Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:30 (upbeat music)
1:00 (upbeat music continues)
3:00 - Thank you.
3:02 - Good evening and welcome to September 5th, 2024,
3:05 final budget hearing and regular school board meeting.
3:08 It is now in order.
3:09 I’d like to welcome my fellow board members and the public.
3:11 It is so encouraging to see so many wonderful faces
3:13 in the audience this evening.
3:15 No doubt for the wonderful performance
3:17 that we will have momentarily.
3:18 If I could just please remind the public
3:20 that their opportunity to address the board
3:22 is during public comment portion of the meeting.
3:24 So I would ask you for you to refrain please
3:26 from loud speaking disruptions, distractions,
3:28 or other forms of communications
3:29 that might hinder the business of the board.
3:32 Paul roll call please.
3:33 - Ms. Wright.
3:34 - Here.
3:35 - Mr. Trent.
3:36 - Here.
3:37 - Ms. Jenkins.
3:37 - Here.
3:38 - Ms. Campbell.
3:39 - Here.
3:40 - Mr. Susan.
3:41 - Here.
3:42 - At this time, the board would like to hold
3:42 a moment of silence and I invite the audience to join.
3:59 (mumbles)
4:11 All right, if you will please rise I believe William,
4:13 are you ready for the pledge?
4:14 All right, you’re gonna lead us
4:15 from the Pledge of Allegiance.
4:20 - I pledge allegiance to the flag
4:23 of the United States of America
4:25 and to the Republic for which it stands,
4:29 one nation, under God, indivisible,
4:32 with liberty and justice for all.
4:39 - Thank you, William.
4:41 Appreciate you helping lead out that way.
4:43 Tonight we’re very fortunate.
4:44 We have the Stevenson Elementary Choir with us.
4:47 We have the choir director, which is Mr. William Yeo, right?
4:51 Is that correct?
4:51 I don’t wanna mispronounce it.
4:53 And I’m gonna turn the floor over to you.
4:59 (mumbles)
5:03 (orchestral music)
5:13 ♪ I pledge allegiance to the flag ♪
5:18 ♪ Of the United States of America ♪
5:23 ♪ And to the Republic for which it stands ♪
5:28 ♪ One nation, under God, indivisible ♪
5:36 ♪ With liberty and justice for all ♪
5:56 (orchestral music)
6:03 ♪ O beautiful for spacious skies ♪
6:08 ♪ For amber waves of grain ♪
6:13 ♪ For purple mountain majesties ♪
6:19 ♪ Above the fruited plain ♪
6:24 ♪ America, America ♪
6:29 ♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪
6:35 ♪ And crown thy good with brotherhood ♪
6:40 ♪ From sea to shining sea ♪
6:53 ♪ I pledge allegiance to the flag ♪
6:58 ♪ Of the United States of America ♪
7:04 ♪ And to the Republic for which it stands ♪
7:09 ♪ One nation, under God, indivisible ♪
7:14 ♪ With liberty and justice for all ♪
7:36 ♪ America, America of the United States ♪
7:48 (audience applauding)
8:07 (orchestral music)
8:18 ♪ Grey darks on roses and whispers on kittens ♪
8:21 ♪ Dry copper kettles and warm woolen mittens ♪
8:25 ♪ Brown paper packages tied up with strings ♪
8:28 ♪ These are a few of my favorite things ♪
8:34 ♪ Green-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels ♪
8:37 ♪ Doorbells and sleigh bells and schitzel with noodles ♪
8:41 ♪ Follies that fly with a moon on their wings ♪
8:45 ♪ These are a few of my favorite things ♪
8:50 ♪ Throws in my tresses with blue sats and sashes ♪
8:53 ♪ Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes ♪
8:57 ♪ Silver-white winters that melt into springs ♪
9:01 ♪ These are a few of my favorite things ♪
9:05 ♪ When the dog bites, when the bee stings ♪
9:08 ♪ When I’m feeling sad ♪
9:11 ♪ I simply remember my favorite things ♪
9:15 ♪ And then I don’t feel so bad ♪
9:20 ♪ Raindrops on raindrops on raindrops on raindrops ♪
9:23 ♪ On mittens, on mittens, on mittens, on mittens ♪
9:26 ♪ White coffee, white coffee, and petals and mittens ♪
9:31 ♪ Stumpet for packages tied up with strings ♪
9:35 ♪ These are a few of my favorite things ♪
9:41 ♪ Green-colored ponies and popsicles with noodles ♪
9:46 ♪ Doorbells and sleigh bells and sleigh bells and mittens ♪
9:50 ♪ Noodle and tools ♪
9:53 ♪ Plummies that fly with the moon on their wings ♪
9:56 ♪ These are a few of my favorite things ♪
10:02 ♪ Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes ♪
10:09 ♪ Silver-white winters that melt into springs ♪
10:12 ♪ These are a few of my favorite things ♪
10:16 ♪ When the dog bites, when the bee stings ♪
10:20 ♪ When I’m feeling sad ♪
10:23 ♪ I simply remember my favorite things ♪
10:27 ♪ And then I don’t feel so bad ♪
10:37 (audience applauding)
10:46 (upbeat music)
10:52 ♪ We go together like ♪
10:54 (singing)
11:16 ♪ When we go out tonight ♪
11:17 ♪ And start the shining bright ♪
11:20 ♪ Up in the sky above ♪
11:25 ♪ Or at a high school dance ♪
11:27 ♪ Where you can find romance ♪
11:29 ♪ Maybe invite me ♪
11:31 ♪ Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ♪
11:37 ♪ We go together like ♪
11:39 ♪ We go out tonight and start the shining bright ♪
11:42 ♪ Up in the sky above ♪
11:46 (singing)
12:16 ♪ We’re for each other ♪
12:18 (singing)
12:46 ♪ Yeah ♪
12:58 (audience applauding)
13:11 - Oh, are we gonna, oh hang on one second.
13:13 One second, one second.
13:14 - Mr. Yo.
13:15 - Hey, Mr. Yo.
13:16 - Hey, I’m scared.
13:17 - Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, come back, come back.
13:20 (laughing)
13:22 Don’t leave us yet.
13:23 - Sorry.
13:24 - Oh.
13:28 All right, well, I wanna take a moment
13:30 and thank you guys so much.
13:32 Is there anybody that you would like to pick out
13:34 that maybe would be willing to go to the microphone
13:36 and speak?
13:37 Do we have a couple names?
13:39 No?
13:40 All right, drawing sticks.
13:41 - Sabrina.
13:42 - Um, oh, how about Sabrina and Taiton?
13:45 Your names are on this piece of paper,
13:47 so I believe you have been nominated by your peers,
13:50 I believe.
13:52 All right.
13:56 Thank you.
13:57 Ms. Jenkins, do you wanna start?
13:58 Do you have any questions or things to say?
14:00 - Hey, everybody.
14:02 First and foremost, great job.
14:05 Ms. Jenkins isn’t gonna be here in two months
14:07 and there isn’t a whole lot I’m gonna miss except for this.
14:10 You bring so much joy to my heart
14:12 and I have to say, two out of those three songs I sang
14:16 when I was in elementary school chorus,
14:17 so it brought back some pretty sweet memories for me.
14:20 You did such a really, really good job.
14:22 So I have a question,
14:24 and either one of you can answer this question for me,
14:26 but who is right now your favorite singer?
14:30 - Ooh, that’s a good question.
14:33 - I’d say William because he’s always on top of everything.
14:39 - Oh my gosh.
14:40 - And he’s willing to take chances and sing a bunch of songs
14:44 even though if he doesn’t practice a lot.
14:48 (audience laughing)
14:52 - William, where are you?
14:53 Raise your hand, William.
14:55 Man, that was so sweet.
14:56 - Oh, that’s awesome.
15:01 - You know, Tatum, I thought you guys were gonna tell me
15:03 like Taylor Swift or, you know,
15:06 that was just the best answer ever.
15:10 You guys are so sweet.
15:12 Thank you so much.
15:13 Oh my gosh, adorable.
15:15 Thank you.
15:17 - Ms. Campbell.
15:18 Awesome job, everybody.
15:20 Let’s see, I will ask my question to Sabrina.
15:25 So Sabrina, how many years have you been in this group?
15:30 - I’ve been in chorus since third grade, so three years.
15:34 - And Sabrina, you’re going to middle school next year,
15:36 right?
15:37 So when you get to middle school,
15:39 are you gonna be in some music programs
15:41 at your middle school?
15:43 - Yeah, I do orchestra right now
15:45 and I think I’m gonna continue with the violin.
15:48 - I love that.
15:49 I love that.
15:50 I also have a question for Mr. Yeo.
15:51 Mr. Yeo, how long have you been the music teacher at Stevens?
15:56 (audience laughing)
15:57 - That’s rude, Ms. Campbell.
15:59 - I didn’t ask him all day.
16:00 How many years?
16:00 - It might take a while.
16:04 - Four years.
16:06 - I knew it had been a while.
16:07 That is amazing.
16:08 (audience applauding)
16:14 I love the longevity and that’s one of the reasons
16:16 why Stevenson’s music program has been so successful.
16:19 So thank you for your years of service.
16:22 All right, Mr. Susan.
16:23 - Mr. Yeo, I just wanted to say thank you
16:24 for what you’ve done for these children.
16:26 Your, the precision that they came in on, your intensity.
16:30 Many of you in the audience didn’t get to see Mr. Yeo
16:32 sing the entire song like I did.
16:35 And the intensity that he had just shows that after,
16:38 I think you said 24 years,
16:41 that the dedication has continued and it’s amazing.
16:44 I only wanted to invite, if we may,
16:47 the school board member for your district is Jean Trent.
16:49 You may have seen him around.
16:50 We love singing and we would love
16:52 to come sing with you guys.
16:54 Jean’s been known to sing pretty well
16:56 and I like to accompany.
16:58 So if you guys ever invited us out,
17:00 we would love to come over and sing with you guys
17:02 and have some fun.
17:04 Ms. Campbell, we don’t want to invite her
17:05 because she’s actually really good
17:07 and she’ll make us sound really bad.
17:09 So thank you so much.
17:11 Thank you everybody.
17:11 - All right, Mr. Trent.
17:12 - Give me that.
17:14 - All right.
17:15 - Are you guys sharing a microphone?
17:15 - We’re not now.
17:16 Yeah, his is right.
17:17 Yours is right there.
17:18 All right.
17:20 All right, guys.
17:22 That was, that was amazing.
17:25 So I don’t even have to ask.
17:28 One of the questions I sometimes ask
17:30 is how often you practice.
17:33 And you answer that in the songs.
17:37 They were broad show quality.
17:40 So thank you so much.
17:43 And the second thing is you absolutely
17:47 do not want me to be singing in your group.
17:49 (laughing)
17:50 - Don’t listen to him.
17:51 Send the invite.
