20 and be able to create that revenue source.
1:30:23 That is a good opportunity to do those kinds of things
1:30:25 ‘cause they’re limited based on transportation
1:30:28 and location, right?
1:30:29 Like every one of them has major arteries
1:30:31 that are blocking kids from transferring across roads
1:30:33 and everything else might be.
1:30:35 So I appreciate you, thank you so much.
1:30:37 I think the general revenue, the general gist of this group
1:30:40 is let’s pause on the increase,
1:30:42 have a conversation and come back to it.
1:30:45 I think that that would get us to where we need to be
1:30:47 and then we can do it, so thank you, appreciate it.
1:30:49 You did a great job.
1:30:50 Like we didn’t even prep you with any questions
1:30:51 and here we are like always, so thank you.
1:30:55 Ms. Harris, do you have anything?
1:30:57 - Just about the charter.
1:30:59 They are coming at two o’clock, so it is 1.30,
1:31:03 so I don’t know.
1:31:04 - We got the 9,000 to get through Ms. Harris.
1:31:05 We got all kinds of stuff.
1:31:07 We just like to keep you well entertained.
1:31:09 We got stuff to do.
1:31:10 - Mendel’s laughing over there.
1:31:11 Can you hear him?
1:31:11 He’s trying to do it.
1:31:12 He doesn’t like those 9,000.
1:31:16 What I would ask everybody is we’re kind of,
1:31:22 we have this neola topic that I really wanted to talk about.
1:31:24 - Can we do that and then take a break?
1:31:26 - Well, that’s what I was thinking.
1:31:26 - Yeah, yeah.
1:31:27 - I was thinking of that and then we take 9,000s,
1:31:28 gives them enough time to come back and do it now.
1:31:30 Does that make sense to you?
1:31:32 - Well, whenever I, should we like kind of time start
1:31:35 and let them start at two, if they’re gonna be here at two?
1:31:38 ‘Cause I don’t want them to have to sit around
1:31:39 till we finish the 9,000s.
1:31:40 - No, I would say they go first before the 9,000s, right?
1:31:43 And then, so, yeah, let’s do that.
1:31:46 But if I could have a neola conversation come up.
1:31:48 Ms. Dampier, is that you?
1:31:50 - It’s me.
1:31:51 - Is that you, Paul?
1:31:52 - Yeah.
1:31:52 - What’s up?
1:31:53 - It’s on your packet, you can see there.
1:31:56 We were looking to implement neola’s
1:31:58 actual policy revisions, all right?
1:32:00 So if you do policy revisions the way neola
1:32:03 currently envisions, we do not do it that way.
1:32:06 You’re supposed to log into BoardDocs
1:32:08 and you do it online inside BoardDocs.
1:32:11 The problem is you will not get the packet you get now.
1:32:15 You will get, as the packet that we attach
1:32:18 to this agenda item, the red line only.
1:32:20 You would have to then look at our current policy
1:32:24 for the current policy.
1:32:26 So it’s a simplified process for staff.
1:32:29 They don’t have all that.
1:32:30 Also you will see on one of the, I think page two,
1:32:33 is a breakdown of where we currently are
1:32:36 with all the forms and everything.
1:32:37 And we’re gonna simplify that to have
1:32:40 like a cheat sheet chart that’s all the policies
1:32:44 that are gonna be on your agenda,
1:32:47 what was changed in them, so that you can just look
1:32:51 at that one page and that should help you as well
1:32:54 instead of having form A, form B, form C, form D,
1:32:57 and flipping through different pages.
1:32:59 So that’s kind of where we were looking to go.
1:33:03 We need the board to kind of say, okay, good,
1:33:05 because it’s your process.
1:33:07 - So it makes it, so let me get this straight
1:33:09 for clarification, makes it real easy for staff,
1:33:12 makes it real easy for the board members, right?
1:33:15 - As long as you guys are happy with getting there.
1:33:17 I only look at the red lines when we go to the board,
1:33:19 so that works for me.
1:33:21 - No, I have always only ever looked at the red line,
1:33:24 unless something looks wonky and then I’ll go look
1:33:27 at the clean copy and make sure that I’m reading it right.
1:33:30 But we’re, so basically what we’ll be getting
1:33:34 is like what we’ve been doing.
1:33:36 We’ll get Neola’s red line–
1:33:39 - You’re gonna get the red line copy only.
1:33:41 - And then it will show the staffs,
1:33:43 what they’ve done to red line it.
1:33:44 - It’ll have the staffs in there and any,
1:33:45 like if Neola issues an update,
1:33:47 it’ll have Neola’s update language in green usually
1:33:50 and then staff’s red line changes
1:33:52 if they’re different than that.
1:33:54 So if we added Brevard specific language,
1:33:56 you would see that red lined in there
1:33:59 along with Neola’s update.
1:34:01 - You also will get a cover sheet.
1:34:03 There’s a example there, kind of a spreadsheet
1:34:06 that says policy 9701.6.
1:34:09 This is what our recommended changes are,
1:34:11 that kind of thing.
1:34:11 So not only will you get the red line version,
1:34:14 which really most of us just jump to the red line version
1:34:17 ‘cause what’s being deleted is crossed out,
1:34:20 what’s being suggested is now in red.
1:34:21 And so I’m like you can see what’s being changed
1:34:23 without trying to hold up a clean version
1:34:26 versus the recommended changes versus red line.
1:34:28 You’re looking at one version.
1:34:29 But you’re also gonna get that cover sheet, so to speak,
1:34:33 you know, that guiding document that says
1:34:36 this is what we’re changing.
1:34:38 Kind of a summary of what the changes are.
1:34:41 - Well, so it just, I just have two questions.
1:34:43 So as we walk through the process,
1:34:46 and because one of the things,
1:34:47 like if we make a change in a work session
1:34:49 and it’s gonna come back to us,
1:34:51 I always wanna see those changes highlighted different way.
1:34:54 - Right, we can do that.
1:34:55 - You can still do that, you can still do that.
1:34:56 - It could be in blue or something.
1:34:58 - And then did we come up with a way to mark board docs
1:35:01 to show this process that we’ve been reviewed?
1:35:05 - We just tell them, like and they add a line
1:35:08 on our policies reviewed by board on or reviewed on,
1:35:11 and they put a date.
1:35:12 - So they’ll be able to do that
1:35:13 for all these months? - They’re already doing
1:35:14 that right now, yeah.
1:35:15 - Okay, fantastic.
1:35:16 I’m good with it.
1:35:17 - Good, that was good.
1:35:17 - I have a really important question.
1:35:19 Why didn’t we do this a really long time ago?
1:35:22 - I don’t know.
1:35:23 - Maybe back in the zeros when we started a long time ago.
1:35:26 - I talked to Neola a long time ago.
1:35:27 - Now we’re like done.
1:35:29 - I talked to, no, we’re only through the ones.
1:35:32 Right now we’re on the twos,
1:35:33 and so those working now will be able to do it quicker.
1:35:37 But Neola said they’ve always let us stay
1:35:39 the way that we were originally
1:35:41 ‘cause we were one of the first districts
1:35:43 to adopt Neola in the state.
1:35:45 So they never forced us into the new system.
1:35:51 - Yeah, that makes total sense
1:35:53 because every now and then there’s a department
1:35:55 that does a policy a little bit different way,
1:35:58 like they scanned it in instead of uploading it or whatever,
1:36:00 and then it’s not searchable.
1:36:02 And so this be consistent
1:36:04 where everybody’s doing it the same way.
1:36:06 - And I’m sure Neola will be happy.
1:36:08 - Yeah, so basically it was a resource
1:36:11 that was included in our contract
1:36:13 that we just never took advantage of.
1:36:14 - That’s correct.
1:36:15 - Okay.
1:36:16 - So in speaking to that,
1:36:18 we as a board decided that we wanted to take a look
1:36:20 at moving to the board docs in general, right?
1:36:23 So I don’t remember if you guys remember,
1:36:25 but on board docs, there’s another option that we could have
1:36:28 that would allow us to look
1:36:29 at other school districts policies.
1:36:32 We had that conversation and we gave Tammy,
1:36:35 we gave Tammy direction to go find out about it.
1:36:38 And then we had Tammy, you know what I mean,
1:36:41 took another job and there was all these other things
1:36:42 on that.
1:36:43 What I would like to do, if it’s okay with you,
1:36:45 is ask Paul to reach out to the board docs
1:36:48 and have them come in, do a little bit of a presentation
1:36:50 on what the difference between us and Agenda Plus is.
1:36:52 Because when we took on Agenda Plus,
1:36:54 there were a lot of things on it that were supposed to work
1:36:56 that still don’t.
1:36:58 So like you were supposed to,
1:36:59 I don’t know if you remember Ms. Campbell,
1:37:01 we would vote. - We were voting, yeah.
1:37:02 - And it would show, you could vote at each one.
1:37:04 You wouldn’t have to say all in favor signify,
1:37:06 you just vote.
1:37:07 And then it shows the public what we voted on
1:37:09 rather than this.
1:37:10 - And then we’d have to take a voice vote.
1:37:11 It only worked for a little while.
1:37:12 - Yeah, and there’s other things that Agenda Plus
1:37:15 is inhibiting us on utilization of our policies
1:37:18 and stuff like that.
1:37:19 So what I would ask is if it’s okay with you guys
1:37:21 to have him reach out and have them come back
1:37:24 and do a presentation on it,
1:37:25 because there’s a whole lot more horsepower
1:37:27 that we’re not taking advantage of,
1:37:28 because we’re cut off, that’s all.
1:37:30 - We may need to check out what our contract is
1:37:33 with Agenda Plus, how much longer we have on it.
1:37:35 - You always have about 60 days
1:37:37 to get out of every contract in the district.
1:37:38 So by the time– - That and probably work
1:37:40 with procurement, ‘cause that would be
1:37:41 a procurement issue as well, so.
1:37:46 - I would say that–
1:37:48 - But yeah, we did look into the access
1:37:50 and it was gonna come at an additional fee for board docs.
1:37:53 I remember you asked about that, and I did look into it.
1:37:57 - There’s piggyback fees and piggyback contracts
1:37:59 that we can jump on.
1:38:00 There’s, you know what I mean,
1:38:02 if we wanted to move towards board docs
1:38:03 and we didn’t wanna, you know what I mean,
1:38:05 go out to some lengthy procurement for six months,
1:38:07 we can move in that direction.
1:38:08 But I think it all starts with let’s have them
1:38:10 give a presentation and see what they can do.
1:38:12 You know what I mean?
1:38:13 - I don’t wanna circumvent whatever lengthy process means
1:38:16 we’re going through procurement in the proper way.
1:38:17 - Well, there’s ways, no, it’s not circumvented.
1:38:20 - And if, hang on, ‘cause Paul just said a second ago,
1:38:22 they did take a look at it, looks like it’s gonna be,
1:38:24 I don’t love, I’ve used both,
1:38:26 ‘cause we use board docs for FSBA.
1:38:28 I don’t love board docs so much
1:38:32 that I’m willing to pay extra over Agenda Plus,
1:38:35 ‘cause I would have to, you know,
1:38:37 there are some things that we haven’t used it,
1:38:40 I haven’t used it even with FSBA meetings as far as a,
1:38:46 I’ve used it in like a general way,
1:38:47 but not as specifically as like what we use for Agenda Plus.
1:38:50 I just wanna take another look,
1:38:51 but I think we need to follow the proper procurement process
1:38:54 and have them take a look, and if we want,
1:38:56 because we’re the end user of that,
1:38:58 you know, sometimes when we have procurement,
1:39:00 we have a committee of people who use
1:39:01 whatever the product is gonna be, they get to sit on it.
1:39:03 I mean, for board docs and Agenda Plus,
1:39:05 that’s us and all the people who,
1:39:06 the staff who directly upload things.
1:39:09 I think we can have more input,
1:39:11 more fingers into that process,
1:39:13 but we still need to go through the process.
1:39:16 - I think the first thing we do is have a presentation,
1:39:18 see what it is, and I did wanna let you know
1:39:19 that part of the process that we do on a regular basis
1:39:21 is piggybacks and everything else through procurement.
1:39:23 - I’m very aware of that.
1:39:24 - Yeah, so it is part of the process,
1:39:25 so it’s not like it’s outside in the morning.
1:39:27 So all right, so if you guys are okay,
1:39:28 we can take a break and come back in a little bit,
1:39:31 and then we should have the 9,000s
1:39:32 in the presentation by charter.
1:39:33 Did you need anything?
1:39:34 - No, I’m good.
1:39:35 - Okay, all right.
1:39:36 (gavel bangs)
1:39:37 Let’s go take a break.
1:39:45 (gentle music)
1:39:49 (upbeat music)
1:43:49 (gentle music)
1:51:49 (upbeat music)
1:54:19 (gentle music)
2:00:20 (upbeat music)
2:00:49 (gentle music)
2:02:19 (upbeat music)
2:02:23 - Four, three, two, one.
2:02:28 Welcome back, everybody.
2:02:29 We have a charter school application
2:02:31 that we would like to start with.
2:02:34 Thank you for tuning in and coming back with us.
2:02:37 I will say this may be the longest application
2:02:40 that I’ve ever seen.
2:02:40 I thank you for the thoroughness of this.
2:02:43 This is great.
2:02:45 The floor is yours.
2:02:49 - Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.
2:02:51 My name is Jamie Evans
2:02:53 and I’ve been an elementary school teacher for 22 years.
2:02:56 My experience includes working in charters,
2:02:59 traditional schools, and private schools
2:03:01 from the Northeast in New Jersey to California and Florida.
2:03:07 And over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work
2:03:09 at school sites ranging from inner city schools
2:03:12 to suburban schools to even rural schools.
2:03:16 I’ve dedicated these years not only to teaching,
2:03:19 but to building relationships with families and the staff.
2:03:22 And I believe that there needs to be a supportive network
2:03:25 for children.
2:03:27 Having acquired a master’s in administration
2:03:30 and leadership certificates in multiple states,
2:03:35 I’m sorry, I believe, I’m sorry.
2:03:38 I’ve been striving to learn and work
2:03:40 and support my school in administrative capacities
2:03:42 and with colleagues.
2:03:43 So outside of the classroom responsibilities,
2:03:45 but I’ve sort of been pushing for admin for many years,
2:03:49 but also maintaining my teacher vacation schedule,
2:03:52 if you know what I mean.
2:03:55 I found a lot of joys and challenges and growth
2:03:57 in this profession, and I do believe,
2:03:59 and we believe that this has led to sort of this moment.
2:04:03 Having found other educators like Kay
2:04:05 and some others that we are working together,
2:04:08 who I now consider friends and colleagues
2:04:10 and who’ve had the same passion,
2:04:12 we believe that we can create a model school
2:04:15 with the vision that we share,
2:04:16 which is what we will share with you today.
2:04:20 Mrs. Thabeel, who was our application writer,
2:04:23 apologizes for not attending.
2:04:25 We have two members that did not attend
2:04:26 that are listed on our application.
2:04:29 She is extremely sick right now
2:04:31 with that flu that’s been going around,
2:04:34 but she has written many applications
2:04:36 that were approved in Duval County.
2:04:38 She’s been consulted or edited,
2:04:40 others submitted in additional Florida counties.
2:04:42 She’s assisted in writing projects
2:04:44 such as school grants, website content,
2:04:47 and charter contract renewal.
2:04:48 Mrs. Thabeel holds a master’s of science
2:04:51 in teaching English and as a second language
2:04:54 from the State of University of New York in Albany.
2:04:58 Also a master of business administration
2:05:00 from Kaiser University in Florida
2:05:02 and a bachelor of science in journalism
2:05:04 from the University of New Hampshire.
2:05:06 And so she’s been supporting us
2:05:08 through this process early on,
2:05:10 both as the writer, and you can see,
2:05:12 it’s pretty comprehensive.
2:05:13 She tries to dot all of her Ts
2:05:15 and dot all of her Is and cross her Ts.
2:05:18 She does help care deeply about helping us
2:05:20 effectively communicate our unique vision for the school.
2:05:26 - Thank you again for this opportunity.
2:05:28 Can you hear me okay?
2:05:29 Okay.
2:05:31 My name is Kay Harwood.
2:05:32 I am in a unique position to be on this school board,
2:05:37 having come from 30 years of being in the classroom
2:05:40 and in pseudo administration roles throughout my career.
2:05:46 And so I started out in Riverside and Poway, California.
2:05:50 I’ve taught in Suffolk, Virginia
2:05:53 and I landed here in Jacksonville, thanks to the US Navy.
2:05:58 I earned my national board certification
2:06:00 back when I was in California and what that did for me,
2:06:03 I found the best benefit that was,
2:06:07 was while we were traveling with the Navy,
2:06:09 I was able to get a job pretty much anywhere we landed.
2:06:13 And so I was pretty grateful to that
2:06:16 and the experiences that being a Navy wife had afforded me.
2:06:21 I earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction,
2:06:24 which I get to use now as a curriculum supervisor.
2:06:27 I have also been a Dean.
2:06:29 I have been an instructional coach.
2:06:31 I have been a reading interventionist
2:06:34 and I’ve been in the classroom for over 25 years.
2:06:40 Delighted to be on the school board with Orion schools.
2:06:44 And like Jane mentioned,
2:06:45 we are coming together of like-minded individuals,
2:06:49 which is pretty rare.
2:06:50 You wouldn’t think so in education,
2:06:52 but it can be pretty rare. (laughs)
2:06:54 But we have a passion for children
2:06:57 and we have a drive to do what is right
2:06:59 by children and by teachers.
2:07:01 And we are just excited to be a part of a school board
2:07:03 starting something new.
2:07:05 I’d like to also mention our third school board member.
2:07:09 Her name is Jade Oliver,
2:07:11 and she is not able to be with us today
2:07:14 because she’s actually working
2:07:15 and she’s in the classroom today.
2:07:18 But I’d like to share with you some information about her.
2:07:22 Her career began as an elementary teacher
2:07:25 in Broward County.
2:07:26 And for the past 23 years,
2:07:28 she’s taken on a variety of roles in public charter
2:07:31 and virtual education.
2:07:33 Ms. Oliver has taught English, history, and science
2:07:36 at the middle school and high school level.
2:07:38 So she balances us out.
2:07:39 Jane and I are primary teachers
2:07:42 and Ms. Oliver is a high school counterpart.
2:07:47 She has a passion for diverse student populations.
2:07:50 And so she actively sought out teaching opportunities
2:07:55 in the exceptional student programs,
2:07:57 including gifted and ESOL.
2:07:59 Other roles included support facilitation,
2:08:02 reading interventionists, and an instructional coach.
2:08:05 So we all have had leadership roles
2:08:07 within our schools that we’ve worked at.
2:08:09 Ms. Oliver is passionate
2:08:10 about the development of a whole child.
2:08:12 She’s established numerous arts and music programs
2:08:15 in public school settings
2:08:17 to give students the opportunity to develop their talents
2:08:19 and in their school communities
2:08:22 through participation in classical ballet,
2:08:24 jazz, modern dance, theater, marching band, and auxiliary.
2:08:28 She’s a busy gal.
2:08:29 - She is a busy gal.
2:08:31 Thank you.
2:08:31 So we’re gonna go ahead
2:08:32 and just sort of do the presentation based on,
2:08:35 can you hear me?
2:08:36 Okay, I usually my voice carries.
2:08:37 - Well, they’re recording.
2:08:39 - Oh, okay, all right, thank you, thank you.
2:08:42 Orion Shutter Schools is dedicated
2:08:44 to providing a safe, engaging,
2:08:45 and rigorous educational setting
2:08:47 to the families in Brevard County.
2:08:49 One where all students and their families
2:08:51 feel that they’re a part of a community
2:08:52 and where teachers and staff can work closely together,
2:08:55 meet challenges, and grow as professionals.
2:08:58 As a board of educators,
2:08:59 our vision is based on years of experience
2:09:01 of what teachers and students face daily in the classroom.
2:09:05 Currently, many teachers, both new and experienced,
2:09:09 are leaving the profession.
2:09:10 We wanna provide teachers with an environment
2:09:12 that is sustainable for them to continue in their careers.
2:09:15 Our goal is to maintain a high percentage
2:09:19 of highly qualified teachers and administrators.
2:09:24 And we plan to attain this
2:09:25 by creating the type of environment
2:09:26 that dedicated teachers wanna work and stay in.
2:09:30 And also, while having opportunities
2:09:33 to develop their skills and strategies
2:09:35 for teaching all different types of learners.
2:09:38 You know, there’s a lot of burnout
2:09:39 that we’ve been seeing with teachers and administrators,
2:09:42 and so this is part of our passion
2:09:44 is to like see it from,
2:09:46 if we can sort of see something from our perspective,
2:09:49 that’s sustainable and supportive,
2:09:51 that would obviously match other educators likely.
2:09:55 In addition, our administrators
2:09:56 will have an effective model for teacher evaluation,
2:09:59 so they may monitor, support,
2:10:00 and provide feedback promptly.
2:10:02 Ultimately, by building an environment
2:10:04 that supports teachers to continue to learn
2:10:06 and grow as educators and within state statutes.
2:10:09 Because when teachers feel supported,
2:10:11 students are more successful,
2:10:13 creating a sustainable work culture
2:10:15 that keep these teachers, both new and young,
2:10:18 and experience in their profession
2:10:20 will significantly benefit both the teachers
2:10:22 and the school community as a whole.
2:10:24 We will utilize teacher evaluation systems
2:10:26 offered through the Florida Consortium
2:10:29 of Public Charter Schools.
2:10:30 Another strategy for retaining teachers
2:10:32 is providing effective, enriching professional development
2:10:36 from supporting teachers in acquiring additional endorsements
2:10:38 to comply with state’s requirements,
2:10:41 such as the reading endorsements, ESOL endorsements,
2:10:45 and also in providing ongoing trainings and workshops
2:10:49 in cooperative learning and project-based lesson planning,
2:10:51 which you’ll see as per the application.
2:10:55 Another essential area of professional development
2:10:58 is in designing curriculum and instruction for EL populations.
2:11:03 Teachers will have training and time
2:11:05 during their PLC collaborations
2:11:07 and share best practices regularly.
2:11:09 One thing that I know that I’ve been privy to,
2:11:11 and I think we’ve talked about this,
2:11:13 is a lot of times you’ll get trainings.
2:11:14 It’s a one and done.
2:11:16 You’re supposed to figure it out
2:11:18 and switch gears and do that.
2:11:19 And so what I’ve found over many years
2:11:22 is those continual, consistent trainings and follow through
2:11:26 and access to the people that are your trainers
2:11:29 is the kind of thing that can really embed
2:11:30 a new program in a school.
2:11:32 And so that is something that would be ongoing,
2:11:34 not just quickies, not just check the box,
2:11:36 but actually that’s a big one for us.
2:11:41 Again, so through those PLC collaborations,
2:11:44 that helps with that model.
2:11:45 Timely access to data from state and other assessments
2:11:49 will help teachers drive their instruction
2:11:51 and support students in real time.
