Martin County School Board

School Board Latest News From The June 25, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JUNE 20, 2023

I am perplexed as to why (at least in my opinion) the most significant part of the meeting was buried in items that were on the consent agenda.

The reason that the board wanted Michael Maine to become superintendent and completely in charge so fast was because he had to implement changes to his team before the new school year. I imagine that the board is in complete agreement with the changes and that is why the items were on consent.

Which begs the question, why not take the time to have Maine explain the changes publicly at a school board meeting? Why leave these very important personnel changes, if not exactly in the dark, not discussed by the board in public. I think it was a missed opportunity.

On the district’s website and through a public relations campaign, the district immediately got the changes out to the public. I think a more important opportunity was missed when it was not discussed at the meeting. To see the changes and press release you can go here

There seems to be no letup regarding the controversy with books. A good portion of the meeting had to do with each side using public comment to make their points. In general, the district is following the law. They could be using different procedures for how books are removed but those who are against what is happening should be speaking to their state representatives instead of school board members.

If this is an important issue (and it is), then it should be one that would make your representatives in Tallahassee decide to change the law to agree with your thoughts somewhat more. That is done by the public saying if the current law is not changed, then they will vote for the legislator’s opponent at the next election. Politicians understand two things…voting and money. It is all about those two things.

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School Board Latest News From The June 11, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP JUNE 6, 2023

I have been covering the school board for years now. Although it is one of the least interesting, it is also one of the most important since it is about the education of our children.

This 3+ hour meeting was mind numbing. Yet, important matters were discussed. Reporting them without getting lost in the details is challenging. When the subject is something like selecting a new superintendent replacement, there is lots of interest. Budget discussions, student codes of conduct, and mental wellness can be less compelling but not necessarily less important.

A couple of interesting tidbits came out of the budget discussion. It is believed that the ARPA Funds will be clawed back as of September 30^th. If the feds do that more than the school board will be affected.

The new high school in Indiantown was projected to have 175 students for school year 23/24. It looks like there are half that many. Does that mean the school is a failure? Not necessarily. But if enrollment doesn’t increase, I wonder what use the facility will ultimately have.

In general, the budget is in flux because of the new laws and what the impact will be on the bottom line. As of now, the district still does not have the tax rate to charge from Tallahassee. You can see the budget presentation here

There is a big push to eliminate tobacco and vaping in school. The seriousness of even being caught with either a vaping device or a pack of cigarettes is severe. You can see the presentation here

Mental Health is also a big problem. Statistics were provided citing that suicide is the second most prevalent cause of death in ages 10-14 and third for the 15–24-year-olds. You can see the presentation here

The board also discussed a revised code of conduct for students. Interestingly, much had to do with recent legislative bills. Students have a right to have a wireless device, but they cannot use it during instruction time. Another interesting tidbit was that the use of A.I. was prohibited for everything a student does.

An example of A.I. is when suggestions and words auto populate. Microsoft has built into their programs the capability to correct the spelling of words and use of grammar. Does that mean students need to turn off that feature? For a few weeks, I was using Chat GPT as one of my research tools. In the end, I found it gave me too many wrong answers. This bill eliminates the use of that for school projects.

You can find more here

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School Board Latest News From The May 28, 2023 Edition

BOOKS BARRED, BOYCOTTED, BANISHED, BANNED

In the last newsletter, I wrote about what was presented at the school board meeting regarding books being removed from school libraries. Julie Marshall wrote an email stating that what I said was wrong. Her email is printed in the “Letters” section of this edition.

During the staff presentation to the board, they mentioned that currently Martin County High School’s principal was deciding whether “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Edition” should be removed from the library because of a challenge filed by Julie Marshall from “Moms for Liberty.” I stated in our last publication what was presented by the staff explaining board policy. During the presentation they mentioned that a drawing of female nude statues in a park setting was in the book.

I also said that I could find no reference to any nude statues in my research. Ms. Marshall has provided the drawing with her letter where clearly there are classical nude statues in a park setting. I also went on to say that even if my research was incorrect, then is there anything wrong with nudity as portrayed?

And here is the main point of this dilemma. If I still had children in school, I wouldn’t care if they saw and read the book in question. Ms. Marshall apparently does. I respect her right as a parent to have that book not available for her child. I would like to be accorded the same right and give my child the option to read or look at the book.

And that is what is wrong with the entire argument about removing books. It appears neither side wants to afford the other the same right they claim for themselves. It is the shame of this entire episode. I understand that I will never convince Marshall and she should understand the same about me.

In their current form, libraries are obsolete. Printed books should no longer be the reason that libraries exist. We live in a digital world. Books should be available digitally to students. Then it becomes quite easy for school librarians to make sure that standing orders from parents can be instituted and obeyed.

Almost every book can be provided in that format today. Instead of buying hard copies and putting them on shelves, the library buys digital copies and allows students to borrow them in that format. Parents are firmly in control of their child’s content, but not the reading material for anyone else’s child.

The ability for people to remove books making them unavailable to all students is a bad law. It isn’t a sign of freedom but one of repression. Parental rights are for every parent even those with whom we disagree.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MAY 16, 2023

The first hour of the meeting was spent recognizing the awards and celebrations of teachers, students, and programs. That was what school board meetings have always had. The second and third hours were for public speakers, both pro and con, regarding books being banned, removed, prohibited or any terminology one cares to use to mean the book is gone or should be.

Julie Marshall of Moms for Liberty spoke regarding what she considers my wrong interpretation of the last meeting. You can read about it above. One thing I will say is that she was civil in challenging me, and I appreciate that. I hope she believes the same about me. The person who behaved entirely inappropriately was Liz Bernstein who was speaking out against books being removed.

Bernstein refused to relinquish the podium when her turn to speak had ended. The deputies had to remove her. I don’t know whether she continued to be disruptive outside the chamber, but I understand that the sheriff issued a trespass warning. How long until she can come back to the school board meetings is unknown.

She is a passionate believer in her cause regarding the removal of books, but there is no excuse for her behavior at this meeting. If you claim to be an education advocate, you also need to be a role model for children. In no way, shape, or form was Liz a role model at this meeting or in recent ones.

Board Member DiTerlizzi said a few things that should be mentioned. He stated the board and district are following the law. What does that mean though? Aren’t they more interpreting the law since each school district is coming to different interpretations of what books to remove. The question becomes is the interpretation true or not to the law?

Another thing he said is some are trying to compare guns and violence to books being removed. They are two separate and distinct issues and should be kept that way. The gun laws have nothing to do with what the district and board oversee.

Amy Pritchett correctly stated that it wasn’t the board that gives kids electronic devices. So, to say books should not be available because the students can just pull up the material is a false equivalent. Parents provide those instruments…not schools.

DiTerlizzi also said that the board was following state law. That they were given very little room to maneuver by Tallahassee. He suggested that people who were concerned about what was happening at the local level should talk to their state representatives.

At some point as a citizen, you must ask why we are spending money to have elected boards if they are preempted from making decisions. As Tallahassee takes more and more power away, there is less and less of a reason for their existence. That should give us concern.

As an example, for decades there was little, if any, controversy surrounding what children read in school. There has always been parent involvement…why suddenly has this become a problem? Could it be our heightened political world? Are parents alarmed more than necessary?

Right now, one side is in ascendancy. They pass laws to further their political objectives. What happens when the pendulum swings to the left…will the legislature pass laws mandating teaching just as objectionable material to the other side?

In both cases, local authority and control will be isolated. If all school board members are allowed to do is follow the law as directed from state-level authorities and have little discretion, then why are they there? Local control of things kept matters civil. That has gone away with Tallahassee mandates.

There has been a request by the new MCEA president to have the same deal as the past president. She was the full-time union president but was being paid and employed by the district. The district was then repaid by the union. Chair Powers asked how the board felt about that.

Pritchett wanted to know if according to the existing contract the request had to be made by March 25^th. Powers said yes and Pritchett then said it is too late and didn’t want to entertain it further. The board agrees here, as I do.

If someone wants to work for the union, they should be paid by the union. The next hurdle is that there is a new law that does not allow the union to automatically have dues withdrawn from members’ pay. Without the checkoff, will they fall below 60% of the employees being members? If they do, the district no longer bargain with them.

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School Board Latest News From The May 14, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING APRIL 25, 2023

This meeting was called to formally select Michael Maine as superintendent and to determine when he will officially assume the role.

Chair Powers wanted to vote on the contract for Maine and name him acting superintendent. Though current superintendent, John Millay, cited June 30 as his last day of work in his resignation letter, Powers felt his last day should be May 22 which would be the 90 days’ notice required under Millay’s contract. Board Members Roberts and DiTerlizzi wanted Millay to stay through June 30.

But Powers argued that there cannot be two superintendents at the same time. Board Member Pritchett thought Maine should start as of the end of the school year. She said he is anxious to build his team and eager to go.

Millay piped up to say that he was happy to leave as of the end of May. He wanted to do what was best for the district. His goal was for a smooth and successful transition. He thought that Maine could build his team now regardless of the title.

Powers again said that you can only have one superintendent at a time. She wanted to name Maine acting superintendent which means he would stay at his current salary and benefits. Then on June 1^st the new contract would begin with his $235,000 base salary and he would go from acting superintendent to superintendent.

It was decided that Dr. Millay would be paid through the end of May as a consultant. Maine is now acting superintendent. Millay clarified that he would help Maine during the transition. He would make himself available to the school board and to Maine, but he would no longer have a formal role. Millay would attend graduation ceremonies.

You can find both Millay’s and Maine’s contract here

Mr. Maine has received a bump of $65,000 over Dr. Millay’s contract. Millay’s contract was dated Oct 2020. In less than 3 years, the cost of a superintendent has risen by a third. It can’t be explained by inflation.

There is just a shortage of qualified people to step into that role in Florida today. There were already 8 superintendent vacancies out of 67 districts in the state. And it won’t get any better anytime soon.

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP & SPEC. MEETING MAY 3, 2023

The controversy over books is not going away anytime soon.

Many people spoke at the meeting. The majority spoke against current policy. Interestingly, I wonder how many of the speakers know what the current policy is.

After public comment Mary White, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, gave a presentation on the policy. Florida Statute 1006.28 is the law that the policy interprets. Books anywhere in a school must be vetted by a media specialist. The content cannot be pornographic or inappropriate in any way.

The Florida Department of Education’s training materials go on to state that materials that are neither pornographic or prohibited under section FS 847.012 (lewd materials to children) may still be inappropriate for students. It wants media specialists to error on the side of caution. The test for appropriateness is if the reader isn’t comfortable reading the material in a public meeting, then it shouldn’t be in the library.

All materials need to be on the school’s website so that parents can know what is available to their children. The materials include electronic, digital, periodicals, and videos available. Required reading lists are also there.

To object to something that is available to the students, any parent or county resident must make their objection to the material in writing to the principal. The principal will then review the objection and can meet with the resident and teacher to see if the matter can be resolved. If it is not resolved to the objector’s satisfaction, then it goes to the district curriculum supervisor for review. If the objector is still unsatisfied, then there will be a public hearing of the school board.

There are 15-calendar-day limits on both the school and district level. The board will have 45 calendar days to have a hearing. As of the meeting, 95 books in total have been removed. 9 of those were moved from elementary schools to middle schools.

The current book that is winding its way through the process is “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaption” The objection made at Martin County High School was that there were illustrations of Frank walking among female nude statues and that it was not a true adaptation of the Holocaust.

The book was required reading when I was in High School. It was first published in English in 1952. Over the years, other material was found and included which was not in the original version I read. Anne Frank did write about having her first menstrual period, but I can’t see how that would be objectionable or inappropriate for any high school kid to read. As to illustrations of walking among female nude statues, I couldn’t find anything mentioned about it in my research. I asked my research assistant, Chat GPT, and Chat clearly stated that there were no illustrations of nude statues in the graphic novel.

But for argument’s sake, let’s say that Chat got it wrong and there were. Is the objector trying to claim that high school students should not see works of art that are nude? We should deprive students of a seminal book because of that.

As to not a true depiction of the Holocaust…what can be truer than a non-fiction account of a group of Jews that were in hiding from the Nazis for two years. Their fate was ending up in a concentration camp where the only survivor of the group of eight was Anne’s father, Otto. He was the one who published the diary.

Parents do have a right to be the ultimate decider about the materials their children will use, read, and hear. Placing the materials on the website is an excellent way for that to happen. A parent’s objection should be that their child can’t view the book. It shouldn’t be that they can stop everyone’s child from doing so.

This is a law that was written and passed for political reasons. It has nothing to do with appropriate learning. There is no good action that can come from a bad law.

You can find Dr. White’s presentation here

The special meeting was called to try and fix the union president’s contract with the school board.

As reported in an earlier edition, the board was upset that an agreement was made by Dr. Millay and the school union president to allow her to keep her pay, pension, medical and other benefits yet work on only union matters from the union office. The union was to reimburse the district for everything including the millage approved bonus and a master’s degree bump.

The board is right that this was never a good idea. Perhaps it would work in a more pro-union environment. The board believes that she should have just been paid by the people she was working for. And in some sense, she was.

It was established that the union reimbursed the district for everything. The taxpayers have not lost a dime. So, to try and fix the problem in a manner that all parties can agree on has proven difficult. The current agreement ends in two months. After attempting to remedy the situation for several months, it was agreed to let everything remain the same until the new bargaining year on July 1^stwhen this agreement expires.

School Board Members: Please speak into your mics. The only one who does it consistently is Amy Pritchett. Thanks Amy!

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School Board Latest News From The Apr 23, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING APR 18, 2024

It does not appear that the board will have any reprieve in the book wars.

Most of the meeting was given over to public comment regarding books being removed from the shelves throughout the school system. Overwhelmingly, the comments were not in favor of book removal. The questions of what to keep in and leave out of a library, or for that matter a curriculum, are not so easily made.

I don’t think anyone truly understands how a book is removed from the shelves. There is a policy about how it is done but ultimately it can be appealed to the board itself. I think the board should go over that policy step by step in public and how the board determines which books to keep, which is age appropriate and why.

I remember two books we read in high school that were both by Erich Marie Remarque. The first one was the better known “All Quiet on The Western Front.” The other was his lesser-known work “Arch of Triumph.” “All Quiet” was a brutal portrayal of the futility of war and what the trench warfare of WW I was really like. “Arch” follows the love affair of an actress and doctor in Paris between the wars and the hopelessness of the generation that survived WW I.

If the depiction of sex (even in a rather calm manner) is the only determinate, then surely the second book would be banned today. Yet “All Quiet” is so much more disturbing as men are slaughtered and death becomes routine for the survivors. Both books convey themes that are unpleasant. Should one or the other be removed?

A school board member explained to me that the member’s test would be whether the student is uncomfortable discussing the content with their parents. In my opinion, that may be too simple an explanation. Some things may be uncomfortable but a valid learning experience.

This issue is not going away. The board needs to explain its policy and how it is enforced. Parents do have a right to have their child opt out of content. Should one or two or three parents have the right to have books removed for every child?

The board is following policy when they do not speak during public comment, yet they need to educate. The board and district must continuously review their criteria so that everyone understands what it is. The debate should be not over which book is “banned” but how does any book become accepted or rejected. Right now, it seems to me the debate is more accusation than actual substance.

I would welcome having the board or their staff write something for us that we could publish outlining their steps and policies. Accusations going back and forth do not settle the problem. It is only making it worse.

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School Board Latest News From The Apr 9, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP APR. 4, 2023

I went to high school decades ago. Many things have changed in schools and in the country in the ensuing years. Yet there are many similar problems that students faced then and now. What has changed is the response of society.

In the 1960s everyone smoked. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, and even students. One of the favorite places to do so then and apparently now is in the school restroom. Cigarettes have given way, for the most part, to vaping. Occasionally, when I went to school, someone would light up a joint and from the discussion of the board, I heard them acknowledge that it still goes on today.

Smoking is anything but universal now. The CDC estimates that 12.5% of Americans still can be classified as smokers. About 20% of Americans, mostly younger people, use vaping products. While smoking cigarettes by kids is far less prevalent, vaping is not. And just as we migrated to the restroom to have a few puffs back then, young people today are using the restroom to take a few hits of their e-cigarette.

That apparently is where the similarity ends. Students in Martin County will flush their spent vaping cartridges down the toilet causing major damage to the plumbing system. So much so that some rest rooms are now closed, and others have long lines as a result.

The closures and lines are because there are not enough bathroom monitors to prevent the vaping and other damaging behavior. Scarce dollars are being spent to pay an adult to watch students in the restrooms. Does anyone find that disturbing? Or is it another sign of our modern school system and how it has developed?

I don’t know what the punishment is, but there is something wrong with a society that has its kids damaging the restrooms by ripping sinks off walls (which is apparently being done) in addition to vaping. I would hope that property destruction is less prevalent than throwing things down toilets.

Bathroom for men, especially clean, spacious

When I was in high school, there was no age limit to buy a pack of cigarettes. Today there is. The same goes for vaping products. In our puritanical way, society thinks that by outlawing a product, it solves a problem. It doesn’t. Our banning mentality has come so far that we place monitors in bathrooms. Apparently, children who will soon be classified as adults can’t be trusted to begin to act in that manner.

Parents should stop worrying about banning literature and lay down rules for their children to follow with certain punishments if caught disobeying rules. The same needs to be done by the school board. It is absolutely absurd to have to be monitored while doing “your business” in a school lavatory.

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School Board Latest News From The Mar 26, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MARCH 21, 2023:

Most of the meeting was devoted to public comment regarding the removal of books from school libraries.

Martin County has been in the spotlight about this with a Washington Post story and mentions on news outlets such as CNN. Depending on your viewpoint, the district is either a champion of decency or the libraries were full of a trove of filth. The overwhelming majority of today’s public comment was solidly against banning books.

I looked at the list of books that were removed from the libraries. Except for Toni Morrisons’ work, I have never read any of the titles. I believe the person that is behind many of the requests, Julie Marshall, admittedly hasn’t either.

In the world of the internet, trying to ban something is very hard. Trying to protect children from “obscenity” in today’s world is even harder. Have those parents who are trying to censor what is read ever listened to their children when the child didn’t realize it?

Speaker after speaker…there were more than 40…were overwhelmingly upset by the actions taken by the district. Most people could probably agree with removal of explicitly sexual material. Yet many of the banned books dealt with racial and other societal issues. There is so much more here than what is being portrayed in simplistic media soundbites of 30 seconds.

It is political as much as anything else. Laws that curry favor with one group or another always succeed in dividing us. Florida has passed many such laws. I can almost predict that at the next meeting the other side will be mobilized to come out. This is not over.

A list of the books that have been removed can be found here

While public comment took 2 hours, finding a new superintendent was wrapped up in about 15 minutes.

The board barely tinkered with the job description for superintendent. They then moved to accept Dr. Millay’s recommendation that Deputy Superintendent Michael Maine be elevated to the top job. It is amazing how in step everyone was.

His elevation is unlike the year-long search for the district’s first appointed superintendent, John Millay, in 2020. Maine’s appointment was the board’s attempt to discourage polarization in the community. They feared a search could engender even deeper divisions in the current political environment. Maine’s appointment was also seen to foster a seamless transition.

Mr. Maine is a recent arrival to Martin County schools. He was initially hired to be the Executive Director of Principals & Community Standards in 2021. Maine was promoted in 2022 to his current post of Deputy Superintendent.

Member DiTerlizzi stated there were too many openings for superintendents in Florida right now. Roberts echoed that by saying there was a thin pool of ready applicants. DiTerlizzi made the motion to offer the job to Maine with a top range of $254,907.00 for the position. That is a far cry than what they paid the last elected superintendent.

The vote was 5-0 to have Chair Powers negotiate a contract with Maine. You can find the job description and salary ranges here

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School Board Latest News From The Mar 12, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP MARCH 7, 2023

Now that the first appointed superintendent will be leaving after less than three years on the job, the board is left to find his replacement.

This is one of the reasons there was opposition to superintendents being appointed rather than being elected. However, there is no going back, and we may have to become accustomed to a revolving door for this position. The other thing that we must become accustomed to is an ever-escalating salary. Superintendent Millay currently earns $170,000 per year.

The board was reminded of how the current amount may be inadequate by Florida School Board Association CEO Andrea Messina whose organization helped in the recruitment process last time. She currently went on to explain that there are 8 superintendent vacancies in Florida out of 67 districts. Some of the districts are finding difficulty in attracting out-of-state candidates because of the uproar over state policy and changes.

Both Marcia Powers and Amy Pritchett would like to see the position be filled smoothly. The board also does not have the luxury of taking a year to fill the position this time as it did on the first search. Messina said that they do not recommend using a committee made up of various community members like they did last time. In the heightened political environment, they have found committee members have been harassed.

Chair Powers stated that filling the position from within would be a very viable option. They may be looking to Deputy Superintendent Michael Maine for that job. He has not been at the district very long, so I know very little about him. We will keep a close eye on events as they unfold.

Dr. Millay has given the board a date of June 30^th for his departure. If Maine is the pick, then that should give the district the smooth transition it is looking to achieve.

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School Board Latest News From The Feb 26, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Dr. John Millay, Martin County’s first appointed superintendent, surprised the board, staff, and citizens by resigning effective June 30^th.

Millay has been superintendent for a little over two years. During that time, he oversaw the district’s challenging time with COVID. Society has changed due to the pandemic and that included our schools. The board had also changed.

He was hired by a 3-2 vote of the board. Anthony Anderson, who voted against Dr. Millay, was defeated by Amy Pritchett in the last election. Victoria Defenthaler, who voted for Millay, decided not to run, and was replaced by Jennifer Russell. Both Pritchett and Russell are not professional educators like Anderson and Defenthaler both of which had worked for the Martin County School District.

Dr. Millay was from Kentucky where he had been a superintendent and administrator. There had been a community committee to select and narrow the applicants for superintendent to a list of five. (In full disclosure I was a member of the committee.) Millay was not on the short list because he did not fulfill the qualifications that the school board stated they wanted in the candidates. Perhaps he would have been if there were broader parameters.

Member Roberts asked that he be placed on the short list as the 6^th candidate. I think Millay was a good hire. As part of Millay’s resignation letter, he listed many of his accomplishments as superintendent and they are impressive.

After last meeting’s union problems, he may have felt that his legs had been cut out from under him. Even at this juncture, the school board members during their comments were still in shock at the end of the meeting. Pritchett, who was most deeply involved with the union matter, went back to it once more and said she needed to understand how it happened.

She also said she would speak in private to Millay because the public doesn’t need to hear it. That is the kind of remark that would get her predecessor in trouble. Roberts was caught off guard and wanted the board to offer a multiyear contract to Millay now.

Russell will also speak to him privately. Though I think at this point even if he wanted to, Millay could not rescind his resignation. A contract always gives the board an opportunity to terminate as long as severance is paid.

Millay is probably serene in his decision. He has a pension from Kentucky. He had taught college courses on education and was a mentor to other district superintendents. John may just sit on the beach for a time and contemplate what his next move will be. You can read his resignation letter here

During public comment, there were many speakers who spoke for and against banning books. This is another contentious subject. I am not a great believer in trying to censor books. However, there does need to be some common sense about what to allow in schools. A ten-year-old is different from a senior in high school. Is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales pornography or an example of medieval literature? I remember reading the book in my Catholic high school.

Literature needs to be placed in context not only to our own time but the time in which it was written. We can argue about what is vulgar and what is not. Should a book that depicts a same sex couple be banned because of that even if there is no explicit sexuality?

If you believe that homosexuality is wrong and evil, then any mention of it (even in the context of explaining that Heather’s family is different than ours) should be kept out of schools. But Heather and her two mothers are members of our society.

One board member told me if you would be embarrassed to read a paragraph or a page in the book aloud to your parents, the book should not be in the system. That again may make sense if the student is younger but what about those older students? Thorny questions…perhaps Millay decided that these and other modern problems are no longer educational but societal.

It was time once again to pick a health insurance carrier for district employees. There is an insurance committee that meets year-round that studies this issue and to discuss claims experience. Again, in transparency, I am the only member of that committee not part of the district in any way.

There was an RFP where health insurance companies given specifications were to submit proposals to a selection committee who were also on the insurance committee. They ranked the proposal with price being 35% of the ranking. Florida Blue the district’s carrier for more than a decade, ranked first. United Health Care was third. Both Florida Blue and United Health Care representatives spoke at the meeting.

The vote to recommend Florida Blue was 14-0 by the insurance committee. The board is under no obligation to accept the committee’s recommendation. However, the state has certain rules when you go out to bid, and one of them is that you cannot just ignore the selection process.

The board decided not to decide at this meeting but for the district to go out and negotiate with the carriers.

