##VIDEO ID:_lomjYzLawU## e e e e good morning I call to order the pelis County school board meeting on Tuesday January 14th 202 25 and I would like to start by saying Happy New Year to each of you this morning we'll begin with the invocation given by Pastor Tyler Crossen with B Bri Bridgepoint Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice chair Capri Edmund and the national anthem by Tarpon Springs High School's indicated sound under the direction of Gabriela Santos please stand and remain standing until the completion of the national anthem Pastor Crossing good morning morning lord it's an honor and privilege to pray with and for you so let's do just that God thank you that as we step into a new year full of new opportunity uh new responsibility uh new things ahead uh that you are God over it all and so for this board specifically God uh it is an honor to pray for those who have committed themselves to serving your people and your community people that you deeply love and so God I ask for your favor for this team I ask for wisdom uh to make decisions to lead I ask that you will bless their efforts uh to make sure that all that we do honors you and is uh is done in love to love and for the sake of love uh that is where our greatest good is found is to know you to be loved by you God thank you for the blessing that is the teachers that are represented in this District God our community superheroes that invest in the Next Generation and do it uh with such selflessness and spirit and passion may all that this board does fuel them and free them to do and use their gifts in a way that make incredible impact we are grateful for administration and staff represented in this District God thank you for the way you've put it all together God I I am thinking about students all across our County that you know and love deeply and so may the weight of the responsibility to develop to invest in to teach educate train and be a part of their Journeys in becoming all that you've made them to be not be lost on us may it fuel us with passion to do things that are loving kind helpful uh and invest in our present and our future by doing the work that you've called us to so thank you God for today the gift that it is to join you in the work that serves the people and uh the students of pelis County Schools may we honor you and we pray it all in the name that's above every other amen of the United States of America what so proud We the tting in Pro through flag of the the thank you you may be seated Mrs Santos would you please introduce the second song Hello we are tslc syndicated sound and our second song for today is actually the opener of our show choir competition Set uh we are the only competitive show choir in the State of Florida and we are about to enter our competition season season in March we have an 18-minute show that is titled greetings from Florida and um as since we are the only one from the state of Florida and so this is our opener song um the idea to set the scene just because it is a show is that we are landing in Florida for the first timee GL Glory where dreams can take place thees 7:30 hopping on my flight got to get away to the bright sunlight and that's all right I got the in of a Restless Soul she's going with the wind going to go for real tonight yeah girl we've been meant for this since we were born we were born no problem now the coast is clear it's just before stor this must be just like living in Paradise just like paradise and I don't want to go home I ain't home just like Parise then I know what to goe like to my girl right now I it need a chance get what I say do nothing for a good time I nothing get thank you if you would like to see the entire show we have our sendoff concert on February 18th at Tarpon Springs High School we would love to see you there to see the entirety of our show that's just one song of six so that was fantastic thank you thank you so much for being here well done Mrs Santos that was amazing a little bit later in our special order agenda we'll be reading a proclamation of national mentoring month and in support of that theme today that next will have a video around mentoring and its impact at carwise Middle School our school store at carwise is part of our positive behavior incentives for students so they earn tickets we call them shark bites because our mascot is the shark and they spend those tickets here at the school store during lunches on Fridays the most popular thing by far is the candy so that has the longest line and that's how we ended up creating a special candy cart can you handle that I started out selling the regular stuff here at the store and then nobody was doing the candy one day so I started filled in and started selling the candy and that was kind of cool the kids kind of like it too what's the one I wanted volunteering I get more out of the volunteering than I think the people that that I volunteer for it uh gets me out gets me interacting with the youth and with other adults and I get a lot of pleasure and and good out of it I think more so than I feel that I give go ahe I think whenever you have someone who comes in and interacts with the students in a positive way or they're laughing and they're smiling and they're joking like that's awesome we love that we love to see that our students having those experiences so it's just wonderful all the way around yeah very good excellent and we certainly thank Grandpa Bob for being there every day for the students at carwise middle um and as you heard him say our mentors and volunteers get just as much out of it as the students do so if you're considering mentoring or volunteering in our schools please please certainly do uh the next item on our agenda 1.5 introduction of professional and Community organization Representatives Isabella 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 and professional organizations from the penila arts for a complete education Coalition Maria cantonis today we have a presentation from the student rights and responsibility committee please welcome students Mia jel and Samson wer from Tarpon Springs high school and their principal Lisa fedal litis good morning good morning M and Samson 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 uh for Tarpon Springs High School my name is Mia Gerald and I am a senior