All right, good evening. I'm going to have everybody quiet down if you don't mind. And we're going to have Mr. Pastor Michael Moxley from Fleming Island United Methodist Church start us off in um prayer
followed by the pledge uh pledge of allegiance. >> Thank you. Uh if you could please bow your heads with me. God, as we gather for this meeting, we invite your presence among us.
Allow us clarity of thought, unity of our purpose, and wisdom in our decisions. May our discussions be guided by truth and may our actions reflect a desire to
serve our students and community well. Bless each person here today with strength, patience, and understanding. And may peace, hope, joy, and love fill this room.
We ask for your guidance as we review the different needs, wants, occurrences, and task of our schools. Help us to speak with respect and kindness. Listen with open ears and hearts
and make decisions that promote growth and safety for every child, teacher, and staff of these schools. Almighty God, we come before you as a diverse group of people united in
purpose. The purpose for the continued development of those who are leading and those who are learning, those who are supporting and those who need support, those who are called to teach and those
who are encouraged to grow in their learning. Give us the courage and wisdom to make decisions that honor you and serve the students, the teachers, the staff, and the community.
Heavenly Father, may we be the love, grace, light, and hope that you wish to see in this world. Amen. Now, if you will please stand and join in 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.
Please remain standing as the Patterson Chorus will sing the national anthem. Hallelujah. The Patterson Manatee Chorus is under the direction of Miss Kelly Lozy. These academic or hold on, sorry. These
dedicated young musicians from fourth, fifth, and sixth grade practice once a week after school. This academic year, our singers have been engaged in a variety of per performances and educational events, including our winter and spring concerts, the Patterson's
Community Veterans Day program, uh, concert on the Greens Cocoa and Carols, the Allount Elementary Chorus, the Klay County Elementary music festival, and the Jacksonville Symphony Concert for Young People. Now, the chorus is honored
to present its second selection, Ribbons in the Sky, composed by Andy Beck. This piece is also scheduled to be performed at the elementary music festival and our upcoming spring chorus concert on May 12th. Thank you, Manatee Chorus. This evening,
uh, thank you, Patterson Elementary Art and Miss Braramlet for the beautiful artwork on display this evening. The students at Patterson Elementary engage in a comprehensive discipline-based arts program, utilizing diverse media to deepen their understanding of both the
vis visual arts and the core academic subjects. This K through six showcase highlights two different creative journeys. The first celebrates the technical traditions of fiber arts featuring student exploration in weaving and felting. The second honors more
traditional art genres demonstrating an exploration in portraiture, still life, landscapes, and abstraction through an expansive range of media and techniques. And those are displayed in the back. Can I get a big round of applause for
our students? Thank you, Patterson Elementary. All right. At this time, I'm going to call to order the March 5th, 2026 school board meeting. Welcome, citizens of Klay County. I want to take the opportunity to thank you for taking the time out of
your busy schedule to attend tonight's school board meeting. This 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 the 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 that card located at 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 items that you would like to
present to the school board or superintendent, please hand them to an officer who will distribute them accordingly. Speakers who wish to address specific agenda items will be heard following the resa uh the hold on
recognition 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 the public comment section under presentations from the audience. Your
participation is welcomed and appreciated. Up first, we are going to have Mr. Chris Google from fine art specialist presenting the scholar uh scholastic art awards winner. >> Good evening. Tonight, we are excited to
recognize our outstanding student artists who have earned high honors in the Scholastic Art Awards, the nation's longestr running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teams. Since 1923, the Scholastic Awards have celebrated young artists and writers
with past recipients including Andy Warhol, Stephen King, and Amanda Gorman. Students who enter this competition compete in a range of visual arts and writing categories, and their work is judged by a panel of professional artists, educators, and industry experts. Pieces are evaluated on
originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Students who score high enough may earn awards such as honorable mention, a silver key, or the highest regional honor, a gold key. All award recipients are presented at an official ceremony at
the historic Florida Theater in February, and many students earn scholarships to prestigious schools and programs based on their awards. Gold Key winners then automatically advance to the national level where they have the opportunity to earn national medals, scholarships, and exhibition
opportunities. This year, 24 Klay County students earned a regional scholastic award. Students, as I call your name, please come forward to receive your recognition. Teachers, please join your students.
Then everybody will remain standing up front until we have all students um recognized, at which time we will take a group picture. To get us started, from Green Cove Springs Junior High School teacher Carrie Crosby, we have Sarah Gerbert, who received an honorable mention.
From Lake Asbury Junior High, teacher Desiree Stone, we have Ava Marie Arnold, gold key. Emma Gibson, silver key. Evie Terminelloo, honorable mention.
Jasmine Castro, honorable mention. Callen Stout, Silver Key. Mason Do honorable mention. And Rebecca Swearing, honorable mention. From Lakeside Junior High, teacher Shelby Brahmer, we had Jasmine Champ,
honorable mention. From Clay High School, teacher Emily Blevens, we have Ethan Adams, Silver Key. Maria Tessc, honorable mention. Haley Nalipa, four gold keys, one silver
key, and three honorable mentions. Harley Wilson, one gold key and one honorable mention. Kate Wilining, one gold key and two silver keys. Sarah Hampton, honorable mention. And to Heiny Limey, Gold Key
from Fleming Island High School, teacher Michael Green. We have Charlotte Verse, three gold keys. and teacher Julie Brennan. We have student Jaden P. five gold keys and six silver keys.
And from Oakleaf High School, teacher Kizia Labberis, our first student is Amanda Land, one silver key and two honorable mentions. We have Jazelle Marinos, two silver keys and three honorable mentions.
We have Gloria Lewis, two silver keys and one honorable mention. Kennedy Williams, one gold key, one silver key, and two honorable mentions. and Riley Dior, honorable mention. And Veronica Romero, one silver key and
one honorable mention. And then lastly from Fleming Island, we have a student who advanced to the national level last year and received a national gold medal. And that student is Jaden P. Congratulations students. Thank you very much. And can
we make sure that teachers and admin are up with their students for a quick picture before we continue? Awesome. Congratulations students. All right. Up next, we're going to have uh our fine arts specialist stay at the mic, Mr. Chris Google, for the student
comp um composition contest winners. So this evening, we are also proud to recognize our outstanding student composers who participated in our district's annual student composition contest. This initiative aligns with the Florida Seal of Fine Arts, specifically
the requirement for students to earn recognition for the creation of an original work of art. This contest was open to students in grades 9 through 12 across Klay County. Students submitted original compositions in four categories: large ensemble, small ensemble, electronic music, and
songwriting. Each piece was carefully evaluated by professionals in the field, including some of the same professionals who collaborate with our secondary band programs to write their custom marching shows. Students whose works met the high scoring threshold, have now fulfilled
this important component for the seal of fine arts. Additionally, the top scoring student in each category has been named a category winner. We are thrilled to celebrate all of these students tonight for their creativity, dedication, and musical artistry. Students, we will call
each of you up to receive your recognition for high marks on your composition. Please remain standing up front while we then recognize the category winners and followed by a group picture. So for our recognitions in the large ensemble category, we had Lillian Michelle from Rididge View High,
Owen Mills from Oakleaf High, and Hayden Sears from Clay High. In the small ensemble category, we had Levi Bernie from Clay High. In the electronic music category, we have Leon Leonardo Arius from Oakleaf
High and Gianna Wrock from Oakleaf High. And in the songwriting category, Khloe Burke from Clay High. So now recognizing our category winners. First in large ensemble category. First
place was Hayden Sears. First place in small ensemble category was Levi Bernie. First place in electronic music, Leonardo Arius. And first place in songwriting, Khloe Burke.
Congratulations students. Any teachers or admin who are present, let's take a picture and then you guys are finished. All right. Up next is the recognition of student athletes, achievements, and state champions with Miss Christina Thompson, coordinator of district
athletics. All right. Good evening, everybody. Uh, good evening, Superintendent Broski, school board members, and valued members of our Klay County community. As the coordinator of district athletics, it is my privilege to stand before you tonight and celebrate what makes athletics so special here in Klay County.
Athletics is about far more than wins and losses. They teach discipline, resilience, teamwork, and leadership. They connect our schools to our community. They give our students a place to belong, to grow, and to represent something bigger than themselves.
