2026-03-31 - School Board Meeting

0:30 .

1:13:05 $38,000 by Dr. Rendell for state and federal lobbying services.

1:13:11 So you’re spending this money while cutting back on literacy

1:13:16 coach positions in our schools.

1:13:19 Spending decisions should reflect student needs, not a political

1:13:27 agenda.

1:13:28 While speaking in Tallahassee about Senate Bill 1296, Dr. Rendell

1:13:32 said a union should

1:13:33 represent all of the workers and their employee group and that,

1:13:37 quote, if the union can’t

1:13:39 earn the support and trust of 60% of the people they claim to

1:13:43 represent, then it’s not doing

1:13:45 its job effectively, end quote.

1:13:49 I guess he believes that none of you are doing your jobs

1:13:52 effectively because not one of you

1:13:55 received 60% of the vote of the eligible voters in your

1:13:59 districts.

1:14:00 » Are we still speaking to –

1:14:01 » Dr. Rendell also bemoaned the money wasted on education.

1:14:05 » Are we still speaking to –

1:14:06 » While he has overseen the waste of hundreds of thousands of

1:14:09 dollars –

1:14:09 » Hang on a second.

1:14:10 Just hang on a second.

1:14:11 Hang on.

1:14:12 Hang on a second.

1:14:13 Hang on.

1:14:14 We’re speaking –

1:14:15 » Talking about information agenda items I1 and I2, I1 first.

1:14:19 » Trying to see the correlation between elections and that, but

1:14:23 we’ll let it go.

1:14:24 » Thank you for not violating my First Amendment rights again.

1:14:28 » I’ll bring it back, please.

1:14:29 » Dr. Rendell also bemoaned the money wasted on litigation

1:14:33 while he has overseen the waste

1:14:35 of hundreds of thousands of dollars on defending you, Mr. Susan,

1:14:39 your unwillingness to comply

1:14:41 with public records laws.

1:14:43 I personally would prefer a superintendent focused on protecting

1:14:47 student learning outcomes

1:14:49 and ensuring that every employee is treated with dignity,

1:14:51 fairness, and due process.

1:14:53 Let’s talk about I2.

1:14:54 I2 deals with the student code of conduct for next year, and I

1:14:58 noticed quite a few changes

1:15:00 that limit students’ First Amendment rights.

1:15:02 The updated code of conduct increases punishment levels, and it

1:15:07 includes really vague categories.

1:15:10 Your goal appears to be to classify student walkouts and

1:15:13 demonstrations as very serious

1:15:15 offenses, and that would lead to more severe punishment so that

1:15:18 you could potentially expel

1:15:20 even more students.

1:15:22 The current count of students you have expelled this year, 46,

1:15:26 including the seven that you’re

1:15:28 going to expel tonight, and now you’ve added other misconduct

1:15:33 and other serious misconduct

1:15:35 to the code of conduct.

1:15:37 These are vague and unclear.

1:15:41 Everyone wants schools to run smoothly, but attacking students’

1:15:44 First Amendment rights

1:15:45 and creating even more serious punishments is not the answer.

1:15:50 Unfortunately, expensive litigation is something you have become

1:15:54 very accustomed to.

1:15:56 Students deserve to be heard, not punished for exercising their

1:16:00 rights.

1:16:01 Protecting students’ voices is part of protecting students.

1:16:05 Do better.

1:16:06 Brevard deserves better.

1:16:09 Gina Darrange, after Ms. Darrange, we have Bonnie Ida and Haley

1:16:21 Dish.

1:16:23 Ms. Darrange, you put down millage.

1:16:25 What item is it about?

1:16:27 You have a lot of building that’s going on, and I’m trying to

1:16:30 weave it into talking about

1:16:32 the form that we’re doing for millage that Dr. Riddell’s going

1:16:35 to be at.

1:16:36 Millage does not include construction.

1:16:39 I have to wait to open conference.

1:16:41 We weren’t sure how I could get in it.

1:16:43 It wouldn’t fall under agenda items.

1:16:45 If you have an agenda item you want to talk to, you can

1:16:48 certainly talk to, but millage

1:16:49 doesn’t cover construction, that’s surtax.

1:16:52 I can wait, but on the 6th of April, just I’ll tell you.

1:16:57 Thank you.

1:16:58 Thank you, ma’am.

1:16:59 All right, so it’s Bonnie Ida followed by Haley Dish.

1:17:03 Hello.

1:17:05 I’m speaking in response to what I’ve observed and read about

1:17:10 the student walkouts.

1:17:12 There’s an important point that I believe that the board has

1:17:15 overlooked in the knee

1:17:16 jerk opposition to student walkouts.

1:17:20 I find that condemning the students and teachers is a

1:17:25 distraction from education rather than

1:17:28 an effort to protect it.

1:17:30 I’m a retired teacher who was well versed in Tinker versus Des

1:17:34 Moines.

1:17:34 I taught in a conservative farming community out of state, but

1:17:39 student protests were met

1:17:40 with intelligence instead of opposition.

1:17:44 The district was aware that such student actions are in

1:17:47 themselves a teaching moment, a civics

1:17:50 lesson in our country’s proud tradition of free speech and

1:17:55 nonviolent protest.

1:17:57 It’s an opportunity to show how words in a textbook play out in

1:18:02 real life.

1:18:03 It’s called learning by active engagement, and yes, we could not

1:18:07 ignore the emotional

1:18:09 need for students to express themselves in solidarity.

1:18:14 We teachers don’t like anything that takes away our classroom

1:18:17 time, so demonstrating

1:18:18 during lunchtime, after school, whatever, is preferable, and I’ve

1:18:22 seen demonstrations

1:18:23 after school, but the peaceful demonstration itself should not

1:18:28 be condemned.

1:18:29 The other point that I want to make and that you seem to be

1:18:32 unconcerned about is the disrespect

1:18:34 shown toward the students.

1:18:37 You can do them the courtesy of letting them exercise the right

1:18:40 to free speech, which includes

1:18:42 allowing them to consult whatever adults, including teachers,

1:18:47 that they wish.

1:18:48 That would also give them respect for the causes that they are

1:18:53 espousing.

1:18:55 That is the purpose of their protest.

1:18:58 It’s not a strictly performative exercise, whether they are

1:19:01 crying out for justice toward

1:19:03 a beloved teacher kicked out for no apparent reason, for

1:19:06 demanding that their meaningful

1:19:08 and classic books be restored to library shelves, for defending

1:19:13 the right to be different, for

1:19:15 opposing the genocide in Gaza, and the brutal humanizing abductions

1:19:21 of immigrants.

1:19:22 Creating these issues is what democracy is all about.

1:19:29 It’s about actually a branch of education that we call character

1:19:35 building, along with

1:19:37 civics and social studies.

1:19:40 It’s what education is all about.

1:19:42 Hear their voices, they are our future.

1:19:57 After Haley Dish, it would be Dean Paterakis.

1:20:02 Mr. Paterakis, are you here?

1:20:07 You signed up for F-13.

1:20:08 F-13 was pulled from the agenda tonight.

1:20:13 No, it’s what?

1:20:17 Okay.

1:20:19 All right, so it was Haley Dish, followed by Dean Paterakis, and

1:20:30 then Jennifer Hopkins.

1:20:34 And Ms. Hopkins, you signed up for literacy coaches.

1:20:38 There’s no literacy coaches under F-5.

1:20:40 What item are you speaking to?

1:20:42 It’s not mentioned in there about the monthly meeting.

1:20:51 The reading instruction.

1:20:52 It’s under what?

1:20:53 It’s not.

1:20:54 The instructional materials.

1:20:55 The materials development.

1:20:56 F-5.

1:20:57 Yeah, I don’t see anything on literacy coaches.

1:20:58 No.

1:20:59 Yeah.

1:21:00 Just haven’t moved in.

1:21:01 So, school-based literary coaches will meet monthly to stretch.

1:21:05 If it’s not about the instructional materials.

1:21:07 It’s not a decision on it.

1:21:08 I would say it’s not.

1:21:09 No.

1:21:10 It’s not a decision on literacy coaches.

1:21:11 It has to be.

1:21:12 Right.

1:21:13 Just because they’ve mentioned the word.

1:21:14 It’s not a decision.

1:21:15 All right.

1:21:16 Ms. Dish.

1:21:17 Hello again, board.

1:21:18 I am Haley Dish.

1:21:19 I’m a 17-year-old Bay Area high school junior, and I’ve been

1:21:21 before this board several times

1:21:23 before, but this is my first time addressing an agenda item.

1:21:27 I’m here to discuss the F-2 meeting minutes regarding I-2

1:21:30 student code of conduct policy

1:21:32 change.

1:21:33 Before this policy change, the walkout policy made sense.

1:21:37 Walking out of school for activism purposes was punished

1:21:39 similarly to walking out of school

1:21:40 to cut class.

1:21:42 This, as my music teacher would say, doesn’t just make sense.

1:21:45 It makes dollars.

1:21:47 The crime of walking out matches the ISS, or detention

1:21:51 punishment.

1:21:52 In the new policy, punishments are off the rails with suspension

1:21:56 and expulsion mentioned.

1:21:58 The policy is littered with offensively vague language, such as

1:22:02 other misconduct.

1:22:04 Studies with punishments as severe as suspension and expulsion

1:22:07 should have very clear and precise

1:22:09 guidelines and borders, not clauses like other misconduct.

1:22:13 It’s completely inappropriate and sets students up for failure.

1:22:16 I ask the board, how do you plan on clarifying or revising the

1:22:21 vague language presented in

1:22:23 the policy so as to make it better understood with the general

1:22:27 public?

1:22:28 Protecting student voices is a part of protecting students.

1:22:32 So to see the closest form of government to us, students, try to

1:22:36 limit our expression

1:22:37 and suffocate our voices is incredibly depressing and it breeds

1:22:41 distrust and discomfort throughout

1:22:43 the student body.

1:22:44 We strive to trust and respect you as you do us, but it seems

1:22:48 you harbor very little

1:22:50 trust and respect for your staff and your students.

1:22:53 Thank you.

1:23:15 Hi my name is Dean Petarakis, I recognize some of you from about

1:23:18 eight years ago when

1:23:19 I ran for school board.

