Volusia County School Board Meeting - Regular Session 11⧸18⧸2025

001This was the best they could do. >> Good evening everyone and welcome to the Valuchia County School Board uh regular session meeting. Today is November 18th. It is shortly after 4:30. Um, we want to thank everyone for being here today. Uh, first item is called to order. As we do in our schools, we are going to recite the pledge of allegiance. Uh, today we have the national quite a treat. Uh, the national anthem is going to be played by a flute trio. We've got Miss Monica Limer, band director at the Land High, her proud daughter, Madison Limer, a student at the Land High, and Mr. John Dupi, specialist in our performing arts department. So, as soon as we are done with the national anthem, we'll have a moment of silence and reflection. Please stand for

002the I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> [bell] [music] [applause] >> may be seated. Thank you for that magnificent flute trio. Let's give them another round of applause. [applause] contains the students at the land high band which are like 200 strong 240 strong are in good hands. Uh and I want to acknowledge principal Mike D [snorts] in the back. Thank you for being here and again thank you for such a wonderful uh Star Spangle Banner. Uh we'll start off with a welcome. Want to introduce everyone who is here with us. Over to my left hand side, we've got Miss Donna Rup Bromer who is the representative for district 4. Next

003to Miss Brosmer, we've got Miss Christa Goodrich, representative for district 2. Next to Mrs. Goodrich, we have Dr. Gilbert Evans, our school board attorney. Coming over to our right, we have our fabulous agency clerk, Mrs. Celeste Gilmore. Next to Miss Gilmore, we've got Miss Jesse Thompson, representative for district 3. Next to Miss Thompson, we've got uh Jamie Haynes, representative for district 1. And uh to my right, I've got the amazing superintendent, Dr. Cerman Balgabin. And my name is Ruben Colona, and I have the honor and pleasure of serving district 5 and your chair this year. Items for approval on this agenda are 1.03, 2.02, 6.02, 18.01 through 18.07. Public participation times for items on the consent agenda at 6 pm for items of general interest pertaining to public education in Valuchia County. Time will be

004provided for public comment on any action item before the board vote is called on that item. Time will also be provided at the end of the meeting for public comments or items of general interest interest pertaining to public education in Valuchia County. Item 1.02, 02. Our district vision statement is to create lifelong learners prepared for an everchanging global society. Next item 1.03, approval of minutes. And so, uh, we have the minutes for the meeting on October 28th, which was the workshop and work session and consent session. Uh, you've had a chance to review the minutes. Do I have a motion to approve the minutes? >> I make a motion to approve the minutes. >> Motion by Miss Haynes. Do I have a second? I'll second that motion. >> All right. Motion's been seconded. Any further

005discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I. >> All those opposed, please say nay. >> Motion passes. 2.01. Agenda changes changes. Superintendent Balgabin, are there any agenda changes before the agenda is presented to the board for approval? >> Chair Cologne, I have a request to remove item 18.01 from this agenda. Okay, board, you've heard the uh amendment to the agenda. Do we have a motion to approve the agenda uh with the removal of 18.01? >> Motion to approve. >> All right, Miss Goodrich. Do we have a second? >> Second by Miss Brosmer. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Opposed. >> Motion passes. Next item, 3.01, 01 announcements by Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgaban. >> All right. Uh good afternoon, Chair Cologne and board

006members. Uh before we begin this afternoon, for those of you who are tuning in a little bit earlier today, you will notice that we had our organizational meeting and we have obviously a new chair now, Mr. Cologne, and a new vice chair, Miss Christa Goodrich. So I would like to uh welcome both of you into your new positions. But you will notice that I have some flowers here in arrangements because usually customary what we do because the chair and vice chair really represents a whole lot of additional responsibilities like 7:45 meeting in the morning. um all these additional responsibilities going above and beyond for our vision here so that we can fully realize our vision of ensuring that all students are safe and academically successful each and every day. So we on behalf of the

007entire Valuchia County team, I would like to say thank you, a formal thank you to our outgoing chair, Miss Jamie Haynes. [applause] This is the entire team, the entire team, those that are here and those that are not here presenting this to you. And Mr. alone. We figured, you know what? We're going to have to change it up a little bit for you. You serve as vice chair, so we changed up just a tad bit. Not as many flowers and roses as the as the outgoing chair, but this is for you on behalf of all of us. [applause] Congratulations on obtaining your master's degree as well. [applause] So, I do have a few a few uh items to go over when it comes to dates. These are some important dates. November is Florida Family Engagement

008um education month, the entire month. But we know it should not be dedicated just to one month. It's every day, right? Every single day, our families are engaged in the work that we do. So, thank you. November the 19th is Education Support Professionals Day. On the 20th of November, we have National Parent Involvement Day. On November 24th through the 28th, it's the season of Thanksgiving and there will be no school during that time. So, all of our students get to stay home with their families, right? And I know that our families are pretty excited, but so are our teachers. [laughter] And November 27th, obviously, it's it's the Thanksgiving. Principal for the day. I want to thank all of the board members and everyone that was there because we had um many many business partners that

009were able to experience what it is firsthand to be principal for a day. And I the reflections that were powerful in that room. So, I want to thank all of our business partners for engaging in principle of day and really what it truly means. Also, Futures Foundation, thank you for being an educational foundation for Valuchia County Public Schools for 40 plus years and you're still going strong. So, thank you for all that you do. our Valuchia County Fair. I know that many of you were there and you had a lot of fun at the fair, but really truly again what it represents, you know, how how important it is that a program in our schools. So, I want to thank all of our students for participating, our school-based team for participating in this fair and

010it's all about leadership, entrepreneurship, financial responsibility. Uh we know that also a lot of our students made a whole lot of money right with with their um with the sales that they made at the fair. And I will tell you I I heard from many of them in terms of their next uh you know endeavor many of them are looking into engaging into becoming veterinarians. Many of them are looking into entrepreneurship. So really this program it's about what the students learn from this program but most importantly the application that they see to real life. So it's a powerful program. School of excellence. The the Florida Department of Education recognizes schools that demonstrates exemplary practices in academic achievement learning gains and closing the achievement gap. So these are the schools that we're congratulating from Florida DOE

011for schools of excellence for 2425. Pine Trail Elementary, Orman Beach Elementary, Coronado Elementary, Sweetwater Elementary, Cypress Creek Elementary, and Seabbze High. These are schools of designations called School of Excellence for the Department of Education. [applause] I will also share with you that just precisely on Monday uh Mainland High School receive purple star recognition from Florida DOE. [applause] So now these are the Florida rising uh rising star schools. Enterprise Elementary has been named a Florida rising star school by the Florida Department of Education and the East Coast Technical Assistance Center, ECTAC. The rising star designation basically recognizes schools that has made s significant gains in student achievement and are on their upward trajectory of improvement. So congratulations to the entire team there at Enterprise leadership and the entire team [applause] in the world of athletics. Bowling.

012Bowling. I know Sabb High School took the state title in men's bowling a couple weeks ago and they are now number one in the state. >> [applause] >> Sand crabs. Go Sand Crabs. Football. Let's talk about football a little bit. The Land High School football is currently ranked number one in Florida 7A division. >> All right. >> So, congratulations to Coach Garlington and the entire [applause] the entire Bulldog Nation. And I see the proud principal all the way in the back there. reading challenge, the superintendent's reading challenge, as you know, it's under underway again. And I encourage all of our students again over Thanksgiving. Read, read, read. Um, we have 600 or more minutes they earn and 90 minutes jump pass at Sky Zone. So, thank you SkyOne for those donations. 400 to 599 minutes.

013They earn a oneh hour unlimited play arcade card from Family Fun Town. So, thank you, Family Found. And the top three winners from each level will also receive a $50 gift card to Turtle and BB Book Boutique. The Turtle and Book Boutique. $50. That's a good price right there. So guys, uh, let's make sure that we read and log our minutes in into being stack. Also, our principal award, we have a principal that might be in the room. Yes, he is in the room. So, the Florida Council of Instructional Technology leaders, they have just shared that Mr. Principal Lonnie Tidmarsh, principal of Timberrest Elementary, is a state finalist for innovative principal of the year. [applause] Um and I will tell you if you want to see our policy or AI policy integrated with reading coach

014providing differentiated uh feedback to students go visit Timberrest. If you want to see Magna Math being implemented with Fidelity where every student at G every given point in time as they're doing their independent practice are receiving feedback, individualized feedback go to uh Timberrest. We were just there last week. >> There's a toll. >> Yes. Yes. For sure. Now the conference will be in January and they will be announcing the state winner then but congratulations on being a finalist for innovation [applause] and I know that our board members were asking some questions earlier regarding this. We're very very excited to share with you that we have been chosen as one of three school districts in Florida to participate in a groundbreaking pilot program funded by our Florida Florida legislators. The the campus garden angel program um

015deploys drones within seconds of an emergency alert. It provides real time video to law enforcement and it uses deterrence to disorient or attack any possible intruder in our schools. So this program, believe it or not, there were only three districts that were selected and we received that call Friday from Darren Morris from DOE um stating that we were one of the the recipients. So I want to thank our governor. I want to thank our commissioner of education, but I also want to thank our our sheriff's office for their leadership because it really takes a team approach. And yes, we did apply for this and so did many other school districts. There are 67 school districts in the state of Florida. Many applied for it. They chose three districts and we were one of them. So,

016I want to thank again our Tallahassee or our um legislators in Tallahassee, our governor and our commissioner, but also our entire team for the for the splendid work that you do that's being noticed by all science of reading. As you know, we are also implementing the science of reading, which is a groundbreaking literacy instruction based approach based on research. So, um, we've had quite a few, um, trainings that has transpired recently, and I want to thank all of our partners like NWACP, Jeep Jeep, uh, uh, Jeep Beach and Advent Health who are partners in this implementation. Heart of VCS, congratulation goes out to Ostein Elementary, Robin Brown, for winning October's Heart of VCS award. Also, Robin is the intervention teacher and she direct she's directly responsible for shaping the lives of many many generations of

017students. She also won our home ground hero category and her service spans over three decades here in Valuchia County. So, congratulations Robin. Also, thank you to the board members. Last night, we had a very festive event, right? we were celebrating 70 of our very finest um teacher of the year. So, I can't wait for that uh that formal reception that's coming. But to all of our teachers, the incredible work that you do day in and out day out being that shining light in every student's life here in Valuchia County, it does not go unnoticed. So, I want to congratulate all 70 of you. Uh and Mr. Cologne. Chair Cologne. That will I have a video. You like to see that video? >> Thought there were two. >> No, I have one. >> Okay. >> I

018have one. >> There's two. >> We have two. The other is ready. >> Okay. All right. So, we're going to show those two videos one or more character develops throughout the plot in a literary text. >> One of our big pillars here in Valuchia County Schools is really to accelerate reading with our students all through all of our campuses. Um, so our focus is on the science of reading and understanding how reading how our resources really support reading. I want to try out said will >> our focus today was to look at small groupoup instruction and to really look to see what are students doing in small group instruction. We have small group instruction going on at every single one of our schools every single day. So it's important that we really are getting the

019results that we want from the small group instruction. >> How many of you saw small group happening today? Okay, that is a huge celebration. they've been introduced to the science of reading. So, we want to make sure that the um instruction is aligned to what we know research says is best for supporting our readers and how readers learn to read and process reading. So, biggest takeaway today is that we're looking at not only the teacher actions, but student actions and how those align with what the science of reading is saying is effective reading instruction. And I want you to see how Eric, Tim, and Will, how their characters are changing. >> As far as implementing to the science of reading, what we're looking for is teachers who are teaching more purposefully, having purpose behind everything

020that they do, the questions that they're asking, the tasks that they're having the students to do. We don't want just kids to just talk to one another. We want them to have a purpose for what they're asking of each other, and what they're saying to one another. It's important that we understand the science behind reading and the strategies that accompanies how to teach the science of reading to students and embracing and engaging in those researchbased strategies will be key to their success not in just in the discipline of reading but across all subject matters. We have a second >> [music] >> It's individuals like Miss Brown, right, that really stands out on the true heart of Valuchia County Public Schools. So, we're here to recognize her and thank her for decades of supporting our school

021and our community. And we want to thank all of you for being here today because how appropriate that we're recognizing her today for also in a program which you have started. You have started this program. Let's give her a big round. >> All right, Miss Brown, you're on the spotlight now. This is truly my favorite day of the whole year. From day one, it was always about bringing literature to life. And our community stepped it up, our students stepped it up, and it's always been about the teachers, the kids, and the parents. So, thank you for celebrating with me today. [cheering] I initiated this event 31 years ago at OEN Elementary at our old school, and it's a schoolwide event. um teachers, students, faculty and staff, everyone participate and it brings literature to life. That

022was our theme. It's just nice to be remembered and thought of and have a legacy that's left for education. >> [music and applause] >> All right, >> that concludes. >> Thank you so much for all those wonderful announcements. Uh, next item on the agenda is 4.01 Atlantic Center of the Arts and Warton Smith Incorporated. Dr. B. >> Thank you, uh, Chair Cologne. And I see the team is ready. They will take a seat. They have a very short presentation for us. Bryce Hammond is the specialist for visual arts and Mr. William Rezer, I don't know if he's joining uh our director for secondary. Okay, I see Dr. Drayton. Also, Miss Jennifer Kulage, the executive director of the Atlantic Center for the Arts along with Miss Rachel Wuard, senior project manager for Morton Smith. And they

023have a short presentation for us today. >> Yes, thank you. Good evening, Chairman Cologne, school board members, and superintendent Dr. Balgaban. My name is Bryce Hammond. I'm the prek through 12 visual arts specialist for Valuchia County Schools. Valuchia County Schools visual and performing arts have had the privilege to partner with Atlantic Center for the Arts for over 30 years. Atlantic Center has provided fine arts programming and sponsorship through advanced program workshops for our art students, continued support of our talented teachers, performing and visual arts, outreach programs to our schools, and our year-end Valuchia Select High School exhibition. They continuously provide gallery spaces, painting and sculpture studios, learning venues, rehearsal and performance spaces and our and other meeting rooms on their beautiful campus in New Simra Beach to enhance our art student and teacher successes. I

