and tobacco. And so without further ado, I'd love to highlight our incredible schools that went above and beyond. Love to highlight our incredible schools that went above and beyond. And so first we have Thunderbolt Elementary raising over $22,000 for the American Heart
Association. If you'll come on up. Thank you guys. So, take your picture and then while we're taking their picture, I'll call up Orange Park Elementary who raised over $21,000 for the American Heart Association. just hop in there with them. I'm just
kidding. And then while he's getting his picture, I'll call up Lake Asbury Elementary who raised over $7,000 for the American Heart Association. So, and then I'm super excited to announce that we had incredible participation
this year going forward. We're looking at all elementary schools participating. And I wanted to highlight a Green Cove Springs Junior High as a school who participated with us in the middle schools. I'm looking forward to furthering our mission in the middle and high schools as well. They raised over
$800 for the American Heart Association. I'm okay. Oh, it's okay. It's you guys. It's you guys. But a round of applause. A phenomenal job to all of Klay County. I'm lucky to work with all of you guys. Thank you so much for your support in this program. I
really appreciate it. All right. Next up is the recognition of Florida Department of Education's designated schools of excellent with excellence with uh Mr. BR Superintendent Broski. Sorry. Okay. Each year the the Florida
Department of Education um gives an award for schools called a school of excellence. You may say what is a school of excellence, right? A school of excellence is a score is a score of the 80th percentile for these schools. So these are schools that have consistently
done an awesome job when it comes to student achievement. A lot to be proud of. Makes them one of the top schools in the state. So without further ado, first we have Fleming Island Elementary. I'll do a I'll do an impromptu what I think about when I think of each school.
How's that? So Fleming Island Elementary, a fantastic parent involvement program at Fleming Island Elementary. It's a great place for students to go to school. I don't know if you guys have ever been there, but it's it's fantastic. Valerie crew do a fantastic job. So, thank you.
Next, we have Oakleaf High School. Come on. Oakleaf High School is bigger than most cities in the state of in the in the state of Florida. Justin Fluent, outstanding principal, does a fantastic job. high school principal is like a
mayor of a small city with a lot of things going on. To be a mayor, you got to be everything to everybody and he does that. He's got great people that work there. Oakleaf is a great place for kids to go to school. Thank you, Justin. Next, we have Fleming Island High
School. Tommy Pitman, one of the most recognizable people in in our county for sure. How long have you been here, Tommy? Fleming Island. 14 years here at Fleming. He is Mr. Fleming Island High School. It's a great
great place for students to go to school. Lakeside Junior High, come on down. Okay, my very first job, little trivia, my very first job, Lakeside Junior High. I was a teacher there for 10 years. It's
a fantastic place. Thank you, Justin. Thunderbolt Elementary, come on down. One of the many great schools in that area. Next we have Orange Park Elementary. If you've ever seen the traffic pattern at Orange Park Elementary for dismissal
and going it's it's a work of art, right? If you've ever been down where the school is located, does a fantastic job there. Thank you. Patterson Elementary School. Mr. Mr. O'Brien couldn't be with us. You Mr. O'Brien's also a teacher. He teaches
college at night. I don't think people recognize that. Patterson, one of the top performing school schools in the entire district, entire state for that matter. Lake Asbury Elementary School of Excellence.
Miss Meadows does a great job there. So, you know, how many people realize there's a lot of construction that area and there's a lot of homes going in over there. So, kind of managing all of that. Fantastic job. Thank you. Next, we have Shadow Lawn Elementary.
While they're making their way up, let me just say the culture at Shadow Lawn Elementary is is fantastic. You you know that I I just love my wife Sue. When she has the option of what school to go to for like the first day of school, she
always goes where shadow wall. The environment there is fantastic for for kids and for families. Thank you. Last, but certainly not not least, Discovery Oaks Elementary. Again,
Jim Harold's principal. Uh, Jim, do you mind if I share your story with everybody? Jim Jim's a former superintendent from Ohio that came down here became a teacher first then AP dean
then AP then principal. So you know when you come to when you come to Clay you got to earn your stripes like a tiger for sure. So congratulations Jim. All right, up next we have our school showcase, Dr. Zinlet Elementary with
Principal Carolyn Ays. All right. Good evening everyone. Thank you members of the board, Superintendent Broski, and all of our staff and families that came out to support us this evening. I want you to take a minute and think back to your first day of school. Your new backpack, the
clothes that you wear, and all of that nervous excitement. Elementary school is our foundation of learning. It builds skills to carry us through life. We're going to take it back a little bit. That doctor's inlet is rooted in tradition.
It's come a long way since that picture of a one room schoolhouse that you see, but some things never change. It's a generational school where families come to thrive. And fun fact, we have one of the first post offices in Klay County
located on our campus. Not only are we an a school, but we have a commitment to academic achievement and growth, and we're also a title one school. This means that we're
committed to serving our most vulnerable populations, ensuring every single child, regardless of their background, has access to a high quality education. This year, in fact, we've introduced a new partnership with the University of
North Florida, and this collaboration directly benefits our students, helping to shape the students and the lives of our future educators on our campus. We also have students from Ridgeu High School's transition
program, the Bears. This program's help teaches them life skills for students who are 18 to 22 years old. Our success is not an accident. It's the result of an approach that combines academic rigor, social supports, and innovative
partnerships through our community. None of this would be possible without our staff. They're not simply employees. They are our heart and soul of the school as you can see tonight and we couldn't do it without them. In fact,
several of our staff and district office members are former Mustangs themselves, including our own assistant principal, Mr. Boyce. But don't just take it from me. We ask them why doctors and lyn. This is what
they say. I love looking at doctors and lyn because I truly feel supported. It's a place where you feel valued, encouraged, and inspired to give your best every single day. As a whole, Drs. Inlet operates with a student first
mindset. All the support receive as educators is rooted in our students getting the best possible education. From administrative, from administration to assistants, custodians, and SRO's, everyone works together toward that same
goal. We are truly one big family, united for a purpose. Now, here's a little bit of more about us. Our goal is to create not just a learning environment about textbooks and tests. It's about curiosity and
connection. Each year, we've consistently improved our campus with updated classrooms, new outdoor spaces, and creating a physical environment that matches our educational vision. And part of our success is our incredible Mustang
mentoring program. Our faculty and staff take their time to mentor over 45 students each year for the past four years to build strong relationships with students. But this doesn't stop with our staff. Our peer mentoring program and
reading buddies empower our older students to lead by example and causing a ripple effect of leadership across our school. But the most powerful success is our students belief in themselves. Our
students show high levels of confidence both in their own abilities and the relationships they built with others. In fact, our most recent survey results show 90% of students agreed with statements about their sense of self-worth and belonging.