1:23:21 The last time I spoke here about that time was about a teacher

1:23:27 who showed a picture of

1:23:30 his manly thing and I was arrested and he was a teacher who

1:23:36 showed it in class.

1:23:39 And I asked a question back then, why is this teacher still able

1:23:44 to teach?

1:23:45 Why is he still an employee?

1:23:49 We have a situation and back then Dan Bennett was our teacher,

1:23:54 union teacher president.

1:23:57 And now I understand he’s gotten himself in trouble.

1:24:00 Okay, well, I’m going to, I’m just going to continue to speak

1:24:13 because now I see.

1:24:15 So what, what I would like to see if you haven’t, what I hope to

1:24:19 see, because it concerned me

1:24:22 back then how he started to call me names after I exposed this

1:24:26 teacher.

1:24:27 And so at the end, we have three minutes that you can, well,

1:24:32 this is, this is an agenda

1:24:34 14, which has in termination and loose.

1:24:36 So I, well, it’s still an agenda item and I’d like to speak upon

1:24:42 that really quick.

1:24:44 I’ll be done, you should be holding my minutes and seconds.

1:24:47 I know.

1:24:48 Go ahead.

1:24:49 Finish my point and I’ll move on.

1:24:50 I’ll just walk right out unless you guys, please don’t use the

1:24:53 wrong name.

1:24:54 That’s all.

1:24:56 What’s that?

1:24:57 Please don’t use the wrong name.

1:24:58 That’s all.

1:24:59 It’s not.

1:25:00 Okay.

1:25:01 Don’t you see what I mean?

1:25:02 Okay.

1:25:03 So anyway, so I’m concerned because it’s birds of a feather and,

1:25:07 and, and as a union president,

1:25:09 he’s knows good and bad and now he’s a teacher, so I’m just

1:25:13 going to ask you if you can just,

1:25:16 we have speaking at the end, you’ll have your time to speak.

1:25:19 We’re going to move you to the non agenda item.

1:25:21 We can’t speak specifically to an item that’s not on the agenda

1:25:24 so that we can get through

1:25:25 that and then at the end there’s three minutes that you can have.

1:25:27 I’ll give it to you then.

1:25:28 Thank you sir.

1:25:30 Thank you.

1:25:32 Ms. Hopkins

1:25:47 Good evening.

1:25:48 My name is Jen.

1:25:49 I am a community member and a former BPS parent and student.

1:25:52 I’m speaking about agenda item F5 Brevard instructional

1:25:55 materials plan for the school

1:25:57 year 2026 2027 at the February 3rd school board meeting.

1:26:01 I spoke about the budget and the recent announcement of cuts.

1:26:04 I was happy to hear from your own data at a work session how

1:26:07 literacy coaches were having

1:26:09 a positive effect on outcomes and BPS.

1:26:11 I said I hoped that budget cuts and laying off 7% of employees

1:26:15 at the largest employer

1:26:16 in the county wouldn’t touch these programs that are making a

1:26:19 proven difference in the

1:26:21 education of our kids.

1:26:22 I saw head shakes.

1:26:24 I heard you say you were eliminating open positions and district

1:26:27 positions first.

1:26:28 I saw and heard you mislead the community and everyone else can

1:26:31 see it too if you go

1:26:32 back and watch the meeting.

1:26:34 There have been a few times this board has made a small positive

1:26:37 difference but many

1:26:37 more times that have left me disappointed.

1:26:40 This issue is really touching a nerve for me.

1:26:43 Tonight I’m asking that you reconsider including literacy

1:26:45 coaches in your cuts employing fewer

1:26:47 coaches and spreading them out amongst multiple schools takes

1:26:50 away the support that has already

1:26:51 been proven effective, instituting a plan for them to meet only

1:26:56 on a monthly basis will

1:26:58 very likely erode the progress that has been made.

1:27:01 Please plan to move forward, not backward.

1:27:05 Please plan to share information honestly and clearly with the

1:27:08 community.

1:27:09 Students before profit, students before politics, we freaking

1:27:13 love transparency.

1:27:14 River Bar deserves better, thank you.

1:27:22 Keith Schachter.

1:27:31 After Mr. Schachter we have Bernard Brian and Quinn Dyke.

1:27:37 I’m going to speak to item I-1 and I-2.

1:27:40 I-1 has to do with the expense, the $48,000 expense for

1:27:49 lobbyists in federal and state

1:27:53 lobbyists.

1:27:54 I feel like this board has articulated on many occasions its

1:27:59 commitment to fiscal conservatism.

1:28:02 I’m not going to pass judgment on that expense but I would like

1:28:06 the board to respond in writing

1:28:09 and hopefully present to the public what the foundational reason

1:28:15 why we’re spending $48,000

1:28:19 for lobbyists.

1:28:21 Fundamentally, I think it’s a problem when we intertwine

1:28:29 politics and students and we

1:28:32 should during a time when our school system is in great peril,

1:28:37 we have schools that we’re

1:28:39 closing, we have jobs that are being cut, we have programmatic

1:28:46 cuts.

1:28:47 All of these things that are happening are happening because of

1:28:50 major problems with our

1:28:52 school system, declining enrollment being one of those things.

1:28:56 I hope, although I think it would be difficult but I’m sure an

1:29:00 argument could be made why

1:29:02 $48,000 is going to be spent.

1:29:05 Hopefully it’s to address some of those issues but we all know

1:29:09 that lobbyists are paid to

1:29:15 serve certain interests and this $48,000 is use of public money.

1:29:24 I asked the board whose interests are we serving by spending $48,000.

1:29:31 That is a teaching unit.

1:29:33 That is somebody who’s not going to have a job next year.

1:29:37 That is programs that help support what we saw earlier which

1:29:41 renewed so much faith.

1:29:42 It was awesome to see the kids, the robotics program was awesome.

1:29:47 It was awesome to see the drone program.

1:29:51 I think that we need to do a better job of being fiscally

1:29:55 conservative and practicing

1:29:58 what we preach.

1:29:59 Perhaps this is a new assignment for congratulations to Ms.

1:30:02 Wright and Ms. Hound for their new

1:30:04 role.

1:30:07 We’re talking about financial transparency.

1:30:10 Well we would like, as the public, we would like to know

1:30:14 transparency.

1:30:15 We want to know what that money is being used for and how is it

1:30:19 going to serve the collective

1:30:20 interests of all students, not just certain students but all

1:30:25 students.

1:30:27 And so I would love to have a little bit more clarification on

1:30:32 that.

1:30:33 We need more transparency.

1:30:35 Thank you.

1:30:37 Bernard Bryan.

1:30:42 After Mr. Bryan we have Quinn Dykes, Cynthia Najame.

1:30:46 Thank you so much board.

1:30:47 Again, my name is Bernard Bryan and I’m representing the South

1:30:48 Nevada community.

1:30:53 And I was so excited today based on what I heard.

1:30:57 I heard that Brevard Public School Head Start was rated number

1:31:03 one in the state.

1:31:05 Their early learning program was rated very, very high.

1:31:09 And I want to commend Dr. Harris and her team, Ms. Barlow and Ms.

1:31:15 Myers and Ms. McDonough.

1:31:17 So the reason why I’m so proud of that, I’m standing here

1:31:22 telling you that every child

1:31:23 in Brevard County should have those experiences.

1:31:27 Every child should have the ability to attend some of the great

1:31:32 opportunities that are in

1:31:34 Brevard Public School.

1:31:36 I had an opportunity this week to walk through some government

1:31:42 housing.

1:31:44 And I tell you, I almost broke down in tears.

1:31:47 I ran into some families that were in poverty.

1:31:50 I ran, I’m talking about accommodations, student accommodation.

1:31:57 So I ran into some children that were, that looked like they

1:32:00 couldn’t really feed themselves,

1:32:03 how their parents wasn’t feeding them.

1:32:05 They were in poverty.

1:32:07 They were, you know, just economically not in good shape.

1:32:10 And I believe that based on the data that’s coming from this

1:32:14 district, that if early learning

1:32:16 is not in place for our children, every child, and I think the

1:32:21 poverty level will not change,

1:32:24 our communities will not change, behavior will not change.

1:32:27 So I’m just hoping, I’m praying that this team will look at

1:32:33 investing in that.

1:32:35 You know, just seeing kids, and I asked a couple of parents, you

1:32:38 know, have you heard

1:32:39 of VPK?

1:32:40 And a lot of them said no.

1:32:42 So that is not good for our community.

1:32:45 And I’m just praying and hoping that this board will invest in

1:32:48 this area.

1:32:49 Because it’s going to save us in the long run in terms of

1:32:52 poverty.

1:32:53 So I just wanted to throw that again up to you based on what I

1:32:56 heard today, the high

1:32:58 level of respect that’s in Brevard County.

1:33:01 And I believe every child should have that experience.

1:33:04 And then when I looked at the information today, again on

1:33:09 students’ accommodation, when

1:33:10 I look at the amount of students that are, the amount of parents

1:33:15 that are receiving family

1:33:17 empowerment scholarships, private school money, vouchers, money,

1:33:21 that’s a lot of money.

1:33:23 My math came out to around $130 million that is not being

1:33:27 grabbed by the Brevard Public

1:33:30 Schools.

1:33:31 I don’t quite understand all the ins and outs of that, but it’s

1:33:34 my quick math.

1:33:35 So really saying that that money really should be in the Brevard

1:33:39 Public School system.

1:33:40 Like I said, I do believe in parental rights, but if anything

1:33:47 that we can do to fight to

1:33:49 help keep our kids in Brevard Public School, I’m willing to do

1:33:54 it.

1:33:54 And I’m willing to sacrifice my time.

1:33:57 Right now I’m getting older, but I’m still willing to fight for

1:34:01 our public schools.

1:34:03 So that’s kind of where my heart is.

1:34:05 And I hope one day that we can see a plan on how we’re going to

1:34:09 recover that.

1:34:11 And just looking at the data, where students are actually going

1:34:16 from, leaving our schools,

1:34:18 going to different private schools, the data’s there.

1:34:21 The areas are there where we can really fight to really recapture

1:34:23 those students.

1:34:24 So that’s kind of where my heart is today, and I hope you will

1:34:28 consider my plea.

1:34:30 Thank you.

1:34:31 [ Applause ]

1:34:37 » After Ms. Dykes, Cynthia Najame, Maxwell Yates, Pamela Castellana.

