[0:57] Welcome to today's special

[0:58] school board meeting. This

[0:59] special school board meeting of

[1:00] the School Board of Broward

[1:02] County, Florida, is now called

[1:03] to order. Our primary focus is

[1:05] to create a safe and productive

[1:06] environment for all

[1:06] participants. Please be

[1:08] reminded of the exit doors that

[1:09] are clearly marked for

[1:11] emergency exiting while in the

[1:12] boardroom. Refrain from

[1:13] obstructing the exit doors. All

[1:15] attendees must occupy a seat

[1:17] with the exception of media.

[1:18] Once the boardroom has reached

[1:19] its seating capacity, attendees

[1:22] will be directed to a

[1:23] designated overflow space,

[1:25] which is located in the area

[1:27] adjacent to the vending

[1:28] machines. If the fire alarm

[1:30] sounds, exit the room calmly

[1:31] continue outside the building

[1:32] and remain there until

[1:34] authorities give clearance to

[1:35] return. Thank you for your

[1:37] cooperation. All please rise

[1:38] for the Pledge of Allegiance to

[1:39] the flag of the United States

[1:44] of America.

[1:45] >> Pledge allegiance to the

[1:47] flag of the United States of

[1:49] America and to the Republic for

[1:51] which it stands. One nation

[1:54] under GOD, indivisible, with

[2:03] liberty and justice for all.

[2:04] >> As we prepare to begin our

[2:05] special school board meeting,

[2:07] we are reminded that our vision

[2:09] is 100% proficiency for all

[2:10] students. As an a-rated school

[2:12] district, our vital task is to

[2:13] sustain this achievement. We

[2:15] will continue educating all

[2:16] students to reach their highest

[2:18] potential. Now let's write this

[2:21] next chapter together. Today's

[2:22] special School Board meeting

[2:23] will operate in accordance with

[2:25] School Board Policy 1020, and

[2:26] the board will review the items

[2:27] as advertised and presented by

[2:29] the superintendent. The

[2:30] superintendent released a

[2:32] revised agenda with certain

[2:33] changes for this meeting and

[2:34] published it on the school

[2:35] district's website. The chair

[2:37] finds pursuant to section 120

[2:39] .525 Florida statutes, that

[2:40] good cause exists for such

[2:42] changes and accepts the revised

[2:43] agenda. MAY I have a motion and

[2:46] a second to close the agenda?

[2:48] Moved by DR. Zeman. Seconded by

[2:49] MISS Thompson. All in favor of

[2:52] closing the agenda? Say aye.

[2:52] >> Aye.

[2:54] >> Any opposed? Say no. The

[2:58] agenda is now closed. We will

[2:59] soon hear from our registered

[3:01] public speakers. We ask that

[3:02] decorum be maintained in

[3:04] civility and respect be shown

[3:05] during public comment. Our

[3:06] General Counsel will assist the

[3:08] chair in maintaining decorum

[3:09] during this period. We also

[3:10] want to remind our public

[3:12] speakers of the rules and

[3:13] expectations regardinghe

[3:14] agenda. Public comment portion

[3:15] of the Special School Board

[3:17] meeting, as well as board

[3:18] policy attorney Dupree Bruno,

[3:19] please explain the rules of

[3:20] public comment.

[3:22] >> Thank you and good evening.

[3:23] Public comment is governed by

[3:25] school Board Policy 1020 and is

[3:27] intended to provide input on

[3:28] the board's duties, decisions

[3:29] in the overall operation of the

[3:31] school district. The school

[3:32] board is viewpoint neutral

[3:34] during public comment per

[3:35] school board policy 1020. The

[3:37] procedures are as follows.

[3:39] Speakers must state their name,

[3:40] city of residence and whether

[3:41] they are a lobbyist. Before

[3:43] beginning their remarks. All

[3:45] remarks must be directed to the

[3:46] board as a whole. The board

[3:48] will not respond to or engage

[3:49] with speakers during public

[3:51] comment, and no action will be

[3:53] taken unless the item is on the

[3:54] agenda. During the agenda

[3:56] speaking time, speakers will

[3:57] have up to three minutes per

[3:59] item and up to one minute on

[4:01] motions or amendments. The

[4:02] chair MAY adjust the order of

[4:03] speakers, recognize speakers

[4:05] and enforce all limits. The

[4:06] chair MAY reduce individual

[4:08] speaking time or establish a

[4:10] total amount for public comment

[4:11] when necessary. To ensure all

[4:12] speakers have an opportunity to

[4:14] be heard. A visible timer will

[4:16] be used in the microphone MAY

[4:19] be turned off when time expires.

[4:20] Speakers must limit their

[4:21] comments to agenda. Specific

[4:23] items must remain relevant to

[4:25] the specific item. Comments MAY

[4:26] not address matters that are

[4:27] pending litigation. Quasi

[4:29] judicial proceedings, active

[4:30] investigations or

[4:32] administrative hearings,

[4:33] solicitation and lobbying

[4:35] activities must comply with

[4:36] applicable school board

[4:38] policies. Abusive language

[4:39] defined as profanity

[4:40] threatening or name calling is

[4:42] prohibited. In addition,

[4:44] clapping, hissing, booing,

[4:45] shouting, yelling or other

[4:46] disruptions from the audience

[4:48] are not allowed. Speakers who

[4:49] fail to follow proper decorum

[4:51] in the chambers will be ruled

[4:53] out of order by the board chair.