2:11:53 The decision to apply to Brevard
2:11:55 is based on a few different rationales.
2:11:57 First, our STEAM focus lines up with the space program
2:12:00 and technology in Brevard County.
2:12:03 This will facilitate community outreach
2:12:05 to businesses and organizations
2:12:07 that correlate to Ryan’s school program.
2:12:11 Establishing partnerships in the area
2:12:13 and plan to utilize the community partners.
2:12:15 in different capacities such as field trips,
2:12:17 you know, guest speakers, resources, and whatnot.
2:12:21 Just try and connect with those.
2:12:23 And hopefully all of that helps
2:12:24 and enrich students’ learning and engagement.
2:12:27 Secondly, our hope was to find a location
2:12:30 where we could team up with an existing preschool
2:12:32 or VPK program.
2:12:34 This would provide an already existing school community
2:12:38 from which we could build our program.
2:12:40 Sure enough, we found a great opportunity
2:12:43 with a property that was tied to an already existing
2:12:45 preschool community.
2:12:48 This would not only provide the physical space
2:12:50 for the new school,
2:12:51 but will give the currently enrolled families
2:12:53 an option to continue on at their school site.
2:12:55 So this would also benefit
2:12:57 if you have younger siblings coming in
2:12:59 and that whole dilemma of I have to take my one child here
2:13:02 and pick up my other child there and all of that,
2:13:05 that this would help build a stronger school community
2:13:08 for the families.
2:13:10 There’s a strong correlation
2:13:11 between the quality preschool education,
2:13:13 student academic success.
2:13:15 As they say, goals for improving student learning
2:13:17 shows that students who attend preschool
2:13:20 are more likely to be academically successful.
2:13:22 So we’re hoping that having a tie to this preschool
2:13:25 will build on that.
2:13:27 This is why we’re hoping to build an extension
2:13:29 of this preexisting school.
2:13:31 There’s been a keen interest from those families
2:13:33 in continuing at their school site
2:13:35 as their children enter kindergarten and on.
2:13:38 Last, we are looking to create a smaller program
2:13:40 to provide this option for school choice
2:13:42 in an area where elementary schools have high population
2:13:46 in kindergarten through fifth grades.
2:13:48 And some people really enjoy the smaller class,
2:13:51 smaller vibe, you know.
2:13:52 Our current governing board is a nonprofit organization
2:13:55 established as a founded board,
2:13:57 but we will move into a governing body
2:13:59 when the school, if the school becomes operational.
2:14:03 Governance change through the Florida Consortium
2:14:05 of Public Charter Schools will be mandatory
2:14:08 for all board members.
2:14:09 As we’ve already discussed, we have three members.
2:14:12 We are planning to recruit additional members
2:14:14 with the expectation that they would have experience
2:14:16 in education or some way of serving students and families.
2:14:21 Of the many duties and requirements outlined in the proposal,
2:14:24 some include serving on school advisory, hiring committee,
2:14:27 and adopting a conflict resolution policy.
2:14:29 So these are all things that we plan to have in place
2:14:32 amongst many others that you’ll find listed
2:14:33 in that gigantic application,
2:14:36 but before hiring, the hiring process begins.
2:14:39 So we also will be there to report on student achievement
2:14:43 once we get operational and things get going
2:14:45 and identify differences between projected
2:14:47 and actual student performance,
2:14:49 reporting on revenues and expenditures
2:14:51 to ensure school’s ability
2:14:52 to meet its financial obligations,
2:14:56 and report on the state of facilities
2:14:57 and how they meet standards based on student population
2:15:00 and of course, safety protocols.
2:15:02 Our board is not looking to micromanage,
2:15:04 but rather be strategic, a supportive entity,
2:15:06 and reliable for the administrators
2:15:09 and the staff that gets put in place there and accessible.
2:15:12 I just wanna add that.
2:15:13 Through marketing and job postings,
2:15:15 our board will seek to attract administrators and teachers
2:15:18 that are highly motivated and excited about joining
2:15:21 and helping to create this unique student-centered program.
2:15:25 We’re truly grateful for the opportunity
2:15:27 to present this new educational model
2:15:30 and very much hope that we may serve the families
2:15:32 of Brevard County and staff.
2:15:38 - Okay, I wanna talk a little bit about our educational plan
2:15:42 and our theme for the ‘24-‘25 school year
2:15:46 is full steam ahead.
2:15:48 And our educational plan involves literacy-rich classrooms
2:15:54 and authentic project-based steam emphasis,
2:16:00 professionals committed to a nurturing
2:16:03 and welcoming and effective learning environment,
2:16:08 differentiated instructional strategies
2:16:10 designed to meet the needs of all learners,
2:16:12 PLCs for educator growth,
2:16:14 again, as an example for our students
2:16:17 growing in their capacities,
2:16:19 teachers as well have an opportunity in PLCs
2:16:22 to learn and practice their craft,
2:16:24 and inclusion of curricular activities
2:16:27 and wraparound care is just a start
2:16:29 to meet the needs of our families,
2:16:31 to meet the needs of the community.
2:16:34 So literacy education,
2:16:35 our plan is meant to inspire high levels
2:16:37 of student engagement, leading to high achievement.
2:16:41 As a foundation of all learning,
2:16:42 language and literacy is the core component
2:16:45 of a strategic curriculum from us,
2:16:47 laying a path for learners to progress
2:16:49 through all the stages of literacy.
2:16:51 Our educators will demonstrate a commitment
2:16:54 to the implementation of our excellent
2:16:55 CKLA language arts curriculum,
2:16:58 high quality and frequent communication with families,
2:17:01 and providing additional support and instruction
2:17:05 for students who may be struggling.
2:17:07 Our aim is to develop proficient readers
2:17:10 who are capable of critical thought,
2:17:12 as well as excellent communication skills
2:17:14 to share their creative ideas.
2:17:17 Secondly, the cornerstone of our school
2:17:19 is based in INSTEAM,
2:17:22 the science and technology, engineering,
2:17:26 arts and mathematics.
2:17:27 We plan on running a multidisciplinary approach
2:17:31 where learners think critically and act creatively
2:17:34 to solve problems and find solutions.
2:17:36 The real world enters the classroom daily
2:17:39 and the learners can use their growing context
2:17:41 in science and art and mathematics and technology
2:17:43 to build, create, bounce ideas off of each other,
2:17:46 learn from each other,
2:17:47 ask questions of experts from the community,
2:17:51 making attempts, reflect, go back and try it again.
2:17:58 The authentic learning model
2:17:59 and a project-based learning approach
2:18:02 is really foundational to us as a school board.
2:18:07 Where the rigor and the engagement
2:18:11 for students are able to take risks
2:18:14 and take ownership of their learning,
2:18:16 that just really ramps up the educational experience
2:18:21 at our proposed school.
2:18:22 We wanna grow their confidence,
2:18:24 we wanna grow students’ self-esteem,
2:18:26 we want students to learn to communicate and collaborate
2:18:29 to see a task through.
2:18:30 These are all skills that have a basis
2:18:33 in applications for their future.
2:18:37 The environment of the school naturally needs to foster
2:18:40 and nurture and encourage collaboration and risk-taking.
2:18:44 Our aim is to create this school culture.
2:18:46 Collaboration, a key skill for learners,
2:18:48 also permeates the expectation of the professional staff.
2:18:51 And here again come in the PLCs
2:18:53 where teachers and staff and administration as well
2:18:59 communicate and collaborate together
2:19:01 in order to grow their capacity
2:19:03 to encourage learners and authentic learning
2:19:05 and project-based increase.
2:19:06 Not an easy thing to learn how to do.
2:19:08 It’s not a one-year goal achieved.
2:19:12 It’s a five-year plan.
2:19:13 And so engaging in PLCs and learning
2:19:16 and perfecting the ability
2:19:18 to implement an authentic learning-based model,
2:19:21 a project-based instructional strategy does take practice
2:19:26 and it does take time.
2:19:27 And we wanna give our teachers and our professionals
2:19:29 that opportunity to perfect that craft.
2:19:32 There may be a need to support those who are struggling
2:19:35 and for some may be in need of more evaluations
2:19:38 to provide additional learning environments
2:19:40 to be more successful such as an ESE program
2:19:43 or a gifted program for students.
2:19:47 Educators would also support each other
2:19:50 in the implementation of curriculum,
2:19:52 collaborative structures, creating that village
2:19:55 where everyone feels supported and safe and trusted.
2:19:59 Families are a key component of our vision
2:20:02 for our new school, including families
2:20:05 that are fully supported
2:20:06 with additional extracurricular activities and events,
2:20:10 free and reduced cost meals,
2:20:11 and in any way that families can communicate to us,
2:20:14 the school board, and to the staff at our school
2:20:18 the needs that they need to be met.
2:20:20 We wanna be open to hearing that.
2:20:22 We want open communication with families
2:20:24 so they feel part of the school community.
2:20:29 Our frameworks for the curriculum
2:20:31 include an instructional designer
2:20:32 intended to prepare learners for the future.
2:20:35 And they will have to play a role
2:20:37 in contributing meaningfully to their family
2:20:40 and to their school and to their community,
2:20:43 to their state, to their country at large.
2:20:45 And technology would be used
2:20:47 and implemented in a safe and responsible manner.
2:20:50 Instructional models and strategies
2:20:52 would foster inclusion, communication, sharing of ideas,
2:20:56 and clear, explicit knowledge building
2:20:59 where needed.
2:21:00 Say that two times.
2:21:01 Parent involvement and inclusion of experts
2:21:03 from the wider community and input from professionals
2:21:07 at the district level are strategies that model for learners
2:21:09 that school is not a closed classroom,
2:21:13 a grade to grade environment.
2:21:15 All I need to do is promote to the next grade.
2:21:17 That’s why I’m here.
2:21:18 But this is a collaboration of the students and adults
2:21:21 in this building who have a stake in all people,
2:21:25 achieving growth and success for the future.
2:21:28 Differentiation and instructional models
2:21:30 to engage young humans of varying abilities
2:21:33 will be employed to promote inclusion and equality
2:21:35 and meet the needs for all.
2:21:37 Accountability for knowledge and skills
2:21:40 applicable to the future world is essential.
2:21:42 And we do plan on participating with the wider community
2:21:45 of state mandated assessments and district requirements
2:21:48 for progression and promotion.
2:21:52 We as a board, we have a lot of confidence
2:21:56 stemming from a lifetime in education
2:21:59 and working with educational communities.
2:22:02 And we’re gearing up to prepare our little corner
2:22:04 of Brevard County for the future.
2:22:06 We’re pleased to offer students and educators
2:22:09 a new approach to learning, a new place to belong,
2:22:12 a great place to grow
2:22:13 and become the best version of themselves.
2:22:16 And so we’re super excited to be here to speak with you,
2:22:19 to have this opportunity to introduce ourselves.
2:22:21 And we’re entering the next school year, full steam ahead.
2:22:26 Thank you again for allowing us this opportunity.
2:22:28 - Thank you.
2:22:31 - Okay, board members,
2:22:32 does anybody wish to ask any questions?
2:22:35 Okay, Ms. Campbell first.
2:22:41 - I’m gonna ask the basic questions
2:22:42 that are probably answered in the booklet,
2:22:43 but I haven’t got a chance to look at it yet
2:22:45 ‘cause it’s been about three years
2:22:46 since we’ve had this kind of a presentation
2:22:47 of a new charter school.
2:22:48 So we didn’t get a heads up.
2:22:51 - Two weeks to go through it.
2:22:52 - Right, right, right, right.
2:22:54 - So yeah, so just some basic things
2:22:57 and I didn’t write them down
2:22:58 or I wrote them down as they came to me.
2:23:00 So you are talking about starting next school year
2:23:04 projecting and about how many students
2:23:07 you think you’ll have capacity for?
2:23:10 - So I don’t have the papers right in front of me.
2:23:13 You do? - I know.
2:23:14 - Okay.
2:23:16 - It’s starting with, so the proposal is,
2:23:19 and the projection is that it would have
2:23:21 just K through second grade.
2:23:24 Four classes of kinder, four classes of first
2:23:27 and three of second.
2:23:29 - Okay, and then you would just add a grade every year?
2:23:32 - Yes, exactly.
2:23:33 - Going up to six or going up to eight?
2:23:34 - Fifth.
2:23:35 - Just through fifth grade.
2:23:36 Okay, in Brevard, you can do whatever you want.
2:23:39 In Brevard, our model, all of our elementary schools
2:23:41 go up to sixth grade.
2:23:42 - Okay, they do that in Hawaii.
2:23:43 - We’re like the only place left in Florida
2:23:45 that does it that way.
2:23:45 - I kind of like that, yeah.
2:23:47 - So just something to consider.
2:23:50 You have a location.
2:23:51 You said we were wanting to attach to a current pre-K VPK.
2:23:55 So I heard something you might be in the north end
2:23:59 of the county.
2:24:00 - It’s in Titusville.
2:24:01 - Okay.
2:24:02 - And it’s an existing pre-K VPK program,
2:24:06 preschool VPK program.
2:24:08 And so they have a couple hundred students.
2:24:11 They’ve been there for a few years.
2:24:13 And it’s, so they would be part of that,
2:24:17 like they would be separate,
2:24:19 but they’re already existing there.
2:24:20 So that was part of the whole thing.
2:24:21 - Sharing space.
2:24:22 - Sharing space, but marketing with those families
2:24:24 and hopefully being an option to help the families grow
2:24:28 and stay there.
2:24:29 - I have some questions about your board.
2:24:30 So the board currently of directors for this
2:24:33 would be the two of you plus the one
2:24:34 that you shared with us.
2:24:38 How many schools are you currently governing?
2:24:42 Is this your first foray in, okay.
2:24:44 - Yes, yeah.
2:24:45 - And so you don’t have anybody local, everybody.
2:24:48 You are all out of Jacksonville, correct?
2:24:51 - St. Augustine, yeah.
2:24:52 - Who do you already have plans to make,
2:24:54 ‘cause you know every county is different.
2:24:56 We’re very different from Duval to get local, I guess,
2:25:01 with for lack of a better way of saying that.
2:25:03 - Well, definitely looking at trying to increase,
2:25:06 ‘cause we wanna increase our board
2:25:08 and have just more heads, more brains working.
2:25:12 And so yes, that is a primary thing is to find,
2:25:15 have someone down here.
2:25:16 And we have like a couple of people
2:25:19 that we’re affiliated with
2:25:20 have some connections down here already.
2:25:23 So we are absolutely looking to have that
2:25:25 be part of the board.
2:25:26 And then of course, staffing and administrators.
2:25:29 So the school in essence be from here.
2:25:32 - Do you plan to use a management company?
2:25:35 - Yes.
2:25:36 - Yes, do you already have the name,
2:25:38 which management company?
2:25:40 - I believe it’s Keystone.
2:25:41 - Okay, thank you.
2:25:42 - But that’s, yeah.
2:25:44 And it’s providing, some of our charter schools
2:25:46 provide transportation, some of them don’t.
2:25:48 Is that part of your plan to provide transportation?
2:25:51 - I don’t believe transportation is included.
2:25:53 - Okay.
2:25:55 Only like two of them do.
2:25:58 Sorry, I’ve just got a couple more board.
2:26:00 Oh, actually this last one.
2:26:04 Charter schools are taking on the task
2:26:07 of having kind of a unique take on education.
2:26:09 So if I’m gathering from what you said,
2:26:11 it’s gonna be STEAM-based and then project-based learning.
2:26:16 The PLCs I’m gonna say is not unique necessarily
2:26:18 because a lot of our schools also do that as well.
2:26:20 But am I gathering that right,
2:26:22 that that project-based learning,
2:26:24 and we also have schools that do STEAM too,
2:26:26 but that’s the main thing that’s gonna set you apart?
2:26:31 - Yes.
2:26:32 - Okay, that’s all I have, thank you.
2:26:34 - Okay, Mr. Trent, did you have any questions?
2:26:37 - Not at the moment.
2:26:37 - Okay, Ms. Jenkins?
2:26:41 - You, and again, just to reiterate what Ms. Campbell said,
2:26:45 didn’t have an opportunity to look at that,
2:26:47 so I apologize. - No, it’s okay.
2:26:49 - You mentioned really briefly about ESC services.
2:26:52 Is that, can you explain to me a little bit
2:26:54 about how you would handle that if you have a student,
2:26:58 since you’re starting with such a small population,
2:26:59 how that would be staffed,
2:27:00 how it would be assessed in that manner?
2:27:04 - The full MTSS process would be
2:27:08 the responsibility of the principal, of course,
2:27:11 but all those programs would be in place,
2:27:13 all the organizational flow of that process,
2:27:17 as well as the people involved on staff.
2:27:22 I think we’re anticipating there’s going to need be one,
2:27:25 it’s like 1.5, the numbers come out to decimals,
2:27:28 but two people, based on the population of the schools
2:27:32 in existence in the area around our location.
2:27:38 So those people would be in place,
2:27:39 the MTSS process would go through,
2:27:41 but I believe that we would go through Brevard County,
2:27:44 as far as what protocols Brevard County has in place,
2:27:48 the assessment and the evaluation
2:27:51 is done by Brevard County professionals.
2:27:53 I think we would team up very closely with the county
2:27:56 to have the ESC process or the gifted evaluations done
2:28:01 for our student population.
2:28:05 - You don’t have to say this publicly
2:28:07 if you don’t want to for any reason,
2:28:09 if it’s in the packet, I mean, I guess, I don’t know,
2:28:13 it’s up to you if you want to say the name or not,
2:28:15 but do you mind sharing what the location is,
2:28:19 or is it in the packet and not just read it?
2:28:20 - No, it’s in there.
2:28:24 What is it called, Ray?
2:28:25 - McRae.
2:28:27 - Knox McRae. - Knox McRae, 1923,
2:28:29 Knox McRae.
2:28:35 - Thanks.
2:28:36 - Yeah.
2:28:39 - Okay, I have a few questions for you guys.
2:28:40 So you’re out of Duval County,
2:28:42 let me ask you, why Titusville?
2:28:46 - So basically, because we, so again,
2:28:49 based on the vision and sort of how we were expecting
2:28:51 to sort of grow, is that we wanted to find an existing,
2:28:56 you know, location that would have space.
2:28:58 So it was like, you know, we wanted to have families
2:29:00 that are already in place,
2:29:01 a little bit of a school community,
2:29:04 stemming from a VPK community,
2:29:06 and that was where this came from.
2:29:08 And then with the availability of the property,
2:29:12 that was what we were looking for.
2:29:13 And so basically, so that we could grow from,
2:29:17 and not just, I mean, not that we’re attached to them,
2:29:20 but that they already have an existing community of families
2:29:23 and so, you know, the hope being
2:29:25 that we can build those relationships.
2:29:27 And so some of those families want to continue on.
2:29:30 They already have a place within that school area,
2:29:33 the school site area, and it’s a large property.
2:29:36 So they have like, there’s a couple different opportunities
2:29:41 for the schools there of how they would break down
2:29:43 the logistics of the school.
2:29:45 - And if I’m understanding correctly,
2:29:47 this site location was a previous charter with Brevard County
2:29:50 is that correct or no?
2:29:51 - Yes. - Okay.
2:29:53 - We just found that out.
2:29:54 - We just found that out, yeah.
2:29:54 - Okay, all right.
2:29:55 So is there any affiliation with the previous charter
2:29:57 or anybody who’s on the board there?
2:29:58 - No, we literally just found that out.
2:30:00 - Did you, okay.
2:30:01 - Like we just went down there and like hung out.
2:30:03 Yeah, we just checked in on them to say hi
2:30:05 and introduce ourselves.
2:30:07 And so, yeah, we actually did not know that,
2:30:10 but this is like Orion just literally started.
2:30:14 We just named the school together.
2:30:16 - Yeah, okay.
2:30:17 - We’ve all been in the classroom
2:30:18 and still pretty much like, she’s, you know,
2:30:20 still full time.
2:30:21 - And in fact, I think that was when we found out
2:30:23 about the previous charter school there,
2:30:25 I’d like to look that up.
2:30:26 I’d like to find out who that was and see why.
2:30:30 Yeah, why that did not work out.
2:30:32 I’d like more information about it myself.
2:30:34 - Okay, and is there any type of construction
2:30:36 that needs to be done?
2:30:37 I see that you guys have secured financing for,
2:30:39 I believe, or a startup loan,
2:30:41 looks like in the amount of $300,000 or something
2:30:43 is what it says in here, correct?
2:30:44 Is that right?
2:30:45 Is there any type of construction you need
2:30:46 to build out the location to your needs or no?
2:30:49 - Not to that current space, you know,
2:30:51 certain things that we would appreciate to do,
2:30:54 facelift a little bit, you know, that kind of thing.
2:30:56 But the space, the logistical space for the students is–
2:30:59 - Already there. - It’s already there.
2:31:01 - Okay, and as far as permitting or anything of that nature,
2:31:03 would you need to work with the city of Titusville?
2:31:05 I’m guessing not if you don’t have construction.
2:31:07 So it’s already got–
2:31:08 - I don’t think so. - Right, I believe so.
2:31:10 I don’t know those details.
2:31:11 - They are currently working on their playground space
2:31:14 because there’s now been building where they did,
2:31:17 where they do currently have a playground,
2:31:18 there’s gonna be building there.
2:31:19 So that might be one piece that was unanticipated
2:31:23 that they may have to move the playground.
2:31:25 So that’s what the gentleman was saying, Mr. Jenkins.
2:31:27 So like on the other side.
2:31:29 So that would be the one piece
2:31:30 that we might have to be involved with.
2:31:32 Would that be included in your construction?
2:31:34 - Well, I’m just wondering
2:31:35 if you’ve worked with the city of Titusville at all.
2:31:37 I’m a north end person.
2:31:39 So I just wondered if you’d work with them at all
2:31:40 when it comes to, you know–
2:31:42 - If it’s anything like St. John’s, yeah.
2:31:43 - Yeah, so.
2:31:45 - We’ll be, we’ll plan in advance.
2:31:47 - Okay. - Yeah.
2:31:47 - All right, and it looks like your startup,
2:31:49 your projected time you’re looking is next school year.
2:31:52 Is that right? - Yeah.
2:31:53 - Okay, have you guys started recruiting yet at this point
2:31:55 to see like what the interest is?
2:31:56 I saw something in here
2:31:57 about possibly having community meetings in October,
2:31:59 kicking it off.
2:32:00 Have you started looking at that yet?
2:32:02 - Mostly just from, mostly from the interactions
2:32:04 from the existing VPK program,
2:32:07 and that there is a lot of interest there,
2:32:09 because like I said, a lot of the families
2:32:11 are dealing with, you know, trying to get there,
2:32:13 and they have an aftercare program.
2:32:15 So they have kids that come over on vacations
2:32:19 when the school, when the district schools are closed,
2:32:21 those kids are there.
2:32:22 So there’s some kids that they,
2:32:25 they’ve had keen interest from the families,
2:32:28 and then that would be part of our marketing, you know,
2:32:31 come soon. - Have you guys ever looked
2:32:32 at starting a charter prior to this, or no?