The positive impact of sports can be seen not only on the field or court, but in our classrooms, in our hallways, and all throughout Klay County. Tonight, we are proud to highlight the outstanding achievements of our winter athletic programs. And first, let's take a look
at how our student athletes are performing in the classroom. I'm incredibly proud to report that our athletes have achieved a cumulative winter sports GPA of 3.27. And to break that down further, we had 48 teams with above a 3.0 GPA and seven
teams with above a 3.5 GPA. Next, I want to specifically recognize our top academic performing teams. The girls team with the highest GPA is the Fleming Island High School girls soccer team with a stellar 3.72 GPA. And the boys team with the highest GPA
is the Fleming Island boys soccer team, holding a remarkable 3.586 GPA. These numbers prove that our student athletes are scholars first. Next, I want to take a moment to highlight the future of Klay County athletics. This year, the Klay County
Elementary track meet brought together hundreds of our youngest student athletes from over 30 schools. For many of them, this was their very first experience wearing school colors and competing as part of a team. Events like this are more than races and ribbons. They're about building confidence.
They're about learning sportsmanship. They're about discovering the joy of participation and the pride that comes from representing your school. When we invest in opportunities like the elementary track meet, were planting seeds early. Today's elementary participants become tomorrow's middle
school competitors, high school varsity athletes, academic leaders, and as we'll see next, state champions. From planting the seeds, From planting the seeds with our youngest athletes at the elementary level to seeing the hard work pay off on
the biggest stages, Klay County athletics is producing incredible talent. Now, I want to recognize our student athletes who have reached the very top of their field, our state champions. First, from Klay High School, your FHSAA 1A competitive cheer state
champions. Our Blue Devils delivered a powerful performance at the state championships, earning the spot in the class 1A small co-ed division. Their 2026 victory marked a third consecutive state championship, elevating their
already legendary status. At this time, I'd like to welcome the following team members. Addison White, Amaya Pina, Anelise Torres, Asher Clark, Ashlin Miles,
Bailey Bergen, Bailey Santos, Carly Kbo, Chloe Whitmarsh, Dakota Eddie, Emily Winkler, Kylie Horn, Lexi Hamlin, Morgan Mcmmin,
Sage Knapp, Taylor Leadedford, and our last athlete is Tyler Leel, who is unable to join us because he is on a recruiting trip as we speak. The Blue Devils are coached by head coach Lorie Davis
and assistant coaches Daniel Richardson and Ariana Moore. Ariana Moore Ariana Moore is unable to join us this evening uh due to a conflict. At this time, I'd like to welcome down Superintendent uh Mr. Bruski as well as
uh any administrator in the building uh for a quick photo. Thank you. And we appreciate you guys. Congratulations on your state championship. All right, next up we have another incredible state champion to recognize from Fleming Island High School. We are
proud to honor Katherine Ward, the FHSAA 2A Olympic weightlifting state champion. Katherine, please come join us up front. Now, Katherine delivered an exceptional performance at the state meet, rising to the top in the Olympic lifting
discipline for class 2A. Her dedication, discipline, and focus throughout the season translated into a championship caliber performance when it mattered most. Katherine's achievement reflects her commitment to excellence, and she's a shining example of strength, of character, and competitive spirit that
embodies Klay County athletics. At this time, I'd like to welcome down Superintendent Broski, any administrators in the building, and anybody else who'd like to jump in on the photo. There we go. And our final state champion of the night from Ridge View High School. Let's
welcome Jasmine Carabalo, the FHSAA 2A traditional and Olympic state champion. Jasmine, please come join us up front. Competing at the FHSAA state weightlifting championships, Jasmine dominated in both the traditional and
Olympic disciplines in class 2A. An extraordinary accomplishment that showcases not only her strength, but her focus and relentless work ethic. Winning one state title is remarkable. Winning two at the same championship meet speaks truly to an elite an elite competitor.
Jasmine's performance represents the very best of Rididge View High School, Klay County athletics, and we could not be more proud of you. Congratulations, Jasmine. Mr. Broski, if you don't mind joining us, please come down. Any administrators who and anyone else who'd like to jump in the photo
As I wrap up tonight, let's give one more round of applause to our incredible student athletes. Tonight, we celebrated academic excellence, elementary athletes, and state champions. But beyond the awards, we're celebrating character, dedication, and leadership. These lessons learned
through sports will stay with these students long after the seasons end. And a huge thank you to Superintendent Broski and the Klay County School Board for their steadfast support of our athletic programs. Your commitment ensures our students have the opportunity to grow, compete, and shine
in school, on the field, and in our community. I also want to say thank you to all of the families, coaches, friends, supporters here in the audience. Without each of you, this success isn't possible. You all make every success possible for these
students. So we appreciate you. Congratulations again to all our winter honores. Klay County is proud of you. Thank you everyone. >> All right. Up next we have Superintendent Mr. Broski
to talk about the star of the show. >> All right. Point of point of privilege, Madam Chair. I'd like the opportunity to recognize an outstanding employee uh that we have in Klay County. I'll wait for the to for the group to get out.
You know, one of the one of the privileges of working for uh 37 years for Klay County Schools is that you you get to know a lot of people along the way in a lot of different context. And while we have a lot of great people in Klay County that
work in our school system, today I'm here to honor one one single individual. And so it's with great uh great pride that I say that Bonnie Onor, this is Bonnie Onor's last schoolboard meeting. She's been with the district for 24
years, starting off at uh as an ESC assistant, Lake Asbury Elementary, ESSE secretary, Lake Asbury Elementary, uh administrative support assistant uh for ESSE itself, Clay High School
bookkeeper at one point in her career. She also was an accounting support assistant uh in ESSE. She did position control in the business affairs office. She did Miss Hayes's position previous and now as executive secretary to the
superintendent and school board. Bonnie Onor is one of those people that's just noted for her calm and supportive demeanor. Nobody that talks to Bonnie uh in, you know, on a scale from from 1 to 10 on her professionalism, I'll pull a Trump
15. Easy. Easy. No doubt. Okay. So, so, uh, I'd like to recognize Bonnie tonight. I I've I've heard her so many times because we worked together so long. This has now be six years this week that I'm
superintendent of Klay County Schools. And during that time, a lot of things have happened. We've had pandemics. We've had books. We've had all kinds of stuff happen in Klay County schools because the world that we live in, I tell you what, there's nobody that I
would want answering the phone in any of those conditions more than Bonnie Onora. You know, she's just a gem in professionalism. Represents everything that's great about education and about the school system. I know the board
itself uh recognizes that. is the main point of contact for schoolboard members is Bonnie. So, I don't want to say Bonnie runs the show, but she kind of does, right? She's the main point of contact. I know the board wanted to recognize you, Bonnie, here for your
last day. So, if you please come forward and board members, if you'd come on down for a photo. Got a big round of applause. Bonnie, I'm Bonnie, don't go anywhere. We're not done. The funny part was Bonn Bonnie said to somebody said, "I really hope
Mr. Broski doesn't celebrate to that that person said, are you kidding me? You know, Mr. Broski, there's no way that you would get out of here without me bragging about what a great individual you are. But you know, you have a dual role. You not only have to
deal with the board and all of the things that they require to do their jobs, but you also have to lead all the district leaders, too. We have timelines. If you take a look at a board agenda and you add up the number of pieces of paper that are on that agenda for every contract for every uh for
every business function of our district body's kind of the gatekeeper that makes well she makes sure we all do our work on time. Isn't that right? Can I get an amen? Right. Somebody has to do that. If you're a person in the audience today that you've had to call Bonnie for a
question or you needed Bonnie's advice, please stand. Right. The the impact is tremendous. Bonnie, I'm asking you to come forward. Brenda's going to have a little basket. I think people have some cards they want
to give you uh just to say thank you. So, if everybody can kind of line up with a photo as you come up. So, Bonnie Nora, before we take this photo, I'd leave you with this.
May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. Oh, look at that one. Okay. Thank you, Miss Bonnie, for all you do. I know we're so easy to deal with, so thank you.