As a voting member, I looked at it two ways. First why do the employees want Florida Blue over any of the others? It appears the other committee members representing staff, teachers, and retirees felt comfortable with them. Anyone who has ever had to change doctors or try to have different medicines substituted knows how disruptive it is.

I also believe even though United Health Care may save a few dollars (if there is no migration from one plan to another offered by the company) the savings ultimately wouldn’t be that great. Since health care is not a negotiated item, it is up to the board to decide how much of each employee’s premium to pay.

One of the sticking points was that Florida Blue had no cap in the 2^nd year but United had an 11.5% cap. I asked that question and the answer from our consultant was that Florida Blue had never raised premiums more than 9.5%. Therefore, not a real sticking point in my mind after a decade.

In my opinion, the board should decrease the subsidy they pay depending on costs. The board does control how much the district will expend on health care instead of going against the employees wishes in choosing a company. The first thing they should have done is given the committee the amount they were willing to spend toward health care.

In that way, the committee would know the number they would ultimately be asking their members to contribute. Sounds simple to me…which means it will never be tried. You can see the information here

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School Board Latest News From The Feb 12, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Apparently even to some board members, the arrangement between the district and the union allowing MCEA President Karen Resciniti to remain as a paid employee on the district payroll with all benefits while working exclusively in the union’s offices was a surprise. The union is reimbursing the district for her pay plus benefits.

On first look, it appears that the district is not being harmed (at least financially). However, there is more to it than just that. Board Member Amy Pritchett brought this to the surface. Anthony George, the board’s attorney, wrote a memo laying out the facts uncovered by him and related below.

This possibility has been in the contract since 2007/2008 but it was only requested by the union in mid-2022. There was a proposed MOU sent by MCEA to the district’s negotiation team on May 25^th. The district employs Michael Spellman of the firm Sniffen and Spellman as their chief negotiator. He was not copied. Neither was Anthony George, the school board’s attorney.

Mr. Spellman received the proposed MOU from a member of the district’s negotiating team. Spellman had concerns about the language and that it had to be presented at a collective bargaining session. Superintendent Millay and Spellman discussed the matter, but Spellman was not asked to review anything. It was never brought up in a collective bargaining session nor does he remember it being presented in an executive session with the board.

In July, the district and union did come to an understanding regarding Resciniti remaining a fulltime district employee who would work from the union office and report to Tyson Villwock, the Director of Professional Standards. All pay and benefits would be reimbursed by the union. The agreement was signed by Resciniti and Millay on August 16^th retroactive to August 1^st.

According to the George memo, on September 30^th Board Consent Item 4.02 approved Resciniti’s appointment as a teacher on assignment but no contract or other documents were attached to the item. Neither George nor Spellman were given a copy of the draft prior to execution.

The union has reimbursed the district for all wages and benefits but there has been no verification of reimbursement of any of the millage payment that every teacher received including Resciniti. The collective bargaining contract calls for a leave of absence to be granted not continuation of employee status.

While Item 4.02, which was approved on consent, calls for her to work under the supervision of a deputy superintendent. Millay has assigned her to work under Villwock, the senior administrator for collective bargaining. He also would do any investigations of any member of her union on disciplinary matters. According to George, this leads to the perception of a conflict.

There is no doubt that there must be agenda consent items in order not to have meetings that run for hours and hours. Yet how is the school board member supposed to know what they are voting on if there are no attachments explaining the item?

For some time, I have written about the lack of agenda items having any sort of backup. At the meeting where this memo and the entire Resciniti affair was being discussed, there was no way the public had any idea what was going on. The George memo and other back up material were not attached. This is a situation that happens all too frequently with the district and the board. It needs to stop now. Obviously not only is the public not informed but apparently neither is the board on matters coming before it.

Ms. Pritchett was the one that dug most deeply into this matter. She should be given credit for actively bringing it to the attention of the public and all the board members. There are also complaints from rank-and-file union members regarding being stonewalled by union leadership. This is not a matter for the board. If there are unfair practices by union leadership, then union members need to take it up with the state union organization, the appropriate state or federal agencies or the courts.

The consensus of the board was to have Chair Powers, Dr. Millay, Mr. George, and Mr. Spellman work with the union to come to some understanding through the end of the contract period. There was some talk by Millay that other districts have these types of agreements but, as of this meeting, no one could name any.

Ms. Resciniti is the union president and cannot adequately perform her teaching assignment and union representation at the same time. She should choose one or the other. The school board should recognize and preserve her seniority, but they need do nothing else. She can take COBRA for health insurance and any compensation should come directly from the union. One thing is for sure…she can’t adequately represent her members and at the same time report to Mr. Villwock who she is sitting across from in negotiations and union matters.

You can see the George memo here

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School Board Latest News From The Jan. 29, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JANUARY 17, 2023

School Board meetings can be excruciatingly boring.

The board and staff use abbreviations and government speak as if the public understands everything being discussed. When looking at the agenda one can (to borrow an expression) not see the forest for the trees.) That is why when you want to know where the substantive portion of the agenda is look at Section 18. That is the part of the agenda devoted to the board voting on important matters.

When making motions and seconds, rarely does anyone clearly spell out what is being voted on. Generally, someone moves to approve for example 18.2, followed by a second and then a vote without any discussion or explanation of what 18.2 is. What is the reason for what looks like secrecy?

The board is not really being secretive. The item was probably (though not always) at least briefly discussed at a workshop. Discussion could have occurred two weeks ago or two months ago before being included on the agenda for a vote.

There were two things that were passed by the board at this meeting in a matter of seconds. The first was from a contract that has been negotiated and is being presented for ratification by the union next month. Starting salaries for teachers will increase to $48,700. The second item are one-time bonuses of $5000 for teachers hired or who are in the process of being hired for Title I schools and comprehensive high schools.

Most of the public would think that it would be appropriate for teachers to receive a raise and a bonus. So why not make sure the public is aware to boost the likelihood of recruiting teachers? Perhaps it was discussed at a workshop, but it should have been clarified again here.

At these meeting, we hear about a student’s scholarship or that a sports team did well. The board and staff clap and take pictures. That takes up most of the time of these meetings. Things like raises and bonuses consume very little meeting time. That is a shame.

The pertinent documents explaining the raises and the list of schools where the bonuses apply can be seen here

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School Board Latest News From The Jan. 15, 2023 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP JANUARY 10, 2023

The board discussed open enrollment for the following schools:

Jensen Beach Elementary
Palm City Elementary
Hobe Sound Elementary
J D Parker
Crystal Lake
Sea Wind
Indiantown Middle
Stuart Middle
Murray Middle

Each of those schools were recommended by staff because they are at 75% or less of their capacity. Beginning on March 1^st through March 31^st a parent may enter a computer lottery system for their child to attend any of those schools instead of their designated school. No transportation is provided. If all the slots are not filled, children from other districts will be chosen.

During the discussion, the board further decided to allow a total of 65 students to apply to Hidden Oaks Middle. Also added were Jensen Beach High School with 100 students at any grade level and South Fork with 90 students. Again, no transportation is provided.

We constantly hear from people who are resistant to development that schools are over capacity so no new development should be built. This is obviously incorrect. Children cannot be jammed into overcrowded classrooms because class size is determined by the state for every grade. There is true over capacity in the system.

The board continued with their update of policies. The only one that was a bit contentious was who should set dress code policies. Should uniforms be allowed? One thing the board was adamant about is that what is acceptable should be universal throughout the system.

Board Members Pritchett and Chair Powers spoke about a girl’s collar bone showing. I don’t know whether they were for or against, but it was a “bone” of contention. Another matter was who should have final say over a school’s code. Powers and Roberts want the final say to be by the board. Pritchett and Russell agree.

The School Advisory Committees can propose changes, but the board must have the ultimate decision. It sounds like a good policy to me.

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School Board Latest News From The Dec. 18, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP DECEMBER 6, 2022

The workshop was three hours of going through school board policy changes. While necessary it was not anything that would warrant any interest. The board did not finish and will have to do so at a subsequent meeting.

If you care to see the changes you can do here

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DECEMBER 13, 2022

There was very little of substance discussed at the meeting.

Several presentations were made by staff. One was from the human resource department on hiring and other departmental issues. You can find it here

What struck me was the utter fluff of this meeting. Although last week’s workshop was boring, it was about passing new policies which is what the board should be doing.

It seemed that the information that the board was receiving at this meeting was not the entire picture. While the district is making progress there is still a lack of both teachers and support staff for Martin County schools. What is causing a shortage? There was no discussion about that.

On December 9^th, the Martin County Sheriff’s office arrested a school employee for soliciting nude photos from female students for money. He had been a coach and security guard at Martin County High School since 2013 when he was 17. How is that even possible?

Why is the district hiring a 17-year-old boy to coach 17-year-old children? Didn’t that strike anyone as unusual and odd. How did this criminal behavior go on for almost a decade? How many vulnerable girls ended up sending him photos for money? What does that tell us about so many things?

Staff and the board can have dog and pony shows outlining “all the good things happening” but is there any wonder why parents are upset. At the same time, are the parents completely blameless in the behavior of their children when these situations arise? How about this as a discussion item.

I can just hear board attorneys, district staff, and the board members themselves stating that they cannot comment on a pending matter before them. They have not yet voted to accept the alleged perpetrator’s resignation. The board should do that at the next meeting. Then they can have a discussion not about this specific case but whether this case is emblematic of the district and what can be done to stop such behavior in the future.

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School Board Latest News From The Dec. 4, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 22, 2022

At this meeting, the new school board members took the oath of office.

Jennifer Russell and Amy Pritchett were sworn into office by Todd Mozingo, the pastor of Revive Church. There was a list of public officials that were present including James Campo, Ed Ciampi, Harold Jenkins, and Christopher Collins. Afterwards, the meeting was adjourned for photos and a small celebration.

A motion was made by Russell and seconded by DiTerlizzi for Powers to become chair. Powers moved that Russell be vice-chair, and it was seconded by Pritchett. Both motions passed unanimously.

Russell being elected vice-chair was a bit unusual. I would think that Mr. DiTerlizzi should take that spot…although he has attended many meetings by telephone since Covid.

Good luck to these new members.

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SUPERINTENDENT DR. JOHN D. MILLAY TO RECOMMEND MODIFICATIONS TO PLANNED EMERGENCY MAKE-UP DAYS

Martin County School District

DEC 02, 2022

Due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, students enrolled in the Martin County School District have missed four (4) days of instruction this school year. When considering this fact and the learning gaps associated with pandemic-related disruptions, addressing lost instructional time is an extremely pressing concern for Superintendent Dr. John D. Millay and the Martin County School Board.

In November, the decision was made to have students make up two (2) of the four (4) missed days of school. While the District originally announced that school would be in session on December 19 and 20, 2022, Dr. Millay’s many conversations with families, employees and the District’s employee bargaining units, as well as the high volume of planned employee absences that would not be conducive to meaningful instruction for students, have led to his decision to recommend a modification of the planned makeup days to the School Board.

“To be successful, our students need every opportunity to experience quality teaching and learning. This is evidence-based and something we wholeheartedly believe in,” Dr. Millay said. “After consulting with our bargaining units’ leaders and in collaboration with our School Board, our school calendar will be revised to reflect instructional makeup days that do not interfere with the valued holiday plans many of our families and employees have made.”

There will be no school or work for students and employees on December 19 and 20, 2022. The final day of classes before Winter Break will be December 16, 2022. Winter Break will begin Saturday, December 17, 2022, and conclude Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Students will return to school on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.

Superintendent Millay will recommend the School Board’s approval of the following 2022-2023 school calendar changes during the Regular meeting scheduled for December 13, 2022:

FOR FAMILIES

February 6, 2023, is currently listed as a Professional Development Day on the 2022-2023 school calendar. Dr. Millay will recommend that school be in session on this date.
March 28, 2023, and May 3, 2023, are currently listed as Early Release Days on the 2022-2023 school calendar. Dr. Millay will recommend that school be in session for full days on both dates.

FOR EMPLOYEES

Dr. Millay will recommend the Professional Development Day that was scheduled for February 6 be rescheduled to May 31, 2023.
Dr. Millay will recommend that the professional development that would have taken place during the early release days on March 28 and May 3 be rescheduled to June 1, 2023.

School Board Latest News From The Nov. 20, 2022 Edition

The next meeting will be November 22, 2022

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School Board Latest News From The Nov. 13, 2022 Edition

The next meeting will be November 22, 2022

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School Board Latest News From The Oct. 16, 2022 Edition

Next meeting October 18, 2022.

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School Board Latest News From The Oct. 9, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SEPT 20, 2022

After working for the Martin County School District for 36 years, Deputy Superintendent Ginger Featherstone is retiring.

She has held that position since 2013. Ms. Featherstone has risen through the ranks. Her job titles have included teacher, assistant principal, the first principal of Jensen Beach High plus several more. She has been a mentor to countless students, teachers, and administrators.

There was an outpouring of love for her from current and former staff and school board members. It is not a regular occurrence that someone of Featherstone’s ability would stay with one district for her entire career. That shows an unusual fealty to the children of Martin County. She will be missed.

Superintendent Millay gave a very good presentation about why some of our students excel and others do not. According to the presentation, by the age of 3, children from affluent homes may hear 3 million more words that those from poorer homes. That is an impressive statistic.

Then imagine how hard it is for students whose parents speak a language other than English and so have no idea how to help their children do their homework. More than 77% of Martin County’s population is classified as white. The Martin County student population in 2022 is less than 52% white. Hispanic children make up 34.5% of our students. Slightly over 50% of all students receive free and reduced lunch.

In the past 10 years, Port Salerno Elementary went from 59% Hispanic to 79% Hispanic. The number of white and Black students at JD Parker has dramatically reduced while Hispanic students have increased from 36% to 46.6%. 19% of students in the district are classified as English Language Learners (ELL). Each student’s family take a Home Language Survey every year stating what language is spoken in the home. According to the presentation, 82 different languages have been identified including a variety of Mayan dialects.

Millay asks, “How we, as a district and county, make sure that each student receives the education they deserve?” The district has instituted several programs from a computer-based reading program and a points-based incentive program awarding prizes as students advance.

The call to action is:

Volunteers to read
Universal pre-school and more early learning
Community support
Adult education
Raising the pay for paraprofessionals to $15 per hour.

You can see the presentation here

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School Board Latest News From The Sept 18, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

There is a reason that government should not be involved in the private sector. The discussion about providing housing for teachers is a good example.

The superintendent went through a series of photos of the different school district campuses looking for spots to place a 24-unit complex to house teachers. When security is considered, the only possible available site would be on the headquarters site on Federal Highway.

The pool of occupants would be new teachers arriving in the district who can’t find housing. Millay’s preliminary estimates suggest that it would cost about $165 per foot to build. The district already owns the land, utilities are in and there would be no impact fees or building fees. Each unit would be 1000 square feet. He estimates total cost would be $4-$5 million which could be bonded or borrowed, and the debt service would be paid from the building rent. Including debt service, they envision rents being less than $1000 per month.

That may solve the affordability crisis for 24 new teachers. What about the others who won’t be lucky enough to snatch one of these apartments? What happens after the year, will the second-year teachers magically find apartments or homes? Instead of buying/constructing housing or being in a partnership with some non-profit, it would make more sense to provide vouchers worth $500 a month for 24 first-year teachers to help them transition to Martin County.

The district is not in the rental apartment business. It should not get into the business. I believe that the union negotiating on behalf of its members should do so if they feel it is appropriate. The Martin County School Board and District should concentrate on the education of students.

We continually hear that we need more affordable, attainable, or work force housing. Yet the county and Stuart do everything possible to prevent new housing from being built. Sure, new housing is expensive to build and therefore commands a premium rent at first.

The way you achieve housing for all income groups is to free up older stock. If there is a shortage of housing, then apartments that are below luxury standards command luxury prices. As supply is increased to meet demand prices may rise for the top of the market but those units that are in mid to lower tiers have price drops. Equilibrium happens when there is enough supply to meet demand in every tier.

At some point even for the lowest tier housing some people will not be able to afford even that. Then those tenants must have government assistance preferably in the form of vouchers to rent an apartment. Most of us however can easily afford to pay for a unit if supply would be allowed to meet demand.

A great place for a new building would be at the old high school site. I think the union could build an excellent 100-unit building for its members. That is the proper role for a union which is to provide for the welfare of its members. The current plan of turning that building into an Arts Center is not the solution to the present and future housing challenges for teachers moving to Martin County.

You can see the presentation here

John Millay

Doctor Millay gave a presentation on branding of schools. For some time now, Chair Roberts has been asking for this. Now let’s see what the follow through is.

You can see the presentation here

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School Board Latest News From The Sept 4, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION & REFERENDUM:

Liz Bernstein seemed to have a great resume for being a school board member.

Unfortunately for her, the timing was far from right. Bernstein, a Martin County native who attended public schools here until going off to college where she earned an advanced degree in economics, could have been an excellent addition. Before returning to Martin in 2019, she was a senior economist at the Commerce Department in Washington.

Liz had a couple of problems. She was a Democrat in very red Martin County and a very liberal one at that. Even a more serious problem, she was too close to Victoria Defenthaler who had chosen not to run. Lastly, she was perceived as someone who was a teacher union’s representative.

Her opponent, the eventual winner, was Jennifer Russell who dropped in from Virginia last year. While her roots in Martin County are shallow, she had the might of the Republican Party behind her in this non-partisan race. Russell also had the endorsement of Governor DeSantis which brought a boatload of money from Tallahassee.

Russell beat Bernstein by almost 13% in this county-wide race. How will Jen do as a new school board member? I would imagine she will not have the opinions of Defenthaler for sure. She may surprise us with a quiet determination to bring schools firmly in the hands of parents and the community. Only time will tell.

The real surprise, however, was Amy Pritchett who eked out a victory over Tony Anderson with less than 1% of the vote. Though active in Moms for Liberty, Amy had no help from anyone but a few supporters. She was probably helped by the lack of a campaign by Anderson. If Amy had the same support as Jen, then she too could have had a much larger victory.

Anderson, a retired teacher, would often spout that he was on the teachers’ side. His vocal support for educators over parents contributed to his loss. Anderson was given an opportunity to submit a statement to us about why he wanted to be re-elected. He did not respond even after repeated emails.

It is without doubt that the referendum to continue the ½ mill ad valorem tax passed overwhelmingly 2 to 1. It makes one wonder why given what appeared to be a parental return to school board control, this would pass. Perhaps voters, while annoyed with bureaucracy, believe that teachers deserve to be adequately paid.

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School Board Latest News From The Aug. 21, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AUGUST 16, 2022

With all the criticism the district and schools receive regarding preparing students, there are some real bright spots that aren’t always celebrated.

One such bright spot is that Martin County High School student Sophie Araque Liu was chosen as the national winner of this year’s “Google For Doodle” contest. Sophie was at the meeting with her dad to tell her story.

She mentioned that a bit of a “stress” crisis inspired her to draw herself and her mother hugging. That image won her a $30,000 college scholarship plus $50,000 to go to MCHS for a new or improved technology lab. The doddle ran all day on the 16^th and appeared every time the Google’s homepage was opened.

This story is not only being covered locally but nationally. Sophie will be on NBC’s Lester Holt’s broadcast. You can watch a video of Sophie telling her story here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYt-3i7qp2A

This video was made when she had won the state contest and now, she has won nationally.

Affordable housing has not been forgotten by the board. They held a brief discussion about trying to find out what has been accomplished since the last joint meeting regarding this. I would suggest not much. And not much will be done.

Recently, just the idea that multi-family housing was coming to Palm City drew a large crowd to the NAC meeting. Naturally, no one was in support including Commissioner Ciampi who is the supposed champion of affordable housing. This was not affordable housing since rent levels were not discussed. NIMBY is alive and well throughout Martin County.

Andreson stated there is much talk but no action. He is right. The board has some sort of plan that will be discussed at their September workshop. Roberts said no tax dollars would be used. Stay tuned.

The board ratified an agreement between AFSCME and the district retroactive to July 1, 2021, to bring minimum pay to $15 per hour. Those that are already topped out will receive 3.5% increase. I didn’t hear a good explanation as to why it took over a year to come to this agreement. Since it is retroactive to last year, no money was saved.

You can see the agreement here

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School Board Latest News From The Aug. 7, 2022 Edition

CANDIDATES FOR SCHOOL BOARD

The newsletter asked each candidate to provide a statement on why they wanted to be elected or re-elected. If a candidate did not provide the statement in time to be included, then if their statement comes later, we will publish it as a letter.

Elizabeth “Liz” Bernstein District 3

Dear Martin County, my name is Liz Bernstein, and I am running to represent you and our entire community on the Martin County School Board. Growing up here and attending both Hidden Oaks Middle School and Martin County High School, I know first-hand the excellent caliber of our public schools and have a vested interest in keeping them great. I credit them for helping me develop the skills and confidence that have allowed me to be successful thus far in life, and most importantly, they are the foundation of our wonderful community. When I am elected, I will make sure that those same opportunities continue to exist for all kids and promise to return our public school system to the top of the state ranks. A strong, well-rounded public-school system translates to a thriving local community and economy, something all of us should support.

After graduating from MCHS in 2002, I attended the University of Central Florida and received two Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degrees: one in Economics and one in Finance. In 2009, I graduated from Boston University with a master’s degree in Economic Policy. From 2009-2015 I worked as an analyst and research economist for the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is important because, unfortunately, all school districts, including ours, are facing budgetary challenges that will require innovative solutions. I am the perfect addition to the 5-member school board and am the only District 3 candidate with economics, policy, and financial accounting background and experience. I have proven my ability to work collaboratively in complex situations and am comfortable with the analysis needed to tackle complex educational budgets. I promise Martin County tax dollars will be used efficiently, and to the extent controllable, promise to keep our tax dollars in Martin County.

Just as importantly, I have a passion for educating kids and an unwavering commitment to service. Education is the foundation of our democracy and I believe it is our job as citizens of this great nation to ensure that we uphold the constitution and the right to public education. This can only be accomplished through a rigorous, innovative public school system with the best, fully certified teachers, parental support, and full local control of tax dollars collected for education.

I hope you, and the voters of Martin County see this non-partisan election for what it is, a job interview, and I urge you to vote for the best, most qualified candidate. Vote to protect our democracy, and to keep Martin County Public Schools excellent for ALL children, vote for Liz Bernstein for District 3 School Board on August 23rd.

Jennifer Russell District 3

My name is Jennifer Russell and I am running for Martin County School Board. I am a mom and former assistant school administrator who cares deeply about our education system. I will be an advocate for students, parents, and teachers. I am committed to maintaining excellent schools, protecting parental rights in education, supporting school choice, and our teachers. I believe that a stronger school system will create a stronger Martin County.

As a mother of two, I care passionately about having excellent schools here in Martin County. Our school system is “A” rated and must stay that way. I would like to see our school system invest more resources into supporting reading skills because reading is crucial to a child’s ability to succeed. We should also continue to expand our career and technical education and invest in school safety.

Supporting school choice for families is very personal to me. While only 10 years old, our son performs at a 7th grade level and therefore has special educational needs to keep him engaged and thriving in school. One size does not fit all, and I strongly support giving parents and students choice options so every family can find the right fit for their children’s unique educational needs.

I also believe strongly that parental involvement in education is crucial to our children’s success. I strongly support Governor DeSantis’ efforts to protect parental rights in education. Our schools should stick to the fundamentals like reading, writing, and arithmetic, and leave the political agendas out. Schools are a place for education, not indoctrination.

Parental involvement goes hand-in-hand with supporting our teachers. Parents know where the child is both mentally and socially. Many teachers are getting burnt out due to behavioral issues that impede the learning of other students on a daily basis. The more a parent is involved in their child’s life and education it will help to cut down on those behavioral issues and make it easier for teachers to teach.

Teachers have a demanding job, and they deserve our support. I will be an advocate for them by listening to their concerns, and making sure they have the resources they need to succeed in the classroom.

Lastly, as a former assistant school administrator and school financial administrator, I believe I have the leadership experience to make tough decisions on the School Board. I made decisions every day for our students and staff regarding the curriculum, hiring decisions, managing employees and operations, and budgeting.

I humbly ask for your vote for Martin County School Board District 3. I am mom, experienced leader, and passionate advocate for education. Working together, we can create a stronger future for Martin County students.

Anthony “Tony” Anderson District 4 (Incumbent)

Did not respond.

Amy Pritchett District 4

I’m Amy Pritchett, wife, mother, and grandmother, running in District 4 for the Martin County School Board. I’m an active volunteer in Martin County, working to help feed those in need at Our Community Table each Saturday morning and proudly volunteering at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast two times per week.

