However, teachers can only use the course material that has been approved. 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. Even now the local district has truly little authority in any public charter school. However, there is more to it than just that. No one is ever happy! You can find it here. If another charter school were opened, you would probably see another 500 kids leave. Sophie will be on NBCs Lester Holts broadcast. 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. A citizens 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. I know each of our teachers, administrators and employees truly wants to be the very best they can be. They will be voting on the options at the November 16th meeting. A new charter school, TechnoArts Academy, is opening somewhere in the Port Salerno area in 2023 or 2024. Most of the discussion was consumed with Covid cancellation clauses. As the head of the Early Learning Coalition, she believes that pre-k teachers should have at least a bachelors degree. The bulk of the discussion from the Board centered on the much less controversial resolution. You can find the schools that and their census here. Mr. Andersons 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. Board of Education meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. in open session unless otherwise advertised on the agenda. That is what happened here. Board Members. There were 45 applicants that were narrowed down to the final 4. There was even discussion about opening Jensen Beach High School to St Lucie County students to fill the seats. I think Millay was a good hire. The requirement that there be an annual reporting is also still there. The board can no longer blame the superintendent if something goes wrong. There would be no land costs. The Board was picking Martin Countys first appointed superintendent. This meeting was a good example of when that occurs. 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. Commissioner Smith was there on behalf of Jensen Beach and had rallied that schools PTA. The District seems to be stuck in a mid-20thcentury model which increasingly may not be what their customers want. 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. If this were a sane time, she would not be alone in that reasonableness. The Martin County student population in 2022 is less than 52% white. The curriculum would meet some broad state standards that were outlined in the facilitys license. Yet it hit the right note for most of Martin Countys parents and residents. The current cent expires in June. They are not being unreasonable in their concerns with playgrounds that they built and have contributed money to their maintenance. Raising the pay for paraprofessionals to $15 per hour. A couple of speakers continued to harp about not requiring masks. I am not going to go through every page of the budget presentation that was shown. 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 gohere. Jensen Beach High also has availability. At the same time, the district is now saying the gap in pay between counties is down to $6 million. 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. The state will not continue to subsidize the district by millions of dollars so cuts may be in the offing for next year. It would be interesting to know whether those families moved out of district. There are other more effective ways for kids to continue with virtual learning, such as Florida Virtual. 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. There are the meal programs, administration, and a variety of other things that are not part of any money that goes into the classroom. How much will it cost to have drivers at the ready. Now Roberts is chair again. The call for defunding the police was also a reaction to what was happening. "That's where you can actually impact the budget the next year's implementation plan," she said. As a mother of two, I care passionately about having excellent schools here in Martin County. "That is what I am about, and I want to make sure that I honor the people that voted for me. 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. Main Switchboard: 772-288-5400 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. There are some parents in favor of keeping the current education model. Just like a fire drill the kids need to leave fast and in an orderly way. It is too bad that more people did not take Andersons civic lessons to heart. My name is Jennifer Russell and I am running for Martin County School Board. Yet the county and Stuart do everything possible to prevent new housing from being built. 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. Vice-Chair. They came to be part of the struggle. 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. Affordable housing has not been forgotten by the board. The new CTE (Career & Technical Education) programs for aviation and marine industries were discussed. Mr. Hardin renovated the old Rice Hotel on Federal Highway which had gone through several renovations previously, the last being the old Rookies restaurant. If I were a parent, I would be more worried about the dumbing down of the curriculum than some supposed attempt to brainwash kids. Victoria Defenthaler has served one term on the school board. I just imagine what could we accomplish by putting that $10 to $20 million to a better use. I promise Martin County tax dollars will be used efficiently, and to the extent controllable, promise to keep our tax dollars in Martin County. However, given a drop in enrollment, does the district even need two new schools? How about this as a discussion item. The board adopted the countys district lines for their own election districts. 2016 Minutes. He had been receiving calls and emails regarding masks. Martin County voters decided in 2018 to allow the school board to pick the new superintendent. I dont even want to discuss whether she should or should not receive pay pending the termination hearing. There is an insurance committee that meets year-round that studies this issue and to discuss claims experience. Anderson has devoted himself to education. They are going to follow Tallahassees lead. As far as the board is concerned, it is history. In that memo, Martin County was estimated to receive $12 million (pg 16) from ESSER II. Martin County West School District has 7 school board members who serve a four-year term. 