001Good evening. I call this meeting of the Penllis County School Board on April 14th, 2026 to order. We have five board members attending in person. Miss Blackburg is attending her son's senior night and Mrs. Meyer is appear appearing via Zoom. Mrs. Meyer, can you hear me? Okay, Mrs. Meyer is not present via Zoom. This evening, we will have an invocation provided by Pastor Auggie Allen with Riviera United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, followed by the pledge of allegiance led by chair vice chair Don Peters and national anthem performed by Lakewood High School under the direction of Alicia Peterson. You welcome Thank you, superintendent, chairperson, school board, and attendees. My name is Pastor Augia. I'm a parent of four children, Penelis County Schools and the proud PTSA president of John Hopkins Middle School. Go Trojans. Would
002you receive this blessing as you are comfortable and able to creator of all things, we ask your favor upon this time tonight. We ask that in all things we may humble ourselves as servants to the community that has asked us to lead in such a time as this. Where we have the opportunity to be celebrated, let us be reminded of those who helped us achieve the accomplishment. Where we have the opportunity to be questioned about our choices, would we take accountability, seek forgiveness, and learn in this way. May we lead all people. May we serve our students well, our students who achieve and our students who struggle. our students who feel seen and our students who feel unseen. May we serve our students who are hungry, who are lost, and who feel as if there
003is no one to champion for them. Teach us to champion for the one who feels excluded and left out. May we serve our staff, administrators, and teachers well. For the teacher who shows up early and leaves late. For the teacher who keeps an extra snack, toiletries, and a caring heart tucked in the bottom drawer, ready to dispense as the need arises. And for the administrators who carry the way to providing a safe and thriving community of learning, may we serve them well. To our creator on this evening, grant us wisdom to change the things we can engage the challenges we face with the same fervor we'd want for our own families and learn from the prophets, sages, and those who have proclaimed there is nothing higher in regards to our lives than to serve one
004another well. Thank you for this time, these servants, and your grace. Amen. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we held at the twilight last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight. For the red hearts we wash were so gallently streaming. And the rock is red glare. The bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does the star spangled ber yet wave or the land of the free and the home of the brave. You may be seated. May the record reflect that there are five board members in attendance
005for this meeting and the national anthem was a video played by Duneden of Duneden High School. Next on our agenda item 1.5 is a video Panelis Innovation Wellness Room partnership with Tampa Bay Thrives. So the reason why this this project is really important is that when we spoke to kids around what their needs were, we heard very clearly, particularly in neighborhoods that might not have things like cafes and safe places to gather, that kids really wanted this and they really wanted it to be in their school where they are most of their day. So that when they have a tough moment or they need just to sort of take a breather, they have that available to them. So, us partnering with the district was incredibly important because they have the locations, they have the expertise,
006and what our goal is is to amplify and enhance what's already happening. These rooms focus on self-guided activities and programs that can be done on their own and leave all of the school counselors and therapists still available to help kids in crisis who really do need it. >> I just have to say, my first time in this room, I was shocked and flabbergasted. All right. When I was here, there was no one was hurt and we just had to go to class or sit in the hallways. And sometimes we just be in trouble sitting hallways, you know, we're like, "Oh, we can't take school, can't take class. We're just going to sit in the hallway, skip this class." Well, now since we have this wellness room, uh we can blow off all the stress and
007um anxiety. Mental health is so important for our students. They can't do anything in school, in life if we aren't mentally well. And that's our students, our adults. And so to have an investment from Tampa Bay Thrives to come into this space and to say to our students, we want you to feel seen, we want you to feel heard, we want you to be able to de-stress, to get that anxiety off. And so, uh, we would love to have this in every single school in our district, and this is the first one. You have to start somewhere. And we're so grateful to have it here at Penelai Innovation. >> Well, the room itself, uh, make me feel welcome. Everything is just like a space that helps students to be like creative and express themselves through
008art. And here in this room, everybody can be like themselves and just talk about their problems in general and get the like the steam out of the day. As an anchor institution, I think for HCA Florida Healthcare, it's important because we know investing in our students is investing in our future and mental wellness affects us all. So, the more that we can come together as a community and do our part in whatever way that looks like to help provide healthier tomorrows, um that we feel like that's a valuable investment, one we're very much behind. >> And there you heard it. D-stress, feeling seen, and being heard from our students and experts in the field. We know that having an intentional space for students matters. So, thank you. Next on our agenda, item 1.6, introduction of
009professional and community organization representatives, Isabelle Masinus. Thank you. Good afternoon, Madame Chair, members of the board, Mr. Hendrik, and staff. It is my pleasure to introduce the following representatives of community and professional organizations. This evening, we have members of the media in attendance. from Tampa Bay 28, Julie Salamone and Delissa Johnson. Today we have a presentation from the Student Rights and Responsibility Committee. Please welcome Rory McMahon and Jaden Wyn from Lakewood High School and their principal, Kenishha Garcia. Good evening, Madame Chair, members of the board, Mr. Hendrickk and staff, it is our pleasure to present Lakewood's work over the past year. My name is Rory McMahon and I am the CAT saludiatoran for the class of 2026. I plan to attend the University of Rochester for biochemistry and neuroscience with the Memorial Scholarship of $80,000.
