##VIDEO ID:gVF30c62OGg## e e e e e e we are going to call this regular meeting of the Martin County School Board to order we will now have an opening prayer by Pastor Todd Mingo followed by the Pledge of Allegiance father God I want to thank you that the Martin County school district has decided to open their meetings in prayer indicating they're looking for a wisdom from above and you said if we ask you'll give that so we ask for that wisdom tonight we ask for that Insight that Clarity that righteousness and that truth I thank you tonight that Dr morri Ari has joined this group unopposed indicating that he was the right guy at this time to do this job and I thank you God for the wisdom that you will give tonight and that decisions will be made based on what is best for the long-term life of the student St in our district and not based on who throws the biggest emotional fit in a meeting so I pray that you would just give them wisdom and guidance during this time and allow us to make the decisions that come from you in Jesus name amen am please welcome two members of the Jensen Beach High School jazz band under the direction of Mr Tom DH the members of this Ensemble are two seniors Mr George lamb and Mr Zeke Curry Jr George plays guitar in the Jensen Beach High School Jazz Ensemble sing uh bass I'm sorry bass and the symphonic band and is a member of the drum line during marching band season George currently serves the community as a student liaison for the Fort Pierce jazz and Blues Society and After High School he plans to attend NYU and major in political science on the pre-law track Zeke plays bass in the Jensen Beach High School Jazz Ensemble as well he has played saxophone and percussion in the symphonic band and is also a member of the drum line during marching vanand season at Jensen Beach High School Zeke serves as the color guard Commander for our jrc is a member of our awardwinning jubilate choir and has been a varsity lacrosse team member After High School School Zeke plans to attend the United States Naval Academy and study engineering today they will be performing two Jazz standards the first selection is titled I'll be seeing you and this was made popular in 1938 by Billy Holiday the version you are hearing today was arranged by Julian LJ the second selection is titled Mr PC and this tune was originally recorded in 1959 by John col train as a tribute to his long-standing bass player Mr Paul Chambers we hope that you enjoy the performance by Mr George lamb and Mr Z Curry Jr [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] w yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] pap [Music] w [Music] what [Music] thank you both for sharing your amazing talent with us Mrs Falls will you please call the role Dr Mor here Mrs Roberts yes Mrs Powers here Mrs pritchet here Mrs Russell here thank you at this time we will now have a swearing in of our newly elected and reelected board members please make your way down front so that you can be sworn in with your family by your side Mr George please proceed turn on the mic Mr Powers if you and your family can come up onto the podium Mrs Powers if you can place your left hand on the Bible raise your right hand and Mr Powers if you repeat if you give the quote for her to repeat you in short segments I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I will support protect and defend that I will support protect and the Constitution and government the Constitution and government of the United States and the State of Florida of the United States in the State of Florida that I am duly qualified that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution to hold office under the constitution of the State of Florida of the State of Florida and that I will well and faithfully and that I will well and Faithfully perform the duties of Schoolboard member perform the duties of Schoolboard member on which I am about to enter of which I'm about to enter so help me God so help me God [Applause] congratulations this is Mor Ary you and your family can come up place your left hand on the Bible Dr morard raise your right hand Mrs morard go I doly swear I do solemnly swear that I will support protect and defend that I will support protect and defend the Constitution and government the Constitution and government of the United States of the United States and the State of Florida and the State of Florida that I am duly qualified that I am dly qualified to hold the office to hold the office under the constitution of the State under the constitution of the state and that I will well and Faithfully perform that I well and Faithfully perform the duties of school board member the duties of school board member I'm which I am now about to enter on which I'm now about to enter so help me God so help me congratulations congratulations to you both Mrs Powers I look forward to continuing to work with you and Mr morard welcome I know you will make a great addition to the board I would like to take a moment to thank a few of our dignitaries that are here today Vice chair of the County Commission Ed campy commissioner Stacy heatherington our County Administrator don Donaldson and stepen Leon from our from Congress and mass office this time we'll take a short break to allow our newly elected and reelected board members to celebrate their family e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e we will now reconvene our regular Schoolboard meeting I wanted to take a moment to thank our tax collector Mrs Ruth pusi for coming today I apologize for missing you earlier [Applause] all right we'll be moving forward do I have a motion to approve the agenda with the following items added 10.02 10.03 items updated 7.02 18.09.2011 3 for discussion okay thank you 13.03 move to action I have a motion by Mr morard second the second by Miss Powers all those in favor I I any opposed motion carries unanimously at this time I will now turn it over to the superintendent who will act as our chair for our re organization meeting thank you madam chair and I just want to take the opportunity to thank you and your leadership over the last year really appreciate uh working with you as board chair and uh look forward to moving forward and working with whomever the new board chair is that is selected at this time we will move on to item 4.01 election of chair and I would like to call for nominations for the chair position Mr chair sorry um I'd like to nominate Amy pritchet for chair please I have a nomination by Amy pitet uh for Amy pitet by Mrs Roberts and a second by Mrs Powers at this time I all all in favor uh motion pass 5 Z congratulations Mrs pret congratulations we will move on to item 4.02 election of the vice chair at this time I'd like to call for nominations for vice chair Mr chair uh I nominate Mara powers for vice chair I second that okay I have a motion to approve Mara Powers as Vice Chair by Dr morard and a second by Mrs Russell all in favor I I motion carries 5- Z congratulations Mrs poers moving on to item 4.03 set the regular meeting dates and times I call for a motion and a second to set the regular meeting dates and times being the third Tuesday each month at 4M except for March 25th which is the week of spring break and May 13th which is uh set for graduations do I have a motion I move to approve second I have a motion by Dr Mori Ari and a second by Mrs Russell all in favor I motion carries 5- Z and moving on to item 4.04 seek board's approval to direct IR myself superintendent to file the proceedings of the reorganization with the Department of Education within two weeks to include the schedule for regular meetings and the names and addresses of all district school officers do I have a motion to approve motion to approve second motion to approve by Mrs Russell and a second by I think she beat you out Dr morard Mrs poers all in favor I motion carries 5 Z Mr superintendent yes sir currently on the meetings that were just adopted there is a workshop on December 10th I'm requesting if the board will allow there to be a short special meeting on the issue of an amended lease for the boys and girls club do I have a motion do we need to I think the chair would set that right okay so should be chair would set that when um okay so we don't have to vote on that okay at this time the Schoolboard reorganization meeting is adjourned at 4:42 p.m. and we will take a short five minute recess as we move some chairs around thank you we have to I can e e e e we are going to call a special Martin School Board leasing Corporation meeting to order this is the annual meeting of the membership and the board of directors to order the corporation's bylaws require that the annual meeting of the membership and the board of directors be held on the same date as the annual reorganizational meeting of the school board we're going to approve the appointment of the school schol board members as the corporation board of directors and that should I call out who who they are okay so the chair myself will be the president of the corporation Marsha Powers the vice chair will be vice president of the corporation and the superintendent will be the secretary treasur of the corporation and I have a motion I moved second motion by by Lee Roberts seconded by Brian mariar all in favor I no moved okay now we're going to approve the minutes of the Martin School Board leasing Corporation meeting held November 21st of 2023 removed again motion by Lee Roberts second by Jen Russell all in favor I thank you okay I am now reconvening the regular school board meeting is there a motion to approve the consent agenda I move approve of the consent agenda with the removal of 13.03 to action okay let me see okay all in favor I hi all right so let me get my papers here I apologize for my okay so now we are going to board comment board member discussion anyone so um I know a lot of my family has left but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came tonight and we're here to support uh myself and Dr Mori Ari and thank you to Jen for leading us over the past year it's um you know there's always those moments in time and you um Rose to some of our most challenging occasions so thank you very much for your um service to our board Brian um I just want to thank God for this incredible blessing of today and I can't believe that all these people came here just to see me and Mara get sworn in and for no other reason whatsoever so um I want to just tip my hat to Mike dley for his years of service um Mike I know will be watching and we value uh his friendship and uh all that he's done for this board um to my fellow school board members and superintendent Maine um it's truly an honor to work with you all and I'm looking forward to working with you and hopefully not fighting with you all tonight and um and and finally uh to all the District staff who uh made me feel so welcome sitting with them for the past six months at the last uh all those board meetings uh I appreciate you guys and finally to my wife and kids who I know had to get home to do homework and get ready but uh Laura if you're watching I love you and Patrick Paige and Emma I love you guys and thanks so much for your support um I'm good I just want to thank Jen for um her leadership the last year too thank you and I would like to thank you as well and thank you to everyone for your support and looking forward to a wonderful year together thank you all right next up we have recognition retirement recognition Mr Jeffrey Raymond good evening new Madam chair members of the board superintendent Maine and all in attendance this evening this is one of my favorite traditions of Schoolboard meetings as we take time to uh recognize in this case 32 years of outstanding service for one of our bus drivers who is the first um person to greet our students and the last person to say goodbye um to tell her story is Ruth spers the director of Transportation just a quick side note um our guest tonight is not in attendance but Ruth is still going to tell you all about June McAllister an amazing teammate awesome and that she is um good afternoon Madam chair board members and super superintendent um today we honor not just um 32 years of service with Miss June but the lasting impact that she made in my department um when I think of June I think of her dedication her commitment and her passion um she's always been a a a constant source of wisdom um encouragement support that enriched the lives of our co-workers and um lifted the spirit in my department um on behalf of myself her co-workers and everyone here I want to just thank her for her 32 years of service and I just wish her well in her retirement he definitely deserved it yes thank you all right thank you very much we'll make sure June gets this plaque appreciate he Mark cowls will present the Florida Council foral social studies teacher of the year good afternoon Madam chair members of the board superintendent Maine members of the community U first off Dr Mor Ary want to say to you smart move first official move shout out to the wife smart man good job excellent excellent uh on the heels of our own teacher the Year's celebration from a couple weeks ago congratulations to all the nominees and winners it's always nice for us to hear from outside organizations that recognize the effort and hard work of our teachers the Florida Council for the social studies recognize Janette Utch from Jensen Beach High School as the Martin County social studies teacher of the year for 2425 we're all well aware of the storms that pass through our area and all much through throughout Florida um Unfortunately they had to cancel the conference and awards night so Janette did not get to experience that and go up and uh be recognized in front of her peers there but we had spoken and um talked about uh wanting to recognize her here at a board meeting and give her either a plaque or 10 minutes of free time to speak to the board so at this point Janette the floor is yours she chose the plaque so it's uh my pleasure please join me in recognizing Janette Utch is the Florida Council of the social studies teacher of the year yeah she's still bypassing the opportunity to speak so if we get a quick photo that would be outstanding conratulations congratulations you thank you [Applause] congratulations next up we have student rep Jamie Paulson at 5:00 pm we will stop for public comment thank you thank you thank you madam chair okay uh to start off with Jensen Beach High School the Jensen Beach High School AF jrc performed numerous Color Guard ceremonies this month including at the Treasure Coast Car Show Stuart Moose Club and St Andrew's Church Cadets also participated in the city of Stewarts Veterans Day parade and helped clean up Jensen Beach the American Sign Language Honor Society visited jedson Beach Elementary multiple times this month to teach fourth and fifth graders in extended day basic American Sign Language the Key Club at Jensen Beach High School raised $400 during last month's trick-or treat for Unicef fundraisers funds will support the club's International Community in Zambia 95 new members were inducted into the Jensen Beach National Honor Society last month members also put together over 30 Thanksgiving baskets for Elevate hopes dinner donation Drive 11 athletes from Jensen Beach swim and dive team qualified qualified for the state championship meet in Alcala this month their names are Jackson Brown Ethan KAS Izzy fenman Madison Newman Jordan Riordan Abby Sanford Natalie scarcella Justin scary Boon stoneberg Colin stumbo 10th overall in diving and Parker Woods at finals Friday night the boys 200 free relay Boon stoneberg Ethan KAS Jackson Brown and Justin scary came in 12th southark High School the Bulldog band received a superior rating at their marching band performance assessment this month Alexa Carroll was accepted into the Tri-State band festival at Florida State University over 500 students from 140 schools in Florida Georgia and Alabama were nominated she will perform with the band next month congratulations Alexa at the state swim and dive meet Finn May broke two school records 50 yard freestyle with a time of 21 minutes and 21 22 seconds and 100 yard freestyle with a time of 45 seconds 40 excuse me 45.9 seconds and the other one was 2122 seconds excuse me the Bulldogs also had eight students qualified for States their names are Jack May Brody meder Henry pel Julia hurt Marissa coats Giana sevki Olivia Bagwell and Katie Ewing a huge congrats to the Southfork southfork's female Raiders team who placed in several categories at the regional Raider competition hosted at South Fork High School this past weekend these amazing young ladies were awarded first place in the fitness test event second place in the cross country rescue event third place in the Rope Bridge event third place in the obstacle course event and third place overall southfork's jrc team served as a Color Guard team for Crystal Lakes Elementary breakfast for veterans event they also served as flag and banner bearers for the Jewish War veterans organization and marched in the Stuart Veterans Day Parade Alec B Bing news and Alexis Moore will be performed will perform at the morning art Awards on November 13th at The Lyric Theater or performed yeah students from South Forks musical theater class also performed a 30-minute version of the musical Annie for sewin elementary students that's cute two students from South Forks new Debate Club placed first for legislative debate and ex extemporaneous debate congratulations to Bianca Bernard and Arya call 45 students were inducted into the national Spanish National a society on no on November 12th South Fork staff raised nearly $2,000 for Elevate hope and families impacted by recent storms or tornadoes they also donated several gift cards congratulations to South Fork's top four students who competed in the VFW voice of democracy essay contest first place is Rachel Pena second place is pero Patel third place is John markard fourth place is Annabelle Ken South Fork High School's new new Bulldog closet was featured again this month on WPTV News Channel 5 shining a light segment Miss Gorn along with principal Thompson and two students were interviewed on live TV exciting next finally Barn County High School core students mallerie Godard Sierra favers Zoe Miner and Nina Goyle were selected in the FMEA All State Choir they will be representing Martin County High School at the Florida music educators Association State Convention in Tampa in January the Martin County High School tiger regimen received a superior rating for the performance at the Florida band Masters Association District 13 marching music performance assessment held at Jens Beach High School Martin County High School tiger regimen also participated in the FF CC outdoor championships in Winter Garden Florida for the first time the tiger regiment Advanced to the finals of a state championship event finishing sixth place in class 3A and eighth over all out of 30 bands industry Certification testing is off to a fantastic fantastic start at Martin County High School Miss dervin's photography students have made history by becoming the first in the district to earn the WordPress certified editor credential a total of 80 students achieved certification in WordPress on their very first attempt additionally 16 entrepreneurship students are now certified in entrepreneurship and small business thank you very much and back to the chair thank you Jamie we will now move to public comment citizen input is vital to the Improvement of our district most times your remarks may be listened to without comment from the board members or superintendent this does not mean they are heard with any less intensity or concern where appropriate the superintendent and staff will investigate your comments and report back to you in the board with an answer we thank you for taking the time and having the concern to make our district better your presentation to the board should not not exceed 3 minutes letters or statements from others not present can be given to our clerk who will be sure that each School Board member and the superintendent receive a copy to keep our records straight and authentic our policy does not permit you to read the statements of others into the record first up Alec McIntyre followed by Jim mcoms uh hello good evening school board members superintendent Maine uh my name is Alec McIntyre and I'm here to speak on behalf of my fellow teachers uh about the teacher contract negotiations and impass uh so just a quick kind of pulse of the staff you know speaking on behalf of the people I work with um we started off very positive and as it drags on it's become frustrating and as it drags on further people start to feel uh negative even bitter and sense of resentment fits in so we really want to get it done so I would Challenge and encourage the board to accept a a neutral thirdparty Magistrate's decision when they meet um but I what I think the real bummer is is um I don't think it needed to take this long um we had some options that could have resolved all the issues and not cost um the school board a dime it was all allocated um so I don't want to rehash everything I don't know everything and don't have enough time but one issue that really resonated with me uh was the Western Zone uh supplement for veterans uh they were going to get $275 each um you know it's not much money but that was all previously agreed for them to have that um and I don't even work in the western Zone uh but I say that's uh you know that's a no-brainer that's not that much money that they drive a long ways they work hard I say give it to them uh but the response uh from the school board um was instead to spread it out amongst all teachers and at first I thought that sounds pretty good um but it's not really about money um I think it's about the difference between right and wrong uh because it's theirs it's their money so a different group of teachers could get money taken away from them the next time and if we divided it out amongst all the teachers it would only be about $23 per teacher so $23 um to steal money from another teacher uh $23 to betray the trust of my fellow teachers no thank you Jim mcoms followed by Rich shanborne good afternoon and evening to the school board and the superintendent my name is Jim mcoles I retired as a pool manager for in 25 years there I know that pool inside and out and if we haven't come here for the fifth time in a row to fight for a pool that's an asset and not a deprt to this community is it a shame on you guys I've watched all you guys and watch the other board members do this and go through this these poor kids are being punished they shouldn't be punished for that this is an asset that should be supported completely I haven't seen the last time that we because a football field cost too much money that we buried it over and put a parking lot on it have we done it to a gym have we done it to uh tennis courts basketball courts tracks no you replace all that stuff you should be replaced in the pool in that 25 years I was always considered the redhead stepchild and was told not to speak from the school board and people around because I was too aggressive about it or whatever but I'm tired now I'm retired and I'm tired of having to fight for a pool that is benefit for everybody in this community thank you Rich Shen born followed by Callie Melanson good evening uh School Board I'm rich shanbor um and I'm here to say save the Martin County High School pool the high school pool has been a huge benefit for the Treasure Coast Community uh the pool has continuously served and trained swimmers and lifeguards and life-saving personnel here on the Treasure Coast for decades uh that has been true from 1975 through the 1980s the 1990s through the 2000s and up to that is up to until this year 2024 when the school board uh has chosen to close that pool replacement of the pool and training building with an ashphalt uh parking lot is an abomination to all the good things that this pool has done and still can do for this community for the Treasure Coast please reopen the high school pool the Martin County Community needs two competitive swimming pools the Martin County needs at least two competitive uh swimming pools to adequately train kids and accommodate the growing population sish splash park is a wonderful facility uh but it is not able to adequately accommodate all the