17:52 - The closest we came, Dr. Endell and I,
17:54 last time we were there, we got on stage and danced.
17:58 Somehow they, they coerced us to get up there.
18:00 And I don’t, I don’t know if they’ve recovered since,
18:03 but that was entertaining.
18:05 But you guys, this is great.
18:06 Talk about a lifelong, you know,
18:10 something to be, to have, to learn.
18:12 It’s, this is, those of you that can perform
18:16 and can sing and hold the tune,
18:18 you don’t realize how lucky you are.
18:20 You know, I, you know, I’m not as fortunate as Matt here
18:22 that Mr. Susan that can sing.
18:25 It’s something that we always, those that can’t do it,
18:28 always wished we could.
18:30 I mean, I play some, I play the radio,
18:34 but it doesn’t quite, you know, fill the bill.
18:36 So you guys are talented.
18:38 I know you’re talented in the classroom
18:39 and now you’re talented in this, in this manner.
18:41 And I hope it continues.
18:43 Just one more way of showing the talents
18:46 we have here in Brevard.
18:47 So thank you so much.
18:48 And thank you very much for doing this.
18:50 - Okay, so by, by raise of hands,
18:52 whose favorite song out of the three that you sang tonight
18:56 would have been We Go Together?
18:59 I knew it, I knew it.
19:01 I knew that was going to be the most popular one.
19:03 You guys did amazing.
19:04 It was so fun to watch you.
19:05 So we only get to see the backs of your heads
19:07 when you’re performing, but the video’s going.
19:09 So we’re watching, you guys do all the hand movements
19:11 and I’m like, this is amazing.
19:13 But thank you guys so much.
19:14 Parents, thank you so much for bringing the students
19:15 out tonight to have them perform to begin with.
19:18 So you guys deserve a round of applause.
19:19 (audience applauding)
19:22 - We would like to take a photo with you guys,
19:25 if that’s okay.
19:25 - What about Dr. Rendell?
19:26 - Oh, Dr. Rendell, I’m sorry.
19:27 I know, well, I was–
19:28 - No, I just, this is our first in performance of the year
19:31 and Stevenson has set the bar high.
19:33 - Yes, you have.
19:34 - Congratulations, thank you, it was amazing.
19:36 - We’re gonna take a five minute recess.
19:37 Can we take a picture with you guys before you go?
19:39 Okay, awesome.
19:40 So we’ll take a five minute recess and grab a photo.
19:52 (dramatic music)
20:22 (upbeat music)
25:22 - Well, welcome back, that was so much fun.
25:35 What a good way to start our board meeting off.
25:36 At this time, I’d like to offer my fellow board members
25:38 and Dr. Rendell an opportunity to recognize students,
25:41 staff or members of the community.
25:42 Ms. Jenkins, would you like to go first?
25:45 - I just want to recognize the Brevard Schools Foundation
25:49 has released its end of year report
25:53 with the Hyman Foundation about their after school arts club
25:56 that they have been doing for the past four years.
26:00 And it’s important to know that this program will expire
26:04 in 2025 if the grant isn’t renewed.
26:06 So I encourage people in our community,
26:08 if you haven’t checked out the Brevard Schools Foundation,
26:10 ways in which you can support that foundation,
26:12 there’s many ways, more than just this program,
26:15 but definitely check it out,
26:16 see if you can support in some way.
26:19 Not that it isn’t gonna be renewed, but you never know.
26:23 They sent with it some cards
26:25 that some of the students had written
26:28 just to show the tremendous impact
26:29 that these art clubs after school
26:31 in some of our communities
26:32 really do make a difference for our kids.
26:34 And so I just wanted to read a couple of them.
26:37 One of them, I’m not gonna say the students names
26:39 just in case, but one of them, very young clearly,
26:43 said that my father died when I was 11
26:45 and this helped me get through it, thank you.
26:48 I loved art clubs so much.
26:49 I got to meet new people and I had fun
26:53 because there is not much to do when I go home.
26:56 I love art because it helps me escape my stress.
26:58 It’s my comfort zone and I feel freedom there.
27:01 So just always important to remember
27:03 the partnerships that we have in our community,
27:05 the ways in which they support our kids,
27:07 not only during school hours,
27:08 but after school hours have such an impact in their lives.
27:10 So anyone who’s willing to help, please do.
27:13 And then last but not least,
27:14 I just want to acknowledge the tragedy
27:16 that happened at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
27:20 My heart is with those families, with that community.
27:24 Of course, it is disturbing for us to see
27:27 another act of senseless, preventable, disgusting violence.
27:37 And I know like many other families who are listening,
27:41 you hugged your kids tightly as you got them home that day.
27:44 I felt guilt as a parent that I didn’t even know
27:47 it was happening until way after it was over.
27:49 So my heart is with you.
27:54 - Thank you Ms. Jenkins.
27:54 Ms. Campbell.
27:56 - Thank you.
27:57 And thank you for mentioning that tragedy
27:59 that happened yesterday.
28:00 And we certainly are already have been,
28:02 and we’ll continue to pray for that, the community.
28:05 And I know our staff,
28:06 every time something like this happens, they reevaluate.
28:09 And we’re thankful for the partnership we have
28:10 with district security, with the Sheriff’s office
28:12 and our local police agencies.
28:14 But we’re also thankful
28:15 that every time something like this happens,
28:16 they do reevaluate and take a look at what are we doing?
28:19 What can we do better?
28:20 What do we need to do in the future
28:21 to keep our students and our staff safe?
28:24 I just want to recognize two,
28:27 a student and then a group of people.
28:30 This year was our inaugural voyage into online re-enrollment
28:36 and it was a little scary for some schools
28:39 who traditionally had not had good participation on FOCUS
28:44 because you had to have a FOCUS account.
28:46 You had to be able to get into FOCUS to fill out the forms.
28:49 And so Ms. Dan Pierce shared with me some stats this week
28:54 that I was just so impressed with.
28:55 I had to share the kudos.
28:56 So first of all, thank you parents for taking the plunge
28:59 and getting online and getting it done.
29:00 But also to our schools and to our student services staff
29:04 who helped with that push,
29:06 because of your continued efforts,
29:09 our district-wide online re-enrollment process percentage
29:14 was 92.3%, which I don’t remember what the data was
29:18 for our percentage of parents who were on FOCUS,
29:20 but it’s been considerably lower than that.
29:24 So great job, everybody.
29:25 And even a school like Endeavor,
29:27 we have a lot of focus on Endeavor
29:29 because of all the community wraparound services.
29:31 Endeavor’s percentage was 85%.
29:33 And I know that student services staff were going out there
29:36 and helping and supporting that school.
29:37 And Endeavor had parent nights and inviting families in
29:41 to show them how to get online and establish that account.
29:43 And it’s not just about the enrollment.
29:45 And this is what I want to say is once parents
29:47 have the FOCUS app on their phone and they’re enrolled,
29:50 then they can so much more easily get notifications
29:53 from their school.
29:53 So they’re getting that feedback
29:55 and they can contact the school
29:56 because everybody knows how to use apps, right?
29:59 Once you do, it’s getting it on there.
30:01 And so that communication can go so much better.
30:03 So kudos to everybody who was a part of that.
30:06 And then I wanted to recognize a student
30:09 from the bowling team at Bayside High School,
30:12 because if you didn’t see the reel
30:14 that’s going around viral in our community,
30:16 Caden Sylvester bowled,
30:19 and I don’t even know what grade he’s in,
30:20 he looked quite young,
30:21 bowled a perfect 300 in the match
30:24 against O’Gally High School this week.
30:27 I know.
30:28 (audience applauding)
30:29 So I don’t know what it takes to be a state champion
30:32 in bowling, but he’s on the way for sure.
30:35 And so congratulations Caden for such a,
30:38 I mean, what pressure to know you’re on the last frame
30:42 and you’re so close to perfect.
30:44 And he handled it beautifully.
30:46 So congratulations to Caden and the Bayside Bowling Team.
30:49 - Thank you, Ms. Campbell.
30:50 Mr. Susan.
30:53 - Yeah, I’m good.
30:54 Thank you.
30:55 - All right.
30:55 Mr. Trent.
30:57 - You know, I just wanted to have a shout out
30:59 to really all the admin in our county
31:03 of just the hard work they put in over the summer
31:06 to have such a smooth opening.
31:09 And I mean, from drop off and pickup lines
31:14 and traffic plans.
31:18 I mean, that stuff matters.
31:20 You usually get calls, emails,
31:24 flagged down at the grocery store
31:27 talking about the headaches of picking up and dropping off.
31:29 And I’ve had very little after day one.
31:32 But since then, I mean, but it takes a lot of effort
31:37 to make sure, you know, that it’s a smooth opening.
31:41 And the communication that I have had personally
31:44 with my two children from teachers and administration
31:47 has been wonderful.
31:50 I mean, that’s the one thing about communication.
31:52 I don’t think you can do too much of it.
31:54 And it’s been great.
31:56 So heads off and shout out to all the teachers
31:59 and admin that put in the hard work ‘cause it’s showing.
32:01 So that’s about it.
32:03 - All right, thank you.
32:04 All right, I’m gonna give a shout out
32:05 to a couple of different people.
32:06 So board, we all received an email this week
32:08 that Melbourne High School is celebrating
32:09 their 100th season of playing football in Brevard County.
32:13 So congratulations to Melbourne High’s football team
32:16 on achieving that milestone.
32:17 That’s something huge.
32:18 Hopefully we can all get out to see a game this season
32:20 and it’ll be one that makes us proud.
32:22 I also wanna thank Senator Wright
32:24 on helping Brevard County secure the funding that we needed
32:27 in order to build the commercial driver’s license facility
32:30 that’s gonna be built in Cocoa.
32:32 This is gonna be a community hub
32:33 that’s gonna serve really all of Florida,
32:35 maybe even all of the country,
32:37 because once this is completed,
32:38 we’ll be able to have people go through.
32:40 I think, Mr. Susan, you signed up to be in the course
32:42 the first time, or you said you were going to be set.
32:44 - Senator Wright and I are racing each other.
32:45 - Oh, okay, I don’t know about that.
32:46 But I wanna thank Senator Wright for helping with that
32:49 because that’s a huge undertaking.
32:51 It’s gonna serve all of Florida,
32:52 potentially all of the nation.
32:53 We are grateful for your help there.
32:55 Also board, I know you’ll remember,
32:57 I think it was back in the summer,
32:58 I don’t know the exact date,
32:59 but we had a parent reach out to us
33:01 in regards to their sixth grade student
33:03 wanting to go and compete for science fair.
33:06 But because Brevard County has sixth grades in elementary,
33:09 typically it’s in middle school,
33:11 it was a little funky.
33:12 So we were trying to get it approved.
33:14 Hey, can my sixth grade student go
33:15 and compete amongst the middle schoolers?
