Good evening and welcome. The December 9th, 2025 meeting of the Marian County School Board is called to order. Miring and modeling the way our students begin each day, I ask that we observe a moment of silence at this time. Please join me.
Thank you. This evening, we will have our student board members share our board commitment statement. >> We are the Marian School District Leadership. When we come together to work, we are efficient, effective, and productive.
Our most three 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. We will leave a legacy
of success. Thank you both. That was wonderful. For the courtesy of those listening to the meeting, I am requesting everyone in the audience to please turn off their electronic devices and put them on vibrate. Later in the meeting, up to 30 minutes will be provided for individuals
to address the board on matters concerning the operations of the Marian County School System or the school board only. Presentations to the board are limited to five minutes and are televised. If you wish to address the board regarding a regular agenda item or
matters on which the board customarily takes action, you must first complete a peach form located in the lobby. If you wish to address the board regarding a public hearing or a student disciplinary matter, please complete a lime green form. These forms must be fully
completed and received by the board clerk no later than 5:40 p.m. The procedures applicable for each are on a separate sheet. Good evening, Miss Martinez Young. Will you please call the role? >> Dr. Allison Campbell, District 1, >> here. >> Mrs. Lorie Conrad, District Two, >> here.
>> Mr. Eric Cummings, District Three, >> here. >> Mrs. Nancy Thrower, District 4, >> here. >> Dr. Sarah James, District 5, >> here. >> Isaac Smith, North Marian High School, >> here. >> Sherea Husan Donovi, Denellan High School, >> here. >> Dr. Danielle Brewer, interim
superintendent >> here. >> And Mr. Jeremy P, school board attorney >> here. Thank you, Miss Martinez Young. Uh, I want to welcome Dr. Brewer to our meeting. Will you please share our inspiration and who's going to lead us in our inspiration and pledge of allegiance this evening? >> Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I would like to
ask Mr. Chad Frasier to come to the podium to introduce our special guest this evening. >> Good evening, Chair Dr. James, Vice Chair Conrad, board members, and interim superintendent Dr. Brewer. Tonight we have the honor of welcoming cadetses from Belleview High School's Air Force
JOTC program to present the inspiration and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Serving as our color guard this evening is Cadet Staff Sergeant Freddy J. Mora, Cadet Technical Sergeant Emanuel Gomez, Cadet Technical Sergeant Emanuel
Riviera, and Cadet First Lieutenant Valentina Hernandez. And delivering tonight's inspirational message is Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Eric Schmeiser. We are grateful to these student leaders for representing Belleview High School and the United States Air Force JOTC
program with pride and professionalism. At this time, please welcome Cadet Lieutenant Colonel SMER for the inspiration. Thank you. Um, I'd like to begin speaking on Air Force RTC. It's really
been a wonderful experience for me and provided a great opportunity to learn some discipline and professionalism and integrity. I really believe that I'll be able to carry some of these skills and really help the community. and I plan on
going into the military and hopefully helping out some veterans. Now, my first year I didn't do anything to be frank. I was not sure of what I wanted to accomplish and what I needed to do to
get there. But I saw great leaders before me that I really looked up to and they they helped me. And in my second year, I really started to kick things off. Um, started to get more comfortable.
Um, performed more, show after school, show some real interest. And then I, the third year, I started to see some real results. Um, working with some more experienced leadership and getting a little closer, working with the instructors is really wonderful
opportunity. And now this year, I can say that my leadership skills have tremendously increased. And I'm thanking all of the instructors and the cadets I've gotten to work with. Thank you. And I would like to call the colors for
presentation. 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. >> May be seated. [snorts] Thank you for that. Dr. Brewer, I believe we have two recognitions. We do. At first, I'd like to ask our K12 coordinator, Mr. Mark Ingram, to come to
the podium, and he will introduce our Sunshine State Scholars this evening. >> Thank you, Dr. Brewer. Good evening, board chair and school board members. >> Tonight, I am proud to present two outstanding students who have earned the honor of being Marian County's 2026
Sunshine State Scholars. Please join me in congratulating Sale Fernandez Castro from Denellan High School and Delaney Peterson from Belleview High School. [applause] Both of these exceptional juniors were selected for their remarkable
achievements in STEM and their commitment to academic excellence. The selection process considers advanced coursework, state assessments, SAT, ACT scores, volunteer service hours, which they have a ton of, uh, extracurricular competitions, and overall leadership.
While we while we have many students who could have been selected for this um sale and Delaney truly distinguished themselves during the interview process, they impressed the panel with their professionalism, enthusiasm, enthusiasm, and passion for STEM. We also re want to
recognize our alternate from Vanguard High School, Gabrielle Javalona. Each year, Florida Sunshine State Scholars Program honors the state's top 11th grade students in STEM disciplines. These scholars will represent Marian County at a statewide event in March where they will get to connect with
Florida's colleges, universities, and STEM industry leaders. Congratulations again to Saleith and Delaney for this incredible achievement. >> Absolutely. [applause] >> Thank you for sharing that. And we will take a picture with you all. So, please make sure you hang out until the end.
Board, did anyone have any comments at the moment? Okay, we have another recognition, I believe. Yes, Mr. Lamar Rimber is the principal supervisor over the next two proud administrators. Um, he's going to introduce our principal and our
assistant principal of the year. Thank you, Mr. Rbert. >> Good evening and thank you, Dr. Brewer, board chair Dr. James, and members of the board. It is my honor to recognize our 2025 assistant principal of the year, Aisha Peep. The assistant
principal of instruction for North Marian High School. In just four and a half years as an administrator, she has already distinguished herself as one of our best instructional leaders. She has a remarkable ability to relate to every member of her school community. Her support, talent, and natural leadership
presence has made her an outstanding model of what strong student centered administration should look like in our schools. When asked what this recognition means to her, she stated, "I am deeply humbled and thankful for this recognition, which reflects the many
leaders, administrators, colleagues, teachers, staff, and students who have poured into me and shaped my growth. I consider it a blessing to do this work each day guided by Maya Angelo's reminder when you get give. When you
learn, teach. A truth that remains the heartbeat of my work. This Miss Aisha Pete. [applause] I would also like to recognize our 2025 principal of the year, Mrs. Lorie Manresa from the Hillrest School. Mrs.
Manresa has 35 years in education and for 25 years she has led the Hillrest School with unwavering commitment, compassion, and vision. Her leadership has shaped the lives of countless students and families, and she continues to be the steady, trusted guide that
both staff and the community look up to. She's an exceptional leader whose influence reaches far beyond the walls of her campus. When asked what this recognition means to her, she stated, "Being recognized as principal of the year for MCPS is deeply meaningful. I have worked with many incredible people.
Yet, it has been at Hillrest where my vision for compassion, dignity, and advocacy for children has taken root and spread among an entire community. My heart is full knowing that others see my commitment to doing what is in children's best interest, supporting them exactly where they are, and
watching them rise to the expectations when opportunities are presented. I noted my love of children together with the staff who now shares and carries that same vision forward will always believe that the impossible can become possible.
Miss Lori Manresa >> [applause] >> Both of these leaders have submitted comprehensive portfolios that will now move on forward for state level review and we are hopeful that they will be selected to advance to the next steps of this process. So again, please join me
in congratulating Mrs. Pete and Mrs. Manresa for their dedication, their excellence and their tremendous impact they continue to make in our district. [applause] Thank you so much. And if everyone will stay put, we're going to come down and take a few pictures as a board and then we'll have some remarks afterwards.
Okay. I've trained you all so well in the right spot. Wow. One, two, three. Couple more. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Yes. Congratulations. >> Yes, they do. Sorry. Yeah. Something to
make perfect black shirt. Now we're talking. Here we go. And one, two, three. Couple more. Thank you.
Sorry. Sorry. >> It makes it even cooler that you chose that shirt. She likes all the time. >> Got to bring her down a couple notches. >> As we come back, I just want to say congratulations to our Sunshine State scholars, but also our principal and
assistant principal of the year. You guys's leadership is a testament to the work that you do every single day, but not just the work you do, but the work that is being done on your campuses and every campus across the district. So, we are so incredibly grateful for you board. Did anyone else have any other
comments they wanted? Okay, Miss Conrad. >> Um, just very briefly, I'm so grateful um for the leadership for from both of you and what you couldn't see because your your back was to the audience is with the wonderful district staff that
is here. While um Lamar was reading all about what you all do, everyone in the audience was nodding their heads. And so the impact that you have has spread um throughout our community and so we're just very grateful um for the work and
the example that you share each and every day with your students. So thank you. >> Yes. Thank you both. Another round of applause. [applause] >> Do you have one thing to say? >> Oh yes. >> Thank you. I'll just say that I couldn't agree more and having had the
opportunity to work directly with Lori Manresa for a lot of years, shall we say. It it's it's just really exciting to see you get this honor again. And if the the state has any kind of recognition of talent, uh you will be
[laughter] the the state principal of the year. And same with the vice principal from North Marian High School. It's where I started. I know where it comes from and I'll never forget my roots. So, congratulations again. >> Thank you guys. [applause] >> All right. With that, back to the
superintendent. >> Okay. I recommend approval of the agenda for the December 9th, 2025 school board meeting with the materials in the board packet, those materials distributed to board members at the meeting, and the audio recording included as part of the
official record of the meeting with the exception of items D22.1, D22.2, D22.3, D22.4, D22.5, and D22.6 6 that have been placed under
discussion regular agenda items and items C11.1 and C16.1 that have been placed under discussion pulled agenda items. Thank you. May I have a motion on the superintendent's recommendation? >> Motion to approve.
>> Second. >> That's a motion by board member Conrad and a second by board member Campbell. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Passes 5-0. Miss Martinez Young, please provide the proof of publication for tonight's schoolboard meeting. >> The notice for the December 9th, 2025
schoolboard meeting ran in the Ocala Gazette on November 28th, 2025. The proof of publication has been attached in board ducks under proof of publication. >> Thank you so much. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for the October 28th, 2025 school board meeting? >> So move.
>> That's a motion by board member Cummings. >> Second. >> Second by board member Thrower. Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for the
October 31st, 2025 administrative briefing and work session? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Motion by board member Campbell. Second by board member Cummings. Is there any additions or corrections uh in the minutes?
