Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:00 We’ll be right back.
19:29 we’ll be right back.
19:59 We’ll be right back.
48:28 But it’s really been a privilege to work with some
48:17 of the hardest working dedicated people
48:19 I’ve had the privilege to work with.
48:21 I wanted to thank the board and Dr. Mullins and Dr. Sullivan
48:24 for giving me this opportunity to go back to Bayside.
48:27 I have been there, I was there for 11 years
48:29 when I first moved to Brevard County.
48:31 So it’ll be nice to go back to some people I know
48:33 and to meet some that I don’t know yet.
48:36 I want to thank my family and friends that are here today,
48:39 especially my son who’s going to be a ninth grader at Bayside.
48:43 So this is going to be exciting for all of us.
48:46 Thank you.
48:48 Now we want to congratulate Ms. Heather Smith
48:57 on her reclassification from the position
48:59 of 10-month assistant principal at Vieira High School
49:02 to the position of 12-month assistant principal
49:05 at Vieira High School.
49:07 Congratulations.
49:12 Thank you, Dr. Mullins and to the board.
49:14 I have my husband here with me, so thank you
49:16 for all the craziness that has been the last few years
49:19 and sharing me with all of BPS and all our students.
49:24 I would like to thank Sarah Robinson for giving me this
49:27 opportunity.
49:28 I am looking forward to working with you.
49:29 You’re an amazing leader, and I know you’re going to do great
49:32 things.
49:33 I would like to thank Mr. Alba– there you are–
49:36 for bringing me to Vieira in the first place and giving me this
49:39 opportunity
49:40 and continuing to support me, even though you’re in a new
49:43 position.
49:44 I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me and for Vieira.
49:48 I would like to thank Mr. Novelli.
49:49 Thank you for your support in this journey that we’ve had this
49:53 year at Vieira,
49:54 and you’ve made so much of an impact on everything that has
49:59 happened this year
50:00 at our school, and I thank you for that.
50:03 And that’s all.
50:04 Thank you.
50:05 Next, we congratulate and recognize Dr. Nelephra Marshall
50:17 on her transfer from the position of Principal
50:20 at West Melbourne Elementary School for Science
50:22 to the position of Principal at Tropical Elementary.
50:26 Congratulations.
50:27 Thank you.
50:32 I want to thank Dr. Mullins, Mrs. Kline, and Tara Harris,
50:37 and the board for giving me this opportunity.
50:40 I am going to miss my family at WMSS.
50:43 I will always be a shooting star, but now I’m going to be a
50:46 trailblazer,
50:47 and I brought them with me along with the special man of my life.
50:51 So I’m ready to get going with Ms. Worley.
50:53 We’re going to be a dynamic team.
51:02 Next, congratulations also to Dr. Donna O’Brien on her transfer
51:06 from the position of Director of ESC Program Support
51:09 to the position of Principal at Myla Elementary.
51:13 Thank you so much, Dr. Mullins, and the board for this
51:20 opportunity.
51:20 It’s time for me to get back to my roots with kids and students
51:24 –
51:24 kids and students, same thing – and teachers, very excited to
51:29 take this opportunity
51:29 and be a Myla Manatee.
51:31 I would like to have a big shout-out to Jane Klein for believing
51:35 in my leadership.
51:35 I’m excited to work with her and her leading and learning team.
51:39 I have to give a big shout-out to my ESC Program Support family.
51:44 It’s been an amazing six years.
51:46 They’re an amazing group of experts, and I will miss all of them
51:48 dearly.
51:49 To my new Myla family, very excited to get to know them, to work
51:54 with them,
51:54 get to know the community, and be a part of the Merritt Island
51:57 launch area
51:58 and the manatees that surround it.
52:01 And last but not least, I have my best friend and husband, David,
52:04 here,
52:05 who’s happy to support this new adventure.
52:06 So, thank you so much for this opportunity.
52:14 All right, we thought our announcements were long.
52:16 We’ve got one more.
52:18 Congratulations to Ms. Sarah Robinson on her position change
52:22 from the position of Acting Principal at Vieira High School
52:26 to now the official role of Principal at Vieira High School.
52:30 Congratulations, Ms. Robinson.
52:31 Good evening, Dr. Mullins and school board members.
52:39 Thank you so much for this opportunity to allow me to continue
52:42 to serve the Vieira community.
52:44 It has been my privilege to work there for the past three years
52:47 as Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Acting Principal
52:49 for the past six months, and I’ve had the opportunity to work
52:52 with some of the best staff, parents, community that I could
52:56 even imagine.
52:57 And I’m so excited to continue to work with them
53:00 and continue the tradition of excellence that Vieira is known
53:03 for.
53:03 I do have to thank the leaders in the room who have helped me
53:07 grow
53:07 and have mentored me, especially Mr. Alba,
53:10 who is the reason I even became an administrator to begin with
53:13 and is the way he’s coached me and helped grow me into the
53:15 leader that I am.
53:17 I also specifically want to thank Mr. Novelli, Ms. Bowman, and
53:20 Dr. Sullivan,
53:21 who helped us through this process as Acting Principal this year
53:24 and were constantly there to guide me and advise me
53:27 and truly mentor me through this time.
53:29 And I can’t say enough about the wonderful staff that I work
53:32 with,
53:33 from the teachers to the support staff to the leadership to the
53:36 admin team there.
53:38 And I’m so excited to continue to work there
53:41 and to see what the future holds for Vieira High School.
53:44 Thank you.
53:57 It’s time to move on to our presentation.
54:01 Dr. Mullins.
54:04 We’ve talked about our kids launching things into outer space.
54:07 I heard a reference to, I think, a shining star, one of our
54:10 schools.
54:11 But next, now we have the opportunity to recognize truly a
54:16 shining star among our staff.
54:18 And I’m privileged to have Ms. Sue Han as part of our senior
54:23 cabinet.
54:24 Tonight, we want to recognize our Assistant Superintendent of
54:27 Facility Services,
54:28 Ms. Sue Han, for being named one of the top 10 leaders of the
54:32 year for 2019
54:35 by the American Public Works Association across the United
54:39 States.
54:48 These leaders are recognized for outstanding career service
54:52 achievements in public works.
54:54 Ms. Han was nominated by the Florida Chapter.
54:57 Presenting tonight’s award is Mr. Jim Prochie, City Manager of
55:01 Anna, Texas.