people and all the swimmers uh that participate uh in this area and and show up that pool and you can see this pretty much every morning that you go there please reopen the pool and allow the community back into this facility the high school pool after mechanical and electrical repair work was ready to be reopened to the kids and the public this past August but the pool remains closed the repair issues have been made the pool is ready please reopen the high School pool and allow the community back into this facility members of the high of the Martin County uh swim community have requested detailed information on the pool maintenance let the sunshine in Please Release that information please reopen the high school pool and allow the community back into this facility thank you very much and if I forgot to mention it before please reopen the pool thank you Callie Melanson followed by Dariana Melendez hi my name is Callie and I have swam for almost four years our team has had a very hard season not being able to practice at our own pool after school all the students would walk over from school and we practice right away but due to our pool being closed we have had later Practice ending at 8:00 at night which means we've get home late our lands at sailfish are also very crowded due to not enough space we often have more than four people per Lane in the learn to swim pool at Sailfish Splash this affects our performance and health because we are engaged activity during a time we should and winding down and swimming in conditions that are for learning children and not up to the standards for high level competitive please keep our speeches in mind when Mak thank you would you pronounce your name for me I didn't want to do it wrong that's okay it's diera diera Melendez yeah followed by David Weston okay so first thing um I'd like to say the names of our state team this year it's Lincoln Salazar Savannah Hill Jackson Wyatt dorelan padon Ethan spur Manuel Gonzalez Roman Watson bradden F Madison and Lauren feny and our medalists for this year dianira Melendez Sarah decowski Julia and mine Julia Murphy and mine bam so um just wanted to put that out there for the record okay so you guys are supposed to be helping our school Community grow right your job is to make our education the best it can be and my question is why the why has the opposite been done it just seems like students need to be the number one priority um it's the school district and these are children 18 and under and it just feels like the budgeting and hatred has taken over and it it doesn't feel acceptable and the numbers that I saw and were presented to me don't seem correct um it just it doesn't feel like it would be $5 million to do something that most estimates are less than a million so that being said I would also like to say that because of the decisions that are likely made in this room it seems like one of the strongest communities in the United States of America which is the swimming community and Diving Community is faltering in this specific area because of the decisions made and it just breaks my heart because I have grown up in this community since I was 9 years old and this community has given me so much and I don't want to want it to be the last time I'm in this community here at Martin County because of the decision that the pool is going to be closed down to have a parking lot I feel like more can be done in this situation and I feel like there's a better solution to this I I'm just really disappointed I got to say I haven't spoke here because I thought it would be solved with the amount of people and the multitude of people that we've had come speak here but now is my time to go speak to you guys and just say that I'm I'm graduating this year as well and I'm leaving with regrets and in haste and why would you want your kids to be that like to be in that situation I mean most of you guys are parents and I wouldn't want that to happen to my children at all like it just doesn't seem like a great situation High School is supposed to be a time where you're supposed to learn and grow and flourish and have fun and that has not been the case for these last four months so Save the Pool leave it open thank you thank you David Weston followed by cydney Thomas good evening how are you guys first I want to thank you guys you guys have a tough job I don't envy you um but thank you for all your hard work I appreciate everything you do um I'm now the head coach at Jupiter High because we don't have a water P program here so I have to drive an hour and leave the 15,000 kids that are here and not give them the opportunity to play water polo so I took that job I'm hoping that you guys will re-evaluate the uh proposal and the budget that I gave you for water polo uh tying that into the pool you know I went to high school in Miami and they built us a pool and in the three years that they finished the pool we'd won a state championship plus the multiple um lifeguards that came out of the pool um to go on to different careers whether it be with the fire department um I think the pool is an asset uh Lake how just finished a pool I mean maybe about 10 years ago but it cost about $2.5 million I don't know where these numbers are coming from that you guys are getting um or where they're coming from but you know for two and a half million you could build a 50 meter pool with a facility in there and I think it's a a valuable asset to the community I think you'll fill the pool there's a lot of kids behind me and I want to congratulate all the kids that went the states this year great job it was a hard it sounds like it was very challenging and I'm proud of all you guys thank you for the time guys thank you thank you Sydney Thomas followed by Heather Rogers good evening Madam chair and members of the board thank you for the opportunity to speak my name is Sydney Thomas I'm a former Martin County School District educator parent of two Martin County School District students and unsuccessful School Board candidate for this past elections Mrs pow congratulations on your re-election um I'm disappointed in the outcome but I'm also not surprised giving you reputation within the community so congratulations I was disappointed because I wanted to at least have one voice on the board that would share the following type of information so unfortunately I have to move from pool to uh Christian nationalism real quick um I'm here today to speak about a proposed contract between the district and Liberty University Liberty University is a Christian University their slogan is learn develop and grow at Liberty so you can impact your culture as a champion of Christ I do not oppose the contract in general but in the greater context I am scared and I would like everyone to understand the bigger picture the intention of the next government in January is to eliminate the US Department of Education under the guise of giving the powers back to the States under the guise of creating more efficiencies and saving money this came from a group it's called the project 2025 and it came from a group called The Heritage Foundation Liberty University was an adviser to the Heritage Foundation and to project 2025 they released a an article last week talking about why they wanted to dismantle the Department of Education the title of the article is education policy reforms are key strategies for increasing the married birth rate in this article their intention is to prove that our current US Department of Education is impacting the married birth rate and we're at risk of having a lower birth rate and we should intervene with our education system in order to increase our married birth rate okay by how the government subsidizes higher education by offering scholarships and encouraging I'm G to say women to attend post-secondary schools and instead of doing that if they didn't subsidize it then more people would be more pro- family and be more likely to get married and start a family so if we remove those scholarships and subsidies and supports they're more likely to get married and start having babies they also believe that allowing religious instruction in the classroom which would focus on a marriage with kids and a subservient wife and mother at home if we allow that into our public education system we will also increase the married birth rate because that would be part of the instruction for our public education I'm really worried about this and I really think the public especially women need to start paying attention to what's happening in other conservative States and where we are headed you are going to lose your right to divorce you are going to lose your right to your education and to serve in the military thank you for your time Heather Rogers followed by George Ellen [Applause] padon good evening members of the school board the things you learn from Sports setting goals being part of a team confidence that's invaluable it's not about trophies and ribbons it's about being on time for practice accepting challenges and being fearful of the elements Summer Sanders USA gold medalist in swimming for several months I attended monthly meetings regarding the future of the pool advocating to keep this vital part of our community open how however since August these meetings have ceased possibly due to the primary elections unfortunately the district has not upheld its commitment to keep the pool open for the past High School swim season by relocating the swimmers to Sailfish Splash you have further underscored the necessity of having a functioning pool at Martin County High School as you drive through our district you can see the rapid growth new communities are being built on nearly every road with our population increasing it would be wise for the board to act now by voting to reconstr conu the pool ensuring it remains a resource for the next 52 years the students on the swim team are the same high achieving individuals you proudly feature on the district's web page as top performing athletes and Scholars yet at sish Splash there simply is not enough space to accommodate everyone schools exist to serve the students and by closing the pool the district has failed to uphold its responsibility to maintain this facility you don't close pools you build more pools we are a community surrounded by water closing this pool jeopardizes the opportunities students and community members have to learn water safety a critical skill in our area beyond the students the master swimmers many of them who train as early as 4:30 in the morning no longer have a place to swim if you had taken any time to visit during those hours you would see just how essential this facility is to our community moreover the pool has the potential to generate Revenue with proper management it could host water polo synchronized swimming Club swimming swim lessons camps and classes these programs not only benefit the community but they offset the operational costs I urge you to do what's right for the students and the community you serve reopen the pool invest in its reconstruction this is an opportunity to support the growth and well-being of our students and provide a lasting resource for future Generations Caleb dressle said swimming teaches us resilience determination and the power of pushing beyond our limits thank you thank you Dory Ellen padon follow Follow by Casey padon hello everyone my name is dor and padon I a junior at Martin County High School and a swimmer for the high school team and I am speaking on behalf of my pool I first came to this pool when I was 11 because of a back injury due to my previous sport I came to this pool to heal many of my swimmer friends were told to come to this come to swimming and Diving diving specifically for therapy and to heal their bodies swimming is one of the many few sports that are both healthy and extremely athletically challenging this pool has taught me so many life skills that are so valuable to have throughout your high school career especially with the new incoming freshman it teaches students how to be confident consistent and mentally collected it is really disappointing to see that such a PE place of full of opportunities is being overlooked especially because of how hard each and every person who is a part of this team work the football team soccer team and even lacrosse team all have a place to practice so why can't we we are a swim team and we need our pool thank you thank you for your time and consider thank you Casey case I'm sorry Casey padon followed by Angelina Paran all right um hello my name is is Casey padon I go to Martin County High School and saving the Martin County High School pool is crucial for preserving and in invaluable community resource that serves students athletes and residents alike the pool provides a safe space for swimming for swimming lessons competitive training and recreational activities fostering physical health and water safety skill it is also a hub for team building and social interactions benefiting Youth Development and and Community cohesion in investing in its maintenance ensuring continued access to these opportunities while reserving a cherished fac facility that has long been a Cornerstone of the County's educational and recreational programs the swiming pool is awesome everyone has a good time there and honestly there's really no point in taking it away Everyone likes it and everyone's having a good time so save the pool thank you Angelina Paran followed by Amanda Corino good afternoon my name is Angelina and I was a former competitive swimmer for the Martin County tiger sharks as a swimmer I know what it is like to miss only a few pra uh days of practice practicing in a different pool is another variable to adjust to as that is exactly what the Martin County Tigers the high school team had to do in the middle of a season not only did they have to maneuver around the Obstacle of their home pool being shut down but the team also had a few practices in smaller pool at more or less An Inconvenient time during the season but while having to navigate through these drawbacks they earned first place in districts and fifth place in regionals in that sense it is not a logical decision to make to close down the dick Wells Training Center could the team have done even better if they had their pool for the entire season no one will know and no one will ever know if the pool is permanently closed myself and many others have greatly succeeded at that pool getting records winning championships and even some going as far as Olympic trials it is not the wisest choice to make to close this pool as potentially some individuals can make it to the Olympics the coaches Coach Danny coach Barbara and Coach Jim are all outstanding and have helped many swimmers achieve their goals and aspirations it would be disappointing to see the P the pool close down please consider all of our points and thank you for your time today thank you Amanda Corino followed by Daniel harle can't hear you honey good afternoon my name is Amanda and I'm to speak on Ben be of the Martin County High School I missed the pool because it many memories for me and it's where I made a I learned to grow as a f at school so please keep it open thank you time thank you Daniel Harley followed by Audrey mice um real quick don't start my time there was one team that was forgotten when everything was announced the swim team um if my swim kids could stand up please um boys and girls were undefeated uh girls 9-0 boys are 8- one both were County Champs both were District Champs our girls were runner up at regionals boys were fifth um and at States Our Girls Relay got a medal in play seventh okay so we had 17 kids the most successful team and they weren't even acknowledged so thank you to them afternoon my name is Daniel Hartley current head coach of Martin County High School boys and girls swim and current pool manager I am here once again speaking to save the pool to the new board members this is my fifth time in my short life that I'm up here speaking for the pool my whole life growing up I was fighting for this pool and now as an adult I'm still fighting for this pool I'm perplexed as to how something so vital as a pool keeps getting on the chopping block a week ago in West Palm Beach a 13-year-old boy drowned in a state with water everywhere we need to do everything we can to help these kids learn how to swim and at a bare minimum teach kids life-saving techniques in case they do fall in the water we need to focus on the future of this town and the children the children are all the reason you are sitting up there right now do the right thing keep this pool open and get it back to the community my only question to you all is when will your lies stop and when will you open the pool Mr Derek low was on the news last night as saying it's closed for safety reasons it was closed for safety reasons which were fixed August 26th according to your $20,000 assessment the first two sentences in there and I quote from the experts the pool is in good condition for its age and I quote again there is nothing to prevent the use of the pool when will the lies stop and the pool we open Mr low is also quoted as saying whether or not it is a smart financial decision to keep the the pool open when did Money become more important than the children and future of our kids and their safety when will the LI stop in the pool reopen also our last month's uh board member meeting one of the board members was quoted as saying the swim team is no longer inconvenienced uh due to them being able to practice at sish how is swimming at 6:30 at night to 8:00 getting home at 8:30 eating dinner at 99 just to start your homework then not an inconvenience how is swimming in 5et deep of water compared to 8 to 12 as as all the other teams not an inconvenience to others we have 10 to 15 kids in each lane swimming in murky water and in not even the same distance as the other teams do also there is a board member quoted as saying a district employee keeps contradicting everything we say yes absolutely right because I'm at that pool every single day I know what the costs are for that pool what needs to be done to that pool and I am buried and kept at a desk for 10 weeks while things are going on keep the pool open do the right thing and help these kids succeed Audrey minis followed by Peter seoli good afternoon Dr M and school board members once again I'm here on behalf of the coach dick Wells Training Center pool I think it's all been said before we need to have our pool and you guys are all invited as you know at 5: in the morning to join us for swimming first thing start your day it's the absolute best but what was just mentioned many many times Martin County is growing and growing and growing I live out in by on Citrus Grove and they're taking from there all the way to Becker and building more houses where are those kids going to swim we can't close our pool we need more pools um what else okay that's it thank you I already said it all please please open our pool so that I don't have to come back again but you're all welcome to join us at 5: Danny does a great workout Peter seoli followed by Patty beyonde so I stand with the pool uh I'm changing lanes here no pun intended good evening Madam chair superintendent Maine board members some of you know me others that don't my name name is Peter seoli I'm a local business owner I own salefish Insurance Group I'm a graduate of Martin County High School I have four children in the school system my wife is a graduate and former educator at Martin County high school so it's safe to say that we're Martin County through and through but more importantly I'm a veteran I am here today to speak about my disappointment with the calendar committee and the board's subsequent unanimous approval of the 2024 2025 school calendar specifically having school open on Veterans Day sadly there was not even a discussion about Veterans Day in the workshop meeting only about what days we should or should not have for emergency days I know I don't speak for all veterans but I know a majority of them agree our kids County staff especially staff who are veterans should have the day off Veterans Day is a solemn occasion it's the one day that we have in our country to honor the men and women my brothers and sisters sisters who have served our Armed Forces our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to defend the freedoms and values that we hold dear closing schools provides a chance for children to participate in local parades ceremonies and volunteer efforts it also allows families to attend events together and engage in conversations about patriotism sacrifice and Community furthermore honoring Veterans Day in this way helps build a stronger connection to to our shared history and values it reinforces lessons of service Duty and gratitude that are essential to shaping responsible civic-minded citizens not just as an event on the calendar but as core value that we as a community uphold I will say this our elementary schools have done a great job honoring veterans specifically Bessie Creek as I have attended their ceremony for the past 8 to 10 years or so and uh but I don't never recall it being held on Veterans Day I'm a Solutions oriented person when I see a problem I Look to fix it I have already agreed to serve on the calendar committee for next year as Mrs power's appointing however it should not take a veteran to stand up and take on the responsibility to make sure the school district is honoring our veterans in conclusion closing schools on Veterans Day is more than just a day off it is an opportunity to honor and respect those who serves it gives us the space to remember the sacrifices made by our veterans and it reinforces the importance of their contributions to the freedoms and values that we enjoy today I urge you to consider for the long-term benefits for our students our community and our country in making this decision thank you Patty beyonde followed by Kelly Coleman as uh first of all I'd like to say thank you for allowing me to speak as a retired teacher with 32 years of teaching at Martin County High School I have also been through this uh exercise many many times and our pool is so important to our community let me review a few of the things that had happened at the Martin County Pool during the years that I was a teacher and continue to be doing done now uh they were a place for Elementary and high school students to compete for Red Cross lessons physical education classes scuba diving practice extended day summer programs Boys and Girls Clubs uh swimming open swim early morning Master swimming in fact for many years every third grade student in the county learned how to swim at the Martin County High School pool and why can't that be happening right now the community is surrounded by water we hear of drownings all the time my own brother drowned at the age of 30 he never learned how to swim do we want to have more news like that coming our way or do we want to provide a safe good place for people to learn to swim I think it's horrific that this pool has been closed for this whole swimming season and it needs to be open it works everything is in order now why is it closed why can't it be reopened and do everything necessary so that it can be the wonderful facility that has been for so many years we have money for football we have money for basketball all the other sports it takes money to run a pool but the amount of benefit to the community is much much much greater and if one life is saved because somebody learned how to swim at that pool that's beyond any value and money thank you thank you Kelly Coleman followed by Noel BAU good evening Madam chair members of the board and superintendent Michael main I can hardly believe I am standing here again addressing this board in my 24 years with Martin County School District this is only the second time I've spoken out publicly why because like so many others I've stayed silent for far too long but tonight I've had enough for those who don't remember me my name is Kelly colan I have proudly dedicated 24 years of my life to this District 24 years of service commitment firsthand experience have has made me an expert on one undeniable truth how this board treats its teachers so let me ask you one simple question why are we at impass again why are we back in the same exhausting demoralizing cycle year after year it's the same