[4:54] Failure to comply MAY result in

[4:55] the microphone being turned off

[4:58] or a recess being called. After

[5:00] a warning. The chair MAY also

[5:01] direct removal from the meeting

[5:03] by law enforcement or the

[5:05] Sergeant at Arms. MADAM Chair.

[5:06] >> Thank you, Attorney Dupree.

[5:08] Bruno, the board wants to hear

[5:09] from the public, and we

[5:10] appreciate your cooperation in

[5:12] maintaining a respectful,

[5:14] orderly and productive meeting

[5:16] environment. MAY I have a

[5:18] motion and a second on item one

[5:19] moved by DR. Zeman, seconded by

[5:22] MISS Hixon. Is there a public

[5:23] comment on item one?

[5:24] >> Yes, MADAM Chair, there are

[5:26] three registered speakers. Amy

[5:29] Edelman, Liliana Rubio and

[5:31] PRESIDENT Anna Fusco. You MAY

[5:48] approach the podium.

[5:53] >> Is this the one about

[5:56] wanting Anna Fusco, PRESIDENT?

[5:58] >> This is item one,

[5:58] superintendent's annual

[5:59] financial report to the

[6:01] Commissioner of Education.

[6:03] >> Alrighty. So financial

[6:05] report to the Commissioner of

[6:07] Education, new one in old, one

[6:08] out. Lot of expectations from

[6:10] the other one new expectations

[6:13] from the new one. We're hoping

[6:16] that this report is based on

[6:17] truly what's happening in the

[6:20] Broward County public schools,

[6:23] where we do have obviously

[6:25] lower enrollment from students.

[6:27] There's no real understanding

[6:29] of where they're going. I do

[6:31] know with the schools that

[6:32] closed and the schools that

[6:34] they were supposed to be

[6:36] entering, that hasn't happened.

[6:37] I checked with Chapel Trail

[6:39] when Panther one closed,

[6:41] hundreds were there, 43 went to

[6:44] Chapel Trail. So we would like

[6:46] to know what exactly was your

[6:48] guys plan when you closed six

[6:49] schools to actually have the

[6:50] students get to our public

[6:53] schools? Where is the plan?

[6:55] Where is the tracking that's

[6:57] lost money? The other situation

[6:59] that we would like to

[7:01] understand is even though we

[7:03] have low enrollment, we had a

[7:04] school board member, Jeff

[7:06] Holness, who put it out there

[7:09] last year, thousand positions

[7:12] last school year, 1000

[7:13] positions for this school year

[7:15] and 1000 positions for next

[7:17] school year. But what you

[7:18] didn't take into account and

[7:19] you guys are hiding behind it,

[7:21] and I'm going to come after you

[7:24] and say you're hiding behind it.

[7:25] You school board members must

[7:28] be hiding behind it that our

[7:32] teachers and our staff are

[7:34] overworked. Class size is

[7:37] ridiculous. I have kindergarten

[7:39] classes with 25 students. I

[7:42] have third third grade classes

[7:45] with 2829 students. We have

[7:47] fifth grade classes with 32 to

[7:49] 35 students. We have middle

[7:52] school classes with 5060 kids,

[7:54] high school classes. And you

[7:55] guys all look at it like Anna

[7:58] Fusco is making it up. And I am

[8:02] not I'm not making it up.

[8:03] Teachers are reporting this.

[8:05] They're making it loud and

[8:07] clear. The enrollment MAY have

[8:10] lowered, but the student ratio

[8:12] to teacher has largely

[8:13] increased, with the

[8:14] expectations of still

[8:16] performing and the extra work

[8:19] put on them. There's a lot of

[8:21] extra work as as it is

[8:22] appreciated to look at the

[8:23] guidance of of cutting screen

[8:26] time when you cut computer time

[8:28] for certain grade levels and it

[8:31] goes to paper, how are they

[8:32] grading it? You guys don't

[8:34] listen to the details. That

[8:36] comes with ramifications when

[8:37] you're taking away positions

[8:39] that are needed in schools. You

[8:41] were told it wasn't going to

[8:43] affect schools, but it is. It's

[8:47] real. And we'll get to it later.

[8:49] About the raise. That was very

[8:51] largely spoken about from the

[8:53] budget report I read. I don't

[8:55] see it in there, so I'm not

[8:57] sure exactly. All in details

[8:59] what's being presented, but I

[9:01] hope it was done with severe

[9:04] scrutiny and detail.

[9:09] >> Thank you. Next speaker.

[9:13] >> My excuse me. My name is Amy

[9:14] Edelman and I'm from Country

[9:17] Isles Elementary. We know about

[9:20] the 4% that was promised to us,

[9:25] and I'm just here to say, hey.

[9:30] Anna. Please go by what you

[9:32] said and give us that 4%. I'm

[9:35] telling you now, I won't tell

[9:38] you where I lived, but it's

[9:41] going around in their online

[9:44] that we should not vote for the

[9:46] referendum because all of the

[9:50] people in that area said, why

[9:51] should we havee to pay the

[9:55] teachers? It's t tehahat t the

[9:59] hohool boaoard paiaid th teachers.

