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'M 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 OCTOBER 17, 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 YOU NOW PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENT ENTERTAINMENT. Henry "Shake" Washington: I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PLANT CELEBRATION, PLANT HIGH SCHOOL ALONG WITH THE PRINCIPAL KELLY. AND THE MUSIC DIRECTOR. THE WONDERFUL STUDENTS WHO ENTERTAINED US PRIOR TO THE BOARD MEETING. WE'D LIKE YOU TO COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF, PLEASE. HI. I'M KALE FRANCISCO. 9th GRADE. I'M ALEX BRITT, I AM IN 10th GRADE. I AM IN THE 11th GRADE. I AM LUKE DUNBAR, 11th GRADE. SPENCER YELLIN, 11th GRADE. ZOEY, 11th GRADE. MARRON KENNEL, 12th GRADE. VIVIAN LOCKLEAR, 9th GRADE. COLIN FENTON, 9th FRAYED. LYDIA WILSON, 12th GRADE. KYLE GOLDBERG, 11th GRADE. NICOLE, 12th GRADE. COHEN JONES, 11th GRADE. 9th GRADE. STEVEN BOSSERT AND I AM THE DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRAS AT H.B. PLANT HIGH SCHOOL. THIS IS THE CELLO CHOIR THAT PERFORMED FOR YOU GUYS.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING MUSIC EDUCATION AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TOP 100 MUSIC EDUCATION COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES. THANK YOU. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU. LET'S GET A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. IF ANY PARENTS WANT TO COME UP AND TAKE PICTURES, PLEASE DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. YOU ALL DID A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. GREAT PERFORMERS. Nadia Combs: WONDERFUL JOB. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE MUSIC INSTRUCTORS WHO DO SUCH A GREAT JOB BRINGING EVERYBODY HERE EACH AND EVERY TIME. WE HAVE NO WITHDRAWN ITEMS TODAY. I NEED A MOTION AND SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY. I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT TODAY. WE HAVE THREE SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY. SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING; SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING; SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP.
I NEED A MOTION AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. ANY DISCUSSION? IF NOT, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 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 FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARD, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU ARE 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 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. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS, ON LIVE WEBCAST, ON CABLE TV, ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. ALSO IT CAN BE VIEWED IN CLOSED CAPTION IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVES.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. WE HAVE TWO ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN. 7.01 PUBLIC HEARING, AND THEN 6.01, EMPLOYEE INPUT. I WILL NOW MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. 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 THAT COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR A 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 TWO MINUTES. REMINDER THAT YOUR TWO MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU WILL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN, RED LIGHT AND A CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. I WILL NOW CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS. IF YOU WILL LINE UP AGAINST THE WALL AND WE'LL BEGIN TODAY'S PUBLIC COMMENT. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR COMBS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT AYRES. CINDY STUART, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CLERK OF COURT AND COMPTROLLER HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND I AM A FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER AS MOST OF YOU KNOW. I'M HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF MORT ELEMENTARY AND THE LATE SAM BELL. SAM BELL AND I STARTED SOMETHING AT MORT THAT I BELIEVE WAS INSTRUMENTAL TO THAT COMMUNITY AND THE CONCEPT HAS BEEN PUSHED THROUGHOUT THIS DISTRICT, THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CONCEPT. I FEEL COMPELLED TO COME HERE AND SPEAK ON ITS MERITS AND IMPORTANCE TO THE SCHOOL ESPECIALLY THE EAST TAMPA COMMUNITY.
MORT HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION IN THE COMMUNITY. THE SCHOOL WORK DEVELOPED COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND LONG-STANDING PROGRAMMING THAT COLOCATES RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES IN ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AND ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED AREAS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WITH PRINCIPAL BROWN ANNOUNCING HER RESIGNATION A FEW WEEKS AGO FROM HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ALTOGETHER, THIS COMMUNITY SCHOOL IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE ONE OF THE BEST IN ITS RANKS TO KEEP THIS VISION MOVING FORWARD. I'M THRILLED TO KNOW THAT KELLY SNELLGROVE IS ON THE LIST TO BE CONSIDERED TONIGHT WITH YOUR AFFIRMATION AND A VOTE. I CONGRATULATE HER IN ADVANCE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. I WON'T BE DISGUISED. I'M SUSAN VIRGINIA DAVIS, A FORMER TEACHER. THAT'S SOMETHING YOU NEVER KNEW, I'M ALSO A VERY STRONG UAW FORMER WORKER. I'M A UAW WOMAN. I AM IN SUPPORT OF THE TEACHER PAY RAISES AND STAFF RAISES. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY ALL CAN LIVE A DECENT LIVING WAGE AND AFFORD THEIR RETIREMENT.