55:02 Mr. Prochie.
55:04 Thank you, Superintendent and Board.
55:12 This is a tough act to follow.
55:14 I just love the energy in this room tonight.
55:18 It’s been fantastic.
55:21 My children are a product of your school system.
55:25 And one of them is a civil engineer today in the Dallas area.
55:30 And my son is a senior at the University of North Texas.
55:35 He’s an honor student there in computer science.
55:38 But I am thankful of these folks who planted that seed many
55:44 years ago before I –
55:45 Mr. We’ve got lots of civil engineering and computer science job
55:49 opportunities here in Brevard, so –
55:51 Mr. I’ll let them know.
55:54 But tonight, I’m here representing the American Public Works
55:59 Association.
56:00 You’ve set the table for me quite well, so I appreciate that.
56:04 I’ll get to the point here.
56:06 I’m honored to be here to present this because just to give you
56:10 some of the history,
56:11 the American Public Works Association started in the year 1960.
56:15 And today, there were an association of 30,000 members across
56:20 North America.
56:22 These are the people that build all the infrastructure, all the
56:27 things that you do every day –
56:29 the roads, the drainage, the utilities, the schools, the
56:33 buildings.
56:34 And this top 10 award is the most coveted award of all the
56:38 awards.
56:39 It’s something that many are nominated, but few receive.
56:43 And in the history of our association, this year marks 600
56:47 people since 1960 that have been awarded with this.
56:51 I personally sit on the selection committee, and I have to tell
56:54 you that’s a lot of hard work
56:56 because there’s a lot of deserving people out here that step to
56:58 the plate and get this opportunity to be considered for it as an
57:02 honor in and of itself.
57:05 But one of the things I wanted to recognize before we get to the
57:08 point here is the folks that are here tonight
57:12 that have come to support Sue.
57:14 I just wanted to do this, just kind of the energy of the group
57:20 here.
57:20 If Sue was your mentor, raise your hand.
57:23 Wow.
57:25 If Sue was your teacher, raise your hand.
57:29 If Sue was somebody that you worked for or with, raise your hand.
57:33 Work with.
57:34 If Sue was your friend, raise your hand.
57:37 If Sue was your family, raise your hand.
57:41 This is a testament of who Sue is and how blessed you are to
57:46 have her amongst you.
57:48 She is a friend to me, to my family.
57:51 She’s the reason my daughter actually is a civil engineer.
57:55 When my daughter was nine years old, she goes, “What do you want
57:57 to be when you grow up?”
57:58 She goes, “I want to be an engineer.”
58:00 I said, “Oh, so you’re going to follow in the footsteps of what
58:03 I do because I built bridges and roads and stuff.
58:05 I worked for Sue for a very long time.”
58:07 No, no, no, no.
58:08 I don’t want to be like you.
58:09 I want to be like her.
58:12 And she’s quite successful doing that, and I’m very proud of her.
58:16 But Sue was her inspiration and her mentor as well.
58:20 We originally met in 1997, and I think the first time I met her
58:24 is I actually ran into her.
58:26 I was on a basketball court.
58:27 She was coming from the racquetball court, and I think I about
58:30 tackled her, trying to save
58:31 a loose ball back in the day when we were both a lot younger,
58:33 can run a lot faster and jump
58:35 higher, but not so much anymore.
58:38 But in 1997, she came to work where I was working.
58:41 I’m a former resident of Brevard County for about 30 years
58:46 before I went adventuring around
58:48 the country.
58:50 She is the reason I am here today, and I attribute my successes
58:55 to her as well.
58:56 I’m a city manager in one of the highest growth areas in the
59:00 country in North Texas, and everything
59:03 I know about our business, I learned from this woman, and I
59:06 appreciate her.
59:07 She’s a good friend, and she’s touched many, not just the folks
59:09 here in the room, but the
59:10 hundreds that she has taught through the programs.
59:13 And if you haven’t read the application, I’ll see that you get a
59:17 copy of it, because it’s
59:19 well worth the read, just to see how blessed you are to have her
59:23 amongst you.
59:24 I want to recognize the Florida Chapter President, J.D.
59:27 Dunton.
59:28 He’s here to represent the state of Florida, and I appreciate
59:32 him coming here.
59:34 There’s people from all over the place, some of our former
59:37 workers, and John Mongewe and
59:39 his wife are citizens that we served when we worked in another
59:44 agency.
59:45 So thank you for coming out, and the rest of the friends and
59:48 family.
59:49 I so do appreciate it, this is a homecoming for me, so I’m
59:52 having a great time here.
59:55 But with that, I just wanted to say one more thing, and then we’ll
59:59 get to the point.
1:00:00 Sue has touched so many lives in cities, in counties, and now in
1:00:03 a school board, and I
1:00:05 think she’s found her purpose here amongst you, because this
1:00:10 couldn’t be more rewarding
1:00:12 for me to see this and to be asked to come here to present this
1:00:16 ward here tonight to her.
1:00:18 She is the definition of a servant leader, always putting
1:00:22 herself before everybody else.
1:00:24 And there’s one thing I’m not supposed to say, but I’m going to
1:00:28 say it ever.
1:00:30 Of all the people that have ever received this award, she was
1:00:33 the only one that had gotten
1:00:35 the perfect score.
1:00:36 Yeah.
1:00:37 Wow.
1:00:38 The highest ever.
1:00:40 Highest ever.
1:00:42 Yes.
1:00:43 In 60 years, right?
1:00:46 In 60 years.
1:00:47 600 applications, 30,000 members a year.
1:00:49 600 people have received the award.
1:00:52 Highest ever.
1:00:53 Wow.
1:00:54 Perfect.
1:00:55 Caroline, did you get all that?
1:00:56 No.
1:00:57 I’ll probably get thrown off the board for that.
1:00:59 We’re not televised or anything.
1:01:03 Please.
1:01:04 So, and as the chair mentioned about her hero, Sue is our hero.
1:01:10 And with that, I asked Sue to come up, and this is, wow, quite
1:01:17 the plaque.
1:01:19 It’s very heavy.
1:01:20 To issue you the top 10 APWA public works leader of the year for
1:01:25 noteworthy achievement in the
1:01:28 field of public works and inherits to the highest standards of
1:01:32 professional conduct.
