001I ask that out of respect to everyone, please silence all electronic devices. At this time, I would like to call the meeting to order. The time is 5:30 p.m. I would like to recognize the superintendent for a series of awards and presentations. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. We do have a number of presentations, and Dr. Cara Shafty will kick us off. >> Good evening, honorable chair, board members, Dr. Moore, and esteemed guests. It's a pleasure to welcome you to tonight's awards and presentations. We'll begin this evening with a musical performance. Joining us first are Liberty Magnet School's Golden Eagle Singers under the direction of Miss Sher St. Peter. Please give them a warm welcome as they come to the front. [applause] He's kicking mullet. All right, here they come. [applause] [applause] They're still coming. >>
002Oh man. Okay, >> if you we want to go down and see. I mean, >> might sound better. [laughter] We're not looking at the back of their heads. We love every single Let us sing together. Let us sing together and all together. One and [singing and music] all together song. Let us sing again and again. Let us sing again and again. Let us sing [music] again and again. [singing] Let us sing together. Let us sing [music] together. One [singing] and all together. One and [singing] all together. [music] Let us sing together. One [music] song. Let us sing [music] again and again. Let us sing together again. Let us sing [music] again and again. One and all [singing] together in song. [music] [applause] >> We are so happy in the USA. in the heart of America.
003We get up each morning and create our new way. >> [music] >> what we [singing] want to say. We're happy USA [music] [music and singing] heart [music] of America. [music] >> [music] >> We live in a place where our dreams can [singing] come true. A country for me and for you our freedom will always shine through. [music] We're happy to live in red, white, and blue. Living in the [music and singing] heart and heart of America. We're living in the heart of the [music and singing] heart of America. We're living in the heart and heart of America. We're living in [music and singing] the heart of America. Listen to the heartbeat. [music] Listen to the heartbeat. [music] [singing] We're living in the heart of the heart of America. [music] We're living in the heart [singing]
004of heart of America. We're living [music] in the heart of the heart of America. Oh yeah. We're living [music and singing] in the heart of the heart of America. America. [music] [singing] America. America. [singing and music] America. America. [music and singing] The hearts. [applause] Thank you guys. for having us here. These students are in the club, the club that would be third, fourth, and fifth graders, and they practice once a week for 20 minutes before school. So 20 minutes before school, once a week, they're amazing. They come in this maintenance [applause] of our >> [applause] [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [applause] [applause] And we thank ourist, [applause] >> Miss St. Peter, will you will you keep them and we'll have a photo with our school board? >> Wait, they just asked us to stay here.
005>> Got to prove it happened. That was awesome, guys. >> You're really good singers. >> That was great, >> Mr. Taylor. [laughter] Sorry. >> Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. >> Hold that smile and let your families take photos. [laughter] Thank you very much. Please give them another round of applause. [applause] >> Good job, guys. >> Thank you. >> Fantastic. Congratulations. >> I know. They have three minutes. >> They're Chick-fil-A. [laughter] How fitting that it be? Just saying. >> I know, right? What a kwink. >> Yeah, I know. >> What should we sing about, guys? Oh, I got an idea. >> Next, we celebrate the creativity of civic engagement of our students. Last month, in honor of American Founders Month and celebrate Freedom Week, which was September 22nd through 26th, we invited schools from across
006the district to participate in a video challenge. Students and teachers submitted their projects to highlight the importance of our nation's founding principles. Tonight, we are proud to not only share these submissions, but also to recognize the students and teachers behind them. will view the videos in the following order. Beachland Elementary prek students from Mrs. Fletcher and Mrs. Trudy's classes, Wabaso School, and Ver Beach High School students from Mr. Pole and Mr. Wood's classes. Please view our monitors. You hold these truths to be fine. >> All brothers are created equal that they are not by their creator. Um the certain of all of right >> the monkey artif and happiness >> that is security's rights government has enlen [applause] >> [music] [music] >> Freedom can mean something different to everyone. For some, freedom is about having
007a voice. For others, it's about being able to be yourself. We asked our students here at Wabaso, "What does freedom mean to you?" This is what they had to say. >> Freedom is buying stuff that you really want. >> Not doing chores. >> Freedom is bring to your toys to come to school. >> The US Constitution is the foundation of our country's freedom. It protects our rights like freedom of speech, religion, and the right to vote. By setting rules for how our government works and making sure no one has too much power, the Constitution helps keep us free and fair. It reminds us that in America, the people have a voice and that freedom is something we all share and protect together. >> We hold these truths to be self-evident. >> All All man created
008equal. They are endowed by their creator >> with certain unalienable rights. Among these are >> liberty and the of happiness [clears throat] >> that to secure these rights. Governments are instituted among men >> deriving their just powers from the consent of government. >> [music] [music] [applause] >> Yay! [crying] >> Oh my gosh. [music] ask why climb the highest mountain why 35 years ago >> fly the Atlantic. >> Why does Rice play Texas? >> We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Because that challenge is one [music] that we're willing to accept, one we are unwilling
009to postpone, and one we intend to win. [music] >> Okay, here we go. Big one. [music] Here we go. >> It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day >> this nation will rise up [music] as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens. >> I can hear you. [music] >> Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world. The United States [music] has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. The terrorist was responsible [music] for the murder of thousands. >> The United States of America stands as the greatest nation in human history. A beacon of freedom and hope to all the world. Founded on the bold promise that every person is endowed with unalienable rights. It has
010created a republic unlike any before it. One that empowers the people, not the rulers. From the sparse of a revolution to that triumphs of innovation, [music] America has led humanity forward, pioneering discoveries, advancing liberty, and shaping the destiny [music] of nations. [music] We hold these truths to be [music] self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator in certain unalienable life. that among these are life, liberty, and consider happiness. That to [music] secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent OF GOVERNMENT. >> YEAH. [screaming] YEAH. [cheering] [applause] In honor of Americans founders month, we recognize Freedom Week, which is September 22nd through the 26th. >> And there is no better example of freedom in America than the Declaration of Independence. [music] The 13
011American colonies created the Declaration of Independence to announce that they were splitting from Great Britain and that they had the right to govern themselves. Paragraph 2, the Declarence lays out the fundamental principles of equality. For example, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. >> That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. >> That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, >> deriving their just powers from the consent of the govern. >> Freedom for me is when someone doesn't have to act or do a certain thing in a certain way people want them to do. They just have to be themselves. >> Freedom is the way to express our thoughts, rights, and liberty. And
012as a whole nation, we the people. When you have freedom, you mean you want to do something right by helping other people, helping other people, and doing charity work, and you want to help others, save lives, and and do something good for the world. >> To me, freedom is the right to be able to do things as you please without having to feel afraid of what other people might think about you. >> Freedom is the power to act, speak, or think however you want. What freedom means to me is the ability to work for whatever you would like. Um maybe share opinions without hurting others. >> Freedom is the unalable right that everyone is born with that represents in America. The capability of doing whatever one may wish as long as you follow the laws
013and don't disrupt others. >> To me, freedom is the ability to do what you want as long as it doesn't encroach on another person's freedoms. Freedom means having the free will to make your own choices, have your own beliefs, being able to control your own actions, and having a right to act, speak, and think freely. Freedom to me is being able to speak my mind and do what I want without being judged. >> Freedom is the ability to think whatever you want. You can be whatever you want. And you have free reign to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't cause harm to another individual. And it is legal. Freedom is being able to walk outside and not be prosecuted for simply existing. You can express yourself however you want to. That's what
014freedom means to me. [screaming] >> [applause] >> What an incredible display of creativity, pride, and understanding of our history. We would now like to invite all participating students to the front so we could recognize you together. Students, teachers, and administrators who helped support these videos, please join us at the front. >> [applause] >> Put the beach and stars in the front. >> Oh my gosh, you're so cute. Smile for your families. Fantastic. Let's give them another round of applause. [applause] >> Finally, we have a very special recognition this evening. At this time, I will turn the program over to our chair to present this honor. So, >> let me let me um So, our chair is actually home after her second knee surgery. So, we would like to turn it over to her to set
015this item up and um doc chair doc well chair doc [laughter] will present it from there. >> Uh thank you for this opportunity. I hope you can hear me. Okay. Um I think when an employee goes above and beyond to get extra training um we it should be recognized and so the FSBA which is the Florida School Board Association has offered training for executive assistants across the state and our own Mrs. Mor um underwent the first I believe cadre of people that went through the training and graduated, got her certification and uh that empowered her to be able to learn more about her job and to help us as a board. And so for that, I'd just like to recognize her extra efforts. Thank you so much, Miss Mor. >> Thank you. [applause] All right.
016Good evening, everyone. It is my pleasure to recognize Dorian Mo, executive assistant to the school board for an outstanding professional achievement. Dorian has earned the Florida School Boards Association Certified Support Professional Designation or CSP. This distinguished honor recognizes schoolboard support personnel who demonstrate exceptional dedication to professional growth and service to public education. By completing the program's rigorous training, Dorian has shown an extraordinary commitment to excellence in her role. She will also be teaching training efforts for other support professionals across the state, sharing the knowledge and setting a high standard for others to follow. As FSBA members services specialist Carolyn Sanders has said, support professionals are often the unsung heroes of our school systems. The CSP designation reflects an individual's proactive investment in their work and their commitment to their school board and district. To commemor
017to commemorate this achievement, a plaque will be presented to Dorian, Miss Mo, we invite you to join the board at the front in a photo opportunity. And on behalf of the school board and the entire In River School District, we congratulate you, Dorian, and thank you for your professionalism, dedication, and the vital role you play in supporting student success. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Get up. Come on. Come on. >> I'm allergic. >> You want me to hold your [laughter] >> Good evening board members. Dr. Moore, Dr. Jacobs and esteemed colleagues. I stand before you today and with deep gratitude and humility upon receiving this certification and recognition. It is not only a personal milestone but a reflection of the incredible support system I've been fortunate to have throughout my career. My journey in education
018began in Lone Branch School District in New Jersey where I spent eight years working in the superintendent's office. I later continue in private education with St. Edward School in Vero Beach where I served for 19 years. During that time, I had the privilege of working under amazing and encouraging mentors Mr. George Catchbone, Mr. Bruce Wter and Mr. Michael Murky who not only saw me as their executive assistant, but as family and for that I will always be grateful. Their belief in me and their guidance is what ultimately led me here to the school district of Indian River County. First, I want to sincerely thank Dr. Moore, our superintendent, and Dr. Jake Cubs, our chief of staff, for choosing me to be part of your team. Your confidence in my work and your continued support in
019my professional growth have meant more than words can express. You've created an environment where learning, collaboration, and excellent are not just encouraged are not just encouraged, but they are expected. I'm proud to contribute to that vision. To our school board members, thank you for your unwavering support and guidance. I deeply appreciate the time you've taken to answer all my questions and help me better understand the intersection of education and government. Your insights have been instrumental in my growth and have inspired me to continue learning and contribute and contributing meaningfully. I would remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful team of colleagues across all departments who made me feel at home from day one. Now two years and three months later, I can still pull on any of them without any hesitation and know that they
020will provide assistance. That kind of camaraderie and support is rare and I truly cherish it. Saving the best for last. I want to recognize my family who is here with me tonight. Especially my husband Louie, my daughters Stephanie and Louisa. Louisa is watching on live stream from Georgia. They have been my few and greatest cheerleaders in pursuing my educational and professional goals. I also want to acknowledge my sisters Betsy and Millie who could not be here tonight due to work responsibilities. And the most important person in my life, me, mommy, my mom, Maria, who just turned 93 on October 23rd [applause] [applause] and she has been at every graduation, presentation, recognition, awards in my entire entire life and this is another one of them. [applause] I am truly blessed and privileged. And in closing, this
021recognition is not mine alone. It belongs to everyone who has mentored me, believed in me, and helped me grow. I look forward to continuing to serve with integrity, enthusiasm, and a a deep respect for the work that we all do together in the Indian River School District. Thank you for the honor. [applause] >> Dr. Dr. You can hold >> true. Sorry. Come on. >> I'm gonna take one more and perfect. Got it. [applause] Congratulations. >> So cute. >> I love it. >> Thanks for coming. >> Congratulations. >> Thanks for coming. Madam Chair, um that does conclude the the presentations. I do see our our sheriff in the back. Um when you see the sheriff, you always get nervous like why is he here? Um but I just want to thank him for all of his
