It is not the fact that parents or anti-mask supporters are expressing their opinions, but it is the virulence with which they do. Millays thinking was that when Ginger Featherstone retires next year, the person who takes her place must have HR experience. I look forward to continuing to meet and learn from each member of our community as we celebrate success and develop new goals for the future together. Martin County School Board Member Rene Purvis successfully completed the Advanced Leadership Corps (ALC) training offered annually to select local elected officials by the School of Government . During this meeting, a board member brought up that the school district was mentioned during Governor DeSantis press conference for the signing of the Parental Rights bill into law. IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREEHERE. As Board representative to Childrens Services Council, I actively participate in selecting and honing funding initiatives tied to frequently-updated community needs assessments and published performance measures, while effectively addressing gaps. In full disclosure, I was on the committee. And if not, then their parents have been completely amiss in raising those kids. There is no more Martin County school-based remote learning. When looking at the agenda one can (to borrow an expression) not see the forest for the trees.) Millay is a recently retired superintendent from Kentucky. Open and transparent government has an obligation to make the information available in a timely manner. So, either the district needs to engage in better communication with parents or show that to be true by raising the scores. And I still dont quite understand what a weighted GPA is or how it is calculated. Cindy Pearson is a Jacksonville native who attended Duval County Public Schools K-12. She mentioned that a bit of a stress crisis inspired her to draw herself and her mother hugging. How did this criminal behavior go on for almost a decade? It is too bad that more people did not take Andersons civic lessons to heart. He must live within the County. Yet in the last several years, education has become a hot button topic. Ms. Roberts and the staff reports can be foundhere. Floridas scores for third-grade reading proficiency are poor; only 25% of students scored a 4 or 5. She was a Democrat in very red Martin County and a very liberal one at that. How many students as high school seniors still have the same besties from kindergarten. The English Language Arts Standards will be implemented in 2021/22 year and the math in 2022/23 school year. You can find it here. It is probably something that should be tried. Yet what those children did is just the tip of the iceberg. 2015 Minutes. Anderson gave a little history and civics lesson regarding John Locke and the social contract. Martin County does not need another school. I think there is agreement on that by all. The loss of demographic numbers to groups should not mean those groups flip out. But does the district need to have separate policies for those students? The board can no longer blame the superintendent if something goes wrong. The ultimate decision is the individual student and parent. She can take COBRA for health insurance and any compensation should come directly from the union. This was a workshop that was very substantive yet for the lay person extremely boring. What he does not remember was the level of disrespect and animosity on the part of the people at the meetings that he sees today. Two candidates stood out to him John Millay and Peter Licata. Anthony Tony Anderson District 4 (Incumbent). He addressed the person that threatened to spend money against any board member that voted in favor of the proclamation. While Dr. Millay is rethinking non-school staff, there needs to be the same re-evaluation for schools. The question is how do we accomplish this? These kids feel there is nothing wrong with that behavior. Millay had a plan and had done his research. Hispanic children make up 34.5% of our students. One was a half-cent sales tax to replace two elementary schools and other capital improvement work. When I received my First Communion, my present was a Maryknoll Missal. There is an opportunity for parents to request changes in status going forward. Tallahassee will oversee the paperwork and then the school itself will be administered by the local school district. In some cases, there should be a more cohesive carrying out of policy. He has become a highly respected member of our community. This a relatively poor community and I dont believe there has been another charter or private school opening. That means there is a decrease in funding of $8,192 per student for a total of $6.42 million. It was contentious and had many public speakers against it. Fiscal responsibility, another one of her priorities, could be improved by havinganattorney on school district staff, she said, rather than spending money for outsidelaw firms. Women make up nearly all the staff and are raising their own families with this job. You can view the maps, options, and agenda item here. By way of explanation, the board has no control over whether to impose one or not. The motion passed 5-0. The Martin County student population in 2022 is less than 52% white. To hate someone just because they are of a different color or ethnic group means you had to be carefully taught as the Rogers & Hammerstein song goes. Roberts wanted the re-districting committee to look at where the students who will be living in the new construction off Commerce Avenue in South Stuart should attend school. 