Lynn Gray: 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 OF 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 COUNTY 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 ARE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. (SOUNDING GAVEL). Lynn Gray: GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. WE ARE GOING TO CALL THE BOARD MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 8th -- EXCUSE ME, SEPTEMBER 9th, NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER HAHN, WOULD YOU GIVE US THE PLEASURE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE? THANK YOU, CHAIR GRAY. THE UNITED STATES WILL SOON PAUSE AGAIN TO REMEMBER THE TRAGIC EVENTS THAT HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO ON SEPTEMBER 11th. AS AMERICANS, WE CONTINUE OUR SOLEMN VOW, NEVER FOR GET, THE NEARLY 3,000 LIVES WE LOST ON THAT DAY. WHILE THE 20th ANNIVERSARY MUCH 911 MARKS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULTYE . IN AMERICAN HISTORY IT IS ALSO A DAY WHERE A ROSE OF DETERMINATION OF UNITY AND COMPASSION THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE TODAY FOR THE INNOCENT MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON AN AIRPLANE AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, AT THE PENTAGON, AND ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY. FOR THOSE CIVIL SERVANTS, THE FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS WHO ROSE IN SERVICE DURING THE RESCUE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS, FOR THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR MILITARY WHO HAVE DEDICATED AND LOST THEIR LIVES PROTECTING OUR SAFETY, OUR FREEDOM AND OUR DEMOCRACY, AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO GRIEVE THEIR LOVED ONES TODAY.
(MOMENT OF SILENCE). THANK YOU. AND PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [ PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ] Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN, FOR THAT REFLECTION OF THE 9-11. IT IS APPRECIATED BY ALL. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ AND SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. WILL THERE BE ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. OKAY, AND ALL MEMBERS ARE SAYING YAY.
MEMBER SNIVELY HAD ANOTHER COMMITMENT SHE HAD TO FULFILL SO SHE WILL NOT BE IN THE MEETING TODAY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MEMBER VAUGHN, WHO IS ON TEEN, AND MEN SNIVELY HOP IS ALSO ON TEEN, ARE PRESENT EITHER IN THE BOARD ROOM OR BY REMOTE. BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE SEVEN SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY. WE HAVE THE 4-27-2021 SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION, 6-15, 2021 SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP, 6-29, 2021 SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP, 8-12-2021 SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP, 8-12-2021 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, 8-18-2021 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, 8-24-21 SCHOOL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING.
I NEED A MOTION AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS. I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER PEREZ. WILL BE THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON.
AND AT THIS TIME, MEMBER VAUGHN, ARE YOU IN THE AUDIENCE? OKAY. MEMBER VAUGHN AND MEMBER SNIVELY? SHE'S NOT ABLE TO ATTEND. Lynn Gray: SHE'S NOT ABLE TO PARTICIPATE. BOARD MEMBERS, IT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS, I WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. FOR PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES WE ARE LIMITING ATTENDANCE TO 50 AT THIS TIME AND WE ARE PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, SO WE ASK OUR GUESTS IN THE BOARD ROOM TO KEEP ONE CHAIR BETWEEN THE FAMILY. AS A REMINDER WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD WHO BELIEVES ALL CHILDREN CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN, TO SUCCEED, AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING. 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. AFTERWARDS, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKED TO GET BACK INTO THE QUEUE.
MEMBER HAHN WILL NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING LET ME GIVE YOU THE FORMAT OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. 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 VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT CAN ALSO BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVES.
Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE TWO ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN. AT 5:01 P.M., THERE WILL BE A FINAL PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MILLAGE RATE AND BUDGET FOR THE 2021-22 FISCAL SCHOOL YEAR. ADOPT THE 2021-22 BUDGET AS PRESENTED. ADOPT THE FINAL 2021-22 MILLAGE RATE AS PRESENTED, AND APPROVE THE RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE FINAL MILLAGE RATE AND BUDGET, AUTHORIZE STAFF TO PERFORM ALL TASKS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH FLAP STATUTES 200.065, TRUTH IN MILLAGE, ALSO KNOWN AS TRIM, AND ALSO WE WILL HAVE 6 P.M. EMPLOYEE INPUT. WE ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND START WITH PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST, AND I AM JUST GOING TO READ A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER, AND WELCOME, BY THE WAY. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND WILL KEEP OUR 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 THEY ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR STAFF MEMBER, BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES. ANY BUSINESS INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. 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. HOWEVER, AT TIMES LIKE TODAY, AND I WILL ASK THE BOARD, THERE COULD BE AN EXTENSION OF TIME. AND AT THIS TIME, BOARD MEMBERS, WOULD YOU MIND IF I EXTENDED TO AN HOUR? DO I HAVE CONSENSUS? OKAY. AND SO WE WILL. AND THAT MEANS OUR PUBLIC WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK VERSUS ONE.
