HI, I AM NADIA COMBS. SHARE OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS. THAT INCLUDE CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH ADULT IN OUR WORK PROGRAM. Henry Washington: I AM WASHINGTON D.C. OUR DIG STRICT IS SEVENTH LARGEST AND 124,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT NEARLY 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. OUR BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS IN OUR COMMUNION 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 CHANNEL 635 AND FRONTIER CABLE 32. MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOO SCHOOLS.ORG.
CLOSED CAPTIONING PRO PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCAST AND PAST MEETINGS IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE WILL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE REVIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE AND POSTED ON OUR WEB SITE 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. Nadia Combs: THE BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 22, 2022 IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY A PLEDGE OF ALLY BEGAN. Henry Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU. NOW STAND FOR THE PLEDGE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AME AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR AT WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, DIDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Henry Washington: YOU MAY BE SEATED.
Nadia Combs: MEMBER WASHINGTON, WILL YOU PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENT ENTERTAINMENT. Henry Washington: YES, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE THE ROLAND PARK VIOLIN AND CONDUCTED BY RAYMOND VANCE EVIS. MR. EVIS, I AM GLAD I SPOKE TO YOU EARLIER AND I WOULD HAVE CALLED YOUR NAME SOMETHING E ELSE. I GOT TO PRACTICE. THAT'S RIGHT. WE WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOU UP TO THE PODIUM WHERE YOU ARE TO DIRECT IT AND LET YOU INTRODUCE -- I WANT THEM TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. MORE EXCITING WHEN THEY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. OKAY. WHO IS FIRST. MY NAME IS LONNIE MADISON AND I AM IN THE THIRD GRADE. I AM AUDREY AND TIME IN FIFTH GRADE. HELLO, I AM REGAN AND TIME IN FOURTH. HELLO, MY NAME IS OLIVIA AND I AM IN FOURTH GRADE. MY NAME IS CORRINE AND I AM IN SECOND GRADE. HI, MY NAME IS HUNTER AND I AM IN FOURTH GRADE.
HI, MY NAME IS EVAN AND I AM IN FOURTH GRADE. HI, MY NAME IS RENTON AND I AM IN FOURTH GRADE. HI, I AM CULL TER AND IN FOURTH GRADE. . I AM IN THE THIRD GRADE. HELLO, MIGUEL AND TIME IN FIFTH GRADE. HELLO, MY NAME IS CORY AND TIME IN FIFTH GRADE. I AM CORRINE AND I AM IN FIFTH GRADE. . HELLO, I AM ALINA AND TIME IN FIFTH GRADE. HELLO, I AM DAVID, AND I AM IN FOURTH GRADE. HELLO, I AM RAYMOND THE VIOLIN TEACHER AT ROLAND PARK AND THANK THE BOARD AND MR. DAVIS AND EVERYONE FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY. Henry Washington: THANK YOU. YOU DID A GREAT JOB FOR ENTERTAINMENT ALSO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Nadia Combs: YES, THANK YOU TO ALL THE STUDENTS. A LOT OF US HAD A CHANCE TO GO OUT THERE AND LISTEN TO YOU AND SO WONDERFUL TO HAVE ALL OF YOU BACK AND HAVE LIVE MUSIC AT OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AGAIN.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE HAVE TWO WITHDRAWN ITEMS TODAY. 401 A APPROVED EMPLOYMENT TRANSFERS FROM THE CHIEF OF SCHOOLS AND 7.14, AND BUILDING TOMORROW SCHOOLS, INC. FOR HIGH PUBLIC QUALITY EDUCATION FACILITIES. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT AN AGENDA.
A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MEMBER VAUGHN WHO WILL BE ATTENDING VIRT VIRTUALLY. BOARD MEMBERS, I WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING.
AS A REMINDER WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD THAT BELIEVE ALL CHILDREN CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN TO SUCCEED AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING TO PAVE THE WAY FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS AND QUES QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND 30 SECONDS TO COMPLETE THEIR THOUGHTS. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU ARE ASKED TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS WE BEGIN OUR AFTERNOON MEETING, LET US REVIEW THE FORMAT OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE THE ELECTRONIC DEVICES. SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM THAT ALLOW MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING WITH BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON LIVE WEBCAST, CABLE TV AND VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM AND CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVES.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN WHICH IS 6 P.M. AND THIS IS EMPLOYEE INPUT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE COMMENTS, WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND KEEP THE BOARD UP TO DATE ON THE RESPONSES. WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE; HOWEVER, IT IS ADDRESSED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD, COMMENTS ARE NOT PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR STAFF MEMBER BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUE. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. ALL CIVILITY POLICIES ARE IN PLACE. WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD SPEAK YOUR NAME AND CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE.
YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES REASON AND 30 SECONDS, A YELLOW AND RED LIGHT AND A CHIME WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. WE WILL BEGIN WITH OUR FIRST SPEAKER. MY NAME IS BOB SMITH. I'M HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF SYLVIA CANTRELL. THE NAMING OF THE NEW SCHOOL. I KNOWN SILL STRIA SINCE THE SECOND GRADE WHEN SHE SHOWED UP AT 1955 AT BALLAST POINT HIGH SCHOOL -- ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. FROM BALLAST POINT TO MONROE WHERE SHE WAS PART OF FIVE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, CHEERLEADER, FUTURE TEACHERS OF AMERICA AND OTHERS. FROM ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL, SHE WAS PART OF 15 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, CHEERLEADERS, FUTURE TEACHERS, AGAIN, EVERYTHING SHE IS PART OF HAD TO DO WITH THE SCHOOL BODY ITSELF. COUNCIL. SHE WAS PART OF STUDENT COU COUNCIL. EVERYTHING SHE DID WAS UNITING THE STUDENTS AND THE FACULTY AND PEOPLE TOGETHER. SHE WAS JUST A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH. IF YOU GO BACK INTO BIBLICAL TIMES, YOU EARNED YOUR NAME SOMETIMES.
WHEN YOU WERE BORN, YOU WERE GIVEN A NAME AND THROUGH YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS, YOU WERE GIVEN -- OR, YOU ACCOMPLISHMENTS, YOU WERE GIVEN A NAME. IT BRINGS THE NAME OF ME -- OF A PERSON HAD BY THE NAME OF JOSEPH AND NOT THE JOSEPH YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT. THIS IS JOSEPH WHO WENT AROUND WITH ALL THE DISCIPLES AND ALL THE APOSTLES DOING EVERYTHING HE COULD BENDING OVER BACKWARDS TO DO TO GET THE JOB DONE. THE PERSON GOT A NEW NAME AND HIS NAME WAS BARNABUS. IT WAS THE ENCOURAGER. SYLVIA CANTRELL HAS BEEN AN ENCOURAGER ALL THE LIFE. TO THE WONDER YEARS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHEN WE WONDER WHAT WE WILL DO. SYLVIE THAT HAD NO DOUBT WHAT IT WAS HER ENTIRE LIFE WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO. SHE WANTED TO WORK.EDUCATION. SHE DID THAT NOT ONLY WHILE IN SCHOOL. SHE DID THAT AFTER SHE GRADUATED. SHE GOT HER FIRST TEACHING JOB IN 1970.
FROM THERE SHE WENT ON AND SHE ENCOURAGED -- SHE HAD MANY ACCOLADES. ONE OF -- SHE HAD A PhD. SHE HAD A MASTER'S. SHE HAD ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS. SHE TOOK ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT LESSONS AND EVERYTHING SHE ACCOMPLISHED WAS NOT FOR HER, BUT IT WAS FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. IT WAS FOR THE STUDENTS AND THOSE AROUND HERE. SHE WAS A TEACHER'S TEACHER. SHE WAS SOMEONE THE STUDENTS COULD GO TO. SHE WAS THERE FOR THEM AND NOBODY ELSE. COULD YOU ALWAYS COME TO SYLVIA. SHE WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO ENCOURAGE YOU NO MATTER WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND I GUARANTEE YOU TODAY IF YOU WOULD TO ASK HER HOW SHE FELT ABOUT THIS, SHE WOULD SAY MANY MORE PEOPLE HERE WHO ARE MUCH MORE WORTHY THAN WHAT I AM. JUST AN HONOR TO JUST BE NOMINATED BECAUSE THAT IS SYLVIA. NOT ONLY IS SHE AN ENCOURAGER BUT ONE OF THE MOST HUMBLE PEOPLE I EVER MET AND I'M HERE AS HER ENCOURAGER TO SPEAK TO HER TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO NAME THE SCHOOL AFTER HER.
THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. BOARD OF EDUCATION, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. MY NAME IS EDGAR FOSSET. VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR TRONE BANKS. I SPENT 26 YEARS FOR THE NEW YORK PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. THE LAST 15 YEARS AS HEARING OFFICER AND 90% -- 80% OF HEARINGS WERE DUE TO OVERBILLING BY UTILITY COMPANIES. DURING THE 26 YEARS I SPENT 20 YEARS ON A SCHOOL BOARD. 15 AS THE PRESIDENT. THE LAST -- IN 2017, I CONTACTED THE HILLSBOROUGH CFO FOR POSSIBILITY OF AUDITING THE SCHOOL'S UTILITY AND ACCOUNTS. IN 2018, TRONE BANKS RECEIVED A SIGNED CONTRACT, LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION TO BEGIN THE AUDIT. THE AUDIT HAD $MILLION. BANKS FOUND WHERE TECO IS OVERBILLING THE SCHOOL EACH MONTH FOR FRANCHISE P PASS-THROUGH FEES. IN 2019, MILL ISED A PLAN TO TECO AND IT WAS DENIED. TRONE BANKS WENT AND CLAIMED THAT THE CLAIM WAS WARRANTED.
TECO STONE WALLED THE EFFORT TO GET THE BILLING CORRECTED. OVERBILLING CLAIMS -- THIS OVERBILLING CLAIM IS WORTH OVER $1 MILLION TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE SCHOOL'S ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS CLAIM SINCE THE INITIAL CLAIM LETTER. THE BANKS SUCCEEDED IN GETTING ANOTHER LOA IN 2000. OUR ENERGY AUDITOR LOOKED AGAIN AT THE SCHOOL'S BILLS. ANOTHER $300,000 OVERBILLING HAD OCCURRED SINCE WE DID THE LAST AUDIT. THE SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATION IS LEGAL, MORAL GUARDIANS OF THE TAXPAYERS' MONEY. THE BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION CANNOT LET THE OVERBILLING CONTINUE. TRONE BANKS HAVE PROVIDED THE KNOWLEDGE OF OVERBILLING, THE PROOF OF OVERBILLING AND EXPERTISE TO RECOVER THESE FUNDS. WHAT WE NEED NOW FOR THE BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION TO STEP UP WITH THE PLATE AND WORK WITH TRONE BANKS TO RESOLVE THESE TECO ISSUES. SO FAR THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. IN MY 50 YEARS OF DEALING WITH OVERBILLING ISSUES, I NEVER SEEN ANY BUSINESS OR SCHOOL DISTRICT NOT WANTING TO HELP SECURE RIGHTFULLY OWNED REF REFUNDS.
IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS. IT IS TIME TO WRAP UP THESE OVERBILLING ISSUES. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, ED FOSSET. THANK YOU, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING, PAULA COSTAN O, PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES. ALL PARENTS WHO CHOOSE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHOULD SEND THEIR CHOICE TO BE FULLY FUNDED SCHOOLS SET UP FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS. TEXAS, CALIFORNIA AND FLORIDA ARE THE MOST POPULATED STATES AND BELOW THE 2022 NATIONAL AVERAGE OF APPROXIMATELY $12,000. FLORIDA IS AT APPROXIMATELY $7758 PER PUPIL. AND ALONG WITH THESE TWO STATES HAS THE HIGHEST, YOU GUESSED IT, CHARTER SCHOOL NUMBERS. PROVIDING MORE SUBSTANDARD SCHOOL CHOICES FOR OUR BROWN AND BLACK POPULATION WITH LIMITED OVERSIGHT IS NOT THE ANSWER. MANY LEGISLATORS AND OUR EDUCATIONAL COMMISSIONER HAS TIES TO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. MR. COCHRAN VISITED KLAING CLASSICAL CHARTER THAT HOSTED THE CITY COUNCIL FORUM WITH LOCAL SCHOOL OFFICIALS AND WAS ALSO HOSTED BY A POLITICAL GROUP. HILLSBOROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES IS NONPARTISAN.
I AM A NO PARTY AFFILIATE. POLITICS AND MONEY SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING A ROLE IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE TAMPA BAY TIMES CHAIRMAN OWNS AN OUTSIDE COMPANY THAT HELPED BAIL OUT THE PAPER. TWO WELL-RESPECTED CHARTER SCHOOL BILLIONAIRES ARE IN THAT COMPANY. ONE HAS A TIE TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S SCHOOL OF HOPE. SO THE SAME PAPER COMPARES HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TO PASCO AND PINELLAS AS A FORMER INTELLIGENCE ANALYST, I CAN EXPLAIN WHY THAT AMALL IN AND MANY OTHER POINTS WERE FLAWED FROM THAT PAPER. THE ARTICLE TRIED TO REFUTE HUNDREDS OF STUDIES. SOME MOST RECENTLY FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. ALL THE RESEARCH INDICATES THAT POVERTY-RELATED DISPARITIES ARE CORRELATED TO CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOL READINESS. PLEASE NOTE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THE NATION'S SEVENTH LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS A POVERTY RATE HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. CLOSING SCHOOLS PROVIDING MORE SUB STANDARD SCHOOLS IS NOT THE ANSWER.
CALIFORNIA HAS FIGURED IT OUT. A COMMUNITY SCHOOLS APPROACH ADDRESSES THE WHOLE CHILD. PLEASE LISTEN TO PATMENT TO. YOU NEED TO TAKE A STAND AND VIOLATE THE CORRUPT LEGISLATION COMING FROM OUR FLORIDA LEGISLATURE OR NOTHING IN THIS COUNTY OR STATE WILL CHANGE. VICE-CHAIR WASHINGTON, ONE POINT I WANT TO MAKE TO YOU THAT COULD HELP WITH THE TRANSFORMATION NETWORK WITH THE STATE DIRECTOR OF HIPY JUST CALLED ME, DR. JORDAN. SHE IS THEY NOMINAL. IF YOU NEVER TALKED TO HER AND ADDISON, WOULD YOU LOVE HER BECAUSE EVERYTHING SHE DOES IS WITH HIPE FOR HOME INSTRUCTION OF PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL YOUNGSTERS AND HE WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO HER IN MARCH AND SHE CAN PLAY A BIG ROLE. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. IF SPEAKERS FOUR THROUGH SEVEN LINE UP. SPEAKER FOUR, IF YOU CAN COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND THE REMAINDER STAND UP AGAINST THE WALL, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU. MY NAME IS MICHAEL ALBRITON. I'M HERE, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS, TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT MY WIFE OF 50 YEARS, SYLVIA ALBRITON. THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO CONSIDER SYLVIA TO BE NAMED FOR THE NEW SCHOOL. PROBABLY ONE OF THE ONES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT IS SHE IS A PRODUCT OF THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM. SHE WENT TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. UPON GARAGE LATEING FROM FSU, SHE CAME BACK AS A TEACHER, A CLASSROOM TEACHER AT THE AGE OF 20 AND BEGAN OUR TEACHING CAREER IN LETO HIGH SCHOOL. SHE WENT TO ROBINSON. SHE BECAME A DEAN AT PLANT. STAYED THERE AS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. WENT BACK TO ROBINSON, WAS PRINCIPAL AND FROM THERE TAMPA BAY TECH AND AFTER THAT ANOTHER COUNTY-LEVEL JOB AND WORKED MANY. THE NONTRADITIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE FIRST GRADUATE OF HER FAMILY.