So perhaps we need to be looking strategic and asking where the priorities are for for facilities. The other thing is again with the capital request process, you know, I I don't understand or maybe I'm I'm not grasping for lack of better words, why are we not prioritizing? I saw lovely slides there of all the things we want to do, but you can't do everything at once. And the people on the other side of that are the taxpayers. So, when we're getting upset and we're asking and we're fighting back on these tax increases, I don't understand if it's more important to get a boiler. I mean obviously I do I'm being facitious or for us to look at hiring 20 teachers in. So I think that needs to be more transparent. And next I saw that there was a supply cut of $72,000 I believe the slide went a little fast in central office supplies.
Vaughn explained, he didn't find he didn't mean to find coral fragmentation. He discovered it by dropping one of the corals. And as they broke into many pieces, not only did they grow, but they grew 20 to 40 times faster than natural growth when he grew them separately. Now, Dr. Vaughn and his 501c3 nonprofit plan plant a million corals are trying to grow at least 1 million corals in two years. The crazy thing is the foundation is trying to restore 100 years of old coral in just only two. Coral reefs have been declining due to climate change and other factors. So as the team focuses on this goal is potentially accelerate to the coral reef restoration significantly. Dr. Vaughn ex plans to begin planting corals once they have produced 1.1 million corals at their facility. As of right now, plants a million corals have over 40,000 corals.
If we can find $72,000 in central office supplies which will give you $1.5 teachers I'm just going with a rough number. I think we better look a little harder as a board and seeing else where there's money we can find because $72,000 is quite astronomical for a board for a central office. And and the last thing that I'm going to say, um, and again, this is not being disrespectful of any sort, but we can't keep solving the pitfalls, the financial pitfalls by adding insult to injury. I think we need to as a board ask are we going to have a position freeze on all non-teer or non-essential salaries in the upcoming year because I keep hearing increase but I don't hear freeze and we should be asking that because the essentials need to be handled first before we can start adding all of these additional costs that quite honestly if I saw a prior prioritization chart they would be last on the bottom for me teachers.
When we got back to the environmental center, we had to take a swim reel for an exciting adventure at Big Mson Island. Big Mson Island is an island that has been owned by Sea Base since 1982. The Seabase has committed to maintaining the island in its natural state. This island is filled with all kinds of different plant and species such as upside down jellyfish called cassiopia and other species such as key deer which are small deer and are endangered animal species found in the island. Some unique plant species located on the island are salt warts and glass warts. These are very salty plants, so if you try them, you might want a drink of water after. But the glass warts are like also salty, but they're also known to taste like blood, which is kind of cool to experience. And we also got to experience mangroves and gumbo limbo trees, which are huge, and more awesome species.
Yes. Thank you very much. So I think as a board those are the questions we should be asking going forward. Like Miss Peter I sit on a board where I love to hear the public comment first. That is where you need to draw your focus before you vote on this. Thank you very much. Yeah. No interest. Thank you very much for your questions. Let me let me just just a couple things to clarify because I think there was some maybe maybe I didn't explain it. Um, central office supplies are basically just not central office, but it's it's it's the money is contained there. $72,000 is not one and a half teacher salaries. So, I mean, even if it's step one, so you also have to put benefits in there. So, even though um you know, I understand where you're going with that. Um, adding the teachers in the classrooms that we had up there is a compliance issue.
Before we got to go on the hike through the whole island, we were all able to eat lunch together. And after we hiked, we rode back on the boat to Sea Base. And back at Seab Base, we got to do some homework and then prepare for the next morning. And this day was filled with a lot of exciting new memories and adventures that I won't forget. On the second day of waking up in the Keys, we got to wake up early and begin the day with a morning kayak where some students kayaked and others like myself paddle boarded for the first time. After that, we had the amazing opportunity to explore Florida's coral reefs and wildlife by going snorkeling. We saw a range of wildlife such as sea sponges, conch shells, crabs, and stingrays. We also had the chance to explore a small island called Picnic Island that included a lot of biodiversity and is actually where Mr.
