Good evening and welcome to the February 24th, 2026 meeting of the Marian County School Board. It is now called to order. Mirroring and modeling the way our students begin each day, I ask that we observe a moment of silence at this time. Please join me.
We um sorry I was about to read the commitment statement but we have our student board members do that. So I want to welcome Isaac Smith and Luke Lombardo to read our board commitment statement. >> We are the Marian County School District Leadership Team. When we come together to work, we are efficient, effective,
and productive. Our three most important characteristics are dedicated, transparent, and individually responsible. To work well together, we must >> demonstrate respect, confront reality, and be accountable. We will always put students first, and we will leave a
legacy of success. Thank you very much, gentlemen. For the courtesy of those listening to the meeting, I am requesting everyone in the audience to please turn off their electronic devices or put them on vibrate. Public comment will now be accepted during two portions of each meeting for up to 30 minutes.
Each one for items specific to the night's agenda and before vote takes place and one for items on which the school board customarily takes action. Anyone wanting to speak regarding an item must complete an agenda item must complete a blue form. Anyone wanting to
speak regarding a non-aggenda item must complete a yellow form. Both forms are available before each meeting and on the district website and forms are due to the board clerk by 5:40m and can be submitted via email or in person. Public speakers will have three minutes to
complete their comments and no more than 10 speakers will be scheduled in each either public comment portion unless the board votes otherwise. Good evening. Miss Martinez Young, please call the role. >> Dr. Allison Campbell, District 1, >> here. >> Mrs. Lorie Conrad, District 2, >> here. >> Mr. Eric Cummings, District Three,
>> here. >> Mrs. Mrs. Nancy Thrower, District 4, >> here. >> Dr. Sarah James, District 5, >> here. >> Luke Lombardo, Westport High School, >> here. >> Isaac Smith, North Marian High School, >> here. >> Dr. Danielle Brewer, interim superintendent, >> here. >> Mr. Jeremy Power, school board attorney.
>> Dr. Brewer, who will share inspiration and lead the pledge of allegiance for us this evening? >> Thank you. We have um Megan Magal. She's the executive director of the public education foundation in Maring County here with quite a few of her special
guests. So I will allow her to introduce them to us this evening. >> Good after Good afternoon, Chair Dr. Sarah James, school board members, and interim superintendent Dr. Brewer. I'm honored to be here this evening to introduce Maring County's 2026 teacher
of the year, Golden Apple teacher, Miss Anita Henry from Hillrest School. A quick history lesson. The Public Education Foundation of Marian County's Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Program developed in 1991 honors and rewards
elect excellence in teaching. Each school selects their teacher of the year and rookie of the year who then participate in the competitive selection process starting with submitting a portfolio of work to our selections committees. The portfolios are blind
without teachers names or schools identified. After reviewing and scoring all of the submitted work, the committee interviews the top candidates and then conducts classroom observations across our entire district. Thank you, Vice
Chair Conrad, for serving on the teacher of the year selections committee this year. Based on the combination of scores from portfolio, interview, and observation, five outstanding teachers and one rookie are named Golden Apple teachers and become members of the
Golden Apple Academy, a growing association of exceptional educators. Just three weeks ago, our foundation hosted our annual Golden Apple Gayla. Thank you schoolboard members for all being in attendance. And I'd also like
to thank our Gayla Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Kevin Christian, the more than 30 academy members who helped behind the scenes, the event sponsors, district leadership, my foundation team, my foundation board, and community
supporters for all of the work in making the event so special for our Golden Apple teachers. We were sold out for the first time in the history of the program. highest attendance ever, even in 28 degree weather. From the opening scene where five-year-old Harmony Pete
came out onto stage to our teacher to be catalyst program announcement and then closing the evening with a performance produced by academy member Stephanie Dilling. It definitely was magical and memorable. a celebration of all school-based teachers of the year, all
rookies of the year, our new class of golden apples, and culminating with our announcement for the district teacher of the year. We are proud to have Zenita Hendry represent our district, represent our foundation as she now continues to the state level to compete for Florida's
teacher of the year. I invite her to share our inspiration and pledge, Miss Senita Henry. We starting with the pledge or advice. >> Okay. >> Good evening, Dr. Brewer, Madame Chair, and esteemed members of our school
board. Thank you for having me this evening. I'd also like to express my gratitude to Megan and the entire Public Education Foundation team for their outstanding dedication and leadership in supporting our teachers, schools, and students. I am deeply honored to be
recognized as Marian County's Golden Apple Teacher of the Year. But this recognition is not mine alone. It reflects the incredible work happening across our district. work led by educators who show up every single day for their students. As a special
education art teacher, I am passionate about advocating for exceptional student education and for the arts. Special education is a sacred responsibility, one that provides access, dignity, and opportunity for
all. And the arts play a transformative role in that work. At Hillrest, I see students who struggle to communicate suddenly find their voice through color, movement, and music. I've watched confidence take root where frustration
once lived. This impact isn't unique to my students. Across the district, the arts elevate engagement, strengthen problem solving skills, and help all students build the emotional resilience they need to thrive. The arts are not
extra. They are essential to educating the whole child and building a more inclusive community because artwork is real work. This is why sustaining the resources that make these opportunities possible is so important. The referendum
our community has continuously supported funds programs that directly impact student learning, well-being, and access to high quality instruction. As we look toward the referendum renewal this fall, it will take all of us,
educators, families, and community partners to advocate for what we know our students deserve. At this time, I would like to invite any of my fellow Golden Apple teachers and any other educators, employees, and foundation members who support the
referendum to please stand with me. We stand together as representatives of the passionate educators who make Marian County Public Schools a place where students are seen, supported, challenged, and inspired. Being a Golden
Apple teacher is an incredible honor. And we view this recognition not as a finish line but as a beginning, an opportunity to serve, to advocate, and to uplift public education in any way you find helpful.
We believe deeply in the leadership of this district and we are ready to support you through our voices, our experiences, and our collaboration. During the Golden Apple Gayla, I quoted the renowned educator Rita Pearson who
said, "Every child deserves a champion. An adult who will never give up on them." Today, we stand before you as champions. We are those champions. Adults who will not give up, who will continue showing up and who are ready to
serve every student and teacher in Marian County Public Schools. I look forward to advocating for these priorities, collaborating with other educators, and uplifting voices across our district. Each teacher, staff member, and foundation members standing
with me. They all carry their own passions for our schools. And together, we have a team of enthusiastic educators and leaders ready to serve and ready to advance the mission of this district. As
we reflect on our work, may we remember that we are strongest when we stand together, one team, one mission. Thank you so much for this opportunity and thank you for the leadership that helps our students and teachers thrive
every day. Thank you. Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. >> Thank you so much for your passionate words and your willingness to continue to show up for public education every single day. We're going to come down and take a picture in just a few minutes. Um, so if you are a Golden Apple uh
Academy member and want to stay for the picture, that is going to happen in about three to five minutes. Okay. All right. Um, Dr. Brewer, I believe we also have a recognition this evening. >> Yes, ma'am. Thank you. And now we would like to introduce Aaron Benvitas. She is
with the Silver River Museum. She serves as a resource teacher, but she also takes on the enormous task of our STEM fair each year. So, Miss Benvitas, will you introduce your special guest? >> Thank you, Dr. Brewer. Thank you, Madame
Chair. Thank you, board members. Tonight, we're recognizing the 2026 Marian County Public Schools State Science and Engineering Fair finalists. We will have 24 remarkable students
travel to Lakeland March 31st to compete for over a million dollars in cash prizes and scholarships at the 71st annual Florida State Science and Engineering Fair. Students who looked at the world and
said, "You know what? This needs data." While the rest of us were debating what to have for dinner, these students were debating correlations between viscosity and dampening. They were evaluating the reinstatement of driving privileges to
prevent rearrest. They weren't just going to the beach. They were investigating pollutants harming marine plants and uncovering hidden plastics beneath our springs. One staged the great insulation
showdown. The other asked the ultimate question near and dear to my head. Which hair products are better, natural or those cooked in a lab? They engineered hydrogel beads to remove acetaminophen
from water. They encouraged meal worms to eat styrofoam coated in high energy ATP. And one student's research on radar detection caught the attention of Loheed Martin engineers. And just in case that wasn't enough,
finalists also collected data on the development of bacteria blasting dental film for water scarce regions. Antibiotic resistance testing in E.coli. Graphine enhanced drug delivery systems.