>> Hearing none. Uh all those in favor say I. I. I. >> Motion passes. 5 Z. Miss Martinez Young, do we have any speakers this evening? >> Yes, Madam Chair, we do. We have one speaker. >> All right. Thank you, Miss Martinez Young. Good evening. Attorney Powers, please explain the rules governing
persons who wish to address the school board this evening. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. In compliance with section 286.0114 0114 of the Florida statutes. The school board has adopted uniform procedures for public speakers who wish to speak at this evening's meeting either regarding one
of today's agenda items or a matter relating to the operations of the school district. These procedures will ensure that the public has a reasonable opportunity to be heard on school board and school district matters. A written summary of these procedures are available from the table in the lobby.
Public speaker forms are also located on the same table. The completed forms were due to the school board's clerk no later than 5:40 p.m. This evening, speakers will be called prior to the business portion of the school board's meeting in the order of receipt by the schoolboard
clerk. Before you begin speaking, please state your full name for the record and spell your last name. Each speaker will have five minutes. However, if there are more than five persons who wish to speak, the board may seek consensus to limit each speaker's time to 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. Therefore, verbal attacks and profanity are strictly prohibited.
Pursuant to procedures for public comments, item six, speakers are not to identify specific individuals other than themselves or their child unless the statement is provided 24 hours in advance. The board is here to listen to your comments only. You [clears throat] may
be directed to an administrative staff member following the conclusion of your comments for further assistance to address concerns. [clears throat] If there are matters dealing with student discipline, including expulsions, they'll be scheduled at the conclusion of the televised portion of
this meeting. Parents may address the board regarding a disciplinary matter at that time. To ensure student privacy, only a parent or guardian may use a student's first or last name, or identifying references of other students or their families. That's also strictly
prohibited. A speaker's speech does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position, or expression of the school district. Thank you for your attention to the board's requirements. Madam Chair, that concludes my explanatory remarks. >> Thank you, Miss Martinez Jen. Can you
call our first speaker, please? America Watson. Good evening. >> Good evening. I forgot how to um just uh your spell your last name for us. >> Oh, um Watson. W A T S O N.
>> Wonderful. >> Oh, I'm a little short. And you'll have five minutes. Feel free to get started. >> Okay. Hi, my name is Amira Watson. I'm the founder of Diamond Girls. Our mission is to help young ladies develop the tools they need to s um to be
successful in life. And our core is C A R E which is community advocacy, resilience, and empowerment because we care. And tonight, I just want to be here to fill in a gap um to address you
all on what is missing for our girls. I am here to invite um Marian County Public Schools to partner with Diamond Girls for our phase one and phase two initiatives. Phase one of our um empower phase one is our empower her brunch um
is already under way with the data and the impact speaking for itself. Um this isn't about socializing. It's about community mentorship, transparency and empowerment for our girls. The empowerment brunch provides a safe
structured environment where girls can be heard, supported and encouraged. We bring in community leaders to speak with um transparency shared their struggles and triumphs so girls can relate and see possibility and
believe in themselves. Leaders such as Wesley Wilcox um taught our girls about the power of their voices and civic duties. U Dennis McFaten taught our girls about safety, school safety and cyber bullying and jud Judge Leanne
Mackie Barnes who shared her story of being bullied in school and how her resiliency led to her becoming the first black female judge in Marian County. Last year over a 100 girls sign up with our uh with 90% in attendance. This year
over 150 attendees with 80% girls and 20% parents. These girls come voluntarily not from school promotion or um district challenges ch channels. This result resulted in repeated participation sold out events
and girls leaving with the confidence to step into their power demonstrating the real demand for this kind of support. Our initiatives have even expanded to Tallahassee, Orlando, Jacksonville, Gainesville, and also Georgia. Um
through these events, we train student ambassadors um helping girls to to go from sitting in crowds to actively shaping the empower her brunch itself. Just like with um cut different with um
having success supporting girls, boys, girls have been overlooked. The pressures of adolescence, societal expectations, and the raise of rise of grooming and adultification, being forced to act older than their age, combined with raising rates of sadness,
hopelessness, and exposure of violence as highlighted by the CDC makes these inventions crucial. Phase two of our diamond girls shine now initi is our is shine now initiative aims to bring the structure mentorship
and empowerment of the empower her brunch directly into the schools providing safe space where girls can build resilience navigate change and develop life skills using the huristic and trauma-informed approach that means we
teach girls um that their first reaction to change is not the only reaction. They can pause, reflect, and choose a healthier, stronger response. Through our trauma-informed care, we create safe, nurturing environments where girls can uh explore emotions, build
resilience, and develop essential life skills. But if we cannot do but we cannot do this alone. Partnering with um Marian County Public Schools will allow us to meet girls where they are and provide consistent structured support to
navigate change, prevent emotional dysregulation and empower them to succeed. Um with your help we can reach more girls, provide consistent consistency and address the gaps left by school closures like Sermy New Leaf um pay
center for girls and the heart of Florida youth ranch. Our girls are seeking these spaces. Waiting means missed opportunities. So if we as adults need emotional support to show up and succeed, how much more do our students needs need it when
they are experiencing the most challenging parts of their lives? Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um did we we collected her email address, right? Okay. We'll probably reach out because we'd love to get the information for the brunch, I would
imagine. So, we'll reach out via email so we can get that information to the board. Thank you very much. Any other speakers? >> No, Madam Chair. >> Okay. Thank you. We will start this evening with our information items. Bear with me because we do have a little bit
to um read into the record this evening. We'll start with item 8.1, guaranteed maximum price or GMP for roof replacement at Lakeare High School. Change order number one, work authorization number three, project 24-122.
Lake High School's roof required replacement on buildings 3, 4, 6, and 7. The school district used a construction management delivery method, including a guaranteed maximum price or 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. Additionally, the project schedule experienced a slight delay due to the scheduling conflicts. The original substantial completion date was on or before August 8th, 2025 and final completion on or before September 8th, 2025.
The contractor is requesting that the schedule be amended to add four days resulting in a new substantial completion date of August 12th, 2025 and a final completion date of September 12th, 2025. 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 that approval shall be in his or 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 he or she approves to the board at the board
meeting that follows his or her approval. The superintendent or design's approval of the change order shall be entered into the official minutes of the board meeting. The original contract for the work was $2,939,652. There were no previous change orders. The cost of the change order is a
deductive amount of $41,442.50 resulting in a new contract amount of $2,898,29.50. Additionally, the time frame is an addition of four days which will be extended which will extend the substantial completion to on or before
August 12th, 2025 from August 8th, 2025 and final completion on or before September 12th, 2025 from September 8th, 2025. Item 8.2, guaranteed maximum price GMP for brick remediation at Westport High
School. Change order number one, work authorization number three, project 24-122. Westport High School had extensive water intrusions from the roof during heavy rain events. The project was broken down into two phases. Phase one consisted of
the roof drain repair and phase two consisted of the brick remediation. The school district used a construction management delivery method, including a 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 change order, which will close the financial books on this project. Additionally, the project schedule experienced a slight delay due to having
to shift the project to summer break at the school, had testing occurring, and needed quiet throughout the day. The original substantial completion date was on or before May 2nd, 2025, and final completion on or before May 30th, 2025. The contractor is requesting that the
schedule be amended to add 91 days, resulting in a new substantial completion date of August 1st, 2025, and a final completion date of September 1st, 2025. 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 that the approval shall be in his or her best judgment and the interest of the board. Such change order
shall be binding upon execution by the superintendent or designate. The superintendent or designate shall report each change order that he or she approved to the board at the board meeting that follows his or her approval. The superintendent or design's approval of the change order shall be entered into the official minutes of the
board meeting. The original contract for the work was $1,359,640. There was no previous change orders. The cost of this change order is a deductive amount of $10,22368 resulting in a new contract amount of 1,349,416.32.
Additionally, the time frame is an additional 91 days, which will extend the substantial completion to honor before August 1st, 2025 from May 2nd, 2025 and final completion honor before September 1st, 2025 from May 30th, 2025.
Item 8.3 price increase for item 33 on bid 4107 MF school cafeteria products for central warehouse term contract. United Sales USA South LLC was awarded item number 33 aluminum foil heavy duty 10 pounds
18inch roll by 500 ft-001 gauge Reynolds or acceptable equal on bid 4107 MF school cafeteria products for central warehouse term contract. The awarded vendor has replaced or received a price increase from their supplier due
to tariffs and increased freight costs. Therefore, the percase price for item number three has increased $72, changing the percase price from $20.77 to $27.79. As part of reviewing their this requested price increase, purchasing
staff contacted the secondary awarded vendor to inquire if the produce would be supplied at their bid awarded price. However, they have also received a similar price increase from their supplier. So, it was not feasible to purchase from the secondary awardee. Therefore, we are requesting an increase
for the primary vendor. This concludes ourformational items. Now, on to the consent agenda. May I have a motion to approve consent agenda item C10.1- C19.1 with the exception of items D22.1,
D22.2, D22.3, D22.4, D22.5, and D22.6 6 that have been placed under discussion regular agenda items and items C11.1 and C16.1
that have been placed under discussion pulled agenda items. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member Conrad. >> Second. >> Second by board member Campbell. All those in favor. >> I. Motion passes 5.
Moving on to alternative placements to Bridgeway Academy. Before addressing expulsion matters, I would like to acknowledge the board members have received the alternative placement list for students through October 27th, 2025. Miss Martinez Young, are there any parents who have submitted a timely request to speak on their child's
disciplinary matter? >> No, Madam Chair. May I have a motion to approve the expulsion of student JD 26-048E JD26-054 JD26-55 JD26-059E
JD26-05 Did I say 59E? >> Yes. >> Okay. for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year and the first quarter of the 2026 20227 school year. May have a motion. >> Motion to approve.
>> Motion by board member Conrad. >> Second. >> Second by board member Campbell. All those in favor say I. >> I. Motion passes. 5. May I have a motion to approve the expulsion of student JD26-064E, JD26-065E,
JD26-066, JD26-067, JD26-068 for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year and the first and second quarters of the 2026 2027 school year.
>> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Motion by board member Conrad. Second by board member Thrower. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes. 50. May I have a motion to approve the expulsion of student JD26-053,
JD26-056, JD26-057, and JD26-058 with off-campus virtual learning for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year for the first and for the first quarter of the 2026 2027 school year.
>> So move. >> Motion by board member Cummings. >> Second. Second by board member Conrad. All those in favor say I. I >> I motion passes 5. May I have a motion to approve the expulsion of student JD26-061,
JD26-062E, JD26-069E with off-campus virtual learning for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year and for the first and second quarters of the 2026 20227 school year. >> Motion to approve.
>> Motion by board member Campbell. >> Second. Second by board member Conrad. All those in favor say I. >> I. Motion passes. 5 Z. Moving on to discussion. Regular agenda items. We'll start with D22.1.