1:34:43 » All right.

1:34:45 Good evening school board members and Dr. Endell.

1:34:48 I hope you all had a restful spring break.

1:34:49 I will be speaking on agenda item F39.

1:34:53 First thank you to Ms. Black for presenting the student

1:34:55 accommodation plan.

1:34:56 It’s something you all know I’ve been looking forward to

1:34:58 reviewing.

1:34:59 One point Ms. Black made that stood out to me was the gap

1:35:02 between available students

1:35:04 in Brevard and those enrolling in BPS is the lowest it has been

1:35:08 since 2002.

1:35:09 To better understand that, I compared the elementary and middle

1:35:12 school from two charts

1:35:13 from the 2024, 2025, and 2025, 2026 school years.

1:35:17 I actually have some charts printed for you all so you can see

1:35:19 what I’m talking about

1:35:20 and not have to visualize it yourselves.

1:35:23 All right.

1:35:26 So, this data highlights 20 elementary and middle schools where

1:35:31 charter enrollment is

1:35:33 at least 1/3 of the students choosing the public school option.

1:35:37 While that number is concerning, I believe it is manageable with

1:35:40 a good game plan.

1:35:41 I did want to note that this does not include homeschooling or

1:35:44 private school families,

1:35:45 so it’s not a complete picture, but it is a strong starting

1:35:48 point.

1:35:49 Schools highlighted in yellow, I’m sorry, schools highlighted in

1:35:51 yellow show increasing

1:35:52 charter enrollment year over year.

1:35:55 Large indicates a slight decrease, but still above the 1/3

1:35:57 benchmark.

1:35:58 The remaining schools have dropped below 1/3, but remain close

1:36:01 to the 1/3 benchmark and

1:36:03 should still have an eye kept on them.

1:36:06 I put together this data because I think it gives us a clear

1:36:08 snapshot of where in the

1:36:09 district families may be hesitant to choose BPS, but the key

1:36:13 question is why.

1:36:14 What are the families experiencing that make them choose another

1:36:17 option?

1:36:17 Is it programming, experience, awareness, or maybe something

1:36:21 else?

1:36:21 Something Ms. Black said was that the students are here, we are

1:36:24 just not closing the gap

1:36:24 on capturing them.

1:36:25 I would love to see outreach specifically in the areas around

1:36:29 the schools on my list,

1:36:30 like canvassing or community forums so these families can

1:36:32 provide honest feedback on their

1:36:33 own why.

1:36:35 Maybe the board could even split up the list of 20 and make it a

1:36:37 competition on who can

1:36:38 lower their number the most.

1:36:40 I hope we will hear more about how we can tackle this ever-growing

1:36:43 hurdle.

1:36:43 Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

1:36:46 Cynthia Najame.

1:36:49 Dr. Cynthia Najame, we have Maxwell Yates, Pamela Castellana,

1:36:55 Jack Apatzes.

1:36:57 Good evening board.

1:36:58 Good evening everybody.

1:36:59 If I were still teaching, I just want you to know, good evening

1:37:05 board.

1:37:06 I was just going to say good evening to you and if I were

1:37:08 teaching, you would be moving

1:37:10 up to the front.

1:37:13 I am speaking on the new walkout policy.

1:37:15 My motivation to be here this evening is that I was genuinely

1:37:19 excited for the opportunity

1:37:21 to recognize some of your high school students, young people

1:37:24 that I had the privilege of meeting

1:37:25 just a few short months ago.

1:37:27 I met these students through a Sunday non-denominational

1:37:30 gathering of sorts where I witnessed their

1:37:32 thoughtfulness, integrity, and deep concern for others.

1:37:37 I am aware that some of these students participated in a walkout

1:37:40 to protest policies related to

1:37:41 U.S. immigration and customs enforcement, regardless of where

1:37:45 one stands on those policies,

1:37:46 it is important to recognize that young people are directly

1:37:50 affected by them.

1:37:52 Many of these students cannot yet vote and peaceful protest is

1:37:56 one of the few meaningful

1:37:57 ways they can make their voices heard.

1:38:00 My concern lies in how consequences for such actions are

1:38:04 determined.

1:38:05 After 40 years in education, holding a bachelor of science, a

1:38:09 master’s in guidance and counseling,

1:38:11 and a sixth year in educational foundations, I find it difficult

1:38:15 to reconcile how an act

1:38:16 of peaceful civil disobedience could be treated with the same

1:38:21 level of severity as offenses

1:38:23 such as fighting, harassment, or physical aggression.

1:38:28 Such equivalence raises serious questions about fairness,

1:38:31 proportionality, and certainly

1:38:33 subjectivity.

1:38:34 As both an educator and a taxpayer, I believe we should be

1:38:37 investing in students who demonstrate

1:38:39 leadership, civic engagement, and moral courage.

1:38:44 These are qualities we strive to cultivate.

1:38:46 To risk excluding these students from their school community,

1:38:49 potentially placing them

1:38:51 in alternative educational settings at additional cost seems not

1:38:55 only counterproductive but contrary

1:38:58 to our educational mission.

1:39:01 Whether a student is getting on or off a school bus, playing at

1:39:03 recess, or engaging in a peaceful

1:39:05 protest, I urge staff and administrators to respond with support

1:39:10 and creativity, working

1:39:12 with students not against them to build the kind of respectful

1:39:15 and supportive school culture

1:39:16 we all want to see.

1:39:18 I urge the school board and administration to set aside personal,

1:39:22 political perspectives

1:39:23 and approach this situation with care.

1:39:25 This is an opportunity here to guide rather than punish, to

1:39:28 affirm students’ voices

1:39:30 while reinforcing the values of respectful and responsible civic

1:39:34 participation.

1:39:35 When students choose to protest peacefully and thoughtfully,

1:39:39 they are not turning away

1:39:41 from education, they are putting it into practice.

1:39:46 Thank you.

1:39:49 Maxwell Yates.

1:39:50 After Maxwell Yates, we have Pamela Castellana, Jack Apotis, Cecilia

1:40:03 Trotter.

1:40:04 Hello and good afternoon school board.

1:40:09 My name is Maxwell Yates.

1:40:10 I am currently a student, a senior at Melbourne High School, and

1:40:14 I’m here today speaking on

1:40:15 agenda item F2.

1:40:17 More specifically, I’m here to talk about the new unfair and

1:40:21 potentially dangerous policies

1:40:23 that have been added to the student code of conduct.

1:40:27 The new policies set out by the board say that students who

1:40:30 organize, plan, coordinate,

1:40:32 quote, encourage or facilitate disruptive conduct can face more

1:40:36 severe punishment like

1:40:37 suspension or worse.

1:40:40 This is a clear overstep by the board as it discourages a

1:40:45 ridiculously wide range of action

1:40:48 being considered as disruptive activity.

1:40:51 The wording implies that a student who talks about going to, say,

1:40:57 a walkout or encourages

1:40:59 a friend to go to a walkout could be punished with tension or

1:41:03 even out of school suspension.

1:41:05 This decision crushes a student’s First Amendment right to speak

1:41:08 their mind.

1:41:09 The new policies also use vague language like other misconduct,

1:41:14 as many others have stated.

1:41:16 The use of this language allows for teachers and staff members

1:41:19 to punish students unfairly

1:41:21 for actions that do not deem such drastic punishments.

1:41:29 And vague language is dangerous as it will cause students to

1:41:32 have– and if students are

1:41:34 punished by this vague language and these unfair punishments,

1:41:37 then they will have less

1:41:39 respect for the rules themselves, and it will encourage more

1:41:43 students to disregard them

1:41:45 and to be more unruly.

1:41:47 Anyway, that is all I have to say.

1:41:49 Thank you so much for your time.

1:41:55 » Pamela Castellana followed by Jack Apatzas, Cecilia Trotter,

1:42:03 Karen Hetty.

1:42:04 » Good evening.

1:42:07 I’m here to talk about labor relations and your MOUs.

1:42:11 Recently Superintendent Rendell testified before a state

1:42:13 congressional committee stating

1:42:14 that unions cost counties hundreds of thousands of dollars,

1:42:18 direct quote, in lawsuits.

1:42:20 He specifically said he could speak to this fact as the

1:42:22 superintendent of Brevard County

1:42:24 Public Schools.

1:42:26 While I wait for the results of the public records request of

1:42:28 March 4th that I’ve made

1:42:29 to this body, with the dollars that Rendell claims the Brevard

1:42:32 Federation of Teachers

1:42:33 has cost our county in lawsuits, and as we are facing yet

1:42:37 another uneven distribution

1:42:39 of discipline in our county involving the expulsion of some

1:42:41 students for an unexcused

1:42:42 absence, which will undoubtedly lead to yet more costly lawsuits.

1:42:48 At the expense of Brevard County parents and all Brevard County

1:42:51 taxpayers, I have to remind

1:42:52 you that if you just uphold the Constitution in the first place,

1:42:56 you won’t have those lawsuits.

1:42:58 I hope every union member, I hope every union member scrutinizes

1:43:02 the MOU’s mention and every

1:43:03 other document that comes from this board.

1:43:06 With a frankly defamatory anti-union sentiment publicly

1:43:09 expressed by Mr. Rendell, it is clear

1:43:11 that no union member can both support their professional union

1:43:14 and the superintendent.

1:43:15 » Just a second.

1:43:16 » This MOU is about CTE teachers.

1:43:17 It doesn’t have anything to do–

1:43:18 » It’s about any labor relations–

1:43:19 » Paul, you want to–

1:43:20 » Any labor relations– » Hang on, I stopped your clock.

1:43:22 Hang on.

1:43:24 Paul, you want to give us an overview?

1:43:25 » I’m not seeing anything about this topic under the CTE.

1:43:33 » We have work-based learning, CTE–

1:43:35 » We have comprehensive support–

1:43:36 » – and we have a comprehensive support.

1:43:37 » – grant MOU, but–

1:43:38 » It’s a type that has to do with Title I.

1:43:40 It doesn’t have anything to do with–

1:43:41 » Right, yeah.

1:43:42 I don’t see anything about discipline on it.

1:43:43 » It’s about any of those shapes you can call, but never labor

1:43:45 unions.

1:43:46 » No, no, no.

1:43:47 It can’t–

1:43:48 » No.

