001Dear heavenly father, we ask that you watch over everyone here this morning. You give us wisdom, just discernment in any decisions that we make. You also please continue to watch over our students and our staff as they continue to work through the summer. And please watch over us during some uncertain times. and give us the strength and the knowledge and again the wisdom. Keep us in your grace to move forward and do it in the best way we know how. All this we pray in your name. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance 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. >> All right. I will entertain a motion to adopt our agenda. >> So move. >>
002Second. >> Motion and second. All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed? >> Motion carries. Welcome everybody. this morning. We are about two minutes running behind, so we're going to try and catch it up. But I was telling an important story, and if you know me, you know why. We will move on to item number four, our school visits. Madam Superintendent. >> Yes, board. If you'll just take a quick look at the schools and the dates associated with those. After talking to Miss Angela, we kind of reworked it a little bit differently from the preceding years where I don't know if you remember, but for the majority of the time, Cedar Key and Yankee Town were towards the beginning of the school year and a lot of the storms came through. Hopefully, we
003won't have any storms this year. >> Um, >> January hopefully. >> Exactly. So I did that move moving them down further and then also with the administrative changes allowing those administrators to you know get their feet under them at their new schools before we go in there for a school visit. So that's why you see any of those changes. >> Need a motion. >> Yes sir. >> Make a motion to approve. >> Do I hear a second? >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. All any discussion on these dates? All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I. >> Any opposed? Like sign. Motion carries. Thank you, madam superintendent. >> You're welcome. >> I'd like to take this time to welcome all our guests today. Say hello to you. It's good
004to have you here. Do we have any anything needs to be brought before us at this time? Excellent. Excellent. We'll now move into our board minutes. Has everyone had a chance to read over those minutes? >> Yes, sir. >> I will entertain a motion to approve the minutes. >> I make a motion to approve the minutes. >> Have I missed something? >> Mr. Chairman, I have a couple of changes. The superintendent highlights. Um, I just added an extra sentence that you um made the nomination for impact award for M. Mr. John. >> Oh, okay. >> That was the only change. >> Oh, okay. So, we have a motion. Did we have a second? >> Second. >> Have a second. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. We will
005now move into our consent agenda. Has everyone had a chance to go over the consent agenda? >> Yes. >> All right. >> Mrs. Campbell, do you have any questions? >> I don't. My questions have been answered. Thank you, >> Mrs. Baxter. >> My questions were answered. >> Yeah, I'm good. Slim Shadyy's Okay. >> All right. And I am good. All right. I will entertain a motion to approve this consent agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> You have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed? >> Motion carries. We now move into the finance agenda. Has everyone had a chance to read over that? >> Sir. >> Any questions? Any concerns? >> On top of it. >> Got it all. >> All right. I will entertain a motion
006to approve the the consent agenda finance item. So move. Do I hear a second? >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say I. >> Any opposed like sign? >> Motion carried. Madam superintendent, your comment. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> I told you I'd get that two minutes back. That out. Um, I know earlier generally at the beginning of the agenda sometimes it says superintendent highlights and we don't have any presentations, but I first want to start with what Mr. Bennett put up on the screen and that was posted yesterday. So, I think that's something to be proud of. And do we always have work to do? Yes. But that that shows that our schools and our staff and our admin are they're doing the work and
007the students are as well. >> So, thank you for putting that up there, Mr. Bennett. Um, on a more serious note, I had sent an email out to all of you and I I put it in front of you again. But just for the record and during the board meeting, I want to discuss some things where we are up to this point, what we know at this point. Um, but with that, please know that whatever arises, all of you will be informed and kept up to date. And of course, you know, there's always an open door policy. If you have any questions, you can reach out individually. Um, and you also have Mr. Delaney there as well. As you can see, the one, two, three, four, five, six items were basically frozen. the title at
008first. I'll start with in your email by the Florida Department, I mean the US Department of Education. What I heard yesterday from Mrs. Ford, she sent out another email and that had to do just with the title one part C migrant portion of it and that has been frozen. Okay. So, that was an update at about 4:16 um p.m. based on what Mrs. Blake has already done with her budget that she went over with you. Of course, the next item would be the proposed budget. And that proposed budget, we are working off that Senate bill 2500 that you that you know of. And with that, there is a packet from Gray Robinson that lists everything in the legislative session that you have a copy of and the information. It separates each legisl leg legislative action
009for you. So, I put that before you as well. So, based on the proposed budget that's about to come to you, um as Mrs. Lake is building it, we are seeing that our sus suspected revenues of course um are not sufficient for the 2526 school year. And right currently, right now, we are looking at probably a $1.8 million deficit. Okay. What that does and what we've done so far is we've had some meetings. We'll have more with all the departments and we have to look at things. We have to look at things like cuts in spending. We have to look at leveraging other funds within the budget. Um, last case scenario, what we want to preserve, of course, is hitting the reserve funding. With that, what we'll do tomorrow is have another meeting with all
010of the district instructional team and present the information to them as well. they can go back to their departments and look at certain things and then we will reconvene and all that information will be given back to the board and it's great to have the board meeting now so that it's on record and you know we have community members that will watch the board meetings and they also can be informed this way you know after talking to Mr. Lot and Mrs. Wade and and u Mr. Mlen yesterday and Mrs. Lake you know Mr. lot said it very very well in one sentence. We always want to be mindful of what happens in the classroom. So what we do here, we always want to be mindful of student achievement. So we as a whole and I
011we're all in this together and I I feel very confident that we're all ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I'd have no doubt about that. But ultimately we want to preserve what happens in that classroom as Mr. L put it and student achievement. >> So we will continue to work hard and look at everything, talk about everything and bring everything back to you as much as we know and and when we know it and when we hear from um other areas to uh Thursday as well. There's another emergency meeting that's been called by FAD, Senator Montford. And what we've done at the previous meeting is we have it in the boardroom and Mr. Bennett can zoom us in. So it's not it's for superintendent, but I email them and say this
012person, this person, this person from district are in on this meeting. So it's not just myself. It's great to have them included in the meetings and get their feedback immediately. So there's been no like timeline given on the decisions on these different title. >> The freeze takes effect on that one though. July >> the Elatchua County um migrant program said that they will be open until July 31st for administrative purposes only. But other than that, Mr. White, >> there's no other we've heard no other timeline. Maybe FADS has something, Senator Mford might have something Thursday >> because it's it's an emergency meeting again and we might know more information than on the timeline. >> Okay. Any other questions? >> Anything else? >> Not at this time. >> Okay. >> But thank you for listening. >>
013Yes, ma'am. All right. We will move to our board comments. Miss Campbell. Um well, thank you for keeping us informed first of all. Very concerned about about all of that. And um and our um Lisa Kuster, you know, who is our migrant um representative here in Levy County, but also in other counties, too. And >> it's controlled by Elatchua County. She has lost her her job and is very concerned over that. Um, so I'm glad that she is uh trying to find another position and I hope that works out. Um, I do want to congratulate all of the schools for their progress uh that they've made toward uh achieving this B district. Every school I know I know the blood, sweat, and tears that go into this accomplishment. Um, very very happy and excited about
014uh Cedar Key getting an A again. And uh, you know, I was thinking about it driving up here. Um, I know a lot of people say, "Well, Cedar Key is small. It's an easy job. You know, it's easy to get an A." It isn't easy. Um, those of you who know statistics, data, you know, one student, one uh number can drastically affect the results. Um we have the same barriers that every other school has and um that we I think that the the reason Cedar Key has been successful is because it hasn't been any one program because I've been through many programs in all of the years. uh anyone program. Um but it's been the mindset that um we're about not just reaching a certain number, getting a certain grade, but empowering every student to
015be learners and um yeah and and every student counts um in these results. Um, and I think that that mindset that the teachers share um that yes, it is and I I love the way that John put it that we're about what goes on in the classroom. >> Absolutely. Um and that um every every teacher who comes to Cedar Key has to buy into that mindset of uh every student needs to be empowered with learning. Um and we're not about just a certain number but learning. And um and I hope we'll continue on that. And I I know that that there are teachers in every other school that share that mindset >> and I encourage them to keep going with it and uh we'll do everything I can to support them in that and I
016and I think it's so important for every decision that we make as a board to be mindful of how does this affect what's going on in the classroom and you know the fact that we want you know we have this mission. But what it boils down to is each student has to have the power to learn and we have to find the ways. It's not anyone program. It's it's the mindset and it's it's what goes on in the classroom. So congratulations to all of the schools, all of the teachers and you district people because I know I know you your blood, sweat, and tears are involved in this. I know that and I thank you for that. >> Thank you, Mrs. Baxter. >> Well, I'd like to echo what Miss Campbell said. Thank you to
017all the district staff and to the staff in all the different schools and um that was a great accomplishment for Cedar Key and so proud of them. I taught there part-time for about four years and it was so amazing when I would come into Cedar Key. They have a family type atmosphere and it's not just the teachers and staff, but the parents support them and the community supports them and I think that makes a huge difference. Um I'm I'm very proud of Chief Middle High School. um glad of what they were able to accomplish. And um just want to say that I did um do a school visit for the summer achieve program at Chief Elementary and uh Jonathan and his staff were there and um those kids we visited probably five or six classrooms
018and they were all engaged and um learning was definitely going on and some of the children I could and having conversations with them. If it weren't for that program, I'm not sure what they would be doing. >> Thank you, ma'am. >> Mr. Ward, >> certainly proud of the be and our district's earned and I know Willist um a word I heard some cher persevere and I feel like you know um we have persevered through challenges. Um I know about Wilston was C's last year and the best of school went up to B and across the district just all the hard work that everybody puts in. Um certainly you know sometimes it feel like some years you know it doesn't show reflecting these grades but I mean I feel like you know you're making you're making
019headway even though sometimes a grade doesn't necessarily mean sometimes that way in school you know you're kind of disappointed you know you put the work in but some don't show but you know when you have years you know I feel like stuff starting you know it's good to get you know have little setbacks but you persevere you know continue to grow you know I've always heard heard heard some people say that um sometimes you lo you learn more in the losses than you do the wins. So um you know it presses growth and I feel like that's what we've done in this district throughout. Um so I'm just proud of everybody and you know continue to hard work and keep going. Um, also I went to summer chief yesterday and Jonathan kind of took me
020a tour at Willist Elementary School and like I said the kids were engaged and certainly they um like I said what would they be doing if they weren't you know that's why we said you know a lot of them might be sitting at their house probably un unsupervised maybe even you know so it's good for them to have some structure some learning keeping them engaged don't have that summer drop off um so that's certainly very good and you know I appreciate the for and you know what what it does for our kids in this district. So other than that that's all I have. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Whitehurst. Uh I think this is awesome. Um having been here so long. I can remember when some of those B's were D's and Fs. >>
021Uh matter of fact, there was a time when state sent a letter, I got to get that F straight or we're going to take it over. and we got it straight and we have excelled. I see this is fantastic and it's not it's not an overnight thing. It's long-term work by some fantastic people and I I look to others because of that. I don't think that I've had anything I vote on something but they actually make it happen and I'm I'm impressed with all the work done on that. I also I've I told our school board members when it happened, but I'm gonna announce here in the school board meeting that Carson Meeks of Bronson Middle High School finished fifth nationally in the FBLA impromptu speech contest. >> He said he was beaten by some
022northern people. >> Why'd you look at me? >> That was just an accident. But hey, shoe fits. Shoe fits. Um he did he said they just weren't used to the accent is what kept him out. So more power to him. He's going to come back strong next time. >> Oh yeah. >> Uh >> but uh I will also say this u you know when you're a a fiscally conservative people u we're for that. And it's a dilemma in public education because we it's tough to be fiscally conservative and and a on the Republican side of things. That's why I think we've always been nonpartisan because you also have to have a little Democrat to you and go, "Hey, we got some social stuff we got to do, too. We got we got to make it
023work." Um, and I think it's a tough road to walk. Uh, I said it one time before here. If you will look at that seal, the Le County school system started in 1845. There have been dark days. Been some real dark days. We are facing some dark days. But you know what? We've got that no other school board in this countyy's got. We have the best possible people on this job. And I have confidence that those good folks make this happen in those meetings. And we're going to figure it out. Going to come through the dark days. We're going to look back and go, "Yep." And it's going to make us stronger. It's going to make us better. Much like those D's and Fs >> made those better. >> And that's all I have to
024have. You have anything else? >> No, sir. >> Anything else? That being said, meeting a journal session.