Good evening. At this time, we're going to hear a music script. The Oakleaf Village or a music performance, sorry. The Oakleaf Village Elementary Chorus, directed by Martha Reid, includes students from fourth and fifth grade. They rehearse twice a week in the
mornings before school. They have been busy throughout the fall with a Veterans Day concert and several holiday concerts in December. Tonight they will be performing two selections. America, I give my thanks to you and Stars and Stripes Forever.
I love you. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Thank you for being so patient and coming coming and and waiting um another month. It was well worth it. I want to
say thank you Oakley Village Elementary School and Miss Levenson for the beautiful artwork on display this evening. The artwork highlights students in kindergarten through fifth and incorporates the principles and elements of art such as line, color value, and
symmetry. The projects encompass a variety of techniques including co collage, ink, marker, and paint. The insect project incorporated science anatomy. The first grade apples were inspired by artists Ro Romero Bridto and
the Silly Monster Project is a collaboration with Miss Labres ceramic class of Oakleaf High School. OBV second graders design and illustrate a silly monster. One class is selected and then the OHS ceramic students
recreate their drawing and clay and represent them to the second graders at the end of the school year. It is a great way to bring to bring the schools and the community together through the arts and a huge hit for all students and teachers involved.
Thank you guys. And while the students are making their way out, I'm going to have Pastor Rico Laam make his way to the microphone. And he's going to end us in the or lead us in the invocation and pledge of
allegiance. Well, first before we pray, I just want to say thank you for the invitation to be here and to participate. Uh it is kind of interesting because I said why would they ask me? Uh but now I see why because I am a part of the legacy. So, I
want to thank everybody that's assembled here from the educators to the parents to obviously the awesome students because we too have students that have been a byproduct of your commitment. And so, I just want to thank everybody who's assembled here on today. And if you
would, if you would just rise to your feet and for those of you that know the words of prayer, simply pray along with me. And it's just an honor to pray with you. Dear heavenly father, we thank you. We praise you. We glorify you on tonight. We thank you for this opportunity to
gather, dear heavenly father, and to gather safely. Dear heavenly father, we thank you for seeing us through danger seen and unseen for such a time as this. And so we simply come in here with willing hearts that are committed unto you, that are committed unto what is to
be right in this place on today. Dear heavenly father, I thank you that these hearts are committed. I thank you that these hearts know what it means to be faithful to continue to do what you have called them to do. And dear heavenly father, I just thank you for the blessings and the fruitfulness in
advance. Dear heavenly father, we come here and just say that may you be glorified with our words and our actions, dear heavenly father. And we just thank you again for this opportunity to be to partner with you in this great earth that we live in. And so it's in Jesus name we pray and we say
amen. If you would please remain standing and we'll go with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated. At this time, I call to order the February 5th school board meeting, 2026. Welcome, citizens of Klay County. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time out of your busy
schedule to attend tonight's school board meeting. The meeting is our opportunity as your elected representatives to collaborate openly and make decisions that will decide the future direction of our public schools and education of our children here in Klay County. If you wish to address the board on an agenda item, there will be
an opportunity to speak for three minutes. Please fill out a card located in the side entry door indicating the specific item number or topic you wish to speak about and turn it in promptly to one of our officers. If you have an item that you would like to present to
the school board or superintendent, please hand them to the officer who will distribute them accordingly. Speakers who wish to address specific agenda items will be heard following the recognition recognitions and awards portion of the meeting. Speakers wishing
to address non-aggenda items will be heard following the adoption of the consent agenda. No additional cards will be accepted once the board moves to public comment the public comment section under presentations from the audience. Your participation is welcome and appreciated. Up first, we have
winners of the Lim Matise Foundation contest, Stop the Bullying, Miss Melissa Marie, coordinator of mental health uh services. Good evening. I have the privilege of introducing pro golfer Lyn Mat, longtime resident of Jacksonville, Florida.
>> It's at the top. Sorry. Okay, I think it's on. >> Sorry about that. Good evening. Um, I have the privilege of announcing u prog golfer Lin Matise, resident of Jacksonville since high school. He conducts the stop the bullying campaign with his Lin Matise Foundation focusing
on middle school students. Klay County is proud to be involved with the Lin Matise stop the bullying campaign and the Latise Foundation. Um, Mr. Matise is here to announce the top two winners for our district. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure uh to be here to be able to give the award
out. Um I went to Nice High School, so don't hate me. That's St. John's County. But uh I'm happy to we my Lin Matis Foundation has a stop the bullying campaign here in Jacksonville. We're covered in three counties and we're really proud to be partnering with Klay County. So thank you, Superintendent,
and thank you. I talked to the great team with Melissa and Kelly and Tabitha. They're they're great to work with. Um, our stop the bullying campaign is focused on middle school students. We have roughly about $4,500 that we raise every semester to be able to give out to
the kids that do the top awards in the county. And tonight we have one winner here that we'd like to recognize. Um, she's number one in the county. So, but before I do that, bring her up. Um the projects contain anything to have to do
with kindness, compassion, and inclusion. So they can create any project they want. I would ask all the parents here that we have this campaign again going in the spring for this semester. There's about $4,500 up for grabs. The top two winners receive
$1,000 each and we are happy to give that money out and we would love to keep doing this every semester. this se this past semester um this winner did a short story. It was called Friendship Pact. Um
it was about the seriousness of bullying and being actually falsely accused, which is actually an interesting take on the bullying subject, but it centered on friendship and what friends do to help each other get through tough times. It was an incredible story. She's a great
writer. And the champion for the fall is Brooklyn Watt. Berkeland, can you come please come up? >> Thank you very much. You already have your check and certificate. Every student that participates in our campaign is
recognized by at least a certificate and um the top 20 get the merchandise and the award. So, thank you very much and thank you for the opportunity. Thank you. Next up, we are going to recognize schools earning the Florida Department of Education Purple Star School of
Distinction, Miss Kelly um Gilfoil and dire as the director of climate and culture. >> Thank you so much, Chairman Skipper. I appreciate you. Thank you all for being here tonight. Tonight, it is my distinguished honor to present to you the captain of the Naval Air Station at
Jacksonville, who is a command commanding officer. It's hard not to be nervous when you're using all of those words. However, we want to stop and take a minute to just recognize what we're doing here tonight. What we're doing is a very special presentation and award ceremony that indicate our schools that
go above and beyond every single day um for our students of military families. The Purple Star School of Distinction designation established by the Florida legislature and signed into law in June 2021 recognizes schools that support the
unique needs of f military families. Florida is committed to being the most military friendly state in the union. This program supports students as they relocate to new schools due to parents change in duty stations. Just want to mention that some fabulous things happen
across the district in celebration of our purple star schools. Um some of the military up day for kids and those celebrations. Our schools get very creative and I encourage all of you to look at our schools websites to attend some of these events at some of our
amazing schools and to welcome with me the commanding officer. In February 2024, Captain Dexter assumed the duties of executive officer for Naval Air Station Jacksonville and took command of the installation as the 53rd commanding
officer in August of 2025. Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Dexter. >> Well, it's a real honor and privilege to be here. And uh before we recognize these schools, I just kind of want to bring up one point. Um you know, the Navy, we have the the best aircraft, we have the best ships, and we have the
best submarines, but our number one asset is always the sailor, right? Without that sailor and without that support for that sailor, it all falls apart. So, thank you to these schools for being military friendly and continue to support those military families.
Thanks. Okay. So, the commander our commander will call up each school individually. He'll present you with your certificate. You'll pose for your photograph. Then you'll go back and he'll bring up the next school. >> All right. Let's start with Fleming
Island Elementary School. Next we have Fleming Island High School. Green Coast Springs Junior High School Ridge View High and Thunderbolt Elementary School. All right. Up next is Miss Recognition of Academic Team Champions, Miss
Treasure Picket, Chief of Secondary Education. >> All right, welcome everyone. Um, Miss Summers, come on up. Um, Miss Paula Summers and her son Matthew graciously um, agreed to be our district
coordinator for the academic team this year. So, I want to thank her. Um, she did an amazing job. So, if you would give her a round of applause, I would greatly appreciate it. And Matthew's at class tonight, so he's
still learning and still growing. Um before we get started with the introductions of our junior high JV and varsity team winners, um I would first like to thank all the students out there that participated in the academic team.