THANK GOODNESS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY, THOUGH. THAT PAYS MOST OF MY MONTHLY BILLS, THE TEACHER RETIREMENT WOULDN'T EVEN COVER MY MONTHLY HOUSE COSTS. THE SECOND THING I WANT TO BRING UP IS STUDENT SAFETY. I KNOW MOST OF YOU, AND I NEVER SPOKE ABOUT IT IN 1989 WHEN I HAD A STUDENT ALMOST KILL ANOTHER STUDENT, NOT UNDER MY SUPERVISION. IT WAS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED, AND I WAS DRIVING FROM VENICE ALL THE WAY TO PORTAL TO MY NEW JOB AS VE TEACHER. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A VE TEACHER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WHEN I SIGNED THE CONTRACT. BUT I HAD A STUDENT BANG REPEATEDLY A BOY'S HEAD INTO THE SIDEWALK AND CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE. THAT WAS MY FIRST YEAR WORKING IN FLORIDA. I WAS NOT AT THE CAMPUS. I WAS DRIVING FROM VENICE TO PORT CHARLOTTE, BUT I DIDN'T STAND UP AT ANY SCHOOL BOARD AND STRESS STUDENT SAFETY.
THE FLORIDA STATUTES DO REQUIRE ADMINISTRATORS AS WELL AS SCHOOL BOARDS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN. I UNDERSTAND AT FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL THERE WAS A BOY THAT HAD BRAIN DAMAGE. I'M ALSO ON THE PTA. HE HAD BRAIN DAMAGE. A GROUP OF KIDS BEAT THE HECK OUT OF HIM AND KICKED HIM WHILE HE WAS LAYING ON THE FLOOR AND THERE WERE LIKE 20 KIDS IN THE HALLWAYS. YOU ALL MAY HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT IT, BUT HE ENDED UP WITH BRAIN DAMAGE. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS JOSE VALIENTE. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE HONOR TO ALLOW ME TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MY GOOD FRIEND EMILEIANO JOSE SAL SEEN EASY -- SALCINES. JUDGE SALCINES IS A SON OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, BORN AND RAISED.
IN HIS LIFETIME, HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH AND HELPED SO MANY. IT WOULD TAKE HOURS TO ENUMERATE EVERYTHING THAT HE HAS DONE. I WANT TO FOCUS ON ONE PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT IS VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART WHICH IS HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH USF. EJ WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE USF LATIN COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE 32 YEARS AGO. IN THAT COMMITTEE, THE USF LATINO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM WAS BORN. THIS PROGRAM WAS CREATED TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO LATINO STUDENTS, MOST OF THEM, THE MAJORITY WHO ARE FIRST TIME IN THEIR FAMILIES TO GO TO COLLEGE. THE GRADUATION RATE OF STUDENTS IN THIS PROGRAM IS OVER 95%. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE LATINO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM HAS RAISED OVER $9 MILLION, HAS AWARDED OVER $5 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO OVER 1100 STUDENTS, AND THE ENDOWMENT WILL REMAIN IN PERPETUITY. AT THE MOST RECENT USF GRADUATION CEREMONY, USF PRESIDENT RHEA LAW AWARDED EJ SALCINES WITH HONORARY DOCTORATE OF HUMANITIES DEGREE FOR HIS SERVICE TO USF AND THE COMMUNITY.
AND IN 1993, EJ ALSO RECEIVED A DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS AWARD FROM THEN PRESIDENT FRANK BORKOWSKI. I WANT TO THANK EJ FOR HIS VISION 32 YEARS AGO FOR CREATING A PROGRAM THAT HAS HELPED AND WILL CONTINUE TO HELP MANY STUDENTS THAT NEED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THEIR EDUCATION. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO DO THIS TODAY. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, AND IF I COULD HAVE SPEAKERS 6 THROUGH 10 PLEASE LINE UP AGAINST THE WALL. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD. MY NAME IS MICHAEL ALBRITTON. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW US TO COME HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT MY WIFE, SYLVIA ALBRITTON AND HOPEFULLY CONSIDER HER FOR THE NAMING OF THE NEW PREK-8 MAGNET SCHOOL IN SOUTH TAMPA. ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK SHE'S MORE THAN JUST IDENTIFY, ONE, SHE IS A FLORIDA NATIVE AND A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
AND, IN FACT, SHE IS A PRODUCT OF THIS VERY SCHOOL SYSTEM. SHE ATTENDED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT BALLAST POINT, MONROE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND GRADUATED FROM ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL. AND GREW UP IN SOUTH TAMPA. UNTIL RECENTLY WE LIVED THERE FOR ALL OUR LIVES. SHE IS A LIFETIME LEARNER AND SPENT A LIFETIME INSTILLING THE LOVE OF LEARNING IN OTHERS. WHEN SHE GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, SHE RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND STARTED TEACHING HERE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. SHE WAS THE FIRST GRADUATE OF HER FAMILY AND SHE WANTED TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS AND SERVING AS THE PRINCIPAL AT HER ALMA MATER OF ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL WAS SOMETHING SHE WOULD CHERISH HER ENTIRE LIFE AND HAS CHERISHED IT. SHE HAS SPENT 45 YEARS AS AN EDUCATOR IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. I BETTER SPEED IT UP. SHE WAS AN INNOVATOR IN MANY -- SETTING MANY PROGRAMS. ONE I KNOW SHE'S VERY PROUD OF IS THE NJRTC PROGRAMS THAT SHE HELPED ESTABLISH AT ROBINSON AND ELSEWHERE.