022support, hard work, um and partnership. Thank you so much for everything. >> Thank you. [applause] >> All right. Um we're going to start. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> Yeah, sure. >> Hi. Thank you. I just want to say officially, I know I've said it to all you guys. I know we're going through a very public battle. Obviously, >> Mike m maybe. Is that it? There we go. Hey, I know that uh we've been going through a very public budget battle and I just want to say I've said it to all you guys in private, but I want to say in front of everybody else, protection and safety of our kids are the utmost importance. It's our number one priority and at no time will there ever be any compromise on the safety of our our
023school kids, our schools, our teachers and everybody. So, thank you guys for all that what you do. Thank you for allowing me to come speak for a minute. Have a great night tonight. Thank you. >> Thank you, Sheriff Flowers. Thank you. [applause] >> All right, we're just going to take a minute and then we're going to start with our invocation in one minute. Our invocation in one minute. Thank you. member. Please give that to our wonderful executive assistant Dorian my please stand for the colors and the presentation by Sebastian River High School led by Commander Peter >> Besinette [snorts] forward left march March left color guard counter march march left right left right color guard present colors To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one
024nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. colors. Ready? Cut. Colors. Ready. Cut. Post. Colors. March. Post. colors and salute. Ready to pose colors march [snorts] forward. Left right. [applause] Thank you very much. Sebast River High School ROC Peter Besinette. We appreciate you. All right. Our next item on the agenda, board members, adoption of the orders of the day. Board members, are there any items any board member wishes to move from consent to action? >> I would. >> Thank you, Mr. Rosario. Item number in the topic, please. Item number uh consent E 5E uh resolution approval of technical corrections to board policies. Thank you very much. Any other item move from consent to action? [clears throat] >> Okay. >> No, that's it. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> Sorry. >> Any item added for
025discussion? Board members. >> All right. We're good to go. >> Call for a motion to accept the adoption of the orders of the day as amended. >> So moved. >> Thank you, Dr. Pasca. Second. >> Second, >> Miss Rosario. Discussion. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Thank you, Miss Baronborg. Okay. Carries five to zero. Thank you very much. All right. Our next item on the agenda, we have the parental rights and appreciation month proclamation. Dr. Moore, I'm turning it over to you. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I will turn it over to Dr. Shafty to have our proclamation read. Dr. Shafty. >> Thank you, Dr. Moore. Uh, this board first adopted on June 10th, 2024 the first of its kind parental rights and appreciation proclamation. This evening, it is my honor and
026privilege to introduce two fantastic parents from Liberty Magnet School who will read this proclamation before the board. Uh, Miss Miss Annalie Vieiraa and Miss Katie Carmax. Please join us at the podium. wouldn't be parents without kids, right? [laughter] >> All right. A proclamation to affirm the commitment of the school board of Indian River County to the fundamental rights of parental and legal guardians to direct the education of their children and designate the month of October as parental rights and appreciation month. Whereas parents and legal guardians are in the best position to know their own child's needs and circumstances and therefore should maintain authority over all decisions that could impact the health and well-being of their children. And whereas the fundamental right of parents and legal guardians over the upbringing of their children have been unequivocally
027established in the United States. And whereas the school board recognizes sections 1014.01-00006 01- 06 Florida statutes titled parents bills of rights which empathetically states in that the legislature finds that in the fundamental rights of the parents guardians to direct the upbringing education and care of their minor children. The legislature further finds that important information relating to a minor child should not be withheld either inadvertently or purposefully from his or her parent or guardian, including information relating to the minor's child's health, well-being, and education while the minor is in the custody of the school district. and further states that in the state, any of its political subdivisions, any other governmental entity, or any other institution may not infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent or guardian to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental
028health of his or her minor children without demonstrating that such action is reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest, and that such action is narrowly tailored and is not otherwise served by a less restrictive means. And And whereas the school board recognizes its duty under section 10001.428C, 42 8C Florida statutes to adopt procedures for notifying a student's parent and legal guardian if there is a change in the student services or monitoring related to the students mental, emotional or physical health or well-being and the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student. in order to reinforce the fundamental right of parents guardian to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children as described in section 100001.428C1 428 C1, Florida statutes. And whereas the school board believes that
029all academic success begins by embracing these fundamental parental rights in our educational institutions. And whereas it is essential that parents and legal guardians voices are respected and incorporated into the development of ACA of academic curricula to ensure that their children are receiving an appropriate education. [snorts] And whereas the school board believes that education must focus on academic subjects and without exception should not include personal bias, personal political opinion or indoctrination. And whereas the school board believes that any parent and legal guardian has the right to see and evaluate all surveys, data collection, and phys and psychological profiling before they are administered to their students, children, and that parents, legal guardians have the right to opt out of any or all such testing, survey participation, and/or data collection. And that sections 1014.01 01-06 and 100003.425 Florida
030statutes establish numerous rights for parents and legal guardians in this regard. Therefore, be it resolved that the school board affirms our commitment to honor, celebrate, and appreciate parents legal guardians as well as the fundamental right of parents legal guardians to direct the well-being and education of their children. and all employees will uphold the traditional partnership between teachers, students, and parent legal guardians by directly communicating with and involving parents legal guardians in the education of their children. Now, be it proclaimed that the school board of Indian River County, Florida, designates the month of October as parental rights and appreciation month. >> Thank you parents for reading that proclamation. I was informed that Patty Sullivan, who is the president of Parental Rights of Florida, is here for the reading of that. So, thank you for for joining
031us. Uh we appreciate that. Give him a round of applause. [applause] And this is something unique to to Indian River County. I I through social media as we share out the work that we're doing, I had a number of inquiries from other superintendent um and their staffs and the other Treasure Coast District. So, I think we're starting something here. So with that, Madam Chair, I'll turn it back over to you for >> Dr. Mayor. >> Yes, I was with any board member before we vote on this proclamation. >> Yes. Um I just I'm grateful that Patty is here. Patty Sullivan is um the leader in the movement of parental rights. She I think it started more than 10 years ago. I may have it a little bit wrong, 12 years ago with a paragraph. Um
032it is the perfect visual uh the perfect understanding of how citizens play a role in government where a citizen had a concern brought the one paragraph may have it wrong. Please forgive me if I get any of this wrong to um her representative at the time and um now we have a parental rights bill. uh many years um of hearing no but persistence brought us to this place where we are right now and now we have an entire state in favor of um protecting parental rights um and the upbringing of our children. [clears throat] Um, I will say that along with uh Patty uh of course is uh our Senator Erin Gro who was really the one who took Patty's suggestions and kind of um brought us to this place. So, Dr. Moore, last year
033when I brought this proclamation forward, um it was we were the second district in the entire state. Um >> first >> second, there was another one before us, but that's okay. we will we will take that honor if we need to. Um and now we have some other districts that are following suit. So when you said that we would uh lead the way um I still claim it. We are leading the way. Um and so thank you Patty for all of your uh work in this effort in this in this uh push for pro protecting parents and their rights. I will say that you are right Dr. more in that Indian River County is unique because um both Patty Sullivan and Erin Gro of course are from Indian River County. So we hold great pride
034in something is happening here. Um and so we're just grateful for that. Thank you, >> Dr. Pas. Yes, [applause] >> Dr. Pasca. Yeah, I would just like to also thank Patty Sullivan and her husband for the years of dedication and hard work um to get that bill passed, which is really their bill and it was uh developed by them uh through great research and communication with other people and um it it is a bill for everyone and every parent. uh and it protects our rights in a way that unfortunately we need in America right now um because they are under attack uh every day and we've seen it over the last several years especially. So, thank you for protecting us. Um we appreciate you. >> Thank you, Mr. Dyer. Any words? >> Just thank you.
035I think it's a great bill and thank you for all your efforts over 12 years. Thank you to all of our parents out there who come to our schools on a regular basis, whether you're volunteering, reading to students, whether you're in our PTA, our SAC teams, our athletic boosters, every day. I think you make a difference in our our community. So, thank you very much. So, board members, I'm going to call for a vote to to approve the parental rights and appreciation proclamation. Do you have a motion? Make a motion. >> Second. >> Thank you. All in five favor say I. >> I. >> Okay. Vote carries 5 to zero. Thank you very much. Thank you for being here. All right. Next is a report from the superintendent. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. And if
036it's okay, I will take them out of order. So, I'll start with B, which is a tribute to the life and contributions of Joe N. Idollet Jr. Uh, and if that sounds familiar, uh, that is the name of this building uh, and a legend in our community. and we found out earlier this week um while the chair was actually in surgery um that Joanne Idollet had passed away. So as a member of a big family, we're here to acknowledge uh the impact that individual and that family has had on the Indian River community. So Doc, I'll turn it over to you. >> Good good evening to everyone. A special welcome to the Idollet family. Thank you very much for being here. Many of you may know that Joe N. Idollet Jr. passed on Tuesday, October
03729th. And tonight, we would like to pay tribute to this very, very wonderful man. Mr. Idollet, a legacy of leadership, service, and equality. Mr. Idollet was born and raised in In River County in 1933, where his lifelong commitment to education and community service first took root. He attended Gford Elementary School and later graduated from Gford High School, institutions that would later benefit profoundly from his visionary leadership and advocacy. Following his graduation, Mr. Idollet was drafted into the United States Army where he honorably served as a motion picture photographer during the Korean War. His time and service reflected the same dedication, discipline, and excellence that would characterize his life's work in education and civic engagement. In 196 In 1974, Mr. Idollet made history by becoming the first black individual elected to the Indian River County School
038Board. Over the course of two decades, he distinguished himself as a steadfast advocate for educational equality, integrity, and progress. During his tenure, he served three terms as board chair and several additional years as vice chair, guiding the district through periods of significant growth and transformation. His leadership extended beyond the local community. Mr. Idolad held the esteemed position of the president of the Florida School Board Association for one term and represented the state as a delegate to the National School Board Association on three separate occasions. His influence and insight helped shape educational policies both within Florida and on the national stage. Among his many achievements, Mr. Idollet's most profound contribution was his unwavering pursuit of equal educational opportunities for all students. In 1964, he courageously filed a lawsuit challenging the segregation of schools in Indian River
039County. His determination and commitment to justice culminated in a historic victory when in 1968, the courts ordered the integrogation of the county's public schools. Through his leadership, perseverance, and moral conviction, Mr. Idollet helped pave the way for generation of students to learn and thrive together, regardless of race or background. Mr. Idollet was widely respected for his wisdom and insight, often reminding others that the only thing that is more expensive than an education is ignorance. This guiding principle reflected his lifelong belief in the transformative power of learning and the profound responsibility of communities to invest in their youth. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, the boardroom of the school district of Indian County was dedicated in his honor in 2018. A lasting tribute to his vision, leadership, and unwavering service. Beyond his public achievements, Mr. Idollet's
040personal life was equally rich and inspiring. He shared 71 years of marriage with his beloved wife, Mrs. Bernice Idollet, and together they raised six children, building a family grounded in love, faith, and service. May the legacy of Mr. Idollet, a trailblazer, educator, and advocate for equality, continue to inspire the people of In River County and beyond for generations to come. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Dr. Mo, we're just going to have one member of the family say a few words. Jennifer Idollet if she wants to come. [snorts] >> Superintendent of the board. >> It's not on. You're good. >> Oh, might work. I think I started here. >> All right. Good evening, Superintendent Moore, members of the board, and all those present tonight. On behalf of the Idollet family, we sincerely thank you for taking
041the time to honor and recognize our father, Joe N. Idollet, Jr. As you've just heard, our dad passed away on Tuesday, October the 21st, at the age of 92. And while our hearts are heavy, we are deeply comforted to see this legacy remembered here tonight in the very place where he dedicated so much of his life's work. My father believed deeply in the power of education to transform lives. He served this district with courage, conviction, and compassion. Always striving to ensure that every child, no matter what their background, had an equal opportunity to succeed. His years on this board were not just a position of service, but a calling of purpose and faith. To see his efforts still recognized today is a testament to the lasting impact he made on this community and the generations
042that followed. We are truly grateful. Thank you for continuing the work that he held so dear serving students, uplifting families, and building a stronger, more equitable Indian River County. May his spirit of service and faith continue to inspire us all. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] [applause] Tommy was right there. Sorry for your loss. >> So sorry for your loss. [applause] >> Megan, you want switch out the Yeah. >> All right. Thank you very much. Um, we're going to continue now with citizen input. >> Oh, super. I have one more. >> I'm sorry, Dr. I'm sorry. >> All right. So, the the remainder of the report is a a recap of last month. It has been an extremely busy month in the school district of Indian River County. Now, it's going so fast. Uh, October 1st