You know, they like every other team have practices and have to stay late and probably practice a lot on their own as well. So I just want to thank the students that are willing to step up. It's not easy if you've ever been to an academic team match.
How would you like to sit up here and have everybody judge your intelligence while you're sitting up here trying to come up with an answer? So, very difficult um pressure-packed times, but they do a great job and we greatly appreciate them. We greatly appreciate
parents because we know that there are afterchool practices and matches that are held here in the TTC and we thank Mr. Pitman um and his team for helping us out with that. But for parents that support their students, we thank you very much. We know it it does take a a
team to uh give all these students the experiences that they deserve. And to Mr. Broski and our board, we'd like to thank you for uh your support of the academic teams. Um, we have an allcount team that uh you all will be supporting
their travel down to Orlando to compete in the state tournament in on uh April 9th through 11th. So, we thank you for your support also of the uh academic teams at the school level and at the district level. So, again, let's give everybody a round of applause. We
appreciate that. And then what Miss Summers is going to do is she will announce the winners. Um, and then the coaches will announce the students, the individual students, so we make sure we pronounce everybody's name
correctly. So, Miss Summers, here we go. All right. It's a privilege to announce our winners for this season. Truly dedicated teams and they did such a great job. First up for our junior high, Wilkinson Junior High, and their coach, Mr. Daddy,
>> thank you very much. Um, in addition to the parents, I have to say we have so many great volunteers who helped out, all the teachers who stayed after to judge and everything. Can't do it without all of them. First up, we have Reese Cohen,
Ryel Cantenno, Ella Duggar, Rose Cross, Gracie Bodway, and Anthony Alvarez. All right. And if you're eighth graders, we expect to see you on your high school
teams next year. So don't leave us. Next up, our junior varsity winner was Clay High School and their coach, Miss Miller. Thank you so much you guys. You were an amazing group. And thank you so much to the parents who supported them on this
journey. I couldn't have been more lucky to ask for such an amazing group of kids. Um so the first person is Aiden Schaefer, um Sophia Allen, Christian Miller,
Michaela Martinez, and Henry Porter. Thank you. And finally, our varsity winners, Fleming Island High School and their coach, Mr. Gardner. Thank you very much. It's a real honor, priv privilege to be here. We've got a
couple of uh members who are not here tonight. They've got the flu. First up, we have Ben Bangrasaur. Second, Evan Hanner, Daniel Frack, Shayla Abbis,
Kennedy Cuning, Lincoln Bailey, and Alex Kirk. 2026 Fleming Island Varsity Team. All right. Thank you very much. All right. Up next is the recognition of all state student musicians. Mr. Chris
Google, fine art specialist. Good evening everybody. We are here tonight to celebrate the amazing, dedicated, and skilled students from Klay County who were selected to be a part of an allstate student performing ensemble. These students earned their spot in these prestigious ensembles by
competing against other students from across the state in a rigorous audition process. And once they were accepted into these groups, they traveled to January and um traveled to Tampa in January and spent several days rehearsing with those students um in
what culminated with a spectacular performance for each of the ensembles. So tonight, as we recognize the students, students, I will call your name and please come forward to receive your recognition. Please remain standing so we can then take a group photo. And
then we invite any teachers or admin who are present to accompany their students um up to the front so that way they can be included in the picture. Starting with Lake Lake Lake Asbury Junior High, Emily Belmont was selected
for the Allstate Middle School treble chorus. Anna Love Lace was selected for the Allstate Middle School Treble Chorus. Michaela Saucer was selected for the All-State Middle School Treble Chorus. Lindseay Taylor was selected for the
All-State Middle School Treble Chorus. from Lakeside Junior High. Jonathan Mock was selected for the middle school honors band. From Oakleaf Junior High, Emily Summers was selected for the All-State Middle School band from Clay High. Aiden Schaefer was
selected for the All-State TTBB Chorus from Fleming Island. Valyriia Arajo was selected for the high school honors bands. Alexander Kirk was selected for the high school honors bands. And Luke Reid was selected for the
Allstate TTBB chorus. from Keystone Heights Junior and Senior High, Reagan Sames was selected for the high school honors band. And from Middberg High, Nathan Karncross was selected for the All-State TTBB chorus.
Adeline Shawn was selected for the Allstate SSAA chorus. Owen Stevens was selected for the All State High School mixed mixed chorus. Khalis Wheeler was selected for the All State High School Mixed Chorus.
From Oakleaf High, Aaliyah Breedlove was selected for the Allstate SSAA chorus. from Orange Park High. Brooke Cole was selected for the All-State Honor Band and Riley Mustard was selected for the
All State Honor Band. And from Ridge View High, Janiah Francis was selected for the high school honors band and Lillian Michelle was selected for the All State SSAA chorus. Let's give all of our students a round
of applause. and teachers and admin. Please join us up front. Awesome. Congratulations students. Thank you. Up next is recognition of the 2020 2025 2026 school related employee of the year, teacher of the year, and
rookie of the year with Mr. Kevin Liry, supervisor of personal or yeah, personal services for human resources and Carolyn Carolyn Crawl, president of Clay Education Foundation. Personnel Good evening.
We'd like to start by celebrating Klay Countyy's uh uh excuse me, district rookie teacher of the year, Miss Kylie Edenfield. Kylie, come on up. Yeah, we figured we'd get him up here and embarrass him in front of all of you while we say all the great things about
them. So, Kylie, who has already made an indelible impact in her first year in the classroom, when asked what advice she would give to new teachers, she offered two words. Give grace. Right? Give grace to yourself as a professional
and give grace to your students. She reminds her peers that your first year is not about perfection, it's all about progress. As our rookie teacher of the year, she has modeled this by building a circle of support around her students and their families. Miss Edenfield's journey from a scholarship recipient to
a transformative educator is a testament to the power of our profession. And she credits her belief uh excuse me, the belief of her own teachers for changing the trajectory of her own life. Today, she's paying that debt forward with a simple philosophy. Prioritize the person
and the progress will follow. Her greatest piece of advice for those entering the field is to build a foundation of meaningful relationships with students, with their families, and with your colleagues. And she lives this advice daily, calling every parent before the first day of school to create
a sense of belonging or staying late to ensure a student finds their confidence. Miss Edinfield proves that a student who feels loved and understood will flourish. She also emphasizes the power of community within her school. To quote Kylie, "Some of my most valuable growth
this year has come from learning alongside my co-workers, sharing ideas, and pushing one another to improve just a little bit each day, and we rise together." She reminds us all that while lessons must be planned and procedures mastered, we must never lose sight of
the heart of teaching. In just one year, she's turned her classroom into a true community. Again, in her own words, I really think she says it best here. Watching all of my students confidence grow affirms that I'm living my purpose just as my teachers once lived theirs
for me. Tears. So, we are grateful. Oh, you can bring it on. Come on. She deserves it. That's okay. So, Kylie, we're grateful to have you serving the students and families of Middberg Elementary and Klay County. So, again, it's my honor to introduce our
district rookie teacher of the year, Kylie Edenfield. All right. So, next it is an honor to introduce our school related employee of the year, Mr. Jenner Pareda. So after 24 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy, Chief
Pareda sought a new way to live out his life's mission of service. That calling led him to Rididgeu High School where he has become a cornerstone of the community and a steady anchor for our students with the greatest needs. As a behavioral health assistant, Chief Para works with students creating an
environment defined by safety, predictability, and unconditional respect. He is often the first adult students seek out when they are overwhelmed, using restorative conversations and a calm demeanor to help them regulate emotions and find their purpose. His leadership is perhaps
most visible in the studentr run more mocha cafe. Through his vocational lab, Chief Pareda teaches financial literacy and professionalism. Recently leading a collaboration that raised over $900 for the American Cancer Society. He doesn't just help students navigate high school,
he prepares them for life. transforming any self-doubt into independence. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Pareda is a mentor in the truest sense of the word. At Rididgeu, he serves as a football director of operations, overseeing practice and game field setup and cleanup. He and supervises nine
student managers alongside coaching over 80 athletes in football and baseball. He also manages the complexity of these programs flawlessly. in our community. He coaches youth baseball and softball and serves as youth ministry leader at Riverch Christian Church where he
mentors fifth and sixth grade boys. Whether he is deescalating heavy emotions in the hallway, coaching on the field, or teaching a student how to manage a business, Mr. Para leads with a unique blend of discipline and deep compassion. He models the steady presence and grounded moral compass we
hope to cultivate in every student. Jenner Pareda proves that a safe and inclusive school culture is built on the strength of the relationships we forge. And we are proud to recognize him tonight as our school related employee of the year. But wait, there's more.
