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Minutes 06-03-99 MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD IN LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON THURSDAY JUNE 3, 1999 AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT ALSO PRESENT Ronald Ehster Virginia Farace, Education Advisory David Fellows Board Liaison (arrived late) Michael Hazlett, Voting Alternate Revia Lee Eddie Mitchell Harvey Oyer, III Diana Tedtmann, Voting Alternate Heidi DeVries, Student ABSENT Dawn Russell, Chairperson Margaret Newton I. GREETINGS Ms. Farace stated that Chairperson Russell would not be present this evening and that a Board member will need to volunteer to serve as Temporary Chair of the meeting. II. ROLL CALL Ms. Farace called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. and asked the Recording Secretary to call the roll. A quorum was declared present. Ms. Farace stated that for the record Mr. Fellows was doing business for the Board this evening and is appearing before the Palm Beach County Health Care District to make a presentation on the in-school suspension program. The possibility exists that the Palm Beach County Health Care District may become a major sponsor of the Program. Ms. Farace asked the two new members to introduce themselves to the other members. Ms. Tedtmann said she has been a resident of Boynton Beach for 23 years and has a degree in education. Ms. Tedtmann stated that she has taught at South Technical for 10 years. MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 Mr. Oyer stated he was born and raised in Boynton Beach and is a product of the public school system and is currently an attorney practicing law with a firm in West Palm Beach. Ms. Farace asked the guest to introduce himself. Mr. Arthur Rowe introduced himself and said he has been a resident of Boynton Beach since 1992. Mr. Rowe stated his daughter would be entering Congress Middle School this year. Ms. Farace asked for a volunteer to serve as Chair. Ms. Heidi DeVries volunteered to be Temporary Chair of the meeting. Motion Mr. Ehster moved that Ms. Heidi DeVries serve as Temporary Chair. Motion seconded by Mr. Oyer. Motion unanimously carried. III. MINUTES APPROVAL- May 6, 1999 Mr. Mitchell requested that on Page 6 the name of “Sarah Mitchell” be changed to “Sarah Williams”. Temporary Chair DeVries stated if there are no other corrections, the minutes stand approved as corrected. IV. CHAIR’S REPORT Temporary Chair DeVries stated she attended the second Youth Council Meeting and there was a turnout of at least 40 youth. Temporary Chair DeVries stated the Youth Council is a brand new service oriented group, which was started by the Advisory Board on Children and Youth. It will be a youth run organization that will become involved with government and City projects. Temporary Chair DeVries announced that there would be another meeting this coming Monday at the Madsen Center at 6:00 p.m., at which time officers would be elected. Temporary Chair DeVries said they were in need of adult mentors. Temporary Chair DeVries stated that an Executive Board would also be elected. Ms. Farace inquired if there was a fee to join and Temporary Chair DeVries said there was none at this time. V. CITY LIAISON REPORT A. TCS Showcase – May 26, 1999 2 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 Ms. Farace said that the TCS Showcase was very successful. Ms. Farace noted that there was poor representation from the Board, which was one of the co-sponsors of the Showcase. Ms. Farace stated that the presentations were very impressive. Ms. Farace announced that the Children and Youth Board presented a Stand up for Children Resolution, which was co-sponsored by the Education Advisory Board. Ms. Farace noted that Chairperson St. John was disappointed that there were no members present from the Education Advisory Board to make the presentation. VI. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Alternative to Suspension Program Ms. Farace noted that Mr. Fellows was making a presentation this evening to the Palm Beach County Health Care District to enlist their help in sponsoring the suspension program. Ms. Farace stated it was the hope of this Board that the Alternative to Suspension Program doesn’t get combined with all the other programs that are coming under scrutiny and are experiencing problems. The School Board has cut some funds and Mr. Fellows is seeking the assistance of the Health Care District. B. Raising Test Scores Ms. Newton was not present to make a report. C. “Gathering Storm Issues” Mr. Mitchell reported that the National Coalition of Advocates for Students held a private pre-release on Tuesday evening at the Sheraton Hotel in West Palm, which he and Mr. Fellows attended. The information was released to the newspapers on Wednesday concerning the results of the Gathering Storm II. There were four areas covered dealing with African/American Students. ? African/American Students were denied access to quality programs by the Palm Beach County School District, ? African/American Students were enrolled in schools identified as low performing, ? African/American Students were absent from classrooms where advanced courses were taught, and ? African/American Students were disproportionately suspended from school. 