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Minutes 05-15-03 MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, 208 SOUTH SEACREST BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2003, AT 6:00 P.M. Present Beverly Agee, Chairperson Lillian Artis .lean Cairo Irene Emmert Joan Pleasants Bhavisha Dhanak, Student Absent Phyllis Pacilli, Alternate Altagrace Medastin, Student Virginia Farace, Board Liaison 1:. Pledge of Allegiance The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. ]I. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. ]:TT. Minutes Approval -- March 6, 2003 After discussion, the minutes of March 6, 2003 were accepted as written. ]:V. Chair's Report 1) Election Nominations were opened for Chair for the 2003-2004 Board year. Ms. Cairo nominated Ms. Agee, after which the nominations were closed. The vote to elect Ms. Agee as Chair was unanimous. Nominations were opened for Vice Chair and Ms. Cairo was nominated, after which the nominations were dosed. The vote to elect Ms. Cairo as Vice Chair was unanimous. Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 15, 2003 2) School Budget Chair Agee stated that after nearly two years on the Education Advisory Board, she had learned that the Board had to be very careful about how expansive its mission could be. The Board did some good things the previous year in getting people to volunteer at the schools, but the Board's mandate, under the governing Ordinance, is to provide advice and guidance to the City Commission and to study issues for the City Commission. was not the Board's mission to go out and do the work itself and visit homeowners' associations to solicit volunteers, but to indicate to the City Commission and the citizens that volunteers were needed. The Board advised the citizens by putting up a sign on the City's marquee and by sending out press releases. Chair Agee believes that the Board should focus on two major projects this year: 1) Principal for a Day, and 2) the career academies at South Technical Community High School and how they are developed in the different high schools. Ms. Emmert inquired about the level of funding per child in this area. Chair Agee stated that there .was a concern with three elementary schools east of ]:-95: Rolling Green, Forest Park, and Galaxy. These schools always have more students from Iow-income families. Because of this, they are in more need of additional funds and support, even though the amount of funding per child is the same. Ms. Emmert inquired about the function of the City Commission with regard to the school budget and talking with our representatives at the State level. Chair Agee stated that the Commissioners do talk with the representatives at the State level and with the School District, as individuals, and in support of recommendations made to them by the EAB. Ms. Farace indicated that if the Board decided it wanted the City Commission to do something about the school budget, for example, it would send a recommendation to them and within that recommendation the Board would state what it was that the Board wanted them to do. Chair Agee believes that there are many things the EAB can do as individuals and as a collaborative entity, within its current mandate. She did not want the EAB to over-extend its resources and mandate in addressing the severe problems facing education today, but to act when it knows it can make a positive difference. Chair Agee outlined the requirements of Florida's Sunshine law for the benefit of the two new Board members and stated that while not very much could be done outside a meeting, all that was needed to call a meeting was to have it advertised or noticed. V. City Liaison's Report Ms. Farace discussed the vacancies on the Board and the actions that would be taken to fill them. Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 15, 2003 The Principal of Poinciana Elementary called Ms. Farace to let her know that one of her third grade classes had won at the State level an opportunity to compete in the prestigious national Odyssey of the Mind competition in Iowa and she was looking for financial assistance from the City for the trip to Iowa to compete. Ms. Farace sent a request to the City Manager for $2K but the City Commission will actually grant $4K for this purpose: $2K by Commissioner Weiland and $500 by each of the other Commissioners. The Board was very pleased with this action. Ms. Farace stated that Odyssey of the Mind was a creative problem-solving competition that is evaluated on the creativity of the presentation as well as the solution to a problem. Poinciana Elementary is the only school in Palm Beach County to win this award. Their project was to make a car go using only air and the students perform a skit demonstrating their solution wearing outfits they designed themselves. The school offered to give the City Commission a demonstration by the students, but Ms. Farace did not know if the City Commission would be taking them up on their offer. Ms. Farace will be attending the Freedom Shores dedication on May 16 and invited other interested people to attend. She explained that although they had been in full operation for the past year, the dedication had not yet taken place. VI. Public Audience Ms. Pleasants indicated that a member of the Crosspointe SAC had indicated a desire to come before the Board to discuss what could be a liability issue for the City and was definitely a safety issue. The individual was not present but Ms. Pleasants spoke on her behalf. This individual lives at the very southwest corner of Golfview Harbor and the students were cutting across her lawn and