043was the community leaders breakfast. Uh, a number of our board members were there. Uh, United Way is an absolutely outstanding organization that that we support uh and they support uh the totality of our community. So, it was great to be at that breakfast with so many community leaders. Our moonshot series October 2nd was absolutely amazing. Uh we filled the performing arts center. there wasn't an open seat in the house and it was the opportunity to have a sneak peak of the documentary of the work that's happening uh through our moonshot partnership with the learning alliance in the impact that we're having in terms of making sure every student uh or 90% of our students by third grade are reading proficient. So, uh they are taking notice of the work that we are collectively doing. Uh
044it is has been homecoming month. This is the parade at Sebastian. We we've had to reschedu um Vero Beach, but that was me, Doc, and Bruce taking the walk with the administrators at Sebastian River Senior High School. And then we had Wire tolearn fast. We had a number of districts over the course of the last three weeks visit Indian River County. This was a sharing opportunity with Highlands and Semino County. They both came down. Actually, that wasn't Highlands. That was Citrus that came down. It was citrus and um it it was citrus. >> It was citrus and flaggler. So, he completely threw me off on both of those schools, but they they've they've both been here. Um and then I had the coffee with the mayor the opportunity to present an update on the school
045district, uh where we are and where we are going. Uh, Hispanic Heritage Month was September 15th through October 15th and just a number of events throughout our county. Uh, love the food there. At October 10th, that was the homecoming game and we had a I don't know what kind of jet was it? Was it a MIG behind me? What was that? Fly over at at Vero Beach homecoming game was absolutely outstanding. And then a day of caring, which I'm still recuperating from, but so many of us at um Pelican Island Classical K8. Uh the district office all met there and we put in a day's worth of work and did a number of upgrades for that school. And then we know it was valued when the students came back the next day. Here's a picture
046of them uh just at all of all of the upgrades that we were able to to put in at that particular school. And then wired to learn fast which this was dataccom and this is when highlands was with us and they had the opportunity to sit in uh and evaluate how we do uh this data focused conversation to improve instruction across the system. So we were glad to have them there and the crown jewel thank my staff and doc for coming out um because this is a lot of running to pass out the award the awards from one five yard line all the way to the next five yard line. So, it was absolutely easy this year because I had a whole bunch of support there and the performances um absolutely outstanding. Um we all
047know Vero Beach is is is continuing to grow. Uh so we were able to watch their performance and they did not compete. They were the host school but Sebastian did compete and they you see all the awards standing in front of them. Um they did absolutely outstanding. Uh we had our delegation day, had the opportunity to present on our concerns that we want uh our legislators to address back in Tallahassee and shared a number of those concerns that same evening at City of Sebastian. And then um this is another two districts that came in and this is Sarasota and Martin County uh who came to look at the work that we're doing on how we created our Pelican Island Classical Magnet. So it was great uh for our team to to walk them through that
048process uh as they are going to be replicating the work that we have done and we certainly pointed out the adoption process for curriculum to make sure that they got that correct. Um the very next day was uh the town of Indian River Shores once again providing an update to Indian River Shores uh and sharing uh our concerns as well as our um growth over the last year. And then what was military appreciation day last Friday? The same MIG flew over the flew over much lower. Uh absolutely outstanding fun military game for for them. Uh and they're looking forward to hopefully going to the playoffs. And that is the month in review. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Moore. All right. Now we will go into citizen input guidelines. These are the procedures for public
049input according to the school board policy 169.1. During regular business meetings of the board, the board offers the following two opportunities for the public to provide input on an agenda item, consent and or action prior to the board talk taking official action on a proposition and two during the public input section just for general items. For those who are watching, please understand that though we have established proper proper decorum and expectations of professionalism when it comes to individuals who wish to provide public input, this is a live broadcast. Each individual speaker shall be allotted up to three minutes during public input and up to three minutes to an item on the consent agenda and/or action agenda as indicated on the order of business as it exists at the time the meeting starts. The time period
050may be adjusted by the presiding officer. Individuals may only speak once about a given item. Individuals who have filled out the speakers form are allowed to address the board. Individuals may not delegate their allotted time to speak to other individuals. If an item is moved from either the consent agenda or discussion agenda in the action agenda, individuals will have the opportunity to speak to the item prior to a vote on the board. During the meeting, please refrain from clapping or outbursts of any sort so that we can protect with dignity and decorum by not infringing on any individual's first amendment rights in the limited public forum setting. As the board members listen to individuals without interruption, individuals are asked to give board members the same respect. Board members may or may not address any individual
051statement at the end of the public input comments. I will be recognizing and calling up individuals two at a time in the order in which a speaker forms were received. The first individual will be called to the podium to speak and the second individual will be in the line to speak. The executive assistant to the school board will be the official timekeeper and the time shall start when the speaker is at the podium. As you will see, the time clock is visible to your left on the deis. You will hear a beep at the end of your three minutes. If you have anything to give to board members or the superintendent, please do so through our executive assistant, Miss Mo. Our first speaker is May Asencio, followed by Dr. Margie Flanigan. Everyone listening today, if
052you can imagine that a new law was passed and very few legislators seem to have reviewed it before voting on it. And few people paid attention to it once it passed. But the new law would allow me to move into the empty bedroom in your house, but not as a tenant because the tenant would pay rent and their share of the expenses. Instead, I would give you a roll of toilet paper every month, and you, the homeowner, per this new law, would have to cook and feed me, clean my room, change the placement of outlets on the wall to my specs, pay for the electricity and water that I use, and if I get bored of that room, provide another unoccupied room for me at no cost. Wouldn't you try everything that you could to
053change that law? Well, I'm speaking today because there are changes to state Senate Bill 2510 that took effect this year that has similar mandates but on our schools. The more I heard, the more I realized that the organization called the school of hope has been given too much power in this bill. This organization can request to take over a school, make it a school of hope and implement their program. It is called colllocation. One of the recent changes in the law would allow schools of hope to be able to request collocation within a school that has decreased enrollment or are failing. Now, none of our schools are failing, but we do have schools that are low in enrollment. So, there are many counties in Florida that are at risk for School of Hope taking over
054their facilities. The bill is allowing an NGO, Schools of Hope, to use our facilities and receive services at no charge to them. They only need to pay for the teachers that they hire. And you may be asking, well, what curriculum would they use? Well, it is not known other than it does not have to be the one that our county uses. They're not required to tell us, providing us with little to no transparency. What services are they entitled to under this law, you may ask? Well, pretty much everything needed to run a school. Cafeteria, student resource officer, nurses, transportation, if they want to open for summer school or even on a weekend. and I and Indian River County schools are not open. We still must provide those services for them during that time per this
055law. They will use our tax money to be in our facilities and run their classrooms, taking away funds from our schools and our students, but have no accountability to us. They will be getting charter funds, School of Hope funds, and our tax dollars while having minimal operational expenses. We'll be paying for that part. I'm saying all this to encourage everyone here and online. Please contact your state legislators and state senators before the January legislation session begins. Tell them to remove the collating and no charge sections of this law. This is a nonpartisan issue. No NGO should be given this amount of autonomy and power over our schools and school funding. Please let us all work together to get this law changed. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Asencio. Dr. Margie Flanigan, followed by Margaret Murray.
056Good evening. I'm Dr. Margie Flanigan, chair of Education Champions. Tonight, I'm here to oppose the recently passed expansion of the Schools of Hope that allows private charter schools to colllocate in existing public schools at local district expense. While we know our board and district have strongly voiced their concern about Pelican Island Classical Magnet being targeted for colllocation, we have many parents and community members unaware of the devastating impact the bill has on our state's public schools and the students and families served. As background, the Schools of Hope expansion passed on June 16th at 10:00 p.m. on day 105 of a 60-day legislative session and was slipped into the budget package, sideststepping the normal vetting procedures for legislation. A similar proposal had already died during the regular session. This month, Florida school districts began receiving letters
057from private charter schools announcing plans to colllocate within district buildings. Districts have a mere 20 days to object and very limited grounds to do so. Our district received a request for Pelican Island and has until November 11th to respond. It can be confusing, but the School of Hope legislation and Florida Board of Education's new rule allows private operators to seize public school space even in successful schools with no accountability, no transparency, and no local say. Additionally, it allows charters to double dip, accepting shares of the $5 billion a year voucher program and then providing charters operational costs at the expense of our underresourced school districts. It takes more than three minutes to describe the myriad ways charter expansion harms our district, students, families, and communities. But I urge all parents and community members to oppose
058the new rules and ask Florida legislators, including our local representatives, to repeal this egregious out overreach that benefits private, often politically connected interests at taxpayer expense. Today, it's Pelican Island. next. It could be any of our neighborhood schools. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Flanigan, Margaret Murray, and then Arlene Jameson. Good evening. My name is Margaret Murray, vice chair of Education Champions. Tonight, I want to speak directly about Schools of Hope, the takeover plan, and what it really means for our community. Thankfully, our school board has spoken with one voice, unanimously asking county residents to contact legislators and voice their opposition to this takeover plan. Let's be clear, this is not an isolated event. It's part of a systematic effort that started by drawing draining money from our public schools through the voucher program. a
059program that now costs billions of dollars with no oversight and no accountability hidden under the name of scholarships. Let me explain. Vouchers are projected to reach $5 billion uh in the 2024 2026 Florida budget. Yet 70% of voucher recipients never attend public schools. They were already enrolled in private schools. Only 13% transition from public schools. So it's no surprise that the next step is now unfolding. Charter schools jumping at the opportunity to take over schools that belong to our community. Tonight, I especially want to speak to parents that whose children attend our schools and and Pelican Island Classical Magnet and those parents on a waiting list to get into this school. If you band together, speak out and make legislators know that this is not right, the law can be reversed. If this isn't disrupting
060and dismantling public education, then I don't know what is. No business person alive would call this fair. No one could look at this takeover and not say it's all about profit. And this is not what the taxpayers of this state and of this county want. Our neighborhood schools belong to our children and our community, not to outside interest. Let's fight together to keep Indian River County schools ours. Thank you. >> Thank you, Arlene Jameson. And then Dana King. >> Good evening. I'm Arlene Jameson from the Education Champions of Indian River County. October was kind of a tale of two movies month. So, two very different documentaries, but there was a common thread between them. Reading. As you heard, the Moonshot film was encouraging, inspiring, even joyful. Not to mention the very cool socks Dr. Moore
061had on during his interview. But really, all of you, the board, Dr. Moore, the teachers, staff, and the learning alliance are to be congratulated and should be so proud of how far you've come. The second film called Band Together was not so positive, as some of you are aware. Not to beat a dead horse, but apparently Florida still has the dubious distinction of being the number one state for banned or do I need to say relocated books. Kind of reminds me that we're supposed to call vouchers scholarships. Now, it's just truly cha shameful that right next to us in Bvard County, a teacher was faced with death threats and protesters across from her home trying to intimidate her and her family. There was a bright spot in that movie, though. The three high school girls
062who took it upon themselves to fight back and increase awareness. They attended PEN America conferences, law schools, colleges, and other schools across the country. It's truly too bad that band together can't be shown in our high schools, but I I understand why. In closing, the education champions have been writing and calling the powers that be in Tallahassee to plead against defunding programs for special needs students, school meals, after school activities, and the like. Whether they're listening or not is another story, but at least they know we're paying attention. If there are any suggestions for what else we should pursue, please let us know. But after reading the article in 32963, I guess it's obvious we'll get on it as well as try to spread the word to encourage others to make their voices heard against
063this terrible bill. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dana King, followed by Zachary Wagers. >> Good evening. Uh, I bring to you a heartfelt concern that starts with this question. Why does the district approve and most likely pay for school resource officers who are beholden to 287G? What is 287G? The Indian River Sheriff's Department is a signator of the Immigration and Nationality Act section 287, meaning that every school resource officer is deputized by Homeland Security to work under the the supervision of ICE with the authority to arrest and detain potential immigration offenders on behalf of the administration, prioritizing the work of the feds over their duty to our children. What is the issue? Well, the need for security for our children is paramount. Florida ranks in the top three states for school shootings according to Statista.
