02/28/2021 - Special Called Meeting

001HI. I'M NADIA COMBS, CHAIR OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS. THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM. I'M HENRY SHAKE WASHINGTON, THE BOARD VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE 7th LARGEST IN AMERICA. AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT NEARLY 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY. OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC, IN WHAT WE DO. YOU ARE WELCOME TO E-MAIL OR MEET WITH ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH

002SCHOOLS TV ON SPECTRUM CABLE CHANNEL 635 AND FRONTIER CABLE CHANNEL 32. MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE'LL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND ANY SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. OUR VISION IS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE. AND THAT MEANS ALL STUDENTS. EVERY DAY. TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES, TODOS LOS DIAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP, WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Nadia Combs: THE SPECIAL-CALLED BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2023, IS CALLED TO ORDER. MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL

003NOW LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU MAY BE SEATED. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. I NEED A MOTION AND SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER WASHINGTON, AND I HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER, WE'RE A NONPARTISAN BOARD WHO BELIEVE THAT ALL CHILDREN CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN TO SUCCEED AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE

004MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING. TO PAVE THE WAY FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS AND/OR QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE -- WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARDS, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU'RE ASKED TO GET BACK INTO THE QUEUE. MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS YOU BEGIN THIS MORNING'S MEETING, LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT FOR OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME THAT ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON LIVE WEBCAST, ON CABLE TV, ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT ALSO CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN

005THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVES. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MR. WASHINGTON. NOW WE WILL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND WILL KEEP OUR BOARD INFORMED ABOUT THE RESPONSES. OUR SCHOOL BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE. HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR A STAFF MEMBER, BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO

006THE MICROPHONE. THIS MORNING, EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, REMINDER THAT YOUR THREE MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU'LL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN, A RED LIGHT AND CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. I WILL NOW CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS. IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR AND TO THIS AUGUST BODY. THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING ABLE TO COME AND ADDRESS YOU TODAY. MY NAME IS THOMAS SCOTT. I AM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE TAMPA BAY COALITION OF CLERGY, WHICH CONSISTS OF 38 FLUENT AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCHES HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY REPRESENTING SOME 40,000 CITIZENS. I COME TODAY BECAUSE WE STAND IN OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING PROPOSED. WE REVIEWED THE PLAN AND LOOKED

007AT IT, IT APPEARS THAT DISTRICT FIVE HAS A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED. I THINK OVER 19-PLUS SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED OR IMPACTED BY THIS PARTICULAR CHANGE. AND SO WE STAND IN OPPOSITION. IT APPEARS THAT IN THE CULTURE THAT WE ARE NOW IN THAT WE'RE GOING BACK 50 YEARS FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE AND EQUALITY AND AGAINST RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE FIGHTING NOW TO KEEP BLACK HISTORY GOING IN THE SCHOOLS. WE ARE FIGHTING NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR KIDS ARE NOT BUSED ALL OVER THE COUNTY. WE ARE FIGHTING AGAIN TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CHILDREN RECEIVE FAIR TREATMENT. SO THIS PLAN DOES NOT, IN MY OPINION, CURRENTLY IS FAIR TO ALL OF THE CITIZENS. SO WE NEED A PLAN THAT IS GOING TO BE FAIR AND EQUITABLE TO

008EVERYBODY, EVERYONE. PLEASE, I BEAR IN MIND THAT CHANGE IS -- WILL HAPPEN. BUT CHANGE FOR CHANGE SAKE IS NOT NECESSARY. IT'S NOT IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, IN THE MIDST OF CHANGE, MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS TREATED FAIRLY AND JUST AND RIGHT. YOU ARE THE DECISION MAKERS FOR THIS COMMUNITY. YOU ARE THE PERSON WHO SET THE POLICIES AND THE GUIDELINES FOR HOW OUR SCHOOLS ARE GOVERNED AND HOW THEY MOVE FORWARD. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU TO VOTE NO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A PLAN THAT IS FAIR, A PLAN THAT IS RIGHT, A PLAN THAT IS EQUITABLE AND A PLAN THAT WILL ALLOW FOR ALL OUR CHILDREN TO BE EDUCATED. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY, I WANT TO THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR HIS WORK AND HIS AGREEING, HE HAS BEEN AMENABLE TO MEET WITH THE

009TAMPA BAY COALITION OF CLERGY. I WANT TO REFLECT THAT HE'S BEEN AMENABLE TO MEET WITH US TO DISCUSS THE PLAN AND TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, FOR THAT. AND ALSO THANK YOU, BOARD, AS YOU MAKE YOUR DECISIONS TODAY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS ROBERT PETE EDWARDS. PROBABLY MORE SO THAN ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE AND EVEN ADMINISTRATION STAFF, I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH MONITORING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ON BOUNDARIES, SEGREGATION, DESEGREGATION, AND ALL. I STARTED AS A SOPHOMORE IN 1967 WHEN THEY CLOSED DOWN THE OLD JEFFERSON. SINCE THAT TIME, I'VE WORKED ON 7th GRADE CENTERS, MAGNET SCHOOLS, AND I WAS ON THE COMMITTEE, THE WORKING COMMITTEE, THAT ENTERED THE

010FINAL CONSENT DECREE WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE FEDERAL COURTS AT THE TIME. I REVIEWED THIS PLAN. I'VE SEEN OTHERS LIKE IT. THIS IS A HORRIBLE PLAN FOR EVERYBODY 37 THERE ARE SOME MISSTATEMENTS THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME WITH THIS. THE NUMBERS DON'T EVEN ADD UP ON THE COST SAVINGS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO CONSIDER IS SHOULD YOU APPROVE THIS PLAN AS IT IS AND THE FOLLOW-UP WHERE YOU ALLOW THE SUPERINTENDENT TO SELL OFF THE SCHOOLS, BECAUSE IT'S GONE FROM TWO YEARS AGO THAT THE SCHOOL, PARTICULARLY JUST, WAS GOING TO STAY INTACT TO NOW THEY WANT TO SELL IT. IF YOU FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THIS, I REMIND THE BOARD HISTORY OVER THREE, FOUR YEARS AGO, IT WAS DISCOVERED UNDER THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AND SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT ARE NOT IN

011OFFICE NOW AND OTHERS THAT THERE WAS A PLAN TO SELL OFF ALL THREE OF THE SCHOOLS ON THE HILLSBOROUGH RIVER WITHOUT EVEN A SCHOOL BOARD KNOWING ABOUT IT. THOSE ARE FACTS. THEY ARE STATED IN THERE AND ALL. WHAT I WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO DO IS DO THREE THINGS. ONE, START ALL OVER AGAIN. WHEN I LOOK AT THE CONSULTANT'S REPORT, THEY DIDN'T EVEN GET INTO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED ON SIMILAR PLANS IN THE PAST. SO I THINK YOU CAN'T GET BY ME. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME. SO YOU NEED TO TEAR IT ALL UP AGAIN. SECONDLY, DO NOT GIVE THE SUPERINTENDENT THE POWER TO SELL JUST SCHOOL TO ANY OTHER SCHOOL. NOW, LET ME TELL YOU WHY JUST IS SO IMPORTANT. THIS WILL BE THE THIRD TIME AROUND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN

012LOOKING AT JUST. IF HE HAS THE POWER TO SELL JUST, THE NEXT TWO SCHOOLS THAT THEY WANT OFF THE RIVER IS BLAKE AND STUART. I WONDER DID HE EVER TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE PROPOSAL CIRCULATED IN THE COMMUNITY ALSO TEARING DOWN BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND SELLING THAT PROPERTY. I ASK ALL OF YOU TO JOIN ME, AND I ASK THE AUDIENCE, IF YOU HAVE THE COURAGE AND MORAL CONVICTION, TO JOIN ME IN ASKING THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA TO INVESTIGATE THIS WHOLE THING. I THINK IT NEEDS TO GO, BASED ON MY HISTORY OF HOW THE SCHOOL BOARD IS OPERATED, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A STATEWIDE GRAND JURY AND PANEL AND A STATEWIDE PROSECUTOR LOOK AT IT ALL BECAUSE THEY ALSO ARE IN VIOLATION. I TALKED TO MR. PORTER ABOUT IT, THEY ARE

013IN VIOLATION OF THE SPIRIT OF THE CONSENT DECREE ORDER THAT WE FOUGHT LIKE HELL TO GET BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF DIVISION. YOU BETTER THINK TWICE BECAUSE THIS IS ALL MESSED UP AND I HATE TO SEE BOARD MEMBERS GET CAUGHT UP IN IT AND COST THE TAXPAYERS MONEY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JENNIFER SPARKS. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS FOR YOUR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I HAVE ATTENDED MANY OF THE SCHOOL BOUNDARY MEETINGS, INCLUDING THE WORKSHOP. THE PROCESS HAS ALLOWED FOR COMMUNITY COMMENTS AND INPUT, AND AFTER CAREFULLY CONSIDERING ALL REASONABLE OPTIONS, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS HAS PROPOSED SCENARIO 4. OVER $500,000 HAS BEEN SPENT ON THE ANALYSIS, COUNTLESS HOURS HAVE BEEN

014SPENT BY THIS BOARD. THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS HAVE BEEN LEFT WITH CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR PENDING SCHOOL CHANGES, AND TEACHERS HAVE ALSO BEEN STRESSED BY ALL OF THIS UNCERTAINTY. THIS PROCESS STARTED WITH THE NEED TO CUT COSTS, INCLUDING CLOSING UNDERUTILIZED SCHOOLS WHILE WORK -- EXCUSE ME, WHILE WORKING TOWARDS IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES. SCENARIO 4 SERVES THESE GOALS. WHILE IMPACTING AS FEW STUDENTS AS POSSIBLE. AND THE COST SAVINGS ARE SIGNIFICANT. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THIS BOARD TO PLEASE VOTE TO APPROVE SCENARIO 4. THIS BOARD MUST MAKE THE TOUGH DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS UNDER 60% OCCUPANCY. THE STUDENTS AND TAXPAYERS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY DESERVE NO LESS. THE SCHOOL BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING A SOLUTION THAT APPEASES ALL BOARD MEMBERS AND OUR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND COMMUNITY SERVE A DEFINITIVE CONCLUSION TO THIS PROCESS. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU.

015NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. YVETTE LOUIS, PRESIDENT OF THE NAACP. THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. IF YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR HISTORY, YOU'RE BOUND TO REPEAT IT, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE PUSHING OUR STUDENTS BACK TO WHERE, UNFORTUNATELY, WHERE WE HAVE COME FROM AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE TRAVELED SO FAR BY FAITH, BUT WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF PUSHING OUR KIDS BACK, LEAVING THEIR COMMUNITIES AND GOING OUT ELSEWHERE FOR SHINY OBJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN FRONT OF US. I'VE SEEN THE PLAN, THIS PLAN THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS DEALING WITH JUST. I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS DEALING WITH ADAMS. I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED IS IN THE INNER CITY. AND THE

016INNER CITY SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE BRUNT OF WHATEVER GOES ON WITH THIS. SCHOOL BOARD. WE HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN THE HEAT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WANTS TO COME TO THESE SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY LOOK OR THE WAY THEY ARE. MY THING IS INVEST IN OUR KIDS. IF THESE ARE OUR KIDS, INVEST IN OUR KIDS. AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NAACP, I GET THE CALLS. I GET THE CALLS FROM STEINBRENNER. I GET THE CALLS FROM PLANT. I GET THE CALLS FROM ALL THE SCHOOLS. THOSE PARENTS SAY, KEEP YOUR KIDS IN YOUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD. WE DON'T WANT THEM HERE. PLEASE DON'T BUS YOUR KIDS OUT HERE. THEY DON'T WANT OUR KIDS THERE. I GET CALLS FROM PRINCIPALS WHO DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN KIDS. SO I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS BOARD

017IS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TO REPRESENT ALL AND ALL OF THESE KIDS AND YOU'RE SAYING PREPARING KIDS FOR LIFE, BUT YET YOU'RE PUSHING OUR KIDS BACK FROM WHERE THEY HAVE ONCE COME FROM, THEIR ANCESTORS. I'VE MET WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT, ADDISON DAVIS. I ENCOURAGE YOUR PLAN, BUT WE NEED TO PUT A HALT ON THINGS SO WE CAN EDUCATE OUR PEOPLE ON WHAT THIS WILL IMPACT ON OUR KIDS. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH COMMUNITY INPUT FROM THE INNER CITY STUDENTS. PLEASE, DON'T PENALIZE US BECAUSE WE DON'T GO TO MEETINGS. WE GOT TO GO TO WORK TO SUPPORT OUR KIDS, AND THEN WHEN WE COME HOME, WE GOT TO GET THEM READY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. SO JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE US ALL AT A MEETING, DON'T PENALIZE US.

018AND, NO, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO WEAR SHIRTS THAT SUPPORT THIS AND HERE, AND PUT UP SIGNS IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE KNOW WHAT WE WANT. WE'RE PREPARING KIDS FOR LIFE. LET'S DO IT. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. IF I COULD GET THE NEXT FIVE SPEAKERS TO PLEASE LINE UP. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. I'M ASHLEY FOX. GOOD MORNING, ADDISON DAVIS. I'M GOING BEFORE YOU AS THE NAACP EDUCATION CHAIR. AND I'M ALSO SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF DISTRICT 5. AFTER REVIEWING THE PLAN, I ALSO HAVE SEVERAL CONCERNS. WE'VE TALKED OVER AND OVER ABOUT THE UNDERUTILIZATION OF CERTAIN SCHOOLS, BUT I FIND IT FUNNY THAT A LOT OF THE UNDERUTILIZED SCHOOLS AREN'T IN DISTRICT 5. OVER 19 SCHOOLS ARE IMPACTED BY SCENARIO 4. THOSE STUDENTS ARE ALREADY VULNERABLE. THOSE STUDENTS ALREADY LACK RESOURCES AND

019OPPORTUNITIES. SO THOSE ARE THE STUDENTS, IN MY OPINION, WHO NEED THE MOST SUPPORT. WHO ARE WE SELLING ROSSAC TO? WHO ARE THE POTENTIAL BUYERS? THE EARLY LEARNING DEPARTMENT THAT'S GOING TO BE MOVED, WILL THAT CONSIST OF US BRINGING MEACHAM, THAT EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER, BACK TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS? AND WITH SCENARIO 4, WE JUST FEEL THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE OF A CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION AND EFFORT TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN DISTRICT 5 AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, CLINT PARIS. I WOULD LIKE TO START BY SAYING I AM A PRODUCT EVER HILLSBOROUGH DISTRICT SCHOOLS. I ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS FROM ALEXANDER ALL THE WAY UP TO JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL. IT IS THAT EDUCATION THAT GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITIES I'VE HAD

020TO WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY AND SERVE AND BECOME A LAWYER AND TRY TO GIVE BACK WHAT WAS GIVEN TO ME. I FELT IT INCUMBENT TO COME DOWN AND TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF THINGS FROM AN EXPERIENCE STANDPOINT. I WAS BUSED EVERY YEAR BUT ONE. 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR, GETTING UP EARLY, WEATHER. 1977 WHEN IT SNOWED WE HAD TO STAND THERE AND GET ON A BUS AND GO TO SCHOOL. SO I SAY THAT TO SAY IT IS AN INCREDIBLE BURDEN WHEN YOU SHIFT KIDS OUT OF A COMMUNITY. I HAD FIVE SIBLINGS GO TO JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL. BECAUSE MY MOTHER WORKED TWO JOBS, SHE NEVER, EVER VISITED THAT SCHOOL. SHE HAD TO WORK. IF THAT SCHOOL HAD BEEN IN THE COMMUNITY, IF MIDDLETON AND BLAKE HAD NOT BEEN SHUT DOWN, MAYBE SHE COULD HAVE COME DOWN

021FOR A TEACHER MEETING OR MAYBE COME FOR AN EVENING EVENT OR PARTICIPATE IN SOMETHING. SO I WANT TO SAY THIS. THE GREATEST CONCERN THAT I HAVE ARE THE KIDS WHO WILL BE BURDENED BY THIS, WHO HAVE LIFETIME IMPLICATIONS. WE OFTENTIMES WORRY ABOUT THE THINGS IN OUR SOCIETY THAT HOLD OUR COMMUNITY BACK -- CRIME, UNEMPLOYMENT, THE LOSS OF JOBS. AND WE CAN JUST GO ON AND ON WITH THE LITANY OF THINGS THAT IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY. THEY START WITH A SOUND, STRONG EDUCATION. SCHOOLS ARE A FABRIC WITHIN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF WHAT MAKES THOSE COMMUNITIES STRONG. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SHIFTING STUDENTS, CHANGING STUDENTS, MOVING STUDENTS, IT HAS A MUCH GREATER IMPACT THAN JUST THE IDEA OF THE NUMBER THAT WE GET TO IN A BUDGET. I GOT TO BELIEVE THIS. MY TAXES AREN'T GOING

022TO CHANGE BECAUSE YOU ALL CLOSE A COUPLE OF SCHOOLS OR MOVE SOME SCHOOLS AROUND. I'LL STILL BE PAYING THE SAME -- UNLESS WE CUT A DEAL TODAY, SOMEBODY WANTS TO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD THAT MY TAXES WILL GO DOWN, I'LL STILL BE PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT OF TAXES AND PROBABLY MY TAXES WILL GO UP. I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU TO UNDO SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN AMERICA SINCE BLACK PEOPLE LANDED HERE. WE HAVE BEEN BEARING THE BURDEN OF EVERY TIME SOMEBODY SAYS "LET'S MOVE FORWARD." WHEN WE NEEDED TO BUILD THE COUNTRY, WE DID THE WORK. WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR US TO BE FREE, WE WERE THE ONES THAT WERE TOLD YOU CAN'T GO PLACES, YOU CAN'T SIT PLACES. WHEN JIM CROW CAME ALONG, SAID YOU CAN'T EVEN DRINK OUT OF CERTAIN PLACES. WE

023BORE THAT BURDEN. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO DESEGREGATE SCHOOLS, WE GOT ON THE BUSES, AND WE WENT. AND EVERY STEP OF THE WAY WE'VE BORN EVERY BURDEN THAT AMERICA'S ASKED BLACK PEOPLE TO GIVE WITHOUT QUESTION. TODAY, WHAT WE'RE ASKING, WE'RE NOW ENLIGHTENED. WE KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE CAN READ AND AS PETE JUST SAID, CAN DO A LITTLE BIT OF MATH. WE CAN SEE WHERE THINGS HAVE BEEN TILTED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT'S GOING TO HURT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU ALL TO BE CREATIVE. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND DO SOMETHING MORE BENEFICIAL THAN JUST SAVE A COUPLE OF DOLLARS. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ALLOWING

024US TIME TO INTERACT WITH YOU ALL. MY NAME IS TODD MESSMER. I AM THE FATHER OF TWO SONS WHO ATTEND SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THEY ARE IN THIRD AND SECOND GRADE. ATTENDED SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY FROM JUMP, NOTWITHSTANDING THAT POST-SPRING BREAK OF 2020. I WALK MY KIDS TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY. I PICK MY KIDS UP, WALK OVER AND PICK THEM UP TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK AFTER SCHOOL EVENTS, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING. SO WHEN THE DISTRICT STARTED ON ABOUT THE REDISTRICTING PLAN, I WAS INTERESTED IN IT. SCENARIOS 1, 2, 3 CAME ABOUT AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. I LOOKED AT THEM ENTHUSIASTICALLY, RIGHT AND SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY WAS NOT AFFECTED BY 1, 2, OR 3. NOT A SCHOOL APPEARING IN THE SCENARIOS. SUBSEQUENT SIX WEEKS, THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH. THERE WERE TEN

025MEETINGS OVER TEN SEPARATE DAYS OVER THE MONTH OF JANUARY. THERE WAS A TON OF COMMUNITY INTERACTION AND OUTREACH WHICH IS ALL PART OF THE PLAN, PART OF THE SCENARIOS. I HAPPEN TO THINK THAT REDISTRICTING, AS WE SAID THE 7th LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE COUNTRY, ON SIX WEEKS' NOTICE IS STILL NOT ENOUGH, BUT TEN MEETINGS IN TEN DAYS GAVE EVERYBODY AT LEAST SOME SEMBLANCE OF AN IDEA OF WHAT IT WOULD INVOLVE. ALL THE MEETINGS OCCURRED. AND PUSH-BACK WAS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, AS YOU ALL KNOW. A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE CAN SPEAK TO. ON FEBRUARY 9, 19 DAYS AGO, CREATED EFFECTIVELY FROM WHOLE CLOTH COMES SCENARIO 4. SCENARIO 4 SORT OF I WOULD ARGUE DISINGENUOUSLY LABELED A HYBRID PLAN. 68 KIDS FROM SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY ARE BEING MOVED TO ANOTHER SCHOOL. ANOTHER 188 KIDS BEING MOVED TO

026SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WHO HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS HAPPENING EITHER. AND SO WE'VE CREATED THIS NEW SORT OF PLAN FROM WHOLE CLOTH AND PROPOSED TO YOU ALL 19 DAYS AGO. I LEARNED ABOUT IT LAST TUESDAY. AND SO THERE WERE, IN FACT, FIVE MEETINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HELD OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK AS OPPOSED TO TEN MEETINGS, TEN DAYS OVER THE COURSE OF SIX WEEKS, WE HAD FIVE MEETINGS. TWO OF THEM WERE DOUBLED UP. FOR EXAMPLE, THE SUPERINTENDENT WASN'T AT THE MEETING THAT I ATTENDED AT CHAMBERLAIN LAST THURSDAY BECAUSE YOU ALL WERE DIVIDING TIME. WE'VE HAD FIVE MEETINGS OVER THREE DAYS. NOW TO TALK ABOUT SCENARIO FOUR, AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU I REALLY FEEL FOR YOU ALL. I THINK YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED IN AN UNTENABLE POSITION HAVING TO VOTE

027ON A PLAN THAT HERE TO FOR AFFECTED HUNDREDS OF KIDS AND AFFECT THOUSANDS OF KIDS DISTRICTWIDE THAT WE ALL LEARNED ABOUT 19 DAYS AGO. I UNDERSTAND THE THEORY WHERE WE'RE GOING, OVERUTILIZED SCHOOLS AND UNDERUTILIZED SCHOOLS. ALL THOSE ARE IMPORTANT. FROM A TIME STANDPOINT, HERE IS WHERE WE ARE. I LAID THIS OUT IN MY THREE-PAGE LETTER TO THE BOARD LAST WEEK AND IN THE PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS THAT WE FILED IN THE 13th CIRCUIT YESTERDAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU HERE THIS MORNING. HOLDING A VOTE TODAY ON SCENARIO 4 WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD POLICY 51207110 AND 0130. ON FEBRUARY 9th, 2023, SCENARIO 4 WAS PUBLISHED

028FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHILE SCENARIO 4 IS ALLEGED TO BE A HYBRID, IT IS ANYTHING BUT. FOR THE FIRST TIME ON FEBRUARY 9th, IT WAS UNVEILED THAT 68 SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WOULD BE MOVED FROM SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY TO BROWARD ELEMENTARY. SEMINOLE HEIGHTS WAS PREVIOUSLY UNAFFECTED IN SCENARIOS 1, 2, AND 3. BOARD POLICY 5120 EMPOWERS THE SUPERINTENDENT TO ESTABLISH A PLAN FOR REDISTRICTING THE COUNTY SCHOOLS. THIS PLAN INVOLVED THREE PHASES. PHASE ONE, A RESEARCH PHASE. PHASE TWO, COMMUNITY OUTREACH. AND PHASE THREE, A VOTE. HOLDING A VOTE TODAY ON SCENARIO 4 EFFECTIVELY DESTROYS PHASE 2. THERE HAS BEEN NO MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THIS SCENARIO. FURTHER, THIS MEETING IS HELD ONLY 19 DAYS AFTER THE SCENARIO WAS FIRST PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC. THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF THE SCHOOL BOARD POLICY 0130 WHICH REQUIRES THAT ALL

029MEETINGS WHICH ARE GOING TO AFFECT SCHOOL BOARD POLICY BE PROVIDED WITH A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF NOTICE. SO AS SUCH, RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT THIS BOARD MOVE TO ADJOURN RATHER THAN TO VOTE ON THIS TODAY. AND PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH THE DUE PROCESS RIGHTS THAT IT HAS IN ORDER TO PROPERLY VET THIS SCENARIO 4. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME HERE TODAY. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. IF I COULD HAVE THE NEXT FIVE SPEAKERS, PLEASE LINE UP AS WELL. GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THIS LATEST PROPOSAL INTRODUCES A BRAND-NEW CHANGE OF HIGH SCHOOL FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, LA COLINA AVENUE, BRANDON, FLORIDA, FROM BLOOMINGDALE HIGH SCHOOL A-RATED SCHOOL TO BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL C-RATED SCHOOL WHICH WAS NEVER ON THE TABLE AND CREATES AN IMMENSE EFFECT TO THE IMPACT OF STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. I'M

030REQUESTING THAT THE BOARD VOTE NO ON THE LAST-MINUTE SUPERINTENDENT PROPOSED BOUNDARY CHANGE. AND I AM ASKING THAT THE MOVE FROM THE BLOOMINGDALE TO BRANDON BE -- BASED ON THE FOLLOWING. IN ALL PRIOR PROPOSED SCENARIOS, THIS WAS NEVER LISTED AS AN OPTION. WE HAVE NOT HAD AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE PROPOSAL AND VOICE OUR FEEDBACK. ALL IMPACTED FAMILIES DESERVE A CHANCE FOR THE VOICE -- FOR THEIR VOICE TO BE HEARD AND CONSIDERED. THIS IS NOT A SOLUTION THAT SOLVES THE OVERCROWDING PROBLEM. PEOPLE WILL EITHER CHOICE OUT OF THE SCHOOL THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO AND/OR TAKE THEIR FUNDING TO GO TO PRIVATE, WHICH TAKES DOLLARS AWAY FROM OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, MYSELF INCLUDED. THESE ARE NOT COMPARABLE SCHOOLS WHICH WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. OUR CHILDREN WILL NOT HAVE THE CONTINUITY OF

031SCHOOL WITH THEIR PEERS AS MOST WILL GO FROM BURNS MIDDLE SCHOOL TO BLOOMINGDALE HIGH SCHOOL AND WE WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL WHICH IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF 60. THE FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES SPECIFICALLY BUILT THEIR HOMES BASED ON THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE ZONED 4 AND THIS CHANGE NEGATIVELY IMPACTS OUR FAMILIES AND OUR HOME VALUES. THIS PROPOSAL FURTHER CREATES INEQUALITIES TO DIVERSITY FACTORS. WHY DID THE PRIVILEGED COMMUNITIES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, I.E., SOUTH TAMPA, PLANT HIGH SCHOOL, FISHHAWK, RIVER HILLS, ET CETERA, CONTINUE TO BE PROTECTED WHILE THE OTHERS ARE SHUFFLED AND FORCED TO LESS THAN FAVORABLE AND NEGATIVE PROPOSALS? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. THANK YOU ALL, BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS KEVIN WILSON. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE REZONING OF BLOOMINGDALE, WHICH IS AN

032A SCHOOL, GOING TO BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH IS A C SCHOOL. IN ALL THE PRIOR PROPOSED SCENARIOS, THIS HAS NEVER LISTED AS AN OPTION AND WE DON'T KNOW WHY. BOTH SCHOOLS ARE EXACTLY THREE MILES APART. I DID THIS LAST NIGHT DRINKING A BEER ON THE RIVER WALK, AND BASICALLY IT SHOWS THAT THE SCHOOL THAT WE'RE ZONED FOR, BLOOMINGDALE, IS ACTUALLY ONE MINUTE SHORTER OF A DRIVE THAN IT IS TO GO TO BRANDON. I DON'T SEE HOW THAT HOLDS WATER WITH THE DISTANCE. NOT GOING TO SAVE THE CITY OR TAXPAYERS ANY MORE MONEY. IT'S ACTUALLY CHEAPER. AND, FRANKLY, IT'S GOING TO BE CHEAPER MORE SO BECAUSE I DRIVE MY KIDS TO SCHOOL ANYWAY. BLOOMINGDALE IS BASICALLY NINE MINUTES. BRANDON IS 10 MINUTES. HOW IS THAT GOING TO HELP WITH THE BUDGET IS THE QUESTION. LIKE MY

033WIFE SAID, RIVER HILLS, FISHHAWK, PLANT, MIRACULOUSLY ARE NOT PART OF THE REZONING AS OF I BELIEVE FRIDAY. I FIND THAT A LITTLE BIT ON THE SUSPECT SIDE. MOST OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT HERE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE 10:00 IN THE MORNING ON A TUESDAY, WE ARE NOT AT THE BAR. WE ARE AT WORK AND DOING WHATNOT. MY JOB JUST KIND OF ALLOWS ME TO BE HERE. SO WE'RE FIGHTING FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND MY KID'S NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE WE BUILT OUR HOUSE SPECIFICALLY TO BE IN THE BLOOMINGDALE DISTRICT. THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I PICKED THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. WE DIDN'T BUILD BY BRANDON FOR A REASON. THEY'VE HAD A MURDER THERE I BELIEVE IN 2017. THE POLICE WERE CALLED THERE PRETTY MUCH MONTHLY, AND THE DRUGS ARE, EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH KNOWS IT. SO THAT'S KIND OF THAT. IT'S A C SCHOOL.

034HOW DID WE GET TO A POINT WHERE WE ARE GOING FROM AN A SCHOOL TO A C SCHOOL? THAT JUST SOUNDS CRAZY. I HAVE TWO KIDS, TWO DAUGHTERS. NINE-YEAR-OLD AND 14. BASICALLY I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE 14-YEAR-OLD HERE. SHE'S EXCELLING IN ALL HONORS CLASSES AND BASICALLY ALL OF HER MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS BEEN HONOR CLASSES. SHE WILL START HOPEFULLY BRANDON ON HER FIRST YEAR AND HER FIRST DAY OF FRESHMAN, SHE WILL ALSO START DAY ONE AT HILLSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THAT'S A FRESHMAN. THAT'S THE KIND OF GIRL THAT I'VE GOT. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT BRANDON. BRANDON IS A C SCHOOL. BEEN A C SCHOOL SINCE 2016. THE GREAT SCHOOL SUMMARY RATING HAS IT AS A 3. BIG ALL WHOPPIN' 3. TEST SCORES BELOW AVERAGE. COLLEGE READINESS ALL BELOW AVERAGE. THE AVERAGE S.A.T. IS 9.25. DON'T YOU

035GET A THOUSAND JUST FOR PUTTING YOUR NAME DOWN? AVERAGE A.C.T. SCORE IS 19. SO ALSO BRANDON, ELA IN NINTH GRADE, ONLY 30% PASSED. ELA IN TENTH GRADE, 36% PASSED. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WAS 49% PASSED ON THAT. BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA, 25% PASSED. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY 60% PASSED. AND BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL GEOMETRY, 33% PASSED. AND THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COLLEGE 53 PASSED. MY DAUGHTER IS ACING THESE. THANK YOU GUYS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. MY NAME IS DELMA RODRIGUEZ. I AM A MEMBER OF THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS, LULAC. BUT TODAY, I AM HERE MORE AS A LATINA WHO IS A PRODUCT OF THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM. I AM EXTREMELY UPSET. MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NO LONGER EXISTS; IT'S A PARKING LOT. MY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WAS TORN DOWN AS WELL. THESE ARE BEAUTIFUL -- THESE WERE

036BEAUTIFUL BRICK BUILDINGS THAT ARE NO LONGER THERE. I, TOO, WENT TO JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I WENT TO THE ORIGINAL JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL. THAT IS IN ANOTHER LOCATION AT THIS TIME. SO I SAY TO YOU, HOW MANY OF THE 15,378 STUDENTS IN SCENARIO 4 ARE HISPANIC? HOW MANY ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN? HISPANICS FALL INTO BOTH OF THOSE CATEGORIES. SO I ASK YOU TO VOTE NO. TAKE MORE TIME TO REVIEW THIS. AND IF YOU CAN TELL ME THAT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING DISPLACED ARE NEITHER HISPANIC NOR AFRICAN AMERICAN, THEN YOU'VE GOT A DECENT PLAN TO LOOK AT. BUT WITH THE TEARING DOWN OF MY SCHOOLS, THE ONE SCHOOL THAT HAS NEVER, EVER BEEN AFFECTED IS PLANT. AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, SCENARIO 4 DOES NOT TOUCH PLANT. IN FACT, IF ANYTHING, PROTECTS PLANT. THANK YOU FOR

037THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU. I WISH YOU ALL WELL. I WANT OUR SCHOOLS NOT TO BE 7th. I WANT OUR SCHOOLS TO BE FIRST. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HI. MY NAME IS RENEE INGRAM. I'M A TAMPA NATIVE. I WENT THROUGH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I DID ATTEND PLANT, AND I'M PROUD THAT I ATTENDED PLANT. I THINK IT'S BEEN A HIGHLY RATED SCHOOL, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WOULD WANT TO TEAR THAT SCHOOL DOWN IF IT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL. I'M NOT EMBARRASSED OF THAT. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN THAT ALSO WENT THROUGH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I ALSO WORKED FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR 36 YEARS AS A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST. I RECENTLY RETIRED THIS SUMMER. I'M GREAT AT TALKING WITH KIDS, NOT SO MUCH WITH ADULTS. MY DAUGHTER

038IS A FIRST-YEAR TEACHER AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. SHE'S TEACHING PRE-K ESE. I THINK SCENARIO 4 IS A STARTING POINT. I CAME HERE TO SUPPORT THAT TODAY BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE'VE INVESTED OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. WE'VE INVESTED A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY, AND THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE. I THINK IT'S A GOOD STARTING POINT. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S GOING TO SATISFY EVERYONE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD. WE NEED TO CONTINUE WORKING AND MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS THAT WE CAN WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. SO I JUST ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AND DO REMEMBER THE KIDS. I VOLUNTEERED YESTERDAY IN MY DAUGHTER'S CLASSROOM BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ENOUGH PARAPROFESSIONALS. WE'RE LOSING A LOT OF GOOD TEACHERS THAT ARE GOING BACK TO BUSINESS BECAUSE THEY

039CAN'T MAKE A DECENT LIVING AND SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND PAY THEIR BILLS. SO I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE OUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE DO HIRE QUALITY TEACHERS BECAUSE NO BUILDING IS GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IF IT DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE INSIDE THE BUILDING THAT TRULY CARE ABOUT THE STUDENTS AND PUT THEM FIRST. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. BANE OSS DIAS, BOARD MEMBERS. I'M ARE A QUELL PLARA FROM CARROLLWOOD ELEMENTARY. I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HERE WITH YOU THIS MORNING. LIKE THE REST OF THE SPEAKERS, WE REPRESENT A WHOLE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE TUNING IN FROM HOME AND WORK ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE RESULTS OF TODAY'S BOARD MEETING. ONE OF MY SONS, OWEN, IS CURRENTLY AT THE CONVENTION CENTER AT THE S.T.E.M. FAIR PRESENTING HIS PROJECT FOR THE COUNTY. HE IS

040ONE OF OUR 100-PLUS FIFTH GRADERS WHO IS NERVOUSLY WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THE VOTE WILL BE TODAY AND WHETHER OR NOT HIS FRIENDS WILL BE SCATTERED AWAY FROM THEIR COMMUNITY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL NEXT YEAR. WE, TOO, ARE FOR COMMUNITY AND KEEPING OUR KIDS IN IT. I'M A MEMBER OF THE CARROLLWOOD K-8 INITIATIVE. WE HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR OUR NEED FOR A K-8 IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY SINCE LAST SUMMER. WE HAVE MET WITH MR. DAVIS, MR. FARKAS, AND AS MANY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AS WOULD GIVE US TIME. FOLLOWING UP WITH THOSE MEMBERS REGULARLY, ATTENDING COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND SPEAKING AT BOARD MEETINGS EACH MONTH. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND HOW YOU ARE WORKING TIRELESSLY TO MAKE CHANGES FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE ARE HOPING THAT THE BOUNDARY SCENARIO PASSES. WE KNOW THAT CHANGE IS REALLY HARD. AND WE

041ARE IN SUPPORT OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO BETTER THE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR OUR KIDS. BUT JUST SO WE ARE CLEAR, WE ARE "NO" GOING TO STOP ADVOCATING -- WE ARE NOT GOING TO STOP ADVOCATING FOR OUR KIDS REGARDLESS OF THE VOTE TODAY. WE KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS THIS. THE SEVEN OF YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE A REALLY IMPACTFUL CHANGE THAT WILL LEAVE A LEGACY FOR YOU IN OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE TAKE THE STEP TO MAKE THAT CHANGE AND ACT TODAY TO MAKE CARROLLWOOD A K-8. THANK YOU. GRACIAS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. IF I COULD HAVE THE NEXT FIVE SPEAKERS LINE UP. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS BRITTANY COOPER. I'M HERE AGAIN TODAY TO SPEAK WITH YOU GUYS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE IN THE

0427th LARGEST DISTRICT IS VERY DIFFICULT. MONEY DOES TALK AND IT'S ALWAYS IN QUESTION ON WHAT STEPS CAN BE TAKEN TO MAKE, SAVE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MONEY. WE'VE HEARD THE DECREASING MILES IN SCHOOL BUSES, CLOSING UNDERUTILIZED SCHOOLS AND SELLING OFF BUILDINGS CAN ALL CONTRIBUTE AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE BUDGET. WE WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT TRANSITIONING CARROLLWOOD TO A K-8 WILL ALSO GET YOU THAT FINANCIAL BENEFIT TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. WITH NO CHANGE TO CARROLLWOOD, YOU WILL LOSE MORE FAMILIES, AND THAT TRANSLATES TO MORE MONEY LOST. ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT, TRANSITIONING CARROLLWOOD TO A K-8 IS THE SMART AND THE RIGHT DECISION. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR, CARROLLWOOD HAS LOST 137 STUDENTS WHO WITHDREW. WHEN YOU USE THE MULTIPLIER FOR EACH STUDENT, THE FINANCIAL LOSS IS OVER $1.1 MILLION. THE LONGER

043WE WAIT TO DO THIS, THE HIGHER THAT NUMBER GOES UP. THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED COMMUNICATION WITH US. WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. LET'S START BY VOTING YES AND NOW IN CARROLLWOOD'S FAVOR FOR K-8 STARTING IN THE FALL, THEN 7th AND 8th IN THE SUBSEQUENT YEARS. THANK YOU GUYS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. AND WE'RE ON SPEAKER 16 THROUGH 20. THANK YOU FOR PASSING THAT OUT. HELLO. MY NAME IS KRISTA MILLS. I AM GOING TO CONCLUDE THE SPEAKERS FOR CARROLLWOOD TODAY WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A RECAP. WE KNOW THAT WITHIN THE DECISIONS THAT YOU'RE HAVING TO MAKE WITH THE BOUNDARY CHANGES THAT YOU HAVE A LOT TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS, DIVERSITY, COMMUNITY, UNDER AND OVERUTILIZATION OF SCHOOLS, PRESERVING THE FEEDER PATTERNS, PROTECTING TEACHERS, MENTAL HEALTH,

044THE LIST GOES ON. WHAT WE SEE IS OUR PLAN TO TRANSITION CARROLLWOOD TO A K-8 IS THAT IT CHECKS EVERY ONE OF THOSE BOXES. AS YOU SEE ON THE PAPER THAT YOU'RE RECEIVING, I HAVE HIGHLIGHTS PROVIDED TO YOU TO LOOK THROUGH. FINANCIALLY, CARROLLWOOD HAS LOST THE DISTRICT OVER A MILLION DOLLARS SINCE THE START OF SCHOOL THIS YEAR WITH KIDS WITHDRAWING. OF OUR 137 KIDS WHO HAVE LEFT, OVER 75% OF THEM HAVE LEFT FOR K-8 ENVIRONMENTS. TRANSITIONING OUR SCHOOL TO A K-8 KEEPS STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, AND IT GAINS BACK THAT FTE MONEY. DIVERSITY. WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR DIVERSITY. WE ARE EQUAL PARTS HISPANIC AND WHITE WITH ABOUT 40% EACH, FOLLOWED BY BLACK, MULTIRACIAL AND ASIAN. WE SERVE OVER 70 ELL STUDENTS WHO REPRESENT A LARGE VARIETY OF LANGUAGES IN THEIR HOME AND

045WE HAVE ABOUT 50% ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. WE WANT TO KEEP THEM. PRESERVING FEEDER PATTERNS. CURRENTLY 98% OF OUR KIDS THAT GRADUATE FIFTH GRADE FROM CARROLLWOOD ARE GOING TO A SCHOOL OUTSIDE OF THEIR ZONED MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE ARE LOSING THEM, AND THEY ARE NOT COMING BACK. WE WANT TO KEEP THEM IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR LONGER. TEACHER SUPPORT. OUR TEACHERS ARE JUST AS EXCITED AS WE ARE FOR THIS. WE HAVE HAD OVER 98% OF OUR TEACHERS WHO HAVE COME IN FULL SUPPORT OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TEACHERS, EXCUSE ME, SAYING THAT THEY ARE IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE TRANSITION, AND WE ALSO HAVE SUPPORT FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF OTHER EMPLOYEES AT THE SCHOOL. MENTAL HEALTH. THE MENTAL HEALTH OF OUR STUDENT POPULATION WILL GREATLY BENEFIT FROM THE STABILITY OF SCHOOLS WITH PEERS FROM THEIR COMMUNITY AND TEACHERS WHO

046ARE ABLE TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN RELATIONS WITH THEM FOR THE LONG HAUL. WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO US TODAY AND FOR EACH MEETING THAT WE HAVE BEEN HERE THIS YEAR. AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING CARROLLWOOD ON THE AGENDA FOR K-8. WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MICHAEL SPENCER. I MOVED TO THE TAMPA AREA, REPLACED A MILITARY FAMILY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. LIKE OTHERS IN MY ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD, WE PAY A SIGNIFICANT PREMIUM FOR THE SCHOOL ZONE. THOSE IN NEIGHBORHOOD PAYING THE SAME PREMIUM TAXES OVER 20 YEARS EXPECTING CONTINUITY OF SCHOOL FEEDER SYSTEM TO BE WITH THEIR SIBLINGS AND NEIGHBORS. NOW I HAVE EXPERIENCE IN THE COMMUNITY PLANNING AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE RELEVANT TO MY FIRST POINT IS THAT THE ISSUE THAT THE RECOMMENDED