Creativity is a life skill. In addition to our academic rigor, we believe in creating unique opportunities for our students to discover their passions and talents. Our campus is a buzz of activities from our collaboration with the math team, the creative expressions
that you saw tonight with art and music, the leadership of our safety pearls, and the spirit of our track team just to name a few. We are proud to offer a wide range of experiences both in and out of the classroom, including Florida chamber
projects, clubs, memorable events like field trips, field days, and everyone's favorite, our annual reindeer games competition. We ensure that every student has a chance to shine both in and out of the classroom.
Our results show that focused efforts are paying off and our students are making significant progress. Being recognized as a school of the month has led into an increase of our family engagement, strengthening those home and school
partnerships. In fact, this year we had 312 people attend our donuts for grown-ups for event. And that breaks last year record of 280 for a small school of 535. For the past eight years, we've
maintained an impressive 96% staff retention rate. This stability fosters consistent and nurturing environment for our students. Lastly, we are honored to be a Purple Star School and our recognition is unwavering support for our military
families who give so much to our country. But one of our proudest achievements is our incredible growth with our community. Over the past eight years, we've expanded from just three partnerships when I started to a network of over 20 local businesses and
organizations. Our community is woven into the fabric of our school. Programs like Blessings in a Backpack and partnerships with the Salvation Army ensure our students have the support they need both at home and at school. Our local businesses such as
Ilanos and Hiburnia Baptist Church have become key partners in supporting initiatives and such as our back to school batch and our staff appreciation week. We celebrate our community with events
like our annual Santa breakfast, Veterans Day celebration, and bringing families together for memorable events like Dancing with Daughters and our graduation walks. These are our building blocks to help shure and enrich our community.
Before we conclude, I would like to emphasize while we celebrate our achievements, we are always looking to improve. This year, we are specifically focusing on two key priorities. Increasing our reading proficiency and our student attendance. To help us meet
these goals, we have launched our Mustang Mornings Matter and Settle Up for Success. These programs are designed to build a culture where every day counts and every moment is a learning opportunity. We are confident through the continued
collaboration that we can achieve these goals. While I could sit here and talk about my love of doctors in that all night long, I'll let you I'll leave you with this quote. As BB King once said, "The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you."
Thank you again for your support of Dr. present. I love that quote. Thank you. It's so true. Uh this is the last call for comment cards and um seeing none in my hand that are on specific um agenda items, we're going to move on to um
our public hearing. So at this time, one second. We are going to open the public hearing to approve as advertised the revisions to the school board policy 2411 school counseling. If you want to make a comment, please
make your way to the podium. Seeing none, I'm going to close the public comment. Do I have a motion to approve the public or the um advertised revision to the schoolboard policy 2411 school counseling?
I move to approve. I'll second. I have a motion from Miss Clerk, a second from Miss Gilhousen. Uh any discussion? All in favor signify by saying I. I. Uh any opposed? Vote carries 40.
Miss Bonnie, you want to Okay. Give us one minute. You you want me to move on to the next one while you Okay. So, next up we have D2, Human Resource Special Action A. Can I get a
motion to approve approval? Got a motion from Miss Gilhousen. Can I get a second? I'll second. All right. Any discussion? All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 40.
All right. I'm going to note that we have a proclamation uh number 26-06 to establish October 23rd to the 31st, 2025 as Red Ribbon Week celebrated in schools and communities across the nation. And at this time, we are going
to adopt the consent agenda. Can I get a motion to approve? I'll move approval. Got a motion from Miss Gilhousen. Can I get a second? Second. Got a second for Mr. Alvo. Any discussion? All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any
opposed? Motion carries. 40. All right. At this time, we will be doing a public comment. You have three minutes. Please state your name and address. on file or um address when you come to the microphone.
