Karen Perez: HI, I AM KAREN PEREZ, CHAIR OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL AND ADULTS THROUGH OUR WORK FORCE PROGRAM. Jessica Vaughn: HI, I AM JESSICA VAUGHN, THE SCHOOL BOARD'S VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE SEVENTH LARGEST IN AMERICA. AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT CLOSE TO 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. Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU ARE WELCOME TO MEET OR E-MAIL ANY OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS TV ON SPECTRUM 635 AND FRONTIER CHANNEL 32.
Stacy Hahn: MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETSES 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 MATERIALS CAN BE REVIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. Nadia Combs: 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. Jessica Vaughn: THE BOARD MEETING OF DECEMBER 12, 2023 IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER RENDON WILL LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Patti Rendon: THANK YOU. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU.
NOW PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Jessica Vaughn: MEMBER RENDON WILL NOW PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENT ENTERTAINMENT. Patti Rendon: THANK YOU. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PROGRESS VILLAGE MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL, VICTORIAN CAROLLERS ALONG WITH PRINCIPAL PETER MAGARA AND DIRECTOR KRISTEN FRAZAN. THESE WONDERFUL STUDENTS ENTERTAINED US PRIOR TO THE START OF THIS BOARD MEETING. AT THIS TIME, WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE THE STUDENTS UP TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. THEY ALSO ENTERTAINED US ALL AFTERNOON BY GOING FLOOR BY FLOOR IN ROSAC AND ENTERTAINING ALL OF OUR STAFF. THANK YOU SO MUCH. PLEASE COME AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES. HELLO, MY NAME IS TAYLOR ALVAREZ AND IN 8th GRADE. I AM KRISTEN NICOLE MARTINEZ AND IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM EMMA NGUYEN AND IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM CAROLYN FOYT AND I AM IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM ALEXIS MARIN AND I AM IN THE 8th GRADE.
I AM ZOE AND IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM OLIVIA ELLSBURY AND IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM AERIAL AND IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM ISABEL ROSS AND I AM IN THE 8th GRADE. GIANNA NOLAN AND IN THE 8th GRADE. ZOE AND IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM VIRGINIA JACKSON IN THE 8th GRADE. SAMANTHA IN THE 8th GRADE. MICHELLE TORREZ IN THE 8th GRADE. I AM THEIR DIRECTOR KRISTEN FRANZEN AND TEACHING 25 YEARS SO I AM IN THE 25th GRADE MAYBE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING US SHARE OUR HOLIDAYS WITH YOU. I AM SANTA CLAUS, AND I AM FROM THE NORTH POLE. Jessica Vaughn: PARENTS, COME UP AND TAKE PICTURES, IF YOU WANT. YOU GUYS WERE AMAZING. Jessica Vaughn: SO GOOD. SO CUTE. WE HAVE NO WITHDRAWN ITEMS TODAY. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS AND A SECOND BY MEMBER GRAY. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. MEMBER RENDON. AND THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. WE HAVE FOUR SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY. NOVEMBER 9, 2023, SCHOOL BOARD WORK SHOP. NOVEMBER 14, 2023, SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. NOVEMBER 28, 2023, SCORED BOARD MEETING. DECEMBER 5, 2023, SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION MEETING. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. PABLO, COULD YOU CLEAR THE BOARD, PLEASE.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER WASHINGTON AND A MEMBER BY -- AND A SECOND BY MEMBER GRAY. ANY DISCUSSION? IF NOT, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. Jim Porter: IF WE CAN TAKE A PAUSE FOR A SECOND. MISS PEREZ IS NOT PRESENT TONIGHT AND THE VOTING IS NOT ACCURATE, SO WE NEED TO HAVE PABLO CORRECT THAT. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. Jim Porter: SORRY. INTERMISSION. Jessica Vaughn: DO YOU WANT TO RETAKE THAT VOTE? Jim Porter: THE MINUTES WILL REFLECT.
PRESIDENT FIRST VOTE PASSED 6-0 ABOUT MEMBER PEREZ BEING ABSENT. THE SECOND VOTE 6-0 WITH MEMBER PEREZ BEING ABSENT. THE MINUTES WILL REFLECT THAT. YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD, MADAM CHAIR. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU BEFORE BOARD MEMBERS, THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD THAT ALL CHILDREN SHOULD BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN AND SUCCEED. OUR DECISIONS ARE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING PAVE THE WAY WITH EFFECTIVE AGENDA. BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARDS, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU ARE ASKED TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE.
MEMBER RENDON WILL READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Patti Rendon: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. IF AS WE BEGIN TODAY'S MEETING, LET ME REMIND YOU OF THE FORMAT OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME AND ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON LIVE BROADCAST ON CABLE TV AND ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT ALSO WILL BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN, 6 P.M., EMPLOYEE INPUT. PUBLIC COMMENT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND 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 THAT YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD -- THAT WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD 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 THREE MINUTES. REMINDER THAT YOUR THREE MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAK CAN. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU WILL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN. A RED LIGHT AND CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. IMNOW CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEA SPEAKERS. MARK KLUTHO, LARGO. 7.02 -- NO, 7.01, APPROVE APPOINTMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND STRUCTURAL MANAGEMENT FIRMS FOR CONTINUING SERVICE CONTRACTS. OH, SAME, SAME. NOT GOING TO GET ANYWHERE LIKE THIS. 7.02, 03, 04, 05, MORE BAD BUILDINGS. YEAH. AND SO THE KEYWORD IS "CORRELATION." THE HEADLINE, CLIMATE CHANGE WILL BE A FISCAL DISASTER. AND THE CORAL. RESEARCHERS SAY MASS MORTALITY AMID FLORIDA KEYS BLEACHING CRISES. UNPRECEDENTED LOW. ATLANTIC HURRICANES ARE INTENSIFYING FASTER, STUDIES SAY. UN REPORTS SPELLS OUT DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. C 02 LEVEL, HIGHEST IN HUMAN HISTORY. AND, OF COURSE, I HAD THIS MANY TIMES.
BETTER BUILDINGS BY DESIGN. WINSTON CHURCHHILL AND "TIME" MAGAZINE 1960, WE SHAPE OUR BUILDINGS AFTER THEY SHAPE US. THE FUTURE IS DIM. VERY DIM. OH, AND THEN THIS COLUMN IN THE SUNDAY PAPER. DANIEL RUTH. THE RICH IRONY OF MOMS FOR STUPIDITY CO-FOUNDER CAUGHT IN FLORIDA SEX SCANDAL. HA, HA, HA, HA. YEAH. DOWN THERE IN SARASOTA TODAY, THERE IS AN EFFORT TO OUST HER FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD. YEAH. THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES. YEAH. YEAH, THEY -- YOU KNOW, BUT IT IS SO TYPICAL OF THE REPUBLIC-CONS. DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO, RIGHT? Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS COLLEEN BIANUCCI, MOM OF A FIRST-GRADER NAMED VICTOR SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE AND A KINDERGARTENER WHO IS ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. MY CHILDREN ATTEND APOLLO BEACH ELEMENTARY AND ONE OF THE CHAIRS OF THE K-8 NEGOTIATE I HAVE IT AT APOLLO BEACH, TO SPEAK TO MANY FUTURE, PAST ABES FAMILY.
AS IS OF TODAY 1700 SIGNATURES OF THE IDEA OF A K-8 IN APOLLO BEACH. I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM I WANT TO MAKE SURE AS MANY VOICES ARE HEARD AS POSSIBLE. WE RECENTLY POLLED 200 APOLLO BEACH FAMILIES TO FIND OUT IF THEIR CHILDREN WOULD RETURN TO APOLLO BEACH IF GIVEN THE OPTION FOR A K-8. OVERWHELMING MAJORITY SAID YES. THOSE WHO SAID NO BECAUSE THEIR CHILDREN WERE ENTERING 8th OR 9th GRADE. OF THOSE POLLED, 75% SAID THEIR CHILDREN ARE CURRENTLY ATTENDING A CHARTER SCHOOL. IN ADDITION TO THAT, 50% SAID THEY PULLED THEM OUT BEFORE 8th GRADE TO SECURE A SPOT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL. BECAUSE SO MANY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING CHARTER AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS, EACH YEAR THE DISTRICT IS LOSING FTE FUNDS. IF WE HAD A K-8 AT APOLLO BEACH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL BE ABLE TO RECOUP A LOT OF THAT MONEY.
OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT ASKING FOR A FANCY AUDITORIUM. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR WORLD-RENOWNED SPORTS PLEX. OUR COMMUNITY IS ASKING FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL OPTION THAT ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO STAY TOGETHER FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 8th GRADE. WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO ATTEND A SCHOOL STAFFED WITH QUALIFIED, PRESENT, AND VESTED TEACHERS. WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO ATTEND A SCHOOL THAT IS FILLED WITH THEIR PEERS FROM THEIR COMMUNITY. WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO CONTINUE TO BE CHALLENGED AND TO HELP THEM BE 3R5PREPARED FOR HIGH SCHOOL. WE BELIEVE THAT APOLLO BEACH IS THAT SCHOOL. PLEASE TABLING INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT WE ARE ASKING. WHILE WE KNOW THE COST IS A CONCERN, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT WE ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH A VIABLE OPTION THAT WILL MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN JANUARY.
Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HELLO, NATALIE BAILEY. I CURRENTLY HAVE A FIFTH GRADER AT APOLLO BEACH WHO WILL BE SPEAKING NEXT. AND WE, TOO, WOULD LOVE TO SEE APOLLO BEACH BECOME A K-8. WE FEEL THAT K-12 OFFERS A GREATER SENSE OF COMMUTAL WITH ENVIRONMENT TO ENSURE THAT EVERY STUDENT FEELS THEY BELONG. WE ARE TRYING TO CREATE A NURTURING COMMUNITY TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO FIND UNIQUE VOICES AND EXPLORE THEIR PASSION. K-8 WILL ALLOW KIDS WITH MUTUAL INTERESTS CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGES LEARNING WITH THEIR PEERS THAT THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH. THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH EACH OTHER AND HAVE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE KINDERGARTEN AND AS WELL AS BEING NEIGHBORS. NOT ONLY DO THE KIDS KNOW EACH OTHER VERY WELL, US AS PARENTS DO TOO. WE HAVE GROWN WITH THESE KIDS IN OUR FAMILY AS THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. WE FEEL FAITH AS WE ARE RESPECTED AND HAVE THE SAME GOALS AND VALUES.
WE BUILT POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND OUR SCHOOL. K-8 WILL CREATE SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS IN THE SCHOOL BY EMPHASIZING ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO BE MORE ENGAGED IN THEIR SCHOOL LIFE AND FEEL CONNECTED WITH IMPORTANT ADULTS AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME. KIDS ALREADY BUILT THE TRUST WITH THESE SCHOOL'S TEACHERS AND THEIR PEERS. K-8 WOULD BE AN EASY TRANSITION FOR THEM. APOLLO BEACH IS NOT THE LITTLE TOWN IT ONCE WAS. WE ARE A GROWING COMMUNITY AND CONTINUE TO GROW WITH THE RAPID GROWTH AND CONTINUE TO SEE HOME DEVELOPING AND MANY OF THE FAMILIES MOVING TO APOLLO BEACH. IN ADDITION TO THE HOME GROWTH, INCREASE OF RESTAURANTS, FAST FOOD, GROCERY STORES, HOSPITALS, ROADS, ETC., BUT NOT PUBLIC SCHOOL OPTIONS. WE SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL OPTIONS FOR KIDS FOR OUR GROWING COMMUNITY. WHICH NEED MORE OPTIONS. THANK YOU. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HI, MY NAME IS MASON. AND I AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT LEAVING MY SCHOOL BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE MY SCHOOL. MY FRIENDS AND I TALK ABOUT HOW SAD WE ARE THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE EACH OTHER NEXT YEAR. IT MAKES ME VERY SCARED AND VERY NERVOUS. I LOVE THAT I CAN WALK ACROSS THE STREET TO MY SCHOOL FROM MY HOUSE. I MEET UP WITH ALL MY FRIENDS AND WE WALK ACROSS THE STREET AND THEN GET TO CLASS. I FEEL SAFE KNOWING THAT ALL I SNEED TO DO IS JUST WALK ACROSS THE STREET TO GET TO MY SCHOOL. I MADE SO MANY FRIEND AND I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE -- I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE THEM NEXT YEAR. MY SIXTH GRADE FRIENDS TELL ME HOW STRESSFUL IT IS THAT THEY HAVE TO SIT IN TRAFFIC ON THE WAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL.
THIS GIVES ME A LOT OF ANXIETY KNOWING THAT I HAVE TO SIT IN TRAFFIC TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND I REALLY LIKE THAT I AM ABLE TO GET HOME FAST AND PLAY WITH MY FRIENDS AND START MY HOMEWORK QUICK, THAT WAY I CAN GET GOOD GRADES AND IT BE SUCCESSFUL AND I ALSO GET TO PRACTICE MY BASEBALL. K-8 WILL HELP ME TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. CAN I HAVE THE NEXT FIVE SPEAKERS LINE UP, PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ANNIE BROOKS. THANK YOU FOR HEARING FROM US ALL TODAY. I BELIEVE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I AM A K-12 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM ALUMNI. I WENT TO LITHIA SPRINGS ELEMENTARY, RANDALL MIDDLE AND NEWSOM HIGH SCHOOL. THEN I WENT ON TO GET TWO DEGREES FROM TWO PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES, FLORIDA STATE AND THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.
I LEFT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. AND THEN I LEFT FLORIDA, BUT I CAME HOME TO RAISE A FAMILY. MY SON IS A FIRST-GRADER AT APOLLO BEACH ELEMENTARY. MY HOPE THAT HE WILL ALSO BE A K-12 GRADUATE OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF THE KIDS IN HIS SCHOOL WON'T CONTINUE THROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLING IF THINGS STAY THE WAY THAT THEY ARE. THEIR PARENTS WILL MAKE THE SAME HARD DECISION THAT MANY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE, OPTING FOR ONE OF THE MANY CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT OFFER WHAT THEY FEEL IS A SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE MIDDLE SCHOOL OPTION. THESE CHARTER SCHOOLS OPERATE WITH GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. INCREASING CHARTER ENROLLMENT CALLS A DIRECT INCREASE IN FUNDS ALLOCATED TO TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BECAUSE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING IS BASED ON ATTENDANCE. TO KEEP STUDENTS IN OUR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE NEED APOLLO BEACH ELEMENTARY TO BECOME A K-8 SCHOOL.
UNLESS THERE ARE ENOUGH LOCAL OPTIONS FOR THE NUMBER OF 6th, 7th AND 8th GRADE STUDENTS, FAMILIES WILL CONTINUE TO SELECT OTHER OPTIONS AND I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT ISN'T BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY OR THE DISTRICT. PLEASE HELP US EXPAND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL AND KEEP OUR STUDENTS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.