and the executive board president for the student council I'm also in the leadership Conservatory in Cambridge programs and I'm Samson wder I'm also a senior at tpen Springs schol school and I'm I'm the executive board treasurer for our student council and I'm also a member of the Cambridge program as well as many of the clubs that we have to offer at Tarpin thank you very much for this opportunity to tell you a little bit more about our school we have many exciting District application programs at Tarpin as well as high achieving Sports and student organizations the program Pathways we offer students align and have flexibility to accommodate a variety of interests including industry certification Advanced and general grade level education students can choose to be one of more more of our many programs as they explore their many passions our school is also awarded the prestigious Merit Award of Excellence from the national magnet schools of America in 2024 which is an amazing honor and showcases our efforts in leading 21st century programs that prep prepare students for Success After High School we have posters and Banners commemorating this achievement all around our school just to tell you a little bit more about our programs The Jacobson culinary arts academy is certified through the American culinary Federation we have a huge state-ofthe-art facility that really give students The Full Experience of working in a real life restaurant we have a long list of accolades from from the past couple years from the many competition students participate in we were also skills USA cont chapor of Excellence program in 2024 on top of having a high job placement rate in the hospitality industry upon graduation with industry certifications the veterinary science academy also prepares students for industry positions as a certified veterinary assistant by the end of the program students will have over 250 volunteer hours in a work setting under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian or certified veterinary technician where they will earn an industry certification as a veterinary assistant also we have the first K9 Cav dog simulator as seen in the photo on the left as well as a great curriculum adopted from Cornell University ultimately preparing students for veterinary success in the Cambridge Ace Program students have the opportunity to earn college credit starting in their freshman year students may choose a variety of courses based on what suits their interest better or how many Cambridge courses they would like to take each year I know in the senior class alone we have over 30 students who have already earned their Ace diploma and many more who will earn it after this year this is great because it stands out to colleges and waves the SAT act requirement for the bright future scholarship as well lastly we have our Tarpon Springs leadership Conservatory for the arts program this program encapsulates encapsulates chorus marching band concert band Color Guard Orchestra and dance students develop into lifelong Learners and leaders we help shape the shape and build the creativity ability to adapt to our changing World providing a worldclass learning center of excellence that integrates leadership skills the Performing Arts and advanced technology with a rigorous academic curriculum each group is special and brings something unique to the National stage here at Tarpin we have the only show choir which you saw previously in the State of Florida they travel yeah they travel to Alabama and Georgia to in different Regional and National competitions while also being invited to sing at the Disney candle light last year our Color Guard is world renowned both on the marching field and the Winter Guard floor they've won national championships countless Regional Champion championships in the past few years and have been world champion finalists every time they went to Dayton Ohio since 1998 this showcases not only their Excellence but the dedication to grow that both the students and instructors have matching these same standards are are outdoor performance Ensemble and win ensembles I've had the opportunity to be in the Conservatory these past four years and I've traveled made new friends and learned the invaluable lessons of hard work grit and leadership in my four years alone te- soap has been five time brands of America Regional Champions two time bands of America 2A grand national champions and I've marched in the Macy's parade and won the win Ensemble comp uh competition in Colorado Springs I think being a part of this Conservatory has helped me grow tremendously as a person learning to enjoy the process in everything I do while also being the hardest worker I can be as Mr Ford tell us tells us we get 1% better every day lastly at Tarpin we pride ourselves on our sense of community there's an abundance of clubs that we are both members of and officers of a few of our biggest clubs include vet Club National Honor Society future Business Leaders of America Key Club mu FAA as shown in the bottom right picture debate which send students to model un and ethics ball each year as shown in the top right picture academic team as shown in the two in the top left and by far our biggest Club trian Music Honor Society which was selected as the 2023 2024 Florida chapter of the Year all of our clubs are filled with energy and excitement as we as student leaders hope to take each one to the next level when we started half these clubs either didn't exist or had low membership but through the dedication of our students and staff I'm proud to say that we have something for everyone at Tarpon and these clubs have been taken to the next level whether it be competitively or recognized on the state and National level I think one cool thing about Tarpon is that we really take the community to the next level throughout our four years in attendance we have gotten to know each person from our class and all of our teachers and staff on at least a base level this helps to create unique opportunities like Shop with a cop around Christmas time where the student C the student council donates half of their funds so that families in Tarpon Springs are able to go to the shop at Walmart for Christmas presents and have a food gift card to buy a nice Christmas dinner having this tightnit community has resulted in all of us having respect for one another's methods of learning and teaching we have been taught to take responsibility for our work and our actions whether it's submitting assignments on time or remaining good discipline we always have support from our peers and teachers then there's our resilience when facing a problem that seems difficult to overcome we always find a way I always had the trust in my teachers to help me where I feel like I need support and better myself every day as everybody at Tarpon High he's daily we show our three hours by being respectful responsible and resilient because we are sponger Nation fantastic very much thank you Mia and Samson there really is something for everyone at Tarpon Springs High and it takes the work of your teachers and leaders Mrs patalas it's nice to see you but it also takes your leadership as students you know the communities that we live in including our schools are built and rebuilt every day by those of us who participate in them and that's you and your fellow student leaders so thank you very much for what you're doing at Tarpon Springs High School Mrs long I just have to say that you still amazed me you're one of my favorite schools and Tarpon Springs is so close did it is my home away from home I was with the mayor yesterday and you just there's such a love there and and you all of the students at Tarpon Springs you're so respectful and I love that so take your dreams and fly high you got this okay a thank you item number two on the agenda amendments to the agenda Mr hendrik any amendments to the agenda there are no amendments Madam chair board members any amendments seeing none uh item number three may I have a motion in a second to adopt the agenda make a motion a motion by Mrs long and a second by Mrs Meyer all those in favor say I any opposed passes 7 to zero on our special order agenda today item 4.1 this is an item our school board is both in support of and very proud of it is recognition of David kerski as recipient of the 2024 C Graham kurs Award of Excellence this award is awarded by the Florida school board attorneys Association and just to give a little context to what that is the Florida Schoolboard attorney Association so we have 67 s counties throughout the State of Florida each of those school districts has a school board attorney this is their specialty their field in education they know that education law inside and out some perhaps more excellent than others and what this award does is recognize Excellence it is a body of people who choose this as their career and then when they're looking at one another to determine who will we give this award to they chose our District Schoolboard attorney and we are again and support of and very proud of that here today to introduce uh the award to Mr kerski is John palmerini he is currently the president of the Florida Schoolboard attorneys Association John good morning thank you for coming over uh chair hind members of the board uh superintendent Henrik and his staff uh I'm going to quote my good friend John Bowen for those of you who have been around a while it's a pleasure to be in pine Ellis County I know the rest of us pronounce it pelis but it is a pleasure to be here in beautiful Largo and it's a pleasure to present this award to my uh friend and I consider him a a dear friend David kerski uh just wanted to talk about the award briefly and I'm surrendering to age so I apologize for doing it this way so I can see it uh the Florida Schoolboard attorneys Association C Graham KS Award of Excellence is given annually to honor a Florida school board attorney who has demonstrated excellence in the profession as exemplified by C Graham cars Graham cars served as the school School Board attorney in leyon county and was the editor of the fbaa journal for 35 years he was one of the founders of the Florida Schoolboard attorneys Association which was created in 1967 and he's always been and has always been ready to assist fellow Schoolboard attorneys facing challenges in the multifaceted practice of school law he greeted your phone call for help with hello lawyer what can I do for you he always had time to assist 99 out of a 100 times he knew the answer off the top of his head citing the appro case or statute and offer times directing the lawyer to the specific spot on the page where the answer could be found that reminds me of David to a quite frankly uh for 35 years he su truly served as the school board lawyers lawyer giving countless hours of his time for public education in Florida that's who the award's named after and you all know David very well and you know David's been involved in our organization he's held every officer position in there he was the president in 20156 but more than anything else when there's things that you need and you know sticky issues that we all have in the 67 districts about how we're going to handle an issue uh I know my phone I pick it up and I call David and never more than the time of Co when we were all flying the phrase we used in Orange County was we were building the plane as we were flying it and truly was we were facing things that we had never faced before and I'm like there's one guy who I know has the Judgment of both what the law is and the Practical experience to say this is how you would apply it in this situation so whenever I had a sticky issue I would call David and we would talk it through and David's done that for all lawyers throughout the state I know when I talk with my colleagues we have conferences four times a year you know when we talk about who are the people who are the lawyers the men and women that we would really trust if we had a very very sticky issue David's at the top of the list and that's why he's won this award but as I sent as I sent in the email to you all um when I um announce this award David's a great lawyer but he is such a better person and in our industry that is rare sometimes we deal with I always say the the worst thing about my job is dealing with lawyers every day right so but David's the antithesis of that he is kind polite he he will tell you the answer no matter what it is and some you all know when we do give you answers sometimes you don't like them but he has the Integrity to give you the correct answer he has the ability to do it