001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome as I call to order the December 2025 meeting of the Escambia County School Board. Whether you're joining us via our live stream or in the audience, we appreciate your interest in the education of students here in Escambia County. The mission of the Escambia County schools is to provide equal access to a quality education that embraces the uniqueness and potential of each student, and we are surely united in this mission. At this time, I ask that you silence your cell phones or electronic devices. As a reminder, there are two public forums. There will be a public forum for agenda items only, including the consent agenda, and student and employee discipline at the beginning of the meeting, and then a public forum at the end of the meeting for any
002items pertaining to school board business or public education. Additionally, if you are speaking to any of the items for the public hearing, you will be called to speak during the agenda public forum. If you wish to speak at either of the forums, you must complete a form. You must complete a form located at the table at the rear of the room and bring it forward to Miss Harris in the front of the to the front table. Excuse me. If you wish to speak at both forums, you must complete a form for both. All speakers forms must be submitted at the beginning of the agenda public forum. This meeting was properly advertised in the Pensacola News Journal public notice or legal notice number 11863952. It is the tradition of the Escambia County School Board to begin
003each meeting with an invocation and motivational moment. This is followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. This month, Mr. Adams, District 1, will lead us. Mr. Adams. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I'm going to invite Pastor Gary Porter to the podium for the invocation. His church is on Nine Mile Road, Encounter Church. Please all stand. Father. [clears throat] Thank you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come tonight and we humble ourselves before you, recognizing that the wisdom that we need to govern this great district comes from you. And you said if any of us lacks for wisdom to [music] ask of you, and you give liberally. So, I'm asking you tonight for each one of our board members and everyone that participates to [music] give a liberal amount of wisdom and understanding. Give us your grace
004and your knowledge, and we thank you and celebrate the season that we're in, >> [music] >> that our Redeemer came to the earth. Father God, we thank you for that. We bless you and honor you for it, and we give you all the glory for all this accomplished. To your name's sake, [music] we pray. Amen. Amen. Pledge. I pledge allegiance. >> Pledge allegiance >> [music] >> 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. May be seated. At this time, at this time, we'll move for the adoption of the agenda. Mr. Superintendent, are there any additions or deletions to your recommended agenda? Yes, sir. Under Section 20, consent, excuse [clears throat] me, consent finance, item E
005and item F have been added. Under Section 24, consent finance procurement, item K has been added. And then under Section 42, consent superintendent other, items A, E, and F have all been deleted. State statute and school board rules require that changes to the agenda after publication be based on finding of good cause determined by the person delegated to preside over the meeting uh and uh and [music] the and stated uh in the record. So, at this time I state that there's good cause for these changes. Do I have a motion to adopt the agenda? I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion pertaining to the agenda? Uh I see no lights on. Mr. Fetsko, >> [music] >> okay. I see no lights on, so uh please vote. Approved 5-0. Thank you. Moving
006into our committee and departmental reports and special recognition, Mr. Superintendent, you want to get us started in that area, please, sir? Yes, sir. First, we want to invite Ms. Melanie Ginn Gamble up [music] to give us a PTA update. Merry Christmas, Ms. Gamble. Good evening, Superintendent Leonard and board members. [music] Thank you for allowing time for me to speak on behalf of PTA in Escambia County. We have 32 active local units supporting our children, families, and teachers. Since August, our local units have provided support by hosting family nights and other programs focusing on literacy, STEM, >> [music] >> and reading. Our PTAs also provided engagement events such as carnivals, spirit nights at local restaurants, as well as food drives, and holiday angel [music] trees. Being visible in the community allows PTAs to showcase the wonderful
007schools we have in Escambia in Escambia County. At the County Council level, we not only support, train, and and assist our local units, we also engage with the community. ECCPTA recently volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House cooking a hearty meal for the families who are staying there as their child receives the medical attention needed to get well. This past Saturday, we volunteered for the annual Wreaths Across America as we helped lay wreaths in memory of and honor of over 700 veterans at the historic St. John's Cemetery. PTA is proud to serve our community as well as our schools. Currently, ECCPTA is busy preparing over 70 submissions for our annual Reflections Arts Program. This year, we have added a People's Choice Award. We invite the Hall Center employees, each of the school board members, >> [music]
008>> and superintendent, as well as all other employees from the McDaniel building as a judge in the visual arts category. This artwork submitted by our creative students is on display in the main hallway here at the Hall Center. Voting will take place through the end of this week. Please take a moment to enjoy the student art and cast your vote for your favorite entries by scanning the QR code available at the display. We would like to recognize Ms. Barbie Spears for allowing this opportunity to showcase the visual arts submissions for our annual Reflections Arts Program. That's about all I have for tonight. So, thank you for allowing me to speak, and we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season and a happy New Year. Thank you. I'd like to ask the board members to
009come out front for our next two presentations. All right. It is a great pleasure that I announce this evening that Aaron Cramer has been selected as the Escambia County School District's Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year for 2025 and 2026. Ms. Cramer, please come to the podium with your family and friends. I also want to invite Ms. Wanda Cotica up who chairs all of this, so if you come on up as well. The Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award was established in to recognize exemplary assistant principals for their significant contributions to their schools and communities. This program honors assistant principals who have effectively utilized teamwork and leadership skills to enhance student performance. They promote self-learning environments and foster partnerships with parents and community members. Ms. Kramer is a creative, innovative administrator who continues to find ways
010to motivate students. Her accomplishments are too many to mention, but just to name a few. She established a capstone night where $2,500 in scholarship and prize money is awarded. Ms. Kramer coordinated a student incentive program and activities, lunch and learn, a grade recovery program in Florida ready to work program where students have generated over $40,000 in student incentive programs. I'm going to go a little bit off script too here and tell you I can remember being in college trying to get a master's degree and one of the people that I really leaned on and held me was Ms. Erin Kramer. Ms. Kramer is a dedicated public servant who continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of students. And the Escambia County School District is extremely proud of her accomplishments. Tonight, [music] we are
011honored to recognize her as the outstanding assistant principal of the year. Congratulations, Ms. Kramer. Please approach the dais to receive your plaque, which you will get later tonight. It's just flowers, young lady. And receive greetings from our board members and then come back and say whatever you would like, okay? Thank you, school board members, Mr. Leonard. I do appreciate tonight's recognition. I work alongside some great administrators in this district and I've had some amazing leaders to work under over the many years that I've been in this district. So, it's an honor to be up here before you all tonight and accept this award. I know that any of my fellow assistant principals are equally as deserving. So, I do appreciate it. And I have an extreme privilege of working at a wonderful school alongside many
012educators that are passionate, very compassionate as well, and truly work for the betterment of students. So, it's an honor to be here tonight. So, I greatly appreciate it. Thank you. >> [applause] >> It is my distinct pleasure this evening to announce that Ms. Tara Palaciano, principal of Bailey Middle School, has been selected as the Escambia County School District's outstanding principal of the year for 2025-2026. Ms. Palaciano, please approach the podium with your family and friends. And schoolmates, I see we got some schoolmates out there. The Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership was established in 1988 to recognize exemplary principals for their contributions to their schools and communities. This program honors principals who have led initiatives to enhance student performance and foster safe learning environments, often through establishing partnerships with parents >> [music] >> and community
013members. Ms. Palaciano is a skilled and experienced administrator who has consistently demonstrated her strong and effective ability to lead her faculty and staff. She has >> [music] >> She has led the way in putting a number of the effective strategies in place to assist her teachers in better meeting the academic and personal needs of all of her students. Part of what makes Ms. Palaciano an effective leader is her dedication and personal passion for education. Every decision she makes serves her mission to provide high-quality education and a supportive environment to every student that passes through the doors of her school. She has spoken at length of her passion for every student being afforded access to a free and equitable education, and she has put those values into action on multiple occasions when interacting with parents, [music]
014students, and teachers. Ms. Palaciano exemplifies outstanding leadership and has made significant contributions to her school and the community she serves. The Escambia County School District is proud of her accomplishments, and we are honored to acknowledge her as the outstanding principal of the year. Congratulations. [music] Please come forward and receive these flowers, eventually a plaque, and greetings from our board members. >> [applause] >> I appreciate my support system behind me. Superintendent Leonard, Deputy Superintendent Payne, and school board members. I'm deeply honored and sincerely grateful to be honored as outstanding principal of the year for our district. This recognition is truly humbling because no principal ever succeeds by themselves. There are countless people in this room who I'm thankful for that have shaped my journey, and after 22 years with this county, many have become much more
015than colleagues, they've become [music] my friends. However, there are two people that I want to thank personally for mentoring and guiding me throughout my career. First, Reggie Lipnick gave me countless opportunities to grow and lead during my 10 years at Verity Pass as a reading teacher and then as an instructional coach. She inspired me to pursue leading my own school. From there, my 8 years at Bell View as an assistant principal were life-changing, teaching me strength, grace, and resiliency that I never knew that I would have to have. Molia Adams empowered me to learn, take risks, and lead with purpose and passion. Both of these women shaped leader that I am today. I also want to thank Bailey Middle School's dedicated teachers, staff, students, and families. Their commitment, their trust in me, and their collaboration
016have made Bailey a place where learning and growth thrive every day. This award belongs to all of us. We've worked diligently to increase our school grade from a C to a B, and we are very proud of that achievement. Finally, I want to thank my friends, [music] many behind me, and my family, especially my mom and Mike, and their encouragement that have carried me through every challenge and triumph. To my daughter, thank you for being my constant support, my cheerleader, and my reminder of why this work matters. From the moment I began to pursue school leadership, she's been by my side offering strength, understanding, and inspiration. [music] I would not be standing here today without all of you. They're my foundation, they're my heart, and they're my greatest blessing. Thank you again for this incredible
017honor. Serving this district is more than a role, it's a privilege and it's a responsibility I carry with gratitude every single day. I will continue to lead with integrity, compassion, and purpose, >> [music] >> always keeping the students and community we serve at the center of everything that I do. Thank you again. >> [applause] >> Mr. Mr. Superintendent, do you have anything else? No, sir. Thank you. Thank you. All right, we don't we don't have anyone at this time for agenda public forum. Uh Miss Harris, have you had any forms turned in? Okay, then we're moving on. The next part of the agenda is item three, the adoption of minutes. My fellow board members, you'll notice that there's a number of these, so we're going to need to go through these one at a time
018and vote on each one of those. The first one is item A, amendment to the October 13th, 2024 regular meeting. Do I hear a motion? >> move move that agenda. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion >> [music] >> on this item? Seeing no lights or hearing none, then let's vote, please. Through 5 to 0. Thank you. Next is item B, amendment to February 18th, [music] 2025 regular meeting. Do I hear a motion? So moved. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion to item B? Hearing none and seeing none, then please vote. Through 5 to zero. Thank you. We're moving on to item C now, amendment to July 15th, 2025 regular meeting. Do I hear a motion? I'll so move. And I'll second. It's been moved and
019seconded. Is there any discussion to item C? Hearing none and seeing none, please vote. Approved five to zero. Thank you. We're moving on to item D, amendment to August 16th, 2025 regular meeting. Do I hear a motion? >> I'll move that agenda item. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Uh do I hear any discussion? Hearing and seeing none, then uh please vote. Approved five to zero. Thank you. Next item is item E, November 13th regular workshop. Uh do I hear a motion? I'll move that. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Uh is there any discussion? Let's go. Okay. >> [music] >> Hearing none and seeing none, please vote. I'll move. Approved five to zero. Next is item F, November 18th organizational meeting. Do I hear a motion? I'll move that. I'll second. It's
020been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing no dis- uh hearing and seeing none, then please vote. Approved five to zero. Thank you, Sarah. There's no unfinished business, nor administrative appointments, there's five, six, no uh proposed additions or revisions or first readings, uh items requiring prior public hearing. So, we're down to the consent agenda. Uh Yes. Oh. Oh, I see it now. I overlooked it. I apologize, everyone. There is an item G on here. Thank you, Mr. [music] Petsko. All right. Uh we need to vote on this, November 16th regular meeting. Uh do I hear a motion? >> I'll move that agenda item. Second. All right, it's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing and seeing none, please vote. Approved five to zero. Thank you. Okay, now we can get back on
021track. Thank you, Mr. Petsko. >> [laughter] >> All right, we're down to the consent agenda. Are there any items to be pulled? Uh I'll go through these and uh if you have any, please let me know. Number one, curriculum. Seeing none. Uh number two, finance. Number three, human resources. Number four, operations. Number five, superintendent including student and employee discipline. Okay. Uh not having any items pulled, then uh do I hear a motion to approve the consent agenda? I'll move that motion. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Uh is there any discussion? Hearing and seeing none, please vote. Approved five to zero. Thank you. We're down now to item number 43. There's one item from the board here, it's item A, the superintendent's evaluation. Do I hear a motion? I'll move this evaluation. I'll second.
022It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none and seeing none, please vote. Approved five to zero. Thank [music] you. We're down to item number 44 on the agenda, ladies and gentlemen. These are items from the superintendent. Do you have any other items to add, Mr. Leonard? No, sir. Thank you, Sarah. [music] We're down to 45, internal auditing. Uh this is uh, item A. Uh, 2025 school internal audits. Do I hear a motion? Move that item. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing and seeing [music] none, please vote. Vote 5 to 0. The second item under internal audit audit, [music] thank you, sir. The second item is item B, inventory reports. Do I hear a motion? I'll move that item. Do I hear a second? Second. It's been moved and
023seconded. Is there any discussion? I think Mr. I would like to take the a moment uh, Okay. I'll do this in case she's listening, Ms. Hightower. Always took this opportunity to tell everybody who's watching that we do not just do this without having had great discussion about these items at the workshop on last Thursday. So, although we are not discussing tonight, there was discussion about these items at a prior meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Vescovo. Is there any other discussion on this item? Hearing none and seeing none, please vote. I don't believe we have any items from the general counsel. Is that correct? And now we're down to >> to 0. Thank you, sir. Sorry. All right. Now we're down to the public forum. The purpose of the public forum is to allow members
024of the public to address the school board on any matter regarding education and the administration of our schools. In this setting, we [music] as the school board are not compelled to answer questions or respond to you and typically will not engage in back-to-back dialogue in this venue. However, this board and superintendent will note your contact information for a response if appropriate. As always, we invite you to contact us by phone or email for follow-up. Our Our meeting times and locations are posted on the Escambia School District website. [music] Speakers must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the policy and posted on the agenda. You are expected to be respectful in your address to the board. You are also asked to use titles and not individual names. Personal attacks against school board members, superintendent staff, or
025employees will not be tolerated. And please direct all your comments to the chair. Personal attacks against other speakers and outbursts during another speaker's time also will not be tolerated. If you fail to follow these guidelines, you will be warned by the chair and subject to removal if violations continue. Each speaker will be allowed 3 minutes. Ms. Autum will serve as our parliamentarian. Ms. Buswell will serve as our timekeeper and your time will start with your opening remarks. The buzzer will sound when your time has elapsed and at that time you need to bring your comments to a close. Our first speaker is Paula Montgomery and I believe you have 6 minutes and the other 3 minutes was donated by Barbara Beck. Barbara, where are you? Okay. Thank you. Good evening. And thank you for hearing
026me on the eve of a holiday. Uh, I won't take long. I won't take all 6 minutes. You've seen me here before and kind of know who I am, but you may not know that prior to my retirement, I was a practicing medical doctor here in Pensacola for many years. So, in addition to my interest [music] in the well-being of the schools and the children in the schools, I'm also interested in the health and the well-being of my community and that starts, of course, with our children. I want to talk about preventable diseases. These are horrors that we know how to prevent. So, why don't we? You know, I may be the oldest person in this room tonight and I have a very, very long memory. I can remember the days before we had a
027lot of the vaccines that are currently available. There was a time when the health department would quarantine people who had measles. That meant that a notice was put on the front porch and no one was allowed to go in and out and this was legally enforced. Uh, neighbors would bring food. The husband probably would move out so he could continue to work while the wife stayed home with the >> [music] >> with the ill children. Why was all this fuss and bother? Measles isn't just a little rash. Measles is a vicious virus. The virus can infect the brain. It can cause blindness, deafness, brain damage, even death. Within the last year, there have been five deaths from measles from the current very small outbreak which [music] has happened in some states to the west of
028us. Even more clear in my mind though is the memory of my mother not letting me do anything during the summer that involved group activities. That's because summer time was polio season and we had no prevention and no cure for polio. We just had to hunker down. Our state and national mandatory vaccine policies were instituted to protect us from genuine horrible consequences and they have worked very well for the last several decades. In fact, in the time that I was in practice, I didn't see a single fresh case of measles, mumps, polio, diphtheria, typhoid, all of those horrible diseases that we currently have mandated vaccines for all just didn't happen and the reason they didn't happen is because of those mandated vaccines. [music] We deliberately with our laws created a protective herd immunity. If 95%
029of people are immune then the virus has no way to spread. If the if the percentage falls very much below that and it doesn't take more than a couple of points it puts us all at risk especially the young and the immunocompromised. I want you to consider the possible future in which we have epidemics which cause absenteeism [music] like we've never seen. But the thing is it's preventable. Unfortunately, our Florida Surgeon General is planning to discontinue the mandatory vaccines. Some of these are currently required by law. So, he can't just say they go away. He needs an act of the legislature to undo this and I'm asking everyone in this room, including the members of the school board, when you get an opportunity to talk to your representatives or when you make an opportunity to
030talk to our our legislators we need to let them know that we don't want to put ourselves and our neighbors and our children in particular at risk. The consequences are severe and even death from diseases. And why do we do this when it's all so preventable? Please ask your representatives [music] not to let those laws expire or be be washed away. Uh keep us safe. Keep our children safe. >> [music] >> Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Mongami. We do not have any other speakers [music] and before we adjourn, I just wanted to does anybody anyone else on the board have any comments or anything? [music] On behalf of the board, the superintendent, Ms. Odom, and all the board members, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. [music] Thank you and
031this meeting is adjourned.