It's my honor to introduce Klay County District Schools Teacher of the Year, Miss Dorothy Bailey from Grove Park Elementary. Come on up, Dorothy. Don't be nervous. Don't be shy. We know you're not shy in front of those kids you teach every day. So, what truly
defines a district teacher of the year? Perhaps it's the fact that Dorothy Bailey still receives math questions from a former student who's now in 11th grade, a whole five years after she, you know, taught this student. Maybe it's the hug that she received from a mother whose daughter, a new arrival to this
country, found both her voice and her confidence through Miss Bailey's guidance. With eight years of military service in the US Army and the National Guard, Miss Bailey understands the true meaning of service before self. She has translated that discipline and dedication into a classroom where growth
is a non-negotiable. In just one year, she moved her students math proficiency from a starting point of 16% to an impressive 87%. Yep. But if you were to ask her, those numbers are simply the result of a
deeper mission, building trust. Her spirit of service extends far beyond the classroom walls. Miss Bailey heads the sixth grade department, leading professional learning communities where not only academic data, but the day-to-day interactions with students inform her team's decisions on how best
to reach each of them. She mentors new teachers and has been a demonstration teacher since her second year in the classroom, opening her doors so that peers can learn from her masterful skills in instruction and engaging all students. As chair of the elder care committee uh for Zeta Fi, excuse me,
Zeta Fi Beta, she coordinates quarterly service visits to the Orange Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, providing residents with vital health education and meaningful social interaction. Her impact is most personal each December during the stocking stuffers initiative. By collaborating
closely with the facilities director, Dorothy helps ensure that every resident receives a custom gift tailored specifically to their needs, ensuring that no one is forgotten during the holidays. Dorothy Bailey is a leader who leads with kindness, a mentor who provides a
soft landing for new staff, and a scholar who keeps students at the center of every decision. Please join me in celebrating her incredible impact on our district. Again, may I present Klay Countyy's district teacher of the year, Dorothy Bailey.
Congratulations again and thank you for what you do for Klay County Schools. We appreciate it greatly. Up next is going to be the quarterly presentation of Office of Safe Schools data, Mr. Matt Boyak, director of safety and security. Superintendent, honorable school board
members, and members of the Klay County community. Per section 10121213C Florida statutes, the Office of Safe Schools is required to provide quarterly reports to each district school superintendent and school safety specialist identifying the number and percentage of schools, including charter
schools that were inspected or reinspected during the quarter and the number and percentage of inspected schools that had no safety requirement deficiencies. The school safety specialist is then required to present each quarterly report to the district school board in a public meeting. For
the second quarter of the 2526 school year, Klay County District Schools had nine schools inspected or reinspected by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Safe Schools. This represents 20% of our district schools. I am pleased to report that every inspected school was found to have no school
safety requirement deficiencies. In closing, I want to sincerely acknowledge and thank our school leaders, teachers, and support staff for their dedication to maintaining safe learning environments each and every day. Their commitment to daily vigilance and attention to detail has contributed
significantly to these results, and we remain resolute in making safety a top priority across our district. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the school board and superintendent for their strong leadership and support in ensuring that Klay County continues to
go above and beyond both the letter and the spirit of the law to protect our students and staff. Thank you and please stay safe. >> Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Boyak. He does a great job. Um, and so do all of our
officers and staff in our schools. uh this board has put safety and security a priority and um they are the reason that it's been so successful. So, thank you guys for for all of that. Next up, we have career and technical education presentation with Miss Alice Pulk,
supervisor of career and technical education. I have to scoot it down after Matt there. Good evening. Uh my name is Alice Pulk and I'm one of two career and technical education supervisors in the district. I'm here tonight to represent our office
along with Kelly Mosley. Um the month of February is nationally recognized as CTE month and so we like to take this time to highlight a little bit about what we have going on and some of the new and upcoming things going on in our programs. Uh before you leave here tonight or anytime during the month if you will be able to check out some of
our highlighted programs in the back. So I ask you you would swing by and some of see some of our programs in action back there. Um, so we looked at the idea of a puzzle piece that we're trying to help our students find the pieces where they fit in, not only here in school, but later on in life. And so whenever you
start a puzzle, or at least when I start a puzzle or anybody in my family, you always start with those border pieces. You get the outside going so you know what kind of where you're headed to. Uh, so we consider kind of our border pieces are kind of our foundation to our programs, our career specialists that we have in our office. And then we have our
college and career coaches who are our boots on the ground as we like to think of them in our high schools. and they work alongside the admin team and the guidance team at the schools to kind of guide and help those students and and work with our CTE programs. We have over 120 career and technical education
teachers in our district between our junior highs and high schools. And we have 31 distinctly different programs across the district. And so that takes into account, for example, we have health science now at each one of our high schools. So that would be one of the 31. We of course can't have all 31
programs at every single high school. Um, but we do have some of our more popular ones at multiple schools. Um, so we kind of set the border and set the foundation there for our programs. From there, we've got to put our pieces together. Um, and so we look at our teachers, which are really our most
valuable resources in the classroom because, as you know, programs can live and die by a good teacher. And so we, um, here in the state of Florida have a great mechanism to bring in those industry experts through what we call a district issued certificate. So, um, 40
over 40 of our instructors of the 120 actually have come from industry. And so, this would include people like that are teaching in our automotive programs, um, even our health science programs, our carpentry and our trades programs. Those teachers that come have come
directly from um, industry, whether they're looking for a change of pace. A lot of times they're just really ready to invest in the future of their trade and give back to their communities. So they bring in great experience and we can work along work alongside of them. Another way that we um are staying ahead
of our workforce demands is through those community partnerships that we have through those professionals. So one of our great examples right now is with the board of county commissioners and the Klay County Fire and Rescue at Orange Park High School. Um the board of county commissioners um sends a firefighter, the same firefighter to
work with our students all year long. And then along with that firefighter comes the firetruck and all the the fun toys and often some firefighters who come and join them during the day to teach hands-on. So I feel bad Orange Park High School usually has a firet truck parked out front. We want to say there's nothing going on. It's just lots
of hands-on learning that's taking place at that school. So we're going to have to kind of start thinking outside of the box maybe to help add some different pieces to our puzzle to make sure that we're keeping learning relevant and that we get qualified instructors. The other pieces that we look at when you're getting started with pieces, we
start with our junior high programs. And this is critical because it's our first exposure that our students have to our career and technical education programs in the district. All of our junior highs or middle schools and junior highs offer semester long courses and a number of things from um agriculture, business,
technology, family and consumer science, which would people would think of as home economics back in the day. And then we also offer some credit earning courses for those who are in eighth grade to get them a head start in their high school credit classes. We have our college and career coaches who visit the junior highs with students from the high
schools. Um especially in the month of February, they're doing some presentations in classroom and setting up in the cafeteria to talk to students during their lunchtimes. We have junior highs that are coming to visit high schools and see them in in action. And then we have our freshman expose that are going on during the month of
February. Uh this week on Tuesday night we had Flleming Island and next week we have four nights of freshman expos expose where families of eighth graders or even ninth graders upcoming students can visit those high schools and see firsthand not only CTE programs but the
fine arts band chorus clubs and athletics. So it's a great opportunities for our families to meet the admin team and the teachers and see the students and kind of get a feel for the culture and climate of that school. Another important part of our pub puzzle
pieces are our advisory boards. We have 14 different advisory boards in our district that meet from two to three times a year where we have business partners that come and work with our teachers and talk about what's going on in the industry. We talk about what do we need to be um equipping our students
with. We look at the software we're using, the equipment we're lo using, and making sure that it's relevant to what they're going to do in the field. So when they leave Klay County School District schools and step into the workforce, they are going to step into workforce prepared and not have to be retaught. Um we also have our CLNA which
is our comprehensive local needs assessment. We usually hold that two times a year, excuse me, every other year in the fall where again we look at as a region to see what does our region need. As we know here in Klay County, we have a lot of our families who drive into Jacksonville or work across the northeast Florida area. So, we look at
things as a region of Northeast Florida when we're preparing students when they leave high school. We have our Career and Professional Education Act, which is um from the Department of Education. We of course have our curriculum frameworks, which kind of guide us in what we're teaching and doing in the classroom. And then we have that great
partnership with Jax USA, which I mentioned, which looks at the region of Northeast Florida and what we do. So, all those pieces start to come together with our industry and our community. But really the big part with that bringing those pieces together are those engaging business partners. We have some amazing
business partners here in Klay County as you well know. They help us in our advisory boards um bringing that real life application to our students. They provide guest speakers with coming into the classroom. They are great with hosting field trips and bringing students onto the floors of their