2:32:35 - It’s always been a dream.
2:32:36 - It’s a dream, okay. - It’s always been a dream.
2:32:38 I’ve worked in, I worked in a startup charter.
2:32:41 - I have too. - And so she–
2:32:42 - We started charter schools, but they weren’t ours.
2:32:45 - Okay. - We weren’t like this part,
2:32:46 like on paper. - Yeah.
2:32:47 - It was like there was already a building, so.
2:32:49 - This is so much paper too, my goodness.
2:32:50 - There’s so much paper there.
2:32:51 - Yeah. - Wait, I didn’t write that.
2:32:52 - Yeah, thank you. - But I read every last bit.
2:32:55 - And like what my fellow board members have said,
2:32:57 transparency, we haven’t had a chance
2:32:58 to go through this entire thing.
2:32:59 - Of course, that’s fine. - So quite a bit of reading
2:33:01 material, but I’m sure as this progresses,
2:33:02 we will get our eyes on the reach of it, so.
2:33:05 Appreciate it, thank you. - Absolutely.
2:33:06 - Thank you.
2:33:07 - Have not been able to look at it, so.
2:33:09 - Good question, so far. - I understand.
2:33:11 - You want it?
2:33:13 - We’re also gonna be back in December.
2:33:15 - For the capacity interview. - For the capacity interview,
2:33:17 so it’ll give you– - We’ll know even more then.
2:33:20 - I know. - Yeah.
2:33:21 - We’re all new to this.
2:33:22 - I think one thing that we did really take away
2:33:25 from our visit to the school today,
2:33:26 when we stopped by there on the way down here,
2:33:28 it was that the people that have been running that school
2:33:33 have a very well-established connection
2:33:35 to this neighborhood and to the families in this community,
2:33:39 and they really have a lot of integrity
2:33:41 about what they’re hoping that they’re working with,
2:33:44 and I think that that’s something we connected
2:33:47 with them a little bit and just sort of were like,
2:33:50 I think that that’s, it’s a really interesting piece
2:33:52 that they have a very close-knit community that trusts,
2:33:56 you know, and that’s something that we wanna be,
2:33:58 we wanna be trusting for them.
2:34:00 - We wanna be worthy of their trust.
2:34:01 - Yes. - If they’re gonna
2:34:02 be recommending our school. - And that it would be family,
2:34:04 you know, very family-oriented, easy communication,
2:34:07 and like, if they have little ones right here,
2:34:10 and then our little bigger ones, which are not that big,
2:34:12 ‘cause they’re in kinder and first and second,
2:34:14 you know, it really should be more of a family-oriented
2:34:18 piece. - Okay, so if I may ask
2:34:21 a couple of questions, you already had mentioned
2:34:22 the students, I can get that number
2:34:23 based on the number of classrooms.
2:34:25 Your growth plan is is that you’ll eventually get up
2:34:28 to fifth grade, possibly sixth, ‘cause that dives in
2:34:31 with us as you go. - Right.
2:34:32 - Is there enough room at that location to do that?
2:34:35 - They had– - I can’t remember.
2:34:36 - They had K through six before, but if part of the building
2:34:39 is being used for the, it’s not big enough,
2:34:43 I don’t think, to go all the way–
2:34:44 - So you might grow as you go.
2:34:45 - Well, there’s addition, oh, sorry, go ahead.
2:34:47 - There’s additional space in the building
2:34:49 that our developer is willing to expand
2:34:53 and put walls in and facilities.
2:34:57 - 25,000 square feet.
2:34:59 - I saw that number in there.
2:35:01 School security, like, there was a whole section in there.
2:35:03 Do you guys wanna kinda go through that?
2:35:05 That’s a big topic around here, how you guys do that.
2:35:07 - School security, I believe the back office organizer
2:35:15 is going to handle that, but from what I know
2:35:19 of how that is gonna work is a series of guardians
2:35:24 will be on campus to provide boots on the ground
2:35:29 type of security.
2:35:32 I’m not sure about the details,
2:35:33 but at the very least, magnetic doors, security,
2:35:36 entry, key magnetic release in ID cards,
2:35:43 all doors locked except for magnet release type of exit.
2:35:48 At the very least, security cameras everywhere.
2:35:52 We know anything about that, security cameras everywhere.
2:35:56 And I think that would be the very basic piece.
2:36:00 I can get more information about that specifically,
2:36:03 but I don’t know that when the building
2:36:06 is not completely built out yet,
2:36:09 they may not know exactly where,
2:36:11 like, I can’t tell you where the cameras would be placed
2:36:13 and things like that.
2:36:14 - And our security will work with your security
2:36:18 and everything else.
2:36:19 I was just partially asking for my own curiosity,
2:36:21 but then also you’ll have your parents ask the same thing.
2:36:23 That’s all, so as you’re going through it.
2:36:26 - And we would definitely meet any standards
2:36:27 that Brevard County wants to have.
2:36:30 We would match or exceed that as well.
2:36:32 - Absolutely, and then there was some questions.
2:36:34 They had said that one of you lived in St. Augustine,
2:36:37 one lived in Jacksonville.
2:36:38 You didn’t plan on moving down at all?
2:36:41 - Not as particularly.
2:36:43 So it’s just as the board members know, not as particularly.
2:36:46 - But you guys have an affiliate that’s gonna work
2:36:48 with some of our local people to choose some local?
2:36:51 - Right, we would like to bring more people,
2:36:53 you know, we can’t run all this with three people.
2:36:55 So we would like to definitely bring more people
2:36:58 onto the school board, but we’d like to open
2:37:01 and invite people from Brevard County
2:37:04 to join our school board.
2:37:04 - Do you know how many you’re gonna plan
2:37:06 on putting on your board eventually?
2:37:08 - No more. - Five to six.
2:37:09 - Five to six, okay, probably five to seven.
2:37:13 Okay, and then do you guys,
2:37:14 is there a time that you guys plan on being at location?
2:37:18 Like, is this something that you guys like wake up
2:37:20 in Jacksonville and drive down?
2:37:21 Are you guys gonna spend like every day,
2:37:23 every other day, once a week?
2:37:25 What’s your plan there?
2:37:26 - For school board meetings?
2:37:28 - No, for the actual management of the,
2:37:32 like, are you guys gonna be onsite every day?
2:37:35 Or are you guys?
2:37:35 - We’re gonna hire an administrator
2:37:37 and we’re gonna hire those people.
2:37:39 So as the board, basically, we’re not gonna do that.
2:37:42 But do we, you know, is the intention, yes, absolutely.
2:37:46 Because– - To be involved
2:37:47 as much as possible. - Especially early.
2:37:47 We were just saying like, maybe we can get a house.
2:37:49 It’s really nice down here, but like–
2:37:51 - I saw your energy.
2:37:52 - Yeah. - I can tell
2:37:53 you guys are excited. - Yeah.
2:37:54 - It was really, we just love the area.
2:37:58 But, you know, again, the school board
2:38:00 is supposed to be somewhat removed from the operations
2:38:03 and the day-to-day functioning of the school.
2:38:05 - Don’t tell us that.
2:38:06 - We’re holding ourselves, we’re holding ourselves back.
2:38:10 Would we like to be involved as much
2:38:11 as we’re invited to?
2:38:12 Absolutely. - Yeah.
2:38:14 - But our primary role would be to hire an administrator
2:38:17 and his, you know, and help him with his team of staff
2:38:20 to make sure that the outreach to the community
2:38:22 is satisfactory.
2:38:24 - You guys probably, I looked through it
2:38:26 and I was trying to find it.
2:38:28 There’s usually like a budget breakdown,
2:38:31 like, you know, okay, you get $8,000 for FTE,
2:38:34 how much each breakdown is.
2:38:36 Do you know, so the management company, Keystone,
2:38:40 are they coming in and turnkey,
2:38:43 they’re gonna provide the furniture,
2:38:45 take over the lease, provide the salary,
2:38:47 like it’s turnkey, Keystone, or is those,
2:38:50 are you like signing a lease with a different company?
2:38:53 You’re signing it with that, you understand what I mean?
2:38:56 Like, is there a real estate lease that is separate?
2:38:58 Is the ordering of all of the facilities and, you know,
2:39:02 chairs, tables, all that separate?
2:39:04 And then the management company separate.
2:39:06 One of the things I’ve seen in some of our charters
2:39:08 is when they’re all connected, it becomes some sort,
2:39:11 it’s a little bit different of a taste, you know what I mean?
2:39:14 That’s all.
2:39:14 Can you give any insight in that?
2:39:16 - I don’t know.
2:39:18 - I don’t know exactly.
2:39:19 I can’t answer your question specifically.
2:39:21 I know that, you know, what I’m gathering
2:39:25 based on the conversations that we’ve had
2:39:27 and we haven’t, I think, gotten to that point
2:39:29 because the grand writer– - Okay, maybe it’s preemptively.
2:39:30 - Yeah, it’s friendly. - I’m asking ahead of time.
2:39:31 - I wish Mrs. De Ville was here
2:39:32 because I’m sure she could answer that
2:39:34 ‘cause it’s probably somewhere in that binder,
2:39:36 but is that those expenditures are allotted for already
2:39:42 so that those costs are,
2:39:45 I would be curious on your take.
2:39:48 You sort of said like–
2:39:49 - Yeah, is that a benefit when you have them?
2:39:51 - No. - Okay, not a benefit.
2:39:53 - As a governing board, you wanna try to create an anomaly
2:39:56 where you can get to the bottom of each one of the prices.
2:39:59 And we’ve seen in some cases
2:40:00 where the real estate leases and stuff like that,
2:40:03 if they’re run by certain entities
2:40:05 like the management company.
2:40:06 And please don’t tell me, I’m not trying to–
2:40:08 - No, no, it’s informative.
2:40:09 - The problem is is that they’ll start paying
2:40:11 two to three times with the going rate.
2:40:14 They’ll charge you two to three times with the going rate
2:40:16 is per square foot for a lease in that area.
2:40:19 And then what they’ll do is they’ll also take control
2:40:21 of giving you all of the furniture
2:40:23 but then charge you points on the back end.
2:40:25 So you end up in a situation where you’re way behind
2:40:31 and you just can never get out of it.
2:40:32 Management fee per percentage of the FTE is also
2:40:35 an opportunity to try to take a look at.
2:40:38 There’s a wide variety here in Brevard of that.
2:40:41 Like a management fee might charge $400 per kid in one
2:40:45 and then $800 per kid in another.
2:40:47 So just from board to board,
2:40:48 if you ever need any questions answered,
2:40:50 feel free to reach out to me, I’m here for you.
2:40:52 You know what I mean?
2:40:54 But that finance breakdown is somewhere
2:40:57 you guys may wanna look when you’re a board member
2:40:59 because that’s where sometimes when your finances
2:41:02 are constrained because of those things going on,
2:41:04 it inhibits you from hiring at a salary
2:41:07 of a higher salary and everything else.
2:41:08 And then all of a sudden when you guys are trying to do,
2:41:10 ‘cause STEM stuff’s expensive, you know what I mean?
2:41:13 - And money always matters.
2:41:14 - Yeah, but I’ve found a lot of our charters
2:41:19 that are successful here in the county
2:41:21 are usually like basically have their local boards
2:41:24 that are managing them and stuff like that
2:41:25 because then they help give that base
2:41:27 that you may not have being from out of town, right?
2:41:30 So there’s a lot of the locals that are a part of those.
2:41:32 So I appreciate you looking into bringing on locals.
2:41:35 If you guys ever have any questions,
2:41:37 please feel free to reach out.
2:41:38 - I’d like to do that if possible.
2:41:39 And it’s also just good to know what works.
2:41:43 You know what I mean?
2:41:44 ‘Cause it really helps us too.
2:41:45 - You’ll find that we’re not one of the districts
2:41:47 that’s trying to run down to the permit office
2:41:50 to make sure you guys don’t get your permits, right?
2:41:51 Like we work with you because if you’re successful,
2:41:54 we’re all successful.
2:41:55 The children that are inside your charter
2:41:56 are gonna come into our schools.
2:41:57 We wanna make sure that we’re working together.
2:42:00 I have a feeling we’ll have a great relationship
2:42:03 and looking forward to it.
2:42:04 So Ms. Campbell had something to say.
2:42:06 - Yeah, I just had a couple of questions.
2:42:07 And I am at least currently till tonight.
2:42:11 The charter school liaison have been for the last five years.
2:42:15 So I’m familiar with all our charter schools
2:42:18 and the community.
2:42:19 I will just say the information you just found out today
2:42:22 that there was a charter school there
2:42:23 that actually was not a great goodbye.
2:42:28 It was a difficult situation in our county
2:42:30 in the north end.
2:42:31 And so when you talk, you said the word trust
2:42:33 at some point in your presentation,
2:42:34 you’re gonna have to work hard on that
2:42:36 because there was a point in time where we got down
2:42:39 to where we didn’t have any DRF schools
2:42:41 except for that school.
2:42:44 There was a lot of mismanagement going on,
2:42:46 a lot of legal things that we had to do.
2:42:48 And I won’t get into all that to end that relationship.
2:42:51 And then of course those families,
2:42:52 our district schools then absorbed all those families
2:42:56 back into our schools.
2:42:58 And so the schools are gonna be a little jumpy,
2:43:00 the community be a little jumpy.
2:43:03 Sounds like you’re building relationships already,
2:43:05 but just so you’re aware,
2:43:07 I mean, there’s because you’re coming in brand new
2:43:09 doing this, that school also came in brand new doing that.
2:43:12 And I’m glad to hear actually
2:43:13 that you don’t have any relationship with them
2:43:15 because that would be a hard thing for me to say yes.
2:43:20 However, I did wanna say, I was just checking with Mr. Gibbs.
2:43:25 I think that because your board has to operate
2:43:28 under Sunshine laws,
2:43:28 maybe not exactly at the same level that we do,
2:43:31 but I think your meetings,
2:43:32 like I don’t think you’re gonna be able
2:43:33 to have your board meetings outside of the county.
2:43:35 Right, we know that.
2:43:36 Okay, so you’ll be here when you’re, okay.
2:43:40 ‘Cause that would make it a difficulty.
2:43:41 So good, you’re on it, you’re on it.
2:43:44 So that was just so you know,
2:43:46 it’d probably be good to get a little bit of that history
2:43:48 from somewhere up in the North end.
2:43:53 ‘Cause some of those families moved from one place
2:43:56 to then here and then they had to go back
2:43:57 and some of those families are still around
2:44:01 ‘cause it was only three years ago I think that we did that.
2:44:05 So thank you.
2:44:06 And you can tell them that’s not you.
2:44:07 I’ll tell you from your energy that you’re not those people.
2:44:09 They started the organization in the wrong way.
2:44:12 You’re not doing that.
2:44:13 So when they come up to you just say,
2:44:14 yeah, that was just something else.
2:44:15 Like don’t get tied to it.
2:44:17 You still have to build, and I get that.
2:44:19 Like I get when people–
2:44:20 But don’t focus on the negative.
2:44:22 That organization and that leadership
2:44:25 should have been put in caps and handcuffs and hauled off.
2:44:29 But you guys, I don’t care.
2:44:30 But you guys are not that, so don’t even hesitate.
2:44:33 Just reach out to us.
2:44:34 We’re here for you.
2:44:35 You know what I mean?
2:44:36 We’ll work with you, we’re good.
2:44:37 All right?
2:44:37 - Thank you.
2:44:38 - Anybody else?
2:44:39 - Mr. Chair, yeah.
2:44:40 I was wondering if Dr. Meyer could come up
2:44:42 and kind of give us a little timeline
2:44:44 about like where we are in the process,
2:44:46 what’s happening next, that kind of thing ‘cause–
2:44:48 - You don’t have to bring the book.
2:44:50 (laughing)
2:44:52 Just so we have a little bit of context of where we are,
2:44:53 what the next steps are, and that kind of thing.
2:44:56 - Right, so I developed a team
2:44:58 of all the heads of every department, and we are–
2:45:00 - Not sure if that’s on.
2:45:06 - Okay, the heads of the department,
2:45:08 and we’re now reviewing it.
2:45:09 And we will get together at the end of November
2:45:12 to discuss if anyone had any questions
2:45:14 for the whole group or anything like that.
2:45:17 And then we’ll have a capacity interview
2:45:19 where we ask all the questions
2:45:21 that came up while reviewing for the portions,
2:45:26 and they’re aware of that.
2:45:27 I’ve given them a timeline.
2:45:28 - Some of the same questions you guys were coming up with.
2:45:30 - Yes, and we look through it all,
2:45:33 and then we provide insight and we discuss with them,
2:45:39 and then we put forth a recommendation.
2:45:42 - Okay.
2:45:45 Are we all good?
2:45:46 - And they have signed saying
2:45:48 that we can have above the 90 days.
2:45:49 That’s also in your binder, yeah.
2:45:52 - So do we have electronic copies of that application
2:45:55 so the board members don’t have to?
2:45:56 - Yes.
2:45:58 - I think we should go old school
2:45:59 and have to carry them around.
2:46:00 - But I can provide hard copies too, if you all like.
2:46:03 - Yeah.
2:46:07 Cut down half the forest.
2:46:10 Any other questions for us?
2:46:12 - No, we just appreciate your openness
2:46:14 and your willingness to talk to us
2:46:15 and even ask us questions.
2:46:17 You’re taking your time out of your day.
2:46:18 I know for this meeting to spend with us,
2:46:20 so we appreciate that very much.
2:46:23 - Thank you.
2:46:25 - All right, any other questions?
2:46:27 Look forward to seeing, did you say you’re from Hawaii?
2:46:30 Or spent some time in Hawaii, did you say that?
2:46:32 - She has, I grew up there.
2:46:33 - She grew up there, yeah.
2:46:35 - That’s my home.
2:46:35 - That’s what I was gonna ask.
2:46:37 Maybe you’ll put some rainbow eucalyptuses there
2:46:40 on the campus.
2:46:41 That’s always a beautiful,
2:46:43 I planted them everywhere around here.
2:46:44 - Really?
2:46:45 - Yeah, they’re growing everywhere, so.
2:46:47 - Deal.
2:46:48 - I was telling her, I worked at a school one time
2:46:49 called Hanalei Elementary,
2:46:50 and the whole administrative staff,
2:46:52 this was in California, had to wear Aloha shirts.
2:46:55 Everywhere.
2:46:56 - I love it, I like that.
2:46:57 - We can do that.
2:46:57 - We’ll have Aloha Fridays.
2:46:59 - If you guys need any help, you reach out.
2:47:00 We’re here for you.
2:47:01 Thank you so much for the process.
2:47:03 - If there’s anything we can do better
2:47:04 or that we can improve on, please let us know before.
2:47:08 - It’s all collaborative.
2:47:10 We’re here to help.
2:47:11 - Appreciate that.
2:47:12 - Thank you.
2:47:13 - Thank you so much.
2:47:13 - Thank you everybody.
2:47:14 - Have a great day.
2:47:15 - All right, you guys good to start rolling
2:47:16 the thousands, all righty.
2:47:18 You need a second?
2:47:20 - Mr. Susan, I had one more issue on the Neola process.
2:47:23 - Oh, Paul.
2:47:24 - I forgot to bring up, staff had asked to consolidate
2:47:28 the revisions into like a couple dates a year.
2:47:31 So on your package, on the agenda,
2:47:34 there’s like a little sample down at the bottom
2:47:36 where the spreadsheet is that gives you dates,
2:47:38 like the first proposal would be for a final approval hearing
2:47:42 of all policies revised that you guys have already done
2:47:47 for final approval on 2/27.
2:47:49 That would be rural development potentially on 2/6
2:47:54 for the first public hearing and then the workshop
2:47:56 on January 23rd.
2:47:58 But that is, does the board have the appetite
2:48:01 for potentially 300 policies going at one time or more?
2:48:07 So this was coming from staff.
2:48:10 The request was to have them all brought twice a year or so.
2:48:14 - Correct, the staff actually requested this.
2:48:16 Rather than a little bit here, a little bit here,
2:48:19 a little bit here, say all right.
2:48:20 - That means we’re not gonna do any more between now
2:48:25 and then we’re gonna do all–
2:48:26 - Right, we’re gonna wait and we’re gonna have,
2:48:27 staff will know this is your next opportunity
2:48:30 to have your policies done so they need to work on them.
2:48:33 And once the big process is over, it will work out
2:48:37 because Neola usually issues two updates a year
2:48:40 and you can schedule.
2:48:42 - Again, once we plow through this mass that we have now,
2:48:44 it’ll be just a regular, every twice a year we do this.
2:48:48 - So it’s just, what’s the board’s appetite
2:48:50 and do you want it on an agenda or do you want a special set
2:48:53 like these are policy only meeting?
2:48:56 - Workshops.
2:48:57 - Specials, my vote would be special.
2:48:59 Nothing else on the agenda besides policy.
2:49:01 - I would say special and then I would say,
2:49:03 can we start at nine?
2:49:04 - Yes.
2:49:06 - Well, some of these we’re starting,
2:49:08 if our calendar gets approved, we have–
2:49:10 - Yeah, but those are meetings.
2:49:11 - February meeting, yeah.
2:49:13 - I just wanna start at nine o’clock, here’s one time.
2:49:15 - The rule making process is the second public hearing
2:49:19 has to be an evening workshop.
2:49:21 - Okay, but the other one we can start at nine.
2:49:23 - So you can special set a board meeting
2:49:26 for policy approval only to start at the 5.30
2:49:29 on an off Tuesday if you want.
2:49:31 - Yeah, yeah.
2:49:32 - But then the other one we start at nine
2:49:33 and we just move in.
2:49:34 - Yeah, you can do a regular daytime workshop.
2:49:35 - It doesn’t have to be a Tuesday either,
2:49:37 does it, I mean it can be a day.
2:49:37 - No, it can be any day, but we’re gonna need those dates.
2:49:40 We’ll work with Lena to get dates
2:49:42 so that we can advertise them.
2:49:44 - Right, so if you guys approve the calendar tonight,
2:49:46 then we’ll work against those dates.
2:49:48 - Some special meetings.
2:49:49 - Perfect.
2:49:50 - So my only issue is if, so we only have one right now,
2:49:55 work the workshop times, one workshop in January,
2:49:58 that’s the 23rd date, we’ve got two in February, the sixth,
2:50:03 so that means we wouldn’t be able to,
2:50:05 if y’all have something you need to present to us,
2:50:07 we wouldn’t have an opening until February 27th, so.
2:50:10 - Oh, it would be special,
2:50:11 so we wouldn’t be bringing them on any schedule.
2:50:14 - Probably pick one of those off days.
2:50:16 - Right. - Okay.
2:50:17 - Y’all work it out, that’s fine with me.
2:50:19 - I like it, I like it.
2:50:21 Did you wanna talk to the–
2:50:22 - That was kinda one of the biggest things
2:50:24 that Paul was supposed to bring up with you guys,
2:50:26 ‘cause staff was waiting for that.
2:50:27 - Oh. (laughs)
2:50:29 - And he forgot.