During the coronavirus turmoil, I became acutely aware that our individual rights were being called into question. No longer were adults permitted to make decisions about their own health and well-being, or that of their children.

I began attending Martin County Board of County Commissioner meetings, as well as Martin County School Board meetings. It was apparent to me that there was a great divide in the community and differing opinions on how much of a role the government should have in our lives. Hearing from our elected officials that mandates were necessary and that parents were not the experts drove my decision to run for office.

My campaign slogan is “Children should be taught how to think, not what to think.” Kindergarten through twelfth-grade education must be void of any political platform. I fondly remember my father telling me when I was in High School that if I knew how a teacher voted, they didn’t belong in the classroom. I believe that with all my heart.

Keep politics out of the public schools and concentrate on the core subjects. Florida’s scores for third-grade reading proficiency are poor; only 25% of students scored a 4 or 5. If our children cannot read, how are they going to grasp any other subject that requires reading? This must be the focus of the public schools!

Public school enrollment is on the decline due to the reasons stated above. Are our dollars being spent to improve scores and strengthen the curriculum? Parents are homeschooling, choosing private and charter schools, and exercising their right to find the best education for their children. Public schools must work to be the first choice!

To attract and retain excellent teachers, salaries must be competitive. Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 641, Funds for the Operation of Schools, and announced the approval of $500 million in the state’s budget dedicated to raising teacher salaries in Florida. $400 million is invested to raise the minimum base pay for full-time classroom teachers, and $100 million is to raise the salaries of Florida’s veteran teachers and other instructional personnel.

Campaigns for public office benefit the most when community members join together to support those who share their values. Please join me by offering your support so I can let your voice be heard on our school board.

Thank you!

Though the candidates are listed by the seat they are running to represent, they are elected by every voter in the county.

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School Board Latest News From The July 24, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JUNE 28, 2022:

This meeting should have been reported to you in the last newsletter. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all the employee evaluations from the district until now.

The evaluations were of Dr. Millay, the superintendent, by the board. Many of us have given employees that we manage written evaluations. They are seldom very indicative of the employee’s true record. Everyone is great and the person either exceeds expectations or is making acceptable progress. No one is ever God forbid mediocre and a dolt.

The person doing the evaluation might think that the employee is not close to an acceptable performance level, but it isn’t reflected it in the employee’s written evaluation. At some point, the supervisor will want to fire someone because he/she is truly incapable of performing in that job but who has received great reviews for the past several years. HR will look at the file and claim it will be tough to do because of those outstanding evaluations.

In its rating of Millay, the board has gone that route. Mr. Anderson gave him all exceptional ratings in the 12-page evaluation report. Mr. DiTerlizzi took a similar track but threw in a few “acceptable progress” checks. Ms. Roberts is a cross between DiTerlizzi and Anderson. Nothing in these documents would really guide the superintendent publicly on how these board members really view his job performance.

Ms. Defenthaler gave high marks to Millay but had criticism for some of her other board members. Since she has chosen not to run again, I believe much of what she stated contributed to her decision. It looks as though she believes the board has strayed from its prime responsibilities. She writes, “During my time as a board member, I believe the lines have been blurred when it comes to the roles and responsibilities of the Superintendent and our Board.”

Victoria Defenthaler

She goes on to write “that an individual board member may become increasingly involved in administrative details and tend to become a second administrator.” And lastly, “We hired the Superintendent to serve as the CEO of our school district. We need to give him the authority and flexibility to serve as such.”

Defenthaler is not wrong in that assessment. She was naïve enough to believe that personalities would conform to what the Florida School Board Association states are the roles and responsibilities of superintendents and school board members. There is plenty of elasticity between the theory and the actual. Defenthaler in her written notes mentioned that school board members were elected to represent the best interest of the children.

Dr. Millay also gave his own evaluation…not much introspection.

Ms. Powers, however, gave an honest assessment with constructive notes.

Powers believes what Defenthaler wrote about representing the children which would include the parents. The school board is not there to make sure that teachers and administrators are happy. It does not appear that she believes that the larger community, with its political agendas, are her concern. She wrote in her evaluation, “We must be open to new & innovative ways to deliver instruction. Parents & students want choices that meet their academic needs…”

Powers sums up my philosophy on education. Schools ultimately must educate children. But the arbiters of how children are educated are not professional teachers or administrators. Those experts are tools that should be used to obtain a desired outcome. Parents should consult and weigh any advice they recommend. The ultimate decision is the individual student and parent.

If I were rating Millay, I would give him a solid B. Perhaps many of his plans and their implementation were set back by COVID. He has become a highly respected member of our community. Millay does reach out and speaks to anyone. Now it is time for him to reverse the academic slide and once again make Martin an A district.

You can see the evaluations here

BOARD MEETING JULY 12, 2022

No one is ever happy! That is what I took out of this meeting.

A few weeks ago, the board entertained many suggestions on how to spend the money from the voter-approved ½ mill ad valorem tax for next year. A description of the suggestions can be found here

Not counting additional pay for teachers and other personnel, the expense was $3,179,000 for the other four categories outlined in the referendum. The rest of the anticipated $13.7 million collected from that tax would go to pay for teachers and all other employees.

Four years ago, the original gap in pay for teachers between Martin County and other nearby counties was $9 million. In 2020, Tallahassee stepped in with a new program called the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSIA). The allocation for Martin County is almost $4 million. That amount has been used to close the gap. At the same time, the district is now saying the gap in pay between counties is down to $6 million.

Teachers are complaining that the increased pay is not distributed fairly. The governor’s TSIA money is for newer teachers and not senior teachers. It is meant to raise starting salaries to a target range of $47,500. Martin County’s starting salary currently stands at $45,700 (from under $39,000 four years ago). Allocation of the pot of money for teacher salaries is a negotiated item between the union and the board.

At this meeting, teacher after teacher took to the podium to complain bitterly about their pay. One of the teacher’s claimed she was making less now than she was 13 years ago in another district. The board listened but, unfortunately, they can’t print money to make everyone happy.

There were a few boogey men that were mentioned. One is that public charter schools take 8% of the money available. That is 100% true. According to statute, public charters need to receive the same percentage of funds based on their student bodies from the district. Public county charter schools educate 8% of the total students. It sort of seems fair to me.

Another one is a lack of local control by the board. Tony Anderson mentioned this, and he was 100% correct. The state dictates much of what the district can do. There isn’t much local flavor in schools. Perhaps if the state sent more money, its dictates would be more acceptable. Remember that even how much a school board can tax residents is proscribed by Tallahassee.

School employees everywhere have been complaining about their pay since the one-room schoolhouse days. Every employee everywhere doesn’t think they are being paid enough. Teachers should have the right to negotiate the highest pay and benefits that they can. On behalf of the public, the district needs to keep pay and benefits as low as possible while still being competitive enough to recruit necessary talent.

For some reason when it comes to public employees, politicians (board members are elected) believe they need to be more accommodating than in the private sector. The BOCC thinks deputies and fire fighters should get every raise and benefit they want. I can’t imagine the private sector doing that. Perhaps it is because both unions are heavily involved with political donations and as campaign volunteers. The unions are not doing that to foster good government.

Two current school board members were, at one point, represented by the teachers’ unions…they are creatures of the system. So where would their sympathies lie? I don’t blame them, but their point of view does skew in a particular way. You can go to any school board meeting and witness this for yourself.

If teachers or anyone else feels they can make more money by changing jobs, they should. Whether that means driving to Palm Beach or St. Lucie Counties to find school jobs or to begin in a new profession, this is how markets work. And that means whether you are a public or a private sector employee. We are all part of the free market system.

At Ms. Robert’s suggestion, of the anticipated $13.7 million that will be collected from the referendum millage, $10 million will go to teacher’s pay. An additional $2 million will be allocated to compensation for other employees and the rest for the other four named categories in the referendum. If the referendum does not pass, all bets are off.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JULY 19, 2022

During his presentation, Dr. Millay made comments regarding how close the district is to obtaining an A rating. He stated that presently they are 3 points short of that designation. I would be very surprised if by the time the next evaluation is done, the district has not reclaimed that distinction.

A new charter school, TechnoArts Academy, is opening somewhere in the Port Salerno area in 2023 or 2024. It will be a K-5 specializing in language arts. Defenthaler stated that the district can also provide the services that the new academy can. I would just observe that may be true, but the parents of the children that will attend the charter do not believe that is the case. So, either the district needs to engage in better communication with parents or show that to be true by raising the scores.

That is the entire point of choice in education. If the district can convince parents that they can provide the same level of service, then children would not be going to charters. The vote was 4-1 with Defenthaler voting no.

The board then tackled the referendum to extend the millage. It seemed everyone was in favor of Option B.

Option B provides $9.7 million for teachers and $2.3 million for non-teaching staff. $1.2 million for mental health type programs, $476,000 (it was later revealed that would be $550,000) for SROs, $10,000 each for professional development and academic initiatives. It is attached here

Powers supports the millage because if it does not pass, she said the district will be at an extreme disadvantage in attracting employees. She made the motion for Option B. Andrson seconded and it passed 5-0.

Now it is up to the voters. (See my opinion on the millage next)

SCHOOL BOARD REFERENDUM

In a blink of an eye, four years have passed since the voters of Martin County approved two referenda to increase taxes.

One was a half-cent sales tax to replace two elementary schools and other capital improvement work. That tax was for a term of seven years and will expire in 2025. The other was a half mill increase for property taxes for four years. It is expiring at the end of the current tax year on June 30^th.

The latter proposal is up for another vote on the August 23^rd ballot. The language is slightly different than in 2018. The ballot will read as follows:

“Shall the Martin County School District continue the existing ad valorem millage up to one-half mill per year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2026, for essential operating expenses (School Safety and Security, Mental Health Programs, Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Teachers and Support Staff, Professional Development, Academic Initiatives); providing charter schools funds proportionate to student enrollment as required by law with annual reporting to citizens”

The key difference between the last proposal and this one is instead of a flat half mill (the language of four years ago), it now is a not-to-exceed number. Which means it could be for less at the Board’s discretion but never more. The five categories where the money can be spent are the same. The requirement that there be an annual reporting is also still there.

Before one can know whether to support this tax, one should look at how the money was spent previously. For the last four years, the school board has been scrupulous in keeping the spending to the categories outlined in the last referendum. They have also had a citizen’s review committee that has audited the district. The reports are on the district’s web site.

I heard from some taxpayers that the district should not receive the money because of what they perceive to be disappointing reading scores, or the district schools being rated at less than an “A.” Individual voters should not believe that withholding funds from the district because of the rating or reading scores will help to improve either. For that matter, any academic improvement won’t be better because of fewer dollars. Though money alone will not produce better scores either.

Most of the money (about 77%) has gone toward teacher stipends and the rest to other personnel and outlined areas. The half-cent sales tax was meant to be finite. Its purpose was to build two new schools and perform deferred maintenance. The half mill real estate tax has a different purpose.

Teacher and other personnel stipends are ongoing. This year the amount that will be covered by the tax on the ballot for those two items will be $10 million for teachers and $2 million for other job categories. Will the district ever be able to just use their other funds to cover the shortfall, or will this tax need to be ongoing indefinitely?

If the referendum is defeated, what happens? The district cannot just add the additional ad valorem onto its millage. State law proscribes what the rate will be. That is why the referendum was needed.

Martin County teachers will never be paid as much as Palm Beach or St. Lucie teachers. They are starting from different bases. The original pay gap that Martin County School District had was $9 million. By the district’s own estimation, it still is at $6 million.

It is a tough decision on whether to vote in favor of extending the half-mill. It would seem to me that subject to a referendum every four years the extra half mill is now permanent. Every voter must look at the situation and determine that for themselves. Without substantial cuts to other programs, it is obvious that the increased amounts for teachers and others cannot be sustained without the continuation of the half mill.

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School Board Latest News From The July 10, 2022 Edition

I was going to write about the two school board meetings that occurred on June 28^th. One was a workshop where the board evaluated Dr. Millay. It also included Millay’s own evaluation of himself. The second was a budget workshop.

If I am going to write about a subject, I want to see the same information that the board and staff are seeing during the meeting. My own notes would be sufficient to write a quick piece for a newspaper story. I like to delve into the material and understand the why. For that reason, I often include in my pieces the entire presentation so that you to can see the information.

At both meetings, Chair Roberts stated that the evaluations and Carter Morrison’s budget book would be posted to the district’s website. From June 29^th (the day after the meeting) until the morning of July 5^th nothing was on the website that I could find. On July 5^th I made a public records request for the information. I even asked several times if those documents were posted and if so just send me a link.

I received neither the link nor as of 8 am on Friday (with my deadline at hand) the Budget Book and I have only four of the six evaluations. I could draft the story and highlight the four I do have but that would not be the entire story. Perhaps two board members never completed the evaluations and returned nothing to the district, that in and of itself would be something to know and report to you.

None of the information requested is buried in the recesses of the digital school board vaults. Again, it was promised to be posted to the district website by the board chair. How long should that take? Open and transparent government has an obligation to make the information available in a timely manner.

So instead of reading about the upcoming budget and what the board rated Millay and what Millay rated himself, you are reading a story about not knowing any of it. Sorry.

By the way Martin County in the latest rankings did not achieve the distinction of an “A” District. Realtors you need to stop using that in your sales pitches.

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School Board Latest News From The June 26, 2022 Edition

Christia Li Roberts District 1 (incumbent) Roberts was elected automatically when no one filed for the seat but her.

The Stuart News endorsed my initial run for office concluding that I’m “very proactive – quick to recognize a need in the community and find solutions . . . an excellent communicator – someone who speaks clearly and concisely.” I focused my campaign around three commitments – Receptive (believing in the value of your thoughts and ideas); Reasonable (with the ability and experience to look at all sides of the issues), Responsible (with no agenda other than to represent you).

I’ve utilized Florida School Board Association’s (FSBA) training in School Finance, Governance, Bargaining, Advocacy, Leadership and Knowledge completing the 96-hour requirements for Certified Board Member designation, now held for six years. I’m the only Martin County School Board Member with that qualification. To further my knowledge, I’ve participated in ongoing training sessions including Learning Losses, Communications, Mental Health, Customer Service, Safety and Post-Crisis Leadership. I was one of three state Board Members invited to the 43-member Florida Education Leadership Class 3 – selection focusing on identifying “individuals most likely to utilize their leadership abilities for the long-term benefit of Florida.” With a central goal of “finding the path to vault Florida’s K-12 public schools to national prominence,” focused sessions involved opportunities and challenges within educational systems, best practices and innovations. I continue my interactions with former classmates and 3,000+ members of the Florida Leadership Program. As Board representative to Children’s Services Council, I actively participate in selecting and honing funding initiatives tied to frequently-updated community needs assessments and published performance measures, while effectively addressing gaps. I am also one of seven school board members who serve on the Board of Directors for the Florida School Labor Relations Service which provides services related to public sector bargaining in Florida including collection and dissemination of information, education and training of administrative personnel, research, analysis and evaluation assistance. For FSBA, I have served on the Board of Directors representing the four counties of District 21, the Nominating Committee representing the seven counties of Region 5, the Finance Committee (as Vice Chair), the Advocacy Committee and Legislative Subcommittee as the Representative for Martin County, and the Equity Committee. I am currently serving as the Vice Chair of the Policy Committee for FSBA.

During my tenure, our Board worked collaboratively

explaining the cost and impact of successful voter referendums increasing funding for Capital and Operations;
engaging the community to accomplish the hiring of the first-ever Appointed Superintendent;
increasing transparency for process and financial decisions and reporting;
defining and publishing Operating Guidelines for Board Members;
successfully working with our State legislature to improve our local situations;
and requiring consistency and accountability.

Highly visible and approachable, I actively listen to understand thoughts, ideas, expectations and concerns of students, parents, employees and community (Receptive). My skillset provides a keen understanding of the financial and legal aspects, ability to explain intricacies involved, and expertise to craft multiple solutions and options for consideration (Reasonable). Strongly committed to fiscal conservatism, utilizing a Return-on-Investment approach to financial commitments, and 40+ years of residency; I continue to make decisions based on community expectations and needs of our students (Responsible).

Today’s challenges

focused utilization of temporary grant funding;
implementing data-driven responses addressing learning losses;
strategic and calculated Career Technical Education expansion;
promoting increased parental involvement;
refining school differentiation and broadening choice

will require all stakeholders working together towards a common goal.

My experience and expertise will continue making positive changes and adjustments.

Elizabeth “Liz” Bernstein District 3

Jennifer Russell District 3

Anthony “Tony” Anderson District 4 (Incumbent)

Did not respond.

Amy Pritchett District 4

Thank you!

Though the candidates are listed by the seat they are running to represent, they are elected by every voter in the county.

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School Board Latest News From The June 12, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET MEETING MAY 31, 2022:

The board continues to meet with District CFO Carter Morrison to iron out the new budget.

As of now, there will be a slight rate increase in taxes mandated by Tallahassee. Any other increase is due to assessed values rising. The increase will be less than $50 for most taxpayers.

Many taxpayers do not realize how much of the budget, curriculum, and other decisions including things like who is eligible for bussing is decided by the Department of Education in Tallahassee. Those who believe they can become school board members and change much about the policies are going to be disappointed.

The district projects 18,982 students including 1538 enrolled in charters. Remember that these are projections and true figures will not be known until after school starts.

The budget for a school district is not easy to get a handle on. It is composed of many different funding sources. Year 2021/22 was over $404 million including federal payments. Much of that is dictated by programs where the district acts as a pass-through agent and it is significant.

There are the meal programs, administration, and a variety of other things that are not part of any money that goes into the classroom. Until the final budget is passed and after adjustments are made, the numbers are fluid. The district believes it will be $147 million that will be spent in district-controlled classrooms for 2022/23.

The presentations that were part of the agenda package is here

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP JUNE 7, 2022

This is the type of meeting where Li Roberts shines.

Numbers…Numbers…Numbers! Roberts sometimes went so fast that it was hard for me to keep up. One thing is certain…there is money coming in from the additional millage that was approved four years ago. My question is what will happen when it goes away or will it ever?

The half mill for next year is about $13.6 million. Most of it will go to salaries but also toward security personnel including a new category of employee known as a security officer. The security officer will not be sworn law enforcement or be armed. The officer’s job will be to man the front door and greet visitors. He/she will also look at the school cameras and alert the SRO to possible trouble. The cost to add one person in each school is over a million dollars in total.

There are more psychologists and other mental health professionals slated as well as stipends for teachers who coach and mentor student clubs. However, the bulk of the money goes to every teacher and other employees for a total of about $11 million.

While I am in favor of pouring the money into the classroom, that security piece takes several million dollars. No school board member wants to look at a parent or another member of the community if something goes wrong and say we should have put more money into guarding the children.

With the placing of new security officers, are our children going to be any safer? It has not proven out that SROs have stopped mass shootings anywhere. We continue to militarize schools and education. It seems no one is willing to analyze whether more money for security will make the schools safer.

Will the voters renew the half mil? I don’t know. At this point, I have not decided how I will vote. Two things ought to be considered. The board has spent the money as they said they would, and since the new referendum’s language gives the board the discretion to collect less than the ½ mill, will they keep the millage at .45 mills. That means as circumstances change the percentage could be lower but never above ½ a mill.

You can find all the information including how teacher’s pay stacks up with St Lucie County here

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School Board Latest News From The May 22, 2022 Edition

MILLAY & MOMS FOR LIBERTY:

Superintendent Millay addressed a Moms for Liberty Meeting. Millay should receive credit for meeting the group on their home base.

Once a month, this newsletter has a column authored by that group. I am no stranger to their cause and, in many respects, see their point of view. It was nice to know that Millay may not agree with everything they do but is willing to exchange ideas.

We need more of this not less. The school board should encourage Dr. Millay to continue meeting with not only those who agree with him but also those that do not. In educating children, the ultimate responsibility lies with the parents. But for most parents that may mean trusting teachers and administrators to help guide them. Millay reaching out shows that he too understands this not only as an educator but also as a parent of three.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MAY 17, 2022:

There was only one real topic for this meeting, and it wasn’t on the agenda. It had to do with the racist post of six Hidden Oaks students. The school board was under a legal constraint and could not discuss the incident.

Each of the six students held up a nice graphically produced letter of the alphabet that spelled out the “N” word. The six white students stood in front of the school so there was no mistaking where they were students. They didn’t try to hide their faces. Apparently then, they weren’t in fear of any punishment by the school district or their parents.

How is something like this possible in Martin County in 2022? I can’t remember anything like this occurring when I was in middle school. Nor can I believe it would be done when my own kids were middle schoolers. It is out and out racism but also something more. These kids feel there is nothing wrong with that behavior. It is extremely dangerous that the action was done so cavalierly .

During public comment, most of the speakers were Black. And I was a bit taken aback that the rest of the community did not come out and speak about this. Stuart Commissioner Eula Clarke summed it up in one word…pain. That pain is acutely felt by the Black community. Yet this deed should outrage every resident regardless of color.

It is so profoundly anti-American that we, as a nation, should be ashamed of those acts. Yet what those children did is just the tip of the iceberg. When an 18-year-old from a rural county in New York drives 200 miles to kill 10 people in a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo because he has been indoctrinated to believe whites are going to be replaced by Blacks, the sickness is deep in our souls.

For years, the rhetoric of racism was just below the surface of American life. We thought we had that devil down in the hole. It may have popped up from time to time, but civilized people immediately shoved it far back down to where a racist would be embarrassed to utter such thoughts again.

Yet the scourge of believing that one’s race, ethnicity, or religion makes one individual better than another has been allowed to resurface in the guise of “replacement theory” or other such conspiracy nonsense. The way Blacks arrived on our shores is the American Original Sin. That specter has haunted America for more than 400 years.

If you believe that parents have the ultimate right for educating their children, then they have the ultimate responsibility of making sure that their children have a moral and civic education also. You cannot just have rights without corresponding responsibilities.

These six kids are not exposed to diversity living in most of Palm City. These ideas didn’t just pop into their heads. They knew the incendiary nature of the “N” word. They knew that what they were doing would result in some form of backlash. And if not, then their parents have been completely amiss in raising those kids.

It is not just their parents though. It is all of us for thinking that the racist political speech, theories, and invective that fill our airwaves and screens are acceptable political and social ideas for discourse. They are not.

These children committed a heinous act. It has scarred our community. The kid that killed 10 Black people in Buffalo shouting absurdities about being afraid that white people were being marginalized shows how deadly speech and ideas can be. Last Sunday, an immigrant from mainland China attacked parishioners in a California church because they were Taiwanese.

Is this America? Some say it is not, but we need to wake up to the fact that indeed it is. This is who we are. America is not Dante’s Judecca where the worst sinners are condemned yet it is not a shining city on a hill either. The only thing that holds us together as a nation is a belief that we are all equal under the law and we must treat each other civilly. Otherwise, our country will fall apart.

LATEST STATEMENT ON INCIDENT

This was sent from the Martin County School District Thursday Evening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 19, 2022

Stuart, FL – The following message is being sent on behalf of Dr. John D. Millay, Superintendent of Schools:

The Martin County School District has finished its investigation into the inappropriate, racist photograph that was posted earlier this week. Our investigation included interviewing all students involved in the incident, the principal, the teacher whose class was used to create the photograph and others, as well as reviewing the metadata involved in the photograph and surveillance video from the school.

As we shared earlier this week, we are extremely saddened to confirm that the photographic is authentic and was not photoshopped or otherwise manipulated. We have confirmed that no school personnel were involved in or knowledgeable about the students’ planning, photographing and posting of the picture on social media.

Federal and state law prohibit the District from disclosing student education records, which include any specific student’s identification or any discipline imposed. We assure our community, however, that the District will address this incident consistent with its adopted policies as stated in the Code of Student Conduct.

We are deeply aware of the hurt and pain this photograph has caused our community, especially our Black American residents and students. As we have said previously, this incident is in complete opposition to our values and the ideals that we instill in our students.

We are providing counseling to any Hidden Oaks Middle School student in need and are working on longer-range plans to work with community partners to help heal the harm this incident has caused. We wholeheartedly understand the crucial importance of nurturing a continued dialogue in our community, specifically including our students, to create and foster a learning environment and community free of bigotry, hate and racism.

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School Board Latest News From The May 1, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS APR 25 & 26 2022:

Carter Morrison, the district’s financial wiz, gave another budget workshop to the board. It is getting closer to the final product. You can view it HERE

Greg Black of Waypoint Strategies, the board’s lobbyist, brought the board up to date regarding the bills that passed in Tallahassee. The CRT bill, Parental Rights (aka Don’t Say Gay) and the beginning of 12-year term limits for school board members were discussed along with more specific legislation.