3 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 Mr. Mitchell referred members to the newspaper article that was in the Palm Beach Post on the Gathering Storm. Mr. Mitchell stated that about 80% of the student population in the gifted classes are white and less than 10% are African-American. Mr. Mitchell stated that what this group found was identical to what the group found in Gathering Storm I and that the school system has not done much to eliminate these deficiencies. Mr. Mitchell stated that the School Board will be taking 10 low-performing schools and will be placing a pilot program into these 10 schools. Mr. Mitchell stated there are 73 elementary schools that have gifted programs. Mr. Mitchell is under the impression that if the School Board doesn’t make significant progress in eliminating some of the problems that this group says exists within the school system, they will put themselves in a position for a suit. The group is confident that Congressman Alcee Hastings will participate in this suit, as well as his own on- going suit. Copies of the report were distributed for the Board’s review. Mr. Ehster inquired if there was no progress made over last year. Mr. Mitchell said that the progress was minimal. The Coalition says there was none made, but the School Board disputes that. The report determined that very little progress has been made with African-American and Hispanic students in reading comprehension and math. Mr. Mitchell noted that the suspension rates have increased and there has been no progress made. Ms. Farace asked Mr. Mitchell what he thought would result from these studies. Mr. Mitchell said that a meeting was held with Dr. Sello, and Dr. Sello presented the results of the AFCAT test that was recently given to fifth, eighth and ten graders. The results were a mirror of the findings of the Coalition. Mr. Mitchell gave a copy of the report to Ms. Farace, who will copy it and make it available to members at the next meeting. Mr. Mitchell was uncertain what the next steps would be. Mr. Mitchell stated that Dr. Kowal would like to see the schools and the communities working together to solve these problems and that it is not just a school problem. It was noted that many African-American students don’t have access to learning tools like encyclopedias and other reading materials in their homes where they are available to the white students. It was also pointed out that many times teachers do not understand the cultural background of these students and often when African-American students express themselves, their remarks are usually misinterpreted. Consideration is being given to holding workshops for teachers to indoctrinate them in the cultures of these students. This should help to cut down on suspensions if the teacher realized that these students are not being disrespectful, but are merely expressing themselves culturally. Mr. Mitchell said a retreat is being planned next month. 4 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 Ms. Lee asked if specific recommendations are being made to the School District. Ms. Lee noted that there has been no progress between August to March, which has been evidenced by the test results. Ms. Lee said there would not be that much gain in test scores from one test period to the other. Mr. Mitchell said they are looking at test scores from FY/98 and FY/99, but are also looking at scores from previous years. Mr. Mitchell said it is going to take some time to see some positive results and this is not going to happen overnight. Mr. Mitchell expects that recommendations will come out of the Gathering Storm findings. Mr. Mitchell stated that the patterns show that the white students continue to improve, while the African-American students are either going down or remaining at a standstill. Mr. Ehster inquired about the proposal that was being looked at by the School Board that the Coalition made only two months ago. Mr. Mitchell was not familiar with this proposal. Ms. Lee said the proposal was presented by PACE. Mr. Esther felt it would take at least three to four years, not eight months, to see the results of the proposal. Mr. Mitchell agreed with the timing of the improvement results. Ms. Lee stated that there needs to be watchdog to ensure that these programs are pushed along. Mr. Mitchell read from the report, which stated that the problems being encountered by the Palm Beach County Schools are not unique. However, many school districts have created exemplary programs to address the issues that have plagued Palm Beach County Schools for years. Ms. Farace noted this Board is a community group and provides recommendations and advice and a big portion of the report stressed a community component. Ms. Farace said she was very interested in what the community could do. Ms. Farace said the Library is looking at how they can support the FCAT in the schools and what resources are needed. Mr. Mitchell noted that when he attended the meetings, there was no representation from the south end of the County and all the representation came from the Riviera/West Palm Beach area. Mr. Mitchell felt as though the south end of the County is being excluded. Mr. Mitchell said there needs to be more participation from the south end of the County and also Mr. Mitchell would like this Board to make some type of recommendation. Ms. Farace stated that this issue greatly affects the community of Boynton Beach. Ms. Farace informed members that Forest Park School is on the list of the top poorest performing schools and Rolling Green is not far behind. Mr. Oyer suggested waiting until the results of the retreat are known and determine what the recommendations are from the Committee before bringing them to the City Commission. Also, Mr. Oyer suggested that the Board might want to come up with some of its own recommendations to the City Commission. Mr. Oyer noted that every 5 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 major civil rights gain came from a federal courtroom and Mr. Oyer said that the Board could file on behalf of the City an amicus brief, which means a friend of the court brief. Mr. Oyer said this Board could also enlist participation from all the other municipalities and other Education Advisory Boards, as well as any other interested parties in Palm Beach County, to write a brief in support of the action. Mr. Mitchell stated he was going to try to get the test results for all Boynton Beach Schools, which the Board could review at the next meeting. Mr. Ehster inquired if any of the 10 pilot schools would be in Boynton Beach. Mr. Mitchell was not certain if the list has been made available. Mr. Ehster inquired