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002cause that what oh yeah, ah, yeah, whtoss andturn and you st can'ep, sing a song besided ifer w you to day I will nd y ohto ouwhat made oen wear lled he our friended, you caunt onliketwo, I'll be there and ow when I ne count four u'llbe be thcause what friends e su do, oh, oo oo ooh, ooh h, yeah, always a oulder whenyou crdon't er go, evsay go know, u can coun me one two ree I'll here and knowwheni needi can onli ur, e, two, u'llbe the causthat's ends are ppostodooh yh oo ooh, ooh ooh, I can on you. [Alause] very nice, thk you so [App as begito are is ol board workshop wre that visiis 100 percent oficiency ofr udents. Bethe l ta sustning thisevement, to reacthr highest our ththisyebeli in ard. Toda
003bod the boarwill vi items as vised and enteby the sudent our fit itemof discussion isommittee reports will noar repos the ing,ll we'lhe as we go so we'll start le here. y coittee.Diveity committee, w going to th y. Ker:good g,'m ward I'm a member of thft. Lauddale, m from. Laudda, I'm the proud degnee na pert fr the dirsity coite bui' stdingin fomy chrman wh could nobe on beere today. T on am I stding in b r, t I s keto give hesiatn. I shou be here with marrn willms o asked to doth as ll and hasome praredwords thatthe airm had r to y. Ansincmarrn is not re and I dot ha tho rds, I wi say,I will eak r the CHAIRMAN Ll I speak for self knowth shdian add meurable b -- airable job, she was
004rit the r atev was neededat ft. Lauderdale hh scol. D also e ood for a lot of the ealsand the reons that we're mberofthe diversitcommittee. She resigning becausshe is goinonto somhing else,I don't know whathat, I n't mean tound evackous, m ata ss cause I don't ve her wos t I do kno that shuld like to than the entire commite for al the support she hagiven her. Anshe prouto ve been the chaian for the commite for our mmittee. And she wishes her l well as I know you all wish her well. I thank you. tha you, so much. Nextis the ese advisory uncil. eaker: good mornin jackie lucekin, at oulastese meeting, weheard from the departme we had like an 18-minute prentation of accomplishments cluding exnsion in program in mdle schools. We welcom well, th introductionthis year
005filly of open day for esy, summer school type thing for students with disabilities, so that you get to meet their teacher and see their environment first, that's a great addition. Whenever it was a month ago or whenever often, we come here, there was a little bit of chitchat around them and everything moved on. There needs to be a process for us getting responses to our recommendations both were effectively ignored. And one was about we suggested there needs to be a workshop or if not a workshop at least some important and really seriously taken discussion buzz things that are happening with nursing coverage. We brought a whole ton of information forward. We've been told that things have been readdressed, concerns, including families have this be medically fragile students having their one on one nurses taken away,
006strange wordings put in iep, without the parents know it was put in, totally illegal. We cannot have this go forward. We were told it's being addressed and it's not, it's still happening. They're going to land you in legal difficulty or state complaints or federal complaints, I don't want that but that's the only route anybody is left to go. We did bring one recommendation which was access by -- and it became state law but it's very inconsistent lea plied across schools it really depends on who the principal is or who else is rbt as to what the child is allowed to have in terms of hours of coverage. Committee's recommendation was something that we backed too. The, the things that we still have not had answers to, you might remember I came down and kind of
007crashed a workshop meeting before, pointing that it being six weeks trying to get an answer to questions I posed about the bus attendant job description and the process of interviewing to ensure that we have bus attendants that are trained and ready to work with children with disability. I still have no answers to what I asked. I think we're now in the 8th week or 9th week anniversary of that. Bullying of a parent, if you all have report on this situation which is involved parent of a student with a disability who brought discrimination complaint and in retaliation the teacher put a bullying complaint against the parent. There was no accountability and if you folks have report on it, I haven't. Focus sss, one item on our agenda all year which is awaiting response to requests for
008a gap analysis, timeline for development and compliance concerns, this is recording the inappropriate nature of sss model that took over for ese case management it's holy and inadequate. And then finally I want to talk about cameras in classrooms, back on FEBRUARY 11, you had a workshop here. I warned there was a need for to you continue policy making and preparation on the cameras in ese classrooms program regardless of the state bill that came to the legislature, proposing the same thing. I pointed out that that legislation could fail which it did and kicking the can down the road would leave them unready to implement this program. There was a considerate amount of time to do. The timeline for that policy making has been pushed deep into the summer, it does not leave time for implementation of
009this policy watering down expectations is not okay. And finally if I MAY, if I MAY have ten seconds, we all represent differently, we all come to the microphone and have a different way of speaking, some of us MAY be blunter and you MAY not like how some present. But what happens to DR. Natalie lynch, things that she represented that she has taken action against. Not arresting volunteers and us being able to come to the microphone without fear and bring up uncomfortable truths and work with you to correct them. Thank you very much. thank you. Next up is the green advisory committee. good morning, district staff. My name is DR. Fifa aldogani and I serve as the vice chair of green advisory committee. I want to thank debbie nixon for appointing me. I'm here on behalf
010our chair who is out of town and unfortunately could not make it. We're presenting two recommendation that's were ooh nann unanimous lea proved. The first motion that was discussed at our MAY 8 meet ing, recommends that the broward county public schools begin developing sustainable and design standards for both new buildings and renovations. These standards would help ensure that we're consistently addressing, extreme heat energy efficiency and native landscaping. Broward county public schools is the largest land holder in the county and we believe the district can lead by example through thoughtful design. The second recommendation, is conducting a comprehensive vulnerability a sessionment which focuses on flood and heat risk. Many campus right side already experiencing issues, this assessment would help identify the most vulnerable facilities and guide future investments. We also encourage the broward school system to
011coordinate closely with broward county who already has completed a lot of the leg work to build on their existing data and plan accordingly for the future. Again, these recommendations that require major funding right now, they simply layout the groundwork for long term resilience. Thank you for your time and we hope you support these efforts. Thank you. thank you so much. Next is human relations committee. good morning, chair, school board, superintendent, staff. Nancy fries,, chair of the human relations committee. We had our last meeting via zoom, with everybody being out and we discuss beside our accomplishment, our accomplishments for the year, our work towards the recommendations that lead to the additional training for the leadership development program for administration and just our work to really improve the culture and climate within our schools. We also had
012a long discussion about the work that the task force on committee restructuring is doing and there is a lot of apprehension from my committee about what it's going to look like next year given the task force. I was going to count the meetings that happened since but did not get a chance to do that but definitely it's at least two hands. I understand it's in a very different state now than we were discussing but there is still some fear about what is going to happen to our committee in the future given that we're the only committee dedicate today student voice and we wanted make sure that that does not get lost in the process. And one of my committee members, my vice chair even tried to attend one of the task force meetings that I
013was unable to attend due to my being out of town and my son's band concert from being out of town. He did try to attend the meet anding unable to speak. That is where we are right now. I had at least one one board member reach out, and inquire about their appointee and ask about attendees and participation and they were doing a great job. And I know that another board member was already appointed for next year. Thank you inform you for being on the ball. And the rest if you don't have an a pount' for next year, please talk to me, I'll be happy to help you find somebody and if you would like to know how your appointee did this year, please ask and I'll be happy to share. Every one really cares about
014what is happening at our schools. So I will give the rest of my time back and I hope everybody has a wonderful summer. thank you, so much. Next is multi lingual advisory committee. good morning, DR. Hepburn, school board members and district staff, my name is joy gomez hix, I'm the vice chair of the mac committee I'm filling in for danielle who is away on vacation, we feel we had a successful year as we wrapped up. Our last meeting was at westlake middle schools, we want to thank principal for hosting us. We had 55 attendees m virtual and some in-person, and 100 percent quorum. We had a lot of amaze ing school visits and worked with school and staff and. We wanted share a few of the final visits we had. Manatee bay has a duel
015school scoring higher than non duel. They did a paella night, spanish spelling bee and the funds go to principal discretionary funds where she uses it for the school. The principal work on a second kindergarten class and parents are passion out parents. And help higher matriculation. One big key take away is a principal grade level school block that was working very well where all staff and teachers will support together to support that grade. School is commit today having that block but this has positively impacted test scores, ten percent learning gains. Losing the program, principal garret was very honest with the obstacles of having a program t.Has not helped enrollment with limited resources. Duel language was stretched with esol students, this is a example of what happens when a program does not have support. Lake wide has
016a great duel language program, the principal has a -- also suggests having duel language pre-k class thatat cafeedintoto kinderergart. Lclcon cove is ing have the program because manatee bay feeds into the school. Parent desire for more enrichment class options for duel language there as well. Policy 1070 committee review structure was discussed, duel language parents want a place where their voice right side heard and they can advocate for the program. There is openness to work with the gift many are gifted and the there is overlap and the teachers needing that endorsement but not to get paid more. One thing that they want today consider of having a stipend for duel language students as well. One of our mac committee officers sarah, created four brochures in four languages. This is going to be a successful tool so
017parents understand the benefits of the program once enrolled. The information was reform ated and worded so that is more digestable so we want to thank sarah for helping us with that and I also was able to get her some, good research on the benefit of duel language and reviewed articles for parents as well that want to learn more and understand the true benefits of the program. We had he lexz for the commit officers but we do have one elementary representative position open as well as a superintendent designee position. Principal shared an update that he has found a duel language teacher to that teacher will do the sla next year at westlake. Our other update, let me see, pardon me, I have my notes and danielle's. Continued education focus on trends, we are losing a-z learning
018because the department is not keeping t.Latinos is in action is now aligned with the feeder schools as well. Concerns were brought up for man tee bay as their -- manatee bay. Where the upper class have the one teach and her typically the k-2 had the two teachers and they're reducing to one. So that was a concern. Two motion wrz passed, mac is asking the district to provide every duel teacher a stipend we passed that unanimously. The reason they have more students and work and that will help to get the candidates to hire. This will also help retain the teachers so they will not leave mid-year causing parents. Let me wrap up, would like the program to run smoothly. One other item full emersion language to pre-k and we've seen this in other states where it's
019been very successful. We had some public comment sxz definitely desire from our marketing program, more funding and we want to give kudos. And that's our report. Thank you for your support. thank you so much. Next is parent community involvement task force. MADAM Chair. yes, ma'am. yes, I just wanted ask the superintendent if he could come back to the board with the financial impact to provide stipends for the duel language teachers and then come back to the board and then the board can decide whatever the next steps to take further action in regards to the stipend and the impact of teachers having to get certified and take testing and what that cost is and are we covering that cost? okay, DR. Hepburn? the request is noted, MS. Alhadeff. and just so you know, we're going through
020all the reports and then I'll take board members that want to address any of these things. So thank you. Parent involvement community? good morning. The parent community involvement task force met JUNE 2. We have several events planned in the next few months. AUGUST 6, we will host a nonprofit forum. We try as we said before, try to do two of these, one usually in the summer so we can get ready for the coming year and that will be this year AUGUST 6th, our tentative title is rooted and readiness. SEPTEMBER 13, we're really excited about this. We've done this once before but we have not done it in a couple of years. We're planning to host a parent empowerment conference. THISEs a very unique event. We hold it simultaneously in four languages. It's just very inspiring
021to see everybody come together and have the conversation about our parents. We are discussing a parent university in the fall focusing on college and career readiness. It will walk parents through the application process and fafsa as well as helping families and students who MAY be transitioning into the workforce or trade schools. Our parent university subcommittee will meet over the summer to discuss other programs so. If you have any ideas, please send them our way and we will look forward to our fall programs. We actually, something we heard at the superintendent task force on committee restructuring, we discussed at our meeting which was danielle was talking about going out to the community events. So we're, we are hoping we're having initial discussions on attendees community events, several events in different communities and having a table and
022talking to people. So we can reach out and share the positive of public schools as well as getting their feedback and discuss how we can better assist them. I know my report is short but we have a lot going on and I am very appreciative of the wonderful people that you have appointed to our task force. Oh we do have some survey sxz if we finalize those during summer, rather than waiting until fall, we will forward the information. thank you, and we will wrap up with the small business advisory committee. good morning, DR. Hepburn, chair hixon, board memebers and staff. My name is marie and I represent board member rupert. The following and a brief synopsis of our last two meetings on MAY 24 and MAY 22. We welcomed a new appointee caesar who was
023appointed by board member alhadeff. They currently have four vacancies. We're appealing to the board to fill anymore vacancy. Please advise if you are open to receiving referrals and we will do what we can to identify people who are interested in being appoint approximated. Regarding eddc, out reach initiatives we spoke about how robust the initiatives are and the significant impact it offers to small business community. I also, was able to attend one of EDDCs brunch and learn event on how to access business grants and loans. I must say this was a really a game changer for the small business that's were there and to myself in knowing how to proper ly assist them. Collaborates to boost internal promotion of its work. In addition, the community's response should be highlighted. That is responding very well to the
024educational program. So we're asking that there is, perhaps some type of, display maybe in a monitor that shows their feedback and in the lunch and learn programs because we are getting standing-room only to all of these events. As we spend sboc chair, attends the commit goal setting meetings monthly. In goal setting, measures are applied to upcoming solicitations to increase participation of certified firms based on the results of 2024 disparity study and edd policy 33-30 as a committee we're excited about what the district is doing. Fwauz sends message that B.C. Ps is intentional about doing business with small local businesses. In MAY, we discusses to a des ses all committees and the importance of the role we play to the advisors to the economic diversity. I was able to represent sbac in a meeting in structure
025and policy 1070, and I was able to express the unique role sbac plays as an advisory committee. Minority businesses have equal opportunities to bid with B.C. Ps. Very significant initiatives such as the lunch and learn to help small businesses understand the registration and certification process and most importantly I stress how sbac is bridging between our students and bcps. Our impact has been felt and continues to be relevant. I also shared a key initiative implemented in mid-APRIL to connect students with the idea of economic development and entrepreneurship a new shark tank business plan competition. This was an idea hi introduced to sbac which was endorsed for me to lead and update. We successfully completed our first shark tank business at sonrise middle school. I would like to teach our teachers who teaches robotic they were wonderful
026to work with, very cooperative, very supportive. Our shark tank included 54 students, during the program we worked with two classes twice a week for five weeks, we had to condense to nine week program but because it was towards the end of the year, we condense ited to five. They introduce and define entrepreneurship marketing and budgeting and pitching your business concept to potential investors. Also one of our key goals was to help our students understand that they have the potential to become future business owners. The xition -- if I MAY a little bit more time which culminated on MAY 29 with 5 out of 28 inventions that were presented with a panel of three sharks. Public speaker author and consultant darrel, the edge, I can never say that word properly. Darrel the edu trainer ceo of
027new dimensions international corps, shawl business and lavina our very own district administrator. The shark tank competition winners were as follows. Kicks tenders a device that stretches shoes over multiple size to see grow with the child. Second place economy engine and electronic planted that will be planted on the ground to remove po lose ants in the air and out doors. And lunch box that calculated the weight and value of the lunch inside. Each received a seter tiff -- certificate of recognition and -- firm phone and pad warehouse refreshments for the students while B.C. Ps acquisition department and broward education foundation sponsored a few items to the winners and sharks. It was a phenomenal events. We look forward to return to go sonrise program. In fact, a former sboc member recommended we implemented the program at pine
028ridge and we have made contact with the principal who is excite today work with us. I would also like to add that one of our sharks MR. Hodge, the adu trainer that's long history with work withing B.C. Ps students and interested in being appoint ed to sboc. This concludes my report and I thank you for the opportunity to serve. thank you very much, to all of you for those great reports. Now we'll go to discussion and first I have MS. Leonardi. thank you. I wanted to ask the superintendent about the green advisory committee's recommendations and about developing sustainable design standards as well as doing vulnerability assessment. yes, so as you know, we have a few things that are coming down the pipe later this summer. First is facilitates committee that will be prebted to the
029board later this month. That will tell the amount of maintenance, what buildings that have serious issues. With you simultaneously, I can have a conversation with the county administrator because you mentioned about the county administrator who has done that work. And as we go through the facilities to see what the next steps that we need to initiate to do an assessment like that. Because I do know we have some, not ft. Lauderdale but broward county, we have to a address the mitigating factors. obviously I support the facilities assessment, focused on flood anding heat would be important. There are schools, I believe, I mean in district 3 specifically in ft. Lauderdale I know in hollywood where when we have the annual 1,000-year flood that, causes a lot of damage to our schools. So I think that, I
030support doing an assessment if that's in conjunction with the county, that would be great. What about the recommendation for sustainable design standards? so as we embark on new work and projects to build and ren o ovate we can have those discussion wz those as well as those mitigating factors that we want to see in the new work that we want to initial. and I think -- initiate. and I have a question on committee recommendations. I believe, we are going to receive an item to receive these recommendations next tuesday is that correct? that's correct. If you want to correct me if I'm wrong, MR. Sullivan? Go ahead, MR. Hill. JUNE 24th. okay. and then, during, so when we accept those, no JUNE 17th, right? I don't think we do that anymore. Because we -- I'm sorry
031to jump in, but if a board member wants to bring in a b item based on the discussions today to do something, we don't get all the recommendations on the board any board because they come here. And if you wanted do a b item, they would come to the school board. it's changed a lot during the last -- so give me some grace. Would it be too late to bring a board item for these recommendations or direct the superintendent to move forward with some of the recommendations? Or would that be for JULY? we're delivering the supplementary agenda today, so it would have to go out bit end of today for the JUNE meeting. thank you, thank you. before I move to MS. Rupert, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions based on what
032MS. Leonardi just said. I have a question to MS. Jacque adams first, since MS. Leonardi has brought something up, can we have a consensus today as opposed to waiting for the next school board to direct the superintendent to start some of these recommendations? Or do we have to wait and somebody has to bring a b item? thank you, so much, just making sure I understand your question. There are several recommendations and you want to understand whether you can have consensus to state those recommendations to the superintendent or the superintendent of his own valition bring those items? or does it have to come as a b-item? We've had a lot of back and forth on what is appropriate? I think at this point, you could, make that request and get a consensus. great, thank you. So
033I'm, the reason that I jumped in is because I think what some of that what leonardi would be good to discuss as a board and make a consensus to direct the superintendent. I'm surprised that it's not happening. Every time we have a meeting, I bring up that we should have something like that. Is there anyone that does not agree that the district should move forward with the green committee's recommendations about sustainable development for -- where did we go? Sustainable develop a sustainanae development plan, is therany? chair r justa point t of ordeder? yes. I think what MS. Leonardi asked whether there is consensus today to have the item come back at the next meeting. Your description is to in favor of doing something specific. can I clarify what I was suggesting. I was want to
034go move forward with these recommendations, so if that's in the workshop that's very efficient, we can gather consensus. I was just trying to figure out a way to do that. If we can do that today, that would be great. yes, so if is there anybody that disagrees moving forward. MADAM Chair? yes, ma'am. so I think we're jumping. I think we need to have more information, what is the financial impact to take on all of these recommendations? How does this trump the facilities assessment or does it hinder our ability to move forward with the facilities assessment that is coming out. I think it's a good idea but at this point in time we don't have enough information to move forward at this point in time now. And I would ask the superintendent to weigh in on
035his opinion on moving forward with these recommendations if the board decides to do it right at this point. -- I would say, it's just a plan, so I would say that it includes some of that financial what it would cost and the recommendation is to develop the plan and not to implement. DR. Hepburn? yeah, so. As, discussed, it will be first discovery with our county administrator to find out what they're actually doing right now. Creating a plan and also the financial impact and bringing that information back to the board to really have a clear understanding of the impact of these recommendations or if we're doing some of these things. so is it possible, if there is consensus today for that to start in motion? yes. okay, anybody? Anybody have an issue with? and I want
036to clarify a plan or a document that is detailing, the steps of district would need to take and financial impact not implementing? correct. Right, MS. Leonardi, the recommendation was to develop a plan so we can look and see what that looks like? we have a motion, we have the motions in our inbox, so it was the vulnerability assessment? I was going do that one next? so which one are we talking about? The design standards? uh-huh. okay. does anybody have an issue going forward so superintendent going forward to develop a plan? That's the first one? Okay. So I think we're okay with that. Anybody have an issue with doing a vulnerability study for flood and heat? I mean. MADAM Chair. sorry, I have the same concerns as board member alhadeff. I think it's a good idea
037to bring up plan but to implement or do an assessment when we're waiting on information, I'm not comfortable with. MADAM Chair. yes. I also have a comment if I MAY. okay. so my understanding of the whole process when we had this discussion before, is that because we're going to have on going recommendations coming from multiple committees, every single time. And so these recommendations, the understanding is if any board member wish to bring that as an item, can do so because if we make efficient today, to direct the superintendent to go ahead and proceed with some of these recommendations, there are information that MAY be needed, in order to really make an informed good decision. So I think if it comes as a board item, if any of us wish to bring something as a board
038item, it gives us an opportunity to do whatever research is needed to bring that information to us so we can make a better decision. I just think that this is, not the most efficient way because it MAY be lacking information to make an informed decision. So my understanding of the process is completely different from what we're doing today. So it doesn't mean I agree or disagree with the recommendations, I just prefer to follow a more detailed thorough process that we've decided on. So I appreciate all of these recommendations coming. If any of us wish to bring it as a board item, that was my understanding and we seem to be changing that today. we've gone back and forth, that's I didn't asked MS. Jacque adams if we can take it. And that's why we would
039need to take consensus. I don't think everything needs a b-item. so differs from what our understanding was before and I want to make that clear as far as the way I feel. thank you. So just as a clarification, if there are consensus that you want to make with regards to directions on like, nothing, nothing definitive, you know, so coming up with a plan not definitive. But if you're collectively directing the superintendent to do something, then that would be a b-item. MADAM Chair, I just want to make this last comment so. If I say no to any of these recommendations, I'm not saying no to the recommendation I'm saying no to the process. Because I MAY agree with the recommendation because I also feel that it should provide adequate time for information to be gathered and
040so forth. So my no is not to recommendation, it depends on what we're trying to gain consensus on. So the concern I have, if I say no, recommendation MAY not go forward, when in fact it could have gone forward if there was in a different setting. So that's the conflict that I'm having as a board member to support any of the recommendations. okay, that's fine. And like I said, you can bring it as a b-item. MS. Alhadeff? so on chair hixon, your point that you said before, I'll ask the same question, what is the financial impact of doing that? DR. Hepburn. I want to clarify, this is not about implementation, this is about discovery and creating something to bring back to the board to provide information if the district were to take this path, how
041much would it cost, the steps, all the tangibles that would be included to make this happen. This is not about implementation, we cannot go down that hole we have not even talked about impacts on next steps. correct, this is just to ask the superintendent and staff to bring something back to us that has details rather than waiting for b-item to have to come next week. MADAM Chair, can I just finish. My question would be to superintendent for staff to do all of this work for all of these recommendation to see bring back, how much time is going to take, I don't want to weigh down staff with all of these things to research and everything like that when they're trying to do all of this other work, I'm just thinking there is a cadence to
042this. this will take some time and the first c ada nece that it can be shared appropriately and then we will move on to next steps with other priorities. But this is not something that we're going to start to work on tomorrow, we have things in the hopper that we need to bring to the board and public for next steps for our facilities. so then I would say that we should pause, wait, these are good recommendations but we have so much on our plate that we need to focus on and do well with, so I would say we wait until after we figure out the facilities assessment. MS. Rupert, did you want to chime in on this topic? it's an over arching comment, I did that. i personally think that all committees need to have
043their motions truly vetted and a lot of the committees, they're asking for questions answered which is a lot easier than having a plan coming forward to us. But the questions that they ask for, need to be answered. That should be part of this conversation. Because what we're talking about is the green committee right now and the possibility of doing some other things which I respect, and I absolutely support. However, there are other committees that are truly just wanting their questions answered from their committee that are not getting answered. So, MADAM Chair, I would like that part of the conversation to be understood and vetted through the board because they come and go with motions, and they just, that's it. And then they go away and then they come again with more motions or the other
044motions and it seems like on a treadmill and they can't get off. So I would ask my colleagues how are we going to help and represent all committees with their voices moving forward? Because it's not working now? DR. Hepburn, that was actually a question that I was going to ask, I have that on my notes for when it was my turn. MR. Sullivan, can you explain to all of us what the process is for committee recommendations right now? so we changed the process. The new process is they presented here at the committee reports and the board gets to react to it whether that's through consensus or direct the superintendent or follow-up with the b.-item in the following board meeting. so to MS. Rupert's point, so if no school board members brings it up here, what
045happens to the recommendation? staff does not respond until the board reacts to it. Before they would comment on the proposal because they came through a board meeting not a workshop. which is why we decided to do it this way to give board memebers an opportunity. And also this format allows the committee chairs to present their recommendations. In the past if it was not a item, it was not addressed at all. I guess for the board, the question MS. Rupert has in general, is every one should walk away knowing what is going to happen with the recommendation whether the board is going to bring a b-item or if it's thank you for your recommendation but we don't want to act on it at this time. How do we do that, I guess I'm asking the board
046in general. How do we do that in an appropriate way so they leave feeling like they've been heard? thank you so much, chair. I think MS. Rupert's is asking a great question. There needs to be a relationship with our advisory committees so that these things are clear. Right now they're clear as mud and it's highly difference, we have committees that do some things that staff does. We have committee that go off on tangents and they don't get validation necessarily but they're good exploratory things as well. I point out to the people here, we fight to get answers too. And the superintendent works for us and the people who answer the questions generally work for the superintendent. And sometimes our questions get prioritized based on what is going on in the school system. We can all
047ask 500 questions that's not a reasonable thing to do. What I'm hoping MS. Rupert when we get the advisory task force back examine we see their recommendation sxz we look at the superintendent recommendations, they come with clear expectations of what volunteer advisory chairs can expect from our staff and we build that system, explicitly. It shouldn't be a surprise. That's what is frustrating, people come in and say, oh you didn't answer my questions. Well I get that, but not all questions are equal, some of them take dozens and dozen of hours to get things done. And there is a cadence to all of this. What kind of advise is most welcome, how does the school board share with you. I'm about to get a question. If we ever get to the questions of this, I have
048a question that I want to ask our duel language chair. How they make recommendations to the school board because that's who their voice or for examine how the school board and puts them into the statutory or to pick up it up on their own and make it a bb item because it's an urgent issue that we submitted as part of the next agenda. So that process, that relationship needs to be crystal clear. There is a lot of questions about asking questions is this a motion versus a recommendation. I would like a duplex conversation where the board tells you what we're concerned about. That might help our chair in the conduct of her meeting for a year and then there is a certain type of question that should be get answered. And then there are some
049questions that MAY not be able to get to for weeks or months. And we get that, we're slammed, it's going get x-weeks, it MAY not be urgent or important, and those things are normal. What is not normal here is that we made it clear as mud. And that does not build good relations we need to make sure it's crystal clear. Last point, chair, we've already by con zen tuesday bring a plan for implementing a sustainable design center, is that correct? that's what we're discussing. But there is a majority of the board that would like to let go to a b-item. I'm with you, are there been any objection?Z? about? the study. about the study but just the timing that I understand? I thought I heard a member of this board say no, and as a