047CHANGES, THAT THEY ARE BIASED TOWARDS THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE OCCURRING, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE COUNTY. THEY ARE BRINGING IN THOUSANDS OF NEW HOMES. THE OPTIONS THAT WERE GIVEN TO THE SCHOOL ZONE OR TO THE SCHOOL BOARD ARE PUSHING OUT THE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES FROM THEIR ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS THAT THEY HAVE SO DEARLY PAID FOR FOR A GENERATION. THE NEW TAX MONEY FROM THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS SHOULD BE USED TO BUILD NEW SCHOOLS. IT'S SIMPLE MATH. IN THE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES ARE BEING IGNORED. THERE'S NO EXCUSE ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE STATE HAD A BUDGET SURPLUS, AND THE ONLY REASONABLE WAY FORWARD IS TO HAVE OVERUTILIZED SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTHEAST FOR IF I HAVE TO TEN YEARS UNTIL THE STUDENTS FROM THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS CAN MOVE INTO THE NEW SCHOOLS BUILT WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT TAX REVENUE. MY SECOND

048POINT IS THAT AS WE'VE HEARD ALREADY, THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF THE BOUNDARY CHANGES HASN'T BEEN QUITE FOLLOWED AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THE ANALYSIS HAS BEEN DONE. IT'S BEEN A THIRD-PARTY ANALYSIS THAT RESULTED WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD'S RECOMMENDED SCENARIO NUMBER 4. THE PUBLIC COMMENTS WERE MADE. THEY WEREN'T QUITE FOLLOWED, BUT ON FRIDAY, THE SUPERINTENDENT PUBLISHED HIS RECOMMENDED SCENARIO, WHICH WAS A SURPRISE TO EVERYONE. IT DID NOT ALLOW A TIME FOR ADEQUATE PUBLIC COMMENT AND ADJUDICATION BUT IT ALSO OPENED UP A VIEWPOINT INTO THE BIASED INFLUENCE THAT'S OCCURRING. I SAY THAT BECAUSE I HAVE A SCREEN SHOT OF THE STATEMENT BY A MEMBER OF THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT A MEMBER OF THAT ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOOD PERSONALLY SPOKE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND NOW THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT BEING CHANGED ON HIS RECOMMENDED SCENARIO. THIS IS A CHANGE FROM

049FRIDAY TO SATURDAY TO SUNDAY. THIS WAS FURTHER CORROBORATED BY A MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE WITNESS. THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS TWICE AS MANY STUDENTS IMPACTED BY THAT CHANGE ON FRIDAY, EFFECTIVELY REDUCING THAT CHANGE BY MORE THAN 60%. AND THERE'S REALLY NO REASON TO CHANGE BECAUSE THERE'S NO COST-SAVINGS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BETWEEN THE TWO CHANGES. WE ARE REQUESTING THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD VOTE FOR THE ANALYSIS THAT WE AS TAXPAYERS PAID FOR OR TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT PATH WITH OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS UNTIL NEW DEVELOPMENTS CAN MOVE INTO THEIR NEW SCHOOLS. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ALLEY WILBUR. I SPOKE TO YOU LAST WEEK ABOUT THE BOUNDARY FAILURE FOR TURNER/BARTELS K-8 AND THE FACT THAT SCENARIO 4 DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS THEM. I APPRECIATE AND AGREE THAT BOUNDARY CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT NEED TO

050BE ADDRESSED AND THE SOONER THE BETTER. BUT DOING IT QUICKLY SHOULD NEVER BE A BIGGER PRIORITY THAN DOING IT RIGHT. LAST WEEK, I TOLD YOU ABOUT ONE OF OUR MANY BUSES THAT TRAVELS FROM FLETCHER AND USF AREA TO TBK-8 OUT ON THE EDGE OF THE COUNTY. THIS BUS GETS PICKED UP AT 6:12 A.M. FOR OUR 7:40 START TIME. THIS BUS PICKS UP 17.5 MILES FROM OUR CAMPUS. THE BUS STOP IS LESS THAN TWO MILES FROM ADAMS. IT'S ALSO CLOSER TO SULPHUR SPRINGS K-8, PIZZO, GRECO, BUCHANAN, LIBERTY, AND BENITO. LAST WEEK, WE LISTENED TO SEVERAL PARENTS TALK ABOUT THEIR SUPPORT FOR SCENARIO 4 BECAUSE IT KEEPS THEIR CHILDREN IN THEIR DESIRED SCHOOLS. AND I FEEL FOR THOSE PARENTS. EVERYBODY WANTS WHAT'S IN THEIR OWN CHILD'S BEST INTEREST. YOU KNOW WHO WE DIDN'T HEAR FROM? WE DIDN'T

051HEAR FROM THE FAMILIES WHO CAN'T TAKE OFF WORK AT 4 P.M. ON A TUESDAY OR SHOW UP HERE AT 10 A.M. WE DIDN'T HEAR FROM THE GROWN-UPS OF HUNDREDS OF KIDS AT TURNER/BARTELS AND OTHER SCHOOLS WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THE INSIDE OF THEIR CHILD'S CLASSROOM BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION OR THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO GET THERE. AND THEY CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE HERE TODAY. WHEN WE SAID THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE A FEW MINUTES AGO, I WAS REALLY STRUCK BECAUSE WE SAID "JUSTICE FOR ALL." WE SAID THE WORDS "FOR ALL." MY CONCERN IS NOT MY OWN CHILDREN. MY OWN CHILDREN WILL BE FINE. MY CONCERN IS THE 200 KIDS THAT COME FROM FOUR DIFFERENT TRANSFORMATION ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND ARE BUSED MILES AND MILES AWAY TO A SCHOOL THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE

052SAME RESOURCES. THE KIDS WHO WILL NO LONGER HAVE READINGS AND MATH COACHES. THE KIDS WHOSE PARENTS NEVER GET TO STEP FOOT ON OUR CAMPUS. THE KIDS WHO DON'T GET TO PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. THE KIDS WHO GET ON A BUS 45 MINUTES BEFORE MY OWN CHILDREN EVEN WAKE UP IN THE MORNING. AND WHO RETURN HOME AN HOUR AFTER I PICK MINE UP IN A CAR LINE. THE KIDS WHO NEVER GET TO ATTEND TRUNK OR TREAT OR A SCHOOL CARNIVAL OR DOUGHNUTS WITH GROWN-UPS. THE KIDS WHOSE GROWN-UPS DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO STAND UP HERE TODAY AND FIGHT FOR THEIR LIGHT TO HAVE THE SAME EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE THAT MINE DO. HERE'S WHAT I'M ASKING: CONTINUE TO WORK ON THIS. CONTINUE TO TAKE A DEEPER LOOK AT EACH SCHOOL AND EACH DISTRICT AND LET'S GET

053THAT RIGHT BECAUSE ALL OF OUR CHILDREN DESERVE THAT. Nadia Combs: NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HI. I'M HOLLY TOWNSEND. I WAS HERE LAST WEEK. I ALSO SPOKE TO YOU ABOUT TURNER/BARTELS. I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY THE DECISION YOU ALL ARE ABOUT TO MAKE TODAY IS IN REFERENCE TO THE PROPOSED BOUNDARIES. WITH EACH PASSING WEEK SINCE DECEMBER, I HAVE BECOME MORE AND MORE ENGROSSED IN LEARNING ALL I CAN ABOUT THE BOUNDARY LINES THAT DETERMINE HOW STUDENTS ARE ASSIGNED TO TBK-8. I HAVE BEEN A PARENT AT TBK-8 SINCE 2016. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAVE SEEN THE FULL PICTURE OF OUR BOUNDARIES BOTH THEORETICALLY AND PHYSICALLY. I HAVE WATCHED AND READ AND HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE COME TO OUR SCHOOL FOR ELEMENTARY AND THEN THEY FRANTICALLY RUN AWAY TO CHARTERS AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS. I

054ASSUMED IT WAS JUST GENERIC MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HOW PUBLIC SCHOOL IS RAN. BUT WE DUG DEEP. WE DUG DEEP INTO THOSE BOUNDARY LINES. WE DUG INTO THOSE ROUTES, THOSE BUS ROUTES ALLEY JUST SPOKE ABOUT, AND WE DUG INTO OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT WE ARE FAILING A GROUP OF CHILDREN DURING THEIR MOST DIFFICULT YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT -- MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE FOUND THAT STUDENTS ARE COMING FROM FOUR TRANSFORMATION ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, BUT THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT AND THEIR TITLE 1 FUNDING DOES NOT FOLLOW THEM. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, YOU AND OUR TEAM, YOU-ALL HAVE DONE AMAZING THINGS TRANSFORMATION SCHOOLS FOR THE CHILDREN, FOR THE FAMILIES AND FOR THE TEACHERS THAT YOU'VE INCENTIVIZED BUT OVER 200 CHILDREN AT TBK-8 BUSED IN ALMOST 18 MILES. THEY ARE BUSSED IN, AND THEY ARE MISSING OUT. WITH EACH PASSING YEAR, THAT BIG

055WORD, THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, IS WIDENING, BASED ON LAST YEAR'S SIP, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ALL THE ACRONYMS WE TALK ABOUT, IN THE SPRING OF 2022, 72% OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED FIFTH GRADERS WHO COME FROM ABOUT THE THREE-MILE RADIUS AROUND US TBK-8, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THEY WERE ZONED TO FOR ELEMENTARY. THEY WERE PROFICIENT IN READING. 87% GRADE LEVEL AS A WHOLE. THEN COMES ALONG MIDDLE SCHOOL. HOWEVER, THOUGH, IN SIXTH GRADE, THAT SAME YEAR, ONLY 16% OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WERE PROFICIENT AND 44% OF THE GRADE LEVEL AS A WHOLE. I DID NOT WRITE THIS HERE, BUT I'M GOING TO TELL IT. MY OWN SIXTH GRADER WHO WAS ONE OF THOSE FIFTH GRADERS LAST YEAR, HE NOW SITS IN A TITLE IC SCHOOL RIGHT IN DISTRICT 5 AT A MAGNET SCHOOL. HE HAS MOVED

056UP PROFICIENCY. IT WORKS. THE SYSTEM WORKS WHEN THEY ARE ABLE TO GET IT. IF SCENARIO 4 PASSES TODAY, THESE KIDS WILL WATCH THEIR NEIGHBORS TO THE EAST AND THE WEST BE MOVED TO CLOSER SCHOOLS, BUT THEY WILL NOT. EVERY CHILD, EVERY FAMILY DESERVES THE ABILITY TO BE INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION AND RECEIVE THE SERVICES. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. TERRY CISCO. YOU KNOW THAT I DOVE INTO CHAMBERLAIN HIGH SCHOOL. CHAMBERLAIN IS JUST IMPROVING LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. IT'S SO FUN TO WATCH. WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. DON'T MAKE ANY MISTAKES ABOUT IT. AS I DOVE INTO THE PROBLEMS AT CHAMBERLAIN, I UNCOVERED THAT THE PROBLEMS START AT ADAMS. ADAMS IS SYSTEMICALLY BROKEN. 73% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE FSA 1s AND 2s. CHAMBERLAIN IS NEVER GOING TO BE A

057B OR AN A SCHOOL WHEN ITS FEEDER SCHOOLS ARE FSA 1s AND 2s. I LOVED THE FACT THAT THIS STAFF BEHIND ME AND YOU-ALL LISTENED AND CAME UP WITH A PLAN FOR ADAMS THAT I THINK IS JUST STUNNING. I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE CARROLLWOOD K-8 BECAUSE THAT WILL CREATE A COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO STAY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. FOR THOSE WHO ARE TALKING ABOUT BUSING YOUR STUDENTS, MY DAUGHTER IS 44 TODAY. GREW UP IN PUBLIC EDUCATION HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. SHE WENT TO ORANGE GROVE SIXTH GRADE CENTER. YOU REMEMBER THE DAYS, RIGHT? SHE WENT TO SLIGH 7th GRADE CENTER. SHE WAS BUSSED FROM WHERE WE LIVE IN LAKE MAGDALENE TO ALL OF THE SCHOOLS. THEN SHE WENT TO BUCHANAN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THEN TO CHAMBERLAIN. YOU KNOW

058WHAT HAPPENED? WHEN CHAMBERLAIN PLAYED GAITHER, ALL THEIR FRIENDS WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE THEY MET KIDS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTY. THEY BECAME REALLY GOOD FRIENDS WITH KIDS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. AND THOSE KIDS HAVE BECOME HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, FROM BRAD HOLMES THAT'S NOW THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN GENERAL MANAGER AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE DETROIT LIONS TO ADAM GOLDSTEIN, HE STARTED A VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT COMPANY. HE JUST HAD A $1 BILLION SALE TO UNITED AIRLINES. IT GOES ON AND ON. AND IN TERMS OF C SCHOOLS BEING SUCCESSFUL, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT -- A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL KIDS COMING OUT OF OUR C SCHOOL AT CHAMBERLAIN. IN FACT, OUR NUMBER ONE STUDENT JUST GOT A FULL RIDE TO PRINCETON

059IN A C SCHOOL. YOU COULD GET A GREAT EDUCATION IN A C SCHOOL. WHAT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT ARE THOSE FSA 1s AND 2s THAT TEND TO BRING THAT SCORE DOWN BECAUSE THERE'S MORE OF THEM THAN OF THE 3s, 4s, AND 5s. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO STRONGLY CONSIDER THAT OPTION 4. AND LET'S REALLY MAKE A CHANGE FOR NOT JUST ONE CATEGORY OF STUDENT, BUT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. WE'VE GOT TO FIX ADAMS AND WE'VE GOT TO FIX THE COMMUNITY OF SCHOOLS. THANK YOU GUYS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. THANK YOU FOR LETTING US ALL SPEAK TO YOU ALL. AND I LOVE YOUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS. THAT WAS VERY EFFECTIVE. I CHOSE CHAMBERLAIN THE OTHER NIGHT BECAUSE IT WAS CLOSEST TO ME, BUT I WANTED TO GO TO MADISON, BUT THAT WAS TOO

060FAR FROM LUTZ. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT LUTZ NOT HAVING WELL-LIT STREETS AND NO SIDEWALKS UP AND DOWN LIVINGSTON. AND I HEARD THERE WERE QUITE A FEW STUDENTS FROM MANISCALCO THAT WILL BE SENT TO MORT WHICH IS ON A VERY BUSY STREET CALLED BEARSS. WITHOUT LIGHTING AND 40 MILES AN HOUR, THEY REALLY DO SPEED THERE AS MUCH AS 60, EVEN THOUGH IT'S 40. AN AWFUL LOT OF KIDS ARE WALKING IN A DARK NEIGHBORHOOD DOWN LIVINGSTON AND INSIDE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NO SIDEWALKS UP AND DOWN LIVINGSTON AND ALSO INSIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN LUTZ. SO THAT'S A SAFETY ISSUE. NOW, AS A TEACHER, I TAUGHT FIRST GRADE IN NEW TAMPA AND CLEAR OVER IN TOWN N' COUNTRY. MANY OF MY KIDS WERE CHALLENGING AND FOR SOME REASON I USUALLY GOT ALL THE MINORITY KIDS ASSIGNED TO MY CLASS.

061BEING AN OLDER TEACHER, THEY FIGURED I COULD HANDLE IT I GUESS. BUT MANY OF THOSE KIDS WERE RUSHED TO BREAKFAST AND A FEW OF THEM WERE KIND OF BAD ON THEIR BUSES. AND THE PRINCIPAL NEVER DID ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR. SO THAT MIGHT BE WHY YOU HAVE A SHORTAGE OF BUS DRIVERS. THAT WAS OVER TEN YEARS AGO, BUT YOU STILL MIGHT HAVE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS ON YOUR BUSES. I KNOW THE PAY IS NOT GREAT, BUT THE PAY FOR TEACHERS ISN'T GREAT EITHER. AND IN 22 YEARS, I NEVER GOT THANKED OR PRAISED BY ONE PRINCIPAL, EVER, IN ALL THE SCHOOLS I TAUGHT AT. I'M A RETIRED MATH, SCIENCE, READING, RESOURCE, AND SPECIAL ED TEACHER AND MANY OTHER AREAS, GIFTED, TOO. SO THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF YOUR TEACHERS ARE LEAVING. IT'S NOT OF THE GREAT PAY THAT

062WE DON'T GET. IT'S PRAISE AND A LOT OF THANKING TO THE TEACHERS. I'M SURE YOUR BUS DRIVERS WOULD LIKE TO BE PRAISED, TOO, BY THE PRINCIPALS. SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, AND I LOVED ALL MY MINORITY KIDS BECAUSE THEY WERE LIKE MY OWN CHILDREN. I EVEN BOUGHT THEM AN UMBRELLA BECAUSE THEY HAD TO STAND OUT IN THE COLD AND THE RAIN WAITING ON BUSES THAT SOMETIMES DIDN'T COME. SO A LOT OF THEM -- OH, AND WHISTLE FOR LITTLE KIDS THAT WERE AFRAID TO SUPERVISE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE CROSSWALKS. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF TEACHING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU ARE THE FIRST. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HELLO, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME

063IS KRISTIN VALLEY GARIN. I'M HERE TO OFFER INPUT ON THE PROPOSED FULL REPURPOSING OF CLEVELAND ELEMENTARY. I WAS A LITERACY COACH AND TEACHER AT CLEVELAND FOR FIVE YEARS. CURRENTLY ON AN EDUCATION LEAVE TO BE HERE TODAY TO SHARE THOUGHTS THAT MANY COULDN'T BECAUSE OF THE TIMING OF THE MEETING. FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THAT I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE TOUGH DECISIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE AND THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT YOU-ALL ARE CONSIDERING WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS. I KNOW YOU HAVE HEARD FROM MANY CONCERNED FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. BUT I WANT TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS SPECIFIC TO THE CLEVELAND SITUATION BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THOSE VOICES HAVE BEEN HEARD. CLEVELAND IS NEARLY 100 YEARS OLD AND IT IS A TRUE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL. THERE ARE ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS SUCH

064AS THE TAMPA HOUSING AUTHORITY, THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH ONLY ONE BUS, MANY STUDENTS, MOST STUDENTS, WALK TO SCHOOL. WITH THE PROPOSED CHANGES, MOST STUDENTS WILL BE TRAVELING FURTHER EACH DAY TO GET TO THEIR NEW SCHOOLS. CLEVELAND IS A GENERATIONAL SCHOOL. MANY FAMILIES I HAVE SPOKEN TO SINCE PHASE TWO BEGAN HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERN AT TIME WITH TEARS IN THEIR EYES ABOUT LOSING A PLACE WHERE GENERATIONS OF THEIR FAMILIES HAVE ATTENDED SCHOOL. TEACHERS AND STAFF, SOME OF WHO HAVE BEEN TEACHING THERE OVER 20 YEARS, ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME GRIEF. AS SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS AND SPEAKERS TODAY HAVE POINTED OUT, AND IS TRUE FOR SCHOOL CLOSURE REFORMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE MOST IMPACTED STUDENTS COME FROM COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. CLEVELAND IS NO EXCEPTION WITH 50% BLACK AND 37% LATINX STUDENTS. I DO BELIEVE THAT

065THE SUPERINTENDENT AND EACH BOARD MEMBER WANTS TO GIVE STUDENTS A BETTER EDUCATION BUT I'M NOT CONVINCED THIS IS DOING THAT FOR CLEVELAND STUDENTS. CLEVELAND HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY IMPROVING ITS SCHOOL GRADE. IT IS NOT A SCHOOL WITH MULTIPLE TEACHING VACANCIES. IN FACT, THERE ARE NONE, ACCORDING TO THE DATA RELEASED DURING PHASE TWO, CLEVELAND WAS ACTUALLY OVERCAPACITY JUST THREE YEARS AGO. SO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO MAKE SUCH A DRASTIC DECISION WITHOUT FIRST CONSIDERING OTHER OPTIONS WITH TRUE INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY. MANY FAMILIES EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY INPUT, NAVIGATING THE MAP-BASED A TOOL WAS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT ON MOBILE DEVICES. HOWEVER, I DO THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA THAT WAS PROVIDED FROM COMMUNITY FEEDBACK YOU WILL FIND THAT MANY FAMILIES EXPRESSED THEIR OPPOSITION TO SCENARIO 2, WHICH INCLUDED THE FULL REPURPOSING OF CLEVELAND.