[10:02] So it's a very large community

[10:05] and if that's what happens, the

[10:06] teachers are going to go back

[10:09] ten, 12,000, 6000, whatever

[10:12] they got, the money's going to

[10:17] go back. We need to have our 4%

[10:20] raise from you guys. Figure it

[10:25] out in your budget. Because I

[10:28] know for a fact that word gets

[10:31] around in the neighborhood and

[10:33] nobody wants to vote yes for

[10:35] that referendum in that certain

[10:38] neighborhood. Thank you.

[10:45] >> Thank you. Next speaker.

[10:46] >> Broward Teachers Union

[10:49] Liliana Ruido, and I hope the

[10:51] report matches what's going on

[10:53] in our schools at this point.

[10:55] When you go to the schools and

[10:58] you see the high schools,

[11:01] nevertheless, the high schools

[11:02] packed with substitute teachers.

[11:04] So you keep saying we lost so

[11:06] many students, oh, so many

[11:08] students. But yet some classes

[11:10] have 50, 60 students. So what

[11:13] are you doing to, you know, to,

[11:14] to control that narrative at

[11:16] this point? That's one thing.

[11:20] The other part is that report

[11:21] that you're going to present to

[11:23] all of us. We are watching what

[11:24] you're going to present. And at

[11:26] the same time, we're watching

[11:29] how you are going to present

[11:33] that back to the people behind

[11:35] the report. So my my question

[11:38] to you is, who is supervising

[11:40] the schools? How how are you

[11:42] going to give reports? If I

[11:44] don't see you out there and

[11:45] you're not seeing the reality

[11:48] of our teachers right now,

[11:49] especially when it comes to

[11:50] teachers that have to deal once

[11:52] with 60 students, they're

[11:55] overworked, they're overwhelmed.

[11:56] And this is just the beginning

[11:58] of the school year. And also,

[12:00] I'm going to ask you to reflect,

[12:02] like I always do, ask you to

[12:05] reflect on how you are going to

[12:07] use your budget. And we're

[12:08] watching and we're expecting

[12:09] that you do the right thing.

[12:11] Because let me tell you, we are

[12:13] watching your decision out

[12:14] there. You're sitting up there,

[12:16] but you forgot that the

[12:18] majority of you were teachers.

[12:21] So, you know what? Do the right

[12:22] thing by the teachers and by

[12:26] the employees. So you, you can

[12:30] feel, you know, in peace with

[12:33] your mind. Thank you.

[12:34] >> That concludes registered

[12:35] speakers.

[12:35] >> Thank you. Any board

[12:40] discussion on item one?

[12:43] >> MADAM Chair? DR. Holness

[12:47] thank you, MADAM Chair. MADAM

[12:48] Chair, I have a couple of

[12:52] questions for Doctor Hepburn.

[12:54] Doctor Hepburn did the motion

[12:58] to cut staff. Include cutting

[13:00] teachers.

[13:01] >> Thank you for the question,

[13:05] DR. Holness. No, it did not.

[13:06] >> Okay, so, Doctor Hepburn, is

[13:11] it true that over the last 10

[13:13] to 15 years, we've lost

[13:15] somewhere between 40 to 50 000

[13:16] students, but kept

[13:17] approximately the same number

[13:18] of staff?

[13:20] >> That's correct.

[13:23] >> Okay. So would you agree

[13:25] that it's a it would have been

[13:28] or it is a responsible decision,

[13:30] considering that Broward County

[13:33] schools lost 40 to 50 000

[13:36] students over the last 10 to 15

[13:38] years. But we kept the same

[13:40] number of staff. Was it a

[13:42] responsible decision, in your

[13:46] opinion, that we cut staff to

[13:48] align with our budget?

[13:50] >> Yes, I concur in addition to

[13:52] add to that is a dollar amount

[13:53] and revenue loss over that same

[13:55] amount of time to DR. Holness,

[13:57] which I think up to this point

[13:59] in the year is about $450

[14:01] million in lost revenue over

[14:03] over the past decade.

[14:05] >> Okay. So, Doctor Hepburn, if

[14:08] we continue to lose students

[14:09] and as you mentioned, when we

[14:12] did motion to cut the staff, it

[14:14] did not include teachers.

[14:16] Correct. So if we continue to

[14:18] lose students and we continue

[14:20] to keep the same number of

[14:22] staff, that's when we had 5000

[14:25] more students. What are the

[14:26] consequences to the district

[14:29] for not taking action?

[14:31] >> There's severe consequences.

[14:33] Our largest expense for our

[14:35] district is actually employees.

[14:37] So we have to rightsize

[14:39] ourselves based on the revenue

[14:40] realities that we have. So if

[14:41] we continue to pay for that

[14:42] expense, we will definitely run

[14:45] out of reserves quickly.

[14:47] >> Okay. And when we run out of

[14:49] reserve, what is the then

[14:50] consequence to the district?

[14:52] That's a possibility. Doctor

[14:52] Hepburn.

[14:54] >> Yes. So that's a possibility

[14:56] of the state coming in and

[14:57] taking over our financial

[14:59] situation.

[15:00] >> MISS Fusco, this is your

[15:01] first warning. Please don't

[15:04] call out from the audience.

