001and other presentations. I ask that out of respect to everyone, please silence all electronic devices at this time. Check your phones, please. Thank you. All right. I'd like to start this meeting at 5:30. I'd like to recognize the superintendent for a series of awards and presentations. Dr. Moore. Thank you, Madam Chair. We do have a number of presentations today, so I'll turn it over to Miss Maddox to begin those presentations. Hello and good evening, everyone. It's so nice to have a full house tonight. Everyone here to see Miss PoEl, I'm sure. Right. But before we get to that very special presentation, we'd like to start off by highlighting our district's ongoing commitment to community outreach through our casual for a cause initiative. Each month, our students and staff members have the opportunity to dress casually
002in support of a charitable organization. And last month, we raised money for the American Cancer Society. We're proud to support the fight against cancer and to contribute to the life-saving work being done by the American Cancer Society. At this time, we'd like to invite Nancy Mazden, a longtime Relay for Life volunteer, to come forward and accept the donation of $1,766 on behalf of the school district of Indian River [Applause] County. You want to do this first? Okay, I I'll hold it for you. Okay, thanks. Big checks are exciting. Thank you very much. Thank you much very much the school district. This is so exciting. Childhood research cancer childhood research is not wildly funded. Right now the American Cancer Societ is funding 86 grants at the cost of $51 million. And this is just so exciting
003to have you participate in this. This is fabulous. Thank you very much. [Applause] Hello. All right. Ready? One, two, and three. Thank you very much. Next, we turn our attention to celebrating academic excellence. It's with great pride that we recognize our students who excelled at the state science fair. Their achievements not only reflect their hard work, but also the support they've received from our dedicated educators. I'd like to ask Kristen Brookner, curriculum specialist, to come to the podium to help acknowledge these remarkable young scientists and scholars. Good evening. Tonight, I have the honor of recognizing some exceptional students who demonstrated um participation in the state science fair. But before we do that, I have Web Webster here. um not only participated in the state science fair and delivered an amazing speech there. Um also just
004got back from the international science fair and placed second in earth and environmental science. These achievements are a testament to Web's dedication and passion for science. The Indian River Lagoon was my classroom long before I stepped into a science lab. But soon the lessons in my lagoon classroom began to change. The once vibrant hues of the water turned a sickly shade of greenish brown as rampant algo pollution fueled violent algo blooms and fish kills. I refused to watch the lagoon that shaped my childhood slowly wither away. I refused to let down a younger version of myself, one who absorbed lessons about dissolved oxygen and led beach cleanups. That was the same version of me who poured countless hours into conducting lagoon centered research, sifting through seaggrass samples for microplastics and isolating UV filters from fish
005tissue. However, positive change does not occur in isolation. It requires collaboration across disciplines and a network of passionate individuals willing to combine their expertise to address emerging challenges. Look around. This room is filled with all of our state science fair representatives that share the same unrelenting passion and determination to solve the world's most pressing scientific challenges. We are not merely students with projects. We are innovators. We are advocates and we are the difference. But our drive and our discoveries and our dreams would be impossible without the foundation built by this community by educators who believed in us, administrators who empowered us, and families who nurtured our curiosity. Scientific literacy is not about memorizing periodic tables or graphing equations. It is about equipping young minds with the ability to think critically, ask difficult questions, and to
006seek the truth even when answers are inconvenient. It is about understanding the world not just as it is, but as it could be if we dare to make it better. The Indian River Lagoon taught me to see the world with wonder, but as teachers and mentors in my classroom who taught me how to turn the wonder into action. They gave me the language of inquiry, the tools of discovery, and the encouragement to chase answers beyond the textbook. Every sample I tested, every data set I analyzed, every hour I spent bent over a microscope or hutch beside the HLC machine, all of it began with someone saying, "Yes, you can." Without that yes, without the educators who fight every day for scientific programs, for hands-on learning, for opportunities that reach beyond the walls of the classroom,
007I would not be here. None of us would be here. And without the community that understands the value of investing in its students, in its schools, in its pursuit of knowledge, we would lose more, far more than competitions and accolades. We would lose the very people who will one day solve the problems that seem unsolvable. Because what happens in our classrooms does not stay there. It ripples outwards. The lessons that we learn, the passions that we ignite, they grow into careers, into cures, into climate solutions, into innovations that we cannot yet imagine. Scientific literacy is not a luxury. It's a lifeline. And every student who learns to question, to explore, and to believe in their own abilities makes a difference and becomes a beacon for what's possible. Because the future will not wait. And neither
008will we. Thank you. [Applause] Woo! And that is why we science fair. That's why we signed. Um, so for I do have 20 students that represented us at states and a few of them are here this evening. So students when I call your name if you'll just come up and we will take a picture. So from Ver Beach High School, Web Webster, Aby Johnson, Ella Kilman, Pari Patel, Kimberly Undavi, Gianna Dela, and Annalia Kelly. from Sebastian River High School, Caitlyn Peters. Sebastian River Middle School, Randy Samaro and Annabella Peret. Gford Middle School, Uma Chrisley, and Stormgroveve Middle School, Zoe Hler and Hannah Dior. That's awesome. And in addition to the state fair science finalist, we also have Ariana Bolton. She was named for one of the top 300 projects in the Thermoffisher Scientific Junior Innovators
009Challenge for her eighth grade science project. She also received this honor for her seventh grade science fair project last year. So this showcases her continued commitment to scientific excellence. [Applause] Thank you guys. Oh, sorry. She didn't have a picture. down a little bit. Ready? One, two, and three. Congratulations. [Applause] Next, we're proud to recognize the educators in our district who have gone above and beyond in their professional growth. These these individuals have successfully completed our professional learning certification program, demonstrating their dedication to lifelong learning and instructional excellence. To present this recognition, please join me in welcoming Miss Terry Beckham, professional learning [Applause] specialist. Good evening, honorable chair, board members, Dr. Moa and cabinet. This evening I am recognizing a very special group of educators who have successfully completed the school district of Indian River County's
010professional learning certification program. Tonight we come together to celebrate a major milestone, the successful completion of the alternative certification program by an exceptional group of educators here in Indian River County. To each of you, congratulations. This journey has required grit, determination, and an unwavering belief in the power of education. You took a non-traditional path into our classrooms, balancing coursework, full-time teaching responsibilities, and unique challenges that come from being both a teacher and a learner. And yet, you did it. You showed up for your students. You showed up for your school. and you showed up for yourselves and that takes heart. But we know that no one reaches this point alone. To the families and loved ones of who of who supported you with your patience, encouragement, and maybe a few late night pep talks, thank
011you to the principles, mentors, and district leaders who offered guidance, flexibility, and belief in your potential. Your support has been invaluable. If you supported one of these fine educators, would you please stand up at this time to be recognized or wave your hand if you're already [Applause] standing. Tonight is not just about certification. It's about your commitment to our students, our schools, and the future of Indian River County. You've proven that with hard work, support, and a love for learning, any dream is achievable. As you move forward, remember what you've accomplished and more importantly, what lies ahead. You are now part of the heartbeat of this district, and your impact is just beginning. Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen, once again, and thank you for choosing to make a difference right here in Indian River County. When
012I call your name, please step forward. Colleen [Music] Brookner, Henry Buren, Don Carter, and we believe this is always a family affair. And her husband Shane Carter, Anastasia Cisco, [Applause] Danielle Franco, [Applause] Deborah Henry Montabano, Zachary Huber, [Applause] Ariel Manne, Allison Porter, [Applause] Jennifer [Music] Stone and Natasha Warren. I would also like to recognize the handful of teachers who also completed but weren't able to join us tonight. And that would be Ariana Carter, um, Brandon Carter, Julian Goddard, Fed Nike Noisstein, Courtney Stevens, Amelia Straula, and Jessica Traverso. Congratulations everyone. Thank you. Oh yeah, right. I know, right? Oh, look at the proud principal up there. for your principles. For your principles award, congratulations [Applause] I'm proud to say that Mr. Buren is actually my oldest son's culinary arts teacher and he he has brought his