010And I'm Jaden Wyn, the cat valictorian for the class of 2026. And I plan to attend John's Hopkins University as a mechanical engineer on a full ride as a Hodson Scholar. Thank you very much for this opportunity to tell you a little bit about our school. We are the high school with two magnets programs to support our students and allow them to explore their passions and interests with specialized teaching spec sorry specific opportunities and many industry certifications. Our school has earned a B rating for the first time in over a decade. While students have the opportunity to earn over 20 industry certifications in Adobe, software, 3D design, robotics, and AI. Over the past year, our students have done a lot to prove that we are Spartan strong. Four Lakewood football players were recruited and committed
011to bigname D1 programs like UF. While several of our track athletes have qualified for states, >> 3DE is continuing their success, earning honorable mentions in the Home Depot National Case Competition and continuing to give students experience in the business and entrepreneurship world. Lakewood FBA continues to stand out, sending 74 students to FBA states and returning with 22 state winners, which is a third of Penelis County School's total high school state winners. Lakewood's art program is also being recognized as several student pieces have been represented at museums and art dollars. Our esports teams are also winning several district awards. The center for advanced technologies program has given students amazing opportunities to grow and learn. Magnet schools of America honored the CAT program as a magnet school of excellence. Whether it is visiting Disney workshops to learn
012about the amazing engineering running the background or presenting real design sahadis students are developing amazing engineering skills. We've also expanded our robotics club reviving our second team. The multimedia pathway CATCOM has also made their return to the student television networks for the first time in several years. Students are able to earn college credit through our certifications, including but not limited to Fusion, Inventor, Solid Works Associate, Revit, AutoCAD, and Solid Works Professional. The Center for Journalism and Multimedia is our second magnet program. Students learn every aspect of journalism to hold the empowered accountable and give a voice to everyone. Students earn certifications in Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and WordPress. For our school, CGM students help produced a school news website, the Spartan News Network, and create posts for our Lakewood Media Instagram account. On the
013slide, you can see a few pictures our student journalists have taken. This year, they have greatly expanded SNN and Lakewood Media, so all students are in the know about Lakewood and beyond. Lakewood has also started one of the first esports programs in Penllis County where students are able to compete and enjoy their favorite video games with current and new friends. They meet up during lunch and after school to compete and have won several awards in Penelis County. School shouldn't be a oneanddone spot. It's a community and our students have worked to help expand our community and include more students in events through new clubs and opportunities. So, here's a few new things about Lakewood. >> Recently, our softball team won their first game in several years. This may seem minor to some, but this was
014a great achievement for our school. We've also created our Fab Lab where students have the opportunity to 3D print anything they want. In the Fab Lab, we also run a student-led t-shirt printing business where we print and press shirts on site for several clubs, schools, and businesses in St. Pete. We've also created the ping pong club which is a big hit among students in the media center with casual and competitive play and tournaments. Students of any skill level can learn the game and play with the others. For publicity, CJM students have created an article to spread the news. At Lakewood, there is a place and community for everyone to come and thrive. Clubs and programs are deeply interconnected. Thank you for this opportunity to present our school's achievements over the past year. And thank you
015very much for sharing what makes Lakewood High School great. Congratulations to you, Principal Garcia, and your entire school. Thank you. Next on our agenda, item 2.1. Mr. Hendrick, are there any changes to the agenda? >> There are no amendments, Madam Chair. >> Board members, are there any recommended changes to the agenda? Okay. Thank you. Agenda item three. May I have a motion to adopt the agenda as presented? >> Make a motion. >> Second. >> I have a motion from Mrs. Long and a second from Mrs. Peters. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The motion to adopt the agenda passes zero 520. Next on our agenda may is presentation of the proclamation recognizing April as National Volunteer Month. May I have a motion to approve item 4.1? >> I have a motion
016by Mrs. Hine and a second by Mrs. Kaine. Mr. Hendrick, would you please introduce this item? >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Each year we recognize our volunteers in a ceremony that the district hosts, but it this month in April, we like to do the proclamation to appreciate all of the volunteer work that happens in our district. And so to share more about that work and to hear more about what we're doing to uh cheer on our volunteers is our director of strategic partnerships, Miss Dean Dah. Mrs. Dah. So, good evening, Madame Chair, board members, Mr. Hendrickk, and staff. The Office of Strategic Partnerships is excited to present the proclamation recognizing April 2026 is National Volunteer Appreciation Month. Volunteers play a vital role in everything we do. They support our students in a variety and our
017teachers in a variety of ways. Mentoring, tutoring, bus circle, car circle. They are in our cafeterias. They are serving in our media centers. They are guest speakers for us. They are taking on leadership roles in PTA, SAC, and our booster organizations. The district currently has over 23,000 active volunteers who have contributed more than 140,000 hours so far this year. Their dedication and generosity and giving their time to Penllis County Schools makes them an invaluable resource. The outstanding school volunteer award program was created to recognize individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication commitment to quality education in our K12 public schools. The program highlights the and inspires strong school community partnerships including innovative approaches and um enhancing student academics performance and resiliency. This year, our committee for outstanding school volunteer selection honored 17 honores in three categories from
018over 120 nominations was which was the most we've ever had. So, that was very exciting. I do want to send a huge congratulation to all of our honores. And tonight with me, I have the honor and privilege of having two of those um honores that will be sent to the state. So Nicole Hollstead from Mangro Bay was not able to join us, but I have these two amazing ladies with me. I have our youth volunteer Emma Revron from Tarpon Springs Elementary School and also our senior volunteer Cindy Peacock from Palm Harbor Middle School. Ladies, can we give please everyone give them a huge round of applause? So Mrs. doll before we recognize them with our board. Let's do our proclamation first and then we'll have a picture with our board members. Let's go to the
019proclamation. >> Okay. Mrs. Hine, would you please read the proclamation? >> Yes. Thank you. Proclamation volunteer appreciation month. Whereas the month of April has been designated nationally as volunteer appreciation month to recognize the hard work, dedication, and passion of volunteers throughout our nation. And whereas this year more than 23,000 volunteers in Penllis County schools have given over 140,000 hours of their time along with their talent and resources to our schools which is a testament to the commitment and generosity of our community. And whereas the school district of Penllis County commemorates volunteer appreciation month by recognizing its valued volunteers through events and initiatives at the school district and state level. And whereas Penllis County Schools believes that the district alone cannot meet all of our schools and students needs. So we partner with individuals, businesses, faith-based
020organizations, nonprofit organizations, and foundations in our community to make a difference. And now therefore, be it resolved that the school board of Penllis County and the superintendent hereby proclaim April as volunteer appreciation month and urge all to observe this month by taking time to recognize and acknowledge the positive impact of volunteers in Penllis County who give so unselfishly of their time and talent in our district. Signed this 14th day of April, 2026. >> Thank you, Mrs. Hine. Is there any board discussion? I'll just say one thing. Um, this is a time of year when your PTAs and Sachs are looking for um, presidents, vice presidents, membership chairs, fundraising chairs, teacher appreciation week is coming up. So, please donate generously when people ask for those kinds of things for your schools. It makes a big difference.
