Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
14:02 Sam. Good evening. The September 23, 2025 board meeting is now in order. I would like to welcome my fellow board members and the public.
14:42 I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that their appropriate place for participation in the meeting is during your individual public comment opportunity as identified on the agenda outside of your individual public comment opportunity, your role in the meeting is as an observer. Paul? Roll call, please. Mr. Trent.
15:02 Here. Mr. Susan. Here.
15:04 Ms. Wright. Here. Ms. Campbell.
15:06 Here. Mr. Thomas. Here.
15:08 @ this time, I would like to hold a moment of silence and invite the audience to. Thank you. I would like to invite Laura Destler to the podium to lead us in pledge of allegiance.
15:54 Please rise. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Tonight we have Shannon Sexton, music specialist, along with Manatee Elementary School choir to perform for us.
16:28 Let’s give him a hand. It. Life can be hard Life can be good One day you’re happy Then misunderstood the sun could shine and the clouds could roll in we never know if we’ll lose or we’ll win but we can take it yes, we can make it Lean on the music within Solid emotion strongest emotion that’s where the music comes away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music from me.
18:45 Living it can be far Life can be good One day you’re happy that this understood Taking the sun could shine that the clouds could roll in Time to time we never know if the but we can take it yes, we can make it Lean on the music within. Emotion I feel strongest emotional that’s where the music comes in in my song don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music from me don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music from me don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music don’t take my music away don’t take my music from me. Don’t take my music, don’t take my music, don’t take my music, Don’t take my music from me.
20:55 Don’t. The Holocaust is a stunning reminder of the charged results of free justice and hate toward other people. But it is also a reminder that Hope Helper will eventually make a choice within this the following words were on a cellar of pillow.
21:33 Sam. I believe in the sun even when it is not shining and I believe in love even when there’s no one there and I believe in God even when he is silent. I believe through any trial there is always a way.
22:50 But sometimes it is suffering and hopeless despair My heart cries for shelter to know someone there But a voice rises within me saying hold on my child I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you hope just stay a little while. Leaving the sun even when it is not shining and I believe in love even when there’s no one there. But I believe in God even when he is silent I believe through any trial there is always a way.
24:27 May there someday be sunshine may there someday be happiness May there someday be love may someday be there Sam. I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return. Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true but I know I’m who I am today because I knew you I’ve been called it full from orbit as it passes usar like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood.
26:19 Who can say I’ve been changed for the better but because I knew you. I have been changed by good. It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime so let me say before we part so much of me is made of what I learned from you you’ll be with me like a hand raise on my heart and now whatever where story stands I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend Like a ship on from this morning by the wind of the sea Like a sea drop by a skybird in a distant wood who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? I do believe I have been changed for the better.
28:02 Because I knew you I have been changed. For good. All right, I’m going to guess that’s Wally and Austin coming to the podium to take some questions from the board.
28:50 Board. Who would like to go first? John over there. Sure.
28:53 First of all, all you guys were Amazing. You guys are really, really good. And I have a question for both of you.
28:59 What was the funnest part of preparing for this performance? Well, I loved practicing for this performance because I get to sing with my friends, and I get to sing songs that really, like, change my experience growing up. Well, I’ve always loved music, and practicing, singing, and doing other things with music has always, like, helped me, like, understand music better. So this has helped me a lot more.
29:36 Very good. Two great answers for having to come up with one on the fly. So good job.
29:42 Awesome. So I want to ask the grade question. How many of you are sixth graders? Oh, not.
29:49 Not that many. How many of you are fifth graders? So no fourth graders, right? Just fifth and sixth. All right.
29:55 Awesome. Awesome. So bored.
29:57 I don’t know if you heard what she announced she was telling, but that middle song was one of my favorite songs, my favorite lyrics. So can you guys share with us again, where did the lyrics from that song. I know, because I’ve heard that song before, but where did the lyrics from that song come from? Do you remember? Yeah.
30:15 It’s based off the Holocaust. There were lyrics that were written on a wall in a concentration camp. Right.
30:24 We don’t know that much about it. All we know. I’ll fill you in.
30:30 All we know is pretty much what was said when Layla was telling us about the background of the story. So all we know is it was written on the walls of a cellar in Cologne, Germany. Yeah.
30:45 Very, very good. Amazing lyrics. One of my favorite songs, one of my favorite settings, and I really, really love the song from Wicked, too.
30:51 I have to tell you, I was about to tear up in the song from Wicked because you talk about someone you’ve known for a long time, and Your music teacher, Ms. Sexton, is one of the very first people that I met 18 years ago when I moved to Florida, and she and I have sung together. She was one of the first people I sang with here, so brought back some. Some good memories.
31:11 And I can say, Ms. Sexton, I have been changed for good. So I’m glad to have you in my life, and I’m glad you guys get the privilege of knowing her well, students, thank you so much for coming and performing. One of the.
31:25 I say this every time, and I’m like, this is the important stuff. It really is when you guys come and you brighten our day up, and you start us off on a good note. Literally on a good note.
31:34 Multiple good notes. But I want to thank you. So out of the songs that you sang tonight, let’s ask which one is your favorite favorite? My favorite is For Good.
31:45 For Good. Okay. My favorite is.
31:49 I forgot what the song is called. The second one. The second one, Inscription of Hope, is my favorite.
32:00 Okay. Awesome. Awesome.
32:07 Well, as I was listening to you guys sing, I was thinking, we’re not going to take your music. We want you guys to sing forever. We love hearing you sing.
32:21 So please, please, please keep on singing joyful songs all over the place and brightening up the space here. And, parents, thank you for venturing out on this lovely evening to come and bring your children here for us. It does remind us of our why, so we really, truly thank you for that.
32:45 I just wanted to sit, and as soon as we came in tonight, it must have been about 30 minutes before the board meeting. They were back there practicing, and I was up here working, and all of a sudden I said, I can’t do it anymore because they sound so beautiful. So I went back there, and I wanted to say, first off, thank you, Ms. Daley, for being such a great principal for Manatee Elementary School, and thank you so much for everything that you do.
33:00 Thank you for taking the time out of your busy evening to come over with your students. But I went back there and I grabbed Shannon, and we were talking about a couple of things, and then I got to interact with some of these children. And to the parents that are here, your kids are amazing.
33:13 We’re so honored to have them at our school board meeting. We’re so honored to have them inside of our school district. And when we were talking with them back there, we started laughing a little bit, and I said, how many of you guys have their parents coming tonight? And they all raise their hands because they’re so excited you’re here.
33:22 And I just wanted to say also thank you to the parents, because I know you guys have busy schedules. I know where you’re doing every night and trying to get here and everything else. We really appreciate you.
33:40 And I really wanted to take the last piece and say thank you to Ms. Shannon Sexton for, you know, taking the time and energy to make sure that these kids have the opportunity to do what they’re doing and be able to talk to us and stuff like that and play for us. So thank you all parents, Ms. Daley, Ms. Sexton, and everybody else for being here tonight. We appreciate you.
33:52 Thank you. Do any of you guys have anything you want to say? Any of you guys? This is completely out of the scam, but I told you guys they’re getting nervous right now. What do you Want to say, man, come on.
33:59 I’m going to give that up. What was your guys favorite song? That is a good one. I’ll be honest with you.
34:01 I’m like you. I don’t know the names of any of these. He doesn’t know that.
34:08 But I can tell. I can tell you which one I like the sound of. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, that one.
34:15 That one. That was not the second one, right? That was the second one. Okay.
34:20 Should we ask him to play them all over again so we know which one? More time? Hum a few bars. All right. Well, thanks.
34:38 You know, speaking last has its benefits, but it also has its negatives here because so much was said here. You know, I do like to say we love having the children here because that’s our why of why we do what we do. And it’s a reflection on the talent that we have here in Brevard.