1:43:49 » That’s a stretch.

1:43:50 » It’s not on the agenda.

1:43:51 » We have the opportunity to speak afterwards.

1:43:52 It’s not a big deal.

1:43:53 » It’s not on the agenda.

1:43:54 » It’s just we need to get to the agenda items.

1:43:55 So, if that’s the opportunity that you need, then wait until the–

1:43:57 » I say everything you say.

1:43:58 » Okay.

1:43:59 Thank you.

1:44:00 » Any members cannot with support–

1:44:01 » Thank you, ma’am.

1:44:02 We appreciate you.

1:44:03 [ Applause ]

1:44:04 » Jack Apatzes followed by Cecilia Trotter and Karen Hattie.

1:44:20 [ Pause ]

1:44:24 » In the implementation of Instructional Material Plan, it says,

1:44:33 “Communication of the

1:44:34 newly adopted instructional material will be presented to all

1:44:36 stakeholders beginning

1:44:38 in May 2026 with a focus on supporting teachers with

1:44:41 professional learning and coaching strategies

1:44:43 to increase student achievement, best practice to close

1:44:45 achievement gaps, and methods to

1:44:47 increase family engagement.”

1:44:49 I think the last part of this paragraph is very important

1:44:51 because it’s missing one word,

1:44:53 respect.

1:44:54 I’ve been in Brevard Public School since kindergarten.

1:44:56 I’m now a senior accepted into college and feeling prepared for

1:44:59 the next leg of my life.

1:45:00 I owe this entirely to Brevard Public School teachers.

1:45:03 Because of this, I ask that something be added to this list with

1:45:06 a focus on supporting and

1:45:07 respecting our teachers.

1:45:09 I ask this because without your support, but most importantly,

1:45:12 your respect, they can’t

1:45:14 fully meet students’ needs and we see teachers come in with so

1:45:17 much fire to teach and connect

1:45:19 with students on a deeper level just for them to burn out and at

1:45:22 worst case, leave.

1:45:24 I as a student have seen great teachers leave this county.

1:45:27 But–

1:45:28 [ Inaudible Remark ]

1:45:29 » Yes.

1:45:30 We talked about– Yes, because I think it highlights a broader

1:45:34 systemic issue.

1:45:35 I know it’s hard to see.

1:45:36 I’m glad you brought this up.

1:45:37 » It’s fine.

1:45:38 It has to be right on the thing.

1:45:39 It’s not a big deal.

1:45:40 You can speak at the end.

1:45:41 It’s not a big deal.

1:45:42 But right now, that’s not on the agenda.

1:45:43 [ Inaudible Remark ]

1:45:44 » Yes.

1:45:45 And so, I understand where you’re coming from.

1:45:46 And I think it can be hard to see, but I think this is

1:45:48 highlighting–

1:45:49 » Continue to go down it.

1:45:50 We’re going to ask you to stop.

1:45:51 But just if you can get back to something, that would be great.

1:45:54 Thank you.

1:45:55 » I’m going to continue my–

1:45:56 » We’re just giving you three minutes at the end.

1:45:57 » Yeah.

1:45:58 » It has to be about instructional materials.

1:46:00 » Something about instruction.

1:46:01 » I believe almost all teachers came into the profession

1:46:03 because they saw the impact

1:46:05 they could have on future generations.

1:46:06 Yeah.

1:46:07 » All right.

1:46:08 Look, man.

1:46:09 Hey, just come back at the end.

1:46:10 » You want me to come back?

1:46:11 » Yeah.

1:46:12 Come back.

1:46:13 We’ll give you three more minutes.

1:46:14 Yes, sir.

1:46:16 [ Applause ]

1:46:17 [ Inaudible Remark ]

1:46:19 » Cecilia Trotter followed by Karen Hattie and Ezekiel Edwards.

1:46:25 » Good evening, Dr. Rendell and school board members.

1:46:30 I’m talking about agenda F7.

1:46:33 At the March 10th work session, you presented a slideshow

1:46:36 outlining proposed changes to

1:46:38 the district’s organizational structure.

1:46:41 The presentation suggested eliminating the chief financial

1:46:46 officer position and redistributing

1:46:48 those responsibilities across other departments as a cost saving

1:46:53 measure during which you

1:46:54 described as a challenging budget time.

1:46:58 You also noted that Ms. Sue Han who is widely respected was

1:47:01 willing to take on additional

1:47:03 responsibilities and Ms. Han has been reclassified to the

1:47:07 position of deputy superintendent.

1:47:10 It was also stated that the only new position added would be an

1:47:14 executive director.

1:47:15 However, the presentation included no actual financial data to

1:47:21 demonstrate that this restructuring

1:47:24 would save money.

1:47:26 According to public records, the former CFO, Ms. Lesinski,

1:47:30 earned $156,000 in change.

1:47:33 The newly posted executive director position is listed at $112,000

1:47:39 to $128,000.

1:47:41 If additional raises are being provided to compensate other

1:47:44 departments for absorbing

1:47:46 CFO level duties, then the public deserves to see if this

1:47:51 restructuring produces any

1:47:54 real savings at all.

1:47:57 Brevard Public Schools is a $1.6 billion organization.

1:48:01 In a moment when transparency and accountability are more

1:48:05 important than ever and when the

1:48:07 voucher system is already straining our budget and enrollment,

1:48:11 this district needs a qualified,

1:48:13 dedicated chief financial officer.

1:48:16 A CFO is not a luxury.

1:48:19 It is a safeguard.

1:48:21 It is the person who ensures that every dollar is accounted for,

1:48:24 that financial decisions

1:48:26 are strategic, and that the district remains stable in a time of

1:48:31 shrinking resources.

1:48:33 The CFO is the one who steers the financial ship in the right

1:48:36 direction.

1:48:37 Eliminating that role does not strengthen our district.

1:48:41 It weakens oversight at the exact moment when oversight is most

1:48:46 needed.

1:48:46 Tonight, I’m asking this board to reconsider this restructuring

1:48:51 and restore the CFO position.

1:48:53 Our students, families, staff, and taxpayers deserve a budget

1:48:57 that is managed with expertise,

1:48:59 transparency, and integrity.

1:49:01 Thank you.

1:49:03 [ Applause ]

1:49:05 Karen Hattie, Karen Hattie, after Karen, after Karen, we have

1:49:13 Ezekiel Edwards, Paul Raub.

1:49:18 » Hello, my name is Karen Hattie, and I’m a junior at Viera

1:49:22 High School.

1:49:23 I’m here to talk about F2.

1:49:26 The policy before this made sense.

1:49:28 The walkout punishment was similar to just leaving school just

1:49:30 to skip.

1:49:31 As you know, Brevard students have a history of walking out.

1:49:34 Back in 2022, I went to the Don’t Say Gay Walkout.

1:49:37 It was simple and easy, and there was no punishment.

1:49:40 In 2018, there was a walkout for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

1:49:45 School shooting.

1:49:46 There was no punishment.

1:49:47 But why now is this different?

1:49:50 The Brevard School’s motto is to serve every student with

1:49:53 excellence as the standards.

1:49:54 You are not serving every student with excellence if you’re not

1:49:58 encouraging students to use

1:49:59 their First Amendment right to protest.

1:50:02 Walking out is a form of protest, and our students need to learn

1:50:04 how to stand up for

1:50:05 our rights and not be discouraged.

1:50:07 Be the example we want to see and stand up for students’ rights.

1:50:13 Thank you.

1:50:16 [ Applause ]

1:50:17 » Ezekiel Edwards, Ezekiel Edwards.

1:50:26 After Ezekiel Edwards, we have Paul Raub, Christopher Gibson.

1:50:33 » Good morning, board – I’m so sorry.

1:50:35 Good afternoon, board members and Dr. Rendell.

1:50:37 My name is Ezekiel Edwards.

1:50:39 You may recognize me from the last board meeting at the

1:50:41 beginning of this month.

1:50:42 I came to you with concerns of the school walkout and wanted

1:50:45 clarity of the policy and

1:50:47 proper disciplinary action and how that would be carried out.

1:50:50 Brevard students stressed about unwarranted long-term suspension

1:50:53 and even expulsion.

1:50:55 I was reassured by three different board members that – pardon

1:51:00 I – I was reassured by three

1:51:02 different board members that students in Brevard didn’t need to

1:51:06 worry about their freedom of

1:51:07 speech or their right to protest being infringed upon, yet that

1:51:11 was a lie.

1:51:11 Not even a week later, you, the school board, proposed a new

1:51:15 policy update to punish any

1:51:16 student who organized, planned, coordinate, promote, or even

1:51:20 encourage their peers – oh,

1:51:22 my God – or encourage their peers to join in on what they

1:51:24 personally believed and to

1:51:26 be just.

1:51:27 This affects people like me and – sorry – and any students who

1:51:32 want to make change with

1:51:33 a little support and resources that – and little support,

1:51:41 resources, and right that

1:51:43 they have to do so.

1:51:44 The original walkout policy was functional and simply needed to

1:51:47 be executed honestly

1:51:48 and properly, rather than using vague language inscribed with

1:51:52 misconduct.

1:51:52 So I’ll ask you again, is it not the district’s responsibility

1:51:55 to ensure fairness to those

1:51:56 affected by the rules you push without fair bias?

1:51:59 The students of Brevard are stumped by your threats, your

1:52:01 inconsistency across topics,

1:52:03 and your clear, closed-minded focus on what you want.

1:52:06 Thank you, and have a good rest of your night.

1:52:10 [ Applause ]

1:52:11 » After Mr. Raub, we have Christopher Gibson and Derek Matheson.

1:52:19 » Yeah, Mr. Raub.

1:52:20 If we can get the speakers to come up and sit up in the front,

1:52:23 that way we – you know

1:52:24 what I mean?

1:52:25 We can get moving.

1:52:26 That’d be great.

1:52:27 Thank you.

1:52:28 » Derek Matheson is last.

1:52:30 » Thank you for doing that.

1:52:32 There we go.

1:52:34 » Sure.

1:52:35 Evening, board.

1:52:36 I’m speaking on item F5.

1:52:39 On behalf of a reading coach in Brevard Schools who has asked to

1:52:43 remain anonymous.

1:52:44 Quoting now.

1:52:45 For over a – I’ll describe it, sorry.