This will be the last year that any ballot initiatives will be voted in August instead of November. If that had happened this year, then if the millage passed, it would not become effective until the following tax year. Home Rule continues to be eroded until it goes away.

Governor DeSantis wants every new teacher to start at $47,500 and has allocated funds toward that happening. However, those teachers further along in their careers are not receiving the same level of raises. At some point, being a senior teacher is not much different than a beginner.

With another new bill that would make educational and library material subject to the objection of anyone in the community, a local policy must be developed so that the public will know expeditiously whether the district and board agree. The policy decided would require the principal to be the first to look at the possible offending material, then if agreement is not made it will go for district review, and finally the school board will be the final arbiter. They are working out the time period now.

Beginning next year, charter school approvals will no longer come before school boards. Tallahassee will oversee the paperwork and then the school itself will be administered by the local school district. Even now the local district has truly little authority in any public charter school.

Currently 8.5% of district FTE funds go to the district’s charters. This is real competition for the district and the only school board member that sees it clearly is Christia LI Roberts. Yet to some extent, she doesn’t get the depth of the problem.

Her plan, though a good one, does not address where the competition is coming from. She wants to brand schools. As an example, the district would make Parker the airport school and Hidden Oaks the nursing school.

The actual competition comes from the way curriculum is being introduced and taught. Treasure Coast Classical Academy (TCCA), for instance, will never be known as the “Information Technology School.” TCCA does not rely on very much computer based learning but it has a much more fundamental rigorous academic curriculum than district schools. It doesn’t believe in textbooks as much as original sources. When students study Shakespeare, they read his works rather than an explanatory synopsis in an English book.

This is the district’s true competition. If it had opened a TCCA of its own, the district would have eliminated the need for a second charter in that mold. I think Roberts and, to a lesser extent Powers, sees this. Perhaps they are unable to get the buy-in needed from the district staff.

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School Board Latest News From The April 17, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING APRIL 12, 2022:

Dr. Millay introduced some tweaks to his organization chart.

Any large institution needs a framework to outline who reports to whom. An organization chart is a diagram with boxes that have the title of the person and lines that connect those boxes to what other positions reports to that title and who that position reports to. At the district fine tuning this is a continuing project.

I sometimes feel that clarity is not the aim of these public explanations since they use nomenclature that only those in the system will understand. It leaves the public scratching their heads in bewilderment. I am sure if I wanted an explanation of what it all means, I could have it because the district does provide almost any information that is asked of it.

If I were a parent, I would want to know what all these positions mean and how it would help my child and the classroom teacher provide a better educational experience. A while ago, Chair Roberts asked Dr. Millay and staff to provide information about how many more district employees had been added over several periods of time. To my knowledge, it has not been provided.

I would love to see it. Especially now that the board is asking the voters to continue with the ½ mill additional real estate tax. Wouldn’t it be great if the district has fewer administrative employees now that it had in the past? Somehow, I believe it has gone in the opposite direction, maybe considerably.

The chart can be found here

The board also discussed a letter that was being sent to the governor regarding his press conference where DeSantis called out Martin County for not following the law. The story is really a tempest in a teapot but has shown the deep divisions that the board has.

Ms. Defenthaler has continuously taken a position regarding providing for the wellbeing of our LGBTQ+ students. It is in a very distinct and separate way than for other students. The district does need to make sure that these children are taken care of psychologically, physically, and academically. But does the district need to have separate policies for those students?

If any student needs help, school officials will draw up a specifically tailored plan to address and ameliorate their issues. Parents are contacted to come in, have an explanation and sign off on the plan. It seems that DiTerlizzi and Powers want to make sure that LGBTQ+ students are covered but, if necessary, every other non-LGBTQ+ student with a problem would also be taken care of.

I think that is the better approach rather than naming groups that should be covered. It isn’t one treatment option fits all but rather one policy that can fit all. The plans would still be individually drawn up and administered for the unique problems of the student. Defenthaler’s focus on one set of problems could be detrimental to all other kids’ problems.

The letter can be found here

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School Board Latest News From The April 3, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MARCH 22, 2022:

The second charter school to be operated by Treasure Coast Classical Academy was approved by a vote of 4-1 with Defenthaler voting against approval.

Courtesy of TCCA

In some ways, it is a good thing she is not running for re-election. It seems she is caught in a different place in time. Martin County is not as vocal in its parents’ rights and school choice advocacy as some Florida districts. It is, though, just as concerned as other districts.

Defenthaler claimed she could not vote in support because existing schools are not full. Martin County does not need another school. Existing schools are not filled because the students and their parents are voting with their feet for alternative education. When you have nearly 2000 students clamoring to attend a TCCA charter school in a district of 18,000, there will be empty desks in the existing schools that the district controls.

I have written that the district itself should have a charter in the TCCA mold. I believe there is the school board votes for that to happen. Yet upon reflection, the reason TCCA works is because it is innovative. There is nothing innovative about the district. Like Defenthaler, it is caught in a time warp where parents knew their place and educators were the only ones knowledgeable enough to call the shots.

The board approved the referendum to continue the increase of ½ a mill. It will be in place for another four years if passed. Most of the money will go for teacher bonuses to make sure the district has competitive pay. With Chair Li Roberts once again in support, it may even pass again.

You can find the resolution here

The board also approved a medical plan for district employees using ESSER funds to pay for the increase. ESSER funds are not going to be there forever. They are funds from the federal government to supposedly help pull us through COVID.

I am sympathetic to premium increases. It is a universal problem in the U.S. and one that is a heavy burden on businesses and local governments alike. But could those funds have been used for something else? I guess it is easier not to upset anyone or make the employees pay any more if we have “free money” around.

SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET MEETING MARCH 29, 2022:

The board went through the upcoming budget for next year with Carter Morrison. This is not the final budget which should be coming within the next couple of weeks. When it is available, the newsletter will spend more time on that subject.

During this meeting, a board member brought up that the school district was mentioned during Governor DeSantis’ press conference for the signing of the “Parental Rights” bill into law. The district had an old form still on its website that does not conform with a parental rights law passed in 2021. (I could not find it)

According to Superintendent Millay, the form was not used and that every student plan must be signed by a parent agreeing to the plan’s implementation including anything having to do with LGBTQ issues. Nothing can be done without their knowledge and agreement.

Then why was the form still on the website after a year? Just one of those bureaucratic things. No one should expect the school board members to be intimately involved in district procedural forms. They are policy makers. It is up to the superintendent to carry out their policy within existing law.

At the same time the school board supervises Dr. Millay. If they feel he is not carrying out their directives, then indirectly they are responsible. Since Millay took over in November 2020, he has had to deal with COVID and being the first appointed superintendent. We are now at the eighteen-month mark of his tenure. His honeymoon period has expired.

Neither the governor nor his staff is going through school district websites to see if they are complying with the law or not. Someone must have told them that the outdated form was there. Martin County schools do not need this type of publicity. The letter from the district explaining itself to the governor is reproduced below.

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School Board Latest News From The March 20, 2022 Edition

Next Meeting will be March 22, 2022.

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School Board Latest News From The March 6, 2022 Edition

DEFENTHALER WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION:

Victoria Defenthaler has served one term on the school board. She has decided not to run for a second term.

I did not always agree with Defenthaler’s policies, but I do believe she had the students of Martin County’s best interest at heart. As a retired teacher and principal of the Martin County district she was in line with the professional educators’ viewpoints. That is not what many in our community are looking for in a school board member today.

That should not take away from her years of dedication to the county as an employee and elected official. In her last election she beat incumbent Rebecca Negron which was no easy feat. But in today’s environment perhaps we should be looking for candidates that have kids in the system and are not educational professionals.

You can see her statement below:

SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET MEETING FEB 22, 2022:

The budget numbers for next year are still being developed. They are waiting for the state budget to pass. You can see the presentation here

The interesting part of the meeting had to do with enrollment. School enrollment is down about 200 students. This trend may change as all the new housing units being built come online in the next few years, but it probably will not.

District parents are abandoning traditional public education. Choice is key, and in every facet of Americans’ lives, they have never had so many options. Their children’s education is no exception.

At the meeting, it was noted that Treasure Coast Classical Academy (TCCA) had 1000 kids on the waiting list. The district is now opening most of their elementary, middle, and even a high school to open enrollment. This means not only can district children have a choice about what school to attend so, too, can kids from outside the district.

It will be interesting if children from St. Lucie County take advantage of Martin’s “A” rated system. St. Lucie district schools have been improving steadily over the years. If it proves that Martin schools are not the draw for moving to Martin County as espoused, then that will be very worrisome.

Chair Roberts wants to know what the increase in both money and personnel for district administration has been by department over the past five- and ten-year periods. Obviously, the more money that goes into classrooms the better. Top heavy costs will be the next thing that Tallahassee will be looking at.

Marsha Powers said the world of competition is here. We need to give the customer (parents and students) what they want. She went on to say that the district can’t provide everything but should provide what is wanted. Roberts wants the district to market what they do well. DiTerlizzi agrees.

Defenthaler and Anderson are more in line with the existing model. That probably has to do with their pedagogical Martin School District origins. There are some parents in favor of keeping the current education model.

What I do not understand is why the district does not open its own charter school modeled after TCCA since it is a model that has proven to be successful enough to have a significant waiting list. Perhaps the 1000 students on their waiting list could then remain in the district system. Doing so would take innovation and change…something that seems improbable. But, given changing parent and student preferences, there may be at least three school board votes to give something like that a try.

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP MARCH 1, 2022:

For some time, there has been a quandary about how to calculate GPAs for our students.

When many of us went to school, we received our grades either as A through F or as a percentage. Our parents knew what it all meant and if you came home with an A or a 95%, you were doing o.k. We didn’t see a GPA (grade point average) until we were college students. And I still don’t quite understand what a weighted GPA is or how it is calculated.

My college scores were calculated 0 through 4, and 4 was the highest that you could have. It was the equivalent of an A for the course. Today, different Florida districts are using a scale of 5, 6, or 7 and weighting the averages. Confused yet?

Apparently, it is so confusing that Florida universities and colleges do not bother to even look at those scores and rebuild the average some other way when considering candidates for admittance. I guess if you take a course of advanced physics and receive a top grade then it should be worth more than a course on basket weaving.

Parents don’t want to see their kids’ scores go down. For instance, if a kid has a 6 on a scale of 0 through 7, that probably translates to a 4 on a scale of 0 through 5. In the latter example, the student and parents may feel the score has been diminished when he/she is competing to get into college. Of course, it hasn’t but the perception could be different.

After much discussion and parent consternation, the board has developed a revised model. For existing students in 9^th to 12^th grades, the 7-point scale will continue. For those in middle school, who have taken high school classes, the grade will be converted to a 5-point scale. As middle school students begin their high school careers, they will be graded on a 5-point scale.

You can see the option here

ARTS FOUNDATION LEASE

Where will you be in 2125?

That is the year that the lease between the Arts Foundation (Arts Council) and the Martin County School District will be over for the old high school building. The old high school building which is celebrating its centennial in 2023 will be having its 202-year birthday.

This is where we find ourselves in the saga of the old (and apparently becoming older) high school building. The board and Foundation are trying to draft an Intent to Lease for the building in the next few weeks.

Nancy Turrell, the director, estimates the cost of renovation with furnishings, etc. will be anywhere between $10 and $20 million. That means they will have to raise that money before they open their doors.

I have not been in favor of this plan and have constantly written about why. Now that we are getting closer to puling the pin, I am just astonished by how far we are out of synch with the needs of the people, Stuart, the school district, and Martin County.

Should there be a place for Art in Martin County? We already have numerous institutions like the Elliott that, in some ways, is a hidden gem. The Arts Council is not going away. They still have the cultural courthouse, and I am sure they could find other places to rent or buy to further their mission. I just imagine what could we accomplish by putting that $10 to $20 million to a better use.

There is a shortage of work force housing for teachers. What if the school board went into a joint venture on that property and built apartments exclusively for their staff? There would be no land costs. I am sure that the county and city would waive any money due them to accomplish that purpose. That would bring brand new housing within the urban core at affordable rates.

A vanity project or needed housing…what do you think?

The agreement, time line and site plan can be found here here

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School Board Latest News From The February 20, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING FEBRUARY 15, 2022:

Keith Fletcher from Martin County’s Boys & Girls Club addressed the board.

He gave them an update on the organization’s activities. Fletcher delved into the facility they are building in conjunction with the school district on Martin Luther King behind Stuart Middle School. The big focus at the facility will be vocational classes for adults as well as children.

Anthony Anderson said that Fletch has been great to work with, and he was happy with the progress so far. Anderson is right that the organization has so far been able to do what was promised including raising the necessary funds for the building.

As traditional enrollment has continued to shrink, several elementary schools have more capacity than needed. The board discussed open enrollment for those schools (Crystal Lake, Seawind, and Hobe Sound) that have space available. Jensen Beach High also has availability.

Several motions were made to open the schools for anyone in the district plus, in some instances, outside Martin County. They also discussed the new apartments being built and how current open slots may be filled as they come online. So far, staff admitted that there have been fewer new students than expected. I think that trend will continue.

I also believe that the move toward kids attending non-traditional public schools will only grow. Parents want a greater input in their children’s education, and our district does not seem to be working toward that. The state is making more and more conditions where parents can become involved in their children’s education.

What will be a test for Martin County is whether kids from the St. Lucie County district take advantage of open enrollment. If not, even the district’s claim of having “A” rated schools may begin to sound hollow.

You can find the schools that and their census here

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School Board Latest News From The February 6, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET MEETING JANUARY 25, 2022:

CFO Carter Morrison presented the board with very early numbers regarding next year’s budget.

Until the legislature passes a budget, all state aid and mandates are uncertain. Looking at the numbers presented, it appears to me that the items over which the board has full authority are capital infrastructure expenses. That is the result of rapidly rising supply and construction expenses.

The big surprise to me during these presentations was the loss of 76 students at Warfield Elementary in Indiantown. Where did the children go? This a relatively poor community and I don’t believe there has been another charter or private school opening. It would be interesting to know whether those families moved out of district. These are the very children that can’t afford to miss an education.

Courtesy of TCCA

The other thing to note was Treasure Coast Classical added 149 students. If another sister school to TCCA opens, then will the district lose a thousand students to the new charter going by the name Classical Academy North? The last I heard is that it was supposed to have started the official process in December to open.

Misericordia, a private school, is opening this fall as well as possibly the new charter high school in western Martin County. The school system will need to shake things up if it is to compete with new schools with different education models which appears to be what parents and students want in education. Governor DeSantis is also looking to more choice in education. And I applaud his efforts on this.

You can see Mr. Morrison’s presentation here

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP FEB. 1, 2022:

Tyson Waters, the board’s attorney, went through a document that is being called an “Intent-to-Lease” with the Arts Council. It has been more than a year since the announcement that the Arts Council was in negotiation for the old high school building, it is closer to happening.

No terms were listed. No dates for when things would happen. No mention of deliverables. There was not even a site plan attached to the proposal.

Waters and the Arts Council attorney will be working out the particulars to be presented at the February board meeting in two weeks. Government is slow.

You can see the proposed document here

Waters also discussed the new CRA regulations regarding businesses with on-site consumption of alcohol. The proposed regulations will limit the distance to 50 feet from schools in most instances. So, what is the problem?

In the board’s discussions, they mention the problem of a premises being close to schools (only Palm City Elementary qualifies because of other zoning issues). I have yet to hear what the problem is. Are they afraid that an impaired driver will run over a kid? That a child will see someone having a glass of wine? No one has made that clear.

Waters was going to investigate state statutes regarding distances between schools and alcoholic premises. This seems like a puritanical throwback. It appears that we still have the scourge of demon rum in some school board members’ minds.

You can see Tyson Waters presentation here: here

REFERENDUM TIME

Back in 2018, the voters of Martin County approved two referenda for increased millage for mainly teachers’ salaries and a separate one for capital improvements. The ½ cent initiative for salaries was for four years while the ½ cent initiative for capital improvements was for seven years.

It is now time for the board to decide whether to go back to the voters to extend the ½ cent initiative. The current ½ cent expires in June. The debate and decision will center on whether the board did indeed use the funds for the purposes intended.

But the calendar is becoming tight, and they will need to make sure that there is time to have it appear on the ballot. Therefore, a draft resolution will be presented at the February board meeting.

Martin County pays teachers less than either St Lucie or Palm Beach Counties. Sometimes less can mean a Martin teacher could make thousands more by having a little farther commute. We are a much smaller district with even more limited tax dollars available.

The board has done a very good job of shepherding the money to teachers, mental health programs, and resource officers. That is a rare occurrence in government, and the board’s efforts should be applauded. The initiative probably resulted in many teachers staying in the district rather than go north or south.

Yet in the last several years, education has become a hot button topic. Many parents have seen the quality of their children’s education decline. COVID exposed parents to what teachers were doing in the classroom because of virtual learning. A simmering anger came out into the open.

That may cast doubt on whether a referendum for teachers’ pay can pass in this atmosphere. If it is on the ballot, I will support it. I am not so sure whether it would receive the same level of support that it did last time. DiTerlizzi also expressed his doubts. I wonder whether the others are thinking the same thing also.

You can see the entire millage resolution and budget numbers here

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School Board Latest News From The January 23, 2022 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP JANUARY 11, 2022:

There was not much on the agenda for this meeting.

During public comment, a woman thanked the board for not imposing a mask mandate. By way of explanation, the board has no control over whether to impose one or not. The state has removed that decision from local authority so that no school district can impose a mask mandate. There really is no reason for anyone to make mention of mask mandates in his/her public comment.

Tyson Waters, the board’s attorney, gave members an update on the county CRAs wanting to allow bars within 50 feet of schools. Currently, the rule is either 300 or 500 feet depending on circumstance. The only school affected would be Palm City Elementary.

I do not see all the fear associated with whether that happens or not. There were plenty of bars in my neighborhoods as a kid, and not once was I tempted to stop in for a short one. As to increased auto traffic because desperate drivers will zoom in to have a drink, I really cannot see much of a problem either.

Perhaps the children may be affected if there are tipsy smokers outside of these establishments. It probably would be a lesson on why you do not want to find yourself sitting on a bar stool at 2 pm on a weekday. With what these kids watch on TV and play on video games, this is tamed stuff.

Change is difficult.

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School Board Latest News From The January 9, 2022 Edition

The next meeting of the school board will be January 11, 2022.

2022:

The Martin County School District will have its share of challenges in 2022.

The first of which will be parents, teachers, and the public urging the school board on whether to enact measures which the governor and legislature have forbidden it to do. Whether to wear a mask, have remote learning, or to shutdown are no longer in the hands of the locally elected officials. In a host of matters, the school board cannot act independently.

This very important factor is something that most of the public has not grasped. And I see further erosion of local authority in this coming legislative session. Policy will be more and more set by Tallahassee including things like how much revenue to collect as well as how to collect it and what it is to be spent on. There is very little original local input about local public education.

Superintendent John Millay has finished the year with some successes. Millay has not been the change agent that some thought he would be. As the first appointed superintendent he would have been able to shake things up more than he has. However, he has had a challenging year dealing with COVID, and I for one believe it is too early to judge whether he will be that agent for drastic change.

One of his successes has been a reorganization of the district administration. It was long overdue. Many of the obstacles that prevent the board from being inventive apply to the superintendent as well. Public education is currently organized using a 19^th century model in a 21^st century world. Millay was further hampered by coming from a smaller district and another state.

Millay needed time to get to know Martin County and Florida. 2022 will be the year which we will know whether he was the right hire.

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School Board Latest News From The December 19, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP DECEMBER 7, 2021

Chair Li Roberts began the meeting by reading a statement.

The statement had to do with a package of Memorandums of Understanding that was Covid related. Although there were 3 distinct MOUs, the staff and board always referred to them as one unit…one entity…a package. It is not clear why it was not just one MOU. Perhaps there is a bureaucratic reason. Having three clearly caused the problems.

The governor had given $1000 to all classroom teachers. One of the MOUs would have had the district give that amount to other MCEA (Martin County Education Association) eligible employees that were not covered under the governor’s order. The second was payment for Covid-related sick days. The third was to require teachers to turn on passive non-interactive cameras in their classrooms to allow quarantining students to view the lesson while at home. It would be turned on at no other times.

The MCEA approached the MOUs as being distinct. They overwhelmingly ratified the first two (where they would receive money) and roundly voted no on switching the cameras on for those students in quarantine.

The board has taken the position that it is all or nothing. Instead of being paid immediately, the entire substance of the MOUs will now be part of contract negotiations. This is hard to believe!

Is there any wonder why parents are angry? Teachers and others are getting paid extra money and benefits and are refusing to agree to a simple thing like flipping a switch so that quarantined students can participate in the learning process. I hear it is all about the kids until it is not in the contract…too bad.

You can read Ms. Roberts and the board’s statement here

The board also approved their meeting calendar for 2022. It can be found here

REDISTRICTING

The board has two redistricting matters to take up at the next regular meeting.

The first is school redistricting. The staff has sent out approximately 1500 letters to the homes of students that may be affected by changing the boundaries for high school. 30 of the letters came back because the students no longer live at their address of record. There were 5 calls from parents and 4 emails. It did not appear that there were any complaints.

It looks like they will keep the recommendations of the redistricting committee for Options 4, 5, 6 for high school students only. Existing students can continue to go to their current high schools, but beginning with the incoming freshman class, they will go to the new districted high school.

Roberts wanted the re-districting committee to look at where the students who will be living in the new construction off Commerce Avenue in South Stuart should attend school. The committee met to consider options for that area. Committee Chair Ciampi explained that, once again, the committee did not want to create any new enclaves. Therefore, it was the committee’s recommendation for the students to attend Anderson Middle School and Jensen Beach High School.

The entire redistricting package will be presented at the next meeting.

Ciampi then put on his commissioner hat and explained the commission’s revised election districts. The school board will follow the commission and have the same districts. You can see the proposed revisions under the Martin County Commission Section.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DECEMBER 14, 2021:

It was an uneventful meeting except for the two re-districting matters. The board adopted the county’s district lines for their own election districts. They also voted to keep the recommendations of the committee for school re-districting. In the scheme of things, it was the minimal amount of disruption to the fewest students possible. You can find the those maps here here

Apparently, Mr. Anderson does not like it when this newsletter writes about the public comments he makes from the dais. He once again attacked me for being inaccurate and deliberately lying about things he has said during his comments. In the past newsletters, I not only was very accurate, but I also cited where on the tapes you could find those remarks in his own voice.

He claims I want the notoriety of attacking him. With the newsletter having a nearly 26,000 subscriber email list, I hardly need his publicity. In this week’s diatribe by Anderson, he compared me to a boll weevil in a bag of rice and that I am from somewhere else. I take exception to the boll weevil comment but freely admit I was born somewhere else as are three of his fellow board members.

Anderson states he will not mention me again because he has a “thick skin.” We will see. I thought it especially interesting that he said that his tie and jacket come off. Does that imply he wants to meet me behind the gym? At nearly 70 I am a long way from middle school, where Mr. Anderson has spent his career, so would decline the invitation.

Is there any wonder that Mr. Anderson already has an opponent in his upcoming race, Amy Pritchett. I know nothing about Pritchett except that she speaks at school board and county commission meetings. I hope to learn more about her. She is from somewhere else too. Should she be disqualified because of it? Is she another boll weevil in the Anderson bag of rice?

His comments can be found starting at 1:20 of the school board recording of the meeting here

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School Board Latest News From The December 5, 2021 Edition

The next meeting will be December 7, 2021

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School Board Latest News From The November 21, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 16, 2021

This was the school board’s reorganization meeting.

It should have been Tony Anderson’s turn to be chair since he is currently vice-chair. A motion was made by Powers and seconded by Defenthaler for that to happen. Anderson then said that he would be good at being chair. However, since he works as a teacher outside of Martin County and is gone 5 days a week at least 9 hours per day, he would not be there to perform the duties of a chair.

Anderson declined the nomination. He said that his wife would like him to retire from teaching and even from the school board. But he believes in service and that is what is making him stay in the fight. Powers and Defenthaler withdrew their motion.

Powers then motioned for Roberts to be chair and it was seconded by DiTerlizzi. It passed 5-0. DiTerlizzi then motioned for Anderson to be vice-chair which was seconded by Powers. It passed 5-0.

There are 5 members of the school board. In the past four years, Roberts was chair for two terms and Powers was chair for two years. Now Roberts is chair again. I think Powers was a good chair. Roberts was a good chair, and, in my opinion, she was the reason the sales tax referendum passed. Roberts will for the coming year be a good chair.

