Nadia Combs: HI, I AM COMBS K0E78S, 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 INCLUDE CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL TO ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE FROG. Henry "Shake" Washington: I AM HENRY SHAKE WASHINGTON, THE BOARD'S VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE SEVENTH LARGEST IN AMERICA AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF 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 IN 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 CHANNEL 32.
MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. Nadia Combs: 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 ANY SUPPORTING MATERIAL CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING 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 AUGUST 22, 2023 IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL 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] Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU.
PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU MAY BE SEATED. Nadia Combs: MEMBER WASHINGTON, WILL YOU PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENT ENTERTAINMENT. Henry "Shake" Washington: YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. OUR WONDERFUL BAND IS COMING IN NOW. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BLOOMINGDALE HIGH SCHOOL DRUM LINE, ALONG WITH PRINCIPAL MARCUS RODRIGUEZ, BAND DIRECTOR JOHN JORDAN FRAZE AND DRUM INSTRUCTOR BENNETT BROWN. THESE WONDERFUL STUDENTS ENTERTAINED US PRIOR TO THE START OF THE BOARD MEETING. AT THIS POINT, I WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO COME UP AND INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND YOU REMIND ME WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. I ALMOST STARTED DANCING OUT THERE. BAND, COME ON UP. HELLO, NATALIA, I'M IN 9th GRADE AND I PLAY THE SNARE DRUM. I AM SAMMY CAMP AND IN THE 11th GREAT AND I PLAY THE TENORS. HI, I AM ALISON KENNEDY IN THE 11th GRATE GRADE AND I PLAY THE CYMBALS.
I'M COOPER SHELLY IN THE 9th GRADE AND I PLAY THE YYMBALS. HELLO, I AM ALEX ALEXANDER OQUENDO, I AM A JUNIOR AND I PLAY THE TENORS. KATE OF LYNN OF 9th GRADE AND PLAY FOURTH BASS. ELIZABETH WATERS AND I AM IN 10th GRADE AND I PLAY BASS DRUM. I PLAY BASS DRUM AND AFTER I GRADUATE PLANS TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY. THOMAS JONES AND I AM A SENIOR AND PLAY TENORS. TUCKER, AND I AM A JUNIOR AND I AM THE SNARE CAPTAIN. BRADEN ALVAREZ AND I AM A JUNIOR. I AM MICHAEL AND A JUNIOR AND I PLAY A SNARE DRUM. I AM A DRUM CAPTAIN AND SENIOR AND I WANT TO GO TO BUSINESS SCHOOL. I AM ANDRE WILLIAMS, I AM A SENIOR THAT PLAY THE CYMBALS AND PLAN TO GO CULINARY. SAMUEL AND I PLAY SNARE AND I WILL GO TO FSU AND RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2044.
Nadia Combs: ALL RIGHT, GO ' NOLES. I AM A SENIOR ON BASS LINE AND PLAN TO GO TO PREMED TRACK IN COLLEGE. I AM BENNETT BROWN AND THE PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR FOR BLOOMI BLOOMINGDALE. HI THERE, JORDAN FRAZE, THE BAND DIRECTOR FOR BLOOMINGDALE HIGH SCHOOL. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS AND AS TOKEN OF OUR GRATITUDE AND THE DRUM LINE'S GRATITUDE, WE HAVE BROUGHT YOU A GIFT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: AW. Henry "Shake" Washington: IF WE HAVE ANY PARENTS WHO WANT TO COME UP AND TAKE PICTURES, YOU CAN. Nadia Combs: YOU GUYS ARE SO TALL. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ENJOY. AS THEY I CAN LIKE TO SAY, GO BULLS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT WAS AN AMAZING WAY TO START OUR MEETING.