May I have a motion to utilize the Florida Sheriff's Association contract FSA25-Vel 333.0 to purchase assorted vehicles for the maintenance department. >> So move. >> Motion by board member Cummings. Second.
>> Second by board member Conrad. Dr. Brewer, do you have information you would like to share regarding this item? >> Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I'd like to ask Miss Usher to come to the podium to provide a brief remarks on this item. >> Thank you, Dr. Brewer. Chair James, board members, good evening. The item
before you is to purchase 13 new vehicles for the maintenance department. When you approved the capital budget in September, you allotted $1.3 million for vehicles for the operations department. 11 of these 13 vehicles are replacement
vehicles because they're either the vehicles are really old like they're 20 plus years and high mileage and the repair cost is extremely high. The other two are new vehicles. One is a generator truck and one for the plumbing department. We you will um we still have
one other vehicle to bring to you. It's a septic pump truck. And on November 11th, you purchase um approved the purchase of a clam truck for the custodial department. The total cost for this um is 735
for this board item um $735,896. >> Thank you. Dr. Brewer, do you have anything else to add? >> Not for this item. Thank you. >> All right. Uh board, is there any discussion on this item? >> All right. Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I.
>> I. Motion passes 5. Moving on to D22.2. May I have a motion to utilize the Florida Sheriff's Association contract FSA25-V23.0 to purchase one Ford F550 box truck for the central warehouse. >> So move. >> Second.
>> Motion by Cummings, second by Conrad. Dr. Brewer, do you have information you would like to share regarding this item? >> Yes, ma'am. Mr. Welsh will provide um remarks on the next two items. We understand you have to vote individually, but he will go ahead and provide information. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good evening, board members. [clears throat] Um so I'm going to be speaking to 22.2. Uh this box truck is for the central warehouse. Uh we are in need of a new box truck. It's a courier van effectively uh to replace a 2002 model with over 325,000
miles. Um so this this truck does need to be uh replaced. Um we do have a spare truck uh but it is not adequate and is subject to a lot of repairs. Uh so we do feel like uh having a new version that will last probably for the next 10 to
maybe even 20 years is certainly a good value uh for the money. We don't bring these up often and this is not an item that we would be replacing on a regular uh basis. >> Thank you. Mr. Walsh. You're dressed very appropriately to talk about money this evening. I have to give you
compliments to your attire. >> Yes. Thank you. I I appreciate that. I can uh uh thank uh quite a few folks actually who helped uh help decorate me this this today. >> Yes. >> Welcome to Marian County Public Schools during the holidays.
>> We all look great. Give it to us. >> All right. Board, is there any discussion on this item? Board member Thrower. >> Just wondering the cost >> 105,750. So, this is certainly not cheap, but again, not something that we do often. And this is a box truck that we're we're
talking about. >> Yeah. That holds a lot of Black Stallion reading books, right? [laughter] Delivered on time. >> Certainly. >> And I think we've gotten the use out of this one. >> Yeah, we certainly have. And that uh that's to that's to the district's credit. We'd like to uh make our vehicles last and and go the mile, so to
speak. >> That's off to the maintenance department. 325,000 miles is pretty good. >> Yeah. And the Fords actually we have a lot of uh staff that can handle the maintenance for Ford vehicles. That's why we typically uh like to purchase them. Uh we can do the diagnostic codes
and uh do a lot of the maintenance ourselves versus having to farm that out for other types of vehicles. >> All right. Any further discussion from the board? All right. Hearing none, may I have a um All those in favor say I. >> I. I.
>> I. Motion passes 5-0. Thank you, Mr. Walsh. U may I also have a motion to utilize the Florida Sheriff's Association contract FSA25-4E-23.0 to purchase one Florida F650 refrigerated box truck for food and nutrition services. >> Motion to approve.
>> Second. >> Motion by board member Campbell and second by board member Cummings. Uh we did hear from Mr. Riz Walsh already. Is there any further discussion regarding this item board? Just to highlight, um, this item is $145,000. Um, did you have anything further to
add, Mr. Ryz? >> No. Again, this is a a large truck, uh, NF650 refrigerated box truck. This is very large. Uh, this is something that the food and nutrition uh, program certainly uh, wants to utilize. This is going to help us to transport uh our
goods from different schools and sites on multiple occasions and will also serve as a refrigeration uh unit that can be used even if it's not in mobile transport. So uh had some added value uh there. I don't have anything else to add.
>> All right. Yes, Dr. Campbell. >> Thank you. So, what's always helpful for the community to understand is when we're purchasing new vehicles and whenever we're looking at these as individual items, it's not just that we're approving these large ticket items, it's that we also are able to see the budget source. And so, the fact that
food services is actually paying for this refrigerated box truck that they are going to be using and needing is is impactful and interesting to know. Um, the other two that we've already just voted on and approved are coming out of the capital projects fund that we had already agreed to in the five-year work
plan. So, um, just again educating the community a bit on how this budgeting and large ticket items happen whenever we're knowing we're needing to replace vehicles and these are outright replacements because we have really outlived some of the ones that we currently use to make us more efficient
in the school district. We need to purchase new replacement vehicles. >> Thank you, Dr. Campbell. And uh, just to underscore that point which is very important where the funds are coming from and these are not general funds. uh this particular um vehicle, this truck, you know, we had to get approval from
the state in order to have them um utilize these funds. So, that's a good thing. And that's really goes to the credit of the staff to even when we got denied the first time, we went back and asked again. So, we have not because you asked not. So, kudos to them. >> Thank you for the clarification. Uh
board member Cummings, I saw you leaning forward. Did you have anything? >> Um I'll save it to the end. >> Okay. Any further comment from the board? Board member Thor. >> Thank you. And maybe I missed it. D on D22.1 for the assorted vehicles. What was the price tag for that? And we and also the funding source if it's readily
available. >> 735,896 from the capital projects. >> We're we're at almost a million dollars for the vehicle purchases for this board agenda. >> Yep. >> Any further comment from the board?
>> All right. Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Okay. Motion passes. 50 and we're going to move on items two uh 22.4 through 22.6. Uh Miss Morant will be coming forward. Um may I have a motion? May I have a motion to approve the new
job description for access control specialist 2.44. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member Thrower. >> Second. >> Second by board member Conrad. Uh Dr. Brewer, I believe Miss Morant's going to provide some information. >> Yes. >> Okay. [laughter] >> And yes. Uh good evening Dr. Brewer,
board chair Dr. James and board members, I'm actually going to provide comments for D22.4, D22.5, and D22.6, which include the job description, staffing plan amendment, and the addition of the non-instructional management salary schedule for the
access control specialist position. The access control specialist will ensure that district's physical access systems operate reliably and securely each day. Responsibilities include managing user credentials, reviewing system activity, and troubleshooting issues involving
electronic locks, door controllers, and card readers. As sites adopt access control, the specialist will support the transition by helping schools issue access cards to all staff members and ensuring credential credentials, excuse me, are properly configured. The role
also includes planning and installing new systems, partnering with the vendor and district departments on upgrades and repairs, and maintaining accurate inventories of all related equipment. The specialist will also assist with audits, follow established recovery procedures, and provide guidance to team
members. While the position will be housed in the technology department, it directly supports the security of our schools and sites and will work closely with Mr. McFaden and our district police department. Due to the strong security responsibilities associated with this role, the position will be funded from
referendum. Thank you. And I now return it to not sure Dr. Brewer or Dr. James for any additional questions or comments. >> Okay. Thank you. Um well, we'll start with D22.4. We do have a motion in a second and we are talking specifically
about the new job description. So, what further discussion board do we have about D22.4? No, I don't. >> No, it's okay if there's none. >> Yeah, I I think I'll leave it. I It's It always I know we've had conversation
recently about qualifications and that the diploma is all that's required and where it lands on the salary schedule does potentially um go over some of the jobs that do require a higher level of education. And so as an educational
entity, we always want to highlight and and increase um in folks ability to educate themselves efficiently and effectively on the jobs that they need to be doing. However, this is a specific
job that really is requiring verifiable experience in lie of education. So just making that a point here as we'll have potentially employees asking questions about where this job fits on the salary
schedule. Uh the uniqueness of the requirements in the experience I think um will help validate and justify where we're putting it on the salary schedule. And the hope is that we have such little
turnover that their requirements to re relinquish controls of people's duties and responsibilities will actually be so minimal that we'll be able to use this position for lots of other things around the district.
Thank you, Dr. Campbell. Board, does anyone else have any further comments about this item? >> All right. Uh, you good? >> Good. >> Okay. Uh, hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Motion passes 5-0. Moving on to D22.3.
Uh may I have a motion to approve the amendment to the central office staffing plan for the 2025 2026 school year. >> Chair, is that 22.5 or 22 22.3? >> Oh, sorry. D 22.5. You're correct. I
apologize. >> Thank you. >> I'll read it back into the record. Motion to approve D22.5, amendment to the central office staffing plan for the 2025 2026 school year. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by board member um Conrad.
>> Second, but I have to say I'm not seeing this or the previous. >> It isn't. >> It isn't. We're going rogue. Board member Thrower. >> Okay. >> Second by board member Thrower. Uh Miss Morance already provided some feedback here. So, uh board, do we have any further discussion on item D22.5? the
central office staffing plan >> where member Campbell >> uh we have lots of things on this staffing plan that are not related to the job description that we just discussed. So um in conversation we'll have in just a little bit to talk about
our uh insurance plan renewal. Just a note here on the staffing plan change is that we are approving a specialist uh for health and wellness that is the funding source of Florida Blue to be paying for that at a little more than $93,000. So that that was the thing that stood out to me on this ahead of the
conversation we're going to have in just a few moments uh more so even than the technology things that we're adding. Certainly, every time we balance a budget and we balance it based on the cuts that we had to make a lot of cuts,
anytime that you're adding uh positions that are costing the district 20 $216,000 out of the um general fund, then it causes me pause as well. I understand
why we need these positions, but we definitely balanced a budget cutting a lot of things. And so this these are the kinds of things that we that offer red flags to say if we balanced it then then how are we continuing to balance it as
we continue to add and add and add. So um that I'll just leave that there. I I understand the funding source for one of these is through the federal IDEIDA B grant and then obviously I already mentioned the Florida Blue, but anytime we're pulling out of general fund, um it
caused me pause, but I understand why we need them. I so I'm I'm giving all of that context to what we're doing right now, but board, every time we approve these central office staffing plan changes throughout the year, we need to give it this kind of pause and consideration and always have discussion
about them. May I add a just a bit of clarification? I just want to make sure that we're clear. The one document that we are voting on is the amendment to the staffing plan um with the access control specialist. The other two documents are requested documents that we receive that
you all requested from us. That just shows what has been approved previously. So those items are already approved. These aren't new items coming forth, but this is just so you all are able to reference it each time. That was request at the last work session. So, we're only approving the one change. The rest are
past changes for board reference as requested by the board. >> Thank you for clarification. That that makes sense why they're not in red. All the whole items. I understand that now. And I and I remember when we approved, but seeing them in a sumitative document does help us keep track again of what we've been doing. We haven't
[clears throat] had that before. So, we know again where we were at the end of the last fiscal year and talking budget. And so it's helpful to see what we're doing on a regular basis. >> Absolutely. And and for that context, that was something that this board requested was to see as we every time a
central office staffing plan amendment comes before the board. As chair, I intend to place it into discussion. The superintendent and I have had that discussion. But also, it will come with those two subsequent documents to look at the holistic picture of additives and deductions at the central office level
as well as the school level. Um, we know that the school allocations don't come before the board, but that was a question we had when we talked budget about, well, where what's the plus and minus on that? And so that summitive documents now going to come before us every time we have this discussion for transparency to the community too to
see, you know, yes, we're adding a position to the central office staffing plan and we're a little north of 200,000, but we've added millions of dollars to schools. And so really having that comprehensive conversation to talk about, you know, um where we're adding the funds and what it looks like.