tired story let's be real this isn't new we've been here before we've seen the same Playbook just last May superintendent Michael main was Trott it out to shift the blame onto the union and let me tell you not a single teacher in this County was fooled we sought for what it was a weak attempt to dodge accountability and here we are again different day same night nonsense let's break this down we're here over $228,000 that's it for anyone watching at home let me make it clear this impass isn't about principal fairness or well-being of our schools this is about Petty resistance over trivial sum of money this contract should have been settled already this year was supposed to be different wasn't that the plan instead we're being forced into yet another fight wasting everyone's time taxpayer dollars and for what so this board can squeeze every last ounce of patience and morale out of its teachers well let me tell you something teachers will not not will not sell out their colleagues for $23 not now not ever here's what I know after 24 years in this District the problem isn't us the problem is sitting right in front of me the board has become an obstacle not the solution you've created division frustration mistrust but here's the thing you're not fooling anyone teachers know what's really happening and we're done staying quiet enough is enough stop the games compromise end this impass now because if you don't the message you're sending is loud and clear you don't value us and you don't value the future of this District the time is to act now show us that you're ready to leave with Integrity thank you for your time Noel busam followed by Aubrey [Applause] busam good afternoon my name is Noel busam and I'm a student at Martin County High School I'm here today speaking on behalf of the Martin County High School pool I would first like to thank you for putting your time and money into evaluating the pool my high school season was next to a disaster practicing from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. every every single day in a six Lane 3ft deep pool was extremely inconvenient and mentally exhausting I was always tired because I would have to stay up late doing homework for swim meets we would have to travel more often because there were no home meets which would result in me having to skip more school coincidentally in my math class which led to me not achieving good grades on test thank you for your time and please save the pool Aubrey bsam followed by bosam hi my name is Aubrey first of all thank you for taking the time effort and money looking into the Martin County Pool the first days I moved to Florida well I wasn't too thrilled but after two weeks moving to Florida I joined the Martin County swim team the swim team changed my whole perspective of Florida back then I was on the Martin United soccer team but after about 2 years I decided to quit let just say it was too much waste of time and money it was a hard decision but a couple months after quitting soccer Martin County swim team got the newest and best coach named Coach Danny he was the most motivating coach I have ever had Martin County Pool has started so much amazing friendships for me not to mention it has probably saved many people's lives if Martin County Pool gets shut down everyone is going to go different directions it would be so sad to watch that happen after the pool got shut down I switched to TCA right now our practice goes from 5 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. I AR I arrive home at 8:00 p.m. giving me almost no time to do my homework and eat dinner before I need to go to bed it's only going to get worse if Martin County Pool gets shut down I miss Martin County and all the people there also like I said if Martin County Pool gets shut down a bunch of a bunch of friendships will be forgotten this is where more than half my friendship started so don't let them end there too keep the Martin County Pool open thank you thank you meline bsam followed by Steven Leighton good evening superintendent Maine me Madame chair and members of the school board my name is mine busam a student at Martin County high school and I stand here before you not for the first time but the second on behalf of the Martin County Pool closure to start before I express my concern I would like to express my gratitude for the amount of time effort thought and money of you have all put into this issue finding somewhat to scope out the area and give us such a detailed summary has been extremely helpful and eye opening to us as a community and we are truly grateful for that that being said I think it is important I address some of my concerns as both a swimmer and active member of the community the dickw wells facility is more than just a body of water it is a place where individuals can learn grow and most importantly stay safe in our community as I stated the last time I spoke before you Florida being in the location that it is surrounded by water is home to thousands of preventable deaths through drowning though I do not have the exact number of deaths in front of me today the point still stands that we could use this pool to have swim lessons which can save lives now you may be all thinking to yourself why can't we just do this at selfish Splash Water Park the answer is simple there's not enough space before the closure of the pool many argue this very Point not knowing we would be faced with this issue in our current day knowing following the closure of the pool the Martin County high school team was forced to practice at sfish Splash where they got the short end of the stick with practice times from 6:30 to 8: this practice time though we are very fortunate to have was not even close to Ideal breaking apart family dinners prolonging homework missing school function functions and altering our delicate sleep schedules as teenagers though I could talk for hours on this issue I want to keep the speech relatively short so I will end with this take a look at this medal it is one of only four state medals awarded to anyone in Martin County and it came from the girls 200 medley relay produced from a season of Trials think about how many more of these we could have if given the resources that we need to succeed Save the Pool thank you thank you Stephen Leighton followed by Stephanie Peterson superintendent Madame chair board members good evening to Marsha and Doc congratulations on uh a new journey I like all the pins by the way the commissioner and I were talking about them to uh staff uh thank you um I come here in two hats one uh on behalf of the congressman as his chief of staff your pool issue and our issue here in the community has made its way to Washington and uh we have had a number of phone calls and conversations with family members with teachers with parents and with the current team members and coaches and so the congressman's uh concern and uh more importantly thought is we have directed staff to also help and look at uh any grants or any funding that we can help offset if you so choose to move forward when tonight after your vote you open it for them to swim uh let us know let us know how we can be helpful in that um on a personal note I swam there for Coach Wells I worked there for Coach Wells uh Mrs beyonde I'm glad I didn't follow you cuz that was eloquently uh stated I remember her swimming in the pool and uh I would retrieve her floats long and short because I couldn't speak Spanish uh I'm getting off Pace here but uh a number of us grew up utilizing that pool in the YMCA I I don't know what the funding is I don't know what the cost elements are and I'm sure staff is uh given that to you and welcome to the board and that's going to be one of your votes on the other hand uh to address uh Veterans Day and I wasn't planning on doing this but I want to address uh Peter's comments um I was on that committee that we decided to move forward with having Veterans Day open to school and Tracy Miller doc Dr Tracy Miller um was very helpful in outlining that committee uh very open to the community we met multiple times and uh I think she was so thorough to the extent where we went through sunshine and a number of other things I have 45 seconds so I'm going to wrap it up real quick here at no time when I made that motion it was unanimously voted upon not only in the committee on two different occasions but by the board at the time was there to ever embarrass or upset or dishonor you or your service or anybody for that matter that actual idea came from the Congressman so students understood what Veterans Day meant I think this year and to you superintendent and for the school and what you did I think was amazing by the grandparents who came in and ate breakfast with the students the congressman going and speaking to multiple schools on behalf of what Veterans Day truly was in addition to that the caveat that I made if I may for 10 seconds in that meeting I made it specifically so banned Boy Scouts Girl Scouts any club members could attend the parade or any other event taking place that day to be very upfront and not to be closed off and to really represent those who served our community so thank you look forward to moving forward with the pool issue on the Congressional side and if I can help out on the committee later let me know thank you thank you Stephanie Peterson followed by Savannah Hill good evening superintendent and members of the school board today I stand here to talk about Martin County High School's pool closure and how much it's affected our community I would first like to thank everyone for how much time and effort you've put into this issue to begin Martin County High School's pool has been around for Generations nearly 50 years that's 50 years of friendships and memories that have been created because of our pool the pool is not just facility but almost a second home to swimmers it's where we not only have the ability to grow as an athlete but also as a person where we can work hard and see those results firsthand I started swimming this past March for Martin County and in that short period of time I've made amazing friends and countless of Unforgettable memories I've learned discipline and how hard work truly does pay off I've gotten to become part of an amazing community of of swimmers and coaches but this past March when the pool was closed everything changed we first didn't even have a pool which left many athletes unsure of their fate as a swimmer then when we were able to practi practice at selfish we spam very late in the day and wouldn't get home until 8:30 or later which affected our entire team between transportation and other commitments it created a very difficult environment for many swimmers to even be able to get to practice regularly disclosure has shown us just how important the pool is for our community as we look ahead I feel as though we should try our best to preserve this facility so it can continue to be a place to create lifelong memories friendships and to have the space to learn and grow not just as a team but a community thank you thank you Savannah Hill followed by Lincoln Salazar good evening my name is Savannah Hill and I'm speaking on behalf of my pool in this past season for the high school swim team I was one of our four team captains as a junior this was my third and by far most unusual and un unpredictable season I like so many others wasn't expecting to be kicked out of my pool mid practice midseason one day adjusting midseason to a shallow warm unsuitable Last Resort is unfair to any athlete I wasn't prepared for my training to be disrupted so much and to become so tired after each and every day because our pool was closed the most successful team in the district became an afterthought my team struggled every day all 35ish of us would show up at 600 p.m. early to practice and would leave by 8:00 p.m. because realistically our dedication to the team did not stop but it seems like yours did so I would like to get so I would get home after 9:00 p.m. or even later some nights having to eat in a rush do my school workk in a rush and rush to get to bed this season tested the perseverance of my team and we're lucky that we had it and kept fighting even though it seems like you have stopped the next season and the season after sh not had to be like this one was I also would like to mention that swimming is a sport with a huge community and interests a lot of kids right with my pool cloth my fellow captains and I stood before my school Community during curriculum night and told nearly 20 students and their families that wanted to join the team that they absolutely could but in actuality it wasn't that simple they were prepared to practice at the pool at the high school after school but we're not prepared to travel to a different facility over 3 hours after the school day ended I urge you to please stand behind my team and open our pool thank you thank you Lincoln Salazar followed by Christina fiori good evening my name is Lian Salazar I'm a senior in high school one of the captains of the boy swim team and I've been training at the Martin County Pool for four years now as a senior I believe my last season was ripped away from me I've trained at the Martin County Pool every single day for the last four years for up to five hours a day at times all in preparation for my senior year and I never would have been able to guess that the millions of yards and thousands of hours I put in would be ripped away from me we got the news that the pool was being shut down in the middle of a practice we were told to get out of the pool and sit down it was then explained to us that we had to leave because the pool was being closed after being promised by all of you that we would have it for the 2024 season we were then out of the water for a week trying to find time at selfish Blaster train to then be made to practice from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and 5:30 to 7: a.m. practicing before the sunrises and then after the sun sets and let alone not even being able to practice on Saturdays this is not only unfair to the swimmers but the coaches and parents who had to drive their children to these practices at these ridiculous hours and then pick them up not getting home until sometimes as late as 900 p.m. drowning was the number one cause of death for children aged 1 to four in Florida last year it is unfair to every swimmer parent coach and child learning how to swim to keep this pool closed when an assessment was made that said and I quote the swimming pool at the dickw swim facility was constructed in the 196 s and is in good condition considering stage no conditions were observed that would prevent the pool's use I'm not sure why this is still a fight it is an injustice to the people of Martin County to keep this pool closed the future of Martin County swimming the freshmen sophomores and juniors all deserve to have normal season practicing at our pool don't crush any more people's dreams or Aid in not giving children the opportunity to learn to swim this pool needs to be reopened thank you Christina fiori followed by bra Jen Fury good evening at a school board meeting in August the football field at Martin County High School was discussed some updates or improvements were being made at the time or being planned for the future but it was made very clear that there would not be any disruptions to the football season why would that not be okay if for any reason the field was not usable there's two others that could be shared with other high schools in the county that sounds absurd though doesn't it but why is it okay for a pool why is it okay for four High School swim and dive teams to have to share one pool with each other two Club teams a water polo team and a Synchro team oh and by the way we need to keep lanes open for lap swimming for the entire County to have the ability to utilize the simple answer is that it's not okay there are not enough Lanes in that pool nor enough hours in the day to accommodate all of the swimmers that need a pool I doubt that I'll ever hear a football player up here making a plea to save his field from being turned into a parking lot why is this even a question for the pool why would we pave o over something so valuable instead of maintaining it the promise was made for the 2425 school year was for the community to think of the pool as they always have whether that be for use by the high school swim team or for use by the community the promise was not just that the pool would remain a pool yet almost immediately after that promise was made in the spring the kids were treated like outcasts because they were considered club team kids at the time and not Martin County High School students we couldn't wait for the school year to start in the fall so the same kids could get back to their normal schedule since then they would be considered Martin County High School students again but almost as soon as that happened they were completely kicked out for safety concerns but according to the reports prior to the first site visit by Harvard Jolly on 9113 the electrical issues that caused the safety concerns had been addressed why were the kids not back in the pool at that time why were are we here two months later still begging for our pool now the same kids are going to be kicked out of Sailfish Splash soon because of other programs taking place in that pool and there's not enough enough room for them anymore they need to be let back into their home pool as was promised in the spring we have been inundated with text phone calls emails social media messages telling us vote Yes on the millage referendum we did what you asked as we did six years ago with the half cent sales tax nothing has been to done to the pool in those six years and you've admitted to putting Band-Aid fixes on the pool for many years it's now time to make the necessary repairs and please let the kids back in the pool Braden fiori followed by Vinnie Bako good evening Martin County School Board I'm here on account of the pool at the Martin County High School I'm a swimmer in the 10th grade for Martin County High School and for the Martin County Club team being on the Martin County high school team and Club team has benefited me in so many ways it has drastically improved my fitness instilled discipline and mental fortitude into me that I will carry for the rest of my life in and out of the pool including in school and it has brought me to a wonderful community of great teammates and exceptionally skilled coaches that push each other to be their best self the closing of this pool means less of these benefits for your students as they won't want to or can't travel to Sailfish Splash or deal with the skewed practice times the pool at Sailfish Splash is not reasonable alternative time slots for lanes are full leaving us with ridiculously late practice times when these slots do open up we still have transportation problems the sailfish pool is not on campus like the dickw wells Training Center additionally we do not have Locker rims at sailfish meaning swimmers have to carry equipment throughout the school day also we were promised that the pool would be open for the 2024 2025 school year apart from the very first few weeks it has been closed and we have been thrown to Sailfish during the season our practice times have gone from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. a time that not only disrespects one of your high school teams but also disrespects the staff of Sailfish Splash as they now have to stay later for lifeguarding cleaning and other tasks done to every done after everyone is gone please make the right decision and keep this pool open Vinnie Fasco followed by Tony felasco and good evening my name my name is Vinnie and I miss swimming in our pool home pool please don't make me give up swimming in Save the Pool Tony felasco followed by Manny Gonzalez uh good afternoon my name is Tony and I've had I've been swimming for Martin County High School pool since I was six turning seven now I'm 10 years old and I'm no longer swimming in the same pool we are forced to move swimming and sail fish Splash we have lost many teammates in our practices because of unexpected changes within our team and schedule I strongly believe in our community and Country needs to be saved to save our pool and not only our confidence but also our wellness and wellbeing I really miss swimming in our home pool as a tiger shark we are very proud of what we were let's keep let's keep the pool open thanks Manny Gonzalez followed by Julia Murphy good afternoon school board members and superintendent Maine my name is Manny Gonzalez and I'm sophomore at Martin County High School I am proud to be a member of the swim team a straight A student and a part of the Ace Program I previously addressed the board on March 19th regarding the status of our pool on March 28th superintendent Maine with the agreement of all board members assured us that the pool would remain open until April 2025 it was stated that the swim season would proceed as normal allowing time for an a assessment and evaluation of the pool's future additionally a pool Community was formed to explore ways to increase activities and usage however on August 23rd the pool was closed due to electrical issues while the issue was promptly resolved this pool remained closed on September 17th superintendent main announced that the pool would stay closed until the assessment was complete which required pulling the pool liner to accommodate the high school swim team during this time practice hours at sailfish were scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5:30 to 7: a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays meanwhile other teams including private clubs continued to practice immediately after school these late hours created significant challenges for many student athletes for me as a long-distance swimmer pool time is cral before the pool closure I constantly swam 20 hours per week after the closure I was lucky to get 8 hours balancing these Limited hours with the academics made it incredibly difficult to train efficiently this assessment has now been completed and I understand the pool liner was never pulled the pool is reportedly safe and ready to use can we please reopen the pool this will not only restore vital practice times for the swim team but also provide opportunity OPP opportunities for others in the community to benefit from the valuable resources thank you for your time and for considering the needs of student athletes like me thank you Julia Murphy followed by Emerson Beasley hello please do not start my time I'd like to recognize the 16 swimmers um that made to States uh that were not announced on the uh High School recognition but starting hello everyone my name is Julia Murphy Martin County High School club and high school swimmer State medalist and student of Martin County High School the second week into the school year our pool was taken away from us by the school board due to electrical problems those issues were resolved in under two weeks the pool is still closed the Martin County high school team is the most successful swim team in the county and also the most awarded athletic team at Martin County High School this year winning County District Regional Runner ups and sending 16 swimmers to the state championships on November 8th it is easy to see how driven and dedicated our team truly is our team has been assigned unreasonable practice times 2 hours after the three other high school teams finish and we are assigned to the small pool on the side of sailfish not the competition pool that every other team gets to practice in this pool was in dangerous conditions most days with murky water leaving us unable to see the wall and the swimmers in front of us the school board has done nothing to fix this issue I have been swimming since I was 7 years old and I have been in front of this school board since I was 9 years old addressing the same issues the Martin County Pool is where I met my best friends and my biggest motivators it is where the head it is where head coach Daniel heartley pours his heart out every single morning and night to make sure that the USA master and Club swimmers have a safe environment to come and get faster I'm exhausted trying to fight and prove to the school board to save a vital piece of our community and a place that teaches the Future Leaders of our County