>> HI. I'M LYNN GRAY. CHAIR OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS, THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH OUR ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM.
>> HI. I'M DR. STACY HAHN, THE BOARD VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE 7th LARGEST IN AMERICA, AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT NEARLY 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY.
>> WE ARE DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC, IN WHAT WE DO.
>> YOU ARE WELCOME TO E-MAIL OR MEET WITH ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV, ON SPECTRUM CABLE CHANNEL 635 AND FRONTIER CABLE CHANNEL 32.
>> MEETINGS ARE STREAMED ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVES.
>> WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE'LL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND ANY SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org.
>> OUR VISION IS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE, AND THAT MEANS ALL STUDENTS, EVERY DAY. TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES, TODOS LOS DIAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP, WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. [ SOUNDING GAVEL ]
>>Lynn Gray: THE BOARD MEETING OF JULY 27, 2021 IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. AND GOOD AFTERNOON. MEMBER HAHN, WILL YOU DO US THE PLEASURE OF A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE.
>>Stacy Hahn: AS WE GATHER TODAY, WE ASK FOR GUIDANCE IN MATTERS AT HAND AND ASK FOR CLEAR VIEW TO SHOW US HOW TO CONDUCT OUR WORK WITH THE SPIRIT OF JOY AND ENTHUSIASM. WE ASK FOR -- SORRY. WE ASK FOR A DESIRE TO FIND WAYS TO EXCEL IN OUR WORK. AND WE ASK THAT EVERYBODY IN TONIGHT'S MEETING HAVE A VOICE AND FEEL HEARD. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. WE HAVE NO WITHDRAWN ITEMS TODAY. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. WILL THERE BE ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. THANK YOU. IT'S UNANIMOUS. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT EITHER IN THE BOARDROOM OR BY REMOTE. THE MINUTES. WE HAVE TWO SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY. JULY 13th, 2021, SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND JULY 20th, 2021 SPECIAL-CALLED BOARD MEETING. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. I HAVE A MOTION BY JESSICA VAUGHN AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. OKAY. IT'S UNANIMOUS. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. FOR PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES, WE ARE PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. KEEP ONE CHAIR OPEN BETWEEN FAMILIES. WELL, THERE IT IS. OKAY. AS A REMINDER, THIS AS NONPARTISAN BOARD, AND THE BOARD IS ASKED TO CONSIDER OUR CHILDREN'S INTERESTS AND NEEDS FIRST TO PAVE THE WAY FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS AND/OR QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARD, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU'RE ASKED TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE OR ASK THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THAT PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEM. MEMBER HAHN, WILL YOU NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES?
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING, LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME THAT ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS, AND THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON THE LIVE WEBCAST, ON CABLE TV, AND ON A VIDEO MONITOR HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT CAN ALSO BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. WE HAVE TWO ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN. 5:01 P.M. WILL BE THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MILLAGE RATES AND TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR THE 2021-2022 FISCAL YEAR. AT 6 P.M., WE HAVE EMPLOYEE INPUT. AND AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE'RE GOING TO GO RIGHT TO THE RECOGNITIONS. AND BEFORE WE GET INTO THE BIG ONE -- ACTUALLY, I THINK WE HAVE TWO BIG ONES -- WE HAVE NOT NECESSARILY SMALL IN SIZE BUT BIG IN INFLUENCE FOR WHAT NATHAN SPRINGER STANDS FOR, AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MEMBER SNIVELY PRESENT.
>>Melissa Snively: OH, SURE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE ONE OF OUR BOY SCOUTS WHO'S IN THE ROOM TODAY WORKING ON A COUPLE OF MERIT BADGES. NATHAN SPRINGER WITH TROOP 61 OUT OF VALRICO. COULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TELL EVERYBODY WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL AND WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON TODAY. THANK YOU.
>> I AM A STUDENT AT BLOOMINGDALE HIGH SCHOOL. I'M HERE WITH TROOP 61, AND I'M WORKING ON COMMUNICATIONS MERIT BADGE.
>>Melissa Snively: FANTASTIC. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO TODAY.
>> I HAVE TO LISTEN TO TWO SIDES OF AN ARGUMENT AND HEAR -- [ LAUGHTER ] -- AND PICK A SIDE -- OH, DISCUSSION, SORRY. DISCUSSION. AND I HAVE TO LOOK AT BOTH SIDES AND WHAT THEIR PROS AND CONS ARE. I ALSO HAVE TO PICK A SIDE ON IT.
>>Melissa Snively: AND THEN REPORT BACK TO YOUR MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR. THIS IS GOING TO BE A REALLY GOOD MEETING FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO TWO SIDES. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR COMING ALL THE WAY OUT FROM VALRICO. THANK YOU, DAD, MIKE SPRINGER, WHO JOINS US AS WELL TODAY IN SUPPORT OF HIS SON'S PROGRESS IN BOY SCOUTS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE MEETING TODAY. THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ]
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER SNIVELY, FOR THAT WONDERFUL RECOGNITION. WE'RE GOING TO NOW GO INTO RECOGNIZING OUR HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION, KIM JOWELL, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE MANY -- I THINK WE HAVE A FEW GUESTS, BUT I'D LOVE TO HAVE THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP FROM THE BOARD, MEMBER HAHN, DO THIS PRESENTATION.
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. IT'S MY HONOR TO DO THIS TODAY, NOT JUST AS A LIFELONG EDUCATOR, BUT AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, AND I ALSO HAVE THE HONOR AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO SIT ON THE BOARD OF THE HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION. IS KIM JOWELL HERE? STAND UP. CAN YOU INTRODUCE THE FOLKS YOU BROUGHT TODAY? THANK YOU.
>> [NOT SPEAKING INTO A MICROPHONE]
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU FOR ALL JOINING US TONIGHT. KIM, I HAVE WORKED WITH YOU SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD, AND IT'S REALLY BEEN A PLEASURE, AND AS AN EDUCATOR AND WORKING AT USF AND A TEACHER, I'VE HAD MANY YEARS INTERACTING IN DIFFERENT WAYS. AS A BOARD MEMBER, IT'S REALLY OBVIOUSLY, I WORK MORE WITH HEF, AND I'VE LEARNED A LOT MORE ABOUT THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. I'M JUST SO -- I FEEL THAT THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS DISTRICT IS INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AT THE HEM AT HEF. BECAUSE IT IS MORE IMPACTFUL TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE IN OUR DISTRICT. I HOPE YOU ALL WILL INDULGE ME AT HOME AND HERE IN THE ROOM WHILE I READ THIS LETTER, BECAUSE I CAN READ HIGHLIGHTS, BUT I REALLY WANT TO READ IT INTO THE RECORD BECAUSE IT'S AS MUCH RECOGNIZING HEF, BUT I DON'T THINK ANY OF THESE THINGS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT YOU AS THEIR LEADER. IT'S REALLY A RECOGNITION FOR YOU. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS RECOGNIZES THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION TOTALING $6,155,871 IN SERVICE, PROGRAMMING, SUPPLIES, AND SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDED TO THE STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND TEACHERS. UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, WITH BACKING OF THE HILLSBOROUGH ED FOUNDATION BOARD, YOU IMPLEMENTED THE DIGITAL EQUITY INITIATIVE. FACED WITH A DIGITAL EQUITY DIVIDE, EXACERBATED BY THE PANDEMIC, HEF RESPONDED TO CLOSE THE GAP BY PROVIDING THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO COMPLETE HOMEWORK AND EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND THE CLASSROOM FOR 1,733 VULNERABLE STUDENTS. THIS HOME CLASSROOM CONNECTION PROVIDED THE ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR FAMILIES TO OVERCOME E-LEARNING CHALLENGES WHEN FACED WITH DIGITAL GAPS. THE EFFORT OF DEDICATED HEF STAFF TO IMPROVE DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG BOTH STUDENTS AND PARENTS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL COACHING, RESOURCES, AND ONGOING SUPPORT THROUGH THE 222 -- 2022 SCHOOL YEAR CONTINUES TO BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THE OUTREACH OF THE TEACHING TOOLS RESOURCE CENTER WAS UNPRECEDENTED THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR. WITH PANDEMIC PROTOCOLS LIMITING ON-SITE SHOPPING EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS AT THE TEACHING TOOLS RESOURCE CENTER, YOUR STAFF CREATIVELY CONTINUED SUPPORTING SCHOOLS BY PROVIDING CONTACT LISTS -- CONTACTLESS CURBSIDE PICKUP OR LIMITED SHOPPING EXPERIENCES WHERE SOCIAL DISTANCING COULD OCCUR FOLLOWING THE CDC COVID GUIDELINES. THE EXPANSION OF THE DIRECT SHIP PROGRAM REINFORCED THE COMMITMENT HEF HAD TO ENHANCE TEACHER'S ABILITY TO HELP STUDENTS REACH THEIR GOALS. OVER $2,870,800 WORTH OF SUPPLIES FOUND THEIR WAY INTO STUDENTS' HANDS TO SUPPORT ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION. HEF'S CLASSROOM AND SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS, ALONG WITH TEACHER DEVELOPMENT AND RECOGNITION, CONTINUES TO SUPPORT OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND GOALS. EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS BUILD STRONG SCHOOL CULTURES WHICH ENABLES STUDENTS TO THRIVE. EACH YEAR, THROUGH THE EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARDS, THE DISTRICT'S EMPLOYEES ARE RECOGNIZED AND CELEBRATED IN MEANINGFUL WAYS. THE 2021 MASQUERADE THEME WAS TIMELY AND THE ONLINE EVENT CREATED A MEMORABLE EVENING RECOGNIZING 678 SCHOOL SITE NOMINEES, 9 FINALISTS, AND 3 WINNERS IN THE 20-21 SCHOOL YEAR. OUR STUDENTS WERE AWARDED OVER $1 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS FROM THE FOUNDATION. WITH COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS INITIATIVES TO BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF EMPLOYEES AND LEADERS, HEF INVESTS IN INITIATIVES THAT POSITIVELY INFLUENCE TEACHING QUALITY AND INCREASE GRADUATION RATES THUS STRENGTHENING A THRIVING WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW AND THE SUSTAINABLE PROSPERITY OF TAMPA BAY. MARYANNE WRIGHT ELDMAN SAYS EDUCATION IS FOR IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OTHERS AND LEAVING YOUR COMMUNITY AND WORLD BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT. THE WORK OF KIM JOWELL AND THE HEF FOUNDATION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES THE LIVES OF STUDENTS, FAMILIES, TEACHERS, AND SCHOOLS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO IT IS WITH EXTREME GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION THAT THIS BOARD AND THIS SUPERINTENDENT THANKS YOU, KIM, YOUR FOUNDATION, YOUR BOARD, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND IN OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW EVEN AS A BOARD MEMBER WITH THE LITERACY FAIRS, YOU HAVE DONATED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS' WORTH OF BOOKS TO THOSE FAIRS. SO THAT'S NOT REFLECTED IN THIS LETTER, BUT IT IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE DONE AND I GREATLY APPRECIATE AS A BOARD MEMBER AS WELL. PLEASE CONGRATULATE HEF. [ APPLAUSE ] YOU'LL BE GETTING A COPY OF THIS LETTER, SO YOU CAN SHARE IT WITH YOUR BOARD, AND THERE YOU GO. SAY IT AND IT IS DONE. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT AND ALL YOU DO. AGAIN, NONE OF THAT THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP, AND THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. YOU DEFINITELY HAVE LEFT A BEAUTIFUL LEGACY IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. I AM SO ENAMORED WITH SEEING ROYCE REED. I RECOGNIZE YOU. I'VE SEEN YOU IN A LOT OF PLACES. YOU MIGHT NOT RECOGNIZE ME BUT I RECOGNIZE YOU. AND BOARD VICE-CHAIR CHRIS TAYLOR, CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER ANA COLEMAN AND CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER MIKE McCOLIN. BOARD MEMBERS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ANY STATEMENTS, BUT WE ALL JOIN IN DR. MEMBER HAHN. DR. MEMBER CO-CHAIR HAHN, WITH THE PRIDE AND JOY OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO THEIR INITIATIVES, AND IT WORKS THE OTHER WAY. YOU ALL MADE A DIFFERENCE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE WELFARE AND WELL-BEING OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND YOUR COMMITMENT IS JUST WITHOUT A DOUBT SO APPRECIATED. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. I KNOW THAT KIM WANTS TO THROW HER PHONE EVERY TIME I CALL HER BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT HELP, MONEY, IDENTIFYING A GAP, BUT YOU'VE BEEN REMARKABLE, YOUR RESILIENCE, DEDICATION, COMMITMENT TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT FOR CHILDREN FOR THOSE WHO ESPECIALLY NEED IT IN THE COMMUNITY. YOU AND YOUR TEAM, MR. REED, AND EVERYONE ELSE HAS BEEN SO INCLUSIVE IN THIS PROCESS. WHILE WE WERE STRUGGLING DURING THE PANDEMIC, YOU STOOD WITH US AND WE WERE ABLE TO TRIAGE AND PROVIDE A SENSE OF HOPE TO SO MANY CHILDREN IN THE COMMUNITY. DR. HAHN SAID IT BEAUTIFULLY TONIGHT, ALL THE ELEMENTS IN THE PROJECTS, THE INITIATIVES AND THE TARGETS THAT YOU HELPED US HIT WERE BECAUSE OF YOUR GENEROSITY AND YOUR KINDNESS AND YOUR DEDICATION TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING A PARTNER.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. YOU MAY BE SEATED, UNLESS WE HAVE ANOTHER COMMENT. MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I AM A NEWER BOARD MEMBER, SO I HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERFACE WITH YOU AS MUCH AS MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS, BUT THE FEW TIMES THAT I HAVE AND THE STUFF I'VE SEEN YOU BRING FORWARD HAS JUST BEEN PHENOMENAL. EVEN IN MY SHORT TIME, I AGREE. I JUST WANT TO KIND OF COSIGN ON TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR PARTNERSHIP AND WE REALLY DO, EVEN THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR DISTRICT. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Stacy Hahn: I WILL ADD, I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF VOLUNTEERING IN THE LEARNING TOOLS STORE. IT MIGHT BE NICE IF ALL OF US SIGN UP FOR A DAY TO GO TOGETHER AND VOLUNTEER TOGETHER IN THE STORE FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET BOARD MEMBERS OUT THERE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANKS, KIM. YOU'RE ON DUTY. THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN, FOR ANOTHER SITUATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND OURSELVES IN, BUT IT'S A GREAT THING. WE'RE GOING TO GET GOING HERE ON THE PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DO HAVE MANY FOLKS WAITING.
>>Jim Porter: CHAIR GRAY, YOU MIGHT WANT TO ALSO REMIND PEOPLE THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A 5:01 PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET THAT HAS TO HAPPEN THEN, THAT PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE INTERRUPTED AT THAT POINT TO GO TO THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN YOU CAN RESUME.
>>Lynn Gray: I HAVE IT DOWN HERE TO SHARE. THANK YOU. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS AND OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND KEEP THE BOARD INFORMED ABOUT THE RESPONSES. OUR SCHOOL BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING YOUR TIME TO BE HERE. HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD, COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR STAFF MEMBER, BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. WE DO HAVE A 5:01 P.M. TIME-CERTAIN PUBLIC HEARING ON MILLAGE RATES AND BUDGET. SO WE MAY HAVE TO BREAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THAT PUBLIC HEARING. BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER THE HEARING CLOSES. BOARD MEMBERS, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU A QUESTION FOR CONSENSUS IN JUST A MOMENT. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE. AS A REMINDER OF OUR WAY OF WORK, WE HAVE ALLOTTED 45 MINUTES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. BOARD MEMBERS, WOULD YOU ALLOW ME TO SAY -- GIVE THEM 60 MINUTES BECAUSE WE HAVE ABOUT 60 SPEAKERS. WE WILL GO AHEAD AND HAVE A MINUTE EACH. I'VE KIND OF BRIEFED THE SPEAKERS OUTSIDE IN THE LOBBY. SO I THINK THEY HAVE ALL PRACTICED A POINT OF VIEW TO SHARE. AT TIMES LIKE TODAY, WHEN THERE IS AN ISSUE OF GREAT INTEREST, WE COULD CHOOSE TO EXTEND THAT TIME FOR AN HOUR. IT LOOKS LIKES WE JUST DID. THIS AFTERNOON, EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE ONE MINUTE. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU WILL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN. A RED LIGHT AND A CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. NOW I WILL CALL THE FIRST SPEAKERS, AND BE REMINDED, SPEAKERS, YOU CAN QUEUE UP AND THEN WE'LL HAVE YOU GO TO THE PODIUM. WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED YOU'LL GO THROUGH THE MIDDLE AISLE AND OUT THE EAST EXIT WHICH THERE -- MS. CROSS WILL BE THERE TO HELP WITH THE EXIT. I'LL CALL OUT TEN NAMES AT A TIME. SCOTT HOUGHTON STEIN, JAMES CASS TANO, ICE SACK CHANK. SCOTT, COME ON UP.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M SCOTT HOUGHTONSTEIN. PLEASE READ THE STATEMENT THAT IS BEING DISTRIBUTED NOW. LAST YEAR, A FORMER STUDENT OF MINE CHOSE TO ATTEND SCHOOL IN PERSON RATHER THAN ONLINE. DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, THIS STUDENT WAS QUARANTINED SIX TIMES DUE TO EXPOSURE TO COVID-POSITIVE STUDENTS. SHE COULD NO LONGER CHOOSE TO GO TO SCHOOL. NOW, IMAGINE IT'S NOT A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FROM LAST YEAR, BUT A THIRD-GRADE STRUGGLING READER THIS YEAR WHO MUST BE QUARANTINED MULTIPLE TIMES. EXACTLY HOW WILL WE SUPPORT AND FEED THAT STUDENT WHO MUST QUARANTINE FOR FIVE OR TEN OR FIFTEEN DAYS? CANVAS, ONLINE TECHNOLOGY, THAT WON'T CUT IT. IF CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS OLD CANNOT RECEIVE A VACCINATION BUT WE WANT TO KEEP THESE STUDENTS IN SCHOOL AND OUT OF QUARANTINE WHILE THE DELTA VARIANT IS SPREADING IN CHILDREN, WE NEED TO REQUIRE MASKS IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: JAMES AND THEN ISAAC, AND THEN BROOKE, EMMA, LAURA, AND WE'LL KEEP GOING.
>> HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS PUBLIC ADVOCATES. PLEASE VOTE YES TO LOBBYIST REGISTRATION SIMILAR TO BCC. VOTE TO TERMINATE THE FOUR CHARTER SCHOOLS YOU CORRECTLY CHARACTERIZED AS VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW ON JUNE 15th. PUSH THE STATE TO RELEASE THE ESSER FUNDS. LET'S COLLABORATE TO CREATE A COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL TO HELP UNDERPERFORMING AND TRANSITIONAL SCHOOLS. I TAKE UMBRAGE WITH AN AUTHORITARIAN UNELECTED OFFICIAL IN TALLAHASSEE CRYING OUTRAGE OVER OUR ELECTED SCHOOL OFFICIALS CALLING THEM LAWLESSNESS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU.
>> IT'S LAWLESSNESS STATING THAT THE DOE IS THREATENING THE 7th LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE NATION BY THREATENING RECEIVESHIP OVER A BUDGETARY MATTER BY WITHHOLDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER SCHOOL -- OVER THE SCHOOL BOARD'S MONEY REGARDING THAT VERY SAME VOTE. LET'S COLLABORATE TO FIND A COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL TO FIX OUR STRUGGLING SCHOOLS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. JUST AS A REMINDER, SPEAKERS, PLEASE MENTION YOUR WHOLE NAME SO WE ALL CAN HEAR. THANK YOU. ISAAC CHANG.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. MY NAME IS ISAAC CHANG, 2019 GRADUATE FROM MIDDLETON HIGH SCHOOL AND CURRENTLY ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA. I'VE COME TO SPEAK ABOUT HOW OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT RECEIVING THE PROPER FUNDING THAT THEY DESERVE. PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE THE EXTRACURRICULARS AND ELECTIVES THAT PRODUCE STUDENTS OF QUALITY AND SUCCESS. I KNOW STUDENTS AND FRIENDS WHO LIVE ALL THE WAY IN FISHHAWK RANCH, VALRICO, LAND O'LAKES AND BRANDON WHO DRIVE FAR TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL. THE STUDENTS AND CLASSES THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS OFFER SUCH AS MAGNET AND IB PROGRAMS CANNOT BE GIVEN AT ANY CHARTER SCHOOL. THAT ONE TO TWO HOUR DAILY COMMUTE DOES NOT MAKE THE ACADEMICS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS WORTHWHILE IF THEY ARE NOT GIVEN THE ATTENTION AND FUNDING THEY NEED. ALSO KEEP IN MIND PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS DO NOT CATER TO THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THAT SCHOOL. TO FIX OUR UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS, WE NEED A LONG-TERM SOLUTION USING A COMMUNITY BASED MODEL, A RIGOROUS PROGRAM MODEL ADDED TO UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL FIXES THE SCHOOL GRADE IN THE SHORT TERM BUT DOES NOT SOLVE THE DISPARITY ISSUES FOR ALL STUDENTS IN THE LONG RUN. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU.
>> ANA CLARK. I'M A PHYSICIAN. I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO BE AWARE THAT THE DELTA VARIANT IS SURGING IN TAMPA BAY. I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE TEST POSITIVITY OF 18% LAST WEEK. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A RETURN TO NORMALCY. IF YOU RECALL, WE CLOSED SCHOOLS FOR 10% LAST FALL. AMONG THOSE HOSPITALIZED, APPROXIMATELY 90% ARE UNVACCINATED, BUT MY ELDERS CASES IN VACCINATED ADULTS ARE COMMON. THIS IS HAPPENING DUE TO LOW VACCINATION RATES WHICH ALLOWS THE VIRUS TO MUTATE. I HOPE EVERYONE WILL MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS BASED ON THIS DATA AND NEW CDC GUIDANCE FROM TODAY, WHICH I SEE MEMBER VAUGHN IS FOLLOWING, ALTHOUGH PEDIATRIC CASES TEND TO BE MILD, SEVERE ILLNESS AND PEDIATRIC DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA. WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THE CHOICES WE MAKE AFFECT NOT ONLY OURSELVES BUT VULNERABLE PEOPLE SUCH AS THE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED. 180 TAMPA BAY PHYSICIANS WROTE YOU LAST WEEK REGARDING THESE ISSUES. THANK YOU.
>> BROOKE ELKINS. I AM HERE TODAY TO REQUEST MASKING FOR K-8 STUDENTS. WE RECENTLY HAVE SEEN THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS, ALL RETURNING STUDENTS SHOULD BE WEARING MASKS. THE CDC, WHICH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLICLY CLAIMS TO FOLLOW MADE A SIMILAR STATEMENT RECOMMENDING MASKS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT FULLY VACCINATED. BY LISTENING TO BOTH OF THESE PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS, THIS MEANS EVERY CHILD IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND MOST MIDDLE SCHOOLERS WOULD FALL INTO BOTH OF THESE REFERENCE CATEGORIES. WE ALL HEARD DESANTIS AND CORCORAN MAKE THE STATEMENT THAT MASKS WON'T BE FINAL HOWEVER WE KNOW FINAL SAY ON MASKING LIES WITH THE BOARD AND THE GOVERNOR IS OVERREACHING AGAIN. IT IS ALSO WORTH MENTIONING THAT GOVERNORS IN OTHER STATES HAVE MADE SIMILAR PROCLAMATIONS BUT SEVERAL COUNTIES HAVE DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH A STUDENT MASK REQUIREMENT FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR STUDENTS. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WERE APPOINTED FOR A JOB OF LEADING HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ENSURING THE SAFETY AND QUALITY EDUCATION CHILDREN DESERVE. LATELY IT SEEMS THE POWER OF THE BOARD DOESN'T REST IN THIS ROOM. IF WE ARE JUST BLINDLY FOLLOWING AROUND DESANTIS AND CORCORAN FOR EVERYTHING, WHAT IS THE NEED FOR OUR SCHOOL BOARD?
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, LAURA KIRK FOLLOWED BY VICTORIA McDONALD.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS LAURA KIRKS. IT IS TIME TO REINSTITUTE THE UNIVERSAL MASKING IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE EMERGENCE OF THE DELTA VARIANT HAS THROWN A WRENCH IN AN OTHERWISE SUCCESSFUL MITIGATION PLAN FOR COVID-19. THE CDC IS ANNOUNCING UPDATED GUIDELINES PRESENTLY TO INCLUDE MASKING WITHOUT REGARD FOR VACCINATION STATUS. YOU TOUT TAMPA GENERAL AS YOUR PARTNER. WITH WHOM AT TAMPA GENERAL ARE YOU SPEAKING AND WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU? ARE THEY PREPARED TO PLACE THEIR NAME ON A DECISION THAT DEFIES THE CDC AND THE AAP? ARE YOU? IF YOU'RE BASING YOUR DECISION MAKING ON ADVICE FROM TAMPA GENERAL THEN WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT THEY SAID AND WHO SAID IT. I HEARD BACK FROM MORE THAN ONE OF YOU THAT YOU'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT OTHER COUNTIES WILL DO. THE VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD KEPT MASKS MANDATED. NEW YORK CITY, L.A., CHICAGO, THEY ARE ALL REQUIRING MASKS, AND IN ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IN CLAYTON AND IN DeKALB, MASKS ARE MANDATED. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU TO LEAD NOT TO FOLLOW. WE'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, VERONICA, THEN ANSLEY AND THEN BRIANNA.
>> FIRST, I WANT TO THANK SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS FOR DROPPING THE EASTER EGG AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP THIS MORNING THAT HE'LL BE KEEPING MASKS OPTIONAL FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. I CHOSE TO FOCUS MY SPEECH ELSEWHERE. I DO WISH YOU WOULD HAVE ANSWERED MY TEXT EARLIER IN THE WEEK WHEN SPECIFICALLY ASKED ABOUT THE MATTER. MY DAUGHTER DID WRITE HER SPEECH ON MASKS SO YOU COULD TELL HER PERSONALLY INSTEAD OF THE COWARDLY WAY. INSTEAD I'LL TALK ABOUT THE COMPUTER PURCHASES. BUS WORKERS, CAFETERIA WORKERS, CUSTODIAL STAFF DENIED OVER AND OVER AGAIN BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY. YET HERE WE ARE LOOKING TO APPROVE $25 MILLION FOR COMPUTERS. WE CAN'T PROVIDE A BONUS FOR EMPLOYEES MANY OF WHOM HAVE UNDERTAKEN HAZARDOUS WORK OR GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND THEIR DUTY. THE COMPUTER PURCHASE MAY BE A GREAT DEAL THAN THE CURRENT CHROME BOOKS. WE NEED TO WAIT UNTIL MONEY IS RECEIVED FROM ESSER, PAY FOR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS AND THEN MOVE TO BECOMING A ONE-TO-ONE DISTRICT AND INCREASING CHILDREN'S SCREEN TIME ON USELESS PROGRAMS. TECH OVER TEACHERS. PAY OUR ESPs --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. ANSLEY, YOU'RE NEXT. FOLLOWED BY BRIANNA DeMARCO. THEN WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT TEN.
>> MY NAME IS ANSLEY McDONALD. I AM 11 YEARS OLD. MASKS SHOULD BE MANDATORY IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR COVID STILL HASN'T GONE AWAY AND ALL KIDS IN ELEMENTARY AND MANY SIXTH GRADERS CAN'T GET COVID SHOTS. I HAVE A HEART OF DEFECT CALLED TGA. I HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY AT ONLY TEN DAYS OLD. I'M CAUTIOUS ABOUT COVID CASES INCREASING IN OUR SCHOOLS SO YOU CAN EITHER MAKE MASKS MANDATORY OR HAVE EVERYONE SOCIAL DISTANCE. IF THERE ARE 24 KIDS IN A CLASS, THE LINES WOULD HAVE TO BE 144 FEET LONG AND THEN THERE ARE SWITCHING CLASSES SO THE HALLWAYS HAVE TO BE SIX FEET IN WIDTH AND THERE'S NO SCHOOL DESIGNED LIKE THAT. THE ONLY OPTION IS TO MAKE MASKS MANDATORY IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS UNTIL THE VACCINE IS APPROVED FOR ALL CHILDREN. COVID CASES ARE NOT DECLINING, SO WE MUST TAKE ACTION AND DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO HAVE COVID GO AWAY. FOR THE MORE COVID IS AROUND, THE MORE IT WILL MUTATE AND ALREADY AN 87% INCREASE IN COVID-19 CASES IN THE KIDS UNDER AGE OF 12 ACCORDING TO FOX NEWS. PLEASE MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE AND KEEP OUR SCHOOLS SAFE. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SWEETHEART. NEXT, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT TEN, BRIANNEO DeMARCO, HOPE, MARK KLUTHO, LISA JOHNSON, NAOMI EDWARDS, ALLISON FERNANDEZ, JAMIE HENDRICKS, JOSIE FIQQI, DEBRA CELSA, JAMIE WYNNE, AND CANDACE HENRIQUEZ. BRIANNA.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M BRIANNA DeMARCO. IN LIGHT OF NEW CDC GUIDELINES THAT JUST CAME OUT TODAY RECOMMENDING ALL PEOPLE IN AREAS WITH HIGH TRANSMISSION RESUME INDOOR MASK WEARING AS WELL AS THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, I'M ASKING THIS BOARD TO REVISIT AND CHANGE ITS DECISION TO MAKE FACE COVERINGS OPTIONAL FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON ALL CHILDREN, NOT JUST OUR OWN, AND MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON SCIENCE AND THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF EVERYONE. MASKING IS A SIMPLE RISK MITIGATION THAT WE CAN AND SHOULD USE. SOCIAL DISTANCING IS NOT AN OPTION, NOR IS THE VACCINE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 12. I URGE YOU TO UPDATE YOUR POLICY ON FACE COVERINGS TO REFLECT THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON SCIENCE AND RESEARCH FOR THE NEXT UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: HOPE BRILLHART FOLLOWED BY MARK KLUTHO AND LISA JOHNSON. GOOD AFTERNOON.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS HOPE BRILLHART. I'M A HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT. LAST FRIDAY, I COMPLETED A FIVE-WEEK DANCE INTENSIVE WHICH I TOOK CLASSES FROM 9:30 TO 4:30 ON WEEKDAYS AND HAD TWO OR THREE CLASSES ON SATURDAYS. I MUST SAY, THEY DON'T CALL IT AN INTENSIVE FOR NOTHING. DANCERS TOOK VERY DEMANDING CLASSES AND LEARNED LONG PIECES OF CHOREOGRAPHY. WHY IS ALL OF THIS RELEVANT? BECAUSE EVERY DANCER AND FACULTY MEMBER WORE A MASK. THOSE WHO DO NOT WANTS TO MANDATE MASKS IN FALL WILL SAY MASKS IMPAIR LEARNING. IF A MASK DOES NOT AFFECT MY ABILITY TO TAKE HOURS OF DANCE, IT WILL NOT PREVENT STUDENTS AT A DESK. MASKS ONLY WORK WHEN EVERYONE IS WEARING THEM. MAKING MASKS OPTIONAL DOES NOTHING BUT PUT STUDENTS IN DANGER. THE NEW DELTA VARIANT IS 225% MORE TRANSMISSIBLE THEN REGULAR COVID. HILLSBOROUGH POSITIVITY RATE IS AT 18%. DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME IT WAS THAT HIGH? TRICK QUESTION. IT NEVER HAS BEEN. REQUIRING MASKS IS THE LEAST YOU CAN DO TO KEEP --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MARK KLUTHO, LISA JOHNSON, NAOMI EDWARDS. KEVIN, CAN WE LOOK AT THE NOISE AND SEE IF WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT? THANK YOU.
>> MARK KLUTHO. FLORIDA IS NUMBER ONE, AND THAT DELTA VARIANT, IT'LL GET YA. HOW ABOUT THAT. I CAN SPEAK WITH THE MASK. WEARING THE MASK AH, THESE CRYBABIES. IT'S SO SAD. 703, APPROVE THE TENTATIVE 21-22 FACILITIES FIVE-YEAR WORK PLAN. WHAT A BOONDOGGLE THAT WILL BE. YES, SINCE I'VE BEEN COMING TO THE SCHOOL BOARD WITH THE SCIENCE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE SOLAR BUILDING. I ESTIMATE OVER 5 MILLION DOLLARS' WORTH OF BAD BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN MADE. AND WHAT'S HAPPENED? THE CARBON HAS BEEN BELCHED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED. THE FIRES.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. KLUTHO. LISA JOHNSON, NAOMI EDWARDS, ALLISON FERNANDEZ, JAMIE HENDRICKS. GOOD AFTERNOON.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. I PRESENT THE BOARD WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT. MY NAME IS LISA JOHNSON. I'M A PARENT OF A CHILD IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL. BEFORE I MAKE MY PETITION I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT FOR YOUR PART IN PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR LIFE. THAT BEING SAID, I'M HERE TO SEEK THE BOARD'S INTERVENTION ON BEHALF OF MY DAUGHTER. THE ACADEMIC YEAR, THIS ACADEMIC YEAR, MY DAUGHTER NAOMI EDWARDS WILL BE A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IN THE DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM AT LENNARD HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAD HOPED HER HARD WORK WOULD ALLOW HER TO ENTER AS EARLY ADMISSION AT HCC. DUE TO A MISTAKE BY THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR WE'RE TOLD SHE IS INELIGIBLE. THE RECOURSE IS ADD ADDITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL WORK THAT SHE DOES NOT NEED. THIS IS A MISTAKE THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR MADE WHILE REPRESENTATIVES AT LENNARD HAVE BEEN APOLOGETIC, HCC REMAINS UNYIELDING. WE'RE HERE TO ASK THE BOARD TO INTERVENE AND PREVENT DERAILING NAOMA'S FINAL YEAR. WE'RE NOT ASKING TO OVERTURN THE COSMOS, WE ONLY NEED A SIGNATURE --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. EDWARDS. NAOMI EDWARDS. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, LET'S GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS THAT.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR, I HAVE THE CHIEF OF SCHOOL WHO WILL MAKE THE CONNECTION. TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. NEXT WILL BE NAOMI EDWARDS, ALLISON FERNANDEZ. I BELIEVE, ALLISON, YOU'RE NEXT. SORRY, GO AHEAD, FOLLOWED BY JAMIE HENDRICKS AND THEN JOSIE FIQQI.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. ALLISON FERNANDEZ. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU ALL TO FOLLOW THE SCIENCE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT MASK MANDATES AND UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A WHOLE CHILD INVOLVED, PEOPLE WHO WANT CHILDREN TO BE MASKED DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR ARE LOOKING AT ONE FACTOR, NOTICE THAT THE DELTA VARIANT AS WELL AS THE ORIGINAL VARIANT CHILDREN HAVE AN EXTREMELY HIGH RATE OF RECOVERY. MEANWHILE, WE HAVE SEEN SKYROCKETING OBESITY RATES, STRESS LEVELS, DRUG USAGE, AND MANY OTHER VERY BAD RESULTS FROM ISOLATING STUDENTS, MASK WEARING, THE BACTERIA IN THE MASKS. SO IF WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS TO PROTECT STUDENTS, WHY AREN'T WE PROTECTING THE WHOLE STUDENT AND NOT JUST ONE FACTOR? THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ]
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, JAMIE HENDRICKS, JOSIE FIQQI, DEBRA CELSA, JAMIE WYNNE, AND CANDACE HENRIQUEZ.
>> GOOD EVENING. JAMIE HENDRICKS. I'M A MATH TUTOR HERE IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA. ONE OF THE SOURCES -- I'M SORRY. I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TONIGHT TO KEEP PRESSURE ON TALLAHASSEE FOR COCHRAN'S OFFICE TO DO THEIR JOB AND SECURE AND DISTRIBUTE THE REMAINING ESSER MONEY. HE ALREADY MISSED THE JUNE 7th DEADLINE AS I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE. LET'S KEEP THE PRESSURE ON HIM, BOTH FROM YOU, THE SCHOOL BOARD AND ALSO FROM US, THE GENERAL PUBLIC. WE'LL HELP TO YOU KEEP PUSHING HIM TO GET THIS MONEY DISTRIBUTED TO THE SCHOOLS. IT IS NOT JUST YOUR JOB, IT IS ALSO OUR JOB AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO HAVE YOUR BACK. WE CANNOT ALLOW THE CONTINUED PRIVATIZATION OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. COCHRAN IS ON RECORD AT HILLSDALE COLLEGE SAYING HE WANTS 50% OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BE PRIVATIZED. BY WITHHOLDING THE FUNDING THROUGH THE ESSER FUNDING BY WITHHOLDING THAT, HE IS CONTINUALLY HURTING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE. AGAIN, WE HAVE YOUR BACK AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP US GET THE MONEY DISTRIBUTED TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. JOSIE FIQQI. DEBRA CELSA, JAMIE WYNNE, AND THEN KANSAS HENRIQUEZ AND WE'LL CALL UP THE NEXT TEN.
>> MY NAME IS JOSIE FIQQI. I RESIDE IN DISTRICT 6. SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, AND OUR OWN LOCAL MEDIA ARE FEARMONGERING THE PEOPLE SO THEY CAN SILENCE THE NEXT GENERATION. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PROTECTION OF CHILDREN OR ADULTS. FORCING MASKS AND VACCINES IS UNJUST IDENTIFY, TYRANNICAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL. MASKS SHOULD REMAIN OPTIONAL. THOMAS JEFFERSON SAID IF WE LET THE PEOPLE GOVERN -- IF WE LET THE GOVERNMENT DECIDE WHICH FOODS THEY EAT AND INTERMITTENCE THEY TAKE -- MEDICINES THEY TAKE, THEIR SOULS WILL BE LIKE THOSE LIVING YOU DID TYRANNY. HOW DID YOU GET THE GERMAN PEOPLE TO ACCEPT THAT YOU WILL? GORING SIMPLY REPLIED, IT WAS EASY AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH NAZISM. THE ONLY THING THE GOVERNMENT NEEDED TO DO TO TURN PEOPLE INTO SLAVES WAS USE FEAR. IF YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING TO SCARE THEM, YOU CAN MAKE THEM DO ANYTHING YOU WANT. THESE ARE SCARE TACTICS USED TO ENFORCE ON PEOPLE IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES AND COUNTRIES UNDER AUTHORITARIAN RULE. WE KNOW HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS IS ONE OF THE WORST DISTRICTS IN THE STATE RANKING IN 43% BELOW AVERAGE ACCORDING TO GREAT SCHOOLS.ORG.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] NEXT, DEBRA CELSA, JAMIE WYNNE, AND CANDACE ENRESUCCESSES.
>> HI THERE. DEBRA SETZER. I'M ASK YOU TO REQUIRE MASKS. PLEASE FOLLOWED THE UPDATED CDC GUIDANCE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT NOW THAT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HAS 18% POSITIVITY. THE DELTA VARIANT IS APPROXIMATELY TWICE AS TRANSMISSIBLE AS THE ORIGINAL. SO WE MUST NOW DO MORE, NOT LESS, TO KEEP OUR KIDS AND OUR STAFF SAFE. ACCORDING TO THE CDC, GEORGIA SCHOOLS WHO REQUIRED MASKS HAD APPROXIMATELY 37% LESS INFECTIONS. THIS BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS HAVE THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE MASKS AND THE OBLIGATION TO KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE. THOUSANDS OF WORRIED PARENTS NEED SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS AND THE BOARD TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE. THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE HAVE DONE NOTHING THAT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REQUIRE MASKS IN SCHOOLS AND THEY MAY NEVER DO SO BASED ON THE UPDATED CDC GUIDANCE. RESPECTED LOCAL AND NATIONAL DOCTORS ALL WANT YOU TO REQUIRE MASKS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT WE'LL HAVE JAMIE WYNNE AND -- [ APPLAUSE ] -- FOLLOWED BY CANDACE HENRIQUEZ AND WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND HAVE VERONA, WARNER, BRIDGES, HALL, RONNIE, JENNIFER BENTLEY AND SARAH LOCKLEAR. GOOD EVENING.
