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Minutes 02-03-05MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, 208 SOUTH SEACREST BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2005 AT 6:15 P.M. Present: Jean Cairo, Chairperson Floyd Bell, Vice Chair Barbara Brunetti Christine Moeller Joan Pleasants Melinda Mallon, Alternate Member Davis Weinstein, Alternate Member Jeffrey Andre, Student Member Virginia Farace, Board Liaison Also Present Anthony Gaspard, Student Natalie Myers, Reporter from the Boynton Times Absent Erica Hammond Margaret S. Newton I. Pledge Members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared a quorum was present. II1. Minutes: January 6, 2005 The minutes were accepted as written. IV. Public Audience Ms. Natalie Myers, a reporter with the Boynton Times, explained she was present at the meeting order to write an article on the issues facing the City schools. Ms. Myers stated she was interested in serving on a City Board and was informed of the process involved to be appointed to a Board. Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 Chair's Report · PFAD Planning Chairperson Cairo requested this be added to the agenda because she felt it was important to start setting the goals for the next Principal for a Day. She would like the event to grow and thought it would be beneficial to go over some of the ideas that surfaced from the last Principal for a Day. She would like to have a sub-committee meeting sometime this summer to start strategizing. At that time, she would also like to start handing out the responsibilities and jobs to the various Board members. She would like to have the video put together long before the event takes place in November. Chairperson Cairo felt it would be worthwhile to send the letters out to the businesspeople as soon as possible so they could make plans to participate in the event. She noted last year some people could not participate because they did not receive sufficient notice. They have a tentative date for the event as the second Thursday in November. Chairperson Cairo would also like to see more people volunteering to help out. Chairperson Cairo noted Winn-Dixie's Rewards Program now allows a person to select a school to receive points. This means every time a person shops in Winn-Dixie, they would contribute something to the school they select. Target Stores also has a similar program for the schools. VI. City Liaison's Report · Boundaries Ms. Farace reported City Manager Kurt Bressner was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery. Ms. Farace stated he is coming along fine and would probably be in the hospital for another week. Also, Wilfred Hawkins, the Assistant City Manager, is quite ill and has not been in the office since the holidays. Dale Sugerman is the Acting City Manger. However, he is being considered for the City Manager's position in the Town of Highland Beach. Ms. Farace reported as far as the committee is concerned, the boundaries cycle has concluded. Recommendations have been made to the Superintendent and five to seven boundary proposals were discussed at a recent meeting. Boundaries affected in this area are the boundaries for the new elementary school at Military Trail called "03B," which is located north of Gateway. Students residing in the City's Chapel Hill area will now be going to Boynton Beach High School instead of Atlantic High School. The new boundaries for Atlantic High School continue to change every time they are discussed. Ms. Farace discussed the final boundary recommendations and noted the new boundaries for Atlantic High School and other schools were outlined on the map she distributed to members for their review. She noted it was still up to the Superintendent if he wanted to take these recommendations to the School Board. 2 Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 Ms. Pleasants inquired if the area between Chapel Hill and the area south of Lake Ida were included in the new Atlantic High School, and Ms. Farace stated they were. Ms. Farace pointed out, however, these recommendations are always subject to change. Ms. Pleasants pointed out seniors could choose to remain at their current high school. · "Read Boynton" Ms. Farace reported this is a literacy program she has been working on with the High School. The kick-off for the event will take place one week from tonight, on February 10, 2005, at 6:00 p.m. It is anticipated that the Principals and Assistant Principals would attend the kick-off, along with the high schools students who would be doing the mentoring and tutoring. There will be a demonstration of the online resoumes offered at the Library. One endeavor is to make certain all tutors have Library cards and how to use the online resoumes. They would also like to involve adults as well in the program. The City's Community Relations Board is also interested in the project and some of those Board members will be attending the kick-off meeting. Ms. Farace would like to have some of this Board's members also participate. Any Board member wanting to participate should attend the kick-off meeting for further information. Board members could advise the various City schools of the program. Ms. Farace reported the High School students were to have made visits to the various schools to discuss the program. Currently, the tutoring would be offered on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. However, any student that has additional time is always welcomed to come to the Library to provide additional assistance. Ms. Pleasants inquired if the helpers would be provided training. Ms. Farace responded beginning Thursday, Dr. Howard would be training the adults. The training would consist of how to interact, when to offer assistance, and what to do and what not to do. Mr. Andre stated many students in his class at Boynton Beach High School have signed up to participate. Ms. Farace noted Mr. Latson, the Principal of Boynton Beach High School, made a presentation to the City Commission this past Tuesday and invited them to the kick-off. Vice Chair Bell inquired if there was a program of this type for adults to learn how to read. Ms. Farace reported the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition provides tutors for adults. Any adult that wants to learn how to read could go to the Library Reference Desk and sign up. A tutor would then contact them. Ms. Pleasants inquired if there were any flyers she could bring to her SAC meeting. Ms. Farace will provide her with flyers prior to her meeting. Ms. Pleasants also questioned if there would be transportation to the Library from the schools. Ms. Farace felt this would be something the schools would have to work on. Ms. Farace pointed out there would also be multi-lingual tutors available. Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 VII. Principals' Roundtable Chairperson Cairo asked if she should contact all the principals to determine what dates they would like to participate in the Roundtable. Ms. Farace offered to do this via E-mail. Ms. Brunetti stated all principals' E-mail addresses are available on the School District's Internet site. The last Roundtable took place in the summer prior to school opening. Ms. Farace noted the Roundtable has been held at various times. Chairperson Cairo will contact Ms. Carole Shetler and inform her the Board would like to set up a date for the Roundtable and determine what dates would be best. Ms. Farace recommended obtaining some alternate dates. Vice Chair Bell inquired about the length of the Roundtable, and Ms. Farace noted it could take anywhere from two to three hours. The last Roundtable was held during the day and was very successful. Some City Commissioners also attended. Vice Chair Bell noted they did not discuss much at the last meeting and Chairperson Cairo felt it was important to come up with a date first before making plans. Ms. Farace explained to Ms. Myers how the Principals' Roundtable worked. Chairperson Cairo wanted to discuss holding a local event with the schools that was discussed at the last meeting and asked Ms. Brunetti for an update of what had been discussed. Ms. Brunetti's original idea was to have a math and science program for parents and children and to do various activities, similar to the County's math and science fair. The projects presented would be made by the schools, not the children. The purpose of the program would be to get the parents to understand math as part of the everyday world. She has had success at her school and noted parents tend to become very excited when they are involved in these types of programs. Chairperson Cairo asked for examples of things that could be presented and Ms. Brunetti had many science and math ideas in mind. Ms. Pleasants was not sure if the timing was good for this project since many teachers are currently working on preparing their students for the FCAT and do not have enough time to do hands on activities in the classroom. Ms. Brunetti also noted at the last meeting they discussed inviting SAC committees to explain what a SAC committee does for the parents. She felt many parents were unaware there was a SAC committee and its purpose. Chairperson Cairo asked Ms. Brunetti if she could come up with a list of activities the Board could consider becoming involved in after the FCAT exams. Discussion ensued whether it was necessary to involve teachers in putting together some kind of program or activity. Ms. Pleasants was concerned whether the Board could, at this time, become involved in another large event. In the alternative, she recommended putting together a team of people to do different established activities with different age groups. She felt this would be a much easier way to approach this. Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 Vice Chair Bell explained when they discussed this, they also discussed working in conjunction with other City Boards. Chairperson Cairo felt it was not necessary to make any decisions at this time. Ms. Pleasants recommended holding a sub-committee meeting to further discuss what they could do. Vice Chair Bell recommended inviting members from other boards to also attend for their input. It was recommended attending a meeting of the Children and Youth Board to determine if that Board would be interested in doing something with this Board. Ms. Farace felt it would be beneficial to have a specific plan before any Board members attended other Board meetings. Chairperson Cairo agreed with this approach and offered to take the lead to come up with a plan. Vice Chair Bell offered to assist. Ms. Pleasants offered to contact Mary Morera who serves on the Advisory Board on Children and Youth to see if they would be interested in doing something. Vice Chair Bell will contact the Community Relations Board as well. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the timing of the FCAT tests. Ms. Pleasants felt they should be held later in the year. Ms. Farace explained the testing took place in March because the scoring of the tests is sent to private companies and these companies have to receive the tests on a timely basis to do the grading. Ms. Brunetti responded they treat the FCAT just like any other test. Mr. Gaspard stated the test could be difficult for seniors because there is so much time spent on how to take the test, but not enough time is spent learning the content of the test. Mr. Weinstein inquired how schools could evaluate a child's progress, when they are too busy trying to teach children something they cannot do. He was a proponent of developing the child, not trying to cover up inadequacies in the school's teaching system. He felt the FCAT exam was a disgrace, and even more so, attaching money to it, was atrocious. Ms. Farace reported the Board proposed a Resolution to the City Commission opposing the FCAT, which was adopted and sent to the State. Ms. Brunetti stated the FCAT test is actually an achievement test, but the bad part was attaching money to it. Ms. Brunetti pointed out the test was a fair test on all levels. The problem is there was too much pressure put on it for the schools to perform well. Chairperson Cairo noted schools have taken away so many extra curricular items such as music, art, physical education, etc. it is detrimental to children learning. Ms. Pleasants pointed out it is important a school score well in the FCAT in order to attract a certain population to their neighborhood. Parents do not want to send their children to a "D" school. She felt it does make a difference on who attends the school. Ms. Farace pointed out parents do not want to send their children to Boynton Beach High School because it is a "D" school. However, she felt it was more important how the child performed in school than the school's rating. (Ms. Brunet# left the meeting at 7:41 p.m.) Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 VIII. SAC Reports (in writing if possible) Chairperson Cairo requested Ms. Moeller provide a brief description of "LTM" mentioned in her SAC Report. Ms. Moeller responded "LTM" stood for Leadership Team Meeting. Ms. Moeller distributed her report to the members. The intent of the LTM meeting was to take the ideas that came out of the meetings and incorporate them in the classrooms immediately. The LTM program was the creation of Dr. Johnson and she was neither for nor against the program. IX. New Business · Meeting Locations Chairperson Cairo noted at the last meeting, there was a discussion on where the Education Advisory Board Meetings should be held. Some members would like to hold meetings in Commission Chambers. Ms. Farace thought Board meetings were no longer held in the Commission Chambers due to security issues. Ms. Farace also felt the Chambers would not be conducive to the types of meetings this Board holds, as opposed to meetings around the roundtable. Vice Chair Bell reported at the last meeting all the members agreed to hold the next meeting in the Chambers because it would encourage more public participation. Ms. Pleasants felt it would be easier for people attending the Board meetings to meet in the Library Program Room. Ms. Farace said she would have to check on this. Vice Chair Bell responded he had checked on the availability of the Chambers and determined it was available. Vice Chair Bell has served on several other City boards that have met in the Chambers and it always worked well. Chairperson Cairo recommended holding the next meeting in the Chambers to determine if Board members preferred the Chambers to the Library Program Room. Mr. Weinstein added when this Board used to meet in the Chambers, more people from the public attended. He felt the Chambers was more prestigious, especially when a member from a legislative body was invited to a meeting. Ms. Farace also pointed out when a Board meets in the Chambers, alternates sit in the audience and do not have the ability to participate easily in the conversation. Vice Chair Bell pointed out the public is unaware of the EAB meetings because there is no sign on the Library Program Room door. Ms. Farace pointed out that meetings are listed in City Hall and are on the calendar. Chairperson Cairo noted there were occasions when the Board had to meet in the small conference room in the Library because another group took up the Program Room. She felt this could have been an issue because it did not provide adequate space for the meeting. She also pointed out by sitting around the large table in the Library Program Room, it was difficult to hear Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 people on the other side of the room. She requested the table in the Library Program Room be set up so people could be more intimate with their conversations. She recommended holding the March meeting in the Commission Chambers to get an idea of the feel of the room and whether Board members preferred it to the Library Program Room. After the meeting, members could vote on their preference; i.e., the Chambers or the Library. Ms. Pleasants felt if the Board wished to continue to meet in the Library, a sign be posted on the door announcing the meeting. VIII. SAC Reports (continued) Ms. Farace reported on the Boynton Beach High School SAC meeting at which a discussion on Read Boynton took place. The Principal was not present and the meeting was brief. A copy of Ms. Farace's SAC report was included in the agenda packet. Ms. Pleasants turned in her report on the Crosspointe SAC meeting that took place on Tuesday, January 25th. They still do not have printed agendas and to date minutes have not been taken. This is the first year Crosspointe must come up with a school improvement plan. The sole agenda item was reviewing the current school improvement plan and doing an inventory of what has or has not been accomplished. Two issues were discussed. One would be to hold an author's night and Ms. Pleasants recommended contacting Ms. Farace for assistance. The other issue was concern about summer reading and whether or not to continue last year's summer reading program. They are considering a tutoring program to help students with their reading during the summer months. Ms. Farace reminded members the County sponsors reading programs throughout the County during the summer. Ms. Moeller read her SAC report for Atlantic High School into the record and provided a copy to the Recording Secretary to be included with the minutes of the meeting. The meeting took place on January 25th and they are looking forward to the new school starting up as scheduled in August 2005. The School will be offering career academies; one being construction, and the other finance. They are trying to identify the students that would benefit from these academies. This might be done by doing a survey within the school. The Principal had concerns regarding the lack of funds for a new turf for the football field. Also, there is not enough land to have a practice field. There was discussion about asking the City of Delray Beach to lend them some land they own behind the Temple that could be used as a practice field. They are looking at ways to raise money for students who cannot pay the activity fee. Ms. Pleasants inquired why a student activity fee was necessary. Ms. Moeller responded in order for a student to participate in a sport, the student had to pay for it. These costs included insurance and uniforms as well. Ms. Pleasants noted this type of fee was not required in the middle schools and was informed they only applied to high Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 3, 2005 schools. Ms. Pleasants was surprised children had to pay to participate in after school programs and questioned the legality of this requirement. Ms. Farace responded there has always been a student activity fee charge, but this year students are being required to pay for their insurance. Ms. Farace noted Atlantic High School had a wonderful boosters' club and questioned why the school did not ask them for assistance. Lastly, the School would also be instituting the failure-free reading program. Vice Chair Bell reported the Survivor Charter School and Citrus Cove SACs did not meet in January. X. Adjournment Since Senator Ron Klein had previously reserved the Commission Chambers for Thursday, March 3, 2005, the regular Education Advisory Board Meeting will be held in the Library Program Room beginning at 6:15 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (February 22, 2005)