013love of learning back to life. Thank you, Mr. Buren. Last, but certainly not least, we have we're excited to share a special project created by our superintendent student advisory council. Earlier this year, members of the council participated in a high school swap experience, spending a day at a different high school within our district to gain new perspectives. Vero went to Sebastian and Sebastian went to Vero. Together, they built connections and celebrated what makes each of our schools unique. The students documented their experience with the help of Chris Heiser. I'm walking back here. And we're proud to present a video that highlights the collaboration, insight, and school spirit that emerged from this initiative. Please enjoy the Superintendent Student Advisory Council high school swap video. our documentation. During the spring of 2025, an exciting new initiative was
014proposed by the superintendent's student advisory council, a high school swap. This initiative was developed by the students themselves and offered a unique opportunity for them to visit the other high school campus. We were talking about pros and cons between both Vero Beach High School and Sebastian River High School. Someone mentioned, "Oh, wouldn't it be fun if we spent a day at each other's schools and see how each school is alike and different in both ways." Well, we really wanted to see the daily life of each school and see how the school spirit, how the kids kind of just go about their day, see what their emotions are like, just kind of see what the overall vibe and culture is at the other school. We wanted to go to the uh swap campuses because we wanted
015to see what we can learn from both campuses and bring back to our own to help each other's campuses improve. After many weeks of planning, it was high school swap day. Students from Sebastian River High School stepped into the shoes of Ver Beach High School students, experiencing a day in the life on the VBHS campus. Leading the way were members of the VBHS Superintendent Student Advisory Council who served as tour guides and hosts throughout the day. The tour kicked off with students exploring a variety of the CTE programs offered at Ver Beach High School, including culinary arts, hosa, biotech, automotive, and digital design. Next, students visited the performing arts department, which included band and chorus, then observed AP classes to see the academic rigor and college level opportunities available at Vera Beach High School. They
016also visited several key areas across campus, such as Vero Bean, the studentrun coffee shop, and the James M. Sammon's Performing Arts Center. A standout moment of the day was when both groups of students stood together on Billy Living's field at the Citrus Bowl. Truly taking in the spirit and pride of Vero Beach High School. The final stop of the day was the freshman Learning Center, a unique part of the Vero Beach High School campus, dedicated just to 9th graders. Before heading to lunch, students gathered in the media center to share their thoughts about the experience. Something that stood out to me today was how advanced um the facilities here at the school are like the vero bean and classrooms like biotech and automotive. My favorite part of today was seeing the auditorium and seeing the
017differences between what um Vero Beach's drama troop does and what Sebastian drama troop does. It was awesome. It was a good day. you know, uh, we got to talk about a lot of, um, things that we need to fix at our school and, things that we can incorporate from Vero Beach High School, and I hope to see it be done at SEI. It was really great to, you know, have Sebastian come as guests and kind of just show off what we love about Bureau, what we think like we're excited to, you know, improve here at BA as well. for us. I loved having and showcasing my love and beer bean and every other part of, you know, Bureau Beach and the school spirit that we have here at Ver just in the the dream team
018that we have here and we love to do everything that we do [Music] here. Bastion River High School. This time it was SRHS students who led the way, serving as guides and hosts throughout the day. The tour kicked off in the Wwing, where most freshmen begin their high school journey at Sebastian River High School. Next, students explored several career and technical education programs offered at Sebastian River High School, including promotional enterprise, aerospace technology, automotive, nursing, and culinary arts. They also visited several international balora classrooms, offering students a valuable opportunity to compare it with the structure of AP courses. From there, students visited band and chorus classes and got a feel for the creativity and performance opportunities at Sebastian River High School. Then it was time to get moving. Students headed outside for a friendly race
019on the track, lifted weights in the gym, and wrapped up the athletics portion with an exciting archery session, one of the most interactive and memorable parts of the day. The final stop was the iconic Bell Tower where students received vouchers for a drink from the studentrun coffee cart. They wrapped up the day in the media center over pizza, sharing highlights, swapping stories, and reflecting on all they'd experienced during their time on the Sebastian River High School campus. What surprised me the most was the t-shirt lab. I thought that it was so cool that Sebastian works with local businesses to make t-shirts for everyone. Seeing their beautiful blue track and just seeing it how it fits with their stadium colors and just seeing how it all come together was pretty fascinating. The thing that really surprised
020me the most is that that we at Sebastian River High School's school spirit is displayed through artwork and on the walls and on the doors. just showing off Sebastian and looking at different classes that I've never been to was also great. After going to Vero and then bringing them here, being the host/ mentor for them and just hearing them talk about how good things are at their school and them saying like, "Oh, we'd love to implement this or this is so awesome that you had this, especially things with our special needs. Um, many of them talk to me about it and they're like, "Yeah, like that is so great that you guys have a special needs dance thing. The special needs are involved in this. They do our coffee, all that." and they were saying
021where they would just love to have their special needs more involved in the school. So today opened up my eyes and showed me like these great things of my school that I also need to take in consideration be like okay we have this and this is great and like this is something in my heart that I do love. Yeah, it was just a really fun experience and I hope they like this is a tradition where they um continue to do this throughout the years because this I feel like people more people should definitely do this. Everyone wants a high school experience. Everyone wants a good, memorable high school experience that they can talk about for the rest of their life. And that's just a big goal that I have for myself and I want the
022same for all my fellow peers. And yeah, I love taking that away from this. The high school swap offered students a rare opportunity to explore a different campus and learn from one another's school environments. More than just a visit, it sparked fresh ideas, fostered meaningful connections, and served as a powerful reminder that across campuses, they are all a part of one shared community of learners. Most importantly, it showed students the power of perspective, collaboration, and the incredible things that can happen when young leaders come together with open minds and open hearts. [Music] At this time, please join me in welcoming the true mastermind behind this initiative, Mrs. Tracy Mcoo, our program specialist. She works closely with our student advisory council in support of this initiative from start to finish. Go ahead, Miss. Okay, guys. I
023have a couple of the crew here. Um, not everybody's going to talk. Don't worry, Dr. Moore. But I have had the amazing experience getting to be the facilitator for this awesome group of kids. We also have some middle schoolers. We're working on that. Um but each year the student superintendent student advisory council brings together student leaders from across the district from all of our student uh secondary schools to get information on um schoolwide issues, offer input, build connections, all that fun. Um and it's been an incredible experience to watch these students grow, not just as individuals, but as collaborators. Um one of the highlights this year was obviously the high school swap. Um it was completely generated by these geniuses over here and it was a lot of fun to to bring to fruition, but
024um you know it was a great opportunity to learn, challenge assumptions um and just recognize all the strengths and kind of fall in love with your own school. So I'm excited to hear from some of y'all today. I have I'm gonna introduce everybody, but not everybody's talking. So I got Ka Chroma from Ver Beach High School. We have Carrie Wyn. I'm totally blanking from Ver Beach High School. Thank you. And then Riley and Tori and Nick and Preston. So, um, I'm going to throw a couple questions at you guys. If there's anything you want to speak to, hop on up. So, um, how did your experience with the superintendent student advisory council and the swap help you grow as a student leader or your voice? Being on the council gave me the platform to shed