1:01:33 Sue Provost Hand, Assistant Superintendent Facility Services Brevard
1:01:37 Public Schools, has been selected
1:01:39 the top 10 public works leader of the year, awarded by the
1:01:41 American Public Works Association,
1:01:44 May 2019.
1:01:45 Thank you so much.
1:01:45 Thanks to everybody.
1:01:45 I’m rarely at a loss for words, but I’m struggling a little bit
1:01:45 here.
1:01:45 I want to thank you for joining us today.
1:01:49 We’re going to thank you for joining us today.
1:02:02 Thank you so much.
1:02:07 Thanks to everybody.
1:02:08 I’m rarely at a loss for words, but I’m struggling a little bit
1:02:13 here.
1:02:14 I want to thank my friend Jim for coming all the way from Texas
1:02:17 to present this for me.
1:02:19 Jim and I have worked together for many years.
1:02:21 We’ve known each other a couple of decades and have just
1:02:24 traveled the life of public service together.
1:02:27 And I’ve learned so much from Jim and I’ve learned so much from
1:02:29 my public works family.
1:02:31 Many of the folks here have supported me in various endeavors
1:02:34 throughout the years.
1:02:36 And my new BPS family, everyone has just been tremendous.
1:02:40 And I want to tell the board and the superintendent and my folks
1:02:44 here at Brevard Public Schools,
1:02:47 what an honor and a privilege it is to be part of this family.
1:02:51 I came to you four and a half years ago, newbie to facilities,
1:02:55 newbie to the school system.
1:02:57 And everyone just has been so kind and caring and just
1:03:00 tremendous to work with.
1:03:02 And we really just do good work here like we do in public works
1:03:06 in the cities and the counties.
1:03:09 It’s a life of public service.
1:03:12 And Jim read my name on the plaque as Susan Provost Tan.
1:03:17 And Provost is my family name.
1:03:20 And I wanted to, sorry, honor my dad who really showed me the
1:03:26 value of being a public servant at a very young age.
1:03:30 And just has always demonstrated good ethical leadership and the
1:03:34 idea of public service.
1:03:36 And I’m a product of my family and a product of our teachers.
1:03:41 I grew up in New York State.
1:03:42 And I can still tell, you know, Miss Nancy Prather, my English
1:03:45 teacher, was my hero then and so impactful.
1:03:49 So I’m honored to kind of come full circle and back to the
1:03:52 school district and serve the community in that way.
1:03:55 And the last thing I want to do before I relinquish the
1:03:59 microphone is to thank my husband, Murray.
1:04:02 I want to thank you very much.
1:04:03 Thank you.
1:04:07 But he does.
1:04:08 And we’ve been married 26 years and he has been there all the
1:04:12 way for me.
1:04:14 He’s been dressed in a dog suit.
1:04:16 He’s been out during hurricanes.
1:04:19 And I’m sure you’ll see him at some point because he’s always
1:04:22 been so supportive of me.
1:04:24 And so thank you to my APWA friends, my family, folks that I’ve
1:04:28 worked with over the years.
1:04:30 Just it’s an honor to be here.
1:04:32 And thank you very much.
1:04:33 Thanks.
1:04:34 Would it be appropriate to invite the chair and the
1:04:40 superintendent down for all of you down for a photo?
1:04:46 Yeah.
1:04:47 You’re all going.
1:04:49 We’re all going.
1:04:50 Amy, that’s you too.
1:04:52 Matt has spoken.
1:04:53 Come on, Amy.
1:04:54 Pam?
1:04:55 You need more people in the picture.
1:04:56 That’s my question.
1:04:57 Thank you.
1:05:57 Hey, Mr. Jim, I had a quick question for you.
1:06:08 I was looking at this name and it says the top 10 public works
1:06:12 leaders of the year.
1:06:13 You could change that because she got a perfect score to the Sue
1:06:16 Hand, Sue Provost Hand Public
1:06:20 Works Leader of the Year Award.
1:06:22 I’m on the National Committee and we are reviewing the standards
1:06:31 this year.
1:06:33 So she set the new standard.
1:06:33 There it is.
1:06:34 Congratulations, Sue.
1:06:35 Thank you.
1:06:35 I do have one question, sir.
1:06:36 Do you have Jon Bon Jovi working for you?
1:06:41 Is that what you said?
1:06:43 Jon Bon Jovi.
1:06:46 Mon Jovi.
1:06:47 Jon Bon Jovi.
1:06:51 I’d like to miss you.
1:06:52 Did he say Jon Bon Jovi?
1:06:53 It might be Jon Bon Jovi just trying to cover it up.
1:06:53 Under cover.
1:06:54 Okay.
1:06:55 Let’s see.
1:06:56 We are now to the public comments portion of our meeting.
1:07:08 Though school board policy 0169.1 limits to 30 minutes the
1:07:13 portion of the meeting during
1:07:15 which the public is invited to participate and provide public
1:07:18 comment, the policy further
1:07:20 provides that this time limit may be extended by a vote of the
1:07:23 board.
1:07:23 We have five public comments.
1:07:30 Each speaker is limited to three minutes.
1:07:32 We have a clock in front of me to help you keep track of your
1:07:35 time.
1:07:36 When your time is over you’ll be asked to stop and allow the
1:07:39 next speaker his or her turn.
1:07:41 Always keep in mind that reasonable decorum is expected at all
1:07:43 times and your statement
1:07:44 should be directed to the board chairman.
1:07:47 The chairman may interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant
1:07:51 statement when time is up, personally
1:07:52 directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant.
1:07:55 Should an individual not observe proper etiquette, the chairman
1:07:58 may request the individual leave
1:07:59 the meeting.
1:08:00 Let’s all encourage an environment appropriate for our children
1:08:03 who may be present or watching
1:08:04 from home.
1:08:05 Let’s begin with our first three speakers.
1:08:09 Carly Hudson, Anna Wilder, and Anthony Colucci.
1:08:12 Hey, as you all know my name is Carly Hudson.
1:08:17 I’m a senior at Melbourne High School.
1:08:18 It is the end of the year.
1:08:19 It’s the last board meeting before graduation.
1:08:21 So I kind of just wanted to go over my high school experience
1:08:24 with Brevard Public Schools
1:08:24 as I have been here since Kindergarten.
