Volusia County School Board - The Volusia County School Regular Session 04⧸08⧸2025

001Well, that's good. Good afternoon. At this time, if everyone would please take a seat. Welcome to the Valuchia County School Board meeting. Today is Tuesday, April the 8th, 2025. In just a moment, I'm going to ask those of you here in the audience to join us in standing for the pledge of allegiance that will be presented to today by Blue Lake Elementary, followed by the national anthem from Dand High. And then we will remain standing for a moment of silence and reflection. So, at this time, will you please stand and join me? Hello, I'm Miss Silver. I teach over at Blue Lake Elementary. I am the ALA teacher for second grade. And we want to say the pledge of allegiance for you. I pledge alce to the flag of the United States of America and

002to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Thank you. You may be seated. At this time, I'd like to introduce those that are here at the front with me. Here on my far left, I have Mrs. Donna Brosmer representing district 4. Then, Mrs. Christa Goodrich representing district 2, our school board attorney, Dr. Gilbert Evans. Moving over to my far right, I have Miss Celeste Gilmore. She's our agency clerk. Then, we have Mrs. Jesse Thompson representing district 3, Mr. Ruben Clone, our vice chair, representing district 5, and then to my immediate right, I have Dr. Carmen Balgaban, our superintendent, and I'm Miss Jamie Haynes representing district 1 and your chair at this time. Items for approval on

003this agenda this evening are items 1.03, 2.02, 6.02, and 17.01. public participation times. Prior to voting on the consent agenda, you may fill out a card if you wish to speak about any item on the consent agenda. You just need to see the ladies over here on the far right along the wall and they will give you a card to fill out. We also at 6:00 pm will have um you may fill out a yellow card for items of general interest pertaining to public education in Valuchia County. A total of up to 15 minutes will be provided for public comment at that time and each of you have three m up to three minutes to speak. Then time will be provided for public comment on any action item before a board vote is called on

004that item. Time will also be provided at the end of the meeting for public comment for items of general interest pertaining to public education before the board superintendent or attorney open up anything for discussion or announcement. Our district vision statement is to create lifelong learners for an everchanging global society. At this time, I invite my colleagues here if they'd like to share anything. Mrs. Brosmer, thank you. Uh last week I went to uh Tallahassee with the Daytona Chamber and um I I had the opportunity to meet with members and bill sponsors and what have you, but in particular I attended a um a committee meeting at least in part because it was pouring rain and I couldn't get to the meeting I meant to attend. Um and there was a math bill up that I

005did want to hear presented. So uh so I attended the uh careers and workforce subcommittee and at that meeting uh there was a presentation by a group called Florida Youth Shine. I had not heard of them before um but they are an advocacy nonprofit of young adults from the foster care system or who have been homeless. These young people were absolutely astonishing. They were, it was wonderful to listen to them. Um, some of these kids had been dropped by their foster parents on their 18th birthday uh because the parents stopped getting checks. Uh, I I didn't even realize that it was possible for adoptive parents to do the same thing. But I have a friend who is a teacher at Atlantic High School who recently took in a senior in one of her classes because

006the same thing had happened to her. uh on her 18th birthday, her adoptive mother uh kicked her out of the house and uh she a lot of the the um services that are available to the foster kids and and the nonprofits, I mean um the homeless kids, I'm sorry, are not available if they don't have an address. So, um, my friend and her husband have have taken in this young lady and she's now applying to to, um, Embry Riddle. Um, during the time that I worked in the foster care system, my main area of interest was the kids who were aging out because they really are kind of dropped off into the deep end of the pool with um with with no support unless they know where to access it. um the kids who were

007making the presentations had stories that had everybody choked up uh in in the room, but one of the things that came out of it for me was that um a lot of the counties in in Florida have chapters of of this group, but Valuchia County doesn't. So, because of the fact that we have foster kids and we have homeless kids in our county, uh I thought it would be maybe a good referral for us to be able to have a chapter here. And so I've contacted them to see about about doing that um about starting a chapter here. And there's also another group um that facilitates access to the state services for these kids. It's the Allen Madden Foundation and and um the man who is their communications person uh used to work with bikers

008against trafficking, but he is also on the Dand uh chamber board. And so that is another uh group that I would like for us to to put on our our list of of referral agencies. Um, and I I'll try to put them in touch with with the school district staff. Um, but the bill in particular that was being presented that day uh was to address the fact that that the um the state provides free tuition for foster kids and and homeless kids, but they very often can't take advantage of it because they don't have any place to live. And so this bill would provide housing for them for as long as they are qualified to be in college as long as their their grades are maintained. So it was a great meeting. I was very

009happy I stumbled into into that one and I'm hoping that we can make use of both of those groups in here in Valuchia. Thank you, Mrs. Goodrich. I was also in Tallahassee with the chamber um and had a great experience there. not going to go into it as much, but that was yeah, fantastic experience. And then um last week we had the Arts Voco gala and it was the first um one that they've had and the purpose of the arts vocal county is to bring awareness to the arts to um showcase our young and older artists of every type of art. And when they raise money, the beneficiary of those funds is Valuchia County School District. So, it's a wonderful thing going on. If you haven't had a chance, look at their website and go

010and see all the amazing art that's happening um whether it's music, drama, dance, visual arts by our students um here in Valuchia. And then the other event I just wanted to highlight, which I'm so sad I was very excited, I made a video because our superintendent always shows up with a video. So, I created a video about it, but the sound isn't working. So, that's a shame. Um, but the video was about the Special Olympics which was this past weekend at Mainland High School and it was a wonderful event. I like my mom even flew in Friday night to um volunteer. So, we had quite a few of the Goodrich group there volunteering and everyone had an amazing experience. There was botchi, there was soccer, there was basketball. Um, I was at on the tennis

011courts, there was track and field, cheerleading, and I am missing someone. And if whoever I'm missing, I'm so sorry. But I spoke with one of the um, ESC uh, educators over at Seabbze High School. And this is what I really wanted to focus on with it is number one, we still need more volunteers. We were still short 50 this year. But number two is that Seabbze, they have a pretty long history and a very strong history of having unified partners work with their ESSE students. And what a unified partner, unified athlete is is it's a general education student that partners up with a special education student and helps them with the sports um that they're working on and they become a partner and they compete together. it it brings a tremendous amount of value to

012the ESSE student, but I'm going to say that it probably brings even more value to the general education student. So, I would love to see that expanded. Um, and we can talk to Seabbze about how they're doing it. I believe we had more of this before CO and then postco it kind of changed, but I'd love to see more of that happening in our schools just so that we can all learn to understand each other um a little better. So, those are my highlights. Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Thank you. So, we've reached that time of year where there are a million things going on every single day and every single night. So, thank you to everyone who attends these to our principles who are going above and beyond. Parents, God bless all of you through

013this time. Um, Spruce Creek High School, some of you may or may not have noticed I have orange in my hair. At Spruce Creek High School, their robotics team um went on to compete and I told them, and Miss Goodrich was there to witness it, if they could go to Worlds, I would dye my whole head orange. And it's bittersweet because I didn't want to dye my hair orange, but I was really pulling for him. Um, the team didn't make it. However, um, Ryan Hubs, an 11th grader, did make it, so I did a little bit of the hair for him, but still very proud of everyone who competed. They built this robot that was phenomenal. It was so cool. Um, so that was great and congratulations to them. The elementary science expo was at

014the center at Deltona and it was fantastic. I judged one of the elementary school science fairs and there were some amazing pro projects and there were some great ones on food. Those always really interest me. Um those and the ones to do with laundry. So thank you to all those children parents who did some amazing projects. Um I'll Jamie, I'll let you talk about the Taylor High School grant because that's that's all you. But um we also had the workforce expo for juniors and seniors at Mainland High. Thank you to all the businesses who came out. There were a ton of kids. I love that we had it at a high school and more importantly indoors because there was AC. Love it out at the at the baseball field, but that AC felt nice. Um,

015we had our DAC meeting this past Wednesday and I want to thank those from the district that came to present. they presented on um testing which was extremely informative and so if you sit on your school's SAT committee I highly encourage you if you weren't at the DAC meeting to ask about it because I think there's a lot of questions that parents have about testing and they aren't really sure um about a certain things as far as what the district does and what the state does and what information's given. So that was a fantastic presentation in Dand. There is a CTE pitch competition. Super fun, great ideas. And there's some Shark Tank presentations coming up soon. Like these are just fun when the kids really get to explore and they're excited about it and they

016have these grand ideas. I just I love it. Um Vasa had their celebrating education event. Thank you to everyone who came out for that huge event. There's so many art events coming and I know many of us love our arts in our schools. Um, and so Art House in Port Orange has been hosting them and they had one for their AP and ACE students and the students described where their art came from. They had to really like dig in and I you cry like you really do. You can feel just the depth of this and it's to me art when it moves you like that's just beautiful. And there were so many great pieces and the art house is also having one this Friday um for their IB students. So I highly encourage anyone to

017go out and see that. It is free to the public. And last, but certainly not least, um I believe it's seven of our high schools are getting renovations through the Schoolway Cafe over the summer. Um and this is through Schoolway Cafe dollars. So don't get mad at me because I know we discussed budget a lot earlier today, but the renovations are so beautiful. And so I was at Spruce Creek to see what they were doing. They had some students come in for a committee just to say what they did like, what they didn't like, what changes they thought um there would be. And there were students from every single grade level. So, I really want to thank the team from Schoolway Cafe for bringing our students in and listening to their input because they're the

018ones that have to eat there. So, just thank you to all those teams and all those people. And good luck to everyone out there as we're wrapping up the school year. Thank you. Sorry that was a lot. I apologize, Mr. Cologne. I can't top that. I'm sorry. So earlier today we had uh Advent Health here as our partners and I know that this past weekend they did the sports physicals and I think it's uh we're not only grateful for them for their partnership but uh they did 118 phys 11 excuse me 118 physicals 960 EKGs and so again thank you to Advent Health for that. Uh this past weekend I had the honor of going to the HOSA which is Health Occupation Students of America State competition in Orlando. I had the privilege of judging

019two nights and I can tell you the future of healthc care is bright. Um our our students just do an amazing job. Um special shout out to Pineriidge who had uh three students who are going to move on to national competition. Uh I can tell you there were 3900 or so students at the uh competing in various activities and so in a couple of categories our Pineriidge students were in first place and then in uh athletic training um he also was in the top so he'll be moving on to the states as well. So um I look forward to having them come and join us. It was just this past weekend so I know we couldn't get it on here uh anytime soon. So kudos to them. Um, also today was mentioned and I'm going

020to mention it here. Advent Health uh in the next 3 days uh they're going to be offering 10 full ride scholarships to Advent Health University for students uh who would like to be in nursing program. So free ride 10 winners in Valuchia County. So um it's posted all over uh Valuchia County's Facebook page if you are interested in that. We attended the ESC uh awards uh through the Valuchia County Valuchia County Exceptional Student Council of Sorts. Uh and it was just a great night to to recognize um to recognize the educators across our county who support our students. Um, and I believe that may be it for now. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Clone. So, um, a few additional highlights. Uh, we've been visiting, um, some of the schools on the west side of the

021county and because they've earned the Danny Ganon, um, academic excellence award. And so we were out at Valuchia Pines Elementary because Valuchia Pines Elementary had showed excellent growth. And so they got the banner, they got the check, they got the plaque, and but was the most heartening piece, they had students come in. And so when you bring the business community in and they get to hear from students, it's so important. And so the students told them things that they felt they had worked hard to improve on and who had helped them improve on that. And that's what it's all about. Um, also, Mrs. Thompson and I were out at Taylor Middle High School. This is the third trip out there so far this year where Taylor um has been awarded a check for different things

