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. That should not take away from her years of dedication to the county as an employee and elected official. 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. Are our dollars being spent to improve scores and strengthen the curriculum? There seems to be something in the plan for everyone. I would think that Mr. DiTerlizzi should take that spotalthough he has attended many meetings by telephone since Covid. As of November 17th, Dr. John Millay has become the first appointed superintendent in the county. The half mill real estate tax has a different purpose. As a retired teacher and principal of the Martin County district she was in line with the professional educators viewpoints. Note: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. Yet it hit the right note for most of Martin Countys parents and residents. 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. It was finally decided that the five would be invited. Anderson, a retired teacher, would often spout that he was on the teachers side. Each program has specific assurances that must be met, categories that expenses must fall into, and a calendar for when the expense was incurred. They vary from tony private day care to places like Gertrude Walden in East Stuart. The district had an old form still on its website that does not conform with a parental rights law passed in 2021. The amount spent does not consider all that is budgeted for the district. 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. The support she thought she had from other board members evaporated once oppositional emails began flooding in. 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. Just as importantly, I have a passion for educating kids and an unwavering commitment to service. All rights reserved. It passed 5-0. He had started middle school academies and was a managerial leader. Academic Excellence Student Empowerment Parent Collaboration Stakeholder Engagement The other thing to note was Treasure Coast Classical added 149 students. There are more psychologists and other mental health professionals slated as well as stipends for teachers who coach and mentor student clubs. She also receiveda $1,000 donationfrom Bongino, as well as $1,000 fromconservative commentator and podcaster Dennis Michael Lynch. Some of this money was gathered back for reallocation effectively punching holes in crafted plans. The entire redistricting package will be presented at the next meeting. 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. Ms. Defenthaler gave high marks to Millay but had criticism for some of her other board members. Martin County West School District has 7 school board members who serve a four-year term. Quite frankly it is the usual dribble that now passes for lessons in our public schools. Most of what I learned in school was rote memorization in the lower grades. The vote to recommend Florida Blue was 14-0 by the insurance committee. The state is not providing fundsonly orders. The entire presentation including a more in depth look at the statistics can be foundhere. 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. Another one is a lack of local control by the board. 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 agenda items need to be on the website prior to the meetings for the public to view. There were 5 calls from parents and 4 emails. You can view the maps, options, and agenda item here. There are other provisions for reimbursement laid out in the contract which can be accessedhere. It is composed of many different funding sources. The first is school redistricting. Tyson Waters, the boards attorney, gave members an update on the county CRAs wanting to allow bars within 50 feet of schools. What many do not understand is there is an approved COVID plan in place for the remainder of this school year. This is real competition for the district and the only school board member that sees it clearly is Christia LI Roberts. Dr. Millay is pushing Sniffen and Spellman to be the firm. There was very little of substance discussed at the meeting. Board Member Roberts has agreed to do just that. All rights reserved. He will be attending the naval academy in the fall, so he does not need any tuition. Russellreceived a $125 donationfrom Amy Pritchett, District 4 candidate and the local Moms for Liberty chapter's co-chair, and a $1,000 donation from conservative radio host Dan Bongino, a Palm City resident. Once discussion was held, the workshop was adjourned, and a special meeting began. We are known as a donor county. I am not a staff or board member, so I do not know what it is like to work with him. He had been receiving calls and emails regarding masks. I will need everyones help. A few days before the board met to evaluate Dr. Millayperhaps they should have waited until after this meeting to turn in their evaluations. 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. However, given a drop in enrollment, does the district even need two new schools? 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 Floridas K-12 public schools to national prominence, focused sessions involved opportunities and challenges within educational systems, best practices and innovations. The contract provides for a yearly salary of $170,000 plus other benefits. The ultimate outcome will be in their hands. 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? Comments are limited to three minutes and board members will listen but not address the comments shared during the meeting. Powers, however, gave an honest assessment with constructive notes. The board has some sort of plan that will be discussed at their September workshop. 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. It seems to me we have spent an inordinate amount of funds to secure schools. 