[1:59] Good evening everyone. For those of you

[2:02] joining us, I would like to welcome you

[2:03] to the school board business meeting at

[2:05] the Joan Eid Jr. TEC. Today is Monday,

[2:09] August 24th, 2026. I'd like to call this

[2:12] meeting to order. The time is 6 o'clock.

[2:15] I ask that out of respect to everyone,

[2:17] please silence all electronic devices at

[2:19] this time. Also, if you have any

[2:20] materials you wish to share with any

[2:22] board members, please give that to

[2:24] Dorian Mor. She's seated right here at

[2:26] the end, who is uh the executive

[2:28] assistant to the school board. All

[2:30] right. At this time, I'd like to have um

[2:33] the presentation of colors by Sebastian

[2:36] River High School Navy Junior ROC under

[2:39] the direction of Commander Peter

[2:41] Besonette, United States Navy retired

[2:43] and Senior Chief John Silva, United

[2:45] States Navy retired for the pledge of

[2:47] allegiance.

[3:11] left right

[3:13] left.

[3:27] Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in

[3:29] the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to

[3:32] the flag of the United States of America

[3:35] and to the republic for which it stands.

[3:38] One nation under God, indivisible, with

[3:41] liberty and justice for all.

[3:52] » Ready.

[3:54] Post

[3:57] colors

[3:59] march. Left, left, left, right, left, left

[4:07] to pose,

[4:11] colors,

[4:13] and salute.

[4:16] Ready to

[4:21] colors.

[4:24] Left right

[4:34] color guard forward march. Left, left, right, left, left, left. Guard

[4:54] forward

[4:56] left.

[4:58] [applause]

[5:09] They get more and more impressive, don't

[5:10] they?

[5:11] >> Very good.

[5:12] >> All right, board members. Um, are there

[5:14] any items anyone wishes to move from

[5:16] consent to action or add to discussion?

[5:18] >> Yes.

[5:19] >> I'd like to Is this on?

[5:22] I'd like to move um consent

[5:26] 5C, which is the tentative budget and

[5:29] millet rate millage rates from consent

[5:31] to action. There it is.

[5:34] I'd like to move 7 C, which is the

[5:37] resolution of the tax anticipation note

[5:40] from consent to action, and 7J, approval

[5:44] of authorization for the superintendent

[5:46] to enter into negotiations for the sale

[5:48] of surplus real property

[5:51] from consent to action.

[5:55] >> Anyone else? Secretary, if we could

[5:57] please move item 9 A and B, those are

[6:00] the collective bargaining agreements to

[6:02] just prior to the public hearing so we

[6:04] can um sign and acknowledge those two

[6:07] agreements um with our associated

[6:10] unions.

[6:14] Um,

[6:16] >> okay. I'm not sure that we can move them

[6:18] before public hearing if we're going to

[6:20] vote on them until we take the vote

[6:21] after that

[6:23] >> because they have to be able to speak

[6:25] about those items that we're voting on.

[6:29] We can present them, but we can't um

[6:31] vote on them till after citizen input.

[6:35] >> Speak first. Okay.

[6:37] >> All right. Whatever. Do

[6:38] >> you want to move them to after citizen

[6:40] input?

[6:40] >> Yeah, that's fine.

[6:41] >> Okay.

[6:45] Anyone else?

[6:47] >> All right. I'm going to call for a

[6:48] motion to accept the adoption of the

[6:50] orders of the day as amended.

[6:52] >> So move.

[6:52] >> Second.

[6:56] » All those in favor say I.

[6:57] >> I.

[6:58] Anyone opposed?

[6:59] >> This is 5.

[7:01] >> Okay. We are to the superintendent

[7:03] report. Dr. Moore.

[7:04] >> Oh, mute my mic. Um, one of the items on

[7:07] consent is the contract with the

[7:10] sheriff's office. office and the sheriff

[7:12] is here. So, if I can just have a little

[7:14] point of privilege and allow him the

[7:15] opportunity to to speak so he can get

[7:17] back out and make sure we're protected.

[7:23] » Hey, good evening everybody. Thank you

[7:25] so much for uh making time for me

[7:26] tonight. Uh I just want to say thank you

[7:28] so much to you and the entire team.

[7:30] You've put uh some great folks in

[7:32] contact with us. They're on either side

[7:34] here as well as the teams that work with

[7:36] our school resource deputies every day.

[7:38] You know, I have a lot of relationships

[7:39] in the county and uh some of them get

[7:41] rocky, sometimes I rock the boat, but

[7:43] this relationship is one that is uh

[7:45] smooth sailing every single day. You

[7:47] know, you guys have put together an

[7:49] amazing team and um we're so thankful

[7:51] for that and it's really been our

[7:53] privilege to be able to be in every one

[7:54] of the schools to be there for our kids

[7:56] every single day and uh doing our best

[7:58] to protect them every single day. And

[8:00] that's that's the end goal. That's the

[8:01] mission is making sure that we have safe

[8:03] school days and that uh our kids go home

[8:05] to their parents every single day. Okay.

[8:06] So, I just want to say thanks. We

[8:08] appreciate you guys and uh I hope that

[8:10] we continue down this path for a long time that we can continue to have a

[8:14] great relationship. Any questions for

[8:16] me?

[8:17] >> I'd just like to say thank you for all

[8:18] you do and for your deputies and what

[8:20] they do to keep our kids safe.

[8:21] >> We have 44 school resource deputies now.

[8:23] It's one of the largest units uh at the

[8:25] entire sheriff's office every day. We've

[8:27] got so many folks on campuses. It's uh

[8:30] new challenges every day, but we we

[8:32] enjoy it.

[8:33] >> Thank you.

[8:33] Have a great night. Thank

[8:34] you.

[8:35] >> Thank you, Sheriff. Thank you, Sheriff.

[8:38] Even though he called me a short-termer

[8:39] the other day. Um, all right. So,

[8:42] superintendence re report uh will be

[8:44] relatively quick. As you can see here,

[8:47] summer we as we're closing and this is

[8:49] actually at the bus depot. It's not at

[8:51] night. That's at like 5:45 in the

[8:54] morning where we are greeting our bus

[8:56] drivers as they pulled out for the very first day. Uh, and you can tell how

[9:00] energized and awake we all look. Uh,

[9:03] this is the summer moonshot institute.

[9:05] That was the opportunity to go to VBE, a

[9:07] very specific professional development,

[9:09] uh, in their brand new media center.

[9:11] That's very interesting. Uh, those are

[9:14] fish that are in the space, but they or

[9:16] no, they're leaves. I'm sorry.

[9:19] >> So, it's like a tree, but it absorbs the

[9:21] sound. So, it's it's very very cool uh

[9:24] to be in that space. Uh, our week of

[9:26] blessing turned into weeks of blessing.

[9:29] So the first three weeks every Sunday me

[9:31] and my team had the opportunity to

[9:33] attend a different church whether it was

[9:35] Rosland Pathway Church uh Central

[9:37] Assembly uh just to ask our community to

[9:40] pray us into the school year and not to

[9:42] let that be a singular prayer but to be

[9:44] a daily prayer. As the sheriff was

[9:46] saying this work is hard and complex. Uh

[9:48] people always say like what how could

[9:50] you do that? you're the public school

[9:51] superintendent and the truth of the

[9:53] reality is um you know you can't

[9:57] separate a child from his or her faith

[9:59] and the reality is that they're sitting

[10:00] in those pews on Sunday they're sitting

[10:02] in our classrooms uh Monday through

[10:04] Friday so it is a partnership uh Dr.

[10:07] Began is here. She has done a

[10:09] outstanding job in building uh an army

[10:13] of pastors and rabbis uh in the

[10:15] faith-based community really to rally uh

[10:18] and make sure that we're all connecting

[10:20] and engaging as we move throughout our

[10:22] community. Uh this was Thrive. This was

[10:24] absolutely outstanding. Um Miss Baron

[10:28] Boore every year that she happens to be

[10:30] the chair throws a a little wrinkle into

[10:32] this and this year we did a danceoff.

[10:34] Um, but it was a it was a lot of fun.