025light on important topics that need to be discussed and to be heard for many who often go unheard. Um, with so many students in the school system, it's hard to satisfy everyone, but I appreciated the chance to not only represent the student body, but to also have a seat at the table where I could advocate for equal access to education, opportunities, and more. My hope was to leave my school having a meaningful difference. Okay. What were your initial thoughts or experiences before the high school swap? Um, my initial expectations was I was very excited and curious, but at the same time nervous to uh visit a cross town rival, if you say. Um, but I I had high expectations. I feel like Sebastian has high potential to be put on the map because you always
026hear about bureau vo in River County, but I do feel like Sebastian River has a lot of potential there as they are a relevant new school in the county. But I loved their performing arts. You know, their band always wins a lot of awards and so just hearing their band and their performing arts was really exciting as well. Okay. So, how did it feel stepping onto a different high school campus for the day? Stepping on a different high school campus for a day was it was a total different feeling. Going on to Viro, there is a different vibe there. You can feel the school spirit just there already. Like there's no showing it off or anything. Like as they said in the video, they noticed our school, it's mainly the paintings and different stickers all
027over the walls and stuff like that that represents our student body. Vero though, it's just everyone's wearing their Vero shirts. Many people were talking about Vero games and we were there. We even got to talk to a few students and they were just hyping up different bureau things that have recently h happened and that's something that I really love to get going in our school soon which I totally believe that we can do. You just have to keep continuing pushing. So that's one of the cool things that I did um get there when I was at Beau Beach High School. So was there anything that surprised you guys about the other school? Any like the layout, the tradition, student life, anything like that? The thing that really surprised me about Sebastian was all of the
028inclusion programs that they have for their special needs students, like the EOCC inclusion dance where they partner with special needs students and perform this end of the year dance and they devote so much time to it and they just put a lot of thought and effort into it as well as the coffee cart which is completely run by special needs students which is really cool. So, okay, we'll do like one more question. Um, so does anybody have a favorite moment from the swap or an interaction that really stood out to you? For me, at lunch, we got to go in the senior patio inside their cafeteria and I actually got to speak with the senior class president as I'm the senior class president at Vero. So, it's really cool to to see each perspectives from
029both schools as we are uh in the same role at each other school. So, we actually got to know each other. Um, and I actually got to know that he's going to FSU and talked about his major and all that stuff. And so, it's really cool to just get to know each other on a personal level. We get everybody. Okay. So, um, thank you all for sharing your insights and experience. Um, it's clear this group of students is they're not only amazing leaders in their school, but for our district. Um but before we close, we got to thank Dr. Moore and all of our um administration. Oh, absolutely. I'm gonna go. Co wants to talk. On behalf of all of the superintendent student advisory council, I would like to shed a little bit of appreciation
030on a woman who this wouldn't have been possible without. a woman who these flowers are for here today and who stretches far beyond any single board meeting or stool swap. Thank you, Miss Tracy Beckham. Miss McGill. Thank you guys. And just one last thing, we have someone who came here today in appreciation from Beer Beach High School. someone who once again this wouldn't have been possible without Miss Vanessa Gonzalez. Thank you for coming and supporting us always. Thank you guys. So as they come to take the picture, this is uh my student advisory council from each of the two high schools. We also have representatives from the four middle schools and we meet throughout the year and we really look at the issues and concerns that they have so I can learn from them to
031shift or modify programming as quick and as fast as possible. And as they have for the last number of years spoke about the the different ver v versions of the two different high schools, I said, "Well, let's just go to each other's high school and check it out." And the volume of learning that I was able to to learn to directly change and improve the practice for next year. We're going to paint the parking lot at Sebastian next year. Just because Vero gets to do it, then dang it, so does Sebastian. Um but the the leadership, the professionalism, um just you should be really really proud of the students who stand before you. Not only they outstanding academically in the classroom, but they just uh show what real leadership is all about. So couldn't be
032any prouder of them. Now we can take a picture. totally setting example. Thank you. All right, you guys. Why don't you shift over a little bit to your [Laughter] left? Ready? One, two, and three. Thank you guys. Thank you. Dr. Moore, that concludes presentations. So, Madam Chair, I'll turn it right over you to transition to the next. Okay. Thank you. At this time, we're going to conclude our awards and presentations for this evening. The time is 6:03. Our business meeting will start in a few minutes. We're going to have an invocation. Those of you that would like to stay for the invocation may. Those of you that want to leave the room, you may. Um, in no way will that stop you from being part of our business meeting. So, it'll give us about two
033609. I wish that out of respect to everyone, please silence all electronic devices. Also, if you have any material you wish to share with any board member, please give that to our executive assistant, Mrs. Mo. She's sitting right over here. The pledge of allegiance tonight will be led by the Vero Beach High School Air Force Junior ROC Detachment 043 under the direction of Major retired Dean Razdale and Senior Master Sergeant retired Shawn RDE. Please stand. left face. Breathe in. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Order Right. Face forward. March. [Applause] They always do such a good job. We really appreciate students being here today. All right, board members, at this time, I'd like to
034call for the adoption of the orders of the day. Are there any items board members wish to move from consent to action or add to discussion? Oh, seeing none, I'd like to then call for a motion to accept the orders adopt the orders of the day as um stated in the program. Second. Okay, Mr. Dyer first. Dr. Pasca second. All those in favor say I. I. I. Four zero. Oh, that was Miss Rosario. Just so everybody knows, it was not Jesus. It was I don't see her. I don't see her. Okay. All right. 5 Z. Thank you. All right. At this time, we're going to have um the superintendent's report. Dr. Moore. Um prior to the superintendent report, which I hope everyone sticks around for, but everyone's here not for that. Um but to honor
035um Peggy. So, I I think there is a proclamation that we're going to start with. So, if we can start with the proclamation and then we're going to have some remarks uh following that. And the proclamation is going to be read by a number of former important people. They're still important. They're still important people. And they're and they're still here. Oops. Good evening. We welcome all the guests that have joined us tonight for Mrs. Poel's proclamation in honor of her over 50 years of service to the school district of Indian River County. I know many of us have been blessed and are very fortunate to have benefited from Mrs. Poel's service and support over the years. I also want to welcome our special guest who will be helping us read the proclamation. As I call
036you your name, please come up and so that you're ready to help us with that. Mrs. Carol Johnson, former SDRC school board chair, Dr. Roger Daring, former SDIRC Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Ronald Hudson, former SDIRC assistant superintendent and principal of many [Applause] schools. Mr. Eric Seymour, recently retired assistant superintendent, but I think he's failing at retirement because I'm seeing him all over the community. Miss Patricia Poel, current instructional coach for SDRC and Miss Poel's daughter and Robert Poel, Miss Poel's son. And this is a proclamation honoring Mrs. Peggy Poel on her retirement and appreciation after over 50 years of distinguished service. Whereas Mrs. Peggy Poel has dedicated over five decades of exemplary service to the school district of Indian River County, beginning her career on August 23rd, 1974 as a teacher assistant at Rosewood Elementary
037School and culminating in her role as executive assistant to the superintendent and and whereas Mrs. Peggy Poel has dedicated over five decades of exemplary service to the school district of Indian River County, beginning with her career on August 23rd, 1974 as a teacher assistant at Rosewood Elementary School and culminating in her role as executive assistant to the superintendent. And whereas Mrs. FO has served with unmatched integrity, loyalty, professionalism by supporting generations of students, families, staff, and leadership with a steadfast commitment to excellence and a heart devoted to what is best for students. Whereas throughout her tenure, Peggy's been a source of invaluable institutional knowledge, contributing her wisdom, historical perspective, and insight across changing times, serving alongside many, many, many, many principles and seems like many superintendents as well. 10 superintendent with grace, discretion, and diligence.