064But how safe are hundreds of children who speak with or without an accent, who have brown or black skin, or simply look like they're immigrants? That's all it takes to be detained and or arrested. Their parents the same thing. Their grandparents the same thing. Who is better positioned to know maybe more than they should about the children in the schools that and their family's immigration status than the Indian River School District Reserve officers? What if we did the following to help our kids feel safe and actually be safe in schools? What if the school district stopped using and paying the sheriff's department at the end of their contract as a primary resource for safety? And what if we hired private security? And please, the days of the Pinkerton Safety Patrol are way past. Think about
065the security that protects multi-millionaire and billionaire CEOs. And hire them. That's the security that they that we need because they are not part of 287G and they can remain objective and unbiased and they can keep our children safe. Thank you, Miss King. Mr. Wiggers, followed by Dr. Mark Gerber. So far, >> Hi there. Um, my name is Mr. Wiggers. I am the treasurer of the Indian River County Education Association and I am also a teacher at Sebastian River High School where I teach financial algebra. Um, one of the things I wanted to make mention that is so important is that this is my second year in education, period. This is the only district I work for. And it's been uh eyeopening to see it how we here in Indian River County treat um public education
066and public government as to we are flexible. We pride ourselves in our flexibility for our advancements in education and our building services and everything we provide here. And I think that's great. I think the other thing that we do is we provide financial flexibility for our school district. With all of the school for hope talk, one of the things that I think we are most well positioned for is financial flexibility for our school district and us taking measures well ahead of those that do not and will not make decisions now. If you don't make decisions now, we will be handed the bill at the end of the day. And this school district has time and again chose not to be handed the bill. So I want to thank the school district for being forward thinking
067and to constantly communicating with the people here and everyone about how we are making these changes and getting community input. One of the things I saw, I was sitting next to two students from Indian River Charter and they are a community school just like ours. We pride ourselves in our community schools and I think the most important thing is they're here to meeting. They're here at a meeting. Um the more students we have here that are in meetings and understand what's going on in their public education and their county government is important for the future of our education. Um, one of the things I wanted to make mention is we talked about there was uh numbers thrown out there for us to understand the totality of money in the voucher system. A billion seconds, if
068we counted a billion dollars in seconds, it would take us 31 years, 8 and a half months. Now multiply that by five and you're looking at over 150 years every year that we spend in vouchers. it the the totality of the money that we talk about is sometimes incomprehensible to those that just go, "Oh, it's a billion or our federal budget's four trillion." We don't understand what that money really is in an amount. So, um, paying attention to that is most important, understanding that. The other thing I wanted to make mention, the last thing that I I I I will touch on about the legislation coming is in section 102 uh 333 paragraph 6 subsection F of the Schools for Hope. It specifically says schools of hope operated by a hope operator shall be exempt
069from chapters 1000 to 13 and all school board policies. >> I'll leave it there. >> Thank you very much. Dr. Mark Gerber, followed by Jennifer Pippen. >> Good evening. I'm Dr. Mark Gerber. I'm a resident of Vero Beach. This month, the National Education Association, which is the largest teachers union in the country, sent out three million packets of information to its members and others. The packets contain blatantly anti-semitic and anti-Israel material. It includes things such as erasing the state of Israel from the map of the Middle East. It justifies the October 7th massacre in which 1,200 men, women, and children were raped, tortured, and murdered. And it denies the Holocaust by omitting the fact that Jews, six million Jews, perish in the Holocaust, although they mention other groups. This is gross and vile distortion of
070the truth. And it is not education. It is indoctrination. And it is unmitigated hatred and lies. And it's shocking that an American union, the National Teachers Union, would put out this sort of information. I am bringing this to the attention of the board of ed and the superintendent of schools to make sure you're aware of it and I would like to know what assurances the board and the superintendent can give to the public to make sure this type of hatred and anti-semitism does not make it into our classrooms. Thank you for listening. >> Thank you very much Dr. Gerber, Jennifer Pippen, followed by Lamar Good evening. My name is Jennifer Pippen and I'm the proud chairman of Moms for Liberty here in Indian River County. I first want to say happy parental rights month and
071thank you to the district for recognizing the fundamental rights of parents in education. I also want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Jackie Rosario for being selected as the state chair of the Florida School Board Coalition. This is a tremendous honor and a true testament to her leadership, integrity, and unwavering dedication to putting students and families first. We are so proud to see Indian River County represented through her strong leadership at the state level. Next, I want to thank this board for taking a clear and principled stance on sending a letter to the county commission opposing the proposed detox center near one of our charter schools. Protecting the safety, security, and well-being of our students must always come first, and your advocacy made that very clear. On behalf of parents and community members and Moms
072for Liberty who voiced their concerns, thank you for standing up for our children. I also want to share some exciting updates about our student involvement and leadership with Turning Point USA chapters opening in five of our local high schools starting this month or next, including Vero Beach High School, Sebastian River High School, M's Academy, Indian River Charter High School, and St. Edwards Upper School. These studentled organizations promote civic engagement, leadership, and a love of country values that strengthen our community and our schools. For our teachers, I would like to highlight the Teachers Freedom Alliance, a professional organization that empowers educators to stand for their values and professionalism without having to belong to the traditional teachers union, which has increasingly aligned itself with partisan, liberal, and political causes at the local, state, and federal levels. Teachers
073deserve true choice and representation, and the Teachers Freedom Alliance provides exactly that. You can join and learn more teachers at www.teerfreedomalliance.com. Finally, I encourage everyone to watch a documentary called 15 days, the real story of America's pandemic and school closures. It's a powerful and eye-opening film that examines what really happened to students, parents, and teachers during COVID. I'm proud to share that Indian River County is one of the featured locations in the film with Tiffany Justice, a former school board member here. This film was created by a progressive liberal turn independent who exposes the national teachers union agenda behind COVID school closures. It's a mustsea for anyone who truly cares about truth and transparency and education. Thank you and have a great evening. >> Thank you. And our final speaker, Lamar Thank you very much
074for this opportunity. Uh I just want to affirm you and I want to thank you for your declaration of parental rights. There have been many situations where school teachers and counselors have violated parental rights with devastating and lifelong consequences such as abortions or sex changes. And so I want to thank you for reaffirming parental rights. parents indeed do know best what's uh in the best interest of their children. I'm also excited about the new classical school and the acknowledgement that children learn differently and deserve to have a variety of options for their education. In this regard, competition is a good thing. Vouchers have helped to provide underserved communities with educational opportunities they could not previously afford. My children were educated at home, private, charter, and public schools. But when I homeschooled, I had to pay
075for all of my children's materials. I'm glad that parents who cannot afford materials are now getting some financial assistance. However, from what I've recently heard about Schools of Hope, I'm very troubled. I think the first time I heard about it was when Dr. Moore spoke at the legislative delegation meeting and um I share your concerns and I want to give a shout out to May. She did such a great job just explaining how that's going to work and um it's uh it's not something that we want and I do intend to reach out to my legislators and ask them to uh fix the loopholes in this bill. I'm sure it was well intended but um with devastating consequences. So, um I will be looking to some of you also for guidance on how uh that
076wording should should uh the what wording we should use when we communicate with our legislators. So, thank you very much for taking these really positive steps to do what's in the best interest of our kids. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you to all of our speakers and I'm sure board members will have a few words to say, but Dr. Moore, I'll give you the first opportunity. I know um you have talked about school of hope and I'd like the attorney to also speak a little bit because she did send a letter after we had that request just so people know the timeline there. So Dr. Moore, the floor is yours. >> I was going to address that and a little bit more during the the item. >> Okay. You want to wait for that?
077Okay. >> But if you wanted to talk through that letter. >> Oh, sure. Just so the the parents know the timeline and so forth. >> Yes. So, um, right now the building notice that we received was a little premature. The rule itself is 6A1.0998271. It's called Schools of Hope. Um, it was updated to reflect statutory changes that um, many of the speakers addressed in section 102.33. Essentially, the timeline is a little bit off. Uh, the plain language of the new rule states that the building notice may be sent prior to the notice of intent beginning on the date 14 days after the effective date of the revisions to the rule. They were adopted on September 24th of 2025. Um, the Florida Department of Education filed the rule with the Department of State on October 8th
078of 2025. uh the it then takes effect uh on October 20 October 8th October 20 days later October 28th and so 14 days after October 28th is uh se um November 11th which is 14 days after when the building notices can be sent. So um the response that I sent back to uh the charter school that sent us the building notice just essentially let them know that their uh building notice was untimely. Um, but I do anticipate that those building notices will probably come out uh November 11th. >> Thank you. Chair Baronborg, do you have anything you'd like to add or feedback after the citizen input? >> Um, yeah, there's a lot of good there was a lot of good input. I I'll address the schools of hope. Um, I've attended two different meetings in
079the past couple weeks um with FSBA um chairs from all the different districts that received the same letters. We were invited at the last second um to a meeting to discuss um what the letter said, which schools they were affected. Uh we only had one school, there were several that had several schools. Um but of course those were premature letters. We know that more are coming. Um the call has gone out to everyone to get the news out, get it out into your community, get parents uh on board. These were um schools of hope bill that was pro promoted last year was um done in two different locations. The Senate and the House had different versions and that got merged at the last second into another bill that became what you call a train bill.
080lots of different things added to it and it was done like you said very late at night in the last section. I don't know um if people that were voting for it really understood what they were truly voting for or not and that was one that we were paying attention to last year and we weren't sure exactly how it was going to um come out. So it is upsetting to see what's going on. It is so I'm so thankful for our board to be together on this and to say you know we got to stop this. this is not right. Um, taking over schools and property without having to pay anything and then not follow any of our rules. Um, you know, that's that's kind of crazy. So, I I'm appreciate everyone who's contacting their
081legislators who saying things. I have done the same. Um, and I know there's already talk in Tallahassee about um some changes. So, I'm looking forward to that and I I hope that does happen. I also like to say um to Dr. Mark, um I want to make sure I get this right. Uh is it Gerber? Um he brought to our attention about some statements that were made. I know Dr. Moore will look into that to see if that um how accurate those statements were, if our teachers received them or not. I look forward to Dr. Moore sending that out to our board members letting us know where we are with that. So, appreciate everyone's uh input tonight. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Rosario. Any feedback or input? >> Yeah. Um couple of things. Um,
082I'll reserve some of my other comments about Schools of Hope when Dr. Moore um speaks on it later on, but specifically with some of the comments that were made today. Um, one of the uh things that was mentioned was that um no charter that the charters will double dip. Um, and I just wanted to just clarify that. Um, it's not that they're double dipping. I think it was a blanket charters will double dip. All charters are not double dipping. This law doesn't allow charters to double dip. What it basically allows is for two streaming ser funding streams for the schools of hope specifically. So schools of hope charter only that charter will have two revenue streams. One that is the charter the regular charter funding and then the other one that is schools of hope
083funding. So there are two there. It's not that there is a blanket uh for all charters because that is not accurate. The other thing that I wanted to um talk about I think there is some conflating of um ideas here. The voucher program has nothing to do with the schools of hope. Voucher program also has nothing to do with charters in general. Those are two totally different things. So, the vouchers um uh because I I keep hearing the vouchers are a reason for schools of hope. Um and if I misunderstood that um that is what I heard. If I misunderstood that, I do apologize. But the understanding is um that the schools of hope are is a result of the voucher program or homeschooling or something to that effect. And that is not true. Schools
084of hope were set up because of failing schools across the the the nation, across the state. Um, schools of hope were set up because there needed to be more options going into districts that had failing schools that weren't improving. These are uh year after year after year of and if not F schools, you know, certainly D schools over and over again. And so uh the department of education I mean the state legislature decided this is what the option would be create charters and put them in the districts as options for those schools specifically who are lowperforming schools. Um I keep looking over to our attorney because I want to make sure that I say the right thing. Uh, so those two things are too different and I I I in order for us to be
085able to all get together, be on the same page with this as a community and as a board, I think it's important for us to iron out some of the misstatements so that we can speak the same language so that we're saying the same things and our state legislators can hear the same message so that this can turn around um in our favor. Of course, uh the other thing that I wanted to mention regarding the failing schools that I believe is a concern is not just that some schools are failing or low performing, but it's also I think the bigger question um statewide is the grading system. How do we have schools that are A and yet their third graders are still performing at 66 percentile or 58 percentile? You can just download the district
086grades that have been um that have been posted, you know, on the Florida Department of Education website and you can see all of the grades for all of the uh districts across the state. you know, the the the one of the you can have a B district and perform at 49% uh for third grade ELA. I mean, that to me, something's wrong. So, either something's wrong with the grading system or something's wrong with something. Um, but I think that's part of what's happening at the DOE as well are these deeper conversations about how do we get these lowperforming schools to succeed. Um, we're doing great. We have Dr. Moore, but other school districts do not. We just happen to get caught up in the schools of hope issue just like many others. Um, and hopefully
087we we will get out of this and we will this too shall pass is is what I'm hoping that will happen. But, um, so I think there's several things going on here. And, um, uh, everything else I think I I'll leave for, uh, a later conversation. I I will end by saying um, I do agree uh, I'm waiting for Dr. Moore. I don't know if you want to mention it now or not. something about um the anti-semitism comments by Dr. Gerber if you wanted Gerber. Did I mention that right? Um if if you had anything to say about that now. If not um I look forward to hearing um an update on that. >> Yeah, we'll have to provide an update because it's absolute news to me. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr.
