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Data do it. Heat. Heat. N. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. W. I see there. Wo. Yeah.
Wo. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Welcome to today's special school board meeting. The special school board meeting of the school board of Brower County, Florida is now called to order. To ensure a safe and productive environment, please note the clearly
marked emergency exits. Do not block exit doors and all attendees must be seated except for media. Once the room reaches capacity, attendees will be directed to the overflow area. If the fire alarm sounds, exit the room calmly, continue outside the building, and remain there until the authorities give clearance to return. Thank you for your
cooperation. All please rise for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all for all. >> As we begin, we reaffirm our strategic plan goal. 100% proficiency for all students. Guided by your vision by our vision, educating today's students to succeed in tomorrow's world. As an A-rated district, we remain committed to sustaining this achievement while
empowering every student to reach their highest potential. Our theme this year is believe, empower, achieve one Broward. Today's special school board meeting will operate in accordance with schoolboard policy 1020 and the board will review the items as advertised and presented by the superintendent.
The superintendent released a revised agenda with certain changes for this meeting and published it on the school district's website. The chair finds pursuant to section 120.525 Florida statutes that good cause exists for such changes and accepts the revised agenda. May I have an a motion and a second to close the agenda.
>> So move second. >> Moved by Dr. Zeman, second by Miss Thompson. All in favor of closing the agenda, let it be known by saying I. I. >> Any opposers say no. The agenda is now closed. We will soon hear from our registered public speakers. We ask that the quorum be maintained and civility
and respect be shown during public comment. Our general counsel will assist the chair in maintaining decorum during this period. We also want to remind our public speakers of the rules and expectations regarding the agenda public comment portion of the special school board meeting as well as board policy.
Attorney Dupri Bruno, please explain the rules of public comment. >> Madam Chair, point of order, if I may before a general counsel speaks. >> Go ahead. There's been um a lot of disappointment over the last few days uh in the actions of this board in changing today's
setting to a formal school board or special school board meeting when it had initially been set as a workshop. Uh I was hoping if madame general counsel would be gracious enough to explain the legal ramifications and the permissibility of what was done uh at
the last meeting of this board. um after hours if you will and just explain to the public why they are not getting the workshop that they overwhelmingly sought uh on this very important matter involving the organizational chart. Thank you
>> through the chair. Um basically the school board special meeting will allow the board to take a vote but they will also have the opportunity to fully ask any questions that they may have. Um staff will be able to present. Um, there will be public comment. So, it's it's
not much different aside from the fact that they will be allowed to vote at the end. >> I apologize. I appreciate that. But that wasn't the question. The question was the legal ramification, the legal permissibility about what this board did in changing a scheduled workshop to a
schoolboard meeting, which was a vote that was taken um what I again will quantify is after hours the last time that we met, was that legally permissible? Uh and if so, under what Broward County schoolboard policy and or
state statute? Thank you. >> So 286.011 011 is the statute that governs uh notices and this meeting was properly scheduled and noticed pursuant to what is required by law and the board always has the opportunity to cancel,
change, move um meetings at their desire and their discretion that is completely within their purview and statutoily allowable pursuant to 286.011. >> So I appreciate that. Um, so I I guess the best way to frame it is despite the overwhelming majority of the public
wanting the workshop to be taken place today, uh, as well as this particular board member wanting the the workshop to have taken place today, what the board did was statutoily permissible in your professional legal opinion? >> Yes, sir.
>> Regarding public comment, thank you, Madam Chair. Public comment is governed by school board policy 1020 and is intended to provided to provide input on the board's duties, decisions, and the overall operation of the school district. The school board is viewpoint neutral during public comment per school
board policy 1020 public comment procedures um require that speakers must state their name, city of residents, and whether they are lobbyists before beginning their remarks. All remarks must be directed to the board as a whole. The board will not respond to or engage with speakers during public
comment and no action will be taken unless the item is on the agenda. The chair may adjust the order of speakers, recognize speakers, and enforce all time limits. And the chair may reduce speaking time or establish a total time limit for public comment when necessary to ensure all speakers have an
opportunity to be heard as to the it's to the chair's discretion. Speakers must limit their comments to matters related to schoolboard business and for agenda items must remain relevant to the specific item. Comments may not address matters that are pending
litigation, quasi judicial proceedings, active investigations, or administrative hearings. Solicitation and lobbying activities must comply with applicable schoolboard policies. Abusive language defined as profanity, threatening, or name calling is prohibited. In addition,
clapping, hissing, booing, shouting, yelling, or other disruptions from the audience are not allowed. Speakers who fail to follow proper decorum in the chambers will be ruled out of order by the board chair. Failure to comply may result in the microphone being turned off or a recess being called. After a
warning, the chair may also direct removal removal from the meeting and the building by law enforcement or the Sagant at arms. Madam Chair, >> thank you. Attorney Dupri Bruno. The board wants to hear from you and we appreciate your cooperation in
maintaining a respectful, orderly, and productive meeting environment. When it is time for public speakers, I will call five speakers at a time. When you hear your name, please line up by behind the podium with only one person at the podium at a time. Please follow the staff's directions when lining up and
approaching the podium. When your three minutes is up, please yield the mic and exit the podium and follow staff's direction. May I have Oh, and I just for the record, uh, Mr. Spelberg, our student adviser, is online. Uh, he's listening and is available for questions if, uh, anyone has questions for him.
May I have a motion and a second on item? >> Madam Chair, Madam Chair, Lori Alice is online, too. >> Thank you, Mrs. Alhade. May I have a motion and a second on item one, superintendent 2026 2027 organizational chart. >> So moved. >> Moved by Dr. Zean, second by Miss Hixon.
It is moved and seconded to move item one to the floor. I will name the first five speakers. So, if they could please approach the public speaking podium. Melanie Berkin, Mai Henry, Delvin King, Brandon Monz, and
Victor Hernandez. Welcome. Good morning. Good morning, chair and superintendent and our board members. My name is Melanie Berkin. I am from Davy, Florida. Um, wow, little nervous. Didn't want to
go first on this item. Um, for the org chart, um, it still seems a little topheavy. Um, but I am grateful that it appears that many of the mental health positions have remained. I know that's below the line and we've got
above the line issues uh, items here um, for the org chart. Um the one question I do kind of have is I know that the um job description is the next item for uh the director position. Um but I did have
a question for the name. I'm not sure under director wellness and mental health that covers child abuse um foster care and um homeless individuals as well as social work um and family therapists.
I I'm just curious where um child abuse and foster care fall under mental health or wellness. I mean sometimes names are important. We've always been the department of student services and we are there to support student services. And I don't I feel like sometimes when
parents are looking for the help they need, when we change the names to um names that are the buzzword of the day, it is difficult still to find out where exactly to find the support or ask the questions uh that that they were to
direct the questions and find it on the school board's website. Um and I do feel that that name is may not be the necessarily most appropriate name. Um, with regards to the mental health positions though, um, thank you again for keeping a majority and it is
important even as I've mentioned before, even as enrollment numbers have declined, uh, mental health is always going to be an issue unfortunately and we do need all the supports we can get in order to address um, our students and
our families and staff the way that they need to be um, handled. Um, I thank you for your time and um, thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker. >> Good morning, board. Brandon Monz, Coral
Springs 33071. I'm going to address uh, probably a less addressed area of the ORC chart than some of my steward colleagues here. I think I've been a proud district employee for 20 years. most of that time as director of vocal music and the performing arts department chair at
Western High School and also for the last few years as one of our stewards. According to publicly available district data, 50% of our elementary schools no longer have a designated art teacher, 30% have no music teacher, 11% have
neither. In middle school, less than 10% of our sites have an orchestra program anymore and less than 10% of a designated vocal music teacher, although they do have facilities. Uh, I'm here today because the org chart seemingly does nothing to recognize the unique
programming needs in the fine arts. Our organization should reflect the robust programs we should be offering and to staff administrators appropriately to implement them. Music and art reductions didn't happen overnight. uh they keep happening because there seems to be no
one empowered at the right level of the organization to prevent this. Uh music like the other core subjects has fantastic curriculum specialists right here in this building, extraordinarily knowledgeable and subject matter experts. But there are districts in Florida facing the same exact challenges
we are. But because their charts staff positions like senior fine arts administrator and have district administrators of visual arts, elementary music, secondary vocal, secondary uh instrumental music and so on, their programming remains robust even as they're facing similar
adversities to us such as enrollment loss and school site closures. So, I asked the board to consider whether there might be a connection or a correlation between these ongoing program deficits and the enrollment losses driving this entire conversation.
As we know, parents and students have more choices than ever before when they don't see rigorous arts offerings in their neighborhood school. Why wouldn't they seek them elsewhere? Interestingly, tomorrow's workshop will include more thought exchange survey results from redefining schools. And the top student
priority, I think it's on page six, is quote, maintaining rigorous programming and electives. Where will these students go if we don't respond? The superintendent's own rationale for his reorganization, excuse me, states that certain departments require dedicated oversight because they serve
quote highly specialized and distinct functions. Music and arts also do. And under ESSA, music is explicitly included as part of a well-rounded education. Our students earn honors credit, AP, dual enrollment, Cambridge credit. It's an
academic subject, not extracurricular, and our organization chart should treat it that way. We need administrative supervisory oversight, commensurate direct reports to ensure robust programming. 100% proficiency for all students includes these subjects.
Thanks for your time. >> Thank you so much. I'll read the next five speakers. Tracy Chandler, Vanessa Matut, Nadine Martinez, Ruth Martinez, and Maria Podesta. So, if you heard your name, please approach the mic. >> Excuse me. >> I'm so sorry. I was part of the first.
Thank you so much. Appreciate it. >> Hi, my name is Victor Hernandez. I'm from Myiramar 33023. Um, good morning, superintendent, board members, and district leadership. I'm here today to speak about the value and necessity of Beacon School Services Department and the measurable impact it
provides to the district every single day. Our department supports instruction operations and safety across the entire district while already operating with limited staffing. Further reductions would not eliminate the work. We would simply see slower service, higher costs,
and increased disruption to schools. Our technicians maintain specialized training across the full audiovisisual electronic technician scope, allowing us to provide an average 24-hour turnaround for classroom technology repairs, audiovisisual systems, IP TV
infrastructure, as well as installation and training on school television studio equipment. When equipment fails, instruction stops. Our team ensures teaching can continue without prolonged interruption. Equally critical is student and campus safety. The Beacon
School Services Department services and maintains over 18,000 security cameras districtwide. Every repair completed quickly helps prevent surveillance blind spots and ensures campuses remain protected. Reduced staffing directly translates to longer response times and
unresolved safety risks. Keeping this work in house is also financially responsible. Between last year, July, and this year of April, Beacon School Services saved the district nearly $450,000 by completing services internally rather than relying on outside vendors, which
are consistently more expensive and slower to deploy. Beyond repairs, our technicians train school staff, provide rapid on-site support to district leadership in schools, coordinate projects, and manage a high volume of service requests that keeps classrooms functioning daily. Closing or reducing
this department does not reduce need. It increases outsourcing, raises operational costs, delays instruction, and shifts technical burdens onto teachers, administrators, and school budgets. The Beacon School Services Department represents efficiency, safety, and fiscal stewardship.
Maintaining and supporting this team protects instructional time, safeguards students, and sa and saves taxpayer dollars. Thank you for your time. Hi, I'm Maria Podesta from Dane Elementary. I'm a 34 year uh veteran teacher. I love what I do. I'm trying to
keep loving what I do. Please listen to all these people. We're they they just have such great ideas on how you guys can save money. Um I don't know what else to say. Everybody keeps saying the same thing. I hope you're listening. Um very disappointed with me having to pay
insurance, but I know that's another thing. Palm Beach County seems to have it together. Can we ask them? Maybe maybe we can collaborate and see how they're able to give their teachers a 3.5% raise. Again, we need to look at the top, not the bottom. I'm in the
front lines. Listen to your teachers. Listen to us. We're right there. We're in the classrooms. We're touching the kids. We don't have a guidance counselor. I need a guidance counselor at my school. It We're so desperate. Uh we're trying to get a a media specialist. Everything is
falling apart. School is not fun anymore because we don't have all these nice things, these clubs and art and music and and all that. So, if we want to keep the kids here, we got to make learning fun, too, right? Uh testing, testing, testing. I love that we're an A. My kids
are more than a scale number, more than a test score, but yet I keep having to say, "But I really need you to make progress. I really need you to go up two points so I can make this uh bracket." And you know, it's a lot of pressure. I'm sure you you understand that. I hope you do. I really don't want to keep
taking days off to come here. I miss my kids. It's testing just next week. Please do the right thing. Listen to these men, women, teachers. Uh and there's just so much great advice. Are we listening? I appreciate that you're looking at me. Um we need to start from
the top. Nobody in here makes over 150,000 or 100,000 or 90,000. 34 years and I'm not making I'm making like 65,000 and that's because I'm doing summer school which I don't want to do but I have to do.
Please do the right thing. I I am trusting in you. I'm putting my faith in you. I'm trusting in you after this. I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. You know, you want our teachers to stay here, right? I'm hearing all these principles leaving to Texas and they're able to do all this stuff. It's
my focus is in teaching and that's all I want to keep my focus on and instead I'm having to like come here and talk about organizational charts and what uh I didn't know so many people were out of the classroom making all this money. It's just shocking. I thought I'm going
to stay at one school. I'm going to stay at Broward County. I'm going to give it my all. I'm going to be this great teacher, which I am, but I can't afford it. I love my house. I've been in Broward County all my life. Well, how am I going to survive? Please do the right
thing. Okay. We have faith in you. I know you could do it. Hands in. Hands out. All right. Thank you. >> Nice. >> Good morning. Tracy Chandler, Plantation, Florida.
The thing that I love about math is that it's supposed to make sense. It is a core school. It is a core subject in school. So, the school system should be doing it correctly, but the math isn't mathing. Our state has calculated a set amount that each
student is worth. But public education isn't about treating kids as though they were nothing but imaginary numbers. Our state has been formulating ways to privatize education. But since when is it legally okay to transfer public money to private enterprise? Charter is for
profit. Private is for profit. Kids are not for profit. Despite what many politicians seem to think, ma math is not magic. You cannot defund public schools and expect to a wand to produce results where we are expected to make a
negative times a negative equal a positive. But lack of money plus lack of resources equals a negative outcome. See how the math is at Matthew? Meanwhile, the school board and governor keep hiring temporary superintendent, letting them mismanage money and leave with a
hefty severance package. Then they purchase unnecessary items like polycams and expensive cheap lenonos. Um, and only allow contracts from the highest biders. All just to fatten their paychecks of those in charge. Making
sure teachers and staff don't ever see the cost of living increase. It gets worse. While teachers see a fraction of what they're worth, their class size multiplies, leaving parents divided over whether or not public schools remain the correct answer. This is not the right
order of operations. Remember, uh, PMMDAS, DAS, we should all be yelling, penalizing educators, massacres, data, and success. Those on top making decisions don't want the
public to realize that they are the denominators in this formula. The numerators are supposed to be the students and the staff who work miracles every day without a wand. The top paid Crystal Palace workers who scramble to
justify their salaries are remainders. And sometimes we need a to round down instead of up, but never on the backs of the people actually making a difference. We could start by offering a teacher and staff a minimum of 3.14
one 3.14% raise because they're the ones to who deserve the biggest piece of the pie. Thank you. Good morning board. We need to stop meeting like this. But in all seriousness, my name is Vanessa Matut. I
am a licensed mental health counselor. I specialize in trauma and in suicide. I am here because of the SSIS positions. The SSI positions means eliminating some of the staff members who work directly and consistently with high-risisk students every single day. While me many
mental health professionals are on campus, but they're tied up completing assessments, 504 plans, compliance tasks, paperwork, SSIS are the door that is constantly open for the students, not only for the students that are on our case load. When students are overwhelmed, anxious, failing classes,
struggling at home, or experiencing suicidal thoughts, they come to us. We are the people students see throughout the day for check-ins, deescalations, course recovery, emotional support, prevention services. My office is rarely empty because students know there is always someone available to listen and
to talk to. I currently work with approximately 90 high-risisk students, but like many SSIS staff, I support far beyond my case load. We interact with students all day, every day. We build trust, relationships with students who not otherwise seek help. Removing SSIS
removes one of the most accessible layers of support for students on campus. Again, if we are truly prioritizing students mental health and safety, we cannot eliminate the positions for the people who have their doors constantly open for the students. Thank you.
>> Welcome. >> Hi, my name is Nadine Martinez, licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma and child welfare. As a student support instructional specialist, I'm here to advocate against the elimination of the role. As an SSIS, I work directly
with students in crisis daily. Elimination of this role impacts the access to care for our high-risisk students. The SSIS is a gateway resource at the forefront of crisis. To re-emphasize, elimination of this role dismantles a critical pillar of support
students rely on daily. It would disrupt our daily and direct work with students, impacting their ability to trust, build stable and consistent connections with trusted adults, and impacting their access to care. The SSIS role works in collaboration with APS, the mental
health staff at school, security, and teachers to ensure that we can provide wraparound support. Our department supervisors have carefully uh curated our team. They are an invaluable resource to our team, the students, and the schools that we serve. Their
leadership provides next level support, insight, and opportunities, and encouragement for growth. Our students deserve consistency, continuity, safety, and access to care, support, and resources that help them succeed meaningfully. Thank you.
>> Before the next speaker, I'll read the next um five names. So, Nick Watkins, Henry Smith, Ernestine Ramirez, Alan Jablanowitz, and Michelle Bunsaw. Welcome.
Good morning. I'm a little nervous, so please forgive me. My name is Ruth Martinez. I live in Tamarak and I work at Coconut Creek High School. I've been in service to Broward County Public Schools for 21 years. Regarding the proposed organizational chart, I strongly urge you to vote no.
Your directive to the super, as I understood it, your directive to the superintendent was to reduce staffing while minimizing the impact of that reduction to teachers and schools. Meanwhile, principles are informing SAC committees that there will be reduction
in positions uh even at schools that are that are at or above enrollment. This means that at the elementary level there could be a 28:1 person ratio. At the secondary level, a 45 to one person
ratio. Most classrooms can't accommodate that many bodies without serious safety concerns. Facilities and cafeteria staff are being mandated to do more with less and are also experiencing layoffs.
The organizational chart shows cuts and delineation of positions, but only at the D salary band and above. There's no transparency to the full scope of this chart. What will happen to positions whose tasks were reassigned to administrators
with hefty supplemental payments? Will those positions be reopened or eliminated? If they're eliminated, will those administrators continue to receive those supplements, sometimes in the excess of tens of thousands of dollars? I understand that some of you were
teachers once. So I ask you to please think back to your first five years of teaching. Did you feel valued? Did you feel supported? Did or did you or did you feel as I feel today undervalued,
disrespected, and unappreciated? You say you want to empower each student to reach their full potential. What about empowering your teachers and your school staff to reach their full potential? As we close out the 2025 2026 school
year, in a political climate where the average voter has lost faith in government, you have the opportunity to rebuild trust with transparency and accountability throughout all levels of this district. I strongly urge you to
vote no to this organizational chart and take the step to rebuilding your employees faith in you. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Alan Jablanowitz. I am an IND special needs teacher at Maplewood
Elementary and a school. Okay. My my rhetorical questions last time got me a lot of feedback. So, I'm going to give you some again today. Um, we have a multibillion dollar budget and yet
there's no money for staffing or raises. Many of you have businesses. Rule of thumb in a business is that when you are losing money or in our case losing students, which is money,
what do you do? Well, you add more staff. You do more things to spend more money. That might not have been the smart way to go the last several years since we lost 50,000 students. Um, what do you
do? Do you keep adding people? Do you keep automatically saying no when contract negotiations come up? I'm not getting into that. But understand that it's an automatic no. There's no money.
There's no money. There's no money every year. But don't worry, your members, this all the teachers and ESPs and TSPs, they're used to it. And that's not right because we're in a district. And you
want to keep us being in a district. So, how do you do that? By keeping the people. And they're going to be leaving. Slowly but surely. They're leaving. Why are they leaving? Because of the budget. And that's where we come up to this
organizational chart and looking at what we can do to save the jobs to save it. You have to do that. This is not This is serious, right? Everyone's nervous. I'm a BTU
steward. I'm a part of the BTU executive board. And all I keep hearing is people are nervous. That's not what we need to do. We're an A district. Keep it. We have to stay focused. And if we stay focused on what
we want and that's simple, um we teachers prevail. The ESPs prevail. Why? Because we love our jobs. We love our kids. And we want to do better. And we will do better. But
we have to the organizational chart is something that we have to think about the money and where are we going to get more money. Okay, please think about it before you start voting on it. Think about it. Um
we're very dedicated to our craft. We really are. Think about it. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. Ernestine Ramirez, Myramar, Florida. Uh, my name is Ernestine Ramirez. I am a program
supervisor for the before and after school childcare department. I am here for the second time to advocate for my position. Our department oversees and supports over 240 programs across the district, ensuring safety, compliance, and quality for our students and the
families we serve. With the current staffing model, that's about 60 schools for one program supervisor. Cutting two positions means that workload would literally double, leading to poor quality and inevitably burntout from the remaining employees. Reducing our team
does not reduce the number of schools, students, or expectations for the county or state. It reduces the district's ability to effectively manage them. With this recommendation, the department cannot effectively service all the schools in the county and maintain safe, compliant, and quality programming. This
is not just an operational concern. It is a major concern for student safety in our before and after school childcare programs. before and after school um before and after school care generates millions of dollars for the district supporting working families and provides students with a safe place before and
after school hours. I respectfully urge you to reconsider this recommendation for our department and develop a plan that is safer for our students. There are millions of dollars at stakes and since the before and after care department generates their own revenue, it should not be a department that is
reduced. Our income pays for ourselves. I heard many speakers behind me speak about facilities getting um losing their jobs and then getting more work added on to that. Many of these programs, the before and after school programs pay for
these positions. Cutting our positions, two out of the four program supervisors again reduces our ability to manage quality programs running to us uh delimiting those those programs at those schools and in turn those facilities. um
losing their positions because now they don't have an afterare program. So again, I urge you to please reconsider um my position and to please take another look at the before and after school childcare department. It is always something that is left on the side and not looked at. Um and I really
urge you to do that. Thank you for your time. >> Good morning. Henry Smith, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am here today with one purpose, to bring clarity and transparency to a situation that despite other efforts has not been fairly
addressed. I am facing unemployment. Not because my position was eliminated, not because of performance concerns, and not because of lack of experience, but because a staffing decision tied to another role entirely. What makes this situation especially difficult to
understand is the inconsistency in the reasoning behind this decision. Last year, the foster care and child abuse programs were merged into one. At that time, I was selected to lead the newly combined program. I would like to believe that my knowledge, skills, and
abilities related to child welfare had something to do with that decision. The previous district attendance coordinator who had approximately four years of attendance attendance experience was not renewed and another individual was placed in that position.
Now less than a year later, I am the one not being renewed. Despite having nearly two decades of experience, the explanation given to me was that retaining my replacement would allow the department to preserve the benefit of that individual's nearly one year of
attendance experience. I respectfully ask that this decision be viewed through the lens of fairness, consistency, and professional value. It is difficult to reconcile how nearly 20 years of institutional knowledge, leadership, and service can be outweighed by less than
one year of attendance experience. This is bigger than one position. It is about ensuring that decisions impacting people's livelihoods are made with transparency, equity, and sound reasoning. Excuse me. and apprec I
appreciate the opportunity to speak and simply ask that the situation receive thoughtful reconsideration. The staff and the most vulnerable students deserve stability. Thank you. >> Thank you. And before the next speaker,
I'll read the next five names. Robert Kazelle, Sati Mahari, Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh and Zyra Kleims Lynches. Hi, my name is Michelle Banny. I'm from Dave, Florida. I'm sure you're tired of
hearing from me, but I will have to say that we started an afterare program. Um, and unfortunately through my chemo, it all got messed up. And if I didn't have Ernestine come, she's a handson work. Like she helped get that program
running. She helped me through the darkest days. And I I'm kind of sad that when we look at the organization chart, we cut the people who help the schools. Like last schoolboard meeting, I was
getting texted by teachers, "Miss Bontane, can you take so and so? He's running around the classroom cursing, screaming. And that's what I do while I'm working. I work in a fine arts school that is supposed to be competing with a charter school. We should have
like if we're reimagining like that money needs to go to, hey, we're going to have the best vocal teacher, the best band director because we're competing with a charter. But there was a hiring freeze. The principal was teaching. The
assistant principal was teaching, the counselor was teaching, uh the reading interventionist was teaching in and then couldn't take all the groups, the the re the literacy co like we are working so hard and there's
no support. It's really difficult and I know that absenteeism I mean I've never worked in a generation where teachers go that's it. I've had it. leaving and they leave. They leave. Like that's not how it is. I do not want a kid to go home.
I'm going to take that child. I did five IEP meetings, was teaching five kids at the same time. I told the parents, kids come first. I, you know, we got to make sure our kids are a priority. The organizational chart is not going to
help the foundation of our schools being able to service the children. They're addicted to technology. I mean, I can't believe I have five-year-olds begging me to get on a computer. I'm like, "No, we're not getting on a computer. Cut out
some of these programs. Let the teachers teach. Put the money with teacher assistance. We have a prek program with 12 children. No assistant. There is a hiring freeze." But you know what I told the district? You could say, "Let's hire
12 people because nobody's coming for the jobs." So that's the reality of it, but you have to put more money in the schools so that the community wants to come back to public school and not go to
a charter where their kids are in smaller groups. They have excellent music programs, excellent electives. Please think about this before you make these decisions. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Nikki Watkins,
Davy resident, parent, staff chair at Western High School and Central Area Advisory Council Legislative Representative. I am here today because I'm deeply concerned that the district keeps looking outward for answers while failing to fully value the expertise it already has within. Broward County Public Schools is filled with highly
educated, highly experienced professionals, including PhD level and M's level specialists and school-based leaders who understand our schools, our students, and our communities. And beyond that, the district already has a district advisory council with representation from students, parents,
educators, administrators, staff, and community members. These voices are not theoretical. They are informed, current, and connected to what is actually happening in our schools. Yet, too often, these recommendations are overlooked and treated as secondary.
Even though the district's own advisory structure is designed to surface exactly this kind of guidance, the district advisory council has been discussing enrollment, staffing allocations, budget, and programmatic changes already. As a highly involved parent, small business owner, taxpayer, and
community member, I can tell you this clearly. Families are exhausted by empty promises, by being shuffled around, and by being spoken to as though their advocacy is inconvenient. And if someone like me who knows how to navigate systems can be treated dismissively, then I worry deeply about the less
connected families what they are experiencing like the parents of the 4,500 homeless students served by the HART program who already only has 10 staff being cut to seven staff. We are not an interruption to this process. We
are the reason this system exists. Parents, students, and communities are why these jobs exist at every level. And if trust is low and morale is low, it's not because people care too much. It's because too many people feel unheard while decisions keep being made farther
and farther away from the classroom. Which is why I thought this poem was very relevant. The cold within by James Patrick Kenny. Six humans trapped by happen stance and bleak and bitter cold. Each one possessed a stick of wood or so the stories told. Their dying fire in
need of logs. The first man held his back. For the faces across the fire, he noticed one was black. The next man, looking across the way, saw one of not his church, and couldn't bring himself to give the fire of his stick of birch. The third one sat in tattered clothes he
gave his coat a hitch. Why should his log be put to use to warm the idol rich? The rich man sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store, and how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shipless poor. The black man's face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight. For all he saw was his stick
of wood was a chance to spite the white. The last man of his four-long group did not except for gain. Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game. Their logs held tight and death still hands was proof of human sin. They didn't die from the cold without. They
died from the code within. Leadership must be willing to share sacrifice, not protect status while others absorb the risk. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Before the next speaker, I just want to remind everyone who is here to speak publicly to please make sure to sign up um as a public speaker with
staff out front. So, please make sure you do that so you're on the list to speak. >> Good morning. Uh Madam Chair, members of the board, my name is Lisa Urkin. I'm representing the Federation of Public Employees. Today, I've got a little a little story. You ever go out to the
Everglades and you see the birds flying up there and then they dive into the water and they pick up their fish and they go back up and they go about their way, right? And that's how they survive.
Well, this orc chart reminds me of that cuz the folks on the top of the orc chart here are the birds and all the rest of us, especially the non-instructional instructional, all the rest of us are the fish just waiting to get plugged up and carried off. You
know, think about it. That's what's going on. But let me tell you this about that. Okay. Carol Brady, who's a business representative for the federation, did a chapter 119 record request on vendors. And what she found is over $10 million is being poured into
vendors on it that are working remotely. Orlando, California, Valuchia County, they're not here. Okay, we got supervising people here when they're not here. And this is just one example of
Venda Palooa. And this Venda Palooa is costing hardworking, dedicated employees their jobs. and they can do it better, more efficiently, and more effectively. We'd heard from Beacon, all that Beacon does. Shout out to Beacon because they
have valuable jobs that no one understands all the dynamics. You don't really realize what is under there and all the things that they do and how they sustain this district. Let me say something about transportation. Y'all are cutting underneath this orc chart. the fish in
the water. The ESC folks that handle transportation, the attendance, the ESC attendance for transportation, they're being cut. Oh my god. Well, you'll say, "Well, there's too many of them." Well, now really, is there? That's always the answer. You know, it's
always the answer. We're always short folks in transportation. We all know that. Even though you're cutting lines, we all understand that. Let's hope that's not leading to some type of privatization situation because we absolutely will oppose that because we have outstanding drivers and attendants
that take great care of our students and have direct contact with students. Direct contact with students. I don't know. You know, we get tired of being the fish.
We really do. Some of us are floating dead on top of the water like it's been a red tide. Don't y'all feel like we've had a red tide? We got some kind of red tide happening here while those birds fly off, make their nests, and do what they do and have some, you know, big old
time. And I think it's time to take some of them out. Let's take a better look at this org chart. Get some of these birds grounded. Let them find another job. Maybe Houston. Good morning. My name is Stacy Maher.
Live in PMPO Beach, teacher, Broward County, almost 15 years. I'm here today on behalf of the EPS, the ESPs, the TSPs, all these groups notified of their potential layoffs. Your organizational chart, these layoffs were decided upon without following established
procedures and will directly affect our students. Instead of announcing layoffs among the top heavy administrative staff here in your Crystal Palace, the board has chosen to eliminate positions with direct student contact. This is not only fair, but it's dangerous. You're
attempting to pit teachers against teachers instead of supporting the educators who keep this district running. While we appreciate the 39 ESC and social worker positions you saved a couple weeks ago, let's be clear, 39 is not enough.
I witnessed your PowerPoint shuffle. You claim we aren't topheavy, yet we spend millions on consultants in highstakes testing, the very things driving students out of our district. The directive was supposed to be start
from the top and work your way down. Instead, the directive has been ignored. We are tired of the silence. We're tired of the lack of respect for our profession. Lee County, they're trying something different. Will it work? I don't know.
But at least they're trying. We need a real plan. Maybe the answer is to start cuts from your salary, from your positions, from the people in this room. Stand up for your teachers. Stop the layoffs. Protect our schools. Thank you.
Uh, good morning. Robert Kosell, Oakland Park, Florida 33311. Um, I have been a Broward County teacher for over 20 years, and I have seen many changes, usually at the expense of
teachers. However, this new organization chart is now aimed at all district employees. So, I ask you to please review and proceed carefully. I don't want to see anyone lose their job in this district, especially with
the current economy in Broward County. Still, I understand that changes must be made. Reducing employees seems like a temporary fix rather than a viable long-term solution. I consider it similar to putting a
band-aid on a bullet wound. Instead, I urge you to look for substantial changes. And one suggestion that I have come to offer you is a three-year plan to change all schools to a 4-day school week,
starting with your high schools. Savings on food and transportation alone would be significant. The school day would only need to be extended by one hour to make up for the core class time being lost by eliminating a day five. And I would also suggest that the
eliminate day be Monday instead of Friday since that is the day most holidays fall on. So I offer you to consider as part of your innovative options for repair in this district to
look out and find other solutions. Thank you. Good morning. Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. So, you keep hearing the public doesn't trust you. And the reason people bring
keep bringing it up because I'm pretty sure most of you know it is in the hopes that you will start doing things you've never done before. And that involves saying no when you should say no and saying yes when you should say yes. And if you wanted to find out who failed to
learn this lesson, go back to 2017 and watch the removed board because they had a history of saying yes to all the wrong things and saying no when they should have been saying yes. And as a result, five of them were recommended for
removal and you don't see them here anymore. In contrast, notice Mrs. Roupert is still with you because she was saying no to things that you should say no to. There's no mystery as to why she survived the last grand jury investigation.
She was not playing along. So, I appreciate that Madame Chair loves protocol and decorum and all that, but you know what? I love compliance with public records law, compliance with procurement law.
I do not have the MGT documents, but I do have the emails and it made for very interesting reading because I went through them all that I did get. So, and we'll get back to that in a second. This org chart is the board's responsibility
and you should be using data and best practices to create a framework for the redesign. Part of controlling is establishing standards for your superintendent to follow, which has not happened. Just for fun, I sent you guys a handout on what
my expectations would be if I were the of the board or advising you and it was actually my job to do that. I don't know how you're going to make recommendations. You don't even have the salaries or at least they're not being shared with the public. How are you going to know what you're cutting? You don't have the job descriptions attached
to today's items. So MGT recommended investing in AI and other automation, but not at the expense of necessary functions. It'll be very interesting to get the actual documents to see the disconnect and misinterpretations between what they
were saying and what they're actually doing here. They did recommend 15% cuts in each department, which shed some light on some of the random seeming things. And I'm going to point out a couple of pages here. On page three, they mention
the communications department. I'll make no bones that your chief of staff is one of my favorite targets these days. Um, all he did was add the word communications with marketing, consolidated an executive, but didn't actually consolidate. And then on page
nine, they mentioned consolidating assistant directors and directors. Why do you have a random assistant director of student services not reporting to the director of student support? It makes no sense. Say no. >> I'll read the next five speakers before
um the next speaker approaches the microphone. >> Pachusville, Thomas Hanwork, Kamika Newman, Lorraine Morris Fchin, and Cassandra Jackson Brown. >> Welcome.
