001Good evening. I am so pleased to be here to celebrate a partnership that changes lives. Habitat for Humanity of Winter Park Mland has spent decades turning in the dream of home ownership into a reality for so many in our community. This nonprofit understands that a stable home is the foundation for health, education, and a family's future. That mission hits home for us tonight. We are proud to celebrate Habitat's helping hand for one of our own, an OCPS middle school teacher and her family. As the recipients of a new home, we have to be You can clap. That's really exciting. we have to be honest about the challenges that our staff face between state budget constraints and the high cost of living here in Orlando. Home ownership is often an uphill battle for our educators. So,
002we are so profoundly grateful to Habitat for stepping into that gap and supporting a teacher who gives so much to our students every day. It is important to note that this home is not a giveaway. It is earned through sweat equity. Families commit to hundreds of hours of labor and service which serves as their down payment. We thank Habitat for this investment in our workforce and for for providing one of our educators with the security of a permanent home. To share the personal impact of this journey, I'd like to invite Glenidge Middle School principal Daniel Kempinger to the podium to read a letter from the recipient of the Habitat home who asked not to be named tonight. Mr. Good to see you. Dear OCPS school board and Habitat for Humanity board of directors, as a
003teacher at Glenidge Middle School, I never thought I'd have the opportunity to address you all, but I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible opportunity you have provided my family. I want to thank Principal Camper and Dr. Williams for bringing this opportunity to my attention all the way back in October. This home is more than just a structure is life-changing for me and my family. We have been moved by the dedication shown by the students of Winter Park High School that gave up very valuable Saturdays to work alongside us. Thank you for every hour of your hard work to put you put into building our home and your parents should be extremely proud of you. Working with Habitat for Humanity has been a profound experience. I look forward to continuing my service
004with them to help make this same dream a reality for other families throughout Winter Park and Mainland. We will never forget this. Thank you for sharing that powerful message, principal. I would also like to invite the leadership of Habitat Winter Park Mland to the podium. please welcome executive director Courtney Crop Al and the founding members Jeff Briggs and Hal George who along with the late Thaad Seymour, former president of Rollins College began this incredible legacy of service back in 1992. So, if you'd like to share a few words about your work, appreciate it. Yes. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Jeff Briggs. I'm the treasurer of Habitat for Humanity. And for the previous 47 years until I retired in January, I was also the planning director for the city of Winter Park. And so the reason that
005we're we are here today is because 33 years ago I took a ski trip to Aspen and I found out in Aspen even 33 years ago they didn't have any place for the bartenders to live that was affordable or any place for the public school teachers to live that was affordable. But what they had was a pay for play game. If you wanted to build an Aspen, you either had to build affordable housing or you had to pay into a fund so the city could build that affordable housing. So I brought that idea back to a welcoming city commission that wanted to do something versus nothing in terms of affordable housing and we adopted the state's first affordable housing linkage fee and started collecting money to fund building affordable homes. But the money was coming
006in and it was I don't know how to build anything. So how am I going to get something built? So the partnership with myself and Habitat was the first step to get something done. And I was the luckiest man in the world because one of the first sponsors was Rollins College and the two leaders were Thaddius Seymour the president. Can you ask her better credibility? and the best builder in Orange County, Hal George, who's going to tell you how we took it from there to today. I am. thank you and thank you for recognizing the work that Habitat does. We're proud to be here with our partners in Habitat. We have Orlando and Semino County Habitat here. So, it's wonderful to work with all of you. you know, one of the things I wanted to
007mention, we've we did start a little kind of unorganized, and I'm not saying that we've gained a lot of organization since then, but we are a little bit different than some of the affiliates because we're in a geographic area that when you talk about affordability and the land prices, it's very difficult. So, we've had to develop some partnerships through the years to make sure that we could maintain that affordability. And one of the things that we felt like very early on in our process was that high school and college kids were really important to making our success happen. And so we embraced the high school and college students and it worked out great. And so for years now we you go by on a Saturday and there's 30 or 40 high school kids and college
008kids working on our sites. My friends drive by and they say, "Aren't you worried about the all those kids on the roof?" And I said, "No, they fall off, they jump up, they brush themselves off, we fall off and we you're in the hospital." So, but it is that part in addition to providing the affordability for these families and we're so thrilled that we have an Orange County teacher is our newest family. but the real special part of our whole mission is the students that come out and work with us and we're so proud of that. And I know you all are recognizing some of my favorites here today. I got to see him out front, but thank you for giving us that opportunity and for doing such a great job with these students in
009your schools and encouraging them to come out and do what they do. So, we thank you for all of that. Thank you so much for that. I would also like to invite Winter Park High School student Simone Campbell to the podium. She is president of her school's Habitat for Humanity Club and has, as Hal mentioned, members volunteer with their local chapter to help build houses. And for me, I think this is such an incredible part of the work that you all do is giving our students an opportunity to not only be engaged in their community and understand what it means to be part of a village, but also to remind all of us that our students can do hard things that sometimes are somewhat risky, but that's really how they grow as people and they
010develop. And so I love the independence that Habitat for Humanity is giving to our students as well. So I'd also like to ask the other club members in the audience to please stand to be recognized. Would you like to say hi Campbell? I'm the president of Habitat for Humanity. I went to Bark High. I joined the club last year because my friend told me about it and said it would be a great way for us to hang out more and also would look really good on my college applications. But it slowly turned into something so much more than just a tick on my resume. It turned into something that I actually cared about and I look forward to every single Saturday. Habitat for Humanity is essential in Winter Park and Mland due to the notoriously
011high prices of homes and that are constantly raising. It brings people in need of a home a little push to help them break to achieve that goal. Habitat for Free Humanity has been around for 50 years and has built over 400,000 homes across the world. As a club, we volunteer every Saturday for three hours to help make progress. It might be slow, but we know the work that we're doing is important, and we're very excited for this home to be going to a teacher in our community and hope that their family can feel all the love that has been poured into making this house a home. Thank you. Great job. thank you to Habitat for all of the work you do to improve the lives of the people in our community. I'd also like to
012recognize our partners from Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando in OciOla County. We've learned a lot about Habitat. There are many different different Habitat groups. they're also in the audience. There's President and CEO Katherine McManis and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Gallagher. Would you like to stand up? Over the past several year years, they have served 14 OCPS staff and faculty through their home ownership program. And they have also served many OCPS employees through their housing counseling program, roof replacement program, HabitatU program, and their FEC program. So, thank you. before we acknowledge our third Habitat partner here tonight, I'd like our partners from these two Habitat organizations to join us at the DIAS for photos, please. All right, everyone up. from this group with member vom just be right over here. Students, good to see you again.
013Thank you so much. We appreciate you. Thank you so much. The students are high ticket. They're so excited. Thank you so much. Really truly. the whole place. You want to hang out with some adults or you want to be all by yourself? All right. Good. Good. Good. Good. Getting closer. We're going to shingle. Shingle. Good. And if they if the graphics people gave you something, turn it the right way because that makes them happy. And then you can open it. You put on the fridge. Good. Big smile. Look happy. And on three. Good. One, two, and three. Stay there. Let's do a quick peek. New with this. Good. Hold on. One more. Big smile. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much, Member Vanos. And what an incredible love the pictures spotted several, you know, celebrities.
