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 PRESCHOOL THROUGH ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM. I AM HENRY SHAKE WASHINGTON, 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. OUR DISTRICT IS 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 ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. 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 MATERIAL 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. Nadia Combs: THE BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 9th, 2023, IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU.
NOW PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU MAY BE SEATED. Nadia Combs: MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENT ENTERTAINMENT. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BARRINGTON THUNDERBOLT JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALONG WITH THE BAND DIRECTOR, MR. DAVID TRIPLET ROSA AND THE PRINCIPAL, MRS. ANDREA WHITMAN. NOW, WILL THESE WONDERFUL STUDENTS PLEASE COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES. BOY, YOU ALL LOOK SHARP. PARKY SVETTI. JAVIER GOLIANDRO. MASON. JOHN REZES. EVA. DANA, ANGEL GOMEZ. NINA RUFFNER. SCOTT MONTGOMERY. ETHAN STAY. MADELEINE. ANDRE SAILOR. JAY LORE. ANTHONY TICKLES. NIA. LUKE. THOMAS CARMONA. ELIE TAYLOR. EVAN WARFIELD. SIDNEY MORRIS. MATAZ. ETHAN. JULIAN GRECO. TOMMY KRAZINSKI. KATE FREDERICK. KYLE. AIDEN. STEPHANIE. LAILA. EMILY. BAND DIRECTOR, DAVID TRIP LA ROSA. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY PARENTS WHO WANT TO TAKE PICTURES, PLEASE DO SO. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR DOING A GREAT JOB. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, STUDENTS. YOU PLAYED AMAZING TODAY. IT WAS SUCH A GREAT WAY TO START OUR MEETING. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: WE HAVE ONE WITHDRAWN ITEM TODAY. 1.02 SOLE SOURCE 22291-SSD-SK, XANEDU.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY. I HAVE 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 TODAY. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER, WE'RE A NONPARTISAN BOARD WHO BELIEVE THAT 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/OR QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK -- ACTUALLY, FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK BECAUSE WE CHANGED THAT -- 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 NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 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. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON LIVE WEBCAST, ON CABLE TV AND ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT ALSO 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. THAT IS THE 6:00, AND THAT'S EMPLOYEE INPUT. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL BE MOVING UP OUR RECOGNITION. A02, THE NATIONAL PTA SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE DESIGNATION.
MEMBER VAUGHN WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING THIS RECOGNITION. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. NATIONAL PTA SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE RECOGNITION PROGRAM OPENS THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING WITHIN SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TO MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS THAT YIELD POSITIVE, LONG-TERM RESULTS. SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING AND RECOGNIZING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN LOCAL PTSAs AND SCHOOLS TO ENRICH THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND OVERALL WELL-BEING FOR ALL STUDENTS. THE SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE PROGRAMS AIMS TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR PTAs TO IDENTIFY AND IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS, BUILD INCLUSIVE AND WELCOMING SCHOOL COMMUNITIES WHERE ALL FAMILIES CONTRIBUTE TO ENRICHING THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND OVERALL WELL-BEING FOR ALL STUDENTS AND HELP PTAs ATTRACT NEW ACTION ORIENTED PTA MEMBERS WHO WANT TO FOCUS ON THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR CHILDREN THE MOST. THE 2021 TO 2023 NATIONAL PTA SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE ARE DESIGNATED IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND WELCOMING SCHOOL COMMUNITY WHERE ALL FAMILIES CONTRIBUTE TO ENRICHING THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND OVERALL WELL-BEING FOR ALL STUDENTS.
WITH ONLY 242 SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE DESIGNEES NATIONWIDE AND ONLY 34 IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HAS 12 SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE PTA, PTSA DESIGNEES. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LOCAL UNITS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY THAT EARNED THE DESIGNATION FOR THE 2021 TO 2023 SCHOOL YEAR. WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE STAND WHEN YOUR SCHOOL IS CALLED. MARTINEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA. STEINBRENNER HIGH SCHOOL PTSA. GRADY ELEMENTARY PTA. KNIGHTS ELEMENTARY PTA. LENNARD HIGH SCHOOL PTSA. LOWRY ELEMENTARY PTA. MacFARLANE PARK PTA. MULRENNAN MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA. NORTHWEST ELEMENTARY PTA. DAVIS AND MIDDLETON PTSA. ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL PTSA. AND McKITRICK ELEMENTARY PTA. I'D ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PTA/PTSA MEMBERS. PLEASE STAND AT THIS TIME AS WELL. AMY MARIE GRANGER WELCH. ERICA HAMLIN. NORMA MAIZE. ELLEN LYONS, ANNETTE O'MALLEY, AND VALERIE LIKOTTA. IF I SAID YOUR NAME WRONG, I APOLOGIZE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND CONGRATULATIONS. YOU MAY BE SEATED. THANK YOU.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. WE WON'T BE VOTING ON THIS, BUT MEMBERS, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT, WE'LL START WITH MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT, WE COULD NOT BE MORE BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH WONDERFUL, HARDWORKING REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR PARENTS. PARENTS ARE THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR SCHOOLS, AND I HAVE TO SAY FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH AMY MARIE GRANGER, HER COMMITMENT TO VARIOUS COMMITTEES OF MINE JUST REPLICATE THE DEVOTION -- I WANT TO SAY PREPARATION AND DELIVERY TO ALMOST 38,000 FAMILIES. SO WE THINK THE WORLD OF YOU. YOU'VE WORKED HARD AND THE TESTIMONIAL IS ALL THESE WONDERFUL WINNERS. SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL DO, AND YOU DO SO MUCH. THANK YOU, ELLEN LYONS, AND SO MANY OF YOU OTHERS. THANK YOU.