>> Thank you. >> Just very want to thank you, Miss Morant, um and chair for for that clarification because it it was a challenge for us as we were trying to work out the budget, you know, at the conclusion of that cycle. So just wanted
to say thank you um because that w that was particularly important to me. So I appreciate it. Anyone else or member Fur? >> Yes. I just wanted to add too that um presenting a balanced budget for us to vote on is statutoily required and that
is a snapshot in time. Um in a business of our size, the landscape is ever changing. You know, there's there's people coming, there's people going. Um it's a dynamically fluid environment. So, I am really glad that we're trying to put as much structure around it as we
can and be really mindful of we have really important positions that we need to fill that may or may not be attached to a student roster and it doesn't make those positions any more or less important to the effectiveness of our organization. Um, yes, we need to be
mindful of every single position, but I will be steadfast in in in my own view that everyone that works for Marian County Public Schools is making some kind of contribution to student success, including that big truck we just
approved that's going to be carrying a lot of Black Stallion books. you know, that driver may not have a student roster and the person that unloads that truck may not have, but but they're incredibly valuable in employees. So, I guess I just wanted to put that out
there because with budget constraints being what they are and this past year being such a perfect storm with having to wait so long before we even had a budget, uh, it just made everything exponentially more difficult. And it
would be easy to point fingers and place blame, but my preference is to let's move forward, be better, and acknowledge that everyone here is playing a critical role. That's what I have. Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Thor. Any
further discussion? All right. Hearing none, all those in favor say I. I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. Moving on to D22.6. May I have a motion to approve the revised on instructional management and support services salary schedule?
>> Move. >> Motion by board member Cummings. >> Second. >> Second by board member Conrad. Uh board, do we have any further discussion on this salary schedule? >> Miss Brandt, did you have anything you wanted to add? >> Nothing to add. >> All right. Hearing none, all those in favor say I.
>> I. Motion passes 5-0. Moving on to discussion pulled agenda items. C16.1 may have a motion to approve uh a motion to approve the Gallagher benefit services agreement for agent consulting and actuarial services. >> Motion to approve. >> Second.
>> Motion by board member Conrad. Second by board member Thrower. Dr. Campbell, you pulled this item and would like to have further discussion. >> I did. Thank you so much. Uh again th this is one of those things as we consider budgeting and and how much
money we have and so forth. what started my research and and kind of deeper dive into what we see here. Obviously, in the narrative that we see in board docs, it shows from where we started in 2020 at
$375,000 to last year, we actually paid or the total amount, not what we paid, but the total amount that uh this agent received was of roughly $575,000.
And so that's a significant change, $200,000 in just a few short years. And so that's what started my thought process. And then as I did a little deeper dive, um there were some specific things that I
would like to see us potentially do board. And this is certainly this is why we're having discussion about it. So what we would be approving right now would be a three-year one-year with one-year renewals. um a
three-year contract for $490,000. Um I understand that part of what this is is inclusive of a $15,000 RFP for our dental provider, not dental. Anyway, for for one of the providers uh right now,
that's the guaranteed money and the rest of the dollars come from the commissions paid by the insurance carriers themselves. And we also received information from Mr. for Welsh. Uh that shows exactly how much money we did pay last year versus what it said. So let's
see, it said about 575,000 they would receive. What the district actually paid them was a little more than 150,000 because they received so much in the commissions. It also caused me to take a look at how the city of Ocala does theirs as well as Marian County. And as
we continue to talk efficiency and we know that the state has their department of government efficiency, I just wanted to ensure that we did uh had a conversation about what this looks like. I know that we have been with this provider for as long as I can remember.
And and I know that this predates even the current existing staff that that work there because there was an original agreement with Barrett Liner back forever ago in the 80s potentially that the Barrett Liner agreement worked with the school district and then it became
Barrett Liner Bus and then in the last several years Barrett Liner Bus has now become Gallagher. I have not done the deep dive to see the difference in what the Barrett liner bus fees were in comparison to what the Gallagher fees are. So, I'm apologizing. I haven't done that deep dive, but that
is something that I intend to do. What I would like to recommend board, and I know that that's not what this agreement says, but what I would like to agree to recommend is that we do a one-year renewal with no increase over prior
year. So, at right now, the contract is saying 490. I say we do a one-year agreement at 475 because that's what we approved last year. And the the fees and commissions, honestly, it feels like what is being received, the $15,000
should be absorbed on the RFP, but I can go either way on that one. Um, that's kind of where I am with this. And I know that we changing a contract in the middle of a board meeting whenever it expires in uh less than 30 days is not ideal. And that's possibly not something
we can even do unless we have a special board meeting that has potentially already been advertised for the 18th and we could potentially have it in that meeting. Um that potentially could be held. We did have on our calendar a special board meeting on December 18th
and that was cancelled today, but it could be published because it we hadn't actually published that yet. So that's where I am. I mean there I I believe Mr. Welch sent out a lot of information for you all to see the specific questions that had been posed as well as the responses that had come in u where we
are where I am in this budget crunch that we're in especially in comparing the other municipalities in the county and how their agreements look. I think it warrants us to have a deeper dive on this. I know the team comes before us in the summer and they give us all the
information of how much we need to be considering adding into our plan. We don't actually get their renewal contract until December, just before it expires. And so that's where I personally would like to see us do a one-year agreement and go back to the
amount from last year and then do an even deeper dive over the course of this next year and see if there are additional cost savings that we potentially could have. That's where I sit. >> Thank you, Dr. Campbell. I'm going to give it to Attorney Powers to start. Can you give us um an an understanding of
the ability to do what Dr. Campbell's asking before the board gets into deep conversation about it? >> Yes. Um provided that the parties are amendable, it wouldn't be a very difficult change to make. um that would require a negotiation with Gallagher on
those particular topics, but provided that that was something that staff was willing to negotiate in to their contract or um you know I I could also do that that is something that is doable and doesn't take a lot of turnaround time. It's a simple matter of amending
the contract and we can knock that out in a day or two. The question is whether the parties are going to agree because where parties don't agree things can take much much longer for everyone to get discussion and feel comfortable on it. So,
>> understood. And so, just to be clear about the way this can go, the the item has action as of tonight. The board will need to vote it up or vote it down. Um, and if we vote it in down, there is availability for it to be on the agenda for December 18th, but it would have to
be at 7 am. That's when the meeting is published for. Um, and presumably negotiations would occur between now and then. And maybe the same agreement would come before us again on December 18th or a different agreement depending on how negotiations go. Would that be a good
summary of where we're at? >> Yes. And I think that we could do I mean we can do a special board meeting with short notice at any time. >> Well, we already have a board meeting scheduled for December 18th at 7 a.m. So I I mean as chair I would say that the best thing to do would be to arrive for
that meeting at least have a caucus of three board members uh so we can we can vote. So um I guess let's if you want to have some further discussion about Dr. Campbell's request. Is there any board members who have comment on it? >> Dr. uh board member Conrad. I
>> I agree with Dr. Campbell. Um, the [clears throat] first thing I wanted to look at is moving this to just a one-year agreement because we are on a very tight timeline. Um, so I I I am open to that part of the discussion. >> Okay. Member Thor, did you have something?
>> Yes. And I'm wondering about flexibility uh getting this contract sooner. Um it always distresses me a bit to have a lastm minute conversation on a pretty deep topic with all of the legs to it
that were shared um by our CFO. So, we have a pretty great and long-standing relationship with this company and it would be my desire to really maintain that, you
know, in in good faith and and look for ways to avoid anything like this happening again. to piggy back off of what you just said, board member thrower, um I liken it to our conversations about uh SRO's.
Um and we wound up saying, let's go three more years and over the next three years, we're going to backwards plan into how we could potentially do this differently three years from now. I liken it to the same to that to that same conversation. Um, and so I would I would be more aligned with you, board
member Thrower, and just understanding that um, we are where we are with this and let's take some time over the next three years to button up what this could look like or not in the coming years. But I I want to hear from board member Cummings as well. >> I um,
I'm hearing this conversation. What's What happens if they are not agreeable to this? If they're not agreeable, then I can't make an amendment to the contract and therefore we would have to >> the same >> same contract. >> We we'd have the same contract back in
front of us again to vote up or down. >> But we don't know if we don't ask. Correct. >> Correct. and and that would be something that staff would need to, you know, take those issues that have been identified by board members, have a discussion with Gallagher, um decide what they wanted to
do or offer and see if that was um something that they could come to some agreement on. >> I also think it's important to note that um for publication the deadlines in theory, the the item would need to be posted on Thursday by noon. And how long
are we willing to to go through this negotiation process of to get them to see if they want to do this? >> Yeah, I I can only tell you how long it would take to >> How long is this board? >> Make the agreement um to make the amendment to the agreement. So, I can
amend uh whatever agreement the parties are amendable to, I can amend that relatively quickly. But as far as how long the discussion or negotiation will take, that >> depends on how agreeable people are. >> Yeah. >> How how long are we as a board willing to how far are we willing to go?
>> Because ultimately, if we don't have a contract >> then can you talk us through then do our what does our insurance coverage look like for our employees after December 31st, 2025? >> We would need to immediately renew a contract. Once it expires, it's dead.