021And if you're being asked to be one of those PTA or SAC chairs or volunteers, do it. uh it it you you will be closer with your school's staff, teachers, leaders, fellow parents, and students. And I do just in honor of Dr. Vasquez, who recently retired, who was our head of high school here. Um I want to say one of the first things she told me when I joined the school board 5 years ago was it's great what you've done as a volunteer in elementary school, but your sk your kids still need you in high school and middle school, if not more so. So still show up. So I just want to encourage everyone to um do that. And thank you to the all to all the volunteers and it's good to see both of
022you here tonight. >> Thank you, Mrs. Hine. I have a motion in a second to approve item 4.1. All in favor say I. >> Any opposed? Motion passes. 5. Now on to agenda item 4.2 through 4.4. Mr. Hendrick, would you please introduce these items? >> I will. And the board is going to go down front uh for some pictures. Uh Mrs. Long is going to stay up here with me. We're happy to have you here, Mrs. Long, but she recent surgery and so she's going to stay up here. Uh, but perhaps you'll see her in the background of the picture, maybe. All right. So, our first recognition this evening is for the 2026 outstanding school volunteers. And as you just heard, we have a couple of our uh state finalist here with us. So, Miss
023Dolly, you'll stay at the uh at the lectern and just introduce them one more time and then we'll uh take the picture for our outstanding volunteers. >> Okay. Tonight, Emma Revron from Tarpon Springs Elementary School and our senior volunteer Cindy Peacock from Palm Harbor Middle School. All right, congratulations and thank you to our volunteers. Our next item, item 4.3, is the recognition of the 2026 Florida prepaid scholarship recipients. I'd like to call up our chief academic officer, Denica Jones, who will give us more information about the prepaid scholarships and in particular how these students were chosen for the scholarship to represent Penelis County Schools. Chief Jones, >> great evening, Madam Chair, Mr. Hendrick, and staff. Tonight, we are so proud to recognize three outstanding graduating seniors who exemplify academic excellence, commitment, and passion for their
024future and for education. Through our partnership with the Florida Prepaid College Board, these scholars have each earned a Florida Prepaid College scholarship, which is a meaningful investment in continuing their learning success. They were selected through the Panelis Education Foundation scholarship program for their strong academic pro performance and their interest in pursuing a career in education. You heard it right. We are growing teachers. Please join me in congratulating Gabrielle Arduan from Bogusa High School who earned a 3.7 weighted GPA and will attend and pursue her degree in education at a higher level university. Gabrielle You have to take this. You have to go over and stand in front of them. >> And parents, as we have our recognitions tonight, feel free to take a picture. You can come up right in the center and take a
025picture behind our photographer as well if you'd like. Congratulations. >> Next, we'd like to celebrate Jayla Knight from Largo High School, who achieved a perfect 4.0 0 weighted GPA and will attend Florida Atlantic University. >> You're welcome. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations. And our our final representative is Caitlyn Anderson from Palm Harbor University High School who earned a 4.3 weighted GPA and will attend the University of South Florida Tampa campus. CONGRATULATIONS to Gabrielle, Jayla, and Caitlyn on this great honor, and we look forward to seeing you come teach in Penel county schools a few four uh four years from now. Our next item is item 4.4, recognition of recipients of state and national awards. And students uh as we uh call you up, you're going to come up this way and you'll come across
026to have a picture with our school board members uh just as you saw previously. And our first set of awards tonight will be for the Future Business Leaders of America Awards. Penllis County students made our school district proud at the annual Future Business Leaders of America State Conference. More than 70 students placed in the top five across the state with the top four in each category qualifying for the FBLA Nationals this summer. Student performance across Penllis County illustrates the depth of talent across the district when they competed in mid-March. Tonight, we're pleased to honor students who won the statewide competition in their individual categories. We will call students up in groups by their school and we'll take a group picture with the entire school. And I know we have a number of principles here. Principles,
027feel free to join in with them. Our first school is Duneden High School. And our first place in business plan is Grace Harrison. Come up, Grace. That's congratulations. Our next school is East Lake High School. And our first recognition from East Lake is for the first place team for coding and programming. Representing the team tonight is Aush Gupta. And also on the team, but not present tonight, is Liam Jacobs and Arouche Sha. Come on up and we'll take your picture. And from East Lake High School in the real estate competition, first place for Andrew Brown. And Andrew, I don't believe is here tonight. Also from Well, that's all from Eastlake. All right, let's move on to our next school, uh, Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, and our first place uh, student there is for the middle
028school exploring customer service, and the state champion is Maline Harrison. Congratulations, Maline. I see that. Where's that? And it was just noted to me that her sister Grace was just recognized as a state champion as well in high school. So, two sisters, state champion, low bar in that family. Nice job. Next from Lakewood High School, first place statewide in information management is Jaden Wyn. We just heard from Jaden. Congratulations, Jaden. And also from Lakewood High School, first place in Introduction to Programming, Nicholas Basset and Giovani Dedo. and another first place team from Lakewood High School in network design. Congratulations to Braden Frell, Ryland Larkin, and Truman Rhodess. Congratulations Lakewood High School. Next is the first place statewide team from Ocola Fundamental High School in public service announcement. Congratulations to Breland D'Angelo, David Mun, and Dominic
029Yepz. CONGRATULATIONS to Iola Fundamental High School. Next up is first place students from Palm Harbor University High School. First place in accounting statewide is Logan Lupico. All right, congratulations, Logan. >> Next, we will move to the National Scholastic Art Awards. The National Scholastic Art Awards are the nation's highest national competition in art and writing. The program is one of the most prestigious and longestrunn creative recognition programs for teens. Over 110,000 teenagers submitted 310,000 original works of art for recognition this year. Penellis County Schools won a record 20 national art awards in this competition and eight students won gold medals in the competition and received those gold medals at Carnegie Hall later this year. Tonight we have just one student who's able to be with us tonight to receive that recognition from Gibbs High School, a
030National Scholastic Art Gold Medal in Digital Art. Congratulations to Sid Royome. Congratulations Our next honores is a team from Dunan High School that won the 3D 2026 Home Depot National Case Challenge Competition. Across the nation, students were challenged to create an innovative do-it-yourself customer experience, showcasing one of Home Depot's bestselling departments. The team visited their local store and quickly identified the need to update technology to help customers test paint products. Their innovative solution called the orange zone was chosen amongst schools across the nation in a national competition. Congratulations to the championship team of Ariana Sanchez, Emily Young, Kelly Cruz, Mia Hernandez, and Skiara Pierre from Duneden High School. >> It's a new camera. So good. >> So good. >> And our final category of awards tonight is for the state competition in family career and