1:08:33 The first thing I wanted to bring up was did you all know that
1:08:35 Melbourne High School has
1:08:36 a one to two week waiting period to have a meeting with a
1:08:39 guidance counselor.
1:08:41 And when you do sign up to speak with one, you’re turned away at
1:08:44 the desk if it’s anything but
1:08:45 about stuff for a class.
1:08:47 If you have a mental health issue, issues with your college
1:08:52 application, anything, questions
1:08:54 about your major, possible career, technical education, anything
1:08:57 like that, you’re turned
1:08:58 away at the door.
1:08:59 We really are only allowed to have meetings if it is something
1:09:03 pertinent to our classes,
1:09:04 and I think that that should be touched upon in future years.
1:09:09 I was thankful to have had built great relationship with all my
1:09:12 guidance counselors.
1:09:14 I was able to stop in during lunch periods, but I’m not sure
1:09:17 that’s the case for all of
1:09:18 the students.
1:09:19 So just something to look into.
1:09:21 I’d also like you guys to reevaluate the career education
1:09:25 classes that is required for
1:09:27 each Brevard Public High Schooler to take.
1:09:31 It’s usually given during freshman year, which I think it should
1:09:34 end up being given during
1:09:35 junior year, because freshman year, I wanted to be an interior
1:09:38 designer, and let me tell
1:09:39 you, that is not anything what I want to do now.
1:09:42 I’m looking at going into the medical field, so that just might
1:09:45 be more helpful for all
1:09:47 of our students.
1:09:49 Instructional delivery was also a really big issue for me in all
1:09:52 of my schooling here.
1:09:54 In elementary school, I was a very gifted child, where I was
1:09:57 given worksheets to keep
1:09:58 me busy.
1:09:59 In elementary school, the same thing, worksheets, worksheets,
1:10:01 worksheets.
1:10:02 And now I’m here in high school, thinking it would be different,
1:10:04 and I was brought with
1:10:05 more busy work.
1:10:06 If you guys saw the literal stack of busy work I had this
1:10:08 semester, it would make anybody
1:10:10 puked.
1:10:11 I just am brought home with just copious amounts of worksheets
1:10:15 that don’t really engage my learning
1:10:18 where it should be on the high school level.
1:10:20 We have a lot of teachers that resort to that because they are
1:10:23 filled with so many other paperwork
1:10:26 issues they have to do, PGP, all the different things like that,
1:10:29 where if they had that second
1:10:30 planning period where they had originally, maybe we could have
1:10:35 some different lesson plans
1:10:37 other than worksheets.
1:10:39 I’m trying to just go through this quickly.
1:10:43 Oh, and science classes was a big deal for me.
1:10:46 I love science, and we never get the chance to have in-depth,
1:10:50 hands-on labs at the expense
1:10:52 of the schools, but at the expense of the teachers.
1:10:56 A lot of our teachers have to pay out-of-pocket for every labs
1:10:59 that we have to do, and their
1:11:01 budgets can hardly ever cover 120 students’ worth of materials,
1:11:07 so I just think that’s
1:11:09 kind of crazy that we’re losing the chances to have really fun,
1:11:15 engaging science labs because
1:11:17 of costs, and then the last thing I wanted to touch on, I know I’m
1:11:21 out of time, Melbourne
1:11:23 High School still wears different colors to graduation, male
1:11:26 versus female, males are forced
1:11:28 to wear green, females are forced to wear white.
1:11:30 I don’t think that is any, the least bit, accommodating,
1:11:34 especially when you have students
1:11:36 that are in-between or wanting to be a different color and they
1:11:41 aren’t able to wear what they
1:11:43 can express, and expression also goes along with our decoration
1:11:47 of our graduation caps.
1:11:49 We are one of the only schools that does not allow decoration of
1:11:53 graduation caps.
1:11:55 I think that that’s one of the most simple things that you could
1:11:57 give your seniors just
1:11:59 to put USF on the top of your cap for graduation, and Melbourne
1:12:02 High School consistently, even with
1:12:05 a 1500 word proposal with reasons and et cetera to go through,
1:12:10 still is not allowed.
1:12:12 Just certain things like that would really enhance our high
1:12:16 school experience, especially with
1:12:18 graduation in the end, and for that still not to be passed, I
1:12:21 feel like that’s something
1:12:22 that the board could step up and fight for for our seniors at
1:12:25 MEL.
1:12:26 But besides that, I really enjoyed my time and the schooling.
1:12:28 I’m going to miss it, and hopefully I’ll be sitting up there one
1:12:30 day with you guys.
1:12:31 So thank you.
1:12:32 Thank you, Ms. Hudson.
1:12:33 We appreciate your continued involvement in the educational
1:12:42 process in Brevard.
1:12:44 Anna Wilder?
1:12:45 Hello.
1:12:45 Good evening.
1:12:45 My name is Anna Wilder, and I am currently a senior at West
1:12:54 Shore Junior Senior High School.
1:12:57 Just to let you know a little bit about me, I was this year’s
1:12:59 editor-in-chief of my high
1:13:00 school yearbook.
1:13:01 I was also the vice president of my student government
1:13:03 association, and I ran the Florida
1:13:05 Scholastic Press Association spring convention as the state
1:13:08 chairwoman.
1:13:09 I take pride in my accomplishments, as a lot of what I do is
1:13:13 because of the success that
1:13:15 I’ve had in school.
1:13:16 I would not be standing here today with the confidence to stand
1:13:19 up and talk about one of
1:13:20 the most pressing and easily fixable issues if I were not
1:13:24 encouraged by my mentors and teachers
1:13:26 who encourage me to take my spills and expand my knowledge to
1:13:29 accomplish great things.
1:13:31 I cannot even begin to describe everything that needs to change,
1:13:34 yet instead I’m going to focus
1:13:36 on this main issue and how its solution could create multiple
1:13:39 opportunities for a better
1:13:40 world tomorrow.
1:13:42 To get right to the point, there’s a general understanding that
1:13:45 respect and pay of teachers
1:13:46 in the United States is at an all-time low.
1:13:49 Spanning from a national view, when narrowing down to Florida
1:13:52 and then Brevard County, I’m
1:13:53 surprised to say that it gets even worse.
1:13:56 The average pay for teachers is $39,000 to $53,000 and yet Brevard
1:14:01 average is $43,000.
