Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:00 Good morning. The December 5th, 2022 special board meeting is
0:04 now in order. Paul, roll call please.
0:06 Mr. Susan? Here. Mr. Wright? Here. Mr. Trent? Here. Ms. Jenkins?
0:13 Here. Ms. Campbell? Here.
0:15 Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
0:23 I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
0:27 and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
0:31 indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
0:35 Dr. Mullins, did you have something you wanted to mention?
0:45 Yes. Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Susan.
0:50 Good morning. I wanted to take this opportunity to, before we go
0:54 into public comment, I think we’re heading into public comment
0:57 here shortly,
0:59 to provide some correction to what I suspect or has been brought
1:05 to my attention may be a misrepresentation of at least part of
1:11 our meeting this morning,
1:13 and that the time, the date and time of this meeting, and that
1:19 there has been some accusation that the board
1:22 intentionally chose to have a special board meeting at 9 a.m.,
1:27 which is not uncommon if you look historically
1:30 across when the district, when they’ve needed a special board
1:33 meeting, it is not uncommon that we have held a meeting in the
1:37 morning,
1:38 but also to hold the meeting on Monday, to prevent public being
1:44 able to participate in the meeting.
1:46 And I just want to go on record in stating that that is, that is
1:52 not true.
1:53 It is not the board’s, uh, at the board’s direction that we’re
1:58 meeting this morning.
1:59 The truth is, is that I worked with Mr. Susan together to
2:03 identify a time and date that we could meet to continue to expeditiously
2:09 work through the preparation of a separation agreement.
2:10 I completely requested and asked that the board move as expeditiously
2:21 as possible to both allow the district to bring closure and move
2:25 forward and to do the same for me personally and professionally.
2:26 And Mr. Susan, I appreciate you accommodating that and the board
2:34 members making themselves available as quickly as, as this
2:37 morning to make that possible.
2:38 So I wanted to make sure that our public understood that either
2:44 blame or responsibility shouldn’t fall where it was suggesting
2:48 it might.
2:49 It was a completely mutual, uh, mutual agreement that we would
2:53 have if we’re able to work through the negotiations, uh, meet
2:59 this morning.
2:59 It was properly noticed, uh, cleared with legal counsel and it
3:05 was, uh, completely agreed upon.
3:08 Um, in addition, uh, I want to take the opportunity to thank Mr.
3:15 Susan and thank the board for what I had hoped when we had
3:20 conversation back on November 22nd would be a fair, respectful
3:25 and amicable separation agreement and process.
3:29 Um, and I will tell you from me to our public, to our community,
3:34 to our public schools, that it has been exactly that and the
3:39 agreement that is coming before the board this morning, uh, I
3:44 believe is fair, it’s respectful and, uh, it is within the
3:48 contents of my employment agreement and Florida state statute
3:52 and, um, appreciate working toward that expeditiously and, and,
3:57 uh, and moving forward.
3:59 I have had an enormous amount of, uh, affirmation from, uh, from
4:07 colleagues, community, um, and it has been very well received
4:15 and very appreciated.
4:17 You know, life presents us the ending of chapters, some that we
4:22 anticipate, some that we don’t necessarily anticipate.
4:26 But the reality is, is at the closing of a chapter, a next
4:31 chapter begins.
4:32 And sometimes that chapter is much more laid out and the
4:36 narrative is anticipated and other times there’s blank pages
4:40 that we get to help write what’s next.
4:43 But the fact of the matter is, is new chapters bring new
4:45 opportunities, new adventures, and, and, uh, that’s how I view
4:50 this.
4:51 I will forever cherish my time as an educator with Brevard
4:56 Public Schools.
4:58 I will continue to lift Brevard Public Schools, this board, the
5:04 leadership team that I, that I leave in my prayers and, uh, all
5:10 of my best and well wishes.
5:13 Because as I shared with our extended leadership team last week,
5:16 when I had, uh, the opportunity to meet with them, this mission
5:22 is bigger than any one of us individually, including me.
5:29 And so, uh, in anticipation and hopes that we’ll be able to, uh,
5:34 quickly move through the action item this morning, I just wanted
5:38 to assure the board that, uh, I, uh, I wish them well and, uh,
5:44 wish this district nothing but positive and prosper, uh, uh,
5:49 prosperous things in the future for the children and the
5:52 community of Brevard.
5:55 So, uh, with that, uh, I’m going to take, uh, one last personal
5:59 privilege, um, in anticipation of several of you here this
6:04 morning, uh, who may have come to either be a physical side.
6:08 I don’t know how many public speakers we have.
6:10 Um, some of you may have come to speak, uh, words of affirmation
6:16 and others may come to voice different opinions, but if you are
6:22 here to speak on my behalf and a speaker before you, even though
6:27 you may have signed up to speak, echoes what you plan to share.
6:31 If you, um, if you feel like you can forego your time to make
6:35 this morning more expeditious, you could stand quietly just as a
6:40 sign of the speaker echoing your sentiments and it would be as
6:45 honoring to me as if you took time to speak at the podium.
6:48 I, public speaking is what it is.
6:54 It’s for our public and you are welcome to use the time if you
6:57 have done so, but I just wanted to, uh, offer that, uh, this
7:02 morning, just, uh, to continue to move towards in that most
7:06 expeditious process as possible.
7:08 So with that, Mr. Susan, I turn it back over to you.
7:10 I appreciate the opportunity.
7:11 Thank you, Dr. Mullins.
7:12 Thank you for all your comments.
7:14 We really appreciate it.
7:15 We are now in the public comments portion of the meeting during
7:18 this morning’s special meeting.
7:19 Comments will be limited to the agenda items only.
7:22 However, if there is anyone in the audience who wishes to
7:25 address a different topic, I’m happy to meet with you after the
7:27 meeting.
7:28 We have 17 speakers and each will receive three minutes.
7:32 The clock in front of me will help you track your time.
7:35 When the time is over, you will be asked to stop and allow the
7:37 next speaker his or her turn.
7:39 I will call up three speakers at a time.
7:41 The first three speakers are Mr.
7:43 Susan, you need a motion because the policy is there.
7:46 You’re going to need a motion to move it to three minutes.
7:48 The policy has the tiered approach.
7:50 Oh, you’re right.
7:52 You’re right.
7:53 Okay.
7:54 So many of the individuals, so we need a motion to amend the
7:57 current policy so that we can allow
7:59 everybody to speak for three minutes because under the former
8:02 one, they would be limited.
8:04 So do I hear a motion?
8:09 I’ll make a motion, yes.
8:10 Moved, okay.
8:11 Second?
8:12 Second.
8:13 Okay.
8:13 All in favor, signify by saying aye.
8:16 Aye.
8:17 All opposed?
8:18 Ms. Jenkins, did you vote aye or nay?
8:21 Aye.
8:22 Okay.
8:22 All right.
8:23 Thank you.
8:24 So the first three speakers are Bernard Bryan, Jennifer Nagy,
8:28 and Virginia Hamilton.
8:29 Bernard, please come up to the front.
8:37 First, good morning, and thank you for allowing me to speak this
8:42 morning.
8:43 I just want to say a couple of things.
8:45 My name is Bernard Bryan, and I’m representing the South Provod
8:51 branch of the NAACP and the
8:53 concerned citizens of South Provod.
8:56 I just want to say something specific to Dr. Mullins.
9:00 Thank you so much for your collaborative spirit.
9:04 Thank you for training me when I first became part of the Brevard
9:09 Public School Partnership
9:11 Team.
9:12 You trained me.
9:13 You taught me a lot.