discipline leadership and how to work hard every single day the Martin County Pool is more than something for you to put a a parking lot or a building over it holds the fastest team in Martin County it holds the water where little kids learn to swim and hold themselves above the water in our aquatic community and above all it is where the students that you are supposed to fight for dedicate 17 hours a week for something that they are passionate about our team will not stop winning our team will continue to fight for our home back the dickw wells Memorial Pool deserves to be saved thank you for your time thank you Emerson Beasley followed by dick [Applause] Landrum good afternoon my name is Emerson Beasley I'm in fifth I'm a fifth grade student at Palm City Elementary School and I've have been a swimmer on the Martin County tiger shark swim team for the past four years at the end of last school year we were told that the high school pool would remain open for the 2024 2025 school year however I have not swim there instead of my instead my teammates and I have been swimming from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. every evening after all the other teams have completed their practices I don't understand why that had to happen I love swimming and I hoped that I could one day that I could one that I could One Day represent my my high school as Martin County tiger shark summer please give me my teammates and all the future students like me the same opportunity to pursue our sport as you do for football basketball and football and basketball players and keep the pool open on campus if you can't pay then start a fundraiser but if you don't even try well that's a different story since the pool has already been closed for the first half of the current school year it seems like you've already made up your mind to close the pool I don't know what your end goal is with this decision but if it's to lose the trust of students like me you have succeeded thank you for your time thank you dick Landrum followed by Daniel Romero H good evening I'm dick landr from Palm City and I I'm also talking about the pool the swimming community has two other choices for you to consider tonight Choice One the school district continues to maintain the pool and chooses option one minimal stop Gap 5 to 7 years of minimal repairs to be followed up by option two intermediate 10 to 12 12 years after a funding program was established well enough to proceed began a funding program asking the taxpayers to add a millage rate to property tax assessment that would raise the money not only to maintain the pool but eventually add pools to each High School Indiantown Jensen Beach South Fork over the next 3 to 10 years so that there are community pools throughout the county you will have an email copy of this proposal with an attached uh spreadsheet tomorrow uh showing a way to fund the community pool with an addition to Martin County property tax assessments for the school district or if the county takes over the pool the County Recreation Department the spread sheet shows amounts based on the amount of money it would be determined to raise each year to meet the goals of the community pool fund for example to raise a million dollars the average property owner's annual tax bill would increase by only $10.3 sense maintain the pool maintaining the pool would be funded by property tax assessment and the remaining amount would be earmarked for building additional pools in other communities preferably on high school properties with the same arrangements as the original pool Choice two Choice two now is to turn the pool over the pool maintenance over to the county deed the pool land of the county to be established as a county park if you choose option one you would um we'd like you to reinstate all the programs listed below at the end of the attached spreadsheet are more ideas about bringing back programs to the coach dick Wells Training Center pool and having them at pools that are built in the future attached is a copy of the state the Save the Pool petition signed by over 1300 now and 47 protesters that um Pro protesting the School District's closing of the pool and threatening to demolish it there are many comments from the petition please see the page sample comments that describe the feelings of all the SES there have been at least six drownings since May in Martin and St Lucy County beaches lakes rivers and pools we need to reestablish swim programs for all ages now we don't need fewer pools we need more thank you Daniel Romero followed by Emily Gonzalez um hello this is my second time being here but I didn't speak the last time so I figured I should pop out my name is Daniel Romero I'm a freshman swimmer at Martin County High School and a member of the Martin County Club team although I haven't been on the team half as long as other swimmers I've excelled in this sport faster than I could imagine all thanks to the competitive environment the team has to offer we all push each other to become our best selves every day we cannot lose this pool swimming at Sailfish Water Park is nothing but chaos some teammates arrive at least 45 minutes late because of the school schedule and the practice starting time if you would be so kind as to reopen our pool these problems would be non-existent making things run smoothly rather than disorganized a friend of mine pointed out that other sports receive more funding than swimming which offends us because we work just as hard if not harder than other sports players our coaches Barbara Proctor Jim momes and Danny Harley work hard to make sure the team gets time so we can stay in shape for the season which is especially hard during the high school season our team was given the worst of circumstances yet we still made it to the state championships all thanks to our three coaches and their persistence we've worked hard we've worked hard and we deserve our pullback so let's stop the hate thank you we are going to take a five minute [Applause] recess e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e all right Emmy Gonzalez followed by Linley Miller hello school board and superintendent Maine uh my name is Emmy Gonzalez and I'm 13 years old and I am in eighth grade at Stuart Middle School I have been part of a synchronized swimming team for four years we compete at a Junior Olympic level against other teams from all over the nation we went to Portland Oregon over the summer and we placed fourth in the nation we have kids from all ages and teams and backgrounds we also have athletes with disabilities we swim 3 days a week at Sailfish Splash we require a deep pool in many hours to stay this competitive we were excited about the opportunity to swim at the Martin County High School pool on day sailfish had competitions or simply not not enough room unfortunately that fell through when the pool closed being a part of a team is being a part of the team is important to me because we support each other in and out of the pool I receive guidance from the older girls and support the younger girls we are sisters we push each other mentally and physically we don't always agree but we always can work it out I look up to the older girls and I want to go to University of Florida so I can be on the team my coaches made we have the best coaches and they oh always want the best for me I look forward to high school and want to compete for the Martin County High School swim team I also would like to be part of the Ace Program we need the second pool to ensure everyone can practice and participate as well as have time for homework I don't particularly like the phone policy that's set in Mark County but do you know where there are no phones the pool all those life skills where we are missing out with phones can positively be learned at the pool thank you thank you Linley Miller followed by Addison nce good afternoon my name is Dr Lindley Miller I'm a local veterinarian um As We Gather here today I think we can all agree that as a nation we are feeling a sense of division many people are tired of the constant Discord but above all we all want the best for our children the Next Generation today I stand before you not to speak about the pool but to talk about something much larger something that can bring us together as a community and that is the power of sports I grew up in the midwest in a small town where the community came together to sport at schools and its athletes it was a place where Pride ran deep and everyone pitched in to make sure the kid kids had the opportunity they deserved I miss that feeling and I can't help but wonder why we don't have that Same Spirit here in Martin County the truth is building strong sport teams doesn't just build athletes it builds strong independent and successful individuals Sports teaches kids how to work together how to manage their time how to take feedback how to lead and how to follow directions these are life skills essential skills that set kids up for success in college in careers and in life and yet I'm saddened to see that we don't seem to have that same sense of Pride and support for our local sports programs we have incredible potential in Martin County but we need to focus on building up all our Sports programs the community needs to see and celebrate the talent of our students and we need to offer diverse Sports programs that allow every child to participate but here's the issue many kids simply don't have the access to the resources they need to get involved in club sports we need to give them opportunity unities we need to ask them encourage them and make Sports accessible for all make opportunities for charter school kids as well as home school children so this brings me to the pool the swim team in Martin County High School if you've ever been to a meet you know how incredible the athletes coaches and families are these kids have overcome so many challenges and yet despite not having a pool they became County Champions and even won districts in fact they had the largest from Martin County at the state meet unfortunately you missed represented him earlier this evening this is a group of dedicated young people who have already proven their talent and resistance imagine what they could accomplish with the right resources so I'm here to ask you please consider reopening the pool let's bring in more sport opportunities let's offer water polo at the high school level and let's utilize the pool for classes cross training for other sports and Community programs like Master swimming swimming lessons and water aerobics I was part of the pool committee we had some great ideas for how the pool could benefit our community unfortunately as those ideas were being developed the pool was closed thank you Addison n followed by Jonathan [Applause] Romero hello my name is Addison Kess and for the next 3 minutes I want you to close your eyes and put yourself in my shoes as one of the captains of the girls varsity swim team team at Martin County High School I was absolutely ecstatic to be going into this final year with this position in hopes of achieving my goals and bringing my team closer together and helping them achieve theirs as well until one day when the pool was closed in the middle of practice let me take you back to that day in the middle of our set we were abruptly pulled out of the water and told to sit on the bleachers where the principal explained that there were severe maintenance issues causing a closure of the pool in the beginning of our season all I could hear was my heart beating in my ears as I looked from the principal to my coaches and to my teammates this could not be happening I was supposed to work my way to States and get my goal time in myund backstroke we were all going to give it our all so this team could go far this year and now we can't even practice as we went into the locker room I looked around at my teammates I pushed aside my feelings and tried to comfort my friends and peers as they accepted this fact and worked through their anger disappointment betrayal tears and lost hopes for a fun and high performing season but all I could say is we will figure this out and we will have our season as captains we will work with the coaches and staff and do everything we can to make this season possible and in that moment I knew I had to give up my plans for that season I knew I needed to accept the fact that I might not be able to perform to my fullest potential but I knew that I would do the best I could with whatever we were given and I would help others do the same when I heard the news that we finally were able to practice at sailfish flash I was so relieved that I would soon that would soon turn to frustration and anger we were dealt with most unfair cards this season our practice times were from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. which interfered with homework clubs and other activities work and leaving every single family on our team incomplete at the dinner table for months on end not only this but during this time we were left to practice the conditions were absolutely disgusting and unsafe the water was murky and white the water was warm and after the hurricane the debris wasn't even cleaned out of the pool and on top of all that it felt like constant pile of obstacles were thrown at us one after another non-stop making it nearly impossible for us to even swim on a regular basis let and Loom perform well at our champion ship meets everything that could have gone wrong did and it was absolutely devastating but we did it we made it through and beat the adversity through and through and with numerous success but this is not my point my point I would like to make here today is that my senior year was absolutely butchered and I am only one of many seniors and you might be asking yourself why do I even care if I'm not going to be swimming that's because I don't want a single person to ever have to go through this again I don't want any more opportunities nor dreams to be ripped away from more kids the way that they have been from me and my my fellow seniors so please keep their dreams alive thank you Jonathan Romero followed by Zach SS hi my name is Jonathan Romero and I'm a swimmer on the Martin County tiger shark swim team ever since I joined this team I've been happier confident I've made a lot of new friends and have had the best coach I ever will but now it's not the same ever since our pool has closed down I haven't been swimming the same I don't think it's fair that this pool is being taken from us swimmers we all love this pool and it's a big part of our lives so don't take it thank you thank you Zach SS followed by Alexandra bark uh hi my name is Zach SS and I'm a swimmer in the mark County tiger shark swim team ever since we have switched pools from The Martin County High School pool to the TCA pool we have gotten Limited hours and nothing like we once had these hours have affected me and other swimmers in a negative way and we can't practice like we used to now in November middle schoolers like me have even less time to practice uh because it starts at 3:30 but middle schoolers are barely even getting out at that time there is no reason to close this pool because it does nothing but good to the community thank you thank you Alexandra followed by Sarah decowski good evening I did not anticipate speaking up today um and I don't have a speech prepared but I did just drive from Orlando and so taking this opportunity to to address the board I feel that it's important to share this personal story so many many years ago I was I had an opportunity to a part of Martin Cony as a foreign exchange student student it was truly a privilege new language culture certainly no friends but would made an immediate immediate difference with Coach M his amazing staff and wonderful students the teammates that I got to meet provided a sense of belonging sense of Comm and not just Pride but also responsibility and accountability to present our school on a bigger stage so while we sit here and crunch numbers I ask you to consider the those things that our wonderful coaches have been working for and developing for the past decade and that is a sense of leadership outstanding students fure um good representation of of our society my child now swims for Coach momes I cannot put the value it is immeasurable and while we can have the spreadsheets see what will work I ask you to consider those worth the it worth the sacrifice what our coaches have been building worth the sacrifice their future thank you Sarah jakowski followed by Clyde [Applause] dlan good evening board members my name is Sarah dakowski and I'm a senior at Martin County high school I have been swimming for four years I started during the pandemic but I've been swimming for Martin County High School and officially for the club team for four years and to give you a glimpse into my life for four years I have been putting countless hours into that pool joking with my friends I spend more time there than I do at home I have been putting countless hours of training putting my body through stress to the point where my back aches constantly but I don't stop because I love swimming all the barriers that have been put in front of us this season we have pushed through we have meddled at States we have won districts we've been Regional Runners up we've pushed through those barriers because we love this Sport and we love training no one would do what we do if they didn't love it no one would put their body what we have put our bodies through if they didn't love it we swim at this pool during High School season from 6:30 to 8: I fortunate enough I have off blocks and that isn't a hard time for me but I watch my teammates struggle to get there struggle to get rides home and rides to practice struggle to do their homework as late as 11 to 12:00 at night when they have to get up at 6:00 a.m. the next day we now currently practice 3:30 to 5:00 and like I said I'm fortunate enough that doesn't bother me but many of my teammates are walking from school school that ends at 3:15 it takes a 15minute walk in the heat try practicing when you are dehydrated then many of our middle schoolers who swim on the senior team they don't even get there till after middle school ends so we only practice till 5:30 so they've just lost so much practice time because we don't have a pool to swim in part of the convenience part of the reason why so many people join swimming is because they can walk to practice after school their parents don't have to leave work to drive them anywhere they don't have to worry about transportation and I know you guys have heard a lot about the pool tonight know you're probably sick of hearing it but I hope that tells you how many people are willing to be here rather than anywhere else rather than doing homework work anything watching TV because they want you to know their their personal connection to the pool why it is important to them pool is important to me because I have met so many wonderful people who I know I will keep in contact with even after I graduate and I didn't get to swim where my whole journey started I didn't get to swim my senior year season where I started swimming four years ago but I'm hoping that no one else on my team has to experience that the Juniors get to have their senior season there the sophomores the freshmen the incoming freshmen they get to have their season there because I didn't and if I never swim in that pool again but they do it will all have been worth it to me thank you Clyde dlan followed by Our Last speaker Charles Lang good evening members of the board uh my name is Clyde Dulan I'm a longtime resident of Martin County and uh I can tell you that the pool was a necessary feature of the Martin County School District in the 19 1980s when I had the privilege of swimming for dick Wells uh and competing for the Martin County Tigers it is still a necessary feature uh when I first started swimming there we had less than 60,000 people in Martin County now we have over 160,000 people in Martin County and the need for the pool is as much today as it was then if not much much more so uh so I would Echo the wi wisdom of these young people who have been speaking here tonight and I would encourage you please consider finding the money to maintain the pool to rehabilitate the pool and keep the pool it's a necessary feature of this community thank you very much thank you last speaker Charles Lang good evening ladies and gentlemen um my name is Charles Le Martin County resident got two kids at a swim team well one now um I grew up a swimmer I grew up in a little town 4,500 people alanek Michigan our pool was only open in the summer it was run by the alc Lions Club I was up there in the summer and I was talking to the president of Lions Club who's been the president of Lions Club I think since I was born but um that pool a blown by itself averages almost $11,000 a month in the six months of Summer dropping off kids five bucks a session three sessions a day they go over buy a soda a candy and in all God's will I can't understand it upsets me 4,500 people can keep a pool open but this town can't I whatever it's about it's not about you guys I know you like seeing kids drowning on the news you hear it all but but whatever it is it's fixable and fix it help us work with us he's got plans everybody's got a plan I talked to Congress in Mass he's like God they can't figure this out let's get a plan he's got a plan come on guys it's one pool there should be 10 more we shouldn't even have in this conversation you guys should be doing better things but if a town of 4,500 people can make a pool swim and the other part of that is the alc Lions Club takes the remainder of that money and they buy a dog a week a labrador a week because they're for Leader Dogs For the Blind and they pay for one dog and a dog to be trained every week throughout the year with the remainder of that money out of the pool and we can't keep one open that's just same come on guys help us please help us thank you public comment is now completed I would like to um ask the board to move to 2103 to talk about the pool that's okay with the rest of the board okay Mr C Crest 2102 I I apologize N3 give me one second while I open up the document so good afternoon Madam CH board members superintendent Maine um it is my pleasure to report to you um we were given guidance from the board several months ago to do an assessment on the pool I currently have the architect here that was um represents the firm that um had the Consultants that helped with the assessment I'll let him introduce them in a second um just to give you some background um Renee Trilla he's been practicing architecture over 30 years he currently leads Harvard jolly and pbk South Florida operations in West Palm Beach um he's Executive Vice President and principal of the firm he will be talking about the actual pool assessment summary which is part of your documentation on board docs we will not go through the 102 page document that is actually the assessment but we will go over the main ideas of what that assessment found and um I worked directly with him on this summary and eventually at after he gets them presenting I will present to you the decision summary which is based off of that assessment that Capital assessment summary so those options in the decision making were taking from that assessment summary that he performed as part of the report but I'll let Renee right now introduce himself and talk about the Consultants that were involved with this assessment it was done by a professional firm and I'll turn it over to the re Renee right now Madam chair members Mr superintendent um as Mark said my name is Renee Trilla I'm a principal at Harvard Jolly pbk um we were asked um as been asked many times by the district to go study a difficult condition at a school site um to look at the pool um as as a firm um my office in particular currently working on four swim facilities just as background um we're doing we're designing currently the Kaiser College uh swim facility that they're going to do for all of their swimmers we're designing one at FAU for FAU High School um we're designing the lake Lial um replacement pool facility for Palm Beach County and we're also doing one for another school in Jupiter um so we know a little bit about pools but I say that um very literally in all of those cases there's a pool consultant who is really