>> MY NAME IS DR. JAMIE WYNNE. I'M A LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND MOTHER OF TWO SCHOOLCHILDREN IN THIS COUNTY. BLESSEDLY THE INFECTION SURVIVAL OF COVID IN CHILDREN IS 99.998 PERCENT. MORE GOOD NEWS FOUND IN NOVEMBER 2020 STUDY IN NATURE, ONE OF THE TOP SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS IN THE WORLD WHICH HAD 10 MILLION PARTICIPANTS AND FOUND ZERO CASES OF SO-CALLED ASYMPTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. IN ANY CASE, CHILDREN ARE NOT TO BE USED AS SHIELDS AGAINST THIS VIRUS OR ANYTHING ELSE. IT IS OUR JOB TO PROTECT THEM FROM HARM AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. MOREOVER, THE BEST AVAILABLE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT MASKS DON'T EVEN WORK TO PREVENT VIRAL SPREAD. BEYOND THAT LONG-TERM MASK WEARING HAS SERIOUS DRAWBACKS AND MAKE IT HARDER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TO LEARN LANGUAGE. THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE OF ADVERSE AFFECTS TO THEIR MENTAL AND MEDICAL HELP. THERE CAN BE NO JUSTIFICATION FOR EXPOSING CHILDREN TO HARM WHEN THERE'S NO BENEFIT. IN MY FIELD, BLACK-AND-WHITE THINKING IS KNOWN AS COGNITIVE DISTORTION. [ APPLAUSE ] [ SOUNDING GAVEL ]
>>Lynn Gray: AUDIENCE, IF YOU'LL CALM YOURSELVES DOWN. WE HAVE TO KEEP CIVILITY. YOU SOUND -- WELL, LIKE A CHEERLEADER. I UNDERSTAND, BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE KEEPING OUR CIVILITY IN ORDER AS BEST WE CAN. GOOD EVENING, KANSAS.
>> GOOD EVENING. LIKE MOST THINGS IN LIFE THIS ISSUE WITH CHILDREN AND MASK WEARING IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE. WE NEED TO HAVE HEALTHY DEBATE AND DIALOGUE ABOUT THIS TOPIC. AFTER ALL, WE ARE ALL HERE BECAUSE WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR KIDS. A GROUP OF PARENTS IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, SENT SIX FACE MASKS TO A LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA REQUESTING AN ANALYSIS OF CONTAMINANTS FOUND ON THE MASK AFTER THEY HAD BEEN WORN ALL DAY AT SCHOOL FOR SIX HOURS. THE RESULTING REPORT FOUND THAT FIVE MASKS WERE CONTAMINATED WITH BACTERIA, PARASITES, FUNGI, INCLUDING THREE DANGEROUS PATHOGENIC PNEUMONIA COVERING BACTERIA. TUBERCULOSIS, PNEUMONIA, MENINGITIS, LYME DISEASE, DIPHTHERIA, STAPHYLOCOCCUS. MASKS GET DIRTY AT SCHOOL. TEACHERS HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME MAKING 20 PLUS KIDS ARE WEARING THE MASK PROPERLY. THEY GET DROPPED ON THE FLOOR, STEPPED ON, CHEWED ON, LOST, THESE ARE KIDS. CDC DOES NOT SPECIALIZE IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT. AS PARENTS, WE HOPE THE SCHOOL BOARD DOES SPECIALIZE IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, EVELYN VERONA, RICHARD WARNER AND THEN JENNIFER BURTON. AND GOOD EVENING.
>> HI. I'D LIKE TO ASK, CAN THE BOARD NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO DO ALL THIS CLAPPING? ISN'T THAT INAPPROPRIATE? ANYWAY, I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT OTHER THINGS. I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE PROFESSIONALS AND AS MUCH AS THERE IS A LOT OF MISINFORMATION COMING FROM PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE, I KNOW YOU ALL READ THE LITERATURE AND ACTUALLY KNOW THE RESEARCH AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT SOME OF THE EVIDENCE PUT FORTH AGAINST MASKS MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AND THERE IS NO REP USABLE SOURCES -- REPUTABLE SOURCES INVOLVED. WE NEED MASKS IN SCHOOL BECAUSE MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLCHILD CANNOT GET VACCINATED. I CARE ABOUT ALL THE CHILDREN, NOT ONLY MY OWN, AND WE HAVE ALREADY HAD AN EXPERIMENT WHICH SHOWED THAT USING MASKS WAS SUCCESSFUL. I WENT TO THAT SCHOOL EVERY DAY AND ALL THE KIDS WERE WEARING MASKS. COMING IN AND GOING OUT. SO SAYING THAT ALL THE MASKS FALL ON THE FLOOR AND GET -- IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY SEEN IT.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT WILL BE RICHARD WARNER. FOLLOWED BY JENNIFER BURTON, THEN DesMARAIS BRIDGES. GOOD EVENING.
>> RICK WARNER. I'M GOING TO SPEAK ON MILLAGE TODAY, SO I'M GOING TO ONLY SAY THAT ALL THE VOTERS IN THE ROOM NEED TO KEEP THEIR EYES ON THEIR REPRESENTATIVE AND THEIR SENATOR AND SEE WHETHER THEY SUPPORT REMOVING THE INEQUITY IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDING, WHICH HILLSBOROUGH SUFFERS MORE FROM THAN ANY OTHER DISTRICT IN THE STATE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. WARNER. JENNIFER BURTON. DesMARAIS, PAT.
>> HELLO, EVERYBODY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT TODAY WE WILL BE HEARING RATIONALE FOR A MASK-OPTIONAL POLICY FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. THIS DECISION IS IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS. THE COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR HEALTH AND SCIENCE AND THESE RESPECTED ORGANIZATIONS IS DISAPPOINTING AND IMMORAL. HOW COULD THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATE IN DEFIANCE OF SIMPLE COMMONSENSE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS? WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH TAMPA GENERAL AND USF TO HELP GUIDE US IN THE IMPORTANT DECISIONS. WHO FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS RECOMMENDS MASK OPTIONAL IN OPPOSITION TO EXPERTS AT THE CDC AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS. SURELY, THIS WASN'T THE SAME EXPERTS THAT SAID IT WAS UNSAFE TO OPEN LAST YEAR WHEN THE NUMBER OF CASES IN THE COMMUNITY SPREAD WAS LOWER THAN WHAT IT IS TODAY. THIS DECISION IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED AND PUTS OUR FAMILIES, OUR COMMUNITY AT RISK. PLEASE ADOPT MASKS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, DesMARAIS BRIDGES, PAT HALL, AND THEN RONNIE SEEMOUS.
>> FIRST, WE KNOW MASKS WORK. WE LEARNED THAT LAST YEAR. I CAN TELL YOU STRAIGHT FROM MY SCHOOL THAT WHEN KIDS WENT OUT PARTYING AFTER SCHOOL AND THEY DIDN'T WEAR A MASK, 600 OF THEM WERE QUARANTINED. IS THAT WHAT WE WANT MOVING FORWARD THIS YEAR? IS THAT HOW WE SET OUR KIDS UP FOR SUCCESS? IN ADDITION OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS WE TALKED ABOUT HOW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IF THAT'S THE CASE, HOW COME WE HAVE CHARTER SCHOOLS IN OUR DISTRICT MANDATING MASKS THIS COMING YEAR? HOW IS THAT ALLOWED? WHY CAN'T WE DO IT FOR ALL OF US? ALSO, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE COMPUTER EXPENSE. OUR MONEY SHOULD BE GOING TO TEACHERS AND NOT TECH. TEACHERS CHANGE STUDENTS' LIVES, TECH DUNST. YES, I WOULD -- TECH DOES NOT. YES, I WOULD LOVE ONE-TO-ONE RATIO BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS. WE HAVE TO BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS WHEN DOING THIS. IF WE DON'T HAVE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM, THE TECH DOESN'T MATTER. ALSO, I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL FOR THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE STRUGGLING. TIME AFTER TIME AGAIN, WE HEAR HOW PARENTS DON'T FEEL WELCOME IN THOSE SCHOOLS. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, DesMARAIS. NEXT, PAT HALL AND RONNIE SEEMOUS FOLLOWED BY JENNIFER BENTLEY FOLLOWED BY SARAH LOCKLEAR.
>> A FEW BRIEF FACTS ABOUT IDEA, TEXAS-BASED CHARTER NETWORK. TOM TORQUELESON AND HIS STAFF MISAPPROPRIATED $900,000 AND WE'RE OPENING AN IDEA SCHOOL FOR OAK PARK AND ROBLES ELEMENTARY. THAT'S A PROBLEM. ACADEMICA IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BETWEEN IT AND THE MATTERS SCHOOL FOUNDATION. IT MANAGES. THE ALLEGATIONS GO BACK TO FACILITY LEASES WHILE THE CEO, FERNANDEZ ZILUETTO, WAS CHAIR OF THE MATTER GOVERNING BOARD. IN ADDITION, THE AUDIT QUESTIONED THE TRANSFER OF FUNDS FROM THE MATTER SCHOOL TO THE MATTER FOUNDATION. REPRESENTATIVE ERIC FREESON, ZILUETTO'S BROTHER-IN-LAW, WAS ARRESTED FOR FAILURE TO FILE TAX RETURNS FOR THE EIGHT YEARS HE WAS A LEGISLATOR, AND HIS CONFLICT WITH HIS EMPLOYER CIVICA.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. HALL. NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM RONNIE SEEMOUS, JENNIFER BENTLEY, SARAH LOCKLEAR AND THEN MARIAH JOHNSON.
>> RONNIE SEEMOUS. I'M IN THE HEALTH CARE FIELD. MY FATHER WAS A VICE PRESIDENT OF ONE OF THE LARGEST MASK MANUFACTURERS IN THE WORLD. LET ME READ A STUDY FROM STANFORD THAT CAME OUT THIS YEAR. ACCORDING TO CURRENT KNOWLEDGE, THE SARS COVID 2 HAS A DIAMETER OF 60 NANOMETERS TO A HUNDRED NANOMETERS. WHILE MEDICAL AND NONMEDICAL MASK THREAD DIAMETER RANGES FROM 50 MICROMETERS TO 440 MICROMETERS, THAT IS 1,000 TIMES LARGER THAN THE VIRUS. IT IS LIKE A MOSQUITO GOING THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE. YOU CAN LINE THOSE CHAIN-LINK FENCE UP NEXT TO EACH OTHER, IT WILL STILL GET THROUGH. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BORDERLINE PHYSICAL CHILD ABUSE BY MANDATING THIS. I PARTICIPATED IN THIS MYSELF. I WON'T DO IT ANYMORE. WE ARE PREPARED TO HOMESCHOOL. MANY PEOPLE ARE AS WELL. YOU CAN'T MANDATE THE MASKS. THEY DON'T WORK. [ APPLAUSE ]
>>Lynn Gray: NEXT. JENNIFER BENTLEY, SARAH LOCKLEAR, AND MARIAH JOHNSON FOLLOWED BY SAMANTHA BONANNO.
>> HELLO. JENNIFER BENTLEY. I'M A MOTHER OF THREE AND A GRANDMOTHER OF SIX CHILDREN, ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. I'VE LIVED IN THE COUNTY FOR 29 YEARS. I COME BEFORE YOU TODAY AS A CONCERNED GRANDMOTHER AND A CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTY. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THERE IS ONGOING DISCUSSION AROUND MASK MANDATES FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY STRONG VIEWPOINT THAT MASKS SHOULD BE OPTIONAL FOR CHILDREN. EARLIER THIS SUMMER, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS MADE A STATEMENT MAKING MASK OPTIONALITY FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. I APPRECIATE HIS LEADERSHIP AND HIS STANCE FOR MASK OPTIONALITY AND PARENTAL CHOICE. COMMUNITY AND TEACHERS ALSO SUPPORT MASK OPTIONALITY AS EVIDENCED BY THE SURVEY TAKEN IN MAY 2021 WHERE OVER 50% OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS SUPPORTED MASK OPTIONALITY. I BELIEVE THE BOARD SHOULD ALSO SUPPORT THIS DECISION NOT ONLY BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE COMMUNITY DEMANDS BUT ALSO BECAUSE MEDICAL DECISIONS, INCLUDING MEDICAL MASKING SHOULD BE THE DECISION OF THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEIR DOCTORS AND SHOULD NOT BE THE DECISION OF ANY GOVERNMENT BODY. WE DO NOT VOTE YOU --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [ APPLAUSE ] NEXT, MARIAH JOHNSON, IS THAT CORRECT? GOOD EVENING. AND THEN SAMANTHA BONANNO AND THEN I'LL CALL THE NEXT TEN.
>> HELLO. MARIAH JOHNSON. I AM A PARENT HERE TO ARTICULATE MY OPINION ON WHERE OUR CHOICES AS PARENTS BEGIN AND END WITH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS. SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO REMOVE MY CHOICE AND MAKE MASKS MANDATORY THIS YEAR, I WILL REMOVE MY CHILDREN. I DID IT LAST YEAR AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN. HOWEVER, IF I AM FORCED TO MAKE THAT CHOICE, MY FAMILY WILL NEVER BE RETURNING TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE MADE THE CHOICE TO RETURN TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS ONCE IT WAS DECIDED THAT MASKS WOULD BE MADE OPTIONAL BACK IN MAY AND IT'S BEYOND FRUSTRATING THAT TWO WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL BEGINS WE'RE HAVING TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION. I'M NOT THE ONLY PARENT THAT WILL DO THIS. THIS IS A VERY LARGE COMMUNITY OF PARENTS THAT ALSO HAVE ALTERNATE PLANS. AS PER OUR ORIGINAL SURVEY, IT IS SAFE TO ASSUME THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF PARENTS ARE IN FAVOR OF KEEPING STUDENTS WITHOUT MASKS. SADLY IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT THE LOUDEST VOICES SO FAR HAPPEN TO BE A VERY SMALL MINORITY THAT ARE CALLING FOR MASK RESTRICTIONS. IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHAT FAMILIES WON'T, SEND OUT ANOTHER SURVEY. PARENTS HAVE A CHOICE FOR OTHER SCHOOLING OPTIONS SUCH AS VIRTUAL OR ONLINE LEARNING OR PUT THEIR CHILDREN IN THE MASK IF THEY SHOULD CHOOSE. IF PARENTS TRUST THAT MASKS --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] SAMANTHA BONANNO. PEARSON DOBY, MATTHEW BELCHER, YVONNE TRON. JASON KIMBALL. LILLIAN PRIDE, SARAH POPE. BETSY GRIZZARD, SISSY ELIZABETH --
>> MY NAME IS SAMANTHA BONANNO. I AM A MOTHER OF FOUR CHILDREN. TODAY I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU MY SUPPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS' DECISION TO KEEP MASKS OPTIONAL FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT PARENTS KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR THEIR CHILDREN. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY GOVERNING BODY HAS THE RIGHT TO MAKE MEDICAL DECISIONS FOR CHILDREN. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS' STANCE PUTS THE DECISION AROUND MEDICAL MASKING IN THE HANDS OF PARENTS AS APPROPRIATE AND BEST FOR CHILDREN AND I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP. FURTHERMORE, I WANT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION HB 241, THE PARENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS WHICH BECAME EFFECTIVE JULY 1st, 2021. THE PARENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS EXPLICITLY LISTS OUT THE RIGHTS PARENTS HAVE WITH RESPECT TO RAISING THEIR CHILDREN UNDER THE FLORIDA STATUTES. SECTION 6 OF HB 241 SPECIFICALLY SUBSECTION E STATES THAT PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE HEALTH CARE DECISIONS FOR THEIR MINOR CHILD WITHOUT OBSTRUCTION FROM ANY GOVERNMENT ENTITY. ACCORDINGLY, SINCE MASKS ARE A MEDICAL DEVICE ANY MASK MANDATE WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF THE STATUTES. THUS IT SEEMS IF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD SEEKS TO NOT FOLLOW --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, MATTHEW BELCHER, FOLLOWED BY YVONNE TRON, JASON KIMBALL WILL BE AFTER YVONNE.
>> MATTHEW BELCHER. THE PRIMARY CONCERN HERE SHOULD BE THE BUDGET. SIGNIFICANT SHORTFALLS HAVE BEEN REITERATED MONTH AFTER MONTH AND WE HAVE WATCHED THIS BOARD WORK THROUGH THE ISSUE. I COMMEND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS FOR HIS CONTINUED FOCUS ON THIS ISSUE. A LACK OF FOCUS ON BASIC EDUCATION IS VERY CONCERNING AND SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED. REGARDLESS OF THE LETTER -- REGARDING THE LETTER FROM MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, MASKS SHOULD REMAIN OPTIONAL. IT'S OUR CHOICE. OF 180 DOCTORS, HOW MANY ARE VIROLOGISTS? I DO NOT SEEK MEDICAL DECISIONS FOR MY CHILDREN FROM DERMATOLOGISTS, LET ALONE WELL-INTENTIONED SCHOOL BOARDS. THE DELTA VARIANT HAS YET TO APPROACH AN 8th OF THE DEATH RATE FROM LAST WINTER REGARDLESS OF THE TRANSMISSION RATE. BEWARE OF DECEPTIVE REPORTING AND POLITICAL MOTIVES. TO REITERATE THE BUDGET POINT, SUCCESSFUL LEADERS MAKE DO WITH WHAT THEY ARE DEALT. PLEASE FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE DISTRICT WITH THE FUNDS WE HAVE. ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDS SHOULD BE TREATED AS A WINDFALL.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, EVAN TRAN FOLLOWED BY JASON KIMBALL. WE ARE GOING TO PROBABLY STOP THERE BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING.
>> MY NAME IS EVAN TRAN. MY HUSBAND IS A FRONTLINE WORKER. HE IS A SURGEON WHO HAS OPERATED ON COVID PATIENTS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PANDEMIC. I HAD A ONE-DAY-OLD BABY WHEN LOCKDOWN HAPPENED AND TWO TODDLERS AT HOME. WE BEGAN VIRTUAL LEARNING. WE FOLLOWED ALL CDC GUIDELINES. WE STAYED ISOLATED, AND WE MASKED OUR KIDS. WE WAITED FOR SCIENCE AND DATA. TODAY, THERE IS ZERO SCIENCE TO SHOW THAT MASKING OUR CHILDREN STOPS THE SPREAD OF COVID. MASKS ONLY WORK IN STERILE MEDICAL ENVIRONMENTS USED BY PROFESSIONALS USING MEDICAL GRADE PPE. THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND GOVERNMENT AND CDC MISMANAGED AND BOTCHED THIS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. IT'S TIME FOR PARENTS TO DECIDE. ALL DISSENTING MEDICAL VOICES ARE BEING SILENCED AND DISCREDITED. PEOPLE ARE NOW AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ARE. I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT. AT THIS POINT, DATA SHOWS THAT THE GREATEST DANGER TO OUR KIDS IS THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL HEALTH THAT MASK POLICIES ONLY EXACERBATE. COVID IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH THIS. WE HAVE TO TEACH OUR KIDS TO LIVE WITH IT. [ APPLAUSE ]
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. WE'LL FINISH WITH THE SPEAKERS THAT ARE STANDING AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. GOOD EVENING. I MET YOU OUTSIDE, RIGHT?
>> YES, GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I WANT TO START BY URGING EVERYONE TO ADHERE TO A SCIENTIFIC STANDARD. OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS WE'VE HEARD, WE'VE HEARD A FEW REFERENCES TO STUDIES. NONE OF THOSE REFERENCES CAME FROM PEOPLE ADVOCATING FOR MANDATORY MASKS. WE HEARD FROM A DR. CLARK, DR. EMMA WESTERMAN CLARK, WHO IS THE FIRST NAME ON THE LETTER THAT THE BOARD AND THE SUPERINTENDENT RECEIVED. SO THIS LETTER THAT WAS WRITTEN TO THE BOARD WAS DONE SO IN A VERY UNPROFESSIONAL WAY, AND I BELIEVE VERY UNETHICAL WAY. THE DOCTORS DID NOT DISCLOSE THEIR AFFILIATIONS. I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO FULLY INVESTIGATE, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IT LOOKS LIKE THE NAMES WERE MINED FROM A FEW DIFFERENT HOSPITAL SYSTEMS WITH A FEW RANDOM DOCTORS THROWN IN HERE AND THERE. I'VE CONTACTED A FEW OF THEM. THEY DON'T WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY SIGNED THE FORM. THEY DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS LETTER RIGHT HERE. SOME OF THE EXTREME THINGS IT SAYS, LOW VACCINATION RATES HAVE ALLOWED NEW VARIANTS TO EVOLVE. TOTALLY FALSE. NO REFERENCE. ALSO THAT MASKS PROVED TO BE --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. LILLIAN PRIDE, SARAH POPE AND THEN BETSY GRIZZARD. LILLIAN, YOU'RE NEXT. GOOD EVENING.
>> GOOD EVENING. I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE RELATIVE BENEFITS OF WEARING THE MASK VERSUS NOT WEARING THE MASK FOR CHILDREN. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE IS A PIECE OF MISINFORMATION IS THAT THE MASKS ARE COSTLESS AND WEARING THEM PROVIDES A BENEFIT. AT THE BEGINNING OF COVID, WHEN PEOPLE MADE THE MANDATES IN THE FIRST PLACE, ALL OF THE STUDIES ACTUALLY SAID THAT THE -- IT WAS INCONCLUSIVE WHAT WEARING THE MASKS WOULD BE. THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE NOT BASED ON DATA. THEY WERE BASED ON INSUFFICIENT DATA. THAT'S WHAT ALL THE DATA SAID IF YOU DO A LITERATURE REVIEW. BUT WHEN PEOPLE DO WEAR THE MASKS, THEY HAVE ALL OF THOSE TROUBLING PATHOGENS THAT DO CONGREGATE ON THE MASKS THAT WERE MENTIONED BEFORE. I BELIEVE THAT WAS A STUDY DONE IN GAINESVILLE BY SCIENTISTS IN GAINESVILLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, MENINGITIS, PNEUMONIA, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. AND THOSE ARE REAL PATHOGENS THAT REALLY AFFECT KIDS VERSUS COVID.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT WE WILL HAVE BETSY GRIZZARD. AND SISSY ELIZABETH. AM I CORRECT?
>> SARAH POPE. I'M A PARENT OF A CHILD IN THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. I JUST WANTED TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THEIR WISDOM IN RESCINDING THE MASK MANDATE IN MAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE CHEERED IN OUR HOUSE. WE WERE SO EXCITED WHEN WE HEARD THE NEWS. MY DAUGHTER CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY LAST YEAR WITH A SPLITTING HEADACHE. ABOUT A MONTH INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR, SHE SAID, MOM, WHY EVERY DAY AT SCHOOL AROUND 10:30, 11:00 DO I GET NAUSEATED? AND I JUST FEEL SICK TO MY STOMACH. I HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME TAKING TESTS. I HAVE A HARD TIME LISTENING. I HAVE A HARD TIME LEARNING. AND SHE WOULD COME HOME WITH A HEADACHE. IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME, OXYGEN DEPRIVATION. ANY CHILD THAT GETS A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS BEFORE A TEST IS BREATHING MORE QUICKLY, NEEDS MORE OXYGEN. IT AFFECTS THEIR STANDARDIZED TESTING, AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THERE ARE SO MANY CHILDREN THAT IF THE MASK MANDATE IS REINSTITUTED, WE'LL BE DEVASTATED.
>>Lynn Gray: NEXT, BEETSY, SISSY, EVOLUTIA AND KELLY AND THEN WE HAVE TO PAUSE.
>> MY NAME IS BETSY. I'M HERE TO ASK THAT YOU STICK WITH YOUR DECISION TO MAKE MASKS OPTIONAL FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY STUDENTS. AT THIS POINT, WE CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW THE IMPACT OF PROLONGED MASK USE IN KIDS, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER ONES WHO ARE STILL VERY MUCH LEARNING HOW TO COMMUNICATE. THEY ARE STILL DEVELOPING EMOTIONALLY AND SOCIALLY, NOT TO MENTION THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT. PLEASE, LEAVE IT UP TO THE PARENTS TO MAKE THE DECISIONS FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] NEXT.
>> FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US. CC CARLING. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING TO US PRESENT OUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS. MASK SHOULD BE MY CHOICE. MY MOM GRADUATED FROM HARVARD AND MY DAD IS A SURGEON WITH Ph.D. AND MD SO THEY ARE MORE THAN QUALIFIED TO KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR ME. PARENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS CHOICE FOR THEIR CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEIR CHILDREN BEST. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, EBBA LUCIA. AND THEN KELLY. AND THEN THE TIME CERTAIN.
>> HI. MY NAME IS EBBA. I'LL BE GOING INTO 8th GRADE THIS YEAR AT COLEMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. I HAVE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD BROTHER GOING INTO KINDERGARTEN THIS YEAR. HE'LL BE LEARNING HOW TO READ, WRITE AND LEARN BASIC MATH FACTS. HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO LEARN THOSE KIND OF THINGS IF HE CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HIS TEACHERS ARE SAYING? THAT'S SABOTAGE FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATION. A WHOLE CLASS YEAR SET BACK BECAUSE OF A VIRUS THAT THE NAKED HUMAN EYE CAN'T SEE. I'M 13 YEARS OLD. IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE FOR ME TO BE UP HERE. I THINK THAT SHOWS JUST HOW IMPORTANT GIVING US A CHOICE IS TO THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE NOT ASKING TO YOU BAN MASKS. WE ARE ASKING TO YOU GIVE US A CHOICE BECAUSE THAT IS OUR RIGHT AND FREEDOM. THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY POINT OF VIEW AND I HOPE YOU'LL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION SOME OF THE THINGS I SAID.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, EBBA. [ APPLAUSE ] KELLY ALLISON. GOOD EVENING. WE HAD A MISSING SPEAKER, BUT THAT PERSON IS HERE NOW. PEARSON DOBY WILL BE NEXT.
>> KELLY CARLING. I'M THE MOTHER OF THESE FOUR CHILDREN. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO ALL OF US, MY KIDS TO SPEAK. IT'S MY OBSERVATION THAT KIDS DON'T USE MASKS PROPERLY, AND IT MAY BE, IN FACT, HARMING THEM. I BROUGHT ALONG MY SON'S USED MASK. THEY FIDGET WITH THEM. THEY TOUCH THEM. THEY TAKE THEM OFF. THEY DROP THEM. THEY STEP ON THEM. KIDS DON'T BLOW THEIR NOSES SO IT POOLS IN THEM. THESE MOMS KNOW. THEY ARE RIGHT. THE MASKS ARE FILTHY. I'VE GOT FOUR KIDS. MY HANDS ARE FULL. I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN. I CAME HERE TO SPEAK. MY KID IS TIRED. HE'S FALLING ASLEEP ON ME. WE'RE HAVING A NAP ON MOM. MY HUSBAND IS A SURGEON. I DON'T NEED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO PARENT FOR ME. [ APPLAUSE ]
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. KELLY ALLISON. WE HAVE TWO MORE PEOPLE STANDING. COME ON UP. I THOUGHT IT WAS PEARSON DOBY. GOOD EVENING.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. I JUST WANTED TO, BRIEFLY, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF BOARD MEMBERS LAST TIME WHO AT THE PRIOR BOARD MEETING WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE STATE AND COMMISSIONER COCHRAN RESPONDED TO THE CHAIR THE WAY THEY DID. IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK, THERE IS A SLIGHTLY WHICH CAN WITHED HISTORY THAT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HAS WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS. IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE JANUARY 2017 STATE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING, YOU'LL KIND OF SEE WHY THEY RESPONDED THE WAY THEY DID. GOING FORWARD, I THANK YOU FOR THE CHANGES THAT YOU ALL ARE MAKING, AND I JUST ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO EMBRACE THOSE CHANGES. AND WHILE YOU'RE EMBRACING THOSE, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH AND THE MAGNITUDE OF YOUR DECISIONS AS IT RELATES TO THE CHILDREN IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. AND THAT IS WHY COMMISSIONER COCHRAN WAS SOMEWHAT INCENSED IN HIS RESPONSE TO US BECAUSE IT'S BEEN CHRONIC AND IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SPEAKERS A LITTLE BIT ON HOLD, NOT FOR LONG. WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. THIS IS THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MILLAGE RATES AND TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR THE 2021-2022 FISCAL YEAR. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WILL YOU GO AHEAD AND BEGIN?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, WE PRESENT TO YOU AND THE COMMUNITY THE 2021-2022 MILLAGE RATES AND PROPOSED TENTATIVE BUDGET. ALSO KNOWN AS THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE MILLAGE RATE. THIS INCLUDES ALL GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS AND OTHER FUNDS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ALONG WITH PROPOSED TAX RATES. MRS. GRAY, PLEASE ADJOURN THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES ALONG WITH THE BUDGET. [ SOUNDING GAVEL ]
>>Lynn Gray: I ADJOURN THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. WE WILL CLOSE THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE MILLAGE RATES AND TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022. MS. RO JOHNSON, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER WILL PRESENT. MRS. JOHNSON, GOOD EVENING. JOHNSON JOHNSON GOOD EVENING, BOARD MEMBERS, ADMINISTRATION.
>>Ro Johnson: GOOD EVENING. I WILL BE DOING A BRIEF PRESENTATION OF THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE WE GO TO THE RECOMMENDATION AND ACTUALLY ADOPT THE MILLAGE RATE IN A TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 21-22.
>>Lynn Gray: MS. JOHNSON, LET ME ADDRESS THAT. SPEAKERS IN THE AUDIENCE, WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT LONG. THIS IS A TIME CERTAIN AGENDA ITEM, AS SOON AS WE FINISH, WHICH SHOULD BE IN ABOUT, OH, I'D SAY 15 MINUTES OR SO, WE'LL RESUME OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS. PLEASE BE PATIENT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MS. JOHNSON, PLEASE CONTINUE.
>>Ro Johnson: SO THE TRUTH IN MILLAGE LAW WAS ENACTED IN 1980, WHICH REQUIRES DETAILED IN THE FLORIDA STATUTE UNDER SECTION 200. THE STATUTE REQUIRES THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ADVERTISE THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATES AND BUDGET ANNUALLY. THE LOCAL EFFORT IS 3.6010. DISCRETIONARY MILLAGE .7400. CAPITAL OUTLAY 1.50. FLORIDA LAW REQUIRES SCHOOL BOARD TO ADOPT A BALANCED BUDGET EACH FISCAL YEAR OF ALL THE FUNDS. IT ALSO SPECIFIES TO DEFINE THE PROCESS AND THE TIMETABLE OF THIS ADOPTION. IT REQUIRES THE BOARD TO HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS, AND ALSO TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE -- WHAT DETERMINES THEIR PROPERTY TAX VALUES AND PROVIDE PUBLIC INPUT IN THE PROCESS. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SET THE MILLAGE RATES, LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD MUST LEVY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FLORIDA EDUCATION FINANCIAL PROGRAM. THE MILLAGE RATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED BASED ON A SECOND CALCULATION. HERE IS THE TIMELINE OF OUR MILLAGE ADOPTION. WE ALREADY DID THE TENTATIVE BUDGET JULY THE 13. WE CERTIFIED LOCAL -- RATE ON JULY 19 -- JULY -- WE ADVERTISED ADOPTED TENTATIVE BUDGET AND THE MILLAGE RATES. JULY THE 27 IS OUR PRESENT WE HERE AT THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING OF THESE MILLAGE RATES AND ADOPTED BUDGET. AND BY JULY THE 30th WE PROPOSE MILLAGE RATE FINAL HEARING DATE AND SEPTEMBER 9, FINAL HEARING WILL BE AT 5:01. SEPTEMBER 10, ADOPTED BUDGET WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE IS REQUIRED TO -- STATE REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT 3.6010. DISCRETIONARY OPERATION .7480. SUPPLEMENT IS 0. GIVING US SUBTOTAL 4.349 MILLAGE. THE DEBT SERVICE IS 0. DISCRETIONARY CAPITAL OUTLAY 1.5 GIVING US TOTAL MILLAGE TO LEVY OF 5.849. I KNOW IT'S HARD TO SEE, BUT AT THE TOP, WHEN WE PRESENTED THIS BEFORE FOR THE ADOPTION OF OUR TENTATIVE BUDGET, THE MILLAGE RATE WAS AT THAT TIME THE LOCAL EFFORT WAS 3.694. CURRENTLY BEEN REDUCED DECREASED TO 3.6010. THIS IMPACT OVERALL GENERAL FUND, IT IMPACTED THE LOCAL, OUR LOCAL WENT UP BY 18.6 MILLION. GO OVER THE GENERAL FUND BECAUSE WE HAVE SEVERAL FUNDS. I KNOW EVERYONE IS ANXIOUS TO MOVE FORWARD. WE HAVE A TOTAL LOCAL SOURCES -- I MEAN, TOTAL REVENUE SOURCES OF OUR GENERAL FUND OF $1.9 BILLION. TOTAL OPERATING WE HAVE A FUND BALANCE OF 160 MILLION, WHICH MAKE AND WE KNOW AS I STATED BEFORE, WE'RE STILL IN OPERATION DEFICIT BECAUSE OUR ENDING FUND BALANCE GOING TO END UP BEING $91 MILLION BASED ON ADOPTION OF THIS TENTATIVE BUDGET, GIVING US A TOTAL OPERATION APPROPRIATION OF 1.9 BILLION, SPECIAL REVENUE WHICH IS OUR FULL SERVICE DEPARTMENT IS TOTAL BUDGET OF 365.4 MILLION. THE DEBT SERVICE IS 194.5 MILLION. CAPITAL OUTLAY IS 602.9 MILLION. -- SERVICE 209.6 MILLION GIVING US TOTAL BUDGET $3,352,305,717.75. HOW ARE YOUR TAXES COMPUTED? WE DID ASSESSED VALUE OF 200,000 FOR A HOMEOWNER. EXEMPT -- EVERY HOMEOWNER EXEMPT 25,000 FLAT FREE. SUBTRACT THAT FROM 200, GIVING US 175,000. DIVIDE THAT BY A THOUSAND AND GIVE YOU 175 TIMES THE MILLAGE RATE OF 5.8490, TOTAL MILLAGE RATE, GIVING A PROPERTY TAX REMITTED TO THE DISTRICT OVER A YEAR OF 1,023. SO THE AVERAGE FAMILY THAT HAS A HOMESTEAD AROUND 200,000 HAVE TO PAY TAX VALUES A YEAR OF $1,023.58 TOTAL AVERAGE OF $2.80 A DAY. OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD TODAY IS TO ADOPT THE PROPOSED INDIVIDUAL MILLAGE RATES AS FOLLOWS. STATE REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT 3.6010. DISCRETIONARY OPERATING OF .7480. LOCAL CAPITAL OUTLAY OF 1.50. DEBT SERVICE 0. TOTAL MILLAGE RATE OF 5.8490. RECOMMENDATION NUMBER TWO IS ADOPT THE TENTATIVE BUDGET OF $3,352,305,717.75. THIRD RECOMMENDATION, APPROVE THE RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES AND TENTATIVE BUDGET. FOURTH RECOMMENDATION IS THE BOARD AUTHORIZE STAFF TO PERFORM ALL THE TASKS NECESSARY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRUTH IN MILLAGE, CHAPTER 200 FLORIDA STATUTES. MY FIRST RECOMMENDATION TO THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, IT IS RECOMMENDED THE BOARD ADOPT THE TENTATIVE STATE REQUIRED LOCAL MILLAGE RATE OF 3.6010 MILLS. ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT BOARD ADOPT DISCRETION OPERATION MILL .7480. RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD ADOPT THE LOCAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MILLAGE RATE OF 1.5 MILL. RECOMMENDED BOARD ADOPT THE DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE OF 0 MILLS.
>>Lynn Gray: OKAY, BOARD. WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO WORK HERE ON MAKING A MOTION AND A SECOND. LET'S BACK UP. MS. JOHNSON, WOULD YOU MIND, WE HAVE TO SEPARATELY VOTE ON EACH SECTION. IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, WOULD YOU RESTATE THE FIRST --
>>Ro Johnson: FIRST SECTION, ADOPTION OF ALL THE MILLS. MY RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD, ADOPT THE TENTATIVE STATE REQUIRED LOCAL EFFORT MILLAGE RATE OF 3.6010 MILLS. ALSO THE DISCRETIONARY OPERATION MILLAGE RATE OF .4780 MILLS. AND ALSO ADOPT THE LOCAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MILLAGE OF 1.50 MILLAGE AND ALSO ADOPT DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE RATE OF 0.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. JOHNSON. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 TO 2021 TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES AS PRESENTED. I HAVE A MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER VAUGHN AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. WILL THERE BE ANY DISCUSSION? PUBLIC COMMENT ALSO AT THIS TIME. WILL WITH THERE BE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY. COME FORWARD.
>> MARK KLUTHO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET HERE? THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE HEARING ON THE MILLAGE. THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TWO SEPARATE HEARINGS. WELL, WHAT WAS THE MENTION OF THE BUDGET?
>>Jim Porter: THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS ABOUT THE MILLAGE. IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THAT, THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD SPEAK TO NOW.
>> WELL, WHY AM I HEARING SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUDGET? THAT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION AT THIS TIME.
>>Jim Porter: THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS ABOUT THE MILLAGE. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT.
>> YES, THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT, BUT I'M HEARING THE BUDGET.
>>Lynn Gray: MR. KLUTHO --
>> WE WENT THROUGH THIS BEFORE.
>>Lynn Gray: WELL, LET ME RESTATE WHAT WE'RE GOING OVER IF THAT MAY HELP YOU. IF YOU'LL BEAR WITH ME. WE ASKED FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT JUST THIS 2021-2022 -- [INAUDIBLE] -- TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES. AND THOSE RATES WERE ENUMERATED BY MS. JOHNSON.
>> WELL, YOU GET THIS ALL WRONG EVERY TIME. YOU COULDN'T EVEN GET STARTED AT THE RIGHT TIME.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. KLUTHO. ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
>> I HAVE TIME HERE. DON'T INTERRUPT ME. AND WHAT YOU DO HERE IS WASTE, WASTE, WASTE. THE TAXPAYERS ARE SCREWED. IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE MILLAGE RATE IS. IT'S BACKWARDS. MILLAGE SHOULD COME AFTER THE BUDGET. BUT IF IT WASN'T FOR ME, YOU'D BE TRYING TO DO THE MILLAGE AND THE BUDGET TOGETHER, WHICH IS IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW. IF YOU REMEMBER CORRECTLY. OF COURSE, HOW MUCH ELSE DO YOU GET WRONG HERE? BUT EVERY TAXPAYER SHOULD BE OUTRAGED. THE MONEY THAT YOU'RE TAKING, THE MILLAGE RATE IS A TRAVESTY. BUT THE DETAILS WILL COME WITH THE BUDGET HEARING.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. KLUTHO. AT THIS TIME, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? ON THE MILLAGE?