038And Whereas from her early days at Rosewood Elementary to her years at Vero Beach Junior High School and then Vero Beach High School and finally to over two decades in the superintendent's office, Mrs. Porcel has embodied the spirit of public service and earned the admiration and respect of colleagues at every level. And whereas Mrs. Poor cell's remarkable work ethic, poise under pressure, and unwavering dedication have helped guide the district through times of transition, challenge, and growth, always placing students and community at the center of her purpose. And whereas in recognition of her outstanding contributions, Mrs. Poel was honored as school district of Indian River County employee of the year not once but twice in 199798 and again in 2024-25. A rare and distinguished testament to her enduring excellence and impact. Now therefore, the school board
039of Indian River County, Florida, hereby proclaims and honors with deep appreciation and heartfelt gratitude Mrs. Peggy Poisel for her lifetime of service and commitment to excellence in education and extends best wishes for a joyful and well-deserved retirement. Proclaim this 19th day of May, 2025. [Applause] [Music] Okay, board members, we need to vote on this proclamation. All those in favor say I. I. I. Okay. Um, get ready, Peggy. It's coming. Oh, wait. Oh, did Miss Rosario chime in? I just want to Okay. All those in favor say I. I. I. All right. It passes 4 Z. Thank you. [Music] The moment is coming. I know I just saw her take a big deep breath um to come up and speak. But before you do, um just want to acknowledge your support um guidance and and prayer
040that you have put into to me. When I first came to the school district, I came during Christmas break and me and my wife came during the break to to reorganize my office and Peggy just showed up in the middle of the break and was terrified because I literally was pulling the entire office apart. Um, and I literally was in my office and I hear my wife tell her, I said, "He's he's really not that bad." And that's my wife. Um, but what I didn't realize in that moment is Peggy knew where absolutely everything was in that office and had was able to put her hands on each and every single piece of information that we need. So transitioning away from Peggy, can you go get this, that, or the other? Um, is going to
041be hard and it's going to be difficult. And if you were to prioritize the things Peggy loves the most, it's going to be uh her family the absolute most, which is the driving force of who she is as a person. Um there might be some other things in there as well. Um but this school district is absolutely one of them. um her sense of pride for what this system can be to its community uh is unwavering and the many debriefs that we've had after uh conversations in my office because the walls are a little too thin uh or in these board meetings themselves regarding upholding an expectation uh to be in service of this community. So, as you are transitioning out to to retire, um, which is going to be a big shift in behavior,
042um, I want you to be proud of what this school system has become. Um, and this school system would not be where it is today, uh, without your constant support, constant push, um, and just trying to be everything in order to ensure that this district functions the way that it is. So couldn't be any happier um that you have spent the last five years, five and a half years um with me and and transforming the system now. You can come up here, baby. Not yet. Not yet. It's going to get worse. I'm going to ask board members if anybody would like to say anything. I would. Okay, you can go first. Okay, go ahead, Mr. Zario. Thank you. appreciate it. Um, I did vote before but I was muted for some reason so I apologize.
043450 then um as you Mrs. Poel I I hope you can hear me. As you retire um I want to express my deepest gratitude for your decades of unwavering support and commitment to education in Indian River County. Your passion, your guidance, and your tireless efforts have shaped countless lives. You've been more than a colleague to so many um within the district. Um but you've been a mentor, a role model, and an inspiration to all of us. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for your support. Um, and you know, I am just grateful for the um time that you have been with us uh in the school district, but I'm also very excited for what lies ahead for you. I wish you the best in this next chapter. Um, your impact will be felt for
044many years to come and you will be missed. So, thank you very much. Okay. Thank you. Um, Dr. Jones institutional knowledge. Not many here who truly understand what that means to the district. You exemplify that in every respect. You have the knowledge of where we were and where we need to go for 50 years when you started with this district. We met in 1981 when you came to the junior high with Dr. Hudson as his executive assistant. Worked together then when you became I became dean at Vero Beach High School and Dr. Hudson was principal. Then you survived 10 superintendent and we are still here together. And a very special thank you to Dr. Darian and his wife traveling so far to be here tonight. And a special thank you to Dr. Hudson, Carol Johnson,
045and Eric Seymour for being part of this proclamation. If Mrs. Poell didn't have an answer right away, she would always return a call when she found out the answer. And if you had a question that no one else could answer, you just call Mrs. Poel. Education has changed so much, especially in the last few years. But this one constant in the district is Peggy Poel. Yes, we all know that the only constant in life is change. But this change will truly mark an end of an era and she will be missed immensely. When I think of Mrs. Poel, I think of these words: professional, respectful, knowledgeable, consistent, and most of all, kind. a character trait that is sometimes hard to find in this world today, but she will always treat you with respect. In other
046words, she's a pillar of strength. I've known your family for a long time, Bob, Bobby, and Patty, your grandkids, and great grandkids. They are lucky to have you as we were lucky to have you for over 50 years. I wish you and your family the best. Know that we will always be here for you as you were here for us. Miss Poel, I love you and Godspeed. Dr. Pasca. Um, it's been an honor to meet you and and get to know you the last several years, and um, it's really an honor to me to have the opportunity to congratulate you on not only your your exceptionally long and successful career in the district, I I don't know if I've met somebody who worked 50 years in one spot like this before. Um, but it's it's
047not really just the longevity. Um, it's what you're known for in your quality of work and your quality of personhood. And and in getting to know you, I was immediately struck by your your grace and your dignity and how I could immediately uh just trust you to be a good person. And um I rarely meet somebody and feel like this, but I could just tell, you know, you had the Holy Spirit in you. and um you're an exceptional person and I'm glad I had the opportunity to know you and I hope you'll enjoy your retirement. Thank you, Mr. Dyer. Well, while I have uh probably known you the shortest of any of the board members here, having been a uh CEO of many companies, I can tell you that it's a real partnership. And so,
048I know that if I want to get an answer, I could ask Dr. Moore. If I want to get the right answer, I need to ask you. And I I really appreciate how you have uh continued to harness the tornado and uh and I just know that when I call you, I'll get calm. I'll get it right and I'll make sure that I show up on time and he does too. So, thank you very much. I really appreciate all you do. All right, Peggy. So when I heard the year you started, I said, "Oh gosh, I was only 14 years old when I'm sorry." But I remember meeting you in the old building, the one that was the former hospital where Dr. Daring was the superintendent. Hi, Dr. Daring. And I was an administrator at
049the time, and I remember how warm and welcoming you were then, and you've been, like you said, the pillar um for this the whole school district. And uh when I came back to the district in this role, I was like, Peggy is still here. Wow. I was just amazed because you have outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted 10 superintendent. H you are a survivor. Twice awarded. I was going to say that. Um employee of the year. And uh the person I know that will answer my call. When I call here and I get no answer, no answer, no answer, no answer. And I'm thinking and I kind of I'm on the school board and I still can't get a hold of any anybody. I know who to call and she will get me the answer or get
050the person that we need to speak to. And uh you're forever that constant and that strength and we appreciate that. Thank you for your years. 50 years you gave to this community, not just to the school district, but to the community. Um people know who you are here and you've held down the fort and we appreciate you holding down the fort. Thank you for all you've done. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Before we bring up Mrs. Poisel, um I want to thank our special guests that came as readers today. Each one of you were hand selected. Um as I get to spend a lot of time with Mrs. Poel and she has shared um that each of you are near and dear to her heart. So thank you for making the time tonight for coming. Miss