the expert in the pool um in this particular case when um the school district reached out to us we told them we needed to do two things we needed to hire an electrical engineer and we needed to hire a pool consultant the pool consultant that we hired water technology Inc actually was the pool designer for sailfish so coincidentally um they had some track record here and and while we used several it occurred to us that given the fact that the community is used to that facility it might be helpful for it to be somebody that you know obviously had at the time at least the knowledge to do it and continues to do this nationally um a couple things about doing this assessment it is so old that neither the district nor the health department nor the building department no one has one single drawing on this pool and how it's constructed um that's a little difficult when you're doing an assessment because because of course we can no more see through this desk than anyone else right and and so when you talk about the conditions of something you're having to make some assumptions just like we're having to make some assumptions on costs and I'll explain that in just a little bit here um water Technologies did actually put somebody in the pool we actually waited for this person who I believe was from Wisconsin to be available who is a specialist in this kind of stuff to be able to come down here fly down here and and jump in the pool and see this and that's what created part of the report that you're seeing um as part of that um we were also asked you know well we were asked essentially for a condition an assessment but it wasn't just a thumbs up or thumbs down kind of situation right like everything else that we do whether it's a school or or anything in life there's different levels of what you can do and that's why you see in this report that there's different things now I have heard mentioned that the report did say it's operational yes having said that that does not mean it's okay it's it's kind of like you take your 74 Chevy to the mechanic and you drove it there and it's operational and more than likely when you get out he's going to give you a list of things that should be should be done to it and so this initial part of this kind of addresses a little bit of that you know it talks about listen there's parts of the liner that aren't sealed there's there's marketings that aren't there there's handrails that don't meet code there's there's different things that yes it's operational but what you see in this report in the investment range under that minimal category essentially addresses some of those things um and and of course they broke it down and you have the whole list of things that are in there the same thing happens you you'll when you look at that chart there's one thing that says pool consultant and then it says architectural and Engineering right and and we took the assessment a little further than the pool because the pool doesn't exist on its own right it has a deck it has locker rooms it has different things if you go into a locker room and it doesn't me handicap code in the bathroom or the shower we should probably tell you that right because you're making decisions on things that have to be fixed they don't I take that back don't have to be fixed but you should know that they don't comply and you should know that they're potentials and that's the other part about this estimate right we are we know that some of the electrical fix fixes were done but electrical fixes were done to issues that were identified that does not mean that you went through and checked every circuit in this pool that does not mean you have a filtration system the pool consultant doesn't think it's working properly you have a you have a a um sorry I lost the word here but you have a a a filter system you have um you have different components that appear to be working but they're not tested to be to be right so in this initial that's what you have because as we've done I remember standing in front of you for the brick that was falling off of a high school five years ago right and and we couldn't we couldn't look through that brick anymore than we could but we have to give you an estimate we have to give you a range we have to give you a probable where this might go um because again when we seal that form that liner in that pool that is currently open properly you would check what's behind the liner just to make sure that there are no cracks but I won't be able to tell you that at this point so I'm I'm I'm saying all this to kind of explain how this estimate is done you know again we have no dog in the hunt we you know we we're just doing an assessment of what we believe the pool and the related facilities need because there are related facilities lockers and everything else um as to the cost I heard um well I I I won't say it that way as to the cost for going all the way to replacing the pool we believe that number that's shown there based on the pools that we here currently have under construction under bid and under designed is correct for the replacement of a pool like this and when I say a pool like this we're doing 70 meter swim pools with di Wells we're doing 50 meter pools we're doing 25 meter by 25 yard pools we're experiencing the whole thing so I have I have a pretty good idea that the pricing that we're talking about is what's likely to happen when you get to a construction manager to replace this pool having said that it's also not the cheapest number I think you can get it at right because it wouldn't it would be a disservice to come to you and say you might be able to get it for 10 bucks but it's more likely you're going to get it for 12 so if I'm standing here I'm going to tell you that it's going to cost you 12 because nobody likes being over budget after the fact these numbers are real based on what we are seeing being spent in similar facilities for these sort of things the architecture and the engineering number that's there includes different things you'll see it replicated in in in several columns because it almost doesn't matter it kind of addresses the second part of the statement everybody's talking about the ability to jump in the pool and swim but there are related facilities that whether you do the short version of the fix the intermediate version of the fix or the long-term version of the fix you also have to address you have to address the fact fact that um you know your your your bathroom may not meet handicap code that your buildings are old that essentially other things that would have to come along with that because in a budget process like this we know that when a decision is ultimately made to replace the pool nobody's going to replace the pool and leave all the other old stuff behind right so that's why you see in all of those a category for building and Engineering um I I don't know if I obviously don't want to take any any more of your time than you'd like if there's more I can explain to this I'd be happy to um Mar there anything you'd like me to cover at this time we can take questions on just the capital part of this assessment or we can move to the decision part and I'll go through that summary it's it's it's at the pleasure of the board so I just have one question about the safety I know that you said the pool itself at this point is safe what about the surrounding buildings all of the facilities what is what I want to I want to kind of be clear with the words because I know this is how it comes back to bite all of us right for sure um I I didn't say the pool was safe I I was responding to several people saying the pool was operational um you know in that report and in that first section one of the things that the the pool consultant points out is that um there's non-compliant guard rails on the one meter springboard that's technically a safety issue um they they talk about you know missing different little things throughout here um submerge Outlets um the pool is operational um I I I do frankly believe that regardless of close it don't close it it needs what is listed here in that first step even if you do not do the second part of it which is the architecture and engineering which is the buildings and the conduction uh U condition of the buildings and showers and lockers and things like that the part that they've identified which in your chart there is somewhere between 122 and 158 that's representative of water Technology's belief of the things that should be done you know and and again um one of the examples is the pool is operational but one of the things that they're pointing out is that the depth markings aren't really visible from inside the pool it's still operational but if you're going to do something if you're going to keep it in operation then those first what's listed under COA number one those first things should really be addressed because those things like the filter are still something that the students are going to experience so I guess I'm asking is is the so you're saying the pool is not safe to open yet based on that the the issues that are listed in the report because I think that's that's really we're getting a lot of heat from the public for keeping the pool closed so I'm just asking as an expert or whoever the expert was that made these is it safe to reopen the pool and the surrounding buildings because we have to open the entire facility it's not you can't just open one or the other it has to be the entire facility so that's my question in until this board or if this board makes a decision tonight or it's you know a year from now I want to know if the pool is safe for children in our community to use um that's my question and I guess that would I don't know if maybe we need to get that from someone else I don't know you know it goes back again I'm sorry it goes back again to the um literal transation of s that's why they wrote it the way they wrote it if you had just simply fixed the electrical issue as you guys did and kept on going with the pool and never called us it would be operational it would be assumed to be safe um is a a guard rail at at a springboard it doesn't comply um but like everything in life there's different levels of of you know it's kind of like do you change lanes with your blinker you don't change lanes with your blinker it's it's not it's not the end of the world I I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't believe that I don't believe that you can open and do nothing I don't believe that you have to do the architecture and engineering part but I do think that there's minimal testing of electrical systems that should happen I do believe that there's some of these things like um handicap use of the pool and um accessible means and and things like that that should happen um and with that you know you fix these things and that pool as they said could last you know another five years um you know you'd want to do something like that obviously and timing it with swim season um but I I can't I can't know that there's that there's things that don't me code and tell you that it's safe right I'm I'm in a position where I can't say one or the other in a sense but I know that um you can use that pool just as you were the fact that there is no visible markings is probably less of a problem than the fact that the water is murky in the other pool however it's not right right and and so it still has to be addressed I I don't think think that this is I I guess I'm I'm I'm finding it difficult to tell you that it's safe but I'm trying to say that it's not okay to just leave it the way it is without doing some of these things you know really if you've had some electrical issues somebody should be hired to go through every electrical thing in that pool and verify it that's what should happen um you know and the other stuff is sort of minor in the scheme of things it's not the same as the the the the intermediate one which which was supposed to last another 10 years obviously there's more things to take care of there you know could you could you just seal that liner and um hope everything's okay behind it yes um if you were trying to make it last 10 years then this would be the time you'd check and make sure that that happens so I'm Sorry Miss Powers I just don't know how to answer the question of is it safe I I I I can't really say that knowing that there's some things that should be fixed and I appreciate that and I don't mean to put you in a in a position to make that decision so I guess I'm going to look to the superintendent to our risk management um department and say what we we have to evaluate at some point what what is ready when is it ready is it ready is it not ready because I I want to be transparent and open with the public that says okay we cannot open it until all of the ada8 compliance is me like what are those things um depending on what decision the board makes so I I just want to we're going to need some sort of an a risk assessment and what is our liability as a school district to open a pool that we knowing knowing what we know now has def this pool and the surrounding facilities have deficiencies and if something were to happen what is our liability so I but I but I want to want everyone to know that upfront that these are why we make those decisions because if someone were to get hurt I mean the district is liable for that and so I I want to get some advice on that at some point not now because I know our they weren't prepared for that so Madam chair can I ask a question okay great uh Mr Trilla I understand your response to miss power's uh question but in your report here under findings it says no conditions were observed that would prevent the pool's use no conditions were observed that would prevent the pool's use can you just explain that line then that's in the report rather than go on the safety uh tangent just to so we get a better perspective of what that means yeah yeah and and and it's um I hope you can you all can appreciate in trying to do um something like this that there's no winning at um the difficulty is the choice of words um again nothing would prevent you different from taking your 74 Chevy to the mechanic and it'll drive there and he'll still have a list of things that should be done um so it's like is it operational yes it's operational and nothing would prevent you to go from backing that having said that there's still things that are not correct um so it's it's it's unfortunate that it's it doesn't become a black or white and I know that from you guys standpoint and from their standpoint there's either a yes or no and and unfortunately this is one of those things where it's sort of gray because there are things that need to be done there are fil filtration systems that maybe they're better than a sailfish but should be looked at and there's filter systems and there's different little things that um that's why this first option is something that I would say to you that whenever is the quickest time if you so choose that's what should be addressed because it could be operational and it could be usable and there's nothing to prevent you from using it um but there are still things that should be addressed and I'm I know it's not the yes or no answer that everybody's looking for but um it's the reality that it's a complicated you know there are issues there are things to do yeah I understand there's issues I just wonder why there's not a fourth option where it would be to just open the pool and not have to go through these and that's what I'm trying to get a sense of is what is the minimum there is the minimum zero uh to just open the pool say tomorrow or are you advising against that that that option and and the reason there's no zero no zero option I think that's what you called it but um is because we were hired to do an assessment of the pool we weren't hired to um provide you the what to do part of this right and and you know in doing the assessment we found these things and we're reporting these things and ultimately that's a decision that you guys have to make um you know the duration of which one ones you fix or don't fix could could alter all of those things of how long whether you open tomorrow you open a week from now um but I I'm I'm hired to give you an assessment and then when we go out there and these experts go out there and they see these things our responsibility now is to tell you these things whether or not um whether or not they're what everybody wants to hear um these some of these things exist and and some are more important than others right if you if you seal the top of that termination bar on that that liner in that pool that's a maintenance issue no big deal but you know that's not going to hurt or do anything to anyone but fixing an El a known electrical issue is not the same thing as going through the entire electrics of the pool and all of the equipment and ensuring that it's all done and so ultimately I can't advise on that I can only give the report of the condition um thank you Renee for the report I appreciate it and I appreciate you breaking it down into those coa1 123 6A 6B and um so I have a couple questions my first question is so the 4835 that that number that's the one that's for option one to do the minimal repairs it's the 158 for the consultant and the 3255 for the architectural engineering consultant um which are the things that are composed of the coa1 and COA 6A those two pieces so my question is and and I can appreciate what my colleague Mrs Powers is saying and I I agree with her that um we need to be sure that when we open a facility that it isn't just an operational facility that it needs to be something that um I think our standard is higher than that I mean we have been in a position before probably about I want to say eight or 10 years ago where um there was a question for somebody who was renting the pool who didn't have insurance and without a valid insurance certificate we knew that we could not open the pool and the board made the decision that the even though there were people scheduled to come swim the next morning at whatever that time is that um Audrey referred to um that that we couldn't in good conscience let people go swim in the pool knowing that there was no insurance certificate and somebody did have to get up very early in the morning and go lock the pool to be sure that and to meet the people and tell them that we're sorry but you couldn't be swimming there until we got that situation taken care of so I can understand that my question has to do with um so in my mind reading what you have given us that my conclusion was that we need the 4835 to move the pool from operational into a position where it has at least checked some boxes so we don't have a um a safety issue a risk management issue Etc is that a good summary is that your what's your option one pretty much is entailing from a planning perspective yes okay then okay go ahead I'm sorry having said that the the electrical number is an estimate of what you may find when you test sure right so theoretically if they go through the testing problem when they don't find half of those things you won't be spending those dollars correct but it's it's it's meant to give you you know at least some limit on this so that you guys make a decision not knowing where's where it's going to end correct and I appreciate that I do uh my second question is and I I guess I Look to You Renee and to you mark to do the 4835 if we authorize the 4835 now um what time frame are we looking at that th that those things would take care of I mean are those a one Monon fix is that a six-month fix I mean at what point what is your time frame on those things happening so our estimate right now is if the board makes a decision tonight on basically doing option one which is the 483 number that's a 12 Monon time frame and we're trying to get that cut down to where we would open up for next the 25 basically 2025 swim season and when does the 2 swim season start does anybody know that Dr Miller good evening thank you the athletic director said it starts at the end of July okay so that would give us about seven months and um and like I said we just estimated 12 months because we don't know we don't know when we're getting the exact approval right and you don't and you also don't know what you're going to find when you get there that's the other trick is that that you're saying 12 months based on on a whole 483 um five and expecting that when you get open something you're going to find something more and it's going to become the more elaborate well and just so the public understands we've built four different school projects in the last 24 months and materials have been delayed Labor's been delayed we've had hurricanes you know it it starts delaying the project so 12 months is strictly inest sure and but realizing that most of that for 835 isn't really a a large material issue it's not like needing 500 doors or sheet rock or anything like that correct so I mean I think that's okay um and I'm guessing because this has nothing to do with student stations there's no castaly involved correct and I'm also guessing that um that the 4835 and this is a Renee question doesn't bring it up to current code correct it's a repair thing but it doesn't bring every it doesn't bring the entire facility in um additional things up to current code is that correct I think the intention with that number is that it would be brought up to code although you know it may mean that if you go to the locker room and that bathroom doesn't comply with handicap we're going to do we're going to fix that we're not going to fix it the way you would fix it if you were doing it new right so if we find some electrical issues we're going to fix it that and and so it it is intended to bring things up to code um it's just not as extensive as you would handle a normal renovation project because the intent is just fix it for a short period of time so that it is safe and it it's compliant okay and then my last question has to do with really the difference between um the intermediate fix and the long-term fix so I'm I'm imagining the long-term fix fix is more like and correct me if I'm wrong is completely rebuilding and the intermediate fix is a I would call it a major Rena of what you have there is that a good assessment correct okay and then if you're looking at those realizing that those if you did a 483 and you're pushing those further out what is the time frame and I know that's a a tricky question of an intermediate versus a long-term fix we don't have I I I I said that we are working on four pools um three of which are either are out of design the one that we're doing at the Henderson Henderson School in FAU with the high school um is taking 12 months to build that pool from scratch and part of what Mark is in that particular case it was done with a Mera pool panel and the panels are several months behind and the equipment is sort of like that if you are building a new pool I don't believe that you can do that in less than 12 months are you saying so and are you saying that that's from a delivery standpoint or are you saying that you could if you if you purchased the thing stockpiled and didn't start building until you had the equipment that you knew you were going to need would that shorten the time period theoretically yes if you you know the the plus to that is you have all the stuff sitting there to get started and get it finished as quick as possible the negative to that is the duration of the project Grows Right so you're going to pay a contractor a little bit more because they're in they you're paying for General conditions during that time frame okay um but theoretically that could happen the pool at FAU is taking literally 12 months to build not 12 months to design permit any of that it's taking 12 months to build and get the equipment in place um and and you you know we I I should say this because swimmers know this but when we talk about this in general um a pool a swim pool is not a commercial pool it's not the pool in the golf club it's not the there are a lot of very specific stuff to keep it at a certain temperature with a certain filtration and that's how that's how they do well and so there's a lot of things that aren't just because I run into this all the time you know well I know my community just built a pool and it's a commercial pool that's not a swim pool um and so there's a little level of of complication