if any of the 73 schools that are performing at or above level and have a gifted program are in Boynton Beach. Mr. Mitchell noted that Citrus Cove has the gifted program. Mr. Mitchell also stated that the testing of the students was not done by the School District, but by a private psychologist. Ms. Tedtmann stated there is a problem with the gifted children in Palm Beach County and the testing procedures. Discussion ensued regarding private testing versus in- school testing and that many minorities are unaware that they can ask for testing of their children through the school. Mr. Hazlett asked if the Palm Beach County School District has a structured mentoring program and was informed it was on a school-by-school basis. D. Parental Involvement Chairperson Russell was not present to make a report. E. School Concurrency Mr. Ehster left the meeting and did not make a report. F. Administrative Area Issue Ms. Farace said that the recommendation and Resolution was brought before the City Commission to remove Galaxy and Forest Park Schools from Administrative Area 1 to Administrative Area 2. The Commission adopted the Resolution unanimously it will be brought to the School Board. The Resolution requests that all schools in Boynton Beach report to the same Area Director. G. Legislative Issues Ms. Newton was not present to make a report. 6 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 H. SAC Representatives Ms. Farace informed the members that the Board’s By-laws state that a member of the Education Advisory Board must also be a member of a School SAC. Ms. Farace recited the applicable section. Ms. Farace stated that at the next meeting it should be discussed which schools’ SAC each member would like to serve on to avoid duplication. VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Principals’ Roundtable Ms. Farace stated this was kept on the Agenda to determine if the Board would like to hold another Roundtable in the fall. VIII. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Oyer stated his telephone number was incorrect on the Board listing and gave the correct number to the Recording Secretary. Ms. Farace also obtained the fax numbers for Mr. Oyer and Mr. Hazlett and the e-mail addresses of the members. Mr. Fellows furnished his business telephone number. Ms. Farace requested that the Recording Secretary bring an updated member list to the next meeting. Temporary Chair DeVries asked Mr. Fellows, who arrived at 7:30, if he would like to give an update on the Alternative to Suspension Program. Alternative to Suspension Program Mr. Fellows stated he learned two weeks ago that there is no funding for the counseling component for the on-campus intervention program for next year. Mr. Fellows said there is funding for the teaching component of the program at Santaluces High School and Congress Middle School. Mr. Fellows said he is looking for a source of funding and is looking to CARP, which is the non-profit organization that responded to the RFP from the School District to supply the counselors for the program. Talks have been taking place with Ray Adams of the Palm Beach County Health Care District as a potential funding source. Temporary Chair DeVries inquired how much funding would be necessary and Mr. Fellows stated it would be in the area of $40,000 to $45,000 per unit and there are two units. Temporary Chair DeVries inquired what would comprise a unit and Mr. Fellows stated that there would be a staff composed of a teacher, a Master’s level counselor provided by the non-profit organization and a counseling intern. The School District will 7 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 be providing space and the teacher for the program. The non-profit organization would provide the Master’s level counselor and the intern. Mr. Fellows handed out the manual that he prepared and distributed this evening to members of the Palm Beach County Health Care District. Mr. Fellows also reported on the Community Forum that took place recently where Principal Steve Sims from Congress Middle School and about 15 staff members attended and the Alternative to Suspension Program was introduced. Mr. Fellows stated that only 28 teachers are opting out of the magnet program at Congress Middle School and not 40 as reported in the press. Mr. Fellows said that most of the meeting focused on Congress Middle School and people expressed their sentiments on what is taking place at the School. Mr. Mitchell noted that Hank Ackermann started the Community Forum and it has become a part of the Neighborhood Summit. Mr. Fellows noted the Forum is very well attended by City officials and the Police Department. IX. PUBLIC AUDIENCE None X. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Farace announced that the Florida Institute of Government is holding an advisory board member workshop at Palm Beach Community College on Thursday, June 17th. The morning session will be an overview of public advisory boards and in the afternoon there will be concurrent sessions and one will be geared specifically to Education Advisory Boards. Ms. Farace distributed the necessary registration forms for any member that wished to attend. Mr. Mitchell announced that South Technical will be holding their commencement exercises tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. at Atlantic High School. Next Regular Board MeetingThursday,July 1, 1999 at 6:30 p.m. : Chairperson Russell requested that Ms. Farace inquire if the Board wanted to hold meetings throughout the summer months. After discussion, it was determined to continue holding regular meetings through the summer. XI. ADJOURNMENT 8 MEETING MINUTES EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 3, 1999 Motion Mr. Oyer moved that the meeting adjourn. Motion seconded by Mr. Fellows. The meeting properly adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, ________________________________ Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (two tapes) 9