1:52:48 For over a decade, she has dedicated her life to one school,

1:52:50 pouring everything she has

1:52:51 into teachers, students, and the success of her campus.

1:52:54 She built relationships, she strengthened instruction, she did

1:52:56 exactly what this district

1:52:57 asked of her, and more.

1:52:59 And now she’s being discarded.

1:53:00 This is not about budget cuts.

1:53:02 This is about mismanagement and the failure of leadership.

1:53:04 F5, literacy coach, as mentioned in the item as someone else

1:53:08 spoke on earlier.

1:53:09 » It has to be about instructional materials.

1:53:11 It’s fine.

1:53:12 You can come back at the end and speak for three minutes.

1:53:15 No, it’s – it’s – it’s the rules, Mr. Rao.

1:53:18 Mr. Rao, it’s the rules.

1:53:19 So if you can bring it back to instructional materials, that’s

1:53:21 great.

1:53:22 If not, you can wait until the end and you can speak then.

1:53:24 It’s not a big deal.

1:53:25 » All right.

1:53:26 I’ll just skip back to the little bit at the end where I was

1:53:27 going to talk about F2, the

1:53:28 new discipline policy, and just suggest perhaps treat the walkouts

1:53:31 the way you do locker room

1:53:32 assaults, suspend them for one game, and then come and cheer

1:53:39 them on.

1:53:40 [ Applause ]

1:53:41 » Christopher Gibson.

1:53:44 Christopher Gibson.

1:53:49 » Hello board.

1:53:50 I am speaking on agenda item F2 and as well as I2.

1:53:53 Once again on the student – on the student walkouts and the

1:53:56 repression they are facing.

1:53:57 I’ll keep my remarks brief because I intend to – don’t smirk,

1:54:00 Mr. Susan.

1:54:01 I’m not done yet.

1:54:05 I’ll keep my remarks brief because I intend to revisit this

1:54:07 topic at the April 14th board

1:54:09 meeting when the agenda – when items actually come up for vote

1:54:11 and because multiple speakers

1:54:13 before me have already made some excellent points.

1:54:15 So instead I will emphasize something that has not been talked

1:54:18 about yet.

1:54:18 In my – in my correspondence with students from groups such as

1:54:21 Brevard Youth for Democracy,

1:54:23 I have been told repeatedly that – that authority figures insinuate

1:54:28 that they have not formed

1:54:30 these opinions on immigration or walkouts on their own and that

1:54:32 they are actually being

1:54:33 put up to it by adults.

1:54:35 I consider this not only insulting to the community who also

1:54:38 wishes to speak out against

1:54:40 immigration issues, but also to the students themselves.

1:54:43 These students are – are young adults.

1:54:46 Some of them are already enrolling in college, some of them are

1:54:48 already 18 years old.

1:54:49 They can form their own opinions.

1:54:50 The fact that their opinion – the fact that their opinions run

1:54:58 contrary to yours and often

1:55:01 provoke them to take action you do not approve of does not make

1:55:04 them no less – does not

1:55:05 make them any less valid.

1:55:07 Oh, and since – and since the topic of budget has come up so

1:55:11 often in discussions at this

1:55:13 board, I would like to point out that the lawsuits you are going

1:55:16 to receive if you begin

1:55:17 suspending students – if you begin expelling students en masse

1:55:20 is going to really wreak

1:55:21 havoc on the budget.

1:55:23 [ Applause ]

1:55:24 » Derek Matheson.

1:55:25 Derek Matheson.

1:55:27 » Hi, my name is Derek.

1:55:32 I’m a BPS alumni and parent to a soon-to-be grade school age

1:55:39 child.

1:55:40 I’m here to speak on your attack on First Amendment rights via

1:55:43 agenda items F2 and I2.

1:55:46 Is the mic on?

1:55:47 That’s a question.

1:55:48 Anyways, I’ve taken the liberty to print out a copy of the full

1:55:52 Tinker v. Des Moines decision

1:55:54 for your lawyer as this board seems dead set on wasting taxpayer

1:55:59 dollars in constitutional

1:56:01 court with a student v. Brevard Public Schools trial.

1:56:05 Believe me, there will be a trial if you are ignorant enough to

1:56:07 truly pass these rules

1:56:08 and then unlawfully apply harsher punishments against peaceful

1:56:12 and silently protesting students.

1:56:14 The main points in Tinker v. Des Moines is that a student cannot

1:56:18 be punished more harshly

1:56:20 for engaging in First Amendment expression and demonstration

1:56:23 compared to non-engaged

1:56:24 peers.

1:56:25 So long as the demonstration does not “cause a material and

1:56:29 substantial disruption.”

1:56:32 I do not see how students who silently leave campus with written

1:56:35 parental permission while

1:56:37 having available absence days qualifies as material and

1:56:40 substantial disruption.

1:56:42 Furthermore, we pay a hefty amount for school resource officers.

1:56:46 I’m sure those well-paid individuals can handle overseeing a

1:56:48 silent group of 30 to 40 students

1:56:50 holding signs if they were to remain on campus and demonstrating.

1:56:54 Again, an absence from class is not a material or substantial

1:56:57 disruption, especially if they

1:56:59 complete any missed work.

1:57:01 I have no doubt that students smart enough and brave enough to

1:57:03 engage in First Amendment

1:57:04 demonstrations would happily complete their assigned work.

1:57:08 Again, we have assigned money to these officers.

1:57:11 We have a limited county budget.

1:57:12 Let’s not waste it on a constitutional court battle, especially

1:57:15 as budget waste from a

1:57:16 board that just voted to close Cape View Elementary, which

1:57:19 previously announced that 7% job cuts

1:57:21 across the board back in January, would be a rather pathetic

1:57:24 look.

1:57:25 Your cited reasons for the school closure was lack of student

1:57:27 enrollment.

1:57:28 I fail to see how eliminating your students’ God-given

1:57:30 constitutional rights as U.S. citizens

1:57:32 will help to curb the lack of enrollment in DPS.

1:57:36 In fact, he is actively doing the opposite, as I said I am a

1:57:40 parent of a young child soon

1:57:42 to be grade school age.

1:57:43 I have had this conversation with other parents and we came to

1:57:46 the conclusion that we do not

1:57:47 trust this board’s current objectives and past stated beliefs as

1:57:50 being good enough to

1:57:51 entrust our children’s future education, too.

1:57:53 Furthermore, BPS is ranked first in the state according to U.S.

1:57:57 News & World, however being

1:57:58 first at the county level in a state that is ranked 21st out of

1:58:01 50 by Wallet Hub is

1:58:02 still a failing grade of 48%.

1:58:04 Can you bring this back to protests?

1:58:08 I would recommend that this board try refreshing themselves on

1:58:12 its constitutional civic duties

1:58:14 before embroiling yourselves in constitutional court against

1:58:18 children.

1:58:18 Fund our teachers and support staff by making BPS a safe place

1:58:22 that upholds the constitution,

1:58:24 one that parents will actually want to send their kids, stop

1:58:27 being feckless failures and

1:58:28 actually do your job.

1:58:29 Thank you.

1:58:30 Mr. Chair, I do intend to address a couple of things that were

1:58:43 mentioned at the end,

1:58:45 so if people want to stick around I do plan to address a couple

1:58:47 of those things during

1:58:48 our board discussion time.

1:58:52 Just to summarize, Mr. Petarakis was added to the non-agenda,

1:58:56 Paul Raub was already on

1:58:58 the non-agenda, Pamela Castellana I added you to the non-agenda,

1:59:04 and Jack Pottsis, Gina

1:59:08 was already on the non-agenda.

1:59:12 Did I miss anybody who got moved?

1:59:18 That concludes agenda items only for public comments.

1:59:20 We thank you for the time out of your schedule to address the

1:59:23 board with your concerns and

1:59:24 suggestions.

1:59:25 I would like to remind the public that the board is accessible

1:59:27 for further conversations

1:59:28 outside of our business meeting through scheduling a meeting.

1:59:31 We are now at the consent agenda document.

1:59:33 Thank you, Mr. Chair, there are 48 items on the agenda under

1:59:38 this category.

1:59:39 Thank you, Dr. Endela.

1:59:40 Does any board member wish to pull any of the items?

1:59:42 No.

1:59:43 All right.

1:59:44 I will entertain a motion to accept the consent items on today’s

1:59:46 agenda with the exception

1:59:47 of those pulled for discussion.

1:59:48 Second.

1:59:50 We’ve got Gene on the move on the first motion.

1:59:55 Any discussion?

1:59:56 Paul, roll call, please.

1:59:57 Mr. Trent.

1:59:58 Aye.

1:59:59 Mr. Susan.

2:00:00 Here.

2:00:01 Or yes.

2:00:02 Ms. Campbell.

2:00:03 Aye.

2:00:04 Mr. Thomas.

2:00:05 Aye.

2:00:06 We’ll move the information agenda, which includes an item for

2:00:09 board review and may be brought

2:00:10 back for action at a subsequent meeting.

2:00:13 No action will be taken on this item today.

2:00:14 There are two items under this category.

2:00:16 Does any board member wish to discuss these items?

2:00:18 Yes.

2:00:19 I think this will be a more appropriate place probably since two

2:00:22 of the particular things

2:00:23 that I wanted to address that the public commenters mentioned

2:00:27 are here.

2:00:27 So let me start with the first one, I-1, which is the

2:00:32 procurement item.

2:00:33 Great question.

2:00:35 It’s certainly something we want to be transparent about.

2:00:36 We want people to understand why we would do procurement

2:00:41 services for a lobbyist.

2:00:44 First of all, people need to understand that we have had a

2:00:47 lobbyist for many years prior

2:00:48 to me being on the board.

2:00:49 I know for sure.

2:00:50 I think we had in fact a big conflict about it one year before I

2:00:54 think the year right

2:00:55 after you got on the board, Mr. Susan.

2:01:00 It is when we have a lobbyist, the work that those lobbyists do

2:01:04 that they have done are

2:01:05 things like securing funding for the airplane hangar at Oak

2:01:09 Alley High School, the firefighter

2:01:11 academy at Palm Bay High School, the most recently we had the

2:01:15 Cocoa Beach, the aquaculture

2:01:18 program.