9:14 You listened to me, and you also gave me some good critical
9:18 feedback.
9:19 And I just can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.
9:22 I just want to step forward just a little bit.
9:25 When I listened to the recommendation from this board on last
9:29 week, maybe a couple of weeks
9:30 ago, it was said that we’re looking for new leadership, and it’s
9:34 time to move forward
9:36 with new leadership.
9:36 But one of the things that the community is concerned about and
9:41 have questions about, what
9:44 was lacking under this leadership that wasn’t right?
9:47 What is the metrics that were unacceptable?
9:51 And what were the values that were not met?
9:55 And the reason why the community wants to know those answers is
10:00 because we want to make sure
10:01 the next leader meets your actual demands and meets your quality
10:06 values.
10:07 I’ve been managing people all my life, and one of the things we
10:11 always understand, you know,
10:14 what is the purpose of our leadership?
10:16 And I hope this leadership team, this board, will consider every
10:21 child, each child, no matter
10:24 what their colors are, their backgrounds are, that we value
10:28 every child.
10:30 And I think under Dr. Mullen’s leadership, that’s what we saw.
10:33 So the Brevard, the South Brevard, NAACP Act, as well as the
10:39 Concerned Citizen, we really
10:42 want to partner with you.
10:43 We want to partner with you with those values, helping every
10:47 child, even those childs that are
10:50 in poverty, those children that are in poverty, those children
10:55 that don’t have food, don’t
10:57 have clothing and housing, we want to be there to support you
11:00 with those decisions.
11:02 So we really want to work with you.
11:05 But just keep this in mind, the community wants to know what
11:09 value does this board are looking
11:12 for in a leader.
11:12 And we really want that to be very much explained to us so that
11:17 our next leader would actually
11:19 meet exactly what you’re looking for.
11:21 But let us partner with you.
11:23 Okay?
11:24 Thank you very much for allowing me.
11:26 Thank you, Mr. Bernard.
11:27 Just so everybody on the board knows, I met with Mr. Bernard
11:32 this Friday and had a conversation
11:34 and I’ve asked him and the NAACP to be part of our conversation
11:37 on Thursday.
11:38 I really appreciate your time with the conversations that we’ve
11:43 had and look forward to a great relationship
11:46 in the future.
11:46 Jennifer Nagy.
11:53 Good morning.
11:54 Hang on.
11:54 Hang on, Jennifer.
11:55 Let me get you here.
11:55 Ready?
12:01 Good morning.
12:03 My name is Jennifer Nagy.
12:04 I, too, wanted to thank Dr. Mullins for his service.
12:07 I wanted to also just say this is my first time coming to a
12:14 board meeting.
12:16 I’ve watched several online and I’m confused.
12:20 Last week it was brought up that there’s a plan and a process
12:26 for re-evaluating service
12:28 every year and it’s really come across that this was politically
12:32 motivated, possibly personally
12:34 motivated by some of you.
12:36 I do think better of you than this.
12:39 You are creating unnecessary drama and upheaval in our lives.
12:44 You are leaving our district without leadership mid-year.
12:47 Finding a quality candidate takes time.
12:51 Something we are in short supply of now thanks to your actions.
12:56 You are elected to look out for the best interest of all the
13:00 students in Brevard County.
13:02 Please behave like the people I thought you could be.
13:07 Thank you.
13:08 Thank you, Ms. Nagy.
13:14 Next up is going to be Virginia Hamilton, then Phil Moore, then
13:19 Sarah Almond.
13:24 Good morning.
13:25 I just want to speak directly to Dr. Mullins.
13:28 I have just retired.
13:30 He knows this.
13:31 I’ve been teaching for 31 years and the last 20 of it was in the
13:35 gifted program and we had
13:37 a wonderful service learning program called the K-9 Commandos
13:40 that you supported.
13:41 On the 11th hour of several times when paperwork was missing,
13:45 you went and tracked the paperwork
13:47 down and took it to people that needed to appropriately sign it
13:50 so the kids could get out to the shelters.
13:53 I remember you calling me on a Sunday afternoon to talk to me
13:57 about an award and I also have
14:00 a very fond memory of you coming to my last school and walking
14:04 into my room and seeing the
14:06 chaos of materials all over the floor with the kids, the gifted
14:09 kids working on their science
14:11 projects and you were just giggling and laughing and these are
14:14 just all the memories that I
14:16 have of you and have known you for years and the support you’ve
14:19 given me and the kids
14:20 and the K-9 Commandos is so valuable.
14:23 Thank you so much Dr. Mullins for everything you have done for
14:26 the teachers, for the kids
14:28 and for the animals shelters. Thank you so much and we will miss
14:32 you.
14:33 Thank you Ms. Hamilton. Next up, Phil Moore.
14:37 Phil Moore, Concerned Citizen, Palm Bay, Florida. I’d like to
14:43 say good morning but unfortunately there’s no good reason for us
14:43 being here this morning.
14:43 First the new board has already shown it wants to work in
14:52 deliberate deception as many of us including myself are here now
14:57 because you Mr. Susan allowed for an agenda item to be voted on
14:57 without public notice and many of our here are after the fact
14:57 and the damage has already been done.
14:57 It is complete hypocrisy to say that you value public input in
15:09 light of these actions.
15:14 Mr. Susan, the past two years there were groups like Moms for
15:20 Liberty decrying what a poor job they thought the school board
15:24 was doing and yet you sat up there in the last meeting acting
15:28 like a coward and used the superintendent as your scapegoat for
15:32 the direction you on the board tasked him to do.
15:34 I’d like to thank Ms. Campbell and Ms. Jenkins who clearly
15:38 understand how the role of staff works.
15:43 Dr. Mullins, I told this to a couple other locally elected
15:47 officials who were upset at the actions of this board and I said
15:51 to them I don’t blame you for immediately asking for an exit
15:54 package.
15:56 I wouldn’t want to work with this board or a board who acts as
16:00 rashly as this.
16:02 Dr. Mullins, what happened to you should alarm every school
16:04 teacher staff member and administrator that they too can be
16:08 fired not based on job performance but because of political
16:13 ideology.
16:13 Dr. Mullins, what is clear is that we now have three stooges up
16:17 there for the Randy fine who act with this action was a personal
16:22 vendetta against school staff and this case with the
16:28 superintendent.
16:29 Dr. Mullins, if your intention was to see an exodus of good
16:33 teachers and staff to threaten our children to turn school into
16:38 a police state and introduce discriminatory policy and ban books,
16:43 you are in for a long two years.
16:47 Dr. Mullins, Ms. Moore, Ms. Allman, then Tyler Mercer and Kelly
16:55 Herbin.
16:56 Dr. Mullins, I would like to thank the board for the opportunity
17:00 to speak, most of you are familiar with me, those I haven’t met,
17:05 my name is Sarah Allman and I had the privilege to work for Brevard
17:09 Public Schools from 2017 until the summer of 2021.
17:14 Dr. Mullins, Dr. Mullins, Dr. Mullins, Dr. Mullins, Dr. Mullins,
17:21 Dr. Mullins, Dr. Mullins, Dr. Mullins, I’m here today to talk
17:23 about your legacy and the legacy that you’re leaving behind.
17:25 Dr. Mullin, My background is community relations and I’ve done
17:29 that all over the world, but some of the most important things
17:35 to me in my career happened under your leadership.