031community leaders of America or FCCLA. More than 600 students attended the state conference in Orlando a few weeks ago. FCCLA is a national career technical student organization for students enrolled in family and community or family and consumer sciences programs. The organization helps students develop problem solving, career readiness, and leadership skills. And the students being awarded tonight are all from Largo High School. We begin with the gold medal in artistic reflections and that is for Haley Estz. Next is a gold medal for pin design and that is Melanie Martinez. The next competition, two gold medalist in the poetry category. Congratulations to Joanna Abshshire and Elijah Williams. And the final final honore from Largo High School for the short story competition, a statewide gold medal to Kadisha Wallace. Congratulations to all of our honores this evening. One
032more time. And as our board members come back up to the deis for the rest of the meeting, we certainly welcome all of our guests and parents to stay tonight. However, if you wanted to leave, now is a perfect time to do so as we have a short break in the meeting. Thank you all for coming tonight and congratulations one more time to all of our honores. >> And for you Well, that was absolutely wonderful. It is evident that Penllis County Schools uh scholars are definitely worth celebrating. So, thank you families, congratulations scholars, and thank you to our educators and volunteers who support them throughout the year. Next on our agenda, public comments on agenda items. Mrs. Hal, are there any speakers for agenda items? >> Madam Chair, there are no speakers for agenda items.
033>> Thank you. Now, on to agenda item six. We have no unfinished business. On to agenda item seven, the consent agenda. May I have a motion to adopt the consent agenda? >> Make a motion. >> I have a motion from Mrs. Long. May I have a second? >> Second. >> And a second from Mrs. Peters. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The motion passes 5 to zero. Next on to agenda item eight. May I have a motion to approve agenda item 8.1. Request approval of school opening and closing times for the 26 27 school year and authorize the superintendent to make additional changes as required by statute or factors affecting the length of the instructional day. I have a motion from Mrs. Peters. May I have a second and a second
034from Mrs. Long. Thank you. Board members, any discussion, >> Superintendent Hendrickk, >> thank you. We will uh share more about this. Of course, board members, we spoke about this at our workshop uh two times in this semester about start times um and certainly the the state law and what we're trying to do to move as many as we can closer to 8:00. And so, uh, here to share more about this is our director of transportation, Mr. T. Mark Hagglewood, and he will update the board and the public on where we stand. Mr. Haggawood. Thank you. Good evening, Madam Chair, school board members, Superintendent Hendrickk, and staff. I'm here this evening to talk about school bell times for the 2627 school year. Each spring, the transportation department evaluates school bell times for efficiency and student experience
035with Penllis County Schools to ensure that the department has the most up-to-date information to plan for the following school year. Prior to making recommendations to the superintendent and the school board for any changes, the department reviews current and projected school and district application program enrollment, current and historical bus ridership and potential efficiency across tiers to allow drivers to be able to run three runs in the morning and three runs in the afternoon. To make recommendations having projected enrollment for the following year is crucial. Additionally, as recommendations are developed, the board's direction and discussion to shift school times towards 8:00 a.m. guides our work. As discussed during the board workshop in March, we are bringing forward three recommendations for the 2026 2027 school year. The first recommendation is to move St. Petersburg High School from a
036bell schedule of 7:25 to 1:55 p.m. to a new time of 7:45 to 2:15. The second recommendation is to move Duneden High School from a bell schedule of 7:25 to 1:55 to a new time of 7:45 to 2:15 p.m. The third recommendation is to combine Largo Middle School with Largo High School. Largo Middle School would be 7:35 to 205 and Largo Middle School would be 725 to 155. Combining combining middle school and high school bell times and routes has been noted as a strategy in schoolboard meetings, schoolboard listen and learns and public transportation presentations over the last couple of years. Over the past several years, the district has had success combining middle school and high school routes, East Lake High School and East Lake Middle School and Lakewood High School with Bayoint Middle School. The
037Largo High School, Largo Middle School combination recommendation would give us a high school middle school combination in all three areas of the county, north, central, and south. In combining routes in geographical areas that have overlapping attendance boundaries, it not only creates efficiency in routing, but it also lets us explore geographic strategies to move towards an 8 a.m. bell time. Current school bus time start legislation requires school districts to review and submit to the state the start times of all schools, document the strategies considered to implement later times, provide public opportunity for input, and assess impact, including financial, and identify potential unintended consequences. All of this information has been included in the district presentation about start times over the last two years. For the last three years, the district has also ensured that all families have
038a direct way to give feedback regarding start times. Since 2023, there have been 10 public meetings, including tonight, where bell times have been discussed and an opportunity to provide input. Since the fall of 2024, there has been a dedicated area specifically for start time feedback through the contact us button in our website. With regard to the recommendations brought forward tonight, the district has received five inquiries regarding the bell time adjustment for Largo Middle School. As this adjustment for Largo was a major change, direct communication was sent out to all 680 families prior to the March workshop. Of the five inquiries, four were opposed to the earlier start time for Largo Middle School due to concerns about sleep needs of middle school students and the availability of child care. One of the inquiries was a specific
039request for school bus stop information for the next school year. There was one inquiry about the bell time adjustments for Duneden High School. However, when the principal called and spoke with the individual, he explained that the arts programs and afterchool activities would not be impacted. So this inquiry was resolved. I would like to thank the school board and our community for the engagement throughout the annual bell time process. As a district and specifically as a transportation department, our goal is to ensure that we continue to provide efficient systems and safe transportation and structures to fulfill our vision of 100% student success. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Hedgewood. Board members, any discussion? Mrs. Hine, >> thank you. Um, Mr. Hedrick, you noticed or you noted that the one of the or some of the Largo