066I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS, PERHAPS A PARTIAL REPURPOSING, CONSIDERING OTHER WAYS TO IMPROVE ENROLLMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, CLEVELAND APPLIED TO BE A COMMUNITY SCHOOL A FEW YEARS AGO BUT WASN'T ACCEPTED IN THAT PROGRAM. BEFORE MAKING A POTENTIALLY HARMFUL DECISION WHICH IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS, FAMILY OR COMMUNITY. I HAVE PERSONALLY SPOKEN AND OBTAINED OVER 70 SIGNATURES ON A PETITION WHICH URGES YOU NOT TO CLOSE CLEVELAND. PLEASE DON'T THINK BECAUSE THE FAMILIES MAYBE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME TO THE MEETINGS THAT THEY DO NOT CARE. I URGE YOU TO AT LEAST VISIT THE SCHOOL, SPEAK WITH THE COMMUNITY, SPEAK WITH THE FAMILIES, SPEAK WITH THE TEACHERS AND THE STAFF BEFORE MAKING SUCH A HUGE DECISION. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT ANYONE WHO WALKS THROUGH THE DOORS WILL SEE WHY WE

067ALL FEEL CLEVELAND IS SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. IF WE COULD MAKE SURE SPEAKERS 21 THROUGH 25 ARE UP AGAINST THE WALL AND THE NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HI. MY NAME IS LISA TOWEL. I APPRECIATE THE TIME BEING GIVEN FOR ME TO ADDRESS YOU ALL TODAY. I SUPPORT OPTION 4. I ALSO SERVE ON THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COUNCIL FOR MY COMPANY. I SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS HEALTH DISPARITY ISSUES. MY HUSBAND SERVES ON THE BOARD OF THE SANTIAGO FOUNDATION FOR UNDERSERVED HISPANIC STUDENTS, AND MY GRANDMOTHER GREW UP ON 7th AVENUE IN YBOR CITY. WE ARE WELL AWARE OF MANY OF THE ISSUES. I'VE TAKEN THE DAY OFF OF WORK TO ADDRESS THE SCHOOL BOARD BECAUSE I HAVE FOLLOWED THE PROCESS THROUGH MEDIA AND HAVE HEARD A FEW COMMENTS THAT

068I WOULD LIKE TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS REGARDING THE PARENTS IN BEACH PARK. ON THE 59 -- I'M A 59-YEAR-OLD TAMPA NATIVES WHO MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILY ATTENDED THE SCHOOLS IN QUESTION. I'M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN GRADY WAS A C- RATED SCHOOL AND PLANT WAS CERTAINLY NOT THE SCHOOL IT IS TODAY. I ALSO WATCHED MY DAUGHTER LITERALLY SWELTER AT PLANT IN 2016 BEFORE THE AC SITUATION WAS ADDRESSED. THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOW SUCCESSFUL ARE THE RESULT OF MY FAMILY, AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS PUTTING IN A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND EFFORT. DURING MY CHILDREN'S TIME AT PLANT, I ATTENDED MUSIC PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS AT GAITHER AND STRAWBERRY CREST. BOTH AUDITORIUMS RIVALED THAT OF THE STRAZ. I ASKED WHY PLANT WAS NOT GIVEN ANY FUNDING FOR THE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD AUDITORIUM. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO BUDGET. EVERYTHING THAT PLANT

069HAS HAS BEEN RAISED THROUGH THE PARENTS. TAMPA IS GROWING EVERY DAY. NOT ALL OF US PROFIT FROM THIS GROWTH AND, IN FACT, MANY OF US FEEL THE ILL EFFECTS FROM THE GROWTH, INCLUDING TRAFFIC AND COST OF LIVING HIGHER THAN OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY. NOW, WE ARE BEING TOLD THAT THERE IS NO ROOM IN ■THE SCHOOLS WE NOURISHED. WE ARE BEING CALLED PRIVILEGE AND ENTITLED. WE HAVE ANOTHER TITLE. WE'RE VOTERS. WE VOTED PEOPLE IN TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY ALL SCHOOLS. SOUTH TAMPA HAS AN UNCHARACTERISTICALLY HIGH VOTER TURNOUT. WE ALSO HAVE SOCIAL NETWORKS. WE WILL REMEMBER HOW EVERYONE VOTED WHEN WE GO TO THE POLLS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS PAULA PERRY. I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO VOTE FOR A MODIFIED VERSION OF SCENARIO 4. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS,

070THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME SOLICITING INPUT FROM FAMILIES AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL. AND RESIDENTS. IT WAS SOLICITED WHEN THERE WERE PROPOSALS 1, 2, AND 3, AND WE GAVE THAT INPUT AND THIS IS OUR SCENARIO. I'M A RESIDENT OF BEACH PARK WHERE I'VE RAISED MY FAMILY FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS. THIS YEAR, BEACH PARK CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY AND FOR THE PAST 97 YEARS, THOSE FAMILIES AND GENERATIONS OF THOSE FAMILIES HAVE ATTENDED PLANT HIGH SCHOOL. WE HELPED BUILD IT. WE SUPPORT IT. PLEASE DO NOT DIVIDE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR MOVE NORTH BON AIR OR WESTSHORE PALMS FOR A QUICK FIX FOR THE BUDGET. I DO NOT WANT TO FEEL BELITTLED OR ASHAMED BY ANYONE ON THIS BOARD BECAUSE I LIVE IN DISTRICT 2. I'M A GRADUATE FROM HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL. I

071WAS BUSED TO FRANKLIN. I GRADUATED FROM BRANDON. IT WAS NOT A C AT THE TIME, AND I'M SAD TO HEAR THAT IT'S NOT AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT WAS IN THE DAY. I'M A DAUGHTER OF A FORMER HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER. AND I'M THE PARENT OF A PLANT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE. WHILE I LIVE IN DISTRICT 2, MY FAMILY, MY EXTENDED FAMILY LIVES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND WE DO ALL VOTE. PLEASE CONSIDER SCENARIO 4. PLEASE LOOK AT THE ISSUES THAT THESE OTHER FAMILIES AND CITIZENS HAVE BROUGHT FORTH. I THINK THEY ARE WORTH CONSIDERING. I DO HAVE PERSONAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FIRM, THE CONSULTANT THAT CAME UP WITH ALL OF THESE SCENARIOS. THEY ARE AN ARCHITECT DESIGN-BUILD FIRM. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHY THEY ARE REDISTRICTING SCHOOLS WHEN THEIR EXPERTISE SEEMS TO BE IN P. I

072PREFER IF WE -- IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I PREFER WE NOT SELL OUR SCHOOLS, MONROE OR JUST. I DON'T THINK THAT SERVES OUR COUNTY WELL OR OUR CHILDREN WELL, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE BUILDING GOING ON. I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ROBIN LOCKETT. I WAS HERE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WHEN THERE WAS ONLY STANDING ROOM ONLY HERE. AND I PROPOSED A DILEMMA. I SAID YOU GUYS HAVE A DILEMMA ON YOUR HAND. WE DON'T WANT TO BE BUSED OUT AND THEY DON'T WANT TO BE BUSED IN. WHO WINS? ALL RIGHT. SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HAS WON, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE UPSET ABOUT THEIR KIDS BEING BUSED OUT ALSO. HOW DO YOU

073FIX THIS? I DON'T AGREE WITH THE PLAN NUMBER 4. I THINK THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS PLAN IS LACKING. I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS MEETING, I DON'T HAVE A KID IN SCHOOL. I CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY. I CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN IT. I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS MEETING LAST NIGHT. AND THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE. SO HOW ARE YOU REACHING THE PARENTS? HOW ARE YOU REACHING THE PARENTS? I AGREE WITH YVETTE, PRESIDENT OF NAACP. DON'T JUDGE AND JEOPARDIZE OUR KIDS BECAUSE THE PARENTS HAVE TO WORK. THE PARENTS DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION. THERE HAS TO BE A HALT TO THIS. WHAT'S CONCERNING TO ME ALSO IS THAT DURING THE TIME -- AND I'M ALL ABOUT KUM BA YAH. I'M ALL ABOUT TOGETHERNESS. I'M ALL ABOUT UNITY. IF I SEE

074SOMEONE HURTING, EVEN IF I'M NOT AFFECTED, I'LL SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT, HENCE WHY I'M HERE TODAY. THERE WAS SO MUCH UNITY WHEN EVERYBODY WAS BEING HURT BY THE THREE PLANS, GETTING PHONE CALLS THERE ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY BECAUSE THEY WANTED US TO PROVIDE A UNITED FRONT. BUT THE SAD THING IS, WHEN SOMETHING, WHEN YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED, YOU MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE STILL LEFT BEHIND HURTING. SO WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM COMMUNITIES, THAT'S EVERYBODY, ALTHOUGH YOU'VE GOTTEN WHAT YOU WANTED AND YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH IT, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE AFFECTED BY IT. YOU'RE NOT BEING AFFECTED BY IT RIGHT NOW BUT I GUARANTEE YOU KNOW SOMEBODY THAT IS. UNTIL EVERYBODY HAS EQUITY, NOTHING IS GOING TO GO RIGHT, NOTHING IS. SO TAKE TIME. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT,

075AND WE NEED TO HAVE THAT. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS RACHAEL COX. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD TODAY. AFTER MUCH CONSIDERATION, MY OPINION IS THAT SCENARIO 4 SHOULD NOT BE ADOPTED. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REVISIONS THAT WERE MADE FRIDAY, THE 24th AND SENT OUT TO THE PUBLIC OF PARENTS AFTER 5 P.M. THE REVISION INCLUDED ADDITIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THE COMMUNITIES NEVER SAW DURING THE MEETINGS. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REVIEW NEW CHANGES, REVISIT WHAT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED. ONE MAJOR CONSIDERATION IN ANY REZONING SHOULD BE THE POTENTIAL IMPACT TO OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION. THE REVISED SCENARIO 4, IT DECREASES ENROLLMENT IN BLOOMINGDALE HIGH SCHOOL SIGNIFICANTLY WHILE SIGNIFICANTLY ADDING ENROLLMENT TO BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL. AS YOU'VE PREVIOUSLY HEARD, BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL WAS PLACED BOTTOM 50%

076OF THE SCHOOL AND OVERALL TEST SCORES FOR 2021. SIGNIFICANTLY ADDING MORE STUDENTS TO A PER TEACHER IS PROVEN TO HAVE NEGATIVE INFLUENCES ON LEARNING. THE REVISED SCENARIO INCREASED THE ENROLLMENT TO BRANDON HIGH SCHOOL BY 292 STUDENTS FRIDAY. WHEREAS, THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL THAT THE COMMUNITY SAW, THOSE 292 STUDENTS WERE ZONED FOR BLOOMINGDALE. BLOOMINGDALE STILL SAW A DEFICIT OF 221 STUDENTS BY THE ORIGINAL PLAN. STUDENTS TODAY ARE FACING STAGGERING RATES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AND ACCORDING TO SEVERAL REPORTS, YOU'VE GOT UCL DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, FRESHMAN FIND THE TRANSITION BETWEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL OVERWHELMING AND THEY END UP REPEATING NINTH GRADE OR DROPPING OUT ALTOGETHER. OTHER RESEARCH SHOWED THAT ONCE A MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITIONED TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH CLASSMATES LESSENS THE STRENGTH AND IMPROVES CONFIDENCE AND OVERALL GRADES AND GRADUATION. BASICALLY, FRIENDSHIPS THAT ARE CULTIVATED IN

077MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE FEEDER PROGRAMS TO THESE HIGH SCHOOLS ARE IMPORTANT. BY SEPARATING THAT, YOU'RE TAKING A RISK THAT'S UNNECESSARY. THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL WITH THOSE 292 STUDENTS DOESN'T NEED TO BE HAD. WHEN WE MOVED TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, ONE OF OUR MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS WAS SCHOOL ZONES. WE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS AND PURCHASED A HOME WITHIN THE TWO SCHOOL ZONES THAT WE CHOSE. NOW YOU'RE TAKING A CHANCE AND NEGATIVELY IMPACTING MY DAUGHTER AND 292 OTHER STUDENTS THAT DID THE SAME THING. THERE'S NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM, BUT I DO ASK THAT YOU DO NOT VOTE YES TODAY AND THAT YOU REVISIT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS HAPPY. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HELLO. I'M JENNIFER COLLINS. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE TIME YOU'RE TAKING TO CONSIDER THESE BOUNDARY CHANGES. I ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE TO TALK

078TO YOU TODAY ABOUT TWO POINTS. ONE, MY FRIEND'S DAUGHTER RECENTLY WAS INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVOLVING A STUDENT WHO WAS ON A MOTORBIKE AND SHE WAS IN THE CAR IN FRONT AND THE MOTORBIKE CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. TO BE ON CAMPUS WITH A CAR, STUDENTS HAVE TO SHOW PROOF OF INSURANCE, I UNDERSTAND, BUT WE ARE ENCOURAGING OUR STUDENTS TO CHOOSE A VERY UNSAFE FORM OF TRANSPORT, THE MOTORBIKE, AS THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO SHOW INSURANCE, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T EVEN NEED INSURANCE FOR THE MOTORBIKE. ON BEHALF OF MY FRIEND WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY, I ASK YOU TO PLEASE TAKE A LOOK INTO THIS FOR THE SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF OUR CHILDREN. SO I'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY TO IMPLORE SOMEONE ON THE BOARD TO MAKE THAT MOTION AND FOR ALL OF

079YOU TO HOPEFULLY VOTE TO GRANDFATHER IN ALL THOSE WHO ARE RECOMMENDED IN THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. SO WHETHER OR NOT YOU REACH THAT CONSENSUS TODAY ON THE ACTUAL BOUNDARY CHANGES. AS WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST, I'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE JUNIORS IN PARTICULAR, THE RISING JUNIORS, BECAUSE THEY WERE ONE OF THE MOST AFFECTED GROUPS DURING COVID. RISING JUNIORS TAKING THOSE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL CLASSES IN THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL DURING THE HEIGHT OF COVID, IMPACTING THEIR HIGH SCHOOL GPA AND COVID WAS A HUGE DETRIMENT TO THEIR LEARNING OVERALL AS THEY TRANSITION TO THE ONLINE LEARNING. THESE STUDENTS ARE ALSO TAKING THE CERTIFICATES IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOLS AND MOVING THEM, NOW THEY CAN'T SIMPLY TAKE ENOUGH CLASSES IN A DIFFERENT SCHOOL AND A NEW TRACK TO FULFILL A NEW CERTIFICATE AND MANY SCHOOLS THAT MIGHT

080MOVE, THEY MIGHT MOVE TO DON'T HAVE THE SAME OFFERINGS AS THEIR CURRENT SCHOOL OFFERINGS. SO THERE'S NO WAY TO COMPLETE THEIR CERTIFICATES IN THEIR CAREER TRACK BEFORE THEIR GRADUATION, NEGATIVELY IMPACTING THEIR FUTURE. SO THESE STUDENTS HAVE THEREFORE BEEN GREATLY AFFECTED AND THE POPULATION WHO WILL BE HARDEST HIT. AND YOU CAN PROTECT THAT POPULATION AND ALL THOSE THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT RECOMMENDED BY MAKING THAT MOTION TO SUPPORT THIS REQUEST. SO WHILE YOU MAY OR MAY NOT REACH A CONSENSUS TODAY ON THE BOUNDARY SCENARIO, YOU CAN PROVIDE A LOT OF RELIEF IN THE COUNTY TO THE PARENTS AND TO THE STUDENTS, MOST IMPORTANTLY, BY AT LEAST ADDRESSING THIS GRANDFATHERING ISSUE TODAY. SO THAT THEY ARE GRANDFATHERED AT LEAST THROUGH THAT 2024 SEASON, SEMESTER. THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT RECOMMENDED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

081GOOD MORNING. I'M KATHERINE LOWRY STRAZ. LIKE MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS BUILDING, I'M A GRADUATE OF PLANT HIGH SCHOOL. MUCH OF MY FAMILY, INCLUDING MY FATHER, AUNTS, UNCLES, COUSINS, NIECES, NEPHEWS, I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE NOTION OF HOLDING TOGETHER BEACH PARK, BON AIR, WESTSHORE PALMS, KEEPING THIS GROUP OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHO ARE WORKING WELL TOGETHER MOVING FORWARD DOING THE SAME. I ALSO AM A LITTLE ALARMED AS I HEAR PEOPLE ASKING YOU NOT TO VOTE TODAY BECAUSE PERSONALLY I THOUGHT IT WAS COMING TO A FIRST READING AND DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS A VOTE ON THE TABLE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I WANT TO THANK YOU. THANK EACH OF YOU WHO I HAVE SEEN AT SOME OF THE MEETINGS AND HAVE LISTENED TO, I BELIEVE YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING CAREFULLY. I BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE DILIGENTLY CONSIDERED MONEY MATTERS

082BECAUSE IT DOES MATTER, BUT I ALSO HAVE BEEN HEARTENED -- SORRY -- THAT YOU ARE PLACING VALUE ON THINGS THAT ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN DOLLARS AND CENTS. SORRY. I'M A PRODUCT OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM. I BELIEVE STRONGLY IN THE SYSTEM THAT IS HERE. IN FACT, IT USED TO BE THE 8th LARGEST. NOW IT IS THE 7th LARGEST, SO WE'RE GROWING. AND I UNDERSTAND DIFFICULT DECISIONS MUST BE MADE. I WOULD IMPLORE YOU TO KEEP TOGETHER DISTRICTS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THAT BEING TOGETHER WITH LIKE-MINDED PARENTS AND CLASSMATES IS A FUNDAMENTAL SUCCESS INGREDIENT. THANK YOU AGAIN. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO RETURNED MY CALL. I COULDN'T GET BACK TO EVERYONE BEFORE THE MEETING THIS MORNING. THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT, AND MADAM CHAIR,

083AND EVERYONE WHO CALLED ME BACK TODAY. I'M REPRESENTING THE TAMPA ORGANIZATION OF BLACK AFFAIRS AND OUR AFFILIATE SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST GROUP. THESE GENTLEMEN THAT ARE WITH ME ARE GOING TO SPEAK ON THEIR OWN. BUT MY BOARD MEMBER AND FELLOW BOARD MEMBER ATTORNEY KEN PARIS SPOKE EARLIER AND SPOKE EFFECTIVELY ABOUT WHERE WE STAND IN OUR ORGANIZATION ON THIS MATTER. I'LL SAY THIS, THAT WE LOOKED AT DATA AND FACTS AROUND SOME OF THE SCENARIOS INVOLVING CLOSING SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT IT HAD ON FAMILIES, IN PARTICULAR DISTRICT FIVE. AND WE LOOKED AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW RESIDENTIAL UNITS WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY THAT ARE NEW, NEW DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON WEST RIVER AND ROME YARD PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO GENERATE ABOUT 2,000 UNITS, SOME ARE ONE TO FIVE BEDROOM RESIDENCES. THOSE ARE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES MOVING INTO

084THE COMMUNITY. IT'S HARD TO SITE REAL ESTATE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UNDERSTANDING IF YOU CLOSE THE SCHOOL AND NOW YOU HAVE A NEED TO HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE COMING INTO THAT COMMUNITY WITH THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY THERE, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO SITE THAT MUCH ACREAGE AND PROVIDE A SCHOOL THAT'S A COMMUNITY-BASED SCHOOL FOR THOSE PARTICULAR COMMUNITIES. WE WOULD HOPE THAT YOU WOULD PAUSE, NOT TAKE A VOTE ON THIS TODAY. THERE'S TOO MUCH YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE FROM THE NAACP AND THE FOLKS FROM PLANT HIGH SCHOOL AREA, BUT ALSO IN SOUTH COUNTY WHERE THERE ARE OVERPOPULATED SCHOOLS, JUST LIKE UNDERPOPULATED SCHOOLS. YOU HAVE MORE PRIORITIES TO DEAL WITH. OVERPOPULATED SCHOOLS THAT ARE HIGH PRIORITIES. YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT AS WELL. WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU PAUSE, NOT TAKE ANY ACTION TODAY. REALLY

085SLOW DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES THAT YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THE FINANCIAL CONCERNS YOU HAVE WITH ALL OF US AGREEING THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY WE WANT THE STUDENTS TO HAVE THE BEST ENVIRONMENT, LEAST IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND FAMILIES. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND HOPE THAT YOU SIMPLY DO NOT VOTE TODAY, PAUSE, AND TAKE MORE ACTION AFTER YOU GET MORE INFORMATION TO MAKE THE BEST POSSIBLE WELL-INFORMED DECISION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JEFFREY AMOS. I AM A PRODUCT ALSO OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. I AM A GRADUATE OF HILLSBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, 1974. SO I HAVE PERSONAL FEELINGS ABOUT CLOSING ANY SCHOOLS. I DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO GO TO THE MIDDLETON HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY

086CLOSED THAT. I GOT A LETTER IN 1971 AS A NINTH GRADER IN THE SUMMER OF 1971, STATING THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO MIDDLETON HIGH SCHOOL. MY PARENTS AS WELL COULD NOT BE TO A MEETING SUCH AS THIS BECAUSE THEY WERE WORKING FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN. SO I AM IN OPPOSITION OF CLOSING ANY OF THE HISTORICAL BLACK SCHOOLS LIKE MIDDLETON OR JUST OR ANY OF THOSE. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS AL SHAREEF. I'M ALSO A FATHER IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. I'M CURRENTLY REPRESENTING OMEGA 5 INCORPORATED. LOCAL CHAPTER HERE IN TAMPA. CONSENSUS NOT LIMITED TO ONE CLASS FAILED PRODUCT OR SERVICE. NOT LIMITED TO ONE CLASS, FILL, PRODUCT OR SERVICE. WE CURRENTLY VOLUNTEER IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE ALSO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO COUNTLESS KIDS TO GO OFF TO COLLEGE. YOU'VE SEEN