34:51 And we’re amazed every time we have another choir here. You know, with the exciting day we’ve had with a workshop here and, you know, some more work back there and, you know, dealing with these guys all day. This is beautiful.
35:05 Thank you so much for giving us that little bit of the why portion. The don’t take my music. I’m glad it was this meeting and not last meeting, because that was our budget meeting and, you know.
35:14 No, that’s not. We did not take the music that’s not on the table. But it would have been interesting if it was saying last board meeting.
35:30 But again, and then Mr. Susan says the same thing that, you know, not all the time, but some things that I would like to say is thank you to the parents. It isn’t easy to get here, you know, at this time of night when you have things, you know, already, your schedule’s already planned. We appreciate that.
35:43 Again, this section, we appreciate you getting these kids prepared. Either the talent is just getting better and better, or I just looking forward to it more and more. But you guys sounded amazing.
35:51 Give yourselves a pat on the back. Make sure you stop for some ice cream when you’re out of here. Say we said to do that.
36:00 But once again, thank you for taking the time out. And it really does show us the why. So, Dr. Rendell, do you have anything? No, you guys have said it all.
36:14 I did want to make sure Mrs. Sexton got a shout out because we’ve only had six weeks of school and she got them prepared with three beautiful songs. And so the students, hard work and your leadership, that was fantastic. And no, I think it’s Time for a picture.
39:45 Yes. We are now at the adoption of the agenda. Dr. N.
39:56 W. reed, what is on the agenda for this evening? Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the agenda we have administrative staff recommendation, 20 consent items, two action items and three information items.
39:58 Changes made to the agenda since it was released to the public include the following revised with C1 administrative staff recommendations. Do I hear a motion move to approve? Second. Any discussion follow? Roll call, please.
39:59 Mr. Thomas. Aye. Ms. Campbell.
40:01 Aye. Mr. Trent. Aye.
40:07 Mr. Susan. Aye. Ms. Wright.
40:10 Aye. We are now at the administrative staff recommendations. Do I hear a motion move to approve? Second.
40:13 Any discussion ball. Roll call, please. Mr. Thomas? Aye.
40:14 Ms. Campbell? Aye. Mr. Trent? Aye. Mr. Susan.
40:22 Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye.
40:38 Dr. Mundell. Mr. Chair, we definitely want to celebrate and recognize the promotion of Stephanie G. Anantonio.
40:58 Did I get it? To the position of principal at Tropical Elementary School. Congratulations. This is a new podium.
41:23 Good evening, members of the board, Superintendent Rendell, Mr. Ramer and Ms. Harris and everyone here tonight. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for the opportunity to serve as principal of Tropical Elementary. It’s an honor and a privilege to step into this role and I am truly grateful for the trust you have placed in me.
41:33 I am committed to working alongside our dedicated teachers, staff, families, and most importantly, our students to ensure that Tropical continues to be a place where every child feels safe, supported and inspired to achieve their very best. I look forward to building strong partnerships with each of you as we work together toward the shared goal of student success. Thank you again for this incredible opportunity.
41:45 I am excited for the journey ahead. I also just want to take a moment to thank my friends and family who are here tonight to support me. It means a lot.
42:02 And there are some instrumental leaders here tonight who I’ve been very fortunate to work with. Dr. Lord, Dr. Braga, Dr. Bennett. I believe she’s still in here.
42:12 And most importantly, the first person who hired me as a leader in Brevard who could not be here tonight because it’s her birthday, but Kelly Dufresne. So I’m really fortunate. I’ve had some really great role models and I look forward to bringing that experience to Tropical.
43:35 I’m excited to be a trailblazer. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We could take one more break for one quick photo.
43:38 Yep. Let’s do. We are now at the public comments portion of the meeting.
43:45 Paul, how many do we have? Eight. We have eight. Sorry, 11.
43:53 We have 11 speakers. Each will receive three minutes. Our attorney will call the speakers in order in which they signed up to speak.
44:08 Mr. Gibbs, one second. Before you do that, this is a warning to those in attendance. If you cause a disruption, you will be asked to leave the premise.
44:11 If you continue to cause disruption and or fail to leave the premises, you are in violation of Florida State Statute 877 13, and you will be committing trespass. And the board will enforce these rules. All right, Paul, you can call the first three speakers.
44:51 Anthony Colucci. Vanessa. Skipper.
45:13 Bill Perlman. My name is Anthony Colucci, president of the Brevard Federation of Teachers, and I’m speaking tonight on agenda item folks 3. State statute specifically says the job of a school board is to provide for the appointment of personnel with 6 vacant secondary English positions.
45:25 I’m urging this board to do its duty and appoint Melissa Calhoun to one of those positions. Melissa Calhoun taught in this district for 12 years with a record of dedication and strong service to students. One mistake, one that was addressed and should have been resolved, has now been turned into a political spectacle.
45:32 We all know what’s happening here. The infraction was not career ending. But because it touches on issues that have become political hot buttons, this board has chosen to make an example out of her.
45:49 That’s not fairness. That’s not justice. That’s politics intruding on our classroom.
46:06 The punishment does not fit the situation. When principals, administrators, or even this very board have made errors, they’re given second chances. Yet this teacher, who gave over a decade of her life to Brevard students, is being treated like she’s unfit to teach.
46:25 You have students with no English teacher, yet you refuse to consider rehiring one who has proven she can deliver results. The message this sends is devastating. And if you think you’re doing what Brevardians want, you’re wrong.
46:45 You’re stuck in an echo chamber listening to extremists. I’ve tried to tell you that, but don’t take it from me. Take it from the polling conducted by some of the most respected pollsters in the state, using a sample of Brevard residents that matches voter registration and demographic data.
46:57 Including 50% registered Republicans, 62% of Brevard’s voters said they disapprove of Dr. Rundell’s decision not to rehire Melissa Calhoun. Let me say that again. 62% disapprove of Dr. Rendell’s decision not to rehire her.
47:06 Teachers across Brevard are watching. They see that if this board wants to, it can take one, one slip, one misstep and end a career. That’s creating a culture of fear.
47:32 Instead of focusing on Inspiring children. Our teachers are worrying. Am I next? And let’s not forget the larger context.
47:47 At a time when teachers are being intimidated by those in power, we need this board to protect them, not to offer them up. Politics should never outweigh the facts or the contributions of the people in our classroom. I urge this board to stop overreaching, to remember that justice means balance, and to recognize that teachers cannot thrive in an environment where mistakes are weaponized.
47:55 If we want to recruit and retain educators, we must treat them as professionals, not political pawns. Vanessa Skipper. Bill Pearlman.
48:03 Christopher Higginbottom. Good evening, school board members and Dr. Rendell. I’m Vanessa Skipper, proud vice president of the Brevard Federation of Teachers.
48:28 I’m here to speak on agenda item F3. Right now, there are six English openings in Brevard County. Six.
48:50 That means approximately 900 secondary students are either without a qualified English teacher or in overcrowded classrooms. Neither of those options serve them with excellence. It’s irresponsible that you have an exceptionally qualified, highly effective English teacher whom you refuse to rehire because you cannot put politics aside and look at the issue for what it is.
49:12 A parent raised a concern, the teacher immediately corrected course. She received a letter of reprimand, the parent never removed the student from her class, and the teacher finished the school year. Yet this board and superintendent are allowing staff six English classrooms to go without a teacher despite having one whose evaluations consistently show she is highly affected and highly qualified.
49:25 This is utterly and unequivocally unconscionable. Is it pride? Are you unwilling to revisit this decision because many in this county believe you went too far by essentially terminating her? You can argue that you didn’t fire her, and perhaps semantics are on your side. But the reality is this.
49:35 By non renewing her contract and refusing to rehire her even after the state cleared her, you effectively ended her employment. The effect is the same as termination. Ms. Calhoun had an 89% pass rate for AP literature.
