##VIDEO ID:MnpmBA9h5UM## e e e good morning I call this meeting of the pelis County School Board November 12th 2024 to order we will begin with an invocation led by Pastor Don Pratt of St Paul United Methodist Church in Largo followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice chair Carol cook and the national anthem please stand and remain standing until the completion of the national anthem Pastor Pratt good morning good morning will you join me dear God we thank you for loving us and we thank you for the the grace that you show us each day and sometimes we get so um concerned with um the future and what's going to happen that we miss the joy and the beauty of the day so help us to be able to live in the present and see the gifts all around us thank you for these folks who serve on this board because we know to serve pleases you so please give them wisdom and compassion and guidance as they do what's best for the children and the families in our County and I pray Lord that you help them to always remember their their purpose and their goal with all the other distractions that come their way help them stay focused on the children and Lord today we especially want to thank you for Carol cook for her many years of service to the families and children in this County both as an educator and as a part of this board we thank you for the lives that she has changed the life she has touched for the good that she has done and pray today that you'll help her to know how celebrated she is and how loved she is and Lord May her service encourage us and challenge us to make our lives count to make sure everywhere we go is better when we leave and every conversation that we would help those around us to be left with joy and with hope because of our influence in their lives we thank you for the privilege to be here this day to enjoy this day and breathe in this Air and give you thanks we pray in your name amen amen to the flag of the United States of America stand naice say can you see by the dawn's light what so proudly we H at this light ging who brought stripes and bright stars through [Music] theight the parts we streaming and the [Music] [Applause] Rocks bursting in Pro through the night that our flag are still there does that star [Music] spangled [Music] the and the home of [Music] the please be seated we will now share a video celebrating our teachers of the Year let's take a look we are here at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium celebrating our teachers of the year a teacher from every school is being honored this afternoon special lunch in special activities just recognizing the hard work that they do each and every day at our schools each of our teachers have been recognized by their schools their staffs their communities as their teach teacher of the year and as we look at trying the very difficult job of selecting our top 10 finalists we look for those teachers who have a proven record of highest student achievement connecting with their students and their families to enrich their lives at their school and are really a true advocate of the teaching profession you know one of our goals is positive staff experiences and when you talk about teachers of the Year these are the very best of the best and we wanted to honor them in a way that went beyond just the evening of Excellence to treat each and every teacher as if they are a top 10 finalist as if they are the teacher of the year when we think about our teachers of the year we know these are the teachers that not only are doing everything they can for their students but also a leader in their schools and the culture the that they're creating in the um their school community and for us this is the best day that we get to celebrate those that we work hard each day for back at the foundation being here means that hey you know you're doing you're also an example teacher for everyone else at your school I love my kids so everything that I've been through in my life um I've had cancer I've been through a lot and my kids have been the ones that really brought me out of everything it's awesome to represent my school because my peers who are a phenomenal group of teachers themselves voted and I was chose him as our teacher the year to represent Curtis the theme uh for superintendent Hendrick is better and stronger together and uh what better concept to kind of convey that than music the first thing we have to do is teach the volunteers uh how to play the instruments and then uh we'll teach them how to play a pattern that can assemble to be kind of like the Rhythm Section of a band and then from there we can move on to Michael Jackson's Billy Jean I'm going to play that on trombone but not until the participants themselves have come together to to make a rhythm section of a band on instruments they've never played before with music that they've never seen before we hope that teachers will be able to kind of see hear and feel this assembly of something that's greater than just individuals it becomes something larger because we are in fact stronger [Applause] together we are in fact stronger together that was really a wonderful wonderful lunch and to see Mr mandrian run all of that was just was just fantastic and certainly affirmed his being the penela teacher of the year last year we look forward to the evening of excellence in January when we find out the teacher of the year for this year for pelis County but it was a great it was a great lunch thank you staff for all you did to put that on it's very very special introduction of professional and Community organization Representatives isbel mascarenes our public information officer good morning Madame chair members of the board Mr Hendrick and staff it is my pleasure to introduce the following representatives of community commun and professional organizations from the panila classroom Teachers Association Lee Bryant president from the penila County Council for ptas Reagan Miller representing the north pilis League of Women Voters Debbie entriken from the pilis arts for a complete education Coalition Terry Lynn George today we have a presentation from the student rights and responsibility committee please welcome Mikila Thompson and Alex Bell from Richard o Jacobson Technical High School and their principal Joshua wolfenden thank you good morning welcome good morning Madam chair members of the board Mr Hendrick and staff it is our pleasure to present the student rights and responsibilities committee report for Richard OJ Technical High School at SEMO my name is MAA Thompson I am a junior in veterinarian assisting program at Richard Ojon Technical High School and I'm Alex Bell and I'm a senior in the Marine mechanics program at Jacobson Tech High thank you very much for this opportunity to tell you a little bit about our school we are a district application program high school that supports every student graduating not only with a high school diploma but with one or more industry certifications as well we have earned a school grade of a for the last 3 years and we are determined to earn another a for this school year we offer seven different Career Technical education programs and a variety of Industry certification opportunities our gaming students earn software certification in C++ and unity and Commercial Arts students earn certifications and Adobe products our construction and electric students earn certifications through the national Center for construction Education and Research and our marine mechanic students earn certifications to become Yamaha technicians our veterinarian students complete a 250 hour internship to earn their certified veterinarian assistant CVA certification at our school we have six cows four horses seven goats and lots of rabbits and few Birds we also have a partnership with pelis County Animal Services they bring dogs and cats to our school each Monday and come pick them up each Thursday and our vet students work in the state of Art veterinarian Science Building made possible through the partnership between the pelis Education Foundation and the Richard OJ Foundation our nursing students earn their EKG certification working on our technologically advanced nursing lab they complete clinical hours working with residents at Oak Manor assisted living facility and nursing students who complete their High School graduation requirements by the end of their junior year attend panel's techical College full-time as seniors so they can graduate with their licensed practical nurse certification each year of our career programs has an active Advisory board made up of businesses partners and Professionals in the community they help us make sure that our programs stay at the Forefront of the industry in 2021 magnet schools of America recognized us as the number one emerging magnet school in America our Veterinary assisting gaming simulation construction and electric programs have all been recognized by the Career Education Board ofies of Distinction with distinguished honors in February which is also Career Technical Education Month our commercial arts program will also be awarded with this prestigious recognition our school is Thoroughly invested in the skills USA competition students from each of our program compete at the regional state and National levels and we also have students representing our school within skills USA student leadership serving as Regional officers state officers and even the State High School president Armory mechanics program partners with Yamaha Suzuki and Mercury which provides the tools curriculum and resources such as Motors ring equipment and Electric Systems so the students in this program get the experience they need to earn certifications and work in the Marine industry students from our veterinarian assisting program make up the largest FFA chapter in Panella County each year our evet students show rabbits and dairy heers at the Florida State Fair last year one of our students took fourth place in the state fair for the rapid Showmanship our veterinarian assistant students take pictures of the dogs and cats they work with from animal services and post them to the vet programs Instagram page we also have a very high adoption rate for the animals we work with each year our gaming students participate in the Next Generation Tech competition this is a shark tank style districtwide competition where students develop games apps software and other Real World products the students will work in collaborative team for months to design develop troubleshoot and produce their final product our commercial Arts students have this design marketing materials for their number of local businesses and Community Partners students from the commercial arts program were commissioned to design a sign highlighting all the service organization in Simo including the kis rotary Elks and silver others the sign stands at a busy intersection outside St Peter St Petersburg College simal campus one of our students even designed a logo for PCs office of strategic B Partnerships our construction and electricity programs partner with pelis County Mosquito Control to build chicken CPS for Sentinel chickens they Ed to identify bloodborne viruses in our community we also partner with the PCS Elementary Science Education Office to build maker space carts for every PCS Elementary School we currently have 13 seniors from the nursing program Dual androll full-time at panel's Technical College pursuing their LPN certifications we are working with sbc's College of Nursing to develop a pathway for students to their Bachelor of Science in nursing