with kindness and I can't think of anybody else who is more deserving of this award than David and you know I I was telling the story that when we first met it was in 2010 it was at a conference in Fort Lauderdale and my wife and uh was down with me with my then three-year-old son who was in a stroller and David came over and introduced himself said hey I'm David kerski I'm from pelis County pleasure to meet you ate lunch with me made me feel welcome and you know that was 15 years ago and that three-year-old is now an 18-year-old getting ready to graduate from high school this year so uh that was many years and for David and I many hairlines ago but unfortunately um but fortunately I'm here to present this award and I thank thank you for giving me the time to present the C gram CRS award to David kerski thank you board members we're going to come down and and take a photo make sure we commemorate this moment yep e congratulations to Mr kerski one more time and Mr pomerini thank you for being here today we know you have your own Schoolboard meeting this afternoon and this evening so safe travels back to Orange County thank you Mr superintendent and you all pray for me as I'm going on I4 right now we will board members any comments on this agenda item I know um Mrs Kane yes absolutely um Mr kerski we cannot thank you enough as a board you truly have led us through some Stormy Waters over the last few years and um over all that time you've remained so diligent and focused and always calm and always smiling in the worst of things and we really appreciate that coming from our attorney because sometimes uh the moments are heated we're not sure what to do there's a lot of confusion in the room and you're always so pleasant and so wonderful to work with and we really truly appreciate it and I'm so happy for you to have received this amazing award no one deserves it more thank you Mrs Peters yes thank you uh Mr kerski um I've only been on the board for two years but your guidance even before I got elected actually you were always available you answer the phone you are happy to speak to any constituent or anybody within our County um I have seen your impact throughout the state at Florida Schoolboard Association meetings and the aside from the fact that you always give very factual concise knowledge um and information you keep it light and have an amazing sense of humor and um in in these times especially when things can just be very Bland as he said attorneys sometimes aren't eest people for for just regular people to understand you make sure that that we do understand our role um even when we may not as he said like what we are going to hear but but we just really appreciate the fact that you I just think you're the best attorney that any of us could have so thank you very much for the job you do and um look forward to seeing you do this for years to come Mrs Edmond congratulations again and my colleagues have um stated many things however however I'd like to highlight the fact that youve participated in gy um our ethics training for several years and that always has brought joy and uh entertainment lightening the load of our ethics training so your contributions are not only to our school district but as mentioned previously the entire State thank you I'll just say again congratulations um and to be selected by your peers who in the in the profession is certainly an honor and certainly our board is both in support of and very proud of this award to you thank you yes sir Mr kerski thank you thank you all very much and I just want to express that the feelings are mutual it's wonderful to have a strong leadership team on the school board and in the administration makes my job easy and I thank you very much for the kind words item four point two on our agenda presentation of the Proclamation designating January 2025 as National mentoring month may I have a motion in a second to approve this Proclamation a motion from Mrs Meyer and a second from Mrs Peters Mr Hendrick would you please introduce yes thank you madam chair as the video showed today it takes everybody to run our schools and we need mentors we need volunteers and our office of strategic Partnerships helps to coordinate that and I'd like to invite up Miss Denine Wyman senior coordinator in the office of strategic Partnerships to talk more about the proclamation and the work we're doing to honor our mentors this month thank you superintendent Hendrick and board members the office of strategic Partnerships is excited to celebrate National Mentor month this month we are highlighting the fact that a mentor advocates for supportive relationships for young people mentoring as a legislative priority and we are raising awareness that a mentorship can change a young person's life since July 1 penel County schools has achieved significant Milestones with over 441 newly trained mentors and over 1,228 active mentors districtwide these mentors have made meaningful impacts on over 2,250 students they support all across grade levels K through 12 to support our mentors strategic Partnerships has increased the number of Mentor workshops from last year and including adding evening mentoring workshops and additional online opportunities this school year the district has increased our Partnerships with local municipalities and organizations including the city of panella's Park and the City of St Petersburg both of whom pay their employees weekly to Mentor our PCS students strategic Partnerships is also hosting three popup Mentor appreciation events throughout the month of January we have partnered with local businesses that also want to celebrate our mentors the events allow our mentors to create Fellowship while networking with one another and learning about upcoming PCS events we are also excited to host our annual Mentor Awards breakfast on Tuesday February 4th we are proud of the work and the Partnerships that are currently taking place mentoring embodies the commitment to our core values and we know that our mentors are part of what makes us an a district thank you board members for honoring our mentors with this Proclamation this morning thank you Mrs Wyman Mrs blackburg would you please read the proclamation of course whereas National mentoring month raises awareness regarding the value of mentoring recruiting