in doing that okay and then my last question um Mark knowing the the site that this was built on do you have any concern over it being built over the dump and what's going to happen when you start so although I don't know what's underneath the pool um literally 40 to 60 feet away we built the brand new building one M um when we actually did soil testing and started to do the found founds we end up adding a million dollars to that Foundation package because the pilings had to be 30t long in order to hit good soil okay and what they found was an entire dump under that building right so I don't know how I mean it's really close to that pool but I have no idea what's underneath that PO okay thank you which as if I may miss Roberts is as it relates to your intermediate question the intermediate question kind of believes that we're going to take the liner off at some point we're going to check to make sure there no cracks and all these things that's one of those where that's a sort of Pandora's Box because right now in in in this quick fix sealing it we're making it operational we're making it safe we're doing all those things but we're not really checking to see if it goes further and so there is a true potential that the intermediate step might take as long as the new pool because you really don't know what it is we're going to hit you know it it it it's as as happened with that new building it wasn't until we started digging that we found it oh my God now what do we do correct and I would also assume then that if you were using a method where you were stockpiling the equipment um that lends itself better to a full rebuild than it does to an intermediate fix because since you don't know what you're finding and what exactly you're going to need I would think that your major am I correct in thinking that that your major Renault would so so most swim pools are either full L of concrete or they're done with what's called a Mera system and there's similar systems like it but it's essentially the same thing and that is that you buy pre-made panels that are maybe six 8 10 feet deep and but you still have concrete at the gutters you still have concrete as a base so you will eliminate the time that you're waiting for those panels if you pre- buby those but you will not eliminate the time that it still takes to do the bottom of the pool if you will because that is actually poured in place now that will save you some time because you still have half the pool that way however generally those Mera pools are more expensive than a full concrete pool so there again for the savings of the time there'll be an additional investment to do that and and is the um five and a half million is that for a full concrete or is that for a Mera pool that's the anticipation that you would build a full concrete full concrete okay thank you very much that's all I have Madam chair so the $5 million option does it um include the demolition of the current pool yes I believe that's in there um under that co5 right and a cus an assessment soil all of that right and the the assumption is well the somewhat assumption is you have no idea aide whether we're going to find a Cadillac buried down there right so so it's anticipating that we're going to have some normal expected conditions you know um as an example we had to go down 30 feet next to it um I don't know that you're not going to go have to go down 50 F feet so so that number is subject to a little of the unknown because you have no idea what really is there it is assuming that we have similar conditions to what we found next door no I I'd like to know what the pleasure of the board is do we want to uh so I'll I'll start you want um so I think your your A and B decisions are kind of linked together they are because I think that's um just the way you look at them I mean all of them are linked together but I kind of feel like you can't really choose something without figuring out how you're going to be funding that kind of thing um so quite frankly I think that we should be using option three in both cases um that would be what that means is that would mean the 4835 fix in order to get a five to sevene life out of it so that would get it and and I don't think that and and I think we'll have to eventually hear from um Don but I mean I think that what that puts us in is it puts us so that we have to do those things in order to meet the risk management issues in order to be reopening the pool um then I think at that point once we have the 4835 into it I personally think that we should be doing the complete rebuild and be doing a concrete pool Al together rather than doing the intermediate where we really don't know where that's going to go um in doing that I think as far as the $5.5 million in funding there's several ways you can look at it if you've got a five to7 million or five to sevene fix it doesn't hit the capital plan for another five to seven years um but I would think the board might want to entertain doing a sales tax piece for one year for a quarter of a percent put it on the ballot in 2026 and when it goes on the ballot in 2026 it it would be collecting for the year of 2027 the sales tax that we have now um runs out at the end of 2025 so it would give the 26th year where there is no sales tax it would put it on for one year in 2027 we would collect probably $6 million for that state that that's to be used for the pool and related facilities um it also gives us the opportunity to see what the community really wants to do so we would have that period of time where we're saying we've got a five to sevene window where we know that the pool is going to stay open but it puts us in a position where the community because the people I've talked to I've got people on both sides you know it's about 50/50 I mean when I walk into I went to a birthday party the other day and about half the people were oh my Lord you need to save the pool and the other half of the people were why are you spending money on the pool but I mean I think what that does is it puts it back to the voters and says you know what do you want us to do do you I mean and it lets the people actually decide what it is they want to do with this facility and where they want to go with it it gives some closure so that if you if the vote that goes through in November of 2026 is a negative vote and it doesn't go through then at least you realize that I mean all the swimmers and everybody realize here that the issue became that the community didn't want it because I thank you all for coming I thank Congress and mass office Etc but and you are representative of the swimming community but there's a whole another group of people out there that aren't the swimming community that feel that they have a say in this and feel that they need to say something and I think and and and not and don't be I don't want to I don't want to in any way infer to you that people who are not part of the swimming community don't find Value in the pool there's people I know who don't swim who don't know how to swim who do find and aren't going to come at five o'clock in the morning but still find Value in the swimming pool so I mean I don't want you to to think that oh no no it's just us and we're you know we're doing that I mean but I think that puts it so that then the community has an ability to say this is what I want to do or this is what I don't want to do are you saying we pick option one plus option number four for the five to seven years but in 2026 put a bond on the ballot I'm saying that on the pool Capital project choice you pick option three which is option one and option three it's the minimal 4 37,500 Fix Plus the 50-year replacement pool so that's located under the decision Su summary in the decision summary corre yes so I'm saying that one and then I'm saying what that also says is the cost for that is 4835 which would be using potentially LCI uh money correct from the capital budget to take care of the 483 and then to do the funding for the 5495 million we would either do a sales tax we would decide to do a sales tax in 2026 it gives us the opportunity to still at go through Congress and mass office and see if there are any grants in during 25 and during 26 and even if it came to us in 2026 this this time two years from now we would then be in a position where we would say well just because we have approval and it's on the ballot we don't need it because just because the voters vote that they will be willing to do it doesn't mean that we have to do it doesn't mean we have to say we're going to collect so even though it's on the ballot where the voters are giving us permission to collect we could either have it taken stricken from the ballot and say please don't put that on the ballot at that late date or even though let's say they approve it but if we don't need the money we wouldn't collect the money right I mean we would be in a position the same way we are with the up to half a mill but I'm thinking that instead of doing it with the millage instead of confusing the millage instead of going down that road where we know where the millage is we know exactly what we did with the millage we know what that took care of if we just pushed it to the sales tax pushed it for one year collect in 2027 collect a quarter of a percent it'd be about $6 million if we collected that $6 million in 2027 it puts us in a POS position where we're now if you're looking 5 years from now you're looking 25 26 27 28 and 29 so it gives you time where there's planning that can be done there's purchasing of materials that can be done it can get us on track so that when it's an appr apprpriate time and the five to seven years is up it can then be structured in there and then if there's more money that's needed let's say it you did hit a Cadillac or something and you did need more money we could then look at the capital plan and figure out how we're going to come up with an extra half a million dollars but it gives us that five-year Capital plan to do it with I want the public to understand that when we do this we will be moving the other swim teams to this pool Jensen Beach and South Fork will have use of the Martin County High School swimming pool correct correct excuse me excuse me so under under decision C you have to make that choice okay that's a separate Choice yeah and then the timeline is a separate so I I am stating that I would support what you're saying but I want all of the students in the Martin County School District to have use of this pool if we're going to put it out to a bond for 50 years thank you madam chair can I wait on this I know this is my first day on the job here and I appreciate everyone yelling at me saying I've done all these things but this is literally my first day on the job and in 46 years on this Earth I have never seen more passion and love for something as the Martin County High School uh pool the I feel like we've tried it at Sailfish Splash and they're swimming in murky water can we get a risk assessment on swimming in murky water how that's going to do what that's going to do um they're in the side pool the late hours you know getting done at 8 getting home at 8:30 showering I mean these these guys brought up some really great points 38 to Zero by my count in favor of the pool I don't understand I don't understand why we don't have a fourth option on here which is open the pool immediately when I'm and and let me explain here because it's been brought up about a risk assessment and maybe electrical but there's nothing in here that says anything electrical on the minimal investment it says depth markings access rescue equipment so under rescue equipment it says first aid kit so let's buy a first aid kit springboard guard rail termination bars filtration system disinfection system if they're swimming in murky water already how how bad could it be for me I feel like these guys have poured their heart in here they've been here all night I feel like we should at least consider an option where we reopen this this pool immediately [Applause] thanks does anyone else have any comments yes ahead so just for some clarification option one includes wti's assessment but it actually includes the architectural and engineer assessment which is a full electrical test of the existing pool and whatever they find there to fix it that's your 6A correct correct yeah so option one for either decision one two or three or actually yeah decision one two or three would fix the current pool based on the WTI assessment plus the architecture and Engineers assessment and The Architects and Engineers assessment includes a full electrical test of the pool correct and um and I I don't want to be insensitive to people who want the pool open tomorrow or to my brand new board member sitting here with me who think who wants the pool open tomorrow but I I feel that um that doing that is kicking the can down the road again and then we're we're back to where we are we're back to the Band-Aid we're back to the you know and we're back to I don't remember which speaker it was who was saying there's nothing wrong with it we should just go on and it's like I'm sorry we got an assessment the assessment is saying that we should do an electrical test electrical probability piece the other pieces in onea which includes the um whatever it was first aid kit that type of thing but I mean I think that and I can understand that the people who are using using the pool at 5: in the morning want to have the pool at 5: in the morning like tomorrow if at all possible but I kind of feel like as a Schoolboard member my first obligation is to the district to the district's assets to protect our financial position Etc to take care of our and I to take care of the students and to take care of the swim team and to get them as safe a position and as um acceptable a pool as they can get I I am not willing to sacrifice getting a well I'm going to take you out of the cloudy water while you're swimming over the summer but I'm I'm going to put a Band-Aid on it and when the swim team comes back in the fall I'm not going to have a pool that has these things taken care of for them I would rather be sure that when the kids come back in the fall for when the swim season is open that that pool is up to the standard that people come to expect from Martin County that's right thank you so I um I think that we should my position is we should go with option I don't even know what option it is the 400 the half a million dollar option to get the pool open as quickly as we possibly can I know it's not ideal at s fish Splash um but I also am not ready at this moment to say that I want to put a half cent sales tax on the ballot in 26 I want to understand that better I want to know um what that looks like I want to talk to the county I want to talk to Sailfish Splash I you know there may be opportunities for us to invest in that facility and make it a worldclass facility for um that will accommodate more there may be other options than just doing a half cent sales Tech so I want to understand what that is so I am willing tonight to say yes let's fix the pool let's make it safe let's not get in get in into a situation where we're jeopardizing the school district um and potential risk on our part let's make it safe let's get the pool open by the start of school so that the swim team is swimming in the pool and getting ready for the new season I don't see a way that we can really unless our Risk Management Department tells us that they can open up half the pool while they're making electrical fixes and all the other things I I I would have to know that it is that our anyone regardless of whether they're a student in the school School District or they live in our community is safe at our pool and in the surrounding facilities at the pool and if they could tell me that I am 100% open to opening opening the pool that day but we need that reassurance because if we go against that as a board we are jeopardizing the school district and and Mara at the same time I I I understand what you're saying and I do think we have plenty of time to have that discussion about the sales tax because if we did do something with the sales tax it would have to go on in 2026 which means in the spring of 2026 is when we would have to make that decision so we have at least a year probably about a year and a half in order to have that discussion and to see and that also gives us a position where if they do the 4835 fix and have it open in July or September of or whatever the month is in the fall of 25 it gives us through that period of time to figure out where we're going to go yes well this gives us five to seven years according to the plan that we have that amount of time to make a good decision for our community and the most dis least disruptive decision is you know the one that I want I would just want to make sure that we're not making a decision because um you know because the pool is broken right this second let's fix it let's get it operational and safe and then let's talk about what the options are and if the Comm you know and again if the community is willing to invest $5 million into a new facility um I do think that that's the right way to go about it let's ask the voters um to support that or not I I'm not willing to jeopardize the millage I think that we have as a board um really prioritized that for our teachers specifically but also for the critical needs meaning school safety um mental health and teacher salaries so I don't want to jeopardize that not passing in the future because of you know I I I do agree the half cent sales tax is the way or quarter is the way to go and we have to consider too that while our sales tax to construct the new schools is expiring the voters just approved uh half cent sales tax for the county so we need to take that into consideration and the tolerance of of our constituents and the voters in Martin County right so I get a motion I'll make a motion that we move forward with the First Option yes all those in favor I I oppos opposed so uh Miss Roberts motioned Miss Powers second and we have other way and um everyone in favor uh Mr Mari already can you now for the purpose tell the audience what exactly is going to happen at this point so can you reinstate which option you're picking because it's either Decision One A1 two three or four so so I don't think it's your pool capital project Choice One Two 3 or four I think it's purely the option one piece okay involved in one two or three which is the 4835 okay so we haven't come to a discussion or an agreement on the other piece and based on what Mrs Powers is saying and what I'm agreeing to and I guess that needs a longer discussion okay but but the option one piece not saying the one two 3 four in your category a just the first piece of the option one which is the 4835 which if you start on that tomorrow you should be able to be done by June I would guess so that would be um thank you for the clarification yeah and I guess too if we can get an update once you get into this I would like to know at what point if if it is safe if there are things going on in that would make the pool um able to be open but the project work not necess necessarily being all the way complete but it is safe and operational to allow the public back as quickly as we possibly can like it could part of the pool be open so that maybe these kids could still get some portion of it could it be worked on in sections so that this 12 Monon uh or maybe less time span could be reduced or fractioned off so this is not my project but from a project from an architect contract tractor kind of standpoint um I think you just have to phase that so that the first thing that happens is you do all the electrical checks right as soon as that happens you have other fixes but they don't have an implication on the electrical part so I think as the facilities Department hires somebody to do this if they go through and they do all the electrical checks as step one you'll know that you'll be able to fix that and theoretically you might be able to come back to the pool while the other things are being done in in and still be completely done by swim season okay so there's a possibility once the electrical is fixed that the pool could reopen sooner than the timeline is what you're saying okay well and just so the public understands it's sort of like living in the house while you go under a major renovation it could slow things down so I mean there are give and takes if we're going to try to phase it like that so it could take longer but it's I guess what the tolerance we just need to know what we're facing I guess and I don't the quicker we know the better you're correct it's it's much like one of your renovation projects that sometimes happens after hours at a school right in and there's some areas that you can't get to because the kids are there and you have to wait till they leave and so ultimately that extends the duration because there's less hours for them to work but there are there are impacts nevertheless to teachers and students and everybody and I would assume that you know as this project moves forward that's sort of what you would receive at the beginning that the facilities with the consultant that gets hired is going to give you a here's how long we think it's going to take to draw here's how long it's going to take to get permitted here's what we think the contractor should do first this is going to be out of operation for a certain amount of time this is going to happen here now obviously if you find something terrible all these things are subject to acts of God and hurricanes and everything else but you should be able to get some kind of timeline and some kind of thought as to what's going to happen between here and July so I would think that if we have a workshop in December Mark that you would be able to come up with some type of timeline that would have some estimate of which the order that you're doing things and what that looks like for us just to share with us in December does that makes sense or is that because I'm imagining you're not you're going to start immediately to do what you need to do once you get the approval well once this has gone through and once we take care of the funding piece that you're going to start doing it but if you understand that the priority of the board is to get kids into the pool as quickly as possible that when you build your timeline if you can share that with us and if we could have that at a workshop we could ask you any questions we had on it then the community would be able to see it and we would have some idea of where we're going and what that looks like does that so I don't know that I might have a full time onine by that just just to give the board the timeline right now once you give me the clear light because of this dollar amount I'm not just going to be able to get three quotes probably going to have to go through procurement and a public bid to get this Fair work done because of the strict dollar amount that we're talking about and Carter or Jeff can correct me but we're talking about 300 and some thousand just for the electrical part yeah I think what we're saying is that if we could prioritize things like electrical that would prevent the pool from opening or from a risk management standpoint we could address those first so that these kids can get in the water as soon as possible that's kind of our feeling is that clear yes okay so Jeff and Carter is that what that's going to look like so for electrical projects in accordance with ESR that exceed 75,000 it's a formal bid process that's correct and they'll require three consecutive weeks of advertising okay um I just apart from the that timeline but I would also like us to someone to reach out to stalefish Splash maybe and find out how we're scheduling the different schools so that a school isn't always getting the best time slot so that we're sharing they're sharing that everybody doesn't get the prime spot every day or every week maybe we're sharing that so that everybody is having the eight to six to eight time slot instead of just one school experiencing that so maybe they it's shifting around their practice times or their um time in the pool so that it's not just impacting one school more than the other so I guess I'm confused over that if swim season is over and there's we're still using the Martin County School District still has an arrangement for the