024am honored to introduce you to Jennifer Kulage, executive director of Atlantic Center for the Arts. >> Thank you, Bryce. We're pleased to be here. I'd also like to introduce Miss Peggy Imbert on our team who who oversees our youth programs. And we're so glad, Rachel, you're with us here today to recognize this partnership, which has grown over many years due to the generosity and continued support of Wharton Smith, whose commitment to our students has brought world-class arts experiences directly into Valuchia County classrooms and has nurtured visual arts talents in our students creating at ACA in our studios and also exhibiting in our galleries. In 2025, um, this partnership has continued to shine. Our performing artist outreach included uh Grammy award-winning Nester Torres, who worked one-on-one with students in New Smyrna Beach High School with their

025jazz band, coaching, mentoring, performing alongside them for an unforgettable uh ensemble experience. We also welcomed internationally touring artist Ron Artis II, originally from Hawaii, um to to uh share concerts in our schools, inspiring guitar and vocal performances at Coronatada Beach Elementary, New Smyrna Beach High School, mainland High School. His uh singalong sessions and concerts and discussions with guitar students created moments of connection and creativity they will not soon forget. Additionally, internationally known choreographer Melissa Finley led energet energetic dance workshops at New Smyrna Beach Mi Middle School, giving young dancers firsthand experience to work with a professional artist at the highest level. This week, we take our own um uh alumni of Valuchia County Schools, Daario Moore. He from Dand High School. He went on to become a professional uh dancer and he's with us on

026campus this week. He'll be with us uh Wednesday at Heritage Middle, uh Pineriidge on Thursday, and Friday at New Smrna Beach Middle. These extraordinary opportunities, touching visual arts, music, dance, um support the creative spirit, and they're possible with this partnership, and we're so grateful to Wharton Smith. Um our deepest gratitude also to the leadership you have in this county, uh with Bryce, John, and Craig, um working with our team, um Peggy Ember, and uh Ren Morrison. On behalf of ACA and our board of trustees, we um extend our our deepest gratitude to this board, Wharton Smith, and the leadership here at the school system. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> We we have something for you, but chair, how would you like would you like for us to cover the second and then we have

027them come up in order? >> Uh let's go ahead and do them first. >> Okay, we'll do have something for you too. [laughter] >> Let's come over here. We have something for you as well. still get to organize the picture. >> Could you could you take Could you use the mine too? can go in front. >> All right. [laughter] >> Close. up with my camera right there on the so one more >> [laughter] >> Thank you so very much. >> I will. >> You know what? >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Atlantic. >> Oh, thank you. >> All right. Next item on the agenda is 4.02 Dand Band High National Award. Dr. D. [clears throat] >> Yes, sir. So, here to present this recognition, we have uh Mr. John Dupi, our specialist for the performing

028arts, and he's going to introduce everyone. Who? Okay, go ahead. We have John Dewi. I I don't believe we have uh Dr. Reer, right? I have Reer here. >> Reer, you're joining us. >> Okay. Dr. Drayton, >> can we get Mr. Der? >> Yes. Yes, we will. Chair uh Miss Monica Lemur. And we have also the our principal back there, principal de Jerolamo, can you please join us? >> Your board member would like to see you here up front. >> And he's got a tie on. I love it. [laughter] [gasps] >> I feel very >> Well, good evening, Mr. Cologne, members of the school board, and Dr. Balgaban. Tonight we are honored to recognize the Dand High School band for earning the prestigious Blue Ribbon Programs of Excellence Award from the National Band Association Southern

029Division. By earning this award, Dand High School has also advanced as the finalist for the National Award, placing them among the very best programs in the country. In addition, they are the only band in the state of Florida to receive finalist recognition this year and only one of seven out of the entire nation. Applications were scored based on the following: materials and achievements. This is pretty incredible. All of the things that they needed to submit to earn this designation. They had to turn in live full-length concert recordings of concert, marching, and jazz ensembles that equaled between 30 minutes and an hour. List of recent honors and achievements that the band has earned. Copies of concert programs from the past five years. Ratings from music performance assessment, which you may know as MPA events. comprehensive repertoire

030list of all of the music that was performed by all of the ensembles over the past few years. Students that were selected for honor bands such as all county and all state which are represented throughout their program. Solo and ensemble participation ratings where students would play a solo, a duet, a trio, a small ensemble. And then um several references from people who have gotten to work with the group, um college professors and such. and then reports from former students who continue performing in some way, shape, or form after they graduate high school. And now, Miss Limer will speak regarding the award. >> We are proud to accept recognition for this incredible honor, and we are excited about the continuing commitment of Valuchia County Schools in supporting music education for every student. In addition to nurturing

031incredible musicians, our band programs in Felia County schools positively impact academic achievement, graduation rates, and overall school culture. This is an exciting time for our students and our program. >> This is incredible that they're receiving this award and the only one in the entire state to do so. We So, we just asked the whole room if they will give a round of applause for Dand High School band. [applause] And if you'll come up and join us for a picture and recognition, are you Someone else. [laughter] >> How are you? Let's move you in more. >> Smile nicely for the Craigs. We're gonna do one more. >> One, two, three. All right. Great. >> Mr. Ted Marsh, if you'll join us up here with your beautiful wife and your daughter. Come on up. >> He has

032his. >> He's got it. Bring the certificate with you there. >> Dr. Right family, we'll do the center. Center in together. >> A little bit tighter. Little bit tighter. Thank you. >> Oh my god. Yeah. All right. Next item on the agenda is public participation regarding items on the consent agenda. We have two cards here. Uh each speaker will have a total of three minutes. There are clocks here and there. Uh we ask that you please uh keep to the time. First up we have Miss Alyssa Shertow. Welcome, Miss Shertow. How do I say that? >> Chirkow. Yeah, >> Chirk. There we go. >> All right. Good evening, Mr. Chair, superintendent, Dr. Balaban, and board members. My name is Alyssa Chirk. I'm a speech language pathologist with Valuchia County Schools. You may recognize my name.

033I was one of the SLPs who emailed you a couple months ago about paid concerns among speech language pathologists in BCS. I truly appreciate those who took the time to respond and even met with us in person. It meant a lot that our voices were heard even if the issue is still ongoing. Now, I realize that tonight's consent agenda item isn't directly about speech language pathologists. It's about a contract company that provides interpreters for the district and they are requesting a rate increase. But this conversation ties directly into the larger issue many of us has raised. how much money the district continues to pour into contract companies to hire interpreters, speech language clinicians, and other ESSE personnel. While employees who work directly for VCS continue to fall behind, every year these outside companies come back

034asking for more and more. The rates go up and yet somehow there's never enough funding left to fairly compensate the people who actually work for the district. The message that sends to employees is clear. We are less of a priority than the contractors. As a speech language pathologist, I see this imbalance every day. While the specific numbers vary across departments, the pattern is still the same. The district pays outside companies significantly more per hour than it pays its own staff for the same work. This impact goes beyond the employee. It directly affects our students. When we can't recruit or retain qualified professionals, students lose out on stability and consistent support. They miss out on having the same trusted adults who understand their needs, families, and goals. Investing in district employees means giving students reliable long-term

035support, the kind of connection that helps them grow and succeed. Meanwhile, those same contract companies are becoming more and more competitive. I receive calls, text messages, and emails every week from companies trying to recruit me, offering higher pay to do the exact same job, sometimes even within Valuchia County schools. It's discouraging to know that the district is paying those companies so much more to find people instead of simply paying its own employees a fair and competitive wage. If this continues, the district will be stuck in a costly cycle, spending millions on contractors while losing dedicated staff who actually want to stay and serve our students directly. I'm asking you tonight to start shifting that investment back to where it belongs into the people who have chosen to make Valuchia County Schools their home. strengthen your

036workforce, support your staff, and most importantly, invest in the stability and success of our students. Thank you for your time and considering what it truly means to invest in your people. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next up, Miss Elizabeth Albert. >> Good evening, Mr. Chair, Madame Superintendent, members of the board, members of the audience. So, I'm just I want to follow up on U consent agenda item 10.06, 06, which is what Alyssa just spoke to you about. It's very obvious that she is the expert on this subject. She and her fellow speech language pathologists, some of whom are in the room tonight, uh go out into our schools and they serve some of our students with the greatest need. They do this work tirelessly, relentlessly, and they do it with the epitome of professionalism. yet

037on the board agenda tonight and as we've seen in the past, we continue to hire outside contractors to come in and do this work as well. I I can say to you uh with some data that we had earlier this year because this subject did come up during the course of our conversations and contract negotiations where we presented uh proposed language to start to incentivize our employees who are actually in those roles so that uh we could retain them and not continue to see folks leaving essentially for a higher paying uh position with a third-party contractor. And the irony here is some of our SLPs and some other positions within our district, they actually can leave the employment of VCS go contract with an outside agency and then come right back to work the next

038week working in our schools again. Some of those with the same exact students that they just left as a VCS employee. But the takeaway is they're earning a substantially greater rate of pay with a third-party provider. Just want to give you a couple numbers here before I wrap up. Right now we have 28 vacancies in our SLP pool. 20 23 of those or 23 are filled by outside contractors and five of those are still open. So my recommendation to you and I urge you to think deeply about investing in your own employees. Little different but uh similar. You know, several years ago, there was a decision that was made by a different school board to decide to contract out for some other services, custodial to be uh specific. Now, very different type of service. But

039if you think about the experience that we had when we farmed out those responsibilities, we found that nobody does the work better than our own employees. So I suggest to you that you consider the professionals that we have currently working in our district with our children and we invest in our own instead of looking for outsiders to fill those gaps. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next item on the agenda 6.01. Dr. Balgabin, are there any items requiring removal on the consent agenda? >> Chair, I have no items. >> Thank you. Board members, are there any items on the consent agenda you'd like to remove for further discussion? >> Miss Haynes. >> Yes. Um, I would like to remove for further discussion the two items that are under personnel actions. Jar Which item

040is that? [sighs and gasps] >> 112. >> No, it's not under 11:01. It's under 11:02. >> Under 11:02. Okay. >> Under 11:02. Well, actually, one's been removed already. >> Okay. So, it's still 11:02. >> Still 11. >> Okay. >> Since the there was two there, but one has been removed. I thought if it was going to be removed, it would have been removed during this meeting, but I I guess it was removed prior to the meeting. I'm fine with I think we should I know >> you want us to talk about that individually. I felt maybe it needed to be voted on individually. >> Okay, we can pull that. All right. Any other items? Board on the consent agenda. >> Right. Hearing uh board, you >> I sorry, Miss >> I'd like to pull 10.06

041for discussion. >> 10.06 >> and 1301 just for comment. >> 1301 for comment. Okay. So we will uh let's discuss 13.01 for comment. Uh first >> I just wanted to give us kudos for that was a exceptional uh negotiation and purchase opportunity for us. So just want to give kudos to our planning department on doing a really good good job there. >> Awesome. Thank you so much. All right. So do we have a motion to pro to approve the consent agenda? uh excluding item 11.02 and 10.06 >> motion to approve. >> We have a motion by Miss Thompson. Do we have a second? >> Just discussion. >> Discussion. >> They're saying >> oh 10.06 was discussion. >> Just discuss. >> Okay, let's re So we'll go ahead and discuss then. Sorry. >> 10.06 first day

042on the job. Sorry, it's been a while. Um, so can we get some just further clarification about we've heard some things just brought up um that we're outsourcing this particular job and are there reasons we're doing that and can we just get a little bit of explanation about that? >> So, uh, Stephanie Workman and John Cash, I think they're here. >> Casey Casey is here. Okay, Casey, please join us. Good evening. >> Good evening and welcome. >> How can I help? What questions? >> So, we've heard tonight that um we're outsourcing jobs that we could have in house. So, can we just have an understanding of what that looks like? >> Yes. So, for 10.06, it's a contract for our interpreters for DHH. So the reason why we contract out is we don't we're unable

043to recruit within. Of course that's always our goal is to recruit and retain. At this point we had to move to the contract which we've had in place. >> Okay. So we did attempt Yes. Okay. >> Yeah. We always specialized. >> Yes. It is very specialized. We find with DHH and um vision it tends to be extremely specialized. >> Can you spell out DHH for >> deaf heart of hearing? Sorry. >> Yes. definitely hard to hear you. >> That's all. Just one clarification on any other questions. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Wonderful. So board, we have uh the consent. We're going to approve the consent agenda with the exception of item 11.02. Uh do we have a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> And do we have a second? >> Second. >> Motion's

044been made. Second. Any further discussion? >> Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. All right. Now we will take into consideration item 11.02. Miss Haynes. >> So there is um on 11.02 there is a termination piece for tonight. And I felt that it needed to stand alone for us to vote on instead of being voted on with that many items. There were originally two but one has been removed. Um, so I just feel that we should do a standalone vote. I did a lot of research on all of the ones that were placed for tonight. And I I put myself in the shoes of each of these individuals and I feel it should be a standalone vote and not just buried in a consent. >> Okay.

045Any other questions? Miss Prosper, >> may I comment on on that? >> Absolutely. >> Thought I'm inclined to agree with you. Uh it's a it's a really weighty responsibility to um to end someone's employment and particularly run the risk of ending their career. So I think we need to be very careful about how we approach those things. Um because even if somebody doesn't work out here, it doesn't mean that they wouldn't be a good employee somewhere else. And we owe them the dignity and the compassion of of approaching the issue that way. So I I think a separate discussion at whatever time those things come up is a is a good idea. Um, and I just wanted to agree. >> Okay. Very good. Uh, any other comments? >> Not at this time. >> All right.