individuals to mentor and encouraging organizations to engage and integrate quality mentoring into their efforts and whereas a mentor is a caring person who is consistently present and devotes time to a young person to help them achieve their full potential through a structured trusting relationship and whereas quality mentoring encourages Positive Choices promotes self-esteem and supports academic achievement and whereas research shows that youth who have a mentor are more likely to finish high school and continue to postsecondary education and whereas National mentoring month provides the opportunity to appreciate the staff and volunteers who dedicate their time to Quality mentoring programs and celebrate the young people who have found success with the help of a mentor now therefore the school board of pellis County hereby proclaims the month of January 2025 as National mentoring month and urges all to observe this month by taking time to recognize and acknowledge the impact of mentors in pelis County who give their time and talents directly supporting students signed this 14th day of January 2025 excellent thank you and thank you again um I'm going to take this moment to introduce you to Mr siani who's sitting here Mr canani is interested in being a mentor in our schools I have his information I'm going to send that to you and and the two of you can connect and we'll try to make that happen also if there's any um uh business cards Palm cards little handout things that we board members could carry with us that when we are at Community organizations or meeting and talking with people and be able to hand them they can quickly sign up to be a mentor we all want to be part of increasing our numbers of mentors in our schools so maybe at our next Workshop or something we could pass out something like that so we can be of support to your office thank you wonderful thank you so much absolutely item number five public comments on agenda items Madam chair we'll need to vote on that Proclamation thank you very much welcome thank you see an excellent Schoolboard attorney we have a motion and a second to approve item 4.2 the proclamation declaring January 2025 is National mentoring month all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero next item item 5.1 public comments on the agenda items Mrs how do we have any speakers yes Madam chair there is one speaker for agenda items Mark kutho speaking to item 7.6 7.10 thank you Mr CLA Mark clth o Largo 7.6 this is a budget amendment your uh strategic priority um fiscal and operational responsibility well you're talking about a budget here and when I pull up today I look at this hideous new building right across the street now here is money that is being squandered the latest example of irresponsibility there is just I mean it is beyond Bel belief how you can make something so hideous and wasteful and you're talking about being responsible not even close and here 7.10 over and over again your bid policies and procedures the rationale allow the district to provide high quality education for all students in an efficient and effective manner well again the Strategic priority fiscal and operational responsibility you can't have that when you squander money doing things like making a structure like that that's not being fiscally responsible that's stealing their future that's stealing their future this gives us a headline like this fires in Los Angeles area are Grim f look into the future warming will make disasters worse experts say Madam chair there are no more speakers for agenda items thank you item six unfinished business item 6.1 public hearing to consider the amendment to policies 5 41 0.01 required Core Curriculum promotion retention acceleration Elementary 54201 reporting student progress Elementary 54102 regular program Core Curriculum promotion retention acceleration Middle School 5420 do3 reporting student progress High School 5430 class rank 544 High School Credit and student performance standards 5460 graduation requirements 5463 credits from other schools and 2470 education of English Learners this is the second reading and there have been no changes board members may have a motion in a second to approve this item I make a motion a motion from Mrs long and a second from Mrs Edmund Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this item thank you madam chair each year the Florida legislature conducts a number of updates around education law and policies and these uh this item as we heard both in the workshop and at the first reading combine a lot of those updates and I think the most significant probably that you'll see in here is the addition of a high school graduation requirement which is the financial literacy course which we don't often get new requirements for graduation but is a very significant addition uh implemented actually enacted in 2023 so those are the types of things that you see in here and to explain a little bit more about this set of policies is our director of strategic planning and policy Mrs lyanna E Miss e good morning Madam chair board members superintendent Hendrick staff and Community each fall we propose updates to the student progression policies which are typically revised in accordance with legislation like Mr Hendrick said today I will Briefly summarize the policy amendments in groups pertaining to each elementary middle and high school the details of the amendments are included in the agenda item and there are no changes since the detailed presentation from the November board meeting and also the workshop in elementary school policies 54101 and 54201 both are heavily rearranged for flow and Clarity and to reduce redundancy the substantive revisions to these policies are made in accordance with Senate Bill 704 regarding the substantial reading and math deficiencies in VPK and the required parental notification for substantial deficiencies and in accordance with House Bill 13 1961 to include information about the new world's reading Initiative for middle school policy 54102 we're adding standardized formatting throughout and removing the specific course names because of the variety of courses that we offer to meet our students needs and also satisfy State course requirements and we're clarifying the reading course requirement for high school all of the high school