mathematically e uh designed extended release ADHD medications, robotic ear surgery guided by machine learning, research into anxiety during anesthesia, connections between aerobic activity, digital strategy games and memory, solar
panel simulations for the International Space Station, artificial wreaths in engineered from recycled glass to support at risk oyster ecosystems. and 3D printer plastic waste turned into prototypes instead of filling our
landfills. These students chose hard problems, real problems, the kind that affect our community, our water quality, our public health, sustainability, medicine, and
even space exploration. They didn't ask what's required. They asked what's possible. And they built it. They tested, they modeled, they improved. So tonight, we recognize inquiry and innovation and the kind of
curiosity that pushes boundaries. Please join me in recognizing our 2026 Big Springs STEM Fair State finalist from Howard Middle School. And I believe we have Mrs. Parker here from Howard
Middle. We've got Payton Ainson. Would you like them to stand? Come up. Come up. So guys, when I call your name, come up to the front. Valerie Bushkate,
Jaden Cheddy, Elias Javalona, I don't believe Ma Navia Mahatma made it yet, or Kenishha Patel from Belleview High School. I know I saw Mrs. Guest and our STEMfair sponsor, Mr. Paps. We have Mason Sudol and Brianna
Stevens who might be caught in traffic. >> She's walking in. >> Oh, she made it. Good. Just in time. From Forest High School. I'm not sure if I saw Dr. Gary in the audience. We had Mega Sandraotti from Vanguard High School. I'm not sure
if Miss Wade made it yet. Um we have Miles Berdett, Sara Cheddy, Laya Amir, Gabrielle Javalona, Raphael Kavalchuk, Kain Melvin, Amni Patel, Alook Raj
Kamar, Rishit Shaw, Colin Sheldon from Westport High School. I know Mrs. Cruz is here. So in spirit, she's got Cynthia Wang. Thank you. We've got Luke Lombardo. You
want to come on down, Luke? Dustin Lou. >> Oh, she's here. They're both here. Um, and then we have two of our state finalists who I have not named yet because they have also been selected to represent Marian County Public Schools at the very prestigious International
Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona this May. These students will compete with finalists from over 70 nations for over $9 million in cash prizes and
scholarships. So saving our oysters from demise, Delaney Peterson of Belleview High School. and with a radar project that only a Loheed Martin engineer could understand. Nicholas De Pasquali from
Vanguard High School. So, as you may have already guessed, none of these students need luck. They embrace hard work over luck. So on behalf of Marian County Public Schools, let's wish them all good skill as they
head off to the state competition. Thank you. And we are gonna we are we are going to come down and take a picture. So um students, if you want to turn around real quick just so we hit the board can give comment, but you guys have done such wonderful jobs and are all so bright and so capable and it is a true reflection of what is going on in
our classrooms every day. So, we wish you all good skill as you take on the competition because you do not need luck. We're going to come down and take a picture, but um teachers and administrators who are have been a product of this process, please come join us for a picture and then after this picture, we'll do the one for
Golden Apple. Yeah, sure. What we're going to do everybody Everybody's looking right here. square. Here we go. I can see everybody. Thank you. Oh, did that embarrass you?
Let's hear from mom and dad. get that beginning. >> You do almost every Friday. after. >> But they're at the end. At the end.
>> That's my legacy, right? >> All right. Here we go. We got everybody in the shot. Couple more. >> Anybody else? >> You look great. >> Of course. Hi Kevin
has >> well that is uh a wonderful recognition. We do have some very bright students throughout our schools and so it's always a great opportunity to honor their um education and their work in our schools and how they represent us nationwide. So, thank you for that, Dr.
Brewer. We'll move on to recognitions. Uh $1,750 to North Marian High School from Down by Law LLC to be used to purchase travel suits for the North Marian High School boys basketball team. $3,600 to Silver River Museum from Ocala Family Medical
Center to be used in support of all aspects of the Silver River Silver River Museum. That's always a tongue tie for me. Including educational field trips, educational outreach, and museum exhibits, $1,000 to North Marian High
School from Dwayne A. Evans to be used to support the North Maran High School boys basketball team. $2,21.77 to Romeo Elementary School from Denellan Lodge number 2308, Loyal Order of the Moose to provide
staff and student incentives and $4,000 to Silver River Museum from Marrying Cultural Alliance to support the cost of musical entertainment and performances during Ocali Day's weekend festival. The total amount of donations is $12,551.77. We will now move on to the consent
agenda. >> Dr. Brewer, >> I recommend approval of the agenda for the February 24, 2026 school board meeting. >> May I have a motion to on the superintendent's recommendation? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Motion by board member Thrower and a
second by board member Conrad. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes. 5-0. Miss Martinez Young, please provide approval of publication for tonight's school board meeting. The notice for the February 24th, 2026 schoolboard meeting ran in the Ocala Gazette on February 13, 2026.
The proof of publication has been attached in board ducks under proof of publication. >> Thank you very much. Moving on to the approval of minutes. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for the January 27th, 2026 school board meeting. So move >> second. >> Motion by board member Cummings and a
second by board member Conrad. Are there any corrections or additions to the minutes? >> Hearing none, all those in favor say I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for the February 5th, 2026 administrative briefing and work session? >> Motion to approve.
>> Motion by board member Conrad. >> Second. >> Second by board member Campbell. All those in favor. Is there any additions or corrections to the minutes? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes. 5-0. The school board has expressed its desire to pursue
directly purchased materials to save the cost of sales tax. The deductive change order at the beginning of the project exceeded the actual cost of the materials purchased. We have not exhausted all materials to be bought through the owner direct purchase process and need to reconcile the deductive change order. The annual cost
of materials purchased were less than anticipated. This change order is to reimburse the subcontractors through the general contractor for the difference between the deductive and actual materials purchased for various materials associated with the construction of the projects. The change order will complete the direct purchase
process for the project. The superintendent or designate has assigned and approved the change order per board policy 6345. The superintendent or designate is authorized to approve and execute any construction contract change order that will increase the construction contract by $25,000 or less
or that will decrease the construction contract amount provided the approval shall be in her judgment in the best interest of the board. Such change orders shall be binding upon execution by the superintendent or designate. The superintendent or designate shall report each change order that she approves to the board at the board meeting that
follows her approval. The superintendent or design's approval of the change order shall be entered into the official minutes of the schoolboard meeting. Item 8.1 is compensation amendment number one to the construction manager contract. Guaranteed maximum price GMP for construction of the new technology and
information services center. Change order number one, amendment number one, project 24-100. The deductive change order on this item is $2,970 uh 97,4563. Item 8.2. The school district used a construction management delivery model
including a guaranteed maximum price GMP to perform construction work on this project. There were unused funds on the project. Since the project was delivered using a construction management delivery with a GMP format, unused dollars, regardless of the item, are returned to the owner. The unspent monies will be
returned to the owner via a change order, which will close the financial books on this project. The superintendent or designate has signed and approved the change order. Per board policy 6345, the superintendent or designate is authorized to approve and execute any construction contract change order that will increase the
construction contract by 25,000 or less or that will decrease the construction contract amount provided the approval shall be in her judgment in the best interest of the board. Such change orders shall be binding upon execution by the superintendent or designate. The superintendent or designate shall report each change order that she approved to
the board at the board meeting that follows her approval. The superintendent or designates approval of the change order shall be entered into the official minutes of the board meeting. 8.2 is a guaranteed maximum price GMP for remodel of the West Bay area into an HVAC and welding industrial lab and classroom
space at Marian Technical College. Change order number four, work authorization number 7, project 24-129. The deductive change order on this item is $4,77320. In item 8.3, sections 10003.03
1-3, Florida statutes 2025 outline the requirements and implementation options available to the school board for achieving class size compliance. These provisions support the restoration of class size calculation based on the Department of Education's approval of the 2025 2026 class size reduction
compliance plan. The 20252026 class size reduction compliance plan is attached to the meeting agenda. And this will conclude theformational items for tonight's meeting. Miss Martinez Young, do we have any speakers wishing to address the board on the um agenda items
this evening? >> No, ma'am. >> All right. Thank you, Miss Martinez Young. I want to welcome Attorney Powers to the meeting and we may be hearing from him later this evening. Now, on to our consent agenda items.