046So, uh, do we have a motion uh, for item 11.02? >> I make the motion. >> Okay. What's your motion? My motion is to accept the recommendation on this one only that was presented by district staff and superintendent. >> Okay, we have a motion by Miss Haynes on item 11.02. Do we have a second? >> I'll second. >> All right. Do we have any further discussion? >> Yes. One point, please. uh in in looking at that uh part of the agenda, I've noticed over the last several months or or several board meetings that the format is different in how the information is presented to us. We used to get a spreadsheet that told us what the reason was or if a teacher was transferring from one school to another, we had more complete information. I

047don't feel as though this format gives us the level of information we need to take a position on it either way in in any meeting. So if we could go back to the previous I I don't know what the reason was for for um adopting this format, but if we could go back to the other one, I found it to be more helpful. >> So I think it's two different things, right, Stephanie? >> Uh yes, ma'am. Um it is the the first thing is is that original format that you are talking about was a manual format. So I had someone who had to type that every single board meeting to do that. Um since we have now switched to focus our new ERP system, it generates the one that you receive. However, it is not

048completely set up yet to get all the fields that you're used to. We are working on it. And you'll notice that the um if you look at the categories, it it's broken down by transfers and and things like that. What we're going to be adding is an additional column that will have the that information like they transferred from, you know, um Pine Ridge to Heritage or whatever the case may be. That is forthcoming, but unfortunately in my list of priorities that is down here versus paying people. So, >> I'm glad to know that this is temporary. >> Yes, ma'am. I'm I'm hoping by the first of the year we have it ready and back in the format that we're all used to or a similar format. >> Okay. Thank you. That's all I needed. >>

049Great. Thank you. >> That was something else I'd like. >> Miss Haynes. >> So, actually the information on this is in the item. I I don't know if everybody read it, but I not only read it, but I asked a lot of questions because there is a history here which is different from um the other two. So, and the history started in 2002 and has been ongoing and it's all there and I I thoroughly read everything that has been presented which is several pages 11 pages worth of information in board docs under the section where we can read it. Um, but as I said, I believe everyone because it is their livelihood and I do believe everyone deserves a right that I think it's our responsibility to read all information and to ask questions and

050be thoroughly prepared before we make a vote like this. >> Thank you, >> Scri. >> Yeah, it is a difficult um vote. It's one of the hardest parts of our job. And so I agree. I think t I want everyone to know that I'll speak for myself. Um time was taken to go and find out how we got to this point. And so I don't want to speak anymore for the pro protection of people's privacy, but I feel diligent in the research that um I was able to do based on the information we had. >> Thank you. So we have a motion and a second. Uh any further discussion hearing? None. All those in favor of approving item 11.02, please say I. I. >> All those opposed say nay. Motion passes. All right. We are

051going to move. We have two public We have public participation at 6 public hearing at 6:30. So we are going to move on to item 18.02 ratification of proposed collective bargaining agreement with Valuchia United educators for instructional staff for fiscal year 2025 2026 presented by Miss Superintendent. >> Yeah, thank you um Chair Cologne. I would like to ask Miss Stephanie Workman, our executive director for human resources. She's going to share with you a little bit about our corrective bargaining uh agreement, but also I believe you will call Miss Albert up. Okay. Good evening. And I'd like to ask Miss Albert, president of you to come forward so that we can present this together. As you know, we started bargaining back in August and we hit a little bump in the road and had an impass

052and then we as we always do work together to try to do what's best for our employees based on the information that we are provided. So today we are here to present for hopefully your approval the 26 or 2526 contract that was ratified by view on the uh 13th 13th of November last week. So uh it has gone before the members and non-members and they have voted uh 79% to approve it as we presented. So we are here to seek your approval. Miss Albert, would you like to add anything? >> Well, sure. Thank you very much, Miss Workman. And I do want to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of the team. Uh we had a very different approach to bargaining this year. Uh if you um have been following for several years

053that many of you have been on the board, we uh used to bargain during the contractual workday. Well, we shifted so that the folks that are impacted by the changes that we were proposing were actually able to participate in the process to actually be in the room, be a part of the interactions, to listen and engage in the work of developing their own contract. And we found it to be very powerful. We found it to be educational to some of the the individuals who for years have worked in this district and not really known, for lack of a scientific term, how the sausage is made, if you will, right? So, they found out this year how it all works. I do want to comment though on the ratification numbers. Um, this year, this ratification outcome,

054although it did prevail, it was one of the lowest ratifications that I've ever seen. uh actually in four of our schools it was not ratified. So I think there are some some um messages in in the data. We always look at the data and so we will continue to push forward and we hope that we'll continue the good work that we've done of prioritizing fixing the compression. I know that the board has addressed that with some other um parts of our district, but making sure that we address that compression piece um is really really important. So, we it did prevail and so uh we hope that you'll approve it tonight. >> Thank you so much. Uh superintendent, do you have a recommendation? >> I do, chair. I recommend ratification by the school board of the

055negotiated and proposed collective bargaining agreement with Valuchia United Educators for instructional staff effective July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026. >> Thank you for that recommendation. Do we have a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Any discussion, >> Miss Brosmer? >> Just one thought. Um I I'm very happy that that this was resolved. Um and and um I was I was happy with a variety of aspects of the agreement that was reached, but the compression issue uh kind of jumped out at me because we bumped up the bottom and you know the base pay and so I wondered it's my understanding that that the district is getting about $900,000 back from the from the state. they took too much

056of our money. And I wondered if I just wanted to suggest the possibility that maybe some of that could be used to help to um I don't know how the the various funds work, but if it could be some of that could be used to help ease the compression issue for our our long-term veteran teachers. I have no idea what you're talking about, $900,000, but I am sure, as always, we will look into that. I have no idea what you're talking about. >> It came to my attention somewhere along the line. I'm hoping it's true. >> Oh, no. I hope it's true, too. Very good. Any other discussion, Miss Haynes? that threw me [laughter] um because I didn't know about that and I'd like to know what pot of money it's coming back into. Um

057what I was going to say is I do want to thank you know everyone that worked hard on this. Um, I actually liked the idea of you doing the meetings after the workday because, you know, I've been asking every year, could we start in the spring and get the language out of the way so that when we get to July 1 or, you know, somewhere after the 4th of July and we know what the amount of money is that's coming, we could go ahead and get the money decided because my biggest thing in all the years is like I'd love everybody to start the year off with what their new pay is instead of having to wait. >> So my question then really is for Stephanie and she and you know what I'm going to

058ask because I ask all the time. >> So with us ratifying this tonight, >> at what point are they going to get their money? And I know it will be in phases that it won't all be in one paycheck, which I appreciate, but when are they getting their money and which part are they getting first? >> Okay, that was coming. >> So, um I will tell you that the actual raise on the base salary will not occur until after the first of the year. >> [snorts] >> Okay. >> Simply because we are sitting in the basically the last week of November and as soon as we come back in December, we have three weeks, which means we have two paychecks. And so there's just not enough time for the team to to get it processed.

059So what we are going to do is within that three-week time frame that we are back in December, we are going to pay out retention. And for all of my teacher friends in the room, we are going to pay it separately. It will not be on your base check. That way it doesn't impact taxes. It um you see more of it in your pocket, those kind of things. Then what we will do is after the first of the year, um most likely before we do the actual raise itself, we will then pay the longevity. >> Okay. Um, and I appreciate that and I know that that's going to be a lot of work in that short window because you do have to process two paychecks to get out um the retention before um winter break.

060But here here is my concern. Um, when you come back in January because retention is only going to everybody five years and up, >> correct? And trust me, I want longevity in a separate check so they see more of it in their pocket. But I personally feel we should process the raise first so that it's everyone getting it and we're not leaving a group behind with no money till possibly February then or something. >> Well, our goal is to have it to where it will be in the January 31st check. But so will you put their new raise and their longevity together in that check? >> No, ma'am. I will run separate checks for that. >> Okay. >> So they'll get longevity as a standalone somewhere between most likely the 15th check and the uh

06120 I'm sorry the 31st. >> Okay. >> And then in the on the 31st check pending no issues they will see their raise. And then in the month of February we will work towards the uh retro. >> Okay. Okay. And that's when you'll also include summer programs or will you do that one separately too? >> If I were sitting in Cross Point, I would tell you yes, I would do that as part of that. But for this being the first time we've ever done retro in focus, I can't honestly give you an answer. >> Okay. But basically what we're looking at is by the end of February they will have received retention longevity their new base rate of pay this if they worked summer programs or summer program pay and the part of pay from

062the beginning of the year up until >> that would be my goal is to have everything finished by February 28th. >> Okay. And so Miss Albert, back to you. >> I love it. >> How about this summer? you know, as soon as the money's really like do the language before we get there because you guys can work language out starting at any point, but could we get the pay? So, my goal everybody gets starts the new year and knows what their pay is >> and I understand that and I respect that. But when we look at the way things have been working with the legislature and funding and to the point I think that Miss Brosmer was making, we just now uh are receiving the additional funds from the FEFP for the uh students that

063were originally um the money was sent to the voucher program, but there was a significant amount of students that are actually sitting in our public schools. So once the legislature figured that out and mind you they didn't recall that money from those voucher programs but they have paid school districts what they should have received back I think it was a third c what Mr. said, "So there's money coming to us for students that are actually in our classrooms, in our schools that we did not receive." So I use that as an example to say it's really difficult to u to do what you're asking to do with finances when we don't have all of the facts and figures in after the close out of the fiscal year. And if if things were um a little

064bit I guess maybe what I want to say a little bit more robust coming down from Tallahassee perhaps we could do that but because we're beholden to what they want to give us. It makes reaching that goal a little more difficult. But I agree with you on language items. We can we can do that work. That's not a problem. >> Okay. So I'm going to throw out one more piece. Um, last year we did a readjustment piece for the bus drivers and we voted on it the end of December so that they got it in January because some more money, you know, came in for that. So, I'm still going to go back to if we can have people at least start off possibly with their pay, then in the long run, if more money

065comes back, then I I don't have a problem with that being readressed just as we did with the bus drivers. I just I'm a little heartbroken sitting here tonight because we we're going to send people home for the holidays and some of them are not going to have anything else in their check and they're going to wait until after the holidays. And you know, as a parent and a grandparent myself, and I was a single parent, a lot of the individuals that service on the front lines for our kids, they could use have used that money to have for their holidays. >> There's no there's no doubt that that there were some uh unfortunate delays in the process. I would agree with you completely there. So maybe when we convene again, we'll be more aligned

066and we won't have this problem going forward. >> Well, as long as Tallahassee is involved, there'll be some issues or rules or laws or whatever that will come. I'm just being honest. That's what we deal with all the time. But but I am happy that we got to this. Thank you. >> Very good. And so we have a motion and a second. All those in favor say I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. >> Motion passes. So, we are going to >> I say one more thing just so you know. Absolutely. Support staff ratification date is scheduled for Thursday, December 4th in the hopes that we can get that ratified and to you as a board by the December 9th meeting and we can start processing something for support professionals before they go home.

067Your point is very well made, Miss Haynes. So, thank you. I want to share. >> Thank you. Dr. B, if you'll join me. Come here. Thank you so much. It is 5:45. We will take a break until 6 and we'll reconvene at 6:00 for public comment. Thank you. All right, we're going to reconvene in three minutes. >> Oh, yeah. You can finish yourself. Welcome back. All right. So, now we are on public participation at six o'clock. We have a total of five cards. Uh public participation. Uh every speaker will have three minutes to speak. Uh and there is a timer. We ask you to please follow the time. First up is Cheyenne Diddy. All right, Miss Diddy is not here. Uh, next up, Mr. Matthew Hston. Mr. Hson's not here. Next up, Miss Bernell Spar.

068Good evening. >> Welcome. >> Uh my name is Verell Spar, teacher at Chit Small Elementary. Um I'm here today uh good even um also Madame Chair, board members. Um I'm here to ask a few questions about the success of the students at Titi Small Elementary. Um what is our goal for Titi Small Elementary and the students that are there? Class size is very large. We've lost teachers. Um but also our students are coming in at a much much lower rate. Um un understanding just general information. Um, and I know I have asked different members um on the here at the school district uh about maybe if we can go back to some of the foundations that we've had before in order for our school to be a success um in implementing plus 30 or plus

069one back in our school. um helping us be more proactive as opposed to being reactive because right now we are not getting all that we need for our students at our school. And I know we have some bodies. We have an extra AP and those things are fine. But however, I want the district to look back at T years past and evaluate, dissect what did we have at that time in order for our school to be a success. Is the success for our schools, our students, limited to their zip code? because right now it is. If you're not in the correct zip code, you might make it, you might not. But I can guarantee you that most students at a lot of these other schools, their kids come in knowing their first and last name,

070being able to say most, if not all of their ABCs. Some of our kids come in, they don't know their name. And we say when we say name, government name. So, I'm asking for you all to investigate to find out what is it that you all as a district, what were those foundations? What were those things that were used in order for our school to be successful? Cuz right now, we're not we're working. The family is working, but it's still not enough hands. Class sizes are too big, too much infighting amongst the students because one, you know, the cafeteria is small. that's where a lot of stuff happens. Um, but we just don't have what we need in order for our kids to be successful. And that's something that I really think our district needs

071to look at. Yes, it's going to cost money and it's going to cost people. But if we want our kids to be successful in that zip code, we're going to have to do some things differently. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Farrar. Next up, Miss Angela Miller. and the fabulous little Miss Mia. [laughter] >> Well, good evening. Um, I am here as a community member. I wear several hats. um am involved with several disability focused organizations in our community and am a staunch advocate for children with disabilities in our county and beyond. I have three students in Valuchia County schools, two of them, one has an IEP, one is a twice exceptional learner with a 504 plan. So, this is my heart and soul and obviously Mia um who will be joining the district in

072August um through the ESC prek program. Um, and I just, you know, we we know the things that are not going well. We know the things that need help and like those those topics are very loud. They're at the forefront of everybody's mind. Um, but when it comes to change, I am a firm believer that you do not get change by beating people over the head with the things that are going wrong. Um, and sometimes people need to hear the things that are going right to stay motivated to make those changes. Um, one of my roles in the community in the last two years has been as an advocate coaching parents, teaching them, walking with them through the IEP process. Um, and I have been fortunate enough to work with student staff and specialist Stacy

073Woodward. and she is she exemplifies what it means to have parent voice matter. She listens to parents. She makes sure that their concerns are noted and are fully represent represented in the IEP. Um recently Dr. Liippard did my own daughter's IEP. And when I say she took this crazy mom who's um you know I I have a sixth grader now and so we're we're trying to let her have some independence and some things are going great, some things are not going great. Um and Dr. Liippard listened carefully to all of my concerns. She helped communicate with the teachers and put a plan together that works for my child. And these are the things there are some amazing people in our district. Um, you know, Miss Haynes and Mr. Cologne, thank you guys so much for

074coming and being present in community organizations and being open to candid conversations about, you know, real parent concerns because that's how parents know that you really care. Um, recently, you know, Miss Lamb and Miss Norman and Miss Copelan made Valuchia County's presence known at a local Down Syndrome organization. They took time out of their Saturday to be present and engaged with our families. And I think these are the these are the praises that I want the board to hear because it's easy to get caught up in what's going wrong. And I think sometimes you just need to know what's going right, too. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next up, Miss Jaclyn Reyes. Welcome, Miss Reyes. >> Hello. Put these on. >> Good evening, members of the board. Um, my name is Jacqueline Reyes. Um, I

075am also very proud to serve um, in our ESSE department and as a member of the view. I'd just like to share some exciting things and I'm actually really glad to follow up from behind her because this is why I'm here. I'm here to show you and share with you the exciting things that we have going on in our ESSE department within our schools and within our community. So, first of all, in our primary ESSE classrooms, we've introduced bouncy dog. We started to introduce it last year um but this year now we have it um included in all of our K2 classrooms, all of our EC ES classrooms. Um, Bouncy Dog is a social emotional learning curriculum that teaches the self-regulation, growth mindset, and coping strategies. In each of the classrooms, they adopt an interactive

076cla uh dog. So, they have a dog each of their classroom. It's interactive [clears throat] with the breathing. And so, the kids can see the techniques of the breathing and that coping mechanism. So, it helps with students with their calming techniques like the bellyto-belly breathing while learning responsibility and empathy. And each of the kids also get a little dog that they get to take care of. They name, they can feed. Um, and so they can keep at their desk just to help support them. Um, and it's it's just great. It's dogs we always know and that's why we have the guy, you know, the dogs that come in to support. They're always very helpful to everybody. Our teacher teachers have also participated in collaborative trainings with them with multiple VCS departments such as social studies

077and science OTP spat uh speech bat fiddlers and we we create cohesive successful classrooms. Um these sessions equip teachers with strategies for their curriculum behavior and student management ensuring individual support for every learner. At the high school level, we offer pre-employment transition services. It's paths uh for students ages 14 through 21 with IEPs or 504 plans. And this is an afterchool program that builds essential skills like resume writing, interview techniques, workplace communication, and financial literacy. And it helps them to prepare for college careers and independence. For our graduates, we have Project Search. It's a transition to work program for students 18 to 22. Through partnerships with local businesses, including hospitals, student gains hands-on experience in classroom instruction to develop job skills and independence. And so, finally, we host that annual ESSE family conference at Embry

078Riddle. It connects the families to with resources, agencies, and tools to support their students. and it's a collaborative community-driven event that empowers families and strengthens partnership. So, I just wanted to highlight some really important things that we have going on in our ESU department. >> Thank you so much. >> So, that closes public comment. Uh, next item 1803, authorization to advertise proposed amendments to schoolboard policy 201 records. Dr. B. >> Yeah. Uh chair, I would like to ask Dr. uh our chief technology officer to join us and he will share with you a short synopsis regarding this policy. >> So there are three policies. Can you tell me which one you'd like to know about? 2011. >> Okay. So that's the student technology use policy, correct? >> Student education records privacy. >> Yes. >> Right.

079Yes. Uh so the um that is the it's the student technology use policy, right? >> Yes. >> Oh, it's educational records. Okay. That's that's different. Okay. So the educational records policy is one that the state requested re we rewrite and they requested this of all districts, not just Valucia County schools. There was an incident in Duval County in Jacksonville that u released some records in a way that was inappropriate and the state then created a list of everything that they wanted to see in a records retention policy. It was extensive and it covered both digital and physical records. So when I got that letter from the state and we looked at our older policy which was quite older uh it did not cover all of the areas by far. I mean, we were covering records

080retention in many policies instead of one policy like the state wanted. So rather than redline the old policy, as you can see in the board docs there, I really just needed to rewrite the entire policy to make sure that it fit what the state was asking for, which was a policy of both digital and physical records in one and how you dealt with those and how you protected those. So, it's pretty extensive. It has quite a few parameters in it. the things like when can you destroy them, how do you destroy them, they have to be shredded, for example, instead of just thrown away as a piece of paper in a box. Many different pieces that you can see there that the state requested. So, it's really just a response to the state to make

081sure we're meeting the letter of the law. >> Thank you. Does anybody have any questions? >> Superintendent, do you have a recommendation? I recommend that the authority be granted to advertise the proposed amendments of the school board policy 219 student technology use. >> Board, you've heard the recommendation of the superintendent. Do I have a motion? >> 201 mean 201 record. >> 2011. >> I make a motion. >> Miss Haynes make the motion. Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Christa's made the second. Any further discussion hearing? None. All those in favor, please say I. I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. Motion passes. 18.04 authorization to advertise proposed amendments to schoolboard policy 219 student technology use. >> Okay. So student technology use is a policy we have already had and we we

082are required to update that one quite regularly because there's a lot of changes in technology that happen you know yeartoear. So that's kind of a hard one to allow to not be updated for many years. Uh for example, there's a recent state law that came into effect. I think it's state house law uh 949 uh which is in 2025 which added some stipulations that we needed to put into both that and the staff technology use policy. So it was really just a matching of that policy with current law. And it also you'll notice that it's it's not nearly as rewritten as the the other one we just talked about. It's really just a few red lines in there just to keep it updated. Uh, and there's also some basically some language that we simplified a

083little bit to make it a little easier to understand because we had received some confusions over the last couple of years of some of the things that were in the policy. So, we had been keeping note of those and we just wanted to make sure the language was a little clearer. >> Wonderful. Any questions? >> I hear none. Superintendent, do you have a recommendation? Chair, I recommend the authority be granted to advertise the proposed amendments to schoolboard policy 219. >> You've heard the recommendation of the superintendent. Do I have a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> I'll second. >> We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. >> All right. Motion passes. Next item 18.05. authorization to advertise

084proposed amendments to schoolboard policy 427, employee technology use. Much like the student technology use policy, it's one we need to continually update as laws change. This is the one that has the most to do with that house bill 5 or a 949 uh that passed in 2025 which was very adamant about uh protection of student data and how that data had to be protected. So, for instance, um you can't uh communicate student data with a personal cell phone with a personal app. You have to use district systems to do that because if something goes wrong with that, we need to be able to do something about it. So, if you're doing that on a personal app uh with your personal phone, that's not something you should be doing. You should be communicating data. For example,

085sometimes people download a spreadsheet of students that have ESSE accommodations out of our focus system and they use that spreadsheet for legitimate educational purposes, but that's private confidential information. So, they should be only handling that in certain ways. So, we clarified those pieces from new laws, but we also took some language that we had heard some people didn't understand as much and also made those simpler to understand. >> Thank you. Any questions, Miss Haynes? >> To Dr. Um, I know that this is just to advertise right now, but um, and then we will bring it back up after the advertising period to vote on it. In the event that this is approved, which I would think it would be because there's state law behind it, how are we going to communicate the changes in this

086law that came into effect this year to all of our employees so that we don't have anyone get getting caught in a situation where they're misusing. Currently we have uh we can we can do many things but our current plan is what we've done in the past where we put an article in our IT newsletter which only comes out seasonally that always has a policy section. So I'm already going to put that in the December one saying this is being advertised you you should take a look at it and I'll point out each one and talk about some changes in that. Um IT newsletters get fairly well read because they aren't weekly. you know, they're more like a guide that comes out every couple of months. And then uh after that, we're going to talk

087to principles in the principal huddles and ask them to talk to their staffs as well so that they can have more of a discussion, you know, about if there's questions and such and then bring those to us and then we can help those principles answer those for their staff. So when you um meet with the principles, can you could you give them also like a one-page um document that will help them in their discussions to be able to clearly define what teachers can or any staff can and cannot do. Um, and even maybe like a Q&A piece, like if this question comes up, this is the way you answer it. Because this is what I don't want to see is anyone getting caught up in something that they've been doing and now, you know, that

088the law allowed them to do and then now they don't know the difference. >> We can try to do that, but in the past there have been problems when we've tried to give them one pagers of a policy that's say five pages long. you know, if a policy is very, you know, um, structured and to the point, it's kind of hard to take it and boil it down from five pages to say one page because sometimes then you leave something out and and if they only looked at the summary, then they can kind of get into some trouble because, you know, it wasn't there, it wasn't in the summary. I we can try to do that but I I know that that has been a problem in the past where when you give a summary

089then they ignore the policy and there's some important detail in the policy. >> That's fair. Thank you. >> Thank you Miss Thompson. >> Yes. I and I have a question and a little bit to you Dr. and uh for you Dr. Balgabin. There's quite a few policies and some are students. I know as a parent I would like to know about this and I know that our teachers like to is there any way for kind of a twofold approach. one, can we email it out to everyone just like, hey, here's some new policies. Just take a look and as well post on social media just so that everyone's aware that these things have come up after they go through the process. And I feel like at least that way, I mean, it go I I

090feel like more people are apt to read a social media quick post or like a a visual or a quick email rather than go through a newsletter or the whole policy. We could literally put links to the PDFs on our public board docs page when they've passed and put them in a, you know, a Facebook post on the district website. >> We also have our SharePoint where we have all the policies that's been updated. And remember, there were a few of them that we were making them more concise. >> So, we need to add to that. But also, I will share with you, you know, we have a pretty antiquated system that we're getting out of which is Oracle. And the way it's done is that when you have policy updates along with, for example,

091employees in our annual contract to protect our employees on an annual basis, there is a quick refresher that they engage in very quick. It's about 20 minutes and just acknowledgement. It's reminders for employees, but it kind of accentuates like new policies also that affects their job roles and responsibility. So with this new system of focus, that's something that we want to be able to roll out also hopefully starting next year. Yeah. >> Thank you. And so we do have a card for public comment. Uh Miss Elizabeth Albert to get up here. Thank you, Mr. Chair, uh members of the board, superintendent Dr. Balgabin, members of the audience. So I was dying sitting back there listening to the conversation because everything that has been said was pretty much some of what I wanted to say as

092well. So would you believe that for years in this very same room when uh I do co-f facilitate the uh ethics training for new employees with the professional standards manager whether it was Sandy and now it's Ben. I tell folks, don't use your personal device for the purpose of work. That has been a long-standing rule. It has been a longstanding uh recommendation that we as an organization have told folks anytime they ask and we know the reasons why. Uh so there is a lot of of language in this policy that Dr. I'm very appreciative for. Thank you very much for doing that. But the problem with this is that as a district we send mixed signals to our employees about how they use technology. Um we are sending signals about most recently using your personal

093cell phone to scan a QR code during an active asalent drill. several principles put that um out to their staff and we got the information about it and we've had uh many conversations with district leadership about changing that narrative. Uh so uh now people are told it's not mandatory, but they're not told not to do it. My preference would be remove that ask from the plate. If you want um someone to scan a QR code to take attendance during an active asalent drill, provide them the tool to do it. An iPad perhaps. Our primary classes have iPads. We can figure out how to get that done in the other classes, but don't ask them to use their device. Additionally, when we sign into certain systems, there is a and I hope I say this right

094multiaceted authentication process that must be used. Thank you, sir. So, we have to use that process where not only do you put in your password or whatever credentials, but then you get a text message and you have to then put that code in. Well, guess where the text message comes? To your personal cell phone. You can't get into the system if you don't have that secondary form of validation. So if we are going to create a policy and we meaning the district that prohibits and strongly discourages the use of personal devices for the purpose of work, we need to make sure that we provide the right tools to the employees to overcome these obstacles that may not be seen when we're creating the policy, but the enduser faces them every day. And as far as

095communicating this, I am all on board to help with the communication process. I've already explained how we've already been doing that. But to suggest that we're going to put a link somewhere or or ask folks to read in depth in documents that are sent, that probably not going to happen. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Uh Superintendent, do you have a recommendation? Yeah, Chair Cologne. Uh, I recommend the authority be granted to advertise the proposed amendments to school board policy 427, employee technology use. >> Board, you've heard the recommendation of the superintendent. Do I have a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? >> Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. >> All those

096opposed say nay. Motion passes. All right, it is 6:25. We are going to move on to item 18.06, request for adoption of proposed amendments to schoolboard policy 321, instructional materials presented by Dr. Evans. >> Yes. Um, Mr. Chair, board members, we're asking for us to for you to authorize the adoption of board policy 321, instructional materials. This has already come before you for discussion and and now we're asking for adoption. >> Thank you. Any questions? >> Hearing none. Superintendent, do you have a recommendation? >> Yes, chair. I recommend adoption of the proposed amendments to schoolboard policy 321 instructional materials. >> Board, you've heard the recommendation of the superintendent. Do we have a motion? >> Motion. >> Do we have a second? >> Second. >> All right. Any further discussion hearing? None. All those in favor

097say I. I. >> All those opposed say nay. >> Motion passes. Next item up 18.07 request for adoption of proposed amendments to school board policy 510 safety and security of student personnel, property, and law enforcement guidelines. >> Yes, we are asking for adoption of policy 510, safety and security for students personnel and property and law enforcement guidelines. All of the material changes have already been discussed and advertised, so we're asking for adoption. >> Thank you. Uh, any questions? Superintendent, do you have a recommendation? >> Chair, I recommend adoption of the proposed amendsment school board policy 510s, safety and security of students, personnel and property and law enforcement. >> Thank you, board. You've heard the recommendation of the superintendent. Do we have a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> We have a motion. Do we have

098a second? >> Second. >> Motion and second. Any further discussion? >> Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. >> All those opposed say nay. >> Motion passes. All right. And so we have a time certain at 6:30 which we will start in two minutes and a half because we must stay true to the time that was advertised. All right, it is now 6:30. We we will begin the public hearing uh item 17.01 hearing to rec to consider the recommendation for termination. Uh Dr. Balgabin. >> Yes. uh our board attorney, Mr. Gilbert. >> Yes, we're here for the hearing um for the board to consider the recommendation for termination. We have both parties here to make their presentations to the board. Each will have I believe it's 15 minutes to present his or her

099case and chief and then after that we will have questions from the board members. >> Thank you. And so who is timekeeping? >> [sighs] >> Okay, I'll time keep >> the last. You want to time keep? >> So 15 minutes and we'll start with Miss Sasha Dyson. >> And so will they be able to uh if they're done early, does their time retain or we've done this before. >> Well, they have up to 15 minutes. So if they finish early, they'll just be finished early. [laughter] >> Okay. >> I think so. >> Yeah. >> All right. Very good. Are you ready, Celeste? Wonderful. And so who is first? >> I am. Mr. >> Chair, thank you. >> Please state your name for the record. >> Yes. Good evening, uh, Mr. Chair, madame uh, board members.

100My name is Sasha Dyson. I represent the district in the matter that's before you today in this public hearing, which is the, uh, recommendation for termination of Jerry Simon. uh we it comes before you uh with a recommendation for termination that went before a hearing before an administrative law judge at the division of administrative office of hearings. This matter involves Mr. Simon um who and the allegation is that he grabbed an 8-year-old child and threw him to the ground because he was frustrated that the child wouldn't listen to him. This matter was investigated by the Department of Children and Families. They did an investigation and they made uh verified findings after interviewing the parent who witnessed the action as well as interviewing the child uh twice. The child was interviewed both by um the investigator

101whose name was Ty Johnson as well as by the child protective team who is a team um as the evidence was established at the hearing a team of subject matter experts who interviewed children in these situations. and that team interviewed the the child separately and independent of any other adults in the room, ultimately concluding um the investigation with verified findings. Mr. Simon was given repeated opportunities to participate in that investigation and he chose not to. This all relates to an instance that happened in a classroom at George Marks Elementary School. It was a mild VE classroom and there was a parent in that classroom that day. Um, her name is Katie Nunees. She testified at the hearing before the with before the ALJ. In fact, she made five different statements, all consistent about what she

102heard and saw that happened in the classroom that day. The student when he was interviewed twice by DCF also made consistent statements that Mr. Simon grabbed that child and uh threw him to the ground because he was unhappy with his uh inability to listen to his direction. The parents testimony, Miss Nunes's testimony at the hearing was unimpeached. It was consistent with her prior statements. There was no consist inconsistency identified through the cross-examination of Miss Nunes, Miss Johnson, or the respondent um in the proposed order that was provided to the ALJ. Ultimately, the the the ALJ recommended that this teacher be reinstated. And how we reached that conclusion as we set forth in our exceptions is that he disregarded the evidence that was presented at the hearing. And I can go through and highlight for you

103in in the time that I have some of the um specific evidence that he disregarded, including DCF's verified findings. uh he those were accepted into evidence without objection at the hearing and the ALJ re um disregarded them in making his findings to reinstate the teacher. In addition to DCF's investigation, the district also conducted an investigation after receiving the verified findings. The district also attempted to interview Mr. Simon to understand his side of inversion of events and Mr. Simon who was represented by council again refused to provide any statement. Uh as set forth in the exceptions there is no right to remain silent in a civil proceeding. There is an inference that's drawn and that's established by the case law that we cited both to the ALJ as well as in our exceptions. Mr. Simon in

104the district's investigation provided no explanation or events. Didn't explain why the verified findings were incorrect. He didn't explain why Miss Nunees's statement was inaccurate. And he didn't assert that either DCF or the district's in investigation was insufficient or deficient. The investigator who testified at the hearing testified that the verified findings still stand. They were not challenged. They were not reversed. They were not withdrawn. And they still stand today. um despite the fact that the ALJ has disregarded them and directed that recommended rather that um he be reinstated um and my understanding is that he doesn't also have a current teaching certificate. So the ALJ in our exceptions that we set forth is that uh he substituted his opinion for what was received into evidence that um he chose to say it was more plausible in

105his judgment that Mr. Simon's version of events even though Miss Nunes gave repeated consistent statements and her testimony was not impeached in any way. There was no offer of any sort of motive or bias or any reason why Miss Nunes would come in and make up these issues. The ALJ ignored her lack of of motive or bias and also ignored the fact that Mr. Simon had a great amount of motive or bias to come in and provide uh his his now providing at the hearing his statement of events to contradict what Miss Nun has said. But this is not simply a matter of he said she said. There was uh not only presented at the hearing was the testimony of Miss Nunes, it was the testimony of DCF. Received into evidence without ex without objection

106were the uh findings of DCF and um and yet the ALJ disregarded them. And I cited the case law. There's recent case law uh out of the uh appellet courts that is improper for an ALJ to disregard evidence. He must consider all of the evidence in the record. But yet that's not what happened with respect to this issue. That um he disregarded both the evidence of the DCF's report as well as the district's own investigation claiming those documents were hearsay when they were received um in evidence. The ALJ also disregarded the statements of the child. The child, as I mentioned, was interviewed twice during the rep report. The ALJ found that she was that the child was interviewed in front of his parent, but that is contradicted by the statements that by the plain language

107of the report which says that the mother was not present. Additionally, the investigator explained that the child was was um interviewed separately by the CPT team. The child had no motive to lie in and his actions also are consistent with the with the events that occurred that day. He hid under the desk after this happened. Mr. Simon admitted that. He asked uh Mr. Simon why he was being so mean. Mr. Simon admitted that. And Mr. Simon testified at the hearing that the child would hug him all the time. But he but Mr. Simon admitted on that day the child did not hug him. Those are those are facts that were established at the hearing for which the ALJ you do not find them in his report because he ignored that that evidence. The ALJ also

108refused to consider that Mr. Simon was given repeated opportunities to provide his statement and didn't. Um, the ALJ failed to consider that even when Mr. Simon finally gave a statement, that statement itself was inconsistent about the events that occurred that day. He um he he ignored the evidence that was presented with respect to u Miss Nunes. He ignored the evidence that was presented with respect to Mr. Simon. The only evidence that supports uh Mr. Simon's version of events is Mr. Simon's own self-serving belated testimony. And that is not substantial competent evidence to establish um or to uh for the ALJ to make the findings that he made. Mr. Simon, as he admitted, uh, uh, knew that he was there to talk about his termination. He had every reason to deny that he engaged in this.

109He presented no other witness or corroborating aversion of events. What he did present was a testimony from the from the paraprofessional. And the paraprofessional came in and testified and on cross-examination from me, I asked her whether she was present during the time at issue and she said she was not her. So the ALJ credits her testimony but fails to acknowledge that not only was she not present. I then asked her, "Is it possible that this happened when you weren't in the room and she said it was so not only did the the ALJ ignored that part of the her testimony which didn't um which didn't serve the outcome that he had uh reached in this particular case. The um it's also notable that the conduct that Mr. Simon admitted to doing at this hearing was

110also a violation of policy 418. So he is charged with violating policy 418, which is of course maintaining the highest ethical conduct that you all expect of your teachers, making a reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning and not intentionally exposing the student to embarrassment or disparagement. Mr. Simon at the hearing admitted that he uh knew that he was not to approach a child in a hostile or aggressive manner. And if he did, he knew it was a terminable offense. He admitted he was frustrated with this 8-year-old child in this mild VE classroom. He raised his voice at him in front of the class. Again, the child was eight years old. He picked up a chair and he dropped it based on his own admission pretty hard on the ground because

111he wanted the child to sit in a particular place. that he told the child to sit at his desk when he knew there was no chair at his desk. And after dropping the chair pretty hard on the ground, he then told the child there, you have a chair now go sit in it. And all of those actions occurred in front of the rest of the students in the class. And we're talking about students from kindergarten to second grade. and the ALJ in in his report comments that none of the students were called in to testify because we're talking about children from kindergarten to second grade. The Mr. Simon in his testimony admitted that the child hid under the table and asked him why he's being so mean. Mr. Simon asserts that this is just a

112child who is having a temper tantrum um and he himself threw himself on the floor. But Mr. Simon admitted that he did nothing to address that behavior through a behavior inter intervention plan. He admitted he didn't use the strategies in the behavior intervention plan for that student and he didn't escalate the student's behavior. And he admitted that he knew he was responsible for doing that for deescalating the student's behavior. And um he also admitted he didn't even inform the parent of what had happened that day in the classroom. So in addition to this, the evidence that was presented which um was in the ALJ's report as well is that he had been counseledled twice about his tone, demeanor and actions in the classroom. He had been provided additional support uh through support facilitation. He was

113offered training um that was to help him model appropriate classroom behavior and he simply chose not to take advantage of that. This is the the conduct here requires that um because Mr. Simon fell below the expectations that you expect for teachers in this district, his employment must be terminated at this point in time, especially with the verified findings of child abuse from the from the Department of Children and Family Families. Therefore, we request that the board sustain the exceptions that we've been provided, modify the report consistent with the exceptions, terminate Mr. Simon's employment, and direct the board attorney to prepare a final order consistent with your ruling. >> Thank you so much. >> All right. >> Hope this is on. >> Yes. Please state your name for the record and you may proceed. >> Yes.

114Uh Anthony Duran on behalf of Mr. Simon who's present. Um thank you for your time and attention uh esteemed members of the board. Uh so I would start off by saying this was a very simple he said she said case. Essentially it was a very simple factual dispute. It was hearing turned into Mr. Simon's word against M Miss Nunees's word. The uh volunteer in the classroom. Uh the student did not testify. Neither did his mother. Um, the paraprofessional did testify and a lot of the things that she testified to support Mr. Simon's versions of of the events, although she may not have been present at the exact moment of the incident, she was present most of the day. Um, and there was a lot of testimony that contradicted what Miss Nunes testified to. Not necessarily

115directly contradicting her testimony in court, but when you compared her testimony in court to the statement she had, the written statements that she had previously provided, emails that she had sent to the district, there were a lot of contradictions. So the administrative law judge in this case did not ignore the evidence. He listened to the testimony of the witnesses, Mr. Simon, Miss McKe, the paraprofessional, and Miss Nunees. And he believed Mr. Simon's version of events, and he believed Miss McKe's version of events over Miss Nunees. Uh DCF uh worker did testify and she was attacked on cross-examination and she admitted that she did not follow her own procedures in arriving at this verified finding. When DCF makes a verified finding for physical injury, there's supposed to be some type of physical injury and and that

116standard is preponderance of the evidence. And she admitted that she didn't follow her own standard in the hearing. There was no physical injury to the child. And you would assume that a grown man who took a small child and grabbed him by the arm and threw him to the floor would cause some type of injury. And there was no evidence of that. The only evidence of injury to the child was from a fight that he engaged in later with another student. This was a very uh uh student with extreme behavioral difficulties who had engaged in a in a fight with a student later in the day and was taken to the nurse. Child was taken to the nurse. Never complained of any injuries caused by Mr. Simon. The only injuries were related to this fight

117with this other female student in the classroom. Um, there's been some talk about Mr. Simon did not participate in the investigation, but that's not true. I represented Mr. Simon during the under underlying investigation and he was advised not to give a statement without his attorney present and the ALJ took that into consideration in making his ruling. In other words, there's there should be no adverse inference against him not testifying or not talking to an investigator when in fact I went with him to meet with the investigator. I was present. Mr. Simon was present and had a discussion with the investigator about whether or not this was a compelled statement or voluntary statement. And the JA alj took that into consideration in his in his and in fact during that meeting with the investigator, Mr. Simon

118denied the allegation. So he did not he did in fact participate in the underlying investigation. So there should be no adverse in inference and the ALJ took that into consideration. Um there's been mention of Mr. Simon's certificate. I I can advise you that I represent him in his case with the Department of Education and they have dropped any type of discipline against his license in regards to this incident. So there is no pending disciplinary action against Mr. Mr. Simon's certificate and I don't anticipate there's going to be anything from this incident that's been dropped by the Department of Education. As for the issue of the ALJ ignoring hearsay, there was a discussion at the beginning of the hearing where the ALJ initially said hearsay would be admissible, which is the rule in administrative hearings, but

119that it cannot be used to prove a fact and evidence. you need somebody who was actually present to testify. It can only be used to cooperate other evidence in the case. And he took that into consideration. He he weeded out the hearsay that did not prove and and he made and he made note that part of the issue was the child did not testify at the hearing and neither did his mother. So there were hearsay issues and he took that into consideration and it cannot be used to prove certain facts. And he took he noted though that the statements that the student made there were inconsistencies in those statements and he took that into consideration as well. So he didn't just ignore these this evidence that was presented. He looked at it all and he

120made a very thorough recommended order. There was mention of Mr. Simon raising his voice. However, at the hearing, Miss Nunes was testifying that he was screaming at the children, not raising his voice and which was an inconsistency, but Miss McKe was critical to this testimony because she testified that yes, this is a very big classroom with a lot of students can be quite noisy at times and sometimes the teachers and Miss McKe would have to raise their voice to get the students attention, but they never screamed at any of the students as Miss Nunees asserted. Finally, the only last thing I would say is um there is a case um called Resnik versus Flaggler County School Board from the fifth DCA which is the the district court of appeal for this district is part of

121Valuchia, Flaggler and a number of other counties. the 2010 opinion and in that case it's very similar and I would say that it's directly on point with this situation here. In that case the ALJ ruled in favor of Mr. Resnik who was a an employee of the district and the ALJ believed Mr. Resnik's testimony in that particular case just like the ALJ in this case believed Mr. Simon's testimony and in that case the school district reversed or the school board reversed the findings of the ALJ and the fifth district court of appeals county and also for Valuchia ruled that in a factdriven case such as this where an employes conduct is at issue great weight is given to the findings of the administrative law judge who has the opportunity to hear the witness's testimony and

122evaluate their credibility, which is critical. He, the ALJ, was there. He saw Mr. Simon's testimony. He saw Mr. Thyman's demeanor. He heard everything he had to say. He saw Mrs. Non's demeanor. And ultimately, he ruled in favor of Mr. Simon. Moreover, uh the district of fifth district court of appeals goes on to say, "An administrative agency such as the school board may not modify an administrative law judge's factual findings unless the agency first determines from a review of the entire record, which would mean you would have to read the entire transcript, review all the exhibits before you make any decision. And you have to state with particularity in the order that the findings of facts were not based upon competent substantial evidence. And competent substantial evidence just means that there's some evidence supporting whatever position

123the ALJ took. And if the administrative law judge's findings are supported by competent substantial EV evidence, the agency cannot reject them even to make alternative findings that are also supported by competent substantial evidence. So even if you think, well, you know, maybe the ALJ was wrong on this point and there's some evidence to support this position over here, but the ALJ went in the other direction, you have to defer to the ALJ's decision. And the court goes on to say, the fifth district court of appeals goes on to say, an agency abuses its discretion when it improperly rejects an administrative law judge's findings. And in this ca and in the case of Resnick, Mr. Resnik, they reversed the school district's uh the school board's uh reversal of the ALJ's recommended order. So therefore, I would

124ask that you follow the ALJ's recommended order. It was it was very thorough. It was it was competent. It relied on substantial evidence. The ALJ heard the facts firsthand and he ruled in favor of Mr. Simon and I would ask that you do the same. Thank you. >> Thank you. All right. At this time, we will entertain any questions from board members, too. >> Board, do you want to ask questions or do you want to do public comment first? >> I'd like to do public comment first. >> I'm good with that. All right. So, we have uh five card, six cards for public comment. Uh first card is Miss Ginger Johnston. >> Welcome, Miss Johnston. >> Thank you. My name is Ginger Johnston and I am a Valuchia County teacher for 35 years. I retired

125two years ago and I have known Jerry Simon for a very long time. But I also want to say thank you because I've been before the school board a couple times and you guys have really paid attention and I really appreciate that. Superintendent, could you look please? Thank you. So um I was in Valuchia County and I was moved twice for lawsuits. One of the lawsuit they came in the middle of the room, picked me up and dropped me at a new school in the middle of the year. I was also moved again to Cypress Creek. Same thing. There was a lawsuit there. County came picked me up in the middle of the year and moved me. What I found in that process is nobody talked to me. Nobody at the school board talked to

126me. I called people. I was devastated. I left Lonnie Tinmarsh at Timberrest. I was crushed. I had taught for 30 years and I was crying. The difficulty that I find in this situation is everybody's quiet. You not that you disrespect us as teachers, but you don't know our lives. you aren't involved in our world. We love our students. We care for our students. We spend time and energy and we pray for them. And when you disrupt us, it disrupts us. Just like the lady that came up and said thank you to the people that supported. I loved it. It made me smile when the other one talked about ESE. I want a dog. That sounds really cool. What you don't understand is this is our world and we love our students. We love other people's

127students. We take them to heart for 180 days. Those are our kids. So this is not only his job, but this is his livelihood. This is what we do. I left as a teacher because my principal wouldn't respect me. I had taught for the county for 35 years. She was going to keep me in kindergarten. I'm not I taught kindergarten many years. I wanted to go back to third or go somewhere else. I offered to go anywhere except stay at kindergarten. And you know what she told me? Nope. And so, you know what I told her? I've taught 35 years, 38 total. I'm retiring. So, my point is, you lost an amazing teacher. I wasn't asked any questions. >> Thank you so much. Next up, Miss Elizabeth Albert. >> Good evening, Mr. Chair, members of

128the board, Superintendent Dr. Balgabin, members of the audience. As elected officials, you are bound not by personal preference, but by the rule of law. Respect for the rule of law means not only following it when it favors you, but also accepting the outcomes when it doesn't. When an employee is recommended for termination by this district, the letter given to them states the following. If you wish to contest these charges, you have 15 days after the receipt of this notice to submit to the PS manager a written request for a hearing pursuant to section 1012.33.6A. This hearing is called a DOA hearing and is presided over by an administrative law judge. This is the process that occurred with Mr. Jerry Simon. He elected to engage in the process that was afforded to him not only by

129the Florida statute but by you as the employer in the letter he received. So tonight you have a choice to make. It is very simple. Do you accept the ruling of the administrative law judge or do you choose to say to Mr. Simon, his family, his friends, thousands of employees, and the members of the community that the rule of law is irrelevant in Valuchia County schools. To do so undermines any trust in the system of rules and laws that govern our civil society. If this board overrides this decision of the administrative law judge, it will send a message that due process and fairness are conditional and that lawlessness rules supreme in Valuchia County schools. I urge you to do the right thing and to accept the ruling of the administrative law judge. Provide Mr. Simon

130the dignity and respect he deserves after a career of nearly 30 years teaching the children of Valuchia County schools. And to com and to conclude, any suggestion that the administrative law judge is less than a competent professional in the inner workings of his task, I think is extremely inappropriate. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Albert. Next up, Miss Florence Beb. I'm Florence Speedy and I was a teacher in Lucia County for many years and retired in 2008 and I started in two 1966 here and I've known this Jerry since he attended George Marks about this tall and because I taught kindergarten and believe me he and his family are absolutely the kind of people you want in your school. And I think that you are really making a huge mistake to have his termination because

131he is one of the nicest people and I'm vouching for his character and I just want you to know that he is a outstanding young man. Thank you. Thanks, Joy Cron. >> Welcome back, Joy. >> Nice to see old faces. Good evening. Um, chairman, board members, superintendent. My name is Joy Chrome and um I'm here because I want to share a little bit of history, a little bit of my knowledge and experience um especially with this matter at 17 with 1701. Um I retired in 2021 June and after 34 years of working at VTO and then view um uh I have a lot that I've been through during that time. So just to share some history in 1990 VTO became the collective bargaining agent in Valuchia. The first contract that we negotiated and everyone that

132followed and they continue to be were binding contracts. We went to the table, we signed, you signed. They're binding agreements. So our binding agreement, the contract that we negotiated with Vue and Valuchia County School Board is governed by chapter 447 of the Florida statutes. Before you tonight is this action item that disregards language contained in the binding agreement. Article 19 in the contract under gre for for grievances allows an employee to challenge disciplinary action should the district take such actions up to and including termination. Specifically in this language artic of article 19 is N which allows the employee/UN to resort to other procedures meaning other than the typical grievance procedure which is included in that article 19 very precise tells you what you need to do and how you have to do it. If the

133employee union decides to pursue the administrative or judicial avenue that's discussed in N the practice required the union as I was an employee to ask Felia County School Board to agree to the election of remedies process. If we agree then this means that the parties have agreed that the DOA DOA hearing officer's decision is binding and final. So in my time election of remedies was used twice in those years between 1990 when we um negotiated our first VTO contract to 2021 when I retired 2002 there was a case I'll give one initial R. I can give you more information if you want it. Employee won the DOA decision. The employee was reinstated to his or her teaching position with all back pay. The decision was final and binding. Then again it happened 2019 thereabouts in

134the case of N. This we resolved prior to the DOA hearing with a settlement that returned this employee to a different bargaining unit. >> The decision was final binding. >> Mr. Ken Simon. >> Welcome, Mr. Simon. >> Hi, my name is Ken Simon. I'm the youngest brother of Jerry Simon. Um, I am not a teacher. I don't have anything to do with school. I'm an engineer. I look at details. And if you had written uh uh written or uh read the uh documents that were in the agenda tonight, I was looking at them and there's just holes all in what the prosecutor was doing. There's halftruths. There are just flatout almost lies in there. And if she wants to bring in the hearsay into the pro into this, let me bring in some hearsay because

135there's a lot of truth to some of the hearsay motive. Well, you always hear everybody saying the lady stays out into the in out into the parking lot to see if her kids are in the playground. What was she doing there in the first place? How did she get past the school guards? You know, did you just let them in? So, there's a little bit of negligence there. I just I don't understand all the halftruths. I understand why people get lawyer and liar confused because there just seems like there's a lot involved with what she is trying to get out and not giving you the full information. In fact, nobody has the full information. They didn't interview the kids. Why not? It's the same kids that's bringing in the accusation. They would have seen the

136same thing. You know, as I'm reading through this, I'm just furious about the lack of detail. What arm? How did he get thrown down? No bruise. Is it on the wrist, the forearm, the elbow, the bicep, the shoulder? To get thrown down backwards. I understand the chairs are heavy. So, yes, they're going to land pretty hard. So, there is a lot of hearsay. So, yes, she did have motive that the prosecutor's leaving out because it's hearsay. Nobody wants to say it. all the teachers know about it. So, it it just boggles my mind how many how much there is open and how many questions are left unanswered that you can actually terminate somebody with the lack of information that you have. It It seems like you're opening up to negligence between the open questions. The

137state found no issue and dropped the case. The judge is recommending dropping it. So that's my understanding of the whole issue. Maybe I missed something somewhere. You know, why is this, you know, why is the lady back there in the first place? I understand teachers can go back there. But my understanding also is is that she tried to go back several times and was not allowed in. So that's another thing that's going to open up the school to some issues. So hopefully you'll read the judge's decision and not the one-sided side of the prosecutor. Thank you. >> Thank you, Laura Herd. Hard. >> Welcome. >> Hi, my name is Laura Hord. I'm an ESC teacher at George Marks Elementary. I've worked with Jerry and other members of his family for many years. Um Jerry is

138a person who grew up in this district, went to school in this district, moved away, came back to work in this district. He loves the children. He cares about the children. He is the most honest, truthful, trustworthy person that you could meet. And if you walked into his classroom, that man is the most calm person with a demeanor. Anything could be going on. He does not scream. The I don't know what ulterior motive this parent had, but she did not like Mr. Simon. But um it was just you know he never raises he would raise his voice to get attention to be firm you know get um behavior under control but you know his family has gone through so much because of this and it's it's just like they said too many holes in this

139this whole event. Um, you know, things really weren't thoroughly investigated. You know, was the child and the behavior of the child actually taken into an account? The child that [snorts] was in there was prone to outbursts and telling stories and he would go hide under desks and say, "Why are you so mean to me when nothing is happening?" Um, you know, has it been fully explained why this case has taken so long? Why, you know, the the ruling from the judge is not taken into consideration? Um, has anybody from the administration actually sat down with Mr. Simon and said, "Look, this is what we're hearing. This is what's going on. Tell us your side of the story." instead of all these lawyers and all the other, what about the people that we're supposed to turn

140to that we call our work family and our work home? And after, you know, after all these many years here, he really does deserve respect and some answers from a district that he has called home. and it's just kind of he's been let down and it hasn't been thoroughly investigated and that's just the sad part. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Diane Simon. >> I just want to say two things. Thank you for listening. You guys look like you're really listening. I've been to many, many board meetings over the years. I have also taught in this district for 25 years. Um, my kids went to school here. This is our family. Um, his certificate that was brought up, it expired because the district didn't send it in. He did everything he was supposed to early

141in the summer and his certificate expired, but the state has cleared him. So, that needs to be taken care of. Um, I'm going to try and read it, but I'm here to speak on his behalf. He has worked with children his entire life. He started before he could drive, working with summer day camps with both the Valuchia County and with the city. He's coached many teams here in Valuchia County, both in in and out of the school district. He started his career as a PE coach, and he even started when we moved out of state for a couple years, he started an entire program up there. He has taught math. He has taught ESE. My husband is one of the kindest, kindest men you will ever meet. He doesn't even raise his voice at home.

142And I'm a lot. I can tell you that right now. He does not raise his voice at home. He doesn't get angry. [gasps] He's very eventempered. I've been married to that man for 33 years. I get that right. I've seen him get really angry twice in 33 years. And we've been through a lot in our family. He is always [snorts] the first one to jump in wherever is needed and do what is needed to be done at school and take things whatever is asked of him. Many of these people I've got some peoples that came from Ocala to be here tonight teachers that have worked with him. [snorts] He has worked with some of their children as a tutor as coaches as a boy scout leader. So please I hope you have read all those

143documents that came through and you've listened to what's been presented. This is our livelihood. This is our family. Like I said, we have been in Valuchia County for 25 years. He's taught for 27. He made me come into teaching. I had a teaching degree and I didn't want to use it. I was working at Publix and perfectly happy and he said, "Nope, you need to use your degree." Um the te first teacher that spoke, I was her para. She kicked me out and told me I had to go teach. So, [laughter] um, he started his career at George Marks as a kindergartener and he was so excited to come back to teach there and it's really sad that this is how it's ending. Thank you for listening. [snorts] Thank you so much. That ends public

144comment. Uh, now we will have the board members to um ask questions of um of our attorneys. >> All right. So, uh, Miss Brosmer, >> I don't I don't have questions as much as I have some observations. Um, I did read the documents and out of 85 pages, most of it struck me as a regurgitation repeatedly of facts of of the of the incident um, from the perspective of each side. Um and I did it did strike me as a he said she said. Um but for me the bottom line is the process and last page of the the uh judge's order the ALJ's order is the most important to me. Paragraph 84, petitioner failed to prove. Paragraph 85, petitioner failed to prove. Paragraph 86, petitioner failed to prove. Paragraph 87, in some the evidence

145produced at the hearing does not establish just cause to terminate respondents employment with the district. And then he is the the recommendation is made that he should be reinstated. If the ALJ had the opportunity to hear both sides, we have heard a summary of both sides, but we didn't hear what he heard. And I don't think it's up to us to second guessess uh his decision. Um, this strikes me as either an end run because each side now has effectively done an appeal. At least that that was the way it struck me. It was a response to the judge's uh order. Um, the district did one and and Mr. Simon's council did one in response to that. Uh, so this is either an end run around his um his due process because I don't know

146if I assume there is an opinion that should be coming out now from the ALJ in response to this. Maybe not um because I know the administrative process is different from from a court. But I did find the the fifth DCA's opinion to summarize this in a way that we need to take seriously. I don't think it's our place to to second guessess the ALJ. Um and and thank you for clarifying for me that there will not be an additional opinion. Um I assume then that this is the end of the administrative process. Is that correct? >> Yes. If I can speak to the process itself. So the process is that there's a recommendation from the superintendent. It goes to a hearing before the ALJ for a recommendation. It's not a decision. It's a recommendation.

147After that recommendation is issued, there's an opportunity for both sides to file exceptions. We filed exceptions. There were no exceptions filed by Mr. Simon's attorney or response to that. that is then what's before you to make the decision. You are the body that makes that decision. >> Thank thank you for that clarification. Um the filing of exceptions uh looks to me like moving the goalposts. We didn't like how it turned out. So now we're going to come up with with arguments against it. And and I I think if if we had a case to make, we should have made it. And whether whether we were the ones who dropped the ball on the investigation or or not, um if the ALJ didn't think there was enough to justify the ending of this man's career, then

148I don't either. >> Thank you, Miss Haynes. >> Okay. So, um a couple things I'd like to state. I actually went to the Florida Department of Education and I did this certification lookup piece and so it is true your certificate just expired and I appreciate um what your wife shared about you had your paperwork and everything in but it wasn't submitted but there's also on the Florida Department of um education they have um a part called um like the administrative discipline against educator licenses where you can type in the educator's name in the district and which I have done because I first looked up a certificate then I went to this part for the discipline because I have seen other educators over the years under this and it says once you click it there is

149no records found. So for Mr. Simon at the Florida Department of Education under the discipline against educator licenses there's no information found. there's somebody else's name I personally know I could type in and it would pull up information there. So the fact of the matter is if they have not listed him to apply discipline to him and it's gone to the state level and I read every bit of this these documents. I read them through twice to tell you the truth and I asked a lot of questions. I asked questions of Dr. Evans. I asked questions of Mr. Cash. Um, I shared my own thoughts on this. I learned even more information. But here's a question I'm going to ask out loud. Um, prior to this incident, and whoever wants to answer it can answer

150it. Did Mr. Simon ever have any documentation on his record prior to this incident? I already know the answer, but I'd like for it to be stated out loud. >> Would you like me to answer that? Yes, I am glad to answer it for you. So, no, there was no written reprimand. There were two counseling sessions and those are referenced in the ALJ's report. >> Okay, so counseling sessions happen a lot in schools. um having been a former educator started 39 years ago. I mean a counseling session could be um you know as you were taking your students out for a fire drill and then turned around to go back in. two of them, you know, hung out behind. And so another teacher encouraged them to come in because back in the day when we

151used to when some of us in this room started our careers, you know, it was nothing to have 30 kids in kindergarten, first, second grade, and trying to move them back in after a fire drill. Here's where I stand. I thank you for sharing um about what the judge had to say. That puts a lot of weight for me and the fact that the state is not have him listed in any way, shape or form for discipline. And over the years, I've personally learned about his career, his personality, because you can't be here as long as I have and not know I I could name a lot of these people sitting in this room tonight. And it's not a normal thing for teachers to show up and speak on behalf or bring come to be

152a positive presence unless they truly know and believe in the person. Because here's the thing, we don't put our neck out on the line if we think that there's any possibility that something went wrong. You know, I have questions about this. What was Okay, this mother was not the mother of the student sitting in that room. I I'm not sure, you know, did she even have a child in the room? Can you answer that? >> She had two sitting in this classroom. >> Correct. >> And so we gave her permission just to go in there. And then here's where my concern is in reading all of this. The pair is in there all day except for to walk out for a short period of time. And I and I don't even know why she walked

153out. I mean, Paris could walk out to take a child to get medication. >> She went to lunch. >> Yeah. She was gone for 30 minutes. It wasn't a short period of time. It was 30 minutes that she was gone for that. And the reason why it was at that point is because that's when the kid entered the classroom. So, it's not like the the child was in the classroom the whole day. The evidence at the hearing was the child would come in for math during that period of time. >> Okay? And that's fine. But the bottom line is we have a pair that spends the bulk of her day in that classroom. She knows those kids just as well as the teacher. So, the teacher got he got his lunch break while she ate

154she was supervising the children eating their lunch. And then that's what happens. Then once the teacher has the students back, the para gets a lunch break. But I I am not in any way at all saying that the information collected was not true. Okay? Because I haven't interviewed the parent myself or anyone. But when you finally get to the point that Mr. Simon was interviewed, the parent was interviewed, his parah was interviewed, the student was interviewed, and they state that he should not be terminated. That holds more weight for me than only the parent of the other children being interviewed by the by DCF. Well, the DCF's report references the mother who wanted to press charges against him, >> but the mother didn't press charges. >> I don't know. No charges. >> I don't know

155if what happened with respect to the criminal process, but that is what was in evidence at this hearing and the the counseling sessions, just to be clear on what those were. those were in this year that we're talking about that these incident happened about his tone and demeanor in the classroom. I just wanted to make sure that that was clear from the perspective >> where I stand right now. I'm not here tonight to take away Mr. Simon's job. >> Had the the ALJ said that they believed in termination after going through all that process, that would be a different thing for me. Had the state put him in the discipline file that anyone can look up through the public site, you don't even have to have special credentials to look that up. I would have

156a different feeling on that. But tonight, I support Mr. Simon um returning to a position. I'm even going to give my opinion on that. I don't think even though I know that George Marks is the most recent place he's been, Mr. Simon, just hear me out. I think he needs a new placement, okay, in a situation where he can, you know, what he enjoys teaching or whatever, he can be there and he can teach in that situation. Because some other information I know is Mr. Simon was hired to go to George Marks to be the dean and that dean position was cut and he went into the ESSE classroom. And so here we are with all of this. And if I'm wrong, somebody correct me. Okay? But you know, he had done the work to

157be able to be in that position at the district level. We cut that position and that's how he ended up in the classroom. and having I mean I've taught ESC I've taught everything in elementary but fourth grade and at the secondary level I taught ESC math along with pre-alggebra algebra 1 algebra 2 and geometry there are things that you know could happen sometime but nothing in any of this and I I wish I'd been sitting there to hear everybody give their testimony because we don't have everybody's testimony but we have a recommendation and I'm standing by that recommendation tonight >> thank Thank you, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you. And so when I first heard about this, I have small kids and so I, you know, that that's where I came from was the idea of

158what would I do if that was my child? And then I read through all of the pages that were submitted to us a couple times over actually just to make sure I kind of knew. Um, and it's the lack of evidence for me to really say that a career should be ended based on this because there really isn't that much substantial evidence in my opinion um to convict someone. However, I took it a step further and I do appreciate that your brother was here. I called my brother just to kind of get a character idea. He works at George Marks. Um, and the first thing my brother said was, "Well, Jess, he's kind of like dad." And I do love my dad. Lucky for you. Um, so, um, and he he could talk about your

159relationships with kids and and other teachers. And so, I think we heard a little bit about that today. Now, should this decision be based only on character witnesses? No. But that for me combined with the lack of evidence um I I can't support ending someone's career based on those um little bits of pieces. So that's where I stand. >> Thank you, Miss Goodrich. >> And Miss Haynes, thank you for bringing up one of my questions. My my first question was were there any other major discipline disciplinary actions? Um and so glad to hear that there weren't. Um, and then the other issue I had was if we do give the opportunity to go to the ALJ, I I and they do hear all the evidence and they provide their um recommendation. If we're not going

160to follow that, why would we offer that? So, I there's been nothing else presented here that would make me not want to follow that. So, I'm also not going to support termination of his career. >> Thank you. All right. And so, uh, here are my thoughts. I I can see how this happened. And, you know, a a situation is brought up. It goes to professional standards. Uh, the teacher has the right to speak or not speak. Obviously, he chose not to. Correct. >> Well, we met with the investigator. Let me take a with the district >> with professional standards >> investigator. >> They did. >> You did. >> We did. We met with the school district investigator and >> Robert Star. >> He he gave a denial of the allegations. We didn't he didn't answer

161specific questions about the allegations per my recommendation, but he just denied the allegations as I'm sure >> and and so for the school district, I'm I'm trying to put this through processing here for the school district not having someone saying what do you do? What do you do? You've got someone who's not giving you the information, who's not talking for themselves, and they have that right. That's a right obviously. And so I can see how the school district came to the conclusion because they said based on what we have in front of us and the interviews that took place or didn't take place for that matter, we don't have all the information. Do do we agree at that time? At that moment, there was not all the information for the school district to be able

162to move forward like they traditionally would. The only information that we had at that time were verified findings of child abuse and then we asked Mr. Simon to explain it and we had no information. >> Appreciate that. And so from a school district's p perspective, if you don't have that information, then you're going to elude if you if the information you have is a child a DCF report that says that the abuse is confirmed whether there were holes, no holes, etc. That is all you can base your decision on. >> Might I just address that real quickly? Sure. Just so you understand my process. Um, so one of the first questions I asked the investigator when we met with him was whether or not this was going to be a compelled interview or voluntary. >>

163What does that mean? >> And so it's very important legal distinction. There's this case called Gity. And basically the investigator could have compelled Mr. He could have ordered uh Mr. Simon to give a statement and then Mr. Simon would have complied with that order. Otherwise, he would have been insubordinate and could have been terminated for being insubordinate. But he didn't do that. The investigator chose not to. In fact, he didn't even really understand what I was talking about. >> That's where I am. >> And and so so he he said it was voluntary. So because it was voluntary, we just gave the blanket denial and we didn't we didn't give any more. Now he could in the future if an investigator compels one of our clients to give a statement, the client will com I

164will advise the client to com give a statement because it's being compelled. And the reason for that is um when a statement is compelled by the district, law enforcement then can't subsequently use it in a criminal case. And there was a criminal investigation pending at the time, but that was subsequently dropped. And there's no criminal charges that have ever been filed against Mr. Simon related to this or any other matter. Um and so that was my process and why I advised him what I did. So he was simply not trying to deflect or deceive anyone. and he was simply following my advice. >> Perfect. And so with that being said, the school district, so you have a DCF report, you have someone who's opted rightfully so to just say, "I didn't do it." Okay. And

165so it then goes to the next step, which is the do the administrative judge, who then is able to get all of this information. So the school district's process arguably they did with what they had and so then it went to the next step which is that judge that judge asked all their questions looked at all the information more than we'll ever spend much time doing whether we uh choose to be attorneys or not and figure out you know the one of the beauties of this process is that we're all lay folks who don't understand a lot of what and I appreciate both both of you actually laying it out the way that you did. Um, I personally I think everybody did what everybody's doing what they thought was right, including that judge. And so

166it isn't. And I and I'm saying this I'm I'm being very clear about this because you can't do with what you don't have. and without the information the school district had to do what it had to do and that was that. So I am personally in favor of uh accepting the administrative law judge whose decision who was able to take all of the information which was not afforded to the district in their investigation at the time. They didn't have it rightfully so. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. it obviously was his right because he wasn't compelled. Um, and so that's where I stand. So, uh, with that, I will heard the discussion and the questions from the board. We're going to give each attorney five minutes to give closing comments and then that will

167close this part of the public hearing. Thank you. >> Thank you. And I I don't I won't belabor this point because I've heard your comments. I would just want to reiterate from the perspective of where we came. One, I'm not making any personal attacks on any judge. I'm here presenting a legal position and opinion and I do believe that the law supports um not accepting the recommendation because there were things that the judge did not consider and disregarded. I do not believe the case law supports that there is a right to remain silent in a schoolboard process. But um but obviously you all are free to to make whatever decision you want to make and I'm just here to answer whatever additional questions you have or um explain to you why the legal process here

168was the appropriate process especially given that we still have findings of verified child abuse. >> Thank you. The only thing I would add is um there was a comment about I didn't file exceptions to the administrative law judges order and that is simply because I agree with it and so I would ask that you that you follow that order. >> Very good. Thank you. And so judging by the conversation, does anybody want to make a motion? >> I move that we accept the opinion of the ALJ. >> I second that. All right. Motions were improperly made and second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> All those opposed say nay. Motion passes. Thank you. We're going to take a 10-minute break and we will begin promptly at 7:45.

169Thank you. All right, we'll adjourn here in two minutes. second >> When we did the vote, >> we did the vote. >> That was the vote. >> The vote. >> I was confused by that part, too. >> Very good. action. >> All right. So, we are on item 17.01. Items from board members, superintendent, board attorney for discussion. >> Participation. >> 20 what? >> 20. >> 19.01. >> We're on 19.01. >> That's right. >> Just comments. We're out of here. >> Cards. >> Ask Daniel if there's any more cards. >> Oh, do we have any more cards, Danielle? Nope. >> Now you're at 20.01. >> All right. So, 17.01. Items from board members. Miss Brosmer. >> 20.0. Mine says 17. That's the same item. [clears throat] >> That's okay. We know we're on comments, whatever the

170number is. I just have a couple of things. Um I have several shoutouts. Um I served lunch uh since our last meeting at Palm Terrace and Henson. And especially I uh want to do a shout out to Miss Troutman at Palm Terrace. uh their lunch times were compressed because they had a a presentation uh that was going to be done in the or a performance that was going to be done in the cafeteria. So, they had to eat very quickly and get the kids through very quickly. And they did the kids were great. They did a great job. Uh and I always enjoy um seeing Mr. Dunigan at at Henson. um Futures Foundation. The check presentations were really fun. Um especially because the purpose of the checks varied so much. Some were for art, some

171were for ESE. Um listening to the creativity of the teachers was was really um uh educational and inspiring. Um so I I really enjoyed that. And I also want uh Dr. Balgaban stole a little bit of my thunder in her earlier comments because um because three of my schools in my district um got uh let's see Sha Shannon Haye at OBBE um Mr. Binham at Pineril and um Mrs. Ayanurelli at OBMS all recognized by the Florida Department of Education as Florida Schools of Excellence. And I just wanted to do a special shout out. They deserve two anyway. So, um, this this comment is not quite as much fun. Um, I know a a couple of others may have received this same email that I got from uh from Dorothy uh Featherston, but because largely because

172of the conversation we've had tonight um including the um Wings for Success program showing what happens when kids get into trouble as they get older. I thought her email was especially important. And I just want to read it quickly and um for so that people understand the challenge that our teachers go through with a with um some of the students that that are in their classes. She says, "Good evening. At South Daytona Elementary, we have several children waiting on services and placement since the beginning of the school year because someone eliminated 43 IEP student staffing specialist positions. It has been reported to me that at least one of the specialists is now backlogged with more than 300 children waiting for services or appropriate placement. Each day these students fall further behind. Their frustration grows their

173and their confidence declines. They are becoming anxious, insecure, unsure of their place in a classroom that is moving on without them. These kids want to engage. They want to learn. But while the rest of the class works on material they cannot access yet, they are left coping in the only ways they know how. Over time, those coping behaviors have escalated into crying, screaming, spitting, biting, running, tapping, hitting, pushing, kicking, or throwing. Because behavior is communication, especially for a child who is struggling and unsupported. Sadly, many of these students end up being removed from class, written up, or labeled the bad kid long before they ever receive the services they need. Their peers begin to fear them. They begin to believe something is wrong with them. And by the time a team is finally able to

174meet and determine next steps, the emotional damage may already be done, and everyone is far more frustrated than necessary. I respectfully ask that you look into the current case loads, timelines, and staffing levels of the remaining student staffing specialists within the exceptional student education department. Our students deserve timely evaluations, appropriate placements, and the support required by law and more importantly by compassion. Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue and for your continued commitment to the students of Valuchia County Schools. I thought it was really important to share that because our teachers work so hard with students who have special needs and we want to be as supportive of them as we can so that they don't end up as much as I love the wings for success program but so that they that

175isn't where they grow up to be. Um so I just wanted to share that from one of our teachers. Other than that, thank you all for tonight. It was a really good meeting. Thank you, Miss Goodrich. >> Um I all students, sorry I have to say this part because it's in my heart, but all all students. I don't want to end up there. Um regardless what needs. So sorry. >> Sure. >> Um first I want to offer huge congratulations to all of our teachers of the year. Last night was an incredible celebration of leadership, talent, and kindness. And you are all the heartbeat of our district. So I hope they all take the entire year to celebrate their moment to shine for they earned it and we are proud of them. I also want to

176share this message about leadership. So, strong leadership requires making choices, but it also requires the humility to recognize when a choice may need change. I believe the NDAs were created with the goal of protecting our school, our children, and our staff. I truly believe I'm not done yet, Reuben. I'm truly not [laughter] I truly believe the intent was good, and I do believe the NDAs are legal. However, the perception surrounding them has become more harmful than helpful. Transparency matters and when our community feels shut out or suspicious, the tool becomes counterproductive. There are other ways to protect sensitive information and I recommend we can consider looking at those. But let me be very clear. Any team member who violates privacy, takes works created by BCS or shares protected information will be dealt with appropriately. Protecting

177our students and safeguarding the integrity of our district will always remain a priority. Our district had many years of turmoil to get to this point and in fact many of our policies are incredibly old as I've learned. But we now have a strong team in place to ensure that rules and policies are followed. Our superintendent who I believe is a fierce rock star as I've shared should know that she has this board member's support in taking action anytime privacy or theft takes place. I also want to address the conflict of interest that has been raised about the general counsel representing both the school board and the district. This arrangement was made before I joined the board, but I think it's something that needs to be revisited. Good governance requires checks and balances, and anytime there

178is even an appearance of divided interests, we owe it to the community to review it. Now, financially, this will cost us more money, but in the long run, I think it's dollars that are spent well. Additionally, I've seen the social media chat chatter, especially the comments about doing our district. You will not see me jump on those eon debates because I don't engage from behind a keyboard. But I will say this, I think we have some extremely tough financial decisions ahead of us. And I welcome the state to come anytime. I don't believe we have anything to hide. In fact, I've repeatedly met with our amazing CFO and I think we have a lot to share with the state and other districts. And if they couldn't come and help us make smarter decisions or identify

179opportunities to improve, then I am all for it because at the end of the day, our goal is to do what's best for our students, our staff, and our taxpayers. Lastly, I want to highlight the work of the PTA. Now that Miss Thompson will be taking that on, um they are working incredibly hard to find new ways to bring parents into our schools and rebuild that sense of partnership and involvement. So, please, anyone listening, if you've ever thought about stepping up, this is that moment. They are exploring all kinds of fun and meaningful ways to support our teachers and administrators and to let them know they're not alone. And with that, don't forget that Reflections is coming up Tuesday, December 16th at Mainland High School at the auditorium. Wonderful opportunity to see our students shine

180and come visit Mainland. And then um lastly is for the they're not here anymore, but the um teachers that were here from ESSE and sharing all the different things. If if you guys could just email us anytime that you want us to come in or participate or speak or help, that would be very um helpful because I it's a huge piece of my heart. It's a huge part of my family. If you know much about my history, um I grew up living with developmentally disabled adults and I'm spending Thanksgiving next week serving um dinner and eating dinner with 120 of my very dear friends and that are also developmentally disabled adults. And I think we had a great lesson today from our um situation that supports Representative Traymont's idea for videos in all ESSE classrooms.

181Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Thompson, or excuse me, Miss Haynes. So, first of all, um I want to give a shout out to our Peabody Foundation because they've been going out to our schools and putting on the programs and performances. And I got to be at Stark the other day when they did it. And you know, this is an opportunity that a lot of these kids would never have, you know, when you actually bring the actors to their school to act out. And it they've been doing a wonderful job. I also want to give a shout out um to all of our FFA students. you know, their projects, whether they were raising bunny rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, steer, you know, pigs, hogs, [laughter] whatever. Um, I spent a I spent a lot of evenings

182um the last two weeks out at the fair watching all of these shows and watching them, you know, sometimes have tears in their eyes because they did their very best, but their animal didn't cooperate or whatever. I actually learned more information about steers than I thought I would ever want to even know because the judge came from Wyoming and um I think he was just enjoying being in Florida. So he wanted to educate all of us on anything you ever want to know about a steer, you know, how how its head joins through the neck and everything else. So he just kept we thought we were finished. Everybody said tonight's going to be the early night. We thought, "Oh, we'll get out of here, you know, by 8:30." No, we were there till 10 because

183he just kept bringing more animals out. Um, but I do want to, you know, sometimes we don't realize how much those students put into that because when they take those projects on, they have to take care of those animals every single day. And I always go to the auction. Um, I don't bid. that's just kind of not in my budget piece. But this year I got to be at the auction again, but I got to bid and um it was a lot [laughter] of fun because I got to bid, but I didn't have to pay for it. >> Parties at J parties at Jaime's house. [laughter] So, um, and I got a lot of help, you know, people because what I was really looking for, there are students there that because of their families or

184their family connections, you know, people are going to bid on their animals, but then you've got some students that this is the first time they've ever done a project and they may not have that. Wilton Simpson was there and I I have the notes at home which young lady's um swine he bought, but he paid $25 a pound for it and then immediately donated it to the the youth ranch. And so, you know, that was his plan, you know, to do that. And and so that young lady, but um I did purchase a steer, 1431 pounds worth and um a hog that was $263. So, it was nice to take a check out of an envelope and go up and write a check out for $7,039 and hand it over knowing the money was going

185back to those students so that they can do their next project next year. And um the person that I wrote the, you know, handed me the check to do doesn't know it yet, but I'm getting bacon out of this deal. I have decided. [laughter] Um, but it it was just it was a wonderful week or two weeks. And I even took um little Amelia out there on the Friday night to see the bunnies and the baby goats because they were just, you know, they don't sell the goats and and she thought that was pretty cool. But I also want to say just a big thank you because I too enjoyed all the future mini grants and I was told I didn't get I didn't get to hand them out because I did two days of

186handing out but then they handed out more. But every um school in district one earned at least one or more mini grants and that's never happened. So I just kept thanking the teachers over and over. Thank you so much for writing these mini grants. So it proves it can be done if they take the time to write it. And um and futures, you know, we have to thank them and all of the money that's donated there for our teachers. It's great. And then the final thing I will say is I loved the teacher of the year celebration last night. Um it always touches my heart to see all of them too. But uh you know and Miss Goodrich I heard everything you said and I know that um you know we've been working on a

187lot. I've been here a long time. I was here when we used to get contracts to sign every year and then the process went away and because the system no longer worked and we went to Oracle and Oracle's never been the best thing. Um, and so I'm looking forward to it moving into focus and the contracts being there because I think people should have a contract and see what the whole package benefit package is along with what their pay is and also what they're expected to do. And so I'm looking forward to that too. So thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, Miss Thompson, >> thank you. So, it's been a great couple weeks. Like, it really has out in the schools. Um, I want to give a huge thanks to all the schools that did

188Veterans Day ceremonies. I know Spruce Creek High School went to theirs the Monday before Veterans Day and it was fantastic. They had veterans there. They had their chorus and the orchestra and everybody, dancers, all the things. They really did everything. It was right after their Beetlejuice show, so they had to tear all that down and then the next day have that. So, thank you to everyone who put that together. Huge shout out to all the kids and parents for the fair because that is so much work for all of them. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported it. Um, no, I do not want goats or bunnies. Please stop offering those. I do not want any of those animals, but they are really cute. Um, shout out to all the science fair parents

189out there. We're all going to make it through this. It's science fair putting together season, but thank you to the teachers who are holding the kids' hands. I know it's not easy. Um, but it's it's all going to be okay. I did want to say a huge thank you to Daytona State College. They had the um they hosted for us um our CTE department the level up soft skills summit which was fantastic. It was great. There were so many students there from a bunch of different schools. So that was a great event. Um and I love anytime they can get to Daytona State and take a tour because so many of our students do the dual enrollment or we'll go there after. So it's great. Um the mini grants from Futures that was really fun.

190Thank you to Futures for doing that. Thank you for the teachers for applying for it because so many teachers got it and their ideas are so great. Like I want to go see the ideas afterward and see what the grants produce. But also thank you to the Southeast Falia Kowanas group because the day before Futures gave out grants, they gave out grants and a lot of the same teachers in Southeast Felia got grants twice. So it felt like I was helping give them money two days in a row even though it was not mine. It was Kuanas and it was Futures. But thank you to the teachers that take the time to apply for that because I know their days are extremely busy and they take that extra little bit of time to make students

191lives a little bit more magical. So, thank you guys for doing that. And that's all. >> Thank you. And so, I think you all have stolen all of the thunder. [laughter] Um, again, thank you all for the confidence in in uh electing me chair today. I did want to ask a question as as um you know, as you notice, I'm big for going to having bathroom breaks and so that is something that I look to uh ensure that we don't go more than an hour and a half because that's not Thank you. because Chairwoman Haynes put us in tight situations. [laughter] uh and so that that's and so the other thing I wanted to ask and as we as we move forward and is we had discussed the using the time clock uh as part

192of our board meetings and so my question is and and I think there are several interpretations of what we discussed back when in fact I know there are did we intend for that to be five minutes for like even action items and then two minutes for rebuttal. As many as everybody gets a chance to go around. That was what I understood we would do, which is similar to what county council does, uh, which is the example that I used at the time. Um, andor do we just do it for final comments? You have five minutes at the end. So, I'm I'm curious to see because I I think we have different what we heard that day. And so, um, just so that we're consistent, >> I'll start it off. I I understood that the five

193minutes was for our comments in in this portion of the agenda, but that that we were not limited to five minutes uh for agenda items. >> Okay. >> Action items. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Great. I actually interpreted it the same way I think you did that I thought that's like was going to be our speaking for anything like five minutes and then rebuttal and everyone would have a chance to speak and then you'd have two minutes. And >> let me throw in there too. Sorry. When we were discussing it, I think we did say we were going to do rebuttal. Um and and that was to limit it from going off topic, but if there was a topic that required additional conversation, we could make a motion to amend that for that conversation. I

194believe that's what I >> So, let's think about this. Why would we have put that rebuttal comment in there if it was just limited to final comments? The way I understood it was that uh if if a subject was raised in our closing comments that that uh generated discussion that that was where the five minutes didn't necessarily have to apply and there was rebuttal >> like right now. >> Yes. Right now, [laughter] >> Miss Hanks, >> that's the way I understood it. And so I want to add something because she said it and I had forgotten about it. I was at vet I was at Woodward Elementary's Veterans Day program which they fed the veterans breakfast and put on a huge musical. It was wonderful. And then I was at Dand High's for their veterans

195program and they had all of the service people recruiters there to recruit and then we served them lunch but they they enticed all the kids to come in to meet them by giving them the first 250 kids in the door got a Chick-fil-A gift card. >> Very good. Thank you for your guidance everyone. And this meeting [laughter] is adjourned. Wait, wait, wait. We have something. Sorry. Wait, superintendent. >> Yes. Yes, chair. You need to look at your uh >> I can't get [laughter] used to that. >> Just a few things. Correct. >> It's my first day. >> Correction. I I stated earlier that Mainland High School uh received a Purple Heart. I am sorry, Miss Goodrich. It's Creek Side Creekide. >> Oh, okay. So I want to clarify >> second second of all uh second

196point uh the ESC parent committee meeting that you were hearing about that occurs monthly. I don't have the dates but Miss Copeland has them. So if you wish to join I think >> on teams. >> Yeah you you can join in on teams and I think if they can even accommodate if you want to show up in person both venues. Third, I am glad you mentioned contract and policy, personnel policy, because when we worked into putting that mitigating strategy in place, one of the other things that we working on, it's a more long-term solution. So, obviously, you know, we went from Oracle that was not being serviced at all because that was implemented here in 19 something. >> 1912. Jamie, can you tell [laughter] us what year that was? Uh she already had her seven

197minutes so we can't we can't [laughter] we can't put her on the spot. We cannot. However, with with focus now that we're integrating focus, implementing focus, one of the conversations that we started having with the president of focus is how can we because first we need to update our employee contract. The last time that the contract was updated was in 2009. So it has to be updated but we needed to wait for focus to be implemented so that it can be updated and integrated through focus policy 418 which you heard about tonight. That policy the last time it was updated was in 2002. So that policy also has to be brought again. So once we get this in focus which apparent we got the green light that they can do this. So I have the

198IT department working with HR and um we're looking into integrating into focus. Then it becomes automatic for all of those annual employees where they get a acknowledgement. They can do their annual acknowledgement like it's been done in the past and being done in other districts. So that was the more long-term solution that we're getting much much closer to which I will be communicating to employees. Very good. And so now that I've been given extra time, I was reminded, >> oh, >> teachers, students, staff, >> Dr. B, >> board, >> everyone in Valia County. We were on last week we were presented the top five best of West Valuchia honoring Valuchia County schools from the my Deltona magazine uh honors honoring Valuchia schools best of West Valuchia education and recognition of Valuchia school's longstanding dedication of

199academic excellence family engagement community partnership across West Valuchia. So you'd say well that was easy. We're the only we're the only ones in town. [laughter] However, the nominees were Daytona State College uh and there was another uh private college that I don't I don't want to misspeak as to which one it was and then uh Valuchia schools and so we were selected as one of the top five from Deltona magazine. [applause] And with that this meeting is adjourned. Thank you.