What about the other three elected members? The position of chair is supposed to be shared among the board members. It appears what we have are two members willing to step up and be responsible. They both have full time jobs…Roberts as a financial advisor with her own firm and Powers as head of the Early Learning Coalition. They have willingly stepped forward to chair the board without making any excuses.

REDISTRICTING & MORE

The board took up redistricting of schools. It appears that they will keep the recommendations of the redistricting committee for Options 4, 5, 6 for high school students only. Existing students can continue to go to their current high schools, but beginning with the incoming freshman class, they will go to the new districted high school.

Roberts noted that the re-districting committee should look at where the students who will be living in the new construction off Commerce Avenue in South Stuart should attend school. The committee will meet to consider options for that area before the board’s next meeting. The board instructed staff to notify the parents of kids that are affected by the redistricting that will be voted on at the December meeting.

Anderson, a civics and American history teacher, then said he had issues with this newsletter for reporting his comments about parents and staff members in our last edition. He said that I was “self-appointed” and sat in the meeting taking down notes on a laptop. Mr. Anderson, if by self-appointed, you mean that the newsletter is writing about Martin County government, then it stands guilty.

The newsletter stands guilty the same as the thousands of newsletters, newspapers, news magazines, television stations, and blogs. We are proud of what we do. The newsletter will continue to report on you and write opinions about your conduct as a school board member.

Anderson went on to say that he will get nasty and call me out by name, please do, it is Tom Campenni. I am not hiding. What exactly does that mean when you say, “becoming nasty?” Should I take it as a threat?

In the last edition the newsletter printed a link to where people could hear for themselves Anderson’s remarks in full. No hocus pocus his exact words in his own voice.

He also claimed that I am a figment of my imagination. Well Mr. Anderson this figment has certainly bore down into your brain.

The newsletter thinks you forget that you are a public figure and that you chose to be elected. What comes with the territory of sitting on that dais (and taking a taxpayer funded paycheck and benefits) is taking criticism from the public and the press.

As an American history teacher, Anderson must have at one point taught about the trial of John Peter Zenger, a colonial printer, who was arrested, tried, and then acquitted for his newspaper printing stories in opposition to the government. Of course, Andrson must have explained the meaning of the First Amendment’s “Freedom of the Press” to his students. And lastly Anderson should know that there is no government license for having a newspaper or newsletter so any publication or individual doing what this publication does, from the Wall Street Journal to the Stuart News, is self-appointed.

Mr. Anderson’s comments can be found at 2 hours and 30 minutes using this link here

You can find the options for high school re-districting here

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School Board Latest News From The November 7, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP NOVEMBER 2, 2021

The school board took up the matter of redistricting.

A citizen’s committee, formed by the board and chaired by County Commissioner Ed Ciampi, met several times, and tackled the issue of changing school attendance boundaries for elementary, middle, and high schools. Ultimately the committee decided unanimously to leave the boundaries alone for elementary and middle schools and adjust the high school boundaries for a limited number of students. This was mostly in response to overcrowding at Martin County High School which is at 135% of capacity.

In full disclosure, I was on the committee. A minimalist approach was recommended so that the already-enrolled students would have as little disruption to their lives as possible. Both parents and children have attachments to the schools they are attending, so why change that unless there is a need.

There is a theory of education that believes you should keep children together from K-12. According to this theory, once you begin moving high school boundaries, you also then must move where those kids attend elementary and middle schools. Some research has indicated that the lasting student attachments that are formed in the early years are good for the transition from school to school.

But there is also research that shows that students who are labeled under-achiever or socially awkward never have the chance to reinvent themselves when transitioning from school to school. Further, the pecking order that is established early on with certain students on top continues throughout their academic careers.

Medium

Great theories and they can be found in a brief paper by Hanover Research that lists many other works if you want to pursue it further. It can be found here

Theories are fine, but how much do you want to disrupt families to follow theories?

Children will always make new friends. How many students as high school seniors still have the same “besties” from kindergarten. Unless there is a need because of overcrowding in a school, I would be loathed to disrupt a family for a social theory.

Ms. Roberts and Ms. Defenthaler both understood what was being said and were sympathetic to the point of view of the committee. It appears they would be more willing to move school boundaries for the lower grades if they were doing so for high school. All of this complicates bussing patterns. With a shortage of drivers why have added expense and again student disruption to have a supposed benefit in feeder patterns?

I asked the board why there were not 300 parents in this meeting? Perhaps, it was because the committee had not disrupted numerous lives. Students were not going to leave their existing classes and schools. Parents were not going to have to change their families’ routines. Is that not best for all when there is not an overcrowded situation.

Unfortunately, Mr. Anderson said the district had experts to determine where to place students. He stated that while parents are important, they are not the only factor. (You can listen to his remarks by going to the meeting on YouTube and they begin around the 19-minute mark here)

Anderson has devoted himself to education. He is a teacher and sincerely believes in trusting to the experts. While expertise is important when it comes to the education of our children, it should not be the decisive factor for the school board.

I believe that local government is where most decisions should be made. The people have much more influence at this level. That is the same for education. We should be looking to move educational decisions to the local school as much as possible because that is where parents can be most involved.

In opposition to Anderson’s position, I would argue we need for our tax dollars to be paying for fewer experts at the district level and more money going into the education of our children at the school level. Children and their parents have a big stake in the outcomes, and to them, all of this is much more than validating experts’ theories.

The committee recommended going ahead with Options 4,5,6, (which is the minimal moving of high school students,) grandfather in existing students at their option, and if transportation is provided now to continue to do so. Further we recommended that a committee meet at least every five years or sooner if the board decides. The 5-year recommendation would address any new development that could impact school capacity. You can view the maps, options, and agenda item here

Roberts also came up with an Option 7. Currently off Commerce where apartments are being built now, there are no students. It would be good to assign schools at every level so that families know where their children will attend as they move into this area. I think that is a good idea.

They will be voting on the options at the November 16^th meeting.

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School Board Latest News From The October 24, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OCT 19, 2021:

It was a short meeting without very much drama until the very end.

The school board and BOCC used the same district election boundaries in 2010. On November 16^th, the county will be updating its boundaries. The school board believes that they will probably use the same updated boundaries as the BOCC again. Since both are county-wide and based on population, it makes sense.

There is a severe shortage of bus drivers. Chair Powers wants to stagger school openings even more because of it. That way drivers can be available to service all levels of schools.

There is not only a shortage of drivers but in all support positions. From custodians to food service employees, a shortage exists. That shortage will not be easily addressed in the district or any place else. There are also unfilled teacher spots.

The school boundary advisory committee will present its findings at the November 2^nd workshop. Mike DiTerlizzi was the board’s designate to the committee. He was not yet ready to discuss the results. From what I know of their recommendations, there was no change in elementary and middle schools and only slight tweaks to the high school boundaries with no student currently enrolled being forced to switch to a new school. Since this is an advisory committee, the board will make the final decision.

During public comment, someone said that she had heard students were not standing for the pledge. She mentioned no school or classroom where this was occurring.

Afterwards Li Roberts cited the state statute pertaining to the pledge. It must be recited at the beginning of the day by all students unless a parent opts their child out and students must stand. The statute can be found here

Dr. Millay said that when something that is happening in the schools, an investigation cannot occur without knowing that the problem exists. Without specifics, there is nothing that can be done. That makes sense to me. However, it is true that at times even when parents report something little is done.

Not all allegations are true, so if a complaint is made, the district should follow up with the initiator to tell him/her what action was taken if any. This mirrors DiTerlizzi’s comments when he stated that parents are fed up with the district believing that kids’ education is the experts’ purview, and the public should stay out of the details.

That does not work anymore. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Success Plan was harder to understand than the Latin mass. This week, The New York Times had an article about how Christian schools are having a boom because parents are fed up with their local public schools. You can find it here

Public education is at a crossroads. It needs to stop behaving as if this is 1960. Parents want a say and, in our district, they do not want to have their children being indoctrinated. They want to work collaboratively and not meant to feel as if they are getting in the way.

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School Board Latest News From The October 10, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP SEPT 9, 2021:

I came away from this meeting confused. I could not help feeling that it is everything that is wrong with the way public education operates.

I remember when I was young, the Catholic mass was still in Latin. When I received my First Communion, my present was a Maryknoll Missal. For every mass in the year, it had one side of the page in Latin and the other side was in English. It was a guide as to what the priest was saying on the alter.

I needed a missal to help me decipher staff’s explanation of the Martin County School District Success Plan. There was so much verbiage that I once again felt like the child in the pew trying to understand what was going on in front on the dais.

It should not be this hard for lay people to understand what the school district is proposing and doing. Perhaps it is not as mystical as the Tridentine Mass was, but it does require study to understand. How many parents are going to devote the time to unearth the concepts being conveyed in the language of education?

There seems to be something in the plan for everyone. Students, teachers, employees all have a stake for success. The plan requires coaches and experts to help the teachers teach. There seems to be no limit to the amount of personnel needed. Pedagogical justifications can be just as mystifying as trying to know how many angels are on the head of a pin.

Perhaps that is why parents are looking for alternatives to public schools. Charters, both public and private, must explain what they are selling to their consumers. Their success depends on having buy-in. Traditional public schools need not bother so much with the families consuming their product. Like the Bishops of old, they can continue speaking to each other about methodologies that parents are increasingly finding remote and immaterial to the education of their children.

The Board decided it was best to bring back the presentation later for more discussion. You can see the presentation here

There also seems to be a shortage of teachers, custodians, bus drivers and any job category the district may have. Does that mean the district doesn’t meet employee needs also? How do you attract people to work in a field that more and more prospective employees are reluctant to do?

Board Member Defenthaler once again brought up hearing from health experts but, except for Anderson who I think was for listening to those experts, no one else was biting on that apple. If she knows how to do it, she can place an agenda item to take a vote on whether to proceed with having those experts such as Cleveland Clinic address the board.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SEPT 21, 2021:

In the almost 3-hour meeting, much of the time was devoted to COVID not education.

It was not just the board that could not move onto other subjects but the public speakers also. The same points were made over and over during the speakers’ comments. Pro, con, and a little “out there” with some of the claims for masks, quarantining, and having the vaccine. What is a board member to do?

Victoria Defenthaler

Victoria Defenthaler continues to want the county health officials and Cleveland clinic to address the board. If this were a sane time, she would not be alone in that reasonableness. But this is Florida in the time of unreasonableness, and it is quite apparent how limited the power of local government really is.

She is a lone voice for facts that the other board members do not want to hear. For their options of what to do are so narrow. They are keeping their heads down and waiting for their orders from the Department of Education.

The governor has insisted that there is power only in himself from his lair in Tallahassee. Defenthaler claims the district has a 32% positivity rate…higher than last year. With the governor’s new quarantine regulations, it may be even higher in the weeks to come. What we have adopted in Martin County is the old Sgt. Schultz credo of keeping your eyes down and seeing nothing.

Anderson was not going to stick his neck out as he spoke. My impression is he thinks that Defenthaler is correct, but he realizes the uselessness of fighting. The two other members present at the meeting, Roberts and Powers, would be fine with a presentation by health officials during 3-minute public comment. They will all safely keep their salaries and benefits since the governor will not be threatening this group.

As Roberts stated, she receives info from the health department and would be willing to share it if any member of the public wanted to send his/her email address. There will be no special meeting, presentation, or any other act of stepping on the toes of Tallahassee by this board.

At future meetings, there will be continued inane public comment, threats, and incivility. Perhaps in between all of that, there will be a few minutes for educational issues and policies thrown into the mix by the board for discussion and implementation.

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School Board Latest News From The September 5, 2021 Edition

The next meeting will be September 9, 2021.

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School Board Latest News From The August 22, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AUGUST 17, 2021:

One of the board’s quieter members, Anthony Anderson, gave a big speech that I am afraid is being misconstrued by the very people he was speaking to.

Tony often goes the long way around to make his points…and those points sometimes are then lost on his listeners. That afternoon he was forceful and correct in what he said. I have at times disagreed with him on school matters. Yet when he is expressing things, I believe are right, I want to make sure that I say so.

Anderson opened with how wonderful a place Martin County is. How proud he is having been born here. He touched on the war over desegregation when he was child of 9 or 10. I am several years older than Anderson, and I remember being a 10-year-old visiting my grandparents who lived in Lake City at the time, and how crazy it seemed to me that there were separate facilities and entrances for black and white. It was a theme he returned to a few times in his remarks.

He had been receiving calls and emails regarding masks. One of my issues with Anderson is at times he seems to be thinking as a union member and not as a school board member. I believe it might have been old friends from his teaching days that were asking why he wouldn’t champion their causes.

Then of course he mentioned the anti-masking side. He described how their emails and incivility when speaking is disturbing. He brought up the desegregation of the school system in the late 1960s in Martin County. His father bringing him to school board meetings where both sides spoke. What he does not remember was the level of disrespect and animosity on the part of the people at the meetings that he sees today.

Having listened to the speakers, I agree with Anderson. It is not the fact that parents or anti-mask supporters are expressing their opinions, but it is the virulence with which they do. Anderson agrees that people have rights in their homes, but a schoolhouse is a public house and individual rights need to be balanced.

Anderson also mentioned several times that there is more behind this than masks and vaccines. For a small number of very vocal people, it is political and about race. He said that George Floyd was a tipping point for Black folks. BLM was an outgrowth of not an anti-police sentiment but rather a perception by a few in law enforcement that their actions did not have the same consequences for blacks as whites in situations. To him, all lives matter.

He wanted to remind everyone that white folk were key and instrumental in ending segregation. They came to be part of the struggle. At times, they died to end segregation.

The call for defunding the police was also a reaction to what was happening. He was raised to have respect for authority. While he may disagree with the governor on things, he respects the governor’s authority to prohibit mask and vaccine mandates. School Board Member Anderson will follow direction from Tallahassee.

He was a civics and history teacher at Anderson Middle for years. Anderson gave a little history and civics lesson regarding John Locke and the social contract. On what limited government is and that it does not mean no government. It is too bad that more people did not take Anderson’s civic lessons to heart.

He also mentioned demographics and the changing racial landscape. To him, America has always been a melting pot. The loss of demographic numbers to groups should not mean those groups flip out.

Anderson and the other school board members are not going to challenge DeSantis’ authority regardless of their own personal beliefs. They are going to follow Tallahassee’s lead. Martin is not Broward or Dade…there will be no defying of the Department of Education rules here.

To me, the main point is that certain elements of both sides are politicizing the schools and using the kids to make political points. This is counter to the purpose and mission of the schools. Public education was supposed to be a unifying influence. That is clearly no longer true.

Anderson also mentioned that Critical Race Theory is not taught in Martin County Schools. It has never been taught in the schools and never will be taught in the schools. As a point of reference, CRT has never been part of any Florida curriculum. It has been around since the 1960s but is a theory that a few law schools would touch upon and surely not Stuart Middle.

But in the hyper-partisan and unread world we live in, a speaker mentioned that it was being taught at Hidden Oaks Middle School during public comment. When Superintendent Millay was asked about it later in the meeting, he gave an explanation that one of the library lesson modules that students can access was about race relations. This was added to the modules without the district being made aware as was a module on COVID. Race relations and CRT are two different topics.

I looked at the screen shots that were included in the email to board members that were supposedly about CRT and the Covid module. Quite frankly it is the usual dribble that now passes for lessons in our public schools. It is far from the dreaded CRT and intellectually imbecilic. If I were a parent, I would be more worried about the dumbing down of the curriculum than some supposed attempt to brainwash kids.

You can find the district’s entire explanation here

Ms. Defenthaler wanted to have the health department and Cleveland Clinic report on Covid. It was immediately brushed aside by her fellow board members. A few mentioned the district dashboard that has the up-to-date numbers.

She continued in this vein. The others simply did not want to have the presentations. This board is already inundated with people commenting on everything but education.

I understand her desire to have the compelling presentations made but to what end. Under current circumstances, this board has no authority to require masks or vaccines. It would only invite more public comment that has nothing to do with the business of the district.

Defenthaler is tone deaf to her fellow board members. She needs to stop trying to please those she once worked with and concentrate on policies Tallahassee allows her to make. It was obvious to me that this was going nowhere, and it should have been to her.

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School Board Latest News From The August 8, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET MEETING JULY 27, 2021:

There is always some politicking going on from every dais. It is inevitable that it occurs because they are politicians. The School Board has the least of that going on.

That is not to say that their actions are not political at times. The political has more to do with their different philosophical approaches than with currying favor with the crowd. Maybe they are sometimes worried about their next election but most of what they do is because they have no choice but to follow the law.

At this meeting, which was setting the maximum millage rate, the board voted not to increase any of the rates that they control. However, not every rate is controlled by the local board. The state levies what is known as the “Local Required Effort.” Tallahassee lowered the rate from 3.6990 to 3.5750, a decrease of .1240.

You would think that by lowering the millage rate taxpayer’s pay less. In the convoluted world of Florida real estate tax law, sometimes when you lower the rate, taxpayers end up paying more. There is something called the “Roll Back” Rate which could mean the amount people pay goes up even with the rate going down. That is what happened here.

Each year, the 67 school districts must charge the state rate that Tallahassee sets. The taxes collected under this “local required effort” is then sent to Tallahassee for funding education throughout the state. Tallahassee then sends money back to the districts with each student receiving the same amount of funding. The state cut the rate for the entire state that resulted in Martin County of having a tax increase due to the roll back rate.

The board didn’t say a word. They knew that it wouldn’t matter. They followed the law and did what they were supposed to do.

You cannot make this stuff up!

The entire budget next year is nearly $487 million. This year and last is a transition year for changing budget classifications. Certain budget lines have not been expressing the true amount of spending.

That is why even though it appears that capital items had a large increase, it did not in terms of actual dollars. Prior to Assistant Superintendent of Finance Morrison’s tenure, they did not track Roll Forward funding. “Roll Forward means a ledger account’s ending balance that becomes its starting balance in the subsequent period. They are often part of so called “roll forward reports,” which include a breakdown of the current period starting balance and all debit and credit activity — the sum of which is the roll forward value (a/k/a ending balance).”*

The capital project’s increase was not $84 million but $17 million over last year.

As the district introduces better accounting concepts, these huge discrepancies should go away. To see the outlines of the budget you can go here

*From “Understand Financial Analysis” by Noah Glenn

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP AUGUST 3, 2021:

The board devoted most of this workshop to a presentation from the Gehring Group outlining the principles of self-insurance.

This is not the first time this board has looked at switching from a more traditional insured plan to one where the district is more at risk for losses. The district is the one that will pay the medical bills of those in the plan. Under traditional insurance the insurance company takes the responsibility to meet all the medical expenses.

Once the medical reserves are built up, the district and the employees can save money over time. I think it is a good idea to explore the possibilities that self-insurance can mean. At the same time there is probably a few years in the beginning where it will result in higher costs.

Presently Stuart, Martin County, and the Sheriff are all using self- insurance plans. They rely on a third-party provider to operate the clinic that provides primary care. The school board is a larger employer than the City of Stuart. It has worked well for those entities, and it is very feasible.

As with any self-insured program, what could be problematic is the demographics of the employees. The older and less healthy could bring up the amount of money needed to pay out claims. Insurance, whether a traditional plan or a self-insured plan, is a market. It operates as such. The more you use…the more you pay.

The other factor is whether the employees buy in. Change is always hard to sell. Carter Morrison was concerned that they would need more people on his staff. It also seemed that the Risk Management & Safety Department should probably be transferred to under finance if this occurs.

The board has asked for more information. You can see the presentation here

here

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School Board Latest News From The July 25, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP JULY 13, 2021:

There were presentations outlining procedures for the new school year.

A couple of speakers continued to harp about not requiring masks. This prompted Chair Powers to reiterate that masks are not mandatory either for the present summer programs or the new school year. Those that come and speak as if the board is mandating masks look foolish and ill-informed. A quick peak at the district website would tell anybody that fact.

A few other facts were mentioned. There is no more Martin County school-based remote learning. Students enrolled in the district must attend classes in person. For those wanting to have classes virtually, parents must sign up their child at Florida Virtual or Mosaic.

If a student is unable to attend school because of being in quarantine or sick, instructional materials and coursework may be accessed online by signing into ClassLink and then accessing either Schoology, a learning management system, or Google Classroom depending on the course.

There will be assigned seats on busses. Children must swipe their ID cards when they board and as they depart. There are assigned seats in the classrooms. The district may require assigned seating in other settings such as cafeterias. At this time, they have not done so.

There is no vaccine mandate for students. If a vaccinated student or school employee is considered a close contact of someone testing positive, then they do not have to quarantine unless they are showing symptoms. However, if a vaccinated student is awaiting Covid test results and is asymptomatic, he/she can return to school. Unvaccinated students or unvaccinated students in the same household must stay home.

The district will no longer transfer students to remote learning when self-isolating/quarantined as required by DOH. A student who tests positive or is

quarantined by DOH must remain home and access online assignments by signing into ClassLink. For a non-COVID 19 illness, students may return to school once he or she is symptom-free including no fever of 100.4 or higher in the previous 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Volunteers and visitors will be allowed back in the schools. They will be subject to the same protocols as employees and students. As before the pandemic, they must remain in the areas they are assigned and permitted.

Employees cannot telework. Every employee must be back physically at the district. The district will no longer be providing paid leave for Covid exposure and infection. Employees will use personal leave as they would for any other illness. (Every government should utilize this procedure for employees that have Covid.)

You can find the presentation here

There was a second presentation by Deputy Superintendent Featherstone entitled “Martin County School District Success Plan 2021-2025.” According to the presentation, the vision is for “A dynamic system of educational excellence” and the mission is to “Educate all students for success.” It goes on to state things near and dear to a bureaucrat’s heart.

To those of you who are not government administrators, corporate vice-presidents for large companies, or army generals, it will seem like a foreign language. Like so much of government speak, it is unintelligible. For those of you who want to take a look, go here

INDIANTOWN BUSSES AND WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT US

If you read the Indiantown section, I write about a request by the Indiantown Council to have busses parked at the schools in case of an emergency evacuation. I said that may be a good idea if the drivers are residents of the village or western Martin County. Like many things, when it comes to government, nothing is simple.

Apparently, Jensen Beach and Hobe Sound also want the same. Li Roberts brought up several scenarios. An active shooter event would not be listed here because they have their own evacuation scenarios. These evacuations would be for something like a gas leak.

Yet what good are busses without drivers? How much will it cost to have drivers at the ready. Another consideration was where to fuel the busses. Ms. Powers suggested a deal could be made with a local gas station to purchase fuel. Mr. DiTerlizzi, who is a station owner, said that the board is exempt from paying most taxes. Local station owners are not equipped to do everything necessary to rebate the tax amounts.

Then Ms. Roberts wanted to know how many evacuations there have been. What is the timing of them? How much would all this cost?

It seems to me we have spent an inordinate amount of funds to secure schools. They have turned into minimum security prisons. Armed officers are in the halls. Fences and locked doors are the rule. Now we are going to layer on one more thing to remind children of how dangerous their world is now. What is the psychological effect of all this on the kids?

The board has said that they do not have the funds to bus children that live less than 2 miles from schools. To conserve funds, that policy makes sense. We now are going to make busses and drivers available throughout the day for something that may or may not occur. It seems it is much more probable that a kid will be injured walking to school than being hurt by a gas leak.

Kathleen Watts, Director of Transportation, created two memos outlining why the bus depot was closed. It seems by doing so the district followed through on the board’s wishes to cut costs. Now it seems they may be looking to ramp that up again.

Watts points out all the reasons why staging busses at school is not a good idea. Another fact she mentions is that busses need to transport not only the students they usually do but the entire school in case of an evacuation. That would require more busses than what would be available at any one school. She writes in the memo that the school population needs to evacuate to a site off campus as soon as possible. Just like a fire drill the kids need to leave fast and in an orderly way.

You can find the two memos here

Most of this is political. It has nothing to do with safety. It is not a logical risk assessment but more a political calculation. That is what government has become even with schools.

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School Board Latest News From The July 11, 2021 Edition

Next meeting July 13, 2021.

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School Board Latest News From The June 27, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JUNE 15, 2021:

The new CTE (Career & Technical Education) programs for aviation and marine industries were discussed.

It seems CTE are the new watch words in “education.” There is a definite place for technical learning so that kids who are not going to college have relevant skills for jobs in today’s world upon graduation. The district, numerous non-profits, and IRC are all offering or attempting to offer these types of courses. The question to be answered is whether they are really producing the needed education for these students to assume jobs and if so, are the groups duplicating programs?