2:01:19 We just secured funding from Congressman Herodopolis at a

2:01:22 federal level to replicate the aviation

2:01:25 program at Oak Alley to put it at Space Coast Junior Senior High.

2:01:30 So when people talk about, yes, $48,000 is a lot of money, but

2:01:35 when it talks about just

2:01:36 this year in one program having brought in what, $2 million?

2:01:40 Over $2 million.

2:01:41 $2 million to help us build a program that is super expensive.

2:01:46 And just to make sure, again for the transparency’s sake, when

2:01:49 we have a lobbyist, the board develops

2:01:52 in addition to appropriations asks, which are always for

2:01:54 programs in schools, mostly

2:01:56 over the last couple years they’ve been CTE, we have also had

2:01:59 appropriations requests for

2:02:00 adult ed, which has allowed us to build a CDL training program.

2:02:04 If you go by South Lake in Cocoa, you’ll see the track was

2:02:09 turned into a training facility

2:02:12 and we’re working on our mechanics to turn that whole area into

2:02:16 a technical college.

2:02:18 So mostly it’s those kind of financial appropriations.

2:02:22 If there is anything policy-wise that we use our lobbyists to do,

2:02:26 it is the platform that

2:02:28 the board develops together in open public meetings.

2:02:32 This year the board did not have our own separate platform

2:02:36 besides those two lobbying requests.

2:02:40 We did develop platforms that we – our items that we presented

2:02:44 to FSBA, our Florida School

2:02:46 Boards Association, as well as the consortium of the greater

2:02:50 Florida Consortium of School

2:02:52 Boards.

2:02:53 I’m going to miss out a letter in there somewhere.

2:02:55 So we were a part of that.

2:02:56 We talked about those items through the fall in federal and

2:03:00 state.

2:03:01 So those are the kinds of things, if there’s any lobbying going

2:03:04 on, you need to understand

2:03:05 those are the platforms.

2:03:06 So those had to do with making sure that teachers can get

2:03:10 certification and hang on to it more

2:03:12 easily.

2:03:13 There were several other things I can – if anybody wants those

2:03:16 public available documents,

2:03:17 we talked about them in public meetings, I’m happy to send them

2:03:20 to you.

2:03:20 Or you can go to either the consortium’s website or FSBA’s

2:03:23 website and see the legislative

2:03:25 platforms.

2:03:26 Those are the things that this board was lobbying for, that we

2:03:29 use lobbyists for, but primarily

2:03:31 it is for those appropriations, the funds that we’re trying to

2:03:34 secure.

2:03:35 Because we have great support from Congressman Haredopoulos, he’s

2:03:38 been so supportive since

2:03:39 he took that role on this, you know, what, a year and a half ago?

2:03:43 But Congressman Haredopoulos cannot move that by himself.

2:03:46 So the lobbyist’s job in the federal level is to make sure that

2:03:50 that appropriation can

2:03:51 make it to the finish line.

2:03:52 We’re very happy to announce that it did and to approve it, and

2:03:54 we’re really excited to

2:03:55 see those funds.

2:03:56 And that’s what our lobbyists do every single year.

2:03:59 So I just want to make sure that’s clear.

2:04:03 I also wanted to address the code of conduct.

2:04:05 Can we stay on the lobbyist piece for just a second?

2:04:07 Yeah.

2:04:08 Yeah, anybody else want to talk about lobbyists?

2:04:09 I just wanted to also mention, for instance, not only the

2:04:10 revenue that we receive, which

2:04:11 the ROI is one of the best ROIs you’ve ever seen.

2:04:14 The money that we spend towards the money that we gain is 10, 20,

2:04:19 30X sometimes.

2:04:20 The other piece to it is, is just like I was speaking to Ms. Dampier

2:04:23 today, we need support

2:04:25 in the federal government for all of the other, we have millions

2:04:28 and millions of dollars that

2:04:30 come in through programs through the federal government that we

2:04:32 need support and help for.

2:04:34 We also need support for some of our teachers.

2:04:36 One of the things we were talking about is the rules and

2:04:38 regulations that come down from

2:04:39 the federal government relating to students that are being

2:04:42 pushed into classrooms and

2:04:43 stuff like that.

2:04:44 But some of those rules where there’s some of those are some

2:04:46 problems that we’re dealing

2:04:47 with right now.

2:04:48 We can’t even deal with it locally.

2:04:50 We can’t deal with it statewide.

2:04:51 We need to go to the federal government.

2:04:53 So the fact that somebody, we went and got a federal lobbyist

2:04:55 for the first time, which

2:04:56 I’m really excited about, you know, in a long time, is got ROI

2:05:00 that’s incredible.

2:05:02 And I just wanted to mention that at the end.

2:05:04 And there may, there may be, I know we’ve talked in the past

2:05:06 before about the potential

2:05:08 of using a federal lobbyist to secure funding for other kinds of

2:05:11 facilities needs.

2:05:12 So those are the kinds of things, and again, all that’s happened

2:05:15 in public meetings.

2:05:17 I did just jump to the, to the code of conduct and I’ll just be

2:05:20 really honest with you guys.

2:05:23 I am disappointed when it seems that even people who have come

2:05:27 to the podium seem to

2:05:29 have gotten more information from a social media post than from

2:05:32 the actual document.

2:05:33 So I’m going to take you to the actual document because I want

2:05:35 to make sure that we’re addressing

2:05:36 your concerns.

2:05:37 So I’m, I’m looking in the red line draft.

2:05:40 That’s my favorite one to look at because the red line draft

2:05:42 shows you all the things

2:05:43 that change.

2:05:44 The clean draft’s great and that’s what’s going to go out to the

2:05:46 students.

2:05:46 But the red line draft is so important because it shows you

2:05:48 everything that’s changed, changed.

2:05:49 And if you’ll go down, I’m going to address a couple of things

2:05:52 that were mentioned.

2:05:53 One is having to do with walkouts.

2:05:56 Now, I think that there are some people, it, to me, clearly from

2:06:00 what they said, got their

2:06:02 information not from the actual document but from a social media

2:06:06 post because we, and maybe

2:06:08 from something that a board member, Ms. Wright, did bring up a

2:06:11 proposal for a new policy.

2:06:13 We did not have discussion about that.

2:06:15 She presented it to us.

2:06:16 There has been no movement on that.

2:06:17 That is right now in our code of conduct, there was something

2:06:22 that was added and it’s

2:06:23 on the red line copy.

2:06:24 It’s on the bottom of page 30 and the top of page 31.

2:06:27 I’m just going to read it.

2:06:28 Disorder and demonstration.

2:06:29 So we’re very clear.

2:06:31 This is already pulled out of our policy that we already have.

2:06:34 The school board recognizes the right of each student to attend

2:06:37 school for the purpose of

2:06:38 receiving an education.

2:06:40 However, the disruption of the educational program of the

2:06:43 schools by disorder or any

2:06:44 other purposeful activity will not be countenance.

2:06:47 For further information, please see school board policy 5520,

2:06:50 which is the same 5520

2:06:52 we’ve had.

2:06:53 Students who are found to be in violation of this policy are

2:06:56 subject to discipline according

2:06:57 to the code of student conduct, student behavior incident coding

2:07:00 for each occurrences, depending

2:07:02 on the severity, shall be coded as either gross insubordination,

2:07:06 if that is what occurs,

2:07:08 if a student is asked to do something and they repeatedly ignore

2:07:12 the instructions that

2:07:13 they are given, gross insubordination, there is a definition for

2:07:17 it, or leaving campus

2:07:18 without permission, which is code 033.

2:07:22 If they do that, they leave campus.

2:07:24 Any other time they leave campus without permission, it’s going

2:07:26 to be the same punishment.

2:07:27 It’s not an extra punishment.

2:07:28 It’s the same one we would do if you skipped campus to walk

2:07:31 across the road to go to McDonald’s,

2:07:33 if you have one across the street from your school, all right?

2:07:36 Or disruption on campus, if it’s something that occurs that

2:07:39 people are walking out into

2:07:41 this where people are, you know, and disrupting the campus.

2:07:44 So I say all that to say some of the things that were mentioned

2:07:47 tonight, there were students

2:07:49 on that protest day whose parents gave them permission to check

2:07:52 out and they walked out

2:07:54 of school and they were not a disruption on campus and they didn’t

2:07:57 have anything to do

2:07:58 – there was nothing in the student code of conduct that was

2:08:01 applied to them.

2:08:02 There are students who could have worn a shirt that had a

2:08:04 message on it or put a sticker

2:08:06 on their shirt, and as long as it didn’t have ugly words on it,

2:08:09 those students also – you

2:08:10 talk about Tinker versus Des Moines, that is the most like –

2:08:13 and I hate that the gentleman

2:08:15 who brought that up and was so adamant about that left before he

2:08:17 got to hear the definition

2:08:19 of it.

2:08:20 We are in line – I just want to be very clear.

2:08:22 Our policies and procedures and what happened that day, like it

2:08:25 or not, are in line with

2:08:26 Tinker versus Des Moines because we do allow – we would have

2:08:29 allowed if students had worn

2:08:31 a shirt, worn a sticker, done what, you know, made – they could

2:08:34 have done any of those

2:08:35 things and it wouldn’t have been gross insubordination, leaving

2:08:38 campus without permission, disruption

2:08:39 on campus.

2:08:40 The students who did those things and their parents checked them

2:08:43 out and they walked out

2:08:43 or last year when they had protests and they did it after school

2:08:47 or even before school

2:08:48 and they weren’t on school board property or during the school

2:08:51 day, those students were

2:08:53 not punished.

2:08:54 They were not handled with a student code of conduct.

2:08:58 They did things the way that honestly are the way that adults

2:09:01 have to do it.

2:09:01 I just want to point you to – we talk about First Amendment

2:09:04 rights, but you have one of

2:09:05 the things and how we should be teaching students how to

2:09:08 exercise their First Amendment rights.

2:09:10 Amen.

2:09:11 Because as an adult with a job, I have to fit within the

2:09:16 boundaries of adult life.

2:09:19 If I’m going to protest and I’m an employee of the school

2:09:23 district or SpaceX or McDonald’s

2:09:25 or Walmart and I violate my employer’s policies, that’s not a

2:09:31 violation of my First Amendment

2:09:34 rights.