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. This myopic vision of what a school should be is becoming less and less relevant especially with declining enrollment. The school boundary advisory committee will present its findings at the November 2nd workshop. Mike DiTerlizzi was the boards designate to the committee. They also voted to keep the recommendations of the committee for school re-districting. I could draft the story and highlight the four I do have but that would not be the entire story. I have not been in favor of this plan and have constantly written about why. Perhaps many of his plans and their implementation were set back by COVID. This seems like a puritanical throwback. With a shortage of drivers why have added expense and again student disruption to have a supposed benefit in feeder patterns? Option B provides $9.7 million for teachers and $2.3 million for non-teaching staff. Pritchett and Russell will both serve four-year terms, which begin Nov. 22, and each are paid $37,802annually. 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. Copyright 2023 Martin County School District. Karen Resciniti was the only public speaker. Martin County schools do not need this type of publicity. Students enrolled in the district must attend classes in person. Parents should have choices about where and, to some extent, how their children are educated. How do you attract people to work in a field that more and more prospective employees are reluctant to do? Jan Wagner. It is not good succession planning for sure. He wanted to remind everyone that white folk were key and instrumental in ending segregation. What is a board member to do? Of course, all is predicated on whether Martin County becomes inundated with kids. In this session, we have already seen more and more bills in the legislature that infringe on the home rule concept. The question is how do we accomplish this? 30510 Email: RobertsCL@martinschools.org Term Expires: November 2026 2022-2023 Committee Assignments: Budget Committee We need to give him the authority and flexibility to serve as such.. You can go to any school board meeting and witness this for yourself. As the district introduces better accounting concepts, these huge discrepancies should go away. Roberts was a good chair, and, in my opinion, she was the reason the sales tax referendum passed. The presentations that were part of the agenda package is here. Keep politics out of the public schools and concentrate on the core subjects. Use the search field above to filter by staff name. Ms. Linda Martin. 2015 Minutes. 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. And not much will be done. To see the budget presentation and handouts please gohere. We dont need to reinvent the wheel. Martin County Schools. Millay has assigned her to work under Villwock, the senior administrator for collective bargaining. We are all part of the free market system. Since health care is not a negotiated item, it is up to the board to decide how much of each employees premium to pay. Dr. John Millay, Martin Countys first appointed superintendent, surprised the board, staff, and citizens by resigning effective June 30th. The only one that was a bit contentious was who should set dress code policies. 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. To conserve funds, that policy makes sense. 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. But this is Florida in the time of unreasonableness, and it is quite apparent how limited the power of local government really is. If a Board member shall cease to be a resident of the county or the district which he/she represents, the position on the School Board shall be deemed vacant. If you have any questions or wish to call in your request please call the Central Office 507-764-2330. The board has taken the position that it is all or nothing. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you may access. These children committed a heinous act. They are seldom very indicative of the employees true record. Published: Feb. 27, 2023 at 8:50 PM PST | Updated: 9 hours ago. We need more of this not less. Unfortunately, I didnt have all the employee evaluations from the district until now. Though the rate has gone down, do not expect the amount you pay to be less. They are going to follow Tallahassees lead. I wouldnt call it a courageous gesture by any means. She also narrowed it down to Licata and Millay. 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. I wished that both Powers and Anderson had voted in the affirmative when they saw no minds were going to change. A simmering anger came out into the open. A closed session, if needed, generally occurs at the end of the open session. The Board continued to discuss which candidates to interview for over an hour. It seems it is much more probable that a kid will be injured walking to school than being hurt by a gas leak. Stay tuned. It appears that we still have the scourge of demon rum in some school board members minds. 2021-2022 School Bus Routes. That means there is a decrease in funding of $8,192 per student for a total of $6.42 million. There was even discussion about opening Jensen Beach High School to St Lucie County students to fill the seats. From the last meeting, there was no mention of a resolution in support of diversity. Dr. White gave a presentation on the new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking- B.E.S.T. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Success Plan was harder to understand than the Latin mass. It has not proven out that SROs have stopped mass shootings anywhere. The board ratified an agreement between AFSCME and the district retroactive to July 1, 2021, to bring minimum pay to $15 per hour. You can find all the information including how teachers pay stacks up with St Lucie County here. The officers job will be to man the front door and greet visitors. 