WELDERS (Archive.Org)

Ms. Roberts and other board members were asking the same questions. CTE, once known as vocational education and before that as manual education, has been around since the mid-19^th century. Prior to that, the focus of school was to teach kids how to read and write.

It was with the birth of the modern comprehensive high school in the 1920s that children were expected to be in school through 12^th grade. Classes in mechanics, home economics, metal and carpentry were introduced. By the time a student became a junior, he/she was either going to go onto college or would be getting a job upon graduation.

Coordination between entities who might be duplicating services is not highly prized in Martin County. Although CTE fell out of favor in public education, it is now back with a vengeance and many entities want a piece of the action.

Ms. Roberts and the board have a right to be concerned about duplication. More of us in Martin County should also. No matter who is providing the training, most of the money is coming from our tax dollars.

RUMORS…INUENDO…MONEY

During public comment, several members of the public made remarks regarding things that are untrue.

Apparently, there is a rumor going around that masks are still mandatory. They are not. Nor do I suspect they will be coming back anytime soon. The same goes for remote learning as an option. There are no plans for that in the next school year either.

Speakers also referred to “Critical Race Theory” and how it shouldn’t be taught. It has never been part of the curriculum in Florida schools and now Tallahassee has weighed in that it never will. One speaker said the principal had changed “Mr. & Mrs. Southfork” to “Alpha & Zeta Dog” to be more in line with gender neutrality. No school board member addressed that comment as to whether it is true or not and if the change was made it was for that purpose or for some other reason.

Chair Powers asked Dr. Miller, who oversees curriculum, to explain how approval of a syllabus and material are obtained. Miller explained that the district, through committees and the board, takes months and months to review what is going to be taught and what materials will be used. The district cannot teach anything that is against state guidelines.

The curriculum for every subject is on the school board’s website for anyone to see. It can be found here and then by following the tabs, you can see each grade level and subject matter.

And to see what the Florida subject standards are you can go here

Does this mean that any individual teacher cannot try and inject an opinion into the course work? The answer is no. We all have our prejudices and biases. However, teachers can only use the course material that has been approved. If a student or parent believes that a teacher has overstepped, then Powers said that they should contact a member of the board or superintendent so that the allegation can be investigated.

No surprise that Florida ranks 46^th out of 51 states and DC on per capita educational spending. The amount spent does not consider all that is budgeted for the district. However, it is a snapshot of what other states are spending using the same criteria. According to Powers, the district spends more than $20,000 per student.

You can see the report here here

ORG CHART

At the last workshop, Superintendent Millay presented a new district organizational chart.

The Board had asked him to cut overhead. He diligently has done so by changing around positions. One of those positions was a director of human resources. He has folded that function into a deputy superintendent position. Millay’s thinking was that when Ginger Featherstone retires next year, the person who takes her place must have HR experience.

The Board, led by Powers and Roberts, believes that immediately they should have someone who understands all aspects of human resources since it is so critical to the district. The only one who thought that Millay should be given some slack was Anderson so that he could learn for himself. I think Anderson is right, but if the board is telling Millay to hire someone, then of course he is going to do it.

The org chart will be updated to reflect that decision. The chart can be found here here

5^th BUDGET WORKSHOP JUNE 22, 2021:

CFO Carter Morrison presented the 5^th workshop on the road to budget adoption. He outlined what has been cut and what has been added. He explained how the millage rate is controlled by the state. Tallahassee also controls how much you can spend on different educational components. It has come to the point of why even local school boards exist.

Morrison is working on a budget book that will be on the website and will promote transparency. While there is a lot of content on government websites already, how many people read or have their questions answered there. So, the more that is on the website, the better for those like me, but most do not take advantage of the resources available.

You can see a sample of the “budget book” here

The bids for the two new schools have increased over a million dollars each. That is not a surprise given how prices for building materials and labor have gone up recently. However, given a drop in enrollment, does the district even need two new schools? With the popularity of the charter and the home-schooling movement, are we building for the moment or for the future?

Martin County is ripe for growth in those areas. Several new public charters may be looking to open in the county in the next few years which would change the dynamic of the district. I am not always in agreement with Governor DeSantis, but I am on this. Parents should have choices about where and, to some extent, how their children are educated. The way we do things now in conventional school districts are more fitting for the society of a century ago than today’s.

You can see the entire presentation here

Another item under discussion is the combining and outsourcing of legal services including labor negotiations. Under the old system of an elected superintendent, the district had a legal staff, and the board had an attorney. That system was set up for conflict. Now that the superintendent works for the board, the supposed conflict should cease. The question that the board and superintendent are trying to figure out is should all legal services be outsourced.

John Millay

I think there is agreement on that by all. It seems how to accomplish it is in question. Dr. Millay is pushing Sniffen and Spellman to be the firm. The board has indicated they want to do an RFP to see what is best. Whatever the outcome, the district will end up saving money and being more cohesive.

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School Board Latest News From The June 13, 2021 Edition

BUDGET MEETING MAY 27, 2021:

The school district is very lucky to have CFO Carter Morrison, a consummate professional, on board. I am not a staff or board member, so I do not know what it is like to work with him. If he is just blowing smoke, then he is the best smoke blower I have ever seen. However, the truth must be that he is the best at his job.

Morrison began his presentation outlining the past legislative session and how it will impact school districts. Presentation slide after slide demonstrated how the independence of local school districts is slipping away. This is nothing new only the increasing ferocity with which the Lords of Tallahassee exhibit their disregard for local voters’ control.

Instead of just doing away with local districts all at once, the state is slowly chipping away at their ability to choose curriculum or whether to promote a child or not. I believe that the concept of district public-guided education is anachronistic. All schools should be charters determining their own curriculums etc. with the state providing only the necessary licensing for teachers and facilities much as they do for doctors and hospitals now.

Every parent will pick the school the child attends. Once enrolled, the state would send the voucher payment to the school. The curriculum would meet some broad state standards that were outlined in the facility’s license.

Being the pessimist that I am I could see Tallahassee meddling as to substance and form which would negate the parent choice of what the curriculum should contain. As an example, one bill just passed that mandates health education and in what grade it can be taught. Another bill allows parents to opt out of health education if they do not agree with what is being taught. That is the schizophrenic nature of Tallahassee.

Florida Capitol

It is mandated that there be a “Moment of Silence” at the start of each day. It must be more than one minute but no more than 2 minutes. It is for contemplation. The state has decided that children need at least 60 seconds but not longer than 120 seconds of nothing. Zen for dummies at its finest.

What does all this have to do with a budget? If you are going to teach a health curriculum as dictated, then the money must come from somewhere. The state is not providing funds…only orders. They mandate how much to tax. What can be spent on transportation. Minimum salaries paid to teachers and so much more.

Governor DeSantis may be trying to make districts obsolete. Martin County enrollment is down and even with the development happening in Stuart, there does not seem to be a need to build more schools. There was even discussion about opening Jensen Beach High School to St Lucie County students to fill the seats.

All the numbers are in the presentation attached here

I believe we are on a decline in the number of pupils the traditional public schools will have in the coming years. If another charter school were opened, you would probably see another 500 kids leave. It is time we re-imagine what it means to be a public-school student.

BOARD MEETING MAY 27, 2021:

If there is one good thing in the past year that happened, it was that board meetings are now being televised via YouTube. For someone like me that must “attend” tons of meetings to write the newsletter, this one thing has been a godsend.

So, when a meeting is now not televised, I immediately think that there is something trying to be hidden from the public. This meeting was not televised. There were no backup materials in the agenda package (sadly, a too common occurrence with this board.) What am I to believe?

John Millay

The sole purpose of the meeting was to go over the board’s first evaluations of Dr. Millay. Asking political boards to write evaluations is usually not helpful to ascertaining what each board member really thinks about the superintendent or manager. In this case, the evals were at best perfunctory.

At 6 months, the superintendent hasn’t been here long enough to warrant an accurate assessment. With COVID thrown in he has been dealing with too many fires that may have precluded his ability to undertake some initiatives that he had anticipated.

When I was on the advisory committee to pick the first appointed superintendent, Dr. Millay was not on my final list. He was also not on any of the final lists of any of the other 30 plus members of that committee. And it was also not a unanimous choice to hire him by the board either. The vote was 3-2.

Since there isn’t a meeting to watch or a recording to hear, there isn’t anything to help place these written evaluations in context to better understand what the board was thinking or wanted to convey when doing them. There is no subtlety of the spoken word to go by. And that is too bad for the public.

If I were rating Millay, I would give him an incomplete at this point. I think he has great promise, but it is too early to tell whether it will come to fruition. If anything, he may be too cautious in his approach. Too much a creature of the academic system to effectuate the change that some board members, school employees, and parents want.

I think a fair time to do a real evaluation would be this time next year. Millay has a steep learning curve when it comes to Florida and especially Martin County. He just needs more time.

All board members need to be completely honest with him. These checked-box evaluations are cursory when dealing with a position of such important leadership. A public, open and frank conversation needs to occur between employee and board. Seldom does that happen at the district level…or at the county or municipalities either, for that matter.

Finally, it is the board’s responsibility to make sure that these meetings are televised. The agenda items need to be on the website prior to the meetings for the public to view. Citizens shouldn’t have to go searching for things. The board that claims to want transparency needs to make sure it is provided.

The evaluations can be found here

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JUNE 1, 2021:

A few days before the board met to evaluate Dr. Millay…perhaps they should have waited until after this meeting to turn in their evaluations.

Millay has recently begun to look at his administrative staff in a different way than previous superintendents. He wants to eliminate some positions and reimagine several others to focus more on the classroom. He envisions eliminating the COO position which I never believed was well thought out in terms of its job functions within the district structure.

Dr. Millay’s vision also begins to eliminate the inhouse legal team and outsource to an outside legal firm that specializes in education. That makes far more sense than the way the district is organized now. Some current directors become assistant superintendents. Carter Morrison becomes assistant superintendent of finance while Dr. Tracy Miller becomes assistant superintendent of academics.

The superintendent will have more direct reports. He also has decided to have an executive cabinet. It is Millay’s vision to better integrate the administrative and school-based functions. It is probably something that should be tried. You can read and see the reorg charts and descriptions by going here

Unfortunately, the latter part of the meeting received the headlines. Two incongruous ideas followed…the district expects a 3% decline in student population next year and David L. Anderson Middle School could be the 4^th high school in the district. It was just two weeks earlier that Board Member Roberts suggested that Jensen Beach High School should be opened to St. Lucie County for a year or two because the school has excess capacity.

Staff seemed to be saying that the 3% dip would be temporary. Because of the supposed development that will be occurring, more FTEs will be needed. This is all supposition, and the district should be contemplating a different academic world. The past will not be repeated. While Dr. Millay is rethinking non-school staff, there needs to be the same re-evaluation for schools.

While I do not think we should rush into Anderson’s transformation, if at some point a 4^th high school is needed then I like the Anderson Middle idea. I would propose to make it a high school focusing on academics for those students looking to go to college. That would require much less time to change the facility from a middle school to a high school.

You can add more CTE classes to the existing high schools. By not having so many infrastructure changes, it is less expensive to convert Anderson. I like Mr. DiTerlizzi’s idea about having kids who want to be on sports teams playing at Martin County because that would also save money. Of course, all is predicated on whether Martin County becomes inundated with kids.

Many of our residents are familiar with this problem as they have come here from Long Island and other places that experienced exponential growth. Often, those families found that after graduation, their kids decided to move to other places. Schools became empty and needed to be sold and repurposed. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent by districts building schools that ended up vacant.

Like most other parts of government, schools need to be evaluated with a fresh eye. We should not rush into any decisions but take a wait and see approach. I do like that Millay is beginning to think outside the box.

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School Board Latest News From The May 23, 2021 Edition

BOARD MEETING MAY 12, 2021:

The meeting was all about policy…the present and future of how the Martin County School District will work going forward.

Superintendent Millay outlined his plan about how to move forward. With the upcoming school year, there will be a full return to traditional in-person learning. All students registered with the district will attend class every day. There is the option to home school and attend Florida Virtual School for those wanting that alternative.

The district will follow a voluntary mask policy as recommended by the Florida Department of Education in 2021/22 school year. This does not preclude a return to a stricter policy if circumstances change. They are encouraging all eligible students, teachers, and employees to become fully vaccinated. Those who are vaccinated will not be required to quarantine following contact with a positive case.

Presently, the board will continue mandating fully masked students, teachers, and personnel through the end of this school year. What many do not understand is there is an approved COVID plan in place for the remainder of this school year. To change it now would require permission from Tallahassee. For the less than two weeks remaining in this school year, it is not possible.

This year’s graduations will also have optional masks for seniors and guests since they will not be returning to the classroom. Beginning on June 1, summer session and other school activities and programs, whether to mask or not will be optional.

While the board may feel this is a sensible policy, there was a contingent of parents who spoke against masks. Some were very emotional. There were no new reasons offered as to why an immediate change in policy is warranted.

The board agreed with the policies and so the end of COVID restrictions for the schools are in sight.

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School Board Latest News From The May 9, 2021 Edition

BUDGET WORKSHOP & SPECIAL MEETING APRIL 27, 2021:

A presentation was made by Apptegy which is a company that specializes in school board apps that keep parents and students informed. It allows the district a marketing tool. There is a live feed available. They also would build and manage the website.

This is about building your brand to compete with other options for parents such as charters and virtual. Interesting that the public schools would need to compete with those options. Perhaps one should look at what you are offering as compared to other options.

Most of what I learned in school was rote memorization in the lower grades. A student memorized the times tables, the periodic chart, a poem, or the capitals of each state. As we became older, we then were able to apply those facts to more abstract concepts. It doesn’t appear that is done as much anymore.

At a recent school event I attended elite high school students could not name the first 4 presidents of the United States. Knowing that fact in and of itself is only important because it then allows you to conceptualize why our nation evolved the way it did. The next question asked was which of those first four attended the Constitutional Convention. Only one of the students knew the answer.

Washington was the presiding officer and Madison became the “Father of the Constitution.” Our nation may have been quite different if Adam had been presiding officer and Jefferson the primary author. Both were in Europe serving as ambassadors at the time. Without those simple facts it is hard then to understand our constitutional evolution.

Some charters have students begin reading the Declaration and Constitution in the early grades…not textbooks about the documents but the documents themselves. They are learning fundamentals so that when older, there can be informed interpretation.

Perhaps that method is not appropriate for every student. That particular brand is not what the school district is selling. Yet for a charter, it is easy to sell that brand to enough parents to have a school or two. Other schools will sell other individualized educational brands. It is hard to sell the public-school brand in this stratified world. The district should try the app, but ultimately it will not make much difference to those parents searching out charters, virtual schools, and home schooling.

You can find the presentation here

During the budget portion, CFO Carter Morrison made almost the same presentation as in the last meeting because many of his state figures are not yet set. Now that the legislature has adjourned, he will know more about which revenue streams will supply what funds.

The key here is that there has been a steady erosion of students from regular district schools. The budget is worked out based on student numbers. There are now about 18,000 students which is less than in the recent past. Every student that goes to a charter or virtual costs the school district funds.

To take a peek at the budget so far you can go here

The district will offer the teachers a $1000 bonus to work in the summer. This deal has already been agreed to by the unions.

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP MAY 4, 2021:

The board held a workshop in essence to discuss the use of ESSER Funds. Those are the funds that are part of the CARES Act funding for educational stabilization due to Covid. It was a complicated discussion to follow without the spread sheet available.

I have asked an expert to come to the rescue. Board Member Roberts has agreed to do just that. Thank you, Ms. Roberts for writing this so quickly.

Dear Tom:

Thanks for reaching out for some clarity regarding yesterday’s workshop regarding ESSER II funding that was discussed.

There have been a variety of funding programs (like CARES, GEERS, ESSER, ESSER II) that K-12 public school districts have been able to utilize to address the unexpected costs and consequences of the global pandemic. Each program has specific assurances that must be met, categories that expenses must fall into, and a calendar for when the expense was incurred.

There has been some frustration when funding has been allocated and designated to cover a longer period (like two years) then subsequent reports did not show a huge spend down of those funds in the near term. This was referred to several times by this year’s Florida legislature when legislators were dismayed to find large pots of money unclaimed by districts.

From the other perspective, many districts were attempting to stretch the funds over the two-year period, so it wasn’t surprising that only 25% of funds had been expended when only 25% of the designated time (6 months of the two years) had passed. Some of this money was gathered back for reallocation effectively punching holes in crafted plans. Keep in mind, that prudently this money was handled on a reimbursement method whereby a district needed to incur the expense, pay the bill, then seek reimbursement. For personnel expenses (additional instructional or support staff), employees must work first before payment, so those type expenses truly stretch over a scheduled time period.

Our workshop last evening was to have a meaningful discussion regarding the ESSER II money that is currently being planned for. There was a seventeen-page memo from Florida Department of Education Commissioner Corcoran dated March 16, 2021 with information regarding ESSER II that I have attached for additional detailed information. (You can see it here

In that memo, Martin County was estimated to receive $12 million (pg 16) from ESSER II. Since that date, the legislature has allocated funds from ESSER II to meet various anticipated expenses for K-12 education effectively reducing the amount that will be ultimately distributed. At this time, we anticipate at least a fifty percent reduction, and our best guess is between four and five million dollars that will be available for Martin County. So, these actual numbers are all preliminary and there is still a state of flux until the actual formulas are revealed from Tallahassee.

Yes, charter schools receive a portion of those funds in a manner determined by the Florida Department of Education. Last evening the School Board reviewed and discussed an eighteen-page spreadsheet prepared by Staff regarding ESSER II and priorities. I’ve also attached the Spreadsheet so you can follow along. The Spreadsheet describes each item, indicates the accounting code, details the allowable category, estimates a cost, and then labels the priority. I’ll add some detail on our discussions. (You can find it here

The first group of funds include an estimate of funding to charter schools; namely $859,211.94 for 1,238 charter students. It’s obvious that this number could be on the high side since basic extrapolation would put $8.59 million for 12,380 students. Knowing that we have more than that number of students and expecting an award amount at half of that $8.59 million, this number would be determined at a later date.

Also included are CARES I allocated projects that have lost their funding source. In here you see teleconferencing licenses (zoom, edgenuity), learning management systems and platforms, professional development for digital instruction, student tutoring and test prep, staff (graduation coaches, paraprofessionals), and student transportation costs to academic events. The Board removed expenses that were for expenses beyond the two-year period to get a better handle on a realistic number. This resulted in a total of $2,482,998.60 as the first batch that would be coming from ESSER II.

Next, we addressed items that had already been approved by the Board for ESSER II funding including summer programming (June 2 – July 1 including the additional $9.25 per hour for employees coming in to address learning losses and credit recovery), data warehousing solutions, and unrecovered salary expenses (where anticipated revenue decreased) adds $1,031,822 to this number bringing us to $3,514,820.60.

Later in our discussions, we added an item on the top of page 6 addressing instructional needs at Port Salerno Elementary which is a challenging population which has been a priority of the Board to address. This involves a plan to add additional licensed teachers in grades 1, 2, and 3 to focus on literacy skills. Expanding the number of teachers in these grade levels from 24 to 30, adding two paraprofessionals to assist the eight Kindergarten teachers and a Prevention Intervention Specialist to serve as an instructional support interfacing between the school and families. The estimated cost of this is $395,000. (Note that this model can be replicated at other schools in the future.)

We also added an item at the top of page 7 splitting out the Pre-K expansion for Port Salerno adding two classes (40 students) with VPK voucher reimbursement bringing the $190,000 cost down to $100,000 to be added. (Note the Warfield piece of this is handled later.) And, we moved the ChalkTalk item on page 15 at a cost of $35,000 because this was Summer programming. This brings the total up to $4,044,820.60 – which is comfortably within the four-to-five-million-dollar range to not have to come back to rehash these later. Obviously, the bulk of these numbers are estimates, but comfortable enough for planning purposes. One other item that we expect to see added to this a future spreadsheet is an estimate of the $9.25 per hour (always to a maximum of $1,000 per employee) for non-bargaining personnel that would meet the same summer requirements as those bargaining unit members.

Pages Four and Five outline Capital expenses (mostly computers and safety/sanitation) totaling $2,604,541.00 which may be eligible for reimbursement. These are expenses that the district has already paid from the Capital Account. If funding comes through these would be paid. If not, they would remain Capital expenses impacting the Capital Account’s Five-Year Plan due to the state at the end of the summer.

Pages Six, Seven and the first item on page Eight are in pink type on a blue background. These are labeled as Priority Five expenses and after adjustment total $606,100 (not the $742,967.00 reflected).

The number has been adjusted removing the Port Salerno Elementary components, adding a Prevention Intervention Specialist to Warfield Elementary School with the K, 1, 2, and 3 staffing expansion plus the VPK addition of 40 students in two classes at Warfield Elementary School, and moving the Apptegy item on page 7 to page 8 to be with the Let’s Talk item.

There is another exciting item on the bottom of page 6 currently labeled Calculus Project (but soon to be re-labeled as Algebra Project). The Calculus Project was an initiative in several districts to encourage minority students to enter STEM career fields thinking that passing the Algebra I in Middle School would create the opportunity to take Calculus in High School and pave the way for a STEM career.

Unfortunately, that result was often unrealized (often because of a lack of a mentor for the student). However, the process of utilizing summer math programming for students that need extra help between fifth grade and sixth grade creates the opportunity to complete Algebra I in Middle School. With that Algebra I EOC (end of course exam) completed before entering High School removes one of the graduation requirements from the stress of High School and allows students in High School to focus on opportunities and personal interests without that looming over their head. The rest of the items in this group include a school psychologist, teacher professional development and resources, and accounting staff. These are all items that would normally be in the General Fund (Operating Account) but would be slated as the next group to apply to ESSER II funding.

Pages Eight to Fourteen with black type on the blue background are General Fund (Operating Account) items that would come next. This includes student instructional resources, AVID training, additional CTE programming, communication/customer service/accountability platforms, mental health programs, and teacher assistance solutions.

There was discussion regarding an item on page 8 for the Pandemic Health Services Manager that is identified as a watch/hold (so that we don’t fill a position that may be unnecessary). These all come together as the next group for ESSER II funding or revert to the General Fund (Operating Account) if funding doesn’t come through from ESSER II. This group of items will be woven into the 2021-22 Operating Budget that the Board has been working on for the last three months at Budget Workshops.

Pages Fifteen through Eighteen plus the items for the 2022-23 school year from page 2 and without the ChalkTalk that was moved are department/staff requests that are being gathered here in one place but need additional vetting and discussion before moving forward.

It is immensely satisfying to have such meaningful and detailed information to make prudent and logical fiscal decisions. The level of transparency and engagement far surpasses what I have seen in other districts and in the past here in Martin County. I am thankful and humbled by the work of our staff and the compilation and presentation by our Chief Financial Officer Carter Morrison. If you or any of your readers have any questions regarding this information, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks again for the opportunity to share.

Christia Li Roberts

Martin County School Board Member, District One

THE END OF THE MASKS?

There were also several parents that spoke about the continuation of masks for students. The governor has removed the ability of the school board to mandate masks under its own authority. However, the district did file a required plan with the state to reopen schools earlier that the state approved. The board is going to check with the Department of Education to see whether they can stop the practice for the remaining weeks of this school year. They will decide at a meeting next week.

Graduation will probably have an option on whether masks should be worn. It is outside and the kids will not be coming back to classes to possibly infect anyone. The board is in a quandary with the new Parents Bill of Rights, print advertising requirements for meetings, the opening plan, and juggling a hundred other differing requirements before being able to take a vote.

Ms. Powers was attending virtually, and it fell to Vice-Chair Anderson to preside. He did a good job. Some of the speakers, though were a bit uncivil One speaker threated the members with “someone” running against them. Anderson spoke up and said there is no reason for people to act this way. He suggested that threatening that he would lose the election was not much of a threat since he had a life before he was on the board. Good for you Tony!

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School Board Latest News From The April 25, 2021 Edition

BOARD MEETING APRIL 20, 2021:

In some respects, this was a quiet meeting. The board and staff were doing business without muss or fuss.

Eduardo Diaz, the senior who organized the alternate prom, spoke. Because of COVID, the district endorsed senior celebrations at the three high schools that were anything but traditional. Diaz took it upon himself to put on a non-sanctioned traditional prom for the seniors from the three Martin County high schools. And from everything I heard it was a success.

Diaz spoke at the meeting about a South Fork teacher that was on video saying that Diaz had diverted $30,000 in funds for his college tuition. Diaz is not happy with the accusation and he has had to explain the misconception to a summer employer. He wants to know what the district is going to do about the teacher.