040middle inquiries were about child care. I believe the district um communicated about that. Could you just share with the answer? >> We did. We talked to our partner there to make sure there's space available next year, additional space for families who need it and we will have that in place. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, I think it's important to and and I know you said it a couple times in in in your remarks, both of you, but just to remind everybody that, you know, the discussion about high school start times has been ongoing in this district since at least 2018, if not sooner. I know we started a high school start times task force uh reviewed the sleep research have brought in a number of folks have also upgraded our busing system reduced our routes
041uh increased bus driver pay I mean a whole range of analysis with the intended goal to move high school start times later and so the goal the sleep research says to move them later now the legislation came out that said high schools couldn't start was it before 8:00 a.m. forgive me. >> 8:30 for high schools and and 8 for middle schools. That legislation was passed and then a a lot of school districts worked to help get it overturned and that did and that did happen so that we could make the right decisions for our county. Otherwise, we would have just had to snap and move high schools to 8:30. So, our our goal is every year to to do our best to find efficiencies to gradually move start times for high schools closer to 8
042am because it's believed that that's better for sleep for adolescence. So, this year when the news came out that we were able to move a couple 20 minutes later, that felt like good news. Um, and so that's something that we're going to continue to do, but unless there's other discussion and in and changes in that idea. Um, but you know, even when it's good news, change is hard. People are creatures of habit. I was at a high school sack meeting last night at St. Pete High where I'm a parent and um, a couple teachers there and it came up about the news. I said, "Well, you know, we have the new start time next year." And there were a couple teachers who said, "What? The time's changing?" And I I know for a fact it's
043been talked about, it's been emailed. It's hard. You know, communication these days is hard. There's a lot of information out there and we miss and we miss things. And so, um, any ideas you have that that the that Penelis County schools or school leaders can do better and communicating changes that are coming and even if it's things that we're trying to move in a positive direction, it's still change and change is hard. Um, and so just any any ideas you have about how we can do better. Um, but just wanted to make sure we understand that that's the goal we're working towards here. So, thank you. >> Thank you very much. I have a motion and a second to approve item 8.1. All in favor say I. I. >> Any opposed. The motion passes 5
044to zero. >> Thank you. Our next agenda item 9.1 items introduced by superintendent. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to start this evening with an update on our weapons detection pilot. We spoke on that at the last school board meeting um and we began that on April 6. I want to thank the students, staff, the faculty, uh, at Palm Harbor University and Gibbs High Schools for their engagement, support, and feedback during the roll out of the sites. Um, as expected in the first couple days, it takes a little while for a new pattern, and I know board members went out and visited uh, some of the schools to see it in action. As a district, we've learned quite a bit from the implementation of this pilot in terms of logistical support and planning for
045successful deployment. The last day of the school-based pilots will be Friday, April 17th to ensure that there's no impacts as our high schools begin international testing and then state testing soon thereafter. Following the school-based pilot, the district safety and security team will pilot at some district events and we'll provide notification when we do so. And we will bring an update to the board at our May workshop as promised on next steps and lessons that we've learned from the pilot. Um, next week at our workshop in April, we will discuss a number of topics, but one that I wanted to make sure uh we would say tonight is that federal funding for the 2627 school year has been level and allocated by the federal government. And so I know last year we had a lot of
046issues last summer with federal funding. Um, all of that fiscal budget has been passed in Washington DC and a mechanism is in place to release funds to the state on time. So that should not be another issue. and the funding has been level across all grants, idea, title one, title two, and more. We'll discuss uh our budget for next year at our workshop. Um and of course, we're still waiting on a state budget uh to be passed so that we can continue to do our work. We also have the code of conduct, several policy updates, and we'll provide the board and public an update on planning for progress at our next workshop. Uh, I want to thank the Holocaust, the Florida Holocaust Museum for their annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, which they held today honoring uh,
047the Holocaust Remembrance Day. And let the board and public uh, as a reminder know that our curriculum aligns with state standards from elementary school through high school to make sure that our students understand the perils of the Holocaust all these years later. We're grateful for the museum's partnership and curriculum and for the events that they host like the one today. Uh tonight we honored a number of students who are state champions. And when we return uh to our next honored celebration in June, we will be bringing our two-time defending state academic team champions. The team won the large district competition once again in Orlando last weekend, which includes uh different divisions, but in division one, the 10 largest school districts in the state. our students defended their state championship and we are excited uh for
048them and the coaches to celebrate them another time. Uh just last week on a new topic, the Florida Student Art Assessment announced its winners for the annual assessment. Only four top honors were awarded across the state and two of those were to Penllis County High School students. Best of show went to Eva Adele, a 10th grader at Palm Harbor University High School for her drawing titled Self-examination. And the high school winner in uh Best of Show was Annalie Leonard Dumingo, a 10th grader at St. Petersburg High School for her painting titled From a Notebook in Cuba to Canvas in the USA. Additionally, 32 students were awarded awards of excellence and 74 students had perfect scores in the blind adjudication, showing how many amazing Penelis County art students we have. I also want to congratulate the
049nearly 400 middle school and high school students who recently per uh participated in the Penllis County Model United Nations Conference hosted at St. Petersburg College. The conference provides an immersive experience in diplomacy, problem solving, and civic engagement. Special congratulations go to uh two students. Peter Scalia from Carw Carwise Middle School. I don't believe he's related to the Supreme Court judge uh or and Kathy Deilis from Semino High School who received the secretary general award recognizing best overall in schools. Last week we also had our first ever engineering and energy clubs showcase. The engineering and energy clubs was born out of a competition sponsored by Duke Energy and the Penelis Education Foundation. And we congratulate students in middle schools and high schools and elementary schools who developed ways to solve energy issues improving skills in science,