Correct. >> So, um I'd have to double check the actual expiration date on this, but um once once that contract's expired, we would just it's easy enough to take the same agreement and make it, you know, a new agreement instead of an amended
agreement. But again, that's just all the writing and recording of it, not a matter of the negotiating of it, which is the hard part. And that's what staff would have to have to do. >> Understood. I see board member Campbell. So I I think it's important for us to also see that whenever we started with
the original agreement in 2020 at 375, then we had a first amendment in 2023 for 425 and then a second amendment in 2024 for 475. So we've progressively and so this is on me as a board member on us as board members to not have brought this up before. in in my opinion, I I I
should have talked about this last year when we approved a $475 that was already an increase plus $100,000 like that that's on me and and so I I didn't want to let this pass by again to what attorney Powers was saying and maybe
this is just for my understanding and I don't know when we were talking about insurance for our employees, maybe I'm wrong, but I would say that our insurance and contract with Florida Blue is with Florida Blue. It's not necessarily with Gallagher, but maybe I
I don't maybe maybe Florida Blue only does business with Gallagher and so then that's how we get Florida Blue. Or if Marian County Public Schools actually has the contract with Florida Blue and our insurance still continues. We just don't have that third-party mediator
that does the things for us and and I don't again that's that's Thank you, Mr. Welsh for coming to the >> Can I ask can I ask staff to come up and respond to that? Mr. Dr. Welsh, can you respond to Dr. Campbell's questions? >> Yeah, so um and I appreciate the very
spirited uh discussion and questions, uh Dr. Campbell that we received and responded to. Um yeah, so this is a third party administrator contract uh which means that come in January for Florida Blue and our employees who are
still currently and will continue to receive and access their benefits, they will be able to continue to do so. uh that includes vision and dental and the like. This particular contract is for third-party administration uh as is listed in the documents before you
actuarial services, consulting services um to the tune of $490,000 up to that amount over a period of three years. Um, the actual amount that the board would be paying for the vision
RFP, which is embedded in this action is $15,000 to help us to write that RFP, which will then give us the ability uh to negotiate with the carrier what those rates are that our employees will be paying per
member per month. um by which token the uh Gallagher consulting company will receive commission and the bulk of which is paid for through that vehicle. And so I just want to be clear that the way that the the contract is structured is
such that um there there will be a minimal impact on the board as far as this action goes because we don't we're not in the process of doing an RFP uh or need their consulting services to do RFPs for medical or dental. Those will
come up um in in not so distant future. But for this action uh that's that's not what we're uh discussing here. So, to answer the question, we will see no lapse in coverage for our employees in January. What this will do is if uh the board decides to do a one-year uh
contract extension versus three years is that we obviously will will we'll have a very short runway to evaluate uh the real merits of the contract and really do that deep dive that I think uh myself and my team uh want to do. Uh but I can
tell you that it is something that will take uh a lot of time and there's a lot of nuance uh to it. So I'll leave it there for now for any further questions. >> Thank you, Mr. Welsh. Um and just for the the board's information, I guess the difference in the municipalities, the
city of Vocala does have a flat fee of $90,000 and then all of the commissions that would come in from the carriers actually go back to the city. The county is set up very similarly to the way we are. um theirs is I think 275 is with
their um third party administrator and that administrator receives all the commissions. So just for context so everybody's kind of understanding and I understand the differences in numbers of employees is different >> uh of those but they are completely um different arrangements.
>> Board member Thur. >> Thank you. And um maybe that's an applesto apples comparison and and maybe it's not. Um I would be a lot more comfortable seeing some comparisons against like-siz district that are also self-funded. Uh, you know, this board
has been very on about trying to provide the best benefits for our employees at the lowest cost. And again, you know, the relationship is been incredibly consistent, incredibly supportive and
has compro compromises compromised in in ways that have allowed us to save a lot of money in a very very competitive market. So, as we continue this conversation, I feel like what I'm hearing from our CFO is that if we're going to change something, it deserves
and warrants something other than a decision at the board table at 6:42 p.m. I don't know. Um, >> I'm leaning a lot more towards getting the the research and then making
the the best, most educated decision if we're going to change something that's already I don't get it. the I don't get the complaints. I mean, we all want things to cost less money, but what has gone down between 2020 and 2025?
>> Yeah. Uh, board member Thor, if I may, I'll just point out maybe to to to help clarify uh something there. Uh yeah there there certainly Gallagher is is a private company and um like a lot of private companies that we do business with there are oftentimes escalations uh
inflation there's tariffs there's all kind of forces that sometimes require that we pay more from your one year to the next. In this particular case, um really what's driving it is the number of employees uh that we have on staff that are accessing uh benefits and the
increased salaries uh that we increasingly pay year-over-year, which is a function uh so if they get a commission off of the amount of per member per month and we pay more employees and we pay them more, well then they're going to make slightly more money. U now that's not to say we we
should not look at that. Um but I do think it would take a good full uh revolution of the contract to really assess what is in our best interest because uh we don't have the internal uh capacity um to write actuarial
um RFPs or to help really dive deep into some of of those issues. That's why we hire uh Gallagher to help us uh save time and money um to do so. Uh furthermore, uh the increases uh and additional dollars that we have paid
above and beyond uh that 2020 figure are for RFPs and very particular work. Um one of the things I'd like to mention is the the Cobra payments uh that they have uh access or they have we have utilized them as a pass through. And so that does
kind of speak to some of the dollars that we've actually uh been paying out from the district uh versus those dollars that they're receiving uh in commissions. Um, I do have my coordinator here, uh, benefits coordinator, Stacy Roth, and a member of, uh, our G, the Gallagher team, uh,
who can speak more directly to these issues. But, uh, I just want to be clear that the recommendation from, uh, business services is to move forward, um, with the three-year agreement, but also take the time during that period to do the deep dive to look at the
questions that that Dr. Campbell uh, put before us so that we can come back with some real uh, meaningful discussion. But it it will take time and we do need to continue to have their support to administer our benefits. >> Thank you, Mr. Ria Walsh. So perhaps we
just call to vote and see what happens. >> Yeah, I I um I think that at this point it would be appropriate to call to vote. Um I want to reiterate, you know, I think it's I think we need to spend the next three years reviewing, reassessing, and coming up with a strategic plan for
how we go forward. Personally, um board member comics, did you have anything else you wanted to add? Please, please. >> I don't know that it's going to alter the vote. >> I mean, that's >> um sure if you'd like to come forward and chair. Absolutely. >> I I I just want to speak to some of the numbers and maybe clarify the numbers
that are in the contract. Um so the contract prior to this year was written in such a way because Gallagher and previously Barrett Liner and Bus. So as Dr. Campbell alluded to, um this precedes many of us up here how these
were written. Um, we were serving as a pass through for the COBRA administration. Um, I I do not have all of the details on that, but I believe it had to do with with contracting. And as an employer that has more than 20 employees, you're required to um offer
COBRA. So, Barrett Liner and Bus then Gallagher was serving as a pass through for that program. Um the insurance regulation says that if a um vendor is paying for COBRA administration for a client that could be considered rebating
and so we required to write the contract in such a way that we did. Um Gallagher has not received $475,000 in commissions or payments from the school board um at any point during our contract since 2020 or prior to that. Um
and actually this year we are slated to receive less commissions than we did last year. Um some of that is due to the fact that the negotiations on the disability policy decrease the cost and so that naturally decreases our
compensation um because we're um paid on commissions for those. So to Dr. um or Mr. Welsh's point um the only increase that we could receive is because of increase in population particularly on the medical plan. It is a per employee
per month compensation at $3.50. So um for new employees that enroll that would be $42 per year for the employee um an additional compensation. Um this year, as I mentioned, we are
slated to receive compensation at about $325,000. Um because we actually provide um payment back to the district for a position as
well as the FSA administration. So it we will actually receive $400,000 in compensation and reimburse the district $75,000 making our compensation around $325,000. Um this year's contract does not include
um because we are no longer serving as the pass through for COBRA because the district was able to negotiate directly with a new COBRA vendor. The contract this year actually looks significantly different and we outline our compensation for each line of coverage
and there is no overarching number as has been in the past because we're not required to do the consulting agreement. Um there was some question on why Gallagher's contract is always at the last board meeting of the year. Um we are required for transparency purposes
to list every vendor that we work with. The stop-loss policy does not get finalized and negotiated until October and November. We are required to wait till the final vendor is named to be able to put that into our contract, which is why it delays um your ability
to see that information. So, I I wanted to clarify um you know what the compensation numbers actually are, how this year's contract will look. Um we most certainly in the past have offered to Dr. Campbell's point, some more
direct contracting with the district instead of maybe doing uh per employee per month fees or commissions. Um it was not at that time, you know, something that they wanted to consider. Um and I do think if you want to look at that,
there would be some definite pros and cons. Um we have groups that operate on the um commission and fees basis that you're operating on right now. We have groups that operate on a direct payment for employer sponsored benefits and a
commissions payment for employee sponsored benefits. Or we have groups that operate on a completely direct um compensation model. So those are most certainly options to review, but I think that it would be important that we do
the due diligence of reviewing all of those and what it might mean to the district. Um, I think there is one consideration. If we were to go to a direct model after just one year, all of your contracts with the carriers would
have to be redone because currently they include commissions. Um, so they would all have to be rewritten and I think, you know, you would need to work with the legal department and the contracting team to determine how quickly that could
be done in one year considering the number of vendors we would need to be working with. >> Thank you for those clarifying remarks. I appreciate you being able to offer those to us this evening. Um, board member Conrad,
>> I I know I know you're ready to call the vote, but I also wanted to say thank you. um for explaining that in further detail. Thank you, Mr. Welsh, for that your explanation. Also, um you know, we're hearing that it's going to be another tight year um in public education. And so that kind of makes you
um question and look deeply uh when you're looking at bigger numbers going out and trying to cut corners where we can. And so I just wanted to let you know that's where my mind was. Um it was there a space for us to save money. Um, but I just I want to thank you for
explaining and going into detail um what exactly this amount of money looks like and how it's divided up and and you know how it's collected. So, thank you. Thank you all for being here um this evening. Appreciate you. >> All right. Uh board, at this point I'm going to call for a vote. Uh board member Thor,
>> just out of courtesy, I know Miss Roth has been waiting and and >> Oh, sure. Absolutely. Is there anything else to add? >> I don't have too much to add. I just wanted to say that um the commissions are paid directly from the carriers. This is not checks that is being cut from Marian County Public Schools. The
$100,000 for was for the RFP services and the audit services that we had above and beyond the actual contract itself. The commission schedules are negotiated in with the contracts that we have with all of our carriers. So that would take some time um in order to renegotiate
those contracts in order to do something different. Um so where you see the 375,000 when we first started to execute those contracts in 2020 versus where we are now, we had the Evergreen survey where we were looking at increasing
wages. We have increased wages since 2020 with all of the different union contracts. Um, a lot of our lines of coverage do count on employee wages. Your disability is up to 60% of your wages. Your life insurance is based off
of one and a half times your annual salaries. So salaries do matter. And over five years time, those salaries do increase. So we had to take that into consideration. So for these last two years, we've also opened two new schools. So with an increased number of
people, we've also done the enhancements for the health insurance. Um we had four enhancements last year, which means we were anticipating more people participating in the plan. Those are good things because they are doing preventative care. So they are being
healthier. That's what we want to happen. But with that comes more people enrolling into the plan. So it's not that Marian County School Board is actually paying these commissions. These are coming directly from the carrier. So even though we are increasing that
amount from 375 to 475, that is just allowing them to take those commissions that are coming off from those carriers, not necessarily a check that's being cut from Marian County School Board. So I just wanted to clarify that point.