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. This prompted Chair Powers to reiterate that masks are not mandatory either for the present summer programs or the new school year. Commissioner Smith was there on behalf of Jensen Beach and had rallied that schools PTA. Sophie was at the meeting with her dad to tell her story. Two incongruous ideas followedthe district expects a 3% decline in student population next year and David L. Anderson Middle School could be the 4thhigh school in the district. The Board was picking Martin Countys first appointed superintendent. Member Roberts asked that he be placed on the short list as the 6th candidate. That is what happened here. 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. I am not a great believer in trying to censor books. The vote was 4-1 with Defenthaler voting no. 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). As an example, one bill just passed that mandates health education and in what grade it can be taught. I believe we are on a decline in the number of pupils the traditional public schools will have in the coming years. She also received $1,000 from Vero Beach podcaster Dennis Lynch. Currently 8.5% of district FTE funds go to the districts charters. But the arbiters of how children are educated are not professional teachers or administrators. One of his successes has been a reorganization of the district administration. It sort of seems fair to me. I agree with your comments as well as Marsha Powers. It was contentious and had many public speakers against it. In general, we should as a society nationally be providing for not only pre-k care but day care in general for every child. Should there be a place for Art in Martin County? That is not what many in our community are looking for in a school board member today. John Millay has brought some great skills and educational background. In this weeks diatribe by Anderson, he compared me to a boll weevil in a bag of rice and that I am from somewhere else. Im sure most providers in Martin County would be happy to do the same. The remote learning piece can continue with a new caveat. Tony Anderson mentioned this, and he was 100% correct. At this meeting, teacher after teacher took to the podium to complain bitterly about their pay. Instead of trying to integrate the arts with a vibrant urban scene, we are seeing the worst form of urban planningalmost a kind of sprawl. One of the teachers claimed she was making less now than she was 13 years ago in another district. Teachers have a demanding job, and they deserve our support. Excellence is what we will strive for, knowing that success has no finish line. If you are going to teach a health curriculum as dictated, then the money must come from somewhere. What does that tell us about so many things? We want reading proficiency to be up from the 53% that it's at, she said. 2014 Minutes. 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. If Anderson had his way, a handshake (or today a fist bump) would be good enough. That would bring brand new housing within the urban core at affordable rates. You can see the proposed revisions under the Martin County Commission Section. Winchester, VA 22603 . She will support the resolution. You can read the entire presentationhere. Anderson is right that the organization has so far been able to do what was promised including raising the necessary funds for the building. The board did not finish and will have to do so at a subsequent meeting. She will explain how you or your business will be featured in the newsletter and on our websites. 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. You can find it here. 30 of the letters came back because the students no longer live at their address of record. There needs to be a place for adults and kids to gather to play a pickup game of basketball or soccer. The agreement was signed by Resciniti and Millay on August 16th retroactive to August 1st. The final day of classes before Winter Break will beDecember 16, 2022. Currently, VPK in Florida is provided mainly by private providers with public schools accounting for only 20% of the available seats. This was the final millage and budget meeting for the 20/21 year. There were a few boogey men that were mentioned. Diaz claimed that none of the participants came down with COVID. My question is would credentialing mean better pay and would the quality of the instruction be better? In effect, they gave the taxpayers a reduction which they took full credit for and it came directly out of the school board budget. In that memo, Martin County was estimated to receive $12 million (pg 16) from ESSER II. 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. Public county charter schools educate 8% of the total students. Yet for a charter, it is easy to sell that brand to enough parents to have a school or two. Yet what those children did is just the tip of the iceberg. The entire detailed budget can be foundhere. There are 16,628 students in K-12. So, what is the problem? Schools have proven to be a relatively safe environment as compared to bars and restaurants. After the COVID-19 pandemic created friction between the School Board and parents, he didn'tplan to run again,he said. St. Lucie district schools have been improving steadily over the years. They are policy makers. Ms. Christia Li Roberts, Ms. Jennifer Russell and Ms. Amy B. Pritchett were inaugurated as Members of the Martin County School Board on November 22, 2022 . You can add more CTE classes to the existing high schools. The board and Foundation are trying to draft an Intent to Lease for the building in the next few weeks. Beginning next year, charter school approvals will no longer come before school boards. There are now about 18,000 students which is less than in the recent past. Superintendent John D. Millay and members of the Martin County School Board joined faculty, staff and students from South Fork High School in attending a groundbreaking ceremony for the new athletic complex, sports fields, chiller plant and HVAC system on March 30, 2022. The level of transparency and engagement far surpasses what I have seen in other districts and in the past here in Martin County. This will have a total cost to the board of $608,183 per year. Millay, she believed, understood all departments. More than 77% of Martin Countys population is classified as white. If any student needs help, school officials will draw up a specifically tailored plan to address and ameliorate their issues. Anderson has devoted himself to education. 