Consent agenda items 17.1 through 17.8 represent competitive bid term contract extensions beginning March 1st, 2026 through December 31st, 2026 to provide firm fixed pricing for the efficient purchase of supplies for arts,
classroom, janitorial, sanitary paper, multi-purpose paper, cafeteria products, healthcare, physical education, and classroom furniture. This ensures the central office warehouse remains stocked for school and district operations. For transparency, the total for these
actions is up to $3,340,000 and they are included in the consent agenda this evening. May I have a motion to approve the consent agenda items? >> Motion to approve. >> I heard motion by board member Conrad. >> Second. >> Second by board member Thrower. All
those in favor say I. >> I. Motion passes. 5. Moving on to student disciplinary matters. Before addressing expulsion matters, I'd like to acknowledge the board members have received the alternative placement list for students through January 23rd, 2026. Miss
Martinez Young, are there any parents who've submitted a timely request to speak on their child's disciplinary matter? >> No, Madam Chair. >> Thank you. May I have a motion to approve the expulsion of student JD26-114, JD26-115E, JD26-117,
JD26-118, JD26-120, JD26-121, JD26-123, JD26-124, JD26-125 for the remainder of the 2025 2026
school year, and the first, second, and third quarters of the 2026 2027 school year with services. >> So move. >> Motion by board member Cummings. >> Second. >> Uh second by board member Campbell. All those in favor say I.
>> I. Motion passes. 50. May I have a motion to approve the expulsion of student JD26-116 and JD26-119 with off-campus virtual learning for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year and the first, second, and third
quarters of the 2026 2027 school year. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member Conrad. >> Second. >> Second by board member Campbell. All those in favor say I. >> I. Motion passes 5. Now we will move on to our discussion regular agenda items.
May I have a motion to approve the 2026 2027 and 2027208 Wina Park Elementary instructional calendar? >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member Thrower and a second by board member Cummings. Dr. Brewer, do you have information that you would like to share regarding this item?
>> Yes, ma'am. Thank you. The Wina Park Elementary draft calendars are attached to board docs. The calendars incorporate changes proposed by the school staff that address the board's concerns from the January 8th work session. The revised calendars closely follow the traditional school calendar for the
January inservice and professional development days which include all school student days in May and had the same end date as the traditional calendar. Input was gathered from the entire staff and the calendars were also posted online for staff and parents to provide feedback.
>> Thank you very much Dr. Brewer board. Is there any further discussion on this item? >> Just one comment >> or member Conrad. >> I just want to say thank you, Dr. Brewer, to your staff for they really did make things work. So, I just appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Yes, I'm grateful that it was able to go
back to the schools for some further discussion. It did seem like um after further discussion, there was maybe some necessity to move a few things around. So, I'm grateful for the opportunity to have public discourse about that and um bring it back to the schools for further discussion. Any other discourse from the
board? All right, hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. May I have a motion to approve the interlocal agreement for right-of-way conveyance and preemptive traffic signal installation for the Southwest 80th
Avenue segment 1B project and resolution 25-17 declaring real property unnecessary for educational purposes. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member Conrad. >> Second. >> Second by board member Campbell. Dr. Brewer, do you have information you'd like to share regarding this item?
>> We do not have additional information, but we do have our county engineering team with us here today. So, I want to introduce them to the public in case any of the board members had additional questions. We have Dr. Donald Watson. He's the transportation engineer. And we
have Steven Cahoun, the county engineer. And we really just appreciate the collaborative work um that they have provided. There's Mr. Kahoon in the back waving and Dr. Dawson up front. Watson. >> Wonderful. Thank you both for being here this evening. Board, are there any further questions or comments regarding
this item >> at this time? >> I just wanted to share that I was grateful this was able to come before a work session and we were able to have a comprehensive discussion about it transparently in the public um and and the community and Miss Cruz were going to be able to really work and plan
forward with their schools to um make sure that the proper information gets out to the community. So hopefully we can maybe do some comprehensive training videos for teenagers on how to do roundabouts. So we're looking forward to uh the discussion and obviously the road
work is road work and it is what it is. But we are grateful that we have a partnership where we can come together and problem solve as thought partners. So we appreciate that. Did you want to speak to it? >> Yes. I just wanted to say thank you for everyone involved here. As a student that is at Westport, this can be very
beneficial for everyone there. So I just really appreciate it and I appreciate how as you were saying that there is going to be discussion where students are going to be made sure that they know that this is happening so that they're don't go to school one day and that they see everything there. So yeah, I just
really appreciate all the work you guys are doing. It's it's really amazing. So thank you. >> Absolutely. Thank you very much. Board, any further discussion on this item? All right, hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. May I have a motion to approve the guaranteed maximum
price for the Marian Technical College Radiology Lab project 25-109. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member Thrower and a second by board member Cummings. Dr. Brewer, do you have additional information you'd like to share regarding this item? >> Yes, ma'am. I would like Mr. Gary Smallidge, the director of Marian Technical College to come to the podium
to provide highlights on this particular project. >> Good evening, uh, Chair Dr. James and board members and Dr. Brewer. It's great to be here tonight. Um the GMP in front of you is from Scorpio Contracting. They're going
to go in and um remodel a classroom and turn it into a a live uh radiology lab, which is something we've needed for many years at Marin Technical College. It's going to make our uh radologic technology program, it's already one of the best in Central Florida, but it's
going to give them um the live lab that they've needed. And a few months ago, I was in front of you guys and you approved the purchase of the radio radiology equipment that's going to go in this lab. This is the construction side uh behind it. So, it's just a just a tad under 400,000. That's going to be
for the lead line walls and the doors and the and the windows and everything to keep everybody safe and the construction part of the project. So, and on a side note, we go before the uh um the state board in April, April 15th
to um find out if we're going to be able to do the AS in radiography degree and we're hoping that's going to be approved. So, this is kind of putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. >> Wonderful. Well, we appreciate leadership there and your forethought to be able to continue to bring these
really innovative projects to uh reality for our post-secary learners throughout Marian County. So, >> you're welcome. Thank you guys for supporting us. >> Is there any further discussion? Dr. Campbell, >> Mr. Small Ridge, when you go before the state board, I'm sure there's someone uh in the Florida Senate staff that would like an invitation to be there and
present whenever that conversation occurs. >> I bet she would like to be there. >> I bet she would. Please ensure she's invited. >> Board, is there any further discussion on the agenda item? All right, hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes. >> Thank you guys.
>> Absolutely. We have a motion to approve the employment contract for incoming superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer. >> Second. >> Motion by board member Cummings and a second by board member Conrad. Attorney Powers, please provide some additional context regarding this item. >> Thank you. Yes, we uh had sent our
proposal along with uh our red lines to um to the uh superintendent and as a result we did receive a counter proposal. Um the counter proposal uh first nearly everything that we uh discussed at the board meeting was
accepted outright without any question. Um there are two items that would um the counterpro counter proposal encompasses that she would like us to consider. Uh first is the effective start date. Uh if the school board had selected an
external candidate, that individual would have begun serving as superintendent at the conclusion of the national national search and agreeing to a contract. Uh the interim superintendent contract states that it will continue through and until a
successor superintendent has taken office or April 29th, 2026, whichever comes first. The board made its decision on December 18th and we've been engaged in contract negotiations since. Uh based
on that timeline, uh the superintendent believes the effective start date for the contract should be February 25th, 2026. Um secondly, the contract end date. Um to ensure consistency with all other
administrative contracts and to support operational stability, uh there was a request that the contract conclude on June 30th, 2028. This adjustment aligns the superintendent's contract with the district's fiscal year and school
calendar that ensures the availability of complete and accurate annual data prior to negotiations and avoids placing future contract discussions during the state assessment window. um which is already an intensive period for schools and community. So I submit
that counter proposal for your um discussion and discretion to uh comment on. >> Thank you. Attorney Powers. Uh board, let's start with the start date. Um it was countered a start date of February 25th, which is tomorrow. Um board, what
are your thoughts on the start date being February 25th? Hearing the feedback, Dr. Uh, attorney he deserve a doctorate, but attorney powers has provided. Board member Ther >> I would say it makes perfect sense if it gets approved tonight then Dr. Brewer
would now be our superintendent. So >> thank you board member >> shall be paid accordingly. >> Awesome. Thank you Dr. uh everyone's a doctor today. Board member Thrower. Um Dr. Campbell. >> Sure. Thank you. So, as we had discussion on this item during the work
session, the only reasoning that I was putting behind having the start date of being immediately after her interim contract was essentially expiring or rolling over was for budgetary purposes and based on the amount of money that we had budgeted. And I know it is just
talking about two two months difference in in salary. Uh but every dollar matters and so we know that we're moving forward with this agreement with Dr. Brewer um as becoming our superintendent, but that was the only justification in my mind's eye um to
have it be April 28th. But if the rest of the board is in favor of making it tomorrow, then I can get on board with that, too. >> Right. Reverend Cummings, do you have an opinion? >> I think. >> Okay. Well, board member Conrad, did you have any comments? >> I'm in agreement. >> All right. We did have to talk about one
more item, though. So, uh, the end date >> contract end date. Correct. >> So, the adjustment of the contract end date from, um, the April date to June 30th. Is there anyone in disalignment with changing that date? >> That's fine. >> Okay. So, then I'm going to offer an
amended motion. Actually, you want me to offer an amended motion? Okay. Um, let me find where I am. Sorry. Uh, I want to offer an amended motion to approve the employment contract for incoming superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer with a start date amended to
February 25th, 2026 and an end date amended to June 30th, 2028. Can I get a new motion in second? >> Yes. >> Motion to approve. >> Mo motion by board member Thrower and a second by um board member Conrad. Uh,
did we need to vote on the original motion? Attorney Powers. >> No. >> Okay. Um, is there any further discussion on the matter? >> All right. Uh, all those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. We can officially
welcome Dr. Daniel Brewer as our superintendent. All right. Wonderful. We will probably talk a little bit more about that in comments. U Miss Martinez Young, do we have any speakers this evening related um to the work of the work of the school board?