All right. Up next is uh the school showcase, Patterson Elementary School with Mr. Uh, principal John O'Brien. Good evening. Is this on? Can Can you hear me? Good evening, Mr. Broski and the school board
uh members in the audience. Thank you so much for allowing us to come and share a little bit about Patterson Elementary School. Of course, having been in the district for many, many, many years, I know we're very proud of all of our
schools, but of course, Patterson is is the one that I call home. So, we are going to share with you the exciting things that take place on our campus each day. First of all, I have been in the
district uh for in excess of 25 years. I've been at, as Mr. Broski often says, "I've had various experiences at many levels, been a principal at other places, but I am in my 12th year at Patterson, and I will honestly say if I
ever have the opportunity to go to another school and be a principal, the experience that I have learned at Patterson would make me a 10 times better principal anywhere I went. It has been such a learning experience for me, and I often say it's also brought out my
fluffy side." So, which is a good thing. Patterson Elementary, we are in our 34th year. It opened in 1992. Uh, we're very proud that we have very minimum amount of turnover. We have a
joke and say no one leaves unless they retire or the district comes and plucks our tree. And uh we're very proud of the opportunities and promotions that our staff has received over the years. And you know, it's funny at the end of each
year when our tree is plucked again, they'll say, "Mr. O'Brien, I thought you were going to cut that tree down." So, but we are very honored to have the quality of staff and support from our community. So, we are that is a
contributing factor to our success with with our success. I am a strong believer in supporting our teachers and staff. I think at times uh you know we're always there for our students and of course that's our number one priority but to me personally it's very important that we do not forget our teachers and
staff and with that we also want them to be educated trained provided the resources so they can educate our students and Miss Stokes does a great job. She is in her uh sixth year with me
and I would tell you and I will say this openly all the time. A lot of our success if not probably maybe more than mine is due to her. I will give her the credit. She is phenomenal and and I just could not be
more thankful to have a partner like her. She is a veteran of the school system. She has a lot of wisdom and knowledge and I rely on her tremendously and she is the catalyst behind supporting our teachers, educating them,
our professional development with our district partners and uh other entities. So again that is part of the thing that we also feel is an ongoing cycle to our success and support our academics.
our academics. We are very very fortunate to be uh continuously one of the top performing schools in the district and the state. We've been very very fortunate uh that we've had state rec recognition to number 10 and number
14 in the last couple of years as well as you know the the mindset of our school is also distilled in our teachers which also goes down to our students and you know I am one of these individuals that I don't we don't have famous quotes
and sayings and you know this year this is our quote we from the day that I got there and and I think it's our mindset of our school is we're going to do the best we can every day and we're going to put 100% in and then we'll let the
pieces fall where they fall. But if you work on the process, the results will come. So that is our mindset and I think uh that has contributed to our academic success and our students and parents and community have bought into that and of
course just like anything with longevity it's become part of our culture. So we're very thankful for that. One of the things that I'm uh a very strong component of is also showcasing our students. And with that being said,
we also want them the exposure of being involved in competing with other schools as well as showcasing their talents, you know, from Battle of the Books, the math team, Spelling B, and a variety of other things. Robotics, there's just a
multitude of and I do consider uh that academics because it involves thinking and programming and things of that nature. So we're a strong component of providing those opportunities and we also facilitate that through our resource classes.
So we feel that is a contributing factor. I I also believe in a a wellbalanced student. We believe in giving our students choices not only academic choices but also extracurricular. We're a strong believer in that if students
feel uh involved outside of the classroom that will also have a positive impact on our culture. So we we really over the years have uh have elevated and added things from uh clubs to after
school to outside agencies that come in and we're very thankful to our parents for supporting those afterchool activities. Uh, Coach Van has done a great job with our sports program as well, celebrating Patterson.
As I indicated, you know, each one of us is is proud of our schools and things of that nature, but I would tell you, as I indicated, I've been at at many places, but it is a very special place. And as I share, I am just a grain of sand on a
beach of life. And I say that because I'm just a small piece of it. But our our culture and our community, I'm a big believer in involving our uh community, our business partners, our faith uh
partners in the community because all of them contribute to our school and I want them to feel I I joke with them when we have uh events. I say I cannot cut you a check but I can provide you an opportunity to be one of our partners
which will allow you to network to our community. And I think over the years that has grown so much. This Saturday we have our annual carnival and each year the business community has increased to where they come out and
and they participate in that. And we really appreciate that because that shows their value in celebrating our school as well. And you know, everyone wants to be proud of their team per se. So we feel that our community is very
very supportive and proud of our school. And again, it's due to our teachers, our families, and our students. What could we say, especially in our area, without supporting our military families? Uh we have a tremendous
program at Patterson and I I know other schools as well, but we take that very serious. Uh we provide our anchor for life, our military life counselor. We do uh monthly events as well as we have uh
displays across campus that are there year round honoring our families especially the ones that are the deployed because those families and students sometimes they have hard transitioning and uh you know even our faculty we we have a wonderful teacher
right now that she's being mom dad and everything and has been for several months. We check on her every once in a while, make sure she's okay and she's strong. But that is a very important part of our school and our community. So, we provide that and I appreciate
many of you participating in those events that we have our PFA. And of course, I saved this one for last because coming from the high school level and those things 12 years ago, I remember our first
uh Miss Van who was my assistant at the time, you know, I'm I didn't know anything about the elementary world. I didn't know anything about a dibble or phonics or any of that stuff and didn't act like I did. But when we went and they were like, you know, we have a PFA
meeting, I was like, okay, what is that? talking about intimidated. When we went, there was a a table from here to down there and it was full of people. Looked like Congress or something and they grilled us or whatever. And I felt I
survived it. I say that jokingly, but I knew that was a special group. And I am telling you, they are a cornerstone of our school. They do so much for our faculty, students, families in need and things of that
nature. They have a great board and they are very supportive. They do tremendous amounts of fundraising and things of that nature. So, I I wanted to end with them just because it's they are part of the PFA, but they
also are part of everything else that I discussed prior to this. And there are so many things that we could discuss tonight, but you know, we offer tremendous amount of choices for our students. Our enrollment each year is
above what's projected. Miss Stokes, it gets us so busy at times that she has to schedule tours. You know, we get calls from families so many different places and like, "Hey, we're looking to move in. We've researched
schools and things of that nature." And again, I'm just a very very small part of this. It is all of these teachers, these families, the support from each one of you that that helps. And I am truly thankful, truly thankful to be
where I'm at. I think God has allowed me to to be here and I just hope he continues to use me. And you know we have a saying that we are Patterson and we are we are Patterson and you know we put this banner this is a banner that's
up for all for the kids see this every day as well our parents and it says success is earned not given because I want that to always be their mindset not just at our school but as they go through life. So again, thank you for the opportunity to share this with you
tonight. And again, thank you for your continuous support. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. O'Brien. You guys do an excellent job over there. Uh at this time, this is the last call for comment cards.
And since there is no specific agenda item, we're going to move on to discussion items. First, we have a special action um human resource. A Can I get a motion to approve the
special action? >> I'll move approval. >> I've got a motion from Miss Gilhousen. Can I get a second? >> I'll second. >> I have a second from Miss Clark. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Survivo.
Sorry, we're waiting on the computer to catch up. Uh, next up we have special action B for human resources. Can I get a motion to approve? >> I have a motion from Miss Gilhousen. Can I get a second? >> I'll second.
>> I have a second from Miss Hansen. All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. 5. All right. Up next, we have the consent agenda. Please note the following proclamations. Proclamation number 26-12
to recognize Klay County Agricultural Fair as April 2nd through the 12th of 2026 fair day on April 10th, 2026. Proclamation 26 through13 or 13, sorry, to recognize school social
work week as March 2nd through the 6, 2026. Can I get a motion to adopt the consent agenda? I'll move approval. >> I have a motion for Miss Hansen. Can I get a second? >> I'll second. >> I have a second from Miss Clark. Any discussion?
>> All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 5. All right. Next up, we have presentations from the audience. Up first is Mr. Echenova.
Please be mindful of our rules. You have three minutes and make sure you state your name and address. Followed by Echenova will be Justine Galbreth. I don't butcher that too bad.