2:50:30 - He didn’t forget it, he got it.
2:50:31 - He got it. - All right.
2:50:33 - I gotta give him a hard time.
2:50:34 He gave me a hard time during the expulsion hearing.
2:50:38 - Okay, you had mentioned that you may wanna speak
2:50:40 to the calendar item.
2:50:41 - Yeah, just in case anybody who’s watching
2:50:43 was looking closely at the agenda,
2:50:47 and we pulled it off the agenda published today,
2:50:50 but it was on the agenda before,
2:50:51 was the 24/25 school calendar.
2:50:54 We were gonna talk about that today.
2:50:56 And I have to apologize to the board,
2:50:58 we kinda missed some steps in the past.
2:51:01 Mr. Alba would sit down with each board member
2:51:04 and kinda go over the recommended calendar
2:51:06 that was coming out of the committee
2:51:07 and share the feedback from the survey with the community.
2:51:11 And I’ve shared a little bit of that information
2:51:14 with each of you individually,
2:51:15 but it’s not been the kind of in-depth presentation
2:51:18 that Mr. Alba used to do.
2:51:20 So Mr. Dufresne is going to do that with each of you
2:51:23 in the next couple weeks.
2:51:25 And we’ll have the calendar proposal on the agenda
2:51:29 for the December 12th workshop, work session.
2:51:32 And we’ll also publish the results of the survey,
2:51:35 ‘cause I promised the public that we would do that.
2:51:38 But we wanna share that with you
2:51:39 and have that you digest it,
2:51:41 and then we’ll publish it when we publish the materials
2:51:44 for that December 12th work session.
2:51:46 So it’s just, I told Mr. Susan,
2:51:49 we pulled it off the agenda,
2:51:50 but anybody that was like closely looking at the agenda
2:51:53 and hoping to hear news about the calendar,
2:51:55 not gonna be today.
2:51:57 We’ll do it in December.
2:51:58 Wanna make sure the board gets all the information
2:52:01 so that when we have a discussion at the work session,
2:52:03 you have the information already.
2:52:05 It’s not like new to you that day.
2:52:09 - Everybody good on that?
2:52:10 Any questions?
2:52:12 All right, thank you.
2:52:13 - I have a comment that I would like to make on it.
2:52:15 I think I’ve given Dr. Randella heads up on this
2:52:17 and I’m gonna challenge you on this
2:52:19 because I have been having conversations with my principals
2:52:22 and getting feedback.
2:52:24 And I would like for you guys to do the same.
2:52:26 And then obviously this is a big conversation
2:52:29 that we continue on.
2:52:30 But the thought of year round school,
2:52:32 the state is piloting this right now.
2:52:34 They’ve got money out there for us to do this
2:52:35 on an elementary basis.
2:52:37 But just looking at what does that look like
2:52:40 for our district,
2:52:41 if the entire district was to go year round school.
2:52:43 I would love for you to get feedback
2:52:45 and see what your leaders are saying at their school sites.
2:52:48 Talk to parents.
2:52:49 And then this is a conversation we’ll continue to have
2:52:51 when we talk about the calendar again in December.
2:52:54 That’s all.
2:52:56 - Anybody okay with that?
2:52:57 Year round school.
2:53:01 - We don’t want the headline to say
2:53:02 we’re gonna do year round school.
2:53:03 That’s what it’ll say anyways.
2:53:04 But I’m just saying this is a conversation starting.
2:53:06 - Conversation wrapped around looking at it
2:53:08 as an opportunity is always good for our school district.
2:53:11 I think that’s something we should do.
2:53:14 I’ll be ready with my notes from my administrators
2:53:18 and parents.
2:53:19 Okay, everybody else okay?
2:53:21 All right.
2:53:22 So we’re gonna go onto the 9,000s.
2:53:24 We’ve been trying to do these things for a couple of terms.
2:53:27 And what I did was I just went to like the first one,
2:53:31 which was 9,700.
2:53:32 Is everybody okay? - Why they do that out of order?
2:53:35 - I have no idea.
2:53:36 But if you guys are okay with just going by
2:53:38 that big old thing, then it’s 95 pages long.
2:53:41 We can just kind of roll through it.
2:53:42 So the first one up is 9,700 relations
2:53:45 with the special interest groups.
2:53:47 Goes through and it has two options inside of there.
2:53:49 And it goes in it.
2:53:50 Yeah, if you guys wanna take a second and go through it.
2:53:55 Dr. Rendell, I’m probably gonna ask you like,
2:53:59 what are your thoughts on some of these?
2:54:00 - And I’m gonna probably ask Mr. Broon
2:54:03 to tell us his thoughts on these things.
2:54:05 - The reason is, is that there’s a couple
2:54:06 that have multiple options.
2:54:08 There’s a couple that have, you know what I mean?
2:54:10 Those neolas and everything else.
2:54:14 So is everybody loaded up?
2:54:16 - Yeah, I’m ready to go. - I’ll take my time.
2:54:17 You take, you might wanna, this is big time right now.
2:54:21 - So are you asking for our input on this yet?
2:54:24 - Ms. Jenkins, are you good?
2:54:27 All right.
2:54:28 All right, so we’re all good to go, 9,700 relations
2:54:31 with special interest groups.
2:54:33 If you look at it, it gives a couple of options.
2:54:37 Mr. Broon, you wanna give us your suggestions here?
2:54:42 - My suggestion is we don’t have any changes
2:54:45 to our current policy based on neola.
2:54:50 - I, on 9,700, I have that there’s a lot of,
2:54:56 there was several things updated.
2:54:58 I don’t have ‘em side by side like I usually do.
2:55:01 - Okay.
2:55:03 - ‘Cause seems like neola had quite, neola had updated,
2:55:05 ours was in 2010, their most recent was in 2016.
2:55:10 And pardon me ‘cause it’s been a few weeks
2:55:14 since I wrote my notes, so I’m trying to remember
2:55:15 what I meant. - I know, I had to literally
2:55:17 go back to my notes and rewrite ‘em.
2:55:19 - Yeah, option, I had written option two
2:55:21 and then examples with a question mark.
2:55:24 And also, we don’t have an administrative procedure
2:55:26 and we need an administrative procedure on this one, but.
2:55:30 So we, I don’t know that ours has that clearly delineated
2:55:40 about the materials, where did it go?
2:55:48 So you’re just suggesting that we don’t add
2:55:50 any of the things that neola has in there that we don’t have.
2:55:53 - From my reading, I’m welcome to go back
2:55:56 and look at it again, but what we have is sufficient
2:56:00 and neola’s update doesn’t change in direction
2:56:04 what our current policy is.
2:56:05 - Okay.
2:56:08 Except for if ours, I think ours said something
2:56:10 about an administrative procedure.
2:56:15 - Yeah, the AP can be added, obviously, if it calls for it.
2:56:19 Which.
2:56:20 - I don’t remember it because it’s been so long
2:56:22 since I did my notes, I don’t remember
2:56:23 if it was because our policy said administrative procedure
2:56:26 or if the neola one said it needs to have one,
2:56:29 but I’m looking really quick.
2:56:32 And I should have, I totally should have gone back
2:56:34 through my notes. - It’s okay.
2:56:35 Listen, you do you.
2:56:40 Just give us a second here, Mr.
2:56:43 - Yeah, I’m not seeing it either.
2:56:44 I think that was in the neola.
2:56:46 Yeah, I think it was in the neola, so I’m fine with it.
2:56:53 (humming)
2:57:02 - All right, I’m gonna get down here to 9,700,
2:57:06 working with special interest groups.
2:57:10 All right.
2:57:12 Okay.
2:57:13 So, I’m hearing a couple of things.
2:57:17 Ms. Campbell, you’re saying that neola had some updates.
2:57:19 Are those based upon updates into state statutes
2:57:24 or are they updates?
2:57:25 ‘Cause I’m trying to read both too.
2:57:27 - There’s only one statute.
2:57:28 - There’s one statute reference at the bottom
2:57:30 of the template.
2:57:37 I mean, sale of school supplies,
2:57:39 all of these other things.
2:57:40 - That statute just has to do with use of buildings
2:57:42 and grounds that we can allow people to use
2:57:45 our facilities for whatever purposes,
2:57:54 like elections, some dual school districts,
2:57:56 their schools are polling places.
2:57:59 - Yeah, that’s part of our current policy, of course.
2:58:01 - Right, which we don’t have those.
2:58:03 - I had a note written on here on the first paragraph.
2:58:07 - You know, it says that it must be carefully reviewed.
2:58:09 It doesn’t say who is reviewing it, whom is reviewing it.
2:58:12 So I think just specifying on there is this the principal
2:58:16 that’s reviewing this, who’s reviewing the materials.
2:58:20 - It’s approval by the superintendent.
2:58:22 - Which paragraph are you talking about?
2:58:22 - I’m on the first paragraph, so.
2:58:24 - Of our policy?
2:58:25 - Yeah, the heroes must be carefully reviewed to ensure.
2:58:29 It doesn’t say who’s reviewing it, so.
2:58:32 - I think everybody.
2:58:33 - Well, I think that I don’t wanna leave it to assumption.
2:58:35 I think it’s probably a good idea
2:58:37 to make sure there’s some responsibility there
2:58:39 so that we can, if something gets distributed
2:58:41 or handed out that’s not appropriate,
2:58:42 then we need to be able to know, hey.
2:58:45 - If the board wishes I can work with Dr. Rendell
2:58:47 and come up with an idea, you’ll notice Niola’s update
2:58:50 doesn’t address that question either.
2:58:52 - Yeah, we use the same language, I know.
2:58:54 - Probably the superintendent or designee
2:58:56 is probably what we’re gonna put in there.
2:58:57 - Yeah, just easy, same as the other policies.
2:58:59 - Is almost always a thing.
2:59:01 - All right, everybody good on that?
2:59:03 - Yeah.
2:59:04 - Everybody good on the 9700?
2:59:07 - Okay, moving on, telephone communications.
2:59:11 Um, I had on my notes.
2:59:16 - Oh, we don’t have this.
2:59:17 - I’m like, what policy are you on?
2:59:18 Our next policy is 9120, right?
2:59:20 - Right, right.
2:59:20 So, telephone communications board’s interested
2:59:22 in maintaining effective communication with parents, members.
2:59:24 It’s just basically a, it’s not any requirements.
2:59:29 It’s not, we don’t need to have it, right?
2:59:30 - Yeah, it’s saying that a live person’s gonna answer
2:59:32 the phone, that’s just not feasible.
2:59:34 - Listen, as much as we strive to do that,
2:59:37 I agree with you.
2:59:38 - Right, it’s not feasible.
2:59:39 - I just wanted to make sure that you guys
2:59:40 were okay with that.
2:59:42 Everybody good?
2:59:43 - So we’re not gonna adopt that, correct?
2:59:44 - Correct.
2:59:45 - Unless you wanna answer the phone every time, no?
2:59:47 - Well, our current phone system is designed
2:59:49 to try to find a human, and it doesn’t always succeed,
2:59:53 but our goal is to do that and give good customer service,
2:59:57 so I don’t think it’s, this 9111,
3:00:01 I don’t think would be impactful.
3:00:04 - Yeah.
3:00:04 - Okay.
3:00:05 - It would be impactful.
3:00:06 - It would be very impactful.
3:00:09 - We could have fun forwarding that phone
3:00:11 to certain individuals that are part of the district.
3:00:13 - Well, you can give us directions
3:00:14 about what we should default to zero, and I’ll cut,
3:00:17 you know, we are–
3:00:18 - Right, right, yeah, no.
3:00:20 - Okay, next one up, 9120, public information program.
3:00:27 Last modified by Tammy on September 20th, 2023.
3:00:31 - That’s just the day they download ‘em.
3:00:32 - Right, what are your guys’ thoughts?
3:00:36 - It’s fine, it’s pretty much the same.
3:00:39 - Are there any changes that you guys wanna make to it?
3:00:43 This is just fluff to me.
3:00:45 I didn’t really bother me on that one.
3:00:50 - No, I’m good.
3:00:51 - Okay, everybody else okay with that?
3:00:54 All right, moving on to 9130, public complaints.
3:00:59 It’s a neola one.
3:01:01 I have on my notes to ask Dr. Rendell
3:01:04 what his thoughts are on this.
3:01:06 I don’t know if you guys can take a look at it.
3:01:08 Bruin, do you have anything here for 9130?
3:01:11 - Well, GCR loves to have this,
3:01:14 but this policy, as you’ll read, is really focused on
3:01:18 if somebody has an issue with an employee
3:01:20 and how that is elevated.
3:01:22 And then there’s also the second part,
3:01:24 if somebody has an issue with the superintendent,
3:01:27 how that’s dealt with and elevated.
3:01:29 I don’t necessarily have any input on that.
3:01:32 I won’t be happy to own it, but it was adopted by,
3:01:37 according to our records,
3:01:38 adopted by you guys in March of 2023.
3:01:42 And it did not go through GCR.
3:01:44 What, 2022?
3:01:45 And it did not– - I think it’s 23.
3:01:47 - Okay. - Yeah, it’s 23,
3:01:48 but there’s a couple of things that,
3:01:53 ‘cause July had a couple of updates.
3:01:57 There’s one very small one,
3:01:59 because you know how the libraries,
3:02:00 now it says school and classroom.
3:02:03 That was one of the Green Yule updates,
3:02:05 so we need to do that change.
3:02:06 And I can’t remember, it’s down.
3:02:08 - It’s on page 10.
3:02:09 - Okay, yeah.
3:02:11 So wherever that says that we need to add a classroom.
3:02:14 But I had two other little things.
3:02:16 One is there’s the levels,
3:02:20 like first level, second level, third level.
3:02:22 I believe that we need to add,
3:02:24 I wanted to see if the board thought this.
3:02:26 You know, usually it’s confusing.
3:02:28 There where it says note, it’s on page eight board.
3:02:32 Note, and it’s in bold.
3:02:33 It says this level does not apply
3:02:34 if the matter involves suspected child abuse,
3:02:35 substance abuse, or the well, da-da-da-da-da.
3:02:39 I, that may be a drafting note from NEOLA,
3:02:41 but I think that is very important.
3:02:43 I think if we’re gonna have these level of complaints,
3:02:46 that that needs to be clear to the public
3:02:48 who may use this policy to file a complaint.
3:02:50 That this, there’s, this level doesn’t exist
3:02:53 if it involves these things.
3:02:54 So I believe that note actually needs to be published
3:02:56 in the policy.
3:02:58 - All right, sorry, you’re talking about the,
3:02:59 where are you at on this?
3:03:00 - It’s on page, what did I say?
3:03:01 - Eight is what you said?
3:03:02 - Eight, yeah, it’s right there in bold.
3:03:05 It says bold.
3:03:06 It just basically says, you know,
3:03:07 if it’s a matter of those things,
3:03:09 child abuse, substance abuse,
3:03:10 we’re not going to, where you need to reach out
3:03:13 to the teacher and talk to them about whatever.
3:03:15 That, it’s elevated, right?
3:03:17 I don’t think, to me, that’s not just a drafting note
3:03:19 from NEOLA, that’s like a–
3:03:21 - Yeah, it needs to be written in there.
3:03:21 - A note that needs to be included in the policy,
3:03:24 that we take those things seriously.
3:03:25 - That should be in green, in other words,
3:03:26 it should be added, is what you’re saying.
3:03:27 - Yeah, no, I believe so.
3:03:29 So that was my first thing.
3:03:31 And then, in our letter C, one,
3:03:40 I think we have some, this is just a formatting issue.
3:03:42 I think we have some numbering issues going on there.
3:03:44 Can we fix the numbers and letters in C1?
3:03:46 Did you see that?
3:03:47 - Yeah. - Two.
3:03:49 - Yeah, it just, at some point,
3:03:50 needed to go back to numbers and off the letters,
3:03:52 so if y’all can take a look at that.
3:03:53 But those three things that add the word classroom,
3:03:57 because of the new legislation, add that note,
3:03:59 and then fix the numbering and lettering in C.
3:04:03 - And?
3:04:05 - Those are suggestions that I had.
3:04:07 - 2130.
3:04:13 Sorry, I’m pinging between two things.
3:04:20 Okay.
3:04:23 (mumbling)
3:04:28 Yeah, we’re good.
3:04:29 - Anybody else have anything?
3:04:30 - Anybody else have anything on this one?
3:04:30 - Did you guys address the fact
3:04:32 that there’s two different statutes?
3:04:34 - On 9130?
3:04:35 - Well, there’s two statutes on our policy.
3:04:37 - So on the– - And this one, so.
3:04:40 - So it’s– - 119.
3:04:43 - Where was I?
3:04:45 - Yeah, those two– - Those are the same ones.
3:04:46 - The same statutes are there, yeah.
3:04:47 - All right, we’re good.
3:04:48 Everybody good on that one?
3:04:50 Okay.
3:04:51 - Everybody okay with my suggestions?
3:04:52 - Yeah, no, your suggestions are good.
3:04:54 - I’m sure they’re great.
3:04:55 - Okay.
3:04:55 - Thanks, Mr. C.
3:04:56 - Next up, 9140, Citizens Advisory Committees.
3:05:00 I had a couple of notes on this.
3:05:01 Anybody else?
3:05:05 - There is a question of,
3:05:07 one of them says the superintendent will dissolve,
3:05:10 and the other one says the board will dissolve,
3:05:11 and we need to make a decision.
3:05:15 - I think, to be honest with you, when I read that,
3:05:18 I was sitting there, and I was like,
3:05:20 some are created by the board,
3:05:21 some are created by the superintendent,
3:05:23 so there’s some citizen advisory committees
3:05:26 that we may have that the school board
3:05:27 may want to wish to ask for,
3:05:29 and then, you know what I mean, like that.
3:05:31 I’m not sure, because we’re supposed to give
3:05:33 the superintendent direction,
3:05:34 if that’s the proper process on all of these,
3:05:37 ‘cause they’re like citizens, which is kind of our area,
3:05:39 you know what I mean?
3:05:40 So I have no problem having both, you know what I mean?
3:05:43 Depending on who it is that starts it,
3:05:45 we’d be the person that would end it, you know what I mean?
3:05:49 - I guess it would depend on what this,
3:05:50 I mean, ‘cause the one that I think of immediately is SIAC,
3:05:54 but like, the book committee, technically,
3:05:57 could be kind of an advisory committee.
3:06:01 I don’t think that the superintendent,
3:06:02 because we have it in policy,
3:06:03 should not have the authority
3:06:04 to dissolve the book challenge committee.
3:06:08 - I think it just determines on who it is that sets it up.
3:06:11 You know, I mean, Mr. Raymer might say
3:06:14 he wants to just start a committee, and he can dissolve it.
3:06:18 - Right.
3:06:19 - I think I’d feel more comfortable
3:06:20 if the language was with the board.
3:06:22 - Yeah.
3:06:23 - ‘Cause a district committee like this
3:06:25 would be probably generated by the board.
3:06:28 - Mm-hmm. - Right.
3:06:29 - So it should, I mean, the one sentence says
3:06:32 the board shall have the sole power
3:06:33 to dissolve any of its advisory committees.
3:06:35 So, if anywhere it says superintendent,
3:06:38 we should just change it to the board.
3:06:40 - Okay.
3:06:42 - So, anybody else have anything?
3:06:44 - No, that’s good. - No, go ahead.
3:06:45 - One of the things that I was looking at is,
3:06:47 is that we have a lot of advisory committees
3:06:50 and boards and stuff like that,
3:06:52 but there’s no master list somewhere that we can go to.
3:06:55 ‘Cause I know you have some advisory lists and boards,
3:06:57 and there’s, you know what I mean?
3:06:58 There’s no, so you have the book committee,
3:07:01 and you have SIAC, and you have those, which is great.
3:07:03 You have the audit committee, you have those.
3:07:06 But then you also have, superintendent has
3:07:09 his student council’s advisory committee and all of those.
3:07:12 There’s no one real place that all of that’s at to look at.
3:07:15 And it would be nice to have something like committees
3:07:18 and stuff like that, so that people are aware of them,
3:07:20 and if they wanted to attend and look at it.
3:07:22 But that was the first thing is,
3:07:23 if there’s a way that we can get a list,
3:07:25 you may not wanna put the names of the individuals on there,
3:07:28 just the committee itself.
3:07:29 - Actually, Mr. Susan, in our BFT contract
3:07:32 that we’re approving tonight,
3:07:33 the new language that they all agreed to says,
3:07:35 the district will provide a list of all committees,
3:07:37 this won’t apply to the students,
3:07:39 and members and publish it on the district website,
3:07:42 the labor relations page,
3:07:43 the list will be updated when a new committee is formed
3:07:45 or a current committee is disbanded.
3:07:46 - Right, and that’s great.
3:07:47 But there’s also some other ones that are there
3:07:49 that, you know what I mean, like the students
3:07:51 and all of those other ones that we need to add to it.
3:07:53 So if there’s a way that we can get that done,
3:07:55 that would be great.
3:07:57 The other thing I was gonna say is,
3:07:58 this is a perfect opportunity for us to talk about
3:08:00 the protection of our actual advisors
3:08:04 that are sitting on our committees.
3:08:06 It’s been a long argument that our committees,
3:08:08 our members are sitting on the committee,
3:08:09 and then they’re being attacked in public.
3:08:12 And I truly believe that there’s an opportunity here
3:08:14 for us to kind of say we would like to,
3:08:16 because they are acting inside of the scope
3:08:19 of the school district, that if there is something
3:08:21 that is done to them in their capacity
3:08:24 as a committee member,
3:08:25 that we should be able to defend that.
3:08:28 I don’t know what your thoughts are.
3:08:29 Paul, I’d love to have your engagement on that.
3:08:30 But this was a big star for me last time
3:08:33 when I was looking through this, is to find that out.
3:08:35 Because there’s people that will no longer
3:08:37 be a part of our committees.
3:08:39 And this goes back eight years.
3:08:41 That because they get attacked for being on the committee,
3:08:44 and then in some cases, people are crazy about it.
3:08:47 And ruins their lives.
3:08:50 And so now, is there a way that we can protect them?
3:08:53 A way that we can say this is wrong and file stuff?
3:08:55 I don’t know.
3:08:57 I’d like to hear your guys’ thoughts,
3:08:58 and then we can turn the floor.
3:09:01 What do you guys think?
3:09:02 - I think this is a touchy one.
3:09:06 At this day and age, anybody that goes on a committee
3:09:08 knows they’re subject to all the fun things
3:09:11 that come with public education.
3:09:12 It’s highly controversial.
3:09:13 People are attacking.
3:09:15 And so, I think the power that the board has
3:09:18 is they can disband a committee.
3:09:20 And say, okay, if the public’s going to attack individuals,
3:09:22 then we’ll take back the power.
3:09:23 We’ll no longer do a committee.
3:09:25 And that’s how we stop it.
3:09:27 I don’t love that.
3:09:28 I would love for the public to be respectful
3:09:30 and make sure that they’re honoring the people
3:09:32 that are serving their time.
