Nadia Combs: HI, I'M NADIA COMBS, 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 PRE-SCHOOL THROUGH ADULTS IN THE WORKFORCE PROGRAM. Henry "Shake" Washington: I'M HENRY SHAKE WASHINGTON, THE BOARD VICE CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE SEVENTH LARGEST IN AMERICA AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT NEARLY 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY. OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4:00 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC IN WHAT WE DO. YOU ARE WELCOME TO E-MAIL OR MEET WITH ANY BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BOARD MEET RINGS COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV, ON SPECTRUM CABLE CHANNEL 635 AND FRONTIER CHANNEL 32.
MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HILLSBOROUGH. SCHOOLS.ORG. PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE ONLINE ARCHIVE WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS. 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'RE 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) Nadia Combs: THE BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 8, 2021, IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGEANCE Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU. LET US PAUSE TO HONOR THE VICTIMS OF THE CONFLICT HAPPENING IN UKRAINE. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE.
(PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE) Nadia Combs: WE ARE PLEASED TO INVITE JORDAN CASTILLO WITH OUR TALENTED CHOIR STUDENTS FROM KING HIGH SCHOOL TO SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. ♪ O SAY CAN YOU SEE BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT ♪ ♪ WHAT SO PROUDLY WE HAILED AT THE TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING ♪ ♪ WHOSE BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS THROUGH THE PERILOUS FIGHT ♪ ♪ O'ER THE RAMPARTS WE WATCHED WERE SO GALLANTLY STREAMING ♪ ♪ AND THE ROCKET'S RED GLARE THE BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR ♪ ♪ GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE ♪ ♪ O SAY DOES THAT STAR-SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE ♪ ♪ O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE ♪ . HELLO, MY NAME IS ALYSSA AGUILAR AND I'M A JUNIOR. I'M MARIA COLLINS PEREZ AND I'M A JUNIOR. SIMONE AND I'M A SENIOR AT KING HIGH SCHOOL.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ASHWINI AND I'M A SENIOR AT KING. MY NAME IS ANDICE AND I'M NINTH GRADER. HELLO, I'M SHERDI AND I'M A SENIOR. I'M DECKANTI AND I'M A SENIOR AT KING HIGH SCHOOL. MY NAME IS SASMITA AND I'M A SOPHOMORE. MY NAME IS KALIA AND I'M A SE SENIOR. I'M COLLIN AND I'M A SENIOR AT KING HIGH SCHOOL. HELLO. KEITH AND I'M A SOPHOMORE AT KING HIGH SCHOOL. HELLO. ERIC AND I'M A SENIOR. LARRY AND I'M A JUNIOR AT KING HIGH SCHOOL. MARY AND I'M A SENIOR AT KING HIGH SCHOOL. HELLO, ALLISON AND I'M A SENIOR AT KING HIGH SCHOOL. MY NAME IS JORDAN CASTILLO AND I'M THE CHORUS TEACHER AT KING HIGH SCHOOL, AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. Nadia Combs: WE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU. THAT WAS REALLY SPECTACULAR AND WE APPRECIATE IT TO THE CHORAL DIRECTOR AND ALL THE STUDENTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE HAVE ONE WITHDRAWN ITEM TODAY. 6.10R, AGREEMENT FOR TECHNICAL SERVICES WITH BRITAIN EDUCATION LLC DBA INSIGHTS TO BEHAVIOR FOR THE 2021-22, 22-23 AND 23-24 SCHOOL YEARS. OKAY. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY. I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. S AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT TODAY. WE HAVE THREE SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY. FEBRUARY 16, 2022 SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP. FEBRUARY 8, 2022, SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. FEBRUARY 22, 2022, SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER WASHINGTON AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER PEREZ. ANY DISCUSSION? IF NOT, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER WE'RE A NONPARTISAN BOARD THAT BELIEVE ALL CHILDREN CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN AND SUCCEED AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING.
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. AFTERWARDS THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKED TO GET BACK INTO THE QUEUE.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON 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 MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON SHEP STEPING AWAY FROM THE D -- STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DEUS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTION ON LIVE WEBCAST ON CABLE TV AND VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS WITH THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN AND THAT'S THE 6:00 P.M. EMPLOYEE INPUT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO OUR COMMENTS 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 THE TIME TO BE HERE, HOWEVER, IT'S REQUESTED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST THE 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. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE.
THIS AFTERNOON, EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU'LL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN, A RED LIGHT AND CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. I'LL CALL UP THE FIRST SPEAKERS. WE'LL HAVE FIVE SPEAKERS FIRST. OH, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE DRUM MAJOR IN LOCKHART ELEMENTARY.