[15:07] >> Okay, so, Doctor Hepburn, it

[15:09] appears that over the 10 to 15

[15:13] years we were. Losing students

[15:15] and consequently losing

[15:16] teachers. But we were keeping

[15:18] the same number of non-teaching

[15:22] staff. Is that a fair statement?

[15:23] >> Yeah. That's correct.

[15:25] >> Okay. So what we've actually

[15:27] done in the motion to cut staff

[15:31] is to align with what has

[15:32] happened to our teachers. And

[15:34] it wasn't happening to our

[15:35] non-teaching staff. Correct?

[15:37] >> Correct.

[15:39] >> Okay. So and to clarify the

[15:40] motion, Doctor Hepburn, the

[15:43] motion was to cut 1000 staff

[15:45] the first year and the second

[15:48] and third year to cut at least

[15:50] 500 and no more than 1000. Is

[15:51] that how you understood it?

[15:52] >> That's correct.

[15:53] >> Okay. And when that motion

[15:55] was made, Doctor Hepburn, I

[15:56] believe the vote was seven

[15:58] board members to two in favor

[16:00] of that motion. Is that correct?

[16:02] >> I don't recall the specific

[16:05] vote, but I know it passed.

[16:06] >> Okay. But it would have

[16:08] passed by at least five board

[16:08] members.

[16:09] >> Correct.

[16:10] >> Okay. And Doctor Hepburn,

[16:11] for the record, it was passed

[16:13] by seven board members

[16:15] supporting to responsibly cut

[16:17] staff to match the declining

[16:19] enrollment so we can be

[16:21] fiscally responsible and not

[16:22] end up in the possibility of

[16:24] state receivership. Correct.

[16:27] MADAM Chair, thank you so much.

[16:30] >> Thank you, MR. Cervera.

[16:33] >> Thank you, chair, just to to

[16:35] piggyback back to this motion

[16:38] that we were just discussing.

[16:40] Doctor Hepburn, I want to make

[16:41] sure that we're crystal clear

[16:43] on this and that we're not

[16:45] playing wordsmithing with our

[16:47] with our words and, and, and

[16:50] using words in a way that could

[16:52] be potentially be deemed as

[16:55] deceiving in the cuts that DR.

[16:58] Holness just referenced.

[17:01] Thousand employees will no

[17:04] longer have positions with bcc.

[17:06] DR. Holness asked if we were

[17:09] cutting 1000 teachers in

[17:13] response to that, you said no.

[17:16] However, I think and I want to

[17:17] make sure that we're clear

[17:19] we're on the same page. When

[17:20] you say teachers, are you

[17:22] talking about classroom

[17:23] teachers and teachers that are

[17:26] physically embedded in our

[17:27] schoolhouses throughout the

[17:28] county?

[17:28] >> Correct.

[17:30] >> Okay. So clearly there are

[17:32] certified teachers, individuals

[17:34] who heard teacher

[17:36] certifications that maybe we're

[17:37] working out of this district or

[17:39] working out of this building,

[17:40] or they're parts of the

[17:41] district that will no longer be

[17:43] employed here. So in fact, we

[17:46] are losing teachers, just maybe

[17:47] not teachers that are in a

[17:50] schoolhouse right now. Correct?

[17:51] >> Correct.

[17:53] >> Okay. So I want to be very

[17:57] clear. This thousand on number

[17:59] that was brought up by this

[18:01] motion, we will lose certified

[18:02] teachers.

[18:03] >> Yes, we will lose employees

[18:05] that have a teacher

[18:06] certification, but their job

[18:09] they were in was not directly

[18:10] providing instruction to a

[18:10] student.

[18:11] >> What is the requirement in

[18:13] this state to be defined as a

[18:14] teacher? Is it just the holding

[18:18] of a teacher certificate?

[18:20] >> Yes, I simply say yes, a

[18:22] certified instructor. Yes.

[18:23] >> Okay. So if you have a if

[18:25] you have a teaching certificate

[18:27] recognized by the state of

[18:28] Florida and you happen to be

[18:29] working at the security desk

[18:31] for whatever reason, you are

[18:33] still a teacher under the legal

[18:35] definition in the state of

[18:36] Florida, are you not?

[18:37] >> You are. You are an

[18:39] individual with a teacher

[18:41] certification. For me to extend

[18:44] that definition, I would call

[18:45] your teacher. If you're in a

[18:47] classroom, directly provide

[18:48] instruction to students.

[18:50] >> Okay, so pk is definition of

[18:51] a teacher is somebody with a

[18:52] teacher certificate and someone

[18:54] who's physically embedded in a

[18:54] school.

[18:55] >> Correct.

[18:56] >> Okay. I don't know if I

[18:57] agree with that, but I'll

[19:01] accept your your definition.

[19:03] Also, sir. I want to be I want

[19:07] to be clear on on this, the

[19:11] vote that was taken on this was

[19:12] 7 to 2, right? So there were

[19:14] two individuals that did not

[19:16] vote in favor of these cuts.

[19:17] Right.

[19:19] >> I can't recall the vote. I

[19:19] just know it passed.

[19:21] >> Do you remember it being

[19:22] unanimous.

[19:24] >> Being who?