050direction to the superintendent. If that's not the case, that's great. But we need to be clear if there is an recommendation. If there is an objection, I recommend we move to another item. I believe the objection was giving a direction today not necessarily the study in general, MS. Leonardi. I will bring the items. okay. alrighty, next up is MS. Rupert. a large part of my questions were answered with MS. Leonardi's question. But I want to say again, I'm not clear on the direction that we're giving because there is people sitting over there that are thinking to themselves, because I can see it, well, this does not work, it hasn't worked, our stup is not getting answered. What do we need to do to make that happen? And for all committees that think that, you know,
051I'm willing to do a b item every single person up here is willing to help out the community by doing that. But I want to go on record saying, every sing one of our committee is important and I will be in their corner, so thank you. MS. Thompson? thank you, chair. I just really, back to multi lingual advisory committee, if we can include some information about making a duel language school and it would be a really big draw. And I know we're talking about potentially regionalizing our program so if staff can bring that information, that would be great. we're going to get back to what we were just discussing. I'll bring a b-item. I just want to bring it back, MS. Alhadeff did ask the superintendent to bring us back what the stipends would be
052and the costs. So not one person can direct the superintendent to do something. It has to come as a consensus. There are some things that don't necessarily need a b item because you're directing him to bring something back to us so we can vote on it. MS. Jacque adams, again if you can kind of give us direction on you know, because saying we're going to do a b item does not answer their questions. The committee walk away knowing we're talking action. That's what my concern is here. But to ask what the cost would be makes sense we agree and give consensus to bring that information back. just a point of clarification, there is a fine line. When you are directing the superintendent to do something, it's a b item but you are asking f forinfofoatioion,
053clarifificatioinformatation,o that you can be able toto ke dedesionon bring a a b-item to direct the superintendent so there is a fine line, I mean, if you're asking the superintendent for information, I mean technically that is directing him. However, it is not direct him to do something definitive like, make payment. So it's a fine line and it's a scale. But, now is the time for discussion on the points being made bit committee discussion among the board member and consensus if you need information so that you can be able to develop a b item to direct the superintendent. so my question is, can one board member say, DR. Hepburn say, I would like you to bring back information on stiep ins on -- stipends on duel language teachers. I believe it should be a consensus. which was
054my point. MADAM Chair. hold on one second. Mary? I'm sorry, MS. Furly . I should turn my mic on. I'm going through having this conversation. Many of us are wondering how this is all move forward. So I'm glad you're having the conversation. But in my mind, I'm envisioning an agenda that is going to have 10-11, 12, b items and there is going to be some research into that. Your conversations are wonderful but I'm thinking some questions, that you can get an answer to and then that would be the end of that issue. Other things, the issues that the green advisory brought up are important issues that you MAY want to move on. Just be thinking, you're meetings are already long and you're doing much better on that. But your meetings are long but maybe having
055a lot of b items because we don't resolve issues in a different way, MAY not be the best format. thank you. DR. Holness. with better understanding with legal council, I'm supportive with the superintendent bringing information back for a future intended action. But I'm not supportive of making an intended action through consensus which I'm glad that is clarified. I'm fine if we're just asking for information on an intended action. I think if we're having like the legal counsel says, a definitive action, I would rather see that in a item. thanks so much. I want today compliment our multi -- wait, wait, I'm not sure we're back -- MS. Thompson was done. We were still on the discussion do we need a consensus. let me add to that dialogue then. I appreciate all of this conversation but
056as you know, we're not allowed to make decisions at a workshop. Are we interested in learning more, absolutely. If anybody wants to learn more. We can talk about it and if there is consensus of the superintendent, can bring further information when it fits the cadence. We cannot make policy decisions, or any of the other items that we do at normal school meetings, they cannot be done here not by consensus not by majority. So I appreciate this discussion. I do think that it's important that we have good conversation buzz things. At this meeting, we can screen out ideas too. If a recommendation comes from a committee chair and committee and they voted for something to bring it forward, which is required, that you have to have quorum and they have to vote ago on something. The
057school board has every right to say thank you very much. It's something that we're going to pickup right now, and that's okay too. That's part of our responsibility to screen those ideas. So that conversation is suppose to happen here, if I'm not wrong, chair? yes, that's what we're engaging in right now. that's terrific. Examine towards that end, I'm going to ask our general counsel to please bring at our next workshop a crystal clear understanding of what we do here. I want to know what that line is. I think it's a legal issue, and I want to have a clear answer on what we can do and cannot do. And anything that changes the policy or requires traditions of an item are excluded from action here. But I think that we could get like a absolutely
058crystal clear answer just like the counsel wants to know how our relationship is going to go, the school board would like a clear answer in a way that we can understand it. And then we can spend more time. When we're ready to go to the next item, I have a new item. we're going to get there. MADAM Chair, on that point. go ahead. I agree with DR. Zeman, we need to have a crystal clear understanding at these workers how we're going to have consensus. If one person rejects, does it not move forward? We cannot keep chasing our tail here going back and forth. So I agree to have the general counsel even if it's a memo or even if we have to vote on something, to a school board meeting. But I would like to
059rectify so we can stop these long meetings discussing how we're going to move forward with something. is everybody in agreement with that? Okay. Great. Going back to -- do you have a question? no. going back to what school board member alhadeff said and school board thompson, they would like the superintendent to come back with what it would like like for stipends for the duel language teachers and what are plans are for full emersion. Anybody have a concern about that information coming back to us? Just information? Trying to be clear? MS. Bulman. I would like to include, I think we were talking about a regional approach to that so what that would look like? if I can add. So we can bring back the information about the financial I am fact of stipends and all of
060that. But as far as full emersion, we will bucket that into our conversations redefining later on just to make sure that we're clear about next steps over arching that does include regional duel language programs. so, to that point, would it be better to address the stipends when we have a bert idea? we can provide that information. But I want to put the cart before the horse when it comes to redefining and the other tragedies around how that compliments everything else that we're doing in the district when it comes to redefining and up scaling our programs. thank you, do you have something on this particular? Okay, DR. Zeman? thank you so much. I want our board and senior staff to sing the same song about every topic. I want to set the same level of understanding
061so when a paesht a administrator a business comes and says, what is going on with duel language program? It's why I want to share ideas about this drone everybody should have the same information so we can answer questions. You mentioned something about, something that is always fascinated me, I sent a lot of my kids to duel language programs. And I'm fascinating about their ability to think differently. The expression that you can never understand the poetry of your second language but the language that you were brought in is a good way to understand the duel language model. Because while you get a second language, you've got to study it for decades and the art that comes through the expression of another language. But there is always been a body of research that suggested that duel languages
062if it's done in the model where math for example is taught in the second language and not in the first, slows down the development of math skills. So I'm constantly telling people, I loved it for my kids. It's so cool when my kids start ripping off in french and spanish, it's changed the ways their minds developed and it's a wonderful thing for them. Oh by the way make sure you're doing some extra stuff on the math side. Because in general you slow down. I don't want to bring debate that issue, right now or elecitate more. But you mentioned you got some peer articles on duel language. If there is a summary of that, that should be shared with my colleagues, that would be incredibly helpful. because what we knew ten years ago about duel language
063is not what we know today and we need those updates so when people talk to us, part of redefining or whether it's just, I don't know if I want to send my child to that school to do duel language in creek because it slows down their math development or all of these reasons. I would love for us to have the same information base. So if you have got something like that, all I can do is ask to you send it to me but I hope you send it to the board and I hope that we read that short summary of peer review articles so we have the information to make great decisions and give great people informed advise about things. Thank you for doing that work. But if you can share it with us, it
064would mean a lot. sure, thank you, I would be delighted to share with you. We know about that cognitive, when you have they a second language. And how to, retain the english skills while building on the sektd language as well. I would share that with the board, yes. No problem. thank you. Thank you, chair. thank you, I'll go and then we'll, MS. Leonardi had something else. So the superintendent, the ese advisory talked about access by registered behavior tech in the schools and that is not consistent. Do we have a policy or procedure? for the, the district in general about registered behavior text having access in the schools? yes, I know we don't have a policy. I'm going to ask MS. Holings worth to weigh in on if we have any procedures at the current moment
065for that. good morning, simone, chief academic procedure. A very extensive document that does outline that. We will review that as well with all of our principals to align more consistent procedures. okay, the fact that it's not consistent it leads me to believe that it's not readily read. packet for private providers, it's inconsistency with which it's supplied in schools. How valuable it is to students and it's consistency something we brought up and the fact that the diversity committee brought up separately is, contained recommendation to see do things that you already do such as having a private provider packet. You're already ahead with that and this is statute that you have to let into schools. Every student is geted treated differently. I know there are a lot of struggles all the. It's a bit of a lottery
066for students and it's unfair. thank you. And I know, one of the question that keeps coming up and we've had different conversations about, the policy for cameras in the classrooms. so DR. Hepburn, if you can just give a really quick synopsis of where we are, I know the policy is coming to us on the 24th and on the board JULY 17th, can you speak if that were to pass, are we able to start on day one with available cameras in classrooms? yes, yes, thanks for the question, chair. As you said, the discussion for the policy will be on the 24th of JUNE, the voting on the policy will be JULY 22. Yes. We will be ready to go with the available cameras that are already installed in the classroom to see just be switched on.
067The only other part of this is the cameras that would need to be ordered and it would be installed and turned on as we received them. Again, borrowing consent. The cameras that we do have available. Some are already installed in classrooms and they'll be available to be used day one. thank you. For the green advisory, as I mentioned and I believe we voted as a board if I'm not mistaken to move forward with using maybe not lead we would move to that way. I feel like we voted on that but I don't know what that looks like in JULY reality. So that would be part of that. But like I said, we did vote on that prior to this. And I do agree about the vulnerability especially flood and heat. So for the multi lingual
068my grandson goes there too, he goes to a day care that is bilingual and they speak english in the morning and spanish in the afternoon, and he mixes, it's hard to keep up with him. I appreciate the conversation of moving it into pre-k, it's easier for them to learn at that point. And I also agree that bringing it through 12 as DR. Zeman and MS. Thompson, they need that continual for them to have. I appreciate the information for that. Thank you to the small business for the shark tank idea I think that was wonderful. I believe I'm looking forward in appointee, so I appreciate the suggestion, I will reach out to him and see if he's interested in representing me for that. So, I just wanted to ask, in general, as the chair moving forward,
069for this, do you think as a board it would be important for each of the recommendations that come to us for this meeting, because they're attached, that we said something about each of them. If it's something that we're not willing to take up, we say we appreciate the recommendation but we're not going to take it at this time. As chair, should I go, to either close the doors for themselves either moving on in some fashion or the board just has, we don't believe it's something that we want to implement, so MS. Rupert's point. And I think really, the committee chair's point, they get frustrated because they leave here not knowing. It would be important to have a kind of closing before we leave as a chair to say, here's the recommendation that's came to us
070and here's what we understand will be happening moving forward. So I would like to just have a quick input on that and then we can wrap this up. Sarah. I mean, MS. Leonardi. you can call mesa ra. I think how the board operates in the workshop and many ideas that don't get spoken about and we move on. And we make motions that if they don't get a second or voted down, we just move on. I don't feel like we need to go motion by motion. Like I'm communicating with a chair of a committee right now about, bringing some b items. So I think it's incoming on the board memebers to reach out to the chairs or the committees and if it doesn't get taken up, it does not get taken up. It happens in our
071workshops all the time that we make recommendation that's the rest of the board members don't speak on, and we move on. MS. Thompson. I agree with MS. Leonardi. It's up to us to go to the chairs. the reason I bring this up, is that's one of the things that the chair's complaints that brought up. Lobbying to bring up b-items and why we changed our direction to have the discussion here. MS. Lucecom. thank you. this workshop format was introduced so you can discuss with us not, not just among yourselves, but with us too. We're giving up our time here. Personally, I'm having to plan my entire summer around B.C. Ps and the foot tracking that has gone with the cameras and evasiveness and lack of forward planning. It's t just recommendation ththat'swe brbrg inhereanan foformal motis,s,if
072it's's quorum, it MAY depend on the agenda, the work is done as well between meeting constantly every day. We're here as a voice for your community. We're representing for the interest of 41,000 students. We're not just here to be told where none of us had interest and we're not going to say we're going to move that on. That needs to be a fact-finding phase. We get 5 minutes to speak to you and a little bit here and there like this if we're lucky. I don't feel there is engagement. I see folks doing other things and I don't mean this disrespectfully, I think there has to be a little bit more mutual respect. They get up and leave and on phone, talking to each other, talking to staff, we're here for a few limited minutes and
073engaging with us is important. On the superintendent's committee structure task force. I personally don't have a clue my more what is even going on there that was meant to be going into the next year and now I gather happening this year. And it's -- I have a lot of constructive suggestions how this process can work and how we can bring recommendations, it should be on inherent on the superintendent to be responding. To MS. Thompson who has left a room but made a good point, be interested this what we're bringing but we're not going to get a thing resolved in a five-minute address to you. But you don't foum. A lot I don't ever hear from you follow-up. And others are good at check ining and trading information with us which I really appreciate. We spent
074so much time here and I heard it said twice, let's move on as we're liability. This is our time with you and yours with us. Let's use it but a lot is being used to discuss what to do with this rather than the issues we brought. And I brought some pretty dam serious one. Cameras in classrooms, we don't need to water down. That this would be implemented by the first day of today. -- school. We don't want cameras and say tarah, we did it, and staff did not act upon it, we are way way way way behind. It's not just a case of passing a policy and then switching on a camera. You have to have those in the right places, the installation of a lot more cameras. The parental consent process you're not going
075to have done in two weeks after pass ing policy. i brought up the am, P.M. Program, we never got transparency about that. And now we're going to close 16 am-pm programs and have 3 open. Please at least respect our time and start taking interest and engaging with us and do follow-up. And don't just go to staff and staff say yeah and she's no. The reason we're frustrated is because that happened. We go down a dead end, it's so des paraging, we want process. I've got plenty of suggestions for how to do that. At least give some encouragement that some of you are even interested in hearing from us. Thank you. thank you so much for that. MS. Leonardi did you have anything else? I just, something to I guess I wanted again to beat a
076dead horse and come back to the workshop versus board item versus. So I guess, you know, I one of somebody mentioned that, wre don't give direction or take action in workshop. The only thing is get information. I question that, sometimes in some of the presentations we're asked to give direction or next steps. Many of us do. So, I kind of question, if that is true that we can only ask for information or learn things in workshops we can't take action or give direction and what is, I mean, I understand that there is a purpose to learning things in the public and things like that. with very clear direction with what we can and can't do moving forward. okay, thank you. I agree with you. MS. Bulman? to MS. Leonardi's point, I think that we're all
077collectively invested in making this a worth while exercise when we come here to have the discussion. So I think that's very important that we have clear direction cause we've been going around and around on this the whole time I've been here. I will look forward to us all being on the same page about that. And because I hadn't spoken before, I just want to say some things. Thank you everybody for bringing your recommendations, I really appreciate it. The small business advise' committee, I don't know that I've seen you since I've been here, but that's great work and I appreciate that you're engaging the community and doing very important work. I think that's something that is probably overlooked because not necessarily academic but it's so important that we're engaged in our small business communities so everybody
078is able to participate. So thank you. I'm very much on board with the green initiatives that duel language, MS. Lucekom, I'm happy to talk to you if you have recommendations. I can assist you with that. And everybody else, thank you and keep up the good work. unfortunately, we don't have clear definitions of bylaws for the future. And a big part of not having that done yet is that we want to get it right and we want to make sure that this is engagement, this is relationship this is a whole bunch of people who are dedicated that the exact way, the school board and staff. Which is running schools. We will not always agree and to the extent that you can focus on things that we can work on now and in the future and things
079that you can tie to our strategic goals the more likely we're to engage and respond and take actions on the things that you bring to us. It's really really important chair ha as we go forward it's clear that when you're speaking for your committee and it's clear when you're speaking as an individual, that is not always clear. And we have to be very very careful about that because we need as a board to know when you're representing ought of the people on your board or you're representing your pta who got together and said go talk about this or your light. There is a very positive way to do this, to be advisors, to provide information to us. And we'll continue to listen to everybody and until we run out of time. We have to prioritize
080our time. We'll do the best that we can and I'll appreciate all of you who came and spoke so passionately. Especially to the people that are stand ining for chairs. This is summertime, so a lot of people are gone and it talks time and stressful to talk to us. I appreciate and learning more about things you see. we're going to wrap this up but. yeah, I don't think we've done much talking over here. And I appreciate debbie that you came up with this format. I think it's a much better format. I want to say, I was not going say, but you all spend a lot of money on marketing and talking about how you can get parents to come to broward county schools and how you can retain them. I will say that sometimes the
081simplest things that you can do is answer somebody's question. We do we that routinely when they have questions. I want, I appreciate your forming the superintendent task force. I have learned so much from multi lingual and small business from nancy about the great work that we have being done by our advisories. And I don't know how you resolve some of the issues that were brought up today but I hope you do. Just giving people a response, thank you. thank you, and we're going to finish briefly with jackie. yeah, I copy the board on correspondence and I never hear anything. There is a limit to how many out reach we need to do and I want to encourage out reach to us. Secondly, something I kept hearing is how we need to be here, not just
082speaking for us but for those we represent. If somebody has a suspicious that we're not speaking on behalf of the stakeholders that we were elected to serve, please come to us. But I can tell that I am. And for the parent community and the suggestion that any of us might be going rouge and injecting our own agenda or spirit into it, is a little troubling. I don't think I have sat here and advocated for my kid alone. I advocated for students all over the district, we're a voice for them and if we have to be blunt at this microphone and its interpreter, just me speaking for me, that would be incorrect. It's absolutely correct that people are fed up having their nurses taken away, people are fed up with a program that still not going
083to be ready by this AUGUST. I'm representing for everybody and I'm careful to do so on the issue that matter. thank you, and thank you all for coming today for sharing, your time, not just today but when you go to all of those committee meetings. We really appreciate your dedication to us and we'll see you next month. Thank you so much. We're going to take a brief five-minute recess to get ready for the next item. thank you and welcome back to the school board workshop. Next item is strategy -- obviously DR. Hepburn and our community both here in the board room as well as watching. MADAM Chair f it's okay, we obviously don't want to go through the whole presentation, I'll give a high level summary and we can move on to whatever questions or
084input community input as well. So what you have in front of you is the, the rule development for at or about six poll he's in the athletic and jrotc space. Two of the policies are being recommended for repeal and that's policy, 6202 as well as 6209, 62.2 and 6209, those are being recommended for repeal because their languages with included in either policy 6230, I'm sorry 6262, 6250 or r 6280 thpolicies havevebeenen viviewed by caward and caward and as well as jrtc policy they're really updating them to current structure and formatting as well as addressing current statue for' requirements as it relates to student participation and athletics and that's what those policies are as well as the policy 4 on the jrtc. So it addresses current statutes as well as district practice. And policy 6400, as
085the board will recall, there was a b item in the school board meeting where the board provided direction for the superintendent to initial rule making on this policy for the very specific reason as it relates to reassignment to include an assignment priority for areas or schools that had undergone resent changes. That's what is before the board today. what we know that we have to do in policy 6400 is to go through the policy and make sure the refrn right side consistent with the order chart that was approved by the board for next school year and specifically the office of choice, charter change to innovate programs. That is what is before the board and we can certainly move to questions. The presentation is online so we don't want to go line by line to take up
086any unnecessary public comment. we do have a public comment. Speaker: okay, hi are you doing? My name is iro, I come here, I'm not, I'm not a local of broward county, I stay in palm beach but my child graduated 5th grade in markham elementary out of pompano. I had a big issue last year when I went up there. I know it's kind of off, but I only get three minutes. And when I came here to speak to you more of a setting, nobody was here. sir, it has to be. Speaker: I understand that, I didn't come here for that. I'm just letting you know. we can have staff speak with you. Speaker: I want you to know there is a issue with y'all trying to take control of people's destinies and I want to you
087understand that that's not correct. we appreciate it but it has to be on the item. Speaker: my child is very gifted and I want y'all to know that you have to make y'all taking care of your people when they go to your schools. When I'm not available, I need to you make sure that you're y'all doing your job. okay, we'll have staff speak to you. Okay, is there any board discussion? Speaker: what is your name? the school board chair, debra hixon. Speaker: you should be doing your job too. board member discussion? MR. Cervera? are we discussing the rules? yes, anything on this particular. if I MAY, MADAM Chair. MAY I, thank you. In regards to the proposed changes, to policy 6240, what has been presented, I believe in subsection 1b runs contrary and completely contradicts
0881006.205 of fairness and women's sports account. -- act. The current language that is proposed and I quote says no person shall on the basis of sex be excluded from participated or be treated differently in any club athletic offered by a public k-12 education system. My concern is when you look at the text of the state statute on this, again 106.205, the fairness of women's sports act, the law is, that you can discriminate somebody on the basis of sex. And what I mean, if you're a bilogical male you cannot participate in female sports. And as currently proposed specifically, again policy 6240 subsection 1b, I believe the current text that is proposed runs contrary to the current state statute. DR. Hepburn? DR. Wanza? okay, so, I don't see the attorney as well as caward and caward is
089on the line. But I believe this section is only speaking to the items access to facilities. If you look at rule d, it goes to see what the competition of the is. But I'll let the lawyer speak, because I'm not a lawyer. while we're waiting for the lawyers, school board. good afternoon. can you point us to the section. the rule or statute? I'm sorry, the policy under review here. I need a number and the letter. policy, it's policy 6240 subsection 1-b. thank you so much. caward and caward on the line? yes, caward and caward is present. Can you hear me? yes. Yes, as our DR. Wanza was indicating the language that we have there, talk about thing make up of the teams, as you can see in 6240, we refer to that as same statute,
090that subsection to say that it must be done pursuant to that particular statute. But the language in here, we don't find that to be a conflict, we find that that they support one another versus conflicting with each other. I didn't get the first part. But the easiest resolution is why not incorporate specifically in the rule as you do in subsection d, that way it's clear to every one that reads that that you are intended to be bound by the statute. And, therefore eliminates the potential for conflict. if I MAY. go ahead. please. the board can if the board desires to quote every statute verbatim but if that instance our policies would be just as long. Our concept is to direct you to the appropriate place this. Directs you to the subsection but if the board
091prefers a lengthy policy, but they do not conflict. We approved it and revised as it it is and maintain that it's consistent. But if the board prefers to reiterate the statute, that means every time the statute the policy would have to be amended even if one word changes just to be clear, I'm not suggest thating regurgitate every vergage. In accordance with, florida statute, xyz, and then begin the rule language. The problem is here, at least the way I read it. This is opening it up for potential issues. I think it does run contrary to the language as well as the spirit of what the fairness in women's sports acts says. Shows the way this is read opens the door for a litany the problems. Rather than regurgitating the language, I don't see any harm in
092saying, it a -- it goes with xyz, and then your language. so if I MAY, subsection 1b, I read to be general where it says that no person will be excluded from participating generally and when you go down to subsection d, it has the specificity in accordance with the statute, these are how the teams are going to be set up. again, when you have two portions of a rule and one thing is, perhaps not as tight as the other language so in you're case, that opens the door for people to potential lea tack, challenge or question or be confused as to what the rights responsibilities and liabilities are. I don't see the harm especially on an issue like this, that draws quite a bit of attention especially with your current climate, incorporating language that will
093protect the district, by saying in accordance with the statute, all of these things have to happen. I understand what the intent MAY have been but sometime intent gets lost in translation. I think on a strict review of reading of 1b I think it's problematic and the most simplistic way to resolve that, and close any questions or loopholes is say in accordance with the statute, you can do the rest of the text but include as a caveat first. board member bulman. thank you, chair. I'm reading this, my understanding for 1b is the original intent of this statute is to protect women in sports and to make sure that they have fair and equal opportunities historically and historically they did not. So when you're reading this portion, this is the original coming out of title 9 language
094that make sure that you're not cutting off a season for women sports not providing the same facilities and things like that, even though it's universal. So I think it's kind of, ironic to indicate that this is taking away from women's fairness and sports when the intent of this was to create fairness in women's sports. And this is a statutes is sited right here so I'm looking at that right here in the florida of statutes. And I believe that in in section d, it's very clear and incorporated clearly and into this policy. I don't see that we have to site the policy that is sited in d into b to make d incorporated into the policy, I think it's already done. I don't know how we're detracting interest women's sports. and I agree, I think equality
095for sports in women and as a father in a young daughter that participates in gymnastics it's near and dear to my heart. Again, the way I'm reading this, no person on the basis of sex be denied the benefits or be treated from another person otherwise discriminated under any athletic offered bit public k through 12 education system, period. That to me, if there was a situation where a bilogical male wanted to participate in a female sport or go into the female locker room whatever the case MAY be, I could read that and understand an argument that could be made and perhaps very strongly by that biological male for him to come in and say, on the basis of sex, I cannot be discriminated against. I think you need, I think you need the caveat within the
096statute and again I'm simply suggesting that we include the same four words that we included in subsection d to make sure that we're binding ourselves as a district to that portion of the statute. Because you can be discriminated on the basis of sex. While I understand again the spiter of this rule talking about lengths of season and equipment and uniforms, this says, it includes length of season, equipments uniform transportation. Therefore I think there is opportunity for somebody to come in and argue a contrary position what the fairness and women's sports act is. Again you can be discriminated on the basis of sex. Because the statute says, if you're a bilogical male, you're not playing sports. I think it's important to remove all doubt all uncertainity that we're being bound bit specific statute and simply take
097the first four words that we have in subsection d. DR. Zeman. MADAM Chair? can I just go. DR. Zeman, can I suggest something. you're on general counsel. so to your point, MR. Cervera, what if d were moved ahead of c and, there is lead in language that says, all participation shall be in accordance with? are you suggest that you blend the rules. I think that's fine. I think when you have different sections of rulings and one is very very clear that it's being governed by a specific state -- statute, it's clear that we are bound by 1006.205, knowing is questioning it. But if you have another that can run contrary, I think that's problematic. So if you're suggesting that we, that we merge or blend, I think that would resolve my concern. so the concern
098is the participation, right? The language that says, they shall not be be excluded from participating so. If you were to move subsection d to come after subsection b, where it would say all participation shall be in accordance with state statute. That's all I'm suggesting to its -- it's clear to the reader that every subsection is governed, that's all I'm suggesting. thank you, general counsel for that. It's not what I would like to do and it's a legal opinion where something is placed in a policy. I just want to point out in a workshop these things come up. We can make recommendation as MR. Cervera is that we look at 1b and make sure that the word ising clear that it does not conflict with the statute that he's citing. The law on title 9 wrote