49:41 That is not easy to achieve. It takes a dedicated professional. As an English teacher myself, I took pride in doing more than just explaining grammar rules or assigning essays.
49:52 I encourage my students to deeply engage with language, literature and communication. Ms. Calhoun did the same. I worked hard not only to teach, but to help students discover the joy, power and beauty of words while equipping them with skills for life.
50:12 Ms. Calhoun did the same. Highly effective English teachers don’t just make lesson plans. Highly effective English teachers like Ms. Calhoun make learning clear and manageable.
50:28 Highly effective English Teachers don’t just teach. Highly effective English teachers like Ms. Calhoun make texts come alive. They listen to and respect student input and voice.
50:44 They inspire confidence and connect English learning to the real world. Highly effective English teachers like Ms. Calhoun shouldn’t be so easily discarded. Students deserve better than the decision this superintendent and school board are making.
51:02 By leaving them without Ms. Calhoun, you can correct this. You can do what’s right for students. Rehire Ms. Calhoun and give our students the English teacher they need and deserve.
51:13 Thank you, Bill Pearlman. After Bill Pearlman, we have Christopher Higginbotham and then Xander Colangelo. Good evening, school board and Dr. Randall.
51:39 I’m Bill Perlman, retired Brevard teacher. Tonight, I want to address item F3, instructional staff recommendations. You have an attachment on tonight’s online agenda.
52:00 It lists over 350 teachers that are currently teaching out of field. Additionally, you have over 100 instructional vacancies as of yesterday’s postings on Beacon. Which begs the question, why would you not hire a supremely qualified teacher? Melissa Calhoun has received overwhelming support from our community.
52:33 Everyone who has come forward has described her as a positive role model, an exemplary teacher. Her students passed the advanced placement exam at a rate higher than both the district average and the state average. But she used the preferred name of a student and was unaware that the student’s parent had not given permission.
52:54 And you are putting politics over students. Does it help you fill vacancies? When the chairman of the board, Mr. Trent, was found to have lied on his job application about his criminal arrest record and was found not eligible to be employed by the school district? Did teachers want to move to Brevard and work in our schools when they watch Mr. Susan call our students snots and idiots, as he did in a video that went viral. And you know it’s true when he shakes his head like that.
53:11 And he did that in a room of newly hired teachers at their new employee orientation? Mrs. Wright, I emailed you and all board members last month requesting a town hall. You emailed me back and said, you don’t have to listen to me because I didn’t vote for you. Well, at least you responded.
53:31 My own school board representative, Mr. Susan, failed to respond to emails I sent him last month. Mrs. Wright, when you were elected in 2022, you received votes from just a bit over 3% of the registered voters in Brevard. So you believe that.
53:45 That you only need to listen to the very small number of people who voted for you. And you definitely don’t understand that America is A representative democracy. Do you think that instills confidence in people seeking to live and work in Brevard? You know what makes people want to live and work in Brevard? Excellent schools and excellent teachers.
53:57 And the actions of this board have caused our community to question your competence and your commitment to putting students over politics. Our students deserve excellent teachers. So it makes no sense that you refuse to hire Melissa Calhoun.
54:09 Brevard deserves so much more. Brevard deserves better. And Brevard deserves Melissa Calhoun.
54:16 Christopher Higinbotham. After Christopher Higinbotham, we have Xander Colangelo and then Christina Rojan. Hello.
54:31 My name is Chris Higginbotham. I am a father of three. All three students go to Brevard Public Schools.
54:38 I spoke last week at the end of the meeting about the safe harbor which I would like to include in the student code of conduct. So it’s I1. I believe I have multiple copies of my proposal.
54:51 I don’t think I’m allowed to give stuff to you while you’re on the dais. So I have that. I’ll have it back there with my two boys.
55:00 I did give Mr. Armstrong one already. If anybody in the crowd would like to work with me on trying to put this in, I think it’s great for our students. I just want to say I am employed by Brevard Public Schools.
55:25 It is a good day to have a great day. I am proud to be a employee of Brevard Public Schools. I’m going to go a little rogue here.
55:38 I do support Dr. Rendell’s decision strictly because I think Dr. Rendell should have the authority to make those kind of decisions unilaterally. That is what makes this county great. A lot of people are willing to stand up and do the right thing when the right thing needs to be done.
55:53 I make tough decisions every day. The weight is large on your guys shoulders and I am glad to be a BPS employee. Thank you and I hope you guys have a great night.
55:59 Xander Colangelo, Christina Rojan and Bernard Bryan. Good evening, Dr. Rendell and members of the board. My name is Xander Colangelo.
56:11 I’m a junior at Salad High School. Tonight I want to talk about something very important. It’s transparency.
56:31 At a recent board meeting, a presentation used graphs to show growth in test scores, which was great to see. But students from across the county and myself included, noticed something right away. Even, even chuckled a little bit.
56:39 But not because the growth wasn’t real. It was because the graphs were misleading. For example, the total IB test passed went from 461 to 495, which is an amazing 7.
56:48 5% increase. Yet the bar graph grew 250%, 7.5 and 250.
56:56 This is not proportional. Exaggerates the result. Small choices like this carry implicit meaning and they raise questions about trust.
57:11 Here’s the thing. When the way progress is presented feels misleading, it undermines the very progress that’s meant to highlight. If students can see through that, the community can too.
57:29 And that creates problems of trust. The same is true of staff. The situation with Ms. Calhoun is still fresh in many minds.
57:38 It showed how quickly confusion can spread when decisions lack clarity and how damaging it is when teachers don’t feel supported. Instructional staff are on the front lines every day. If they don’t feel trusted or protected, it hurts everyone.
57:47 So how do we build off and make this new trust? One idea, which is something students, parents and teachers have asked for, is for the board to host a town hall once a semester or as needed. I know your response will be like it usually is. You can always email us or have a private meeting.
58:01 And yes, these options exist and they’re great. But trust is built in public. What’s missing is shared dialogue where questions and answers can be heard by everyone.
58:07 So coherence replaces rumors and trust replaces doubt. Transparency isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about clarity and what happens and when it happens.
58:21 Progress means more people don’t just recognize it, they believe in it and they feel part of it. And that should apply not only to students and parents, but also to staff. Because when contracts are not renewed without clarity, it shakes the whole community of trust.
58:29 As a student, I don’t want polished headlines. I want the real story. I believe the community feels the same way.
58:48 Progress without trust is fragile. But progress with transparency is unstoppable. Thank you, Christina Rojan Bernard.
59:20 Bryan Quinn dykis. Good evening Dr. Rendell and board members. My name is Christina Rosine.
59:37 I am a parent and I am a teacher in our district. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak tonight. I wanted to take a moment just to thank this board and our superintendent for the renewal of millage which is instrumental in teachers pay and has brought significant extra dollars into teachers paychecks.
59:53 This board also is spending millage very wisely by investing in the Opengate metal detector systems in our high schools. We are living in a time where some people choose misguided passion over basic humanity. And as a parent and a teacher, my heart and my head rest easier every night knowing that Our board and our superintendent have partnered with Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and have placed systems in our high schools and all of our schools that keep our staff and all of our children safe.
1:00:27 So thank you very much for that. Bernard Bryan, Quinn Dykis, Amy Raub. Hello, Everybody.
1:01:01 Thank you, Dr. Rendell, and this board for allowing me to speak today. I got to be honest with you, I’ve been losing a lot of sleep lately. And what I’m about to share with you today is what I’ve shared with you in the past.
1:01:42 I’m going to be speaking on i2, which is a school becoming a charter school, renewing that contract after reviewing the data of that particular school performance. What we have seen in the charter school growth with this particular school is a 38% growth of this school. So what that’s telling me is that this school, this charter school is drawing more from our public schools to its private schools.