17:40 and it’s because you’ve been here for so long, but you laid a
17:45 foundation that others could come
17:48 and build upon. You introduced me to people like Bernard. You’ve
17:52 introduced me to people all over
17:54 this county from Mims to Palm Bay that really take that mission
17:59 behind you seriously to serve
18:02 every student with excellence. Like Bernard said, it doesn’t
18:04 matter their color, their background,
18:07 80,000 students, that’s a lot of diversity, and I remember my
18:12 first meeting with you, there
18:15 was this weight in the room, and at first I was intimidated, but
18:20 I realized it wasn’t you
18:22 to be intimidated of, it was the weight that you carried as a
18:25 leader for this county. That
18:27 was before you were superintendent, but anything we’ve worked on,
18:31 we’ve done hard stuff, hardening
18:34 our schools, teacher pay, a pandemic. Nothing about your tenure
18:40 was easy, and through all
18:42 of that, everything I saw in you was humility. It was compassion.
18:47 You cared. Talking about
18:49 those Sunday night calls, I know. I don’t know how you and Laurel
18:52 ever got a break. Seeing you
18:55 out at community events, this news was shocking, but you’re a
19:00 grandpa now. There’s a new chapter
19:05 for you, and I’m not worried. I’m not worried about you at all.
19:08 Take Laurel on a cruise. Get
19:11 out of here. I’m worried about those 80,000 students, one of the
19:17 future ones crying in your hallway. I’m
19:20 worried about what may or may not be imposed on them. And the
19:27 most important thing I want
19:29 to use my last seconds is, is to say 30 years of a legacy won’t
19:33 be forgotten. You know, it’s
19:35 not a term. It was your life. It’s a life you built here, and a
19:38 life that you served so well. You’ve
19:41 uplifted thousands. I know there’s a lot that wanted to be here
19:45 today that couldn’t speak because
19:46 of time constraints, and I want to acknowledge the passion that
19:50 they have for you, too, and
19:51 just say that, you know, you won’t be forgotten in Brevard, and
19:53 I know this isn’t the end. I know
19:55 there’s still plenty, plenty for you to do here. But just a
19:58 heartfelt thank you, sir.
20:00 Next up, Hylia Mercer, Kelly Curvin, and Katie Delaney.
20:19 Janice Crisp.
20:21 My name’s Hylia Mercer. I’m a retired Brevard Public School
20:25 employee. Everything I came
20:28 to say, including what Dr. Mullins has said, has been said, and
20:33 I just want to add my thanks
20:36 and my concern. Thank you.
20:40 Next up, Kelly Curvin, Katie Delaney, Janice Crisp.
20:49 Good morning, board members. I want to first say thank you for
20:54 allowing us to speak this
20:56 morning and for giving us a full three minutes, although we don’t
20:59 plan on using all three of
21:01 them. First, Dr. Mercer, I am a Brevard Public Schools graduate.
21:06 My husband and I traveled with
21:08 the Army for 11 years before he was medically retired, and then
21:11 we moved home to Palm Bay, where
21:13 our children are both Brevard Public Schools children as well.
21:16 They have one in our virtual platform,
21:18 and I have one in a brick-and-mortar platform. My journey with
21:21 Brevard Public Schools has not
21:23 always been a positive one. I have a daughter with dyslexia,
21:26 which is not on the agenda, so
21:28 I won’t speak of it today. You guys know the struggles with
21:31 having an ESE student. I also
21:34 have a daughter with autism, having struggles with an ESE
21:36 student. What I have appreciated with
21:39 Dr. Mullins is that you always put ESE first. You worried about
21:44 staffing. You cared about our
21:46 teachers. I have spent thousands, and that is not an overstatement,
21:50 of hours volunteering in
21:52 our classrooms, specifically Sunrise Elementary School, where my
21:56 daughters have since left into
21:58 secondary education. The most important thing as a parent is the
22:07 education we give our kids. And
22:08 under your leadership, I have trusted Brevard Public Schools to
22:12 do that job. I have never
22:14 attended a meeting before, not because I didn’t want to. I live
22:18 in Palm Bay. It’s a bit of a drive.
22:21 But I’m here today, and I will be here every single day after,
22:24 because I do not trust what the board
22:26 chose to do. So that is the sentiment I want to leave. Thank you,
22:30 thank you, thank you, thank you.
22:31 Thank you, Ms. Kirvan. Thank you, Ms. Kirvan. Katie Delaney, Janice
22:40 Krisp, Diana Haynes are up next.
22:48 Thank you. I’m not going to go into all of the reasons why I am
22:54 happy about this change. I think it’s time that our district
22:59 needs a new leader. This is nothing different from any
23:04 corporation that gets a new board. Usually they bring in
23:07 leadership that reflect the path forward of the new board. And
23:11 so for people who say that this is politically motivated, I don’t
23:16 agree.
23:17 There have been issues with the budget. There have been issues
23:20 with discipline in the classroom. There have been issues, too
23:23 many to name. And I support this board and I thank you for
23:29 making this change. And I’m excited to work with the new
23:32 leadership that’s in this district. And I think it’s going to be
23:35 a wonderful thing. So thank you.
23:38 Thank you, Katie. Next up, Ms. Janice Krisp, Diana Haynes,
23:44 Maryland Waters.
23:47 Hi. First, I want to say congratulations to the new board
23:50 members since I wasn’t here last meeting. I had a pleasure to
23:54 work with you and help spread the word about your campaign. So
23:57 congratulations.
23:59 There’s been a lot of name calling here. So I just want to say a
24:02 few names as to why we’re changing the leadership. Sophia. That’s
24:08 one big name that needs to be remembered.
24:11 The name that we don’t know that was victimized by Kenny Johnson.
24:16 And the reason we need to remember that name is because Mr. Mullins
24:21 invited the man who victimized her to come back into the school
24:25 system after he was scolded by the Board of Education to never
24:29 bring him back on school property.
24:31 And he personally invited Kenny Johnson to come back on school
24:35 property. She later said in a statement that she hoped Kenny
24:40 Johnson was never around any children again after her victimization.
24:47 So he did that to a school child when he was working for Brevard
24:54 County. And it was not reported in time. And later, Mr. Mullins
24:59 was the one who was scolded for it.
25:00 The subject of Mr. Mullins receiving this excessive amount of
25:04 benefits and severance I think is ridiculous. I’ve never seen an
25:08 employee who was reprimanded not once but several times by his
25:12 boss who is the state of Florida. How many times were you reprimanded
25:17 Mr. Mullins by the Department of Education and the governor over
25:24 the mask mandate. Let’s remember that you did have the right in
25:29 the policy.
25:29 In the policy to stop the mandate at any time. The board gave
25:34 you those rights to do so and you never did so even though
25:40 salary was taken away from the board. You never did that. You
25:44 not only supported but you encouraged these actions by the past
25:49 board. That is why they are not sitting here today. And that’s
25:52 why you have been removed from this board as well.
25:56 So let’s remember that you were here when many discipline issues
26:03 were brought up and you sat silent. How many times do we not
26:08 know how you encouraged the actions that led to three women
26:15 being the people who decided on discipline issues. We don’t know
26:20 that. We weren’t around for that.
26:23 So I think this is the right move to make. People are afraid of
26:27 how this board will go. But how this board will go is parents
26:31 making the decisions for their children. Not you, Mr. Mullins.
26:36 Not you setting behind a board and leading people and getting
26:42 the final say.
26:44 Why on earth were you given the final say to stop a mask mandate
26:48 and illegally. Thank you, Ms. Chris. Thank you for. Thank you.
26:53 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chris. Diana Haynes,
26:57 Maryland waters, Gregory Rose Ross.
27:03 Good morning, board. I’m going to expand a little bit on what Ms.