252-792-1575. jwagner@martin.k12.nc.us. How about this as a discussion item. Since health care is not a negotiated item, it is up to the board to decide how much of each employees premium to pay. Thelma Washington who is the executive director of Gertrude Walden also wrote regarding pre-k and childcare: Thank you, concerning the Early Childhood Program at Jensen Beach High School. Some research has indicated that the lasting student attachments that are formed in the early years are good for the transition from school to school. In a blink of an eye, four years have passed since the voters of Martin County approved two referenda to increase taxes. It is an exciting time for all of us in the Martin County School District and I am genuinely looking forward to building relationships and achieving the vision and mission of our school district. This is a textbook exampleso to speak. Schools are a place for education, not indoctrination. I think the union could build an excellent 100-unit building for its members. I can just hear board attorneys, district staff, and the board members themselves stating that they cannot comment on a pending matter before them. Roberts noted that the re-districting committee should look at where the students who will be living in the new construction off Commerce Avenue in South Stuart should attend school. I believe that with all my heart. There are assigned seats in the classrooms. The fields and other interior areas, such as gyms and libraries, should be made available to the public when classes are not in session. What about the other three elected members? His comments can be found starting at 1:20 of the school board recording of the meeting here, The next meeting will be December 7, 2021. In Martin County, remote learning was never meant to be the new way of attending class. Martin County High School; Martin County Middle School; Eden Elementary School; Inez Elementary School; Warfield Elementary School; Martin County Area Technology Center; Links; Calendar . "If we really want all stakeholders to be involved, and we actually believe that'sbest for our students, which I do, we need to get more parents involved at that faculty level and actually take the responsibility.". She will be the last elected superintendent in Martin County. Have a question, concern, compliment or comment? As with any self-insured program, what could be problematic is the demographics of the employees. The first thing was the Clifton Strengths Assessments. She said she's running because she sawa fundamental misunderstanding in the community about the School Board and its responsibilities, she said. At future meetings, there will be continued inane public comment, threats, and incivility. Superintendent Millay gave a very good presentation about why some of our students excel and others do not. We are all part of the free market system. Top heavy costs will be the next thing that Tallahassee will be looking at. Dr. Millays vision also begins to eliminate the inhouse legal team and outsource to an outside legal firm that specializes in education. The capital projects increase was not $84 million but $17 million over last year. A motion was made by Powers and seconded by Defenthaler for that to happen. Winchester, VA 22601. The story is really a tempest in a teapot but has shown the deep divisions that the board has. His accomplishments are not because of or despite his sexuality. All rights reserved. County election data shows Districts 3 and 4 have about twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats around 12,000 Republicans each which played in favor to Pritchett and Russell's campaigns, as they leaned conservative. They ranked the proposal with price being 35% of the ranking. It would only invite more public comment that has nothing to do with the business of the district. These are expenses that the district has already paid from the Capital Account. It seems that DiTerlizzi and Powers want to make sure that LGBTQ+ students are covered but, if necessary, every other non-LGBTQ+ student with a problem would also be taken care of. I believe when each stakeholder--the administration, the teachers, the , Url: https://www.facebook.com/JenRussell4schoolboard/ Go Now, Schools Details: WebWelcome to the Martin County School District! I also believe strongly that parental involvement in education is crucial to our childrens success. Committee Chair Ciampi explained that, once again, the committee did not want to create any new enclaves. Does this mean that any individual teacher cannot try and inject an opinion into the course work? Some kids do not excel in the larger environment of a public school. Because of COVID, the district endorsed senior celebrations at the three high schools that were anything but traditional. Anthony Anderson said that Fletch has been great to work with, and he was happy with the progress so far. If the district can convince parents that they can provide the same level of service, then children would not be going to charters. Ms. Defenthaler wanted to have the health department and Cleveland Clinic report on Covid. Kathleen Watts, Director of Transportation, created two memos outlining why the bus