It's it's code. It's statute. Um, it it should be tied to funding. I don't know why it hasn't happened before. Unfortunately, uh it's been happening here for years. Uh we now have a formal um situation from the union that we have to now we definitely have to take care of this. So, um that is priority one, believe it or not. Um even though, you know, maybe maybe it's not an agreeable priority, but it is uh the enrollment piece. And again, because it's been years, the numbers, if you look at the 6A code, the numbers are very clear that any SDA district or former average cannot be over a certain number. We're over those numbers in over a hundred sections. Um so that has to that has to happen. It's a compliance issue. It's a 6A code issue. The board is actually breaking code right now.
Park found a stingray and a lobster. After that, we got to meet the scientist who Grace previously mentioned named Mr. Dr. Von who invented fragmentation. We had the amazing chance to meet him and listen to him speak about how they fragment coral and how their mission is to grow a million corals. This was truly an awesome experience to listen and learn from someone so advanced in science and be able to ask questions and just hear him speak. It was a once in a-lifetime opportunity. Along with this, we had the opportunity to visit Summerland Farm where the plant a million coral organization gave us a tour of all their growing corals and mangrove trees. We also got to view different species and see how they are fragmenting the coral. Basically, what they do is break up the coral using this special tool. Unlike Dr. Von who accidentally dropped the coral, they do have a process for this and they do split it up in a certain way.
So with this approval today, um that'll that'll happen. It's if you want to I could talk to you later and give you the actual code so you could see it. Um that's something that should have been should have been done by the administration a long a long time ago. I don't know if it was brought up maybe cut out. I don't know what it is. I don't I can't find any action plan. I can't see any strategic thing like you're like you were talking about uh with re with regard to all that stuff. Uh and just to kind of put on what you what what we were talking about just now about um you know how well you did and and all that other stuff and and I'm I'm glad you did. I know this is nothing to do with commending teachers and how incredible they are.
And as you can see in this picture, there are specific types of species like the brain coral species and the stagghorn species. And you can also see how they track the growth on different like square or circular tiles or they even do wooden pegs just to see how much the corals are growing. We got to end the night with an unforgettable boat ride where we all enjoyed the sunset and nice weather. It was a good chance for us to all grow closer and make memories that we will never forget. After that, every year it is a tradition to have key lime pie on the last day we are in the Keys. So that's what we did. We all were excited when Mr. and Mrs. Park surprised us with this traditional treat. The next day, we left the sea base and then we went to Marathon Key where we went to sea turtle hospital, which was actually an old hotel that they changed into a sea turtle hospital.
I just said they're doing much more with less. I wish I was here for their last negotiation. I think the negotiation could have been done differently so we could have boosted the bottom. I don't know what happened. the bottom and the top seem to be very stale, which is a problem for us on both ends. Um hopefully hopefully next uh next cycle um we'll be able to work on that. Uh regardless of that, just because certain students do well in Garfield, there's other students that aren't doing as well and and excel in other things. And that's why these programs are important to have neighboring towns not even a mile away have different extracurriculars, robotics, uh, anatomage tables, all these things, uh, I think that's extremely important and and I think the board hopefully would would echo that because we are here for academics. Some kids are just going to excel.
Um, and so the pictures are old pools from the hotel that they changed into the rehabilitation pools for the sea turtles. And all the sea turtles at the sea turtle hospital had different injuries from um boat accidents or pollution. And we got to see all of those different injuries on these sea turtles. It was very sad, but at the same time, we learned a lot about what we've done to impact all of these animals. But we got to see the permanent residents at the Sea Turtle Hospital, and we visited the different um patients there, too, that they were restoring. And then next, we went to the Everglades, which was probably my favorite part. Um there was a big tour bus that's on the lefthand side and that we took through the Everglades and we got to be about five feet away from different alligators all throughout the Everglades and it was a very good experience.
Their parents have the means to get tutors and all that other stuff. We have to expand our tutoring program. We have to expand our SEAL program here. You know, we've talked about that. Our SEO program here has to be expanded. MTSS, we need multi-tered structures. That's the first thing that districts take out. A lot of districts this year are going to take that all out. So, that's important stuff. But, but I I I do I do understand what you're saying that our teachers are great. They do a lot of stuff here. All this board all I'm asking to do is to get them some help. Lower the class sizes, hire some more individuals to help out. Um, uh, expand and enhance those supports that are in the classrooms. And, and I don't know, I don't think it's a it's a difficult find. Uh when again you're still if you look at the average fiveyear you have 18% over five years.