27:08 Chris said in regards to the incident that occurred years ago,
27:15 many years ago, but unfortunately was bought to the forefront.
27:22 because of the bringing back of Palm Bay Councilman,
27:25 Kenny Johnson.
27:26 He was arrested.
27:28 He was fired from his job as a teacher and a coach
27:30 from Palm Brevard Public Schools
27:33 for the inappropriate relationship with a minor student.
27:36 And subsequently, Mr. Johnson made the decision
27:39 to send in a text message, an underage student,
27:42 that particular student, a sexual explicit photo
27:45 of his sex organ.
27:47 These are facts.
27:48 He was arrested at the time of that incident.
27:52 And it was the Brevard County school system
27:55 that failed to report those allegations
27:59 and the predatory behavior to the Department of Education
28:03 as required by law.
28:05 School districts were to report any illegally sufficient
28:08 complaints to the department within 30 days
28:10 of the district becoming aware of the offense.
28:13 And in October of 2019, they changed the law,
28:17 saying within 24 hours.
28:19 The head of the Department of Education, Mr. Corcoran,
28:24 wrote he only became aware of the case in March of 2020,
28:28 nearly five years after Johnson’s arrest,
28:32 adding that this extended delay extremely hampered
28:35 the department’s investigative efforts.
28:38 That there alone should have been enough to remove Dr. Mullins,
28:43 because that is hiding a crime.
28:46 No matter what the outcome was, it was an incident
28:49 that occurred to a student under his watch.
28:53 And it was left to re-victimize her over and over.
28:58 This is unacceptable, something I will not tolerate,
29:00 Corcoran wrote.
29:02 In a similar situation, I even went as far to recommend the
29:05 removal
29:05 of an elected superintendent from office.
29:10 Because it happened so long ago, they didn’t proceed.
29:14 However, if this situation is repeated in the future,
29:17 Corcoran warned, we would act decisively.
29:20 Now, despite his arrest in 2015, Johnson began volunteering
29:25 with the public school system two years after clearing a
29:28 background check.
29:29 He was suspended again in February pending a district review
29:33 after the allegations resurfaced and his volunteer status
29:37 with the district has been permanently on inactive suspension,
29:42 on an active suspension.
29:44 So my question is in April of 2022,
29:47 why was this man being paraded around schools on a career day?
29:53 That’s all I need to say.
29:57 - Thank you, Ms. Haynes.
29:58 Next up, Marilyn Waters, Gregory Ross, Haley Burke.
30:02 - Good morning, my name’s Marilyn Waters,
30:08 and I’ve lived in Brevard County for over 20 years.
30:11 I helped raise three boys, all of whom successfully graduated
30:16 from Brevard County Public Schools.
30:18 And luckily, they’re all now successful,
30:20 and I don’t have to send them any money so they can thrive.
30:24 I was invited to be part of a community group
30:27 that met with Dr. Mullins and other leaders of the school system
30:31 several times a year to hear updates,
30:33 what’s really going on in the community.
30:35 And our job was to then go out and share that information
30:38 with other people.
30:40 I was very impressed with the transparency,
30:43 the thoughtful approach to education,
30:45 and the focus on preparing our young people for future,
30:50 for the future, with skills and a strong foundation to succeed.
30:55 I really regret that our country and our community
30:58 has become so focused on where we don’t agree, divisiveness.
31:03 And as a long-term, very engaged citizen of this community
31:08 in Brevard, I strongly ask that you rise above the politics
31:13 and personal platforms and focus on all our children
31:17 and collaborate in your decision-making.
31:19 Board, you were elected to represent all of us.
31:25 There’s a lot of people here and at other board meetings
31:27 who take the time and energy to show up,
31:30 and the least you can do is look at us as we are speaking to you,
31:35 because that way we know you’re listening
31:37 and taking in what we say.
31:41 And I am very sad that, Dr. Mullins, you are leaving
31:45 because I very much enjoyed your tenure.
31:47 I have friends who have worked for the county school system
31:50 since the ’70s and have seen lots of things happen.
31:53 But I think over the past 10 years, 20 years,
31:57 things have been going pretty smoothly,
31:58 and I hope that you will take your job very seriously
32:01 and make sure our kids are ready to succeed
32:05 no matter what their dreams are.
32:07 Thank you.
32:08 - Good morning, Board.
32:19 Dr. Mullins, thank you.
32:22 I’m going to speak for a teacher who couldn’t be here today.
32:25 I’ll be honest with you.
32:26 He was actually afraid to be here today.
32:28 I want to paraphrase some of what she wrote me.
32:33 She wanted me to speak for her today
32:37 because she’s on an annual contract,
32:38 and she feels the Board has proven they are petty enough
32:41 to not renew people who don’t agree with their radical stances
32:45 that are based on no kind of data or any kind of data.
32:49 The school board has fired our superintendent without cause.
32:52 The school board has placed teachers and staff
32:54 in a situation many of us now see is writing on the wall,
32:59 and they are ready to resign.
33:02 She expects mass resignations.
33:05 COVID was hard.
33:06 The last year was harder, and now this.
33:08 If the Board’s concerns have anything to do with behavior,
33:12 they need to look at staffing of ESE teachers
33:14 and instructional age.
33:17 We currently have varying exceptionability,
33:21 exceptionality ESE classrooms that have K through 6 grade
33:25 in one room.
33:27 Not enough IAs and personal care assistants.
33:31 They have eliminated positions that were no longer,
33:34 that we no longer have K3 and 4/6 in separate classes.
33:39 It’s not appropriate for teachers to try and teach individualized
33:42 lessons for students of such wide age range.
33:45 Students not getting their ESE educational minutes,
33:48 and this is leading to behavior that is communication
33:52 that they can’t do the work without additional support.
33:55 That’s the end of her statement.
33:56 I’ll tell you what I think.
33:58 I’m going to agree with Mr. Bernard here,
34:02 very first speaker, in that we’ve seen no data
34:04 that supports this decision.
34:06 Nothing.
34:08 I find it ironic, Mr. Chair, that you stood up last week
34:12 and spoke with Ivy about consequences,
34:15 and students should have consequences.
34:17 We’ve given no regard to the consequences of this decision
34:20 and how it’s going to affect this faculty, the staff,
34:24 the administration, and most importantly,
34:26 the students of this school district.
34:28 Let me repeat, we’ve seen no data
34:32 that supports this action that you guys are taking.
34:35 None.
34:38 I want to agree with Mr. Moore.
34:40 Thank you, Katie.
34:42 Thank you, Jennifer, for doing the right thing.
34:46 That’s all I ask as a parent in Bernard schools.
34:51 That’s it.
34:51 Thank you.
34:52 Thank you, Mr. Ross, for your comments.
34:55 Next up, Kaylee Burke, Lacey Akonski, Mia Hosey.
35:03 Good morning.
35:04 I’m here because I care deeply about the quality of education
35:07 in our schools and for the children to be accepted
35:09 and respected for who they are.
35:12 There are children in this community that I care for
35:15 and for their future, but also I care a lot about who will be
35:19 in our community, you know, 10 to 20, 30 years from now,
35:22 who are our doctors, lawyers, building buildings,
35:25 who’s going to be interns at the Space Center soon.
35:29 You know, I really don’t appreciate this decision in the sense
35:34 that there was a lack of public discussion.
35:36 I haven’t heard from the board a valid reason for the dismissal,
35:41 which makes it either seem very flippant for those
35:43 of the public or else seem like there was discussion
35:46 that happened without our transparency, which is required,
35:50 and also presents us as a waste of money, you know,
35:54 and makes the leadership of our school system rocky
35:57 from the sense of both the lack of leadership right now,
36:00 but also the willingness of leaders to step up in the future.