We're going to start off with Sharon Walsh. On deck will be Miss Barbara McKenzie. Good evening, school board members. My name is Sharon Walsh and my address is on file. So, a week ago tonight, a
facilitator and I was leaving a high school kind of late. It's actually about 7:25 and we're in the parking lot and we're putting stuff away and we realized that somebody's coming out of the building now. We' done a sweep and we were positive that we had all of our teachers. But so we did a little bit of
a panic of who was coming out. It was actually a teacher at this high school. And as we were talking to her, she explained that she'd been teaching at that high school for 21 years. And when I commented that this was like way past
leaving time, like nearly five hours, she said, "Yes, but I allowed my students to keep turning in assignments for mastery and the grading period is coming to an end. And I give every student personalized feedback on every
assignment." And then she took it a step further. She takes every one of those assignments that she got to mastery. She uses that data to develop rigorous lesson plans that will go in and tackle any weakness that those students have so
that they come out strong. And as she was talking and she was so passionate about her school, her subject, it dawned on me that this 21-year-old veteran, this 21 veteran in their new the budget that that's been
proposed would be getting an extra $40 per week with our new contract. And I was wondering tonight, when you think about this, and she's not, you she's not alone. You know that anybody's been in classroom, Mr. Rosski, you know, teachers, we don't leave until the job
is done. We don't clock out at our quitting time. We we don't because that's the job's not done. I know Brenda Tropman Grace on that one. And I was wondering is could you find some extra money in that budget
bucket for us? Thank you. Miss McKenzie, you're up. And Christine Devault, you're on deck. Good evening. Thank you, Mr. Broski. Board members, my name is Barbara
McKenzie. My name is Barbara McKenzie and I'm a 25 plus year veteran teacher with a master's degree in education. I'm not a second career person. Uh, I'm a teacher. Can you state your address, please? It's on file. I have one small credit card. I have a
mortgage. I have house bills. I have student debt I can't pay. I drive a 12-year-old car I inherited from my mom. I'm very free because the school board chooses to pay lip service to its teachers. Nice emails saying how much we're appreciated. Statements about how, you know, teachers work hard for the
students in the county. I can't pay my bills. Financial companies don't take emails as payment. I don't want to find another career. I should be looking at drop by now, but I can't. I can't afford to retire because
I can't afford to put the money away for retirement. And I'm tired. I currently work three jobs, ladies and gentlemen. I'm at work by 8 because I was taught to be early is to be on time. I work until 3:50. I clock into job
number two. I work an additional two hours. Then I drive like a mad woman to the local library or to a fast food restaurant with Wi-Fi. And I tutor a Klay County student who doesn't get enough services in his regular school day. And that can take between 1 to
three hours all the time. I'm tired. My day doesn't end when I get home. I don't get to put my feet up, relax, watch the game. I hate that during football season. I have papers to grade, lessons to plan, emails
to write. By the time I'm done, I'm tired. I crawl into bed for a horrible night's sleep. Stress and anxiety about work and bills and no life makes sleep no fun. I'm tired. The board claims that times are tight
and everything costs more. And no one disputes that in this era. Well, the cost of living for a teacher has gone up, but our pay has not equal that cost of living. an eight extra $800 a year is a slap in the face. You you don't want
to be there for us. It shows a lack of responsibility and respect to the teachers and students. We've been instrumental in making Klay County a top 10 county in Florida. We help put Klay County on the top for civics. We have so many schools of excellence,
but this school board does nothing to reward our hard work and diligence. And I'm asking you, please make your teachers a priority because we make our children a priority and we would just
like the same in return. Christine, you are up next. And then Miss Liz Crane, you're on deck. And I'm sorry if I get these some of these wrong. I'm trying to read handwriting, so I do apologize. Hey, uh, good evening. My name is
Christine Devault. I stand before you today as a nurse, a mother, and an advocate for the students at Lake Asbury Junior High. And for all Please state your address. I'm sorry. Oh, my address is on file. Okay. Okay, great. Uh, Lake Asbury Junior High
and for all Klay County students. As one of the nurses at LJH, I am here today to share concerns regarding the growing concern of physical health as well as mental health needs of our students. With the addition
of the sixth grade this year, our enrollment has increased to approximately 1500 students. Along with this growth, we are seeing a significant rise in students presenting with health concerns such as diabetes, medication administration needs, accidental
injuries, and mental health challenges including anxiety, depression, and selfharming behaviors. At present, many of our students require consistent support, yet access to the resources remains limited. Guidance counselors do
an excellent job within their scope, but additional mental health professionals are needed to adequately adequately meet the demand. The recent increase in crisis situations underscores the importance and the strengthening support
structures for both immediate care and long-term care of the students well-being. I respect respectively request that the board consider additional staffing resources and education whether in the form of school-based
a mental health counselor, social workers, or extra assistance full-time in the clinic to to both to better serve our students supporting the need will help ensure that our students are successful not only academically,
socially, emotionally, and future community leaders. as yourselves. Statistics shows statistics shows that these students not only themselves but family members are dealing with the opioid addiction. About half of these
students parents overdose from the age of 25 to 44 years of age. Did you know that in most counties in every state of the US, the location chosen for jails and prisons to be built is solely based off the local dropout
rate. I propose we have more education for the students in regards to opioid addiction prevention. As Nancy Reagan stated, just say no. Because of social media, bullying is now unlimited. It is located
outside the classrooms and on most mo multiple social platforms. I know that you and I have less than what these students that you and I had less than what these students have, but that doesn't mean that they should go
without like we did because when you know better, you do better. And I just want it better for our community and our kids. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Crane. And then up next will be Adam Warren.