099in a language that predated some of the legislation that came out in the last few years, so we have to make sure that it's clear. I just think that you need to get to this point and then you can move forward to see if you can make it more clearer than it is now so 1b and 1-d with two different sections MR. Cervera as you have pointed out. Thank you. thank you, MS. Leonardi. thank you, so I'm just trying to understand, I want to make sure that I have the correct recommendation. So the intention is to, move the pursuant to section 1000.03 and say in accordance to section 10005? Or is it to include the statute 106.205? so let me go back for a second. I think I understand the question but I want to
100make sure that I'm crystal clear. If we look at what is being proposed in 1-d right now, the way that it's currently written, it starts off with in accordance with florida statute, and then it goes into all the verbiage and language it wanted include in that role. Now if you go up to subsection b, it doesn't say that. What I'm suggesting is to avoid the ability is simply include, the in accordance with, subsection 3, no person shall be on the basis of sex, blah blah blah blah all that the another stuff, that way it alerts the reader that we are complying and conform withing 1006.205. Incidentally what I'm hearing from counsel, she was talking about potentially, merging or including it before. Either way, the concern that I would like alleviate is to have consistency within
101both sections of our rules both in this case both b and d. So what I would suggested is put the in accordance with, that's it. okay, so I gus is the e concern that likethe schools and the athletic teams, that this policy governs, that they will be confused about this? Or is this about you know, any legal question about this policy? I'm wondering who the audience is for the change? I think the audience is every resident in broward county who reads our rules, and our policies has kids in our schools, administrator, staff, athletes and coaches. I don't think it's good practice to have a portions of the rules that contradict each other. The way that I read b, again now and I understand perhaps with the spirit of the rule with the intention was by
102the drafter but I way he read subsection b says no person on the basis of sex shall be excluded from participating and then it goes into the list. There is a circumstance in which somebody on the basis of sex can be excluded from participating. You cannot have a bilogical ma im playing in female sports. so right off the bat, you have a sentence that is contradicted. The easiest to cure that deficiency is to include the language that I had suggested and I think I heard it correctly, general counsel is suggesting just letting the reader know that in accordance with the statute, just luke we did in subsection d. So it takes out all the confusion and there could be no argument, well this portion of the rule says this and this portion of the rule
103says that? I want to have uniformity. okay, I would like to make some general comments then. I think if the audience of this these suggested changes are every resident of broward county our students, our staff, our constituents, I think that we are fooling ourselves to think that every one can recognize what section 1,000.05 subsection 3 or 1006.205 subsection 3, they have that summarized. So my recommendation would be to include the entire statute so everybody can read it out. That would be my suggestion. And also, you know, I think it's, it's a shame that we're having this conversation about discriminating against people, but here we are. Thank you. MADAM Chair, if I MAY. First and for most it gives a reference point by including and I realize that majority are not lawyers. The majority of people
104who are are reading this, probably don't know about the specifically ends and outs in the women's sports act. but at least it gives it a reference pointed. -- point. And anybody who is going to take the time to read this and do the research will put in the statute and read the statute, the statute is relatively short and clear. I think it's like a page long. I don't necessarily be opposed to putting all the language in this, I think it's more efficient if we just include the specific reference point to the statute. okay, thank you. anybody? chair, how do you plan on moving forward on recommendations on these set of policies? DR. Hepburn? no, I meant that for you chair? I don't make the recommendations for policy. It's staff, they come, they listen, my understanding,
105they listen to the board direction and when it comes back to us, for voting, they add into it, what they've heard us, general consensus but DR. Hepburn. I meant this for you chair. How do you intend to communicate the communication for the revision of this policy? this is the other conversation you didn't want me to have in the last item so I'm very frustrated but I can ask if we have consensus to change it. accord to go rabts, is there any objection to this being done? And if there is any objection, we just move on to the next thing. i was trying to find a appropriate way to make this clear, if the intent to make this clear is we can ask the staff to make it crystal clear that as a title 9 reference,
106we can reward it so it's clear that men and women's sports totally comply with our laws but MAY not be difference in participation, uniforms, length of season, that if you have, men baseball and women's softball in a high school in this county, you're going to have the same seasons and same coaching supplements and same time for practices and the like. And that's the language that is here. So if we want to make it clear to the readers as, we can do that through just regular language. If what we want to do is publicize, I suggest we move on. MADAM Chair. DR. Holness. so in regards to reference statute mentioned by board member cervera, if at any point, we do not include that, and the language is being challenged by anyone, isn't it by default that
107we have to abide by state statute? DR. Hepburn. counsel? we are required to follow state statute. so if the concern is somebody's interpretation of what said and trying to make a clear reference point, when in fact if that person does challenge the language, we have to default to state statute, I don't understand why the necessary to include or not include. so I would, I believe the policy recommended changes in my opinion, if we have to default to state statute, I'm supportive of what's what the revision by cacard and caward has recommended. thank you, anybody else? I would also mention as general consensus or voting or whatever it was, as a board we ask not to asked to take all the wordings of state statute, prior to discussion. I also agree. Anybody else before we take
108a consensus? MS. Rupert? mine was going to be consensus, I agree. so, does anybody disagree with MR. Cervera's suggestions? MADAM Chair, I do. I would not say I disagree but I'm comfortable with the language originally suggested. staff, do you have an idea of moving forward for this policy? I think if I MAY. go ahead MR. Sullivan. it needs to be clear. I can speak for myself, no, I am not clear. general counsel, please remind us what consensus means. My understanding as we've been told a number of times, if there is a number of people who disagree, then there is no consensus and the change will not happen. yes. so we had at least two people say they disagree. should we heard from consensus. what we were told, we cannot take a vote so we cannot
109go around to everybody. the question is, is there any strong objection? and there was that too? is there any objection, not strong or weak or simple objection. there were two. so you don't have consensus. there is no consensus to make the changes that were suggested. and point of order for you chair and all of us to understand, if the member drinks it -- brings it back, it only needs five. It's still optional to bring back any changes once it comes back for final reading. MADAM Chair, just for the record, I want to mention that the point I made, it is implied in the language suggested that state statute will be followed so I don't deemed the changes necessary as suggested by board member cervera. thank you. Anybody else? DR. Zeman. I'm just ready to talk
110about policy 17. When it's ready. go ahead. thank you very much. Question chair, how will the change in policy 6230 affect compensation? DR. Hepburn? DR. Wans a? so right now, and I believe there are, there is correspondence written on the behalf of the superintendent to the different military units for jrotc, advising them that there is a struggle to find military instructors because of the current pay structure where the instructor either can, opt to be paid based on what the district teacher salary is, or the what the military compensates them for. For now, will there not be a change because of the agreement with different military. so just to be clear, nothing this this policy will change the instructors in our school? correct. same question for enrolling in the schools, student that doesn't have jrtc to
111transfer to a school that has the jrtc program. it will not. thank you very much. I appreciate you. does anybody else have questions on the policies on this item? All right, do you have any questions, staff? I have direction now. Thank you. thank you very much. The next item is community eligibility provisions cep universal free lunch pilot program transition back to national school lunch program nlsp. I'll turnover to staff for a brief presentation. Okay, we'll need a two-minute recess. thank you and welcome back again to the school board workshop. And I now turn it over to staff for a presentation. good morning, DR. Hepburn, school board memebers and cabinet. I'm director of food nutrition services for the district. From my left, I have our director, mark mills our finance manager, christina ramirez our meal benefit
112and elizabeth who is our program responsible for public relations. This morning I'm going to provide a brief overview of where we are with the national school board program and how we're going to transition back to applications. In 1946, after wwii there was a concern that soldiers were returning from wwii and nutritionly malnourished. They passed the lunch act. During that time and up until 2020, broward county functioned using benefit applications which means families would fill out an application. That is how the department generates the revenue, there is no revenue generated in the food service department outside of when meals are actually served. As far as it goes families applying for the program, it's optional. Families have an an opportunity to fill out an application or bypass that. The department of agriaoult you are that any family
113on head start, migrant, medicare, is an automatic feed to the district. So those students are automatically approved for free and reduced meals, they do not need to fill out an application. Things changed a little bit during covid. The goal was to provide families with meals as quickly as possible at no costs. During that time the food service department was working under U.S. Da under that time, ensuring that we could receive revenue and if you remember correctly we were serving meals at school sites. That continued for several years, under U.S. Da, the funding program changed slightly so make sure that we capture maximum reimbursement. After the covid pandemic was completed, there was some options under the U.S. Da program national school lunch and one of those options was the communityity eligibility program in which families had
114an opportunity to receive meals based on free and reduced data that came in the department of agriculture and multiplier. As well as instituting a hybrid model and that hybrid model the first year required families to pay. Exactly what we're doing prior to the pandemic. After that, we were gun looking at data, we evaluated things when we saw that our fund balance was high, and that was due not only the way we operate the development on the pnl but also the supply chain grants. We had a substantial balance so as we look at the universal pilot program decision was made because that balanced needed to be decreased according to U.S. D regulation wz a maximum a lawable of three months. Best way to help our families was to feed our children at no cost. So we
115had cep, the universal free pilot year one and two that provoided the ability for us to decrease our fund balance while helping our families. And now we're, it's time to transition back to the meal benefit application process which was exactly what we were following prior to the pandemic. So these past several years we were using our access funds, other programs under U.S. Da. In the effort to transition back to the application process we're going to operate similarly to what we had done in the past which is collecting meal applications. In addition we will still receive the direct feeds from the state, currently there is about 81,000 students qualifying for free meals under snap tana head start migrant. We also have another 9,000 students that are qualifying for reduced meals. That brings us to almost 90,000
116of our students receiving part of our program in which they will not need to fill out applications. The application right side free. Students will continue to eat free based on their eligibility. So if a family does not complete a benefit application, they will be paying the increased price that was board approved about a month ago. The food nutrition department has set money aside in our current funds so we have a smooth transition for the first month of school in which we will continue to feed all students at no charge. We will be collectiti apapication, buzz -- but we don'n't nt totopupua famimi a sisionon in weighs they missed our marketing. So there will be temporary clerks hired to process applications. In addition to that, we'll be working with principals, I already reached out to our
117principal regarding our student meal debt, what we've done in the past. If you you remember, we reached out to the education they were instrumental in helping families who could not pay student debt. We reached out to one of the radio stations, they helped significantly and also several law firm that's helped us. At the board meeting in MAY, there was some conversation about timeline, we have an extensive timeline for communication that has already been put into affect and it started the day before the board meeting where meal prices were presented to the board for approval. It includes principal meetings and memos that sent out, parent links, media coverage, meeting with food nutrition staff. In addition to media releases, website updates on individual school websites. Meal benefit, distribution of flyers and posters and preparation for the upcoming
118school year, social media posts, parent link messages starting a second time. The first set went out from the principals at the school base so that the families heard a familiar voice. As of today, they will go out from a district and those will be out in the next three weeks. And the message will change prior to the portal opening. We also have outside events that we have been invited to. We have messages that will occur in the website on JULY 14th and that's the day the portal opens. the portal is where the mean benefit application is available online. And provides the parents the opportunity to complete the application at home. Included in the page on funding, there was some questions on funding and how much it would cost if we did not move to the
119benefit process. Again our department focuses on data and reimbursement and feeds regarding, meal benefit percentages. And students assistance. There is some questions about what is the next step. So the next step is parents that do not apply for meals. And those are parents that live in social economical areas that do not require. We operate the department in a method with staffing and operational that we don't think that is going to be necessary. And in addition to that, there has been one city that has stepped up and going to pay for meals for two of their schools for the students who do not qualify for mean benefits. And then local partnerships, we have a meeting partnered this week with the broward education foundation. I've spoken with MR. Nap on several occasions, when we look at benefit
120applications and he's going to work with the district he's aware of what mashae had worked on before her retirement. And that's a brief overview, back to the benefit process. And we're open for questions. thank you. School board member thompson? good morning, thank you so much for that presentation. I had a couple of toll up questions. One I really appreciate the 30-day grace period, I think parents are getting inundated with that. What support are we actually given? I've gone on the portal and it's not the most friendly system. So are we having, we are going to schools and connecting that way. Are there, we MAY already do this, but the start of the school forms. If you're interested, like learning about this information check this box and they can help them apply. DR. Hepburn? MS. Molder.
121thank you very much for the question, I'll turn it over to MS. Ramirez who is our mean benefit coordinator. Christina? good morning, christina ramirez, we do have several options for parents. We do have a call center, they can call us and we can walk them through the process. We have instructed and assisted the des ignee s to have computer access. And staff from our district office can go any open house if they have computers, we can take our lap tops and we can assist with anything possible. and you have staff that can speak multiple languages? yes, we have a staff that speaks creole and spanish. thanks. And you say that thats a plan for students who can't pay. can you walk through that. thank you for the question. As far as it goes for meal
122debt, we a law one charge. After that we collaborate with the principal, between the food service manager at the individual location and they, device a plan whether they're going to include pta, pto, whether they're going to have a local business set aside funds for an additional charge until the principal and/or social worker can reach out to the family. And engage them in a conversation regarding lunch meals. Our cafeteria manager will present at the end of the day the students with charges so they can reach out the families. We also send a link so the family is aware that the charge is aware. so I'm a kindergartner, and I don't have a lunch and I already used my charge. What do I eat that day? so the plan will be set up that they were funding
123with either pta or pto or local business so the child will eat the same menu items. We had really worked on not removing trays from student hands and replacing with alternate meals. There will not be a child that will leave the line without a meal. okay. And so prior, cause now I'm concerned that there are schools that don't have active PTAs and communities that don't have businesses that MAY want to partner. In that case when there is not a set aside fund, how are we make sure that the kids are eating. the reason with the meeting with MR. Nap is to request funds that we fund every school. So there will be additional funds in that principal account so the students can come through the line. okay. that's what we're start to go work on
124now. perfect and then, can you walk us through the city partnerships because I've had cities come up and ask how they can help. Who would we need to connect them with? another great question. So city partnership, we were exciting when we received that first phone call. So companies will be stepping up to cover the cost for free and reduced meals for students. The student will come through the register and scan their badge when they come through the line. The meal will record as a zero price but we'll be counting the student at the conclusion a bill or invoice will be sent to the city and they will have their meals tore paid for. do we have information on so, this elementary school generally has a thousand, like so cities can actually make informed decisions if
125they want to take this on? so we have free and reduced percentages that we can assist the cities and subtract from 100 percent, we can provide some guidance with that aspect. And data from prior to covid that we can provide information if the city is interested in. two more questions, sorry. I'm still a little confused about the funding because it says it's nine million for universal free sites but we still spend some amount of money on lunch. Is this nine million additional dollars or in total if we provide all lunches, that's what it costs? I'll turn that over to mark? Let's see if we can find a slide for you. That was the funding side if I'm not mistaken. good morning, food nutrition finance. This is the revenue that we lose if we do not
126claim meals according to the eligibility and receive the local sources of funding for local students and free and reduce. This is lost revenue, because we would not claim a meal according to the eligibility that we feel it's classified as. If students don't fill out a free and reduced application, there is no eligibility established. We have to claim no eligibility if it's a paid meal so. If that student really qualifies for free, we'll be able to reframe based on the enforcement. Otherwise we're relying on the local sources and that can come from a partnership if necessary so those kids that cannot afford, we will cover that through those options. so, I'm still a little confused. So we would still have them fill out their free and reduced lunch, so we would still get reimbursement. if we
127still get that reimbursement, how much extra is it to fund? so it's exactly what I said. The reimbursement we would get for a paid meal is 53 cents. The cost is 4 dollars plus, depending on at what point in the year we MAY be in. So we do get the 53 cents, what we're losing is the additional funding that we would ask for through the price. And that's what we are missing. got you, understand. Thank you. That's it. Thank you. thank you, next board member leonardi? thank you, I know in the last conversation about this, the board had recommended that like a donation link be placed on our website and an easy for people to donate to, for the school lunch debt where are with that? MS. Moulder. so the answer to that question, I'm
128meeting with MR. Nap tomorrow and once we establish, we'll work with that link. I'm planning on doing that. I have individuals who have businesses. understood, our goal is to have a clear path where the money is going for specific schools. got it, thank you. board member holness. thank you, MADAM Chair. I know there are parents can concerns regarding new immigration policies and so on. And in regards to filling out application to be eligible for free lunches, if what, what would you say to parents who are concerns regarding filling out documents as it pertains to immigration policies? I guess my concern is, I don't want any kid to not have access to lunch. So if we have a group of parents who are reluctant to fill out paperwork when in deed their children need to be
129fed. How are we planning to deal with that? DR. Hepburn? I'll start the answer can then MS. Moulder you can finish. First, we don't ask for immigration status when kids en roll or lunch applications either. And we voiced that early in the year. And MS. Moulder if you've got anything else to add. great, it does not require social security numbers either. okay, so, so if a parents with any sort of concern, about their children, who needs to be fed, I guess we can confidently say that they can proceed just like they would proceed en roll in a school? And I'll leave it at that. Okay. thank you. DR. Zeman. thank you, so much chair. Who pays for a free breakfast for students in broward county? DR. Hepburn? MS. Moulder? MR. Mills. so for breakfast in
130the schools, it's universal free breakfast. Mary, or director moulder has initiated all schools receive breakfast free. We must put universal free breakfast in. So the free breakfast is by reimbursement and qualifies based on an application whatever the student eligibility is, is what we claim. The more free students we have through the application process or certification, the higher the reimbursement and the same process we would lose local sources of revenue. However, the more applications we can get through the system, the more kids qualify for free meals that's the reimbursement rate we get which is higher. We do lose the paid money and reduced money. chair, how much does it cost broward county schools to pay for breakfast for everybody who eats? DR. Hepburn? MS. Mould error MR. Mills? so, the cost that we would incur is
131around 7 million just for the breakfast portion and it's been hurt a little bit because we have not needed to take meal applications, because we don't take meal applications, what we have for universal sites are not the best qualifying that window would like or need. So it's cost us more money than we had anticipated because of the application process. chair, I'm curious about the budget for meals that we serve and I'd love to see kind of a clear simple summary of decisions related to the budget which are subject to this board's approval. So that we understand what we're funding. The reason I think it's important for us to understand this to my colleagues, is these funds are also available to pay if I'm correct the people who serve the meals, is that correct chair? DR.
132Hepburn? MS. Moulder. you're correct, food and nutrition services covers the costs of salaries and benefits. terrific and I'm going to get every one's opinion, they're not paid enough and I have a strong opinion about that. And when we decide that we're going to spend money on discounts or free lunches, we have to recognize that those funds can also be used to pay people who at least believe that they're dramatically understand this that says we've decided to charge or not charge for students. We've decided to operate our system in my way that influences the budget which is the school board's per view and the school has to look at that and say, all of those funds that we're not spending is a great idea is also available to pay. On that same document, chair. I would
133like to see the average pay for the people who serve meals. The last time we looked at it, it was not a living wage. And we have to think hard about these funds. Now at 47 schools, they get free lunches and breakfast as subsidized by other people? correct. great, and that's not a decision for us because other people are funding the breakfast and lunch at other schools. correct, it was the access fund balance that was funding it. okay, I just look forward to learning more about the funding and make sure the board blesses any allocation of funds. Just a come other things that I got from your brief. At 180 school sites according to changes, they would eat base on eligibility on paying or not paying? DR. Hepburn. MS. Moulder. it will be for all
134kids on meal applications. but at 47 schools we think that the percentage of children eligibility subsidized will allow them to have universal launches? universal free breakfast and lunches. how many schools will you think will qualify for free lunch. so when we say qualify based on student eligibility, it will be based on individual students. So breakfast will be on all students, there is a school board policy for the 80 percent. We would have to look at numbers for students. And if I remember correctly we were about 120,000 students on free will ber reduced prior to the covid d pandndemic so roughly y 60ercent? correctct. there are some new quemz on this board so when you refer to policy, can you elaborate a little bit? sure, so there was a board policy that was required by the
135state of florida. that if there was a certain percentage, the school had to provide breakfast for free. have they done lunch at well? the only years we funded lunch was during covid. Prior, we were working on the meal applications. So it was just these past four years that it was available through covid meaning the rate was increased so all students can eat free. terrific. So for four years, we set a standard. that percentage was 40 percent bunch mark under the community eligibility with a multiplier of 1.6. So schools below 40 percent, we did not go below that and you can group schools at the time. I cannot wait to see this document. You have so many formulas and I'm dying to get this on a piece of paper. So the board can consider this. I
136feel there is a lot of tension on this. In some sense, this board has been generous for people who can't pay for people to provide them meals. On the other side, those funds can be used today those serving the meals. There is a fine balance I need to, last thing that I'll suggest if I'm correct, you're proposing giving away xlim remeals to awed students through SEPTEMBER 22? correct. And the reason we're trying to mitigate any potential mitigation with families not having the, having the knowledge even though we have an extensive communication plan, we don't want to put the principals or teachers or community in the position for the first move school. and for the superintendent, I would love to see the numbers so we can assess. What we're going to approve is what our budget,
137it's going to have projections on how many people are qualified and things like that. MR. Super, can we see the data after the 30-day mark. yes, we can see that. And doctors zeman, you were talking pretty fast, I was trying to follow-up. If you can go after the follow-up so I can capture and make sure staff follows up. and I can do even bert I'll write it up in an email if that's appropriate. To the chair, if there is no objection, I would like to continue that performance monitoring every 30 days. It's not just a data request from the superintendent but I think it's going to be important that every 30 days of school, we hear back about how we're doing on this. Here's the budget so go do this. But we're going to project
138this percent is eligible for full subsidies, this is for partial subsidies. I just think that we lose track of these budgets and then, there might have been a correction that the board would like to make mid-year. But if we don't see the data, we don't know, to turn that dial to being even more generous if in fact there is burden. i love the fact that you're trying to get different people to cup the costs, the people MS. Leonardi. If the funds don't show up though, and there is a child going hungry in broward county, I want to know about it. So to me, the 309-day reports would allow us to progress monitor what we're doing on something that is so important, eats that don't eat, don't learn. I think we have to kind of keep
139track of this with a little more veracity. Sheriff I would like to monitor this for just participation every 30 school days. does anybody have an objection? Okay. thank you very much. And thank you I'll write an email about what I'm looking for on the budget part of this. It's to me a board prerogative and it's a very important prerogative to make sure that we set up the program for success. We don't rely on people donating money, we're a school board, we want to feed our schools. If there is something that will not allow us maybe a one day of free is not enough. But to me, the board has to set these policies to make sure that kids eat in order to learn, because if they don't eat, they don't learn and that's the community
140would not understand kids going hungry in schools for any reason. Even if a parent does not want to fill out the form or they don't trust that information. last question, do we share information about our students with any outside government agency? DR. Hepburn? not at the time, there is a robust data sharing agreement that any outside entity be it government or not, has to go through our office. I just wanted parents to understand that, that by in enlarge, we're a closed shop. We're going to do this painful, sometimes 12-month long process. But we don't willingly give up data. So if broward county schools is a dave data, you cannot say forever but as of now, we don't share data with anybody unless we have a formal contract. thank you, board member bulman. thank you, chair.
141Thank you for the presentation and all the hard work you guys are doing. Is share my colleague's concerns, I guess, obviously, prepandemic, every one was in the mind set that you fill out the form and we're doing everything so now every one's gotten out of that and it's going to be I anticipate everybody difficult to get everybody on that mind set and it's going to take time. And I remember when I was in the pta writing checks to the head of the food and nutrition for the school to cover the lunches, so I think you know to the point that everybody else has made bold looking at business and city partnerships, I would like to see like a district wide initiative to engage PTAs and the community in a very easy to way to contribute
142to the, to the accounts for the students so that, no one has to be embarrassed or denied or whatever. I think that people will be very generous in particular for this issue. Especially if we make it easy and accessible and that people can easily come and contribute. People can give ten dollars once a month you can make it occurring. You know, when we were doing it it was a pta to pta thing. Letting people know that it's out there, will give us the coverage that we need. I think there will be plenty of people that will independently do it. I'll reach out to the pta, pto PRESIDENT. I think that's great. And then I was just wondering, I would imagine, and actually, you guys have already said this, but that the application for free and
143reduces lunch decrease when you're not relying on that. What do you anticipate being the increase in the applications and I guess, second part of it is is there any harm to having every one fill out an application or making some kind of initiative or everybody is participated so there is no sigma. And we catch more qualifying applicants, is there a problem? MS. Moulder? MS. Ramirez? so we do urge parents all parents to complete an application if they need like they need an assistance. so it would not hurt for them to apply and we would still process. I was just thinking if you're at meet your station day and they have a station where is what they generally do at school, but it's not just oh if you think qualify and everybody is going to get
144in line, I know that could be logistically applying but just to take away the stigma from applying, if there is such a thing, then we MAY capture more applicants. yes, we can do that. We did urge principals to have a competer, so parents with complete applications and as they go to their classes, the more families we can get, yes, that's our goal. catching them anytime we can and whenever they're coming to a school is a great way to do it because people ignore the text messages and calls. Not that I'm saying as a parent but. Okay and so, I sxwruft wanted to, close out my comments. I actually in district 1, have the privilege of having pem brooke park who stepped up and I would like to thank mayor jacobs and the pemer park commissioners
145and city manager lynch and the city of pepper park in total for their generosity because they have agreed to cover, the gap in the school lunches to make sure that every one is getting a free lunch at lake forest elementary and at watkins elementary for the next school year. And I think it's amaze thating we have na partnership in the city and that they recognize how important for our kids to be fed so they can learn properly. Thank you to the see city. thank you very much. DR. Holness. thank you very much, I am sure that application is based on economic status and so forth. But for students who MAY have filled out the application and and based on the formula they use and they're not approved but those students have need because they're not
146eating lunch, the circumstances are with their parents. What recourse do those parents if the applicant is not filled and they can provide a lunch because of circumstances beyond the application that were not being able to be measured through the application process financially? DR. Hepburn? go ahead, MS. Moulder if you can talk about any other supplemental strategies that we have to make sure. DR. Hepburn, just to continue the point. So if they do not qualify, it would have to be an action taken by the parent. Is there a, subsequent action that that parent can take if they believe that although they did not qualify they have other circumstances that burden them financial but they feel their kid has needs, what action can that parent take? I think I'm hearing two questions. Correct me if I'm wrong.