36:03 And, you know, what is the decision-making process
36:07 of the board going to be as they look for and attract candidates
36:11 for this position and future ones?
36:14 I’m really worried about that for both the acting and
36:17 replacement
36:17 and really all positions of leadership in our schools.
36:21 You know, this is coming as a waste of money.
36:26 And I’m really worried about our experienced teachers and
36:33 educators
36:34 and them being attracted to our schools.
36:36 You know, my friends who have been here who are about my age,
36:39 they’re mid-level teachers, and they barely make more
36:43 than those who are coming in.
36:45 It’s – you know, we all know how hard it is for educators.
36:47 It is a very tough job.
36:50 And it’s really hard, you know, if we can attract people,
36:52 we need to also retain them and keep them here and working
36:57 for the education and for our students to be whole
37:00 in who they are as they come into our community,
37:03 both in this moment and in the future.
37:05 So please, as you work for actions in the future,
37:08 consider our ability to track educators
37:12 who bring great education but also make our students whole,
37:15 members of this community healthy for our community
37:18 and the whole world.
37:20 Thank you.
37:22 Thank you, Ms. Lacey, Ms. Mia Hosey, Claudette Wells,
37:27 and Paul Rube are going to be the last one.
37:30 Good morning.
37:39 My name is Lacey, and I’m the proud mother
37:42 of the Cape View Rocket here in Brevard.
37:45 And I also completed kindergarten to high school
37:47 here in Brevard Public Schools.
37:50 The fact that Dr. Mullins’ last move was a call for unity
37:54 when being ousted from his position
37:56 as superintendent is both remarkable
37:59 and completely unremarkable.
38:02 When I was growing up here in Brevard,
38:05 from sixth grade until my senior year in high school,
38:08 I routinely had math teachers who would seemingly randomly
38:13 place me in advanced or regular math,
38:16 regardless of my passion for math.
38:19 And I can certainly say that when Dr. Mullins was my math
38:22 teacher,
38:23 he was not one of them.
38:26 He showed up every day, and he was such an exemplary man.
38:30 He was organized, kind, polished, smart, engaging,
38:36 and attentive to all of his students.
38:39 He handled disruptions with grace.
38:43 I can even now picture him sitting in his younger days
38:48 next to his overhead projector,
38:50 walking us through math problem after math problem
38:54 and making it compelling just by being himself.
38:57 No gimmicks.
38:59 By the end of the year, I was so proud that he selected me
39:02 as the top performing student of that year.
39:05 This achievement was based on my GPA,
39:09 but this achievement was actually something we did together
39:12 every afternoon, and I did it with the help
39:15 of one of the most memorable educators of my life.
39:19 Dr. Mullins, I want to say to you that it’s remarkable
39:22 that anyone would want to fire you,
39:25 but I find it completely unremarkable
39:28 that you are leaving your position with kindness and grace,
39:31 because that is just the caliber of person that you are.
39:34 And that’s what I remember.
39:36 It’s a tragedy that my daughter will not have–
39:40 continue in the school system without you at the helm.
39:44 And I’m certainly rethinking her attendance here
39:47 in the Brevard public school system,
39:49 given the poor decisions displayed here today,
39:52 and given the recent abusive, violent remarks
39:54 with respect to corporal punishment in school.
39:59 I went on from Cape Fear Elementary in Cocoa Beach High School
40:01 to get a PhD in cognitive psychology with a focus
40:04 on psycholinguistic research, and I now work in ed tech
40:08 as a subject matter expert in statistics and calculus.
40:11 This is a direct result from confidence that I gained,
40:14 in large part through Dr. Mullins and his educational excellence,
40:20 that I was able to go on to teach statistics
40:22 at the university level, become a Fulbright scholar,
40:25 be invited as a visiting professor in places like Brazil
40:28 and Sweden, and be recruited to work on a Bill
40:31 and Melinda Gates funded project.
40:33 And finally, become a subject matter expert
40:35 at math and ed tech.
40:38 Thank you, Ms. Mia.
40:40 Thank you.
40:41 Sure, Dr. Mullins.
40:42 There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than here.
40:46 Next up, Claudette Wells, Paul Robe.
40:49 Oh, I’m sorry, Mia Hosey.
40:58 Good morning, I’m also here today to talk about
41:06 the mutual separation agreement of Superintendent Mullins,
41:11 mainly because I don’t think that there ever
41:13 should have been one.
41:15 Superintendent Mullins, by all accounts,
41:17 has served dutifully in support of our children
41:20 as superintendent for four years and as an educator
41:23 for 29 years.
41:26 He has a reputation of success,
41:29 including the introducing the Thrive for Five program,
41:34 a very popular program, helping to increase
41:39 the BPS graduation rate and successfully championing
41:44 the millage tax initiative, among other things.
41:50 He has a stellar record of supporting the board
41:53 and being a champion for our students,
41:55 not to mention being very well liked and respected
41:59 by a tremendous amount of parents, faculty, and staff.
42:03 In light of all this, the move to force him out
42:06 was unwarranted.
42:09 At the last board meeting, there was well thought out data
42:13 in support of Dr. Mullins’ work and contributions
42:16 over the past four years at the time
42:18 that he has served on as superintendent.
42:22 On the opposing side, there was a generalized assertion
42:27 that he had lost community support with no data to back it up.
42:32 No scientific polling from the community.
42:35 No scientific polling from parents.
42:38 No scientific polling from faculty and staff.
42:41 No instances of professional missteps that warranted
42:45 investigations.
42:46 Nothing negative from his annual review, which just took place a
42:50 few months ago.
42:51 Just a broad assertion of lack of support, leading to this sharp
42:57 and monumental move.
42:59 One that will affect all of our county schools and may very well
43:03 decrease the morale of faculty, staff,
43:05 not to mention parents.
43:08 My children are enrolled here in the Brevard County school
43:12 system.
43:13 Brevard County Schools has a stellar reputation in the state of
43:17 Florida.
43:18 Interestingly enough, every curriculum that I’ve ever seen here
43:23 instructs students
43:24 to use facts in their calculations and their decision-making,
43:28 scientific data.
43:30 When the individuals in power don’t use that same methodology
43:33 and practice,
43:34 we are doing our children a great disservice.
43:36 Thank you for your time.
43:38 Thank you, Ms. Mia.
43:41 Next up, Claudette Wells and Paul Raub.
43:44 Hey, good morning.
43:50 It’s the first time for me, too, so thank you for letting us all
43:53 speak here today.
43:54 You know, I wish I had that kind of statistical background that
43:58 we just heard about, but I don’t.
44:00 But I moved here in 1996.
44:03 My nephew went through the Brevard County school system, and he’s
44:06 now got a Master’s in Cybersecurity, so thank you, Mr. Mullins,
44:10 for your contribution to that.
44:11 I’m very proud of him.
44:13 I don’t have any kids, but I have three dogs.
44:15 But as a taxpayer in the county, I certainly have followed since
44:23 1996 the performance of the Brevard County kids, the Brevard
44:26 County schools, because as I think most all of us know, it’s the
44:29 largest portion of our taxes.
44:32 And so I follow up pretty closely.
44:34 I’m a retired retired Navy JAG.
44:36 I’m a retired Air Force civilian.
44:38 I did have a TS-SCI clearance when I worked for the Air Force.