I could I speak or wait? >> Yeah. No, go ahead. >> Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know what was happening. Okay. Zyra Lanches. Dear Field Beach, I'm hot. It's hot in here. Okay. So, I was struck a little bit by um Doc Oh, Madame Chair, board members,
Dr. Hburn. Hello. Um I was struck by your comment, Dr. Heburn when you ask the board about the organizational chart and saying if you guys change it, how are you going to evaluate me? Well, you're not evaluated on how well you
make an org chart, sir. You're evaluated based on student outcomes and Florida statute 1.42 tells you. So, we don't evaluate how many uh deputies you have, chiefs, deputy superintendent.
Um they it's really on student outcomes, teacher retention, and fiscal sanity. Claiming you can't be held accountable unless your specific org chart remains untouched. It's like a captain saying he can't be blamed for hitting an iceberg because the board suggested he hired
fewer deck officers and more lookouts. The chart isn't a personal staff list, sir. It's a public budget. If you feel that if the superintendent feels he can only lead by pro protecting administrative bloat while the district
faces a $90 million shortfall and possibly referendum not passing. Then he's giving you the evaluation you need right now. Pay attention board members. You aren't here to manage his vision. You're here to manage the
taxpayers's money. And we want to know where it is and why y'all keep spending it the way you do. Don't let the reorg games distract you from your fiduciary duty. You set the goal. He manages the resources you
provide. If he can't do that, again, that's his evaluation right there. Fix the chart and put the focus back on the children and teachers. Thomas Hamburg Sunrise. It's already been established that these positions are valuable. Schools do not
function without them. So today, the question is no longer whether these cuts are harmful. That question is settled. The question is whether the board will uh address the problem that is actually driving this crisis. This is not an efficiency problem. It cannot be solved through cuts. It's a political problem
imposed from outside the district and it will only be solved through sustained political action. Broward is not unique. Districts across Florida face the same math as a result of the same policy. Charters, vouchers, so-called choice programs are pushed aggressively by the
governor are draining public districts, funneling students into segregated scam schools that allow student funding to be laundered. Conditions will only change when districts stop covering for the governor and start forcing accountability upward. You must act immediately and decisively. Stop
describing these layoffs as enrollment decline. adopt a formal resolution stating that the service cuts are the result of state level charter and voucher expansion. Silence allows Tallahassee to frame this as local mismanagement. Shift respons responsibility where it
belongs. Coordinate with other affected districts and stand openly with teachers, staff, parents, and students. You're blessed with a workforce that spends its own money, absorbs impossible workloads, and is deeply discontented because they see the damage every day. Their anger is an asset.
Escalate beyond this room. Use the press. Mobilize parents and teachers. Launch media blitzes. Invite expert testimony and cameras. File lawsuits. Turn meetings into battlegrounds. Your sole duty is to ensure that children receive a fair quality education. You
have no duty beyond that. When state policy undermines that duty, it is your ethical responsibility to confront it as aggressively as possible. Um, administrators manage damage. leadership acts to stop it. This is your
moment. Thank you. >> Good morning board members. My name is Kamika Newman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Um, I'm here to speak for all voices, big and small, who feel silenced by contracts, obligations, and fear of
retaliation, and cannot speak for themselves. Many board members here today have forgotten that you are elected officials. You work for the public. The public does not work for you. While saying this, my dissatisfaction in
this board is evident. I'm asking for a refund of my tax dollars. Will it happen? Probably not. But everybody in this room can understand why. This board made a decision back in August that has left a severe financial
impact for the food and nutrition department of the Broward County School Boards. And I'm going to explain why. The food and nutrition department of Broward County School is a self- sustaining department. That means that no taxpayer dollars, no general funding
from the district pays for anything in that department. The money from that department comes from the US Department of Agriculture and the reimburseable meals from each school. Therefore, I cannot understand how they are being strong armed into doing what this
department wants when none of your funding pays for anything over there. It is from the US Department of Agriculture. With this being said, those funds help to purchase food, support operations, pay
employees salaries, and ensure that there is a enough money to repurchase food so that we can continue to feed the children in this district. The the employees of this district are expected to feed children when they come
there. But many of them go home unable to feed their own families and their own children. Asking hardworking employees to absorb rising insurance costs, shrinking paychecks, and withheld re raises is unconscionable.
I said, "Thank you, but you can't get a raise. Also, we raising your insurance and we know that you sustain your own money, but you can't use that money to give your employees raises even though you can because we made a debacle on our side. So, it would look bad if your
employees get raises and we don't have the money to give our employees raises. So, we can't look bad. But those people, they work for that money. Do you know what it's called when people work for money and then someone else dictates what they can do with that money?
They have a name for that. That is financial exploitation rooted in systematic inequality. >> That is that's definitely what it is. It's not appreciation. You you can't appreciate somebody for the money that they work for. I want
every one of you board members to take a test. When you get paid next Friday, take your paycheck, give it to somebody else, let them manage your finances for the money that you work for. And then you come back at the next board meeting and tell me how that worked out for you.
Cuz that's basically what you're asking the food and nutrition department to do. At the last board meeting, the former director of food and nutrition along with the director of finances tried to explain to you what your wish would do to people, thousands and thousands of
employees. You heard them because everyone in this room can hear. You did not listen to what they were trying to tell you. and that is your fault, not theirs. This board needs to figure out how they're going to accommodate that. Thank you.
Hello, I'm Lorraine Morris Vashan of Sunrise, Florida, a 35-year vet teacher and also a proud graduate of Plantation High School, class of 86. Good morning,
district leadership. R E S P E C T I am here to tell you what this means to all of us that are here. We all want you to do for us. What we want you to do for us is to give it to us here at home. Broward County
Schools is respect. Can we get just a little? I stand here today beha on behalf of the Broward Teachers Union stewards and the educators and staff members who show up every single day for our children even when they they're
tired, they're overwhelmed and uncertain about their own future. And today I came with one word in my spirit and that's respect. Not just respect as a slogan, not respect as a talking point, but
respect in action. Because behind every position listed on an on this org chart is a person, a teacher, a counselor, an employee who stayed late, brought supplies out of their own pocket, answered emails after hours, comforted
children in crisis, and carried schools through some of the hardest seasons we have ever seen. So when layoffs are discussed, when restructuring is proposed, we need this district to remember that
people are not disposable. Our educators and the rest of our bottom org chart friends are not just numbers. They can be moved that can be moved around on paper. They are the heartbeat of our schools.
And what our members are asking for is simple. Talk to us with transparency. Lead with compassion. Handle this process with dignity. And give educators the respect they have earned. Because respect sounds like timely
communication. Respect sounds like honesty. Respect sounds like making sure employees are supported before decisions are finalized. Our members understand that challenges exist. We understand budgets. We understand enrollment changes. But understanding the challenge
would never require silence about impact. And the impact is real. There are educators finishing this school year while quietly wondering how they will provide for their families, where they will work next year or whether their
years of service truly mattered. So today, we are asking district leadership to see the human side of these of these decisions. The Broward Teachers Union will continue to stand beside our members, advocate for our members, and fight for the respect every educator
deserve. Thank you. >> Thank you. Sorry, one second. Could you repeat your name for the record? I didn't capture it. >> Lorraine Morris hyphen Bashan. >> Thank you so much. >> Hello, my name is Cassandra Jackson
Brown. I'm for Lauderdale, Florida. I've been in the district for 19 years and I'm here on behalf of the SSIS who up until three weeks ago was not in this position of being eliminated
um two weeks ago. Thank you Thompson um board member Thompson for um putting in the motion to save our whole department. But once again, we're still here and on the chart has been eliminated.
We are first responders at our schools. We're accessible to all students. Even though we carry a load of 65 or more, we have access are accessible to all our schools. We work with our colleagues,
the social workers. We work with the family counselors. We work with the school counselors, the APS. We are there when they can't be there. So once again, I ask you to reconsider your decision in getting rid of our department. I heard
Dr. Zean mentioned at a board meeting that he has ways that you all could make cuts and keep the budget intact. Please explore it. We are here for the whole mental health
team. We're part of that team. We have direct impact on students. We see those students every day, Monday through Friday, as soon as we touch down on our campuses.
Reconsider. Thank you. >> And before the next speaker, I'll just read the next um five names. Dr. Trudy Germanovich, Judy Trenzo, Venice Jackson, Anna Fusco, and Liliana Ruido. if you could please approach the mic.
Welcome. Go ahead. >> Good morning. My name is Patrusville from Tamarak, Florida, and I hold a master's degree in mental health counseling and school counseling. Once again, we're here unfortunately still in
a state of confusion and chaos and with no clear understanding what direction we're going. This is a public meeting. If you want people to believe and to have the power and to achieve greatness, you have to lead with that. You have to give us the guidance to understand where
we're going. Because Dr. Martin Luther King says, "The ultimate measure of a person is not where you stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where you stand at times of challenge and chaos and confusion. I work for the mental health department, SSIS. We are
here to provide support. This is mental health awareness month and we're not doing okay. The teachers are not doing okay. School staff members are not doing okay. District staff members are not doing okay. We're supposed to be providing
support to the kids. We're in a crisis. The kids are in a crisis. If the adults are in a crisis, where do you where are we leaving the kids? How can we provide good support to the kids? How can we actually come in and achieve these goals that you want us to achieve to maintain
a A-rated school system where we're in chaos and confusion? The leaders are not leading. Yesterday was Mother's Day and today I'm coming in. I'm getting messages, emails from students. You're like a mother at the school for us. And if you're not here, how are we going to
move forward? How are we going to be successful? We work with the team. We don't only support the students. We support the staff. We're here for the staff because when the staff is burnt out, the school counselors right now testing, I should be there supporting them because they're doing testing. Some
of them are proctors. So when there's a crisis, who they're calling, who's part of the text train like, "Hey, Missville, you're going to be the front person cuz we we're proctoring today." But instead of being there to support the staff and support the school to maintain a A-rated
school, I'm here and I'm not doing okay. And we need to make this right. You need to make sure we can believe in you all have the power to do what we signed up to do and to achieve greatness and to get that a we're not here for the money
cuz if we wanted to we could all leave. Other districts are paying us. I came from New York City and I decided to take a pay cut cuz I wanted a different lifestyle for my child. But trust and believe me, the money I was making in New York, I'm not making it here. So, we're not here for the money. We're here
for the well-being and wellness of our children, our personal children, and the children we foster when we go into these school system. These teachers, we're not just teachers. We're not just bodies. We are people that are here to provide support to and be able to achieve to
believe the power that we could achieve greatness and success from our children. Please save the SSIS and supervisor's position. >> Thank you. And I'll just call the next five names as well. Terry Price, Sheena Newton, Relle Zoffer, Erica Hansinger,
and yeah, go ahead. My name is Dr. Trudy Germanovich of Fort Lauderdale. So many issues, but I have to address the fact that written comments were a problem. Also this weekend, I received frustrated private messages from people who tried but could
not get the Granicus system to work. The beginning of the year, I spoke out about how the entire website site had several glitches and nowhere for anyone to report problems. People who cannot come in person need a place which works to have their public comments considered by
this board and the public. The public should have had access to make a written comment up to 8 a.m. today for this very late notice special school board meeting because that's what's in policy. and you're going to eliminate many lower
level jobs that are critical to this organization. They only had till 2 PM on Sunday on Mother's Day. Why didn't they have till 8:00 a.m. this morning? Please direct the superintendent to follow policy as far as written comments. I
made sure the board saw the comments by sending each of you a long email, which I hope you got with the comments that were submitted. In comparing the positions that are being eliminated on this org chart, I can only point out that too many critical positions of counselors, ESPs, teachers, and support
staff that have been working directly in the schools and yet they are listed to be eliminated. I ask again, why can't this superintendent follow the lead of Lee County Superintendent? She found over 23 million by eliminating upper
level administrators. That's not what's happening here. This superintendent seems to believe that the upper level administrators are indispensable. There were a minimal number of eliminations of those above the line in the district positions. There have been a history of having
highle people go into schools and simply tell others what they're doing wrong. To put it simply, this is where micromanagement of teachers and principles and other staff begins. And that should stop right now. And searching, I was able to find and
compare an organizational chart from the early 2000s when Broward School District had not yet lost students. That was not topheavy organizational chart. It was a very short organizational chart. They
put the resources into the schools. This org chart should not be passed in its present form. You need to keep the people that are doing the work. Thank you. >> Next speaker.
>> Good morning, Lilianao. Um, BTU. Um, and I want to start by saying I trust you. I trust you to do the right thing today. I trust you that you are going to consider all of the people, all of the employees
that work one-on-one with the students, those who are putting down fires out there. Um, I do know that the majority of you who are sitting up there were teachers once. Um, and it's things have changed. things are not the same and
it's very um concerning right now for some of the teachers thinking okay I have a job today but I don't know if tomorrow I will I say I'm going to say again that I do trust you I do trust you to believe in what we do out there I do
trust you for you before you cut or eliminate certain positions look at certain positions that probably are not as needed uh in the directive area I will say and and reconsider those who
are in the front that I will say that part but the other part I will say it's I am kind of concerned because you keep saying that you are going to cut teachers but when we go to schools classrooms are overcrowded
and uh it's concerning that when you see a classroom with 50 students 60 students at times You think okay we always say and we always preach that we care about the students and we want to do the right
thing by them but it's kind of impossible when you have 50 60 students at once. So I'm going to ask you again to reconsider what you are doing and before you make any cut. Uh don't forget also those who work straight with mental
health like guidance counselors, social workers, um SSI I would say uh you you got to see how you do it because uh we live in thriving times. Things are not the same. Our students need lots and lots of support and guidance and by you
cutting this type of position I will say it's it you send a very strong message that you know we say is about the students but you will let go certain positions that are directed to help our students and keep our students you know
in a in a in a way that they feel comfortable. They have somebody that they can trust and they can speak. And that's why again I'm going to say um I do trust you because I understand sitting up there is not easy but at the
same time you you have a duty um to represent us. You have uh you you are the voice. you have the final decision when when you vote. And everybody here um knows that teachers out there are struggling
and they should not be touched. Again, I trust you. Do the right thing. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next speaker. Please state your name for the record, please. >> Judy Tronzo. >> Judy.
Is there a Judy? >> Is there a Judy? >> They're out of order. Just say her name. Just go ahead. She was called. >> Okay. Go ahead. State your name for the record, please. >> Venice Jackson. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> Okay. Venice Jackson from the training department. All right. I'm going to start off with a couple of things.
First, dur I spoke during one of the first meetings. And at that time, it was brought up employees that have been here for over 20 years, such as myself, within 5 years of being able to retire. Now, I've seen somewhere in the contract where it says that you're not supposed
to eliminate somebody that is within a few years of being vested. So, how do you decide not to eliminate somebody that's within a few years of being vested? But you'll turn around and you'll eliminate an employee that's a few years from retiring, who has
dedicated their life to this department, to this organization, making little to nothing, peanuts, and now here we are at the end of our career possibly. And then you'll say, "Okay, never mind that she has 25, 28 years, you know, whatever. We'll go ahead and eliminate that
person. Somebody please help me make that make sense." The second part of that is, I know that you have to make cuts and it's hard a hard decision to make or whatever. And you said that you wouldn't touch anyone that was directly responsible for the children. Transportation, we're the first ones
that they see. Those bus operators and those bus attendants, those the first ones they see. Okay? Without the proper training, this can make or break their day. Okay. When they come in with those bus operators and those bus attendants or whatever, then they have to be trained in order to know how to respond
to crisises, students having bad days, ESC students, students that can't speak. They have to be trained in order to handle these type of things or whatever. So, how on earth in a transportation department do you have a training team and no training supervisor? That would
be me. All of that training comes through my department. every bus operator, every bus attendant, if they need to be retrained, if they need to go back through training again because they're lacking management skills, if they're lacking communication skills, if they're last lacking p passenger
management skills, all of that comes through my department. So, I'm trying to understand how do you have trainers that are out on the road and that's their primary responsibility to be out there on the road teaching these new people that are going to start working with our children. Okay. How do you decide that
you're eliminating these? Okay, how do you decide that you're eliminating bus operators or whatever? Now you have students on side of the road for extended periods of time because we don't have enough bus operators. Or how about this? Now you have them on the bus for two and three hours because the
route is extended because you don't have enough bus operators. Now you're going to start to get phone calls from the parents because their child is urinating themselves or something on the bus because they've been on the bus for so long and they didn't get a chance to go to the bathroom before they left. Or how about this? That parent that's about to
get reprimanded because they're late for work every day because the bus operators are doing so many different things and all of these additional routes are being attached to their route so that they can get these students because we can't leave any students left behind. So while I understand you have to make cuts, the
sacrifice has to be worth the reward and in transportation is not. >> Thank you. Next speaker, please please state your name for the record. Hi, my name is Erikica Hansinger. Good morning, school board members, superintendent, district leadership, and
members of the community. I'm a parent, an educator, BTU steward, and proud City of Sunrise resident. I'm here today because the decisions on this or organizational chart are not just boxes, titles, and budget lines. They are children. They are families. They are
the adults who know how to step in before a crisis becomes a tragedy. This weekend, I witnessed a child have a serious mental health break. I will not say her name because she deserves dignity and protection. But I will say this, it was bad. She was overwhelmed emotionally up and down, physically
aching, repeating herself, and trying to survive feelings that no child should have to carry alone. And in that moment, I was reminded that schools cannot run on luck. I am one person. I am one parent, an educator in the city of Sunrise residents. I know how to
research. I know how to ask questions. I know how to call agencies, email the right people, push through red tape, and advocate because advocacy is in my blood. But I keep asking myself, what happens to the families who do not know where to start?
What happens to the grandmother raising a child who does not know what heart is? What happens to the guardian who does not know which office to call, which forms to sign, which agency to contact, and how to explain that a child is in crisis without being ignored, blamed, or
bounced around like a basketball. This is why these positions matter. Because trained counselors, social workers, family counselors, family psychologists, and mental health professionals are not just helping children. They are helping families navigate systems that can feel impossible when you are scared,
exhausted, working two jobs, and trying to keep a child safe because we we cannot hope the right adult happens to be nearby. We cannot ask teachers to be counselors, social workers, crisis responders, case managers, trauma specialists, and classroom structures
all at once. Teachers love children. We show up. We make the call. We stay late. We do human things. We we love but love is not a system. A hallway conversation is not a mental health plan. And a child in crisis should not have to wait for
the system to figure out who is still on the organizational chart. Programs like heart and mckenny Vento matter. School-based counselors are vital. They actually have boots on the ground. Family counselors matter. School psychologists matter. There are these are not extras. These are not these are
safety nets. I also want to publicly honor people like Melanie Taylor. Melanie was a was the one-of-a-kind counselor who became a light for families, including mine during one of the hardest seasons of my life. She helped my own children feel seen and supported. That work does not always
show up neatly in spreadsheets. But it shows up in children who stay connected, stay hopeful, and stay alive. And yet, after 13 years of serving the district, you let her go. So when we talk about eliminating, absorbing, redistricting, or realigning these positions, I need us
to speak >> plainly. Thank you. Next speaker, please. >> Hello, Terry Lopez Price, vice president of the Broward Teachers Union. I I don't even know what I'm going to say or what can be said at this point. It's a bit
horrifying to see that with all that we have fought as a society that I'm looking at billionaires just bilking us. And I'm talking not just to you guys because what you have to do is difficult. I'm talking to the public who are not aware of how these things are
working, of how laws are being made by people who are invested in charter schools and private schools and vouchers who are making decisions up there and in Tallahassee. Someone spoke earlier about how we lost many people in our board. Yes, we did. And it was filled with
others and those others have made some of the decisions that you are dealing with now. And the people who are against public education, the people who are guiding these decisions are the same people who are breaking up unions. Oh, and not all unions. No, mostly the ones
where the teachers and the nurses are um I don't know, maybe people with ovaries. I don't know. How can they carve out the police and the firefighters and say that only our unions are going to be destroyed? Well, let's not pay them. And in the meantime, we'll just destroy the unions because the unions are the ones
that are fighting for the people. Every year we're told there's no money and every year we find a way to get a raise. And this year even our forensic financial people as well as yours and all of the bargaining unit agencies have known there is no money. Well, I've been
hearing since 2011 since I started coming here when I was appointed by uh Representative Murray to district advisory council. I've been hearing how you don't budget. Not you necessarily. This board has never budgeted for the employees at the beginning. No, you
don't budget at the beginning. That just doesn't make any sense, does it? It's the biggest expenditure. How many times did I have to hear Norah Rert Robin Bartleman say, "Why aren't we putting money aside for the teachers and our employees first?" People over products.
Too many people with grubby hands who already have a lot of money are making these decisions, are paying off people in Tallahassee, here in all of our government. And if the public doesn't wake up and smell the roses, I don't know what to say because we found out
that 12 to 20% of teachers vote. Unless they're members of the union, then there's about 60 to 90% vote. Well, of course, then they're going to destroy the unions. So, we don't have any teachers voting on these kinds of things that are happening here right now.
There's no money. It's going to testing billionaires. It's going to vouchers, billionaires. It's going everywhere except with the kids. And I've been saying and President Fusco has been saying over and over again since we were elected in 2016,
people over products. The Nordic countries have figured that out. They're not using computers anymore. They said, "No, those Americans are nuts with all their computers. We're going back to paper and pencil and we're going back to books." Get the message. >> Thank you. Next speaker,
>> Rochelle Silver, Coconut Creek, Florida. I'm glad I've got some eyes on me today. I don't have to ask like I had to ask last time. So, some of you guys greeted us with good morning. I really wanted to say back, who is it good for? It's good for you all. Not so much those of us here
who should be with our kids teaching and instructing, but we're taking time out of our own day to appeal to you guys to save the jobs of those who we work with. So, I know that some of you have finally got the message. So, last week when I said, "I don't trust you." Well, that's
changed. I trust some of you. You're building trust, but we're not quite there yet. See, those who are elected up here, I'm trusting you more. Okay? I'm feeling a little bit more love, but I'm not feeling the love for those who are in the schools in the district directly
with the children. The bus drivers, you heard their plea. Or maybe you didn't because you were too busy with your cell phones. The SSIS, we heard their plea. Did you? Were you on your phone or did you actually hear us? Here's the thing. I'm a little feisty again. And I'm tired of being so feisty with you guys. But I'm
here to save the jobs of my colleagues as well. So, when we're offering a company, a vendor, up to $150,000 to recruit kids to come back to a local middle school, why can't we offer that to a school
social worker who might be cut? That $150,000 at 850 ahead comes out to about 118 kids. That's two social worker jobs, my friends. Why do we have to go to a vendor? Why can't we keep our own employees employed and offer them the
same? See, this is where we keep swinging and missing. We had someone say to me, "Well, I'm not a soccer parent. I'm a baseball parent." Well, stop striking out, guys. Stop striking out. Stop pissing away the money to vendors when we have employees who could be
doing it ourselves. I see again, eyes are anywhere but on me. That is so not appreciated. In a classroom, I would all be going right up to you on your desk because I don't know why my words are less important than what's in front of you.
just looking watching because it was abundantly clear last week on my speech who was paying attention, who was not paying attention. I defended most of you, but the one who was not paying attention, the camera said it all. And I hope for those who are here in the audience that
were panning and seeing who's not paying attention cuz I want it to be known. Rochelle Sofur, Coconut Creek, you hear the name. I'm not going anywhere. Some of you might. Next speaker. >> Hi, I'm Judy Tranzo
and I'm >> microphone. >> All right. Like this. Yeah. Yes. Right. Cuz I'm short. Thanks. Um, okay. So, I'm still nervous. This is the second time speaking in public and I'm
only doing it because we matter and most importantly our students matter. Who's your grandchildren and your child? Um I know the school board
screwed up the budget. I understand that. I know we're paying for several superintendent now. some of them working in another state making more money. I know that I don't think we can control that. So, I'm
trying to let it go. It's kind of challenging, but um I just don't it's hard to put into words. I don't know why we have to be here. I don't know why we keep we keep coming,
but in my opinion, I don't know if anybody's listening. Now, hopefully I'm wrong cuz there's times when I really want to be wrong, and this is one of them, but um we need the referendum. That's
important. We shouldn't have to pay for our health insurance at all because it's not like we make a lot of money. But Anna Fusco, if she says something needs to be done, then I I trust her. She's
the best. And it's a shame that you guys don't listen to her cuz if you did, this place would be running really well. Um, but anyway, it's not and that's how it is.
So I just think that we should not cut people at the end at the end. All of us are working with the students. We see them. We know them. We work overtime. I don't know if there's a person in this room that hasn't worked hours on their
time because it affect because it impacts the child. I'm supposed to be testing right now, but instead I had to do a TDA to come here to speak. I would rather be helping
these students graduate. But I can't because if I don't do that, there could be many people in this room, including myself, without a job. And then how do we pay our bills? How do we put food on our table? How do we keep
a roof over our head? And why do we have to have those questions? Most of us, I've been in this school district for uh 24 year, 25 years, something like that. So, I just never fathomed
this situation. Now, I understand there's a budget cut, but construction people are getting paid per job and not per hour, which is why they're off taking a nap. >> Thank you so much. Can you Can you excuse me? Can you state your name again for the
record? >> Judy Tranzo. >> Thank you. >> Is there any more registered speakers? >> Go ahead. Can you state your name for the record, please? >> Hi, my name is Sheena Newton. I'm the
assistant director of the business support center. And I'd like to say good morning to everyone, board members, superintendent. Um, I'm kind of upset and depressed right now cuz this
is happening to me. I've been very loyal to the district for 29 years. I actually prepared a speech. I can't even read the speech because of how I feel right now. I've been here for 29 years and I gave my all. My all to the district, to the
students. I did everything possible. I never been written up. I've been a good employee. Don't have an attendance problem. But unfortunately, I did receive a letter to be nonrenewed. Not so much my job being cut off the or chart, it's just that I'm being
non-renewed due to someone that's going to take that position who got cut off the or chart. And I just think it's unfair because I show so much loyal to this district and I don't feel that I'm receiving that loyalty back and it
really hurts me to my heart because I graduated from this district, class of 89 at Diller High School. I worked my way up in this district. I went back to school and got my degree and I moved up. I'm one of the little babies that
started in here and moved up in this district. I work hard to get where I am today and I feel like everything has been stripped away from me in 29 years of service and I just feel it's so unfair to me and I'm saying this from my
heart please look at this I just don't see why someone who's been dedicated to students I was over internal funds account every principal in the district call me I give them advice advice what
to do and what not to do according to state statutes. I am a strictler to following the rules and anything that keeps the district out of trouble, I was there to do that. I was an auditor in this district. I served in many
different capacities and I worked my way up and I just feel like my life has been taken away from me. I have two kids in college now. I have to tell them they won't be able to go to college anymore because I won't be able to afford it.
Unfortunately, that's what's going on in my life right now. And I just felt like I needed to share that. I didn't want to do it, but I just feel like you need to know cuz it's things that you do not know what's going on with people who pour their heart out to you all to make
this district to be a a district and to be successful. One of the best districts to work for. But the way I feel, I don't know that anymore. Thank you. >> Thank you very Thank you very much. Is
there any further speakers? or else. >> My name is Mai Henry of Davyy, Florida. I was a student from Nova High School. I graduated in 2023. My mother's been a union teacher for nearly 20 years. I think the measure on this on the on the
table is really detrimental to our our students, to our staff. The board is largely concerned about budget cuts and the nature of the amounts of money in the general funds budget. But we have to understand if we're going to cut um
hundreds of teachers from from our staff, we're going to cut hundreds of educational uh professionals, we are going to be doing a disservice to our students. We are going to be doing a disservice to their county. If we're concerned about the number of students
in our schools over the long term, we are going to be dismantling public education in this county. Because if parents know that the people who are going to be taking care of our kids, keeping them safe, aren't going to be employed in our district anymore, we are going to be dismantling our confidence
in those in our institutions. Right? And consider under this operational plan, there are 57 campus monitors who are set to lose their jobs. There are nearly a dozen elementary school counselors set to lose their jobs. There are nearly I believe uh three dozen uh ISPs who are
set to lose their jobs under this organizational plan. I think we are doing them a disservice. This will only serve to dismantle public education in this district because when parents start to lose confidence in this district, they won't be willing to send their kids to this district. And if we're really
concerned about keeping fun, keeping students, keeping enrollment here, then this plan only hurts the people we are most concerned about. I think frankly, as it's constructed, it's an anti-school safety agenda. If we're getting rid of those campus monitors, this is the same
district where Parkland happened and we said never again. We can't allow this to happen in our communities. My name is Mai Henry. I'm running for school board in District 6. Thank you. son of Broward at sonofbroward.org. Thank you so much.
>> Next speaker, please. >> Just a point of order. There's a delay because people are in that other room. They're not hearing their names. President Fusco is definitely speaking and some others probably as well. Thank you. >> Okay. General counsel, can you go ahead? >> Point of order. Chair, >> hold on.
>> Can the general counsel speak on policy? >> Board member Alading. Board member Alhadev, I just called on general counsel to speak. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I I just want to make sure that the the public is aware that there is no
campaigning during public comment. There are very specific laws, both state and federal law, that prohibits political activities during a government meeting and other government matters. So, we would appreciate that you are in compliance with state and federal law as
well as board policy. Vice Chair, point of order. >> Thank you, general counsel. Board member Alhadav. >> No, that was me. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Board member Thompson, did you have something to say? >> Yes. Could you just reread the list of
names? That's what our chair usually does to make sure no one's being >> Okay. So, we have one more speaker, which >> but she usually reads the names that weren't checked off. >> Okay. So, Anna Fusco and Delvin King.
Okay, Anna Fusco, go ahead. >> Anna Fusco, Broward, Teachers Union President. I was hoping you all would have caught that last one. Um, so you heard from a lot of people today and again, Anna Fusco Brower, teachers union president represent three groups
here that all of them are affected on the org chart and um, let's call it what it is. We cannot miss the message that you guys gave. do not affect employees that directly impact
students. How many more times is that going to happen? So, I'm hoping you guys fix that today. It's on you. Don't let that little tactic you can't get in into everyday operations. This is not everyday operations. As I said at the last few board meetings, you're not going to see the impact now because
they're here. What you will see that impact will happen the first week of school. Mark my words, you guys. Make sure you got that on video. it's going to come back cuz I will be the one to say I told you so. So I suggest you all follow the lead of Nora and Adam who
have been steadfast on making sure that nobody gets impacted that work with students. Jeff, I really hope you bring back that call to not have 3,000 employees
laid off, jobs cut, positions gone. It's It's not going to work. I'm telling you, we are at skeletal in our schools. I don't know how you don't know and see it. I challenge you to walk a week with
me. Really walk a week with Anna Fusco and get the real stuff that's going on. Not the dog and pony shows you get because everybody's afraid. And I'm not trying to insult my admin. We have grown together. All working groups are working together.
100% of the working groups, the 9010. Thank you for that. That is huge. That referendum is going to win in November. It's going to be big. We were hoping when you did do this decision to cut these employees and fix up the budget that you still wouldn't come at us with the insurance, but yet you still are.
And I need you to speak openly about really where the budget is before you do this or chart of why you're doing it. Really where we're impacting of why you're coming after employees to pay into their insurance. There's multiple reasons why the Broward teachers union
took that position to be the less impact for the employees of Broward County Public Schools because your attorney and your superintendent wouldn't push back the impass. So, if we don't ratify tomorrow, we're at impass on Wednesday night. There's that. I'll be standing
before you as as our judges, which we we know what you're going to do, what you think you have to do. I hope you could change your minds with this impactfulness of a thousand people being let go. It's going to impact our schools. I'm telling you over and over again. Do not pass this or chart. We're
making significant changes today. >> Thank you, Mr. Hill. Is that it for speakers? >> That concludes our public comments. >> Thank you. Um I now turn it over to the superintendent. I'm sorry, general counsel. You may go ahead. >> Thank you. I I just want to make sure
that those that were called that did not come to the mic that they we make sure that perhaps they didn't hear us. So I just want to make sure that we put that on the record. >> Okay. So we only have one speaker, Delvin King. Is Delvin King here? Okay.