THAT WAS WONDERFUL. WE HAVE NO WITHDRAWN ITEMS TODAY. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY. 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. WE HAVE TWO SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY JULY 25, 2023. AUGUST 8, 2023 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
A MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ AND A SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. BOARD MEMBERS, I WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER, WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD THAT BELIEVING ALL CHILDREN CAN BE LEARN AND EMPOWER TO SUCCEED. FOR EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS TO FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTER WHICH THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND AND IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU ARE CAN ASKED TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING, LET ME SAY THAT PLEASE SIRENS YOUR DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS FOR BOARD MEETINGS. THIS MEETING WILL BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON LIVE WEBCAST ON CABLE TV ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM AND CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVES. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN HAND THIS IS 6:00 AND THAT WILL BE EMPLOYEE INPUT. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUE YOUR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD. OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND KEEP OUR BOARD INFORMED ABOUT THE DECISIONS. 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 DIRECTLY PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR STAFF MEMBER BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES.
ANY BEHAVIOR TO INTERRUPT THE ORDER OF THIS MEETING IS NOT ALLOWED. ALL CIVILITY POLICIES ARE IN PLACE. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS CLEARLY IN THE MICROPHONE.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. THREE MINUTES STARTS WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING AND 30 SECONDS LEFT, A YELLOW LIGHT AND RED LIGHT WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS. OUR FIRST SPEAKER TODAY. WELC WELCOME. THANK YOU. I AM SUSAN VIRGINIA DAVIS. AND I WANTED TO THANK THE THREE MEMBERS THAT VOTED FOR JUST. WASHINGTON, VAUGHN AND PEREZ. I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT FOR JUST. AND I AM CURIOUS ABOUT HOW MANY TEACHER VACANCIES ARE HAPPENING NOW. AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE IS AC PROBLEMS IN CLASSROOMS. BUT 14, 12 YEARS AGO I ALSO SUFFERED WITH MANY HOT CLASSROOMS AND LISTENING TO KIDS COMPLAIN AND SUFFER MANY HOURS WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING, MANY DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. IT WASN'T JUST ONE SCHOOL. AND I NKNOW THEY ARE VOLUNTARILY MANDATORY HAVING TO ATTEND SCHOOLS AND IN PRISONS, FLORIDA IS KNOWN FOR NOT HAVING AC IN THE PRISONS.
SO OUR CHILDREN DESERVE AT LEAST AC. I DON'T KNOW IF THE CONTRACT HAS BEEN SETTLED. I HOPE SO. AND I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY REPORTS IN THE NEWS ABOUT COVID. I DON'T KNOW IF COVID IS IN THE SCHOOL OR NOT, BUT IT IS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I AM TERRIFIED OF COVID. THAT'S WHY I ALWAYS WEAR MASKS. I AM A HIGH-RISK PERSON AND I AM A LITTLE OLDER THAN MOST OF YOU -- OR ALL OF YOU. SO I AM REAL SUSCEPTIBLE. I AM REALLY TERRIFIED OF COVID. SO I USED TO STAY OUT OF RESTAURANTS. NOW I AM RISKING MY LIFE TO HAVE A GOOD MEAL. BUT I APPRECIATE HOW GOOD THIS BOARD IS AND YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE SCHOOL THAT I SUPPORTED. AND I APPRECIATE THE GOOD WORK YOU ALL ARE DOING. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME IN LETTING ME SPEAK. HAVE A GOOD EVENING.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM TERESA POTTER, PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF HILLSBOROUGH AND PASCO COUNTIES AND A LONG-TIME PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCATE. FORMER MEDIA SPECIALIST, FORMER PTA CHAIR AND AN EX-ER IN THE STATE PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING. WE DECIDED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SPEAK BECAUSE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS NEED TO KNOW THE FACTS OF HOUSE BILL 1 THAT EXPANDS THE PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM. THERE IS A LOT OF CONFUSION IN OUR COMMUNITY. FIRST IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW WE GOT HERE, 2006, FLORIDA WAS THIRD IN PER STUDENT FUNDING .FLORIDA TAXPAYER IN 2006, 26 MILLION FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS. THE PROGRAM WAS NEW IMPLEMENTED IN 2001 WITH TIGHT SPENDING CAPS. 2009, SPENDING CAPS DOUBLED. PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING DROPPED TO 40th IN THE NATION. BY 2014, EXPONENTIAL SPENDING CAP INCREASES HAVE BEEN IMPROVED. INCOME LIMITS HAVE BEEN INCREASED.