147The parent MAY not have qualify but they MAY have circumstances that ate up their take home pay if there are other processes? correct, and how can we direct those parents? that's the first part and the second part is how do we ensure that child can still eat? so the first part of the question is if the child is denied, we would ask the parent to call our office and speak to one of our administers to make sure the application was filled out correctly. Then the third step would be we have the, the fund the food service the one charge and thankfully for to resources within the community. okay, so DR. Hepburn, so just I make clear, there are parents watching, the public is watching. If I'm a parent I fill the application out, I'm not
148qualified but I can't provide lunch for my child because of other circumstances that were not captured through the application process. Can you tell the public what that parent would need to do? take iting step by step just for clarification for any parents or the public. and parent action oriented. So I didn't qualify what do I do? okay, walk through the foot steps of a parent is what I'm hearing. so before even, I would ask the parent to reach out to the snap program or tanif program, that would be the first place to start. Families that are in is he reer need usually qualify through snap and we received those automatic feeds from fldoa on a daily basis. is there a contact information? it's on our website. That would be the first step. So family that
149would be I would reach out to the snap center and thn I would have them call our office to walk through one of our administrators to ensure that the application was completed correctly. okay, and what is the name of your office? And how would they assume the parent knows nothing? Who would they call? sure, so it's on the food nutrition services website and there is a phone number on there. 754-431-7025. And we also have cards in addition to the cafeteria managers and it talks about meal applications and my school books, so it does have the number on there also. And after that, we would refer them to the principal of that school. great, thank you. And a couple of other things, I know board member seeman mentioned progress on a monthly basis. I just want
150to make sure that what are we monitoring progress? And is it just for students who fill out forms? Are those engaged benefiting, as we mentioned two schools are being funded by the cities. What exactly are we progress monitoring? And what action will this data drive for the district? eligibility per category. How many students are aelgable and receiving free lunch. Sxl what is the average cost of that reduced cost lunch and the amount of students that have to pay for payment. Also the number of students that are receiving supplemented costs of their lunch by whatever entity by the cities, whatever the case MAY be the however best way we can collect that per school and provide that information to the board. So if we see some huge areas, if we have tons of students that are
151on full payment, I'm assuming the board would like to discuss that just to make sure that those kids are eating. And I'm pretty sure, MS. Moulder and her team they probably have a lot of other key performance indicators that we can add to that as well as bringing additional data to the board. Those are the things that I've captured to add to that follow-up of every 30 case or every month to provide data to the board. okay, thank you. okay, I'll finish it out and have a couple of questions. I just want to, reiterate if a student goes through the lunch line and they don't have money in their account, they don't have money to do that, they will still walk out of the line with the lunch that looks similar to other students, they're
152not going to be getting a cheese or peanut butter sandwich? so at this time, we do have the one charge in the foot service department and whatever funds we secure through donations, other than that, we have a back up that we have a wild butter sandwich it's something that would be put in the line and they would receive that. so, students that can't, because I'm not sure that really answered the question. Students that can't pay would walk out of the lunch line with a sandwich? correct. okay. Is there a way how do we get around that? That's not what I heard you say when MS. Thompson asked, you said they would have the same selections options as every other students. So I get that the sandwich is an option, but that's not the same as
153having the same selection. correct. and that's if the monies are available in the donation. So if a child comes through and they can charge, they can select anything off the line. For the donations if we get those for the principals that we're working on tomorrow they will have that same opportunity. If there are no donations between pta, pto through the broward county then the back up plan is to have a sandwich which is a called a wild butter sandwich which is something that would normally be on our line. okay, I don't know that I'm personally okay with that. I don't think that was the answer I heard when you first said it. I don't know how to changes that. I understand money has to be there so I'm not, but I, I mean you're obviously
154pointing out to every one at that time, that that student does not have money to afford a regular lunch. So I would love to know how we work around that. I know it's about money, so, I guess, I don't know. That bothers. so part is going to hinge on what happens tomorrow and what happens with MS. Bulman's suggestion meeting with pta or pto but if I misscommunicated it, I apologize t thatis based the fufunds donated. Now, if the decision is made at some point that food service picks up that charge, that would be something that would have to be looked at because that would affect the budget and that would have to go back to have students eat a no charge. is hear you, okay. Thank you for clarifying that. Second, thing, well I have
155two more things. One I would say in the process of whatever you're doing with community, that we just to remind you we have a strategic partnership department, that is suppose to be working on things like this so I hope you work with them. MR. Khism is the director. I don't want you to think that you're doing that alone in a vacuum. There is a department that that is their job and I would hope that you would pull them in to help with what you're doing. I appreciate that. I sincerely appreciate that. Prior to covid when we were trying to collect the meal charges, it was up to the board to run the department in addition to soliciting funds. i know that we're reaching out. perfect. And last thing such a suggestion to you know, everybody
156likes instant gratification. So I don't know if there is a way to maybe a raffle in terms of if you get your forms n everybody's names goes in a raffle and maybe have businesses that give you things to raffle off. I don't know what that looks like but we do raffles in other ways to get people to want to fill out the forms and that MAY be a way to look at increasing the numbers maybe do it by area or not. I'm just throwing it out there. we can do it by school actually. yes, okay. That's it for me. And we'll end with board member thompson. is there a way to get a follow-up, it seems like a lot of meetings are happening tomorrow, is there a way to get a follow-up? absolutely. all right,
157thank you. absolutely. all right, well thank you so much for this very important information and we look forward to all the follow-ups to make sure that our students are eating cause as DR. Zeman, if they don't eat, they're not going learn. So thank you very very much. I believe now we have a scheduled attorney-client session. So MS. Batista. I would like to request the school board convene in attorney client session for the southern district of florida in the following matter, gilbane kf case number 25-62238 a hs, 24-civil 62238 a hs. The following persons will attend this attorney-client session, school board memebers debra hixon, sarah leonardi, lori alhadeff, bulman, adam cervera esquire, DR. Holness, DR. Zeman, DR. Hepburn, superintendent of schools, oscar soto esquire, tomas esquire and marilyn esquire, the attorney-client session was properly advertised for
158today JUNE 10th 2025 at noon in accordance with section of florida statute. The purpose of the attorney-client session is to discuss settlement negotiations and/or strategy relative to the litigation, a certified court reporter will record the session. at this time, the school board of county board of florida will reseas for attorney-client session. It will be held on the board room of the first floor of the kc right administration. The attorney-client session will take approximately 30 minutes. At the conclusion of the attorney-client session the workshop will reconvene. All persons not scheduled for the attorney-client session, please exit at this time. Thank you. [School board in (Meeting in closed session). and welcome back to the school board workshop. The next item is rule development teaching and learning policies. I will now turn it over to staff for a
159very brief presentation. okay, alan strous, south regional superintendent, chair and board members, DR. Fulton, we have before you today from the teaching and learning department division, excuse me, a total of 9 policies that we're bringing forward, three of those will be for repeal and then there's six that will have adjustments, revisions or edits to it. As you could see, the different ones are school day hours, visits to schools, then we'll be repealing special program traipses, and then because we're going to merge that into the field trips, it makes more sense. Then we also are repealing the students leaving campus policy because that's already incorporated into our code of conduct. And then also the employment of students by school, food service, by the way, a lot of these policies that we're repealing are only pr 1974,
160so they're pretty new policies. So, -- and then we have student fund raising, we have school advisory forum and audio-visuals that DR. Wilson's department oversees. So, those are the 9 overall, just to maybe make a quick note on an example that I would just say to you, visits to school, we're incorporating some new language because the 1974, they didn't have a single port of entry, so we have single points of entry, so we needed to update the language in that manner. In regards to the special program trips that we're going repeal and incorporate into the field trip policy, it just like I said fits a little bit better, makes more sense. I will make one note that I will have to adjust for when we bring it back for rule making is in the definitions
161under section k, it speaks about the superintendent's stig -- designeefinger after we batted around with legal that we just need to make a minor adjustment and we're going to say that it's going to be cabinet camber a cabinet neb member, director or assistant director because obviously the superintendent cannot be his own designee, so we just need -- we'll make that adjustment as we move forward, I want to o put that on the table. Other than that, I don't know, DR. Hudge, is there anything you need to lead off with? so, for the school advisory forum which is 1.3 which will be 60/30, the only thing we will go back and take a look at is op the one xhs the participation for all ethnic, relinl nows and cultural socio-economic backgrounds is welcomed and encouraged, we
162will align to florida state statute 011, so we'll adjust the language to make sure it align tos the poll si. Other than that, for that policy, most of the changes were around grammatical or clarity, making sure we also specify we're alining about school, district schools instead of charter school sos you'll see throughout the laj waj it specifies district schools and that's what it's referencing, other than that, that's everything for policy 6030. the last is 6100, the use of aud yes, visual materials sx, DR. Wilson, I don't know if you have any significant you need to -- there's no significant change tos the poll kissinger it's been updated as per standards and statute we're in alignment with all things that are in our curation and managed by the school. okay, thank you, any -- that was
163less than four minutes. good job. MR. Strous is the math guy. Anybody have any -- I do, but I don't want to go if anyone else has. MR. Cervera, go ahead. thank you, MADAM Chair. MR. Strauss, in regards to the school advisory forum, i believe this is 6030n the top portion, the proposed language identifies what and who will compose the school advisory forum. It states in some parents, teachers, community member, school min strait toser, non-instructional support staff and other stakeholders of the district, if we look down to subsection b1, the proposed changes appear to remove community members and replace them with community organizers, I'm just wondering why community members were removed from some section of b1 wret they're included in the summary portion of the rule in the top half. DR. Hepburn? were you able
164to follow? I followed. give us just a second, we also have a new doctor in the house, that is DR. Hudge. [Applause]. thank you, DR. Hepburn. so, are you following legal to -- and I don't see that being a meaningful change so I'm sure we wer mirroring that policy not to have a different effect. so, also a point of clarification, that change was also made -- recommended by legal, so legal will probably be able to give more information about that piece. She's not there. I guess we'll wait for ms. batista to return. okay. just -- I think what I hear you saying, there is -- because it said community members up top and b1, it should also say community members, it switched from community members to organizations. correct. and I don't think organize ations is
165referenced in the top half of the proposed language to the policy either. you're correct, we'll go back and take a look at that and work with legal. okay. MS. Batista, so we're talking about policy 6030. MR. Cervera pointed nout the first paragraphed, it says community mbs but down in b1 membership, it was changed to community organizations, so those are not the same thing and staff said that that was a suggestion by legal, so if you could speak to that. I have there vig nola on the line to the answer questions regarding this particular policy. I think I have him on the line. [Inaudible] okay, thank you. hello. I'm hanging up. no, hello. unknown participant is now exiting. Er do we want to go on and come back. [Inaudible]. she's not many the room. unknown participant
166is now joining. hello. hi, we have a question for you, MR. Vignola related to policy 6030. okay. and the language in paragraph 1. let me pull -- MAY I pull up policy 6030. yes, sir. thank you, ma'am. I am presuming that's on the agenda, I'm going there, 6030. Got it. Okay. School advisory forum, yes, ma'am. if I MAY. are you still there? I'll repeat. Good afternoon, sir. My question is if you look at the first opening paragraph, the summary paragraph, if you will, of policy 6030, for the saf, it includes a comprehensive list of what and whom shall comprise the student advisory forum, it includes -- if I you go down to b1, community members are removed and replaced with community organizers. So, for the sake of conformity, shouldn't they both read the same ikz
167is my first question. My second question is why were community members removed from the asf identifying program within subsection b1? well, my answer is I don't know. That was a staff action, so those changes did not originate in the general counsel's office. As far as harmonizing the two, you know, I would concur that that would be the best practice . When I look at some of the terms that our administration often uses, for example, the term stakeholder to me is vague, but it's one that the's sueded consistently through the district. So, as far as whether it's going to refer to organizers or what, I would turn to the administration as to what group of people are they trying to encompass with the term. Again, it wasn't a term that came from the general counsel's office,
168but rather it was something that the administration used stringing to capture what it had in mind as to the people who would comprise the school advisory forum. go ahead, DR. Hudge? if I MAY, we'll take a look at that because it should talk about the parents, teachers, community members, so we'll go ahead and make that correction and we'll circumstance back with legal. thank you, and just so everyone knows, there's a method dehind the madness, I'm a big a voluntary kate with conformity with the way rules ares printed. You have active members of the community who want to be involved in this and maybe their kids have just graduated and therefore they're no longer technically a parent, if we follow b1, they would be excluded unless they have community organization they were involved in so I
169think reverting back to members would be the sound decision. agreed. Thank you so much. thank you. Anybody else? DR. Zeman? on 6030, page 2 I think, there's a number 5 that seems I think the original version was student, clubs, organizations shall not sponsor or participate in raffles or other games of chance. And the strike-out, the change that's recommended is just taking out organized school, is that correct, chair? DR. Hepburn? staff? one second, you threw us off, you said 6030, you meant the fundraising one. I was looking at the parenting, I was on the wrong page, yes, it's 6340, page 2, number 5, it says we can't participate or school clubs or groups shall not participate in any groups of chance, is that new and then there's a strike-through of any organized school? that is all
170new. I would like to learn more about that. Why would we prohibit a boost r program for the football team to do a 50/50 rally during a big football game. the booster can do stuff o ut of the school, this is a student organization club that's tied directly to school so, the booster is a separate -- why wouldn't we want sga to be able to have a raffle or do a 50/50 raffle? I believe the answer is through -- you can pair in the chapter 8 and red book, it doesn't allow gamesters of chance through the state to be something that the school is allowed to participate in. so you're advocating for complying with the rules? we like to. okay, aisle go with that this time, thank you. That's all I had, chair. thank you,
171anybody else? MS. Bulman? thank you, chair. I have a question about 6020, just a point of clarification because I was reading this and it was talking about announcing yourself if you're going to visit a school, so i was looking because sometimes we go to schools and don't announce ourself, I don't do that but I know other people do. In 1d, it says any public school in a a legislative district MAY be visited by the respective member of the legislature. Is that any -- are we talking about a representative or a senator or are we talking about a commissioner or a school board member? Because there's no definition in this policy. go ahead, MR. Strauss? so, that's specific to legislation, so it's not school board members, this is jour state representatives, your state senators, I believe.
172Sxfrjt yes, we did address the board members visiting the school ins a policy I think we did last year, so we have already addressed the issue for board members, this is separate from the board members themselves. okay, thank you. can I follow on, on that same topic, do you mind? no, go ahead. it might be better to identify state and federal legislators so it's crystal clear that you mean U.S. Reps and florida reps. I think that there's other language that would make sure that senators are also included in n that, you can figure that out in a revision. what I'm curious about from my board members is whether or not we want to say anything about municipal leaders. We really sink or swim on a lot of things we try to do, whether it's on
173redefining or transportation or safety and security in working with the 31 municipalities of broward county. I would like to be express in this policy to say legislators and broward municipal elected officials, that's a lot of people. There's 131 city commissioners, there's 31 mayor or mayor equivalents, it's a lot of people, but I would like to actively promote them to visit and to make sure -- they're included in this, right, any person can visit a school, alright, but then we go out and we say, yeah, but legislators definitely can come in within their districts. I would want to add to that municipal elected leaders, is there any thoughts on that? Thank you, DR. Strauss? just MR., I'm not -- not op that channel, you guys are way educated, that's awesome. so, there are two separate policies,
174the policy that's here in front of you today does not include everything that you mentioned because there's a separate policy .1 that would paul under legislative affairs, as the owner of that policy, and so that speaks to elected official, dignitaries, I believe that's what she was referring to earlier that's been already in front of you or something of that nature, so, it is captured in a different policy, 1400.1 which is not part of this, so that would have to get broughtbacker brought back tr the legislative affairs office. Looking at it -- what is 1400.1 say about e leaded municipal leaders. all visits or candidates of national office must be cleared by the superintendent, that's what it says, I'm trying to look at local. All visits by all florida government officials must be cleared by the
175superintendent, once cleared, the superintendent, the department of community relations, it's an older policy, 2001, so it needs to be updated. I have deep admiration for our superintendent. that's -- and I think any elected official should be actively encouraged to come visit their schools, so if we're going to do it for federal and state legislators, I would tliek do it for elect municipal lead necessaries the policy. If later we have to bring that one back to make revision, i'm fine with that too, but if the board agrees, ill like to be explicit about that right here because this is a policy on visits to schools and we're designating some elected leaders but the municipal leaders we sink or swim with and I want the mayor be ere and any coissision in rt laudererdaleand d their scschools,I
176I think it's something we need to actively encourage rather than just passively accept. anybody have any -- MADAM Chair? Robert vignola, can I contribute something? go ahead. I just happen to have in front of me here, there is a statute entitled individuals authorized to visit schools and the only public officer to address us other than board members, it says, a member of the legislature MAY visit any public school in a legislative district of the member, so I think that's where the language in the policy was source. Now, expanding that is being suggested. There's nothing to preclude that but I think that would explain why it was couched, purely the legislators because it was trying to reflect what the statute said. right, but complying with statute is a minimum sards and i prao appreciate that but
177I really feel like we have to reach out to these people. We really need to do even more with them than we've done in the past if we want to be successful as a district. and there's nothing that would preclude what MR. See zeman is talking about. Er thank you, MS. Bulman? chair, is the florida statute, so we're talking about the state legislature for this? Okay. I guess to the point since there's this other policy, it would -- it seems like we should have everything in the same policy because this is just kind of hanging out by itself over here randomly and begging a lot of questions and th there's this whole other policy we didn't know about -- or we could reference this policy, something, so we know where to look for the rest
178of the -- is that other policy slated to come back to us? I'm not sure. like I said, it does not sit under the teaching and learning division, so I can't speak to it. Sorry. [Inaudible]. the one I'm looking at online is 2001, so definitely don't think it's been in front of you. no, that's the one -- the policy about -- about elected officials, 2001. so, we could -- can we have a a consensus to ask to bring that back so that the two policies match? Anybody disagree? I think it came back last year though. he just said -- the one I pull up on our system, that's what it's coming up as. DR. Hepburn, I can answer that, so that policy has not been o the board and it is currently under the scope
179of cower and could your so we can add that to the list of the next round before we bring back another policy and that policy directly speaks to right now their campaigning act tits, things they can and can't do on campus, not necessarily encourage them websinger can model them to encourage more participation and visits to our schools when we bring that policy back websinger eel work with cower and cower to basically bring that become to the board. so that policy's not so much about anyone visioning schools, it's specific about candidates -- mrit -- political activities, can you hand out certain things when elected officials come to the board. that's what policy 1400.1. that's what it says, yes. MADAM Chair? go ahead. as it relates to the feedback that was pridebacker provided, consistent with what general
180counsel's office, we would leave this language in here because we're quoting the statute. We could still very well add another statement, one clarifying that includes state and federal and also municipal, we would add another sentence to this existing policy that says we're encouraging the rest of them, that we would not have to alter 1400.1 since it's dealing with campaigning. now that you explain it all, they are very different, so anybody have an issue with adding a sentence to that policy to encourage all elected officials? Okay, we're good. Go ahead, MRS. Bulman? I wanted to clarify for 1400.1, it's not just about campaign, it also is visiting, so it's just that it's visit from elected official, dignitaries and campaign activities. correct. I think they're still going to bring it back. okay, just so we're clear, I
181don't think it's only about campaigning, I think it's also elected officials. and everyone's good with the direction to bring that policy back as well? Okay. Excellent. Thank you. Anybody else? Okay. I have a couple of items. So, policy 6310 which is field trips and I was the queen of field trips. Sorry, let me go back here. Let me get to 3310. So, in the very first paragraph that's in the red underlining, the second line where it says or participate in a, and then nactivity, that's a grammatical error, if I catch it, that's bad because I'm not a grammatical person, and also I think MR. Strauss also said something along these lines but where it talks about the superintendent of schools designee, either the suggestion MR. Strauss made but I made note that regional superintendent wasn't
182included on the list of people that could be the designee which would if you just put cabinet would include all of them, so either that or to add the regional superintendent. On page 7 of 10 on this policy, where it talks about -- so, under b where it talks about chaperons. I think the numbers need to be adjusted because it says 1-10 is two chaperons, 11-20 is three chaperons but then it says 16-20 is four, so, I think that last line is not correct, so it should be corrected. And then page 8 of 10, letter bb. I'm stringing to see which -- trying to see which bb. Use of school buses shall be -- I put in there instead of spelling things out, shouldn't it just say an approved school board vendor? It says private
183bus companies must submit a request for proposal to the procurement and warehouse services and meet all the requirement requests many the proposal, does that -- shouldn't it just say instead of a private charter that is an approved vendor for the school board because that's the process to did that, it sounds like they would do that to the school and we approve all those private bus vendors through the school board. So, to me it's kind of confusing. Shouldn't it just say, do the so at the bottom, letter bb -- I follow you. instead of saying must submit a request for proposal to procurement and warehousing, wouldn't it just make sense to say private bus company that is an I prover vendor through the school board of broward county? yes. it's just my suggestion there. And then
184in 63, so that's it for the field trip ones. 6340, fundraising, number 3, it says student fundraising activities shall not be conducted during the district school student scheduled instructional time, so many of us have been in a classroom before. I don't like to write policies we know we can't enforce, who's going to enforce the fact that students are not selling their chip and is their candy and their lollipops during instructional time and so why would we be putting that in a policy if we can enforce it and I just don't know why -- I mean, I get that we don't want them to distract instructional time but I just -- we already know that they're not going to follow that, so I have an issue with the wording of that particular -- I don't know
185how it would be different. I don't know how my school board members feel, but that's when students sell most of their stuff. So, those are my comments on there. I don't know if anybody has -- could we get a a consensus on that, MS. Hixon? sure, I don't know if there's a suggestion on a better way to word that. I know the intent is the teachers teaching, you don't want students -- but I'll say we know that that happens anyway. Okay, so maybe we -- there's a way to say that they would not disrupt the instructional time. okay. chair, I'm not going to object but when that comes up, we're going to have a good conversation about do we want that in or out. There's probably some pros and cons on exactly how you want
186to do that going forward but I'm not going to object at this time to maiming that amendment. okay, well then staff will tweak the wording and when it comes back, we can see. MRS. Bulman? thanks, chair. To go back to 6304, just to your point about the qualifications or the procedure that's already in a different procedure I guess, I would also suggest that we take out the insurance limits because we probably set that somewhere else because otherwise we're bound by that forever until we change the policy and that could -- like at the very end of the policy, let's see. 6304, transportation, I guess is ic. well, it goes to cc -- the same one that I brought up, this really is giving the procedure of a bus company to become an approved vendor, so
187you could maybe -- based off of MS. Hixon's recommendation, I was going to take all that and most likely redline it all and put approved private charter bus vendor. I was making sure the whole thing was involved because there's other things that would bind us indefinitely. thank you. Anybody else? Alright. Do you have everything that you need? Okay. Anybody on the line have anything? Alright. Well, thank you so much. Alright. So, the next item is the proposed site development of dave thomas east education center and I believe we probably need a short recess to get staff to prepare for the next item. two minutes. (Meeting in brief recess). thank you. And welcome back to the school board workshop, so we will now turn it over to staff for the proposed site development of the dave
188thomas east education center. go ahead, staff. thank you, DR. Fulton, board head MS. Hixon. This is an exciting presentation we want to bring to you. 's about the proposed site development of dave thomas east education center. And we have chris a acobuso who will also introduce our guest here to speak to this, it's a proposed site development, a p3. This is for information to the board to get your thoughts on -- in case you vote to move forward or want us to move forward with this project. So, chairperson hixon, this is again our first forray into p3's. Chris? good afternoon, board membmber chris s obususo, director facilityplanning and rel estate. Big pleasure and opportunity to be before the board to -- pleasure working on this project, we have a pretty good team with us here
189today. To my left is galina, and from the urban design firm of dc code design, also I don't -- judy who worses for [Inaudible] And MR. Soto who's our.P3 lawyer, he's part of our cadre, so we're able to tap into his expertise, we came fully prepared and hopefully we'll answer your questions, so we're going to go into the presentation very quickly. In the beginning, we're just going the give you -- go through it very quickly and then potentially spend some time at the dave thomas center. Okay, let see. So, the introduction as you know, the presentation specifically is to -- as part of the introduction, to allow for an effective, meaningful and sustainable [Inaudible], that's the key word, viable school property and which is the dave thomas center and part of the goal is to
190present this to the board and then the board will give us directions and we'll take it from there. The beginning slide is just a problem statement n the united states, we know there's an tolerable housing crisis, california and south florida is one of the house burdened area in the country. Aoem not going to go through the specifics because it's self-explanatory. The next slide you have what other school districts are doing to pretty much address this problem, so we're not only unique in trying to do this, slide number 5 in the state, there's a lot of programs regarding our affordable housing and also partnerships and legislature. There was legislation that was just passed which I'm going to talk about briefly later and then to our south is miami-dade county. This particular facility is an actual meter
191school that's supposedly going to be open in the fall, we hopefully plan to go visit, it's the unit on the second and the third floor. It's imbedded if the school itself. The next slide, slide number 8, actually slide number 8 shows you what the one bedroom looses like, the basketball court is on the 7th floor, very graphic, so now we're going to brief statistic, this is date, FEBRUARY 5th, and the numbers MAY have changed but this is the breakdown in terms of potentially the workforce for our organization that MAY qualify for this housing, again, if we move forward. The next slide is we know what we're facing pretty much and again I'm going to speak to it but I think the school board again with [Inaudible] Trying to help our student and is we have
192the redefining schools on slide number 11. Now we're going into, we know we're doing the redefining schools but then there's this conversation about public/privateer mart ner ship. Slide 12, the definition of what public/private partnership is, it's self-flanory, a shared responsibility between the governmental entity and the private sector. and it goes to most likely the developer has all of the finances and the owner provides the ground or ground lease and things like that. MR. Soto will address specific questions when it come tos the p3, that's why he's here. On slide number 14, we have the advantages and disadvantages of a p3, mainly advantages. And then on slide number 16, we're now going into the [Inaudible] Of dave thomas, so the city of pompano beach, incredible work that's been done t city's trying to create a downtown
193that's very robust, mixed use, walkability. Our property is well paged, walking distance right across the street so I think it's a great opportunity, so that's why we think, you know, to have this opportunity to do this. The next slide is the specific statistics on the dave thomas which is approximately a 2.8 acre site and the smart bond was utilized and I think lbt in 2022, it was I guess they stopped because I remember staff from aecom meeting with me to say pretty much it was most cost prohibitive to move forward -- maybe the building should be demolished. We go into slide number 19 which is the local regulations which the regulation on the site is going to be the city of pompano beach. I and selected staff at the direction of the superintendent, MRS. Paul,
194met with the city manager, we've been talking to them and they're receptive to something like this. So pretty much the site development, this site is approximately it's commercial land use, b3 zoning, it allows for 50% for the units to be deed restricted for workforce housing and the rest is market rate. This is not to be close to each other, that's part of the requirement. The density right here is approximately 69 dwelling unit tos the acre so approximately [Inaudible] But it doesn't mean you got to build that because you need circulation, parking and things like that. So, what we have on slide number 20 is we have two options whereby the school board can go into a ground lease with a developer, typically 30, 50 or 90 years term. Again the developer pays ground lease to
195the school board and potential of a mixed income development, again, 50% of it is going to be -- of households makes up to 120% of the average area median income in broward county which we have a table to tell you what it is, 50% of those units are going to be market rate. That's option number 1. In this case the school board chose the land, the school board is getting ground lease, revenue, then the develop r goes and everything it does, during the time of the lease t developer has to meet all the obligations. The second option is the employee assisted housing which again broward county has this also in terms of one of their approaches. In this situation, in lieu of the developer paining rent o the school board, the school board will use
196every unit you're going to have market rate set aside, you still have the 50% deed restricted, then the market rate and the school board will use that to sun subsidize that for the employees. So, it's mixed income, 50% of the units occupied by households making up to 120%ami and then the school board will pay. This -- it's a standard table in the affordable housing and workforce housing world whereby on the left, you see the income limit by number of person ins the household, so you have it extremely low, we have very low, low, moderate income, then you have the number of households, sometimes it's up to four. That's the average. It can be one person but up to four in that person, you have 8, 10, then on the right side, the rent limit, but
197the number of bedrooms, those households should be paying it which makes it workforce, so I'm not going to transition to slide number 23 which I'm going to defer to MS. Galina, and just to be clear, graphic does a lot, right, so we wanted the school board to just come to you and say this is what we are thinking but this is just illustrative, okay, this has been done from an open design perspective, my background is in urban design, so it's all about connectivity, sustainabilityfinger balance, density, so I'm going the can defer -- to defer o you and I'll just scroll on the slides. good afternoon. I guess I have a few minutes only. Thank you, thank you for having us here from dpz with my colleague. So, as chris mentioned, this is several illustrations of
198what can happen on this site. The site is exciting because it's very good location, it is kind of imbedded in a residential neighborhood to the south. There's some townhouses and on the east side, there's some condominiums, so these are basically owned developments and what we wanted to create is several options of different densities and different ideas, ideas which are different from what is available on the market around in pompano beach. We first you say the one which is the middle school which is a very urban model on west brika which was a several story intense building. There are some of these building apartments, residential apartments in pompano beach which are going up. There are some apartments which are in the northern portion of the city, north of this site which -- what was the name
199of them, city vista apartments, they are about 7 stories and a surface parking lot in the back, so the models -- these models, we kind of stayed away from them because these models are always attempted and you can see them if you would like such a a model, that's something which can be easily accommodated. What we wanted to do is to create and attempt to create a community or a development or a portion of a community which you can imbed in single family neighborhoods or in residential areas. In this particular case on the south and east, we have residential developments of average medium density. That's why in this case we did not demonstrate the highest density available which is we are hearing 96 units to the acre which is about 200 units or more on
200this side which is 2.8 acres. We have implemented three different building types. They are small scale apartment buildings, courtyard apartments or we call them patio houses and these three different options which we are presenting here at different densities, and for us, the numbers is something which can be worked on or whatever, but we wanted to show you that there are different ways you can do affordable and market housing combined together. One of the examples which is the last one, we have built in the keys, in tavernia key which is workforce housing and I don't know whether you have been able to look at the last fitting material, there are one or two sheets showing this development as built there. So, the first one if we want to go to the first model, it's a conceptual
201layout for the so-called checker board, it's called checker board because it's basically a kind of an interchange between small apartment building, three stories, we call them walk up, there is no elevator but it can be accommodated if necessary. We just wanted to create a model of small scale which probably smaller developers or smaller players can participate in the economic development, not only big developers who have to build parking garages and multistory buildings but also smaller, local participants let's say. So, this is a building which is three stories, as I said, about 12 unit, four units per floor. This iss a combination between a one story, two story and three story, I'm sorry, one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments in all different combinations. They can be only two bedroom all of them or they
202can be combined. And then you can see -- sorry, on the -- something else to add about the parking is that these areas between the buildings are parking lots. We call them parking courses because -- courts because the parking lots are not only designed to accommodate cars but they can be used for other purposes occasionally, whether it's gatherings, a parking lot will be a parking lot if it is designed as such. If it is designed as a plaza or a court, now we're building in lilgt havana our office, we have a courtyard between two buildings and it is built with pervious materials like cobblestone, it looks like something different than just a parking lot and we have our christmas party was in this parking court, so we thought with this checker board method or checker
203board arrangement, the feeling of a building interspersed with an open space creates a different experience than the usual very big building with a parking lot in the front or in the back. Next one is a rendering, if we go to the next one, is a rendering of one of these small driveways which is through the community and how it can look. This is the apartment building. It lookings like a big mansion, it looks like a large house and not necessarily as an apartment building. We wanted to to create something which is related to the cultural and historic heritage of south florida, the floridian type of architecture with the deeper eves, with metal roofs, something like that. If you would like the see something similar, our building in lilgt has -- little havana is vintage, similar.