Very good. So I now turn it over to the superintendent for remarks and a quick presentation. >> Um thank you um Dr. Hoes. Um and um thank you chair uh school board members, staff, public. Today's item is more than an organizational chart. It's about
operating an operating framework required to lead Broward County Public Schools with clarity, accountability, and discipline during a period of significant financial and enrollment challenges. As superintendent and chief executive officer of this district, I'm accountable for the framework,
strategies, and execution of both district operations and teaching and learning. That responsibility requires an organizational structure that clearly defines leadership, aligns resources to priorities, reduces duplications, strengthens coordination, and ensures
that every major function of the district is connected to student achievement, school support, operational effectiveness, and long-term financial stability. The proposed organizational chart is an important component of that work. It reflects board feedback which is highlighted in yellow shading on the
org chart and a deliberate effort to align staffing and leadership responsibilities with current conditions while preserving our core mission. Highquality instruction, safe and supportive schools, essential services, and meaningful support for students and families. These decisions are not easy
and I recognize the human impact of any staffing reorganization. However, responsible leadership requires that we make difficult decisions in a thoughtful, transparent, and student- centered manner. My my commitment is to continue leading this work with accountability, compassion, and focus so
that Broward County Public Schools is structured not only to meet today's challenges, but to operate more effectively and sustainably for the future. Going to have Beacon, if you can pull the the presentation up for me, please. And so we can dive right into uh slide
two. Thank you. Uh so just want to remind the board of of of why we're here and and how we got to uh where we are as far as the difficult decisions that we've had to made. I've we've heard about the number of students that we've declined by reduced by in the past 10 years. But I want to make it more
recent. In the past three years, we've declined by approximately 25 th uh 25,000 students, which equates to about $225 million in revenue loss. Every student that we receive, we get revenue for. Every student that we uh uh lose, we lose revenue for. Um and then as a
result, uh some things that that have not happened in in quite some time is also aligning our staffing. Um as we've aligned some of our school or or facilities reductions to meet the to meet the reality of our declining enrollment. Um and that's reducing by
1,000 positions. Next slide. Also, as you've heard from the public and myself um especially um that this is not a unique problem to to uh Broward County Public Schools, this is going on across the state and also across the nations and and depending on where you
are, many variables contribute to this. Um South Florida, we have affordability issues, immigration issues, um and also for uh national that's common amongst all school districts is the decline in birth rates across the country. Um, as you as you can see, uh, this is survey
2. To survey 2, we actually collect student enrollment data in October of every year. Um, and so this is October of 2024, 2025 compared to just this past October in this current school year. Um, and you see the decline in enrollment
for uh, seven of the large school districts in the in the state with Miami Day having the largest because they're about 100,000 students more than us. Uh, so not a unique problem to us. We also continue, as with all of these districts, continue to lose enrollment
throughout the year after that October count, which equates to our number of 10,000. Um, and so that's how we uh u we get a projection from the state. We look at our numbers that we steadily lose throughout the school year, and we and we create a a good uh prediction for the
upcoming school year. Um, next slide, please. Also, uh specific on the timeline, there's a uh uh my initial initiative and also board direction of of uh reducing our positions by a thousand. uh we uh took that uh to heart and ensuring
that we're not impacting our school sites and we did a extensive analysis also working with a third party assurance vendor just to make sure we're on the right track and and um understanding how our benchmark looks compared to other systems our size um and getting some comparative analysis
and and examining our risk and reward during that process. We also had a workshop that initial workshop uh where the school board gave some discussions and also some directions that we've embedded into the current work chart that's before you today on the agenda. Um but today is a final decision um point for this recommen recommended plan
and as you as you as you've heard from most of the speakers today and I've heard u throughout um some other constituents is that uncertain uncertainty is real. Um and so we need to make a final decision so we can move forward. U contact any newly impacted
employees and start revving up the system to support our impact employees just to make sure they land in a comparable um employment opportunity that's going to benefit them and also uh start our um our process uh which usually starts this time of the year all
leading leading up to the start of the school year as well. all the personnel components that need to happen. Um that takes some time to do it the right way. Next slide. Beacon. Also, um as I said before, this this uh initiative has not concentrated on
school-based positions at all. It's concentrated on districtf funded positions. And we've kind of put the district positions into two separate buckets. Central office and central operations. central operations are key components to ensure that our district
is operating um and uh high functioning at the operational level. It those positions and central operation they do not reduce one for one um like uh a central office position or even school-based positions when when you have a decline in enrollment. So, it's
easier for us to mitigate the risk on central office positions because you you can't mitigate that type of risk in central oper operations when you lose a bus driver um or when you lose a food and nutrition staff or when you lose facility staff because many of those key
components still have to function even in the midst of declining enrollment because we still have the buildings, we still have the routes. Uh so we concentrated many of our efforts on central office because we can mitigate that risk. So we can ensure the services that are being provided and operate in this district uh can continue with less
positions in the central office realm. And as a result um total reductions in central office of 22% only 9% of those uh 22% uh reduction is actually with filled positions with people in those positions. For central operations only
11% and only 1% of central operation positions are actually filled uh with current employees. school-based positions. We have not touched those at all with this initiative. That is zero zero zero with this initiative.
Uh next slide beacon. Also just to emphasize uh central operations and and how it functions does not it does not um um reduce one for one with enrollment I i.e. uh transportation. Uh if we have 50 kids on that bus today and there's 35
kids on that bus next year, we still need a bus driver. Mhm. >> So we can't reduce many central operation positions um that colle that uh you know correlate to a reduction in students. Uh so we were very strategic
in ensuring that we're mitigating the right amount of risk when it comes to central operations and that's why you're going to see fewer cuts or reductions in that area versus others. Um and this just goes over um you know we have 61 6100 employees that are uh
funded um from the district and not on school-based um budgets and 3,000 of those positions are are central office. The rest are central operations. Uh and again just emphasizing um that only 9% out of the 22% that we've that we've
reduced in central operations actually are field positions. uh so the the positions carry the least amount of risks risk so we can continue um operational uh success across the district and doing what we need to do. You know our priorities and principles
in this whole entire strategy was about protecting the classroom and also ensuring that we can manage the risk um versus the reward. Next slide beacon. And so um the the uh as we did our analysis you know we we can't just
evenly across the board um implement reductions. We really have to we've sat back as a team and also myself and uh actually analyzing the risk and reward and and knowing that it's not even and several questions that we asked ourselves the operational risk. uh
what's the what's the capacity needed to keep our schools successful in the midst of declining enrollment in the midst of reducing staff at the same time? What's the cost reward? What what reductions create the best recurring savings while mitigating risk across the board? And
then for vacancy opportunities, right? That that was forefront in our minds for positions that we're going to have to reduce that are have employees filling those positions. What uh reductions can uh can equate to the least amount of
employees being impacted by while also uh ensuring that we have positions in in uh recurring vacancies that we know of year to year that we can staff those individuals in and also just maintaining service continuity across the board. We're trying to minimize disruptions as
much as much as possible um with this initiative. Next slide again. So, for the thousand positions that were reduced, um only 300 of them actually are filled with current employees and 700 of them are vacant positions. Um
this goes back to our hard hiring freeze that we implemented in around December just to ensure that we're not bringing in new employees that we ultimately have to um cut at the end of the year. Uh so we were very strategic in that knowing that we're going to have some vacancies and you know not impact as many
employees as anticipated. Um with that said all across the board of BCPS all of our staff all of our employees the current employees that are being reduced that are in positions that are filled are only 1% of the entire organization
for Broward County Public Schools. 80 to 90% of those impacted employees will qualify for projected openings and they could take advantage of those openings if they see fit. I mean, currently it equates to a $54 million um in savings
um for the district. Also, placement strategy. We are prioritizing our employees that are impacted through this initiative to ensure that they have priority to be placed in positions that are vacant or currently open. And I know the HR team has already placed some of those
positions and they're continuing to work with those impacted employees as well just to uh offer the opportunities for positions that are available now and we know that will be available in the near future as well. Um, and so looking at qualification reviews for certification,
experience, um, and matching them up for those projected vacancies. Um, and also if if uh if there's a a instance where a person doesn't qualify for for a position that we offer, we have a strong partnership with Career Source. have been working with our HR team since
January to prepare themselves to assist us in this initiative just to make sure our staff have comparable employment opportunities um as we move forward. As I said before, May 11th, today is a decision point uh for the recommended
reductions. Um there's a a lot of next steps that happen starting tomorrow. If there's additional impact in employees, we need to notify them immediately. Um, but we also need our entire organization to have a level of certainty about what what is going to happen after tomorrow
and how we're going to support um our staff and also principles and and school leaders uh knowing what projected openings they're they're going to have with the employees that will be available to fill those positions moving forward and all the the tangible things
that the HR division does starting now all the way to um the beginning of the school year to fill positions across the across schools and across across the district. Also, I know uh we're going to discuss um some org chart shifts and even
probably some u positions below the line as well. Um, one thing I asked the board is one, if there are recommendations for certain um, shifts to bring back employees or to delimit positions that you give the opportunity to myself and
my staff uh, to to really discuss those so we can examine those operational risk or organizational risk just to make sure uh, we're not uh, diminishing capabilities of doing certain services that that we need to complete. Um also
um to remain costneutral. Um you know these thousand positions in the in our reduction is for a purpose and that's to align our staffing to our en enrollment realities um now and also in the future. And so asking that if we do delimmit or
if we u bring back positions that it is costneutral um uh for for the duration of the discussion and u staff can help help you out with understanding the cost for those positions um as we um have a a robust discussion.
With that said my recommendation uh is we're protecting educators at the school level. Uh we're protecting our core operational services. Uh we've we've heated the board's uh direction in a thousand positions. Um and we are
working steadily to implement next steps by notifying any newly impacted employees, making sure they're aligned to current vacancies and preparing our organization to to start um the next fiscal year and also the next school year. That's all I have for you, Madam Chair, and I'll turn it back over to you.
>> Thank you, Dr. Zean. >> Thank you so much, Chair. Appreciate opportunity to speak uh today. Uh, and I appreciate the public uh sharing so articulately thoughts and ideas uh other ideas about how to save and and the like. Uh, I want
to make sure though that we in this room are aligned around like the central problem. So over the weekend I looked up what the four states close to us pay for public education and compared it to Broward County.
All five states have uh a dominant political party in their state legislature. Um but they have wildly different funding for our kids through public education. I'm going to start with Alabama, the one on the far left. If Broward County or the state of Florida funded education the way we do in
Alabama, we'd have 1.3 billion more dollars in Broward County. If Florida funded education the way Mississippi funds education, we'd have 380 million more dollars per year.
Even Alabama, with Alabama's per capita funding, we'd have $200 million. And Georgia, who funds it quite well compared to the two to their west, we'd have another $540 million.
Madame Chair, we've lost 200, excuse me, 25,000 students uh over the past three years, equivalent of $225,000. If an average person in Brower County Schools makes fully burdened $75,000, how many positions is that?
>> Dr. Heburn, >> 225 million. That would be um almost 3,000. >> And Dr. Holes, I can't ask you a question directly, but I understand a little bit now why you brought that item. Uh because the decline in revenue just over the past three years would be equivalent to 3,000 positions. And what
this board said was, "Dr. Heper, I need you to bring us 1,000 this year." And Dr. Heepern did that. I think that some of the work that's been done uh needs to be noted. Uh and
the hard part in my mind uh is really shown on. Sorry about that. Slide four. Here we talk about the board giving the superintendent direction. We talked about it for a long time. Dr. Holes brought an item. We made it formal. We
said, "Please bring us a thousand directions to physicians." Um the analysis period though I think is undersold. What's difficult uh about identifying a cut is that you have to say, "Hey, how much do I need to do?" And then the second is uh Dr. Heeper and his staff
had to do the analysis phase, which is where are those positions? And they did that hard work. The Florida School Board Association came here and gave us some training not long ago and they told us we were supposed to tell the superintendent what to do, not how to do it. Right? And this analysis phase is
very difficult. In some cases, he had to go to his head of HR and say, "Uh, sorry, Dr. Lozano, but I need 20%." And he went to academics and he said, "I need this much, Dr. Con, you know, go work with me. Let's figure this out." Those kinds of decisions, those surgical
decisions on where the cuts were taken have resulted in what? Most of these cuts are taken out of central office staff. Some are taken out of central operations today. They are not taken out of schools. Does that mean that we have
eliminated the the lack of revenue that we have? No. This is onethird of the decline in revenue in Broward County. So just think about that when you stand up and talk about these cuts. These cuts are the beginning, not the end. And these cuts came because Florida does
not fund education according to the constitutional rule that says they'll fund highquality education. Plain and simple. Remember, we'd have 540 million more dollars if we just funded education like they do in Georgia. They don't do that in Florida. We are at the point
where we have to make cuts, and they're legitimate cuts. They're hard cuts. They will cut services that we think matter. Um, and I just wanted to kind of take a minute and say that as someone that's done a lot of budget cuts in my career, the hard part isn't standing here at the end and saying, "Is this right or not?"
The hard part is coming up with a thousand positions. What else do we know about those thousand positions? 700 of them are unencumbered, which means there is not an employee in those. 300 left are encumbered and 80 to 90% of those jobs have people in them who are fully
qualified to apply for jobs for which we know there's going to be a vacancy between now and August 11th. So out of 25,000 positions in Brower County, 1,000 positions were closed, 300 had an incumbent and 10 to 20% is 30 to
60 people don't right now have a job for which they're fully qualified to apply. And this happened because Florida does not fund education properly, plain and simple. And so this board has to make some very hard decisions on how do we make a silk purse out of a sal. How do
we do some kind of uh magic to continue these things going on in Broward County. So Dr. Heepburn, I appreciate the analysis you've done. I don't think that everyone uh appreciates how hard it is to look people in the eye uh and have them either you tell them that their
position is being eliminated or that they work in a staff of 12 and it's going to become a staff of nine. These are really really hard decisions. Dr. Heeper did not enjoy I mean I could ask you Dr. Heer I'm just going to skip that step. Dr. Heepern did not enjoy uh looking uh for a thousand positions but
a thousand is the beginning. Remember, it is onethird of the loss of revenue that we got when we went down 25 uh,000 students in the last three years. So, Dr. Heeper, I think your conditions are reasonable. Uh, I do believe absolutely today is decision day. May 11th is
decision day. We owe it to those 300. We owe it to that 30 to the 60, those human beings that are affected by this directly today and by all the other people who work around somebody that's affected today. We we deserve uh they deserve to know about this as soon as possible.
The second rule I think is also wise. You know, we're in the this is going to save us 50 I'm sorry, is it $54 million, Dr. Pepper? Sure. >> Thank you so much. So 54, but still that's not the $225 million that we're behind. So it's part of it, but there's there's more to come and and we have to
be smart about this. Uh so uh if somebody wants to change something here, and I do not. If somebody wants to make some changes of it, then you know, dollar in, dollar out, dollar in. I think that makes sense. We need the money. Dr. Hepper, uh, there have been some
comments today about positions in schools lost and there's a point in your deck that says that this did not reduce any positions. Why are some positions in schools being reduced for next year? >> Yes. So, that's correct, Dr. Zean. This this initiative here does not have anything to do with schools. Um, schools
naturally fluctuate in funding based on student enrollment. We're expected to lose up to 10,000 students next year. Um, and school leaders, even some of the teachers are used to understanding, hey, you're 100 students less u for the
upcoming year than you are this year. You're going to have you're going to have equivalent funding less, which equates to positions um at the school level. So yes, um when you have up to 10,000 reduction uh for the upcoming school year, there's going to be some impact on um on staffing at schools. But
this initiative uh we put guard rails around schools that this initiative is not going to impact schools because there's going to be a natural impact from the fluctuation of student enrollment as it's always been in the past. >> Thank you very much. And again, just for public consumption, um this cut covers
one-third of the reduction over the past years. How did you cover the rest? I mean th this is 75 million. We had to find 225 million. What other things have you done over the past three years to reduce the cost of B County public? >> Yeah. So we've gone through many contracts over the past three years or or two years since I've been here. Um
you also have that natural reduction that goes on in schools. U I know we're general counsel cut me off if um if if I'm speaking too much also um negotiating um healthc care um concerns as well and then some things that we're going to tackle for the upcoming school
year as well. and and continue to monitor over time. So, there's many many um strategies that we're implementing to um close that gap. >> And in all those strategies, Dr. Emer, did you follow the board's direction, which has been I think to summarize what the board has said for the past few years that cuts in schools are the last
places to cut. Is that the strategy you've continued to >> That's the strategy we've continued to implement. >> And last question, Dr. He if we needed to find more cuts than what this is and projected next year's enrollments could be down again. Uh are you going to continue that strategy of avoiding at all all costs reductions?
>> Yes, that that's our priority. We will continue to prioritize um district staff and not touch schoolbased staff. >> Terrific. And chair, I have no uh uh changes to recommend that meet rule one and rule two. And I appreciate the need today uh to make some decisions just for
the humanity of the people that work for us. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Mrs. Alhadaf. >> Thank you. So, I know that this is very hard and the people in this room care about the district and conversations about structure and staffing are never
easy when we're talking about people we respect. But that care is exactly why we have to act. Our enrollment is declining. That's not a projection. This is our reality. And when enrollment declines, resources decline with it. We
have a responsibility to make sure our organizational structure reflects the district we are today, not the district we were 10 years ago. The superintendent's reorganization does exactly that. It reduces redundancy. It
puts decision-making closer to where learning happens. It is linear. It's not a flaw. And that is the point because the alternative is not the status quo. The alternative is a state takeover if we drop below the 3% fund balance. And
that is not an outcome any of us can accept. We can make the decision now thoughtfully with care for the people affected. Or we can delay and make a worse version of this decision later under more pressure. I choose now and I
support this plan not because it is easy but because our students deserve a district structure to serve them for the long term. I do however would like to make one amendment to separate the chief facilities officer and the chief
operations officer into two distinct positions. I believe the scope of the responsibility is too critical to consolidate. Second. >> Do I move to separate the chief facilities officer and the chief operations officer into two distinct
positions? >> Second. >> Motion made by Mrs. Alv, second by Miss Hixon. Public comment on the motion. >> Wow. >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. No surprise. I completely
support this motion. One of your standards should be if a grand jury made a recommendation, had a finding or concern, you should not accept an org chart that tells you to do the opposite. So what Mrs. Alhadef is proposing is to
separate so that because what's been consolidated is both the people doing the work and the people tasked with the compliance for that work and those two cannot go together. Every every grand jury report has cited this is a problem.
So, this is a fix and I hope you'll be in favor of fixing it. Thank you. Any other public comment? Board member discussion. Miss Thompson. >> Thank you, chair. Just in following the rule one and rule two that Dr. Hepper
suggested, where would this um to Dr. Hepper? or do you think this falls in line with your plan and how will we counterbalance the savings cost? I'm listening to board discussion. So, uh,
>> do you have a suggestion? Because I'm not comfortable voting on it if there's not a counterbalance to that. >> I think some board members might have recommendation. >> Excuse me. Sorry, >> Miss Dupree Bruno.
>> We are not in public comment right now. Miss Fusco, >> Miss Fusco, please yield the mic. >> Please yield the mic. >> Excuse me. Point of order, Madam Chair. >> Go ahead. >> We are not in public comment at this
point. Please, they're in the middle of discussion. >> Miss Hixon. Thank you. To Miss Thompson's point, I'd actually like to make a >> suggestion. This is your first warning.
>> Okay. We will now recess the meeting for 5 minutes. Moo. Oh. Heat. Heat. N. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. N.
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Okay. Heat. Heat. N. All right. down. Hey Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Hey dog. Thank you. We are back. Um, just as a note, we're going to be changing the procedure. the uh waiting rooms for members of the public who are waiting to
speak were changed around. So there are some rooms that are on a delay that I was not informed of. So what we'll do moving forward today is we will just wait for two minutes uh for we'll set a timer for two minutes after each motion
is made to wait for any public speakers who are on a delay in this building to come and speak. Um and we will just wait for that that time period. I just do want to reiterate um screaming, yelling uh from the audience is not appropriate
decorum for this public meeting. So I think we can all see that that we want to hear from our public speakers. We've been very accommodating, but we will not uh tolerate the behavior of screaming and yelling from the public. So with that said, there have been several
minutes uh available for everyone to have heard the motion. I will again call for public comment um on the motion to separate out the COO and chief facilities officer position. And if staff could set another timer for two
minutes just in case anyone who is in a room in this building who is on a delay uh to go ahead and make their way to the boardroom to deliver a public comment. So public comment on separating out the CFO and COO position. The motion made by
Mrs. Alhadef. My name is Dr. Trudy Germanovich and I want to make sure that anyone in the other rooms that might not hear hears what's being said so that they can
come and make a comment. I'm glad you listened. You need to listen and that's why people get upset. But I do agree with the separation. You now you just need to find out where you going to find the money. It's all about the money. So
find the money. Thank you. Anna Fusco Brower teaching your present first. I apologize. I was not trying to be loud and rude. But I'm naturally loud and I was I ran here so I was out of breath so I was catching up to my breath so it made me make even louder. I
appreciate you acknowledging me. I would say go forward with the motion if it needs to be done to make sure it's done correctly so nothing comes back that could you know potentially give some backlash. And we you have your
attorney I'm sure she can lay it out. I think Jock Adams is still in the audience is still down here too. So with collaboration of your two attorneys, you'll get the best possible answer to either vote the motion to a yes or vote the motion down. But I think if it's going to be something that is put in
place, it has to be done. That would be the best process. Thank you. Any other public comment? We'll wait for the timer that was set for two minutes to run out so anyone else in the building can make their way
to the boardroom. Miss Hixon. Thank you. I would like to make an amendment to Mrs. Aladev's motion to add and combine the chief strategy and innovation officer with operations to be called the chief of
strate stat chief of strategy and operations. >> Second >> motion made by Miss Hixon, second by Dr. Hoes. Um public comment on the motion and I am again setting a timer for two minutes for anyone who may be in a different room in this building to be
able to make their way to the boardroom. Uh, Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. Um, I'm sorry, I'm still recovering from the two rules. I had to read up on what those were. I don't know how you can propose like now Mrs. Hixon is supposed to explain how the costs
would work. You weren't given the cost. The public wasn't given the cost. I support the idea of what you're doing, but we'd then all have to frantically look at everything that falls under those two departments to make sure that you didn't create another potential
problem. I I if you separate strategy and and actually 10 years ago strategy and operations were the same department but what falls under that box has changed so much that I'm not sure you
would be back to where we were but it was strategy and operations. The word innovation came about from your last superintendent even though strategy and innovation are kind of redundant. So, I think either one could work. Thank you. Next speaker.
My name is Dr. Trudy Germanovich and um I like this proposal. However, again, this is why it would have been better if this was workshopped and I understand you're in the timeline and people all of that. However, we need to think about
these things more than you have time for when you're constantly trying to figure out, all right, I still haven't heard where the money's coming from. So, you know, you all of these things need to be explained more clearly. I don't
understand where you think you're going to get the money from. And that is one of the things. In other words, I want to know, are you moving these things around just to satisfy the fact that you need to keep these two
separate? But then you're going to there's always going to be more money if you're going to keep them separate. So anyway, I don't understand it probably because it hasn't been explained very well. Thank you. Hi, Zyra climbs lunches. Um, I'm not sure if I support the motion or not
because as the two other speakers have stated th this really should have been a workshop and I get why it isn't, but um I I I'm just not certain that it's the right thing to do moneywise. Um, and I
just hope that we do the right thing today. Thanks, Anna, oh Anna Fusco, teaching and presidents. Um, again, this is another I'm not I didn't care either way if you work shopped at her school board meeting and it it doesn't really matter. We knew
either way it was going to happen. I know you guys are being rushed by the superintendent to get this done because there's this fear that people don't know if they have jobs or they're going to keep their job or are they going to whatever it is. is and I think that that is that ship has sailed. Okay, so out of
25,000 employees, we're only looking at maybe 300 cuz that's Alan Zean's words. It's only 300. To me, one person matters. I'm never going to take away that position when and I'm going to make it clear also when this org chart you are taking away from students. You can
use the word district all you want. You want to get that that mega feeling out there that I say whatever I say and it's just going to be heard of the universe. We're going to believe it. We're going to believe it. We're going to believe it. Please don't do that. I'm telling you right now, everybody is hired under the district and people that work in
schools work in schools. No matter where the building is. Do what you want with this piece. Just do it right so it doesn't come back on you guys. >> Thank you. Next public speaker. All right, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Just wanted to explain why. >> Hold on, Miss Hixon. I believe there are
other public speakers. Hi Petusville. So I wanted to speak to where he made a couple of points on the slideshow speaking that he's not eliminate people that work in the schools. That's not true. SSIS work directly in the schools. Every day we
report to a school. I understand the titles logistically. Oh, we're district employees, but every day we report to a school. We don't report to a district office and being sent here. No, every day I report to NOVA, middle school, and high school. Every day I'm there as a
staff. I might not get paid under their school budget. So, that's what we need to break down for people to understand the finances of all this logistical aspect and titles and labels. Yes, I may not be a a NOVA employee, but I go there. I
report there every day. So, yes, you are affecting people that work directly with kids. So, just cuz I'm a labeled district employee, but I report to Nova High School and Middle School every day. So, I directly work with children. So, we are getting affected. >> Any other public speakers on the
amendment? >> Mr. Mr. Hill, I already set I set the timer for two minutes uh to allow people. So that that went off a little while ago. Miss Hixon, thank you. I just wanted to explain why I made the amendment to the
motion. Um it's no surprise that I agree with Mrs. Alhadef on this. I've agreed with her since we've been talking about it. It there are three um grand jury reports that tell us that chief operations and facilities should not be
one position. So, I I just don't think it makes sense for us to put it together, although that's how it ended up um on here. So, first we I feel we need to separate them. Second, the idea was if you're going to add another chief
back, which is what this does, you have to find a chief to um consolidate. And so the chief strategy and innovation officer is the newest one of the chiefs that we have along with student services which I did bring up last time and that
was not voted to um to be able to reduce that. So as was mentioned before operations and strategy used to be a department together. So that was why I made the amendment. So if we're going to add a chief we have to reduce the chief
and that's what this does. So, it should balance out the cost. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Holes. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, and board member Hixon. I appreciate you bringing this uh amended um motion because um you know I
was the board member suggesting that we reduce the number of chiefs and I'm happy to see this come forth because we're splitting COO and chief financial officer but we're removing the the chief of strategy. We're consolidating that
with the chief operating officer. So we're in in essence um we are still reducing by one of the chiefs. Um so I think this is a a good move and I appreciate it board member Hixon and I will be supporting it. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Zean.
>> Thank you so much chair on this uh amendment uh to the speaker to the uh presenter of the amendment uh would the I I feel like this is a strong option like a very strong option. Um, one of the reasons uh it's important to do this
is not just the grand jury, which I think took on the entire facility's infrastructure, not just the fact that what the chief did, but what the facility staff and some members uh above them did. Um, but chief facilities officers have become very expensive in the last 10 years. In the last 10 years,
the United States has doubled the under construction projects by scope. that has come with a doubling of the price of construction over the past 10 years. Right? And so it's not surprising that the person we need to to because of everything the grand jury said to come
to Broward County and lead an organization that has 68 billion dollars worth of facilities backlog needs to be someone who's paid well. And so we can either kick the can and wait till we get applicants that that we don't think are really equal to the task or we can leave this at pay pan t u you know the highest
pay band below the superintendent. Is that part of your amendment to leave it at T? >> Uh my amend my amendment didn't change anything in the pay part. Now, Miss Hixon, >> so if that's what it is, I guess that's what it would say.
>> I just wanted to make sure because u u that that's important. The second question is I think then what's shown on page 12 of the ORC chart things uh all of that would still report to the chief facilities officer only and all the things that are shown on page 19 under
strategy and innovation would now uh report to strategy and operations officer. >> So I I'm going to defer to the superintendent because I believe we're going to actually take a recess after the meeting for them to hash out what goes where. >> Yeah. So, uh, those type of changes,
we'll take a recess and, uh, staff and I will, uh, make the shifts, um, for those specific pages for chief strategy and ops and also, uh, chief facilities officer and bring that back to the board. Uh, so it shouldn't take no more than like 30 minutes of us, um, going through a quick session and getting the
updated over chart back to the board. >> And would that recess chair happen before we vote? >> So, Dr. uh Heepburn suggested that we get through all of the the motions that pass or do not pass um so that they can
take the entirety of the the changes and during that 30 minutes and make their adjustments. >> Thank you so much, Chair. So, uh I like Miss Aladv's idea. It's nice because there are two really big chief jobs. Ops with all the business lines they have to run. An area, by the way, which we still
haven't explored all the efficiencies that we're probably going to have to explore going forward. So, it's going to be a big job for the next several years as well. And operations is what we do, right? That's the that that's just so essential. Um, so I like this amendment to the motion. I think it's going to
make us a better school district. Um, but part of that is because the chief facilities officer is going to be at a pay raise that we can really recruit, you know, a worldclass chief facilities officer to lead this team. And I know the superintendent is working really hard to fill pro project manager jobs
and other uh B building department jobs and things like that. Um right now we're at about 50% staffing. Is that roughly right, Dr. Heer? >> Yep. Correct. >> Yeah. So 50% I I don't care what you're leading. If you've got one out of two jobs fil, you're not going to do as well as if you had those full. Um so I'm looking forward to those changes, but
this is a is a good amendment. And to Dr. Holes's point, it still keeps us down one chief. Uh which I think is really really important. probably a beginning of of uh of what's going to come in the future. Thank you, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Any other board discussion on
the amendment, Miss Bulman? >> Thank you. Um, so just to uh look at the pay bands again, the C when we
did some changes the last time we put together the chief facilities officer and the um chief operating officer and we put that as a Tband. >> Correct. >> Is that correct? Okay. So, if we're taking um if we're taking them apart,
are they both staying at T-band or are we putting >> The COO will be S and the the chief facilities will be T. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> And we will um be removing one chief from the original
makeup that you had, but it's not really removing one chief from how we had it. >> No, from the original. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Any other board discussion? Mr. Seivera. >> Thank you, Chair. Um, seeking some brief confirmation here. Uh, the operations
chief and the facilities chief were both funded uh for 2526 school year. Correct. >> Combined. They were funded um as the as from uh the direction of the board of the first org chart.
>> But for the 2526 school year, they were funded. Correct. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Correct. >> And the ops chief was of course uh one Wanda Paul. Correct. >> Correct. >> Is she still getting a paycheck, Dr. Hepper? >> Um I have to follow up with you on that one. >> I'd love to know the answer to that, sir. >> Thank you.
>> Any other board member discussion on the amendment? Dr. Holes. >> Okay. So, Dr. Hburn, I just have a a question, a followup on board member Bulman. Um I know that in our last
discussion we had combined the chief facilities officer um with the chief operating officer and we changed the pay ban for the chief operating officer to a t. Um, so with this moving forward to
having a split, um, can you explain to us what the pay bands are going to look like and so we can determine if we need to revisit that and change the pay bands? >> So, uh, from listening to the board and the discussion with the split, the chief
facilities officer would remain a T. All the other chiefs would ma remain, uh, an S. So, there's only two T funded positions. um under my purview and that's the deputy superintendent and the chief facilities officer. >> Okay. So I I believe the last time the
chief operating officer was moved to a T. >> Correct. In the combination >> in the combination. So with this split, what will the chief operating officer be? >> An S. >> Okay. So the chief operating officer will be S and the chief facilities officer will be a T.
>> Correct. >> Um so voting on this motion that would be the understanding going forward. That's my understanding. Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other board discussion on the amendment to the motion? Miss Rupert? >> Um Dr. Heburn, why the differentiation
between T and S? >> Yes. Um great question. Uh we're moving into the next era of our capital program. And in order for us to uh move in the right direction with great implementation, uh stand within scope and on budget, we need to find the best
talent possible. And so we need to increase that ban to a T. Um I can tell you right now most U folks um in that role in the private sector probably make um two times as much as what we pay. Um and so in order for us to be able to be successful, have some success in
recruiting great talent to move our capital program forward. Um and we know uh the results of the past uh with our capital program and we need a great leader um to move it forward. >> Okay. Thank you. Could you also remind remind us about uh what
salary level is a T? >> Um Dr. >> What's the range? >> Yes, Dr. Lozano >> and an S. Sorry. S NT >> I have it up. Dr. Hepper. >> Uh so for an S, the minimum is 123,000.
The maximum is 224,000. The mid-range is 173,000. For a T, it's 64,000 for minimum, middle is 200,000, and maximum is 252. >> Okay. So, when you go and do your
bargaining, when you're looking at people um for that position, then you're obviously um I would assume going in at the middle price, even though I would kind of want you to go in at the lowest, but I understand and to
actually recognize the need that we have for capital. Um I just wanted to be very clear on uh the actual salary that we're talking about. So, thank you. >> Yes, absolutely. >> I appreciate it. Thank you. Any other board discussion on the amendment to the motion?
All in favor of the amendment to the motion say I. >> I. All opposing. >> I. >> The amendment passes unanimously. Back to the discussion on the motion. >> I'm sorry. I I'm a little confused. I'm
I'm happy to vote for it subject to Dr. Heburn coming and show us what would fit under there, but I don't want to vote on the final item until we see that. >> Dr. Heepburn. So, you don't want to vote until uh you see the whole entire structure under those chiefs? >> I just think I mean our job is to approve the ORC chart really to approve
the job descriptions that are um memorialized in the ORC chart. Um I think it's only responsible for this board to see where the functions fall under those two roles before we make a final vote on this item. Would that be okay? So I think the way that would work that and I don't know if Miss Dupree
Bruno wants to weigh in but uh and you know correct me if I'm wrong but logistically then we would have to recess after each motion so that they could you know >> bring back the the changes that would >> and and I'm kind of interpreting it just
like Miss Leonardi um similar um so you're voting on the chiefs when we bring it back for the direct reports under those chiefs you can easily make motions to change anything. >> Okay, that's fine. I appreciate it. I just need you to understand we're not approving the final or chart with this
vote. Correct. Vote before the recess. We'll get that at the end. >> Correct. >> Thanks so much. >> So, the motion as amended is to separate out the COO and chief facilities officer position and turn the chief facility the chief uh operations officer position
combine that with the chief strategy and innovation officer. And I miss Hix and I know you renamed it, >> right? So it would be called the chief of strategy and operations. >> Chief of Strategy and Operations. So now the motion as amended is to uh we have a chief of strategy and operations and a
chief of facilities. Any other uh board comment on the motion itself? I know Miss Hixon, you had the floor. You're good. >> Madam Chair, >> Miss Rupert. >> Okay. I'm sorry. >> You would ask to speak on the motion. >> No, I'm okay. >> Okay. Dr. for us.
>> Yes, Dr. Heburn. With the renaming mentioned in the motion by board member Hixon, do you see any concerns with that particular name? Um or would that be appropriate for the com combining of both? >> No, I think that the name is appropriate. I don't see any issue with the name. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Any other board discussion on the motion as amended? >> All in favor of the motion as amended say I. I. >> All oppose say no. I >> motion P as amended passes unanimously.
Um we are still on now we're on the item we uh Mrs. Alhadf I believe you still have the floor. >> Nope. I'm good. Thank you very much. >> All right, Miss Hixon. Thank you. Um I have a couple of
questions and then I have another motion to make. Um, so to the superintendent, can can you just I know you explained it a little bit, but can you explain how we ended up with not just the org chart,
but the list of positions that is, and I'm going to give you a little leeway there to So this is not something that came to the board. This is something that we directed you to find the positions and you then went to the chiefs and told them they had to reduce
their their departments by a certain percentage if I'm not correct and this decision was made by the chiefs of the department based on what they believed would be the less impact to their department. Is that correct? >> Um yes. >> Thank you. So I I just want to be clear
on that that it wasn't just arbitrarily h that this happened and I believe you started in January. >> Correct. Um actually December a lot of deliberation since December to where we are now and a lot of analysis a lot of looking at service models of how we
service certain departments and service schools. um a lot of uh planning of how those of how the new models would look as we start um preparing to open schools and and um and start communicating with our school leaders about how certain services will look different um and how
they will work and operate. So, a lot of meetings and push pushing um throughout since uh December. >> Thank you. I appreciate that. Um and also just there was this public a public speaker who mentioned Lee County. So, I just kind of want to truly compare us to
what happened in Lee County. So, Lee County um eliminated 50 positions that were what they called executive and director positions. Broward County Public Schools eliminate eliminated 62
executive level or director positions. So, we are very in line. If you actually look at what was removed in Lee County, they also looked at their central office and deleted some of the mental health services and some of those things. So, I
just want to compare apples to apples. So, here at in Broward County, based on the org chart that we're talking about right now, we have nine chiefs um and 14 regional offices. Lee County will have eight chiefs and four regional offices.