upon graduation we are so proud of our school and the opportunities that we have available to us at techa we believe in using our platform to serve our community last year we partnered with an organization called Rise Against hunger for a meal packaging event where Tech High students packaged over 20,000 meals for people in need this year we are working with a group called sleep in Heavenly peace and Tech High students will build over 50 bunk beds for kids in our community that don't have a bed of their own our school ensures that we graduate within industry certifications dual enrollment credits advanced placement credits and a network of business partners in our community and the hands-on experience of working in our field which will truly set us apart from the competition we were are applying for colleges and universities and applying for positions in our children industry or in listing in the military Tech High has given us the skills to not only pursue our path After High School but to be leaders on the path we have chosen we are excited to see what the future holds and we are grateful that we have the opportunity to be part of such a great school we would like to say thank you to the school board Mr Hendrick and the panel Education Foundation Mr Hunt and the Career Technical education office and everyone who has made it possible for Richard o from Technical High School to be our school as in a result of our experiences at Tech High we have a clear vision of where we are going and how are we going to make our impact to the world we are Tech High thank you Mya and Alex it's good to see you Mr wolfenden you have much to be proud of thank you for being here amendments to the agenda Mr hendrik are there any amendments to the agenda there are no amendments Madam chair thank you board members any amendments to the agenda seeing none may I have a motion in second to adopt the agenda motion from Mrs Kane and a second from Mrs Peters all those in favor say I I any o osed passes 7 to zero our special agenda order today item 4.1 the presentation of proclamation observing National Education support Professionals Day November 20th 2024 may I have a motion and second to approve this item I make a motion a motion from Mrs long and a second from Mrs Meyer Mr Hendrick would you please introduce yes thank you madam chair every employee in our school district is so critical to the success of our children and certainly our educational support professionals are right on the front lines with that and so to share more about that and to celebrate our chief human re Resources officer Miss Texel good morning Madam chair Schoolboard members Mr Hendrick and staff I am extremely honored to be here this morning to recognize as Mr hendrik mentioned our support uh professionals we have in our district November 20th 2024 is designated as National Education support Professionals Day we are extremely proud of each of these employees and oftentimes when we visit our schools and we talk to our teachers in our classrooms the very first thing they say is I could not do my job without our support staff and um and I Echo that um being a former teacher and principal as well um they are the heart of our schools and they do a wonderful job supporting not only our students but our families and our community um that we do live in so we just want to make sure that we recognize our support employees we are proud to present this Proclamation honoring these employees thank you Mrs Peters would you please read the proclamation thank you madam chair National Education support Professionals Day whereas public schools are the backbone of our democracy providing young people with the tools they need to maintain our nation's precious values of Freedom Civility and equality and whereas education support profession profs are an integral part of the education process and whereas education support professionals provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students and whereas educational uh professionals work Tire tirelessly to serve our children and communities with care and professionalism and now therefore the school board and superintendent of pelis County Schools hereby proclaims Wednesday November 20th as National educ education support Professionals Day signed this 12th day of November 2024 um I would also like to add that um thanks to the passing of our referendum uh we are now uh our our community also expressed their support for uh uh education support professionals so I want to just make an extra note of that and thank uh our community for that excellent thank you Mrs Peters we have a motion in a second to approve item 4.1 all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero public comments on agenda items Mrs Hal are there any speakers for today yes Madam chair we have two speakers for agenda items thank you members of the public have three separate opportunities to address the board when we gather for a business meeting the first is public comment on agenda items like we'll do now the second is it public hearings most of which are policies and the last is after our meeting when speakers May address the general business of the district at each opportunity for public input board members are here to listen to you this is not a time for interaction but the board will take your comments into consideration before we vote on agenda items the board is committed to a standard of Civility and decorum and conducting our meetings and this includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker comments We Appreciate You assisting Us in maintaining that civil environment lastly please note that this this meeting and all public comments will be broadcast live on the internet and the video will be publicly archived members of the public may always communicate with the board through our email address board pcsb.org or by calling the board office at 727 588 6300 thank you please go ahead and call speakers the first speaker is Donna Leen good she is speaking to item 8.6 the next speaker will be Mark kutho speaking to item 7 7.6 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 and 7.16 thank you so much for allowing me to speak today and chairman and board members it's been a long time since they've been in this room my name is Donna levven good I'm a former teacher pelis County schools for about 47 years but um enjoying my retirement now but today I have the pleasure of uh speaking to you about Betty Ray Ivy who happens to be um a co-worker of mine a supervisor a mentor and a friend her dedication to early childhood education is her life's work and it's a beacon to everyone who knows her through every opportunity and every decision she chooses to be involved with change and growth for children Betty Ray began her career as a kindergarten teacher in a private school school then she moved to pelis County school system as a classroom teacher a resource teacher a kindergarten teacher a kindergarten supervisor a principal an executive intern and an area 3 superintendent when the school system first began the integration of teachers and then of students in 1970 she chose to be involved in her own way by working with Louis McCoy at Perkins Elementary her next opportunity was moving from the classroom to the curriculum Department as a resource teacher and then our very first kindergarten supervisor what a change that was for those of you that may have not been aware kindergarten classes were first offered as Carol cook you'll recognize this voluntary half day two half days actually I happen to be involved in that you drop off your morning kids and pick up your afternoon kids and do the same thing all over again gradually kindergarten became mandated full day challenging and then there was the equipment the construction the hiring the curriculum writing for all subject areas in kindergarten and that became Betty Ray's next hurdle she continued growing a more robust curriculum for kindergarten I remember going into kindergarten myself that year and saying well you know I'm all for the warm fuzzy feelings that we want kids to have in kindergarten but I need a curriculum and she said you'll be happy here look at this we had a book about this thick that we had put together ourselves she and some Associates definitely outlined a curriculum for kindergarten everything from tubbing which math to The Letter People okay yeah we did have letter people back then um Betty Ray also represented the school district I'm so sorry that's that's the three minutes but thank you so much thank you Mar CL o Largo you it used to be that you would give time for someone speaking to agenda items but you don't like the first amendment here 7.6 approval for Disaster Recovery Services yeah you make for the disasters and 12 13 14 15 16 oh look at this we have HVAC again HVAC again oh yeah and these stupid buildings so what do we get cause and effect yes cause and effect even as climate risk rise shortterm thinking prevails that's what you're bringing and then World breaks hottest St record again and they're saying that 2024 is on Pace for the hottest year on record much of Amazon Burns with dire implications that's what these agenda items are bringing because you're doing more of the same you're purchasing items in accordance with bid policies and procedures your bid policies and procedures this is what they bring you keep doing same old same old and global warming intensified hurricane helan correlation climate inequality on full display in St Peter St Pete neighborhood again it's called cause and effect and then believe it or not from the Wall Street Journal ways to keep your house comfortable without using the AC now when you're making a school building it's called high performance passive solar building which cuts down on the use of the air conditioning but Madam chair there are no other speakers for agenda items thank you we don't have any unfinished business today agenda item seven the consent agenda may I have a motion in a second to approve the consent agenda make a motion motion from Mrs long and a second from Mrs Meyer all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero first item on our non-consent agenda today item 8.1 setting a public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policy 5120 assignment within District this is the first reading may I have a motion and a second to approve this item a motion from Mrs cook and a second from Mrs Edmund Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this item yes thank you madam chair it's not often we bring a rezone to the board in fact it's been I think 14 years uh but this is related to our K8 conversion of Southern Oak and wallingham elementaries and we wanted to make sure that that new zone for those two schools makes the most sense for the families that live nearby in particular those that would choose Laro Middle School which is right across the street from one of these zones that we want to make sure is permanently able to attend that school and as well as Fugate and so here to explain that process is our director of strategic planning and policy this Lanna e this is good morning Madam chair board members superintendent h staff and community in item 8.1 we are recommending amendments to policy 5120 assignment within District to support operational efficiency the amendment is an update to the date of the revised grid Atlas the grid Atlas Atlas divides the county into 1,123 grids which are used to create school zones the grid has been adjusted to best accommodate an upcoming multifam residential development by placing that new development in in