44:42 And so I’ve been in similar positions as some of you are right
44:46 now as far as sitting up there and listening to people who, you
44:51 know, give you their opinions about what’s been happening.
44:55 And I want to give you my opinion about what’s been happening in
44:58 our county.
44:58 I, you know, I haven’t watched the school board proceedings very
45:01 much.
45:02 And, you know, as you may have seen as I was standing up in
45:04 support of certain speakers, you know my position right now.
45:08 I, I don’t understand why this man was fired, I don’t know this
45:11 man, I’ve never met him before in my life, but I heard the
45:15 statistics about the performance of Brevard County school
45:19 children, and, you know, I have no idea why the board took the
45:23 actions that they did.
45:24 I really don’t, and I’m waiting to hear it.
45:27 I mean, everybody’s looking at me now, but not everybody was
45:29 looking at the speakers who professed these same kind of
45:32 opinions earlier.
45:33 I don’t understand it. And I would really like to ask you to
45:36 provide an explanation to not only me, but to these folks and to
45:40 people of the county.
45:42 And if you can find another person of this caliber to replace
45:47 him or to replace her or have a female come in and do the same
45:51 job, then good on you.
45:53 You will have worked together to accomplish something, but you
45:56 came into this position and took this action without a plan in
46:00 place.
46:00 And now we’re going to not be, we’re going to be without a
46:04 leader of his caliber in this county.
46:06 And where does that leave us? I don’t understand.
46:09 I really don’t understand and I need to hear why you took the
46:13 actions that you took.
46:14 And if it wasn’t political, I think we need to know why it was.
46:18 Thank you.
46:19 Thank you, Ms. Claudette.
46:23 Mr. Paul Raub.
46:30 I’m echoing everyone else.
46:36 Brevard County graduate, a satellite graduate, as were both my
46:38 brothers, as soon will, well, next year, the fourth of our four
46:42 kids, all of whom graduate satellite.
46:45 Longtime Brevard resident, obviously, for all that to have
46:49 happened.
46:50 It’s hard to talk about what’s going on right now without
46:53 sounding paranoid.
46:55 We could pretend that this is happening in a vacuum.
46:58 We could pretend this is the only superintendent who has
47:02 suddenly been dismissed by an incoming Moms for Liberty back to
47:07 school board in the state.
47:08 But it’s not.
47:11 And that sounds paranoid.
47:13 I realize that.
47:14 It sounds paranoid to start talking about book banning, but I’m
47:17 on a committee discussing that.
47:20 We’re seeing, you know, trans kids being targeted.
47:21 The bathroom wars are back again, like a sitcom that’s been
47:25 resurrected that nobody liked in the first place.
47:27 This would all be funny. I’m making a joke because that’s my
47:30 defense mechanism.
47:31 It’d be funny if it weren’t for actual harms coming from some of
47:35 this discrimination against, you know, the weakest and most
47:40 vulnerable.
47:43 In some cases, part of which Dr. Mullins is being vilified for,
47:49 by letting folks whose mission in life is not understanding
47:53 biology dictate mask mandates at the state level, actual death.
47:59 And the idea that standing up for what’s right and for the
48:04 health, safety and success of all the students, even those who
48:07 might be, I don’t know, immunocompromised, that that is a
48:12 negative.
48:13 And then claiming that you want leadership.
48:16 What is that leadership?
48:17 Is leadership towing the line set by, again, people who are
48:22 aggressively anti-expertise, aggressively anti-knowing what the
48:26 hell you’re talking about?
48:28 I don’t think so. Or is leadership standing up, doing what’s
48:32 right, even when it might be unpopular.
48:35 We had that.
48:37 We’ve lost that.
48:38 I hope we’re not losing it permanently.
48:41 I hope that a couple of years from now, I’m not saying, I’m glad
48:44 we don’t have more kids in the Brevard school system.
48:47 I really do.
48:49 Dr. Mullins, not the first wonderful superintendent we’ve had.
48:53 I hope won’t be the last.
48:55 I’m sure you hope that whoever comes after you exceeds you in
48:59 every possible way because that’s best for the school system.
49:01 And so do I.
49:04 But let’s look for that and not to satisfy…
49:09 No, I’m not going to go there.
49:13 Thank you again, Dr. Mullins.
49:15 Thank you, Mr. Raub.
49:17 That concludes our public comments.
49:21 Thank you for coming today to address the board.
49:23 I did want to – there’s been some questions as to individuals
49:28 that were speaking coming from our county or outside the town.
49:31 Every speaker that spoke today was from Brevard County.
49:33 So thank you very much for all of your comments.
49:37 That brings us to our action item to approve the mutual
49:39 separation agreement and third amendment
49:41 to the superintendent’s employment agreement.
49:45 Do I hear a motion in a second?
49:50 Second.
49:51 Second?
49:53 Okay.
49:54 Floor’s open for discussion.
49:55 Does anybody wish to have comments?
50:00 Ms. Campbell?
50:05 Ms. Jenkins?
50:07 Dr. Mullins?
50:16 I have played this movement over and over and over again.
50:23 So this may be all over the place.
50:35 You and I have had personal discussions and you made it very
50:44 clear to me in those personal discussions,
50:45 just like you did tonight, your wishes for the best of Brevard
50:51 Public Schools,
50:51 not only for our staff, but for our students and our community.
50:54 You made it clear to me that you did want this to go away
51:04 quickly,
51:04 because you believe that is what is best for Brevard Public
51:07 Schools.
51:07 You are humble.
51:10 You are professional.
51:12 And I acknowledge your why behind all of that and those
51:21 decisions that you made,
51:22 the statements that you’ve made.
51:23 I believe it’s truly who you are to your core.
51:29 But I’ve also expressed back to you that I believe it is not in
51:33 the best interest of Brevard Public Schools.
51:39 I believe it is my obligation and my role that is a little bit
51:45 different.
51:50 Since the November 22nd meeting, I can’t even keep track of how
51:54 many people that I’ve never met before,
51:57 who have come up to me in the community, at the grocery store,
52:01 at a play, at the gas station,
52:05 at the library, on a playground, who have all expressed the
52:10 exact same concern.
52:13 Why?
52:15 Why is this happening?
52:17 And I couldn’t give them an answer.
52:26 So, I’m going to do my best to give one.
52:30 Members of this community have asked today, they’ve asked since
52:46 November 22nd,
52:48 “Why? Why are we doing this?”
52:50 And I haven’t heard a reason from my fellow board members.
52:54 Not one.
52:55 The only one that we were given was in Florida today.
53:00 Our board chair said,
53:04 “Randy Fine has had multiple conversations with all of us.”
53:08 I have the words right here.
53:12 Whatever I say is written in the article.
53:18 Mr. Fine said,
53:19 “He did speak about it with Susan Wright and Trent.”
53:25 So, that’s all I’ve seen.
53:29 So, then I started thinking,
53:30 what else could possibly be factual and on paper?
53:37 And so, for members of the public who may not understand how
53:40 this works,
53:41 we have an annual superintendent evaluation.
53:46 This year, we were given an email the first week of June
53:50 and access to a link to a smart sheet in which we all
53:54 individually can go in and write our own
53:57 reviews on a rubric.
53:59 And then in mid-July, we were to meet as a board and collaborate
54:07 and bring those responses together,
54:09 come up with mutual agreements on every single subject line,
54:13 some positives, some challenges, things we want to work on.
54:17 We can discuss the goals that were set in place from the year
54:21 previously.
54:22 We can create new goals.
54:26 So, I went back and look.
54:27 I still have access to those individual sheets.
54:31 I’m going to have it here.