Good evening. Good evening, Liz Crane. You have my address on file. Thank you. Do you want to remain in a district? I want you to consider that question during our employees conversations tonight. As you know, our employees work well above and beyond their contractual
hours. They do this for our students in Klay County. However, we also need to look at reality. Our employees, just like yourselves, have financial obligations. Last week, on average, I worked 20 to 30 hours past my contractual hours. Financially, that
equates to over $1,000. Loss of wages to me personally, that equates to $1,000 in savings for you. So, one might wonder, why do we do it? Well, for some they really enjoy creating engaging lessons with all the
bells and whistles. I'm one of them going to be honest. For some, they feel the pressure to perform well for their principal. For some, they are on PDPs. And if they don't perform well, they're going to lose their job. So, this begs the question again, what is the ROI? The
return of investment for all these additional hours worked. My brother is a financial adviser and works very long hours. His ROI are bonuses and large commissions. The ROI for school employees are high test scores. The ROI
of high test scores belongs to the school board. The ROI is accepting congratulations at schoolboard association meetings. If our rank is high enough, you receive a plaque. The ROI are headlines in local media outlets and banners across the schoolboard
website. The ROI is for you. You receive the accolades. You receive the awards. So when the awards and rankings come out and you are very proud of yourselves, what's the result for the employees? The employees are expected to continue to do more with less. So I ask again, do you want to be in a district? Our high
performance performers are leaving. They are going to the north. They're going across the river. Why? Because of pay. Because they will be appreciated. Because they will be there will be gratitude. The salary proposal from the board is abysmal. The Office of Economic and Demographic Research website states
last year you were paid $46,544 and this year your pay increased I repeat increased. You were paid to $48,11. Financially that's an increase of $1,467
or 3% raise. That is almost three times more than what you are offering your employees. It is long past the time for you to pay your employees for their hard work and dedication they put in for you to receive awards and accolades. We are not able to pay our bills with website
banners and plaques. Thank you, Madam War. Echanova, you're on deck. Good evening, Adam Warren. My dress is on file. I come to this board tonight as I have done many times before. I feel I have always come to you with out of
respect and patience and out of good faith that my speaking would help shed light on safety issues within the county. I've also given praise when praise to the board is due. And I um I've been willing to keep quiet with some issues when they needed more time
to work things out. I've personally had multiple meetings with assistance to this board, all in an effort to keep Klay County safe and not to continue to give us a black eye. But tonight, I want to make sure that the issues with the transportation department aren't
swept under the rug like so many other issues have been. I want it to be on record that this board hired a gentleman that was unqualified to run the department. He came from a neighboring county that was happy to see him go. He personally ran this department into
the ground. The board finally accepted his resignation weeks ago and he hasn't worked in all that time, but yet we're paying him through tomorrow. Sounds like we have a lot of money that could be going to the teachers instead of people that don't deserve it. Like so many other issues with this
county or other employees, they've chose to just keep this quiet, not say anything, to not bring any other light and when they should have probably fired him on the spot or moved on from him. All the way through today, still have
issues with the app not working. It was completely down yesterday. A bus that was not called in showed up to pick up my middle schooler. So, and it was 30 minutes late. I was not notified that it was going to be a different bus. Thankfully, it was the same driver. So,
you know, we felt comfortable, but no notification was given that it was going to be a different bus and it was going to be 30 minutes late. The bus was early today early for the standards that it was supposed to be there, but it was still eight minutes late from when it was actually supposed to be there. And you
have kids running because they have no clue what time the bus is actually going to be there. The app does not work. And know that was another thing that this gentleman I think and brought on to us. And you know it's just excuse me it's
like I've said many times before it's a safety issue. We have kids stand out there. They don't know what bus to get on. It's constantly late. And I don't have any proof but I do know that the kids are riding three to a seat on most of the buses. And I'm pretty sure there's only supposed to be two to a seat. So we're obviously short drivers.
We're overloading the routes. We're overloading the buses. and we're putting way too much on the bus drivers and all of this to say we still don't have a good way to track the kids. Thankfully, I have heard that we have a interim in the place. I've personally spoke with
her a couple of times. I think she's going to do a great job. She doesn't have huge shoes to fill unfortunately, but I think she's going to do good. My I really do hope that she does and I you know I really hope that y'all take this into consideration moving forward. Thank you.
Echanova and Christine Donovan on deck. Echanova Echon Nova address on file. Um we start off with yesterday we got word of a potential ice operation happening here
and down in Tupla and Orman Beach. So yesterday I spent or so today I spent the entire day watching closely and monitoring the situation to make sure that your students do not get kidnapped off the streets and lost into the uh
detention system. And another issue on rights retaliation and free speech since the murder happened after the last regular meeting. It needs to be brought up here. Um, even though it has been over almost a month since it happened,
um, it has been extremely disappointing the outrage levied against teachers and others across the nation. And for what? Because you all finally felt the bearish iota of the harms that marginalized communities have felt
for centuries due to the hands of clone colonization, patriarchy, and other fundamental issues. school board, state legislators, the state commissioner, all gunning to punish as many people as possible for not prostrating themselves in reverence
for their messiah because people chose to voice their opinions on the murder. It is curious how the reaction of the nation to these comments compared to say uh Osama bin Laden. Make no mistake, this comparison is intentional. Charlie
Kirk was a Christian nationalist, white supremacist, eugenicist, fascist who was not the champion of free speech as many claim. He was a terrorist to many, many Americans. Do not forget Kirk advocated for school
shootings, saying that some case dying is a necessary cost to the conservative interpretation of the Second Amendment. Do not be surprised when many many Americans of these marginalized communities voice their opinions as a result of this. Since teaching has been
apparently become political in recent years, where was the outrage when the chair of the Clay Republican Party called for open warfare against anyone on the left? This is relevant considering we have some members here who are part of the statewide Republican
party and dangerous rhetoric with the open Kerry ruling of recent weeks. And how about outrage when board members openly advocate for transgendibility and other issues? We need to do more to protect our
teachers, to protect their rights, and to protect our voices when they speak up. and we need to bring back our teachers and staff here and statewide and in across the entire nation. Thank you, Christine Donovan. My name is Christine Donovan. My address
is on file with you guys. Um, I come to you guys as a mom of a student that was at Lake Asbury Junior High that is no longer with us as of six months ago when he passed. Um,
I had no idea the amount of bullying that is going on at that school. I say that because it's not taken seriously. I told the detectives. I told the teachers, I told the principal just how
bad it was and that it was coming to us after he passed. We had no idea it was going on. He would say something to us and bring it up and I'm like, "Buddy, what do I need to do? Do I need to get involved with this right now?" No, Mom. I got
this. But he also dealt with mental health for a very long time. And there's no support at that school for mental health either. The kids there are scared to tell the teachers because there's no repercussions to anything that happens.