087OUR WORK. WE TRY NOT TO MAKE TOO MUCH NOISE. WE TRY NOT TO. I THINK ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE TO DO AS LEADERS IS TO PAUSE AND CONSIDER. WE REALIZE THAT THERE'S TREMENDOUS GROWTH AND TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY AS WELL. I'M FORTUNATE THAT I LIVE OUT BY THE FISHHAWK AREA OR WHATEVER. SO I PAY PRETTY GOOD TAXES. I HEARD MY FRIEND SPEAK EARLIER ABOUT HIS TAX RATES. PAUSE AND CONSIDER. THINK ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. I'VE HAD THREE KIDS GO THROUGH THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. MY DAUGHTER IS GRADUATING HOPEFULLY THIS MAY. I GOT TO SPEND SOME MORE MONEY, SO HOPEFULLY TAX NUMBERS COME DOWN WITH HER COLLEGE CHOICES. BUT I ALSO HAVE THE LAST ONE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL, AS YOU GUYS MAKE THE DECISION, I WANTED TO SHOW MY FACE

088IN SUPPORT OF THE COUNTLESS VOICES THAT YOU'VE % THAT AREN'T HERE. PLEASE CONSIDER THAT. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THE FOLLOWING ITEM WILL NOW BE HEARD. C 7.01. 7.01, FIRST READING OF THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS WILL HIGHLIGHT THIS ITEM. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE THANK, THIS ADMINISTRATION AND THE BOARD THANKS EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER FOR BEING ACTIVELY ENGAGED AND INVOLVED. WHILE THERE MAY BE SUBSET OF COMMUNITIES THAT FEEL THAT ADDITIONAL INVOLVEMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN, KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD SUBSTANTIAL INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS ENTIRE INITIATIVE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE VENDORS AND WHAT THEY DO ACROSS THIS NATION RELATED TO ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RELATED TO THESE TYPE OF SCENARIOS, WE HAVE SURPASSED RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF VIEWS AND

089INTERACTIONS NOT ONLY THAT WE'VE HAD AT FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, BUT ALSO ENGAGEMENTS THAT WE'VE ALSO HAD THROUGH OUR WEB ANALYSIS AND ALSO THE COMMENTS THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE PUT IN PLACE. WE THANK OUR COMMUNITY FOR DOING THAT. WE THANK PARENTS FOR CONTINUING TO BE ADVOCATES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. YOU SHOULD BE HERE BEING ABLE TO CREATE THE BEST SPACE AND PLACE THAT YOU CAN SO WE CAN MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOUR CHILD REACHES HIS OR HER FULL POTENTIAL. I WANT THIS COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS THE SAME, YOU KNOW, PARALLEL CONFIDENCE THAT WE WANT TO GIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ABOUT WHAT WE SERVE AND WHAT WE DO WITHIN THIS ORGANIZATION, AND MAKING CERTAIN THAT EVERY SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF THEIR SCHOOL GRADE, THAT WE MAKE CERTAIN THAT THEY HAVE THE GREATEST PATHWAYS THAT THEY CAN SO

090THAT STUDENTS CAN STAY WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES WITHIN THEIR SPACES AND BE ACTIVELY ENGAGED THOROUGHLY EVERY SINGLE DAY, NOT ONLY DURING SCHOOL, BUT BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL AS WELL, BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT STUDENTS, PART OF THEIR SCHOOL -- THEY BECOME AND EARN GREAT PRIDE WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED INSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM BUT OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM AS WELL. THAT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US IN THIS PROCESS. ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS THAT I'VE HAD TO DO AS SUPERINTENDENT IS COMING IN COVID, KIND OF HINDERED TO BE ABLE TO GET IN THE COMMUNITY. I THINK THIS PROCESS HAS ALLOWED US TO GET BACK IN THE COMMUNITY AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND LISTEN, LEARN, AND GROW THROUGH THIS PROCESS. IN THIS MODEL, MY RECOMMENDATION WAS COMING TODAY WAS GOING TO BRING THE LAST RECOMMENDATION THAT I PRESENTED ON

091FRIDAY, ONE THAT WAS IN A COLLABORATION HYBRID MODEL OF THE THREE SCENARIOS, AND THEN ADDED ONE OR TWO DIFFERENT CHANGES TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE BETTER SCALE AND COMFORTABILITY RELATED TO UTILIZATION OF OUR SCHOOLS. HOWEVER, I ALSO HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THROUGH THE CONVERSATION WE HAD LAST WEEK WITH THE BOARD IS THAT THE BOARD FEELS THAT YOU MAY NEED MORE TIME TO HAVE CONVERSATION WITH EACH OTHER. I THINK THAT IS SO IMPORTANT. WE'VE HEARD HERE TODAY ADVOCATES FOR PLANS, ADVOCATES FOR A PAUSE IN THIS PROCESS, SO THAT WHY I BELIEVE, AND IN MY HEART AND WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. WE CANNOT DO NOTHING. I'VE SAID THAT FROM DAY ONE. WE'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS REUNDERUTILIZED SCHOOLS AND OVERUTILIZED SCHOOLS. MY RECOMMENDATION FOR US TODAY IS FOR US TO BE

092ABLE TO MOVE TO MARCH THE 9th AND NOT ALLOW THAT TO BE A SECOND READING, BUT ALLOW THAT TO BE A WORKSHOP FOR THE BOARD AND FOR US TO REALLY ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND BE VERY EXPLICIT ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO SEE RELATED TO OUTCOMES OF THE BOUNDARY. WHAT WE WANT TO DO TO MAKE CERTAIN SCHOOLS ARE WELL SERVED IN WELL UTILIZED SCHOOL. OUTCOMES WITH UTILIZATION AND CAPACITY, WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB SPELLING THAT OUT, BUT I THINK IT'S FAIR FOR THE BOARD TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. THE FINANCIAL IMPACT, THE OVERALL TIMELINE AND WHAT DO WE DO FOR REPURPOSED SCHOOLS IN THIS PROCESS. I STILL BELIEVE THAT 4 RIGHT NOW THROUGH COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND WHAT COMMUNITY CAN HANDLE IS A STARTING POINT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE

093FORWARD. BUT THERE HAS TO BE ADDITIONAL WORK DONE. WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AS A SCHOOL BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION, AND I THINK THIS ADMINISTRATION -- I THANK THIS ADMINISTRATION FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ADDRESS THIS HARD WORK BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN THE HARDEST WORK WE'VE HAD TO DO AND I'VE HAD TO DO AS A SUPERINTENDENT IN MULTIPLE DISTRICTS BECAUSE WE KNOW WE ARE IMPACTING CHILDREN'S LIVES. TO COME BACK AND HAVE A SPACE FOR THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION, BUT USE THE 9th AS A WORKSHOP. A GENUINE WORKSHOP THAT DOESN'T HAVE MOMENTS OF PRESSING BUTTONS, MOMENTS OF ROTATION MINUTES, BUT LEGITIMATELY BEING EXPLICIT FOR EACH BOARD MEMBER TO HIGHLIGHT AND IDENTIFY TO THIS ADMINISTRATION WHAT YOU EXPECT EXPLICITLY, WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THIS PLAN, WHAT WE WANT TO IDENTIFY

094FROM COMMUNITIES TO IMPACT FOR SCHOOLS, IMPACT FOR STREETS, IMPACT FOR OUR TRACTORS, ALL TO GIVE CLARITY ABOUT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD. FOR THAT, IF WE DO THAT, THERE IS A POTENTIAL TIMELINE BUILT WHERE WE CAN COME BACK ON MARCH THE 23rd AFTER SPRING BREAK FOR THE FIRST HEARING AND THEN POTENTIALLY MARCH THE 30th FOR SECOND HEARING AND ALLOWING THAT TO BE MORE OF A PROCESS. ALSO COMMUNITIES THAT WE NEED TO ACTIVELY CONTINUE TO ENGAGE AND ALSO BEING ABLE TO MEET WITH DISTRICT PASTORS AS WELL TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE PLAN HOLISTICALLY AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. BUT AS I SAID BEFORE, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. WE'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AND TO REPURPOSE SCHOOLS AND TO PARTIALLY REPURPOSE SCHOOLS AND ALSO EXPANSION OF SCHOOLS SUCH AS CARROLLWOOD K-8 THAT NEED TO HAPPEN

095IN THIS COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE CONTINUE TO REKINDLE AND CREATE GREAT MOMENTS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. AT THIS TIME, I PUSH THIS BACK TO THE CHAIR AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS SO WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. WE WILL NOW HAVE INDIVIDUAL SPEAK. BOARD MEMBERS. MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, FOR SHARING YOUR CONCERNS AND EXTREMELY IMPORTANT POINTS, AND THAT'S REALLY MY POINT, TOO. POINT OF PAUSE. THERE IS MUCH TO BE SHOWN AND REVEALED. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY FOR CONSIDERATION, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS AND BOARD, I LOOK AT THE DISTRICT IN A DIFFERENT WAY BECAUSE I REPRESENT THE ENTIRE DISTRICT, YET I'M VERY INVOLVED WITH EACH OF THOSE FIVE DISTRICTS. AND I HAVE HEARD THE VOICES FROM MANY

096OF YOU, JUST AS MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS IS HAVE HEARD THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICT MEMBERS AND FAMILIES. IT'S A TOUGH ONE. IN A WAY WE WANT TO GET IT DONE WITH. WE WANT TO GET IT OVER WITH, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN IN THIS SPACE FOR A LONG TIME. HOWEVER, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WHAT WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT. WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE ACTUAL STUDENT AND FAMILY DEMOGRAPHICS. WE HAVE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT REPRESENT ALMOST 50% OR LET'S SAY 43% HISPANIC FAMILIES. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE'VE REALLY ADEQUATELY HEARD FROM THEM. A LOT OF THAT IS MY -- I'M PUTTING THIS ON MY RADAR BECAUSE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PTA, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SOUTH COUNTY TOWN HALL, BUT THE TIME WAS LIMITED FOR THIS PLAN TO BE HAD. SO WE'LL REENGAGE. BUT WHEN DECISIONS ARE

097NOT REFLECTING THE ACTUAL STUDENTS, THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND THEIR FAMILIES, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT DOING THE FAIR JOB OF BOARD MEMBERS, IN MY MIND. WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT IS A HUGE POPULATION, FOR EXAMPLE, WALTON, NEW YORK ACCENT, HAS OVER 800 STUDENTS, AND THOSE FAMILIES HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN HEARD FROM BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING TWO JOBS. STUDENTS ARE WORKING JOBS, AND THE LACK OF REPRESENTATION IS TREMENDOUS. THAT'S JUST FROM ONE SCHOOL. I DO BELIEVE THE FIRST GOAL, OR PRIMARY GOAL WAS, YES, FINANCIAL SAVINGS. I MEAN, WE LOOKED AT THAT FIRST S-2, EACH BOARD MEMBER DID, LOOKED AT IT CAREFULLY. WE AGREE IT DID OFFER THE MOST CONSOLIDATED AND REPURPOSING ARENA AND POSSIBLE SAVING OF 20 MILLION. THAT'S JUST GENERAL FUND. WE HAD ALSO A CONSIDERATION OF HOUSE BILL ONE COMING TOWARDS US, WHICH NOW, IF

098WE LOSE, SAY, 2,500 STUDENTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT A POSSIBLE LOSS OF 20 MILLION. THAT'S JUST ONE YEAR. THAT'S THE REALITY. SO THERE IS A HUGE CONCERN ABOUT THE WELFARE OF OUR DISTRICT TO SURVIVE. THAT'S NOT ONE OF MY BIG CONSIDERATIONS AS AN INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER. I ALSO WILL SAY THAT IF WE HAVEN'T HEARD ADEQUATELY FROM OUR BLACK AND BROWN AND OUR HISPANIC FAMILIES, THEN WE CANNOT HAVE A PLAN TO VOTE ON BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO HAVE, THAT INPUT IS CRITICAL. I AGREE WITH THE WORKSHOP BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY GIVE YOU RECOMMENDATIONS AND WE CAN'T JUST SAY ALL THESE PROBLEMS AND NOT SAY, HEY, THIS IS A SOLUTION. BUT I KNOW THAT OUR PARENTS ALSO WILL HELP WITH SOLUTIONS ON THAT. BUT THAT HAS TO BE DONE. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DISTRICT FAIRNESS OF STUDENT

099MOVEMENT, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT STUDENT MOVEMENT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TEACHER MOVEMENT. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A HUGE TEACHER SHORTAGE. SO THERE IS A CONUNDRUM. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND REPURPOSE AWAY, BUT DO WE HAVE THE TEACHERS, SLASH, FUNDS TO PAY FOR THESE TEACHERS? SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GO INTO THE ECLECTIC INNOVATIVE PRACTICE OF REPURPOSING, AND I DO THINK THE NEWCOMERS IS -- NEWCOMER CENTER IS A GREAT IDEA. I THINK THE EARLY LEARNING IS A GREAT IDEA AND SO FORTH AND SO ON. BUT THERE'S MONEY BEHIND THEM. AND LAST, AND I'LL GET BACK IN THE QUEUE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FUTURE WORKSHOPS, I AM HOPING THAT THERE WILL BE VARIOUS WHITEBOARDS THAT EACH BOARD MEMBER, MYSELF INCLUDED, WILL HAVE SOLUTIONS BASED ON THE COMMUNITY INPUT AND BASED ON FINANCIAL PLATFORM THAT IS REALISTIC. BUT RIGHT

100NOW, I CAN'T GO WITH THIS 4, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, BECAUSE WE JUST HAVEN'T REPRESENTED THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. THOROUGHLY. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MEMBER HAHN. Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER COMBS. I TRULY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE OPPORTUNITIES YOU PROVIDED TO THE COMMUNITY TO COME AND PROVIDE THEIR INPUT, WHETHER IT WAS THROUGH THE INITIAL WEBINARS OR PUSHING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. CERTAINLY, I WAS VOCAL AT THE WORKSHOP FOR SUPPORTING SCENARIO 4. BUT THEN MY CONCERN NOW IS THAT THE SCENARIO 4 THAT WAS INTRODUCED ON FRIDAY IS NOT THE SAME SCENARIO 4 THAT WE DISCUSSED AT THE WORKSHOP AND THAT THERE WERE SOME CHANGES MADE TO THAT. BASED ON SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED TODAY AROUND THE IMPACT ON TITLE ONE SERVICES FOR STUDENTS BEING MOVED AROUND FEEDER PATTERNS, SELLING

101SCHOOLS, TRANSPORTATION COSTS, THE NEED TO ADDRESS OVERCAPACITY, THE MORE COMMUNITY INPUT THAT IS NEEDED, WE HAVE GROUPS THAT FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN MARGINALIZED IN THIS PROCESS AND NEED MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH BOARD MEMBERS AND BE HEARD, AS THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS. ALL OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY COMFORTABLE MOVING FORWARD TO A WORKSHOP ON MARCH 9th. I THINK THAT IS IN FAIR RESPONSE TO A LOT OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN HEARING AND SEEING AND ESPECIALLY TO THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE JUST THREE DAYS AGO, TO VET THOSE CHANGES AND HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON THE BOARD ABOUT THAT. I ALSO AGREE WITH THE FACT THAT THE FORMAT HAS TO CHANGE. AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT OUR RETREAT RECENTLY. I THINK WE WERE ALL PRETTY MUCH IN AGREEMENT THAT

102THE WORKSHOPS FEEL MORE LIKE LISTEN AND LEARN THAN TRUE WORKSHOPS WHERE WE'RE ENGAGING IN CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE SOLUTION ORIENTED. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A MORE -- A LESS FORMAL WORKSHOP WHERE WE'RE, AGAIN, MUCH LIKE YOU DESCRIBED. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DISCUSS A LITTLE FURTHER. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUES AROUND THAT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE US ENGAGE AROUND TALKING MORE ABOUT SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE, ISSUES, MAYBE SOME OF THOSE ARE SOLVED THROUGH BOUNDARY CHANGES BUT MAYBE NOT. MAYBE THERE ARE MORE INNOVATIVE WAYS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS, ADDRESS THE CAPACITY ISSUES AND UNDERCAPACITY ISSUES AROUND OUR DISTRICT. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NONSTARTERS ABOUT SOME OF THE SCENARIOS? I WOULD EVEN SAY NONSTARTERS ABOUT 4 BECAUSE, QUITE HONESTLY, I'VE BEEN REALLY VOCAL. HOW DO WE SUPPORT 1, 2, OR 3?

103THEY HAD NO COMMUNITY INPUT. 4 HAD COMMUNITY INPUT, AND THERE MAY BE A LOT OF NONSTARTERS, BUT I THINK 4 IS A STARTING PLACE AT LEAST WITH THE MOST COMMUNITY INPUT TO GET THE CONVERSATION GOING. WHAT WOULD YOU SUPPORT THAT YOU'VE HEARD ALREADY IN SOME OF THE SCENARIOS? I'D LOVE TO HEAR THE BIGGEST NEEDS FROM SOME OF THE DISTRICTS. REALLY SPECIFIC NEEDS. REALLY SPECIFIC, GO SCHOOL BY SCHOOL. BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE A REALLY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE NEEDS. I THINK, TOO, AROUND THE SCHOOL CLOSURES, MY DISTRICT IS IMPACTED BY THAT, AND I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE SOME INNOVATION AROUND THAT AND REALLY CLEAR RATIONALES, OTHER THAN FEEDER PATTERN, BECAUSE JUST LIKE IN DISTRICT 5, DISTRICT 2 IS EXPERIENCING A LOT OF GROWTH. THERE'S ALSO SOME THINGS THAT PROBABLY NEED TO HAPPEN SOONER THAN LATER,

104AND FOR ME, IT'S THE OVERCAPACITY AND A LOT OF MY SOUTH COUNTY SCHOOLS, SOME SITTING AT 150%. AND SO YOU KNOW MAYBE THOSE ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN IMMEDIATELY ADDRESS TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT, BUT SOME OTHER BIG CHANGES ARE GOING TO NEED MORE TIME. SO MAYBE BREAKING THIS OFF INTO 1078 BIGGER PIECES BASED ON THE NEEDS AND THE URGENCY WOULD BE ALSO ANOTHER GOOD PLACE TO START AND BREAKING THINGS OFF INTO CHUNKS MIGHT ALSO BE MORE PALATABLE TO THE COMMUNITY AND HELP IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF SOME OF THE DECISION MAKING. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. I APPRECIATE THE WORKSHOP ON THE 9th. I WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT THAT. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. MEMBER PEREZ. Karen Perez: YES. SUPERINTENDENT, YOU TEND TO DO THIS A LOT, BUT I RECEIVED A NEW RECOMMENDATION, JUST AS I

105WAS SITTING HERE AT THE DAIS. AND I WANT TO SAY THAT. Nadia Combs: SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, YOU WANTED TO RESPOND TO THAT? Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. I'M NOT CERTAIN RELATED TO A NEW RECOMMENDATION. SAME RECOMMENDATION SENT OUT FRIDAY TO EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER AND ENGAGEMENT. THERE'S NO NEW RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO FRIDAY. ANYTHING THAT YOU MAY HAVE GOTTEN NEW, THAT'S NOT FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT. Karen Perez: OKAY. JUST TO GIVE SOME INFORMATION AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT. THE AVERAGE INCOME FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD IS 45,000. AND FOR THE HISPANIC HOUSEHOLD IT IS ROUGHLY 56,000. 8.7% OF AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A WORKING VEHICLE. AND WHEN THEY DO HAVE A WORKING VEHICLE, LIKE ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS MENTIONED, THEY CAN'T AFFORD INSURANCE FOR IT. SEMINOLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY IS GOING TO -- SOME OF OUR STUDENTS ARE

106BEING MOVED TO BROWARD ELEMENTARY, AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE ASKED TO WALK ACROSS HILLSBOROUGH OR FLORIDA AVENUE. HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE AND FLORIDA -- WELL, HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE IS A SIX-LANE HIGHWAY. FLORIDA IS A FOUR-LANE ROAD. LIKE SOMEONE ELSE MENTIONED, ONE OF OUR OTHER SPEAKERS MENTIONED, IT IS A 40-MILE AN HOUR SPEED ZONE. AT TIMES WITH BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ADDRESS THAT? BECAUSE THEY ARE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLCHILDREN. Nadia Combs: IF YOU'RE ASKING A QUESTION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS HAS A QUESTION, OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE -- Karen Perez: I WANTED TO ADDRESS AT THE WORKSHOP, PLEASE. Jim Porter: I THINK WHERE WE ARE NOW, BOARD MEMBERS, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE FLOOR TO HAVE A WORKSHOP. I THINK IT'S PROBABLY HELPFUL FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT TO GIVE HIM ADVANCE NOTICE

107OF THE QUESTIONS WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO ANSWER THEM TODAY. BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT MS. PEREZ IS DOING. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, TOO, ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU WILL HELP HIM BE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE WORKSHOP. Karen Perez: ALSO, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE EXISTING RESIDENTS THAT LIVE A MILE RADIUS OF THE TARGETED SCHOOLS? FOR INSTANCE, STUART AND JUST. BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO THE TAMPA HOUSING AUTHORITY RIGHT NOW, THEY TORE DOWN A 300-UNIT NEIGHBORHOOD TWO YEARS AGO, AND RIGHT NOW 882-UNIT APARTMENTS ARE GOING TO BE GOING UP. THEY ARE SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER '23. AS A MATTER OF FACT, SEVERAL OF THEM ARE READY. VILLAS AT WEST RIVER WITH 32 UNITS OF THREE AND FOUR BEDROOMS THAT WERE COMPLETED NOW, FEBRUARY OF 2023. CANOPY AT WEST RIVER TOWER WITH 112 UNITS OF ONE,

