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Minutes 05-06-99 MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD IN LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON THURSDAY MAY 6, 1999 AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT ALSO PRESENT Dawn Russell, Chairperson Virginia Farace, Education Advisory David Fellows Board Liaison Michael Hazlett, Voting Alternate Shanna St. John, Chairperson of the Eddie Mitchell Advisory Board on Children & Youth Heidi DeVries, Student ABSENT Adriana Borgia, Alternate Ronald Ehster Revia Lee Margaret Newton Guarn Sims Markdaline St. Fort, Student I. GREETINGS Chairperson Russell welcomed the members to the meeting. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chairperson Russell called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. and led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. III. ROLL CALL Chairperson Russell asked the Recording Secretary to call the roll. A quorum was declared present. Mr. Fellows stated Ms. Borgia no longer wished to serve on the Education Advisory Board, as her mother is quite ill. Ms. Farace noted that Ms. Borgia’s term was up in April 1999, but Board members serve until their reappointment or until their replacement is named. This same scenario applies to all Board members whose terms expire in April 1999. IV. MINUTES APPROVAL- March 4, 1999 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 Chairperson Russell asked if there were any comments or additions to the minutes. Hearing none, Chairperson Russell stated that the minutes stand approved as submitted. V. CHAIR’S REPORT A. City Commission Board Orientation Chairperson Russell informed the members that the City Commission Board Orientation was very well attended and felt it was a great success. Chairperson Russell commended Mr. Fellows and Mr. Charlie Fisher, who is a member of the Advisory Board on Children and Youth, for meeting with the City Commission. This was a good way to show the Commission what the Boards are working on and inform them of the areas that the Boards need help. B. SIP Presentation Chairperson Russell stated the School Improvement Plan Presentations were presented with Ms. Decker and the various schools participating. This too was a great success. Chairperson Russell noted that whenever this Board meets with the schools and the various SAC’s, everyone is pleased to participate. This provides them with an opportunity to speak with other people and this should be incorporated again in the fall. VI. City Liaison Report Ms. Farace suggested that since Ms. St. John was present that Item C be addressed first. C. Stand up for Children Day – June 1 Ms. St. John said that Stand for Children Day is a national program through the Children’s Defense Fund and this year’s focus is “ready to learn – ready to succeed”. Ms. St. John presented a flyer to the members. Ms. St. John stated that the Advisory st Board on Children and Youth voted to sponsor a proclamation at the June 1 City Commission meeting. Ms. St. John asked this Board if they would like to be a co- sponsor of the proclamation. Ms. St. John said that the web site listed all the various organizations throughout the United States that would be doing events. There is a child care center in Boynton Beach that was listed and Ms. St. John contacted them. Ms. St. John said they are preparing a quilt with the handprints of all children, which will be sent to Tallahassee. Ms. St. John said they would be bringing their quilts for display. 2 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 There are buttons available that state “I stand for children” and cost $1.50 each. If any Board member would like a button, Ms. St. John said she would be pleased to order them. Ms. St. John had a sample proclamation for the Board to review. Ms. Farace suggested that the Boards be added in a “Whereas” clause in the proclamation. Ms. St. John inquired if the Board wished to work on the proclamation tonight. Motion Mr. Hazlett moved that this Board co-sponsor the proclamation for Stand for Children Day 1999. Motion seconded by Mr. Fellows and unanimously carried. Mr. Fellows suggested adding to the proclamation the phrase “Whereas, the Education Advisory Board is acknowledged as a community advocate for the evolution of exemplary education in Boynton Beach that meets the needs of all”. Chairperson St. John invited all the members to the Youth Volunteer Awards Banquet, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 15, 1999 in the Civic Center at 6:00 p.m. A. TCS Showcase – May 26 at 6:00 p.m., City Hall Ms. Farace distributed to members a copy of the invitation to the members. Ms. Farace informed members that Motorola has been working with the schools for the past few years offering summer courses for students, called “Explorations” and during the course the students are taught problem solving the way Motorola does team problem solving. Ms. Farace said she went through the training three years ago with Motorola, Poinciana and Santaluces. Last year was the first showcase for the schools and Boynton Beach is viewed as the incubator for the project. This year 18 schools participated. Last Saturday, the schools presented by groupings (elementary, middle and high school) and winners were picked from each. These three schools will be featured in a th showcase on Wednesday, May 12 at the Ritz Carlton from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend. Ms. Farace stated that the City is one of the monetary sponsors of the Showcase. Ms. Farace said that between 4:30 and 5:30 all the other teams that did not make the finals would be presenting their projects. th Ms. Farace also stated that on Wednesday, May 26 at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall the teams from Poinciana, Rolling Green, Congress Middle, Atlantic High School, Citrus Cove and Manatee will be presenting. Ms. Farace stated the Library is sponsoring the event and asked if the Education Advisory Board would like to be a co-sponsor to the City Showcase. Chairperson Russell thought it would be a good idea for the Board to co- sponsor the event. There was consensus on the Board to become a co-sponsor of the th TCS Showcase to be presented on May 26. 