facilities and talking with them. In the spring here, they'll do mock job interviews at our high schools for their seniors and juniors who are getting ready to go out into the industry. So, they can sit down, have a have a practice interview with them, and then give immediate feedback of what they can do better. We're excited about our
clinical settings. We've always had some great clinical settings here in Klay County, but our new one on um our new one as of the last week is here just outside the door at Baptist Clay. We had our first group of Clay High students who went to go do their clinical um rotations and orientation at Baptist
Clay. So, we're excited to have them on board as well as as long as our other great hospital partnerships we have. We have our internship opportunities, some that are paid and unpaid. One of our great one of course is with Klay County Utility Authority. And then we have our career and technical education student organizations or CTSOs as we call them,
which really put things into practice for our students as well. So, we have all these CTE pieces and probably one of the one of the parts that we're most proud of this year is our industry certifications um are up over um have reported over over,300
additional industry certifications from last year. So, this time last year we were reporting, 1900 certifications. Uh this year we reported over 3,200. And so that's a great um measurement of what our great things are going on in our classroom. So when our students are leaving high school, they're not only leaving with their diploma, but they're
leaving with a credential in hand that can either prepare them to go into college to possibly articulate to college credit or make them more um more able to enter the workforce um immediately. We have over,00 students who are enrolled in CTE programs in junior high and high school. So that
averages out to be about 60% of all secondary students are coming through the doors of a CTE classroom. We have our college and career night which is usually in the fall. And then today we actually hosted our career fair for seniors. And I would be remiss if I don't um say that we do some we do
amazing things in CTE but we we can't do it alone. And so with that we had um over 80 business partners which included business partners, military and our um we could enrollment places. So in other words students could either look to enroll in college or post-secary
institute or technical college. they could look to enlist or they could look to get them employed. So, we have over we had over 300 seniors today that were bust in from their high schools where they got the opportunity to see what what was available to them. You know, they think, well, I've got all the time in the world and I think they're now starting to realize after the Christmas
break that it's already February and March is coming fast and I need a plan if I don't already have one. But that couldn't have happened today without some great partners. Um, we have our partnership with Klay County Education Foundation today which helped helped us pull that off. We have the board of county commissioners which provided the
space out at the fairgrounds. We had our maintenance team here in Klay County which was able to come out and help us set up and break down today which was invaluable. We had our transportation department that made sure we had all the buses available to get kids from school to the fairgrounds and back in time. And then we had our communications team here
in the district which helps us helps us get the word out. So again we do we're able to do some great things but be it's because we have a great team behind us here in Klay County. And then we also have like I had mentioned before we have our um seven high school expo nights which are happening during the month of February as well.
So with those pieces we have all these pieces that students can put together uh through career and technical education. They can qualify for a number of scholarships through um different partnerships that we have. We provide a number of field trips for our students. We have career exploration. We have our
career fairs which we've talked about. We have internships that they can apply for. We have our career and technical student organizations which are those clubs that happen after school. We have our work-based learning opportunities. Um we have our industry certifications. We have articulated college credit that students can earn through their industry
certifications. And then we offer also offer our dual enrollment options. Um the work-based learning opportunities is a word that sometimes people don't don't understand, but it's taking what they're learning in class and putting it to practical practical use. And it might not be that they're technically getting paid for it, but they're seeing that in
action. And so we have a number of those here in Klay County. Um we think about all of our culinary arts program which we have all been able to enjoy whether it's through um the teacher of the year programs or different activities. We have our on-site child care centers where we have three and four-year-old programs going on. We have our vicear
branches in a number of our high schools. We have our Garber automotive program at Middleberg High School. And then we have all of our clinical locations and then the blood drives at our health science program. So, those are just of the few of the workbased learning opportunities for our students.
It's always fun when you get to finish up a puzzle, box it up, but then you're ready to do another one. And so, we have a lot of new pieces that we've been able to add um to our project here. We have opened up advanced manufacturing at Oakleaf High School and Orange Park High School. We're just uh a semester into
it, but we're getting that off the ground as that is going to be an up andcoming industry here in Northeast Florida and across the state of Florida as well. We've also been very lucky um through some grants through the state where we are being able we're able to upgrade some equipment and some facilities across the district um which
is very exciting for our programs and our high schools. Of course, advanced manufacturing has been able to open because of those funds. Um, we're in the process working with facilities to upgrade some, um, agriculture barns and green houses, um, that needed some help. We've been able to update labs, u,
business labs. We have updated some work area here at Fleming Island High School for our carpentry program. Next time you're at a football game, you can see the covered area back there where they're able to work outside. Now, we're um, retrofitting an area for our fire fighting program at Orange Park High School. Um, we opened up our health
science program at Rididge High School and have that lab open up and running. And then we have some new welding machines uh for Orange Park High School. So again um all those pieces coming together um to put together a great um product for our students. So when you look at the puzzle, we're
excited because we're um we have students who are ready to go to college and they're ready for a career, whichever path they choose, even if they choose to do them both at the same time. We have students who are ready to either be enrolled um in college or post-secary of sometime, enlist in the military, or become employed. And again, we can do
this because of one team, one clay, and that's helping students put all those pieces together to discover their endless opportunities here in Klay County District Schools. So, thank you for having us tonight and listening to the great things going on in CTE. Thank you very much. You guys do such an
excellent job and that's one of our um many school choice options um that we have here in Clay. And I'm proud to say that my husband and I are uh products of the CTE uh department here in Klay County. So, thank you guys for for
continuing to grow that because it did not look like that back in '08. So, thank you. Up next is our school showcase Oakley Village Elementary School with Mr. Jason Martin, the principal. Good evening,
board, superintendent Broski, community members. So, I promise I'll keep it at least like 45 minutes or less. All right. So, at Oakley Village Elementary, we are the explorers. So, I thought I'd start our presentation like we ask our fantastic teachers to do, which is with a learning target. We're
going to talk about what makes Oakley Village Elementary a special school and helps us stand out from all of the other elementary schools in this uh fantastic district. And you're going to know that you have it when you can help share our story about why we stand out and the positive data trends at our school. I'm
Jason Martin and I would be remiss if I forgot, which I almost did, to introduce my fantastic assistant principles, Shelley Lester and Chernel Gilliam. Okay. So, our vision at Oakley Village Elementary is that we really want to make lifelong learners and we want them to be successful no matter what industry
they go into. And so, while we just had the presentation about CTE, we want to make sure that we prepare those students to be going into those programs with the skills that are going to help them be successful. And so, to do that, we we really try to focus on honesty, integrity, um rigor, and respect.
So, let's talk a little bit about Oakley Village just as uh by the numbers. And so, we serve approximately 155 students beginning this year. We are one of the elementary schools that recently had sixth grade transition to the junior highs. We serve preK3 VPK kindergarten
through fifth grade. We currently are the second largest elementary school in the district and that's without sixth grade. So, last year we were the largest and so on. Uh we have 69 teachers currently, 40 staff members, and these three fantastic administrators standing before you. Uh just a quick note, one of
the things that makes Oakley Village Elementary special is the resiliency of our faculty and staff. 10 of those 69 educators have been in the building since it opened in 2008 and 21 of them have been there 10 years or longer. So
really fantastic. Yes, that is a round of applause. Yes. We are a true community school. I I can't help but put the feeder pattern schools up here with me because I feel like, you know, the color schemes kind of go together, but we just kind of go right down the road in Oakleaf. And so,
uh, nearly all of our students at our school live within two miles. And so, we don't have any regular community buses. Everyone either walks or their parents can drive them, but it's within walking distance of everyone's home. And so if you haven't been out there to see what dismissal looks like, it's both a
blessing and a curse. We don't have school buses. So everyone, it's a highly coordinated effort. Um, if you haven't been out there to see dismissal at OBV, come and see us. It's a highly choreographed effort. Yeah. So, uh, we send kids walking home in three
different directions and and it's great. So, come out and see us. I I'll give you a tour. It'll be fun. Uh, we are a community school, like I said. So, we're a community hub. We host several events throughout the school year that maybe not every elementary hosts. And we do that because we invite many high
schoolers or even junior high students back to our building in order to keep that connection going. We've had high schoolers and junior high students in our building for several programs this year already and they do so every year. Whether it's the Halloween parade where the students come
back from the Oakleaf High School marching band and play for our students and they walk through the same hallways that they walk through when they were attending our school. Winter Wonderland, we have high school and junior high volunteers that come back and help kids learn how to shop and manage a budget.