[10:37] Uh, and it was a great just a great

[10:39] absolute uh vibe during that time. Uh,

[10:43] this is our opportunity for us to engage

[10:46] and connect with the folks here at the

[10:47] district office. These are our hidden

[10:49] heroes who do so much each and every

[10:52] single day uh to make sure our schools

[10:54] are up and operating. Uh, so to have the

[10:56] opportunity to celebrate them was

[10:58] wonderful. Uh, and this is the

[11:00] orientations. A lot of a lot of

[11:02] pictures, a lot of orientations. Uh

[11:04] orientations here are amazing. Uh

[11:07] attendance is in the 90s, meaning about

[11:10] 90% of the families attend orientation,

[11:13] which just makes that first day go so

[11:15] much smoother. Uh the first day of of

[11:18] school uh was an extremely busy day. Uh

[11:22] and it was a lot of it was a culminating

[11:25] of about 10 to 12 10 to 12 months of

[11:28] work as we did our innovation ed project

[11:30] shifting schools. We had two schools in

[11:32] which almost everybody in that campus

[11:34] was there for the first time. Uh we had

[11:37] Vero Beach Senior High School where 50%

[11:40] of the faculty and the students were

[11:41] there for the very very first time. Uh

[11:44] so we're so proud of of all of the work,

[11:46] all of the effort that went into pulling

[11:48] that off. Um this is the unveiling

[11:51] should the sheriff was here. Now

[11:53] Sebastian has its own wrapped uh police

[11:55] car. I think Mr. Cummings is on the

[11:57] other side of it, right, Mr. Cummings?

[11:59] Did you make it under the wrapper or no?

[12:01] Yeah, he missed a cut for summer. He

[12:02] missed a cut. Um, and then the Vero

[12:05] Beach High School Classic, and that was

[12:07] right there in the middle. That is Mr.

[12:08] Green. Uh, you're not seeing double.

[12:11] Those are his twin boys. Uh, and Julie,

[12:13] his wife, where he had the opportunity,

[12:15] uh, to flip the coin at that game and he

[12:17] called it right. Uh, so congratulations

[12:20] to Vero Beach as they kicked off their

[12:22] season uh, and a big win. And that is

[12:25] our presentation, Madam Chair.

[12:27] >> All right. Thank you, sir. Appreciate

[12:29] that. All right. Um,

[12:32] sorry, just trying to keep track of all

[12:34] the movement of the meetings here. So,

[12:38] it's time for our public input. Um,

[12:40] these are the procedures for public

[12:41] input. According to our schoolboard

[12:43] policy 0169.1

[12:45] during the regular business meetings of

[12:48] the board, the board offers the

[12:49] following two opportunities for public

[12:51] to speak, provide input. one on agenda

[12:54] item consent agenda or action agenda

[12:56] prior to the board taking official

[12:58] action on that proposition and two or

[13:02] two during the public input section for

[13:04] items not on the agenda. For those who

[13:07] are watching, please understand that

[13:08] though we have established proper

[13:09] decorum and expectations of

[13:12] professionalism when it comes to

[13:13] individuals who wish to provide public

[13:15] input, this is a live broadcast. Each

[13:18] individual speaker shall be allotted up

[13:20] to three minutes during public input and

[13:23] up to three minutes on any item on the

[13:24] consent agenda and or action agenda item

[13:27] as indicated on the order of business as

[13:29] it exists at the time of the meeting

[13:31] start. The time period may be adjusted

[13:34] by the presiding officer and individuals

[13:36] may only speak once about a given item.

[13:39] Individuals who have filled out the

[13:40] speaker's form are allowed to address

[13:42] the board. Individuals may not delegate

[13:44] their aotted time to speak to other

[13:46] individuals.

[13:47] If an item is moved from either the

[13:49] consent agenda or discussion agenda to

[13:52] the action agenda, individuals will have

[13:54] the opportunity to speak to the item

[13:56] prior to the vote of the board. During

[13:58] the meeting, please refrain from

[13:59] clapping or outbursts of any sort so

[14:01] that we can proceed with dignity and

[14:03] with the quorum by not infringing on any

[14:05] individual's first amendment rights in

[14:08] this limited public forum setting. As

[14:10] board members listen to individuals

[14:12] without interruption, individuals are

[14:14] asked to give board members the same

[14:16] respect.

[14:18] Board members may or may not address any

[14:20] individual statements at the end of all

[14:21] the public input comments. I'll be

[14:23] recognizing calling up individuals two

[14:25] at a time in the order in which the

[14:28] speaker forms were received. The first

[14:30] individual will be called to the podium

[14:32] to speak and the second individual will

[14:34] be in line to speak. The executive

[14:36] assistant to the school board will be

[14:37] the official timekeeper and the time

[14:39] shall start when the speaker is at the

[14:40] podium. As you will see the top the time

[14:43] clock is visible on the dis right here

[14:45] to the left. You will hear a beep at the

[14:48] end of your three minutes. If you have

[14:50] anything to give to board members or the

[14:51] superintendent, please do do that

[14:53] through our executive assistant, Mrs.

[14:55] Mo, who is seated on the end.

[14:58] All right, we have seven speakers. The

[15:01] first speaker is Brandon Taylor speaking

[15:04] to agenda item 5e. And second speaker is

[15:07] Jennifer Freeland.

[15:10] Mr. Taylor,

[15:14] » he's not here.

[15:16] Okay.

[15:19] Jennifer Freeland. John Crappy is on

[15:21] deck.

[15:26] Guess that means I had to walk faster.

[15:29] I said I guess that meant I had to walk

[15:30] faster.

[15:32] Good evening to the board. Dr. Min,

[15:33] cabinet. On tonight's agenda is the

[15:35] approval and signing of the 2026 27

[15:38] collaborative bargaining agreement,

[15:39] otherwise known as the teachers

[15:40] contract.

[15:42] [snorts]

[15:43] The proposed CBA was ratified last

[15:45] Friday 585 to 17 majority of classroom

[15:48] and non-classroom instructional. I

[15:50] wanted to thank everyone for their very

[15:52] hard work and the incredible amount of

[15:53] personal time they put into creating a

[15:55] solid and fair contract that will guide

[15:57] administrators to come. This document

[15:59] was crafted to ensure that as the team

[16:02] grows, changes, and moves on, the vision

[16:04] and path forward will always be clear.

[16:07] Over the past six years, teachers have

[16:09] received a gross pay increase every

[16:11] year. The district has increased

[16:12] contributions to health insurance

[16:14] premiums every year, except this one.

[16:17] um which has helped to recruit and

[16:20] retain professionals. This has

[16:21] strengthened the continuity of students

[16:23] academic progress.

[16:25] Together we have created dedicated time

[16:28] for administrators to meet with staff.

[16:29] We have increased our teachers time to

[16:30] plan with significantly less

[16:32] interruptions to the space needed to

[16:34] create structured and well- definfined

[16:36] student learning lessons leading to more

[16:39] classroom focused achievements. This has

[16:41] improved not only the lessons but the

[16:43] delivery and our students have thrived.

[16:45] These changes have created, in our

[16:46] opinion, better working conditions time

[16:48] and time again, which in turn goes back

[16:51] to the one and overreaching concern

[16:53] during negotiations. How is what we want

[16:55] implemented going to affect students

[16:57] learning environment? While the

[16:59] increasing cost of health insurance does

[17:00] continue to be a huge concern, I want to

[17:03] be very clear that it was with was

[17:05] solely with the hard work done by the

[17:06] health insurance advisory task force,

[17:09] IRCA, CWA, and SDIRC that the cost

[17:12] premiums were mitigated and not passed

[17:14] on to employees in April. Contrary to

[17:17] some beliefs that these fixes were not

[17:19] imagined, gleaned or constructed by any

[17:21] one individual, we will all continue to

[17:23] do this work despite the clear absence

[17:25] some beliefs have tried to make the

[17:26] narrative. I am truly proud of the work

[17:30] both IRCA and SDRC have done in

[17:32] negotiating as well as a great many

[17:34] cabinet members who continue whose

[17:36] continued input and assistance has made

[17:38] things better for all of us. I am also

[17:41] very thankful that six years ago myself

[17:43] and Dr. more decided that we here in

[17:45] Indian River County would do things

[17:47] radically, transformatively, and most

[17:49] assuredly different. We changed not just

[17:52] the way a union and a district work

[17:54] together, but we changed the culture

[17:56] completely. It is no longer us against

[17:58] them. While nothing is perfect, and

[18:00] there's still much work to be done, I

[18:02] believe that IRCA and SDRC will continue

[18:05] to make great improvements with a

[18:07] continued spirit of partnership. Thank

[18:09] you.