[19:25] >> Unanimous.

[19:26] >> I can't recall.

[19:27] >> Okay. Well it wasn't and

[19:29] I'll tell you why, because I

[19:31] didn't vote for it. And if

[19:32] memory serves correct, neither

[19:34] did MISS Rupert. And the reason

[19:35] that I didn't vote for it is

[19:37] for the exact situation that

[19:38] we're finding ourselves in

[19:41] right now, where I have kids in

[19:43] my schools in district six that

[19:46] are 23, 24, 25 kids deep in

[19:48] first and second grade. And I

[19:51] can't take teachers with

[19:52] teaching certificates and place

[19:54] them in their schools. If we're

[19:56] getting rid of 1000 of them.

[19:58] Right. So I want to be very,

[20:00] very clear that there is, in

[20:01] fact, a trickle down effect, a

[20:02] very real trickle down effect

[20:04] of wholeness motion to rid the

[20:06] district of 1000, whether he

[20:08] wants to call them teachers or

[20:09] non teachers or former teachers,

[20:11] or soon to be teachers, however

[20:12] you want to define them, if

[20:13] they have a teaching

[20:15] certificate, okay, and they are

[20:17] no longer being employed, that

[20:18] takes away a body, somebody

[20:20] that you can take, put into a

[20:23] school and help with this

[20:24] overcrowding problem that we're

[20:25] going to address at the next

[20:27] school board meeting, by the

[20:28] way, and a lot more detail than

[20:30] we are today, but we now lose

[20:32] that ability by making these

[20:34] cuts. So I want to make sure

[20:35] the public is clear. I don't

[20:37] want to play. Let me, if I MAY,

[20:39] finish. I want to make sure

[20:40] that we're very clear. We're

[20:41] not playing games and we're not

[20:43] trying to wordsmith what a

[20:44] teacher is. To be recognized as

[20:46] a teacher in the state of

[20:47] Florida, you need to have a

[20:48] certified teaching certificate.

[20:49] It's not a requirement that you

[20:51] have to have a teaching

[20:52] certificate, and you have to be

[20:54] in a school. I'm pretty sure

[20:55] the admin rules don't say

[20:56] anything like that, but go

[20:56] ahead.

[20:58] >> No, I was going to mention

[21:00] that. Correct me if I'm wrong,

[21:01] Ernie. At least over 90% of

[21:03] those impacted employees from

[21:04] the from the 1000, which I

[21:05] think was 300, are actually

[21:07] still working in our system in

[21:09] various positions, correct? Yep.

[21:11] So we didn't lose a lot of

[21:13] people externally. We actually

[21:15] placed them into instructional

[21:16] roles in other various roles

[21:18] that were vacant in the

[21:18] district.

[21:20] >> And that's encouraging. And

[21:21] perhaps maybe we can start

[21:22] sticking them in some of my

[21:23] schools that don't have enough

[21:24] teachers to teach the

[21:25] classrooms right now. But be

[21:28] that as it MAY, the point of my.

[21:30] I'll call it a mini diatribe. I

[21:32] didn't go full diatribe. Maybe

[21:34] later, but not right now, was

[21:35] to just make sure that we're

[21:36] clear that certified teachers

[21:38] will be losing their jobs based

[21:40] on the motion that DR. Holness

[21:42] was referencing. Thank you.

[21:43] >> Thank you.

[21:44] >> DR. Zeman thank.

[21:45] >> You so much, chair.

[21:48] Appreciate it. I wanted to

[21:50] thank Doctor Shim and his team

[21:53] for putting together. I know

[21:57] this report's 246 pages, but

[21:59] that really is kind of a pretty

[22:01] good representation of how much

[22:02] work it takes to assemble these

[22:03] things and put it together.

[22:06] I've read through this report.

[22:12] There are so many good. Reports

[22:13] in terms of writing up,

[22:14] explaining the spreadsheets,

[22:15] explaining the graphs, and

[22:17] things like that. This is a

[22:19] major step forward in terms of

[22:20] the community understanding how

[22:23] we spend $5.5 billion a year.

[22:25] And I'm I'm just very impressed.

[22:26] And I just want you and your

[22:29] staff to know that I personally

[22:30] appreciate how much time it

[22:32] takes to put together something

[22:35] like this. To the earlier

[22:38] conversation. I haven't heard

[22:41] anybody say that it was

[22:43] responsible to reduce 101,000

[22:44] positions in Broward County

[22:46] schools, but I know that it is.