THIS AFTERNOON, PEOPLE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. 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. I WILL NOW CALL UPON THE FIRST SPEAKERS. AND AGAIN I WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR YOU ALL BEING SO ORGANIZED. JIM COS TAN OH. CRAIG NEWMAN. PRISCILLA LUEGA. MR. COS TAN A, YOU ARE FIRST. GOOD AFTERNOON. HILLSBOROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I WAS A FIRST RESPONDER AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER 20 YEARS AGO THIS SATURDAY. IT WAS A DAY FULL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. THE INDICATION AND WARNINGS WERE PRESENT FOR YEARS INDICATED AL-QAEDA WANTED TO CONDUCT AN ATTACK ON AMERICAN SOIL. MANY PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES THAT DAY BECAUSE THE U.S. IGNORED THE WARNING. I AM CALLING ON ALL OF YOU TO STAND IN THE FACE OF EVIL.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNINGS OF A CONCERTED EFFORT TO DESTROY OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY WITHHOLDING OUR HE ISER 2 AND 3 FUNDS, AFTER PRIVATIZATION WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY FORCE A STATE TAKEOVER. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS A $60 MILLION DEFICIT WHICH LEFT UNADDRESSED WILL CAUSE MY PREDICTION TO COME TO FRUITION. THE FUNDS ARE THERE. DEMAND THAT THE STATE RELEASE THE ESSER 2 AND 3 FUNDS TO CORRECT THE SHORTFALL. ADVOCATE FOR A MILLAGE TO INCREASE OUR PER-STUDENT SPENDING WHICH IS 46th IN THE NATION AND INCREASE OUR TEACHER PAY, WHICH IS 49th IN THE NATION. CREATE ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL SCHOOLS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. I ALSO WANT TO THANK CHRIS FARKAS FOR ADDRESSING THE ISSUES IN DISTRICT 5 AND AROUND THE COUNTY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MR. NEWMAN? GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M DR. CRAIG NEWMAN. I LIVED IN SOUTH TAMPA SINCE 1960 AND I'M A PRODUCT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL DALE MABRY, COLEMAN AND PLANT.
ALSO WITH THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES. AS YOU ARE ALREADY AWARE, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR STUDENTS ON EDUCATION SPENDING IS ABOUT $15,200. THE STATE OF FLORIDA RANKS SOMEWHERE AROUND 46th TO 44th IN THE NATION ON AVERAGE SPENDING OF ROUGHLY $7,800 PER STUDENT. THAT MUST CHANGE. SCHOOL BOARD, LET'S WORK TO HAVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INCREASE THE FUNDING FOR OUR STUDENTS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE SCHOOL BOARD MUST WORK TO GET OUR STATE LEGISLATORS TO RELEASE ESSER FUNDS TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF FLORIDA. IF WE ARE GOING TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF THE STATE AND UP OUR NUMBERS, WE HAVE TO DO THESE THINGS. IT'S IMPERATIVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. HAVE A GOOD DAY. AND GO BUCS. Lynn Gray: THEN THERE IS THE GO BUCS. ABSOLUTELY. MS. FERRIES IS NEXT FOLLOWED BY MRS. VEGA AND MS. TALBERT. AND GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS. AGAIN, MY NAME IS -- AND WHAT I WANT EVERYONE TO REMEMBER TODAY TO TRY TO HOLD ONTO, AND THAT IS ONE IN EVERY FOUR, AND I KNOW THAT THE EXTENSION IS ON DEALING WITH THE MASK MANDATE.
SO MY THING IS, I STILL WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT'S GOING TO END OR WE ARE GOING TO FIGHT AGAIN, IN OTHER WORDS. AND I WANT TO LOOK AT THE FACT THAT IN MY SON'S SCHOOL, WHICH IS MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY EXPENSE TO SEPARATE OUR KIDS ONE FOOT. THEY HAVE CONNECTED DESKS. THEY HAVE CONNECTED CHAIRS. AND SO MY POINT IS THE MASK IS THE ONLY THING THAT SEPARATES FROM ANYONE ELSE. MY SON HAS HAD COVID. AND I WANT TO ASK ANYONE, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN WHERE YOU COULDN'T HUG YOUR CHILD? DOES THAT MEAN ANYTHING? DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW MY SON'S NAME TO CARE ABOUT HIS HEALTH? I DON'T NEED TO KNOW YOURS. OUR CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE. ABSOLUTELY, NO NURSE, NO DOCTOR, NO SCIENTIST. YOU CAN HAVE THAT DEALS WITH THE FACT, WE HAVE TO HAVE CHILDREN -- WE MUST REMEMBER, ONE IN FOUR, ONE IN FOUR.