54:38 So, if anyone wants it, I don’t have any problem making copies
54:42 of it or email it to you.
54:44 Just three months ago, we’re at this point, we’re in December
54:49 now.
54:54 Our chair came into the meeting and admitted to all of us that
54:59 he hadn’t filled out the rubric yet.
55:04 And our secretary, Dr. Mullen’s secretary actually, because we’re
55:10 down with secretary,
55:11 went ahead and filled it out as we went through the evaluation.
55:16 Independent responses and then the responses that every board
55:19 member had mutually agreed upon.
55:21 And I think it’s important,
55:25 as much as you think it’s the best interest of Brevard Public
55:30 Schools for this to just be done and go away,
55:31 I think the community who has not gotten any rationale or
55:35 response or data as to why these
55:37 decisions are being made should know that those responses
55:41 majority were four out of five and five
55:44 out of five with averages around 4.7 and nothing below a three.
55:50 Which on most rubrics on a scale of one to five mean neither
55:54 agree or disagree or average.
56:00 I also think that’s important for anyone who’s looking to become
56:03 our next superintendent,
56:04 for you to be well aware that that apparently isn’t good enough.
56:07 And you might in your interview want to ask questions about what
56:12 exactly you think
56:13 is good enough. And I argue to our staff and our educators,
56:18 would that be good enough for you too?
56:25 So speaking about those goals that I had mentioned that were set,
56:28 that’s another thing I have to bring up.
56:30 These are performance-based goals that the board, again,
56:35 collaboratively comes up with,
56:36 discusses, sets for the superintendent, and at the annual
56:41 evaluation decides whether or not those goals were met.
56:44 And if they are met, it comes with compensation.
56:48 Again, mutually agreed upon.
56:52 That same board member, mutually agreed upon,
56:57 $8,000 worth of bonuses because of performance-based initiatives.
57:10 And you can say you had work. That’s great. We know that. No one’s
57:23 saying you didn’t.
57:24 But you also have this job to do. A meeting that you knew about
57:28 well in advance.
57:30 And if you have grave concerns, just a couple of months later,
57:34 you would have had them then.
57:35 And if they were so grave to remove such a remarkable man and a
57:40 leader of this community,
57:41 then you would have filled out the rubric immediately, not when
57:45 you walked into the room.
57:47 And you would have stayed to express those concerns, not only to
57:51 your fellow board members,
57:52 but to the man himself.
58:00 I think the community has a right to be concerned about this
58:09 rash decision that has already caused
58:13 instability within the organization, which was my immediate
58:16 concern and response on November 22nd.
58:19 It will continue to do so.
58:25 And I want to make it really clear that the people in the
58:28 community who have come to me
58:29 and expressed their concerns are actually people that don’t
58:32 align with me.
58:34 I haven’t heard from these people over the past two years, not
58:38 one time.
58:38 This transcends everything.
58:42 This is a monumental decision for this entire community.
58:47 And before we vote on this, I think somebody needs to come up
58:58 here and tell us specifically
58:59 in a number how much this decision is costing us.
59:02 I think the community deserves to hear that.
59:06 And not because I don’t think he deserves it.
59:09 I just think the community deserves to hear it.
59:12 We already know as a board that it’s going to cost up to $50,000
59:16 to start the search
59:17 for a superintendent, unless we already have one.
59:19 And quite frankly, let’s be real.
59:24 It’s not just in the state of Florida.
59:27 It’s across the nation, this political theater that’s going on,
59:30 firing superintendents.
59:31 There’s quite a lot of vacancies.
59:32 And when there’s quite a lot of vacancies in a market,
59:36 typically it costs you more money to find someone to fill that
59:40 vacancy.
59:40 And it costs you more money to then hire them.
59:50 You might want to zoom in this.
1:00:02 It is our job and our obligation to follow the mission on that
1:00:23 wall.
1:00:26 excellence as the standard.
1:00:27 And according to Dr. Mullen’s evaluation, he did just that.
1:00:33 And so
1:00:37 I’m going to read
1:00:40 a statement that was listed under this evaluation
1:00:47 that, again, was mutually agreed upon.
1:00:49 And upon rereading it, I feel like
1:00:56 it conveniently says every single thing that
1:01:01 I agree with and I believe the community agrees with.
1:01:06 And I know Ms. Campbell agrees with.
1:01:07 This is under significant achievements.
1:01:12 This is in the summary.
1:01:13 Dr. Mullins is unwavering in his service to Brevard Public
1:01:19 Schools.
1:01:20 His dedication to the mission of this organization is impenetrable.
1:01:27 He models exemplary leadership for every level of this
1:01:29 organization.
1:01:31 Dr. Mullins affords his cabinet members professional autonomy,
1:01:35 respecting their expertise, trusting their judgment with
1:01:39 reasonable oversight.
1:01:41 He is expeditious and comprehensive when confronted with
1:01:46 challenges,
1:01:47 often informing the board of incidents,
1:01:51 while simultaneously presenting the plan of action that has
1:01:54 already commenced.
1:01:56 His leadership, management, and communication skills are
1:02:00 fundamental to the success of this organization.
1:02:03 And then it continues to list 20 bullet points to support that.
1:02:16 Dr. Mullins, I know you didn’t want me to say anything I just
1:02:21 said.
1:02:21 But not only I had to because of my personal conviction,
1:02:28 but because I was an educator for Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:33 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:39 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:42 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:42 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:42 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:42 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:42 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:42 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:42 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:47 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:51 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:52 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:52 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:54 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:54 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:55 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:55 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:56 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:56 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:02:58 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:02:58 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:03:06 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:03:11 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:03:12 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:03:13 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:03:14 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:03:15 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:03:16 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:03:19 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:03:20 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:03:21 Dr. Mullins, I have a six-year-old little girl who I am trusting
1:03:22 in the hands of Brevard Public Schools.
1:03:26 Dr. Mullins, when I was going through the toughest times and my
1:03:33 family was going through the toughest times,
1:03:35 Dr. Mullins literally drove to my home on days when I refused to
1:03:39 answer the phone.
1:03:41 He drove to my home and he demanded that I come outside and I
1:03:45 speak to him.
1:03:46 And he held my hand and he hugged me.
1:03:49 And he did that time and time and time again.
1:03:52 And Dr. Mullins, this is my way of holding your hand and hugging
1:03:56 you back because you don’t deserve this.
1:03:59 This organization doesn’t deserve this.
1:04:01 And this community absolutely does not deserve this.
1:04:08 I respect you.
1:04:10 I appreciate you.
1:04:12 I appreciate your professionalism.
1:04:15 I appreciate how humble you are.
1:04:17 And I’m sorry that me saying this today probably disappoints you
1:04:21 a little bit,
1:04:21 but I had to for you because I respect you.
1:04:24 And I want you to know how deeply I truly, truly, truly respect
1:04:29 you.
1:04:29 Thank you for your 29 years of service to Brevard Public Schools.
1:04:34 You will not be forgotten.
1:04:36 And I know you will continue to serve your community in every
1:04:39 capacity you possibly can.
1:04:40 Thank you.
1:04:41 Thank you, Ms. Jenkins.
1:04:43 Ms. Campbell, do you have a comment?
1:04:53 It’s our turn.
1:04:55 I’m going to ask the board, out of respect for Dr. Mullins, to
1:05:02 keep our discussion to the
1:05:03 issue before us, which is our mutual separation agreement.
1:05:09 And not let this become about us as individuals or defending our
1:05:15 positions.
1:05:16 And I know the public has been calling for answers.
1:05:19 They’ve called for answers today.