051Poel, we're going to have you come up. Um, we have a few special expressions of our gratitude and Miss Mo will help give those to you. We'll let you though say some a few words before we have you carrying all those things. So, thank you. You're on. Well, this is hard and I wrote some things that I wanted to say and so I'm going to read it otherwise I'll forget what I was going to say. I don't really know where to start except to say that the reception and the proclamation, if that weren't enough, you chose some of the most important people in my life to read the proclamation. First, to my amazing children, Patty and Bobby. I love you with all my heart. Thank you to all of my family members who are here
052tonight. And for family that couldn't be here, I love you all. And I have to say a couple of things about the people who read the proclamations. I wouldn't be standing here tonight if it weren't for Carol Johnson and Dr. A. Ronald Hudson who convinced me as a teacher aid at Rosewood Elementary that I could go with him to Verbish Junior High and be the secretary. So I did and then I went with him to the junior high in the high school and Mr. Seymour I met worked with Mr. Seymour at Ver Beach High School and then here and it has been a real pleasure. you were such a good role model at at Verbage High School and everywhere you go. And Dr. Derry, thank you for hiring me. I'll never forget um I'll never
053forget it. Moving on. I promise not to take too long, but I do want to say a few things. It's hard to reduce 50 years in a few minutes, but I'll try. Over my years in the superintendent's office, I worked with some great ladies. The first I I replaced Blanch Owen who was just a wonderful person. But the first one that I truly worked with was Margaret Capellan and she was truly a great lady and is sadly no longer with us. Next came Lynn Justin who I worked with at Bureau Beach High School before she became before she came to the superintendent's office. She's now the executive assistant to Mr. Green, our CFO and is a longtime friend. After Lynn, I worked with Betty Jean Gage, someone I knew from our days at In River
054Junior College at Fort Pierce. We went to CL classes there before they had a building. So, we went to Fort Pierce Elementary for our core classes. We went to Dan McCartney High School for our science classes. We went to the Armory for PE and then over to the Pelican Yacht Club for swimming. It was a good thing that gas was only 50 cents a gallon. Then we were all been busted to the groundbreaking of a site where Indian River State College stands today with Dr. Maxwell King, the president at that time turning the first shovel of dirt. I worked with Betty Gene at Rosewood and Verbage High School before she came to the superintendent's office. She too was sadly no longer with us and was a great friend. After Betty came Brenda Davis who came
055over from the office from the human resources office. Brenda was a hoot and had such a good sense of humor and we all knew not to park in her parking space. I know she's watching. So Brenda, here's your shout out. After Brenda, Deanna Rooney joined us as the executive assistant to Dr. Jacobs, our chief of staff. You can see her all over the place setting up and helping at district events. She is the Energizer Bunny. I couldn't have been blessed with a better bunch of ladies to work with all these years. There's one more person that I'd like to mention in this great group, and that is Susan Martin, former executive assistant to the Superintendent of Human Resources. She and I were lunch buddies, and she is a good friend. Now, as I'm about to
056head out the door, Sarah Milleman will take over my position. I wish her well and know that she will be a huge asset, as she is someone who's been in the district for a long time, has experience in many different areas, and is just a great person. Sarah was formerly Mr. Seymour's executive assistant. I also want to mention Dorian Moore, executive assistant to the school board, who since her arrival has done a masterful job handling the business of the board. Kudos to you, Dorian. There are so many people that I would like to thank, but it would take all night. So, suffice it to say that I appreciate every single person working in this building, starting with Jackie Buckner, who greets me every morning with a smile as I walk in the door. And I
057have to mention Javon Cummings, our building custodian, who has helped me so much over the years. And I apologize to all of the rest of you that I appreciate so much that I haven't mentioned. I will see each of you before I leave and will thank you in person. Dr. Moore, when you first arrived here, you hit the ground running and then you experienced Hurricane Isa, followed by CO. As soon as CO hit the fan, you led your leadership team in a herculean effort to do everything possible to provide all of our students with the opportunity to keep learning. You're always looking for ways to take our students one more rung up the ladder to the top, even during a pandemic. Teachers rose to the occasion by teaching virtually all hours of the day and
058night. The IT department also rose to the occasion, staging parent pickups for laptops for parents. And to you, Dr. Jacobs, I thank you for your kindness, your guidance, your support, and your friendship. I appreciate the hard work that that you do so well. I would be remiss if I did not thank both Dr. Moore and Dr. Jacobs for all of the support that you you and so many others gave me and my family when Patty and I went through the difficult breast cancer together. I'll also never forget the day that I arrived at work and there were pink flamingos over over the lawn in the front of the building. I learned through a note on the front door of the building that Mrs. Baronborg and Dr. Jones had made a donation to breast cancer research
059so that I could be flocked with with the flamingos. Thank you board for your kindnesses to me and for the hard work you do. I wish the school district of any county nothing but the best as you work to do what is best by kids while remembering to support our teachers as they are teaching in a very different and often challenging time. And my last shout out is to my husband Bob who is the love of my life and my soulmate. He couldn't be here tonight but is watching. I love you Bob. Thank you for spending the last 60 years with me. Now you have to contend with me 247. My heartfelt thanks to you all and God bless each one of you. So we have a few expressions of gratitude that we are providing
060Miss Poel. Well, we framed her proclamation so hopefully you can remember this evening forever. Um, as well as some other um, expressions that the team put together for you. Thank you for all you've done. [Music] Could we have everyone who read the proclamation come up with Miss PoEell and then we'll get a couple family pictures as well. Watch your step. Okay, Eric, stand in front of me. I can't I can't even be seen. That's not on the darn stage. That's not fair. Everyone say All right, let's get family up here. Brother, two [Laughter] All right. Ready, two, and three. [Applause] Terry, can I be recognized for sure? Um, Dr. Pos would like to speak at this time. Um, Dr. Moore, I'd like to potentially add an item for the next meeting. I don't think this
061will be very uh hotly debated, but to provide a retirement gift for Peggy from the board. Absolutely. All right. Easy to do. She'll come back. All right. All right. So, as we move into the next presentation, that would be right. Okay. We have superintendent's update. We're going to do a rapid fire round of the superintendent's update. I want to begin by highlighting or giving the community a little bit of an update regarding where we are academically. These are the assessments that are been re taken to this point where we are not done assessing but these assessments uh look at where we are in comparison to where we were last year. Um so I'll quickly run through them. If you look at the last comment says comparison to state average outper outpacing means we're growing at
062a faster rate from last year to this year and outperforming means that our percent of students scoring three or above is above the state average in grades ELA 3 through 10 which is all students uh that make up a a piece of the district's grade. We are both outperforming and outpacing with a 5 percentage point increase from last year to this year. In grade three, uh 63 to 69, which is 6 percentage point increase. That is an absolutely huge number for us. It's going to be up there. Uh in terms of state rankings, we anticipate and once again outpacing and outperforming. Elementary schools 62 to 65. Uh the state also grew three percentage points to this point. Uh but they're also nowhere close to us at that overall number of 65. Middle school performance a