088Pasca. >> Yes. I um I would like to respond first to I I believe some propaganda that one person shared um trying to create uh an era of fear in our schools that ICE is somehow going to be operating in them. I'm notware I'm not aware of there ever being um a case or an instance that ICE uh detained anyone at at a school in Florida. So um I think that's pure propaganda. Um second, I would like to thank Dr. Mark Gerber for bringing that up. I was not aware of that. Um, and you know, I'm going to take you at face value. You seem like a highly competent individual that that is obviously what they sent out. Um, the National Teachers Association, which uh it's very scary. Um, if you really stop for a
089moment and think about it, um, it's a very powerful organization. Uh, it's led by a lot of extremely powerful individuals that are highly connected to a lot of stuff. Um, and it's really, if you put your finger on the pulse of America, uh, it should scare everybody because, um, it tells me that that's kind of where we are. And overnight things could be in a very bad place. So, I I appreciate you bringing this to our attention and, you know, I'm not surprised that the National Teachers Union thinks that um, because they believe a lot of really really wacky things. Um, but I'm very surprised they were dumb enough to say it. So, I I really hope uh there's lawsuits and other uh means uh to correct that issue and uh something can be done
090about it. But thank you for bringing it to our attention. >> Thank you, Mr. Dyer. >> Uh yeah, I mean it it's been interesting. I was uh just thinking is I all always wondered if there was going to be an issue that uh could unite the community on something. So it looks like we've all found schools of hope. Uh I think it is really bad legislation that is going to really affect Florida public schools. And so any everything that we can do to stop it before it gets started and to get the legislature to reconsider I think is the right thing to do. I would like to say that that I do agree with Jackie that vouchers and the schools of hope are two different things. However, the way they are connected is that there
091is a general feeling that public schools are being defunded and public schools are being minimized over other opportunities. I have no problem with homeschooling, private school, whatever school you want to go with. If a kid is in a public school and they choose to go somewhere else, the funding goes with them. The problem is it's an unfunded mandate by the state and they are taking money from [snorts] kids that are in public school and giving it to those that choose private or homeschool which is not what it was intended to do. It was intended to get kids out of failing public schools. So that is the loose connection. They're all part of a defunding and disruption of public education. So that to me is a big concern. Uh I also would like to say I
092I too was pretty shocked by what Dr. Gerber had to say and uh while uh I am not uh surprised again by the national uh teachers union from other things that I have seen, I can tell you that our teachers and our teachers unions here uh we we're in a really good place. We've got teachers that care about the kids and I haven't seen any of that and but I would be absolutely shocked and horrified and I I agree that we should get into it rather deep and see what's going on. >> Thank you, Mr. Dyer. Um just a few words. Um, when I was at the state association, I dealt a lot with laws and you saw many, many laws slip in around 10:00 at night and that's how a lot of these things
093go through. So, they didn't get it past us. You know, I think if we work hard together, it'll be very, very important for this district. We're not a failing district. We don't have a, you know, we don't even have C schools. You know, we went from 38th to 5th A three years in a row. And believe me, that's going to be hard to maintain, but we're still working very, very hard. So, I don't think we fit in this category. Call your governor, call your commissioner of education, call your senators and and representatives. I have done so because I think it's important to know that again, we're I understand where schools of hope started and why they want to have them, but we're not failing. We're our students are doing well. you know, whether we agree
094with all the DOE guidelines, how schools are graded, that's changed a lot in the last 15 years, but no matter what, we're all graded on the same. So, at least it's equal as far as that. Um, obviously, I know Dr. Moore will follow up on Dr. Gerber's statements because I too would like to know um what the situation is with that. you know, when we were thinking about losing AP money and so forth, people worked hard and they they talked to their legislators and, you know, things worked out. I'm on a federal uh legislative committee and we just met last Friday with the FSBA. And I said, "Do you think we're going to get any more title one cuts?" And they said, "Yes." And see, those are the things that scare me because our title
095one schools, all of our elementary schools are title one except our magnets in Beachland. Three out of four of our middle schools are title one. The only reason our high schools are not title one because the kids don't fill out the forms. They don't want to fill out the forms anymore to say they want free and reduced lunch. We're we're we're a a a district that has great philanthropy and we have a lot that struggle. >> So, um just keep our fingers crossed on that one because I I just said basically to our federal representative, come down and see what we're doing and see what our kids are doing. So hopefully they'll think about it instead of just saying we have to do this. Um, as far as the the law 287g, I' I'd like
096Dr. Moore to follow up on that with Haimey. The one thing that we talk about at this school board is we want our kids protected. We want to make sure our kids are protected. And knowing our school resource officers um, and how close they are to our children, I believe we are, but obviously we need to follow up on that. But I want to thank the speakers tonight because um I think we all have the same mission. You know, we uh as doc Miss Rosario and Mr. Dyer and Dr. Pasca said, you know, we're in that world of charters and school of hope and vouchers and it's kind of all hitting us now. And what will happen? What I did find and I spoke at the legislative delegation last week, you know, we know vouchers
097are the law. That's it. We understand that. But how are they accountable? And I have talked to Representative Brackett and Senator GL about that and they did listen and we have right now in our school district 200 students who took the voucher but are in our public schools and there are thousands in the state like that. So we've got to get accountability for that. That's a must. So I want to thank the board. I want to thank all of our citizens for speaking tonight and we'll probably continue about schools of hope in just a little bit. All right. So, we're now going to consent agenda items. Okay. Call for a motion to approve the consent agenda items as amended. >> So, moved. >> Thank you. >> Second. Any discussion? I'll vote on the approval of
098the consent agenda items as amended. Say I. >> I. Thank you. No one opposed. All right. Now, we go from items pulled from consent to action. And Dr. more. We had one item pulled by Miss Rosario as 5e. The topic is technical corrections. So, I'll let you give a recommendation first. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh Dr. Jacobs will present the item. >> Thank you. >> Good evening, board. [clears throat and cough] This item is brought to you in accordance with school board policy 0131.1 technical corrections. That policy enables uh the board to make technical corrections um to policies that are non-s substantive in nature without going through the whole entire rule making process. So in this item you will see the technical corrections that are being made um to specific board policies. A lot
099of these technical corrections are either um capitalization, additions of statutes, um some other um [clears throat and cough] language that's been added um as far as board policies where a board policy has changed and now is embedded, the title's embedded into another policy and the titles didn't exactly match. Um, and so you will see those reflected in the markup that you received as part of your board [clears throat] packet. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Jacobs. Miss Rosario. >> Yeah. Um, I um I'm in favor of these. I I pulled it because I thought that this was an item worth discussing. One of the things that dawned on me um um until this meeting was actually potentially codifying this into policy instead of keeping it in resolution. Um maybe at some point we need to
100talk about just adding this language to our uh policy development stage. Of course, I see you have >> I'd like to jump in there. That was a perfect segue because I knew you were going to ask me, don't we have a policy that talks about technical correction? >> We do. >> Through the chair, >> we do. We actually have this is under policy 0131 and we've had it actually was actually adopted in 2013 >> but it specifically I don't believe that we've actually taken advantage of it but it specifically talks about technical corrections that would include consolidation of sections transfer of sections combining or dividing sections reing sections chapters titles corrections additions for grammatical or typographical errors alterations and emissions updating the names of individuals who serve as district compliance officers, anything that does not
101affect the constructions or meaning of those sections, subsections, chapters, titles, or policies as a whole, and they're nonsubstantive. So, we have that policy in place. This is just a method of not going through the entire chapter 120 process, which as you know is very, very lengthy. Um, I don't believe I think we were talking about um we had a technical correction. If you remember, there was a typo in one of our policies that said grades whatever, K through 28 or something, and we know we don't have 28 grades. Um, uh, so I guess we just look at them and make sure they are truly technical in nature and not substantive. If there's any question that they may be deemed to be substantive, I'm going to recommend that it go through the chapter 120 process. >>
102Okay. So, but this is new and and our policy specifically says that should the board choose to make such technical corrections, it may be accomplished by resolution as part of the consent agenda without going through the normal policy adoption procedure. And so that's how we ended up with uh our resolution that's before you today. >> I may have missed some something somewhere along the line uh but that makes sense. So moving forward, anything that is of technical correction will go through this process. But just to be clear, it'll still come to the board for review and does, you know, and and workshopped and all that other kind of stuff, but then it'll follow this process >> um instead of >> going. >> Does the policy have uh resolution? Does it have this in there? >>
103Yes, it says it may be accomplished by resolution part of the consent agenda, which is why staff as we were I was said, so have you ever done that before? No, they haven't. So that's why that's why it does I I'm glad that you pulled this because it is unique in that it hasn't you guys haven't used that before but it's completely authorized because it's nons substantive. >> Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Any other board member discussion? >> Okay. So I call for a motion for approval of technical corrections to board policies. Need a motion. Make a motion. >> Second. >> Thank you. >> All in favor please say I. >> I. >> Thank you. carries 5-0. Okay. Our last action agenda item, Dr. Moore. Discussion of operational innovation and efficiency planning initiatives and
104approval to wave extend the deadline and policy 5121 controlled open enrollment. Dr. Moore, the floor is yours and then we'll go into discussion. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. The action within this item is to simply extend the choice window. We have a policy surrounding choice. uh has a start date and a specific end date, January 15th off the top of my head. What this will do, the action that you would take tonight is to push that to February 6th. And that would allow schools an extended amount of time to advertise their programming given um changes to boundaries andor programming as it relates to the innovation work. In order to have the conversation, I think it's best to kind of bucket the schools of hope conversation first because at the end of the day, um this
105action item is not in response to schools of hope. This action item is in response to the need to innovate and transform our school system and to do it in a way in which we can take care of our people. So there is a true concern and I came in in 2019. I asked our faculties, I asked our support staff to go on a journey with me and that journey was to reinvent a public school system to put a stake in the ground um and make decisions that were in the best interest of children. And it has been a extremely long hard tote or time that we've been at this work. Not everyone had a a like mind. Not everybody was up to that task. But where we sit today um finishing um year year
106five, we have truly been a beacon of hope for all other communities to look at. and his blood, sweat, and tears at every level of the organization. That makes our outcome what our outcome is. Yes, Dr. Jones. We went from 38th to fifth. Uh we went from 38th in third grade reading to second in the state. We went from 57 in middle school acceleration to 234 in the state. We went from an 89 graduation rate to 96 uh%. you know, we eliminated um every single C every C schools like it was referenced, we don't have C schools. Um and five years ago, A schools were reserved for our magnet schools in Beachland. Those are the ones that were allowed uh to have A's and the perception, the belief was no one else could be. So,
107we've changed the narrative in terms of what we can do in our school system. So as we walk into what is schools of hope, it is extremely upsetting, in a lot of ways disrespectful. We as a community have transformed our system. Low performing schools, I get it. If you have a school in your community that is not in service of the children within that community, uh, give someone else a shot. At face value, I think we all can say, okay, that's fine. Great. But we don't even have CC schools. So the the game has changed. A school identified as persistently low performing school used to be a rating of a number of Fs Fs or D's within a time period. Now it's simply the lowest 10% of reading or the lowest 10% of math scores
108identifies you as a low performing school. So the expansion of who are low performing schools still not in Indian River County has drastically changed. the addition of the opportunity zone, which for us is everything west of 95. There's not a lot of homes or houses west of 95. We have one school west of 95, which is Felsmere. And Felsmere is a longstanding a and a beacon um of hope in that community. when folks in that community have an issue or a concern, they go to the school and they ask to see the principal uh and the teachers and the staff to help them solve their their issues that they're having, whether it's related to school or not. We currently have a a district at 74%. Our overall district sits at around 74%. >> Occupancy. >>
109Thank you. which means, oh my goodness, we're primed to come in and have our schools taken over. The analogy of the home, I'm sorry, but I'm going to steal that one. I I am that and the time and the money. Two great analogies that I am going to I'll give credit where credit is due, but I am going to tell both of those stories uh over and over. But to have students go from one hallway to another hallway, we lose that funding. We lose that accountability. And as referenced, we pay for everything. That will bankrupt our system. And this would be an A school. This would be a school that used to be a C has transformed and has gone on a journey to provide high quality education. So based on tonight's conversation and I
110can reference everything that the board has said, uh fully united, fully committed. I do think there's recommendations and key language that I need to provide to our community, provide to our board. Uh so we are hitting on the same beat and we're saying this is why these things need to change because in Indian River County um we have quality education. This is a board that shifted to a complete choice district. So it's not a fight as it relates to choice. We embrace choice. Every single school in this district is a school of choice. uh with transportation attached to it. This is a board just three weeks ago, two or three weeks ago, uh took a stance uh in support of one of our community's charter schools. That may seem normal for us or for those
111who have lived in this community for a long time, but as a public school superintendent, that's not the norm. It's not the norm. So, Schools of Hope is not a stopping point for us. It's not an opportunity where we pause. It's an opportunity where we pull forward. It's an opportunity where we talk in one voice regarding um if you have to have schools of hope, that's great. Service children in your opportunity zone. Service children in failing and fragile schools. And if a community doesn't have those things, you shouldn't punish the system that's providing or already providing quality education. It's just not fair. If there is not change and one of the six hope operators send us that letter, it would be drastic change and reform of our system in order to sustain our funding and
112sustain our financial stability. We're not going to let that happen though. We are going to be responsive and we are going to continue our transformation journey collectively and together which is a big piece of what this item is. So madam chair I'll stop there. Um, I don't know if board has additional comments or concerns regarding schools of hope, but I think it's very clear uh I will have staff work together to put something um more than just the additional we we added to our legislative priority to to change and modify um schools of hope. That's straightforward language. I think we need additional um kind of an additional cadence in order to ensure that we're all talking very specifically about what the solutions would be uh to protect our community and our community schools. >> And
113after if a board member wants to discuss, you'll then go into detail about what we need to do. >> Yeah. >> If if I can't provide you the information to to speak uh intelligently about the concerns and issues and how it impacts us and that's that's shame on me. Okay. >> So, it is putting together that information. So when you're in the community or you're a ad advocating from a Tallahassee standpoint, you have exactly um not only pointing out the problems, that's great. I think our community did a great job tonight pointing out problems, we need to be profering solutions. >> Thank you, Miss Vizario. >> Uh okay, so trying to figure out where to start from here. Um, so I've talked with a few people from the Department of Education and um, the short
114of the long of it is that I think that they are uh, not only aware but they are planning to revise the rule. Um, hopefully sometime very very soon. How they're going to revise it, I don't know. Um but certainly it is clear that the biggest change has to happen uh from the legislators. Um that legislation has to happen in order to remove um a few things. For me the biggest things in all of this is um the no cost you know uh as far as I'm concerned let them pay their way just like all other charters. Um the other thing is the colllocating two very big asks there and then um I have another one with removing Florida opportunity zones. I think those are [clears throat] um the big the major three um items.