The bullies, they just keep bullying. I told the detective and the teachers, five different parents came to me with one name and none of those parents know each other. Nope. Couldn't have been her because she's a straight A student.
She's a teacher helper. Okay. But there's a difference between physical bullying and mental verbal bullying. And I'm going to tell you right now, if it was physical, I'd be get called down to the school because he was not a small boy. It was mental and
it was verbal. And something has got to be done to help our kids. He can't speak anymore, but I am his voice. I will speak for him. I will tell you that that school also gave no support for the parents.
My 8-year-old son's elementary school, right out elementary, they're the ones that were there for us. They're the ones that still support us. Something has got to be done. I started a Facebook page for him and it goes back
years and years and years the amount of bullying that is going on. We send our kids to school to be safe. They're not. They're not safe. Thank you.
Britney SS and Miss Judith Chapel. You're on deck. Britney, is it Sills? Good evening. My name is Britney Sills and my address is on file. I'm a parent of a child who will be school age in a
few years with another on the way. Um, we chose to raise our family here in Klay County because it's always felt like home. My family grew up in this county and I graduated here from Fleming Island High School and we know so many amazing educators that dedicate their time and resources to pour into the
children in our community. We attend church with many wonderful Klay County teachers and my sister-in-law is a Klay County teacher as well. So, it's been very disheartening to hear of an educator named um Mr. Evan Gold of Lake Asbury Junior High that's been
reinstated after making public comments that threatened certain populations of students due to their protected medical status. Mr. Gold's concerning comments were posted on the Klay County Education Association public Facebook cage page
discussing unvaccinated students. Evan Gold stated he quote hopes the unvaccinated die quickly unquote. This public declaration by Mr. Gold was made on September 9th and was supported by the teachers union president Rena Lee
PA. These comments made by someone who is supposed to be a custodian of our children are disturbing and unacceptable. There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior from individuals commissioned with the education of our children. My husband and I are here tonight to advocate on
behalf of all students and parents, no matter their medical status or religious beliefs. Mr. Gold's permanent release from our school district should be considered by all school board members and our superintendent. There's no room for nuance on this. He said what he said
and as of right now, he still does represent the school district, but you have the responsibility to students, parents, and the other incred incredible educators in our county to change that. Thank you, Miss Judith.
Good afternoon. My name is Judith Chappelle and my address is on file. When I was getting dressed today for today's meeting, I stood in front of my closet torn between which shirt to wear that represents my many roles in the community. Moms for Liberty, precinct
committee woman for the Republican party, vice president of the Federated Republican woman of Klay County, the Trump Club. But tonight, I chose the shirt that means the most to me, the one that represents and says mother GMA
because it is of all of my identities, it is the one of mother and grandmother that I speak to speak to you as. It is the one that is of the conviction and the passion that I speak to you from.
I am here tonight because I am utterly horrified and heartbroken by the words of Mr. Evan Ghoul, a Klay County teacher who wished that unvaccinated children would die quickly. The shock and disgust
that I felt upon hearing this cannot be overstated. It is unfathomable that any adult, let alone an educator entrusted with the lives and the future of our children, could harbor such cruel and hatred thoughts.
This is not just a lapse in judgment. It is a chilling betrayal for everything that we stand for as a community. Our children are precious. They are innocent and they deserve to be nurtured and protected and cherished by every adult
in their lives, especially a teacher. For someone in a position of authority to wish death upon them is not only appalling, it is unforgivable. It shakes the very foundation of the
trust that parents and grandparents and families place in our schools. After the tragedy involving Charlie Kirks with other teachers making reckless comments and in the commissioner of education made it clear that yeah education
educators have first amendment rights but those rights do not give license to undermine the safety and trust that students and families place in the in the community. I am pleading with this board, do not
let this stand. Mr. Ghoul's words are a stain on this community and a threat to every child in his care. He must be removed from his position immediately. Our children and our teachers,
our children and our families deserve better. Tonight I speak to you not just as a community leader but as a mother and as a grandmother. I urge you to act swiftly and decisively. Show our
children and our families and our community that we do not tolerate cruelty and hatred in our schools. Let us stand together for the safety and dignity and the future of every child.
Tanya Caskin. My name is Tanya Cassen and my address is on file. Good evening, member of the Klay County School Board. I would like to speak to you tonight about a very serious concern regarding one of our educators, Mr. Evan Gold, a teacher at Lake Asbury Junior High. It came to light that Mr. Gold made public Facebook
comments stating that he hopes the unvaccinated die quickly. This was not just an off-hand comment. His statement was wishing death on members of our community potentially the very students in his classroom and many of his colleagues. I wanted to be clear these
remarks are not a reflection of the many caring and wonderful teachers we are blessed to have here in Clay. We have incredible educators who are dedicated their lives to students and their profession and that should not be overshadowed by one individual. I understand that Mr. Ghoul was suspended
for a very short amount of time and I understand that he is back in the classroom now. I do believe that was a decision made by Mr. Broski. So, I'm going to speak to you now, uh, school board, as to what maybe you can do to help us out. The principles of professional conduct in the education in Florida and the Klay County, uh,
district policy prohibit actions like these, especially um, wishing harm or worse death on students and co-workers. It is unacceptable. By his very own words, Mr. Ghoul has violated both state and local standards. I appreciate that
that this matter has been referred to the Office of Professional Practices, but let this be clear, a per a referral is not a resolution. His actions were without question a direct violation of the Klay County School District policy,
and under that policy, the school board has the authority to dismiss teachers who engage in such conduct. We entrust our children in the care of educators who supposed to nurture, guide, and protect them. Mr. Ghoul's comments destroyed all that trust. Trust
with the students, trust with the parents, and trust with the fellow teachers. That kind of damage cannot be overlooked or brushed aside. Tonight, I am asking the Klay County School Board to take immediate action. Please uphold the standards that you have set for this
district. Please send a clear message to teachers that teachers who openly wish death on students or colleagues have no place in Klay County classrooms. God bless you. Have a good night. Thank you. Uh before we move on, I
wanted to have our attorney, normally we don't uh comment on public comment, but I felt that this is necessary to to do so uh because I agree with a lot of your statements. um that you spoke tonight um regarding an individual who decided to take uh their thoughts and feelings to a
public platform and um talk about children and the way that they did. So I wanted our attorney to weigh in on this um for various reasons but um if you could Mr. Blocker.