three schools to use Sailfish Splash is that correct Dr Miller it's my understanding that swim season is over for this year we do have an agreement with sish Splash to ensure that our three high schools can have usage of the pool I I hear Mrs Po's comment and that would be something for next swim season which again my understanding from the athletic director is that's in July so we do have time to work through our pool situation we may not be in a situation where we need to use Sailfish Splash the next time our swim teams get together but if we are yeah so coming up in the fall I think the discussion piece needs to be in the fall to be sure that one school isn't being given priority over another well and to miss P um point about the other high schools being able to also utilize Martin County high schools pool so that they're not in the same situation that we're spreading it out among our three schools um because they do travel the furthest away those schools and Sailfish Splash being right there in the backyard of Martin County high school so I just want to make sure that the other high schools that we're all as we go through this process that everyone is you know you know getting Equitable time and I know that it does impact it getting out of practice at 8:30 at night is hard for high school students or middle school students for that matter if they're on a swim team yeah and Dr Miller I'd also like to know why there the Martin County High School is in the side poool and the late times and the murky water I I think those three things regardless of what where this goes need to be addressed immediately thank you so there's one more item for decision I don't we've we've kind of discussed a b and d I don't know if anybody wants to discuss the operations of the pool under c um but if not we'll go we'll move on well I I think that we're going to have to at some point discuss how we're going to operate um how we're going to operate the pool once it reopens um especially well it depending on when it reopens obviously that will be correct um you know a big big part of the issue like the early mornings um what does that look like are we going to contract out for our chemicals and cleaning and that type of thing is I would like to have a little more information information about costs and what can we do you want to do that in a workshop or I think that's a good idea okay so do we need to make a decision Mark now like what what tell us when do we need to have all of that finalize for it to be the most efficient and but I want also want to be ready if the pool is ready to open we need to be ready with our plan so it I don't think it needs to wait too long right right I mean I think by the beginning of next year you need to start discussing and decide how you want to operate the pool yeah we could Workshop it um Janu January or do you want to do it in December I think Janu is that enough time January enough time for you yes okay because he's got three weeks of advertising okay we'll we'll um do it on a workshop in January thank you all right so so the next agenda item actually approves the capital plan amendment to fund the 483 so that's what that agenda item is for I'll move approval of 2103 at the I think it's 4835 even though it says 4875 is that correct say 437 on well 437 or but isn't it or 4835 it's 48383 second all those in favor I I I Miss Roberts motion hour all right we are now going to move back to District update you guys forget about that we jumped around a little we need to do that you're going to yield okay do we I mean we can no let's do the district update sure okay they don't it's not pry long that's okay okay uh moving on Madam chair Vice chair congratulations on your election and um Mr morard congratulations uh to you as well uh my name is drik low coordinator of public information and community relations it's my pleasure to bring you this month's District update on behalf of the public information Department uh getting started is your child dreaming of becoming an aerospace engineer or a soil scientist what about a marine technician public speaker or even a military officer well the future will hold bright and uh Endless Possibilities rather when students decide to make the most of their experience in the Martin County School District beginning next month on December 1st families can apply through school choice to one of the district's specialty Pathways uniquely uh designated to or designed rather to engage Inspire Challenge and prepare students for their future our featured schools this year again beginning December 1st include Bessie Creek ele El which has been identified as a Cambridge International School Jensen Beach Elementary which is now known as the center for environmental stewardship Pinewood Elementary is going to be the district's communication Academy focused on elevating and empowering student voice seawind Elementary will be the district's Leadership Academy and that will conclude our elementary schools for this year uh at the middle school level Anderson middle school is going to be the district's premedical Academy along with Hidden Oaks Middle being the Cambridge preas Academy for the district Indiantown middle school has been designated as the academy for hospitality and tourism Murray middle is going to be our agricultural Academy and Stuart Middle School finally is going to be the Academy for engineering and Entrepreneurship now at the high school level students can apply for either a academic signature program or a CTE Academy CTE being Career and Technical educ education or a student can apply for both all three of our high schools smartan County Jensen Beach and South Fork are going to be open for specialty pathway enrollment so whether your child is in zone or out of Zone Martin County residents and employees children who work here at the district are welcome to apply those applications will be located in the Focus Parent Portal again beginning on December 1st and we hope that you will secure early access to your child's School of Choice and help them embark on a pathway to success speaking of our excellent Career and Technical education programs they are growing as always the district along with the help of Miss Lana baros who was our director of innovation and choice uh recently was awarded a $2.5 million Workforce Development Grant to help support the creation of several CTE programs providing our students with Hands-On learning opportunities in many high demand fields these include but aren't limited to Aerospace Technologies Agro technology air conditioning refrigeration and heating technology Allied Health assisting Automotive Maintenance and light repair biomedical Sciences building and Construction Technologies communication technology criminal justice operations engineering Pathways landscape operations Veterinary assisting and welding technology fundamentals upon graduation student students earn industry certifications needed to secure High wage high demand jobs immediately and by expanding access to Career and Technical education programs we are ensuring that our students are prepared for the workforce of tomorrow I do want to take a moment to highlight the extraordinary work that is happening at South Fork High School within the Bulldog closet our student representative touched on it briefly earlier but for those who don't know the Bulldog closet is an on campus is thrift store ran entirely by students at South Fork High School the Bulldog closet was recently featured again now for the second time on WPTV News Channel 5 since it has nearly quadrupled in size and received a donation uh of $10,000 from the local community I'm going bear with me as I bring up our video here and we'll talk about it more after the video hey from uh prom dresses to daily Essentials the Bulldog closet has it all and impressive too it is run entirely by students at South book High School in Martin County this is a special place ta Walker shining a light on the program and its big positive awesome impact on the community hey ta good morning Ashley good morning Hol good morning everyone yeah it's for need-based students or students who want to get a $5 prom dress it's it's kind of interesting uh Kyle you've uh been a part of this project and really it's people even out of State donating items right it it is crazy the reach that we've had the the prom dresses came from a bridal store in Alabama that's crazy okay let's talk to our next person which is Addison Addison it's not just clothes that you you have here available no um other than like bags clothing shoes we also have hygiene products as well as an array of school supplies so that we can meet all the needs of our students I love that uh Valerie what what else do you want to tell us uh everything that we get in here is completely donations based so it goes right back to our community Through scholarships and other opportunities love that principal Jamie uh you got a big donation from a a company right yes our community support really has been tremendous we just received a uh $10,000 donation from our local Edward Jones so we are really thrilled about that that's so cool awesome so if you have something you want us to shine a light on email me at shining a light wptv.com he goes on to to toss back to the anchors in the studio you can see that the Bulldog closet has now well expanded beyond the walls of South Fork High School uh principal Jamie Thompson actually and her staff are going to be attending a conference next month I believe in Denver Colorado and while there they will be giving a presentation on how the Bulldog closet has created a sense of Pride and Community amongst the students at South Fork so last month was National principal's month unfortunately a lot of their amazing work was un uh overshadowed by the the storms that we experienced here locally I would like to take time now to recognize all of the outstanding principles for their hard work dedication and sacrifice since last month's meeting our public information team has put together a video with some of our principles following a popular Trend you've probably seen them on our social media uh over the last few weeks but in case you haven't uh we did create another little mashup for you uh to enjoy bear with me can I get you assignment for me please oh my God where did you get this and why this my junior prom happy National principles Mom oh my gosh and what what am I this is my junior prom actually yes where did you find them not senior prom though but Junior Prom well thank you you're welcome do do I look the same can I have you sign something for pleas and this picture is actually where I was um in future educators of America it was the picture for the yearbook I pull you over because I want to see if you can find something for me oh Jesus you're so funny really the the best job in the whole world and um I'm I'm doing exactly what I ought to be doing so I I think um this this degree made it happen for me and um I wouldn't change a thing I just need you to sign something for me how' you get this never ever thought I would um have the honor of being the principal of JD Parker Elementary um but I'm so glad that I am even can I can I get your your signature on this please did you did you do this this was me and probably two 1999 or 2000 I started heading in that direction because I thought it would be um a great opportunity a great you know kind of next step in my career to become an administrator that I would want to have for myself that could help kids in the way that I I thought was important for for their success and so it's what still pushes me forward to this day can you sign something for me please oh my goodness that's funny would you have ever expected that you would have been fible never always always wanted to be a teacher but never very yeah let's give a round of applause for our for our principles we're so proud of the work that they put in and the the time that they sacrifice away from their families uh each and every week really it's a very demanding job but um that does conclude this month's District update until next time of course if you're watching you can find us wherever you scroll we're always posting content to our social media pages and we're on just about every platform so thank you superintendent Maine well I was going to yield my time Madam chair but I think think we do need a little celebration and I've got a couple more so we'll just go quickly through these uh in my board update first and foremost we just want to thank the um Martin County taxpayers on on behalf of the entire School District our heartfelt thank you to the community for supporting and renewing our millage your vote ensures that our district can continue funding all of the vital programs that we put into enhance Safety and Security our mental health programs Recruitment and Retention of high quality staff professional development programs and academic initiatives we will continue to move forward in financial stewardship with the millage as we always have um the last several years uh oh I don't think this one has a video so I'll just keep going while you work on that okay Martin County School District is proud to announce that several of our schools have been honored with the Positive behavioral interventions and supports model School award award for last year's 2324 school year the awards just came in the prestigious recognition celebrates schools that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to fostering positive behavior and enhancing culture and supporting Student Success Through implementation of our PBIS strategies please join me in congratulating Pinewood Elementary for their Platinum Status very proud of pinewood JD Parker and Palm City Elementary for their silver status and Riverbend Academy Hidden Oaks Middle Crystal Lakes element and Port solo Elementary for their bronze status congratulations to all of those schools very happy for them since we had our last meeting I've also had the pleasure of announcing this year's teacher of the year at the Education Foundation of Martin County's annual celebration Miss Vanessa Molina Council a fourth grade teacher at Citrus Grove was named our elementary teacher of the year and overall teacher of the year for the district Miss Alicia Carter from Hidden Oaks who teaches creative writing and digital media along with PE was recognized as our Middle School teacher of the year and Miss Samantha pangur from Jensen Beach High School who teaches AP Human Geography as well as AP US History was named our high school teacher of the year each one of them embodies what it means to be a champion educator in our school district and I know their dedication and commitment will live leave a long lasting impact on each one of their students at this time I'd like to invite you all to watch this brief video tonight all these fabulous Educators tonight and on beh of the educ found of Martin County it is our pleasure to announce this year Spirit Award winner to Felix I am so proud to announce our 2024 25 teacher Elementary School teacher of the year is Vanessa it's our 2425 Middle School teacher of the year Miss Alisia I'm proud to announce our 2425 High School teacher of the year goes to Samantha the winner of our overall Martin County teacher of the year for 2425 joat I feel like I'm in a dream right now I'm so happy so excited I feel so so honored right now I love the work that we put into it I love the outcome that the children telling you that they want to see you and they're happy I I love when kids are happy about learning and they come to school and that's what makes this job phenomenal for me here to our phenomenal Martin County teachers of the Year great group of individuals and we also had the pleasure of naming this year's principal and assistant principal the year Miss Sarah Tuttle from Felix A Williams Elementry and Mr David Schaefer from Port solo respectively Miss Tuttle joined us from California where was she was an assistant principal she started with the Martin County School District at Indiantown middle school before taking over at Felix just two years ago in that short amount of time not only has she taken Felix a from a b-grade to an a grade but she's also maintained that status for the last two years a task that is incredibly difficult Mr Schaefer who started with the district way back in 2011 working in extended day and then eventually becoming a teacher in 2014 before moving to Port solo Elementary has been instrumental in helping Port solo jump two-letter grades to a b in just two years at this time we'd like to have you watch a video of Celebration waiting with anticipation these families are ready to help surpr ruris their loved ones with huge news in a room full of amazing School leaders to stand out every time you meet a single staff member on her campus every time doesn't matter whether it's a non-instructional staff member or whether it's a teacher they sing the Praises of Sarah and they sing the Praises of Justin Mrs Sarah Tuttle of Felix A Williams Elementary named principal of the Year her leadership has guided the school to an a rating for the last two years as we know it is extremely difficult to maintain an A and they have been an a under her leadership for the last couple of years with just you all make a a dynamic team Port solo Elementary also making strides jumping two grades in two years Mr David Schaefer played a role in that effort and is the assistant principal of the year when you got up on that stage to talk to staff uh this year uh when you welcome them back and you got emotional you could feel the passion and you could feel the commitment to the kids of Port solo and you really truly knew that your heart and soul breathed that school and you wanted everything to go right for those kids and for your staff I love the school that I work at I love our kids and our families and you know we we show up every day for them for Mrs Tuttle she feels that connection at her school and with all the district leaders because everybody here is like family and um just thanks for giving me a chance she was in for another surprise from her school family they hosted a huge celebration to honor her title as principal of the Year congratulations to Mrs tothill and Mr schaer we know they will go on to represent us well at the state level and Madam chair at this time this concludes my superintendent's update thank you all right we now have moving right along I go through all these does anyone have any questions on any of any of these updates right then we will move on to board information share yes um where on the agenda would you like me to talk about the requests for a special school board meeting oh okay the the for the extra this is the workshop yes yes okay you can you can do that right now thank you um while we were here boys and girl so this is regarding the second proposed amended lease for the boys and girls club property with the steart club um while we've been at this meeting they've accepted the draft that I've given them the original lease on them constructing it the First Amendment to the lease School Board owns the dirt the real estate second the first amended lease was Boys and Girls Club owns the building the parking lot what they built they have requested to be able to hold fundraisers on their site where they can have Caterers who serve alcohol that is the issue where working with Mr Calderone and working with limitations on when that could be offered basically when school is not in session where the gates are closed between Stuart Middle School and boys and girls club we have a second proposed amended lease their plan for fundraising has their first fundraiser on December 14th so I'm requesting whether the board at the workshop on the 10th would have a special meeting for the board to be able to review it I will before that go through the legal aspects of it with the board and it would then if approved by this board allow them to host events and fundrais rers on primarily the weekends and evenings so um my my preference would be that we leave it up to the chair and the superintendent so you all will have the opportunity to review it and determine if it with our legal count legal team that it's good to go and that then I think you can call the special meeting this the um chair can you want it in you want it in December though because they want to start moving along correct correct so okay we can do that because because I don't know if we need a special meeting yet because we haven't seen the lease or had any questions or issues or bringing those up so if we can get a copy of it in the interim too while you're you and the super all right and then we can we can make that determination okay because it was accepted while we've been sitting here I can get that out to you all tomorrow all right thank you so I I I'm just wondering do we have a policy board approved policy about alcohol on school board property you have the policy that yes you have the policy that adopts the state statute which says that there will be no alcohol Schoolboard property there will be no illegal drugs or alcohol correct so how do we navigate that how do we how do we violate a policy with a lease because you know the way we were always taught was that um the statute comes first cbas come second policy comes third and then board action comes under that so and I can go through that now or I could go through it at the meeting if you would like me to go through it now I also know you all have been sitting here for a long time I am of the opinion that the lease as drafted is legal and does not violate the policy okay well I guess we'll hear about it at the meeting yeah we can go over it at the meeting yes okay yeah it seems pretty clear I mean just um Schoolboard travel any public comment on Schoolboard travel approval of 2101 second Miss Roberts motion Mr Mari already approved all in favor I I motion approved go back okay yes okay um at this time we will go back to 1303 the uh calendar and have discussion propos 2526 school calendar Dr Miller so I pulled this item to um to discuss so um obviously when the calendar came out I got we got a lot of feedback mo more so because of the probably had we had it happened after um the um after Veterans Day but it was very pounced to a lot of people so we got you probably you all probably got the emails and feedback from the community about Veterans Day and so I know sometimes it's I decided that I was going to look into it a little bit more and I really appreciate everything that the calendar committee does um it's only been the last couple years that we have not had had Veterans Day off um we have had Veterans Day off in the past and so I started talking to parents um I did I participated with the superintendent in the Veterans Day Parade um talking to Veterans um themselves and I feel like it's a lot of it is in the elderly veteran community that they really feel that it was disrespectful for us to hold um um school and I can understand that um and I just would like for the board to reconsider that day that we consider having that day off that we um this I've talked to the superintendent about it um everything that we're doing now leading up to Veterans Day all of the educational peace talking to kids about the importance of veterans and the importance of patriotism and all the things that happened I I think when I looked at each individual school yes every school did something but it was not a schoolwide um I in fact I got some some complaints from um Exile Fork High School that parents didn't feel like they were getting that their kids were not participating in anything on Veterans Day um so I would like the board to consider us having Veterans Day as going back to the way it used to be um there are a couple of options to add it to the calendar um without changing any of the any of the days that the board had already approved we could either do it on the front end which which was adding it to July I think it was July 31st um as an optional day for teachers and and replacing it with that um so that we they come back one day earlier and having that day off with that because I feel like in order to respect both parties both schools of thought and honoring both that we should have because I believe it falls on a Tuesday this year so it would be Tuesday then being off from veter day and Monday before doing all the same things that we did and making sure