IS THAT OKAY? IT'S NOT OKAY. EVERY CHILD IS IMPORTANT. AND IT'S BETTER TO BE SAFE. THANK YOU. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MRS. VEGA FOLLOWED BY MRS. CALVERT AND THEN OUR NEXT FIVE. GOOD AFTERNOON. HOW ARE YOU DOING? GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? SO I'M HERE, I'M A MOTHER IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS, AND MY ISSUE IS THE MASK MANDATE, SO I HAVE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY OF THESE BOARD MEETINGS SINCE I NEVER SAW THE IMPORTANCE OF IT, BUT MY KIDS HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO WEAR A FACE MASK THIS ENTIRE TIME AND I HAVE BEEN VERY UNHAPPY. THERE'S NO SCIENCE TO BACK UP THAT MASKS WORK. I AM STILL GETTING NOTIFICATIONS FROM THE SCHOOL STATING THAT THE COVID CASES ARE HIGH AND KIDS ARE HAVING TO QUARANTINE. YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A BOARD MEMBER HERE AT THE LAST MEETING THAT STATED THAT THEY DON'T WANT MASKS TO BE MANDATED THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT I KNOW THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN THIS IS UP YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF MASKS AGAIN, AND IT'S GOING TO BE 60 DAYS AND THEN 09 DAYS AND 120 AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT THE WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR THE KIDS ARE WEARING MASKS.
IT'S NOT FAIR. I THINK THAT IF PARENTS ARE THAT CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR KIDS CATCHING THE VIRUS, MAYBE THEY SHOULD CONSIDER AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. BUT I WANT TO KEEP MY KIDS IN SCHOOL. I BELIEVE THAT IT'S GOOD FOR THEM TO SOCIALIZE AND INTERACT WITH THEIR FRIENDS. BUT TO CONSIDER THAT. THIS IS SOMETHING WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH. THE VIRUS ISN'T JUST GOING TO DISAPPEAR. UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE DEATHS. I UNDERSTAND. BUT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO -- I HAVE A DAUGHTER THAT'S THREE THAT'S IN A SCHOOL THAT HAD NO MASK MANDATES. THERE WERE NO COVID CASES. IF ANYTHING THERE WAS MAYBE ONE FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. YOU GUYS NEED TO FIGURE OUT A BETTER WAY TO HANDLE THIS FOR THE KIDS. THANK YOU. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. MS. TALBERT? AND GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS LOU OWN FULLBETTER AND I AM HERE AS A MEMBER OF HPSA.
I AM CONCERNED THAT THE MASK MANDATE ISSUE AND THE FIGHT FOR ESSER FUNDS IS CAUSING OUR DISTRICT TO DOWN PLAY, A FEW OTHER MAJOR CONCERNS THAT AFFECT OUR STAFF AND OUR STUDENTS. ONE EXAMPLE IS COMPUTER BASED, BASELINE AND MIDYEAR TESTING IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. EVIDENTLY, THE DISTRICT LEADERS WANT US TO ACCEPT THAT COMPUTER-BASED TESTING IN AUGUST AND NOVEMBER IS BEST PRACTICED JUST BECAUSE THE STATE MANDATED F SA IS COMPUTER BASED. THIS TOPIC WAS RAISED AT YESTERDAY'S APC MEETING. APCSES SHALL OVERWHELMED. THEY ARE UNABLE TO PERFORM THEIR PRIMARY DUTIES AS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN MANAGING COMPUTER BASED TESTING SINCE AUGUST 12. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE ELIMINATION OF THE COLLEGE AND CAREER COUNSELOR POSITION AT ALL HIGH SCHOOLS. BECAUSE OF THE BUDGET CRISIS, THE CCC POSITION WAS ELIMINATED LAST SEBRING. AS A RESULT, TRADITIONAL COUNSELORS TO MANAGE CAREER COUNSELING IN ADDITION TO THEIR OTHER DUTIES.
THIS FALL, THERE WILL BE NO DISTRICT SPONSORED COLLEGE NIGHT FOR TWO REASONS. ONE OF COVID, AND THE OTHER IS THAT NOBODY HAS TIME TO PLAN FOR OR ORGANIZE IT. THE DISTRICT SENIOR HANDBOOK, WHICH HAS PROVIDED ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT APPLICATION, TRANSCRIPT, DEADLINES AND SCHOLARSHIP, HAS NOT YET BEEN PUBLISHED. VOLUNTEERS ARE WORKING ON THIS HANDBOOK AND HOPE TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO SENIORS BY OCTOBER. THE ELIMINATION OF CCC IS AN EQUITY ISSUE. SOME FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD PRIVATE COUNSELORS, BUT THE MAJORITY OF OUR FAMILIES EITHER CANNOT AFFORD A PRIVATE COUNSELOR, OR THEY ARE SIMPLY UNAWARE OF THE INCREASING COMPLEXITY AND COMPETITIVENESS IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS. AS A RESULT, THE CLASS OF 22 WILL UNDOUBTEDLY SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. THANK YOU. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. NEXT WE ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM FARA TROYA. COME ON UP. THEN MONIQUE, WENDY AND MR. FERGER. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME DOING THIS, AND I AM APPALLED AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR CHILDREN, MASKING THEM DAY AND NIGHT.