3:09:33 They’re dedicating their time
3:09:34 to make our school system better.
3:09:37 But I don’t know.
3:09:39 I’m not really clear on what your thoughts are
3:09:40 on how Paul, what you’re asking Paul exactly.
3:09:43 Are you asking him to pursue legal action
3:09:46 against individuals that are attacking people, or what?
3:09:48 - So, sometimes it’s not even individuals.
3:09:51 There has been, in recent news,
3:09:53 and even in some of the stuff that goes on around here,
3:09:56 there’s organizations and companies
3:09:58 that are paid to create social media,
3:10:01 fake social medias, and go after people.
3:10:04 And there’s actually people that will call,
3:10:06 do phone calls, do everything.
3:10:08 This is part of a game that individuals are paid for.
3:10:11 And when they’re targeting our people, it pisses me off.
3:10:15 - Oh, that makes a lot of sense.
3:10:15 - And I’ll be honest with you.
3:10:17 This isn’t something that’s fake.
3:10:20 There are organizations out there
3:10:22 that get paid to create chaos inside of school districts.
3:10:25 That’s a fact.
3:10:26 And they create fake social media accounts.
3:10:28 They do all that stuff.
3:10:29 And then they go attack people at their schools.
3:10:32 They attack them at their workplace.
3:10:34 They attack them in different places, and it’s BS.
3:10:37 And it’s sometimes phone calls from outside the state
3:10:39 and everything else.
3:10:40 I think we should protect people.
3:10:42 That’s just my thing.
3:10:45 - I’m not sure that that falls under the scope
3:10:46 of this policy, just for our conversation
3:10:49 to keep it moving along, ‘cause I may think we have–
3:10:51 - I wanna have the conversation.
3:10:52 - Well, I understand you.
3:10:53 But there’s nothing that I don’t think
3:10:55 that would prohibit someone who,
3:10:56 if they were being defamed or whatever,
3:10:59 from filing their own lawsuit, correct, Paul?
3:11:01 - Right, yeah, I don’t know that we would have standing
3:11:04 on behalf of the school board
3:11:06 if they’re attacking individuals.
3:11:08 - Right.
3:11:08 - So I mean, those are gonna be case-by-case analyses
3:11:12 that it’s gonna be hard to address in a broad scope.
3:11:16 So if somebody’s getting attacked,
3:11:18 we would have to evaluate on each one.
3:11:20 And then it would be, again,
3:11:21 I don’t know what’s being asked.
3:11:23 So it’s like, what does defend mean?
3:11:26 So if you say, hey, go file a lawsuit
3:11:28 to get an injunction against somebody,
3:11:31 that would be the board directive.
3:11:33 - I also, I don’t like the idea of making policy
3:11:36 based on specific worst case scenarios.
3:11:39 I’m gonna take those into consideration.
3:11:40 But I mean, I also think about our discipline committee
3:11:42 that has been revived and that it’s from all things
3:11:44 that I have heard is going really well.
3:11:46 And I haven’t heard about that kind of thing.
3:11:50 I mean, obviously, the book challenge,
3:11:52 but we worked on that board.
3:11:53 We’ve refined that process to try to remove
3:11:58 the potential for abuse as much as we can.
3:12:01 I don’t know that we can ever truly eliminate it.
3:12:04 Just because like what Ms. Wright said,
3:12:05 just the nature of the beast.
3:12:08 - Okay, so anyways, so if we have somebody
3:12:10 who is on one of our committees,
3:12:12 they are being attacked by somebody
3:12:14 that is either in or outside of the committee,
3:12:17 I think there’s a way to address that.
3:12:19 And Paul, I’d like to hear how our board
3:12:22 would be able to address that.
3:12:24 If we decided that we were, this is not, this is enough,
3:12:27 we need to have better behavior, how would we address that?
3:12:29 Is there a way for you to send a cease and desist
3:12:31 to the individual that’s doing it as they’re attacking?
3:12:33 Is that outside of our scope?
3:12:34 I’d like to talk about it.
3:12:36 - I mean, it’s gonna depend on the specifics of the case.
3:12:38 If they’re just publicly saying that this committee’s wrong
3:12:42 and evil and expressing their opinions,
3:12:44 that’s protected information, I don’t know
3:12:46 that you’re gonna be able to do anything on that.
3:12:50 - That’s not the question.
3:12:50 - If they’re calling people names on social media,
3:12:53 again, there’s court cases that say First Amendment.
3:12:57 So it’s gonna be, I would need specifics to give you
3:13:00 a specific answer to each situation.
3:13:02 I would have to analyze each specific situation.
3:13:05 - So say there’s a person that’s sitting on our committee,
3:13:07 they’re being attacked at their place of business
3:13:10 where they work because they were on that committee
3:13:13 by individuals calling, showing up, and doing stuff.
3:13:16 Do we have the right to send the cease and desist
3:13:19 in that case?
3:13:20 Not social media because we get it, right?
3:13:22 Like that would be chasing after tails.
3:13:24 But there’s a coordinated effort to do those kind of things.
3:13:26 Can you send a cease and desist?
3:13:28 Especially if it’s a coordinated effort by a company.
3:13:31 - Right, you could send a letter anytime,
3:13:34 just sending a letter.
3:13:36 I don’t know that there would be any real legal teeth to it.
3:13:40 If they’re on another person’s business,
3:13:42 it seems like that would be more of a trespassing
3:13:44 that that business could file.
3:13:48 I don’t know that I would have standing to file
3:13:50 on behalf of that business.
3:13:51 I don’t represent that business.
3:13:54 - So if there’s a coordinated effort by a business
3:13:57 to attack an individual at their place of business,
3:14:00 there’s no way to somehow put teeth in something
3:14:03 and go after that business?
3:14:05 - If they’re trespassing on a,
3:14:06 we don’t have standing to file on behalf of another entity.
3:14:13 - I’m having a real hard time.
3:14:16 - I’m putting a scenario together.
3:14:17 - I’m trying to stay with you,
3:14:18 but I mean it sounds like you have a very specific situation
3:14:20 and a situation that I’m not aware of.
3:14:22 - No, what I’m doing is I’m trying to–
3:14:23 - So I don’t wanna work off of hypotheticals.
3:14:26 - It’s hypothetical would be what we were seeing
3:14:29 on some of our committees,
3:14:30 but I’m trying to get to a place that is there anything
3:14:32 that would allow us to do it?
3:14:33 That’s what I’m doing.
3:14:34 I’m putting together hypotheticals that would say
3:14:36 in the event that this happened, this extreme issue,
3:14:38 is there an opportunity for us to do it?
3:14:40 - If it’s an attack on our property,
3:14:43 they can always be trespassed from our property.
3:14:45 And so, I mean, again, it’s all,
3:14:48 what are the facts of the situation?
3:14:50 If they’re removed from the district
3:14:52 and the district’s processes, we get more limited
3:14:55 in what we can do.
3:14:56 It becomes personal, or if they’re attacking,
3:14:59 if they’re showing up at someone’s business,
3:15:01 that’s not our, we don’t control that.
3:15:04 - Sure.
3:15:05 - It may be because they’re participating
3:15:07 in a district process, but that’s something the business,
3:15:10 now it’s something we could look at if it comes up,
3:15:13 certainly, and evaluate at that time based on the facts.
3:15:17 Maybe work with the business if they want some assistance.
3:15:20 If the board wants to fund, you know,
3:15:23 hey, we will fund an attorney to file
3:15:26 on behalf of this member and that business.
3:15:30 - I think, Mr. Susan, just like what I was saying,
3:15:33 the only power that we really retain here,
3:15:34 because as much as, you know, freedom of speech
3:15:37 is a really fun thing to say we all love
3:15:39 until you’re being attacked, and then all of a sudden,
3:15:42 it becomes a little more challenging to really defend it.
3:15:44 And the only power that we retain is to dissolve a committee
3:15:48 and that eliminates the individuals from having that threat
3:15:51 because it puts it back to us.
3:15:53 And I mean, we all signed up for this.
3:15:55 We knew what we signed up for.
3:15:56 Our committee members are different, and I don’t like it.
3:15:59 I don’t love it, trust me.
3:16:00 And I wish the public didn’t act in this way,
3:16:03 but that is the reality of where we’re at, so I don’t.
3:16:07 - Okay, all right, well, it sounds like there’s no teeth
3:16:10 in anything that I can throw out there, so we’ll take it.
3:16:12 - Sorry, I wish I could.
3:16:13 - No, no, no, I just, I wanted to have that conversation,
3:16:17 and I appreciate it, Paul, for having that.
3:16:18 It’s just that we have people that are, you know,
3:16:21 I mean, like, look, I’ve had my car keyed up twice
3:16:24 since we’ve been here.
3:16:25 I’ve had people that call my office a place of business.
3:16:27 People laugh at ‘em, but the thing is is that, like,
3:16:30 it’s a coordinated effort, and we do it, and I’m okay.
3:16:33 Like, I get it, it’s part of being here,
3:16:34 but the people who come in to support us
3:16:37 need to have some support and protection,
3:16:39 so maybe that’s just us calling people out.
3:16:41 I don’t know, but thank you for going through that, Paul.
3:16:43 Thank you. - No, if they’re keying cars
3:16:45 and things, that’s vandalism, that’s a report to the cops.
3:16:48 And you file a report, and you have those avenues.
3:16:51 So, like, if they’re threatening lives
3:16:53 or harm to somebody, again, that’s a police report
3:16:55 that you file and go that way.
3:16:59 If they’re just, usually our stuff is verbal attacks
3:17:02 and not necessarily threatening, it’s just them–
3:17:04 - It’s what it is, man.
3:17:05 I appreciate you coming through that with us.
3:17:07 I just wanted to get down to the bottom of it.
3:17:08 Okay, all right, so what I’m seeing is is that,
3:17:11 is there any changes that you guys wanna do
3:17:14 on the Citizens Advisory Committee?
3:17:15 Did you wanna, sounds like Dr. Rendell
3:17:18 wants to have the board actually do the–
3:17:20 - Yeah, we’ll just change that language.
3:17:21 - Superintendent to the board, yep.
3:17:23 - Yep, okay. - I agree.
3:17:25 - All right, we’re good on that.
3:17:27 Moving on, 9141, Business Advisory Council.
3:17:32 I’ll leave it up to the board.
3:17:32 I have a bunch of comments on this one.
3:17:35 - Yeah, I don’t see the need to add this policy
3:17:38 because we have, in multiple ways,
3:17:40 great partnerships with our businesses.
3:17:42 We’ve got our pies, we’ve got all the things
3:17:44 that the superintendent does to add an extra committee.
3:17:51 I mean, it’s great purposes, but I think these are things
3:17:53 that we’re already doing organically.
3:17:57 And not just in an disorganized way.
3:18:01 We are doing it in organized ways, but without the policy.
3:18:03 - Okay, anybody else wish to speak to this?
3:18:07 So one of the things that I’ve noticed
3:18:09 since I’ve been very connected into the trades,
3:18:11 and if you walk in and talk to the people,
3:18:13 our teachers have a very difficult time
3:18:16 creating advisory boards, right?
3:18:18 It’s just part of it.
3:18:19 And our district is trying to run around and help out.
3:18:22 But I believe that we should have some more
3:18:25 of these business advisory councils.
3:18:26 I think that it would help us.
3:18:27 I think that if you were to put together
3:18:30 North, Central, and South business advisory council
3:18:33 on specific areas of interest,
3:18:35 you may be able to do a better job of piping through.
3:18:38 Like the Economic Development Council, Board of Directors.
3:18:41 We presented to them on a basis at the beginning of the year.
3:18:44 That was great.
3:18:45 We talked about creating all these different opportunities
3:18:47 and stuff like that.
3:18:48 That opportunity doesn’t happen on a regular basis.
3:18:52 We could formalize something like that.
3:18:54 If you had a couple of other things,
3:18:56 like we could create these entities
3:19:00 so that they would be streamlined and give us direction.
3:19:03 Right now, the industry council
3:19:05 from Palm Bay’s construction program
3:19:09 is a little bit different than the industry council
3:19:11 from Space Coast.
3:19:12 And they run for their construction programs
3:19:15 and they could use some help.
3:19:17 So if you guys don’t have any interest in doing it,
3:19:19 that’s one thing.
3:19:20 I think that this is a good opportunity.
3:19:22 But like Ms. Campbell said,
3:19:24 you may not wanna create something
3:19:26 because there are extra committees
3:19:27 and stuff like that to me.
3:19:29 I do know that we need to be able to help our schools
3:19:32 with their industry councils.
3:19:33 There needs to be some more support
3:19:35 in our career and technical programs.
3:19:37 There also needs to be some support
3:19:38 inside of our given jobs to our students with disabilities
3:19:41 after they graduate from us.
3:19:42 Like there’s a need for connectivity to the business
3:19:45 and sometimes these are the things that do it.
3:19:48 That is where I was coming from.
3:19:50 Dr. Rendell, what are your thoughts on that?
3:19:52 - Yeah, I don’t know that we need a policy
3:19:54 for a business advisory council.
3:19:55 - To create it, right.
3:19:56 - I think it’s more like we just need to go out
3:19:57 and do those things.
3:19:58 - Okay.
3:19:59 - We just need to go out and form those partnerships
3:20:01 and do those things.
3:20:01 And we’ve done it in the past in some ways
3:20:03 and some of those have dissolved.
3:20:05 We just need to pick up those
3:20:07 and create those relationships again.
3:20:09 I don’t know if we need a policy.
3:20:11 - Okay.
3:20:12 - We just need to do those things.
3:20:13 - I think it’s also a good opportunity
3:20:14 to reach out to your chamber.
3:20:15 Titusville chamber does a phenomenal job
3:20:17 at connecting businesses to our schools.
3:20:19 So, if you’re going to those, I don’t know,
3:20:21 ours does a monthly chamber meeting
3:20:23 and we sit down and talk and target specific businesses
3:20:25 and that helps tie them back.
3:20:28 So if there’s a way to get involved there,
3:20:30 that’ll be helpful without forming another committee.
3:20:33 - Yep, all right, everybody good?
3:20:37 Okay, next up is 9150, school visitors.
3:20:43 Anybody wish to have anything to say about this one?
3:20:46 - Yeah.
3:20:46 - Go.
3:20:47 - I do.
3:20:48 I think that this policy needs to be revised
3:20:51 to specifically rewarding the board members visitation.
3:20:55 If we cite the statute for statute 1001.42
3:21:00 and list in there what our role is
3:21:03 as a school board member, it says,
3:21:04 visit the schools, observe the management and instruction,
3:21:06 give suggestions for improvement and advise citizens.
3:21:12 Sorry, I’m trying to read my own handwriting two weeks ago
3:21:14 and it’s pretty bad.
3:21:15 All right.
3:21:17 - Yeah, there’s been a lot of updates on this one
3:21:18 since 2000.
3:21:19 - Yeah, if you look at the NEOLA template,
3:21:21 there’s a whole section on visitation by board members.
3:21:23 - Yeah.
3:21:25 - I was looking at that, there’s that piece.
3:21:28 - Yeah, there’s also, so there’s a part,
3:21:32 I have it in my notes, principal controls,
3:21:34 time of day, length, and I think that was just a note
3:21:41 that from the NEOLA.
3:21:43 There’s also in NEOLA, there’s this part
3:21:45 about animals in campus.
3:21:50 I just said, I’d written, do we need this note?
3:21:53 But we need a reference to a different policy
3:21:55 ‘cause ours is 8390, not 8400.
3:22:01 Because now, and nowadays you can’t go anywhere
3:22:02 without somebody bringing their dog, right?
3:22:05 The grocery store, Disney World, the airport,
3:22:08 emotional support animals or whatever.
3:22:10 So I think we need to probably be clear.
3:22:14 - Your dog’s not allowed.
3:22:15 - Right, you can’t bring– - I agree, I agree.
3:22:17 - Even if it’s an emotional support animal,
3:22:19 except for, I think this one says,
3:22:21 except for canines brought by law enforcement personnel
3:22:25 or service animals, obviously, if we have a blind student
3:22:28 who has a, that’s already gone through that process,
3:22:29 follows our policy, but other animals
3:22:33 may not be on campus.
3:22:34 I think we need to add that note, too.
3:22:35 - Well, and what about when it comes to like,
3:22:38 we have some individuals that come bring wildlife
3:22:40 into the classroom to use it as a learning experience.
3:22:43 Would that–
3:22:44 - I think that’s covered in 8390.
3:22:46 So like if you have chickens in a science lab
3:22:49 or stuff like that. - Right, and reptiles
3:22:51 from the zoo. - Okay, so that wouldn’t–
3:22:53 - I have to, I can’t remember 8390 off the top of my head,
3:22:56 but I think that kind of animal is covered by–
3:22:59 - Okay, I just wanted to–
3:23:00 - This is talking about visitors.
3:23:01 So if you’re a visitor– - This is like our people.
3:23:03 - You can’t bring your emotional support cat to–
3:23:06 - No, but if we have somebody come in that,
3:23:08 I mean, we have an individual in the north end
3:23:10 and he brings in gators and snakes
3:23:13 and he didn’t bring them to our schools.
3:23:14 I will say he’s burned to our church to show kids.
3:23:16 - Right, he’s a visitor. - He’s an approved classroom.
3:23:20 I think that’s in 8390, though.
3:23:21 - Okay, I’ll go back and look at it just in case.
3:23:22 - It is in there, and there’s also language in there
3:23:25 about protecting anybody who may have allergic reaction
3:23:28 to animals being brought in for educational purposes.
3:23:32 So it’s pretty thorough, it is 8390.
3:23:35 - Yeah. - Okay.
3:23:36 - But I do think we need to add that note,
3:23:38 just so we’re clear, ‘cause especially in today’s world
3:23:40 where everybody likes to bring their animals everywhere.
3:23:42 - Mm-hmm. - Okay.
3:23:44 - So my only recommendation, again, to follow up
3:23:45 is to add Florida Statute 1001.42 and cite in there
3:23:49 the visitation, observe the management instruction,
3:23:52 give suggestions for improvement,
3:23:54 that specific part of that statute.
3:23:56 - Yeah, we also don’t have that information
3:23:58 about custody, I don’t think.
3:24:00 There’s a statement updated underneath that,
3:24:04 in the NEOLA, underneath the addition
3:24:06 that you can add about animals.
3:24:07 There was something about custody, I think,
3:24:10 that we need to make sure we have that in there, too.
3:24:11 So basically, I think we need to do some NEOLA updates.
3:24:14 - I’ll work with operations on updating this,
3:24:16 ‘cause it is pretty, a lot of differences with NEOLA,
3:24:20 so I think it’s, it’ll be– - Yeah, it’s in the forum view.
3:24:23 - Yeah. - Says it right there.
3:24:25 Animals in the classroom as regulated
3:24:26 by Policy 8400 can use people on campus.
3:24:29 - Yeah, so it needs to be 8390 for us.
3:24:30 - Yeah, okay, anybody else?
3:24:34 So where I have is, I wanted to just reiterate,
3:24:39 the board members are allowed to go to their schools.
3:24:41 - Right. - Have to,
3:24:42 but we do want to give the principals the opportunity,
3:24:44 but in the event that you want to go to a school,
3:24:46 you can go to school, check in, you know what I mean,
3:24:49 observe and stuff like that.
3:24:51 The policy states, as far as the NEOLA piece
3:24:53 that I would like to add,
3:24:55 gives some really good visitation
3:24:57 by board members and legislators.
3:24:58 It says if you see something, carry it to the superintendent,
3:25:02 don’t engage with the staff and say,
3:25:04 you’re doing this, you’re doing that.
3:25:05 - Right, right, it’s not an inspection, right?
3:25:07 - Yeah, and I think that, did you guys,
3:25:11 I feel that the NEOLA update is a good policy,
3:25:14 and that I would like to put in the visitation
3:25:16 by board members and legislators,
3:25:17 ‘cause there’s been some instances where,
3:25:20 you know what I mean, throughout the years,
3:25:22 that some of the principals may not know that, so.
3:25:24 - Yeah, and I think we updated our bylaw 172
3:25:29 to include that language, updated language,
3:25:32 so it would match what we did when we did 172.
3:25:38 - Okay, so I would say the new NEOLA policy
3:25:43 that sits inside of there, the components,
3:25:45 if you want to bring something back
3:25:46 that kind of reflects what we said,
3:25:49 as far as that board member section along with legislators,
3:25:51 along with what she was talking about, that’s okay.
3:25:53 - Do it.
3:25:54 - All right, the other thing that I would like
3:25:55 to bring up on this policy is that we have a bunch
3:25:58 of schools who, they only have different rules
3:26:03 throughout the county when a parent may visit during lunch.
3:26:06 And I have some schools that have given a lottery,
3:26:10 so once you get lunch, you can’t come back.
3:26:13 There’s other schools that say you can only come
3:26:15 on a certain day.
3:26:16 There’s other schools that, and I understand
3:26:19 that that’s security, there’s some issues there
3:26:21 with security, but I think that there’s a way
3:26:25 for us to look at that and allow our parents
3:26:28 to have a little bit more access than once a day,
3:26:32 or once a month, or once a semester.
3:26:34 Does anybody feel like this is kind of an inhibitive statute?
3:26:37 - So it’s funny that you bring this up,
3:26:38 because again, I’ve been at so many elementary schools
3:26:40 in the last two weeks, and I always ask that question,
3:26:42 like is this something that you’re seeing,
3:26:44 and every school does it a little different, you’re right.
3:26:45 So some schools only do it one day a week,
3:26:47 it rotates the day, they do a sign-up genius,
3:26:51 and every single one of them says the same thing.
3:26:54 The biggest issue is we don’t have the volunteers
3:26:56 to supervise the parents coming in,
3:26:58 and so I’m like hey, this is a great opportunity
3:27:00 for you to recruit some volunteers,
3:27:02 ‘cause if you have a parent coming to eat lunch,
3:27:03 like that’s a volunteer, send ‘em down to the district,
3:27:05 let’s get ‘em fingerprinted and sign ‘em up
3:27:07 to be a volunteer.
3:27:08 They all say the same thing.
3:27:09 I said hey, do you have parents that are mad about this?
3:27:12 Are you running into that?
3:27:13 They’re not running into it, and I don’t know
3:27:15 if that’s just because parents are used to it.
3:27:16 I mean, I’m obviously pro-parent on wanting
3:27:19 to be able to eat with your children.
3:27:20 It’s very important, and then especially like
3:27:21 the first day of school, taking your kid to school
3:27:23 to take that picture of the teacher.
3:27:24 Those are times that are really important.
3:27:27 So I guess to refine it into a policy,
3:27:30 I’m afraid if you were to say open it up to all the time,
3:27:34 it’s gonna open up Pandora’s Box at the school site.
3:27:37 Have you asked any of the principals?
3:27:39 - So I have some that are extremely mad.
3:27:41 Like I’ve got some parent groups that are extremely mad
3:27:43 in some of my schools, and especially in the Vieira area,
3:27:46 that they’re not able to.
