Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
11:00 [ Pause ]
11:30 [ Music ]
11:42 » Good evening.
11:43 The January 20th, 2026 board meeting is now in order.
11:46 I’m happy to welcome my fellow board members and the public.
11:48 I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that
11:50 the appropriate place
11:51 for public participation in the meeting is during your
11:53 individual public comment.
11:55 Opportunity as identified in the agenda outside of your
11:57 individual public comment.
11:58 Opportunity, your role in the meeting is as an observer.
12:02 Paul, roll call please.
12:04 » Mr. Season?
12:04 » Here.
12:05 » Ms. Wright?
12:05 » Here.
12:06 » Ms. Campbell?
12:06 » Here.
12:07 » Mr. Thomas?
12:07 » Here.
12:08 » Mr. Trent?
12:09 » Here.
12:09 » At this time, I’d like the board to hold a moment of silence.
12:12 I invite the audience to join.
12:28 [ Pause ]
12:34 » Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
12:37 [ Pause ]
12:42 » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
12:46 America and to the republic
12:48 for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
12:54 liberty and justice for all.
12:58 » That brings us to the adoption of the agenda.
13:00 Dr. Endell.
13:01 [ Pause ]
13:05 » Thank you, Mr. Chair.
13:06 On this evening’s agenda, we have administrative staff
13:08 recommendations,
13:09 two public hearing items, 43 consent items, one action item and
13:13 four information items.
13:15 Changes made to the agenda since it was released to the public
13:18 include the following.
13:19 Revised were C1, F5 and F32 and removed was F9.
13:25 [ Pause ]
13:28 » Do I have a motion?
13:29 » Move to approve.
13:31 » Second.
13:32 » Is there any discussion?
13:34 Paul, roll call, please.
13:35 » Mr. Thomas?
13:36 » Aye.
13:37 » Ms. Campbell?
13:37 » Aye.
13:38 » Mr. season?
13:39 » Aye.
13:39 » Ms. Wright?
13:39 » Aye.
13:40 » Mr. Trent?
13:40 » Aye.
13:41 » We are now on to the administrative staff recommendations.
13:43 Do I hear a motion?
13:44 » Move to approve.
13:45 » Second.
13:46 » Is there any discussion?
13:48 Paul, roll call, please.
13:49 » Mr. Thomas?
13:50 » Aye.
13:50 » Ms. Campbell?
13:51 » Aye.
13:51 » Mr. season?
13:52 » Aye.
13:52 » Ms. Wright?
13:53 » Aye.
13:54 » Mr. Trent?
13:54 » Aye.
13:54 » Dr. Rendell? » Thank you, Mr. Chair, by your actions we have
13:58 approved the appointment
13:58 of three assistant principals tonight, so we want to
14:00 congratulate them.
14:01 So first up, I want to congratulate Cynthia Dawson for her
14:04 position,
14:05 for her promotion to her position of assistant principal at Myla
14:08 Elementary.
14:08 Cynthia, congratulations.
14:09 Come on up.
14:10 [ Applause ]
14:19 » Thank you.
14:21 Thank you, Dr. Rendell, and thank you to all
14:23 of the school board members for appointing me as the assistant
14:26 principal
14:27 of Myla Elementary School tonight.
14:29 I am truly honored.
14:31 Thank you to my Myla family for your constant support and
14:34 especially to Dr. O’Brien
14:37 for your exceptional leadership and mentorship.
14:40 Her guidance has been instrumental in my journey
14:42 and is a big part of why I stand here today.
14:45 Finally, I would like to thank my own family, my daughters,
14:48 Isabella and Emily, and my husband, Scott.
14:52 Your love and support mean everything to me, and I would not be
14:55 here without you.
14:56 Thank you.
14:58 » Congratulations.
14:59 [ Applause ]
15:05 So next we’d like to congratulate Megan Smith on her promotion
15:08 to assistant principal at Saturn Elementary School.
15:11 Congratulations.
15:12 Come on up.
15:14 [ Applause ]
15:18 Good evening. I would like to begin by thanking Brevard County
15:23 School Board
15:23 and Dr. Rendell for this incredible opportunity.
15:26 I’m truly honored and grateful to accept the position of the
15:29 assistant principal
15:30 at Saturn Elementary School, and I’m excited to continue to
15:33 serve the students,
15:34 staff and family members of this community.
15:37 I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my mentor, Javier
15:41 Alfonso.
15:42 Thank you for believing me and trusting me with this opportunity.
15:45 I’m deeply thankful for your guidance and encouragement.
15:48 Amazing things are happening at Saturn Elementary because of
15:51 your leadership,
15:52 and I am excited to work alongside you and Ms. Velazquez
15:56 as we continue to move Saturn forward.
15:59 I would like to also thank Chris Reed,
16:02 who gave me my first leadership opportunities at Endeavor
16:05 Elementary.
16:05 Your confidence in me helped lay the foundation for my growth as
16:09 a leader,
16:10 and I’m incredibly grateful for the example you set.
16:13 To the staff of Endeavor Elementary, I spent ten years there,
16:17 and your support, collaboration and growth has helped me become
16:22 the leader I am today,
16:23 so I will value those relationships I have made over there.
16:27 But the staff at Saturn Elementary, thank you for welcoming me
16:32 so warmly this school year.
16:34 From the very beginning, I felt a strong sense of belonging,
16:36 and I’m truly excited to work alongside each of you to support
16:41 and inspire our students.
16:43 I would not be here without the love and support of my family,
16:47 my father and my brother who are here today.
16:50 Thank you for being my steady foundation and my constant source
16:53 of encouragement.
16:54 Your belief in me, especially during challenging moments,
16:58 gave me the confidence to keep moving forward.
17:01 To my significant other, Isaiah, thank you for your support,
17:06 patience
17:07 and love throughout this journey.
17:09 You’ve stood by me during long days, difficult decisions always
17:14 reminding me of my potential,
17:15 and our son Maddox, who is my greatest motivation and my
17:19 greatest joy.
17:20 He reminds me daily of why this work matters and why leading
17:24 with compassion and integrity is so important.
17:27 Lastly, I want to give a very special thank you to my mother.
17:32 She passed away last January, and I truly believe she’s been
17:38 guiding me through some
17:39 of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make over this last school
17:42 year, leaving my home
17:44 and going to a new school to grow and develop, decisions that
17:49 led me here today
17:50 and to be in this moment, so I carry her strength and love with
17:54 me every day.
17:55 I’m humbled and grateful and ready to serve.
17:58 Thank you again for this awesome opportunity
18:01 and for this important work ahead at Saturn Elementary.
18:05 » All right, congratulations.
18:07 [ Applause ]
18:13 And last, we want to congratulate Vivian Perez-Jones on her
18:16 promotion
18:17 to assistant principal at Vieira High School.
18:20 Vivian, congratulations.
18:22 [ Applause ]
18:27 » Good evening, everyone.
18:29 I’m going to try to keep this under two minutes because we all
18:31 know I can get a little long-winded.
18:33 And if you don’t, I apologize.
18:35 I want to thank Dr. Rendell and School Board for this honor and
18:38 your steadfast commitment to all
18:40 of our students and teachers and staff in Brevard, so thank you
18:44 guys.
18:44 I’m truly honored to accept this position and join Vieira High
18:48 School.
18:48 After many years serving in public education,
18:51 this moment feels both incredibly exciting and deeply emotional.
18:55 I am the product of Brevard Public Schools.
18:57 I’ve attended Southlake Elementary many years ago.
19:01 McNair and I graduated from Asheron High School an undisclosed
19:05 amount of years ago.
19:06 We won’t put that on record.
19:08 BPS has been my home for a long time and amazing relationships
19:11 built along the way with students,
19:13 families, teachers, and community have shaped the educator and
19:16 leader I am today.
19:17 I would love to thank my beautiful family who have always
19:20 supported me,
19:21 my parents that have shown me to never shy away from hard work,
19:26 to stick up for those that might need a louder voice, my husband
19:30 and kids
19:31 that have made every day brighter, my sister who is the epitome
19:36 of loyalty,
19:36 and friends that have always been in my corner,
19:40 influencers that have always been in my corner.
19:43 From my early years at MIMS to rocking it at Cambridge,
19:46 elementary,
19:48 my elementary experience was profound.
19:50 I have to give that little plug because elementary education is,
19:55 exactly.
19:57 These last five years at Madison have been both pivotal and
19:59 priceless
20:00 and I wouldn’t trade one moment.
20:03 I want to sincerely thank the administration at Madison for
20:05 believing in me
20:06 and supporting this new chapter.
20:08 Oh, here it goes.
20:10 Your guidance and encouragement mean more than you know.
20:13 At the same time, my heart is a little heavy as I leave
20:16 colleagues
20:17 that I have worked beside for so many years.
20:19 They are more than coworkers.
20:21 They are partners and mentors and friends and their impact will
20:24 stay with me always.
20:26 As I step into this new endeavor at Viera,
20:28 I am excited to serve the entire school community, to support
20:31 teachers,
20:32 to strengthen systems, to continue building structures that help
20:35 every student thrive.
20:36 My passion has always been creating environments where educators
20:40 feel valued,
20:40 students feel seen, and I look forward to continuing that work
20:44 here
20:45 with dedication and heart.
20:47 Ms. LeGate, I realize that I do not have enough green in my
20:50 wardrobe
20:50 and so I’ve got to go shopping.
20:53 So thank you for warmly welcoming me.
20:56 I am grateful, I’m ready, and I am honored to be a part of the
21:00 team.
21:01 Thank you.
21:02 » Congratulations.
21:03 [ Applause ]
21:09 » Mr. Chair, if we could take a short break for some photos.
21:11 » Yes, sir.
21:12 » I can’t believe we’re done here.
21:28 » Thank you.
27:09 » 13 speakers and we’ll each receive three minutes.
27:10 Our attorney will give the speakers in the order which they are
27:12 signed up to speak, Mr.
27:13 Gibbs.
27:14 Hang on a second, before I do that, we’re going to do something
27:17 a little bit different
27:18 today.
27:19 Those of you guys who get called up, if you guys can come down
27:21 and wait right here inside
27:22 the chairs so that we’re not waiting for everybody to stand up
27:24 and slowly walk through.
27:25 So if you get your name called, if you guys can just head down
27:28 to the first three or five
27:29 seats, and then if you guys are – if we find that they’re clapping,
27:32 Paul, I’m just going
27:33 to say, hey, can you repeat the name so they can hear it,
27:35 because sometimes people are
27:36 cheering.
27:37 Okay.
27:38 Thank you so much.
27:39 Steve, I want to say, whoever has come here from Cape View and
27:43 Cape Canaveral, you guys
27:44 have done such an amazing job throughout this entire process.
27:47 I truly appreciate you guys coming, the respect that you guys
27:50 have had for the entire system
27:52 and how you guys have presented, and it’s been amazing.
27:54 So one of the things I know our board would love to do is if you’re
27:57 actually from Cape
27:58 Canaveral or from Cape View, if you guys can say, hey, we’re
28:01 from Cape View and Cape Canaveral,
28:03 that would be great.
28:04 Thank you so much.
28:05 We appreciate you.
28:06 Go ahead, Paul.
28:07 Bruce Robertson, Sulay Prado, Sarah Hodge.
28:14 Bruce Robertson, you’re up first.
28:15 Good evening.
28:16 I’d like to thank the board and Dr. Rendell for the opportunity
28:25 to speak.
28:26 I’m speaking on item B12, which is the consolidation of Cape
28:31 View Elementary in Roosevelt.
28:34 I am from Cape Canaveral.
28:37 I went to Cape View back in the ancient days.
28:39 My daughter went to Cape– Hang on just a second, boss.
28:41 We’re going to try to get this thing set up here.
28:44 All right.
28:45 Here we go.
28:46 As I said, I’m here to speak about Cape View, G2 on the agenda,
28:49 the consolidation and possible
28:51 closing of Cape View, and the busing of our kids and grandkids
28:56 to Roosevelt.
28:57 I want to thank you for the opportunity, Dr. Rendell and the
29:00 board, for speaking again
29:01 on this.
29:02 I’ve spoke on this before.
29:03 As you know, I am from Cape Canaveral.
29:07 It’s a passionate issue for us.