1:14:02 I ask you, how do you expect these individuals who have gone to
1:14:05 college, gotten a degree and
1:14:07 worked to attain an admirable profession to then make barely $7,000
1:14:12 more than the average
1:14:13 United States garbage collector?
1:14:15 Proper education is needed to fix this world’s problems that we
1:14:19 face in the world today.
1:14:21 When we are asking these teachers to inspire and educate the
1:14:23 next generation with this little
1:14:24 pay, for single mothers it’s almost unattainable.
1:14:28 And what about people with college debt?
1:14:30 I mean, I know I’m worried about it.
1:14:32 The ones who are working more than just one job to pay the bills
1:14:35 and barely getting by with
1:14:36 what they have is almost embarrassing.
1:14:39 If teachers have one of the most important jobs in society, then
1:14:42 why aren’t we giving them
1:14:43 the respect and the attention that this job demands?
1:14:45 They are the ones who are going to raise and encourage our
1:14:48 generation to change the world.
1:14:50 And yet we’re asking them to do all this, take care of their
1:14:52 family and themselves while teaching
1:14:54 curriculum that they may not agree with, which is a whole other
1:14:57 topic.
1:14:58 I can safely say that the footsteps I plan to follow to my
1:15:01 mother in becoming a teacher
1:15:03 have slowly and unfortunately been washed away because of these
1:15:06 unfortunate circumstances.
1:15:07 It is sad to see the decrease in students who want to go into
1:15:11 teaching but simply can’t
1:15:13 afford it.
1:15:14 There comes a point when we have to ask ourselves why this hasn’t
1:15:18 been neglected so long.
1:15:20 Today I ask you with all due respect as a student and a daughter
1:15:23 of a teacher and someone who
1:15:25 wants to go out and change the world for a better tomorrow, to
1:15:28 give the people who have given
1:15:29 me the power and the knowledge some respect and a better salary.
1:15:33 I know my three minutes isn’t going to change everything, but
1:15:36 maybe it’ll spark something.
1:15:38 And I know this issue is not going away anytime soon.
1:15:41 It’s time for us to take a step in the right direction and look
1:15:43 at our teachers for what
1:15:44 they truly are and for the sake of our future, give them a
1:15:47 respect and salary that they deserve.
1:15:50 I look at my accomplishments today and I’m proud because I know
1:15:53 one day the people who helped
1:15:54 me achieve them will truly be repaid.
1:15:57 I just really hope it’s sooner than later.
1:15:59 Thank you so much for your time and please consider.
1:16:01 Thank you, Ms. Wilder.
1:16:07 Anthony Colucci and after that it will be Vanessa Skipper and
1:16:12 Gene Collins.
1:16:13 Well, I guess I don’t need to say anything after that speech.
1:16:21 My name is Anthony Colucci.
1:16:22 I’m the president of the Brevard Federation of Teachers.
1:16:26 Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week.
1:16:28 Unfortunately, our teachers in Brevard started the week by
1:16:31 reading an article in the USA Today
1:16:33 that put them as the fourth most underpaid teachers in the
1:16:39 nation.
1:16:40 This is consistent with what I’ve been arguing all year long.
1:16:44 Our pay is a blight on Brevard County.
1:16:47 I think it’s well past time you stop trying to rationalize this
1:16:52 crisis as a cost of living
1:16:54 issue.
1:16:55 That is inaccurate and that is not the first study that
1:16:58 illustrated our poor pay after adjusting
1:17:01 for the cost of living.
1:17:02 Furthermore, go to the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget
1:17:07 Calculator and you’ll see that
1:17:08 our cost of living is actually higher than Indian River and Volusia
1:17:13 counties.
1:17:14 Then note that Indian River County teachers have a higher
1:17:17 average pay even though their teachers
1:17:19 have four years less experience than ours do and that Volusia
1:17:24 teachers will see a 7.5% pay
1:17:26 increase over the next three years.
1:17:29 Regardless of the ruling that the special magistrate makes,
1:17:33 understand it’s past time to fix this
1:17:35 shameful pay issue in Brevard County.
1:17:39 On another note, I’ve emailed all of you concerns I have about
1:17:43 teachers who retire, resign or not reappointed missing
1:17:47 out on a raise that was due to them this year.
1:17:51 First off, I want to note that on my last proposal I
1:17:53 specifically introduced language that said all
1:17:56 employees who are eligible for the raise based on their 17-18
1:18:00 evaluation will receive the raise
1:18:02 regardless of employment status for the 19-20 school year.
1:18:06 Also, I need to state that this union asked for the hearing to
1:18:10 be February 11th, 14th, 19th or March 5th or 4th or 5th.
1:18:17 When those dates couldn’t be accommodated by your council, I
1:18:21 even asked for April 3rd, 4th, 5th, 15th, 17th or 18th.
1:18:26 Your hired council offered one day, April 23rd.
1:18:30 It would be an injustice to punish our teachers because of your
1:18:33 council’s busy schedule.
1:18:35 Speaking of your outside council, I hope you’re well aware of
1:18:38 the fact that this union just won our third straight arbitration.
1:18:43 We will have a teacher return to a position he should have never
1:18:47 been removed from and you will have to pay monetary damages to
1:18:51 him.
1:18:52 In your budget talks, does anyone tell you that you pay
1:18:55 approximately $30,000 to fight these arbitration cases?
1:18:59 Perhaps you shouldn’t be so quick to go to arbitration against
1:19:03 us.
1:19:04 In these situations and many others, it pays, sometimes
1:19:07 literally, to hear us out, to treat us as a partner rather than
1:19:11 a nuisance.
1:19:12 And because we are processing an inordinate amount of grievances
1:19:16 under the leadership of the current superintendent, we’re likely
1:19:21 to be at arbitration again before you know it.
1:19:24 Unless there’s a change in the prevailing attitude of backing
1:19:27 administrators, no matter what, while harshly dealing with
1:19:30 teachers.
1:19:31 Although I’m in regular communication with a few of you on this
1:19:34 board, there are a couple of you who never contact me.
1:19:38 If you don’t want, you know, my insight, that’s not my fault.
1:19:42 But with that said, we’ll soon have a magistrates ruling,
1:19:46 perhaps Thursday, and we won’t be able to discuss our argument
1:19:50 because of state statute.
1:19:52 So, please pick up the phone and give me a call if you have any
1:19:54 questions about our presentation.