022that the students are doing. They competed in a competition early on in the year and they were awarded a $5,000 check. And you just should have seen the kids' faces when they got $5,000. And it was something that they competed in on social media about sharing all of their sporting events and things like that. And so they won 5,000. And then um Mr. McAlliff and I were back out there and they won $500 for improving their um attendance and lowering their chronic absenteeism. So then we went out there um it's been a week and a half ago and we were out there, Miss Thompson and I, and so they had no idea why we were out there. Well, a grant had been written through our CTE um program for them on healthc care career explore

023and excel grant is what it was called. And so we were out there to see them awarded the check. And so while we're on stage with Dr. Balabin, we kind of challenged them. We said, "We've been out here and you've received 5,000 and you've received 500. And does anybody want to take a guess on how much you're getting this time? And so one of the students finally raised their hand and said, "Do you think we like are we getting 10,000 maybe?" I mean, and they seriously thought, "Wow, what we could do with our medical program out there if we just got $10,000." Well, when we turned the check around, you should have seen their faces. Like, it took a few minutes for it to register. Dr. Balg was kind of like, "So, did you get

024your 10,000?" And one person finally raised his hand and said, it was a young man and he said, $11,250. And the teacher who teaches those programs, he had no idea because we kept the secret from everybody. And he immediately said to them, you know how we've talked about all this equipment we need for you guys to be able to practice on and all that? He said, "We're getting that equipment. We will have that equipment." And like the whole auditorium just erupted because that is, it may not seem like a lot to you or to some of our larger schools, but when you go up into that community and they get a check to support their medical program that they're doing out there for that amount, it was amazing for them. So, we want to thank

025everyone that participated in that. And then also um some of us attended the Valuchia League of Cities dinner and that's where we you know we try to work with our cities on the different things and build relationships with them. But the final thing I want to talk to you today and it kind of ties in even with that grant for Taylor. There is House Bill 5101 and a companion bill, Senate Bill 2510 right now that can negatively impact our students. And we're here to positively impact our students. And so for those of you here in the audience, for parents listening at home, anyone that goes back and replays this, we have a short window right now to reach out and contact our House of Representatives and our senators and any parent that has been sending

026me an email. I've been replying back with the names and the email addresses for the people that'll be voting to make a choice on this. But basically what happened in October, we were asked to fill out a survey and submit it to the state. On the survey, it asked for us to sh show the amount of funding that we spent under these categories. Dual enrollment. Some of you in here may be in dual enrollment or you're planning on signing up. Both of my children did dual enrollment. It's a wonderful program. So dual enrollment IB international balorate I know we've got Spruce Creek high in the house spruce creek and dand have those programs AP ACE CTE and our CAPE programs along with early graduation. Every one of those programs directly impacts students in Valuchia County

027because under the CT and CAPE, it can be any program your child's involved in. They could be involved in FFA. We've got schools here that have large numbers of kids in FFA. The funding that we've been getting for many years from the state for those programs has allowed us to continue to expand those programs. It pays for the testing that the students take so that they can walk out with certifications already in a field that they're interested in pursuing. That's why each and every one of us is here. But based on every district in Florida submitting that chart in Octo between October and November, that information was collected and put into a piece. And I want to I always want to believe the best intentions. But that chart needed it had one other column. The

028other column said other, but it needed an additional column besides other. It needed a column that said charter. because charter money from the state that flows into Valuchia County as a goeteen that flows straight back out to charter schools goes in through that piece. And so we filled it out correctly. We filled out how much was being spent on our students directly under each of those programs. But then there was not a charter column. So in the other column we had to put the charter money. So all of a sudden that looked like, oh, they're not really funding all these other programs because they've got this money over in other. Well, other didn't stay in Valuchia. It wasn't that we created some other. Other went directly from us to the charter schools. So they're looking

029at cutting the money we receive for all those programs by 50%. So we can each contact them. We can write to them. But you want to know who will make the difference? You. Parents, your children. If you have a child that recently went through one of those programs and graduated. All it takes is a letter telling a story. I have a young lady who was who found out about it and she's written a letter to tell them what the program she was involved in in Val County. What a difference it made in her life and already what she's able to do because of having that opportunity. So, please, when you leave here tonight, consider taking a moment to write to our local legislators and reference House Bill 5101 and Senate Bill 2510 and ask them

030to please not cut the funding. And it's not just in Valuchia, it's across the entire state that they'll be cutting that funding. But please to not cut that funding because that funding makes a world of difference for our students that are involved in all of those programs. So, I'm asking tonight, I don't usually ask you to do anything, but this is important because every dollar that we lose will keep us from adding programs and adding more students to those programs for next year and the coming years. And then maybe next year they'll send us out a new chart and they'll put all the columns on it and we can report the information accurately and we won't be losing any more money. But that's all I have for this evening about that because we need some

031assistance to get that funding. We're moving on at this time to item 1.03, the approval of the minutes. Board members, you've had an opportunity to review the minutes from the last board meeting. And so, do I have a motion to approve the minutes as presented? Motion to approve. Second that motion. Thank you, Mr. Cologne. Thank you, Miss Thompson. Any discussion? Hearing none, I'll call for the vote. All of those in favor of approving the minutes from the last schoolboard meeting, please say I. I. Any opposed? It passes unanimously. We are now down to item 2.01. Dr. Balgaban, are there any agenda changes before the agenda is presented to the board for approval? No, Madam Chair. None for my end. All right, board members. Nothing for the Okay. So, do I have a motion to approve

032the presented agenda? Motion to approve. Thank you, Mrs. Goodrich. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Mrs. Brosmer. Any discussion? Hearing none, I'll call for the vote. All those in favor of approving the agenda as it's been presented for tonight's meeting, please say I. I. Any opposed? It passes unanimously. We are now up to item 3.01. Dr. Balgamin, it's your turn to share all the things that have been happening in Valuchia County. Thank you, Madam Chair, board members. Actually, you guys have assisted me this afternoon because there are some of the announcements that I've crossed off, but uh good afternoon to all of you in the audience. It's always so nice when we see our staff members here seated in our audience, but most importantly when we see our VCS students, the reason for

033our existence. So, good afternoon to you guys VCS students. Good afternoon. I I think they're going to be fully awake. They're here to be recognized. Mr. Cologne and for those of you joining us at home from home, thank you for tuning in. Um, just a couple announcements. We do have two uh videos but we will be showing those at the end. Uh chair Latinos in action conference if you recall uh Mr. Cologne three years ago three years ago we started with this organization working in Valuchia County. We started with a with a tiered approach. We started with our high school and then brought it into our middle school and and now in our elementary schools. But basically, it's a program that truly focuses on empowering our multilingual students, multilingual students when it comes to youth

034leadership, cultural appreciation, and community engagement. It in also inspires creativity and academic excellence. So, expanding into the elementary schools, that's that's really powerful. It shows that that tiered approach has worked. And when I visit schools and I talk to our students, especially students from a multilingual background, they always mention how this program has impacted their leadership abilities. I want to thank you also, Mr. Cologne, for agreeing uh three years ago to be a part a liazison for for this uh program because our students will be participating at UCF in a leadership seminar that's coming up. Also, three years ago, we started our district pitch competition. And as you know, in every single one of our high schools, we have entrepreneurship in our high schools. So, how fitting it is that our students have an opportunity

035to work on a project, right, and present that project where they have judges, which are pretty much um business partners and volunteers from our community join and provide feedback, but also provide that opportunity for students to, you know, win that uh local competition, enter into a more national competition and so forth for their project. I want to thank uh Mrs. Thompson, Miss Goodidge, Dr. Vay, and everyone else. If you've attended, thank you for attending our third annual pitch competition. I'd like to congratulate all of the participants, including our top winners. So, the first place, Spruce Creek Senior, Gio Hoffman, and he actually presented on tackling food insecurity and waste. So, that was his project. He won first place. Second place went to uh Spruce Creek Jr. Payton Bonino and he his project was about creating

036a nickelfree jewelry um cleaning system. And then our third place went to the essential cube which is a mainland senior Payton Garner and that's about simplifying the college move in process. Isn't that creative? college move in process. So, Gio will be representing VCS next month at the NIFTY um Southeast Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in Miami. I believe last year uh the the student that represented us was actually a winner and went to national. So, a huge thank you to again all of our business partners that volunteers their time to be there, mentors and supporters, including Stson Baptist Church because they made this event possible for us. So, again, thank you. We do have a video, but we will show that at the end. um Jen Taylor and the uh amazing scientists that we have here

037in Valuchia County along with all of our field teachers and in and staff members. 50 years of celebration. So for 50 years, it really shows you how valued science STEM is and protected right in our district. No wonder I believe we're second or third in the state, right, Jen? But again, congratulations to all of our brilliant, brilliant. How many of you in here, show of hands, are fifth graders? How many of you participated in the fifth grade science elementary expo? Raise your hands. Beautiful. The pipeline. There you go. So, they had an opportunity to showcase their projects at the 50th annual science expo recently. Um, we know that VCS will continue to lead in this field thanks to Jen and her entire team, but also our our our field teachers and staff members. Thank you

038for helping us lead. And now when it comes to the Tamoka Regional Science Fair, we're preparing our students for beyond that experience. Um, in add, right? Okay. That those are my two videos. I will make up for the one where the voice was not captured in yours. Atlantic High School. Last week we were there. We always say that when it comes to the safety and security of our students and staff, that will always and remain our number one priority. So last week at Atlantic High School, Sheriff Chitwood, his team, and our team who were there to pretty much uh implement the first innovative AIdriven weapon detection technology instrument in for our county, but also in our state. I will tell you that this system for security, it really not only enhances, but it will process

039up to 2,000 individ individuals per hour. After that was showcased, we received several calls from other districts who will be coming and actually visiting Atlantic to see how that what that looks like and how it works. So again, I want to thank the team, student services division along with our captain and everybody that worked behind the scene because you guys did many visits. You piloted this, we studied and examined this at Olsen and we were able to implement it successfully for this pilot here at Atlantic. Uh thank you guys for all that you've done behind the scenes. Mr. Cologne, uh you talked about this Valuchia Council for Exceptional Children. So actually I would like to congratulate Monica Haynes. She she was or is our ESC parent of the year and she represents Creekide Middle. Maria

040Costakis. Can we pull up the the the um the names, please, guys? Do we have them? Okay, there you go. ESC support staff of the year and she represents Seabbze High. Emily Chris Light, she has been uh recognized as the ESC inclusion teacher of the year. She represents Orman Beach Elementary. Dr. Jenny Hughes, ESC administrator of the year, representing University High. Zachary Campor Camporosce, ESC pair professional of the year. New new New Samra Beach High, Daisy Cordin, ESC Rocky Teacher of the Year, rookie teacher of the year, Rocky Rookie Teacher of the Year, Timberrest Elementary, and Clarabel Cologne Ortiz, teacher of the year. Timberrest Elementary, you're not competitive at all, are you? Not at all. Um, and two more. CT workforce expo. If you recall, we said that it was important to us to have

041at least a minimum of 300 paid internship opportunities. Recall that, board members. So last week we had and thank you you were there with us um Miss Thompson. We joined our juniors and seniors at Mainland. We had over 400 attendees. We had 70 business partners who participated and at that point in time 320 paid internship opportunities. So we have already but again we could not have done this without our community without our business partners who truly understands and knows that schools don't exist in isolation to the community that we are a part of our community and that our students some of them seated right here are our future. So thank you to all of our business partners. And last but not least some important dates. We have April 20th, which is Easter Sunday. Um, April

04221st through the 25th, it's National after school professionals appreciation week, guys. To all of our before and after school program, all the staff members that works, but also our school-based staff. Thank you for the extended time that you put in to service the needs of our students. And April 21st through the 25th, it's also National Public School volunteer week. And we have hundreds and hundreds of volunteers here in Valuchia County that that puts in their own time, right, to to meet the needs of our students, to meet and and exceed the needs of our students. We want to do a shout out and and let them know how appreciated they are for volunteering their time to make a difference in their community now and beyond. So, with that said, I'm go we're going to show

043you these two videos and that will conclude my announcements. No, two videos. I have three. There's three. Two. I I did want to make up for Go ahead. We have Valuchia County Schools pitch competition. It's a district competition where high schools who are learning entrepreneurship. They've created a business and they're going to pitch that business uh with 12 slides that go over a variety of things from starting up the business and operating costs, a variety of other things, how they're going to market the business. The essential cube is a coste effective and family focused uh tote that comes with all the essentials that you don't know you need yet. It also allows for transition from being a dependent on your parents to becoming independent. With coming to this idea, I'm hoping that I can help

044not only myself or for future kids who want to go to college and not feel very overwhelmed by it. Either you have to spend hundreds of dollars on jewelry or you have to choose something that's going to only look good for 2 months and also make you uncomfortable. So, you want to make an impact. I love it. They always have these out of the box ideas and just to hear them describe it and see how excited they get um just really reminds me why we do this and why we're here and that's why this is one of the more fun events to go to because they really have creative liberties here. When I was looking into this I noticed obviously there's areas without any clean water. It's not just about the grade but it is

045also for an opportunity to actually win real money that they can put in their pockets and put towards actually building out and growing their concept as well. So proud of the students for them to take that leap to be able to be in front of our business partners to pitch their ideas. Very grateful um of being in such a great district that thinks very innovatively to support our students in this quest of entrepreneurship. Very good. High five. Both of you [Music] Size, weight, and material of the balls being dropped from different heights makes a difference in crater depth and width. Welcome to the 50th annual elementary science expo for Valuchia County Schools. These students have worked so hard on their projects. They have won at their school and they've made it to the elementary district

046science expo. This is a huge thing for Valuchia County Schools because this is the beginning of the pipeline that moves our scientists through as they enter into the Tamoka Regional Science Fair. It warms my heart because this lets me know that him being out in society and being productive and being able to speak to his peers or strangers will take him further in life. It's an incredible experience getting to watch these kids, not just her, but these other kids grow and get to see them mold into, you know, these awesome, incredible human beings and they get confidence through this. If it's sunny outside, the sun can come through your windows and shine on here to make it melt faster. They're so passionate about it. And I think that passion is what gets them over that

047hurdle cuz sometimes talking to adults can be intimidating, especially answering some of these questions. And so, they're just so passionate about it though. It just comes out and it pours out through these projects. Happy 50th anniversary Science Expo. [Music] And that concludes. Thank you. All right. At this time then we're moving on to recognitions. Item 4.01, State Science Fair and Environ Student Recognition. Dr. Balabin. Chair, I'm really excited about this. Aren't you? Yes. So, I'm going to ask Miss Jen Taylor, our coordinator for our our science division, to come up because there's three recognitions. She's going to lead these recognitions and we're going to assist. Part one, it's in regard to the state science fair. Part two. Part two, our volua manufacturers association. Jen, I'm missing one. Sorry. We're gonna do Environ. Yeah, Environ. Sorry.

048Environ is the first. Second, right, Jen? State Science Fair and the third is the Volution Manufacturers Association. So, we will assist you, Jen. Perfect. Perfect. I am so lucky to have the job that I have to be able to work with all the folks behind me and to be able to celebrate our scientists that are behind us. Um they truly are scientists. They have done original research and they have presented not only at the school, the district, the state. Um so I can't wait to tell you more about them. So good evening, Superintendent Dr. Balgavan, Chairman Jamie Haynes, and members of the school board. At this time, if the director and co-director of Environ Louise Chapman and Will Hopson would come forward, um, STEM specialist Amy Monahan. So, our first recognition is Environ. Each year,

049Valuchia County School Science Department hosts a regional Environ day led by our director, Louise Chapman, and our co-chair, Will Hopson, from Atlantic High School. Environ is a competition that occurs across the globe, not just in the United States. The Florida Environ is an outdoor natural resource education program and competition for high school students in grades 9 through 12. In the field, students are challenged to work as a team to answer written questions and conduct hands-on projects focused on environmental issues. Students from all over Florida join to explore the environment in five different disciplines: forestry, wildlife, aquatics, soils, and current events. Environ has become a community event with volunteers from all over Valuchia County donating their time, expertise, and financial support. When you talk about volunteers, we live off of volunteers in our department. The regional

050environ competition was held at Rose Bay and each event was led by an expert in each of the five disciplines. In addition, this year's sponsors included Duke Energy, Futures, Valuchia Soil and Water Conservancy District, Riverside Conservancy, Marine Discovery Center, Valuchia County Environmental Management, and Valuchia County Parks Recreation and Culture. We couldn't do it without our sponsors. At this time, I would love to recognize the advancing glaciers from Spruce Creek High School. If you would please come forward along with your coach, Josh Platt, and stand behind [Music] [Applause] us. So, this year's first place were selected to continue to state. And I think we have an update, Louise. We do have an update. This past weekend was the state competition and Spruce Creek's Advancing Glaciers came second in the state out of 21 teams. [Music] So,

051if you could just give us a little wave when I call your names. Sydney Mont Castle, Milin Van, Insha Majid, Jordan Platt, Betina Spitzer, Belle, Noah Serrano. All right. [Music] And and our coach Josh Platt. Absolutely amazing. Thank you and congratulations. Time we're going to take pictures and Dr. Balgamin has something for you. This is the trophy that they won. Yeah. All right. Let's go. I just wanted Dr. Hammond. Yes, absolutely. [Applause] Congratulations guys. They don't really know how to know. I got here. Can't see him. Make sure you're sticking through. All right. [Applause] You make this look so good. You need to say something. I just put you in charge of that. Whatever. Thank you. Science. This is science though. So, not to brag, share a little bit because you were just telling me

052how many years now that they've uh won some state competition. It's been over 10 years now that they have won here in the district to go on the [Applause] So, it's it's again it's not me, it's exist because Miss Chapman, right? Miss Chapman makes this happen. Um, everybody else in science is fantastic, but Miss Chapman really needs a round of applause for this. Was fortunate to coach the kids and I do very little. The kids do all of it. We missed first place by nine points this year, so they were super close. Um, we were hoping to go to nationals, but next year we're bringing back five of those kids. We'll be on the team again next year, so they're going for it again. Uh, provided we can win locally because the competition's tough here

053before we even go to state. So, thank you all for the honor. It's all for the kids and we appreciate your support for it. Thank you. So, our second recognition for tonight is the Tamoka Science and Engineering Fair State delegate uh recognition. And to my left, I have our secondary science specialist as well as our fair director, Mr. Jeremy Blind. So for 58 years and I believe you were in the first fair we were both part of this one but it wasn't that long ago. We were both part of this tradition as kids as teachers and now here at the district which is pretty cool. I still have my trophy. Do you? Oh I have my plaque. Yeah I my third place mathematics plaque from Tamoka Regional. Yes, I I won first. 1989 first place

054trophy to say it that way. I have my first place trophy. It's on my desk, by the way, if you want to come by and see it. You won first and he won third. Yes. Yes. Just, you know, holders. I was there first. Oh, there it's true. I'll I'll give him that one. I'll give him that one. So it's it's absolutely amazing to think that for 58 years Valuchia County School Science Department has organized the Tamoka Regional Science and Engineering Fair and we are so thankful to our volunteers. Um this year Stson University once again for the sixth year in a row hosted our event and we're a big group so that's a lot. Um, in addition, we give out special awards and we couldn't do it without all of the donations from the universities,

055nonprofits, engineering firms that provide thousands and thousands of dollars each year for our Valuchia County students. To name just a few organizations such as the Manatee Festival Committee in Orange City, they provide a $100 check for each student that receives a first place in all 25 categories. That's pretty amazing. The Daytona Beach chapter of the Florida Engineering Society provides awards that kids can't wait to hear who wins each year. They're called the Da Vinci Awards. The top award is $2,000 to one student. Cash check. We also need to mention our longest special award partnership that spans decades with the Heart of Alutia and their continued support for multiple special awards each year. The science fair season starts as early as the summer. Some of these kids work with universities all summer long and in June

056and they continue until a week ago, a couple weeks ago. Yeah, it goes June to June. June to June. This guy goes June. You really don't have a a non-science fair season. There's no such thing. There's no such thing. Our judges this year selected 20 projects to compete in the 70th Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in March. The Florida State Science and Engineering Fair is the largest middle school and high school prey science and engineering competition in the world. Only the high school international science and engineering fair is larger. So at this time I would love to recognize those students 20 projects that were selected to compete. If you would please stand where you are as I call your name and then we will call you forward for certificates in just a moment. So,

057in the Florida State Junior Division, Evan Aldridge, Burnside Tech, Ju Hilly, Silver Sands Middle [Applause] School, Anania, River Springs Middle [Applause] School. Bilby Nazarayan, Orman Beach Middle School. Issha Patel Hinsson Middle School. Laana, River Springs Middle School. Annabelle Dupri, Creekide Middle School, Bradley Moon, River Springs Middle School. So for the senior division, will you please stand? Ina Majid, Spruce Creek High School. Lyn Van, Spruce Creek High [Applause] School. Brooklyn Bernstein, New Simra Beach High School. Reese Gonzalez, Dand High. Rizzo Dand High Lib Spruce Creek High [Applause] School Summer Samar Spruce Creek High [Applause] School Burnside [Applause] Tech Lily DS Deltona High School Jordan Platt Spruce Creek High [Applause] Sean Aia, Spruce Creek High [Applause] School. Dylan Tran, Spruce Creek High School. Abigail Aldridge, Burnside Tech. King, Burnside [Applause] Tech. Alexander Anderson, Spruce Creek High School.

058Last but not least, Jon Agdasi, Spruce Creek High School. [Applause] If you all will stand for just one more minute, we've got an update. How did state go? Let me tell you, first of all, I'm so proud of every one of them that made it to state. They repres represented Luca County Schools and Tamoka Regional exceptionally. um 75% of them had their name recognized at this world's largest middle school and high school pre-colgiate STEM competition. It's a little known fact that Florida is that influential in the pipeline in the world science pre-colgate research. So, let me tell you what happened when we were there. middle school students in chemistry, in physics, and plant sciences. We had three students that were recognized and just being recognized at the state. That's an actual title of an award

059recognition. They were three sixth graders. Sixth graders, elementary expo to this. Talk about a pipeline. I'd like to recognize Jawu Hilly from Silver Sands. Kayla Hania from River Springs and Bradley Moon from River Springs. Also, these three sixth graders got [Applause] recognized. Also in middle school, also in middle school, we had two middle schoolers receive a third place award at state in environmental engineering. Quesa Patel. She's a seventh grader at Henson Middle School. Last year she won fourth. This year she won third. I can't wait for next year. Also, also third place in engineering was Kaden Hania from River Springs. He's an eighth grader, so I'm looking forward to him moving up to high school. He's got amazing ideas. They all have amazing ideas. So, also we the state gives special awards as does Tamoka

060Regional. the the money uh or sometimes certificates in recognition. I wanted to mention Kaden Hania. Kesha Patel um well, let me be specific. Kaden Hania, he won a certificate from the US Navy. Quesa Patel from Henson Middle School won acknowledgement from the US Metric Association. metric Sylvie Nazarion from Orman Middle received uh maybe was I think it was some money money from the Florida Association of Science Supervisors and Annabelle DRI from Creekide Middle received a certificate and a patch I believe from NASA's Kenny Space Center. So she won something from Kenny Space Center and that's the middle school state recognition. high school. Now a high school also with recognition at the high school. Now the senior division high school is very competitive. The three years ago the top student in the world came from Florida.

061To just give you some perspective wasn't our district unfortunately but that'll come soon. Trust me we're working on it. In microbiology, the team project of Abigail Aldridge and Amanda King from Burn Scitec won recognition. So, congratulations. An honorable mention was given to Lily DS in the category of engineering. She's from Deltona High School. She's a ninth grader this year. She won first place in engineering in middle school last year. So, she is now making a name for herself in high school. Also honorable mention environmental engineering the team project of Dshantachara and Jordan Platt from Spruce Creek High [Applause] School. And in plant sciences from Spruce Creek High School, honorable mention for for Jron Agassi, one of our three seniors about to graduate by the way in this group. And then in fourth place, we did

062have three projects win fourth place in state this year. In the biomedical and health sciences, there was a team project by Ina Majid and Milan Vaughn from Spruce Creek High School. Also also in biomedical and health sciences was Brooklyn Bernstein from New Simra Beach High School. [Applause] And last but not least, the other last fourth place winner uh was in earth environmental sciences from Sasha LD from Spruce Creek High School. And I want to conclude with in Tamoka regional we have we affiliate with the the international science engineering fair directly. There's one pathway and that is through state. It's really hard to be a grand champion at state as you may and that's one way to go to international. We have the direct affiliation from Tammoka Regional. So there's one coveted spot. They are all

063competing for that is upped the game. They're all getting better and better. I wish you visit the Tamoka Regional Facebook page. If you lurk on there or join, but look at they're all scientist spotlights. You can read about all their research and a little bit about them. We post them. We sh we highlight them. Anyway, the team project of Abigail Aldridge and Amanda King, they're going to international this year on behalf of the Tamoka regional. They're representing us in [Applause] May. At this time, would you like to take pictures with all 20 or could we do middle school first? Middle school first. Okay. So, all of you who are called for middle school, please come forward. Yes. Okay. You're missing two. Okay. For element for middle for middle. I can do it. Look at these

064good looking. [Applause] She said you guys are slipping in. Well, I'm missing anybody. You can move in the center. [Applause] this way. Congratulations. Thank you. I know their names. Congratulations. So at this time if all high school will come forward here tonight I have sitting with me not only someone who's just been such an advocate for our kids in militia county schools but she's a former student and cheerleader from Atlantic High School along other sports as well. She has become a top cheerleader for our students in Valuchia County schools and for the past few years through her leadership as a VMA CEO and president. She has sponsored our kickoff breakfast for the science teachers in Valuchia County welcoming them back to school. And that's a big deal because we don't have funds for that. And

065we were talking one night and she's like, I can do that. We can do that. And they've done it ever since. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. In addition, through VMA, she has supported the mini grant program, which has donated over $400,000 to science and STEM classrooms right here in Valia County Schools. This year, I had the privilege of once again attending, and I've seen you there, too, the VMA's STEM Tea Party, where Jessica and members of our board worked countless hours raising donations to be auctioned in order to raise money for our young women in STEM program right here in Valuchia County Schools. This year, she raised over $6,000, which will benefit over 340 girls across our district. I think that deserves a [Music] At this time, I would like Amy Monahan, our

066STEM specialist, to talk about some of the other wonderful programs that VMA has sponsored here in Valuchia County. I am honored because this, as you said before, this is a collaboration of business and our school system and VMA is just one of those business partners that has done stepped up for us to with us so that our students benefit. So I have a few things to say about her. So yeah, I'll be very So um and the STEM party being one thing that this was our third year for the STEM t party and every year it gets bigger and better and more and it brings across the women in STEM in Valuchia County. It's not it's for it benefits our girls, but seeing the women in STEM around what they do here in Valuchia only

067signifies where we're at and what we need to be doing. They also go to our young women in STEM clubs. They do um they have talks. We do it over teams. Uh so there's a lot of stuff going on. Uh one of the ways VMA strengthens our STEM programs is by connecting our students with local professionals. So um in our in our town and those who have unique careers in STEM through these efforts VMA not only broadens students knowledge of career opportunities but also boosts their confidence in pursuing STEM STEM fields. Hear a lot of that tonight like getting them ready for the real world. VMA provides female speakers. I just talked about that one. And um me mentors to our clubs. So, um, not just our girls clubs because we're we do have a

068strong young women in STEM clubs. There's 14 of them in our district to our different schools, but throughout all of our STEM clubs. Another exciting partnership we share with the VMA program that Mr. Cologne is definitely aware of is our robot brawl. So, robot brawl, we have um robots going headtohead, going to win, and uh it's it's just a great competition. It's done at Jackie Robinson Ballpark and uh it's organized by VMA and it brings together those student teams grade three through 12. We have third graders competing against 12th graders in in categories. It's amazing. It's intense and it's an intense battle of engineering and innovation which is what it's all about. Um they compete for cash prizes. We don't do that anywhere else. We can't do that anywhere else but in science fair and

069when VMA is involved. So it supports their school programs by competing and winning in those. VMA also plays a vital role in fame which is an advanced manufacturing program at Daytona State College. This allows students to gain hands-on experience by working in VMA companies while continuing their education once they graduate from VCS. So the support of the students learning about fame is direct result of VMA being a part of our school system. Uh in addition to a STEM initiative, Jessica Levit's impact extends even further. She has launched a new enterprise wings for success which supports teachers in Valuchia County's correctional facilities which is why we have Miss Kervin here tonight. The initi this initiative provides resources such as holiday food, gift cards, and classroom supplies. Again, things at Valuchia County Schools we cannot provide. This

070young woman has stepped up and gotten people involved. So, and finally, VMA continues to provide financial support to our schools through our VMA golf tournament. Our VMA golf tournament, it's mine, too. Proceeds from this event go directly towards the mini grants that you heard before. So I want to reiterate we have miniigrants that a wonderful mini grant program with futures and that happens in the fall. VMA supplements and does another round of mini grants that directly is based on what they get from the golf tournament. So it just happened in February. So teachers have the chance to go again and get some more money for their classroom in manufacturing type ideas, STEM ideas. So we want to thank thanks to VMA your generosity and dedication our students and educators have greater opportunities as a result

071to learn grow and succeed. And at this time we want to thank Jenn Jessica Levit as part of and her collaboration and leadership in supporting the students in the realm of STEM in Valuchia County schools and look forward to a continued partnership for many years to come. Many many years to come. [Applause] No wonder why I'm so tired. I didn't realize I was doing so much. Um I I can laugh and joke as a graduate from Valuchia County Schools. I owe all of my success to you guys sitting around this room right now. Whether it be these two ladies who were cheerleading coaches when I was a senior in high school, and they have roped me into all kinds of things. Um, but if we're not willing to come together, then we can't make great

072strides forward. So, I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with all of you. I am humbled by all of the faces that I see in this room that actually take my phone calls still um when I call with my hair on fire about some crazy thing. and without all of you, we don't get things done. And so I'm really excited to see where the future brings us. Um, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow says. So, thank you very much for this opportunity to be recognized and to bring and highlight all of the wonderful things that we're doing here in the county and all around us. So, thank you all. [Applause] So, we actually have something for you if you can join us up here. Hold on, Miss Goodrich. Let's just say

073something. I just want to say something. There is not a single individual community member that is more out there fighting for STEM, fighting for our kids from the time they're little until the time they're in college, and then for jobs afterwards. this woman raises money for this these a million different programs and she doesn't ask for money. She just tells you that you're giving money. It's not a question. Um she puts together things that are unbelievable and this is so welld deserved. I'm so glad you're getting this award and I'm honored that to call you a friend. I know. I know. You can tell. By the way, it was my first year. years. Squeeze. [Laughter] I want this. Thank you. [Applause] That's okay. All right. We are moving on. Um, are there any public input

074cards for the consent agenda? Nothing for the consent agenda. Okay. We're moving on then to the consent agenda for this evening. Um, Dr. Bagabin, are there any items um requiring removal on the consent agenda? Madam Chair, I have no items. Board members, are there any items on the consent agenda that you would like to remove for further discussion or to vote on as a standalone? Okay. I just have one that I'd like to make a comment on. Um earlier today during our workshop, we had the Dan Police Athletic League here to do a presentation on all of the wonderful things they do here on the west um Valuchia on the west side in Valuchia County for all of our students. all of the activities that they hold as soon as kids get out of school

075over the weekends during summer. And so tonight, one of the items on the consent agenda is item 15.03, which is allowing us to convey over to them a piece of property that has been surplus since 2011. And they have been using it um since that time exclusively. and we've surplus I mean they've been using it prior to that but we surplused it at that point in time and it sits right in the community where all the children are coming from and so as I said earlier today um I support us continuing our partnership with them for the positive difference that they make for students. So at this time do I have someone that would like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda? Motion to approve. Thank you, Mrs. Goodrich. Do we have a

076second? Second. That was you, Mrs. Bros. Okay. All right. Any further discussion? Hearing none, I'll call for the vote. All those in favor of approving the consent agenda as presented this evening, please say I. I. I. I. Anyone opposed? It passes unanimously. Thank you, everyone. Yes. So, I think somebody needs to let the police athletic league know that we are moving forward with the property for them. Thank you. So, at this time, we're going to take a short break and then we will return. We will return at 610 and we will u move into public participation. So, if you need to get a card filled out, please see the ladies over on the side. I'll see everyone back at 610. Welcome back. At this time, we are moving on to item 16.01, public participation on

077any general education item. I currently have seven yellow cards. Are there any additional cards? Then at this time, um the collection for cards is closed. We're going to go ahead and take all seven speakers. I'm going to announce the first and second speaker so that the second speaker will be ready when um to come forward. As the first speaker finishes, you're given three minutes each. I ask that during this time, audience, please have your cell phones silenced and there is no talking while people are speaking. If you agree with someone, you can put a thumbs up or jazz hands. If you disagree, you can put a thumbs down, but we're going to respect this each speaker's time. The first speaker this evening is Elizabeth Albert. Um, speaking on behalf of Rob Sabatino. The second speaker

078is Karen Weinrich. Welcome. I don't know what happened here. Crazy. All right. Good evening. I stand before you today with a heavy heart, a troubled mind, and a spirit ignited by the blatant mismanagement that has plagued our beloved Valuchia County Schools. We are here to address a crisis, a reoccurring nightmare that threatens the very foundation of our children's education. Just last year, we were informed of the impending displacement of 284 dedicated teachers. We were told that this drastic measure was necessary to rectify the funding gap created by the imprudent use of short-term pandemic relief funds for reoccurring positions. These funds intended for tutoring and support were instead handed out like Santa Claus was handing out presents. According to board member Haynes, this irresponsible action has directly led to the instability and uncertainty our teachers and

079students now face. And now, a year later, we find ourselves facing yet another financial abyss, a staggering $25 million budget shortfall. How can we in good conscience allow this pattern of fiscal irresponsility to persist? How long will we sacrifice the quality of education for short-sighted financial decisions? It's not just about the overall deficit. We are told that the Valuchia district is already the second lowest staffed when compared to eight other Florida school districts. Yet, while instructional staff dwindles and teachers are displaced, there are serious concerns that the number of district level administrators has only increased, further burdening the budget. This misallocation of resources is a slap in the face to our educators and a disservice to our students. To make matters worse, basic transparency is lacking. A clear, up-to-date organizational chart of the district's administration

080is nowhere to be found on the school district's website. How can we, as stakeholders, possibly understand the decision-making structure when the district refuses to provide even this fundamental piece of information? This lack of transparency breeds distrust and hinders any meaningful dialogue and solutions. Our teachers are not mere numbers on a spreadsheet. They are the lifeblood of our schools, the mentors of our children, and the pillars of our community. Displacing them, shuffling them between schools and subjects disrupts the continuity of education and erodess the morale of our educators. We are told to be fiscally prudent. But where is the prudence in creating a system where funding is a constant crisis? Where is the prudence in jeopardizing our children's future? Where is the prudence in prioritizing administrative bloat over classroom support? I urge you, members of the

081board, to take immediate and decisive action. We demand transparency, accountability, and a long-term financial plan that prioritizes the needs of our students and teachers. We demand a lean, efficient administration that supports schools rather than siphoning rather than siphoning resources. Stop gap measures and empty promises are no longer acceptable. We are tired of the cuts, the deficits, and the excuses. We are here to fight for our schools, for our teachers, and most importantly for our children. We will not stand by and watch as their future is compromised by fiscal or financial mismanagement and administrative excess. The time for action is now. Our children deserve better. Our teachers deserve better. Our community deserves better. Thank you, Robert Sabatino. Thank you. Following Karen Weinrich, it'll be Mariana Bronco. Bronco, welcome. Good evening. My name is Karen Winrich. teach

082fourth grade at Spruce Creek Elementary School and I've been teaching there since 2010. I'm here because like you and all who are listening online, I want our schools to be the best they can be for our students. I'm here today to talk about the cuts that have made at schools this past week. I understand these are very uncertain times financially. I also understand that our enrollment is down about a thousand students and that leads to difficult choices. I believe as I hope everyone here does as well that every decision made in Valia County schools should focus first on the students. That is after all why we are here focusing on the students should frame every single cut that is made. So I'd like to ask you what do you think the most important thing is

083a student needs. I'd say a quality teacher with a reasonable class size for every subject with a wide range of classes so that every student is challenged and as your strategic plan says making sure all students will engage in high levels of learning every day. I've heard about devastating cuts at all levels in the schools that will result in class sizes, larger class sizes, cuts to advanced programs like AP and ACE, doubled up special area classes, severe cuts to guidance counselors in elementary schools. All of these cuts directly affect our students. These cuts do not support the first three guardrails of our strategic plan. They do not help recruit, support, develop, and retain high-quality staff. They certainly do not provide conditions that enhance student learning without looking at cuts at the county level. They definitely

084do not improve operational efficiency and maximize resources to support student learning. So, how do we go about minimizing the impact to our students and fulfilling our strategic plan before cutting at the school level? Every single district position must be looked at to see if it's essential to students. How many district how many district level personnel are there? How many assistant superintendents do we have? Wouldn't these professional educators have a greater impact working directly with students? There are many TOAs at the district level, many of whom I know who are phenomenal teachers. They do work that supports teachers. However, what is the best place for them to directly impact students? In a county office or in a school, which then reduces class sizes and brings our best teachers back to students? Personally, I'd rather have a

085smaller class size with less district support than large class sizes that are above the limit. Yes, I know we now use the school average, but when you're in a school like mine with at least six self-contained ESSE classes, that school average is misleading and ends up above the limit in many classes. Please remember how disruptive the 10-day count fixes are to the students. I have a second suggestion and this is my favorite. Let's eliminate all districtmandated testing for the 202526 school year. This would take the testing burden off our students and free up so much more time to teach. You wouldn't need so many people in the curriculum offices creating tests. Again, this would be what's best for our students. Ask any student who sat through VBAs or DAS and they will all agree. It

086will enhance student learning and there will be much more time to teach. It will attract and retain high-quality teachers and will maximize resources. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wymer. Mariana Blanco followed by Ivette Lasano. Welcome. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Mariana Biano and I have been a mathematics teacher at Valuchia Virtual for over a decade. Today I am here to address a pressing issue that has deeply affected our school community. This week, Valuchia Virtual lost 12 positions. A change that will significantly impact the quality of service we provide to our students. Valuchia Virtual serves a diverse group of students, including full-time virtual students, part-time virtual students, home education students, and special program students. As a teacher in the special programs department, I work with students in various settings such as the credit retrieval labs,

087graduation academy labs, EBD classrooms, ASD classrooms, off-campus instruction, home instruction, hospital homebound, and HBS students. This school year alone, I teach 11 math courses. Nearly 400 students have been in place in my roster with many taking multiple math courses resulting in approximately 600 enrollments. Despite these challenges, my passing rate currently stands at 74%. Enabling many students to earn mathematic credit required for graduation. Valuchia virtual plays a crucial role in improving graduation rate for Valuchia County Schools. However, without sufficient teachers, we will struggle to support our students effectively. This situation may force students to seek other virtual providers, ultimately diverting funds away from our district. Additionally, teachers will be tasked with more work and responsibilities, making it difficult for them to provide the necessary individual attention to their students to retain our students and provide them

088with quality education. It is imperative that we maintain a robust teaching staff at Valuchia virtual. Without dedicated teachers, students will inevitably choose other options outside of Valuchia County. Thank you for your attention in this matter. I urge you, the school board members, the superintendent to consider the impact of this position losses and take action to ensure that Valuchia virtual can continue to provide exceptional education to all of students. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Iette Lasano, followed by Elizabeth Albert. Welcome. Good evening. My name is Ivet Lascano and I've had the privilege of being an educator for over 30 years with 18 of those years dedicated to Valuchia County Schools and the last decade at Valuchia Online Learning. I'm here tonight to express my deep concern over the significant cuts to our instructional staff

089and the profound impact these decisions are having on our students and our schools. In just the past three years, Valuchia Virtual Solutions, also known as Valuchia Online Learning, has lost over 50 teachers from its team. This alarming trend is not just a statistic. It represents classrooms without consistent guidance, students without mentors, and colleagues stretched beyond their limits. Education is not a business. Yet, it feels as though Valuchia County Schools is attempting to run it like one. How does this serve the students who depend on us for their learning and their growth? This year, the remaining teachers are shouldering increased workloads, including multiple preps and teaching across multiple platforms. We're already stretched thin, balancing the demands of diverse subject areas and digital tools, all while striving to provide the highquality education our students deserve. And now

090with continued cuts to instructional staff, the situation threatens to worsen. Next year, teachers may be forced to teach multiple subjects, an expectation that undermines the very foundation of specialized and effective education. I ask you, how does this serve our students? How does this ensure that each child receives the focused individualized attention that they need to tr to thrive? The answer is simple. It doesn't. Instead, it compromises the quality of education we can provide and risks burning out the very individuals who've dedicated their lives to this profession. I urge you to reconsider these cuts and to prioritize the needs of our students and teachers. Invest in us. We can so we can invest in them. Our students deserve a future shaped by educators who are supported, valued, and equipped to succeed not by these those pushed

091to the brink by impossible expectations. Cuts to Valuchia virtual solutions does not just impact our full-time students, but also special populations such as EBD students and all other high schools across the district as we partner with them to provide necessary courses needed for graduation. If Valuchia Virtual cannot accommodate serving our partner schools, students will be forced to turn to outside virtual programs such as FVS, which will further remove funds from our county. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Next is Miss Elizabeth Albert speaking for herself, followed by Dorothy Featherston. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Superintendent Dr. Balgabin, members of the audience. It's been a long but informative day. And although I am no longer working in the classroom, I have worked for VCS for 22 years, and I am

092invested in the success of the students, the employees, and the district. I believe that everyone in this room tonight wants Valuchia County Schools to be the premier public school district in Central Florida. Everyone in the community benefits from strong and high achieving schools. Parents and educators have the same goal, which is our children. We want our children to to thrive and to be productive citizens. However, I'm concerned that our continued response to the eb and flow from Tallahassee is to make cuts where the students need the most support, the classroom. Cutting instructional allocations results in larger class sizes, cuts to programs, and negative impacts to the learning environment. It was stated earlier today, if parents enroll their children in our public schools, they'll stay. And I agree with that. If we know this is to

093be true, why are we not protecting and prioritizing the needs of our schools and our classrooms? By funding instructional positions and putting financial resources towards maintaining low class sizes across all K12 classes, we can create the teaching and learning environments that set students up for continued success. We also know the value of a high school diploma and pride ourselves on increased graduation rates. But not all students take the traditional path to earn their diploma. VCS depends greatly on the team at Valuchia Online Learning to provide an alternative pathway for our students to achieve this goal. Our seniors graduate on time due to the work of the teachers at V. Yet cuts have been made to V. If we know that Valuchia online learning meets this critical need, why are we cutting teaching positions from this

094important school? Legislators are still working on the financial budget. I know that we cannot put our trust in them, but I strongly encourage you to understand the value of putting your trust in the teachers and the staff of this district. Let's make it a priority to invest where it counts the most. Invest in the teachers and staff who do the work of improving student outcomes and moving this district closer to that a that we so deeply want. Put back the instructional allocations to create optimal teaching and learning environments so that we can become the most desired district for teaching, working, and learning in Central Florida. Thank you. Thank you, Dorothy Featherston, followed by Michelle Debler. Welcome, welcome. Thank you. Um, my name is Dorothy Featherston and I am proud to serve as an art teacher.

095Can't you tell? At South Daytona Elementary, uh, tonight I'm not here to speak on my own behalf. Um, but for a fellow art teacher, someone that I deeply care about, uh, who I believe has been treated with a troubling lack of professionalism and compassion. Um, my friend began teaching at Holly Hill Elementary um, this school year. Like many of us, we're new. Um, she reached out for support. I did off help her as best as I could. Unfortunately, instead of mentorship and guidance from her administration, she was met with silence. Uh, her requests for help, especially when dealing with serious classroom disruptions, even fights, were met with increasing frustration from her administration. She tried to stay positive. She greeted her principal daily with a friendly hello. She's Spanish col from Colombia. Good morning. But those

096greetings were ignored repeatedly. When her evaluation reflected concerns about classroom management, she asked for more support to improve. She was given none. At every term, it became increasingly clear that she was not being set up for success. even worse that she was not welcome. Then last week, things escalated. A student hit her um a student in her class intentionally threw a tennis ball at her face. She was injured and she's still in pain. She returned to work just a couple of days later later only to be told she would not be reappointed for the next school year. That decision, while disappointing, is not the heart of why I'm speaking today. What concerns me most is what I think should concern all of us is that the principal never once asked if she was okay. No

097expression of concern, not one word of acknowledging her pain or injury in Valuchia County. I know we expect more from our leaders. I know this because I've seen it firsthand. When someone at my school was hurt, our principal is the first to be one one to check in. She sets a tone of care and respect and because of that we feel valued not just as educators but as people. No teacher should be hurt and then ignored. No teacher should feel unseen especially when they're asking for help. I sincerely hope this experience is not repeated with another teacher. It's not just about one incident. It's a message that it sends to everybody. Thank you. Michelle Dabler. Welcome. Good evening. My name is Michelle Dibler and I am a teacher here at Blush County Schools and a

098proud parent of Lush County student. I am here um to speak on behalf of a colleague that was not able to join us tonight. My name is Melissa Woodward and I proudly served VCS for 35 years in both the capacity of a classroom teacher and a school counselor. I was recently saddened to hear about the district allocations to reduce all elementary schools to only one school counselor. The elementary years are a time when students began to develop the foundation of their academic self-concept, feelings of competence, and confidence as learners. Elementary school counselors implement a school counseling program to support students through this important developmental period. Elementary school counselors are educators uniquely trained in child development, learning strategies, and social emotional development. Elementary school counselors help provide the foundation to academic, career, and social emotional success.

099This role extends beyond that of a single school counselor. When students lack a strong foundational knowledge, they may encounter several significant challenges during their middle school and high school years. These challenges can manifest in various aspects of their academic and personal development such as academic struggles, increased stress and anxiety, poor study habits, social challenges, and even limited career options. The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-toschool counselor ratio of 250 to1 to ensure effective implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program. A lower studentto counselor ratio is associated with positive student outcomes, including improved academic performance, higher attendance rate, and reduced disciplinary issues, which are all district initiatives. In conclusion, I serve as elementary school counselor at a school with two counselors this year and a total of 753 students. However, next year I will not

100be present and my colleague will be the sole counselor dedicated to assisting these 753 students as well as their parents and teachers. And tomorrow, after 35 years of dedicated service with VCS, I will attend a job transfer fair in hopes of finding a new position. However, my primary concern is the two years I have spent building rapport and developing relationships with students who rely on daily contact with someone they can trust. Next year, these students are likely to feel abandoned and confused. When essential essential positions that support the well-being of children are eliminated without careful consideration of the impact on our students, we convey the message that they are not the primary reason we come to work each day. They are not a priority. I believe there are more effective financial solutions available for the

101district than reducing elementary school counseling to just one counselor per school. and this will affect seven elementary schools, not just mine. And I want you to know that my child will be one affected. Thank you for your time. Thank you. At this time, we are now um moving on to item 17.01, request to advertise proposed schoolboard policy 528, policy on religious expression in public schools. We have one um comment card for this item. So, we'll start with a comment card. Mrs. Albert, good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, superintendent Dr. Balgaban, members of the audience. So policy 528 uh the policy on religious expression in public schools I just have to ask why why why are we doing this? It doesn't seem to be that there is some crisis. So I'm kind of wondering

102why we're doing this right now. Uh when I go um into the document that was provided as the attachment if we do have to create this policy why would we even go any further than the first sentence? Why do we need all of this additional down below that? Um, when we look at the student expression of religious viewpoints, sections two and three reference student homework classroom assignments. Um, would these assignments be aligned with the Florida standards? I would hope so. And I would like to know if there is any, uh, criteria when we unpack those standards that would relate to the the conversation around um, an individual's religious belief. Uh going further down in the document in the section titled students engaging in religious activities and expression at school um in both of these two

103items um during school is also included. So h I I would like to have an explanation of when during academic hours uh we would be uh allowing for um engaging in religious activities. Um on the page two under the section limited public forum required for student speakers um in item one and item five there is language that says um on an otherwise permissible subject. So since I have some time I'll read number one. Um so we must provide the forum in a manner that does not discriminate against a student's voluntary expression of religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject. So what other subjects would we be referencing here? Number five, student expression of a religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject may not be excluded excluded from the limited public forum. What does all of

104this mean? Again, I'm going to go back to to the way I started. Why are we doing this? What need does this fill? Was there something that happened? It doesn't make sense. Um there's a reason why there's a separation of church and state. And as standing in front of you as a fundamentalist Christian, I will say this to you. Uh if my students, if my children rather were still in uh the public school system and they came home and told me that there were some interactions uh or some dialogue that occurred in their class related to uh religious beliefs, I would have a real big problem with that because what my husband and I decide to teach our children is our right. And I don't send them to school to learn about I send them

105to school to learn the Florida standards. I need to know why we're doing this uh and what has occurred because when you open this door, you open it to everything. Thank you. So now um there's no other cards, right? Okay. So Dr. Evans, could you please explain why this policy is up for advertisement? Madame Chair, uh, superintendent, board members, this policy that we are proposing, uh, request to advertise proposed schoolboard policy 528, policy on religious expression in public schools. This is required by Florida law. If you look at Florida statute 2.2066, 2066. Florida law requires the counties, every county in Florida to adopt and implement adopt and implement a policy regarding a limited public forum and voluntary expression of religious viewpoints by students and school personnel in public schools. This is required by law. and

106we received a an email from the Department of Education saying that Valuchia County was one of 13 counties that had not implemented the policy and we need to do it immediately. If you look in the background that's provided, but I will articulate it again, it's 10002.206 subsection 6. You're welcome. So, Dr. Agamman, do you have a recommendation? Yes, I do, Madam Chair. I recommend granting the authority to advertise proposed school board policy 528, which is a policy on rel religious expression in public schools. Okay. You've heard the recommendation of the superintendent. Do I have someone that will make a motion to approve for um the advertisement of proposed schoolboard policy 528? Motion to approve. Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Do we have a second? I'll second. Thank you, Mrs. Goodrich. Any discussion? Mrs. Brosmer. I think

107I have some of the same questions that Mrs. Albert raised. Um, in particular, I I understand the why. Um, if there's something we're supposed to do with regard to Florida statute. Um, but this language goes beyond that language and I'm wondering if it goes farther than we need to. Um, my particular questions had to do with the def with definitions. Uh, there are a whole lot of things that are defined as religions these days that may or may not fall into what we would typically consider a religion. And I would have no idea how to define what fits that category. And um and the question of per of the definition of permissible subject matter um also came to mind. So I just wondered if there's some way to to limit the language um and come

108up with definitions for for some of this restrictions for some of it. Thank you, Miss Browmer. Uh, but this policy was developed by the Department of Education as the model policy and as written, this is how we are supposed to adopt it. So, they wrote it. They wrote it and told every district to implement it. Okay, that's helpful. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. All right, Mr. Cologne. I have nothing. Anyone else? Okay. So, just to clarify in the event someone is um listening and or watch reviewing this later, there was a law written requiring a policy on religious expression in public schools. We received an email that we are one of 13 districts that had not yet complied and that we were to comply. The actual policy itself was written and given out to the districts

109to adopt. So what we're looking at here today for schoolboard policy 528 was not created inhouse. It was created at the state level and we are required by law to adopt this policy. So we have a motion for Miss Thompson and a second for Miss Goodrich. And so if there's no further discussion, I'm going to call for the vote. All those in favor, please say I. I. Any opposed? N. All right. It passes 4 to one. We are now moving along to item 18.01. Mrs. Johnson, are there any other cards? Okay. Hearing none, then we are now moving on to items 19.01. Do I have any board members that have something that they would like to bring forward for discussion? Mr. flow. Local control matters. And while we have a constitutional duty to do what's

110best for our students regardless of the subject, the subject doesn't really matter. It's really upsetting to me that something would be descent delivered and knowing they don't have the constitutional authority, but we do, and said, "Here, you have to do this. Something's not right with that." And that's all I have to say. It's not even on the content or the subject. It's just it's not the way it's it's not the way it should be done and the why. Certainly, I don't think anybody here could really speak to the why of why this was. Um and so that's very upsetting just as we've spent the day talking about some really difficult subjects that while there is no standard because I said you know what does the state call a standard for a size of a school

111well there is none every district is different um again we are the ones who are forced to face our communities and saying your school not making it we're closing it we have to face our neighbors, we have to face, we have to make these tough decisions. These are things that we have to do. It's not as easy as saying we're just going to take something off the menu and that's just it because it's not cost-effective. You know, there are lives, there are emotions, and so I'm just venting right now to be honest with you because I don't think it's going to make a difference. It's just very challenging because as much as we want to do what's right for kids, there's so many other constraints around us that just make this very difficult. And so,

112um, Dr. B and team, thank you for helping us try to make this as best as possible. I said this earlier in the meeting. I know there's a lot of talk on the budget. Um right now we are in the what I would call the the um drafting phage phase and so I appreciate everyone who came to speak about the budget and the cuts and sometimes there are things we know about there are things we don't know about etc. Um but this is why we are in the process. We today was the first day we started that conversation as a board and so um you know there there are tough decisions to be made and and um I think our staff is really really working hard to set us up um for success as they

113have year after year. So thank you Mr. Cologne, Mr. Brosmer. My comments have to do with the budget. Um, and I do understand that it is a tough subject. I will say in in all of my adult years, I don't believe I've ever heard a single year where school districts didn't think that that they were not getting enough money. and uh and and so nothing I've heard today uh was was unusual in that context. Uh we have I have a lot of notes so just bear with me here. Um this district has many great principles, teachers, programs and students. We see it all the time. and we see it at every meeting in all of the acknowledgements and and the district does a a great job of of uh letting everyone know about our our

114achievements and nothing that I have to say is intended to distract from any of that. Um, it's good for us to be cheerleaders, but we also need to be cleareyed about the issues that we are obligated as a board and as a district to acknowledge, confront, and address and that directly affect the quality of the product that we want to promote to our community stakeholders. Um, I've struggled with this budget information as it's been presented and I'll be the first to admit that budgets are are generally not my thing. Uh, but the fundamental concepts are not hard to grasp. So today, most of what we heard was the yin and I guess I'm going to be the yang of this discussion because based on what my experts, my NCOs's in my conversations in my district,

115based on what they are telling me, here are some of my concerns. We have fewer students now than we had 10 years ago, but our budget is twice the size. So some obvious questions are why is the budget that big? Uh why are we losing students and what role does school choice have to play in that? But here are some considerations. We are not sufficiently competitive in either classroom conditions or academic offerings. in classroom conditions. The feedback I get from teachers and principles is consistently that disruptive students both gened and ESE are the primary impediment to teaching time that in that in turn lowers proficiency rates because teachers can't spend their time teaching when they have to spend their time trying to control the class. This is a leading reason why parents withdraw their kids

116from our schools. Larger schools can work, but they require disciplined classrooms. After years of restorative justice, we know it doesn't work, but we aren't doing what we could do to enforce our own conduct codes and to implement strategies that have been successful in other districts in calming their schools. in academic offerings. According to the FDOE website, many of the other districts in the state have a lot of magnet schools in both math and science and in art. We have two. They are both IB. Our first obligation is to our students, which means principles, teachers, bus drivers, food service. So those should not be the first place we look for cuts. We always go to the front line first, but we need instead to look internally to to look at the positions in the district that

117have no student contact. That would allow us to reset our priorities. And this is why I may sound like a broken record, but it's why I have um uh recommended in the past in past meetings that we try going to a zerobased budget because it allows us to build from the bottom up instead of just building on what we already have. And I'll use our elementary schools as an example. Studies for the last 25 years have consistently shown that the smaller schools, 300 to 500 students, are the best economy of scale. Our break even point is 750. If that's been set by the state, I guess we're stuck with that. But um we're and so as a result, we're looking at closing a few of our uh smaller schools. Um, we have only 10 elementary

118schools in the entire county that can accommodate 750 students. So, even if we tried resoning, we couldn't reach that number in in the schools that we already have. We also have schools that are over capacity. And I still believe despite some of the earlier conversation here, I still believe that if we averaged the district instead of uh looking school by school, we could make up for some of the the schools that are not meeting that break even point. Valuchia County closed a number of schools between 2008 and 2010 and a lot of the schools that were closed became charter schools. So we have some background in how this plays out when we do it. Uh so my concern is that from both a fiscal and performance point of view, we need to look at our

119internal operations first before we start to cut on our front lines and and realign our priorities that way. Uh I think a better solution than cutting is to make us more competitive. So my example is OBBE. Orman Beach Elementary is on the cutting block. Um it is a title one school and um their performance rates their um their uh proficiency rates are the highest in my district. They they routinely exceed um more than 60%. The school's been cannibalized over the last number of years. uh students have been sent to Pine Trails and they have no bus service. Uh they have no AP. So presumably their break even point isn't the same as some of the larger schools would be. Uh and it's safe to say that Orman Beach parents are not going to take kindly

120to the loss of yet another of the our elementary schools uh having lost Oyola so recently. uh and they would be some of the most likely parents to go to the conversion option that appears that it's going to that's going to pass this year. So instead of sitting back and and thinking that uh we just had have to watch um it go away uh I have spoken with the principal and with intentionality we decided to attract more students. I happen to overhear uh Mrs. Haye, the principal, say that she has long wanted to open an arts magnet school. So when district staff told me that OBBE was on the chopping block, I went to her and I said, "Now is the time." So with her work and whatever she needs from me, that is our

121plan for OBBE. It will be an arts magnet school. that will take 2 to 3 years to do. She's going to do the majority of the work and then make application to the district in whatever the appropriate process is. I've left it to her to do that and it's a two to threeyear project. So hopefully um it will materialize and will be the first of its kind in the county. I watched Palm Beach County merge two failing high schools into Drifus School of the Arts 20 years ago. It immediately became an A school with a long waiting list. It has remained that way for the last 20 years and it spawned Bach Middle School of the Arts which now feeds into um Drifus School of the Arts. So it can be done. It can be

122successful. It can be excellent. And I think our district is ripe for this kind of a project. But I have I have concerns about on another subject on ESSE. Um I'm not sure how we advance the needs and interests of our ESE kids by cutting the IEP facilitators from 20 to five and sending them to multiple schools. I don't know how they would have the opportunity to get to know their principles and to get to know the the parents. Um, and I'm not sure how this decision was made. I hadn't heard any discussion about it. So, I don't know if there was a committee of stakeholders and who was who might have been on it. Uh, but those are consistently the hardest to staff. So my concern is that is that we look for ways

123to increase their services rather than to restructure them in in a way that appears to be a cut. My my point in all of this is that while a lot of things are out of our control, there are things we can do that are in our control. And that means that we need to take aggressive action to improve classroom conditions. Uh which includes as as my principles have often requested more inschool suspension. Uh actively pursue program enhancements rather than program cuts. stop gutting gifted programs and hiring unqualified teachers for those classes simply because we think those teacher or those students are smart enough already. They are among the highest number of dropouts and among the highest suicide rates because they are routinely overlooked and I learned that from um a teacher who is certified as

124um teaching gifted students. We need to stop creating a false floor for grades that tells students they don't have to work hard to pass and we fail to teach them accountability. We need to stop social promotion um allowing students to pass to the next grade if they're not ready because that puts a burden on the teacher who inherits them and they may fall further behind. We need to stop catch and release of disruptive students and stop cancelling referrals. Catch and release is sending them to the principal's office and they immediately get sent back. And we need to determine where or whether we need future schools with facilities and have sentent sales tax updates that we have already requested. We in in particular need to trim our non- studentent contact overhead. It's very easy for us

125to fall back to the stock answers of we're already doing that. We need more time. We need more money. Um but we have solutions. And if we stay on the road we're on, we'll slide into our fifth year of of declining enrollment and we may have to surplus land that we had been holding on to for for um future schools. So from my own standpoint, I can't support a budget that doesn't realign our priorities in in ways that include some of these um methods. Parents don't need to be told that they could homeschool or that they have school choice. They're voting with their feet already. Uh we have been hemorrhaging teachers and students and if we improve our product then we won't have any trouble increasing our enrollment in uh next year and in the

126future. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Clen, Miss Rosmer, I appreciate your input. Clearly, you thought through it very well. Unfortunately, that's not the way this works. There are five of us. We are a board. What Reuben wants, I have to speak to this young lady here who we voted on a contract, so clearly we trust her. where teachers go, what programs are added, what programs are taken away. That's not in our wheelhouse. We have zero control over that. Zero. Now, we can work with the superintendent and say we wish to have this program at this school and she will work with staff, but individually we we our power is as a board. So, while I appreciate your sentiment and trust me, it's one of the most heartbreaking things you learn very quickly that we work

127together as a team to propose something with a principal. That's inappropriate. I can't call a principal and say, "I need you to turn the lights on." I have to ask Dr. Balgabin to ask the principal to turn the lights on. I have to say, "Hey, Dr. Algabin, can we turn because that is operational and that's the hard part of this is we either trust our superintendent or we don't and I think the board sent the message that we do and so we have to work together as a board and and we always have you could say hey I think like I said today I think the arts are important and I've shared that with the superintendent and as a result I've had meetings with the arts folks and you Th that's the way. And so

128if the superintendent says, "Ruben, we can't do that right now. That's it. There it's operational." And so we are not in the operational realm. To say that the district hasn't looked at its positions, that's saying that she does not doing a good job. Okay? And that's not the case. I don't believe that to be the case. And so I'm not saying that we sit idle because we don't. Trust me, Dr. B and I talk all the time and I tell her this is hey this is not working out. And sometimes she says well Reuben, you need to look at it this way. And sometimes she says I agree. Let me see what I can do. We are one as a board. And so I agree with you. and and and and part of what sits

129with me is I I know where your heart is, but when the commissioner of education walks into an FSBA meeting and what he has to offer to a group of schoolboard members from across the state is you all should be participating with stepup so you can get some of their money. That tells you where the state's priorities are. And I'm not going to get political because it is what it is. So, we are fighting a losing battle. Public education is being slammed. You're absolutely right. There are tough decisions to make. We see Duval did it. They closed down how many schools? Over 30 schools. Hillsboro. Okay. You know what? I'm not one to usually open my mouth. You know what schools we're talking about, and I want you guys to count. And again, I'm honestly,

130this is not coming from the district. I simply asked chat GPT, how many of our schools have less than 650 students? That's all. So, not official. Didn't come from Dr. B, Patty, anybody. Coronado. Oh, that's 241. Says 242. It was close. Stark, McInness, Arman Beach, Palm Terrace, Port Orange, RJ Long Street, Reed Patilla. Well, those are all yours. Try Taluchia Pines Woodward. Okay. Try T has been corrected. So that was probably last. Oh, this is chat GPT. So just take it for what it's worth. I mean there's it arguably to do what is right would mean to affect this many communities. I'm not ready to do that. And Dr. B doesn't even look at me because I I say it to her all the time. I'm not ready to do that. I'm not as ready

131as y'all are. I'm I'm not because there are people, there are communities, there are and I kind of side with what you said about maybe they're better schools because they're smaller. Who knows? They're just not efficient. And so you ask yourself, well, why aren't they efficient? Well, because they want them to be bigger schools. Well, that's the tough decision that we have to make. You notice how many of these schools are in district five. And mind you, this is chat GPT's list, not anything I got from the district. Zero. So I don't even have a dog in this fight in this dog in this fight. But we have to work together. And so and we have to work with the superintendent in order to accomplish these things. And while I appreciate you sharing your sentiments

132with us, it felt like you were saying we're not doing these things. And really, I've asked a superintendent, "What are we doing with this? What are we doing with that?" And I encourage you to because the reality is, I mean, unless we are ready to make some crazy crazy deep changes. Okay, I appreciate the folks that came and talked about, you know, how many teachers and how many counselors and all that are great. So then my question would be, if we lost a thousand students, which what teachers do we get rid of? zero. Well, that doesn't add up. And so, you know, it it's a tough conundrum to be in in a system that is working against us. It is not I mean that this is the elephant in the room in public education. Okay.

133when we're trying to and and and and this is not a plug to Elizabeth Albert, but when we're trying to totally dissipate the the the word of the people who fight for the profession systematically, nationally. I mean, this is hard. So, I just want to make sure that folks who hear this don't think that what any of us says is the sentiment of the board because that's who we are. We are a board together. No one of us, nothing Reuben says individually, though someone may actually believe me, but nothing I say individually matters. It's the decisions we make in this room. And so your vote may be no on the budget and that's fair. That's trust me I vote no for things all the time. Okay? But at the end of the day if we

134approved that budget that's the budget that we approved as a board. I encourage you to work with Dr. B. I encourage you to share these thoughts. Um, it it just doesn't work that way. And I trust me, sometimes I wish I could say, "Hey, I want this or I want that." It just doesn't work that way. So, I encourage you to, you know, just what's the word I'd use? Bring it up. We either have a agree. We either agree or we don't. And if it's a board decision, then it's a board decision. Then Dr. B quite frankly wouldn't have a well, if it's operational. It's not even ours anyways. Where teachers go, what the classroom size is, that's not our role. We can provide direction, but that's not our role. And a lot of folks

135don't realize that. Thank you, Thompson. Thank you. And now I have questions and so indulge me if you will. Um and if these are things that have to be emailed to us later, it's not life or death tonight. Um one, uh the increase that is being spent by the district has increased over the past 10 years. However, I know that there are some programs that have been passed on from state legislators that have caused those to go up along with things like inflation because everything costs more. Um so that's one. two, last year I know we made cuts um and we made some district cuts. So, how much did we cut financially from the district positions last year? Um, and three, our internal operations at the district. Can we compare those to some districts that

136are of a similar size just to see because I know that was one thing when I got on the board that I didn't realize how many people it takes to run different departments and different departments need more people than others. And I I get that and that's a way more complex matrix than I have written down here. Um and then to speak on the gifted students and I haven't met every single gifted teacher. Um I've met quite a few though because I have some gifted programs and part-time gifted programs and I will say the ones that I've met have been phenomenal. um my my both my kids are in there and they love their teacher and I will say there are behaviors that come into gifted and it does fall under EIC and a lot

137of times those kids do fall in both but they manage to make it work and I've never felt and and my daughter is too smart for her own good. Um but she's ne I've never felt that she is being left alone to her own devices. Instead she's been given more and more opportunities to grow. So, if that is something where we do have an issue with our gifted teachers not being up to par, if we could look at that over the summer, um, and see where we're missing because I mean, we have a lot of those kids. [Music] Um, and then I did have the question up here, what schools are closing because I hadn't heard of any of those and you know, Coronado has my heart. So, I just we haven't talked about any

138of those and those are the end of my questions. Thank you. So, I really don't know if you're asking me. I don't know where the narrative came from, what schools were going to be closing because I have not even discussed that with staff came from my discussion with staff. My staff discussed that with you and shared with you the schools that will be closing that it was two to three years out. Well, I'm not going to put anyone on the spot, but this is what I can assert and tell you that we have I have not had that discussion with any staff members. I would not have brought it up if it had not been said to me. Take it away. Okay, I will leave it at that. So, for the records, I just want

139to make sure it's clear that I have not discussed that with any of you. As a matter of fact, when you and I talked as of yesterday, I said to you this would probably have to be like a pre threepronged approach if you recall. So, I have not going back to your your question, Miss um Thompson, last year we did have a cut. We did do cuts last year, resizing, I like to call it. I think it was about 2.3 uh million dollars uh last year. This year so far, I think it's 1.2 two or 1.3 John of of resizing and that's district specific correct. Um I will about 30 something districts and look at the ones that were similar in size to ours and St. John's which we are comparative you will find that

140we are not on the top and we're not necessarily the the last either in the bottom we're right like in the middle when it comes to and again when it comes to these positions it goes based on legislation what legislation requires right that's translated into policy and it's called the accountability system so you have to establish a structure to meet the needs of that accountability system that that the state calls for. In addition to that, you look at the overall health of our schools. And when I say the overall health, we're talking about the academics, social, and emotional needs of our schools. That's translated to our strategic plan into quantifiable goals. So you take your strategic plan along with the uh accountability system by the state of Florida and that's how you detail your your

141structure in place to support schools. Going back to the question in terms of how our district has restructured every single position at the district level with the exception of I believe of four or five supports schools and supports children directly. Um you ask one other question compared to other districts last year. Oh okay. The the changes right legislative changes. Yes. Thank you. I have a whole list of all the different um just from a safety and security standpoint. Just from a safety and security standpoint, there are like 20 23 24 requirements that has to be in place. And I do have a copy for it if you would like. We It's right here. Sorry. If you'll pass that along, you can pass it to everyone. This is the districts nearby. You can pass it to

142everyone. Mr. Cologne, give it back to you, Mr. Cologne. Add that to the to the meeting record. Yeah. And and I don't do one because I know there are some principles that are listening and I did hear this brought up from my principal counsel because I do meet with the principles monthly from the principal council. They said there's a lot of conversation taking place that we're cutting, you know, closing schools and and and I said, well, I don't know where necessarily that's stemming from because I have not had that discussion with anyone from my staff to share with anyone at this point. So, I just want to clarify that. Thank you very much, Mrs. Goodrich. I was also very confused. I did not know that Orman Beach Elementary was on the chopping block and I've

143had numerous conversations about a gazillion ideas out there and that has not been one of them. We've talked about schools in general um and we do function as a board and we do vote as a board. Um, a lot of the things that were stated, some of those records have been asked for um, and given to all of us and we've been able to look at those numbers. And so if there's actual examples and not just rhetoric about numbers, I would appreciate seeing those rather than just statements being made. When you speak from the dis sometimes your words are taken as full fact and without having the data behind it in front of you to support it, it makes it very difficult to operate as a board. I don't think I've ever sat on a

144board where um there was seemingly board members working against working together. Everything's not going to be perfect. Everything's not going to be great. But to throw things out there, to make a district look bad or be questioned in ways that the answers actually already been given or to put information out that's simply untrue is just devastating to hear as another board member. And that's what I have to say. Miss Brosmer, the notion that we function as a board is correct in one regard, but it's also uh completely misleading in another. We all bring our own talents, our own perspectives, and if we're just here to rubber stamp each other or to rubber stamp the superintendent or anybody else, then we're not doing our jobs. The the issues I raised came from, as I I said

145a couple of meetings back, I I trust my NCOs's. I trust my people on the ground, my teachers and my principles in my district and I have good interaction with them and what I relayed came from them. So it's not a matter of uh secondguessing how anybody's doing a job. It's a matter of pointing to things that we have the ability. There's there are so many things that are out of our control. Um and we can blame the state. We can blame the feds. We can blame whoever we want to. But the bottom line is there are some things that we can control. And and my reason for bringing these things forward is because everyone is reluctant to talk about them. It's the kind of thing that that is an undercurrent through the schools, but

146uh but nobody wants to discuss it here. And I I get the whole we work together thing, but that doesn't mean that we see everything the same. And if we can't each bring our perspectives forward uh because it sounds like a discouraging word, then we aren't doing our jobs either. It's good. It's curious to me that we had a great opportunity to speak about the budget this morning and yet now is when this is all brought up. Um, it makes it feel pretty intentional when we had plenty of opportunities to bring up a lot of these questions earlier today. Yes, we do all bring something to the table, but when you approach things in a way that isn't having a discussion, it's at the end when it's just statements, that's not working together. That's not

147operating as a team. That's not looking for solutions. I don't need to do it your way. I didn't say you had to do it my way. I'm allowed to share my opinion as well. So that's what's devastating is you could have brought it up this morning. We could have had great conversations about it, asked questions, got answers, but that wasn't done that way. Can Miss Workman come forward? Yeah. Uh Stephanie Workman, can you join us, please? Give me just give me just a minute. Okay. Um and then I I'm going to ask you some questions that I have already asked you but I want everyone to hear. Okay. So we are five individuals and we bring five different perspectives. We bring five different backgrounds whether it's um our educational background or you know just the

148way we were raised or where we were raised even even you know the types of families that we lived in and I personally believe and I've stated this for many years even as a teacher I'd much rather even as a classroom teacher have two three four five 10 people to work together that bring their thoughts and share their ideas because I do believe when you put that many minds together, you can find the best solutions for students and or find the best path versus one person doing it singly. So the way this is structured is that the five of us can share things, but we only can really share them here in this room. And that's one of the toughest things I'll say of being a school board member is I can't call Miss Thompson

149and just really even ask her a question on anything related to school because we may have to vote on it at some time. So the only place we can talk and hear each other out is here in this room. And I do believe just as we allow a lot of different times for public participation, I do believe this is our chance to talk. So I know some of the additional questions that have been asked and what's really nice is I have learned that I ask further questions. So, I know there was a question asked comparing 2015 to where we are now on district staff. And I know Miss Workman, you answered it and you provided all of us with the answer. And then I called and asked you for some additional questions and some explanation

150and you gave me a beautiful explanation and it totally made sense when you said it. And so, could you share with us why there is an increase? And and the minute you said it, I knew why. Okay. But it was just nice that you had the details and facts for why. Absolutely. So in the data that was submitted, um if you look at the district staff now versus 2015, there was a difference of four positions. And the reason we had those increases in those positions is what's happened in that 10-year time span. The first thing being Marjgery Stoneman Douglas. So that required us to build a safety and security department. So, so we had to put some administrative oversight there. We also had to um put in some additional structures when we decided to bring

151our custodial back on board. When when those positions were originally eliminated, that eliminated the entire support system at the district for those individuals. So just those two alone account for the majority of those additional positions, right? And so when I called Miss Workman and asked that and and the truth is what happened at Marjgery Stman Douglas was devastating and I appreciate what legislators did and and they've just each year added to it because it started out first you need to do this then you need to harden your campuses and they've just continued on and we in county have even taken a very proactive piece. You know, look at what's happened with vaping to try to cut down on vaping. It's not just that they installed vape detectors, which took additional money and and you know,

152staff. But we've also got a whole vaping program if students are caught vaping. I don't think any of us here in this room when you stop to think about so why were some positions added at the district level and let's talk safety and security. I personally safety and security doesn't need to go anywhere. unfort unfortunately reach we reached a point where it's a part of our everyday life in schools but I don't think any of us in here would say we need to make cuts to our safety and security department because what's happening there is we're trying to keep every individual whether it's a student a parah a teacher a schoolway cafe an office specialist you know a coach or you know the administrators we're trying to keep everybody on campus And when we talk

153about the custodial piece, I lived over here on the pendulum when the custodians were ours. You know, when I started um over 38 years ago, we had the best custodians. I mean, they were a part of our family at every school. I remember when the district came over here and they made the decision to remove all of them and outsource that. And I don't think anyone would say the outsourcing worked or worked well. I mean, I got teachers back here going, "Yep, it didn't work." And so, we worked hard and asked because that's not we don't get to make that decision, but we asked to bring custodial services back to Val County and stop with the outsourcing. Those of you that joined the board sometime after Mr. Clone and I, we can tell you every

154day we got emails that were tickets that were input by teachers and staff on our campuses when we were outsourced telling us all the issues that weren't being addressed. An entire dashboard was running any day. I could see every school in my district and I got every email that was put in with a ticket. When we made the switch back to bringing back our custodians and them coming back as a team and a family, it did it did it was like within a month at TOPS 2, I no longer was getting all these emails every day of tickets and the ticket system was still up. I asked, "Did you shut the ticket system down?" And they're like, "No, the rooms are being cleaned." I'm not saying that you might have a sub one day and

155something's not, you know, sub custodian, something's not exactly the way you want it. But we brought them back. I don't want to cut the custodians. I don't ever want to go back to outsourcing that again because all we had were problems. So, we had to create some district positions, you know, to bring custodians back in. They have to have a leader over them and somebody that does the plan and the schedule and who's going to be where and all of that. So, what I've learned in the time that I've been on the board, and I don't always agree with everything, and I'm probably the one person that kind of speaks up, but I always do it professionally and respectfully. I ask Dr. Bwin a lot of questions, or I ask her permission to ask others

156questions so that I have the information. In no way at all, not none of us sitting here are perfect, okay? We can all make a mistake. We can miss some information. But I believe in asking questions and I believe in getting answers and taking time to process it. And I too ask people out on the front lines. I have teachers that contact me all the time to share stuff or pair professional. I even have bus drivers, you know, because I know some of I know people in the positions, but I also know sometimes someone may see it through just their lens and not see the whole picture. So, you have to learn to take the pieces of information you get and you have to learn to sort through them. And when I see that there's

157an issue, it's because it's not just one person. One person may be having an issue, but that's not the thing for everybody. And each school is unique. You walk into any campus and you're going to be greeted by some. Some may smile at you. Some may growl at you. I'll be honest with you. Some No, you could walk in and no one's there to even speak to you. It It's no different. I told my brother this years ago, believe it or not, the person at your front desk at your doctor's office makes or breaks whether or not they like you because it's how they're greeted when they come in and how you treat them when they exit. And if that is not what needs to happen, you can be phenomenal, but that's not the impression

158you'll leave. So, Miss Brosmer, I appreciate all your questions. I took a lot of notes um this evening, but what I also know is I can't do this job and work in this position in isolation. And I can't listen sometimes to just one person or three people. And I have to work with these individuals and the individuals there. and I have to listen and work with all of the individuals sitting in this room because it's going to take all of us to ensure that the every child gets the best education. Now, as far as I I don't know who told you what, but I will tell you it's not a hidden secret that for the past two years, it's been said out loud in board meetings. We've talked about um some of the schools that

159have a lower enrollment. We've talked about um one school in particular. It's in Miss Thompson's area. So, I'm not speaking out and you've heard me talk about it. They've brought it up and what the cost would be to repair just start repairs on the building, not bring the building even to where it would need to be. And I have stated, this is what I've stated, okay? I cannot vote. And this was two years ago when the first number came up. I can't vote to put $21 million into a building that will continue to still need more money to just bring parts of it up to code. That does not in any way allow us to put more students in that building. It's just like just it it'd be like, you know, if you ever watched

160the there was a show years ago or a movie something about the money pit. Somebody bought a house and all they just kept doing was pouring money into that house. And so, yes, they wanted to raise their family in it, but even no matter how much money they poured into it, it's not like they could bring five families in to live into the house. They just kept pouring it. We have to be fiscally responsible. Yes. Over the years, we've closed schools. We also closed Seville. And you know what Seville became? Seville didn't become a charter school. The community took it over and they turned it into a library space and an activity space for that community. And it is beautiful. And they hold events there and they have books for kids and all of that.

161So, we have to be intentional about what we're doing, why we're doing it. But, as I said today in the budget meeting, some of our high schools could have a lot of additional programs which would help those students on the career paths they want to do or give them opportunities that they would not have in a lot of different areas. if a portion of their budget was not being redirected into smaller schools. And what I have seen truly is all schools are great, but it typically is five parents, you know, that do everything. Well, when you take a school and you put them together and you have a lot more parents that can volunteer and assist and help and promote and support, those schools do even better because they have more support. Cuz if you're

162relying on five parents and their kids finish out that school, you lost them and you got to hope you got another one coming in. So, I have talked about this. So, but I'm not, you know, I have no direction to tell staff what we're going to do or what we're not going to do because it'll be decided here in the boardroom what we will or will not do because it'll be brought forward. Whatever plan Dr. Balgaban and her staff comes up with will be brought to us and we will vote on it and whatever the vote is at the time whether it's 3:2 4 5 to zero you know or flip it that's at that point it becomes the decision of the board and we each have to own the decision when we make that

163vote so what I would encourage you to do is reach out and ask questions. I mean, that's how I find out the things that I need to know is I ask a lot of questions and sometimes they may get annoyed with me even for all the questions I ask. But I'm asking them so that I understand and I can make informed an informed decision when it's time because I think that is our responsibility is to make informed decisions to read all the board docs to ask questions and I've been over here over 38 years and I already know a lot of the information but I still ask the questions to make sure that even the path that I'm thinking this is I verify that it's true because I no longer every day work in one

164of those departments. When I worked in one of those departments, when I worked in federal programs and grants, I would have been happy and I did at any given time answer questions for board members and give them information that they needed to make informed decisions. So there's a great the people that work for Valuchia County Schools are great and it's like nothing else. You may have an area where you've got someone that's not giving it their all but that eventually come rises to the top and it's not unique to us. It happens everywhere. But as I said, I shared that article about Elatchua County Schools, and it's one of the most in-depth articles I've ever seen a news source put out. I don't want to be Elatcha County Schools. I want to ensure first and

165foremost that we can retain our staff because I do believe the teacher and the pair professional in the classroom is the most important. But they also can't do their job without the cafeteria workers and the bus drivers and the p the nurses in the clinic and the front desk staff and the principles. And it takes everybody. Not one person can do it. And I too have asked questions over the years about the district staff. But then you know what I also started doing? I started asking other board members in other districts to share their information or I asked information to be collected so that I wasn't making just a statement based on my own feelings or what someone said to me. So I want to thank everyone because there's some great things that we accomplished

166today. I want to thank every one of you for voting in support of the Dan Police Athletic League because those are our kids and we did the right thing today to ensure that that program can continue to grow and move forward and be able to have the things that they need in place for those kids. And I want to thank every student and parent that came tonight so we could celebrate all of what's happening in science because Bush County is on the cutting edge of science and we have been for several years and it's a great place to be. And I will say this, there are some issues that we have to overcome because there's nowhere that doesn't have an issue. But it's how we approach those issues to overcome them that will determine whether

167or not we are putting our students first. And there are times I have stood alone by putting students first in this district because there's no other reason to be here in my opinion. And so I do want to thank everyone tonight and it is unless there's some other dis something else for discussion. It is 7:39 and we're adjourned.