>> VERONICA McDONALD. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON SIX HOMES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY RANGING IN PRICE AND VALUE. THESE HOMES WERE PURCHASED AS EARLY AS 1999. I WAS TRYING TO GET THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF OWNERSHIP WITH A SINGLE OWNER. AND THEY HAD BEEN OWNED BY THE SAME OWNER THROUGH TODAY. WHAT I SEE FROM 2007, WHICH IS AS FAR BACK AS I COULD LOOK ON THE TAX COLLECTOR AND PROPERTY TAX COLLECTOR'S WEBSITE UNTIL 2011, WAS MILLAGE WAS INCREASING AT A STEADY PACE. FROM 4.784 IN 2007 TO 5.665 IN 2011. THIS TRANSLATED TO AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL TAXES SO LONG AS THE PROPERTY VALUE WAS ALSO INCREASING ALONGSIDE. WHAT HAPPENED IN 2012 WAS THE START OF A DECLINE IN MILLAGE FROM 5.629 IN 2012 TO 3.719 IN 2020. THIS TRANSLATES TO A LOSS OF SCHOOL TAX DOLLARS, EVEN WHEN PROPERTY VALUES WERE STILL INCREASING. MORE FAMILIES MOVING INTO THE HILLSBOROUGH AREA SHOULD HAVE MET MORE TAX DOLLARS TO SERVICE THE STUDENTS APPROPRIATELY IN SCHOOLS. INSTEAD, BECAUSE OF THE ROLLED-BACK RATE, TAX DOLLARS DECLINING. ROLLED-BACK RATE PUTS A PRICE CEILING ON DOLLARS COLLECTED SO WHEN FAMILIES MOVE INTO THE COUNTY THE MILLAGE WILL DECREASE TO KEEP THE TOTAL TAX AT A STABLE NUMBER. IT DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS THE FACT THAT IT TAKES MORE DOLLARS TO SERVICE MORE STUDENTS. WE HEARD EARLIER DURING THE SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP THAT DUE TO POPULATION GROWTH IN OUR COUNTY AND WHERE IT IS LOCATED, WE'RE LOOKING AT EITHER REDISTRICTING OUR SCHOOLS AND ALSO BUILDING NEW SCHOOLS. BOTH OF THESE ACTIONS TAKE MONEY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE EDUCATION AND SUPPORTS TO STUDENTS. I SUPPORT THE BOARD TO NOT USE THE ROLLED-BACK RATE TODAY. KEEP THE MILLAGE THE SAME AND COLLECT MORE TAX DOLLARS TO SERVICE OUR LOWEST PERFORMING SCHOOLS AND PROVIDE PAY INCREASES FOR EDUCATION SUPPORT PERSONNEL, CUSTODIAL STAFF, CAFETERIA STAFF, BUS DRIVERS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M STILL SCOTT HOUGHTONSTEIN. IN 2012, THE COMBINED PUBLIC EDUCATION MILLAGE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, STATE AND LOCAL, WAS 7.877 MILLS. SO I PAID $484 IN PROPERTY TAXES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. IT WAS A BARGAIN TO EDUCATE MY TWO BOYS. EIGHT YEARS LATER IN 2020, THE COMBINED PUBLIC EDUCATION MILLAGE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WAS 5.967. I PAID $408, WHICH IS $76 LESS THAN EIGHT YEARS AGO, EVEN THOUGH MY HOME'S VALUE INCREASED 15%, STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN HILLSBOROUGH INCREASED BY 12.5%, AND COSTS DUE TO INFLATION INCREASED 13%. AS POINTS OF COMPARISON, IN 2020, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PAID 7.129 MILLS. ORANGE COUNTY PAID 6.857 MILLS. AND BROWARD COUNTY PAID 6.505 MILLS. WE HAVE A FUNDING PROBLEM WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA, AND THE BOARD SHOULD BE SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER ABOUT THIS. I KNOW THAT YOUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES INCLUDE RAISING CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MILLS FROM 1.5 TO 2.0, BUT THERE IS NO CORRESPONDING LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY TO RAISE THE DISCRETIONARY OPERATING MILLAGE ABOVE 0.748. YOU MUST BE MORE VOCAL IN ADVOCATING FOR INCREASED EDUCATION FUNDING. I KNOW THAT THE FLORIDA EDUCATION FINANCE PROGRAM IS COMPLEX. I KNOW THAT THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TIES YOUR HANDS WHEN IT COMES TO SETTING APPROPRIATE MILLAGE RATES THAT WOULD FULLY FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION. BUT YOU NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB AT EXPLAINING TO THE CITIZENS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY EXACTLY WHY OUR SCHOOLS ARE SO UNDERFUNDED SO THAT THE CITIZENS CAN FIX THE PROBLEM AT THE BALLOT BOX. THE SOLUTION IS TO BRING A REFERENDUM FOR ADDITIONAL MILLAGE TO ADDRESS OPERATING EXPENSES. WHILE YOU MAY BE TOLD THAT THERE'S NO PUBLIC APPETITE FOR ADDITIONAL MILLAGE, EVERY EDUCATION FUNDING REFERENDUM THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE BALLOT IN FLORIDA OVER RECENT CYCLES HAS BEEN APPROVED. WE THE PEOPLE KNOW THAT EDUCATION IS A PUBLIC GOOD THAT MUST BE FULLY FUNDED. PLEASE LAY THE GROUNDWORK NOW FOR THIS REFERENDUM. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. HOUGHTONSTEIN. MS. DesMARAIS ALLEN.
>> SORT OF DesMARAIS --
>>Lynn Gray: DesMARAIS BRIDGES.
>> THAT'S OKAY. I DO IT ALL THE TIME, TOO. PICK UP WHERE SCOTT LEFT OFF. FUNDING ABYSMAL, ATROCIOUS. WE SHOULD BE SPEAKING ABOUT THAT EVERY SINGLE CHANCE WE GET. THIS MORNING YOU REFERENCED MARYLAND. I WAS ACTUALLY THERE TWO DAYS AGO. THEY SPEND OVER TWICE AS MUCH AS WE DO ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. OVER TWICE. BACK TO THE MILLAGE. WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY BRING IT FORWARD THAT WE ARE NOT GETTING ADEQUATE FUNDING. AND I 100% AGREE WITH SCOTT. WE NEED TO BRING FORWARD A REFERENDUM. JUST LIKE I STOOD WITH YOU TO HELP YOU BRING FORWARD THE TAX REFERENDUM AND TO INCREASE THE IMPACT FEES, I WILL HELP YOU WITH THIS, AND I WILL GATHER PEOPLE TO DO IT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO. OUR KIDS DESERVE BETTER. WE CANNOT DEAL WITH THE FAILING SCHOOLS, WITH THE THINGS THAT ARE STRUGGLING, IF WE DO NOT HAVE FUNDS. WE CANNOT DO IT ON A SHOESTRING. IT COSTS MONEY TO EDUCATE KIDS AND WE NEED TO INVEST IN THEM INSTEAD OF JUST HOPING THAT WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN ON PENNIES. THANKS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MR. CASS TANO.
>> GOOD EVENING. JAMES CASSTANO, HILLSBOROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADVOCATES. WE NEED TO FULLY FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BY INCREASING OUR MILLAGE THROUGH OUR REFERENDUM. THE SCHOOL FUNDING DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE FIXED. THE DOE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE DISTRICT'S BUDGET IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE. THE SOLUTION IS TO BRING OUR FEFP TO TODAY'S DOLLARS BY INCREASING THE MILLAGE THROUGH OUR REFERENDUM. YOU CANNOT RUN TODAY'S MILITARY, BUSINESS, OR EVEN A LEMONADE STAND BASED ON 2007 FUNDING LEVELS. FLORIDA IS THE THIRD LARGEST STATE IN THE UNION, AND YET WE'RE 44th IN SCHOOL FUNDING. THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY MILLAGE IS ONE OF THE LOWEST IN FLORIDA COMPARED TO OTHER DISTRICTS AND COMPARABLE SIZE. OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF PAY WERE INCREASED COMMENSURATE WITH A DISTRICT IN SIMILAR SIZE WHILE OUR STUDENT SPENDING REMAINED FLAT. I GREW UP IN DISTRICT FIVE. I'VE SERVED IN THE MILITARY FOR -- AND THE FBI FOR 31 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT SERVICE. I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THIS IS PART OF IT. SO STAY THE COURSE. KEEP FIGHTING BIG GOVERNMENT AND SUPPORT AND FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS FULLY. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MR. WARNER.
>> GOOD EVENING, AGAIN, BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. THOSE OF YOU IN FRONT OF ME ALREADY KNOW THE FACTS THAT THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE HAS PRESENTED HERE. IT'S THE VOTERS THAT DON'T KNOW THE FACTS. I CONGRATULATE THE DISTRICT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR HISTORY MAKING TWO VERY SPECIFIC REQUESTS FOR INCREASED FUNDING AS PART OF THEIR LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM. I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF THOSE, AND THAT IS THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDING THAT ONE AND A HALF MILLS NUMBER THAT YOU SEE UP ON THE SCREEN A LITTLE WHILE AGO. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDING FROM THAT STANDARD ONE AND A HALF MILLS HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE BOTH THE MOST INADEQUATE AND INEQUITABLE PART OF SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING. THE MILLAGE RATE, AS MS. McDONALD SAID, WAS REDUCED FROM TWO MILLS IN 2007 TO ONE AND A HALF BECAUSE OF THE RECESSION WHICH ENDED A LONG TIME AGO, BUT THAT MILLAGE RATE HAS NOT BEEN RESTORED TO TWO MILLS. WHEN YOU CONVERT THE MILLAGE RATE TO A PER-PUPIL FUNDING NUMBER, WHICH IS THE NUMBER THAT REALLY MATTERS, HILLSBOROUGH'S $188 MILLION OF 1.5 MILLS IS $852 PER PUPIL. THE STATE AVERAGE IS OVER $1200 PER PUPIL, A DIFFERENCE OF ALMOST $400. WE'VE BEEN SUFFERING FROM THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. THE LEGISLATURE HAS A SIMILAR INEQUITY OR HAD A SIMILAR INEQUITY IN THE FEFP FUNDING FOR THE .748 THAT YOU ALSO SAW ON YOUR SCREEN. THEY FIXED MOVED A BACK IN 2006. IF THEY HAD FIXED THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDING WITH A SIMILAR FORMULA, WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN OVER $1 BILLION SINCE 2006 TO EQUALIZE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FOR A DISTRICT THAT IS PROPERTY POOR AND STUDENT RICH. ADDRESSING THAT INEQUITY SHOULD BE ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES IN THE LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE PTA, AND THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS HAVE ALL ADDRESSED THAT IN THEIR PLATFORMS. I'LL STOP THERE. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. WARNER. NEXT SPEAKER. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOUR NAME. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT HAVING EVERYONE'S NAME IN THE LIST. THANK YOU.
>> MY NAME IS JAMIE HENDRICKS. I'M A MATH TUTOR HERE IN THE AREA. SO I WANT TO START OUT BY SAYING I DON'T HAVE CHILDREN. THAT MEANS I DON'T REALLY HAVE A DOG IN THIS FIGHT AS FAR AS WHETHER OR NOT MY TAX DOLLARS ARE INCREASED TO FUND THE SCHOOLS BUT I'M STILL WILLING TO PAY MORE IN TAXES TO FUND THE SCHOOLS. I'M TIRED OF SEEING MY STUDENTS STRUGGLE. LIKE I SAID I'M A MATH TUTOR. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE DATA, I DECIDED, WELL, LET'S CRUNCH SOME NUMBERS. SO AT THE START OF THE 2007-2008 SCHOOL YEAR, FLORIDA PROVIDED $706 PER STUDENT ON AVERAGE THROUGH THE FLORIDA EDUCATION FINANCE FORMULA, FEFP. 14 YEARS LATER FUNDING PER STUDENT REACHED 7795. 7 -- JUST UNDER HALF OF ONE PERCENT AVERAGE INCREASE PER YEAR. THAT'S ATROCIOUS. NOW, WHEN I STARTED LOOKING AT WHY, IT SEEMED TO ALL FALL BACK ON PROPERTY TAXES. SO LET'S TALK MILLAGE. WE'VE HAD A BOOM OF GROWTH IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA. AND THAT LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN NEW HOMES. AGAIN, I SAID MY JOB IS MATH TUTOR, TAKE COMPLICATED MATH CONCEPTS AND TRY TO MAKE THEM SIMPLE. I'M NOT GOING TO CLAIM TO BE A MILLAGE EXPERT. YOU HAD MANY MORE PEOPLE SPEAK BEFORE ME FAR MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT MILLAGE THAN I AM. WHAT I CAN DO IS TRY TO TAKE A COMPLICATED CONCEPT AND MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND. EN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW HOMES AND THE INCREASE IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE BUYING HOMES SHOULD CORRESPONDENT TO AN INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE AND AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL FUNDING. THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD WORK. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE WORKED THAT WAY. WHILE I UNDERSTAND ADVANCED CALCULUS, I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND WHY THE INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE DOES NOT DIRECTLY CORRESPOND TO AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL FUNDING. LIKE I SAID, THE EXPLANATION TO THAT QUERY SEEMS TO REVOLVE SOMEWHERE AROUND THE PROBLEM OF MILLAGE. ALTHOUGH MORE FAMILIES ARE MOVING TO THE AREA WHICH MEANS INCREASED COST TO SERVE THEM APPROPRIATELY IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD MILLAGE HAS STEADILY DECLINED. DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE. SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT USING A ROLLED-BACK RATE. WHICH, AGAIN, IS SOMETHING I CAN'T WRAP MY HEAD AROUND. WHY WOULD WE BE DOING THAT WHEN WE HAVE MORE FAMILIES TO SERVE. I WAS HAPPY NOT TO HEAR THE WORDS IN TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION, SO I'M HOPING THAT THAT DID NOT ACTUALLY COME THROUGH. IF IT DID, THEN I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE VOTE NO AGAINST THE ROLLED-BACK RATE. I'M ASKING YOU TO VOTE NO AGAINST THE ROLLED-BACK RATE. PLEASE, LET US CONTINUE TO FULLY FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AGAIN, WE'LL BACK YOU ON THAT DECISION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. PAT HALL. FOLLOWED BY ALLISON FERNANDEZ.
>> I'M ASKING TO YOU VOTE FOR THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT POSSIBLE OF MILLAGE UNDER THE LAW GIVEN THE STATUTORY AUTHORITY YOU HAVE. LET'S ADVOCATE TO RESOLVE THE INEQUITY IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDING AS STATED IN YOUR LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM. I HOPE WE CAN CONSIDER A PROPERTY TAX REFERENDUM TO PAY TEACHERS AND OTHER NEEDS LIKE NOW NAPS PINELLAS COUNTY. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: PAT HALL. ALLISON FERNANDEZ.
>> ALLISON FERNANDEZ. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. ONE IS, I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN SET THE MILLAGE WITHOUT HAVING A VERY GOOD WORKING BUDGET BECAUSE WITHOUT THE BUDGET ANALYSIS, YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE OR WHERE FUNDS NEED TO BE ALLOCATED TO KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD SET YOUR MILLAGE AT. SECONDLY, WHO IN THIS DISTRICT COULD PERFORM THE ANALYSIS TO ACTUALLY CREATE A VERY GOOD DOLLAR COST OF WHAT IT COSTS TO EDUCATE A STUDENT AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, AT THE MIDDLE LEVEL, AND AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, AND YOU CAN ADD MULTIPLIERS FOR STRUGGLING SCHOOLS AT EACH LEVEL, BUT THAT WOULD GIVE THE COMMUNITY AND THE TAXPAYER A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT IS ACTUALLY COSTS TO EDUCATE A STUDENT, NOT WHAT WE'RE PAYING THEM DIVIDED OVER NUMBER OF STUDENTS BUT BUILD THE COST FROM THE BOTTOM AND THEN THAT COMPARISON AGAINST WHAT THE STATE IS ACTUALLY FUNDING GIVES THE COMMUNITY A LEG TO STAND ON WHEN THEY GO TO THEIR LEGISLATURE AND SAY, WE ARE BEING UNDERFUNDED. HERE'S HOW I CAN PROVE IT TO YOU. BECAUSE JUST SAYING THAT FLORIDA FUNDS STUDENTS AT A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE AS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE NATION IS NOT A COMPARISON. AGAIN, MY ANALYSIS, IF EVERY STATE IN THIS NATION FUNDED STUDENTS AT A MILLION DOLLARS PER STUDENT AND FLORIDA FUNDED THEM AT 999,000 PER STUDENT, FLORIDA WOULD BE LAST IN THE NATION. BUT WE KNOW THAT'S AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT PER STUDENT FUNDING, WHICH SHOULD BE MORE THAN ADEQUATE. I'M ASKING YOU TO DIRECT STAFF AND HELP PROVIDE THEM THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS, TO REALLY BUILD THE TRUE COST OF A STUDENT, THEN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO CHARGE FOR MILLAGE. ESTABLISH THE MILLAGE, YOU ALL COME TO US AND TELL THE COMMUNITY WE'RE SHORT ON FUNDS, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING. YOU'RE A BODY THAT CAN ACTUALLY SET YOUR TAX RATE. SO PLEASE DO THE ANALYSIS SO THAT YOU CAN SET YOUR TAX RATE AT A WAY THAT WILL PROVIDE THE FUNDING THAT THE DISTRICT NEEDS AND GIVE THE COMMUNITY THE DETAILS THE COMMUNITY NEEDS IN ORDER TO SPEAK INTELLIGENTLY ON THE FUNDING ISSUE. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. FERNANDEZ. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS AND/OR MS. RO JOHNSON, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF COMMENTS TOSSED AROUND AND VOCABULARY WORDS, OPERATIONAL DEFICIT, WE UNDERSTAND WHAT MILLAGE RATES ARE, BUT DO WE REALLY? WOULD YOU LIKE TO BRIEFLY REMARK ON SOME OF THE COMMENTS MADE JUST FOR CLARIFICATION?
>>Ro Johnson: WELL, THE BOARD IS REQUIRED BY LAW UNDER FLORIDA STATUTE 200 TO LEVY BASED ON PARTICIPATING IN THE FLORIDA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. THE BOARD HAS NO RIGHT TO LEVY OTHER WHAT IS APPROPRIATED IN FRONT OF THEM OR THEY CANNOT GET STATE APPROPRIATION FUNDING FROM THE STATE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. JOHNSON. ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER CLARIFICATIONS AT THIS TIME? RIGHT NOW, WE ARE IN A POSITION TO ACCEPT BOARD COMMENTS. WILL THERE BE ANY BOARD DISCUSSION ON THIS PARTICULAR -- THIS ADOPTION -- THIS IS THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES. MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. TO FOLLOW UP TO KIND OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID, MS. JOHNSON, ARE WE ABLE TO -- DO WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DECIDE THE MILLAGE PERCENTAGE OF THE TAXES THAT WE LEVY?
>>Ro Johnson: NO.
>>Jessica Vaughn: WHO SETS THAT?
>>Ro Johnson: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
>>Jessica Vaughn: SO WE COULD NOT -- THEY COME TO US WITH A RATE, THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME, ESSENTIALLY THE TAX COLLECTOR SENDS ALL THE INFORMATION TO THE STATE. THE STATE SAYS ACROSS THE STATE, THIS IS HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE ANTICIPATING TAKING IN FROM PROPERTY TAXES. THEN THEY COMPARE IT WITH THE CAP THAT THEY HAVE SET AND SAY, OKAY, WE'RE BRINGING IN $40 MILLION. YOU CAN ONLY BRING IN $20 MILLION. SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T OVERSEE THAT CAP AS A STATE IS GO BACK AND TELL YOU THE MILLAGE THAT YOU CAN COLLECT, WHICH IS A PERCENTAGE OF THE TAXES, IS THAT CORRECT?
>>Ro Johnson: THAT IS CORRECT.
>>Jessica Vaughn: IF WE HAVE GONE OVER THAT CAP AS A STATE, MEANING MIAMI-DADE, ORANGE COUNTY, WHATEVER, THEIR TAXES, THEIR HOME APPRAISAL TAXES INFLUENCE THAT, THAT MEANS THAT THEY CAN GO BACK AND LOWER OUR MILLAGE RATE BASED ON THE OTHER COUNTY'S PROPERTY TAXES, IS THAT CORRECT?
>>Ro Johnson: FUNDING FORMULA BASED ON OUR FTE, WHEN OUR LOCAL EFFORT IS INCREASED WE GET MORE LOCAL REVENUE, THEY DECREASE OUR STATE ALLOCATION BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF LOCAL REVENUE WE RECEIVE.
>>Jessica Vaughn: JUST TO KIND OF SIMPLIFY, THEY ARE DECREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF THE TAXES WE CAN TAKE, CORRECT? OKAY. SO WE'RE NOT RAISING TAXES EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A HEARING TO SAY THAT WE'RE RAISING TAXES IN TRUTH WE ARE TAKING LESS OF A PERCENTAGE OF TAXES AND GETTING LESS INCOME FROM THE PERCENTAGE.
>>Ro Johnson: CORRECT. YOUR MILLAGE RATES, TAXABLE VALUES ARE INCREASING. OUR RATES WENT DOWN. SO WE ARE RAISING TAXES BASED ON THE HOLD HARMLESS RATE BECAUSE THE HOLD HARMLESS RATE IS LOWER. WE GO DOWN TO THE HOLD HARMLESS RATE, THEN THE STATE WOULD BE COLLECTING THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE LAST YEAR. TAXABLE VALUES GO UP ON YOUR PROPERTY, THE RATES WENT DOWN A LITTLE BIT BUT WE'RE STILL RECEIVING MORE REVENUE BASED ON THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE DECLINE AND THE INCREASE IN THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTIES.
>>Jessica Vaughn: REALLY, THIS IS A FORMALITY TO SAY THAT WE'RE ADOPTING THIS AND LEVYING IT SO WE CAN GET THE MONEY, CORRECT?
>>Ro Johnson: YES, AND YOU'RE REQUIRED BY LAW.
>>Lynn Gray: WE'RE GOING TO VOTE ON THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES ONLY AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT'S UNANIMOUS. THE NEXT DISCUSSION FROM THE PUBLIC POSSIBLY AND THE BOARD -- YOU MAY READ THAT.
>>Ro Johnson: IT'S RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD ADOPT THE TENTATIVE BUDGET OF $3,352,305,717.75.
>>Lynn Gray: OKAY. THE PUBLIC -- FIRST, WE NEED A MOTION. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. IS THERE ANYONE PRESENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A REMARK ON THIS PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITY? MR. KLUTHO AND THEN MS. FERNANDEZ, IS THAT CORRECT? MR. KLUTHO.
>> MARK KLUTHO. THIS IS TRULY TERRIBLE HERE. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN THE JOB OF EDUCATING, BUT LOOK AT THESE FIGURES. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, 45 MILLION. INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF TRAINING SERVICES, 34 MILLION. BOARD, $3,300,000. IS THAT ENOUGH MONEY FOR YOU? THEN WE HAVE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION, $11 MILLION. THAT REALLY GOES TO THE EDUCATION, RIGHT? THEN SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION, $112 MILLION. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION. AND THEN FACILITIES ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION, $260,847,000. MORE BAD, STUPID BUILDINGS. CENTRAL SERVICES, $227 MILLION. OPERATION OF PLAN, $137,737,000. MAINTENANCE OF PLANT, 27 MILLION. DEBT SERVICE, $83,992,000. THAT'S GETTING THOSE KIDDIES EDUCATED. AND THEN OVER HERE FOR THE CAPITAL OUTLAY, MAINTENANCE, RENOVATION, AND REPAIR, WE HAVE THE HVAC IMPROVEMENTS. SEE, YOU STILL HAVE THOSE STUPID BUILDINGS BELCHING THE CARBON, AND WE HAD PEOPLE SPEAKING ABOUT, OH, YEAH, WE NEED THAT MILLAGE INCREASED. NO, WHAT YOU NEED IS YOU NEED THE MONEY SPENT WISELY. AS I SAID EARLIER, SINCE I'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE DECADES BRINGING THE SCIENCE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE, PASSIVE SOLAR BUILDING, YOU HAVE SPENT ON THE ORDER OF $5 BILLION ON STUPID, DUMB BUILDINGS THAT ARE KILLING THE PLANET. IT MEANS IT'S MONEY NOT GOING TO EDUCATION. WHEN WILL YOU GET IT RIGHT?
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. KLUTHO. FOLLOWED BY MS. FERNANDEZ.
>> ALLISON FERNANDEZ. MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS WHEN DURING THIS BUDGET PROCESS DO WE HAVE THE ANALYSIS AND THE QUESTIONING AS TO WHERE WE REALLY NEED TO PUT THE FUNDS FOR THE BEST USE? EXAMPLE, WE TOOK AIDES OUT OF KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE CLASSROOMS BECAUSE IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE AND NEEDED TO CUT PEOPLE. I'M GOING BACK YEARS NOW. HOWEVER, WHO HAS DONE THE ANALYSIS TO SHOW THAT WE DID, IN FACT, COME OUT WITH A BETTER OUTCOME AND A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE TEACHING METHOD? ARE WE LOOKING AT HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING IN MITIGATION AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS IN ORDER TO READ BY THIRD GRADE? AND WOULD IT ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN MORE COST-EFFECTIVE AND A BETTER OUTCOME IF WE JUST KEPT THE AIDES IN THE CLASSROOM AND ALLOWED KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE TEACHERS MORE TIME TO DIFFERENTIATE EDUCATION? SO IN THIS PROCESS LOOKS AT EACH BUDGET AREA AND SCHOOL NEEDS AND REALLY BUILDS WHAT THEY NEED. ANOTHER EXAMPLE, GRECO, 2008-2019 TENURE HAS A 1.5 GPA. TWO OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT FEED THEM, ROBLES AND TEMPLE TERRACE ELEMENTARY, SAME TIME PERIOD. 1.33 GPA. WE MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH OUR INSTRUCTION IN THESE CHRONICALLY UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS. WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE SCHOOL NEEDS AS A WHOLE AND NOT DOING THIS ASSESSMENT, WE'RE JUST DOING THE SAME THING YEAR AFTER YEAR. ROBLES ELEMENTARY HAS BEEN A D SCHOOL FOR ONE, TWO, THREE -- THE PAST SIX YEARS. AND IF WE'RE NOT SPENDING THE MONEY WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO, WE'RE NOT INSTRUCTING OUR STUDENTS. WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT WHAT REALLY WORKS IN THE CLASSROOM AND WHAT WORKS IN A DIFFERENT CLASSROOM. VALRICO ELEMENTARY PROBABLY NEEDS A DIFFERENT STRUCTURE THAN ROBLES ELEMENTARY AND MAYBE IT COSTS MORE AT ROBLES ELEMENTARY, BUT MAYBE WE GET BETTER RESULTS. WHEN WE HAVE A SCHOOL LIKE SULPHUR SPRINGS ELEMENTARY THAT'S NOW A K-8, CAME IN WITH ALL KINDS OF RESOURCES AND THEN THAT SCHOOL WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. THE NEXT YEAR WE TOOK ALL THE RESOURCES AWAY AND THAT'S NOT SUCCESSFUL ANYMORE. WHEN DO WE DO THIS ANALYSIS AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS?
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS, ANY DISCUSSION? MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO KIND OF FOLLOW UP WITH MRS. FERNANDEZ. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, SHE'S ASKING, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THAT? WHO COMES UP WITH THE BUDGET? WHO FIGURES OUT THE ALLOCATION? HOW DO WE DECIDE? IS THAT AN OPERATIONAL DECISION? ARE YOU THE ONE WHO MAKES THE DECISION? HELP EDUCATE MS. FERNANDEZ, PLEASE.
>>Addison Davis: WE'LL MAKE TIME TO MEET WITH MS. FERNANDEZ TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS. DR. KEMP WILL GET HER INFORMATION AND WE'LL SCHEDULE THAT TIME TOGETHER.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. BOARD MEMBERS, SEEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, LET'S VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. MEMBER HAHN. ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR. IT'S UNANIMOUS. WE'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
>>Ro Johnson: BEFORE I GO TO THE NEXT RESOLUTION, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A CORRECTION, IT SAYS THE FINAL PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE ON THURSDAY, NOT TUESDAY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 9th. THAT'S THE -- IT SHOULD BE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 9th. THE NEXT RECOMMENDATION IS THE BOARD APPROVE THE RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES AND TENTATIVE BUDGET.
>>Lynn Gray: WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THIS MILLAGE. AND WE HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER VAUGHN. SECOND BY MEMBER PEREZ. ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS? SEEING NONE, BOARD DISCUSSION? BOARD MEMBERS? SEEING NO DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. MS. JOHNSON, CONTINUE.
>>Ro Johnson: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD AUTHORIZE THE STAFF TO PERFORM ALL TASKS NECESSARY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRUTH IN MILLAGE REQUIREMENTS OF CHAPTER 200 FLORIDA STATUTES.
>>Lynn Gray: I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS. A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. ANY PUBLIC DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, ANY BOARD DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. THANK YOU, BOARD. MEMBER SNIVELY. THANK YOU. IT IS UNANIMOUS. AND AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO CONCLUDE. IS THERE ANYONE PRESENT WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD CONCERNING THE AUTHORIZATION OF STAFF TO PERFORM ALL TASKS NECESSARY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRUTH IN MILLAGE TRIM REQUIREMENTS OF CHAPTER 200, FLORIDA STATUTES. SEEING NONE, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY DISCUSSION? WE'RE GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN.
>>Jim Porter: PLEASE READ BACK WHO MADE THE MOTION.
>>Lynn Gray: I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. THERE HAS BEEN A MOTION --
>>Jim Porter: WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND.
>>Lynn Gray: I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. A SECOND BY MEMBER PEREZ. AND WE'LL GO RIGHT BACK TO ANY QUESTIONS. BOARD DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT'S UNANIMOUS. I WILL NOW ADJOURN THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET AND RECONVENE THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MEETING. [ SOUNDING GAVEL ] AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE ABOUT NINE MINUTES TO CONTINUE PUBLIC COMMENT. THEN WE HAVE A 6:00 TIME CERTAIN EMPLOYEE COMMENT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN GET THE REMAINING FOLKS THAT ARE HERE. MEGAN COLINS, KIMBERLY DAVIS, CHRISTIE HEARD, LAURA COLTER, AND ARIELLE REEFMAN. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME. AND GOOD EVENING.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS MEGAN COLLINS. I HAVE A CHILD WHO WILL BE ATTENDING A PUBLIC HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THIS YEAR. FIRST OFF, I'D LIKE TO START BY THANKING MR. DAVIS FOR MAKING MASKS OPTIONAL FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. I'M NOT GOING TO QUOTE SCIENCE BECAUSE LET'S BE HONEST, THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS AND OPINIONS CIRCLING ABOUT SCIENCE THESE DAYS. I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU ABOUT THE PARENTAL RIGHTS BILL HB 241 THAT GOVERNOR DESANTIS SIGNED INTO LAW AND WENT INTO EFFECT ON JULY 1st OF THIS YEAR. THANKS TO THIS, THE PARENTS OF FLORIDA NOW HAVE THE POWER TO DIRECT THE UPBRINGING, EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, AND MENTAL HEALTH OF THEIR CHILDREN. WITH ALL DUE RESPECT I DO NOT PARENT WITH YOU, THE SCHOOL BOARD. THEREFORE, I DO NOT WISH FOR MY CHILD TO WEAR A MASK TO SCHOOL AND MY CHILD SHOULD NOT HAVE TO. WHY DO I NOT WANT THEM TO WEAR A MASK? THEIR MENTAL HEALTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH. MENTAL HEALTH IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN CHILDREN. THIS IS CONCERNING WHEN MENTAL HEALTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH. I URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO KEEP MASKS OPTIONAL FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. ALSO LIKE TO REMIND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT ARE ALL ELECTED POSITIONS.
>> THANK YOU, MS. COLLINS. [ APPLAUSE ] WELCOME, MS. DAVIS.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. AM I ON? GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. SO HERE WE ARE, DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN. AUGUST OF 2020, I STOOD AT THIS LECTERN TO PLEAD FOR PARENTAL CHOICE IN OFFERING BRICK AND MORTAR LEARNING. THIS PAST MAY I STOOD HERE TO PLEAD FOR PARENTAL CHOICE ON MASKS BEING A PARENT OPTION AND HERE WE ARE AGAIN. ONLY THIS TIME I'M NOT PLEADING. I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU THAT WE NOW HAVE THE PARENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS WHICH STATES THAT PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE HEALTH CARE DECISIONS FOR THEIR MINOR CHILD, ME, NOT YOU. TO BE CLEAR, I AM NOT ANTIMASK. I AM PRO-CHOICE FOR EVERY PARENT IN THIS DISTRICT, INCLUDING THE ONES I MAY DISAGREE WITH. BOARD MEMBERS, AREN'T YOU GUYS TIRED OF ALL OF THIS? TIRED OF THE LETTERS FROM THE DOE? TIRED FROM RELYING ON SUPPOSITION AND BEING WRONG? TIRED OF WASTING TIME AND TAXPAYER RESOURCES. GOD KNOWS I AM AND OTHER PARENTS ARE, TOO. THANK YOU.
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MS. DAVIS. CHRISTIE. WELCOME.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. CHRISTIE HEELED. I HAVE A DAUGHTER ENTERING FIRST GRADE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I ALSO HAVE A TEN-MONTH-OLD THAT I CARRIED AND DELIVERED DURING COVID. I LOST THREE BABIES BEFORE THIS ONE AND I WAS TRULY TERRIFIED DURING THIS PREGNANCY EVEN WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. MY SIX-YEAR-OLD AND ONLY CHILD AT THE TIME DIDN'T PLAY WITH A SINGLE FRIEND FOR MONTHS. WE FOLLOWED THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS AS THEY WERE LAID OUT AT THE TIME. NOW WE KNOW SO MUCH MORE ABOUT THE VIRUS AND THANKFULLY KNOW THAT IN 99.97 CASES IT SPARES THE CHILDREN BUT WHAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SPARED OF ARE THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THE MEASURE TAKEN TO PROTECT THEM. PEDIATRIC ANXIETY AND SUICIDES ARE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH. IF WE WANTED TO ELIMINATE ALL RISK WE WOULDN'T SEND OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL AT ALL. PUT THEM IN A CAR, RIDE A BIKE, CLIMB A TREE OR SWIM IN A POOL. I TRY TO LIMIT RISK EXPOSURE EVERY DAY BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT LIVING A FULL LIFE MEANS WE MUST LIVE IT. I WANT MY DAUGHTER TO SEE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, NONVERBAL CUE THAT ARE CRITICAL TO HUMAN --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. COLTER. WE APPRECIATE YOUR VOICE TODAY. THANK YOU. ARIELLE RIFEMAN. LAURA COLTER. MY APOLOGIES. LAURA COLTER. ARIELLE RIFEMAN, DAVID RIFEMAN, AND PAT METCALF, IF YOU COULD LINE UP AND COME TO THE PODIUM. WELCOME.
>> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS PAT METCALF. MY EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ICU/CCU NURSING, 23 YEARS WITH BIG PHARMA AND A NURSING EDUCATOR AT ONE OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND ALSO A MOTHER. I'M NOT ANTIMASK, WHEN USED IN APPROPRIATE SITUATIONS I'M NOT ANTI-VACCINE. I AM AGAINST THE EXPERIMENTAL USES OF MASKS ON OUR CHILDREN. I AM AGAINST EXPERIMENTAL VACCINES BEING USED ON HEALTHY CHILDREN. I WOULD ASK YOU, WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO DRIVE A CAR THAT HAS EXPERIMENTAL BRAKES? I HAVE A PACKET HERE FOR ALL OF YOU AND THAT INCLUDES A LIST OF ABSTRACTS, REFERENCES, AND EVIDENCE-BASED SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS CONCLUDING THAT MASKS ARE INEFFECTIVE, UNNECESSARY, AND HARMFUL. I ASK YOU TO NOT VOTE FOR A MASK MANDATE IN OUR SCHOOLS BASED ON THIS EVIDENCE. LET'S NOT FOCUS ON MASKS. LET'S FOCUS ON OUR EFFORTS AND EDUCATING OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT NEW EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS TO PREVENT -- [ APPLAUSE ]
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
>>Lynn Gray: WE'RE GOING TO BACK UP JUST A TAD. LAURA COLTER, ARIELLE RIFEMAN. DAVID RIFEMAN, PAT METCALF, THOMAS. STEPHANIE. A FAMILY. THAT'S THE BEST IDEA. BRING THEM ALL UP. I BELIEVE I MET YOU TODAY.
>> YES.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS BUT I WANT TO SAY STUFF. ALL RIGHT. MY NAME IS THOMAS ROCCO TERTIANO, AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD NOT -- WELL, I THINK MASKS -- WE SHOULD NOT WEAR MASKS AT SCHOOL. I AM A HUGE VISUAL LEARNER, AND I HATE NOT SEEING THE EXPRESSIONS OF MY TEACHERS. AND IT'S REALLY HARD BECAUSE WHEN I'M NOT SEEING THE EXPRESSIONS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE THINKING AND WHEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE THINKING, THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO -- ALL RIGHT. SO, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH MASKS I THINK IS COMMUNICATION AND THE PROBLEM WITH COMMUNICATION IS THAT WHEN THE MASKS ARE BLOCKING THE VOICES OF THE TEACHERS, SO IT'S HARD FOR US TO HEAR THE TEACHERS' VOICES. AND NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR SOMEONE YELL ALL DAY. AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH THE MASKS BECAUSE THEY BLOCK THE VOICES AND THE TEACHERS END UP YELLING.
>>Lynn Gray: AND WE NEED TO HEAR YOUR VOICE. I'M GLAD. DID YOU FINISH WHAT YOU WANTED TO SAY? OKAY. WELL, YOU SPOKE VERY WELL. WE ALL APPRECIATE IT. DID YOUR BROTHER WANT TO SAY -- OKAY. YOU TWO, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF YOU. AND YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHTY. BYE-BYE. [ APPLAUSE ] I WOULD GATHER WE HAVE SOME MORE. HI, MOM. YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE. I KNOW ONE OF YOUR DAUGHTERS IS NOT GOING TO SPEAK BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
>> I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR MY LITTLE OUTBURST OUT THERE. I WANT TO START WITH THE GROUP OF PARENTS WHO SENT KIDS MASKS WHICH WERE WORN FOR 5.7 HOURS. THE RESULTS WERE SHOCKING. 83% CONTAMINATED. 21 PATHOGENIC, WHICH ARE DISEASE CAUSING. 33% OF THOSE WERE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT ORGANISMS. CHILDREN ARE GENERALLY HEALTHY AND GETTING A VIRUS IS USUALLY NOT A BIG DEAL FOR THEM. IN FACT, ARGUABLY, EVEN A GOOD THING BECAUSE IT MAKES THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS HEALTHIER, STRONGER, MORE ROBUST. I'M TIRED OF MY CHILDREN COMING HOME LOOKING TIRED, SICK, HEADACHES, SORE THROATS. IT'S NOT NORMAL. WHY DOES IT MATTER IF THEY ARE WEARING THEM OR NOT. IT WOULD BE US THE PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS TAKING THE RISK FOR OUR CHILDREN NOT WEARING A MASK, NOT THE TEACHER. AND NOT YOU GUYS. OVERALL, THIS BOILS DOWN TO FREEDOM. THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE, PROTECT AND RAISE OUR CHILDREN. MY BODY, MY VOICE, MY FREEDOM, MY CHOICE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. DID ANY OF YOUR CHILDREN WANT TO SPEAK? WE'RE VERY PROUD OF YOU. I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE. WE'RE GOING TO READ FROM A SCRIPT? GET CLOSE TO THAT MICROPHONE SO WE CAN HEAR YOU.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN READ YOUR HANDWRITING. I DON'T LIKE MASKS BECAUSE IT HURTS MY HEAD AND EVERY TIME I GO HOME, I FEEL SICK AND I CAN'T BREATHE. THANK YOU, PLEASE NO MASKS.