that we promote it very well we have all the guest speakers come in with then Tuesday have off that way you know I feel like both sides are being honored anyone else I'll politely disagree I I'm proud of the way the district handled this this year I thought that uh kids came back with more knowledge of what Veterans Day was and why it was important than I've ever seen before than just giving a day off um we're not trying to disrespect veterans in any way and and um kids can participate in the parade without uh a penalty of absence if they if they show choose I've personally asked many veterans congressman Brian Mast many high ranking State veterans that we have here they all love the way it was done and um it's I understand you could do it a different day but that's like celebrating Christmas on a different day I feel like it's important to have as long as we're going to go this way that we celebrate Veterans Day by honoring them making sure every school has veterans coming into it and continuing with the program and I'm proud of what the school district does so personally I'd prefer to keep the calendar as is so I have a a different tangent that um when you look at that is I noticed that on the calendar we've identified Super Bowl as being Sunday February 8th randomly and that the students have off on Monday February 9th so I was thinking of swapping the Veterans Day for Su that Monday so the students would have off on Veterans Day but not have off the Monday after Super Bowl the only thing that does is it takes the half professional learning day that was supposed to happen on the 9th because the teachers were going to come on the 9th which and I think it's a couple things it's one is it's when we don't have school on that day but the teachers are coming on that day then we don't have extended day on that day then we have the parents that have students that need some kind of Child Care on that Monday so I was thinking if we swapped the Veterans Day for the Super Bowl day and moved the pl the half the professional learning day to January 2nd where you had the half a day work day there and if you put it pushed it to there I was going to well and I just want to say you brought up Super Bowl Monday and I think that the public veterans in particularly got wind of it that we were um that was openly discussed about taking the day after Halloween and the day after the Super Bowl but we can't take off Veterans Day and so I think that was really what caused the real stir was wow like look how little you think of veterans which is totally not true obviously and we I I agree with you um Brian that the school district did a great job and I want that to that work to continue in all that educational piece while honoring our veterans at the same time having part and it was there wasn't as much participation at the parade as normal um there were not as many families with young young children um on the parade route so um you know I just and I and I agree with Brian I do think that the um the piece that's done in the school which is what we've done except for this last year piece that we've done in the school has been very and has been beefed up and I think we can do that on the Monday I think that would be completely appropriate to do it the day before and then that sets people up so that if they want wanted to go with their family to go to some parade or something else they could do it on on the Tuesday I understand I'll just respectfully disagree I just I feel like it's important to have that stuff on Veterans Day so that it's really important to the students and I feel like the the school district and the superintendent has made such an effort on that day that I I think that's the best use of that day versus just giving it off and I mean how many how many families are actually going to go to that parade so I mean for me I I like the way we're doing it so that's just my two cents may I I would like to propose that we have a proclamation that veterans month be November and celebrate the veterans all month long I've written one up I'd like to um bring it to a future agenda and I think that we can combine all of our desires here and and knock it out of the park with a full month that they should be honored and I think that would definitely go a long way to satisfy everyone but I do agree with you we should have that day off and this way the veterans month they could have programs and people come in all month long thank you so are you looking for a motion Madam chair so I make a motion to approve the calendar with the following changes that we make Veterans Day a day off that we make the Monday February 9th a regular school day and that we move the professional learning day the half professional learning day to January 2nd have a motion by Miss Roberts a second by Miss Russell all those in favor Madam certainly um is the part of your motion to have this ongoing correct so we will that it will become part of the calendar planning moving forward and that this is is a day off for our entire School District including our administrative staff that and it'll be in the plan for the next next calendar planning time if it falls on a school day obviously that is my understanding I guess Miss Roberts is going to clarify um that was not my intention with the motion my intention with the motion was to just take care of this calendar um I I kind of feel like if we were going to do direction for future calendars we should either have a workshop and let the public be able to come and speak to I mean this is a this is an advertised calendar but to project into the future I understand where we are but I don't want to be disrespectful and not let the public have a chance to come and talk about that so I think if we had if we scheduled that as a um calendar discussion like an overall calendar discussion for a workshop or something maybe in January or February that gives us enough time to say February so if we push it up until then that then we can have a discussion on what we want calendars to look like in the future because we've had this discussion before in the past for instance that was about um say the early release days and the problems with putting an early release day on a Friday and that people then think that the whole weekend is off you know that type of thing which is a discussion that the board had years ago where early release dayses tend to fall more in the middle of the week before so I think that would be a more appropriate place to handle it so anyway so my motion is I'm fine with that okay so my motion is that um Veterans Day is a school day that Super Bowl Monday or Veterans Day is a day off that Super Bowl Monday is a school day and that the professional learning half day moves to January 2nd and where was the professional learning day before that it was on the Super Bowl Monday I was on the Super Bowl Monday yeah but that is so that Super Bowl Monday was supposed to be the students were off on Super Bowl Monday but the teachers were coming for professional learning okay but we're having the teachers come in on the second they're coming anyway for a work day on that day so they were coming anyway okay and superintendent so are we going to still celebrate on that Monday because it's not clear what date we're going to celebrate that in the schools is is Monday the day before okay with you so that we can continue that tradition so I can add that to my motion yeah yeah yeah I would appreciate that that because regardless of what is decided whether it's the proclamation for the entire month of November based on what I heard from board chair pritet or whether it's going to be uh no to the proclamation but just celebrate or recognize on Monday we will certainly make sure that all schools have the celebrations and the recognitions because I think it's important to have that exact day and not just be like well maybe Monday maybe summer Wednesday it's like this is when we're celebrating it and continue that tradition like we did this year I think that was important for our students okay thank you so I'll make that part of my motion if Jen will make that allow that for a second thank you madam Madam chair I'm sorry to interrupt I just for clarification we need one teacher workday my understanding was the January 2nd day that is slated for a j a work day for teachers where did the teacher work day move so isn't that a half a teacher work day that's a a full day no it's they've it's a full teacher work day the that's just count counting the three and a half out of the total sum required by contract counting that so I need another need another teacher work day if the teacher work day becomes a professional learning day which is fine we still need a teacher work day somewhere that's well that's why adding it to the beginning of the year makes it an optional day that first at 31st and then the next two days are I mean so July 31st yes and that's like that moves it from an to an optional teacher so I think you move the optional to the 31st and you make the work day the first does that make sense to you so just for clarification the optional teacher work day on August 1st The Proposal is it moves to July 31st right does everything move back by a day no then you add the work day that you need to add you add it in on so by cont by contract there has to be a work day in the second semester so how about starting school on Monday instead of Tuesday and then pushing back I think that was one of the recommendations they had is that they wanted to start it on Tuesday in the committee so started it on Monday we started on Tuesday we started on Wednesday before but that was what they specifically they asked for was to start on Tuesday to ease back into the school year and personally I don't want to just chop up everything they've done there another possibility it's an option I'm open to hear what so so what are you saying Dr Miller I don't understand what you're saying to me so I believe in the teacher contract one of the teacher work days is in the second semester to assist with the timing for teachers to complete report cards grades and things before report cards come out so that's why the timing of the January work day is where it is in January so that allows teachers to be able to prepare their grades or prepare for the second semester as they begin to welcome the students back for the start of the second semester third nine weeks so there is a teacher workday by contract and then also a professional learning day the 4.5 is just and 3.5 is keeping track of the total number if you look on the first tracking sheet by contract we need four and a half teacher work days four and a half teacher professional learning six paid holiday and one conference so it's just tracking along the way to show that we're meeting the intent of the contract so how did you do it this year so this year 2425 we have a teacher professional development day in Fe February and we have a teacher work day on January 3rd so similar setup to next year timing so do you have any suggestion on how to solve that and not have and have students come to school on to swap I mean if I'm going if we're going to swap Veterans Day for Super Bowl Monday do you have any suggestion on how to pick up the professional learning day then Dr Miller so the Super Bowl day so we have you'll see there are dates on the calendar just to let people know when you'll see all kinds of things on there that are not really related to choices in the calendar they're just to let people know where we are in the grand scheme of things based upon parent comments that we hear based upon comments that come from the committee members and so that's why you'll see dates like the Super Bowl so that was a time that we had heard in the committee for teachers to come for professional learning that was a great day for professional learning what we had heard from I believe it was high school teachers in particular was that student attendance wasn't as Stellar as they would like on a day after an event such as the Super Bowl which is why it was noted there so if there's going to be a professional learning day the idea was let's take a day that maybe isn't as well attended by students to make that a non-student day but have it a day for P for full professional learning for staff so that was why that particular day the 9th was selected as opposed to the 2 or the 23rd so you're telling me that I could move that student off day you you're what you're saying is you aren't in favor of taking the student off day and swamping Super Bowl Monday for Veterans Day so that student off day professional learning then would be on Veterans Day if you're swapping day for day teachers would then have professional learning on Veterans Day because it's a teacher workday student off day so the day that students are off on February 2nd I'm sorry 9th is a teacher day that they are in session so if I swapped it for anything else in order to have Veterans Day off I have to come up with another day for students to go to school so do you have a solution for another day for students to go to school is what I'm asking you so as Mrs Powers mentioned the only days that really are here and flexible is you could start on school school on the 12th so in other words if you were talking about moving the optional teacher work day from August 1st to the 31st although that was not the recommendation of the committee because the um teachers really did not want a July date so just to share with you the committee discussion all of that could move back a day students first day could be on the 11th opening up that as the additional day that would in the sense be swapped for Veterans Day everything would just move back starting on July 31st and then the teacher students first day of school would be on the 11th meet the teacher professional learning all of that from the 11th would actually move back to the 8th so that whole section would move back by a day and again as as Dr Mory already mentioned that was it was specifically mentioned by committee members that many especially in elementary prefer not to have a full week of school the first week that was by Design to not have a full five day week the first week is there another option that besides the other option I think Mrs PO said this as well we could extend the last day of school so the last day instead of it being on 28th would be the 29th which means that the teachers would have to come to work on June 1st teacher work day would be on June 1st and would push summer school beginning until the 3 your I don't like any of those options yeah I I mean most most s this can we send this back to committee or it's that optional day teachers have the option of coming on the 31st so if they don't want to start one day earlier they have the option of not it is an optional day so it will start on the 1 so yes Mrs Powers is correct the optional day that the concept in the contract behind the optional day is Teachers can choose to work an additional day the the official teacher first day that everyone must be in attendance according to the calendar in front of you is August 4th however there's an option in the contract where teachers can choose to work on the first in this example and then they can take another work day off so another words they switch one day for another so no one teachers would not have to come back if it was mov move to the end of July they would not have to choose to come back in July I thought when I just said that a few minutes ago you said that the day had to be in the second semester and that was why we ended up looking at the second semester you gave me a whole no that's correct said well how am I going to take care of the second semester if I want to give veterans day off and then I want to have students come to school on the 9th of February you told me that I have to do a professional learning day in the second semester so how does Stu how does teachers coming a day early give me a professional learning day in the second semester so I wasn't understanding that we were still sticking with the movement of the February 9th day so the suggestion of moving back the start of school to the 11th shifting all of August would not have any impact this the 9th of February would remain a teacher professional learning day because we would just be adding a student day on the 12th which would the 12th of August which would account for the Veterans Day so nothing else in the calendar would change so so you're saying you're accommodating Mrs Powers with moving everything to take care of her Veterans Day and you're saying that you are you were assuming that in doing that that I am giving up on the let's go to school on Super Bowl Monday is that what you're assuming we would there I was looking at them as two separate issues so the first one would handle the first issue then we would have to go back to the 9th and take a look at that day to see where that could be moved if the board was not interested in professional learning on the 9th it could be moved to the second it could be moved to any other date but if you're moving it to the second or any other date don't students have to have off on the day that they're doing the professional learning correct so if they're having that off right then I haven't substituted that day for Veterans Day correct that's correct that's why the August date was required to substitute for Veterans Day is it possible we could decide this next month or is it have to be done tonight this seems like it needs a little more thought and planning than throwing something together we're all tired it's been a long night so I certainly this is certainly something that we can work to uh accommodate what we've gotten thus far from the board members and bring this back next month okay can work do I need a motion suggestions I have to you have a motion on the table we have motion on I want to make clear that Veterans Day is off yes we that is what I've heard that is settled and I've also heard the February Super Bowl day so can I withdraw my motion and issue a different motion would that make you happy okay yeah can I withdraw that one Jen so I I have a new motion that the calendar come back to us accommodating having Veterans Day off and Super Bowl Monday being a school day and Veterans Day celebrations in the district being designated on that Monday prior to Veterans Day I'll second that hi hi thank you all right 244 move approval 2104 second I move approval of 2105 second Roberts motion Mari all those in favor I and thank you Mark for taking care of that move approval of 2106 purchase orders motion by m Roberts I it's okay I also said hi sound doesn't travel here okay 2107 disadvantage down here move approval 21007 thank you Jeff um Miss Roberts seconded by Mr marii all those in favor I I move approval of 2108 second motion by Miss Power seconded by Miss Roberts all those in favor I have a little testy going on here move approval of Miss Russell motion second hour Powers all those in favor 2112 I move approval of 2112 second hour and Miss Russell seconded all those in favor I 213 move approval second Miss Roberts motion Mr Mari already second all those in favor I I 2114 move approval and thank you for taking care of that Mark appreciate it second motion by Miss Roberts seconded by Mr Mari Ari all those in favor 2115 move approval exciting too second hi I move approval and looking forward to how that helps the sea Suite secondy wait no they we're going to 23 Second hearing public re review should ask if any comment on of polies 211 231 2319 move approval of 2301 second2 attendance move approval of 2302 second Mo approval move approval second I move approval motion second second all those in favor I3 student acci move approval second i36 graduation recognition move approval Miss Po's motion second sure miss Robert second all those in favor I I 2307 student conduct I move to approve 23.07% Russell second all those in favor I I 2308 gang control resend motion Miss Russell motion second by Miss Powers all those in favor I I 2309 use of Motor Vehicles move approval Miss Roberts approve second by Miss Powers all those in favor I 2310 participation and extracurricular activities move approval second Mr Mari Ari motion Miss Powers second all those in favor I I 2311 search and seizure move approval second hours motion Mr Mari already second all those in favor I I 2312 student fundraising move approval second Miss Roberts motion Miss Russell second all those in favor I 23 13 parades weend move approval second Miss Roberts motion Mr Mari already second all those in favor I 2314 cost principal spending federal funds move approval of this exciting policy second Miss Roberts motion Mr Mari arity second all those in favor I I 2315 budget preparation approval oh sorry Miss Powers motion sure miss Robert second all those in favor I 2316 tax budget hearing resend move approval Miss Po's motion second second by Miss Russell all those in favor I 2317 vendor preference approval second Miss Russell motion Miss Powers second all those in favor I I 2318 procurement federal grants funds this is a new policy move approval Miss Roberts motion second second by Miss Powers all those in favor I 23.1 N naming renaming of District own facilities move approval Miss Robert's motion second by Miss Powers all those in favor I thank you all right Madam chair yes Mrs Falls didn't get any of those I have them just kidding we have to go back and do it all over again that's very funny only only you have to stay okay only I have to stay okay now we have open to the board anyone sure Mr Sure Mar already uh I just want to recognize three Martin County schools that were recognized among Florida's top 500 by the US news and World Report uh somehow I did not make it in the district presentation but Jensen Beach Elementary Hidden Oaks Middle School and Bessie Creek Elementary were all recognized in that top 500 uh two of them are in my district so even though this is my first day apparently I'm doing a great job but congratulations to all three of those schools and it's an honor to be on here this was fun let's do this again next month Miss Roberts sure um I'd like to thought thank Dr perendi and her team for the we are now 90 days or so in for the cell phone um and I'm still hearing good things for the community and a shout out to the people at Jensen Beach High School because um the parents at the Jensen Beach Chamber are very um appreciative and thankful for everything that's been happening there um remind everybody that we have interim reports tomorrow um I think is that correct right I think interim reports are are tomorrow does anybody know that Roy right interim reports are tomorrow does anybody know if the interim reports are pay attention to you you've lost okay so any parent who's out there watching this your interim reports are coming out tomorrow so we're glad to be able to tell you that and to thank Jeff Carver for all the work he's doing at purchasing I really do appreciate it everything does seem to be streamlined and seem to be coming through a much more rapidly than we've seen and of course thanks to Mark always that's all M Russell M Powers no I just want to welcome uh Dr Mori Ari um it's been um a fun first meeting I know they they're not all like this but um hopefully or it could be just you I mean but welcome we're really happy to have you and um look forward to serving with you the next four years and welcome back to you thank you yes thank you I like the board when you're all tired we're all tired it's Happ it's fun it's a fun night I think we're bordering on cranky what whatever that is but no I appreciate it I just wanted to uh congratulate Dr Mori Ari and Mrs Powers I'm looking forward to um a great year ahead we've got a lot of wonderful things planned and just really appreciative of the board it is not easy to have to make some the decisions that you made tonight but I felt uh that you you listened you leaned in and you did uh what I think is right by the community and we will staff will get on it as soon as possible and make sure that uh we get the pool open as quickly as possible so thank you just want to congratulate you Brian and congratulate you Miss Powers and I'm looking forward to a very prosperous and peaceful year thank you congrats to you Amy this meeting will we see each other before Thanksgiving Happy Thanksgiving to everyone hopefully we'll if I don't see you Happy Thanksgiving e