09/22/2020 - Regular Meeting

001HI. I'M MELISSA SNIVELY, CHAIR OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I'M STEVE CONA, THE BOARD'S VICE-CHAIR. WE WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS. THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH OUR ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAMS. OUR DISTRICT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN AMERICA, AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT MORE THAN 245 SITES. WE ARE DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4: P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC IN WHAT WE DO. YOU ARE WELCOME TO E-MAIL OR MEET WITH ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV

002ON SPECTRUM CABLE CHANNEL 635 AND FRONTIER CABLE CHANNEL 32. MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. AS YOUR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD, WE'RE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE'LL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND ANY SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. OUR VISION IS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE. AND THAT MEANS ALL STUDENTS, EVERY DAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP, WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Steve Cona: GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. THE BOARD MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. MEMBER STUART, WOULD YOU

003LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THE PLEDGE? Cindy Stuart: ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, MR. VICE-CHAIR. IF YOU WOULD PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. AND IN THAT MOMENT OF SILENCE, IF YOU COULD KEEP IN MIND OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS HERE WITH US TODAY, OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE COVID ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU. IF YOU WOULD PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER STUART. WE HAVE ONE WITHDRAWN ITEM TODAY. THAT'S ITEM 4.02. NOW, BOARD MEMBERS, I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO

004ADOPT THE AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER STUART AND A SECOND BY MEMBER GRAY. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MEMBER PEREZ, WHO WILL BE JOINING US LATER ONLINE AND CHAIR SNIVELY WHO IS AWAY ON BUSINESS. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT FOR TODAY'S MEETING. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE SLOWLY GETTING BACK TO NORMAL. OUR NORMAL BOARD MEETING FORMAT BASED ON THE GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR PHASE TWO REOPENING FOR FLORIDA, WE ARE NOW PERMITTING UP TO 50 PEOPLE BE PRESENT IN THE BOARDROOM GIVEN THE SIZE AND ORIENTATION OF THE BOARDROOM, WE CAN DO THIS SAFELY. CABINET MEMBERS ARE SPACED APART AND THE CABINET TABLE AND OTHER CABINET MEMBERS

005ARE SEATED IN THE FRONT ROW OF SEATS AND SPACED APART. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SIT IN EVERY THIRD SEAT IN THE AUDITORIUM. THE LECTERN WILL BE CLEANED AFTER EVERY SPEAKER TODAY. AND AS WE REVIEW FURTHER DIRECTIONS FROM THE STATE, WE WILL ADJUST PROTOCOLS AS NECESSARY. SO WITH THAT, MEMBER STUART, WILL YOU PLEASE READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES? Cindy Stuart: AS WE BEGIN TODAY'S MEETING, LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND US THAT ALLOWS BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN OUR LIVE WEBCAST AND ON CABLE TV AS WELL AS ON THE VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT CAN ALSO BE VIEWED IN CLOSED CAPTIONING

006IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER STUART. WE HAVE TWO TIME CERTAIN ITEMS. 5:01, A PUBLIC HEARING FOR RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, AND INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE MATHEMATICS. AT 6:00, WE WILL TAKE EMPLOYEE INPUT. WITH THAT SAID, WE HAVE LOTS OF PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. AND WE HAVE 34 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HEAR FROM AS MANY OF THOSE FOLKS AS POSSIBLE. BUT BEFORE THAT, I'D LIKE TO KICK IT OFF TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. Addison Davis: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, THROUGH THE VICE-CHAIR, MEMBER CONA, APPRECIATE IT. WHAT A REWARDING OPPORTUNITY WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE CHILDREN PERFORM AND REALLY SHOW THEIR PASSION EVERY SINGLE DAY. TO BE ABLE TO -- YOU KNOW, FOR CHILDREN, STUDENTS TO

007BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE AND, YOU KNOW, PERFORM IN A MANNER THAT SHOWS THEIR STRENGTH AND THEIR CARE FOR THEIR INITIATIVES, THEIR PROGRAMS, THEIR PATHWAY, IT'S ALWAYS REWARDING IN EDUCATION. AND, YOU KNOW, -- YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IN THE LAST WEEK, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO MESSAGE THAT WE ARE IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM EVER GOING TO ELIMINATE, REDUCE, REMOVE ANY ART, MUSEUM, P.E. PROGRAMS OR ACCELERATED PROGRAMS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. THESE ARE ONES THAT ARE FOUNDATION OF WHAT WE DO. RIGHT NOW MORE THAN EVER, AS STUDENTS TRANSITION FROM COVID AND HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO COME BACK TO SCHOOL, JUST GETTING BACK TO A PART OF SOMEWHAT NORMALCY, THEY NEED THESE CLASSES MORE THAN EVER. THEY NEED THESE CLASSES TO CONNECT. THEY NEED THESE CLASSES TO INTERACT. AND THEY NEED THESE CLASSES TO PERFORM. AND

008THIS IS WHERE THEY -- YOU KNOW, THEY LET THEIR HAIR DOWN. THEY SHOW THEIR HEARTS. ME AS A FORMER CHORAL STUDENT, FORMER ELECTIVE TEACHER, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE. THIS ADMINISTRATION WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD UPON THE GREAT INFRASTRUCTURE IN CLASSES THAT ARE MADE AND CREATED EVERY SINGLE DAY IN OUR SCHOOLS IN ORDER TO EXPAND THEM. AND WE WILL DO JUST THAT. AND WE WILL LINK AND LEVERAGE THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR ART TEACHERS, OUR RESOURCE TEACHERS, OUR MUSIC TEACHERS, OUR DRAMA TEACHERS, OUR BAND TEACHERS, AND OUR ACCELERATED PROGRAM LEADS TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO GET BETTER. SO I WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE -- WE CONTINUE TO -- TO CELEBRATE AND ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THE HARD WORK. AND WE APPRECIATE ALL OF THE E-MAILS THIS WEEK. WE -- YOU KNOW, SORRY

009THAT THERE'S BEEN MISINFORMATION OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHY WHEN I SENT THE COMMUNICATION TO -- TO OUR -- TO THE BOARD, TO THE ORGANIZATION ON LAST FRIDAY, ALONG WITH TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, GIVING THEM A TIMELINE RELATED TO LOOKING AT POTENTIAL ADJUSTMENTS THAT MAY HAVE TO BE MADE. AND THESE ARE UNCOMFORTABLE ADJUSTMENTS. THE GOOD THING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT LEADERS -- SCHOOL-BASED LEADERS' RECOMMENDATIONS OVER THE WEEKEND AND I WORKED DILIGENTLY, YOU KNOW, THE LAST TWO DAYS TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENTS TO MAKE CERTAIN WE PROTECT ALL OF THE ELECTIVE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THEY ARE GREATLY NEEDED AND DESIRED WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. SO A LOT OF GOOD NEWS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, NOTHING WAS EVER CUT. IT WAS MORE OF A CONVERSATION AT THE SCHOOL-BASED LEVEL WITH

010REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENTS BUT GLAD WE HAD THE LEVEL WHERE IT IS ABLE TO COME BACK TO ME TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW TO FURTHER PROTECT THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU, SIR, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE PARENTS, ALL OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ALL OF OUR STUDENTS COMING THIS EVENING. WE KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU AND HERE TO HELP YOU ALONG THE WAY. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE COMMENTS, MR. SUPERINTENDENT. WE WILL NOW BEGIN OUR PUBLIC COMMENT. TODAY, WE DO HAVE 34 SPEAKERS, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE CAN GET AS MANY FOLKS HEARD BEFORE OUR TIME CERTAIN AT 5:00. WE WILL GIVE THE PUBLIC ONE MINUTE APIECE. SO WE WILL START THAT. BEFORE THAT -- Lynn Gray: POINT OF ORDER, MEMBER CONA. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A MINUTE

011AND A HALF FOR OUR TEACHERS. WHO HAVE SPENT SOMETIMES A LIFETIME IN THE CLASSROOM IN DANGER. I THINK YIELDING AN EXTRA 30 SECONDS, IF THE BOARD WOULD CONSIDER THAT WOULD BE THE LEAST WE CAN DO TO HONOR THEIR HEARTFELT AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO OUR SCHOOLS DURING THIS TIME. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY, BUT THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS WE HAVE, WE'LL STICK TO A MINUTE AND SEE WHERE WE ARE, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE 34 AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET TO EVERYONE. SO WITH THAT SAID, LET ME READ THE PUBLIC COMMENT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSES TO YOUR COMMENTS, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. WE WILL KEEP OUR BOARD INFORMED ABOUT THESE RESPONSES. OUR SCHOOL

012BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE. HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED THAT WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD, COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER OR STAFF MEMBER BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUE. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE ONE MINUTE. NOW WE WILL CALL ON OUR FIRST SPEAKERS, AND THEY ARE LINED UP. FIRST THREE ARE CARA ATCHINSON, BREELAND ATCHINSON AND KYLA ATCHINSON. YOU CAN COME ON UP. JUST SOW GUYS KNOW, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. YOU'LL SEE LIGHTS IN FRONT OF YOU. ONE MINUTE EACH. HELLO. MY NAME IS BRIELY

013ATKINSON, 7th GRADE AT ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL OF THE ARTS. I WAKE UP EVERY MORNING FOR SCHOOL AND MY PARENTS DRIVE ME 45 MINUTES SO I CAN HAVE 50 MINUTES OF DANCE AND 50 MINUTES OF SINGING. THOSE MOMENTS ARE THE BEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE. MY CONFIDENCE HAS GOTTEN SO MUCH BETTER SINCE I'VE BEEN AT ORANGE GROVE. WHEN I WAS IN FIRST GRADE, MY BIG SISTER GOT ACCEPTED INTO ALSO A PERFORMING ARTS MIDDLE SCHOOL. I WAS SO EXCITED TO GO TO HER FIRST PERFORMANCE. AND WHEN I ACTUALLY CAME THERE, I WENT UP TO THE PRINCIPAL AND I SAID, LOOK FOR ME IN A COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE I WILL BE SIGNING UP. SO WHEN I FINALLY GOT ACCEPTED INTO MY MIDDLE SCHOOL, I WAS SO EXCITED. I WAS SO EXCITED THAT SHY LITTLE GIRL'S DREAM

014WOULD ACTUALLY COME TRUE. MY FAVORITE ACTIVITY IS TO TALK ABOUT MY SCHOOL WITH MY ■FRIENDS AND I SAY THAT THEY SHOULD COME, TOO. AND I SPEAK FOR ALL THE KIDS WHO HAVEN'T FOUND THE COURAGE TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF YOU, THAT I AM NO LONGER A SHY LITTLE GIRL AND I AM EXCITED TO SHARE MY VOICE. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. HELLO. MY NAME IS KI LA ACHESON. I AM A SENIOR AND I HAVE BEEN A PARTICIPANT IN THE MAGNET PROGRAM SINCE SIXTH GRADE. ARTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE BUT NOT ALWAYS A PART OF MY ACADEMIC LIFE. I AM A CREATIVE LEARNER AND THAT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY CURRICULUM. MY UNIQUE WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD WAS NOT ALWAYS WHAT THE TEACHERS THOUGHT WAS THE RIGHT

015WAY TO LOOK AT THE WORLD. I WOULD COLOR TO LEARN SCIENCE. I WOULD USE COUNTERS TO LEARN ALGEBRA AND I WOULD SING TO LEARN MY MULTIPLICATION TABLES. WHEN I WENT TO AN ARTS SCHOOL AND INTO MY ARTS PROGRAM, I FOUND A PLACE WHERE I BELONG. SO BY CUTTING IN ART PROGRAMS AROUND THE COUNTY, YOU ARE NOT JUST AFFECTING ONE GROUP OF STUDENTS, YOU ARE AFFECTING A FAMILY, A COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS AND FUTURE STUDENTS FROM FINDING A PLACE WHERE THEY BELONG. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. HI. MY NAME IS CARA ATCHISON. THOSE ARE MY DAUGHTERS. I'M HERE NOT JUST SPEAKING FOR MY DAUGHTERS, THEIR SCHOOLS, BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL AND ORANGE GROVE, BUT ALL OF THE STUDENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTY. MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS YOU'RE HERE TO REPRESENT THE KIDS. THAT'S YOUR SOUL PURPOSE. WHY

016ARE THE CUTS IMMEDIATELY STARTING IN THE CLASSROOMS WHERE THEY AFFECT THE KIDS IMMEDIATELY. THERE NEEDS TO BE WAYS TO HELP RETAIN THESE KIDS, WHETHER IT IS AN ART PROGRAM, A MATH PROGRAM, SOMETHING, THEY ARE THERE BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE THEY FEEL SAFE. AND IF THERE'S A CUT, YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE THOSE KIDS, AND WE NEED TO PRESERVE THEM. Steve Cona: YOU HAVE 16 MORE SECONDS. WELL, AND -- NOW I'M AT A LOSS. BUT I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A HARD THING, BUT WE CAN'T START IN THE CLASSROOM AND TAKING IT AWAY FROM THE KIDS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. WE'LL NOW CLEAN THE LECTERN. OUR NEXT THREE SPEAKERS, DesMARAIS ALLEN, EMMITT ALLEN AND BIANCA GHOULSBY. DesMARAIS, YOU'RE UP. THANK YOU. MY

017NAME IS DesMARAIS ALLEN. OVER THE TIME THAT MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN IN SCHOOL IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS I HAVE GIVEN OVER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOURS IN MY TIME. IN ADDITION TO THAT, I HAVE -- MY LEADERSHIP HAS DIRECTLY RESULTED IN THE PASSING OF THE REFERENDUM AND INCREASING THE IMPACT FEES. RESULTING IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS COMING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I'M HERE TO PROTECT MY INVESTMENT. I LOVE OUR SCHOOLS. I'M A GRADUATE OF OUR SCHOOLS. BUT I AM VERY, VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP. WHAT DOES IT SAY THAT YOU CAN'T SPEND MORE THAN 30, WHAT, 68 MINUTES, ONLY 34 MINUTES ON PUBLIC COMMENT AND YOU CAN'T GIVE MORE TIME TO TEACHERS WHO ARE TERRIFIED, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO FACE THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING THEIR JOBS, BUT NOW THEY CAN'T SPEAK UP PROPERLY, PUBLICLY.

018IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE SPEND AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY ON PROGRAMS, THE WHOLE ARGUMENT FOR GOING BACK TO SCHOOL WAS TO BE IN PERSON. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: UP NEXT. EMMITT ALLEN. I THOUGHT SINCE THEY LIVED IN THE SAME -- YES, SIR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. WELCOME. HELLO. MY NAME IS EMMITT ALLEN. I AM AN ONLINE STUDENT AT PLANT HIGH SCHOOL. THE FIRST TOPIC I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT ARE THE PROGRAMS UTILIZED TO ATTEMPT TO ASSIST OUR ONLINE STUDENTS. BOTH MYSELF AND MANY STUDENTS I KNOW AGREE THAT THEY ARE MORE STRESSED BY THESE PROGRAMS THAN ASSISTED BY THEM. THEY ARE NOT EDUCATION. THEY ARE SIMPLY BUSY WORK. WE NEED TO VALUE OUR TEACHERS MORE THAN WE VALUE THESE PROGRAMS. MOREOVER, THE ARTS, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY THE TEACHERS OF

019THE ARTS, ARE VITAL TO THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF STUDENTS. PERSONALLY, I AM A MULTIPLE AP COLLEGE CLASSES AND I DO NOT THINK I WOULD BE IN THE CLASSES HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE FINE WORK OF NOT ONLY MY SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHERS BUT ALSO MY ARTS TEACHERS, SUCH AS JD DON, AND BRIAN DI LORENZO. THE TEACHERS WORK EXTREMELY HARD, EACH ONE. FORCING THEM TO WORK MORE IS WRONG. THEY PROVIDE A CLASS THAT FRANKLY WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE IF THEY WERE MORE OVERWORKED THAN THEY ALREADY ARE. IF YOU FORCE THEM TO WORK MORE, YOU ARE FAILING THEM AND YOU ARE FAILING US, AND YOU ARE FAILING -- Steve Cona: I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. NEXT UP WILL BE BIANCA GHOULSBY AND KALEY FONTAE AND JESSICA BLAKELY. WELCOME. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. I JUST WANT

020TO TALK ABOUT TWO ITEMS. THE FOAMING HAND SANITIZER FROM FULLER INDUSTRIES AND THE ALCOHOL WIPES PURCHASED BY BUYER'S POINT. I HEAR SOME SCHOOLS ARE REFUSING TO USE THE HAND SANITIZER. SDS VERY CLEAR ON PAGE 6, A STUDENT IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY EVEN PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE TOXIC PRODUCTS YOU PURCHASED. NOW TO THE WIPES, INVOICE 2029 PLEASE TELL ME HOW THIS COMPANY RECEIVED ALMOST 800K FOR IMPORTED WIPES FROM CHINA? DID YOU APPROVE THIS? DID YOU FOLLOW THE PROCUREMENT POLICY? DID YOU ALL REALLY PAY AN AVERAGE OF $4 PER PACK? CAN I GET A TOUR OF THE WAREHOUSE KEEPING THESE SUPPLIES? WHEN I RESEARCHED THE COMPANIES, THE PRODUCTS WERE NOT EVEN ON THE WEBSITE. UPON FURTHER REVIEW, THEY WERE SELLING PPE ON A NEWLY CREATED SHOPIFY SITE. I AM WAITING FROM THE RECEIPTS THAT THE DISTRICT CONSULTED

021WITH TO VERIFY THE SUPPLIES. AS ALWAYS, PEOPLE LIE, RECEIPTS DON'T. WE NEED ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND INTEGRITY, AND SOME OF YOU ALL ABOUT TO LOSE YOUR-ALL'S JOB. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MS. GHOULSBY. UP NEXT WE HAVE KAYLIE FONTAE. KAYLIE, DID I SAY YOUR NAME RIGHT? GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS KAYLIE FONTAE. 8th GRADER AT ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL MAGNET OF THE ARTS. I'M TO TALK ABOUT THE INTENDED CUTS IN THE ARTS PROGRAM IN MY COUNTY. MY SCHOOL WAS CREATED FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PURSUING CAREERS IN ARTS. I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THESE POSSIBLE BUDGET CUTS. I CANNOT LOSE MY ELECTIVES IN MY SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY CHORUS AND THEATER. CHORUS IS MY PASSION AND GIVES ME JOY. YOU AREN'T JUST TAKING AWAY OUR TEACHER, YOU'RE TAKING AWAY OUR ENTIRE PROGRAM. MY TEACHER, MS. BLAKELY HAS GIVEN ME PURPOSE

022AND MOVED ME IN MANY WAYS. SHE MADE ME WANT TO PURSUE A MUSICAL CAREER. WITHOUT HER POSITIVE INFLUENCE, I SEE NO REASON TO ATTEND A MAGNET SCHOOL. WITHOUT MUSIC AND THEATER TO PARTICIPATE IN, IT TAKES AWAY ALL THE REASON TO CHOOSE AN ARTS PROGRAM. I CANNOT LOSE THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY GOOD. UP NEXT IS JESSICA BLACKLY. AFTER THAT IS CHELSEA McCLEARY AND LYDIA McDONALD OR CELESTE. SORRY. I APOLOGIZE. NO WORRIES. HI. I AM JESSICA BLAKELY. I AM THE FACE OF ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE MAGNET CHORUS DEPARTMENT. I AM THE DIRECTOR AT ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL OF THE ARTS CHORUS. I GRADUATED COLLEGE IN SEPTEMBER AND HIRED IN FEBRUARY. THREE WEEKS BEFORE COVID-19 SHUT DOWN SCHOOLS IN MARCH. STUDENTS' THIRD CHOIR DIRECTOR IN TEN MONTHS. AFTER

023MUCH STRUGGLE I GAINED THEIR LOVE AND THRUST AND THAT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. THE MUSIC IS BREATH TAKING AND THE CULTURE IN EACH CLASS IS HARD-WARMING. THIS IS CREATED BY HAVING A TEACHER THAT SPECIALIZES SPECIFICALLY IN CHOIR. I AM A FIRST-YEAR TEACHER WITH AN EVALUATION SCORE OF ZERO BUT A DEDICATION SCORE OF A MILLION. FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS WILL BE THE FIRST TO GO. IN ADDITION MY PROGRAM NUMBERS IN AN ALREADY SMALL SCHOOL RAISES QUESTION BUT I AM REBUILDING THE PROGRAM FROM THE GROUND UP. I AM YOUNG AND WILL HAVE OTHER POSITIONS IN MY FUTURE IF NEED BE. THIS PROGRAM FOR THE ARTS MAGNET, IF IT'S CUT, IT WILL NEVER BE REVIVED. CHILDREN WILL LOSE THEIR SAFE PLACE, FAMILY HOME AND OUTLET WITHOUT A CHANCE TO GET IT BACK. THIS WILL BREAK THEM. THEY

