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Minutes 07-23-15 MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION AND YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, AT 6:00 P.M., CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS CITY HALL 100 E. BOY EACH BOULEVARD YT EACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Chair Waldman, Chair Sherri Claude, Board Liaison Carole Lundquist Hattie Miller Kathleen Wilkinson, Student Reg. Dr. Tiffany North, Alternate Lori Wilkinson, Alternate ABSENT: Carla Colebrooks Dr. Stephanie Hayden, Vice Chair Mary Morera Valencia Spells- Anderson I. Call to Order Chair Waldman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance /Moment of Silent Reflection Kathleen Wilkinson led the the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent reflection. Self- introductions were made. Ms. Claude noted four regular members were absent so the alternates would participate in a voting capacity. III. Approval of Minutes of June 25, 2015 The minutes were not available. IV. Approval of Agenda Chair Waldman added to New Business, B. Rolling Green Elementary School. Motion Dr. North moved to approve as amended. Ms. Lundquist seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory Board B o y n t on each, Florida July 23, 2015 V. Announcements /Presentations /Correspondence Ms. Claude reminded the members a presentation regarding Hunters Run Tennis Pro David Codrey would be made at 6:30 p.m. at the August 4 City Commission meeting for his assistance with the Tennis Carnival. Dr. North had agreed to upload photos of the event from a thumb drive onto a digital photo album as a gift from the Board. She would return the drive to Ms. Claude the day of the meeting. A. Presentation by South Tech Academy Director Jay Boggess Jay Boggess, Director of Programs at South Tech Academy, thanked the Board for hosting the presentation. He has been in the position one month and was learning about the City and how to serve the stakeholders. He is from the School District of Palm Beach County and was in the Choice and Career Education Department for three years. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal for about six years, and a teacher before that. He came to South Tech because of its reputation and he reviewed the history of South Tech over the past 37 years. South Tech offers 13 different academies. They have their own governing board, and they make decisions that best suit their students. For the last three out of four years, they were an A -rated school with a 93% graduation rate. What makes South Tech Academy different is the focus on providing students with a college ready experience. Students in grades 9 through 12 must take career academy classes every semester. They provide a nurturing environment and are at their maximum capacity of 1,200 students. They have an 84% minority population and students must meet the minimum passing GPA to enroll. They look for disciplined students, which is a key difference that makes the school successful and changes the way students view education. Students have a contractual agreement with the school and their parents. They recently added the South Tech Rock and Roll Academy incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, (STEM) and Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculums. They offer college readiness programs and have two campuses: one on Woolbright Road and another at 1325 Gateway Boulevard, formerly, the Charter School in Boynton Beach. Mr. Boggess explained sometimes students change their mind about which program to pursue. In those instances, they have parent/student guidance conferences and make the transition the following semester. Students often have no idea what their major will be and Mr. Boggess did not have statistics about percentages of students in a specific vocation continuing on in that field. He noted in the medical and veterinary fields, students can receive multiple industry certifications. Ms. Wilkinson thought it was a great program. The other academic areas are filled and they offer advanced placement and dual enrollment classes with FAU, Kaiser and Lynn Universities. The focus is on the career education side, but they have a rigorous academic program. 2 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory Board B oynton Beach, Florida July 23, 2015 Mr. Boggess requested when the members are out and about, if they have the opportunity to speak about South Tech Academy, they recommend to others they look into the school. Chair Waldman explained at a prior meeting, they had discussed inviting principals to the meeting and Mr. Boggess was invited to attend. He advised the Board meets the 4 th Thursday of the month, and agendas are posted earlier in the week on the City's website. VI. Public Audience None. VII. New Business A. Process for Donation Requests Dr. North distributed a first draft of the Donation Policy and request form. The only thing she added to the request form was language that only applications completed in their entirety will be accepted. This was something the Board had previously discussed. She took the document Ms. Claude gave her as a template and sought feedback. Chair Waldman thought the procedure requiring the request to be made 45 days from the date of the project was not workable for the schools and it should be less than 45 days from the project event. Ms. Wilkinson commented the criteria for eligibility should be funds would only be awarded to entities residing in the City limits of Boynton Beach, but noted there may be times they may want to donate to students that live Boynton Beach that may attend Santaluces or Atlantic High School. The question was if the entity had to be in Boynton Beach, if the requestor be a Boynton Beach resident or both. Ms. Wilkinson thought a little of both. Dr. North inquired if the intent was the Board was trying to preclude money going to an entity outside of Boynton Beach even it was an individual that lives in Boynton Beach who applied. She learned that was the intent. Discussion followed it would not be fair to preclude those students because their school is not within City limits. A student who lives in Boynton Beach and attends Atlantic appears before the Board for football helmets for the Atlantic football team would not be eligible, but if the student asked for himself and not the Atlantic team, he could be funded. It was noted there were not many individuals that appeared before the Board. Ms. Lundquist thought the Board became lax about making decisions while the requestor was present. A decision will not be made at the meeting in which they are present. Dr. North pointed out that was addressed through the 45 -day provision. Ms. Lundquist commented they could leave the room. Ms. Claude explained sometimes people think they are required to be present to answer questions about the request. When the Board had reviewed applications, there were times they had questions and no one was present to answer them. The Board meetings are public meetings. Ms. Wilkinson thought the Board should have 3 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory Board Boy Beach, Fl July 23, 2015 flexibility, but if a