>> Yes, Madam Chair, we have three. >> All right. Wonderful. Well, I would like to welcome back attorney Powers to offer remarks regarding public comment. Thank you. In compliance with section 286.0114 0114 the Florida statutes. The school board has adopted uniform uh
procedures for public speakers who wish to speak at this evening's meeting on a matter related to the operations of the school district. These procedures will ensure the public has a reasonable opportunity to be heard on school board and school district matters. A written
summary of these procedures is available from the table in the lobby. Public speaker forms are located on the same table and those forms were due to the school board's clerk no later than 5:40 p.m. The speakers will be called um in the
order of receipt by the school board clerk at the end of the business meeting. Before you begin speaking, please state your full name for the record and spell your last name. Each speaker will have three minutes. When the speaker has one minute remaining,
the speaker will receive a visual notice to complete his or her comments. Speakers may not yield their time to other people. Speakers and meeting attendees are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Speakers may not yield, I'm sorry. Therefore, verbal attacks and profanity
are strictly prohibited. The board is here to listen to your comments only. You may be directed to an administrative staff member following the conclusion of your comments for further assistance to address your concerns. A speaker speech does not reflect the
endorsement, sponsorship, position, or expression of the school district. Also, in order to ensure student privacy, only a parent or guardian may use a student's first or last name. Identifying references to other students are also prohibited.
Thank you for your attention to the board's requirements, Madam Chair. That concludes my explanatory remarks. >> Thank you very much, Attorney Powers. Miss Martinez Young, can you please call the first speaker, >> Linda Ricky? >> Good morning and w uh good evening and welcome. You'll have three minutes.
Thank you. Good evening. I am Linda Ricky. Um, R I C K E Y 2316 Northeast 40th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34470. I appreciate this opportunity to talk to
you all. Um, I've been in front of the school board numerous times to discuss VAM um, which is an evaluative uh, system that the state uses value added model. The name is
very demoralizing just to start off with, but um I can tell you a lot of facts about VAM. Um but mostly I'm here because I want you to have like um a complete picture so that I'm certain
that this topic is going to continue to come up. I know a lot of people and and I've heard um from quite a few about really low VAM and for me I had the the
lowest VAM you can get this past year. Um and I'm not telling you that because you know um I need sympathy. I'm telling you that because I've also been highly effective and effective and something
just really doesn't feel right about VAM. But I wanted to kind of talk to you about the impact that this rating that is very sketchy um has on teachers. I can tell you that
um the individual VAM that goes to a teacher is not required legislatively. So Mary and county can choose a different measure and only about 10% of the teachers in Mary County get the formal individualized
VAM state VAM. Um so really it's like 10% um getting that. But what I really want to talk to you about is the score really doesn't matter so much to me because um
I get my worth from Jesus. But I feel like I've taught for 30 years in this county. I have prayed and cried tears at funerals of children that died bunch too young. I've sat in my
classroom stunned when the three children were gunned down. I knew all three of them. I pray prayed and cried when one of my students was kidnapped. Um there has been many many things
happen in a classroom. Um, and I feel like um I don't really want anybody to change their position on VAM, but if you really do think that VAM is talking about the value that I have added to students
lives and education, then I really think that you should look me in the eye and tell me that I was unsatisfactory. I think that you'd have problem doing that.
>> Thank you very much. I think your time is expired. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Martina Jean. Can you call our next speaker, >> Kayla Bowen? The clock was going. Good evening. >> Is that a good height?
>> Caleb Bowman, B O W M. Um, good evening board. Thank you for allowing us to present you with an off agenda item tonight. And just just to comment on that, um, I'm here as a parent from Spar Elementary. I don't personally have a background in education, law, politics. So, I have no intention of standing here
and trying to pretend that I reali that I understand the weight that you guys carry with the challenges that you face um as people that we trust to steward the funds efficiently, care for our community's needs as a whole, not to mention your human beings with lives and families yourselves. So, um I hope that
you hear me coming from a place of gratitude and compassion for what you do. Um we at SPAR have heard that there would be possible resoning in the near future. We already had plans of attending community meetings to address our concerns for that as it was. Now, there's been a quick shifting of gears. Um, that has somewhat blindsided our
growing school. Upon reviewing the meeting in its entirety, we have concerns with how it was handled. And at this time, it seems wise of us to pause, gather our own information, and rally as a community to bring our concerns to the table. At this time, we at minimum ask that you consider practicing that pause.
as well. If I may, I would like to briefly note that although I am aware that the numbers you used referring to SPAR enrollment um was in regards to aszoned kids on the future plans Mr. White House had in front of you, that's not our reality. You mentioned that SPAR
is at 70% capacity and that unfortunately is incorrect. We have over 400 students putting us at over 100% capacity of SPAR currently. Correct numbers were mentioned back in October I believe, but never at last week's meeting. So, at the very least, it seems
you may have been rushed and operating those decisions based on inaccurate information about the number of students and staff that this would affect. Um, as you have publicly shared, some of you have and still do exercise your right to school choice. Many of our SPAR families do as well, already choosing SPAR over
surrounding North End elementary options. With this fast-track decision moving forward in 2627, this leaves us with very limited choice. By May, when you plan on finalizing this, options for school choice, private school enrollment, homeschool funding would be closed, as well as time for proper
placement for our devoted staff. This feels like a force move to fill Reddic Collier considering the goals listed in your previous meetings of utilizing Reddic space and preventing schools of hope from coming into our district were of top priority. Again, I understand the stress that this puts you guys under.
Um, as someone who believes in finding the root cause of chronic issues and not just treating symptoms, I find it valuable to do the same in this situation. I have faith that you all are capable of doing that and can recognize that closing spar to force kids to reic is only a band-aid to a chronic issue. I
ask the board to pause with us, consider the ripple effect and decisions being made, reflect on the posture in which the decision last week was made, and come with an open mind as we further these discussions. I will continue to pray for our school and all of you individually as we go into the next days
and weeks together. My hope is that we as a community remain kind, level-headed, and present our case with respect. My prayer and faith is rooted in God's will being done in these efforts put forth by everyone. Thank you for your time, and you'll certainly be seeing us soon. >> Thank you very much,
>> Adam. Christian Cooper. >> Okay. >> All right, Miss Martina Jang, does that conclude the speakers for this evening? >> Yes, Madam Chair. >> Wonderful. Uh, thank you all for being present this evening to share your thoughts um very eloquently. We
appreciate you being here. Um, we will move into board meeting um committee reports and concerns. We'll start with Miss Martinez Jang. >> Nothing, Madam Chair. Thank you. >> All right. Attorney Powers. >> Nothing further from legal. Thank you. >> All right. Dr. Brewer.