the school zone for the nearest elementary school which is Fugate Elementary School we recommend setting a public hearing for this amendment to policy 5120 in January 2025 thank you board members any discussion on this item then we R it workshop together seeing none I have a motion and second on the floor to approve item 8.1 all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to Zer item 8.2 setting a public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policies 54101 required Core Curriculum promotion retention acceleration in elementary 54201 reporting student progress in elementary 54102 regular program Core Curriculum promotion retention and acceleration for Middle School five 42.3 reporting student progress High School 5430 class rank 5440 High School Credit and student performance standards 5460 graduation requirements 5463 credits from other schools and 2470 education of English Learners this is the first reading we have a motion and a second to approve this item uh motion by Mrs Peters second by Mrs Edmond thank you thank you Mr Hendrick could you please introduce this item thank you madam chair collectively these policies are known as our student progression plan together and they outline how students articulate through our system and annually as the state makes updates to state laws we have to update our student progression plan this year there are some small changes but one that I do want to point out is the Seal of Fine Arts which is new and something that our district actually took the lead on in Senator rousan sponsored and finally passed through both Chambers in Tallahasse so we're excited to have that for our students as well and to explain the process and the policy adjustments is again our director of strategic planning and policy Mrs Eis as Mr hendrik said each fall we propose updates to the student progression policies which typically align with revised revised legislation we will I will review these policies today in the groups of elementary middle and high as opposed to new numerical order the first group is Elementary School progression policies and that starts with 54101 required Core Curriculum promotion retention acceleration Elementary this policy is heavily rearranged and reorganized for flowing Clarity and to reduce redundancy we've revised it in accordance with the with Senate Bill 74 which specific which is specific for substantial reading and math deficiencies in VPK pay and the required parental notification for substantial deficiencies and we've added information about the new world's reading initiative pursuant to House Bill 1361 in 54201 reporting student progress Elementary we've added substantial math deficiencies in section two parent teacher conference for Middle School progression policies 54102 regular program Core Curriculum promotion retention acceleration Middle School we've added standardized formatting to ease reference throughout the policies and we've removed specific course names because of the variety of courses that we offer to meet each student's academic needs we've clarified the reading course requirement and removed the reading course requirement for grade six students who score at least a level three on the Statewide standardized reading or English language arts assessment the high school progression policies all of these the next set of policies have all been rearranged and reorganized to improve flow and Clarity the first set first of the set of high school progression policies is 5423 reporting student progress High School we've moved the exam requirements to the top of section five final examinations which was pre previously lettered D we've increased the allowable College visit days to six over the course of the four-year High School career and we've added clear and consistent headings throughout 5430 class rank we've moved the honors diploma into the diploma designation section removed outdated designations added the Seal of Fine Arts per House Bill 523 and simplified section 3E other diploma designations we recommend repealing policy 5440 High School Credit and student performance standards and embedding its components in 5423 and 5460 for policy 5460 graduation requirements we've added the definition of credit from policy 5440 the financial literacy requirement which was enacted in 2023 and we've updated the elective credits accordingly we've also added the Practical Arts to the Arts Credit requirement and we've updated the days and minutes to reflect our current schedules we've removed outdated requirements and moved two section from policy 5440 into section three of this policy those changes are progress monitoring plan is now in section 3C progress towards graduation and the credit acceleration program from 5440 is moved to section 3 K 5463 credits from other schools we've moved the credits from out of state from the bottom of this policy to the top moved early admission to college to section D transfer of college credit earned for high school and clarified the requirements to for the transfer of Algebra 1 Credit last policy 2470 education of English Learners this policy was updated as we updated the English learner section of all of the other progression plan policies the specific amendments to this policy were updating the placement of English Learners including the English learning committee updating retention of English Learners and adding the good cause exemption we recommend public hearing for these policies in January 2025 thank you Mrs Eis board members any discussion thank you and your office for how thorough you are with each of the policies updating them making them easier to read certainly making sure they conform with statute and then also listening to ideas that that we might bring forward as well so thank you very much um we have a motion and second on the floor to approve item 8.2 all those in favor say I any opposed it passes 7 to zero thank you and one more item 8.3 setting a public hearing and authorizing the advertisement of the public hearing to consider the amendment to policy 6144 Investments this is the first reading I have a motion in a second motion from Mrs Edmond and a second from Mrs Meyer Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this item thank you madam chair this change in policy is at the request really of the committee that helps to do and oversee our investment policy as Mr Jefferson came on as our CFO he's met with the committee and they've taken a look at the structure the number of members that looks at our investments and as the board knows and we talked about in our Workshop we're not high-risk investors we don't roll in the stock market every day we're definitely long-term low risk and so the investment strategy and the committee meetings reflect that need to meet and so to explain a little bit more as our director of strategic planning and policy One More Time Mrs E this one will be much shorter policy 6144 Investments is being revised as a result of operational continuous Improvement there are technical changes throughout such as formatting and position titles the two substantive changes in this policy are in section s investment oversight committee where we've modified the number of committee members and the frequency of committee meetings and in section nine performance measurement where we've brought where it's been broadened to more accurately reflect the available Benchmark options again we recommend setting a public hearing for these policies to be held in January 2025 thank you board members any discussion we have a motion and second on the floor to I approve item 8.3 all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero we'll shift into a section of something we don't get to do very often which is naming um buildings and a school so that's very exciting so we'll start with item 8.4 request approval of the naming of a new K8 School formerly Southern Oak and was Singham elementary schools Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this yes thank you madam chair uh several months ago we came to the board and asked for permission and the board agreed to combine Southern and wallingham elementary schools into our third K8 School in the district and the first one that is not full magnet that includes a Zone k8s have proven very popular with parents and as we continue to look at school choice and knowing that we have open enrollment and parents can if they so choose enroll their child in almost any school in our district we wanted to make this an offering for our students in the midcounty area we're excited about this the process has gone on now and there's actually multiple steps that have happened Lots of community input in fact today item 7.16 and item 8.1 were both related to this combination school but today uh the board's task is to choose a name for this facility and so to explain the process of gathering public input and how that's gone and to refresh your memory in the Public's about the workshop that presentation Deputy superintendent Mrs Woodford thank you uh as you know board members we workshopped the naming of these three facilities on September 17th as required by policy 7250 the community must be notified of the opportunity to submit a school facility name through a variety of communication methods and the input period must be at least two weeks our input window was September 16th through September 30th and the means utilized to communicate this window included the district website school websites Facebook Instagram LinkedIn X the PCS Newsroom School mares we had openhouse events we used PCS messenger Flyers with QR codes and school presentations at the closing of the window the number of submissions were 128 submissions for the K8 65 submissions for the child care center and 33 submissions for the Learning Center thank you now Mr kerski is going to explain the balloting process thank you Mr hendrik uh Madam chair board members as we discussed in the workshop the the balloting and voting process will be as follows after I finish this introduction I will hand out to each board member a packet of green ballots um it will be three ballots actually in case we need more than one round of voting but you use ballot number one first obviously but before you complete your ballot the chair will facilitate discussion and debate as to what the board members believe if you have any input on what the name should be of the school once there's no further discussion then you would complete that ballot I will then come around and collect them personally from you you've got to put your name on there as well as the name of the school that you would like to have it be named and then I will come back here with the assistance of your capable CFO I will tally those ballots and then um I will report back to the chair so if a majority of the board selected the exact same name I will then advise the chair and uh indicate to her that it would be appropriate to entertain a motion um to name the school that name which would then get a second and then you would vote on it if a majority does not have the exact same name then we would need a second round of balloting and so what we will do is I will report to you the top two vote getters including ties of the names and so that might just be two it might be three or it could be seven if it's a tie if each one of you picked a different name and so we will then go through that until we reach a majority of the board reaching the exact same name now a couple of final notes before I turn it back over I'm going to when I'm tallying I'm going to be looking for the exact same name so for