Uh yes ma'am. So u thank you for asking. So the board has a policy it's 1140.01 01 it's disciplinary suspension without pay. So as part of that policy I can read from it. So essentially the board has delegated its its authority in the past year you all been going through all
your policies and revising it. So as part of that and I'll read from the policy for disciplinary actions uh other than termination the school board uh delegates that authority to the superintendent in order to facilitate personal management and to provide a conductive appearance. So really the
basis of that is to y'all can't necessarily hear every single disciplinary issue that comes up. There's a variety of different matters that come up and y'all have a number of employees. So this was investigated at the time. It did fall under the purview per y'all's board policies of the
superintendent. A decision was made. I did speak with an attorney today from the department of education and the professional practice services. So this particular employee was referred to there. They will conduct their own investigation. The board and through the superintendent
has the ability to uh make hiring and firing decisions but y'all do not control the lensure which goes through the department of education. So the professional practice services uh will conduct their own investigation of the conduct of this individual and they can
decide um whether they want to withdraw his license or not. So, so again at this point it's in their hands to to evaluate whether um you know his career should end as a teacher licensed in Florida. So does that help answer the question? Ma'am, it does. And I also want to bring it
back to the board and discuss um maybe revisiting that policy, maybe adding some verbiage within that policy. um allowing the superintendent to make those decisions with a fiveday or under fiveday suspension and then allowing
some verbiage which we can discuss where the board can essentially have the ultimate say um if we don't agree because I know other than that it does come to the board and we decide um if we accept the superintendent's
recommendation or or not. So, what I recommend is that we bring this policy back and have a discussion at the workshop, whether we want to add verbiage or not. Um, especially since Miss Hansen is not here this evening. Uh, but to either keep it, change it,
fix it. Um, for the public's sake, we approved 544 policies. And as your policy maker, I just want to say um I have always said anytime we approve something, I want to follow up on it and
make sure the follow-up game is what I call it. I want to make sure whatever we implement is something that is beneficial for students that helps out teachers and is good for Klay County. So we may have instances where we have to
bring a policy back to discuss it. there might be situations um where we have to revisit things. So, I'm not sure if this is one of them. I would suggest that we look at that um and have a board discussion on it. Uh moving or moving it
to the workshop if you all are in consensus for that or discussion or I just had a quick question. Can't see you guys. Um just in preparation for that if we could get um official opinion from the
attorney as far as how that policy and and any potential changes um could have any legal issues with the way that HR is supposed to be run. Um I'd also be interested to know what other counties are doing as far as that goes across the state.
Yes, ma'am. Absolutely. If I can, we can get that to you. What what might be best is um since we're going through Neiola, they have a couple different versions of that policy. it it's been over a year since you all evaluated that policy and most of the discussion I looked back at the notes was really you know there's a
number of disciplinary issues that just are not necessarily going to come. The other issue is uh you could potentially have someone on leave for 28 days of paid leave because the board meets at certain times. So just as a public interest matter when when y'all are
wrestling with tight budgets that is a policy concern as well that that was evaluated at the time based on so we can we can absolutely bring that back up to you as well. Just to address one point because the the discipline has been handled at this point regardless of what
the opinion is of how it was handled. It has been handled at this point. Now it's been turned over to the state. So it would be most appropriate to let the state handle it. Then going forward if there future cases like this that we want to make sure that we put the proper controls and policy changes into place
so it's addressed in a way that's appropriate uh we can we can make sure that we do that kind of going forward so there's not a double jeopardy issue or something like that that we're dealing with. Thank you. That makes sense. And and the verbiage could be to where we aren't waiting 28 days. See what I'm
saying? So that um but that's something that we can discuss so that um because we do meet twice a twice a month but the verbiage like I said could be fixed to where um there isn't a delay or a long long correct in and part of the policy reason
again it's been a year since y'all have made this. The board is not to be very clear y'all are not up here making these these decisions that's why you have the policy. So this is not a board's decision. Um, however, part part of part of part of that is again there are times
where the superintendent has to act on y'all's behalf. That's per statute. This is one of those situations where, you know, one of the rare times that I think we've seen this issue come up where it maybe fell, you know, into one of those categories. So, that was my main concern was just making
sure that we're being mindful of um what our role is as the board versus the superintendent with day-to-day management, hiring, firing. Yes, ma'am. So, can we bring it back for discussion for a workshop? Right. Can Miss Clark clerk? Sure.
All righty. I do I do agree though. This is why we have legal experts and we have multiple levels. Um, we don't do the day-to-day operation and we have to be very careful with the words that are used to describe
what an individual says because what I've heard tonight is not all of what was posted. So, we need to be very clear, very careful. Um, also like our attorney said, there was other options for that policy that
was not presented. So, that's another thing I would like to look at because um there are specific roles, but three three to five um majority um we as a board decide some of those things. So,
um I just would like to revisit it. And like I said, since Miss Hansen isn't here and it's become an issue, um a very very large issue with um emails and social media and whatnot, I think it's something that it's worth looking at.