[18:10] >> Thank you. John Crappie is next. Johnny

[18:13] Hernandez is on deck.

[18:18] » All right. Good e good evening. I

[18:21] haven't done this in a while. I'm a

[18:22] little nervous.

[18:24] [laughter]

[18:25] Um I just wanted to come out. I had a

[18:28] some memories pop up in uh you know,

[18:31] social media and how those memories pop

[18:32] up and you know, it was like five years

[18:33] ago that we uh we went through a lot,

[18:35] you know, and so I wanted to come in and

[18:37] first of all congratulate Jackie for her

[18:40] re-election. You know, great job.

[18:42] you're, you know, a warrior and a

[18:44] warrior for the kids and we really

[18:45] appreciate you and that the community

[18:47] does as well. And then Dr. Pusca as

[18:50] well. Thank you for stepping in and

[18:51] doing what you've done this past four

[18:53] years. We appreciate you, you know,

[18:55] looking out for the kids as well. One

[18:57] thing I wanted to talk about, and I've

[18:58] always talked about it when I come here

[19:00] is about the mental health crisis that

[19:02] we're in. We're in a mental health

[19:03] crisis now. All because of what we

[19:06] endured over the last five years. I went

[19:08] through it personally myself with my own

[19:10] son, which wouldn't have thought that

[19:12] would have happened since I was kind of

[19:13] warning him about social isolation and

[19:15] wearing the mask and things of that

[19:17] nature. And I never thought I would have

[19:19] that happen. But eventually what happens

[19:21] is is we've had kids in our community

[19:23] that have a hard time coping. Coping

[19:25] skills are what's the problem. And

[19:26] that's what I learned with my son is he

[19:28] had a hard time coping with with

[19:30] adversity, you know, and social isolate

[19:32] and not wanting to talk to anybody

[19:33] because of the isolation that he went

[19:35] through. So it taught me a lesson. And

[19:37] so I just want to just remind you guys

[19:38] of that to keep that in mind moving

[19:40] forward that we are you know I'm sure

[19:41] you see it in the schools and and what

[19:44] the kids are going through. I mean I see

[19:45] it all the time the phones you know

[19:47] thank goodness the phone thing has got c

[19:49] cured a little bit but it's not you know

[19:51] it's not a complete cure. So we got to keep that in mind. You know Dr. Mark who inspired me to

[19:57] come out here and God rest his soul that

[19:59] you know he did say that he wasn't

[20:00] treating kids for CO he was treating

[20:02] them for a mental health crisis and

[20:04] things of that nature and he was and he and he and he warned people of

[20:06] that you know and I think that was his

[20:08] message and he told me about it as well

[20:10] but just keep that in mind you know I

[20:12] mean that's that's really the biggest

[20:13] thing that I've seen that we've had over

[20:15] the last five years is that and and it's

[20:18] part of my mission as well I mean I was

[20:19] forced into early retirement because of

[20:22] some of the things that we went through

[20:23] in this room and the things that that I

[20:24] went through personally

[20:26] But in all of that, it was a it was a

[20:28] light at the in the end of the tunnel. I

[20:30] started a company called IRC Media. I'm

[20:31] a founder and partner in IRC Media. So,

[20:33] we do podcast now. I'm a full-time

[20:35] podcaster. So, I do podcast. We do

[20:38] podcast called the board report. So, we

[20:40] do talk about all the other boards in

[20:41] the community. We inform people on what

[20:43] the meetings are about since I've been

[20:45] to a lot of them and we've been through

[20:47] that. So, we've done those things as

[20:48] well. So, just wanted to put that out

[20:50] there that IRC Media is available to any

[20:52] outlets. Anybody wants to come on any of

[20:54] the podcasts that we do, we are

[20:55] available to do that. And that's the

[20:56] reason why it started because of the

[20:58] communication that we need to develop in

[21:00] our community because, you know,

[21:02] community is important right right

[21:03] there, David. Yes,

[21:05] >> sir.

[21:05] >> Congratulations on your uh your future

[21:07] retirements. It's wonderful. You know, I

[21:09] didn't expect it to happen to me as

[21:11] quick as it did, but these last five

[21:12] years have been fantastic to be honest

[21:14] with you. So, so I appreciate everybody

[21:16] up here and and uh and and good luck to

[21:18] you.

[21:18] >> Thank you.

[21:19] >> Yep.

[21:19] >> Thank you.

[21:21] >> Johnny Hernandez is next and Jennifer

[21:23] Pippen is on deck.

[21:26] >> Good evening. Um so I just want to take

[21:28] this time since tonight's the day that

[21:29] we're going to sign our tenant of

[21:31] agreement for our CWA contract for our

[21:33] support staff. Just wanted to come thank

[21:35] everybody for, you know, the great team

[21:36] that we had. I want to thank Dr. Moore

[21:39] for his leadership that came in at the

[21:40] end of the contract to, you know, to get

[21:42] this done. uh Bruce Green, Beth

[21:44] Christopholei, and the team. I think

[21:45] they did a great job of representing the

[21:48] district and looking out for their

[21:50] employees. I also want to thank my team,

[21:52] Barry Deem, who's here with us, um Lori

[21:56] Taylor and Marcus Washington and our CWA

[21:58] staff, Manny Hartman. And I look forward

[22:01] to working with Dr. Dods and Mr.

[22:03] Cummings, you know, going forward to

[22:05] keep pushing, you know, the the vision

[22:08] that Dr. Moore has put out there that

[22:09] we're looking to get us into the future,

[22:11] elevate some of these titles,

[22:13] consolidate some of these titles so we

[22:15] could provide a better future for our,

[22:17] you know, our children and our students

[22:19] and the community. So, I look forward to

[22:21] working with them. And we got some work

[22:22] with healthcare obviously and I look

[22:24] forward to it. So, thank you all. Thank

[22:27] you. Jennifer Pippen is next. Thomas

[22:29] Kenny is on deck.

[22:34] » Good evening. I just wanted to give some

[22:37] congratulations out this evening. Um the

[22:39] beginning of school has started. Um this

[22:41] is my first time ever not having

[22:43] children in public school. My son

[22:45] graduated a year early. Um he's 17 years

[22:48] old from Sebastian River High School. My

[22:50] daughter's graduated. So I'm here as a

[22:52] taxpayer and not as a parent for the

[22:55] first time ever in this district. So

[22:57] again, um the feedback that I'm hearing

[22:58] from parents, grandparents, community

[23:00] members, everything's been absolutely

[23:01] wonderful. So kudos to everybody up

[23:03] there. um this gentleman here. Um thank

[23:06] you for graduating both of my children

[23:08] and I am so proud of you and um just

[23:12] blessed to have you be able to move up

[23:14] to the district office. So

[23:15] congratulations and thank you for

[23:16] everything. I know a lot of the kids and

[23:18] families are sad to not hear him um with

[23:21] the morning announcements and the calls

[23:23] home and um seeing that big beautiful

[23:25] smile over all over the campus, but um

[23:28] you're doing the great work here. So

[23:29] thank you very much to uh Chris

[23:30] Cummings. Um Jackie, congratulations on

[23:33] your election um third and final term.

[23:36] You have been a blessing to not only my

[23:39] family but everybody in the school

[23:40] district for the past u million years it

[23:43] seems like. I know John Croppy said you

[23:45] know co it was six years ago to me it

[23:47] seems like it was 20 years ago. Um but I

[23:50] just want to say thank you for

[23:51] everything again for from the bottom of

[23:53] my heart for my family and the

[23:55] community. Even if they opposed you or

[23:57] didn't agree with you, you still stood

[23:59] strong and thank you for all that. Dr.