So, they're a much smaller district than us. So, I just want to be fair and when we're discussing things, their superintendent did, I believe, a similar job to what our superintendent did based on on the enrollment that they had. Um,
I also wanted to um address some of the things a couple of the public speakers said that you are correct. As Dr. Dr. Zean mentioned we do not get the funding that public schools should get from their state legislature. Voting matters.
We someone said it was up to us. It was ethically our our job to to tell the state that and to ask for more money. I can promise you that we do that as Miss Thompson has mentioned a number of times. We go to Tallahassee. We go to Washington DC. It's on our legislative
platform. We ask everybody to share that. Um, so we we agree. We would love to not be in this position. I can tell you how how hard it is. It's it's been very difficult to even sleep thinking that there are people on here as you've
all mentioned. You all have a everyone who's on that list has a personal story. It is their livelihood. This is this is not easy for anyone. But unfortunately, we find ourselves in a place as many businesses do. I mean, you all saw what
happened with Spirit Airlines. Poof, one day all those people just lost their jobs. We don't want to do that. The superintendent has been really intentional about people who are going to possibly lose their jobs, setting them up with career source. He's been on
TV saying, "Hey, if you're a company and you need employees, please reach out to us so that we can we can do this together." So, I just don't want it to go unnoticed that we all understand the human side of this. This is heartbreaking for all of us as it is for
you and we wish we weren't here, but we are. Um, based on that, I I have a question for the superintendent. There was an employee that came up to speak to us and we've actually gotten a few emails about it. What are we doing to
make sure our employees of 27, 28, 29 years who are close to retirement um land in a place that allows them to reach that retirement? >> Yes, absolutely. Um, as I said before, we're prior prioritizing staffing for all impacted employees, for our
vacancies, and for our openings and in constant constant um discussions with career sources to make sure that happens, too. I don't know if Dr. Lozano if you want to add any any additional information to that. Uh but we've been um very focused on ensuring that all of
our employees are taken care of especially uh we have the data to to know what um vacancies normally happen year after year after year across the whole entire district um just to make sure we can place employees in those anticipated vacancies um throughout the
summer. >> So I' I'd like to do a directive. I don't know if it needs to be a motion. So, I guess I'll I'll ask, but I'd like to direct the or make a motion to have the superintendent
make sure that any employee of 25 any employee close to five five years or closer to retirement has an individual plan with the district on either finding a job here or at another governmental
institution that allows them to reach their entire their retirement. Second >> motion made by Miss Sixon, seconded by Dr. Zean. Public comment on the motion. I'm setting a timer for two minutes to allow people in the building to come
speak. Dr. Natalie Lynchwal, Plantation, Florida. I support the motion. This would have helped the audit department not lose an employee who was I think a year away from retirement a few years ago. Um and certainly would help people
now um when their boxes are being inexplicably actually no their box wasn't inexplicably eliminated. They were um someone else move is moving planning to move into their box. So, I support the motion because it's been a real witness protection program around
here where people you like you find you you kick the person you don't like out of the box and all kinds of foolishness going on. So, I support the motion. It's the humane thing to do and it should be something that they can actually do until retirement, not like giving them
um a bad option. It should be done with fidelity. Thank you. Hi, Sheena Newton. Um, I just want to say I support this and I really thank you all for thinking about us who's been here a long term long time serving you
all and trying to make this a successful um district. Um, I'm greatly appreciated at this moment. Thank you. >> Melanie Berkin, Dave, Florida. I support this motion and I thank you um echoing those that came before me. I thank you
for honoring and respecting those that have served this district um loyally and um to ensure that they are able to at least continue out their years until retirement. So, thank you so much. Terry Lopez Price, vice president of the
Broward Teachers Union. I support the motion. I would also like to thank you for thinking about these things. We've gone through some grueling um honesty from the people who are losing their jobs. What you're doing is not easy. I recognize that. But this shows that you
care about those of us who've been here. So, thank you. >> Zyra climbs lunches. Deerfield Beach. I just wanted to share a quote with you because I do support the motion. It's a Simon Synynic quote and he says, "Leadership is not I'm sorry, I have the
wrong one up. I have the wrong one up. Wait, and my time is running out as I look for it." Can you imagine? Simon Synynic says, "Leadership is not about those you have in charge, but
those that you lead." So, it's really important that you care for the people that work here. Some people don't feel like that's happening and I know you have to do a hard thing, but the people that remain are going to want to know y'all have their back too. You know what
I mean? Cuz if they don't feel like that, they're going to walk. Also, thank you so much. >> Uh Dr. Trudy Germanovich. I support the motion. And I want to point out that often, and I've seen this happen many, many times, teachers, as they get to be
older, they often are pushed out of the system. They're pushed out because if they're on annual contract, they can be fired. So, I know what these people are going through, and this is not right. And it has happened for years. And I wish you'd
put it in policy that you can't do this kind of thing because I don't think that anyone that's given that kind of time to this organization should ever be pushed out and they it happens all the time. Sorry.
>> Tracy Chandler, Plantation Florida. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You heard the pain in her voice. Not just her voice. She was speaking for so many other people as a veteran employee of Broward County Schools as are you. Um it
means a lot at the end when you think you've reached the pinnacle or you see the light and then someone turns that light off or threatens to turn turn that light off. There's everything that you have given your blood, sweat, and tears
to. So thank you. I support this motion. Hi again, Judy Trenzo. Um, obviously there's not enough time in the day to say everything. So, um, the school the people in the schools are being impacted because all the principles have been told to let go I
think 10 or 11% of the people in the schools and these are the people that are working with your children, your grandchildren. So yes, we are being impacted and I don't know if you know or not but you do now and you can check you can see that
it's real. >> The other thing is instead of cutting people at the end at the bottom why not cut the salaries at the top. I don't even think they would notice if it's you come into this world with nothing and we're going to leave
with nothing. So I think they'll be okay. And um I think that's the main things and then just like you're cutting things I understand but not let it be people. >> Victoria Trillo Cortisi Hollywood
Florida. I am in support of this motion. Debbie, thank you. Thank you so much for bringing that up. It is a very polite and decent thing to do. and thank you for considering so many people's positions in the district where we have
put in so much time. I know that these decisions are not easy. We are all listening and I truly understand what needs to be done, but there are right ways to do things and this is one
that is the right way to do things. So, I am very grateful for you bringing this up. Luis Machado Margate. Um well, I I appreciate that uh the board takes uh is taking a measure to protect teachers who are getting close
to retirement. Um that affects a lot of us and uh it would be a horrible thing, terrible thing for some of us to be pushed out when we are close to that uh time in our lives. Um so thank you for that. Um and I would like to echo
something the superintendent said earlier um regarding the other position they were discussing that in order to attract the best talent you need to pay them accordingly which is true. I agree with that. But I would
hope that that same sentiment would be applied to all the teachers because we are the ones who make this place work. Everything else is to support us. So if we are not paid well and respected then
you will not have the best talent. Thank you >> Anna Fisk teaching president. I appreciate the motion and I hope it gets passed. I support it and not a bad idea to make something in policy because people also look to get into education.
What? No matter what position you're in in the in public schools as a career, you know, we may have some that come in and out and say, "I'm just a stepping stone. I'm moving on." But the mass majority, especially the educators that work in schools with students, this is a career. They look forward to it. It's no
different than a firefighter, a police officer, a nurse. We're all civil servants and we all come into it as a career. We want to give back. We want to nurture. We want to help. I'm going to put and then when they start seeing it that well you you know you got a couple speckles in your hair you're up there in
age and you're out you're already out anyway you know just retire early people paying attention to that I've been saying it for a long time not the first time you heard me say it you had a couple people come last past few meetings everybody knows I have six months to retire
I'm gonna not me talking about people so please pass this motion >> you got me >> any other public comment board member comment mythics. >> No, I just I guess I'll reiterate what I said. So the the motion was to direct
the superintendent to either find a position in the district for someone who's 25 years in or you know has five years left to retirement or less or to find help find them a government job
that would keep them in the FRS system. So I just wanted to make sure I was saying the whole piece. >> Thank you Dr. Zeland. Thanks so much and uh to Miss Sixon as always uh thoughtful uh uh change here and I appreciate it. I just want to ask um chair whether or not
making a plan for people with more than 25 years has any conflict with our collective bargaining agreements. >> Mr. Dri Bruno Berno. >> So I I was going to say just a caveat that whatever is decided of course it has to be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement as well
as any relative statutes. >> I appreciate that. Thank you very much. Uh thanks so much and thanks again Miss Hixon for bringing this. This is going to mean a lot to the people that are affected. >> Dr. Holes. >> Thank you Madam Chair. So that I better understand the motion. Um so board
member Hixon um is the motion implying that the superintendent will either find a position within the district or a position outside of the district. So if those two conditions are not met, then
what happens? >> So find a position in an agency that allows them to remain in FRS because that's the point is if they're that close to the FRS. So it could be another governmental agency, you know, whatever,
but to help them find either something in the district or an agency that will allow them to remain in FRS. >> Okay. So, it's it's a definitive direction that he must find a position for someone who's 25 years or more in uh
either uh with the district or uh another entity that offers FRS. >> So, I wouldn't say it's him finding the position, but making a plan to help them find a position either in the district or with another government agency.
>> Okay. and and I support the motion, but I I guess I'm trying to look at what if there is an anomaly where there's a particular staff that he just couldn't place in a government entity and there's no position that he could place them
here. Would would would he be going against the direction of the board? >> Dr. Heburn, what's your interpretation? My interpretation is to uh create a plan to assist employees that are 5 years away from normal retirement date. Um
within that plan, ensuring uh if possible at the greatest extent to place them in a role here in BCPS. Um if not, I uh work with our external partners that are in FRS because not all government entities are in FRS. um to work with our external partners at FRS
to see if there's any comparable um openings that fit their skill set and qualification that we can assist in um helping them get employed. >> I don't see a problem with Do you see any obstacles with that? >> No, I don't I don't see any OB. Go ahead, Ernie. If Dr. Lozan, I'm sorry.
>> Well, I know Bruno wants to add something as well. >> As I just process, I don't see how this is different from what Dr. Heeper directed HR to do already. We're already working on plans with every employee. Again, once we finalize all the positions, we're able to see the
available vacancies. We're currently working with our government partners to find vacancies. So, our team is currently working with each impacted employee
throughout the process to ensure we can support each employee and landing in the next best place for each individual. >> Okay. So, um um Madame Chair, um because I want to I guess I'm just trying to clarify if it's a guarantee and general
counsel seems like she wants to comment on it and if that guarantee is not met, then is there a liability um that that we are we have concerns with? >> I I would just I'm sure Dr. Heperin
would agree um to the extent that this particular review is in compliance with the current collective bargaining agreement and of course all applicable laws that may be in existence. >> Correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other board member
comment on the motion? >> Miss Bullman. >> So I appreciate the motion. I we had talked about it I think at the last meeting as well. So they're doing everything that they can to place um
employees. I think on the slide you said that there was a 80 to 90%. >> Correct. Um 80 to 90% um of the employees will be placed in vacancies um based on their qualifications. So um
it's an opportunity that would be presented to them as a placement and it's up to them to actually take advantage of of that opportunity. >> Okay. So I guess the only question I have is if we make it a direct is there any there is no real difference from
what's happening already and if we can't if you're unsuccessful in placing somebody is there going to be some kind of repercussion for that? Do you see >> there should not be any repercussions for that. I mean, as Dr. Hburn and the
team are trying to find placements. Um, it's a gamble when you're looking to see where somebody's going to fit as well as what you can do with your outside agencies. And again, we want to make sure that whatever we do is in compliance with law and our current uh collective bargaining agreement. >> But we basically be using a standard of
good faith. There's no guarantee that this is going to go through. So, >> correct. >> Which is the same thing that's happening right now. Correct. >> As long as we're using good faith and making our best efforts to remploy the employee, then that should be the standard.
>> There's no guarantee that we're going to be able to do it. >> That's correct. >> Okay. >> Madam Chair, >> Dr. Hoes. >> Okay. So, Madam Chair, just for the record, uh I want to be clear that the maker of the motion understand the interpretation given by general counsel
as well as the superintendent. So when we vote on this motion, there's not concern with liability. >> That's correct. Everything I've heard is what >> is what you are implying. Okay. Thank you, >> Miss Bulman. And if everyone could just
make sure they speak into the mic so that everyone can hear. >> Um, so I guess the other question with this just as a followup, if we're using a good face standard, um, and to Dr. Holmes' point about liability. Are we creating liability for ourselves right
now by doing this if this is what we're already doing? And how are we >> well there will will there be a um you know a I guess a rubric or a set of steps that have to be taken for each
employee and if we can demonstrate that we've done that then we've >> I just don't want to open up a lot of li someone says that you didn't do you didn't try hard enough and then you know how are we fixing that? >> No. Um so we can create a rubric and
criteria that's standard and consistent across the board. um yeah because their standard of what they expect is probably totally different of what we're capable of doing. We can't force an external entity to to hire you and we can't force qualifications and skill set that you
don't have upon you as well. So >> right and you know another just another potential issue that I see is if you are losing a position position X and position Y is available but you're getting paid less for that then is someone necessarily happy with that. So
>> correct. >> Um >> no I know I see where you're going. >> Yes. >> I don't know. I just I I there just seems to be a lot of potential issues that I see with that. So, this is why
we're going to make sure that whatever it is is going to be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement and all relative law that is applicable. Um, what I'm hearing is direction if this motion passes to the superintendent to um utilize and plan have a good faith
attempt to try to help individuals who are very close to retirement five years and above. There's no guarantee that positions will be provided, but there is going to be a good faith attempt, which is what is already happening now with all of the other employees. So, that is my understanding of the motion that is
pending on the floor. >> Dr. Holes, again, >> thank you. Um, Madame Chair, the maker of the motion, board member Hixon, based on that comment just made by general counsel, is that the understanding of your item?
>> Yes. I wanted to put into to I understand >> Paul into a motion um where we vote on it in its procedure now that everyone understands that anyone five years or sooner close to retirement the district
is going to take steps to help you be able to secure a job either in the district or an outside entity as Dr. he someone might not like the job. I mean, we can't control that, but I want to to just put it in writing that we are going
to make every attempt. I understand we're doing that now. So, I think that's why the superintendent doesn't have any concerns about it, but I just want it to be something that we put in writing. >> No, I understand and I appreciate the motion. I just I just wanted a yes and no on general counsel's comment just
now. Is your motion aligned with general? They didn't. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Great. Anyone else? Any other board comment on the motion? All in favor of the motion say I. >> I. >> I. >> All oppose say.
>> I. >> Motion passes unanimously. >> I still have Sorry, I still have a couple more. Um I have a a a question, but before we do that, Mr. Um Jay came up and mentioned something and he talked
about that teachers and ESPs, they love their jobs, they love their students and I just wanted to make a comment that tied into the the pay that happens. So here's a conundrum that happens with educators because the state gives us
less and less but we do love our students. We do want to be successful. So we still continue to perform. We still are continue to make sure our students have what they need. We take it out of our own pockets and we still get the A. But then the state says, "Look,
you are still able to do all this stuff with less money, so you don't need it." And it's I'm I'm not even saying it's good or bad. It just is what it is. So, unfortunately, we find ourselves in a circle where the state continues to give us less money. We continue to do a fantastic job with our students, but
that's because that's who we are. So, I wanted to say thank you to everyone for doing that. Um, and I've been meaning to say that for two two meetings now. Um, couple of other public comments I just want the superintendent to clear up. Dr. Heepern, the the consultant for bringing
students back. Is that just for one school or is that for the whole district? >> That's for the entire district. And then just a reminder to the public and the board, they only get paid if the student is successfully recruited and stays past the first FTE count. >> Thank you. I believe there was a
newspaper article that gave the impression that it was only for one school and so I wanted then we also heard from um the public that we're paying for more than one superintendent. So can you address that? >> I hope no. They're only paying for one.
That's me. >> Right. So, what the the payment that we had for our previous superintendent, that's long gone gone and we're only paying for one superintendent. So, thank you. Um, the other thing is about charters having better music programs
and electives. I would like to say that as a countywide schoolboard member, I have been to to every school more than once, and I will tell you that there's nowhere that touches the electives and the music programs that we have here in Broward County Public Schools. So, I just wanted to say that in public. All
right, two more things. Page nine of the org chart, there's an assistant director of student support who has no one that reports under them. So, can you explain that position to us? Page nine of the actual org chart.
It's under chief student services officer and it's just all by itself. I'll let uh Miss Hollinssworth um um add some detail about this position, but this position was added, I want to say last year, um heeding um the constant u
communication we we receive um about the lack of direction and assistance to many of our parents. So, this is kind of like that that um that air traffic controller in in assistance to make sure our parents can get the services that they need and and um having one source of
information. Go ahead, Miss Hollis. >> Thank you. Good afternoon. Simone Hollingsworth, chief student services officer and Dr. Hepern, that was a great analogy. the air traffic controller. Um that individual does work with all the schools as well as district departments to help facilitate and really have that
cohesion of what student services as a whole offers both to schools, the district, and families. >> Okay. So, why is there no one under underneath the box? Because it just looks like they're by themselves in a
box here. >> Well, they report to me. >> Yep. they report directly. >> No, I I get that. But what this doesn't really indicate >> we only need that needed that one position >> um at that time and then we were able to
successfully recruit somebody that had a lot of experience um in ESSE services to have that great great understanding and knowledge and skill set to be in that position to support. >> All right. I it just seems odd by itself. Um I have one last
um well two things. So granite just to bring up to the superintendent. I got a number of emails about the granicus issue and signing up. So if someone could please address that. Um my one more question and then I have a motion. The um be we got a bunch of emails about
um some reductions in Beacon and some of the concern was about Beacon goes out to make repairs. Can you address how that if this reduction happens um how we are going to keep up with the repairs and what is it that Beacon actually repairs?
>> Go ahead, Mr. Sullivan. Excuse me. I know that's a collaboration between um uh his his division, excuse me, and also the IT division. >> And I'm I'm sorry, I was talking to a reporter in the back, so I didn't miss the entire question.
>> So, we've got received some emails. um about if the Beacon Department was reduced that there were some concerns about repairs because they go out and make repairs. So, can you tell us what they repair and what is the plan? >> Sure. >> To make sure that that isn't, you know,
that they're still getting serviced whatever needs to be repaired. >> Uh sure. So, my understanding there's uh 10 of those positions. We reduced it by half, so now there's five. Those positions primarily deal with our older equipment. Uh and as we phase out uh new
equipment, the need uh will be reduced. Um of course when you reduce uh there could be an impact, but we believe we'd still be able to maintain the level of services as we age out of some of the equipment that those individuals are responsible for. >> So can you give us an example of what
the that equipment is? >> Uh it's like AV equipment. Um it's also security cameras, but again the those are the older ones. So, as we get new cameras and um I'm sure Mr. Davis could agree and jump in if he likes to add, but uh the newer cameras, those wouldn't
necessarily be repaired by us that we would >> uh first see if they had warranties and go through that route. So, again, as we replace um our old systems with new systems, it reduces the needs for some of these positions. >> Okay? because some of the concern is
that we would be um sending out we would get consultants and stuff to make those repairs and I that wouldn't to me be a true cost savings. >> So if we could like give an idea of what that >> No, absolutely and that's a great question. Um and just to dampen that
concern about consultants as we look to um make revisions and and and staffing on the org chart. Those those are some of the the uh lines that we didn't want to cross. We don't want to get rid of position only to hire consultants to do the work. And what Mr. Sus is alluding
to as we replace um old and worn out equipment that requires us to repair it because it's out of warranty. all the new equipment that we're replacing it with has warranty and the warranty includes service. Um and so we don't need the additional people to provide
service to new equipment which actually uh makes the um the warranty invalid um once somebody touches it during a warranty period. >> Okay. Thank you. One more question then my motion. So we had a public speaker talk about food and nutrition services.
Um, so can you are we eliminating any positions in that department or was she talking about the debt food debt services that >> um I can't remember. I think she was talking about food de debt services but if there are any any um delimit the
limits is because of redefining. >> Okay. So we're not in typical they're not on here. >> Correct. >> Okay. Thank you for that. Okay. My last my last thing I I have a motion. I move to reinstate 19. Oh, well, before I say that, the the chart that you gave us
doesn't really have any changes because I know we had a discussion at a workshop about making some changes to the under the line positions, but this chart came back to us as is. So, is that as it stands right now, those positions are what we see on this chart?
>> That is correct. >> Okay. So with that being said, I move to reinstate 19 of the SSIS positions and reduce school social workers by 19 positions. >> Okay, guys, come on. >> I need to quorum in the audience. So, a
motion was made. We're waiting for a second. >> I did second. >> Oh, Miss Rupert seconded the motion. Uh, public comment on the motion. Miss Sixon, could you please restate the motion one more time? So again, remember we have to add positions, we have to
balance it. So that's what this is doing. So on this chart right now, the school social workers are at 189 and the SSIS are at two. So my suggestion is to change SSIS positions
to 21 and school social workers to 170. So, I move to reinstate 19 of the SSIS positions and reduce school social workers by 19 to balance that out. Public comment on the motion. >> The motion was made by Miss Hixon and
seconded by Miss Rupert. Public comment on the motion. And again, I will set the two-minut timer for people in the building. Everybody should be speaking about this. >> Could we please have decorum in the audience?
>> So go ahead, Miss Miss Berkin. >> Melanie Berkin, school social worker, Davy Florida. I'm really just shocked. Um I spoke at the last meeting. I don't want us to be us against them, but when it comes down to it, if it has to be,
school social workers can do everything that the SSIS claim to do and more. They may be trained mental health professionals, they may be able to train to do threat assessments, but the reality is when they find a student who
wants to die by suicide or kill other people, guess who they have to bring them to? school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists. So, I I just I I can't even find my words right now. I'm so disappointed. School social workers
are part of the mental health team with school uh counselors, family therapists, school psychologists. We've always been we've all always worked together. We don't hide in our offices as been that's been implied here. And I am just
disappointed. Thank you. Yes. Go ahead, Mr. Draw >> my second. >> Okay. >> Okay. So, general counsel, with this second being withdrawn, do we need to continue public comment? >> Well, you still I I think you still need
to move forward with public comment because it's been >> His second was withdrawn. So, there's no motion on the floor. >> Okay. All right. Okay. So, the motion was withdrawn, so there's no need.
>> Is there another second? >> Okay. So, the motion was withdrawn, so there's no need for further public comment. Thank you. All right. Any further board member comment has the floor. You're done. Yeah. Thank
>> All right. Uh, Mr. Sea. Thank you, chair. Appreciate the opportunity to speak on this. And I also appreciate everybody who came in today. Let their voices be heard. Let their
opinions uh be stated. Your message has been clear. You don't want this. I hear you. And I don't want it either. And in fact, I think if we are going to
get this district back on track and return it to the prominence it was years and years ago. This is one of these defining moments where we have to make the right decision.
What are we going to do to save Broward schools? Well, I can tell you where it starts. Right here. Vote no on this organizational chart. And I'm going to tell you why.
For months and months and months, I've been screaming from the mountain tops that while I understand the need for cuts, we cannot and should not cut any teacher or those folks who interact with our
students on a daily basis. Can't do it and we shouldn't do it. These calls unfortunately were ignored by this version of the or chart and the version before that. Instead of starting our cuts at the top
like we should have, we're going after the rank and file. Instead of trimming the bloat that's in this very building, which I'm still wondering why we're still in here and this hasn't been sold yet, but that's a topic for another day. What did we do?
We produce an ORC chart that cuts teachers, cuts counselors, cuts mental health professionals, cuts a ton of positions that have direct interactions with our students every single day. We heard from a lot of folks today. We
heard from our SSIS professionals. According to this ORC chart, if this were to pass as is, their entire department is going to be gutted. We heard from a lot of great teachers today and school staff. They don't want this. I don't want this. And
respectfully, I don't think anybody on this day should want this. I've been extremely vocal about this issue in the past and I will continue to do so today. So, why are we here now and where are we?
Well, unfortunately, this situation just keeps getting worse and worse. This weekend, I was fortunate enough to speak with some local principles in and around this county and I found out some stuff that made me
a tad angry and I'd like to share it with my colleagues and I'd like to share it with the superintendent and I'd like to share it with the members of the public at large because I'm not quite sure how many people know this yet. So no longer
do we have any budget guideline committees in our schools. The collaboration that our principles once enjoyed for decades between their school and the school budget office has been eroded.
So what's happening now? Well, instead of collaborating, they are being given directives. >> The directive, you ask? new staffing models being implemented. Now, for those of you who've been paying
attention, in the past, principles, you know, the folks working at the school who know what's best for the school, were given certain funds and were always told and were always given the ability to decide how to use it based on need.
This year, that unfortunately is no more. The new directive is if you have X students in your schools, you can only hire Y teachers. >> Why? Why? Why teachers? Sorry,
sorry for the confusion. So essentially, you're being given a directive at these schools to cut approximately 10% of your teaching staff. I don't like this directive. I don't think it's fair. I don't think
it's just how can we continue to cut more teachers in our schools based solely on enrollment numbers getting rid of the budget committee guidelines that have been in place forever.
And now you want to tack on this ORC chart which is going to cut oh I don't know almost 200 certified teachers How the hell are we supposed to teach our kids in these schools if we keep cutting these teachers?
>> How are we supposed to give these kids a quality education when everybody it seems like that's having interaction with them on a school based school staff level is subject to the chopping block? >> The answer simple, folks.
>> We can't. Everybody wants to talk about bringing kids back in, drawing kids back in. There's a lot of kids that go to school in this district. We're the sixth biggest district in the school. We keep cutting these teachers. We keep cutting these school-based staff.
We are not going to be able to educate our kids that are there. Forget about others coming back or rejoining us. What about taking care of the ones that are there now? >> Amen. The only thing this organizational chart
does is ensure that the KCW staff will have jobs next year. >> But is that really the goal? >> Is that why we do this for district staff or we do this for teachers and schoolbased staff and our SSI workers
and our counselors and you know the folks that educate and take care of our kids on a daily basis. protect the big wigs in the building while screwing over the teachers and school bake staff. I'm not okay with that.
But if that was the goal, we nailed it. So, if that really was what this district wanted, kudos. They've accomplished it. But for the record, that was never my intention and that was never my goal.
chair and looking through this proposed organizational chart over the last couple days, I want to follow through on my position and my view that I've been very vocal about for a very long time in starting
at the top and working your way down. So, I've got some motions I'd like to start on page three of the organizational chart above the pay uh T line. We have an an executive director of enterprise
analytics. We also have an assistant director of enterprise project management. Page three. Page three. Uh my motion is to cut the direct executive director of enterprise and have that uh one position be created. Uh that's the executive
director or however title we want to give can fill that. I don't want two positions being used for that same job. >> Second motion made by Mr. Seivera, seconded by me. Public comment on the motion.
>> Mr. Dr. Natalie Lynchwalsh, Plantation, Florida. Um, I support the motion and I'll do you one better. Mr. Sea, I believe that there's another very similar position to this on under strategy and innovation. I believe I've mentioned before that's where that
position belongs, not in communications under the chief of staff. So, if you wanted to cut even further, you could decide which department. Again, it's something that's related to strategy and they created two of these.
Um, I think they're both executive directors, so you could cut an additional one and cut two instead of just one and that would get the job done. Um, MGT found a lot a lot a lot of
redundancies in communications which have not been addressed. They just keep making new positions. Anna Fusco teachers, could you just repeat the motion real quick? Second. >> The motion is on page three of the ORC
chart under the chief of staff's uh grouping to cut the executive director of enterprise analytics and just have one director of enterprise, which is the current position held below the pay band line.
and second by chair Sarah Leonardi. I support that motion. >> We'll wait another 30 seconds for people in the building who may be watching. All right. So, that's two minutes have elapsed since the motion was made. Board
member comment on the motion. Miss Thompson, >> uh, can the superintendent just walk us through the impact of this decision? >> Yeah. So, um I'll tell you why this this isn't a new position. Um the titles the title for one is new, but the positions
aren't new. They're been shifted from another division. Um one of the things that uh and thanks for asking Miss Thompson um just for the public and the and the board to really understand um some of the complexities and because of that complexity the the working in isolation over a very long time. Um, so
the cabinet, uh, one of the things that that plagues us as an organization, this this is not just Broward County, government organizations, school districts, government entities, there's a there's always, uh, a routine of working in isolation where we're not working in a more composite
organization, solving problems together. um ensuring that uh one division is aware of what the other division um is is is doing and also leveraging all the technology um to support efficiency across the board and also the pro the project management protocols that need
to be implemented. So we break down barriers of isolation. Many of the things that have plagued the district um over the past decade and more that that everybody on this day has and the public has witnessed is because of working in isolation um and the results of that.
And so the these two positions were realigned from another division to ensure that does not continue. Create better protocols, lever leverage technology um and especially our enterprise software better and also implement strong project measure management protocols to ensure uh that
we're breaking down the barriers of isolation creating a more composite organization uh so we come efficient but yet also effective at the same time. Other board member comment on the motion.
>> Dr. Zeman, >> when uh we were briefed on these uh uh changes, there was um kind of a pretty robust discussion. Do you mind moving your poster? There was a rather robust discussion um
on the need for enterprise integration. uh and my uh because this is not a new position, it's a realignment of a position and it's an area in which I think that there's an opportunity for dramatic growth. Uh I supported this uh when it came up to us and I support it
now. Uh there may be other places where um positions can be eliminated and where responsibilities uh uh can be merged together, but in my experience when I see items, it often uh shows that Broward County can be a collection of
pillars of excellence, which means an item comes from one chief and it's uh it's deep in that area, um but maybe hasn't thought about all the tangential issues that come for And so this board has asked a lot of questions where we get, you know, an
item from Chief X and we say, "How about Y and Z and V and W and, you know, have they seen it?" And I think the superintendent's goal has been to try and have better integration across the whole enterprise. Uh and that's why he moved this over to the communications to to the chief of staff to to make it
happen. So I'm actually looking forward to uh keeping this as the superintendent recommended. Uh I would love to find other positions that uh we don't need. But again, we asked the superintendent to find a thousand positions. He did. Um and I'm I I just don't think that this
is really going to be moving in the right direction that we need for Brower County Schools. Um we need more integration across the enterprise to serve our students even better. And that's what this uh position represents to me. Thank you. >> Thank you. Other board member comment.
Miss Hixon. Thank you. Um Dr. Heburn, can you explain to us, maybe you did, but um why it is that we see the same exact position on page three and page seven? >> Yes. Um you'll see the same exact position because project management um
isn't division specific as far as the title and the role. Um it's across the board. So it is it a it's a uh common title and job description amongst all of our project managers that are supporting different divisions and different um departments within the district. So
they're two separate positions, >> correct? >> Okay. Um, and why I mean you have an assistant director that for the enterprise project and management I don't know this is so small office. Um, that's the only person that on the page
three which is being suggested to be removed the executive director. Um, why does that need to be an executive director? Could it possibly be a director that has an assistant director? >> I think so exe a director with an I
don't u the cost is virtually the same as far as the pay band. So um we're we'll just be playing semantics with the name. >> Okay. So then my other question is why again here's where you only have one person reporting to that executive
director. So why couldn't you just have the ex the assistant director position you're still doing? >> So although this position is on under the chief of staff, if you go up to page two, you'll notice that this position is
supporting every uh individual um chief in division. So, it's going to be a lot of work um to bring that composite uh u feel to the organization as we move forward. These are endeavors
to help us accelerate our our opportunities to become better and effective um in the future. So, they're not just, you know, supporting the chief of staff office, they're actually supporting every division across the whole entire district. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Any other board member comment? I've I guess I I and I think maybe what um a lot of people who look at these org charts uh want to know is like what do
these people do on a dayto-day basis? So if you could give me like a reall life example of what the executive director of enterprise analytics and intelligence would do on a day-to-day basis and then the same thing for the assistant director of enterprise project management.