063significant 10 percentage point increase. That is huge. Uh outpacing outperforming the state average. And then our high schools 56 to 60 uh 56 to 61. Once again outpacing outperforming these are absolutely huge numbers. Um and these the conversation if you recall was very similar to the previous year and pre and very similar the year before that. So to have this rate of growth three years in a row when you're looking at ELA and then we'll look at math next but same story uh just isn't being done anywhere else. So we're very very excited about what's happening in our classrooms uh led by our educators of course. Shift me, girl. Click it. I'm not. And this is math. Math a little bit different. Uh we have the elementary scores uh 68 to 71 hitting 71. Absolutely
064outstanding. Once again, outperforming. State is completely looking up to us regarding uh significantly further along in terms of overall student scoring at proficiency. Math and middle schools. Another huge jump 50 to 58. significantly outperforming and outpacing. And then our end of year course exams which caps our high schools um is uh outperforming. We're at a higher percent. The state actually to this point has grown two percentage points where we've we've grown one. These numbers uh not solidified yet. We still have a few schools going in to assess. So we expect even bigger areas of growth as we move through. We still this week will be taking science and civics and US history uh ac across the board and we got another few percents to pick up in reading and math but uh initial response and
065comparing us to the state very very proud as to where we are currently standing. Uh and we're looking forward to what will be another community celebration coming up. Going to quickly Thank you. I should have led with that. So, I'm going to quickly run through the last few weeks. April 30th, immediately following our last board meeting that is the culminating event for our superintendence council. This includes the ele the middle school teams. Uh went to uh Bent Pine, had a outstanding end of year celebration with them and kind of set the stage for next year. We're going to do some really really cool things going into next year. Grad Walks uh is is something to me that is unique to Indian River County and it is always a joy to see our seniors return to
066their elementary schools and connect with their former teachers and current students to inspire them. Uh United Way Trike Wars, we were robbed. Um but it was this is the largest organizations who contribute to United Way and the school district of Indian River County showed up in terms of supporting our team. Uh if it wasn't for us, it would have it it wouldn't have been the event that it was. Our our racers, Dr. Bacon, uh Mr. Keane and Chris Cummings uh did better than we've ever done before. We got out of the first round this year. When I was racing, that never happened. So absolutely great fun time. Uh the career fair at GYAC uh just another great event leadership institute culminating event. This was just something we need to continue to do. This is our
067ed fund working to grow leaders in our community and within our school district. Uh making sure that we can support the innovation that's coming in the school system. Uh we had a a lunchon on Cinco de Mayo that was what what was it? Was it Italian barbecue? It was barbecue. Um but Christ Christ fellowship first priority. Uh they have really adopted this district office. A lot of times schools get all the love. They're here four or five times a year just celebrating the folks who work in this building. We cannot thank them enough for their support uh to us. and we had uh teacher staff appreciation which took place over the course of two weeks. It's just great to see all of the different ways we celebrate our educators and our staff in our buildings.
068Uh our our teachers are a key key key ingredient as to the success that we have. Uh you drive by a parking lot, you're going to even on the way home today, you'll see uh cars in the parking lot. Those are teachers getting ready even though we only have a few weeks of school left. Artria upperbound graduation, a great program that transitions students right into college and prepares them and and takes them to uh colleges really across the the state and nation. Um this is a great opportunity. On May 8th, we were able to surprise a teacher of the month, Jessica Walker, uh who that got a check of thousand check, right? So congratulations to her. And then kids uh tag art ceremony. It was a standing room only event uh in working uh with
069our community. And then CPN uh CNA pinning uh awards assembly on May 13th. That was Vero. The had the opportunity to speak to the exact Sebastian Exchange Club on May 14th. Uh just an update on the school system. Then we then graduation let let the fund begin. IR virtual was May 14th. Same evening was where is it at? Treasure Coast Technical College. Um then we started our morning. Where is Wabaso? Florida. It's there. We Vero Beach Senior High School graduate. That one. And then then Wabaso. I am You're right. You're right. Okay. See, it was a blur. Um then we did Wabasa, which is always such a great sense of family at that school. And then we ended with Vero Beach Senior High School. just an absolutely outstanding four days of of graduation. I don't
070think there's anyone in this community who can't be proud of what our school our students are doing in the classroom. And now that is the presentation. Back to me. Thank you. All right. At this time, we will have our citizen input. Here are the guidelines for citizen input according to schoolboard policy 0169.1. During regular business meetings at the board, the school the school board offers the following two opportunities for public to provide input. One on an agenda item and consent agenda and/or action agenda prior to the board taking official action on that proposition and two during the public input section for items not on the agenda. For those of you that are watching, please understand that though we have established proper decorum and expectations of professionalism when it comes to individuals who wish to provide
071public input, this is a live broadcast. Each individual speaker may 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 of the meeting that starts. The time period may be adjusted by the presiding officer and individuals may only speak about once about any given item. Individuals who have filled out the speaker's form are allowed to address the board. Individuals may not delegate their allotted time to speak with other four other individuals. If an item is moved from either the consent agenda or discussion agenda to the action agenda, individuals will have the opportunity to speak to the item prior to the vote of the board. During the meeting,
072please refrain from clapping or outbursts for any sort of any sort so that we can proceed with dignity and decorum. By not infringing on any individual's first amendment rights in this limited public forum setting as board members listen to individuals without interruption, individuals are asked to give board members the same respect, please. Board members may or may not address any individual statements at the end of the public input comments. I will be recognizing calling up individuals two at a time in the order in which the speaker forms were received. The first individual will be called to the podium to speak and the second individual will be in line to speak. The public information officer will be the official timekeeper and the time shall start when the speaker is at the podium. As you see the
073time clock is visible to your left on the dis and you will hear a beep at the end of your three minutes. If you have anything to give to the board members or to the superintendent, please do that through our executive assistant, Mrs. Mo. She's seated here at the end of the table. All right. At this time, we have only three speakers. Melissa Kels Berdick is first and Jennifer Freeland is on deck. Good evening. Um, Dr. Dr. Moore, I appreciated your comments at the last schoolboard meeting regarding the work group that whoever is appointed is not changing the the changing the way you lead the district through the process of achieving the KPIs. You further stated that the district has made significant changes over the past five years in closing the achievement gap and your
074stats just prove that. However, the statement that quote, "Our black and brown students are out outpacing our white students left me scratching my head um and asking why. What's going on with the white students that has lessen their achievement and out in peace?" Dr. Pusca, thank you for pointing out that unless both parties are united in achievement towards the agreed upon KPIs, then the work group will not be successful. Without this agreement, the KPI and the DEG is another dog and pony show masquerading as progress. I was a bit shocked to hear doc Mr. Dyer assert that the public schools are being defunded by the state. D Mr. Dyer also mentioned that the career and technical school and the IB programs were in consideration of being defunded. Please refer to the bill and legislation cited.