[24:01] Pusca, same thing. Donating your salary,

[24:03] doing this for free. I know it's not

[24:05] easy. My first time running for

[24:06] election, I couldn't imagine doing it

[24:08] for free. So, you know, all the

[24:10] sacrifices that you do through your

[24:12] work, you know, for, you know, being

[24:14] away from your family. So, thank you

[24:15] very much. So, again, to everybody, I

[24:18] hope that this year continues well. I

[24:20] know that some people up on um the dis

[24:23] now um do not agree with every school

[24:25] board member and campaigned against some

[24:27] school board members but I hope that now

[24:29] that the u majority of the community has

[24:31] made their decision that you guys can

[24:33] work well together and do what's best by

[24:36] children because that's what we elected

[24:38] you to do. Thank you very much and have

[24:40] a wonderful evening. I hope everybody

[24:41] has a great school year. Thank you. Hey,

[24:43] thank you. Thomas Kenny is next and

[24:45] Zachary Wiggers is on deck. I'll get it one of

[24:52] these days.

[24:54] How you all doing?

[24:58] Dr. Moore, congratulations.

[25:02] When I heard today that three years is

[25:04] the average for your job and you did it

[25:06] seven, I was like, what did he sign up

[25:09] for? [laughter]

[25:11] and how did he endure for so long? But

[25:14] seriously, I think one of the things

[25:15] that you did is you set out to transform

[25:18] a school system and make it best by

[25:19] kids.

[25:20] >> And you did that. You did it with uh

[25:24] innovative ways. Um I want to say what

[25:28] Dr. Dyer uh David Dyer said earlier. you

[25:31] know, the next superintendent must

[25:33] understand the way of work around here

[25:35] because the way of work around here

[25:36] obviously has transformed this school

[25:39] system and it took a lot to do. It took

[25:42] a lot to get done. I've always known

[25:44] you, no matter what, to be someone who

[25:47] wants to teach kids first.

[25:49] I've seen you get emotional about it

[25:52] here publicly, privately, wherever. And

[25:55] for that's the way that's the staff you

[25:58] have, I believe, on a lot of levels. And

[26:00] that's the way it should be. The

[26:02] intentional the intentionality that you

[26:04] brought to this school system is

[26:06] something that may not be able to be

[26:08] replaced. So I just want to thank you.

[26:11] >> Okay.

[26:13] >> All right. And uh you want me to really

[26:15] make you blush now?

[26:16] >> No. [laughter]

[26:17] >> You always have other topics go to your

[26:19] >> Yeah. And you know, one of the things

[26:21] you did is you best as you could

[26:24] obviously you're a superintendent. You

[26:25] kept the politics out of it and so did

[26:28] your uh staff. That's not what I could

[26:30] say about the rest of some of the people

[26:31] I see up here

[26:33] because you know I want to say thank you

[26:37] to Dr. Rosario

[26:40] and congratulations for winning. It's a

[26:42] great race and um you are definitely a

[26:46] sign and um someone who understands

[26:51] the heartbeat of Indian River County

[26:55] and it translates all through this

[26:57] school system. We have a classical

[26:59] school system at your at your uh

[27:02] encouragement. We have a better bullying

[27:05] policy at your encouragement. We have

[27:06] cell phone policy at your encouragement.

[27:08] And I say that because of the parents

[27:10] that you represented.

[27:12] We have better clean libraries because

[27:15] of your encouragement.

[27:17] And that is very important. All this

[27:20] makes his job easier.

[27:22] And Jean, you're leaving. I wish you

[27:24] weren't. I understand why. But it's your

[27:27] type of vote that helps this job

[27:30] continue to be easier for a

[27:31] superintendent. Maybe that's why he's

[27:33] been here seven years.

[27:35] So with that, I'm really blessed to to

[27:38] help encourage that along the way. And I

[27:41] hope for sure, like Mr. Dyer said before

[27:45] this morning, that you find that person

[27:47] who can do this rate way of work with

[27:51] the spirit and intentionality that was

[27:53] brought by this man. Thank you.

[27:56] Okay, Zachary Wiggers.

[28:00] » Did I say it correctly that time?

[28:01] >> It's Wiggers, but it's okay. No worries.

[28:03] My kids don't get it right either, so

[28:04] it's I've only been doing this for a

[28:07] little bit. Um, my name is Zachary

[28:08] Wiggers. I am a teacher at Sebastian

[28:10] River High School, and I wanted to say

[28:11] that we only have 169 more days left.

[28:15] >> Exciting, right? Um, my kids are

[28:17] counting, too. Um, but I would like to

[28:19] say that this year has um has had its

[28:21] bumps. There's been a lot of changes.

[28:23] There's been some there's been some

[28:25] bright spots, some unforced errors. I

[28:26] think we've working it out as we go. Uh

[28:29] it is not, as I tell my friends, we're

[28:31] not putting together an airplane while

[28:33] in the air. So, that's a plus. Um, and I

[28:35] think the major thing to take out of

[28:37] that is that with the new collective

[28:39] bargaining agreement that we're about to

[28:40] sign, it is something that is worth

[28:42] noting that it gives us the ability to

[28:45] not only have stability, but it offers a

[28:48] way to make sure that there are no

[28:50] obstructions or roadblocks along the way

[28:53] as we all move in and out of these

[28:54] positions because none of us are here

[28:56] forever. And um, the good thing is is

[28:58] that our words can be. So, I hope that

[29:01] we take a moment to if you haven't read

[29:03] the collective baring agreement as a

[29:04] teacher, if you're watching this, please

[29:06] do. It is very important to know what we contribute to your workday and

[29:11] how your workday is shaped by that

[29:14] collective bargaining agreement and the

[29:15] personal time outside of negotiations

[29:18] that we put into this. Um, I would like

[29:22] to remind everybody that the the the

[29:25] union has only two paid positions and

[29:28] one of them is a secretary. [laughter]

[29:30] So, all of your executive board members

[29:32] and the people your your representatives

[29:34] at your schools, your sight, your site

[29:37] um reps, they do this because we like

[29:40] better working conditions and we want to

[29:42] contribute positively to those around

[29:44] us. Even if you are not a member, we

[29:46] still actively work to make your life

[29:48] better and we hope that you do become a

[29:50] member one day. So with that, thank you

[29:53] and uh 168 more days tomorrow.

[29:57] >> All right, thank you all. Is Brandon

[29:58] Taylor here? Want to give him an

[30:01] opportunity? No. All right, we are um

[30:05] all through our public input. Um doc Dr.

[30:08] Moore, go ahead.

[30:08] >> So we um just as a reminder, Madam

[30:10] Chair, we will present the the

[30:12] contracts. So we will begin.

[30:16] This is item just for the action item 9A

[30:21] and we're starting with the IRCA

[30:23] contract. I'll ask Mr. Cummings to if

[30:27] it's okay present each contract. We'll

[30:29] sign one at a time. Um an overview and

[30:32] just to set up the conversation as as it

[30:34] was referenced. Uh we do impact

[30:36] bargaining in Indian River County which

[30:38] is not an us for them us versus them

[30:41] mentality. And to be honest with you, it

[30:43] takes uh a significantly longer amount

[30:46] of time.

[30:48] >> Um the discourse, the conversations are

[30:50] extremely passionate. Um

[30:54] it it's kind of sitting around the

[30:55] family table talking about where we need

[30:57] to shift and modify and make changes. Um

[31:01] but as Miss Freedom was saying, um this

[31:05] will be in my mind one of the legacy

[31:07] things. Um, and I hope not that I'm

[31:10] going anywhere and it's and I hope I

[31:11] don't have to have these kinds of like

[31:13] feedback for the next 10 months or 11

[31:15] months. Um,

[31:18] it is so powerful to put people in into

[31:20] one room uh and put titles aside and say

[31:23] what's just absolutely best and let's

[31:25] spend a found the foundational times

[31:27] when we're talking about finances, we're

[31:29] talking about health insurance. Um, it is absolute

[31:34] um trust. And I say it's trust. It's

[31:37] because of the questioning. It's because

[31:39] of just come to my office. The amount of

[31:41] time that Zach spends in what will be

[31:44] Dr. Dods. I hope you like him. Uh you're

[31:46] kind of stuck with him. Um

[31:49] it's just the way work should be done.

[31:51] Uh and I do think we have a lot that we

[31:53] should be proud of. Yes, there's

[31:55] opportunities to improve on a number of

[31:57] things. Um but that relationship uh that

[32:00] style of negotiation is is just

[32:03] something I'm very very proud of. So

[32:04] with that, Mr. Cummings, if you would

[32:05] set it up and Jen, if you can come up as

[32:07] he's talking and madam chair, if you can

[32:09] go down, we'll sign.