108TWO, AND THREE BEDROOMS THAT WOULD BE COMPLETED OCTOBER OF 2023. CANOPY AT WEST RIVER TOWER 2, 84 UNITS WITH UNITS OF ONE, TWO, AND THREE BEDROOMS, SLATED COMPLETION DATE OF OCTOBER 2023. AND THEN TOWER THREE OF 181 UNITS OF ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE BEDROOMS, THE COMPLETION DATE OF 2023. AND FINDING OUT WHERE THESE STUDENTS WOULD BE TARGETED TO ATTEND THE SCHOOLS IF JUST IS ELIMINATED. AS ONE OF OUR OTHER SPEAKERS SAID, IF THE SCHOOLS ARE OVERCAPACITY THEN AT THAT TIME WHERE WOULD YOU FIND LAND TO BUILD ANOTHER SCHOOL? I'M GOING TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. MEMBER WASHINGTON. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SUPERINTENDENT, YOU KNOW FROM THE FIRST START I OPPOSED THIS. THE REASON WHY I OPPOSED THE SCENARIOS BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK DOWN

109HERE AND I WANT EVERYBODY TO PAY ATTENTION. THESE ARE THE SCHOOLS IN DISTRICT FIVE THAT'S AFFECTED. JUST ELEMENTARY, KIMBELL, JENNINGS, McLANE, ROBLES, BT WASHINGTON, GRAHAM, PALM RIVER, KENNEDY, POTTER, SLIGH, GIUNTA AND WOODSON K-8. THAT'S 13 SCHOOLS THAT'S GOING TO BE DISRUPTED WITH STUDENTS. AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 4,320 STUDENTS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED. NO WAY I CAN SUPPORT THIS BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS, EVERY TIME THERE'S BEEN MOVEMENT IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, I'M WAY MAY LOOK YOUNG BUT I'M OLD, BELIEVE ME. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN HERE THAT DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS. WHEN INTEGRATION AND ALL THAT FIRST CAME ABOUT, WE WERE THE FIRST ONE TO BE MOVED. THEY CLOSED MIDDLETON DOWN. THEY CLOSED BLAKE DOWN. WE MOVED. THEN CAME UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE AND WE HAD TO COME BACK. BUT WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THE BRUNT

110OF THE MOVEMENT. AND I THINK -- I THINK THIS IS NOT FAIR. WE GOT TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT. I AGREE, SUPERINTENDENT, YOU'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS THINGS WE'RE NOT GOING TO AGREE WITH. AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM I'M NOT GOING TO AGREE. BUT I THINK WE CAN SIT DOWN AND WORK SOMETHING OUT, BUT WE NEED -- WE NEED TO HAVE BETTER COMMUNICATIONS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE GOT REALLY GOOD COMMUNICATIONS. IT'S JUST SOMETHING WE WORK ON. WE ARE A HUGE DISTRICT. WE HAVE GOT TO HAVE BETTER COMMUNICATIONS. AND IT'S SOMETHING WE REALLY NEED TO WORK ON. SOMETHING ELSE THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO HAVE MAYBE A COMMITTEE. A COMMUNITY COMMITTEE OR SOMEBODY, SOMETHING. WE NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING WHERE WE ARE NOT ONLY

111MAKING THE DECISION, WE NEED INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY TO HELP MAKE A LOT OF DECISIONS, PEOPLE. NOT JUST BECAUSE WE SIT ON THE BOARD. BUT WE NEED TO HAVE DECISION-MAKING PEOPLE TO HELP US. WE'RE NOT PERFECT. WE SCREW UP, TOO. I MEAN THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. SO WE NEED HELP. I THINK WE NEED HELP FOR PEOPLE, HAVE A COMMUNITY -- COMMITTEE, SO EVERYBODY CAN GIVE INPUT. HEY, LOOK, THIS IS HUGE, PEOPLE. THIS IS HUGE. NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE. I'VE BEEN -- I WAS A STUDENT HERE FOR 12 YEARS. I WORKED IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR 42 YEARS AND I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR TWO YEARS. 56 YEARS I'VE BEEN IN EDUCATION, AND THIS IS A MAJOR BOUNDARY CHANGE. WE'VE HAD CHANGES BEFORE, BUT NOT AT THIS LATITUDE. AND WE ALL NEED TO HAVE

112INPUT. WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE LIKE A FEW PEOPLE MAKING DECISIONS FOR THOUSANDS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. WE WANT INPUT FROM EVERYBODY AND, SUPERINTENDENT, I THINK IF WE HAVE A COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW, YOU SELECT A COMMITTEE AND DIFFERENT AREAS, COMMUNITIES, I THINK THAT WOULD WORK BEST TO POSSIBLY COME UP WITH SOME TYPE OF SOLUTION TO WORK FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE PEOPLE, THIS IS A HUGE BOUNDARY CHANGE. YOU KNOW, YOU JUST TALKING ABOUT 4300 FOR ME. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT OTHER BOARD MEMBERS. THAT JUST FROM SHAKE WASHINGTON. I HAVE THE MOST. AND THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF NUMBERS I WANT TO WIN WITH. NOT IN THIS CAPACITY. SO WE NEED TO WORK AND COME UP WITH A SOLUTION, AND I THINK WE WILL WITH THE NEXT WORKSHOP AND SO FORTH. I'M A MAN OF FEW WORDS.

113I DON'T HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOW HOW I FEEL. I'M DEFINITELY OPPOSING IT, OKAY. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT, MADAM CHAIR. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. MEMBER VAUGHN. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I HOPE I CAN GET EVERYTHING IN FIVE MINUTES BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT TO SAY. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND SPOKE SO PASSIONATELY AND SO ELOQUENTLY TODAY. I KNOW EVERYONE HERE IS ADVOCATING FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW, I DON'T BEGRUDGE ANY COMMUNITY MEMBER THAT COMES AND ADVOCATES FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES. ONE THING HAS BECOME CLEAR TO ME THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS IS THAT WE HAVE A HUGE COUNTY OF PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELY CARE ABOUT TRADITIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION, WHO ARE INVESTED IN MAKING THAT BETTER, AND

114I THINK THAT REALLY INSPIRES ME TO HAVE BIGGER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT MAY LOOK LIKE. FROM THE BEGINNING I'VE SAID WE NEED TO SLOW THIS PROCESS DOWN. FROM THE BEGINNING, I'VE TALKED ABOUT ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HEARD REPEATED HERE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WHETHER IT'S EQUITY BEING AT THE FOREFRONT OF THESE DECISIONS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND WHAT EQUITY MEANS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT EQUITY MEANS AND FEELS LIKE. ALSO, AS FAR AS WALKABILITY AND COMMUNITIES AND KEEPING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER. SOME OF MY CONCERNS ARE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW SOME OF THESE BOUNDARY CHANGES STUDENTS CAN STILL WALK, BUT HOW FAR THEY ARE WALKING AND WHAT DO THOSE CONDITIONS LOOK LIKE. AS SOMEBODY WHO SITS ON OUR TRANSPORTATION BOARD, I KNOW HOW DANGEROUS OUR STREETS ARE. WE'RE ONE

115OF THE NUMBER ONE PEDESTRIAN MURDER RATES IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. SO WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE MOVING A STUDENT ONLY .75 OF A MILE, WHILE IT MAY STILL BE WALKABLE, THE CONDITIONS THAT THEY HAVE TO WALK THROUGH, WE HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT NO SIDEWALKS OR UNLIT STREETS, OR THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT. I'VE TALKED ABOUT THE TIMELINE BECAUSE ONE OF THE REASONS I WAITED TO SPEAK IS I WANT TO LISTEN TO MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS. I WANT TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY. AND I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'VE DONE ENOUGH LISTENING IN THIS PROCESS. I APPRECIATE THAT WE'VE HELD COMMUNITY MEETINGS, BUT HAVING TWO COMMUNITY MEETINGS IN ONE NIGHT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO PRIORITIZE GOING TO MY DISTRICT AND MY COMMUNITY AND IT HASN'T GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT

116TO THE OTHER COMMUNITIES AND HEAR THE CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE, RIGHT? I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT MEMBER RENDON'S DISTRICT TO MAKE A DECISION IN THIS PROCESS. I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT DR. HAHN'S DISTRICT. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HAVE THE TIME AND SPACE AND COME OUT TO HEAR ALL OF YOUR CONCERNS IN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS SO WE CAN APPROACH THIS FROM BEING SOLUTION DRIVEN. AND WHILE I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THAT WE SHOULD NOT TAKE A VOTE ON THIS TODAY AND TABLE IT AND MOVE TOWARDS A WORKSHOP, I'M CONCERNED THAT RESPONSIBILITY MEANS THAT I HAVE TO IN THAT SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME GLEAN THE INFORMATION FROM EVERY SINGLE COMMUNITY AND BE THE ONLY VOICE TO ADVOCATE BECAUSE THE SEVEN OF US ARE TASKED WITH THAT RESPONSIBILITY. YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT COMMITTEES ARE HARD AND

117WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, BUT I AGREE WITH MEMBER WASHINGTON THAT WE NEED PEOPLE IN THESE COMMUNITIES CONTRIBUTING MORE THAN FRANTIC E-MAILS OR A FEW MINUTES THAT THEY CAN TALK TO ME AT A COMMUNITY MEETING OR FIVE MINUTES AT A BOARD MEETING TO REALLY GIVE US INPUT ABOUT WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE. IT'S A HUGE DECISION THAT IMPACTS SO MANY PEOPLE. AND IT'S UP TO US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING IT AS INTENTIONALLY AS POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE MOST IMPACT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE HARD DECISIONS. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT AS A BOARD, AND WE MAY NOT ALL AGREE, BUT MOST OF US THAT WE ARE BEING SYSTEMICALLY UNDERFUNDED IN THE ATTEMPT TO DRY PUBLIC EDUCATION. WE ARE FACED WITH INCREDIBLY HARD DECISIONS BETWEEN TRYING TO KEEP OUR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS OPEN AND MEETING THE

118NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE OUR PARENTS AREN'T CHOICING OUT. I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO COME UP WITH SOME MORE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE CREATIVE. CARROLLWOOD K-8 HAS COME HERE FOREVER. I DON'T THINK THAT THEY NEED TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS BOUNDARY CHANGE, BUT ONE THING THAT THEY HAVE MADE CLEAR IS THAT K-8s ARE VALUABLE, RIGHT? I'M SURE THERE ARE BOARD MEMBERS IN EVERY DISTRICT THAT ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING K-8. WHY AREN'T WE LOOKING AT CREATING MORE K-8s? MOST OF THE CHARTER SCHOOLS, THAT IS THE FORMAT THEY HAVE. INSTEAD OF CLOSING SCHOOLS, I'D LOVE TO TALK ABOUT CREATING MORE K-8s. I KNOW THAT WOULD RELIEVE A TON OF ANXIETY IN MY OWN HOUSEHOLD. JUST TO CLARIFY I DID GET AN E-MAIL THAT SAID NONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS WERE TASKED WITH CHANGES IN OUR

119COMMUNITY, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. IN MY OWN COMMUNITY, MY OWN CHILD'S SCHOOL THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT WAS LOOKING AT MAJOR BOUNDARY CHANGES. I DIDN'T ADVOCATE FOR MY THOUGHTS ON THAT. I DIDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THOSE CHANGES. I WANT PEOPLE TO BE CLEAR THAT SOME OF US ARE AFFECTED BY THESE CHANGES. AND I'VE STILL GOT MY EYE FOCUSED ON WHAT'S BEST FOR THE DISTRICT AND NOT ME INDIVIDUALLY. I'LL GET BACK IN THE QUEUE BECAUSE I KNOW MY TIME IS SHORT. REALLY WHAT I WOULD LIKE IS THE TIME AND FACE FOR US TO NOT JUST TALK ABOUT THAT AT BOARD. I APPRECIATE THAT. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE AS A BOARD. I'M NOT SAYING LET'S NOT DO THAT. BUT MORE THAN A WORKSHOP. I WANT OPPORTUNITIES TO GET OUT IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND

120HEAR FROM EVERYBODY IN ALL THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS. AGAIN, NOT JUST WHAT IS WRONG, BUT SOLUTIONS. I'M TASKING OUR COMMUNITIES TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS BECAUSE THE BETTER THAT WE DO AS A COMMUNITY HOLISTICALLY FOR OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, FOR PLANT COMMUNITY, THE BETTER THAT WE ALL DO TOGETHER, BECAUSE WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. I'LL GET BACK IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER RENDON. Patti Rendon: YOU KNOW, I'VE TAKEN A LOT OF CONSIDERATION, A LOT OF THOUGHT OVER THIS THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS -- MONTHS, ACTUALLY, SINCE I STARTED. FIRST OF ALL, OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MEETINGS, MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE COME TO THIS BOARD MEETING, HAVE GONE TO MANY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS. SO I WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY PERSON THAT'S BEEN

121ABLE TO DO THAT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE REACHED OUT VIA E-MAIL, STOPPED US IN THE GROCERY STORE, WHEREVER YOU COULD FIND US AND LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. I THINK ONE OF THE VERY DIFFICULT THINGS THAT WE ARE TASKED WITH ON AN ONGOING BASIS IS EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THE DIFFICULTIES WITHIN THE DISTRICT, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT IT COULD IMPACT THEM. AND THAT'S THE HARD PART. BECAUSE IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO PAY OUR TEACHERS MORE, WHICH WE ALL AGREE ON, IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE AND KEEP THEM OFF OF BUSES, WE ALL AGREE ON. IN ORDER FOR US TO ALL LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, WHICH WE ALL AGREE ON, SACRIFICES HAVE TO BE MADE SOMEWHERE. BUT NOBODY SAYS "I WILL." THAT

122MAKES IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ALL OF US UP HERE TO COMPLETELY PLEASE OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY. I SAY OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I MEAN ALL OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WE ALL HAVE DIFFICULTIES. WE ALL HAVE SOME SCHOOLS THAT ARE UNDERUTILIZED. WE HAVE ALL HAVE SOME SCHOOLS THAT ARE OVERUTILIZED. I AM OPPOSITE OF SHAKE WHERE I HAVE A MAJORITY OF MY SCHOOLS AND CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW I BELIEVE I HAVE 25 SCHOOLS CURRENTLY AFFECTED BY ANY BOUNDARY CHANGE, NO MATTER WHICH WAY I LOOK AT IT. THAT IS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ACROSS HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, ROUGHLY WITH SCENARIO 4, 6 TO 11 PERCENT OF OUR STUDENTS WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE BOUNDARY CHANGE. THAT IS A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION TO MAKE. I'VE REACHED OUT TO THE COUNTY COMMISSION. I'VE ASKED THEM FOR UPDATED APPROVALS OF RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES OF ALL

123OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I WILL SHARE THAT WITH OUR ENTIRE BOARD ONCE I RECEIVE IT. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, I WOULD LIKE, IF YOU COULD GIVE US COPIES OF BUSING ROUTES. I THINK THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR BOARD TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT ROUTES ARE BEING, GOING TO WHICH SCHOOLS. HOW MANY DOUBLE ROUTES ARE THERE? HOW MANY DOUBLE RATES ARE AFFECTING THE ON TIME AND NOT ON TIME WITH ALL OF THE STUDENTS? I THINK THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. END COST. THAT JUST SHOWS US, I THINK WE DON'T HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT THAT EXACTLY MEANS BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT. I KNOW THAT I DON'T WANT TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE I DON'T TRUST THE DISTRICT, BUT I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE MAKING A DECISION THAT AFFECTS THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS, THAT WE SEE THE DATA THAT CAME

124UP WITH AND CREATED THE SCENARIOS. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT DATA MEANS AND WHAT IT IS CRITICALLY, NOT JUST, WELL, WE KNOW IT WILL AFFECT 12% OR AFFECT THIS. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE SEE IT AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT. I'D ALSO LIKE TO ASK THAT YOU PRESENT TO THE BOARD OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS AND THE UTILIZATIONS OF OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS AND HOW THAT AFFECTS NOT ONLY OUR BUDGET, BUT OUR OVERALL IMPACT OF OUR DISTRICT BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AS A WHOLE. BECAUSE WHEN WE'VE CREATED MAGNET SCHOOLS, THEY WERE FOR A REASON, BUT MAYBE THOSE REASONS HAVE CHANGED AND SHIFTED JUST LIKE OUR SCHOOLS HAVE CHANGED AND SHIFTED. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. AND THEN I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH ONE

125OF OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT I MYSELF AS A BOARD MEMBER TAKEN TO TASK. ONE IS OUR STUDENTS. TWO IS OUR TEACHERS. AND THIRD IS OUR PARENTS. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE NOT SPOKEN ABOUT IN ANY OF THESE MEETINGS, WE HAVE BEEN VERY QUICK TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT SCHOOL GRADES AND LACK OF PERCENTAGES IN A SCHOOL. BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU, WE HAVE AMAZING ADMINISTRATION AND TEACHERS AT EVERY ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS. AND THEY ARE TASKED WITH CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR EVERY STUDENT NO MATTER HOW THAT STUDENT CAME TO THEM IN THEIR CLASSROOM. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE PUBLICLY I ACKNOWLEDGE EVERYONE OF THOSE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AT EVERY SCHOOL IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND WHAT A PHENOMENAL JOB THEY ARE ALL DOING. Nadia Combs: THANK

126YOU, MEMBER RENDON. THANK YOU. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT I HAVE A LOT OF COMPASSION FOR THE STUDENTS, THE PARENTS. I UNDERSTAND THAT OUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH SINCE COVID. MENTAL HEALTH IS SUCH A DIFFICULT PART OF WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE EXPERIENCING. I UNDERSTAND THE PARENTS WHO COME HERE WHO DON'T WANT MOVEMENT, WHO DON'T WANT CHANGE. BUT I ALSO HAVE TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NOT JUST FOR MY DISTRICT, BUT FOR MY ENTIRE -- NOT JUST DISTRICT ONE BUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS ARE CARED FOR, THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST QUALITY INSTRUCTORS, THAT THEY HAVE BUS DRIVERS, AND GUESS WHAT THAT MEANS. IT MEANS AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE 495 CLASSROOM VACANCIES, INSTRUCTORS, 409 SUPPORT VACANCIES. WE ARE BRINGING

127TEACHERS FROM OVERSEAS TO TEACH INTO OUR CLASSROOMS. WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING TWO OR THREE JOBS WHO ARE LEAVING EDUCATION EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU'RE BEING TAUGHT, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING A QUALITY EDUCATION. SO WHEN I LOOK AT MY ROLE, I HAVE TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PUTTING PEOPLE AHEAD OF BUILDINGS. AND WE HAVE TO AS A BOARD, WE'VE GOT TO COME TOGETHER, AND WE HAVE TO REDISTRICT, AND WE HAVE TO REPURPOSE. THERE ARE THREE AREAS OF FUNDING THAT WE CAN GET TO CONTINUE. WE ARE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE NATION. OUR VETERAN TEACHERS ARE PAID 47th, 48th. OUR INCREASE, IF WE ARE LUCKY WILL BE $120 PER CHILD. THAT MEANS IF WE'RE LUCKY YOUR CHILD WILL GET $8,453

128TO GET A QUALITY EDUCATION. AND I WILL TELL YOU, YOUR KIDS ARE GETTING QUALITY EDUCATION. MY DAUGHTER IS A SENIOR THIS YEAR, AND SHE HAS SO MANY OPTIONS. PROBABLY MORE OPTIONS THAT MANY OF THE PRIVATE CHARTER, ANY SCHOOLS. WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS. WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET THE MONEY FROM THE STATE. WE DID NOT GET IT FROM THE REFERENDUM. THERE ARE MEMBERS WHO DIDN'T SUPPORT THE REFERENDUM HERE AND WILL NOT SUPPORT IT AGAIN IF IT COMES UP. WE ARE THE ONLY DISTRICT IN THE STATE THAT DID NOT RECEIVE A REFERENDUM. SO WHERE IS THIS MONEY GOING TO COME FROM? WE HAVE TO REBOUNDARY. WE HAVE TO PUT MONEY BACK INTO PEOPLE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE. LAST NIGHT, I WAS AT AN EVENT WITH HISPANIC LEADERS, AND WHAT I HEARD

129LEADERS SAYING, THEY ARE LOOKING TO LEAVE TO OTHER DISTRICTS BECAUSE WE ARE UNABLE TO PAY THEM. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED IN OUR DISTRICT. I BELIEVE IN CHOICE. OUR PEOPLE WANT CHOICE. YOUNG PEOPLE WANT CHOICE. THE CHOICE MEANT IN 2012, 9,448 STUDENTS IN CHARTER SCHOOL. TODAY, WE HAVE 35,198 STUDENTS. WE HAVEN'T ABANDONED FAMILIES. FAMILIES HAVE LEFT US. SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE HAVE LEFT WE PROVIDE OUR STUDENTS A QUALITY EDUCATION, REGARDLESS WHERE YOU HAVE TO GO. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, I ALWAYS FELT THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOUNDARY WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S LESS MOVEMENT, THE KIDS ARE NOT GOING ACROSS THE DISTRICT, THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SCHOOL IN THEIR NEIGHBORING AREAS. THERE'S NOT A GROUP THAT I'M GOING AGAINST OR ANYTHING. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, IF YOU