example if you name it after a person a person's name with a middle initial or middle name is not not the exact same name as that person's name without the middle initial or middle name and so I will be pretty strict on the exact name that you will put down and then if we need a second round of voting then it should be probably quickly resolved after that and second while you have all the community's input um and it is attached for the public to see on the online agenda um you do know that the school board is not bound by those suggestions on that list um every board member can put whatever name they feel like on their ballot when they're voting so with that I will go ahead and turn it back to you madam chair for the beginning of discussion and I'll hand out the ballots thank you thank you Mr kerski and M Woodford board members we had some discussion in our recent Workshop about all three of these facilities so we're starting with the K8 school would anybody like to share some thoughts around this one Mrs long um yes there there two schools that have been around a long time and they have many alumni including Mr Hendrick who wented to Walsingham I just learned that yesterday um I really like the name Walsingham Oaks because it honors both schools it honors the alumni and the memories that those people have of going to school there um and I think the community I I'm you know I've been in education in this County for 40 some years it would be hard to learn a new name and I like the way it flows from the mouth it's a beautiful name anyone else push it on Mrs Peters thank you I know I'm trying to remember where the buttons are um I as I was absent at the workshop I did listen to especially this part of the workshop several times and um I agree that walsing him HX is is a really good name for this school I think that it represents the combination of the two schools coming together and it does sound very nice one thing I might mention I'm curious about is I know so it's um Walsingham and then Southern Oak with no s and currently the name of the school is Southern Oak which doesn't have an S I think I remember in Workshop I think we thought well wallingham Oaks maybe sounds better but I do wonder if for the people at Southern Oak if keeping Oak with no s would be more of a honor to their name so if we consider was Singham Oak Elementary a thought Mrs Meyer thank you madam chair um I also so I agree I like Walsingham oak or Oaks either one um I do like the flow of Oaks better than oak it's more of an Abrupt stopping point it feels like but are we we also you know we're changing this to a k through eight so in addition to Walsingham Oaks I think we all for the most part agree that we like some variation of that do do you think that we also need to add K through weight at the end of that yes okay seeing lots of head knots okay thank you and along the lines that you mentioned Miss Mrs Hine is Oak Southern Oak I think it's important if you're going to um say that you're keeping the name sake that you keep it the way it is Oak thank you I know we have we have sanderlin is a K8 but nobody I mean I don't even know it's formal name people just call it sanderlin you know so would it be um with the K would it just be K8 school you know if we are going with was Singham Oak K8 School both K8 schools have K8 in their name their official name okay thank you K8 School Mrs cook yeah I taught at Southern Oak and I actually heard the name both ways there a lot of the people in the community and I think it may be because it flows a little bit better Southern Oaks um came up so I don't know whether it is as big a deal um The Faculty would know that um it's not Southern Oak or Southern Oaks um you know that it is Southern Oak and not Southern Oaks so um I'm struggling with this one because I I really like the flow of Southern Oaks I mean no I don't Walsingham Oaks and so um you know I I tend to go with that because it's a I think it's a more beautiful sounding and I will agree with um Mrs Meyer that it's not quite as abrupt so I think as time goes by it will end up being Walsingham Oaks as people refer to it anyway so um I think I'm GNA go with Walsingham Oaks Mr Hendrick yes Madam chair I just wanted to double check and I I have both sanderlin and madira Beach fundamental are K8 the word school is not included in their official names okay okay any other discussion Mrs Peters is it K8 or K-8 K-8 okay well if Mr coer is going to be that strict I want to make sure that I do it right okay so fill out the name on the preference line and then be sure to sign it with your name any other input okay so we'll do our first round for so ballot two and three will not be required Walsingham Oaks K-8 with an S so Madam chair you can entertain a motion to name the school Walsingham Oaks K to8 thank you may I have a motion in a second to name the school wallingham Oaks K8 School motion motion from Mrs long and a second from Mrs Meyer all those in favor say I any opposed passes 7 to zero okay that's very exciting um item 8.5 request approval of the naming of a non-school building it's the professional development Leadership Center Mr hendrik thank you madam chair uh as you've seen and members of the public have seen across the street we're in the process of building a facility uh that replaced what was a training center that had been there for many many years that we used however that facility uh was aging significantly and needed to be uh knocked down we're very grateful from our local legislative delegation who gave a large appr ation to help fund the building across the street which we've been calling the leadership Center and it will be opening uh in July of 2025 you can certainly see the progress across the street I know that uh we Workshop this as well uh you know the policy on this you can name this after a person uh living or deceased or a name of any other kind and the balloting process is the same so I don't think Mr kerski is going to explain that again he's just going to pass out those ballots this time they are pink and so Madam chair I'll pass it back to you to entertain discussion thank you Mr hendrik school board members uh again we discussed once in Workshop uh would anyone like to offer some thoughts for this building we received um Mrs cook I was going to let somebody else speak um on this one but um we did have some conversation during the workshop just like we did with the policies that we we passed or moved forward today um the concept behind it the money that was raised for it the um experience and the the things that we have witnessed I would really like to suggest that we name this after superintendent mik grego um I would also like to um use his full name Dr Michael a grego lead ership Center that's where we're going to be using it so that others can learn leadership that was a main focus of what he did in this district and um I would just like to throw that out as a suggestion thank you Mrs Edmond thank you um when we as a board decided to amend the policy so that it could be named after a person when I asked for or made that recommendation for the change it was because of Dr Michael a grego and his leadership Mrs cook just acknowledged the fact that that is being built because of his work and he has made significant contributions to penela County schools during his tenure as the superintendent so thank you Mrs Meyer um I appreciate all the comments and I know we had um quite a bit of dialogue about this um and I appreciate um both um miss Edmund and Miss Cook sharing um about um Dr grego I do want to similarly to the last one what do we want you know what are we thinking for the end of that I know we had talked about Leadership Institute Center for leadership um Center for excellence I mean there's a lot of different suggestions so um what are some of your thoughts on on those it's a great question I feel like um Leadership Center kind of feels like a default but Center for leadership or Center for excellence certainly feels uh a little more formal and perhaps elevating does anyone else have thoughts on that and it's my understanding that this facility will not solely be used by PCS there will be opportunities for Community groups to come in so having a name that speaks to that is is um important as well so I do like you actually threw out a couple that I like um but I believe it was U Leadership Institute because that provides an opportunity for whoever to come in to provide some institutional knowledge or education professional development all the things and it's not just Center Mrs Meer anyone have any thoughts on I like Leadership Institute um but any thoughts on Excellence I mean we talk about you know Excellence for all I mean do we want to use that too or are we making it too long if we add just just a thought Mr Hendrick you're allowed to weigh in Mrs Woodford Mr Mr herbick you sit up here all the time this is for the board to vote Madam chair um I think I think Dr grego is a fantastic choice uh my only requests would be that leadership is somewhere in there it is a spot where we do a lot of leadership training as Mrs cook mentioned it was a major theme of his decade of service and so I think Institute uh Leadership Center um any of those things are great but I just request that leadership be included I do like the uh Leadership Institute idea and what you said about outside organizations I mean people companies might I don't know if we're offering it for rent or not um but you know if you're if you're hosting your company's uh Retreat there than you're saying we are having it at pel County Schools you know grego Leadership Institute and that also elevates us as it should Mrs Kane I really I really like that suggestion I think if we left it as Dr grego Leadership Institute it would be referenced as the grego Leadership Institute as opposed if we use the entire name I feel like the name is going to get knocked off and it's just going to be called the Leadership Institute and if the goal is really I think to honor Dr grego I think if we use his last name do and just said Dr Gregor Leadership Institute is shorter it's more to the point and people will use that in referencing the building that's just my suggestion Mrs cook yeah I think it'll end up being called the grego um Institute anyway but having said that to have his whole name there is no doubt as to who we are naming this institute after and I think it's um it's good to have it I mean we have Morgan Fitzgerald oftentimes it's called Fitzgerald we do that with Rawlings I mean I can go through a whole lot of names with the schools where those first names have dropped but legally their name is you know margar Ken and Rollins that type of thing so I would hope that we would use the whole name but we can call it grego Leadership Institute if we want to Mrs Edmond just a last comment and Mrs cook you articulated it perfectly that's the point of having the name um and acknowledging him thank you I'm hearing uh Dr Michael a grego Leadership Institute is there any other discussion I this might go without saying but I just think I might also point out that you know when I was early getting involved in our schools and I was looking at data and this is you know this is 200 you know 8910 you know and and and then you keep going you keep going 15 16 17 when you when you look at what happened here in penel County schools from when he became superintendent and over what 10 years about about about 10 years of his leadership our high school graduation rate went up 20% I mean significant significant gains plus the work with the Bridging