I JUST WANTED TO MENTION A COUPLE OF STUDENTS THAT HELPED GET THIS WHOLE EFFORT STARTED. ONE IS AN ACTIVE DUTY COLONEL AT FORT BRAGG, STATIONED AT FORT BRAGG. ANOTHER IS AN AIR FORCE -- Nadia Combs: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. Nadia Combs: I KNOW THE TWO MINUTES GOES FAST. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON, SUPERINTENDENT AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS BIANCA GHOULSBY, FOUNDER OF TEACHING FOR THE CULTURE. I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO UPLIFT THE EDUCATORS, THE SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS, AND THE STAFF MEMBERS THAT ARE ALREADY BURNT OUT AFTER THE FIRST GRADING PERIOD. THEY NEED MORE THAN PLASTIC PINS AND MORE THAN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS. AS RENT, INSURANCE, AND UTILITIES RISE, WE NEED TO KEEP THAT SAME ENERGY WITH THE PAY. AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THESE ISSUES, OUR LINK TO THE STATE AND SOME FISCAL MISMANAGEMENT IN THE PAST, THE DISTRICT IS THE 7th LARGEST DISTRICT IN THE NATION.
THINK ABOUT THE LEVEL OF INFLUENCE THAT EACH OF YOU HAVE AS A BOARD AND AN ORGANIZATION. WE NEED FOLKS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE, TO BE TRANSPARENT, AND TO OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY IF WE'RE TRULY GOING TO PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR LIFE. WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. IF LEADERS IN OUR STATE WILL NOT DO WHAT'S NECESSARY, YOUR INFLUENCE AS A SCHOOL BOARD, AS AN ORGANIZATION COULD SHIFT THE CONVERSATION TO ADDRESS THE SYSTEMIC FACTORS IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM. MY LAST CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENT. ON NOVEMBER 6, WE ARE HOSTING A VITAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF A.I. IN OUR EDUCATION SPACES. THIS IS WHAT THE CYBER TASK FORCE, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, KAREN PEREZ, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR THAT. AS TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE, SCHOOL DISTRICTS MUST BE INTENTIONAL WITH ADDRESSING THE PRIVACY AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY CONCERNS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST. THE CONVERSATION STARTS AT 6:30 ON NOVEMBER 6 AT CHECK THE CELL PHONE.COM.
DESCRIBE TO OUR MAILING LIST TO RECEIVE UPDATES. AGAIN, I THANK YOU SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME AND ALL THAT YOU DO BUT WE REALLY NEED YOUR INFLUENCE IN THIS STATE TO MAKE A CHANGE BECAUSE OUR TEACHERS AND OUR CHILDREN DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS PATRICK CHIMINO, THE TREASURER OF THE UNITED CIVIC ORGANIZATION OF TAMPA, ALSO KNOWN AT CLUB UNICO. I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR NAMING THE SCHOOL AFTER E.J. SALCINES, A LONGTIME MEMBER. UNICO WAS FOUND IN 1951 BY MEMBERS OF THE SPANISH, SICILIAN AND CUBAN COMMUNITY TO ENCOURAGE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE INITIAL MEMBERS WERE PROMPTED TO VALUE EDUCATION BY THE WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCES. THE CLUB STARTED GIVING STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS FOR ARTS AND LANGUAGE. EVENTUALLY UNICO WAS ESTABLISHED AS A NOT FOR PROFIT AND BEGAN RAISING MONEY FOR GRANTING COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS.
IT HAS GIVEN OVER $3,350,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS -- $350,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS PRIMARILY BASED ON NEED. THESE SCHOLARSHIPS, WE HAVE ENDOWMENTS AT USF, UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA, AND THE HCC. UNICO'S PRIMARY FUND-RAISER HAS BEEN A CRAB DINNER, BUT NOW WE ALSO SPONSOR A BOCCI TOURNAMENT. UNICO IS ONE STEPPING-STONE FOR E.J. SALCINES' TREMENDOUS SUPPORT OF EDUCATION. E.J. HAS BEEN A MEMBER FOR OVER 50 YEARS AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING THE NOT FOR PROFIT STATUS. E.J. IS AT HEART AN EDUCATOR WITH AN ESTEEMED CAREER AS AN ATTORNEY AND JUDGE. HE HAS MENTORED AND ENCOURAGED NUMEROUS STUDENTS IN PURSUIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION, ESPECIALLY LAW. HE IS A RENOWNED HISTORIAN, ESPECIAL YBOR AND EAST TAMPA AND JOSE MARTI OF THE CUBAN INDEPENDENCE. HAPPENS THAT HIS FATHER'S STORE WAS NEXT DOOR TO MY GRANDFATHER'S STORE ON HOWARD NEAR MAIN STREET. IT IS VERY FITTING TO NAME A SCHOOL FOR E.J. SALCINES FOR HIS UNWAVERING SUPPORT OF EDUCATION, CLUB UNICO LENDS ITS FULL SUPPORT FOR THIS INITIATIVE.