>> Superintendent. Dr. Brewer. >> Thank you. I truly appreciate the school board's confidence and my leadership and look forward to continuing our work um as your superintendent. So, thank you. And thank you to this incredible team that's with us tonight. Um so, we could
not do this work without any of you. So, thank you so much. I um want to remind the community that we are in the middle of South Eastern Youth Fair week. We have a few more exciting shows taking place this week. Um we also are in the
middle of celebrating public schools week and this is important to all of us. As you know, we have continued to um showcase so many great things in Marian County. last week, last month, we celebrated career and technical education and we're continuing that now and our accelerated programs and it's
just one of the many reasons that our community chooses Marian County Public Schools. So, it's an exciting week for us to be a part of. And I also just happen to recognize Mrs. Ellerman in the very back tonight and she gave me my
first assistant principal position. So, it's really neat that she's here for her grandson, but I'm happy to see her. So, thank you, Mrs. Ellerman. Those are all my comments this evening. >> Thank you, Dr. Brewer. Um, we will start with our student board members. Luke Lombardo, you want to go first? >> Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I just wanted to
start off by congratulating Dr. Brewer because she has already done so much for the schools in Marian County and even just as the interim superintendent and I know that she's going to do an amazing job and the opportunities that students
were given in focus groups and many other things where pretty much every single student that had an opportunity to bring forth their opinion said that Dr. Brewer would be their first choice to be our superintendent and to represent Marian County. So, we are just really appreciative for everything that
you have given us the opportunity to do and we are very grateful to have such an amazing superintendent that is going to help represent our schools. And also, I just wanted to I know she's not here anymore, but just congratulate and thank Miss Hendry for giving us that
presentation before the pledge and just being able to recognize the importance of showing that each student has their individual needs and the importance that each of those individual needs needs to be met. And I think that MCPS does a really amazing job with that. And I really appreciate that. And being able
to truly see that firsthand is really amazing. And I think the fact that she was able to come forth and recognize something that is already being done so well in Marian County is just really amazing and I just really appreciate everything you guys do and everything that you give students the opportunity
to do and I couldn't be more grateful. So thank you. >> Thank you and thank you for your consistent presence on our board as a student board member. Isaac Smith, would you like to share a little bit? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you board and chair. And I would just like to start out by congratulating
Dr. Brewer on her appointment to superintendent. Um, I know the work you do is insanely hard and we do appreciate you at North Marine High School and we'd like to congratulate you. I'd also like to send a congratulations to the organizations that donated to our boys
basketball team. Uh, the $1,750 by our Down bylaw LLC and the $1,000 from Dwayne A. Evans. Our basketball team was very successful this year making it to the semi-finals and that money helped with the uniforms and the
jumpsuits. So, I would just like to extend another thank you to them and once again just to thank you for you guys allowing me to be on the board to learn this process. So, thank you guys. >> Thank you very much. Uh we'll go down uh board member Thrower.
>> Thank you. Um good evening everybody. Um I too want to join in congratulating you uh Dr. Brewer on uh your superintendency. Um we've worked together off and on for a few years and it's it's just nice to uh see you where
you are after all of the hard work and effort and passion and compassion um that you have uh for our kids and our our families and and our whole community's success. So um congratulations again and it's always great to have our student board members
here. you uplift us every single meeting and give us new things to think about and and new perspectives. So, thanks again for for being here tonight. Um, I know that uh, Chair James might end up speaking to who our thank a teacher was
this week, so I'll leave that uh to you. But the uh, thank a teacher program is just such a great way to again lift teachers up by surprise and and acknowledge their value in the work that they do every day. So, it's always a
pleasure um, to join those um, surprises at the schools. Um, also really great to see Miss Ricky. It's been a while. I was remembering our our uh positive behavior supports and you guiding that work at East Marian many years ago. And uh I
can't say you know what could have gone sideways with with VAM, but I do know uh at least when we were connected the the value and and the the the true love and the very straightforward academic expectations you had for your students.
So it's it's good to see you again tonight. Um I was unfortunately unable to be here in person for the the work session this past Thursday, but I That's the beauty of YouTube and and debriefings. Uh I was able to get caught
up uh pretty quickly on the essence of of the meeting. And thank you all for for coming um tonight. Uh Miss Bowman, your thoughtful words on how we navigate through uh making difficult decisions
really resonated with me. uh because at the end when I look at our organizational chart, it's not the school board that's at the top of that chart, it's the taxpayers. And so I always try to keep that in mind when we're trying to navigate through
difficult decisions because if we didn't have the majority of support for all the things that we do, we wouldn't be going where we are in the positive direction that we're going as as a school system.
So, I I take that input very seriously and I am very much looking forward to further conversations um regarding the the the North Side um
growth, the North Side uh culture, the the North Side uh commitment to their your children and and to each other and and how to navigate all of that in the most compassionate
and deliberate and thoughtful and future thinking manner possible while maintaining our fiscal responsibility towards keeping this district afloat. But personally, I know that there that would be a whole
lot harder to do without the incredible support that that we have gotten, especially these past 12 years with our school funding referendums being renewed three times, I believe, and now we're going to be looking at number four, the half penny sales tax. Uh, that comes
from the taxpayers. And and I recognize you as as my boss. So again, I look forward to further conversations and landing on a plan that not only solves some short-term issues
in a fiscally responsible manner, but also acknowledges the need for services and and support and and recognition of the north side. Um, we've done a lot
with very little for as long as I can remember. Those of you that uh remember the the portables out in front of North Marian High School for all those years, well, we still managed to get an education, didn't we? You know, we we we do what we need to do and and that's how
we are as a district. You know, we've had to get by on very little. But when the support is there and the money is there, we just have to figure out a way to divvy it up that supports everything that we're trying to do in a way that most people can get behind. And even the ones that aren't really behind it'll be
able to say grudgingly, well, that made sense. You know, it might not be exactly what I wanted, but we've landed on something that we can move forward with. So, thank you again for coming out tonight, and I look forward to the conversation, which will be March 5th.
We'll be getting some followup and the community um input sessions that are coming up, the community meetings. Thank you. That's all I have tonight. >> Thank you, board member Thrower. Uh Reverend Cummings. >> Good evening, everyone. Excuse me. Um it's been a
a lot of stuff we've done tonight. I I do want to um start by um congratulating several schools um in our consent agenda that had audits, good audits, perfect audits. Um, I think we had uh Dunelan Middle School, Maplewood, and Stanton. I
think this is Stanton's third perfect audit uh in a row. So, we want to congratulate those schools that are having those great audits and the ones that are getting closer to that. Um, we we look forward to those audits.
I also want to um let me back up. Congratulations, Dr. Brewer. Let me say that. Congratulations. Um, we expect great things from you and your team and the team that you've assembled. So, um, uh, it's official now. You're in the big chair. So, you can spin around one time,
but after that one spin, let's go to work. So, uh, you've already been doing that, and that's what we expect. So, congratulations to you. Um, last week, um, during the work session, right after the work session, Dr. camel and I went
to um Palaca for a Florida school boards association crown regional meeting in that meeting and I just want to bring this forward. I don't know if Dr. Cameron was planning on doing it. Um, in that meeting we talked about some different things, but we also saw a
presentation from um, a company called um, Connect Florida and they just so happened to pull up one of our high schools and it talks about the connectivity of uh, how uh, how how uh,
what is it? Well, self cell phone carriers um, the coverage at our schools. Guess what school it was? Belle High School. >> No, my alma model >> Forest >> Forest High School. >> They didn't even look at Belle. Good golly. >> When I'm in the rock room, you can't get >> you can't you don't have you don't have
coverage. And know Mr. Ver used to be the principal there. Um the coverage is horrible at u many of our schools and they they were willing to do this. So I brought this forward because I think we need to have a conversation with this company um to see what can be done. I
know we have cell phones towers on some of our properties. I remember when I first got on the board, Nancy, we went through this whole big thing with those uh those towers and everything, but um it could be beneficial to us as a
district to have uh cell phone uh more carriers on certain towers and there's a there's a um component of it that generates revenue for our district. And not only does it do that, it also helps um even with some of the things with our
safe schools department um other areas that can help as far as that coverage. So I'm going to pass this off to you, Dr. Brewer, Superintendent Brewer. Um so hopefully our people will look into this. It's called Connect Florida. Stronger signals, superior connections.