204The other one is the other example where kh we played here with the building typology, we call them basically courtyard -- the courtyard houses, was it courtyard? Or patio house, you know, patio is the spanish of a courtyard, so this is a sequence of several blocks. Again, we have small streets little driveways. This doesn't demonstrate the parking, parking happens underneath the buildings, the two story buildings, there's some one story, some two stories, you will see it in the rendering, the two stories. There are green streets, pedestrian streets which is north/south and it is an interesting interchange between the u shape and the l shape. There is a private patio space which is the big plus for this type of development. We have found out that the typology of a courtyard or a patio is well
205accepted and very welcome in all market segments. We have developments in some of the places of the highest real estate per square foot like in the panhandle for example of florida and also very similar typology in the the tavernia in the keys where it's workforce housing and it's the same typology, you have your small private courtyard where you can have protected environment. This is the view of the buildings, of one of the little streets, and you can see some of them have a kind of a front loaded garage. This is one of the -- with the black arrow shows the view and many the other direction, the perpendicular little streets, they have the garages under the buildings. More details can be in the material where we have developed the units, they basically have illustrative plan
206and is they're a combination of one, two and three bedrooms. This one is the last one which I mentioned that it is -- we have a built example which is interesting, you can see it. All of these basically we call them ducktail and courtyards, all of them is one story which is interesting and welcome by older generations, the older generation, people with kids which is kind of an interesting proposition for fairly high density which is in this case we were able to fit 44 units, 46 parking spaces and it is about 15 units to the acre. And with this building type, again, we demonstrate the use of a private courtyard space and access to small green spaces, not a lot. It's limited, it's more or less a limited size of the parcel but wherever we
207could put green space, impervious materials for stormwater management and all other requirements, we will be able -- the red is a kind of community building a common space, such a common billing can be accommodated in all of the plans. We didn't have a specific program. These three designs were exploratory, illustrative, conceptual. We just wanted to challenge to some extent the paradigm of high density which is a garage with a building or a surface parking lot and a building. The buildings which are the apartments which is to the north of atlantic boulevard, the vista -- the city vista apartments, it's a 7 story build, it's a very nice building where a parking lot in the back, so it's a double corridor, it's a different way of living. These building typesets -- types are a much more
208-- not much more, but we believe they're appropriate for residential neighborhoods, especially townhouses or single family infill development. Next one is the rendering of those, of these ones.. You u n sesethey ha kindofof a duh soututh african type of look or character which is you can see similar architecture in coral gables and in the florida panhandle, also in the caribbean and with the front -- they look like as if they are single family houses but they are very much interconnected and a highly cost effective building type which can accommodate both market and both affordable housing. One note on affordable housing and the character on affordable house, you need to make it a harmonious or similar, the same as everything else, it cannot be something that looks experimental or less beautiful for example and so that's
209the point of using this character in expensive projects or in more affordable workforce housing, it's the same character, the same methodology proportions, materials, colors. And then I think these are the ones which I have. I'm sorry. So, thanks, we have some additional ill lust tractive drawings in the link, so we're now going to transition to 31, which is the method of p3, I'm going defer to MR. Soto to speak to that. thank you. My purpose and role here today is merely to offer input on the procedure and ro kress that is available to the school board district if it chooses to engage in a p3 project. P3 projects have their origin and n the spirit of turnpike ins this country. Turnpikes originally were built privately and run privately and you paid to get on the
210turnpike, we still do that in nror da. In the state of florida we naked in 2013 a p3 statute, public/private partnership and it is florida statute 255065, it is mirrored on a similar statute created in virginia and texas and other state tos create projects with alternative financing, alternative ownership and maintenance opportunities where financing was not always feasible. In any event, we've had it in florida since 2013, I would say here 12 years later, our experience has been fits and starts and fits and starts, but there are several examples of successful p3 projects in the state of florida. While I think 595 pretait it is the statute, it is a p3 project, it was a concession of the right to charge tolls going back and forth but with respect to the issues here, is the p3
211statute 255.065 available to the school board of broward county, florida to engage in a qualifying project to build affordable housing on properties owned by the school board or to be conveyed in the future to the school board and the answer is yes. There are two types of ways to do this, you can have an unsolicited proposal that comes in from a random third party who says I've got something I think you want and I think we can work together privately and publicly to bring this thing that's necessary and that the public would benefit from, that's an unsolicited proposal. There is a process within the statute for dealing with unsolicited proposals. The other opportunity is solicited proposeals, that is the school board goes out on the street and says I want to take the dave thomas,
212everybody remembers dave thomas, he was the original CHAIRMAN Of wendy's international fast foods, hamburgers, he had come out of the kentucky fried chicken business, was a resident of fort lauderdale, very much involved in a lot of public none profits here in broward county, we can use the solicited portion of the statute to go out on the street and say we have a project, we'd like you all to make proposals as to how we can best develop, manage, finance, maintain and operate that project on our land and that's what these folks here have been tasked with, the opportunity exists, it's legal and all that needs to happen is there has to be a desire. The statute is very clear, this applies to school districts, it has to be a qualifying project that's in support of an
213accepted public purpose. Today in the state of florida, there are numerous other statutes, numerous county and city provisions, live local, etc., et, they all desire one thing, affordable housing, and of course we've got a very large -- as you saw saw sh we have a large staff population of about 25 thousand folks plus or minus that would benefit from this and I think that the purpose here is intended to benefit school board of bro urtbacker broward county staff. So, my role in this is the procurement authorized, yes. Is there a process? Yes, two different types, very, very particularized, have to be followed, that's my role, this is how we would do it. At the end of day, what do we end up with? We end up with a contract between us and the private entity,
214it's called a comprehensive agreement. I wrote one for the league county school board, they didn't end up going p3, they flipped back to conventional. Miami-dade county school board has done it, south side preparatory academy t school that chris was referring to is a p3. I'm not sure how it's a p3, they claim it's p3, they're doing other several p3's in miami-dade school board, other schools around state are looking at p3 opportunity, not only for affordable housing but for stadiums, how do we renovate this football field and track and make it special and private entities ta come up with plans and have submitted it and I've consulted on some of those, the procurement and the contract exist and is a a contract would come before the board at the end of the day that would cover
215all of the material terms of that relationship if you desire to go in that direction. That's ul I -- all I have. real quick, thank you, MRS. Paul. On slide number -- if you can bring back the slides please, slide number 32, this is just additional benefits to the school board, it includes but is not limited to the opportunity to provide quality workforce housing to its qualified employees, mixed new revenue, upon the ground lease expiration, the school board owns the asset which is the greatest, right. It's an investment for future generations, if the skol board choose tos renew the ground lease with the developer, again, the school board is using prudence si to enable quality improvements on its assets. Additional benefit on slide number 33, proximity to I95, they are on the verge of constructing
216a hub, not too far from city hall and dixie and again the staff being able to with public transportation, walkability, going on the connectivity of the trirail to the beach, but then this is what's happening in city hall is mixed use, definitely across the street so the residents are going to have to opportunity to live within the mixed use walkable community. There's senate bill 1730, it hasn't been signed by the governor, MR. Soto will speak to it, it is encouraging this kind ofed development, school district and governmental entity tos do this. Slide number 34, to does the developer have access to ready land, again, the developer owns the asset through the term of the lease. The developer has to meet all of the hard requirements and things like that. They collect rent, they do the
217paperwork, we do a liaison, there's going to be an agreement, the developer MAY in a better position to dwaoel the school board after the lease is over but we become the owner, slide number 35, the superintendent was interested in potentially looking at anything sites, we have pretty good data on land. That's close to school facilities, not just for workforce housing. I use the word -- there's this model for [Inaudible], dpz did that. Slide number 36 gives you an idea, this is a 3 the d print housing which is the checker board type of housing and then you have an slide number 37, margaret elementary, these two sites are approximately 2 acres which is close to the dave thomas and again we're looking at access and honestly, yes, it's going to be walled off but sit's
218going to be a separate entrance, nothing to do with the school, not negatively impact the school. Last slide, and thank you so much for your patience, slide number 38, staff is recommend ifing the board chooses to move forward to give staff a directive to push forward and enable, so next step is school board discussions, in the housing plan, we gave a general timeline and if the school board directs we move forward, we hay be with assistance from MR. Soto be able to put something on the streets this year. Thank you so much. okay, thank you. MRS. Leeonardi? yeah, thank you for bringing had forward. This is really cool and I used to live right down the street from here, so it's very exciting to see something happening with this site. I have a few questions.
219I guess I'm interested to hear between option 1 and option 2, if our chief financial officer has any input about -- I don't know if she's in the room, sorry. Okay. I would be interested to hear what she would recommend. I'm also interested to hear what the superintendent or his designee thinks about these two the options. So, I guess maybe if any of those people can speak to that at some point, but I'll skip to a different question. To what extent have we worked with the city of pompano beach on this or collaborated with them on this, ask to what extent would we need to get their buy-in moving forward? DR. Fulton? staff, could you address that, please. so, thank you for that question, board member leonardi. At the direction of the superintendent, this is
220-- towards the end of the year, we basically met with the city manager, the assistant city sxhg the manager for real essate and they were very receptive, we told them we want to be partner and is we'll keep you in the loop as we move forward. We invited I think MR. Sullivan was there, my office reached out to the city but because the city commission is taking place today, I think there was somebody -- anybody from the city was supposed to be here and I can see [Inaudible] Who's the exec tier director for the housing in broward county, anyway, we were work witching the city and we want to pretty much keep them in the loop. got it. And do we know if anyone's presented to the commission about this yet? no. We wanted to
221-- I'm sorry. so, no, the answer is no. We wanted to get the board -- the opportunity to look at the vision of what a p3 could be before we move forward other than getting the input from the city of pompano. got it, but I guess at some point soon, because now we have had this board presentation, someone will be presenting to the commission about this? if that is the direction of the board, definitely, we're prepared to do that. it's one board member, I think it would be wise to do. I'm glad the city manager was excited about it but I do think that it's important that the commission is supportive as well. Help me understand, I know that you refer to market rate, what would be -- do we know what the market rate
222would be for the units has would be market rate? DR. Fulton? as identified in the presentation. staff? we do not know at this time. Staff will definitely do the additional due diligence to look at what the market rates are. Like MRS. Galina said, there's new development not too far websinger can collect that data and pretty much -- we will definitely do our due diligence. I would be interested to know what that is and if I'm understanding correctly or I just -- correct me if I'm wrong, with option 1, no, sorry, which option would set aside housing for school board of broward county employees, would that be option 1? both of them will. okay. and option 2, the estimate would be that we would get around 6 million dollars a year? we -- in fact, we've
223been trying to get the information of what the ground lease MAY be, we'll city trying to good et that, I was hoping to get it before this present takes, so the school board [Inaudible] Is going to be the current lease so, even though you look at what the ground lease is today, it doesn't mean -- the ground lease MAY change at the time this comes to fruition, I think it's going to be bsh a because of the development of the city's doing, that area, the value of property's going to go up so our property's really positioned, so I'm confident the ground lease is going to be very robust. okay, alright. Well, I'm supportive. I think -- I hope nr's more attention given to this throughout the county because there is ain affordability crisis in the
224county and it's very exciting that we're contributing to trying to solve that problem and I know that some people MAY say that this is not our job, but I think it's a community problem that we're trying to solve and directly helping our employees and families, so thank you. thank you. I forgot to go to public comment, so I apologize, we have ralph stone for public comment. good afternoon, ralph stone, executive director of the housing and finance authority. How are you doing? Chris had let me know you all were going to be discussing today. By way of back grown, a couple of things you would be interested in, you MAY have heard me say before. In broward county, one out of every two employees is making 60% of area median income, that's about 40 thousand a
225year. Broward county is dead last amongst 67 counties in providing housing for that income cohort at about 25 units for every 100 families, so we're dead last. As chris presented in the meeting home prices at 640 thousand, only 5% of the households ins the county can afford to be home owners so we are very much stressed as far as our employee base and they're very stressed as far as their housing affordability. The two bedroom rental units are averaging close to 3 thousand dollars a month in broward right now. In ers of need, it really is not at 120%. I don't disturj anyone from using that as an upper part of the cohort but the real need is at 80% and below. The only other thing I would add is that in 2018t board of county
226commissioners initiated a get financing program and allocated 5 million dollars for that. We ended up doing 100 units in our subsidy per unit came in about 50 thousand dollars a unit. Since then we've done 42 deals, we've done over 4 thousand units and our subsidy per unit has come in around thousand per unit which is exceptional but it speaks to the leveraging power of the gap being associated with the broward housing finance authority bonds which we get about 100 million a year in effect free from the state and that's what the gap leverages, so we're doing about 500 units a year. We do an annual cycle, the board just approved the fy25 cycle, about two meetings ago, 8 deals, over 500 units and is the subsidy deal was a little over 50 thousand, so the
227program is being very well accepted by the development community that specializes in for profit affordable housing. We encourage mixed income, exactly what you're talk -- talking about and our programs are available to mix and match with opportunities like the school board's talk k about today. Land is golden, the land we're talking about probably in and of itself is a significant part of the gap that you could apply to make up a project like you were talk about pencil out. So, I'm available to help in any way I can and we certainly applaud the school board with moving in this direction. thank you, and MRS. Leonardi wanted to address something before I go to -- sorry, thank you, just because of what was said during public comment, I know that we have 120% or below of
228ami but our speaker just indicated that the real need is 80% and below. So, can someone help me bridge that gap? DR. Fulton? staff? it doesn't preclude that because if you look at the chart on slide number 22, it doesn't preclude that this project cannot pretty much go in that correction so there's a lot of flexibility. okay, so we could indicate that we would want 80% and below? yes. that would be my desire, thank you. thank you, m mrsrupert? tnk you.U. I'm super excid to have thisis cocome today. It's been a while that the board has been looking at workforce housing as well as this particular piece of property we've bb talking about for more than a year because it was with DR. Licata, so it's been a while. And I'm excited that it's come
229to fruition at least to our aspect of it and 100% -- to follow my colleague that we need to discuss this with the elected officials. When I had my conversation with DR. Hepburn this past week, we talked about that and how important it was for us to get buy-in from them besides the mayor and the city manager. So, it's very important. I set my questions ahead of time and I got the answer on them so that was super awesome. I like door number 2 -- figure number 2 and I agree with with MS. Leonardi about 80% exactly, so I'm a yes for this, thank you. thank you, DR. Zeman? thank you so much, chair. As the school board's rep to to broward planning council, I've been asked to be on the executive committee for broward
230next, ralph gets to come in and educate us frequently about the things we're doing and what the problem that my colleagues have talked about is really a major housing supply problem. There is a tremendous need for housing in broward county and because the supply is so limited, the price is exorbitant, to the sent we can expand housing supply websinger will put negative pressure on housing sales and housing rental cost and is that's a tide that lowers or raises all ship, depending if it raises affordability or decreases pricing but we should do everything we can on this property and on any other surplus properties we have to work with the municipalities. I've talk today the mayor and to the city commission, I shared with other people, they would like to learn more about this option on
231the p3. I have a couple of questions though, chair, do you know what the appraised value of this property would be? DR. Fulton staff, are you able to address that? I'm sorry, the answer right now is no because we have to go through a formal process based on school board policy. We have to follow that, if it's the will of the board, we can conduct an appraisal. I mean, I can tell you what -- not right nowfinger the taxable value we have a process, we have a committee that establishes the value based on submitted appraisals. terrific, I appreciate that. what is the tax value of this property? I don't know now but I can provide that to you, sir, as a follow-up. okay. The reason that's important for my colleagues to know is this is
232a deal where we're going to forego the sale of a property which we could do, we could sell this property, it's probably worth 10 or 20 million dollars just an approximate value if not more. It's right next to this MAY joe redevelopment of pompano city hall, it's an xao is exciting place to liver, I know MS. Leonardi lived close there, she would be surprised on how expensive it is to move back, the entire redevelopment going on there is exciting and the city commissioners and the mayors can't stop talk about that so that's why it's even more important to get this information deeply imbedded in their system. What this is asking us to do is to forego that 10-20 million dollars and invest it over 30 years in reducing the rent for people that work for
233us so that they can live there. Now, that's a good economic decision in many regards but if you don't know the value of the land, then you don't know what you're giving up, so I appreciate our policy about appraised value but it's really important to know the value of what we're giving up, so whatever we need to do to move forward with that I think would be wise. To other people's points, I'm curious about whether or not there is another way to do something with this land that would allow 100% of the units to be used by broward county schools employees, not 50%. Am I correct, chair, that's what's before us are two option, both of them would have 50% of the units rented out to broward county school employees? DR. Fulton? that is correct,
234based on the two options that are here. I would be curious if there isn't another option where it would be 100% because that doubles. let me elaborate on that, option number 2, pretty much the school board receiving the ground lease, we turn around and use that money to subsidize the market rate. In that way, you have 100% of the uniters being available to school board employees. that wasn't clear from the presentation and I'm not sure my colleagues understand that. Could you explain that again. How do we get to 100%? because the presentation in option number 2 -- excuse me. I'm sorry. if you could help us understand how the must be flows and how we get to 100% of our employees living there, that would be great. if you look at option number 2 on
235slide number 21, hopefully someone can put the slide is the employee assisted housing, so in lieu, one of the check marks in lieu of developer paying ground lease amount to the school board, market rate units will be set aside and rented to qualified broward county school employees so in that situation in the second check, the rent due will be subsidized in regards to the ground lease t school board is using that revenue to then subsidize to enable that 50% market rate to be available to school board employees. that's terrific. What -- the information we need to I think make an informed decision about this definitely includes the value of the land, if we sold it, one of the things we could do is sell the land and directly subsidize rent for people workforce, there's a
236lot of things we can do. I love this project, I think this is something that could happen there, I think there is more than just two ways to skin the cat but the intent is really, really important for broward county. We've got to figure out how to expand the housing supply so my last question is there's several conceptual designs here, none of them get toup the capacity that I think is implicit in the land. What if we wanted to get to 197 units, what would these buildings look like? I'm going to attempt and then defer to galina, the density you get I think is [Inaudible] To the acre, however as you know, you have to have circulation, so up to 197. So, I think you have to account for circulation, parking, things like that, so
237ideally, I don't think you can do 100%, 197, maybe I'll defer to you briefly. well, if this is the number one requirement, it can be achieved, but you will need to build probably a structured parking garage and then with a building on top or something, a combination of those, so it is in a different range of cost of construction and all of that, it is not impossible. You know, there are many tall buildings which accommodate hundreds and hundreds of units, whether this is the location, our feeling was that because of the townhouses ask condos around which are three stories maximum height, it's not appropriate, not appropriate but not contact sensitive, and having in mind the large construction is happening on the other side along atlantic boulevard with the redevelopment of the city hall. That's something
238for average than city will be -- but of course, you know, this was an exercise of demonstrating the smaller scale or the lower density. The higher density can be also demonstrated and maybe you can basically choose and also test the cost of construction where the garage is feasible there and things like that. terrific. The standard broward county c uk of 7 stories is all over the county, you know, stringing to go up to the limit where you don't have to pay an exorbitant construction increase to get things done. Often the first two or three stories are plashing and living above that. I would be interested, chair, with your agreement maybe or with the board's non-objection that the conversations with the city involve what kind of density would be consistent with what you're doing with across
239over at city hall. It MAY be give tennessee structures they're planning there which are taller, maybe that opens up more density than -- the concepts you have are beautiful, I would love to live with all that open space and ground level and all that. O the extent we can, do we want to increase housing supply and that means how many units can we do there? I also think that some of the other land around there MAY be subject to the gellar amendment and because it's on an arterial roadway, even though it's commercial right now, it can be developed right now because gellar amendment had to do things differently. At some point the conversation about how much supply we can put there and still meet some level of context is great but I also think this
240board MAY vote to move ahead a little bit beyond the neighborhood given that the city hall structures across the street are not going to be vertical buildings but they're taller than the stuff they're replacing there. This is a great project, I want to make sure we spend other people's money that has the highest impact, p3's will always be one great option to them, solicited p3's in particular, but the other option is to sell the land and to use that money for other ways to expand the housing supply which is our other option as well. I look forward to the conversation going forward, particularly after your conversations in depth of the elected leaders of pompano. MRS. Paul, you wanted to comment? I wanted to also elaborate on what DR. Zeman and what I heard from vice
241chair leonardi in terms of importance of collaboration with the other government officials, the city and so forth. So, those questions in terms of how tall we want it, how many floors, all of that, that has to be a collaborative effort, so I think we're thinking the same way, thank you. DR. Holness? thank you, MADAM Chair. So I just want to make sure I have clarity on the two options. So, for option 2, it indicates 50% of the units to be market rate and market rate units would be set aside and rented to qualified broward county public school workforce. So, my understanding of option 2 is that as opposed to option 1 is that 50% of the units will be provided to bro urtd county public school workforce, is that correct? correct. DR. Holness, let me
242elaborate, I'm sorry, so as you know, the city regulation is drive in, 50% has to be set -- I'm sorry, workforce housing, 50% market rate because they have some kind of radius and they don't want too many workforce, affordable housing in proximity, in order to get around that, you still have the market rate, but you still have the workforce, then the school board uses ground lease to subsidize to them. correct, I understand that. So, option 2 would be 50% and the ground lease will be used to subsidize reducing the rent of the 50% of staff who will be in the market rate uniters, correct? correct. so, option 1, the school board will collect the lease and then the housing will be 100% available to school board employees and the lease would be -- could be
243used by the board because I think you mentioned something about 100% for option 1 when I think it might have been DR. Zeman that asked the question, the 100% of the units in option 1 are available to school board workforce and the board could use the lease collected to subsidize. Aim wrong? I want to make sure I'm understanding? that's option number 2. Option number 1 -- option number 2, you said only 50% is available for workforce. both options, 50% is available, option number 2, 100% can be available if f the school board uses the ground lease to subsidize the market rate. Just 350% of the workforce housing is available to school board employees. okay. So, as board member rupert, I'm in favor of option 2 and I think it's a great gesture in providing support
244to our staff to assist with housing, so I thank you for bringing this forward. Also MR. Acobuso, through the superintendent, I've seen other school campuses, right, like for example plantation elementary has a huge property to the north of it where when I went there, we're paying money to maintain it, we're cutting the grass, we have fencing around it. Are we considering other properties that could be used in this regard as well? DR. Fulton? have you taken a look at plantation elementary for example? we have a list of properties that we've identified but first we wanted to get the temperature of the board. We didn't want to get ahead of ourselves. We wanted to get your input, feedback and so forth before we went forward but yes, we are looking at other opportunities. I understand, so
245if the temperature of the board is hot on this, then we will move forward with others? yes, but we've got to get the first one off the ground. got it, thank you very much, I appreciate it. thank you. MRS. Bulman? thank you, chair. I love this, so thank you for all the work that you guys put into this. I think it's fantastic and exactly what we need and I really like the design. I understand the need to have maximize our capacity, but I also think that it should be a nice place to live so I think we need to take both of those thins into consideration if we're making changes and obviously you were saying matching the surrounding environment instead of building a concrete jungle on our little piece of land. So, just a couple
246of questions. In your experience or knowledge, when we're talk k about ground leases, what's the general accepted term currently? Because you've listed 30, 50 and 99 years, I mean, I'm kind of more familiar with a 99 year ground lease, but is 30 or 50 even in play right now? Is that something people will consider? I'll defer to MR. Soto. It's a negotiation, the developer's looking for the emaciation -- maximization of how they can stretch something, so it's the middle of the middle, typically you go from 30, if I invest middles, it's going to be a negotiated term, when we put out the rfp, it's going to be something imbedded, but MR. Soto, maybe you can elaborate. well, I can't speak to the real estate developer's current mood as it comes to ground leases, you know,