29:09 This is our school, the one school we have.
29:13 I watched the January 6th meeting with our city council and our
29:17 mayor, Russ Morrison,
29:19 so I’m aware of all the arguments, pro and con.
29:21 I’m aware of the board’s very articulate arguments for closing
29:24 Cape View and consolidating Roosevelt,
29:27 and I’m also aware of our city council’s counterarguments.
29:31 The only question I have, and I’m going to speak as a layman and
29:34 a resident, a passionate
29:36 resident of Cape Canaveral a long time, is where’s the fire?
29:41 Where’s the fire with this closing and consolidation?
29:44 From what I understand, this appeared nowhere on the five-year
29:47 plan of the school board,
29:48 and it appeared as a line item in the 2025 agenda, and it seems
29:53 to us, parents and grandparents,
29:55 that this has been sprung on us within the last four months.
29:58 Suddenly it’s been moved to the front burner, and suddenly now
30:02 it’s a great priority.
30:03 And what we’re hearing is, and this is again on the street in
30:07 Ellie Mays and in our churches,
30:10 that the sudden need to close Cape View is based on the value of
30:16 the property.
30:18 We all know it’s one of the most valuable properties in Cape
30:21 Canaveral.
30:21 It’s a beach adjacent.
30:23 It’s adjacent to Cherry Down Park.
30:25 The value of that real estate, I’ve heard anywhere from $10 to $15
30:31 million.
30:32 So what we’re hearing at Ellie Mays is there are 10 to 15
30:37 million reasons why the school
30:39 board needs to make this a priority of closing our elementary
30:42 school.
30:43 That may not be true, but that is what is being said.
30:52 My grandmother had a saying, “Haste makes waste.”
30:57 Let’s not make a hasty decision tonight.
31:01 Cape View is a valuable asset.
31:04 Let’s not waste it.
31:07 Give us, as our mayor said, as our city council said, give us 12
31:12 months.
31:13 Give us 12 months to see what opportunities we can do to make
31:19 Cape View another viable
31:21 school.
31:22 Let’s not waste a valuable asset.
31:24 Let’s not make a hasty decision tonight.
31:27 Thank you.
31:29 [Applause]
31:31 » After Ms. Prado, we have Sarah Hodge and Melissa Bass.
31:42 » Okay, I don’t care.
31:53 I am from Cape View.
31:54 I am from Cape Canaveral.
31:57 I have twins with special needs.
32:03 I don’t care what kind of benefits you throw at me.
32:06 I am not moving because it doesn’t change anything about my
32:14 situation at all.
32:17 [Applause]
32:19 » Sarah Hodge, followed by Melissa Bass, Timothy Bass.
32:29 » I agree with everything Bruce Robinson just said, and I am
32:32 not a great speaker, so
32:34 I am just going to read the change.org petition that is out
32:38 there, and there is quite a few
32:41 people that have signed it.
32:42 Our kids’ school, a cornerstone of our community for 61 years,
32:47 is facing the threat of closure
32:49 and consolidation with a school seven miles away.
32:54 This decision, currently under consideration by the school board,
32:58 poses a significant burden
33:00 for our children, as 80% of them walk to and from school every
33:05 day.
33:06 For our small town, seven miles is more than just a distance.
33:09 It’s a barrier to accessibility and a disruption to the
33:18 foundation of our children’s education.
33:22 Teachers at our beloved school have dedicated their entire
33:26 careers here.
33:27 The moment you walk through the doors, it feels like home.
33:31 This is not just a building, it’s the heart and soul of our town,
33:35 touched by the commitment
33:36 and care of 30 dedicated educators and bustling with the energy
33:42 of 300 bright young minds.
33:45 Closing the school is not about evaluating our children’s
33:48 educational needs or considering
33:50 their future.
33:52 It’s about profit.
33:54 It’s a sales pitch for the school board to monetize the land
33:58 without regard for the impact
34:00 on our children’s education and well-being.
34:04 We need to keep our school open, not for profit, but for
34:07 education, not just to preserve the
34:10 past but to protect our future.
34:13 Our children deserve a school they can walk to, a community they
34:17 can belong to, and an
34:18 educational environment that feels like home.
34:22 Our teachers deserve to continue pursuing their life’s work
34:26 where they feel valued and
34:28 inspired each day.
34:33 Thank you.
34:38 After Melissa Bass, we have Timothy Bass, Gina Derringe, Lewis
34:42 Neville.
34:45 I’m Melissa Bass, I’m a Cape View parent.
34:54 I am disgusted by what I’ve seen from people on this board over
34:58 the last several months.
34:59 Most recently, my city’s good faith attempt to help save our
35:02 school was met with question
35:04 dodging, shallow platitudes, misrepresentation of facts, classism,
35:08 and complete lack of action.
35:10 You’ve all shown yourselves.
35:11 You peddle a culture where exhausted, overworked teachers are
35:15 the goal for efficiency.
35:16 Students’ worth is reduced to units of monetary drain on the
35:20 county coffers.
35:21 Enough from you.
35:22 I choose now to bring light to the heroes of this shameful story.
35:27 Our school secretary, who herself attended Cape View and has
35:30 been our first line cheerleader
35:32 for many years, our Title I staff who help struggling kids get
35:35 to school no matter the
35:36 obstacle and make sure they are fit to thrive here in every way.
35:40 Our music, media, art, STEM, and PE teachers who know every
35:43 child by name and wear about
35:44 487 hats to meet the student educational needs.
35:48 Our SLP, ESC, and literacy teams who work miracles with kids,
35:51 other programs have failed.
35:53 They all belong here.
35:55 Our veteran teachers, some of the best around, who’ve spent
35:58 decades cultivating a culture
35:59 of teamwork, acceptance, and joy in education.
36:02 Our principal who just a few short years through listening and
36:05 responding solidified a home
36:07 away from home where students excel and futures brighten.
36:10 All these amazing people will be left scrambling for scraps of
36:14 jobs in your broken system.
36:15 We know that lightning in a bottle we have at Cape View.
36:18 Schools like ours should be studied and modeled, not crushed and
36:20 assimilated into a dysfunctional
36:22 machine.
36:23 Our rocket heroes and our entire rocket family deserve better
36:26 than this disgraceful dumpster
36:27 fire of an ending you’ve got planned.
36:30 I have rage today because I have love.
36:33 Love for the marginalized children you sweep by and label not my
36:36 problem.
36:37 They are your problem.
36:38 They will be a bigger problem for the future you when you set
36:42 them down an impossible path
36:43 today.
36:44 I pray one day your blind eyes will be opened to the egregious
36:47 harm your hands have dealt
36:49 God’s most vulnerable beloved children.
36:52 Despite your failure, those of us who love these children will
36:54 do our best to clean up
36:55 your mess every day.
36:57 I wish each of you the future you deserve.
37:03 Timothy Bass, after Timothy Bass, we have Gina Darrange, Lewis
37:09 Neville, Liz McEterian.
37:13 Sorry, did you want me to wait on them to get here?
37:20 You go ahead.
37:21 All right.
37:22 Thank you, Dr. Rendell and the school board.
37:24 I’m from Cape Canaveral, Cape View.
37:26 There is some hostility in the room and you should feel
37:28 comfortable knowing that that
37:30 is your doing.
37:31 You’ve sat there with disrespectful and credulous silence to any
37:35 and all comments founded in
37:37 logic, objective data, peer-reviewed evidence from experts, and
37:41 the only time you respond
37:43 is when people get up here and comment with ad hominem
37:46 statements fired at you and unfounded
37:49 broad conspiracies presented indirectly affected rage-baiters.
37:55 That’s the only time we’ve gotten a response from you to any of
37:58 our questions and any of
37:59 our concerns.
38:01 You say that the WXY study provides rationale for your atrocious
38:07 actions.
38:08 However, you consistently make statements that are contradictory
38:11 to that study given
38:12 the capacity of the schools, what grades they have, and how many
38:17 are in each, and the population.
38:20 They’re all contradictory.
38:22 How are you going to say we’re making a decision based on a
38:26 study that we know to be false
38:28 or at least in public we’re saying they’re false?
38:32 And that’s all we have.
38:33 You have not provided transparency into why or how you arrive at
38:38 a decision.
38:39 Instead, you weave a deceitful tapestry of sophistry and blatant
38:44 disregard for community
38:46 and academic success of students at both locations.
38:51 Mr. Trent loves to talk about the gym at Roosevelt.
38:54 I fail to see why taking away kids’ ability to walk or bike to
38:58 school and get fresh air
39:00 and sunshine between buildings and deer in P.E. is somehow
39:04 inferior to a fluorescent
39:05 light labyrinth depriving kids of the Florida weather that we
39:10 have after an unpredictable
39:12 commute that is between 10 to 20 times longer than a bus or a
39:18 car.
39:18 It is despicable to even contemplate purposely acting contrary
39:23 to student and community interests
39:25 in a futile attempt to cover your own malfeasance and mismanagement.
39:30 Should you vote for closure, shame on you for your disregard of
39:33 the laws and regulation
39:35 and even your own policy.
39:38 You’ve turned your backs on those who moved here recently
39:44 because of the school.
39:46 Shame on you for nurturing an environment of mayhem and
39:53 confusion.
39:55 May God’s light shine upon Cape View despite the darkness you
39:58 have wrought.
39:59 We are one rocket family and we hope you make a decision tonight
40:03 that supports the interests
40:05 of academic excellence for the students both at Roosevelt and at
40:10 Cape View and not be guided
40:12 by unfounded sophistry.
40:16 Thank you.
40:18 [ Applause ]
40:20 » Gina Darrange.
40:23 After Ms. Darrange, we have Lewis Neville, Liz Mckittarian, Cecilia
40:28 Trotter.
40:29 » School board, thank you for having me speak.
40:32 I’m speaking on my own accord, not the civics organization that
40:37 I belong to.
40:38 And at civics organization, I’ve done research for lobbying
40:41 points and last year I noticed
40:43 this horrible bill called schools of hope.
40:47 And being a retired teacher, I read the bill to do research and
40:52 to pass it on to our lobbyist
40:54 and what I read was mind blowing.
40:58 So much so that I contacted lobbyists with another organization
41:02 that supports teachers
41:04 and said have you read this bill?
41:07 And basically it went like this, that there was an empty station
41:11 in a school that a charter
41:13 school could come in and co-locate in that school.
41:19 And I couldn’t believe it.
41:20 I was like, ah, they’re not going to pass this bill and I got–you
41:24 know, I watched it
41:25 from February to May and they passed it in June at the ninth
41:30 hour.
41:31 And then they added some stuff like being able to share the data
41:35 of students that go
41:36 to the public school that are co-locating with a maybe non-profit
41:41 or though a corporation
41:43 that owns the charter.
41:46 But let’s reflect back even further when we had the voucher bill.
41:52 And the organization that I volunteer with, we were against it
41:55 and said there’s got to
41:56 be guidelines, there’s got to be guard rails.
42:00 You just can’t give out this money and expect parents to teach
42:03 their kids, especially rural
42:05 areas.
42:06 They’re from a city.
42:07 So that didn’t–that didn’t hit me until I talked to other
42:10 people and said parents are
42:11 just going to use that money and they’re not going to homeschool
42:13 their kids.
42:14 Well, now we’re at $5 billion that’s lost.
42:20 The other question I had is, hey, a kid decides that, you know,
42:23 they don’t want to be homeschooled
42:24 or their parents decide they have to get a job and they have to
42:27 go to work and they can’t
42:28 homeschool their kid.
42:30 Well, where does that money go?
42:32 Because we take account, everybody has to be on the seats and
42:35 their seats in October
42:36 and February.
42:38 And no one could answer that question because we didn’t know.
42:42 We didn’t know.
42:45 Elections have consequences.
42:48 It is heartbreaking to hear the stories of the parents.
42:52 And my son went to Sea Park and they’re on enrollment, so I’m
42:56 waiting for that storm.
42:58 I understand that you’re going to the Greater Florida Consortium
43:01 of Schools and talking
43:02 to legislators, please, when you talk to these federal
43:07 legislators, explain to them the precarious
43:12 and the difficult situation you have to have that you have
43:16 parents that are crying and
43:18 kids that are crying because you got to close the school because
43:22 of lack of foresight in
43:23 writing these bills.