[22:48] If you split the world of

[22:50] education into those that are

[22:51] working at schools and those

[22:53] that are not working at schools,

[22:56] this board, by the way, not

[22:57] because one member made the

[22:59] motion or a majority voted for

[23:00] it, but because our

[23:02] superintendent had talked about

[23:04] reducing 1000 positions for

[23:06] months before this board took

[23:08] this action. So this board

[23:10] decided to take cuts away from

[23:12] schools, and that preserves the

[23:15] dignity of our core education

[23:16] system. To Doctor Hepburn's

[23:18] point, 90% of the human beings

[23:20] of the 300 that actually

[23:21] influence this are still

[23:22] working in Broward County

[23:23] schools. So they actually help

[23:25] the student teacher ratio. They

[23:27] don't hurt it. And 30 people

[23:29] were either not offered jobs or

[23:31] turned down jobs to put it

[23:33] together. Out of 25000

[23:35] employees going through fiscal

[23:37] emergency, you know, with

[23:38] dramatic reductions in

[23:39] enrollment, reducing our

[23:41] revenue by over $100 million a

[23:43] year for the past two years. It

[23:45] was the only sane and

[23:47] responsible approach for a

[23:48] large urban school district

[23:53] like this to take. People can

[23:55] talk about aspects of this all

[23:57] they want. This was a smart,

[24:00] wise fiscal policy. It is a

[24:01] reflection of declining

[24:03] enrollment. It is not a sign of

[24:04] weakness for this district or

[24:06] this board that we did this. It

[24:09] is a sign of strength and we

[24:12] will continue, I'm sure. I mean,

[24:13] my prediction anyway, is it

[24:15] will continue to make the best

[24:17] decisions that we can for

[24:19] preserving the education of the

[24:21] students in Broward County. So

[24:23] thank you, Doctor Hepburn, for

[24:25] bringing that issue up. Thank

[24:27] you to the people who voted for

[24:29] it. We've got tougher times

[24:30] ahead. We've got a referendum

[24:33] on NOVEMBER 3rd that's going to

[24:33] determine that, you know,

[24:36] whether 16% of our funds get

[24:37] provided through local

[24:40] continuation of a one mill ad

[24:42] valorem tax. After that, we MAY

[24:45] have to do other things with

[24:46] our budget for this year in

[24:48] order to stay above the 3.0 and

[24:49] do everything that we can to

[24:53] serve students. Thank you.

[24:57] >> Thank you, MISS Hixon.

[24:59] >> Thank you. Just want to

[25:00] clarify a couple of things. So,

[25:03] Doctor Hepburn, to your

[25:05] recollection, recollection, did

[25:07] the motion that was passed, did

[25:09] it say to get rid of 1000

[25:09] teachers?

[25:10] >> No, it did not.

[25:12] >> It said positions if I'm not

[25:14] mistaken. Correct. Second

[25:16] question are members of your

[25:18] cabinet chiefs, directors,

[25:20] assistant directors? Do they

[25:21] hold teaching certificates?

[25:23] >> Yes, as well as I.

[25:25] >> Thank you. So I just want to

[25:27] make it clear that the the

[25:30] motion was to reduce positions.

[25:32] And again, as DR. Zeman

[25:34] mentioned, any business, any

[25:36] organization that loses

[25:40] customers has to downsize both

[25:42] where they do business and the

[25:44] people that they employ in the

[25:46] business. So that's where we're

[25:48] at right now. So I don't think

[25:51] our motion had anything to do

[25:53] with teachers per se. Happens

[25:56] to be people who hold teaching

[25:57] certificates, had those

[26:01] positions. Doctor Hepburn.

[26:03] Reducing positions by

[26:06] approximately 1000 positions.

[26:07] Does that have anything to do

[26:09] with class size this school

[26:10] year?

[26:11] >> No.

[26:13] >> So there are two completely

[26:14] separate.

[26:16] >> Completely separate issues.

[26:18] >> Thank you. And can you tell

[26:20] us again? I've asked earlier

[26:23] today, but I'll ask again

[26:24] because I have gone into the

[26:26] schools and I can tell you that

[26:28] I call Doctor Hepburn when I'm

[26:29] leaving them to say, there's

[26:30] way too many kids in this class,

[26:32] and what are we doing? And they

[26:34] are working on it. So but can

[26:35] you tell us again and maybe

[26:38] kind of a timeline of when we

[26:40] can see that those classes

[26:43] won't be the size that they are

[26:43] now?

[26:44] >> Yes, absolutely. So the

[26:46] staff has been working for the

[26:47] past couple of weeks in

[26:49] balancing out classes to the

[26:51] tune of also adding growth

[26:53] positions, which entails

[26:54] teachers being transitioned

[26:56] from schools that have lower

[26:58] enrollment to schools that have

[26:59] higher enrollment so we can

[27:00] balance out the class sizes.

[27:03] And Doctor Lozano or Doctor Dr

[27:06] Fulton as far as timeline. So

[27:06] complete.

[27:09] >> So the timeline has teachers

[27:11] with their new classes of

[27:15] students on SEPTEMBER 14th.

[27:17] >> Thank you. And my last

[27:19] question, are there still

[27:22] people employed in positions

[27:23] that have teaching

[27:24] certification certifications

[27:27] that in the instance that we

[27:29] have a teaching position in a

[27:30] school but don't have

[27:32] applicants for it, that we

[27:34] could move the people from the

[27:36] position they're holding now

[27:39] into a school, because that is,

[27:42] as we know, where we want to

[27:44] have our we don't want any

[27:45] vacancies. We don't want

[27:47] interim subs in there. We want

[27:49] certified teachers. So is that

[27:50] going to be the next step?

[27:52] >> Yes. Those are options that

[27:54] don't exercise. When when

[27:55] urgency heightens, it heightens

[27:56] to that level.

[27:57] >> And there's enough people in

[27:58] the district still employed

[28:00] that we would be able to do

[28:02] that. Okay. Thank you.