1:02:12 And that’s a 38% growth when you look at the last four years, charter school, private school, voucher school, and I’m okay with parents choice, but it’s really taken away from the public school system and basic population. So what we saw at the last budget there was a $30 million impact, a 30 million dollar impact to our public school revenue. We also saw 3,000 students that have left our public schools.
1:02:41 And to me, I pray and hope that we will challenge what’s happening in that arena. And I’m not saying that you can stop that based on law, but I’m hoping that this team will be transparent to the community. What is our strategic plan to fight that? And I’ve called, I’ve spoken to several of you guys and it is a burden on our community because what’s happening with charter schools and private schools, like I said, it’s okay by law, but those schools going to have the best resources, other environment for learning because they’re going to have new facilities, new opportunities.
1:02:59 I drove down Mitten Road the other day and you can see the gigantic charter school that is being built. So what that does to me is that telling me that we need to fight, we need to fight for our public schools, we need to fight for our teachers, we need to fight for this organization. So I’m asking you, share with us, what is the plan? Let us know, talk to us, you know, get in front of us and explain how we’re going to deal with this threat.
1:03:24 And it’s a real threat because at your last meeting we saw that the population is really getting smaller in terms of students. So please, please let us know what your plans are because the movement of students is real and it’s leaving the public school system and we need your help with that. So give me a call anytime.
1:03:43 Quinn dykis, then amy raub and jennifer hopkins. Good evening, school, school board members and Dr. Rendell. My name is Quinn and thank you for allowing me to speak tonight.
1:04:12 I’m here to speak on agenda items F1 and F3. After watching last week last work sessions, FY26 proposed budget budget presentation, I, like many here, am concerned why a qualified teacher like Ms. Calhoun is not on tonight’s list of instructional staff recommendations. At the September 9th work session presentation, Ms. Lewinsky stated that this board’s FY26 budget priorities included the protection of an effective workforce.
1:04:27 Ms. Calhoun has proven over her many years in Brevard Public Schools to not just be an effective employee, but an outstanding one. I believe this would result in her being included in that protection. An additional concern that was addressed in the budget presentation was school choice to attending charter schools being a major source of funding not staying here in bps.
1:04:50 If this is the case, wouldn’t we want parents to see such a passionate teacher like Ms. Calhoun’s in their child’s school? To me, this would mean that parent’s choice would be to keep their child in bps, which would keep that funding here in bps, which would be a win for this county transparently. The cuts this county is experiencing for the upcoming budget also keep me up at night. But what makes these concerns worse is knowing that we have an extremely qualified teacher not being protected in BPS classrooms.
1:04:59 Ms. Calhoun has met every state requirement, paid her fines and has her credentials. The only barrier left is the clearance from this board. The decision to keep her out of the classroom with full clearance from the state forces the community to assume the priorities stated in the proposed budget or in question.
1:05:30 I would love to see this board bring back Ms. Calhoun. If not for the students, not for the parents or the community members that have rallied around her, then for the sanctity of the priorities stated in the FY26 budget. Because if those priorities aren’t actually what our priorities are are, what are? Amy Raub.
1:05:51 Jennifer Hopkins. Paul Raub. Hi, Amy Raub.
1:05:59 So we’re still here, still standing with Ms. Calhoun, your constituents. That you’re ignoring the students, that you’re ignoring the teachers and administrators and the librarians, the parents, the news crews, the young adults who recently graduated from public schools from across the state coming in to support Ms. Calhoun, and all eyes are on Brevard. She should be in the classroom.
1:06:12 She should be teaching one of the hardest classes in high school. But instead, you won’t even let her volunteer. Who do you think you are, really? You have a huge teacher shortage.
1:06:26 You keep hearing about that. I don’t know if you’re paying attention. I know there were 20 subs today at Heritage.
1:06:49 One of those classrooms has not had a teacher yet. Only subs. September 23rd.
1:06:58 No real instruction yet. I’d like you to think about that. Think of the actual students, if you can give that a shot, and how you’re putting them behind and how you are setting them up for failure.
1:07:05 And yet here sits Ms. Calhoun, and you won’t even let her volunteer. Shame on you. Do you know how to put teachers or students before politics or your egos? Except, John, thank you.
1:07:17 For real. Thank you for showing real respect and reluctantly earning mine. I did not see that coming.
1:07:22 And so here’s my request. Don’t stop. The county loves it.
1:07:31 They’re eating it up. We are proud of you, actually, and it’s a cool feeling. And so I encourage you to not stop.
1:07:38 Let’s see what you’re made of. You’ve got all the experience. You’ve got all the connections.
1:08:00 You’re a big guy in town. Let’s see what you’re made of. Let’s see if you can get these guys to reinstate Ms. Calhoun.
1:08:09 Really get more aggressive, because I think you’ve got it in you. And even if you don’t, I’m really thankful. So.
1:08:18 All right, thanks. Jennifer Hopkins. Paul Raub, Back down for the shorty.
1:08:39 Good evening, members of the school board, fellow community members, parents and students. My name is Jen. I will be speaking to agenda item F3 instructional staff recommendations.
1:08:53 I’m here. This is evening as a concerned member of this community. I’m a graduate of Brevard County Schools, and I’m the parent of a student that attended public and charter schools here as well.
1:09:05 It’s no secret that trust between this board and the community you’re supposed to represent is broken. I believe this is most evident in the refusal to rehire Melissa Calhoun, a dedicated teacher who has given so much to the students in Brevard. A teacher with stellar AP results, a history of effectively overseeing academic extracurriculars, and an unblemished discussion disciplinary record.
1:09:22 When the board initially made the decision not to renew her contract, we were told that the delay was due to waiting for the state of Florida to decide whether she could keep her teaching license. While Florida has made its decision, Melissa Calhoun can keep her license. She met the requirements that were set.
1:09:33 She paid the fines. She reapplied right away for her same position. The question now is why is this board continuing to hold her career hostage when the state has made its decision? Decision.
1:09:52 It saddens me that this board has chosen to deny her the opportunity to return to the classroom where she’s had such a positive impact. It frustrates me that our students are being denied the opportunity to learn from an experienced educator that cares about their future. Melissa Calhoun has demonstrated the qualities we should want in all of our teachers.
1:10:10 Dedication, passion, and a commitment to the success of every child. She has served this district faithfully, and it’s deeply concerning that politics are now standing in the way of her ability to continue. Continue her work.
1:10:27 I would again like to remind everyone of this board’s mission statement to serve every student with excellence as the standard. I urge you to stop putting politics before students. We’re watching experienced educators walk away or be forced out, and our classrooms are being flooded with inexperienced hires who are not necessarily ready to support our students needs.
1:10:55 How can we expect our kids to thrive when the teachers they rely on are constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering if they’ll be next? This is not about just one teacher, though. This is about honoring all of our dedicated teachers and creating an environment that’s encouraging and supportive. This is about creating a school system that puts the students first.
1:10:55 Their education should never be held hostage to agendas that serve anything other than their growth and success. Brevard deserves better. We deserve a board that listens to all voices, that leads with integrity, and that above all else, values the education and the educators of every child in this district.
1:11:11 Thank you, Paul Raub. Paul, how many? Yeah. So, Ms. Wright, you’re feeling that you don’t have to listen to the people that didn’t vote for you.
1:11:23 If we could fix it so that your. Oh, F3, same as everyone else has been anyway. You’re feeling that you don’t need to listen to those who didn’t vote for you.
1:11:39 If we could fix it so that your votes and decisions only affected those people, fine. Totally valid. I mean, it’s affecting their children.
1:11:49 First of all, the parents FA the children fo. But. But it’s also affecting all of the students, which is on the mission statement behind you, which seems to get lost in the shuffle.
1:12:12 It’s not to serve like four parents with obedience as the standard. It is every student with excellence, whether or not I Don’t see a qualifier there. Maybe it’s in very small print if their parents voted for you, but I’m tired of all of this.