115everything else um seems to although it may not directly impact us because we are um I mean it may but although it may not have as great of an impact for us here in Indian River. We're a smaller county. We have uh we don't have any low uh performing schools. We do have um opportunity zones, but um I I still think that we should um still band together, lock arms because this is an issue that's going to affect all of Florida. Um I do not believe um that we should take our eye off the ball and think that at any moment they're not going to come here because they may very well that may very well happen. Um, I think also, uh, I sent an email, um, to the Department of Education that was pretty,
116um, thorough. Um, I I do believe that Dr. Moore should list kind of itemize all those things that are in the rule. Just itemize them in the rule. Itemize the things that are in stat in the statute specifically. It's not just the statute because the statute has been here for several years. We've had it already. um the the the changes are what are the issue. It's the recent changes, the recent things that have been added to the statute and therefore have caused um the DOE rule to be written the way that it is written. Um so I I do believe that an itemized list, you know, this is an issue and here is a potential fix. Here's an issue and here is a potential fix. Here is an issue and here is um a way
117of of solving it. If we can provide that um you know for some people who who who write policy they might be able to say well there it is you know we don't need to reinvent the wheel. Um here are some clear um some clear guidelines and that's exactly what we need. Um, I think also having conversations with the people that make these decisions, um, and really insisting on having not just a summary of please change this, but a detailed discussion about how this will impact us or other schools and other districts um, so that they can see because from the surface you speak to people and they say, well, you know, Schools of Hope is a good idea because it's going to go in and, you know, they're going to support failing schools. Well,
118sure, in a perfect world, that would be fantastic, but I think a blanket rule for every district throughout the entire state is not effective. Um, and that's really where we have to kind of um explain to people that it's not just a one-sizefits-all. We have to really be able to have local control and we have to be able to say this is what is going to work for us. You know what? There might be some districts that need the support. Maybe Schools of Hope would be, you know, a a good change for some districts. You never know. Um for this district, no, we don't need it here. We don't um we don't particularly um believe that it is it is necessary. Um and so that's really where I find the issue. So, Dr. Moore, I
119fully support um a a full list. I mean, even if it's booklet style, whatever it is, you know, that's got to get the attention of those in the DOE. And if you can copy and paste that for our legislature legislators, um I think that's very very important. I I can't think of anything more pressing right now um than that. Um, I also want to say that as a board member, I also I hope that the board is um uh is um supportive of this as well. As a board member, I want to say that I fully support moving forward in all of our plans no matter what. We have a district to run and operationally it is up to us. It is incumbent upon us to move forward with the whatever plans you have that
120you're going to present an innovation. We're just moving forward with it. Our plan should not stop just because we receive a letter. Just because we receive an a a building of intent letter does not mean that we have to stop everything that's in front of us. The building letter of intent is just showing us their interest. There is no contract signed. There's nothing else in the works there. It's just their interest. And for that, I think we should just move forward. Um, the other things that I I I really want us to kind of nail down is the messaging. The messaging is if they ask for a school information or a letter of of of interest of whatever it is that they ask. Two big questions that I have. Number one, is it a school
121that is a low performing school as defined by the law? and two, is it a Florida uh opportunity zone? If it is none of those two things, the answer is no. Sorry, we don't have any facility for you. They can find their own facility, but we have to be able to stick with the letter of the law at this point until the law is changed. I do hope and pray that a miracle will happen and that you know the the state the legislators will legislators will be able to um recognize that this is an issue and needs to change now not next year. >> Thank you. Chair Baronborg, would you like to make any comment? >> Just don't want to forget you. Um, I think I already did on this, but I just wanted to
122say, um, that I know FADS and FSBA are getting their attorneys together to come out with some talking points and some messaging that, um, they're going to send out to school board members. So, that information is going to be coming out to you soon. >> Thank you, Dr. Pasca. Anything else? >> Mr. Dyer? Yeah, I would just like to to add that one of the things I neglected to say is this uh law we talked about done at 10:00 at the end of uh session and then slipped through the finance committee was written uh by lobbyists for uh Success Academy and Ken Griffin and whose Citadel uh who's been behind Success Academy and it really is something that they want to make. uh they've been very successful in New York and I guess they want
123to bring their New York style of education to Florida and see how that works for us. Uh success academy has done some good things in in in New York. But again uh I I I think that just the whole way this thing goes goes through does not smell of uh a law that was well thought out or well written like several of the other laws that have been recently passed in education. Uh I I believe uh that I think the way the law was written from what I remember is it said that the school had to be greater than a B school which means that the only schools that are exempt from uh from from being uh accepted I think it was uh a schools >> so or maybe it was greater I think it
124was greater than a B. What what is >> it's it's a school that has earned three grades lower than a C in at least three of the previous five years that the school received a grade and has not earned a grade of B or higher in the most recent two years. >> Okay. >> Y okay. Anything else, buddy? >> I think I think that's it. Again, I think that we need to get the talking points and it really is going to take it's it's more than a couple of uh associations >> talking to the legislature. I think this is one that really needs a community support behind it. And it seems like that we've got the community united, at least in our county, >> right? >> And I'm hoping uh I've seen it uh in
125other counties throughout Florida. I think that they're going to be the same. And I think it needs to be a ground swell of really uh constituents of the various school systems and parents uh talking about uh what uh what this law is going to do to public education. >> Just a couple comments. Um I was looking back at the September 29th minutes and I brought up a topic of transportation and I veered off of that a little bit. I said, you know, with with Dr. Moore saying we are at 74%. We we've got some changes. We've got some work to do and we know what we need to do to make sure that we are creating the system and nobody's creating it for us. That's number one. One thing I always ask for and I've
126talked to our representatives is again more flexibility as a high performing district and I think we want to continue to push that especially with our with our ranking. Um and obviously we're accountable to our taxpayers in every standard. So you know Dr. tomorrow. I know we've got some work to do, so we're here to listen to you and um get it out to our community. >> All right. Thank you. And I'll push that out. So, this is a presentation. It has been an ongoing conversation. And just to to re set this up, the driving force is innovation. It is to engage in a conversation to rightsize our system and expand offering to our families, to our parents, and to our children. The simple reality is without looking at the PowerPoint, we're a district that sits
127at 74% capacity. Since I've been here, we've lost approximately 2,000 students. We have downsized the district office every year for the last um five years. We have created a school allocation model that allocates teachers based on the number of students that we have. But when you have schools that are at two or 300 uh enrollment, you have middle schools that are at 54% capacity, um the fact that we've been able to maintain our fund balance, the fact that we've been able to balance the books uh is a credit to Mr. green and staff and the discipline to the individuals who have the authority to spend funds. I said it earlier, I believe I said it earlier. Typically, we go through a process at this time where we look at our budget and ensure that we
128have the funds reserved in order to maintain our fund balance for that rainy day. And it's typically a quick process. It took a week and then we had to circle back uh and we had to make additional modifications in order to ensure that we are financially stable at the end of this year. There will be districts that continue to wait and I think there are districts who are currently um struggling. The fact that we have so many districts coming to see what's going on is a clear sign that they're nervous and concerned. So, this is a conversation that is proactive. This is a conversation of really really engaging in what our community wants. And if we do not open our eyes and look at maximizing the opportunities that our community wants and be willing to
129change in response to that need, we'll be absolutely just fine. We'll continue to lead the nation, the the state, and ultimately the nation. But if we want to hold true to structures that are not yielding um full schools, we will be financially bankrupt. Forget Schools of Hope. Forget about it. We'll make that change, but ultimately um the scholarships are here to stay. Whether there's accountability or not, the scholarships are here to stay. And we will continue over the next couple years to lose students. And if we don't rightsize and enhance what we're offering to our community, then we will shame on us. So the conversation really is to engage in how do we reinvent this school system? How do we rightsize this system to the number of students that we are serving? And how do
130we begin to think differently about using our facilities and you creating programming to the over 2,000 students that are accessing scholarship dollars? Because I'm telling you, there is a market there that's not being accessed. Parents are taking those dollars. They're homeschooling their children um and they're finding it to be hard and complex work. But there are opportunities for us to reinvent services um and how we use our facilities to begin to reclaim, bring in revenue um for our community to provide a better source and reconnect to those public dollars that we are losing. It would be significantly different. But when you are homeschool and you do a a co-op or you're doing um you know, you might need a facility or place to do it. If you're homeschooling or you have a micro school and
131you want to do a science project, it might be better to do it in one of our science classrooms. If you're doing a research project, it might be better to do it in one of our media centers. If you're in advanced coursework and you don't feel comfortable teaching algebra or geometry or calculus, it might be easier for you to access our quality educators in those spaces. And those are some of the ideas that we need to gauge in uh as we move forward. So, let me run through this. It's going to be it has been a very very busy time. Um I think I covered all of that. the covered all that existing educational programming and extracurricular access. These are the workaround innovation uh needed for expanded course and acceleration and CTE programming. Some of
132our adult programming uh we only have it in one specific space. I think there's opportunities to expand it uh in the evening hours across our community to once again generate funds and expand the opportunity. looking at the trends and school choice applications, we turn away in our, and I'll show this in a later slide, we're turning away students because they can't get into our magnet or our K8 schools that now become magnets while at the same time continuing to operate schools uh in areas in which they cannot draw um enough students to self-fund the school. When we look at our facilities and this is a very complex complex conversation looking at capacity uh versus use and total capacity identifying the age and condition of our schools. Now we do s a outstanding job maintaining our
133facilities and you would never know it by the look and the feel in some of these schools but the cost to maintain a school such as a Rosewood uh is significant because it is so old. you drive by, you think it looks beautiful, and it does look beautiful, but the at the end of the day, the re the expense to maintain an old facility um makes our job to maximize our dollars very very very hard. Um the next couple hides I'll skip because it it talks about the colllocating and schools of of hope. This is some of the problems in which we are going to solve over the next couple months. The district, as I said, is at 72% capacity. Traditional middle school capacity, it actually in use right now today is 57%. We have
134K8s, so that number is going to go down as we add seventh grade to our K8s next year, and it will go down the year after that. If we continue with four underenrolled middle schools, class size will grow uh to rates in which the teachers will have a line all the way out the door because that would be the only way to maintain uh a balanced budget. We need to evaluate what we're doing with our our traditional middle school spaces and if there are opportunities to expand um something that parents want, that's what we should do. You have four elementary schools Yeah. Okay. Well, and looking at our K8 magnet, our legacy uh magnet schools 100 128% capac um in capacity. We shifted them to K8s. We turn away around 90 students uh at those
135select schools every year. They apply. That's where they want to go. They don't get in. About 30 to 35 of them never enroll in our school as kindergartens kindergarteners. So, if we're able to expand the offering and maximize space across our community, we're drawing in students because we have programming that they want. We will look at the use of the four middle schools and bring back recommendations to convert from four middle schools to three middle schools. and we'll look for ways to expand our K8 magnet programming uh to ensure that we're offering the have a something in in place in response to the need when it boils down to currently what we're looking at. Citrus Elementary Schools sitting at 64% capacity. That's one of the schools that's in a two-m radius of a number of
136other elementary schools. We'll be looking at program programmatic enhancements and expanding its school zone. Dodgertown Elementary School currently sits at 79% capacity. That's that's okay. But we will be expanding its zone because wait a long long time ago. They took part of Gford and they etched it out and sent those kids to Sebastian Elementary School so it would look as if Sebastian Elementary School had a higher percent of black students attending at school. If those students and families are happy at Sebastian Elementary, that's fine. But I think from a family's perspective, if I'm a single parent or both parents are working, it's easier to connect and engage in a school that's in my community versus driving on a what what's that bus ride? 27 28 minutes. Um that's not that's not right. Um Glendale Elementary
137School is at 56% capacity. Uh what's not on there is the number of students who are choice into that school. The number of prek programs that are at that particular school. We are adding programs to maintain a school that's still just at 56% comm um enrollment. Oyola magnet is at 100% 126% capacity. And we already have explained we're turning away children and families every single year. So, we're going to look to relocate and uh expand uh programming. Rosewood Magnet, same exact U u scenario. It's at 100% 130% capacity. Uh that building is extremely old and extremely costly to maintain. So, we will look at relocating and expanding um programming for that school. Sebastian Elementary School is a magnet I'm sorry, not a magnet school, but it is a school at 60% capacity and it already
138inside of it right now has nine. >> Okay, they all gave different numbers. Did y'all see that? Um, let's go with eight um prek program eight prek programs in inside of the school. So, if you take those away, it's an extremely underrolled school. So we look we will look to relocate uh and expand boundary. Gford Middle School has is the only middle school that is in fact growing in our community. So we want to continue to support that growth by expanding the program around the gifted and advanced academic programming uh across our community. Very specific programming and creating tight theater pattern approaches from elementary schools into middle schools. If something's working, we need to expand it. And what's happening at Gford Middle School is absolutely um something we need to begin to expand. Oslo Middle
139School currently sits at 62% capacity. It will be under 50 in two years if we do not do something different. Uh so we're looking to repurpose or relocate uh Oslo Middle School. Sebastian River Middle School is currently sitting at 47% capacity. We need to look at repurposing, reszoning, uh, and maximizing the use of that space. There's a beautiful building um, that many of you have walked that we need to maximize. Storm Grove Middle School, our newest complete school, is sitting at 54% capacity. Once again, that will be uh, under 45%. Guys, get comfortable. You hear that rain outside? Um, we will be around 45 or or lower if we don't do something different. The operational cost of having a separate facility for our freshman learning center comes at a tune of about $1.2 million on
140an annual basis. There's not many standalone freshman learning centers across the state of Florida. There are a few, but there's not very many. they all would fit inside the main building. That would do us a a couple things if we did that. Because in middle schools, we have had such a hard push around the high school courses. About a third of the students at the Flick who are all high achieving students have to get on a bus for second period to drive over for third period. They lose 15 20 minutes of instruction. then they have to come back for fourth period because there's not enough to have a full teacher in that advanced coursework. Our highest achieving students are losing instructional time to get them the advanced coursework that they we have pushed for them
141to receive the vocational programming and we have some outstanding vocational programming. Many of you have walked at our at our high school. Our ninth graders don't get to start it till they get to 10th grade. And many of these programs require three or four courses to take over your high school experience. It's almost a disservice not to get those students, many of which need to be connected to those courses in ninth grade. And if we had, we would have $1.2 million in our hands right now. Right now, if we move made this move last year, what does that mean? Bal budget is balanced. That would be a 1.2 to recurring additional compensation for our people. IR prep uh and y'all know I love me uh alternative programming. Um we are going to have to move
142that school into um the technical college. >> It used to be >> um it is a very small school right now. It is doing a a good job of meeting the academic needs. We made a number of instructional shifts to do be more flexible in meeting the the needs of those particular kids. But if we can connect them to a vocational program and give them access to some of the great programming that at that particular school, why wouldn't we do that? And if they earn their way out, they still should be able to go back to their home school if that's what they choose and continue to share time into that vocational programming. Um, we may have to add some portables at that school to do that. Um, but there's no reason that we can't.