So really, really fun activities that we keep the community involved with all throughout. At OBV, we ask our students to be stars. You know, when you think of some mascots for elementary schools, an explorer doesn't exactly jump off the page. So, we want to try and drive that
home. And what does that mean to be an explorer at OBV? So, we ask our students to be star explorers. And so, we really adopted this compass theme and logo. We ask students to stay safe, take responsibility, act appropriately, and
respect themselves and others. And when they do that and they stand out in a positive way, a teacher can initial their compass rose. They they gain the cardinal directions or the intermediate directions. And when they fill that chart up, they get to come up to the front office. One of these three administrators calls their parent to
build that positive trust relationship with a positive phone call home. And then we also post their picture on our school website. So, we're always talking about the future stars that are being uh raised uh throughout Oakley Village Elementary School. This thing double clicks. Let's talk
about one of our f favorite programs. Um something that's been going on for years and years. In fact, Paula Summers, who was up here earlier for several presentations, uh kind of kickstarted this several years ago. But Arts in the Village is an annual night over at OBV where we really just do an extravaganza.
It it's arts of all types. Whether it's student art being hung in the hallways and demonstrated, there's a art scavenger hunt. We have a fully choreographed drama production and I'm talking top tier musical. All right. And then the chorus is uh standing on the
side during that production and they sing all the musical songs. So formal invitation, you're all welcome. I'll send you the date. April 24th. Look, we already have the date. Uh walk and bike to school. Another event that um has kind of caught
on at multiple schools across the county was was really kicked off by us a few years ago as one of the starter schools here in Klay County. We get again some of the high school students to come down. They form like a uh welcome tunnel for all of our students to walk and ride
their bikes and and promote positive healthy habits of getting to school in a healthy fashion. Um we are a fantastic athletics program. I can't I I can't My PE coach would really have me by the collar tomorrow if I didn't mention that the basketball team has been undefeated
for three years. Um and we started the very first and I I tried to reach out to several people in the athletics uh department here in Klay County, but I think we're the first on record cheerleading team at an elementary school. And so we have a full cheerleading squad that comes to all of
our athletic events as well. So, and then those are high school players from Oakleaf High School that come and coach our basketball team. And there are high school cheerleaders that come and help with the cheerleading team. And so, when I say we're really a community school and the feeder pattern really matters at OVE, I truly we we we live
and breathe it out there. So, uh we do student of the month to help recognize students for individual activities. And then pizza with the principal. Whenever those kids make that star student behavior chart and they fill it all up, we call their parents, they get put their name on a chart and then we invite
all 200 of them and we buy them pizza in the afternoon late one day. So just one more benefit to help build those relationships. So we talked a lot about relationships. Let's talk about the academics briefly. The MTSS model school program was a program started several years ago and
has truly grown and become something special at Oakley Village Elementary School. We really adopted the all means all. We take a really pragmatic approach to identifying data trends and students um growth and where there there are
gaps. We meet monthly and this has been through coordination with Heather Tito and Robin Ray at the district office and through internal um growth and leadership with like our ITF Lisa Herurlock who comes and works with us and we meet monthly so that we can zoom
down all the way to an individual student. And the reason it it's really important and I want to draw attention to this is because sometimes when you're at a really large school, you look at the data and the data is all in positive trends, but we don't want to leave any student behind. So when we say all means
all, we take the time and we go through the data to identify any student who is not making growth. And then we systematically apply different programs to allow them opportunities to close gaps and make up
the learning deficit that might already be there sometimes even when they just walk in the door. And so it's really a systematic approach to instruction, something that we're extremely proud of. And this year we are applying it across the board in behavior too to make sure that our behavior management program for
tier one across every classroom really makes every student or gives every student the possibility to be successful. Uh overall what does the data say? Uh we are backtoback a school and every single thing that we would look at every metric
is on a positive trend line right now. Uh third through fifth grade students are trending 10% higher in reading this year than just last year and we were an A last year. Uh third through fifth grade students are trending 8% higher in math and our science baseline grew over 30% from beginning to middle of the
year. So academically we really are just crushing it. Uh but so it's just fantastic. I'm really excited not only about the relationships we build but what the data says. And I'll wrap this up with many of the things that I spoke about today uh are built on a foundation
of trust and relationships. We are a Purple Star school. We're backtoback a school. We were we've been recognized as school of the month. But it does all come down to relationships and trust. Um whether it's a student asking to dress up as you for Halloween.
That was fun. for our our deputy who makes relationships with students and and helps in a variety of fashions across our campus to our head custodian um supporting students as well. If OBV is going to show up to something, we
show up big. And so we're we're a really tight-knit community and a special place to be, a special place to work. And and I hope you come see us. And uh that's it. Thank you. Thank you. And this is the last call for
comment cards. And there is no um public comment cards for specific agenda items. So, we're going to keep moving on. And there is no um special actions as well.
All right, we're going to move on to the consent agenda. Please note the following proclamations. Proclamation 26-09 designating February 2026 as Black History Month. Proclamation number 26-10.
Uh proclaim uh proclamating February 2026 as career and technical education month. Proclamation 2611 proclaiming February 26, 2026 as National Counseling Week. The 2nd through the 6th. Sorry
guys. And then at this time we are going to adopt the consent agenda. Can I get a motion to approve? >> I'll move approval. >> Have a motion from Miss Gilhousen. Can I get a second? >> Second. >> I have a second from Mr. Albero. Any discussion?
All in favor signify by saying I. I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries 50. All right. At this time, we're going to take um presentations from the audience. Remember, you have three minutes and be
respectful. And first up, we have Miss Liz Crane. Following her will be Reverend Dr. for Brandon Frick. Please state your name and address. >> Of course. Good evening, Liz Crane. You have my address on file. I would like to
thank Mr. Broski for the numbers he provided at the schoolboard workshop um uh regarding compensation passage packages over the years for instructional employees as it provided me with the numbers I needed for tonight. I have been involved with bargaining for some in some form or
another for over 20 years ranging from an observer, bargaining team member or a consultant. As such, I have a lot of experience and a lot of historical data. First, let's remember some rudimentary math. As our district grows and years go
by, so does our payroll. A 5% in 2025, yes, teacher, I've got jokes tonight, will cost more than a 5% increase in 2006. Currently, we have approximately 2,800 teachers. In 2006, we had 1,960.
As such, a contribution cost by percentage should be more. Rudimentary math at work, not the goodness of the heart. But for the 06 to07 contract year, the board contribution of step plus a raise was well over 8.5
million and that was without TSIA funding or a 9.75% raise. That same year, the budget proposal also showed an increase to the fund balance of approximately $5 million.
In 2425, the board contribution was 5.3 million for raises. Far cry from the 8.5. When I served on the bargaining team, we were provided with a spreadsheet called the bump up. This included the number of teachers each step and the con uh the
subsequent cost to the bump up to bump them up one step. At the bottom of the spreadsheet, there was an index. I was told it was the benefit index. At the time, I thought they were talking about medical benefits, but the math didn't work. So, I asked for clarification, and
I was informed that that benefit in index included what the board pays for Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, workers comp, and FRS. As a former certified payroll professional, I'm well aware of what all those things are.
Employers are required by law to pay Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment. It's not really a benefit out of the goodness of our heart. FRS, I can get there. It's kind of like a 401k match, but really and truly, it was smoke and mirrors. It was the board's
way of telling employees that the board was providing more than when really it was the law. So, let's talk about the current situation. Now, we like to talk about the years of contribution and maintaining the payroll. And yes, that comes to 27.1 million over six years. However, when our principles are trying
to hire someone, presenting a spreadsheet of how much money was contributed over the years really isn't a great selling point. Potential employees are looking at their own budgets and whether or not they can afford the salary, smoke and mirrors.
8.5 million increase in ' 06 without TSIA money. They did that. The A and Clay, we the educators did that. Thank you. Reverend Dr. Brandon Frick. Okay. So, Aaron Frick.
Sorry, my husband took our youngest home. My name is Aaron Frick. My address is on file. I am a parent of two children in the school system here. One at OBVE was excited to see um and he sang this this evening. Um excited to to
be here with you and celebrate and was so excited. I'm so proud to be part of this district and proud of our schools and proud to live here. This is our fifth year here in Clay. And um so anyways, I'm here just to speak to my
about uh something that's on my heart and that is I'm still concerned about the racist comments by Mr. Alvo and am concerned that he did not show to the board of education when he was asked and
I'm still concerned about the heartbreak in our community and the l the loss of trust we have in your leadership for our district and would ask that something be done that trust be rebuilt in some way and I don't see any way forward but for
a resignation. Um the other thing that I wanted to bring up is um the standards for the media that was discussed at the workshop and concerned about the the restriction of books specifically books about trans
children and we cannot restrict stories. Children need to see their own selves reflected in literature. Um books are not pornography. Books can be a way a window to understanding oneself. They're
an important part of mental health. I'm also an LCSW, licensed clinical social worker, worked in mental health many years and really believe in the power of story and so would encourage you to reconsider the the media standards that you came up with at the workshop. Thank
you. >> Thank you, Teresa Orano. Woodman, Reverend Barry. Wright. Good evening to our superintendent and our distinguished board members. Abraham Lincoln said that uh you destroy your
enemies by making them your friends and that I tried last meeting. I came out and I haven't spoken to anybody organized but spoke to a schoolboard member
and uh we talked about God and God's position and I said your least worries are the people. It's God because we're talking about God. When you make the whole community
tolerate you rather than celebrate you got a problem with God. So, I want to read something real real quick. By that Monday, I received a call saying, "I'm afraid
of what you said to me." I said, "You make sure you are recording this." I said, "I'm going to repeat to what I said again." When you got your board members tolerating you
and you got your family out and you put them with that kind of shame, you asked about God. That's not righteous or just. I'm a conservative Republican. I'm a
mega Republican. I'm a liberal Democrat. I'm a partner with the Daughters of Liberty, Sons of Confederacy. My family goes back to the 1700s. I'm part Irish.
And my anthem is a symphony of humanity. We're all Margo Dave. We're more alike than we're unalike. I got a scientific description that's called a DNA genetic makeup. And in that
I got blood cells, red, white. I got two legs of brains and I got a heart. We are alike more than we unalike. Oh, it's gone that quick. I want to forgive you and offer you
another opportunity. You can sit on the board as long as you want, but you cannot be celebrated. We can't have a better tomorrow. When you tell us, you talk about the board members, the community,
and you do this to a pastor. I'm going extend it to you again. You're right by the laws, but the Lord has required of you to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before your God.
God is who you got to worry about. Justine Gre Mr. Dub, I read it correctly this time. Looks like a this time, not an X. >> My address is on file. Listen, I don't
I'm I'm I'm not Barry. I'm not him. I'm not forgiving you and I'm not giving up. I thought it was an excellent display from uh the school of Oat Leaf. We were
supposed to get that last week or last month, but we got to deal with your foolishness. I'm mad. I'm angry. I'm pissed off. I'm frustrated. I'm
upset. I'm hurt. The principal did a wonderful job. He talked about uh how he makes it happen at Oakleaf. And he said uh it's all about two things about trust
and relationship. Well, I don't trust you. And uh and we're not in relationship. You hurt a lot of people, sir. I'm asking you to come on down. Matter of fact, come on down. Come on.
You can do it. I drove to Tallahassee to the meeting that you were supposed to be at and you refuse to come because you you not only racist, but you don't have no
accountability. Y'all can look at me sideways all you want. I got a sneaky suspicion that not only you, but there are other racist actors in this administration
and perhaps on that podium. It makes my blood boil and I ask God to forgive me every night because I don't want to feel like this. You saw those that choir with those African-Americans? That's your that's
your school. Bro, I'm not giving up. got a call, a couple calls since the last meeting that some kids are being racially picked on or there there there's been in the windows of racial remarks
uh from students and and I pray because I do think Klay County have a pretty good school system. I do believe that and I tell brok that all the time. But I pray to God that this does not boil over to
something bigger at these schools. Come on down, man. Come on. You want me to help you? Bruce Freriedman. Miss Torres, you're on deck. Good evening. Bruce Freriedman, address
on file. Regarding the two men of God who just spoke, one of them identified the things we have in common. One of them has an alternative agenda. No one has the authority to make Mr. Albero, step down. Except the governor.
Doesn't appear he's going to do that. Can all apply your energies if that's your goal, as you see fit. >> That's right. Thanks, >> Mr. Dove. Mr. Dove, >> stick in your lane, too, buddy. >> Meanwhile, whether or not Robert stays, this school
system needs to attend to other items. One of them book bringing you one challenge this evening. It's the Heartbreakers by Ali Novak. It has some pretty grotesque profanity
in it. One line I would like to read, but then the mic will be turned off. And I really want this to get a different level of attention because the line between porn and grotesque vulgar profanity is sometimes a little gray.
This book ought to help clarify that and your improved rubric can be further improved. As for all the emotional trauma, none of it's helping our kids. Not a lick. So do what you will, but
stay on top of the mess that is the libraries. There is porn. There are things worse than porn. Our children deserve better. You'll keep getting paperwork until it improves. Have a great night.
>> Miss Torres. >> Reverend Burke, you're on deck. My name is Sha Torres. My address is on file. Two things I want to discuss. One is a major issue. Um, we having problems with transportation. You guys went ahead and changed the here comes a bus to
checkmunks. It's not working. Last Friday, my son along with other student had problems scanning in. So the bus driver also had problems logging in. The same thing there was issues within the district level of
other schools logging in. I was told by this by my son. My son end up getting a referral from said bus driver stating that the student has continued to get on and off the bus without scanning ID. So today I told him he was getting a writeup. How you going to give a student
a write up when the system itself is failing? Make that make sense. What is going on? Is my son being retaliated because I'm coming out here and speaking upon what's going on in the district because I'm advocating for the kids. This happened on Friday. Miss
James at Orange Park is well aware, Miss Beth. Okay. I had reached out to you before and obviously you didn't care because anytime I had problems with my transportation, nobody else came to me except for Mr. Alredo. Now, when I spoke
to said administration, I took there was an incident December the 4th where the bus driver deemed that it was okay to close the door in front of my kid's face at a bus stop to allow commuters to drive around
there. Now, you want to sit here and talk about the safety of the kids. Where's the safety of the kids? Especially when the temperature is dropping. There's no safety. Then the said bus driver decided to move up just a couple of feet in between bus stops.
I'm not going to have my kids being inspected. So, I tucked them in there. I spoke to the admin. I spoke to Miss James. Miss James like, "What am I going to do? This is a serious issue. The priority of said bus driver is what? the safety of the kids. Not about the
people that's driving around. If your system isn't working for the bus, it needs to be changed. It's not moving. We cannot track them. We cannot see how fast they go. None of that. The scanning is an issue. And if they have problems, why is my son getting a write up? Why
he's getting a referral? Even a warning is not is not based on. And this is getting ridiculous. either y'all find something that works, hire more bus driver, have monitors, do something about it because I feel like
my son is being antagonized. The first incident happened December the 4th. I get a write up for him January the 23rd and it receives to my hand and I get a call on the 26th. How is that? When I asked for transparency, the video, I
haven't gotten a call back. The excuse of the bus driver was I got to let the other people go by. That is not their priority. The priority is the safety of said student. That's what we want. Right. >> Thank you, Miss Torres. Reverend Burke.