AND $700 MILLION IN TAXPAYER FUNDS ARE PAYING FOR VOUCHERS. IN 2018, PER STUDENT FUNDING NOW AT 44th IN THE NATION AND TEACHER SALARIES ARE DOWN TO 47th. IN SPRING 2020, WHEN MANY WERE DISTRACTED BY SO MANY OTHER THINGS, THE 1R0U67ER PROGRAM WAS EXPANDED AGAIN. BY THE 2022-'23 SCHOOL YEAR, A, $2.5 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY AWARDED TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS THROUGH THE NOW FOUR SEPARATE VOUCHER PROGRAMS. AND FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER SALARIES ARE NOW RANKED 48th IN THE NATION WITH ONLY TEACHERS IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND WEST VIRGINIA MAKING LESS. IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ALONE, OVER $100 MILLION WENT TO VOUCHERS LAST YEAR AND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAW MASS LAYOFFS AND CONTINUED REDUCTION IN SERVICES AND COURSE OFFERINGS. WHEN HOUSE BILL 1, INCOME UNITS AND STUDENT CAPS REMOVED FROM VOUCHERS. AS OF THIS PAST FRIDAY, 25,854 APPLICATIONS OR APPROXIMATELY 206 MILLION DOLLARS IN VOUCHERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN AWARDED IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
DOWN THE AMOUNT AWARDED IN ALL OF LAST SCHOOL YEAR. IT IS NOW OBVIOUS NOT A CAP OF 20,000 STUDENTS FOR THE WHOLE STATE SINCE WE HAVE NEARLY 26,000 IN HILLSBOROUGH ALONE. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION ON THAT SINCE THERE ARE MULTIPLE VOUCHER PROGRAMS. NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO GOOGLE OF FLORIDA POLICY INSTITUTE HB 1 SUMMARY SO YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG. THESE ARE THE FOUR PROGRAMS. NUMBER ONE, FTC, THE FLORIDA TAX CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP, THE ORIGINAL. NUMBER TWO, THE FLORIDA EMPOWERFUL SCHOLARSHIP FOR UNIQUE ABILITIES. NUMBER 3, THE FLORIDA EMPOWERFUL FOR EDUCATION OPTIONS. AND FOUR, THE HOPE SCHOOL LARSHIP. ONE HAS A CAP OF 20,000 STUDENTS AND ONE HAS A CAP OF 26,500. BUT IF YOU DON'T QUALIFY FOR ONE OF THOSE, YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHED OVER TO THE ONE POT OF MONEY THAT HAS NO CAP. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.
HELLO, LOUANNE TOLBERT. I AM WITH THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AND A RETIRED EDUCATOR WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. I WILL CONTINUE SHARING FACTS OF THE IMPACT OF HB 1, THE EXPANSION OF SCHOOL VOUCHERS ARE CREATING AN UNTENABLE SITUATION WHERE ALL THE DOLLARS FOLLOW THE STUDENT AND NOT ALL THE COSTS. THERE IS NO WAY TO HOLD OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS HARMLESS. OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE FIXED COSTS FOR BUILDINGS, SPORTS FACILITIES AND UTILITIES. THERE WILL BE ONGOING BUDGETARY UNCERTAINTIES SINCE SCHOOLS CANNOT PREPARE FOR THE MOVEMENT OF STUDENTS WHO CAN LEAVE AT ANY TIME AND COME BACK AT ANY TIME. THE DOLLARS ARE PAID OUT QUARTERLY, BUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS MIGHT TAKE THAT STUDENT BACK ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE QUARTER AFTER THE FUNDS OF THE QUARTER HAVE GONE TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL OR A PARENT IF IT IS A PEP STUDENT. THE TEN-DAY COUNT TO CALCULATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AND WE ARE HEARING THAT ENROLLMENT IS DOWN IN MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS.