crossing on a pipe over a canal just south of Crosspointe on Congress Avenue, in order to shorten their walk to school. The students have to walk a long way north to get to the exit out of Golfview Harbor and then go back south. Ms. Farace stated that she had spoken to this individual and referred her to the City Engineer. Ms. Farace needed to know if she had spoken to the City Engineer, Dave Kelley. Ms. Pleasants will talk to the individual and call Ms. Farace with her name and phone number. The Principal at Crosspointe is trying to identify the students that were doing this so she could talk to them and to their parents. Ms. Artis raised another safety issue that was discussed at a meeting she attended at Galaxy Elementary. The concern was for Galaxy and Forest Park. This came up because a little girl had been hit by a car in the vicinity recently. The parents were complaining and the PTA president said there were not enough visible crossing guards or policemen in the area. The Chief was there so he heard the discussion but did not comment. She had noticed that since that meeting, a sign had been put up that had flashing lights and indicated the speed at which motorists were traveling. Ms. Farace stated that she would reinforce this by emailing the Chief or calling him to discuss this. 3 Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 15, 2003 IVls. Pleasants said that Crosspointe wanted yellow blinking lights put up on Congress Avenue to keep people from speeding through at 45-50 mph but were told that they could not have both lights. Crosspointe wants this to be reconsidered since most schools are nOt On streets with 45-50 mph speed limits. Chair Agee believes that Congress Avenue is a State road and not in the control of the City. Ms. Farace stated that the Public Works Department could go through the Department of Transportation to request it. Chair Agee commented that the FAB had done some work the previous year on certain safety issues and been able to have a positive impact by advising staff, who worked with the school to make some changes. She hoped that some of these safety issues could be alleviated in a similar fashion. VII. FCAT Chair Agee acknowledged that most people were upset about the FCAT issue but that it was a State law and not something that was really within the control of the FAB, the School Board, or the City Commission. Ms. Cairo stated that she would feel remiss if the issue were not addressed in some way and at least forwarded up to the next level. Ms. Farace reminded Ms. Pleasants that she had been tasked with drafting a sample resolution or statement for the Board's approval and Ms. Pleasants stated that she would bring this to the next EAB meeting. A debate ensued about whether it would be better to send a statement to the City Commission, the State Legislature, or the School Board. VIII. Principal for a Day Program Committee Chair .lean Cairo gave an update on this program, beginning with a synopsis of the program for the benefit of the new members. The Principal for a Day will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2003 in the cities of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. The point of the program is to involve the business community in the schools and produce solid, long-lasting relationships between them leading to financial and other types of assistance for the schools. Ms. Cairo pointed out that this assistance could take many forms and that some businesses were establishing scholarships, some were donating computers, and some were sending their employees in to the schools to read to the students and help them with their studies, for example. Ms. Cairo reported that she had written a brief article about this program and sent it to the Chamber of Commerce and the Boynton Beach Neighborhood Post. For the article in Horizons, the Chamber's magazine, there was an appeal for sponsorships, donations, and volunteers. Principal for a Day Action List ~ Determine connections in business community who might offer support, i.e. 4 Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 15, 2003 sponsorships, donations, volunteers, postage, printing, stationery, video and photography, a venue, refreshments, publicity Notify Ns. Cairo through Ms. Farace of any additions to candidate list Find businesses that would be willing to donate articles for "thank you" baskets for the Principals for the Day. XX. Boundary Update Ms. Farace reported that the Boundary Committee was still trying to agree to a South County High School Boundaries Plan that could impact Boynton Beach Community High School. When the Committee settles on a plan, Ms. Farace will notify the FAB members so that they will be able to come to the meeting to express support for pro-Boynton Beach alternatives that might be proposed, l:f this meeting falls on the night of an FAB meeting, Ms. Farace suggested that the Board members leave and attend the boundary meeting. Ms. Farace gave a full, detailed report of the boundary issues and the Board discussed them. X. SAC Reports Written SAC reports were submitted but not discussed. Ms. Dhanak will be the SAC representative at Atlantic High School. Ms. Emmert will be the SAC representative at Odyssey Middle School. X]:. Unfinished Business - None XZZ. Next Meeting The next meeting will be on June 12, 2003, as previously determined. The regular July 3 meeting will probably be replaced by a Principal for a Day committee meeting. XIII. Adjournment Since there was no further business before the Board, the meeting was duly adjourned at 7:30 p.m. R~~,../z,Ily submitted' - Susan Collins Recording Secretary (051603) 5