the Gap plan and with the community and so much so I just don't want it to be forgotten and I'm sure it won't be uh but maybe we can have a plaque inside the building you know somehow enumerate what it is that this person did in the form of leadership and Excellence um for our County I certainly think it's very deserving with that let's uh fill out our first ballot ballot number one for Madam chair a majority has named the building the Dr Michael a grego Leadership Institute thank you I have a motion in a second to accept that as the name moved by Mrs second by everybody uh we'll give it to Mrs Kane um thank you all those in favor say I I any opposed passes unanimously 7 to zero our third building for today item 8.6 request approval of the naming of a non-school building the penel county schools Child Care Center formerly penel Secondary School Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this item yes thank you madam chair uh same process as before I think these are going to be yellow ballots now uh just for some context we do have our child care center there uh which was developed out of the board's requests for positive staff experiences and to try to look at recruitment retention strategies for our staff currently we have about 80 children there one year olds two-y olds and threey olds and we'll have capacity for I think 140 60 160 next year uh but also in that building are some other spaces um that include those students who come into public schools for the very first time to get an assessment for Disabilities so maybe speech and hearing something else autism and they're looking for that first IEP so it's where families have literally some of them their very first Public School experience when their child is coming there there are some other offices uh in the prek space there so it is just more than just a Childcare Center it is also some professional office space in a spot where parents come and get assessments for the very first time thank thank you um and we will go through the same process Mr kerski I don't know if you need to illuminate it anymore okay so I will open it up for discussion on this building board members Mrs cook I may as well be just really pushy today but you heard a speaker come and talk about Betty Ray Ivy she spoke for three minutes just giving highlights and she could not finish that's how important Betty Ray Ivy has been in this District so um I know we talked about it and I explained my association with Betty Ray and and how much I admire her and appreciated the work that she did in this District so um one of the names that I would like to suggest is the Betty Ray Ivy Learning Center we were kind of looking at Betty Ray Ivy building Betty R and we couldn't really come up with a a good name um but we seem to agree on naming it for Betty Ray Ivy so uh my suggestion would be Betty Ray Ivy Learning Center for consideration board members Mrs Meyer thank you madam chair thank you Miss cook for sharing um about Betty Ray Ivy and all that she has done for penis County Schools um I had the opportunity to speak with Miss levven good um recently about your suggestion and um she shared even more with me and so much that she wanted to come here and speak today on her behalf and um I wanted I support that I support naming this um this early Child Care Center whatever we're calling it right now um Betty Ray Ivy uh I also like your suggestion of Learning Center but I do think we I do like I I would like to add Early Learning Center because to your point Mr hendrik yes there are you know there are other things happening in that building but it is it is early right for those students and I I just think that it really gives a a a designation to the building and then it also speaks to Betty Ray Ivy's Legacy in early childhood learning so that's my suggestion Mrs long I I agree with Miss Meyers um she was an outstanding educator and she loved the little ones and that's where it all begins and even with the early childhood daycare center there the next floor with the um guess it's not called called Fiddlers anymore is it it shows my age it is the beginning families find out what their child needs and that is so important the sooner we identify the little ones the better future they have so I am in total agreement I like the Early Learning Center Mrs Edmond thank you I had an opportunity to go to the facility yesterday and it's more than Early Education the educational support is provided up until Adult Ed so it's not primarily Early Education my recommendation would be to call it a development in Learning Center because it's about Child Development development Beyond depending on your exceptionalities and what your needs may be also how there are private school employees so again one of the requests was that we not um label it a Early Learning Center because more happens there so I encourage you all to consider that because it's a development and learning center and totality Mrs Kane thank you so much um and uh I I agree I love the idea of naming it after Betty Ray Ivy and I also agree with um Miss Edmund's comments because that was a part of of the discussion at the workshop was how this Center was going to be used for more than Early Childhood uh care and things like that so I I kind of like thean this is just another suggestion um because it nods also to Betty Ivy's love for um kind of expanding and pushing into the future I like the idea of naming it a Discovery Center so the Betty Ray Ivy Discovery Center which could be used from more than Early Childhood as well I just want to share that was my in was my input as well as I was reading back through the list last night I saw that somebody had put they they had actually put early explorers Discovery Center and I thought that that word Discovery does occur at all paths and as you said Mrs edman we have all ages and all Paths of education so I was also going to suggest Discovery Center um so just wanted to Echo that so there's we've heard so we so I here everyone is in agreement on Betty Ivy and then we've heard Learning Center Early Learning Center development and learning center Discovery Center other other thoughts I just have a question the building we knocked down was a Discovery Center has enough time gone by that we've kind of forgotten about that or is it still people still going to think that that's what it is and I'm seeing head shaking over there that um you know because that was the first thing that came to my mind is are we going to confuse it with what used to be the discovery side see and that is why multiple terms matters I don't even know what building you're speaking of where the leadership yeah yeah right so yeah across the street the the building that we used to use was called the Discovery Center and that's where we did training and that's now where the Dr Michael a grego Leadership Institute will be um I I do think it's pretty recent in that sense um I I you know lots of great suggestions you you could just go with the Betty Ray Ivy Center as well and then people would just call it the ivy Center oh my stud my child's in preschool at the or early child child care and at the ivy Center or I'm going for assessment at the ivy Center or I'm receiving guidance or the de Developmental Center was also one that it could be Betty Ray ivy on the front of it but not just you know so this is a tough one but we all seem to be in agreement with Betty Ray so I'm good with that what are we not thinking of I don't like um I don't want to have a thought after the meeting right I don't want to have a a second thought are we um is there any process in place that we could you know come back I hate to do that but um is there some where we can land on Betty Ray [Music] IV foundational Center no that's not Mrs Edmond or you can just go to the process and see how many ballots we go through um I do want to add that on all three facility namings I saw um wimbish the wimbish family whether it was Ralph wimbish CET wimbish um and there were different um different components or different wordings for those and I just want to highlight the fact that um CET wimbish did make contributions to the educational system as it relates to integration although she was an educator through the system as Betty Ray I think it's important to acknowledge that those were um List names listed on all three Mrs Meer exploration is that too close to something we already have or I mean it's another idea one on the suggestion list was growing Center I mean I don't know if there's anything else name that but I like that one too so something like that if we're not going to use Discovery I think to Encompass what it will be used for now we have 10 suggestions I like exploration as well um bety Ray Ivy exploration center so could could someone review the um I mean and also the things we currently have housed there might shift not the child care because we made facility improvements and you know that's not going to shift but um some of those other functions that have been moved there may so so um I just might mention that and if we go back to the beginning of Learning Center no matter what we put there would be covered not that I am so stuck on it hear me that but um you know we may be making a bigger deal out of it we're we're honoring the name and describing what it is Mrs Peters yes thank you I now I I lost track who suggested Betty Ray Ivy Center simply put I think it allows for um over the years evolving the center into whatever it it becomes and it's obviously a facility for multiple uses already if we call it the B Betty Ray IV Center we're honoring the name it's a center it's going to have the PCS logo on it and I think that shorter it's the scct I'm not always the synct but um I know I just think that that's it's simple thank you Mrs Edmond Madam chair I move that we vote yeah I was going there I was I was going there yeah let's do it so let's go ahead and take a first uh a first ballot e e e Madam chair and board members you will need ballot number two the top two vote Getters were Betty Ray Ivy Discovery Center and Betty Ray Ivy exploration center so on ballot number two please select between one of those two Betty Ray Ivy Discovery Center or Betty Ray Ivy exploration center are we allowed to have discussion yes of course would anyone like to share anything I mean I heard that the Discovery Center was a recent building I I recently had to have our younger son assessed for a processing disorder something like that and I'm thinking about being you know a parent of a young child whether you're going to preschool or you have to have your child assessed for speech language or Autism or some kind of thing and the guidance counselor is telling you okay here's where you go you know and just to have that word and have that extra word in there as opposed and I and I know Center is not on on the table anymore but I was just imagining if someone tells me I'm going to the exploration center or I'm going to the discoveries and it just feels better as a parent bringing your child to something like that it feels a little more hopeful so if anyone has any other thoughts so again either Benny Ray Ivy Discovery Center or Betty Ray Ivy exploration center e Madam chair a majority of the board selected Betty Ray Ivy Discovery Center so very good may I have a motion and a second to approve naming that that facility the BET Ray Betty Ray Ivy Discovery Center motion from Mrs Peters and a second from Mrs Edmund all those in favor say I any opposed passes unanimously 7 to zero that was great fun wasn't it going through all of those what an honor it