Good evening. My name is Reverend Deir Tree Burke. I submitted my address with the comment card. I um I'm here this evening because um I was here last
school board meeting and I was um kind of disappointed um for some of the things that transpired. The reason why I'm here, I I relocated to this area um back in 2024
because I'm a minister and I first stayed in Orange Park and I had friends and relatives who have children attending and then I volunteered
um to become a sub and I've subbed in Klay County as well is Duvall County, but right now I just do clay. And the children are great from K all the way through high school. But since
the comment that was given by Mr. Al Vero, I noticed a difference in the behavior of the children being very disappointed that they had someone in authority talking about them if they
were African-American or about their friends. And I just wanted to let you all know that the children, not all kids know what goes on, but a lot of them are involved in Facebook.
And if I had a child in Klay County school, I would be a part of the cadgery of people requesting resignation
of district 2 school board member because they don't want to have people who think of their children that way or if I was a parent, I I would not be able to trust that. Thank you for the moment
to address it with you. >> All right. Up next is CC EA Dr. Sharon Walsh. >> Good evening. I am Dr. Sharon Walsh representing CCA this evening. Miss Kiddwell does regret her absence.
However, she's currently in Tallahassee lobbying for increased public school funding. So hopefully we'll get some money there and it's going to help all of us out. What we're going for CCA joins the district in congratulating the winning rookie teacher of the year, the
teacher of the year, and the support employee of the year. Recognizing the dedicated professionals who make Clay Schools a great place to learn is vital for morale. and listening to their stories reminds me is why I am not only
in education but why I am in Clay. I will always be Clay's biggest cheerleader and you guys know that. But we do know that public schools are stabilized by a core of professional educators. They demonstrate their dedication to students and a profession
every day. They teach more than standards. They notice when a student rides hungry. They notice when trauma shows up as misbehavior and when a family is struggling to navigate the system. Our professional educators
advocate. They connect families to support and create a classroom where every student is seen, challenged, and valued. Our students know that we care. We show up for them every day. Our professional educators
refuse to let circumstances determine a child's value. Endless possibilities is not just a slogan. It is daily deliberate work. But they do this work in spite of many challenges, limited resources, and often unlimited expectations that are placed upon them.
This quiet heroism of many public education teachers showing up every day to serve our students even when the system makes it hard. This month's schoolboard agenda shows that Klay County District Schools has 23 instructional resignations.
Think of what that means to students. When student learning is interrupted by the loss of a seasoned teacher or in some cases multiple teachers, other teachers step in to pick up the load. They provide lessons for the temporary substitute, help with grading, assist
with classroom procedures, and when a new hireer is found, they coach that new teacher. They do all this in addition to their regular workload and without additional pay. They do it for the students, but the load is still heavy. The
superintendent school board promised transparency and a plan for retaining educators. At the January 27th school board workshop, Mr. presented a plan to ask the community to renew the one mill as a resource for competitive pay and clay. We applaud
this initiative. Clay must be able to compete with our neighboring school districts or the constant turnover will only increase. Our teachers want to stay in clay. I want to stay in clay. This plan may give them the hope they need to hold on a little bit longer. And in
closing, I would like to ask us to remember a past president, Ray Fischer. He passed away this last weekend. His funeral, I believe, is this evening, and some of our board members are there as well. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Is Mr. Lonnie Roberts here
this evening? All right. At this time, we're going to turn it over to the superintendent. >> I first of all, wasn't it wonderful to hear children start off the meeting today? So it was fantastic and all the recognition part of it. Uh really uh exciting to start off that way. I have a
bunch of bunch of things to catch up from last month. Uh so in the update we got schools of the month, our super students of the month, graduation rate January recap, and I'll go as fast as I
can through these. Uh and our prepaid scholarship. We're giving away two scholarships to students. Schools of the month, Orange Park Junior High, Esprian Jennings. The the theme was reading resolutions. Very appropriate for January. For February,
it is families first. So, go out there and vote. I'm disappointed Miss Chappelle's not here. She usually is an advocate for that. Superintendent students of the month. Great. This is actually my favorite thing that I do as superintendent is to go out and recognize the student of the month
because the student usually in the case of elementary students, we go out into the classroom and we present it to the class and and just to see the joy that the other kids have when that students announced is really heartwarming. So here you have Gan from Charles E. Bennett uh fantastic young man. And then
you have Shay and uh and Jonah also great great kids both Middberg High Green Cove uh junior graduation rates. I just want to talk a little bit about graduation because we kind of glossed over it. You know in the state of Florida
the way that they measure graduation is under a federal index. It's one of the more tougher versions how to account for um student graduation. When a student enrolls, no matter when they enroll, the second they enroll,
they become part of that school and it's expected that they're going to graduate from that school. Well, you know that sometimes there's difficulties within family structures, etc., and they might leave or go or something happen, right? But the school's held accountable
regardless of what happens, right? So, it's very difficult, tough standard. Of course, we want every student to enroll, enlist, or employ by the end. As a high school principal, a couple times over, I used to I used to refer to graduation as
the Super Bowl of education, right? It it is the culminating event. So, it's very, very important. Again, most states in the state of Florida, once you come in as a ninth grader, you're not counted as a graduate. If you
dropped out, obviously, you're a special diploma student. And if you get a GED, a certificate, like the standard's high. These are true high school graduates. So when you look at it nationally, the rate is 87%.
In Florida, it's 92%. And in Clay High, in Klay County, it's 97%. So I know I did I didn't give that justice either, but it's pretty big deal, I guess, is what I'm trying to tell you. When you take a look at each
school and their graduation rate, uh I remember being a high school principal and our graduation rate was not near near that level. I can just tell you that's fantastic work. Uh the CTE folks help us out with our college and career
coaches. We track every student as soon as student comes in making sure that they have all the requirements needed uh to graduate. And and I always used to think uh when I got to graduation point, I I would throw a little celebration for the faculty because sometimes the
faculty wants the student to graduate more than the student wants to graduate. Everybody catching my drift there? Sometimes you have to lead the horse to water unwillingly to graduate. But but we all know the child is so much better off at at the
end of it. uh what are high graduation rates indicate just effective teaching learning is occurring there's strong support systems in place a high level of engagement uh it's going to result in a skilled workforce better employment
opportunities lower crime rates stronger civic engagement etc it's good for everybody not just the family but the whole community you know to have uh young young folks ready to move on like
to talk a little bit about Bright Future scholarships. You can see that it for a student to qualify for 100% they have to complete 16 courses, 3.5 GPA, um and test scores of 1330 SAT and a 29
ACT. I don't know, I guess I could take a poll. How many of you would have qualified? Uh look at the number of students over the three-year span that have done so. That's that's fantastic work and congratulations to those those scholars.
There's also a medallion award which is a 75% tuition and that is an 1190 SAT or 24 ACT plus the 75 volunteer hours. There you can see a three-year comparison by school as to the number of
students that achieve that. Uh and a lot of happy parents too not paying for college. So January recap, our our teacher of the year. Many thanks to the education foundation and our partners at Garber Arnold and our other uh partnerships.
What a fantastic evening. Dorothy Ballet, a great representative, Jenna Praa, and of course our our rookie teacher of the year. Also, we also had a naturalization ceremony. I don't know if people realize this. It's been the paper several times, but third or fourth year
doing this at Green Co Junior. This this is where people who have gone through the legal immigration process and they become US citizens. Uh I tell you it brings a tear to my eye just to see people who've gone through the process
and now this is the final step. A judge comes in, swears, gives them the oath right there on the stage in front of students to for students to see that. It's always amazing to me uh that sometimes we kind of forget how lucky we
are in this country and how others seek that uh so keenly and that's what really you know brings a tear to my eye. Literacy week. I thought this was kind of cute theme. Read
white and blue. Everybody gets the theme there. I mean that's more creative than I can ever be. Celebrating 250 years. We had an early literacy night um that I saw many of you at. Uh fantastic. We should many of us went went out to
schools and read during that week. Literacy is the very foundation of what happens in in most schooling. So very important. We also had so many events. I think Chris Google was on overdrive uh last week. All County Secondary
Chorus, the All County Theater, uh, performances, that's always interesting. All county band, 160 performers there. All county elementary chorus.
Let me just kind of make the point that all of those sorts of things that I'm clicking through now are all things that make the choice of Klay County schools uh more attractive than many others, right? Not everybody can compete with
those experiences for students. So, very very proud of of that. And when I think back to my learning, I hate to even admit this publicly, but I remember all the other things I did in school other than learning, right? I remember playing in athletics.