>> Yes. So, um I'll give you uh one thing about our um ERP um system which is districtwide. If we didn't have that system and um employee plan was what was employee planning resource uh component,
right? That that is our >> so I'm going to ask just like for a very plain language. >> Yes, I'm trying to give it to you as plain as I can and that's how complex our organization is, right? I think people uh rarely understand the complexity that makes the whole entire organization work. But that is one system, one enterprise system that makes
the whole entire organization work. If we did not have that system, you would not be paid on time or you wouldn't be paid at all to be honest. You won't be able to manage your benefits and and all those other components that that happen in HR, finance um and also uh in the procurement office as well. That
enterprise system is not isolated to IT. It's not isolated to the finance department. It's not isolated to the budget I mean to the um HR department. If uh it is, it will not function appropriately and our system will be
lagging tremendously and spending millions, tens of millions of dollars just to fill those gaps. Uh the enterprise uh the the executive director of enterprise is ensuring that we're leveraging um all the resources specifically technology resources to
accelerate the the um uh the collaboration in throughout the whole entire enterprise. uh just to make sure that we're we're um following all our protocols. We're we understand and and collecting feedback from every person within a division within their
departments. The assistant director is implementing project management protocols to ensure that we have a strategy um to for uh starting from the from the beginning of even from just simple brainstorming all the way down to
implementation. And many of these um enterprise software the transition for from starting just from brainstorming to actually creating an RFP and all the way through implementation and and um completion is a multi-year process. It's not a one-year process. So that's how
important uh such positions are because if they're if they're not done correctly, the system spends millions of dollars to fill in those gaps. And that's just one example because we've had to spend millions of dollars over the past 10 years with our current ERP system to fill gaps because of the
isolation that has happened in that in that um enterprise system for the school district over a decade. And so that's what you ch a small investment uh equates to millions of dollars in savings. When we don't invest in in these areas, we end up spending tens of
millions of dollars to fill those gaps. >> Okay. So may maybe what I'm hearing is for instance the updating of our ERP system which is what people use to like sign up for health insurance and >> manage um payroll
>> their their their paychecks and all of that um get their W2s. >> Uh transitioning that system requires an executive director of enterprise analytics and intelligence and an assistant director of enterprise project management. I I kind of hear you on the
assistant director of enterprise project management because that's the person who's saying like, "Okay, so we're going to we're going to fix our ERP system. This is like and then work with the necessary employees to figure out how they do that from brainstorming to implementation." So making sure that like what we say we're going to do,
we're going to do. I'm still a little bit unclear about the executive director of enterprise analytics and intelligence. Like what does that person do on a day-to-day basis to make things happen? And so, um, let me find another example for that one. Um, just had a recent one. U Trey, help me
out. We had a recent project, um, that we had. >> Yes. >> Yeah. Trey Davis, chief information officer. So, I think we need to kind of split the name, right? Analytics and intelligence at the same time. Uh, think of it AI, right? Artificial intelligence. That's what we're using to
kind of scale and sustain these gains. One example that I'll give you is um the research that was done by this position here to ensure that we could incorporate the necessary uh insight uh and using co-pilot for deeper analysis to realize
uh at last check 20.41 million in overtime savings year-over-year. That's one example of many examples. This particular uh position would focus on unified governance and in data uh you know analytics of course artificial intelligence to ensure that we can
sustain those kinds of gains and efficiencies in the future and focus on projects using the position underneath that you referenced um you know to make that happen. There are thousands of product you know uh projects that could be done operationally and impacted by AI and other uh analytics and and data
across the district. this particular position would focus on the top you know largest impactful pos um projects. >> Yeah. And the example I was thinking of was our last procurement contracting. Yes. >> Uh project. >> So this person is kind of like an AI
person. They like take the you know they use AI to figure out efficiencies throughout the organization. Am I saying that correctly or am I >> That's one component. >> Okay. That's one component. >> What are some of the other components? >> Go ahead. uh Mr. Davis. >> So, so yeah, it's it's definitely just
one component u because it's really about leveraging not only artificial intelligence but human intelligence and making operational decisions. Um it's also about our our unified AI strategy so that we don't have divergent strategies coming out of different parts of the organization which of course
equates to waste. Um making sure that we have a unified strategy relative to to data. uh for example our our district bus to ensure that we can uh harness the data and it's not captive and it's it's unrealized uh value there. Um so it it
really traverses everything from from the data spectrum um to analytics and intelligence um in in that mix. I think Dr. Heepern alluded to uh on the chart you'll notice the the dotted lines uh which is supposed to represent the value
stream that this particular position um generates works across the organization to realize value at scale not just working in isolation that's that composite manner of work like we do in information systems. >> Okay. Um
my other question is so right now these positions are under your under your purview Mr. Davis, right? >> One is >> one is >> one of them, the executive director. >> Okay. What is the what does the transition plan look like for switching that person to reporting to the chief of
sta is the chief of staff, right? >> Um so I'll let Miss Sullivan um detail some of the transition plan, but the trans if it's already um kind of quas already started transitioning because we've kind of tasked that person with certain um enterprise level projects
across cabinet. So the the the work um that's being done that's going to be done they're already familiar with it because they've already started doing some of that work with some major projects. >> It would be uh July 1. And I also do want to mention that the executive director position is not only about empowering the management side but also
the schoolboard members to ensure that they have the necessary data when they're governing. >> Okay. Um, how much I mean so we're talking about like efficiencies. What is the goal for
these two positions in saving the district money? >> I can tell you if we had these two positions probably in the adoption of the last ERP. I think that was probably what about 10 plus years ago. The districts probably would have saved about 50 plus million dollars over time.
>> So do we have a goal for these two positions moving forward though like in the next five years? um they will save the district x amount of money. >> Um so yes, uh everything that we do more efficiently and effectively is going to help us realize costs so we don't have to spend a lot of money on the on the
back end trying to fill gaps with um the the vendor or to hire consultants to to fill gaps um once because we didn't do it right the first time. Uh, so I can't put a specific number on it, but I can tell you if we when we don't implement
something with fidelity, um, it cost us because of our size and our scale, it cost us tens of millions of dollars in a short amount of time. >> Okay. I mean, I'm I I understand like I I believe what you're saying in
terms of like the the purpose of these two positions and the efficiencies. I I understand that. Um I would really like to see like a clear goal like if that person's coming into that role or or you know if they are currently in that role
what are their goals for the next you know year two years three years in terms of delivering on those efficiencies. I don't you know it's not my place as a board member to to manage that piece of it but um you know I I do think like if
that their whole purpose the whole purpose of those roles is to deliver efficiencies and and leveraging you know all of the resources of Broward County Public Schools to make us more efficient. Um I think there we should have a a dollar amount in mind um to
justify those two positions. So, any other board member comment? Mr. Sea, >> Mr. Superintendent, what's the current salary of the executive director of enterprise analytics and intelligence? >> Uh, if you can give Dr. Lozano's team a
second. $164,800. >> Dr. 64. >> Mr. Superintendent, how many first year teachers can I hire for $164,000? >> Dr. Lozano, what's the um first year fringe in salary?
>> Average teacher salary is 87,000. So approximately two teachers with >> we will have decorum in the audience or we'll have to recess the meeting. So please hold on Dr. Hold on Dr. Lozano. >> Just wait a second.
The expectation is that we can have a civil and respectful conversation. Staff is trying to respond to a a board member question. >> Can you start over, >> Dr. Lozano? >> Can you start over, Dr. Lozano?
>> Salary and fringe would be two teachers. >> And just to confirm, Dr. Lozano the 164 that included that you gave me for this this executive director position that was salary and fringe. >> Just salary. >> Thank you.
>> Any other board member discussion on the motion? >> All in favor of the motion say I. I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> Teachers. >> Roll call. >> No. >> Roll call on the motion. School board members Ahadaf.
No >> Bowman. >> No >> sea. >> Yes. >> Hixon. >> Hoes. >> No >> Leonardi. >> Yes. >> Rouper. >> Yes. >> Thompson. >> Yes.
>> Zean. Motion passes. 54. >> Thank you. Chair. May I reclaim my time? >> No one took your time. Go ahead. Thank you. If I can. Moving along. I've got a couple more of these. I'm glad we're off to a good start. I want to thank my
colleagues for their attention. Um page 11 of the organizational chart. I've got a um a couple on here regarding uh page 11. We have an executive director of food
and nutrition services. We also have two directors directly underneath them. A director of food and nutrition services and a director of food and nutrition services information systems. So in total, if I'm reading
this correctly, we have three directors overseeing food and nutrition services. Chair, I'd like to make the following motion. Uh my motion is to cut the executive director of food and nutrition services and have their um duties and
responsibilities split amongst the other two directors who are directly below um the pay line under that role. >> Is there a second? >> No second. >> Thank you chair.
like to call the question as item number one as amended. >> Mr. Prio, >> well the motion that was pending failed. Um she can call the question and the board has to decide >> even though he's not done talking.
>> Do you have additional um motions that >> I do? >> Okay. Well, she called the question. The board has to decide. >> Okay. Uh all in favor of calling a question say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> No. I believe that fails with one vote in
favor with Miss Alhadaf. Continue, Mr. Sea. >> Thank you, Char. Uh staying along the uh ORC chart on page 11, uh we have an executive director of student transportation, uh and a director of student transportation and
fleet services. Um, at this time I would motion to cut the executive director of student transportation and fleet services and have that role absorbed by the current director of student and transportation and fleet services along with the many managers and assistant
directors uh who are below the uh line as far as transportation is concerned. >> Miss Dupree Bruno is asking you to repeat the motion Mr. Rivera. >> Oh, sure. Page 11, we have an executive director of student transportation and we have a director of
student transport. Uh directly under the line is the director of student transportation and fleet services. So essentially two directors, if you will. My motion is to cut the executive director of student transportation and fleet services and have those roles and responsibilities absorbed by the
director as well as the many many many managers who work uh directly under the director of student transportation and fleet services. There a second. >> Second. >> Motion made by Mr. Seivera, seconded by Dr. Zean. Public comment on the motion.
Again, I'll start the timer for two minutes for people to make their way into the boardroom. >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. I support the motion. Of course. Um, keep in mind you're now splitting facilities and operations up. Uh, back in the day, not so very long
ago, we didn't have so many executive directors. Um, I forget what prompted that a several years ago. Um, food and nutrition has you have information systems. So, that's all of these directors are also new. There used to
just be one director for transportation for new food nutrition. Mr. Sea, thank you for trying to cut from the top, which is what pe the public is asking for. I'm not sure why your first motion to cut the other executive director. I believe the box is empty even right now.
Um because the person retired, but this is cutting from the top. And because you're being forced to do this on the fly without a workshop, this is about the only way you can do it is to start making a bunch of motions. It would have been a lot easier to have a
philosophical discussion at a workshop. Victoria Cortisi, Hollywood, Florida. Thank you, Mr. Seivera, for being courageous and the board for considering this. I echo uh what Dr. Walsh is saying because this should have more time to be
considered. um how can we leverage our AI systems to support the people that will be tasked with these jobs because it can be done and I would like to see that explored.
>> Thank you, Mr. Survey, for the motion. and I do support it. And I want to just make sure that um it seems like it's going to be a really long meeting today cuz we got to go through every little thing, but just remember that if the
capital doesn't sacrifice, the districts will starve. Thanks. Hello, Anna Fusco teaching and president. Um, I can see a few more motions are coming because obviously there wasn't workshopped and I'm I'm glad that you guys said let's keep the
meeting going so you can hear it all. Make sure when you get your time to speak, talk it through about the positions and why are there so many executives or however you want to call them and how many are under them and how many are
under them and how many are under them and how many are under them and what exactly is a direct report, how many are direct reports and so forth and really get the gist of of the positions. I think it's important that people, well, you understand and that everybody
out here understands. And I don't mean just sitting in this little room. Believe it or not, there's multiple live streams going on around the county besides Anna Fusco's Facebook page. So, um, you know, please don't be afraid to ask questions and see where this is all
coming from. And I appreciate people willing to make motions and make some movement. >> Any other public comment? Board member discussion. Dr. Zean. >> Thanks so much, Chair. Um, you know, the last uh reduction may come
back in bite us. We may end up hiring lots and lots and lots of consultants to do that last job a lot. Uh, that is a critical function and and u we may uh consider that uh again a little bit later. This one is not uh this is one
where we um have an opportunity to use a director position uh to do what directors are paid to do which is to run large business operations and uh I'm very confident that with the technology we have today and with the staff that we have within transportation that this can be done by a director and uh look
forward to this reduction uh going forward if it does. Thank you very much. >> Thank you Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. I'd just like the superintendent to weigh in on the suggestion. Correct me if if I'm wrong, Dr. Wanza, this position is currently vacant.
>> The executive director of transportation and fleets is not vacant. No, >> no, it was the director. >> Correct. That was the motion to delimmit that position. >> Just No, the executive director >> the motion is to delimmit the >> of student transportation and fleet services.
>> Oh, that that I will have to push back on. I thought it was the director. Um yeah, we're we're talking about the largest transit system in Broward County to be to be honest. Um to ensure that we can get students to and from school, manage also our white
fleet vehicles. Um um it's a large department districtwide um across the whole entire county. So an executive director is definitely um needed for transportation.
>> Okay. So, can I ask a question? Can you tell us the salary of both the executive director and the director? >> Dr. Let's honor >> the executive director is 145,000 not including fringe. and the director is
>> 103929 and that is currently a task assigned position. >> Okay. Thank you. So, um, the difference is minimal. Would I'd like to make an
alternative motion to, um, eliminate the director of student transportation and fleet services, but leave the executive. >> Second >> substitute motion made by Miss Hixon, seconded by Dr. Hoes to eliminate the director position instead of the
executive director. Uh, public comment on the substitute motion. >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. Okay, just as a reminder, my PhD is in leadership. I have an MBA and an undergraduate business degree, and you guys are making me insane. There's
an entire study on organizational hierarchies. Like, that's a whole thing in the world. Maybe not in here. So, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but if you have an executive director, it suggests you first had a director. you
would eliminate the executive director, not the director. And I really hope this is not about the bodies occupying the boxes. And I'm pretty sure it is. So, we should find out who's in the executive director box. Did we just shove them in there? Are they task assigned? Was this
to get them more money? Because this this makes no sense. You would eliminate the executive and leave the director. You would not have an executive director with no director. That just is not how
hierarchies operate. >> Thank you. Any other public comment? Right, we've got about a minute on the timer left um in case people in the building need to make their way.
>> There's no one else in that other room. >> There's no one. No one else. Okay. >> No. All right, board member. >> Chair, point of order. Because there's now no one in the subsequent rooms, are we okay with not doing the two-minute timer anymore? >> Well, I I do need to know from staff if
people do then end up in that room. Have we cleared that room? Have we closed it off to the public? >> It makes comment. >> So, if it right now is the appropriate time for public comment. So if I call for public comment, I need everyone who would like to speak for public comment
to approach the podium. >> Thank you. So my name um I am a resident of Plantation Florida and this is about the DHH program at Tropical Elementary. >> Shake your head, but nobody else is >> right now. So pause this time for a second for me. Right now, we're talking
about the the substitute motion of eliminating the dire the director of student transportation and fleet services instead of the executive director. So, if you could comment on that. >> Okay. I have no comment on that, but at some point will I be allowed to make the comment? I'd like to. >> Yeah.
>> Thank you. >> Like 9:00, >> Mr. Hill or Mr. Sullivan, have we closed off the other room? >> Okay. Board member discussion on the substitute motion. Miss Hixon, would you like to
>> No, I made my motion. >> Dr. Ho. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Dr. Heburn um for the executive director versus the director um the salary ban was stated um if in fact we're just looking at
position and not people um how challenging would it be to um find someone to provide that scope of work
um for a salary of a director. ctor. >> So the the for a salary of a director. Yes. >> Versus an executive director. >> Yeah. You it would be challenging. Um we're talking about a countywide very large county, very large district-wide
transportation system. And some people are often thinking about buses. We have a very large fleet of other vehicles too that services schools and services departments u and uh that support all all the logistics of getting items to and from schools and offices in our
district too. So in order to recruit somebody to want to do that type of work in in the public sector is is definitely um difficult. >> Okay. So, I don't know if you have the answer to this, but comparable to other large districts, um, this type of a
position, um, would would you say the the current pay is within the market rate as it compares to other, um, size district um, similar to B County? >> Yeah, I I would say it's um, currently
comparable. >> Okay. And would you say that $103,000 to do that kind of work um would would rather be very difficult to find an individual to do so for that kind of a pay. >> Yes.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other board member comment on the substitute motion? >> Can you read it one more time, Miss Hixon? Uh the suggestion is to eliminate the director position for student
transportation and fleet services on page 11, but to keep the executive director. >> Thank you, >> Miss Bulman. >> Um, not to sound redundant if you've already answered this, but how
how does this look if we do this? Is this um going to negatively impact our students and transportation >> um for the the the director position? >> Yeah, I mean I you know I appreciate the
sentiment of doing these things and cutting, but I it's also difficult to tell what the impact is to operations overall and you know you um >> pennywise and pound foolish. So if it ends up costing us more money or if it
ends up h being something that we then have to like consult out. >> Yes. >> I don't want to see that happen. >> So um the the position um as I said the position is is currently vacant is somebody that's task assigned in there. >> Um if you get rid of the director
position just increases the span of control for the executive director. Um and so we will work um to become as efficient and effective at the same time as possible. But the the the executive director position is the one that's absolutely needed. >> Okay. >> Um for sure.
>> Thanks, Mr. Za. >> Mr. Superintendent. I'm sorry. I think you said this, but I might have missed the last part. Um the current salary for the executive director and the current salary for the director of student transportation. >> Yes, we said that earlier. If Doug
Lozano, you guys still had with Fringe? >> Yep. Dr. Lozano, chief human resource officer. The executive director 1812 >> is 181250 with salary infringe.
with the task assignment pay >> with the task assignment pay currently the director position is $143,750 again including salary and French. >> Mr. Superintendent, how many first year teachers can I hire if I had an extra
$181,000? >> Uh salary and fringe was that 75 on average. So two >> two >> any other board member comment before I go. >> Um Dr. Heburn I know that you had talked
about uh you know targeting you know eliminating positions based on first targeting attrition and vacancies. Was the director position consideration? Yes, that was a consider consideration and it was analyzed but also one of the
things we looked at is spanned controls when it comes to the vastness of the organization. Um so that was that was one that we did not initially cut but um or we can mitigate um this one if it's so the board desire to to remove it. >> Do we know how long this position has
been vacant? >> Uh this position has been vacant during this year. It's not been vacant for no more than a year. It was um during this year. Do we know has it been in vacant for a week, a month, >> um >> six months? >> Go ahead, Dr. W. I can't hear.
>> Yeah, go ahead. >> Um it was around September, October because the original um executive director retired at the end of last school year. A um a staffing, you know, occurred and then the current executive director, I believe, was hired permanently somewhere in September or
October >> and then we went on a hiring freeze. So that's how you had task assignments. Got it. Okay. Any other board discussion on the substitute motion? All in favor of the substit substitute motion say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no.
>> Uh substitute motion passes with one dissenting vote. Mr. Sea. Is Mrs. Alhadaf on the line? >> She's not on the line. >> Okay. >> Oh, so I didn't hear you, Miss Rupert. Can we just do a roll call then? >> Yep. Roll call on the motion. School board members Bowman.
>> Yes. SA >> could I just everyone speaking into the mic is very helpful for capturing the votes. Thank you. >> That was a no. >> No. >> Hixon. >> Yes. >> Holus. >> Yes.
>> Leonardi? >> Yes. >> Rupert? >> No. >> Thompson? >> Yes. >> Zean, >> yes. >> Alhadef, not on the line. passes 62. >> Mr. Sea, you have the floor.
>> Thank you, chair. Um, moving along here, page 12 of the ORC chart, we have an executive director of physical plant operations. And directly under uh that position, we have a director of physical plant
operations and a director of sustainability uh and compliance. My motion is as follows. To cut the executive director of physical plant operations and combine that person's uh workload and responsibilities with the
director of physical plant operations and the director of sustainability and compliance. >> Is there a second? >> Seeing no second, unless Miss Rupert, you would like to second it. >> I would like to hear it again. >> Oh, sure. What page you on now?
>> Page 12, we have an executive director of physical plan operations. Directly um underneath that position is the director of physical plant operations and the director of sustainability and compliance. My motion is to cut the executive director of
physical plant operations and have that individual's workload split between the director of physical plant operations and the director of sustainability and compliance. Um, and now that I'm looking at it, as well as the many managers who who fall directly under them as well.
>> All right. Seeing no second, go ahead, Mr. Za. >> Thank you, chair. Uh page 13 we have directly above payan s we have an executive director of capital programs and a d executive director of
budget. My motion is as follows. Combine those two positions into one entitled the cap the executive director of capital programs and budget. >> If I can help help you out there Mrs. Sea if you go to um quickly team if you can direct me to the right page. It's
the finance page. that that position is not under operations is actually under the finance office. Uh 17 or 18 >> page >> actually 17. So that position is the executive director of budget under the
fin chief the CFO that you see the dotted line to many of the other divisions such as um operations or the specifically facilities for the capital program also food and nutrition because they have their own budget or finance um
um line items themselves so that the CFO 17 on >> 17 >> so that the CFO's office is always a breast um collectively of the entire budget budget um and all the restricted budgets within Broward County Public Schools. Again, um to break down the
walls of isolation. This is something that helps the district move forward in a better way so we can get rid of all the all the isolation and the lack of understanding that sometimes happens in the CFO office because she doesn't have a conduit between facilities and also finance. So the executive director of
budget is not actual position under ops. That's a position under the chief of fin under the chief of finance. >> Thank you for the clarification. Um, Madame General Counsel, you heard my motion. Is there anything impermissible or um
in direct conflict with any portion of the Florida statutes in which I just um suggested? >> Not from the Florida statutes. The only thing I would say about the motion, it was on page 12, I believe, and you wanted >> 13. And you wanted to combine them with
um individuals that are not necessarily within that same reporting structure is my understanding. >> Correct. >> Legit speak. All right. Is there
>> I'm I'm sorry I didn't get an answer. Is I I >> There's nothing from from a legal standpoint. The issue I believe that the superintendent was pointing out is that you wanted to combine them with the two directors on page 13, I believe it was. Um but those people are not within the
same reporting structure. >> Okay. >> So they have different lanes. >> Okay. So it's a reporting issue. Okay. Thank you for the clarification. I didn't get that the first time. Apologies. And thank you to the superintendent for the uh explanation as well. Um I'll withdraw that motion. I've got two
more if I may. Okay. Um it or information systems rather, excuse me, on page 15, we have a an executive director of technology operations. And if I'm reading this portion uh correctly,
there are four directors that directly report to this individual. A director of data intelligence, a director of infrastructure services, a director of application services, and a director of technology support services. This is on page 15 of the um proposed ORC chart
under information systems. Um my motion would be to eliminate the executive director of technology operations and have their responsibilities and obligations uh absolved by the four directors who are currently direct who are direct reports
to that individual. >> Second >> motion made by Mr. Seivera, seconded by Miss Hixon. Public comment on the motion. And just to be clear with staff, no one's in the room with the delays. >> No, ma'am. If you would like to deliver public
comment on the motion, please approach the podium. >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. Okay, so couple of things. You guys are good with having assistant directors reporting to executive directors seems to be a theme. And you
may want to get your salary schedules out because even I'm getting confused as to because the salary bands are in a range. They're not just one number. I don't know where the 103 was coming from earlier. As far as it goes, I support
any measure to cut and consolidate from the top or topish. um you really would have benefited cuz I I'm guessing you guys didn't get the report from MGT. I only have access to the emails because that's all they've
given me. But um they were looking at um combining IT and academic technology. I don't know if that gets you there, but that would be a further conversation because there do seem to be a lot of um silos going on in it.
>> Thank you. Next speaker. Rochelle Sofur, Coconut Creek, Florida. I also am in support of this, not because of any elimination of any particular individual, but if we're really looking to curtail the amount of money we're spending, honestly, with as much work as you're putting on the backs
of teachers and those of us in the schools, if these directors can't have a little bit more on their end, why are you continually giving them more money and not teachers? We're already doing this. So, if it's good for the goose, it's got to be good for the gander. Dr. Trudy Germanovich, I'm in full
support of this. And uh I remember when technology was underneath academics and I believe that's where it should be. We only had one person and we were bringing in all kinds of things. I know it's
gotten so much more complex. However, that doesn't mean that you can't hire other people to do AI or whatever. You don't have to have these silos saying this one's just doing this. It's too
repetitious at the top. That's what we keep saying. Hello, Anna Gabbro teaching and president. Well, you know where I stand. Everything should be generated in the schools. I'm going to say it again. Today is what? May what?
>> 11th. >> 11th. Remember this date. If you don't make more adjustments, come next year, August 4th, when everybody reports back to pre planning week and then the students report the next week because I
will be the first back in here telling you I told you so. You nine board members truly truly truly don't know what is happening. Remember superintendent gets to talk to
each individually and now you guys are kind of discussing it. Schools are being starved. The 10% thing is accurate. That's not fake. That's real. You know, some of you up there's talked to Lisa Maxwell and the principal. So I know what I'm talking
about. So I think stronger things need to be done in this order. >> Thank you. Anyone else? >> Board member discussion. Miss Thompson. >> Thank you, Chair. Uh Dr. Heeper, could you walk us through the impact of this? >> Yeah. And I and I'll start it off. Um
and Mr. Davis can fill in. Is he um over there? Okay. So, I I just want to remind the board this we're we're the sixth largest school district in the country. We have 230 something um school staff with principles um and the like. We are
a huge system. Um many of the operational components of this of this ORC chart are the backbone of this system working correctly and efficiently and effectively even even with the gaps that the team has identified from the past that we're trying to close. Um and
so it is it is um small I don't want to say small decisions but decisions like this could disrupt a lot of things and especially when it comes to it. It is the backbone of everything in this district right now. Uh things that people disregard that may be
simple is because of how it is the highway for many of the components to actually work correctly and get information to or from and all the other initiatives. And I'm not just talking about software. I'm talking about hardware as well. And so, uh, with with that said, Trey, I'll let you, um,
>> add to for the public, um, to get a greater understanding of what, um, this executive director, um, does and and, uh, go, you can continue. Go ahead. >> So, Trey Davis, chief information officer. I want I want the board to be very
cautious here. And the reason that I'm saying this is because my experience of decades in private sector as well as in K12 at scale um tells me a different story here. What's evolving? What you're
going to find is these particular cuts that you're making here are going to end up costing you exponentially more through sourcing than you would if you kept the resource in place. I think it's very important to note as well that just
in in my tenure over $12 million in vendor funding and licensing concessions uh have been realized in my short tenure. Additionally, over $15 million in IT divestments, programs, services, hardware, and software have been
realized during my tenure of only 19 months. And let me speak to the positions that you're referencing. The positions that you're referencing have millions of dollars of named projects associated with them that value this district uh broadly. For example, the
executive director of artificial and or analytics and intelligence alone, you know, has uh projects that are tens of millions of dollars. For example, facilities modernization. The one position that's driving that to realize at a bearish case 40 to $50 million over
five years on energy savings alone not to mention tapping into the $80 million in labor. The $20.41 million that I mentioned in reduction of overtime two use cases. We have many many named cases here that you can't do that without this
kind of um you know capital human capital here. So I would caution the the board in making decisions like this that are going to end up costing you exponentially more. And my mantra cost containment never at the expense of
improvement or innovation. It's easy to cut the money. It's easier to lose out on the innovation that our kids deserve. >> Yep. And and just to close out the the the value of us uh these funds and some of these positions that the board is in
has invested in and and um hopefully continues invested in the amount of cost savings um realized in just a short amount of time. It tremendously exceeds the value one 1,000x. And so that's why I want to with Trey can caution the board on on some of the decisions when
it comes to these op these ops positions. Thank you for for explaining that. I also know that our uh Mr. Davis has gone through his department with a fine tooth comb uh since he started here and made sure that it was as efficient and as
small as possible. I think when we talk as a district about preparing our students for the future, like Dr. Huppurn cautioned us, we need to look at the huge big picture. I also know this department has has brought made us the
AI capital of the world which I always say wrong. Um it's also brought in Microsoft partnerships. It's brought in expanded opportunity. Um and I would caution the board to vote on eliminating that. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Miss Bulman. >> Thank you. Um I agree with Miss Thompson. I my experience uh working with Mr. Davis is that he knows what he's doing. He has a lot of
experience both in the private sector and in the public sector. So there's no argument that he uh brings a wide birth of perspective to this and this is a shifting environment whether we like it or not. And it's a huge organization
that requires technical support based I mean just any type of virus or um any uh attack could just take down our entire school system. So I think we have to be very careful
and again I don't want to be um pennywise pound foolish about how we're looking at these positions. if they're impacting millions of dollars and you're paying hundreds of thousands, we need to look at that. And I also I'm concerned about a decision that we
made a couple pages back um with the an the enterprise analytics as well because I you know Dr. Heburn said that we for hundreds of thousands of dollars to have those positions. We have paid in the tens of
millions to fix mistakes because they were siloed. So, I we need to be looking at the big picture and how we're best approaching going forward. Even if a different position is being paid less, it doesn't make a couple hundred,000
um not worth spending in certain areas. So, I I appreciate uh Mr. Davis cutting his org chart. I know he spent he saved about $8 million over the past year, two years. much higher than that, >> more than that. And then he's brought
in, I mean, tens of millions of dollars in benefits to us. So I I believe that the way that he has his org chart set up right now is the way that we should be proceeding. Thank you. >> And if I may, um, Mr. Bulman, add to that, the for the IT department, it hasn't been just this year of a of a
reorg. It's been the past two years of finding greater efficiencies and reorganization within that department. Um, and so I know this is we're talking about this today, but um, this has been a a two-year reorg. We did a lot of things to change components around and
positions for greater value for the district overall. >> Mr. Sea, >> thank you, Chair. Um, I just want to be very clear as to what the ask is here because, you know, listening to some of these comments, uh, one would think that
I'm asking to shut down the entire like IT department in Broward County Public Schools. >> That's not what I'm asking. >> We have an executive director of technology and four directors, four working underneath them. All I'm saying
is let's cut from the top. to get rid of one position and disseminate that work and that responsibility to the other four directors so their workload goes up by a quarter because you know whose workload goes up every single day and
they don't get more pay the people teaching our kids. >> So all I'm asking is that we treat these people the same as we've been treating our teachers. Don't cut the department. cut the fat from the top and split up the work over the remaining four
directors. We're not closing the IT department down, guys. That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking for a little concessions so we can save some dough. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh Dr. Zean, >> I'd appreciate it, Chair. Um
I would just ask the board to think about something here. If we want the superintendent of schools to reduce chief positions or executive director positions, we can direct him to do that. We did not. You know what we directed the superintendent to do? Go find us a
boatload of money and cut a thousand positions. And he did that. He did exactly what we asked him to do and we have the authority to go back and ask him. >> Please, sorry, Dr. Zean, Miss Fusco, this is your first warning. >> And we have the opportunity to have him do it in different ways if we'd like in
the future. Uh, but he did exactly what we said and we didn't put parameters around him. We didn't tell him that he couldn't uh take positions that were encumbered and he did. He took 300 of those. We didn't tell him a lot of things. One of the things I'd like to ask you, Dr. Heppern, is last week in your presentation, you gave us
statistics on um pay D and above versus pay D and above. Can you share with me those cut percentages again? >> Yes. So, directors and above were cut 16%. >> Thank you. And a majority I want to say probably one or two vacant the majority
of those positions had were filled or they were not vacancies >> and bel and then below >> and then below was 15%. So on the chart was 15% six directors and above was 16%. >> And tell me again uh central office took reductions of 22% total. How about central operations?
>> Central operations total of 11% only 1% of those positions were filled. >> Terrific. How many positions out of schools did you take in this round of reduction? >> Zero. >> Okay. I just would ask us as a board to think a little bit about this because Dr. Heppern and his staff get to go and do the analysis stage. They get to go
and say to Mr. Davis, we need reductions. He comes back. It goes to Mr. Lozano who took a 20% schwack which I think if I could Dr. Heeper, that was the biggest reduction in of all the chiefs HR. >> Oh, actually u Mr. Sullivan's >> Sivan took the bigger one. Okay. Okay.
What was that reduction? >> What is it? 27%. >> Um, that sounds about uh about right. Might be closer 22 23%. >> All All good. My point is is that that took weeks and weeks and weeks of working together to come up with a good
strategy that would allow us to have the staff left over. Not the 25,000 we started with, but the 24 we ended up with that we can go and win. And so these one at a time cuts I don't think are getting us where we want to go. If we want to give him more direction and
say come back after this round and get us this many positions at this level, he will do that. But he will create something. I think this Dr. Heer, if I'm right, I'm just want to ask this as a question. Are any of these cuts making us a better team to go win back the hearts and minds of students and
parents? >> No. And that's why >> Thank you very much. >> Been cautioning. >> Be careful. We told him to do something and he did it. He did it where the more higher management people took it than lower. He took it out of central staff first and then central opera operation second. Zero out of schools. Will there
be reductions in schools? Have there been reductions in schools? Absolutely. We lost $25,000 students. Nobody's happy. Zero people are happy. No one's happy. Staff's not happy. The students aren't happy. The parents aren't happy. But we lost $225 million. And what we have to do is put the best team on the
field that we can. and we asked our coach to do that. So, if we want to change the rules for our superintendent, I would suggest we do that and have him come back. Dr. Heburn, if we wanted to ask you to to save different or more positions, how much time would you need? Do you need
three months, a year? >> Yeah, we need time because there's a lot of analysis that took place for this. >> And you have other budget reductions that are going to keep us above 3% next year. Is that correct? >> Correct. >> Thank you. To me, that is that is really fundamental and everyone needs to know
that these one at a time cuts are difficult. I think it's very difficult to put Trey Davis on the stand and say justify position one and then he comes up with $20 million saved, another uh bunch saved on top of that. But I don't think this is a fair process right now
to make people justify. If we want to keep going, that's fine. My preference is to say, "Look, if we want to do something different, let's give the superintendent 6 months and give him some directions to go make further cuts." Or we do what I think a lot of boards would do, which is wait and see how he's going to keep us over 3%, how
he's going to work hard to find raises for people next year till we can bridge to the 27 28 referendum funds, and let's figure out how we can go and and build the best team possible. Uh, but these kinds of random um Okay. these kind of random uh um um ideas with
the staff uh having to respond to it I don't I don't think is going to get us to that team where we have the greatest uh possibility to win back the hearts and minds of students. Thank you very much chair. >> Thank you, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Um two questions. One I forgot to ask earlier. Dr. Heepern, when
are we going to see the MGT report? >> Uh, Mr. Sullivan, >> um, I know once we're concluded with this, it will be shortly. It won't be much longer. I can check with them. >> Okay. Thank you. As I mentioned before, it would have been very helpful to have
it before we got to this point. Um, I mean, I know they gave a presentation, but the I was looking for more information from that. Um, my other question to a superintendent or Mr. Davis is what is the likelihood of being
able to to take the executive director jobs and and separate it? So, kind of the question that Mrs. Lean already asked before, can you tell us what does the executive director of um I again it's too small um technology operations
like what is what do they do on a daily basis? >> Go ahead Mr. Davis and then just a reminder there were two EDS and we remove one out of that division. Go ahead Mr. Davis. >> Trey Davis chief information officer. um the executive director of technology
operations uh handles all of the operational strategy uh and manages the um you know the return on investment uh relative to those operations driving across all our value streams. So one thing that I do want to mention there specifically is that and I think Dr. Heburn alluded to this was last summer
we actually went through our restructure and and moved from a functional siloed environment to a composite organization driving value again across the organization. I think it's very important to note that the directors that you're that you're referring to um I don't treat those as quote directors
that have just personnel and budget responsibility. Um they are technical practitioners for example. Uh the director of infrastructure services is our key network architect you know so imagine what occurs across the district uh relative to our network and the
availability of things like WAN services our internet access and all right. So, so if these were just personnel and budget managers, u then our structure would look very differently. Uh, but that's not the case. Uh, the expectation there is that they perform at a high
level uh relative to being a technology practitioner as much as they are or personnel or budget manager. So back to the executive director position that is a critical position in realizing the alignment with with organizational strategy uh and actually what is
delivered in the is uh world again across our value chain or value streams. >> Okay. I appreciate all that and and thank you so much for all you do but I don't think that I mean I still couldn't walk away telling you what the executive
director did. So, can is there a way for you to to maybe say that in a way that someone who's not technical could understand what that is because I'm I'm sorry. I and I I'm not trying to be funny. I just really didn't quite get
all of it. >> No, I I appreciate the question. If it needs clarity, I'm happy to happy to give. Um, so again, back to the operational strategy. So you know working again with each of the directors ensuring that you know resource allocation is where it needs to be.
Investments both on a general fund and a capital budget standpoint is where it needs to be for each of the operational areas. We're very valuedriven. So if we look at performance and value uh there are very defined uh metrics and expectations for that executive director
to deliver with the directors relative to how we invest in technology which you know of course is in the tens of millions of dollars u but more importantly what value is derived. So the reason that I place that value on the executive director's levels because
um that is how much money right is associated with uh with their tenure in that position. >> So how does what you as the chief IT person do differ from what the executive because it sounded like they were kind
of managing resources for each of the directors. So can you explain what the difference is then between what you do and the executive director does? >> That that's uh that's definitely more organizational strategy. So I look at
things like organizational architecture uh the structure you know um value streams how we perform portfolio management uh vendor relationships um for example some of what I've referenced before in the 12 plus million dollars in concessions and licensing dealing
directly with vendors. I do not expect that the executive director to do that. I expect the director to u executive director of tech operations to be focused on operational excellence, high availability of the systems uh not on those particular organizational or relationship issues that of course yield
uh tens of millions of dollars on their own. So strategy versus operations. >> Okay. Thank you. And again, thank you for all you've done to streamline and and really get us to the top with the different IT things. I appreciate all the work that you've done.
>> Thank you, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Holes. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. So, um, I just want to thank the public and I also for giving your feedback, but I also want to make it clear that
the superintendent did come back with cutting 16% of the above chart. Is that right, Dr. Heepern? >> That's correct, Dr. Hus. >> Okay. And below the chart, he cut 15%. >> Um, below the chart, we only cut 13
>> 13%. So when you look at what we as Dr. Zean mentioned had asked the superintendent to do he did exactly what we asked and he actually cut a higher percentage of the top. Now the impact if
we continue in my opinion uh to uh continue to cut more of the top based upon what has been discussed. the impact can be consequential. Board member Bullman made a statement that says we
have to be careful in how we're being pennywise and might be pound foolish. Now, it sounds good to cut the top. I understand and and he has done that. But I am concerned as a board member about the
long-term effect that it will have on everyone if we continue to have more cuts higher than the 16%. Um, as a responsible board member, I have to listen to the superintendent's
rational as far as the impact that it will have on our school district if we continue to increasingly cut more a higher percentage, which is higher than what he's done at the bottom of our uh
above the chart. So, I was the one who supported reducing the number of chiefs and that passed. We reduce the number of chiefs. I supported reducing the level of positions. But I am concerned and I'm not here for brownie points. I want to
ensure that the district is functioning effectively. I cannot in my own conscience allow or support any will put our district in a consequential
position that impact all of us. And I'm saying this not just as a board member, but I have family who is employed by the school district. My sister is a teacher. I fully understand the whole thing. I was a teacher. But if I am to make
decisions that I believe is going to be significantly consequential where we're we're cutting positions that give us a whole lot of money just to say we're doing it. I can't in my right conscience do that as a board member. So I like
many of the board members look at what's being presented to us and I have to be very very responsible in how I make the decisions. So some of the decisions may not be popular and some may be but I believe
that it's important that we move in a direction as Dr. Zean had mentioned some of his points that we are not impacting this district in such a consequential way that even those at the bottom starts to get impacted even those below the top because when we start losing money in
different areas it's going to impact everyone else. So I understand for some folks they may come up with these things and it sounds popular. It's a buzz point, but as a board member, I have to act responsibly. And so I will continue to listen. Um,
but just understand and I believe majority of us, we're making decisions not just for what is being presented to us, but how it will impact all of us at the bottom, all of the staff at the bottom, including my sister. So that's the basis
of my my decisions here today. um is to make sure that the whole system functions effectively and I if I do anything otherwise I would not be responsible. Thank you madam chair. >> Thank you Miss Bowman. That was not here. Mr. Sea
>> call the question. >> All in favor of calling the question say I. >> All oppose say no. >> Roll call please. >> Roll call and call in the question. Sea. >> Yes. Hixon, >> yes.
>> Honus, >> yes. >> Leonardi, >> yes. >> Rupert, >> I have a question. >> Could you speak in the mic, Miss Rupert? >> I have a question. Is this just on the motion and not item one still?
>> Okay, just on the motion. Gotcha. Um, I'm a yes. >> Thompson, >> yes. >> Zean, not on the line. Bowman, >> yes. passes 8 Z. >> Okay. Uh all in favor of uh item or the
Mr. Seivera's motion on eliminating the executive director position. Um >> say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> No. >> Roll call. >> Roll call on the motion. Hixon.
>> No. >> Hus. >> No. >> Leonardi. >> No. Rubert. >> Hi. >> Thompson. >> No. >> Zean, >> no. >> Aladeaf, not on a line. Bowman, >> no. >> Seo, >> yes.
>> Fails. 28. I'm sorry, 26. >> Mary, continuing along, chair. Um page 16 of the ORC chart specifically under HR we have an executive director of talent management. Um directly uh under them is
a director of talent acquisition and a director of HR operations which is um being sought to be removed uh by this uh current version of the York chart. I have confirmed with the superintendent that the director of HR
operations is a filled position uh as we sit here today. Um here's my motion. Uh and it's it's twofold. Uh my motion would be to cut the executive director of talent management and to reinstate the position of director of HR uh
operations. Is there a second? I'll second it. Public comment on the motion. Staff, is there anyone in the rooms with the delays? >> No, ma'am. >> Okay. >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation,
Florida. Um, I support the motion in spirit. However, the director of HR operations is a fairly new position and the person that has been occupying it was a principal one day and then in charge of HR operations but not related
to schools as one might think. It was non-school related type functions. And I thought at the time, how in the world would they even know how to do their job? I mean, I know around here we like to take principles and put them in charge of HR. Actually, this is the
department we're talking about, which gets us back to the job descriptions. In making these suggestions, and certainly, if you're making recommendations as a superintendent, one should be looking at the job descriptions.
Do you need this function? What are the qualifications? Because one of the biggest problems around here is having watered down qualifications that you can shove anybody into. MGT did most of the analysis for this. >> Thank you. Next speaker.
>> Madam Chair, could you repeat the motion one more time, please? >> Well, the maker of the motion is not here. Mr. Preo, I know you >> Could I have my time back, though? Because I just need to know the the motion. >> Please let attorney Dre Bruno read the motion. >> Thank Thank you. It's the motion to um
reduce the executive director for talent management and reinstate the director of HR operations. >> Okay, my it says I have 32 seconds left. Could I have the minute or no? >> Mr. Hill, could you restart the time,
please? >> Thank you. Zyra Lanches Deerfield Beach. I just want to say I don't know if I agree with the motion or not, but rules are not written in stone and neither are the people who make them. I'm on a Hunger Games kick today. So,
Katniss Everdine warned that fire is catching and this community is the spark, but there's a bigger threat than just our voices. Fiduciary responsibility is a legal mandate. If you continue to protect the administrative bloat at the expense of our of our students and teachers, you're
inviting the state of Florida to walk in through these doors and take the keys. State receiverhip is the ultimate game over. And if you won't do the right thing and cut from the top, the state will do it for you. And they will start by removing the leadership that failed to act. Do the right things for student
and teachers, not the above the line system. And may the odds be ever in your favor because right now they aren't. Hannah Fusco teaching and president. So I appreciate the motion, Mr. Seivera, but that's a wrong area. Actually, the
office of HR and talent, they're the workerbees. They are working diligently to make sure that all of their 12,000 educators and all of their 3,000 ESPs are properly credentialed and certified and have what
they need to make sure that they're in those classrooms. I want to make this clear. I I I appreciate what Tai did over there, but you know, he's no longer going to be working for Broward County Public Schools. He can put his resignation in, so he could say whatever he wants to inflate it. You take teachers out of schools,
they're the backbone. They are you're not going to have schools that are going to run. End of story. I don't care how many executive directors or assistant directors you have. They are not the backbone of this school district. They are people that are leading and making decisions. And I like going to ask this
question. Why are we this big problem? It isn't the teachers that caused it. It's the upper echelon. So you guys keep doing it. Might as well call the question and vote on agenda one right now and see what it's going to bring to you next month. Any other public speakers?
Board member discussion. Miss Rupert. >> Thank you. Um I would not be in favor of this. Um, one of the most detrimental things that have happened in the last 15 years is when uh a very very important uh chief position um for leadership for
talent development was axed and it took us all this time to get back into a district. So just be warned on that. So thank you. >> Any other board member comment? All in favor of the motion say I. I I'm
sorry. >> All oppose say no. >> No. >> Roll call. >> Roll call on the motion. School board members Honus. >> No. >> Leonardi. >> No. >> Rupert. >> No. >> Thompson.
>> No. >> Zean. >> Nope. >> Aladef is not on the line. Bowman. >> No. >> Sea. >> Yes. >> Hixon. >> No. fails. 17.
Chair, if I may, um, as I close out here, I mentioned this sort of, um, in my opening about this directive that was given to, um, our principles uh,
recently about, uh, essentially taking away their ability to control where their budget goes to and being given a very specific directive that they can only have a certain amount of teachers based on a certain amount of kids they have in the Cool. Um, since we are uh on
the topic about saving money and cost efficiency and things like that in the ORC chart, um, I'd like to hear from Miss Johnson uh, as to whether or not the information I was getting was accurate and who ordered um, this
directive to be issued to all of our um, school principles over the last um, I' I'd say couple weeks. And Miss Johnson, I'll take that question um initiated at at least and then you can finish it up. Um yes, there's going to there's going
to be um a a reduction in school budgets because of a reduction in students. Um, as I said before, year overyear, um, ever since I was a teacher, um, and most likely before, if a school does not, um,
get the insp, uh, expected enrollment or if there's a projection of a decline, the budget is going to fluctuate as a result of that. That's just the natural cadence of of staffing schools or funding schools at that level. If they
don't have the revenue due to not having any enrolled students, they don't get the funding. Um, if they actually have a significant increase in funding uh in in student enrollment, um, I meant to say they will experience an increase in funding um, to support the needs as far
as u teachers and other personnel. And you know, a lot of people forget that that FTE per student is just not going to teachers to hire teachers. It goes to a lot of components that support students. goes to support transporting a student to and from school. It goes to
all the ancillary positions to support that school uh clerical uh uh instructional support, not just uh specifically uh the teacher. So that FTE that we receive per uh student is actually spread out across the board to
support schools to do the work that they need to do. >> Okay. So let me let me just let me touch on that before I turn it back over to Miss uh to Miss Johnson. Here's where I think this this confusion is stemming from. I'm not talking necessarily per se about a reduction in budget and I
realize that as attendance numbers go down that there may be ramifications as far as uh budget reductions are concerned. What I'm being told is the way that things were done in the past was the principal would be allocated a
certain amount of money and the principal would make the decisions about how to use that money in their schools based on need as them being sort of the the captain or the the CEO of those individual schools. That's my
understanding of how it was done in years past. This year, what I'm being told is rather than following that formula, these principles are simply being told that if you have a certain amount of students,
you can only hire a certain amount of teachers. So, you're taking the ability for the principal to work how they want to work um their um staffing and and their teachers in their school. you're taking that flexibility away from them and you're telling them you can only
hire x amount of teachers if you have a certain percentage of students. Is that not accurate, Mr. Superintendent? >> So, I think um go ahead, Miss Johnson, if you want to add. >> Um that is not accurate. I don't give that directive at all. The allocation model defines the staffing and the
principal could hire based on the FTE that's allocated. >> Okay. So, as you sit here today, Miss Johnson, because I need to make sure I understand this because I got a lot of pissed-off people calling me on this, and I filled a lot of phone calls on this in recent days, let's let's break this down step by step. And maybe you
can explain this to me like I'm in fifth grade, so I I can understand. Um, in years past, has it not been this district's policy to go school by school and allocate them a certain portion of dollars for their budgets in which the principles got to decide how that money
was used? No, the allocation is based they instead of seeing dollars they see in units based on the number of units FTEES you get allocated that number of units and that's supporting kids in the classroom. >> Okay.
>> So it's the same thing some um decide to allocate teachers or they'll use extra periods. >> Okay. So our position today is going into next year going into 26 20 26 27 the principles in our schools have full
autonomy to decide how they want to use their FTE dollars and decide how many teachers and staff they want to hire. >> So no and that's ne that's that's never been the case. So if I give you money Mr. Severe, if you're the principal and I give you money and you have a thousand
students, um, by law, you have to hire a certain amount of teachers to to educate those students. So, I can't you can't just take the money and and so-called have autonomy to go do other things besides educating the kid. Um, and so, uh, I think Miss Johnson saying that the
the dollars equal a certain amount of instructional units and also, um, non-instructional units as well. So, it's the it's the same thing. um you if I give you uh money to equate to 100
teachers or I give you a 100 teachers, it's the it's the same thing. >> So let me let me put it this way because maybe this is the easy way to break this down. Is it your position, Miss Johnson, that the directive that you gave to the principles this year going into 26 and 27 is the same directive they received for the same past three years? Nothing
has changed. >> I have not gave any directives to the principles. I allocate based on the allocation model. >> Okay. So, however you allocated them based on whatever models you used, you're using the same algorithm, you're using the same formula going into 26 and 27 as you've done in years past and
nothing has changed. >> I haven't changed anything from years past. >> Okay. So, perhaps all of the principles that have been reaching out to me uh very distraught in what apparently they thought they were told um were inaccurate. So, I appreciate you putting that on the record as to what the
district's position is. Uh my last question on this was the was the district did the district give a directive to any principal in any school that they needed to cut a certain percentage of their staff specifically
10%. So naturally, as you the budget team or whatever team has discussions with a principal, if I if the projection says you're going to lose 200 students for the upcoming school year, your budget will be reduced as a result of
that lack of revenue. So the majority of schools are predicted to actually have a decline in enrollment. Um probably very few will actually increase. >> But I I I just want to a very simple answer to my question. Was a directive given to any school principal?
>> No. >> To cut by 10%. Your answer is no, ma'am. >> Yes. No. >> Okay. I appreciate the clarification. You willing to go on record with that? Um, that being said, for now, I'll yield my time, chair. >> Thank you, Miss Thompson.
>> Thank you, chair. Um there's been a lot of conversation today. So I just I have a couple questions. One, there was a comment and I don't think he is still in the room about art classes and kind of art,
music, that kind of art program being an important part of our education system. And I just wanted to request a followup for what schools offer art classes and music classes. Um especially I've been hearing some misinformation in my
district that none of the schools in my district offer that and I know that's not true. So, it'd be helpful to have um a spreadsheet or something so that as board members we can advocate for our schools and let parents know which ones offer music, art, STEM, etc. Um
>> Miss Thompson, do you want last year and next year? >> Sure. If we have that data since we haven't had principal placements. Um, and I wanted to also talk about Lee County because that's
been brought up several times throughout this discussion, saying that they've only focused on upper management. That's just not accurate. They're actually changing their allocation models to schools as well. And they've been given their directive that every school has to
cut 3%. >> It's 3% at a school level. and it's 5% per um department at their central office. This is Lee County, not us. Um so I just when we are bringing up headlines that
we see, it's really important to understand the full picture that this is something happening in every county across the state of Florida. Um and it's cuts both to the admin level and to the school level. Um, I wanted to
also talk about or address the reason why we turned this to a voting meeting instead of a workshop. And Dr. Heepburn, could you please walk us through the impacts of delaying an org chart vote, especially on schools impacted by a redefining?
>> Yes, there's a lot of components to this. Um, hence why we brought this early in April with the hopes. So, number one, the staff that's impacted by this downsizing um have a long runway of support from our current HR team and and if needed, the support of career source.
That's that was the the first priority. Um second, there's other decisions that are contingent upon um um approving the or chart such as principal placements. um HR starts working their their um um employee stream to ensure to uh what
vacancies are out there so we can start placing our employees in those positions. Um so there's a lot of um dominoes that fall after um this decision is made and every week um we we all know the summer goes by in a blur and we want to make sure we're well prepared u for the upcoming school year
u with without trying to u make haste with certain decisions that actually take some time to get it right. And I will just say from speaking to families in my community, not knowing who's going to be the leader of their school that
was closed, not knowing kind of those impacts have caused a ripple effect throughout my district. And it was very important that we settle this. We are now, this is our third or fourth meeting on it. We are now on hour five on the org chart. I don't think any of us are
rushing this decision but giving it thoughtful uh analysis and also recognizing the very human element in all of that is that we have people who are finding out their jobs are being cut from this day. Uh we have senior
directors who have worked diligently with their teams and had really hard hard and heartbreaking conversations about the reality of where we are. Um, so any delay to that I don't think is for the benefit of our community's
students or our families. Um, I did have and I know this is a little disjointed. There was a either a public comment or one of my colleagues brought up um budget guideline committees. Don't we still have sachs and isn't one of their roles to give guidance on school budgets
or can I get clarity on that? >> Yes, that's correct. the schools um get guidance on their budgets from their from their recite committees. >> Okay. I just wanted to make sure we didn't because I hear from my school sacks. Um and then I wanted some um
information on the impact of the cutting the DH DHH teacher, the deaf and heart of hearing teacher. Uh I know we have a a public speaker that wants to speak to it. all but we're cutting a teacher and I'm told
that we don't have enough um teachers to cover those students. So, can someone walk me through that? >> I'm sorry, Miss Thompson, can you repeat that? >> The deaf of heart de >> the DHH. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Okay. Um Miss Hollisworth. >> So, the deaf and heart of hearing
teacher that was cut was a district department teacher that's been vacant and we can do contracted services. There was no one in that position >> and we haven't had and can you detail the amount of time that it's been vacant? >> I believe it's been vacant for the
entire year. I can confirm with the team. >> But but was that due to the hiring freeze or was that because it's cuz at least what I've been told about the breakdown is there's a teacher for like kindergarten through
first and then a teacher through second. And so that's prior that's uh prior to the hiring freeze >> that has been vacant. >> She >> go ahead. >> So we have two different things we do have and I know the speaker's here. I'm not going to speak for him. Um but at
schools so at Tropical and some of our other schools we have self-contained programs where there's teachers. So that's a school budget. This individual was on good grief was on the district department budget and it has been vacant for multiple reasons. a little bit of the hiring freeze, but then also it is a
very hard to find um you know certification. >> So what is this individual that's on the district budget then? >> They were an itinerant person that would then go out and support the teachers and um you know service certain students as well. So, were they like a substitute
teacher that >> No, they're a full-time Well, they haven't been there hasn't been anybody in the position, but they then service other schools outside of um you know that uh cluster or work with the cluster teachers and or students in the classroom. >> Okay.
I I guess to general counsel is without making a motion, is there a way that that public speaker could speak on the DHH program? Well, it's my understanding that this is a special school board meeting on the organizational chart. If it has something to do with the organizational
chart, they certainly can speak. >> Okay. >> Okay. So, let's >> let's have Dorm in the audience. Miss Thompson has the floor right now. Uh, >> okay. So, I'm going to make a motion to bring
that the DHH coordinator position back. >> Second. >> Motion made by Miss Thompson, seconded by Dr. Holes. Public comment on the motion. >> Yes. Thank you all. Miles McBrain. I'm a resident of Plantation, Florida. I'm talking about my daughter Parker who's a
road to Tropical. They absolutely have three teachers right now. They have one for K through 1, second through third and fourth through fifth. We were told this morning that one of those positions being eliminated and now the teachers will be K through three or sorry K
through two and three through five. Same number of students. 20 students this year, there will be 20 students next year and yet a position is being funded being cut. And sorry, I I'm very emotional about this issue because we already have students that are graduating from fifth grade who barely
can read that are in this program. And now you're taking away a teacher from a special needs group who absolutely needs extra help and extra attention. And that's why you have these programs. We've been talking about directors who are making $180,000 a year. Pay an extra
teacher to help special needs students. That's what we're asking for and I believe Broward County deserves that. Thank you all. >> Thank you. Rochelle Sofur, speech language pathologist.
>> Do you know what I said? Because I surely said things that are not appropriate for this. But none of you know sign language like I do. None of you know sign language like I do. My husband is a proud product of the DHH program here in Broward County Public Schools. You have been paying your itinerates piss poor wages. They're
awful. You wonder why you can't fill it? Because you've dumped all over your DHH itinerants. And until you learn sign language, you don't know what you're talking about. to do this. >> My DHH people, they know what that is. They're not clean words, but I'll put it on public record because that's what I
think and I don't have to say it. I'll sign it. Awful, horrible, rotten decision. Walk a mile in my shoes at my home. See what it's like to be a Kota, child of deaf adult. See what it's like to be in the deaf world. These kids can't read.
They have difficulties. I have them in my private practice. Don't dump on these kids. That's rotten. >> Thank you. Next speaker. >> Hi, my name is Candace Blake representing Coral Springs and I just wanted to say that I too am in support
of exactly what all of them said because we need to be here for all of our students. Those that speak, those that do not speak, those who can't speak for themselves. We need to make sure that we have them in our minds in our thought in
our thought thoughts and also in our hearts. >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought we weren't cutting at schools. >> Yes, you were. >> Did I misunderstand that? because that
sounds based on the text I'm reading from a friend that um that that's why her father showed up uh is that you're cutting and for deaf and heart of hearing of all groups and you reduce staff for the homeless kids. What
vulnerable group are you going after next? Cuz I know it's not the people you want to save in the witness protection program. Didn't do any hard work there. you let MGT do all the hard work and then they wanted to keep themselves and their
friends, but we're not cutting anything at schools. So, I support the motion. Do not take support away from the most vulnerable kids. That is wrong. You should know that. You, the board, know this. But the problem is the person you
tasked because you don't see what's happening at the school does not. And it's Oh my gosh. Are we serious? Listen, we cannot hurt children.
You cannot do that to students. We keep I feel like this line right here makes it seem like this whole side of the room is saying one thing and you all are saying a whole another thing. Like we're not even in the same space. It's like I'm in the Twilight Zone.
What's going on? You're going to hurt the children and want us to support you. Just so you know, people do watch these meetings. You may not think so, but they do. And we're not going to support you when it comes time for election. Let me
let you know that right now. Thanks, Dr. Trudy Jamanovich. The problem here is what it's always been and it's magnified this year. You do not have a communication system that really tells you what's happening at the schools.
Thankfully, you have social media and people get in touch with you. Thank you so much for bringing this up so that this person could come and speak. You are taking teachers out of schools. They may be because they were in this position or that position and came in or
out or whatever. You are taking teachers out of schools and you said you wouldn't. Patus Cavil Tamarak. So I'm speaking to once again sematics. Just like you stated, you're not removing people that directly impact children.
>> Lies. You said zero will be impact. Lies. The truth shall set us all free. You're not speaking the truth. Just because their position is in district doesn't mean they're not impacting children.
That that doesn't mean they're not working directly with children. That doesn't mean they don't report to a school building each and every day and are helping the staff and helping the children. Just because our position is district, it doesn't matter. We're still impacting the children. We're still
impacting the school. We're still impacting the staff. You guys are affecting the school. You're affecting the children. You're neglecting them like this don't make sense at all. You're creating chaos
and confusion and trying to put labels to it. Sematics and a physical bar teaching your president. I'm I'm still at a loss why you're not understanding this. And by the way, Rebecca, tons of schools
don't have physical education, bands, and art. I challenge you to walk schools with me. That is a fact. There's tons of schools that have band instruments that haven't even been touched. That's a whole another story. But what don't you understand?
I'm I'm at a loss. Norah's a teacher. Rebecca's a social worker. Dan, Debbiey's a teacher. Sarah's a teacher. Jeff, you're a teacher. Heard your sister's in charter school teaching, by the way. Allan's a businessman. You're an attorney. Mari, you're an attorney. So, I'm I'm confused. What's your not
understanding? Seriously, you're impacting the student. I'm going to say it again. You continue down this path. Next school year, it is going to implode. You're
you're being told a false narrative. >> Thank you. Um, board member Hixon. >> Thank you. Dr. Hepper, can you because I think there's two different things going on here. things going on. >> So if you look on the chart that we had, we um there's a teacher deaf and heart
of hearing there were 14 and that's going down to 11. Two positions were vacant. One position is being removed. That was that's at the district level and that's correct. Miss Miss
Hollingsworth was talking about, right? >> Yes. >> Correct. Okay. Then there's the teacher monitor DHH. There's one and still one remains. Correct. So, but the gentleman that the public speaker that came to talk is talking about a specific school.
So, is that a decision that was made at the school level by >> It's a school level decision. Um, we're talking about two different things here. Uh, when we're talking about this initiative, the district budget, district based positions that we're talking about here. Um, and to the
speaker who uh was talking about that school, that's a schoolbased position. Um, if you haven't met with the principal, I suggest you meet with the principal because it's a school-based position. Um, and if there's concerns at that school level,
you can feel free to um um communicate u with the regional office for additional support. But there there are two different um things going on. We're talking about district initiative, district uh based u positions. Um and what you mentioned sir was at the school
a school funded position. So if you haven't talked >> if you haven't talked to the principal I suggest you do if you have uh the regional office will be helping to support you. >> So we do need to quorum in the audience. Everyone did get an opportunity to deliver public speaking.
Okay. So, and thank you for explaining that because I think and we've said it a number of times. I know that I've said it a number of times when we talk about the initiative today. The initiative is
this chart. Are teachers being uh are teachers being let go at school levels? They are. That happens every single year because it's based on how many students are enrolled. Some schools get extra teachers, some schools get less because of student enrollment. That is not
anything new to today. That has happened across the time. The one place where we have kept up with enrollment was at the school level because you ha we have to. So this is a different thing that we're talking about today. So I think it's
really important to keep those together or keep them that idea separate. So these are teachers, some of them that work at a district level that do go into schools, but it's a different initiative than teachers who are being let go at a
school because there's not enough enrollment. That I think we have to be very clear and again transparent that happens on a yearly basis. It's not new to what we're doing today. It has happened for as long as I've been here, 37 years. Those of you that have been
here that were principles or teachers, you know that that is true. So you have to make sure you understand that there's two separate things happening here. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other board member discussion? Dr. Zean. >> Chair, are we back on the item?
>> We're No, I believe we're still on Miss Thompson's motion. >> Can you tell me what motion that is, please? Chair. It was to bring back the DHH the DHH coordinator position >> and and I think we've determined so far that that is a staff level position not
an inschool position. Correct. >> Correct. >> Thank you chair. I'm good. >> Any other board member discussion? >> So I just have a question. Where where was that on the org chart? Because I don't see I mean DHH is still on this org chart. So just to clarify, I made
the motion so that gentleman was able to speak. It's not on the org chart. It's on the below, but he >> I thought should have some space to speak. >> Okay. Because I can you tell us what page on the chart because I don't see DHH coordinator here either.
>> Yeah. >> Oh, maybe it's on this page. It's >> on the spreadsheet. Hold on. >> Yeah, that's what I'm looking at. You you referenced it early, Miss Hixon on the spreadsheet, but I I think uh >> No, that's not coordinator. So, there's a teacher def the so the teacher deaf and heart of hearing. It wasn't a
coordinator. That's right. >> But I think uh the motion was uh as Miss Thompson mentioned was to allow the speaker opportunity to to speak. >> So, it's not an I was just trying to keep up. Thank you. Sorry. Um I I Oh, go ahead, Dr. Horn. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, so I just
want to ask a couple of questions on on the DHH position, but just to clarify the record, my my sister does work for Broad County Public Schools and he's still working for Broad County Public Schools and I believe I would know that, but I will continue. Uh, Madame Chair,
um, the DHH item, uh, Dr. Dr. Heburn um you mentioned the position is uh is vacant um and that the position is hard to fill. So, is it is there any way that um
and I don't know, that's why I'm asking that we could staff that position uh temporarily um until we're able to find an individual that has all of the requirements for the position. uh is
there any way to um bring someone in to provide support that has some measure of experience on a task assigned basis because it it seems to me to be an important position especially when we're talking about DHH. So can it be staffed
temporarily and while we tried to find um the individual with the right um requirement to fill it? Um, so we've if we had the uh uh person to be able to task assign, we would the the
only way to actually um provide that level of service with that vacancy would be to contract out, which would um cost a lot way more money than um what the actual current position cost is. >> Okay. So there's no way to to to staff
it through us um with a lower requirement? No, we don't we don't have the people. That's why it's been um vacant for so long. >> Okay. All right. >> All right. I just I wanted to to comment on the
teacher position issue. Um and kind of, you know, Dr. Heepern, you and I talked about this last week. Um, I I've also had some conversations with principles and I think there's maybe a communication gap between >> here and our principles with especially
with regards to um like the positions and the the budgeting for their schools. And so um it from their perspective you know they're being told like you get this this x number of positions and
because of that they have to eliminate a you know a certain position or two or more um that they say that that is being directed by the school board in the school district. the parent comes up and is upset,
understandably so, when a a teaching position is eliminated, and we tell them, well, that's a school-based decision, but the schools don't really feel like it's coming from they they don't really feel like they have any autonomy or or power over that. So, I
guess I'm wondering what we can do. And I, you know, Miss Hixon said it like I I remember when I was on a when I was a probationary teacher and I was like pretty scared I was going to get surplus. Um, so I guess I'm wondering
how we can improve the communication when it comes to a lot of these things um especially with our principles uh so that we can all kind of be rowing in the same direction. Uh and the deputy um
soup has already initiated um a great communication stream with a a leadership group of principles. Um I think she just started meeting with that group to isolate what different areas to focus on moving forward. But as far as the actual
budget, um as of right now, um this week, the principles are actually having budget meetings with the budget team um and any other supporting um um staff to act they can ask those type of questions, get more clarification as they start planning out what the actual
budget um would look like for their individual schools. >> Okay. >> Yep. >> Thank you. Anyone else on Miss Thompson's motion? All in favor of the motion say I. >> I. All those post say no. No. >> Roll call. >> No.
>> Roll call. >> Roll call on the motion. Board member Leonardi. >> Nope. >> Rupert. >> Yes. >> Thompson. >> No. >> See? >> Aladev. >> No.
>> Bulman. >> No. >> Sea. >> Yes. >> Hixon. >> No. Item fails 27. >> All right. Um, Miss Thompson, are you >> No, I still have some. >> Okay, go ahead.
>> Uh, so thank you for that. Again, that was to get some clarity and provide the speaker an opportunity to talk, but um I also wanted to make a motion, and I believe I can because I was on the prevailing side, to
bring back the executive director of enterprise analytics and second Motion made by Miss Thompson, seconded by Dr. Zean. Public comment on the motion. And is there anyone in the delay room? >> Okay.
>> Oh, sorry. >> Dr. Natalie Lynchwal, Plantation, Florida. Uh, can we get clarity on which one we mean because they seem to be all over the place. There's two at least. It was the one the board previously cut. It was >> page three. Director of enterprise
analysis and intelligence. >> Oh, the one on page three. Not the one under AC uh under academics. Okay. >> Um not not if you're going to not if you're going to bring it back. Oh, wait. You were trying to cut it on page three
and you did cut it. We're losing track honestly. Um I was in favor of cutting it the first time because I'm in favor of it being all it sounds it sounded after the explanation like an actual IT position. Um I had suggested strategy.
So it's beyond me why that and the assistant director which there's another assistant director too. Why you would put it under the chief of staff. So we'll be I'll be very interested to see where this goes. Any
other public comment on the motion? >> Anna Fuscoar teacher. So you're the motion was to bring back the director. See how easy that is? So, you're going to bring back all of the mental health people that we want to cut and all the itinerant teachers that you're cutting and you have to have a parent come over
here who's out there crying because then again, you you guys snowed them and made it believe that it was the principal's decision to do this when you know very well the superintendent has directed budget people to go into every single budget meeting in every single school to cut your budget. And then the principles
do have to make that hard decision. Oh my gosh, who am I cutting? But I'm telling you now, if what if I sat up here and been wrong? Why don't you put that in your little brain up there, guys? Every single time I've come up here this
last year with you guys, the graduation personalization, the GLP1s, the referend, I mean, come on. It's happening again. Do you really want to wait to see what happens next school year? Is that what you're going to do?
and then go, "Oh my gosh, how do we fix this wrong?" >> Thank you. Any other public speakers? >> Board member discussion. Miss Thompson. >> I'm fine hearing from my colleagues. >> Dr. Zean, >> Mr. Superintendent, how much uh cost savings has this uh incumbent of this
position saved the district this year in terms of overtime and other uh initiatives that they've led >> um for overtime? Um over 20 million um for this current year. Um, as far as other cost savings, um, Trey, uh, or Mr. Davis, if you're over there, if you can,
I know you have these in in your head. Sure. Uh, Trey Davis, chief information officer. So, in addition to that, we we also or this individual or this position has actually worked directly um, you know, with other functional areas, for example, in payroll uh, to identify
payroll anomies anomalies and automate that process. Um also this this particular resource two other areas actually one uh was instrumental in making um our worldclass deployment uh of artificial intelligence uh districtwide. Without that position it
wouldn't have been uh successful. And secondly, relative to the operational efficiencies gained um and funded by one of our vendors, for example, to assist um is4 to $50 million bearish case over the next four to five years as modeled
out relative to just energy savings alone. So So each of these um projects that I'm mentioning with with savings is attributed to this particular position right here. >> I appreciate that. Second question uh to the superintendent as well. If you had to hire the talent that's in this
position right now, if you had to contract out in order to get that talent, how much would you have to pay to have outside contractors come in and do the same kind of work? >> Easily. Um uh seven figure contracts. >> Seven figure. >> Yes. Okay. >> Easily. >> I I think that's enough. This position
is a heavy lifter for the district. Um I have uh taken uh several different direct presentations on the cost savings. I'm fascinated, as you all know, with with AI and Broward County Public Schools being powered by AI. Um, and the work that this office has done
in order to modernize that without allowing AI to go in places that it shouldn't and to make sure that we continue to make adult decisions about it is very, very impressive. So, it's not just the 40 to 50 million over the next 5 years plus 20 million of overtime. It's also just making sound
decisions for the entire uh very complex and large district. So, in my mind, given the seven figure cost of replacing this, Dr. Heeper, and I know you would want to do that. You know, these are the kinds of things that uh we all should be proud of within the district, um I support Miss Thompson's motion,
>> Miss Bulman. >> Thank you. I too support Miss Thompson's motion. I think that there's been a demonstrated um strategy and uh the benefit and the value of having this position. It has
been demonstrated and explained to us by Mr. Davis and the superintendent. I've had multiple conversations again not to sound repetitive but with Mr. Davis about how important this is to the structure and how we are saving money by
putting the different technologies into place. Um, so prove us wrong that we spent a couple hundred,000 and we didn't save tens of millions of dollars over a period of time, but I'm willing to take that chance because I think it's um very important and the uh the potential for
this is can't be overstated. So, thank you again, Mr. Mr. Davis for your work on this. >> Thank you. Anyone else? >> Oh, Mr. Sivera. >> Um, just want to bring back and remind everybody what the crux of the original
motion was because it seems as though a flip-flop, maybe a foot. >> Um, the original motion, as I explained on page three of the org chart, we currently have an executive director of enterprise analytics. We also have an assistant director of enterprise
analytics that deports directly to the executive director. I was not suggesting that we get rid of both those positions and have nobody overseeing enterprise. All I was suggesting is that we get rid of the executive director and have the uh assistant director elevated to just a
director position and fill both roles. So, just want to make sure that um my position was fully clear as my colleagues consider a revote on this issue. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else? All in favor of the motion say I.
>> I. >> All oppose say no. >> I. >> Nope. >> Roll call, please. >> Roll call on the motion. School board members. Roupert. >> Thompson. >> Yes. >> Zean, >> yes. >> Aladev, >> yes. >> Bowman,
>> yes. Seao, >> no way. >> Hixon, >> no. >> Holes, >> yes. >> Leonardi, >> yes. >> 63. Motion passes. >> Miss Thompson. >> Thank you, chair. Um, so I I there's
been some sentiment um about not cutting from schools. And I just feel like it's important to reiterate that we are a school system. So everything we do is going to impact students and the people that come to work wherever they work every day come because they think they are doing right
by kids. >> And so I think a little bit more compassion when speaking about the people who work for us is needed. >> Um I also people talk about voting and and how >> one second Miss Thompson Miss Fusco
please follow the instructions of the officer. This is the last warning. I got one. >> You on number three, actually. >> Go ahead and continue, Miss Thompson. Sorry to interrupt you. >> No worries. So, we will talk about voting and what we're doing to advocate.
And I think Dr. Zean brought up a really good point about funding and how we're comparable to our surrounding states and and other speakers have talked about the importance of advocating for more funding. And that is so incredibly vital. And I talk about it every time and I'm going to continue
talk about talking about it because I did not run because I wanted to close schools. I did not run because I wanted to vote on a thousand people being or positions being laid off. I ran because I wanted to create a stronger system for not only my three kids that are in
public schools, but for every child in public schools. And I think when we are making these really hard decisions, we have to remember that we are only here for a brief amount of time, four to eight years or or more. Um, and our our goal should just be to have a stronger
and better school system when we leave. So I'm just asking and I know my colleagues are on the same board but are on the same page of that but for our community to realize that the decisions that we're making today are in order to stabilize our system so that we can
thrive in the years to come. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Holes >> Madam Chair. I don't have any comment on the item. Okay, >> Miss Rupert, >> this is for item one still. Okay, great.
Um, I appreciate it. First thing I want to ask for or actually ask for some clarification is there was a job called specialist board governance and this was
hold on uh part of agenda four but wait it's also part of agenda number one so I did not want to miss the opportunity since it's referenced in both places to make sure I didn't miss this time. The
specialist board governance is a brand new position. If you're looking at the May 7th update, it's a it's a brand new one for 2627. If you're looking at the number four, it
is a specialist board government with one position prior to cuts and then it says it's new and then positions remaining is one. So either we have twins,
co-join twins, I don't know, but I'm confused with that. and and also I was not able to find anywhere a job description um or a job code for this position
and um that alarmed me on many levels. The reporting aspect was to the finance department the finance. So, I would think a specialist board
governance, which by the way pays $113,000 and some change, would report to the board and not the finance director. So, I need a little bit of clarity for that. >> Go ahead, Dr. Lozano.
>> So, so that is a below the line position. Um, so it's not part of this or chart and it is coming to the board. Remember these are the thousand positions as part of the district um discussion today. So in that thousand
are above and below the line. The job description for that position is coming May 19th. No, >> no, we need to if we just want to go back to organizational chart and job description responsibilities.
When it comes to making changes to a proposed chart or job description, the board is not restricted. If the board ultimately makes those changes, the superintendent would have to implement the changes. However, it goes on to say
the clarification is the organizational chart is a pictorial description of positions the board has created and who they report to in the district. The reporting structure is something the board designates to the job description.
So, the organizational chart should come simultaneous with or after the job descriptions. So, I'm saying no. Go ahead. >> So again, that position is not on the org chart. It is a below the line
position that's coming on May 19th. >> Well, why is it in the backup for here? >> Because it's >> to be voted on >> because we we're not voting on below line positions today. >> We're voting on the org chart today, Miss uh Miss Rupert. The below line
positions that are listed here is um just to notify the board of the impacts and the impact in employees as far as the the the downsizing initiative. But as far as what the board is voting on today is actually the org chart, >> but also the job descriptions are item
four >> and and that's just um one is >> No, that's item two. Item two is just one job description that we >> I have that one, but there's no job description for this, >> right? It doesn't matter if it's below the line or not. Everybody up here
should ask themselves, hm, it was empty. >> Now, it's full >> and it's filled and it's below the line and it's in the finance organization. All I can tell you is this. I don't answer to the financial lady. I answer
to the public. Every one of us should have a say if this position is going to happen. I'm saying no. It's $113,000 before you add in um benefits. I'm going to say I'd rather pay teachers
more. At least one teacher. Put it in there. We do not need somebody who we don't know who's sitting in it >> or going to sit. And I'm not going to say >> it's vacant. Uh Miss Rupert, >> I'm sorry. There is no position. >> There is there is no nobody in that
position. >> There is no position >> and there is no position. We have to create the position through the uh job description. So the board could easily vote down the job description when it comes because there's nobody in that position. >> Okay. Well, I'm gonna take a little walk over
256. I got it. Thank you. And it's a new one. >> Madam Chair, can you put me on the list? >> Yes. >> But it says there is Why don't we go ahead and recess the meeting for a few minutes?
We don't know. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, people. Heat. Heat. everybody. Hey Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
All right, we are back. M report. Thank you. Um I understand that the the superintendent is going to be able to fix that little snafu and um move on from there. So I've been assured that it is not a board position uh especially on
governance. So um we would it would not be on a vote that is here today. So um because if it is I might be a little mad. Um >> okay. So then the other part the I want to speak on um item two. So, just keep
me on the list for that. Um, but when it comes to our facilities, our losses, painters, workforce jobs, um, what, and I've said this before to to the board and and definitely to Dr. Hepper, we
have a plethora of workers that are uh, really masters of their craft. And we do receive workforce dollars for those jobs. And it's pretty awesome when you have kids that go through our schools, Sheridan, McFatterder, ATC, and um my
two sons both went to one of those um and they are working in their fields still. And uh we have teachers in programs um and we need to make sure that the money for their programs um is is there
and also the continuity of making sure that we're growing our own. So, that should be a a gigantic push. And um I I would request um that the superintendent have a a conversation with the AFL CIO,
Phobi, all those guys, the Case people, and talk about that. You know, if we're if we're cutting this many people because this is what's going on. Um we need to find an answer for that. But we also have to make sure that we are
fulfilling our our um obligation when we teach them these skills and they get their certifications that there is a place for them to work in Broward County. So I think I I just wanted you to have that information and my colleagues um the the guys and ladies at
AFL CIO and Phobi, they know what they're doing. They know what the market looks like and they know how to get there and these are guys in the field. So thank you. That was all madam chair. Thank you Mrs. Aladdaf. >> I call the question.
>> All in favor of calling the question say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> Nope. >> I believe uh that fails with one vote in favor. Mrs. Alheda. Dr. Zean. Thanks so much, Chair. I have one uh thing since
my colleague made the motion to reconsider the last um change. Um it's on it starts on uh page nine of the org chart. I'll just take one minute to kind of present the case. Um if you look on page nine, you can see that underneath
the chief student services officer right in the middle of the page. Um on the first this is the second of the two pages describing the duties ascribed to that uh position. You can see that the responsibility on that one page includes
school counseling uh school culture uh student support wellness uh and mental health. If you go to page eight you can see that there are more responsibilities described to the same person looking from the right side and kind of reading reading the opposite direction we
normally do. um specialized ESC specialized instruction, ESSE support and compliance, uh ESSE, uh educa, uh educational curriculum. I want to make a case to the today that this uh proposal um that came from the superintendent is
really juice that's not worth the squeeze. This this shift from an executive director of ESSE to a director will save Broward County Schools $10,000. And I don't think it's worth it. And I'm going to explain the case why it's not worth it.
When you look at the span of control, uh the complicated operations, the wide variance in outcomes, the operational risk, the need to educate others about how requirements for special needs keys aren't special needs children and students are inherently different. Uh
there is a need for an executive director position. We have a chief and executive director leadership position this year. And why? Uh because they have to do financial oversight, legal protection, cross-system alignment, improve student
outcomes at scale and to make sure that ESA services are considered whenever systemwide decisions are made. Both leadership roles, the chief and the executive director, seem essential to me. And I can tell you when I call them at 6 and 7 o'clock at night, they're still at their desk pounding away trying
to make this system, which is incredibly complicated, more efficient, um and more effective. Of course, ESC is not a program. It's a high-cost, high-risk, federallymandated system. And having such high level leaders like we have today ensured that we have managed the risk, complied with complicated
requirements, and made sure that we deliver for these special students. ESSE decisions are crossunctional. Everyone that is made has to do with academics, transportation, technology, human resources, finance, legal, student services. In fact, I don't know of any
public school functions that in some way don't overlap with exceptional students. Why is executive director more important than director? Because if you're not at the table, you're on the menu. And special needs needs need to be advocated
for at the highest level. Second point, we have over 40,000 special needs students. If you add students and parents together, that's 17,000 students per single member district. And what I'm talking about will cost us $10,000, less
than $1 for the student and parents in each single member district. The juice is not worth the squeeze here. We have legal exposure. Every due process case that we get for one special needs student costs us between 25 and $100,000
per case. Large districts like Broward on average lose$1 to3 million in compensatory services from miss service delivery. Again, the juice is not worth the squeeze. This position in comp in tandem with all
the other uh folks on this org chart represent 20 to 30% of the total district. It's incredibly complex and I can tell you that if you look at the other executive director positions that are on this chart, we have one for talent management, great technical lops,
non-instructive broadcast, transportation, PO, capital programs, budget, and now back again. Thank you, Miss Thompson, for analytics, enterprise analytics, and intelligence. None of those are more important than our special needs students. None of them.
So, I think that this position should remain. I think for $10,000, uh, we can we can keep this where it is, make sure that we don't take the risk, and we can stand up to those 17,000 members in each one of our single member districts and make sure we can look them in the eye and say we're doing the right thing for
your special kids. Thank you very much, chair. I move that we uh change on page eight the uh director of exceptional student education curriculum. Actually, I would propose that we delete that, the one on the far left, and reinstate the
executive director of exceptional student education. >> Second. >> Motion made by Dr. Zean, seconded by Miss Thompson. Public comment on the motion. Obviously then I I'm in favor of giving ESC an executive director given that you have
three chunks of departments here but then which of the directors I guess it would be the one that has curriculum already would then have more curriculum um which makes a lot more sense than having two executive directors of
analytics um under the wrong departments. Um but if you bring one back, which is a lot more than 10 grand because the box Oh, but you're doing the difference. You're getting rid of a director, so that's that. Um and I guess they're not going to ask you to make up
10 grand. So, um yeah, I'm in favor of the motion. It's ESSE. Um, we have a lot of executive directors that I we could live without, but this probably isn't one of them. And it should be about the function from a management perspective.
The people at the top do strategy, then you have tactical, and then operations. So, you have to make sure whoever gets into that box can do strategy. >> Thank you. Next speaker. >> Hi, I'm Michelle Bandy Davy, Florida ESC specialist. I support the motion. I
would not be able to do my job without the director. I was able to call Stephanie Aosta Castro and I know this is the the boss above her, but she got the people in the school to help me get my new school under control. We were
completely out of compliance. It was a debacle. And um I couldn't even believe that it had gone on that long and that these kids I said what I did for the west I was going to do for the east. And I believe that's one of the reasons our
program grew by 100% because I know every single one of my 140 kids. I could write the IEP at the table. I have great parent uh interactions. I can handle the advocates. And so please keep the ex do
not cut ESSE no matter what. Do not cut them. Thank you. Anna Fusco Brower teaching and presidents. This is one department that shouldn't be touched at all. I'm confused. I mean, there are so many parents out
there that are still trying to figure it out if their child should even be tested and what they may need. And we keep pushing, bring your kids to Broward County Public Schools, but we're continuing to show that we want to cut
real important pieces that really affect the students. So, I mean, if we're keeping it people, don't get me wrong, I mean, unless you have this plan that we're going to have some AI robots running our classrooms, then I don't think it should be more
important than an ESC department. That that can't happen. Again, anything that is affecting the student needs to be fully intact. Please support this this motion. >> Mr. Prio, Dr. Zean, I just want to make sure that I have the motion correctly.
It's uh to move to change page eight to reinstate the executive director of ESSE and remove the director of ESSE curriculum. >> That is the motion I made. If I might just intervene though before we discuss it, Dr. Heepburn, my understanding is that would of the three directors that
was the one that would most overlapped with the executive director role. Is that true? >> Miss Hollisworth could provide some detail on that. >> So good afternoon Simone Hollingsworth. the chief student services officer. If you would like, I can give a kind of a
broad overview. The ESC curriculum director is doing curriculum. We moved um we had 141 schools that were on the SS sublist uh two years ago. We're down to 20. So, that's been very in um very intentional work with our regional directors and regional offices to make
sure that we are um addressing students with disabilities with their academics. The compliance is as you mentioned Dr. Zemen um very much around that due process and um any litigation that's occurring and we do have an increase of that. However, we're settling them better and better as well as the
specialized instruction which is all of our itinerant and related service work such as speech, DHH, OT, PT, uh hospital, homebound, now we've moved specialized um healthcare underneath there. So, they all have a functionality. However, that executive
director individual does really truly cohesively bring that all together so that there is uniformity bringing that together as well as working with the you know the directors at the regional office and then really spanning that scope so that we can be continuous and have a lot of continuity and bringing
that strategy and operation together. >> Dr. Hepern, are all three of the director positions encumbered? >> Uh, Miss Hosworth. >> Yes. Okay, that's different than uh the information that I got. So, I'm a little
bit stuck right now. I was told that one of the director slots uh was not encumbered. Um and so um I just got misinformation. But but this year all three of those positions are filled. >> Correct sir?
>> What about for the as the org chart stands for the upcoming year? >> So for the upcoming year then there would be a movement from one of the executive director into a director role and then there was an assistant director moving somebody into that role.
>> Terrific. And what uh role would that um executive director have been moved to? >> The compliance director. >> Terrific. So to uh be clear then chair my motion is to delete the director for compliance exceptional education education support and compliance and
reinstate the executive director uh exceptional student education. >> Any other public comment or member comment? Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Just want to clarify with I
guess the superintendent or Miss Hollingsworth. So, if we were to reinstate the executive director, they're kind of over everybody and get rid of the director of exceptional student education support compliance who
would be the person over that because they'd have a director of ESSE education curriculum that they would be over and they would have a director of ESC specialized instruction. Um, but there would be nobody
kind, you know, like they're over they're overarching and we're kind of replacing one for something very specific. So, could you just kind of talk about the logistics of that? >> Yeah. And my understanding of the motion is that the executive director's span of control would increase. So they will
have two directors uh reporting to them and uh the components of the the positions that make up uh that that used to directly report to that director. So the span of control would just expand. >> So they would actually be
>> correct >> the director and the executive director that the >> that's my understanding >> Dr. But but that middle block has an assistant director as well. So that's what makes that middle block a little bit different. >> Okay. I'm I'm just trying to figure out
the logistics. Thank you. >> Any other board member discussion? Miss Thompson? >> Hold on one second. Mr. Pre Bruno, >> I just want to make sure that the record is clear. So um Dr. Zean, what I have now as your substitute motion is to move to change page eight to reinstate the
executive director of ESC and remove the director of ESC education support compliance. Perfect. And then I'm assuming Miss Thompson, you're still seconding. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you, chair. Um, I seconded this
motion. I think there's a lot of room to expand in this department as well, especially with our prek programs. Um, I think even as our student enrollment declines, our ESSE population is increasing. to make sure that we have
support and also also a visionary for this position is really important. Thank you. >> Any other board member discussion? All in favor of the substitute motion say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> I.
>> Substitute motion passes unanimously. Um Dr. Zean. Anything else? >> No. I just want to thank you colleagues for the support and I appreciate the time. here. >> Miss Bulman, >> is is this my time to talk on item one?
>> On the as on the item as a whole? Yes. >> Oh, all right. Thank you. All right. Well, so I um I was I'm going to say what I was going to say earlier today, but we obviously we've made some changes. So, um Dr.
Heburn and with the changes that have been made today, do you stand by the organizational chart that you've brought to us? >> Yes. >> Okay.
And do you believe that you've made sufficient changes to account for the budget challenges that we've faced this year, which kind of left us holding the bag, and that we anticipate facing in the next school year due to projected significant decreased
enrollment and other factors? >> Yes. Um, as one component of a broader um cost savings initiative. Yes. Okay. And do you believe these cuts are necessary for the future success of Bar County Public Schools and to achieve a budget that meets the statutory
requirements of the state of Florida? >> Yes. >> And do you believe that you have followed the board's directive to reduce the organizational chart to minimize or fully avoid impacting the school level because we're in the school business? >> Yes.
>> And cuts at the school level decrease parental and employee satisfaction. the overall student experience and the ability to attract new students. >> I feel like I got to raise my right hand here. Yes. >> Thank you. >> Right. Um I you know I miss
>> B the >> our job is to hold the superintendent responsible and to review his performance and this as is as the executive of this giant organization. We
will be holding you to this organizational chart as amended and I look forward to seeing the success. I the other question is if we if the projected factors change do we
have the ability to amend this organizational chart do we have the ability to be flexible do you have you built that in because I don't think flexible last this this year >> we we've done um org chart changes um besides just doing this traditional
window we've done mid-year org chart changes I think we did a org chart change for the general counsel a couple of months ago And uh great question. Uh one of the things if um we see any pressure on the way we do the way we want to do business as far as supporting
schools departments and the like um especially with some of the changes u made by the board or even myself, we will bring back that specific um organizational chart page to make any updates necessary. Um so I think the board knows me. I'm not afraid to bring back something if we feel like after
analysis and implementation um it's it's going to um you know become a barrier to us um excelling in certain areas. So um just an FYI on that part. >> No, and I appreciate that. I think we're going to need that flexibility as we see I mean this is a situation that we haven't faced before. So we are trying
to get ahead of it as Miss Thompson said earlier to make sure that we have a stable successful district going forward. Um, and you know, you'll hear from all of us, as particularly those with children, because we're hearing about it every day what's happening. Um,
so as long as we have your word that we'll be able to make changes as we need to as the things arise, then I'm good with it and look forward to seeing how this works. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Holes. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um so I will say
that the decisions today were certainly tough decisions. Um you know there's this saying that leadership is not about um popularity. It is about doing what is right. And so
my moral compass when I make decisions is I always ask myself is it is it right? And is it right in my mind? And that's usually how I live my life even sometimes when my decisions aren't popular. So um
it's always can I sleep at night with the decisions that I make and that's what guides me as opposed to anything else. And so um unfortunately the besides receiving only $9,000
approximately per year for each student in the state of Florida as compared to states like New York that receive over $30,000 per students. We are losing students somewhere between 8,000 to
10,000 per year. And so it leaves us where inaction is not an option and in fact inaction will lead to consequences such as state receiverhip if we don't take action. And
so what we've done here in reducing staffing I believe it's the responsible thing to do. I believe this will, as board member Thompson mentioned, this will help to stabilize the district. That is why we are here
because if we don't make these decisions today, the consequences of it tomorrow will lay on our conscience because we will realize those consequences. And so although they are tough decisions, I
believe that we've done the right thing. Now, Dr. Zean, talk about the amount of money that we would have if we were being funded like other states are. Well, the top five most popular state is
California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania. Guess how much New York gets per student? Over $30,000. Guess how much Pennsylvania get per student? Over $23,000. from the state. California over 24,000,
even Texas over 13,000, we get 9,000. And so when you look at how we're funded by the state, it's no wonder we have these financial concerns and as a board, we are working
in very challenging situations to make this district work. and I am comfortable with some of the decisions I make. Although I am not I wish I didn't have to make them but at the same time I can't sit back as a board member and say
that I'm being responsible in doing nothing because if I do nothing 3 4 years from now the consequences are too grave that will affect all of us. So I think that the decisions today, Madame Chair, uh I am happy that we are coming
to uh a close with this and Dr. Hburn, thank you for your patience and I want to thank the audience for their patience as well. Um but please know that we're doing this in the interest of Broad County School District and that's why we're here. Thank you, Madam Chair.
>> Thank you. And before we go to a second round, I just had a few questions. Um I want to start with the the school transformation office. Does the number do do the schools in STTO uh fluctuate
at all? >> Go ahead Dr. Fa. So this is year two of the STTO school transformation office and we've kept the same number of schools and the goal of when we started it two years ago was to have a time period so we can calculate what's
working and what's not working. So we say that we would keep them for three years and then based on we have a criteria for exiting. >> That was going to be my next question. Um so we next year would be the year we would be evaluating their exit exiting
of the STTO. >> Correct. >> Okay. Um on page five, I had seen in org charts uh in years past um like probably about a decade ago
maybe no more than that back in like the '08 uh era um where the director that level of directors and the principles they were switched. Um, but would that then change the reporting structure if we
switched those uh if we like flipped the principles and the directors? >> Yes. Right now the directors uh supervising in and um the principles >> and so if you put the principles first >> then this switch. I wonder I guess I I
would I'm not going to ask for a follow-up, but I'm very curious if anyone has that knowledge uh why that would have why why that would have been um back back then. So maybe Dr. Wanza, you you have the historical knowledge. You and I can chat offline and I'll I'll show you some of those work charts.
Thank you. Um I want to go back to something that Miss Hixon asked about because this is, you know, a concern of mine. Um, when it comes to some of the beacon positions that were eliminated in repairing our security cameras and our ESC classroom
cameras, what is the plan to to be proactive about um, you know, having to transition from having, you know, a number of people who who do that work to repairing those those cameras to having a reduction in in that work.
>> Um, it's pretty much creating a a better project around the cameras. We we pretty much have u a lot of knowledge around how old the the new cameras versus the old cameras. Um what's been the state or current state of the cameras that need
to pretty much be replaced and and um how many need to be um repaired. So it's creating a better project list uh so we can accomplish that with the older cameras, but we also have a lot of new cameras that are coming online as well.
>> Okay. Um, and the the last thing I'll say is, you know, the the parent who was who came to speak about the DHH teacher being cut um at their school, that really resonates for me because it's
representative of a lot of conversations I'm having with constituents who um kind of demonstrate to me that there's got to be like a better way to collaborate and communicate with our stakeholders when we go through these processes. Um, and you and I have talked
about um, you know, implementing some task forces and and working groups and stuff like that. Could you elaborate on how maybe moving forward we're going to try to communicate differently? >> Yeah, absolutely. Um so I'll initiate a soup task force um for for just some u
budget initiatives and ideas especially when they're crafted by um cabinet just to make sure we have an additional uh stream of people u for assurance purposes of how we tackle that i.e. um you know high school uh scheduling and things like that. Um and then u Dr.
Fulton has already initiated her I forget what the uh name she uses for the group that are going to tackle spe um that we need support and guidance and and to help empower people to be a part of that process. Um and then working with our schools and u working with us
as we as we improve our communication um downstream and upstream. Uh just making sure we're giving our principles the toolkits that they need to communicate with their constituents. what are the largest concerns or even collecting information um beforehand during budget season because I know the the public hears a lot of information and it raises
uh uh spidey senses in their brain and they start you know may may interpret things a little bit differently than what what they're actually are um so collecting information and making sure we're communicating appropriately um throughout uh all of our stakeholders internal and and external. So, I know
our, you know, like I said, uh, communications probably hasn't been the best as we, uh, push information out and we'll get better with that with certain positions on the ORC chart that's going to help us, uh, execute that much better. >> Well, and I will just say I the the importance of collecting
recommendations and solutions from our stakeholder groups as well is, I think, a really valuable exercise and it it creates a lot of ownership throughout the district. So it doesn't feel like or it feels less like something is being done to our community as opposed to, you
know, our community is coming up with solutions for the the problems that we're facing. Um so, you know, including as much opportunity for for stakeholders to reach out and share their recommendations, things that we can do
to save money, um I think is really really important moving forward. Um that was really those were their my comments. I want to just thank everyone who's participated in this process and everyone who's come out uh to give their their feedback. Um it might not always
be easy for us to hear, but it's important and it really means a lot that people are willing to stand up and use their voices um and be a part of of this school district. Um Mr. Vera.
>> Thank you, Chair. Um, Mr. Superintendent, how many certified teachers are we slated to lose under these cuts for the proposed org chart that's in front of us right now? >> Um, Mr. Lozano or Dr. Lozano, far as
certified staff of the 300 112, sir. So when I look at the summary PI positions that was provided in the outlet, I see a line under PTU uh EP indicating a total position elimination
of 196. You see that column there? Uh Dr. Ozono, >> what page are you on, sir? >> On page one of the summary by positions, the updated version from the 7th of this month. >> Yes, sir. 59 are vacant and 25 were
delimited prior to July 1, 2025. >> I'm I'm sorry. Give me that breakdown again of the 196. >> So 112 are filled positions, 59 are vacant positions and 25 were vacant positions prior to July 1
of 2025. Chair, I'd like to make a motion. Um, my motion would be to remove all of the current currently failed 112 certified teacher positions that come under the
summary by position under BTU EP. So, just to be clear, my suggestion is to not have them removed from the orchard. >> Is there a second? I'll second it because I have a question. >> So motion made by Mr. Seivera, seconded
by Miss Roupert. Public comment on the motion. And are there any people in the the external room? >> No, we let security know to let them know that that room isn't to be utilized for these purposes. If they went in there, it's on their own. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. Um, I'll support the motion to not remove the teachers from the ORC chart. We're already seeing where, well, there have been hordes of people that have told you that it's going to impact things. And I guess if this doesn't pass, then you guys can wait till the
first couple weeks of school to see how things are impacted because you've had the head of every bargaining unit telling you you're going to have chaos come school time. >> Good afternoon, board. My name is Vanessa Matut. I'm not sure if in that 100 if that includes us. It should
because we are BTU. I did want to also discuss that ZA has been up here talking about cutting from the top and I keep hearing the board and others talk about how we can't cut this person because cyber attacks or we can't cut this person because they're a director, but
yet you're cutting the people that are working directly with the students. So, from what I've gathered from these conversations is it's more important for a child not to have a cyber attack, but it's not more important for a child to jump off one of our school buildings. So, we're valuing technology more than mental health. So, I would like to
support his motion. Thank you. >> Hi, I'm back. My name is Petrusville and I do hold two master's degree and I work for the SSI department. It's really sad and it's disheartening to see how much you care about these top level positions versus the lower level positions. And
you know, thank you for bringing this motion. I thought Thompson, who brought the chaos and confusion to our department, would have rectified it today, but she didn't bring it to the table again to clean up that situation cuz SSIS and our supervisors were not on a chopping block. We we're not we're not
part of the funding that is being affected that long hold will save us money. We're part of the referendum. So for us to be put on this all chart by Thompson and for her not to once again take accountability and say hey put these position back is disheartening and
distrustful. You want us to believe in the power and to achieve success but that's not what I'm seeing here. So thank you so much. Kudos to you for understanding what the important role and the impact is for the children to have us there. So, please bring SSIS and our supervisors back.
>> Any other public comment? >> Board member discussion. Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. I was going to ask this question on a different thing, but since Mr. Sea brought it up, Dr. Hepern, um, can you remind us of of a couple of
things? So, when this p first of all, this is not part of the org chart. Is that correct? >> Sorry. Correct. This is these are below the um line below the org chart positions. >> Okay. Thank you. So when we had this discussion and I keep trying to figure
out when the first time we did this was but I can't find the workshart workshop date. Um what was the suggestion of the student support instructional specialists initially? because now the what's on here is that we are um
eliminating 36 positions. But what was it before the workshop where this consist? >> Okay, gotcha. Before it was on the workshop um go ahead Miss HR because I can't remember. >> Good afternoon. Um for the 21st for the workshop, they were not on the original
list of 15% cuts from student services. >> Okay. So that there there wouldn't have been 36 and we would have remained with 40. >> Correct. >> And what was what was um what other position was lessened
in order to um >> I think it was social workers. >> Okay. So what was the >> counselors? Yeah. Social workers, school counselors. >> There were six program specialists for ESC. I think there were 14 social workers that were v fil filled and one
that was vacant. So I think 15 and then I believe there were 18 um ESC counselors if I'm not mistaken. >> Okay. >> That were part of my the original plan. >> Okay. Thank you. And I'm just trying to to figure out how to balance
that. And I will say, you know, I I really appreciate also everyone coming and we I personally, I'm guessing everyone got it got emails from students that are impacted by the SSIS um
employees and those were really heartfelt and in um you know explaining their their story and their experience and parents explained that and where we said when when we talked to students they said we want someone we can talk
to. And so we created these positions because there's someone the students can talk to and now we're eliminating all of them. So I don't agree with bringing all of the positions back only because I think it defeats the purpose of what we
were trying to do. Um but I still have concerns about eliminating all of these positions. Um so I'm not sure how to reconcile that. But to Dr. Mr. Heeper, can you tell us what would the cost impact be of Mr. Seivera's um request?
And then the second question I have is of those 12 190. It's hard to Mr. Dr. Lozano said 112, but then it says 195. But anyway, the the certified teachers on this list,
were they also who you were saying would find a place? Yes. >> In a classroom if this were to go through. So that they weren't looking at losing their job, just the position in this, >> just the position they're currently in right now. All the certified teachers
would be eligible for positions um uh in at especially at schoolbased and probably even other positions. Um the 112 is actually the field positions that uh Mrs. Sea made a motion to bring back. um those are filled but all of these
positions or the majority of them are certified positions where they will have an opportunity um to continue employment here in Bard County Public Schools just not in the capacity of these current positions. Also um the cost for the 112
at an average of about 75 fringe and salary is um uh 8.4 million. >> Okay. So, I guess my question to the maker of the motion is what where would
we be cutting the other 8.4 million? >> I don't know. I only made a dozen or so motions today to cut uh some stuff from the top that uh what everybody rejected. Um at this point, my main concern is making sure that we don't lose teachers from both ends. Uh, I'm hearing that
we're losing 196 or 112 certified teachers and our principles are now being given directives to cut um their teaching staff by 10%. So, we keep losing teachers. We keep losing teachers. Uh, I'm not sure who's going to teach our
kids soon. So, uh, I don't have an answer to your question. I'm just trying to keep teachers in the classroom and to make sure that our kids are getting a quality education and we keep the A rating. >> Are you done? Miss >> Dr. Zean, >> thanks so much. Um just want to be clear
um because the words matter. Uh these certified teachers I think Dr. Heburn uh 100% will have the opportunity to apply for any of the hundreds plural of our certified teacher positions that we have in Broward County that open in 75 days.
Is that correct? >> That is correct. Hundreds. >> We're not we're not losing in Broward County 112 or 196 certified teachers. Their positions are going away. They are fully certified to apply and be hired and they get priority placement in every one of the certified teacher jobs.
Broward County every year has 4 to 600 new position openings even with declining enrollment and all of them are fully capable Dr. Heburn of applying for those jobs and get priority placement. Is that correct? >> That is correct. We >> we will still need to go out and do a a
hiring fair for teachers even after this even after we fill those positions with the people who are on this um spreadsheet. We still will need to go out and do a teacher fair. Miss Rupert, >> thank you. Um my question is um are any
of these firstear teachers and the second part is are any of them um ha holding professional certificates so they're not annually let go >> that' be for that type of detail shift it over to Dr. Lozano.
>> Thank you. And as they pull up that information too, um, Miss Rubert, just reminder that they if they're certified, they'll be placed in a in a instructional position. So, >> I know that, but since you said pretty much everybody was going to be having
opportunity to have a position, I wanted to make sure that those who have professional certificates understand that they have an extra asterk by their name. Yes, they do. >> Okay. And how many of the 112? >> M Roman saying about 12 of them.
>> I'm sorry. >> 12. >> So, so 12 of the 112 um are basically protected and the other ones, the hundred will have the opportunity to apply um July 1st.
So we use the involuntary transfer process where they will select uh make choices and then we will place them >> for the 12 >> for the >> for the whole >> for the other ones. Okay. And when will that be done?
>> Once this chart gets approved and we finalize the school budgets and we have a total picture, we'll begin that process. >> Okay. >> Dr. just to help Miss Reaper out. There'd be no lapse in employment for these? >> No, sir. >> Okay. So, they would retrain their
insurance. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Sea. >> Just want to make sure I understand uh my colleague and and the superintendent's position on this. So, we're going to cut 196 of these positions and we're going to give them
the opportunity to reapply for them at a later time this year. >> No, they don't. We don't we don't we're not asking them to fill out an application. Um and I'll let uh Dr. Lozano kind of map out the um the process for you, but it's not you go find a job and click on the application
and go through an interview and all of that process is go ahead um to Miss Rockman. >> Hi there. Good afternoon. Susan Rocklman, talent management. So the process we will follow is um outlined in um the collective bargaining agreement for instruct educational professionals and we've met with the union to review
this process. What will happen is those instructional employees that have been told that their positions eliminated will um basically get an a form. We call it an involuntary transfer form. They will fill out that form. They will list up to 10 vac 10 position schools where
they would prefer placement. We then take those forms um from all of our EP employees that have been positions eliminated and then we place them in order of seniority into vacancies. So far from the budget conferences, I think I have collected over 500 teacher
vacancies. So I'm confident that I will be able to find them a new home. >> Okay. So let me ask the obvious question. We're cutting them now only to bring them back later. So what is the point of cutting them now?
>> So if I can clarify for you, Mrs. Sea, these are not classroom teachers. These are uh district instructional personnel that do various duties across the district. Uh many of them provide services to our schools, but they are not classroom um teachers. So, we're
taking certified teachers from the district. We're removing them and we're telling them that they could be placed within schools because apparently there's 500. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. So, as we sit here today, can we
guarantee all of these 109 folks that are about to have their positions cut and their jobs lost, albeit maybe temporary, can we guarantee them employment within the next 3 to 6 months? >> Yes. >> Yeah.
>> Go ahead, Miss Mob. >> Thank you. So, next week we will be reaching out to them and we will gather their um preferences and by the following week they will um be offered a position of where they will be placed. >> Okay. Um do they have a say in this at all? What if they don't like what you're
offering? >> Then they are welcome to go ahead and submit a um transfer form and as vacancies start occurring they can transfer before the school year begins. >> So it's no guarantee they'll actually be placed where they want to but there will be a job for them somewhere. >> Correct.
>> Okay. Um, so the job could be in a fantastic classroom or the job could be on a roof somewhere, but they'll be offered a job. >> No, it won't be on a roof. >> It'll be in a classroom in an air conditioned building. >> And all our all our classrooms are fantastic. So, they
>> Okay. So, and and listen, joke joking aside, I just want to make sure that I'm clear here because this is important. We're talking about a lot of certified teachers potentially losing their employment and them not being able to educate our kids. all of the folks within this um line item summary that
we're talking about, 196 of them, uh we can guarantee them there there will be a spot for reemployment within the next 3 to 3 to 6 months somewhere within a classroom in this district. >> Yes. The 112 district teachers that have been identified, if they hold a valid
certificate, they will be able to be offered a position at a school and a instructional position. >> Thank you for the clarification. You're welcome, >> Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Yeah, I just wanted to point that out because there was a a statement made that we're taking all these
teachers out of classrooms. So, I think it's really important for us to understand although they do go into schools to do some work, they are not classified at this moment as a classroom teacher. And I had one other question because we've been talking about staff
allocations. So, Dr. Dr. Heepern, if a school, what we've heard today is that schools were told they have to do a 10% cut across the board and the principal decides where those cuts are based on what they have. What if the school has
higher enrollment? Like we got a list recently about some schools that have actually grown. So kudos to them for that. I'll use an example. Oral Elementary, they're bursting at the seams. So next year when August comes or
I guess September when we get our FTE if they're an increased enrollment do they stay at that decreased budget or will we meet the enrollment in increase with increased funding? So as we do every
year after 10day count uh we assess the enrollment uh more specifically headcount and also FTE. Just you know just a reminder for the public FTE and enrollment are two different things. Uh uh the FTE could be less or more
depending on the programming for that specific student. Um but we assess the headcount at the 10day count. If a school goes up and requires additional staff, they get that additional staff. if a school goes down and they don't need that additional staff, we shift that additional staff to the school that
goes up. So that's a traditional routine that we do um every year in every school district, you know, the 10, 11, 12 day count, however the other school districts do it, but here we do it after the 10th day. And so what if there's a school, because I've been to a few where they've said they already know they're
going to be at a higher enrollment than they are right now and they're concerned about having to wait until that FTE count to be able to hire a teacher. What where do they fall in this process? >> Yes. Um I I've gotten that a very long
time in my career and I tell every principal the same thing. call those parents and have them register and when they get into our system as a registered student then the then the funding but as far as the hope and the prayer that hey I'm going to get an additional 100 students but that's not reflected in
registered students in our system it it's not going to materialize until those students are registered right uh because a parent may say hey yeah I'm coming >> I get that but my my question is let's say today I'm sitting at a school and I
have 50 additional registrations. Is that principal still being told they have to cut 10% of? >> So, they would communicate with their regional office and we bring those issues to cabinet to discuss if if if they have registered additional students that will garner additional staff. They
would work through their director and their regional soup. >> Okay. Thank you. I'm just trying to get out as much information for sure. No, those are good those are good questions because we hear them all the time and I've heard them in all the school districts I've worked. We we have to get the students registered. We can't provide funding for students that aren't actually registered
in our system. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other board member discussion on the motion? All in favor of the motion say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> No. >> Can you repeat the motion, Madam Chair? >> The motion Well, I'll have Mr. Seivera
repeat it, but it was to bring back the 112 certified teacher positions, but go ahead, Mr. Seivera. My motion is to bring back the 112 certified teacher positions. Miss Alidaf, for benefit of the paperwork that you may or may not have in front of you, it's on the
summary pipe positions log that was provided in our packet. >> Uh, can we get a roll call? >> Roll call on the motion. Board member Thompson. >> No. >> Zean, >> no. >> Aladev,
>> no. >> That was a no. Al, Miss Alado, >> no. >> Bulman, >> no. >> Sea, >> yes. >> Higson, >> no. >> No. >> Leonardi, >> no. >> Rupert,
>> yes. >> Motion fails 27. >> Anything else, Mr. Sar? Miss Hixon, >> I know we already did a vote on it, but I'm just going to say for the record one more time, although I didn't agree with bringing all of them back, I do feel
that we need to somehow get the student support instructional specialists back. Um, I made a motion, it didn't pass, so I'm not going to try that again, but just for the record, I just wanted to say that. Thank you. Any other
>> really guys? >> Any other board member discussion on the item? Miss Thompson? No. >> No. Just call the question. >> All in favor of calling the question say I. >> I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> I >> motion on the item as a whole. All
right. Uh calling the question passes unanimously. All in favor of item one as amend. Oh. Uh wait. Do we want to vote on it and then or do you want to recess and then we vote on it with all the changes? >> Go ahead, Miss Sullivan. >> Um, we don't need to uh do that. I spoke to uh general counsel. So, based on the
item, uh we would bring back job descriptions to delineate the the change in reporting structures for the departments as it relates to uh um splitting up uh those three chiefs into two chiefs. >> Miss Hixon, >> thank you. No, I I completely disagree.
We only agreed on a workshop to make this from a workshop to a meeting if there was a recess and you would put in writing what it is we're voting on before we voted on it. And I will not vote if I do not see in writing what it is cuz that's not fair. There's been a
lot of changes and everyone needs to see what that looks like on paper and I don't typically throw a temper tantrum but that was the agreement last week. >> How much time we need, Mr. Sullivan? Um, I know you guys have been working throughout the meeting. >> If you want to uh recess, I would
recommend um a 10-minute recess. However, I would table this item. After the 10 minutes, go to item two. And by the time item two is disposed of, we will be ready for item one with an updated org chart. >> But as as an alternative, we could table this now and go to item two and see if
you come back without the recess like >> Yes. Um, >> we can >> I wouldn't want to be a part of >> I need the superintendent's attention for at least 15 minutes of that. >> Um, where's the deputy? >> The problem is I think item two is going to need your discussion as well. So
perhaps we can take a fivem minute recess and we'll table this item five minute recess. That all the time I need for the superintendent and then we can come back. >> We will recess for five minutes. down. Down. Hey,
hey, hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, Heat. Heat. Grand Hey,
hey, hey. I see there. I see there. W yeah. Heat. Heat. N. All right, we are back. Could I get a motion and a second to or could I get a motion to table item number one? >> Salute.
>> Second. >> Moved by Dr. Zean, second by Miss Thompson. All All in favor of tableabling the item say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. The uh motion to table the item is passed unanimously. Could I get a motion and a second to bring item number two to the floor?
>> Second. >> Motion made by Dr. Zean, second by Miss Rupert. Public comment on item two. >> We have two registered speakers, Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh and Melanie Berkin may proceed to the podium. >> Sarah, can you put me on the list?
>> I did. >> One of us anyway. One second. Uh, I don't know that the mic is on. >> Beacon, can you turn on the mic, please, for a public speaker? >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida, still here because of the one behind me. Would have killed me if I
didn't. Um, basically, so um, she's been harassing me to look at this job description since I think September. Um, so you mashed together two things and let's just say they were not mashed together. Well, and this is why and you
already approved the ORC chart with the mashed together title on it. So if you change anything on the job description like reporting, then you'd have to bring it back. It's a good thing you didn't vote on it. However, there are some like disturbing things on here on page two, minimum qualifications and experience.
Call me a purist, but if you're going to say an earned master's degree from an accredited institution in one psychology, two social work, three counseling, four, mental health counseling, public health, oh, ding, ding, ding, educational leadership. How
is that related? Like, how does that prepare them? That's a problem. But in the experience, we crossed out social work. You still have mental health services, student, now you have student services or related educational leadership role but kept social work
crossed out. You require a master's but no experience in social work would be relevant. That seems problematic. Um you did put in mental health services. So then there's some other things that I think Melanie is going to mention, but
there's the these are red flags. This smacks of we know who we want to put into this position and we are going to tweak the job description to match that person.
And it generally starts when you have educational leadership because now we're sneaking in principles who don't have any of these deg the degrees like in mental health. And I pulled a statute I think because it mentioned it somewhere
in the backup where you're supposed to electronically submit your school wellness policy because now this person is in charge of um wellness but there's no mention. There is a generic mention to federal and state mandates, but for a district that gets pretty precise and
petty about little things in its job description, you would think you would issue a reminder, which by the way, you're out of compliance with the statute 103.453 because the last time you looked at your wellness policy was January of 24 and we are now in May of 26. Um, and then
there's some other requirements. So hopefully that will be in this job description that you've mashed together. Um I would say take a good hard look at this because you're creating it's about a person and it's not about the actual needs of the position.
>> Thank you. >> Good afternoon. Melanie Berkin Davy Florida. Um Natalie mentioned many of the concerns that I have. Um I sorry I have like all sorts of stuff everywhere because that's kind of how I felt about
this position. Um, we talked a lot about co-pilot and AI and honestly the district would have it would have benefited you to have taken the previous two job descriptions and merged them together with co-pilot um to create something that would have been a lot
better than this piece together um document because I really feel like there's a lot that's missing um and and a lot that's duplicated and and really just does not cover everything. So really could use that AI um chief to
have created this a lot better. Um this also goes to what happens when you have somebody in a related field create a job description for a mental health coordinator that they may not understand all that that should be in here. This is
a position that is uh required by statute paid for through the mental health allocation plan. It should have a mental health professional in this position. Um I'm I'm really really bothered by um there's
a lot of typos. If you're going to approve something eventually, I would like to share the typos at some point, but I don't want to use all my time um talking about the other pieces that are in here that I I just, as Natalie mentioned, I just don't understand. It's disappointing um to hear that that the
minimum qualifications have been extended to so many areas and I don't know what's left when you talk about a rel you know public health ed leadership or a related field like related to what what's left you've already named every other job it just really is
disappointing again the the preferred qualifications moving um eligible for or possess Florida certification as a school social worker and or a licensed in an area of mental health. Again, your director of mental health should have a
mental health background. I don't know how else to make this clear. I mean, it shouldn't even be a question. Um, and again, I have some other um typos that that could be corrected. Co-pilot's a great thing. It's my best friend when I'm going to write an email.
So, and speeches, which I have here, um, I really thank you. I urge you to take into consideration all of the changes that really need to be made, most importantly the minimum requirements. Thank you. >> That concludes our public speaking.
>> Thank you. Board member comment, Miss Rupert. Thank you. I have two motions to make. Um I move to strike out the words educational
leadership or related field which is hold on in the first bullet. >> Second >> motion made by Miss Rupert, seconded by Dr. Zean. Public comment on the motion. >> Yeah, I've got second. Two I've got two
motions. Yeah. uh sorry, Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. It's a difference between personality types. I keep walking a straight line from my chair. Um I I support the motion fully. That resolves the biggest concerns um as far
as minimum qualifications go. too often that or as Melanie mentioned the aura related field. Um this is how we wound up with you know someone with a kinesiology degree running the business support center because somehow or a related field got us there. So
educational leadership is not mental health. My own daughter is m is getting a master's in psychology not in educational leadership and not in a related field. So in theory, she should be qu would be eventually qualified. Not
that she would work here, but um that's different. Education does matter and it should matter or else we wouldn't have K to 12 and we wouldn't have different degrees. We just have all one sizefits-all. >> Thank you. Next speaker,
>> Melanie Berkin. Um Dave Florida, I'm sorry. Could you please repeat? It was just take off the ed leadership part >> that was >> or related field. Okay. Yeah, >> I support that. Um, and I thank you so much for that. Oh, I forgot to say too, the title, wellness and mental health. I mean, I think I mentioned it earlier
before, but thank you. I support your motion. >> War member comment on the motion, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you, chair. I support the motion. I actually had it written down to make the motion myself as well. So, same brain wave. Um, I just think it's really
important that if this person is going to be coordinating all the mental health services in our district that they have that in their background. Thank you. >> Thank you. Other board member comment >> Bman. >> I agree.
>> Miss Hixon, >> just a question. So, was the motion to take it out just in that first bullet or the second bullet also has it? >> I have a motion for the second bullet. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you. All right. All in favor of the motion
say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> Motion passes unanimously. Okay. Second one. Okay. Um I move that the second bullet underneath minimum qualifications
uh to hold on. Uh oh, I see. Okay. back it up. Um, I moved that the original second bullet to the third and remove a related educational leadership roles in that second bullet.
>> Motion made by Miss Rupert, seconded by Miss Hixon. Public comment on the motion. >> Yeah, but I'm going to do one more that'll explain that. >> Do you want me to do it together? >> Yeah, >> if you would like. Okay. because last time everybody made me do it one by one
by one. Um, okay. Yes. Uh, under preferred qualifications and experience, I move that the eligible for or possessed Florida certification as a school social worker and are licensed in an area of mental health become the the second bullet. So that's what I was
talking about moving the second to the third bullet. >> Miss Duprio, >> you were right, Miss Rupert. One motion at a time. So we have one motion on the table at a time. >> Okay. Okay. So, Miss Rupert, just for the record, could you repeat just the first motion, please?
>> The one that we already passed. >> No, >> no, the one that you just >> Okay. >> the second bullet and minimum of >> Yes. Um I move that the second bullet under minimum qualifications um to move the original second bullet to
third and remove related educational leadership roles. >> Okay. Public comment and it was seconded. Public comment on the motion. Uh, Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. I believe I support the motion from the standpoint of taking out or
related educational leadership roles. Um, that does still leave social work crossed out, which just seems weird to me since you're supposed to have a degree in social work. Mental health services is in there. Student services does encompass social work, but it's not
explicit. So, if that went back in there, that would be even better. But I support taking out or related educational leadership roles because I I don't know how that's relevant to this position. >> Yeah, it'll I'm it's coming in the third motion. >> Melanie Berken, Dave, Florida. Thank
you. I support this motion 100%. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> Board member discussion. Dr. Zean, >> I just wondered if the maker of the motion could read the complete uh bullet when you're done with your changes. >> Yes. The second one,
>> the motion that's on the table. >> Okay. >> Move the original second bullet to the third position and remove all related educational leadership roles. >> I think you could read it after those changes. >> Could you read what it would >> how it would look once the changes are
done? >> I can't. I'm sorry. >> I think I can. So, a minimum of seven years of progressively response. ible experience and mental health services. Student service and student services period. >> Yeah. >> So just removing the
>> or student services. >> Yes. I guess or mental health services or student services. >> Brilliant. I love the motion. >> Thank you, Miss Rupert. >> Anyone else? >> Okay. >> All in favor of the motion say I. >> I.
>> All oppose say no. Motion passes unanimously. >> Okay. My last motion, uh, to move the eligible for or possess Florida certification as a school social worker and/or licensed in an area of mental health become the new number two bullet.
>> Second. >> Motion made by Miss Rupert, seconded by Miss Thompson. Public comment on the motion. >> Does the sequence of the bullet change anything, >> Miss Rupert? >> It makes more sense to me. priority but open to amendments.
>> It makes it a minimum qualification, not a preferred. >> Oh. Oh. Oh. Got it. >> So, so just to be clear, you want the first bullet under preferred qualification experience to become the third bullet under minimum costs. >> Second,
>> I'm sorry. Yes. Any bullet. You can pick one. That's fine. >> So, this becomes um a minimum call. >> Yes. I'm I'm worried about that. >> Okay. Can we take public comment and then Yeah. >> Go ahead.
>> Melanie Berkin, Dave, Florida. Um, thank you. I fully 150,000% support this motion. It protects mental health professionals um in this role. and prevents further related field
individuals from from being assigned the director of mental health. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. Um, I support the motion and I understand Mrs. Rupert's um
prioritization. You have education. That's been clear. You passed that motion. Then you have certification. So you would have the Florida certification as a school social worker and or licensed in an area of mental health. So you have certification or a
license because for certain fields those are important. Um and then the third would be the experience. So now we have education, certification or license and experience. And that's hard for people to get around if you put that into a job
description clearly as minimum eligibility requirements. Not preferred all minimum. And you want the best and brightest. I heard that a lot today. And that's how you get them by making having the bar set high. Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Patusville from Tamarack. If we're really going to set the bar high, it should be licensed clinical social worker because not just a social worker. Licensed clinical social worker. That should be the highest level. Because if someone is coming in as a
social worker and looking for someone to supervise them and someone to be their director if you're going to make that change, that's the highest bar. Licensed clinical social worker and mental health or counseling services licenses. Because if I am a mental health licensed
counselor, I don't want to be supervised by I'm on a higher position than a social worker because I'm clinical. I could actually open a clinic versus a social worker who can't. A licensed clinical social worker can open up a clinic. There's a difference in the levels in the title. So that should be
the requirement. Licensed clinical social worker, not just a social worker. All right. Board member discussion. Dr. Aziman, >> I'm bothered by the language here. Um, uh, we have a dangling participle which
drives me baddy. >> Okie do. >> Eligible for possesses Florida certification as a school social worker. Get that? But then we say or licensed in an area of mental health. What if you're eligible for becoming licensed in an
area of mental health? Is that covered? >> Yeah. >> Well, it doesn't say that. It says you're eligible for or possess a Florida certificate as a school social worker. That's one thing. Andor licensed
in an area of mental health. Do we really mean eligible for or licensed in an area of mental health? Because that's what we say about social work. >> Would you like to make an amendment or a substitute motion?
>> I'd like these things to be written. Well, to be honest with you, I mean, uh, it's it's it's a really really important thing >> because job descriptions, you know, people read this and they say, "Oh, I don't meet that criteria. They don't apply." And so, like,
um, I I hope we can increase the quality of these things over time. I'll make a motion. Uh, excuse me, I'll I'll make one when we're done with this so that we can clean up the language. >> Any other board member comment? Miss Bulman,
>> um to that point about eligible for, what does that really mean? >> Thank you. >> There a social worker in Georgia or something? >> Go ahead, Dr. Lozano or Miss Rockman. >> Yes. So, the way that the Department of
Education works, if you have they they set a um different qualifications in order to be eligible. So, yes, I can have a master's degree in social work and qualify to get a Department of Ed certificate. Yeah. >> Whereas to get a department of health license, I have to complete all the
requirements to get the lensure. There isn't you have to meet all the eligibility to get the lensure. So there isn't a um provisional way to get one. You have to be done with everything and then you get the department of health license. But if I was a if I had my master's degree from Georgia in social
work and I wanted to come and work in the state of Florida, I could get a I would be eligible for a department of ed social work certificate. I would get the certificate on a temporary provisional and then I have that time frame five years to complete all the department of ed
requirements, but I could be eligible for one. Does that help? >> So should it say something about provisional licensing then? >> No. Okay. I'm just I mean based on education you're eligible for something but that does
that mean that you pass all of the background and all the other things. Okay. All right. I'm not waiting into this if you guys think that that's okay. I'll deal with the law. >> Miss Thompson. >> Oh, I was just going to try to help
because I have my school I have a social work masters from Virginia. When I came down here, I had to get a certificate to be a school social worker. That's how it's different. Um, and then to be a licensed clinical social worker, you actually have to go through a practicum and you take a licensing exam. It's it's
a different process. And I'm guessing for mental health, it's like counselors and psychologists, it's probably also a similar process. Um, so but I don't believe and correct me if I'm wrong that they could practice if they're not
licensed as a like a mental health counselor. So I think that has to be licensed in that area. I believe >> correct change. Right. >> Anyone else?
All in favor of the motion say I. I. I. >> All oppose say no. >> Motion passes unanimously. Are you done, Miss Rupert? >> Yes, I I'm done. >> Miss Thompson, you are. >> Thank you. Um, I just have one motion. I
would like to change the name of the position to director of student services and mental health. I feel like wellness is is not an appropriate term. >> Second public comment on the motion. Melanie Berkin, uh, Davy, Florida. I
support the motion. I think that's a great idea. I'm really, really happy. Um, child abuse, homelessness does not fall under either mental health or wellness. Thank you. Oh, there are some typos, too, before you guys totally
finish everything, but thank you, >> Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. I support the motion. Um, that's a more it uh catches more and um seems to be a better fit. Um, I still wish you could get that stray assistant
director of student support initiative somewhere, but I guess they're not going to find a director to attach themselves to, but I support the the motion. >> Board member comment. Dr. Zean, >> you mean throughout the whole job description?
>> Yes. So the the title would change to student services and mental health and I only really saw system of wellness. So system of student services um on the now I don't know uh in the position goal. So it would be an integrated
system of student services and mental health but I'm sure staff can clean up. >> Yeah. >> Anyone else? >> All in favor of the motion say I. I I >> All oppose say no. Motion passes unanimously. Anything else?
>> Uh Dr. Zean, >> thanks so much. I just move that we under what I think now is the second bullet as a as we've amended this under minimum clause that we amend that language to say licensed in an area of mental health and or eligible for or
possesses Florida certification as a school social worker. >> Second. >> Motion made by Dr. Zean, second by Miss Thompson. Public comment on the motion. >> Got it. I got it. >> Come on, guys. It's grammar. >> Could you repeat it? I'm sorry. I'm sure
I support it. >> The new language would say licensed in an area of mental health >> and or eligible for or possesses Florida certification as a so school social worker. Period. Okay, thank you. I support
Dr. Natalie Lynch Walsh, Plantation, Florida. I support the motion. Um, I'm not going to claim to be an English major, but yes, I get Dr. Zean's point, and that should read better. I suspect that there's going to be further tinkering if not today um next year
because of um some of the other adjectives that could get added here. But it would be nice if we could get the grammar hammered out before it comes here. Um so that you guys aren't constantly tinkering with grammar every time it seems. I support the motion.
Thank you. >> Board member comment on the motion. All in favor of the motion say I. >> I. All oppose say no. Motion passes unanimously. Any other board member comment on the item item number two.
>> As amended. >> All right. All in favor of item number two as amended. Say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. Item passes as amended. Could I get a motion and a second to bring back item number one to the table? >> Second. >> Moved by Dr. Zean. Second by Miss
Thompson. Um Dr. Heburn. >> All right. Um, Mr. Sullivan, I think they're wrapping up to get it displayed. And >> do they need us to
>> Are they ready? Dr. Lozano, >> do we need to re >> Okay, we we'll recess the meeting for 10 minutes. There's other typos in the document. >> All right. Time to do my walk. >> What? >> Where you go?
Walk. Yeah, sure. I'm sorry. All right. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, down. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat
up here. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Yeah. Yeah, I see. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Everybody.
Heat. Heat. Dancing. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey.
down down down Blueberry. Heat. Heat. All All right, we are back and we also have to take a vote to extend the meeting. So, um I'll make a motion to extend the meeting by 15 minutes. Uh seconded by Dr. Zean. All in favor of
extending the meeting 15 minutes say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> I uh motion passes unanimously. >> I mean I took this first time in four years. >> Um seriously. >> All right. Dr. Hepper, do you have your amended org chart?
>> Yes, Mr. Sullivan. Beacon, if you could display my screen on teams. Okay. I think there's a little delay. >> Yeah, it's coming. All right, I think I got it. And we're we're making some hard copies
as well. So, I'm going to go to the pages that were changed based on the chief's positions change. All right, this is academics. All
right. So, there's going to be two pages uh starting on page 11. Um and these are coming to you guys, but in the meantime, so you'll see the on this first page, the chief building official, executive director, student
transportation and fleet services, and the executive director of food nutrition report to the chief strategy and operations officer. You'll see the director uh position uh was eliminated based on board motion.
Page 12 is also going to be this uh chief strategy and operations officer. You'll see a director of demographics, director of athletics, director of the sim team, and the director of uh charter schools. >> That's no change, Mr. Silver.
Um it's the change that >> uh school choice is probably the only change. Everything else was already uh well is in strategy and innovation but school choice moved over here. So that is new in terms of the uh who they're reporting to.
All right. Now going to facilities. So there's no change here for facilities. I think they can skip the page. >> Sorry. This is the first page of facilities. >> Can you walk through verbally too? I know we have Miss Aluff on the phone.
>> Uh, sure. She can see the screen. >> Okay. >> But, uh, Chief Fio official uh, director of facility and real estate and real estate. So that's a a realignment that used to be under the uh strategy innovation officer. Now it's under chief
facility officer, director of physical plant operations, executions, and then director sustainability and compliance. That's the first page. And this is the uh second page.
Uh, anyone have any questions or should I go back to any other pages? >> I have a question. Where is the um building department? >> Uh, the building department is under operations. >> Okay. Just wanted to
>> uh right here. >> Okay. That's awesome. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions or pages? This has been printed out as well, but that's going to take a little longer. Oh, and then um let me go to page
three, I believe. Page three. Um the director of family uh and community engagement is back in communications. That was going to originally be uh part of of uh strategy and innovation. >> You mean back in chief of staff?
>> Yes, sir. >> And what about the other changes? I mean that's all just for the chief changes, right? You're going to show us the other ones >> like the D we changed some directors and added an executive director. Are we
going to >> uh let me see? So for ESC, >> you had it, John. >> Sorry, too fast. Uh that one's back here. And then the elimination of the
ESC support compliance. >> And then the transportation one, >> that one uh was in the operations that I showed you guys. Let me go back to it. Uh, right here. >> Yeah. >> Anything else, Mr. Sullivan?
>> Um, that's it. I can go through each page real quickly again for a couple seconds on the screen if that's makes everybody more comfortable or go more questions whatever you guys like. >> Does anyone have any questions? >> So, um go ahead miss mard but you can go
ahead. So, uh Mr. Sullivan, if you can go to the ops and facilities um one recommendation just >> that's the first page for >> uh where the chief fire official is. I think it's under facilities.
>> Yes, sir. >> Um to put the chief fire official um I think that was one of the also this the points of separation. Put that under the DOPS. So we'll make that that move too.
Are you talking about the uh chief uh facil uh chief building official? Sir, >> that's that's okay. >> The the chief fire official is still under facilities. So the chief fire official would need to go under
Stratton Ops as well because that's one of the um other sticking points um I think for for the asks for the separation of the chief facilities and chief of operations and correct me if I'm wrong if >> very important to keep it separate.
>> Yes. So we'll make that shift. So that would be an additional change moving the chief fire official out from the chief facilities officer under the chief correct operation. So that would be the only um additional change that's that's
um not printed out. >> I have a question. So how many direct reports does that give the chief facilities officer as opposed to the chief operating strategy and operations officer? So this
would be one 2 3 4 5 6 7 I'm sorry. No, because they have a >> Yeah, you were right. Seven. >> No, because the executive director >> That's one. >> They all report to the executive
director. So it' be one, two, three. >> Uh four. They would have >> four. >> Okay. Okay. And how many does the chief strategy and operations officer
>> one two three >> four five six seven and then eight with the >> one would have seven and one would have eight. >> Okay. All right. I don't want you. So the only difference with the handouts
is again page 13, the chief fire official would be going under the chief strategy and operations officer. Miss Bullman. >> Thanks, sir. Um, >> can I correct the record? I just said something real quick. So, um, the chief
facilities officer will actually have three direct report because there's some executive directors in there >> and versus the COO. Um, I think it was eight. So, just wanted Yeah, because I said seven before. I didn't count those
executive directors and the span of control they have. >> Thank you. Oh, go ahead, Miss Hixon. >> So, just that's why I kind of asked because we have the chief facilities officer at a Tband with three direct
reports and the chief strategy and operations officer at seven or eight or whatever only at S. So, is there does that make sense? I mean, since we've shifted things around, we
shifted most of them to combine the two of those and I just have concerns about how many direct reports they have and the pay band were >> I think um you know the controversy here
or as I um hear from the board and sometimes the public is that traditionally under the chief facilities officer the building department and fire official will be under them. So that's the difference here um in Broward County is the continued asks that they be separated under two different divisions.
But nonetheless, they end up collaborating and at the same table anyway because we we don't allow them to work in isolation from the capital program because the collaborative decision- making was driving that drives
completions of projects. But either way, you'd still even without that that part of it, you'd still only have three direct reports. The chief facilities officer, chief strategy has everything else.
Just just asking Miss Bulman. Um, I want just wanted to look at page 11 revisiting transportation. >> We're gonna have to vote to extend in about in a few minutes. So, >> okay. >> Go ahead. >> It was very hopeful though. I did. We
only do 15 minutes. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, um, just looking across the line for in the middle, we took off the director of student transportation and fleet services
and the others have directors that are on that line. So, I'm just wondering if that's problematic for down the chart for the executive director for student transportation and fleet services and maybe could get some
input on how that's going to impact. I'll defer to um Dr. Wanza since she's been working with that group. Valerie Wanza, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. Make sure my title's right today. Um, so I will certainly respect um the will of the board, but I
will say in working closely with that department as I have since uh middle January, I do um see the need to at least have the director position there, similar to physical plant operations as well as food and nutrition services. When you look at just the span of
control of that um that body of work, that's approximately 1,400 plus people over five different transportation terminals as well as managing um and maintaining the entire um white fleet. So um a lot of people think white fleet
is just the um cars that maybe directors or the um or the um police would ride around in. These are also the vehicles that go out to schools to repair, to maintain. So it's that whole operation as well. Um and and I would just say
that the the terminal managers do an an exceptional job managing their individual terminals each and every day. However, the director is there to help with compliance and and um and leadership and and that then allows the executive director similar to what Mr.
David said as it relates to it with the entire strategic efficiencies reimagining what the or what that operation looks like and really um designing systems not for today but systems for tomorrow. So I would I would
say that there is a need to at least um contemplate the director position being there. >> Thank you. Um I'd like to make a motion to put the director of student services Transportation and fleet services back
on the orchard. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Motion made by Miss Bullman, seconded by Dr. Holes. Public comment on the motion. Board member comment. Uh, Miss Hixon.
Thank you. I I just want to point out where on the other ones where there are executive directors and directors, we got rid of the assistant director. In this position, there is assistant director um even though there's not a director. And when you go to the chief building official, they don't have an
assistant at all. So I I know you were looking at the food and nutrition piece of it and then the the f the d the finance part which is complicated because it's in the CFO thing but I just would point out there is there is an
assistant director there >> if I may >> Dr. happen. Yes. >> Okay. And so I I certainly respect um your point and what you're making, Miss Hixon, but but if you look at the um we actually combined a position to combine
it um so that the assistant director can focus on additional duties as well. So I I would just say again while I while I respect the position that the board is in and what the work is here today, I would just make the argument that that
that director position is essential and we did eliminate another position that is at the same level as the assistant director to realign some work over there. >> Dr. Zean, >> I I think this has been asked and answered already. Um I think you can
always find um a rationale for moving back layers of management. Um but this is transportation services. This is uh a process that is um you know predictable uh and it it needs
help in terms of efficiency but adding more management layers back is actually not helpful. You know sometimes you do addition by subtraction and that's what this is. Uh they have an executive director, they have tons of management, uh they have lots of folks. Um and I I
just I know that we've already debated this and I don't want to go back and debate every cut that we've had on this chart. I think that this has been asked and answered and we need to move quickly through this and approve these charts and go home. >> Anyone else? All in favor of the motion say I.
>> I. >> I. All opposed say no. >> No. Roll call, please. >> Madame Chair, >> Dr. Holes, >> could you have the maker of the motion repeat the motion again for everyone? >> Uh, the motion was to uh
put the director of student transportation and fleet servicing back on. >> Okay. >> Roll call, please. >> Roll call on the motion. School board members Zean. >> Oh, >> Alade. Yes.
>> Bowman. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Sea. >> Nope. >> Hixon. >> No. >> Ozano. >> No. >> Hoes. >> Yes. >> Leonardi.
>> No. >> Rupert. >> No. Thanks. >> Thompson. >> No. >> Fails. 36. You you have the floor, Miss Fullman. >> That's all. Dr. Zemen.
>> Thank you, Chair. >> Knew there was a really important thing to say, but uh after a few hours, um I'm sorry I I don't have anything else to add. Apologize. Okay. >> Anyone else on this item?
>> All right. All in favor? Oh, go ahead, Mr. Sullivan. >> Uh, through the superintendent if it's okay. Just on page nine, I forgot to mention that also the director and before and after school care is going under student support services. >> Okay. Anyone else? All in favor of item
one as amended say I. >> I. >> All oppose say I. >> No. >> All oppose say no. >> No. >> Roll call, please. >> Roll call on the item. School board members Ahadaf, >> yes. >> Bowman,
>> yes. >> Sea, >> sticking to the sign, no. >> Hixon, >> yes. >> Hoes, >> yes. >> Leonardi, >> yes. >> Rupert, >> no. Thanks. >> Thompson, >> yes. >> Zean,
>> yes. >> 72. Item passes. All right, that concludes our the business of our special school board meeting. Um, do any of my colleagues have any
student successes or issues they'd like to share? Miss Bulman? I have one. Um, I wanted to congratulate Sebastian Gonzalez of South Broward High School who won um, fourth place at the state
tournament for track and field in the 800 meter with a 154. And um, his parents Ralpho Gonzalez and Jenny Garcia are assistant coaches. And so I just want to congratulate all of them for all their hard work and for all of the great
um work that they've done for all of our other athletes. So thank you. >> All right, Mr. SA. >> Thank you, chair. The Suns Sentinel released yesterday its 2026 winners of their annual high school journalism contest. And I'm happy to announce that
in the photography category, uh, Miss Isabella Partardo of Western High School won first place for her girls exhibit. So, big shout out to, um, Isabella for her, uh, excellent photography skills and the first place prize.
>> Miss Hixon, just congratulations to Marjorie Stoman Douglas baseball team. They will be making their way to the state competition again. Final four. Yes, Miss Thompson. >> Shout out to Flanigan Track who won 4A
in the state camp championship. >> Anyone else? The scheduled order of business for the special school board meeting of the school board of Broward County, Florida has been completed. Seeing no objections, I will now adjourn the special school board meeting. Hey, hey,
hey. Hello. I see there. I see there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.