And again, there is a uh revenue generating component to this that could be um very good for us as a district. That could be very good to us as a district. Um the other thing I want to talk about
um we we we had that um work session on last Thursday and in that work session there were some discussions there were some some um conversations um there was a
presentation by our our our our team executive team Mr. White House and others concerning the situation um with um uh the north side. And I want to say this um I thank Mr. White House and the
team for the presentation since that time we we we knew and and some folk were probably trying to push me to to to get into that conversation. My my experience tells me sometimes it's better to not say so much. it's better to listen and see what folk have got to
say before you say something. Um, I kind of know that that's going to be a some tough questions, some tough conversations. I heard from many folk from the Spar community and the Anthony community and the Reddit community and
the North End community. I heard from many people and their concerns are legitimate. There's some things that we may not have taken into consideration that may need to be talked about. I my my my my my stance is that
and I want to make this clear because many of the calls and and communication that got folk think a decision has already been made. That is not so. The decision has not been made. There's going to be community conversations. There's going to be more community conversations. So, I want to thank you
all for coming out tonight to put your your concerns on the table. Keep putting your concerns on the table. make sure that all your issues are addressed and not just um swept under the rug and which we won't do anyway. Excuse me. So, I want to say this to to
the community concerning these conversations. There are going to be some hard conversations. There are going to be some hard decisions made, but your input is needed. Your concerns are needed. Um what you bring to the table
adds value. I believe that um any decision made can't be made unless your input is there. Um we had some um advisory committees in the in the decision making uh in the presentation making that Mr. White House
gave so input but we also had some community meeting scheduled and that's where the other community input is going to come from. So, we're looking forward I am personally looking forward to that that uh input that we're going to get.
I want you to understand that um the decisions going to be there's going to be some decisions that's going to have to be made based on um the financial situation of our district. And there'll be some hard decisions, but
I know that they'll be done in transparency. I know that they'll be done with um being fiscally responsible, but what we need from and I know they'll be done with compassion, with common sense, and with community input. Um so,
please um on March 5th, I think that's the date. March 5th is our next uh date concerning these conversations. Please bring your concerns. Please know that we welcome the emails. at least this board member
welcomes the emails and the phone calls because there are some things that's in that's that have to be considered in this conversation before anything is made. So, thank you all for coming out tonight and we look forward to furthering the
conversation. Thank you. >> Thank you, Reverend Cummings. Board member Thorough, did you have something you wanted to add? Yes, ju just quickly. Um it's always important to acknowledge perfect audits is a lot of work with the money that flows through and the regulations and how it's accounted for.
And uh Maplewood is in my district, Maplewood Elementary School, and they had a perfect audit and Vanguard was right on their heels. They had one little itty bitty finding. So I just also wanted to take a quick minute and and thank uh the both of those school teams for their hard work and um getting
to that point. So that was it. Thanks. Thank you, board member Thorough. Dr. Campbell, >> thank you. Uh, you guys are stealing my thunder. You know, that's what I always like to talk about when we talk about perfect audits. Hopefully that we acknowledging the hard work of those secretaries and bookkeepers and those that are in and the principles and
everyone that's in charge of that will just make everyone in the whole district strive for perfect audits because that's what we really really want to see. Uh, but obviously congratulations to Dr. Brewer and uh we're glad to have you on board and uh ready to get to the work
because I know that there's a lot of work still yet to be done. I'm going to touch base on that in just a minute. But uh just some things that I had written down so I have absolutely had perfect audits. Check that's already been covered. uh wanted to uh say thank you
to um Miss Bowman for coming and sharing in a in such a an eloquent and respectful manner. To Reverend Cummings point, I too have received many email communications and have been purposeful in responding to everyone I've received. If you happen to send one and you
haven't gotten a response yet, it's because it's stuck in spam. Sometimes we have this amazing quarantine filter that occasionally they don't actually get released until we say to release them. So please know that it is my intention to respond to every uh communication
that comes in. Uh we certainly had a lot of conversation about the the north end and I welcome the opportunity to have all five of us at the table to have constructive dialogue. I I think that we got to a different place uh this past
Thursday than where we had been before. I know that took a lot of people off guard and I can completely respect that. I also understand what it looks like to brainstorm in public and as we've said multiple times, this board does not have the ability to talk about these kinds of things behind closed doors and we do
have pretty strong opinions about different things when it comes to the money and and the focus of where we're putting our resources in the district. We know that sightbased budgeting is something that well the community knows sitebased budgeting is something I've been talking about since I became a
board member almost six years ago. So it's something that we're finally at the at the point that we're going to be rolling this out and all of our sites not just schools all of our sites that includes departments as well are going to be utilizing the sitebased budgeting
model coming up in the 2627 budget year. It's what our peers around the state have been doing, what our high-performing peers around the state have been doing for quite some time. I understand it's going to be a shock to our systems, to many of us, but it
doesn't mean that different isn't also good. So, uh, that is a part of this conversation and a part of this decision. I do know that the community meetings that were previously scheduled have now been rescheduled because we got those, uh, notices today. So those
community meetings will still happen. Uh they have been rescheduled in this if if that hasn't been rolled out yet. Dr. Brewer, I know that that you will be sharing that with all of the community. Um but I I think that's all I'll say about that for right now because March 5th will be a big day for us to really
talk about what that looks like. Uh I my the last thing I'll say about that is my vision for it and this is my individual vision again is that we would combine campuses or combine student bodies in
the 2627 school year and then roll out where their new construction would occur so that they would receive new construction but not while they're sitting on the campus. and and that's um I I don't believe it will be a full $45
million elementary school. That's that's the position that I'm taking right now unless I hear otherwise from the county. Uh that the permitting is just um you know dictating what that looks like. Um but also to Miss Bowman's point, I I did pull our
numbers right now and SPAR is sitting at 101% capacity with 420 students. I believe what was shown to us is that what it will be uh after we relocate the students because Reddit Collier is
sitting right now at 47% capacity with 324 students. So I believe that it some things may have been said incorrectly but we I think we're forecasting for the 2627 school year what that looks like. Okay, moving on to other things. Uh
wanted to give a a quick shout out to all those middle schoolers that participated in math counts. I know that was a a big day on Saturday and lots of great work happened among those middle schoolers. I used to love that back
whenever my now graduate used to like being smart and then he stopped like being known as a smart person and stopped like doing math counts. I really loved math counts. It's great. Kudos to all the STEM fair folks too because that's smart way beyond what I can even comprehend and just super grateful for
the good work that's being done in our schools. It's a wonderful example of the amazing things our educators are helping students do and also the learning that the students are doing outside the classroom because a lot of that research and data collection is happening outside the classroom. So, um just kudos to you
including our own student board member Luke. Um, wanted to tell the community if you are not aware that our early learners program at Forom Early Learning Academy has opened and their open enrollment is happening now through March 27th, 2026. So, if you have a three-year-old or a soon tobe
three-year-old, please take a look at the Forom Early Learners program. They have very competitive rates and they also provide wraparound services for three-year-olds even from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 pm. So, uh they do have that
opportunity again with very competitive rates in an early learning atmosphere and not just a traditional daycare. So, please uh take a look at that if you have a student that you would be um interested in having there. Also wanted to say about the sand skinks finally
board. If you have not been made aware, we received notification end of last week that we are in our publication period and the hope is, fingers crossed, we will have a permit in hand by March 30th and so we will hopefully be able to
schedule that groundbreaking as soon thereafter so we can get started on that Lake Middle School replacement. Thank you publicly again to Senator Scott and Representative Randy Fine staffs who helped us with that immensely and uh
they they really went above and beyond to try and get that from what we hear even though our process was about 18 months that is really faster than they usually see them which is just amazing not in a good way. Uh so I I just wanted
to to say that Sanskink permit should be in hand by March 30th. I have two more things here. Uh Reverend Cummings did mention us being at the Florida School Boards Association Crown Regional meeting. Thank you for bringing up the Connect Florida. We heard a couple of
great presentations. One of them board I wanted to make you aware of uh just because I thought it was fascinating and interesting and this is going to be speaking to the district leadership team as well. There's a project called the Iowa Lighthouse Project and it really
talks a lot about high achieving school boards and high achieving school district leadership teams. And I wanted to just share with you what those core beliefs are as well as the core governance behaviors because some of it certainly has been exemplified this
evening and some of it we can strengthen even more as we move forward in our board meetings. Um so core findings of high achieving boards focus on student achievement and their beliefs and focus alignment are belief in student potential which we heard tonight from
Miss Henry consistent focus on learning district-wide alignment and datadriven improvement. Those are the beliefs and the focus alignment and then the governance behaviors that are linked to student achievement that high achieving boards focus on. They have focused
systemwide priorities, results focused goal setting as we're preparing for our strategic plan, goal monitoring and data use and engage the community. We certainly have the community here this evening and we're going to be having more community meetings in the future.