33:17 And we received an email this week
33:19 that our sixth grade student was one of the top finalists.
33:23 Hang on, I’m trying to pull the email
33:25 so I can read it to you.
33:26 So let me see.
33:27 Jase was notified today that he was selected as a finalist
33:30 for the Thermo Fisher Competition,
33:32 which is a middle school version of ISEF.
33:35 The County Science Fair Department confirmed
33:39 Jase was the only finalist who advanced to this level
33:41 from Brevard County for sixth through eighth grade.
33:44 So kudos to him.
33:45 He’s obviously making Brevard very proud.
33:47 That was a good move on our part on saying,
33:49 yes, please go forward, do good work,
33:50 and we wish you the very best on that.
33:53 Further competition, Jase.
33:54 Dr. Rendell, do you have any?
33:56 - I do, thank you, Madam Chair.
33:58 So Ms. Campbell mentioned a minute ago
33:59 something about state championships.
34:01 And usually we recognize students
34:03 who earn state championships
34:05 or teams that earn state championships.
34:06 So tonight we wanna recognize a staff member,
34:09 a faculty member who has earned a state championship.
34:14 So earlier this summer, Rachel Rutledge was named
34:17 this year’s CTE Administrator of the Year for Florida,
34:22 for the Florida Association
34:23 of Career and Technical Education.
34:24 (audience clapping)
34:27 So we would like Rachel to come up here to the microphone
34:29 while I talk about her.
34:31 So the Florida CTE Administrator of the Year
34:34 recognizes members who have made extraordinary contributions
34:38 to CTE, Career and Technical Education.
34:41 Programs that exemplify the highest standards
34:43 and organizations that have conducted activities
34:45 to promote and expand CTE programs.
34:49 Award winners serve as inspirational leaders.
34:52 They embody the core values of serving their students
34:55 and being committed to CTE.
34:58 Rachel received the award at the Florida Association
35:01 of Career and Technical Education State Conference
35:04 on July 17th, so earlier this summer.
35:08 The board was treated to a workshop
35:09 also earlier this summer about all of the great things
35:12 we are doing in CTE and then are going to do in CTE.
35:16 And that’s all a result of Rachel’s hard work.
35:18 So congratulations, would you like to say a few words?
35:22 - I just want to say thank you for your support of me
35:26 over the last four years and want to thank my husband
35:29 for dealing with me tirelessly
35:33 in my pursuit of excellence with CTE
35:35 and also for my amazing team here in Brevard.
35:38 Without them, we wouldn’t be able to serve the students
35:41 and teachers in the district with as much excellence
35:43 as we’re able to do.
35:45 And that’s it, so thank you again.
35:46 - Okay, you can’t go anywhere.
35:48 So you got your plaque back in the summer
35:50 at the state conference, so we have flowers for you
35:53 and we’d like to take a picture
35:54 when we take our next break, so congratulations.
35:56 - So don’t leave yet. - Thank you.
35:57 - Congratulations.
35:58 (audience applauding)
36:07 - That’s all I have, Madam Chair.
36:08 - All right, that, at this, I’m sorry,
36:11 that’ll bring us to the adoption of the agenda,
36:12 so I’m turning it back over to you, Dr. Mandela.
36:14 - Thank you, Madam Chair.
36:15 On this evening’s agenda, we have the final budget hearing,
36:19 one proclamation, 20 consent items, three action items,
36:22 and one information item.
36:24 Changes made to the agenda since release to the public
36:26 include the following, revisions D14,
36:30 adoption of the final fiscal year ‘25 budget,
36:32 F20, the annual financial reports for fiscal year ‘23-‘24,
36:36 F28, support staff recommendations,
36:40 F30, to approve the ‘24-‘25 salary adjustments
36:43 for non-bargaining personnel,
36:46 G40, which is the Coalition of State School Boards,
36:50 yeah, Coalition of State School Boards Association
36:53 Federal Advocacy Conference.
36:55 - Thank you, Dr. Rendell.
36:56 Do I hear a motion?
36:57 - Move to approve. - Second.
36:58 - And any discussion?
37:00 Paul, roll call, please.
37:01 - Ms. Jenkins? - Aye.
37:02 - Ms. Campbell? - Aye.
37:03 - Ms. Wright? - Aye.
37:04 - Mr. Trent? - Aye.
37:05 - Mr. Susan? - Aye.
37:08 - All right, thank you.
37:09 So tonight, we will be recognizing our winners
37:12 for the 2025 Principal Achievement Award
37:14 for Outstanding Leadership and Outstanding
37:16 Assistant Principal Achievement Award.
37:18 Dr. Rendell, will you tell us
37:20 a little bit about these awards, please?
37:21 - Thank you, Madam Chair.
37:22 The Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership
37:24 and the Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award
37:27 were established in 1988 to recognize exemplary principals
37:32 and assistant principals for their contributions
37:34 to their schools and communities.
37:37 The program honors principals and assistant principals
37:40 who have spearheaded initiatives
37:42 to increase student performance,
37:43 promote safe learning environments,
37:45 and establish partnerships with parents
37:47 and community members.
37:49 Joining us for the recognition will be Gary Shiffrin,
37:51 Executive Director of the Brevard Association
37:54 of School Administrators,
37:55 along with Julie Demig from Community Credit Union,
37:58 who will present each winner with a check
38:00 from our generous school district business partners.
38:04 Before we go on, we’ll have Gary
38:06 come on up to the microphone.
38:14 - On behalf of the Brevard Association
38:16 of School Administrators and the Community Credit Union,
38:20 I want to thank the superintendent
38:22 and the school board for taking the time
38:24 to recognize these outstanding educators
38:27 who hold very important roles in our school system.
38:31 Although we all agree that the teacher
38:33 is the most important person
38:35 for the success of our students,
38:38 it needs to be said that without the support
38:40 of a great principal and assistant principal,
38:43 our teachers would struggle as they perform their jobs.
38:48 Our administrators provide the necessary resources,
38:51 the motivation, the research, the encouragement,
38:55 and so many other aspects of school life
38:58 that allows our teachers to bring out the best
39:00 in our students for their success.
39:03 Our administrators put in so many hours
39:06 as they leave home to go to work in the dark
39:10 and in many instances arrive back home well beyond sundown.
39:15 And most of them do not know what a Monday to Friday job is
39:19 as they are attending the many sporting events,
39:23 community meetings, fundraisers,
39:25 Odyssey of the Mind competition,
39:28 robotics, future problem solving, dinner fundraisers,
39:31 a drama or band performance,
39:34 and that is only a few of the many tasks
39:37 that school administrators are involved in
39:40 on weekends.
39:41 And I would add that the accountability issue
39:44 has become so important over the past years
39:47 that administrators are held responsible
39:50 for literally everything that takes place in their school.
39:55 We asked so much of our administrators
39:57 and in Brevard County, I can tell you
39:59 that your administrators do an awesome job.
40:04 Without their expertise and total commitment,
40:08 we would not be as successful as never be taken away
40:11 from you.
40:12 Indeed, congratulations are in order
40:15 and you have much to be proud of.
40:18 And being that this will be my final opportunity
40:21 to be a part of this recognition,
40:23 I wanna take this time to thank the board
40:26 and Community Credit Union for taking the time every year
40:30 to recognize the amazing contributions
40:33 and accomplishments of our school administrators.
40:36 You have the best educational leaders
40:39 who make this district proud and as successful
40:42 as we have been over so many years.
40:45 Thank you for all that you do as well.
40:47 Thank you.
40:49 - Thank you, Gary.
40:49 (audience applauding)
40:53 I’d like to give Julie from Community Credit Union
40:55 the opportunity to say a few words.
40:57 They’re one of our strongest business partners
40:59 and you’ll see in just a minute
41:00 how much they support our administrators.
41:02 Julie.
41:03 - Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here.
41:07 I learned from Janice Kershaw
41:09 that Community Credit Union was started
41:11 before Brevard Public Schools was actually formed.
41:14 So I think that’s pretty interesting.
41:16 And the teachers that started Community Credit Union
41:20 started it back in 1953.
41:23 And they worked out of their homes
41:25 and they got paid about $10 a month.
41:28 And so I’m honored to be part of Community Credit Union.
41:33 I, my minor in education is education.
41:37 My major is business, so it kind of works together.
41:41 But I absolutely love watching the things
41:45 that Brevard Public Schools does for their students.
41:48 And I’ve seen so many lives touched
41:50 and I’ve seen some great educators
41:52 and great leaders in the community as well.
41:55 And so with that, I’d like to honor them
41:59 with some support from Community Credit Union.
42:02 Thank you.
42:03 - All right.
42:04 So if Gary, if you want to stay up there,
42:06 Julie, if you want to stay up there,
42:07 we’ll call them up each individually.
42:08 They actually got these honors
42:10 back at the Superintendent’s Summit in July.
42:12 And so we’re going to do this again.
42:14 So first we want to recognize the Principal of the Year,
42:17 Adria McDonough from Oak Park Elementary School.
42:20 Adria, come on up.
42:21 (audience applauding)
42:32 Let’s do a couple of individual pictures
42:34 and then we’ll do a big group picture.
42:37 Get in there, Gary.
42:51 And then similarly for our Assistant Principal
42:53 of the Year this year, it was Kelty Fernandez
42:55 from Gulfview Elementary School.
42:57 (audience applauding)
43:03 So we’ll do a quick picture with Kelty
43:05 and then we’ll do a picture with everybody.
43:07 So if you want to take a break, we can do that.
43:08 - Sounds good.
43:14 We’ll take a five minute recess
43:15 and then come back at 6.15, okay?
43:18 (audience applauding)
43:32 (upbeat music)
47:02 - All right, we are now at the proclamation.
47:06 Dr. Rendell.
47:08 - Thank you, Madam Chair.
47:08 Tonight’s proclamation is to appoint the month of September
47:11 as National Suicide Prevention Month.
47:15 Ms. Campbell will now read the proclamation.
47:18 - Thank you.
47:20 Whereas September is designated
47:21 as National Suicide Prevention Month
47:23 as recognized by the National Association of Mental Illness
47:27 and whereas many health officials and community leaders
47:30 locally, state, and nationally understand
47:32 that mental illness is a significant issue of concern,
47:34 particularly among our youth
47:36 and whereas we realize that to address mental health issues
47:39 requires more open and honest discussions
47:41 about mental health
47:43 and whereas one major hurdle is removing the stigma
47:46 attached to mental health treatment and discussion
47:49 and whereas parents, teachers, administrators, coaches,
47:52 mentors, public officials, and peer students
47:55 recognize the importance of emotional health
47:58 and whereas we can all play a valuable role
48:01 in assisting others who may show symptoms of stress,
48:04 depression, anxiety, or mental illness.
48:07 Now therefore, be it resolved
48:08 that the Brevard Public School Board
48:09 supports the education of staff, parents, and students
48:13 on symptoms of and help for mental health problems
48:16 and be it further resolved
48:17 that Brevard Public School staff
48:19 will encourage a positive, safe school environment
48:21 and encourage helping others
48:22 while also promoting access
48:24 to school-based mental health supports
48:26 and recognizing when young people are at risk for
48:29 or are experiencing mental health problems
48:32 adopted by the members of the Brevard Public School Board,
48:34 Brevard County, Florida
48:35 at the regular school board meeting thereof
48:37 held the 5th of September, 2024.
48:39 Thank you. - Thank you, Ms. Campbell.
48:41 Do I hear a motion? - Move to approve.
48:42 - Second. - Any discussion?
48:45 Paul, roll call, please.
48:47 - Ms. Jenkins. - Aye.
48:48 - Ms. Campbell. - Aye.
48:49 - Ms. Wright. - Aye.
48:50 - Mr. Trent. - Aye.
48:51 - Mr. Susan. - Aye.
48:53 - All right, I believe we have Ms. Kelly Haskins
48:55 and Ms. Jeanette Gendling, is that right?
48:58 Here this evening, he wanted to share a few words
49:00 regarding the proclamation.
49:01 If you would please come up to the microphone
49:03 and we’ll turn the floor over to you.
49:05 - Thank you and good evening.
49:07 I’m Jeanette Gendling,
49:08 President and CEO of Space Coast Health Foundation.
49:10 I wanna thank you for your support
49:12 of the foundation’s effort
49:14 to note Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
49:16 which began September 1st.
49:18 I also wanna recognize Kelly Haskins
49:20 and her friends with Do It For Hunter
49:23 who are with me here today.
49:25 Do It For Hunter is a not-for-profit in Brevard County
49:27 dedicated to suicide awareness and prevention.
49:31 Her organization is also raising the bar
49:33 in this important effort.
49:35 The Brevard County School Board for many years
49:37 has been a partner and leader
49:39 in helping the foundation’s efforts
49:41 to boost access to quality healthcare,
49:43 including mental health for our community.
49:46 You have supported the suicide prevention awareness
49:48 initiative in the past
49:50 and I believe it’s making a difference.
49:52 According to the Florida Department of Health,
49:54 the number of suicides in Brevard County
49:56 decreased to 115 in 2022 from 141 five years earlier.
50:03 The 2022 figure was the lowest number of suicides
50:06 in the Space Coast since 2014 when there were 114.
50:11 Obviously one suicide is one too many
50:14 but we’re trending in the right direction
50:17 and part of the reason is because of your support.
50:20 It’s all about creating awareness.
50:22 It’s about helping us find resources for mental health
50:25 and using those resources efficiently.
50:27 It’s about making a difference.
50:30 The Brevard County School Board is making a difference.
50:33 On behalf of the foundation,
50:34 I thank you for the proclamation
50:36 and I also thank you for your support
50:38 of our Thrive Within program,
50:40 which has been going on in the schools to do prevention
50:43 and early intervention for mental health.
50:47 - Thank you.
50:49 I just wanna say a quick thank you for allowing us
50:55 to do the project, the sticker project
50:58 on all of the school laptops on all of the students
51:03 in Brevard County Schools.
51:05 That initiative that you allowed us to do
51:09 may very well have saved a life so we appreciate that.
51:14 211 Brevard that operates the 988 line,
51:18 they are instrumental in helping us do what we do
51:22 and they answer the call literally 24/7
51:27 from those who are struggling.
51:29 So what we do is we help to share the 988 number
51:34 that is literally saving lives.
51:37 We do have a You Matter Day coming up, our third annual,
51:39 coming up on September 21st.
51:42 Dr. Rendell has graciously said yes
51:46 to being in our dunk tank so come and visit us
51:49 at Marin Island High School.
51:51 From 10 till two, I haven’t given you your time slot yet
51:54 and Mr. Raymer is going to take his turn also
51:59 and if any of you all would like to take a turn
52:03 getting in the dunk tank, we would love it
52:05 so just reach out to me.
52:06 - Which high school is this gonna be at?
52:08 - Marin Island High School, Saturday, September 21st.
52:12 - Thank you. - So thank you.
52:15 - Mr. Raymer and I are not afraid.
52:17 We can do the dunk tank, we’re good.
52:19 - We need a deep one for Mr. Raymer.
52:22 Mr. Raymer’s gonna just sit there.
52:24 - May I?
52:25 Ms. Haskins, I just want to say to you, just as a woman and as a
52:32 mom, I am so, I’m so grateful
52:36 for you and proud of you for turning tragedy into advocacy.
52:39 And from the moment I met you, I have never forgotten you and
52:42 your story.
52:43 You gave me a photo of your handsome son and I still have it.
52:47 I see it in my jewelry box with the band that you gave me as
52:51 well.
52:51 I’m proud of you.
52:52 I’m proud of you and you’ve made a significant difference and it’s
52:55 not just the stickers
52:56 on the laptops.
52:57 It’s on the ID cards too and I’m grateful for you.
53:00 Thank you.
53:01 Yeah, thank you.
53:02 Madam Chair, if you want to take one more picture with the
53:04 proclamation, maybe.
53:05 Yes, can we take one more photo with the proclamation and you
53:07 guys to come forward, please?
53:09 Thank you.
54:01 All right.
54:20 We are now at the second and the final public hearing for the
54:23 2024 2025 proposed millage
54:25 rates and final budget.
54:27 The hearing of September 5th, 2024 is now in session.
54:32 Now we’ll move on to the presentation of this hearing.
54:35 Dr. Rendell.
54:36 Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board.
54:37 Ms. Cindy Lisinski, chief financial officer, will present the 2425
54:40 final budget and proposed
54:42 millage levy in a presentation.
54:45 Good evening, Ms. Wright, board members, Dr. Rendell.
54:54 This is the second and final FY25 school budget and district
55:00 millage rate public hearing.
55:03 Tonight’s public hearing will cover this presentation of
55:07 proposed millage rates and FY25 budget,
55:11 an opportunity for public comment and board member discussion
55:14 and adoption of the total
55:16 millage levy as well as the adoption of the FY25 school board
55:23 final budget.
55:25 The truth and millage legislation requirements are detailed
55:29 under Florida statute.
55:30 Trim timelines are very prescriptive in law and the clock
55:34 started July 1st.
55:36 The total timeline to budget adoption is 80 days.
55:39 The statute dictates the order of business during the budget
55:43 hearings and trim requires
55:45 two public hearings for open discussion of the millage rates and
55:51 the proposed budgets.
55:53 Millage is a term that represents the tax rate levied on real
55:57 estate or other property.
55:59 One mill is equivalent to $1 in taxes per $1,000 in taxable
56:04 value.
56:05 So if your home has a taxable value of $100,000 and you’re
56:09 assessed a one mill tax rate, you
56:11 will pay $100 in taxes.
56:17 The Florida education finance program is a mechanism by which
56:21 state and local operating
56:23 funds are allocated to finance its school district’s operating
56:30 costs.
56:31 Funding for FEFP combines state funds primarily generated from
56:36 sales tax revenue and local
56:38 funds generated from property tax revenue.
56:42 Required local effort is the local amount of funds the district
56:45 receives from levying
56:46 the state certified local millage rates on the district’s
56:50 taxable property.
56:52 It is key to understand the Florida legislature sets the
56:56 required local effort millage rate
56:59 and the school board must levy the required local effort millage
57:03 rate in order to receive
57:05 state funding under the Florida education finance program.
57:12 The proposed required local effort millage rate was set for Brevard
57:17 by the legislature
57:18 at 3.063.
57:21 The required local effort rate adjusts year to year and is
57:24 normally less than the previous
57:26 year.
57:27 As you can see on the top row, the FY 25 RLE rate of 3.063 is .072
57:39 less than FY 24’s rate.
57:42 The basic discretionary operating millage is fixed at .748 and
57:47 the local capital improvement
57:49 remains fixed at 1.5 mills.
57:53 Additionally, Brevard County voters approved a one mill
57:56 operating millage that overwhelmingly
57:58 passed during the November 8-22 election.
58:03 The operating millage allows the district to provide competitive
58:06 salaries to our teachers
58:07 and other dedicated employees.
58:11 When total proposed millage related to school funding, the total
58:23 for FY 25 is 6.311 mills.
58:30 Using the proposed millage rate at the 25 taxable property value,
58:37 our total projected
58:38 tax levy is approximately 459 million at a 96% collection rate.
58:45 The required local effort and discretionary millage makes up the
58:50 local operating funds.
58:51 The capital outlay millage is levied for local capital
58:55 improvement and the voted operating
58:58 millage is predominantly for providing competitive compensation
59:06 for our employees.
59:08 If the school district’s levy of .748 mill generates an amount
59:15 of funds for FTE that
59:17 is less than the state average, the school district will receive
59:20 a discretionary millage
59:22 compression supplement in state funded dollars to bring the
59:26 district to the state average.
59:28 In the case of Brevard, the state compression calculation
59:33 guarantees $661 per FTE, so we
59:37 will receive an additional $176 per FTE or $14.5 million in
59:44 state discretionary funds.
59:48 The voted millage will continue to provide increased
59:51 compensation for our employees.
59:53 After proportionally sharing with our charter schools, BPS will
59:58 receive an estimated $72.7
1:00:00 million prior to commission, 80% or 58.2 million will be
1:00:07 allocated for compensation for our
1:00:10 employees, 16% or 11.6 million will be allocated towards student
1:00:16 programs and 4% or 2.9 million
1:00:20 will be allocated for technology advancement in the classroom.
1:00:24 The local capital improvement millage will provide the district
1:00:32 $109.1 million.
1:00:35 Beginning in 2024, Florida statute now directs that charter
1:00:39 schools receive a proportionate
1:00:41 share of LCI dollars and this is being phased in over the next
1:00:48 five years.
1:00:50 FY25 requires school districts to provide 40% of the total
1:00:54 calculation, which is approximately
1:00:57 $2 million.
1:00:59 $37.6 million will be used to pay for the district’s debt
1:01:02 service, which covers principal
1:01:05 and interest payments for previously bonded debt that was issued
1:01:09 primarily between the
1:01:10 years 1996 and 2008 to build schools and provide for major
1:01:17 renovations of our older schools.
1:01:20 LCI also contributes $13.8 million towards facility maintenance
1:01:25 costs and pays for the
1:01:27 district’s $10 million property insurance, which leaves
1:01:31 approximately $45.6 million for
1:01:34 facility projects, equipment, vehicle and school bus replacement,
1:01:38 as well as instructional
1:01:39 computer replacement and technology.
1:01:46 This slide depicts the historic millage rates starting in FY12.
1:01:52 The required local effort millage variable rate represented by
1:01:56 the dark blue bars has
1:01:57 declined each year as Brevard’s property values increase.
1:02:02 The orange bar represents the fixed basic discretionary
1:02:06 operating rate.
1:02:08 The light blue depicts the fixed local capital investment rate
1:02:13 and the two green bars represent
1:02:15 the voter approved one mill operating millage.
1:02:23 As required by TRMM, we must compare the proposed millage rate
1:02:27 to the rollback rate.
1:02:29 When property taxes generate more revenue, for the total revenue
1:02:37 generated to stay the
1:02:38 same as the prior year, the tax rate must decrease.
1:02:43 The rollback rate is the millage rate that would generate the
1:02:46 same amount of revenue
1:02:47 as last year if applied to the current year’s adjusted taxable
1:02:52 value.
1:02:53 Under TRMM, the rollback rate is the benchmark for determining
1:02:57 if tax rates have increased
1:02:58 or decreased.
1:03:00 The rollback rate is generally less than the proposed tentative
1:03:05 rate.
1:03:05 When the rollback rate is less than the proposed millage rates
1:03:09 that we receive from the state,
1:03:12 we must advertise a tax increase.
1:03:25 This slide depicts the annual certified school property tax
1:03:29 values from FY 13 to current
1:03:31 year.
1:03:32 Property values have increased each year with significant
1:03:36 changes post-pandemic in FY 23
1:03:39 and FY 24.
1:03:41 The FY 25 growth rate of 8.25 percent is over three percent
1:03:47 higher than the state projections
1:03:51 that took place in January 24.
1:03:59 Debt service refers to the money required to pay the principal
1:04:03 and interest of an outstanding
1:04:04 debt for a particular period of time.
1:04:08 This slide depicts our debt service that spans across the years
1:04:12 to FY 36.
1:04:14 This chart does include the district recent bond refinancing
1:04:18 savings of over five million
1:04:19 spread across years 25 and 30.
1:04:24 The debt service ratio is a tool used to measure the district’s
1:04:28 leverage.
1:04:29 Per state statute, school districts can use up to three-quarters
1:04:33 of their LCI for debt
1:04:35 payments.
1:04:36 This would equate to 1.125 mills or approximately 81.8 million
1:04:44 at the 96 percent rate.
1:04:46 Your board policy is more restrictive limiting debt payments up
1:04:53 to one mill or 72.7 million
1:04:56 for each fiscal year.
1:04:58 Under board policy, the current debt service ratio is 1.87.
1:05:04 Generally speaking, we want to be above 1.25 at a minimum.
1:05:09 A debt service ratio of one, for example, would mean that we are
1:05:13 devoting all our available
1:05:14 dollars to pay debt.
1:05:23 Florida School District’s FY 25 budget saw little growth to
1:05:28 cover inflationary cost increases.
1:05:31 The final FY 25 budget is balanced.
1:05:34 We did, however, transfer 1.2 million from fund balance in the
1:05:39 general fund, from the
1:05:41 general fund.
1:05:44 A budget is our best estimate of revenue against expenses, and
1:05:48 it is not money in the bank.
1:05:49 We built this budget understanding our priority is providing an
1:05:54 excellent education and personal
1:05:56 growth for all students.
1:05:58 We also considered several challenges that cause uncertainty,
1:06:02 the impact of school choice
1:06:04 legislation regarding enrollment changes and growing pains of
1:06:08 new business processes that
1:06:10 will account for family empowerment scholarship, FTE, which is
1:06:14 now embedded in the school district’s
1:06:16 FEFP.
1:06:19 The impact of ESSER funding, sunsetting, we have, I think, 24
1:06:25 days left, or 25.
1:06:28 The impact of, and then the ability to create bridges for any
1:06:36 gaps.
1:06:37 We considered inflationary cost increases and the need for
1:06:40 increased compensation in
1:06:42 paid benefits and retirement for our most valued asset, our
1:06:47 people.
1:06:48 This budget includes a pay raise for teachers at 3.5%, with 0.5%
1:06:53 allocated for performance-based
1:06:56 bonuses and a salary increase for new teachers bringing starting
1:07:03 pay from $48,725 to $50,450.
1:07:09 We also are providing a 4% raise for non-bargaining employees.
1:07:15 $10.10 will be bargaining, but they have not come to the table
1:07:22 yet.
1:07:23 So that said, this year’s budget will be tight, and we will be
1:07:27 required to create efficiencies,
1:07:29 offsets, and control our expenditures in order to maintain our
1:07:34 strong financial stability.
1:07:36 This slide is a high-level summary of the 2025 All Funds
1:07:52 proposed budget.
1:07:57 This slide depicts the final FY25 fund balances by fund.
1:08:02 BPS has a long history of maintaining a strong financial
1:08:06 condition ratio between 8% and 9%
1:08:09 in the general fund pre-pandemic.
1:08:12 The district financial condition ratio dropped to 6.1% in FY22,
1:08:20 which was caused mainly by
1:08:23 a large drop in enrollment.
1:08:25 Fitch, our credit raters, expect and are confident that we will
1:08:30 return to our historical level
1:08:32 levels to maintain our stable AA rating, and AA is considered
1:08:37 very high credit quality.
1:08:40 And I’m very happy to report that our financial condition ratio
1:08:45 ended FY24 with a ratio of
1:08:47 7.6%, so we’re almost there.
1:08:55 The other fund that receives close scrutiny is our self-insured
1:09:00 healthcare fund.
1:09:02 It requires 60 days of claims, which was about $13.6 million at
1:09:11 the end of FY24, and as you
1:09:15 can see in that column of internal service, that we exceeded
1:09:22 that requirement.
1:09:24 Are there any questions as I move on?
1:09:29 Next steps, we have to notify the Florida Department of
1:09:33 Education, the Florida Department
1:09:35 of Revenue, and the Brevard County Tax Collector.
1:09:39 All right, is that your last slide?
1:09:44 That is it.
1:09:45 That’s it.
1:09:46 All right.
1:09:47 Thank you.
1:09:49 Board, do you have any questions for Ms. Lozinski?
1:09:52 All right, the hearing is now open for public comments.
1:09:57 We will, in accordance with the Florida law, accept the speakers
1:10:00 in the following order,
1:10:01 the 2024-2025 proposed millage levy, followed by the 2025 final
1:10:07 budget.
1:10:07 Is there anyone who would like to address the board regarding
1:10:10 the 2024-2025 proposed
1:10:12 millage levy?
1:10:14 Is there anyone present who would like to address the board for
1:10:17 the 2024-2025 proposed
1:10:19 millage levy?
1:10:23 Seeing none, all right.
1:10:25 Is there anyone present who would like to address the board for
1:10:29 the 2025 final budget?
1:10:32 Okay, come on.
1:10:42 Thank you so much.
1:10:43 First, I want to say your budget is very complicated.
1:10:47 It’s very hard to understand, but we’re going to give it a quick
1:10:50 shot.
1:10:51 Just a couple of things that we have some questions on.
1:10:54 Again, thank you Christine for a job well done.
1:10:58 One of the things the community is concerned about is capital
1:11:02 expenditures for all schools
1:11:04 that are old.
1:11:06 What I saw in the budget is that there’s a capital 1.5 millage
1:11:13 set aside for, which equates
1:11:16 to $109 million for capital expenditures.
1:11:20 Then, when I look at the repair categories, they are $13 million
1:11:25 set aside for that.
1:11:27 When I look at the discretionary funds, they are $54.4 million
1:11:32 set aside for that.
1:11:34 Then, when I look at the unassigned on your final budget, there’s
1:11:39 $38 million set aside
1:11:41 for that.
1:11:43 The community is concerned with some of our older schools.
1:11:49 I have a lot of confidence in Ms. Suhan is what she’s doing, but
1:11:55 we really need to drill
1:11:56 down what does this mean for older schools so that the public
1:12:01 can see what’s happening
1:12:03 with Stone, University Park, some of the older schools in the
1:12:06 communities, but we really
1:12:08 need to understand what’s happening in that category because
1:12:11 what I just heard a little
1:12:13 while ago is that a lot of the capital money is going to go to
1:12:17 charter schools, which is
1:12:19 I guess required by law, but we need to see because we cannot
1:12:24 drill down from a presentation
1:12:26 like this.
1:12:27 It all rolls up into a big bucket, but I would like to see, my
1:12:31 community partners would like
1:12:33 to see, when are we going to see a plan that drive down to the
1:12:38 schools that need to be
1:12:40 competitive for our children?
1:12:43 I’m very concerned about that.
1:12:44 That’s a ton of money and I pay a lot of millage as well and so
1:12:48 is the other communities, but
1:12:51 we need to understand what that plan looks like even if it’s
1:12:55 preliminary.
1:12:57 What are your thoughts toward older schools?
1:12:59 What are you planning on doing?
1:13:02 Because we know that a strong community needs a strong school
1:13:07 and if these schools are getting
1:13:09 older you could only put so much money in it, sooner or later
1:13:12 they need to be replaced.
1:13:15 That’s my plea to this board so that we can understand how the
1:13:20 communities are going to
1:13:22 be, how those schools are going to be upgraded.
1:13:25 I know there’s some preliminary things you guys are working on,
1:13:29 but walk the community
1:13:30 through that because more millage is going to be coming soon and
1:13:35 I want to have a good
1:13:36 idea whether some of those millage money that I invest in my
1:13:40 schools is going to go to the
1:13:42 areas that need it the most.
1:13:44 Thank you.
1:13:45 Is there anyone else present who would like to address the board
1:13:53 regarding the 2025 final
1:13:55 budget?
1:13:56 I’m Gina Darrange, retired teacher and I just want to reiterate
1:14:02 what Mr. Bernard was saying
1:14:05 about what is the plan for older schools.
1:14:08 My community school is Seapark and Seapark has been going
1:14:11 through some renovations this
1:14:13 summer, but it’s an old school.
1:14:17 My other concern is our concern with voucher program and a
1:14:21 decrease in students going to
1:14:23 neighborhood schools and going to charter schools instead or to
1:14:27 private schools or homeschooling.
1:14:30 The question I keep on asking is a student decides to go to
1:14:33 homeschool for whatever reason,
1:14:36 I understand it.
1:14:37 If they’re being bullied, they don’t feel comfortable going to
1:14:40 school, I understand
1:14:41 that.
1:14:42 The parents then take that $8,000 thinking they can educate
1:14:46 their child at home and they
1:14:48 find out that maybe their kid has a learning disability or maybe
1:14:51 they need to go back to
1:14:52 work.
1:14:54 The question we have is that money is gone.
1:14:58 It’s gone.
1:14:59 It’s gone back.
1:15:01 Step Up for Schools has not been very transparent with their
1:15:05 data.
1:15:06 Triple A’s and other organizations supposed to help as well.
1:15:11 I worked in schools that were old.
1:15:13 I worked at Cocoa.
1:15:14 I was in the back building when they made a decision to close
1:15:18 Clear Lake and we had
1:15:20 black mold in the back building.
1:15:23 All the teachers that worked in the back, we all had respiratory
1:15:26 infections and when
1:15:27 I was doing checkout to go to heritage because it was a newer
1:15:30 school, the assistant principal
1:15:32 came down and said, “What is this?”
1:15:35 It was black mold that we always saw on our textbooks.
1:15:38 I said, “Mr. Clifford cleans every day.”
1:15:40 She said, “No, this is black mold,” and took off in her golf
1:15:45 cart.
1:15:46 That is a concern to me.
1:15:47 It’s a concern to kids that are breathing air that may not be
1:15:50 clean, that have respiratory
1:15:51 problems.
1:15:52 It’s also for teachers who are possibly breathing in air that’s
1:15:56 not very clean.
1:15:57 I guess my anxiety is what are we doing about losing our count
1:16:02 when the FTE comes, which
1:16:04 is coming up soon, right?
1:16:06 How many days to FTE count?
1:16:09 What’s in October?
1:16:10 It’s in October and then we’ll find out what our count is then
1:16:13 and then how many kids who
1:16:15 elect to be homeschooled then come back into our classrooms and
1:16:22 that is a concern.
1:16:24 All right, the public comment portion of the hearing is now
1:16:30 closed.
1:16:31 That’ll bring us to the recommendation for the adoption for the
1:16:33 2024-2025 proposed millage
1:16:35 levy and the 2025 final budget.
1:16:37 Dr. Rendell.
1:16:38 Thank you, Madam Chair.
1:16:40 Florida Statute 200.0065 requires each taxing authority levying
1:16:46 millage to publicly state
1:16:48 the name of the taxing authority, the rollback rates, and the
1:16:52 millage rate to be levied prior
1:16:54 to the adoption of the millage levy resolution.
1:16:58 In compliance with those requirements, the following needs to be
1:17:01 stated.
1:17:02 The taxing authority is the school board of Brevard County,
1:17:06 Florida.
1:17:07 The 2024-2025 rollback rates are as followed.
1:17:12 In the operating fund, the required local effort is 2.9733 mills.
1:17:18 Local discretionary is 0.7094 mills, capital outlay 1.4226 mills,
1:17:26 and the additional voter
1:17:28 approved millage 0.9484 mills for a total rollback rate of 6.0537.
1:17:38 The total millage rate to be levied exceeds the total rollback
1:17:42 rate by 4.25%.
1:17:44 The proposed 2024-2025 millage rates are in the operating fund,
1:17:49 the required local effort
1:17:51 3.063 mills, local discretionary of 0.748 mills, capital outlay
1:17:58 of 1.5 mills, and the
1:18:01 additional voted millage of 1.0 mills.
1:18:05 So the total millage rate to be levied is 6.311 mills.
1:18:09 There are a total of five separate motions.
1:18:12 I will read each of the recommendations into the record and then
1:18:16 request board action.
1:18:18 The first is to adopt the resolution setting the required local
1:18:21 effort, local discretionary,
1:18:23 additional voted millage, and capital outlay millage rate of 6.311
1:18:28 mills for 2024-25.
1:18:31 The written resolution is incorporated into this motion by
1:18:33 reference.
1:18:34 Do I hear a motion?
1:18:35 Move to approve.
1:18:36 Second.
1:18:37 Any discussion?
1:18:38 Roll call, please.
1:18:39 Ms. Jenkins.
1:18:40 Aye.
1:18:41 Ms. Wright.
1:18:42 Aye.
1:18:43 Mr. Trent.
1:18:44 Aye.
1:18:45 Mr. Susan.
1:18:46 Aye.
1:18:47 The second motion is to adopt the final 2025 budget in the
1:18:50 following amounts.
1:18:51 The general fund is $837,025,979.
1:18:57 The debt service fund is $38,018,445.
1:19:03 Capital project fund is $452,985,417.
1:19:09 Internal revenue fund is $181,993,770.
1:19:18 Internal service fund is $110,946,439, and the enterprise fund
1:19:26 is $9,687,388.
1:19:29 Capital budget amount is $1,630,657,438.
1:19:39 Do I hear a motion?
1:19:40 Move to approve.
1:19:41 Second.
1:19:42 Any discussion?
1:19:43 Roll call, please.
1:19:44 Ms. Jenkins.
1:19:45 Aye.
1:19:46 Ms. Campbell.
1:19:47 Aye.
1:19:48 Ms. Wright.
1:19:49 Aye.
1:19:50 Mr. Trent.
1:19:51 Aye.
1:19:52 Mr. Susan.
1:19:53 Aye.
1:19:54 The third motion is to authorize the superintendent to adjust
1:19:55 the adopted millage levy and budget
1:19:55 due to changes in the certified tax roll.
1:19:56 Do I hear a motion?
1:19:57 Move to approve.
1:19:58 Do I hear a motion?
1:19:59 Move to approve.
1:20:00 Second.
1:20:01 Any discussion?
1:20:02 Roll call.
1:20:03 Ms. Jenkins.
1:20:04 Aye.
1:20:05 Ms. Campbell.
1:20:06 Aye.
1:20:07 Ms. Wright.
1:20:08 Aye.
1:20:09 Mr. Trent.
1:20:10 Aye.
1:20:11 Mr. Susan.
1:20:12 Aye.
1:20:13 The fourth motion is to authorize the superintendent to forward
1:20:14 the adopted millage levy resolution
1:20:14 to the Brevard County property appraiser and tax collector no
1:20:15 later than 30 days following
1:20:16 the adjournment of the value adjustment board.
1:20:18 Do I hear a motion?
1:20:19 Move to approve.
1:20:20 Second.
1:20:21 Any discussion?
1:20:22 No.
1:20:23 Roll call, please.
1:20:24 Ms. Jenkins.
1:20:25 Aye.
1:20:26 Ms. Campbell.
1:20:27 Aye.
1:20:28 Dr. Randolph.
1:20:29 The fifth motion is to authorize the superintendent to forward
1:20:32 the following to the designated
1:20:33 state agencies.
1:20:34 A, the adopted budget, millage levy resolution, certified tax
1:20:38 roll, rollback rates, proposed
1:20:40 millage and certified copies of the advertisement for the
1:20:42 proposed budget and millage rates
1:20:44 to the State Department of Education.
1:20:46 Also, the millage levy resolution, certified tax roll, rollback
1:20:50 rates, proposed millage
1:20:52 and certified copies of the advertisements for the proposed
1:20:54 budget and millage rate to
1:20:55 the Department of Revenue.
1:20:59 Do I hear a motion?
1:21:00 Move to approve.
1:21:01 Second.
1:21:02 Any discussion?
1:21:03 Call roll call.
1:21:04 Ms. Jenkins.
1:21:05 Aye.
1:21:06 Ms. Campbell.
1:21:07 Aye.
1:21:08 Ms. Wright.
1:21:09 Aye.
1:21:10 Mr. Trent.
1:21:11 Aye.
1:21:12 Mr. Susan.
1:21:13 Aye.
1:21:14 All right.
1:21:15 The public hearing is now adjourned.
1:21:16 All right.
1:21:17 So we are now back to the regular school board meeting.
1:21:18 How many speakers do we have signed up tonight, Mr. Gibbs?
1:21:19 Eight.
1:21:20 Eight speakers.
1:21:21 All right.
1:21:22 So Mr. Gibbs will call up three speakers at a time.
1:21:23 You’ll receive three minutes to speak.
1:21:24 I would like to remind everyone of the board policy.
1:21:27 That’s board policy 0169.1.
1:21:30 All comments should be directed at the board or individual board
1:21:32 members.
1:21:33 Staff members or other individuals shall not be addressed by
1:21:35 name.
1:21:35 Abusive, obscene or irrelevant comments will not be permitted.
1:21:38 Orderly conduct is expected from all public participants.
1:21:41 The presiding officer may interrupt, warn or terminate the
1:21:43 participants.
1:21:43 Public comment opportunity.
1:21:44 Mr. Gibbs, can you please call the first three?
1:21:47 Ashley Octar.
1:21:49 Bernard Bryan.
1:21:50 Gregory Roth.
1:21:51 Oh, yeah, come up to the podium, sorry.
1:22:00 My name is Ashley Octar.
1:22:07 I am a local ICU nurse at the only neurotrauma unit here in Brevard
1:22:11 County, and I’m also
1:22:12 a mother of two, ten and six years old.
1:22:16 Both of my children attend Quest, and I am here to ask you guys
1:22:20 to please help me update
1:22:21 the diabetic management policy for our local county schools and
1:22:26 for the state of Florida.
1:22:27 I have the guideline for care and delegation of students with
1:22:31 diabetes in Florida schools.
1:22:33 It hasn’t been updated since January of 2015, so it’s almost ten
1:22:38 years old.
1:22:39 My six-year-old is newly type 1 diabetic and very brittle.
1:22:45 She would like to attend school like every other child.
1:22:48 She loves to be around the kids, and it is extremely scary to
1:22:51 send her to school every
1:22:52 day and not have a management policy in place that keeps her
1:22:58 safe.
1:22:58 I know that you guys work with the Brevard Public Health
1:23:01 Department nurses.
1:23:02 That’s who’s provided to the schools if we’re lucky enough to
1:23:04 have one.
1:23:05 Quest has one.
1:23:06 That’s wonderful.
1:23:07 But I’ve been working with them very diligently since before
1:23:10 school started to start using
1:23:11 devices that are available to us to monitor diabetic values in
1:23:18 the school setting.
1:23:21 There’s an app on phones, iPads, or there’s a device that looks
1:23:24 similar to your timer
1:23:25 clock here that will show continuous glucose value.
1:23:29 They can keep it in the clinic and keep an eye on the students,
1:23:32 and it has audible alarms
1:23:33 that will go off if the child was to become hypoglycemic.
1:23:37 This helps alert them that something needs to be done.
1:23:40 I’ve been working with them, and I heard you say earlier that
1:23:43 after the horrific school
1:23:45 shooting that we saw on the news this morning, you know that we
1:23:48 work with the Brevard Sheriff’s
1:23:49 Department that I’m very grateful for.
1:23:52 But every time something like that happens, we reevaluate, and
1:23:55 we see how we can better
1:23:56 the policy or change things to keep our students safe.
1:23:59 But I think that we forget about these kinds of policies.
1:24:03 The stuff that’s in here is outdated.
1:24:06 It needs to be rewritten, and we need better education provided
1:24:09 to the nurses that are
1:24:10 in the schools that are supposed to take care of our children.
1:24:14 When I tried to work with them and provide education to them, I
1:24:17 kept hearing a lot about
1:24:18 liability and responsibility for the children, but when they’re
1:24:22 at school, you guys are
1:24:24 liable and responsible to keep them safe.
1:24:27 So I don’t want to have to pull my child out of school because
1:24:31 of her diabetes that she
1:24:32 has no control over because we can’t come to a resolution to
1:24:36 keep her safe within the
1:24:37 school.
1:24:38 I’m not sure who I need to work with or who else I can talk to.
1:24:42 I’ve reached out to Mr. Susan and his assistant and the director
1:24:46 of nursing at the Brevard
1:24:47 Public Health Department.
1:24:49 I provided resources today at the school from the device
1:24:52 companies that my daughter wears
1:24:53 on her body, and I’m willing to educate myself and show up
1:24:58 anywhere I need to be,
1:24:59 but I would like this policy looked at and to be updated.
1:25:04 Thank you.
1:25:05 Ms. Dampier, you’re in the back.
1:25:06 Are you able to speak with Ashley in regards to this policy?
1:25:10 I think this goes in conjunction with a lot of the information
1:25:12 that you provided to the
1:25:13 board on the updates that were happening.
1:25:15 Is that okay?
1:25:16 Okay.
1:25:17 So she’s in the very back.
1:25:18 So if you don’t mind, Ashley, if you can go back there, she’s
1:25:20 going to talk to you
1:25:20 about some of the updates that are currently going on right now.
1:25:23 Okay?
1:25:24 Thank you.
1:25:27 Bernard Bryan, Gregory Ross, Paul Raub.
1:25:30 I apologize for double dipping.
1:25:34 First, I would like to thank Dr. Rendell and this board for
1:25:38 allowing me to speak again,
1:25:40 and I just want to give a shout-out to Dr. Rendell, Dr. Dampier,
1:25:47 and Dr. Tara Harris.
1:25:49 We had a wonderful meeting down in South Melbourne, and Dr. Rendell
1:25:54 put this team together to
1:25:56 talk about chronic absenteeism, and Dr. Rendell, the community
1:26:01 is so thankful to you for taking
1:26:03 the time to listen to a big concern, we think.
1:26:08 We’ve been looking at, you know, what’s causing the educational
1:26:12 gap, why is our children not
1:26:14 performing well, and we discovered that chronic absenteeism is a
1:26:19 problem.
1:26:21 And what Dr. Rendell and his staff did, as well as his team,
1:26:26 gave us some tremendous
1:26:28 information that we could share with the parents as well as
1:26:32 leaders in the South Brevard area.
1:26:35 You know, one of the things we did, we met with pastors in the
1:26:39 South Melbourne side to
1:26:41 really share with them that absenteeism is a problem.
1:26:47 I don’t know if you’re growing up, but when I grew up, I couldn’t
1:26:51 afford to miss one day.
1:26:54 If I missed one day, I would get far behind.
1:26:56 But we’ve got students that are missing 18 days a year, and 30%
1:27:01 of the population is
1:27:03 really missing that amount of time.
1:27:06 So it really makes sense to me a little bit, what can we do in
1:27:09 the community to help close
1:27:11 the gap?
1:27:12 One thing we could do is to make sure that the child goes to
1:27:16 school.
1:27:16 So I hope that the board will partner with us and help push this
1:27:21 issue.
1:27:22 If a child is not at school, obviously he can’t learn.
1:27:29 So that is one concern that we have, and again, thank you, Dr.
1:27:32 Rendell.
1:27:33 I’ve gotten so many phone calls from those leaders that were
1:27:37 there that you took the
1:27:39 time to meet with those leaders down in the South Melbourne area.
1:27:44 Obviously my big concern going forward, one of the things that
1:27:48 we have on our radar is
1:27:49 to improve VPK participation, and I’m hoping that this continues
1:27:56 to be a goal of ours as
1:27:58 well as a goal for this team, because we understand how
1:28:03 important early learning is.
1:28:05 If a child starts late, you’re going to spend so much money
1:28:10 trying to mitigate that child
1:28:12 learning problem.
1:28:14 So please do everything you can to make sure that VPKs are in
1:28:19 those marginalized communities.
1:28:22 And lastly, you heard my speech about capital expenditures and
1:28:27 improving schools.
1:28:28 That is on our radar as well.
1:28:30 So thank you, Dr. Rendell.
1:28:32 Thank you, Dr. Dampayer and Ms. Harris for your support.
1:28:37 Thank you.
1:28:38 » Mr. Ross, Paul Raub, Amy Raub.
1:28:46 » Thank you, board, for this opportunity to do public comment.
1:28:49 I want to start with – I’m going to echo Mr. Brian here, Dr.
1:28:54 Rendell.
1:28:55 I think that’s a great thing that you’re working on absenteeism.
1:29:02 That’s leadership.
1:29:03 I appreciate that.
1:29:05 Not focused on culture wars, but focused on actual education
1:29:09 issues.
1:29:09 Matt, I wanted to address you, of course.
1:29:17 It was enlightening to see tonight that the director of CTE was
1:29:21 awarded the best in the
1:29:23 state.
1:29:24 I truly believe we have one of the best CTE programs in the
1:29:27 state, if not the country.
1:29:29 Lots of people are responsible for that.
1:29:31 I think my concern is that your election signs say number one
1:29:36 trade programs in Florida,
1:29:38 right?
1:29:39 Like you’re responsible for it, right?
1:29:44 Rather unethical if you ask me, but it’s right there.
1:29:48 You can see it online.
1:29:50 That’s the kind of things that bother me, right?
1:29:54 A lot of people do the work and you want to take the political
1:29:59 credit for it.
1:30:00 Mr. Trent, I want to address something you said a few school
1:30:03 board meetings ago.
1:30:05 You claimed that we, the people who show up here every week,
1:30:08 hate the board more than
1:30:10 we love the students.
1:30:12 That couldn’t be further from the truth.
1:30:14 We love the students and the community so much that we show up
1:30:17 here at every board meeting
1:30:19 and workshop to hold you accountable.
1:30:21 We hold you accountable for your extremism, your lack of
1:30:26 qualifications, and mostly for
1:30:28 your lack of governance.
1:30:30 That’s what this board suffers from.
1:30:31 It suffers from a lack of governance.
1:30:33 You’re too busy fighting culture wars instead of working on
1:30:38 education problems.
1:30:39 I also saw the banning of the Mongo book last school board.
1:30:45 I wasn’t here.
1:30:46 I saw it online.
1:30:47 Ms. Campbell, I just want to point out to you this is why we
1:30:50 fight against book banning
1:30:52 because this is what happens.
1:30:54 You open the door and all of a sudden it’s not an objective
1:30:58 standard.
1:30:59 The state took away the objective standard of the Miller test.
1:31:02 That never would have happened last week if the Miller test was
1:31:05 still there.
1:31:06 You couldn’t come to that conclusion that these three members
1:31:10 came to to get rid of
1:31:11 that book.
1:31:12 Understand why we’re fighting this because we predicted this.
1:31:15 We predicted this when Mr. Trent and Ms. Wright were elected
1:31:23 almost two years ago.
1:31:25 How do we know?
1:31:27 We knew because we saw who they … We listened to what they
1:31:31 said as candidates.
1:31:32 We saw who they embraced in their campaigns.
1:31:37 We predicted this.
1:31:38 We are one, we are strong, and we are not going away.
1:31:43 Thank you.
1:31:44 Paul Raub, Amy Raub, Aidan McBadden.
1:32:00 I’ve been putting together a timeline of the history in glorious
1:32:05 though may be of book
1:32:07 banning in this school district.
1:32:10 Like in bio or something probably eventually.
1:32:14 It was just interesting because in a couple of years, forgetting
1:32:19 how much things have
1:32:20 changed.
1:32:21 This sort of slide into essentially a wood chipper for books and
1:32:26 the series of unforced
1:32:28 errors.
1:32:29 May 2022, I’d never been to a school board meeting.
1:32:32 Could not believe, wait, people in this century are banning
1:32:34 books.
1:32:34 You’re kidding me.
1:32:35 Turns out, yeah.
1:32:36 Primarily, we had 30 plus books challenged by one person, most
1:32:40 of which ended up on the
1:32:41 review committee’s list.
1:32:42 The review committee was convened October, November 22.
1:32:45 We had a couple of meetings with all sorts of experts on the
1:32:47 committee who were fantastic.
1:32:49 They actually knew how things worked, knew what could be done.
1:32:54 Perhaps as a result of that, those books stayed around.
1:32:58 Late November, we got a couple of new board members, a new chair,
1:33:01 and we can’t have those
1:33:02 books sticking around anymore.
1:33:05 Step one, committee gets suspended while we go looking for new
1:33:07 members.
1:33:08 For some reason, that takes six months.
1:33:10 During those six months, we change the rules.
1:33:14 Let’s remove the experts from the committee.
1:33:16 Let’s under, per Mr. Trent, conflict of interest.
1:33:23 Let’s also change the rules so that the minute a challenge is
1:33:25 issued by whomever, somebody
1:33:26 flies in from Alaska, fills out a challenge form, that book’s
1:33:29 gone from our kids’ schools
1:33:30 until such time as it’s reviewed.
1:33:32 Outside of the state on that one, by the way, you beat DeSantis
1:33:36 in a fascist thing, so good
1:33:37 job.
1:33:38 June 22, we come back.
1:33:41 We have some new members.
1:33:42 Mr. Trent apparently panicked, needed somebody, saw that one
1:33:45 name was all over the challenge
1:33:46 forms.
1:33:47 That seems like a good person to go review her own challenges
1:33:49 because conflict of interest
1:33:51 is a fluid concept.
1:33:54 Now books start falling like dominoes.
1:34:01 That wasn’t easy enough for some folks.
1:34:04 I think it’s November 23 that Mr. Trent brought the list of
1:34:07 every book that had ever been
1:34:08 banned or removed, or as we know, some of those terms can be
1:34:11 tricky, in the state.
1:34:13 Let’s get rid of all those.
1:34:14 Luckily, that didn’t go on.
1:34:16 Soon after that, we became strictly advisory, so now the board
1:34:19 can remove a book for whatever
1:34:21 reason.
1:34:22 Thoughtful discussion and debate, well, that’s nice, but, you
1:34:25 know, a book has gay stuff,
1:34:26 so we’re just going to remove it anyway, or, oh, no, it’s read
1:34:29 from back to front.
1:34:30 What will our middle school children do?
1:34:33 Shockingly, this has led to, you know, quite an uptick in
1:34:36 absenteeism in these meetings
1:34:38 because, you know, I assume I wasn’t able to ask the people why
1:34:42 they’re not showing
1:34:44 up because they weren’t there.
1:34:45 You know, if your vote doesn’t matter, why cast it?
1:34:49 It doesn’t have to be this way.
1:34:51 You can still undo these rules.
1:34:52 You can make sensible ones that are in some way for the benefit
1:34:55 of students.
1:34:56 You can do it.
1:34:57 It’s allowed.
1:34:58 Amy Raub, Aiden McFadden, Rebecca McAllenan.
1:35:19 Mr. Gibbs, who’s the next speaker?
1:35:20 Amy Raub’s next, and then Aiden McFadden.
1:35:23 OK.
1:35:24 She said she’s skipping.
1:35:27 OK.
1:35:28 You’re good.
1:35:29 Hello, board.
1:35:30 I’m Aiden McFadden.
1:35:31 You know me.
1:35:32 I just wanted to remind you that we don’t read from bottom to
1:35:47 top.
1:35:49 Rebecca McAllenan, Kelly Curbin.
1:35:59 Good evening.
1:36:11 I had some comments that I was going to make this evening, but I
1:36:15 was asked by a BPS parent
1:36:17 and teacher who was unable to attend tonight to read her
1:36:19 comments.
1:36:20 Hey, board.
1:36:22 These are her words.
1:36:23 Hey, board.
1:36:24 Dr. Rendell.
1:36:25 I’m a BPS teacher of many years as well as the mother of a
1:36:28 middle schooler who has attended
1:36:29 BPS schools since kindergarten.
1:36:31 Our media specialists here in BPS devote their entire careers to
1:36:34 encouraging our children
1:36:35 to read.
1:36:36 They work without ceasing to provide an amazing array of books
1:36:39 in our libraries that pull
1:36:40 in reluctant readers, not books they might choose to read, but
1:36:44 the types of books that
1:36:45 help our children grow or laugh or learn.
1:36:49 And you sit up there and take a book, a book with a theme of
1:36:52 kindness and standing up to
1:36:53 bullies, a book with puppy love and nothing more graphic than
1:36:56 that.
1:36:57 Yes, I’m talking about the Japanese graphic manga novel that you
1:37:00 banned all of our students
1:37:02 from checking out of libraries this week.
1:37:05 And Katie, you called that graphic novel that my own child might
1:37:10 love to read kind of stupid.
1:37:12 As if tearing down a child’s independent reading choice is a way
1:37:14 to build them up.
1:37:15 And Megan, you called the book, the relationship in the book
1:37:19 inappropriate, meaning what exactly?
1:37:22 That the boys are gay?
1:37:23 Do you mean gay like many students in our schools?
1:37:26 Like the parents of many of our students?
1:37:29 We’d all really love some clarification on the inappropriate
1:37:32 relationship in that book.
1:37:33 Since you have all began to respond to public comments at the
1:37:36 end of each meeting, I really
1:37:37 would appreciate clarifying your stance on the inappropriate
1:37:40 relationship at the end
1:37:41 of tonight’s meeting.
1:37:43 Right now I have to keep up with school board meetings just to
1:37:45 ensure my child’s civil rights
1:37:46 and access to a free and appropriate education are not being
1:37:49 violated.
1:37:49 It’s incredibly helpful when you hold these meetings during the
1:37:52 school year, school day
1:37:53 when no teachers or school employees can attend.
1:37:55 Yes, please keep that up.
1:37:56 Speaking of bad decisions, Mr. Susan, what spirit compelled you
1:38:00 to hold a press conference
1:38:02 about student discipline in front of a jail?
1:38:06 As a teacher in one of our highest poverty schools, I can state
1:38:08 without a doubt that
1:38:09 your press conference and showboating changed nothing.
1:38:11 You know what does improve behavior in our schools?
1:38:14 Building relationships with student.
1:38:15 Our admin working hard to fill social workers and behavior
1:38:18 support positions at our schools,
1:38:20 letting our kids know we believe in them, making sure they’re
1:38:23 fed, buying them shoes
1:38:24 that fit, and holding them to high expectations.
1:38:27 But back to the books, when the lawsuit pops up regarding the
1:38:29 banning of this book because
1:38:31 it was kind of stupid and inappropriate, my family will be happy
1:38:34 to jump on board.
1:38:35 You may have narrow-minded views in your own head, but you’d do
1:38:37 well to keep them there.
1:38:39 And out of my child’s mind, and out of his library, and out of
1:38:42 our public schools.
1:38:43 Thank you.
1:38:46 Kelly Kerbin.
1:38:56 At the last meeting, I implored this board and our
1:38:58 superintendent to think before they
1:39:00 spoke.
1:39:01 I urged Matt, Susan, Jean Trent, and Megan Wright to stop
1:39:04 embarrassing us in this room
1:39:05 in Brevard County and Florida and abroad.
1:39:07 Instead, my reasonable ask was taken as a challenge by Megan
1:39:11 Wright, who in cooperation
1:39:12 with Matt, Susan, and Jean Trent, has embarrassed us again by
1:39:15 banning a manga that doesn’t violate
1:39:17 state law.
1:39:18 Last summer, Jean Trent told all of us that they weren’t just
1:39:20 banning books that broke
1:39:22 the law.
1:39:23 In fact, they would ban books if they didn’t like the cover.
1:39:25 I am a firm believer that we should believe who people are when
1:39:28 they show us who they
1:39:30 are.
1:39:31 Megan Wright is unprofessional.
1:39:32 She is chaotic.
1:39:33 She is self-serving and a liar.
1:39:35 I said all of this two weeks ago, but now I have more words to
1:39:39 add to this list.
1:39:40 Bigot, xenophobic, and antisemitic.
1:39:43 You tried to hide why you were banning the manga by saying it
1:39:46 featured in inappropriate
1:39:47 relationships.
1:39:48 Perhaps you expected the community to just take your word for it,
1:39:51 but they didn’t.
1:39:52 Ms. Gamble, thank you for highlighting that the manga didn’t
1:39:56 violate state statute.
1:39:57 Being gay isn’t illegal, although in Megan Wright’s narrow and
1:40:00 uncultured view of the
1:40:01 world, it seems to be.
1:40:03 Hiding gay characters in a book isn’t illegal either, Megan, but
1:40:06 neither you or your book
1:40:07 review committee members seem to comprehend this.
1:40:10 Her entire argument against the book was that it featured a gay
1:40:13 couple, and given that she
1:40:14 and her family made the news for openly discriminating against a
1:40:17 gay couple with their own business,
1:40:19 her bias is well established.
1:40:22 It should surprise no one that I have zero respect for Megan
1:40:24 Wright.
1:40:25 I’ve known about her bigotry and Christian nationalism values
1:40:27 from the beginning, but
1:40:28 I would have respected honesty.
1:40:31 Just admit that you hate gay people and be done with it.
1:40:34 But no, instead of being honest about why you were voting to ban
1:40:37 a manga that didn’t
1:40:38 violate the law, you justified it by openly discriminating
1:40:41 against Japanese and Jewish
1:40:43 people too when you said the way they read and write is
1:40:46 backwards.
1:40:47 Both Japanese and Hebrew are written in red from right to left.
1:40:51 From novels to manga to religious texts, that is their language,
1:40:54 and just because it is
1:40:55 different from English doesn’t make it backwards or a reason to
1:40:59 ban a book.
1:41:00 The Old Testament and the Bible, which you pervert to justify
1:41:03 your hate and bigotry,
1:41:04 was originally written in Hebrew.
1:41:06 Would you also ban that because it’s backwards?
1:41:09 Do you realize you’re a talking point in Japan?
1:41:12 They too are condemning your hateful bigotry and xenophobic
1:41:15 rhetoric.
1:41:16 Do you comprehend that organizations across this country have
1:41:18 been waiting to make an
1:41:19 example out of Brevard, and you quite literally handed them a
1:41:23 crystal clear case of discrimination?
1:41:25 Actions have consequences, Megan, and sadly our students,
1:41:28 teachers, and staff also share
1:41:29 the burden of those consequences.
1:41:31 Megan said the manga wasn’t the best and brightest to offer our
1:41:34 students, when really it’s
1:41:35 Megan Wright, Matt Susan, and Jean Trent who aren’t the best or
1:41:38 brightest for our students.
1:41:40 Alright.
1:41:41 Alright, that concludes public comment.
1:41:45 Board, are you guys good to keep going forward, or do you need a
1:41:48 break for a restroom?
1:41:49 You good?
1:41:51 Alright, so we are now at the consent agenda.
1:41:53 Dr. Rendell.
1:41:54 Thank you, Madam Chair, there are 20 agenda items under this
1:41:59 category.
1:42:00 Thank you, Dr. Rendell.
1:42:01 Does any board member wish to pull any of the items for
1:42:03 discussion?
1:42:04 None?
1:42:05 Alright, I entertain a motion.
1:42:08 Second.
1:42:09 Any discussion?
1:42:10 Alright, Paul, roll call please.
1:42:12 Ms. Jenkins.
1:42:13 Aye.
1:42:14 Ms. Campbell.
1:42:15 Aye.
1:42:16 Ms. Wright.
1:42:17 Aye.
1:42:18 Mr. Trent.
1:42:19 Aye.
1:42:20 Mr. Susan.
1:42:21 Aye.
1:42:22 Alright, Dr. Rendell, will you please let us know about the
1:42:23 action portion of the agenda
1:42:24 this evening. Thank you, Madam Chair. The first action item is G
1:42:28 40. It’s the
1:42:29 Consortium of State School Boards Association Federal Advocacy
1:42:32 Conference
1:42:32 motions to approve the travel for Ms. Campbell. Do I hear motion?
1:42:37 Move to approve. Both of you approved. Second. Okay. Any
1:42:42 discussion? None? Alright. Paul, roll call please. Ms. Jenkins.
1:42:45 Aye. Ms. Campbell. Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr. Trent. Aye. Mr.
1:42:49 Susan. Aye. Dr. Rendell. Next action item is G 41,
1:42:54 Procurement Solicitations. Do I hear motion? Move to approve.
1:42:58 Second. Any discussion? Paul, roll call please. Ms. Jenkins. Aye.
1:43:03 Ms. Campbell. Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr. Trent. Aye. Mr.
1:43:06 Susan. Aye. Dr. Rendell. The last action item is G 42,
1:43:10 Department and School Initiated Agreements. Do I hear
1:43:13 motion? Move to approve. Second. Any discussion? Paul, roll call
1:43:16 please. Ms. Jenkins. Aye. Ms. Campbell. Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr.
1:43:21 Trent. Aye. Mr. Susan. Aye. Alright, we will now move on to the
1:43:25 information agenda which includes one item for the board to
1:43:27 review and it may
1:43:28 be brought back for action at a subsequent meeting. No action
1:43:31 will be
1:43:31 taken on this item today. Does any board member wish to discuss
1:43:33 this item? Seeing
1:43:35 none, alright. We are now at the board member reports. Does any
1:43:38 board member
1:43:39 have any information to report or discuss? No. No? Hearing none,
1:43:46 Dr. Rendell, do you
1:43:47 have anything more to add? No, Madam Chair, I do not. Alright,
1:43:50 being that there’s no
1:43:51 further business, this meeting is adjourned.
1:44:09 you