>> Thank you. So, >> I would just like to make a recommendation if I could that, you know, with this robust discussion tonight and and the robust relationship that we've enjoyed, you know, all these years that it definitely warrants a work session topic at the appropriate time as
as we move along and and stay informed on this um on this on this topic. >> Yes, I definitely agree. Um, I'm sure [clears throat] in the spring we can circle around and have a conversation. Obviously acknowledging tonight if the contract fails, we will put it on the um
the 18th board meeting at 7 a.m. regardless so that we can um have another shot at it. >> And Chair James, if I can just add, it's I certainly don't take it uh lightly. I really do appreciate uh the line of question and I think that's the right mindset. And even though I'm up here
with a reef with some dollar bills on it, I can uh assure you that I am very frugal and that we will be looking at all contracts. Uh and so um I appreciate the questions uh and the pleasures of the board. Um thank you. >> Thank you.
All right. At that board, um we will call for a vote. All those in favor say I. >> I. All those nay? >> Nay. >> Motion passes 41 with board member Dr. Campbell dissenting. May I have a motion to approve grant
application workforce development capitalization incentive program cap grant? >> So move. >> Motion by board member Cummings. >> Second. >> Second by board member Conrad. Miss Thrower, you pulled this item and would like to have further discussion.
>> Yes, absolutely. Um it's first of all it always catches my attention when it's over a quarter of a million dollar item and it also really catches my attention when it has anything to do with um the new South Marian High School that we're going to be opening and and all of the
dynamic things that they have planned and in the end you know when you apply for a grant hopefully it gets awarded but regardless it's all taxpayer money no matter where it comes from so I'm just happy to hear further information on this grant application. patient. Thanks.
>> Awesome. >> Okay. So, I'll ask Melissa Connor to come up and provide a few remarks on this to highlight the success of it. And also, I want to thank Mr. McAteir um for staying with us this evening in his Christmas sweater so he can also share
the benefits um for South Marian High School. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Burr. Good evening, uh board chair and board members. I am here tonight with a very festive principal of South Marian High School, Ken McAteer, to provide you with some information on
the workforce development capitalization incentive grant. This grant was created as part of the governor's initiative to make Florida number one in the nation in workforce education by 2030. Artificial intelligence technologies are rapidly
transforming nearly every industry. To ensure our students are prepared for the evolving job landscape, we're opening the artificial intelligence foundations program at South Marian. This program will provide foundational skills in computer science, machine learning,
robotics, and data analytics. Mr. McAteer, >> that mic up. Yeah. >> At South Marian High School, we intend to go beyond preparing students for specific careers. With AI foundations, we aim to equip all learners with a core
understanding of how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of work and society. This program will serve as both a career and academic bridge, preparing students for post-secary studies and high demand occupations in AI, data science, and
related fields. The industry outlook for jobs in this field is bright and growing. For computer occupations, there's 1,497 annual openings in Florida. And for data scientists, has 694 annual openings with
an expected 4% annual growth rate. These figures demonstrate strong and growing demand for AI and datadriven skill sets in our state. This grant covers $259,635 to outfit this program, including high performance computers capable of running
AI software, robotics kits and sensors for hands-on learning, and curriculum licenses and materials. And I would also like to thank Kathy Audi and her team in career and technical education for their hard work in helping to secure this
grant. Thank you. Thank you both. Um, >> board member Thrower, did you have any further questions or remarks? >> I'll just say it's awesome. Um, you know, career and technical education is definitely what I'm all about and I know that the rest of the board is very
supportive, too. And anytime there's an opportunity to to amplify the great things that we're working on to provide opportunities for our students is always something worth talking about. Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Thrower. Thank you team as well for being able to provide some um extensive insight.
Board, is there any further discussion on this item? All right, hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> I. Motion passes 5-0. Thank you, board. We will move on to meeting reminders. There is a there is no longer a special
board meeting uh December 18th at 7 a.m. That has been cancelled and removed from our calendars. and we will have an administrative briefing and work session December 18th beginning at 900 am. Uh we will move on to board member comments. I'll start with Miss Martinez Young.
>> No, Madam Chair. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um Re uh I would almost called you Reverend Reverend Powers. Attorney Powers, anything from your office? >> Uh yes. Actually, I just wanted to point out that one of the things we did tonight on the consent agenda was to
schedule a public hearing for the January 13, 2026 board meeting for the purpose of approving the recommended revisions to certain board policies. So, those have been discussed at work sessions. Uh, alterations have been made. There will be a public hearing u
on that date, January 13th, and input from board members as desired. Then at that point, we can move forward and publish those. Wonderful. Thank you for reminding the public of that. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh Dr. Brewer. >> Yes, ma'am. I have I have a few things
if you don't mind. I want to say thank you to a couple groups. Um last Friday, our students from Hammet Bowen Elementary were invited to participate in the Marian County Sheriff's Office Christmas party and it was I was able to be there for it and it was just such a special day. But I also want to
acknowledge they hosted the um party, but the family of Mr. and Mrs. the late Mr. Mr. Dunlap and Mrs. Dunlap um she was able to be at the party to celebrate and to recognize the students and it's just an incredible event and so I want to publicly acknowledge them and thank
them um for their support. We also the board um we were able to participate in Belleview's Christmas parade this Sunday and I want to acknowledge the Florida Express environmental team. They sponsored the um our spot in the parade and they even decorated it with festive
neon um what do you call them flyers or decorations. So it was a beautiful float and they will do that again for us this this Saturday. So we're appreciative of them. I also want to just highlight a few data pieces. I'm not going to give
it all away because we know that we have a work session provided next Thursday, December the 18th where Mr. White House will provide more data, but at this point we have about 79% of the students have tested in grades 3 through eight.
And at this point, every grade level for ELA has shown um improvements and we're grateful for that. And I just want to um recognize the teachers and the staff that have worked, not just the teachers, everyone on the school campus that have worked so hard at this point. And we
have a few more days of testing left. So, we're looking forward to th those results. Two exciting upcoming events. I already shared the Ocali Christmas Parade is this Saturday, the 13th, starting at 5:30. But we also have a
special caravan taking place this week to recognize our teachers of the year. So, we're excited about that. And um that is my comments for this evening. >> Thank you. And we will go over to Isaac Smith from North Marian High School.
>> Yes. Thank you board and chair. Um I'd like to start by giving another congratulations to Miss Pete from North Marine High School. Um she goes unacredited a lot of the times and how much work she puts in and um gives to our students. So I just wanted to give
her another congratulations. Thank you. >> Absolutely. >> Good job. >> Thank you. Um so I because I don't want to say it wrong. Will you say it so that I can say it correctly? >> Sherea Hussein. >> Sherea. Okay. I was going to say Sharia and I was like I didn't think that was correct. So Sherea Hussein Donarami, is
that correct? >> Say it. >> January. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay. From Denalan High School. >> So I have a couple of things. I just want to say thank you for having me. >> Make sure you speak right into the mic. >> Okay. Thank you for having me even though this was on such short notice. Um I know the last time I was here that
there was some communication about railroad ties in Denellan and some concerns about that. Um, I've done a little bit of research and it turns out that the company that supposedly put it there is now moving due to the concerns
for the people. Um, which is great because uh I know everybody in Denell and we all love the Rainbow River and we all care about it deeply. Um, my second thing is that I would just like to shout out a lot of the teachers that have
um been new to our school. I know we have a lot of kids this year um from the Oaks area and I just wanted to say that the ACE program is fairly new to our school and I just would like to shout out a couple
teachers that have been doing really well since this since it's their first time um teaching it. I would personally like to shout out uh Tessa Sherm. She's teaching a lit as level. Um, I know she's doing
great and I would just like to shout out her. Um, my last thing is going to be another shout out to Mr. McIntier. Um, I remember you from middle school and how great of a principal you were and I it's really nice to see you move along in
different parts and different schools and departments in Marian County. Um, I know you're going to do great and I know that you care about this county a lot. >> Well, thank you for those wonderful remarks. We we all second what you said about Mr. McInteer. He's a staple.
>> Uh, I'll move on. Dr. Kimell, >> thank you. And he's such a good sport to wear that um, wonderful sweater. Thank you to Miss Connor for ensuring that everyone was outfit if they did not come outfit uh, this evening. This has been really fun and festive and even though
we've had long meetings starting at four o'clock today, it's been a we we should dress up all the time. No, just kidding. That is a joke. Um, nevertheless, uh, today in the consent agenda, we approved a perfect audit for Madison Street Academy. So, kudos to them and that
team. And also wanted to mention just I was going to mention the Belleview Christmas Parade also. So, that was a great time. And thank you to mother nature and the good Lord above. We did not get rained on like we did last year. So that was terrific. Uh and
looking forward to the Ocala Christmas parade this weekend. Also wanted to make you all aware that the Tuesday, January 27th board meeting that we have coming up will be the first evening that I will need to be in Tallahassee with the Florida School Boards Association. So
that evening's board meeting I will be participating virtually. So, um, going ahead and letting Mr. Christian know that January 27th, Tuesday, uh, that will be a virtual attendance for me. Um, also wanted to make you guys aware just, uh, because I don't know that we have
talked about it much, but Dr. Brewer and I, she is such a rock star on these calls. We've been having so much fun. So, we've now held three calls with the staffs from Senator Scott, Senator Moody, and Congressman Fine's office, and we're working to schedule
Congresswoman Cat Kamik's staff as well, and really just doing introductions to these federal staffers that may or may not have much interaction or knowledge of Marian County and much less Marian County Public Schools. So, it's been a wonderful opportunity for us to share
that with them. They've had interesting questions of us today. They're asking why are you having the growth? Like what is why is Marian County continuing to see growth? Because they're getting when you think about being a state senator for the state of Florida and looking at
one two people being the entire state of Florida, their staff gets a lot of information from a lot of different folks. And so, uh, just grateful for those opportunities that we've had to talk through that with them. We also have members of their staff that are helping us with the sand skink stuff.