43:26 Relations have consequences.
43:29 Thank you.
43:30 » Thank you very much.
43:31 [ Applause ]
43:32 » Louis Neville.
43:35 After Mr. Neville, we have Liz Mecatarian, Cecilia Trotter, Tamsin
43:42 Bell.
43:43 » My name is Louie Neville and I have prepared a few words.
43:46 I’m going to be a lot nicer, but I just want to preface that I
43:50 stand with these beautiful
43:52 community members before who spoke.
43:55 I’m a Brevard resident and a Brevard business owner.
43:58 I’ll be speaking in reference to the Cape Canaveral school
44:01 closing.
44:02 I came out tonight as a Brevard resident to express my support
44:06 to keeping Cape View open.
44:08 I would not– I would love to see information on this decision
44:12 be put out prior to what
44:13 feels like a month ago in an easier access way so the community
44:17 could have more time
44:18 to offer real solutions.
44:21 I know you all met with the city of Cape Canaveral on January 6th,
44:25 but quite frankly, that meeting
44:26 could have happened a lot sooner, as soon as we started to see
44:32 decline.
44:33 The fact is the solution to this community issue is not
44:36 overcrowding another school with
44:39 the closure of Cape View.
44:41 I would hope this board values the experience and education of
44:44 these students over so-called
44:45 budget consolidation issues.
44:48 This is an unnecessary strain being put on families of this
44:52 community.
44:53 At the very least, I would like to see this board consider being
44:57 more proactive inside
44:58 the community and hold events where communities can actually
45:01 come to talk to you about these
45:02 things so it doesn’t feel like the community is being left out
45:06 of decisions of community
45:07 issues.
45:09 Thank you.
45:10 » Thank you, sir.
45:12 [ Applause ]
45:13 » Liz McTarrion, followed by Cecilia Trotter, Tamsen Bell,
45:19 Quinn Dykes.
45:21 » Good evening.
45:23 I have supported and questioned BPS for over 30 years.
45:29 We are in a very difficult position as a public school system in
45:34 this country.
45:35 Trust in this board, unfortunately, has been eroded, and we
45:39 should have that aim of rebuilding
45:41 that trust.
45:43 An example of how to dismantle public trust can be found in your
45:46 own agenda language this
45:48 evening.
45:49 I will quote.
45:51 The proposed attendance boundary change from Central Middle
45:55 School to Johnson Middle School
45:56 is being considered so that students in this area would attend
46:00 the middle school closer
46:01 to home, helping minimize time spent commuting each day, yet you’re
46:08 doing exactly that to
46:11 the Cape View families.
46:13 I also read, the school board staff will collaborate with the
46:17 city to find a solution for Cape
46:19 View use should they decide to close.
46:23 Where was that discussion six months ago or a year ago?
46:27 It is clear that creativity and leadership is needed in today’s
46:31 financial climate related
46:32 to the dismantling of public schools.
46:35 We need a new majority on this board, folks.
46:38 We have an opportunity in 2026, and indeed, elections do matter.
46:44 Ms. Mclaren, thank you very much.
46:48 Have a great day.
46:49 Cecilia Trotter, followed by Tamsin Bell, Quinn Dykes, Maggie Tranina.
46:56 Good evening, Dr. Endell and board members.
47:00 I’m here to address agenda item G2.
47:04 The under enrollment at Cape View did not happen overnight.
47:09 This decline has been years in the making, driven in large part
47:13 by the statewide policies
47:15 that aggressively expand vouchers and divert public dollars away
47:20 from public schools.
47:22 Yet during this time, this board has taken little action to
47:25 advocate for keeping public
47:27 funds where they belong in our public schools, supporting the
47:31 children and communities you
47:33 were elected to serve.
47:35 Those dollars were intended to maintain our school buildings,
47:39 update technology, fund
47:41 curriculum and pay the teachers and support staff who make our
47:44 schools function.
47:46 Instead, now we are discussing a plan to bus children away from
47:49 their own neighborhood
47:51 school to another campus at least 20 minutes away.
47:56 For many families already struggling with inflation and economic
48:00 uncertainty, this is
48:01 not a small inconvenience.
48:04 It’s another layer of stress, instability and loss of control
48:08 over their children’s
48:09 education.
48:12 When you dismantle a community school, the entire community
48:16 suffers.
48:17 Research shows that school closures disproportionately harm low
48:21 income neighborhoods and communities
48:24 of color where schools often serve as anchors for safety,
48:29 services and connection.
48:31 Removing a school removes far more than a building.
48:35 It removes a stabilizing force that holds a neighborhood
48:39 together.
48:40 And the harm to children is not theoretical.
48:43 A 2024 study found that students whose schools close experience
48:47 immediate declines in reading
48:49 and math scores, increased absenteeism and higher rates of
48:54 disciplinary actions including
48:56 suspensions and expulsions.
49:00 These disruptions don’t simply fade away.
49:03 Students affected by closures are less likely to attend or
49:07 complete college and even earn
49:09 lower wages as adults.
49:12 The negative effects are especially severe for economically
49:15 disadvantaged students and
49:17 students of color.
49:18 The very children who need stability and support.
49:23 Tonight, the families of Cape View are being asked to absorb the
49:27 consequences of years
49:29 of inaction.
49:30 They were counting on this board to be their voice, to stand up
49:33 for their right to an equitable
49:35 education, to defend their community school and to push back
49:39 against policies that undermine
49:41 public education.
49:43 Instead, they were left without a seat at the table and without
49:47 a meaningful say in
49:49 a decision that will shape their children’s futures.
49:53 Cape View families deserve better, Brevard deserves better, and
49:57 our public schools deserve
49:59 leaders who will fight for them, not abandon them.
50:04 Thank you.
50:07 Tamsen Bell, after Ms. Bell, we have Quinn Dykes, Maggie Trenina,
50:15 Jennifer Hopkins.
50:17 Good evening, I’m Tamsen Bell, I’m with- Hang on, hang on, there
50:21 you go.
50:22 Go ahead, I’m sorry.
50:23 How about now?
50:24 Yeah.
50:25 Excellent.
50:26 My name is Tamsen Bell, I’m the Community and Economic
50:27 Development Director for the
50:28 City of Cape Canaveral.
50:29 My council and mayors send their regrets.
50:31 Our city council meeting is also tonight, so wanted to express
50:35 their regrets for not
50:36 joining us this evening.
50:38 I have been asked to share a letter from our mayor, Wes Morrison,
50:42 to address to the board
50:44 Honorable Matt Susan, and I’ll read that now.
50:49 On behalf of the City of Cape Canaveral, I would like to thank
50:52 the school board and district
50:53 leadership for participating in the joint meeting held on
50:56 January 6th, 2026 to discuss
50:59 the proposed changes affecting Cape View Elementary.
51:02 The council values constructive dialogue with the school
51:05 district and appreciates the candid
51:06 exchange of information and perspectives.
51:09 While the council acknowledges the school board’s constitutional
51:12 authority, Cape View
51:14 is part of the city’s community fabric and neighborhood identity.
51:18 The practical effects of the proposed school consolidation would
51:21 not only be the removal
51:22 of Cape View as a neighborhood elementary school within Cape
51:25 Canaveral, but also the
51:26 loss of an irreplaceable civic institution that binds families,
51:30 strengthens neighborhoods,
51:32 and contributes to the character of our small coastal community.
51:36 The council has consistently expressed strong support for
51:39 retaining Cape View as an active
51:41 community school.
51:43 On November 4th, 2025, the council adopted resolution 2025-19
51:49 urging that all reasonable
51:51 alternatives be explored before any action is taken that would
51:55 unravel a key part of
51:56 the city’s community fabric, alter community character, or
52:00 diminish educational access
52:02 for Cape Canaveral families.
52:05 These alternatives include intergovernmental collaboration,
52:08 strategic partnership, shared
52:09 facility models, enrollment initiatives, and expanded community
52:13 engagement, options that
52:14 could preserve Cape View’s role as community anchor while
52:17 supporting the district’s operational
52:19 objectives.
52:20 The city council respectfully and firmly reiterates its
52:23 willingness to work in good faith with
52:25 the school board and district staff to evaluate and advance
52:28 these alternatives.
52:29 Through deliberate collaboration and creative partnership, we
52:32 believe that district needs
52:34 can be addressed without forfeiting Cape View’s value as a
52:37 neighborhood institution and public
52:39 asset.
52:40 However, the proposed consolidation and closure were not
52:44 included in the district’s five-year
52:47 facilities plan, and the speed of the current process has left
52:51 limited opportunity for the
52:53 city to engage and do diligent public engagement or intergovernmental
52:57 school planning coordination
52:59 contemplated and required by Florida law and the 2014 interlocal
53:04 agreement.
53:04 Accordingly, the council respectfully requests that the school
53:08 board postpone its decision
53:09 for at least one year to allow sufficient time for due diligence,
53:13 public process, and
53:15 intergovernmental coordination in shaping and evaluating any
53:18 long-term change.
53:19 » Thank you very much.
53:20 » Thank you.
53:21 » Appreciate you.
53:22 [ Applause ]
53:23 » Quinn Dykes, after Ms. Dykes, we have Maggie Tranina,
53:28 Jennifer Hopkins.
53:31 » If Maggie and Jennifer can make their way to the – close to
53:35 the podium, that’d be great.
53:37 Go ahead.
53:38 » All right.
53:39 Good evening, board members and Dr. Rendell.
53:40 My name is Quinn.
53:41 I’m a Brevard resident and taxpayer, and I will be speaking to
53:45 agenda items F2, G1, and
53:46 G2.
53:47 During the January 6th work session with Cape Canaveral City
53:51 Reps, each of you acknowledged
53:52 that no one is excited to make this rezoning decision.
53:55 I think it’s important to name that there will be no moment of
53:58 relief regardless of
53:59 the decision you make tonight.
54:01 Whether Cape View and Central are rezoned or not, the future
54:04 still demands that we prioritize
54:06 community connection as outlined in your 2026 strategic plan.
54:10 So what we are seeing with Cape View and Central does not
54:12 continue as a pattern.
54:14 Yes, I know, I’m bringing up community education and connection
54:17 again.
54:18 Unfortunately for you all, I am a deniably and incredibly
54:20 stubborn, and you can thank
54:22 my teacher parents and especially my football coach dad for that.
54:25 What I would like us to imagine is how differently the community
54:28 reaction might have been if
54:30 families had been meaningfully brought in earlier, educated on
54:33 what is happening not
54:34 only within their schools, but in public education as a whole,
54:37 with time to process, ask questions,
54:40 and problem solve.
54:41 Many parents have said they feel blindsided, and how can we
54:44 blame them?
54:45 When people are surprised by major decisions, frustration and
54:48 fear are natural responses.
54:50 It’s like when your child tells you at 8 p.m. the night before a
54:52 project is due that they
54:53 need a poster board.
54:54 It’s not fun for anyone involved.
54:57 While these issues may be discussed in work sessions, the
54:59 reality is that many parents
55:01 juggling jobs, caregiving, and daily life do not have the
55:04 capacity to watch two-hour
55:05 meetings where they are not 100 percent sure or fully understand
55:08 what will be discussed
55:09 in them.
55:10 I think we can all admit agendas can be confusing, and sometimes
55:13 topics are dropped and added
55:14 last minute.
55:15 it. I would like to challenge the board to reflect honestly on
55:18 whether you yourself regularly
55:20 watched full work sessions before being elected. I know even for
55:23 me it can be hard to keep
55:24 up. Realistic expectations of community understanding requires
55:28 realistic expectations of people’s
55:29 time and capacity. It is said that the sign of a first rate
55:33 intelligence is being able
55:34 to hold two truths at once and still maintain the ability to
55:37 function. I think we are capable
55:39 of that. So we can acknowledge that KPU’s enrollment is down and
55:42 still develop a plan
55:44 to prevent continued decline in low enrollment areas. We can
55:47 acknowledge that this issue
55:48 has been discussed in work sessions and acknowledged by the
55:51 clear community reaction, clearer and
55:53 more accessible access to this information is needed moving
55:56 forward. Closing schools
55:58 is not a long term solution to low enrollment. The only long
56:00 term solution is bringing the
56:02 community in and allowing neighbors to step up for neighbors. I
56:05 don’t know about you all,
56:07 but my dad taught me to rub some dirt on it and keep fighting
56:10 with my team. We don’t expect
56:11 our high schoolers to win their football games by themselves, so
56:14 why do we expect it of all
56:15 of us? We are strongest when we come together and I think it’s
56:18 about time. Thank you. Thank
56:20 you very much. Maggie Tranina, then Jennifer Hopkins. Good
56:31 evening. My name is Magdalena
56:33 Tranina. I’m a community member in Brevard County. I’m speaking
56:37 on item G2, the Cape
56:38 View Elementary to Roosevelt Elementary boundary proposal. I
56:42 graduated from a BPS high school
56:44 and I’m a Brevard County taxpayer. I’d like to see more
56:47 conversation surrounding the enrollment
56:50 issues at Cape View within the community when we first started
56:53 to see the decline rather
56:55 than what now feels like it to be too late. I work at the port,
56:58 which is the most popular
57:00 port in the world and growing. The tourism is here and to
57:03 mention the huge SpaceX complex
57:05 being built, which means more jobs, more families, and more
57:08 apartments and homes that are already
57:10 being built all around me. The Cape is growing exponentially, so
57:14 it is confusing to hear
57:15 about a decline. Thank you. Thank you very much. Jennifer
57:24 Hopkins. Good evening. My name
57:32 is Jen. I’m a community member and a former parent and student
57:36 of Brevard Public Schools.
57:37 My comment is regarding agenda item G2, attendance boundary
57:40 change proposal, Cape View Elementary
57:42 School to Roosevelt Elementary. The impact of this consolidation
57:46 could have on the Cape
57:47 Canaveral community has been the topic of many public comments,
57:50 concerns about increased
57:52 class sizes, longer commutes and traffic congestion, and the
57:55 disruption of special programs and
57:56 services have all been expressed and neatly put away. Now that
58:00 the day has arrived for
58:01 this board to decide, I would like to again encourage you to
58:04 table the vote and allow
58:05 more time to gather and examine information. Holding the vote
58:08 tonight brings up questions
58:10 around long-term plans and fiscal responsibility. The
58:12 consolidation of Cape View into Roosevelt
58:15 would bring enrollment to 90 to 93% capacity. This is the sweet
58:19 spot for elementary schools
58:20 full, but not bursting at the seams. What will this look like
58:24 next year or in three
58:25 or five or seven years? As families are relocated to the area
58:29 for jobs at Patrick Space Force
58:31 Base or even the many engineering firms located in Brevard
58:34 County, where will they choose
58:35 to live? I can bet that it won’t be in a town where there are no
58:38 schools and the closest
58:40 elementary school is almost full. If we’re trying to define Cape
58:43 Canaveral’s path to
58:44 becoming a transient area for tourists and snowbirds instead of
58:48 a family oriented community,
58:50 this consolidation will help seal the deal. The question of how
58:53 much money could be made
58:53 from the sale of the land that Cape View sits on has been asked
58:56 in many ways by many different
58:58 people. I believe this has been a point of discussion amongst
59:01 the board and you already
59:02 know the answer. I’ve heard comments along the lines of the
59:04 money could go toward teacher
59:06 salaries. As we see a looming budget crisis ahead, I’m not
59:10 convinced that using money
59:11 from the sale of district land to supplement where the budget is
59:14 lacking is the most fiscally
59:15 responsible plan of action. In fact, I’m not even sure that
59:18 there has been any public conversation
59:20 regarding how the money would benefit the district and I know
59:22 that something Brevard
59:23 County taxpayers, including myself, would be interested in
59:27 learning. There have been
59:28 many passionate pleas made by families and community members.
59:31 The Cape Canaveral City
59:32 Council has implored you to take more time to consider
59:34 alternatives. I will ask the same
59:36 of you this evening. Brevard is asking you to do better. Brevard
59:40 deserves better. Thank
59:41 you. Thank you. That concludes the agenda items only for public
59:52 comments. We thank you
59:52 for taking time out of your schedule to address the board with
59:54 your concerns and suggestions.
59:56 I would like to remind the public that the board is accessible
59:58 for further conversations
59:59 outside our business meeting through scheduled meetings. We are
1:00:02 now at the consent agenda.
1:00:03 Dr. Rendell. Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are 43 items on the
1:00:07 agenda under this category.
1:00:08 Thank you, Dr. Rendell. Does anybody want to pull any of these
1:00:11 items? All right. None
1:00:14 are going to be pulled. I will entertain a motion to accept the
1:00:17 consent items on tonight’s
1:00:18 agenda. Move to approve. Second. Any discussion? Call roll call,
1:00:24 please. Mr. Thomas. Aye. Ms.
1:00:27 Campbell. Aye. Mr. Sheehan. Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr. Trent. Aye.
1:00:32 We will now hold a public
1:00:34 hearing on the next two items. Attendance, boundary, change
1:00:37 proposal, public hearing,
1:00:38 Central to Johnson. Is there anyone present who wishes to
1:00:41 address this item? Is there
1:00:42 anyone present who wishes to address this item? Hearing none, do
1:00:46 I hear a motion? Move
1:00:47 to approve. Second. Any discussion? Hearing none, call roll call,
1:00:53 please. Mr. Thomas.
1:00:54 Aye. Ms. Campbell. Aye. Mr. Sheehan. Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr.
1:00:59 Trent. Aye. Next, we will
1:01:01 hold a public hearing on the attendance boundary change proposal
1:01:04 for the 2026-2027 public hearing
1:01:06 Cape View to Roosevelt. Is there anyone present who wishes to
1:01:09 address this item? Anyone present
1:01:11 who wishes to address this item? Hearing none, do I hear a
1:01:15 motion? Move to approve. I’ll
1:01:19 second. Is there any discussion? Yes. I figure we all go. Mr.
1:01:25 Thomas, do you want to go first?
1:01:28 Or do you want to go? I’m just going to go left to right. That’s
1:01:32 fine. I made some prepared
1:01:34 comments. This has been one of the most difficult votes I’ve had
1:01:42 to face since being on this
1:01:43 school board here, not because the facts are unclear, but
1:01:46 because the responsibility is
1:01:47 significant and the impact is long term. From the outset, one of
1:01:52 my central concerns, especially
1:01:54 in light of the growth of the space industry, was making sure we
1:01:56 did not make a decision
1:01:57 today that we would regret five or ten years from now by failing
1:02:00 to preserve capacity where
1:02:02 it would truly be needed. The board approached this decision
1:02:05 with care, respect for the community,
1:02:07 and a deep sense of responsibility. I’ve reviewed the data,
1:02:10 studied long term enrollment trends,
1:02:13 listened to families, met with school leadership, consulted
1:02:15 experts in economic development
1:02:17 and real estate, relied on the professional judgment of the
1:02:20 district staff, and carefully
1:02:21 considered the independent WXY analysis. No decision of this
1:02:26 magnitude comes with absolute
1:02:28 certainty, but responsible governance means acting on facts and
1:02:32 evidence, not on speculation
1:02:34 or hope. We all recognize the sustained low enrollment at Cape
1:02:37 View Elementary, and it’s
1:02:39 important to be honest about why. Much of the housing of Cape
1:02:42 Canaveral was built in
1:02:43 the 1960s. While those homes work well as short term rentals,
1:02:47 young families often purchase
1:02:48 a newer, larger home outside of Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach
1:02:52 for the same price or less.
1:02:54 As a result, families with school age children are choosing
1:02:57 other communities. We also have
1:02:59 to be realistic about future growth. Cape Canaveral has limited
1:03:02 infrastructure and available
1:03:03 land to attract large employers that would bring a significant
1:03:07 number of families. Most
1:03:08 projected growth is service related, supporting Port Canaveral,
1:03:11 which historically does not
1:03:12 generate substantial increases in elementary school enrollment.
1:03:17 When sustained enrollment
1:03:18 trends, housing realities, land use limitations, and realistic
1:03:21 growth projections are considered
1:03:23 together, the evidence does not support the expectation that
1:03:26 Cape View Elementary will
1:03:28 experience the enrollment growth needed to justify continued
1:03:31 operation or major capital
1:03:33 investment. That is a difficult conclusion, but is a practical
1:03:37 and responsible one. After
1:03:39 careful study, expert input, and thoughtful reflection, I
1:03:42 believe consolidation, while
1:03:43 difficult, is the most responsible course of action for our
1:03:46 students and for the taxpayers
1:03:48 who trust us to steward their resources wisely. Ms. Campbell.
1:03:54 Sure. Thank you. And while we have had, this is our third board
1:03:59 meeting to have this on
1:04:00 the agenda, and we’ve had a couple workshops that didn’t have
1:04:02 public comment time, I think
1:04:04 I don’t want to reiterate everything for the sake of time, and
1:04:07 most of you guys have heard
1:04:08 it, but I did want to bring a couple, just reiterate a couple of
1:04:11 things, because you
1:04:12 keep coming up with public comment, and I want to make sure that
1:04:14 everybody who’s asked
1:04:15 the question gets the answers. Just to be clear, this, in some
1:04:21 of our areas, in some
1:04:22 of our schools, scholarships or vouchers, whatever you want to
1:04:26 call them, charter enrollment
1:04:28 is having great impact on our public, our traditional public
1:04:32 school enrollment. In this
1:04:33 particular community, that’s not the case. This particular
1:04:36 community didn’t, there’s
1:04:38 only one student who’s owned for Cape View who attends a charter
1:04:41 school in that whole
1:04:42 community, and as far as vouchers go, when we had the big
1:04:45 expansion the last two years,
1:04:46 we didn’t really see the big dip at Cape View like we did in
1:04:48 other schools. So in this case,
1:04:50 we’re not really talking so much about vouchers in charter
1:04:55 schools. When we had our last meeting,
1:04:58 when we met with the city council, Dr. Endell shared the
1:05:02 presentation that he’d sent over
1:05:05 to them that he shared with the public, that he shared with the
1:05:07 parents, he shared with
1:05:08 the teachers about the low enrollment and what it’s costing us.
1:05:13 And we talked about
1:05:14 that $2.5 million at each school that it costs us extra above
1:05:19 the amount that the state gives
1:05:21 us because we get our funding per student. And I made the
1:05:26 comment that I have to think
1:05:27 about students and not buildings and not cities, and that is
1:05:31 still the case. People have talked
1:05:33 about students, and I want to make sure that you understand that
1:05:37 when we, when I talk about
1:05:38 money, it’s not about the money, I want to just explain what the
1:05:43 money represents to
1:05:44 me. What $2.5 million represents to me is funding that could go
1:05:54 towards students across
1:05:55 our district. So for $1 million, BPS can hire 12 people. For $2.5
1:06:03 million, we can hire 30
1:06:07 to support children in many schools. It has, pretty much since I’ve
1:06:15 been on the board,
1:06:16 cost us about $4 million to give every employee across the
1:06:20 district a 1% raise. When we give
1:06:22 those raises, we’re keeping people here, people that we need in
1:06:27 every school and every position.
1:06:30 So I’m not, the money represents students, the best interests of
1:06:35 every student. And I
1:06:36 get it, this decision is going to be painful. It is painful. It’s
1:06:42 painful for us because
1:06:44 I don’t like to have mom standing at the podium crying, right,
1:06:48 because it’s so hard. But at
1:06:51 the same time, I want to recognize that the difficulties that
1:06:54 the families that you guys
1:06:55 are going to be facing and having a school that’s farther away
1:06:58 with new people and new
1:07:00 faces are the difficulties that you may experience are
1:07:03 difficulties that we’re used to dealing
1:07:06 with. We are used to, across this district, used to dealing with
1:07:10 transportation issues
1:07:11 with families who don’t have cars. It happens all over the place.
1:07:14 It happens especially
1:07:15 down in my area. We’re used to, what do we do with sick kids
1:07:19 when mom can’t get here?
1:07:21 Our schools are equipped to deal with it. And they will know how
1:07:24 to deal with it when
1:07:25 it happens. We’re used to dealing with involvement, kids being
1:07:29 able to stay after school. How
1:07:30 do we get, how do we provide tutoring if they or family doesn’t
1:07:34 have transportation? That’s
1:07:35 just one mention of things. But we know how that happens because
1:07:38 I’ll give you an example
1:07:39 of people living in the Barefoot Bay area down where I live.