014Dr. Williams in there a couple times. well, we're so grateful for the work being done in Winter Park, Matland, and Orlando. The need for affordable housing, as we all know, reaches across our entire district. I would now like to welcome such celebrity, Dr. Williams, to the podium to tell us about Oh, she's already there. Look at her. That was She doesn't even need introduction. To to tell us about another vital partner serving our families in the Apka area. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. I'm honored to recognize Habitat for Humanity, Siminal Aapka. tonight. This organization is a true lifeline for families navigating the housing crisis that's in our very own backyard in Apopka and Semino County. And to be honest with you, throughout the numbers, the numbers are they're discouraging. The average price of a
015home is over 400,000 per year. and rent. Rent for a two-bedroom apartment is around 2,000 a month. It's a difficult reality that our employees give all that they have every day to our students, but the state budget cuts. It means that we can all not always pay them what they are truly worth. When you add Orlando's high cost of living, the dream of a stable home can feel out of reach for many of our employees. However, we have Habitat Simol or Popka that changes things. It doesn't just build houses. They don't just build houses. They build a foundation for success. The nonprofit provides literacy, financial literacy resources and mentoring for future homeowners. We especially want to celebrate the heart the heart and the hard work of the families that are involved and here with us
016this evening. These homes are not given. You see, they're earned. They work and have to put in over 100 hours of labor working towards a house or a home that is now theirs. and 500 total hours of service to the organization. We are so grateful and thankful to Habitat for Humanity Seinal Apakka for their friendship, for their partnership, and for making sure that our families have a place to call a home. You see, that's the American dream, home ownership. And now I would like to invite Penny seated to the podium to say a few words about her chapter of Habitat and the good work that they're doing for not only OCPS, but if it were my goal, it would only be OCPS. Thank you, Dr. Williams. it's an honor to be here and to have
017the partnership that we do with Orange County Public Schools and it makes my heart very happy to know that you take u housing seriously. I think it helps to stabilize your workforce by giving families whether they're teachers or bus drivers, cafeteria workers, which are some of the families that we've been able to serve some of your employees that we've been able to serve with stable housing. when I look at the amount of money that a Habitat homeowner is paying for their house, it is literally half of the same apartment right down the street at Martin Ridge Apartments. yet our families can actually own these homes, have garages, backyards where their kids can play, and really more importantly break that cycle of poverty and really have something back to the American dream, something that can be
018passed down to their family members, to their children to create some wealth in their families. So those are the things that we're really proud of. And actually our applications are open right now for our home ownership program. And of course all of our financial offerings are free and don't cost anything for your employees. and a lot of them are done virtually and we like to offer those to employers to offer to their to the people that work with them. I definitely believe that when a community is doing better financially, the entire community is doing better whether they own a home or not. Improving credit scores and just knowing how to handle money is very important and does get you closer to that American dream of home ownership. So, thank you for your partnership. and I
019hope to serve many more Orange County Public School employees. Thank you. And we're so grateful for all that you do to support OCPS. Thank you. I would like now like to invite the following Habitat recipients to please join us. We have a surprise for you. The foundation is here with us. And when I call out your name, when I call out your name, please transition to the front of the boardroom. Okay. Are you ready? All right. Latana Shemica, where are you with transportation? Hamlin Middle School, custodian George, are you with us? Yeah. Move up, Frank. Wolf Lake Middle School, FNS employee, an Antonio, and I'm saying that right. Antonia Ashley, a teacher at Rock Springs Elementary, please join us. And now we have a surprise for you from the foundation. Debbie Pedraza, please. She's the
020executive director of the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools. Thank you, Dr. Williams. Thank you all for being here today. Congratulations on your new homes. The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools is an organization that exists solely to support our students, our teachers, our staff, our schools. That's what we do. And today, it is our honor to give each of you a gift card to help fill your fridge from Publix for $250 and with the help of Orlando Health. Thank you. Okay, this is the Oprah show. Poor member Felder. Here you go. There you go. You get a gift card. You get a gift card. You get a gift card. And I believe we have other gifts for you. Where's Mark Watson from FNS? Where's Mark? There you go. Here you go. This is the
021Oprah show. A basket of goodies for you to take back. And where is Bill? Win a goodie. Great. Thank you. And we also have the principal, Hamlin Middle School. think you have a couple of gifts to give or a bag. I see some comfy blankets in there. Oh my goodness. Oh, they're going to take a picture, so let them. And to Habitat for Humanity, thank you for the partnership. We have brand new homeowners because of each and every one of you from Orlando to Aapka to Simol to Winter Park. Thank you for this partnership. my goal and I think our dream is that this is just the beginning. and to each and every one of you, thank you for working for Orange County Public Schools. Thank you for all that you do every day. And
022congratulations. You're now homeowners. Thank you. let's take some pictures. If you don't mind, we would like to take a picture. So, if you don't mind coming up with the gifts, coming back with the baskets. My car is right out front. Throw your stuff over here. You guys can slide over. Yeah. Put the baskets in front of them when they take the picture. All right, let's Where's Roberto? Roberto says, come down. Come down. Plenty of space over here. Vacant land habitat. Thank you. I'll be here all day. Do Do we need any more habitat people? Yeah, we'll do this one and bring everybody here. Excellent. You're the boss. Good. Big smile. Big smile again. Look happy. Let's do that one more time. One, two, and perfect. And now everybody. Now everyone from Habitat. Habitat. All Habitat.
023If you are with Habitat Club student, if you were in the last picture, come right up. You broke a nail. You're in the photo. Those are adults getting closer. And we're still going to shingle. It's a chorus term or a group term. Good. Good. Good. We're going to need a bigger boat. Good. Nice big smile. Look up. Look happy on three. Good. One, two, and three. Stay there. Hold on. One more big smile. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you. Ah, that was incredible. Thank you. You showed out, didn't you? Dr. Williams, I have a couple of our members towel a bar. So, wait for folks to take the selfie and then we'll get going. So, don't don't leave quite yet. We have a few members that might say something. All right, Member Gallo. Thank you, Madam
024Chair. I just want to say thank you to the Habitat for Humanity people. I was at the one in Winter Park and it was such a cute cute house. Like it's just it's like a little cottage style house and it was just so cute and it really truly makes a huge difference in the lives of our employees. I never thought that as a board member we would be in the housing business, but I'm so thankful that we are and all of this was really the mastermind of of Dr. Williams. and she's done such a great job of working with different partners, different entities to to make this come true between Habitat Humanity, OneTop, and the other organizations that we work with. And I just I wish we didn't have to provide affordable housing to our
025employees. I wish they were in a situation where they made enough money that this wasn't needed. But we all know that's not where we are. And so I'm just so grateful to everybody who pitches in and helps out to bring this dream to life because it really to own something makes a difference, you know, to to be able to call it yours and to be a and for it to be affordable and to be proud of where you live and to have your kids growing up in that house. It's it's a gamecher for so many. So I'm so thankful to these partnerships. I'm so thankful to Dr. Williams. You know, I think 2027 is going to be our best year yet, Dr. Williams. That's right. She thinks she's leaving at the end of 26. So,
026I keep telling her the plans we have for 2027. There's a lot of plans and usually she agrees with me and then she catches on that I said 2027 and then she gets all agitated. But in all seriousness, thank you so much. It's it's wonderful the work you do and I absolutely love that kids get to get to volunteer in this way. There's nothing there's no greater feeling than helping others to achieve a goal or to achieve a dream. And the fact that these kids are learning this at such a young age and working hard on the weekends when they could be home scrolling on their phones or watching TV or literally doing everything else that they're given their time because it's important to them. It shows the heart of these students and the community.