Echonova she her address on file. I am speaking on the recently amended appendix book guidelines community guidelines uh that was approved in the January workshop and on tonight's consent agenda for the minutes approval. I want to remind people that there is nothing inherently wrong with being
transgender and that there is no transgender ideology. And by allowing materials to be challenged under these community guidelines, we are normalizing the idea that trans people are inherently dangerous. And we must categorically refute this statement. It further perpetuates the calls for
genocide against trans people as the Lmin Institute has classified the US under high alert of um and we've seen especially in the past couple weeks in states like Kansas where they have revoked all trans people's uh life driver's licenses which means if they
enforce that rule we cannot even drive to the supermarket to get food. That is genocide. At the federal level, this is especially relevant to the book challenges. HR7661 was filed in the House in Congress and
that is national book ban enforcing Christian nationalism and western supremacy and its very last line specifically defines gender dysphoria as sexually oriented material. Being trans is not sexual and students of all ages should be able to be be able
to read about the realities of what it is to be trans just like they should be able to be able to read the realities of what it is be to have experiencing racism or gender disparities or economic imbalance um in indigenous history so
much more that affects everyone uh in our communities. I also want to comment on the fact that this was agreed upon at the workshop which is a meeting that is notably inaccessible to most people due to the time and as I understand doesn't even allow public comment only public
questions. Um I saw nothing that suggested that the appendix to the policy was going to be amended. Um decisions like these no matter how small should be done here at the regular meeting so that people can comment on it. Um, and then the last statement I would just want to say is continue to
support our unions and our teachers and all of our support people. Uh, they are what makes this county good and we need to make sure that they are being able to have a living uh lifestyle with their u work. Thank you. >> Justine is up next. Liz Crane, you're on
deck. >> Hi there. Justine Galbra. Address is on file. So, just two points to address tonight. Um, I did see that the chair did get to go to Tallahassee to support SP 1296. I will say that this bill is detrimental. Um, it's going to place a
lot of restrictions on public unions. Um, but what concerns me is that it doesn't place the same restrictions on the police department or the fire department when it comes to their unions. Um, so if they're not going to if they're going to be exempt from the same limitation, is it truly about
fairness? Is it truly about worker choice in the state? Um, and the rules should really just equally apply to everyone at the end of the day. Uh, obviously they don't. Um, singling out teachers and other public unions though while protecting those makes this appear kind of biased. Um, and it makes it look
targeted. And then the words that you added, your words of support kind of showed that you were okay with that. Um, okay with supporting what you view as the majority of your teachers rather than that reference size. You said the small minority. Uh, the small loud
minority. I think you said um I will say that even though a union may be small, they still, you know, deserve a voice. They still deserve the ability to organize and advocate collectively uh free from those biased limitations. Klay County cannot continue to afford to lose
good teachers and we will lose good teachers um because we just don't respect their voice. So, second, I just wanted to address the proposed changes to the school start times. Um, I'm in agreement that these should stay the way they are. Uh, I know that some of this
is in the announcement, but my son thought it was important that I come to relay this. He appreciates, and he's a high school student here in um, Orange Park High School. He appreciates going in earlier because it gives him more time in the afternoon to complete the significant amount of work that he gets.
And he's in the ACE program. So, when I say he's up for five or six hours after school, I really mean it. Um, my son also mentioned that waking up early helps prepare him for adulthood and learning responsibility. While I may not understand why he wakes up at 4:30 to do his hair, that's on him. It I mean,
that's his perspective. I'm I I appreciate it. But, you know, dismissal at 4 without a delay means that our children are getting home around 5:00 if you consider traffic on Blanding. Um, and that leaves very little time for that homework, for the activities, for the family responsibilities, for eating
dinner. Um, and in my neighborhood, we are just under the bus cuddle. So, what this means for children like mine, um, and children who are seven and eight, who I know in my neighborhood is that they may have to go to school at 7 o'clock in the morning when it's dark. And, and that's an issue. It's a safety
issue. Um, and it's a concern that we need to talk about, but I won't even talk about the suggestion of an option for 900,000 in operating costs when we couldn't afford to give our teachers another raise. So, that's that's not even an option. Um, I strongly encourage the board to just maintain the current
schedule uh and just carefully consider the real impacts that this could have to working families. Thank you, >> Miss Crane. And up next is Steven Vanway. >> Good evening, Liz Crane. You have my address on file. One day at school, I
happened to drink a lot of water. And finally, my planning period arrived and I dropped off my students and headed back to my building to take care of some business. When I reached my intended location, I noticed that the door was locked. I knocked. No answer. I knocked
again. No answer. The door was inadvertently closed and was now locked. My heart sank as well as my bladder. Quickly, I had a decision to make. It was an emergency. Do I race up to the office or call and ask for someone to come down and unlock the door? That day,
I ran up to the office. I didn't have time to wait for my principal to tell a custodian to open the door. What is the teacher contract? The contract is basically a book of rules. It says how we will conduct business with managerial rights and teacher rights. It also
includes compensation, benefits, legislative action and what CCDS and CCEA have agreed to make life better for the teacher and then therefore better for students. CCA and CCDS's goal has
always been to do what's best for for kids. We might disagree, but the goal is always to make sure the teacher is teaching, the principal is running the school, and that is what's best for kids. In the contract, there is some language
that might you might want to scratch your head about. For example, there is language that states, "Keys for bathroom access shall be made available to teachers upon request." Huh? Why is that language even there? Seems like a no-brainer. This language is there
because of one school, one principal refused to give a key to the bathroom for teachers. The only key that unlocked that door was a building key. So, if the door inadvertently shut, we would have to call for a custodian or a principal to bring a key, unlock the door so we
could use the bathroom. Crazy, right? Fix the lock, give keys. Nope. This particular principal dug in her heels, would not budge. You have a key to your classroom. You don't need a building key. The teacher had to ask for permission to use the bathroom. Wait for
someone to open the door. That seems incredulous, but this happened. How do I know? I worked at that school. That bathroom was right down the hall. Remember my story? If I had not gone running up to the front office, I and my
principal would have had another problem. She would need a teacher to cover my class. That's not best for kids. This is just one example where CCA advocated for teachers. The contract is full of other examples. I would love to
meet with you, go over that contract language, discuss how that language came to be. How do I know? I was there for a lot of it. >> Stephen, Sharon Walsh is following you. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of
the board. Uh, my name is Steven Vanway. My address is on the card. Um, I have a student at Doctor's Inlet Elementary. We live in the neighborhood of doctor's and lit reserve. I don't know if any of you board members
have ever gone down doctor's down sleepy hollow correction and seen that route. My house is exactly 1.83 miles from my door to the school property. Now, mind you, I understand the 2-m radius. The back of the
neighborhood, however, is 2.08 08 miles, meaning that the back of the neighborhood still qualifies for bus transportation. Now, if you see this route going down Sleepy Hollow, there's about to be new construction on four houses right at the entrance of the
neighborhood. Following that, you got wildlife, possums, coyotes. I I run this route all the time, so I'm pretty well verssed with it. Uh I apologize for not being more prepared. I would have bought brought
graphics and all kind of things showing youall all the different hazards, but I found out about this meeting late. Uh, as well as that after spring break, we are losing the bus route because the sidewalk has been fixed. Mind you, there's an animal shelter that is being
still under construction right there at the corner of Sleepy Hollow and County Road 220. Heavy equipment trucks are in and out of there all the time. Along with that, you have that bus station stop right there. A lot of
traffic in and out of there. So, that's already two spots that would definitely need a crossing guard for safety of children. I have a currently I have a third grader and I have a three-year-old at home. And I can imagine sending them on that route alone to head to school.
Mind you, the other businesses that are down County Road 220, including the Backpack Institute, uh, Eye Doctors, uh, Tree Surgeons Construction, and they drive, pardon me, but they drive
ridiculously going in and out of their gravel parking lot. And then lastly, there's McDonald's right there on the corner. Again, I said it previously, I'm an Abbott runner, and I run that route all the time. I've personally almost been hit multiple times by that
McDonald's. People don't look, they whip in and out because it's early in the morning. And I'm just going to tell you that in the safety of the kids, that it is not a good call to discontinue that route, especially when there's a bus
that comes into that neighborhood and is not going to pick up our children. Thank y'all for y'all's time. Sharon and Miss Bola, you are following Miss Sharon. >> Good evening. My name is Dr. Walsh. My address is on file. So, we moved to this
community in 2000 and we moved here specifically for Klay County District Schools. I stand before you tonight as a veteran who spent 24 of my 27 years of teaching right here in Klay County. But more importantly, I stand here as a mother. All three of our daughters are
proud graduates of Klay County Schools, and I am honored to say that one of them even followed my footsteps and teaches here now. She's actually been up here winning awards. We often celebrate our A rating, but we must be honest about what built it. Our
success is not an accident. It is a result of this contract. To the public, a contract is just a document. To those of us in the classroom, it is the blueprint for professional excellence. It ensures teachers have the protected lunch breaks needed to stay sharp and the dedicated
planning time required to analyze student data and create the rigorous lessons our students deserve. However, I am deeply concerned by recent efforts that undermine the very association that negotiates these standards. I was disheartened to hear a
member of this board testify before a Senate committee advocating for the elimination of unions including CCA by name. Let's be clear, you cannot separate the contract from CCA.