2:09:35 If I’m supposed to be working the cash register at fill-in

2:09:38 retail store and I decide to start

2:09:40 yelling about ICE, that employer has the right to discipline me

2:09:45 and I could potentially even

2:09:47 lose my job.

2:09:48 It happens all the time.

2:09:49 We have famous TV people at the same thing because that is not a

2:09:52 violation of the First

2:09:53 Amendment rights.

2:09:54 They have a code of conduct they have to abide by.

2:09:57 Students under our control who are at our campus and it’s our

2:10:00 job to keep them safe

2:10:01 and it’s not the principal’s job or the administrator’s job to

2:10:04 chase students around and try – that’s

2:10:06 why it’s a disruption on campus when you just walk off because

2:10:09 all of a sudden, teachers

2:10:10 and administrators have to leave what they’re supposed to be

2:10:13 doing to make sure the students

2:10:15 they’re responsible for are safe.

2:10:19 That is why it’s in here.

2:10:20 So I just want to make sure that is all that’s in here.

2:10:23 I do want to address one other thing because one other new item

2:10:27 and if you listen to the

2:10:28 work session and I encourage you to go back, I think it was on

2:10:31 March 10th, Ms. Dampier

2:10:32 addressed why we are adding the language, other misconduct and

2:10:36 serious other misconduct.

2:10:38 And I will tell you, I read this specific line because I wanted

2:10:41 you to know that that

2:10:42 doesn’t have anything to do with the disorder and demonstration

2:10:45 policy, that those are addressed

2:10:47 by what I have here.

2:10:49 The other misconduct and the serious other misconduct has to do

2:10:52 with the creativity of

2:10:53 our students because there are things that we haven’t thought of

2:10:58 that students might

2:11:00 do that really aren’t okay to do at school and we don’t have

2:11:03 them somewhere in the student

2:11:05 code of conduct.

2:11:06 So we’re revising it every year, new things come up, you know,

2:11:09 students are very creative

2:11:10 and sometimes mischievous in their creativity.

2:11:13 So if we have something that a student did that we don’t have a

2:11:16 code to cover, that’s

2:11:18 where that would come into play and there’s two levels.

2:11:20 It’s hardly ever going to be used, I would imagine, as a former

2:11:23 principal, Dr. Rendell

2:11:24 could, but there are going to be situations where, and there

2:11:26 already have been situations,

2:11:27 which is why I think it’s there, where a principal or a dean is

2:11:30 like, I don’t know how to code

2:11:32 this because we don’t have anything that covers this item.

2:11:34 So that just gives them something that’s definitely

2:11:36 inappropriate, it’s not good behavior, it

2:11:38 needs to be addressed, but we don’t have a code for it, so we

2:11:41 just gave them a code.

2:11:42 That doesn’t have anything to do with student protests.

2:11:45 Anytime that there’s questions and then you see something on a

2:11:48 certain social media page

2:11:50 and you have questions about it, I encourage you, reach out.

2:11:53 There’s an explanation.

2:11:54 I have gotten zero emails and those of you who are out there who’ve

2:11:58 emailed me before,

2:11:59 you know I’m good at responding.

2:12:01 I’ll get there eventually even if it might be a little late.

2:12:04 I’ve gotten zero emails about this policy.

2:12:07 I’ve gotten zero emails about the lobbyists.

2:12:10 Nobody reached out to me.

2:12:11 So it’s very disappointing.

2:12:12 You have a right to stand up here and ask about in a public

2:12:14 thing, but I could have

2:12:15 explained that early on, but nobody asked.

2:12:19 So I encourage you, get your news from the source, and you don’t

2:12:23 have to believe me,

2:12:24 but public record will show you, and our public meeting minutes

2:12:27 for the last several years

2:12:28 will show you the truth of what I’m talking about with the

2:12:31 lobbyists as well as with the

2:12:32 code of conduct.

2:12:33 So I encourage you to go back and listen to this conversation,

2:12:35 but I wanted to make sure

2:12:36 that I addressed those issues.

2:12:37 Thank you, Mr. Chair.

2:12:38 » And did you have something?

2:12:42 » I had exactly what Ms. Campbell was saying, so I’ll pass.

2:12:46 Thank you.

2:12:47 Well said.

2:12:48 I did.

2:12:49 And the other thing that I want to recognize is that the ability

2:12:52 for people not to actually

2:12:54 read the facts and actually go into the student code of conduct

2:12:57 and appropriately request

2:12:59 the information is part of another learning lesson, is that

2:13:03 there is a bunch of social

2:13:04 media out there that is not true, things that are being said

2:13:07 that are not true.

2:13:08 And when you do that and you follow that social media and then

2:13:11 you go down that road without

2:13:13 actually doing the due diligence of following exactly what Ms.

2:13:16 Campbell said, you end up

2:13:17 in a place where you may have some regret over the choices that

2:13:20 you’ve made.

2:13:21 And that is where we have to step in and make sure that your

2:13:25 safety as students is completely

2:13:27 taken care of.

2:13:28 If you have students that are walking out, you have situations

2:13:31 like you had in Nebraska

2:13:32 and other places where they were physically hurt outside inside

2:13:36 of the school desk, inside

2:13:37 the school, as they were trying to protest.

2:13:40 That is what our number one job is, is to make sure that our

2:13:43 students are safe.

2:13:44 That is number one safety.

2:13:46 So when we have individuals that are out there saying, oh, yeah,

2:13:49 go ahead, leave, you don’t

2:13:50 have to ask permission and everything like that, they are

2:13:52 facilitating you to break the

2:13:54 rules and code of conduct, which could put you in a harm’s way.

2:13:58 That’s why the majority of parents said, yeah, no, I’m not going

2:14:00 to go check my kid out because

2:14:01 that’s what it is.

2:14:02 And those of you that are on social media trying to call our

2:14:04 kids out of the schools

2:14:05 and do all that stuff, that’s wrong.

2:14:07 Those of you on social media that are posting that Tinker is the

2:14:09 way to go and everything

2:14:10 else, that’s wrong.

2:14:12 But we can’t be there to be out on social media, nor will we

2:14:14 ever go there.

2:14:15 So reach out to us, ask us the questions.

2:14:19 Thank you.

2:14:20 The other thing I wanted to say is the CFO, we had a situation

2:14:22 there, somebody said, oh,

2:14:23 all these different things.

2:14:24 It has been stated over and over again that that is zero cost.

2:14:28 It has been stated in meetings, Dr. Endell has said it multiple

2:14:31 times.

2:14:31 And for people to come up here and say, oh, well, this is just

2:14:35 at least email one of us

2:14:36 or at least read and watch the meetings where he has stated

2:14:41 multiple times.

2:14:42 I need to start paying attention.

2:14:44 Thank you.

2:14:45 Anybody else got anything?

2:14:46 Sir.

2:14:47 Dr. I mean, Mrs. Mrs. Campbell did a great job of educating

2:14:53 everybody on the facts.

2:14:54 There’s a lot of misinformation out there on social media and

2:14:57 other websites or whatever.

2:14:59 And it is disappointing that nobody asks any questions like we

2:15:02 could have answered a lot

2:15:04 of these questions before tonight.

2:15:05 So all right, so now we have a couple more things.

2:15:11 Anybody have any reports that they’d like to talk about some

2:15:14 positive stuff?

2:15:15 Good news.

2:15:17 Positive thing.

2:15:18 Sure.

2:15:19 Let me go up.

2:15:20 Yeah.

2:15:21 Go for it.

2:15:22 I’d like to go to you first.

2:15:23 So if there’s ever a time you’re like, hey, I need some extra

2:15:25 time, we can go to another

2:15:25 place.

2:15:26 No, I’m good.

2:15:27 I’d just like to I’d reached out to Medellin Primary School this

2:15:31 past week.

2:15:32 And Principal Deanna Smith asked to recognize Miss Emma Crayle.

2:15:36 So I’d like to read a little statement that Miss Smith provided

2:15:41 to me, if you allow me.

2:15:43 It is in my honor to recognize Miss Emma Crayle.

2:15:46 Miss Crayle is a first year teacher teaching first grade at Medellin

2:15:48 Primary.

2:15:49 In her short time teaching, Miss Crayle has already demonstrated

2:15:53 the qualities of an exceptional

2:15:54 educator and leader.

2:15:56 Her passion for teaching, commitment to student success, and

2:15:59 natural ability to build meaningful

2:16:00 relationships have made an immediate impact on our school

2:16:04 community.

2:16:04 From the moment she entered the classroom, Miss Crayle

2:16:07 established a learning environment

2:16:08 that’s engaging, supportive, and structured to help young

2:16:11 learners thrive.

2:16:12 She thoughtfully plans lessons that are purposely creative,

2:16:14 supports the needs of her students,

2:16:16 and are aligned to the state benchmarks.

2:16:18 In addition, she willingly shares her instructional ideas with

2:16:20 her colleagues during collaborative

2:16:22 planning sessions.

2:16:24 Even as a first year teacher, she demonstrates a strong

2:16:27 understanding of instructional practices

2:16:29 and consistently works to ensure that every student is actively

2:16:32 engaged in learning.

2:16:33 Her classroom runs like a well-oiled machine.

2:16:37 What truly sets Miss Crayle apart is her dedication to her

2:16:40 students.

2:16:41 She goes above and beyond to support their academic growth while

2:16:43 nurturing their confidence

2:16:45 and love of learning.

2:16:46 While most of her decisions are data driven, she takes time to

2:16:49 understand each child as

2:16:50 an individual and works to ensure they feel valued, capable, and

2:16:53 inspired in her classroom.

2:16:55 Medellin Primary is a deaf, hard of hearing feeder school.

2:16:58 Miss Crayle has the honor of serving as the DHH students in her

2:17:02 classroom.

2:17:03 And what makes this so incredible is that Miss Crayle is DHH

2:17:06 herself.

2:17:07 She provides opportunities daily to show all students what is

2:17:09 possible.

2:17:10 In addition to her strong instructional practices, Miss Crayle

2:17:13 approaches her profession with

2:17:14 remarkable professionalism and a growth mindset.

2:17:18 I’ve had the pleasure of coaching and co-teaching with Miss Crayle

2:17:20 on several occasions this

2:17:22 school year.

2:17:23 She actively seeks feedback, reflects on her practice, and

2:17:26 continually seeks ways to refine

2:17:27 her teaching.

2:17:28 Her willingness to learn and improve speaks volumes about the

2:17:31 educator she is becoming.

2:17:32 Despite being early in her career, Miss Crayle already embodies

2:17:35 the qualities of a master

2:17:37 teacher, dedication, compassion, creativity, and a belief in the

2:17:40 potential of every child.

2:17:41 We are beyond grateful to have Miss Crayle as a part of our Medellin

2:17:44 Primary family.

2:17:45 She is a phenomenal first year educator whose impact will only

2:17:48 continue to grow in the years

2:17:50 ahead.

2:17:51 And I would like to echo Miss Smith’s comments and congratulate

2:17:56 Miss Crayle on an exceptional

2:17:58 job.

2:17:59 It’s awesome, man.

2:18:00 Good job.

2:18:01 All right.

2:18:03 First of all, I want to recognize Principal Heather Legate from

2:18:07 Viera High School who

2:18:08 was recognized at the Sheriff’s Award ceremony a few weeks ago,

2:18:11 got to attend that ceremony

2:18:12 with a partnership award for primarily the way that she opens up

2:18:17 her campus so frequently

2:18:18 for the Sheriff’s Department to have ceremonies or training

2:18:23 sessions or whatever.

2:18:24 And so she was recognized.

2:18:25 It was kind of a surprise.

2:18:26 I didn’t know why she was there, but it was fun to get to be

2:18:30 there to celebrate her as

2:18:31 well as the many other Sheriff’s Department employees who were

2:18:34 recognized that night.

2:18:35 It was truly inspiring.

2:18:36 Lots of life saving going on in our county.

2:18:40 A few weeks ago, we had the groundbreaking for the new building

2:18:43 at Bayside High School,

2:18:44 which will not be opening until not next school year, but the

2:18:47 year after.

2:18:48 But it was exciting to see that they’ve already gotten started.

2:18:51 And for the public who’s not aware, that area is growing so fast

2:18:54 at Bayside just in the

2:18:56 last handful of years, when I say like three or four years, has

2:18:59 moved from the fifth largest

2:19:01 high school in the county to the second largest and most likely

2:19:04 next year will be larger than

2:19:05 Viera and they will be our largest high school in the county.

2:19:08 So it was exciting to have lots of our special guests there and

2:19:13 to look to the expansion

2:19:15 of the first high school in the city of Palm Bay.

2:19:19 And then finally, this morning, I was at India Atlantic

2:19:23 Elementary.

2:19:24 And I just wanted to recognize them because, you know, Ms.

2:19:26 Harris has shared with us more

2:19:27 about the UFly program that we’re using to go along with our

2:19:29 Mighty Moves and all of

2:19:31 our phonics science of reading development.

2:19:34 And I believe that India Atlantic was the first school to get

2:19:37 going with UFly and some

2:19:38 of the teachers there was actually not by the principal, but

2:19:42 brought by a teacher to

2:19:43 get started.

2:19:44 And then they’re so excited and I got to see lots of phonics,

2:19:46 great phonics instruction

2:19:47 going on.

2:19:49 And so just great job India Atlantic teachers and Dr. Lord had

2:19:52 so many good things to say

2:19:53 about her teaching staff this morning and the way they’re just

2:19:57 really running with it

2:19:58 and doing great things for kids.

2:20:00 So I really look forward.

2:20:01 India Atlantic always does a great job, but I told them this

2:20:03 morning, I look forward to

2:20:04 them rocking again on our state testing at the end of the year

2:20:07 because they’re just doing

2:20:08 a really phenomenal job.

2:20:10 That’s it, Mr. Chair.

2:20:12 Awesome.

2:20:13 Thank you.

2:20:14 Mr. Chair.

2:20:15 All right.

2:20:16 So since the last time I was able to attend the Endeavor

2:20:19 Elementary Disney production,

2:20:21 it was a play.

2:20:22 What happened there was Disney Corporation awarded the Endeavor

2:20:27 a grant and they put

2:20:29 on a play of 101 Dalmations and it was wonderful to see those

2:20:34 kids.

2:20:34 It was as if they were on Broadway performing.

2:20:37 It was nice.

2:20:38 So if you haven’t seen that, there’s some clips of that on Brevard

2:20:42 schools, I think

2:20:43 on our web page and also on Endeavor’s web page as well.

2:20:48 So shout out to Principal Murphy there.

2:20:50 It was handled well.

2:20:51 The place was packed and Disney was there taking pictures and

2:20:55 video and it was wonderful.

2:20:57 So the other thing is congratulations to Ms. Taylor and the Merritt

2:21:02 Island High School

2:21:03 Student Government Association for being selected as the 2026

2:21:07 National Gold Council of Excellence.

2:21:10 Now this award, it recognizes student councils that maintain a

2:21:14 high standard in leadership,

2:21:17 service, engagement and student voice and only a handful of

2:21:21 these schools are selected

2:21:23 for this award.

2:21:24 So to Ms. Lubbers and the Student Government Association over

2:21:28 there, great job.

2:21:29 Ms. Bennett.

2:21:30 » Thank you, Mr. Trent.

2:21:31 I just want a real quick short one is that there’s an individual

2:21:35 out there that’s working

2:21:36 to coordinate all of our groups that we’re having host a lot of

2:21:41 our different elementary

2:21:43 school sports.

2:21:44 And so Gary Miracle has come in, I’m not sure if you know his

2:21:47 story, but he’s an amazing

2:21:49 individual, has come in to work with bringing in the Viera East

2:21:53 to host the Championship

2:21:55 for Golf, the different organizations like NFL Flag to host some

2:21:59 of the flag football

2:22:00 that we don’t have in middle school and all of those different

2:22:02 components.

2:22:03 So I just wanted to take a second and say thank you to him for

2:22:05 dedicating his time because

2:22:06 he doesn’t get paid on it.

2:22:07 He doesn’t get anything out of it.

2:22:09 He just cares about making a difference for our kids.

2:22:11 That’s it.

2:22:12 And I ask, does anybody have anything further to report, anybody

2:22:16 have any items they want

2:22:17 to talk about?

2:22:18 » Mr. Chair.

2:22:19 » Yes, sir.

2:22:20 I was going to come to you.

2:22:21 » Okay.

2:22:22 » Yeah, no, no, you go ahead.

2:22:23 You go ahead.

2:22:24 » Just want to make sure I don’t get left out.

2:22:25 » No, I do that sometimes.

2:22:26 I am going to bring, just so you guys know so you guys can start

2:22:28 focusing on it, I’m

2:22:28 going to bring the AI forward that you had asked to bring

2:22:32 forward at the next meeting

2:22:34 for discussion at the school at the workshop, just so you know.

2:22:36 So that you guys are aware, if you have anything you want to

2:22:39 reach out and stuff like that,

2:22:41 I’m going to bring it forward just for discussion.

2:22:42 We’re not making any decisions, but I want to hear where

2:22:45 everybody’s at with some of

2:22:46 their thoughts.

2:22:47 We got to get, I was realizing at our offsite, we got to get

2:22:49 ahead of that, and you had mentioned

2:22:51 we’re going to have that coming up.

2:22:52 If there’s any training or anything we have to do over the

2:22:54 summer, we better get ahead

2:22:55 of any kind of policies that we have.

2:22:56 So.

2:22:57 » Yeah.

2:22:58 I just, I wanted to throw out one thing.

2:22:59 No, did I lose, I had the, ah, I’m sorry, I had a business card.

2:23:03 We had, never mind, scratch that, I’ll tell it later when I find

2:23:06 the card.

2:23:06 » It’s fine.

2:23:07 Just wait if you guys have anything.

2:23:08 » Some free resources.

2:23:09 » Bring them forward.

2:23:10 That’s, that’ll be a good conversation, okay?

2:23:12 Dr. Endau.

2:23:13 » So, if anybody was watching our workshop earlier today, you

2:23:17 saw we had a surprise visit

2:23:18 at the end of the workshop with two of the leaders of our high

2:23:21 school robotics teams.

2:23:22 So, just before spring break, at the end of the week before

2:23:26 spring break, I had the honor

2:23:28 of attending the regional FIRST Robotics Competition in Orlando.

2:23:32 UCF has been hosting this competition for several years.

2:23:34 We have a lot of high schools that have robotics teams that

2:23:38 compete in this competition, and

2:23:40 I was just blown away by the dedication, the amount of time,

2:23:44 energy, and effort that these

2:23:46 students and their volunteer mentors and coaches have put in.

2:23:50 And we had over seven, well, we had seven different teams from

2:23:54 numerous high schools.

2:23:56 Some high schools have joint teams.

2:23:58 And just hundreds of kids from Brevard schools, public schools,

2:24:03 participating in that competition,

2:24:05 and they were amazing.

2:24:06 So, we had two of the leaders come and speak to the board today

2:24:09 at our workshops.

2:24:10 If you want to tune in and watch that, you can see at the end of

2:24:12 the workshop, they talk.

2:24:14 And then, on April 28th, they’re going to do a presentation at

2:24:18 the beginning of our

2:24:19 workshop.

2:24:20 So, if you’re at all interested in learning about the incredible

2:24:23 robotics teams that we

2:24:24 have here at our high schools in Brevard, I encourage you to

2:24:27 either attend the workshop

2:24:29 on April 28th, 1 o’clock right here, or at least watch it,

2:24:32 because they’re going to do

2:24:33 a demonstration, and we’re going to have a lot of their

2:24:36 leadership there to talk about

2:24:37 FIRST Robotics in Brevard County and what a great job they’re

2:24:40 doing.

2:24:40 So, I was just really, really amazed at what those students and

2:24:44 their mentors have done,

2:24:45 and we’re going to share that with the board in a couple weeks.

2:24:48 That’s it.

2:24:49 » Sounds good.

2:24:50 » Yeah.

2:24:51 » All right.

2:24:52 Does everybody – are you guys good to keep going, or do you

2:24:54 guys want to use the restroom?

2:24:56 You guys need a break?

2:24:57 » We got to recess first.

2:24:58 » Yeah, we have to recess.

2:25:00 » Let’s take a few minutes.

2:25:01 » Okay.

2:25:02 Let’s recess for five minutes.

2:25:03 [ Silence ]

2:25:04 [ Music ]

2:25:33 [ Silence ]