And so hopefully we're going to get that rectified with the US Fish and Wildlife. They know what we need and so they continue to help us in that regard. Uh and finally, from a legislative standpoint, I received a text from Jessica Janice tonight. We're still
awaiting a bit. There's some language that's been filed in the Senate on attendance. It's not exactly what we want. So, we know that Senator Mlan did have what we wanted in bill drafting and so it would be easy to add to a bill that is um being seen. Also received
information from Representative Chamberlain last week that our attendance language specifically the way we want it should be in the bill being coming out of committee out of Rep. Trabolce's committee. And he also met with budget staff to discuss gifted um
program allocation potentially either a magnet just for Marian County or actually what that would look like if it was budgeted all across the state for gifted for each district. So those are the things on the legislative front. There's a lot of movement happening. Uh
but as we head into session starting in January, there'll be plenty of opportunities for us to talk to our leaders and ensure that our platform issues are being heard loud and clear. So I think that will wrap up my um
comments this evening. Thank you for allowing the deep dive on what we've started with insurance uh contracts. And I can say thank you to the FSBA joint conference. Uh I don't know if you had the opportunity to attend one of the
sessions that I did specifically with Thomas Kennedy, uh Reverend Cummings, but that one session helped me learn a lot about a tool that now Dr. Brewer and I are both kind of using and we'll be happy to share with you guys how to use it as well to just help do some deep
analysis really quickly on things as we progress and move forward. anything we can do to make ourselves more effective board members is exactly what we learned at the school board conference and so that was a wonderful wonderful opportunity for us to have professional leadership and learning. So that
concludes my comments. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Kimell. Reverend Cummings. >> Good evening everybody. Um happy holidays, happy merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Quanza, whatever it's whatever you celebrating. I'm glad we celebrating and we're close to to the end of the year.
Um we had a very very um very I thought a very productive FSBA conference uh last week. Um the speaker on that first day um really brought forth some some things that this board really needs to
take into consideration. I I share with uh Superintendent Brewer that um I think we need to figure out a way to get that person here um and present not just to Marian County School but to our county as a whole because it talked about
growth. >> It talks about um why the growth looks the way that it looks in Florida and in particularly I could see Marian County in that situation. Um clearly I can see clearly and especially when we talk about um
schools that have declining populations and districts that have uh increasing population. So, um I'm hoping at some point we can have a conversation about getting that person here and it not be just a um a burden, financial burden on
the district, but it'd be a a shared cost for the whole county because it would benefit every governmental agency in Marian County to have that presentation here. um grateful to the to the young lady um
from Dunelan that that is up on her current events concerning what's happening in in Dunelan um specifically in the Chatmire community and how it affects not just one community but it actually affects um actually affects three counties
actually affects three counties because if it runs off into the to the Rainbow River there's some some um counties that that river runs into flows into that's going to affect the environment. Um oftent times when we had those conversations we talked about the
environmental um effects but there's a human there's a human capital effect in all of that as well that can affect people for generations to come. It was strange Dr. Campbell, I came back on I left Tampa uh
conference on Thursday to get to Dunellan to to be to this meeting and at that time uh Representative Gro showed up at the meeting and gave us the news that um CSX would move those railroad ties. Great news, but not enough. Not
enough. Not enough because they haven't been moved yet. So, people give you they'll sell you something quick and they'll tell you they're going to get it done. And I appreciate the work that Representative uh Gro did and um getting them, but I won't be comfortable until it's gone, until it's been moved. So, I
appreciate that. I appreciate that um a a young a a a younger group of people are paying attention to what's going on because it could affect them for generations and generations to come. So, kudos to you and and thank you for being
aware of that tonight. Um, and this and I'm I'm probably going to two more things. Um, tonight we we uh approved 987,237.17 in the purchase of vehicles for this district. Um, when you look at the
agenda, you look at what was um purchased, they weren't luxury vehicles. They weren't they weren't Bentleys or anything or or SUVs or anything of the such. They were vehicles that were necessary to do the work in the
district. Um when you go back and actually look at what was being replaced, many of these vehicles, I think the the latest vehicles, the youngest vehicle was 17 years old. I don't think any of us up here driving 17-y old vehicles and expecting it to
get the same efficiency and production that we would uh a new vehicle. So, um, what this showed me and should show our community is that this district has been very good in being good stewards with
what they have and taking care of the the u the vehicles that they have had to get 325,000 miles on the vehicle. Uh and and in Marian County, it you can do that quickly because of the size of our
county. But to make it last 17 plus years, um says something is a testament to our our facilities department, our maintenance department, and the people that drive those vehicles every day. So, they're not out riding. They're not drag racing down the boulevard or in the
forest or anything like that. they're actually utilizing those vehicles to make sure that those vehicles do what they're supposed to do. And people may say, well, they're vehicles. How does that help the kids? It supports every student when they're when they're able to do their jobs and what they're
functioning for. So, I am truly um I have no problem with approving things of the such because it supports the district and it makes us a more efficient. It makes us get the job done better. So, um I'm I'm grateful that we got through
that. And then finally, um and on a lighter on a lighter note, on a lighter note, um I am just so thrilled to see everybody but Mr. Black, man. [laughter] >> He He had a He had a He had a good one. He had a good one at the time. But uh
I'm looking forward to next week. >> Next week work session. Amen. Everybody's going to be in their their Christmas sweater. Miss, listen. Mr. Welsh, I don't know where I don't know what that was, but he he he got the he got the prize tonight. It's the ugliest.
>> The ladies got a hold of it. >> Is that what it was? The ladies did it. Okay. Oh. Oh, Elena did it. Okay. [laughter] But now just Mr. Blackman. Uh, he has on Christmas time. Listen, it's it's we we go through so many serious things throughout the year. Have so many serious conversation. There is a
time that we all need to have some lighter notes and this was one of those times. So, thank you guys for for the um the ugly sweaters. Um keep wearing them. You look good in them. Actually, ugly sometimes make people look better. So, [laughter]
so uh merry Christmas, guys. >> Thank you, Reverend Cummings. Uh board member Conrad, >> thank you. Good evening. I'm going to piggyback on uh how Reverend Cummings finished up and I too am appreciated uh appreciate um the participation in the
holiday attire. uh this evening there's this time of year is hard. It's difficult. Uh all all the students are excited and may not be quite as excited about the holiday um festivities um and focusing on their work. So it's a
challenge uh to be in classrooms and in schools right now. And so I just think um that it really exudes one team, one mission as we all participate in lightening the load just a little bit as we move into the next couple of weeks
that are tend to be challenging as we try to corral our students and keep them engaged. So I just I want to give a shout out to the team. Also, um I also want to thank um the board and the superintendent. I think um it's the first time the superintendent has ridden
on the float in Belleview. So, we're really grateful that you took time. I know your schedule is so packed and so I appreciate you taking time uh to be there and we had a good showing from the board and so just um you know what we're everybody's super busy and so I thank
you uh for taking time to participate in that. Uh I do want to give a shout out to Mrs. guest uh who was here um earlier uh for the J junior ROC um presentation of the flags. She did double duty today. Uh the C was at her
school this morning and so they had a whole program and her students did a beautiful, beautiful job. Um and they also had an agriculture expo or something. I don't remember exactly. So I apologize miss that I don't remember exactly. But just again um the team and
the work that goes into everything that our kids are able to participate each and every day. So a shout out to uh Belleview High School for a phenomenal um job. Um I want to say thank you to our student board members. Uh your
comments are some of my favorite parts of our board meetings and so just thank you for being engaged and participating. We all know that this is a really challenging time for you that you are super busy and you have a lot going on. So, thank you for taking time to prepare prepare and be here with us this
evening. So, we're just really grateful. I know every every board member at some point says we just we've been so lucky and we're so grateful um for the board members uh student board members that participate with us. So, I just wanted wanted to give you all a shout out. Um
and I think lastly, I wanted to say um Dr. James was able to attend. The Children's Alliance had a program for Put Your Phone Down out at the Klein Center um last Wednesday and it really was it was phenomenal. I Dr. James, I
don't know what what you walked walked away with, but um as a new grandmother, [laughter] you know, I know that it's not good for the for cell phones to be in the hands of our young people and as a primary educator, I know that that's not good.
But it was so great to get the go and get the science what that does to our our children's brain um when they're on um on their phone all the time and what that looks like the evidence that they're able to share. And so I would
encourage I'm seeing a lot of shares on social media. I would encourage you just take a minute. Um the mayor Marciano shared um a video clip. Um it's very short and to the point, but just in cur it's um I think and also the w the website is screen strong. Dr. James, is
that correct? >> I believe that's correct. >> Okay. I was trying to remember. Um just take a minute. They have parent resources um classroom resources all of those things. And I just encourage you to take a second uh to take a peek at it. was very informative um and a little
depressing uh then how how much damage our cell phones are doing to our young people. So um with that just want to thank everybody, thank our team for being here this evening and uh looking forward to seeing everybody on Saturday for the Christmas parade. Thank you. >> Thank you board member Thor.
>> Oh my gosh, [laughter] isn't this the most wonderful time of the year? Honestly, and I'm glad that we're all celebrating it together. It's just uplifting and and We're in I know I'm enjoying every minute and I think everyone's starting to feel the spirit.
So that's great. Um I want to start with thanking uh Dr. Campbell and also congratulating you um to this uh FSBA meeting last week was the first time you were introduced as formerly as the president-elect and that was pretty cool
um to to witness your introduction. um it is a big deal um to be representing at that level and so I just wanted to offer my congratulations. I I guess you'll be getting actually sworn in right at the summer in June. Okay.