1:19:56 Thank you, Mr. Kaluchi.
1:19:58 Ms. Skipper.
1:20:00 Good evening, Vanessa Skipper, Vice President of BFT.
1:20:09 As I mentioned a couple of meetings ago, I wasn’t prepared for
1:20:13 the State Board of Education to ask me to remain at the mic so
1:20:16 that they could respond to me and also ask me questions.
1:20:20 Since I’ve been speaking here for six years and that’s never
1:20:23 happened at public comment.
1:20:24 I appreciate the new back and forth response, even though it has
1:20:30 been said that obviously we don’t get a chance to respond until
1:20:35 a few weeks later.
1:20:36 But I think that’s a good thing because it actually gives me
1:20:39 time to reflect upon my response.
1:20:41 In addition, I never mind not having the last word if I feel as
1:20:46 though my voice is being heard and my concerns are being valued.
1:20:49 I did want to address the analogy of whether I would want
1:20:52 disruptive students marching into a class that had already
1:20:56 started.
1:20:56 If I had a large group of students who day after day came in
1:20:59 together protesting something I was doing that they thought was
1:21:02 unjust,
1:21:02 I would, as a professional, address it as soon as possible
1:21:05 because until I did, learning would certainly not take place.
1:21:08 I have many times in my own career stopped a lesson and had what
1:21:11 I called class meetings because there were just some times that
1:21:16 my students needed to feel heard.
1:21:17 It’s not always easy to hear what they don’t like or what they
1:21:20 think should be done differently, but boy did I learn that when
1:21:25 I listened, truly listened and adjusted based on their needs,
1:21:27 behavior changed.
1:21:29 In addition, it was said that our rallies did not help get
1:21:31 agreement on contract language that we requested, but that is
1:21:35 hard to see when the contract language was passed across the
1:21:38 table last August and in each subsequent session until impasse
1:21:42 was declared December 17th.
1:21:43 It wasn’t until we began rallying in January and had four
1:21:46 rallies in a row that we were called back to the table and
1:21:50 negotiated seven pieces of outstanding language.
1:21:52 That did not go unnoticed by teachers, the community, and the
1:21:55 media.
1:21:56 Furthermore, it was said that people needed the time to learn
1:21:59 their positions before action could be taken.
1:22:01 I want us all to reflect on what happens when someone is hired
1:22:04 to teach in Brevard.
1:22:06 If the person is lucky, they have one week from the minute they’re
1:22:09 given the keys to their classrooms to the minute students show
1:22:12 up.
1:22:12 They are expected to be ready.
1:22:14 If they screw up, they’re given a reprimand or it is noted in
1:22:17 their evaluation or if they’re within their first year teaching
1:22:20 in Brevard, they’re dismissed.
1:22:22 Do we have the same expectations for all positions in the
1:22:25 district?
1:22:26 Five days, turnkey ready.
1:22:29 Again, we were ready the first session in August of 2018 with
1:22:33 all of our proposals.
1:22:35 You all know the rest of the story.
1:22:37 If you want teachers to stop being angry and instead feel valued,
1:22:40 heard, and supported, then please change your approach.
1:22:43 I think that’s already happening simply with our ability to have
1:22:46 this public dialogue.
1:22:48 But there’s still some concerns.
1:22:50 Please know that if I reach out to any one of you, it’s because
1:22:52 I have already notified appropriate district personnel.
1:22:55 And it’s because I believe, as an elected official, you should
1:22:59 know what I know.
1:23:00 And once you know, help fix it.
1:23:02 It is frustrating to me and to teachers to hear district talking
1:23:05 points repeated back to us when we bring up concerns.
1:23:08 You all have the power within you to make change.
1:23:11 Please do so.
1:23:12 Thanks.
1:23:13 Thank you, Ms. Skipper.
1:23:18 Mr. Collins.
1:23:21 Good evening.
1:23:24 My name is Gene Collins.
1:23:25 I wanted to talk for a few minutes about the cooperative
1:23:27 organizations and booster clubs.
1:23:29 I’ve had some emails going back and forth to two or three or
1:23:32 four of you on the board there.
1:23:33 And I’ve had some concerns about how booster clubs are organized.
1:23:37 If you read your rules and regulations, they’re very
1:23:40 contradictory.
1:23:41 When I first started looking into the transgressions of one
1:23:43 booster club, I wasn’t really familiar with all of the rules.
1:23:47 So I contacted Bill Mejeus and he was kind enough to put me in
1:23:50 the right direction.
1:23:51 If you look at your rules and regulations, you’ll see things on
1:23:55 there like year 92-11, where it says that district employees are
1:23:59 prohibited from signing a group’s checking accounts.
1:24:02 So that would mean that coaches would not be able to on checking
1:24:05 accounts.
1:24:06 This is happening in schools around Burrard County.
1:24:09 Well, I was talking casually to a couple of board members, and
1:24:12 even they who are very knowledgeable about how the system works.
1:24:15 In one set of rules, it says all money must be deposited in the
1:24:19 school accounts, which seems to make a lot of sense to me.
1:24:21 You have professional bookkeepers, you have auditors, you can
1:24:24 take care of that money and know how it’s run.
1:24:27 But in most cases, these booster clubs are depositing the money
1:24:31 in their own account, and they are spending it as they wish.
1:24:34 I was happy to see that the check that Matt showed today was
1:24:37 made out to the Burrard County School Board and not to a
1:24:39 particular booster club.
1:24:40 Well, what happens is your rules and regulations say that you
1:24:43 can’t sign a checking account, but these need to be updated.
1:24:47 There’s nothing in them but debit cards.
1:24:49 So here you have coaches or administrative people who are at the
1:24:52 booster clubs have debit cards.
1:24:54 There’s no rhyme or reason to why you don’t want them to sign
1:24:57 checks, but you allow them to have debit cards.
1:25:00 Money should be deposited, all money, as far as I’m concerned,
1:25:03 should be put into school accounts and passed back out to the
1:25:06 booster clubs.
1:25:07 One thing that Bill told me was that we subscribe to the Florida
1:25:10 High School Athletic Association.
1:25:12 Their rules and regulations should match ours.
1:25:15 But if you read the parent organization rules that we have for
1:25:19 internal fundraising and you check these, it’s completely
1:25:22 different.