027So, thank you. Thank you, member Gallo. member for Okay. Thank you. And thank you to everyone who is here. but especially Habitat for Humanity, what you're doing for the community really is making a huge difference. I was just talking to the superintendent about how how many people are out there and kind of have just you know, checked off or checked out of the fact that maybe they'll never own a home and kind of just thought, okay, well, it is what it is and I'll never own. and then Habitat for Humanity comes around and is able to give them a dream that they've already kind of brushed off and thought never could happen. And for the students, thank you for everything that you're doing. we do my family and I do a lot of work overseas
028where we build homes for community members and watching students come down to help us and the it's like you're hoping to you know bless somebody else but in the end you are receiving so much as well. it really is truly better to give than to receive. And there's something so wonderful about learning how to pour into someone else and be a blessing to someone else, especially at a young age. So I'm hoping that other people, other schools, will, you know, pick up this idea of helping out and having a club for Habitat for Humanity. I think it's amazing. I'd love to see how many of our high schools are participating in a in a club like that and get more of our students on board because I think that's such a great way to mix,
029you know, club life but also pouring into the community. So, thank you for everything that you've done for being here tonight and for everybody that's here. Congratulations to the new homeowners as well. Thank you, member. Member Fowler. Thank you, chair. This is so exciting to me. I remember years and years and years ago, my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, the Orlando Lumni chapter, years ago when we first got introduced to the whole idea of Habitat for Humanity. I'll never forget my experience as a younger woman with the notion of building a house. hammering paint was all over me and you know I just I it was just the concept was just I just could not believe it but we got the house up and the thing that is so amazing to me is that
030Orange County Public Schools you know it's a po fraud that went praise his own pawn but I'm going to tell you something we do so very much to make sure that our employees are happy and doing the doing what we can to make their experience here memorable. I've never heard of a of a district, school district, building houses for their employees so that they can stay because they understand that they're not getting the the salary. I am so proud of what we do as a district and the fact that these young people, my god, they got a club in high school where they are building houses. And I don't take it lightly cuz some of these young folk, baby, you know, you're in a club, but some of y'all going to be some serious architects
031cuz you have learned some things and you are going to own your own construction company and you're going to be building not only houses, but you're going to be building schools and everything else. And what a wonderful gesture to say to our employees because I'm telling you this is this right here is the beginning of wealth for your children that are behind you, your children's children. And I'm so grateful for Habitat for Humanity. I you're not new to me. I'm telling you, I was in my maybe late 20s when I got introduced to what Habitat of Humanity, what it means, and the building of homes. And I'm so thankful that our district and our superintendent and Dr. Bridget, they took the bull by the horns, honey, and took off with this thing because we need
032to do what we can. This is what America is about. It's about helping each other. It's about making lives better and encouraging people to do the best that they can to be the best that they can be. And Habitat for Humanity, I'm listen, I am so happy that you're here with us, that you have partnered with OCPS. This is something I've never heard of in a school district. And I'm so grateful that we are a part that we this is maybe the inaugural kind of partnership for the rest of the state to get on board, but I'm so grateful for what you've done and those of you that have these houses, you will never ever forget this moment. Thank you so much for all that you do. Thank you. Thank you, Member Felder. Member Douglas,
033Habitat for Humanity, I'm just I have always admire this organization and just like member Felder, I have heard of you for so long and I always wondered if one day I could come and help, but you know, having three kids and taking care of all this, you kind of but really truly I appreciate your organization. I really do. and now you are teaching our students to be selfless, to have a heart of service and to do great things for other people. And that's what we want our kids to do. We want them to learn to volunteer, to help, and not to think only about themsel, but to also think about other people. And really, you are great teachers. This is wonderful. And for the young kids, the teenagers, thank you. you. I can see you
034climbing up there on the roof and doing all the great things that you're doing and building those beautiful houses. You should be proud of yourself and I really hope that you will have more people in high school coming to your club and doing the same and learn that what you're doing is going to be impactful for so many families for generation to come. and I do thank you so much for what you do and thank you again Habitat for Humanity for who you are as a company and what you've continued to bring to our community. Thank you so much. not that long ago up here last week, maybe two weeks ago, time is a little funky right now, we had to make some really hard decisions about school consolidation. And I think this board has
035felt the consequences of Orlando becoming not affordable. because as we are not affordable, less people are coming and having families and building families here, where many of us live and grew up. And so one of the biggest things we continue to hear from folks is affordability, the dream to have a home is really something that's hurting us as our community. and what I love about the work you all do is you involve everyone from the community and you remind them of that necessity and that dream of a home. and how important it is for all of us to be involved in building our own community with our own hands and that the next generation of students also understands that the reason we have schools is because we have kids and the reason we have kids
036is because we have families and the only way we can have families is that if we have a way for them to have affordability and have a place to live and eat and have jobs. and so it is housing is core to everything. I think Dr. Williams as our housing influencer at OCPS has always been such a spokesperson about this, but this board really deeply cares about seeing the larger picture. and you're such an important partner for that. and so thank you so much for your work. thank you for being here and it's awesome to see all the students that showed up and are part of this and keep that up and I'm glad you're doing it beyond just the college application. I think when you speak about the meaningfulness of this, it really is
037hard to beat and folks will always appreciate that you were out there doing some of the work. That's it's hard. but it's what will make you a great community leader someday. So, thank you for that. So, that moves on to the next item on the agenda, which is less than two weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hosting a favorite of mine. I was very sad not to be there this year, especially because district 2 did very well at the Stellar Awards, an event dedicated to the heart of this district, our treasured employees. While we often focus on policy and operations in this room, the Stellar Awards is an evening that focuses on the incredible talent and dedication found in our schools and across our many departments. The individuals we are recognizing tonight represent the
038very best of OCPS. It is my distinct honor to introduce our 2025 2026 district winners. As I call your name, please come forward to be recognized and we'll definitely be doing a picture. teacher of the year is Alexandra Figurora from Village Park Elementary. That's District 2 right there. See? Yeah, that's right. Support person of the year, Gabriella Cardani from Water Spring Elementary. Principal of the year, Amy Clabber from Bridgewater Middle. Sorry, Clayber. Apologies. Amy Clayber from Bridgewwater Middle. Assistant principal of the year, Rebecca Young from Metro West Elementary. started. Okay. Yeah. I don't know. Maybe we start chem. That's right. district administrator of the year, Kimberly Gilbert from Federal Programs, Division of Learning. And to further honor these outstanding professionals, we are joined by a very special guest. I would like to invite Pam Jones
039with Congressman Daniel Webster's office to the podium to say a few awards and present our winners with the congressional letters of congratulations. Thank you so much. It is an honor to be here. Dr. Vasquez, school board, the rest of you up here and the audience. I just first have to say quickly how much we love Habitat for Humanity. the congressman has been involved in some of the builds. You have found a local need that is so great. It may seem small in the eyes of the world but is truly lifechanging. So thank you. I just have to say that was a treat. I had no idea that was happening tonight. So that was wonderful. So anyhow, congratulations to you lovely ladies on being chosen as a 2025 2026 O County Public Schools stellar awardees. Congressman
040Webster celebrates with you. I'll read just a portion of the letter. This high honor is bestowed in acknowledgment of your innovative skills, dedication to student achievement, and determination to change lives. It is my pleasure to join Orange County Public Schools in thanking you for the investment of time and talent that you have made to enhance the students in Orange County. Again, it is my pleasure to congratulate you on receiving this significant recognition and acknowledge your contribution to our community. I'm honored to serve you in the United States House of Representatives. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Mrs. Jones. Now, we'll taking a picture. Yeah, absolutely. Congratulations again. You better congratulations. Very cool. Oh my god. Congratulations. I know. Four. Four brought it home. Did way better than I mean I don't see one
041out there. Hey again. Betting is illegal. The best bet. No, it is legal. No, it's not. I mean, you seem All right, Frank, guide us. Tell us. Don't mind. We got an iPhone. Free iPhone. Thank you. Good. Big smile. Big smile again. One more. Thank you. Congratulations again. Congratulations. You want a picture without me? You might want a picture without me. Oh, okay. I don't know. This is fine. Don't worry about it. We'd love to have you, Miss Jones. Don't worry. Thank you for joining us. We appreciate Congressman Webster's recognition for our outstanding stellar award winners. next, I would like to recognize Superintendent Vasquez to honor two of our talented students who helped create artwork for thank you, Madam Chair. It was an amazing celebration of a district full of talented and dedicated professionals. I
042would now like to invite two of our students up to the dis and I apologize if I mispronounced your name. So first I would like Alisa Andre Skia to come up. How did I do with the last name? Oh, okay. And Ellie Mangen. Did I do okay with the last name? Oh, sort of. Ah, okay. How do you pronounce it? Al Megan. El Megan. Oh, that's okay. Not phonetic, but thank you. we had an open call for our high school visual arts programs to submit work to be considered as the official face of the stellar awards. Out of 50 impressive entries submitted from across Orange County Public Schools, two stood out above the rest. It's a testament to the art program at Dr. Phillips High School. Both of our winners are Panthers. so Alicia, would
043you We're going to talk about your piece first. All right. So your piece is entitled Symphony Captured the Spirit of Harmony and Collaboration that defines our district. Your work was presented as the official gift to our four top sponsors whose generosity makes the Stellar Awards possible. Ellie's work, entitled The Wonders of Florida, is a beautiful tribute to the vibrant environment we call home. Her piece was presented as the official gift to our five districtwide winners. Alisa and Ellie, your vision adds color and inspiration to OCPS, and we're incredibly proud of your hard work. Please join me in giving them a round of applause for these incredible students. And now I think we want to take a picture. All right, pictures. Just if you can come a little bit more. There you go. Are you in
044art? What do you want to do? Wow. Right and left brain. That's right. You're blessed. Enjoy. Or is this a photo of it? It's beautiful. Wow. Sorry. district. Oh, district. Good. Big smile. Big smile again. Hold on. And if the artist, come on. Right up here. Big smile. And look super happy. Hold on. We got to get the crew in the back. They like that. And did you bring any emotional support, parents? You can stand with your kids though. If you're here with the kiddo, you can stand with her. scoot in there and they'll scoot over. That way you guys can Yeah, you guys should be with That's right. Thank you, Alisa and Al. It's truly inspiring to see the talent coming from our high schools. It is beautiful work. we look forward to seeing
045where your academic and artistic journeys take you next. I'll turn it back to Superintendent Vasquez. Oh, wait. Sorry just me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me member felder apologies. Yes, thank you so much chair. I want to say something about Dr. Phillips and their performing arts and their visual artist department. Dr. Phillips opened in 1987 where I was hired as a theater teacher and the Zorner Hursten Festival started about 2000 and during that time the children who were in art, we had pottery, had visual art, had digital art, all that art. They were the first group of high school students invited to the Zoranir Herson Festival to present their art in all art forms. Dr. Phillips has never failed in the
046terms of performing and visual arts. And the fact that their artwork was chosen for the Stella Awards, I'm not surprised because the I the talent is just has been there for years and I'm so appreciative to our principal Jackie Ramsay and of course the two artists. I mean your work is just phenomenal. It's just beautiful. And again, Dr. Phillips High School resides in district 5 where the talent resides. Thank you so much. Thank you, member Falder. Okay, now back to you, Superintendent Vasquez. I don't I don't have any newly appointed administrators. Okay. So, are we I think you're going to move to our representatives. I have a little note here since turnback too for a special recognition. Oh my gosh, you are so right. It's been a long day. I apologize. You're right. so, we
047are going to have to say goodbye to one of our cabinet members. today is his last board meeting. He still has a couple of days with us, but could I ask Rory Salamini to please come up? He's our chief facilities officer. no, I don't think he's going to dance. Are you gonna surprise us? so Rory truly exemplifies service his entire life has been dedicated to service. He was in the military and he was an Army officer for 20 years. He has also served in Hillsboro County Public Schools as well as Orange County Public Schools. as a result of his leadership, not only do we have an incredibly well known building program but we have also been honored with different awards and I'm just going to name a few. So in 2025 we pl were first
048place for design in the high school category for innovation high school. In 2025, we also received first place design in the college category for our Orange Technical College West campus. Yes. And then in 2026, award of merit design for Orange Technical College, our East Campus. you've been involved in so many aspects of our building program, but not only that, as a cabinet member, you contribute to all aspects, not just facilities. And we always look forward to your thoughtful responses and insights of which sometimes we're all in awe like, "Oh, we didn't catch that." Or, "Oh, that's a very interesting insight." And so we want to present you with a very small token of appreciation and gratitude from all of our employees, all of our students and families for your dedication and service to our community.