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MEMBER PEREZ. Karen Perez: FOR ME, I HAVE SEEN INCREDIBLE THINGS THAT YOU'VE DONE TO BRIDGE THESE GAPS BETWEEN THE PARENTS, THE SCHOOLS, AND OUR STUDENTS. YOU GO ABOVE AND BEYOND. YOU HAVE SOME FUNDS THAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT TO ASSIST THE PARENTS WITH THE STUDENTS. JUST THE INCREDIBLE THINGS YOU DO. I KNOW AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, MYSELF AS A GRANDPARENT AND AS A PARENT, I JUST THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO ON A DAILY BASIS FOR THIS DISTRICT. THANK YOU.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. MEMBER VAUGHN. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. YES, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS' SENTIMENTS. PTAs AND PTSAs REALLY CAN MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN THE TRAJECTORY OF NOT ONLY THE SCHOOL, BUT THE STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW, PARENTAL SUPPORT, ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT YOU GUYS ORGANIZE AND AS AN ORGANIZATION HELPING OTHER CHAPTERS ORGANIZE AND GET STARTED AND REALLY TEACHING THEM THE FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS SO CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS. SO FOR EVERYBODY WHO HAS DEDICATED THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO EVEN YOUR LOCAL PTA OR THE STATE OR EVEN THE NATIONAL, JUST HATS OFF. WE APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH AND CONGRATULATIONS FOR THIS.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER RENDON. Patti Rendon: YEAH, I WANT TO TAKE A MINUTE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BRIDGED THE GAP. YOU GUYS HAVE TAKEN PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND TEACHERS AND MADE THEM A PARTNER IN THIS EDUCATION THAT WE ENDEAVOR THAT WE ALL WORK TOWARDS. SO WITHOUT YOU, WE COULD NOT DO WHAT WE DO. OUR TEACHERS COULD NOT DO WHAT THEY DO. OUR PRINCIPALS COULD NOT DO WHAT THEY DO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING THAT BRIDGE THAT BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER AND ALLOWS US TO DO WHAT WE DO AND DO IT WELL. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER RENDON. MEMBER WASHINGTON. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. JUST TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT EVERYONE SAID, PTSA AND PTA ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN SCHOOLS BECAUSE YOU ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE SCHOOL. ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL, MAINLY THE PTSA AND THE PTA, YOU REALLY DO A GREAT JOB. I WANT TO THANK YOU BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A PRINCIPAL AT CHAMBERLAIN HIGH SCHOOL, THE PTSA CARRIED ME, BECAUSE THEY DID A GREAT JOB. THEY SAID, SHAKE, YOU DID A GREAT JOB. NO, THE PARENTS, AND I HAD SUPPORT THAT I NEEDED. I TRULY THANK YOU ALL. AND PRINCIPALS, YOU SHOULD BE VERY THANKFUL TO HAVE THE PTA AND PTSAs BEHIND TO YOU HELP YOU OUT. KEEP DOING A GREAT JOB AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. MEMBER HAHN. Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, CHAIR COMBS. I AGREE WITH ALL OF MY BOARD MEMBERS. YOU ALL SAID SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS. I CAN'T THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH FOR WHAT YOU DO ACROSS THE SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT. I KNOW IT'S A HEAVY LIFT FOR ALL OF US AND WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU. THANK YOU.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. I ALSO, IT'S JUST AMAZING. 12 OUT OF 34 SCHOOLS IN THE ENTIRE STATE, 12 OF THEM ARE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THAT'S JUST AMAZING. I WANT TO THANK ALL THE PARENTS. WE WANT PARENT INVOLVEMENT. WE NEED PARENT INVOLVEMENT. WE NEED MENTORS. WE NEED PEOPLE IN OUR SCHOOLS. AND I WILL SAY FOR SOME OF MY SCHOOLS WHERE THERE HASN'T BEEN A PTA, THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE STEPPED UP WHO DON'T EVEN HAVE STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL AND CREATED PTAs. I MEAN, THE SACRIFICE THAT SO MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY DOES FOR ALL STUDENTS, REGARDLESS IF THEY ARE IN THE SCHOOLS OR NOT THE SCHOOLS, I JUST WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT ON THE LIST, IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE WE KNOW HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES FOR ALL THE PARENTS AND THE INVOLVEMENT.
AND WE NEED PARENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CONTINUE BEING PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, PART OF OUR SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE OPENING OUR SCHOOLS AND WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU THERE. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR, I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR MAKING THIS RECOGNITION THIS EVENING. IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO SHOW THAT IN EDUCATION WE CANNOT DO THIS IN ISOLATION. WE KNOW THAT OUR PRINCIPALS WORK SO HARD. WE'RE THANKFUL FOR YOU BEING HERE. WE ALSO THANK YOU FOR OPENING YOUR DOOR AND ALLOWING PARENTS TO BE AN INSTRUMENTAL PART OF WHAT WE DO EVERY SINGLE DAY IN EDUCATION. AT THE SAME TOKEN, OUR PARENTS HAVE STARVED TO COME BACK AFTER COVID. I KNOW WE HAD TO PUT THEM OUT AND COULDN'T GET THERE. FINDING WAYS TO BE PROACTIVE, BUT BEING ABLE TO ALLOW US TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR THEM TO COME IN, WE NEED THEM SO MUCH.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH AMY TO EXPAND THE INITIATIVE SO EVERY ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS HAS AN REPRESENTATION OF OUR COMMUNITY SO WE CAN HELP CHILDREN EVERY DAY. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND IF THOSE MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE, THEY CAN, OR PLEASE STAY. 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 THE TIME TO BE HERE. HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR A STAFF MEMBER, BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES.