Jessica Vaughn: I AM JESSICA VAUGHN, CHAIR OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS, INCLUDING CHILDREN STARTING WITH OUR EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS AND CONTINUING WITH ADULTS THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAMS. Karen Perez: I AM KAREN PEREZ, THE BOARD'S VICE-CHAIR. OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT IS SEVENTH LARGE NEST MAKES AND WORKING AT 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. Lynn Gray: OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD ON OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM AT 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 BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV ON SPECTRUM 635 AND FRONTIER CHANNEL 32.
MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS AVAILABLE ON ALL BROADCAST AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. Patti Rendon: WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE HAVE TIME BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING AT YOUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. Nadia Combs: OUR VISION IS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIWITH YOUR HELP, WE ARE FACING DECISIONS THAT WILL SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Karen Perez: THE GOOD MEETING OF JULY 29, 2025 WILL BE CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER HAHN. Stacy Hahn: PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF REFLECTION. [MOMENT OF REFLECTION] Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU. NOW PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY AND A SECOND BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT PASSES WITH CHAIR VAUGHN AWAY FROM THE DAIS. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT CHAIR VAUGHN SAY WAY FROM THE DAIS AT THIS MEETING. WE HAVE TWO SETS OF MINUTES TO BE APPROVED TODAY, JUNE 24, 2025, SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP AND JULY 8, 2025, SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY AND A SECOND BY MEMBER RENDON. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, 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 WHO BELIEVE ALL CHILDREN CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN, TO SUCCEED, AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING. TO PAVE THE WAY FOR EFFICIENT AGENDA STATEMENTS AND QUESTIONS, 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 HAHN WILL NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT OF THE BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME THAT ALLOW ALL BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON THE LIVE WEBCAST ON CABLE TV AND ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT CAN ALSO BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE. Karen Perez: WE HAVE TWO ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN. AT 5:01, THE HEARING ON POLICIES OR BUSINESS. AND 6 P.M., EMPLOYEES AND STUDENT INPUT. Jim Porter: MADAM CHAIR, THE 5:01 PUBLIC HEARING IS ON THE BUDGET. THE AGENDA IS WRONG. BUDGET HEARD AT 5:01 AND MY RECOMMENDATION WHEREVER YOU ARE AT 5:01 THAT YOU IT BEGIN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
Karen Perez: THANK YOU. THE BOARD WELCOME COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUE YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO THE COMMENTS, WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. OUR SCHOOL BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD. WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT ANY ISSUE THAT YOU LIKE AND YOU WILL NOT BE INTERRUPTED; HOWEVER, ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO DISRUPT ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. WE REQUEST THAT YOU TRY TO FOCUS ON THE ISSUES. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE.
THIS AFTERNOON EACH SPEAK WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. REMINDER THAT YOUR THREE MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. WHEN YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU WILL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN AND HEAR A CHIME. RED LIGHT AND THE CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS OUT. I WILL NOW CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS. THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS. MARK KLUTHO, LARGO. THAT'S 5:01. NEVER SEEM TO GET THAT RIGHT. HERE IS YOUR AGENDA. AND THE AGENDA FROM THE PINELLAS SCHOOLS. THEY GET ALL THE FIGURES, THE AMOUNTS FOR THE AGENDA ITEMS. YOU USED TO DO THAT. WHY CAN'T YOU DO THAT NOW? IS THAT SUCH A BIG HURDLE? SO PATHETIC. THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, YOU HAD THAT MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE POOR PEOPLE IN TEXAS. AND AS I STATED, YOU ARE COMPLICIT IN THAT SUFFERING WITH THOSE SICK BUILDINGS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING.
FOR OVER 30 YEARS, I HAVE BEEN BRINGING THE SCIENCE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE, PASSIVE SOLAR BUI BUILDING. AND WE GET THESE HEADLINES "WE ARE HEADED INTO HURRICANE SEASON UNPREPARED." STORMS LIKE MILTON WILL STRIKE. WILL WE SEE THEM COMING? THE FLOODING IN TEXAS IS THE FUTURE. WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR -- WE MAY FEAR COMING CHANGES IN CLIMATE. BUT WE ARE ILL-ADAPTED TO THE ONES WE HAVE NOW. WELL, SEE, THE FACT IS THAT LIKE CHURCHILL SAID, WE SHAPE OUR BUILDINGS THEREAFTER THEY SHAPE US. WELL, WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS YOU ARE MAKING THE WORLD THAT WE ARE INHABITING NOW, AND IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. WHAT CAUSED THE EXTREME RAINFALL, FLOODING IN TEXAS HILL COU COUNTRY, WHY, THE HOT WATER. WHAT MAKES THE SHOT WATER? BELCHING THE CARBON. WHAT DOES THAT? YOUR STUPID BUILDING. CAUSE AND EFFECT. WHAT FOLLOWS FROM WHAT.
AS I SAID OVER 30 YEARS I HAVE BEEN BRINGING SCIENCE THAT YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE. HERE THE HEADLINE. IS GROWING UNAFFORDABLE. HAVE POLITICIANS EVEN NOTICED? I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING, BOARD MEMBERS. I STAND HERE TODAY AS A PROUD GRADUATE OF WARREN HIGH SCHOOL.
I OWE SO MUCH GRATITUDE TO THIS BOARD FOR GUIDING ME THROUGH SO MUCH, THROUGH COVID, THROUGH MEMBER COMBS' FIRST TERM. I OWE SO MUCH GRATITUDE TO MY FORMER PRINCIPAL MR. MIKE ROWAN AND MY CURRENT PRINCIPAL FOR HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THEM TO BE THE STEADFAST HAND AT THE WHEEL, I WOULD NOT BE STANDING IN FRONT OF THIS BOARD TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU. I AM SO DEEPLY THANKFUL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO. I RESPECT YOUR PROFESSION. I RESPECT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. YOUR WORK DOES NOT GO UNRECOGNIZED IN MY VIEW. BEING A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER IS NO EASY FEAT. AS A GODSON OF A FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I UNDERSTAND. AND I'M SO VERY THANKFUL THAT I AM ABLE TO STAND HERE AND I AM SO THANKFUL TO SO MANY. BECAUSE I LOVE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AN ADVOCATE SINCE I WAS 14 YEARS OLD.
AND I DO NOT PLAN ON STOPPING. I PLAN ON COMING BACK AFTER COLLEGE AND TO BE AS, SUPERINTENDENT AYRES CALLS IT, HILLSBOROUGH STRONG. WITH THAT, THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. CAN I GET SPEAKERS SIX TO TEN TO LINE UP. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING, BOARD. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE CHANCE TO SPEAK. I AM JOSE LUCENA JR. A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS VETERAN AND HERE AS PART OF THE LEADERSHIP OF MAGNIFIED VOICES, A GROUP OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CONCERNED CITIZENS AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS. I DON'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS BUT I HAVE NIECES AND NEPHEW WHOSE PARENTS WOULD BE HERE IF IT DIDN'T CONFLICT WITH THEIR WORK SCHEDULE. MY TOPIC I WOULD LIKE TO TALK IS DEFENSORING OF THE CURRICULUM IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. AS A GENERATION EX-QUEER PERSON OF COLOR, I GREW UP IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT DID NOT TEACH DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
I GREW UP IN A SEAT WHERE IT WAS NOT OKAY TO BE GAY. AS A RESULT, I WAS BULLIED MANY YEARS AND AT THE AGE OF 14 I ATTEMPTED SUICIDE QUESTION, BY THE WAY, THE SECOND LEADING COUGHS DEATH OF CHILDREN 10 THROUGH 14 YEARS OLD. GROWING UP IN THAT TYPE SOCIETY DID NOT MAKE ME STRAIGHT. ON THE CONTRARY, IT MADE ME HATE MYSELF. THE IDEA WE ARE INDOCTRINATING CHILDREN BY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IS NOT ONLY FALSE BUT AN ATTEMPT TO GASLIGHT BIGOTRY. MOST OF THESE BOOKS THAT ARE BEING BANNED ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM. WHICH CAN'T PRETEND THAT THE 14-YEAR-OLD HAS THE SAME LEVEL OF INNOCENCE AS A PRESCHOOLER AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT. 34% OF THESE BOOKS BANNED BETWEEN 2023 AND 2024 PORTRAY PEOPLE OF COLOR AND LGBTQ+ PEOPLE. ONLY 13% OF THOSE PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE DESCRIPTION OF SEXUAL ACTS ON THEIR PAGES. MOST INTERESTINGLY IS 65% OF THESE BOOKS ADDRESS VIOLENCE.
55% OF THESE BOOKS ADDRESS GRIEF. 43% OF THESE BOOKS ADDRESS ABUSE. THESE ARE VERY REAL EXPERIENCES ON A LOT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. WE WILL HAVE GROUPS THAT WILL STAND HERE AND ASK YOU TO BAN THESE BOOKS AND SUPPORT THE BANNING OF THESE BOOKS, BUT THEY WILL DO NOTHING IN ORDER TO STOP THE VIOLENCE OUR SCHOOLS OF GUN VIOLENCE. WILL DO NOTHING TO END THE DAY WHERE IS THESE CHILDREN FROM TO GO THROUGH AN I HAVE IT SCHOOL SHOOTING DRILLS. AS RATIONAL AMERICANS, WE NEED TO DO MORE TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN NOT ONLY FROM VIOLENCE BUT FROM BIGOTRY AND ISOLATION AS MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. WE NEED TO NOT ALLOCATE MONEY TO WATCHDOG GROUPS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CURRICULUM IS SENSORED BUT INSTEAD GIVE THE MONEY TO RAISE SCHOOL TEACHER'S SALARIES. WE NEED TO DO MORE. THAT IS MY ASK FROM THE BOARD. LET'S GO AHEAD AND CHALLENGE THE STATE'S BANNING OF THESE BOOKS AND THE ALLOCATION OF THESE FUNDS AND GIVE IT TO THESE TEACHERS, RAISE THE SALARIES AND PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT AYRES, RICK WARNER, FORMER CHAIR OF YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. WE ARE ALL DISTRESSED BY THE LONG-TERM INADEQUATE FUNDING OF K-12 PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OF THE LACK OF VOTER UNDERSTANDING OF JUST HOW BAD THE SITUATION IS. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RELEASES AN ANNUAL REPORT EACH APRIL ON K-12 EDUCATION WHICH RANKS THE STATES AND BECAUSE WASHINGTON IN A NUMBER OF REVENUE AND SPENDING CATEGORIES. TWO OF THE MOST PROMISING -- EXCUSE ME, PROMINENT STATISTICS ARE REVENUE PER STUDENT AND AVERAGE TEACHER SALARIES. FLORIDA HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN RANKED 50th IN BOTH AVERAGE TEACHER AND AVERAGE INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF SALARIES. FLORIDA'S RANKING IN REVENUE PER STUDENT HAD CONSISTENTLY BEEN IN THE MID-40s UNTIL THE LAST THREE YEARS. IT ROSE TO 43rd IN ' 1-'22. 42 IN '22 AND '23. 34th IN '23-'24. I SUSPECTED THAT SOMETHING WAS SERIOUSLY WRONG WHEN THE '23-'24 RANKINGS CAME OUT.
COMPARING THE NUMBERS, NEA USED TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NUMBERS, IT APPEARS THAT THE $3 BILLION OF '23-'24 VOUCHER FUNDS ARE INCLUDED IN THE ENUMERATOR OF THE NEA CALCULATION. BUT THE CORRESPONDING NUMBER OF STU STUDENTS, OF VOUCHER STUDENTS IS NOT INCLUDED. ADJUSTING FOR THE DISCREPANCY IN THE STATISTICS BRINGS FLORIDA RIGHT BACK TO THE MID-40s IN REVENUE PER STUDENT. TAMPA WOULD TAKE ABOUT $8 BILLION MORE, AND THAT'S IN EXCESS OF A 20% INCREASE TO BRING FLORIDA'S REVENUE PER STUDENT TO JUST THE MEDIAN AMONG THE STATES. THE NEA AND THE FEA HAVE BOTH BEEN ADVISED OF THESE DISCREPANCIES. TO DATE, I HAVE NO RESPONSE FROM EITHER ONE. BUT I SUSPECT THE STATISTICS WOULD BE REVISED WHEN THEY COME OUT NEXT APRIL. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HELLO. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME COMING TO ONE OF THESE BOARD MEETINGS. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY EXISTED.