[28:03] >> Thank you. Any other board

[28:07] discussion on item one? All in

[28:08] favor of item one, say aye. Aye.

[28:11] All opposed? Say no. Item

[28:13] passes unanimously. Could I get

[28:16] a motion on item two? Move

[28:18] moved by DR. Zeman. Seconded by

[28:22] Miss Hixon. Item two is

[28:24] itbfy23184. Athletic Security

[28:28] Service funding. Is there any

[28:29] public comment on item two?

[28:31] >> Yes, MADAM Chair, there is

[28:32] one registered speaker,

[28:50] PRESIDENT Anna Fusco.

[28:56] >> Anna Fusco, Broward Teachers

[28:58] union PRESIDENT. This is an

[29:01] outside organization with the

[29:04] wanting. I would say that this

[29:06] is something that you guys

[29:10] could bring out and use the

[29:12] security that we have. I go to

[29:14] games at night. I go to

[29:16] theaters at night. I go to many

[29:18] places, and I know that it's an

[29:21] outside company and they're

[29:24] nice. But when you've got a

[29:25] group of people that are hired

[29:27] by their organization, they

[29:29] have more bite in the game.

[29:30] They have more teeth in the

[29:32] game. To give a little bit more

[29:37] conscientious of caring. So. I

[29:38] haven't gone through the exact

[29:40] numbers. I would ask one of you

[29:42] up there to really talk about

[29:44] what is the fee to have this

[29:47] outside company at all of our

[29:50] games that are wanting? Every

[29:52] person that comes into a game

[29:54] or a night activity or an after

[29:56] school activity, and why are

[30:00] our people not doing the work?

[30:02] They're their supervising their,

[30:04] their security wise. And by the

[30:06] way, I've also heard that

[30:08] there's a struggle on wanting

[30:10] to pay our security personnel

[30:12] because it's overtime, but we

[30:17] need security. They want to be.

[30:18] Made to believe that they can

[30:20] only take comp time or flex

[30:21] time or however you want to

[30:23] word it. That is just so

[30:23] inappropriate and

[30:26] unprofessional. We need the

[30:27] security. We have to keep

[30:30] everybody safe for GOD, for God

[30:31] forbid. There was another

[30:33] shooting the other day. So why

[30:35] are we mincing? N n here in

[30:36] Browarar But you know,w, it s

[30:39] ononhe new Why are w we mincing

[30:40] ouound w witroroward Cntnty

[30:42] Public School employees to do

[30:46] the job? We know we know a lot

[30:47] more about the person that

[30:49] actually works for Broward

[30:50] schools than a person that

[30:52] works for a separate company.

[30:55] So what is really, you know,

[30:57] important couple things. What's

[30:59] the amount of money? What is

[31:00] the amount of money for the

[31:02] company? What would be the

[31:03] amount of money? Just having

[31:04] our employees? What is the

[31:06] safety piece on having the

[31:07] people hired that are doing the

[31:10] work? We know that. We know the

[31:11] extensive background check that

[31:12] our employees of Broward

[31:14] Schools goes through. Can we

[31:15] say that for every outside

[31:17] company that you have? I don't

[31:21] think so. But again, if we

[31:22] started working on getting rid

[31:24] of outside consultants, outside

[31:25] programs, you wouldn't have to

[31:27] cut employees. And I'm going to

[31:28] stand in this position every

[31:31] single time. I like you, Doctor

[31:32] Hepburn. I know what you're

[31:34] doing. I like you, Debbie Hixon,

[31:36] Jeff Holness, but I know what

[31:37] you guys are doing. If you want

[31:39] to keep playing this game and

[31:41] be fooled that teachers were

[31:44] not let go last year, shame on

[31:45] you. Just because they didn't

[31:47] say let a thousand teachers go.

[31:50] I didn't say that, but they

[31:52] were in the mix of being let go.

[31:54] And our schools are seeing the

[31:55] punishment of it. And that is a

[31:59] fact.

[32:00] >> Thank you. Any other

[32:01] registered public speakers?

[32:02] >> No other speakers.

[32:03] >> All right. Board member

[32:08] discussion on item two. MR.

[32:15] Cervera.

[32:17] >> I do want to follow up on

[32:19] the speakers inquiry. Have we

[32:21] run any kind of analysis on how

[32:23] much this would cost us to use

[32:24] our own security folks in-house,

[32:28] as opposed to signing this 700

[32:30] 000 plus contract for a year? I

[32:32] mean, if if these guys and gals

[32:35] are there anyway, could we not

[32:38] find a a happy medium? Yes.

[32:40] Have them do it and perhaps

[32:42] give them a little bit more

[32:43] more money, but save the

[32:44] district, I don't know, a

[32:45] couple hundred thousand dollars.

[32:48] >> Yeah. So this is a very well

[32:51] orchestrated security for after

[32:53] school activities and sports.

[32:55] The security are already there.

[32:56] They they work during the

[32:57] during the school day. And so

[32:59] we would have to pay them

[33:01] significantly, much more. This

[33:02] kind of helps supplement. We do

[33:04] use some of our security for

[33:06] activities after schools and

[33:07] sports and all of that, which

[33:08] we have to pay them overtime

[33:10] for. So we do use them. But

[33:12] this is also in addition to

[33:13] supplement some of those costs,

[33:14] some of those services as well,

[33:15] too.