is an absolutely honor to be able to participate in that process and make those decisions thank you all moving on to new business item 9.1 items introduced by the superintendent oh excuse me oh I'm G to pause for a moment before we move to new business uh there's something significant today that I know a number of people in the audience are here for and that is that today is Mrs Cook's final Schoolboard meeting with us and I know several of us have prepared to make more extensive remarks but she's been on the school board for 24 years and in that time she has served as chair of the school board six times and she has served as Vice chair of the school board six times so she has spent half or more than half of her time on the school board in one of these two chairs and in a leadership position so I would like to ask Mrs cook if she would change seats with me and finish the rest of this meeting as the chair of the pelis County School [Applause] Board oh boy I just disappeared oh there we go oh thank you all right I got it I got it all right so now we move on to new business items introduced by the superintendent thank you madam chair uh I want to thank the community for their overwhelming support of the penel County Schools referendum that was passed last Tuesday because of our community we can continue to strengthen music art and reading programs and ensure that students have current technology the new referendum cycle will begin on July 1st 2025 and in addition to continuing the supplement for salary for teachers as was mentioned earlier by Miss Peters the referendum will provide now a salary supplement for all support staff it also gives us more opportunities to enhance the student experience for penel County students I want to thank our Schoolboard members for your advocacy over the last several months through this process and especially the community Advocates who organize themselves to support the referendum several of which are here in the audience today penel County Schools is in a great place because of all of us you saw the video about teachers of the year and it was true truly an honor to celebrate our 130 teachers of the year and I want to thank the pelis Education Foundation and a number of sponsors who helped to make that happen our top 10 teachers of the Year break-ins will be happening in the next couple days so look forward to those and I especially want to thank Mr madrinan from seminal high school he had a really high bar High bar for the next teacher of the year to follow in terms of a keynote speech and speaking of celebrating our employees and break-ins we did just recently do break-ins for our support employees of the year and I'd like to announce our five finalists for support employee of the year who will be celebrated in a lunch in on December 6th and we'll name our support employee of the year this year those finalists our classrooms support our Child Development Associate from Mount Vernon Elementary School Danielle NM for the maintenance safety health and transportation category a licensed practical nurse from madira Beach fundamental K8 Kendra cot from food and nutrition the food nutrition manager from penel Park High School April Lee Domino from plant operations that head plan operator from Tarpon Springs Middle School Andrew Trembley and finally from the clerical category from the professional learning department secretary to Selena Medina congratulations to over a hundred nominees and especially to these five finalists some upcoming events to take note of Tomorrow is the Great American Teach in across penis County schools and our country I believe this is the 36th annual Great American teaching it's not too late to sign up at a local school but you only have a couple hours left so get in there for tomorrow uh we also have our pre kindergarten application period opening up next week our applications for prek for three-year-olds and foury olds and the program application period runs from November 21st through December 9th coming up next week at 5:30 on November 20th we have a YouTube and Facebook live event to help parents understand the application progress what their choices are and all of the ins and outs our early learning experts will be there to explain the process and answer questions you can find more information on our website and we know that we lost a number of days due to hurricanes and so coming up uh we do have a break but of course with that comes our holiday break challenge so we're encouraging our students to take part in those holiday break challenges especially this year to prevent learning loss there will be a lot of opportunities we'll look forward to those and our superintendent standout this meeting is Mrs Susie haker from Westgate Elementary School who has been an employee with pelis County schools for 26 years her colleague notes that she is truly One of a Kind always keeping things running smoothly at Westgate without missing a beat with a smile on her face from warmly welcoming substitutes to assisting students in the office she never stops ensuring everything flows seamlessly thank you Miss Susie for your dedication and positivity I want to thank her and all of our employees for the work that they do each and every day and normally Madam chair that's the end of my remarks but today I do have one additional standout I wanted to recognize and this one a little bit more than just a standout but we're calling it a champion of education and that is Mrs Carol cook since 2000 through six election Cycles you have embodied the core values of our school district from demonstrating respectful and caring relationships even in the most difficult of times whether in the pandemic or through tumultuous times and Leadership you have led with care and respect you've modeled Integrity demonstrating fairness and doing what is right for all children you've LED with cultural competence honoring different cultures participating in countless Community organizations and you've specifically valued the benefit that individual differences bring to our school district you've LED with responsibility seeking opportunities for continuous Improvement especially when it's come to the governance of our school board you have shown others your connectedness with deeply rooting yourself in our community and with school boards across the state willing to train others and transfer your knowledge from your distinguished career and perhaps above all you've demonstrated your commitment to Children families in the community in an unquestioned way you've been the embodiment of commitment to the school district and the children of penel County you once said when you first ran for office that you wanted to make a good school district a great School District well Mrs cook you leave on top as board chair today and as an a school district with the respect and and admiration of your colleagues in this room and school boards across the state congratulations on 24 remarkable years on the board and 51 years of active involvement in penelas County Schools you are more than a standout you are a champion of Education congratulations and enjoy your retirement thank and that Madam chair is the end of my report back to you thank you doesn't seem like enough but that's what you're getting right now thank you and now I hesitate but I'm going to ask if there are items to be introduced by our attorney uh Madam chair I would just like to thank you for your service your guidance to me over the years and just know that you have Faithfully implemented your off stated motivation which is to do what is in the best interest of the kids of the district congratulations thank you oh boy now items introduced by the board okay we'll just move right on all right Mrs L Carol cook you are not just one of the most amazing school board members I know but you are a dear friend you are an incredible woman inside and out and you are so kind to everyone this has been the most honorable eight years serving with you and I'm going to miss you so much thank you anyone Mrs Myers thank you for your leadership um I'm not a crier I can't sorry um your leadership is second to none and coming into this board um you know there's a lot of uncertainty and you have been kind always from day one and you have really shaped this board you have led this board in a way that even if you weren't the chair you you always have us come together you always help us to work together to come together for consensus and for what's best for our students and I have to tell you I'm really going to miss you thank you so much for all of your years of service um and thank you so much for the time that we've spent together since I've been elected to this board thank you okay we can all right oh my goodness well Mrs cook um congratulations on this incredible life achievement you are such an example for so many across the state um in how to be a good leader and something we need more than even our own deed is to see how someone else before us has done such an outstanding job and you've been that example for so many of us and it has been an absolute honor to serve with you over the last six years I have learned a tremendous amount by your example and by all of your wisdom that you have provided all of us in so many situations in the last six years so many unforeseen situations and um times when we really needed it you are strength you are the rock of this uh school board and we truly appreciate all that you have brought uh both in the past and also continued to bring through your wisdom um Through The Years so thank you so much for all of that thank you thank you um I mentioned earlier that over these years you've been chair six times and vice chair six times there have been I believe about 450 Schoolboard meetings that Carol has attended about 400 workshops which probably is about you know 2,000 hours spent there um plus your time in leadership plus the work you've done with the Florida School Board Association across the state and and with our school board as has been stated so the work is there you clearly have put in the hours and done the work when it comes to leadership though I go back to John Paul Jones the father of the US Navy who said um It Is by no means enough that an officer at the Navy be a capable Mariner you must be that of course but also a great deal more so you must do the work as you have done but a great deal more he says he should be the soul of tact patience Justice firmness and charity and you display all of those characteristics tact patience Justice firmness when you need to be and charity and um I want to say that you are leaving this district and this school board in very strong and stable shape and I promise you I will do my very best to be a strong and stable board member moving forward thank you thank you okay Miss Peters I'm holding up pretty well I'm holding up pretty well I of course Echo everything that everybody has already said I'll say more to you in private um your sense of humor Carol in the in the sometimes very quiet or awkward funny um sometimes very out loud but your your sense of humor that that brings us all back to Center and all back to grounded helps to keep things light your smile your laughter will be greatly thank you all right you um just a few announcements before I go on to singing your Praises um penel education foundation's Tak stock and children program the applications are still available until December 15th one of the items that were that the board voted on to today was the Disaster Recovery Services and I just want to commend superintendent Hendrick and staff for that