[32:12] >> So through the chair, good evening to

[32:14] everyone. Uh before uh signing these

[32:17] collective bargaining agreements, I do

[32:19] want to acknowledge again, and I think

[32:21] it's been said very well by Dr. more and

[32:23] by both union presidents, the uh

[32:25] collective work that's been done um by

[32:28] all bargaining members uh and their

[32:31] teams, even the district's team uh

[32:33] putting in the countless hours. As you

[32:35] can imagine, when you look through the

[32:36] contracts and and understand that some

[32:38] of the conversation is centered around

[32:40] salary and health insurance. Um these

[32:44] were not easy topics to h have a

[32:46] discussion about. They really impact the

[32:48] day-to-day lives of all of our all of

[32:50] our staff members. Um but even with that

[32:53] being able to uh come out with some real

[32:57] uh change. I see IRCA is here first. Um

[33:01] but strengthening language around

[33:02] planning and really honoring that time

[33:04] that our teachers need to ensure that

[33:06] they're putting together the the proper

[33:08] lessons for our students um is is

[33:11] beneficial around preps and workday

[33:13] travel, things that a lot of people may

[33:15] not even uh think about that really

[33:18] impact our teachers. So, um, again,

[33:20] kudos to the the bargaining team, um,

[33:23] and to IRCA. So, we're very grateful to

[33:26] continue to partner with them, and I am

[33:30] honored to be able to sign this contract

[33:32] along with them.

[33:34] >> You are now on the negotiating team as

[33:36] well.

[33:38] >> My name is

[33:51] 26.

[33:52] >> Oh, I did not been doing that all day.

[33:57] >> There you go.

[34:31] Well, let's be consistent because that's

[34:32] probably drags better.

[34:40] » Hurricane Andrew reunion.

[34:46] the board to stand up.

[35:01] » Smile.

[35:04] >> Can I center you the four of you in the

[35:06] front? Will you come in front of

[35:11] [laughter]

[35:12] >> together?

[35:19] Thank you. Thank you.

[35:27] Also uh with our CWA, we were able again

[35:32] through all of the salary and and

[35:33] insurance uh conversations still able to

[35:37] come to uh collective agreements around

[35:40] seniority, how we um you know manage

[35:42] through our employees um giving them

[35:45] overtime pay, making sure that it's fair

[35:47] and equitable for for all employees.

[35:50] uh throughout the entire

[35:52] system. So uh we we're very grateful

[35:54] from Mr. Hernandez and his team and I'm

[35:57] honored again to sign

[36:09] August.

[36:46] Okay, that's not my name.

[36:55] » All right, let's go.

[37:07] You guys in the front [clears throat]

[37:09] tow that way. [laughter]

[37:15] » Thank you. Thank you. [snorts]

[37:19] [applause]

[37:38] Okay. And that was ceremonial. We still

[37:40] have to vote on it. Um, consent agenda

[37:43] time. I would like to call for a motion

[37:44] to approve the consent agenda items as

[37:46] amended.

[37:47] >> So move.

[37:48] >> Second.

[37:49] >> Dr. Jones, Mr. Dyer. Any discussion?

[37:53] All those in favor say I.

[37:55] >> I. Anyone opposed? Passes 5. Okay. We

[37:59] have a few items that were pulled from

[38:01] consent to action. Uh Dr. Moore 9A.

[38:04] >> Can we just approve the those two action

[38:06] items real quick?

[38:07] >> Yep. So, I'm going to ask for approval

[38:10] of item

[38:12] Hold on.

[38:13] >> Make sure I'm calling these right

[38:14] because I have to say them.

[38:18] Read them into the record. Hold on.

[38:22] Okay. 9A is approval of the 2026 20227

[38:26] collective bargaining agreement between

[38:28] the school board and Indian River County

[38:30] Education Association IRCA.

[38:34] School district and representatives from

[38:35] the bargaining teams reached an

[38:37] agreement on a one-year contract for the

[38:39] 2026 2027 school year pending

[38:42] ratification and board approval. Uh Dr.

[38:45] Moore, um are there any speakers on

[38:48] this?

[38:49] >> Not at this time.

[38:50] >> Okay.

[38:51] Any discussion board members?

[38:54] >> Mboard. Yes. Just a a shout out. Thank

[38:57] you also to Miss Chris Foley and Mr.

[38:59] Bruce Green. I attended a couple of the

[39:01] high-tech meetings. Obviously, health

[39:02] insurance was an issue this year, but I

[39:05] know they're not here, but thanking them

[39:06] for their work.

[39:07] >> Thank you for the whole team.

[39:09] >> All right. Call for a motion.

[39:11] >> So, move.

[39:13] >> Okay.

[39:17] All those in favor say I.

[39:19] >> I. Anyone opposed? Okay. 9B, the

[39:23] approval of 2026 2022 collective

[39:26] bargaining agreement between the school

[39:28] board and the Communication Workers of

[39:29] America, CWA School District and

[39:32] representatives from the CWA local 31000

[39:36] bargaining teams reached an agreement on

[39:38] a one-year contract for the 2026 2022

[39:42] school year pending ratification and

[39:44] board approval. Uh Dr. Moore, any

[39:47] speakers?

[39:47] >> Not at this time.

[39:48] >> Okay. Any discussion board members?

[39:52] >> Like to just say thank you for everyone

[39:53] negotiating. I know that is a lot of

[39:55] time. Um call for a motion.

[39:57] >> So move second

[39:59] >> and a second by Dr. Pusca. Thank you.

[40:02] All those in favor say I.

[40:03] >> I.

[40:03] Anyone opposed that passes 5. All

[40:07] right. Back to item.

[40:10] >> If we can do 7 C. I first we just have a group of individuals here for the tan

[40:15] who actually live in Hillsboro.

[40:17] >> Okay. Um, Dr. Rosario pulled 7C.

[40:22] >> So, I'll turn it over to Dr. Dons if

[40:23] you'd like to present the item.

[40:25] >> Yes,

[40:26] >> sure.

[40:30] » Yes. The the TAN is an annual um event

[40:35] uh of late and it's something that

[40:37] happens throughout uh the state. Uh the

[40:40] TAN is a tax anticipation note to make

[40:43] sure that we have the cash flow in order

[40:44] to um continue running the district um

[40:47] until November. Um this year we will be

[40:51] asking for $19 million.

[40:55] Um and we the plan currently is to

[40:58] return that by December the 18th once

[41:00] the cash flow picks back up when tax

[41:03] money continues to flow again.

[41:08] Okay.

[41:10] Would you like to speak on the item?

[41:11] >> Um, I only pull the item because I know

[41:13] that it is not a routine item and it's

[41:16] something that we should vote on

[41:18] separately.

[41:21] >> Okay. So, we have item 7C. Hold on one

[41:25] second. Let me pull it up here. Uh,

[41:28] consent agenda item 7 C under financial

[41:31] and business services. It's a request

[41:34] for approval of the issuance of a tax

[41:36] anticipation note, which is a TAN

[41:40] series 2026 in an amount not to exceed

[41:43] $19 million to provide interim financing

[41:47] for the payment of operating expenses.

[41:51] Hold on, I lost my place because this is

[41:53] on here.

[41:57] It's going up and down. One second.

[42:00] Okay, got it.

[42:03] Um, approval of the relating financing

[42:05] documents, ratification of the

[42:07] superintendent's acceptance in the most

[42:08] favorable bid for the notes, subject to

[42:11] applicable restrictions, and the

[42:13] authorization for the superintendent and

[42:15] appropriate staff to take all necessary

[42:17] actions in connection with the issuance

[42:18] of the note.

[42:20] The issuance of the TAN is necessary to

[42:23] provide short-term financing to ensure

[42:25] the district can meet uh projected

[42:28] general fund cash flow deficits. Based

[42:30] on staff analysis, the district is

[42:32] projected to experience cash receipt def

[42:35] deficits of approximately 12 million

[42:37] during October of 2026. These temporary

[42:41] cash flow deficits are primary primarily

[42:44] attributed to the annual slowdown in

[42:47] cash receipts from the tax collector's

[42:48] office that typically occurs from July

[42:51] through mid November. The TAN proceeds

[42:54] with pro will provide the um ne

[42:57] necessary operating obligations during

[43:00] this period.

[43:02] >> Dr. Moore, anything else?

[43:03] >> That is it, ma'am.