[33:16] >> And I understand and I can

[33:17] appreciate that. But the

[33:19] question was, have we run an

[33:21] analysis saying rather than

[33:24] paying these 100 people over

[33:26] time, it's cheaper to bring in

[33:27] this whole separate other

[33:29] company with their employees

[33:32] for $700,000 than paying our

[33:33] core people overtime.

[33:35] >> Yes.

[33:39] >> That's been done. Yes. Okay.

[33:42] >> MRS. Alhadeff.

[33:45] >> Have we looked at using our

[33:46] weapons detection detector

[33:48] machines that we currently have

[33:50] to use in our. Instead of doing

[33:51] the Wanding.

[33:54] >> We we do that as well too.

[33:55] But when you think about the

[33:57] gates for many of our large

[33:58] events, be it athletics or

[34:00] other events that require

[34:02] wanding or somebody to walk

[34:03] through our metal detection or

[34:04] weapons detection system, we do

[34:08] use both.

[34:11] >> So we're not able to do 100%

[34:13] of the weapons detections.

[34:16] >> Not not for we use some of

[34:17] the weapons detection systems,

[34:20] but not for all of the events,

[34:22] just for sheer logistics and

[34:24] taking them out and calibration

[34:26] and all of that. So we do use

[34:27] some. You'll see them at

[34:28] football games. You'll even see

[34:29] them at basketball games and

[34:31] things like that. But to bring

[34:33] them all out and then to prep

[34:34] them again for the following

[34:35] day, puts what their primary

[34:37] purpose is in jeopardy to for

[34:38] the following day. But we do

[34:39] use weapon detection, those

[34:41] weapon detection systems for

[34:42] some of our gates.

[34:44] >> Thank you.

[34:46] >> Thank you, MISS Hixon.

[34:47] >> Thank you. I just had a

[34:50] quick question because it was

[34:52] suggested that if our security

[34:53] works overtime, they're not

[34:54] being paid. Could you.

[34:56] >> Oh, no, they're being paid.

[34:59] >> There's no trying to do comp

[34:59] time.

[35:01] >> No, they're being paid. I, I

[35:03] just looked at that earlier as

[35:05] we continue to press on

[35:06] overtime. So yes, absolutely.

[35:08] Thank you.

[35:09] >> Thank you. Any other

[35:12] discussion on item two? All in

[35:12] favor?

[35:13] >> Have a question.

[35:15] >> Go ahead, MR. Rupert.

[35:18] >> Thank you. It's actually one

[35:20] about varying exceptionalities

[35:22] with the group that we do from

[35:24] the outside contract. I know

[35:27] that that the people that are

[35:29] internal for us do have that

[35:30] training for, for people on the

[35:33] spectrum and other various

[35:34] Exceptionalities. So I'm

[35:36] wondering, is that built into

[35:38] there something that we talk

[35:40] over with them? Because I know

[35:42] our guys and our ladies are,

[35:43] you know, they've gone through

[35:45] that training and they know how

[35:48] to handle people in a situation

[35:51] where they can de-escalate,

[35:52] etc. And understand really

[35:55] what's happening. Doctor

[35:55] Hepburn.

[35:56] >> Yeah, I'm not sure that.

[35:58] Asks Doctor Wanza if she has

[36:00] any information. But you know,

[36:03] most of this is for guests and

[36:05] adults who are entering for

[36:06] certain events at our at our

[36:07] school facilities. Go ahead,

[36:09] Doctor Wanza.

[36:10] >> Thank you. Good evening,

[36:12] MISS Rupert. So to Doctor

[36:14] Hepburn. Hepburn's point. I'm

[36:15] not certain that we put an

[36:17] actual training requirement in

[36:18] for these contracted services.

[36:20] We can certainly look. But

[36:22] again these are individuals who

[36:26] purchase tickets to attend

[36:27] extracurricular football games,

[36:28] basketball games, things of

[36:30] that nature. I'm not certain

[36:31] that that is a stipulation in

[36:35] this contract, but I have not

[36:36] seen over the years where that

[36:38] has presented a problem. But we

[36:39] will certainly go look. MISS

[36:41] Rupert and do greater due

[36:42] diligence.

[36:44] >> I would appreciate that,

[36:46] because I know that when

[36:47] attending evening events or

[36:49] after school hours events,

[36:51] students buy tickets and

[36:54] students show up as well. So

[36:55] just a point. I really wanted

[36:58] to make that if we could see

[37:01] that there is any training and

[37:02] moving forward, it's something

[37:05] to think about again, with our

[37:08] own people that we could be

[37:09] saving money for the district

[37:12] as and getting the job done as

[37:14] as safe as it possibly could be.

[37:17] So I appreciate it. Thank you.

[37:19] >> Thank you. Any other

[37:21] discussion on item two? All in

[37:24] favor of item two? Say I all

[37:27] opposed. Say no. Item two is

[37:30] approved unanimously. The

[37:31] scheduled order of business for

[37:33] the Special School Board

[37:34] meeting of the School Board of

[37:35] Broward County, Florida has

[37:36] been completed. Seeing no

[37:37] objections, I will adjourn the

[37:54] special school board meeting.

Special School Board Meeting

Agenda

Transcript