024NEED ME AND THEY NEED THEIR CRAFT. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'LL CLEAN THE LECTERN. AFTER THAT IS CELESTE McCLEARY. HELLO. WELCOME. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HELLO. MY NAME IS CELESTE McCLEARY. I ATTEND ORANGE GROVE MAGNET SCHOOL OF THE ARTS. I ORIGINALLY WENT THERE FOR THEATER BUT OVER THE YEARS GREW A STRONGER LOVE FOR SINGING AND DANCING. WHEN I WAS LITTLE I WAS TOLD I WAS A DRAMA QUEEN, A GREAT ACTOR AND SINGER. I DIDN'T DO MUCH BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF SELF CONFIDENCE. WHEN I WENT TO THE SCHOOL, MY CONFIDENCE SHOT UP. I WORKED FOR SIX MONTHS TO GET INTO THE ELITE PROGRAM. THE ARTS ALSO TEACH YOU ABOUT GOALS. MS. BLAKELY, THE CHORUS TEACHER IS NOT JUST A TEACHER, A FRIEND, SOMEONE YOU CAN TALK TO. WITHOUT HER, THINGS WOULD

025NEVER BE THE SAME. THESE ELECTIVES ARE MY PASSION. IF I DIDN'T GO TO THE SCHOOL THEN I NEVER WOULD HAVE GOTTEN UP HERE TO SPEAK. TAKING THIS AWAY WOULD BE LIKE TAKING AWAY MY LIFE'S WORK, MY HAPPINESS, MY PASSION. LET ME ASK YOU THIS. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF I TOOK AWAY YOUR PASSION, HAPPINESS AND LIFE'S WORK. I HOPE YOU RECONSIDER THIS. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, CELESTE. I APPRECIATE IT. UP NEXT IS LI LYDIA McDONALD. GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS LYDIA McDONALD. ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL OF THE ARTS I AM PROVIDED WITH AN OUTLET TO EXPRESS MYSELF THROUGH THE ARTS. AT ORANGE GROVE JUST WITHIN THE PAST TWO YEARS, I DISCOVERED THE THINGS THAT I AM TRULY PASSIONATE ABOUT. CHORUS HAS GIVEN ME AN ENVIRONMENT TO LEARN ALL THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF

026SINGING AS WELL AS JUST SINGING SOME OF MY FAVORITE SONGS SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS. OUR ARTS SCHOOL SIMPLY WOULD NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT THE CHORUS PROGRAM. WHEN I WAKE UP EVERY DAY, I AM NOT DRAGGED DOWN WITH THE DREAD OF GOING TO SCHOOL BECAUSE I HAVE THINGS LIKE CHORUS, THEATER AND DANCE TO LOOK FORWARD TO AS A WAY TO RELIEVE THE STRESS OF ACADEMICS. IN ADDITION, I KNOW A LOT OF MY PEERS AND I PLAN ON PURSUING CAREERS IN THE ARTS WITH THE NEWFOUND LOVE ORANGE GROVE HAS GIVEN US. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT THE ARTS STAY AT ORANGE GROVE AND CONTINUE TO AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES LIKE IT HAS MINE. ALL I CAN DO IS SPEAK TO YOU WHAT IT MEANS FOR ME TO GO TO AN ARTS SCHOOL. I HOPE MY VOICE

027WILL BE HEARD. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. UP NEXT IS RILEY BUTTEROFF AND ANA LENS. HELLO. MY NAME IS RILEY BUTTER WORTH, A SENIOR AT PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL. LAST FRIDAY, MY FRIENDS AND I WENT TO A GAME IN POLK COUNTY 25 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE. I CAN'T ATTEND MY OWN FOOTBALL GAMES DUE TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY'S RESTRICTION OF ONLY FOUR TICKETS PER ATHLETE. I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO WATCH OUR FOOTBALL GAMES AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT WHERE WE STAND ARM TO ARM WITH OTHER STUDENTS. WHILE WE ARE SEATED WE ARE NOT REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. AS I WATCH PATRONS AND EMPLOYEES SAFELY INTERACT I CANNOT HELP BUT QUESTION WHY THE COUNTY IS FORCING MORE STRICT REQUIREMENTS ON OUR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES. I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS YEAR TO BE SITTING

028IN THE STANDS UNDER THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS AND CELEBRATING OUR FINAL YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. OUR PRIVILEGES AND CELEBRATIONS OF SENIOR YEAR HAVE NEARLY BEEN ERASED AND I'M ASKING YOU TO PLEASE RECONSIDER GIVING US BACK THIS ONE THING. AS A COUNTY, YOU HAVE NOT ESTABLISHED AND ENFORCED STANDARD PRACTICES WITH REGARDS TO CDC GUIDELINES. YOU ARE TAKING AWAY MOMENTS THAT WE HAVE WAITED FOR OUR ENTIRE LIVES AND WE CAN NEVER GET BACK. LET US GO TO THE GAME JUST LIKE YOU LET EVERYONE ELSE GO TO BARS, RESTAURANTS, PROTESTS, AMUSEMENT PARKS, SCHOOLS, GROCERY STORES AND SHOPPING MALLS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: WE'LL CLEAN THE LECTERN AND THEN WE'LL HAVE ANN LENS NEXT. WELCOME. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. [INAUDIBLE] -- EVERY DAY I HEAR I LOVE MY

029TEACHER, MR. OR MRS. SO AND SO. I HAVE NEVER ONCE HAD A CHILD SAY TO ME, I LOVE ACHIEVE 3,000 OR iREADY. TEACHERS ARE WHAT INSPIRE AND LEAD OUR CHILDREN. THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR THE INSTRUCTION, LOVE, AND STABILITY THEY PROVIDE. I HAVE PRESENTED TO YOU A LOCAL PETITION SIGNED BY OVER 4,000 PEOPLE TO SAVE OUR TEACHERS. YOU MUST LEAD THE CHARGE TO DEMAND BETTER FUNDING. CUTTING TEACHERS IS THE LAST RESORT. TEACHER LOSS WOULD NOT EASILY BE REPLACED. HOW WILL YOU PREVENT OVERCROWDING ONCE STUDENTS RETURN FROM DISTANCE LEARNING IF THE UNITS ARE GONE? HOW WILL YOU KEEP THE TRUST OF OUR EDUCATORS IF YOU DON'T SUPPORT THEIR TENURE? THIS COMMUNITY WILL STAND AND FIGHT WITH YOU FOR BETTER EDUCATION AND BETTER FUNDING, BUT WE WILL FIGHT AGAINST YOU IF YOU ARE NOT ON THE SIDE

030OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE HIRED AND ELECTED TO PROTECT. IT'S NOT POLITICIANS IN TALLAHASSEE, NOT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OR FOR-PROFIT INVESTORS. IT'S THE STUDENTS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THEY NEED THEIR TEACHERS THIS YEAR MORE THAN EVER. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT UP, WE HAVE CRYSTAL. I'M REPRESENTING ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE MAGNET. YOU ARE TAKING AWAY THE ADVANTAGE TO HAVE A HEAD START IN OUR CAREER. BECAUSE OF THAT, DESTROYING STUDENTS' MENTAL HEALTH. THEY USE CHORUS TO EXPRESS HOW WE FEEL. MS. BLAKELY IS NOT JUST A TEACHER, SHE IS A MENTOR, GIVE US INSPIRATION AND COURAGE TO KEEP GOING AND PERSUADING IN WHAT WE WANT TO DO. OUR PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL WILL NOT BE A COMPLETE SCHOOL WITHOUT CHORUS. TAKING AWAY CHORUS WILL MAKE STUDENTS LOSE INTEREST IN SCHOOL MAKING

031YOU LOSE MONEY. SEE US AND HEAR US AS WE PLEAD TO YOU NOT TO DESTROY OUR FUTURE. THE LOSS OF ARTS DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED YEAR IS ONE MORE UNREASONABLE OBSTACLE. CHORUS BUILDS DISCIPLINE, LISTENING SCHOOLS, CONCENTRATION, TEAMWORK AND CONFIDENCE. I SIT ON A BUS FOR FOUR HOURS A DAY SO I CAN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THE PERFORMING ARTS. HOW CAN I DO THAT IF YOU TAKE THAT AWAY? INSTEAD OF CUTTING TEACHERS' JOBS AND HURTING THEM AND THE STUDENTS THEY SERVE, YOU SHOULD BE GIVING THEM RAISES FOR HOW HARD THEY WORK FOR US. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT WAS VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. UP NEXT, WE HAVE FRANK REYES AND MADELEINE PEACOCK, FOLLOWED BY JONAH PEACOCK AND THEN MICHAEL PEACOCK. FRANK, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS FRANK REYES. THE

032HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COUNCIL PTA PRESIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH A QUICK QUESTION. WHERE ARE THE PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS? YOU'RE DIRECTLY AFFECTING THEIR FAMILIES, CHILD, TEACHERS, PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS AND YET YOU ARE GIVING THEM ONE MINUTE OF TIME ON THE PODIUM. IF YOU WOULD ALLOW PARENTS TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN THE CHOICES WHILE WE MAY NOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWERS IN THE DECISIONS WE COULD AT LEAST UNDERSTAND THEM A LITTLE MORE CLEARLY. RIGHT NOW, WE CAN ONLY BE REACTIVE WITH COMMENTS AND CAUTION INSTEAD OF PROACTIVE WITH IDEAS. PTA STANDS BY THE BELIEF THAT STUDENTS ARE OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE. I ASK YOU TO THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE ACTING ON ANY CUTS BECAUSE THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE WON'T JUST HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PRESENT BUT ON STUDENTS AND HOW

033THEY WILL HAVE TO CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE PROGRAMS AND CLASSES THEY TAKE, CHANGING HOPES, DREAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE. THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THESE CUTS FALL SQUARELY ON EACH OF YOU. IF YOU INFLICT SIGNIFICANT CUTS IN HOW AND WHERE KIDS FINISH THEIR EDUCATION, YOU'LL BE FORCING THEIR FAMILIES TO MAKE CHOICES THEY DON'T INCLUDE PUBLIC SCHOOLS MEANING WE MIGHT BE RIGHT BACK HERE SOONER THAN LATER. Steve Cona: THANK YOU. UP NEXT, WE HAVE MADELEINE PEACOCK. HI, MADELEINE. WELCOME. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS MADELEINE PEACOCK. I AM HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF ALL ART PROGRAMS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT TO MAKE UP FOR A BUDGET DEFICIT, THE SCHOOL BOARD IS BEING ASKED TO CUT UNITS OF VALUABLE TEACHERS. TEACHERS ALREADY ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR STUDENTS AND MAKING DECISIONS TO DESTROY THE RELATIONSHIPS

034ISN'T RIGHT. IN THIS PROCESS, MANY ELECTIVE CLASSES ARE IN JEOPARDY, SPECIFICALLY THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE 35 OR MORE PEOPLE. BY BEING A STUDENT OF THE ARTS MYSELF I CAN ASSURE THIS IS NOT THE MOST VIABLE WAY TO RID YOURSELF OF THE FINANCIAL DILEMMA. AS A STUDENT I CAN FIRSTHAND SEE THE IMPACT DECISIONS ARE HAVING ON SCHOOLS WHICH WILL BE PUT ON ME AND MANY MOTHERS IS MORE THAN TOLERABLE. WE WERE TOLD BY YOUR BOARD THAT STUDENTS DESPERATELY NEED TO RETURN BACK TO BRICK AND MORTAR FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. IF YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE PATH OF CUTTING ELECTIVES, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THE ARTS, STUDENTS' MENTAL HEALTH WILL DECLINE. FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, I HAVE ASPIRED TO BE A MUSIC EDUCATOR AND NOW I'M WORRIED I WON'T HAVE STUDENTS TO EDUCATE. ARTS ARE

035ESSENTIAL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. UP NEXT, JONAH PEACOCK AND THEN MICHAEL PEACOCK, AND THEN WE HAVE GENESIS MONTERO. WELCOME. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS JONAH PEACOCK. TODAY, I WANT TO PROVIDE YOU GUYS WITH MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE ISSUES AT HAND. OF COURSE, THE RESULT OF THESE BUDGET CUTS WILL BE CATASTROPHIC. BEING A CHILD OF THREE TEACHERS, ONE OF WHICH IS A TEACHER OF THE ARTS, I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE CUTS BEING MADE ARE DESTROYING THE USUALLY POSITIVE FEELINGS ABOUT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL. BUT TODAY, I HOPE TO BE MORE POSITIVE LIGHT AND GIVE BENEFITS ABOUT LEAVING CLASSES UNTOUCHED. IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, MANY OF MY MOST CHERISHED MEMORIES WERE CONTAINED IN THE CHORUS

036CLASS. THE AMOUNT OF NEW POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS I'VE BUILT FROM THAT CLASSROOM ARE HELD EXTREMELY CLOSE TO MY HEART. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO COME TO SCHOOL SOLELY TO MAKE MUSIC WITH THEIR SECOND FAMILY. THERE IS SOMETHING SO SPECIAL ABOUT BEING IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, SETTING ASIDE ANY DIFFERENCES THEY HAVE TO JUST STOP FOR A MOMENT AND MAKE ART. REGARDLESS OF WHAT FORM OF ART IT IS, THAT MOMENT BECOMES BEAUTIFUL AND IMPORTANT BECAUSE ART CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BECAUSE ARTS ARE ESSENTIAL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UP NEXT WE WILL HAVE MICHAEL PEACOCK AND THEN GENESIS MONTERO. WELCOME, SIR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. GOING TO KEEP, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS MICHAEL PEACOCK. I'VE BEEN AN EMPLOYEE OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR OVER 19 YEARS.

037I'VE SERVED UNDER SUPERINTENDENTS EACH WITH THEIR OWN LEADERSHIP. SOME I FEEL MORE STRONGER THAN OTHERS. I'M HERE TODAY NOT AS A TEACHER HOWEVER. I'M HERE AS AN ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS. I LIKE MOST TEACHERS SPEND THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS BUILT ON TRUST AND CLEAR PROCEDURES. I STRUCTURE WITH ONE OF CAMARADERIE AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS. LOOMING OVER ALL THE HEADS OF TEACHERS IS THE THREAT OF SCHEDULE CHANGES, POSITIONS CUT AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF PROGRAMS THAT ARE HAVENS FOR STUDENTS AND SOMETIMES THE SOLE REASON THEY GO TO SCHOOL. WHAT THE DISTRICT NEEDS NOW IS AN ADVOCATE FOR TEACHERS. SOMEONE TO STAND UP AND SAY WE VALUE YOU. WE TRUST YOU AND WE WOULD DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO PROTECT YOU. WHAT WE WON'T NEED IS WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR. STUDENTS ARE

038RIDDLED WITH ANXIETY. SOME HAVE HAD MULTIPLE SCHEDULE CHANGES WITH THE PROMISE OF MORE TO COME EVEN AS LATE AS THE SECOND SEMESTER. THIS ISSUE THREATENS THE ABILITY TO FORM RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND MAKE THE PROGRESS WE SHOULD ALREADY BE SEEING NOT ABLE TO HAPPEN. IT'S BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS AS THEY KEEP CHANGING. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. UP NEXT WE HAVE GENESIS MONTERO, FOLLOWED BY LAUREN GARCIA AND CAMERON STEIN. HELLO. HI. SO I'M GENESIS MONTERO. I'M A SENIOR AT BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL. I'M A CHORUS MAJOR. I'VE BEEN SINGING SINCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT MUSIC FOR SOME KIDS AND ALONG WITH THE ARTS IS JUST THEIR VOICE. IT'S THEIR HOME AWAY FROM HOME. THEIR OUTLET, PLACE AWAY FROM REALITY WHEN

039THEY NEED TO ESCAPE. TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM, TO ROB THEM OF THAT, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO TAKE AWAY SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL AWAY FROM KIDS LIKE ME AND MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS? ESPECIALLY IN THESE HARD TIMES, MUSIC IS EVERYTHING WE NEED AND MORE. TAKING OUR ARTS AWAY, TAKING OUR MUSIC AWAY IS TAKING AWAY OUR FREEDOM. MUSIC IS THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN CONTROL AND WE MIGHT LOSE THAT AS WELL. WE AS A PEOPLE LOST EVERYTHING THIS YEAR. PLEASE DON'T TAKE AWAY OUR ARTS PROGRAM. EVERYONE CAN USE A LITTLE ART IN THEIR LIFE. THANK YOU. IT'S MY SPEECH. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE LAUREN GARCIA. HELLO. HELLO. I FOUND I COULD SAY THINGS WITH COLOR AND SHAPE THAT I COULDN'T SAY ANY OTHER WAY. THINGS I HAD

040NO WORDS FOR. GEORGE O'KEEFFE. WHEN I SAW THE QUOTE I REALIZED HOW TRUE AND MEANINGFUL FOR ALL OF US. ART AND MUSIC SO MUCH MORE THAN PRETTY SOUNDS, COLORS AND WORDS. IT'S A WAY TO EXPRESS YOURSELF, STEP AWAY FROM THE WASTELAND WHICH SOCIETY CAN BE SOMETIMES. A WAY TO DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE WITHOUT BEING JUDGED FOR IT. FIND YOUR CALLING AND JUST FEEL LIKE THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WE DESERVE TO FEEL AND BE LIKE. THE POSITIVE ENERGY OF THE CLASSES IS SOMETHING YOU TRULY CAN'T GET ANYWHERE ELSE AND THE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE WE MEET THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS ARE THE FRIENDSHIPS THAT BECOME MORE LIKE FAMILY AND LAST A LIFETIME. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON TO BE THERE FOR YOU NO MATTER WHAT THE PROBLEM. FOR COUNTLESS STUDENTS, INCLUDING MYSELF, THE ARTS, MUSIC AND

041DANCE CAN BE SOME OF THE ONLY PARTS OF SCHOOL THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CHAOS OF E-LEARNING AND THE STRUGGLES THAT BRINGS US AS WELL. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. UP NEXT WE HAVE CAMERON STEELE. WE'LL CLEAN THE LECTERN FIRST. WELCOME, CAMERON. MUSIC IS PURE DIVERSITY BETWEEN THE LARGEST GAPS OF BELIEFS, DREAMS AND TRAITS. COMING TOGETHER WITH ONE AS PEOPLE OF ALL KINDS. MUSIC IS SAFETY. FOR ANYONE TO DO SOMETHING THEY LOVE WITHOUT BEING CRITICIZED FOR BEING DIFFERENT. MUSIC IS HEALTH. A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR YOU FOR YOUR HELP, STRUGGLES AND MENTAL HEALTH. MUSIC HAS SO MANY ENDLESS POWERS AND OPPORTUNITIES, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS START WITH A NOTE. THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL. THE ARTS ARE

042OUR FUTURE, SOMETHING THAT TRULY HAS PURPOSE AND CAN TRULY MAKE A CHANGE. THIS WEEK, THROUGH MUSIC, WE GOT TO LEARN ABOUT SADOWSKI AND THE ABUTULA. MADE 1,000 PAPER CRANES TO GRANT A WISH. UGUTULA IS ABOUT FAITH, UNITY AND PEACE. MUSIC STUDENTS GET A CHANCE TO LEARN ABOUT STORIES, CULTURES AND HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD. I'VE BEEN IN CHORUS IN SEVEN YEARS. BACK IN THE SECOND GRADE, I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUSIC MEANT TO ME. I GENUINELY THINK MUSIC IS MY FUTURE AS MANY OTHER KIDS IN HILLSBOROUGH. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, CAMERON. THAT WAS GREAT. THANKS. UP NEXT, WE HAVE AUDRA MONTERO FOLLOWED BY BLAKE GATLIN AND THEN MINDY DESTORIES. HELLO, EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY. I WAS GOING TO GO UP HERE AND TALK ABOUT ALL THE ARTS PROGRAMS BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF

043THEM ARE VERY IMPORTANT BUT I JUST WANT TO BE HONEST. I WAS TOLD THAT ORANGE GROVE CHORUS DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO BE OKAY, BUT I'D LOVE TO HAVE IT IN WRITING TO HAVE MS. BLAKELY STAY TO BE THE CHORUS DIRECTOR. I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS, ONE IS IN CHORUS AT BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE OTHER ONE IS IN ORANGE GROVE MIDDLE MAGNET. AND THE CONCERN WE HAVE IS ORANGE GROVE HAS HAD THREE CHORUS DIRECTORS IN THE LAST YEAR. MS. BLAKELY IS AMAZING. SHE'S ACTUALLY INSTILLED TRUST INTO THESE STUDENTS. I'M LOOK AT HIM. I'LL SAY TO YOU, TOO. THEY LOVE HER AND TRUST HER. RIGHT NOW WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, WE NEED THE STABILITY IN THE SCHOOL, AND WE NEED HER TO STAY AT THE SCHOOL. I KNOW YOU CAN FIND OTHER WAYS TO CUT SOMEBODY. SHE