050engineering, and coding. Tonight, we heard a lot about our career technical winners in a variety of categories. We also recently had 60 awards at the Skills USA Florida State Conference. Those include 23 gold medals, 23 silver, 16 bronzes, and that is across high schools and our technical colleges. We'll be honoring those students later on this year. Last weekend, St. Petersburg High School celebrated 100 years in their new building. Uh I think it's the fifth location for St. Petersburg High School, but it was a great community celebration and open house featuring self-guided tours, opportunities for alumni to connect and share their uh joint experiences. I want to thank uh Principal Darlene Lebo and the community for setting that up. Also, a few weeks ago, Palm Harbor University High School hosted the Mighty Moo Competition, the annual
051competition to bring in elementary school students and compete in math competitions. 470 students from 28 schools competed in everything from algebra, geometry, a Rubik's cube, py off, and much more. This is the 28th year in a row that students from Palm Harbor High School have hosted this for elementary school students in our county, and they continue to do a great job. Recently, the district announced our emerging teachers of the year, and two uh emerging teachers were chosen. Congratulations to Katherine Richardson, a pre-K teacher at High Point Elementary School, and Maline Payne, a honors science teacher in sixth and seventh grade at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School. They were surprised by announcements with their principles and area superintendent recently. And you can see their pictures and more information about those emerging teachers of the year on our
052website. A couple of reminders. Coming up next week at the Mafy Theater, April 21st at 6:30 p.m. is the Penelis Education Foundation's annual Rising Stars Competition featuring students who will be competing for college scholarships in six categories: culinary arts, dance, instrumental, theater, visual arts, and vocal performance. Uh board members can attest these are always amazing performances by our students, and the public is invited. It's a free ticketless event. You just have to come to the MafI Theater April 21st at 6:30. And the following night on Wednesday, April 22nd at 6 p.m. across the street at our Grego Leadership Institute, we have our next listen and learn session focused on positive staff experiences within our district strategic plan. We look forward to sharing information from a survey that our employees recently completed about how to make
053working in Penel County Schools more positive. Even more positive, I should say. Not not more positive, but even more positive. And we look forward to getting ideas from our employees on how to feel more valued, supported, and empowered to succeed. And finally tonight, I want to honor one of our employees for their demonstration of core values as uh submitted by a colleague across the district. And tonight's honore is Mr. Brett Dinard, a family community liaison and school office clerk at Lakewood Elementary School. He was recently noted for his great work in expanding school partnerships and opportunities since he joined the Lakewood Elementary staff. He does a wonderful job connecting with parents and students and exemplifies all the core values of Penelis County Schools going above and beyond working with and mentoring students. Thank you, Mr.
054Dinard, and all of our employees for the work they do each and every day. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you, Superintendent Hendendrick. Next on our agenda 9.2, items introduced by the school board attorney. I have no report this evening. Thank you, ma'am. >> Thank you. Agenda item 9.3, items introduced by the board. >> Mrs. Okay. >> Um I would just share in in response to your bringing up the weapons detection systems at the school. I did have the opportunity to visit Gibbs this morning during their um arrival time and walk around and I spoke to a number of students and staff as well as observe the process um and and got a lot of feedback which was very useful and I look forward to discussing it hearing hearing the various results but also we
055can all share talking with people in the community and things like that when we discuss it at the May workshop. So, I do look forward to that, but I really appreciated the opportunity to see it in person and talk with a lot of staff and students in person. Um, and then, uh, I do want to mention because you brought up St. Pete High, I was there for the open house. It's the hundth year in that building, but this year is the 125th graduating class from St. Petersburg High School. Uh, opened in 1898, first class graduated in 1901. So, this is the 125th graduating class. Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Hines. Um, I also had the opportunity to attend the training for the weapon detections um, equipment at Gibbs High School and go there two days to
056see it in action. And I'll provide more comments to um colleagues at the workshop, but I just want to give them a shout out and a kudos for um handling the weapons detection training as well as implementation um as best as possible. Um I also had the opportunity to attend St. Pete High's centennial celebration and I just have to say it was so exciting from the PTA presence to the alumni presence and the students. The students made it definitely worthwhile from the the orchestra playing to the cheerleaders doing their hurah when people walk through. Um, everyone was excited. I made a Facebook post on my schoolboard member page and yeah, you know how they say the term viral? I was like, man, I got to start posting more uh St. Pete High celebrations because it
057took off. Over a hundred little likes on there. Um, and people are seeking additional ways to engage with the school. So, I just want to say that throughout the county, schools are hosting events. So feel free to reach out to your local school and attend the events that they have open to the community. The school spirit is bright here in Penllis County. So tap in. Um another a few things that I've had to the opportunity to attend is the the leadership you ceremony. It is so important that we highlight the the work of employees to not only just do their job on a day-to-day basis, but to grow themselves and participants in the leadership u program took on additional courses um created presentations and we celebrated them this month. I learned so much just by
058walking around on how we can provide additional supports to students, whether they're ESE students, um whether it's learning about water filtration through the food and nutrition department. It's really phenomenal to see um the thought and um effort that people put into additional work outside of their regular roles to make to make this district great. So again, congratulations to leadership you participants uh Miss Jolene and team for providing top-notch professional development on an ongoing basis. Thank you. And then last but not least, I do I must say the Richard O. Jacobson capstone presentation. H man, it was amazing from uh Mrs. Peter. She was there also. uh but just to see the thought that went into the projects that the students prepared. Uh I am big on mental health. So one of the classes had to
059present about mental health and hearing their thoughts on social media and ways that they can unplug and support their mental health. I was taking some notes. I think it's important that we hear directly from students when we're implementing um policies and procedures as well as looking at ways that we can support them best. Hearing from the students matters and um I have to talk about the animals because there's a ferret playground at Richard O. Jacobson. And there are um horse exercise balls and oh man a a pig in a mud bath and all kinds of things going on over there. And many of the students are aspire um are seeking to become veterinarians and they're getting firsthand experience right there at um Richard Oate um tech. And then last comment because I can go on