IF ENROLLMENT IS DOWN, WHAT IS THE CONTINGENCY PLAN TO COVER OUR FIXED COST. IF THE STATE IS HOLDING SCHOOL DISTRICTS HARMLESS, ARE THEY COVERING THESE FIXED COSTS SEPARATELY? THE TAXPAYER COSTS ARE ESTIMATED TO GROW TO OVER $4 BILLION THIS YEAR. NONE OF THIS MONEY IS GOING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE. BUT THE STATE IS LONG REQUIRED PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PAY FOR SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AT PRIVATE OR CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT DON'T OFFER THE SAME SERVICES. ARE THOSE STUDENTS WHO DECIDE TO JOIN A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEAM AS THEY ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DO REQUIRED TO PAY FOR THEIR UNIFORM, THEIR EQUIPMENT? DO THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE COST OF FACILITIES? OR ARE THEY GUARANTEED A SPOT ON THE TEAM. I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT CHARGE $7,000 TO $8,000 PER STUDENT AND PROVIDE ALL THE SERVICES OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS INCLUDING SCIENCE LABS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL, SPORTS, BAND AND TRANSPORTATION.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS DON'T PAY FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT KWOURSS FOR THEIR STUDENTS. THEIR TUITION HAS BEEN FREE, BUT DOESN'T THE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT PAY THE DUAL ENROLLMENT. AP TESTING IS ANOTHER ISSUE. YES, THE STATE PAYS FOR THE TESTS. IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY LAST YEAR, THAT WAS OVER 26,500 EXAMS AT A COST OF OVER $95 PER TEST. HOW MANY MORE STUDENTS WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EARNING FREE COLLEGE CREDITS AT THE TAXPAYERS' EXPENSE AND SHOW UP TO BE TESTED IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS IN MAY. IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ALONE, COSTS FOR VOUCHERS ARE EXPECTED TO TRIPLE TO AT LEAST $300 MILLION FROM JUST THE FES ARM OF THE VOUCHER SYSTEM. IMAGINE WHAT THOSE FUNDS COULD DO FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS DAMARIUS ALLEN. A PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATE AND THE FIRST TIME FOR A VERY LONG TIME I DON'T HAVE A KID IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS AND I WILL NOT CRY ABOUT IT, ALTHOUGH I WANT TO DEEP DEEPLY.
I WANT TO TALK OF TWO THINGS. HB 1, I FOLLOWED THIS BILL, REREADING IT HUNDREDS OF TIMES, UNFORTUNATELY ALL 100 PAGES. AND THE PERSONALIZED EDUCATION PLAN. HOME SCHOOL PARENTS DIDN'T WANT LIMITS OF WHAT TO DO AND DIDN'T WANT PARAMETERS. PERSONALIZED EDUCATION PLAN. AND 25,000 WILL INCREASE TO 40,000 TO 40,000 THEREAFTER UNTIL THE CAP IS COMPLETELY REMOVED IN 2027. PERSONALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS WILL HAVE NO LIMIT IN 2027. THEY CAN USE THIS FUNDING AND FIND IT ON AAA SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING. WEB SITE TO PURCHASE TRAMPOLINE, THEME PARK TICKETS AND IN-GROUND POOLS. I AM NOT MANAGING THAT UP. I WILL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE WEB SITE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT STUDENTS WHO ATTEND PRIVATE SCHOOLS WAIVE THEIR FEDERAL PROTECTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THEIR IEPs. WHY DON'T I READ DIRECTLY FROM THE BILL, A PARENTALLY PLACED PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENT DOES NOT HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO RECEIVE SOME OR ALL OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION-RELATED SERVICES THAT THE STUDENT WOULD RECEIVE IF ENROLLED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT.