OCPS | 2025-08-26 School Board Meeting

001Well, good evening everyone and welcome to the Orange County School Board's regular meeting scheduled for this Tuesday, August 26th, 2025. We appreciate seeing you all here tonight. The room is just about full and it's just wonderful to have this many people participating. we have a full board with the exception of one member who's not physically pres present with us and that's member Salamanca but she is making her best attempt to participate telephonically. So let me check. member Salamanca are you on the line? I am. Thank you chair. Thank you. can I tell them where you are? absolutely. Yes. Once I once I did that, what is she going to say? Right? And if I don't, you're going to wonder what in the world. So, member Salamanca is in Hawaii and so there will be don't

002you all wish you were there too, right? Me, too. so there will be a little bit of time delay in her in hearing from her, but she's a very dedicated school board member. Every single one of the women up here are. So, as a reminder to our board members, we're not engaging in any electronic digital communication. So, if somebody is emailing us right now, you're not going to get a response because we want to focus our attention on the business and the recognitions that are before us today. And I also want to remind board members and myself to speak as close and directly into this microphone as possible so that it picks up your comments. We will begin our meeting with a moment of silence and then I'll invite you to join us in the

003pledge of allegiance. And now for the pledge. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Before we move on any further, let me ask Dr. Armbberster, are there any changes to the agenda? Madame Chair, there are no changes to the agenda. All right. Since there are no changes to the agenda, I'll entertain a motion to adopt the agenda as advertised. Motion by vice chair, second by member Douglas. All in favor, please say I. Opposed? Motion carries with all members present. Wait. Member Salamanca. yes. Okay. with with all members voting in the affirmative. All right, we are going to begin this evening's meeting with recognitions. We have what we call board member

004spotlights that we have from time to time and each board member has the honor of recognizing one instructional employee and one member of our support staff. And tonight it is board member Gallo who has the honor of making those recognitions. Board member Gallo is going to go down to the podium to talk about her honores. I will say that with roughly 23,000 employees, it is a very difficult job. Right. Yes. Very much so. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's my pleasure to be here tonight to honor we have exceptional employees all over our district, but today I just wanted to highlight two that have been very special to me, special to my family, and special to my community. So, I am going to start with they used her very formal name, Mary Katherine Hodgej. she's a

005first grade teacher at Timberlakes Elementary. I'd like for her to come up to the dis please. Mrs. Hodgej, there she is. Let me tell you about Mrs. Hodgej. A dedicated educator with more than 20 years of experience. She's beginning her fifth year at Timber Lakes Elementary. I met her when she was at East Lake Elementary. My, in fact, I believe she started when East Lake opened. Did you? The second year. So she was a kindergarten teacher the second year that East Lake opened and the first year that East Lake Elementary opened, my daughter was in kindergarten. So she was in she's was the first kindergarten class of East Lake Elementary. So Mrs. Hodgej excels at helping students master academic skills. She also cultivates a wonderful feeling of community in her classroom. Last year 95% of

006her students were promoted to the next grade level in both reading and math. She truly makes a difference in the lives of her students every day. So, what I want to tell you about Mrs. Hajj from a personal note is she embodies what a teacher should be. It's not it's not easy being a teacher. She's been a teacher for 20 years and every day she makes that choice to get up every morning and be a teacher and be the best that she can be for her students. And she's done that for 20 years. And I know being a teacher right now is not easy. It's extremely extremely hard and sometimes very frustrating job and she continues to do it with compassion, with heart, with love. I have never once heard her raise her voice to

007a student. Even when a student may not be misbehaving, she has this very quiet nature about her when addressing her kids. I just can't say enough about the impact she's had to all these students all of the all of these years. And even more than her impact to students has been her impact to other teachers that she's mentored or she's helped. And one of those teachers happens to be my daughter cuz she subbed at Timberlakes quite a bit. and my daughter who knew her from East Lake Elementary was just talked about her all the time when she came home and how wonderful it was to be around Mrs. Hodgej and how much she helped her just being a substitute teacher and I would even say probably is the reason why my daughter's a fifth grade

008teacher now at Baldwin Park. So, Mrs. Hodgej, we want to thank you for your passion, your dedication. So, we're going to take a picture and then we're going to invite up whoever else you want to take a picture with us so that we can celebrate you this evening and all your wonderful work. Thinking. Should we think? Frank, do we stand? Do we not stand? I think it's okay. Yeah. And you brought the board with you. We'll do a stand up in a second. Well, we're we're evenly balanced, too. We're missing All right. For this one, we're standing. Otherwise, it looks like we're hiding. Good. Hold on. Stay there. Big smile. Big smile again. Look happy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. So, now for my next recognition, I am proud to recognize, and she

009didn't know this till she got here this evening, Kenise Rodriguez. And she's got a new last name since I knew her at East Lake. It's Pela. Pufa Pala. PaloFa. Thank you because you knew I was gonna mess that up. she is the head custodian at East Lake Elementary. Mrs. Rori, I'm going to call her Kenise. Kenise has been with East Lake Elementary for 20 years as and has been with the district for 24. She has been described as a heartbeat of the community. She greets students with a warm smile. She offers unwavering support to staff. Her commitment is evident in every thoughtful interaction. She makes everyone feel seen. She embodies the spirit of East Lake. Thank you, Kenise, for your incredible service. I do want to say, so Kenise was the custodian at East Lake

010when it opened in 2005. Her smile is contagious. I had I never ran into her when she wasn't smiling. whether it was in the cafeteria, it was in the hallways, it was in a classroom, she was always there and even when she was doing jobs that weren't really that fun, she was always smiling and the kids loved her. They can they love her. Like she's just so kind and so sweet. I actually told my daughter, I said, "I have some spotlights." And she said, "Well, who are you going to recognize?" And I told her about u Mrs. Hodgej, which she was thrilled about. And then I said, "I'm going to I'm going to recognize Kenise." And my daughter got this big smile on her face and she was like, "Oh my gosh, I just loved

011her. She was like one of my favorite people at East Lakeake Elementary." And that's just a testament. And this is my daughter's 25. This is just a testament to the lasting impact that she has on students every single year. Probably to the point where she doesn't know how much she is loved and cared about by the East Lake community and the community at large. So Kenise, I'd like for you to come down. We're going to get a picture and I got a little something for you and we're going to take a photograph and then we're going to invite all the East Lake peeps to come down and get pictures too. Yes, we are. Thank you. Look at all the people. Wow. Wow. Back up. Turn sideways. Getting close. That's my goal. Beside getting a little

012bit closer, I believe in you. Good. Is that everybody? Good. Look up. Look happy. And on three. Good. One, two, and three. Stay there. Squeeze in a little bit tighter like you like her. One, two, and thank you. Do you think we like her? We love her. Thank you, member Gallo. That was that was a lot of fun. A lot of fun. Who knew she was going to bring half the school with her? Yeah. Okay, we have two final recognitions this evening. Actually, kind of three, more like three recognitions. Well, with Dr. Arm Brewster's list, it'll probably turn into 12. but the recogn Let me start with the winners for the fourth grade math B invitational. Would the three winners please come forward to the front? Yeah. They might be small but they're mighty and

013I think they could take anybody in this room on when it comes to math. So this event was developed by go full steam in partnership with the foundation for OCPS. It was created to build excitement for mathematics and encourage careers in STEM fields. These students demonstrated incredible poise and mathematical mastery. Please join me in congratulating third place Ben Klasher from Dream Lake Elementary, second place Chino Perez Jr. from Ventura Elementary. And taking home first place was Isaiah Edward from Ridgewood Park Elementary. Congratulations to all of our brilliant competitors and thank you as always to our foundation for ensuring our students have opportunities like MathB. Now, we want to get a picture. Let's start with Pam Carson. Why don't you come forward and the principal principal from There you are. Thank you. You all come forward

014with these kids and then we'll see if we have parents that are coming forward. So, we'll start with this group. Yes. All right. Yes, we're standing. Absolutely. We are standing. Hang on a second. She's coming. You got all the time. She's working. Big smile. Big smile again. Hold on. Stay there. And if you won something recently, come stand right here. All right. And do we have All right. Do we have any proud family members? Yeah. Come on up here. Got to be proud, huh? Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. That's so cool. Take your own child there. I love it. That's better. There we go. Good. Good. Good. Look happy. And on three. Good. One, two, and three. Stay there. Big cheesy smile. Hold on. And if you have a certificate, hold it over your

015heads and own it. All right. Oh man, that's just so exciting. Okay. so our second recognition is for Chain of Lakes Middle School orchestra program. So I'd like to invite all the members to come forward as I tell everyone about why we're recognizing you. So Chain of Lakes Middle School orchestra, step to the front. So, so first for some background. So, the Orlando Philarmonic Orchestra's Orchestra of Distinction program is designed to showcase excellent student musicianship and in 2024 it began including middle school orchestras. This spring, Chain of Lakes Middle School was chosen as the middle school orchestra of distinction. So, one of the things that set them apart was that I'm actually cheating a little bit and trying to figure out why this happened. what set them apart was their musical skill and their performance

016ability, but also most importantly their teamwork. The students demonstrated advanced ensemble skills while leading themselves without a conductor. Wow. How about that? Huh? Okay, y'all. That's a big deal. Yes. Although, I don't know. One time I got asked to conduct a middle school, and to be honest, y'all would do much better than having me conduct. It was really pretty embarrassing. But anyway, we're very proud of you. What set under the direction of of Mr. Kevin String? Where's Mr. Kevin Strang? There you are. Right, Pony? He owns it. These students were recognized on stage in May. They will carry this prestigious designation throughout the entire 25 26 school year. So congratulations again to the entire chain of lakes middle school orchestra. We are in incredibly proud. and I think we have your member Oh yeah, representative

017member Douglas would like to speak for a moment please. I just wanted to brag a little bit on you. I'm so proud of you and your accomplishment and I'm telling you the chain of pl chain of flakes orchestra is truly remarkable and please go and see and enjoy their music at the Dr. Phillips center performing center right and I think the date will be September 17 January 26 January 26 and the tickets are $10. Whoa. That's a deal. That's what I saw. Whoa. That's a That's what I did my research. $10. So please go and Yeah. And Oh, okay. That's even better. Is that for free? Oh, it's free. Okay. So, just it's even for the kids and for the parents it's $10. We're still negotiating the price here. I just want to say please

018go and enjoy. They are amazing. Amazing gifts and talent. And Mr. Strang, thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with them. Thank you so much. When the meeting is over, we'll call them and let them know whether they're getting anything out of this over at the Dr. Phillips Center. But let me ask also if the PR if principal Bronner would come up so we can get a picture with our team and then we'll look to see if we have some proud parents congratulations right the Good shingle. My nonal people turn sideways so you can contract. Get in tighter. Turn sideways. There we go. This side's very very They haven't been through prom yet. Okay, hold on, kids. I'll be back. Literally, he's going to the back. No. Demanding every day. Good. Look happy. And

019on three. Good. One, two, and three. Stay there. Look happy. One more. And one, two, and perfect. Thank you. Congratulations. We have family members. Mommies. Come on up. Come on, guys. Come on down. Be glad you did. Parents and alumni. Yes. And alumni. Definitely. Oh yeah. Anybody? Come on now. Jesus. It's got a runner. Good. Getting closer. Hips. Getting closer. If you have original knees, you can kneel. Bring it all the way in. Good. Getting tighter. Getting tighter. Look happy. And on three. Good. One, two, and three. Stay there. One more. Make sure the signs are looking good. Thank you for posing. Good. Thank you. Congratulations. All right. Dr. Armbster, do we have any newly appointed administrators to present tonight? We have 14, I think. No, it's just one. We just we just have one,

020but it's a great one. So, at this time, I'd like to introduce Gary Lee Fletcher Jr. who is coming from Semino County Public Schools as a dean of students to OCPS as assistant principal at Esteem Academy. Hi, good evening, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ambrewster, Madame Chair, and members of the board. I did want to start off this evening by thanking Dr. Arm Brewster, the distinguished members of the board, Dr. Gazunite, and Miss Eaton for the opportunity to serve as an assistant principal in this distinguished district. I look forward to and with gratitude accept this role to help lead our school community to success not just this year but and beyond. I also want to thank Principal Kayo and Assistant Principal Maloney who are in attendance this evening. And then last but not least, I also would

021like to thank my family who are in attendance tonight. Both Michelle and Athena. you guys have been a bedrock of support throughout this process and without you I would not be here. so thank you guys. I love you. And then again both Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ambber, Madame Chair and distinguished members of the board. Thank you. All right. that concludes our of course I was wondering about that. Do we do congratulations? Yeah, congratulations. You look awesome. Would you like some people? Good. And your family. Oh my god. Oh my. Love it. She was like, "All right, y'all are all smiling cuz she's adorable." But we had the best view up here because when she took off running to dad, that was the coolest thing. Oh my gosh, was she? Oh my gosh, she was just so

022excited to get up here. Okay, that concludes our recognitions I believe. And so that's your cue that if you were here for recognitions, it would you're free to go. If you came here because you are so stimulated by these board meetings, you are free to stay. Hi guys. All right. At this time, I'd like to recognize Clinton McCracken, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. Where did he go? There he is. How could Where does he go? How can I miss you? Right. I am loving that jacket. Good evening, Chair Jacobs and members of the board. On Sunday, an email went out to over 13,000 teachers in this district. And let's be honest, it did not land as supportive. It landed as pressure and it landed as mistrust. In that email, the deputy superintendent

023pushed again for moving from individual autonomy to group autonomy. That's not the first time he's spoken out against teacher autonomy. But here's the truth. Teachers already have autonomy. It's in the law. Florida's teachers bill of rights says, quote, "A teacher has the right to control and direct classroom instruction without interference." It's also in our contract. Teachers shall have discretion in determining the methods of instruction they employ, consistent with adopted curriculum and student needs. Those protections exist for a reason. Teachers know their students. Autonomy lets us adapt in the moment, bring creativity into the classroom and do what works. But instead of respecting those rights, teachers keep getting pushed to give them up under the idea that it's simply the right thing to do. That's not collaboration. That's guilt. Collaboration's powerful when it is authentic, but

024it cannot be forced. In the 24 hours after that email, hundreds of teachers shared their anger and frustration, one teacher told me, "My planning time is the only way I can catch up. Without it, my students lose the best of me. I feel like I'm being pressured to give up this time." I encourage schoolboard members to go talk to teachers and ask them if they're being pressured to give up their rights. Now, let's talk about trust. In that same email, a screenshot was shared from our private CTA membersonly Facebook group. That group exists for a reason. It is a safe space for teachers to connect, share ideas, ask questions without fear, and make this incredibly hard job a little bit better. But on Sunday, that trust was broken. And whether or not the deputy superintendent

025knew it came from a private group, the consequences have been the same. Thousands of teachers saw a screenshot from someone who didn't give permission for it to be shared and they felt exposed. Fear silences teachers. It stops them from raising concerns, from sharing solutions, from speaking honestly about what's happening in our schools. And when trust is violated, teachers retreat. And that doesn't just hurt teachers, it breaks the trust between educators and the district. So, here's the bottom line. If this district truly wants collaboration, it's got to start with respect for there ever to be trust. Respect for teacher autonomy, respect for our contract, respect for teachers because collaboration built on trust is powerful. Collaboration built on pressure will collapse. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. McCracken. let's hear from I don't think we have anything further

026but thank you. Okay. Thank you. let me recognize Ron Pard, president of the Orange Education Support Professional Association. Welcome Mr. Pard. Hello everybody. to my board members and Chair Jacobs. Good to see you. Good to see you always. I'm Bruce and you all. With all due respect, as the representative of the classified support staff and after hearing at a recent meeting some what I thought were disparaging comments which I felt were directed at them especially. I want to remind you all that our support staff from the secretaries and clerical workers, pair professionals and other classroom staff that assist the teachers, our cafeteria staff who make sure those same students are nourished when they aren't properly fed at home. And yes, some of them do eat peanut butter sandwiches. our so important transportation employees who get

027them to and from school every day. Our maintenance people who we don't think about until the air conditioner breaks or the lights go out. The cleaning custodians as well as our security for safety. Every one of our students have an electronic device that they use. So the IT department is definitely crucial. Did I leave anybody out? Do y'all get my point? This education machine called Orange County Public School depend on every one of them to coordinate with teachers and administrators every day so that this system operates smoothly. I ask that you do not forget that most of them are parents of students themselves who have taken their focus off of their children to be of service to our students. I can't express how disappointing it was to hear our employers seemingly dismiss our staff, our

028employees, our workers as though they don't really matter. Thank you for listening. Thank you, Mr. Per. And thank you, Miss Gallo, for honoring. She left, but honoring that, custodian. Do we ever always forget about who all the little people are? Thank you, Mr. Per. Next, I would like to recognize CTE Director Scott Widel, who is representing the Orange County Association of School Administrators. Welcome. Thank you. Good evening, school board members, Chair Jacobs, Vice Chair Birds, Superintendent Vasquez, who's absent tonight, Dr. or excuse me, Deputy Superintendent Arm Brewster, Deputy Superintendent Williams and staff. My name is Scott Widel and I'm the proud senior director of the West Campus of Orange Technical College and Okasa's CTE senior director representative. It's a pleasure to be here with you tonight. When choosing a topic for this speech, there were

029a lot of possibilities. I could have chosen to talk about all of the new OTC campuses that we have opened in the last few years, the innovating career training programs that OTC offers or exciting partnerships with our industry partners to name a few. However, I thought it was important to highlight how Orange Technical College is expanding access and opportunity for all high school students to participate in career and technical education programs. In today's climate of school choice, it is more important than ever for families to understand the educational opportunities that are available to all students. For starters, Orange Technical College supports middle school CTE programs to spark an interest in hands-on career themed learning. OTC also supports high school CTE programs, which offer multiple pathways for students to p to pursue their career interests. Orange

030Technical Co College expands these opportunities by placing our post-secary career training programs directly on high school campuses. OTC offers their post-secary programs at nearly every high school across the district. Students can participate in these programs starting in 9th grade and in many cases graduate as both high school and Orange Technical College graduates. It is also important to note that we have seen tremendous growth in the number of OTC programs offered directly on high school campuses which include but are not limited to automotive service technology, building construction technologies, CNC, diesel systems technician, digital media, multimedia design, fundamental food service skills, game simulation, animation, visual design, lodging operations, medical assisting, and practical nursing. Each program meets industry standards and provides hands-on experience in high demand fields. Students earn industry recognized credentials that give them a competitive edge

031in an everchanging global economy. Just last year, industry certification attainment by high school students in OTC programs increased by 49% which is a testament to the impact and value of these opportunities. Orange Technical College cannot achieve this success without the support of the school board and for that we thank you. Thank you Mr. W. Okay. Next we have the strategic plan update. Dr. Armbster, you are recognized. Thank you, ma'am. At this time, I'd like to introduce our executive leader for high schools, Jose Martinez, and have him introduce, if you'd like, any members of the audience, and then we'll progress. Thank you. Good evening, Chair Jacobs, Vice Chair Bird, members of the board, and Deputy Superintendent Arm Brewster. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to highlight the success our high schools have had with implementing

032the 3D program and other initiatives that align with our new district's vision. As we focus on the portrait of a graduate, you will see how these efforts are helping to ensure every student graduates prepared and inspired for a thriving future. First, I want to highlight our partnership with 3D that provides students with a business focused curriculum that goes beyond the classroom. Through project-based challenges from real companies, students apply their academic skills to solve authentic problems, developing essential competencies like communication, critical thinking, and professionalism. Students use literacy and math in realworld business settings with partners such as Addition Financial, Advent Health, JP Morgan Chase, Neores, Orlando Health, and Publix to analyze market trends and craft compelling business proposals. Students develop critical thinking skills by tackling complex business scenarios. They practice technology skills and use various digital

033tools to research and develop their projects. This is exemplified by events like market day where students present their businesses and have the opportunity to sell their products to judges, peers, and community members. Adrien Cook from Orlando Health Arnold Palmer shared, quote, "These teams had some really great recommendations. I can see us implementing the winning team's app upgrade suggestions. The live app demonstration really impressed us. End quote. By partnering with businesses, students gain invaluable exposure to different careers directly building career preparedness. Our journey with 3D began in 2018 2019 with Oakidge High School. According to the data provided by 3DE, approximately 46% of their 3DE students in the 2324 school year increased their ELA 9 and 10 scores by at least one level from the fall to the spring. The next school to join was OKOE

034High School, which started implementing the model during the 2122 school year. They've seen fantastic growth with over 600 students across all four grades currently enrolled. Last year, we welcomed two more schools to the partnership, East River High School and Innovation High School. East River has already expanded 3DE into their 10th grade core academics. While an impressive 95% of 3D students at Innovation High School are enrolled through a core content class, for the 2526 school year, we're thrilled to announce the expansion of 3DE to three new schools, Edgewater, Horizon, and Lake Buenav Vista High Schools at no cost to the district. This remarkable growth and the positive impact in our students are a testament to the power of the 3D model and the dedication of our schools. Beyond our data and strategic growth, the true measures

035of 3D success is the incredible work our students are doing. The 3D team at Innovation High School advanced to the final round of a national case challenge. Their students were selected as finalists from programs across the country. This past summer, three OCPS 3DE graduates from Oakidge High School took center stage as panelists during the 3D foundational training where they shared powerful insights with new teachers from across the country. This year, the high school office is excited to take a more active role by launching our very own 3D consultancy at Akoi High School. Students will help us tackle a realworld problem of practice. How can OCPS increase student enrollment amid expanding educational options? Student groups will develop full campaigns in response and our team will be closely involved providing guidance, feedback, and support throughout the process.

036These examples show you what our students can do. But no one can share the impact of 3D better than our students themselves. Now, I'd like to turn it over to our student representatives to tell you about their experience firsthand. First, we have Alana Wilson from Oakidge High School. She will talk about her journey and the impact 3DE has had on her. Following Alana, you'll hear from Colby Salvator. from Akoi High School. He will share how the program has shaped his skills and future goals. Their voices truly represent the power of 3D. So, let's give them our full attention. Good afternoon. I had the honor of winning last year's 3D competition with a natural cosmetic business my partner and I created through the program. When I first entered 3D, I only had a vague dream of

037working in the beauty industry. But through the process of building my business, I discovered so much more about myself. I learned how to take an idea and bring it to life, how to connect with professionals, and most importantly, believe in my own creativity. My teacher shared that she witnessed me transform from being unsure of my path to realizing that one day I can open open a spa as a esthetician, launch a skincare line, or even study business in college. I even continued to pursue my business as a 12th grader past market expo. That confidence came directly from opportunities I got from this program. Opportunities to grow, to network, and to recognize potential I didn't know I had. 3D has shown me and so many of my peers that we are capable of more than we

038imagined. So, thank you for providing a program that truly changes our lives. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Colobby Salvatore and I am a senior at Okoi High School. I've been a proud member of the 3D program since my freshman year, the very first year at launch at OKOE. And since then, I've had the privilege of serving as a 3D ambassador. Alongside my involvement in 3D, I also serve as the proud president of our growing theater program and as the internal operations secretary of AOE Student Government Association. It's been so cool seeing 3D's impact grow tremendously on our campus. Thanks to 3D, I've collaborated with major companies like Arby's and Delta, received coaching, and tackled real world business challenges. I even got to launch my own business, diving into logistics and envisioning myself as a

039future entrepreneur. Through the program, I visited colleges, built a strong resume, and practice mock interviews. And this was all before starting my senior year. Wow. Most importantly, 3D has shown me that my voice matters. I've learned how to lead, how to communicate with confidence, and how to believe in the value of my work. Those lessons have spilled over into every area of my life. At Okoi, we believe in showing up and showing out. And 3D is the perfect example of that spirit. For me and for the hundreds of other OS students, 3D is more than a program. It's a launchpad. Whether our dreams are to become entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, or in my case, a teacher, we are walking away with the tools, resources, and support we need to make those dreams a reality. Thank you.

040Oh, wow. Thank you. They are so well spoken. I'm cheating. A whole board wants to be recognized, but I couldn't I couldn't hold back. They were awesome. All right, you finish your presentation then. Then we'll hear from Now that you've heard from Alana and Colby, it's clear that the 3D program is more than just a curriculum. It's a transformative experience. Their stories are powerful examples of what happens when we connect academic learning to real world opportunities. Thank you both for sharing your journey with us. Your experiences truly highlight the value of this program. Now that we've seen the incredible impact of our strategic programs like 3D, I want to shift our focus to the overall results of our hard work. Let's move on to the next section. Academic excellence. Academic excellence is not just a

041goal. It's something our students are demonstrating every day through their academic growth. On the next slides, I will highlight the progress we've made in our core subjects, English language arts, math, biology, and US history, as well as the increase in our graduation rate, and the number of high schools earning an A or B school grade. Throughout this section, we'll review the key data that demonstrates our collective achievements and the strategies that have helped us get there. As you can see on this slide, our average high school student performance according to the Florida Department of Education has improved across all subject areas. As we compare school years 2022 to 2025, we've seen notable gains in English language arts, math, biology, and US history. This growth across our subject areas is a direct result of our focused

042professional learning, and facilitated planning. This upward trend reflects the positive impact of strategic instructional changes and leadership implemented during this period. Next, I want to highlight our graduation rate and our school grades at our 23 traditional high schools. As you can see, our graduation rate has remained consistently high. For the 2425 school year, we are on track to meet or exceed our official 2024 rate of 96%. This past year, we began more closely monitoring our junior and senior cohorts as it relates to the graduation requirements to ensure our schools are actively monitoring and providing the necessary supports for our students. Just as compelling is the significant increase in the number of traditional high schools earning an A or B school grade. As you can see, the district average of A or B high schools has

043grown dramatically. In the 2425 school year, an impressive 96% of our schools were rated A or B. Our final high school showed remarkable progress, increasing its score by 81 points and missing a B rating by just 1.5 percentage points. Achieving these outcomes is about more than just a diploma or a school grade. It's about preparing students for what's next. Our focus on future readiness is also reflected in how we celebrate student achievement as seen in the recent revision of our super scholars recognition program in collaboration with advanced studies communications academic services and schoolboard member Salamanca. The super scholars recognition was revised in the spring of 2025. This evolution is designed to recognize a broader range of high achieving students and celebrate their actual commitment to these prestigious institutions. By including the nation's top 1% of

044colleges and universities, topranked historically black college and universities and US servicemies, we're acknowledging the diverse path to academic excellence and expanding the opportunity for recognition. The focus on metriculation to these top tier institutions reflects our vision to ensure every student graduates inspired and prepared for a thriving future. Now, let's look at another way we're preparing students for what's next. The high school office and CTE work in partnership to provide students with innovative career exploration opportunities. The high school Career Express program bridges the gap between classroom education and real world work environments. After school on Wednesdays, 11th and 12th graders have the opportunity to visit a variety of local businesses including Addition Financial, Associated Builders and Contractors, Universal Studios, Hyatt Regency, HCA Healthcare, Starbucks at Disney Springs, Orange County Government, Orlando Utilities Commission, Disney Lockheed Martin,

045and EA Sports. At the end of the program, students have the opportunity to apply for various internships. The program began in February of 2024 with two of our high schools. This year, the program will expand to Jones Freedom, Cypress Creek, Akoi, Wakiva University, and West Orange high schools. A second program, Saturday Career Exploration, targets our ninth graders in algebra from Colonial, Dr. for Phillips, Edgewater, Evans, Freedom, Oakidge, and Wakiva. This program provides them with a valuable learning experience that bridges the gap between math and realworld environments. Students learn about a variety of local careers and gain real world insights into how math standards are incorporated into those careers. This focus on career exploration and real world application continues with our work to expand CTE dual enrollment programs on our high school campuses. In our effort

046to broaden student access to college level coursework and career training in collaboration with CTE, we are bringing programs directly to our high school campuses. Some of the programs recently brought to our schools include building construction technologies at Apakka, CNC production specialists at East River and Evans, digital media multimedia design at Lake Nona, enterprise desktop and mobile support technology at Timber Creek, fundamental food service at Evans and Innovation, lodging operations at Cypress Creek and Lake Buenav Vista, medical assisting at Colonial Edgewater Innovation, Lake Buenav Vista, Olympia and Wakila, and modeling simulation design at Boone and Dr. Phillips. This expansion is a gamecher for many students. By offering these courses on site, we're removing a significant barrier for students who may not have the flexibility in their schedule to leave campus for multiple periods a day. It

047provides more students with the opportunity to earn industry certifications without sacrificing their core academic classes or extracurricular activities. This is a direct way we are creating more pathways to success and ensuring every student has a chance to get a head start on their future career. These CTE programs are a vital part of our larger strategy to ensure we are strategically planning and supporting all opportunities for rigorous coursework and college credit for every student. Our focus isn't just on offering rigorous classes, but in ensuring all students are successful. The high school office and advanced studies play a critical critical role in this work. Collectively, we are responsible for strategic planning for new course additions and scheduling, one-on-one progress status meetings with principles, and ensuring access to these opportunities by reviewing various score reports such as the

048advanced placement potential report. We don't just stop at access. We also measure the impact. We track AP, ACE, and IB exam pass rates to ensure the opportunities provided are in fact leading to student success. As you can see on this slide, 5,640 students received an AP Scholar Award in 2025, which is an increase of 799 students, or 16.5%. 441 students earn an AP Capstone diploma or certificate, which is an increase of 192 students or 77%. Data on IB and ACE diplomas is still pending. I'm thrilled to share some truly outstanding results from our students performance on the 2025 advanced placement exams. We've achieved a remarkable milestone this year. Our overall 2025 AP exam pass rate was 63%. Which is the highest district pass rate we have seen in 9 years. This is a testament to

049the hard work of our students, our teachers, and our staff. As you can see from this chart, our pass rate has been on a positive trend, climbing significantly over the past several years. This growth in achievement is mirrored by a tremendous increase in student participation. A total of 39,871 AP exams were taken in the 2025 AP exam series. This is a significant jump from the 36,497 exams taken just last year. Finally, I want to highlight the incredible success of AP pre-calculus. In 2025, this course saw a total of 3,136 exams, which is a 24% increase in participation from last year. Our students performance on this exam has been stellar with a district pass rate of 77%, a 5% increase from last year. These results show that our students are not only participating, but they are

050also excelling. In spring of 2025, we launched a new dual enrollment partnership with Barry University for our juniors and seniors at all 23 high schools. This partnership provides opportunities for students who need the support of an on-ampus OCPS teacher and provides access to college courses to students who may not have transportation to one of our other dual enrollment partners. To make this even more accessible, we offer multiple courses that are transferable to state universities, including firstear experience and career readiness. Leveling up leadership and harnessing artificial intelligence will be offered in the spring of 2026. We've had more than 2,000 students take advantage of this opportunity. On this slide, you can see the overall average acceleration data for our 23 traditional high schools. The blue bar represents our overall acceleration rate, which measures the percentage of

051students who earn college credit or an industry certification. As you can see, our acceleration rate grew from 65% in the 2223 school year to 67% in the 2324 school year. While the results from the 2425 school year are still pending, we are on track to meet or exceed 69%. That means that over 23 of our students are earning college credit or industry certification while still in high school. That's pretty. This is a powerful sign that we are not only increasing access to these rigorous courses and programs, but our students are also successfully meeting the challenge. This success is directly tied to the professional learning and collaboration we foster starting with our facilitated planning sessions. To support that, we launched our next initiative, facilitative planning. This started in 2324 with a focus on algebra 1 when

052the high school office saw a need to support our teachers in the 2425 school year. With the support of curriculum and digital learning, facilitated planning expanded to all six core content areas, including 9th grade English, 10th grade English, algebra 1, geometry, biology, and US history. Quarterly, we bring together teachers and administrators from all 23 high schools for full day sessions. These are a highly collaborative effort supported by teachers, senior administrators, and program specialists from curriculum and digital learning. During these sessions, school teams review student data, preview upcoming standards and lessons, and plan their instruction by focusing on the four guiding questions of a professional learning community, also known as PLC. What is it that we want our students to learn? How will we know if each student has learned it? How will we respond when

053some students do not learn it? How will we extend the learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency? This collective effort strengthens our curriculum, supports our teachers, and ultimately drives positive outcomes for our students. Building on the success of our facilitated planning for core content areas, we expanded our collaborative professional learning model to include school counselors. In collaboration with academic services, we implemented facilitated planning with school counselors, which will continue through this school year. Five high schools with new assistant principles of instruction and/or school counselors participated in the first summer institute this past July. It was an opportunity for them to begin planning for the year ahead. During this collaborative event, teams engaged in team building activities, explored Florida school counseling standards, and reviewed the new district curriculum guide. They learned about purposeful scheduling and the

054use of Zello from a student's perspective. In addition, dedicated time was provided for teams to collaborate on first week procedures, student registration, and upcoming events. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One participant noted, quote, "The summer professional learning opportunity was refreshing. I think it's a great idea to have an opportunity to learn and share information before the start of a new school year." The information shared was valuable. It was nice to have an opportunity to share and learn from each other." End quote. With this successful collaborative model in place, we also focused on empowering our school-based leaders. This brings me to our next initiative, the leadership institute. Thanks to our partnership with the University of Central Florida and the downtown scholars initiative, we were able to host our assistant principal leadership institute on their downtown campus.

055The institute is designed to empower, support, and develop the leadership capacity of our assistant principles. They learn from one another and collaborate to build the skills necessary to lead our schools effectively. The breakout sessions were a true collaboration led by senior administrators from the high school office, assistant principles, and the digital learning team. We were also able to have one of our veteran high school principles share best practices in grading. Our participation was a testament to the value of this event with 98% of our high school assistant principles able to attend. These pictures capture the spirit of our leadership institute highlighting a collaborative environment where our assistant principles actively work together in small groups sharing ideas and engaging in focused discussions. The sessions equipped them with practical tools and strategies to bring back to their

056schools, covering topics from high yield strategies and data-informed decision-making to new leadership frameworks. The overwhelmingly positive feedback shows that this approach to professional growth is strengthening our leadership teams and creating a shared vision for success. The success of this initiative underscores a key principle that when we invest in our people, we achieve great results. This investment is an ongoing commitment to ensure continuous support. Our new principles and assistant principles re receive mentoring and coaching from veteran colleagues in collaboration with Dr. Schuler and the leadership development team. This provides them with an additional layer of guidance, empowering them to lead their school communities effectively and ultimately serve our students. Our commitment to growth extends to our students. We focus on two key areas, enrollment and outreach, and retention and support. To ensure that every student has

057the opportunity to succeed and graduate, ready for a thriving future. To bring new students in, we've implemented targeted outreach efforts, including coordinating with middle schools, hosting parent nights, and using social and print media. Once students are with us, we keep them engaged and supported through strategies like pure mentorship, a wide range of extracurricular activities, and consistent communication with families via parent square, phone calls, home visits, and events on topics like financial aid. This intentional work in retaining and supporting our students is what allows us to successfully counter district enrollment trends. We understand that our families have many options for education and that has resulted in declining enrollment in our district. However, our high schools are not only maintaining but also seeing continuous growth with student enrollment. We believe our marketing course offerings, student voice, and

058the unparalleled opportunities we provide are drawing students back to our high schools. As you can see on this slide, our efforts to attract and retain students have led to a positive trend in our high school enrollment based on the 5-day count. The data here reflects a consistent increase in our student body over the past few years. This growth is a testament to the hard work of our schools and is a clear measure of our expanding influence in the community. As of our 10-day count, the enrollment in our high schools is 60,525 students. Our principles and assistant principles have been charged with continuing the innovative outreach strategies. As mentioned previously, everything we do is aligned with one shared mission. Together with our families and the community, we empower students with a superior academic experience, essential life

059skills, and boundless opportunities. Our focus on academic excellence has led to increasing proficiency across core content areas, rising graduation and acceleration rates, and an increase in A and B rated high schools. This work is supported by our commitment to professional growth for staff, ensuring each initiative is a direct investment in our students success. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire school board for your unwaving commitment to our district, our students, and our school community. Your continued support is the foundation of our progress and the reason we are able to pursue bold student centered work. I especially want to thank Dr. Vasquez, Dr. Armbster, and Dr. Williams for their visionary leadership and steadfast guidance. I also want to acknowledge the incredible work of our high school office team, our high school principles, dedicated

060teachers and classified staff, and most importantly, our students whose passion, resilience, and excellence continue to inspire everything that we do. Thank you all for being champions of public education and partners in empowering the next generation of leaders. I also want to thank some of our 3D partners and junior achievement partners. Kate Hammond, the vice president, education of junior achievement. Latoya Tims, the education manager at Oakidge High School. Melanie Fischer, the senior manager of education at 3DE. And I also want to thank the high school leaders that came out this evening. Principal at Oakidge High School, Mr. Dennis Gonzalez. Assistant principal at Oakidge High School, Travis Brown. assistant principal at Koe High School, Renee Green, and leaders from the division of our learning department. Together, we make a difference in the lives of our students and

061always put students first. At this time, I will pass it over to Deputy Superintendent Arm Brewster for comments. I think another round of applause might be appropriate. There was so much great information there. But the two students who spoke, if you can stand up for just a minute, man, did you make me proud of our high schools tonight. Fantastic job. And I do love Oakidge, but I got to tell you, I opened Ooey, so I got to say, go Knights. But go Pioneers, too. but thank you all very much for your part in this. Really much appreciated. Any questions or comments? Oh my gosh. Yes. I bet they're not questions. I bet there are comments, but that's just my bet. Member Felder, thank you so much, Chair. I almost couldn't wait for Mr. Martinez to

062finish because when they talked to each of us, I was so excited. But first of all, the amount of enthusiasm you presented your report with just kept us all on edge, right? I'm telling you, so much animation. I was just ready for theater. Yes. I just want to thank you all for your report. I am so excited about 3D. I remember when I was first on the board and board member Melissa Bird invited me to come to Oakidge to the 3D fair and I was like, "What is this?" just come come Vicki just it's one of your schools. Come and see what they're doing. I was like okay. So when I walked in the auditorium I was like what are they doing? I mean they were all set up with businesses and selling all kind

063of stuff and I said Lord I don't make that much money but I'm about to buy everything. I'm just saying oh it was just so exciting how enthusiastic they were about their products and about their businesses. And I was like, and Melissa said, "Girl, they've been doing this, girl. Ain't this wonderful?" I said, "Oh my god." So I was just so excited. And I was also invited to see when they went to launch it at O'Coy High School and the the students were so nice to me because I didn't feel like walking upstairs. And so they say, "Well, we'll take you to the elevator." I said, "Baby, take me to the elevator. I'm not working on these stairs." But it was just wonderful. I was so excited to see what they're doing on Corey. to

064my little student at Oakidge. Alana, listen. I am so excited about what you're doing. Girl, let me tell you something. I just got to talk about me. You know, black girl, baby, beauty is what we do, honey. We spend lots of money. Lots of money and time. So, I'm I'm about to call you to get me an appointment. I'm telling you because I was I'm just so happy first of all for your enthusiasm and your desire to be the best that you can be. The I mean Miss I you will be successful. You got this girl. You are going to be successful. And to the gentleman oh you a theater person. So you already one of my favorite people. So, I'm just so excited what our young people are doing and the fact that Mr.

065Martinez and his group, they're passing these wonderful programs throughout all of our high schools in the district. Who wouldn't want to go to OP OCPS? I'm just going, you know, it's a po fraud that won't praise his own pawn. I'm just telling you. So, I'm so excited for what you're doing with the program. looking at the oh my god the percentage of students doing so well through the following years. I'm just excited about what we're doing at OCPS. And I'm and you know sometimes I hear the chair say this often that we're in good hands with our young people and I'm going to reiterate what she has said and echo that we are. when I listen to what we're doing and see the success I know that we're in good hands and I just got

066to just shout out to my Sara who's the AP at OKOY Sara Renee Green. Yes, Miss Sing. Yes, my sorority sister. So, and Mr. Gonzalez over at Oakidge. I'm my one of the principles there and I'm just excited about what we're doing and you will have the entire support of this board. I'm excited. I just want to tell you thank you for the efforts and thank you for the work and young people just keep doing what you're doing before you realize it. Honey, you going high school's going you may celebrate your 10 year reunion. I know that sounds old, but baby, it's coming cuz I'm about to celebrate my 50th. Okay, it's coming. It's coming. So, I want to tell you all thank you for the work and the effort. Actually, I'm I'm doing 51

06752. 50 was last year, so it's been a while out of high school. So, I want to thank you all for the work and your enthusiasm and thank you for sharing with us. Thank you so much. All right. Great job, Member Vanos. Thank you, Madam Chair. I hate that I have to go after these theater people because they're much more animated than I am. but that was a great presentation and I love hearing all of the wonderful things happening at our high schools. It's no surprise that enrollment is where it is and that we're continuing to see more and more students. also huge fan of junior achievement. It was one of the first groups that reached out to me and said, "Come and see what we're doing in our schools." I saw the 3D market

068expo at Oakidge. and I saw students who had businesses from everything from cosmetics to hair to food to clothing. There was a like a portable bowling alley situation and there was a there was a group that did like a video games that they wanted to have in different locations to try to build culture within the school which I think I mean go to our stu and I love that we're asking our students to help us solve problems because they are the best people to solve our problems that have to do with our school. So I love everything about it and just so support that. I also wanted to just shout out the CTE programs. I don't know that there's any other type of school that does it like public school. All of the pathways and

069options we have, the opportunities to stay on campus, to go off campus, that's just not replicated anywhere else. And the pathways that we have in our public school is just something to be really, really proud of. And I am so proud of that. I also wanted to just recognize the AP scholars, the increase in the number of AP scholars and the increase in the AP capstone, which I continue to think is the absolute best class in our high schools, and every student should have the ability to take it at some level because it teaches students what they need for their future. So, really, really happy to see those numbers increasing. and then also just the last thing I wanted to mention was the passage and proficiency rates for both biology and US history being so

070high. And it's funny because I think sometimes there's misinformation being spread about, oh, our students aren't literate because the ELA test is, you know, x amount proficiency. Well, I'm pretty sure you have to be able to read to to be getting these scores on the biology test and the US history test. So, we always want to do better. I always want to do better for our students. But I think that's just a piece of misinformation that we need to continue to combat because we have incredibly high passage rates for our students and proficiency rates and they are they're reading and they're reading well. So thank you and thank you to people in our high schools of course our educators and our principles and leadership as well. So thanks for the presentation and to our schools.

071Thank you member Vanos. Member Bird and Vice Chair. Thank you. great presentation. I too love the enthusiasm. and I just have got to say hi to Kobe. How are you doing buddy? Yeah, he's my friend. we I'm so incredibly proud and I'm just going to highlight some things. market day. Yes, you know I'm a huge fan. AoE High School just had their first market day and it was phenomenal. Oh my gosh, the entire gym was just filled with businesses. I spent so much money. So much money that my cash app actually like reached out to me like, "Has your phone been stolen?" yeah, it was crazy. But the business ideas they had were amazing. And their passion for their businesses was just amazing. The way they spoke, they spoke like adults talking about their businesses,

072not like kids. I mean, it was just they knew their marketing plans. They knew they had statistics about the sales and just I mean and I was quizzing on them, let me tell you. And they were just it was it was so much fun. It really was. I'm a huge fan of that. I'm a huge fan of anytime we can get these kids doing real hands-on learning. I would love to see this program in every one of our high schools. I've told you that. I've told it to the head of Junior Achievement and she's all like, "All right, let's do it." but I think that every kid in this district should have the opportunity to take part in this and any opportunity to do you know, hands-on realworld learning is just the best kind. And

073I agree. I don't think anyone is doing high school better than us as far as the choices and the opportunities that we provide kids. Our CTE options are amazing. And Alana, by the way, I just want to introduce you to Mr. Wadell right here in the front. He's the head of Orange Technical College West campus, which is, you know, right next to Akoi High School, but they have a great esthetician esthetician program, hair, all that. And you can go there for very affordable cost and get your certification to do all that. So, they have a spa and everything. so check him out if you want information on that. I did want to say, you know, the I wanted to thank you, Mr. Martinez, because I think that the proof is in the pudding when you

074look at these scores. when you look at the way these scores every year have gone up and our passage rates on AP exams, you know, sometimes, you know, with school grades, you can say things the state, you know, I hear all the time, well, the state can just change what they want. But no one's changing anything on AP. Like, you either AP is national, right? You either know the stuff or you don't. And the fact that we have 77% of our kids passing AP pre-calculus and 63% AP pass rate. I mean, it's just phenomenal. And I believe that the success that we're seeing in these programs, the fact that we have not lost students, that we're gaining students back in high schools, I believe is a direct result of the leadership in the high school

075office. the people that we have working within the high school department, all of our amazing administrators, the environment that you've created where it's we're all in this together and every there's, you know, great culture building within the high school office. I think that we're seeing the results of that and I'm say I'll say it again, being a high school administrator is tough tough work. those high school principles are there from the cracking on till the end of you know the football game on Friday nights. It's a long day and it's a lot of sacrifice but they love their school. When you talk to them, oh my gosh, they are they are so passionate about what they do. And so I just want to thank you for your leadership and your whole team. It's a great

076office. I believe that you guys are just on the right path and I appreciate you so much and I love that you're going out to the high school as member Vano said and asking these kids because I mean they will solve all of our problems if we would just ask them. Right. So I love that you're doing that. I can't wait to hear how that goes. Thank you for your presentation. Thank you. member Ferrant. Thank you Madam Chair. Okay, Mr. Martinez. I've been waiting for this moment. So so excited. super proud of you and the whole team. I think everything that you shared tonight is just a testament to incredible leadership. and so super thankful for Dr. Vasquez for seeing that in you and then also that you see you've literally hand selected and just

077placed the most amazing people in leadership whether it's on your team here at the ELC or if it's you know out on the field putting principles in place and their APs and it's like you've just you know how to put the pieces of the puzzle together and we're seeing the results of that and something that I noticed when we had our discussion before you everything is, you know, from three years ago, if you look at page seven, it's talking about the traditional high schools and just their the ELA, the math, biology, US history. Look at the growth that we've had in three years and what changed three years ago. You were put in place, the whole system got shi shifted around which is kudos to Dr. Vasquez and her team as well. but I think

078we are moving in the right direction. This is literally why I got on the board is to make sure that we have just we're soaring in academics. everything else will come, but if we get the academics right, that's really why we're here. And so, just I mean kudos to your team, the 3D market day, those I love them. I went to the, Oakidge one when I first got on and, really just thrilled with that. love hearing your testimonies, kiddos, and just what you're doing and seeing the real world examples of that. I too I was like literally been like this advocate for junior achievement 3DE and would love to see this in every single one of our high schools and even bring it into the middle school. I think would be incredible. just to get

079those kids already, you know, getting a taste for it and seeing that, you know, they could go to the business you know, go to that four-year business school or they could say, "Hey, you know what? I want to go over here and do CTE and get you know, my esthetician license and just jump right into work right after high school." So, giving the kids those options, letting them see that there's I mean, really, the world is just so big. It's just whatever we dream we can do which got to love America for that. but one other thing I just I really am so thankful that you are holding our high schools to a higher standard and when we do that we're seeing incredible growth. So thank you again for all your work. Right. Thank you

080member member Douglas. Your presentation was very inspiring truly and I think a lot of other districts need to hear what we just heard today. OCPS is the best. Why Kobe? I saw you. You were just clapping when we said yes, we are the best for sure. the results are impressive and the 3D that I don't know much about but I will. Yes. Okay. And I really I took the floor because I really would like to highlight our great teachers. Yes. Our teachers that share their knowledge. That's right. And that brings this result that we have right now. We need to highlight our teachers. They're doing a great jobs. Their love and dedication for our students is amazing. And we need to highlight who they are. Yes, we we have great administrators. However, our backbones are

081the teachers. They are doing great jobs and we need to recognize who they are and what they're doing for our student. And I thank you so much for bringing this presentation. The results are amazing. High school, I mean, soaring and I can't wait for more next year. I really do. Okay. I know we're going to be maybe at 80 80 85%. Let's do it. Thank you so much. Thank you. All right. I think everybody said just about everything. and I jumped in early because I was just so excited. But great great presentation. Everybody has said that. but just incredible success and just really exciting and our and our two young entrepreneurs. I mean just spot on. as I as I always say, the future's in in good hands. But, you know, we've recognized everybody, I

082think, except for our professional support staff. And nothing happens in our schools without the entire team. And, you know, my own kids in high school, I will never forget. I mean, the janitor, custodian, sorry, custodian knew them. I go on campus and the custodian still comes up to me and talks about this kid or that kid. I had four kids so there was a lot to talk about. Some of it I tell them I don't want to know but yeah I it's it's the whole team. is every single one of them. And it really is amazing the difference like like I said our professional support team the impact that they have on our kids just the connection is something that you don't see everywhere and it's something that is pretty incredible and something that we

083should all be grateful from the bus driver who puts up with them oh my gosh on those bus routes and gets to know the kids and some of the stories I've heard where you know they've they've run the same route for so many years and they've watched the generations of families. And anyways, it's pretty pretty heartwarming and pretty cool. Pretty cool. So, with that said, congratulations. Great job. And all we expect is a fivepoint improvement or something next year. So, that's what success will get you. All right. Thank you. Okay. yes, please. If I could, never going to figure it out. And if I could, I want to thank all the division of learning leaders who came here to support the high school. I want you all to know that we'll also be doing a

084similar thing with our middle schools and elementary schools because I think it's important to see the great things that these leaders are h making out there, that the teachers are making out there, that the classified staff are making out there. We got amazing schools. They are a good choice and this is a great example of why. Thank you. All right. Thank you. you know, I'm we need to move on to the consent agenda and I'm I'm feeling Oh, are a lot of folks here for Okay, you guys can go. I can see it like everybody's looking at Oh, picture picture. Thank you. Yes, yes, yes. Thank you. Congratulations. You did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations. So great. We're so proud of you all. So whoever's gonna get the picture is it just where's where's

085Oakidge people with then we'll add the Okay. So let's get this in here. All right, you guys ready? Board members. Okay, ready? Okay, so now we'll add everyone else. Yes, if they want to. Here we go, y'all. Come on, you guys. Get in. Event is the first thing we do. student because it's almost always a you know everyone's going to shingle you know turn sideways you're not looking at me full shoulder all looking at me like this okay turn sideways and get in we got to get all this Oh, anyone can get in the front. There we go. All appreciate behind All right, we ready? Okay, we ready? We're smiling. We're looking at me. Okay, thanks you guys. Hey, you know Yes. You know what? I know. We can't bring her. John, do we have

086any speakers on the consent? Oh, you know what? You know we in this vicious bill. We might can't get that. We got it. Look. Adorable. When we're sitting up here, we could do all of this. Hey, folks. I hate you. Okay, I hate to end the celebration, but hey team. I want to move on to the consent agenda because I've been sitting here just feeling really bad for a while. So, one of my former colleagues when I was on the county commission, Commissioner Victoria Zeppelin has been with us from the beginning. And as I was just explaining to the vice chair at the county commission, the first thing we did was a consent agenda. So you could like walk in, sit down at the meeting, and three minutes later you're out the door. She's been

087sitting through all of this. Pleasure. Oh well, thank you. You're a good sport. You are a good sport. So any public speakers on the consent agenda? If not, let's move this thing. All in favor? Oh, no. I'm sorry. We need a motion. Yeah. Can I get a motion on consent on the agenda? Do I do it? Oh, we're going to kill you. Oh, okay. You can do it afterwards if you I thought you wanted to like pull it or something. No. Okay. Okay. Then I need a mo a motion. Okay. A motion by member Gallo. A second. Second. Oh, wow. by member Vanos. All in favor, please say I. I. U member Salamanca, if you're still with us, bless your heart. Bless your heart. in Hawaii. She's not with us. I don't blame her. Okay.

088all in Did I Yeah, I got a vote, right? Did I get a All in favor, please say I. Opposed? Motion carries with all members present. Voting in the affirmative. Okay. Now, member Galler, you wanted to say something about my good friend. Yes. Thank you for being with us here tonight. so we just by approval of the consent agenda, we just approved to lease our property to Warick Commons LTD and the purpose of that lease will to be to build affordable housing. So I just wanted to highlight that because I think a lot of times some of these items on the agenda get lost in the agenda because there's so much there. But I am so excited and so thankful to Dr. Williams and Commissioner Ciplin for the great work they've done on our behalf

089to be able for us to do affordable housing for our employees. This is such a huge step forward. Yes. And it's it's so needed. We know that day in and day out that our employees struggle to live and work and play where they work and this is going to be a huge step forward into allowing them to do that. And so I'm just so grateful to both Dr. Williams and Commissioner Sipin for your great work and I'm so excited to get this up and running and I'm super excited for our employees to benefit. So, thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Member Gallow. And I also want to recognize the superintendent because from the moment she took the position as superintendent, this has been one of her top priorities and initiatives. So, top

090priority is always safety, but this has been really, really important to her and excited to see this additional step coming to fruition and it's wonderful to see you and wonderful to have you here and thank you for your patience. Mr. Pomerani, so that lease, as you saw, was extremely extensive and I wanted to give credit to my new staff attorney, Sergio Ruiz, for turning it around and working with Wendover to get it done. Very good. he's not here, but he deserves the kudos for the work cuz that was a very quick turnaround on this. I think it was like a month and a week between when our we first met and getting it here to you all. So, just wanted to make sure you all were I recognized him. Thank you. Thank you for doing

091that. Okay. you can go now. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Okay. We have 1701 request for approval of a name change for BETA Beta School and Mr. Moody, Mr. Moody, you're recognized. Thank you, Madame Chair, school board members, deputy superintendent on Brewster. first, I'd like to introduce and recognize the principal of alternative ed Bill Tovine who's instrumental in this. And then the very back is Dan Smith, also a resource teacher with alternative ed who didn't want to make his way up to the front, but we'll point him out anyways. Well, thank you. this evening, I bring before you item 1701, the request to rename Beta School. Beta School located at 4680 L Lake Underh Hill Road, Orlando, Florida, has been providing educational services to teen mothers and expectant mothers since 1972. As part of

092ongoing efforts to enhance academic support and expand access to resources, Alternative Ed has recently relocated Beta to Washington Shores Primary Learning Center campus located at 2500 Brutin Road. the previous rental agreement with another educational partner which outlined shared space shared space usage at the Lake Underh Hill Road address was officially terminated after the move on July 10th 2025. the educational partner that we were partnering with retains the ownership of the name Beta which has prompted Orange County Public Schools to begin the process of renaming the school. OCPS remains committed to serving the unique educational needs of teen and expectant mothers and looks forward to continuing this mission under a new school name in its updated location. According to policy FF, board policy FF, the superintendent shall present three recommended names based upon input from the

093school's community stakeholders. The name of the school is selected by the Orange County School Board with the superintendent responsible for submitting three proposed names that reflect meaningful community involvement. In the case of the school formerly known as Beta, the following process was implemented to select names for submission to the board. From January 20 2025 through April of that same year, students families, community members, and OCPS employees affiliated with Beta were invited to submit names and recommendations through an online survey distributed via email and school communications. Based on the responses received and the process involved, three names emerged as the most frequently suggested presented in alphabetical order. Those names are expecting excellence academy. This name represents the double meaning of the word expecting. As educators, we have high expectations for learning and our teen parents are

094expecting babies. Growing Minds Academy. This name represents a connection between the teen parent school and the daycare which is called Growing Minds Childcare. And finally, Hope Academy. Hope is an acronym for helping our teen parents excel. We are shared to we are pleased to announce that the expectant excellence academy was the most favored of the school community in this case with 75% of the students, 82% of the faculty and 100% of the parents involved favored expecting excellence academy. And we'd like to thank the facilities department as well as Alt Ed and Washington Shores Primary Learning Center for opening their doors, making this move possible. It's been, as I shared in an email with you, it's been a two-year venture, but I think that moving to our own site will open up the opportunities for our

095young mothers, their babies, and all involved. Madam Chair, I turn it back over to you. Thank you. And, I believe this is member Felder's district, correct? Member Felder, do you have a motion for the board? So, move. All right. We have a motion by member Felder, seconded by member Ferrant for the name Expecting Excellence Academy. Yes, ma'am. Expecting Excellence Academy. All in favor, please say I. I. Oppose. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Madam Chair. Member Felder. Thank you. Thank you, Principal. Okay. let's see. Mr. Armburster, do you have a Dr. Armburster, do you have a report on behalf of the superintendent? I do have a couple items, Madam Chair. the first one actually, Mr. Martinez covered the vast majority of it, speaking about AP exams during his report. I wanted to make

096sure you're aware of that. He covered that well, but I wanted to just add a little bit at the end there. In 2425, the AP exams, OCPS students were actually eligible for approximately 138,576 college credits, which when you take that out based on the $200 for a credit hour here in Florida was an estimated $28 million our students earned through AP exams if they chose to go to school here in Florida. So, I thought that was pretty pretty impressive to share. The other part is dealing with our 10-day enrollment update. And I'm going to read this so that I read it correctly and don't don't misspeak. Enrollment numbers are down. Our district funding and school budgets were built assuming the decline of 3,000 FTE that we were aware of. However, current figures show an additional

097drop of 3600 FTE, which could lead to an estimated $25 million reduction in funding. Preliminary reports indicate our immigrant student population has declined by about 3,000 of the 3600. that's the projected number. We'll be able to clean that up more over the next few days. It's important to note this data is based on headcount as opposed to FTE, which is slightly different. We are actively working with individual schools to review their ES units and their weighted FTE. While we typically wait to the October survey to assess the weighted FT, we are already collaborating with schools to make sure no school is cut more than necessary, but just needed to make you aware that we've got a burden to to carry right now, but we're working to carry it. Okay. All right. Thank you, Dr. Arberster.

098Is that So, Mr. Palmeri, do you have a report for the board? So, we have a meeting next week going over the recommendations from the council of great city schools that you all have previously heard about. The only reason why I mentioned that is that means all of you are going to be there and I need to call another executive session in the case we just had. you may may have seen me step out, had to take a call. There's been some additional information. I need to provide that to you all. So, I wanted to make sure everybody could be available at 11 o'clock on September 3rd. Yeah. Or no, it's a Wednesday. Sorry, it's the it's the Wednesday after. We have a planning session that's currently scheduled for one just for everybody's benefit. So,

099correct. Yes. 11 o'clock. 11 o'clock. Everybody okay? On the Wednesday. -huh. Yes, ma'am. We have a 1:00. We'll be here anyway at 1. Mhm. Yes. I'm going to have to move our meeting. So, I'm I'm seeing that there is general agreement. Okay. So, now I've got to read the notice. Pursuant to section 286.0.11 011 subsection 8, Florida statutes. The school board of Orange County, Florida will meet in executive session on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2020 Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in conference room E, first floor at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center located at 445 West Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida to discuss Penguin Random House LLC at all versus Ben Gibson at all. Case number 6 col24-CV-1573- CEM-RN. The following persons may be in attendance. Terresa Jacobs, chair. Melissa Bird, vice chair. Angie Gallo,

100school board member. Maria Salamanca, school board member. Alicia Ferrant, school board member. Ann Douglas, school board member. Vicky Lane Felder, school board member. Stephanie Vanos, school board member. Maria Vasquez, superintendent, myself, general counsel, Howard Marks, outside counsel, court reporter, and that's it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Pomerini. I just wanted to make sure I said Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025. Correct. Yes. Just making sure. Maybe wrong year. 11 a.m. Okay. Do we have any committee reports and any board level policy issues that anyone would like to bring for discussion in the future? I'm so glad that was a no because now we can adjourn. Oh no. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Member Vanos, is anybody else freezing? Okay, that's that's the reason I was like we get a journ. Okay, member Vanos, I apologize. You're

101recognized. Sorry. Thank you. I there were a couple of things I wanted to bring up. one one is I am curious if the board would be interested within the next year. I would like to explore you know as we talk about our teachers and we talk about our professional support staff and we look at the you know amount of money that the state has given us for raises I just kind of want to think outside of the box a little bit for other things that we can provide to our amazing educators. And so I brought this up with the superintendent. I told her I'd be bringing up today, but I would like us to look into whether we can wave fees for some of our teachers and support staff, whether that's if they're for their

102students. so if they have students in OCPS and they are an extended day I'm I'm not sure why we're charging them for extended day at all, honestly. Or and this actually came up from a student whose mother was a teacher. She is a teacher. the student graduated last year, but she sent me an email last spring sharing that her father had lost his job and she was she wanted to buy a prom ticket and she just honestly couldn't afford it. And I know we have things in place where students can go to their principles and they can ask for money. But I would love to just have a policy where if you are a student of a teacher or support staff that these fees can be waved whether that's like I said extended day or

103sports or you know band or just the fees really add up. so I would love to just have a work session where maybe we could talk about that if there's other interest on the board. So that was that was the first thing. Okay. Yeah. Okay. second thing second thing was okay I didn't want to address the students who came from Popka High School just I don't want to repeat what we've said but I do wonder can we provide some kind of like just like education to the high school I know when we when we spoke earlier we were going through our policy on hate speech we talked a lot about the education piece of it and just helping students understand the impact that their words can have on others and so I'm wondering if in

104in connection with that and that discussion that you know if we see a high school that is you know experiencing a lot of well a lot of what they described on social media if we can you know just use that as an opportunity to have conversations with the students and educate them. Dr. armbster. Yes. I I mean the short answer is yes, we can do that and we can work together and actually I would I would look at middle schools as well at this point. Oh, that's a great point because a lot of it starts there and then just grows from there. Yes. Okay. Thank you. And then the last thing that I wanted to bring up was that not not talking about the pending litigation, but just reflecting on the order that was entered.

105I read that order and I view that as saying that we should reshelf the books that were pulled in in reliance on the law that was struck down. so I just wanted to put that out there if there's others who want to weigh in on that as well. That's it. Thank you. Okay. member Fant and I would I'm looking at John. I'm surprised he hasn't jumped in. but I was Please. Okay. I just I'm about to say I'm like I can do it now. so as you all know, we had an executive session on this case earlier today. I've just called another executive session on this case. this is goes into issues involved in that litigation. quite frankly, given I want to see how I can say this cuz I'm in a public forum. I

106think it would be really instructive before we have any discussions about this to hear the information I have to provide at the executive session next week. Okay. Yeah, it is it you all need to hear this information before we have this discussion. And I and I would really I think it would be appropriate for us to not have discussion at all on this subject until we can come together as a board and give direction. So member Fant. Great. Thank you. I just wanted to ask, I had somebody reach out and actually, several teachers have reached out to me with concerns about, them, like teachers or the school administrators being able to implement or input a photo of a student into Skyward. and it being done quickly. so I've had teachers reach out and say that

107they've had a student in their class for, you know, several weeks or even, you know, over a month and there's not a photo of that student in Skyward. and so just curious, is that something that we need to put into policy where we just state like you know, a student, you know, when they're enrolled should have a photo put into Skyward quickly. Yeah, John was whispering in my ear. That should be our process. If you can share with me the schools and the names and if any of you have that issue, but generally speaking, there are processes in place that should move that fairly quickly. So, if you can give me specific schools, we'll follow up. And if it is districtwide, we'll follow up on that for sure. Perfect. Perfect. cuz I would love to

108see even if it's, you know, I think what I've seen is the complaints I've heard is that they're waiting on like a school photo. and even if it could just be, let's say it's a new student, they don't have a photo. the admin can just take a photo with their phone, snap that photo real quick, and just upload that. So at least there's something current. and that way there isn't any kind of confusion. I think it would be a safety thing. But we'll definitely share all that information. Yeah, I appreciate you bringing it up and we'll we'll certainly follow up on that. Thank you. Awesome. Thank you so much. All right. any further business, member Felder? No, that's all right. Go ahead. Okay. Thank you. usually and if a student has been in any schools

109at OCPS there's a photo sometimes might be a younger photo for middle school but the problem with that sometimes board member Ferrron is that teachers can't force kids to take pictures during picture day. I try to explain to my students I said I need you to take this picture because if something happens I use something real tragic. something happens, someone takes over our school and we can't identify your body. We need a picture. We need to be able to go somewhere. I have to do that. So, because sometimes they don't want to take pictures because it's not a they don't they're having a bad hair day or what have you. But normally, if they've gone to school anywhere in OCPS, there is a photo. But again, to your point, maybe administrators can if it's been

110a situation where they didn't take the picture cuz they had a bad hair day, whatever the case may be, can just get a photo because it is aggravating when you pull up a kid and you don't know what they look like. But again, you can't force children to take if they don't want to take the photo, you can't force them. So, I just wanted to share that what I used to do as a teacher. All right. No further business come for the board. This meeting is now adjourned. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.