MEMBER WASHINGTON, BEFORE WE MOVE TO BOARD COMMENTS, CAN YOU GO -- OR PUBLIC COMMENTS, CAN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE? Henry "Shake" Washington: YES, MA'AM. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE LOCKHART DRUM LINE AND THE DIRECTOR KEVIN LYONS. THOSE WONDERFUL STUDENTS ENTERTAINED US PRIOR TO THE START OF THE BOARD MEETING. I THOUGHT THAT WAS A FAM-U BAND. THOSE KIDS ARE GREAT. THEY DID A GREAT JOB ON THE DRUM LINE, SO THANK YOU FOR THOSE WONDERFUL STUDENTS COMING OUT. THANK YOU, MA'AM. Nadia Combs: YES. THANK YOU. THEY WERE AMAZING. THE FIRST THREE SPEAKERS, IF YOU'LL PLEASE COME UP. . . GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS RYAN MCGREGER. I'M PRESIDENT OF THE HILLSBOROUGH ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS. I'M ONE OF HUNDREDS OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS TASKED WITH HELPING EACH STUDENT IN THE COUNTY SUCCEED. IF ONE WERE TO READ THROUGH THE THOUSANDS OF BOOKS WE HAVE IN THE LIBRARY COLLECTION INEVITABLY YOU'D FIND SOMETHING OFFENSIVE THAT GOES AGAINST YOUR PERSONAL VALUES AND MORALS AND SOMETHING YOU DISAGREE WITH POLITICALLY AND/OR SOCIALLY.
I HAVE OPEN BOOKS IN MY OWN LIBRARY AND NOT AGREE WITH WHAT THE AUTHOR WAS SAYING. IT'S ALSO SURPRISINGLY EASY TO FIND THE WORST PART OF A BOOK AND SHARE IT. MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE EXPERTS AT THAT. WHEN PEOPLE OR STUDENTS FIND THINGS OFFENSIVE IN BOOKS IT SHOULD NOT BE DISMISSED. THEIR OFFENSE AND ANGER ARE REAL. I'M NOT HERE TO SAY THEIR FEELINGS DON'T MATTER, HOWEVER, THOSE ARE YOUR FEELINGS. THEY'RE THE ARBITER OF WHAT IS GOOD FOR THEMSELVES, HOME AND FOR THEIR CHILDREN. NO ONE SHOULD SPEAK FOR EVERYONE. IF YOU BAN BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS. SOMEBODY MAKES A DECISION THAT AFFECTS EVERYONE IN ONE OF THE LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE NATION. IF YOU CHEER WHEN A BOOK YOU DON'T KNOW IS BANNED FROM THE LIBRARY ANOTHER CHALLENGE IS UP AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ANOTHER BOOK IS UP FOR CONSIDERATION AND NOW YOU DON'T AGREE WITH IT BEING REMOVED.
BY BANNING THE FIRST BOOK YOU CEDED CONTROL TO SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF AND OPENED THE DOOR THAT ANYONE FINDS OFFENSIVE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE LIBRARY. SO SHOULD EVERYTHING BE ALLOWED IN THE LIBRARY? NO. THERE ARE SAFE GUARDS TO PROTECT OUR STUDENTS. YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN IS THERE. YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN USES STUDENT SUGGESTIONS, TEACHER REQUESTS, PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS, OTHER LIBRARIANS INSIGHT AND OWN EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNIQUE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE IN THE PROCESS OF SELECTING MATERIALS FOR OUR LIBRARIES. YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN FOLLOWS A SELECTION OF POLICY AND PROCEDURES IN PLACE FOR THE COUNTY. YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT BOOKS AND YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN CAN ANSWER PARENT CONCERNS. THE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DOES NOT SUPERCEDE A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. PARENTS HAVE COMPLETE AUTONOMY IN A HOME JUST LIKE A GUARDIAN DECIDES WHAT WEBSITES AND STREAMING SERVICES THEIR CHILD CAN TAKE PART IN, NONE OF WHICH HAVE A LIBRARIAN OR PROFESSIONAL TO HELP WITH SELECTION.