>>Lynn Gray: WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD. WELL WRITTEN. MOM, DID YOU A GREAT JOB.
>> I HATE MASKS BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE DAY WHEN I GO HOME, I ALWAYS FEEL DROWSY, LIKE I JUST WANT TO GO TO SLEEP AND FEEL SICK.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SWEETHEART. [ APPLAUSE ] ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO HEAR, IF THEY ARE STILL HERE, MARK ZAJAC, MATTHEW RUSSELL, STEPHANIE MOJICA, KEITH HARRIS, CARMEN EDMONDS AND KIMBERLY HALL. LET'S SEE IF ANY OF THEM ARE STILL PRESENT. IF SO LET'S BEGIN BY SPEAKING. EMPLOYEE COMMENT WILL BE AFTER PUBLIC COMMENT. IS THIS MARK?
>> GOOD EVENING, MY NAME IS MARK ZAJAC. I'M THE PARENT OF TWO KIDS WHO ATTEND THE INCREDIBLE COLEMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN SOUTH TAMPA. GO COBRAS. UP UNTIL APRIL, YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN ME AT A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING EVER, BUT THEN THE DISTRICT AROUND ANNOUNCED THESE CUTS OF ABOUT A THOUSAND POSITIONS WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF MANY MORE CUTS IN THE FUTURE. I ALWAYS TAKE IN THE POSITION THAT -- TAKING IT FOR GRANTED THAT MY KIDS WOULD ENJOY THIS EXCELLENT PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION. BUT IN APRIL, I REALIZED I COULD NO LONGER TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED, AND THAT THEIR EDUCATION WAS AT RISK. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE ADVOCATING ON THEIR BEHALF AS WELL AS THE 86% OF THE STUDENTS IN THE SYSTEM WHO ATTEND TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT. MY MESSAGE TO YOU IS SIMPLE. YOU AS A BOARD WERE ELECTED WITH A MANDATE TO PRIORITIZE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TAKEN TOGETHER IN YOUR LAST RACES, AND I DID THE MATH, YOU CUMULATIVELY RECEIVED NEARLY 823,000 VOTES.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MARK. WE'LL GO TO MATTHEW RUSSELL. THEN STEPHANIE. GOOD EVENING.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M YOUR NEIGHBOR, MATTHEW RUSSELL FROM RIVERVIEW. MY GOD SON IS ETHAN, AGE FOUR. THAT JUST CAME FROM COSTA RICA AFTER A TWO-YEAR STRUGGLE OF IMMIGRATION, WHICH IS A BIG TOPIC TODAY. EXCITED TO GO TO SCHOOL IN AMERICA, MEET NEW FRIENDS ONLY TO FIND THAT HE MIGHT HAVE TO WEAR A MASK ON HIS FACE. FIRST DAY OF THE BUS FOR PICTURES, FIRST DAY IN THE CLASSROOM, HIS FIRST DAY SEEING HIS TEACHER OR NOT SEEING. BECAUSE FEW ACTIVISTS CLAIM THAT MASKS WILL PROTECT HIM AND OTHERS FROM COVID. CAME AS A SURPRISE AS HE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING IN HIS COUNTRY FOR WHAT MATTERS, HE DOESN'T GET IT. I KNOW, DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON CHILD AND THE FAMILY AND THE PANDEMIC TAUGHT US THIS. ARTICLE AFTER ARTICLE, STUDY AFTER STUDY, SPECIFICALLY PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON CHILDREN, I URGE YOU, PLEASE, I HAVE A NIECE GOING TO THIRD GRADE NEXT YEAR, TOO. SHE WEARS THE MASK LIKE A CRUTCH NOW. IT'S TERRIBLE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS. STEPHANIE, KEITH.
>> I'M DR. STEPHANIE, A BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST, INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCHER AND MOTHER. AS WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT THE DELTA VARIANT, YOUNGER UNVACCINATED PEOPLE ARE DYING. INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN ARE RISING. IN ENGLAND RECENT STUDY SHOWED INCREASING OUTBREAKS OF COVID IN SCHOOLCHILDREN AFTER THEY REMOVED THE MASK MANDATE. THE WORST WERE IN AGES 7 TO 11. MASKS OFFER PROTECTION, AND OUR CHILDREN WON'T DIE FROM THEM. MY KIDS DO AND WILL WEAR MASKS, BUT MASKS ARE SHOWN TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN THE PERSON WHO HAS COVID WEARS A MASK AND THE PERSON WHO DOESN'T HAVE COVID ALSO WEARS A MASK. SO IF ONLY ONE PERSON IS WEARING A MASK, WE'RE NOT GETTING MAXIMAL EFFECTIVENESS. WE NEED UNIVERSAL MASK USE IN SCHOOLS. PLEASE PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND PLEASE PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM KEITH HARRIS, CARMEN, KIMBERLY. GOOD EVENING, MR. HARRIS.
>> GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'M ACTUALLY HERE TO SHARE A QUICK THOUGHT IN SUPPORT OF THE RENAMING OF SLIGH MIDDLE SCHOOL TO THE THADDEUS BULLARD LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AT SLIGH MIDDLE. I STAND BEFORE YOU AS LIFELONG RESIDENT OF THE COMMUNITY AND SON OF RETIRED HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, GRADUATE OF KING HIGH SCHOOL, PARENT OF A SCHOOL AGED CHILD THAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM AND I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THE SENIOR TEAM OF THE LOCAL BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB ORGANIZATION AND WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO HELP CLOSE THE LEARNING GAP AND EVEN AUGMENT SOME OF WHAT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE DOING TO ADDRESS LEARNING LOSS WITH OUR OUT-OF-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING ON SOME OF OUR SCHOOL SITES INCLUDING THE CLUB AT SLIGH MIDDLE. THAT'S WHERE I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THADDEUS AND NOT TITUS THE ENTERTAINER DOING WHAT I THINK THIS VOTE IS ALL ABOUT AND THE KIDS THERE KNOW HIM. I ACTUALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HIM SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE HE WAS A BIG STAR AND I'VE SEEN HIS SINCERITY, HIS PASSION AND VISION. I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER IT.
>>Lynn Gray: CARMEN AND KIMBERLY. GOOD EVENING.
>> ON MY Facebook FEED TODAY THE STORY OF THE DOCTOR WHO INVENTED LOBOTOMIES POPPED UP. HE WAS CONSIDERED THE EXPERT IN THE FIELD SO PEOPLE TOOK HIS MEDICAL PROCEDURE AS THE WAY TO TREAT MENTAL DISORDERS. THEY CALLED IT SCIENCE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HARMING AND KILLING HIS PATIENTS. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW WITH OUR CHILDREN. TELL ME ONCE WHEN THE MASK EXPERTS WERE RIGHT. THE CDC, DR. FAUCI, IS IT ONE MASK, TWO MASKS OR NO MASKS? BECAUSE THEY RECOMMENDED ALL THREE. THAT'S NOT SCIENCE. THAT'S JUNK SCIENCE. SO, PLEASE, KEEP MASKS OPTIONAL. JUST LIKE LOBOTOMIES, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT MASKS WORK. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT, KIMBERLY HALL. GOOD EVENING, KIMBERLY.
>> HELLO, GOOD EVENING. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING, ALTHOUGH I AM A LIFELONG FLORIDA RESIDENT AND LIFELONG, I ATTENDED HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS GROWING UP ALL MY LIFE. THIS YEAR, MY DAUGHTER, SHE IS FIVE, SHE WOULD BE STARTING KINDERGARTEN BUT I DECIDED TO HOLD BACK THIS YEAR BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE AND I WANTED TO PLAY IT SAFE BASED ON HOW THE MASKS WOULD PLAY OUT THIS YEAR. EVEN WITH THE DECISION BACK IN MAY, I WAS STILL NERVOUS WHAT WAS GOING TO END UP HAPPENING. I DIDN'T REALLY TRUST THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE MASK OPTIONAL ALTHOUGH I DO 100% STAND BEHIND ADDISON DAVIS' DECISION TO RESPECT THE PARENTS AND RESPECT TO US MAKE DECISIONS FOR OUR KIDS AND HOW EACH ONE HANDLE IT DIFFERENTLY. I CONSIDER IT MY JOB, DUTY, LIFE WORK TO RAISE, TEACH, LOVE AND PROTECT MY CHILD AND I DO NOT PLAN ON COPARENTING WITH ANYONE. AND FOR ME, MY CHILD DOESN'T NEED CONSTANT VIRTUE SIGNALING THAT THEY ARE WALKING 24/7 SUPPOSED DISEASE CARRIERS. I TOOK TIME AWAY FROM MY ALREADY BUSY LIFE SCHEDULE TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I AM A PARENT THAT WILL ALWAYS VOICE AND SPEAK UP FOR MY KID'S FUNDAMENTALLY RIGHT --
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] BOARD MEMBERS, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND BEFORE WE GET INTO THE EMPLOYEE COMMENTS, I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ, A SECOND BY MEMBER COMBS. PLEASE VOTE WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON. THANK YOU, BOARD. IT'S UNANIMOUS. AT THIS TIME, WE WILL HAVE EMPLOYEE COMMENTS. WE HAVE TWO FOLKS.I HAVE TO GO AHEAD AND READ A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE COMMENTS. JUST BEAR WITH ME, MR. CREED AND MS. GLICK. WE WILL NOW TAKE EMPLOYEE INPUT. EVEN THOUGH WE HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT FOR EMPLOYEES OF OUR DISTRICT TO ATTEND MEETINGS AT 4 P.M. THERE ARE MANY WAYS FOR EMPLOYEES TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD, INCLUDING THROUGH UNION REPRESENTATIVES, E-MAILS, PHONE CALLS, ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS AND PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. THE BOARD DOES WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. WITH THIS SECTION OF OUR AGENDA, WE ARE CREATING ANOTHER AVENUE FOR EMPLOYEES TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD. WE ARE SETTING ASIDE 30 MINUTES FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE DISTRICT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ABOUT ANY ISSUES THAT ARE ON YOUR MIND. THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A DISCUSSION ABOUT SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEMS ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA, BUT RATHER AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ABOUT ANY ISSUES RELATED TO YOUR JOB OR THE DISTRICT. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. I WILL NOW CALL THE FIRST THREE SPEAKERS AND, ACTUALLY, THERE ARE TWO SPEAKERS. ROB KRIETE AND HEIDI GLICK. GOOD EVENING, MR. KRIETE.
>> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR AND THE BOARD. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EMPLOYEE COMMENT. THIS TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ABOUT ISSUES KIND OF WHAT YOU SPOKE TO. IT WAS GREAT HEARING FROM SO MANY STUDENTS TONIGHT. IT TAKES COURAGE AND ACTIVISM TO GET UP HERE REGARDLESS WHATEVER SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT YOU'RE ON. I APPLAUD ALL OF THE STUDENTS THAT WERE HERE TONIGHT. SO THANK YOU. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD FOR SCHEDULING BARGAINING FOR OUR EMPLOYEES NEXT WEEK. WE HOPE TO SETTLE OUR EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS AND FIND A WAY TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION, FIRST RESPONDERS HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH, NOT JUST THOSE DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNOR. THROUGHOUT FLORIDA, PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES HEEDED THE CALL AND THEY RETURNED TO THEIR SCHOOLS TO MEET THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH, I HOPE WE CAN RECOGNIZE ALL OF THESE DILIGENT EMPLOYEES. ADDITIONALLY, WE NEED TO BE SMART AND DILIGENT AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL COMMUNITY TO DEMAND THAT THE ESSER THREE DOLLARS BE RELEASED IN OUR STATE AS OTHER STATES ARE READILY SPENDING THEM ON THEIR SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW. REGARDING THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS, THE CATEGORIZED FUNDS FOR TECHNOLOGY SHOULD BE USED TOWARD MEETING THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS. ESPs, TEACHERS, OUR NURSES, THEY ALL NEED NEW COMPUTERS. ONE SPECIFIC AND HISTORIC NEED FOR OUR EMPLOYEES ARE WORKABLE COMPUTERS HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH. IF WE ARE REQUIRED TO USE DOLLARS FOR TECHNOLOGY, LET'S MAKE SURE WE GIVE OUR EMPLOYEES THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO BEST HELP THEIR KIDS. WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO A PRODUCTIVE AND IMPACTFUL SCHOOL YEAR AND I THANK ALL OF YOU. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. CRETE. -- MR. KRIETE. MS. GLICK. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU. I HOPE THAT WE DIDN'T MAKE YOU WAIT TOO LONG. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
>> GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. APOLOGIZE FOR MY OUTFIT. I WAS VOLUNTEERING AT HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION ALL MORNING, AND IT WAS AMAZING, WHICH IS WHY I WEAR -- YOUR ARGUMENT IS -- SORRY. I DON'T WANT TO BEAT YOU UP. I DO ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE TIME FOR ALLOWING EMPLOYEES TO SPEAK. I KNOW IT'S NOT OFTEN MORE THAN JUST ROB AND I, BUT WE ARE SPEAKING FOR OTHER PEOPLE. WE DO REPRESENT A LOT OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE. I DO WANT TO SAY I WORK AT ALONSO HIGH SCHOOL AND I WILL CONTINUE TO BE WORKING AT THE BEST SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY THANKS TO SOME INCREDIBLE DECISIONS YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN MAKING LATELY. I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU. I WAS A LITTLE UPSET I DIDN'T GET PHONE CALLS ABOUT WHERE I WAS TWO WEEKS AGO. I'M OKAY. IT'S ALL GOOD. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN FOR MEETING AND FOR BARGAINING AND FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR US AND I DO WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK. I WILL BE WEARING MY MASK. MY DAUGHTER HAS A MASTERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND I WILL BE LISTENING TO THE CDC AND TO US HER. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. GLICK. WE APPRECIATE THOSE EMPLOYEE COMMENTS. THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT AND ENCOURAGE OTHER EMPLOYEES TO MAKE THAT COMMITMENT TO COME AND SHARE THOSE THOUGHTS AND ISSUES WITH THE BOARD MEMBERS. RIGHT NOW, WE'LL GO INTO AGENDA ITEM 7.05. THIS IS TO APPROVE THE NAMING OF THE 200 BUILDING AT SLIGH MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL TO THADDEUS M. BULLARD ACADEMY AT SLIGH MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL. BEFORE WE GET TO OUR SUPERINTENDENT'S COMMENTS, THERE IS AN AGENDA ITEM, AND WE DID MOVE THIS UP BECAUSE WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE A GREAT CONTRIBUTOR TO OUR SCHOOLS. THADDEUS BULLARD I BELIEVE IS HERE. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WOULD YOU DO US THE HONORS?
>>Addison Davis: I'VE BEEN HERE 16 MONTHS. I CONTINUOUSLY SAY I NEVER MET A MORE INCREDIBLE PERSON THAT TITUS O'NEIL, THADDEUS BULLARD. TO ME, I CALL HIM A COMMUNITY HERO. HE GOES OVER AND BEYOND TO HELP CHILDREN, ADDRESS SIGNIFICANT GAPS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND HE DOESN'T STOP AT SLIGH. GROWN LEGS THROUGH A NUMBER OF FEEDER MIDDLE SCHOOLS WITHIN OUR TRANSFORMATIONAL NETWORK. HIS WILLINGNESS, TENACITY. GIVEN OVER 2.5 TO $3 MILLION TO THIS SCHOOL TO TRANSFORM THE EXPERIENCE FOR CHILDREN. IT GOES DEEPER AND BEYOND BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT HE DOES NOT ONLY INSIDE OF OUR CLASSROOMS, BUT OUTSIDE OF OUR CLASSROOMS AS WELL. WHAT HE DOES TO NOT ONLY DEVELOP THE WHOLE CHILD BUT DEVELOP THE WHOLE FAMILY. SOWS REMARKABLE. WHEN THAT PHONE CALL -- WHEN HE CALLS YOU AND ANSWER THE PHONE, THAT MEANS WORK IS GOING TO HAPPEN. HE HAS MY SPEED, THAT MEANS RIGHT NOW. I WILL ALWAYS TAKE THE PHONE CALL BECAUSE I GENUINELY UNDERSTAND IT IS FOR THE HEART FOR THE COMMUNITY, HEART FOR CHILDREN AND SO PROUD TO CALL HIM A FRIEND. SO PROUD TO KNOW HIM AS AN ADVOCATE. WITHOUT A DOUBT, I AM SO PROUD THAT WE BRING THIS TO THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO STAND IT UP AND TO RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK IN THE COMMUNITY AND FOR OUR CHILDREN, DEFINITELY SLIGH MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. A SECOND BY MEMBER SNIVELY. I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME DISCUSSION. MEMBER PEREZ, WOULD YOU INITIATE?
>> I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. THADDEUS, I'M JUST HONORED TO HAVE THIS LEGACY WITH YOUR NAME ON IT AT SLIGH, BUT NOT JUST AT SLIGH, YOU HAVE TOUCHED THIS COMMUNITY BEYOND. WHEN I FIRST BECAME BOARD MEMBER, I HELPED DELIVER SOME MEALS DURING THE SUMMER FOR OUR TEACHERS WITH THADDEUS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. HE'S VERY PUNCTUAL. YOU'VE GOT TO BE THERE ON TIME, PICK UP THOSE MEALS. SO IT IS MY HONOR ALSO TO SUPPORT THIS NAMING IN HONOR OF YOU. AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
>>Lynn Gray: I HAVE A FEELING YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING AT THIS POINT IN TIME OR YOU WANT TO HEAR ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS WE WANT TO SAY TO YOU? MEMBER COMBS AND THEN MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Nadia Combs: 20 YEARS AGO, I ACTUALLY WAS A TEACHER AT SLIGH MAGNET. AND I HAVE SEEN THAT SCHOOL BE SO VULNERABLE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES AND THE THING THAT I THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT IS THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES THAT I THINK PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT YOU'RE TAKING THE MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON. SO WE'RE NOT JUST FOCUSING ON THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU'RE TAKING CHILDREN THAT MAYBE WOULD NOT BE LISTED AND BRING THEM TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THOSE LEADERSHIP SKILLS, AND IT'S REALLY INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE, AND I SEE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO, NOT ONLY JUST GOING OUT THERE AND WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, BUT REALLY, I CAN SEE THE JOY THAT YOU EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU WORK WITH OUR CHILDREN. YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU CAN IMPACT THE CHILDREN. SO I AM JUST VERY, VERY HONORED TO BE A MEMBER AT THIS TIME AND BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THIS AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. I HOPE THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL TAKE THAT TIME AND INVEST IN OUR FUTURE BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU.
>>Jessica Vaughn: AGAIN, NEWER TO THE BOARD BUT IN PREPARING FOR THIS, I HAD QUITE A RUN-IN OF ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE AND HOW YOU CONTRIBUTED TO SLIGH, BUT ALSO WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD, THIS IS KIND OF A TEST SCHOOL AND WE WANT TO REPLICATE THIS IN OTHER SCHOOLS AND NOT JUST TO SLIGH. TO MEMBER COMBS' POINT, THAT'S FANTASTIC THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR MOST VULNERABLE SCHOOLS, 39 FAILING SCHOOLS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT LET'S DO A TEST MODEL HERE. LET'S TRY THIS ACADEMY AND THEN LET'S SEE IF WE CAN BRING IT TO OTHER SCHOOLS. IT'S NOT EVEN FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND ONE SCHOOL THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, HAVING THESE TYPES OF ACADEMIES. SO I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC AS WELL. I FOLLOW ALL MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS AND THEIR COMMENTS AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THIS, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU THIS HONOR.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER SNIVELY.
>>Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. OBVIOUSLY, I'M GOING TO ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS WHEN I TELL YOU HOW APPRECIATIVE WE ARE OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE, NOT JUST FOR SLIGH, BUT FOR OUR ENTIRE TAMPA BAY COMMUNITY, AND WE KNOW THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED SEVERAL ACCOLADES FOR ALL OF THE EFFORTS THAT YOU'VE MADE AND ALL OF THE IMPACT THAT YOU'VE HAD ON MANY, MANY, MANY FAMILIES AND MANY CHILDREN. AND I HAVE JUST BEEN HONORED TO KNOW YOU AND WORK WITH YOU OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS AS A BOARD MEMBER AND SEE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE CONTRIBUTED NOT JUST MONEY, YOUR HEART. YOUR HEART IS IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT COMES FIRST, AND IT SHOWS, AND THAT'S WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SO GRATEFUL AND WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND, BY THE WAY, BOARD, IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO READ HIS BOOK, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A BAD KID, PLEASE PICK UP A COPY. HE'LL PROBABLY SIGN IT FOR YOU IF YOU ASK NICELY. AFTER THEY BUY IT AND READ IT. THERE IS A QUIZ. BUT IT HIGHLIGHTS THE STRUGGLES THAT YOU HAD GROWING UP IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND HOW YOU ENDED UP ON TOP OF IT. ONE SPECIAL PERSON TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD DO IT. I'M ALSO HONORED TO BE AN ALUMNI WITH YOU OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. I HAVE TO ALWAYS PUT THAT IN, TOO, BECAUSE I'M VERY PROUD TO CALL YOU A GATOR. THE GATOR NATION IS ALIVE AND STRONG. AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY. WE APPRECIATE IT. GO GATORS.
>>Lynn Gray: GO SNIVELY. MEMBER HAHN AND THEN MEMBER WASHINGTON.
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. WELCOME. I'M SO PROUD THAT YOU'RE HERE TONIGHT AND THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZING YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT INSPIRATION TO ME AS A BOARD MEMBER AND YOU ARE A GREAT INSPIRATION TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, OTHER COMMUNITY LEADERS. THEY LOOK TO YOU, SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING, HOW YOU'RE DOING IT. EVERY CONVERSATION I -- ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT PUTTING OTHER PEOPLE FIRST. PROUD OF YOUR FRIENDS. LIFT THEM UP. I SEE THAT. PROUD OF YOUR CHILDREN WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT. DONE GREAT THINGS FOR SLIGH. THAT TAKES A BIG PERSONAL COMMITMENT. YOU'RE BREAKING THE CYCLE OF POVERTY FOR MANY. YOU'RE PROVIDING MENTORSHIP THAT WILL HELP LIFT THEIR SPIRITS AND GIVE THEM THE INCENTIVE TO MOVE FORWARD. AND THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL LEGACY. NOT JUST LEAD THE COMMUNITY BUT TO LEAD FOR YOUR CHILDREN AS WELL. I'M SURE THEY WILL FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS. I AM SO HAPPY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE APPROVING THIS AGENDA ITEM TONIGHT TO RENAME THE SCHOOL. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ON YOUR EFFORTS IN THE FUTURE. I THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS SUPPORTING ME AND MY EFFORTS AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME. AND, OF COURSE, GO GATORS. CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL DESERVED, THADDEUS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. MEMBER WASHINGTON.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I BECOME TOUCHED SOMETIMES BECAUSE YOU EXEMPLIFIES WHAT A PERSON SHOULD DO IN SOCIETY. YOU HAVE COME BACK AND GIVEN BACK -- GIVEN BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY. VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE DONE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN TAMPA, IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. YOU KNOW I ALWAYS ADMIRE. YOU WERE AT CHAMBERLAIN WHEN I WAS A PRINCIPAL AT CHAMBERLAIN. NOT AS A STUDENT. HE WAS COMING THERE TO WORK. YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD THAT ABILITY TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE IN A POSITIVE WAY, TO DO THINGS FOR PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, YOU ARE BLESSING THE PEOPLE. I THINK YOU MIGHT BE THAT ANGEL THAT HELP PEOPLE OUT. I CANNOT EXPRESS MY FEELINGS TOWARDS YOU AS A PERSON BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME, HOW WE LOVE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND YOU HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB. I SUPPORT YOU 100%. AND I WANT TO TELL YOU, I WANT TO TELL YOU, IF WE COULD EVER CLONE YOU, WE NEED TO CLONE YOU WITH SOME OTHER PEOPLE SO THEY CAN COME BACK AND BE A GREAT INSPIRATION TO THE COMMUNITY AND YOUR KIDS AND THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DONE IN SOCIETY. IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, MAN. ESPECIALLY BEING A MINORITY MYSELF, GOING UP, COMING THROUGH THE RANKS LIKE YOU HAVE AND YOU'RE HAVING ALL THOSE HARD TIMES, BUT THAT MADE YOU BE A GREAT PERSON IN SOCIETY. SO YOU GOT MY SUPPORT 100%. AND I TRULY, TRULY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NOT ONLY THE SCHOOLS, BUT THE COMMUNITY. SO YOU GOT MY SUPPORT 100%.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. I KNOW THAT WAS VERY HEARTFELT. THADDEUS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, THEY DO TALK THE TALK, BUT MANY DON'T WALK THE WALK. AND THAT'S PHYSIOLOGICALLY BUT ALSO THE REAL THING, AND YOU DO. YOU'VE GIVEN TO THE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS SO POWERFUL, BUT YOU'VE GIVEN US BOARD MEMBERS A ROLE MODEL FIGURE THAT WE WILL HOPEFULLY SEE MORE OF IN THE FUTURE, BUT YOU ARE OUR NUMBER ONE PERSON IN OUR HEARTS AND IN THE CHILDREN'S HEARTS. AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES. I AM LOOKING AT THE LIST AND ANTHONY HAS PREPARED ME A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU'VE ACTUALLY DONE. FOR THE SCHOOL. FEW PAGES. I JUST WANT TO GO DOWN A FEW THINGS. I'M A LITTLE BIT PRAGMATIC. YOU HAVE THE TRACK. YOU KNOW I'VE USED THE TRACK A FEW TIMES ALREADY. IT'S TURF AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THE LAB. THE STUDENT SPACES, THE GAMING, THE VIRTUAL REALITY. ALL OF THAT IS SO STUDENT CENTERED, AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT YOU ARE SO STUDENT CENTERED, YOU MADE THE SCHOOL FRIENDLY TOWARDS ALL THE KIDS. AND IT'S VERY INVITING. YOU ALSO EXPECT THE EMPLOYEES TO BE FIT SO YOU MADE A FACULTY FITNESS CENTER. NOW, WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THAT HAPPENS AT ROSSAC, BUT AT ANY RATE, YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE -- I MEAN, EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY YOU'RE COMMITTED TO. AND THEN YOU ESTABLISHED A GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH KIDS HELPING KIDS, MENTORING, AND YOU KNOW HOW POWERFUL THAT IS. AND WHEN KIDS SERVE OTHER KIDS AND HELP, THEN HELP THE COMMUNITY RAISE IN STATUS, THAT'S THE BIGGEST LESSON OF ALL IS GIVING BACK. AND, AGAIN, YOU EXEMPLIFY THAT. I KNOW THAT YOU ALSO GIVE CHARACTER AWARDS, INCENTIVES, BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT CHARACTER. YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON, AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT WANT WHAT YOU HAVE, BUT YET YOU HAVE TO TEACH THEM THE STEPS TO REALLY GET THERE, AND THAT IS CALLED CHARACTER. IT'S NOT EASY. YOU GREW UP WITH TREMENDOUS POVERTY AS SNIVELY SAID, AND OVERCAME THAT. ACADEMICS, WE KNOW ACADEMICALLY WHEN YOU HAVE BUILT UP THE SCHOOL, THE FSA SCORES, TOTAL POINTS, ROSE UP 90% SINCE 2019. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THAT THE KIDS FEEL GOOD ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL. THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT LEARNING, AND THEY WANT TO PLEASE YOU. THEY WANT TO PLEASE YOU AND SO DO THE PARENTS AND SO DO OBVIOUSLY US. ALL THIS IS TO SAY THERE'S MUCH MORE ON THIS LIST. WE THANK YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY, AND I KNOW THAT IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO SAY A FEW THINGS. I THINK I'LL GIVE YOU THAT SPACE. THANK YOU.
>> FIRST OFF, THIS IS A TREMENDOUS HONOR. BEING A YOUNG MAN, I WAS TOLD HE WOULD BE DEAD OR IN JAIL BY THE TIME HE WAS 16 AND BELIEVING IN IT. GROWING UP IN EXTREME POVERTY TO A SINGLE MOTHER WITH FOUR KIDS. BEING ABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU AND THE WORLD AND SHARE MY STORY -- [ALARM SOUNDS] -- MY TIME ISN'T UP. [ LAUGHTER ] SHARE MY STORY. REGARDLESS OF WHERE I GO, TAMPA IS HOME FOR ME. NO SECRET HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS CITY, LOVE THIS AREA, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW MUCH I LOVE THE ABILITY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO HELP FAMILIES AND PEOPLE IN NEED. AND THOSE PEOPLE IN NEED AREN'T ALWAYS FINANCIALLY DISADVANTAGED. SOMETIMES IT COMES FROM AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION THAT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY, WHETHER IT BE KIDDING ABOUT DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER OR A MOTHER OF A FAMILY BEING DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER, AN ELDERLY WOMAN HAVING TO TAKE CUSTODY OF HER GRANDKIDS BECAUSE OF OTHER ISSUES. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. ALTHOUGH I DO LOVE EVERYTHING THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, ESPECIALLY HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU GUYS, MY HEART IS AT SLIGH. THOSE KIDS ARE ME. THOSE FAMILIES ARE ME. IF I FIGHT FOR ANYBODY, IT'S GOING TO BE FOR THOSE KIDS AND THOSE FAMILIES. IF I CALL YOU AND I GOT TO CUSS, I'M GOING TO CUSS. IF I GOT TO YELL, I'M GOING TO YELL. IF I SCREAM, I'LL SCREAM. PEOPLE COME UP HERE AND DO IT EVERY TWO WEEKS. I AIN'T COMING UP HERE TO DO IT. I'LL JUST CALL YOU OR COME TO THE OFFICE. BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE LIVE IN A WORLD NOW THAT WE NEED PEOPLE TO BE VERY UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT DOING THE WORK. I DON'T WANT YOU TO COME TAKE PICTURES. I DON'T WANT YOU TO COME JUST COME TO SAY YOU WERE THERE. I WANT YOU TO DO THE WORK. THAT'S WHY I PRIDE MYSELF ON WHETHER A WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, WE, YOU, THE TEACHERS, THE STAFF, I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN IN MY POWER AND I CONTINUE TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT SCHOOL IS THE BEST SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT. I KNOW THE YOUNG LADY THAT CAME UP HERE BEFORE SAID ALONSO WAS. I STRONGLY DISAGREE. AND IF IT IS, IT WON'T BE AFTER THIS YEAR. [ LAUGHTER ] SO BECAUSE MY TWO SONS ARE HERE, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH A LOT IN LIFE AND BE ABLE TO RECEIVE SO MANY HONORS, BUT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A SCHOOL, I WAS THE SAME KID SITTING IN THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL, SHOOTING STAPLES, PENCIL BREAK OR GETTING INTO FIGHTS, NOW I HAVE A CHANCE FOR MY KIDS TO BE ABLE TO WALK THROUGH, WHICH THEY HAVE DONE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, WALK THROUGH SLIGH AND SEE THEIR DAD'S NAME ON THE SCHOOL, I'M A MAN THAT DIDN'T GROW UP WITH A FATHER, BUT I HAVE A CHANCE TO CONTINUE TO SHOW MY KIDS WHAT BEING A GREAT FATHER IS AND WHAT IT CAN DO BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT BEING A GREAT HUMAN BEING CAN BE. I DON'T CARE WHAT COLOR YOU ARE, WHAT BACKGROUND YOU COME FROM, I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR POLITICAL AFFILIATION OR YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. I CARE ABOUT YOU AND HOW YOU TREAT OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT THE RIGHT WAY, PEN THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE THAT YOU WON'T BE WORKING WITH ME. I SAID THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THE MAYOR KNOWS IT, THE SHERIFF KNOWS IT ADDISON KNOWS IT. I'M VERY UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT IT BECAUSE AT SOME POINT, PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE FOUGHT FOR ME TO BE IN A BETTER POSITION. I CAN NEVER REPAY THOSE FOLKS, I CAN NEVER REPAY THE PEOPLE THAT INVESTED IN THE BOYS RANCH, OR THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. WHAT I CAN DO EVERY SINGLE DAY IS BE UP WITH A GRATEFUL HEART. I'M NOT A PERFECT MAN. I WILL NEVER CLAIM TO BE A PERFECT MAN BUT I WILL PROCLAIM TO BE A GOOD MAN BECAUSE I KNOW AT THE END OF THE DAY, SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT HELPED PUT ME IN THE POSITION TO BE A GOOD MAN, AND I WANT TO BE A GOOD MAN FOR THE SCHOOL. I WANT TO BE A GOOD MAN FOR THIS COMMUNITY. I WANT TO BE A GOOD MAN FOR MY TWO SONS FOREVER BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT. IN A WORLD IN WHICH BLACK MEN AND WOMEN AND LATINO WOMEN AND MEN GET ASSASSINATED FOR STANDING UP FOR THE RIGHT THING. I'M NOT AFRAID TO GET ASSASSINATED FOR STANDING UP FOR THE RIGHT THING. IF OUR KIDS AND OUR TEACHERS ARE NEEDING ANOTHER FIGHTER AND ANOTHER PERSON, I'M THAT GUY, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS IT. SO THANK YOU ALL. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ALL DO IT. I HONESTLY DON'T, AND YOU RUN TO BE IN THIS POSITION. AND I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT OR WHY YOU DO IT. I COMMEND YOU FOR DOING SO, BUT I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS POSITION THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO COMES WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY AND IT COMES WITH GREAT SCRUTINY. SOME OF THE STUFF THAT YOU GUYS ARE DEALING WITH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF YOU ALL. IT HAPPENED 25 YEARS AGO. BUT HERE WE ARE TODAY. KEEP FIGHTING, KEEP DEALING WITH IT. OUR KIDS DESERVE IT. THESE FAMILIES DESERVE IT, AND YOUR FAMILY DESERVES IT. SO ADDISON, WELCOME TO TAMPA AGAIN, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. AS YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PLACES, BUT I STRONGLY SUPPORT YOU BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE INTEGRITY YOU HAVE AS A MAN, THE CHARACTER YOU HAVE AS A MAN, AND WITH BOTH OF THOSE THINGS BEING AT THE TOP, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS, YOU'LL ALWAYS PERSEVERE AND ALWAYS GET THROUGH. AND OUR SCHOOLS WILL BE BETTER FOR IT. AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL. I WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OTHER SCHOOLS, SO DON'T WORRY. WHAT WE'RE DOING AT SLIGH, I DO WANT TO DUPLICATE. I DO WANT IT TO BE SOMETHING THAT OTHER CORPORATIONS AND BUSINESS PARTNERS AND ET CETERA END UP EXTENDING OUT. THIS IS JUST A MODEL AND IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING. TO ANTHONY JONES WHO RAISED HIS HAND TO LEAVE WALKER ON AUTOPILOT TO COME OVER TO SLIGH AND GET CUSSED OUT BY KISSES, I CELEBRATE YOU --
>>Lynn Gray: HE'S HIDING.
>>Addison Davis: HE'S DONE A REMARKABLE JOB. [ APPLAUSE ] I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT CAME UP AND WANTED TO KNOW HOW ANTHONY ENDED UP AT SLIGH. ONCE I FOUND OUT HE RAISED HIS HAND TWO WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED WHEN NOBODY ELSE WOULD TAKE THE JOB AND UNDERSTANDING THE STRESS THAT HE WAS UNDER GOING IN AND THE DIFFICULTIES HE HAD TO DEAL WITH, ME AND HIM HAD A LONG, VERY GRAPHIC CONVERSATION IN REGARDS TO WHAT WE NEED TO DO WITH THE KIDS, AND I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF WHAT HE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO AS A LEADER. YOU ALL DON'T NEED TO MOVE HIM.
>>Addison Davis: TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING.
>> YEAH. WHEN IT'S WORKING, IT'S WORKING. A LOT OF TIMES THESE KIDS DON'T HAVE CONSISTENCY. IF I DIDN'T HAVE CONSISTENCY IN MY LIFE WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE POURING IN, POURING IN, POURING IN AND STAYING, THEN I WOULDN'T BE WHERE I'M AT. THESE KIDS NEED TO SEE THE SAME TEACHERS AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY AGAIN. THAT'S THE REASON WHY I DO ALL THE STUFF THAT I DO FOR THE TEACHERS BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO STAY. THE KIDS USED TO HAVING A STEP MOM OR A STEP DAD, DIFFERENT LIVING SITUATION EVERY WEEK OR SO, THAT THEY CAN HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY AT SCHOOL. SO ANTHONY HAS PROVIDED THAT SAFE HAVEN AS A LEADER FOR HIS TEACHERS, FOR HIS STAFF, FOR STUDENTS. AND I AM INCREDIBLY PROUD TO CALL HIM ON RECORD A FRIEND AND A MAN OF HONOR AND A PERSON I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF TO GET READY TO TAKE THIS THING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THANK YOU GUYS SO
>>Lynn Gray: BOARD MEMBERS, DON'T GET LOST. HE HAS GOT THE PRESENTATION, BUT, THADDEUS, HE TALKS -- HE TALKS LESS THAN YOU.
>>Addison Davis: HE WENT WAY OVER HIS MINUTES.
>>Lynn Gray: I KNOW. I DIDN'T ASK FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. THERE'S NEVER-ENDING THOUGHTS. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND RESUME OUR BOARD MEETING. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, GUESS WHAT, I THINK -- WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S COMMENTS.
>>Addison Davis: LET ME ASK, DO WE WANT TO TAKE A RECESS?
>>Lynn Gray: THIS IS HOW THE RECESS GOES.
>>Addison Davis: DO WE WANT TO TAKE A RECESS? I'M GETTING BACK TO WORK.