>> All right. And I kind of purposely chose, you know, coming just on on Wednesday. Uh I knew with my schedule that I had to make some decisions and I just drove down and drove back. But a big reason for doing it was I didn't want to miss the keynote because I knew he was going to be awesome and he did
not disappoint and I really look forward I love that idea of incorporating all of our entities because just tremendous impact on everybody and what I can say to students is if you want to get a highpaying job anything to do with the
aging population because the birth rate is not replacing us. >> That's right. >> That's the bottom line. So, our country is aging and people are living so much longer that they're going to need a lot of help and support and research and
just opportunity to continue to live well. So, uh just that struck me right away like talk about career and technical education. you know, there's just going to be this whole big opportunity and and also um just really what it means to have so many people uh
retiring, you know, as as the baby boomer population. I think there were like 15 million that were born in a very short amount of time. So, that that was just a great way to kick off um FSBA. And it did make me realize too that in
this era of just continuing to question as we always have, but even with a sharper pencil that, you know, there's there's a lot of ways to participate and and and still get some fantastic content. I know when I first started it
was I I some years I was there for four days in a row, you know, with the chairmanship training and and all of those things. And then if you choose to serve in a leadership position and or positions and FSBA, it's a big commitment right after Thanksgiving. It it really really is. But I think I was
reminded all over again what a dynamic organization it is and how they've worked hard to be responsive and and be really relevant in in what they're sharing. So, um it does bring me also to uh thanking
and and feeling so good about not only our student board members taking an interest in local issues, but also the relationships that we're building with our state leaders and and now, you know, moving towards our our national leaders. uh they really need to hear what we're
hearing especially when it comes to it took me even a while to come around to the fact it's just the way I was raised you know bootstraps pull yourself up by your bootstraps well with what has happened in society over the past 15 years um the kids are paying the price
you know uh we've been played totally when it comes to this instant access to everything and everything in the palm of your hand Um, and I think that we're all starting to wise up to the impacts of that and that's really really important
for our kids mental health and and well-being. That is a recurring theme. Um, it has created a difference in society that we've never had to experience before. And I think as adults and as leaders, we need to continue to amplify that. This has nothing to do
with anything except the well-being of our children. So, the more that we can partner with our legislators at the local level that are really starting to see, hear, and understand because they visit our schools, they they meet with us, um strengthening the relationships,
you know, um at the national level is is only going to help kids and and I'm really proud of the legislation that we have pushed for that looks like we're on the the cusp of of some foundational changes that are really going to help kids. So, I thank everyone um for
continuing to to drive that home. Um the kids need it. You know, we have a great attendance um initiative and representing Oakrest Elementary School, you know, they are just really rocking
it. And we were talking earlier about the impacts that even folks that may not necessarily have a student roster make with Marian County Public Schools. I just have to give a shout out to Dr. Brochington um in HR. I think we all got that email. You know, she's supporting
instruction a few days a week at Oakrest. You know, um to me that really blurs blurs the line in terms of just blowing up the silos. It's it's the commitment to children that we all have in common and to kids and young adults. So, I want to make sure I shared that
and really appreciate it. Our Christmas parades um are rolling along. We've got the big one, um, the Ocala Christmas Parade. I continue to be really grateful to, um, John Paglia and Florida Express Environmental for, you know, that's a lot of work to put that float together,
but their employees love doing it and love driving. And hats off to Sue Mosley and and her team because [laughter] talk about hurting cats. Oh my god. To try to get all of those participants wrangled and having the parade start on time is a tremendous undertaking and and
they do it with panache. Um for sure. Um it was mentioned uh earlier that the closing of um Seri and and and New Leaf and and that was a big change for this community, but we do have Bridgeway, you know, academy now and and they're doing
incredible work and I'm incredibly proud to represent them as their school board member and and continue to support them in in any way that I can. Uh Pace, losing Pace was definitely a loss. Uh, and I think what killed it was that we just weren't there there wasn't anything
in I guess would have been in the uh budget that they used the most money from to provide transportation. You know, it it's really hard to get disengaged kids to school as it is. And then if you make it hard for them to get there, you're just not going to have the
results and and the attendance um that you need. We had 16 students tonight. I think I counted um you know that expulsions and so on that that just you know tells me they're completely off the track. And when you look at the cost of
that both socially and financially of of not getting it right the first time, you know, not availing yourselves of the opportunities that you have in Marian County Public Schools and the resources and the support, it is so much more expensive to do it on the backside and
try to recover kids, which we're certainly committed to doing because that's where they are and we're meeting students where they are, than to to get it right the first time. And and that's why these foundational changes are so important, including and I think we're
getting some traction now about looking very closely in the old days um three tardies was was an absence and and that could be counted towards an unexcused absence. Well, the law's kind of squishy there, but not that squishy. But what we're seeing now is that there's another
way to do it in terms of counting missed instructional minutes. So, if you have missed enough instructional minutes that add up to a school day, well, there you go. Yeah. And so, we're we're working through that. Uh, Dr. Brewer and and thank you, Mr. Rebert. I think he had to
to leave for being at Oakrest Attendance Response Committee meeting. Um, this is where the the rubber meets the road of taking away all of the barriers so we can create that path to a
streamlined approach where everyone understands that if you take these steps and we hold you accountable and we provide so much support that it's almost too hard not to do it right, then we are going to get the outcomes
that we're all searching for uh we have other very high performing districts that are already doing this and again that is the benefit of the communication collaboration and the partnerships that all of us at different different ways and different levels take to improve
student outcomes. So this time of year, the most wonderful time of the year, the the the gratitude that that I feel and the excitement that I feel of all of the hard work coming together on the one team, one mission um is is a great way
to come to the close of our first semester. So that's what I have. Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Thrower. Uh to piggy back off of that, I wanted to share accolades. um the school that my children attend, they actually got 99.15%
attendance on Thursday, last week, which is huge. [applause] And so I wonder, have we ever had a school get 100% attendance? So, it's just a wondering I have now. Um has any school ever done it? 99.15% is pretty close. Um and truly, I mean,
during testing, those parents all committed to making sure students are showing up. And so I just wanted to give that shout out to Madison Street. And then on the other notes has already been mentioned tonight. Let's I was able to attend the lookup summit had a really cool keynote there sharing some
information. And you know it was it's interesting to watch the room and people respond differently based on their unique lived experiences. And I do you know my home looks like a very traditional '9s home. That's sort of how I explain it to people. It looks like
how I grew up. my kids aren't on devices and so it just looks different in my home but I realized that that's not a reality for a lot of people and so kids are on um handheld devices or they have games or video games and what this
summit really shared and this keynote was and and I you reminded me let's connect make sure Dr. Brewer gets the information for some of those resources because I think some of them are even no cost that we could get out through mental health and wear um
and wellness potentially into the um our parents' hands. But the research is staggeringly supportive that students do not need to be engaged on devices. Um you know being bored is
okay. I tell my children all the time being bored is a choice. Go find something else to do. Go outside. go play, use some of your imagination, read a book. Um, and so as parents becoming okay with our children being bored, um, I would encourage you to give it a shot
maybe over the holiday season. One of the things we talked about in um, I I reached over to um, Beth McCall uh, during this presentation, the they were talking about research about the brain and how when you're not engaged in um, digital consumption, your brain looks
different. And I said, "How cool would it be if we did a case study on kids who go to Camp Kowanas?" And we partnered with a local neuro somebody who could do a brain scan before Camp Kuanas and a brain scan after Camp Kuanas because Camp Kowanas in our community is an
environment where kids go and they have no screens. And how cool would it be for direct reflection of our community to see what our kids' brains look like after they've been on summer break for let's call it three or four weeks probably consuming a lot of screen time
and then go to camp kowanas where they have nothing for 5 days. Um it'd be interesting. So I don't even know if it's feasible but uh it was something that came up because I would love to see I think that would have a lot of impact in our community you know for parents to understand really that impact it has on their brain. So, really cool stuff
happening there, too. Board, um, I wanted to update you. Last week, I went to the Reic town um, town meeting. Um, I think that was last week, last Thursday maybe. Uh, they love all things. So, they're uh, that the interlocal had on
it. I know board, you haven't seen it, but it was everything we discussed. Um, and so the town is reviewing it next meeting. Um, they're meeting next month. hopefully they'll have it and I'll bring it back and then eventually it'll land on an agenda for us. Um, which is the typical procedure, but um, they were
grateful. Uh, it's interesting. The town actually has a a an in town belief that the courts were theirs all along because they were the ones that actually put them in. However, they put them in on our land. And so when we put up the
fences, they became ours. You know, the town always just used them and maintained them. And then when we put up the fences post, you know, 2018, they all of a sudden became ours. And so this kind of gives them back something that they have perceived to be theirs all
along. So I think it's a positive board and I look forward to that agenda item coming before us some point probably in the next couple of months once the attorneys do what the attorneys do. Um, I wanted to remind you all that you should have gotten an email from Miss Marant regarding the superintendent's
job description. that is on the board agenda for the work session next Thursday. Um, and it will obviously be published to board docs on this Thursday, but I wanted you to have it ahead of time. Couple things just to remember. She we have a new JD template.
So, the old JD is on the old template and the new JD has some predetermined things that are a part of it that were never on the old JDs. and Miss Morance's really done a very good job in her department of getting us up to speed, shall I say. So, the new JD, the only
things that are on there that the board is starting from, the ground rules of sorts are those desired characteristics that we all kind of agreed to in our workshop on the first and then some of the things um that Miss Morant has an expectation of us including based on
physical limitations, etc. So, um, if you wouldn't mind just trying to review a little bit and if you have any thoughts, care, um, concerns, anything you want to add, we'll have that, um, discussion, uh, next Thursday. Uh, and then we are headed to Tallahassee again in January. Um, some of us are going to
go up, Dr. Campbell's obviously going up Tuesday and then we'll be there Wednesday. The visit with the representatives is Thursday. Um, so if you are intending to stay in a hotel, uh, board clerk, would you be able to
let the board know when they need to get that information to you by? >> Uh, registration closes January 13th. So, I'd like to get it before I leave for when we leave for Christmas break to go ahead and get them. >> Okay. So, board, if possible, by next Thursday at the workshop, if you are intending to stay in a hotel or be a
part of the conference for FSBA, the conference dates there, please make sure Miss Martinez Young has that information. and so she can get your reservations taken care of. For myself, I will be driving up on Thursday for the visits. Um I imagine Jessica Janowitz and um Dr. Campbell, you'll probably
spearhead the work in that. Okay. Um we did had lots of wonderful recognitions um and lots of great discussion this evening and um I am looking forward to a productive work session next Thursday and then we'll have a few weeks off. Uh,
and that is one of the things that I love about public education is we get a time for fellowship with our families. Our our staff get to go home and spend time um with their families. Some have travel home to a different location other than Marian County, but it gives us a time for rejuvenation and a reset.
So, looking forward to that. Hearing no further business. Uh, may I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Motion to adjurnn. Second. >> Motion by board member Conrad, second by board member Campbell. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Motion passes 5-0. This meeting is
adjourned at 7:37. Thank you board. [music]