When you advocate against CCA, you are advocating against the mechanism that protects every teacher's classroom, not just members. We advocate for every single teacher. There's no place in here if it says members get this and non-members get
this. This book covers it all. And it is negotiated by CCA in collaboration with the Klay County District School Board. You are advocating against professional stability that kept me here for 24 years and a stability I want for my daughter's
entire career. Without a strong CCA to defend this contract, RA rating becomes a house of cards. A teacher's working conditions are a student's learning conditions. To teachers, this contract means that we aren't just cogs in the
machine. We are respective professionals with a voice. If you eliminate the voice of the educator, you inevitably reduce the quality of education. I urge this board to stop viewing CCA as an adversary and start seeing us as the
essential partner that we have been for decades. If you want Klay County to remain a destination for families like mine and a place where the next generation of teachers want to work, you must keep this contract strong.
And that starts with respecting the association that makes it possible. Thank you for your time tonight, >> Miss Bolan. And then Dr. Chandra Halsley. >> You're on deck. >> Good evening. My name is Mary Bolan. My
address is protected. I'm here this evening to say thank you to a number of folks. First, I was here in the TTC earlier today to witness a collaboration between Fleming Island Senior High students and the Eaglets of the preschool. After reading The Very Hungry
Caterpillar, Amy Grim's preschool students drew a picture of a caterpillar. After meeting with Jason Merritt's AP English students, the English students worked in groups to write an individual book for each of the caterpillars and
their journey to become a butterfly. This picture was also shared with Julie Brennan's art students who created beautiful butterflies based on the students stories. Today was the culmination of that endeavor when all of the students, young and old, shared each
other's creations. This is the third year of this collaboration, and I want to give a shout out to these teachers, Miss Grim, Mr. Merritt, and Miss Brennan, for their creativity and enthusiasm. You have created lifelong memories for
each of these students. Frankly, thank you to all of the teachers and support staff in our district. It will be spring break soon and I know that these next couple of weeks will be challenging. You are all doing a great job and I know you
don't hear us say thank you enough. But my main reason for attending tonight's meeting is to say a heartfelt thank you to a friend who has worked in the district for the past 24 years. Tonight is her last school board meeting.
Sorry. and as the executive secretary to the superintendent and school board. Next to the superintendent, she was the person with whom I, as a school board member, worked most closely. Bonnie Anor was hired by Superintendent
Addison Davis when another stronghold, Karen Bush, retired. We were fortunate to have Bonnie accept the position. She seamlessly transitioned into a demanding, challenging job which required long
days, knowledge of all things and answers to sometimes crazy requests. Bonnie worked with s two superintendent who were very different and if my count
is correct 10 very very different school board members. Most importantly, Bonnie did this with no fanfare, no need for recognition,
but but with an unquestionable grace. When faced with adversity on the board or from members of the community, her mantra was always, "I want to do whatever I'm able to help the school district be the best it can be." And
Bonnie, in the past 24 years, you have done just that. You have made a lasting positive impact on our district. And for that, we are incredibly thankful. Congratulations to you on your retirement. Wayne and I are wishing you
all the best. >> Miss Chandra and Miss Chappelle, you're you're on deck. >> Good evening, Chairwoman Skipper and the school board. I'm Shondaanda, Dr.
Shondaanda Nicole Hosley. My address is on file. I'm here to talk about something that was mentioned during the February 24th school board workshop. But before I mention that, I want to say I really like the new directional signs at Fleming Island. Those are really nice
and aesthetically pleasing. Um during that meeting, Mr. Abero asked whether the district would consider whether the school board would consider reinstating school bus service for elementary age children who are required
to walk up to the two-mile um uh distance for safety reason. And there was some discussion. I heard Chairwoman Skipper talk state that small children should not be allowed to walk alone. And then the discussion shifted to traffic
and sidewalks in Oakleaf. And while there was discussion about these things and a six-year-old not walking alone and other interesting items, Mr. Albero's question was not directly addressed. I listened to the full workshop and I
heard discussion then about requesting a waiver related to school starts start times which is also governed by state law. However, there did not appear to be similar consideration giving to exploring options for waiverss related
to the school bus distance policy. And as I continue to learn more about the responsibilities of elected officials, I really appreciate how thoughtful and measured that you have to be to make decisions. But I am struggling to understand why it's
acceptable to consider seeking a waiver to delay changes in the school start times, which is also state law, but not to explore options um to roll back the mal bus mal pickup policy when earlier this year and actually this evening too
some parents are appealing to you about that policy. I personally am not impacted. I work from home. I have the ability to transport my child if needed. However, many families may not have that flexibility. Some parents may have to
work. Some may not have reliable transportation. So, um, like with the time ch change issue, I respectfully encourage you to collect data on which families are impacted by the current bus distance rules. So, those decisions can be made
on objective information from the families that are impacted. And the issue is not only about sidewalks or traffic, but it's also about weather. Is it reasonable for a six-year-old to walk in 30°ree weather or 100 degree weather,
even if it is with a parent? And everyone does not have the same means. So, if we're truly committed to equity, I think we should advocate for all children, not just those with the flexibility or resources to adapt to
such changes. Thank you. Miss Chappelle. >> Good evening. My name is Judith Chappelle and my address is on file. Yesterday, Fleming High School High School was placed on lockdown. Today, a senior high school student at Ridge View
was arrested because a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol was find found in their vehicle. Situations like these disrupt the learning and causes fear among students and staff and remind us all too clearly of the safety challenges
of our school that our schools face. Incidents like these are not isolated. They highlight the ongoing need for a strong and effective measures to maintain safe and orderly environment where every child can focus on learning
without distractions or danger. In light of these recent events, I am again respectfully asking the board to revisit and strengthen our district's disciplinary policies outlined in our student and family handbook code of
conduct. While I appreciate the restorative justice practices tiered approach already in place, we must ensure that consequences are swift, consistent, and sufficient to deter serious disruptions and threats. Our
policy should empower administration and teachers to address misconduct decisively while still supporting positive behavior changes. A thorough review could incorporate feedback from principles, teachers, parents, and even
students to identify gaps and and particularly handling repeated and escalated behaviors that might contribute to situations requiring lockdowns like the ones we experience here where my granddaughter goes to school. Beyond discipline, I believe
that we can build a safer, more supportive schools by deepening community involvement. I often hear praise about positive environment at Orange Park Elementary where parents family participation play a big role.
I would encourage the school, the district to consider looking into incorporating more community involvement. I think Miss Hansen at one time was working on a project such as this. Many successful schools nationwide
thrive where parents and community members actively are involved with teachers monitoring hallways, buses, tutoring students, and supportive extracurricular activities. I know that there's volunteerism that goes on, but
not to the level that I think that we could actually get more of our community involved. I would urge the board to explore launching a targeted campaign where by through school newsletters, social media, websites, community
events, retirement homes, places where we can actually get the community involved. Our children deserve a school, schools where they feel safe and supported. Thank you. Thank you.
>> All right, up next, CCA update, Miss Vicky Goodwell. Good evening. Been a very busy week. Um, thank you for this time to share Klay County teacher concerns. Like all Americans, our
teachers just want to earn a living wage that keeps up with inflation. have the ability to buy a home, the resources to provide for their families, medical needs, and the power to advocate for better working conditions. Teachers are professionals. They deserve to have
their voices heard. The mission of CCA is to empower educators to achieve all of these goals. Our CCA contract has evolved over 50 years. Klay County educators want their contractual rights
even if they cannot afford to pay dues or choose not to. Every contractual right CCA has gained for educators was a response to educator concerns over working conditions, hours, safety, planning, and compensation.