And then we stopped the tram bus and we went up this big tower and over the tower it looked the entire Everglades National Park and it was a big river and we could see alligators, soft shell turtles and a bunch of different big fish. And then this is an example of American alligator that we saw as well. And then after we left the Everglades Park, we um traveled north a little bit and then we saw an airboat. We went on an airboard tour and that was an experience. That's something I'd never done before. It was very loud, but um it was very interesting because once we were out inside the Everglades, we were actually on the water. We weren't just on land. And so we were surrounded by like this swampy like planted area with alligators popping their heads up everywhere. And there's a picture of one of them, which was very cool.
You know that's not that's that's average that's average taxpayer role. When you get a zero and they get hit with a nine that's a big impact. It's hard to do that. Whatever the reason the board board did that in the first place it's just difficult on the taxpayers's back. So all right facilities strategy obviously moving forward um I agree with 100% there's not I wasn't here so the past administrators that are in my role I I we have to ask them there's nothing written down there's nothing there um those those boilers that went down last year and year before they didn't go down overnight um so there's there are plans in place uh it's not easy but again this fixes some of those things and we did get a million dollars in SDA money so hopefully Hopefully I'll help out. Um, Marlene Zawatka 67 Morrisab, I just have a question for the 2022 2023 where you're saying it was a 0% tax increase.
And then lastly, we went to the US Coast Guard, which is Mr. Park's son. And um we got to tour the base there in Miami, and we got to see all the different um like aircrafts that they fly. And he explained to us a little bit of like what he does on a day-to-day job. and it inspired a couple of us to look into it a little more. And then as our last celebration, we went to a Cuban cafe in Miami um when we were at the hotel that night before we flew out the next morning. And that was very good. Everyone tried something new that day. And thank you. as uh she mentioned, um one of the last things that we do when we're in the actual Keys is um we uh we order key lime pie. Um and so don't tell next year's group.
Wasn't that because you guys wanted to win the election and that was a promise? Then uh 2022 2023 not co the following um sorry I'm a little sick uh Mr. Mr. Tomcomp, are you planning on renegotiating your contract with a raise in that budget or are you sticking to your 5-year contract? And then the assistant superintendent, is he actually going to retire or is his contract going to be extended again or will you be looking for a new person to take his position? And if that's included in that budget, that's all. [Applause] No, there's Okay. Well, the second one's a personnel question, but the first one for the 0% I wasn't Well, she'll have her time. I'm answering. Sorry. The The second one's a personal question, so I I can't answer that, but I I do have a great answer for that one, but I'm just not allowed to.
Um I'd appreciate that. But as part of that, uh we do have some key lime snacks for you all as well. Um and um another thing that I would uh like to mention uh on a very very serious note um there has been a person uh sitting up front here that has been our unsung hero uh the last three years that we've done this and uh Cindy Gray uh does so much for our team and for our apes class and for this trip. We wanted to say a special thank you uh for um all of the emails that you weird emails that you get from me um asking for insurance and just weird things. Uh and she's always pleasant, kind, professional. Even through the struggles that she's been through, she has always had a smile on her face, and we wanted to say a special thank you for her uh and supporting our trip.
So, hopefully one day I'll be able to. the 0% the Z excuse me the 0% I was not here for but historically here but historically here during elections you know boards do different things the the municipal council I think every year there's an election coming up is in almost 0% when they run so I mean historically cities and townships do these things so if you're going if you're going to again if you're going to say it say the full story and not just partial part of it so I mean but you were the board president then but you were the board president then so so you could answer it so answer it then I don't know She's asking a question. I don't know what's going on. Well, we have we have her, Miss Ean. Lissa, 27 Garden Court North. Uh, I want to know how did you determine which cost to cut?
So, thank you, Cindy, for all that you've done to to help us out. And with that, do you have any questions for me or more importantly the young ladies? So during the boat tour, I've been down there nine times. He point out to you how much it is. Even if it's cold outside, it's still humid. There was a bit of wind, but it was still pretty humid. human. Well, Chief Boxel may have brought K9, but you brought snacks. And snacks always always I know. And Gary in my heart. I was gonna say, Gary, it's not a cookie, but I figured you'd appreciate the snacks and appreciate your passion and I know I know you enjoy it, but still it's a lot of work to put it all together and I appreciate you doing it every year and um I know the students appreciate it and thank you for your great presentation.