3 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 Mr. Fellows requested that the Board members be furnished with nametags. Ms. Farace said she would follow through with the nametags. B. Chamber Scholars’ Breakfast – May 11, 1999 at 7:30 a.m. – South Technical Ms. Farace announced that the Chamber of Commerce will be holding its scholars' th breakfast on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:30 a.m. and invited the members to attend. VII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Alternative to Suspension Program Mr. Fellows said that the on-campus intervention program is now in Tarpon Springs and distributed a newspaper article. Mr. Fellows said that the SAC at Tarpon Springs contributed $36,000 to complete the funding. The program will be in place this coming year. Mr. Fellows said he received reports on how the Pinellas County Schools did for the first semester with regard to suspension reductions. Mr. Fellows said that Largo High School during the first semester had a 49% in reduction in suspensions and the three middle schools had reductions of 51%, 68% and 34%. Mr. Fellows reviewed the figures with the Board. Mr. Fellows said the reason for the 34% reduction at the Tyrone School was due to the reduction of the program from five days to three days. Consideration is being given to possibly removing the program from that school because the administration does not want to support the program the way the program is supposed to be implemented. Mr. Fellows said he has spoken with the program coordinator from CARP who is overseeing the counselors in the program and he informed Mr. Fellows that Santaluces is considering going from a five-day format to a three-day format. Mr. Fellows said it has to be stressed that the “On Campus Intervention Program” be maintained as intended and this is the program that has been placed in the schools in Palm Beach County. Mr. Fellows said that the program must be a five-day program as intended. Ms. Farace noted that there was a consensus among the Board members that the integrity of the program be maintained as designed. Mr. Fellows said he would like to prepare a packet on the On Campus Intervention Program that could be given to each member of the School Board. Mr. Fellows thought that part of the funding for the counselors comes from a funding source approved by the School Board, which involves counselors from Columbia Hospital. Because the 4 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 program is being funded through Jay Alligood and the Alternative Education Department, it is looked at as an alternative program, and not as a school-based suspension program. Mr. Fellows would like the School Board to be aware of what the program actually is. Mr. Fellows stated that one of the salient points of the program is to identify students with behavioral programs who could be referred to outside agencies for help. Mr. Fellows said that all the counselors have been identified. The program still needs one teacher at Congress Middle School and Santaluces. CARP is going to start locating the interns for the classroom. Ms. Farace asked if the packet would come from the Education Advisory Board and Mr. Fellows stated everything that has been done with the program has come from the Education Advisory Board. Also, Mr. Fellows pointed out that as the dropout rate in the schools decreases, the schools receive more money, which means the program can pay for itself. Mr. Fellows referred to an article in the newspaper recently which referred to the Healthcare District adding 50 workers to spot kids’ problems and using $2 million to support programs that prevent violence in schools. B. Raising Test Scores Ms. Newton was not present to make her report. C. “Gathering Storm” Issues Mr. Mitchell said he had no new information on the Gathering Storm. Mr. Mitchell said he last met in late March with the coalition. The coalition has not done anything since the earlier meetings that took place around the County. The coalition would now like to take all this information and hold a retreat sometime in July. Mr. Mitchell did not have any more details on the retreat. Ms. Farace inquired if Mr. Fellows could put something together on this program since suspension was a major part of that report. Mr. Fellows said the coalition is aware of this and was furnished information as he attended the meetings before Mr. Mitchell started to attend. Mr. Fellows said the coalition is more intent on gathering data to legally challenge the system from the top down, instead of trying to find positive things to do at the local level. Mr. Fellows felt his involvement would be a waste of time. Mr. Mitchell said the coalition seemed more concerned with the West Palm Beach/Riveria Beach area than the south county areas. Ms. Farace asked if the coalition was more interested in placing blame than finding solutions. Mr. Mitchell said this was the impression he received. Mr. Mitchell felt that attending the meeting was a 5 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 waste of his time. Mr. Fellows said that he has spoken with Ms. Sara Mitchell about doing a presentation at the May Forum on the OCIP Program at Congress and Santaluces. Mr. Fellows noted that Mr. Hank Ackermann would also be present at the May Forum. D. Parental Involvement Chairperson