The struggle of workers to gain rights and benefits in their workplace might be a forgotten part of history, but it is unions that have helped level the playing field between workers and management. Today, Senate Bill 1296 was heard again in the Senate. This bill is blatantly
anti-worker. It will make it harder to earn a living wage, make it harder to afford health care, make it harder to advocate for a safe working environment, and make it harder to recruit and retain qualified educators. It'll do all of
this because it's easier to strip workers of their contractual rights and to end their collective voice and their ability to bargain. It was designed to silence workers in their workplace. And I am very disheartened to hear that a
school board member from Clay actually traveled to Tallahassee and publicly lobbyed for a bill that will hurt our employees and strip them of their rights. Why would you do that? Why will this How will this help Klay County District Schools? How will it help our
employees or our students? In America, elections are decided by a majority of votes. That's how democracy works. Those who participate decide. Senate Bill 1296 mandates voter participation, a threshold of 50% to avoid
descertification and the loss of your contract. Yet, the schoolboard member advocating for this bill won her schoolboard election with 13% voter participation. A standard of representation that applies only to worker unions is not about fairness. It
is not about democracy. It is about silencing collective voices. We have worked hard to work to build this contract. Ask who fought for it, who secured it. It was your educators working together. People want their
contract. I urge you, please work collaboratively with us and stop being adversarial. We want the same things. Thank you, >> Mr. Lonnie. Take it away, Superintendent Broski.
Okay, before we begin, Kelly's getting the um the um clicker for me. Uh couldn't agree more with the comments on student discipline. So, just to just to kind of cover that quickly. A student that would have a weapon would be the maximum is 10 days out of school
suspension. Recommendation for expulsion and potential arrest by the Klay County Sheriff's Office. And that is the standard. uh community engagement. Couldn't agree more. You know, the more parents are involved, the better the better off uh we are uh and work towards
that. Um the parent, and I hope I don't mispronounce your name, Mr. Vanway, if I said that correctly. There's two things that you can do if you believe that it's hazardous for your child to walk. There's what's called a hazardous walking condition inspection.
Okay. Okay. The other option is a courtesy wrership which which would be a thing. Okay. Okay. Those were the two two options there. I'd be glad to talk to you after the meeting and see what else we can do
related to that. So, just a quick update. What a great uh what a great day. Uh not only celebrating Bonnie's Bonnie's last day, but the students from Patterson and all of that. I always think like the beginning of the meeting it starts off with how meetings should go. Then it gets the superintendent's
update and it's like, okay, the air has been let out of the building. I don't know if it's just me. I got this complex. I get to this point and everybody's laughing. It's like, okay, who's really paying attention out there? But I'll give it my best shot anyway. Uh because that's what I do. Uh we have schools of the month, the super students
of the month, the February recap school start times. I'll talk a little bit about that. Uh the prepaid scholarship and the upcoming uh events. So, schools of the month, we had Monontlair and Swimming Pen Creek. Congratulations to them. Families First was the theme. Want to thank Community
First for their partnership with the school district. They're they're true partners who recognize our schools and our families. Next month is Arts and Action. Okay. The deadline's March 22nd. So, if you want to vote for your school, please do so. They would love that.
Super students, one of the best things I get to do. Uh here's our first super student, Carson. Garson's a fifth grader out at uh OBV when I went there too. He's he's a big young man. The thing I love about elementary schools, we go down to the classroom and recognize them
in front of their peers. You know, I haven't been in a classroom yet where when the student is recognized, the other students didn't cheer on that student. Not a single one ever in six years. So, I'm I'm very proud of that fact and and he's a great young man.
Then we have uh Bailey and Maggie. Baileyy's from Oakleaf Jr., Maggie from um Clay High School. Two more great students out there. There are so many great students doing a great job. Sometimes we forget that when one student makes a mistake, that student's
in the in the extreme minority in comparison to the great students that are out there doing good work every day. We had a state of the school address. We had about 200 200 community members there. It was a great event. talking about the school system and it always does my heart good seeing so many people
supporting public education. One of the things that I did do a little different at this one was kind of explain the financial system for our district and and where we are related to that. Um I you know we're talking about u
mentioning comp competitive pay for our teachers and how important that is. Let me assure you, all five of these board members have voiced their their uh support of competitive pay for teachers and and for all of our employees really.
I mean, it's a it's a thing. We recognize it as a thing and we need to continue to work hard. I always say it's really simple but hard to do. Two things you got to do. You got to decrease expenses and you got to raise revenue. It sounds so simple but both of those are really challenging uh to do. And so
I appreciate everyone's support. State of schools. Eric Armstead was uh Jacksonville Jaguar was at Lakeside Elementary for tackle reading. Let me tell you, he's sitting down in that picture. That is a big dude. I I had a picture with him. I go up to
like maybe midchest. Uh he's he must be like 6'8 or so. He's he's he's a huge mountain of a man. But let me tell you, he did uh he did wonderful in his interactions with the kids. I was really impressed cuz sometimes people don't
know how to act around little kids and he was just super uh supportive of them and said the right thing to kids. It was a great great event. So congratulations. Elementary track meet we had those those two days. That's a great great event. I
heard Mr. O'Brien say it but I'll say it a little differently. Kids have to be connected to school beyond the academics of school. Do one thing other than English, math, science, and social studies. Be in our ROC, be in band, be in chorus, whatever it is that
you athletics, whatever, whatever it is you like because I can remember going back to my high school days. I I don't remember any of the learning piece at all, but I do remember the events that I went to, the friends that I had, the
activities we participated in. That's a very important part. It's not measured on a test, but it is measured in life, right? So, very very important and we do a good job there. school start times. Let's let's uh so in school start times,
there was a law that was passed several years ago that said by next year, you had to change a school start time to allow um uh for a later start time for high school. Well, over time before that law could be implemented, our very own
Senator Bradley said, "Well, you know, that doesn't make sense because sometimes it's going to cost districts a lot more money and they can't have they don't have the bus drivers to support the additional routes. So, it really doesn't make sense. So, each district should decide. So, districts in order to
decide, there's a state law that says you have to apply for a waiver. In order to apply for a waiver, you have to ask people what what do they want? Right? So, so part of the process to apply for a waiver is to ask our our parents, what
do you think related to it? So, we tried to lay that out and then put the survey out. We're up to about 17,000 responses. So, it's probably might even be the most responded to survey ever in the history of Klay County Schools. And people like
went for it right away. I don't want to spoil it because we're revealing the results and having a discussion at the 24th workshop related to it, but about uh 82% were to keep the option A at this point. Roundabout. Okay, don't quote me
on the exact number. So all those in fear of uh school start times are going to change radically. It certainly doesn't appear that way. Of course, that's the decision of the board, but but it's like 82%. It's overwhelming that people feel that that way. a lot of the same reasons that many of you that
talk said, "Hey, we don't want little kids being out early at bus stops that that could be a safety hazard that early in the morning kind of thing." The the high school students wanting to work. I think I heard a speaker talk about that
after work. So, uh after work, after school. So, just wanted to kind of give you a little bit of a Go ahead. Yes. >> I just have a question. How long does this just because parents were asking how long does this waiver last? So when
we do this, will this LA do we have to do this every year or is it every few years or one time? >> I think it's a one time. >> Okay. >> One time waiver. >> Clear that up for the public. >> Of course, I think it's good practice to take a look. If there was a reason to make a change and it made made sense, we
would certainly consider that. But we looked at it in in our system of transportation. You know, there's about an hour in between routes. So, you have elementary, junior high, and uh and high school with about an hour in between.