>>Lynn Gray: WHAT WE'LL DO, THE COMMENTS, AND THIS WILL MAKE IT GO QUICK. IF WE SAY A RECESS AFTER COMMENTS, THE PRESSURE IS ON THE SUPERINTENDENT. YOU GET TO HAVE YOUR COMMENTS. NEW PRINCIPALS. LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT. FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HAD A CHANCE TO HIRE DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND ONE THAT HAS A LOT OF CONNECTIVITY TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, A LOT OF PRIDE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. I'LL BRING THE INDIVIDUAL FIRST UP. NOW -- PRINCIPAL OF ALONSO HIGH SCHOOL. MR. KENNETH HART. AS HE TAKES ON A NEW ROLE AND WORKS WITH OUR CHIEF OF SCHOOLS TO DO SOME REALLY COOL WORK, WE ALSO HAD TO FIND AN INDIVIDUAL TO LEAD THE WORK AT ALONSO HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS BEEN IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT I BELIEVE SINCE 1999. HE'S DONE SOME REALLY SPECIAL WORK. HE'S A USF GRAD. HE WAS AP AT SICKLES AND NOW CURRENTLY THE APC AT ALONSO HIGH SCHOOL. MR. JAMES HARRIS. [ APPLAUSE ] IN ADDITION, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIRE FOR BING ELEMENTARY. MELANIE HILL TRANSITIONED FROM BING AND WENT TO TAMPA HEIGHTS. WE GET A CHANCE TO REALLY -- YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO KEEP THIS INDIVIDUAL AT HER SCHOOL BECAUSE SHE'S DONE SOME REALLY SPECIAL WORK. HOWEVER, WE JUST COULDN'T DO IT. THIS INDIVIDUAL BEGAN HER CAREER IN 1994 IN VIRGINIA, TRANSITIONED TO HILLSBOROUGH IN 2007, WAS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT COLEMAN. HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO ESSRIG, AND SHE WAS REALLY ONE OF THE BEST IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. THAT IS MRS. KIMBERLY COOK WHO WILL LEAD THE WORK AT BING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. [ APPLAUSE ] COME UP AND LINE UP. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE ROBLES. ROBLES IS A SCHOOL THAT WE JUST HAD AN INDIVIDUAL THAT RETIRED. WE HAVE A LEADER THAT -- HATS OFF TO MIKE McAULEY, CHEZ McCRAY FOR GOING OUTSIDE AND RECRUITING SOMETHING WITH TURNAROUND EXPERIENCE. ROBLES IS A SCHOOL THAT REALLY NEEDS SIGNIFICANT CONCENTRATION, SOMEONE WHO HAS A TRACK RECORD, PROVEN TRACK RECORD AS ACCEPTED AND IDENTIFIED IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA TO BE ABLE TO LIFT THE WORK. THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS MOVED AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MOVED A MIDDLE SCHOOL, MOVED A HIGH SCHOOL AND IS COMING FROM POLK COUNTY. IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, ACCOUNTABILITY TEAM, AND THE NEW PRINCIPAL WILL BE MR. WALLACE SELPH. PLEASE COME UP. [ APPLAUSE ] ALSO, WE HAVE MRS. SHEFFIELD. SOMEBODY PUT CARMEN. WE KNOW IT'S SKYLER. WE'LL GET THAT FIXED. WE'LL MAKE SURE WE GET THAT FIXES. ALSO AT WESTSHORE, AT WESTSHORE WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RETIREMENT. WE HAD AN INDIVIDUAL THAT STARTED TO TEACH I BELIEVE IN 1994 IN THE PLANT CITY AREA. IN 2002 BEGAN TRANSITION AS AP AT TINKER, K-8, TRANSITIONED TO MAY BERRY AND NOW CURRENTLY AT LANIER. SKYLER, PLEASE COME ON UP. [ APPLAUSE ] I WILL TELL YOU THIS, THE JOURNEY AHEAD OF YOU IS GOING TO BE HARD, BUT KNOW THAT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, EVERY BOARD MEMBER, EVERYONE BEHIND YOU, ALL OF YOUR COLLEAGUES, WE'RE THERE TO HELP YOU BE SUCCESSFUL. PLEASE DO NOT FEEL EVER THAT YOU'RE EVER BOTHERING US. WE WANT YOU TO CALL US AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN. WE KNOW THE DIFFICULTY OF TRANSITIONING TO THE POSITION. I'M HAPPY AND PROUD OF EACH OF YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING ALONGSIDE EACH OF YOU. CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN.
>>Lynn Gray: WHAT A GREAT, GREAT SET OF LEADERS.
>>Addison Davis: I GUESS PICTURE TIME. BETTER COME BACK AND TAKE A PICTURE OR GET IN TROUBLE. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU, AND CONGRATULATIONS. [ APPLAUSE ] ALSO, WITH THIS SAID, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACKNOWLEDGE A LEADER IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. CHIEF OF SCHOOLS IS A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION. KIM BAYS WAS REMARKABLE IN THAT POSITION LAST YEAR, BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO TRANSITION, MS. BAYS TO TRANSITION TO INNOVATION TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT MAGNETS, TO HELP WITH IMPLEMENTATIONS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS, BUT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY HOMETOWN HERO, ONE THAT HAD BEEN IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FOR A LONG TIME. IF YOU WERE AT THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, YOU WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE ELECTRIFYING APPLAUD THAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN WE RECOGNIZED HER AS NEW CHIEF OF SCHOOLS. MRS. SUBRACUT. [ APPLAUSE ] SHE'S GOING TO BE AWESOME. SHE DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB. REALLY FAST. I'M GRATEFUL AND RESPECT IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HER WORKING WITH US EVERY DAY. ALSO, THE SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE WAS A REALLY -- IT WAS REALLY REFRESHING FOR ME. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I GOT A CHANCE AS SUPERINTENDENT TO GET IN FRONT OF EVERY PRINCIPAL IN 16 MONTHS ALL AT ONE TIME. AND AT THE SAME TOKEN, EVERY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. WITH THIS, WE WERE ABLE TO REALLY ESTABLISH OUR WAY OF WORK TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT AND DISCUSS HOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO TEACH, INVEST, INSPIRE AND BELIEVE IN EVERY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WHEN LOOKING AT IT, THE PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS THROUGH THEIR INTERACTIONS AND A SURVEY, THIS IS WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT RELATED TO HOW THE INSTITUTE. IT WAS ONE WHERE THEY FELT INSPIRED. ONE THAT HAD A CONSISTENT MESSAGE. ONE WHERE THE SUBJECT WAS HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT EXTENDED TO EACH OF THEM AND IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND THEY BELIEVE IT WAS OVERARCHINGLY EFFECTIVE AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN CONCERT TO BE ABLE TO HELP HAVE A VISION FOR THE WORK. SO THANKFUL FOR TERRY CONNOR, HIS TEAM, ALL THE CABINET MEMBERS, ALL THE SENIOR STAFF, ALL OF OUR PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS FOR BEING ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THAT PROCESS AND REALLY PROVIDING STREAMLINED, ACTIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SO THAT PRINCIPALS CAN TURNKEY THAT AS THEIR STAFF RETURN VERY SOON. AS WE TALK ABOUT BACK TO SCHOOL, AUGUST 10 IS THE DAY. IT'S UPON US BEING ABLE TO BRING OUR CHILDREN BACK TO BE ABLE TO OPEN OUR DOORS, TO GAIN ACCESS TO THEM TO HELP THEM CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THEIR INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCE BUT AT THE SAME TOKEN BEING ABLE TO IMPROVE THEIR EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES AS WELL. WITH THAT SAID, REOPENING PLAN THAT WE HAVE KIND OF FINALIZED, WE'LL TRY TO GET IT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY BY THE END OF THE WEEK. SEND IT OUT TO PRINCIPALS TOMORROW. THE FIRST WAVE OF THIS IS ALL ABOUT HOW WE WILL INTERACT AND WHAT TRADITIONAL OFFERINGS WE WILL HAVE THROUGH TRADITIONAL BRICK AND MORTAR AND AT THE SAME TOKEN, HILLSBOROUGH VIRTUAL K-12. THEN IT GOES INTO LOOKING AT ALL THE ACCESSIBLE AND ORGANIZATIONAL SAFE CONTROLS THAT WE WILL PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO MITIGATE COVID AND WE CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN AND OUR ADULTS AND OUR EMPLOYEES IN A POSITION WHERE THEY FEEL VALUED AND THEY FEEL PROTECTED ALONG THE WAY. IT WOULD DEFINE HOW WE INTAKE OUR CHILDREN, HOW WE DISMISS OUR CHILDREN, HOW THEY INTERACT IN COMMON AREAS AND AT THE SAME TOKEN HOW WE CONTINUE TO OFFER BEFORE AND AFTER AND DURING SCHOOL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO COCURRICULAR AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. ALSO TALK ABOUT THE SANITATION STATIONS THAT WILL CONTINUE WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS. EVERY CLASSROOM WILL HAVE SANITATION STATION RELATED TO GLOVES, MASKS, HAND SANITIZER, WIPES, IF THEY FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE AND AT THE SAME TOKEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN IN COMMON AREAS AND MAJOR ARTERIES IN THE SCHOOLS WILL HAVE HAND SANITIZERS AS WELL. AND WE'LL MAKE MASK, WHILE IT'S GOING TO BE OPTIONAL AS WE MOVE FORWARD FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR THOSE, ESPECIALLY THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 11. WE WILL MAKE THAT ACCESSIBLE TO THEM AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HAVE HAD FOCUS WHERE -- WE HAVE THAT FOCUS WHERE THEY FEEL VALUED. MEALS WILL CONTINUE TO BE FREE. BREAKFAST AND LUNCH FREE FOR EVERY LEARNER REGARDLESS OF THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND. SAME TOKEN, BUS SERVICES WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SERVICES FOR THAT AS WELL. AND THEN IN THIS DOCUMENT, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'LL HAVE CONTACT TRACING IN THE QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS. WE CONTINUE TO APPRECIATE OUR TEAM FOR CONTINUED WORKING WITH TGH, USF HEALTH AND AT THE SAME TOKEN WITH OUR DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND OUR COVID LEADS TO IDENTIFY OUR PROTOCOLS. LAST YEAR, WE HAD -- IT WAS TEN DAYS THAT THEY WERE OUT. EVERY LEARNER HAD TO BE QUARANTINED OR TEN DAYS THEY HAD TO BE OUT OF SCHOOL. THIS YEAR WE'LL FOLLOW THE CDC RECOMMENDATION. AND IT IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE WILL IMPLEMENT AFTER SIX DAYS OF THOSE WHO HAVE TO BE QUARANTINED OR, YOU KNOW, THOSE WHO AFTER DAY SIX TAKE A COVID ASSESSMENT AND IT DEEMS THAT THEY ARE NOT POSITIVE FOR COVID, THEY ARE ABLE TO COME BACK ON THE 8th DAY. SO WE'LL IMPLEMENT THAT PROCESS. ONE THING WE WILL SEE THE CONTACT TRACING WILL CONTINUE. WE HAVE COVID LEADS THAT WILL BE IN OUR SCHOOLS THAT CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO HAD DIRECT OR INDIRECT CONTACT WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS. WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEND OUT LETTERS AND NOTIFICATIONS TO THE BODY IN WHICH WE SERVE. THOSE WHO HAD DIRECT CONTACT, WE'LL CONTACT INDIVIDUALLY. THOSE INDIRECT CONTACT, THEY'LL GET A PARENT LETTER OR PARENT LINK FOR THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT. SAME THING WITH ROSSAC, SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO KEEP EVERYONE APPRISED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT OUR DATA DASHBOARD. AS YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WE WILL BE THE FIRST TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT IT, BE ABLE TO HAVE TRANSPARENCY FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS SO THEY CAN STAY IN TOUCH WITH POSITIVE CASES IN THAT WORK. WHEN WE LOOK AT QUARANTINES FOR OUR STUDENTS, THEY JUST REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF QUARANTINE RESOURCE CENTERS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE RESOURCES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS. THOSE RESOURCES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE. IT WILL BE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THIS PROTOCOL REOPENING PLAN. IT'S IDENTIFIABLE BY GRADE, ELEMENTARY ALSO SECONDARY, AND YOU CAN DRILL DOWN AND IT WILL REALLY PROVIDE ALL THE RESOURCES RELATED TO CANVASS INFORMATION, PHONICS SUPPORT, ELEMENTARY, PRE-K SUPPORT, LITERACY, MATH, SCIENCE SUPPORTS AND HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO GO ON TO HELP OUR LEARNERS. WE ARE REALLY ENCOURAGING OUR TEACHERS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT CANVAS CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED BECAUSE WE USE THAT AS SIGNIFICANT TOOL FOR LEARNERS TO UNDERSTAND, ACTIVATE AND KEEP -- ONE THING WE ARE ALSO LOOKING THROUGH, THROUGH TERRY CONNOR'S SHOP IS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HAVE AVAILABILITY THROUGH AN OUTSIDE AGENCY FOR DURING THE DAY AND POTENTIALLY IN THE EVENING, TO HAVE VIRTUAL TUTORING FOR ANY STUDENT THAT MAY BE QUARANTINED. SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT ACCESSIBILITY FOR THOSE WHO ARE PARTICULARLY QUARANTINED AND HAVE AVAILABLE TO A QUALIFIED SKILLED TEACHER EDUCATOR TO HELP THEM THROUGH PARTICULAR ISSUES OR BARRIERS THAT MAY EXPERIENCE IN THAT PROCESS. AND THEN THE LAST THING THIS PLAN DOES IS IDENTIFY THE REOPENING PLAN FOR VOLUNTEERS AND VISITORS. WE WILL HAVE ACCESSIBILITY GOING BACK TO WORK TO REALLY ACCEPT AND EMBRACE OUR FAITH-BASED PARTNERS, EMBRACE OUR VOLUNTEERS TO EMBRACE OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HAVE ACCESSIBILITY TO OUR SCHOOL BECAUSE WE NEED THEM IN AN EFFORT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SPECIAL EVENTS AS WE GO BACK TO SCHOOL. ONE IS UPCOMING ON SATURDAY, JULY 31st, THIS WEEKEND. I'LL BE THERE. IT'S GOING TO BE STUFF THE BUS. THIS IS ALL ABOUT DONATING SCHOOL SUPPLIES. IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THANK YOU TO THE HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION WHO CONTINUES TO BE A CHAMPION FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OUR CHILDREN. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THE RESOURCES TO OUR STUDENTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE MOST IN NEED. SO WE ASK YOU TO BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN THAT PROCESS. ALSO, WE HAVE OUR 14th ANNUAL BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR, WHICH WILL BE AT THE WESTSHORE PLAZA THIS WEEKEND AS WELL. I LOOK FORWARD TO INTERACTING WITH OUR FAMILIES, OUR STUDENTS. THIS IS ABOUT BEING ABLE TO HAVE FREE BACK PACKS FOR THE FIRST 500 STUDENTS. FACE PAINTING, BUCS CHEERLEADERS WILL BE THERE. WE'LL HAVE 60 VENDORS AND NONPROFIT VENDORS TO BE THERE TO HAVE SUPPORTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ALSO WE'LL HAVE THE EARLY LEARNING COALITION AS WELL AND PERFORMANCES, GAMES, AND ACTIVITIES AND WORKSHOPS AND SPEAKER SESSIONS FOR PARENTS SO THEY CAN BECOME STRONGER ADVOCATES FOR THEIR CHILDREN AS WE NAVIGATE THROUGH THIS NEW SCHOOL YEAR. TITUS O'NEIL, THADDEUS BULLARD, THE BULLARD FOUNDATION WILL HAVE THEIR BACK TO SCHOOL BASH ON AUGUST 7, RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM. FLO RIDER WILL BE THERE. REALLY COOL OPPORTUNITY TO LET OUR HAIR DOWN, HAVE SOME FUN AND REALLY HE'LL HAVE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTRIES, SPORTS PHYSICALS, ALONG WITH DENTAL SEALANTS, X-RAYS, HAIRCUTS, YOU NAME IT. HE CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK. THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT RAYMOND JAMES. 9:01 TO 1:01. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE 1 IS ABOUT. IT'S HIS DEAL AND WE'LL BE THERE TO HELP HIM IN THAT PROCESS. TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE JEREMY. WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ITEMS THAT WE WILL NEED TO DISCUSS. SO TO FURTHER TALK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE FROM A TECHNOLOGICAL STANDPOINT, WE HAVE MR. BUNKLY WHO IS WITH US THROUGH TEAMS TO REALLY TALK ABOUT TONIGHT WHAT OUR VISION OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, OUR CURRENT STATE AND WHERE WE PLAN TO GO AS WE LOOK TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND ALSO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL POVERTY THAT -- DIGITAL POVERTY THAT EXISTS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
>> GOOD EVENING, BOARD MEMBERS. I'M SORRY ABOUT MY INABILITY TO BE THERE IN PERSON, SO I'M GOING TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY TO ITS FULL ADVANTAGE AND KIND OF GO OVER THE TECHNICAL VISION THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED IN THE NEW TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT. YOU'RE GOING TO NOTICE THAT THIS ALL STARTS WITH IT'S REALLY A REIMAGINING OF OUR PROCESSES. AS WE'RE DOING THIS, WE STARTED TO REEVALUATE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING AND STARTED WITH REORGANIZING OUR DIVISION TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF OUR CUSTOMERS. THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT, PUTTING MORE OF OUR RESOURCES INTO THE CLASSROOM AND REALLY BEEFING UP OUR CALL CENTER SO OUR TEACHERS HAVE BETTER, MORE CONSISTENT SUPPORTS. AND THEN WE WENT TO READDRESS THE IDEA BEHIND OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND IT'S NOT JUST INTERNAL ANYMORE. THE OLD CALL CENTER AND TECHNOLOGY USED TO ANSWER A CALL FROM THE TEACHER TO SUPPORT THE TEACHER OR MAYBE A SCHOOL STAFF MEMBER, BUT THAT'S REALLY NOT THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY ANYMORE. COVID REALLY HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING ABOUT US AT THIS POINT. NOW WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR TEACHERS, OUR STAFF, OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR PARENTS. AND REALLY, WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WE'VE HAD TO -- WE STARTED WORKING WITH HEF IN A REALIGNMENT FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SO WE CAN ALIGN OUR PROCESSES TO BETTER INFORM OUR PARENTS, AND REALLY CREATE A MORE VERTICALLY ALIGNED PROCESS WITH ACADEMIC SERVICES. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING THE PROCESSES PUT INTO THE CLASSROOMS. AND THEN WE MOVE ON TO RECONCEPTUALIZE THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OUR DISTRICT -- MS. PEREZ WHO ASKED THE QUESTION EARLIER, I WANT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE I COULD HAVE BE THERE IN PERSON TO ANSWER A QUESTION FROM THE AGENDA REVIEW OR BOARD WORKSHOP, I APOLOGIZE. THE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT NOW WE'RE DESIGNED AS A HUB AND SPOKE WHICH MEANS WE HAVE ONE CENTRALIZED LOCATION THAT FEEDS EVERY ONE OF OUR SCHOOL SITES. WHEN WE ARE STARTING TO REDESIGN THIS, WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT A MULTI-POINT INGRESS/EGRESS. THAT'S MULTIPLE INTERNET CONNECTIONS COMING INTO OUR SCHOOLS. SO IF SOMETHING GOES DOWN, SAY, THE ROSSAC FACILITY GOES DOWN, THEN THE ENTIRE INTERNET CONNECTION FLIPS OVER TO THE TECHNICAL OPERATIONS CENTER. AND WHAT THAT ALLOWS FOR IS CONNECTIVITY TO STAY UP. WE CANNOT -- WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF KEEPING THE INTERNET UP, CONNECTIVITY. THAT IS WHAT THE WORLD RUNS ON TODAY. SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A MULTIFACETED APPROACH, AND AS WE DO THAT, THAT WILL ALLOW FOR STRONGER AND MORE STABILIZED CONNECTIVITY. THE PIECE I WANTED TO ADDRESS FROM THE WORKSHOP THIS MORNING WAS ON THE ESSER PRESENTATION, WHY WAS THERE ONLY ONE YEAR OF INTERNET CONNECTIVITY? BECAUSE ESSER IS NOT A LONG-TERM FUNDING SOURCE. SO AS WE WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS, WE'RE GOING TO BE FILING FOR THESE CONNECTIONS ON E-RATE, THUS BRINGING BACK 80% OF OUR EXPENDITURE, SO BASICALLY WE'RE ONLY SPENDING 20 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR VERSUS A FULL DOLLAR. AND THAT WOULD BE MONEY LEFT ON THE TABLE IF WE DIDN'T DO IT THAT WAY. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU HAVE TO DO IT IN A VERY SPECIFIC CYCLE, AND TO GET THE INTERNET UP AND IN MORE STABLE FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND TO HAVE INCREASED CAPACITY IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, WE'RE GOING TO USE THE ESSER DOLLARS TO START THAT PROCESS. AND THEN ONE OF THE BIG ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT IS THE DEVICES. AND WE HAD TO STOP -- WELL, WE WANTED TO STOP AND JUST RETHINK OUR ENTIRE APPROACH TO DEVICES. WE ACTUALLY ENGAGE IN A PROCESS OF BUILDING A COMPUTER WITH OEM AND REALLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MICROSOFT. WHAT WE DID IS WE TOOK THE PIECES OF THE DEVICE THAT WERE MOST NEEDED, AND THAT WAS THE PIECES THAT WE PUT INTO THE DEVICE. IN FLORIDA, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE BIOMETRIC, SO THERE'S NO POINT IN PAYING FOR A FINGER SCANNER. AND WE WANTED TO SIMPLIFY THE DESIGN OF THE COMPUTER. WE WANTED AS FEW MOVING PIECES AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN HAVE VERY QUICK BREAK/FIX PROCESSES. WE DIDN'T WANT TO STOCK 50 PARTS. WE WANTED TO STOCK SIX PARTS THAT WAY WE CAN FIX OUR CLASSROOMS. AS YOU MOVE INTO A TECHNICAL WORLD, YOU DON'T GET FIVE DAYS TO FIX, NOT EVEN FIVE HOURS. YOU GET FIVE TO SIX MINUTES TO GET A COMPUTER BACK IN WORKING ORDER. IF NOT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR HOT SWAPS TO GET THE STUDENT BACK ONLINE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE. THEN IN LINE WITH THAT, WE WANTED TO REEVALUATE HOW WE FILTER STUDENTS. RIGHT NOW, WE USE A CONCEPT CALLED IN-LINE FILTERING. WHAT IN-LINE FILTERING MEANS -- I AM SORRY, THIS IS BORING. THIS IS THE WORLD I LIVE IN. I APOLOGIZE. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU'RE IN REMOTE SETTINGS. SOMETIMES YOUR CHILD WALKS INTO THE ROOM AND YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT YOU'RE GIVING A PRESENTATION. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. WE HAD TO DO OUR FILTERING. SO A STUDENT CAN BE FILTERED AT HOME AS THEY CAN BE FILTERED AT SCHOOL. THEN WE GO INTO REANALYZING HOW WE HANDLE OUR DATA. AND WE WANTED TO CREATE TRANSPARENCIES. WHAT WE DO BY THAT, WE START WITH THE ESSER. AS MR. DAVIS ALLUDED TO, THE FIRST COVID DASHBOARD IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. SO REALLY, REALIGNING OUR DATA STRUCTURES TO GET THEM INTO A MORE PRESENTABLE FASHION FOR THE STAKEHOLDERS. AND THEN WE WANTED TO REVIEW OUR INTERNAL POLICIES. AND WITH OUR INTERNAL POLICIES, WE WANT TO ENABLE PEOPLE, AND WHEN YOU'RE ENABLING PEOPLE, THAT IS REALLY WHAT THE CORE OF TECHNOLOGY IS. WE WANT TO CREATE A PROCESS THAT REALLY BUILDS UPON THE STRENGTH OF OUR TEACHERS. AND THEN WE WANTED TO REEXAMINE THE APPROACH TO SECURITY. AS WE ALL KNOW, DATA, PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE DATA, THE HACKS ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS A VERY IMPORTANT TARGET. WE HAVE TO STOP AND REEVALUATE THAT. AND THE REASON THAT THERE IS THE "RE"IN FRONT OF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE ITEMS, THIS IS AN EVER-CONTINUING MODEL AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THIS. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO STOP WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY VISION, AND I'M SURE I'LL GET INTO THESE A LITTLE BIT MORE IF WE'RE CALLED UPON DURING THE DISCUSSION. THANK YOU.
>>Addison Davis: THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANKS, JEREMY, WHEREVER YOU ARE. WHAT DO THEY CALL THAT? CYBERSPACE? DON'T LET ME MISQUOTE ANYTHING TECHNOLOGY-WISE. MEMBER VAUGHN, YOU HAD A QUESTION?
>>Jessica Vaughn: SEVERAL, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS YOUR UPDATE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE RESPONSES TO COVID AND THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE. I KNOW I ASKED ABOUT THAT YESTERDAY AND YOU POINTED ME TO THE E-MAIL. I'M GLAD YOU DID THAT FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. SINCE WE HAD SUCH A ROBUST PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT MASKS AND OUR DECISIONS I WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS JUST TO KIND OF CLARIFY FOR THE PUBLIC. NUMBER ONE, YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF MAKING THIS DECISION, CORRECT? IT'S NOT THE BOARD AT THIS POINT.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM.
>>Jessica Vaughn: I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE CAME UP AND SAID THE BOARD DECIDES, THE BOARD DECISION AND KIND OF LOBBIED US, AND I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ON WHERE THE DECISION LIES. SO I WAS ALSO -- HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS, YOU HEARD SPEAKERS ASK, WE'RE PARTNERING WITH TGH AND OUR PARTNERS, AND THEIR FORMAL RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THERE HAS BEEN A NEW CDC GUIDELINE THAT CAME OUT MOMENTS BEFORE WE CAME INTO THIS MEETING STATING THAT THEY RECOMMEND MASKS IN SCHOOL REGARDLESS. I KNOW THAT EARLIER TODAY WE TALKED ABOUT FOLLOWING CDC GUIDELINES. I WANT TO GET AN UPDATE SINCE THAT CAME OUT AS WELL AS KIND OF ADDRESS QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR PARTNERS AT TGH AND WHAT THEY ARE RECOMMENDING AND WHO WE'RE TALKING TO THERE SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE MEDICAL FIELD THAT WE DO RECOGNIZE AND WHERE THEY ARE LEANING TOWARD THIS.
>>Addison Davis: THROUGH THE CHAIR, WE WORK CONSISTENTLY WITH TGH, USF HEALTH ALONG WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT TRENDS WITH COVID. LOOK AT THE DELTA VARIANT THAT'S IN FRONT OF US. WE DO SEE AND WE HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE, UPTICK, NOT ONLY IN HILLSBOROUGH --
>>Jessica Vaughn: I'M SORRY. CAN YOU STOP MY TIME. IT'S GONE ON TEN KEDS.
>>Addison Davis: WE DO AGREE AND IDENTIFY TODAY THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CASES. WE KNOW THAT 60% OF THE CASES RIGHT NOW HAVE HIGH TRANSFERABILITY. RELATED TO OUR PARTNERSHIP, UNDERSTAND WHAT EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS. AND RIGHT NOW EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS RELATED TO HAVING AND IMPLEMENTING MASKS TO BE AN OPTION FOR THE PARENTS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A CHOICE FOR THEIR CHILD. AS RELATES TO US, TGH DOES STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT VACCINATED WEAR A MASK, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE INDOORS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CDC GUIDELINES PRIOR TO WHAT CAME OUT TODAY, IT IDENTIFIED THAT THEY STRONGLY ENCOURAGE MASKS AS WELL. TODAY ONCE AGAIN, INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE IN CDC GUIDELINES SET THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEY ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED OR NOT, DID RECOMMEND THAT THEY WEAR MASKS INSIDE. FROM OUR SIDE OF IT, WE'RE -- BEEN VERY CLEAR WHEN LOOKING AT MY DIRECTION FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT'S A CHOICE. IT'S A CHOICE FOR OUR PARENTS TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEST FOR THE LEARNER. WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE SOCIAL DISTANCE WITHIN OUR CLASSROOMS WHERE WE CAN. AT THE SAME TOKEN CONTINUE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND PROVIDE A NUMBER OF PP OPTIONS FOR EVERY LEARNER ALONG WITH WIPES AND SANITATION, HAND SANITIZER FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO INTERACT WITH THOSE TYPES OF SOLUTIONS. AS IT RELATES TO US, THEY UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE IN, SO DOES THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. THEY WILL CONTINUOUSLY AND IN THIS REOPENING PLAN, YOU'LL SEE WHY MASKS WILL BE OPTIONAL FOR US IN 21-22, WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR MEDICAL HEALTH PARTNERS STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS TO BE FOR INDIVIDUALS TO WEAR, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESSIBILITY TO THE VACCINATION.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I HAVE THREE MORE QUESTIONS. I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD FIRE THEM OFF. THAT DOESN'T EVER SEEM TO BE PRODUCTIVE. NUMBER ONE, I'VE HAD PARENTS ASK ABOUT SINCE WE'RE KIND OF HIGHLIGHTING PARENTS CHOICE, IF IT'S A POSSIBILITY TO DO COHORTS OF STUDENTS WHERE THEIR CLASSROOMS, WHERE PARENTS CHOOSE FOR THE CLASSROOMS TO HAVE MASKS AND CLASSROOMS WHERE PARENTS WHO FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING MASKLESS, ESPECIALLY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE KIDS CANNOT GET VACCINATED, THAT IS THE HIGHEST CONCERN. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE OPEN TO? ALSO, THE NEXT QUESTION I HAD WAS IN REGARDS TO CHARTER SCHOOLS. WE HAD SOMEONE SAY TODAY THAT THERE IS A CHARTER SCHOOL I THINK TEMPLE TERRACE COMMUNITY CENTER SAYING MASKS SHOULD BE MANDATORY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IF THEY ARE A TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL HOW THEY CAN MANDATE MASKS AND NOT HAVE THE GOVERNOR'S WRATH AS FAR AS MASKS NOT BEING MANDATORY.
>>Addison Davis: THROUGH THE CHAIR, I HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY CHARTER SCHOOL THAT HAS MADE THIS --
>>Jessica Vaughn: CAN YOU STOP MY TIME? SORRY.
>>Addison Davis: I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY CHARTER SCHOOL THAT MADE THIS A MANDATE. I THINK IT'S BEEN VERY CLEAR FROM TALLAHASSEE THAT RECOGNIZES THAT THIS SHOULD BE A CHOICE FOR PARENTS. WE WILL LOOK INTO IT THROUGH MRS. BAY'S OFFICE TO DETERMINE IF THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL STEP THAT'S BEEN TAKEN THAT WE'RE NOT APPRISED OR ACKNOWLEDGED ON. WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE WORK WITH CHARTER SCHOOLS RELATED TO REOPENING PLANS AND MAKE CERTAIN THEIR DIRECTION MERGES WITH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AS WELL.
>>Jessica Vaughn: WHEN YOU CAME OUT WITH THE POLICY, YOU SAID YOU WOULD KEEP OPEN DEPENDING ON WHETHER STATISTICS HAVE GONE UP, WHETHER THINGS HAVE GOTTEN HIGHER, RATES HIGHER, YOU'LL BE OPEN TO BEING REACTIVE TO THE VIRUS. I'M WONDERING WHAT THRESHOLD YOU HAVE SET FOR THAT, WHAT GUIDELINES ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU RECONSIDER? AND DURING THAT TIME, IF YOU DO RECONSIDER, HOW IS THAT GOING TO GO WITH WHAT THE GOVERNOR IS MANDATING? ARE YOU WILLING TO MAKE A STAND AGAINST THE GOVERNOR OR WHERE ARE WE HEADED TOWARDS THIS?
>>Addison Davis: AT THIS CURRENT STAGE, WE'RE GOING TO JUST -- I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A THRESHOLD RELATED TO MAKING THE DECISION TO MAKE MASKS MANDATED OR NOT. FROM MY STANCE, I STILL BELIEVE IT'S A PARENT CHOICE. I DON'T WANT TO COME OUT AND TAKE A STANCE AND HERE WE ARE IN A FIGHT WITH TALLAHASSEE. WE'VE DONE IT ENOUGH IN THE 16 MONTHS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE. WE'VE GOT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO FOCUS ON THE EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN. THIS IS ANOTHER AVENUE IN WHICH THE PARENT GETS THEIR CHOICE, CHOICE OF WHERE THEY SEND THE CHILD TO SCHOOL. CHOICE OF WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO PUT A MASK ON THEIR LEARNER. OUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY CONTINUE TO HIGHLY RECOMMEND THOSE WHO ARE NOT VACCINATED AND WHO CHOOSE, DON'T HAVE THE AVAILABILITY FOR THE VACCINATION TO STAND WITH TGH AND STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT. BUT IT WILL BE OPTIONAL FOR OUR PARENTS.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER PEREZ AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO THE BUSINESS MEETING.
>>Karen Perez: REAL QUICK. I JUST WANTED TO THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR CLARIFYING BECAUSE WE DID RECEIVE A LOT OF COMMENTS THIS EVENING REGARDING THE FACE COVERINGS AND THE FACT THAT HE CLARIFIED THAT HE IS THE ONE MAKING THE DECISION FOR THE DISTRICT REGARDING THE FACE COVERINGS AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE OPTIONAL. FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. MEMBER COMBS.
>>Nadia Combs: I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT THAT SINCE YOU HAVE MADE THAT DECISION, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT BEFORE I GOT ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, PEOPLE WOULD GO BACK AND FORTH. I THINK THAT IT'S GOOD THAT THE COMMUNITY KNOWS WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THEM OPTIONAL, SO THAT WAY PARENTS CAN PLAN THE WAY THEY NEED TO PLAN. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. BECAUSE I THINK THAT IF WE GO BACK AND FORTH AND PARENTS FEEL LIKE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO CHOOSE THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S GOING TO BE MASKS, THEN PARENTS HAVE TO KIND OF DEVIATE. I THINK PARENTS NEED TO KNOW -- AND PARENTS NEED TO REALIZE THAT NO MATTER WHAT, THE STATE HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT IT'S GOING TO BE OPTIONAL. SO I THINK REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS, UNLESS IT GETS MUCH WORSE, I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PARENTS CAN PLAN THAT, OKAY, IF I AM GOING TO SEND MY CHILD, THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, MAYBE THEY MIGHT CHOOSE HILLSBOROUGH VIRTUAL OR THEY MAY CHOOSE HOMESCHOOL, WHATEVER THEY MAY DO, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM STARTING SCHOOL, AND I WANT TO KNOW, SUPERINTENDENT, LIKE MEMBER VAUGHN SAID, ARE YOU ANTICIPATING THIS STAYING, THAT WE WILL HAVE THEM OPTIONAL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM.
>>Nadia Combs: MY OTHER QUESTION IS AND I WOULD LIKE MORE DETAILS AND DIG IN DEEP ABOUT THE STUDENTS WHO WERE QUARANTINED. I KNOW THAT LAST YEAR, I HAD THREE QUARANTINES. I HAD FIVE QUARANTINES WITH TWO CHILDREN IN MY HOUSE. MY DAUGHTER WAS QUARANTINED THREE TIMES. I JUST WANT TO MAKE -- I WANT THE ASSURANCE AND I WANT TO GO IN REALLY DEEP WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT ESSER MONEY, THAT CHILDREN WHO ARE QUARANTINED OR CHILDREN THAT CHOOSE HILLSBOROUGH VIRTUAL ARE GOING TO GET A REALLY QUALITY EDUCATION BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT CHILDREN GET MULTIPLE QUARANTINES, WE WANT TO KNOW THAT IF YOU ARE IN THIRD GRADE, THAT YOU ARE NOT JUST GOING TO BE ON CANVAS. SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE THAT PLAN MORE LAID OUT, MORE DETAILS, AND I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT THE ESSER MONEY INTO THAT AREA, BECAUSE THAT IS GOING TO BE VERY CRITICAL FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER COMBS. MEMBER SNIVELY.