progression plans within the policies within the student progression plan have been heavily reorganized again for clarity and flow we're recommending repealing policy 5440 and embedding all of the components of that within the other policies 5423 and 5460 in 5423 we're increasing the allowable College visit days to six across the four-year High School career and 5430 we're removing outdated diploma designations and adding the Seal of Fine Arts per House Bill 523 and for 5460 we're updating that policy in accordance with the state required courses for graduation as Mr Hendrick mentioned and also to reflect our current school schedules and adding definitions from 5440 in 5463 we've clarified the requirements for the transfer of Algebra 1 Credit and our last policy 2470 is education of English Learners and the changes to this policy reflect the changes that we made for English Learners in all of the other student progression policies so there's clear continuity across those policies we recommend approving the amendments to these nine policies today thank you Mrs Eis Mrs H are there any speakers to this item there are no speakers for this item Madam chair thank you board members any discussion seeing none we have a motion in a second on the floor to approve item 6.1 one all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero item 6.2 public hearing to consider the amendments to policy 5120 assignment within District this is the second reading and there are no changes may I have a motion in a second to approve this item move for approval motion from Mrs Kaine and a second from Mrs Myer Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this item thank you madam chair as we discussed at the workshop really going back over a year and a half now as the opening of a new K8 school next year does require some small changes to boundaries to make sure that uh the new Housing Development that we anticipate in Largo doesn't overcrowd schools in the future and that's what this policy update is in reference to and I'll ask Mrs Ison again to give the board and the public an explanation Mrs Eon in item 6.2 we're Rec recommending amendments to policy 5120 assignment within the district to support operational efficiency the amendment is an update to the date of the revised grid Atlas the grid Atlas set divides up the county into 1,123 grids and those grids are used to create school zones the grids been adjusted to best accommodate an upcoming multifam residential development and it places that new development in the school zone for its nearest elementary school which is Fugate Elementary and we recommend of course approving that Amendment thank you Mrs Hower there any speakers to this item there are no speakers for this item board members any discussion we have a motion in a second to approve item 6.2 all those in favor say I I any opposed it passes 7 to Z Item 6.3 public hearing to consider the amendments to policy 6144 Investments this is the second reading and there are no changes may I have a motion and a second to approve this item move for approval motion by Mrs C and a second by Mrs Edmund Mr Hendrick would you please introduce this item thank you madam chair um as we discussed at the workshop around our investment policy as Mr Jefferson and his team looked into this and updating language that was over a decade old to bring into line with our current practice with our investments that's the rationale Behind these changes so I'll ask Mrs Eis to explain those one more time and Mr Jefferson is also available if there's any questions from the board the investment policy 6144 is being REI revised as a result of operational continuous Improvement reviews there are technical changes throughout for formatting and the position titles there are two substantive changes the first is a modification of the number of committee members and the frequency of committee meetings in section 7 and the second is the modification of the available Benchmark options in section nine under Performance Management the rationale in details were also discussed at the October Schoolboard Workshop and there were no changes since first reading we recommend approving the amendments to policy 6144 thank you Mrs H are there any speakers to this item yes Madam chair Mark kutho speaking to 6.3 thank you Mr CLA Mark clth Largo well again your uh strategic priority or your is fiscal and operational responsibility oh you love those words don't you and yet action speaks louder than words your committees yeah what do the Committees give us any smart buildings I don't think so I look right across the street yeah it's just sad sad future you you are not recognizing the world as it is responsibility when is it going to happen Madam chair there are no other speakers thank you board memb discussion i' like to thank the investment Professionals in our community who serve on our committee and Gary I know you've extended some of those relationships so thank you for that um we have a motion in a second on the floor to approve item 6.3 all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero our consent agenda may I have a motion in second to approve the consent agenda uh motion by Mrs along and a second by Mrs Caine all those in favor say I I any opposed passes 7 to zero we don't have any items on our non-consent agenda today so on to new business 9.1 items introduced by the superintendent Mr hendrik thank you madam chair Happy New Year to all of our board members and all of our students and staff back in schools of course last week and with the new year a couple of new items the Florida Department of Education released High School graduation rates for the 2324 school year last Thursday penel County Schools increased our rate to 91.5% a 3.8% increase from the prior year we outpaced the state rate of 89.7% by nearly two percentage points and nearly every subgroup in penis County Schools outpace the state we are of course already halfway through this year uh for the cohort in 25 and are working to improve upon these rates close the graduation gap between subgroups and increase the percentage of students earning college credit Andor an industry certification upon graduation and although it's been now 14 days I believe I still want to congratulate the seminal High School Warhawk marching band and principal Dr