044NEEDS TO STAY IN THE SCHOOL. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: UP NEXT WE HAVE BLAKE GATLIN. FOLLOWED BY MINDY DESTORIES. HELLO. [MICROPHONE NOT ON] -- CHORUS, GUITAR, ADVANCED THEATER, JOURNALISM AND YEARBOOK. CURRENTLY IN PIANO, VOCAL TECH AND ACTING. AT A YOUNG AGE I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DYSLEXIA, DIS GRAPH WHY A, LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND ADHD. IT TAKES ME LONGER THAN OTHER STUDENTS AND ALSO EXHAUSTING. IN MUSICAL THEATER I CAN BLOCK OUT MY PROBLEMS, BLOCK OUT THE STRESS AND DO WHAT I LOVE. THEATER ISN'T JUST ABOUT TEACHING KIDS ABOUT DANCING, ACTING AND SINGING. IT TEACHES KIDS COOPERATION, LEADERSHIP SKILLS, PUBLIC SPEAKING, CONFIDENCE AND MARKETABLE JOB SKILLS. I UNDERSTAND THE PREDICAMENT WE'RE IN. YOU HAVE TO FIND WAYS TO PAY BILLS. INSTEAD OF CUTTING CLASSES LIKE MEN'S CHOIR, PIANO, WHY NOT FIND A SOLUTION. THESE CLASSES ARE THE ONLY

045THING THAT KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOLS. THESE CLASSES HELP GRADUATION RATES, TEST SCORES AND MAKES KIDS MORE APPEALING TO COLLEGES. PLEASE DON'T TAKE AWAY THE TEACHERS THAT TEACH THE KIDS JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T MEET YOUR 35-PERSON QUOTA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, BLAKE. WE APPRECIATE THAT. JUST LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT MS. PEREZ IS NOW JOINING US ONLINE. AFTER THE LECTERN IS CLEANED WE HAVE MINDY DESTORIES AND THEN LINDA RODRIGUEZ. WELCOME, MINDY. HI. MY NAME IS ISABELLA DESTORIES. AND I WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT MY LOVE FOR MUSICAL THEATER. I'VE BEEN IN IT SINCE A YOUNG AGE. SINCE I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD, I'VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH DYSLEXIA AND SOCIAL ANXIETY. MUSICAL THEATER HELPS ME GET AWAY FROM ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE, ESPECIALLY GOING TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL. THIS HELPS

046ME AS A PERSON FEEL LIKE I CAN DO ANYTHING. IT ALSO HELPS ME FIGURE OUT LEADERSHIP AND HOW TO TAKE INITIATIVE FOR MYSELF. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: YOU HAVE 30 MORE SECONDS. ANYTHING ELSE? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UP NEXT IS LINDA RODRIGUEZ. WELCOME. CAN I TAKE MY MASK OFF? Steve Cona: YES. I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS. THIS MORNING, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE SECRETARY TO THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CHIEF OF SCHOOLS. SHE WAS CLEARLY ATTEMPTING TO PLACE A SMOKE SCREEN OVER THE TOPIC OF THE UPCOMING CUTS THAT WILL AFFECT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN THE ARTS. SHE PURPOSELY USED WORDS LIKE HOURS AND UNITS IN PLACE OF WORDS LIKE CLASSES AND TEACHERS. IT WAS AN OUTRIGHT DEPERSONALIZATION OF THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FACING THIS NEW CRISIS. CUTS WILL

047COME TO MUSIC AND THE ARTS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S LEFT IN THE STATE THAT HAS HISTORICALLY NOT CUT SPORTS. DURING A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC AND NECESSARY SOCIAL UNREST HOW DARE WE CUT TEACHERS' CLASSES AND PROGRAMS THAT ARE BOTH EDUCATING AND EMOTIONALLY SUPPORTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE? HOW DARE WE ASK OUR STUDENTS TO ACCEPT FURTHER UPHEAVAL IN THEIR LIVES THROUGH CHANGES TO THEIR SCHEDULES AND OUTRIGHT LOSS OF A BELOVED CLASS OR TEACHER? ON SEPTEMBER 19, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS STATED THAT WE WILL PRESERVE EXISTING PROGRAMS IN ART AND MUSIC, AND I WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT WE ARE WATCHING TO SEE IF THAT'S TRUE. Steve Cona: THANK YOU. NEXT THREE SPEAKERS, CLAIRE JENKINS, LYNN PETE, AND GUERTE PATAMWA. HELLO. MY NAME IS CLAIRE JENKINS. I AM CURRENTLY A SENIOR AT PLANT HIGH SCHOOL. I LIKE MANY OTHERS DON'T PLAY SPORTS. INSTEAD

048I PARTICIPATE IN MY SCHOOL'S ORCHESTRA AND THEATER PROGRAMS. I WENT TO WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE I WAS A PART OF TIMOTHY FOX'S ORCHESTRA. FROM THE MOMENT I FIRST PLAYED THE CELLO IN FIRST GRADE I FELL IN LOVE. MANY KIDS FOR ME, MIDDLE SCHOOL IS THE FIRST TIME YOU LEARN HOW TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, READ SHEET MUSIC AND PLAY WITH A GROUP. WITHOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS THERE WOULD BE NO FOUNDATION FOR THE MORE DIFFICULT PLACES THEY PLAY IN HIGH SCHOOL. TODAY I AM A PART OF THE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. LAST YEAR WE WOULD HAVE THE CHANCE TO PLAY AT CARNEGIE HALL AND EXPERIENCE THE DREAM AND BECAUSE I WAS IN MY HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA, I WAS GOING TO GET THAT CHANCE. MR. BOSSER, THE ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR, MR. DEL, THE BAND DIRECTOR, MR. YOST, THE CHORUS DIRECTOR, PUT

049EVERYTHING THEY HAVE INTO THE MUSIC PROGRAM. BECAUSE OF THEIR EFFORT, KIDS HAVE FOUND COMMUNITIES THEY BELONG TO AND LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS. FOR ONE PERIOD A DAY, INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT WHITEBOARDS, KIDS GET TO PLAY MUSIC. WHILE TO YOU THEY MAY BE UNITS IN A BUDGET, TO US, THEY ARE TEACHERS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CLAIRE. THANK YOU. UP NEXT IS LYNN PETE. GOOD EVENING. I AM CONCERNED THAT PROPOSED BUDGET REDUCTIONS WILL DAMAGE THE EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS IN BOTH TRADITIONAL AND MAGNET SCHOOLS. I IMPLORE YOU TO SPARE ALL EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS WHO HAVE DAILY CONTACT WITH OUR CHILDREN. OUR TEACHERS, GUIDANCE COUNSELORS AND ADMINISTRATORS ALREADY WORK WELL IN EXCESS OF 40 HOURS PER WEEK. ASKING THEM TO ABSORB MORE WORK WILL SEVERELY ERODE THEIR ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY DEVELOP THE BEST IN OUR

050STUDENTS. NEW CURRICULA, TESTING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAN WAIT. THE SUCCESS OF ANY SCHOOL AT ANY TIME RELIES HEAVILY, IF NOT COMPLETELY, ON A STRONG AND HOLISTIC CONNECTION BETWEEN ITS FACULTY, STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. THE CHILDREN SITTING IN OUR CLASSROOMS TODAY WILL BE TAKING CARE OF US WHEN WE ARE OLD AND VULNERABLE AND THEY WILL FOLLOW OUR EXAMPLE. WE WILL NEED THEM TO BE COMPETENT, CONFIDENT AND HEALTHY AND WE CERTAINLY WILL NOT WANT THEM TO THINK IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO REMOVE INVALUABLE PEOPLE FROM THE FRONT LINES BECAUSE THAT IS AN EASY WAY TO REDUCE COSTS. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: UP NEXT IS GRETA PATENOTT. YOU CAN CORRECT MY PRONUNCIATION. I'M FROM ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS, I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH MY CLASSES. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO

051SPEAK TO THE IDEA OF LEADERSHIP AS HAVING A REPRESENTATIVE FOR OUR COUNTY'S VISION. SCHOOL LEADERS MUST MODEL BEHAVIORS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE COVID CRISIS AND YOU ARE TAXPAYER FIDUCIARIES AND NEED TO HAVE FORESIGHT OF THE CHALLENGES AHEAD. I QUESTION A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT YOU HAVE PURCHASED. WE'RE ALSO QUESTIONING IN OUR SCHOOL WHY DOES THE TOP PAY LEADERSHIP YOU HAVE SELECTED NEED ADDITIONAL COSTLY TRAINING? AREN'T THEY ALREADY EXPERTS? WHAT THE SUPERINTENDENT IS PORTRAYING TO THE PUBLIC DOES NOT NECESSARILY MESH WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM. I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE SUCCESS OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WHY WE NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR THOSE CHILDREN, OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO STAY IN THE SYSTEM. ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL OUR IB PROGRAM HAS PRODUCED 15 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS. I'LL

052RECOMMEND KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THAT WONDERFUL SUCCESS STORY. WE HAVE CLUBS AND MUSIC PROGRAMS AND ATHLETICS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. UP NEXT WE HAVE NICOLE RENEW. RENOW. AND THEN SHELDON BRIGS AND KYLE JOHNSON. THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO ADDRESS, LUCKILY MY COLLEAGUES AND OUR STUDENTS HAVE MENTIONED A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE AT THE FOREFRONT ON EVERYONE'S MINDS CURRENTLY. NOT THAT LONG AGO, ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS SOME BIG THEATRICAL SHOW HERE WHERE NO ONE SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE WERE MISSING $50 MILLION. I THOUGHT THAT'S WHY WE ELECTED THIS SCHOOL BOARD. THAT'S YOUR JOB. YET AFTER MONTH AFTER MONTH OF THE BUDGET BEING APPROVED AND WE WATCHED THE RESERVES DWINDLED, EVERYONE SAT UP HERE QUESTIONING WHERE ALL THAT MONEY WENT AND NOW IT WILL FALL ON THE BACKS OF

053THE TEACHERS AND THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO CUT. NOT TO MENTION, MR. DAVIS WAS QUOTED IN THE PAPER LAST WEEK AS SAYING WE'RE LIVING ABOVE OUR MEANS YET ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT IS ASKING THE BOARD TO APPROVE A $100 MILLION LINE OF CREDIT, WHICH DOESN'T QUITE SEEM FINANCIALLY APPROPRIATE. THE OTHER THING, I WANT TO SAY CONSIDERING CUTS, PLEASE DON'T JUST LOOK AT NUMBERS OF STUDENTS. THEY ARE NOT NUMBERS. MY KIDS AT MY SCHOOL, WE HAVE 61% OF MY SCHOOL ARE ELL AND 25% OF MY KIDS IN BOTH GROUPS ARE ESE. THOSE KIDS NEED MORE. Steve Cona: NEXT THREE SPEAKERS, SHELDON BRIGS, KYLE JOHNSON, AND VICTOR DEMAIO. WELCOME, SIR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. YES. SHELTON BRIDGES. GOOD AFTERNOON. WE ARE IN A BUDGET CRISIS RIGHT NOW FOR ONE REASON AND ONE REASON ONLY. YOU. YOU FAILED

054THE PLAN. YOU HAVE WASTED AND MISMANAGED RESOURCES, AND YOU HAVE FAILED TO EXERCISE PROPER OVERSIGHT. AND NOW TO COVER UP FOR YOUR MISTAKES YOU WANT TO GET RID OF TEACHERS TO MAKE UP THE MONETARY DEFICIT. IF YOU CARED ABOUT THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENTS, AND BY NOW IT'S OBVIOUS TO ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION YOU DON'T, THE FIRST THING ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK SHOULD BE YOUR SALARIES AND THAT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT. YOU HAVEN'T EARNED ONE PENNY OF THE SALARIES THAT ARE FUNDED BY TAXPAYER MONEY. AFTER YOU GET RID OF THAT, YOU SHOULD GET RID OF THE $11.1 MILLION BOONDOGGLE KNOWN AS ACHIEVE 3,000. I WON'T REHASH THE UNETHICAL HOLDING OF INFORMATION OR THE BOARD'S THAT RESULTED IN THE CONTRACT BEING SIGNED. SUFFICE IT TO SAY THE CONTRACT NEEDS TO BE VOIDED. CHOOSE PEOPLE OVER PROGRAMS EVERY SINGLE

055TIME. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, SIR. UP NEXT IS KYLE JOHNSON. AS A LIFELONG MEMBER OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT FAMILY, I AM SHOCKED, SADDENED, ANGRY, AND FRUSTRATED BY THE LACK OF LEADERSHIP THIS DISTRICT HAS SHOWN OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS. MENTAL HEALTH AMONGST OUR STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF IS AT AN ALL-TIME LOW AND MORALE IS ALSO AT AN ALL-TIME LOW. THE INCONSISTENT DECISION MAKING MADE BY THIS BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS HAVE LEFT MANY OF US SCRAMBLING TO MAKE PLANS FOR OUR FAMILIES AND OURSELVES, IT HAS ALSO DRIVEN MANY FAMILIES TO LEAVE THE DISTRICT FOR PRIVATE AND CHARTER SCHOOLS. HOW CAN A DISTRICT WITH MONEY PROBLEMS AFFORD TO SPEND $3.7 MILLION A YEAR ON A PROGRAM THAT STRANGELY ENOUGH HAS TIES TO SUPERINTENDENT ADDISON DAVIS WITH HIS BROTHER BEING THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THAT COMPANY?

056HOW CAN A DISTRICT WITH MONEY PROBLEMS AFFORD TO PAY SUPERINTENDENT $310,000 A YEAR WHILE VETERAN TEACHERS IN THIS DISTRICT HAVEN'T SEEN RAISES IN TEN-PLUS YEARS? HOW CAN A DISTRICT WITH MONEY PROBLEMS AFFORD TO PAY THE LEADERSHIP TEAM A COMBINED $3.5 MILLION? HOW CAN THIS BOARD AND LEADERSHIP JUSTIFY STAFF CUTS WHEN WE AS TEACHERS ARE THE ONES ON THE FRONT LINE SERVICING OUR STUDENTS? Steve Cona: THANK YOU, SIR. OUR FINAL THREE SPEAKERS WILL BE GREG McCLEARY, TINA WILLIAMS AND ALAN BREWSTER. WELCOME, SIR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS GREG McCLEARY. I HAVE A DOCTORATE IN PHILOSOPHY. I'VE BEEN TEACHING AT THE COLLEGE AT USF SINCE 2014. I COME TO YOU TO SPEAK ON THIS FROM A PERSPECTIVE THAT IS NOT DEMONSTRATED ONE. OVER THE YEARS IN MY EXPERIENCE AS A TEACHER OF HIGHER

057EDUCATION, ONE OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT WE SEE IS THAT STUDENTS LACK CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. IN PARTICULAR, THE MOST COMMON ELEMENT THAT EMERGES IS THAT STUDENTS HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK AND IMAGINE CREATIVELY BECAUSE THEIR GRADE SCHOOL CLASSES ARE EXCESSIVELY FOCUSED ON S.T.E.M. AS WELL AS STANDARDIZED TESTING. IT'S EVIDENT TO US PROFESSORS THAT SOME STUDENTS HAVE MADE IT INTO THE HONORS COLLEGE SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE ABLE TO PASS EXAMS. IT'S ALSO OBVIOUS THAT THOSE WHO ENTER THE HONORS COLLEGE WITH CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS -- Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. -- IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE CHARACTERISTIC -- Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UP NEXT IS TINA WILLIAMS AND THEN OUR LAST SPEAKER IS ALAN BREWSTER. OH, WE HAVE ONE MORE. SORRY. HELLO AGAIN. WELCOME, BOARD MEMBERS. TODAY

058I COME TO SPEAK TO YOU ONCE AGAIN ABOUT COMMUNICATION, OR THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION? COMMUNICATION IS AN INTERACTION BETWEEN ALL PARTIES, DIGGING DEEPER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE AND BEING SOLUTION-ORIENTED AND NOT REACTIVE. WE AS PARENTS, STAFF MEMBERS, FRIENDS, WE HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, BUT NOT COMMUNICATION. I CHALLENGE ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS TO REALLY SIT DOWN AND LISTEN. COMMUNICATION, IF THERE'S A PROBLEM, I CAN'T EVEN GO AND CALL THE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE BECAUSE I HAVE INFORMATION BUT A LACK OF COMMUNICATION. OUR ESE DEPARTMENT, LOTS OF INFORMATION, BUT NO COMMUNICATION. WE NEED MORE TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION. REMEMBER, PARENTS ARE A HUGE PART OF THE THEME. WE HAVE SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS. REMEMBER, WHILE READING IS FUNDAMENTAL, COMMUNICATION IS KEY. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. UP NEXT, AFTER

059WE CLEAN THE LECTERN -- AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TODAY FOR CLEANING THE LECTERN. WE APPRECIATE IT. UP NEXT IS ALAN BREWSTER AND THEN TRISTA SNOOK AND ANDY HUNT FOR THE FINAL TWO SPEAKERS. WELCOME, SIR. THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO CINDY STUART. WHEN I MET YOU FIVE YEARS AGO, OUR DAUGHTER HAD AN ISSUE WITH ESE AND SHE REALLY JUMPED IN AND TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM. KIMBERLY WORKMAN IS THE DIRECTOR OF ESE DEPARTMENT. HOW IS IT THAT SHE IS STILL THE DIRECTOR OF ESE AFTER THE FACT THE BREWSTER FAMILY ALONE HAS FILED TEN STATE COMPLAINTS IN THE FIVE YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN HERE ABOUT VARIOUS VIOLATIONS? NO IEP SERVICES, ACCOMMODATIONS NOT BEING GIVEN FOR ASSIGNMENTS BY TEACHERS. IEP NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED FROM DAY ONE. BEING VIOLATED. WHEN WILL

060AC -- HCPS STAND AND GIVE STUDENTS EQUITY IN EDUCATION? WHEN WILL YOU STAND, DAVIS? WHEN? MY DAUGHTER IS A TENTH GRADER WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF ASD. PARENTS REQUESTED A COMPREHENSIVE READING EVALUATION IN MAY AND WE JUST GOT THE CONSENT. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, SIR. MR. DAVIS, COULD YOU HAVE SOMEONE -- OKAY. OUR FINAL TWO PUBLIC COMMENT SPEAKERS BEFORE OUR TIME CERTAIN AT 5:00 ARE TRISTA SNOOK AND ANDY HUNT. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS TRISTA SNOOK. I'M THE INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AT MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL. I'VE BEEN TEACHING IN THIS COUNTY FOR 22 YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR IS LIKE NOTHING I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE. I TAUGHT ALONGSIDE SOME OF THE BEST TEACHERS IN THIS WHOLE NATION, BUT I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, THESE TEACHERS, THEY ARE FEELING OVERWHELMED. THEY ARE FEELING UNDERAPPRECIATED, AND THEY ARE VERY SCARED

061RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE SCARED FOR THEIR HEALTH. THEY ARE SCARED FOR THEIR SAFETY, AND THEY ARE VERY SCARED FOR THEIR JOBS. WE ALL KNOW THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR IN STUDENT SUCCESS IS THE CLASSROOM TEACHER, AND IT'S NOT A CERTAIN PROGRAM AND IT'S NOT OVERCROWDED CLASSROOMS. RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE 30 KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM BRICK AND MORTAR. SO IF TEACHERS ARE CUT, OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOING TO BE MORE AND WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SOCIAL DISTANCE. I REALIZE WE ARE IN A BAD SPOT FINANCIALLY, BUT PLEASE, PLEASE THINK ABOUT YOUR PERSONNEL CUTS AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIND ANOTHER WAY. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. SORRY, BOARD MEMBERS. WE'RE GOING TO ADD ONE MORE STUDENT TO THE LIST. ANDY HUNT IS UP NEXT. WELCOME. HI. MY NAME IS ANDY HUNT. I AM A FIRST GRADE TEACHER

062AT OAK GROVE ELEMENTARY. YOU ASKED FOR TEACHERS WITH THEIR HAIR ON FIRE AND YOU GOT TEACHERS WHO ARE JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS BACKWARDS BLINDFOLDED WITH THEIR HAIR ON FIRE AS WE SET UP NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, DESIGN WEB PAGES WITH CANVAS, LEARN NEW CURRICULUM, TAKE NEVER-ENDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TAKE COMPETENCY CLASSES, ADJUSTING TO LARGE AND EVER-CHANGING CLASSES, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. EVEN THOUGH YOU GOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU ASK FOR, YOU CONTINUE TO THROW WATER ON YOUR FLAMES BY DEMANDING MORE AND SMILING AS IF NOTHING IS WRONG. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY CAREER, 16 YEARS, I WAS TOLD NOT TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR CHILDREN, TO IGNORE WHERE THEY ARE AND TEACH WHAT WE BOUGHT. IT IS HEARTBREAKING AS A TEACHER TO SEE STUDENTS STRUGGLE UNNECESSARILY. AS I PREPARE TO BE OBSERVED TO HOLD ME

063ACCOUNTABLE, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS, BY THE WAY, I WATCH EXHAUSTED COWORKERS AS THEY FEAR ANOTHER SHIFT IN THEIR JOBS. I WONDER WHO IS HOLDING YOU ACCOUNTABLE. WHO IS TELLING YOU WHEN YOU HAVE A GREAT IDEA BUT PEOPLE HAVE ENOUGH ON THEIR PLATES. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. TOLD YOU TO HOLD OFF ON NEW CURRICULUM UNTIL WE CAN USE IT WITH -- Steve Cona: THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. LAST UP, WE HAVE LANCE -- I'LL LET YOU PRONOUNCE IT WHEN YOU GET UP HERE. WELCOME, LANCE. HELLO AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TODAY. LANCE LANEVE. PRESIDENT OF THE LATIN HONORS SOCIETY OF FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL. TEACHERS ACT AS A BEACON OF THE COMMUNITY. TEACHERS ARE MENTORS. THAT IS WHAT THEY GIVE TO THE COMMUNITY. IT IS NOT QUANTIFIABLE AND THE BUDGET CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR IT.

064EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM AND EVERYONE WHO THIS PERTAINS TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO LOVED AND CARED THEM INTO BEING. HOW PLEASED OUR MENTORS MUST BE TO SEE US TODAY, WHETHER STUDENT, PARENT, TEACHER, OR HANDSOME RED HEAD. IT IS DIFFICULT FOR STUDENTS TO -- TEACHERS -- THINK OF YOUR ONE SUPPORTERS AND HOW DIFFERENTLY YOU WOULD HAVE HAVE TURNED OUT WITHOUT THEM. THIS IS THE REALITY FOR THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS. THE SUPERINTENDENT ONCE SAID THAT THEY ALL HAVE TO TURN AND SAY ADDISON DAVIS DID RIGHT BY KIDS. WE HOPE HE'LL KEEP HIS WORDS EVEN IN TIMES WHERE ALL IS NOT GOING SMOOTHLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS FOR COMING OUT TODAY. NOW WE WILL MOVE

065TO ITEM TIME EARN, E 01. PUBLIC HEARING FOR RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION AND INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE MATH. I WILL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ADOPTION PROCESS. THIS IS A REQUIREMENT PURSUANT TO STATE LAW AND BOARD POLICY. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK ABOUT THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION BY THE BOARD AND TO PROVIDE INPUT TO THE BOARD. THESE MATERIALS WERE ADVERTISED AND HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC VIEW. I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO TERRY CONNOR, OUR DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTION, TO PRESENT THIS ITEM. AFTER HIS PRESENTATION, ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC MAY SPEAK TO PROVIDE INPUT TO THE BOARD ON THE PROCESS OF THESE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. MR. CONNOR. Terry Connor: GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU, VICE-CHAIR,

066BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF. AT THIS TIME, THE BOARD IS CONDUCTING A PUBLIC HEARING ON INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS BEING RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION. THE LIST OF MATERIALS IS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA ITEM. IT INCLUDES MATERIALS FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, AND INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE MATHEMATICS. THESE MATERIALS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED BY DISTRICT ADOPTION COMMITTEE AND ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION. AS REQUIRED BY STATE STATUTE, A 20-DAY PUBLIC REVIEW OF THE RECOMMENDED MATERIALS AND A PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED BEFORE THE BOARD CAN VOTE FOR THE ADOPTION. THE PUBLIC REVIEW REQUIRES THAT THE DISTRICT PROVIDE DIGITAL ACCESS TO THE RECOMMENDED MATERIALS VIA THE DISTRICT WEBSITE, THE PUBLIC REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BEGINNING ON SEPTEMBER 1st, 2020 AND ENDING ON SEPTEMBER 21st, 2020. THE PUBLIC HEARING THIS EVENING IS TO PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SHARE COMMENTS ABOUT

067THESE MATERIALS WITH THE BOARD. THE BOARD DOES NOT NEED TO TAKE ACTION AT THIS TIME, BUT WILL BE ASKED TO VOTE AT THE NEXT REGULAR SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING ON OCTOBER 6th, 2020. AT THIS TIME, YOU MAY CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS. Melissa Snively: THANK YOU, SIR. DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PUBLICLY ON THE ADOPTION OF THESE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS? Steve Cona: I WILL NOW CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. UP NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS. WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE PROCESS. WE'LL GO TO ITEM 01, THE ADOPTION OF THE PROCLAMATION FOR RACIAL EQUITY. WE WILL TURN THAT OVER TO BOARD MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER CONA. AND MS. MONICA, YOU HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROCLAMATION WHEN WE SAW THE FILM WITH OUR

068DIVERSITY MEETINGS ON REDLINING. IT CHANGED MY THINKING GREATLY. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAS SEEN IT IN THIS AUDIENCE, BUT IT WAS A SYSTEMATIC WAY OF SEPARATING BLACK AMERICANS FROM THE FRUITS OF BETTER HOUSING, BETTER TRANSPORTATION, BETTER SCHOOLS. AND IT WAS SYSTEMATICALLY PLANNED. I KNOW THAT THE MOVEMENT THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. SO I DEFINITELY THINK THIS IS IN TUNE WITH THE TIMES AND A VERY IMPORTANT ONE. SO I'M JUST GOING TO READ JUST A FEW TENETS. THE SCHOOL BOARD OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HAS ADOPTED A RACIAL EQUITY POLICY THAT WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE COUNCIL OF URBAN BOARDS OF EDUCATION. THE POLICY IS IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO ADDRESSING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM AS A BARRIER FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THE SCHOOL BOARD OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CONFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO ENSURING RACIAL EQUITY

069FOR ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF ITS EMPLOYEES TO ENABLE THEM TO ADDRESS THE ROLE AND PRESENCE OF RACISM. THE DISTRICT WILL WORK TO ELIMINATE PRACTICES THAT RESULT IN LOWER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR ANY STUDENT RACIAL GROUP COMPARED TO ITS PEERS. AND IN CONCLUSION, I WANT TO ALSO THANK -- OH, EXCUSE ME. AND THE DISTRICT WILL PROMOTE RACIAL EQUITY TRAINING, WHICH WE DO AND YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB, MS. MONICA. I ALSO WANT TO THANK MR. CONNOR FOR HIS CONTINUANCE AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS FOR DIVING IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND COMPLETELY REDOING THE CURRICULUMS, HAVING A MORE HEIGHTENED RESPONSE TO INCREASING THE RIGOR AND THE RESPONSE NOT ONLY IN ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS. SO I SEE THAT THIS IS A

070VERY DEDICATED LEADERSHIP TEAM THAT IS DEFINITELY WORKING ON GETTING MORE EQUITY AND MORE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATIONAL TRAINING TO OUR STUDENTS, AND GIVING THEM A SENSE OF PRIDE AND HONOR AS TO WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY FIT INTO THE WORLD AND TO DISCREDIT UNEVEN PACKAGING OF FOLKS FROM THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I THINK MEMBER CONA, YOU WILL GO AHEAD AND READ YOUR PART. WE NEED A MOTION? Steve Cona: I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE PROCLAMATION. WE HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER SHAMBURGER AND A SECOND BY MEMBER STUART. ANY DISCUSSION? MEMBER SHAMBURGER. AND THEN WE'LL GO TO MEMBER STUART. SHE WAS FIRST. Tamara Shamburger: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PROCLAMATION. LET ME JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CERTAINLY PROUD OF THIS

071RACIAL EQUITY POLICY THAT WE PASSED IN 2017. IN 2018, THIS BOARD, OF COURSE, RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THIS POLICY. IN 2019, WE ALSO RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION AS THE ONLY BOARD IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK. AND WHILE I AM IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROCLAMATION, IT REALLY DOES JUST SOLIDIFY THAT WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO. INSTEAD OF BRINGING FORTH PROCLAMATIONS, WHAT WE SHOULD BE BRINGING FORTH ARE REPORTS THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE NARRATIVE IN THIS DISTRICT. WE CAN CONTINUE TO COMMIT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL EQUITY ALL DAY LONG, BUT UNTIL THE PRACTICES ACTUALLY CHANGE, THEN THIS ALL BECOMES FOR NAUGHT. I DEFINITELY SUPPORT THIS PROCLAMATION BUT I DON'T WANT THIS -- WE HAVE TO STOP JUST PUTTING THIS ON PAPER. THIS CAN'T BE SOMETHING WE DO JUST DURING REELECTION

072TIME. THIS CAN'T BE SOMETHING TO SAY WE LIKE IT BECAUSE SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN OUR SOCIETY, BUT, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SEE CHANGES. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO THAT, MS. MONICA -- I ALWAYS SAY YOUR NAME WRONG. I'LL CALL YOU MS. MONICA. I DON'T WANT TO BUTCHER IT. I'M GOING TO PRACTICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THIS HAPPENS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR RACIAL EQUITY POLICY, LET'S JUST NOT BRING BACK A COMMITMENT. LET'S BRING BACK RESULTS THAT SHOWS THAT WE HAVE FINALLY MOVED THE NEEDLE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHEN IT COMES TO EVERY STUDENT HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACADEMICALLY SUCCEED REGARDLESS OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN OR PROMOTING STAFF, HIGHLY TALENTED STAFF REGARDLESS OF THE COLOR OF

073THEIR SKIN OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OR SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WE SEE AS DISPARITIES IN THE DISTRICT. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS. I WILL SUPPORT IT. THE NEXT TIME WE TALK ABOUT IT, LET'S TALK ABOUT RESULTS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MS. SHAMBURGER. ANY MORE DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT IS UNANIMOUS WITH MEMBER PEREZ AND MEMBER SNIVELY NOT AT THE DAIS. Jim Porter: MS. PEREZ IS PRESENT. SHE'S INDICATING THAT SHE'S SUPPORTING IT. Steve Cona: I'M SORRY, MEMBER PEREZ. IT WILL BE A 6-0 VOTE. Jim Porter: THANK YOU. Steve Cona: OKAY. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. BOARD MEMBERS, WE ARE NOW MOVING ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER STUART AND A SECOND BY MEMBER

074HAHN. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND THE MOTION CARRIES 6-0. WITH MEMBER SNIVELY NOT HERE TODAY. MEMBER PEREZ, ARE YOU VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW I'M LOOKING AT YOU, MEMBER PEREZ. SO WE'RE GOOD. WE ARE NOW MOVING ON TO SUPERINTENDENT COMMENTS. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. Addison Davis: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, VICE-CHAIR, MR. CONA AND BOARD MEMBERS. I ALSO WANT TO ECHO WHAT MR. CONA TALKED ABOUT TO HIGHLIGHT AND APPRECIATE EVERYONE THAT CAME TO SPEAK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE ARE RELATED TO CONTINUING TO PROTECT PROGRAMS WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS AND ALL THE PARENTS. WE UNDERSTAND THIS IS A TRYING TIME IN EDUCATION, NOT ONLY IN HILLSBOROUGH BUT THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND THROUGHOUT THIS NATION. WE'RE ULTIMATELY TRYING TO MAKE SURE WHEN WE CREATE THE BEST

075CONDITIONS OF LEARNING EVERY SINGLE DAY TO BE ABLE TO FURTHER PROTECT THE WORK IN ORDER TO MOVE THE WORK. HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, WHEN -- RELATED TO OUR WORK, THERE'S GOING TO BE CHANGES WITHIN THIS ORGANIZATION, CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO TAKE TIME TO LEARN, ARE GOING TO TAKE TIME TO UNDERSTAND. AND WHILE TRANSITIONING IN, THE SITUATION THAT WE WERE -- ARE IN IS THAT THERE WAS DEFINITELY A NEED FOR US TO IDENTIFY A NUMBER OF SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES AND A NUMBER OF ELEMENTS TO FURTHER SUPPORT TEACHERS AND SUPPORT STUDENTS RELATED TO SCAFFOLDING AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE UNDERSTAND THERE'S TIME AND NECESSARY WORK TO DO RELATED TO INFRASTRUCTURE AND EQUIPMENT AND CONNECTIVITY, AND WE'LL GET TO THAT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. Steve Cona: MR.

076SUPERINTENDENT, CAN YOU ADJUST YOUR MICROPHONE? Addison Davis: YES, SIR. SORRY. SO OVERALL OBJECTIVE, A SOFT POINT, HIGHLIGHT OF OUR DISTRICT FINANCIALS TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW OUR FUND BALANCE AND THE PLAN TO REBUILD AND ALSO LOOK AT HIGHLIGHT AGENDA ITEMS AND THEN IDENTIFY WHERE WE ARE RELATED TO ANNUAL ENROLLMENTS FOR BENEFITS. SO OVERALL, WE HAD A NICE WORKSHOP TODAY TO REALLY DIVE DEEP INTO WHERE WE ARE FINANCIALLY TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS AND ARTICULATE TO THE BOARD OUR CURRENT STATUS AND HAVE A REAL GOOD CONVERSATION ABOUT STRATEGIES, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD TO BE ABLE TO FURTHER PROTECT OUR CLASSROOMS. OVERALL, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THAT 61% OF OUR BUDGET IS GENERAL FUND OPERATED. THIS IS AROUND 1.9. THIS IS NOT CATEGORICAL MONEY. THIS IS MONEY THAT ALLOWS US AND LEVERAGES US

077TO REALLY PROVIDE A BALANCE OF WHAT WE PUT IN THE CLASSROOMS AND WHAT WE PUT ON THE CLASSROOMS. IN ADDITION, YOU'LL SEE THE REMAINDER OF THE BUDGET IS ALL IDENTIFIED IN CATEGORICAL FUNDING THAT MAKES UP THE $3.2 BILLION. IN THOSE CATEGORICAL FUNDINGS, WHAT THOSE IDENTIFY AS, YOU CAN ONLY USE THE FUNDING IN THE PARTICULAR POCKETS. FOR EXAMPLE, STUDENT NUTRITION SERVICES, ALL LINK TO FOOD NUTRITION FOR OUR CAFETERIAS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE THE NECESSARY SUPPORTS, EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, AND NUTRITION PERSONNEL TO BE ABLE TO SERVE OUR CHILDREN EVERY SINGLE DAY. IT COMES ON FROM CAPITAL OUTLAY TO INTERNAL SERVICES, WHICH MAKES 3 -- $3.2 BILLION BUDGET. 97% OF OUR BUDGET TRANSITIONS DIRECTLY TO OUR SCHOOL LEVEL. THIS IS ALL ABOUT PROTECTING AND IMPLEMENTING TO HIRING STAFF, INTERVENTIONISTS TO MAKING CERTAIN WE HAVE

078SUPPORT STAFF TO ADDRESS OVERARCHING NEEDS, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE THE NECESSARY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ALL OF THE WORK RELATED TO OUR NEEDS WITH OUR CHILDREN. 1.3% IS THE OVERALL CURRICULUM. A NUMBER OF THESE CURRICULUMS ARE IDENTIFIED IN CATEGORICALS, READING CATEGORICALS, SAI INTERVENTIONS TO LINK TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COULD BE RELATED TO TITLE II, TITLE III AND TITLE IV. 2.0% IS ABOUT HUMAN RESOURCES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE OVERALL MISSION OF OUR DISTRICT. AS WE SMOKE TODAY, THE BIGGEST THING IN THE FRONT LINE CAN BE LOOKED INTO IN ISOLATION. THE CURRENT STATUS IS 7300 STUDENTS RIGHT NOW HAVE NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE ARE WORKING CLOSE TO 3,000 OF THE 7300 OF IDENTIFY, TRANSITION INTO HOMESCHOOL BUT WE STILL HAVE,

079YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL LOSS OF $56 MILLION. THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY. WE DO AGREE WITH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER STUART AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE'RE TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE SOCIAL WORKERS, SCHOOL-BASED STAFF TO BE ABLE TO CAPTURE INFORMATION TO FIGURE OUT IF THESE STUDENTS, WHERE THEY CURRENTLY ARE. IF THEY INDICATE THEY WOULD LIKE TO RETURN, WHETHER THAT RETURN WOULD BE IN DECEMBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, JANUARY, SO THAT WE COULD MAKE CERTAIN WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK RELATED TO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FEBRUARY'S CAPTURE AND COUNT. UNTIL THEN, WE'LL MAKE CERTAIN THAT $56 MILLION IS PUT IN AN ISOLATED ACCOUNT, JUST IN CASE WE HAVE TO RETURN THAT MONEY BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. OVERALL, THERE WAS A DECREASE IN OUR FUND BALANCE, BLESS YOU. THERE WAS A 50 -- SORRY. MY MOTHER

080TAUGHT ME RIGHT. AND THERE WAS A $50 MILLION -- ORIGINALLY, THERE WAS A $50 MILLION DEFICIT -- I MEAN A DECREASE, SORRY, A DECREASE IN OUR FUND BALANCE. THE TEAM WORKED REALLY HARD TO MAKE CERTAIN ADDITIONAL MONIES FOUND. WE'RE AT $32 MILLION DECREASE IN OUR -- BLESS YOU -- FUND BALANCE AS WELL. THAT PUT OUR FUND BALANCE TO, YOU KNOW, FROM OVER A 5% TO A 3.91% FUND BALANCE. AND NOW THAT WE HAVE A SITUATION WE'RE CURRENTLY IN, WE CAN NO LONGER TRANSFER CAPITAL BECAUSE THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO USE TO OUR FUND BALANCE WHICH TAKES US TO A PARTICULAR WAY WE HAVE TO MAKE UP $40 MILLION IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE ARE AT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR THAT WE'RE IN A FISCALLY HEALTHIER POSITION.

081THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. THROUGH THE DIRECTION AND HAVING CONVERSATIONS TODAY, THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF WAYS AND STRATEGIES TO RECOUP AND RECAPTURE THAT MONEY. THE BIGGEST THING IS WE IDENTIFIED $7.5 MILLION THAT WE CUT, AS SOON AS I TRANSITIONED IN AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL. AND THESE ARE A NUMBER OF AREAS THAT WE CAN POTENTIALLY LOOK AT RELATED TO BUDGETED, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATING UNFILLED VACANCIES THAT ARE BOTH AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL AND THEN MAYBE POTENTIALLY AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL WHILE COLLECTING CLASS SIZE, PROGRAMS AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS. BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT WAREHOUSE CONSOLIDATIONS, REDUCE OUT OF COUNTY TRAVEL. REDUCE OVERTIME WHERE WE POTENTIALLY CAN AND LOOKING AT REDUCING ENERGY USAGE AND POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT OTHER PROPERTIES THAT WE OWN ORGANIZATIONALLY TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF THOSE ARE THE BEST WAY TO USE THEM IF

082THERE IS A NEED IF NOT POTENTIALLY SELLING THOSE PROGRAMS TO TRY TO FIND MONEY FOR RECOUP. WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE'RE VERY INTENTIONAL AND STRATEGIC ABOUT HAVING A STAIR-CASE APPROACH TO GETTING OUR RESERVE BALANCE BACK. I'M THANKFUL FOR THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, AND WE WILL WORK DILIGENTLY TO PROTECT EVERY ONE OF OUR CLASSROOMS. BUT THERE COMES TO A POINT WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS RELATED TO WHEN THERE ARE POTENTIAL AREAS AND SCHOOLS OVER-ALLOCATED, WHICH WE HAVE DEEMED TO BE -- THAT DEEMS TO BE TRUE. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO REBUILD? CURRENTLY, 3.91. THIS IS A FORECAST MODEL TO BE ABLE TO REBUILD ON THE NEXT THREE YEARS TO GET US TO A POINT WHERE WE ARE GETTING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL

083FIVE, TOWARD THE 2018-2019 RESERVE BALANCE. THIS IS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, DIFFICULT TO DO BECAUSE ALONG THE WAY, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE PROGRAMS SUCH AS WHAT STUDENTS TALKED ABOUT WITH THE PERFORMING ARTS ALONG WITH SKELTER PROGRAMS. AT THE SAME TIME -- ACCELERATOR PROGRAMS. AT THE SAME TIME, COMPENSATION TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES TO SHOW WE TRULY VALUE THEM AND DO CARE. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT IN THIS PRESENT TIME. WE'LL BE CREATIVE AS WE CAN IN ORDER TO DO SO AND NOT ONLY SHOW WE CARE BUT ALSO ADDRESS THE ELEMENT RELATED TO OUR FUND BALANCE AS WELL. SO OTHER ISSUE -- OTHER ELEMENTS WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT ARE CONSENT AGENDAS. APPROVAL OF T AND PP PROJECT. THIS IS A PROJECT WE WILL BE USING TITLE II MONEY TO DO.