143A long-term project is Wabaso. Wabaso is a gem in our community, but it's in a very old facility. This probably won't be a year one initiative, but one of the schools that would be repurposed or the faculty and staff would move to a different location, uh, expand programming for Wabaso. And Mr. Dr. Colstat does an absolutely outstanding job um with limited staff and limited resources and a lot of those limited staff comes on the size of the school. Um and then we also need to look at you know autism and the programming that we have around WASA there's an opportunity to I want to say blow up but drastically expand uh some of that unique programming at that particular school and making sure that campus is full. the work that we've done to this point.
144Uh, and board members know this is we've gone through and really done an analysis about what we think we can possibly do. Um, there's more rumors out there than I could possibly imagine. We met with CWA and they actually came in with a list and I said, "Well, you got most of them. You don't you don't have all of them, but you have you have most of them." Um, starting tomorrow I will engage with faculties and I want the opportunity to to allow faculties to ask me questions to understand uh the rationale um and really problem solve with me. We've met with both executive um union teams and gone through um the rationale and we do not want to quote Dr. Chaffy this to feel as if something is being done to anybody. This is
145something we do together and when we met with the first round of the teacher union, we left with more questions than we did answers. Um, but we will problem solve and we will do this together. Some of the programming that needs to be tightened at our schools um will be a process of really working with the those faculties to create that programming. some of the facility usage difference, specifically a K8 going into a middle school building. Uh we're going to have to work with that school community to go into the school and say, "Let's envision this together. You tell me the answer to the solution. Uh we will fund it. We will figure out a way through our capital um projects, which we've gone through that capital um budget with a fine tooth comb. we've
146identified the available resources to make these changes that we will bring back uh to our board once we figure out the totality of these specific changes. At the end of the day, uh I want to take care of our people >> and I want to show so much respect and love for the individuals who've gone on this journey with me. And I said it at our last workshop, everything that we've done to this point has put us in this place to do this work. And I look at what we can do to reinvision and pull folks who are accessing public dollars in a very very different space and how to educate their families. So many districts are beginning that work and they're doing it absolutely completely wrong. They're doing it wrong. We can do it
147right. and we can use some of our spaces to re-engage and connect and provide services to that community. We want to drastically expand um the percent at each occupancy percent at each school. Our initial evaluation tells us if we look at the people who are currently ours, our family, the people who are in our system, um that we can do this work over the next two years and not declare a reduction in force. Y >> take care of our people. Now, if you don't do your job, that's a different story. Um but if you're doing everything that we ask you to do, uh we don't have to go through the difficult uh unfriendly confrontational conversation. Had a great conversation with CWA about job descriptions. Board approves job descriptions. Um I if if we just can't
148hold true to a description a job description that was created 18 years ago when the work is drastically changed and I don't know how to do the work you do. I know how to fund it but I sure as heck don't know how to how to do that specific work. But let's engage in the conversation and reinvent the the way work should be done given the current reality. And those will be conversations not just for the next two months, literally for the next two years. And we have proven um to each other that we can uphold an expectation really really engage in hard complex conversations and collectively come together with solutions. I will starting tomorrow um and for the rest of this week every school up there they will have a interaction with me face
149tof face um and also meeting with parents uh in each and every single one of those schools over the course of the next week to engage in conversations to receive their feedback really to listen and understand the complexity of what we absolutely have to do. Um then we will begin uh work to re uh finalize our recommendation. Uh we will hold over the course of the next five or six weeks town hall specific meetings which is the opportunity not just for the faculty to engage and receive feedback not just for the parents but for the community. And I think that's a a great opportunity because at the end of the day, uh, someone may be sitting at home with a child who's not in our school system, but say, "Hey, now that you're expanding the
150offerings for K8, I want to get I I want to participate in that. Now that you've aligned programming from Vero Beach Elementary School into the middle school, into the high school, I see a clear programmatic path for my child to take for the next 13 years. We have to stop three different styles of school. You go to kindergarten and there's no connection. I mean, okay, your elementary school, there's no connection to your middle school. In the middle school, there's no connection to your high school. Um, why wouldn't you leave? We've got to strengthen programming in our elementaryaries, into our middle schools, into our high schools, and strengthen programming into our um K8s into our high schools. The number one complaint for our our parents who are loving the K8 space, very limited offering because of
151size is, oh man, I love it, but I would really like to have the athletics and activities. I understand we don't have the facility for it, but we think we can solve that problem, but then we have to align the current middle schools with the K8 middle schools, which brings us to um start times and end times. And that's another conversation once we have all of these variables. I see Beth waving her head because 7:05 is too early. >> Yeah, >> it is too early. >> Yeah. >> For high school >> for anybody. Um the exception of Bruce. Um it is it is it is and and Beth Beth goes to the gym. Um it is it's too early. Um 7:20 7:30. The challenge that we have and this is another great example. The buses,
15250% of our 68 routes end up at Vero Beach. They pick up the kids from Vero Beach, then they drive the high school, then they drive to the Flick. They lose like 14 minutes. If you looked at our data, uh, our on-time drop off on the north side of town is in the mid 90s. If you look on the south side of town, it's it's not good because we lose so much time. So, understanding a reduced number of schools, maximizing routes, and eliminating that 14 minutes for half the schools on the south side. Um, we can make a lot of parents happy by giving them a little extra time to sleep in. and for our elementary parents not extending the day another 20 minutes so their kids are getting out so so late. So my
153goal is to face conversations with faculties with staffs ongoing uh task force-like meetings with our workforce teachers support staff um to identify the challenges and obstacles. We'll bring an update at the next um workshop. We would like to set a public hearing for the schools that would have boundary changes at our November 18th. >> Yes. >> 17 somewhere in November meeting. All that that's not an action item. The board isn't taking action. The board is just sending out for public hearing. Uh I will be out as well as my staff over the course of that month um really to receive information, receive feedback, and then we'd like to schedule on December 18th a special meeting uh which would have the sole se December 17th. So Jen, if you're watching, yes, that is our wedding anniversary.
154Sorry. Um to have that meeting uh to approve approve the attendance boundary changes. Um, and then we I'll work with with staff at that item any other changes that we would have. Some of these changes we think we can do in year one, but I may learn in my conversations and dialogue, this is something that we will have to do in year two. Um, or this is something that the group of teachers gave me a lot of insight and it's it's no longer a good idea. I don't know what the heck I was thinking. Um, and we'll shift and modify. So, I know I know and when you talk about repurposing a school or closing a school, um it's hard, difficult conversations and coming from a very very large district, um it's not something that
155I'm new to. The districts fail when they don't communicate. Districts fail when they don't treat people as people who are invested and love that school and love the community. So we will do absolutely that. It will not be a rush process. It will not be a process in which uh things are happening in isolation. Uh we're probably taking the hardest, longest, most complex way of of doing this work. But it's the right way. it is the right way. Uh so I'm extremely confident um in the ideas. uh thank my team. Um they have really pushed my thinking uh on the possibilities of what we can do. And we haven't talked programmatically program programmatic um shifts and changes, but we're going to challenge some of our schools uh to reinvent the experience, the middle school experience,
156the time they're spending in classrooms. Um we've got to get away from the bell to bell to bell to bell to bell. Our schools are going to continue to drop if we can't enhance flexibility. Um so that is the item that is the immediate next next steps. um and excited about the opportunities to uh really really be a beacon of hope uh with a school system that is at the highest level of capacity um in terms of enrollment and that high level of capacity in each of our schools frees up the dollars so we can take care of our people. >> Thank you Dr. Moore. Thank you. Um board member feedback. Chair Baronborg like to start with you. >> Sure. Um, you know, very innovative thinking. We've been, you know, kind of batting this around,
157uh, oneonone with you and I know board members are probably relieved that this information is coming out now. Um, because there have been a lot of questions out there of what are we going to do, what are we going to do? Um, very innovative and um, that's where we need to go with this. Um there's a lot to think about with the details as far as um the money spent on reprogramming and playgrounds being moved and um you know school signs and you know all that. But I think all in all it's it's going to be very positive for our district um very positive for the community because we're going to be able to open up areas where other thoughts of um educating their kids can happen. And I think that's that's really truly embra
158embracing choice. So kudos to your team for coming up with these ideas. Um I know there's going to be a lot of discussion in the next few weeks. Parents that are paying attention to this or maybe uh reporters that are paying attention to this that will put out articles then parents will start to go, "Whoa, wait, what's happening with my school?" So I I think that we can stay ahead of that and market it the way we need to market it and get that information out that's positive in the right direction. So thank you for this. Thank you, Miss Vizario. >> Um, yeah, it's a there's a lot there's a lot to take in. Um, I would um recommend Dr. Moore um that we find the benefits and find the positives in this somehow or
159another that we um articulate what those are for community members. So that of course when you're before parent you want to be able to say oh but wait there's something good that could come out of this. Um I think that's going to be um important. So some of the things that I've been thinking of I know at our at our last workshop you you asked us for our input and for some suggestions on um some of these innovations. I know that I' I've talked with you one-on-one on some things. Um, I don't know if we've talked about a tutoring school. >> A tutoring school. >> Tutoring. >> A tutoring tutor to tutor. Um, something to think about as well. if not maybe some tutoring programs or a tutoring center that is open for um for
160students who potentially or who might be on voucher who who'd be able to utilize the tutoring center. Um Indian River State College has a tutoring center for their students and for any of our students as well, but it is an open uh center. you they can come and go from it as they please as long as it's the the those hours. Um and for the most part it uh it works well. I know that it helped my son for sure. Um I will say that something that I have found that is a need and I get these questions all the time from parents are who do you recommend for SAT tutoring? Who do you recommend for ACT, CLT tutoring? I get those constantly. um and even the per and the club. So if there are
161any students who even current high school students who need um something I think maybe a tutoring center might be um something to look into expanding Treasure Coast Technical College, right? I mentioned that before. I think um construction, you can never go bad with construction or whatever the the next step is in their phase in their phasing program. Um adult programming for sure. Um even at Wabaso, maybe there's an adult transition program that we can keep the kids. They graduate from high school, but then they they kind of graduate into this adult programming within um the Wabaso building. Um, I' I'd like to ask uh, and I'm I'm probably preaching to the choir um, asking what you already know, but if we can please give our parents time before notifying them of when whenever the town
162halls will be for them to show up. Um, we have obviously, you know, working parents, parents with children who need to find um, uh, uh, uh, babysitters and all that kind of stuff. So if we give them only one or two days notice, it might not be enough for them to be able to accommodate attending the town hall. In the event that a town hall is last minute, I have had some parents in the past say, you know, I still can't make it. Um what about live sessions? So, it' be nice to at least have one um live where you have, you know, people here and then um kind of like schoolboard meetings um show the live town hall for information purposes of course to get the word out to anyone who won't be able
163to attend your uh town halls in person. Um even the recorded sessions if you you know those are somewhat helpful. Um, you mentioned something about vouchers and uh, homeschoolers. I I I I just I know you know this, but I just want to say um, vouchers are not just for homeschool students, they're also for private school. So, parents can opt to choose their opt to put their kids in a private school as well. Uh but because so many of the programs are so different, you might have part-time private schools, you know, u um you not part-time, they serve like a co-op. You know, you bring your kids Tuesday and Wednesday and then they're off Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In that event, something that we might be able to offer might be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
164An alternative, right? even some of the electives, um, you know, the art, the field trips, you know, utilizing our, um, the ELC, uh, all kinds of different things that we might be able to do, uh, to be creative in those areas. Um, and I'm still going to say over and over and over again, so [clears throat] far, our North County, Why Are [laughter] you laughing? So far, our North County Chart Classical School um is really uh doing great and there is a waiting list there. Unless we got everybody in already. I'm not sure. Um I think there's still a waiting list. Uh either way, it is something that is needed and wanted and has shown a lot of interest in the community. having one on the north county and then having a south county classical
165school definitely something that might bring people back. Um and um with that, I look forward to some more supporting this um effort and um if we ever get to the point of needing to relocate schools um I think reaching out to some community uh moving companies. I don't know how we would ever, you know, do this, but they might be able to volunteer some of their time for the school district to be able to do that to save on some costs. Um, I know we have some that are very very connected uh to with with children, with families. Um, those are some things that we might be able to um save costs on if needed. >> So many other things to think about. This is um >> exciting. >> A what? >> It's exciting. Um
166but there are a lot of unknowns and so I I trust that we'll be able to um to address those as transparently um as we can as quickly and transparently as we can. >> Thank you, Mr. Rosario. Dr. Pasca, >> thank you um for the presentation. Uh this is a long time coming. We've been discussing improving efficiency and cost-saving measures and um I'm very happy that you guys are taking it very seriously and are coming up with a big plan to improve things. And you know, I'm going to be honest that, you know, if you have a school district and there's a lot of schools that are running in the 50% capacity, um you you are hemorrhaging taxpayer dollars and it what it shows the the the people in the community is you are not
167a good steward and you don't deserve the responsibility you've been given. Um and unfortunately in government it has always been and always will be much easier to spend other people's money than you would have otherwise spent your own. Um so we see frivolous expenditures and waste that just go on year after year after year for no reason. Um and it's it's a it's something that plagues government um at at at every level. And you know we see it um even in our county uh commission. you know, we saw um them pass I think it was a $13 million new garbage can uh initiative. So, we all got new garbage cans. I don't know why I got a new garbage can. My garbage can worked fine. It held garbage and had wheels and now I have
168a brown one and uh I don't have a use for it because I live on 10 acres. So, if you had any sense, you probably would have done that voluntarily. Um if you want a brown can, you can you can buy the can onetime fee. you got your brown can. Now, I bet very, very few people would have bought that. But unfortunately, five people in a room felt like that was a good use of $13 million. Um, it's insanity. And that's actually the entire amount of money that the sheriff wanted for their budget. Um, and so we got new garbage cans instead of new police officers. And it it just makes no sense. Um, so I'm very happy that you are finally going forward with a plan to improve efficiency in this county. And my
169hope is that the other counties in the state of Florida are going to follow suit. Um I'm sure there are many counties that are in far far worse shape from an efficiency standpoint than we are. Um over the last 5 years, you've done a lot as you've said to improve our efficiency. But this the uh the other counties that are running 50 40% capacity schools and you're just hemorrhaging millions of dollars and you don't care. You deserve the Hope Florida legislation. You deserve it. you're why it's there. We wouldn't have had it if you knew how to manage a school district. So, I recommend properly managing your money and being good stewards of it or eventually someone comes along and they have to try to force you to do it. And that never really works
170well because they don't know exactly what you're doing and now they're trying to legislate a solution for the problem. Um, if you could have just done it right to begin with, we wouldn't be here. Um, so I'm very thankful that you're doing this and I know it is going to be a big task and it's complicated and it's going to take a lot of time and energy. Um, but I also know that you know it needs to be done and you're capable of doing it. So, uh, good luck and we will we will be here to support you. >> Thank you, Dr. Posa. Mr. Dyer. >> Yeah. You know, I I remember uh some a little over five years ago watching you during the interview uh for superintendent saying that there's no reason this shouldn't
171be an A district and that all schools and I remember private conversation with you saying all schools can be a I did roll my eyes a little bit to thinking that but you said no, every kid can learn. every school can be an A. And here we are five years later. 95% of our schools in the district are A schools. We have been through uh you said also we're going to reinvent education. We're going to innovate. We're going to be all about the kids and not about the adults. And from what I've seen in this school district, we have you have you have delivered and the team has delivered. And I think that, you know, the old saying is we live in interesting times. Well, we do. And these get more interesting day by day.