So, it's a matter of which one goes first, which one goes second, which one goes third is really the the bottom line to it. And having in order to be in compliance with the law, then you would have to put elementary first. And then the problem of elementary students being
out at the bus stop early, it just it doesn't seem to fit our district. It's okay if some other district has a different configuration. You know, let them vote on what what they would like. So So, uh, that's kind of where we're at. So, I just wanted to dispel that because I know as soon as it went out,
there was a little bit of a buzz related to it. So, that's what's happening there. our prepaid scholarships. I'm very proud that I give out a couple of of two-year scholarships uh for parents. The the deadline is March 6. So, please go and and turn in your essay. It's a
great joy to do this and make the difference in in a family's life. In addition, kind of encourage you if you have children and you never looked into Florida Prepaid, it inflationproofs college education. In other words, um you can pay today's rates now because I
don't I don't foresee college the cost of college going up uh going down later. It's always going to go up. So you can reduce that by starting that process now and lock it in at the rate that uh it currently is. So upcoming um events
March 26th we have a safety in the digital world. I tell you, you know, as the world progresses and those of us that are adults know that sometimes uh younger folks know more about technology than we know. And so that's a little bit intimidating. So this program is
designed through our safety and security uh department has set this program up. I believe it's right here in in this room. And you can kind of see the types of activities that'll be going on there. cyber bullying and threats as well as dangerous apps that are out there
because sometimes kids, believe it or not, sometimes don't tell the truth and they'll tell their parents that it's this when it that's really not what's going on there. So, I think as parents becoming educated uh is part of the whole game. So, that's March 26th right
here 6:30 to 8:30. I appreciate safety and security putting this on. Uh on the horizon, you can see all the special events that are coming up. One of the events that didn't make the calendar is March 17th. March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. That's
a great It's a great holiday. So, just wanted to point that out. Remember, students come back from spring break on the 24th because the planning day on the 23rd. Uh, and you can see that right there on that. So, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you.
>> School board attorney remarks. >> No, ma'am. All right. School board remarks. Any volunteers on who wants to go first? Let you pick tonight. Any mini mo? Miss Hansen,
I feel like I'm going to be a little long- winded. I apologize. So, I wanted to talk a minute about the student code of conduct. I've been really, really encouraged. Um, as a superintendent knows, the items I've brought to workshops deal with parts of
the student code of conduct. I personally believe that it is time to take a reook at our student code of conduct. I think some of that's been in there as long as I when I started teaching back 2003.
But the good news is um the superintendent agrees that a good place to start would be to divide our student code of conduct age appropriately. So what I mean by that is elementary is a whole different
ball of wax than secondary. And so we talked about making that clear divide and then looking at that student code of conduct uh right before the meeting. I spoke with Mr. Broski about and usually I think about this during our expulsion
hearings. How can we make it easier for people to understand the language in the student code of conduct? How can we make it written so that the audience has full understanding of the aspects of the student code of conduct? Maybe as we've talked about having a one
page on the um synergy when parents log in to uh parent focus the first time, maybe there's a page there with the most important things they need to know about the student code of conduct where they could sign off on it like they do other
forms. So, I wanted to let people know that my mind is a bullseye on the student code of conduct, but basically because I was a teacher for nearly 20 years, I readily admit that my struggles
in the classroom usually never was academics, usually was beyond my control type of disruptions, um interruptions, sometimes the lack of discipline. for the students, especially students who
had been doing it year after year if I taught them two years in a row. So from a teacher perspective, if you have great classroom management, you're managing, but it doesn't mean you're excelling in what we've been hired to do, which is
teaching. So ultimately for me, you look at the student code of conduct to actually help teachers be more focused and be better teachers by eliminating some of the stressors that occur in class. And I think that happens when we
start to look at the student code of conduct at two different levels. because I taught elementary for a few years, mostly secondary, and I can tell you it's two extreme environments when you're I mean, in in high school, little kids aren't crying when their parents
drop them off, right? I mean, we have a whole different culture when it goes elementary and secondary. And I'm encouraged. I wanted to talk about grading policies, homework policies, and the superintendent agreed to sit down with me. He thought some of my ideas
were good. And so just because it's not like being screamed at the top of my lungs or the board's lungs, don't think for one minute that we're not aware that maybe some changes are needed. And so it's a long process. Um there's a lot of
new research out especially about digital digital delusion is an excellent book if you haven't read it. Um so there's there's a process. The second thing I wanted to talk about when I listen to the comments tonight
is kind of um disingenuous. I hear how we're being adversarial. How we would be lacking stability for teachers. Now, I'm going to take the politics out of it because quite
honestly, I don't go to Tallahassee. We have to change our policies and procedures all the time. We get updates from Neiola sometimes that are 30 pages thick because legislators have ideas, right? Let us legislators have ideas who are
mostly unfunded for us, but they have a lot of ideas. I cannot wrap myself around somebody sitting in a different place coming up with ideas. What I can wrap my head around is what I see happening because
of those ideas in Klay County. When I hear people say that the board quit being adversaries, you know what comes to mind for me? A year's worth of being screamed at that we don't like teachers.
a year's worth of hearing. Negative, negative, negative. Let me give you an example. I do go and I read through the comments and have an open heart to listen to teachers who are on the union web page. I'm just going to give you an example. I don't think I could hold a
conversation with a union teacher if I don't wrap my head around both sides, where our feelings are, where we come from. We do come from a place of commonality. How we get there is very different. So, I'm going to give you an example. When I
go to a web page that has a video that ends up with putting the contract in a fire that says things like without your contract, this is exactly what you will lose without your contract. 7.5 hour work
days. Mr. Superintendent Board, if we don't have a contract because somebody in Tallahassee says we don't have a contract, are we going to turn into work camps where we're going to make teachers who we can't even find enough teachers work more than 7.5
hours? No, I didn't think so. According to the video I watched, we're going to lose virtual planning days, duty-free lunches, and I was around for 20 years when we had to work during
lunches. So, I get it. All right. Teacher directed planning. We're going to lose paid supplements. I'm here to tell you there's not a single person sitting on this board that is even going to tolerate this kind of negativity
and adversarial comments. This board since I have been on it talks more about teachers than I heard boards in the past talk about teachers. Enclosed rooms were screaming for teachers trying to find money for teachers. Our
proposition to get the 1% mill to help pay for teacher salaries is on the board. To say that this board and this district is adversarial to teachers is not only disingenuous, it's
disheartening and discouraging. And I'll tell you why. It's all three of those things. Because there are people that actually believe that we're going to take away their lunches, which is a state law, by the way. you have to have a lunch if it works so many hours. You have, you know, these are there state
laws that govern these kind of things. But this board, this superintendent in this district would never do what this video said. I don't understand why we have to sit and blame
this board when the fear-mongering comes from somewhere else. A group of people that have a passion for teachers like I've never seen. And if you go to their web page, it is encouraging for teachers. It is always supporting
teachers, recognizing teachers. And then we have to pit each other against each other. That is not an operating space that I work well in. My family's teachers. My daughter's a teacher. I was 20 years a teacher.
So if we want to start in a good place, that good place comes from working together. And that's what the board has been trying to do. Whether you believe us or not, that's going to have to be on you. But the facts have been laid out for the
last three years about how many raises, which I have a copy right here. I took from the contract on our agenda. And I went over it with Miss Troutman to make sure I was clear about the raises that were given over the last three years and about the lack
of funding particularly from the loss of students and from Tallahassee that created this past year being very very difficult. I assure you as I would lay my life on the line that this board is not going to
do these things to teachers and I'm going to implore you to work together with the board especially through this 1% mill because it can be the lifeline we're all looking for.
Thank you madam chair. M cl >> I have nothing this evening. >> Mr. Alvao, >> good evening ladies and gentlemen. I want to address um Miss Holy and the
gentlemen that was talking about transportation. When I ran for a school board, I made a promise to advocate for the best interests of our students. I believe deeply in creating an environment where every child can thrive
and know that and know and have the opportunity to have safe transportation and that is a crucial part. Recently we face significant challenges when the state mandated budget cuts the affected essential services including
transportation. I clearly express my disagreement with this cut. But because of the economic situation, unfortunately, we had no choice but to move forward with this difficult
decision. Despite this setback, I have always intended to revisit this issue of transportation was once we stabilize our budget. Since then, I have received many complaints from concerned parents
like this gentleman right here of 8, nine year old little girls walking to school and not feeling safe in a daily basis. And not feeling safe for a children of
the young age to me is not an option. This is not just a logistical issue. It's a matter of their safety and well-being. As a board member, it's our responsibility to ensure that our children feel secure on their way to
school. I am committed to finding a solution to restore transportation to our elementary age students and I urge my fellow board members to reconsider this issue seriously. Let's come together to brainstorm a solution to
give parents like these gentlemen safe transportation for their children. Our children deserve the best deserve the best we can offer and they are counting on us to advocate for their safety.