130LIVE BY A SCHOOL, I'M NOT GOING TO LIE TO YOU AND SAY, IT'S SO OVERCROWDED AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE THERE, WE'RE GOING TO PASS THIS AND FIVE YEARS FROM NOW YOU'RE FINE. YOU'RE GOING TO COME BACK HERE IN THREE YEARS. I CANNOT SUPPORT SOMETHING THAT IS SUPERFICIAL. FOR ME, 4 DOES NOT REALLY, REALLY LOOK AT THE PROBLEM, WHICH MEANS BRINGING MONEY BACK TO OUR SCHOOLS AND MAKING SURE THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT SCHOOL YOU ATTEND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET A QUALITY EDUCATION. SO FOR ME, IT'S REALLY ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE PUT PEOPLE AHEAD. THANK YOU. MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. YES, THE GOAL, OF COURSE, IS QUALITY EDUCATION FOR EVERY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS. I THINK AT THIS JUNCTURE I'M GOING TO ALSO REMARK ON WHAT WE WILL DISCUSS DURING

131THE WORKSHOP AND WORK ON TOGETHER AS BOARD MEMBERS. WE'RE VERY LUCKY WE HAVE VERY PROFESSIONAL AND EARNEST -- EACH ONE OF US CARE VERY MUCH ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TODAY, WHAT YOU SAID MONTHS AGO, AND WHAT YOU WILL SAY. AND NOTES ARE BEING TAKEN ALL THE TIME CONCERNING YOUR FEEDBACK. SO GIVEN THAT, THIS IS MY HOPE AND MY ASK. NUMBER ONE, WE NEED TO DISCUSS THE FEEDER PATTERNS BECAUSE FEEDER PATTERNS -- AND THIS COMES FROM -- SHAKE WASHINGTON, YOU MENTIONED YOUR AGE -- BUT YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN A TEACHER FOR OVER FOUR DECADES. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FEEDER PATTERNS, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THEM CONSISTENT BECAUSE ONCE YOU HAVE A CHILD GO FROM A MIDDLE SCHOOL TO A TOTALLY DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOL, THAT REALLY WEAKENS THEIR STABILITY, NO TO

132THE MENTION TRANSPORTATION. AND WE HAVE FEEDER PROBLEMS THAT RANGE FROM, WALTON AGAIN, I THINK SOME OF THEM ARE GOING TO -- FROM BENITO TO WALTON, TURNER/BARTELS HAS THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT FEEDER PATTERNS. WE NEED TO WORK ON -- YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELY KEEPING THESE STUDENTS, HAVE STABILITY AND HAVE THAT CAMARADERIE -- HAVE THE CAMARADERIE OF THEIR FELLOW PEERS THAT THEY GREW UP WITH. I THINK THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR A GOOD EDUCATION. THIS IS ONE. THE SECOND, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GRANDFATHERING, IT BECOMES VERY CONFUSING BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS WE CAN MENTION THAT WORD. WE'LL DO GRANDFATHERING THIRD AND FIFTH AND EIGHTH AND 12th, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, WHETHER YOU ALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GRANDFATHERED. SO I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL USING THAT WORD AND PUTTING US

133IN A BOX WHERE THIS IS GOING TO BE THE RULE FOR 2024 TO 25 BECAUSE THAT CAN GET VERY, VERY CRAZY. I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY STRATEGIC ON WHAT WE'RE GRANDFATHERING IN. THIRD, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE SELLING OF PROPERTIES, AND I KNOW JUST WAS MENTIONED MANY TIMES, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO ALSO TALK ABOUT THIS. WE'RE SELLING LEVY. RAM PAOLO PARKING GARAGE, LEASING ROSSAC, THESE ARE ALL GREAT IDEAS AND THEY HAVE A COST PLUS, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A COMMUNITY EFFECT. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SOUTH TAMPA, IT'S A CULTURAL, VERY HIGH CULTURAL COMMUNITY WITH THIS DOWNTOWN AREA. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MEMBER WASHINGTON'S COMMUNITY, A LOT OF CULTURE THERE. SO WHENEVER WE START TALKING ABOUT SELLING BUILDINGS, YOU'RE SELLING THE PERSONALITIES, PLURAL, OF THE COMMUNITIES. SO WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT.

134AND WE CAN'T BE USING, I'M GOING TO SELL THIS, I'M GOING TO SELL THAT, WITHOUT COMMUNITY INPUT. AND ALSO, FOOD SECURITY. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CLOSING SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT A LOT OF OUR FAMILIES AND STUDENTS GO TO SCHOOLS THAT ACTUALLY DEPEND ON THEM FOR FOOD SECURITY. I WORRY THAT CLOSING SCHOOLS WILL SUBTRACT THE ABILITY OF MANY OF OUR POORER FAMILIES TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT THEIR STUDENTS WILL EAT FROM DAY TO DAY, TO PUT IT IN REALISTIC TERMS. MAGNET SCHOOLS. I KNOW THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS A NEW PLAN FOR MAGNET SCHOOLS. WE KNOW, AS MEMBER RENDON MENTIONED, THAT TRANSPORTATION IS VERY COSTLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MAGNET SCHOOLS. AND THEY DID, AND THEY STILL DO SERVE A PURPOSE, BUT WE HAVE TO THINK A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE THE BOX, WHERE ARE

135WE GOING TO GO WITH MAGNET SCHOOLS, AND ALSO SHARE A PLAN, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE WORKSHOP COMING AGAIN. LAST, TRANSPORTATION ANALYSIS. YOU KNOW, WE MENTIONED FEEDER PATTERNS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER THE ANALOGOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH ACTUAL DISTANCE TRAVELING. ARE WE REALLY SAVING MONEY? WHAT IS THE MOST COST-EFFICIENT? TRANSPORTATION IS ONLY GOING TO GET MORE EXPENSIVE. I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU ALL. AND THAT'S BECOMING A HUGE ITEM THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER, ALONG WITH A SCHOOL CLOSING, MOVEMENT, ET CETERA. SO THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT I HOPE OUR WORKSHOP WILL COVER AND CONSIDER. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MEMBER PEREZ. Karen Perez: YES. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. TO TAP ONTO WHAT MEMBER GRAY WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO INTO A COMMUNITY, YOU DO, YOU TAP INTO

136THE TRADITION. YOU TAP INTO BUSINESSES. YOU TAP INTO THE COMMUNITY, BUT YOU ALSO TAP INTO THE CULTURE THAT HAS BEEN EMBEDDED IN THAT COMMUNITY FOR A LONG TIME. AND YOU START STEPPING INTO A VERY DANGEROUS AREA BECAUSE ONCE YOU DRAW A LINE AND YOU STEP OVER THAT LINE AND START SELLING OFF PROPERTIES, YOU OPEN THE DOOR TO SOMETHING VERY DANGEROUS. AND THE ABILITY TO START -- YOU KNOW, THERE'S CONVERSATION THAT IS BEING HAD IN THE COMMUNITY TODAY THAT'S SAYING IF THIS SCHOOL IS SOLD, THEN THIS OTHER SCHOOL DOWN THE STREET IS TARGETED. AND SO ON AND SO ON AND SO ON. SO THOSE ARE ISSUES, SUPERINTENDENT, THAT YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF, ESPECIALLY IN THIS VERY EMBEDDED, TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY HERE IN TAMPA. SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF THE CONSTITUENCY HAS TALKED ABOUT DURING THE

137COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS HERE IN THE BOARDROOM IS THAT THEY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE EXPOSURE OF THE LACK OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY ACROSS THIS DISTRICT. AND THE LACK OF EQUITY BETWEEN -- I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT TWO SCHOOLS IN PARTICULAR. BRANDON HIGH AND BLOOMINGDALE HIGH, TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE. FAMILIES DO NOT WANT THEIR CHILDREN, THEIR STUDENTS TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM ONE SCHOOL TO THE OTHER. AND WE HAVE A PROBLEM IN THIS DISTRICT BECAUSE OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD BE EQUAL ACROSS THIS DISTRICT, ALWAYS. IT'S SHOWING -- IT'S SHOWING AN ISSUE THAT WE HAVE HERE BECAUSE ONE HIGH SCHOOL AND ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL SHOULD ALWAYS -- SHOULD ALWAYS PROVIDE, EXPOSE, AND SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WITH THE EDUCATION THEY REQUIRE, DESERVE, AND NEED IN ORDER TO PREPARE THEM IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL PROCESS. AND WHEN ONE SCHOOL HAS DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAN ANOTHER

138SCHOOL, IT TELLS ME THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE TRULY LACKING, ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS OF COLOR, WHETHER BLACK, WHETHER LATINO, WHETHER ASIAN, IT DOESN'T MATTER. BUT THIS DISTRICT, OUR COMMUNITY, HAS EXPOSED THAT AS WELL DURING THIS BOUNDARY ISSUE, HAS MADE A LOUD, RESOUNDING RINGING OF THE BELL REGARDING THE LACK OF EQUALITY AND EQUITY IN OUR SCHOOLS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING ALSO THAT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT DURING THIS PROCESS AS WELL. WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT SUICIDE RATES IN OUR CHILDREN ARE STAGGERING, AND WE NEED TO AS A BOARD TAKE A SOBERING LOOK ON HOW WHEN WE MOVE OUR CHILDREN FROM THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEMS, FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND FROM THEIR SCHOOLS, HOW WE ARE AFFECTING OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE AND THEIR EDUCATION WHEN WE'RE AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. I

139KNOW, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, YOU WANTED TO COMMENT. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR, I THINK I'LL WAIT UNTIL AFTER EVERYONE'S COMMENTS. I JUST WANT TIME TO ADDRESS SOME ISSUES AND SOME INACCURACIES. Nadia Combs: ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MEMBER VAUGHN. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. SO THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I WANT TO COVER. ONE, I'VE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE DATA FROM THE BEGINNING. I'VE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT WHICH DATA WE USED. MEMBER RENDON, I'M GLAD YOU REACHED OUT TO THE COUNTY COMMISSION BECAUSE I ASKED WEEKS AND MONTHS AGO TO ENGAGE WITH OUR MUNICIPALITIES AND GET FEEDBACK ABOUT THAT. IF WE'VE HAD THAT DATA SHARED WITH US, IT HASN'T BEEN IN A MEANINGFUL WAY WHERE I REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR MUNICIPALITIES, THE FEEDBACK THEY HAVE GIVEN US. MAYBE IT WAS IN AN E-MAIL AMONG THE HUNDREDS

140OF THOUSANDS OF E-MAILS WE'RE GETTING FROM CONSTITUENTS. ALSO, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT SCENARIO 4, I SPECIFICALLY SAID, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES IN SCENARIO 4 THAT WEREN'T IN 1, 2, OR 3 THAT WOULD CATCH ANYONE BY SURPRISE. I WAS ADAMANTLY TOLD NO. YET, WE SEE IN BOTH OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS THERE WERE CHANGES THAT THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DIGEST. SO WHEN I ASKED THAT QUESTION AND I GET TOLD ONE ANSWER AND HAVE TO GO TO COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO FIND OUT THAT'S UNTRUE, THAT MAKES ME CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER I'M GETTING GOOD QUALITY DATA AND GOOD ANSWERS WHEN WE'RE EXPLORING THESE CHANGES. WHEN IT COMES TO ROADWAYS, WHEN IT COMES TO HOW WE'VE IDENTIFIED WHAT MAKES COMMUNITY MORE WALKABLE, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, AND THAT IS A HUGE ISSUE AND WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT

141TRANSPORTATION COSTS BECAUSE IT IS OUR BIGGEST UNFUNDED MANDATE. HOWEVER, EVERY SINGLE COMMUNITY I ENGAGED WITH SAID MY CHILDREN ARE GOING TO BE WALKING FURTHER. MY SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE FURTHER AWAY. I HAVEN'T SEEN ONE COMMUNITY SAY THIS IS ACTUALLY A GOOD THING BECAUSE THIS PUTS ME CLOSER TO MY ZONED SCHOOL. SO I DON'T SEE THAT SAVINGS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION. WE'VE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET REPEATEDLY. WE HAVEN'T HAD THE SPACE AND TIME TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS. MEMBER COMBS, I AGREE THAT WE ARE HERE TO BE FINANCIAL AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND CONSERVATIVE. TO ME, THAT DOESN'T MEAN JUST MAKING CUTS AND SAVING MONEY. THAT MEANS EVALUATING THE MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS THE MOST IMPACT AND THE MOST POSSIBLE WAY FOR OUR SCHOOLS. WE COULD MAKE

142A LOT OF CUTS AND CLOSE A LOT OF SCHOOLS AND SAVE A LOT OF MONEY ON PAPER AND IN THEORY, BUT WITH A STATE THAT HAS CHOICE AS ITS NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, ALL OF THOSE KIND OF AREAS THAT WE'VE SNIPPED OUT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS INSTEAD OF HOLISTICALLY MAKING THOUGHTFUL CHANGES MIGHT IMMEDIATELY CHOICE OUT OF WHAT WE'VE GIVEN THEM, AND WE MIGHT END UP LOSING THAT MONEY. WITH SCHOOL CHOICE AT THE FOREFRONT, IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY, UNLESS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CLOSING AND SELLING BUILDINGS, ABOUT THE REOCCURRING COST THAT WE'LL BE MAKING. BECAUSE WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DECISIONS FAMILIES ARE GOING TO MAKE BASED ON THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT, RIGHT? IS THE REOCCURRING COST. BECAUSE WE CAN SELL BUILDINGS. WE CAN COME UP WITH ONE-TIME MONEY

143JUST LIKE WE DID WITH ESSERS, BUT THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHY WE NEED THAT FOR OUR STAFF, OUR FACULTY, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE HEART AND SOUL IN OUR SCHOOLS, BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE INEQUITIES IN SCHOOLS, IT'S NOT THAT TEACHERS AREN'T UNQUALIFIED OR THEY ARE NOT WORKING THEIR HARDEST, IT IS THE AMOUNT OF UNITS, WRAPAROUND SERVICES. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WRAPAROUND SERVICES, WE NEED TO BE CLEAR ON WHAT THOSE ARE. TALKING ABOUT MORE COUNSELORS? MORE SCHOOL READING COACHES? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO IT IS THE PEOPLE IN OUR SCHOOLS. HONESTLY, MY BIGGEST CONCERNS, EVEN THOUGH YOU DISAGREE, IS THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS. AGAIN, WE TALK ABOUT THEM BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, AND I KNOW THAT YOU SAY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THESE AT STAFF

144MEETINGS AND WE'VE LET OUR ADMINISTRATORS KNOW, BUT THAT IS NOT THE SAME THING AS GOING INTO SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE MOST AFFECTED AND BRINGING THOSE PEOPLE TO THE TABLE AND HEARING THEIR CONCERNS AND ENGAGING PRINCIPALS AND SCHOOL STAFF ONE ON ONE. I KNOW THAT IS A HUGE QUESTION, A HUGE REQUEST, AND AS YOU'VE MENTIONED, IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO GET SEVEN PEOPLE TO AGREE, MUCH LESS A BUNCH OF ADMINISTRATORS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO GET THEM TO AGREE. WHAT WE DO HAVE TO DO IS HEAR WHAT THEY NEED AND WHAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE. THEY KNOW THEIR SCHOOLS BETTER THAN ANYBODY. AND WHEN I SIT IN STAFF MEETINGS AND I'M LOOKING AT DECISIONS THAT MIGHT IMPACT OUR TRANSFORMATION SCHOOLS AND I CAN'T GET MUCH FEEDBACK FROM OUR CHIEF OF TRANSFORMATION BECAUSE SHE HASN'T BEEN ASKED

145OR BRIEFED ON A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS, IT LEADS ME TO WONDER AGAIN, WHAT IS THE DATA AROUND THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING? I WANT SHAY McRAE WHO IS AMAZING AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE'S DONE ON TRANSFORMATION SCHOOLS TO BE ABLE TO TELL ME, HEY, IF WE CHANGE TURNER/BARTELS AND WE MOVE THE KIDS WHO ARE BEING SHIPPED ACROSS, YOU KNOW, THE ENTIRE COUNTY, IS THAT GOING TO HAVE THE MORE POSITIVE IMPACT ON THAT? IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE THE QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE ARE THE ANSWERS THAT WE NEED AND I DON'T THINK WE'LL JUST GET THIS FROM A WORKSHOP. WHILE I AGREE ON PUSHING THIS BACK AND I'LL AGREE TO ANYTHING THAT GIVES US MORE TIME, I STILL SAY WE NEED MORE TIME THAN JUST THE END OF MARCH TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS. THANK

146YOU. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER WASHINGTON. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY BACK IN THE '80s, I WANT TO SAY IN THE EARLY '80s WHEN BLOOMINGDALE WAS BUILT, WE MOVED PEOPLE FROM BRANDON TO BLOOMINGDALE AND THE PARENTS AND STUDENTS HATED TO LEAVE BRANDON TO GO TO BLOOMINGDALE. AND WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT. BECAUSE BACK IN THOSE DAYS, BRANDON WAS TOP OF THE LINE AND NOW IT'S JUST VICE VERSA. HISTORY GOES AROUND, REPEATS ITSELF. IT'S VICE VERSA NOW. JUST A BIT OF HISTORY THERE FOR YOU ALL. WHAT I REALLY THINK IS IMPORTANT, DOES ONE SIZE FIT ALL? NO. NOT AT ALL. I THINK WHAT WE MAY NEED TO DO IS LOOK AT CUSTOMIZING THE DISTRICT BECAUSE WE CAN'T OPERATE ALL THE SAME. WE CAN'T SAY WE DON'T

147DO THIS. IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN EACH DISTRICT. I KNOW MS. RENDON, YOUR DISTRICT IS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN MINE. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. SO I THINK SUPERINTENDENT I'D LIKE TO SEE US KIND OF LIKE GO DEEP DOWN WHAT WE REALLY NEED IN OUR DISTRICT SO WE'LL KNOW WHAT IS BEST AND TRANSFORMATION IS GREAT BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR DISTRICT. THAT'S MORE CUSTOMIZING IT TO WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR DISTRICT. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE GOT -- WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT, WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT MAKING BETTER COMMUNICATION. I REALLY BELIEVE IN THAT. I BELIEVE THAT. I KNOW YOU KNOW IT'S HARD. THE DISTRICT IS BIG BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT EVERY LITTLE BIT WE CAN STRATEGICALLY TO PLAN SO WE

148CAN HAVE PARENTS MORE INVOLVED. I THINK THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. MADAM CHAIR, I THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY, MA'AM. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. MEMBER RENDON. Patti Rendon: YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME, BUT I DO WANT TO ASK THE SUPERINTENDENT TO, AGAIN, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROCESS WE REALLY PROVIDE BETTER EDUCATION TO OUR FAMILIES. OVER THE COURSE OF TIME I'VE HAD FAMILIES ASK ME AND TELL ME THAT WE HAVE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETIES WHICH I KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE. EVERY ONE OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS HAS A NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY. IT'S JUST NOT ON THEIR WEBSITE. SO I THINK THAT'S A LARGER ISSUE THAT WE HAVE NOT EDUCATED OUR FAMILIES ON EXACTLY WHAT IS OFFERED AT OUR SCHOOLS. AND IF SOMETHING

149IS NOT OFFERED, HOW DOES IT BECOME OFFERED? IT'S A ROTATING THING EVERY YEAR. LAST YEAR'S SCHOOL IS GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT THAN THIS YEAR'S SCHOOL YEAR BECAUSE PROGRAMS CHANGE, SCHOOLS CHANGE, THERE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS OFFERED. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE LET FAMILIES KNOW EXACTLY HOW THAT WORKS. SO I WOULD LIKE TO CHARGE THE DISTRICT WITH TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE DO BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH THAT. I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL BOARD. I THINK WHEN I TOOK OVER THIS ROLE, I TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY THAT WE FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES OF THE RESPONSIBILITY GIVEN TO US BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE. AND THAT ROLE IS TO CREATE POLICY, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND TO HIRE THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS STAFF

150ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ONGOINGS, IN AND OUTS OF THE WORKINGS OF ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS. THE ADMINISTRATIONS, THE STUDENTS, THE TEACHERS, AND THE ONGOINGS OF THE SCHOOL. IT IS UP TO THIS BOARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE GOING TO PROTECT THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE FINANCIAL AND THE STABILITY OF THIS DISTRICT. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANS VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS. I WANT TO REMIND US THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GATHER ALL THE INFORMATION WE CAN TO TRULY MAKE SURE THAT WE PROTECT THAT ROLE IN WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TASKED TO DO. AND AT THE SAME TIME MAKE OUR SUPERINTENDENT RESPONSIBLE TO MAKE SURE OUR SCHOOLS PROVIDE THE BEST EDUCATION TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. SO THAT'S -- YOU KNOW, IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR US AS A BOARD MEMBER BECAUSE I WANT

151TO MAKE PARENTS HAPPY, RIGHT? I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO TO PUBLIX AT 8:00 ON A SATURDAY MORNING, GO IN AND GET MY CREAM CHEESE AND LEAVE AND 30 MINUTES LATER NOT HAVE TO TELL A PARENT I'M VERY SORRY THAT THIS WAS HERE. WE HAVE KIDS IN SCHOOL. WE HAVE GRANDKIDS IN SCHOOL. WE LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR US. BUT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TASKED TO DO. AND THAT IS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF OUR DISTRICT. SO WE ALSO TASK OUR SUPERINTENDENT WITH PROVIDING THE BEST EDUCATION FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. SO I THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT, FOR MAKING SURE THAT YOU GET US ALL THAT INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. Nadia

152Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER RENDON. THIS WEEK ALONE I WAS ABLE TO GO OUT TO THE KEYSTONE CIVIC ASSOCIATION. I WENT OUT TO WEBB MIDDLE SCHOOL. I'M OUT IN MY COMMUNITY ALL THE TIME. WHAT I HEAR OFTEN FROM EVERYONE, NO ONE WANTS CHANGE. NO ONE WANTS TO MOVE. NOBODY WANTS TO BE REDISTRICT. NOBODY WANTS ANY OF THAT. THE LESS MOVEMENT FOR ME TO GO WITH PLAN 4 IS EASY. THAT'S GOING TO HELP ME. I'LL BE REELECTED IF I WANT TO BE IN OFFICE, I'LL BE A HERO. BUT THAT'S NOT THE REALITY. THE REALITY IS WE ARE HERE, END OF FEBRUARY, AND GUESS WHAT, OUR TEACHERS ARE STILL NOT WORKING A CONTRACT. OUR TEACHERS STILL DO NOT HAVE A CONTRACT. OUR TEACHERS, I DON'T KNOW MANY PEOPLE REALIZE THE FIRST SIX YEARS IN TEACHING, YOU DON'T EVEN

153GET A DOLLAR RAISE. YEAR SEVEN YOU GET $100 FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. THAT IS THE REALITY. PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT THIS ALL COMES DOWN TO MONEY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE A QUALITY EDUCATION NO MATTER WHERE SOMEONE GOES. FOR ME, WHEN I LOOK AT PLAN 4, IT'S NOT SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH. I AM NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND TELL FAMILIES THAT YOU'RE OKAY WHERE YOU LIVE IN THREE AND FIVE YEARS WHEN IT'S NOT TRUE. WHEN YOU SEE THE GROWTH OF TAMPA IN DIFFERENT AREAS, IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE. I AM SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO JUST BE HONEST AND STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SAY, LISTEN, THIS IS OVERCROWDED. WE HAVE MORE GROWTH. HOMES ARE BEING BUILT IN THAT AREA. IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE. AND WE HAVE TO REBOUNDARY. IT IS A HARD DECISION TO MAKE.

154IT'S SOMETHING I DON'T WANT TO MAKE. I GO TO BED AT NIGHT EVERY NIGHT FEELING HORRIBLE, THINKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS WHO ARE IMPACTED, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR DISTRICT HAS SOMEONE AT THE FRONT OFFICE, THAT YOU HAVE A CHILD TO TAKE YOU TO SCHOOL, THAT YOU HAVE A FRONT OFFICE SECRETARY. OUR GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ALONE, THE NUMBER OF GUIDANCE COUNSELORS THAT WE'VE LOST IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS IS HUGE. AND IF YOU ASK THEM WHY THEY LEAVE, THEY ALWAYS SAY, I CAN'T PAY MY BILLS. PEOPLE DID NOT GO INTO EDUCATION TO GET WEALTHY. LET'S MAKE SURE WE KNOW THAT. PEOPLE ARE STAYING HERE BECAUSE THEY LOVE CHILDREN, BUT WILL HE ALSO HAVE TO PAY THEIR BILLS. AND WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO PUT MONEY

155BACK INTO THE POCKET OF PEOPLE WHO WAKE UP EVERY DAY TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF WHAT SCHOOL THAT THEY ATTEND. SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ALWAYS PUT PEOPLE AND REMEMBER OUR JOB HERE IS TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR EVERY STUDENT IN OUR DISTRICT. THAT IS WHAT WE WERE ELECTED TO DO, TO REPRESENT OUR DISTRICT, BUT ALSO TO REPRESENT OUR ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND TO PROVIDE THAT QUALITY EDUCATION. IF PEOPLE MOVE FROM ONE AREA TO THE NEXT, GUESS WHAT, SCHOOLS WILL IMPROVE, FOR ME IN MY DISTRICT, WHEN PEOPLE OVER AND OVER SAY THEY DON'T WANT TO ATTEND CERTAIN SCHOOLS, I SAY TO THEM, HAVE YOU WALKED INTO THAT SCHOOL? HAVE YOU MET THE PRINCIPAL? HAVE YOU TALKED TO THE TEACHERS? OR HAVE YOU JUST LOOKED AT LETTER GRADE AND SAID, THAT SCHOOL IS NOT

156GOOD ENOUGH FOR MY CHILDREN BUT IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR OTHERS. SO LET'S PUT PEOPLE AND LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT -- WE JUST DON'T KEEP TALKING, BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO, WRAPAROUND SERVICES, DO THIS AND THIS, ALL OF THAT WE NEED MONEY FOR THAT. AND THAT MONEY IS NOT COMING FROM THE STATE. IT'S NOT COMING FROM LOCAL. AND DON'T THINK WE'RE GETTING IT FROM YOUR TAXES BECAUSE WE ARE CAPPED OUT. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE WE PRESERVE PUBLIC EDUCATION. MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I'LL BE VERY BRIEF. ONE OF THE OTHER WORKSHOP, PROBABLY CAN'T DO IT ON THE 9th, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS AND BOARD MEMBERS, BUT OUR POLICIES NEED TO BE UPDATED, LIKE POLICY 7110. IT'S NOT IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE MUST

157CHANGE BOUNDARIES WHEN WE'RE OVER 100% CAPACITY. WE HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO POLICY UPDATES, BUT HAVING SAID THAT, POLICY 5120 WAS UPDATED 2023. BUT THEN THE QUESTION IS, ARE WE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FINANCIAL REALITY OF OUR DISTRICT? ARE WE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE EFFICIENCY OF TRANSPORTATION? AND ARE WE PAYING ATTENTION TO ACCESS TO SCHOOLS? THIS IS MAYBE NOT THE MOST HOT TOPIC FOR THE AUDIENCE TO HEAR, BUT, BOARD MEMBERS, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR POLICIES AS WELL. JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MEMBER VAUGHN. FINISH US OFF. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN EITHER ANSWER NOW OR WE CAN ANSWER AT THE WORKSHOP. YOU KNOW, THIS IS CAUSING A HUGE AMOUNT OF ANXIETY WITHIN OUR

158COMMUNITY. NOBODY HAS ANY CLARITY. IT'S CAUSING ANXIETY WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS. I WOULD JUST LIKE FOR YOU TO CLARIFY THAT THE TIMELINE, REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE MOVE FORWARD, YOU'RE NOT LOOKING TO CHANGE AND IMPLEMENT THE TIMELINE TO THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR SO PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE A FULL YEAR OF CHOICE. BECAUSE AGAIN, WE HAVEN'T OPENED UP CHOICE. WE KEEP DELAYING THIS AND KEEPING CHOICE CLOSED BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE RIGHT NOW LEAVING OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING, THE LONGER WE TAKE TO HAVE ANY CLARITY ON THIS. I WOULD LIKE TO YOU BULLET POINT SOME THINGS PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT THAT WILL RELIEVE SOME ANXIETY AND MAYBE MAKE SURE OR TODAY, STAY IN OUR SCHOOL. ALSO, AS WE PUSH THE TIMELINE BACK AND CALL FOR MORE AND MORE SPECIAL BOARD

159MEETINGS, THAT'S LESS TIME I CAN SPEND IN MY SCHOOL. THAT'S LESS TIME I'M ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH MY COMMUNITIES. HAVE THESE ALREADY BEEN CLEARED ON OUR CALENDAR? ALL OF THIS IS TAKING UP A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY FOR THINGS THAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOLUTIONS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. CAN YOU GIVE ME MORE CLARITY ON WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE AS YOU'RE CHANGING THE TIMELINE BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST I HEARD ABOUT IT AS WELL AS THE ISSUES KEEPING SENIORS OR WHAT THAT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR PEOPLE WAITING TO MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON THIS? Nadia Combs: MR. PORTER. Jim Porter: IF I COULD SPEAK BEFORE THE SUPERINTENDENT, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CLEANUP THINGS AND THIS DIRECTLY ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION AS WELL.

160FIRST OF ALL, THIS HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION. WE DIDN'T HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE I THINK THE SUPERINTENDENT CAME TODAY AND THE BOARD CAME EXPECTING A RECOMMENDATION FOR SCENARIO 4. THERE WAS A PIVOT, WHICH WAS RESPONSIVE TO BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND THE COMMUNITY. SO THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT RIGHT NOW IS TO HAVE A WORKSHOP ON APRIL 9 -- I'M SORRY, MARCH 9. SORRY ABOUT THAT. IF WE COULD GET A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, LET'S DO THIS STEP BY STEP. IF THERE COULD BE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO SUPPORT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION FOR A WORKSHOP ON MARCH 9 AND VOTE ON THAT. THEN WE CAN GET INTO THE REST OF THE TIMELINE. Nadia Combs: SHAKE, WERE YOU GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION? MEMBER WASHINGTON? Jim Porter: JUST SAY SO MOVED.

161AND WE NEED A SECOND. Nadia Combs: SECONDED BY MEMBER HAHN. Jim Porter: PROBABLY VOTE ON THAT RIGHT NOW AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE DISCUSSION. THE VOTE -- THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS FOR A WORKSHOP AT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION ON MARCH 9. Nadia Combs: AND THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. Jim Porter: TO FOLLOW UP WITH WHAT MS. VAUGHN WAS SUGGESTING, THE SUPERINTENDENT ALSO THREW OUT A COUPLE OF OTHER DATES, MARCH 23rd, MARCH 30. I DON'T BELIEVE THOSE ARE SET IN STONE. I THINK HE IS EAGER TO HAVE ACTION ON THIS. AND I THINK HE IS BEING VERY ASSERTIVE AND AGGRESSIVE, WHICH IS HIS ROLE AS SUPERINTENDENT. I THINK YOUR CALENDARS WOULD NEED TO BE VIEWED. I THINK YOU NEED TO SEE WHAT THE WORKSHOP ON MARCH 9th LOOKS LIKE. YOU

162MIGHT NOT BE READY TO GO FORWARD AT THAT POINT. I THINK THE ONLY ACTION TODAY THAT IS APPROPRIATE IS TO HAVE THE WORKSHOP SET ON MARCH 9 AND REQUEST THE SUPERINTENDENT TO LOOK AT OTHER DATES IN THE FUTURE FOR WHEN THIS MAY COME IN FOR A LANDING FOR THE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS OR THE TWO MEETINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE. I THINK IT'S PROBABLY NOT RIGHT TO MAKE THOSE FINAL HARD CALLS TODAY ABOUT WHEN THE MEETINGS ARE GOING TO BE. WE HAVE TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTICE. WE WANT TO BACK INTO THE NOTICE TO MAKE SURE WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING CORRECTLY. IF THAT'S SORT OF WHERE WE COULD LEAVE IT TODAY, THAT YOU HAVE THE WORKSHOP ON THE 9th WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR CALENDARS FOR FUTURE DATES SOONER RATHER THAN

163LATER, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME OF YOU STILL MIGHT NOT BE READY TO TAKE ACTION, AND THAT MIGHT PUSH IT BACK EVEN FURTHER. BUT FOR PURPOSES OF TODAY, FOR CLARITY PURPOSES, THE ONLY DEFINITE THING THE BOARD IS DOING TODAY IS SCHEDULING A WORKSHOP ON MARCH 9. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, RIGHT BEFORE I HAND IT OVER TO YOU, I JUST HAD ONE LAST QUESTION OR COMMENT, AND I THINK I ASKED YOU BEFORE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PUT ON RECORD, IF YOU COULD HAVE MS. JOHNSON, I JUST WANTED TO SEE AN ANALYSIS OF THE COST OF HAVING A -- WITH 250 STUDENTS OR 300 STUDENTS, AND THEN THE COST COMPARED TO HAVING SCHOOLS THAT ARE LIKE 750 OR 1,000 STUDENTS, THE COST OF THAT AND THE COMPARISON. BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT COST AND

164COST SAVINGS AND WHAT THE COST TO HAVE A SMALLER SCHOOL OPENED COMPARED TO A SCHOOL THAT IS AT FULL CAPACITY, IF I COULD MAKE THAT REQUEST. THANK YOU. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION. ONE OF THE THINGS, NEW DATES HAVE COME UP BECAUSE OF THE ABILITY TO MOVE AND RECOGNIZE THAT THE BOARD NEEDS MORE SPACE. I DID ASK STAFF TO GO AND LOOK AT PARTICULAR DATES THAT MAY BE OPEN FOR THE BOARD, AND THE 23rd AND THE 30th WERE OPEN. THE 23rd AT 10 A.M. AND THEN ALSO THE 30th AT 1 P.M. OPENLY, WE LOOK AND WORK AS MR. PORTER TALKED ABOUT IF THOSE DATES WORK. I WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN WE ADDRESS INACCURACIES, WHEN WE USE THE WORD EQUITY, WHEN I CAME

165IN IN 2020, WE HAD MULTIPLE DECENTRALIZED SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN OUR DISTRICT. SO 8 REGIONS DOING DIFFERENT CURRICULUMS, DIFFERENT FOCUS, DIFFERENT WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND DIFFERENT SUPPORT SERVICES. WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE BROUGHT EQUITY TO THE FOREFRONT. WE NOW HAVE CONSISTENT SUPPORTS, A CONSISTENT CURRICULUM, TIER ONE, TIER TWO, TIER THREE IN THAT EFFORT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT SCHOOLS, EVERY SCHOOL SHOULD NOT BE A COOKIE-CUTTER PROCESS. EVERY SCHOOL BASED ON COMMUNITY NEEDS NEEDS TO OFFER PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT IS THE PASSION OF THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL. NO REASON TO PUT AGRICULTURE IN CERTAIN SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE, A, THE STRUCTURE, A, THE DESIRE OR A, THE PRACTITIONER TO GO IN THAT SCHOOL BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A PATHWAY FOR IT. WE HAVE TO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE BY SETTING THE FRAME OF TIER ONE

166CORE CURRICULUM, TIER TWO AND TIER THREE FOR ONGOING SUPPORTS AND AT THE SAME TOKEN, AN ARRAY OF DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES AND OPEN MASTER SCHEDULES. BEFORE COMING IN, LEVEL 4s AND 5s WERE THE ONLY STUDENTS GETTING OPPORTUNITY TO ACCELERATE AT COURSES. WE OPEN THIS UP TO STUDENTS LEVEL 2s, LEVEL 3s. STUDENTS JUST NEED A CHANCE. THAT IS DRIVEN BY EQUITY. YOU SEE EQUITY MOVING FROM 35th TO 19th RELATED TO THE WORK THAT EVERYONE IN THIS FRONT ROW AND EVERY LEADER AND EVERY TEACHER HAS DONE TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES. THIS IS WHY WE'VE DONE A BETTER JOB THROUGH THE WORK OF THE BOARD HOLDING ACCOUNTABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE MAXIMIZE TITLE ONE DOLLARS THAT ADDRESS EQUITY. TESSA DOLLARS, ESSER DOLLARS TO ADDRESS EQUITY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB.

167PLEASE DON'T SAY WE HAVEN'T DONE IT. DO WE HAVE ROOM TO GO? WE ABSOLUTELY DO HAVE ROOM TO GO AND CONTINUE TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY. AS IT RELATES TO COMMUNICATION, EVERY ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING EVERY SINGLE TIME RELATED TO OUR BOUNDARIES. I TALK TO THEM EVERY SINGLE DAY. IF THERE IS A QUESTION THEY HAVE, THEY CAN ASK ME AT ANY POINT OF TIME. REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENTS HAVE BEEN IN SCHOOLS TALKING TO PRINCIPALS AND WE TALK TO PRINCIPALS ABOUT WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT, WHAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENTLY. CAN WE GET BETTER? ABSOLUTELY WE CAN. A LOT OF PRINCIPALS, A LOT OF DIFFERENT MECHANICS TO ADDRESS. TOMORROW IS A PRINCIPAL MEETING. WE'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION WE FEEL THERE IS A SPACE FOR IT AND NEED US INDIVIDUALLY WE'LL MAKE CERTAIN WE OPEN THAT

168BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS. IT IS IMPORTANT. AS IT RELATES TO COMMUNICATION. I HAVE TO SAY IT, OVER 35 PARENT LINKS, 6 PARENT LETTERS, OVER 100 MEDIA OUTLETS AND NEWSPAPER, TV, 441,000 CONSTITUENTS HAVE ENGAGED IN OUR WEBSITE. WE TALK ABOUT INDIVIDUAL HOMES, 177 HOME SEARCHES INDIVIDUALLY HAVE IDENTIFIED IN THAT PROCESS. WE HAVE COMMUNICATED AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THAT PRACTICE. RELATED TO WHAT SCHOOLS NEED, WE MEET WITH PRINCIPALS BUT ALSO CONTINUED. WE'VE HAD ONE ON ONE WITH BOARD MEMBERS AD NAUSEAM. WE KNOW YOU'VE HAD ONE-ON-ONES WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE'VE ALSO HAD E-MAILS, PHONE CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS. YOU CONTINUE TO ENGAGE EVERYONE. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK DONE IN THIS EMPLOYEES AND THIS PLACE. I DO BELIEVE WE'RE AT A STARTING POINT WITH 4. WE'LL

169CONTINUE TO BUILD UPON IT AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE GET STRENGTH IN THAT PROCESS. BUT FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, THIS STARTED SEPTEMBER THE 13th, ENGAGING COMMUNITIES. WE STARTED WITH 1300 PARTICIPANTS. WE TRANSITIONED TO 441,000 PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS. I WOULD SAY THAT'S MAJOR GROWTH FOR ENGAGEMENT. FROM OUR SIDE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE REFLECTIVE BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION AND GIVE CLARITY OF WHERE WE ARE TO THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE THIS COMMUNITY DESERVES ANSWERS, BUT ALSO DESERVES TO ACTUALLY BE ENGAGED AND INVOLVED, HENCE THE REASON WE TOOK RECOMMENDATIONS TO SLOW THIS PROCESS BECAUSE, I AGREE, WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN WE'RE VERY INTENTIONAL AND SURGICAL ABOUT THIS APPROACH, BUT SOME OF THESE ELEMENTS NEED TO GO NOW VERSUS OTHER ELEMENTS. TO MRS. VAUGHN'S POINT, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO BE VERY PATIENT WITH THE CHOICE

170WINDOW. HAVEN'T ANNOUNCED THIS TO ANYONE. PRINCIPALS, SORRY, IF YOU'RE WATCHING, WANTED TO ENGAGE YOU TOMORROW, IT IS A GOOD QUESTION AND PARENTS NEED TO KNOW. MARCH THE 8th IS WHEN WE WILL OPEN THE WINDOW AND TAKE THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH APRIL 30th. MARCH 8th THROUGH APRIL 30th. TO OUR CONSTITUENTS. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHEN YOU APPLY. YOU CAN APPLY ON APRIL 30th. IT'S THE SAME AS APPLYING ON THE FIRST DAY. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT SPACES WILL BE OPEN. AS IT RELATES TO GRANDFATHERING, FIFTH GRADE, EIGHTH GRADE, 12th GRADE CONTINUE TO BE RELATED TO OUR GRANDFATHERING. YOU HAVE TO REFINE TRANSPORTATION IN THAT RETRO PENALTY. WE'LL WORK WITH TEACHERS IF REPURPOSING IS IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE WE FOLLOW THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TO DETERMINE WHERE THEY GO FROM A

171LOCATION PERSPECTIVE. ALL THIS TO SAY IS THAT TRYING TO LEAD, THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR EVERYONE. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT, WE NEED YOUR INPUT, AND WE WILL DO THAT COLLECTIVELY AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. I ALSO WANT THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT DOESN'T HAVE THE POWER TO SELL ANYTHING IN ISOLATION. THAT IS THROUGH BOARD POLICY. ANYTHING THAT COMES UP RELATED TO SALE, THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE BOARD. THE BOARD HAS TO APPROVE THAT. THE ONLY RECOMMENDATION THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS IS ASK THE BOARD FOR US TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS AN APPETITE TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY OR ANY DEVELOPER OR ANY POTENTIAL BUYER. AND

172IF THERE IS A DEAL, POTENTIALLY THAT SOUNDS SOUND, I BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO THE BOARD, BUT THE SUPERINTENDENT CANNOT DO THIS IN ISOLATION. ANYTHING THAT WE DO BRINGS BACK TO THE BOARD, SO THE BOARD CAN MAKE THAT DECISION BECAUSE IT'S ONLY FAIR TO THEM. I THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO FEEDBACK, EXPLICIT DIRECTION AND CLARITY ON MARCH THE 9th. AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH DATES RELATED TO OUR NEXT TIME TOGETHER. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.