1:05:21 They’ve called for answers in emails and in social media as to
1:05:25 why.
1:05:26 But out of respect, again, for Dr. Mullins, the time for that
1:05:30 discussion was last week.
1:05:31 I do hope that the three of you who were in agreement when we
1:05:35 had our meeting on the 22nd will
1:05:37 take the opportunity, please, to – I know some of you already
1:05:40 have – to give those answers,
1:05:43 to provide those answers in the way that they were offered.
1:05:47 And you can speak to the people.
1:05:49 Just so you know, new board members, the list of public comment,
1:05:52 people who sign up, we usually
1:05:54 get their information when they sign up, so you have the
1:05:56 opportunity to reach out to them.
1:05:57 So I hope you’ll provide those answers.
1:05:58 But I would just encourage us not to make this a more awkward
1:06:03 and disappointing time by providing
1:06:08 a defense in some way today.
1:06:09 I think the time for that discussion, again, was last week.
1:06:11 The issue before us at hand is whether or not to approve the
1:06:17 mutual separation agreement.
1:06:20 I made the motion and believe that we should approve this
1:06:25 agreement for the following reasons.
1:06:28 One, because this is exactly what Dr. Mullins would have gotten
1:06:33 if we had –
1:06:33 decided to terminate him without cause and just for our legal
1:06:38 review the definition of being fired
1:06:40 without cause is an employee being let go not because of any
1:06:43 serious workplace misconduct and
1:06:45 I don’t think there’s an attorney on this bias or anywhere else
1:06:48 that would say that we would have a
1:06:49 reason to terminate with cause so this is what these are the
1:06:52 benefits according to his contract
1:06:54 that he would get without cost also because if he had stayed
1:06:59 with us since he’s a year and a month
1:07:02 away from having his full 30 years in to the florida retirement
1:07:07 system if he had stayed with
1:07:08 us through the end of next year as a bps employee he would be
1:07:12 eligible to retire and have the payouts
1:07:13 of the unused leave that are in his negotiated mutual separation
1:07:18 agreement um just if you um
1:07:22 because of the um the way that was negotiated by the way i thank
1:07:28 you uh mr susan for um negotiating that
1:07:32 for us um the agreement just fyi says it cannot be amended
1:07:35 without going through the same process
1:07:37 so we cannot make any amendments to it today
1:07:39 but finally we should support it because i believe that dr mullins
1:07:47 is was and has been to our district
1:07:49 dr mullins has worked with 10 different board members in four
1:07:53 years plus a little 10 very different
1:07:56 board members board members who brought controversy maybe a
1:08:02 little drama maybe a lot of drama sometimes
1:08:06 um but come from came from very different political perspectives
1:08:10 and yet he treated us all fairly
1:08:12 he treated us all personally and he treated us all with respect
1:08:16 just like he treated the people who were
1:08:20 um his subordinates the kind of leader he is has been reflected
1:08:28 in four different evaluations that we’ve
1:08:34 done at the end of the year and i won’t repeat mr jenkins mrs jenkins
1:08:37 said but they’ve all been very
1:08:40 excellent evaluations including extensions of his contract um
1:08:43 which would have gone out into i believe the
1:08:46 summer of 2024 or 2025
1:08:50 dr mullins has great respect in this community and deserves
1:08:57 nothing less
1:09:00 than our respect in this separation agreement
1:09:02 he knows how i feel about him because i’ve shared that before
1:09:07 and i think the community does too
1:09:10 so to honor him and his work that he’s done whether you agree or
1:09:18 disagree with his direction
1:09:21 i believe that we need to approve the agreement and to honor his
1:09:27 wishes to make this as expeditious as
1:09:29 possible thank you thank you miss campbell
1:09:33 mr trent any comments either
1:09:39 thanks miss campbell for us saying what you said um yeah i do
1:09:48 believe last week was our our moment for
1:09:52 discussing or defending uh which way we’re moving in leadership
1:09:57 uh so i won’t do that either i won’t sit
1:09:59 here and defend that um so at this point i just think we need to
1:10:03 move on with the separation agreement
1:10:04 that’s right i’m going to take a moment really fast and i’m
1:10:08 going to do something a little different
1:10:10 because i want to thank dr mullins um from the time i came in to
1:10:14 this role in august he has been honest
1:10:16 transparent we’ve had a lot of conversations uh what the
1:10:18 community doesn’t know are conversations that have
1:10:21 happened with dr mullins and myself outside of a community forum
1:10:25 like this
1:10:25 and i was very honest and transparent with him and i told him
1:10:28 from day one that that is something
1:10:30 i respect and honor about him um i think it is a disservice to
1:10:33 sit here and argue amongst each other
1:10:36 to to do these types of things uh it does not honor the man that
1:10:39 is sitting right there so while i
1:10:42 understand that the community is not necessarily happy with all
1:10:45 of the decisions that are being
1:10:47 currently made what i will say is that we are headed in a
1:10:50 different direction and that is a change that
1:10:53 is going to happen uh i hope in 12 months we look back on this
1:10:57 and we say you know what that sucked and
1:10:59 it was really hard it was not fun but we’re okay we’re in a good
1:11:03 spot today we have drastic changes
1:11:06 that need to come in our schools our teachers are screaming for
1:11:09 these changes they are needing help
1:11:11 so this is the reason behind it dr mullins is an excellent man
1:11:15 the community will agree with that
1:11:18 he is an excellent man i agree with that i think that we are
1:11:21 doing a service to him we are honoring
1:11:23 him in the fact that we are going to honor out his employment
1:11:27 contract and like i told you last night
1:11:28 on the phone dr mullins i pray that this is a blessing in
1:11:31 disguise for you that that something good
1:11:33 comes from this as unfun as this is right at this current moment
1:11:36 so thank you for your service i
1:11:38 appreciate your service and i am praying that good things come
1:11:40 as a result of this for you and your
1:11:42 family thank you miss wright appreciate all the great comments
1:11:46 about dr mullins i concur with many of the
1:11:48 comments that miss wright said dr mullins you’ve served us 29
1:11:52 years with great respect and you as a human
1:11:54 being to the community is amazing and i have watched as your
1:11:57 wife has been here supporting you in almost
1:11:59 every board meeting and she’s an amazing woman and um there’s a
1:12:03 lot of great things that you have
1:12:05 brought to this district and i look forward to seeing you
1:12:07 continue either inside of our district or
1:12:09 somewhere else that the chapter has changed so i want to say
1:12:12 thank you for everything that you’ve done
1:12:14 i appreciate it um and i’ll call the question all in favor signify
1:12:18 by saying aye aye aye aye aye those opposed
1:12:22 we have it miss jenkins did you vote four units four okay five
1:12:28 zero four paul did you record that you got it
1:12:32 okay we’re going to take a break let dr mullins um collaborate
1:12:36 with some of the community and then
1:12:37 we’ll come back and discuss interim and other ones thank you
1:13:02 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:07 the next couple of weeks
1:13:08 i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in the
1:13:11 next couple of weeks
1:13:11 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:14 the next couple of weeks
1:13:14 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:17 the next couple of weeks
1:13:17 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:20 the next couple of weeks
1:13:21 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:22 the next couple of weeks
1:13:23 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:25 the next couple of weeks
1:13:26 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:28 the next couple of weeks
1:13:28 and i’ll see you in the next couple of weeks and i’ll see you in
1:13:29 the next couple of weeks
1:13:30 so
1:14:12 what
1:14:12 so
1:14:14 do
1:14:16 so
1:14:16 Thank you.