Russell said she did not have anything to report, but said she was pleased to learn that during the SIP presentations there are a number of schools that are involving the parents with the schools. Chairperson Russell said this is one area she would like the Board to become more involved with. E. School Concurrency Nothing to report F. Administrative Area Issue Chairperson Russell said there was a resolution presented during the Commission Board Orientation and Ms. Farace will be checking to determine if it would be sent to the City Commission and then presented to the School Board. Ms. Farace noted that the st resolution could not be placed on the City Commission agenda until June 1. By that time, Chairperson Russell would have presented the information on the OCIP to the School Board. Mr. Fellows asked if the Board would like him to make a presentation on the OCIP Program to the School Board. After discussion, it was determined to first send the packets to the School Board. Chairperson Russell agreed with this procedure. G. Legislative Issues There was nothing new to report that hasn’t already been in the newspapers. Ms. Farace noted that vouchers have been enacted, as well as other laws that are detrimental to public education. H. SAC Representatives Chairperson Russell asked if any member had anything to report. There were none. VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Principal’s Roundtable 6 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 Discussed earlier. IX. NEW BUSINESS Chairperson Russell said she received a request from Commissioner Denahan who was asked by a constituent to take a stand on the middle school for West Boynton Beach. Commissioner Denahan asked if this Board was in favor of recommending a resolution endorsing the proposed site for the new middle school. Ms. Farace did not think the Board has done enough research to take a position. Mr. Fellows noted that the school would be built outside the City limits, wherever it would be built, and felt that no matter which site is chosen the new school would have the same impact on the schools that serve Boynton Beach. Mr. Fellows said the Board could state that any location chosen would have the same impact on Boynton Schools. Mr. Mitchell said he and Mr. Fellows met with Mr. Steve Sills. Mr. Mitchell thinks that Mr. Sills might be considered for the Principal of the new high school. Mr. Mitchell indicated that Mr. Sills said that Congress Middle School would be a total magnet program for all the students and this bothered Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell feels that a traditional program also needs to be offered for other students. Mr. Mitchell has concerns that if Mr. Sills becomes Principal of the new high school this could also happen. Mr. Mitchell would not like to see the new high school become a total magnet program. Ms. Farace said the community is on record that it wants a well-rounded traditional high school. Also, Ms. Farace thought that whoever might be Principal is very premature. Mr. Mitchell said that the African/American citizens feel unsure about what is going to happen with the new high school and that is why the City and residents need to stay on top of this. Mr. Mitchell said that the African/American citizens have been disappointed many times over the past and no one trusts the School Board. Mr. Mitchell feels if the new high school becomes that kind of school, the African/American students will be bused to other schools in order to meet federal guidelines on integration. Mr. Mitchell said the school should accommodate as many students from Boynton Beach as possible, whether they are white or black. Mr. Mitchell said the Black Community does not trust the School Board. Mr. Fellows said he is a member of the Congress Middle School SAC and there is more African/American parental involvement in the SAC at that School. Mr. Mitchell said what has happened at Congress Middle School is water under the dam and he is now looking forward to what will happen with the new High School. Mr. Fellows said he has this concern about Congress Middle School and wants to make sure that that school accommodates the children of Boynton Beach. Ms. Farace felt that what took place at 7 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 6, 1999 Congress Middle School was the right thing to do and it did not create two classes of students. Ms. Farace said that all students at Congress Middle School are treated the same and all the students come from within the boundaries of Boynton Beach. Ms. Farace said the High School is a different issue. It is to be a regional high school and is to be the City of Boynton Beach High School to accommodate all the students. Mr. Mitchell said he would like to see the new High School offer a magnet program, plus a traditional program. Mr. Mitchell said he would like the high school to be a world-class high school and that all the children in the community can attend. Mr. Hazlett said he would like to be assigned to Galaxy School since his children attend that school. Chairperson Russell stated when the re-assignments of the schools are made, Galaxy could be assigned to Mr. Hazlett. X. PUBLIC AUDIENCE None XI. ANNOUNCEMENTS Thursday, June Chairperson Russell announced that the next meeting is scheduled for 3, 1999 at 6:30 p.m. Chairperson Russell announced that the next Four Board Open Forum is scheduled for th June 19 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Library Program Room. Chairperson Russell noted that the Board Forum with the City Commission was not considered a Board Forum, even though this Board felt it was. Mr. Fellows said he would like to have a quarterly Forum with the Commissioners. XII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (two tapes) 8