075If this is in consideration, it should be noted publicly with reference to the bill and the sponsor. Further, I want to point out that regarding school choice and the ir is the irony that the school board is made up of a majority of members that have exercised education choice for their own children. Whether it was in the form of homeschooling, private school, or even the choice to attend a predominantly black public school, as was the case for Miss Baronburgg, you all exercise the right to choose the best academic arena for your child. Choice is a luxury, but it should not be. It should be afforded by any family. The state is not reducing financial support for public education. It is giving parental choice back to the family with tax dollars earned by the taxpayer. Like
076our US Constitution, it gave the right for liberty and the pursuit of happiness back to the family to exercise free will. The Department of Ed and the D NAACP represent the collective at the expense of the individual. Both disregard individuals in favor of self-serving systems. The power to choose is a profound form of empowerment for families, especially those who have been historically marginalized. It allows parents to become active participations in their child's education, advocating for their needs and preferences. This empowerment is crucial for fostering a sense of agency and ownership, which can drive positive educational outcomes and build stronger, more res more resilient communities, which you did allude to, Dr. Moore, in your closing. Individual achievement is earned and students should not be reduced by external systems or purposes regardless of skin color. So I
077thank you all for your work this academic year in spite of our differences. I respect your your um your passion and your service to Indian River County. Thank you. And Jennifer Freeland is next. Jennifer Pippen is on deck. Good evening to the board. Dr. Morgan, cabinet. Um, I know she left, but I don't want to go without saying. Um, people come and go. We often think when we retire that it's just going to be the same thing tomorrow, that it's just going to happen again. I have to say that's probably not true where Peggy Posel is considered. And I want to say, dear, dear lady, you will be missed deeply every day. Now, here we are again at the end of another year. And what a year it has been. Seems like we say that
078every year, but it seems like every year brings something something. So, another another is here in closing. Your union will be working on over the summer. We have more negotiations to do, trainings to give, trainings to get, places to be, conferences to go to, and things to vote on all summer. But you, my teacher friends and family, you have done it all all year. You need to go home and first sleep. Sleep for like a week, but then enjoy your summer. Do whatever it is that makes your heart sing. I want to express my sincere gratitude for you and all your commitment to our students in our community. Your patience and understanding seems endless, but it is not. Please take time for you. I encourage you to enjoy your time regrouping, recharging, and please, for
079all that is holy in the world, stop thinking about next year. Your classroom will still be there. The school will still be there. Your roster will still be on your desk. Turn it off for just a few weeks and just enjoy the summer. You thoroughly enjoy it and deserve it. Thank you, Jennifer Pippen. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Pippen and I'm the proud chairman of Moms for Liberty here in Indian River County. I want to begin by acknowledging the hard work of our students, faculty, administrators, and families. To every graduate, congratulations. You've earned this moment, and your accomplishments speak to your determination and the promise of our shared future. I also want to take a moment to commend Dr. Moore and his team working on the desegregation order for their continued efforts in pursuing
080unitary status. We know the journey towards full desegregation compliance from 61 years ago has not been easy, but your work brings us closer to the finish line. We support you and we stand behind your commitment to excellence for all students regardless of skin color. I want to make it clear, we sent correspondence after the last school board meeting to the school board, state attorney general's office, the federal department of justice, and more because the desegregation order is segregating children's discipline and policies for today. Transparency and accountability matter because the goal should be creating a learning environment where every child thrives, not just one race. Speaking of accountability, a recent public records request concerning the African-American student council came back with no responsive documents. But we found out later that the desegregation orders key performance indicators
081requires that a such council is in the schools. And with that in mind, I'd like to propose that the school board consider combining the student councils so that students of all races have the opportunity to lead together, learn from one another, and build bridges across any divides. A unified student council could become a symbol of the progress we're striving for and step forward in fostering all lives matter environment. Our school district operates with a $400 million budget to serve 13,680 public school students. Approximately 75% of this funding comes from local property taxes and 25% from the state. With school choice now in place and fund funding rightly following the student, it is imperative that this board demonstrates strong fiscal management. If we can't effectively allocate $400 million for 13,680 children, that's a serious concern. Let's
082be clear, no one is taking money from public schools. Taxpayers continue to contribute with their local property taxes covering three4s of this total budget, regardless whether they have children or grandchildren enrolled. The state's 25% share follows the student as approved by Florida voters years ago. The public supports its model and the board's responsibility to ensure every dollar serves students effectively no matter what education path their family chooses. Thank you and have a good night. All right. Thank you. That's all of our speakers. Um we're moving on to consent agenda. I'd like to call for a motion to approve the consent agenda items. So move Dr. Jones, Dr. Pasca. All those in favor? Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. I. Anyone opposed? Okay, it passes. Oh, it passes 5-0. All righty. There are
083no action agenda items and so we are moving on to school board member matters. Who would like to go first? I can go. Okay, Dr. Pasca. Um, I just want to take this opportunity to uh recognize National Police Week. Um, to honor and remember our deputies and officers who've been uh working behind the scenes to keep us all safe and uh who ultimately paid the the ultimate sacrifice uh protecting us. Um, and also to respectively thank those who still do that hard work here today in our communities. um especially in a time where there's much uh vilification of police um for many different reasons most mostly political um to do such a difficult job in such a difficult environment um is truly uh worth an applause. So uh we thank you and uh we thank
084the families who also sacrifice through your sacrifices. Thank you. Um Dr. Jones. Special thank you to everyone for graduations this last few weeks and we'll have a few more with elementary and middle. Uh especially high school. It's massive and um everyone did a great job. Appreciate all staff members who helped and as Dr. Moore said earlier our TCTC and virtual graduation were really special and um the students and the families had a lot of fun. Um thanks to Miss Baser. I was not allowed could not go to Balora this year but um she gave my speech and I know that's always a wonderful event and I know several of you were at the Upwardbound Trio graduation and that is also very very special to our parents please continue to look on our website for summer
085school and camps so much information when it starts when it ends what the costs are and um I think it's pretty clear on our website but take a look um and again thank you to the district many summer meal sites this year and I know that is up there. I talked about that with Bob Seuss last week. Um, so make sure that our parents know we still have that bus and there are many schools that are offering it. We have some community organizations offering it. Um, just as the school year ends, just a thank you to everyone. It takes everybody, all the cogs in the machine to make this a great school district. Teachers, administrators, support, district protek, thank you for everything that you've done. And as Miss Freeland said, take a little bit of
086a break this summer. I'm just so very, very proud of this school system. And um Dr. Moore, I know I'm going to ask this, but do we have any idea when grades will be out? Because a lot of parents are asking. As early as the weekend before the 4th of July, as late as the last weekend in July. Okay. All right. So, we've got a little time to wait there, but um our real time, you know, data is looking pretty good. Um and thank you, Mr. Green and Dr. Moore for bringing fireworks back to the graduations. I remember starting that in like 09 and the kids have so much fun and we we're doing it following all safety guidelines, but it it really does make a difference. And then another special thank you to our
087education fund. you know, it's a vehicle for private sector engagement and that's really, really important right now. You know, it's just having that community working together, private and public, and again, it just makes me so proud of the school system. Thank you, Mr. Dyer. I I I would first just like to congratulate Dr. Moore, the team, and especially the teachers for their accomplishments of what they have they have done this year. I mean, when you think about where we were and now where we are, looks like it we will have our third A will continue to be one of I heard today 10 out of 67 counties that actually qualify to be high-erforming school districts. It's an amazing success story and I know that everyone in this school district is focused on, as Dr. more