1:12:37 I’m tired of being here talking about this again. I’m sure you guys are tired of hearing about it. I’ll bet Melissa Calhoun would like to be not talking about this anymore.
1:12:46 I bet she’d like to be preparing for her classes tomorrow instead of figuring out if there’s someplace she might be appreciated, where students might be valued over political expedients. You guys have had so many chances to make this right, so many opportunities to make this go away. We could all stop talking about this.
1:12:51 And today we learned you won’t even allow her to volunteer at Satellite. And how do you think parents, actual parents who actually care about Brevard students, do you think parents are happy about that? Do you think the parents who are missing out on a tutor are happy about that? Spoiler, they’re not. You can do better.
1:13:08 Brevard deserves better. Removing qualified teachers to appease the worst among us is chilling. It’s weaponized cowardice.
1:13:14 It’s small. It’s sad. You repeatedly punch down.
1:13:16 You repeatedly lick boots and cave to the worst. And we are what we repeatedly do. And as for this idea that Dr. Rendell, in his human shield capacity, is making hard choices.
1:13:33 Making hard choices is one thing. Making right choices is kind of more important. You know, I take responsibility.
1:13:50 Well, cool. Take responsibility for a good choice. You could even fix it.
1:13:58 You could even be a big boy and own up to a mistake and make it better for the students. You could. I don’t know how much backup you’re going to get from your bosses here, but you could.
1:14:11 Brevard deserves better. I’m tired of saying it. I’d love to not need to say it anymore, but damn.
1:14:15 All right, that concludes the agenda. Items only Public comments. Thank you for your time out of your schedule to address the board with your concerns and suggestions.
1:14:27 I would like to remind the public that the board is accessible for further conversations outside of our business meeting through scheduling a meeting. We are now at the consent agenda portion of our meeting. Dr. Rendell.
1:14:31 Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are 20 items on the list under this category. Thank you, Dr. Rendell.
1:14:37 Does any board member wish to pull any items? Mr. Chair, I have one that I want to discuss. I don’t necessarily need to pull it, but I have one for point of discussion. So would you prefer me just to wait till the end? Yeah, if you’re not pulling it.
1:14:41 Okay, I’m not pulling it. I. I just want to make sure we have a chance to talk about it, so. Okay.
1:14:47 I’ll entertain a motion, accept the consent items. There’s a. There’s one on the consent agenda number 10 that I’d like to pull.
1:14:48 Oh, okay. Let’s go back to that. Okay.
1:14:51 No, no, the. The. Sorry, what’s that? Talk about it before we both.
1:15:02 If we can. That’s okay. I just.
1:15:12 I. I really. Yeah, just pull it. Prefer to do that.
1:15:18 Okay. All right. The item that I wish to pull would be item number two.
1:15:27 Mr. Susan, you said you’re pulling item number 10. Yeah. Okay.
1:15:29 Yeah. Do we have a motion to approve? Okay, second. Second.
1:15:32 All the ones except for 2 and 10. Okay. Any other discussions? Is this where we would discuss those? No.
1:15:36 Okay. Paul, Roll call, please. Mr. Thomas? Aye.
1:15:44 Ms. Campbell? Aye. Mr. Trent? Aye. Mr. Susan? Aye.
1:15:46 Ms. Wright? Aye. Okay. All right.
1:15:58 Mr. Trent, you want me to go first with the item number two? Okay. I wanted to pull this one just to draw to everyone’s attention, and I need a motion and a second to discuss. Sorry.
1:16:08 To discuss it. Okay. Move to approve.
1:16:27 Any discussion on that? Yes, Discussion. I wanted to pull this one specifically for the purpose of really drawing to the board’s attention. I’m sure you guys went through all of this and looked at the very last page specifically.
1:16:37 And our board has taken a stance before in the past in regards to some of the feedback we’re hearing from our schools on the tests that. That our kids are over tested. Unnecessarily over tested.
1:16:46 And I have to say, I absolutely love the way that this form is done because it’s breaking it down into minutes, which makes it very much in our face, the amount of testing, and then it breaks down the schedule of the testing as well. And, board, I would just ask that maybe we take some time and workshop on how we can actually reduce the amount of tests that our children are taking. Some of them are state mandated.
1:16:55 We cannot get around those. Obviously, those are required. But when I’m looking at test, you know, and the amount of minutes, looking at 520 minutes, 500, 360, there’s a lot of.
1:17:00 A lot of minutes there. So my ask is that this goes to an immediate workshop. We can improve this now, but that we work on this and actually figure out how we can reduce these testing.
1:17:12 Right. I would absolutely agree. Yeah, I’d agree with you.
1:17:22 I mean, we’ve been asking and so. And we did. We did significantly reduce them, but I think we’re at a Place now where we can take a look at it.
1:17:31 I mean, I’m looking at my sons and my kids, and we had a. Had a parent meeting with my teachers the other night, and they were saying how they feel that it’s over testing right now. So I think it’s worth it to look at.
1:17:41 Yep. Listen to what district says about them. Interestingly enough, when I looked at the previous years passed on the Florida Department of Education, I was hoping that it was going to break out the minute so we can see the trend.
1:17:49 It doesn’t break out the minutes like this year does, which I am very grateful that we’re breaking down to the minutes of how many minutes our students are taking in a test. Not like this. You’d have.
1:17:51 So we see this document every year. So you’d have to, like, go for us, Brevard. You probably have to go, like each year to the document and see like last year, the year before, because it does.
1:18:00 We do get this breakdown. No, I. I went and looked and. But it just doesn’t have it on a box like this where it shows you the state and in the district.
1:18:10 And so it’s. Yeah. All right.
1:18:11 Yeah. I think it would be great if we did it in a workshop atmosphere. And I think it would help probably on your end is obviously to have Ms. Harris.
1:18:16 Right. That when you bring up a question, she’s going to probably give you a hundred answers, you know, real quick as to why, and then maybe you’ll have a better understanding also. Well, I just.
1:18:25 Okay, that’s fair. So let’s. Let’s.
1:18:28 If we can commit to doing that work. I appreciate about support. Thank you.
1:18:30 All right, so what I’d like to do is we gotta vote. We gotta vote on this one if the discussion’s done on two. So we did it separate.
1:18:32 Right. Mr. Thomas. Aye.
1:18:35 Ms. Campbell. Aye. Mr. Trent.
1:18:45 Mr. Susan. Aye. Ms. Wright.
1:18:50 Aye. All right, now I entertain a motion to talk. Hang on.
1:19:00 So, yeah, I’d like to make a motion to table this till the next school board meeting only. And we can get the motion, approve it, discuss it. We can shoot it down if we want to, but that’s the direction that I wanted to go.
1:19:18 Just a couple of little concerns around the contract and stuff like that. So if I can get a second. All right.
1:19:28 And I don’t know where you guys are at with this. I talked to Dr. Endel and my initial conversation was going to be let’s. Let’s approve it and then we can workshop it behind it.
1:19:37 But I did some research into the crowdfunding. And I started talking to some of the individual that are a part of the crowdfunding and some of the stuff that happens and some of the people that are at the end users of some of these crowdfunding situations. And one of the things is that there’s an extreme like over.
1:19:47 When I read the contract, there’s no guardrails on how this is going to go. For instance, I get emails from almost 20 people once it all starts. And the emails won’t stop.
1:20:07 They just keep coming. Will you donate? Will you donate? Will you know what I mean? And there’s no guardrails on the. How we would put it together.
1:20:18 There’s also no transparency of ledgers. Like how much did this make? How much was brought in? How much was this? There’s just. It’s a wide variety of different components.
1:20:29 And I feel like the district’s making a decision to move in that direction, but I don’t feel like it’s enough. I feel like there are too many anomalies that are out there that occur with the crowdfunding that this contract doesn’t take care of. What I’d like to do is just table it for two weeks, try to put together some guardrails and then have Dr. Rendell meet with you guys to hear any of your concerns.