060and on about how amazed I was by by the student talent is I played a video game. It took one year for students to code a video game that they offered um people who came the opportunity to play. So um he was showing me how to play and I was failing miserably. But I was just so proud to look at the detail. I'm like, man, this is like Roblox 5.0. And then when he said it took a year, I'm again just amazed at the talent and the certifications that students are able to obtain uh as well as the joy and learning that they are receiving by attending Penllis County Schools. So, I will conclude my remarks with saying that Penllis County Schools continues to provide opportunities and choices for all students throughout the district. And
061if you have any questions regarding the programs and opportunities available, please feel free to reach out to the district or a school that you may be interested in. Thank you very much. Next on I Sorry, I got really excited. Next on our agenda is 9 9.4 review of board request. >> I did not note any requests. >> Thank you. >> And now I will adjourn the meeting and we will move to public participation. Meeting adjourned. Mrs. Hal, are there any speakers this evening? >> Madam Chair, there are five speakers this evening. >> Thank you. We will now move to the public comment on the general business of the district. Please note that the views and comments of the public speakers are their own and not endorsed nor sponsored by the school board or district. We
062cannot ensure the accuracy of statements made but will review concerns that are raised and take appropriate action which may include clarifications or the referral of speakers to the proper staff member for assistance. The board is committed to a standard of civility and decorum in conducting our meetings. This includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker's comments. We appreciate you assisting us in maintaining a civil and constructive environment. Additionally, please note that although board members or super hendendrick superintendent Hendrich may leave the dis briefly, there are speakers in the back room and we will continue to be able to hear your comments. Thank you. >> U madam chair, I'll call two speakers at a time. We have two lecterns available this evening. The first two are Nicole Staint Ledger and Lisa
063Jones. Good evening. My name is Nicole Staint Ledger and I am a mom of two current Penllis County students and two graduates. I speak tonight about the current experience with the district's weapon detection program. As a Gibbs parent, I would like to start with saying no parent wants weapons in our children's schools. The safety of our students, teachers, and administrators, and support staff are of the utmost concern and importance. While the district is testing these machines to measure safety, deterrence, and a way to keep weapons from our schools, it hasn't necessarily played out as expected. The weapon detectors have worked as a deterrent, a deterrent to students coming to school prepared to learn. Students are choosing to not bring their schoolisssued computers because getting them through the line and screening is such a hassle. It
064is easier to just not bring them anymore. This will directly impact learning in the schools. These machines are supposed to assist in identifying weapons being brought onto campus. I haven't heard of any weapons being found, but I do know that there are items being confiscated. The first thing being found is vaping paraphernalia. Vaping paraphernalia is not something parents want for their children. But in an era of budget cuts and needing fiscal responsibility, there are ways to curtail vaping in schools without spending such a large part of the budget. Maybe the bathroom sensors being installed in Hillsboro County schools would be a less expensive option. The second item being confiscated, scissors. scissors that are found on almost every required material list at the beginning of every school year in every school. Will you be returning the
065scissors to these schools or will you be removing them from all the other district schools? Safety. These machines are supposed to make our schools safer for our kids. Instead, there are long lines with students being stuck waiting outside of schools instead of being safe inside. Should an outside individual wish to cause harm in a large scale, having large numbers of students outside the gates and not able to get to safety would lead to a terrible situation. By focusing on weapon detection machines, the district shares a viewpoint that our students are the biggest threat to our schools when our students are the ones who need real means of protection. Thank you. It's okay. Good afternoon. Um, my name is Lisa Jones and I retired from Penllis County Schools after teaching nearly 20 years in 2024. I
066have been working for Penelis County Schools as a substitute teacher since the spring of 2025. Um, substitute teachers perform an important function when there's no uh available teachers on staff. uh either they either have to take um the teachers on staff then have to either take in extra students or give up their planning period to cover the absences. So in any instance like that instructional time in content in the content area is usually what's lost or suffering. Um I spoke this morning with PCA PCTA president Lee Bryant over some concerns that I have about the current subsystem. First, I want to tell you you have a wonderful sub program and it's um been something that I've enjoyed going through. It's it's well put together. Um the training is excellent, but what I'm concerned about um
067are a couple of issues that I see facing your subs. For one, we seem to have a real shortage of subs. Um, I know I'm working a lot and I receive calls almost every day from schools asking me to come in to fill their vacancy and I'd love to come but I can't be like in three places at one time. It just doesn't work. Um, many vacancies are going unfilled every day. I don't know if you're aware of that. Um, school secretaries are losing a lot of time as they try to find um, placement for their vacancies. Um, I suspect that the problem really is partly linked to low wage. I don't know if you're aware of it, but the middle school subwage, that's where I work mostly is middle schools. The middle school sub
068wage was actually substantially reduced this year. Substitutes working for the day are now earning $16.33 an hour. Um, and there's no distinction for substitutes um that have any type of prior uh licensing with a minimum wage scheduled uh to rise to $15 an hour in Florida in September of 2026. It's not very uh very practical wage. Um I had a sub job the other day that involved the oversight of 176 kids in one day. If you break that down, that's about 71 cents per child that I'm overseeing. I also think that um people take the job and really have no idea what they're getting into. As you know, it's um we have an increasingly violent society. So, it can be kind of a um difficult environment to work in. And if you're not entirely prepared
069for that, I think it can surprise you and scare you. The point I'm trying to make is that this is a high liability environment full of um sometimes uh dangerous situations. Um I mentioned to Mr. Bryant that I think the union should entertain perhaps helping uh subs with some sort of um uh membership so that there's some sort of coverage, but I also think that the >> Thank you. The next two speakers are Tracy McConnell and Dr. Goliath Davis. My name is Tracy McConnell and I am speaking as the vice president of PCTA today. You know that I have taught for 21 years in Penllis County and I have stayed in this county in the field of teaching because I love teaching and because I think Penllis County Schools is an amazing place to work.