084THIS IS ALL ABOUT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE VISION FOR CONTINUE TO SUPPORT TEACHERS ABOUT HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO CREATE AND DUPLICATE SUCCESSFUL INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE CENTRALIZED MESSAGES OF WHAT EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION LOOKS LIKE AND BE ABLE TO ALIGN THAT WORK FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL, CLASSROOM TO CLASSROOM ALONG THE WAY. THIS IS ALL ABOUT BEING ABLE TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF CONTINUED CAPACITY OF OUR PRINCIPALS AND APs SO WE'RE WORKING IN CONCERT TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS MANY ISSUES TO CONTINUE TO MOVE WORK ALONG THE WAY. ALSO, B-13 WAS APPROVAL, TNTP IS TITLE II FUNDING. IT'S NOT MONEY YOU COULD USE TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE RESERVE BALANCE. AND THEN 613 IS AN AGREEMENT WITH NEW LEADERS. THIS IS ABOUT BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENTS. OFTENTIMES, WE

085HAVE PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS BUT WE ELECT NOT TO PROVIDE ONGOING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR SUPPORT STAFF. WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS. WE'VE GOT TO ALSO HAVE ONGOING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS. AND THAT'S ALL ABOUT CREATING A COLLECTIVE EFFICACY ACROSS, BEING ABLE TO HAVE EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE AROUND EVERY ONE OF OUR CLASSROOMS TO TALK ABOUT COLLABORATIVELY-OF-COLLABORATIVE PLANNING, BITE-SIZE FEEDBACK AND CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM CONTINUE TO SUPPORT TEACHERS AND LEADERS ALONG THE WAY. THE ONE BIG THING WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, MOU WITH TAMPA BAY. 11.02, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS FOUNDATION. THEY DO SUCH GREAT WORK WITH US TO BE ABLE TO -- THIS IS AN ANNUAL INITIATIVE. THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE JUNIOR BUCS PROGRAM FOR OUR STUDENTS. FLAG FOOTBALL INITIALLY, THE TURKEY

086TIME WITH THE OFFENSIVE LINE, TURKEY, THANKSGIVING MEALS, ART CONTESTS, YOU NAME IT. THEY CONTINUE TO BE A TREMENDOUS PARTNER WITH THE OVERARCHING GOAL TO HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP COMMUNICATION SKILLS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOMS, ON THE FIELD AND OFF THE FIELD AS WELL. LASTLY, THE BIGGEST THING WE WANT TO DO IS THIS IS THE TIME OF THE YEAR THAT IS OUR ANNUAL BENEFIT ENROLLMENT. IT STARTS AND KICKS OFF TODAY, SO WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT EVERY ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES HAS THE OPTION TO INTERACT WITH WHAT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THIS BOARD HAS DONE A REALLY NICE JOB BY MAKING CERTAIN THERE'S NO INCREASE WITH PREMIUMS, AND THEY CONTINUE TO MAKE CERTAIN THEY PROVIDE BENEFITS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES EVERY DAY. USUALLY NATIONALLY INCREASE BETWEEN 6 AND 7%. AND WE APPRECIATE TRACY FOR HER HARD WORK IN

087HER DIVISION. THIS IS ALSO, YOU'LL SEE A DECREASE IN DENTAL AND VISION AS WELL AND THEN YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE ANNUAL GUIDES DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE WAY WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS AND THEN WE WILL HAVE A VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW ANY HEALTH BENEFITS AND HAVE OUR ANNUAL HEALTH AND BENEFIT FAIR VIRTUALLY ON SEPTEMBER THE 26th. MANY THANKS TO OUR TEAM FOR WORKING HARD FOR THIS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AWESOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERY ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES EVERY SINGLE DAY. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. SUPERINTENDENT. WE'LL TAKE A FEW BRIEF COMMENTS BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS. WE'LL START WITH MEMBER STUART. Cindy Stuart: THANK YOU. ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, SUPERINTENDENT, CAN YOU JUST HIGHLIGHT ITEM 6.02, WHICH IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS LINE OF CREDIT

088AND AN EXPLANATION FOR THAT, PLEASE? Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE VICE-CHAIR, THIS IS AN ANNUAL ITEM THAT COMES TO THE BOARD. IT'S REALLY PART OF JUST IN CASE THERE IS ANY TYPE OF DISASTER, ANY TYPE OF HURRICANE, ANY POTENTIAL DISASTER WE MAY INTERACT WITH IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT, THIS LINE OF CREDIT CONTINUES TO ALLOW US TO USE AND LEVERAGE IT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER BEEN USED BUT IT IS PART OF BEST PRACTICES TO BE ABLE TO BRING IT TO THE BOARD TO ADDRESS ANY UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCE. AND THIS IS JUST CONTINUED COMMON PRACTICE. THIS HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 1986, 1987 AND NOTHING NEW THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE BOARD. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, MEMBER GRAY? Lynn Gray: SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, I JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION ON

089THE BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAM. THE TBAE AND WHAT WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW -- Steve Cona: MEMBER GRAY, THAT WAS PULLED. Lynn Gray: THAT WAS PULLED. OKAY. VERY GOOD. I'LL TALK LATER. BYE-BYE. Steve Cona: ANY OTHER BOARD COMMENTS AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME BEFORE WE MOVE INTO OUR AGENDA ITEMS? SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE INTO THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL NOW BE HEARD. C 6.06, C 6.10, C 6.11, C 7.05, C 11.01 AND C 11.04. WITH THAT, AS WE MOVE IN, WE'LL START WITH 6.06, APPROVE THE HIGHEST RANKING PROPOSAL FOR AON CONSULTING. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. Addison Davis: THANK YOU, SIR. THROUGH THE VICE-CHAIR, 6.06 IS APPROVAL OF AON CONSULTING. THIS IS TO ADDRESS OUR HEALTH AND BENEFITS CONSULTING SERVICES TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THIS IS OUR THIRD PARTY, CONSULTANT THAT HELPS WITH US STRATEGY DESIGN.

090WE'RE LOOKING AT PLANNED PERFORMANCE, AND THEY PROVIDE FINANCIAL CONSULTING, ALONG WITH A VENDOR MANAGEMENT PROCESS. IT'S ALL ABOUT MAKING SURE CREATE WELLNESS AND HEALTH OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. THEY CONTINUE TO DO AND PROVIDE CLINICAL CLAIMS IN AUDITS. THIS HAS BEEN THE RELATIONSHIP FOR 13 YEARS WITH AON. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, SIR. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE ITEMS C 6.06. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER STUART AND A SECOND BY MEMBER SHAMBURGER. ANY COMMENTS? OH, THERE'S ONE. SORRY. I MOVED THIS ITEM DOWN BECAUSE I THINK IN TIMES WHEN WE ARE FACING, OBVIOUSLY, FINANCIAL CHALLENGES, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WITH A BIG-TICKET ITEM SUCH AS OUR BENEFITS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK MORE OF AON AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVEN'T NECESSARILY CHANGED

091OUR CARRIER IN A VERY LONG TIME. AND WE HAVEN'T CHANGED OUR CONSULTANT IN A VERY LONG TIME. WHILE I DO THINK THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE INVOLVED ARE THE BEST TO DO THE WORK, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE INNOVATION COMING OUT OF OUR CONSULTANT GROUP TO FIND WAYS TO LOWER THE COST OF OUR INSURANCE TO NOT ONLY THE DISTRICT BUT PROVIDE BETTER QUALITY PROGRAMS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. SO THAT'S A CHALLENGE THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HEAR MORE FROM AON AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE AS CREATIVE AS POSSIBLE AND WE NEED TO FIND AS MUCH SAVINGS AS POSSIBLE WHILE CREATING MORE BENEFITS TO OUR MEMBERS. I THINK THOSE SAVINGS ARE OUT THERE AND THOSE BETTER PROGRAMS ARE OUT THERE.

092SO THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHT AND WHY I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THIS ITEM GOT PUSHED DOWN. THAT'S ALL THE COMMENTS I HAVE. SEEING NO OTHER DISCUSSION -- Jim Porter: IF I COULD, GIVEN THAT WE HAVE A MEMBER PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY, I THINK IT PROBABLY MAKES SENSE FOR YOU ALL TO VOTE BY HAND OR VERBAL SO THERE'S NO PROBLEMS WITH THAT. Steve Cona: YES. THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US IN LINE. WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND. MEMBERS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND FOR APPROVAL. MS. PEREZ? OKAY. SO WE HAVE MOTION CARRIES 5-1 WITH MEMBER PEREZ DISSENTING. THANK YOU. WE'RE MOVING ON TO NOW 6.10 TO APPROVE THE INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR MO HVAC AIR FILTERS. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE MR. SUPERINTENDENT. Addison Davis: THROUGH THE VICE COMPARE, THIS IS

093AN EXPENDITURE TO PLACING MERV 13 AIR FILTERS WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS. THIS IS A MOVEMENT TO BE ABLE TO USE MILLAGE FUNDING TO DO SO. THIS IS BRINGING IT TO THE BOARD, A FORMAL ASK, TO UPGRADE THE FILTERS. WE KNOW THIS IS A RECOMMENDED, YOU KNOW, FILTER FOR CDC GUIDELINES TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO ASSIST WITH MITIGATING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. WE DO KNOW THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AN INCREASED EXPENDITURE, BUT IT'S ONE THAT IS GOING TO CREATE HEALTHIER SYSTEMS WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS. WE KNOW THAT WE TRIED TO -- ORIGINALLY, OUR DATE FOR INSTALL WAS GOING TO BE OCTOBER 1st. WE KNOW THAT DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED. WE HAD AVAILABILITY OF THE AIR FILTERS AND I PROVIDED EACH OF YOU WITH A LIST GEOGRAPHICALLY OF BEING ABLE TO INSTALL. I THINK WE'RE CLOSE TO 30

094SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AND THERE'S GOING TO BE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT WILL HAVE TO BE RETROFITTED. I JUST WANT TO BRING IT TO THE BOARD FORMALLY TO BRING IT TO LIGHT THAT WE WILL BE USING THIS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE GROWING NEEDS IN OUR CLASSROOMS. Steve Cona: I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE ITEM 6.10. A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY AND A SECOND BY MEMBER STUART. ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY. SEEING NO DISCUSSION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND TO APPROVE. AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. BOARD MEMBERS, MOVING ON TO 6.11, APPROVE THE FIRST AND SECOND MODIFICATIONS TO THE 2019/2020 INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START AND THE SCHOOL BOARD OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE SUPERINTENDENT.

095Addison Davis: YES, SIR, THROUGH THE VICE-CHAIR, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS AMENDMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS TO THE COMMITMENT OF HEAD START. EVERY TIME THERE IS AN AMENDMENT, IT IS REQUIRED TO BRING TO THE BOARD. THERE'S GOING TO BE FINANCIAL INCREASE OF MODIFICATIONS LINKED TO THE COST OF LIVING, ALSO THE QUALITY OF IMPLEMENTATION. THIS IS A PART WHERE THIS IS ADDITIONAL SALARIES WILL BE SPENT TO BE ABLE TO ADJUST AND ADDRESS THE HEAD START. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE AROUND $720,000 THAT WILL BE -- TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS OF PROGRAMS. THERE'S 92 CLASSROOMS ALONG WITH 56 SITES THAT WILL BE ABLE TO BE IMPACTED. JUST BRING IT TO THE BOARD FOR ATTENTION TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS AND CONTINUE TO ADDRESS LOW-INCOME CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITHIN OUR COUNTY. Steve Cona: THANK

096YOU, SIR. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE ITEM 6.11. A MOTION BY MEMBER STUART AND A SECOND BY MEMBER GRAY. ANY DISCUSSION? MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. I'M VERY THRILLED WHEN WE ADDRESSED EARLY HEAD START AND EARLY LEARNING. SO IMPORTANT. SO CRITICAL. I KNOW THAT IS A HUGE CONCERN AND A PRIORITY OF THIS LEADERSHIP IN OUR BOARD. TO THIS EFFECT, I THINK THE COMMITMENT FROM OUR DISTRICT AND BOCC CAN ALSO PERHAPS GROW ONE EXTRA LEVEL AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, FEEL FREE TO REMARK ON THIS, AND I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, SHARED THIS, THAT REACHING OUT TO THE BOCC IN THE FUTURE, ALONG WITH US, UNIFYING OUR VPK AND EARLY START EDUCATION. SO THE ANALOGY OF A FIRST MODIFICATION -- SORRY, MS. SAUNDERS FOR GETTING INTO YOUR MONEY LANE -- FIRST MODIFICATION, SECOND MODIFICATION,

097IF YOU WILL, A THIRD MODIFICATION PERHAPS TO WORK TOGETHER TO UNIFY AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME OF THEIR MONIES FOR THE EARLY START AND FOR THE VPK SIMPLY BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS ALL OVER THE PLACE IN TERMS OF CURRICULUM AND STANDARDIZATION. AND I THINK THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO START. SO THAT WAS MY REMARK. IT'S SUCH A CRITICAL SUBJECT AREA. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. SEEING NONE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND TO APPROVE ITEM C 6.11. AND IT IS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD MEMBERS. MOVING ON TO 7.01, SELECT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO SERVE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL SITTING TASK FORCE. THAT WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED BY MR. PORTER. Jim Porter: YOU'LL RECALL RECENTLY THAT THERE WAS A DISCUSSION AT THE DAIS AT THIS MEETING THAT A TASK FORCE WAS BEING CONTEMPLATED

098THAT WOULD BE MADE UP OF STAFF OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND STAFF OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS PERHAPS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL FROM EACH BODY AS WELL. WE NEEDED TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA SO YOU COULD APPOINT A STAFF PERSON. I WILL TELL YOU, THOUGH, SINCE THIS ITEM HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE AGENDA, THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAS NOT TAKEN ANY ACTION TO APPOINT ONE OF THEIR MEMBERS. I THINK THERE'S STILL DISCUSSIONS GOING ON BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND DISTRICT STAFF ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED. YOU'LL RECALL THAT THE ISSUE REALLY HAS TO DO WITH HOW SCHOOLS ARE SITED AND WHAT LANE EACH RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENT IS IN. I THINK THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE CONTINUING. YOU MAY WANT TO CONTINUE HOLDING OFF ON THIS, BUT IT IS ON THE AGENDA IF YOU DID WANT

099TO PURSUE APPOINTING SOMEONE AT THIS POINT. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MR. PORTER. IF IT WAS UP TO ME, I THINK WE STILL APPOINT SOMEONE TODAY. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE SET THE PACE. SO AT THAT POINT, IF WE DECIDE TO DO THAT, MR. PORTER, ARE WE TAKING NOMINATIONS? Jim Porter: YES. THAT WOULD BE THE WAY TO DO IT. Steve Cona: WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO START THE NOMINATION PROCESS? MS. STUART. Cindy Stuart: THANK YOU. I AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR IF AND WHEN THE COUNTY DOES DECIDE TO MOVE ON THIS. MY HOPE WOULD BE THAT THIS TASK FORCE IS REALLY A TASK FORCE THAT ADDRESSES THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT AND NOT JUST A TASK FORCE THAT COMES BACK AND PRESENTS WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW, WHICH IS THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT IS

100NOT WORKING. SO MY ASK WOULD BE, I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE DR. HAHN TO SIT ON THE TASK FORCE FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS SOMEONE FROM OPERATIONS AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT TO SIT WITH DR. HAHN AS A MEMBER OF STAFF AS PART OF THE TASK FORCE. Steve Cona: WE HAVE A NOMINATION FOR DR. HAHN. ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS? MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THE RATIONALE, IF I COULD. THIS IS PROBABLY A GOOD TIME. THE BIGGER VISION, I BELIEVE, WOULD BE TO HAVE OUR SUPERINTENDENT WITH THE NEW BOCC PERSON IN CHARGE TO BE THE TASK FORCE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, ELECTED OFFICIALS, I MEAN, IF YOU GET POLITICAL, MAYBE SOME OF US MIGHT NOT KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN TERMS OF LAND USAGE, FUTURE SUBJECT AREAS THAT MS. AMBER

101DICKERSON RELIES ON, I'D RATHER SEE OUR SUPERINTENDENT BE THE GROUND FLOOR OR AN APPOINTEE FROM YOUR OFFICE, BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION BEFORE SOMEONE ON OUR OWN BOARD GETS INVOLVED. I ALSO, I THINK IN A MATTER OF FAIRNESS, LOOKING IN THE FUTURE, ONE OF THE REASONS THE BOCC IS NOT EVEN HAVING IT ON THEIR AGENDA NOR THEY HAVE NO PLANS, AND I TALKED TO TWO OF THEM IS BECAUSE THEIR ELECTION ALSO IS COMING UP, AS WE ARE. AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THERE'S GOING TO BE AN ENTITY TASK FORCE. SO WE'RE ENERGIZING MAYBE TO A -- TO AN EMPTY CUP. THE CUP IS NOT EVEN THERE TO BE FILLED. CERTAINLY, THERE'S NO TASK FORCE IN THE CONVERSATION. SO WHILE OUR ENERGIES ARE RUSH, RUSH, LET'S GET IT DONE, IN REALITY, THERE'S NOTHING TO FULFILL.

102AND WITH ELECTIONS COMING IN, OH, I GUESS SIX WEEKS, AT THE VERY LEAST, WE HAVE FUTURE BOARD MEMBERS. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT ONE OF THEM, IN FACT, HAS A LOT OF RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOCC. SO FOR US TO NOT INCLUDE A POSSIBILITY AND SIMPLY JUST -- I DON'T KNOW. I JUST THINK IT'S SO PREMATURE ON MANY LEVELS. AGAIN, SUPERINTENDENT, YOU HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL IN YOUR LEADERSHIP TO REALLY ENCAPSULE THE FULL LATITUDE OF LAND USAGE AND ALL THE SUBJECTS AMBER IS COVERING. I KNOW THAT -- I MEAN, I'M PRETTY MUCH FULL-TIME BOARD MEMBER BUT NOT EVERYBODY HAS ALL THE TIME TO LEARN ALL THAT IS INVOLVED WITH APPRECIATION. DR. HAHN I'M SURE IS VERY, VERY CAPABLE, BUT I JUST WONDER FOR TWO REASONS, AGAIN, NUMBER ONE, I'D RATHER SEE THE SUPERINTENDENT APPOINT HIS OWN. SECONDLY,

103I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING REALLY TO APPOINT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY INTEREST AND THEIR ELECTIONS ARE ALSO MEANINGFUL BECAUSE IT MIGHT CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF ANY TASK FORCE. SO THAT'S MY COMMENT. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MR. PORTER, ARE WE STILL OKAY TO MAKE THE NOMINATION? Jim Porter: THAT'S UP TO THE BOARD. Steve Cona: WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPOINT DR. HAHN TO SAID TASK FORCE. IS THERE A SECOND TO APPOINT DR. HAHN? OKAY. WE HAVE A SECOND BY MEMBER SHAMBURGER. SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPOINT DR. HAHN AS A MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE. SHALL IT BE ESTABLISHED, ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY. SEEING NO DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE BY RAISING YOUR HAND TO APPROVE DR. HAHN TO SIT ON THE TASK FORCE. OKAY. THE ITEM PASSES 5-1 WITH

104MEMBER GRAY DISSENTING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD MEMBERS. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP IS 11.01, APPROVE THE 2019/2020 ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL EQUITY UPDATE. MR. SUPERINTENDENT. Addison Davis: THANK YOU. THROUGH THE VICE-CHAIR, MR. CONA, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, ITEM BEING BROUGHT BACK TO THE BOARD. THIS IS AN ANNUAL ITEM THAT IS ABOUT ANNUAL EDUCATION EQUITY UPDATE. AND THIS IS WHERE WE SEEK TO HAVE A REPORT THAT SHOWS AND DEMONSTRATES THAT WE ARE PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION ON THE BIAS OF RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, DISABILITY, AGE, YOU KNOW, YOU NAME IT. THIS ALLOWS US TO MONITOR CHANGES IN CIVIC POLICIES, LOOKING AT CIVIL RIGHT POLICIES, PROCEDURES. LOOKING AT GENDER EQUITY AND ATHLETIC STRATEGIES TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION WITHIN OUR COURSE WORKS AND IMPLEMENT AND EVALUATE SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLS AND CLASSES AND TREATMENT OF STUDENTS AND PARENT, STUDENTS WITHIN OUR

105ORGANIZATION. AS WE KNOW THAT THROUGH THIS REPORT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HIGHLIGHTS. THERE ARE ALSO A NUMBER OF AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY. IN OUR HIGHLIGHTS, IT SAYS WE ARE DOING WELL. WE ARE DOING A REALLY NICE JOB WITH IMPLEMENTING OUR NONDISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THIS IS MAKING CERTAIN THAT WE'RE MAKING THE NECESSARY ACCOMMODATIONS TO PUBLISH ACCESSIBILITY TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS. IN ADDITION, THIS REPORT VALIDATES THAT WE DO A REALLY NICE JOB MAKING CERTAIN THAT ATHLETIC SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, PARENTING STUDENT PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED IN COMPLIANCE WITH TITLE IX. BUT IT ALSO SAYS THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO IMPROVE OUR PRACTICES. AND THE MAIN THING IS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE IMPROVE STUDENTS OF COLOR IN LEVEL THREE COURSE WORK. THAT'S ABOUT IB. THAT'S ABOUT ACE PROGRAMS, DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS.