[43:04] >> Okay.

[43:06] At this time, I'd like to call for a

[43:08] motion.

[43:09] >> So move.

[43:12] >> Okay. Dr. Jones,

[43:15] Mr. Dyer. Although any discussion, board

[43:17] members, all those in favor say I. I.

[43:20] >> I. Anyone opposed? It passes. 5-0. Thank

[43:23] you. All right, we're going back to item

[43:26] 5C.

[43:30] Dr. Rosario, you pulled this one.

[43:32] >> Same thing. Um, I pulled this item

[43:34] because it is not routine. Um, it is the

[43:37] tentative budget and mil millage rates

[43:40] public hearing. Oh, I'm sorry. I pulled

[43:42] the wrong one. I I didn't mean to pull

[43:44] the minutes.

[43:47] I don't know why I pulled that. So, I

[43:49] apologize for that one. Um 7J, the

[43:52] approval of authorization for the

[43:55] superintendent to enter into

[43:57] negotiations.

[43:58] >> Okay, we still have to vote on 5C

[44:00] because you pulled it.

[44:00] >> I didn't mean to pull the minutes.

[44:02] >> So, I apologize.

[44:04] >> Anyone have any discussion on 5C?

[44:07] >> Okay. It's the um approval of the 2026

[44:14] 2027 tenative budget and mill rates

[44:16] public hearing minutes.

[44:18] >> All right.

[44:18] >> Pulled the wrong one. Sorry. Anyone um

[44:21] any discussion?

[44:23] >> Could I have a motion to approve?

[44:24] >> So move.

[44:25] >> Okay, we'll give it to Dr. Pasca this

[44:28] time. Dr. Jones. All those in favor say

[44:31] I.

[44:32] >> I.

[44:32] Anyone opposed to the minutes? Okay.

[44:35] Thank you. On to 7J.

[44:39] >> Same thing. Um that's um not routine.

[44:43] And so I I believe that we um ought to

[44:46] discuss if anything and then vote during

[44:49] action for the superintendent to enter

[44:51] into negotiations of a sale of the

[44:52] surplus real property.

[44:54] >> Okay. Dr. Moore, turn this over to you.

[44:56] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Dons will

[44:58] present the item as you did this

[44:59] morning.

[45:00] >> Yes. To the chair. Uh the district is

[45:02] requesting authorization of the

[45:03] superintendent to enter in negotiations

[45:05] for the sale of surplus real property

[45:07] located at 14261 19th Street. um to

[45:11] approve the attached resol resolution

[45:13] declaring the property located at 142619

[45:16] street uh Bureau Beach and identified by

[45:19] the following parcel identification.

[45:21] There are four parcels there but is

[45:23] being sold as one property um and this

[45:26] is simply for the um opportunity of the

[45:29] superintendent to enter into

[45:30] negotiations with prospective buyers.

[45:34] Um, in order for the sale of the

[45:36] property to be completed, it would

[45:39] require him returning to the board with

[45:41] recommendation for sale.

[45:44] Okay. So, we have an approval for

[45:45] authorization for the superintendent to

[45:47] enter into negotiations for the sale of

[45:49] surplus real property located at

[45:51] 142619th

[45:53] Street, Vero Beach, Florida. Any

[45:54] discussion, board members?

[45:57] >> All those in uh can I get a motion?

[46:00] >> So, move second.

[46:02] >> Okay. Jones and Rosario.

[46:05] All those in favor say I.

[46:07] >> I.

[46:07] Anyone opposed? Passes 5-0.

[46:11] All right.

[46:14] Now we are to our action agenda items

[46:17] that haven't already been voted on. Oh,

[46:21] we're good. All right. We're to the

[46:23] discussion and we have no discussion

[46:25] item, I believe. So, we're on to school

[46:28] board member matters. Does anybody like

[46:30] to do a report first?

[46:34] Okay.

[46:36] Thank you to all who spoke tonight. I

[46:38] appreciate you taking the time to come

[46:39] out and speak with us. Um, a very

[46:42] special welcome to Dr. Dods on your

[46:44] first official meeting by yourself. Very

[46:46] grat glad that you are here. Um, as we

[46:49] looked and talked about succession

[46:51] management with our superintendent, we

[46:53] did that with Dr. Dods and Bruce Green

[46:55] and it was a wonderful way to do things

[46:57] and uh hope that we could continue to

[46:59] model that because it helps the person.

[47:02] Um part of back to school supplies from

[47:05] many organizations. I want to thank the

[47:07] community. The ones that I took part in

[47:09] were uh with GYAC Felsmere and then the

[47:11] sheriff department were giving donations

[47:14] and um there were so many supplies that

[47:16] went to schools to parents and students

[47:19] who needed these extra supplies. So, I

[47:21] thank you and I always always want to

[47:23] thank all of our teachers as we begin

[47:25] this school year. You know, the teaching

[47:27] and learning is happening. I've been to

[47:29] all schools and just thank you for all

[47:31] the dedication that you do and I'm I'm

[47:33] so very proud of both of these contracts

[47:36] being ratified. I know that's a lot of

[47:38] work um from both members, all sides,

[47:41] and um it just shows that we do have a

[47:43] school district that will work together.

[47:46] Um as far as by um meetings during the

[47:49] summer executive roundt um discussion on

[47:51] property tax and how it would affect our

[47:53] community economic development council

[47:55] tomorrow we're looking at um building

[47:57] permits um the thrive get together at

[48:02] Vero Beach High School. I always believe

[48:04] they are great but Dr. Moore that was

[48:06] your best speech ever and uh very proud

[48:08] of you. Um,

[48:11] please parents

[48:12] >> the first person actually gave one I

[48:14] think.

[48:15] >> I [laughter] don't know. Maybe that's

[48:16] it. Uh, look at please parents please

[48:20] continue to look at your school sites. A

[48:22] lot of open house dates coming up. Look

[48:24] at our social media. I look at it every

[48:26] day. I love the changes that we have so

[48:27] the parents can keep up with everything.

[48:29] If you have a concern, call the school.

[48:31] You know, the principal may be the one

[48:33] to answer or they can give it to

[48:34] somebody else who may know the answer.

[48:36] So, we always want to try to help. If

[48:37] there's a problem, create a solution.

[48:40] Um,

[48:42] very happy to announce that Paty's house

[48:44] at Citrus is finished. Um, and I'm going

[48:49] to give the pictures to Dr. Shafty to

[48:51] share. My husband built the new pig

[48:52] house for Paty in the new egg department

[48:55] at Citrus. and we talked about that

[48:58] today. But this program, especially when

[49:01] I asked the teacher about the standards

[49:03] and so forth, and she said the one that

[49:04] she thought was the most important was

[49:06] the empathy with the animals and they

[49:07] have pigs, ducks, and um

[49:10] >> chickens.

[49:11] And it was really I was at a

[49:13] meeting once with two of the county

[49:14] commissioners and they were talking to

[49:16] me and said, "Okay, now doc, make sure

[49:17] that those fences are really good at the

[49:20] end so nobody can get in those fences at

[49:22] night." So I said, "Okay, we got it.

[49:23] We're working on that." But thank you.

[49:26] And I guess the last thing I want to

[49:27] say, I did hit every school the first

[49:28] week of school. Every school. And I want

[49:32] to say thank you because there was

[49:33] teaching and learning learning going on

[49:35] the first week and I know the second

[49:36] week was dedicated to testing. But I

[49:38] want to do a really big thank you to the

[49:40] following schools. The transition that

[49:43] we had this year, and I've said it, I've

[49:45] been here over 45 years. What is was the

[49:47] hardest one as far as combining. We had

[49:50] a ninth and tth grade class had never

[49:52] been on Bureau Beach High School campus

[49:53] before. big big change. As as you know,

[49:57] Rosewood moved to Storm Grove. As you

[49:59] know, Oyola moved to Oslo. Oslo moved to

[50:03] Vero Beach Middle, but from day one, I

[50:06] saw the White Glove and the Mr. Small

[50:08] move at these schools so we could get it

[50:10] finished. And thank you to all the

[50:12] teachers. Um, my husband and I helped

[50:14] with locker painting and moving band

[50:16] instruments. It was a hard summer for

[50:18] those schools. I'm just going to tell

[50:20] you right now, these teachers and

[50:21] administrators, support staff, parents,

[50:23] PTAs, they really really supported us in

[50:26] this change. So, um, any kind of change

[50:29] is is, uh, challenging at first, but

[50:31] again, thank you to all of our schools,

[50:33] especially those who made a good change.