049So thank you Good, good, good. Big smile. Big smile again. Hold on. Would you like to try the shovel out? Nice. Thank you. Thank you so much. I know I'm going to keep this very very short because I know Rob said that there's a 7:00 time limit that vice chair Salamanca has set on this meeting. So I will be very very brief and just some thank yous. So I want to start Dr. Basquez with thanking you for this opportunity. thank you for the leadership environment that you've created the board. I really do appreciate your support for the program and your confidence in the program and I think also your patience sometimes with some of the things that we've needed to get done. to the cabinet members, thank you for putting up with me and also
050thank you for working with me on the program. And then the two most important entities, first is my team. one of I don't think it was a hidden talent, but one of John Morris's great talents was finding talent and creating a good team. And so when I took over the job, my primary goal was just not to mess it up. So hopefully I've I've accomplished that. but I have a really great team. and it gets exhibited every day. it's part of all the great work that we do here and I'm just very very thankful for for that team and the work that they do a lot of it behind the scenes. and last I have to thank my wife. So I've been and she's not here tonight but she is doing what she has always
051done which is standing behind me for 45 years of marriage throughout that army career 10 moves in 20 years. And I told the cabinet the other day I'm not really good at work life balance. and so she has taken a pretty heavy load. but I wouldn't be here without her love and support through all that time. it's just been a great honor to spend a significant portion of my career serving kids and I'm I'm very thankful that I had that opportunity. I want to thank you all very much. Thank you so much, Rory. And I'm glad Innovation High School was one of the ones you mentioned because that was truly what a feat to get that school done on time. so thank you so much. It's a beautiful school. Folks still go and love to
052tour it and learn from that prototype and really the whole team rallied to make sure that we could open that on the first day of school. So, thank you for that. we have a couple folks queued up for but we're bored. So, don't get don't go anywhere. member Felder. Thank you so much, Chair. when I came on the board in 2020, Jim, the late Jim Morris, he was the person in charge of facilities and he really he really cuddled me and took me under his wings and helped me helped me understand actually my part is governance and what I was really supposed to be doing on this board by showing me the designs of the schools that were in my district he was working on. I mean he was so meticulous and of course when
053we lost him I I remember talking to at the time I I think Dr. Vasquez may have been can't remember what she was a deputy but I know I talked to her about it and I was I just didn't know what was who was going to what was who's going to be next and she said that Rory I said who is that is he going to be like Jim she says well he knows what he's doing he's he's going to be I said I don't know so I wanted he you know he called he said you know he wanted to meet and I told him all the wonderful things that Mr. Marson had done and I just kind of looked at him and now what you're going to do whatever but Rory I am really
054going to miss you because I would call Rory I don't have other board members bothered him like I did but I would call Rory for the I remember some it was a basketball game at Oakidge I think of of volleyball and I think the lights blinkered or something and I called Rory. It was like late. I said, "Rory, the lights are not on in at in Oakidge." He said, "What do you mean?" I say, "They're not on." I said, "You know, I would just just a trip." And so, as I got to know him, he was always so meticulous in making sure that I understood what he was explaining to me about what was happening to my schools and renovations. And I just grew to love him and care about him because I saw that
055he wanted to make sure as a board member that I understood what they were doing and when it was going to happen and that I was happy about what was going to occur. The last thing that I remember once I was upset about something and I called Rory. I said, "Rory, this is Vicky Felder." He says, "Yes, board member Felder." I said, "So, are, where are you?" Because I need, he said, 'Well, I'm in St. Thomas. I said, "Are you on a boat?" He said, "I'm on a boat. I'm on a cruise." I said, "Oh, Rory, oh my god." I said, "Ry, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." He said, "No." I said, "No, no, no. Enjoy the cruise. Enjoy your wife. When you come back, we need to have a meeting." He said, "Okay." And
056so, I just appreciate the fact that anytime I called him as a board member, had a question, even after the meetings we'd had privately, the meetings he presented, he still had time to explain to me as a board member what I was supposed to be looking at and what it all meant. And for those of you that are anticipating running for school board, I encourage you. This is a learning curve. No one can prepare you for this. No one can prepare you for this. But God, he can help you, give you the strength that you need, and the support from your fellow board members. But Rory, I want to tell you, thank you for helping me to better understand what I need to understand that I would need to govern as a board member. I
057appreciate your expertise. I appreciate the time that we had the time that you took out sometime our meetings would be very very long and because I was asking all of these questions and you took out the time Rory to explain and help me to make sure that I understood exactly what I was looking at. And I appreciate your work and I know we're going to miss you. I will. We're going to miss you and miss your work and your expertise and your dedication. Thank you for the love that you have for OCPS and the love you have for public education and our children. Thank you so much. I enjoyed working with you. Thank you. Thank you, member F. Member Gallo. Thank you, Madam Chair and member Felder. I may I may be your biggest competition
058for the for the one that annoyed Rory the most every time I used to go visit schools. I would always come back and I'd either be texting him or or emailing him. cuz I saw a hole or I saw something I didn't like or the cafeteria wasn't properly insulated or something wasn't working. so I appreciate your patience with us as a board and as individual board members. whenever I texted you, you always you got it done. Like I never had to worry about it getting done. It got done at the schools and I asked a lot. I asked a lot of things in district one that needed to be done because there are no new buildings in district one. So it was all reconstruction and work. So I just appreciate you. I want to tell
059you good luck. my husband just retired in December. So tell your wife it's going to be great. I love retired vents. That's my husband. He like it's I love retired Vince. He's makes my life so much easier. So here's to you. Here's to you making your wife's life a little easier now that she's done for you the last 40 years. And I wish you all of the best with everything to come. I hope you travel and I hope you enjoy life. So congratulations on your retirement. It's welld deserved. Thank you for all that you did for OCPS. Member Fant. Thank you so much, Rory, for everything. And it's been a pleasure working with you. I know we have, gone headtohead on some of my schools, and I make sure you don't forget things that I
060want to get done, and I appreciate you always taking my phone calls and responding back quickly and working with me to make sure that our schools are in tip-top shape, so kids are learning well. And, I appreciate everything that you've done. And again, I hope you have the most wonderful time in retirement. Bless you. Member Vanos. Thank you, member chair. And I'll be I'll be very brief because my fellow board members have said all of the words. I'll just say Howard Middle School and Winter Park High School. I'm sorry and thank you. Member Douglas Rory, I just want to say thank you so much because when I called, you always gave me, you know, some feedback of what I needed to do and what I, you know, what I needed to be looking for. Thank
061you so much for your help. And just like everybody said, enjoy retirement. It's the best time. Enjoy your vacation. You can, you know what? You can sleep and wake up at 10:00 if you want. That's a great thing, right? Okay. Enjoy your retirement. God bless. for your August and September will be a lot less stressful. so may you go and travel during that time and we will absolutely miss you. and I have my list of schools too that have been a headache. I won't name them, but I'm sure I'm up there in your top of of trouble for Look at that. He nodded his head. He didn't deny district is really I have had quite some projects. I usually am the problem. thank you so much. so this concludes the part. So diplomatic. What did
062he say? He goes, "You're all special." Special is a good good way to diplomatically diplomatically talk to the board. That's right. so this concludes the honory part of our meeting today. This is a good chance for those folks who are going to go out and celebrate the awards to step outside, take pictures, enjoy the rest of your evening. unless you want to be here for the business of the school board. Riveting stuff. for great And Dr. Vasquez, I know you said we have no newly appointed administrator, so that's how I look past. It's okay. We did a quick switch there. We're generally in the same area. all right, so next up, and thanks for hanging in there. You got to see all the exciting recognitions. I'm so pleased to welcome students from Oakidge High School
063who are joining us this evening as member of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council. U so I'll turn it over to Dr. Vasquez who will introduce them. thank you so much Madam Chair. So I'm going to ask both of the student representatives from Oakidge to walk up to the DAS. they're a little nervous. I told them that they're going to do great. So we have Diego Rodriguez Medina and we have Sevet Adoir Edward Ed Edward. Okay. from Oakidge High School and they are here to present some exciting things that are happening at at at Oakidge. Go Pioneers. Good afternoon everyone. First of all, I'd like to reintroduce myself. My name is Sevette Edward. I'm a senior at Oakidge High School and a 3D ambassador. And my name is Diego Medina. I'm also a senior at Oakidge
064High School and I'm the SGA president at our school. Let's dive into the first part of our presentation. Our student culture at Oakidge High School. Our student comes from a wide range of backgrounds. This diversity helps us develop an accepting environment where different cultures are supposed to be Just One quick second. We're supposed to be seeing something on the board. Okay, just give few seconds and also just speak a little bit louder into the mic just so that we don't lose you and YouTube can can see you as well. Thank you. Let me restart. Let's dive into the first part of our presentation, our student culture. At Oakidge High School, our student comes from wide range of backgrounds. This diversity helps develop an accepting environment where different cultures are celebrated through through our school events,
065clubs, and classroom activities. We offer a variety of academic programs, including advanced placement classes and career and technical education. One of our goals is to prepare every student for college and future careers. We provide strong support services to help everyone succeed. There are also plenty of opportunities for our students to get involved outside the classroom. Whether it's joining clubs, sport teams, band, drama, debate, national honor society, and culture organizations. These activities encourage teamworks, leadership, and personal growth. Oakidge is committed to supporting our students in all aspects of their lives. We offer counseling, mentoring, and resources to help with both academic and personal challenges. The administrators worked hard to maintain a safe and welcoming atmosphere that honors each student's unique background. Turning now to all the special programs we offer. We offer 3DE by junior achievement.