247what's preferable, obviously longer leases are preferable because you can monetize the investment over a longer period of time. But getting back to I think implicit in some of these discussions and only giving my perspective from a legal standpoint, the process issue, I think if you went out on the street with a solicitation that allowed the proposer to propose different solutions, maybe a solution is maximize units, maybe a solution is, you know, more of the cottage look. If you went out on the street, you could ask for different solutions and then the determination is, you know, how much of the school board's potential income off a lease are you willing to forego to maximize the impact on the community. So, from a process standpoint, I think and I would want to talk to the school board's
248procurement folks but I think has it would be permissible to have a solicitation as opposed to an unsolicited where you are inviting -- give me your best solutions or give me solutions that fit in one of these two or three categories including 80%, 120%, so I think there's options. there's definitely options, we've got the land. But, yeah, to your point, I think that that's -- we could keep it more open ended if we're soliciting and then have different possibilities. I was just wondering what, you know, when we're doing ground leases, what the general accepted term is right now to just look at kind of like the length of the project. I don't think to answer your question, I don't think any of my private developer clients would look at anything less than 30 years. That
249would be my best guess. so, who manages -- if we're under a ground lease, we have an agreement that part of this -- at least part of it is going to go to our public school workforce, who is doing the day-to-day management? The developer, they give it to the third party management company, that's up in the air, who's determining who qualifies for the housing after we get into this agreement and develop the project? well, the developer, again, those are going to be terms of the agreement, the developer pretty much is going do the majority of the management, the selection, so the selection because of the -- it depends on the number of units that y be avlable, mamaybe the developecan choose to do what they're going to do because towards the end of the lease,
250they own it, so you can do first come, first serve qualified approach, and later on you do a lottery system, but again because of the number of units but again the developer, 100% the school district is going to be collecting money, we're going to have the agreement, they're going to have to meet all that. so we're going to make sure we have a really tight agreement the make sure our people are getting into the units? sure. yeah, okay, alright, thank you. thank you. MS. Thompson? thank you. I think most of my colleagues asked my questions. I did have -- so, if we go with option 1, is there restrictions to what we can use the money that we get from the ground lease on? DR. Fulton? staff? no restriction because of school board revenue, but
251because of the financial people, right, they MAY have to -- I mean, I know [Inaudible] Has something to do with sale of property what you can use the money for, so the financial people, I don't know if they're in the room, they're going to have to -- 100% we'll look into that. that would be a follow-up question. My answer is always to go back to capital, but you know, that's just me. But we'll follow up with a more direct answer. Thank you. alright. And then like my colleague said, I think getting community buy-in. I'm also -- I understand wanting to maximize units but I also want it to be a great place for people to live and if you look at chicago with public housing, they made concrete jungles, no one wanted to live there,
252so making sure the city agrees and our employees want to live there and they don't feel like that. And then I think that's it. Yup. thank you. I'll go and then I'll end with DR. Zeman had a few more things to say or to ask. So, just a couple of things. You mentioned that -- MR. Acobuso, you said we would get somewhere around 6 million a year in the ground lease, is that correct? no, I don't have those numbers right now, you said we would look into hopefully to see what the ground lease is at this time. We couldn't get the information but that can be a follow-up also. Er okay, because I heard you thought maybe 6 million. Did I -- somewhere that came. alright. here's my question, if we do a 30 year
253lease and you get let's say 5 million, you're going to make more money leasing it than you would just outright selling it. Stla -- is that a correct assumption? sure. Sxfrjt that same thing, we're leasing the land, what part does the school board have in developing it, managing it, picking the things, I hope the answer is none. none. okay. Thank you. I just wanted to make that clear. Also the only thing we would have to do with it is making a contract to lease the land to a developer, is that correct? correct. yes, at the end of the day, it's a contract. okay, we're not -- because people will say and they're correct, we're not in the business of building houses and managing housing and I don't want us to detract from our job which
254is to educate students. So, I think that's important. I also would like to say that I don't think the purpose of us wanting to do had this and we've asked for a number of years now about looking at affordable housing is that we think it supplements what we do or don't pay our employees but we could give them a 5 thousand dollar a year raise and they still could not afford house ining broward county. That is not a school board problem, it is a county, actually nation problem, so the idea that we want to do affordable housing for our staff isn't to say we wouldn't continue, I'm just kind of making a statement here. Continue to try to pay our employees more money. This is in conjunction with being able to do that because we
255would just never be able to until the state finds paying teachers or educators -- people that work in the system more. We're just never going to be able to pay our employees enough money to be able to buy or even rent a house in broward county, so I just wanted to kind of say that out loud. I also like option 2 but I would say I think it's important that you don't overdevelop a community, right. Like, we live -- in my community, there's a couple of two story houses but you don't see three, four or five story houses even though on the other side of hollywood boulevard, there might be 15 story high rises, I think you were thinking of making this development in spaces that have residential things so I think it's important we're
256cognizant of that and we don't try to build a 15 story condo building where there are single and double story houses in that area. But the higher the density I think is the point that the board was stringing to make, the more that we can provide these affordable housing units, the better. So, that's all I have. dr. Zeman? just two quick comments, chair, thank you. This is really a problem of supply and demand, you know. There's two million or so people here, there's only a million or so dwelling units. There's such an incredible demand on the prices gone up. No matter what we paid people, we would have employees, not just our college educated teachers and administrators and all that but all our blue collar workforce and others would won't be able to afford land
257-- housing simply because it got so expensive so we can continue to work hard but our ability to pay people has never kept up in the last ten years with the dramatic increases in the pricing housing in broward county and there's no forecast as MR. Stone will point out of that subsiding. People still want the come here even with the high price, so it will be tough. The question I thought about which is vexing me a little bit, if we do 80 units here, 40 market and 40 subsidized units at any part of ami under any standards, there are going to be some people who work for us out of the 27 or so thousand employees who are lucky enough to get there and so we're going to be using the value of this land
258to subsidize rents for 80 people max. Is that going to produce some feelings of winners and losers? We're going to pick 80 out of 27 thousand to get to live there. How are we going to do that in a way where we're not kind of doing more harm than good in terms of creating 26 thousand 920 losers and 80 winners? DR. Fulton? go ahead, MS. Paul? thank you. So, I understand that dynamic. Again, this is our first forray into p3's and coming up with criteria for that. That will be part of the process. We have other vacant land, green space that we MAY be able to do other projects with, but as with other things, we have a finite amount of properties, so yeah, we're not going to find housing or provide housing for 27
259thousand employees, that's just our reality, but what we can do is come up with a fair system to accommodate those that, you know, are in the greatest need. So, this is workforce housing and, again, we have limits. I wish we could do more but this is where we are. and one of my colleagues referenced chicago public housing which is an awful example of failure, new york, chicago, will la, they've done awful concrete jungles, this is similar to military housing which I'm familiar with and the military provides millions of houses all over the world for people. They don't do it well either. And so I hope we can maybe go a little bit slower, make sure we have a lot more coordination and then pick a real winner project under any structure, whether we sell it
260or find the dream developer that can come in and do it. I appreciate this idea though and if we can do this sooner rather than later as MR. Stone pointed out, we'll be helping to solve the problem rather than to perpetuate it. thank you. Do you have everything -- the direction you needed from us? I believe we do. Thank you. great, thank you so much for the presentation. thank you. [Applause]. nice job. okay, apparently we have a late public speaker coming, so we'll give you the three minutes to speak. You guys -- you can still go ahead. state your name. hi, my name is jacqueline jax season, I'm a pompano resident, my mom was raised in pompano beach, as a young girl, she was one of the migrant workers will. i would like to say
261I mentioned -- my apologies that I am late because I'm running with two meeting, we're watching your meeting at our city commission meeting in pompano beach, so you guys started a little early than we anticipated so now when I get done here, I have to run back there, but I would like to say excited about this project but we are looking for participation from the residents and also our local contractors. We also want you guys to consider to maximize the ability for this project. I heard earlier 80 units, but the maximum capacity I think for the range of this project should be like almost 200 units. Now we love our teachers, you know, that's representing our county, so things are getting expensive. So, we would like to be able to service those teachers but if
262you're looking for 80, 80 is not going to work, we need to maximize the space. That's what we need to do and we would like to have participation involved in here because this project, it is your property you own it, but it also resides in our city and I think we need to create a partnership where our local contractors are involved in participation as this project begins, so since we're at the bottom which you always need to get involved before the project takes off so I would love for you guys to consider, you know, as we're being partners, inclusion with this project, consider us highly for participation, and again, I can't say it, you know, I can't say it as much as I would love to say it, but I'm asking, please, maximize the ability
263for these units. 80 units is not worth it, with need to maximize and I think the ordinance for pompano if it's not mistaken with those units, it should be about 180 uniters should be that capacity if I'm not mistaken. Okay, so keep the residents in indent I'm going to try and arts pate in -- participate in all the meetings, and again, we are watching you guys from the city chambers. before you go, do you mind stating your name, please. no, I did but I'll say it again for you, debra, my name is jocelyn jackson, nice to meet you. nice to meet you as well, thank you for coming. thank you. Okay, thank you so much. We're going to go to our last item today which is the chief auditor evaluation, and I don't -- do
264we need time to flip it over or are we good to go? no, we're good. okay, so I will turn it over to staff for a brief -- we do have public comment. I know, but staff is not going the tell us anything, okay. So, we do have public comment. Natalie lynch-walsh. good afternoon, DR. Natalie lynch-walsh, plantation, florida. So, on MAY 30, when I got that important correspondence from your superintendent removing me from committees, it also removed me as the audit mitt committee chair and I thought, what is the short term gain we're trying to accomplish here ? Because we know long term this is not going to fly. Well, immediately that cleared the way for the superintendent's appointee to audit to chair the meeting on JUNE 5 and why would that be important? Well,
265let's talk about that meeting. The vice chair new day ins advance he would be chairing the meeting following an agenda he didn't prepare. He didn't contact me to ask about agenda items. As a result this was the discussion on the chief auditor's evaluation, on chief 12 auditor's e value wai, this is old business and he comments none on item 13, no motions, no consensus, no report today from what I hear. Con sol dadoed intercom reck are md -- recommendation from previous year, yes, skip. JUNE 6, I'm hearing that a certain rare admiral tells the sun sendbacker sentinel about running roads for cause and that evening it is added to today's agenda, but the self-appraisal is not uploaded for your prior chief auditor, why is that? Let's talk about for cause. The chief auditor contract provision
266related to cause references florida statute 1012, there's a list of things like immorality, misconduct, incompetency, neglect of duty, none of those are supported by his colleague's evaluations which he would have known as of JUNE 4. With no basis for cause, what's the goal? Much wall separation without cause? What is the chief auditor's role? Florida statute 1001.42 says they shall not be revictualed and shall include every functional area of the school system, school board policy 1700, the office of the chief auditor shall operate independently. Individual school board members, district administrators, superintendent and our district staff shall not prevent or prohibit oca from carrying out or completing audits, basically you can't get in the way of their independence. Governmental auditioning standards, chapter 3, ethics, independence and professional judgment, there is at least one, well, two school board
267member evaluations where I see the threat of undue influence that would basically summarize zeman's and alhadeff has a curious collection of recommendations, the recommendations are actually the opposite of what you would do to be independent, meaning that they can be mapped to threats to independence, increased proactive engagement during board meetings, that's a threat of management participation and self-review as an example. thank you so much. okay, I think we're going to jump right into board discussion. So, since -- anybody want to start? DR. Zeman? chair, thank you very much. Today is an important day for us. It's an important day for a bunch of reasons. One of them is we have to talk publicly about our evaluation of one of our three direct reports, nothing that I'm going the share today hasn't been shared directly with
268our chief auditor. But we're at a workshop where our job is to talk about what we've seen, what we've read, what facts we have and what standards we have for one of our three direct reports. It is our responsibility to evaluate all three of these and it is our responsibility to make decisions about terms and employment and all kinds of things. They work for us and it's an important and positive part of the process to go through an appraisal. There have been some questions about the process and what would be appropriate. I view this as a traditional process, you know, there's evaluation process laid out in their contract, he submits a self-appraisal, we review it, we gather information, put it together, write an evaluation, speller if we do it well with our direct first person
269observations, not just what -- or maybe even solution of anything we had heard or gotten second hand. Then we meet with the chief auditor after we've published our evaluation, we hear our questions about our content and our scores, we can make decisions at that point to amend our evaluation and then when they're due, they're signed formally and turned in. So, all of us turned in an appraisal of the chief auditor's performance and at any meeting, subject to the law and to the contract, we can take any action regarding our three direct reports. i sat on this board when superintendent was released during the middle of a discussion of an audit report that I didn't feel like she was part of at all. But it is our responsibility to evaluate and it's our responsibility to make
270decisions about terms and appointment, there's no more better time than to think about those things as part of an evaluation process. So, how did I do this? I met with the chief auditor, we talked about his self-appraisal, it rated him at the highght t rformamae e level,hehe intited d to me he entered all the scores into n the 28 performance factor and is that happened to give him the highest score, I took that at face value, then I read the 385 pages of attached material to the self-appraisal. But after the first read, I had to read the material again. There was just a lot of information, obviously 385 pages, but some of it didn't make sense to me in many of the performance factors, the everyday that was presented was either unrelated to the factor
271or didn't meet the level that the rating had been done. It was confusing and so I read it again. I wrote up my evaluation based on all the evidence from that self-appraiser, from my observations, from the amazing repoz tear of information we have from workshop and is school board meetings and unlike the chief appraiser's self-evaluation in half the case, I used all the performance factors that were approved by this board. For anybody that wants all the details, I'm not going the repeat them again. I wrote a 20 page assessment, it shows a 7 month period of performance that falls short of the standards that we have for our three senior leaders. And I'll explain some of the highlights why. As I mentioned, the standards used on the self-performance were not the standards that were approved
272by the board. In my 40 years of work, I have never seen nor heard of one case where standards and performance were modified by the incumbent. The person who supervises the auditors, who as group has to be 100% trusted in what they report to others, we wrote the standards of how he was going to be evaluated. His auditors have to be 100% trusted but in the effort he put into a 385 page self-assessment, he did notice the standards he used were wrong and n a majority of cases. I asked him about this and he said that the director of performance evaluation gave him direction to follow the examples of the previous chief auditor. The second and something that just sticks in my cau is the chief auditor wrote and signed a memo on APRIL 29
273to the school board, to the superintendent and to the audit committee that accused two senior staff members of a very serious charge, impeding the independence of auditors. That memo with serious charges was transmitted to the audit committee but not to the superintendent and not to us on the school board. Na has some very serious implications. First I need to ask the superintendent though about the severity of these charges. MR. Superintendent, if you found staff members who through their action impaired the independence of an auditor, would you consider terminating them? DR. Hepburn? yes, it would be progress I ever discipline up to termination, depending on the alleged accusations. MR. Superintendent, 31 days after that memo was signed and not transmitted to you, it was sent to you, how fast would you like to get that kind
274of information that substantiate as serious charge about a member of your staff? DR. Hepburn? in circumstances like that, immediate. thank you very much, and general counsel, I have two questions for you. Our volunteers on our advisory committees or the staff liaison to the advisory committees are able to investigate charges assign today the superintendent? MS. Batista? no, they are not. second question, general counsel, are volunteers on our advisory committee or the staff liaison to the advisory committees able to discipline assigned to them? no. I'm connecting the dots, the chief auditor signed a memo accusing two senior staff of a serious channeled but did not transmit to the person supervising them who can investigate and meet out appropriate punishment nor did he transmit toit the board who oversees the system and can encourage the broward school leadership
275to investigate. I discussed this with the chief auditor, he said he discovered that this memo hadn't been transmit today the people that it was supposed to be transmitted due to a mistake by its executive assistant. In my concluding comments on the appraisal system, I talk about the chief auditor with the emphasis on the chief. The standards for leaders are very high and in my view, when I put all the evidence together, the chief appraisal fell below my standards. Anybody that wants more information can read my full evaluation but I want to be clear, this is not personal, this is my role as a school board member to assess the superintendent, the general counsel and the chief auditor to do this thoroughly, gather all the information that's available and many too many cases, the evidence was
276wanting in regard to the chief auditor, thank you, chair. thank you. Any other board members? MADAM? MR. Cervera? thank you, MADAM Chair. Thank you for that, DR. Zeman, I could wish to inquire, looking at the e value valuation that was submitted to all of us in which everyone participated except for myself because I didn't think it was appropriate in light of the fact that the time period in question was prior to my being sworn in on the board, but since the submission of that evaluation, were there any other incidences that happened which led to your decision to potentially seek or bring to a vote the potential termination of MR. Rhodes? DR. Zeman? could you -- I want to share everything I have but would you maybe rephrase that in another way so I can make
277sure I answer the right way. sure, I heard you about the self-performing standards that you thought were not up to par. I heard you about the memo being sent out late and I also saw your prior filing. My question is since the submission of the board member evaluation which I was to believe was submitted on the 1st of JUNE, is there anything that happened since that has led you to believe that termination MAY be proper in this case? so, I think there's been roughly ten days since the end of the evaluation. I haven't added any new information to -- that would affect my assessment of the chief auditor. understood. And have you come to the conclusion as to whether or not you believe that the termination would be proper with cause or without cause? there's
278still a week before the school board meeting where such a motion or an item can be brought. I don't -- I just wouldn't want to forecast -- I guess I just don't know at this point. I think, you know, there are strict rules about termination, one of the rules around that is incompetence. So, I probably need to go back through all the evidence that I have and see what the legal definition of the ways in which chief auditor can be terminated and see if -- what I have seen and the evidence that was before us meets the legal definition of any one of those or more than one of those terms. of the 7 term that is would qualify under termination with cause of 1012? right. and MADAM Chair, through MS. Batista, what are the
279ramifications from a financial standpoint as far as termination for -- without cause and for termination with cause? MS. Batista? so, thank you, MADAM Chair, according to the chief auditor's contract, there is a provision for termination with cause and a provision for termination without cause, under the without cause termination, you don't have to have a reason, you know, anyone can be terminated for no reason at all. One of the provisions in that clause is that the chief auditor would receive his severance which is equal to roughly -- well, not roughly, exactly 20 weeks of his salary which I believe it would be somewhere around, you know, thousand dollars or somewhere around that amount. And then for termination for cause, as you are discussing, you would need to have grounds that are either immorality, misconduct in office,
280incompetency, gross insubordination, willful neglect of duty and others, and you must prove -- you must show that. If the charges do not rise to the level of any of those provided by law, then the chief auditor has the ability to challenge that termination for cause through a chapter 120 for basically wrongful termination and if successful, he would have to be placed back in his position or if, for example, the timeframe takes longer than what the contract provides, I think the chief auditor has a couple of years left, I think it's DECEMBER of 2027, so that would be equivalent to approximately 200 thousand dollars a year for two years, so that would be 400 thousand dollars plus you would have to also pay for the school district's attorney's fees in the case. Is that what you
281were asking me? thank you. okay. did you have any other questions? nothing further at this time. DR. Holness? thank you, MADAM Chair. So, I just have some concerns regarding the overall appraisal process for direct reports such as MR. Rhodes and we have three that report to the board. So I would like to address the current appraisal process for the three direct propose which is the superintendent, general counsel and the auditor. The the current process seem tos have one access to the approval tool, we have a deadline for submission, after submission we meet one on one with the direct report and then we provide final revision and signatures. So, while the current structure is functional, I believe it could be strengthened to support more informed and meaningful evaluations. My recommendation is that before completing their evaluation,
282that each board member should meet individually with each direct report to go through the evaluation descriptors, this additional step would allow for clarifying questions, it would provide context from the direct report, it will provide a more consistent and accurate assessment and it would help board members make more mfed and balance assessments and it would reduce the need for extensive revisions after submission. So, I would recommend that in future years, that we are able to meet one and one with the direct reportee prior to the submission of the evaluation, so we can go through all of the descriptor, we can ask all the questions we have, any concerns we have, for example, with MR. Rhodes and what he submitted, DR. Zeman mentioned some of it MAY not have been directly related to the descriptors. Had we
283met with him before, we complete the evaluation and we could clarify a lot of that and it would reduce the amount of revisions that we'd have to make, so this is just a suggestion. In addition to that, I didn't particularly like the automated objective scores because we weren't allowed to change it. so, for the preset objectives, the current system auto populates ratings based on preapproved objectives. This I believe can limit a board member's ability to reflect actual performance. Board members should have the flexibility to address objective ratings with clear rationale. The evaluation tools current structure specifically objectives, rating scale and auto generated scores MAY not accurately reflect the quality of work performed. So, my recommendation is that we revisit and refine the current direct report appraisal process to improve its effectiveness and clarity. I had
284some concerns on the evaluation with the objectives. I didn't necessarily agree that they were all 4's. And I wasn't able to adjust it because it was prepopulated. There were some concerns, for example, I believe as far as the actual objectives, one of them for the first one I believe that the first one had to do with the percentage of staff that would believe that training were helpful from the audit department and 18% of the principals say they disagree. To me, 18%, 82% is not highly effective and I wanted to be able to change that because I think 18% is still a lot, it's almost one-fifth of principals did not agree. So, I want in the future to have more flexibility to adjust my score for the objectives because I wasn't able to, it populates as
285a 4 and I would not have given a 4. At the very best, I think it's effective if you're able to have 80% of individuals saying that your training was helpful. I don't know of anywhere else you can get an 80% and you're effective and a rated, 80% is usually you're b rated at best, so I would like to see more changes in that. And I think just one more comment where it says, for example, one of the descriptors says how effective -- it says how effective is the direct report wringing with their team. So, one thing I would suggest if we're able to be -- to have some kind of -- I mean, how can we validate the direct reports have achieved this goal and commitment that they stated? We need to have the
286ability, for example, to implement some sort of a staff survey to be able to -- how would I know that MR. Rhodes is working effectively with his team if I don't have any feedback from the team in his department? so I think some of these things we need to address. We need substantive data or substantive information to be able to answer some of these descriptors effectively. If tlas staff survey that says this is how we feel about our chief auditor in the audit department, then that would give me information from the members of that department. So, some of it we had to sort of at the very best have educated guesses as to how one would do in that area, so I think we -- in addition to refining this process, maybe we need to
287have a better way of evaluating these direct reports and if we're going to put something in a descriptor, we need to ascertain that descriptor, how do your team members feel about you unless you give me some sort of survey feedback, it's difficult for me to say how they feel about you so I think we need to do a better job in the way at which we evaluate our direct reports. MADAM Chair? hold on, I just had a quick question for MS. Batista. So, the appraisals are something we do in the direct reports agree to, so the things that DR. Holness is suggesting, do we need a b item to bring back the appraisal system for each of the three direct reports? Regardless of the people, just in terms of what that process is so that
288DR. Holness can formally make those suggestions and we can vote on them because I don't think consensus makes sense here. right. So, I believe that -- well, a couple of things, right, the process itself is something that is negotiated with each one of the direct reports and I think then once that negotiation happens, the actual procedures that are followed in the implementation is something done by the evaluation department. And all three -- I believe all ree of r aluauation instrunts s are slightly different. So, I don't know if that necessarily that some of the comments are applicable across the board to all the direct reports. so, with that, I'm kol -- coming to you, MR. Rhodes, would that require us to renegotiate with all three of the direct reports on what we would like to
289see, would that be at a board meeting, at a workshop setting, how would we move forward because we have two more evaluations coming up sm so, I'm just wondering the right way to do this. it would depend, I don't know if what DR. Holness is referring to is something that was negotiated or he f it's a procedure that can just be changed by the evaluation department. can staff answer that question? . Er heather tarente, labor standards, management and director of employee evaluations. As you said, MS. Batista, the three evaluation systems are a bit different. They were all agreed upon by the board and the individual employee and then they went before the board for approval. So, for example, in this instance with the chief auditor, there were the three object tiers that were brought forward.