[50:35] And thank you to all of us, all of the

[50:37] people in the community who are involved

[50:40] on a regular basis. We appreciate your

[50:42] support.

[50:43] >> Okay.

[50:45] Dr. Rosario. Um so I I attended my

[50:50] um uh value adjustment board meeting and

[50:53] it was the last one of the year. So that

[50:55] was um uh pretty interesting. Um Mr. Joe

[51:00] Fletcher is was the chair and of course

[51:03] that was his last meeting um of the

[51:05] year. So uh it was nice to give him a

[51:08] sendoff for that meeting. Um, school

[51:11] visits were incredible. Of course, you

[51:14] know, again, there were some hiccups

[51:15] along the way, but um I'm sure that we

[51:19] um have already uh fixed all of those

[51:22] hiccups. And so, moving forward, um we

[51:25] are looking for uh really an exciting

[51:28] school year for all of our students and

[51:31] our teachers and staff and everyone

[51:33] else. Um so, I'm excited about that. Um

[51:36] Dr. Moore's retirement this afternoon.

[51:39] For those who did not pay attention or

[51:41] didn't have a chance to listen, I

[51:43] encourage you all to uh watch our

[51:46] workshop. It will give you a little bit

[51:48] of an idea of how the board is going to

[51:50] move forward. Um at our next workshop,

[51:52] we'll start having those discussions.

[51:54] So, Dr. Moore, thank you so much for

[51:56] giving us

[51:58] pretty much an entire school year to

[52:00] begin that process. And I know that many

[52:02] of us are going to be sad that you uh

[52:04] will not be here anymore. uh that you

[52:07] are planning to retire. So, we thank you

[52:09] for that. Um thank you to the voters of

[52:13] course for their vote of confidence in

[52:15] my work and my role as a school board

[52:18] member. Um, so I am uh extremely proud

[52:22] of um the work that we have been able to

[52:24] accomplish here um as a board and I'm

[52:27] just excited that we get that I get

[52:30] another four years in this role and I'm

[52:33] grateful to the residents and the voters

[52:35] who voted me in. So I just wanted to say

[52:37] thank you to all of you who are

[52:39] listening, who are watching and um I'm

[52:42] grateful.

[52:44] Mr.

[52:44] >> Yeah, I was just going to add a little

[52:46] bit of what I said at the workshop today

[52:48] that uh most of you didn't didn't hear.

[52:51] And that is first is to thank Dr. Moore

[52:55] for what he has done for this district.

[52:56] A real change agent that came in at a

[52:59] very tough time

[53:01] and did a terrific job and and I think

[53:04] that uh you know as we look forward we

[53:08] can thank him for what he's brought to

[53:10] us. I mean, he's brought from 38th to

[53:13] fifth in terms of school districts in

[53:16] the state of Florida. Should have been a

[53:17] little higher. Somebody small district

[53:20] slipped in in front of us.

[53:21] >> Glades.

[53:21] >> But, uh, next, next year or this year,

[53:23] we'll get them.

[53:25] >> Uh, we've brought, you know, one of the

[53:27] biggest things I got involved in

[53:28] education over the literacy issue. As

[53:31] you know, in our country right now, the

[53:33] last NAPE score is where only 31%

[53:36] of kids in the United States can read at

[53:38] grade level in third grade. That's down

[53:40] from 35% precoid. So you can see the

[53:43] toll that that's taken. We do better

[53:45] than that in Florida. We're in the what

[53:48] was it? 53 or 57 this last year in the

[53:51] state of Florida. 5 53%

[53:55] >> literacy in third third grade literacy

[53:57] read reading at grade level in third

[53:58] grade either 53.

[54:00] >> Fourth grade test, isn't it?

[54:01] >> What's that?

[54:01] >> It's a fourth grade test, isn't it?

[54:03] Nate. Nate. He's talking.

[54:04] >> Oh, Nate. Oh.

[54:05] >> Oh, Nate. Yeah. Well, the the NA the

[54:07] NAPE Florida was was ranked in the in

[54:10] the 50s. Indian River District School

[54:12] District was at 71 765%

[54:17] last year, up from 52% four or five

[54:21] years ago. And we had four schools that

[54:24] achieved 90% literacy, which has been

[54:27] the ENCAM uh school goal for many, many

[54:30] years. And we have four other schools

[54:31] that were on the bubble that next year

[54:34] we're going to have perhaps eight

[54:35] elementary schools or maybe a few more

[54:37] that are going to achieve 90% literacy,

[54:40] which is just a fantastic fantastic job.

[54:44] And I think he did it in a lot of

[54:46] different ways through through

[54:47] leadership. But I think the leadership

[54:49] that really mattered was he brought

[54:51] datadriven accountability to everyone

[54:54] and to the district to himself

[54:57] to the leadership that we're we're

[54:59] seeing uh here tonight to the teachers

[55:03] to the principles and the discipline and

[55:06] holding people accountable for results.

[55:08] And I think that people embrace the way

[55:10] of work and it has really been as as as

[55:14] Dr. Moore has said it's always to be

[55:16] best by kids and I think that we have

[55:18] done that and and that is one of the

[55:23] things that I think is most difficult in

[55:25] a transition. It is very important that

[55:28] we find someone that is that respects

[55:31] the culture and the way of work that has

[55:33] been developed here in Indian River

[55:35] County. It is unique. It is it has

[55:40] produced results and I think it's very

[55:43] important as we go forward to keep that

[55:45] way of work going. It's easy to slip by.

[55:48] He said in the meeting today I thought

[55:49] he was the second highest tenure of any

[55:52] superintendent in the state of Florida.

[55:54] If you can imagine after seven years of

[55:56] service

[55:57] having more tenure than everybody. He

[55:59] said at the end of the year he will be

[56:01] number one the most tenured

[56:02] superintendent in the state of Florida

[56:05] >> for seven years.

[56:06] >> They only work one more day. the

[56:07] superintendent at Lake to make that a

[56:09] reality. But

[56:10] >> right, [laughter]

[56:11] >> at the most tenure superintendent, the

[56:14] average is three, three and a half

[56:15] years. So what happens is you're always

[56:18] starting over again in a full in a

[56:20] school system. We've had the continuity

[56:22] and that's one, I think, one of the

[56:23] reasons of our success. So we need to

[56:26] pick wisely and we need to pick pick

[56:28] somebody that embraces the way of work

[56:31] and the culture that's been developed

[56:32] here be to be best by kids in Indian

[56:35] River County. But again, thank you for

[56:37] what you've done. Thank you for the your

[56:39] notice. It it's uh always very difficult

[56:43] when you react at the last minute and

[56:45] have to scramble. And now we can be

[56:47] seamless in our uh in our superintendent

[56:51] through the search and through uh what

[56:53] we're doing. And that will develop over

[56:55] the next few months. And thank you very

[56:57] much and thank you for the leadership of

[56:59] it. Uh Mr. Bernborg. So, um I didn't

[57:02] know we were giving him accolades eight

[57:04] months before he's leaving, [laughter]

[57:06] but um I just wanted to say thank you

[57:08] for giving us a lot of notice. I'll say

[57:10] that now and later on we'll get to the

[57:11] accolades when you know your day after

[57:14] the super. Oh, okay.

[57:16] >> Um so, first day um went as smooth as

[57:20] possible um with all the switches and

[57:22] changes. Um I spent a lot of time I was

[57:25] at every campus also before school

[57:27] started and then during the first week

[57:29] of school um Vera Beach High School and

[57:32] Citrus um I was directing traffic and

[57:35] the um and watching it. I think doing it

[57:38] and getting in there and doing it with

[57:41] the staff you learn kind of what works

[57:43] and what doesn't and where the hiccups

[57:45] are and what to avoid next year.

[57:48] >> Well, [laughter] we switched the entire

[57:50] thing on day two. Yeah.