066We also offer the advanced international certificate of education, the aerospace and engineering program, hospitality management program, air force junior reserve training corpse and dual enrollment. I would like to direct your attention to our next slide, connection and engagement. This year, our superintendent student advisory council made it a priority to strengthen connections and boost student engagement across campus. Our goal was to create meaningful opportunities where students felt involved, supported, and motivated to participate in school life. We intentionally designed events and activities to help students feel connected to each other and to the Oakidge community. Community service opportunities encourage students to get involved beyond the classroom, helping them develop a sense of responsibility and engagement. School spirit events were held to promote unity, pride, and positive participation among students. We also hosted community focused events like trunk
067or treat, community tailgate, and our yearly parade. These gave students the chance to collaborate, take on leadership roles, and represent Oakidge High School with pride. Through this shared experience, students become more connected, engaged, and included in our overall school culture. As you can see, each Connectivity Day is designed to help every student find ways to connect and discover clubs that spark their interest. After gathering feedback from our students, our club leaders, hospitality students, and administration work together to plan an event where all pioneers could make meaningful connections and lasting memories. Here's all our student engagement events. First, we have our National Honor Society at our community parade. It wasn't just National Honor Society. We also have every other club there just passing out candy and just connecting with our community. The next picture is our
068Black Student Union. I meet the Ridge. It's just like a pre club rush for all the upcoming freshman to see all the clubs they can connect with and they're just inviting new members to the club. Our third picture over here is a homecoming put by our SGA. And our last photo is our mental health awareness week called start with hello. Then these are some of the things that were achieved by our school this last couple of years. We were ranked as a B school for the last two years. We had a 96% graduation rate in 2024 2025, 17 super scholars, two QuestBridge finalist, the first ACE diploma recipient, over 9 million in scholarships, and then as far as our athletics and clubs go, our basketball team is ranked four in the state, nine students were
069selected for the 2026 allcount honors choir, and 3D had two students placed first in the 2025 integrated business case competition at UCF. That's amazing. Thank you for all your attention and if you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to ask or reach out. Have a great Oh, we also have gifts for you guys. Oh, you're right. Thank you so much. Thank you. Oh, thank you. Look at that. It's beautiful. Thank you. I know. Honestly, can never have too many of these. Yes, ma'am. So, we have member Felder who wants to say a few things. So, don't quite go anywhere. Oh, I just guessed district five is this is the night, I guess. So, listen. I just want to say just a couple of things about Oakidge, the ridge. I am so
070proud of Oakidge and what they're doing. The principal principal Gonzalez he was also my principal at Westridge and then moved over to Oakidge which was a wonderful thing because a lot of the students that he has at Oakidge he possibly had at West Ridge. But I'm so very proud of what you all are doing. I'm so grateful for the district. They had some concerns about some of the athletics like the softball and baseball and we got all that situated with deputy superintendent Jose Martinez. I was like look I need something to happen for my babies at Oakidge and the 3D program. It's just so exciting. And I remember when the superintendent went there for a town hall and the kid said said, "But Borman Feld, do you do you know a lot of student says,
071"Yeah, she's out here all the time." And I said, "Don't tell her that." But I was coming there quite often enjoying myself. So I'm so proud of what you all are doing. Slide presentation was very nice. I'm excited about your Cambridge program, how well you're doing with that. And it was really actually member Bird that introduced me to the 3D program because what they were doing at Okcoy I mean at Apockin and at Okcoy and then at Oakidge and then I was like oh my god the business thing here is really wonderful. So I'm very proud of you all and you just keep the good work up and you know I look forward to hanging out at the ridge. Thank you so much. Thank you. And member Ferrant, just wanted to give a shout out,
072say thank you all for being here. Is always one of my highlights of the evenings to hear from our students. And thank you to your fearless leader. Thank you so much for coming as well and just being a part of this. And I hope you have a wonderful evening. Thank you for the gift. Thank you so much for the gift. We're very excited about our mugs. We haven't gotten that as one of our swag items. Yes. So, we'll come up so we can take a picture. Good. Good. Big smile. Big smile again. Hold on. Where's my assistant? I need you in the photo. Come on up. Bring your people. Come on in. Oh my gosh. You're so twins. Baby first. Big smile. Look happy. Look happy again. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you. Are you proud
073mom? She did amazing. She did amazing. Good job. Scary getting up on that podium. next I would like to acknowledge Rebecca Watson, legislative chair with the Orange County Association of School Administrators. Thank you for joining us and hanging in there with us tonight. Hi, good evening. what a wonderful night of celebration it's been. I have a quick update about Okasa. So, good evening, chair, board members, superintendent Vasquez, deputy superintendent Martinez and staff. I'm Becky Watson, the proud principal of East River, and the legislative chair for Okasa. I had the privilege of attending advocacy days in Tallahassee with a team from Orange County Public Schools and our executive director, Dr. Anna Diaz. We represented Orange County Public Schools with members from elementary, middle, and high school. our team worked ahead of time here to create our
074legislative priorities so that when we got there, we were able to start our work immediately on day one. We have been working behind the scenes prior to attending advocacy days to develop relationships with our state representatives and also our local policy makers so that when we got there and with the help from Maris McMiller, the senior director of governmental relations, we were able to meet with over 20 members in the both the Senate and the House of Representatives and their aids and through that advocacy and that collaboration together with FAA and also other Florida school districts. and Maris helped us find a bill. We were able to submit and draft some proposed language that could possibly be used in a motion for educator certification that's already going on. So, our top priority was to continue
075to add benefits that honor, recruit, and retain high-quality administrators in our Florida school districts. Of course, we always ask for additional funds, but we know that's unlikely these days. So we went with a no fiscal impact ask of allowing administrators to bank 20 professional hours from one certification cycle to the next which is honoring our job embedded professional development that we do every day. so that was what we met with. We were able to speak before the Senate committee on prek12 education as well as wave in support of the bill. And so to be there on our first day and make progress and be part of the process was really an amazing opportunity. We were grateful. It was 3 days of 10,000 plus steps trying to figure out the capital elevators and representing Okasa and
076OCPS to the best of our ability. So, now that we're back, we're excited to continue our work with our local policy makers as well and continuing to reach out to the state representatives in support of our administrators, our teachers, and our students. So, we thank you for the honor of doing the work and being able to be administrators in our schools every day. And every time we stepped into someone's office and I was the one that they chose to speak before the Senate committee, we proudly declare that we are administrators that represent Orange County Public Schools. So, we thank you for that opportunity to serve. Thank you. Thank you for representing Orange County and for speaking to such important issues. I think all those policy issues are ones that we think a lot about. thank
077you for that. District one. Okay. That's right. Okay. There anyone else from district two that wants to speak? No. Can have the mic. U before moving on to strategic plan. Just a quick reminder that all 2025 2026 proclamations were adopted by vote of the board during the August 12th, 2025 board meeting as designated celebrations and observations and the list will remain on the agenda for the entire school year. And with that, the next strategic plan update. Dr. Vasquez. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am extremely excited for this evening's strategic plan update. the board has mentioned on a number of occasions the need for us to help our families, help our students better understand college and career opportunities where the tools are accessible to them and easy to navigate. And so with that, I am thrilled.