Jane Lucas and the entire school and community on a tremendous performance at the 136th annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade prior to the parade the band also performed in Disneyland and a number of other locations in California this marks the third time in school history that the band marched in the parade and what we didn't know is that also they came home with that great experience but also the top prize of the 26 bands that performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade including College bands our band seminal High School won the Michael D service through Music Award presented to the band and leader who exhibit excellence in service both on and off off the field the president and committee were uh impressed with the perseverance and humanitarian spirit with seminal high school students and band director Mr madrinan so congratulations to the seal students on a job very well done as we roll back into school we have a number of events for families and students and in particular thinking about that class of 2025 the free application for federal student aid or FASA it's now time to fill out and we did our first kickoff event for that last weekend we want our families to have all the support that they need as they complete the college admissions process including the financial aid process we'll be at each Traditional High School in the months of January and February helping students individually and students uh can look for that information on the website as well as families to get additional support and with uh January is also full swing for our arts competitions uh the all count season is underway the district's finest dancers will entertain us at the allc count dance concert on Thursday January 16 at the Palladium in St Petersburg and next Tuesday the all count middle school and high school band concerts will be at mafy theater check out our our website for more information on those details and on the visual arts side we have many student exhibits underway including the student surrealist exhibit at the dolly Museum which opened last week the creative start exhibit at the Duneden Fine Arts Center which is underway now through January 17th and this Friday night the 2025 Journeys in journalism photo exib exhibit will kick off at 6 p.m. at Studio 620 in St Petersburg the exhibit will Feature work from students at Melrose Elementary John Hopkins Middle and Lakewood High School our journalism pathway and this year's theme is changing City students were tasked with capturing transformations in their City I look forward to attending and purchasing another photo which will be on my wall in my office uh they always do a great great job the performances like this and opportunities like this for our students would not be possible without the County Schools referendum also this weekend coming up is the stem Explorer Fest which will take place at Largo Central Park on Saturday January 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 2: p.m. the event features stem activities games and music and is a partnership between penel County Schools the city of Largo and the Florida water environment Association the district stem Explorer Program impacts more than 5,000 students from 90 participating schools who participate in stem extracurricular clubs the this particular event also offers Hands-On opportunities to explore stem and Leadership and career opportunities this weekend and of course this weekend also has a lot of Dr Martin Luther King Jr celebrations I know the board will be participating across parades and breakfast and events across our County the next couple of days but I also want to thank our students who are participating in not a day off but a day on next Monday our students will be in parades I believe in three different locations participating in marches as well in those parades as as well as the musical performances and service activities which are occurring across our County and I thank our board for their participation in the activities the next several days for our families we are in the middle of our district application period for magnet fundamental and careeres it continues until Friday January 17th for our more than 80 application programs on Friday night uh Student Assignment office is hosting one more parent help session so all the way till the end on Friday night parents can receive assistance getting help applying for programs more information of course is on our website and finally as we start the new year I want to recognize one of the superintendent standouts and this one is inz mazeres a licensed practical nurse at Nina Harris exceptional student education center she was recognized uh by one of her colleagues who is new in her role this year as a teacher Apprentice she's always been a pair of professional but now she sees uh nursez in the classroom all the time and here's what she had to say being in the classroom has given me the opportunity to witness things I hadn't fully noticed before or maybe only had glimpsed in passing I've had the pleasure of seeing nurse inz from afar but I didn't truly understand the depth of her love and care for students until now she's always ready with a warm smile and a friend your greeting for everyone she encounters she exemplifies dedication compassion and professionalism in both education and health care with a strong sense of integrity and responsibility she consistently goes above and beyond to provide each student at Nina Harris with the personalized care they deserve thank you nurse inz and all of our employees for the work they do each and every day thank you madam chair thank you items introduced by Schoolboard attorney Mr kerski I have no report today thank you ma'am thank you items introduced by the board Mrs long yes talking about Martin Luther King parades and events this Saturday at 8 o'clock is the breakfast in Tarpon Springs the um Jacob's culinary arts from Tarpon Springs every year they do a beautiful job for us um from the very first time I think seven years ago that we asked it's been phenomenal and more and more uh people are coming it's a free breakfast and this year our guest speaker is one of our very own Miss Caprice Edmund and she will also be at the Grand Marshall and the parade starts about 11 right at lime and Tarpon Avenue so we're really excited this year and I know she's going to be fantastic Mrs Edmond I'm superintendent hendrik you just provided a wealth of information to the public as well as highlighted some of the Fantastic things the accomplishments um that our students as well as our staff are doing and just to add on to the MLK Day celebrations throughout the county students are going to be participating in several events so I hope that you all are able to make it out to something just so you can see the talent firsthand our students and staff they are truly phenomenal and um I do have two other things that I would like to share with the public and one is the district monitoring advisory committee will be meeting this month January 30th at 6: PM these meetings are open to the public and they are virtual that the information regarding the meeting can be found on the district website also the greater Florida Consortium of school boards day in the legislature will be held in Tallahassee April through April 3rd so board members if you're interested please connect with Mrs HK it would be great to see you there and welcome back everyone thank you Mrs Kane thank you so much uh just a quick uh board uh update for the board um as the um representative uh for fsba I'm also on the policy committee for uh the Florida state school board and since Christmas we have had two meetings on our policy committee to discuss a fairly important issue at fsba and it's been a lengthy discussion over two meetings but an end result uh there will be a survey coming to you shortly to get input from our members uh they're looking specifically for members who have been elected in the last uh three years or less so we can get um information from new members about how they would like to shape fsba going forward and the question is on leadership roles as there's a debate as to whether to add additional vice presidency roles or keep it the same or there's just a survey of trying to get the idea as they try to shape fsba for our new future and now that um most of the elected officials have an eight-year term so leadership positions will be moving more fluidly in fsba and we're trying to reshape that as time moves forward so we would really appreciate if you all would look for that I encourage you to all take this survey because it would be nice if everyone on our board gave some feedback as to what we think would be a good way to move forward in the future so thank you all so much that's all I had happy New Year also happy New Year thank you Mrs Kane any other board members okay thank you I would like to um I'd first like to thank uh Vice chair Edmund for uh leading the meeting on December 17th uh please forgive me for my absence I became quite ill quite suddenly so I called you that morning and said I'm so sorry I can't be here and like the pro that you are uh the meeting ran very very smoothly so thank you and everyone please stay well I think most of us know that there's a lot of things going around so certainly please take your vitamin C and stay as well as you can um just want to Second all the news that Mr hendrik shared thank you for for always lifting up all the good news in our district um and also in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr weekend this weekend and I hope a number of you take opportunity to go to one of the parades in Tarpon Springs or St Petersburg um you know not in every Lifetime and certainly not even in every Century does someone like this live and are we graced with them and over the winter holidays my family and I took the opportunity to stop to visit some civil rights locations in Alabama in Montgomery Alabama in Birmingham Alabama um and one of them that we went to was the Church Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Martin Luther King was pastor and um it was an extraordinarily moving opportunity to just be there and be in that space and and honor him certainly there's plenty of documentaries and thing you can find on online and it's wonderful to be uplifted I'll just share with you this morning um one of the quotes of the many that I value from him he said the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of Challenge and controversy the true neighbor will risk his position his Prestige and even his life for the welfare of others in dangerous valleys and hazardous Pathways he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and nobler life I certainly pray that we would that all the work that we do here at panel's County Schools can lift others to a higher and nobler life and I grateful for all of you who do that work with us as well any other comments thank you um Mrs Woodford uh review of board requests yes Madam chair I noted one request your request uh at the next board Workshop that will supply business cards for board members to distribute that will provide district contact information for those interested in mentoring excellent thank you very much with that I'll adjourn this meeting thank you again for being here Mrs H are there any speakers for public participation today Madam chair we have one speaker for public comment Mr Mark kutho thank you Mr clo or clo Largo well that award for the lawyer you know I always say you have to consider the source yeah uh took a while but I guess he finally grasp the reality of this court decision and uh I had this article here warming will make disasters worse experts say as Los Angeles burned for days on end horrifying the nation scientist made an announcement made an announcement on Friday that could help explain the deadly conf configurations 20124 was the hottest year in recorded history with temperatures Rising around the globe and the oceans unusually warm scientists are warning that the world has entered a dangerous New Era of chaotic floods storms and fires made worse by human cause climate change now this is what your stupid buildings do belching the carbon into the atmosphere and I look at that new building over there all of that exposed mass that will absorb solar radiation I mean you can't get more stupid than that I mean it is so damn asinine that there is just is I mean it's just beyond belief it's as wrong as you can be and you say over and over again you're being responsible no irresponsible the future is dim thank you madam chair there are no more speakers thank you