3:27:47 Like what happens is, is in one of my schools,
3:27:50 you’re allowed to sign up at the beginning of the year.
3:27:51 So like the five parents sign up, all of it and block out.
3:27:55 - Okay. - Right?
3:27:55 So there’s another one, like it’s just–
3:27:57 - I need to tweak that a little bit.
3:27:58 - Yeah. - Well, I think there’s that,
3:27:59 but then there’s definitely enough volunteers
3:28:02 in those schools that if you told them
3:28:04 you could expand the amount of days
3:28:05 that you’re allowed to go to eat with your kid,
3:28:07 that there would be there, but they’re being inhibited.
3:28:10 And so there are some pieces inside of there
3:28:14 that I think we could work on.
3:28:16 That’s all, because I do know,
3:28:18 even at the beginning of the year,
3:28:19 parents aren’t allowed on their campuses
3:28:22 to walk their kid to school.
3:28:23 - Yeah, I know.
3:28:24 - Let’s talk about that.
3:28:25 - Unfortunately, that’s the world that we live in,
3:28:27 ‘cause I just thought about when my kid first started
3:28:30 in 2009, where everybody walked on campus,
3:28:33 and everybody walked right up to the door
3:28:34 to pick up your kid in a day.
3:28:35 We are not in that world.
3:28:36 - Yeah.
3:28:38 - But I hear what you’re saying, and we did, as a board,
3:28:43 maybe two years ago, give direction for the principals
3:28:48 to find a way to start opening lunches back up, right?
3:28:51 The tricky part is every campus is so different,
3:28:54 because sometimes the arrangement of the building itself
3:28:57 creates, makes it easier or harder to supervise this.
3:29:03 And then every school’s at a different level of staffing.
3:29:06 Some of them are really struggling.
3:29:07 So that’s why I would hate the idea of us as a board
3:29:10 kind of issuing the edict from a high,
3:29:12 you shall do this, and it’s so hard.
3:29:14 So I’d rather leave this at the principal level decision,
3:29:17 because they know their building,
3:29:19 they know their staffing level, and how stretched they are.
3:29:23 And if we have some schools that are creating
3:29:26 an equitable way of doing it, then maybe, you know,
3:29:29 we work with those directors and say, hey,
3:29:31 help the school find a way to make it a little more,
3:29:34 you know, so that more families have opportunities
3:29:36 to do that.
3:29:37 But I don’t want us to,
3:29:40 with still with the staffing levels that we have
3:29:43 to make that edict from on high right now.
3:29:46 - So I think we had said that if there were volunteers
3:29:49 available, that there would be an opportunity
3:29:51 to expand the opportunity for families
3:29:53 to be a part of it, right?
3:29:54 So staff is one thing, but if you have volunteers–
3:29:57 - Volunteers, yeah.
3:29:59 - I think there’s a way.
3:30:00 So Dr. Rendell, if I could work with you
3:30:01 on some sort of a plan to allow more participation,
3:30:05 one of the problems I’m having is that I see a lot of
3:30:08 disconnect between our parents and some of the schools
3:30:10 that used to not be there.
3:30:12 And I’d like to try to find an opportunity to be there.
3:30:14 - Yeah, I think we’d like to explore that a little bit.
3:30:16 Maybe there is a legitimate reason why campus
3:30:19 is not allowing it as much as another campus.
3:30:21 - Sure, I’m not saying anything else.
3:30:22 - Could be supervision, lack of support, that kind of thing.
3:30:25 But if we can’t really find a concrete reason
3:30:28 as to why one school might be limiting that amount,
3:30:31 we might have to say, hey, look, you gotta rethink this.
3:30:33 And, you know, the parents are part of the deal here.
3:30:35 It’s part of the community, it’s part of the partnership,
3:30:37 you know, and if they wanna come eat lunch with their kids,
3:30:39 they should be able to do that.
3:30:40 - And then there’s the other side that there are some
3:30:42 overabundant parents that sit in the car loop an hour before.
3:30:47 - Oh, those are the perfect ones.
3:30:48 Go give ‘em an application.
3:30:49 - Go get ‘em and get ‘em in there.
3:30:51 Let’s volunteer in the schools.
3:30:52 - Give ‘er here an hour early.
3:30:52 Come on. - Walk down the car line
3:30:53 and hand out the volunteer application.
3:30:54 - Yeah, I mean, that’s honestly a good–
3:30:57 - And a job application, too.
3:30:59 - And it’s, yeah, right?
3:31:01 One of the other things I think would be really, really good,
3:31:03 and this is probably more so for elementary,
3:31:06 but on the first day of school, if there was a way,
3:31:09 and I don’t know how that works logistically,
3:31:11 but to have the teachers out front somewhere
3:31:13 where a parent can get that first day picture,
3:31:15 it really matters to parents.
3:31:17 I mean, it really does.
3:31:18 I know I’ve had it for several years with my kids,
3:31:19 and then I lost it after COVID.
3:31:21 - Who would be in the classroom with the other kid?
3:31:22 I get you. - I know, I know.
3:31:23 - I’ll talk to my elementary friends.
3:31:24 I don’t know enough about–
3:31:25 - Yeah, how that works and the management of it.
3:31:28 I know, I know, or maybe that’s a day we get volunteers.
3:31:32 That would be really great to have your PTO really in there
3:31:35 knocking out of the park and taking those pictures
3:31:37 and sending them to parents,
3:31:38 ‘cause it really, it’s a great thing to have,
3:31:40 and then be able to take that picture
3:31:41 at the end of the year as well, to see them change, so.
3:31:44 - I think there’s some good work we can do in this area.
3:31:46 I look forward to working with you, Dr. McMillan.
3:31:49 All right, everybody’s okay with that one.
3:31:51 I think the next one up is 9160.01.
3:31:55 Can I take a second and ask you guys,
3:31:57 is there a time that you guys wanna stop?
3:31:58 ‘Cause obviously we probably will not get through
3:32:00 all of these.
3:32:02 We have another hour. - Well, if we stay focused,
3:32:04 we probably could. - We could.
3:32:05 - Let’s keep sidetracked a few times.
3:32:07 - All right. - Let’s keep going.
3:32:08 - But I think that if you guys, okay,
3:32:10 well, I just wanna, I wanna, listen,
3:32:12 I will work right up to 5.30, go back up there and go.
3:32:14 - No, no, we’re not doing that.
3:32:15 - All right, I’m just saying. - Let’s re-evaluate
3:32:16 at four o’clock, okay, there we go.
3:32:17 - All right, here we go, 96.01, 9160.01 complaint.
3:32:23 - Oh, wait, did we do that in 60?
3:32:25 - Yeah, we have 9160 that is our policy,
3:32:30 but it’s not in the old policy.
3:32:32 - Right, and this is really talking about the–
3:32:35 - Sorry, 9160, I apologize. - Oh, no, no, you’re right.
3:32:37 You’re going in order by the sheet.
3:32:39 Yeah, yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry.
3:32:41 I can jump to 9160.01, but then we go back, right?
3:32:44 Okay.
3:32:46 - Sorry, it was just the order that was inside.
3:32:47 - So what did you just say, Russ?
3:32:48 - On the agenda. - We have a 9160.
3:32:50 - 9160 is the public attendance at school events.
3:32:53 It was revised in February of 2020,
3:32:56 and Neola does not have a policy that matches with this one,
3:33:00 so this stands alone for us.
3:33:03 - I am on, wait, wait, wait, 9160 is our policy.
3:33:07 - Yes. - 9160.01 is Neola.
3:33:11 - Neola has a 9160.
3:33:13 - Neola has a 9160 point.
3:33:16 - Oh, sorry, they’re out of order.
3:33:17 - Oh. - They’re out of order,
3:33:18 that’s why. - Yeah, yeah.
3:33:19 - Okay. - Okay, so let’s pick one.
3:33:21 Which one are we doing?
3:33:22 Are we doing 9160?
3:33:23 - Well, I was on 9160.01, and then we can–
3:33:26 - Let’s back up and do that. - Okay.
3:33:28 - So we got complaint procedures
3:33:31 related to alleged discrimination
3:33:32 regarding accessibility.
3:33:34 We don’t have this.
3:33:34 My notes say to ask Dr. Imbell,
3:33:36 is this something you would like, or Mr. Broom?
3:33:42 - Or Mr. Gibbs, this is an OCR thing.
3:33:44 - Yeah, this is tied into,
3:33:49 yeah, if we don’t have it covered somewhere else.
3:33:51 - Yeah, I would wanna search the policy.
3:33:53 - ‘Cause this is specific to ADA.
3:33:56 - Yeah, if you have an accessibility complaint,
3:33:59 where to go.
3:34:00 I’m sure we have it on the website and everything.
3:34:02 - I actually feel like it’s covered.
3:34:04 - Right, I would say that it’s covered elsewhere,
3:34:06 ‘cause we do list who to contact and all that in other place
3:34:09 but I’ll double check for you.
3:34:11 - So you’re gonna double check,
3:34:12 and if we don’t, you wanna put it in.
3:34:13 - I think we probably should if we don’t have it,
3:34:15 ‘cause it seems like it’s one of those things
3:34:16 you have to have.
3:34:17 - But if it appears like it’s covered in other places,
3:34:20 do we not wanna put it in?
3:34:21 I guess that’s the question.
3:34:22 - Yes. - Okay.
3:34:24 - That’s my thought.
3:34:25 - Yeah, that’s my thought too.
3:34:27 - Okay.
3:34:28 - We have this in here somewhere.
3:34:31 - So I’m hearing you say that he’s gonna check
3:34:34 and if it’s not in there that you would like
3:34:37 to have him at it, is that what you’re saying?
3:34:40 Okay, Dr. Rendell, you got that?
3:34:41 - Absolutely.
3:34:42 - Okay, 9160, public attendance at school events.
3:34:46 There’s a NEOLA policy revision.
3:34:48 You guys had a chance to take a look at it?
3:34:51 - I had written, they had a July update from this year.
3:34:56 And our, okay, so there is a part in here
3:35:01 that refers to 7440 and it talks about metal detectors,
3:35:07 but our 7440 doesn’t mention metal detectors currently.
3:35:10 I don’t remember what our revisions were
3:35:11 ‘cause we haven’t had those 7000s come back to us.
3:35:14 So I wanted to check on that.
3:35:16 Do we need the part about constructed after,
3:35:22 there was something about being constructed after 1977.
3:35:28 - Yeah, it’s right there for facilities
3:35:29 constructed after. - Yeah, we don’t have that,
3:35:32 but I think, I don’t know if we need to add that in
3:35:34 ‘cause we don’t have that on ours.
3:35:36 And then also, letter E, ah, sorry.
3:35:45 Okay, back, letter E, maybe we don’t have a letter.
3:35:49 - On ours?
3:35:51 Yeah. - What the heck?
3:35:52 Sorry, my computer’s doing weird things.
3:35:54 - For any distribution.
3:35:56 - I have E should be number five under D.
3:36:02 Just a technical change. - I gotcha.
3:36:04 - Yeah, we can do that.
3:36:05 - ‘Cause it actually is part of D.
3:36:07 And we need to add the new language
3:36:09 about interference with events.
3:36:13 - Isn’t that the first thing I heard?
3:36:16 - It’s at the bottom in the green on the neola,
3:36:19 all of that interference about,
3:36:20 ‘cause it talks about if you interfere with an event,
3:36:24 what’ll happen to you?
3:36:26 - Go to jail.
3:36:28 - All the things that you can’t do.
3:36:33 Well, you’ll lose your visitor privileges.
3:36:35 You’ll be a reporter to law enforcement.
3:36:36 - Yeah.
3:36:38 - And unfortunately, this day, we need that.
3:36:41 So this one definitely needs some work.
3:36:43 - Okay.
3:36:48 Anybody else?
3:36:51 Any questions on this one?
3:36:52 Public attendance, we do have,
3:36:54 there’s something in there that talks about
3:36:55 no alcoholic beverage or controlled substances
3:36:58 may possess, consume, or distributed
3:37:00 at any function sponsored by the district.
3:37:02 We did have Space Coast Daily Park
3:37:04 that used to rent out land.
3:37:06 I think there needs to be some sort of an opportunity
3:37:08 for that to continue on other property,
3:37:10 not our school property, right?
3:37:12 So if we have vacant land,
3:37:14 we can lease it out to an entity to host events
3:37:18 that’s not near our schools.
3:37:20 So what happened is that the Space Coast Daily Park,
3:37:22 which was our middle school,
3:37:24 we raised a ton of money for the district.
3:37:26 I mean, it was like $160,000 during the course of it,
3:37:29 and they would have concerts there,
3:37:31 and they would serve alcohol.
3:37:33 But it was not, it had to be a certain distance
3:37:36 from the school, and it had to be a fence put out.
3:37:38 There was always these components.
3:37:40 I think that that should continue.
3:37:42 - I think we had a special contract to make that work,
3:37:45 because this says onboard property,
3:37:47 which would have made that not,
3:37:48 but somehow, however we did the lease for that.
3:37:50 - Yep.
3:37:51 - You want the risk management?
3:37:52 - Yeah, it was a contract,
3:37:53 and the contract explicitly allowed to do that,
3:37:57 and they indemnified us completely.
3:37:59 - Right.
3:38:00 And I think as long as that can continue to happen
3:38:03 when it’s brought forward to us,
3:38:04 there may be a piece of property somewhere
3:38:06 where somebody else may want to start utilizing it.
3:38:08 And if that’s the case,
3:38:09 then we should be able to let them use it.
3:38:12 - As long as we don’t broaden it,
3:38:13 ‘cause I’m not interested in allowing alcoholic beverages
3:38:15 or on our property for any other capacity.
3:38:19 - No, not for campuses,
3:38:20 but I would say that if there’s an entity
3:38:22 that would like to use our vacant property
3:38:24 for something and they don’t have parties on it
3:38:26 and do whatever, they can lease it from us.
3:38:29 All right.
3:38:31 - We can have that conversation later.
3:38:33 - We already did, we already did.
3:38:35 I just wanted to make sure
3:38:35 that there wasn’t anything inhibiting it.
3:38:38 So as long as that can continue, Mr. Broon.
3:38:42 - I work with operations on that part.
3:38:44 - Just make sure that there’s a place for that in the niche.
3:38:48 All right, moving.
3:38:49 Does anybody else wish to have anything to say about that?
3:38:52 All right, next up is going to be 9190,
3:38:55 charges for industrial technical projects.
3:38:58 Again, am I skipping by some of the policies?
3:39:01 - No, no, you’re good, it’s the same.
3:39:03 - Yep, okay.
3:39:06 All right, are we all okay with continuing down this?
3:39:09 Does anybody wish to change anything?
3:39:12 Okay, this was an area where I thought we could do some work
3:39:18 and what I mean is that we were doing some tours
3:39:21 the other day of Algali High School
3:39:24 and we had spoken about allowing our aftercare,
3:39:27 our schools that after school ends
3:39:30 to open up as almost like a business
3:39:32 and let me explain it to you.
3:39:33 So like you have marine mechanics at Algali High School.
3:39:38 There’s no reason that after school,
3:39:40 those students couldn’t go to work
3:39:42 on people bringing in their boats and everything else.
3:39:44 Many school districts across the state already do that.
3:39:47 It brings revenue back to the district,
3:39:49 it brings revenue there
3:39:50 and it gives the kids firsthand experiences.
3:39:53 All the parents were asking about it.
3:39:54 Then you go to the next one.
3:39:55 So all of our career and technical programs
3:39:58 should be able to be sent out on like an enterprise zone,
3:40:02 kind of like what we have the other ones
3:40:03 so that we’re hands off, but it still continues to work.
3:40:06 We had spoken about that kind of quasi.
3:40:09 Where’s your thoughts on that?
3:40:11 - I need to have Mr. Gives way on what like our liability is
3:40:14 - Sure.
3:40:15 - We’re opening up a marine repair,
3:40:17 engine repair after hours on our property.
3:40:21 Do we need liability insurance
3:40:23 or like what kind of business operators license or what?
3:40:27 - For what would be the goal
3:40:30 to operate as a separate business?
3:40:32 - We would not, so we would enter into
3:40:34 kind of like the same operation
3:40:36 that you have for your aftercare.
3:40:37 So you have an entity that comes in, right?
3:40:41 Utilization of the students and performs a service
3:40:43 and pays money back.
3:40:45 Many other school districts have it
3:40:47 to where you can go get your oil changed.
3:40:48 You can go get your, you know what I mean?
3:40:50 Like these are things that they do.
3:40:51 They give the kids first hand.
3:40:53 - And the policy says they can charge for that.
3:40:55 - Right.
3:40:55 - Is it a part of the like the CTE class now or?
3:40:57 - CTE, there’s other entities,
3:40:59 just the ability for a school to set up
3:41:02 the opportunity for children to work,
3:41:04 utilizing our facilities after hours.
3:41:07 - Oh, after hours.
3:41:08 - Right and I remember in other districts,
3:41:11 I know in other districts,
3:41:12 they use like their CTE mechanics program
3:41:14 and they allow employees to bring their vehicles in
3:41:17 and they do oil changes and things for a nominal fee.
3:41:20 - Pay the shop fee.
3:41:21 - Right, as a part of their CTE learning,
3:41:24 I have not looked into just operating a business
3:41:28 after hours, I’d have to look into it.
3:41:29 - Okay, if you would look into that
3:41:31 and then see where our exposure is and stuff like that,
3:41:33 I think there’s a way to win there
3:41:35 and give our kids opportunities
3:41:36 because one of the problems we have
3:41:38 is students are limited based on their transportation.
3:41:41 - Yeah.
3:41:41 - And so if we were able to create a situation
3:41:44 where they’re able to finish the day and go to work,
3:41:47 that would be great.
3:41:47 What did I mean for some of the ones that don’t have it?
3:41:50 - Yes.
3:41:51 - Okay, so we’ll take a look at that.
3:41:53 Anybody else have anything to say about 9190?
3:41:56 All right, 9200 volunteers.
3:42:00 Anybody wish to speak to this?
3:42:01 There’s some year-old changes.
3:42:03 - I think we need this policy.
3:42:04 I think we need an emphasis on volunteers like never before
3:42:07 but also I couldn’t see a policy that we had.
3:42:11 I’m gonna be wrong.
3:42:12 - Bless you.
3:42:13 - I don’t think we have a volunteer policy.
3:42:15 - Nope, we don’t even have a person at the district.
3:42:17 - No, we really just have, it’s mentioned in 9300
3:42:20 as a group of people that we wanna recruit,
3:42:22 including volunteers, but it’s not even close to what
3:42:27 NELA has.
3:42:28 - Yeah, I think it would be good for us
3:42:29 to have a volunteer policy since we do have volunteers
3:42:32 and they are covered in bits and pieces all over the place
3:42:36 but to just have it one place,
3:42:39 I think it would be a good idea.
3:42:40 I’d like to add this one.
3:42:41 - If you guys remember, this is something
3:42:42 that we gave direction on January and January about
3:42:45 that we would like to see some,
3:42:47 and I think this is a good time to address it.
3:42:49 Dr. Rendell, we had spoken before about somebody,
3:42:53 some sort of streamlined process to where do you go
3:42:55 if you wanna be a volunteer, right?
3:42:57 Stuff like that.
3:42:58 And then this ties into right, retiree volunteer program.
3:43:01 I love this.
3:43:03 So if you guys are okay with taking it,
3:43:04 going back to staff and figuring out how to do that
3:43:08 with one caveat that on top of that,
3:43:10 I’d like to have some sort of a person at the district
3:43:13 that is the head of volunteers or something,
3:43:17 you know what I mean?
3:43:19 Maybe security or something.
3:43:21 - Yeah, that would love one more time.
3:43:22 (laughing)
3:43:25 - Anyways, I think we’re all in agreement.
3:43:26 Something needs to be done.
3:43:27 You guys know best.
3:43:28 That’s okay, Dr. Rendell?
3:43:30 - Yep.
3:43:31 - Okay.
3:43:35 It is, and that’s why I don’t even wanna get into it.
3:43:37 - The direction right now is to review the new policy
3:43:39 and consider adopting that.
3:43:40 - ‘Cause there’s so much there
3:43:42 that I think you just let staff work through it
3:43:44 and bring it back to us with the idea
3:43:47 that we wanna make it happen.
3:43:49 All right, all our favorites, 9211 booster clubs
3:43:53 and outside support organizations.
3:43:55 All right.
3:43:59 - We do have 9210 as parent organizations.
3:44:09 - I apologize, you are right.
3:44:11 You are right.
3:44:11 It’s the NOLA updates.
3:44:12 I apologize.
3:44:13 - No, that’s all right.
3:44:14 I’m trying to check with you.
3:44:16 You’re right, 9211.
3:44:17 - I don’t think 9210’s on there
3:44:18 ‘cause NOLA doesn’t have that template.
3:44:21 - Right.
3:44:22 - No, ‘cause it’s a BPS policy element, that’s right.
3:44:24 I think 9210 is fine, whatever it is.
3:44:27 I had written down fine.
3:44:30 - Anybody else wish to talk about 9220?
3:44:33 9210?
3:44:34 - No, it’s not 9210.
3:44:35 I just play nine with it.
3:44:36 - Still listen to me.
3:44:38 All right, you guys good?
3:44:39 - Yep. - I’m good.
3:44:40 - Moving on.
3:44:42 We have the next up is going to be 9211 booster clubs
3:44:47 and other outside support organizations.
3:44:52 - This, I had written we need to update
3:44:55 but keep 9210 separately.
3:44:57 So there’s some crossover, I guess.
3:45:02 But our 9210, which is unique to us,
3:45:05 is specific to parent organizations,
3:45:07 which I think is, it’s different.
3:45:13 So that is whatever my note said.
3:45:15 Said need to update but keep 9210 separate.
3:45:18 - There is an administrative procedure
3:45:23 that’s established to this one
3:45:24 that is specific to Brevard Schools Foundation.
3:45:28 - For 9211?
3:45:29 - 9211 has an administrative procedure
3:45:32 about Brevard Schools Foundation
3:45:33 that is specific to like how they operate
3:45:35 because outside support organizations falls under that.
3:45:41 And they have just different kind of rules.
3:45:44 So our 9211 needs updating
3:45:48 but I don’t, I wanna leave the 9210 part
3:45:52 as a separate policy.
3:45:53 - What in 9211 do you feel needs to be updated?
3:46:00 - Yeah, there’s a lot that we don’t have in ours.
3:46:04 Let me see if I can.
3:46:09 - I think one of the struggles
3:46:10 is when it comes to the booster clubs,
3:46:12 they’re all ran differently.
3:46:14 And it seems like, I don’t know if athletic directors
3:46:17 can sit down at the beginning of the year.
3:46:18 This is a good task for Kevin to really charge them
3:46:20 with understanding how they’re created
3:46:22 and making sure they’re formed correctly.
3:46:25 I have seen booster clubs
3:46:26 that are literally running around the principal
3:46:27 and doing things against a principal’s will
3:46:30 to get what they want.
3:46:31 - There’s a book.