1:25:23 I just want to quote this because I think this would clear
1:25:25 something up.
1:25:26 In addition, all monies collected, this is for fundraising, by
1:25:30 athletic teams, should be deposited with the bookkeeper daily
1:25:33 throughout the fundraiser.
1:25:35 Any fundraiser involving student athletes must be deposited in
1:25:38 their school club internal account according to BPS policy.
1:25:42 Under no circumstances should money be raised by student
1:25:46 athletes be deposited inside a booster club account.
1:25:51 So when we have our student athletes out there soliciting money,
1:25:54 my son, satellite, he was out there at the restaurants going
1:25:57 table to table asking people to sign their receipts over and
1:26:00 bring money.
1:26:01 That check was given to a booster club, made out to the booster
1:26:04 club, and then Lord knows what happens to it.
1:26:07 I’ve sent your Leonard counsel some information.
1:26:11 I’ve sent your CFO some information.
1:26:12 I’m hoping to have a meeting with Dr. Mullins to show some of
1:26:15 the specifics.
1:26:16 But this is an area that I think you all need to get involved in
1:26:19 because you had a transgression in two bookkeepers that you
1:26:22 found out over the years had taken $260,000, $270,000, and your
1:26:26 solution was to provide armored cars.
1:26:29 Well, this is a problem.
1:26:31 You may think it’s $20,000, $30,000 here and there.
1:26:35 The booster club for the football association raised almost $100,000
1:26:38 this year, spent $48,000 in expenses, and thank goodness they
1:26:43 retained over $50,000.
1:26:45 So this is big money.
1:26:47 And trying to find a list of all the booster clubs in Brevard
1:26:50 County is difficult to do.
1:26:52 They are soliciting money in the name of Brevard County football
1:26:56 or basketball or in our case, wrestling.
1:26:59 The public thinks that you all are controlling that money.
1:27:02 Hopefully, like everything else, it’s 80/20 rule.
1:27:05 80 or 90% of them are doing it wonderful and perfect and filing
1:27:08 their 5013 paperwork and their 99EZ form with the IRS.
1:27:13 And I know that I found some that aren’t.
1:27:15 Thank you, Mr. Collins.
1:27:16 So I think it should be something that you guys look into.
1:27:18 Can you just tell me really quick, you referenced the policy in
1:27:21 the beginning?
1:27:22 I thought you said 9211.
1:27:23 9211, yeah.
1:27:24 The district employees are prohibited from signing any group’s
1:27:27 checking account.
1:27:28 However, they may serve on the board’s board of directors.
1:27:31 So I know of a corporation where the coach is the only person on
1:27:35 the checking account.
1:27:37 Where did you, I don’t know of that policy.
1:27:39 So I’m trying, where did you find that?
1:27:40 On your website.
1:27:41 Do we have a 9211?
1:27:43 I don’t have to look.
1:27:44 Okay.
1:27:45 I don’t know all the numbers off the top of my head.
1:27:47 Okay.
1:27:48 We’ve written that down.
1:27:49 We’re going to look into it.
1:27:50 If you want to head to the back, have you met Ms. Serker, our CFO,
1:27:53 before?
1:27:54 I have and I have given her some information over here.
1:27:56 Okay.
1:27:57 Thank you, Mr. Collins.
1:27:58 We appreciate it.
1:27:59 Thank you.
1:28:00 Appreciate your time.
1:28:01 Does any board member wish to address any of the speakers this
1:28:10 evening?
1:28:12 I just want to thank the girls, Ms. Wilder and Ms. Hudson.
1:28:16 Thank you.
1:28:17 We appreciate you coming to speak and being active student
1:28:20 participants.
1:28:21 Congratulations on your graduation.
1:28:22 You’re welcome.
1:28:23 And Ms. Skipper, I appreciated your comments tonight greatly.
1:28:28 I think the tone was different than usual and I heard everything
1:28:34 that you said.
1:28:35 Although, I think you’re talking to the girls.
1:28:36 I was just saying I appreciated your comments, Ms. Skipper.
1:28:38 It was a whole different tone to me and I heard what you said
1:28:43 and I appreciate it very much.
1:28:45 Thank you.
1:28:46 Ms. Deskovich, I would like to just, in response to Mr. Collins,
1:28:50 just verify that leading and
1:28:52 learning, our staff has been following up with his concerns.
1:28:55 Okay.
1:28:56 He has made them aware and they are addressing us.
1:28:58 And Ms. Serker.
1:28:59 Great.
1:29:00 Thank you so much, sir.
1:29:01 Chairman, we do have 9211 is the correct number.
1:29:04 We do have a 9211?
1:29:05 And we are currently working with Ms. Serker right now.
1:29:08 We’re working on those financial policies.
1:29:10 Okay.
1:29:11 Thank you, Mr. Collins.
1:29:12 Thank you.
1:29:13 Okay.
1:29:14 It moves us on to the consent agenda.
1:29:19 Dr. Mullins.
1:29:21 There are 32 agenda items under this category, one with prior
1:29:25 information.
1:29:26 What are the wishes of the board?
1:29:29 Oh, does any member wish to pull any of these items?
1:29:33 Okay.
1:29:35 What are the wishes of the board?
1:29:36 Move to approve.
1:29:37 Second.
1:29:38 Oh, I don’t know what to do with that.
1:29:40 Pick one.
1:29:41 Ms. Campbell, motion by Ms. Campbell, second by Ms. Belfort.
1:29:45 Ms. McDougal.
1:29:46 Ms. McDougal, second by Ms. McDougal.
1:29:49 Is there any discussion?
1:29:50 Please vote.
1:29:51 Motion passes 5-0.
1:29:56 We’ll move on to the action agenda.
1:29:56 Dr. Mullins.
1:29:57 Ms. Deskovich, the first item is G-42 on department school
1:30:06 initiated agreements.
1:30:10 What are the wishes of the board?
1:30:11 Move to approve.
1:30:12 Second.
1:30:13 Motion by Ms. Belfort, second by Ms. McDougal.
1:30:16 Any discussion?
1:30:17 Please vote.
1:30:18 Motion passes 5-0.
1:30:19 Dr. Mullins.
1:30:20 Item G-43 is on purchasing solicitations.
1:30:21 Wishes of the board.
1:30:22 Move to approve.
1:30:23 Second.
1:30:24 Motion by Ms. Belfort, second by Mr. Sousa.