All right, so uh moving on, we have um Miss Kiddwell for CCA update. So, I'm Vicki Kiddwell, the president of the United of the um union, and these are some of our teachers here that have
come up to support us asking in bargaining for a better increase in salary. So, um, good evening, superintendent and members of the board. CCA is grateful for these three minutes to share our teachers perspectives. I see you already started
the clock, so I guess I better talk fast. I want to start by expressing my genuine appreciation. You heard our concerns about salary compression and the unfairness of veteran teacher pay, and your proposal showed that you took those words to heart, and I appreciate you for that. But we cannot accept your
offer um for several reasons. CCA represents all instructional staff and the Klay County District School proposal does not provide any compensation increase for over 45% of the educators in Clay. And while we know that salary compression is unfair, this proposal
would also be unfair to over,80 teachers who are struggling with rising costs. As my mom always said, two wrongs do not make a right. CCA has never and will never willingly accept a proposal that does not strive for fairness in
compensation. Next, we feel it is prudent and possible for Klay County District stools schools to provide reasonable and fair salary increases even though we're in a budget crisis. To offer a mere $27,000 from Klay's budget
leftovers does not show intent to budget for teachers. Budgets are about priorities. Klay County District Schools must choose to to build their budget with salary increases to retain essential personnel and keep Clay safe,
stable, and competitive. We ask you to prioritize salaries in your budget instead of offering teachers a bucket of leftovers. While we maintain that teachers are the heart of safe and secure schools and
should be and should be a priority in expanding current millage funds, we have heard you and we have provided alternate funding since you are remiss and not wanting to use millage funds. I have emailed you all an explanation of the
funding proposals including using only 68% of the 5.68% 68% fund balance to fund teacher salaries. Um I want to let you know that after looking at your proposal,
we um did crunch the numbers and your proposal offered between 082% and 1.6% for years 10 and up, but below 10 years, no increase. We're asking for a modest proposal, 1.4% 4% to 3% for 21
years and up. We feel that's doable. We have given you exactly where to find the funds. So even though my time is up, I beg you, please read the email. We found the funds for you and it's in the budget and you can do
it. It's all about choices. We ask you please to make your teachers budget priority. Thank you. Hey, I don't see Mr. Lonnie out in the audience, so we're going to go with the superintendent update and presentation.
All right, before we actually get to the presentation, just a couple comments. First, in regard to the the to the employee situation, you know, I just want everyone to to know that we don't condone such behavior and that an investigation was conducted. And now he
did that, it was analyzed by four different attorneys to come up with that decision. But it has to be based on the substantiated facts of the case. In other words, the people that actually interview the employee as well as other
people related to the incident. So the attorneys were there for all of that. And in addition after that occurs you have to make make a decision at the information that you have at the time. So that's why it was referred to
professional practices. The matter is in their hands now. So thank you on that. In regard to our teachers um um no doubt I think the board wants to pay you more. I don't know if I can say that legally
or not but I did. Uh but we that's not the issue, right? When you look at what this board has done the last four years, $54 million in additional compensation is two and a half times the record amount ever given in Klay County since
the very beginning of the county. The the other part of that that I'd point out is that the proposal is based on our financial um our financial state that we're in. So, it's not about budgeting for priorities because you start there and
then when those and then when there's no money or a lack of money um you know then then the budget gets formed. So, I just would say that to the to the teachers. We we totally understand. I truly mean that for all the board and I don't think the board would mind me
saying that on their behalf. It's not having the financial resources that everybody would love to have. So perhaps the direction should be going uh west uh in in the commentary because we would
all love to do that. So in regard to today uh we got our schools of the month, super students of the month, dad's take your child to school day, celebrate freedom, pink out games, all kinds of stuff happening. I truly love this month was the first time that we had students back and what a welcome
surprise that is to start off our meeting. So, schools of the month, Charles E. Bennett. Let me tell you, Charles E. Bennett, uh, super duper improvement at that school. Fleming Island Elementary is a perennial peril house. This month, it's unity and action
is the theme for this month. So, please vote for your your favorite school. This is one of the joys of my entire day. You know, I get to do about 4% cool stuff, 96% not so cool stuff. One of those 4% is going out to to give these awards.
Students, here's Eliza, what a fantastic student, outstanding representative. Every teacher raved about her and the way she is a leader at her school. Then you had Stephanie and Jetsel, fantastic students. I thank the administration too
for recognizing the students and bringing light to to their outstanding contribution. Uh, let's just say I I was super impressed. I was at Tines for for this event and I'm going to say we had about
400 dads dropping their their kids off. We had a nice little picture station for them and and all of that. The importance of dads. I um I can't underestimate that. Um celebrate freedom week. We had that that
week. of course, Constitution Day as well as uh all the other days. Uh Freedom Friday, we do a pretty good job in Klay County with civics and promoting this country, which is the best country known to man.
Uh pink out day, we also try to to uh to bring forward the idea of being servant leaders and certainly our athletic department does that. One way they do that is by raising donations for what's called pinkout games. You can see everybody in pink. Uh, and those are the
pink out games for this year that are listed up on the screen. It's a fantastic way for students to recognize uh those that are that are less fortunate and uh donate money to a cause that's very, very worthy. Upcoming events, you can see all of those events
going. I'm not going to read them out to you. Um, one of my favorites is the eighth, the walk, bike, and roll to school day. Um, there's always a big event out at Oakley Village Elementary School. They really do it up right there. If you're looking for a good like
which one's the best, that's been my favorite over over the years. And of course, Red Ribbon Week at the end um of it. You can see school bus safety week, all of those things. So, a lot going on. I'm proud for the start of the school year and how well we're doing. And of
course, when things happen, we'll deal with we'll deal with those um accordingly. So, thank you so much. Now, I do have one other thing if I could, Madam Chair. A little This person does not like being recognized, so I did not do this in the beginning because she's
not going to want me to recognize her. But this is a person that is super super duper to Klay County Schools, Miss Bonnie Onora. Let me just say this, Bonnie. And and I mean this very sincerely.
If you were to hear Bonnie speak to people who are upset that call on the phone, instant disarming of of of folks and a helpful voice. I can think of nobody that I trust more to represent Klay County Schools than Bonnie Oora. Truly
truly I you know I I I will uh listen in in amazement as to how well she represents our our district. She's getting this award because she also went above and beyond. Got some additional professional development. She's fully certified, one of few people in her
position across the state that are certified by FSBA. Just, you know, true dedication. I can tell you that uh Bonnie is a joy to work with. In fact, I told her she can't retire. Um uh and told her that I was in
HR, so I I can lose paperwork as good as anybody. Uh because we want her to be around. She does fantastic work. So, if I could, a big round of applause. I'd love to get a picture with this lady, Bonnie Onora. Come on up, Bonnie.
Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. So, school board attorney remarks. Mr. Walker. We're going to start with uh Miss Clark for school board member remarks. You sure you don't want to go first? No, I'm good.
Oh, okay. We've never heard you go first. Just checking. Well, uh last year you did when I wasn't chair. Go ahead. Go ahead. Um, we've had a lot of variety over the last month that has occurred and I think it
shows the quality of Klay County as far as how the employees and staff have handled things. Um we have so many wonderful teachers and we recognize them but unfortunately it only takes one or
two, three, four, maybe five that uh caused a lot of national attention and unfortunately our receptionist, our HR department, everybody gets a little crazy and beats up on
people and I think We just all need to learn to tone it down and let's talk. Let's have dialogue. We say this over and over again, but we don't do it and it's time to do it. So, please try to keep that in mind.
As far as teachers pay, yeah, the last four maybe five years, we've done remarkable with what we've had. And it pains us not to to be able to do as much this year, but
we can't be compared to other counties. Number one, we have many older schools than some of the other counties and the teachers off also want a nice place to work. So there's a lot of money that has
to go to maintaining those schools. So it's not we can't compare county to county. Um, I don't know what the issue is with our former transportation director, but I don't know why we're beating him up
because he's not here anymore. But I think he did a terrific job based on way things were when I came on five years ago. Uh, Randall was one that would get on a bus and drive it if we
were short. The prior director did not. We were just so many emails, people complaining about the bus service when I came on and as soon as he came on board, things changed and he worked very hard.
I never knew him to even take a day off. So if there were any eligible pay at the end, he was deser deserving of it for sure. So, um I think we're all aware that mental
health is a big issue and we've got to do something to help there. We know that personally I'd like to see all the cell phones thrown out. I'd like to see the kids not even have access, but there's a lot of varying reasons and
we need to address them and we need to get serious about it and not just talk about it. So, last thing I'd like to say, and maybe it's more of a public service announcement, and I apologize. Um, I am a breast cancer survivor, but I
am one of those that did not feel comfortable doing chemo and I had four doctors tell me I had to do chemo. I had to do chemo. And you don't tell a stubborn Swede that they have to do something. So, uh, when I
chose not to, my oncologist said, "Well, would you mind taking a blood test and it will tell us if it's even effective?" I said, "Sure, I don't mind. Easy." So, I took it and guess what? It wouldn't have done me any good. So for anybody
out there, and I know somebody was told today what I was told, if you would just ask your doctor to have that blood test done, and it doesn't hurt to ask questions, get a couple of diagnosises,
you know, speak to all the experts until you're comfortable, but just do yourself a favor and uh ask for God's wisdom when you go through this. Thank you, Mr. Robert.
I wanted to say that while while we don't want to infringe and and nobody's freedom of speech as um public servants ourselves, we we have a standard that we have to follow.
All I'm saying is I'm pretty sure if the person that made those comments go out in the streets and start saying those comments, nobody's going to do anything about it because there's nothing they can do. But when you work for a public institution, I think you have some you
have to have some uh regard to make comments that can cause the trust of our community. That's all I can say. Thank you, Miss Gilhousen. All right. So, um, again on teacher pay, when we had it, we gave it. I'll
emphasize that again. Um, the reality is times are times are hard and we can only say that so much. And if you if you don't believe us, um, I know some of you were at the delegation meeting um, and heard it across across the board and
every government entity. Um we we don't again comparing us to other counties. Uh we we are different. Taxing's different. What we tax on is different. There there is a wide variety of reasons. Um, but
that being said, we we do care about our teachers and, um, I know the last three years that we've done this, um, we we've definitely tried to take care of our veteran teachers and I don't what comes out of of bargaining is is not always what we
start with. So, um, I'm just going to say that, um, I personally, uh, care a lot about teachers. I have several family members that work in this district. So, some of the comments are are a little hurtful that um that some
of you don't think that we care because we we dang sure do. And like I said, when we had the money, we gave it and when we have it again, we will give it. So, um I I just really want to emphasize
that uh strongly. That being said, um this month has been a very long and crazy month with things that are going on in our country and things that are
when things happen, people people go stir crazy. I think um some of us find out what really matters in life and then others just like to take a pot and stir it. So, um I I think that we all need to take this time to reflect and find the
positive positives in everything and be the positive light. Um some of you think differently, but um I I do have to say that Charlie Kirk was an amazing man and um you can laugh all you want, but it's
been positive and he he has made the the changes to the world that we need to see, kindness. So um I encourage you all to be kind and nice and with that this meeting is adjourned.