>>Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. JUST BRIEFLY, I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SENT US, COMMUNICATED WITH US, IN ADDITION, TO THE PEOPLE WHO CAME AND SPOKE THIS EVENING, WE RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS AND PHONE CALLS, AND JUST WANTED TO ASSURE THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE LISTENING. WE DO HERE WHAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE. WE ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE THAT YOU'RE MAKING THIS DECISION PRIOR TO SCHOOL STARTING SO PARENTS HAVE SOME TIME TO MAKE THAT PLAN, LIKE MRS. COMBS MENTIONED. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, SO PARENTS CAN MAKE THAT DECISION. THAT WAS A MISTAKE THAT THE BOARD MADE LAST YEAR, IN MY OPINION, IS THAT WE DIDN'T GIVE PARENTS ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE A DECISION WITH REGARD TO REOPENING SCHOOLS AND IT CAUSED A LOT OF HEARTACHE AND A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO YOU'VE HAD THIS STANCE SINCE THE SCHOOL WAS RELEASED IN JUNE, AND YOU'RE STICKING BY IT, AND I THINK THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO WATCH. WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. SO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND SO WILL THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. IF THINGS HAVE TO CHANGE, THEN WE'LL KNOW, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE NOTE WITH REGARD TO LEADERSHIP IN THE STATE AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. SO WE APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE MAKING THIS DECISION AND CLARIFYING THAT IT IS NOT A BOARD VOTE THAT WE'RE TAKING TONIGHT. I THINK THAT WAS KIND OF A RUMOR OUT THERE THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE VOTING ON IT THIS EVENING, SO TO DISPEL THAT RUMOR THAT WE'RE NOT VOTING ON IT TONIGHT, AND THAT IS A DECISION THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS MADE FOR HIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER SNIVELY. JUST A FEW THOUGHTS THAT I HAD LISTENING TO BOARD MEMBERS AND THANKING, ALSO, THE COMMENTS FROM THE CONSTITUENTS, WHICH WERE SO HEARTFELT. AND THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY THAT EVERY ONE OF US CAN AGREE IF THEY WERE ALL IN THE AUDITORIUM, THEY WOULD AGREE, THE CHILDREN ARE THEIR MOST IMPORTANT ASSETS TO THEM. THE HEALTH AND SAFETY, WELFARE OF THE CHILDREN UNDERSTANDABLY DOES CREATE A LOT OF EMOTIONALITIES, AND THERE IS A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF PANIC. THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF MEDICAL STUDIES OUT THERE, MEDICAL REVELATIONS, AND IT WOULD DRIVE MOST PARENTS INTO A FRENZY, AS MANY OF THEM ARE GETTING INTO THAT RIGHT NOW, I THINK. I HAVE TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS, BOTH IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND I THINK PERHAPS BOARD MEMBERS HAVE YOUNG KIDS THAT THEY KNOW OF, AND IT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TIME. ONE THING I WILL SAY, THROUGHOUT THE COVID CRISES THAT WE ALL KNOW IS THAT WE HAVE TO ALWAYS PAUSE TO REEVALUATE. WHAT IS TRUE TODAY MAY NOT BE TRUE NEXT WEEK. SO I THINK THE ONLY CAUTION I WOULD SAY IS THAT WE NEED TO ALWAYS BE READY TO REEVALUATE SHOULD THINGS CHANGE, AND THAT'S KIND OF LIKE AN OLIVE BRANCH, BUT IT'S ALSO A REALITY BRANCH. WE CAN'T JUST HAVE IN STONE ONE WAY. IF THIS VIRUS CONTINUES, I THINK IT MAY ALSO BE A TIME TO REEVALUATE AS A BOARD COLLABORATING WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT. AND THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, FOR BEING STEADFAST AND KEEPING THE STABILITY OF A DECISION IN ONE PLACE, BUT ALSO, I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE THAT YOU WILL BE WILLING TO COLLABORATE WITH THE BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD THIS STATUS OF THE VIRUS CHANGES, AND I KNOW THE BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF DISCUSSION WITH YOU IF THAT SO HAPPENS. FOLLOWING THAT I THINK WE'RE READY TO GO INTO OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, WHICH IS AGENDA ITEMS. THERE WILL BE A FEW LITTLE PACKAGING THAT I'LL ASK, BOARD MEMBERS, IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO, BUT NOT JUST YET. WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL NOW BE HEARD, AND THEN WE HAVE ONE LITTLE PRESENTATION, I BELIEVE, COMING UP. C 6.03, C 6.05, C 6.06, C 6.07, C 6.08, C 6.09, C 6.10, C 6.14, C 6.15, C 7.04, C 7.11, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO DO 6.10, REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. THIS IS REGARDING THE SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY AND DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES. SCULPTURE DAVIS AND I BELIEVE MS. WORKMAN ALSO WILL HAVE SOME COMMENTS.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR, THIS IS REQUEST FOR RFP FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY AND DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES. AS YOU KNOW, IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WE SERVE AROUND 14,000 STUDENTS WHO NEED ADDITIONAL SERVICES RELATED TO SPEECH AND LANGUAGE, MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DISORDERS. MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE THE NECESSARY SERVICES TO COMPLY WITH OUR STUDENTS AND CONTINUE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE CLASSROOM, WE HAVE TO OUTSOURCE BECAUSE WE HAVE 85% FILL RATE OF THE POSITIONS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THIS ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO FILL THE GAPS AND USUALLY HISTORICALLY AROUND 50 UNITS WE HAVE TO FILL ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY FOUR VENDORS THAT MEET THE CRITERIA AS OUTLINED BY IDEA ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROCESS. THIS IS A $2.1 MILLION EXPENDITURE. WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE IDEA CATEGORICAL FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO SERVE OUR CHILDREN WHO NEED US THE MOST.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. BOARD MEMBERS, I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS, SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. AND DISCUSS, WE HAVE A LOT TO SHARE. MEMBER VAUGHN, IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND TO LET MS. WORKMAN SHARE SOME OF THE ESE DEVELOPMENTS THAT SHE AND HER TEAM ARE DOING. IT'S QUITE EXTENSIVE, AND SOMETIMES WE DON'T HEAR ABOUT THE DETAILS. IF YOU CAN DO THIS IN A SHORTCUT MANNER, IT MAY HELP SERVE SOME OF MEMBER VAUGHN'S QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU, MRS. GRAY AND, BOARD MEMBERS, FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON WITHIN ESE AND ALSO SOME INFORMATION REGARDING ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE LAST MEETING. I HAVE A LITTLE PowerPoint. I'M JUST SHARING SOME HIGHLIGHTS. I'M SHARING SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORK WITHIN ESE. I WILL GO QUICKLY. NOT NECESSARILY CONNECTED ALL WITH THIS ITEM. SO I WANTED TO TOUCH ON THE PARENT SURVEY. THIS WAS DISCUSSED IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, AND THE PARENT SURVEY IS FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROJECT. IT IS RELEASED EVERY YEAR. ALL DISTRICTS ARE REQUIRED TO DISTRIBUTE THE SURVEY TO PARENTS TO GATHER INFORMATION FOR FEEDBACK ABOUT SERVICES, WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION FROM PARENTS. THIS IS THE RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY. ALL DISTRICTS ARE MEASURED ON THE RESPONSE RATE. THE STATE TARGET IS 10, AND THIS LAST YEAR, WE WERE AT 9.9%. SO CLOSE TO MEETING THE TARGET. I'VE INCLUDED ALL OF THE -- ALL OF OUR SIZE-ALIKE NEIGHBORS AND JUST SO YOU HAVE SOME COMPARISON DATA. REGARDING THE PERCENT OF QUESTIONS AT OR ABOVE STANDARD, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE WERE TRENDING UPWARD AND IN THE LAST YEAR, WE HAD A SLIGHT DIP, AND WE'LL BE ANXIOUS TO GET OUR DATA FROM THIS LAST YEAR, THIS IS LAG DATA SO THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO SEE IF THAT IS A TREND OR IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THAT UPWARD TRAJECTORY. AND THE INFORMATION THAT'S PROVIDED, OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES SO THAT WE CAN ENGAGE THEM. AND YOU CAN SEE THESE WERE OUR HIGH QUESTIONS OVER ON THE LEFT AND OUR LOW QUESTIONS OVER ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, ABOUT TRAINING, REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION ABOUT TRAINING AND SERVICES AND SUPPORTS. THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT WE'RE SOLICITING SO THAT WE CAN HELP TO SERVE OUR PARENTS BETTER. AND JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS FOR SCHOOLS. VERY HIGH RESPONSE RATES, EXTREMELY HIGH AND ALSO HIGH SCORES AND HIGH STANDARDS ARE AT OR ABOVE STANDARDS. THESE ARE ALL THE WAYS WE ENCOURAGE OUR RESPONSES. I'M GOING TO BE MOVING REALLY QUICKLY HERE. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT I WANTED TO SHARE OUR GRADUATION RATE. IF YOU LOOK, SINCE 2014-15, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY CLOSED THE GAP IN GRADUATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AS COMPARED TO NONDISABLED STUDENTS. I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO THAT. IN OUR EXITER DATA, WHICH IS STANDARD PETROLEUM RATE, HILLSBOROUGH -- DIPLOMA RATE, HILLSBOROUGH IS AT 91%. IT INCLUDES STUDENTS THAT MAY TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO GET THEIR DIPLOMA, MAYBE FIVE YEARS INSTEAD OF FOUR YEARS, AND THEY ARE NOT COUNTED IN THIS DATA, BUT AT HILLSBOROUGH, WE HAVE 91% GRADUATION RATE AND THE STATE RATE IS 86%. OUR DROPOUT RATE HAS STEADILY DECREASED AND AGAIN CLOSED THE GAP WITH OUR NONDISABLED PEERS. RESTRAINTS, ANOTHER HOT TOPIC. WE HAD AMENDMENTS THIS YEAR, AND THIS IS SOME WORK THAT WE REALLY COLLABORATE WITH ANY TEAM MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE OUR STUDENTS SOME REPLACEMENT BEHAVIORS AND MAKE SURE WE ARE PROVIDING LOTS OF PREVENTION. LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND I WANTED TO SHOW, AGAIN, OUR COMPARISON WITH SIZE-ALIKE NEIGHBORS, THIS IS AN AREA MONITORED BY THE STATE, AND OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS INCLUDED WITH NONDISABLED PEERS FOR 80% OR MORE OF THE DAY. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR SIZE-ALIKE NEIGHBORS, WE ARE IN THE BLUE LINE, MIDDLE BLUE LINE AND WE HAVE BEEN TRENDING UPWARD. WE'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK IN THIS AREA. WE EXPECT TO SEE -- CONTINUE TO SEE THE GAINS, AND WE ARE TRAINING GEN ED TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, WORKING ON SCHEDULING THAT PROVIDES MORE INCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES, PROVIDING ALL THE SUPPORTS WE CAN SO STUDENTS CAN BE SERVED WITH GENERATION GENERAL EDUCATION PEERS. CCEIS, ANOTHER ONE OF OUR TARGET AREAS, AND IN THIS, WE HAVE BEEN MEASURED AND MONITORED FOR OUR DISPROPORTIONATE REMOVAL OF STUDENTS, BLACK STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES FOR MORE THAN TEN DAYS. WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS OVER THIS LAST YEAR. WE'VE REDUCED OUR RISK RATIO TO 3.46, AND IF IN TWO YEARS AGO, WE HAD 182 BLACK STUDENTS REMOVED FOR MORE THAN TEN DAYS. THIS LAST YEAR, IT WAS DOWN TO 32. SO, AGAIN, LOTS OF GOOD WORK GOING ON IN ESE. I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS. MATRIX OF SERVICES FUNDING IS AN AREA WE'VE BEEN REALLY FOCUSED ON TO MAXIMIZE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING CREDIT FOR WHAT OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING AND WORKING SO HARD AND ENSURING THAT WE'RE REPORTING ACCURATELY AND CAPTURING ALL THE WEIGHTED FUNDING THAT WE CAN. AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ESE. SHORT BIT OF TIME. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO HIGHLIGHT.
>>Lynn Gray: IT'S IMPORTANT, BECAUSE THE POPULATION, THE ESE POPULATION SOMETIMES WE DON'T GIVE ENOUGH PRIORITY TALKING POINTS TO. AND THANK YOU, KIM WORKMAN AND YOUR STAFF AND OVER, WHAT, 14,000 STUDENTS ARE IDENTIFIED.
>> 34,000.
>>Lynn Gray: OH, 34. THAT'S A LOT OF STUDENTS.
>> -- FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE.
>>Lynn Gray: HOW MUCH? I HAVE 14,000 FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE. IS THAT RIGHT?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
>>Lynn Gray: ALL RIGHT. BUT THAT'S 14,000 IS A LOT. AND A LOT OF -- YES, VERY IMPORTANT ACCESS. SO THANK YOU. MEMBER HAHN, I SEE YOU HAVE YOUR LIGHTS ON, MEMBER VAUGHN PULLED THE ITEM, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND HER SPEAKING FIRST. MEMBER VAUGHN, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION BEYOND?
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I DID JUST HAVE A QUESTION. AS MYSELF, I'VE STRUGGLED TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS FOR PARENTS, IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN REQUESTING SPEECH AND PATHOLOGY SERVICES THROUGH THE SCHOOLS FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO GIVE SOME CLARIFICATION IF THEY ARE ABLE TO DO THAT, WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE AND HOW THAT STARTS SO WE CAN EMPOWER OUR PARENTS IF THEY ARE CONCERNED THAT THEIR STUDENTS MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL NEEDS WHEN IT COMES TO LANGUAGE AND SPEECH.
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO IF A PARENT HAS A CONCERN, THEY SHOULD, OF COURSE, FIRST SPEAK WITH THEIR TEACHER, BUT THEY CAN ALSO REACH OUT TO THE SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST AT THE SITE AND ASK TO TALK WITH THEM AND SHARE THEIR CONCERNS. GUIDANCE COUNSELOR SHOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM. WHEN THE PARENT MAKES A REQUEST, A MEETING WILL BE SCHEDULED THAT WILL INCLUDE THE TEACHER AND THE RELEVANT STAFF MEMBERS SO THEY CAN DISCUSS THE CONCERNS, SEE WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THE STUDENTS AND THEN DETERMINE REGARDING MOVING FORWARD WITH A REFERRAL FOR EVALUATION OR NOT.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. JUST TO CLARIFY, THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH STAFF MEMBERS TO PROVIDE SERVICES GOING FORWARD AND THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE ALL OF THAT, CORRECT?
>> ABSOLUTELY. SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPISTS ARE A CRITICAL SHORTAGE AREA NATIONALLY, AND WE WITH HOSPITALS AND PRIVATE THERAPIES FOR CANDIDATES, AND SO IT IS AN AREA THAT WE MUST PROVIDE THE THERAPIES AS DOCUMENTED IN THEIR IEPs OR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLANS. SO, YES, THIS FILLS THE GAP FOR OUR VACANCIES AND ALSO WHEN WE HAVE THERAPISTS ON LEAVE, YOU CAN'T JUST CALL THE KELLY SUB. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LICENSED PERSONNEL TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. PARENTS, IF THEY HAVE CONCERNS AND CONCERNS THAT THEIR STUDENT OR THEIR CHILD NEEDS SOME SPEECH THERAPY, THEY DON'T JUST HAVE TO RELY ON IDENTIFICATION FROM THE TEACHER. THEY CAN ALSO REQUEST THAT FROM THE TEACHER ITSELF OR THE COUNSELOR. I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU.
>> AS WITH ANY OTHER CONCERNS THAT A PARENT MAY HAVE REGARDING THEIR STUDENT'S DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER HAHN.
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. FIRST, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. WORKMAN, FOR BRINGING THIS TO THE BOARD TONIGHT, AND FOR PROVIDING THE OVERVIEW OF ESE IN GENERAL AND SHARING SOME OF THE DATA. WE HAVEN'T HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS IN A REALLY LONG TIME. AS A FORMER SPECIAL ED. TEACHER, I'M GLAD TO SEE THE DATA COMING BEFORE THE BOARD. UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP AND MS. BROWN'S LEADERSHIP, I'VE BEEN VERY ENCOURAGED TO SEE THE IMPROVEMENTS UNDER SOME OF THE SPECIFIC AREAS YOU MENTIONED TONIGHT, CLOSING THE GRADUATION GAP, DECREASING THE DROPOUT RATE, DECREASING THE RESTRAINTS, AND MAKING PROGRESS WITH THE RISK GRADING IN REGARD TO MINORITY STUDENT REMOVAL AS WELL AS TRENDING UPWARD WITH THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. I HOPE WE CAN LEAD THE STATE IN LRE AT SOME POINT. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW HOW CHALLENGING THIS WORK IS, AND I HOPE WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT IT AS THINGS CONTINUE ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE IN SPECIAL ED AND THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. MEMBER COMBS.
>>Nadia Combs: MEMBER HAHN AND MEMBER VAUGHN SAID MANY OF THE SENTIMENTS THE WAY I FEEL. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, BECAUSE I REALLY FELT LIKE THE LAST MEETING THAT WE HAD YOU KNOW, ON THE WAY HERE TODAY, I WAS TALKING TO A PARENT WHO HAS TWO EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS AND WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT A GREAT JOB THE DISTRICT IS DOING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND MOST IMPACTFUL SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD IS THE NUMBER OF ESE STUDENTS, THE NUMBER OF SERVICES, THE NUMBER OF ACCESS CLASSES, HOW WE MAINSTREAM CHILDREN, ALL THE GREAT WORK WE DID. I REALLY FELT THAT LAST BOARD MEETING, IT WAS IN MY COMMENTS, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT A PARENT SURVEY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LESS THAN 10% OF THE PARENTS RESPONDING, AND I THINK YOU WILL FIND THAT MOST PARENTS WHO ARE UNHAPPY ABOUT THINGS RESPOND, AND PARENTS WHO ARE USUALLY VERY HAPPY DON'T RESPOND IN A SURVEY LIKE THAT. TO GET A BETTER VIEW AND A PICTURE AND GIVING US ALL THAT DATA, I FEEL THAT WE DO A GREAT JOB. OF COURSE, WE CAN ALWAYS WORK HARDER BUT I KNOW THAT WE DO A VERY GOOD JOB AND I KNOW THAT, EVEN I HAVE A CHILD WHO HAS A 504 AND I HAVE FELT VERY SUPPORTIVE IN THE SCHOOL AND I THINK IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL. I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR TEAM AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER COMBS. THE EFFICACY OF THE SURVEY, KIMBERLY AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT 10%, DID IT HAVE ANY RESIGNATION, BUT IT DOES. IT WAS HIGHLY, ACCORDING TO THE STANDARDS REGARDED INPUT FROM THE PARENTS. IT'S A GOOD THING. MEMBER SNIVELY AND THEN MEMBER WASHINGTON.
>>Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. IF ANY GOOD THING CAME OUT OF THIS WHOLE CHARTER SCHOOL DECISION, I THINK THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT ESE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF IT, BECAUSE THIS IS KIND OF OVERDUE CONVERSATION, AS DR. HAHN MENTIONED FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE INFORMATION TO THE BOARD. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE CANDID CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD AROUND SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT NOT ONLY HAVE I HAD MANY DISCUSSIONS WITH PARENTS ABOUT, BUT MY PERSONAL INTERACTIONS WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, HAVING ALL FOUR OF MY CHILDREN HAVE A SPECIAL NEED IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. AND SO I APPRECIATE THE OPENNESS AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT CANDID DISCUSSION WITH YOU AND BRINGING IT TO THE BOARD FOR FURTHER CANDID DISCUSSION. YES, ONLY 10% RESPONDED. THAT'S KIND OF A STANDARD RATE. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF MORE PARENTS WOULD HAVE RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING GOOD EXPERIENCES WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AGAIN, I THINK, AS MENTIONED, THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, RIGHT? THERE'S ALWAYS SOME ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. AND WE HAVE IMPROVED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS IN CERTAIN AREAS. SO I THINK THIS IS A GREAT TOPIC FOR CONTINUED DISCUSSION TO CONTINUE FOCUSING ON HOW WE CAN IMPROVE SOME OF OUR SERVICES TO OUR PARENTS, HOW WE TEACH THEM, HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR CHILD IF THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. THAT WAS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT I KNEW HOW TO ADVOCATE IS BECAUSE OF THE POSITION THAT I'M IN. BUT PRIOR TO THAT, I WASN'T REALLY SURE HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR MY CHILDREN BEFORE BECOMING AN ENLIGHTENED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER. SO LOTS OF WORK TO DO. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS UP. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. I HOPE WE CAN DO, MAYBE DRILL DOWN ON A BETTER SURVEY IN OUR OWN DISTRICT, MAYBE, NOT JUST A STATE SURVEY THAT'S ADMINISTERED BUT SOMETHING MAYBE THAT COMES FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND GET SOME ADDITIONAL DATA FROM OUR PARENTS WITH A HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SURVEY. SO THANK YOU, AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR -- I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE HEARING GOOD STORIES, LIKE HOW WE CONTINUE TO PROGRESS WITH DYSLEXIA AND SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WE OFFER OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHING OUR TEACHERS HOW TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO HAVE DYSLEXIA AND WHAT SERVICES WE PROVIDE. WE NEED TO CONTINUE EXPANDING THAT. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THAT'S A GREAT POINT, AND WE SHALL. MEMBER WASHINGTON.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. KIM, YOU KNOW, WE WORKED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME, AND KIM REALLY MADE MY CAREER EASY FOR ME BECAUSE SHE WAS MY ESE PERSON IN AREA FOUR. BUT, KIM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN SO PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND, HOW DID YOU GET THE CHANGE ENVIRONMENT DIFFERENT NOW THAN WHAT IT USED TO BE. WE HAD A LOT OF KIDS GOING THROUGH ESE. JUST GIVE US SOME POINTERS HOW YOU REDUCE THAT CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT.
>> IT'S THROUGH A LOT OF WORK ON PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES. WE ARE LOOKING AT STUDENTS THAT ARE AT RISK AND ARE STARTING TO HAVE SOME SUSPENSIONS AND REMOVALS EARLY ON. ONE, TWO, AND THEN WE'RE TARGETING THEM FOR PROBLEM SOLVING WITH -- WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AT SCHOOL AND PUTTING IN SUPPORTS SO THAT WE REALLY REDUCE THOSE SUSPENSIONS. WE WANT TO KEEP THEM IN SCHOOL.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: THAT'S GOOD. WE ALWAYS HAD THAT PERCEPTION TO KEEP THESE KIDS IN SCHOOL BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY ESE KIDS. WE WERE TALKING THE OTHER DAY, I REMEMBER -- I MAY HAVE JUST STARTED AS PRINCIPAL OVER AT CHAMBERLAIN, NOBODY UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE WE HAD NEVER DEALT WITH STUDENTS, ESE STUDENTS LIKE THAT. AND THEY WERE DISRUPTIVE. WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. KIM, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GOOD WORK YOU'VE DONE. I REALLY DO. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT STORIES BEHIND THE DATA, AND I APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE. YES, THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE, AND IT'S IMPORTANT WORK, AND WE'LL KEEP AT IT. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MS. WORKMAN, AND THANK YOU MS. BROWN ALSO, AND GODSPEED TO YOU. YOU'RE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB, YOUR TEAM AS WELL.
>>Lynn Gray: OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM -- OH, SORRY. WE NEED TO VOTE. PLEASE PRESS YOUR LIGHTS WHEN -- YES, PLEASE PRESS YOUR BUTTONS WHEN THE LIGHTS APPEAR. WE ARE UNANIMOUS. WE DIDN'T SEE IT ON OUR SCREEN. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO PRESS THE BUTTONS AGAIN. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE THERE. MEMBER VAUGHN, I WAS GOING TO ASK A QUESTION, IF THIS WOULD BE OKAY. YOU PULLED 6.03, 6.06, 6.07, 6.08 WHICH REVOLVE AROUND TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY DATABASE, SERVERS, COULD WE PUT THAT TOGETHER FOR A VOTE OR WOULD YOU WANT US TO GO EACH ONE SEPARATELY. YOU PULLED THEM. IT'S YOUR DECISION.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU FOR ASKING. I'M FINE WITH 6.03, 6.06 AND 6.07, I THINK JEREMY DID A GOOD JOB OF ADDRESSING IT. I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS 6.08 ON ITS OWN MERIT.
>>Lynn Gray: ABSOLUTELY. MR. PORTER, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT.
>>Jim Porter: THE APPROPRIATE MOTION TO MAKE -- YOU'D MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE 6.03, 6.05, 6.06. 6.03, 6.05 -- NO 6.06 AND THAT'S IT, 6.07. ONE MOTION TO APPROVE ALL THREE ITEMS. THE MOTION FOR -- 6.0 3:6.06, 6.07, THAT WILL BE THE MOTION, APPROPRIATE MOTION.
>>Lynn Gray: MEMBER WASHINGTON SECOND. MEMBER VAUGHN --
>>Jim Porter: MEMBER VAUGHN AND MEMBER SNIVELY SECONDED IT. ANY BOARD DISCUSSION, THEN YOU CAN VOTE?
>>Lynn Gray: DO WE HAVE BOARD DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON FOR 6.03, 6.06 AND 6.07. UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN FOR ALLOWING US TO DO THAT. WE'LL GO NOW TO 6.05, THE RENEWAL OF EDSBY, ONLINE GRADEBOOK SYSTEM SERVICES. WITH APTIRIS. I THINK THIS IS FOR A YEAR. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WOULD YOU HIGHLIGHT THE ITEM.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. THIS IS RENEWAL EDSBY ONLINE GRADEBOOK. IN OUR DISTRICT, THIS IS OUR GRADEBOOK SYSTEM FOR OUR PARENTS TO INTERACT WITH, THIS IS A WAY FOR OUR TEACHERS TO INTERACT WITH. THIS IS ALSO A WAY WE PRINT OUR REPORT CARDS AND ALSO BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE PROGRESS REPORTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. WE KNOW THAT SYNERGY WILL BE PREPARED TO CONNECT NEXT SCHOOL YEAR AND WILL BE ABLE TO ROLL IN A NEW, MORE SOPHISTICATED AGREEDBOOK, HOWEVER, WE NEED EDSBY FOR ONE MORE YEAR. WE DID AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT AND SAVED AROUND $44,000 FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. I WANT TO THANK EACH OF THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR PUSHING US TO THINK DIFFERENTLY IN ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS, BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A CONTRACT FOR ONE YEAR. $380,000. SPEND THAT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FUNDING. ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS IS THAT WE DON'T TRANSITION TO SYNERGY NOW EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SYNERGY IS BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HAVE A CONSISTENT APPROPRIATE LAUNCH, IF WE MOVE NOW WITH THE ET CETERABY HOLDING ALL OF OUR GRADES, WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANY PARTICULAR FTE FROM ONE SYSTEM TO THE NEXT. GIVEN ONE YEAR ALLOWS US TO PROPERLY PLAN AND IMPLEMENT AND PREPARE FOR 22-23 SCHOOL YEAR.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUSPECT DAVIS. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER VAUGHN AND A SECOND BY MEMBER COMBS. DISCUSSION? MEMBER VAUGHN, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR A CONCERN?
>>Jessica Vaughn: I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS SOME QUESTIONS THAT I'VE RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDSBY AND CANVAS. AND EVEN IF WE TRANSITION TO SYNERGY, HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK AND ONCE WE TRANSITION TO SYNERGY, ARE WE STILL GOING TO HAVE CANVAS. I THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED WE HAVE SIMILAR SOFTWARES, SPENDING MONEY, REPLICATE THEMSELVES. CAN YOU HELP UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE AND WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL HAVE CANVAS GOING FORWARD?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, ACTUALLY A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
>> CANVAS IS OUR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND IT HOUSES ALL OF OUR TEACHER RESOURCES. IT ALSO AT THE MOMENT IS OUR -- IS A GRADEBOOK FOR TEACHERS AS WE TRANSITION TO SYNERGY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO USE THEIR GRADEBOOK FEATURES. IT'S MORE ROBUST. IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH MORE USER FRIENDLY ON THE GRADEBOOK SIDE OF THINGS. BUT AS FAR AS HOUSING THE CURRICULUM, INTERFACING WITH STUDENTS AND COMMUNICATING, WE WILL STILL CONTINUE THE USE OF CANVAS. IT IS A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE BUILT OUT ALL OF OUR LESSONS ARE SAVED THERE. WE DON'T HAVE THAT FUNCTIONALITY CURRENTLY WITH SYNERGY. THEY WILL SERVE TWO DIFFERENT PURPOSES SO WE'LL HAVE BOTH THOSE PLATFORMS. EDSBY WILL EVENTUALLY BE THE ONE TO SUNSET AND BE GONE.
>>Jessica Vaughn: CANVAS IS HERE TO STAY. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, BOARD. WE'LL GO TO 6.08, COMPUTER HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, SUPPLIES, AND SERVICES. BOARD MEMBERS, WE'RE JUMPING RIGHT TO 6.08. WE ALREADY VOTED ON 6.06 AND 6.07. 6.08, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WILL YOU HIGHLIGHT THIS ITEM?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THIS IS A PIGGYBACK WITH PGB-LG COMPUTER HARDWARE. WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND BEING ABLE TO EXPAND THAT. I KNOW IT'S A $25 MILLION ASK TO THE BOARD. THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM AN ASKED RELATED TO GENERAL FUNDS. THIS IS TO PROPERLY POSITION HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TO PUT IN LINE TO BE ABLE TO ORDER EMPLOYEE AND STUDENT DEVICES. ONE THING WE HAVE TO DO IS BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO COMPETE, IN THE SAME TOKEN WHEN WE HIRE OUR TEACHERS AND THOSE IN FRONT OF US, GIVE THEM A DEVICE AS WELL. WE'RE NOT ASKING TO SPEND $25 MILLION TODAY BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LEVERAGE ESSER 3 MONEY WHEN THAT COMES. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT ESSER DOLLARS IS EXPECTED TO BE USED FOR TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS TECHNOLOGY AND ACCESSIBILITY TO OUR STUDENTS AND OUR EMPLOYEES. ONE THING WE WILL SAY IS ANYTHING WE SEEK TO GO AND PURCHASE MOVING FORWARD, WE'LL BRING THE INFORMATION BACK TO THE BOARD FOR INDIVIDUALIZED APPROVAL AND MAKE CERTAIN THE BOARD IS UPDATED ALONG THE WAY ABOUT HOW THESE EXPENDITURES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AND IN ORDER TO SHOW THE CONTINUED REDUCTION TO GET TO THAT ONE-TO-ONE HOPE IN EVERY ONE OF OUR CORE CLASSROOMS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS AND A SECOND BY MEMBER PEREZ. MEMBER VAUGHN, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT?
>>Jessica Vaughn: I DO. THANK YOU. I ALSO GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. AND MR. BUNKLY WAS VERY NICE AND HE ALLOWED ME TO TAKE ONE OF THESE COMPUTERS HOME WHERE MY HUSBAND TRIED IT OUT AND HAD SOME THOUGHTS ON IT THAT I WANTED TO ASK QUESTIONS. THE FIRST ONE, THOUGH, WAS ACTUALLY MORE IT CAME FROM MY CONSTITUENCY WAS I KNOW THAT WE SAID THAT A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS GOING FORWARD ARE GOING TO BE WEB BASED BECAUSE WE'RE NOT -- IS THERE ANY KIND OF COMPROMISING OF STUDENT DATA WHEN WE HAVE WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS FOR THESE SORT OF THINGS? IF SO, WHAT IS THE OVERSIGHT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT COMPROMISING ANY STUDENT DATA WITH WEB BASED PROGRAMS.
>>Addison Davis: I'M NOT SURE IF JEREMY IS ONLINE OR STILL WITH US OR NOT. I WILL PUNT THIS ONE TO YOU.
>> DATA SHARE AGREEMENTS. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR DATA SHARE AGREEMENTS IN PLACE WHEN YOU GO TO MOVING TO A CLOUD-BASED INFRASTRUCTURE. THE ONE THING THAT I WOULD POINT OUT IS I'LL JUST USE COMPANIES LIKE MICROSOFT AND GOOGLE. THEY SPEND BILLIONS ON THEIR SECURITY. WE SPEND THOUSANDS ON OUR SECURITY. AND MOVING THIS TO THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THEIR SECURITY EXPERTISE PUTS OUR DATA IN A FAR MORE SECURE SITUATION THAN IT DOES HOLDING THIS DATA INTERNALLY. AT THIS POINT, WE ARE HANDLING THE TRANSIT OF THE DATA VERSUS THE STORAGE OF THE DATA AND MOVING TO A CLOUD FIRST APPROACH ALLOWS US TO SECURE OUR DATA IN A -- IT PUTS US IN A BETTER DATA SECURITY POSITION. YES, YOU HEAR ABOUT BREACHES QUITE FREQUENTLY, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE CONCERNED WITH INTERNALLY OR EXTERNALLY, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS CREATING THE CYBERSECURITY DEPARTMENT, FOR THE FIRST TIME HAVING AN FTE THAT WE MOVED OUT OF, WE TOOK AN ALLOCATION FROM OUR DEPARTMENT MANAGER AND MOVED DEPARTMENT MANAGER OF CYBERSECURITY. SO THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED WITH PII OR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION? 100%. PARTICULARLY WHEN PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR THE FREEBIE APPLICATIONS THAT THE DISTRICT DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT, THOSE ARE THE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE MY BIGGEST CONCERN, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES OUTSIDE OF THE CONTROL SCOPE, AND THAT'S WHY TO MS. SNIVELY'S REQUEST TWO MEETINGS AGO, WE'RE WORKING ON SERVING ALL THE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE BEING USED THROUGH OUR SYSTEM. NOW THIS WILL BE A WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT WITH EVERY SYSTEM WE FIND, WE WILL BE REVISITING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE PROPER DATA SHARE AGREEMENTS IN PLACE. THERE ARE SOME APPLICATIONS WE'VE HAD FOR MANY, MANY YEARS THAT WE WANT TO AT A MINIMUM REFRESH THE DSA VERSUS JUST KEEPING IN PLACE WHAT HAS BEEN THERE.
>>Jessica Vaughn: [INAUDIBLE] THERE WE GO. THE NEXT QUESTION I HAVE IS BASED ON THE SPECS, I KNOW THAT THE GRAPHICS WERE A BIT OF A CONCERN. DO THESE COMPUTERS HAVE THE GRAPHIC ABILITY TO HANDLE LIKE THE ANIMATION THAT COMES WITH iREADY AND ALL THAT? ARE WE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THIS WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE THOSE?
>> MR. DAVIS, I BELIEVE THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO CALL UPON MR. PHILLIP CATONE. AND INSTEAD OF ME EXPLAINING IT TO YOU, FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE FROM A SCHOOL SITE, TALKING ABOUT MS. VAUGHN, YOU USED A GENERATION ONE DEVICE AND MR. CANTONE CAN SPEAK TO THE USES OF GENERATION ONE AND GENERATION TWO. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HONOR WHERE WE START AND THE PROCESS. SO I BELIEVE MR. CANTONE IS PROBABLY BEST POSITIONED AS FORMER AP OF TAMPA HEIGHTS AND THE CURRENT AP AT B.T. WASHINGTON.
>> THANKS, JEREMY. I'LL DO MY BEST HERE. TO ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE WEB BASE AND LOOKING AT iREADY, WE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS EVEN WITH THE ORIGINAL GENERATIONS ONES. IN TERMS OF iREADY INTERFACE FOR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT WAS MORE LIKE BACKEND STUFF, LIKE SPEAKERS WEREN'T WORKING, COULDN'T BRIGHTEN SCREENS ON LAPTOPS. THESE WERE ISSUES WE WERE HAVING ON THE FLY. HE TALKED ABOUT SOLVING PROBLEMS IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS AND WE JUST USUALLY SWAPPED THEM OUT. WE DID END UP GETTING THE GENERATION TWOS. THOSE WE HAVEN'T HAD ISSUES WITH. COMPUTERS LOGGED IN, THE ONE-TO-ONE ASPECT IS A NICE BENEFIT. IN TERMS OF iREADY AND FEATURES, HAVEN'T HAD ANY ISSUES.
>>Jessica Vaughn: MY LAST QUESTION, I APPRECIATE THIS. I JUST THANK YOU FOR -- WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPENDING $25 MILLION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE BUYING, SO THANK YOU FOR THIS. WHAT ABOUT IS THE MEMORY USER UPGRADEABLE?
>> JEREMY.
>> THERE IS THE ABILITY TO UPGRADE THE MEMORY, BUT WE ARE USING FLASH MEMBER. THAT IS SOLDERED. THE REASON FOR USING FLASH MEMORY IS THE SPEED. AS YOU MOVE INTO A WEB BASED ENVIRONMENT, THIS IS NOT A TRADITIONAL HOME COMPUTER. YOU'RE MOVING TO THAT WEB BASED ENVIRONMENT AND THE PROCESSING IS ACTUALLY BEING DONE ON THE CLOUD, WHICH IS REALLY JUST ANOTHER VENDOR SERVER FARM. SO THE PROCESSING HAS ACTUALLY BEEN DONE THERE AND MOVING THROUGH OUR INTERNET CONNECTION. THAT'S WHY ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE REALLY BROUGHT TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE THEY ALL GO HAND IN HAND. YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT YOUR NETWORK STABILITY AND YOUR DEVICE WHEN YOU'RE MOVING TO A CLOUD-BASED SYSTEM. SO THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS, YES, BUT BASED ON THE BOARD, IT IS A SOLDERED FLASH MEMORY AND THAT IS FOR ACTUAL SPEED AND FOR REPAIRABILITY. WE JUST WANT TO BE SITUATING OUT A MOTHER BOARD VERSUS THE INDEPENDENT PIECES. .
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU? THANK YOU, JEREMY, AND THANK YOU, OUR GUESTS. MEMBER COMBS AND THEN MEMBER HAHN.
>>Nadia Combs: THANK YOU SO MUCH, MEMBER VAUGHN, FOR PULLING THIS, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAD PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY TALKING ABOUT THE 25 MILLION. ONE OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS AN AUDIT DONE WITH -- IN 2014 SAYING THAT WE REALLY WEREN'T BEHIND IN TECHNOLOGY AND THAT WE HAD TO INCREASE FUNDING, BUT THAT NEVER OCCURRED. IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, WE HAVEN'T REALLY INCREASED FUNDING AT ALL IN TECHNOLOGY AND THE IDEA TO COMPETE, FORGET JUST NATIONALLY, INTERNATIONALLY, IN ANY ASPECT, WE HAVE TO HAVE TECHNOLOGY AND OUR STUDENTS WHO NEED IT MOST PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THAT TECHNOLOGY AT HOME. THEY MIGHT BE SHARING ONE COMPUTER OR NO COMPUTER. WE SAW THAT WHEN WE WENT INTO COVID. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE SPENDING, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT TODAY, WHEN WE'RE USING THIS ESSER 2 AND ESSER 3 MONEY, I'D LIKE TO SEE -- SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE HERE FOR YEARS TO COME THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT CHILDREN IN A POSITIVE WAY. AND WE KNOW THAT TEACHERS ARE THE ONES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BUT WE ALSO NEED TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE CHILDREN CAN COMPETE IN THE FUTURE. SO THE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY WANTED TO MENTION THAT MR. BUNKLY AND THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT DID WAS REALLY MOVE OUR FIRST CLASS SYSTEM TO OUTLOOK. REALLY, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE USING WERE VERY ANTIQUATED, SO THE IDEA THAT WE'RE USING AND WE'RE FINALLY HAVING ACCESS TO THAT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND GETTING ONE-TO-ONES AND WHEN WE DO SEE THAT TEACHERS ARE PULLING STUDENTS OUT, KIDS ARE ENGAGED AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT ACCESS AND WE NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON TECHNOLOGY. THE IDEA THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT IN ALMOST A DECADE JUST SHOWS THAT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE'RE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
>>Lynn Gray: GOOD POINT, MEMBER COMBS. MEMBER HAHN.
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID MANY OF THE THINGS I WAS ALSO GOING TO SHARE. SO I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT THEY SAID. WE HAVE HAD A DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND DIGITAL POVERTY. I LIKE WHEN YOU SAID THAT, BECAUSE THAT IS TRULY WHAT'S HAPPENING. WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT AND SAY WE'RE COMMITTED TO EQUITY AND HAVE SUCH DIGITAL POVERTY HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY, NO DOUBT. I'M GLAD THE COMMUNITY IS HERE SPEAKING ABOUT IT. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM ON THIS. BUT THIS IS AN INVESTMENT IN KIDS. LIKE MEMBER COMBS JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PREPARING THEM FOR COLLEGE AND/OR CAREER, FUTURE JOBS. AND WHEN WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC AND MANY FOLKS TALKED ABOUT THEIR CHILD BEING HOME ON QUARANTINE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS IF THEY ARE HOME ON QUARANTINE AND DON'T HAVE A LAPTOP IN THEIR HOME THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY SO THEY CAN CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION, AND IT'S SEAMLESS. THIS IS NOT GENERAL FUND MONEY. THIS IS ESSER'S MONEY. AND AS MEMBER COMBS EVEN SAID THIS MORNING, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO INVEST IN THINGS THAT ARE SUSTAINABLE. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO PURCHASE, AND OUR STUDENTS CAN USE LONG AFTER THE ESSER'S MONEY IS GONE. THIS TO ME IS AN INVESTMENT IN KIDS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. MEMBER SNIVELY.
>>Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR HIRING JEREMY BUNKLY. WE HAVE ADVANCED MORE IN TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST YEAR THAN WE HAVE PROBABLY IN THE LAST DECADE, NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE, BUT IT'S TRUE, BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT THE GIBSON CONSULTANT REPORT TOLD US BACK IN 2016 ABOUT OUR I.T. AND HOW FAR BEHIND WE WERE. AND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY BOARD MEMBERS WHO BEGGED TO HAVE MICROSOFT OUTLOOK CONVERSION FROM THE OLD SYSTEM, THE LAWSON SYSTEM. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT CONVERSION. AMEN AND HALLELUJAH, BRINGING US TO THE 21st CENTURY. I THINK WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE AND I DON'T KNOW IF OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WOULD AGREE, ONE THING WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS A BOARD IN PREVIOUS YEARS WAS A STRATEGIC PLAN. BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY BECOMES OBSOLETE SO QUICKLY, THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT MOVING FORWARD FOR THE SHORT TERM, BUT WHAT IS OUR LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PLAN WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY? WHERE DOES THIS TAKE US? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? IF WE COULD SEE SOME TYPE OF STRATEGIC PLAN FOR TECHNOLOGY AND HOW WE WOULD BE FUNDING SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD TO KNOW WHAT DIRECTION THAT THIS DISTRICT IS GOING IN AND TO REASSURE NOT JUST THE BOARD, BUT ALSO PARENTS AND FAMILIES AND TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE THAT'S GOING TO -- THAT IS GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. AND THEN JUST TO REITERATE WHAT DR. HAHN SAID, MAYBE AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE SAID, BECAUSE THERE WAS A CONCERN ABOUT THE FUNDING FOR THIS AND A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE THINK THAT MONEY ALL COMES FROM THE SAME BUCKET, AND THIS MONEY IS NOT COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND BUCKET. THIS MONEY IS NOT COMING FROM THE BUCKET THAT WE PAY TEACHERS FROM WHERE WE PAY TEACHERS. THIS MONEY IS COMING FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE, SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOURCES, BUT NONE OF THIS MONEY IS COMPETING WITH TEACHER SALARIES OR FACULTY SALARIES. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THIS IS NOT GOING TO IMPACT OUR GENERAL FUNDS -- GENERAL FUND DOLLARS THIS PURCHASE, BECAUSE IT IS QUITE A LARGE SUM OF MONEY. THANK YOU, AGAIN, FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER SNIVELY. AGREEABLE. WHEN YOU INVEST 25 MILLION AND MORE IN TECHNOLOGY, AN ANALOGY IS WITH MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THEY HAVE WHAT IS CALLED OBVIOUSLY A CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, THEY HAVE A CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER. IT'S A CTO POSITION. SO THAT MIGHT BE A SUGGESTION. OBVIOUSLY, JEREMY HAS MANY TITLES, AND WE ARE LOOKING AT HIM TO SOLVE AND RESOLVE YEARS OF, MY GOODNESS, WE'RE SO BEHIND. ANYWAY, THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING. I KNOW OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS EMPLOY THAT TYPE OF LEVEL. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. YOU HEAR THE BOARD REMARKS AND YOU DO HAVE A TECHNOLOGICAL GENIUS, WHICH WE ARE ALL VERY APPRECIATIVE. AT ANY RATE, GOOD GOING, JEREMY. YOU'RE OUR HERO, AND MEMBER VAUGHN, THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS AGENDA ITEM. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE INTEREST IN IT. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, BOARD. WE'LL GO INTO 6.09, IT'S A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR ASPHALT PAVING SERVICES. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WOULD YOU HIGHLIGHT THIS ITEM?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THIS IS RFP FOR PAVING SERVICES. THIS IS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS ANY PAVED AREA THAT MAY NEED FOR RENOVATIONS, MAY NEED UPGRADES, MAY NEED MAINTENANCE, IN ADDITION, BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY VENDORS TO HELP US WITH NEW INSTALLS. ONE CONTRACTOR, OTOCONSTRUCTION, THAT WILL HELP US WITH THE PROCESS AND ALL THE INFORMATION TAXITIONED THROUGH OUR PROCUREMENT AND THIS IS OUR RECOMMENDATION.