290It was brought forward whether to have them automatically populated or not. The objective was approved and the scale was approved so it was done that way for the chief auditor. When it comes tos the superintendent's appraisal system, there are four objectives that the objectives were accepted, board approved, so was the scale, they were auto populated and then there was also the metric of the grade of the district. When we speak of the general counsel, there are no objectives in that system that are auto populated. okay, MADAM Chair. hold on one second. So, in order to be able to adjust any of those, what would be the process? board approval. so it would need to come as a board item?Frnlts correct. and would that be us telling you today we want o do that or would
291a board member need to bring a a b item? I think it would be speaking today that that's something we you're interest today do and thep we could bring it back and bring it forward. okay, thank you. MR. Rhodes? yeah, so, there were a couple of comments so far that I think we need to have the other side of that story, so that as people give their comments and they provide their input back to me in this evaluation discussion that we're talking about things as they happen. The executive assistant did not make an error. I advised him to send that document, that memo through with the audit the way that we would normally send anything that had all the board members names and the superintendent's name with an audit so it would work its way
292through the same path through the audit committee, transmitted to the board, the board would get that, they would have gotten the memo at the same time. I now understand that the superintendent and that through DR. Zeman I'm expecting the board would also want to see that memo at the same time. I'm fine with that. There's no policy for that, there's no precedent for that, in fact, I don't think there's a precedent for an independent impairment statement to my knowledge, the fact that this happened, there's a lot of first that is have happened in this 8 month period. The second thing that needs to be cleared up is that the director of evaluations, I did not blame that person for doing something wrong, in fact, I credited that person because when I was looking for how
293do I get started on this, I was advised take a look at the prior chief auditor's matrix he put together to do this stuff. As I did it, I spot checked some of the descriptors that were in there, it looked fine to me. I went through it, I did the evaluation the way that I was supposed to do it but will haves no blame to her. There was no blame to my executive secretary. these things were simply things that happen ined the process of a first time situation for me working on any of these things. Having said that, I still have big enough shoulders to be fully accountable for anything else that was said, but those two parts of the record had to be clarified. One last thing, where DR. Holness' comments were concerned about
294the objectives, I too did not have the ability to do anything with populating any of those cells. Once I put in the information that showed that I met or exceeded the requirements of each of those three objectives, it auto populated to highly effective. So, that wasn't anything that I could work with, something he couldn't work with, I'm sure you guys found that that couldn't be worked with as well. I made that clear to as many different board members where that point came up. But the idea is I just want that part to be clear as other board members are considering their comments as we go forward nobody else was na n that office except me and DR. Zeman, I feel my pointers are also clear. regard thing object tier -- object tiers, the objectives does
295not lend to definitive results because of the way they are written, so the results oftentimes seems to be more subjective in nature. For example, if you look at objective 2, right, it says have you completed five training and he said yes. But do we know the quality of the training, do we know what's involved with the training, do we know if it indicated that 6ai training were depleted, artificial intelligence training. But are we looking at diverse training as opposed to one category, so there are a lot of -- in terms of the objective, there are a lot of different variables has would indicate the quality of meeting that objective and so just having a score to to say I did five training, you get a a highly effective because you did five or six training,
296we didn't question if diversity of the training t applicability to the training of what he's doing and so on and so forth, so I had the ability to change the score, then I could interview MR. Rhodes, I could determine the quality of the training, I could determine whether or not he had completed the diverse group of training besides ai and then give him a score that I think would be relevant. So, I don't -- limiting the ability to score in a category because it lends itself to subjectivity and does not allow us to look at all assist pets of the object tersest I don't think is a fair way for me to provide my evaluation. There are many opinions and I don't know if we need to discuss many the future how we move forward
297with evaluating but tying my hand as a board member to a score that I caning change, to me that's inhibiting my ability to do my job as a board member and evaluating direct staff. So, I would like to see if we could have some sort of a workshop discussion on how we evaluate our direct reports or whatever medium we can make the change because I wasn't comfortable with the score that's in the object tiers was the only score that I could give and I felt it wasn't an accurate depiction of what I feel. so, just based on conversation that MS. Perente, we just had, they can bring the item back and we can have a discussion at a board meeting because you would want to be able to vote on it. So, okay, MRS. Rupert?
298thank you, it's never easy to sit here as a board and discussing openly with our direct reports, it's a very uncomfortable situation to do this and I've been through this many, many times and each time it honestly gets worse and you guys weren't here, but we had bad evaluations for direct reports that had really no objectives for you to be able to just look on it and put in it. It was more -- everything was subjective. So you had lots of back and forth scores and it didn't really make too much sense so we when we were talking about the chief auditor's evaluation, we wanted to go have a medium, yes, have subjective but also have objectives that would prepopulate so we would know that they were going to get in there and that's how
299it was going to be. What I found interesting is that when it was prepopulated by just the numbers and the results, it all came out highly effective but that's how we set it up and that's how we worked and that's what the agreement was. I appreciate all my colleagues' comments. I read them from cover to cover and several many times to actually see what was going on and then honestly I had to start taking notes when some of them were very long so I could follow the train of thought and see if we had once a reading teacher, always a reading teacher so I made a venn diagram, worked pretty well for me, we have stuff here, we have stuff here, let's see what fall ins the middle that everybody has, from strictly a reading
300teacher response here is that things for me that fell in the middle were not so much lapses from our chief auditor, but they were things that should have been in the evaluation tool to begin with, but that's what this job is about. You live, you learn. You improve. You keep moving, that's how it is. And you don't have a pull-back and a very severe response to this. These are human beings and, you know, it's nauseating to sit here and talk openly but it's also nauseating to look at an employee and what they have to be going through at this point. So, I have compassion for that. I also have compassion because it's nerve-racking for me and I'm sure everybody else is dealing with that but we must do this publicly. So, that is -- that's
301what we need to do. Do I believe that this is of firing offense, no, not at all, not according to the 7 rules of stuff, but also reading everything and knowing that everything is not black and white. Do I believe we missed the ball on some things we should have put in, yes. Do I believe that our chief auditor should -- and this is just me saying it, I'm gleaning it from other board members, that perhaps a little more inclusion with our other direct reports would be helpful. And I for one thing almost like an inspector generalas an auditor that you want to keep yourself neutral and that's where you want to stay and sometimes that neutrality comes off as I'm not really interested in working with colleagues, this is my job, excuse me, as
302the chief auditor. And I need to be transparent but I need to be fair and I don't want to be affected either way. Do I think that when the memo came out, should it have been to the school board? Absolutely, but I also think it should have been the other two direct reports as well, you know, and if I had a suggestion, I would go to some chief -- I don't know what they're called, DR. Hepburn, the chief meetings, roundtable chief -- cabinet meeting. Maybe go. Because those are people that you have to work with and I think having those conversations would help you greatly. And I think that's my would cents on this. I'm going to say it again, I don't think it's firable, i think it's workable, I grie there's some things that
303need to be changed, I understand that, but somebody can't perform at something that they weren't thinking was part of their job. They thought that being neutral was part of their job, so that's my two cents on this, and I wouldn't support a termination as a b item. thank you. MR. Cervera? thank you, MADAM Chair, legal inquiry here. Assuming hypothetically we move forward and proceed under the termination for cause provision which is 2.16 in the employment contract, I'm looking at a 2025 evaluation that was conducted earlier in JUNE of this year and there's 8 votes, again, myself not being a part of that process for reasons previously explained. Of those 8 votes, 7 votes as either effective or highly effective. If in fact we do ultimately terminate for cause and hypothetically speaking MR. Rhodes seeks redress
304under the administrative procedures act, under 120 which is listed in the contract, what is the ramification for the district of having this evaluation being done with again 7 of 8 folks voting as either effective or highly effective. is this admissible proceeding under chapter 120, is this something that would be considered. Second part of the question, if it can be considered, is it enough to say for me from a litigation standpoint that if you violate any provision under 1012.33 or milliner misconduct in office or all those items that it is not what your evaluation says, you do any of those things, you can be fire and had that's the end of the story? MS. Batista? as we would say, that's a compound question, but I'll take it one at a time. So, the performance evaluations are
305admissible from an evidentiary point of view under -- under chapter 120 hearing, so that's number one. Therefore because the evaluations are for the majority effective or highly effective, that would be evidence that is favorable -- the favorable to someone challenging a termination for cause and it would be against the district having this information available so close in time in relation to a potential termination for cause. the second part of my question, putting that aside, if mft there was a violation of any of the provisions of 1012.334c which is in the contract, there's again like or 9 listed items, if in fact an employee engages in any of those items, I would think although I naoement an employment lawyer, I would think that those items being found to do engaging any of those items would still
306be grounds for termination regardless of what an evaluation said and an evaluation would not be able to supplement any of those for lack of better terms firable offenses, is that an accurate statement? yes, but I would say that having evaluations that are effective if in fact one of these items, there is evidence of one of those items, it would be an inconsistency in the evidence that, you know, either you would have to show that there was information that became available after the evaluation was submitted that would have fulfilled either, you know, any of these items under 1012.33, or that the -- or that the particular item that you're talking about rises -- so so egregious that rises to a level that would undermine like I said the other evidence of the effective evaluations. and last
307point, I promise, if MR. Rhodes is terminated and he brings a legal case against the district, I just want the make sure I'm clear, is his proper course of action the way that 216 is written is to file an action under 120 of the apa, the administrative procedures act and seek to be reinstated to his position or can he bring an action in which he could potentially sue the outstay or the district for hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost wages? so, normally chapter 120 is the same recourse that like teachers would have and so the outcome would be the same, right. If we are trying to terminate a teacher and the teacher files an appeal to the termination and is successful, the teacher is placed back into that position, back into the position they
308had prior to the termination and they also receive back pay for the amount of time that they were out of employment. So, if the case takes ye and en ultitetelymr. Rhes orin my example, the teacher succeeds, they will get all of their back pay which in this case is a little bit different for MR. Rhodes because his contract is only until SEPTEMBER of 2027, so he only has a right to two years. It could be like for teachers for example, if the item takes three years, they could get back pay for three years so mr. Rhodes would be limited to the two years, however his salary is roughly 200 thousand dollars, if he were to be suck setszful, the damages would be -- the back pay wore about thousand dollars. would he be entitled to
309legal fees under any portion tof contract and keenly if we do terminate and properly defend any legal tha x's brought against the district, would we as a district be entitled to our [Inaudible]. the district, so, yes, the person would be entitled to their fees and costs and the district would not be entitled to fees, that's just the way the law works with departments, we're the employer, but we would be entitled to our costs. thank you, MADAM Chair. thank you, board member thompson? thank you, chair, and thank you to my colleagues for your comments. I had a couple of statements. I am frustrated by the memo timing. I understood there were reasons you chose to include it in the audit report. The fact that we were actively evaluating you and it say tos the public we
310got this memo APRIL 29 when we didn't is frustrating and as I was stringing to evaluate you and being a newer board member, there wasn't a lot of evidence that something else was brewing under the surface and then to get that memo after I submitted the evaluation was incredibly frustrating and I'm not trying to insinuate you did that for a reason but I think you could insinuate that because you were being evaluated, you didn't want that memo slipped in. But that's what happens, it's beneathneither here nor there. I do hear my colleagues that there are some concerns and after this memo came out, talking to different staff members, I do have concerns about the ability to work as a team and the ability -- I think there is a a difference between being neutral and
311being there to support the system and call out findings and work as a team. But I don't think that to MS. Rupert's point raise tos a firable offense, is there a performance plan that we can create together or is there -- like, what are the options if it's not firing, if it's not just ignoring it? I don't know. that's on my list to ask, so I would love to hear the answer also. I don't know who the right person to answer that question is, but I would think that just -- I'm going the answer it as the chair and what we saw before, we did do that for a former superintendent, she was fired and she wasn't fire and had we had a six month improvement plan that we implemented as a board to say
312we're going to give you six months, here are the things we are looking for to see changed and then we'll re-evaluate what that looses like afterwards and that went south anyway, but -- so, I don't know if that's the best plan to do but I was also thinking similar lines and I'll have my own chance to talk, but I think pieces of this where things maybe the chief auditor didn't know was an expectation and so now we understand there are people who have expectations and what is the best way to move forward? So, I don't know if MS. Perente is the right person or if we as a board can decide that, can we do it here, there's concerns about consensus versus vote, I don't want to say the wrong thing, I'm going the start
313with MS. Batista, maybe you can give us a direction on what we should do moving forward base on that question. thank you, MADAM Chair, pursuant to the contract, there's a provision that talks about the evaluation of the chief auditor and it talks about the that the school board MAY discuss the annual evaluation of the chief auditor at a public meeting and the chief auditor will have the right to submit a written or oral response to the evaluation and that in the event that a majority of the school board members determine the performance is unsatisfactory, the school board shall specify in reasonable detail the unsatisfactory performance and include recommendations for improvement in all areas in which the board determines that the performance is needing improvement or is unsatisfactory. So, where to go from here? I mean,
314I'm not sure if MS. Perente MAY have some ideas as to how to couch this, but pursuant to the agreement, those are the parameters that you have, that's the availability that you have is to list what the items are, receive a response. If you feel there's also an area in the contract for evaluation of the foreman and procedures of the evaluation which I think a few of you have spoken about and would like the change, I think you need to hear what's the will of the board as far as placing some performance plan type of a process in place at this point. okay. So, could we -- do we need to ask for a workshop to have that -- we should today take a consensus as to whether we want to do an improvement plan
315or do we need to wait for a b item to come to the school board? I don't want to do it wrong. thank you very much, heather perente, just a thought whenever it comes to performance and misconduct, if there's any information you want to share with him formally place it in writing. You can send a memorandum to him, and if there's any discipline, you want to follow that process where you start with a predisciplinary meeting so I'm happy to help either way. so, there's nine of us, right, so to send nine different memos, how would he know what that improvement progress plan is. Don't we as a body of nine need to maybe bring all those together at a workshop and have a -- or the board meeting and vote on what it is we
316want to see in that plan? Because I just see this getting a bigger snowball if nine of us all send what we want to see different and we're not able to discuss it because I won't know what school board member pb a or b says and maybe it's the same thing that I said, so I understand the memorandums but we're not just one person. Does that come as -- from the board as we all put it together or it's individual, it seems -- I just want to be very effective and efficient here. if I MAY just very briefly and I am going to need the director of evaluations to chime in, but it seems that many of the items have already been put in writing in the evaluations. If there's additional information, I'm sure you're
317able to do that and then perhaps the evaluation department can summarize that and bring it to the board as a summary or a proposal and have you at that point either vote on it or, you know, discuss it at a workshop or vote on it at a board meeting to move forward from there. and that was going to be my suggestion torx allow us the opportunity to summarize it, bring it back to you and then come up with some type of a timeframe where you can give ongoing feedback if you're comfortable with that. Er but I think the first item would be to gather from the other board members, whether they're wanting to go forward with that process. so, we can't vote, to be clear, this is not a vote. Is there anyone who would
318be adverse to coming up with an improvement plan to come back to us to vote on? Alright. Okay, DR. Zeman? I'm aiz verse to thataiz -- averse to that. MS. Leonardi? yes, I think I have a a lot of questions about that, but yeah, you have one objection, so. so, MS. Batista, we have two objections seems like, so that's a no go on the consensus. right. okay, so back to the issue of consensus, you know, historically the board has used consensus as they have looked at it and they have used majority, whether you want to redefine the term and say that consensus means a majority of the board, I think that would be appropriate. If you would like to put it on the policy, policy 1020 to make sure that there is clarity on that
319from now forward, but I have to tell you that the way that consensus has been used as a board has always been -- it's always meant the majority of the board members, not necessarily that they're voting but that you're looking around and if there is a majority of people that want to go a certain direction, that's the direction that you move forward. And that's what I would recommend the board does. okay. can I finish? sure, go ahead. perfect. And I'm happy to bring a b item. I think I just want to make it clear to MR. Rhodes, I want you to be successful. I think having a successful auditor means swre a successful school system with all our direct reports, and it doesn't seem like without a performance plan there's nothing really anything -- so,
320you give an evaluation and then you either fire them or leave them alone and that to me, I'm very confused by this process because then why evaluate people if you're not going to try to help them improve. So, if that needs to happen, I'm happy to bring a b item but I'm just confused by this exercise I guess. That's it, thanks. thank you, MS. Leonardi? thank you. So, the memo and the nature it was sent out has obviously caused some confusion and concern among the board and usually when our direct reports transmit memos to us, either they or their exec tier secretaries e-mail said memos directly to us. The way that our chief auditor seems to have felt it was appropriate to transmit a memo to us was to have his executive secretary send us
321a lin tok the audit committee website and to the meeting agenda where the memo was imbedded in a 145 page report, 7 days after the date on the memo, so I just -- we can be clear, is that how we can expect memos from the chief auditor's office to be transmitted to us in the future? MR. Rhodes? from what I'm hearing today, the answer is no but that memo does belong in that audit report. I wanted to get that out to you guys as quickly as I could because I became aware that it was a source of heartburn, I didn't want to keep that being something that was left behind. I wanted to get it out immediately and by the way to MS. Thompson's point, the way that these audits work, this whole thing started
322way back late in MARCH, early in APRIL, because it was originally presented, the audit was presented at an APRIL 10th meeting in this room to the audit committee. There was no quorum, so it had to be resubmitted so, the process was not something that was in any way set up to hold off on sending it out until after the entire evaluation process was done, it was way before it was even due. So, I just wanted to make sure you understood that and I have ample documentation to support that and I wouldn't say it if I didn't, so I wanted you to have an understanding of where that is and to go back to MS. Leonardi's question, no, first of all, if there's a memo like that in the faou khu, I will send it to
323directly to the superintendent and to the board, so I'm very clear on what that request is from the board right now and if nobody disagrees with that, then that's exactly what I would do moving forward. okay, I haven't heard any board member the memo should not be in the report. I think the concern was that we -- it was not sent to us directly on the date that is on the memo. And I've sent two e-mails asking why this occurred and so I'm just wondering if you could clear this up for us right now. Why the memo was not sent directly to us on the date that is on the memo? because routinely whenever we send audit reports to the audit committee and it gets put on to the audit committee agenda, there are coverbacker
324cover pages that have all the name of all the board member and is the superintendent's nail on there as well. Because this was being added to an audit that wasn't transmitted because of the no quorum and the issues that happened the date of that meeting with no quorum, that's what led to writing the independence impairment statement. At that point it was attached to the audit and then the MAY 8 meeting, there's would things and something happen ined the middle. Because I thought that was the appropriate thing to do, it struck me that was similar the cover sheet that had all the board members' names on it and it was going to be transmitted through that natural process, I see now from the feedback I'm getting from the board that's not anyone deed what you would
325prefer, so as I said tha,'s how it happened and the action that I would take is exactly what I just described to you before. Did that answer your question? I suppose I'm still a little bit confused because the memo is addressed to the board making some very serious allegations. It is dated APRIL 29th. In my experience when someone write as memo and they address it to certain people and they include a certain date, it is transmitted to those people on that date. So if I'm a member of the public and looking at that memo, aoem -- I'm assuming the board members who are checking their e-mails and things like that received that memo on APRIL 29, 2025. So I'm confused why that would not -- that did not happen. It seems maybe you have a
326different understanding of how a memo addressed to people on a certain date -- I only did recording the fact that it was attached to an independence impairment statement. Any other memo I sent out, I o ef only sent them directly to you guys real-time at the same time it was written and dated. okay. Yeah, I think there is just a disconnect here but I'll move on. Is this a workshop on the chief auditor's evaluation or on his termination? I'm sorry, can you repeat that? is there sth a workshop on the chief auditor's termination or on his evaluation. I believe the item says to discuss his evaluation. okay. What does the chief auditor's contract say about termination and any notice that's required? MS. Batista? so, for termination without cause, the notice is 60 days and for
327termination for cause, the notice -- the chief auditor has to be provided a written notice describing in reasonable detail the school board's grounds for termination for cause, at least three business days prior to any vote by the school board. okay. So, would this workshop count as that notice? MS. Batista? not from what I have heard so far. okay, thank you. okay, board member bulman? thank you, chair. So, I have already spoken with MR. Rhodes following the receipt of the memo and all of the other things, so he's already -- we've already discussed that. I too had concerns with the timing of it. I appreciate MS. Rupert being back and her empathy that she brings back to the board here in person. So, you know, I did quite a bit of inquiry -- to DR. Holness'
328point, I 100% agree with him, I think the actual conducting of the evaluation was difficult physically and, you know, functionally which MAY have led to kind of results that maybe you could have been more nuanced so I support his suggestions for that but kind of to go back to the idea of collaboration when you're talking to the different sides in regards to some of these issues that kind of came to light after our evalaluatis were finishshed. Based on at I understand e e facttoto be at this point, and you know, based on the criteria and the contract, I don't think that we have cause for termination but I do think we have to really look at better collaboration which I spoke with, with MR. Rhodes, ipg other people have said this and I think my
329understanding of what the role of the chief auditor and auditors in general is expanding and it shouldn't be operating in a silo and it shouldn't be a gotcha and we shouldn't be blocking our colleagues' ability to do their jobs so I support just focusing on that moving forward that we're collaborating. I would like to see that, so we were talking about earlier, you know, like some kind of improvement plan or something of that nature. I am confused because we agreed on this evaluation tool and the objectives. I can't remember exactly what the timing was but when we did -- I didn't remember talking about MS. Batista since I've been on the board. We talked about -- or is that wrong, we talked about DR. Hepburn's at some point I believe kind of recently and then
330MR. Rhodes was probably the most recent, am I wrong about this? no, it came when their contracts came. So, we looked at both MR. Rhodes and DR. Hepburn since you've been here, but MS. Batista's contract was done before you got here so that's probably why you weren't here when we had this discussion with MS. Batista? right, his contract was signed in OCTOBER and we did his criteria. it had to come to the board. okay, so I mean, just based on that, he had kind of a small amount of notice of what we were going to be evaluating him on too because it took a while for us to agree to that, so at the very least, I think we -- do we stay with that for the entire three year contract or is that something
331we address every year? MS. Batista? you can address it each year, you know, or you can repeat the same for multiple years. because, I mean, it might be useful if we address that earlier in the cycle and then have a better idea of what we're looking for that could address this issue of the a plans instead of having two months to know what his criteria are. That's my recommendation for that and to MR. Cervera's points he made and just contractually, I think everyone needs to take into consideration if we don't have -- just as a general idea, if we don't have cause for termination, then you're looking at either a lawsuit where you could be responsible for quite a bit of damages and at the very least a 20 week severance, so there is some
332serious considerations to be made. Thank you. thank you. I'm going to go and then I'll do a second round, a couple of people have raised their hands again. So, I don't disagree with DR. Holness in terms of it was frustrating not to be able to change the numbers but I will say we agreed as a board that that's what the evaluation was going to look like, so we can't look backwards and say, well, that's not the way I wanted it to be. we can moving forward and I hope that's what it will look like when it comes and you know, we should have paid better attention in the objective if we wanted it to be diverse training and different topics and things, we should have included that into what the objective was. MR. Rhodes didn't
333do that in a silo, we were all part of that, so, you know, I understand now doing it that we have different visions, that happens when you're teaching. You go to do an assignment and you thought you were really clear on what they were supposed to do and then you grade it and nobody had a clue as to what it was you were looking for and to that point, if we're evaluating someone as effective, we had one that needs improvement and it was detailed so I appreciate DR. Zeman being very clear on why it was he found things to be the way it was because as a teacher, you know the red pin, you hated getting that but you knew exactly what you needed -- why it was you were getting the grade that you
334got, so that one makes sense but to have effective, highly effective and then turn around and want to have a discussion about terminating them, what message does that send to our other employees that we evaluate you as overall effective but you're not good enough to keep your job, so I have a concern about that but it is our prerogative to have that discussion come up as a vote later on. One of my suggestions was to write some kind of improvement plan in the context not necessarily of your independence and the job that you're doing, but some of the expect traipses, for example, if you pull the job description and maybe we need to redo that, but -- and the one section, it says MAY appraise and make a report and/or recommendations many can connection with
335performance of a segment of the school district or an individual in such area where the it is apparent that function and assignments are being carried out in an unsatisfactory manner but I noticed on some people's evaluations, they evaluated you low on that particular area because although you were doing audits, there was no suggestion on how we could improve our internal controls. I saw that over and over, but in the job description, it says MAY appraise, it doesn't say you have o do that, so maybe as a board, we should look at the job description and that should say shall appraise or must appraise, so that we know for sure -- you know for sure that expectation, so that's really what I would like to see in talking of an improvement plan is what expectations did
336we feel are in the job description that maybe you didn't read the same way because of the way the wording is. And the other one, training comes up a lot. I think every mother we've had part of that discussion in there and in the job description, it says represent the superintendent and special assignments, assist in administration of certain functions such as training of personnel. So, that is in the job description but I don't know -- you could look at has a different way, so I think neighbor the job description, we need to be specific on that, so I would think that when we look at if we do -- I don't know if improvement plan is the right word, but whatever it is we come up with if we decide to do that, we also
337need to look at the job description because that is where the expectation of what we expect the auditor to be doing and I think there are pieces in there that can be looked at in different ways so we would need to change the wording on that but I do have a real concern with having 7 out of 8 evaluations come up as effective and then turn around and fire someone because we had that happen not too long ago and I just don't think it's the way we treat our staff. MR. Rhodes, I'll let you -- this kind of addresses a few things that have been talked about in the last few minutes and specifically with regard to any changes that might go into the job description, this might be helpful because the yellow book standards
338are what the government auditors have to follow and so there's some time where is it MAY look like I'm being ob stin innocent when I'm trying to maintain adherence to those yellow book standards as opposed to an instruction or something that's listed there in the job description, I'm going read a cup ofl things out of the yellow book so you can have a better understanding of that and we can have that discussion before you go back to the job description. In chapter 3, 3.27, auditors shall apply the conceptual framework and audit organization engagement team and individual auditor levels 2a, identify threat tosed independence, b, evaluate safeguards as necessary to eliminate the threatens or reduce them to an acceptable level or camber and then we get to 328, it says auditors shall re-evaluate threat and is
339independence including any safeguards applied whenever the audit organization or auditors become aware of new information or changes in facts and circumstances that could affect whether the threat has been eliminated or e are f reduced to an acceptable level. I want to go into 330, auditors shall evaluate the broad categories of threat to independence when I playing the conceptual framework, I'm going to skip down through some of these because it get tos the point quicker, e, undue influence threat, the threat that inrushes or pressures from sources, external to the audit organization will effect an auditor's ability to make objective judgments, then we're going to scroll down to section 342 where this is the part that I think gets really important. Examples of circumstances that create undue influence threats for an auditor are an audit organization include
340the existence of the following, f, authority to overrule or inappropriately influence auditor's judgment as to appropriate content of the report. G, threat of replacing the auditor or audit organize ideation based on a disagreement with the contents of an audit report t auditor's conclusion tor application of accounting principles or other criteria. H, influence that is jeopardize the auditor's employment of competence or entities for engagement. This is a government organization, it does require gagus engagements, there are aai, institute of internal auditor engagement that is can take the place of this but this school district has done gagus audits since 2004. This is what the yellow book does to assist the audit department t audit function t chief auditor having some insulation from otherwise those influences that, for example, the arms length that keep us from being involved