070You have heard me on many occasions tell you how proud I am of my school for being an A. I love that the county is an A. There are lots of great things about working at Penllis County Schools. One thing that I know that Kevin has done since he started working here is he put in the PCS praise. I love the fact that it is a way for other teachers, not just principles, to recognize that a teacher is working hard for their students. This year, early in the school year, they started passing around a red belt. Um that went to teachers who want to continue to work hard to grow their practice. These are amazing ways to show that you value teachers. I also know that despite all of this and the progress that Penllis
071County has made with their Agrade that employee satisfaction survey results are down. I know that because Penllis County is a good place to work. You all are wondering what you can do to fix this. I'm here to tell you that the reason your satisfaction scores are down is because the people are afraid. If you are an annual contract teacher, there is no protection for you. Teachers who are giving their heart and soul to their classrooms, teachers who are effective and highly effective are still being non-renewed. Last year there were were 168 teachers who were non-renewed. The current number for this year is 165. This can continue to grow until May 1st. Is Penllis County using non-renewals as a reduction in force? I know what I think. If you value your teachers, show them. If you
072truly want to increase your employee satisfaction, look at doing this differently. Stop non-renewing teachers who are doing amazing things. Stop non-renewing effective and highly effective teachers. If there's no spot for them, transfer them. Grow your teachers. Show them that you value their work. When teachers feel valued, they will work even harder because they want what is best for their employer. When teachers feel valued, you will continue to see student scores improve. Thank you. >> Good evening, Madame Chair, Superintendent Hendrix, other board members, Deputy Superintendent Woodford and staff. I stand tonight to first and foremost commend all of the honores that were recognized here tonight, their parents, their teachers, and their school leaders for a wonderful job. I had the pleasure also this morning to attend the Lakewood High School senior awards ceremony and I can
073tell you in no uncertain terms that the individuals who put that together did an amazing job and I was really really uh exceptionally excited by the fact that many of the students were awarded for academic accomplishments But I found it interesting that Miss Garcia found ways to recognize students who may not have hit the academic mark but did some exceptional things to make the school a better place and it was just amazing to be there. I also want to say to you that last Monday I attended the sack and the PTA meeting at John Hopkins Middle School. In my opinion, we had a wonderful meeting. The meeting started with some pronouncements from some individuals, one whom I know very well. And as usual, once he said what he had to say, he got up, left
074the room, and the uh individuals facilitating the meeting made sure that the doors were locked behind him. I will tell you that Miss Gagnan, Mr. Gagnan rather, and Miss Scott did a great job facilitating that meeting, and I commend them for doing so. Regrettably, the T the T-zone chief was not there. I regret that. And I just like to say to all individuals in position of leadership that when opportunities present themselves, especially with heightened moments like we faced last Monday, uh you can't go missing. It's an opportunity to stand and do what needs to be done. Um, I commend Pastor Auggie who facilitated the PTA component of the meeting and that whole agenda because in my opinion while the meeting went well, Pastor Auggie and his facilitation ensured that the meeting didn't go south by
075amending the agenda and doing things that were necessary to keep it on track. I was approached by several members of the psych and said, "Thank you." The next speaker is Amy Shenneck. Hello, school board. Uh, superintendent, chairwoman. Um, thank you all for the work that you do. I know schools are are uh complex. So, um I have a story to tell you. Um I was at uh Passover Seder dinner at Congregation Bash Shalom. Uh that was two weeks ago. And uh a seder is a remembrance for the Jewish people of um our time that we were freed from slavery in Egypt. We do it every year. Um it's commanded to do it every year so that we remember our troubled times and um we're thankful for being free. Um so a community sader is one
076that a uh synagogue hosts for community members that maybe aren't members, don't have a place to go, but they come as well. So I'm a member, but I was sitting at a table with some people that I didn't know. Um it was a lovely family. It was a grandmother who was a Holocaust survivor, meaning her parents were in the Holocaust. Um, she was born overseas. Her daughter, her son-in-law, and her grandson, a lovely 15year-old boy. Um, soft-spoken, kind, polite, confident, handsome, big guy. Um, so, and my daughter was there, too. So, uh, she's older than he is, but it was they were having conversation. Um so the topic of conversation turned to anti-semitism uh as it does in Jewish communities these days. Um I asked this young man if he had encountered any anti-semitism and
077he um didn't say much. His grandmother spoke up and said that he had and um tried to get him to talk about it and he deferred to her. He didn't want to talk about it. So she told me um that in his history class um the module being taught was about the Middle Ages and the black plague. And his history teacher, a male at the end of his lecture ended his lecture by saying, "And you can thank the Jews for that." I was um honestly not surprised. I mean, it's not surprising anymore when you hear things like this. I was a gasast, concerned. Um and it came out that he had not said anything because he wasn't saying much at the table at this time, but his grandmother said he didn't want to uh be
078targeted. He was concerned about being targeted. Uh so he hadn't said anything about it. And um I I did write a an email to you um superintendent. I I sent it yesterday. I'm not also principal. >> Thank you, ma'am. That's the time. >> Okay. Can I just say one more short ma'am? This is this is >> just a few seconds to wrap up. >> Madam chair, there are no more speakers. >> Thank you. That concludes the public participation for this meeting. Thank you all for attending.