106HIGHER LEVEL PROGRAMS, WE HAVE EXPOSURE. ONE THING WE REALLY TRULY WANT TO DO IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, SAME WAY WE LAUNCHED SUMNER HIGH SCHOOL. 2027 IS A SIXTH GRADE CLASSROOM THAT IS ALL GOING TO BE EXPOSED TO ACCELERATED COURSES. IT'S NOT A SUBSET OF STUDENTS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO APPLY TO GET INTO THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM. EVERYONE IN THE SIXTH GRADE AT SUMNER -- WELL, 6-12, IT IS A HIGH SCHOOL, YOU HAVE 6th GRADE STUDENTS, THAT ARE ALL GOING TO BE INCLUSIVE AND EXPOSED TO ACCELERATED COURSES. THIS IS THE MENTALITY WE HAVE TO GET TO. WE HAVE TO GIVE CHILDREN HOPE. WE HAVE TO GIVE CHILDREN A CHANCE TO FAIL AND SUCCEED AND HELP THEM GRAPPLE AND BE SUCCESSFUL AND PROVE THEY CANNOT FINISH AND COMPLETE A CLASS. IT'S OUR JOB TO GO ON AND PROVIDE

107ONGOING INTERVENTION. THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY. ALSO, WE HAVE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE CONTINUE TO HIRE, HAVE HIRING PRACTICES AND HIRE INDIVIDUALS THAT MIRROR OUR STUDENT POPULATION. WE ARE THE MAJORITY MINORITY IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT OUR SUPPORT STAFF, OUR TEACHERS, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, OUR DISTRICT STAFF TRULY HAVE A MAKEUP THAT REFLECTS THE STUDENT BODY THAT WE SERVE EVERY SINGLE DAY. THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT THINGS IN HERE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY, BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE ADDRESS THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP THAT WE KNOW WILL CONTINUE -- THAT WILL GROW THIS YEAR, HENCE THE REASON WE BOUGHT A NUMBER OF SUPPLEMENT MATERIALS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS AND DIFFERENTIATE AND SCAFFOLD THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS. SO WE'VE GOT A WAYS TO GO. I LOOK FORWARD TO ADDRESSING

108MANY ISSUES IN THIS UPDATE. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. SUPERINTENDENT. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE ITEM C 11.01. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER SHAMBURGER AND A SECOND BY MEMBER STUART. ANY DISCUSSION? MEMBER SHAMBURGER. Tamara Shamburger: THANK YOU SO MUCH, MEMBER CONA. CERTAINLY, THERE IS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY HERE, AS YOU POINTED OUT. THAT REALLY TIES BACK TO MY COMMENTS ON THE RACIAL EQUITY PROCLAMATION IN THAT WE HAVE TO GET RESULTS. SO JUST LOOKING OVER THIS REPORT -- AND I REALLY LOVE THIS REPORT, BUT LOOKING OVER IT, JUST LOOKING AT THE STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN ADVANCE PLACEMENT, AP OR IB OR ACE PROGRAM, CERTAINLY JUST LIKE IN MOST CATEGORIES, OUR BLACK STUDENTS ARE ALWAYS LAGGING BEHIND. I AM REALLY CONCERNED THAT OUR BLACK MALES, THAT NUMBER HASN'T INCREASED, SO

109FROM 2016 THROUGH CURRENT OR 2017 I GUESS THROUGH CURRENT ONLY BEEN AT 12%. WE'VE NOT REALLY SHOWN ANY SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN GETTING OUR BLACK MALE STUDENTS IN MORE OF THESE COURSE WORK OVER THREE SCHOOL YEARS. THAT'S A TRAVESTY. WE HAVE TO DO BETTER THERE. SO I KNOW ONE THING WE'RE DOING THAT I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT IS THAT EQUITY AUDIT THAT WILL REALLY ADDRESS WHY AREN'T MORE BLACK MALE STUDENTS, FOR INSTANCE, PARTICIPATING MORE HEAVILY IN OUR ADVANCE COURSE WORK? ARE GUIDANCE COUNSELORS JUST NOT OFFERING IT TO THEM? IS THAT BECAUSE OF SOME IMPLICIT BIAS THAT MAYBE THESE BOYS CAN'T DO IT? I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE EQUITY AUDIT FOR THAT REASON. ONE THING I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO ADD, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, TO THE EQUITY AUDIT IS ALSO, IF YOU COULD, AN AUDIT OF OUR WITHDRAWAL CODES. I'D LIKE

110TO SEE WHAT PROCESSES WE HAVE IN PLACE THAT POTENTIALLY MAY BE NOT ONLY PUSHING KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL, BUT -- WELL, ACTUALLY, I GUESS THAT IS THE REASON, THAT MAYBE WRONGLY PUSHING KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL, WHERE ARE OUR KIDS? HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THIS PARTICULAR EQUITY AUDIT? IF YOU COULD INCLUDE THAT, IF THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM, THAT WOULD REALLY HELP. BUT WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. EVERY YEAR WE SHOULD SEE GROWTH. HONESTLY, EXPONENTIAL GROWTH WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S COMPLETE EQUITY WITHIN THE DISTRICT. I SAY IT ALL THE TIME, EQUITY CAN NO LONGER BE A THEORY IN THIS DISTRICT. IT MUST BECOME PRACTICE. WE LOVE TO SAY THAT BEAUTIFUL WORD "EQUITY." I HAVE YET TO SEE IT ACTUALLY BECOME A REALITY. MR. SUPERINTENDENT, I CERTAINLY HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT AND I

111KNOW YOU AGREE WITH ME. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM. Tamara Shamburger: NEXT YEAR, I WANT TO SEE GROWTH. WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. WE CAN'T JUST REPORT IT AND SAY WE HAVE TO FIX IT. I'M INTERESTED IN THE WITHDRAWAL CODE AUDIT. SO THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THAT. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MEMBER SHAMBURGER. TURNING IT OVER TO MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU. I HAD ON PAGE 4 JUST A FEW QUESTIONS. PAGE 4, IT SAYS ENROLLMENT INCREASED ONLY SLIGHTLY IN ADVANCE COURSES, WHICH IN MY OPINION OR MAYBE THE REALITY, MY SENSE OF REALITY IS THIS MAY BE EVEN MORE CHALLENGED DUE TO E-LEARNING. THAT CAN BE REMARKED ON. BUT I KNOW THAT WE'RE ADVANCING BLACK STUDIES. THAT IS A GREAT THING. I KNOW THERE'S DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES. BUT HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING FURTHERING THE ADVANCE

112COURSES FOR OUR BLACK MALES AND FEMALES IN THE E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT? I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN DO THAT. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I THINK MS. SHAMBURGER'S RECOMMENDATION IS A VERY VALID ONE AND SHOULD BE INCLUSIVE INTO OUR EQUITY REPORT. I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A WAY TO BE ABLE TO TRACK WITHDRAWAL CODES. I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE CERTAIN, AS MS. SHAMBURGER SAID, WE'RE NOT PUSHING INDIVIDUALS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS. IT IS A NECESSITY TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE CAUSATION MAY BE. I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE DOING THAT, BUT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE ARE VALIDATING OR REFINING OUR EFFORTS TO BE ABLE TO DO IT. I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND GOOD POINT. AS IT RELATES TO E-LEARNING, THIS IS WHERE THE COMPLEXITY BECOMES.

113INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE IDENTIFIED THE TRANSITION TO E-LEARNING MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE OR EXPOSED TO A CLASS THAT MAY NOT BE OFFERED. WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF OUR TEACHERS AND WE THANK THEM SO VERY MUCH FOR AGREEING TO TRANSITION TO SIMULTANEOUS TEACHING. THAT'S THE BENEFIT OF SOME OF THIS, BUT THERE COULD BE POTENTIALLY A BULK OF STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE BULK OF OUR STUDENTS ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR THAT HAVE TRANSITIONED, ELECTED TO GO TO E-LEARNING THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS EXPOSURE. THIS IS WHY IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE HAVE A POINT OF SAFETY THAT WE TRANSITION BACK TO BRICK AND MORTAR. WE HAVE A LOT OF KIDS AND STUDENTS STARTING TO TRANSITION BACK EVERY SINGLE DAY. THE ISSUE BECOMES WE'RE AT A HARD CLASS SIZE TO BE ABLE TO

114PROTECT CURRENT CLASSROOMS AS OF RIGHT NOW. BUT OVERALL, WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WITHIN THE FIRST FOUR, FIVE, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR NINE WEEKS. IF WE SEE KIDS, ANY KID, ANY LEARNER THAT HAS PROVEN COMPETENCE AND MAY BE EXPOSED TO A HIGHER LEVEL CLASS, LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE STUDENT. HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR, HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE PARENT TO FIGURE OUT, TO PUSH THIS LEARNER, TO PUSH THEM INTO A POTENTIAL PATHWAY OR A CLASS OF COMPLEXITY THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO BE EXPOSED TO COLLEGIATE LEVEL CLASSES. I THINK THERE'S A BIG OPPORTUNITY WITH ACCELERATION WITHIN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, ESPECIALLY FROM THE DUAL ENROLLMENT PERSPECTIVE. I THINK WE HAVE TO LEVERAGE RELATIONSHIPS WITH HCCC, THEY DO A BEAUTIFUL JOB. AT THE SAME TIME, USF. AT THE SAME TIME,

115WHETHER IT BE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CHILDREN. I THINK DUAL ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. Lynn Gray: THAT IS A HUGE TICKET. I KNOW THE HCC PRESIDENT ATWATER IS VERY DEVOTED TO THAT FUTURE REALITY. THE OTHER QUESTION, ON PAGE 5, THE EMPLOYMENT EQUITY, THE DISTRICT SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES TO INCREASE MINORITY EMPLOYEES IN BOTH ADMINISTRATIVE AND FACULTY POSITIONS IN MALES AND FACULTY POSITIONS. A FEW WEEKS AGO, I DID PUSH POLICY LANGUAGE TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF BLACK MALES IN LEADERSHIP, BUT I WANTED TO KNOW, WHAT ARE THE MEASURES WE WOULD BE TAKING TO EXPAND MINORITY POPULATIONS IN OUR LEADERSHIP, IN OUR FACULTY POSITIONS? I JUST WAS CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THE ANSWER WOULD BE. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE VICE-CHAIR, WE

116HAVE GOT TO EXPAND THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB RECRUITING, FIRST OF ALL, TO GET INDIVIDUALS INTO EDUCATION. AND WE KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NATIONAL ANALYTICS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, BLACK MALES TRANSITIONALLY DO NOT GO TO WORK AND TRANSITION TO EDUCATION. WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB CREATING AND MODELING AND MIRRORING THAT -- CREATING COHORTS OF POTENTIAL STUDENTS, WHILE WE HAVE THEM IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO COACH THEM TO GO INTO EDUCATION SO THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HAVE A LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, INITIATIVES THAT ARE INSPIRING LEADERS, INDIVIDUALS THAT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT TO COACH THEM AND GIVE THEM A SENSE OF HOPE THAT LEADERSHIP IS -- YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SAY

117-- INDIVIDUALS SAY THEY DON'T SEE COLOR, WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO SEE COLOR BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS DESERVE ROLE MODELS. SO BEING ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT'S A PRIORITY AND I'VE DEMONSTRATED THAT THROUGH MY LEADERSHIP UPON TRANSITIONING HERE THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE AND SENIOR STAFF TEAM AND ALSO PRINCIPAL HIRES, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY TALENT. SHOW THEM THAT WE CARE, HELP THEM BUILD THEIR CAPACITY AND GENUINELY SHOW THEM THERE IS A PATHWAY TO LEADING, AND THERE'S A PATHWAY TO CONTINUING TO DO GREAT THINGS IN EDUCATION. Lynn Gray: THE AWARENESS THAT YOU'RE SHARING -- AND THIS IS TO MEMBER SHAMBURGER'S POINT -- AWARENESS IN EDUCATION AND TO THOSE STUDENTS, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT BECOMES ACTION. AND THE ACTION IS BEING DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW. AND THAT TO ME SPEAKS VOLUMES. SO WE WILL AWAIT THE ACTUAL ACTION, BUT

118I APPRECIATE WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN SO FAR, AT LEAST IN THE OVERT CONVERSATION. I DON'T KNOW, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, IF WE WANT MS. MONICA TO DISCUSS HER DIVERSITY AUDIT, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY A GREAT ASSET SO WE CAN, IN FACT, BE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE WILL DO, THOSE ACTION STEPS. NONETHELESS, I PUT IT IN THERE AS A SEGUE IN CASE YOU WOULD LIKE FOR HER TO SPEAK ON IT. NOT HAVING TO DO SO. Addison Davis: YES, MA'AM, THROUGH THE CHAIR. I CAN GET AN UPDATE TO THE BOARD FROM DR. VERRA-TIRADO, TO BE ABLE TO -- I GOT CLOSE. I'VE BEEN PRACTICING FOR SIX -- ACTUALLY, IT'S BEEN SINCE DECEMBER I'VE BEEN TRYING TO RECRUIT -- FOR ALMOST A YEAR. Lynn Gray: I'M GOING TO USE THE PHONICS PROGRAM AND WORK ON THAT NAME. THAT'S THE END OF THAT.

119I DON'T MEAN TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. ANYWAY. THAT WAS ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SUPERINTENDENT, FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND MEMBER SHAMBURGER FOR YOUR DISCUSSION. NOW, I WILL TELL YOU THAT IT'S REALLY -- WE REALLY HAVE A GAP WITH MINORITY MALES. HISPANIC OR BLACK IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE NEED TO DO BETTER. EVEN THE PROGRAMS THAT WE DO HAVE IN OUR HISPANIC COMMUNITIES AS WELL, WE'RE STILL NOT SEEING THOSE MINORITY MALES INTO THOSE PROGRAMS. WE DEFINITELY HAVE ROOM TO GROW AND DEFINITELY HAVE ROOM TO DO BETTER. IT'S SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE TO WORK ON. WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE. AND WE'VE HAD DISCUSSION. SO EVERYONE IN FAVOR OF APPROVAL OF THE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY UPDATE, PLEASE RAISE

120YOUR HAND. IT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD MEMBERS. UP NEXT, 11.04, APPROVE THE SELECTION OF FLORIDA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION, SCHOOL BOARD AND ALTERNATE. WE'LL LET MR. PORTER. Jim Porter: BOARD MEMBERS, YOU'LL RECALL THAT RECENTLY YOU APPOINTED A MEMBER AND AN ALTERNATE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. THIS IS FOR THE ACTUAL BOARD. THIS BOARD HAS BEEN LUCKY BECAUSE CINDY STUART HAS SERVED ON THE BOARD AND TAMMY SHAMBURGER AS CHAIR OF THE EQUITY ALSO SERVED ON THE BOARD. YOUR CURRENT REPRESENTATIVE IS CINDY STUART AND YOUR ALTERNATE IS MS. SHAMBURGER. YOU NEED TO APPOINT A MEMBER AND AN ALTERNATE. OBVIOUSLY, MS. STUART WILL NOT BE ON THE BOARD AFTER NOVEMBER, SO SHE IS NOT ELIGIBLE. BUT ANYBODY ELSE IS. Steve Cona: OKAY. SO WE WILL TAKE NOMINATIONS. MEMBER STUART. Cindy Stuart: SO, MR. PORTER, CAN YOU TELL

121US WHO EXACTLY -- NORMALLY -- I'M JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE -- WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO, WHOEVER WE APPOINT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE SITS AS THE ALTERNATE ON THIS AND VICE VERSA. WHOEVER WE APPOINT TO THIS SITS AS ALTERNATE ON LEGISLATIVE. THAT WAY THERE'S ONLY TWO PEOPLE GOING TO THE MEETINGS THAT TYPICALLY HAPPEN, WHETHER THEY ARE HERE, ORLANDO, OR TALLAHASSEE. WHO DID WE APPOINT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE? Jim Porter: I BELIEVE YOU APPOINTED MS. SNIVELY. Cindy Stuart: MS. SNIVELY AND MS. SHAMBURGER AS THE ALTERNATE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW THAT SAME AND APPOINT -- NOMINATE MS. SHAMBURGER AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPOINTEE AND MS. SNIVELY AS THE ALTERNATE. Jim Porter: YES, YOU CAN DO IT AS ONE. Cindy Stuart: MS. SNIVELY IS NOT HERE TO ACCEPT. I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO

122WAIT FOR HER TO COME BACK OR DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Jim Porter: THAT'S UP TO THE BOARD. SHE IS ELIGIBLE TO SERVE. IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DO IT, WE COULD DEAL WITH IT LATER. I THINK ISN'T THAT A CLASSIC WAY OF APPOINTING PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE NOT HERE. Cindy Stuart: WHAT ELSE CAN WE APPOINT HER TO? Steve Cona: CAN YOU PLEASE CLEARLY ARTICULATE THE MOTION FORD. Cindy Stuart: APPOINT MS. SHAMBURGER AS BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINEE AND MS. SNIVELY AS THE ALTERNATE IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE DID THE LIVE COMMITTEE. Steve Cona: SO WE HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER STUART. IS THERE A SECOND? I WILL PASS THE GAVEL TO MEMBER SHAMBURGER -- OH, MS. GRAY DID THE SECOND. MOTION BY MEMBER STUART AND A SECOND BY MEMBER GRAY. ALL IN FAVOR? WELL, ANY DISCUSSION?

123OKAY. SEEING NONE, ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND TO APPROVE. AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. 6-0. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD MEMBERS. OKAY, BOARD MEMBERS THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS TODAY. NOW WE WILL MOVE TO EMPLOYEE COMMENT. MEMBER STUART HAS TO READ THE EMPLOYEE COMMENT GUIDELINES. Cindy Stuart: SORRY, I WAS GIVING YOU A HIGH-FIVE OVER HERE FOR BEING SIX MINUTES EARLY BEFORE EMPLOYEE COMMENT, AND THIS IS THE LAST ITEM. WHERE ARE YOU, MS. SNIVELY? AT THIS TIME, WE WILL TAKE EMPLOYEE INPUT. EVEN THOUGH WE HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR MEETING, IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT FOR OUR EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT TO ATTEND OUR MEETINGS THAT START AT 4 P.M. THERE ARE MANY WAYS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD, INCLUDING THROUGH UNION REPRESENTATIVES, E-MAILS, PHONE CALLS AND ONE-ON-ONE

124CONVERSATIONS AND PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. THE BOARD WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. WITH THIS SECTION OF THE AGENDA, WE ARE CREATING ANOTHER AVENUE FOR EMPLOYEES TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD. WE'RE SETTING ASIDE 30 MINUTES FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE DISTRICT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ABOUT ANY ISSUES ON YOUR MIND. THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A DISCUSSION ABOUT SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEMS OR TONIGHT'S AGENDA, ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA BUT RATHER AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ABOUT ANY ISSUES RELATED TO YOUR JOB OR THE DISTRICT. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. Steve Cona: THREE MINUTES. WE HAVE FIVE -- FOUR, SORRY. THANK YOU, MEMBER STUART. AND WE WILL START WITH MR. ROB KRIETE. WELCOME, ROB. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. MEMBER STUART, SO EXCITING. EMPLOYEE COMMENT AT THE

125END. LOVE IT. HEY, CLEARLY, THE EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT ARE TERRIFIED. THEY ARE STRESSED OUT, AND THEY ARE WORKING HARDER THAN EVER BEFORE. FIRST ON UNION CUTS. EMPLOYEES FEEL AS IF EVERYTHING AROUND THE CUTS IS CLOUDED IN MYSTERY. WE HEAR THE DISTRICT IS OVER-ALLOCATED BUT SURELY DOES NOT FEEL THAT WAY FOR THOSE WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS. THEIR CLASSES HAVE MORE STUDENTS THAN EVER BEFORE IN MOST PLACES AND THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR WHAT'S GOING TO BE CUT. THAT'S REALLY ALL THEY WANT TO KNOW. WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THESE CUTS CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT EVER COME FROM THE CLASSROOM. AS WE MAKE THESE CUTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BALANCE OUR CLASSES? WE ALREADY HEARD FROM TEACHERS TONIGHT ABOUT HOW THE CLASSES ARE REALLY NOT BALANCED THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.

126THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT. AND WHILE WE DO THAT, WHY DON'T WE JUST DISCONTINUE SIMULTANEOUS TEACHING WHEREVER IT IS CLEARLY UNNECESSARY. WE HAVE SPOTS THAT'S HAPPENING. IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE SECTION OF ANY COURSE, ODDS ARE WE DON'T NEED SIMULTANEOUS TEACHING AT THE SCHOOL FOR THE COURSE. THIS TYPE OF TEACHING IS NO GOOD FOR STUDENT GROWTH, CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT, TEACHER PLANNING, TEACHING EFFECTIVELY AND BRINGS A BOATLOAD OF ISSUES. WE MUST ENSURE THIS IS DONE ONLY TO PRESERVE THE SINGLE CLASSES THAT MEET THE STUDENTS' NEEDS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT. EVEN THEN, IT IS VERY FAR FROM OPTIMAL. TEACHERS ARE SERIOUSLY STRESSED OUT ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TESTING THEY ARE SUBJECTING THE STUDENTS TO. YES, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT READING AND MATH LEVEL STUDENTS ARE AT BUT DO WE REALLY NEED A PRETEST

127CONTENT? WE DON'T NEED TO DO THAT. WE NEED TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE THE ONLY COUNTY ASSESSMENTS WE'RE GIVING OFFER TEACHERS SPECIFICS ON EACH STUDENT'S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. THAT'S IT. SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, REMEMBER THAT OLD TELEVISION COMMERCIAL THAT USED TO ASK HOW MANY LICKS IT TAKES TO GET TO THE CENTER OF A TOOTSIE POP? THAT IS THE POSSIBLE, THE NUMBER OF CLICKS FOR A TEACHER TO CREATE AND POST AN ASSIGNMENT IN CANVASS RIGHT NOW. WE NEED TO FIX THAT. THAT'S STRESSFUL FOR TEACHERS. THEY ARE WORKING ON THE WEEKENDS, TAKING FOREVER TO GET THE STUFF UPLOADED AND MANAGE IN THE SYSTEM. ON TOP OF ALL THE THINGS THAT THE TEACHERS ARE DOING DURING THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THEY ARE REALLY, REALLY STRUGGLING WITH ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT ISSUES AND THE CONDITIONS THAT THEY ARE WORKING IN. MY

128FEAR IS THAT AS TEACHERS ARE BUSTING IT ALL OVER THE DISTRICT AND SUPER STRESSED, THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE MORE GREAT TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOLS CANNOT DEAL WITH THAT. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. KRIETE. UP NEXT IS EMILY LEE. WE'LL CLEAN THE LECTERN FIRST. SORRY. WELCOME. PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS NEED CONSISTENCY. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS STUDENTS NEED TO BE BACK IN BRICK AND MORTAR CLASSROOMS IN FRONT OF THE TEACHERS THAT YOU SAID ARE UNPARALLELED IN THE AREA OF TEACHING STUDENTS. WE HELD ON TIGHT AND RODE EVERY WEEK OF WAVES OF EVER-CHANGING INFORMATION. THIS WEEK ACROSS THE DISTRICT, WE LEARNED HUGE CUTS ARE LOOMING. THE PREDICTION FOR OUR SMALL SCHOOL SITE IS ABOUT 25% OF OUR WHOLE STAFF. WHETHER THEY HAPPEN NOW OR IN TWO WEEKS OR AT

129THE END OF THE NINE WEEKS, IT WILL STILL BE DETRIMENTAL. NONE OF YOU BETTER DARE TALK ABOUT WHAT TRANSFORMATION SCHOOLS OR SCHOOLS IN POVERTY NEED. YOU ARE NOT THE ONES GRINDING AWAY DAILY, INCLUDING SATURDAYS TO CLOSE THE GAPS THAT ONLY THE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS TRULY UNDERSTAND. WE ALREADY RECOGNIZE YOU TRULY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE TEACHERS AND STAFF. THAT WAS DEMONSTRATED WHEN YOU SWEPT OUT DECADES OF PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE AND REPLACED THEM WITH IMPLANTS AND BIG-BOX COMPUTER PROGRAM CONSULTANTS THAT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT OUR DISTRICT. THE CUTS MAKE IT APPARENT THAT YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN EITHER. IF UNITS ARE CUT, THAT'S WHO SUFFERS. COMBINED PACKED CLASSES, CUT ELECTIVES, SPECIALTY COURSES AND MORE CHANGES. THAT'S NOT CONSISTENCY. NOTHING CAN REPLACE THE TEACHER IN FRONT OF THE KIDS. YOU ALL SAID. YOUR RECEIPT SHOW DIFFERENTLY. YOU

130WENT ON A SHOPPING SPREE COSTING THE DISTRICT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF YOUR TEACHERS WITH SCRIPTED BIG-BOX MATERIALS FROM ACHIEVE 3000, LAUGHS, SIPP IS INGENUITY AND MANY MORE. ANYBODY FINISHED OR WORKING ON THE REQUIRED READING ENDORSEMENT CAN TELL YOU THESE ARE NOT BEST PRACTICES. THEY TEACH A STUDENT TO TAKE A TEST AND NOTHING MORE. WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT AUTONOMY RELATED TO LESSON PLANNING, FORMAT, CONVEYING OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND CONTENT USED TO TEACH THOSE STANDARDS. BUT EVERY TEACHER IS HANDED A SCRIPTED SCHEDULE AND SCRIPTED MATERIALS. WALK-THROUGHS ARE COMPLETED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON THE DISTRICT-PROVIDED SCHEDULE, TO MAKE SURE THAT OBJECTIVES ARE WRITTEN IN A MANDATED WAY. STOP. THESE ARE NOT GAME CHANGERS. THE TEACHERS IN FRONT OF THE KIDS ARE THE GAME CHANGERS. THAT'S BEING FORGOTTEN HERE.

131THE CONTRACT THAT WE AGREED TO IS BEING BROKEN DAILY BY YOU ALL. WE CONTINUE TO KEEP SHOWING UP AND HOLDING UP OUR END OF THE BARGAIN. TRANSPARENCY AND CONSISTENCY CANNOT BE WORDS YOU USE ANYMORE. YOU BLATANTLY LIE TO PEOPLE. YOU PAINT DIFFERENT OPAQUE PICTURES TO EACH GROUP YOU SPEAK WITH. I'VE BEEN AT MY SCHOOL FOR 14 YEARS. I WILL BE THERE LONG AFTER ANY OF YOU SIT IN THE SEATS. MY STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY NEED TEACHERS, NOT COMPUTER PROGRAMS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'LL CLEAN THE LECTERN AND THEN WE'LL HAVE HEIDI GLICK. WELCOME, MS. GLICK. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. I WANTED TO SHOW YOU MY NEW AND THIRD SHIELD. THIS IS GREAT. GOES OVER MY GLASSES. GOOD AFTERNOON, ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, CONTRACTED SUPERINTENDENT, HEIDI GLICK FROM ALONSO HIGH SCHOOL WHERE I CAN STILL

132SAY IT IS THE BEST HIGH SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY, BUT I AM WORRIED ABOUT MAINTAINING THAT CLAIM AND ACTUALLY EVEN TELLING PEOPLE I TEACH IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I SAY THIS BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE WERE IN THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS AND PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE AND THE BUSINESS OF SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE AND CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. WHAT I FEAR IS THAT SOME PEOPLE -- ALL SOME PEOPLE CARE ABOUT NOW IS THE BOTTOM LINE AND NOT OUR STUDENTS. SO I SENT THE SPEECH TO ALL OF YOU BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD HAVE TIME TO SPEAK, BUT I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT SAVING MONEY. I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE ONE OF YOUR AMAZING COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS COMING TO SUB FOR ME ON THE 28th. EVERY SINGLE ADMINISTRATOR AT DISTRICT LEVEL SHOULD

133BE TOLD IT SHOULD BE PART OF THEIR JOB TO GO BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM, A MINIMUM OF ONCE A MONTH IF NOT ONCE A WEEK. THE FURTHER YOU GET UP IN EDUCATION -- NO OFFENSE TO ANYBODY UP THERE -- BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TAUGHT A CLASS, NOT SAT IN A CLASS, NOT OBSERVED A CLASS, BUT TAUGHT A CLASS. YOU NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING. I ALSO PUT IN MY LETTER TO YOU THAT I HAVEN'T HAD MATH SINCE 1975, AND I HAVEN'T USED MATH SINCE 1975. BUT EVERY DAY I USE MY PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS -- WAIT, THAT'S AN ELECTIVE -- AND EVERY DAY I USE EVERYTHING I'VE LEARNED IN MY ACTING CLASSES TO MAINTAIN MY COMPOSURE, NOT LOSE MY TEMPER -- OH, WAIT, ACTING IS AN ELECTIVE. IT

134IS A PROVEN FACT THAT THE ARTS SAVE LIVES. YOU NEED TO SERIOUSLY THINK AND TO SERIOUSLY RECONSIDER WHAT PROGRAMS YOU ARE GOING TO CUT AND WHAT THE REPERCUSSIONS FOR THAT ARE GOING TO BE. WE ARE PREPARING STUDENTS TO BE CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. OR WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. WE NEED TO STOP SPENDING MONEY ON THINGS WE DON'T NEED. DON'T BUY TECH PROGRAMS. BUY THE TECH. FORGET BOOKS, BUY THE TECH. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED. THEN I WOULD JUST LIKE THIS ON THE PUBLIC RECORD. ONE MORE THING. LAST WEEK, I SAT WITH THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR, ONE VERY HIGH UP IN OUR DISTRICT, AND I WAS TOLD THAT CUTS WOULD COME FROM NATURAL ATTRITION. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON LEAVE RIGHT NOW? HOW MANY ARE IN THEIR LAST YEAR OF DROP? HOW MANY ARE LEAVING FOR OTHER

135REASONS? PEOPLE ARE STRESSED OUT AND THEY ARE LEAVING. WE NEED TO -- AND YOU'RE NOT FILLING ANY OF THE EMPTY SPOTS. NOW I WANT TO KNOW WHY TEACHERS ARE BEING LET GO THAT IMPORTANT ELECTIVES ARE BEING CUT. LAST WEEK, A TEACHER WAS RELIEVED OF HIS RESPONSIBILITIES ONLY TO BE HIRED BACK AN HOUR LATER. I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT HOUR WAS LIKE FOR THAT MAN AND YOU WANT OUR TEACHERS WHO YOU LAY OFF TO COME BACK, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. Steve Cona: OKAY. AS WE GET THE LECTERN CLEANED, NEXT WE HAVE SAHIB SOMANI, SANDRA GHENT AND DARREN HE IS I GO. HI. HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME IS SAMANI. I AM A TEACHER IN THE IB PROGRAM. IN THE PAST FIVE MONTHS, IN THE 16 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN A TEACHER AT ROBINSON AND JUST

136IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THIS HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY DISORGANIZED FOR THE TEACHERS, THE ADMINISTRATORS, THE KIDS, AND STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR. HOWEVER, OUR SCHOOLS, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR KIDS ARE RESILIENT, AND EVERY SCHOOL YEAR, EVERY TIME WE'VE DONE SOMETHING, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS ASKED US TO BUILD A SHIP, TO SAIL A SHIP WHILE STILL BUILDING IT AND WE DO IT. AND WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT, AND WE'VE DONE IT WITH LESS AND WE STILL POWER THROUGH IT AND WE DO AN AMAZING JOB. NOW YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT FOUNDATION THAT WE HAVE BUILT IN OUR SCHOOL, AND YOU'RE GOING TO TURN IT INTO QUICKSAND. ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL'S IB PROGRAM HAS THE MOST MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE HAVE 15. WE'RE CONTINUOUSLY AND REPEATEDLY TOP IN OUR NATION, TOP IN OUR SCHOOL AND NOW YOU

137WANT TO TAKE AWAY OUR ADMINISTRATORS. YOU WANT TO TAKE AWAY OUR COUNSELORS. YOU WANT TO TAKE AWAY OUR TEACHERS. WHAT KIND OF FOUNDATION OF STABILITY IS THAT GOING TO GIVE TO OUR STUDENTS? IT'S NOT. THEY ARE TERRIFIED OF LOSING THEIR TEACHERS -- I'M SORRY -- IN THE MIDDLE OF A QUARTER, IN THE MIDDLE OF A SEMESTER AND NOT KNOWING WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. WE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. THE GREATEST PART ABOUT BEING A PART OF ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL IS THE FAMILY THAT WE'RE A PART OF. WE HAVE EVERY UNIT THAT YOU WANT. OUR PARENTS, OUR STUDENTS, OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR COUNSELORS, EVERYBODY IS ALL IN. AND YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US. WHY? NOW IS NOT THE TIME. YOU WANT TO CHANGE THINGS IN THE DISTRICT, SIT

138BACK FOR A YEAR AND SEE HOW IT'S DONE IN A DISTRICT OF THIS SIZE, AND THEN DO IT. NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS. THIS ISN'T GOING TO HELP ANYBODY. LEAST OF ALL OUR STUDENTS. WE NEED TO HAVE ALL OF YOU TO SUPPORTOUS ON THE GROUND. WE ARE THE FIRST RESPONDERS TO OUR STUDENTS. WHEN THEY COME INTO CLASS AND THEY ARE LIKE, MS. SOMANI, WILL WE BE HERE NEXT YEAR? WE'RE HEARING INFORMATION FROM OUR KIDS, FROM OUR TEACHERS, FROM OUR STUDENTS BEFORE WE'RE HEARING IT FROM YOU. AND THAT'S NOT GOOD. YOU'RE CREATING AN IMBALANCE. YOU'RE CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE THAT IS NOT HEALTHY FOR OUR ADMINISTRATORS, FOR OUR TEACHERS AND, MOST OF ALL, OUR STUDENTS. PLEASE, THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU MOVE FORWARD ON THIS. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT UP WE HAVE

139SANDRA GHENT. HI. CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? MY NAME IS SANDRA GHENT. I AM A THIRD YEAR MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER. I HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE DISTRICT AS LONG AS EVERYBODY ELSE BUT I HAVE EXPERIENCED A LOT. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING. I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD TELL YOU GUYS ALL THAT, SO GO EASY ON ME. AS A THIRD-YEAR TEACHER, I HELD MY TONGUE TWO YEARS AGO WHEN DURING MY FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING THE DISTRICT LOST TWO DAYS OF PAY. I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU AS A FIRST-YEAR TEACHER THAT WAS AMAZING TO LISTEN TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS TALK ABOUT HOW THEY WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO PAY THEIR RENT. I FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO SPEAK THIS YEAR BECAUSE MYSELF AND TEACHERS AT MY SCHOOL ARE EXHAUSTED. WE'RE EXHAUSTED FROM BEING TOLD TO BE FLEXIBLE FROM

140THE CONSTANT CHANGES IN SCHEDULES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OURSELVES, FROM THE MISINFORMATION AND FROM THE INCONSISTENCIES. WE ARE EXHAUSTED FROM HAVING STUDENTS SWITCH BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN E-LEARNING WHEN WE WERE TOLD THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN. AND HOW WHEN THEY ARE SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH, WE HAVE TO DROP WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE HAT AND MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THEM BECAUSE NOT ALL KIDS ARE DOING WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO IN THEIR E-LEARNING PROGRAMS AND THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO PICK UP WITH US IN PERSON. IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY HAVE STRESS, WE HAVE STRESS, AND THEY STILL NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO FOR THEIR STATE TEST AT THE END OF THE YEAR. WE ARE EXHAUSTED FROM HAVING TO REDO E-LEARNING DELIVERY, MYSELF ESPECIALLY, BECAUSE FOR MATH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE LOOKED AT IT,

141BUT IT IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER CURRICULUMS. MY KIDS HAD SEVEN PARTS FOR ONE LESSON, AND I HAD TO COMPLETELY DROP IT BECAUSE ACCORDING TO MY STUDENTS IT WAS HARD TO UNDERSTAND. IT SEEMED THROWN TOGETHER AT THE LAST MINUTE AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE TEACHERS ON THE PROGRAM DID NOT CARE. WHO WANTS TO LEARN FROM PEOPLE WHO DO NOT CARE. WE'RE EXHAUSTED FROM WORKING THE JOBS OF TWO TEACHERS WITH THE AMOUNT OF HOURS AFTER SCHOOL, IN SCHOOL, AND THE AMOUNT OF PREPS. I PERSONALLY HAVE EIGHT PREPS THAT I HAVE TO PREPARE FOR WITH E-LEARNING. I DON'T GET PAID FOR EIGHT PREPS. WE ARE EXHAUSTED FROM HAVING COWORKERS BEING TOLD ONE DAY THEY'LL LOSE THEIR JOB AND THE NEXT DAY TOLD, OH, THAT WASN'T RIGHT. I AM EXHAUSTED FROM HAVING TO DO THE BASELINE

142TESTING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH AND WATCHING MY STUDENTS BE DEFEATED AND SHUT DOWN FROM BEING PRETESTED ON A WHOLE YEAR'S WORTH OF CURRICULUM. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE LAST TIME WAS THAT YOU GUYS -- WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT IT WAS, BUT THAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY TEACHING CAREER, HAVING TO TRY TO REBUILD MY STUDENTS' CONFIDENCE AFTER THAT. I UNDERSTAND THIS YEAR IS CRAZY. WE DID NOT NEED TO GO THROUGH ALL THESE CHANGES THIS YEAR. YOUR TEACHERS ARE AT A BREAKING POINT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT, IT'S ALMOST OCTOBER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH LOOKS LIKE FOR ACHIEVE 3000. IT'S FRUSTRATING THAT WE SPENT MONEY FOR THIS. WE ALWAYS ADVERTISE AGAINST STAYING IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, BUT HOW DOES THAT WORK WHEN IT IS THE PROFESSION YOU'VE CHOSEN BECAUSE YOU LOVE HELPING YOUR

143STUDENTS? THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU SO MUCH. UP NEXT IS DARREN HE IS I GO. ESSIG. WELCOME. WELCOME, GUYS. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? I WASN'T GOING TO SPEAK TODAY BUT I WAS DOING CITIZENSHIP WITH MY STUDENTS IN CIVICS AND THEY ASKED ME HOW CAN YOU TEACH ME ABOUT CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP AND SPEAKING AND BEING ENGAGE IN POLITICS AND THEN NOT TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET CUTS THREATENED TO TEACHERS THAT THEY ARE TALKING TO ME ABOUT. I SAID TOUCHÉ. I WILL COME AND SPEAK TO YOU GUYS TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ABOUT 40 PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM. I WAS TOLD IT WAS OVERCROWDED WHEN I HAVE ABOUT 30 KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE SPACE UP HERE. IF YOU CUT TEACHERS, I'LL GET A TON MORE KIDS

144IN MY ROOM. HOW CN YOU SAY THAT IS SAFE PRACTICES IN A PANDEMIC TO PUT MORE KIDS IN MY ALREADY OVERCROWDED CLASSROOM? WHEN WE SAT HERE THAT FRIDAY, THE DAY BEFORE SCHOOL TO DECIDE FOR THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GOING BRICK AND MORTAR OR NOT, YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO KEEP SCHOOL SAFE. CUTTING TEACHERS AND CRAMMING KIDS INTO MORE TIGHT SPACES IS NOT A SAFE PRACTICE AT THIS TIME. I DON'T HAVE ROOM IN MY CLASS. I LITERALLY WOULD HAVE TO STEAL DESKS FROM OTHER TEACHERS TO PUT THEM IN MY ROOM TO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT. I'M TRYING TO TEACH IN A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE MANNER IN A PANDEMIC, AND THAT IS CHANGING ACTIVITIES THAT I'VE DONE, GROUP ACTIVITIES. TRYING TO DO IT SAFELY,

145AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO DO THE BASELINE TESTING THAT YOU'RE ASKING US TO DO, SO I WAS INNOVATIVE. WE ALL HAVE A CELL PHONE. I TOLD THE KIDS TO GO OUT ON THE CELL PHONES, LOG ON TO THE SCHOOL WIFI, OPEN UP CANVAS, GET ON AND DO THE BASELINE. NOT YOU GUYS DIRECTLY, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THE DISTRICT DID TODAY, THEY BLOCKED THE WIFI FROM CONNECTING TO PERSONAL DEVICES. NOW MY STUDENTS CAN'T GO ON THE DEVICE TO CONNECT TO WIFI TO DO CANVAS. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO TELL A CARD TO GO THROUGH AND COLLECT CERTIFICATE THINGAMABOB FOR THE WIFI AND TRAIN THEM HOW TO USE CANVAS SO THEY CAN DO IT SO I'M NOT PASSING OUT PAPERS AND NOW THEY CAN'T USE THE TECHNOLOGY

146YOU'RE ASKING THEM TO. WHEN I TRY TO BE INNOVATIVE AND I TRY TO BE DIFFERENT, IT GETS SHUT DOWN. THAT'S ALL OF US. ALL ACROSS THE DISTRICT. WE'RE LITERALLY AT NIGHT TRYING TO THINK OF NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO TEACH EDUCATION. AND WORKS FOR A DAY AND THEN A TECH PROBLEM OR A TECH ISSUE. I USE MY PHONE AS A SMART CAMERA BECAUSE THE DOCUMENT CAMERA I HAVE, I THINK IT'S OLDER THAN I AM. I CAN'T NOW BECAUSE IT WON'T CONNECT TO MY DISTRICT LAPTOP WITH THE SCHOOL WIFI AND IT WON'T CONNECT TO THE ZOOM TO ACTUALLY BE TEACHING. I DON'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH THE WAY THAT I'M TEACHING. I'M A PRETTY STRONG PERSON. I GO WITH IT. I'LL ROLL WITH IT. BUT THERE ARE TEACHERS CRYING IN MY HALLWAY BECAUSE THEY ARE

147TRYING TO DO THEIR JOBS AND THEY CAN'T. AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT UNIT CUTS. YOU'VE GOT TO THINK WHAT'S BEST FOR THE KIDS? CRAMMING THEM IN TIGHT SPACES IN THIS SITUATION IS NOT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE KIDS. MY TIME IS UP. YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT NIGHT. I'M GLAD WE FINISHED UP EARLY. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, SIR. Addison Davis: MR. CONA, I'LL MAKE CERTAIN I HAVE MR. LAMBERT CONNECT WITH THIS YOUNG MAN. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES WHO CAME OUT TONIGHT AND EXPRESSED THEIR OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS. THE FEEDBACK IS WELL TAKEN, AND WE WILL TAKE THAT INTO LOTS AND LOTS OF CONSIDERATION AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC AND THE BUDGET CUTS AND EVERYTHING THAT THIS DISTRICT HAS TO HANDLE AT THIS TIME. WITH THAT SAID, WE'RE