1:30:26 Any discussion?
1:30:27 Please vote.
1:30:28 Move to approve.
1:30:30 Second.
1:30:31 Motion by Ms. Belfort, second by Mr. Sousa.
1:30:33 Any discussion?
1:30:34 Please vote.
1:30:35 Move to approve.
1:30:37 Second.
1:30:38 Motion by Ms. Belfort, second by Mr. Sousa.
1:30:41 Any discussion?
1:30:42 Please vote.
1:30:43 It’s not come up yet.
1:30:44 There it is.
1:30:45 There you go.
1:30:46 Motion passes 5-0.
1:30:47 Is that the last action item?
1:31:01 Sure is.
1:31:02 Okay, we’ll move on to the information agenda, which includes
1:31:07 items for board review and we’ll
1:31:14 be brought back for action at a subsequent meeting.
1:31:16 No action will be taken on these items tonight, Dr. Mullins.
1:31:19 There are four items under the information category.
1:31:23 Would any board member like to discuss one of those items?
1:31:30 We’re now on board member reports.
1:31:32 Does anyone have anything to add under board member reports?
1:31:35 You can ask in the microphone.
1:31:36 No?
1:31:37 You don’t have to.
1:31:38 I know.
1:31:39 I hate the microphone.
1:31:40 I was just wondering if, you know, we’re all different champions
1:31:51 for different departments.
1:31:53 Is this –
1:31:54 This is the correct time to report on your department for sure.
1:31:56 All right.
1:31:57 Well, I’ll go first.
1:31:58 Okay.
1:31:59 I am the champion for my favorite department, but not that I don’t
1:32:03 like the other departments.
1:32:05 But I am the champion for HR and Dr. Setty and I meet on a
1:32:11 regular basis and there’s a lot
1:32:13 of, I guess, cool and new interesting things that are going on
1:32:18 in the department and Dr. Setty
1:32:19 has jumped in full force and I so appreciate all she’s doing in
1:32:24 that department for us.
1:32:26 One thing that’s new is the – they’re starting – I hope I’m
1:32:29 not giving this away – the rookie
1:32:32 of the year that we’re looking at.
1:32:35 Who’s the new rookie of the year?
1:32:37 The schools are nominating and we’re going to celebrate the
1:32:39 rookie of the year, which I
1:32:40 think is a great idea to help our new teachers because being a
1:32:44 new teacher can be very difficult
1:32:47 in our system.
1:32:49 Also, they’ve done a lot of reaching out different ways to
1:32:53 recruit people with videos.
1:32:55 They’re having a – I think, if I’m not wrong, Dr. Setty, you’re
1:33:00 developing a video for new
1:33:02 teachers as they come on board?
1:33:03 Am I – nope.
1:33:04 It’s a video of new teachers talking about diversity.
1:33:09 Okay.
1:33:10 I was close.
1:33:11 Anyhow, I need to take better notes.
1:33:14 But some of the things she’s working on and what they’re working
1:33:18 on – I hope this is okay,
1:33:19 too.
1:33:20 I’m telling all this stuff.
1:33:21 They’re working with the university to redo a contract to see if
1:33:25 it’s possible that we
1:33:27 could pay interns.
1:33:29 To be an intern and pay them with the thought that they would
1:33:33 want to come to Brevard to be
1:33:35 one of our teachers in the – when they’re done.
1:33:37 So, these are just some of the fun things that’s going on in HR.
1:33:41 There’s – she’s very busy.
1:33:44 And I appreciate everything that she and her department do all
1:33:47 the time.
1:33:48 So, thank you, Dr. Setty.
1:33:50 Thank you for that update, Ms. McDougall.
1:33:53 Every school board meeting or once a month, if you want to give
1:33:56 a report from HR, we would
1:33:57 love to hear it.
1:33:58 And as a reminder to the rest of my board members, we should be
1:34:00 doing the same with our – with
1:34:03 our departments that were –
1:34:04 Dr. Mullins, sorry, you talked about mine.
1:34:05 So, Dr. Mullins, do you have anything to report under
1:34:08 superintendent reports?
1:34:09 If I may, just to add a couple neat accolades.
1:34:13 One, we have our students at the ISEF Science Fair,
1:34:18 International Science and Engineering Fair.
1:34:20 Right now.
1:34:21 Do you remember, Dr. Sullivan, how many do we have going to ISEF
1:34:25 right now?
1:34:26 Eleven students.
1:34:28 If you remember, I bragged on our kids a meeting or two ago.
1:34:33 We – I’ll use the word dominate.
1:34:36 Dominate.
1:34:37 The State Science Fair.
1:34:39 We bring home 20 to 30% of the awards and represent less than 3%
1:34:42 of the students in the state.
1:34:45 We also had – I’m not sure if you got this email.
1:34:49 We have three students who were recognized in the Chinese World
1:34:55 Journal article.
1:34:56 So, I literally have the article.
1:34:58 I’ll pass it down if any of you read Chinese.
1:35:01 But I’m not – the pictures are nice.
1:35:06 But they are – they are celebrating three of our high school
1:35:11 students who were Ying finalists.
1:35:13 The overall winner was Pooja Shah from West Shore.
1:35:17 The other two finalists were Keeshan Mitra from West Shore and
1:35:20 Kyle Bramlett from Titusville High.
1:35:23 So, Pooja’s teacher, Paula Ladd, is also featured in the article.
1:35:28 And we had three of the five finalists this year.
1:35:32 So, our kids are going to space.
1:35:34 Our kids are going to Morocco.
1:35:35 And our kids are being recognized in China.
1:35:37 I don’t know if it gets any better than that.
1:35:39 Fantastic.
1:35:40 I can actually translate that.
1:35:41 Thank you.
1:35:42 I mean this, to me, the tone of the whole meeting tonight was
1:35:45 just fabulous.
1:35:46 Celebrating really a lot of success.
1:35:48 So, I’m just thrilled.
1:35:51 Thrilled with that.
1:35:52 And I’m just going to end on I think we’re going to win ISIP
1:35:55 this year.
1:35:56 That means we would win the international competition with a
1:35:58 student from Satellite.
1:35:59 That’s my prediction.
1:36:00 So, I’m going to go with that.
1:36:01 If there’s not any more business, we are adjourned.
1:36:06 Thank you.