088says doing best by kids. And that really is what is happening. I mean, I can't tell you how excited I I feel when I go to the schools, how uh what a commitment everybody in this district has to make sure that each kid is successful. And uh I I just think it's an amazing we we truly are an exemplary district in this state. I mean what has happened in this district continuing to have one of the highest growth over the last three years and I believe we're going to be right up there again this year. I think we'll probably move up a couple of notches. It would be my guess just looking at those results. uh in terms of our state standing. So if you think that we started some years ago is 38th and
089you know I think we're going to be up there so better than we were last year. So that's just absolutely amazing. A lot of hard work and truly everyone in this school district played a part in it and uh I think it's it's terrific. I'd like to say there's been a lot of very interesting uh events that we have attended. I mean, first the graduations, they were my first graduations. I can tell you it's hot in a gown. Uh, but it's also really it's really fun. Uh, you know, I think that we as a board got to shake something like,00 hands uh by the time the uh the uh couple of nights were over. Uh, but really exciting to see the and see the success of the kids and see what's happening. I also uh
090was uh went to the uh Indian River uh Charter High uh graduation on Saturday uh which was terrific. Attended many of the events that you saw uh I I was at especially the the tag art was really kind of fun and to see the creative side of our our school programs was was really interesting. Uh I I also um was at the uh career fair at Gford Youth Achievement and I thought that was pretty amazing that how many businesses showed up and were actually looking to provide uh uh jobs for for our kids that that uh that that wanted a job for our high school graduates. I think that was just fantastic and I was was really impressed by that. So, it's been an exciting month. Uh, and, uh, really, uh, seeing the results makes
091it feel all worthwhile. So, thank you everyone in the school district. Great job. Thank you, M. Hersio. Yes. Thank you so much. Um, I would agree with Mr. Dyer on the career fair on all of the um things that he mentioned, but the career fair was really um just outstanding. There really were so many people involved and the scheduling and how they got the kids there was really really um impressive. So very organized. Um so it it definitely was a an incredible success. So I'm glad that um that happened. Um, of course, all of the graduations um went off with a hitch. I'm so glad that we now have both high school graduations in the evening. Um, uh, the weather was great. I mean, everything just was wonderful. Um, excitement throughout the entire district um,
092for all schools, for all programs. Uh there was one thing on the agenda that I will say uh we didn't uh spend a lot of time on Centiggics. I just wanted to say um it is an item uh a safety platform item that I have been you know championing for a long time now and I'm very glad that it has it has passed. I'm very glad that um it will offer real comprehensive pla safety platform for our entire district um so that there would be a rapid incident response and precise location tracking um and all the safety things all the things that come with it. Um so I'm happy about that. I'm glad that we're going to do that. We're going to implement that. And of course, lastly, as we end our school year, I
093just want to offer um a thank you to all of our teachers and staff and administrators for their um unwavering dedication, patience, and their passion for teaching and learning. Um their hard work have shaped the minds of children throughout our entire district. and um uh they have um helped children build character um and obviously light the way for a better future. So uh with that I just offer them a huge congratulations um and a virtual high five as they close out the school year and then begin their summer vacation. Um, and of course to all the children and families in our in our district, I hope they have a wonderful summer. All right. So, I attended the United Way Trike Wars. I brought my family. My grandson loves racing and so he just thought that
094was the best thing in the world. I did speak to Dr. Bacon afterwards because he was quite upset and I tried to console him. um he did spin out in the second turn and that's because he told me the first time they had a bike that had brakes, the second time they did not. So I told him that we would put in some sort of, you know, um request to make sure that that didn't happen again next year. All right. Uh Indian River Charter High School, I attended their scholarship night and was able to give away some um of the scholarship money and uh was a wonderful event that they did there. Uh I attended Trio. It's always a a special night and to see so many kids that accomplish so much. It was just
095incredible. Um the legislative subcommittee I've been meeting uh for FSBA and we are continuing to meet because we have extended session. So I'll let you know when we um you know hear more about that. I did kind of give everybody an update during the workshop about a couple of bills that have now become train bills that um have added a lot of things to them. So, they're getting interesting up there. Uh kids tag art event was outstanding. Um you know, kudos to Carol Jean Jordan and the the board that does that. It was a really special event and the artwork was incredible. Incredible. If you can want to buy a um tag for the front of your car or just want to buy it and put it in your window like I did here, um
096do it because they're incredible. The uh virtual high school graduation was wonderful. We only had one student actually walk um but there were other students that were involved and uh she was impressive as well. Then we ran over of course to Treasure Coast Technical College graduation which is totally different but yet very unique and we had so many kids that did dual graduation high school and Treasure Coast um technical college. It was impressive. The Sebastian River High School graduation was outstanding. What a great way that they honored one of their students and um yet still celebrated students accomplishments. It was wonderful. And then of course, Vero Beach High School graduations. The only the only issue I think was that we shut a parking lot down because of the fallout from the fireworks, but there was
097no indication to that of for the community that that's why we did it. So, social media went a little nuts as to why we would close off an entire parking lot for people. Um, so next year maybe we can get a little bit better with the communication on that. Um, because it was really wonderful to have fireworks and I think the the people appreciate it. We just had cars parking all over the place. Uh, Wab Baso graduation. My goodness, it's always wonderful to go to that. But we had one character there this year. Did we film that? He was I hope not. He was amazing. He was amazing. Oh, what a character. Um, I attended uh Calvin's service at um Sebastian River High School on last Saturday. Principal Cummings did a wonderful job of um
098celebrating the life of a a child that you know they lost. But it amazed me that the mother spoke and not only that but she consoled all the kids afterwards and uh it was just it was very moving. Um very moving. And then of course celebrating Peggy tonight. Uh she deserves it. 50 years here. Like I said, she outlasted, outperformed, outpaced a bunch of people. And uh one other shout out, being a science teacher, it was nice to have the state science kids here, but I you don't know how impressive it is to get second place at international. That is incredible the the amount of kids that that are coming from all over the world to that and the minds. Um you know, I spoke to Web's mom today and she said, "I was there's
099hope." And I said that I've gone three times to International Science Fair and when you talk to some of these kids and what they're doing and how many um things they've already accomplished in their life, it gives you hope for the future that we're leaving our hands in in you know our our earth in good hands and um so it was really nice to see that and I'm glad we got to celebrate that because second place in international is just unbelievably good. So with that, Superintendent, would you like to close any closing statements? Um, as we we still have two weeks left. So, um, still a lot of work to do as we close out the school year. And just to echo Miss Freeland's remarks, the teachers have the opportunity not to work this summer.
100Um, disconnect, time with family so we can come back uh, rested, relaxed, and and focused. Um, a lot of times I'm I'm always asked, "Oh, it must be so easy during the summer." And it's it's quite the opposite. Um we don't have to worry about students being in in session but we literally have to onboard and create master schedules. Uh projects will be taking place at buildings all summer long. Uh we will conduct professional learning um up and down almost e every day over the break and that work really has started months ago but and we will transition continue to transition as we move over the next several weeks and there will be uh very little rest um for for the folks sitting uh in in in front of you and can't thank them enough
101because as we you know start to receive the outcomes for this year we become very very exced excited about the possibilities for for next year. So very excited about what we've been able to accomplish this year. This I think I said this every year, but this year is probably been the fastest year I've ever experienced um in my life while at the same time always getting constant validations that the system is growing. the system is there's the level of ownership ac of employees up and down the system. It is such a sign of of a healthy system filled with people who love um the work that they do and they love who they're doing the work with. And when you have those two key ingredients um the the limits are ultimately regardless of where we
102want to go, we can definitely get there. So, thank you, Madam Chair. All right. Thank you. Yes. And um I guess this is our last meeting w with school being in session. So just a shout out to all of our employees. Um thank you for your hard work, your dedication, the hours you put in, the sacrifice you put in to um from your family and you know just enjoy your summer if unless of course you're working summer school and then enjoy that because that is fun. I've worked summer school and it it can be a lot of it's very entertaining um and it can be a lot of fun. So with that, we'd like to thank everyone for viewing or coming out this evening. At this time, I'd like to adjourn the meeting. It is
1037:14.