I remember my friends. I remember the teachers that I connected to that took an interest in me. All of those things are are important um experiences for students beyond the core curriculum of English, math, science, and social
studies. Uh there's more to it than that, I guess, is what I'm trying to point out. There you go. It's on tape. You heard it here. Uh Rotary Science Fair. Fantastic event. About 150 students. How about the first project idea? Photocatalytic degregation
of methylane blue using titanium dioxide and environmental assessment. I went up to the kid and I asked him about it and he started talking and I started smiling and he says, "Is there something wrong?" I said, "No, I don't understand you." Uh uh some of these kids are just brilliant
with with their work. And so it really is kind of humbling to see the fantastic ideas of of young people. Uh the district spelling bee, it was a nailbiter. Uh my wife Sue is is so into it. She was a spelling bee almost champion.
She came in second place and she reminds me of that, right? So she and she remembers the student that came in first place from, you know, a couple couple years ago obviously. And I know it gets tense when I get the hand on my leg like
and she starts to dig into it because it got to be intense. Really intense. Uh this is the young lady that won Juliana from Lakeside. There you go. 20 rounds. I knew I knew we were there for a long time. Super duper talented.
uh prepaid scholarship. We're giving away two free college scholarships. Uh seniors, simply go to the website. The information is up there. There's an essay contest. Your parents will love you for taking um uh less money out of their pockets.
We also participate in Florida prepaid. I'm just going to put a a shameless plug out there. If you're if you have a child in school, prepaid is certainly it inflationproofs college education. You pay it now and
then as uh college education goes up. You don't pay that increase. Uh I you know I was blessed enough to do that for for both of my children. Saved many thousands of dollars over the course of time because it doesn't go down. It only goes up uh when it comes
to cost. So, so there's the information related to that. Upcoming events, so many, you know, and some people that we don't recognize often. Cross and guard appreciation day. Uh, our school resource officer appreciation day, of
course, we're off on the 16th for President's Day. We start the two elementary track meets and that's always a great event. And, uh, public schools week February 26th through March 1st. I encourage everybody to be supporters of public school. It's important for for
our community and for our students. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Broski. Schoolboard uh attorney comments. >> No, ma'am. >> All right. Thank you. And then, uh we're going to go on our school board members. Miss Gilhausen, would you like to start this evening?
>> Nothing for me tonight. Enjoyed some fun events with um kiddos celebrating all their accomplishments this month. So, Mr. Albero Madame Chair, considering the Florida Education Commissioner recent statement about political activities, I want to
suggest we review our current policy and at the next workshop. It is important to make sure our policies match our goals and support our students and community. And thank you everybody for coming to a school board meeting. Have a great night.
Can we um put that on our workshop agenda and maybe send the policy ahead of the workshop so that we can review it? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. >> I'm not I know we can look it up, but
I'm not sure which one he wants to um review. Uh, Miss Clark, >> if we could also add to the agenda working with HR to see what we can do for our salary, teacher salaries to be
more competitive because I think we I I think HR has some great ideas that we need to kind of review everything and see if there's anything that could be changed back to the grandfather system and such. Um,
I do one of the items that we voted on tonight was C19 and unfortunately Bryce Ellis isn't here, but I wanted to thank her for working for a great deal of time on uh the leasing of our vehicles. It's
another way, one of the many ways that the district is working hard to review the budget and make sure that we're doing as much as we possibly can. And yes, everybody had a lot of we had a lot of events. Um, it was great for me
to be at the spelling bee because I didn't know it, but that was a close friend of mine. It was her granddaughter, even though she's not old enough to be a grandmother. But uh what was pleasurable about it compared to all the other spelling bees was the fact
that at the end even during the competition all the the students were so complimentary of each other and telling each other how well they did and happy they were that and that's just you don't always see that but it it was very
competitive. So, um, but yeah, Michael Taft, our civics teacher out at Green Cove Junior High, needs a lot of credit for everything he does for the students with civics and
lining up these naturalization ceremonies. Um, I heard through the grapevine we may not have one next year because it does cost to go through that process and we were down to 25 this year when we've had a lot more, maybe double.
So, we're we're hopeful that it'll continue, but it's certainly something the the students and us adults need to be reminded of. And last thing I'd like to say is I know the big pig pig race is coming up at the
fair April 11th, but not going to be able to participate because April 11th is also clay and dance night. And we're raising money, scholarship money for our CTE students
and Ridge View High Culinary is doing the food. So we're going to have a lot lot happening. So, thank you, >> Miss Hansen. I did want to give a shout out first to the fine arts department.
The all-star week of fine arts was fantastic. Nothing can bring you more joy than listening to 200 kids open their hearts and sing at the top of their minds, their their lungs, right? It's so beautiful. I don't know how to explain it.
The other thing is I wanted to share about what I pray about. I wanted to let everyone know that we have important business to do as a board. The district has important business. Important we work together.
I pray that we'll be able to take that mission for our kids and do the very best we can with that mission and that with time maybe we can get over some of the humps that we've had to go through
because really when I ran for this job it was for kids. all those kids, whether it be working with Mr. Barski at Oakleaf High or out at Wilkinson Junior High, running the giving tree to get presents
for kids. There's a lot of good in this district. Matter of fact, most of my career, 20 years, that's all I've ever seen was the good. So, I just want to let you know that this is what I pray about.
and I love these kids and I love this district. And thanks Wilkinson Elementary for letting me read books to kids last week. Have a nice evening. Thank you. Um it's been a very very busy month, very busy last couple of weeks
and um seeing early literacy. I'm living it right now with um all the patience that you have to have at home. My my littlest one is learning to read and she's doing exceptional. And
then my my oldest is at the point where she's reading to learn. So, um we've got a very exciting household and they work together sounding things out and and reading together. So, um early literacy night was fun hanging out with my little
one. Um there's been, like I said, a lot of events seeing our students recommended um nominated by our congressmen to um these very prestigious and elite um military schools was was
exceptional. I think we had four four or six something like that because I think a couple weren't couldn't make it that night. So, um that was very very fun and um exciting to see. Um, I wanted to bring forward to the board.
I for we had such a long workshop last week. Um, I had sent over some documents to Mr. Blocker. Um, and he said that there would be some things that we needed to discuss, but I wanted to bring it to the board and maybe put it on the
agenda. Um, one of the things that I had focused on when I first came uh first got the seat was parents, bringing our parents back into our schools like like they were there when I was younger. And um we did
that um listening to our teachers, holding forums, doing everything that we could possibly do um do there. And there's still a lot of work to to to do. Um, so maybe listening to HR and their ideas and and what they have going. I've
had the opportunity to uh visit schools um the last couple weeks, get into some teachers classrooms, help them out wherever they need help. Um whether it's just observing or um passing papers out, helping teach, which that one was kind
of interesting because well that was fun. Um, and then and by the way, if any of you would would like me to come to your classroom, I would love to um come visit. So, just email and reach out to me. But another
perspective that I um every time that we do a policy, every discussion that we have, we always talk about how does it affect students. Mr. Broski is very good at at bringing conversations back to students. Um, so I
think one of the things that um, and it's just an idea. We can throw it out there. We could talk about it. We could revamp it. We could do our own version of it. We could not do it at all. Um, I know Mr. Broski has the student advisory committee. Um, but across the district
or across the state of Florida, they also have um a student liaison for board members. Um, there's a process. we can change the process, but what I wanted to do is have open discussion about that. Um, it'd be pretty cool. There's
different options and ways that we could implement this. It could be fun on a school level. It could help with civics's teaching. Um, there's there's multiple ways that it could be done, but um, I will send the documents to Miss Bonnie so that you guys can read it, um,
and look over it. I've sent it to the attorney. That way you're prepared to have the discussion for the workshop, but it brings a student perspective to to the board and um there are some things that we can't change because
state statute. So um bringing cell phones back to the classroom is not going to happen. I'm just going to throw that out there. But um I would love to hear from a student perspective um which again I know Mr. Broski has the
student advisory committee, but um and maybe we make it a committee assignment and assign a board member to it. I I mean, I don't know, but I just want to have the open discussion so that we can have students um and a student perspective for the board, the board's perspective, especially um when it comes
to governing and policym um for them. So, just a thought. I just want to bring it to you guys. I'll have that sent over to you so you can be prepared for the next workshop if that's okay. With that, this meeting is
ajourned.