One thing that they pointed out that I'm not certain we do enough of is every single time they made a point to say high achieving boards when they are renewing contracts for educational resource tools
we as board and I need to do this better all of us need to in my opinion need to be asking show us the results show us exactly what we approved last year and what the data is showing how that specific tool has impacted student
achievement and student learning prior to us approving a renewal of a contract for any educational tool. I think as we're talking budget, we're talking all the things we need, in my opinion, I we need to be more focused on what that looks like. Um, so that's from FSBA and
our core re our crown regional meeting, excuse me. Last thing I wanted to mention is just kind of putting my parent hat on. I wanted to say thank you to the team at Belleview High School with their ACE senior field trip. Right now, they are in Philadelphia. They spent an extra day in New York City
because of the snow that came there. The uh team there has been wonderful at communicating with families back here left behind knowing that our kids are playing in the snow or what that looked like. And um they've they've been communicating really well. I know the students are having a wonderful
experience. And I think the chaperons are having a little bit of fun, too. Uh, it was a lot more snow. I think we had to reschedu that trip because of the previous blizzard that hit that New England area and now they rescheduled for now and a blizzard hit again. So, uh, they are headed to DC. I don't know
if that's in the morning or initially they were scheduled to be in DC this evening, but I don't know that that's happening. They are going to be in DC tomorrow, finish their trip uh, out of DC and then head back on Thursday. But just wanted to give a public shout out to that Cambridge ACE team who is not
only with um the students in New England, but also uh to those that are left behind who are um helping us parents feel calm about all the decisions being made. So that concludes my comments. Thank you, Chair. >> Thank you, Vice Chair Conrad.
>> Good evening, Chair. Um I want to start with congratulations, Dr. Brewer. I'm really excited that we will be at the C lunchon tomorrow and we will get to say Superintendent Dr. Brewer. We get to drop interim. So, congratulations.
Um, I just have a few things on my list. Uh, I'll try to move that through them quickly. Uh, it's been a busy week. Um, today we had the technical working group met here on the MTI campus. Um, it was a successful meeting. I'm getting excited.
Uh Tracy with the county said she was excited. So I took that as a really great sign. Uh so we're looking forward to the PSPO meeting on April 1st. And so just sharing that as a reminder. Everybody has that on their calendar, but looking forward to coming together
and the work that we're doing not just for Marian County School Board, but the work that's getting done really for our community um and the students that we serve. So giving that quick update. Um yesterday we had I met with for the student progression plan. Lots and lots
of work goes into that. There's so much information um that's covered and uh I learned a lot that our administrators and our teams at schools use that to guide their decision-making process. And so learning as I'm going a lot has changed since I left the classroom. And
so um their challenges are some of the same that we have. They're waiting on legislation. So, um, that that plan is in motion. Um, and they're finalizing details to bring to us soon. Um, I wanted to to comment, uh, along with
Reverend Cummings. You know, we we don't want our students on the phone at schools, but we do like to have service. So, it's a double-edged sword. But I will say when I'm at Belleview High School doing take stock mentoring, I I call sometimes I call Miss Martinez
Young, you know, hey, I'm going in the black hole because there's no service. And the same thing is true at at Forest High School when you go I head to the rock room on Fridays and it's like you're in a different world because there is absolutely zero service. So, um you know, we don't want our students on
the phone, but we do like service. So, some challenges that that we face there. So, I just wanted to acknowledge that. Um, the public ed foundation. I just again want to say thank you to Megan and the foundation. The work that they do is
phenomenal. Um, I just if if every every um foundation worked as hard as the public head foundation, the world would be a really great place the work that they're able to do. And I wanted to share that uh when I had the opportunity to be in Miss Henry's room. It is
absolutely um moving. So uh she she called it a oh I wrote it down adaptive device. Uh so her students were making American flags when I happened out of cardboard when I happened to be in the room. And so she had taken a yard stick
and a clothes pin for a student that had very limited mobility so that he could just lean forward with his adaptive device and cut his own uh American flag. And so, um, you know, we we saw our math
counts and our steam, uh, celebration this evening. And then we also see the accommodations that are made from some of our learners that have the biggest need. And so, the work that's done right here in Marian County is just um,
inspiring. Uh, the range is big. Um, the task is large. Um, and you all meet it every day. And so just really uh grateful to be a small part of this team. Um I wanted to say thank you to Miss
Bowman for speaking this evening. Um I had written quite a long response last night um as I was on the uh Facebook page. Um and so I'm going to I'm going to keep it short because Miss Bowman,
you settled you settled my heart just a little bit. Um, I just want to say that this change is hard. No matter what it is, if it's change at your house or change for your child, change for your grandchild, you know, change for a school district, it's
all hard. Um, hard does not mean that it's easy. Um, and it it doesn't certainly doesn't always feel good. Uh, and I know that all of us can probably remember a time when we had to make a decision or we made a decision and we
knew it was the right decision, but it sure as heck didn't feel good. And so, I just wanted to share that with you. Um, Miss Bowman, you mentioned being in prayer. Um, not just for your school, but for the board. And I want to tell you how much I appreciate that because I
do lose sleep when I put my head on the pillow at night. Um, is there a perfect solution right now? in my heart I don't feel there is um so anyway it's just been heavy on my heart and I appreciate um so much what Dr. Gamble shared is
that um your willingness to come forward and share your heart with us um without attacking we get that a lot and so it was it was really um I just really appreciate you um opening up and sharing what your concerns are but also keeping
the lines of communication open for us too. So thank you for that. Um, okay. And I I think that wraps it up for me, chair, and that concludes my comments for this evening. Thank you. >> Thank you, Vice Chair Conrad. Um, I
believe student board member Luke Lamardo had something to share. >> Yes, ma'am. Well, Vice Chair Conrad was speaking. It reminded me of one thing that we have been able to take part in, which is something called Bravery Angels. And I've also seen Mr. White House there. But I think that if you
don't know what it is, it's an initiative that creates an opportunity where you can have conversations with people who may not have the same beliefs or opinions as you. And it creates a space or a platform where you can have such conversations but you don't feel
scared or afraid to say what you believe in because it's not a space that encourages that judgment but it encourages where you can learn from one another and really just hear what the other people have to say without feeling like you're being taught or people are
infringing on what you're believing. So I just wanted to say that I think something like this would be really amazing to see in schools. maybe not in the classroom necessarily, but just creating a platform where students can have such conversations, where they're
able to talk about their beliefs, but not feel judged or scared to do so. So, I just think that that was something that I have had the opportunity to participate in and it's been a really cool opportunity and I just thought that I would just bring that forward and see if something maybe could be done where
we could have something like that brought into the school system where students can have conversations where they can say what they believe and where they can really be taught to communicate in such a way because when you're growing up it's kind of hard to bring forward your beliefs. But if you're
given an opportunity to learn how to communicate in ways that adults would communicate, then I think that it would just be really cool. And then also being able to see Mr. White House and Mr. Rembert and just how so many of you guys are just engaged with what we're doing
and being able to see them at the STEM fair has just been really cool. And just seeing how you guys never fail to show up is really awesome. So, thank you. >> Thank you very much. All right. Um I will start with some just quick updates. um the bell schedule committee met. That
is probably the easiest committee that's ever existed currently. Um and there are hardly any changes coming to the board. So I'm just happy to report that some minor transportation adjustments or sitebased budgeting adjustments are shifting things just ever so slightly,
but other than that, no big deal. Um I wanted to um ask uh Dr. Brewer about the fee schedule. Um, we had discussed the fee schedule for rentals quite some time ago, but I don't think we've gotten it updated back. So, if we could just look at the board work sessions and see when
that fee schedule would be coming up. Um, I was reminded because Kingdom of the Sun recently um was here as well as um my involvement with Mary County Youth Football League um and some awareness I had from them as well. So, I just I know it's something that we still need to
discuss. Um the board I believe we will all be present tomorrow for the C lunchon. It is quite a well- attended um event and I look forward to representing Maring County Public Schools strong with you all at the luncheon. Um the youth fair is a staple in our community, but
specifically in the north end. Um I was with my family yesterday dropping off our bunny for Watch Me Grow. And um it is always um quite an overstimulating experience to go into the barn where all of the chickens and bunnies are. Um but