1:20:37 Bring it back for approval in two weeks. We’re not going to have too many crowdfunding situations that are going to occur in the next two weeks. But like robo emails and texting to citizens and families.
1:20:45 I don’t know if that’s what our intended purpose was. Finding out how much is actually made inside of these and then reporting that in an infrastructure for the entire district. I think that’s something we should do.
1:21:05 We should know how much is being brought through our schools for the crowdfunding. We don’t have that option today. I also believe that there needs to be.
1:21:11 It also says that the department head can give the approval for it. I don’t think that that’s correct. I don’t think we want to have our.
1:21:22 You know what I mean? Some of our department heads and that randomly put some people in key positions to make that decision. That may not be worth it to make that we have a situation with our. Currently with our logos and going that direction that we’re all signed up in 2011 by athletic directors under this.
1:21:26 It would be the same thing. It also has a term of five years. Not our normal three year with a one and one.
1:21:36 It’s a term of five Years. I also believe that the percentages inside of here are too high. It’s a program, you set it up, it automatically runs and they’re charging up inwards of up 20% for it.
1:21:41 So I think there’s some things. I don’t think it’s the wrong direction. I think it’s something that we need.
1:21:48 I feel very confident. The company that is on here, I did some research and found out that it’s a good company. I don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on.
1:21:58 I just would like to put some guardrails on it and not have to bring it back over over and over again. That’s my idea. It’s up to you guys.
1:22:12 To Mr. Susan, I like to weigh in this one because actually this is interestingly enough, I had. I got reached out to by a parent. I’m wondering if it’s the same one that reached out.
1:22:27 If you had a parent reach out to you, maybe. But I pulled this contract and I spent some time today over talking to our staff about this because I was, I had questions too. I was concerned about the percentage amount.
1:22:39 I thought, wow, that’s really high percentage based on dollar amounts. What does that look like? And then I went through and one of the things that always I think triggers my alert is when I look at a contract and I’m going, this contract is larger than majority of the contracts we’re approving. Like we probably need to hone in on why.
1:22:46 Why is it so much larger? But just so for point of reference for you, just so you know, because I didn’t know this until today, so I think it’s probably valuable. We have six companies that we currently use that are approved vendors for crowdfunding sources. So this one was just going to be an additional one to add as an option.
1:22:54 I was concerned that we were going to be forced into possibly using this and not really understanding that we already have multiple other ones that it’s an option. But if you want to pull it for the two weeks, I’m fine with that. I would just encourage you go ahead and meet with finance.
1:23:02 They’ll give you the same information that they gave me today. And so it will probably help you feel like, you know, in a better place with it. So.
1:23:07 And I, and I, and I understand that. I just think that there is a series of these that are. That there are no regulatory pieces to it.
1:23:24 And I feel like I have had multiple throughout the last couple of years. People call me and say, man, like this is crazy. How many emails and texts I get for this thing.
1:23:29 So just like to sort of put some stuff to it and get it done. So I’ll speak. Thank you.
1:23:44 Because that was one of the things I was going to mention is we have lots of these contracts in place already. And Mr. Gibbs, would you say that in general, the contracts are all very similar? Are they all running? For the most part. Most of the crowdfunding, from what I recall, use our templates, not necessarily theirs.
1:24:00 This one was a little different. They wanted to use theirs. So it’s more extensive than some of the others.
1:24:15 Well, you bring up a good point, Ms. Wright, that if you know a band or football team or whatever organization wants to do it, they’re going to have choices. We’re giving them as many choices as possible to choose from, and if there’s a high percentage, they can obviously choose another one. Nobody may ever use this one.
1:24:27 But we have the contract in place, so we’ve got the thing. If we’re going to put guardrails in place, it needs to be. If we’re going to come and say then we need to be a policy revision because we have a crowdfunding policy.
1:24:34 But some of the things, when you talk about the emails and calls, I know it can get annoying because my kids are in ban and they use some of them also. But it’s a matter like the students are the ones who give the contact information. And I think there is a stop.
1:24:51 You can put a stop, you know, and stop getting the text messages. But the students are the ones who give that contact information. You know, they encourage them, hey, send this out to your grandmothers and your friends or whatever to raise them.
1:25:02 There is a way to get out of that. But that’s kind of how the crowdfunding system works. So I don’t have a problem with it.
1:25:18 I mean, but if we want to come and put guardrails, we’re going to need lots of input, not just from district staff, but from schools. Because I. If we start cutting into, okay, you could do crowdfunding, but you can’t do this and you can’t do that, then we’re going to be limiting the success of a lot of these programs. So I would want lots, tons of input.
1:25:22 I’m going to be voting no to the table because I’m ready to go with it and we’ll see how it goes down. But it can’t just be for this contract because we do have all those other contracts. And thank you.
1:25:36 I remember it was six, but I knew it was somewhere like that the only issue that I have is that this establishes, once we sign it, a five year contract allowing department heads to make the decision on whether they move forward with it or not. Department heads, I believe like at the school. Yeah, at the school.
1:25:49 So like they. So that means a teacher can’t just go out and do it on their own. They have accountability.
1:25:55 That is not something that I think that if you look at what we were dealing with inside of the logos and stuff like that, I, I have an issue. I would be willing to say let’s clean up a couple of those little pieces. Let’s move it to a three year with a one in one extension.
1:26:00 Let’s take out the department head and make the principal approve these things. Because I think ultimately the principal should know whether they have department heads running fundraisers inside their schools. I don’t think the authority should be there.
1:26:07 I think that there’s just a couple of those little things and then we can approve it at the next meeting. It’s not going to hurt them. It’s a good company.
1:26:09 And then what we can do is we can come back and have a meeting with all the guardrails. Maybe we do that. That’s fair.
1:26:23 That’s in there. I just don’t want to set a policy or let a system in that allows all of these other guys to start running and approving it. That’s it.
1:26:27 That’s all I ask. Mr. Chair. Yeah, go ahead.
1:26:45 So I’d just like to jump in and say that I’ve researched the company too. It appears to be young, but it seems to be, you know, a valid, strong company that’s doing well for over the last few years. The one thing in the contract, it is you can’t terminate it for no reason.
1:26:47 So we can terminate it. Time. Just so you’re aware of that.
1:26:53 I your point to being accountable for the funds, that may be something that our staff knows, but it’s a valid point that I’d love to see learn more about how they’re accountable for the funds that they’re raising and how they report those to us. And as far as the department has, that is a concern of mine as well. So I would support you.
1:26:55 Thank you. Tabling it for two weeks. That’s all.
1:26:57 Thank you. All right, we ready for vote? Paul? Mr. Thomas. Aye.
1:27:08 Ms. Campbell. Nay. Mr. Trent.
1:27:16 Aye. Mr. Susan. Aye.
1:27:22 Ms. Wright. Aye. All right, Dr. Undelia, please let us know about the items under the action portion of today’s agenda.
1:27:25 Thank you, Mr. Chair. The first action item is H1 consideration of resolution 2026 01. Renewal of 1/2 cent sales surtax.
1:27:31 Do I hear a motion move to approve? Second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Paul? Mr. Thomas? Aye.
1:27:38 Ms. Campbell? Aye. Mr. Trent? Aye. Mr. Susan? Aye.
1:27:43 Ms. Wright? Aye. Dr. Undo. Will you please let us know about the items under the action portion of today’s agenda? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
1:27:46 The second action item is H2. Consideration of Resolution 2026 02. Renewal of 1 mil ad valorem millage.
1:27:56 Do I hear a motion move to approve? Second. Any discussion? Paul, roll call, please. Mr. Thomas? Aye.
1:28:20 Ms. Campbell? Aye. Mr. Trent? Aye. Mr. Susan? Aye.
1:28:37 Ms. Wright? Aye. All right, we will move on to the information agenda. Which agenda? Which includes three items for the board review and may be brought back for action at a subsequent meeting.
1:29:07 No action will be taken on these items today. Does any board member wish to discuss this item really quickly? Okay. First of all, on the code of conduct, I wanted to thank Ms. Stampere and Mr. Armstrong and their team for going back and taking all the input from the schools because we’ve made a few more revisions to the WCD policy and the code of conduct.
1:29:17 And so thank you for continuing to refine the process and do that hard work. I did want to address something with the charter school renewal and Mr. Bryan brought up because that charter school happens to actually, like, be literally behind my house. I have to say, one of the things that we need to think about when it comes to.
1:29:27 To charter schools is that, and this one happened in particular is the population has varied greatly as the school has improved their performance or their performance has gone down. This one in particular, several years ago, way before I was on the board, I think even before my kids were in school, like, really tanked out and they lost tons of kids because they have to compete. And as they’ve done better and as they’ve improved and they.
1:29:41 I think they got an A this year, for the first time in a long time, their population has grown. And I will say we’ve talked about the plan. I know you always ask, what’s the plan? But the plan is well documented.
1:30:06 The plan is our strategic plan. And one of the. Just like the charter schools have to continue to improve if they want to compete in the marketplace for children, our plan is the same.
1:30:11 We have to get better. Our goal to be in the top 10 districts in the state of Florida. Florida is getting us there because as we have more A schools and no DRF schools and we rise, then parents are going to be more likely to entrust their children to Us.
1:30:16 So all of our academic goals and improving our school grades and all the work that everything is going in, the teams that are working on the strategic plan, that’s the plan. Because as our schools become better and our district continues to rise, more and more families will choose BPS schools. And you know what, if they choose that charter school that’s around the corner from my house and that is meeting the child, the needs of that child, God bless them, because that means that’s the best choice for their family.
1:30:31 They do things in a different environment. They kind of have a Montessori type environment. Some kids thrive in that, some kids don’t.
1:30:48 And the parents have the right to do that. But we want to make our schools as good as they can get. Every single one.
1:30:55 The title one schools, the more affluent neighborhood schools, the beach side, you know, the south side, whatever it is, that’s the plan. And so we’re going to keep. We’re going to keep working that plan and all of the reading initiatives, all of the, you know, the public initiatives.
1:31:07 Honestly, what we just passed tonight, the sales surtax, the millage, the way we’re using that money to keep teachers and to build great facilities, all those things are part of the plan. So thank you, ma’, am, by the way, for speaking to the millage tonight. I appreciate you coming and saying that, but I just wanted to say those things about those two items.
1:31:20 Thank you. Anything else on that? Okay. Okay.
1:31:28 All right. At this time, we would like to offer fellow board members and Dr. Rendell an opportunity to recognize students, staff or members of the community who would like to go first on that. I’ll jump in.
1:31:43 All right, go ahead. Just two things. First of all, I had the opportunity to do the Tied Together at Mil hi last week and it’s always an awesome event at our schools for the community that doesn’t know about Tied together.
1:31:53 It’s organization, nonprofit. Nobody makes any money on it. But community leaders from across Brevard county gather at one school or another.
1:32:06 It’s our middle schools and high schools. And it sounds simple, but they teach young men how to tie a tie and along with that, how to shake a hand. And that sounds simple, but in that few minutes that that happens, that community leader and that student often build a bond.
1:32:43 And it’s really amazing to see the kids response to that. At first, when I didn’t know what to expect the first time I did it. And I’m amazed every time I go now to see the response of the kids.
1:32:54 The kids really do appreciate it. It’s an amazing time to see their response and to see that interaction between the community leaders of all walks of life. So I would just encourage, you know, it’s a nonprofit organization.
1:33:01 I encourage the community. If you’re a community leader and you’re interested in coming out and we’ll even teach you how to tie a tie. But come on out and do those events, they have a website, tiedtogether.
1:33:09 org and also if you’re a company and you want to support it, that would be phenomenal. And last but not least, before the Mile High Palm Bay football game the other night, we won’t talk about the result, but I will tell you, it was pretty cool because the students, on their own accord, decided us, as you know, obviously a heated rivalry through the years. And on their own accord, they decided to go out to the 50 yard line and say a pregame prayer.
1:33:11 And I thought that was pretty cool that they would do that without any prodding from their coaches or administrators. They just went out there and wanted to get together as two teams before they played. So Palm Bay actually needed that prayer before the.
1:33:16 After the game. But it was a good showing by the kids. So.
1:33:23 Okay, well, I’ll give you the results of that game because I learned last year it’s actually called the Battle of Babcock. Right. Because the schools are both.
1:33:30 You’re breaking up. We can’t. I’m sorry.
1:33:42 Oh. So the winner was Melbourne High School. Go Bulldogs.
1:33:48 But. And I. The Buster Clark trophy was presented to Milhigh this year. They don’t always win.
1:34:07 You know, it’s a. Actually, I don’t know if they. It’s been a while, but I wanted to say congratulations, Bulldogs.
1:34:29 And I actually was kind of glad, and I love. I love Palm Bay High School, but I was kind of glad they didn’t score too much because every time they score, they shoot a cannon off. And even though I know it’s going to happen, it scares me every time.
1:34:42 So I was really glad they only scored one touchdown that you had to throw that in there, didn’t you? I know. Sorry. Sorry.
1:34:56 The Bulldogs are doing really great. They’re just year. Thank you to Discovery elementary for doing a great job on your Patriot day program on September 12th and invited members of the public and also their families who served in the military or first responders did a great job.
1:35:02 Saturday night was the Take Stock in Children Gala. And I note, I checked today, They’ve raised almost $150,000 for the take Stock and children’s scholarships, which is just an amazing program. Always have to put a plug in for people becoming mentors because not only do the students get a scholarship at the end of the three to five years, they have a mentor who walks them through.
1:35:23 You know, somebody who’s in their court, a cheerleader for them. A lot of students don’t have that kind of cheerleader at home, but they also get coaching about college applications and really planning for their future. And it was.
1:35:26 It was a great opportunity for the community to come together to support these students. Then I just want to remind everybody that Saturday is umatter day at Merritt Island High School. And so I think it’s going to go from nine to one.
1:35:32 And we’d love the community to come out. There’s a. There’s a run, walk, walk, run, whatever, around 9:30.
1:35:39 And so if you want to come out and support a great organization that is working hard to make sure our students know that they matter and to make a, you know, to make a life recognize their life is worth living. And so I just encourage the board and hopefully I’m trying to try to get out there for a little while myself. Hopefully see some of you guys at Merritt island on Saturday.
1:35:56 That’s right. Thank you. All right.
1:36:00 Been on my wonderful school tours. I absolutely love visiting schools. I feel like that is the fun part of this job is getting to go walk into the classrooms.
1:36:04 And I want to thank Fairglen specifically. So I got to spend some time there. And I was there for what they call show up September.
1:36:11 So they have been working very, very hard to increase their attendance. And they’re doing this with random surprise days where you don’t know if it’s show up September or October, whatever month it is. But if you are there on that day, they bring around a cart with different treats or like a drink of some sort.
1:36:19 And kids get to pick whatever they want. And so they are so ecstatic. And I just.
1:36:36 The team there, the morale, like, the overall just. I’m going, this is. This is huge.
1:36:44 This is going to move the needle because kids are like, oh, man, I was here today. Yes, I got to be here. So they also have best day ever, which I haven’t been there yet for best day ever.
1:37:00 But I’m hoping I’ll get to witness that. So thank you so much to that team over there. They’re doing amazing work and it’s absolutely reflected in their school.
1:37:12 So also, I want to thank you, Ms. Campbell. You were there with me this past week. On Friday, Space Coast Junior rot put on a Prisoner of war MIA event where students that are part of that program and actually part of this entire school, they were able to do this if they had a permission slip to do.
1:37:18 So they carried a flag and kept it in motion the entire day. And so they would switch out. And I want to thank some of our elected officials that came out as well.
1:37:27 It was a little warm, but kept the flag in motion and really just showing those students the significance of paying the ultimate sacrifice, really, and not coming home and serving for their country. And so that was an amazing event and I really, really appreciate the school putting that on. I want to give.
1:37:40 I want to clear up a couple things because I’ve been silent about several things, but I’m like, I think there is a time where you need to respond. And so I’m going to respond to clarify. Let me just start with this.
1:37:48 One teacher vacancy is too many teacher vacancies. And that is, I will feel that way forever. One is too many.
1:37:57 We do not have hundred hundreds, any of that. We have 72, according to the email I just received. Three in English, and that’s too many.
1:38:18 None at Satellite High. So I say that to you to say that Satellite High is completely staffed there as far as their English department goes. For an organization our size, just as a frame of reference, we currently employ approximately 5,100 teachers.
1:38:41 That’s a lot of teachers. And I say that because I think it’s the public narrative needs to understand that one vacancy is too many. Yes.
1:38:51 But to sound as though we don’t have teachers and that there are all these vacancies, that is just not true. It’s a flat out lie. So these numbers are being reported.
1:39:18 They’re actual accurate numbers. They’re coming directly from our HR. 98.
1:39:27 5%. In an organization this size, that’s a pretty darn good rate to be staffed at. And then the other thing I want to clear up too, and I want to say is that my frustration with all that has taken place around really dragging someone through the mud, and I have to say this over and over again.
1:39:33 I’ve been frustrated with this and I have been silent to the point of really biting my tongue, to the point of Bleeding the superintendent 100% has the right. If an employee looks at their boss and says, I know the law and I broke the law and I chose to break the law, he has the right to say, okay, then there’s a punishment for that. Now, whether or not you agree or disagree with that punishment, that’s not your decision.
1:39:37 It’s his decision. So that part of it frustrates me for the union to come here tonight, the union president specifically to come here tonight to do this. I have to say I am extremely disappointed.
1:39:52 I have to ask, what is the overall objective here? Is the objective to get the employee rehired? Because if that were the objective, then they would take that matter directly with the person in charge of hiring any employee. But they didn’t. Is the objective to drive a wedge between the union, who represents all of the teachers, and the board? I’m going to think maybe it is.
1:40:01 But I will say this. The union president, when this whole thing broke out, was nowhere to be found with this conversation. And the conversation that was had was, we’re not going to deal with it.
1:40:08 We’re staying away from it right now because we. Because we don’t know how it’s going to go. And that particular employee will be fine.
1:40:16 She has three job offers. That was what was said. That is what was said.
1:40:21 And so for this to come about now feels a little bit like we’re doing it for attention, for videos, for all the wrong reasons. And it’s disingenuous to the person who you’re dragging through the mud, through the entire process. So I’m just going to say that about it.
1:40:37 I support the superintendent’s decision. I keep on going, guys. If the overall objective here is to hire this person, then private conversations need to be had.
1:40:49 One on one conversations need to be had. But that’s not what’s taking place. What’s taking place is three minutes at the microphone for the entire world to see.
1:40:55 And what is that for? What good does it do? Does it help anything? I don’t think it is. So that is all I’ll say about that. Thank you.
1:41:20 Thank you. Ms. Wright. I wanted to say on a piggyback on the.
1:41:34 On the football that you guys were mentioning, if you look back at the other games throughout our district, there is such a tight conversation around the competitiveness of our sports programs. In football, we had Eau Gallie upset. Coco.
1:41:43 There’s a lot of really good football going on right now. And I think that that is a really good indicator of a lot of different things, that we have a strong athletic spot program. So I wanted to say thanks to that.
1:41:52 The other thing I wanted to do is to say thanks to Yvette Cruz. We were. And the.
1:41:57 There’s a Veterans affairs committee with the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber and I think they’ve changed their name, but I don’t know it. But anyway, so we sat back and talked about what we’re getting ready to do for the next enlistment ceremony. They had a meeting here and you should have seen all of the individuals that were here from the various military organizations saying thank you to Dr. Rendell for his Purple Heart schools, for his enlistment ceremony, for all those things.
1:42:08 And it’s incredible to see the support from the veterans and stuff like that for our programs. And I wanted to say thank you to Yvette because she’s spearheading putting together the next enlistment ceremony. And we went out to where it might be.
1:42:18 We’re looking at an option to be at the newly formed auditorium at the Veterans Memorial center out there in Merritt Island. It’s beautiful. It’s just.
1:42:20 We don’t know if it’ll hold the amount of people that are supposed to be there. We’re looking at between 5 and 7,000 people. And I think it holds like 26.
1:42:33 And then it has people. You can be way out in the woods and put chairs out there and everything. So we’re going to try to see if it’ll work.
1:42:40 But it’s a lot of work to put on in an event like that with thousands of people. And I just wanted to say thank you to yet Yvette and her work that she’s done. The date is I think, April 16th.
1:42:48 Is that it? So April 16th, mark your calendar. That’ll be the day that we do it. Whether it’s going to be at the location where we talked about or another school based location, that’s up to be seen.
1:42:50 So that’s it. Thank you. Awesome.
1:42:54 All right, we’ll start with the good here. This week was Freedom 7 elementary in Cocoa beach, their 25th anniversary for their existence. And it was a wonderful ceremony.
1:43:02 Principal Lott and her staff, everything was covered. The choir there was beautiful. We had some.
1:43:08 We had a retired astronaut there. His name goes Bob Cabana. Okay, very good.
1:43:20 That’s right. Thank you. And most of the board members were there.
1:43:31 It was a good. It was a wonderful day. Weather was perfect.
1:43:40 We could have just sat there for the, for the choir, for the whole day. It was very nice. They had buried a time capsule 25 years ago.
1:43:53 So we got to see. Yeah, we got to see the remnants of that. It’s amazing.
1:44:04 We need to find a better way to bury things for 25 years because we could barely make out anything but what a great morning that was. So that was perfect, you guys. Some of us talked about football, some.
1:44:23 Some of us talked about other things. And I’m going to combine those two, and that’s called Monday morning quarterbacking. And I believe that’s what BFD is doing currently, is after the fact.
1:44:29 Had plenty of time to speak up for this teacher ahead of time. But I think the quote was, she admitted it. She’s guilty.
1:44:48 We’re not going to say anything about that until after the fact. So that’s a little surprising and disappointing. So teachers out there, I’m going to give you the phrase that we hear sometimes, maybe you need to do better.
1:44:57 You need some better representation to go represent yourselves. Okay. So I believe, again, I support the superintendent’s decision.
1:45:02 I think the this back here makes some sense. I mean, we’re a district two years in a row because of his decision making, and that’s, again, why we support those decisions. 99% instructional positions filled with a staff of 5,500.
1:45:10 So I think that’s pretty good. I call that full employment. I think most companies would enjoy that and like that.
1:45:13 So again, we hear this narrative out here, and it’s definitely the silent minority, really, because that’s not what’s going on in Brevard. Okay. So I would like to sit around and say I’ve had meetings all week with the parents that are upset about this, but it’s not true.
1:45:14 So while we’re on camera, what you’re hearing is not true from the podium. Okay. Other than that, it’s been a wonderful week.
1:45:21 Dr. Rendell. Yeah. I just want to correct one thing that Mr. Susan said.
1:45:27 It’s purple star schools, not purple heart schools. If it was purple heart schools, that that would not be good. Purple star schools.
1:45:30 It slipped through. Nobody paid attention. Maybe you’re the only one that taught it. Thank you. Gotcha. That’s it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All right, turn the page. Okay. We are now at the non agenda items public comment portion of the meeting. We will. I just want to let know how many do we have? Eight. Eight. Okay. We will take a short recess and prepare for those comments. Thank you. Sa.