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. One speaker said the principal had changed Mr. It appears what we have are two members willing to step up and be responsible. Thelma Washington who is the executive director of Gertrude Walden also wrote regarding pre-k and childcare: Thank you, concerning the Early Childhood Program at Jensen Beach High School. Board of Education. Close up of Various currency notes and coins from different countries. You can watch a video of Sophie telling her story here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYt-3i7qp2A. This could be the pre-cursor of what will happen to counties and cities. This prevents many kids from enjoying activities of just hanging around in a relatively safe environment after school and on weekends. Those who are early learning professionals, let us know about your thoughts, experiences, and ideas. I also believe that the move toward kids attending non-traditional public schools will only grow. The interesting part of the meeting had to do with enrollment. No form of local government is micromanaged as much as school districts. I even asked several times if those documents were posted and if so just send me a link. As of today, only one of those projects has come out of the ground. Winchester, VA 22603 . If anything, he may be too cautious in his approach. Does this mean that any individual teacher cannot try and inject an opinion into the course work? 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 was not a mention of that at this meeting by her or anyone else. This is a contentious issue with strong proponents on both sides of the question. It is attached here. This was sent from the Martin County School District Thursday Evening. 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 Members list. With the upcoming school year, there will be a full return to traditional in-person learning. Perhaps they are unable to get the buy-in needed from the district staff. At this time, they have not done so. On first look, it appears that the district is not being harmed (at least financially). Elizabeth Bernstein, an economist andMartin County native, faces Jennifer Russell, a former Christian school administrator from Virginia, for the District 3 seat. 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. Dr. White gave a presentation on the new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking- B.E.S.T. With the placing of new security officers, are our children going to be any safer? The internal auditor position has been vacant for a couple of years now. Defenthaler and Anderson are more in line with the existing model. Martin County citizens, students and district employees owe her thanks for placing herself in the hot seat. It outlines policies and procedures. 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. 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. Those are now open and so should schools be. In a 4-2 decision, board members made the vote based on the rising cases in the county. Afterwards Li Roberts cited the state statute pertaining to the pledge. Theories are fine, but how much do you want to disrupt families to follow theories? She also receiveda $1,000 donationfrom Bongino, as well as $1,000 fromconservative commentator and podcaster Dennis Michael Lynch. The newsletter thinks you forget that you are a public figure and that you chose to be elected. The first is school redistricting. Now it seems they may be looking to ramp that up again. Contract negotiations will now begin with Millay, which will go before the board for final approval. The board recognizes this and none of them are anxious to do anything more. I didn't have the fanfare of some of the other candidates, she said. Anthony Anderson, who voted against Dr. Millay, was defeated by Amy Pritchett in the last election. If I were rating Millay, I would give him a solid B. The voters of Florida need to pass a constitutional amendment to stop this grab for power. Now lets see what the follow through is. It is not good succession planning for sure. That is the entire point of choice in education. The letter from the district explaining itself to the governor is reproduced below. 30222 ormillayj@martinschools.org. 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. During his presentation, Dr. Millay made comments regarding how close the district is to obtaining an A rating. You know the kindbright and opinionated; tenacious and relentless. You can find all the information including how teachers pay stacks up with St Lucie County here. The district is the one that will pay the medical bills of those in the plan. The school board was under a legal constraint and could not discuss the incident. It is expiring at the end of the current tax year on June 30th. Campaigns for public office benefit the most when members of the community join together to support those who share their values. WE all have teachers with Associate Degrees. The newsletter asked each candidate to provide a statement on why they wanted to be elected or re-elected. 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. Several projects have recently been approved in Stuart which would probably add the most students. The entire budget next year is nearly $487 million. Government is slow. He had been a coach and security guard at Martin County High School since 2013 when he was 17. Just one of those bureaucratic things. One thing is for sureshe cant adequately represent her members and at the same time report to Mr. Villwock who she is sitting across from in negotiations and union matters. Good luck! At the last workshop, Superintendent Millay presented a new district organizational chart. Like most other parts of government, schools need to be evaluated with a fresh eye. 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. To attract and retain excellent teachers, salaries must be competitive. The number of white and Black students at JD Parker has dramatically reduced while Hispanic students have increased from 36% to 46.6%. 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. That means they will have to raise that money before they open their doors. I dont want to get into the merits of the case. That does not work anymore. It is time to let the matter rest. Millay is probably serene in his decision. Presentation slide after slide demonstrated how the independence of local school districts is slipping away. Property values have increased so any savings will be absorbed by the that increase. I presently accept interns from the Work Force Solutions program and that has worked out well. While Item 4.02, which was approved on consent, calls for her to work under the supervision of a deputy superintendent. And from everything I heard it was a success. As the district introduces better accounting concepts, these huge discrepancies should go away. The sole purpose of the meeting was to go over the boards first evaluations of Dr. Millay. One thing is certainthere is money coming in from the additional millage that was approved four years ago. 