341in management. Part of the job description you just read. I don't think that was necessarily clear when it talked about how I would interact with the superintendent in the way that you just read that out. There's other places where the training is a situation where if we go out and give training and say to staff this is what you need to do, they do it exactly that way and we come back and find out they have somehow violated something, whether it's nuance of what it is we said we have now by giving them instruction, we have become by association, we've become a part of management. We cannot become a part of management. We have to keep audit and audit independence completely clear and free of any management activity. That's what the yellow book tells us,
342that's what the yellow book advises us of and that's what we have to follow in terms of those standards. When the time comes to do a rewrite of that job description, it MAY be helpful to take a look at those yellow book standards to make sure those lines aren't getting crossed similar to what they are now. thank you, DR. Zeman ?Frjts thank you very much, chair. I am shocked today that we're going to write a performance improvement plan to tell a senior person making 200 thousand dollars a year that if you sign a memo that's addressed to three drops, you should transmit it to those three groups. I cannot believe what I am hearing today. You know, executives have a high standard. Executives should not change their performance standards on an e vl waysing, never,
343never, never. That is unforgivable in my mind. To sit here and say I didn't know to send a transmit a memo that I signed. How many days of experience do you need to have working in an organization to know if you sign your name on something and it's addressed to o three people, you send it to those three people. For 31 days after the appraisals were done and signed, it got sent. We're missing the core point here too. The core point is the memo didn't need to be written. It was an interpretation of someone else's behavior. You know what the memo said that drew the memo from our chief auditor about impeding the impairers, the gold standard of auditing? If you take -- if this finding isn't in your audit report, I can send you
344all the information about the other things. Why did the staff member send that? Because there were mistakes in draft audits up to that point. That person wasn't trying to impede the -- impair the ind pens of the auditor in my opinion, you would have to look at that memo that came from a senior staff person and say, look, I think that's saying if you take this out, I'm using my staff position to take this out, then I'll give you the data. Another interpretation of that is that finding isn't right, like it's inaccurate. So, I'm waiting until that finding is taken out. There have been draft audit report that is have come out of the chief auditor's office that have findings in them that are wrong. There are corrections made about draft audit reports made in
345this district. they happen all the time and the internal control is the exit conference where they let us know we found documentation since we fail today provide it to you before or we have found something else that identifies that the way this is written is incorrect. That internal control leads to a corrected audit before it becomes -- before it's out of draft and into a finalized audit report. what does the yellow book say about cooperating with colleagues? it tells me to maintain my independence, unless my colleague ares auditors, it doesn't tell me to maintain any kind of relationship with management that would be otherwise out of a silo, we're supposed to remain independent, arms length and not get involved with management and not make any decisions that management would rely on to us, we give
346them advice that we can pointing them to the regulations much the way we do red book, much the way we do contracts and term and is conditions, much the way we do a lot of those things but we do not get co-mingled with interrelating with management in that level. you know, the board's going to have to figure out where they want to go. I'll tell you where I'm going. I've worked with auditors forever, I have, and getting data, getting reviews, working with senior staff is a fundamental part of being an auditor. It does not impede independence. Those people have insights, they have context, they have data. They have lives, they have priorities of other work assigned to them. And, you know, I believe deeply in the independence of auditing, the public needs to have audits
347of all government agencies and they don't but the things that I have found wantoning oning -- wanting that do not impede the independence of the auditor, it's about how you get things done in a large organize in a a way that improves audits and that memo interpreted a memo from the staff in a certain way that suggested that that was the case. another way to deal with that might not have been a formal memo, if you're going to write a formal memo and you sign it and you say you send it to me, send it to me, otherwise I am held out for 31 dialyses with the world thinking I got that and did nothing. The superintendent got hung out for 31 days because the world thought he should have done something and he did
348do something once he got it but you literally walked out of my office after you said your executive assistant did not transmit it to when he was supposed to, that's what you told me, I got my notes, man, and sent it and immediately the superintendent started working on it because this is a firable offense, how can you work for more than a day in a government agency and sign a memo and mot send toit the person that has to investigate the second he gets it. I'm sorry but there's nothing in the yellow book that explains memo but people know thousand do memos and I just -- there's too much here about failing to work with other people in ways that do not in any way impede the independence of the chief auditor. For me to
349think about a performance improvement plan for these things. This is the kind of stuff that everybody understands and that the public will not understand. To make a senior executive salary and sit here and say I going forward will transmit memos that I signed to go to three groups going forward. It doesn't pass the public standards and it certainly doesn't pass by mine. noted and I stapd by the comment I made before. thank you. Are you done? MRS. Leonardi? yeah, thank you. MADAM Chair, if I MAY, I'm sorry, I know I have to correct an answer that I gave to MS. Leonardi before. She asked me about the notice provision and I had said that under the termination without cause, it was 60 days and it's 90 days. Under termination for cause. I did say it
350was three business days and it has to be in writing, so that's why the information would have to be placed in writing and this would not constitute note, just having this meeting. okay. I'm a little frustrated because in a conversation we had, I feel like we -- I got different guidance, but here we are. And for the without cause, it would require a 90 day notice, like, before the vote is taken? You know, because that was the conversation you and I had was about this workshop and the need for it. So, can you please be clear about if the chief auditor is terminated without cause, he gets a 90 day notice that -- when after the vote is taken? okay, so, the termination without cause, you can provide the -- this would be -- I
351mean, if this is where you wanted to go wi it, had d wowould notice,, yoow, that's what the consensus isis after this meeting. Yoyou can provide that, it does mot have to be in writing. The one that has to be in writing is the termination for cause and then you would -- if that's where the board had consensus that's the direction they wanted to go, they would either have to create a board item or direct me to write something that would have to be provided to the chief auditor listing whatever it is that you have stated here today that would rise to the level of a termination for cause. okay. I mean, I guess we've never workshopped and thep come to a consensus about terminating someone. Like, this is just not the usual -- the
352way we've done this in the past. This was my understanding was that this was supposed to be a workshop on the evaluation but I'm just -- I think maybe we flexed to have a conversation off-line, not the board, just me and the general counsel about this but I will move on. Because I wanted o touch on some of DR. Zeman's comments about the memo and whether or not it should have been written and transmitted in the first place and I just encourage my colleagues to watch the MAY 8 audit committee meeting because I think some of these things are flushed out in that meeting after about I think in the second hour of the meeting at around I think hour two. And I share some of those concerns but I do want to go back
353to what was the evaluation period for these evaluations that we conducted? What was the e valor period. the chief auditor was evaluated from SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 through APRIL, 2025. so, things that took place after APRIL 30, 2025 would be subject to the next evaluation, correct? Okay. Thank you. So, I think that's important for everyone to understand, maybe some of the concerns that we have are for the 2026 evaluation, not the 2025 evaluation. The rin bring that up because a performance plan has been brought up. I don't know that a performance plan would be necessarily helpful. I do think like all of this information is helpful for the next evaluation. And then -- and I did want to note, I was also a little frustrated. I learned of a lot of things after I had turned
354in and signed my evaluation, so I think the way that played out kind of left a bad taste in some people's mouths. But I wanted to -- I was interested in something that our chief auditor said when he was talking about the yellow book and the gagus framework and you read something that was like a threat to replace the auditor and that was in violation of something. Could you repeat that. yeah, so, the section 3.42 identifies examples of circumstances that create undue influence, threats for an auditor or audit organization, include existence of the following, and then when you get down to f where I began, it says authority to overrule or inappropriately influence auditor's judgment as to the appropriate content of the report and that means anybody. G, threat of replacing the auditor or the
355audit organization based on a disagreement with contents of an audit report, the auditor's conclusions or the application of accounting principles or other criteria. stop there, thank you, that's what I was -- and could you repeat that section again. the comment? the number. that's 342, letter g. okay. Because it would appear then that if -- you said anyone, right. yeah. so, if a board member disagreed with an audit finding and brought an item to terminate your contract, that would apply? yes. okay, so it looks like we can't -- who else has the ability to fire me, right. it looses like we can't fire the chief auditor under that framework then. understand, like I said, this is yellow book standards that provide insulation. It naoets a law. I'm just trying to say I'm letting you guys know
356the whole story the best way I know it because these are the things I look at when I look at potential impairments or impairments that I perceive as real or that the evidence suggests is real. okay, thank you. MS. Thompson? so I kind of want to follow that train of thought because I think that's confusing to me because then it sounds like any feedback we MAY be giving to you could be considered a threat to your position, so can you expand on that. it depends. We're in a situation right now where I'm stringing to take all this in as an extension of the input and criticism and opportunity for improvement that you've all given me and so in this situation, you're not talking about an audit, you're talking about my performance. These audit standards only
357talk about when there are impedance or impairments or influence on actual audit functions, whether that's field work, whether that is gathering information during the course of field work, whether that's issuing a draft report and asking for additional information and getting -- not being cooperated with or putting a report through to the audit committee and to the board and then there's a problem with the report itself. The idea is that it's about the actual audit function, not about what's going on in this room today. This room today websinger ear talk k about an evaluation, that's how I see it anyway. I thought it was a good format to bring this information forward for your benefit especially when MRS. Hixon read the job description that showed some disparities between what is management and what is audit. okay.
358I will come back to that. And I don't know if if it would be appropriate to do it here but I guess we're going to start since the audits are coming back next week. If someone -- if you report say a receipt was missing in an audit but then you get the information, you get physical evidence that the receipt was there the whole time, is that considered impeding your audit because they are finding facts or they are showing you support that what you said isn't accurate? I just need some clarification, are you talking about documentation that's provided while the audit is in its draft format? sure. okay, so again, that's a part of the internal control process for audits. We put out a draft based on information that we gather and interview that is we
359do with staff in the field. We send them a draft audit for them to look at so they can provide us with senses, if in the course of reviewing that, they go, well, finding number 2 is incorrect, we do have this documentation. They share that with us, we verify the documentation exists, we identify -- we have a situation where documentation was missed because a money collection envelope was with a sponsor still at the time it was supposed to be in the box. When we followed through with it, we found out that envelope was indeed mot lost and we hadn't lost it and their finding was gone. The same with this receipt you're talking about here. If we've got a receipt back before the draft was done, they provided us that documentation that we didn't find
360during our field work and that wasn't available during our field work, we would look at that and say it's late but that's no longer a finding. We would pull it out. just to clarify on the record, you write your draft, you present it to whatever staff people it refers to, affects, thank you, they say actually, this is inaccurate, here's the documentation,. You're telling me you then go back to your audit and fix it because someone has proved you were wrong? they didn't prove we were wrong, they provided us the documentation we were looking for all along and then we said there's no longer a reportable finding here anymore. Does the documentation exist to remove this reportable finding. and you're saying that has happened in every audit case? no, not in every. okay. it's more the
361exception than the rule. because I watched the audit committee video that MS. Leonardi is referencing and it seems to me that a staff person presented facts that an audit was incorrect and your staff or yourself was unwilling to change that and again I don't know if it would be appropriate to wait until next meet tog talk about that but because it's coming up in those conversations of what's interference and what's just doing your job, I'm confused. well, I didn't want to go through but we'll go there. The written responses were due ten business days after we notified them of the draft report. They didn't provide the written responses, then they said they would bring the written response tos the audit committee. When they came to the audit committee, the executive director of that department said
362we don't have written responses for you today because I told them not to bring them, I wanted to give you verbal responses. They gave us verbal responses, now, this is APRIL 10, you can go back and look at that meeting as well, that was where the impairment happened because we had been waiting for these responses and in many different cases prior to that, we had similar instances prior to that where the documentation was not provided when we requested to try to get the clarification. We don't want to write an audit finding if it isn't merited, we want the response ins a timely manner because policy 1700 says this is how much time you have to provide the responses. We found oit and it niece writing many the impairment statement, it shows that they had the
363responses before the spring break, they didn't provide us those responses, then when it was time for them to provide the response tos get our audit packets out in time, they still didn't provide the responses. They told us they would bring them to the audit committee meeting, well, we could slip them in as amended by the committee and they would be able to be transmitted to the board and it would have been a complete report, instead of doing that, they showed up at the meeting and said we are not bringing them and the executive director said and it was because of me, I'm the one who made the decision not to bring it. That is not only impairment that's in writing in the e-mail that is included in the impairment statement but it's an impairment that
364came directly off of the transcripts of the meet ining the exact words of the person who said we didn't bring a written response and it's because I stopped it. That's impairment. The idea of it is it doesn't have to make anybody feel weird or good, it's a matter that that is the definition of an impairment. We had had it happen enough times, I said it's time for us to bring this forward, we have enough documentation to do that because we want it to be corrected on their side, we want it to be corrected on their side so the process can be smoother but the cooperation is not happening all the way around with that particular function. so f you MISS A deadline, you're impairing -- impeding the independence of an audit? no, it was failure
365to provide the documentation and failure to provide the documentation while stating in writing and in person that we are not giving you -- you said many times, chief auditor, that after ten days, you move forward because ten day iss written in the policy for people to respond to you. I'm just saying that for the record. and I'll respond to that for the record, the findings change and the findings become more about this documentation was not provided or it was not provided in a timely manner because that's also worthy of a finding. continue, MS. Thompson. thank you for your perspective on that situation. I still am trying to question how we move forward because there seems to be a lot that needs to be improved on but there doesn't seem to be consensus on an improvement
366plan and so, again, I want the school board to function effectively, I want you to function effectively and it seems like there's a difference between what you think your guidelines are telling you you have to do and what the board's expectations of your role and how you work with our system to get better. and that's why we have the standards, because it helps to bridge the gap between your expectation and our requirements per standards. but at the end of the day, you're supposed to be working for our school system to make it better and there seems to be a disconnect there. That's my comment, thank you. I would just like to say that it's no more palatable for me to be in a place where I'm not wanted or the work that I'm doing isn't
367respected or that there's an understanding of what guides my work any more than you guys want to continue to have this problem. There can be an answer but I do not believe I have done anything that merits cause. I don't want this to be a problem that has to stick around forever. I don't know if that means having a discussion about mutual separation agreement, about without cause, but I don't believe that I have done anything for cause, so if it is the will of this board to move on, let talk about that. and that's not what I'm saying because if you've been listening, I want you to be successful, I want this board to be successful and trying to find a way that if we're saying we need this from you, if you are willing
368to do that or if we need you to work with our direct appointees in a difpt way that you were willing to do that, that is the conversation that I'm trying to have. My colleagues might be stringing to have a different conversation but I again want the system to do well and I'm trying to figure out what the next steps are to do that. my response to that is that there are many different departments in different air wraps within the district that we don't have these problems with. we have that collaboration, we have that spirit of cooperation, we even try when we go in to find ways we can add value through the recommendations we would make because everyone's trying to go more automated instead of paper. We're trying to find ways to work that
369into something that can help the departments improve. Again, a value add. I don't know that that bubbles up o you guys but it is a part of what we try to do consistently with the work that we're doing. We've recommended training for the problems that we have on the side that utilizes the red book to manage their book. We've tried to recommend training last year for the same item. One of the objectives that I have in my evaluation is to do an action and audits where we can do face to face discussions with the folks in these different areas so we can kind of let them know what it is we do versus what they think maybe that we do and where it is we have to go before we stop and can't cross that
370line. It makes a lot of difference for people who they understand that process and I have found it's been a lot more cooperative in various areas of what it is we've been able to do so far with the action and audits process. An example is ppo, we have -- we had some recent exit conferences with a ppo group and they reluctantly agreed to the errors but then found some documentation and provided it to us and we just reached out to the chair the other day to say can we please withdraw this audit because ppo has found some additional documentation that they think MAY neutralize this finding. We're going good back through and do a complete analysis. If we have to reproduce the report minus that finding, we will do it and this is when the
371report has already been sent to the board because of documentation that they found literally the day before -- the day after the audit were transmitted. I appreciate you sharing that. Thank you. MRS. Bulman? thank you. I appreciate how that conversation took a more positive turn right there because, you know, I think we were going in a good direction and again I think there's been generally a consent, I don't want to use consensus agreement, that collaboration is preferred over an adversarial process when we're all supposed to be working together to make the school district better. And I have a little problem with reading the yellow book and then declaring something to be this is what it is because everything is open to interpretation and so they get into some subjectivity that I don't think you can
372declare without other sources that this is absolutely the thing. You know, you're arguing, your independence is being interfered with but there's a set of facts there and I would imagine and maybe I'm incorrect that there MAY be an intensity or something like that, if someone writes an e-mail without the intent to interfere and it gets interpreted to be the case and then they say that that was not their intention, is that interference or is that an e-mail that you interpreted that way or was that your interpretation, so I think that gets kind of complicated and I don't think we need to litigate this right now. Our original conversation, I think there has to be some grace and elasticity provided on both sides, like obviously there's this issue with the transmittal of the memo, everyonebacker everyone
373makes mistakes, I think we can move past that but I would also like to see a little bit of again with the collaboration, the willingness to be working with people so that 's not gotcha situation, that's just what I would like to see moving forward. I think the district works better together if that's kind of -- if we're all on the same page and that's ultimately our goal. and for the record, I'm completely willing to did that and have continued to try to do that. I know there's improvement that can be done because I know that there's as much time spent on -- in this case on the side of internal funds audits. Them trying to put together a case or a countercase as there is for us when we're trying to provide them novembers
374show them -- this is when we started asking for the records and three months later is when we got the records. That's not acceptable but we can't do that in a collaborative way if they're the keepers of the records and they don't provide them to us. At some point we have to say, okay, we're going to have to make a finding just for that. So, I would like nothing more than to say here and improve the district and to improve these processes and improve these audits but it takes more than just me and my staff. right, so to that point and the question, this is for I don't know who, chair, you can direct it. But when we have a difference of opinion as to impairment, who determines whether or not that happened, who looks
375into that then? If he reports this is happening, how do we determine if it did in fact happen? And if it is continuing to happen and how we can fix it. I'll answer what I think is the right answer and refer back, but I would guess that the superintendent would do an investigation to see what those allegations are and determine whether it needs to go somewhere further. MR. Sullivan? sure, so yes, as it relates to this, the superintendent once he is notified that the two employees did request them to provide mem mows of the understanding of the situation. okay. has a determination been made and by whom? And how do we reconcile it? I'm going the refer to my boss. I'm here, multitasking. So, review the memo from the staff that was alleged to impair
376or whatever the term was for the chief auditor and what it looks like to me, we're still divining into thisfinger the staff was trying to work klab rat I beverly with the chief auditor's team. They had specific documentation that said otherwise as far as the specific findings and he had tangible evidence to show that, for instance, it was blanche ely with a missing page out of an invoice back of some sort but the page was actually there, so they made copies and all of this information was sent to the board. When was that, john, a couple of weeks ago, if not last week, to the board that's detailing all of that with the evidence included from my staff. So we're continuing to look into that and see if there's anything that we've missed and we'll
377deal with that accordingly, but we sent a very detailed memo with evidence from staff that includes many of the missing items that was alleged by the the chief auditor's team as far as what's missing. thank you. And ikz -- I guess I would like to have a procedure, we received all this information, we can try to figure out who's right independently, who figures it out, is this something that comes before the board and we vote on it? or who's the arbiter of this particular -- we need guidance because we're floating out here with the he said, she said, and competing memos and color books and things of that nature. MADAM Chair? J u to DR. Hepburn's point, there were some comment and is I don't know where they came from that a page that was
378ripped out of a repeat book. The day we heard of that information, the next morning my director went to ely, she found the document ins the box and we were happy to report that wouz no longer a finding, we needed to see those documents and confirm. The idea of it is, what he just said is correct. okay. Do you have any other -- no, that's it. okay, I have two quick things and then I'm going to ask MS. Batista what to do moving forward. First of all, one, you say it all the time and I'm not putting blame or judgment anywhere, but there's no point in having a policy if we don't follow the policy. So, I think moving forward, it would be important if a department isn't ready to do a written report. they
379write that down so that there's still something has was given to the auditor so you know they're just not doing something but they're not ready to respond. I think has would be helpful because if policy says they have ten days to do something and nothing happens in those ten days, you're not following policy and that's -- I have a real huge problem with that. No need for anyone to address it. I'm saying maybe that's something we talk about moving forward and I'll remind the board that we purposely made the chief auditor a direct report because we wanted to take them out of being with the superintendent and the staff in that way, so they could be more independent, I'm not saying you shouldn't be collaborative but I want to remind us why we agreed and
380voted for him to be our direct report and not where he was before which -- and that was a recent vote. We didn't want him to be under the superintendent. So, MS. Batista -- MADAM Chair, you need to have consensus to continue, we've reached the 8 hour mark. okay. Can we have consensus to do minutes because we need to figure out where we're moving from here. I think we're landing the plane. Consensus to go 10 minutes? Okay. Perfect. Alright. So, moving forward for the next thing, we had a suggestion about an improvement plan, we have the possibility of an item coming x and I think it's weird about that coming in a workshop setting, but some of us believe consensus is one thing, some, another. I'm very confused on where we're supposed to go right
381now. If there is a majority of us that would like to see some kind of -- I don't know, again, if improvement plan is the right terminology, but some kind of thing that the evaluation group can do based on what our evaluations were to bring us a report and then at a board meeting and then we do that, do we just get consensus and move forward with that or does that go away because we have two strong opinions of not doing that, that's my first question. so, regardless of what consensus is or is not, you know, one thing that is very clear, a workshop, you cannot conduct business at a workshop, so you cannot take a vote here. So, you can decide or make a suggestion to go a particular way. that doesn't preclude any
382board member from bringing aonbacker an item which is the appropriate next step. If you would like a b item where it says to place the chief auditor in a performance plan or to -- whatever it MAY be. So, that would be the appropriate next step if that's the will of the board. But this is just sort of like a place where you are gathering the ideas and figuring out where you want to go from here, if you want to do anything about what you've heard. so, could we take consensus to ask the evaluation department to do that summary and provide that to the board in general? yes, and if you can not reach consensus, you can bring it as an item to have it voted up or down at a board meeting. chair, I have
383one that objected but I will not object to your idea of asking our head of evaluations to bring a summary of the -- excuse me, school board member cervera, of the 8 appraisals to pick the things that are common and the things that make most sense many a summary document as a way to represent the general agreements that were found across the evaluations. so, I would not have an objection to that and I think to the general counsel's point, all we're asking is for some staff work to be done, if the superintendent's representative doesn't mind accepting that, we don't even have to have general consensus, they'll just say yes, we'll do it. I think we all agree that would be helpful. yes, we'll do it. perfect, then my other question is if there is a
384b item that comes to the board in terms of the with cause, what I understood you to say is in writing, there has to be something that comes from you to MR. Rhodes from the board indicating what those four cause terms are. So, I just want expectations for next week, if a b item comes, we have to not just vote yes or no, we would have to also agree on what those for cause terms would be and what the letter you would send would include. Is that correct? so, the language in the termination for cause states that the school board agrees that at least three business days prior to any vote, the school board to terminate the chief auditor for cause, the school board shall provide the chief auditor with a written notice describing in
385reasonable detail the grounds for termination for cause. so, you could argue that written notice would be an item on the agenda that explains in details with the grounds for termination are. You could go and think that what that means in that language is to have the board direct me, I'm the general counsel, so I would write a letter with that information and transmit it to the chief auditor. It could look different ways. But you do need a written notice of three business days prior to the vote bingeing taken. so, that's the part that's confusing because we would have to agree as a board to write that letter and what was included in it which we can only do at a school board meeting which manses it would then either have to be a special school
386board meeting to vote or we would have to wait until the next school board meeting to actually vote? that is correct. so, I guess that's why I want to make it clear before we get to next week and we vote on a b item that -- or we don't, I don't know, I haven't seen a b item, I want to make sure our expect traipses are clear, what we would do on tuesday is figure out yes or no on for cause what that cause would be, give you the information to write the letter, but we couldn't actually vote on anything, this is very confusing. if I could, chair, I think next week, we could. Again, I don't know which way the board's going to go but the board if they choose to terminate for cause
387would really next week vote to send a letter explaining why in reasonable detail why there is cause. Then inaudible. on what it could possibly look like. I'm not sure if it's a puddle jump but it's a version -- it's a double jump or something, you have to have two meetings to take this action. a preference, a puddle jump is okay, I don't think we should attach anyone's name to it, I think it's disrespectful. I think she likes it. new -- no, she doesn't. Okay, so I think we're clear, I just wanted to know what expectations we're moving forward. Anybody else want to go to cause, you have three minutes. So, we are not going to do the improvement plan, we're going wait to see if a b item comes and vote on whatever that might
388look like on tuesday. chair, I think we gave consensus to the staff. yes, we did give consensus. I want to make sure we're clear, what staff is going do is take ul the evaluations from the 8 board mao meet members who completed it and summarize it, they're not producing any kind of imprao ufrpt plan, that wouldn't be up to them. common themes. you're bringing that as an item so we can discuss it. along with a b item. we were going to present it to the board as a memo. we asked the staff to bring us a memo, that's an item. typically memos aren't board items. to we want it ooze a follow-up or a board item? I'm fine with a follow-up but can you include a vim -- summary of this conversation. that's a real
389challenge. I'm fine with a follow-up, that's great, thank you. Frj I think a follow-up is fine. the follow-up is going to be a summary of common themes in the 8 board member evaluations of the chief auditor. and this conversation? I mean, they've been here, do you feel like you have an accurate representation? I think it would be a challenge for us to do that as staff. it's a recorded video. it's a recorded video and people's comments came up. I'll defer to the superintendent. DR. Hepburn? thanks, MR. Sullivan. we'll exhaust our technology to see if we can capture a summary of this section of the meeting if we have any difficulties in doing so, we'll definitely inform the board asap. can I ask a question about the common themes. What is the purpose of that? I
390meanfinger the evaluations were all sent to us, I guess I'm wondering what the utility of staff doing that is? Of providing common themes of the evaluation. DR. Zeman? my sense is a summarized version MAY go in a number of different directions. One of them is that it might form a follow-on action plan with the chief auditor withdrawing any motions about terminations and say, look, let's move forward together, here's ten things or these ting ten things that you can develop measurable goals for and come back every quarter and come back to us and talk about them. Without that, we can't have a good conversation, so I think that was an interesting next step if we get the summary. it's coming back to us as a board follow-up, not a board item? Okay. I mean, okay. I
391have to read my thing, at this time, do any of my colleagues have anything to bring to the board or student success to share? a quick shout hof out to central park elementary, they received a national environmental award so, congratulations to them. The scheduled order of business for this school board workshop of the school board of broward county, florida has been completed. Seeing no obligation, I now adjourn the meeting. Thank you.