it is wonderful to see students taking ownership of learning outside of the classroom and I think that's what makes youth so amazing. Uh, and I always tell people in the community, uh, a student who participates in 4, FFA, and youth fair, um, they are generally some of the
most respectable human beings that are coming into our community, into our environment. And honestly, it's one of the reasons we chose to participate in my family because I want you to learn that the world is more important than just yourselves. And you got to take care of that animal to keep it alive. Uh, and it builds some really good um,
strong character. So, that's really wonderful. So, if you have time to make it out to the youth fair, it is always worth the um the time spent because the students are doing such wonderful jobs. Um board, I wanted to make you all aware um and I only made became aware of this
because um we are we have a chaperone in my household who is going on a field trip. We are now going to be requiring level two background checks for chaperones, which I am a huge fan of. However, um they do come at a cost. And so I would love to work um with staff to
come up with some ways to brainstorm how to um work on closing that financial barrier for families who may not be able to go on field trips anymore due to the the requirement for the level two background check. So Dr. Brewer, I'd love to be a thought pum partner on
that. I'm sure that there are schools that have parents who would love to chaper own but maybe cannot um address the financial burden of the background check. So just having awareness of that and figuring out how to problem solve if it were to come available would be wonderful. Um doing school visits has
been great. Um I'm always trying to visit all of the schools throughout the school year and many of the principles have shared their dealings with sitebased budgeting. But um not to get in the weeds on it, but I want to just say how complimentary principles have been of the um executive team and
leadership teams and the trainings that they've received, the understanding that they've been able to gather about sitebased budgeting and um they spoke highly of the perspective it's given them and the lens it's given them for looking at their campuses and ways to
spend money most efficiently. So yes, there are some complicated conversations coming out of it, but principles generally speaking are feeling very um excited for the opportunity to take a level of ownership over what happens on their campus and how their money is
spent. Uh I want to acknowledge uh Miss Christmas uh who is a CTE teacher on the north end. She was our um thank teacher this month from the public education foundation. Very cool. a former student was the um who works at HCA is the
person who put in the bank a teacher recommendation uh and she was a product of North Marian High School and Miss Christmas's class and so um it's it was really wonderful. The room was full of students who most of which are headed into the healthcare field upon high school graduation and it
was a very full circle moment but speaks to also that um learning is happening not just in an algebra classroom or an English classroom but students are also learning in current technical environments every single day on our campuses and learning how to be productive citizens once they graduate.
So I wanted to acknowledge that um the public notice procedures I think I I just want to Dr. if you can follow up with the board at some point about maybe the changes that may be coming with public notices with regard to Gazette versus school website and any of those
changes that may be happening. We don't need to get into it now, but if you could just brief the board on any changes um from a legislative perspective that have shifted in our requirements. >> Um that would be wonderful. And then um finally, I want to touch on Dr. Brewer.
Congratulations, Dr. Brewer. Uh I want to acknowledge that Dr. Brewer stepped into a role last April um very abruptly and really was able to take ownership and take the reigns and made lots of very hard decisions. Last summer was a
very hard budget year um and took all of the ownership of those decisions on. But as I look out into the audience, which you can't see from the perspective of YouTube, but the audience um the first few rows are filled with staff who support the work of this district every
single day. And a good leader is only as good as the team they're able to work with. Uh and so I want to make sure to thank all of you all as well because this last 8 to 10 months have been a a season of kind of unknown and I'm grateful that your leadership some of you who are new to our team since then
um Mr. Rios Walsh as an example uh have been a part of our team during this interim period and that takes a risk for you as well. And so I'm grateful that you all have a commitment to Marian County Public Schools and your leadership is faithful to the work that we're doing. And um I know that there is
many things still to be done, but I want to acknowledge the work that is getting done every single day tirelessly. Uh and you all make a really wonderful team. So it's a pleasure to be able to work with you all. And then finally, I will touch on the north end resoning. I want to
start by recapping. We did get um a notification from Dr. Brewer of confirmation of dates. I wanted to say those publicly and um my hope is that Mr. Christian will be working with his team on a um either some level of announcement that can go out to the community, but for recognition, there is
a work session next Thursday at 9:00 a.m. And the work session, one of the agenda items, there will be many, is on the resoning updates. Um, specifically the request was to come back with a finalized plan for what it would look like for all of Spar students to be
reszoned. Obviously, the discussion, as you noticed previously, could evolve into other things, but the item will be on the agenda for that day. Then there will be a rule making and development April 2nd, which will be followup of the community meetings. That's where we will
discuss any of the specifics related to the resoning. And then the rulemaking public hearing will be April 28th. No final decision would be made before April 28th. And um April 28th is an evening meeting and April 2nd is a work
session 9:00 a.m. meeting. The community meetings for the north end are scheduled for Spar Elementary March 9th at 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Reic Collier March 25th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Anthony Elementary
March 26th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. But again, we'll make sure all that information makes it out appropriately to the schools and community. Um certainly last Thursday was one of the days that make the work from up here more challenging than others. There are
days that are very easy and very quick and other days are a little bit more heavy and complicated. Um, I have been a fierce advocate for a not just a new school on the north end, but an understanding that a new school would have to come with some level of consolidation
um to be a good steward of money. Um, while also acknowledging that the North End, generally speaking, has been overlooked for a really long time. Um, I didn't grow up here. I married into a family that grew up here and has generationally been here for quite some
time. Um, and so when I talk with family and history and look back historically, things look very similar to the way they have always looked. Uh, and so I I will maintain a passion for putting something
new on the north end besides a cafeteria because we just deserve more than a cafeteria. Um, I've also been very consistent in my statement that between the loan that we took to build new schools in the southwest and the sales
tax that the voters approved for us, a half cent sales tax, we will have presumably um increased our revenue, our capital revenue to the tune of about $900 million over a decade between the two. And of that $900 million,
essentially about half percent will be done for East Marian walls and doors in district five. That's pretty much it. And so I will beat a very passionate drum that there needs to be some level of equitable distribution throughout our
community and recognition that while there may not be a booming student population coming to the north end, the sales tax was voted on by community members who live throughout our community and many which preside in district 5. And even if we only look at
the sales tax, which is projected to generate $450 million in revenue, the walls and doors at East Marion represent 1% of that. So while we don't need to spend maybe 25% of the revenue on the north end, a solid 10% would be nice,
which is what we're asking for for a new school. So um I I encourage the community to continue to be active participants in the conversation, but I will maintain that consolidation has to be a part of the conversation. It does. We have to be as as a board member, it's
my job to be a good steward along with my partners up here and um it's a complicated conversation and it's uncomfortable, but I want to deliver a better product after consolidation. That is my goal. It has always been my goal and it will continue to be my focus. Um
and um being chair this year while we have this conversation and I'm probably the most passionate about it doesn't make it easier for me because ultimately my goal as a board member is to make sure that I'm representing collectively what the board is requesting and moving
it forward. And so it may feel like I lack passion or am not as spicy as I may be about the topic, but I am in a delicate position to make sure that ultimately I'm not pressuring the board or or overspeaking the board and collectively I'm hearing what everyone
is trying to accomplish. So um I encourage further discussion. I'm available by phone or email anytime and I will talk to anybody and I will be at every community meeting. I can assure you of that. Um, with that that will conclude the public comment. Are there
any persons requesting to address the board off air for disciplinary items? >> No, Madam Chair. >> Thank you. Um, there being no further business, may I have a motion to adjurnn? Motion by board member Cummings. >> Second. >> A second by board member Campbell. All those in favor say I.
>> I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. The meeting is adjourned at 7:12 p.m. >> Blue cover.