item because many districts are uh school board members that I've spoken to are and have in the past really struggle with navigating FEMA and insurance claims um to the point where it absorbed their staff so much and to to be become detrimental so thank you for that item and then last week Mrs Hind and I attended the greater Consortium of school boards meeting to develop our platform and I have to just thank Miss is and Miss Dole again for their support with that work um because the majority of our platform items are on the draft um platform that will go out to member districts for vote also we were able to um pass a resolution that will go before District members uh to make the trans transition from president to president-elect a lot more smoother and as you may know soon I'll become the president of the Consortium and we'll be having events within our district which is really really great for us and the students and school boards throughout the county so I want to thank you all for your support and that finally Mrs cook MH it has been an honor to work with you not only as um in the school board member capacity but through Florida school boards Association hearing and learning your impact on leadership board governance how to remain Above The Fray as one would say is just commendable because it takes a lot to sit up here when things aren't going your way and to say what you need to say and move forward and that's one of the things that you made clear about um serving as a board member it it's not going to be all sunny sunny skies and Roses there will be challenges as superintendent hendrik mentioned going through the pandemic was a challenge um recovery efforts was also a challenge and and making sure that our board is not dysfunctional because we' seen the impact that has on the community at large so again I want to thank you for being you because you are definitely a unique person and you will be missed however I know that you're a call away and we won't be breaking Sunshine if we call you in event so um I look forward to speaking with you after giving you some time to celebrate and congratulations on your retirement thank you thank you and I won't be changing my phone number anytime soon so that'll be good that'll be good all right is there any other information that needs to be brought forward do we have any recommendations or um requests board chair cook uh I it's not a request but there was a recommendation from Miss Hine about the plaque at the Michael a grego Leadership Institute uh to to more summarize who he was as we know the name will be shortened so I did take note of that I do want to Echo you have the most wonderful sense of humor I think most people don't know because she does it very quietly and because you had the holiday party we also all know where you live oh that's right you can run but you can't hide alrighty okay it is my turn now normally um you wouldn't know by today but I stay pretty quiet unless there is something that needs to be celebrated so um since this is the last time I'm going to celebrate and I'm going to celebrate you I'm also known as that person who gets teary eyed when a board member is leaving because a team is breaking up so I usually carry this little thing today I have this and I'm gonna put it right here just in case Mr hendrik mentioned it that when I joined the board um my whole platform item was to make a good school district great I wanted it to get better and better and better pelis County was already known as um an area or a a district that was changing how education was being viewed we were already um gaining notoriety across the state and um so I wanted to be part of that and I wanted to see pelis become even better the excitement was there and I wanted to be part of it h we have excelled and we are currently in a district in case you know people didn't know that but we are there because of the people I'll get it together just minute because of the people in this District whether it is the parents whether it's food and nutrition whether it's the classroom assistants whether it's the teachers whether it's our police force whether it is um our psychologists and social workers um our Community Partners like the Education Foundation our bus drivers our administrators our teachers everybody who is involved our past and present board have all had an impact even the tutors and I will say our superintendents everyone in this building everyone at Walter Pineo they all know why they're here they're here for the students and because they know that the role they play is important in in their education and they focus on what's best for the kids we have become a great district and it's on the backs of every one of you they know that they are a part of striving for what we envision as 100% Student Success Mr hendrik you have taken the Reigns and you have added your own personality and your own touch to it um you followed great leadership and you have taken it to taken it to the next level your ability to um know when to push and when to show compassion is a rare combination and you have that and panel's county is fortunate to have you over the years I've had the opportunity to work and learn with a lot of really amazing people that have helped me understand issues and helped me put things together and that is many of the people that are sitting right there you have taken the time and the patience of helping me understand things when I go and say this makes no sense to me and often times they make it so that I understand now and it makes sense so thank you when recently I was asked if I would say a few words I declined because I had the same lump in my throat that I have now there's an expression that your actions speak louder than words I hope that my actions have shown everyone in this District how much I appreciate what they do and how important they are to the children people have said congratulations on your retirement and I even have mixed feelings about that because this hasn't been a job to me this has been a passion project and I'm just glad I'm able to continue it for a while so I can ease out of it I didn't think I would be working right up until the 18th however but um I can kind of ease out of that I also want to let this board know how proud I am of you you have demonstrated the skills necessary to make the difference in lives of children you have had opportunities for um discussion with different viewpoints we've always had also had situations where we could have become very divisive and because you stood above that we didn't have those problems we continued to function as a a board that had the same focus and that was of of children this is a very very strange job and when a new person comes on it's it takes time for them to learn and um and I hope that as a new board member comes on you'll you'll show the same kind of um understanding and um Grace that you were shown as a new board member and that we continue to show each other as a new board member I can walk away from here knowing that we have a strong team that's going to continue to do a good job I am so very proud of each of you I'm going to do it it's comforting to know that it is a competent group that will be continuing to work with you and I hope you're just as happy knowing you have a very competent and and exceptional group and it's it's very comforting to know that you will be keeping the students in mind as you move forward I am leaving and I can honestly say as I said earlier this District went from good to great and I will say outstanding and I'm proud to have played a small part to the voter of pelis County thank you thank you for allowing me to serve it has been an honor and I have tremendously appreciated the honor and the time and the opportunity my family is here today and I'd like you to St I know our son Cameron our daughter Courtney and my husband Ed I may have to talk to you later you can't do this job without the support of your family they have stood by me they have listened to me gripe and complain when I didn't get my way or when um something was going on they have been there when I've been confused as to you know here's something coming up and I need to have a different perspective they have been there you've worked hard part of my campaigns and you've even dragged your friends into them and so I appreciate that as well they were at my first meeting and they're here my last I want to thank you and publicly tell you how much I love you thank you for being my support SST you me sit down now this job cannot be done without support of your family and I hope you all have that because it it makes a big difference finally so now it's when youall are supposed to start listening my prayer for all of you who remain is that you don't just settle for outstanding that you strive for magnificent that you reach that 100% Student Success that all of us have envisioned because that's what our students deserve they deserve nothing less and so with that if there is no objection for the last time I adjourn this meeting [Applause] thank you and now we'll open it for public participation do we have any speakers Mrs Hulk yes Madam chair there are currently six speakers thank you would you call the first two sure the first two are rean Miller and Riley rice if you'd like to you can go over to the other and be ready when we speak okay thank you good afternoon afternoon good afternoon Madam chair School Board member superintendent Hendrick and staff my name is Reagan Miller and I'm the vice president of advocacy for the penelas County Council PTA and today I have the honor of standing here on behalf of pelis County Council PTA to recognize the incredible career of Mrs Carol cook as she retires after over 20 years of dedicated service it's actually a lot more than that but on the school board to our schools teachers students and families three minutes simply is not enough to capture the full extent of your contributions and impact on pellis County Schools over the past two decades Carol has shown a dedication to our community that is both inspiring and unwavering in every role she's taken on she has brought her deep passion for education and her commitment to the wellbeing of our students and staff Carol never strayed far from her PTA routes and I think I speak for everyone when I say we we are so grateful that you did not she was always more than willing to step in and help us become better Advocates bringing a wealth of experience and insight to every discussion year after year she taught at our fall workshops and it was a frequent refrain from participants that Carol's class was their favorite her energy her wisdom and her approachable nature made a lasting impact on everyone she worked with Carol also attended countless PTA meetings celebrations and events always staying to connect with families listen to parents and support teachers she was near nearly always the last to leave and I think that says so much about who Carol is someone who genuinely cares about people and wants to hear their stories she has created a sense of community wherever she's gone and that's something that all of us will miss deeply on a personal level I want to say how much I've enjoyed working with you Carol over the years your profound knowledge of our district your dedication to fairness and compassion for everyone you have encountered has made you an Irreplaceable leader and friend your blend of deep institutional knowledge and unwavering empathy for others has shaped you as a school board member and you leave behind a legacy that is both powerful and enduring Carol on behalf of penel County Council PTA we thank you we honor you and we know we will feel the absence of your presence at every future event although I'm not letting you go very far and Gathering you've been an incredible friend mentor and leader to all of us we wish you nothing but joy in this next chapter though you will be deeply missed thank you thank you and good afternoon good afternoon my name is Riley rice and I'm a student in the pellis County Schoolboard District today I'd like to address an issue that's been on the minds of a lot of students and a lot of parents recently and that is the inconsistent and frankly unfair en enforcement of the dress code policy throughout the district it seems as if the policy is only enforced when District leaders decide to make it a concern to them this pattern is not only confusing but also deeply frustrating for students parents and even School faculty alike as we are unsure of when certain policies will be taken seriously year round and when the education of the students will be put first if the dress code policy is going to be implemented it cannot be something that is done selectively and needs to be enforced consistently and fairly throughout every school in the district starting from the very beginning of each school year but right now that has not been happening throughout the four years that I've been in high school it seems as if the dress code is only a concern when someone from the district comes to visit why is that why aren't the district leaders more strictly enforcing Administration to implement the policy in all schools all of the time instead as students we see a pattern of picking and choosing when it becomes a concern to them involving the contents and enforcement of the dress code policy what is even more troubling is the fact that the dress code seems to disproportionately Target girls despite guys also wearing outof code clothing such as shorts shorts hats tank tops and pants showing undergarments that any girl at any school would be dress coded for why is it that mostly girls are the ones facing the penalties this is not only unfair but it perpetuates stas double standards that shouldn't exist in our school systems I do believe that a dress code policy is needed in our schools however when it is taken away instructional time because students are late to class as they need to find a sweatshirt or sweatpants it affects our preparation for our courses and that is where the issue Begins the policy is not what is most important in our schools it is the level of education and the support that the students and especially the teachers receive don't you think that we should be more focused on the educational values of the students than if they are in dress code I understand that my Administration and teachers already stretched thin so why are we taking we their time and having them punish students whe when there are much larger issues ises at hand where is their support I didn't come here to try and get the dress code policy removed or for it to be weakened but instead to voice what many have been contemplating every day the topic of the policy is brought up and many times I've had peers ask me if there's anything I could do about it they feel as if they're overshadowed and overpowered and if they've been backed into a corner I felt it important to talk about it here today for light to be shed on the inconsistent policies in our school environments if the policy is more importantly stressed upon by the leaders at the county and District level then the admin within our schools would feel more inclined to constantly enforce It ultimately resulting in Greater understanding from the students it's time for the school board to take a closer look at this issue and make the changes necessary to create a more just and consistent policy for everyone thank you our next two speakers the next two speakers are Terry Lyn George and Mark kutho good afteron good afternoon Madame chair Schoolboard members Mr Hendrick and staff my name is Terry Lin George I am a member of the Arts for complete education or Ace for short I serve on the ace committee as the penel County Council PTA representative the message I bring today is from all Ace members past and present Ace would like to thank congratulate and celebrate Carol cook for her extraordinary service to pelis County Schools Miss Cook has always had an unwavering commitment to students and families she knows that the Arts are a critical part of a comprehensive quality education leading to higher achievements for all of our students long before the first referendum passed in 2004 Miss Cook was instrumental in ensuring that the Arts were considered core subjects and pelis County Schools 20 years later Arts programs are not only thriving but many of our programs serve as National models over the years Mrs cook has served panel's County with a steady hand working collaboratively with a wide variety of board members and administratives her commitment to Arts education has never wavered Miss Cook has served on local state and Leadership capacities throughout her career she has educated many leaders about the value of Arts education has mentored count countless other board members throughout the state we thank her for bringing such expertise to balis County because of her leadership experiences it is impossible to express adequately our appreciation for Carol Cooks extraordinary career and steadfast support for the Arts education she has truly been a champion for the Arts education and tens and thousands of students have benefited from her leadership her Legacy will be felt far and wide Mrs cook please know that your legacy will be seen in every piece of art created by a student every song saying every note played every word and line uttered on a stage and every dance that is performed on behalf of the Arts for complete education Bravo and thank you very much thank you good afternoon Mark clth o Largo the opinion from the 11th circuit 44 Pages uh mom's for stupidity you know that old saying a broken clock is right twice a day well um your rules are all wrong all wrong and you know it shows you what you have for legal representation here it's a joke you know all the praise here today you know Miss Cook on the board now since 2000 well she heard me from the very beginning bringing the science of high performance passive solar building never once did I ever hear her with remarks people let's build this high performance passive solar building so we don't have this kind of thing here no no not once not once so we have a headline here can we engineer our way out of a climate crisis no what you're doing as you are engineering a climate crisis that's what you fools are doing went by lgo High School the other day and you have these lights on the building orange and blue lights decorations more fuel pumping carbon into the atmosphere decorations sheer stupidity like making that Clearwater building oriented the wrong way and now you have what you should have named the grego stupid building the next two speakers are Donna Waters and Lee Bryant never again I get to go first good afternoon hi um my name is Donna Waters I am a parent of a seminal high school student and I'm also here to speak about the dress code um multiple times this year due to the seminal High School dress code my daughter has been sent home because her shirt covered her shorts or her shirt was not mid thigh one time she was sent home because her shirt did not reach her knees this was with leggings on this is I feel a little extensive and very inconsistent my husband and I went and dropped $800 on clothes for her so she can pass her dress code now and you know in this economic time not really a you know extra money that we have sitting around for fun once she was told to go home from an administrator that was sitting in the front office that was wearing leggings with a t-shirt tucked into them because her leggings or her shirt did not extend far enough down over her leggings during that time when I went into the school because that time I just went to the school to pick her up I was told by Administration that the teachers don't have a dress code that only students have a dress code and teachers can dress as they wish which I found out from the principal was untrue but it was a lower administrator that told me that so now the question is are we giving these requirements to basically only girls because we feel like they are looking for sexual attention are we doing it because they are looking just for any attention and it is it really the school board's place to decide how these girls should present themselves to society how they should present themselves as young women so in 2022 the government accountability report came out showing that 90% of the banned school clothing in dress codes pertained only to females it reported that although student dress codes site safety as the reason for the guidelines it just simply penalizes students and this is from the government perhaps instead of publicly shaming our girls we should teach the teachers the RSO officers the administration and the male students to not overly sexualize a normal body part to the point where they cannot function in an appropriate manner I suggest an an equity audit What proportion of student discipline is related to the dress code and which groups are being the most impacted thank you good afternoon good afternoon chair cook uh congratulations thank you you have been so instrumental in the Educators and the educated in this County our teachers owe a great deal of debt to you the pcta and pespa owes a great acknowledgement of your service uh so congratulations you've set a very high bar for your successor uh it will not be uh easy to fill uh our reading opens the world event has been rescheduled for after Hurricane Season uh quite often delayed uh it will be December the 14th at John Hopkins Middle School uh finally we will be able to distribute the 30,000 books that we're going to be passing out to the the children in pelis County I went over and looked at them yesterday Walter Pell 25 pallets of books it is a an amazing uh thing uh the Betty Ray IV Discovery Center uh pcta and pespa were pushing the idea of the Early Childhood Center for years I'm glad to see it there and it's named after a wonderful wonderful uh leader in pelis County I'd also like to thank uh the voters of pelis County for passing the referendum again uh it shows that the voters of pelis the citizens of pelis value their school system their Educators their children and uh the future because this is a big commitment on the part of the citizens of pelis County and uh finally I have been asked to uh broach the idea or the uh the problem of the teachers at madira Beach Middle School or K through 8 uh losing their personal items that have been left in their classrooms uh they uh there's been a lot of work done a lot of promises made uh but the county hired a contractor for the cleanup tossed out many of their things uh their personal items and they were wondering and I am wondering on their behalf uh does the district's insurance policy include personal items for the teachers and if so uh I would like to see a copy of the policy so that I can relay the message and the contents to the teachers at madira beach k38 thank you for your time very good thank you are there any more speakers Madam chair there are no more speakers for this meeting all right then that ends our morning um you may join us in b23 is that where it is ABC 203 um for some cake all righty thank you very much yes oh okay in a little bit e