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. It is out and out racism but also something more. Pritchett's platform mirrors national conservative talking points, including opposition to COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates, critical race theory and gender- and sex-based materialsin classrooms. Given the uncertainties of COVID-19, the budget overall is about as good as could be expected. In general, we should as a society nationally be providing for not only pre-k care but day care in general for every child. Unfortunately for her, the timing was far from right. Director of K-8 and Title I. On July 5th I made a public records request for the information. There were several members of the clergy who spoke against the measure. Dr. Millay introduced some tweaks to his organization chart. 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. The statement had to do with a package of Memorandums of Understanding that was Covid related. Parents want a say and, in our district, they do not want to have their children being indoctrinated. If all the slots are not filled, children from other districts will be chosen. Parents should consult and weigh any advice they recommend. And I still dont quite understand what a weighted GPA is or how it is calculated. If you are going to teach a health curriculum as dictated, then the money must come from somewhere. 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. 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. If Anderson had his way, a handshake (or today a fist bump) would be good enough. The way you achieve housing for all income groups is to free up older stock. 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. If they do, then it will encompass driving from the one venue to another. It was seconded by DiTerlizzi. Before one can know whether to support this tax, one should look at how the money was spent previously. I have at times disagreed with him on school matters. Powers believes what Defenthaler wrote about representing the children which would include the parents. The board ratified an agreement between AFSCME and the district retroactive to July 1, 2021, to bring minimum pay to $15 per hour. Member Roberts asked that he be placed on the short list as the 6th candidate. They will all safely keep their salaries and benefits since the governor will not be threatening this group. The Drop Program is a commitment a person makes to retire within a defined amount of time. The School Board has the least of that going on. Annapolis will hone his good attributes and curb the less admired ones. What is a proclamation supposed to do? While Dr. Millay is rethinking non-school staff, there needs to be the same re-evaluation for schools. Is that not best for all when there is not an overcrowded situation. That makes sense since unlike history you need to master one step before going to another. He stated that the dual means of instruction is stressful to teachers. The initiative probably resulted in many teachers staying in the district rather than go north or south. The BOCC thinks deputies and fire fighters should get every raise and benefit they want. 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 began attending Martin County Board of County Commissioner meetings, as well as Martin County School Board meetings. As to increased auto traffic because desperate drivers will zoom in to have a drink, I really cannot see much of a problem either. Every parent will pick the school the child attends. The state is making more and more conditions where parents can become involved in their childrens education. The board agreed with the policies and so the end of COVID restrictions for the schools are in sight. Will it be better or worse? He once again attacked me for being inaccurate and deliberately lying about things he has said during his comments. You can see ithere. You can then compare their work styles against your own and have greater understanding of how to develop more collaborative and successful work relationships. The debate and decision will center on whether the board did indeed use the funds for the purposes intended. 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. Since both are county-wide and based on population, it makes sense. Due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, students enrolled in theMartin County School Districthave missed four (4) days of instruction this school year. They are not. School employees everywhere have been complaining about their pay since the one-room schoolhouse days. That would require more busses than what would be available at any one school. Pritchetts race was endorsed by Moms for Liberty, a conservative parental-rights martin county school board elections, Url: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/2022/08/23/amy-pritchett-jennifer-russell-elected-martin-county-school-board/10280723002/ Go Now, Get more: Martin county school board electionsView Schools, Schools Details: WebThere are two qualified candidates for the Martin County School Board District 3 Seat Primary Race. His comments can be found starting at 1:20 of the school board recording of the meeting here, The next meeting will be December 7, 2021. There has been a decline of 1000 students attending county schools. Every Student is Healthy, Safe, and Responsible. The board discussed open enrollment for the following schools: Each of those schools were recommended by staff because they are at 75% or less of their capacity. His father bringing him to school board meetings where both sides spoke. Employees cannot telework. The old high school building which is celebrating its centennial in 2023 will be having its 202-year birthday. Ms. Roberts and Ms. Defenthaler both understood what was being said and were sympathetic to the point of view of the committee. And I applaud his efforts on this. However, not every rate is controlled by the local board. These six kids are not exposed to diversity living in most of Palm City. At this meeting, the new school board members took the oath of office. Yet there was some pushback on the proposal. A strong, well-rounded public-school system translates to a thriving local community and economy, something all of us should support. It was clear that three board members favored Millay (DiTerlizzi, Defenthaler and Roberts), and two preferred Licata (Anderson and Powers). Two things ought to be considered. The 5-year recommendation would address any new development that could impact school capacity. Parents dont want to see their kids scores go down. You can read the brief one-page memohere, Board member Roberts did an excellent breakdown of elementary school population by race and ethnic group. This was referred to several times by this years Florida legislature when legislators were dismayed to find large pots of money unclaimed by districts.