decision needed to be made to meet again, they could ask the requestor step out. There are scenarios they should be flexible with. If they fill in the application details, the application could answer the Board's questions. The members discussed if the recipient failed to demonstrate to the Board the funds were used for the stated purpose in the allotted time, they will lose their eligibility for future funding. Dr. North noted anyone could ask for funds, but how would they know it was used for the intended purpose. Chair Waldman recalled in the past, Odyssey of the Mind had requested funds and came back and conveyed their experience. Documentation could be a photo, report or some type of evidence the money was used as intended. Appropriate evidence would be loosely defined. Chair Waldman pointed out they would need to provide the requestor with a place to send the documentation. Dr. North inquired about limiting the amount of times they can receive funds from the Board per year and a maximum of three times per year was agreed on. Ms. Wilkinson inquired about the Freedom Shores Garden. When they made the original request, they asked for money for the garden, the gifted program and books. She inquired if it mattered if they were requesting funds for three different undertakings. Dr. North commented the premise was to have a relationship with the entity. It would be nice for the Board, if funding the Garden Club, to be invited to see it or have a picture. It would be one application for one project. They should not have an application with three different projects on it. Ms. Wilkinson agreed. Dr. North requested if the limit was three projects per entity and one project per individual. In the past, when Freedom Shores appeared, they were funded and invited to come back for further funding because the Board was low on funds. It was noted one organization asked for $500, but the Board only had $200. Dr. North thought language should specify applications that are submitted are not necessarily approved in their entirety. The Board reserves the right to expend funds as it sees fit for each application and the members agreed. Dr. North asked if entities could be approved for three requests and individuals for one. Ms. Wilkinson thought there should be some flexibility. In one instance, the requestor was invited back because they did not have the funds, but they would in three months. That was the Board's doing, but the rules should say one individual one time. Additionally, the Board could decline the request. If an individual requests $500 and the Board only had $200, it would force the requestor to be resourceful to find the other $300. The point was some requestors feel there is a level of entitlement. Chair Waldman pointed out what the requestors expect and what the Board decides on was often different. If the Board cannot afford or is unable to give the same amount of money, they decide the amount to donate. He felt when people ask for $1,000, they do not expect that amount from the Board, but they want to get something. The Board operates within its budget and they give what they think is appropriate. Dr. North thought if someone asked for $500 and the Board does not have it, the Board should not say come back. They should encourage people to be resourceful to make money. The Board should be the last resort for funding. Ms. Lundquist and Chair Waldman agreed, but Chair Waldman thought they should be able to invite groups to return to the Board later, 4 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory Board B o y nton Beach, Florida July 23, 2015 There was consensus the limit should be times per entity and once per individual. The members agreed the application should be filled out entirely and there is an expectation from the Board that they have taken actions to raise the funds themselves prior to approaching the Board. It was noted oftentimes, the presenters advise the Board of their fundraising efforts. The members thanked Dr. North for her work on the policy. Ms. Claude suggested a language change to detail the purpose of the policy is to provide guidance. Other changes were to item 4a, change Commission to Board. She also recommended considering some type of procedure for notification to applicants when money is not awarded because presently there was no notification to the requestor such as a call or letter. Notification either way would be appropriate. Ms. Wilkinson agreed to provide a letter from the Greater Boynton Beach Foundation. Ms. Claude agreed to create a letter or modify the one provided. The Boynton Beach Police Department was asking for school supplies for Rolling Green Elementary and Chair Waldman read a list of items and contact information for those willing to donate supplies. Chair Waldman asked if the Board wanted him to donate $50 for Rolling Green. Brief discussion followed the Board has a contact at Rolling Green and thought they would have been alerted if there was a desperate need. There are also many additional resources in the community. Ms. Miller commented a member could shop for supplies, but the Board did not have to fund the request and the members agreed. Dr. North disagreed. VIII. Old Business A. Boynton Reads Update Chair Waldman attended a meeting and left everything from the meeting that was needed to make a report to the Board in his car which was stolen. The information included the name and phone number of the Boynton Reads Chair. He apologized for the lack of information, but advised they are working on the Board's suggestion to become an official non - profit organization. B. Shred- A -Thon Ms. Claude contacted the company and advised they were happy to keep participating in the event. All dates in October were open. She suggested selecting a date and an alternate date. The members agreed on October 3r as the first choice and October 17 as the backup. Ms. Claude had advised they would hold the event three times a year on a regular basis and they were amenable to the third event. The event would be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The event will open to the public at 10 a.m. (Kathleen Wilkinson /eft the meeting at 7:08 p.m.) C. Youth Volunteer Bank/Bob Borovy Awards 5 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory Board Boynt each, Florida July 23, 2015 There was no report given. Chair Waldman drafted a letter to the school principals. If acceptable, he had a list of principals to send it to which the members reviewed. There were some language changes suggested for the letter. The purpose of the meeting was to disseminate information about the Board, volunteering and how they can partner with the schools. It did not always pertain to funding. After brief discussion, there was agreement to invite the principals to the September 24 meeting. IX. Future Meeting Dates: August 27, 2015 September 24, 2015 October 22, 2015 Ms. Claude announced a non - voting member was appointed to the Board at the last City Commission meeting. X. Adjournment Motion There being no further business to discuss, Ms. Wilkinson moved to adjourn. Dr. North seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m. Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 090415 6