078Mary Bridges is no stranger to all of you and she is going to commence the presentation on our course planner in Zello. Thank you. Good evening, Vice Chair Salamanca, Superintendent Vesquez, and school board members. before I start, I do want to introduce my team. I have my two senior administrators for academics 9 through 12, Glenda Hammonds and Robert Palmer, and they have been the backbone of getting the Zello course planner ready with our IT team and doing all the training to roll out so that this could be a success. We are integrating the Zello course planner into our high school course request process for the upcoming school year. This tool empowers students to design a personalized 4-year plan that reflects their academic interest and future career aspirations. Using the Zello course planner also supports the
079OCPS strategic plan and the portrait of a graduate by helping students establish a solid academic base, develop essential life skills, and prepare for workplace readiness through course selections aligned with their career pathway. By thoughtfully selecting courses, students can establish a strong foundation for post-secary success. The course planner helps students align their post-secary plans by selecting appropriate courses that support future goals and build essential skills for success after graduation. Students have begun this process as they register for their 2026 27 course selections. The course planner helps students explore and research available course offerings at their school. It enables them to choose classes that align with their post-secary plans and career pathways. By making these connections, students can see how their high school studies support their future goals, giving their learning greater purpose and direction. When students
080find purpose in their learning, they become more engaged and motivated to succeed in class. This leads to a positive academic experience that benefits not only the student but also the classroom and the school community. Allowing students to reflect on their course selections each year helps them take greater ownership of their education and feel empowered and better prepared for life beyond high school. There are also benefits for counselors. Built-in critical alerts notify school counselors about students who are on track for graduation and those needing intervention. With alerts, progress tracking and advisement notes, counselors can focus on meaningful student interactions, supporting and guiding learners as they prepare for their next school year. This system provides clarity on academic interest, control and aligning plans with course selections, and time to make a lasting impact on student lives. The
081course planner removes the need for counselors to manually enter course selections in Skyward. Counselors can easily review and adjust student choices when necessary while using the advisement notes feature to communicate with students and families about selected courses. The planner also provides a clear view of how course selections align with each student's progress towards graduation. Parents will play a role in the course selection process. They can explore and resource course offerings with their child before they make their selections. Once students submit their course selections, parents may view these courses in Zello Family Access. Making the parent an active participant in the course selection process will help them ensure their child has a solid foundation and a path to post-secary success. This slide provides an overview of the implementation timeline for the course selection process. It is
082organized into key milestones to promote clear communication and seamless execution. Starting in October 2025, we began initial communication with schools. This is where we shared the overall plan and expectations and provided information about the upcoming process. In November, we continued that communication to reinforce the message and address any questions. This step was critical for alignment. Moving into December through January, we focused on training for assistant principles and school counselors. These sessions equip staff with the tools and knowledge they need to guide students effectively through the selection process. We also began communicating with families. This ensures parents and guardians understand the process and can support their children in making informed choices. In February, students began selecting their course their courses. During this time, counselors and school staff are available to provide assistance and answer questions. Thank
083you. And now back to the superintendent for comments and schoolboard questions. Mary, thank you to you and your team. I know a lot went into the roll out of having our high schoolers be able to look at their course selection. We really are trying to change the mindset around how we build schedules that we build them once we know what our students are requesting to to take. And so we know that with every new implementation there, you know, some bumps along the way, but your team has been incredibly responsive. And so I'm so excited that we were able to provide this to our students. Madame Chair, we are open for comments and questions. Thank you so much, Superintendent Vasquez. We definitely have a couple board members. member Gallo, kick us off. Thank you, Madam Chair.
084so I have just a couple of questions. Thank you for this great presentation. So how so far, how's it been perceived by our students and our parents? Are they enjoying this platform? Do they fi find it user friendly? like what is our what what responses have we heard back from the community regarding Zello? I do know that parents we sent out after we sent out the communication we sent out the email again so that they could join if they had not joined Zello yet and we did have an uptick in in parents joining at that point. have you all heard students at all Robert? I've yet to hear directly from students. Just the input from staff members have shared that they have been able to work with students on the platform so they can do
085more of that future planning and that has been something that students have been excited about but direct responses of how user friendly the platform is on that perspective for course planning I have yet to hear yet. Oh okay that's fine. I was just curious I would love to be able to play around with it. Is there the way that the board members can we create like our own login to like or is that will that mess things up? no act actually Zello after our last Zello presentation we had mentioned that we Zello had allowed us to give each schoolboard member a login to it so we can send those out so that you can look at it and Oh, perfect. Did you send them to us and I missed it? No. Okay. I don't know
086if we ever sent them. Okay, that'd be great. I would love to play around with it because I do it was brought up when we had the community meeting at Timber Creek and so I would just love to be more fluid to understand when I'm asked questions what I'm what they're asking me. So that would be great. we are also going to present to the Timber Creek Sack Committee on March 2nd. They reached out to us and asked us to do a presentation. So we're going to go out and present to their Oh, wonderful. And then my next question is middle middle middle schoolers like I had a question from a parent to today that was trying to kind of her son is in fifth grade so I guess it's elementary school and she's trying
087to build out like his plan for middle school and high school because he's really advanced in math. So she's trying to look at the progression on like what would be available to him if he did like algebra in sixth grade and then geometry. What would be the next step in eighth grade? Would would Zello help a parent with that configuration? Would it be able to help a parent like go into Zello and say, "Okay, this is what my child's taking right now. Here's the progression for this cohort. you know, where will he be by the time he gets to graduation and what classes should he take?" Yeah, Zello will be able to eventually do that. For this year, we just started with the 8th through 11th graders. and so for that right now, she would
088just want to the middle school sixth grade counselor normally will go to the fifth grade and talk with them and talk about their scheduling and that's when they could have that conversation. But Zello wouldn't help with that quite yet until we bring it down to the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you so much for this presentation. I appreciate it. Thank you, member Gallo. I'm up next. so I know a while back, I remember I asked for this and I played around with the Zela workflow. I think a lot of stuff has been updated since I asked. I don't know, maybe that was a couple years ago. but the workflow is still a little bit confusing and like I'll give you one of the examples. When you go to the
089Zello page on ocps.net, when it says additional parents to resources, it has like elementary school review, middle school review, and high school review, and they all link to an exact same one pager that's like how to log into the platform. and so I think like as as I would love to get feedback on how we can kind of streamline the workflow a little bit so it's more like parentfriendly, studentfriendly. I know that on the Zello app, students once they get to it really enjoy it and it's like a really great workflow and I've heard really positive things from all of the town halls or the students that like have bumped into it. but from what we put on our own website, I found that the workflow was pretty confusing on the additional resources and u
090I think my nephew was playing around with it as well and his dad trying to figure some of that stuff out and it wasn't as clear how to like go around it because there's couple places, couple resources, a couple menus. and I don't know if that's so much as our website design or or something we could do there. So that's that's something. Yeah, we we could absolutely look at that and make sure that we're streamlining that and making it work a little easier so that they just click at one place and then it can help them to get it's on that homepage, but I think there's so many links and they some a lot of those things actually link to the exact same document. So it's just I don't know if that's necessary, but I
091echo what member Gal said. I've heard a lot of students really love the platform and love how to think about the planning long term, but I think a lot of parents also like really appreciate having that, especially for ninth graders when they're just trying to figure out what's going on and understand how to plan for the next four stressful years. And so, I'm really excited that we're doing this. I think it's a great one and just from what I've heard about the students really, they like the workflow. So, thank you for spending time on this and yeah, I would love to play around with it from the inside once we get an opportunity. Definitely. Okay, Member Vanos, thank you so much, Madam Chair, and thank you all for take I've had a lot of questions
092about this because I've I've had a lot of different people ask me questions, so thank you for taking the time to to go through some of those with me. I know member Gallo asked about, you know, how it was perceived by parents and students. Are you taking comments from the assistant principles and the school counselors as well? Yes, we've definitely been we've requested in in their trainings to you know have them provide us any feedback that would be helpful to us. And so we have kind of a running FAQ that we've had with them that we've been going back and forth with. Glenda has been tirelessly answering every question that they have but also hearing about the things that are working well and are not working well. We've been having three meetings a week with