1:07:44 They’re almost nine miles
1:07:45 away from their school. So we know how to do it. And we do it
1:07:50 well. Just to clear up
1:07:55 something about the sale of the land, whatever we do that people
1:07:57 have talked about, we haven’t
1:07:58 talked about that yet because we can’t have that conversation
1:08:01 until we have this conversation.
1:08:03 And just to clarify, any money that would come, that’s sale of
1:08:08 land, that goes back
1:08:09 into capital. We’ve got plenty of capital needs. We’ve got
1:08:12 average school age of over
1:08:13 50 years. And we definitely will have needs. But I just want it
1:08:18 to be clear, that is not
1:08:19 the driving force. The one-time sale of the land is not the
1:08:22 driving force behind this
1:08:23 decision. It is the annual year after year. We’re saying no to
1:08:29 students across the district.
1:08:32 So we can say yes to the students at this very small school and
1:08:36 Roosevelt also being
1:08:37 a very small school. We have been privileging the students at
1:08:40 these two small schools at
1:08:42 the expense of the students across the district. Let me say it
1:08:46 clearer. We spent twice as much
1:08:51 on students at Cape View for years and years than we have
1:08:56 students at other schools and
1:08:59 larger schools across the district. And I’ve said it a couple
1:09:04 weeks ago, that’s really
1:09:05 hard for me to swallow. Just to be clear about, I talked about
1:09:14 it not being charter schools
1:09:15 and vouchers. So why is the enrollment down? To be clear about
1:09:20 this, I mentioned this before
1:09:23 but I’ll say it again because we have different people in the
1:09:26 room. The population of Cape
1:09:27 Creek Canaveral is decreasing. The student population is
1:09:31 increasing even more rapidly
1:09:33 because the community is aging and as families have lived there
1:09:36 for years and years, they
1:09:37 don’t have kids in the schools. That’s one of the reasons and in
1:09:40 the short-term rentals
1:09:42 is the other reason. That’s why the student population has
1:09:45 increased. So even if the school
1:09:47 board, the school district had done massive campaigns to try to
1:09:51 get more people back,
1:09:52 there’s not getting people back. There’s just not students in
1:09:55 the community and that’s happening
1:09:57 on most of our beachside schools. We have taken a look. I
1:10:02 appreciate the people who
1:10:03 brought up the Patrick Space Force base potential increase. I
1:10:08 asked the superintendent to look
1:10:10 into that and he reached out to the base and they explained to
1:10:13 us that most of that force
1:10:14 is already here. Most of them are not people who have children
1:10:16 and if they are, they’re
1:10:17 not living in the Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach area because as
1:10:21 it’s already been mentioned,
1:10:23 it’s very expensive. But I think that regardless of how early we
1:10:29 started this conversation,
1:10:31 which, you know, again, just trying to bring clarity, this is
1:10:34 the process we have. We start
1:10:36 in the early fall, looking at these conversations, looking at
1:10:40 our areas. Our staff, they keep
1:10:42 a regular finger on the pulse of our community of what’s
1:10:45 changing, what’s growing, what building
1:10:48 we expect. They do that all year long so they can start the
1:10:51 process early fall with us.
1:10:53 Where does the board want to go? This is what we think we need
1:10:56 to do. Then we start advertising.
1:10:58 We’ve had meetings with parents. We’ve had meetings with
1:11:00 teachers. It’s really at this
1:11:01 point at least a five-month process with public engagement
1:11:05 because that’s when the window
1:11:08 first opened was about five months ago. And then, so even if
1:11:11 people haven’t been, you
1:11:13 know, I understand your frustration about bringing people in
1:11:15 earlier. That is when we
1:11:17 start our boundary changes is, you know, in about five months
1:11:20 before the January meetings.
1:11:22 So I – that has – where we’ve been going, but it’s not really
1:11:26 coming out of the blue
1:11:28 because of the WXY study. And I – someone mentioned about the
1:11:31 mistakes in it. I think
1:11:33 maybe there was a misunderstanding in what you heard presented
1:11:37 about that. But we – that
1:11:40 has been – was good information for us. And this is – again, I
1:11:43 don’t want to repeat too
1:11:44 much more what we’ve already said, but I just – I just want to
1:11:49 be clear that this – the
1:11:51 money represents students, but it represents all 60,000 students
1:11:57 in Brevard Public Schools
1:11:58 and what we can do for them. And we are going to take care of
1:12:02 those 260 students. If they
1:12:04 stay with us, we’re going to take care of them. We’re going to
1:12:07 do a good job. And we’re
1:12:07 not – we’re not dumping those kids into a failing school. We’re
1:12:12 talking about consolidating
1:12:14 into another highly rated historical A school that’s going to
1:12:19 have great teachers, many
1:12:22 of them likely to come from Cape View, who will not be left
1:12:24 scrambling for a job. They
1:12:26 will actually get first pick wherever they want to go. And I’ll
1:12:34 stop there.
1:12:39 » Thank you, Ms. Campbell. Mr. Tran?
1:12:45 » Well, I would love to. My microphone will not turn on.
1:12:49 » I got you.
1:12:50 » Oh, wait. There it goes. Okay. All right. You must have
1:12:52 turned it off.
1:12:52 » No, I just turned it on for you.
1:12:53 » Turn it off again.
1:12:54 » No, you just turned it off.
1:12:55 » You turned it off.
1:12:56 » It’s on right now.
1:12:57 » Okay. There we go. All right. All right. So let me start off
1:13:02 by saying that this decision
1:13:04 is not an easy decision to make, right? And when we look at this
1:13:07 as a whole, we have to
1:13:08 look at the district as a whole. And when we are looking at
1:13:12 spending two times as much
1:13:14 on students in one school than we are in another school, you
1:13:17 have to go, where is that? That’s
1:13:19 not fair. That’s not fair to the other students that are sitting
1:13:21 in other classrooms. When
1:13:22 we look at the enrollment trends for this specific school back
1:13:26 to 2015, so we’re 11
1:13:28 years, far before this board ever sat here, it was highly underutilized
1:13:33 at that time as
1:13:34 well. So this trend has continued downward. And I believe Mr.
1:13:40 Morrison that came when
1:13:41 he came in, he said that Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach own 80%
1:13:45 of all the short-term
1:13:46 rentals in all of Brevard County. That has a consequence. And
1:13:50 unfortunately, the consequence
1:13:52 is that families are not looking to that community to raise
1:13:55 their children, which then in turn
1:13:58 causes the enrollment to decline, which is what we are now
1:14:01 seeing. Our average elementary
1:14:03 school, as we have presented to the community, is 544 students,
1:14:07 which is about what these
1:14:09 two combined schools will be once they are together. You know, I
1:14:15 look at this and, you
1:14:17 know, you want to govern with your heart, because my heart hurts
1:14:20 when I look at a parent
1:14:21 who’s upset, right? I want to govern and say, “I hear you, Mom.
1:14:25 I hear how upset you are,
1:14:26 but I also want you to understand that this doesn’t necessarily
1:14:30 mean something bad. This
1:14:32 can be a good thing.” I know that that doesn’t feel that way
1:14:35 right now. You guys are going
1:14:36 to have something, and I said this before, in Brevard County
1:14:39 that no other community
1:14:40 has. You’re going to have a kindergarten through 12th grade.
1:14:44 They’re all going to be the same.
1:14:46 And if you talk to anybody who’s gone to school and they’ve been
1:14:48 in school with kids from
1:14:49 kindergarten to 12th grade, they will tell you the benefits of
1:14:51 having that type of community
1:14:53 and that continuum of education. I look at this and I go, again,
1:14:58 everyone wants fiscal
1:14:59 responsibility, right? Everyone wants that. I don’t think a
1:15:02 single person sitting in this
1:15:03 room says that you want us to be fiscally irresponsible. Part of
1:15:08 being fiscally responsible
1:15:09 is being good stewards with the resources that we have. And when
1:15:12 we look at a school
1:15:13 that’s underutilized, because the community is so heavily
1:15:17 focused on tourism, and that’s
1:15:18 a huge blessing for our community. We’re grateful for all the
1:15:21 things that happen there and the
1:15:22 benefits that our community receives from tourism, but we also
1:15:25 have to acknowledge at
1:15:26 the same time that can be true, the other side of this is this
1:15:30 part, and this part is
1:15:32 the not fun part. So when I look at this and I go, okay, if I
1:15:36 were governing with my heart,
1:15:37 I’m going to look at the mom that’s in the room that’s upset and
1:15:39 say I hear you and I
1:15:40 feel right where you’re at, but we have to make decisions that
1:15:43 are in the overall good
1:15:45 for the organization. And spending two times as much on some
1:15:49 students than we are others
1:15:51 is 100% not equitable and not fair. And really I think this goes
1:15:56 back to the good old no
1:15:57 good deed goes unpunished kind of mentality and really what
1:16:00 should have happened is when
1:16:01 the enrollment declined, we should have pulled resources back.
1:16:05 But instead, we tried to keep
1:16:06 it as comfortable as possible because that’s what’s best for
1:16:08 students. We wanted the students
1:16:10 to have all the same things. So we didn’t take away the art
1:16:12 teacher or say, oh, you’re
1:16:14 only going to get a half of an art teacher now who’s only going
1:16:16 to be there two days
1:16:16 a week. We left him there or the media specialist or the other
1:16:19 supports that are put into the
1:16:21 school. Well, in turn, what has happened is it’s cost more money.
1:16:26 And if we would have
1:16:26 done that, I think at some point, maybe some parents would have
1:16:29 looked at this and gone,
1:16:30 this isn’t the best. Maybe we want to go to a school with a
1:16:33 higher enrollment that has
1:16:34 these types of features that are in there five days a week. And
1:16:38 that goes back to the
1:16:39 whole no good deed goes unpunished. So governing with your head
1:16:42 is the best thing to do in
1:16:44 this situation. With my heart, I feel the parent situation, but
1:16:48 I look at this and I
1:16:48 go, this is what makes the most sense. The community has changed.
1:16:52 The school board didn’t
1:16:53 change that community. We didn’t make the decisions for the
1:16:56 short term rentals. We didn’t
1:16:58 approve the hotels to be built there. We didn’t do any of that.
1:17:01 Uh, but we are responsive
1:17:02 to what that does to the community and we have to make a
1:17:05 decision based on that. So
1:17:07 with that, I mean, that is really where I fall with this, um,
1:17:10 and doing what’s good
1:17:11 for the overall organization. Thank you. Ms. Right. All right.
1:17:19 So I’ll try not to repeat
1:17:21 every single one here, but uh, you know, this is what makes
1:17:24 being on a board like this that
1:17:27 much more special how we represent areas in the county. It’s
1:17:31 very large county, 72 miles
1:17:33 top to bottom and having five different members up here that’s,
1:17:39 that’s willing to put in the
1:17:40 time to make the best decisions that they can make. And you know,
1:17:45 I appreciate that
1:17:46 for a second here before I get to the public out there, I want
1:17:49 to, I appreciate you guys,
1:17:50 John, I appreciate you with the amount of effort that you put
1:17:54 into it. Um, that’s not
1:17:55 something that he just made up this afternoon. Uh, he’s been
1:18:00 working as hard as anyone on
1:18:01 this board and getting all the data and the facts. And that’s
1:18:04 not, that’s not his district.
1:18:06 That’s not his area. And he’s the newest board members. So I
1:18:10 appreciate that. Um, those are,
1:18:12 those are very accurate stats. Um, me being beachside myself and,
1:18:17 and, and having to deal
1:18:19 with, uh, rental properties and, and, um, and real estate, um,
1:18:23 that, that is the sad
1:18:24 facts of that. So I appreciate you for that. And then, uh, Ms.
1:18:30 Campbell, what, what more
1:18:32 can we say? You are, um, an encyclopedia of, uh, just good
1:18:36 things for school board members
1:18:38 to say. And much of that was just because your experience, um,
1:18:42 and you get the combination
1:18:44 of the experience on this board and heartfelt. And at the same
1:18:49 time you had data and facts,
1:18:51 uh, that you, you have a district that you represent and you’ve
1:18:54 mentioned that in our
1:18:55 last meeting about the fairness of, you know, over, overpaying
1:19:01 on a, on a, on a student
1:19:03 that it isn’t about the money, it isn’t about profit. We hear a
1:19:06 lot of that. So it has nothing
1:19:07 to do with that, but that money represents services that we
1:19:09 could be providing for students
1:19:11 throughout our district. Um, so I, I, I appreciate that. And, uh,
1:19:16 and then Megan, same thing,
1:19:19 you know, you look back, this is not, this is not a problem that
1:19:24 our board, the city
1:19:25 council of Cape Canaveral or the city council of, uh, Cocoa
1:19:28 Beach have the, the, the boards
1:19:30 makeups currently that they created short term rentals have been,
1:19:34 you know, coming on
1:19:35 beachside for quite some time. Uh, and if you know people in
1:19:40 both of those groups of
1:19:42 Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, that I do, I know those people
1:19:46 personally, and it’s been
1:19:48 painstakingly difficult, uh, to watch those board meetings and
1:19:52 council meetings because,
1:19:54 uh, they’re trying to hold onto their communities just like you
1:19:58 are trying to hold onto your
1:19:59 neighborhood school. And they have not been successful either.
1:20:03 You know, um, if you live
1:20:05 beachside, you notice it just in the last five years, but 10
1:20:09 years, uh, that I’ve been
1:20:11 around a beachside, how your neighborhoods have changed to a
1:20:14 rental properties when you
1:20:15 thought it was just a subdivision. Probably 60% of my street is
1:20:19 now going to be a rental
1:20:20 properties here and it’s not their fault. Um, but it is not ours
1:20:24 either. You know, the,
1:20:26 uh, that, that enrollment has been going down for quite some
1:20:29 time and you know, we can take
1:20:30 five months. I’m glad you point that, that, that timeframe out
1:20:33 in this Campbell, but we
1:20:34 could take the next five years. Uh, we do not have the students
1:20:39 available beachside.
1:20:41 We have two schools that are on life support and we’re just
1:20:46 fortunate and we’re lucky that
1:20:48 they’re a few, you know, five, six, seven miles apart that we
1:20:52 can, you know, if this
1:20:53 goes through and they merged and they come together as a family,
1:20:56 which many of you, if
1:20:57 you don’t know this, they already do seven through 12 at Cocoa
1:21:00 Beach junior senior high
1:21:01 school and they get along great. And it’s a wonderful, uh, uh,
1:21:05 school over there. Uh,
1:21:07 so I’ll be able to say that if this happens, uh, we are going to
1:21:11 have a very unique educational
1:21:14 experience on the beach side. And at some point I hope probably
1:21:18 won’t be tonight, tomorrow
1:21:19 or the next day that you’re going to wake up and say, we’re in a
1:21:23 really good situation.
1:21:25 We’re not having the bus kids across, uh, causeways and go to a
1:21:28 school and a neighborhood
1:21:30 that they’re not familiar with. I’m not sure of anybody in Cape
1:21:32 Canaveral that’s not familiar
1:21:34 with a minute man and a Cocoa Beach junior senior high school or
1:21:37 those areas. Many of
1:21:38 them have siblings that go to the other schools, but we’re going
1:21:41 to have a K through 12 possibly
1:21:42 a situation where you’re going to have the same classmates from
1:21:45 kindergarten to 12th
1:21:47 grade. Many of the same teachers, you’re going to see them in
1:21:50 the, in the hallways. Um, I’ve
1:21:52 been fortunate enough to have, uh, two graduates of BPS, uh,
1:21:55 actually at Cocoa Beach junior
1:21:57 senior high school and I have one there currently. Uh, and in
1:22:00 talking to them and, and asking
1:22:02 them is, Hey, would you like to have had double the amount of
1:22:04 kids in your elementary school
1:22:06 for friends? Uh, absolutely. Every single one of them, uh, would
1:22:09 do that. And uh, we’re
1:22:11 going to have a very unique, uh, situation. Um, I thank you for
1:22:15 clearing up some of that
1:22:17 misinformation out there. Uh, I was answering texts and voicemails
1:22:22 and calls today, uh,
1:22:24 talking about the sale of the property. Um, that, that is just,
1:22:27 you know, you can believe
1:22:28 what you want to believe. That’s not what would make this board
1:22:32 move of a, of a singular
1:22:33 sell sale of a, of a, of a property, uh, to close schools and
1:22:37 merge them and displace
1:22:38 children. And that’s, that’s the, that’s the last thing, uh,
1:22:42 this board would, uh, consider
1:22:44 doing. You know, we have a $1.7 billion budget, so five, 10, $15
1:22:48 million. It’s not going to
1:22:49 solve our problems and concerns, uh, longterm. So that’s not why
1:22:53 this board would do this.
1:22:54 This is a very, very difficult situation. Um, and now I’d like
1:22:59 to turn it over, talk
1:23:01 to you guys about, you know, during this process, uh, we’ve
1:23:04 appreciated you guys coming out.
1:23:06 Um, and I know it was nice and nice and now it gets a little
1:23:09 angry and now you’re just,
1:23:10 you know, the fangs come out and I understand that this is for
1:23:13 some of you think this is
1:23:14 the last time I’m going to be able to do, you know, and say this
1:23:18 about this school and
1:23:19 I absolutely appreciate that. Um, you’ve got to do what you
1:23:22 think you’ve got to do. Um,
1:23:24 and you know, we do, we do too. And because we disagree on, uh,
1:23:28 how we handle the shortfalls
1:23:30 in a school, it doesn’t mean we just disagree on many, many
1:23:33 other things. We want the best
1:23:35 for your students, just like I want the best for my students.
1:23:38 And, uh, so we do appreciate
1:23:39 you guys coming out for your Cape view people. Um, we extremely
1:23:45 are thankful that you’re
1:23:47 here, but some of you, you know, you can see some of the people
1:23:49 that come here that really
1:23:50 are hijacking your, your, your, your pain. And I apologize for
1:23:54 that, you know, come here
1:23:56 in another month or so and you’ll see some of those same people
1:23:58 coming here and saying,
1:23:59 we need change. Um, and you guys are going to be moving on with
1:24:02 your lives. So, but we,
1:24:04 we appreciate that. Um, we’re going to not stop tonight that the
1:24:08 process and what we’re
1:24:10 talking about, uh, tonight, uh, many things will just start. Uh,
1:24:13 and we want you to be
1:24:14 a pro, a part of this as a community beachside. That’s where I’m
1:24:19 at. That’s where these two
1:24:19 schools are at. Um, we’re going to open our arms to, to you if
1:24:25 this happens in Cocoa beach
1:24:27 and all of beachside to make sure that we have a, uh, again, we’re
1:24:29 going to have the
1:24:30 biggest, um, impact in these kids’ lives because of the way that
1:24:34 set up K through 12. I’m excited
1:24:36 about it. You mentioned about the gymnasium and I’m still
1:24:40 excited about that. Okay. Um,
1:24:44 that’s a big deal and we’re going to, we’re going to, we’re
1:24:46 going to do the best things
1:24:47 we can with what we have and uh, you know, and hopefully, uh, I,
1:24:50 you know, if this happens,
1:24:52 I see you there and I say, it is pretty cool, isn’t it? Um, I’m
1:24:55 going to do whatever we
1:24:57 can do to make it feel like the new home for the KP students. So
1:25:02 thank you. Sorry, it took
1:25:06 so long. No, I just want to say thank you. Um, I want to tell
1:25:12 you, I appreciate every
1:25:14 one of you who came out tonight. Um, this has been, I’ve been a
1:25:19 part of the board now
1:25:20 through COVID through a lot of decisions that have been made
1:25:23 here. This will be the hardest.
1:25:26 And one of the reasons for me is, is that I was part of the
1:25:29 teams that supported and
1:25:31 defended, um, Cape view and other schools in 2012 and some of
1:25:34 the other times that they
1:25:36 came forward, I was part of the teams that raised money and came
1:25:38 here at the school board
1:25:40 and spoke and everything else that did. And the issue is, is
1:25:43 that, um, this is a very
1:25:45 tough decision for anybody to look at this board or look at this
1:25:48 district or look at
1:25:49 anybody part of this process and say that this is not heavy on
1:25:52 us. I will tell you they
1:25:54 are wrong. Um, from a perspective of as the chair that has been
1:25:57 close with our district
1:25:59 staff through this, nobody wants to close a school ever, ever.
1:26:04 And I will tell you that
1:26:05 each one of my board members has been working diligently, just
1:26:09 like, um, Mr. Thomas mentioned
1:26:11 about you going to do all him going to the EDC and moving
1:26:14 through the groups and talking
1:26:16 to those others. I know that miss, miss Campbell has been
1:26:19 working tirelessly to work on all
1:26:20 of the different components to the ins and outs. She even drove
1:26:24 from Roosevelt to Cape
1:26:25 view to make sure that the time in between was not, um, uh, too
1:26:29 much. And I know that
1:26:30 Jean’s been answering phones and emails and everything else
1:26:33 throughout this entire process
1:26:35 as he just stated and others. I mean this process has been
1:26:38 weighed heavily on this board
1:26:39 and the decision that comes tonight is not taken lightly. I want
1:26:43 to say thank you to
1:26:44 Wes Morrison for his involvement. He advocated very diligently
1:26:48 for you along with your city
1:26:49 council. Um, them requesting a meeting on January 6th was the
1:26:54 first time that we’ve
1:26:55 had one of those meetings, which I think we should do more of in
1:26:58 general just with those
1:26:59 different cities. But I want to give the city council members
1:27:02 and Wes Morrison and others
1:27:04 the opportunity to say thank you for such high engagement with
1:27:08 respect. That was definitely
1:27:09 there. I also want to say thank you to the parents. Um, and just
1:27:13 like Mr. Trent was saying,
1:27:14 we understand that sometimes we pop off and we get a little
1:27:17 angry. I get it. It’s not
1:27:18 a, that we, we have our, our usual suspects that do that, but
1:27:22 you guys have been, dude,
1:27:24 you have been respectful to the point where every group that has
1:27:27 ever come through here
1:27:28 before with a similar situation has not done as well as you have.
1:27:31 I will give you an, I
1:27:32 give an eight of that a school district, I give an eight of that
1:27:35 performance. I am so
1:27:35 proud of your organization and who you are and I’m very proud to
1:27:39 be here in this decision
1:27:41 tonight for you. Um, I did want to talk about a couple of little
1:27:45 things. Um, just like Mr.
1:27:47 Thomas and just like the others spent a lot of time talking to
1:27:50 people inside of the community,
1:27:52 talking to industry about them, where they’re moving, doing the
1:27:55 same things that we all
1:27:56 did. We all have to work independently because unless we get to
1:27:59 these meetings, we don’t
1:28:00 know where anybody’s at or understand. So we’re actually, some
1:28:02 of the people that I
1:28:03 called were some of the same people that had talked to John. So
1:28:05 they said, I just talked
1:28:06 to John, let me give you what’s going on. So I do want to tell
1:28:09 you that our, our group
1:28:10 did the due diligence and just like Mr. Trent said, and I think
1:28:13 all of us would agree, none
1:28:14 of us in any discussion or any emails or anything have discussed
1:28:18 the sale of the property. We’re
1:28:20 trying to find a way that make this thing work the whole time. I
1:28:23 mean up until last
1:28:24 week or even probably yesterday, I was still attempting that
1:28:27 there might be something out
1:28:29 there that can go. I called the zoo. I called Keith Winston and
1:28:33 said, Hey, is there something
1:28:34 we can do here to create a choice school and all that stuff? I
1:28:36 called industry to try to
1:28:37 create a STEM school. I tried to do anything. The problem is, is
1:28:40 that the opportunity to
1:28:41 bring people to the school to attract them was not there and
1:28:44 industry was not interested
1:28:46 in creating that. One of the reasons is, is that the zoo said
1:28:49 that, listen, anything that
1:28:51 BPS wants to try to do, we would try to, but Matt, um, we have
1:28:54 already an existing program
1:28:56 at Cocoa Beach. Uh, many people don’t know about the aquaponics
1:28:59 program that’s at Cocoa
1:29:00 Beach, but it filters down to the kids. So there’s a huge
1:29:04 opportunity at Cocoa Beach
1:29:06 for the programs. And that’s where I fall my decision on. So a
1:29:10 lot of the financial
1:29:12 is definitely something to weigh on with the whole scope of it.
1:29:15 But as a former educator,
1:29:17 somebody that’s been inside the classroom walls that knows
1:29:20 exactly what an offering
1:29:21 to a kid does. Some of the highest participations inside of our
1:29:25 schools are done when kids feel
1:29:27 like they buy into the community. They do that two ways. They
1:29:30 feel like it’s a community
1:29:31 school, but then they also have opportunities to be a part of
1:29:34 that school. When you have
1:29:36 the numbers of kids in a combined enrollment between Cape View
1:29:39 and Roosevelt, it gives
1:29:40 that the opportunity for clubs, for sports, for everything else.
1:29:45 Those opportunities enrich
1:29:47 the students’ overall achievement and academic performance. That,
1:29:52 to me, is where BPS sits.
1:29:55 And that’s where I, as a former educator, make my decision on,
1:29:59 is that are the kids
1:30:00 better off with the offerings that they have locally, or are
1:30:03 they better off combine the
1:30:04 schools and get them together? The other piece to the offerings
1:30:07 and the combined, um, opportunities
1:30:10 for those kids is the fact that if you look at any educational,
1:30:15 uh, surveys and studies
1:30:17 and research, when you have a K through 12, it exponentially
1:30:21 grows the achievement levels
1:30:23 and the buy-in to the schools. When the kids know each other,
1:30:26 when they play each other
1:30:27 for so long, when they go to these, these, um, competitions
1:30:31 together, they work together,
1:30:32 it truly is something that is special inside of our county.
1:30:36 Being the fact that the academics
1:30:38 at Roosevelt are where they are, this, this, this is a very
1:30:43 tough decision. But at the
1:30:45 same time, when I look at the overall situation, I feel like
1:30:49 those students will be very well
1:30:52 off where they’re going. So thank you very much. Does anybody
1:30:55 else have anything else
1:30:56 to say? Nope. Okay. Roll call, please. Paul. Mr. Thomas. Aye. Ms.
1:31:02 Campbell. Aye. Mr. Susan.
1:31:04 Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr. Trent. Aye. Yeah. I think, well, we
1:31:11 are, but if you guys, would
1:31:14 you guys like to take a recess or are you going to pound away at
1:31:18 the rest of the meeting?
1:31:19 We can keep going. Are you okay? We only have a few more minutes
1:31:24 left. Okay. Let me get
1:31:26 down to where we’re at on this thing. Okay. Dr. Endell, please
1:31:33 let us know about the next
1:31:35 items under this portion of today’s agenda. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
1:31:40 The agenda item is H1,
1:31:41 the greater Florida consortium of school boards proposed federal
1:31:44 legislative program. Do I
1:31:46 hear a motion? Second. Is there any discussion? Paul, roll call,
1:31:52 please. Mr. Thomas. Aye. Ms.
1:31:54 Campbell. Aye. Mr. Susan. Aye. Ms. Wright. Aye. Mr. Trent. Aye.
1:31:59 We’ll move to the information
1:32:01 agenda, which includes an item for board review and may be
1:32:03 brought back for action at subsequent
1:32:05 meeting. No action will be taken at this item today. There are
1:32:07 four items under this category.
1:32:09 Does any board member wish to discuss any of these items? None.
1:32:12 We are now at the board
1:32:13 member recognitions, reports and discussion points. Anybody have
1:32:16 anything they want to
1:32:17 bring up? I’ve got a couple of things. All right. Mr. Thomas,
1:32:20 you have the floor. First
1:32:21 of all, I’d like to take a moment to recognize the outstanding
1:32:24 work of Columbia Elementary
1:32:26 social worker, Catherine Ruiz, known to many as Ms. Catherine.
1:32:31 According to principal Julian,
1:32:34 Ms. Catherine is truly the bridge that connects Columbia
1:32:36 Elementary with the community. She
1:32:38 creates a welcoming, safe and supportive environment for
1:32:41 students, staff and families alike. Her
1:32:43 impact is felt daily through safety matters lessons, student
1:32:48 services, SBTMT meetings,
1:32:50 individual and small group counseling, food and housing support
1:32:53 and countless other mental
1:32:54 health and wellness services. She is a steady presence who
1:32:57 consistently shows up for those
1:32:58 in need. Ms. Catherine also leads Columbia’s Kindness Club,
1:33:01 guiding students in service
1:33:03 learning projects such as Thanksgiving food drives to support
1:33:07 Columbia families. She has
1:33:08 partnered with the Palm Bay Police Department for Shop with a
1:33:11 Cop and worked closely with
1:33:12 the community partners to help ensure students experience a
1:33:16 joyful holiday season. As a school
1:33:18 board member that represents District 3, I want to sincerely
1:33:21 thank Catherine Ruiz for
1:33:22 her dedication, compassion and service to our students and
1:33:25 families. Columbia Elementary
1:33:27 is stronger because of her. And as I mentioned to you a few
1:33:30 meetings ago, I’d like to just
1:33:31 try to highlight somebody in each one of my schools when we do
1:33:34 these shout outs and she’s
1:33:35 a great one to acknowledge. So thank you, Ms. Ruiz. And the
1:33:39 other thing I wanted to
1:33:40 bring to light or make sure everybody was aware of, I know we
1:33:42 approved the trip tonight
1:33:43 to Ohio for the Palm Bay High School Marine Corps JROTC air
1:33:50 rifle team. But they shot
1:33:52 the highest qualifying score in the nation. They are the number
1:33:55 one out of all service
1:33:56 teams in the country. They are the reigning state champions and
1:34:00 they placed third in the
1:34:01 nation in 2025. And the team is made up of all ladies except for
1:34:06 one gentleman. So pretty
1:34:07 cool. And so I’d like to wish them luck and congratulate them on
1:34:12 their success and also
1:34:14 acknowledge the hard work of Sergeant Major Roy DeYoung for his
1:34:18 leadership. There was
1:34:20 a bunch of ROTC stuff on that. They’re knocking it out. Ms.
1:34:24 Campbell. » Ms. Campbell. So
1:34:26 back – we haven’t had a meeting. » Yeah. » In a month. But I
1:34:29 think it was maybe the
1:34:31 day after our last meeting. Oh. Lockheed Martin came. They were
1:34:34 doing CTE tours. They came
1:34:36 down to Bayside. And Lockheed Martin is relatively new in our
1:34:40 area compared to other engineering
1:34:42 firms. And so I just want to thank them for the potential
1:34:45 increased partnership that they’re
1:34:47 looking at. They want to – they are looking for workforce. And
1:34:50 so they looked at the machining
1:34:51 program at Bayside as well as a few other programs. So I just
1:34:54 want to thank them for
1:34:55 their – for that – the way they continue to be involved over
1:34:59 the last year as they’re
1:35:01 looking into our CTE programs in particular. And I want to thank
1:35:04 Cynthia Rayen from operations
1:35:05 for her leadership. We had our – the strategic plan midyear
1:35:09 review that the board got to
1:35:10 sit in and listen to as our district leaders across all the
1:35:14 departments came together to
1:35:16 give their midyear updates. And – but Cynthia is the – she is
1:35:21 the one who keeps everybody
1:35:23 on target. And she’s like the engineer at the train station,
1:35:27 keeping all the trains
1:35:29 moving and whatever. That’s not the engineer. Whatever –
1:35:31 whoever does that, that’s what
1:35:33 she is. So I appreciate her and all the district leaders for
1:35:37 their work towards our strategic
1:35:38 plan, which is all about helping kids be successful. And so –
1:35:43 and so all the efficiency, community
1:35:45 – communication, connections, the excellent workforce, it is
1:35:49 all about making sure we
1:35:50 get those kids across the finish line in the best way possible.
1:35:53 So thank you to all – to
1:35:55 Cynthia and the whole team, Dr. Rendell, all your team who did
1:35:58 all that great work. That’s
1:36:00 all.
1:36:01 » Mr. Tran.
1:36:02 » Sure. I’ll make it quick here. I want to give thanks to the
1:36:07 – really you, Matt, Mr.
1:36:09 Seuss and to put together the mascot Olympics. I was at the
1:36:13 first – the first annual. You’ll
1:36:16 be able to tell a little bit more in the details there. But it
1:36:19 was a – it was a wonderful
1:36:20 night. Just to be able to – to feel that school spirit, if you’re
1:36:24 not familiar with
1:36:25 it, it really was just – it was offered to any of the schools
1:36:29 to basically sign up your
1:36:31 mascot and they – they – they had their own Olympics. And it
1:36:35 was – they had a good
1:36:37 time. It was really good. It ranged from kids to adults to, you
1:36:41 know, teachers that put
1:36:42 on the – the costume to – to run through obstacles and sprints
1:36:48 and dancing. It was
1:36:50 – it was a lot of fun. So, Matt, good job on that. All I’ve
1:36:55 heard was we’re – we’re
1:36:56 going to have it next year because we’re going to have double
1:36:59 the amount of mascots. It was
1:37:00 really good. You know, zero to do with anything other than
1:37:03 schools coming together, principals
1:37:06 came out and, you know, was able to just, you know, drop
1:37:10 whatever they had, kids not
1:37:12 doing their work and all that stuff throughout the day, just
1:37:14 come and just enjoy some school
1:37:16 spirit. And we had a ton of people in the – in the stands. So,
1:37:20 it was – it was really
1:37:21 good – good idea. The weather was great. And, of course, I
1:37:26 think it was Roosevelt had
1:37:28 the best – best looking mascot outfit. That was great. So, we’ll
1:37:32 represent. Is the teddy
1:37:34 bear with the – with the surf board? I think the surf board got
1:37:37 it. But, you know, they
1:37:38 – they took – they took some of those things pretty serious,
1:37:41 some of the – the sprinting
1:37:42 and the – and the obstacles. Am I doing back flips? I think the
1:37:46 sheriff – Oh, yeah. Oh,
1:37:46 yeah, I forgot. You don’t have to do that. The sheriff brought
1:37:50 his own mascot there with
1:37:52 the – No, but I think the sheriff actually took somebody and
1:37:54 said this is an illegal
1:37:56 participant and put him – Well, because he was too good. Yeah,
1:37:57 that’s what it was. He
1:37:59 was too fast. I think that was the panther from Heritage maybe.
1:38:02 But it was a great time.
1:38:04 Thanks, Mr. Susan and – and the board for participating. And
1:38:08 next year will be better.
1:38:10 Thanks. That’s right. All right. Well, that was on my list of
1:38:13 thank yous. Mr. Susan, you
1:38:15 come up with some crazy ideas. Give me the credit. Those are the
1:38:17 ones – And I – I know.
1:38:17 Honestly, I really need to – where’s Yvette? Yvette back there.
1:38:19 I’m like, she ran around
1:38:20 and did a ton of things to make that happen. You actually were
1:38:23 the one that – that put
1:38:25 that thing on, I think. But it was a lot of fun. It was. It was
1:38:28 a great family-friendly
1:38:29 event that was – it brought out the competition. Some of the
1:38:31 schools – I think it was Manatee,
1:38:33 which is not one of my schools, but had the best crowd
1:38:35 participation. They had all of
1:38:37 their kids come out and families come out in Manatee shirts. I
1:38:40 was so impressed. I’m
1:38:41 like, wow, they have, like, a whole cheer group over there. So
1:38:44 it was a good fun time.
1:38:45 I want to also give a shout-out and a thank you to Sterling
1:38:47 Automotive and Ford Motor
1:38:49 Company. So this past week, they were very generous in donating
1:38:54 a truck to Titusville
1:38:56 High School’s Automotive CTE program. Sterling Motor, up there,
1:39:00 Automotive, they have hired
1:39:02 five of the kids that have come out of – Mr. McFenton, which he
1:39:06 gets, you know, kudos for
1:39:08 all this. He – five students have come out of his CTE course
1:39:10 that are currently working
1:39:12 in their auto body shop. And so one of the things that we’re
1:39:14 faced with is that a lot
1:39:16 of times when the kids are working on these cars in CTE, they’re
1:39:18 older vehicles, so they
1:39:19 don’t have all the computer, fun, electronic, whatever. And so
1:39:24 they have recognized this
1:39:25 and they were generous enough to reach out to Ford and Ford said,
1:39:28 yeah, and they gave
1:39:29 him a truck. I don’t know if it was brand new. It looked brand
1:39:32 new. Brand new truck,
1:39:33 yeah. A brand new truck for them to work on so that they’re able
1:39:36 to learn the computer
1:39:37 system and get that experience. But honestly, Mr. McFenton, I
1:39:41 just have to give him immense
1:39:43 credit because he has been so successful in training these kids
1:39:46 and actually getting them
1:39:48 out there. And they had one of our former students that was
1:39:50 there speaking to the students
1:39:52 and he was recruiting and I’m just laughing. I mean, I can see
1:39:54 how this thing happens,
1:39:55 you know, but it’s the generosity of some of the business
1:39:56 partners that we see in our
1:39:57 community and that I believe will be leaving a legacy that will
1:40:00 make a difference. So I
1:40:02 also have a state champ, so I’m going to go ahead and give a
1:40:05 shout out first since we’re
1:40:06 doing ROTC. Saturday Space Coast, they have the Space Force,
1:40:10 which is one of only 10 in
1:40:12 the entire nation. Their marksmanship team captured their second
1:40:16 consecutive department
1:40:17 of the Air Force State Championship dominating the field with
1:40:20 first and second place teams
1:40:22 in the final standings. So their next stop is to head to
1:40:25 nationals. But they ranked number
1:40:27 one and number eight. I’m not exactly sure how that works. They’re
1:40:29 breaking up into teams,
1:40:31 but they ranked number one and number eight out of 857 schools
1:40:34 nationwide. So congratulations
1:40:36 to Space Coast. Looking forward to seeing what you guys do at
1:40:39 the national conference.
1:40:40 And that is it. Very good. I remember when they built facility
1:40:47 that that ROTC met. I
1:40:50 will say that our ROTC programs, if you look at the agenda from
1:40:55 going to Paris Island to
1:40:56 going to marksmanship competitions and everything else, we are
1:41:00 leading everywhere. And I just
1:41:02 love that. So thank you guys for making those shout outs. Mine’s
1:41:05 not going to be very long.
1:41:07 I have a strategic plan. I wanted to give Dr. Rendell a huge
1:41:11 thank you for your leadership.
1:41:14 And I know that the first thing he’s going to say is, it’s not
1:41:16 me, it’s my staff and
1:41:17 everybody else. And I get that. That is part of it. I didn’t
1:41:20 write it. That’s it. I know
1:41:21 I know you do that very, very respectfully. But I did want to
1:41:25 give you and your staff
1:41:26 the opportunity to a metrics based strategic plan that is
1:41:29 showing results with just the
1:41:31 things that are coming out. I mean, you have the highest
1:41:36 graduation rate ever at BPS. We’re
1:41:39 seeing the PM two data that came out. What’s that? I know that
1:41:42 we talked about that. That’s
1:41:44 right. Right. So we have the biggest. I was going to give doctor
1:41:48 on my list, but you have
1:41:50 the PM two data. Like I want to just say thank you for your
1:41:52 leadership. And thank you to
1:41:53 all the team that you put together for that. That is amazing. I
1:41:57 wanted to let everybody
1:41:57 know that the Teacher of the Year awards are coming up. And if
1:42:00 you guys are interested
1:42:01 in paying attention or would like to attend, there’s a way to do
1:42:04 that. Thank you so much.
1:42:06 The teachers are the backbone and the and the piece of our
1:42:09 education system that is
1:42:11 very important. And we get to honor those individuals who have
1:42:13 set forward and done
1:42:14 the things that they’re going to be about to do. So please
1:42:17 attend or watch on Space
1:42:18 Coast Daily, the Teacher of the Year awards. And then I did want
1:42:21 to get to those mascot
1:42:22 Olympics because it was something that I wanted everybody to
1:42:25 understand. The way that it came
1:42:28 about is that Jatana and Ali from the communications department
1:42:32 were tasked with putting together
1:42:35 this thing in a short amount of time. And what it started out as
1:42:38 is the elementary schools
1:42:39 part of the era. We’re just going to do kind of a real quick
1:42:42 thing, right? Let’s just show
1:42:43 what we can do. And then next year we might do something. But
1:42:46 the issue that we had was
1:42:47 is that they then on Monday decided that of the week that it was
1:42:50 going to start, that
1:42:52 the rest of the schools should be invited. And when they invited
1:42:54 the rest of the schools,
1:42:56 the thing exploded from like four to twenty seven schools. And
1:42:59 we actually had two trying
1:43:00 to purchase mascot uniforms on the Saturday of the event. Oh, my
1:43:05 God. Right. So it exploded.
1:43:07 And then I called all you guys like in a frantic if you guys
1:43:10 would like to come because I thought
1:43:11 that it was just going to be small. Now it’s enormous. And some
1:43:14 of you guys were able to
1:43:15 I know some of you guys others were not able to. And but I I
1:43:18 just want to do apologize
1:43:20 about the explosion, but then also tell you I appreciate you.
1:43:24 But the but Jatana and Ali.
1:43:26 So we had some some stuff that was going on. So not only were
1:43:30 they trying to manage how
1:43:32 we were going to put this together, because I think that by
1:43:34 Tuesday we were still trying
1:43:35 to decide what the events were going to be. But they actually
1:43:38 were dealing with all of
1:43:39 the I don’t know if you saw some of the videos that were being
1:43:42 sent out by the mascots and
1:43:43 everything else. And I will tell you, like I was thinking I was
1:43:47 like, I want to get into
1:43:48 one of those mascots or something like that because they are
1:43:51 amazing at what they were
1:43:52 doing. And some of those videos and everything else were
1:43:54 incredible. And then for me, what
1:43:56 ended up happening is right up until the last thing like Jatana
1:44:00 and Ali and Yvette ran that
1:44:01 thing. We just got to come in and speak and do different stuff.
1:44:05 But what was interesting
1:44:06 was is that at the last minute, the person that was at Ralph
1:44:08 Williams that was supposed
1:44:10 to jump into that outfit didn’t. And my son did. And my wife and
1:44:15 I were like, we don’t
1:44:16 want this. We don’t we don’t want him to do this and stuff like
1:44:18 that. And my little nine
1:44:20 year old son decided to jump into it and cheer it up. And he was
1:44:24 up against high school kids
1:44:26 and grown men and women. And somehow he won the damn thing. And
1:44:29 I’m sorry to swear, but
1:44:31 like it was only judged one event by the people. And then the
1:44:35 rest of the events were all athletic.
1:44:37 And it was just like and he and he was so nice. He was like
1:44:39 trying to be nice to everybody
1:44:40 else. I was watching him over there. And it was just one of
1:44:43 those special moments where
1:44:44 it was it was pretty incredible to watch a child be a part of it.
1:44:47 So I just from the
1:44:48 bottom of my heart to Jatana, Ali and Yvette, thank you so much,
1:44:53 you guys. Like that was
1:44:54 huge that you were able to pull that off and do what you did.
1:44:57 Our communications department
1:44:58 now has pulled off two big ones where they they pulled off the
1:45:02 same type of speed last
1:45:03 year’s enlistment ceremony. And now they did the mascot games.
1:45:07 And so it’s just there.
1:45:08 There’s some special people in that department. They deserve all
1:45:10 the credit because they’ll
1:45:11 be honest with you. I like showed up with some workout stuff. It
1:45:13 was like, hey, we can
1:45:14 use this. But they were like, we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna
1:45:16 do that. They got all
1:45:17 the coordinated, everything made sure everybody was safe and
1:45:19 everything else. So they deserve
1:45:20 all the credit. So thank you, guys. I really appreciate
1:45:23 everything that you guys did. And
1:45:24 that’s all I have. So Dr. And up. Okay, so first of all, we
1:45:30 usually talk about events
1:45:32 we’ve been to, and how much fun we had and how awesome they were.
1:45:36 And I’ve talked to
1:45:38 you some people in the community like well, if I’d known about
1:45:40 that event, maybe I would
1:45:41 have gone. So I don’t know how many people are still watching.
1:45:46 But if you are a fan of
1:45:47 good music, Saturday, January 31, so basically two weeks or so,
1:45:54 you have the opportunity
1:45:55 to see our all county performers. So it’s at the King Center and
1:46:01 it’s free. So at 1.30
1:46:03 p.m. we have all county course. So this is middle school and
1:46:06 high school students that
1:46:07 have auditioned and have made all county course. 1.30 p.m.
1:46:11 January 31 at the King Center, or
1:46:15 at 4.30 p.m. at the King Center for free, you can see our all
1:46:19 county orchestra. Again,
1:46:21 these are middle school and high school students who are playing
1:46:24 these instruments and have
1:46:25 auditioned to be in all county, made all county, so they’re
1:46:29 performing at 4.30 orchestra. And
1:46:31 then at 8 o’clock at night, all county band. So if you’re a
1:46:34 music person and you want to
1:46:36 hear some really high quality music, chorus 1.30, orchestra 4.30,
1:46:43 band at 8 p.m. January
1:46:45 31, free at the King Center. Don’t miss it. Now, as was
1:46:51 mentioned earlier, we did get
1:46:52 some exciting news last week. The state released our official
1:46:56 graduation rates for last school
1:46:57 year for the class of 2025. And Brevard County as a district
1:47:02 earned a 92.7, 93% graduation
1:47:05 rate. That’s the highest Brevard County has ever achieved. So
1:47:08 that’s really, really good
1:47:09 news for our district, really good news for our schools and for
1:47:14 our community. Having
1:47:15 a high quality education system in your community reflects on
1:47:18 the community. It makes it easier
1:47:19 for realtors to sell houses. It makes it easier for companies to
1:47:23 relocate here. So graduation
1:47:25 rate is kind of reflective of that. In fact, graduation rate is
1:47:28 almost always associated
1:47:30 with the high schools. In fact, it’s measured by when a student
1:47:34 enters in 9th grade, do
1:47:35 they graduate on time and 12th grade. It’s called the four-year
1:47:39 cohort graduation rate.
1:47:40 That’s the 93%. Almost all of our high schools are above 90%.
1:47:45 Several of them are at 98,
1:47:47 99%, West Shore and Edgewood are at 100%. So we’re doing a
1:47:51 really, really good job.
1:47:52 The credit doesn’t just go to the high school. Again, this
1:47:55 measure is associated with the
1:47:57 high school, but it’s not just a high school measure. If the
1:48:02 student doesn’t have the knowledge
1:48:03 and skills to be successful when they enter 9th grade, the path
1:48:07 to graduation is that
1:48:08 much steeper. So we’re doing a great job from kindergarten all
1:48:11 the way through 12th grade.
1:48:13 93% of our students are graduating. It’s pretty good. We want to
1:48:17 be 100%, but 93% is the highest
1:48:19 we’ve ever achieved. It’s a great honor, a great award, a great
1:48:22 accomplishment for our
1:48:23 district as a whole, because it starts when they enter our doors
1:48:27 in kindergarten, first
1:48:28 grade or whenever they enter our doors and finish with
1:48:30 graduation. So having that news
1:48:33 come out last week was a great celebration for us. Yeah, we’re
1:48:36 an A district, 37 A schools.
1:48:39 This is the single best measure of a school district is your on-time
1:48:43 graduation rate.
1:48:45 So for us to be at 93%, the strategic plan goal in five years is
1:48:49 to be at 95. We’re already
1:48:52 ahead of schedule to get to 95. So no pressure on our schools,
1:48:56 but it’s a really, really
1:48:57 great thing that we should all celebrate. It’s a reflection of
1:49:01 what’s going on in our
1:49:02 schools that is working. That’s it.
1:49:05 Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Indell. Does anybody, any other board
1:49:11 member have anything further
1:49:12 to report? Nope. Okay. You guys want to take a recess? We got
1:49:16 four, four people to speak
1:49:18 and then you guys want to just try to hammer it. All right, well
1:49:21 we’re going to take a,
1:49:23 we’re going to take a pause for a second. We’re going to let
1:49:26 Mike start the thing and
1:49:27 everything else and then we’ll go. All right, Mike, you’re good.
1:49:35 [Music]