A PARENT OR GUARDIAN DECIDES WHAT READING MATERIAL IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR OWN CHILD. IN A WORLD WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, VIRAL TIKTOK VIDEOS, FAKE NEWS, BLUE LIARS, CLICK BAIT, TWITCH STREAMERS, DISCORD CHAT AND VIDEO FACETIMING WITH FRIENDS, KEEP IN MIND THAT A PHYSICIAN BOOK IS ONE OF THE EASIEST THING FOR PARENT OR GUARDIAN TO MONITOR. MANY STUDENTS GET ON -- MANY STUDENTS GET ON DEVICES WITH NO MONITORING AT ALL. WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT YOUR STUDENT CAN CHECK OUT OF THE LIBRARY TRUST YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN. GET TO KNOW THEM AND HAVE CONSIDERATIONS WITH THEM. ONCE YOU DO THAT, YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY TOGETHER WITH YOU HAVE YOUR CHILD'S BEST INTEREST AT HEART. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. MARK KLUTHO LARG PLACKO. HERE YOU HAVE THREE AGENDA ITEMS. MAXIMUM PRICE FOR ALL OF THEM. BUT YOU DON'T LIST THE AMOUNT. THERE SHOULD BE A FIGURE HERE. I SEE THAT ON AGENDA ITEMS AT ALL OTHER GOVERNMENT MEETINGS. SOMETHING WRONG HERE. LOOK AT THESE HEADLINES. PARTS OF THE PLANET WILL BECOME UNINHABITABLE. ACTION NEEDED NOW SAYS GRIM REPORT FROM THE U.N. PANEL. MARCH 1, USA TODAY. AND THEN FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO FIX CLIMATE REPORT SAYS. WARMING MAY OUTSTRIP THE ABILITY TO ADOPT. THAT'S FROM THE FIRST ALSO. THEN FROM THE ST. PETE TIMES, REPORT CITES FLORIDA'S CLIMATE CHANGE STRUGGLE FROM FLOODING TO ALGAE BLOOMS. THE STATE PROVIDES EXAMPLES. READ U.N. REPORT. OF COURSE EVERY TIME ONE OF THESE COMES OUT, IT'S WORSE THAN THE ONE BEFORE. AND, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE SAID IT MANY MEETINGS BEFORE, THERE IS A WORD THAT YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE.
IT'S CORRELATION. YOU MAKE THE STUPID BUILDINGS AND THEY KEEP BELCHING THE CARBON, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. THE CARBON INTO THE ATMOSPHERE IS WHAT'S CAUSING THIS. THEN YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY. BECAUSE YOU'RE BURNING IT. WHAT A LEGACY. HOW MANY YEARS HAVE I BEEN BRINGING THE SCIENCE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE PASSIVE SOLAR BUILDING? I'D SAY IT'S OVER 30 YEARS. TO MOVE ON, MOMS FOR STUPIDITY. WHAT WOULD THESE IDIOTS BE DOING OVER IN THE UKRAINE? OH, BOY. YEAH. THEY'D BE FIGHTING FOR LIBERTY, WOULDN'T THEY? HERE IS MY IMMUNIZATION RECORD, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WENT IN THE ARMY GOING BACK TO JANUARY '68. YOU KNOW, ALL THESE GOOD SHOTS, TETANUS, TYPHOID, CHOLERA, YELLOW FEVER. HERE IS A GOOD ONE. THE PLAGUE. THEN I GOT TO GO LIVE IN THE HOLE IN THE JUNGLE FOR A YEAR. THESE STUPID FOOLS DON'T KNOW WHAT LIBERTY IS. WHAT A LEGACY. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER AND CAN WE HAVE SPEAKERS FOUR THROUGH SIX LINE UP AS WELL? GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBER. ALLISON FERNANDEZ. I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT FINANCES. AND EXPRESS SOME CONCERNS. I KNOW THAT CURRENTLY YOU ARE SPENDING IN EXCESS OF THE REVENUES THAT HAVE COME INTO THE GENERAL FUND. I KNOW THE BUDGET IS BEING MET. YOUR OBLIGATIONS ARE BEING MET BY FUNDS THAT ARE TEMPORARY. NOT RECURRING FUNDS. AND I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THE ANALYSIS AND I DON'T SEE THE CHANGES MADE, ALMOST 90% OF YOUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS PAYROLL. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING YOU CAN DO, AND THAT'S TO REALIGN STAFF. AND TO DO THAT ACCURATELY AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE STAFF AT THE SCHOOLS, THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE STUDENT TEACHER RATIO. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TO SOMETHING WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE CLASSROOM. SO THAT'S A BIG CONCERN, AND ANOTHER CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL THAT THIS DISTRICT IS GOING TO BE FINED ESSENTIALLY $14 MILLION BECAUSE OF YOUR NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW.
AND I KNOW THAT AT THE TIME, MANY PARENTS SUCH AS MYSELF AND OTHERS SPOKE AGAINST VOTING ON A MANDATORY MASK REQUIREMENT AGAINST THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER. WE SAID THAT THIS IS WRONG IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCIENCE. IT'S WRONG IF YOU LOOK AT THE ETHICS AND IT'S WRONG IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAW. NOW I KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE PHRASED IN THE COMMUNITY AND CERTAINLY IN THE MEDIA THAT DESANTIS IS BEING MEAN TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, BUT THE FACT IS HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THIS BOARD, VOTED AGAINST WHAT WAS ACTUALLY LAW AT THE TIME. AND CITIZENS SUCH AS MYSELF AND OTHERS, WE DON'T HAVE ANY RECOURSE TO HOLD YOU ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR DECISIONS YOU MADE THAT DO VIOLATE THE LAW. IF I HAD VIOLATED THE LAW, I WOULD BE HELD CRIMINALLY LIABLE. THERE IS NO OTHER RECOURSE. WE CANNOT HOLD YOU PERSONALLY CRIMINALLY LIABLE. WE CAN'T HOLD THE BOARD CRIMINALLY LIABLE.