3:46:33 There’s a book that they’re supposed to be.
3:46:35 - I know, but I’m just telling you that’s not happening.
3:46:38 So one of the things I looked at too is Orange County,
3:46:41 they had something in their policy written specifically
3:46:43 about booster club deposits, all funds collected
3:46:47 in a school internal account,
3:46:49 which I like that as opposed to its own booster account,
3:46:53 just based on some experience I’ve recently had.
3:46:57 I think that would be smart of us
3:46:58 to just have some oversight and protection there.
3:47:00 And if God forbid something happens with the booster,
3:47:04 falling apart, then it’s still with the school
3:47:05 and it’s still in the internal account
3:47:07 with that sport or that activity.
3:47:10 - That’s a hard one because there, I hate to limit,
3:47:15 there’s some that are doing really good job.
3:47:17 Like for example, some of the band boosters
3:47:19 that I’ve been a part of, they’re a separate organization.
3:47:22 They have their own checking account.
3:47:23 We all meet, like all the parents are expected
3:47:25 to meet in the meeting.
3:47:26 They present the budget just, you know,
3:47:28 and it’s very clear there’s lots, it’s high participation.
3:47:31 They cooperate with the teacher.
3:47:33 We cooperates with the, but then you have,
3:47:35 we’ve had some, since I’ve been on the board,
3:47:38 been like, they’re totally going astray.
3:47:42 And we actually had one that we shut down.
3:47:47 So I just would hesitate, if we need to reinforce the rules
3:47:52 that we already have in place,
3:47:53 I think we need to have a clearer,
3:47:54 so some of the things that were in the policy had to do
3:47:56 with that we didn’t have, you asked for,
3:47:57 there was some part about insurance.
3:48:00 There’s some financial requirements
3:48:02 and rules about fundraising.
3:48:04 I, you know, we may have it somewhere else
3:48:05 in like the book about booster clubs
3:48:07 and parent organizations, but I think it would be good
3:48:09 to have it clear in policy all in one place.
3:48:11 - Yeah, so I was gonna see if Mr. Bruin would work
3:48:14 with Mr. Robinson and kind of go through this
3:48:17 to see what we need to.
3:48:18 - And probably Ms. Lisinski, ‘cause I know–
3:48:20 - Yeah, this is, some of the, this is finance,
3:48:23 so I will support finance as much as we can
3:48:25 on some of these policies coming up, for sure.
3:48:30 - But it needs to be consistent.
3:48:31 - Yep. - That’s the struggle.
3:48:32 - Well, that’s why we get Kevin Robinson in the room
3:48:34 when they go through this.
3:48:35 - Yeah, especially when it comes to the athletics.
3:48:38 - Okay, everybody, so the direction
3:48:40 is that you’re gonna bring back something
3:48:41 that has the updates and is more in line
3:48:44 with our school policies and stuff, okay?
3:48:47 All right, moving forward, the next one up
3:48:49 is 9215, direct support organizations.
3:48:53 There’s an EOLA up.
3:48:56 - Yeah, this is the one about VSF.
3:48:58 And this, see, I should have read all my notes
3:48:59 all at the same time.
3:49:00 I had written down, do we need this
3:49:02 for our school’s foundation, and then we can remove
3:49:04 the administrative procedure from 9211,
3:49:07 since it’s specifically about VSF.
3:49:10 So we could have a separate policy
3:49:11 about the school’s foundation.
3:49:14 That makes sense to me, rather than have it in–
3:49:16 - It does.
3:49:17 - I think you’re 100% right.
3:49:18 I think when I read this, it felt the same way.
3:49:21 So if you wanna go back, meet with them,
3:49:24 and ask them to come forward with a policy.
3:49:26 - Well, this is a good one.
3:49:27 - Yeah, I agree. - Just to make sure
3:49:28 we’re good with all that.
3:49:29 - Just make sure that what, you know, she may need,
3:49:30 what, what’s your name again?
3:49:33 - She’s getting ready.
3:49:34 - All right. - Going for an upcoming policy.
3:49:36 - Okay, I think in that regard, 9215,
3:49:40 if you can take it back, meet with staff, and come back.
3:49:42 Right? - Okay.
3:49:43 - Yeah.
3:49:45 - Okay.
3:49:46 - I think it’s all in statute anyway,
3:49:47 the relationships that they have with school districts,
3:49:49 and what all the rules are.
3:49:50 - I mean, it’s pretty, yep, yep, yep, absolutely.
3:49:54 All right, so the next one that we have
3:49:56 is 9230, gifts, grants, and bequests.
3:50:00 The board is duly appreciative of public interest.
3:50:02 Does anybody wish to speak to this item?
3:50:05 - This is a duplicate of 7230.
3:50:12 - Okay, if that’s true– - And it’s fine the way it is.
3:50:14 - If that’s true, do we need to pull it out?
3:50:18 - I don’t know, Neola doesn’t have it.
3:50:18 - It’s the exact same as 7230?
3:50:20 - Mm-hmm.
3:50:21 - Well, then we don’t need it twice.
3:50:23 - Sometimes, if someone’s looking for it in a certain place,
3:50:26 they may find it. - Yeah.
3:50:27 - We have lots of other duplicates.
3:50:29 - Yeah, it’s a Neola redundancy, they carry over.
3:50:31 - Yeah, except for Neola doesn’t have one.
3:50:33 - And this actually has information–
3:50:34 - Oh, no, they do, no, no, they don’t.
3:50:36 - It talks about the foundation and stuff like that, so.
3:50:38 - Yeah. - Okay, so I would say–
3:50:41 - It’s fine the way it is. - You need to keep it.
3:50:43 Yeah, sounds like we’re gonna go once that.
3:50:46 9270, home education programs.
3:50:50 Anybody wish to speak to this one?
3:50:53 Gotta check my notes on that thing.
3:50:56 - So I had written down ours is good.
3:50:58 There weren’t any Neola updates,
3:50:59 but I wondered if there should be
3:51:02 because of the scholarship names.
3:51:05 - Oh, yeah, they did change.
3:51:06 - Because they’ve changed the names of the scholarships
3:51:09 on these that are listed here.
3:51:11 I think these are outdated, but it’s funny
3:51:13 ‘cause Neola usually is really good in updating those, but.
3:51:18 - It hadn’t been updated, looks like, since ‘18,
3:51:20 so that might be on their upcoming.
3:51:22 - Okay, yes, we received, for that one,
3:51:27 instead of listing all of the scholarships,
3:51:30 we just made it generic, it says scholarship programs,
3:51:33 so then you don’t have to go in and change every year.
3:51:37 - Change the name, I think that’s a–
3:51:40 - And then we also wanted to make sure
3:51:43 that the new legislative changes
3:51:47 that pertain to home education
3:51:49 and what’s required upon receipt of the notice,
3:51:52 that we can’t require them to submit
3:51:55 any additional information than what’s expected.
3:52:00 And about the written notification
3:52:03 of the available industry certifications,
3:52:05 what’s required with that.
3:52:07 - Okay, so it sounds like she’s ready
3:52:08 to take this on and revise it.
3:52:11 - Yes. - Can I ask a quick question,
3:52:14 just if you guys know yet, and this may be something.
3:52:16 If I’m a homeschool student and I wish
3:52:18 to take a career and technical class
3:52:20 that has a cap at the school,
3:52:22 so say like I wanna do it at Viera,
3:52:24 but I live in the Viera area, does that,
3:52:27 does the homeschool give the opportunity
3:52:29 to go there because they live in the district,
3:52:31 or is it still a barrier?
3:52:33 - I think it’s still a space available basis.
3:52:35 I think once again, I think it’s space available.
3:52:38 - It’s not based on their, where their geographic location
3:52:41 is to get them in without having
3:52:43 to fill out the applications, okay.
3:52:45 - And it says specifically the student’s enrollment
3:52:47 should be on a space available basis.
3:52:49 - I gotcha, okay.
3:52:51 And then they can still sign up
3:52:52 for interscholastics and stuff like that.
3:52:55 - Yes. - Perfect.
3:52:56 One of my best athletes was a homeschool kid.
3:52:59 All right, anybody else?
3:53:02 - So we’re sending this, so it looks like–
3:53:04 - Yes, staff will work on it. - Yeah, she’s got,
3:53:06 she’s pounding, she’s ready to go.
3:53:08 - Cool beans. - All right.
3:53:10 So that’s 9270.
3:53:13 Next up we’ve got, in the NEOLA templates that we have,
3:53:17 we have 9300. - That’s us, too.
3:53:19 - Yeah, awards, recognition, and incentives for staff.
3:53:22 School volunteers, advisory committee members,
3:53:24 and community members.
3:53:26 - I had written good.
3:53:29 - We’re good, all right.
3:53:32 All right, next up on the, we wanted 9500.
3:53:35 Let me check the policies.
3:53:36 Nope, 9430, community volunteers and business partners.
3:53:41 Last time it was updated was 2014,
3:53:43 there was no NEOLA update.
3:53:45 What do you guys wish to do?
3:53:46 - I think this is still good,
3:53:47 and this is different from our,
3:53:49 from the volunteer policy that we were looking at adding,
3:53:53 because this one is specific to certain things.
3:53:56 - Nope, all right, everybody okay with it?
3:53:58 9430.01, mentoring program.
3:54:01 The board believes that a mentoring program right now
3:54:04 is updated in 2014, there is no NEOLA template update.
3:54:09 What’s the wish of the board?
3:54:12 - Just looking through it,
3:54:13 it seems to match what we’re doing.
3:54:14 We had that new mentoring emphasis
3:54:16 starting a couple years ago,
3:54:17 and it still works for what we added in,
3:54:21 from what I can see.
3:54:22 - Okay.
3:54:23 - I know Mr. Bruhn had any suggestions.
3:54:25 - Mr. Bruhn?
3:54:26 - No.
3:54:27 - I think everybody’s okay with 9430.01.
3:54:30 Everybody okay with the program?
3:54:32 Okay.
3:54:34 Going back, 9500, relations with educational institutions
3:54:37 and organizations, looks pretty close.
3:54:41 - Yep.
3:54:43 - It just gives that board or the superintendent,
3:54:46 get any preference there, Dr. Rendell?
3:54:49 It says the superintendent shall.
3:54:51 You’re okay with that?
3:54:52 - Yeah, because usually that’s superintendent or designee,
3:54:55 anytime it says superintendent.
3:54:56 - Perfect, everybody okay with that?
3:54:59 - Yep, yep, yep.
3:55:00 - All right, moving on.
3:55:02 We have, next one up, apologize, let me get to this.
3:55:07 Next one up is 9555, it’s inside your NEOLA,
3:55:10 it’s partnerships with businesses.
3:55:12 Kind of gives a fluffy–
3:55:15 - I think this is maybe more for smaller districts,
3:55:17 like it has to do with being a part of a consortium.
3:55:20 - Yep.
3:55:21 - So I don’t know that this one works for us.
3:55:24 - Yeah, it’s kind of like Neefex and Paces
3:55:27 and all of those ones that they want to be, yeah.
3:55:30 - The ones that the smallest, so I don’t think we need–
3:55:31 - I mean, right now, superintendent can join
3:55:33 any of the organizations, not join.
3:55:35 You know what I mean, like there’s not a,
3:55:37 allowing him to be free, I don’t think we need it.
3:55:39 You guys okay?
3:55:40 - I’m okay.
3:55:41 - All right, moving on, the next one up is,
3:55:45 I have 96, but let me see, make sure here.
3:55:49 9600 staff student participation in community events.
3:55:55 It’s pretty much identical as what we had
3:55:56 from the other ones.
3:55:57 - I had written down, probably from the NEOLA example,
3:56:02 A, superintendent shall, oh, so the NEOLA version says,
3:56:08 hang on, you’re right.
3:56:10 Oh, I was on the wrong one, hang on.
3:56:12 A, community activities and events
3:56:15 which are related to the district’s course of study
3:56:16 are incorporated into such courses.
3:56:20 I had just written down an example
3:56:21 that is the Brevard Symphony Orchestra concert
3:56:24 for the fifth graders, so I think this is good
3:56:27 the way that it is, it works with what we’re doing.
3:56:29 - Yeah, it’s pretty much identical.
3:56:30 - Everybody okay with that?
3:56:32 - All right, moving on, let me see this.
3:56:36 Next one on the NEOLA is 97, what do we have here?
3:56:39 9700, working with special interest groups.
3:56:42 All right, go again.
3:56:44 Anybody wish to change?
3:56:45 So there’s no NEOLA update on our 9700
3:56:48 that we currently have.
3:56:49 - We did that one first.
3:56:50 - Yeah, but this is, NEOLA is like our 9702.
3:56:58 So NEOLA’s advertising commercial activities,
3:57:01 if you go over to ours, it’s like our 9702.
3:57:11 They don’t, you see that?
3:57:13 - Yep.
3:57:17 - Ours is, on our 9702, they’re very similar.
3:57:22 Ours is more comprehensive.
3:57:25 It has an administrative procedure.
3:57:26 I just would like staff to make sure that they’re updated.
3:57:29 - So like 97, so NEOLA 9700.01 advertising
3:57:35 and commercial activities is identical
3:57:37 to our advertising and commercial activities.
3:57:41 - Well, it’s similar, ours is more comprehensive.
3:57:43 - Right, I’m sorry, I meant the name.
3:57:45 - Yeah, right.
3:57:46 - I apologize, so there’s some cross reference.
3:57:49 So would you guys like to move?
3:57:51 It’s kind of like–
3:57:52 - Like do we all read that for them?
3:57:53 - It’s all–
3:57:54 - Because our 9700.01 has to do with special interest group
3:57:59 recruiting students in the classroom,
3:58:00 which is like the Boy Scout, Girl Scout policy,
3:58:04 but even though it’s not called that.
3:58:06 But there’s specific rules and statutes related to that
3:58:09 that like they’re gonna, they can come in the classroom
3:58:13 and do a presentation to try to recruit boys and girls
3:58:15 to do Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
3:58:17 or whatever those type of clubs,
3:58:18 but they have to follow all these rules.
3:58:19 It’s in the letter home and all of that.
3:58:21 So I don’t know if we need to,
3:58:22 NEOLA doesn’t really have one of those.
3:58:26 I think ours is fine,
3:58:27 but if we wanna renumber it to something else.
3:58:30 - We’ll renumber it to what theirs is.
3:58:32 - Or you just keep 9702 and just not do the,
3:58:36 - NEOLA 97.01. - Just leave it.
3:58:38 Yeah, I mean, we can just leave it.
3:58:39 I think our 9700.01,
3:58:41 which is the Boy Scout, Girl Scout policy is fine.
3:58:44 - I concur.
3:58:45 - 9702 is fine.
3:58:46 - Right.
3:58:48 - But just– - Keep going, keep going.
3:58:48 - Yeah. - But just check
3:58:49 on the administrative procedure.
3:58:50 - 9950. - No, no, no, no.
3:58:53 Our system have any, the only thing on 9700.01 hours,
3:58:57 the Boy Scout, Girl Scout policy
3:58:58 doesn’t have any legal references.
3:59:00 And so there wasn’t anything for me to look and go,
3:59:03 I’m sure all this has to come from somewhere.
3:59:05 - It may have come from years ago,
3:59:07 district staff saying this is, these are things,
3:59:09 but I’m pretty sure there’s some regulations
3:59:12 around this. - I’m pretty sure, yeah,
3:59:13 there’s a statute that authorizes them
3:59:15 coming into the classroom.
3:59:16 - Yeah. - Okay.
3:59:17 - So what I would say is there’s just a bunch of the–
3:59:18 - We just need to reference that.
3:59:19 - There’s about three or four of them.
3:59:21 - Yeah, and just make sure we’re not missing anything.
3:59:23 I mean, NEOLA doesn’t have anything, so I don’t know.
3:59:26 You know, it’s hard for us to know,
3:59:27 are we keeping up with everything?
3:59:29 But we should at least add their reference.
3:59:31 - There’s three or four of these that are cross-referenced
3:59:33 on, you know, if you guys can just get through it
3:59:35 and figure out what the best case scenario is.
3:59:37 All right, next one up, 9,800 charter schools.
3:59:39 - Oh, wait, we didn’t do 9,701.
3:59:41 - That’s where I was just like, I just told ‘em I’d take,
3:59:43 look, you know where our direction is.
3:59:45 If you wanna realign it and do everything.
3:59:47 - Yeah, but 9,701 is different, are they things?
3:59:49 - Yeah. - It is.
3:59:51 It’s material literature of students.
3:59:53 - Right.
3:59:54 - This was what I thought you were talking about.
3:59:56 - Okay, now I was talking about 9,700.01.
3:59:59 - Right, and that one is identical to our 9,202.
4:00:02 - Right, so we didn’t talk about 9,701 yet,
4:00:03 which NEOLA doesn’t have, just WEDO.
4:00:05 - I thought you were speaking to that as the–
4:00:08 - The Boy Scout, Girl Scout policy?
4:00:10 - Right. - No, that’s 9,700.01.
4:00:12 - All right, so we can go 9,701,
4:00:13 distribution of materials and literature to students.
4:00:16 Pretty–
4:00:19 - This has some things that are like sections,
4:00:21 so NEOLA’s 9,700,
4:00:27 about working with special interest group.
4:00:29 This has some that are like NEOLA’s section C of 9,700.
4:00:35 Our, and I looked at our,
4:00:36 we have some administrative procedures for this
4:00:38 that seem to be out of date.
4:00:44 This one actually just came up recently.
4:00:46 - Yeah, it did.
4:00:48 I think it was misinterpreted.
4:00:52 But if we just, we don’t have a NEOLA guideline
4:00:56 to go with this, but we need to,
4:00:58 ‘cause it was taken,
4:01:00 and I’m gonna talk around this to be very specific.
4:01:03 When we were talking about distributing the constitutions,
4:01:08 right, the pocket constitutions,
4:01:10 and I’m just gonna ignore the part
4:01:11 that people like drastically blew that up
4:01:13 and said that the Declaration of Independence,
4:01:15 the Constitution, and the actual oath that people say
4:01:17 when they become citizens of our country are propaganda.
4:01:22 It’s supplemental and structural materials,
4:01:26 and it went through the process
4:01:27 that it was supposed to go through,
4:01:28 which was last year and this year,
4:01:30 it went through the assistant superintendent
4:01:32 who had the content specialist both years take a look at it.
4:01:35 Same thing when I’ve had groups approach me and say,
4:01:37 “Hey, we wanna give dictionaries
4:01:38 “to all the third graders at whatever.”
4:01:41 Same thing, brought it to, at the time, Jane Klein,
4:01:45 “Hey, can you have?”
4:01:45 She had her content specialist look through the dictionary,
4:01:48 make sure it’s just a rare old dictionary,
4:01:50 and got the proper approval.
4:01:52 This right here, this policy is, to me,
4:01:55 very specific to advertisements and other things.
4:02:04 This is not, we have a thing,
4:02:06 so if someone wants to pass out information
4:02:09 about an event coming up,
4:02:10 they have to go through Mr. Brown’s office, correct?
4:02:13 And it has a disclaimer that says this is not,
4:02:16 doesn’t represent the views of our public schools,
4:02:20 but they can send it out or put it into folders or whatever.
4:02:25 So, there’s not any old template on this.
4:02:28 This is a regard specific policy, but it’s fine.
4:02:33 I’m fine with it the way that it is,
4:02:35 but if staff wants to take it,
4:02:36 if we need to make that more clear
4:02:39 so we don’t run into the problem again.
4:02:40 - The only note I had on when I reviewed it
4:02:43 was to discuss with the board,
4:02:45 if you wanted to add language about donations,
4:02:47 and that was because of the constitutions
4:02:50 were technically a donation and not,
4:02:52 help me, donations and not.
4:02:54 - It was a donation of a primary source
4:02:57 in lieu of a supplemental material.
4:02:59 - Primary source, thank you.
4:03:00 - So, I don’t know if that’s the,
4:03:01 I don’t know if we need to react to that,
4:03:02 but if it’s a, we do get donations
4:03:04 that don’t necessarily fit into other categories
4:03:07 at our schools, and then the other part of that is,
4:03:10 do you wanna discuss any type of attached documentation
4:03:12 that would be required or would be prohibited
4:03:15 that would go along with donations?
4:03:18 I have no opinion either way.
4:03:20 I just wanted to bring it up for discussion.
4:03:21 - Do you have an example of what you would need?
4:03:24 The ability to put their logo on that,
4:03:29 the donation, or a QR code, or–
4:03:32 - Oh, you mean like if they’re asking–
4:03:33 - Where, yeah, are they gonna take you one step removed
4:03:37 and then they’re gonna be able to talk to the student
4:03:38 about what they want?
4:03:40 If that’s something the board has an appetite for,
4:03:43 otherwise, it’s fine the way it is.
4:03:47 - I’m fine with it the way that it is.
4:03:50 I mean, you know, I think we need to deal with that
4:03:53 on a case-by-case basis, where we’re actually looking
4:03:55 at the actual item, which in this case, we did.
4:03:59 - We need to see in the legalese,
4:04:00 and then you start going, “I’m fine with the latest.”
4:04:02 - Yeah.
4:04:03 - Yeah, all right, let’s be honest with you.
4:04:05 - Because the thing is, ‘cause people had problems
4:04:07 with websites being on things,
4:04:09 but on our advertising, we sell for our planners,
4:04:14 and I think this was the point Dr. Rendell brought up to me.
4:04:16 On our planners, on whatever,
4:04:19 businesses are putting their websites.
4:04:22 Does it mean we’re endorsing that dentist
4:04:27 or daycare or air conditioning repair people?
4:04:31 You know, we have those things all over things
4:04:34 that we’re handing to our kids.
4:04:38 There are signs all over the field, right, from sponsors.
4:04:42 I think this is fine the way it is.
4:04:45 Unless, you know, if there’s clarification,
4:04:47 if in that process kind of highlighted this,
4:04:50 if there was something, my suggestion would be,
4:04:52 if there was something that we needed in policy
4:04:54 to make that more crystal clear for staff,
4:04:57 that would be helpful.
4:04:58 I would be interested in work in that.
4:05:03 But I feel like we did the process, and it was handled,
4:05:05 even though it wasn’t the public kind of,
4:05:07 some of the public got upset and took it the wrong way.
4:05:10 But if it would be helpful for the staff to be more clear,
4:05:12 and from the board’s direction, I’d be happy to do that.
4:05:18 - Okay, with that, you guys good?
4:05:19 - Yeah, I have a question, I’m gonna ask some questions
4:05:22 here about this, ‘cause we talk about clubs
4:05:24 in this quite a bit too.
4:05:25 So as we get in here, can you give me an example
4:05:27 of a non-district sponsored student initiated club
4:05:32 versus a district sponsored student initiated club?
4:05:36 What would that look like?
4:05:37 What is a non-district versus a district?
4:05:40 - I think FCA, I think FCA.
4:05:42 - Is FCA a district, or would it be a non?
4:05:45 - Boys and Girls Club would be a good example,
4:05:46 ‘cause it’s a non-district American Legion.