Many families move to Klay County because of transportation. I was one of those families and because of the budget cut in Tallahassee, we had to cut transportation. Put a lot of those families that move here for those reasons. So, I'm just saying that we
should do our best to reinstate it back at least to elementary age students. Thank you, >> Mr. Rosski. I wanted to ask too uh because I heard one of the speakers before Miss Gilhausen goes, I apologize. did um
one of the parents had asked if we had looked at some of the families that were most vulnerable and I know we talked about that last workshop but can you elaborate on that just so >> well there's a couple things I'd point out you know we looked at and did an analysis of how many students were were
impacted and how many routes that would take and when we did that uh it would be 14 additional routes and the challenge really is even more so than the funding I would argue you is the bus drivers having enough bus drivers themselves to
make that happen. So when you look at it um the the challenge would be without more bus drivers you're actually providing less service to everybody else that is within the statutory two miles.
You know across the state across the state the statute is two miles. the district moved from 1.5 to two to be in compliance with the statute, which is the way it is um everywhere else. Um and so when you do that, you do the analysis
there, the part of that that I would try to emphasize is it's more about having enough people to actually operate the route. So when you you're talking about doublebacks and you're talking about doubling up uh those two things, you
would have to increase those by 14 times in order to make that work and you just don't have the staff to do that. So that's one of the complications for that. And and the the two processes that I point out are the same process
processes that I pointed out to the gentleman. On occasion, there are times where there are hazardous walking conditions coming to school. There's actually a statute on hazardous walking conditions. There's an actual uh form, actually the form is on the website. You can see the form uh that's used to
evaluate it. So, the state and um lawmakers, they they basically have said, "Okay, here are the conditions by which there's an unsafe walking condition." And people go out, they look at it, they do a visual inspection, and then there's a series of things that
they have to look at to make that determination. If there's there are students I I'd have to look up the number. I wasn't prepared for that. There are students that get transported because where they live, it's a hazardous walking condition to go to school. So, there's an evaluation under
the statute. If you qualify for that, then transportation's provided regardless of how far you are from the school. That's not a distance issue, right? So then the other option that that comes into play is situations of
common sense. Let's say there's a bus that goes into a neighborhood and there's available seats available on on that particular bus. There's a process called a courtesy rider, which means a person that is not doesn't meet the
qualifications of the statute in order to be on the bus for transportation, but it kind of makes sense to do that. So, I I kind of would implore anybody that's listening that says, "One, I think it's unsafe for my child to walk to school the way they walk." I would I would encourage them to fill out the hazardous
walking condition because the people that do this go out and do literally do hundreds of these and based on the conditions, every condition is different depending on where you live, what street you live on, etc. They make that determination and then transportation is
provided if it is hazardous. Okay. Then the second part of that is the courtesy rider piece. So it's kind of a long-winded answer, but multiffold. It has to do with the number of bus drivers more than anything. I would just want to emphasize that. That's the that's really the thing. In fact, I would make this
statement. If you had enough bus drivers, you wouldn't even be talking about transportation. There would be no double backs. There would be nobody with with an issue. You would have plenty of people to do it. The issue is really the people is really the issue for that. I don't know if I answered the question,
but I tried. >> Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that those who came to speak understood that I know in the very first few months, myself, Miss Hansen, and even Miss Clark were very active in this. I felt like I I don't want to say lived at
transportation because there's more more people that live there multiple hours. Um, but went and saw all the things that were going on and uh the many especially Miss Hansen's district. I feel like she she really had the hazardous areas and
and we made sure that um those students were taken care of amongst others um who who had these issues. I I personally was driving down the road and and saw an individual student and the mama bear came out and me and I jumped out of the
car and I'm like who said this was a safe route? And come to find out, we found out there was also a glitch in our system where it was in instead of a um a direct path, it was as far as a crow flies, if you will. So, um that was
fixed. There was multiple steps that have been taken to make sure that our kids are safe and that um any of those families who were having challenges were evaluated and assessed. So, um I don't want you to think that none of us are or
any of us are ignoring that. Um aligning with state statute was was a tough decision for us, but there was a lot of key key reasons as to why we did what we did. But Miss Hansen would like >> Yeah, I just wanted to say the it was
very very hard for me in my district. I live down 218 where we have all dirt roads. I'm not sure where everybody here lives, but when I say all dirt roads, I mean like when there's a hurricane, the kids out my way, when I taught out that way and now I live out that way, might have missed school for another eight
days because the streets were either gone or flooded. These are kids that are walking down 218 without a sidewalk with logging trucks. These are kids walking down dirt roads with big ditches, no stop signs, cars going as fast as they want. I had a lot of concern. But
through that time period, the district worked with me, with Miss Skipper, with any of the schoolboard members and they really, really did a good job trying to help the people get these hazardous duty paper filled out. If we pick one kid up
that was hazardous, the other kids came. So, you have to understand that. I I do now understand fully as a board member, you have to make fiscally responsible decisions, but it doesn't matter if your heart's into something
and you still have to make a decision. You can't make everybody happy. But what we can do within that is like what we did with the 1.5 miles the best we could getting the most kids we possibly could on a bus to keep them
safe. Reworking routes. We were working the way that we looked at how far a house was cuz there's no way you can just cut through out where I live. You know, it's one dirt road. You go down another half mile might be one dirt road. There's no way to get like to a school,
never mind sidewalks. So, I'm really proud of how we handled it and I I hope you can speak with Mr. Oski because the district was willing to do a lot of work and I have to tell you it left my heart at a little bit easier when I found out
how many families we were able to help with the two ways that Mr. Broski said. So if you know someone really still struggling, have them contact the district or on the website. >> Miss Gilhausen, >> I just I'll be brief. I just want to
echo what Miss Bola said um about Miss Anora and just how grateful I am to have had her um in that chair for especially my first year being a chair. Just she's irreplaceable. Um just so grateful for
the help that she's been to us as board members. Um these seats are not always the most comfortable and Miss Onora does her absolute best to make sure we have what we need to have a successful meeting. Um, and she's just always been
that um, constant source of wisdom and encouragement when it's most needed. And I deeply appreciate the human that you are. And I'm I'm going to miss you. Miss Gilhousen always has a way with words and says them so elegantly and
well, so I'm not going to butcher that and I'm going to ditto that. We don't ever have to think twice about anything. It's always here. It's always done. It's always um it's it's always prepared and um we thank you for that. You make it
easier to to do what we do. So, thank you for being a listening ear, a venting ear, emotional support and encouraging too. We um I greatly appreciate you and you will be well missed
>> and we look forward to uh working with Miss Misty. So, this will be >> Yes, absolutely. And I I don't want to interrupt, but I do want to say one of the things that most impresses me about Miss Anora is her integrity. >> And I can tell you in all the years that I've worked with her, I have never heard
her say one bad thing about a single person. Um she treats everybody with such kindness and respect and um we should all aspire to be just like her. That's what I tell my little girls every day. Be nice and kind. Nice and kind.
Find a new friend. Be nice and kind. Um, I'll be brief as well. Um, um, oh, you already said this, Mr. Broski, so I'm glad the start times. I've had so many people reach out about the start
times and understanding the process of everything. So, um, thank you for addressing that as well. Uh this week we launched our new um K-9 program and I'm super excited about it. I'm I
I'm excited. So I want to want to speak about it and Mr. Boyak and CCSO and all of our partners. Um it was successful. It was a good good positive campaign. We had um a lot of learning and and it was
just fun to see things fall in place and um something I've advocated for for the time that I've been on the board. So, I was excited to see it roll out and be so successful as it rolled out. And I um I'm excited to see the future of it and
what um the positives that's going to come out of it and keeping our schools schools safe. Um, so thank you for that and thank you for the professionalism that um the partnership brings and Mr. Boyak. He does a great job in his department.
So um that was fun um to see and and exciting to see I should say. Uh spring break's next week. No, the week after it starts next week. See, I'm already counting down in my head. Um enjoy your spring break. Let it be a
safe one. And um we'll see all of you back here um next month. Have a good one. This meeting is adjourned.