[57:52] That's why I was out there going, "No,

[57:54] this way instead of that way." Um,

[57:56] Thrive was awesome. Um, I get to rile

[57:58] them up and you get to tell them all the

[58:00] facts. So, it was fun. Um,

[58:03] zoning and planning, I I sit on zoning

[58:05] and planning and we really haven't had

[58:07] much going on as far as building, which

[58:10] is nice. Um, and our meeting this week

[58:13] got cancelled, so it's even, uh, kind of

[58:16] slowed down a little bit. It looks like

[58:18] orientations were great. and um a lot of

[58:21] parents out there. I I attended Vero

[58:23] Beach Middle School's orientation, Oyas,

[58:26] and it was hot that day, but um there

[58:30] were so many people there and I think

[58:33] they went relatively well for all the

[58:35] different new campuses that we had. And

[58:37] I say new campuses as in they were new

[58:39] to a lot of people. Um I went to the

[58:42] Indian River Chamber of Commerce

[58:44] breakfast the other day and uh it's

[58:46] enlightening. there's uh different

[58:48] people that are members of the chamber

[58:50] representing their companies or schools

[58:52] and it would be nice if we had um

[58:54] membership. I know we have membership

[58:55] there if we had um somebody there to

[58:58] represent us at um that chamber. I

[59:00] believe we're are members of all the

[59:02] chambers except for Sebastian, right?

[59:04] >> Oh, good. Okay. So, Sebastian as well.

[59:07] Um, football kickoff was great and um, I

[59:10] didn't get to go to this last Friday

[59:12] because I had a birthday in the family,

[59:13] but I heard we got poured on. Um, and

[59:17] yeah, there was a little because of the

[59:19] delay, there was some confusion about

[59:21] opening the gates or whatever. So, we're

[59:23] going to do a better job with that. So,

[59:25] rough to rough start to smooth

[59:27] immediately, which is nice. Usually, it

[59:29] takes two to three weeks to train all

[59:31] the parents the right direction to go.

[59:33] Um, but they seem to get it after day

[59:35] three or four, even after we switched

[59:38] around on them. So, that was great. Um,

[59:42] it was nice over the summer to see so

[59:44] many not only faculty and staff, and I I

[59:46] know I went too and painted lockers and

[59:49] all that stuff, but it was nice to see

[59:50] the families out there beautifying their

[59:52] new campuses. I saw that at Oyola. I saw

[59:55] that at Citrus. Um, I saw that even um

[59:59] at Pelican. There were some people out

[1:00:00] there. So, it's nice to see that the

[1:00:03] families are involved in caring about

[1:00:05] their schools. So, we're very lucky in

[1:00:06] that concern. All right. Anything else

[1:00:10] for our superintendent matters?

[1:00:12] >> Uh, yes, madam. Just um I want to keep

[1:00:15] the main thing the main thing. Hearing

[1:00:16] the the acknowledgements and and and the

[1:00:18] praise is that comes to me is a

[1:00:22] reflection of the team that that stands

[1:00:23] in and well, they're sitting right

[1:00:25] there. Um,

[1:00:29] this is my home. This is where I I live.

[1:00:31] We're not going anywhere. Um I want to

[1:00:34] thank all of the board members who are

[1:00:35] sitting here. Your individual responses

[1:00:38] uh so warm and so just caring for me as a person. Um

[1:00:45] it is it is absolutely nerve-wracking to

[1:00:46] wake up and go to school or work for 32

[1:00:49] straight years. Um,

[1:00:52] but when you have that that burden

[1:00:54] that's been placed on your heart to go

[1:00:56] in and and chase impact and help uh

[1:00:59] other people, what that looks like, I

[1:01:01] have no clue. That's a little

[1:01:02] nerve-wracking thing. Um, but so many

[1:01:05] folks have come here uh to to learn what

[1:01:08] we were doing. So to have an opportunity

[1:01:10] to figure out h how to go and help

[1:01:12] others to be like us um is exciting. And

[1:01:16] let me be clear, I have no intentions of

[1:01:18] figuring that out until this job is

[1:01:21] done. Um, and I say that um because the

[1:01:25] job isn't done. There is work yet yet to

[1:01:29] be done. So, we will not ease into

[1:01:32] retirement. Uh, matter of fact, it'll be

[1:01:35] exactly the opposite. Uh, where we're

[1:01:37] going to run hard and fast. the the most

[1:01:39] important paragraphs in that thing is um

[1:01:44] let's go and get all A's. Yes, they've

[1:01:46] all the schools have been A's. Uh just

[1:01:49] not in the same year. Let's do it in the

[1:01:50] same year. Uh had the opportunity to go

[1:01:53] and and meet the new commissioner. um

[1:01:56] the executive board of FADS and so

[1:01:59] reassured by the way in which he

[1:02:01] presents himself and how receptive he is

[1:02:04] uh to working with with superintendants

[1:02:06] and and supporting all families uh

[1:02:09] regardless of their choice for for

[1:02:10] educating um their their children. But

[1:02:13] there's a lot of conversation, oh the cut scores went up and it's going to

[1:02:17] be so hard. There's going to be half the

[1:02:18] number of A's. Like, yeah, deal with it.

[1:02:21] That's that's that's what it is. So,

[1:02:23] let's go. So I want to end by just

[1:02:25] simply sharing uh Dr. Mann just sent

[1:02:28] this information out and I'll send it to

[1:02:29] the board. PM1 results are are in um and

[1:02:33] that helps us drive and define the plan

[1:02:36] moving forward. So uh now that we have

[1:02:38] this work and you look at ELA language

[1:02:41] arts 3 through 10, we have gone um in

[1:02:44] the elementary we're sitting two

[1:02:46] percentage points higher than we were

[1:02:47] the same time last year. And then you

[1:02:49] look at the state, they actually went

[1:02:51] down two percentage points. So a 4%

[1:02:54] swing for our elementary schools. In our

[1:02:56] middle schools, we actually have gone

[1:02:58] from 38 to 45 to 49 PM1. So we're

[1:03:02] starting with 49% of our uh students

[1:03:05] proficient where last year it was 45,

[1:03:06] the year before 38. Uh a 4 percentage

[1:03:10] improvement where the state is only 2

[1:03:11] percentage uh improvement. You're

[1:03:13] looking at our high schools. Uh our high

[1:03:15] schools um gone from 33 to 35 to 38.

[1:03:21] Uh so once again another drastic in

[1:03:23] improvement and as a system as a whole

[1:03:26] uh 37 um to to 41 um once again drastic improvement when you look at

[1:03:33] third grade which uh we all know is

[1:03:36] extremely important to us. The goal is

[1:03:38] to have just not four schools at 90. Uh

[1:03:41] I'm thinking eight. Uh and now I may

[1:03:44] make it nine. Um because last two years

[1:03:47] ago we were 22% in third grade at

[1:03:50] proficient on the third day of school.

[1:03:53] Uh last year we actually started 2%

[1:03:55] below that. We started at 20 and still

[1:03:58] got to 76 and this year we're starting

[1:04:01] three percentage points higher than that

[1:04:03] uh at 23 percentage points. Um so the I

[1:04:08] say that to put pressure on us. We're

[1:04:10] starting at a better place. Uh and if we

[1:04:12] continue to grow at the same rate that

[1:04:14] we grew last year, uh we'll be able to

[1:04:17] accomplish the goal. And when you look

[1:04:19] at third grade from a state's

[1:04:20] perspective, they're down four

[1:04:21] percentage points. Uh so what's

[1:04:23] happening in Indian River County is

[1:04:25] significantly different. Uh the system

[1:04:28] is different. Uh what makes it different

[1:04:30] are is the commitment, the belief uh

[1:04:33] that the people who run this system

[1:04:35] actually have or are part of the system.

[1:04:37] Um I won't share math because I

[1:04:39] absolutely haven't even looked at it. Um

[1:04:41] so um a lot of work to to be done. Um

[1:04:45] just thankful that I get to do this work

[1:04:46] with with these people uh for this board

[1:04:48] and for this community. Thank you madam

[1:04:50] chair.

[1:04:51] >> Thank you sir. I'd like to thank

[1:04:52] everyone for viewing or coming out this

[1:04:54] evening to our meeting. And before we

[1:04:56] adjourn, please refrain from approaching

[1:04:57] the dis and begin making your way

[1:04:59] towards the exits. We appreciate your

[1:05:01] cooperation with this so that our SRO's

[1:05:03] can go home. Thank you all. It is 7:03.

School Board Business Meeting 6 p.m. 8/24/26

Transcript