He will be attending the naval academy in the fall, so he does not need any tuition. Eddie Diaz seems quite intense, and I can understand some people not liking him for that. Should he have organized an event for students that was not school sanctioned? Well, no one had to attend and those who did seemed to have a good time. Diaz claimed that none of the participants came down with COVID.

He gave the financial records of the event to the board. Eduardo Diaz should be the kind of student that is a role model not an outcast. He cannot be a slacker and have been accepted to one of the service academies.

Diaz is probably one of those students that some teachers wish were not in their class. You know the kind…bright and opinionated; tenacious and relentless. Annapolis will hone his good attributes and curb the less admired ones. He is a Martin County success story rather than someone who should be maligned.

The board will not decide on whether masks will be a requirement next year. It is too early, and this should be decided closer to the start of school.

Regardless, classes will be in person. There are virtual options through Florida Virtual and St Lucie’s district program. That program was open to Martin County residents because the St. Lucie district was far from capacity. Mrs. Defenthaler tasked staff to try to come up with a way for Martin’s students to be able to attend virtually when they need to be out for an extended period.

Roberts made a motion to open in-person school on August 11^th that was seconded by Anderson. It passed 5-0

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School Board Latest News From The April 11, 2021 Edition

It seems that the district was the last one in the state to come into line with the state mandate regarding teacher’s pay. Last year, the legislature gave $600 million to the districts to bring starting salaries to $47,500 and to boost veteran teacher pay.

Even with their proportional share of the fund being $3.4 million, the district will have to kick in another $860,000 for increases. The state once again is leaving a large unfunded mandate to the Martin County District this year and in subsequent years.

No form of local government is micromanaged as much as school districts. This could be the pre-cursor of what will happen to counties and cities. The state already dictates to districts how much millage to charge and recaptures part of it to distribute to other districts. Martin County’s taxpayers subsidize other school districts throughout the state. We are known as a donor county.

In this session, we have already seen more and more bills in the legislature that infringe on the home rule concept. Expect to see even more in the years ahead. We supposedly have home rule in our constitution. But that is only when the legislature does not enact laws that take it away.

The voters of Florida need to pass a constitutional amendment to stop this grab for power. To read more go here

BUDGET MEETING MARCH 30, 2021

Carter Morrison, the district’s CFO, presented the proposed budget for next year.

The district still needs to fine tune it and there are more meetings scheduled. As the next few months progress, the district will know more and more about what mandates the state will dictate including how much to spend on categorical lines such as textbooks.

Many things were discussed, and you can find most of the numbers in the attachments. Two things that were not in the presentations but were touched upon in the discussion were the internal auditor and the board attorney. The internal auditor position has been vacant for a couple of years now. The board uses the auditor to gather information for the board and to serve as a supposed check on the district staff.

The board will have Morrison come back with a proposal for a part time person to augment his staff during peak times instead of a separate position that reports to the board. It seems to be a better use of resources now that the superintendent directly reports to the board instead of being an independent elected official. The same goes for the board attorney.

Is there a reason to have a separate attorney now that the board and superintendent are integrated? It may be time to have a legal department headed up by a chief attorney that reports to the board much as the county attorney reports to the BOCC. Any additional legal expertise needed would be under the chief attorney.

The board needs to decide whether the attorney and the legal department should be outsourced, in house, or a combination. There are savings to be had regardless since moving forward the superintendent and the board will be in concert and do not need separate attorneys.

To see the budget presentation and handouts please go here

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP APRIL 6, 2021

The meeting was all about the new facility’s leasing agreement.

Most of the discussion was consumed with Covid cancellation clauses. A legal agreement must be comprehensive and take in all the problems, no matter how remote, that could occur. How I sometimes long for the old days.

Apparently so does Tony Anderson. If Anderson had his way, a handshake (or today a fist bump) would be good enough. He longs for a time that even government could be more trusting. Unfortunately, those days have passed, and Anderson’s more common-sense approach is not how the board can protect the taxpayer in today’s litigious world.

For more than an hour, the board discussed and planned for Covid cancellations. After the changes that will be made and then sent to the board’s attorney for approval, we will be way past the worst of the virus’ havoc.

If you are an organized sports team, then this agreement will be welcomed. If you are just a couple of kids that want to use an empty taxpayer-owned field on the weekend or after school, then you are out of luck. Strict rental protocols are in place. Agreements must be signed, insurance certificates exchanged, and most importantly money paid.

If these rules were in effect when I was a kid, I would have never played sports on a field. Like Mr. Anderson, I long for those simpler times. I guess they are long gone and aren’t coming back even for the taxpayers who fund everything.

To see the draft agreement with pricing list, go here

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School Board Latest News From The March 28, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MARCH 23, 2021

The board has approved an agreement with the Arts Council for them to inspect the high school building. The period will be for 60 days from April 1^st through May 31^st. It does not obligate either party to ameliorate any condition found on the premises.

I would be incredibly surprised if any obstacle found, including the site being a radioactive dump, would be serious enough to ward off the Arts Council. The goal seems to be locating here no matter what. Of course, this puts them far away from the Arts District and Downtown which makes little sense.

You can find the brief agreement here

EMPLOYEE INSURANCE

One of the hardest decisions an employer makes is choosing health care insurance for its employees. The district is no exception.

The Insurance Committee of the board meets monthly for most of the year to find plans that are good for board employees but also affordable for the taxpayer. I need to disclose that I sit on this committee. There are no easy answers.

Three plans are offered. Most employees and retirees choose the HMO Plan. Then comes the PPO, which has the greatest employee payroll deduction, followed by the “HDHP” (High Deductible Health Plan) which had no cost to cover for employee-only coverage. That coverage will now have a deduction of $26.49 per paycheck.

The board adopted to renew with Scenario 3 of the attachment. This will have a total cost to the board of $608,183 per year. As I said, difficult decisions.

To see all the rates and scenarios go here

OPTIONS

During comments, Vice-Chair Anderson spoke about being in a park and overhearing two mothers speak about how public school is not as good as private schools or charters. Anderson then went into how great public schools are and there is a misperception of that fact by the public. I think there are misperceptions.

Most students attend public school. For the most part, they receive a good education. Some excel and take advantage of all that is offered. Those kids mostly come from parent-involved homes. They learn how to enroll in the gifted programs and classes. They make the best out of dual enrollment where they can earn an associate degree while still in high school at no cost.

Some kids do not excel in the larger environment of a public school. They do better in a smaller setting and with more rigorous learning standards. Some parents like to have religious or ethical principles taught along with the standard curriculum. Then there is the growing home-school movement where parents get to spend perhaps too much time with their kids.

It is all about perceptions and ultimately choice. Anderson, the rest of the board, and the entire public-school bureaucracy are not going to be able to be all things to all students and parents. As time goes on, I believe we will see more and more parents choose different options. Vouchers are one way to ensure that choice will be an option. Education Commissioner Corcoran and Governor DeSantis should just keep pushing that idea.

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School Board Latest News From The March 14, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP MARCH 2, 2021

The board listened to a presentation detailing what each high school is doing for its “prom” this year. It is completely different than what most of us experienced at our senior proms.

The events at each high school are based on responses from what seemed like a distinct minority of seniors who bothered to respond to the survey. In this time of Covid, what can and cannot be done is testing what that special occasion will become. The event has morphed into more of a celebration on a class-wide basis than what many of us remember as an expensive and intimate formal date.

It seems food trucks will dominate, and movies will be shown under the stars. Not bad but hardly anything special. Things have changed and Covid has accelerated the pace of that change. To view the presentation made to the board go here

ARTS COUNCIL’S QUEST CONTINUES

Nancy Turrell, the Arts Council leader, and Jeff Hardin from Straticon Construction gave a short presentation about what is next for the quest of having the old high school building become the new Arts Council.

The Council now needs to get into the building to see the physical condition and what needs to be remediated. One of the things that precipitated the district to buy the old Stuart News Building was the problems this building had with asbestos and other sick building problems and the projected cost to remediate it.

Mr. Hardin renovated the old Rice Hotel on Federal Highway which had gone through several renovations previously, the last being the old Rookies restaurant. While he may have saved the old building from demolition, any resemblance to an historic structure is purely coincidental.

The board gave a consensus for Chair Powers and Dr. Millay to proceed with negotiation. The space cannot exceed the master plan for Stuart Middle which leaves about 2 acres for the Council.

The main building itself served as the original Martin County High School from 1923-1964. If everything goes according to plan the Arts Council will be there in 2025. There are plans to rent to other nonprofits, to have performance space and, of course, expanded gallery space.

Most of the funding for renovations would come from grants. I just cannot help but wonder if trying to save an old building is serving the arts in Martin County, the taxpayers, and the organization well? It is almost a fixation on that goal rather than what might be beneficial to do something else.

Turrell was instrumental in establishing an Arts District downtown. Now she is moving the Arts Council further from the district. There is not a restaurant or store anywhere near the place. Instead of trying to integrate the arts with a vibrant urban scene, we are seeing the worst form of urban planning…almost a kind of sprawl.

There is no synergy with the stores, galleries, or restaurants of downtown and the Creek Arts District. How would you expect that district to flourish if you remove the patron organization?

Instead of people spending an evening of looking at a painting or show and then strolling over to the Gafford to have dinner, they will do one or the other but probably not both. If they do, then it will encompass driving from the one venue to another.

Perhaps the school district should look at obtaining grants to have the high school turned into housing for teachers and other employees instead of grants for paintings. We need to stop doing things with a 1960s perspective rather than the perspective of today and more importantly what is needed tomorrow.

To see the Arts Council presentation, go here

UPDATES

The staff gave an update on the ongoing projects at Stuart Middle, the two new elementary schools, the new boardroom being constructed at headquarters and other construction updates. You can see it here

The board also received an update regarding the health insurance contract for next year.

A final decision will have to be made later this month at the School Board Meeting. Health insurance is an extremely complicated subject but one that is especially important to those covered. Should this plan or that be subsidized and to what extent? Taxpayer dollars are used to keep the premiums manageable but still individual employees contribute a large amount to their plans.

You can find the presentation here

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School Board Latest News From The February 28, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING FEBRUARY 16, 2021

CTE stands for career and technical education. CTE promotes and supports middle and high school programs that provide technical educations for students for 21^st century non-college jobs. In the old days, it was known as vocational education.

Public schools throughout the country have tended to go away from more practical hands-on classes that were meant to train students to be auto mechanics and carpenters. However, there certainly continues to be a need for that type of education. I am not quite so sure whether a regular high school is the right place for this education today.

We do need practical nurses, cooks, auto mechanics and an entire range of vocations where the practitioners do not need to know much about Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales or the Jacobines. That doesn’t mean those students shouldn’t have read the Reeve’s Tale or know that there was a French Revolution. There is such a thing as a basic education that should be universal for all students including those in vocational studies.

So, when a school official such as Dr. Millay states that he could add an additional nursing classroom at each of the high schools, I think we miss the point about what is needed. Mrs. Powers said that “we can’t be everything to everyone.” Sometimes in trying to do too much, we end up doing everything poorly.

Why in America are we tied to keeping kids in school until age 18? For those who want a technical career, they should be in a program by junior year where they can be learning subject matter for their intended occupation (e.g., science or math) in the morning and being in apprenticed jobs in the afternoon in the work force where their training can be subsidized by the district but with real world experience.

Schools cannot provide the same level of job training that doing the jobs can. Schools will never have the same up-to-date diagnostic computers to train an auto technician. The same goes for most occupations. Schools could serve as more of an employment agency for those students while still providing the academic underpinnings needed for their intended occupation.

As Mrs. Defenthaler added, there needs to be a focus on community partners. The worst thing education can do is try to teach these kids methods that are obsolete. What better place for practical and current knowledge than the private sector?

Mr. Anderson stated that Mrs Gaylord, the last elected superintendent, did a great job of bringing back the district from chaos. Anderson is right. Without the calmer and more professional atmosphere that Gaylord fostered, anything that the first appointed superintendent does would not be possible.

John Millay has brought some great skills and educational background. His report you can find here It shows how he is moving the district forward. As Defenthaler stated, there needs to be community partners and Millay has jumped at bringing more of them into the fold.

BUDGET WORKSHOP #1 FEBRUARY 23, 2021

In 2021, the taxable value of real estate for the district will be about $26 billion. Over the next 5 years with current trends, the value will rise to almost $30 billion. In year 2007/2008, the school board had $43,886,882 in tax collections. Today the amount is $36,484,159 for capital outlays.

Close up of Various currency notes and coins from different countries

A couple of things happened to make collections less. One was the Great Recession of 2008 which crashed values. The second was when the state reduced the millage allowed for capital improvements from 2% to 1.5%.

In effect, they gave the taxpayers a reduction which they took full credit for and it came directly out of the school board budget. That is about a $175 million loss over more than a decade. This is a reason why some outlays for roofs, chillers and other capital items could not be done. Remember, you can only use capital money for capital repairs and operational income for operations.

I am not going to go through every page of the budget presentation that was shown. It is lengthy and it is attached. A couple things stand out. One is the cost to bond for capital improvements such as the two new elementary schools is cheaper than what was anticipated when the sales tax was passed. The bonds will be paid off at the end of the special sales tax period in 2025.

The second is that they are expanding programs in career and technical education. This will allow more kids to come out of high school with certification that they are ready to enter the work force. It looks like training in welding, nursing, and HVAC will be expanded.

The board wants to see data to make sure the expenditures are cost effective. As Ms. Defenthaler said, she wants to see the ROI for this work. The next budget workshop will flesh out more details.

The entire presentation can be found here

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School Board Latest News From The February 14, 2021 Edition

In the January 24^th Newsletter, I reported on a proposed pre-k training program for students to obtain jobs at Jensen Beach High. School Board Chair Marcia Powers wrote a letter to me regarding the piece:

Hello Tom –

I want to clarify your synopsis of the school board’s discussion of building two Pre-K classrooms at Jensen Beach High School.

To clarify, I do not think all Pre-K teachers should have a college degree. However, I do believe that they are woefully underpaid. Until we, as a school district and a state, value these teachers and pay them appropriately, it will be hard to attract potential employees and students to this field. Under our current VPK system, requiring teachers to have college degrees would make the program cost prohibitive to families. Currently, VPK in Florida is provided mainly by private providers with public schools accounting for only 20% of the available seats. The VPK system in Florida would not be successful without providers like Gertrude Walden Child Care Center and many others, but they also need the ability to pay their employees a wage that reflects their value to our community.

My objection to the two vacant classrooms being utilized for Pre-K, stems from the fact that MCHS and SFHS are currently over capacity. JBHS will become an open school choice high school next year to hopefully alleviate more overcrowding at the other two high schools. Because a new high school will cost approximately $100 million to build, I think it is most responsible to leave any currently vacant classrooms at JBHS for high school students.

Thank you for reporting on the school board meetings.

Best regards,
Marsha Powers, Chair
Martin County School Board

And my response:

I did not communicate your position as well as I thought.

You did so in your email beautifully.

In general, we should as a society nationally be providing for not only pre-k care but day care in general for every child. I believe through primarily the private sector using adequate tax credits and vouchers this can be accomplished. As you know I am on the board of Gertrude Walden and strongly believe that every teacher and day care worker should be qualified but not necessarily with a college degree.

With proper funding those that work in those centers could be paid more than now. We as a nation just need to decide that this is the direction we must go.

Thelma Washington who is the executive director of Gertrude Walden also wrote regarding pre-k and childcare:

Tom,

Thank you, concerning the Early Childhood Program at Jensen Beach High School.

I agree with your comments as well as Marsha Powers. At Gertrude Walden Child Care Center, the quality of instruction is high and teachers with the assistance of financial tuition from the TEACH program are able to obtain their AS degree and higher.

I would be happy to partner with Jensen Beach High School as a work experience and training sight. I presently accept interns from the Work Force Solutions program and that has worked out well. I’m sure most providers in Martin County would be happy to do the same. For your further information, Dunbar, Hobe Sound Early Learning, Apple Tree and Gertrude Walden are all accredited as well.

WE all have teachers with Associate Degrees.

Those who are early learning professionals, let us know about your thoughts, experiences, and ideas.

WORKSHOP FEBRUARY 2, 2021

This was a workshop that was very substantive yet for the lay person extremely boring.

The first thing was the Clifton Strengths Assessments. It is an hour-long assessment identifying your natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It has 4 Domains and 34 Themes. At the end of it, you are supposed to know yourself better.

In large work settings, I guess it is important to be aware of your colleagues’ work behaviors to be able to partner with them more effectively. You understand their motivation and how they think about things and process information. You can then compare their work styles against your own and have greater understanding of how to develop more collaborative and successful work relationships.

You can find the superintendent’s and school board’s assessments here

Ms. Roberts put together a book of operating guidelines for the board. It outlines policies and procedures. You can find it here

Dr. White gave a presentation on the new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking- B.E.S.T. Standards. The English Language Arts Standards will be implemented in 2021/22 year and the math in 2022/23 school year. It is strictly a Florida Dept. of Education product and it supposedly goes back to basics.

To see the presentation, go here

The Gerhing Group, the district’s health insurance consultant, presented its 6-month findings. So far this year, Florida Blue has paid 104% in claims. That means it has lost money. Not only by paying 4% more in claims than it collected but much more when you figure in the 20% in administrative costs assigned.

The large claims, those over $150,000, are 266% higher. The blended increase for the plans would be 13.8%. This is only for half the year but that doesn’t mean the board can wait six months to decide on any changes. Those will be done at the next few meetings.

You can read the entire presentation here

For more information on becoming a newsletter sponsor, please contact Chriss David at CHRISS@chrissdavidandassociates.com or 561-358-1119. She will explain how you or your business will be featured in the newsletter and on our websites.

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School Board Latest News From The January 24, 2021 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING JANUARY 19, 2021

There was not much of substance at this meeting.

Jensen Beach High is expected to have less than 90% of capacity next year. It will be a school of choice. In other words, if a student wants to go there regardless of where the student is zoned, the student will be able to do so. You can read the brief one-page memo here

Board member Roberts did an excellent breakdown of elementary school population by race and ethnic group. Martin County’s school age population is changing. It is no longer only white and Black. There is a large and growing number of students from Latin America. At Warfield, nearly 90% of students are of Latin American origin and 65% are classified as an English Language Learner. To see the population tables for every elementary school, go here

Finance Director Carter Morrison presented the CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report) for the year ending June 30, 2020. You can find it here

Finally, there is the Superintendent’s update here

I hope there is something more going on behind the scenes.

WORKSHOP MEETING JANUARY 12, 2021

After a dozen years, the Interlocal Agreement for using school board fields and gymnasiums is becoming serious.

As a taxpayer, I have been confused for years as to why school fields, gymnasiums and auditoriums are locked up for half the year. It is as if we the people that pay for these facilities to be built are somehow barbarians that need to be kept out by locked gates.

Because of our obsessive fear for safety and impregnability of school property, we keep great facilities away from the community. Schools should be looked at as community centers. Perhaps this may be the first steps for this to occur again.

Both the BOCC and school board want this to happen, but the devil is in the details. There are expenses that are associated with use. It appears what has been going on for years is that the district charges hundreds of dollars for the use of a field. This prevents many kids from enjoying activities of just hanging around in a relatively safe environment after school and on weekends.

There needs to be a place for adults and kids to gather to play a pickup game of basketball or soccer. While the two governmental giants battle to allocate the cost of using these facilities (and I mean the true cost), we should not lose site of the reason these fields were built. The board and county will discuss this at their next joint meeting.

The presentation and points of discussion can be found here

PRE-K TEACHERS

Jensen Beach High School wants to begin a certificate program for students who want to become pre-kindergarten teachers. There is a real shortage of qualified people to do this. Yet there was some pushback on the proposal.

In order to convert two classrooms for use in the pre-school certification program at Jensen Beach, it would cost roughly $650,000. You can’t learn to be a pre-school teacher without the pre-school kids which explains the conversion of the classrooms. There is a shortage of classrooms already in the high schools and no intention of building anymore.

Board Member Li Roberts asked if it were possible to have two portables instead in the rear of the building where the classroom conversion was going to be made. Her reasoning is that portables do not count toward your available classrooms and this way the young kids are not in the high school itself. There also would be a drop off and pick-up loop for the kids.

Chair Powers questioned whether a program is necessary. The pay of those that receive the certificate will be about $10 an hour which is less than many fast-food employees. As the head of the Early Learning Coalition, she believes that pre-k teachers should have at least a bachelor’s degree. My question is would credentialing mean better pay and would the quality of the instruction be better?

Obviously, the more education one has in any subject, the better your understanding of the subject matter. Will that make you a better teacher for young children? Most pre-k classrooms are not in the public schools. They vary from tony private day care to places like Gertrude Walden in East Stuart. I don’t know whether places like Walden could possibly stay open if their staff was paid comparable to a public-school teacher with a bachelor’s degree.

The people who work in a place like Gertrude Walden are mostly not college graduates. Yet the kids receive more than adequate instruction and are ready for kindergarten. We need to be careful that we do not make it more difficult for these kids and their teachers who may not qualify if educational standards are raised. Women make up nearly all the staff and are raising their own families with this job.

Should Martin County spend all that money on one more certificate program? I believe the answer is no. If the district believes there needs to be such a program, then have classroom instruction at Jensen Beach and then the certificate students can go to existing pre-k classes for hands on training. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

SOUTHFORK EXPANDS

The preliminary plans for the new athletic complex at Southfork was presented to the board. Much of the detail planning still needs to be done. Nothing was decided and again it seems that they are building something to be used for the limited time that school is in session. This would be the time to make sure it is designed to meet state mandates and be used by the public.

The presentation can be found here

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School Board Latest News From The January 10, 2021 Edition

DECEMBER 15, 2020 MEETING

Karen Resciniti was the only public speaker. Resciniti is the head of the union but she was only speaking for herself as a teacher. About a third of her 180 students are attending remotely. This was causing her difficulties in keeping everything straight. She claimed it was unsustainable.

In Martin County, remote learning was never meant to be the new way of attending class. Many teachers do not have the ability to work with individual students both in the classroom and at home. I like the idea that the lessons are streamed, and I hope it continues. It should only be for a kid that is home sick so he can follow along and not lose instruction time.

To ask teachers to continuously work with home bound students and those in the classroom at the same time can be stressful for the teacher and leave the students without everything they need. Since this set up will be with the district for the rest of the year, Dr. Millay should see whether it can be improved. If next year we are still prisoners to Covid, then those students who are at home should explore Florida Virtual or one of the other means to continue in-home education.

The board was also being asked whether to suspend a custodian without pay because she was not performing her job. Apparently, she sustained an injury while on the job at JD Parker and now is unable to bend down or lift anything. She was cleared for full duty by the doctor. There will be a termination hearing in January.

CafePress

I don’t want to get into the merits of the case. I don’t even want to discuss whether she should or should not receive pay pending the termination hearing. (The board did suspend with pay) What I do want to know is why the board has to be involved in what would be a trivial matter in the private sector.

I was told that under statute they must be involved. I can’t believe that in Palm Beach their board becomes involved in whether low or mid-level employees should be terminated or suspended. According to the district’s website, Palm Beach has 22,600 employees. If their board were as involved as Martin’s is, they would do nothing more than act as a big HR department. Perhaps there is a better and more professional way of handling these disputes.

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School Board Latest News From The December 13, 2020 Edition

MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT JOHN MILLAY

MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NEW SUPERINTENDENT

By Dr. John Millay

Greetings Martin County students, employees, families, and members of the community,

It is my honor and pleasure to officially introduce myself to the Martin County School District community. I feel very privileged, excited, and humbled for the opportunity to serve as your Superintendent of Schools. The Martin County School District’s reputation for excellence is a testament to your commitment to the well-being and academic success of children. The numerous opportunities offered to students both inside and outside of classrooms are nothing short of remarkable, and I am committed to building upon the established framework to ensure all students continue to be educated for success, achieve their highest personal potential and explore their interests in a safe, nurturing learning environment. As a father of three (Allie, Maggie, and Jake), all educated in public schools, I fully understand the dreams and aspirations that all parents have for their children to have the very best possible education that also meets their unique needs and differences.

Prior to my arrival in Martin County, I completed a very successful, 27-year career in Kentucky public education (serving the last 14 years as a high-performing school superintendent). I remain passionate about student achievement, equity and access, the professional growth and success of faculty and staff, and empowering families and the community to become full partners in the educational experience offered in our schools. In addition to its reputation for academic, instructional, and financial excellence, the level of community support and engagement are what drew me to the Martin County School District. As I participated in the interview process, I was impressed by the sense of pride employees and community members shared for the District and public education. As I have traveled throughout beautiful Martin County over the last few weeks, I have met countless students, faculty, staff and residents who have been incredibly welcoming and excited to see what lies ahead for our school system.

I look forward to continuing to meet and learn from each member of our community as we celebrate success and develop new goals for the future together. It has been said that no effective learning can occur without a relationship. I believe that relationships are central to learning, effective communication, cultivating a positive culture and developing an understanding of our common needs. As we are all members of the Martin County School District family, it is my hope that we will consistently work toward building bridges that will unite us.

In reviewing the District’s mission and vision statements, three inspirational words stood out to me as guiding principles for our work – All, Dynamic and Excellence.

“All” literally means all – it means every Martin County student will be equipped to reach their highest personal potential, including our most vulnerable populations.

“Dynamic” means bringing a positive attitude, energy, fresh ideas and an adaptable spirit to our work each day. It takes a lot of effort, a willingness to embrace change and innovative thinking to move a school district forward. I will need everyone’s help.

“Excellence” is what we will strive for, knowing that success has no finish line. I know each of our teachers, administrators and employees truly wants to be the very best they can be.

While we continue to navigate uncertain circumstances, I am confident we will conquer the challenges before us to move forward in becoming Florida’s premier school district and one of the highest-performing in the nation.

As I shared before, I am humbled and honored to have been given the opportunity to serve as your Superintendent of Schools. My door is always open – please never hesitate to submit any questions, concerns, comments, or accolades you have about our schools or school district to me. I can be reached at (772) 219-1200 ext. 30222 or millayj@martinschools.org. If you have a few minutes over the next few weeks, I would greatly appreciate hearing all of the initial ideas, input, feedback and suggestions you may have. A survey created for this purpose is available here – https://forms.gle/y4nE2K8ek6MiuTyaA

you may remain anonymous when submitting your responses if this option is the most comfortable for you.

It is an exciting time for all of us in the Martin County School District and I am genuinely looking forward to building relationships and achieving the vision and mission of our school district.

WORKSHOP DECEMBER 2, 2020

Governor DeSantis and Education Commissioner Corcoran issued a new order stating that schools will have in person classes no matter what for the rest of the year.

detroit Free Press

The remote learning piece can continue with a new caveat. If an online student is struggling, then he should resume in-person classes unless the parents refuse. In my opinion, the state is not going to allow districts to go past this year in the offering of simultaneous online classes. There are other more effective ways for kids to continue with virtual learning, such as Florida Virtual.

Dr. Tracey Miller, Chief Academic Officer, gave a report on going forward that encompassed this and much more. The statewide assessment tests will be given, and the students must come into the schools to take them. Last year when these plans were being formulated, we did not have the data we have today. I feared and wrote that schools could be a hot bead of infection. I was wrong as were so many others.

Schools have proven to be a relatively safe environment as compared to bars and restaurants. Those are now open and so should schools be. The district will be applying for funds to hire a data scientist to help formulate plans going forward. Another good idea.

The district projects to have 18,942.4 students this school year. It has 18,140.62 students or a loss of 783.78. That means there is a decrease in funding of $8,192 per student for a total of $6.42 million. The governor’s order spares us all but $170,000 loss this year. The state will not continue to subsidize the district by millions of dollars so cuts may be in the offing for next year.

Nearly ¾ of the student body is in school while the rest is still virtual. The average grade for remote students is C while for those in person it is B. That will affect our school ratings. New Superintendent Millay wants the students back in the classroom. He stated that the dual means of instruction is stressful to teachers. It is not as if teachers are not interacting with online students.

Li Roberts said that the sequential subjects such as math are harder online. That makes sense since unlike history you need to master one step before going to another. The entire presentation including a more in depth look at the statistics can be found here

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School Board Latest News From The November 22, 2020 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2020

Marsha Powers and Mike DiTerlizzi were sworn in for their new four-year terms after running unopposed in the recent election. This was also an historic moment for Martin County education. Laurie Gaylord has now finished her 2^nd term. She will be the last elected superintendent in Martin County. As of November 17th, Dr. John Millay has become the first appointed superintendent in the county. He will report directly to the board. The fundamental relationship between superintendent and board has changed.

Millay does not report to the people. He doesn’t have to stand for election. Unlike Gaylord, his bosses are now the school board members.

The board can no longer blame the superintendent if something goes wrong. There was a separation of authority that is no longer there. The buck stops with them. That does not mean the board becomes involved in day-to-day operations. If those operations go wrong, they are now accountable for it.

It was also time to pick the chair and vice chair for another year. Tony Anderson nominated and made the motion for Powers. It was seconded by DiTerlizzi and passed 5-0. Li Roberts nominated Anderson and made the motion that was seconded by Powers. It passed 5-0. Once again, congratulations to this chair and vice chair.

ACCEPT THE OUTCOME

A few weeks ago, there was a proclamation that was championed by Victoria Defenthaler regarding LGBTQ+ month in October. It was contentious and had many public speakers against it. In fact, it died for a lack of a 2^nd. As far as the board is concerned, it is history.

Then why did most of the public speakers who were against the proclamation need to denounce it again at this meeting. Neither the proclamation nor any suggestion of it being discussed was on the agenda. Sometimes, you must know when you won and accept victory. There were a few who spoke in favor of the proclamation who were mostly students.

The board’s resolution that passed regarding all students being accepted for whom they are is hard to disagree with regardless of your beliefs. I wouldn’t call it a courageous gesture by any means. Yet it hit the right note for most of Martin County’s parents and residents. The board recognizes this and none of them are anxious to do anything more.

For those who didn’t want to see the proclamation passed, you need to accept that the board agrees with you. This is a contentious issue with strong proponents on both sides of the question. It is time to let the matter rest.

If Defenthaler or any other school board member tries to resurrect this contentious issue, it will be time to once again come out and speak. Until then, let’s put down our rhetorical weapons and return to our ploughs.

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School Board Latest News From The November 8, 2020 Edition

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 20, 2002

This was Laurie Gaylord’s last meeting as superintendent.

Her report was primarily one detailing what the district has accomplished since she became superintendent in 2012. She will be the last elected superintendent in Martin County. People fought hard to finally get the electorate to vote to do away with their collective ability to choose. Will it be better or worse?

In some cases, there should be a more cohesive carrying out of policy. The superintendent answering to the board will place the five school board members firmly in charge. They now own their decisions and their implementation. If something is not being done, then they are the ones accountable.

Ms. Gaylord served the district well if not always on the same track as the board. Eight years of being on the firing line is a long time. Martin County citizens, students and district employees owe her thanks for placing herself in the hot seat. Good luck!

Martin County School District has initiated its own COVID-19 website that tracks cases in the schools. This is a very handy tool, and this should be parents first stop to know what is going on. It may cut down on the misinformation that has been easily spreading when it comes to COVID. It tells how many confirmed cases there are in the district and breaks it down by school.

It is updated daily. You can access it from the school district’s website (https://www.martinschools.org/)

RESOLUTIONS PROCLAMATIONS & DIVERSITY

How do you start a controversy in Martin County Schools? This is a textbook example…so to speak.

In an earlier meeting, Board Member Defenthaler wanted to have a proclamation supporting LGBTQ+ History Month. She thought it was important that those students should feel that they were part of the school family. Mr. Anderson and Mr. DiTerlizzi expressed some hesitancy. It looked to me like she had everyone supporting the proclamation except DiTerlizzi at the end of that last meeting.

Ms. Roberts in fact did an impressive presentation even going further than the proclamation and explaining ways of having a diversity class on LGBTQ+ history. There was not a mention of that at this meeting by her or anyone else.

In the interim, Roberts worked on an extensive resolution speaking about diversity without mentioning LGBTQ + students. The resolution mentioned in some detail the steps the district has taken in furthering anti-bullying and promoting acceptance of all. It states how the district has implemented policies to conform with Florida and federal law.

The many public speakers were not in support. Most expressed that it was not the place of the public schools to speak to non-educational matters. There were several members of the clergy who spoke against the measure.

Stuart Mayor Mike Meier spoke in favor. He is a graduate of the Martin County system. Even though he came from a loving home, he had some of the same issues expressed in the proclamation. He was bullied, skipped school, and at times contemplated suicide. He would have liked to see a sign from local leaders of support. He urged the board to set aside the fear and rhetoric.

One speaker stated that he would run a candidate against any school board member who would vote in favor of the proclamation. He had already raised $12,500 and were looking to have $100,000. He went on to say that things were fine, and nothing needs to change. Our kids love everyone.

Martin County is conservative both politically and socially. It tells you that it is open and friendly. And to some extent it is…except when it is not.

From the last meeting, there was no mention of a resolution in support of diversity. It was strategically placed on the agenda to come before Defenthaler’s proclamation. The bulk of the discussion from the Board centered on the much less controversial resolution.

Early on, Defenthaler suggested about diversity training for the board. It was not addressed further.

DiTerlizzi wanted to know cost associated with moving forward. He said the resolution follows current law and there is already an anti-bullying policy in place. It does not single out any one group. He went on to say that sex education and other things should not be shoved down anyone’s throat.

Anderson said this has nothing to do with his personal views. It is about the public, his constituents. He addressed the person that threatened to spend money against any board member that voted in favor of the proclamation. Anderson expressed his outrage and that it was an insult that he or any of his colleagues would bow to pressure.

He is right there. And I am glad Tony Anderson said that. Besides the two board members that were up for re-election this year faced no challengers. I can’t think of a less potent threat.

Powers likes the resolution and the way it expresses things. She believes the proclamation is too narrowly focused. The resolution is inclusive of all. She will support the resolution. If it helps one student, it would have been good.

DiTerlizzi wants to see data specific to the district regarding the proclamation.

A motion was made by Anderson to issue the resolution. It was seconded by Roberts. It passed 4-1 with DiTerlizzi voting no.

It was then Defenthaler’s turn to speak to her proclamation about LGBTQ+ History Month. She had been taken by surprise regarding not only the resolution but that it had been used as an alternative to her proclamation. She now knew that she had been led down a path. The support she thought she had from other board members evaporated once oppositional emails began flooding in.

She then made a motion to issue the proclamation. It failed for a lack of a second. The silence was deafening.

This shows the limits of what can be done when it comes to more than the “3Rs” in not just Martin County but in most public-school settings. We live in a political world and the schools are not immured from its effects. We are not California or New York and attempting to be too open about differing views on sexuality are not going to fly here. And without support of the community, it never will.

SCHOOL BOARD WORKSHOP & SPEC MEETING NOV 3, 2020

There is something to be said for those who are elected being in charge. This meeting was a good example of when that occurs.

The education of the students was not to be discussed. Nor were the proposed new school buildings. There was some concern about car lines and parking. The real concern was the positioning of the two community playgrounds.

School Board Member DiTerlizzi appears to have reached out to his old colleagues on the BOCC to come to a solution on new school settings for Palm City and Jensen Beach. Commissioner Ciampi is generally able to finesse differences and come to resolutions. He did so here by making sure he had rounded up the PTA and other concerned citizens to speak out for Palm City.

Commissioner Smith was there on behalf of Jensen Beach and had rallied that school’s PTA. He spoke not only on the playground issue but a brief history of the hydrology of the site. At the BOCC last meeting, Smith talked about engaging the Treasure Coast Planning Council to do a charrette whether the district wanted to participate or not. Today he was looking for resolution and not to prolong the building of the schools.

The staff responsible for the project has done a remarkable job in ignoring and alienating the schools’ surrounding communities and the PTAs. Why wouldn’t you want to involve and get approval from the people? Maybe it is because staff does not run for office. They do not ask the people to hire them as do both school board and county commissioners.

I doubt if the staff would have done anything if it weren’t for those that are elected. How do you alienate the public? By doing just what staff did! These parents and the broader community are stakeholders. They are not being unreasonable in their concerns with playgrounds that they built and have contributed money to their maintenance. Those PTAs have agreements with the School Board regarding those existing playgrounds.

Once discussion was held, the workshop was adjourned, and a special meeting began.

DiTerlizzi moved that Plan B be approved in Jensen Beach with the paving of the rock roadway in the rear using as much stabilized turf as possible. It was seconded by Roberts. The motion passed 5-0

For Palm City, DiTerlizzi moved that Plan A be approved. It was seconded by Anderson. The motion passed 5-0.

In both passed plans, the playgrounds stay where they are. Was that the best design? Probably not in all ways except politically. Perhaps with better outreach, a better outcome could have been realized. John Millay, the incoming superintendent, has just seen another challenge. Education is not the only thing to be concerned with in Martin County.

School Board Latest News From The October 18, 2020 Edition

WORKSHOP OCTOBER 6, 2020

The Board had a very brief presentation on redistricting.

Interestingly, it seems that enrollment is continuing to fall. There has been a decline of 1000 students attending county schools. There is no way of knowing how many of these students will be returning to class once the pandemic ends. But there has been declining enrollment for several years now…just not to this extent.

Perhaps as approved developments are built, enrollment will begin to increase. Several projects have recently been approved in Stuart which would probably add the most students. As of today, only one of those projects has come out of the ground. I would suspect that maybe half of these will be built. That is the nature of development.

A redistricting committee will begin work in February 2021 and perhaps by the start of the 2022 year, children will be going to different schools. However, it was decided to make Jensen Beach High School open for all since it has the most capacity of any of the high schools.

In the next few years, I would imagine that another charter school will open, and perhaps other choices will be made available for parents and their children. The District seems to be stuck in a mid-20^th century model which increasingly may not be what their customers want. It is even more puzzling that the District is building needed replacements for two elementary schools (Jensen Beach and Palm City) using the very models that are proving obsolete.

The presentation which was given to the Board in handouts was not part of the agenda packet. I could not see anything being projected on the screen from my home computer, and the two Board Members that were participating remotely didn’t have the information. I hope the new Superintendent and the Board stop this all-too-often practice of not having agenda backup included.

You can see the presentation here

NEW SCHOOLS

As I wrote above, both Palm City and Jensen Beach are being built to accommodate students and teachers for several hours a day when school is in session. Evenings, weekends, and summers these building, costing $64 million, will sit unused by those same students, teachers, and every resident of the County. What a waste!

Both those schools have community playgrounds that are open to the public and were built by volunteers raising funds to do so. In the redesign, the playgrounds will have to be moved and will be recreated. The Board has promised that the new playgrounds will be better.

The design of these schools needs to be reconsidered. The fields and other interior areas, such as gyms and libraries, should be made available to the public when classes are not in session.

These are public buildings paid for with taxpayer dollars that sit idle for more than half the year. I understand the need to provide a safe environment when schools are in session. Yet, by innovative design those indoor and outdoor facilities can be made so that using them when school is not in session is possible.

If we continue to build facilities that are costing taxpayers millions for a shrinking pool of students without the needed innovation, we are doing a disservice. We can’t afford to build such specialized places with the idea that they belong to a District and not all County residents. This myopic vision of what a school should be is becoming less and less relevant especially with declining enrollment.

Every government wants to preserve its fiefdom. What they need to realize is that they all have the same customers. Does that mean the expense of maintaining some of those amenities should fall to the District alone? The answer is no! All governments need to share the cost. Yet I have seen inordinate expenses charged to use current facilities by other governments and groups. That can’t be either.

I charge the School Board and the County, along with appropriate municipalities, to begin thinking not in terms of “mine” but to think in terms of “ours.”

To see what new these facilities are currently planned to be go here

THE DIFFICULTY WITH DIVERSITY

Board Member Defenthaler had proposed a proclamation celebrating LGBTQ+ month in October. This had been done in June by the City of Stuart. Like so many things when it comes to education, it is beginning to take on political overtones.

I don’t want to surprise anyone but there are Martin County students that are not heterosexuals. Those students that identify as different are more likely to be bullied and sadly feel that suicide is a viable alternative.

We have spent years trying to stop the scourge of racism. I think we may be closer with this generation of students than ever before. To hate someone just because they are of a different color or ethnic group means you had to be carefully taught as the Rogers & Hammerstein song goes. Now it is time to extend inclusivity for all students including LGBTQ+.

The question is how do we accomplish this? What is a proclamation supposed to do? A proclamation is simply a way to acknowledge that these students are valuable members of their schools and society. It is a measure of the worth of those children.

Apparently, some on the Board think that it should go further. Ms. Roberts put together a thorough presentation on the teaching of LGBT history. There are now several states that mandate such classes. What is Martin County trying to accomplish?

How much is a person’s sexuality key to their accomplishments as human beings. Pete Buttigieg ran for president this year. He was a mayor, naval officer, linguist, business consultant, scholar, deeply religious person and quite possibly could become a member of a Democrat administration. He also happens to be married to another man.

His accomplishments are not because of or despite his sexuality. Yet those accomplishments can be seen by a gay kid as an inspiration as he becomes an adult.

Should all students be required to take such a course? Should it be offered as an elective? This is something that requires more study, and I would suggest that the administration reach out to their LGBTQ+ students and find out what they believe their needs are.

I do think the Board, staff and all students would be served by diversity training. Most of us have biases. We may not think we do, but it is there. You hear it when people speak and sometimes you are the person speaking. Diversity training is different from sex education in any form. To confuse them shows why diversity training is needed.

A proclamation is a good first step. The other suggestions need further input and study. The Board needs to show all students and, in a broader sense, the entire community that race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation does not matter. Validation is important.

Ms. Robert’s and the staff reports can be found here

School Board Latest News From The October 4, 2020 Edition

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

The big day had arrived. The Board was picking Martin County’s first appointed superintendent.

In the preceding months, the Board had put into place with the guidance of the Florida School Board Association (FSBA) parameters for choosing that person. There were 45 applicants that were narrowed down to the final 4.

During the meeting, each Board Member explained his/her rationale for their choices. Board Member DiTerlizzi stated that Martin County had fallen in the rankings in his opinion. He thought there needed to be an agent of change hired. Two candidates stood out to him… John Millay and Peter Licata.

Tony Anderson felt that there was a tremendous weight on his shoulders. He mentioned that Licata said the plan should be to front load education in the early years to save the system on the back end. Licata cared about the wide-angle approach that even in “A” schools, there were students who were underperforming and should not be left out. Anderson loved Millay’s energy and enthusiasm and then mentioned his young age (a serious no no). He also had Millay and Licata as his 2 top picks.

Victoria Defenthaler was looking for a transformational leader. She also narrowed it down to Licata and Millay. Licata is a regional superintendent in Palm Beach County with 59 schools and 65,000 students. Millay retired as superintendent from a district in Kentucky with far fewer students and schools than Martin County has. Defenthaler said that Licata was a data person. He had started middle school academies and was a managerial leader. Millay, she believed, understood all departments. He had a fresh perspective and was forward-thinking and inclusive.

Li Roberts was looking at the academic and financial side. Millay had a plan and had done his research.

It was clear that three board members favored Millay (DiTerlizzi, Defenthaler and Roberts), and two preferred Licata (Anderson and Powers). Roberts asked if it made sense to throw it open again. None of the others wanted to go there.

Defenthaler made a motion to begin the process of negotiating a contract with Millay. It was seconded by DiTerlizzi. It passed 3-2 with Powers and Anderson dissenting.

I wished that both Powers and Anderson had voted in the affirmative when they saw no minds were going to change. It sends a clearer picture. Many candidates would never take a job where the Board is so split. Though I was more partial to Licata because of his Florida experience and the size of his subdistrict, I would have voted in the affirmative to give the decision unity.

One of the things that Millay did was assemble an “Entry Plan.” It was cited by several Board Members as a reason that they voted for him. I am enclosing it here

Good luck, Dr. Millay!

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 1, 2020

The School Board met to finalize Dr. John Millay’s contract to be the first appointed Superintendent in Martin County history.

The contract provides for a yearly salary of $170,000 plus other benefits. The term is from November 17, 2020 to June 30, 2024. As of July 1, 2021, and every fiscal year thereafter if Millay receives a satisfactory evaluation, then his base pay will increase by the same percentage as other administrators in the district. He will receive an additional 7.5% of compensation to be paid into a deferred compensation annuity along with being in the Florida Retirement System.

Millay can receive $2000 additional by maintaining his certifications. There is a $10,000 moving and temporary living allowance. He must live within the County. There are other provisions for reimbursement laid out in the contract which can be accessed here

Is this more than what the elected superintendent was receiving? The answer is yes. In Gaylord’s case the state sets the salary as an elected official. Dr. Millay is a contract employee, so it is negotiated. Will the students, taxpayers, and business owners get increased value? That is yet to be seen.

Dr. Millay begins on a per diem basis based on his contracted salary on October 26^th. That should give him time to work with Gaylord and the rest of the administration to understand the District. One thing is for sure is that the Board now has total responsibility for what happens. The ultimate outcome will be in their hands.

School Board Latest News From The September 20, 2020 Edition

BUDGET MEETING SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

This was the final millage and budget meeting for the 20/21 year.

Tallahassee sets a required millage rate. That rate has been steadily reduced for the past decade. For 20/21, it has been reduced from 3.9 mils to 3.6990. The local rates will remain the same at 2.748 or a decrease in the overall rate by .2010 or 3.2%. Though the rate has gone down, do not expect the amount you pay to be less. Property values have increased so any savings will be absorbed by the that increase.

Overall, the budget has increased by about $18,235,986 for a total amount of $404,224,540. While the 2019/20 General Operating Budget was $221,229,425, budget amendments throughout the year brought the total to $235,833,901 which is a bit more than this year’s same budget. Given the uncertainties of COVID-19, the budget overall is about as good as could be expected.

The presentation can be found here

The entire detailed budget can be found here

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

During School Board Attorney Tony George’s report, he read into the record an email and a letter.

The first was an email from Tyson Waters who represents the Board negotiating an impact fee and concurrency agreement with Pineland Prairie. In May, a series of bullet points were sent to the District addressing concerns of Waters. Staff will be scheduling a meeting to go over the items. This has not come up at the Board since May.

Pineland Prairie has decided to resubmit its Master Site Plan Application to the County in the next few weeks. They plan on submitting a final site plan next year. I guess no rush there.

The Arts Foundation has submitted its proposal to Tallahassee for a $50,000 grant for design and planning of the old high school building. They were ranked 16 out of 58. If the stars, the moon, and the sun line up, maybe something will happen.

Jennifer DeShazo, the information officer, gave a presentation on attendance at the District. There are 16,628 students in K-12. 1049 students have left the District and 15,449 have enrolled. There are 10,756 students attending in person (65%) and 5872 doing do remotely (35%).

There is an opportunity for parents to request changes in status going forward. 209 students will go from remote to in person and 45 will go from in person to remote. Attendance for those registered is 95.2% for in person and 92.7% remotely.

Since schools opened, 537 students have transitioned to quarantine/remote learning. Here is the breakdown: 113 elementary school students, 80 middle school students, and 344 high school students. 40 employees have transitioned to essential employee quarantine in the same period.

Ms. Roberts stated that parents looking for answers should call the District. She was surprised that parents would resort to Facebook groups to find out what is happening at the District. Sometimes it may be hard to get an answer, but parents can always write one of the School Board members or all of them with a question if need be. Get the right information.

The presentation can be found: HERE

School Board Latest News From The September 6, 2020 Edition

WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

The meeting focused on whether to fill vacant positions or not. When it came to most of those on the Organizational Chart, the Board was reluctant to do so. With a new Superintendent being hired, they wanted to hold off as much as possible.

Two things they did do were approve a third payroll specialist position and a Health Services Manager. I was surprised that with the Transportation management team now driving buses because of a shortage of drivers, the Board did not bother to first make sure that an all-out effort be made to find drivers. Secondly, considering that the two-senior people in that department are in the Drop Program, they would not hire a Transportation Manager as requested.

The Drop Program is a commitment a person makes to retire within a defined amount of time. Within the next couple of years, this Department will be without a senior team. It is not good succession planning for sure.

SUPERINTENDENT SELECTION MEETING SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

The Board began by discussing its top candidates and the reasons. Thomas Phelps, currently employed by Osceola County, received 5 votes. Peter Licata, from the Palm Beach County District, received 3 votes. John Millay, the former superintendent from Meade County Kentucky, received 2 votes. Michael Dunsmore, currently teaching at East Carolina University in North Carolina, and Lori Romano, formerly from Martin County now in Pasco County, received 1 vote each.

The Board continued to discuss which candidates to interview for over an hour. Would it only be the top vote getters, or would others be included? It was finally decided that the five would be invited. A question was raised as to whether the candidates with the fewest votes would choose to come to Martin County since they were not high up on the School Board Member’s list. I guess we will see.

The Board also went over the proposed contract language. The new organizational structure will have the Superintendent reporting to the Board. Currently, the elected Superintendent functions as a co-equal. I originally thought that the new person would not be in the District prior to December, but it looks like the hiring procedure will be wrapped up by the time Ms. Gaylord’s term ends in November.

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