093the Zello vendor and its to make sure we're addressing any of those concerns and trying to, you know, fix things that might not have been exactly right when we went live. Okay. Thank you. And I also know that some people from your team will be at some of the because I think a big part is like the eighth grade the eighth graders kind of getting registered for high school and or picking up their courses for high school. So I know that someone from your team is going to be at some of those. So I really appreciate that. I think that will be a big help for our counselors who I think are struggling. Some of them I think are struggling a little bit just because they you know were just trained last month and now
094they're you know kind of on the you know having to put the schedules together now. So I appreciate that. and I guess just one one other kind of broad question is the goal of using this platform to enable our school counselors to be able to spend more one-on-one time with students? Yes, that was one of the major goals. I think we really had two goals and one was so that students would be able to see all the course offerings possible and be able to really change the way we do master scheduling to be created after we know what the student requests are. But the second major role was to make sure that we were taking away some of that data entry piece for the counselors and taking having the system do more of that work
095so they could spend their time actually sitting with the students and talking about what courses they selected and determining whether they were appropriate or you know what what they did need so that they could have that more one-on-one time. Okay. I love that. Obviously I know that's been something I've been super super vocal about. so I hope that we can kind of collect that information and then we're following back up with counselors like, okay, did this actually save you time? Like, did was the result that you were able to have just more one-on-one meetings with students? So, just to be able to kind of, quantify that I think would be really helpful. and then also another thing I brought up in our meeting, to I love the idea of being able to build a school
096schedule off of what students are asking, you know, what classes students are asking to take. and so just to see that the student I guess requests that they're putting into Zello now, like how that translates into more opportunities and like a better fit of classes for them this coming year. Yes. So will we be able to see that? Yeah, we're going to take data down on those master we can see what the course requests were and then we can look at those master schedules to see how they were adjusted or how they were the schools were able to accommodate those requests from the students. And we're also planning on doing focus groups with the counselors and with some students once the process is kind of done so we can see how we can improve. Okay,
097that's amazing. And then just one last question. When a student goes into Zello and they're trying to choose a class, is it clear to them whether it's an in-person class or a virtual class? Yes, that was one of the things that we've been working on on the past few weeks with Zello is to separate the OCVS courses in a space so they're all together and then the other courses are together so they understand which courses are OCVS, which ones are CTE courses that would be not on campus and which ones are actually onampus courses. Okay, perfect. That was one of the concerns that I heard a lot about. So, thank you so much for for looking into that and I appreciate your work on this. Thank you. Thank you. We have member front. I gota
098take myself off this. Thank you, Madame Vice Chair. first of all, thank you. This is super exciting. I know this whole process can be challenging and I've had three kids in high school so far and that process can be a little tedious and challenging and trying to get their courses like seeing it all especially as a parent. so the first question and maybe this was asked and I didn't hear it correctly but in eighth grade are kids accessing Zello and if not how are we how are we ensuring that parents see what those course selections are not just like the ones that we I know we in the past we've given kind of a this is a suggested list and then afterwards you realize there was like a hundred other courses they could have taken
099and maybe those aligned better. how are we kind of helping eighth grade students moving up? Yes. So, so eighth grade students should all be in Zello doing their normal eighth grade Zello lessons in 8th grade. There's a whole college and career unit that they're required to do. when it comes to course planner, our plan was to have the high school counselors have come to the middle schools and done their normal kind of presentation about their school, all the wonderful things that go on at the high school, what those courses are. and then we provided them at the training also the information so they could train them on how to do course planners. So they're going in just like your 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. They're seeing all of their courses before they start. they do
100their post-secary plan. So, they have a plan in there saying what they think they might be going towards for post-secary, which they can change at any time, but that then helps guide them on what courses they can take. but that's one of the big I think shifts this year is instead of just kind of having that sheet that said, you know, you have to take English one, you have to take algebra, you have four electives you might be able to take, they're able to see all those other electives in Zello. and put what down what they need and or what they're what they're interested in and all of those courses and then they can have that conversation with that counselor to see if it's appropriate to take it in nth grade or you know the
101different things that might go on but at least they have more options. Okay, that's awesome. Super encouraging to hear. I think that's going to be something that parents will love. I was at Freedom High School just this yesterday I think and talking with their group that they meet with once a month and the students actually were talking about the course selection. I'm sure they were talking about Zello because they were talking about going into this program and they didn't mention Zello specifically but everything they're saying aligns with this and how fun it's been easy they've loved the process. So that was really encouraging just hearing them talk about that it was been just a time where I think they feel empowered. All of a sudden it's kind of the balls in their court instead of
102like crossing their fingers and hoping that they selected the right things being able to really align things with their future plans whether that is to go to a university or college or maybe it's to get the CTE courses or the different trade schools that type of thing. So just aligning that with them and then they feel like more empowered and like you said it helps them to feel like take ownership for their own education. But it this is probably one of my most excited things I'm most excited about. just having kids that have been in this kind of the high school years and knowing the struggle is real. So really really thankful for this and excited to continue pushing this out to our parents. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. and thank you to the
103superintendent and Mayor Bridg's team because this has been I think a priority for a lot of the board members up here. I think this is something we think about a lot and we get a lot of feedback on. And so I think we're all eager and excited to to test it out, to get feedback, to understand what's working, what we can continue to improve in the platform and to get the word out whatever we can because I think this is going to address a lot of the issues that we've heard from students. So thank you for your work on this. we're all very excited. Thank you, Superintendent Vasquez. one last comment. and I've I have been attending some of the middle school town halls and so they are aware. but I think that not only
104the idea that we're building schedules based on what students are wanting, but additionally some misconceptions that have been portrayed about students not being able to take online classes on our campuses. And so being able to build a schedule that allows maximum flexibility while still allowing that child to remain on on our campus. And so I'm hoping that this is also going to prevent some of the stories we heard about students having to take more classes, face toface classes than they need because the school was unaware that the child could take the online classes on their campus. And so I'm thankful to Mary's team as they're troubleshooting and helping our counselors and principles understand that there there is choice within those scheduling options that really don't require students to be off-campus or to take more classes
105than than they are required to. So I'm I'm hopeful that we're going to see some positive outcomes and that we'll be able to also learn some things about our implementation. So, thank you guys. Great. Thank you so much. I lost my spot. Where'd it go? Where'd it go? Well, I have two. I have two. There we go. All right, Mr. Pomearini, do we have anyone who has come to speak? Oh, do we have Yeah. Anyone to speak at schoolboard on any items on the consent agenda? No, Madam Chair. Okay. So, if so, do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So, move. Moved by member Gallo. Have a second. Seconded by member Douglas. All those in favor? I. All right. Motion carries. So, we unanimous for all those board members present. next up,
106Mr. Per, do we have anyone who's come to speak to schoolboard item 17.01? No, Madam Chair. All right. Seeing that there is no member of the public who wishes to provide public comment, we will consider this item. next we'll hear from Dr. Vasquez. thank you, Madam Chair. item 17 .01 deals with a name change for No, I'm sorry. My apologies. this item is related to the closure of Legends Academy Charter School that occurred December 31st. And so we have Greg Moody, executive leader over school choice, who will be sharing information related to this item. Thank you, Mr. Moody. Good evening, Madame Chair, superintendent, board members. first before I begin, I just would be remissed if I didn't celebrate and honor the proud work that Orange County Virtual has done and that we're now on the
107course selection of Zillow. So, we're very excited for that. so tonight we have 1701. I'll ask Dr. Kia Scott to walk us through that agenda item, the voluntary closure of Legends Academy Charter School. Dr. Scott. Good evening again, Vice Chair Salamanca, board members, and Superintendent Vasquez. Before you today is item 17.01, the voluntary closure of Legends Academy Charter School. Legends Academy began operation in August of 2001, initially as Napford Charter School. Legends Academy was operating under a 15-year contract ending June 30th, 2031. The school was located at 3032 Monte Carlo Trail, Orlando, Florida, and served approximately 223 students. School Choice Services was notified that as a result of the governing board meeting held on December 29th, 2025, that the school would voluntarily close effective December 31st, 2025. Legend staff members worked alongside school choice services
108and student enrollment staff to ensure transition options for enrollment were provided to parents. A parent square message was sent to families letting them know their zone schools would welcome them and the enrollment process would be expedited. School choice staff photographed all items at the school, including furniture, equipment, curriculum materials, and technology with the support of the warehouse team. All items, including student records, were secured and brought to the OCPS warehouse on January 9th. All requested student records have been forwarded to schools. Turn it back over to Dr. Basquest. thank you. we to either make comments and or then vote on the official closure. Thank you, Dr. Rasters. We do have Member Gallo. Thank you, Madam Chair. do we know how many of those students came back to OCPS that were in the Thank you, Dr.