BUT I FOUND MY WAY BECAUSE I HAVE HAD A DESPICABLE EXPERIENCE AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MY SON WENT THERE RECENTLY AND OFF AND ON FOR THE WHOLE YEAR, THERE WERE SERIOUS AND IMMORAL EVENTS AND ISSUES. BACK ON SEPTEMBER -- JUST TO KEEP IT IN SHORT. SO THE TEACHER, THE DUAL LINGUAL TEACHER SNATCHED THE BOTTLE OUT OF MY SON'S MOUTH WHEN HE WAS DRINKING IT. OTHER PARENTS, AND ONE OF THE PARENTS SPECIFICALLY RIGHT AWAY, SHE SAID HER SON WAS BELITTLED BY THIS TEACHER. AND HE WAS AFFECTED BY IT. I CALLED THAT AFTERNOON AS SOON AS MY SON TOLD ME AFTER I PICKED HIM UP AND CALLED THE OFFICE, WHICH WAS AFTER 4 -- OR 3:30 ABOUT. I SPOKE TO THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WAS THE ONLY ONE AVAILABLE AND I TOLD HER, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT -- THIS HAS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY.
SHE TOLD ME KIND OF COLDLY, OH, THIS MUST HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. I KNOW WHAT I RAISED. I KNOW MY SON. I KNOW WHAT I HAVE TAUGHT HIM TO DO AND NOT DO. COMMUNICATE AND TO BE ALWAYS HONEST AND BRAVE ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPEN, EVEN IF SOMETHING HE NEEDS -- NEEDS GUIDANCE FROM ME. LONG STORY SHORT, I WENT THE NEXT DAY AND I REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO THE PRINCIPAL IMMEDIATELY IN PERSON WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. MY SON WAS NOT CALLED TO SAY WHAT HAPPENED. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE SPOKE TO HER. THIS AND THAT. THERE WAS NOTHING DIRECTLY, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIED. SHE SAID, OH, GOING ON TO DUAL LINGUAL. I SAID THIS IS WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT. HE IS SMART. HE DELIVERS. NOT WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT. MY SON SAID SHE WAS YELLING UP CLOSE UP TO HIM "SHUT UP" IN SPANISH.
I CALLED AND REQUESTED A MEETING ACTUALLY AND THE PRINCIPAL SAID THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING. HE WENT THERE BECAUSE OF CHOICE. THAT IS NOT HIS CHOICE. AND I CHOSE TO TOOK HIM THERE BECAUSE I HEARD GOOD THINGS. SHE SAID THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING. I AM GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU A WARNING FOR YOUR CHOICE, BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING. CIVILITY. NOTHING TO DO WITH CIVILITY. I AM SPEAKING UP OF SOMETHING IMMORAL AND SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN. THIS TEACHER WAS THERE THE WHOLE YEAR CAUSING OTHER THINGS. I CALLED DOWN THERE TO THREATEN TO END THE CHOICE. I REACHED UP ALL THE WAY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE CHIEF OF SCHOOLS AND E-MAILED ABOUT THIS COMPLAINT. TEXTS WITH PARENTS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE TEACHER. THE PRINCIPAL THREATENED ME TO END THE CHOICE. THERE WERE MANY THINGS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. I WANT TO SAY I WILL PURSUE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WITH ALL OF THESE BECAUSE THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN.
Karen Perez: THANK YOU [APP. HI, MY NAME IS BARB KHEKE, A RETIRED TEACHER AND I LIVE IN TAMPA. I'M HERE TO ASK THE DISTRICT AND THE BOARD TO ACCEPT THE FAIR PROPOSALS FOR PAY AND RESPECT. I BELIEVE THAT THE DISTRICT DO RESPECT AND VALUE THEIR EMPLOYEES. BEST WAY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT IS TO PAY THEM A FAIR SALARY. VOTERS IN OUR COUNTY APPROVED THE REFERENDUM LAST NOVEMBER WHICH I UNDERSTOOD WAS GOING TO INCREASE SALARIES. I REMEMBERED THAT THE SLIDE ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DETAILED POWER POINT SHOWED THAT HILLSBOROUGH PAID THE SLOWEST SALARIES OF FOUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND THAT FUNDS FROM THE REFERENDUM WOULD AT LEAST PUT HILLSBOROUGH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK. THOSE SLIDES MAY HAVE FEATURED ONLY TEACHER SALARIES BUT WE KNOW THAT ESPs, EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS ALSO DESERVE TO EARN A DECENT WAGE. THESE CLERICAL AND PARAPROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES HAVE SOME OF THE LOWEST BASED SALARIES IN THE DISTRICT WHICH HAVEN'T CHANGED IN A WHILE.