>>Lynn Gray: MEMBER VAUGHN, YOU PULLED THE ITEM. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
>>Jessica Vaughn: I DID. I WILL BE BRIEF. I WANTED TO TAKE THE MOMENT BECAUSE I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS. WE HAVE SOME ITEMS ON HERE THAT ARE PIGGYBACKS AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE. CAN YOU GIVE A REALLY QUICK UNDERSTANDING FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RPF IS AND THE PROCESS ON THAT. WE MAKE SURE THAT WE LOOK FOR EQUITY WHEN WE'RE CHOOSING OUT VENDORS AND I THINK PEOPLE JUST SEE $3 MILLION AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THAT. COULD YOU TAKE A SECOND FOR THAT?
>>Addison Davis: NO WORRIES. MR. FARKAS, DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS RELATED TO WHAT WE WENT THROUGH LAST FALL?
>>Christopher Farkas: YOU BET. EVERYTHING WE DO GOES THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT AND RO JOHNSON. COREY MUR -- THEY RUN THE SHOW. WE HAVE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD THAT WEIGH IN ON THAT. POINTS -- EXTRA POINTS ALLOTTED FOR THINGS LIKE SMALL MINORITY BUSINESSES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE PEOPLE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. BUT IT'S RUN BY THE BUSINESS DEPARTMENT SO IT'S SUBJECTIVE. I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT TO. SOMEBODY HAD A FAVOR --
>>Jessica Vaughn: WE'RE NOT JUST HANDING OUT CONTRACTS TO FRIENDS.
>>Addison Davis: NO, MA'AM.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. MEMBER SNIVELY IS AWAY FROM HER DESK.
>> CAN WE GET A MOTION?
>>Lynn Gray: I ALREADY DID A MOTION AND A SECOND. NO? I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. CLEAR THE BOARD. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. A SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. AND IT'S UNANIMOUS WITH MEMBER SNIVELY AWAY FROM THE DAIS. NEXT WE'RE GOING TO GO TO 6.14. THIS IS THE PURCHASE OF THE IREADY READING LANGUAGE ARTS FLORIDA STANDARDS STUDENT INSTRUCTION BOOKS AND iREADY READING AND MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION, DIAGNOSTIC AND TEACHER TOOLBOX FROM CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES.
>>Addison Davis: THIS IS A PURCHASE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TIER 2 AND 3 SERVICES TO CHILDREN IN NEED. WE KNOW WE HAVE SO MANY CHILDREN THAT ARE NOT MEETING GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS THAT ARE ONE OR MORE YEARS BEHIND EDUCATIONALLY. iREADY ALLOWS US TO IDENTIFY AN INSTRUCTIONAL PLATFORM TO TRIANGULATE MULTIPLE DIAGNOSTICS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION FOR OUR STUDENTS. IT SCAFFOLDS AND DIFFERENTIATES THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS AND ALLOWS OUR CHILDREN TO CONTINUE TO PUSH AND HAVE A STAIRCASE APPROACH TO MEETING GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS. ALSO ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES. iREADY BEEN IN THE DISTRICT MANY YEARS. IN THIS PURCHASE, WE WILL BE PURCHASING iREADY LAST FOR GRADES THREE AND UP. IT WILL PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. WE GET DIAGNOSTICS FOR OUR LEARNERS TO ALLOW OUR TEACHERS TO INFORM AND PRESCRIBE INSTRUCTION. ALSO PROVIDES ONLINE INSTRUCTIONAL PATHWAY. WITH THIS AGREEMENT, WE HAVE NEGOTIATED DEDICATED CONTENT SPECIALIST TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PUSH IN, PROVIDE ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO OUR TEACHERS TO ATTEND PLCs WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND THE BIGGEST THING HERE IS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ONCE AGAIN RENEGOTIATE OUR CONTRACT. THIS IS DOWN FROM 5.2 MILLION TO $4.4 MILLION, AND THIS WILL BE LEVERAGED MULTIPLE FINANCIAL. FIRST ONE SAI, WHICH IS -- WE CAN PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL ACADEMIC INTERVENTIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS, INSTRUCTION FOR OUR STUDENTS, TITLE 2 DOLLARS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE THIRD WAY WOULD BE READING CATEGORICAL. ONCE APPROVED AND ONCE WE GET ESSER THREE DOLLARS, THIS ALIGNS PERFECTLY WITH THE EXPECTATIONS OUTLINED BY THE SCOPE OF THE SEQUENCE OF ESSER THREE, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO -- ESSER TWO, SORRY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRANSITION THOSE DOLLARS TO FREE UP ALL OF THESE OTHER CATEGORICALS AND PUT IT IN ESSER TO MOVE FORWARD. THIS ONCE AGAIN CONTINUES TO BE A REALLY SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR TEACHERS TO GET THE SCHOOL KIT. THEY HAVE RESOURCED, ALL THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO SERVE OUR CHILDREN IN A CONSISTENT MANNER.
>>Lynn Gray: THIS IS ALMOST LIKE A PASS-THROUGH. WE'RE TAKING IT OUT OF THESE BUCKETS. WHEN WE GET THE ESSER TWO, WE'RE GOING TO REPLACE?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM IT WILL BE REPLACING. ALL THESE FUNDING SOURCES ALIGN PERFECTLY WITH THE EXPECTATIONS AND THE SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT, AND WITH THE CATEGORICALS. ONCE WE GET ESSER TWO DOLLARS AND FINALIZE GETTING THE LAST BUCKET, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRANSITION THOSE DOLLARS TO FREE UP THE SAI TITLE TWO AND READING CATEGORICALS TO DO OTHER THINGS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
>>Lynn Gray: OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. MERITA, MAKE SURE YOU WRITE THAT DOWN. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ AND A SECOND BY MEMBER HAHN. ANY DISCUSSION? MEMBER COMBS AND MEMBER VAUGHN HAS PULLED THE ITEM. MEMBER VAUGHN, YOUR NAME IS FIRST. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS.
>>Jessica Vaughn: MEMBER COMBS, YOU GO FIRST.
>>Nadia Combs: I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS. I GUESS THIS WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF DELVE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN USING THIS FOR YEARS AND I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE USING FOR QUITE A WHILE. I KNOW THAT THAT'S PART OF TALLAHASSEE IS DRIVING THAT AND I KNOW WE NEED DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. WHAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE IS I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING LOOKS LIKE FOR STUDENTS, K-12, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT. I TALKED TO, SUPERINTENDENT, YOU QUITE A BIT ABOUT THAT. I REALLY WANT TO SEE A PLAN ON WHAT TESTING LOOKS LIKE FOR EVERY GRADE LEVEL. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I PULLED ACHIEVE. MY OTHER QUESTION -- SORRY, PULLED iREADY. MY OTHER QUESTION. WHERE ARE WE WITH ACHIEVE? AND THAT KIND OF GOES WITH IREADY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT, WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY OR PROGRAMS, ON COMPUTER PROGRAMS, AND WE DO NEED TO GET COMPUTERS, BUT MY WORRY IS, LIKE, HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE SPENDING ON COMPUTER PROGRAMS? HOW MUCH TIME ARE WE SPENDING? HOW MUCH ARE WE TESTING STUDENTS? THAT WAS ONE, FOR ME, WAS ONE OF THE DRIVING DRIVERS OF NOT PUSHING FOR ACHIEVE IS I WAS VERY CONCERNED THE THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS WOULD BE TESTED ON iREADY, ACHIEVE, MATH MONTHLIES, LANGUAGE ARTS MONTHLIES, HOW MUCH TIME ARE WE SPENDING GIVING DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND HOW MUCH TIME ARE WE SPENDING ACTUALLY TEACHING? WE NEED -- OBVIOUSLY, WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE CHILDREN ARE, BUT HOW MANY TIMES DOES A CHILD NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE BEHIND WITH READING COMPREHENSION? I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO REQUEST TO SEE BOTH OF THOSE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE NOT JUST THE REGULAR, BUT ALSO THE OPTIONAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE TWO PARTS.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. THROUGH THE CHAIR. REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS. WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING I THINK DECEMBER -- NO, AUGUST 12, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING THE TESTING CALENDAR TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL. THAT'S JUST TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE WINDOWS THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS IDENTIFIED FOR THEIR PROGRESS MONITORING. IN THAT SAME OPPORTUNITY, WE'LL ALSO MAKE CERTAIN THE BOARD IS APPRISED OF THE TESTING THAT WE WILL IMPLEMENT FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR. IT'S LOUD AND CLEAR, WE HAD AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF ASSESSMENTS LAST YEAR. I DO NOT DISAGREE. THE TEAM HAS DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB MEETING WITH COHORTS OF STAKEHOLDERS, WHETHER TEACHERS, LEADERS, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT SELECTIVELY ABANDONING SOME OF OUR ASSESSMENTS, AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE AND PROUD TO SAY WE HAVE DECREASED THE MINUTES THAT WE TEST IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FROM LAST YEAR TO PROJECTED TO 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR AROUND 7200 MINUTES. AND THAT'S A LOT OF MINUTES RELATED TO BEING ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO INSTRUCTIONAL TIME WITH OUR STUDENTS AND TO OUR TEACHERS. YOU'LL SEE THAT IS GOING TO REALLY TAKE PLACE FROM GRADES TWO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO GRADES 12. YOU'LL SEE SIGNIFICANT DECREASES, MAYBE A SMALL UPTICK RELATED TO K AND FIRST GRADE, 60 MINUTES. THAT'S ONE ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT THEY'LL HAVE TO TAKE. AS RELATES TO I READY, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS PLATFORM, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BASELINE, MIDYEAR AND END OF THE YEAR AS WELL TO BE ABLE TO USE IT SO PRESCRIBE THE WORK FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND THE TOOL KIT REALLY ALLOWS US TO -- THE TOOL KIT ALLOWS OUR TEACHERS TO KIND OF USE THIS INFORMATION AND ONCE A DIAGNOSTIC IS IDENTIFIED, IT REALLY GIVES THEM A KIND OF BLUEPRINT OF HOW TO SERVE A STUDENT. AS IT RELATES TO ACHIEVE, OPENLY, I DO BELIEVE THAT ACHIEVE IS ONE OF THE BEST SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS TO BE ABLE TO MOVE STUDENTS. IT'S BEEN PROVEN ACROSS THE STATE. IT'S BEEN PROVEN ACROSS THE NATION. AND WE PROVED IT IN USING A SEMI IMPLEMENTATION OF IT LAST YEAR. AS OF RIGHT NOW, MY PLAN IS NOT TO BRING ACHIEVE AS MY SOLE RECOMMENDATION AS SUPERINTENDENT. HOWEVER, I WILL BE OPEN AND HONEST, WE DO HAVE SCHOOLS THAT WOULD LIKE TO USE ACHIEVE. IT WILL BE THE DETERMINATION OF A SCHOOL WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO IMPLEMENT OR USE ACHIEVE FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR. I WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH THAT PROCESS. IF THAT THRESHOLD HITS OVER $50,000, THEN THAT WILL HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD, BUT I CAN TELL YOU, ADDISON DAVIS OR THE ACADEMIC SERVICES AND MY CABINET, I'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR, WE ARE NOT GOING TO PUSH PRINCIPALS IN A CORNER. WE'RE NOT GOING TO TELL THEM IT IS THE BEST SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL FOR THEM TO USE. WE WANT THEM IF THEY ARE GOING TO ACTIVELY USE THIS AS A RESOURCE IN OUR SCHOOLS TO BE ABLE TO ACTIVATE AND BE ABLE TO GO TO THEIR STAFF, HAVE CONVERSATIONS, WORK THROUGH THEIR SHARED DECISION, WORK FOR THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAMS AND REALLY HAVE BUY-IN THAT THIS IS A TOOL PROVEN THAT THEY CAN USE TO BE SYSTEMIC AND CREATE SYSTEMIC CHANGE RELATED TO LEXILE. YOU HAVE MY WORD ON THAT.
>>Nadia Combs: I HAVE TWO OTHER COMMENTS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE DO THAT WE ALSO SHARE WITH PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS THE NEW ZELLA OR NEW ZLA WHICH ALSO DEALS WITH FICTION AND NONFICTION, BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE BEST STANDARDS. WE KNOW THAT BEST STANDARDS IS A VARIETY OF FICTION AND NONFICTION. SO THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF MY CONCERN WITH ACHIEVE3000. I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE INTRODUCE THAT PRODUCT SO THAT WAY, BECAUSE WE ALREADY PURCHASED THAT AND THAT WAS AT THE LAST MEETING. MY LAST THING IS, WHEN WE LOOK AT TESTING FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR, I DON'T THINK IT'S A FAIR COMPARISON, BECAUSE THAT INCREASE WAS TREMENDOUS. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE FROM TWO YEARS AGO TO WHAT WE'RE COMING UP FOR THIS YEAR. BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY MORE OF A FAIR, ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, AND I THINK THAT'S ONE -- PROBABLY THE CHALLENGES THAT TEACHERS FACE IS THE AMOUNTS OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTING.
>>Addison Davis: I THINK THAT IS A FAIR QUESTION AS WELL. DR. BINDER LEADS ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THE TRANSITION FROM 1920 VERSUS WHAT WE'LL SEE IN THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR.
>> THANK YOU. HI, EVERYBODY. YES, WE ARE -- WE DID A COMPARISON JUST AS YOUR COMPARISON YOU HAD SHARED EARLIER, AND WITHOUT ACHIEVE, WE ARE GOING DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPARING FROM 2019-20 TO '21-22 SCHOOL YEAR, THE SEAT CHANGE TIME, IT GOES UP 17% AND 25% IN K AND 1 ONLY BECAUSE OF INTRODUCING WONDERS AND IN THE PAST WE ONLY HAD iREADY. SO THERE'S A DIFFERENCE THERE. THE REST OF THEM ARE DOUBLE-DIGIT NEGATIVE PERCENTS DOWN. SECOND GRADE, WE'RE DOWN 21%. IN THIRD AND FOURTH, WE'RE DOWN 50%. 17% IN FIFTH. SIXTH GRADE IS 23% DOWN. 7th GRADE 12% DOWN. 8th AGREED 18% DOWN. NINE AND TEN A SLIGHT UPTICK. WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL OF WHAT -- DIFFERENT TESTING THAT WAS AVAILABLE IN 19-20. I'M NOT SAYING WE DID NOT PROGRESS MONITOR IN SCHOOLS, HOWEVER IT WASN'T DISTRICT MANDATED PROGRESS MONITORING. SO SCHOOLS WERE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO. AND WE DIDN'T PULL REPORTS ON THAT INFORMATION. WHEN I SAY THAT, THAT ALSO KIND OF, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT HIGH SCHOOL AND THE PERCENT THAT WE ARE GOING UP 13%, REALLY, IT'S NOT REALLY GOING UP 13%. IT'S 13% MORE THAT THE DISTRICT IS SAYING, BUT THEY WERE ALREADY DOING THAT WORK. IT WASN'T REFLECTED IN REPORTS THAT WE HAD PULLED. IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S A LITTLE AWKWARD TO USE THE PERCENTAGES JUST TO BE TRANSPARENT. 11th AND 12th GRADE GOING DOWN IN PERCENTAGES. PART OF THE REASON FOR THE REDUCTION, BECAUSE IT IS A JUMP GOING DOWN DOUBLE DIGITS, I KNOW THE DATA YOU HAD PULLED, PART OF THAT IS THE WAY WE MASSAGED SEMESTER EXAMS WITH LOOKING AT BASELINE AND MID YEARS. WE DO NOT WANT TO DOUBLE OR TRIPLE TEST OUR STUDENTS, SO WE WORKED WITH ADMINISTRATORS ACROSS MIDDLE, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH. WE TALKED WITH TEACHERS, CTA WAS PART OF THAT CONVERSATION TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE IF WE'RE ADMINISTERING A BASELINE ASSESSMENT IN READING, THAT BASELINE ASSESSMENT AND THAT READING SCORE IS ALSO ATTRIBUTED TO LANGUAGE ARTS AS WELL. SO STUDENTS ACROSS ALL, FOR EXAMPLE, IN SIXTH GRADE, THEY WOULD BE TAKING A BASELINE. ONE BASELINE TO ENCOMPASS BOTH READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS. THEY WOULD TAKE THAT MIDYEAR, WHICH WOULD BE THE SAME TEST AS THE BASELINE. THEY WOULD NOT TAKE A FIRST SEMESTER EXAM THEN. THAT ELIMINATES TWO SEMESTER EXAMS BECAUSE THEY ARE TAKING THAT MIDYEAR TEST INSTEAD. THE SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT WOULD NOT BE A SEMESTER EXAM. TWO MORE EXAMS ARE GONE AND ONLY TAKE FSA. WE'RE REALLY WORKING TOWARD NOT OVER-TESTING STUDENTS AND FOLLOWING THE TRAJECTORY OF GOING BASELINE TO MIDYEAR TO SEMESTER EXAM OR TO FSA ASSESSMENT TO SHOW THE TRAJECTORY. WE WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE DATA FROM THE MIDYEAR SO OUR STUDENTS WILL STILL GET SEMESTER EXAM GRADES. WE WILL PULL THE CONTENT IN MY OFFICE OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF FIRST SEMESTER WORK, SO OUR STUDENTS WILL STILL GET SEMESTER EXAM GRADES. NOTHING CHANGED WITH PUPIL PROGRESSION PLAN. IT WILL JUST LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
>>Nadia Combs: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: MEMBER COMBS IT LOOKS LIKE THE DESIRE TO HAVE LESS TESTING IS NOTED AND IT'S GOING GRADUALLY DOWN. LET'S KEEP AN EYE ON IT. THANK YOU, NICOLE. MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I HAD SIMILAR QUESTIONS, AS YOU GUYS KNOW, ABOUT TESTING AND THE USE OF iREADY. WE MET AND TALKED ABOUT IT AND I'M SURE WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM THAT MEETING WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO BE UTILIZING FROM THIS IS THE TOOLBOX THAT'S GOING TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO SUBSEQUENTLY ACCESSIBLE TO TEACHERS. PULL FROM THE iREADY TESTING AND HAVE LESSON PLANS THEY CAN USE IN SMALL GROUPS. MY CONCERN WAS MAKING SURE THAT TEACHERS REALLY WERE ABLE TO GET THE TRAINING, KNOW ABOUT IT, UTILIZE THE TOOLBOX THAT THEY HAD INFORMATION ABOUT IT AND THAT WE WERE REALLY PUSHING THAT SO THEY COULD UTILIZE THIS AS A TOOL IF THAT'S ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF NOW KIND OF UPGRADING iREADY. HAVE WE HAD ANY THOUGHTS IN REGARDS TO THAT, MAKING SURE THAT TEACHERS -- I SEE LOTS OF HANDS GOING UP. THAT TEACHERS -- I GUESS SUPPORTED TO USE AS TOOLBOX TO REALLY BE AN ASSET.
>> YES, MA'AM. SO IN SPEAKING TO THE POINT THAT YOU MADE, THERE WERE SOME VARYING INCONSISTENCIES OR INEQUITIES, WE WOULD SAY, WITH SCHOOLS WHO HAD THE TOOLBOX. THE TOOLBOX IS A VERY ROBUST RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS TO PULL SPECIFIC LESSONS TO HELP STUDENTS IN THAT SMALL GROUP INTRODUCTION BASED ON INDIVIDUAL STUDENT NEEDS. SO WE KNOW IN TRANSFORMATION AT TWO YEARS AGO THAT THEY HAD THE TOOLBOX WHERE SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF TRANSFORMATION DID NOT. ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID LAST YEAR IN COMING IN IN OUR SWIFT TRANSITION, WE WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE THE TOOLBOX FOR EVERY SCHOOL. OF COURSE, COVID HAS PRESENTED ITS CHALLENGES, BUT THOSE CONTENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS THAT MR. DAVIS WAS REFERRING TO THAT IS PART OF OUR CONTRACT HERE ARE DEDICATED TO DOING THAT WORK. ONE OF THE THINGS WE PRIORITIZE COMING BACK IN JANUARY WAS MAKING SURE THAT ALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROVIDED AT THE SCHOOL SITES WERE SPECIFIC ON HOW TO USE THE TOOLBOX EFFECTIVELY. I THINK THAT WORK CONTINUES ON TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR. OBVIOUSLY, TEACHERS ARE AT DIFFERENT READINESS LEVELS WITH THE USE OF iREADY. TEACHERS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT OBVIOUSLY WOULD NEED THAT PARTICULAR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WE CAN TAILOR THOSE NEEDS BECAUSE THOSE CONTENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS WORK FOR US, BASICALLY. WE KIND OF DICTATE WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE, AND THEY ARE DEPLOYED TO THOSE SCHOOLS AND THEY MEET THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF EACH SCHOOL. SO THE FOCUS -- THE MAJOR FOCUS WILL BE ON THE TOOLBOX BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S OUR NEXT PHASE. TEACHERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE PRODUCT. THEY KNOW HOW TO USE IT, KNOW HOW TO ADMINISTER THE DIAGNOSTICS. WE'RE AVERAGING 46 AND 47 MINUTES AVERAGE A WEEK PER ONLINE INSTRUCTION. SO I THINK THAT IS OUR LOGICAL NEXT STEP, HOW DO YOU LEVERAGE THAT TOOLBOX IN SUCH A WAY TO MAKE THAT IMPACT FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS? WE DO HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT.
>>Lynn Gray: MEMBER HAHN AND THEN MEMBER SNIVELY.
>>Stacy Hahn: DR. BINDER, THANK YOU FOR THE PACKET YOU PUT TOGETHER AND PRESENTED TONIGHT. IT HAD A LOT OF WONDERFUL INFORMATION. I APPRECIATE THE SURVEY INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY ON PAGE 6 WHERE IT SEEMS THAT TEACHERS RATED iREADY THE HIGHEST OUT OF ALL THOSE OPTIONS. I KNOW IN TALKING TO TEACHERS, THEY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH IREADY. THEY KNOW IT. THEY UNDERSTAND THE DIAGNOSTIC USE OF IT. AS AN EDUCATOR, I'M ALWAYS -- I UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM, BUT I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE THE PLACE OF INSTRUCTION. AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. AND THAT WAS HAPPENING EARLY ON IN iREADY. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT AND HOW YOU MONITOR THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOESN'T TAKE THE PLACE OF INSTRUCTION?
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT IREADY WHEN IT INITIALLY ROLLED OUT. NOW WE'RE GOING INTO OUR FIFTH YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION WITH THE PROGRAM. WHEN IT OFFICIALLY ROLLED OUT, WE WERE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT USAGE, AND IT WAS -- WE WERE VERY QUICK TO FIND THAT LESS DOES NOT EQUAL MORE. STUDENTS WHO WERE DOING HOURS ON THE PLATFORM DID NOT GET HIGHER SCORES ON THE DIAGNOSTICS. IT ACTUALLY DID THE EXACT OPPOSITE. I WOULD SAY PART OF THAT IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE NOT GETTING FACE-TO-FACE TEACHING. THEY WERE ON A COMPUTER, AND THAT DOES NOT REPLACE A TEACHER BY ANY MEANS. WHAT WE HAVE FOUND NOW THAT WE ARE GETTING, GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS AND USING THE PLATFORM, THAT STUDENTS ARE USING IT NOT AS MUCH BECAUSE THEY ARE WITH THEIR TEACHER. THIS HAS REALLY BEEN PUSHED AND CATERED AS MORE OF A SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM. IT'S NOT MEANT TO REPLACE THE TEACHER. IT'S NOT TO WHERE NOW WE HAVE COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM WHERE IT'S MORE OF A ROTATION OR DO SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION, PULL IDEAS FROM THE TOOLBOX, I'LL TEACH MY SMALL GROUP. I'LL HAVE STUDENTS DOING THEIR FIVE OR TEN MINUTES ON iREADY FOR THAT DAY. THEN IT CAN GO THROUGH THE MOTION AND THEN WHOLE GROUP. AVERAGE MINUTES WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WAS PUSHING 60, 70 MINUTES. NOW WE'RE DOWN TO THE 45. WE'RE TARGETING AT 46 AND 48 RESPECTIVELY FOR READING AND MATH.
>>Stacy Hahn: THAT'S PER WEEK.
>> THAT'S PER WEEK. AND EVEN, MIND YOU, THAT IS PER WEEK DURING -- I CALL IT AN INTERRUPTED LEARNING YEAR -- DURING COVID YEAR, WE HAVE REALLY HAD THE BEST PERFORMANCE ON iREADY AS A DISTRICT. OUR IMPLEMENTATION WAS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED. OUR SCORES ARE VALID AND RELIABLE, AND THEY ARE TRENDING THE WAY WE WOULD EXPECT THEM TO BE TRENDING. READING IS HOLDING STEADY AND MATH IS, WE'RE HOPEFUL FOR MATH TO COME OUT.
>> JUST TO PUT A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE AROUND THAT USAGE BECAUSE I KNOW WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TIMES STUDENTS ARE ON A COMPUTER AND REMEMBERING THAT A LITERACY BLOCK IN ELEMENTARY IS 150 MINUTES. SO TIMES FIVE DAYS A WEEK, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 750 MINUTES OF LITERACY INSTRUCTION. AND WE ARE ASKING THAT STUDENTS COMPLETING THAT LITERACY PORTION OF iREADY FOR 45 MINUTES OF THOSE 750 MINUTES. THAT EQUATES TO ABOUT 6% OF INSTRUCTION. I KNOW THE NARRATIVE SOMETIMES KIND OF GETS A LITTLE OUT OF CONTROL ABOUT COMPUTERS, COMPUTERS, COMPUTERS, BUT WE REALLY DO, AND IT IS OUR CHARGE AS DISTRICT LEADERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE STUDENTS ON COMPUTERS. THAT IS NOT THE END GOAL. NOTHING REPLACES THE ART OF TEACHING AND HAVING SOMEONE IN FRONT OF YOU. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE IS TO SAY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPUTER INSTRUCTION, THAT IT HAS TO BE VERY BALANCED AND IT HAS TO BE VERY TARGETED, AND MORE DOES NOT -- MORE TIME DOES NOT EQUAL MORE SUCCESS, AND THAT'S KEY.
>>Stacy Hahn: I APPRECIATE THAT. A LOT OF PARENTS ARE ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. HOW MUCH TIME IS MY CHILD SPENDING ON THE COMPUTER. I DID WANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE BEEN MONITORING THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT IT IS NOT EXCESSIVE AS IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST. I DO APPRECIATE THAT. AND JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR CONSTITUENTS, THREE TIMES A YEAR, THEY USE iREADY FOR TESTING, CORRECT?
>> THAT IS CORRECT. FALL, WINTER AND SPRING.
>>Stacy Hahn: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PACKET. I APPRECIATE IT.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MEMBER SNIVELY.
>>Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF GET AN IDEA OF WHERE YOU SEE THIS FITTING INTO THE MITIGATION OF OUR LOWEST PERFORMING SCHOOLS WITH REGARD TO THE LOWEST 300. WE HAVE HAD PERPETUAL ISSUES AND OUR NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED OVER TIME AS TO HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE IN THE BOTTOM 300, WHICH REQUIRE MORE READING TIME, WHICH COSTS US MONEY TO DO THAT, TOO. IT'S NOT COST-EFFICIENT BECAUSE THE MANDATE THAT HAS COME DOWN WITH REGARD TO EXTRA READING TIME, THE EXTRA LOGISTICAL EXPENSES FALL ON OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND THAT. COULD YOU KIND OF TALK ABOUT HOW THIS HAS STRATEGICALLY OR WILL STRATEGICALLY IMPROVE -- WHERE ARE WE NOW EXACTLY ON THE LOWEST 300? HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE REQUIRED EXTRA READING TIME? AND WHAT'S YOUR GOAL FOR THAT? I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE OFF TOPIC, BUT THIS IS KIND OF RELATED. IT'S IMPORTANT. IT IS MENTIONED IN THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THAT YOU GAVE US.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF LOW PERFORMING SCHOOLS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AS RELATES TO iREADY, iREADY ALLOWS MORE CONCENTRATION ON TIME TO BE ABLE TO EXPOSE CHILDREN TO SKILLS AND STRATEGIES TO ALLOW THEM TO BUILD THEIR CAPACITY TO MEET STANDARD EQUIVALENT EXPECTATIONS. ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO SEE IS THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE EXPOSURE TO OUR STUDENTS TO GRADE LEVEL EQUIVALENCY CONTENT EVERY SINGLE DAY THROUGH LITERACY, THROUGH TECH, THROUGH SCIENCE, THROUGH INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING. THE ISSUE IS SOMETIMES THEY DON'T HAVE THE BACKGROUND, SKILL SET, ENDURING KNOWLEDGE, ESSENTIAL VOCABULARIES, FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE THRESHOLDS IDENTIFIED BY GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS. WHAT iREADY DOES IS REALLY ALLOWS US TO HAVE A STAIRCASE APPROACH. IF I'M IN THE FIFTH GRADE AND READING ON A THIRD GRADE LEVEL, iREADY WILL AFTER THAT DIAGNOSTIC, IDENTIFY THAT I'M -- YOU KNOW IT GIVES ME A VALUE RELATED TO WHERE I'M AT EDUCATIONALLY AND IT JUST BUILDS A BLUEPRINT TO PUSH ADDISON TO GET TO THAT POINT WHERE HE IS EFFICIENT. WHERE WE SEE THIS IN TIME IS INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK. AS A TEACHER CONTINUES TO LAUNCH A LESSON IN TIER ONE AND SOME OF TIER TWO, INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND ROTATION WHILE A TEACHER IS WORKING WITH A SMALL COHORT OF STUDENTS, STUDENTS CAN GO AND BEING ABLE TO WORK IN A SMALL GROUP THROUGH iREADY, WHETHER IT BE ON COMPUTER OR WHETHER IT BE ON LESSONS ASSIGNED THROUGH RESOURCE YOU SEE THROUGH THE TOOL KIT, WHETHER THROUGH LAST, TO BE ABLE TO BE EXPOSED TO SKILLS AND STRATEGIES ALLOWS THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE ARE OPENLY NOT -- HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE LAST YEAR, BECAUSE LAST YEAR, AS MR. CONNOR SPOKE ABOUT, WE BOUGHT THE TOOL KIT FOR EVERY ONE OF OUR TEACHERS. THAT SAVES SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME TO DIFFERENTIATE CONTENT. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO THIS YEAR SEE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROCESS, HOW WE USE LAUGHS, HOW WE LEVERAGE THE TOOL KIT, HOW WE LEVERAGE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS, HOW WE PROVIDE INTERVENTIONS WITH THIS PARTICULAR CONTENT BUT IT COULD TAKE MORE. COULD HAVE TO USE LLI SERVICES WHICH IS FOR TIER THREE TO BE ABLE TO ELEVATE EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN. COULD USE SIPS FOR THE PHONICS SIDE OF IT. IT IS A BIG PART OF ALLOWING US TO HAVE CONCENTRATION. IT DID A REALLY NICE JOB A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WITH THE PREDICTABILITY ABOUT HOW STUDENTS FARE ON THE ASSESSMENT. IT HAS A WAYS TO GO. IN 2019-2020, THERE WAS A GREATER VARIANCE IN SEPARATION TO DETERMINE HOW WELL A LEARNER DID ON iREADY VERSUS HOW THEY SCORED ON FSA. BUT I THINK IT WAS MORE A CALIBRATION SIDE OF THE WORK FOR iREADY. THEY CONTINUE TO REVISE THEIR WORK AND CONTINUE TO REVISE THEIR CONSENT AND THEIR CURRICULUM TO BE ABLE TO PUSH EVERY ONE OF OUR LEARNERS AND I THINK IT IS A GOOD SPOT TO USE IT NOT ONLY IN SCALE BUT PERSISTENTLY LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS. McMcCRAY, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD?
>> NO, I WANT TO POINT OUT WHAT iREADY DOES VERY WELL, CORE CURRICULUM FOCUSES ON THE STANDARD ITSELF. TEACHING CORE CURRICULUM AT THE STANDARD LEVEL. WHAT iREADY DOES IS IT ALLOWS TEACHERS TO IDENTIFY THE SKILLS THAT ARE MISSING IN ORDER FOR THEM TO REACH THAT LEVEL OF THE STANDARD. SO iREADY CAN CALL OUT SPECIFICALLY WHAT THOSE SKILLS ARE THAT SHOULD BE MASTERED BY A STUDENT IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY DO THE STANDARD AT CORE LEVEL. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IREADY DOES A GREAT JOB WITH, AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE IT HELPS TEACHERS A LOT WITH REALLY IDENTIFYING THE SPECIFIC SKILLS THAT ARE NEEDED IN TOWARD TO ATTAIN THAT STANDARD.
>>Melissa Snively: THIS COULD BE A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER MEETING OR IN THE FUTURE, BUT ARE WE GETTING A BUY AS FAR AS THE LOW 300, OR ARE WE JUST WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR? THE SAME SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED PREVIOUSLY ARE GOING TO BE IN OUR EXTRA READING TIME GROUP AGAIN. CAN YOU MAYBE LET THE BOARD KNOW, GIVE THE BOARD AN UPDATE ON WHO -- WHICH SCHOOLS IS IT GOING TO IMPACT AND WHAT IS THE COST TO THE DISTRICT FOR HAVING THESE LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS AND EXTRA READING TIME REQUIRED FOR THESE? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO WRAP THAT INFORMATION AROUND THEIR HEADS. BECAUSE THAT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A GOAL MOVING FORWARD IS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT. YOU MIGHT WANT TO ALSO INCLUDE MAYBE THE TREND, PREVIOUS TREND, KIND OF HOW WE GOT WHERE WE ARE TODAY, SO MAYBE LOOKING BACK THREE OR FIVE YEARS TO SEE WHERE WERE WE FIVE YEARS AGO AND INCREMENTALLY WHERE ARE WE TODAY. YOUR GOAL OBVIOUSLY IS ZERO IN THE BOTTOM 300, BUT WHERE DO YOU EXPECT -- HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE TO GET OUT OF THAT BOTTOM 300?
>>Addison Davis: OPENLY, IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME. IF WE DID NOT HAVE THE PANDEMIC, WHICH OPENLY EXACERBATED OF THE LEARNING LOSS, I WOULD SAY THAT WE COULD DO A REALLY NICE JOB ELIMINATING THAT IN TWO TO THREE YEARS, BUT IT COULD TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER. MY TIMELINE IN MY SPEED, MY TEAM KNOWS THAT WE'RE GOING TO PUSH EVERY SINGLE DAY.
>>Melissa Snively: LIGHT SPEED.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, WITH A CONCENTRATION. I THINK THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE WITH MGT THAT'S IN THE MAJORITY OF THE SCHOOLS AT THE SAME TOKEN HAVING ADDITIONAL TEAM MEMBERS WITH MS. McCRAY RELATED TO TRANSFORMATION, YOU'LL START TO SEE MOVEMENT. YOU'LL SEE MOVEMENT THIS WEEK. THE RAW DATA COMES OUT.
>>Melissa Snively: BY FRIDAY.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM.
>>Melissa Snively: I'M PROMISING PEOPLE.
>>Addison Davis: IN A YEAR OF QUARANTINE WITH STUDENTS COMING IN AND OUT YOU'LL SEE WINNERS AND YOU'LL SEE LOSERS. I BELIEVE IN THE TRANSFORMATION, YOU'LL SEE MOVEMENT. I'LL FOLLOW UP LOWEST 300, NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS, COST, PREVIOUS TRENDS AND GOAL SETTING FOR THAT.
>>Melissa Snively: THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: I'LL PIGGYBACK OFF WHAT MS. SNIVELY WAS SAYING. DATA ON DISTRICT 5 IN iREADY? ANY TYPE OF TO DO THAT?
>> YES, LOTS OF DATA. OVERALL, OUR SCHOOLS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER. WE WENT UP 8% OVERALL AND SPECIFICALLY IN DISTRICT 5, WE'RE SEEING IT'S NOT AS DRAMATIC AS 8% FROM FALL TO SPRING, BUT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER iREADY IS NOT FSA. PROPORTIONATELY LARGER NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENTERING THE SCHOOL YEAR AT A LOWER LEVEL. THEY MAY GROW. THEY MAY HAVE GREAT GROWTH ON iREADY. BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE AS HIGHLIGHTED AS OBVIOUS ON AN FSA ASSESSMENT. PLUS THE OTHER PIECE WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WITH FSA IS WE DON'T HAVE SCORES FROM LAST YEAR, LIKE WE NORMALLY WOULD. WE ARE GOING BACK TWO SCHOOL YEARS. THE SCHOOLS IN THE AREA IN REGION 5 THAT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GROWTH, WE ARE ONLY TALKING ABOUT REALLY OUR FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS, BECAUSE THE FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS ARE THE ONLY ONES WITH PRIOR FSA SCORES FROM THIRD GRADE. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY TELLING DATA RELEASE THIS WEEK BECAUSE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT WITH A DIFFERENT EYE BECAUSE OF THE DATA WE'RE GETTING BACK. I'M GOING TO PROVIDE LOTS OF GUIDANCE WHEN THE RESULTS COME OUT BECAUSE I WILL BE WORKING THROUGH TO FIGURE OUT GRADE AND HOW THAT REALLY LOOKS AND HOW THAT IMPACTS ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, BUT FOR ELEMENTARY SPECIFICALLY, THINKING ABOUT GROWTH AND GAIN, IT'S NOT -- IT'S NOT A TYPICAL WAY TO CALCULATE GAIN. YES, STUDENTS IN THAT REGION DID PERFORM WELL ON iREADY, BUT IT MAY NOT BE A TRUE LIKE-TO-LIKE COMPARISON, TALKING ABOUT STATE RESULTS THIS YEAR ONLY BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE GROWTH IS CALCULATED FOR FSA.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: I WOULD LIKE TO GET WITH YOU ON THAT AND SHOW ME MORE ABOUT IT.
>>Lynn Gray: HISTORICALLY, I THINK IT WAS IN 2016 AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, WE HAD TO HAVE -- WE HAD TO CHOOSE A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL AS PER THE STATE OF FLORIDA STATUTE. WHAT WE DID IS WE CHOSE IREADY. THERE WEREN'T MANY OTHER PROGRAMS, RIGHT, THAT WERE DIAGNOSTICALLY TRUE TO THE FSA STANDARDS.