109Scott. As of today, we have 91 that have returned to district schools. 91 students. And the other 100 plus students, do we know where they went? Are they So, 91 are at the district schools. 12 have gone to a different charter school. two are in home education and 85 have gone to private schools. So, they're taking advantage of the voucher program. do we know I know that it's not our responsibility. but do we know what happened to the staff from Legends Academy? Do were they able to secure jobs? Do we know that's that was a hardship right at Christmas to let all those people go. I did speak to someone at the school and the majority of the staff have found employment elsewhere. Some are coming to Orange County Public Schools and then some who
110lived out of county have found jobs at other schools. Okay. Thank you. And then my last question is and they were solvent, correct? like they were not having financial issues when they shut down. You guys went through the books and each charter schools are required to forward monthly financials and as of what was sent into the district for our budget department to review. They did not show any financial difficulties. Do you do we get the book closing on them? Do we get to see it when they when they've closed everything down what their books show? Yes. So they statute requires them to do an annual audit. we expect to have that sometime next week. The final the draft is already in place. So, we expect to have that final audit by next week. Okay. Is
111it NAP Ford, the one over on East in East Orlando that got into some trouble a couple years ago when they closed their school and were given like huge bonuses to the principal? Was that Northstar? Northstar. Okay. I stand corrected. Thank you. And thank you for all that you do and for acting so quickly to ensure that those those students had a place to go. I appreciate it. Member Vanos. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. You may have said this, I may have just missed it, but the building that they operated out of, was that a privately owned building or or do we own that building? They were leasing that building. Okay. So, what happened? So, okay. So, who were they leasing the building from? TVO Enterprises. Okay. And so the entity that has received
112all of those lease payments or tax dollars, they just keep it and move on. Well, technically, the school was supposed to move into the new location, but they never did. So, they were currently renting portables down the street on John Young. Okay. Thank you. one other question was, so it sounds like the school did not close for obvious financial reasons. are they are charter schools just allowed to close for any reason if the board decides that they want to? There's a provision in statute that does talk about voluntary closure and the message that we received was that it was due to financial reasons. Okay. And is there is there any requirement that they give families notice or they can just decide on the 29th and then shut the doors on the 31st and families have
113two days. Is that allowed under the law? So statute requires them to notify parents of an upcoming board meeting. It has to be mentioned there what the purpose of the meeting is. So parents were given notice that there was a meeting. they actually postponed the initial meeting and extended another week. So that's when the meeting was held on the 29th letting them know that it would close by the 31st. Do you know when parents received that notice? I cannot tell you offhand. I do know it was prior to school ending or the break. From what from what I remember, it was the Thursday or Friday before winter break began. So parents first noticed that their school was going to close was in December. Yes. And then it closed later in December. Correct. Thank you. I
114just want to thank you and your team for picking up the pieces of yet another failed charter school. I really appreciate that. That was during winter break when everyone was supposed to be taking a breather and getting some rest recuperation and you put students first and that is sort of the lesson of what our public schools do is they are here to pick up the pieces when all of the other options fail. So, thank you for your work. Thank you. And I would be remiss if I didn't thank student enrollment. Stacy Neil's team pulled it together and Christopher Reed and his warehouse team. They made it happen. All right. Thank you. member Felder, thank you so much, Dr. Kia and, Mr. Moody for your work, with, charter schools. That charter school is located in my
115district. And I'm thankful that as a traditional public school district, we just can't shut down schools at will. There is a process even with the consolidation that we're doing with the seven schools in the district. We just don't shut them down. And I'm saying this because I know that this is televised. I want people to understand that there is a process and because it is in my community, I had wind of it much earlier than we knew as a district. I knew what was I had wind of what was going on and I was saddened because some of the parents that I knew had their children there was it was expressed to me the concern. but I do appreciate the fact that because there were public dollars, taxpayer public dollars that was used for a
116lot of things that you and your team did what you needed to do to get our things back. Everything that we paid for since you're shutting down that we got it back. The other question I want to ask you, so with this charter situation, with that particular situ instant, is it okay? is shut down the second week in Christmas vacation. Suppose they decide they want to open up in March. Could they under a new name? We would be very mindful of looking at the governing board members to ensure that would not happen because so it's a possibility. So they would be able to submit an application but I think our department and this board would be very critical of You mean this board right here? Yes, ma'am. Yes, we would be very very critical of
117of such an application. Okay. So, I am grateful that the children as member Gallo said, I thought there were more kids, more students we had to come into our public schools within the district. But I'm grateful that they did find a home because some of the parents I talked to with their children, they the children were just devastated. some they were they were they were devastated and the parents were also but I'm glad that we were able because we are the district that we are and we have the ability to do business for public education because that's what we do that we were able to expedite a lot of the situations that occurred to kind of and I'm so grateful for Stacy Neil's team and what they did because I'm telling you because it's in
118my community the some of the parents that were there. They were devastated. They were devastated, you know, and I'm so grateful that we were able to pick up the pieces and try to make things right again. And again, this is a testament for those of you that are having some doubts about public traditional public education and what we have the ability to do and what we will do and the fact that we care that we care about the education of your children and we will do what we can to make sure they have great educational experiences. So, thank you all. I thank you again for your work and your team and that we were able to get those children in a place. Thank you so much. Thank you, member Felder. and then member Gallo has
119one minute for a question. I believe they're timing me. just a quick because you mentioned that like I think over a hundred went to private school. Was it one private school or was it over several private schools? There were about six private schools listed, but the vast majority went to one specific private school. What private school is that? Meridian Christian. Okay. Would there be anything in statute or law that would prevent the people who ran Legends Academy from opening up their own private school and trying to get the students back? I don't believe so. Don Palmer, general counsel. Answer is no. All right. Thank you so much. I appreciate all that y'all. Really I appreciate you. All right. Thank you, Mr. Moody and Dr. Scott for all that. And the value of public education is
120we don't turn anyone away. even in December, January or whenever it happens. so now we move on to reports. Madam Chair, we need to have a vote. Oh, wait. Where we at? Oh, that's right. So motion to approve 17.01. Do we have a motion? Motion by member Ferrant. Is there a second? Second by member Gallo. all those in favor? Anyone opposed? Motion carries unanimously by those here today. all right. So, next we will go to reports. Superintendent Vasquez. thank you, Madame Chair. So, my report this evening is focused on, let's read OCPS, our second week and we have already logged almost 7 million minutes towards our 50 million minute goal. And so, thanks to our incredible CEO, we have awards. I know that you're all just so excited. So, first we're going to announce the
121board members that have received the half a million minute milestone. So, they've read over half a million minutes. So, we have school board member Bird, school board member Felder, school board member Gallow, school board member Salamanca, and school board member Vanos. Next, we have three districts that have over 20% participation. And those board members are board member Gallo, board member Salamanca. Okay. All right. And board member Ferrant. Now, we have two board members that have already reached the millionminut medal of excellence. And those two board members are board member Douglas and board member Ferrant. And of course, the board member that has the highest participation for the week of January 26 through February the 1st is board member Douglas. Keep reading, baby. Keep reading. That's all I have to say. That's why you saw awards.
122That's my report. Oh, thank you, Superintendent Vasquez. Mr. Paulini. Well, I'm glad I took the over on the 7 o'clock over under. I have no report. Oh, all right. Now, reports by the school board and any of our committees? Nothing. Okay. All right. Any other issues that the board would like to consider? Okay. Member Vanos There's Oh, I heard that. Whoever made that noise. this will be quick. I a there was a public comment I think it was at our must have been at our rule development session last week that I just wanted to just bring to light and it was someone who was requesting that when data is requested from the school I think in terms like a public records request that the information is provided in not just a PDF form but in
123like a more usable form like such as Excel or something like that. So, I just wanted to just bring that to the comments just to make sure that's something that we can do so that you know our the public just has a is better able to utilize the data that they're asking for. so, deputy superintendent over school ser schoolboard services is was out last week and so she is working on that request with our CIO and his team. So, we'll we'll provide an update to the board maybe later this week, but certainly I'll include it in my comments at our next board meeting. Thank you, member Gallo. She changed her mind. She just wanted to upset me. it has been a pleasure. We are adjourned. Yes. 702. We'll give it to you. We'll give it
124to