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. The board has asked for more information. Read More about THE MARTIN COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS VOTED TO MOVE TO MASK OPTIONAL . Board Member DiTerlizzi stated that Martin County had fallen in the rankings in his opinion. And to some extent it isexcept when it is not. Victoria Defenthaler, who voted for Millay, decided not to run, and was replaced by Jennifer Russell. Also added were Jensen Beach High School with 100 students at any grade level and South Fork with 90 students. What is causing a shortage? As to increased auto traffic because desperate drivers will zoom in to have a drink, I really cannot see much of a problem either. A contract always gives the board an opportunity to terminate as long as severance is paid. I believe that a stronger school system will create a stronger Martin County. Every child has a right to a quality education Every teacher should follow school board and superintendent policies in the classroom and be accountable Every citizen has a right to review curriculum offered in the schools It all starts with new leadership! And you don't know until the results come out, she said. However, the bulk of the money goes to every teacher and other employees for a total of about $11 million. That image won her a $30,000 college scholarship plus $50,000 to go to MCHS for a new or improved technology lab. Allocation of the pot of money for teacher salaries is a negotiated item between the union and the board. Finally, it is the boards responsibility to make sure that these meetings are televised. Im the only Martin County School Board Member with that qualification. The Martin County School District will have its share of challenges in 2022. On first look, it appears that the district is not being harmed (at least financially). Prior to Assistant Superintendent of Finance Morrisons tenure, they did not track Roll Forward funding. Most of the funding for renovations would come from grants. 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. He described how their emails and incivility when speaking is disturbing. All the numbers are in the presentation attachedhere. Thanks for reaching out for some clarity regarding yesterdays workshop regarding ESSER II funding that was discussed. The rest of the anticipated $13.7 million collected from that tax would go to pay for teachers and all other employees. He is married to Robbye Hillard . One thing the board was adamant about is that what is acceptable should be universal throughout the system. School Board Chair Marcia Powers wrote a letter to me regarding the piece: I want to clarify your synopsis of the school boards discussion of building two Pre-K classrooms at Jensen Beach High School. 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. Well, no one had to attend and those who did seemed to have a good time. The people have much more influence at this level. 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. Li Roberts was looking at the academic and financial side. Note: Correspondence sent to School Board members is subject to Virginia's Freedom of Information Act. Tallahassee sets a required millage rate. 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. It was a theme he returned to a few times in his remarks. How many vulnerable girls ended up sending him photos for money? At this point, I have not decided how I will vote. Too much a creature of the academic system to effectuate the change that some board members, school employees, and parents want. It is mandated that there be a Moment of Silence at the start of each day. So far this year, Florida Blue has paid 104% in claims. She and her husband Scott have three , Url: https://dcps.duvalschools.org/Page/26198 Go Now, Unionville chadds ford school district jobs, Printable international sunday school lessons, Indian river school district selbyville de, 2020 SchoolsLearning.info. The district already owns the land, utilities are in and there would be no impact fees or building fees. Prior to that, the focus of school was to teach kids how to read and write. You understand their motivation and how they think about things and process information. Then those tenants must have government assistance preferably in the form of vouchers to rent an apartment. District; Schools . Kathleen Watts, Director of Transportation, created two memos outlining why the bus depot was closed. That pain is acutely felt by the Black community. Both parents and children have attachments to the schools they are attending, so why change that unless there is a need. Now it is up to the voters. 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. Should uniforms be allowed? There is no way of knowing how many of these students will be returning to class once the pandemic ends. 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. Get the right information. CTE promotes and supports middle and high school programs that provide technical educations for students for 21stcentury non-college jobs. 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. Presently, the board will continue mandating fully masked students, teachers, and personnel through the end of this school year. Website : www.martinschools.org 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. I know I work for the people and I will work hard.. The answer is no! When it is available, the newsletter will spend more time on that subject. This will be the last year that any ballot initiatives will be voted in August instead of November. Floridas scores for third-grade reading proficiency are poor; only 25% of students scored a 4 or 5. 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. He also claimed that I am a figment of my imagination.