172But the good thing, having watched this district for five years, is that we have a seasoned team that knows how to innovate, that knows how to tackle a problem. And I'm sure with your leadership and their I guess vigor and willingness to get the job done and to dig in and to reinvent and to innovate, I have no reason to believe that this won't be successful. I think the efficiencies that I know Dr. Pasca has talked about for a while that I certainly talked about during the election. I think you have you have uh gone after them head on. You are doing things that most people uh don't dare to do, but you know that continue to be successful. And by the way, through all this, your goal is to be the number one district
173in Florida. You said that. We we noted it. >> Oh, yeah. I know. I know. I know. >> So [laughter] So not only are you doing all the rest of it, you still have the academic outcome to be the number one school district in Florida. I believe you guys can do it. I I I I believe in this team. I believe in what you've done. I believe the board is going to give you all the support that you need. And uh believe me, you're going to need some support with what's going on at the state level, but we'll get through it and we will uh overcome and be a great school district. And thank you for the leadership and for what you guys have done to lead us will do to lead us through this
174uh next few years. >> Okay, I'll wrap it up. Um, thank you very much to you and your staff for the forward thinking. I'd like to see us five years from now and I think we're going to look back and said we did a good job. It's very very important as you have been doing um including the unions talking to faculties which you'll do soon and then having those forums for our families because we can all see how this will work but it will still have some concerns from our parents >> and we want to to be there for them and make sure that they have complete knowledge of why we are doing this and how we think we will come out and I think it will be on a very very good end you
175know Being someone who've been in the community for 45 years and in public education for about 50 in 37 in this district, this is tough. You know, when you look back and see where we are and where we want to go, but I think it can work because we involve the people. You know, you've been talking to your teachers, you don't want a reduction in force or your CWA in support. Involve the people. Keeping a fun balance that allows us to do that. you know, whether I think you're right. You may go into these situations say this is what I I was thinking, but that's a better idea. You know, whether we go prek or truly go back to middle school philosophy or or look at everything that we want to do. You know, I'm
176going to give you a little institutional knowledge. Before Sebastian River High School opened, we had an eighth and ninth grade. That's before Sebastian River High School opened. I mean, we had 1,400 at the Flick. 1,400. What do they have now? >> Uh almost six just so it can be done. [laughter] And then you go to Vero Beach High School again before Sebastian River High School opened. We had over 3,000 just on the main campus. Was a little bit crowded. Yes. But but it was still a still a great environment for our kids. Um Indian River Prep used to be at Treasure Coast Technical College. I don't know if you knew that right when it first >> I did and >> I never knew why we moved that because that was a perfect alignment with career
177tech. I never knew when we moved that but anyway um and you look at at our magnet schools they all have waiting lists you know and our K8 schools will be getting waiting lists obviously but I I think we are in step one of maybe a hundred steps but if we do it right and and work with our community and our parents and our students and our faculties I think we'll be successful. I think it's just something that, you know, this is where we are. Uh we want to be successful for all of our students and um I think the board has made very clear that we're here for you >> in our community. So, anything else, board members? Okay. All right. So, now we go into board member matters. >> Oh, no. We have
178to we have to vote on the the >> Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, that action thing. [laughter] I'm sorry. Action agenda. Why we did this? All right. Action agenda. The chair will call for a motion for approval to wave extend the deadline in policy 5121 controlled open enrollments for the operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative. May I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you. >> All right. Any discussion? All in favor, please say I. >> I. Passes 5-0. Dr. Moore. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Sorry, we kind of got off. [laughter] >> All right. Board member matters. Chair Baronborg. Uh yeah, let's see. Uh tomorrow is National First Responders Day and a special shout out to our first responders and all that they do. Um please recognize them and uh thank
179one when you see one. They're everywhere in our community and we can't um have a great community without their work and so we appreciate them. Uh we have several first responders that work with our schools and so just a little shout out to them. Um I attended FSBA advocacy committee. I'm the chair of that committee and um the committee is working on some um talking points for lots of um initiatives as a school board member, what to say in your community, what to say in your DAS, what to say when you're in um up in the legislature. Um but schools of hope that that in um bill um that statute is is definitely foremost on our thoughts and so that has been in a lot of conversations. The uh FSBA district chairs that received the
180letters I attended that but also a little note on that. Um you know we're all anxiously waiting for November 11th because that's when the date is where others can send us letters. So that'll be interesting to see what happens on that date. uh FSPA board of directors. I was voted on to that board this year as well. Um I will be forwarding the notes from that meeting to um Miss Mor to send out to all board members so you can see what was done. That was up in Orlando that I attended. And I also attended Steam Quest at Dodgertown. Um that was uh for our um our gifted students and it was on a Saturday. It was amazing how many parents were there to drop their kids off early on a Saturday morning. and uh
181great things. I walked through all the different classrooms, what was going on and uh it was impressive and I know we're doing some things for our gifted program and gifted kids to bring them together across the district and uh it was really nice to see kids from different schools working together. So that's all I have. Thank you. >> Me, too. >> Thank you, Miss Vizario. >> I wanted to uh recognize um the uh Moonshot series. I I thought that the movie and the collaboration with the district was fantastic. The showing was great. Um I honestly didn't expect it to be that big of a deal. It felt like a a a you know Hollywood um scene. It was just really um really wonderful. When do we get to see the whole thing? That's the big
182question. We only saw a little snippet. We didn't get to see the whole >> in February they release each of they're making one kind of to put everything together which will be one series and then uh we'll have to coordinate something of when it's I think it is available you can go and see it but each of the different segments I think there's nine segments >> 10 >> I think >> let's go with what Dr. Jacob says, >> "What is it?" >> Eight plus the button. The bonus The bonus one to me is the one that captures Soup to Nuts. Um, which is not That's the one that's not ready yet. >> Okay. Uh, are they still filming or they're done filming? >> No, they're No, they filmed 20 pounds ago. >> Okay. Um, so
183the, um, I'm excited to see what happens with Turning Point USA at all of our high schools. Um, I think that that is going to be an incredible opportunity. I know um Governor Dantis and um Stacey Anastasia Anastasis Staceas I always forget >> um our commissioner let's say our commissioner of education at the department of education um and Governor Dantis had a press conference um uh I think today actually um on uh Turning Point USA at school supporting that effort. So, um I'm excited to see that happen. Um had a great time at United Way. I do want to give a huge shout out to Mr. Green for all of his effort. I mean, he was early first one at Pelican Island on um United on the day of caring. He was he had coordinated
184with local um who did you coordinate with? connect landscaping companies. Uh, multiple. Correct. Yeah. And they donated tons of greenery, shrubbery, mulch, plant trees, all kinds of stuff. And so, uh, we all got our hands dirty. Um, and it was really fantastic. But Mr. Green, I think you went above and beyond. If we had the the white cowboy hat, I'd probably tell Dr. more to hand that over to you. Uh but I I think it it went so well and it was um there were a lot of people who showed up to beautify that school. Um and and not that all the other schools uh weren't important, but because this was uh we recently had the ribbon cutting for the classical uh magnet, I think it was just uh fitting for us to be able
185to help them um and and you did super on that day. So, thank you for all of your work and I know you probably don't want the accolades there, but thank you so much. You deserve it. Uh, and with that, I'll hand it over. >> Thank you, Mr. Dyer. >> Uh, yes, I would like to make a correction. There was 10 segments to the Moonshot series. So, [laughter] >> but uh I I would say that that was that was on October the 4th on a on a Thursday night. We filled uh Riverside Theater uh and it was absolutely spectacular as a preview to those people who were in the fil film and some community leaders and just the work that's gone on to understand where we were five six years ago in uh literacy those
186reading at third grade and uh at third grade level was was what in the 40s and actually in in in uh Vero Beach Elementary School was >> was 38%. >> They were this year at 71% which was tied for second in the state our whole district. >> Just an amazing thing that happens when you have a public private partnership getting together and this this uh as Dr. Mo said this team has had people from actually all over the country and certainly in the state come down to try to see what's going on here. how we've been able to accomplish this and uh in uh such a short amount of time. Uh and this documentary I think helps describe what any community can do uh to get behind uh literacy and to make a difference in
187kids education. So I think it's spectacular and there's more to come. I believe in January or February, there's going to be part of uh our distinguished lecture series and maybe it will be a couple of more showings in uh in Riverside Theater where we'll fill the theater another couple of times just from people in the community. Uh which is I think that last big edited version they're working on. Uh really remarkable the success that's gone on here. I also had the [clears throat] opportunity after our uh security workshop to tour the uh dispatch center or the sheriff at the sheriff's office and I could say that that was not only impressive but uh what a great resource to back up all our school resource officers and really it made me feel very good about where
188our community is in keeping our kids safe and keeping our community safe. So that was a uh really uh quite interesting and again uh very exciting times going forward and can't wait to see where we are again five years from now. Thank you Mr. Dyer. Uh Sebast High School homecoming parade was fun and Verau's going to do theirs Wednesday. I will join in. Um Day of Carrie my husband and I went to Indie River Academy. We with 15 other people we did a butterfly garden and it was wonderful. Um I'm on the MCAN leadership and our meeting in June is going to be up against poverty um to show people in our community what that store does for our community and all the services. The celebration grove of our community leaders breakfast. Many of us
189were there and United Way did a great job. As everyone said, the documentary in October 2nd was really well attended and it was a lot of fun and I think people were very very impressed. I am on the advocacy committee under um Chair Baronborg and we have a smaller committee looking at preK hopefully trying to get more funding in prek. Uh the Treasure Coast Community Health ribbon cutting October 8th was wonderful. They do a lot of services for our families. Uh, I went to the Hispanic Heritage Month lunch at Felsmere and that's one of the best times of the year. They have dancing, they have food, and they have celebration. Crown Jewel I kind of took the trophies when they went to Sebastian High School. >> Push everybody. No. Um, Vero Beach does not compete.
190They performed. It was wonderful. And then the Sharks won the overall uh competition. It was just a fun night. As I said before, I'm on the FSBA federal committee and you know, we're just kind of waiting to see what will happen next, especially with our title schools. I too went to Steam Quest at Dodgertown and that was a lot of fun. Went into all the classrooms to see what they were doing for a gifted program and u the kids and parents were having a good time. And I want to shout out to Sarah A for the mental health forum um with children's services last week. She did a great job. And more importantly, it was just great to see the community connections we had with our schools and our communities. Um, as I said earlier,
191our community forums when Dr. Moore starts going out there. Um, what's going to be happening I think will be a great support. And I'm going to end with the two flyovers at the high school were so flipping cool and they did it twice at Sebastian River High School and I love seeing that. Thank you, Dr. Shafty. And that was um I saw the guys from the airport, Ver Beach airport. Joel Shear went to school with my brother, I mean with my son. So, um, lot of activities going on and it's going to be November 1st next or this Saturday. >> That's right. Okay. Superintendent's closing. >> Um, the next two weeks will be extremely busy as we referenced. Um, next week I will have the opportunity to uh go to AASA's uh superintendent gallum um
192which is kind of the end of my year of reign as as state superintendent and they will acknowledge or identify a new superintendent at FADS in December. Um and I'll have the opportunity to participate in a number of forums um while I'm there both Thursday and and Friday. So looking forward the opportunity of of representing our collective to collective work. Um so there you go. >> Thank you very much. Thank you everybody for attending. Chair Baronborg, hope you're feeling okay. And um we are adjouring the meeting at 8:38. Thank you.