>> CORRECT. WE PICKED SEVERAL ASSESSMENTS. WE HAD A CONTRACT AT THE TIME WITH STANDFORD TEN WHICH WAS USING OLD NORMS. WE WERE GETTING iSTATION FOR FREE BECAUSE IT WAS PART OF A GRANT THAT UCF HAD THAT WE WERE USING THAT AS OUR PROGRESS MONITORING TOOL BUT THE GRANT ENDED AND UCF WAS NO LONGER GOING TO PURCHASE IT. WE PUT THAT BACK TO THE TEACHERS. WHAT DO THE SCHOOLS WANT TO ADMINISTER? WE CAN CONTINUE WITH STANDFORD TEN, WHICH WAS A NORMED REFERENCE ASSESSMENT. WE COULD SWITCH TO iREADY BECAUSE IT WAS IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, A LOT OF BUY-IN AND DESIRE TO HAVE iREADY. WE COULD BUY iSTATION AND WE LOOKED AT AIMS WEB, A PEARSON PRODUCT, IT WAS THE STANFORD IS A PAPER-PENCIL ASSESSMENT. AIMS WEB WAS OBVIOUSLY ON THE WEB SO WE WERE GIVEN THE OPTION. WE TOOK THAT -- THOSE INITIAL MEASUREMENTS AND SENT IT TO THE SCHOOLS AND PROVIDED GUIDANCE ON THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS YOU HAVE, WHICH WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH. THIS WENT TO TEACHERS. WENT TO K-1 AND 2 TEACHERS AT THE TIME FOR THEIR FEEDBACK AND THEY PROVIDED FEEDBACK TO US, YES AND NOES AND LENGTHY STATEMENTS WHICH WERE GREAT. WE WENT THROUGH THAT AND WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING. THE CHOICE WAS VERY CLEAR THAT iREADY WAS DEFINITELY PULLING AHEAD, AND FROM THAT WE NARROWED IT DOWN TO THREE ASSESSMENTS BEING iSTATION, iREADY, AND SAT TEN. THE SCHOOLS HAD A VOTE. EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THEY GOT THEIR FACULTIES TOGETHER AND VOTED ON WHICH PRODUCT THEY WANTED. 86% OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS CHOSE iREADY AND THAT IS WHERE WE WENT WITH OUR PROGRESS MONITORING.
>>Lynn Gray: AND IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO KNOW THE HISTORY BECAUSE WHEN THESE QUESTIONS COME UP AT VERY FIRST, JUST LIKE THE ACHIEVE 300, JUST LIKE CANVAS, JUST LIKE THE SIPPS, WHEN TEACHERS FIRST GET AHOLD OF IT, IT'S A WHOLE NEW LANGUAGE. AND WHAT WE HAD IN THE PAST WERE ALL THESE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, THE ELA PROGRAMS, EVERY TOM, DICK AND HARRY PROGRAM AT EVERY OTHER SCHOOL. SO I BELIEVE -- AND SUPERINTENDENT, YOU CAN CORRECT ME, WE'RE TRYING TO UNIFY AND GET THE COMMON LANGUAGE. SO TEACHERS WHO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER GRADE, TO ANOTHER SCHOOL, THE LANGUAGE IS THE SAME, AND THE LEARNING CURVE IS LESSENED AND THE TEACHING BECOMES MORE IMPACTFUL. THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO GET TO. WE DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE GETTING NEW PROGRAMS AND TO COMBS' POINT, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE GUARDED THAT TEACHERS, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, MEMBER COMBS, WHEN WE HAD INITIATED IT IN 2016-2017, SOME OF THE SUBSTITUTES I WILL TELL YOU WERE USING IT FOR BABYSITTING, AND THAT WAS A TRUISM. THAT'S JUST BECAUSE THEY PUT THEM ON THE COMPUTER. WE'VE MORPHED WAY FAR. AND I LOOK AT IT, AND I'M GOING TO STOP AFTER THIS SENTENCE OR TWO. I LOOK AT THIS, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, AGAIN, THE IMPORTANCE OF A COMMON LANGUAGE WHENEVER YOU HAVE A PROGRAM, AN INITIATIVE, BE IT PBIS, BE IT A LEADER IN ME, BE IT iREADY, BE IT CANVAS, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMON VOCABULARY AND LANGUAGE IS SO CRITICAL WHEN TEACHER TO TEACHER, TEACHER TRAINING, IT MANIFESTS ITSELF INTO MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION. I'M GLAD MEMBER SNIVELY IS PAYING ATTENTION LIKE WE ALL ARE AND SHAKE WASHINGTON, MEMBER SHAKE WASHINGTON, FOR OUR LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS. IT'S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING TO SEE THE FIDELITY OF THESE PROGRAMS. I'M PICKING ON YOU GUYS BUT I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT YOU POINTED THAT OUT. AT ANY RATE, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS. 6.15, THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. LITTLE BIT OFF THE SUBJECT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. AGREEMENT WITH THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL RESOURCE DEPUTY PROGRAM. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WILL YOU HIGHLIGHT THIS ITEM?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. THIS IS OUR AGREEMENT WITH THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR OUR RESOURCE OFFICERS FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR. AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WITH SENATE BILL 7026 THROUGH PARKLAND REQUIRES THAT WE HAVE ARMED ASSETS ON EVERY ONE OF OUR CAMPUSES TO MAKE CERTAIN WE ARE PROTECTING OUR STUDENTS AT THE SAME TIME PROTECTION OUR -- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES. WHAT THIS DOES IS CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A RESOURCE OFFICER AT EVERY ONE OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND EVERY ONE OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AS YOU KNOW THIS ARTICULATION AGREEMENT, 50% OF THIS IS PAID BY HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THE OTHER 50% IS PAID BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS A REALLY FAIR OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO SHOW THE IMPORTANCE OF PLACING INDIVIDUALS IN SAFETY WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION. THAT IS $3.7 MILLION EXPENDITURE. THIS IS $153,000 LESS THAN LAST YEAR'S EXPENDITURE. THIS IS A CONTINUED TO SHOW THAT WE ARE PARTNERING WITH OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEY TRULY ARE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SHERIFF HAVE BEEN THOUGHT PARTNERS. WE KNOW THAT ON OUR CAMPUSES WE DON'T JUST WANT THEM TO BE THERE TO ENFORCE THE LAW. WE WANT THEM TO ACTUALLY BE MENTORS AND BE PART OF A COMMUNITY APPROACH. AND THESE INDIVIDUALS GO THROUGH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF TRAININGS TO BE ABLE TO PREPARE AND INTERACT WITH OUR STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. BOARD MEMBERS, I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. THERE IS DISCUSSION. PERHAPS, MEMBER VAUGHN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND BEGIN. YOU PULLED THIS ITEM.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I JUST REALLY WANTED YOU TO HIGHLIGHT THE TRAINING, WHAT THIS PARTNERSHIP LOOKS LIKE. I KNOW AS WE TALK ABOUT THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE AND PART OF ALL THAT IS CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND MAKING SURE THAT THE RESOURCE OFFICERS THAT WE PUT IN OUR SCHOOLS ARE COMMUNITY SERVICE MINDED AND THAT THEY ARE THERE TO SERVE THE SCHOOLS AND THAT THEY DO HAVE THE TRAINING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO REACT TO SITUATIONS AND SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS IN THE BEST MANNER. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HIGHLIGHTED THAT AND PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD IT BEFORE WE PASS THIS AGENDA ITEM.
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. DO YOU WANT ME TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE TRAININGS? YES, MA'AM. I THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD. NOT ONLY GO THROUGH CPR, THEY GO THROUGH WELLNESS, THEY GO THROUGH TACTICAL TRAINING, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY GO THROUGH DE-ESCALATION AND DIVERSITY TRAINING. DE-ESCALATION TRAINING IS ABOUT LISTENING, MAKING CERTAIN THEY DON'T HAVE PRE-ASSUMPTIONS WHEN THEY INTERACT WITH THAT LEARNER, THAT STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE. IT'S ALSO BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT OFFICERS UNDERSTAND THEIR LEGAL LIMITATIONS WHEN THEY INTERACT WITH OUR STUDENTS. AND THEN BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THEY SEE IT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. NOT ONLY PRACTICAL TRAINING, DIVERSITY TRAINING AND IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING, THEY DO A REALLY NICE JOB MAKING CERTAIN THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE READY AND PRIMED AND PREPARED TO MAKE THE HOLISTIC APPROACH AS MS. VAUGHAN TALKED ABOUT.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. WE ALSO WANT TO THANK CHIEF NEWMAN AND THE RESOURCE OFFICERS FOR DOING A SPECTACULAR JOB. WE'RE NEARING OUR SCHOOL DAYS, SO WE'RE GOING TO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THEIR PRESENCE. MEMBER PEREZ, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? GO AHEAD.
>>Karen Perez: THANK YOU. THEY ALSO ASSIST WITH THE BAKER ACTS, CORRECT?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THEY DO.
>>Karen Perez: OKAY.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS. IT'S UNANIMOUS. 7.04, APPROVE THE PROJECTED 2021/2022 PECO AND MILLAGE PROJECTS. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WILL YOU HIGHLIGHT THIS ITEM?
>>Addison Davis: 7.04 IS APPROVAL OF OUR PROJECTED 21-22 PECO FUNDING ALONG WITH OUR MILLAGE PROJECTS. IT'S MY RECOMMENDATION WE TALK ABOUT THE PUBLIC EDUCATION CAPITAL OUTLAY FUNDS ALONG WITH THE MILLAGE THAT IS PROPOSED TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THIS WILL BE IN AMOUNT OF $175 MILLION.
>>Lynn Gray: OKAY. THANK YOU. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THIS ITEM I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS. A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. MEMBER COMBS, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION?
>>Nadia Combs: YES, I HAVE QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS. I FEEL LIKE AS A BOARD MEMBER, MY JOB IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE QUICKLY LEARNED BEING ON THE BOARD IS THAT WE ARE HORRIBLY UNDERFUNDED IN FLORIDA. AND SOMEONE SPOKE TODAY LIKE, YOU KNOW, WELL, WE'RE ONLY A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS BEING FROM THE 50th WORST FUNDED STATE IN THE COUNTRY. SO MY QUESTION IS, I WANTED INFORMATION EXACTLY TO INFORM VOTERS EXACTLY WHAT IS PECO DOLLARS?
>>Christopher Farkas: PECO DOLLARS BEEN IN FLORIDA A LONG TIME. IT'S A TAX REVENUE THAT HAS COME TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS YEARS AND YEARS. USED TO BE PECO MAINTENANCE AND PECO CONSTRUCTION. PECO CONSTRUCTION WENT AWAY A WHILE AGO. PECO MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THAT ENTIRETY. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY PECO MAINTENANCE DOLLARS IN MULTIPLE YEARS, FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
>>Nadia Combs: FOR FOUR AND FIVE YEARS WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY DOLLARS, AND BASED ON MY RESEARCH, HOW MUCH MONEY DID THE CHARTER SCHOOLS IN OUR DISTRICT RECEIVE THIS YEAR ALONE. OUR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 255 SCHOOLS DID NOT RECEIVE A DOLLAR. SO WHAT -- HOW MUCH DO THE CHARTERS RECEIVE THIS YEAR?
>>Addison Davis: I'D LOVE TO HAVE PECO DOLLARS ONCE AGAIN. RIGHT NOW, $13,866,930 --
>>Nadia Combs: BASED ON WHEN I LOOK AT PICO FUNDS, IT SAYS THAT BASICALLY IT'S THE NEED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF NEW EDUCATION FACILITIES AS WELL AS MAJOR ADDITIONS, RENOVATIONS, REPAIRS NECESSARY TO EXTEND THE USEFUL LIFE OF BUILDINGS. SO WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY ABOUT THE GROWTH IN SOUTH COUNTY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE GROWTH IN ADDING BUILDINGS. AND I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY 47 CHARTER SCHOOLS RECEIVED 13.8 MILLION. 26 OF THOSE RECEIVED $250,000 OR MORE. A SCHOOL IN MY DISTRICT THAT IS MUCH SMALLER AND IS NOT AS GREAT NEED RECEIVED OVER $700,000 IN TAX DOLLARS FOR PECO. SO MY QUESTION IS, WHY IS TALLAHASSEE GIVING THAT TO ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS $13.8 MILLION? AND WHY ARE WE NOT EVEN RECEIVING A DOLLAR? CAN SOMEONE ANSWER THAT FOR ME?
>>Addison Davis: HONESTLY, WE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION. FROM PECO PERSPECTIVE, WE'D LOVE THOSE OF US DOLLARS. -- WE'D LOVE TO HAVE THOSE DOLLARS. THANKFUL WE HAVE THE HALF CENT BECAUSE THE HALF CENT CONTINUES TO ADDRESS DEFICIENCIES IN THE FUNDING WE RECEIVE. THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THAT CONTINUES TO HELP US. BUT OVERALL, THIS PECO SHOULD ALWAYS BE AN AVENUE THAT WE ADVOCATE FOR TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE FUNDS FOR US THAT WE CAN ADDRESS OUR FACILITIES AS WELL.
>>Nadia Combs: YES, BECAUSE AS I LOOK AT ONE OF THE ESTABLISHED CHARTER SCHOOLS IN MY DISTRICT, WHO HAD A BRAND-NEW FACILITY, THIS YEAR RECEIVED 758,000 TAX DOLLARS FOR AN ESTABLISHED SCHOOL THAT IS ONLY PROBABLY ABOUT SIX YEARS OLD. I'M JUST WONDERING, WHEN IS ANYONE GOING TO SAY ABOUT THE INEQUITY? WHEN IS ANYONE GOING TO SPOTLIGHT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR STATE?
>>Addison Davis: I CAN TELL YOU THROUGH THE SUPERINTENDENT'S ADVISORY OR SUPERINTENDENT'S ASSOCIATION, WE ALWAYS PUSH TO ASK FOR EQUAL -- ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDING.
>>Lynn Gray: THE FIGHT IS IN TALLAHASSEE COMB COMB THANK YOU. THE.
>>Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. THE TANKS SHOULD KNOW WHERE THEIR MONEY IS GOING AS WELL.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER COMBS.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: I SEE DOWN HERE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PROJECT DISTRICT. WHAT IS THE SITE NUMBERS? IF SOMEBODY RECEIVED THAT, THEY COULDN'T UNDERSTAND.
>>Christopher Farkas: THEY ARE FUNDING NUMBERS. NEXT TO MAINTENANCE TRUCKS OR THE DIFFERENT --
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: NO, NO. PAGE ONE OF TWO, IT HAS THE PROJECT, 8082, SITE NUMBER 9833.
>>Christopher Farkas: MAINTENANCE SITE NUMBER. 8802 -- ALL THE BUZZERS AT ALL THE SCHOOLS. HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS THERE TO REPLACE, INSTALL BUZZERS IN ALL THE SCHOOLS. THAT IS DISTRICT-WIDE. IT WILL SAY DISTRICT-WIDE ACCESS CONTROL IN ALL OF THOSE. ALL OF THESE GO TO MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. CENTRAL, EAST AND WEST. FROM HERE TO ALL THOSE AREAS.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. 7.11. APPROVE THE PROPOSED K-8 BELL SCHEDULES FOR THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, THERE ARE A FEW CHANGES YOU HAD SHARED. CAN YOU HIGHLIGHT THIS ITEM?
>>Addison Davis: LAST MONTH WE BROUGHT ALL THE BELL SCHEDULE CHANGES -- BELL SCHEDULES FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS. WE IDENTIFIED SOME K-8s ALONG WITH SOME HIGH SCHOOLS THAT NEEDED SOME ADDITIONAL MINUTES TO BE ABLE TO HIT THE EXPECTATIONS OUTLINED BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA. BRINGING THOSE MINUTES AND TIME FRAMES TO THE BOARD FOR PROPER APPROVAL VERSUS JUST CHANGING THEM AND POSTING THEM ON THE WEBSITE. AFTER NORMAL APPROVAL WE'LL MAKE CERTAIN WE CONTINUE TO ARTICULATE AND THESE ARE GOING BACK TO 2019-2020 BELL SCHEDULES THAT WE ORIGINALLY IMPLEMENTED PRIOR TO COVID.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER SNIVELY AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER PEREZ. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HAVE -- OH, MEMBER VAUGHN, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT?
>>Jessica Vaughn: I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DID DO THE SECOND SET OF CHANGES. I KNOW WHEN WE FIRST APPROVED THIS, I HAD SOME PRINCIPALS CONTACT ME STATING THAT THE WAY WE ORIGINALLY GONE BACK WITH THE EXTRA TIME IN THE DAY NOW THAT WE'RE MANDATING, WE'RE CAUSING SOME SCHEDULE CHANGES. DO YOU ANTICIPATE THESE CHANGES WILL ADDRESS THAT AND FIX THAT?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. WE MADE MANY PHONE CALLS TO K-8s BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I GOT E-MAILS ASKING ABOUT MAKING THE ADJUSTMENTS TO GO BACK, IT WAS ACCURATE. STAPLED TIME FRAME IMPLEMENTED IN THE BELL SCHEDULE. ERROR ON STAFF. WE MADE CERTAIN THAT WE CALLED STAFF, MR. FARKAS, ALONG WITH OUR CHIEFS, REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENTS, CALLED ALL OF OUR PRINCIPALS TO MAKE CERTAIN WE GOT IT RIGHT AND LOOK THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL RECENTLY TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF MINUTES. THIS SHOULD BE FINAL AND GOOD TO GO.
>>Jessica Vaughn: THEY WON'T HAVE ISSUES IF THEY HAVE A LARGE SCHOOL IN BETWEEN HALLWAYS WITH THE CHANGING CLASSES.
>> GOOD POINT. WE HAD TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAD ADDITIONAL FIVE MINUTES SO THEY CAN HAVE AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE WITHIN THE WALKWAYS. IF NOT, THEY WOULD HAVE FOUR MINUTES TO TRANSITION. WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THEY HAVE FIVE. ONE MINUTE YOU COULD SAY IS NOT A BIG DIFFERENCE. FORMER HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, IT DEFINITELY IS. GET KIDS IN THE CLASS -- ALLOWS US TO HAVE BETTER FLUENCY AND PATHWAYS IN OUR SCHOOLS.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. IT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, BOARD. 12.01, I BELIEVE THIS IS GOING TO GO TO JIM PORTER. IT'S AN UPDATE ON THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY BOARD REDISTRICTING. THIS IS AN INFORMATION ITEM ONLY, BOARD MEMBERS. MR. PORTER WILL GIVE US SOME INFORMATION.
>>Jim Porter: I'LL BE BRIEF, MADAM CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS. THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT REDISTRICTING. AS YOU KNOW, MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, THE COUNTY COMMISSION IS BOUND TO REDISTRICT AFTER EVERY CENSUS. WE HAVE A DIFFERENT SET OF LAWS THAT APPLY TO US, BUT TRADITIONALLY, THE DISTRICT EVERY TEN YEARS OR SO AFTER THE CENSUS HAS LOOKED TO SEE WHETHER YOUR MEMBER BOUNDARY SHOULD BE REDISTRICTED OR REDRAWN. WE'RE WAITING ON CENSUS DATA THAT ACCORDING TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS PROBABLY WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER. IF THERE IS A TEN PERCENT DISPARITY IN POPULATION, IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA TO REDISTRICT. BUT, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT MANDATED TO LIKE THE COUNTY COMMISSION IS. THAT'S CREATED SOME CONFUSION. I KNOW AMONG SOME OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND SOME OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS. THIS WOULD BE MR. FARKAS' AND MS. DICKERSON'S DEPARTMENT. ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING AND IN CONTACT WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. IF WE DO FEEL THE NEED TO REDISTRICT WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO YOU. TWO THINGS I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH AND IMPORTANT, HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT PROBABLY BETTER AT A DIFFERENT TIME. NUMBER ONE, THE DECISION IS ENTIRELY YOURS. THIS BOARD MAKES A DECISION OF WHAT THOSE BOUNDARIES LOOKS LIKE. NUMBER TWO, IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO REDISTRICT, IT DOES NOT AFFECT ANYONE SITTING HERE TERM. THE COUNTY IS DIFFERENT. THEY ARE REDISTRICTING AND EVERYBODY BUT ONE HAS TO RUN AGAIN AT THE COUNTY COMMISSION LEVEL. IF YOU DO DECIDE TO REDISTRICT, IT WON'T AFFECT YOUR CURRENT TERMS. THE DECISION IS GOING TO BE YOURS. AGAIN, I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT BASED ON COMMENTS I'VE HEARD FROM SOME OF YOU ALL AND FROM SOME OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT WE AT LEAST PUT THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MR. PORTER. SO, BOARD MEMBERS, I THINK SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE REDISTRICTING, WE DO HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE CENSUS, OF COURSE, AND THAT IS AN OBVIOUS CONCLUSION. I DID WANT TO SAY FOR A MOMENT, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, BEFORE YOUR COMMENTS, WE WILL HAVE A SUSPENDED AGENDA, AND I HAVE ALREADY THREE ITEMS, WHICH I WILL SHARE. BOARD MEMBERS, I KNOW WE CAN GET VERY SPECIFIC WITH THE LITERACY UPDATES. WE MAY WANT TO GET A LITTLE BIT SPECIFIC, BUT THE TURNAROUND SCHOOLS STATUS, AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING COMING FROM MEMBER WASHINGTON. JUST RECEIVED A FINANCIAL COMMITTEE, IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE SUSPENDED AGENDA IN ENCODER] .
>>Lynn Gray: IT'S A GREAT PRACTICE. AND YES, MEMBER SNIVELY, WE'LL JUST TAKE THEM ALL. SO IT'S A FLUID DOCUMENT, SO TO SPEAK. BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE COMMENTS NOW? BOARD COMMENTS. SO IF YOU WILL PUT YOUR NAME ON THE QUEUE, AND HERE WE GO. MEMBER HAHN, LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE FIRST. GO AHEAD.
>>Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE RECENT REORG, AND I THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH EACH OF US INDIVIDUALLY, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE REORGANIZATION, BECAUSE THIS IS THE SECOND ONE THAT YOU HAVE DONE, IS GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE STABILITY OF THE DISTRICT. AND HISTORICALLY, ONE OF THE WAYS THAT SUPERINTENDENT DID THAT, OR THE ONE I WORKED WITH -- I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, BUT THEY PROVIDED A REORGANIZATION SUMMARY, AND IT LISTS THE DEPARTMENTS, THE POSITIONS MOVING AND THE NAME CHANGES IF THERE ARE ANY. IT LISTS THE ELIMINATED POSITIONS. IT LISTS THE APPOINTMENTS. AND THEN ALSO THE ORG, A COMPANY BY A DISTRICT MANAGEMENT REORG SHEET, AND THAT HAD THE JOB CODE AND POSITIONS, WHETHER IT WAS A DELETED POSITION, OR NEW POSITION, THE JUSTIFICATION, THE SALARY, THE FRINGE, THE SAVINGS OR THE COSTS, AND THEN THE FUNDING SOURCE. AND I THINK AS WE ARE VERY FOCUSED ON OUR FISCAL CRISIS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CREATED A PLAN AS A BOARD AND A SUPERINTENDENT, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STAYING ON COURSE, THAT IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE CHARTS TO LOOK AT, BUT THESE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS HELP US AS A BOARD UNDERSTAND THE FISCAL IMPACT. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, HISTORICALLY, THEY HAVE COME ALONG WITH THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WEREN'T WITH THE MOST CURRENT ONE, AND IT TYPICALLY COMES TO THE BOARD AS WELL ALONG WITH A FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT. SO I'M NOT SURE WHY IT WASN'T DONE THIS TIME. AND USUALLY ALL OF THIS TYPICALLY COMES PROVIDED TO THE BOARD BEFORE THE IMPLEMENTATION. OF THE REORGANIZATION CHART. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN IMPLEMENTED. BUT IT'S NOT TOO LATE. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THESE DOCUMENTS. AND I WOULD LIKE THEM TO GO TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS. ALSO, I'D LIKE TO KNOW -- I WAS REAL EXCITED DAP THAT THE DASHBOARD, ESSERS, IS CREATED, AND WHEN DO YOU ALL EXPECT THAT TO BE LAUNCHED?
>>Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR. WE ARE READY TO LAUNCH NOW. ALL THE INFORMATION DATA HAS BEEN UPLOADED SO WE ARE READY FOR IMPLEMENTATION. SO AT THE END OF THE WEEK OR BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK WE WILL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THAT AND HAVE IT ON OUR WEBSITE. AS IT RELATES TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION, I HAVE BEEN HERE 16 MONTHS AND I HAVEN'T SEEN AN UPDATE PROVIDED. I KNOW IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME BUT WE WILL MAKE CERTAIN.
>>Stacy Hahn: I'LL GIVE YOU MY FOLDER, AND IF ANYBODY ELSE IS INTERESTED, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO TO THE AGENDA, THE OLD AGENDAS ONLINE AND TYPE IN CHART AND IT ALL POPS UP. IT WAS DONE WHETHER IT WAS OVERALL ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE OR EVEN A DIVISIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE. THESE DOCUMENTS CAME TO THE BOARD. SO I APPRECIATE IT. I THINK GIVEN OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION IT'S IMPORTANT, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT MANY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ASKED FOR CUTS AT THE TOP BEFORE THE SCHOOLHOUSE, SO I AM KIND OF CURIOUS AS TO HOW THE NEW ORG CHART IS IMPACTING US FINANCIALLY AS I AM SURE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS ARE, TOO. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. MEMBER WASHINGTON FOLLOWED BY MEMBER PEREZ.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: I AM GOING TO BE REAL SHORT. THIS WEEKEND JUST PASSED, WHICH WAS THE 25th, AT ALLEN AME CHURCH, WE HAD FAMILY AND FRIENDS DATE, WE HAD A GREAT TIME. WE HAD OVER 200 PAIR OF TENNIS SHOES THAT WE GAVE AWAY TO DISTRICT FIVE PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN THE COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITY, WE PROBABLY HAD OVER 200 PEOPLE TO COME TO THE BATCH. WE HAD FOOD. WE HAD GAMES. VIDEOS. HORSEBACK RIDES. AND IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE THE COMMUNITY OUT FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN BOOK BAGS, BECAUSE WE REALLY GAVE GOOD TENNIS SHOES. WE DIDN'T GIVE NO -- [ LAUGHTER ] NO BOBOs. NIKE'S AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THAT'S WHY HE'S GOT HIS AIR FORCE ONE SHOW THE AIR FORCE ONES YOU GOT ON TODAY. CLEAN. THEY DIDN'T MESS AROUND.
>>Henry "Shake" Washington: BUT I PAID FOR MY AIR FORCE ONE. MR. SUPERINTENDENT. BUT ANYWAY, WE REALLY HAD A GREAT TIME. AND WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT AND HAVE FAMILIES THERE FROM DISTRICT FIVE, AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME. SO I WOULD LIKE TO THANK REVEREND DANES, OUR PASTOR FOR DOING A GREAT JOB, A NUMBER OF THE COMMUNITY THAT CAME OUT AND DONATED SHOES, BRAND BRAND NEW SHOES TO THE KIDS. AND THAT'S IT FOR ME TONIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>>Lynn Gray: AND THANK YOU FOR THE HAPPY STORIES. AND THOSE ARE VERY MOMENTS, MEMBER WASHINGTON. MEMBER PEREZ AND MEMBER VAUGHN.
>>Karen Perez: SO ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE RETURNING TO BRICK AND MORTAR, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE ON eLearning LAST YEAR, WE ARE GOING TO BE HAVING A RETURN TO SCHOOL, REFRESHED, A WELLNESS REBOOT. CAN YOU PUT UP THE -- YEAH, OKAY. PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR. I HAVE FOUR DATES. AT EAST BAY HIGH SCHOOL, WEST TAMPA ELEMENTARY, TAMPA BAY TECH HIGH SCHOOL AND HILLSBOROUGH HIGH. WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S MENTAL WELLNESS, PROVIDING INFORMATION AND RESOURCES FOR GETTING YOUR CHILD PREPARED, AND YOU PREPARED FOR GETTING YOUR CHILD BACK TO SCHOOL. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING PARENTS AND STUDENTS OUT, AND THEN WE ARE GOING TO BE ALSO, TO YOUR POINT, MEMBER WASHINGTON, WE ARE GOING TO BE HAVING SOME BACKPACKS AND -- YES, AND BACK TO SCHOOL STUFF FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FOR THEIR PARENTS. BUT MORE ON THE WELLNESS, HEALTH SIDE. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES THERE. AND THAT IS IT FOR ME.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. MEMBER VAUGHN AND THEN MEMBER COMBS.
>> FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ADVOCATING FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND MAKING THAT A TOPIC AND LETTING OUR STUDENTS AND DISTRICT STAFF AND EVERYONE KNOW ALL OF THE OPPORTUNITIES. I DO WANT TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO PERSONALLY GO ON RECORD AND SAY THAT ALTHOUGH I APPRECIATE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S LEADERSHIP AND HIS DECISION REGARDING MASKS, I AM DISAPPOINTED AND CONCERNED THAT AS A DISTRICT WE ARE RESPONDING TO THE CDC GUIDELINES AND PRIORITIZING OUR YOUNGEST STUDENTS UNDER THE AGES OF 12 WHO CAN'T GET ACCESS TO THE VACCINE ESPECIALLY AS A PARENT OF ONE WHO IS GOING TO BE SENDING MY STUDENTS INTO THE CLASSROOM UNPROTECTED OTHER THAN JUST A MASK ON THEIR FACE. BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS THE CONSTANT STATE OVERREACH AND HOW I SAT AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING THAT WE AS A BOARD ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER WE ARE GOING TO SAY WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE DECISIONS LOCALLY, AND WHAT ISSUE WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A STAND ON, AND IF IT'S NOT PROTECTING OUR YOUNGEST STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC, I DON'T NOT WHEN THE ISSUE IS GOING TO BE THE RIGHT TIME. BUT I AM CONCERNED AGAIN ABOUT THE CONSTANT STATE OVERREACH AND OUR ABILITY TO MAKE DECISIONS LOCALLY. SO NOW THAT I HAVE GOTTEN THAT OUT OF THE WAY I DO WANT TO PIVOT AND TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING. I TALKED RECENTLY AT THE LAST COUPLE BOARD MECHANICS ABOUT OASIS WHICH GATHERS CLOTHING FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE ACCESS TO IT, AND DURING THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IS ALWAYS A BIG DRIVE FOR THEM SO OASIS IS ACTUALLY HAVING A SHOP AND SHARE WHERE I KNOW LIKE FOR ME I AM GOING THROUGH AND BUYING NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES AND THEN LOOKING AT ALL THE SCHOOL CLOTHES THAT MY SON HAS OUTGROWN AND THINKING WHAT DID I DO WITH THEM? SO OASIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO USE THOSE GENTLY-USED UNIFORMS, PANTS, THEY EVEN ACCEPT TOOTH BRUSHES AND TOOTHPASTE, OBVIOUSLY NEW, BAR SO AND WHAT NOT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HONOR MIGHT NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE ITEMS ARE ABLE TO, SO THEY ARE HAVING THIS DRIVE SATURDAY, AUGUST 7th FROM 10 TO NOON. YOU CAN GO TO OASIS OPPORTUNITY.ORG AND GET MORE INFORMATION BUT IT SHOWS YOU FOUR DIFFERENT DROP-OFF LOCATIONS AND IF NOW ISN'T THE RIGHT TIME TO COLLECT THINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, I JUST 2021 REMAINED PEOPLE THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR REVIEWS. OR BRAND NEW THINGS TO MAKE SURE OUR STUDENTS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOODWILL. VERY APPRECIATED. MEMBER COMBS.
>>Nadia Combs: JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY IS ABOUT READY TO GO HOME, RIGHT? SO THE ONE THING, AND I TALKED TO MS. McRAE AND THE SUPERINTENDENT, I JUST WANT TO FORMALLY REQUEST THAT WE DO HAVE A WORKSHOP FOR FRANCE FORMATION SCHOOLS, SO I WILL FILL THAT OUT. I THINK WE ALL KNOW --
>>Lynn Gray: WE HAVE THAT WORKSHOP SCHEDULED.
>>Nadia Combs: OKAY. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. AND MS. McRAE AND I SPOKE ABOUT TELLING US MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SCHOOLS SO THAT WAY WE CAN ACTUALLY GO VISIT AND BE MORE INVOLVED, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH I AM IN DISTRICT ONE, I AM VERY, VERY INTERESTED IN THOSE TRANSFORMATION SCHOOLS. NONE OF THOSE SCHOOLS ARE IN MY DISTRICT. BUT THEY ARE -- WE ARE ALL TOGETHER WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF OUR DISTRICT. SO TO REALLY TALK ABOUT THAT, AND THEN ALSO I WANTED TO MENTION THAT, YOU KNOW, MEMBER SNIVELY, MEMBER GRAY AND I, WE WENT TO THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE THIS PAST WEEKEND, LAST WEEK, AND I WAS ABLE TO SEE A COUPLE SESSIONS. I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE ALL THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS. WE WENT TO THAT, TO BE ABLE TO SEE AND ACTUALLY GO TO SOME OF THE SESSIONS AND REALLY SEE WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE ARE GOING, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY WELL DONE. I THINK IT WAS MOTIVATING TO SEE THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ALL COME TOGETHER IN ONE AREA. I KNOW PRIOR TO THAT WAS THE PRINCIPALS. I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE ARE FINALLY DOING THAT, BECAUSE THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, HAVE DONE ALL THE ADMINISTRATORS DO SO MUCH WORK BUT I THINK OFTEN WE FORGET ABOUT HOW MUCH WORK THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS DO, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GREAT SUMMIT. I THINK IT REALLY MOTIVATED A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND I WAS VERY EXCITED TO BE PART OF THAT. AND HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR I WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO ALL OF THEM. THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER COMBS. INDEED THAT WAS A BRILLIANT COMBINATION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING. MEMBER SNIVELY.
>>Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO ARE SPONSORING THEIR HOLDING BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS AND WE HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY, AND SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANT TO GIVE BACK AND HELP STUDENTS, SO I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATION AND PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP OUR STUDENTS. I WANT TONE SAY SPECIAL THANKS TO BILL CURRIE FORD IN TAMPA. THEY HAVE 1500 CHILDREN COME OUT TO THEIR EVENT LAST FRIDAY EVENING, AND WERE ABLE TO SERVE AT THAT COMMUNITY, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING EVEN LARGER EVENT IN THE FUTURE WITH MORE PARTICIPATION AND MORE PARTNERSHIPS. SO I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. I THOUGHT THAT WAS A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THAT, NOW THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE COMING TOGETHER IN PERSON. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS PRETTY IMPACTFUL. AND THEN I WANTED TO CONGRATULATE ONE OF OUR OWN. THIS IS A TWO-FOLD SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT, BECAUSE AT THE GALA OR THE TEACHER OF THE YEAR, FLORIDA TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD, AND I HAVE A SLIDE FOR THAT, STATE FARM INSURANCE AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN A STATE FARM AGENT FOR 20 YEARS AND ACTUALLY WITH THE COMPANY FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, STATE FARM HAS SPECIAL AWARDS THAT THEY GIVE OUT AT THE AWARD GALA, AND ONE OF OUR OWN LAURA MEHAN WHO WAS OUR TEACHER OF THE YEAR, IF YOU REMEMBER, SHE ACTUALLY WON THE STATE FARM LIFE SKILLS AWARD, SHE WAS RECOGNIZED AS SOMEONE WHO CAN ASSIST STUDENTS OR TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO THINK CRITICALLY AND HOW TO DEVELOP LIFE SKILLS. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR VISION AND OUR MISSION AND OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE, I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT STATE FARM AWARD REALLY ALIGNS WITH WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE HER FOR THAT SPECIAL AWARD THAT THEY RECEIVED RECENTLY AT THE GALA. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO LAURA MEHAN, AND WE ARE VERY PROUD OF ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND WE ARE SO PROUD THAT SHE WAS RECOGNIZED AT THAT EVENT FOR THAT PARTICULAR AWARD. AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SCHOOL IS STARTING SOON, SO WELCOME BACK TO OUR TEACHERS, AND OUR FACULTY, AND, WHOO, THAT WAS FAST. SO SCHOOL STARTS NO COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND BEST WISHES TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FAMILIES, GETTING EXCITED, ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO ARE JUST STARTING SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME. THOSE ARE EXCITING TIMES FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR -- I KNOW IT'S CONTROVERSIAL BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU CONTINUING TO MAKE MASKS OPTIONAL FOR OUR STUDENTS. PERSONALLY, MY FAMILY STRUGGLED WITH THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, AND THE PARENT BILL OF RIGHTS WAS A BIG STATEMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR PARENTS AND FAMILIES IN OUR STATE, WHICH WAS JUST RECENTLY SIGNED INTO LAW. I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO BE COMMUNICATED OUT TO ALL OF OUR PARENTS AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PARENTS HAVE THAT RIGHT AND THAT CHOICE ON HOW TO CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOW TO MANAGE THEIR CHILDREN. AND I KNOW SOME PARENTS MAY NOT FEEL LIKE WE ARE PARTNERS WITH -- I DO. I ACTUALLY BELIEVE WE ARE PARTNERS WITH OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STUDENTS. AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET TO A POINT WHERE ALL PARENTS SEEP THAT WE ARE PARTNERS WITH OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STUDENTS. WE ARE ALL ON ONE TEAM. WE SHOULD ALL BE ON ONE TEAM TOGETHER. SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE CREATING A CULTURE WHERE PEOPLE FEEL MORE LIKE WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM. BUT THANK YOU.
>>Lynn Gray: ABSOLUTELY. THE TEAM SPIRIT IS SO CRITICAL. AND WHEN THINGS ARE VERY EASY, A TEAM IS ESSENTIAL. SO MOVING FORWARD. I WANT TO SAY, ALSO, BIG THANK YOU TO TERRY CONNOR AND THE STAFF FOR THE BRILLIANT LEADERSHIP OF THE PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. YOU DID A SPECTACULAR JOB. AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, YOU MUST BE VERY PROUD OF YOUR STAFF. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN SO MANY FAVORABLE COMMENTS. AND I LEARNED A LOT THROUGH THOSE CLASSES. SO IT WAS QUITE INTERESTING. I WANT TO SAY QUICKLY, THANK YOU CAMDEN PROPERTIES, CHRIS FARKAS, I KNOW YOU ALWAYS HAVE A LOT OF REWIRING, BUT THEY DONATED 20 TVs FROM 50 TO 70 TO OUR DISTRICT, AND THANK YOU, ED MALONE, ONE OF MY TRACK BUDDIES, AND THESE ARE BRAND NEW TVs SO IT'S QUITE NICE. ALSO, I WANTED TO SAY THAT OUR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AFRICAN TASK FORCE WILL BE HAVING A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE WALK TO PERRY HARVEY PARK, TERRY CONNOR, MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL BE THERE, OVER 20 COMMUNITY LEADERS, MAYBE THE MAYOR, AND ALSO MANY OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN MINDFULLY COGNIZANT AND ALSO WORKING ON THE CURRICULUM FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES, AND LAST WE HAVE THE SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM. I'LL BET YOU ANYTHING, YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE THE THINGS THAT WE TEACH. KEVIN, DID YOU PUT THAT TOGETHER? DO WE HAVE A VIDEO ON THAT REAL QUICK? BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOES ON IN SUMMER SCHOOL. BUT YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS BEFORE I GO -- ∫
>>Lynn Gray: SEVEN SCHOOLS. A LOT OF MASKS. TRYING TO HELP SOMEONE FIGURE IT OUT. DON'T LAUGH. I ACTUALLY DO KNOW HOW TO WORK A HEART MONITOR.
>> AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, GETTING THAT EXTRA CONNECTION WITH OUR MUSIC, WORK STATIONS, DANCE, COMING TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY, AND MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS WITH CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING. SO WHETHER STUDENTS GET THE EXTRA OPPORTUNITY, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE EXTRA -- ∫
>>Lynn Gray: AND THERE'S THE STAFF, DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. SO MIGHTY FINE EXAMPLE OF SUMMER SCHOOL. A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHEN THE OLDEN DAYS. AND THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, AND TERRY CONNOR, AND I WANT TO SAY SPONSORING IT, BUT I HOPE WE CAN DEVELOP IT EVEN MORE. IT'S FOR THE TRANSFORMATION SCHOOLS, AND I THINK WE ARE READY TO HANDLE THE END OF THE MEETING. (SOUNDING GAVEL) WE'RE DONE.