4:05:50 - Gay-Straight Alliance.
4:05:52 - Key Club, Interact Club, those are sponsored
4:05:56 by a local organization.
4:05:59 - Or even like, wouldn’t like a Future Farmers,
4:06:02 or the technology, whatever, because those are like
4:06:04 national or state organizations, as opposed to
4:06:07 a school sponsored club, which would be like–
4:06:09 - Student government. - Yeah.
4:06:11 - Honor Society. - Okay.
4:06:13 - Those would be school sponsored, but then you could have,
4:06:16 like I said, Interact, Rotary.
4:06:17 - And they all have to be student led for clarification.
4:06:20 They cannot be teacher led, is that correct?
4:06:23 - Well, you need a sponsor. - You need a sponsor,
4:06:24 but it’s supposed to be student led, correct?
4:06:29 And then as far as like the advertising and material,
4:06:31 like I’m just reading in here and going through,
4:06:33 like it looks like, really, clubs shouldn’t really
4:06:37 even be talked about or advertised at all
4:06:39 based on the policy during the school day.
4:06:42 Am I understanding that correctly or no?
4:06:45 - Where are you seeing that?
4:06:46 - All right, hold on.
4:06:48 - ‘Cause I think they could, like,
4:06:50 have in the announcements and stuff.
4:06:52 - Right.
4:06:54 - Okay, hold on, sorry.
4:06:56 I found something there somewhere and I was like–
4:06:58 - We got like three policies left in the–
4:06:59 - I know, and I don’t wanna, it’s four o’clock.
4:07:01 I’m like, ah, we’re trying to–
4:07:02 - Yeah, we’re doing great.
4:07:03 - I know, we’re doing great. - Just thinking about
4:07:03 the last one, just saying, was Levon and–
4:07:06 - And leave one, leftover at the end.
4:07:08 - Just like Brindleton on that, okay.
4:07:09 - No, no, no.
4:07:10 They have a deadline.
4:07:11 They have to bring ‘em back to us in January.
4:07:13 - I know, listen. - Yep.
4:07:15 - I just thought it would be fun.
4:07:16 - Okay, maybe not.
4:07:17 Sorry, I read that backwards, I think,
4:07:18 ‘cause this looks like they can.
4:07:20 Well, if it says that, we need to be careful.
4:07:23 - Well, this is for, yeah, we don’t distribute
4:07:26 materials or literature to students that are paid for.
4:07:30 They’re non-profits that can get access
4:07:32 if they go through the proper process.
4:07:34 - Right.
4:07:35 - So written materials distributed by students
4:07:37 from tables or booths may not be distributed
4:07:39 during instructional hours
4:07:40 or during the transition time between classes.
4:07:44 The principal may allow the distribution of written material
4:07:46 before the school day begins, during lunch periods,
4:07:48 or after the instructional day ends.
4:07:51 All right, sorry, I’m just,
4:07:53 this is one that’s come up a couple times for me, so.
4:07:56 - Oh, shoot, my battery’s dying.
4:07:58 - Huh?
4:07:58 - Her battery’s dying. - Okay.
4:08:00 - What would you like to do, Ms. Radcliffe?
4:08:01 - I don’t know, that’s why I’m just–
4:08:03 - You wanna table this one?
4:08:05 - No.
4:08:05 - Make us come back?
4:08:06 - It’s gotta come back anyway.
4:08:07 - It’s gotta come back anyways, I know, so.
4:08:10 - Well, except for we were saying it was okay,
4:08:13 except for the administrative procedure.
4:08:15 It’s gonna come back if y’all have something
4:08:17 you need us to do.
4:08:19 - Yeah.
4:08:20 - To make it more clear,
4:08:21 if you think it needs to be more clear.
4:08:23 And honestly, I had written down here
4:08:24 administrative procedure is out of date, question mark,
4:08:26 but now I can’t find what I thought was out of date.
4:08:28 I think it was the five cents.
4:08:31 - Per page or something?
4:08:32 - Yeah, there’s as a result from the commencement
4:08:35 of the 2010-2011 school year, and each year henceforth,
4:08:38 each entity desiring the district
4:08:39 to distribute their literature to students
4:08:42 in the classroom on their behalf shall pay a five cent fee
4:08:45 for every student registered to the school
4:08:46 where the literature is to be distributed.
4:08:48 So I don’t know if that’s, we’re even doing that.
4:08:51 - Yeah, we probably need to take that out
4:08:52 ‘cause I don’t think we’re collecting that.
4:08:54 - Yeah, so anyway, the administrative procedure needs to be–
4:08:56 - Well, the other thing too–
4:08:57 - If we’re gonna make that correction,
4:08:58 we have to bring it back to you anyway.
4:09:00 - I think the other thing that would be wise
4:09:01 is for the clubs to be displayed maybe on our website
4:09:06 tied to that school.
4:09:07 I see some schools that are doing it really well
4:09:08 and others where I’m like, they have no clubs.
4:09:10 What’s going on?
4:09:11 So just so that, you know, I don’t think the community,
4:09:15 they will look there and they’ll see what’s available
4:09:17 for their students, so.
4:09:21 All right, that’s all.
4:09:24 - Okay.
4:09:25 - All right, come on, 9702?
4:09:27 - Yep, 9702, here we go, guys.
4:09:29 - Yeah, we did this one already
4:09:30 ‘cause this is the one that’s like Neola’s 9700.
4:09:33 - That’s right.
4:09:33 - The only issue, the only issue that we have here,
4:09:36 and I apologize ‘cause I had it in my notes on this one,
4:09:40 is that we’re saying on here that we’re not signage
4:09:44 or in school buses, we’re not.
4:09:46 - Right.
4:09:47 - Until I start talking about some of the advertising
4:09:50 requirements that are in here are inhibitive of us
4:09:53 expanding our advertising footprint.
4:09:56 If it’s okay with you guys, I would like to work
4:09:58 with Dr. Rendell about opportunities that we have
4:10:01 to raise money ‘cause, look, we have those large vans
4:10:04 that are running around, of course,
4:10:05 they run three times a week.
4:10:07 We can have those wrapped with advertising.
4:10:09 You know, then there’s an opportunity for us
4:10:11 to do some of that and there’s some inhibitive policies
4:10:14 inside of here with both solids.
4:10:16 You know, then I would like to work with them on,
4:10:18 A, you know, and bring that back when it comes back
4:10:20 if that’s okay.
4:10:22 There’s some, it allows us to advertise on our van.
4:10:25 There’s opportunities to advertise on our buses.
4:10:27 There’s opportunities, and I’m not saying we do it.
4:10:29 I’m just saying we look at it as an opportunity
4:10:32 to possibly increase our random resources.
4:10:34 - Yeah.
4:10:36 - Just looking at those legal references
4:10:38 from Neola’s 9700.01, one of them has to do,
4:10:41 it’s the same one about use of buildings and grounds
4:10:43 that we control that.
4:10:43 And the other one has to do with harmful materials,
4:10:46 so that’s probably like why we can’t do
4:10:48 like alcohol and stuff like that.
4:10:49 - There’s some, you know what I mean?
4:10:51 I would just like to say if there’s an opportunity
4:10:53 for us to advertise, we leave it open,
4:10:55 and then we take it back, and when somebody comes in
4:10:57 and says, “Hey, I have this idea,”
4:10:58 we can always tell them no, but the opportunity is
4:11:01 is that if it’s there, we can do it.
4:11:03 I would love to increase this.
4:11:06 Opportunities, that’s all.
4:11:07 - Thank you.
4:11:08 - So if you guys are okay with that,
4:11:09 I’ll get with Dr. Rendell.
4:11:10 It won’t be anything that’s outside the scope of legal,
4:11:12 but increase our stuff, okay?
4:11:15 Is that cool?
4:11:16 - Yeah.
4:11:17 - Okay, anybody good with that?
4:11:19 All right, and I think I know why Ms. Tara Harris is here,
4:11:21 9800, charter schools?
4:11:24 - Yes, so for 9800, oh yes, it’s a lengthy,
4:11:29 this is a lengthy one.
4:11:31 We just wanna go with Neola,
4:11:33 but with just a few modifications.
4:11:36 Basically, under that section
4:11:38 around the application contents,
4:11:39 we would like to recommend option one.
4:11:44 - Where is the page?
4:11:45 - The application procedure,
4:11:47 is that what you’re talking about?
4:11:48 - It is under, it is, let’s see.
4:11:50 Application content, so it’s the third page.
4:11:53 - Page 79.
4:11:54 - Oh, wow, okay.
4:11:55 - The fourth page.
4:11:55 - I think.
4:11:57 Oh no, that has to do with special education, nevermind.
4:12:01 I thought I found it.
4:12:03 - It should be– - 54.
4:12:04 - Okay, that’s where I was, I think.
4:12:06 - Oh, I went too far.
4:12:07 - Okay, option one, applicants are required
4:12:09 to sign under the penalty for perjury of statement
4:12:11 of assurances formed.
4:12:13 Okay, which is option two? - You wanted to go
4:12:14 with which option?
4:12:15 - Option one, and that’s just going with the application
4:12:19 that aligns with the DOE.
4:12:23 - Okay.
4:12:25 - Yeah.
4:12:27 - So we just need to update this one
4:12:29 with the July updates, right?
4:12:30 Besides that. - Yes, yes.
4:12:31 - With the federal grant parts and services, okay.
4:12:36 - Yeah, okay.
4:12:37 - Yep.
4:12:38 - Okay.
4:12:39 - So when we redivise this policy a couple years ago,
4:12:42 basically what they did was they took every statute
4:12:44 that has to do with charter schools
4:12:45 and put it all in the same policy.
4:12:46 - That’s why it’s so lengthy.
4:12:48 - That’s why it’s so long.
4:12:48 - Yeah, when you got two pages of statute for the end.
4:12:51 - Which means after this session with all the D-reg,
4:12:53 maybe some of that will be changing again.
4:12:55 - So you’re good to bring that back, Ms. Harris?
4:12:56 Okay, so there’s, the last one on ours is 9950,
4:13:00 but there’s one that says 9900 that I really want.
4:13:04 - I know, me too.
4:13:05 - I love it so much. - Really?
4:13:06 ‘Cause I had written down not necessary.
4:13:07 - Why? - What?
4:13:08 - Why would you not do that?
4:13:09 Let’s go do this. - I have to see what it was.
4:13:10 - I love this. - Because I’m trying
4:13:11 to still get through 9800.
4:13:13 - Love this, I don’t know if–
4:13:13 - You have a history teacher here, so that’s–
4:13:15 - I will tell you that we could do nothing better
4:13:17 than to award Vietnam and Korean and World War II veterans
4:13:20 their high school diploma at ours
4:13:23 who had not already done that.
4:13:24 - Yeah. - This is a cool project.
4:13:26 I think we add the policy.
4:13:28 I think we add it to our veterans project.
4:13:29 - That would be such an honor to be able to do that.
4:13:31 - We’re gonna get cozy to pull it.
4:13:33 - Yeah. - We can have
4:13:33 some fun here, ma’am.
4:13:35 I really do, I’m in favor of it.
4:13:37 I think it’s great. - I had just written
4:13:39 not necessary, ‘cause I wondered,
4:13:40 do we need to have a policy if this happens
4:13:42 that someone comes forth?
4:13:43 - I think we put it in. - Can we just do it?
4:13:44 - I think we can. - We can.
4:13:45 - Huh?
4:13:46 - We can issue a diploma– - Have we ever done it before?
4:13:48 - An honorary diploma, it’s in policy.
4:13:50 - Okay.
4:13:51 - I wanna put it in policy. - But, you know, this,
4:13:53 there’s no harm in adopting this,
4:13:55 even though I don’t like to add policy, but,
4:13:57 and then we could, you know, do some,
4:13:59 have maybe some ROT, all the ROTC programs
4:14:02 do a little research to see if there’s anybody
4:14:04 we need to bring in. - Oh, cool.
4:14:04 - That sounds like a good research project for a senior.
4:14:08 - Yeah. - Oh, I mean, this is,
4:14:10 each ROTC program can take on their local city.
4:14:12 - Yeah, ROTC. - There you go.
4:14:13 - Man, this would be great.
4:14:14 - Okay. - It’s good.
4:14:15 - Yeah. - All right.
4:14:16 Last one, 9950 Television Station.
4:14:19 - Dun, dun, dun.
4:14:22 - I’ve got question marks.
4:14:23 I had written keep, question mark,
4:14:25 update, question mark. - No, listen, listen.
4:14:26 - Is it accurate still, question mark?
4:14:28 - I’m worried about the Television Station.
4:14:28 I think we should have our own TV stations at our house.
4:14:31 - Do we, we don’t still have our,
4:14:34 well, we do have, we do have the spectrum.
4:14:36 Does this apply to Spectrum?
4:14:38 - Yeah, we’re always broadcasting on there, something.
4:14:42 - We’re, we already know.
4:14:43 There’s schools that have television stations.
4:14:45 We have one.
4:14:46 Froon’s been doing stuff with Rock Paper Simple.
4:14:49 - Right, I know, but I didn’t know if,
4:14:52 like, is it still, is it still accurate what’s in here?
4:14:56 Reflective of the way we do it now?
4:14:59 ‘Cause it’s–
4:15:00 - It’s got a YouTube channel.
4:15:01 - I don’t think that, that doesn’t count.
4:15:05 And under this policy.
4:15:08 Are you good with it the way that it is?
4:15:09 - Yeah, the paragraph that starts,
4:15:11 therefore the board is exercising its option.
4:15:14 You know, that’s, these meetings keep our community
4:15:17 informed about, you know, district policies, finance,
4:15:20 personnel operations.
4:15:22 And YouTube is considered, in my world,
4:15:25 a channel as well that we have.
4:15:27 And that’s always accessible as well, so.
4:15:30 - Okay.
4:15:31 I don’t have a, no, I like that we have a TV channel.
4:15:33 I just didn’t know if it, ‘cause the television station part
4:15:36 is, some of the language, it was like, is that really
4:15:39 what it’s called? - Yes, it’s cable access,
4:15:41 but it’s still accurate.
4:15:45 - Okay, okay.
4:15:46 And then I, our administrative procedure,
4:15:48 is that still accurate?
4:15:53 - Let me look at that.
4:15:54 - I didn’t have a problem with any of it.
4:15:55 I just, I don’t know, in the world of cable and streaming,
4:16:02 some of it seems outdated, but.
4:16:03 - I like it.
4:16:04 - Yeah, okay. - Take it, figure it out,
4:16:06 what needs to be on there and bring it back.
4:16:07 - If it’s fine, then don’t bring it back.
4:16:09 - Yeah, the AP, yeah, we’re not gonna have,
4:16:11 we do abide by these still.
4:16:13 - Okay, cool beans, thank you.
4:16:15 - All right, everybody else?
4:16:16 Anybody else have anything, board members,
4:16:18 got anything you wish to say?
4:16:20 Anybody got anything?
4:16:21 No?
4:16:22 Okay.
4:16:26 - So bear with me.
4:16:30 I had a lot of conversations over the past,
4:16:34 well, over the past couple of weeks, if I’m being honest.
4:16:37 And I had given a heads up to Dr. Rendell
4:16:41 that I was going to say what I’m going to say.
4:16:43 I mean, I didn’t give him the words that I’m gonna say,
4:16:44 but he knew I was gonna bring this up.
4:16:46 And I am purposely bringing it up now,
4:16:49 out of respect of the people
4:16:50 who are being appointed tonight.
4:16:52 Also, ‘cause it’s less people paying attention,
4:16:55 if I’m being honest.
4:16:57 I feel an obligation to say this,
4:16:59 I feel an obligation to put it out there publicly,
4:17:01 as a statement.
4:17:03 Again, because I don’t wanna have
4:17:05 to explain it later tonight.
4:17:06 I just don’t think it’s fair to everybody who’s in the room.
4:17:09 And I am literally going to read what I wrote,
4:17:12 because I don’t want my words being misinterpreted
4:17:16 or twisted around, ‘cause I can literally go back
4:17:19 and look at them.
4:17:21 So tonight, we have an administrative appointment
4:17:25 that I am very concerned with.
4:17:27 And I asked to have this conversation, like I said,
4:17:30 just so that we’re not bringing this up
4:17:31 in one of the other appointments tonight.
4:17:34 We have an employee who had two significant infractions
4:17:37 in four months.
4:17:39 The first, which I think was a consequence of extreme grace,
4:17:44 taking away PTO hours
4:17:46 after fraudulently reporting Tarn cards.
4:17:50 I call that a significant amount of grace,
4:17:52 retaining their position and their pay.
4:17:54 Second, a prejudice comment about a population of students
4:17:58 that are significant at their school.
4:18:01 This led our superintendent to want to move for termination,
4:18:06 eventually being moved to offer resignation.
4:18:09 Again, an offer of grace,
4:18:10 which was accepted by that employee,
4:18:13 and it was posted onto our October 10th agenda.
4:18:17 This agreement was then removed from the agenda
4:18:19 because a board member had encouraged the superintendent
4:18:21 to do so, invoking that this individual was related
4:18:25 to a current school board candidate.
4:18:27 This candidate who showed up at the board meeting that day
4:18:31 and came up and shook all of her hands on the dais.
4:18:35 Dr. Rendell told me that he had agreed to remove the item
4:18:38 to ensure that the appropriate protocol
4:18:39 was followed for the disciplinary action.
4:18:41 And I wanna be clear.
4:18:43 It was my genuine impression
4:18:45 that Dr. Rendell was uncomfortable with what transpired.
4:18:49 I’m not blaming him for the steps that were taken.
4:18:53 He told me he originally wanted to move for termination
4:18:55 because those comments are unacceptable here at BPS.
4:18:58 His own words to me in conversation
4:19:00 pointed out the absurdity,
4:19:02 such as how can I justify moving this individual
4:19:04 with comments like that?
4:19:06 Do we put them in a school
4:19:07 with a smaller Hispanic population?
4:19:09 Again, highlighting how absurd that would be.
4:19:13 He told me he wanted resignation
4:19:15 and again, offered to allow them to resign to offer grace.
4:19:21 And before someone attempts to refute my claims,
4:19:23 I’m going to be very specific when this happened.
4:19:25 It was on October 10th,
4:19:26 before the executive session in Dr. Rendell’s office,
4:19:30 he informed all of you after that executive session
4:19:32 that him and I had already spoken that day
4:19:34 and he needed to speak with all of you individually.
4:19:38 Next, I’m informed that the decision was revised
4:19:40 to a six-day suspension without pay
4:19:41 and it was posted on our October 24th agenda.
4:19:45 As well as the offer to continue to be a part of BPS
4:19:51 and teach at Gardendale with the opportunity to reapply
4:19:53 for an administrative position in the future.
4:19:56 An offer I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with,
4:19:58 but I had expressed that I recognized
4:20:01 that the consequences were significant,
4:20:02 so I didn’t push further.
4:20:05 The offer that I assumed meant the ability to reapply
4:20:08 would be for the next school year
4:20:09 for a position of leadership,
4:20:10 not a week or two after their disciplinary consequence.
4:20:14 I shouldn’t have to state this,
4:20:16 but someone with two significant disciplinary infractions
4:20:19 in four months, now leading a school
4:20:21 in the area of discipline is not right.
4:20:24 If someone doesn’t regulate their own actions
4:20:26 and accept the consequences of those actions,
4:20:28 we have no business policing the rules on the students,
4:20:31 let alone with the bias from the prejudice statement
4:20:33 that was made in their second offense.
4:20:35 We serve every student with excellence
4:20:37 by having excellence at the top.
4:20:39 And the excellence at the top is the staff
4:20:41 who reported the infractions in the first place.
4:20:43 Those are the people we should be praising and supporting,
4:20:46 not making them stand beside someone tonight
4:20:48 accepting this position of leadership.
4:20:50 It’s diminishing the fact that they put themselves
4:20:52 on the line to tell the truth,
4:20:54 and it subsequently diminishes the personal accomplishments
4:20:56 of those who are being appointed tonight.
4:20:59 It’s a privilege to be trusted by parents
4:21:01 to be responsible for their children.
4:21:03 What would the family feel knowing all this happened
4:21:06 after they hung up the phone that day?
4:21:08 What does it say about the value of that child,
4:21:10 their family, and the community that they live in?
4:21:12 And what does it say about the staff
4:21:13 that was offended and uncomfortable with what transpired?
4:21:16 This individual was on our agenda
4:21:18 now three meetings in a row for very different reasons.
4:21:21 First resignation, then a disciplinary action,
4:21:23 and now an appointment to a leadership position.
4:21:26 When in the history of BPS has that ever happened?
4:21:29 This would have never happened if it wasn’t for nepotism.
4:21:33 Dr. Rendell would have never been encouraged
4:21:35 to remove the resignation by a sitting board member.
4:21:39 This wouldn’t have happened if any employee,
4:21:42 not related to a school board candidate, was on that agenda.
4:21:47 I am tired of standing up
4:21:48 and saying the hard things by myself.
4:21:50 If this individual was a friend or family member of mine,
4:21:54 you all would be up in arms right now.
4:21:57 I didn’t seek out this information.
4:21:59 This was brought to me by our superintendent,
4:22:02 the person who’s supposed to have the authority
4:22:04 to make the decisions that he made.
4:22:06 I wouldn’t have any clue
4:22:07 that this person was related to somebody,
4:22:09 or that a board member had involved themselves.
4:22:12 If I wasn’t told by the superintendent himself.
4:22:15 So now I have a responsibility to speak about it.
4:22:18 These infractions wouldn’t be tolerated
4:22:20 in any other workplace, let alone rewarded.
4:22:24 This is my district, it’s the community I live in,
4:22:26 and it is my child’s future school.
4:22:28 Wrong is wrong if no one’s watching.
4:22:33 I wanna be clear, the personnel file is public.
4:22:38 The staff at the school knows.
4:22:41 The families know.
4:22:42 People already are talking.
4:22:45 We are responsible for our vote tonight.
4:22:47 We are responsible for the decisions we make tonight.
4:22:50 I wanted an opportunity to put this on record,
4:22:53 what transpired, my viewpoints,
4:22:55 and to make it clear that everyone up here
4:22:57 was either already aware, or now you are aware.
4:23:01 And again, I’m not doing this to have a debate about it.
4:23:05 I intentionally felt the need after finding out about it.
4:23:08 I couldn’t keep it to myself.
4:23:10 And for me to pull someone tonight
4:23:12 and not explain why, I felt would be
4:23:15 disingenuous to the public.
4:23:16 So out of respect, I did it in this workshop
4:23:19 so it would have less attention on it,
4:23:21 and so that it’s not in front
4:23:22 of all of the other people tonight.
4:23:24 I will not be speaking about this tonight,
4:23:26 but I will be asking to move it individually
4:23:29 so that my vote can be reflective of it,
4:23:31 but I will not be making any comments on it tonight.
4:23:34 - Thank you.
4:23:35 With that, we’re good.
4:23:36 (gavel bangs)
4:23:37 (upbeat music)
4:24:07 (silence)