148MOVING ON TO BOARD COMMENTS. YOU GUYS CAN QUEUE UP THERE, AND WE WILL START WITH MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MEMBER CONA AND, MOST OF ALL, THANK YOU, TEACHERS, FOR YOUR RESILIENCY AND YOUR PASSION DESPITE THESE CONDITIONS THAT YOU ARE LIVING IN EVERY DAY. I KNOW I'VE HEARD FROM MANY OF THE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS AND HAVE SHARED IT WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT. HE HAS HEARD YOUR VOICE, SPECIFICALLY SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT I TOOK NOTE OF IS THE FACT THAT YOU'RE LOSING YOUR SPIRIT, YOUR PASSION FOR TEACHING, YOU'RE EXHAUSTED. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WORKING WAY BEYOND THE NORMAL HOURS AND EVEN AS I WAS A TEACHER, WE WORKED UP TO EIGHT, BUT SOME OF YOU GUYS ARE WORKING UP TO 12, MIDNIGHT AND IT NEVER STOPS. THE OTHER POINT THAT I HAVE NOTED IS THAT WHEN

149WE LOOK AT SCHOOLS SUCH AS THE IB SCHOOLS, ROBINSON, AND THE OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS, I SEE THAT THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO PLANNING PERIOD LEFT BECAUSE EVERYONE IS COVERING FOR SOMEONE ELSE, AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, THE GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ARE DOING THE TESTING, AND THERE'S NO BREAK FOR THEM. THE TEACHERS ARE COVERING FOR ANOTHER TEACHER THAT MIGHT BE ABSENT OR THAT NEEDS THE COVERAGE. SO IT'S A SPIRAL OF JUST A VERY -- UNSUSTAINABLE SPIRAL. I ALSO KNOW THAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY, WHICH I KNOW THAT EVERY ONE OF US AND SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE WANT THAT QUALITY. WE WANT THOSE STUDENTS TO SUCCEED. AND THAT -- THIS COVID IS SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T BARGAIN FOR, BUT NONETHELESS, WE'RE IN IT. AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUALLY CHECK OURSELVES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION,

150INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY IS NOT COMPROMISED, AND THAT'S A HARD PROMISE TO DO. I KNOW THAT THOSE CLASSROOMS, AND I SHARED THIS WITH SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, ESPECIALLY AT SCHOOLS LIKE BLOOMINGDALE, WALTON -- EXCUSE ME, I HAVE A NEW YORK ACCENT -- WALTON AND GAITHER. THOSE SCHOOLS ACTUALLY HAVE CLASSROOMS THAT THEIR SPATIAL SIZE, SQUARE FOOTAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE NORM CLASSROOM. SO WHEN WE START COMBINING CLASSES, THE IDEA OF SEPARATION IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE. WHAT I'M SAYING ALSO IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT 50 TO 55 PERCENT CAPACITY. OUR SCHOOLS, WE'RE MISSING A LOT OF STUDENTS AND THAT'S A LOT OF DOLLARS. THE SUPERINTENDENT, HIS JOB RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST PART WHEN YOU HAVE TO CUT. CUTTING TEACHERS IS PROBABLY THE MOST SEVERE RESULT OF THE DEFUNDING OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. I DON'T HAVE THE ONE ANSWER. I

151HAVE YOUR EARS, AND I FEEL WHAT'S GOING ON. I WILL TRUST OUR LEADERSHIP AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT TO MAKE RIGHT, AND I WILL ALSO CHALLENGE EVERY ONE OF YOU TO CONTINUE SHARING, EVEN WHEN THINGS GET BAD, BUT WHEN THINGS GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE KEEPING US -- WE NEED TO KEEP THE PULSE AT ALL TIMES. MY ONLY WAY TO DO IT IS TO BE IN THE SCHOOLS, AS SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS IS, AND TO BE TALKING TO THE PRINCIPALS AND THE TEACHERS WHICH I CONTINUE TO DO AND I'M SURE THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS DO. NO WORDS OF COMFORT FROM MY END. ONLY TO SAY THAT I'M AWARE, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO LISTEN AND SHARE WITH OUR LEADERSHIP. IF I CAN JUST MOVE AWAY FROM THAT TOPIC REAL QUICK, I DID WANT TO

152SAY ON THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING POSITION THAT WE'RE TAKING, I WANTED TO -- EXCUSE ME -- TO SHARE AN AWARD THAT CAME ABOUT IN OUR COUNTY. FLORIDA GANG INVESTIGATIVE ASSOCIATION. WE WORK WITH THE GANG ASSOCIATION IN TERMS OF FINDING THOSE NEFARIOUS PLAYERS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AND THEY HAVE RECEIVED AN AWARD THIS YEAR. THEY'VE BEEN AWARDED THE GANG UNIT OF THE YEAR FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA. I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT. ALSO, LENNARD HIGH SCHOOL, DENISE SAVINO, PRINCIPAL, NOT THAT THIS IS A HAPPY AWARD, BUT SHE'S VERY PASSIONATE, SHE HAS BEEN AWARDED SUICIDE PREVENTION SCHOOL. SO HER OUTREACH IN SOUTH SHORE, RUSKIN, WIMAUMA IS WITHOUT A MATCH. SHE IS ALWAYS GIVING, AND PRINCIPAL CARR AT SHIELDS AND THE OTHER SCHOOLS NEARBY ARE SO MUCH WILLING TO HELP THOSE STUDENTS NOT TOTALLY BREAK APART,

153AND THIS COVID IS DEFINITELY TESTING THAT AS WELL. AND LAST, I WANT TO THANK PRINCIPAL, MS. McCLOONEY, NEW PRINCIPAL, FOR FURTHERING A DROPOUT PREVENTION NATIONAL OUTREACH FOR TRAUMA-BASED TEACHING. OUR TEACHERS, AS YOU'RE HEARING RIGHT NOW IN THIS ROOM, HAVE AN EXPERIENCE OF TRAUMA, AND THERE'S NO GETTING AROUND IT. SO OUR TEACHERS ARE NOW BEING TRAINED, AT LEAST IN PALM RIVER ELEMENTARY, TO HANDLE CHILDREN OF TRAUMA. AND YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THEY ARE COMING FROM WITH SOCIOECONOMIC DECLINES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SUICIDE, AND FOOD INSECURITY. THERE'S A LOT OF THAT, BUT -- AND I DON'T WANT TO BE DREARY THE WHOLE TIME, BUT WE'RE LOOKING NOW AT PROGRAMS TO UPLIFT AND HELP STRATEGIZE OUR TEACHERS TO BE EMPATHETIC, NOT THAT THEY ARE NOT ALREADY, BUT TO HELP THEM MOVE THE NEEDLE AND STAY IN SCHOOL, REDUCE ABSENCES. MS.

154McCLOONEY, AND I KNOW THAT, MS. BROWN, YOU TRAINED HER WELL, HAS BEEN GIVING -- HAS SET SUCH HIGH STANDARDS, EXCUSEDWIDE PBIS, CHARACTER STRENGTH TRAINING. HIRED A THERAPIST IN HER CLASSROOMS, AND HIRED -- I SHOULDN'T SAY HIRED. I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE GOT A TRANSLATOR, BUT SHE HAS A TRANSLATOR THAT WORKS WITH THE ELL POPULATION AND DOES WHAT IS SO VALUABLE, WHICH EVERY ONE OF US SHOULD DO, GIVES AN EMOTIONAL CHECKLIST TO EACH CHILD EVERY DAY. HOW ARE WE DOING AND TEACHERS INCLUDED. AND WE NEED TO MONITOR AND HELP EACH OTHER BECOME STRONG IN THIS TIME OF WEAKNESS, BUT MY LAST REMARK IS A BIG THANK YOU TO THE TEACHERS. ALWAYS, WE KNOW THAT AS EARL LENNARD SAID, YOU ARE THE TRAIN THAT KEEPS OUR SCHOOLS MOVING AND WE KNOW THAT. EVERY ONE OF THE SCHOOL

155BOARD MEMBERS HAS SAID THAT IN SO MANY WORDS. OUR LEADERSHIP AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT WILL CONTINUE HEARING YOUR VOICES AND WILL CONTINUE TO MITIGATE WHENEVER POSSIBLE. THAT'S ALL I WANT TO SAY FOR THIS POINT IN TIME. THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MOVING ON TO MEMBER SHAMBURGER. Tamara Shamburger: THANK YOU SO MUCH, MEMBER CONA. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO START WITH AN UPDATE ON THE KING HIGH SCHOOL RIDGEWOOD CEMETERY. IT'S BEEN QUITE SOME TIME THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THAT OR HAD ANY UPDATES TO GIVE. BUT I AM, I GUESS, HAPPY TONIGHT THAT WE CAN GIVE AN UPDATE AND FINALLY HAVE FORWARD PROGRESS. AS A REMINDER, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME TIME, ON OCTOBER THE 17 OF 2019, IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE DISTRICT'S ATTENTION BY CONCERNED CITIZEN THAT AN UNMARKED CEMETERY FOR INDIGENT AFRICAN

156AMERICANS AND OTHER CITIZENS MAY BE ON THE PROPERTY OF KING HIGH SCHOOL. AS YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY, LITERALLY THAT SAME DAY, WE ACTUALLY TOOK ACTION AND STARTED AN INVESTIGATION, WHICH ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN US CONFIRMING THAT THERE WAS ACTUALLY A CEMETERY THERE. I BELIEVE THERE ARE OVER 200 COFFINS FOUND AT THAT SITE. AND SO JUST BASED ON PROPER PROTOCOL, WE DID ALSO CONVENE A COMMUNITY COMMITTEE OF FOLKS WHO COULD GIVE US SOME GREAT INPUT ON WHAT TO DO AT THE CEMETERY. BUT FIRST, WE NEEDED TO TURN IT OVER TO THE STATE AND ALLOW THEM TO DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE. AND THE LAST PORTION WE WERE WAITING ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME, WHICH WAS BECAUSE OF COVID, UNFORTUNATELY, WAS TO GET AN UPDATE FROM THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES OR JUST KNOWN AS THE STATE ARCHAEOLOGIST. THEY

157HAVE FINALLY DETERMINED THAT THE BURIALS OUTLINED IN GEOPHYSICAL REPORT FROM THE RIDGEWOOD CEMETERY ARE PROTECTED UNDER SECTION 872.02 OF THE FLORIDA STATUTES. THIS STATUTE DETAILS THE PROTECTION OF CEMETERIES, INCLUDING PREVIOUSLY MARKED CEMETERIES THAT ARE EXEMPT FROM FLORIDA'S GENERAL CEMETERY REGULATORY STATUTE. THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THESE CEMETERIES UNLESS THEY ARE LOCATED ON STATE LAND, WHICH, AS WE KNOW, THEY ARE NOT. THEY ARE ON OUR PROPERTY. SO, THEREFORE, LEGAL AUTHORITY IS NOW GIVEN BACK TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THE STATE WILL, OF COURSE, MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE FOR ANY PROCEDURAL GUIDANCE. SO MOVING FORWARD, WE WILL RECONVENE OUR HISTORICAL RESPONSE COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS EXACTLY WHAT THOSE STEPS LOOK LIKE, INCLUDING, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY AT-LARGE AND ALLOWING THEM TO GIVE INPUT ON WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT. SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK

158TO DO AS WE WORK TO MEMORIALIZE AND RESTORE THE DIGNITY AND RESPECT FOR THESE DECEASED INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES, OF COURSE. WE WILL GET SOME PROGRESS AND WE WILL LET THOSE WHO ARE APPOINTED TO THE COMMITTEE, WE WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH YOU SHORTLY, AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT GETTING THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED. BUT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMETIME, I ANTICIPATE WE'LL TRY TO MOVE THIS ALONG A LITTLE QUICKLY. THANK YOU, MR. SUPERINTENDENT. LASTLY, LET ME JUST ALSO JUST KIND OF PIGGYBACK FROM THE WORKSHOP THIS MORNING. WE DID, IF YOU MISSED IT, PLEASE GO BACK AND WATCH THE ARCHIVES. IT WAS A REALLY ROBUST CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE BUDGET AND NEEDING TO RECAPTURE SOME OF OUR FUNDING. I DID WANT TO REITERATE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, OF COURSE, THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE

159IS A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO WORK ON FIXING BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THE GOOD HEALTH OF AN ORGANIZATION IS ONE THAT'S ALWAYS MAKING SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS IN ITS FORWARD MOVEMENT, AND WE KNOW THAT SO MANY OF OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE REALLY STRESSED OUT BECAUSE THE STATUS QUO IS CHANGING AND THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING AT ONCE. I WANT TO THANK YOU, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, FOR HEARING THE VOICES OF OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS AND, OF COURSE, THE BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE ADVOCATED RELENTLESSLY ON THEIR BEHALF AND KIND OF TAKING A STEP BANG AND MAKING SURE WE'RE DOING THIS VERY METHODICALLY AND THAT WE'RE NOT JUST CREATING UNCONTROLLED AND UNRESOLVABLE CHAOS IN THIS DISTRICT AND MEW LATING MORALE BUT WE'LL DO IT IN A WAY THAT PRESERVES THE GREATNESS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

160PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, FOR THAT. MR. VICE-CHAIR, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MEMBER SHAMBURGER. THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. WE APPRECIATE THAT. I'M SURE THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATES THAT AS WELL. MOVING ON TO DR. HAHN. Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, MEMBER CONA. SO AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS MONTH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS CELEBRATING NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. I JUST FELT IT WAS ONLY RIGHT TO RECOGNIZE THE TAMPA HISPANIC HERITAGE ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS THANK THEM FOR THE BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK THAT THEY ARE DISPLAYING, AND WE'RE PUTTING TWO PIECES UP RIGHT NOW. THESE TWO PIECES AS WELL AS A FEW OTHERS ARE DISPLAYED IN OUR LOBBY THIS AFTERNOON, AND THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL, AND THEY REFLECT THE HISPANIC CULTURE IN TAMPA. I JUST WANTED TO TAKE SOME TIME TODAY TO RECOGNIZE

161THIS ARTWORK AND ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY ON YOUR WAY OUT THIS EVENING TO TAKE SOME TIME AND ENJOY THE ART. I ALSO WANT TO REMIND FOLKS THAT WE HAVE A READING CHALLENGE. AND YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE A READING CHALLENGE. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS HOSTING A SPECIAL READING CHALLENGE DESIGNED TO CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND HISTORY OF HISPANICS IN AMERICA, AND IF YOU GO TO myON.COM, OUR PARTNERS, YOU WILL FIND VARIOUS BOOKS THAT AS OUR STUDENTS CAN CHOOSES FROM TO READ AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS READING CHALLENGE BECAUSE, REMEMBER, READING IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S ALSO LOTS OF FUN. SO I HOPE OUR STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THAT READING CHALLENGE. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE TIME. MEMBER CONA, THANK YOU. Steve Cona: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR. HAHN. I'M GOING TO GO LAST, SO MEMBER SHAMBURGER

162HAS ONE QUICK THING AND MS. GRAY, YOU HAVE ONE QUICK THING, SO GO AHEAD. Lynn Gray: QUICK THING HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS VIRTUAL BENEFITS AND HEALTH FAIR, MS. SHOTSBERG IS SMILING, WE HAVE IT ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26. IT BEGINS AT 9 A.M. THIS IS ZOOM. AND THIS IS A COMMUNITY-BASED BUT THE HUMANA REPRESENTATIVES THERE BE THERE FOR MEDICAL, PHARMACIST, DENTAL, VISION, ALL KINDS OF FREE TESTING, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WORKSHOP, A FAMILY FITNESS WORKSHOP. I GET TO EXERCISE, IT LOOKS LIKE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE COOKING AND DIABETES MANAGEMENT AND LIFETIME FITNESS. OH, THAT'S ME. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK CORRIES CULPEPPER AND THE FIREMEN OUT THERE BECAUSE IT IS NATIONAL FIRE -- OH, MY GOODNESS, AND I HAD IT WRITTEN DOWN, HERE IT IS -- IT'S FIRE PREVENTION

163WEEK AND FIRE DRILL MODIFICATIONS. AND CHIEF NEWMAN, THANK YOU. AND CORRIES CULPEPPER FOR KEEPING OUR STUDENTS SAFE IN OUR SCHOOLS. LAST, OUR CENSUS, HAPPENS EVERY TEN YEARS, AND, OF COURSE, THIS IS A GREAT WAY FOR US TO GAIN MONIES, WHEN I SAY "US," OUR FAMILIES, BECAUSE FILLING THAT OUT WILL SHARE THE VALUE OF WHAT THEY CAN GET IN TERMS OF FOOD SECURITY AND HEALTH CARE, AND ALL THE OTHER ESSENTIALS THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL WILL NEED. SO MAKE SURE YOU DO FILL OUT YOUR CENSUS AND THANK YOU, PRINCIPALS, FOR PUTTING OUT THE SIGN. THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT DAVIS, FOR ALLOWING THEM TO PUT OUT -- FILL OUT YOUR CENSUS FORM, AND WE REALLY HAD A GOOD -- I WANT TO THANK DR. NOREENE DULLARD AND MS. CONCHITA CANTY JONES AND THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR DOING THIS

164HUGE OUTREACH, WHICH IS BIG TIME, AND THEY HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR ABOUT SIX -- ACTUALLY, SINCE FEBRUARY -- FEBRUARY, AND HERE IT IS, THEY ARE STILL GOING. THANK YOU, THAT CONCLUDES MY REMARKS. Steve Cona: THANK YOU. MEMBER SHAMBURGER. Tamara Shamburger: THANK YOU SO MUCH, MEMBER CONA. REALLY QUICKLY, DR. HAHN REMINDED ME ABOUT READING. I WANT TO REITERATE THAT STILL THROUGH THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, WE ARE COLLECTING DONATIONS FOR OUR CULTURALLY DIVERSE CLASSROOM, READING, LIBRARIES, PROJECTS, SOMETHING CLOSE TO THAT. AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS PROVIDING FOR THIS FIRST PHASE AS MANY ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TEACHERS WITH A SET OF CULTURALLY DIVERSE READING BOOKS. I'M HONORED TO PARTNER WITH THE ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN DONATING, WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF DONATIONS. I JUST HAVE TO GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO MY COMPANY. I'M AN

165ALL-STATE AGENT FULL-TIME AND ALL-STATE DID DONATE A HEFTY $5,000 FOR US TO PURCHASE BOOKS FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS. THANK YOU ALL STATE. GREAT COMPANY. THAT'S WHY I WORK FOR THEM. WE DEFINITELY NEED MORE DONATIONS. IF YOU WANT TO DONATE, GO TO ALL FOUR SCHOOLS.ORG/BOOKS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH. Steve Cona: THANK YOU, MEMBER SHAMBURGER, JUST TO CLOSE TODAY, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY, MEMBERS WHO CAME AND PROVIDED US FEEDBACK AND INPUT. THESE ARE CHALLENGING TIMES. NOT ONLY WITH THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE HAVE HIT KIND OF A PERFECT STORM, SO TO SPEAK, OF PANDEMIC AND BUDGET. LOTS OF TRYING TIMES FOR THIS DISTRICT. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS TEAM FOR BRINGING SOME

166SOLUTIONS TO TRY TO SOLVE THIS BUDGET CRISIS. BUT I WILL SAY, LOOK, I THINK THE MAJORITY -- AND I'M JUST GOING TO DO A QUICK COUNT, BUT WE HAVE -- THE MAJORITY OF THIS BOARD ARE GRADUATES FROM THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM MY EXPERIENCES, ELECTIVES WERE THE BEST CLASSES I TOOK IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WHETHER IT BE TV PRODUCTION, DRAMA, MUSIC, ART, PE, WE WILL -- WE WILL DO OUR VERY, VERY BEST TO PROTECT THOSE THINGS. THOSE ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS. AND WE ARE HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PROGRAMS THAT SERVE OUR STUDENTS REMAIN. BUT THERE ARE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF US REALIZE THAT AT THIS POINT, DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE

167THAT THIS DISTRICT REMAINS SOLVENT BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, THEN NO ONE ACTUALLY GETS TO WORK HERE ANYMORE IF WE DON'T HAVE THE FINANCES TO DO THAT. DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS AHEAD, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THIS BOARD WILL PROTECT THE CLASSROOM. I KNOW OUR SUPERINTENDENT WILL PROTECT PROGRAMS THAT OUR STUDENTS LOVE AND ENJOY, BUT I APPRECIATE THE ROBUST DISCUSSION WE HAD EARLIER TODAY IN MOVING THIS DISTRICT FORWARD. SO WITH THAT SAID, WITHOUT SEEING ANY OTHER COMMENT, MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION, SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THANK YOU ALL.