depot was closed. A great place for a new building would be at the old high school site. The answer is no. There is no way of knowing how many of these students will be returning to class once the pandemic ends. Dr. Millay was from Kentucky where he had been a superintendent and administrator. Currently, VPK in Florida is provided mainly by private providers with public schools accounting for only 20% of the available seats. Martin County is ripe for growth in those areas. Those will be done at the next few meetings. I believe throughprimarily the private sector using adequatetax credits and vouchers this can be accomplished. That is not to say that their actions are not political at times. July 21, 2021 They vary from tony private day care to places like Gertrude Walden in East Stuart. How do you start a controversy in Martin County Schools? The board has asked for more information. We all have our prejudices and biases. Both Florida Blue and United Health Care representatives spoke at the meeting. Russell, a first-time candidate who moved to Hobe Sound last year andformer assistant administrator at an early-learning Christian schoolin Virginia, reported raising $47,065, election records show. Jason Compton was elected to the Jackson-Madison County School Board in August of 2022. Tony Anderson nominated and made the motion for Powers. Christia Li Roberts District 1 (incumbent) Roberts was elected automatically when no one filed for the seat but her. Pritchett won by 337 votes. It was the equivalent of an A for the course. Property values have increased so any savings will be absorbed by the that increase. Our investigation included interviewing all students involved in the incident, the principal, the teacher whose class was used to create the photograph and others, as well as reviewing the metadata involved in the photograph and surveillance video from the school. Both were in Europe serving as ambassadors at the time. It is all of us for thinking that the racist political speech, theories, and invective that fill our airwaves and screens are acceptable political and social ideas for discourse. In the almost 3-hour meeting, much of the time was devoted to COVID not education. Does that mean the expense of maintaining some of those amenities should fall to the District alone? Race relations and CRT are two different topics. I am the perfect addition to the 5-member school board and am the only District 3 candidate with economics, policy, and financial accounting background and experience. A proclamation is simply a way to acknowledge that these students are valuable members of their schools and society. Tyson Waters, the boards attorney, gave members an update on the county CRAs wanting to allow bars within 50 feet of schools. The staff responsible for the project has done a remarkable job in ignoring and alienating the schools surrounding communities and the PTAs. Anderson agrees that people have rights in their homes, but a schoolhouse is a public house and individual rights need to be balanced. The allocation for Martin County is almost $4 million. The bulk of the discussion from the Board centered on the much less controversial resolution. They have willingly stepped forward to chair the board without making any excuses. The board adopted to renew with Scenario 3 of the attachment. Beginning next year, charter school approvals will no longer come before school boards. Schools ultimately must educate children. The only school affected would be Palm City Elementary. . Because Children Matter. If these rules were in effect when I was a kid, I would have never played sports on a field. It can be found here. Since both are county-wide and based on population, it makes sense. Anderson was given an opportunity to submit a statement to us about why he wanted to be re-elected. This involves a plan to add additional licensed teachers in grades 1, 2, and 3 to focus on literacy skills. We want reading proficiency to be up from the 53% that it's at, she said. The other thing to note was Treasure Coast Classical added 149 students. I think Anderson is right, but if the board is telling Millay to hire someone, then of course he is going to do it. The way Blacks arrived on our shores is the American Original Sin. One of my issues with Anderson is at times he seems to be thinking as a union member and not as a school board member. Everyone is great and the person either exceeds expectations or is making acceptable progress. If Amy had the same support as Jen, then she too could have had a much larger victory. This years graduations will also have optional masks for seniors and guests since they will not be returning to the classroom. We need to give the customer (parents and students) what they want. Defenthaler in her written notes mentioned that school board members were elected to represent the best interest of the children. I began attending Martin County Board of County Commissioner meetings, as well as Martin County School Board meetings. Having three clearly caused the problems. Things have changed and Covid has accelerated the pace of that change. This is a reason why some outlays for roofs, chillers and other capital items could not be done. Apparently, some on the Board think that it should go further. There had been a community committee to select and narrow the applicants for superintendent to a list of five. You can see the proposed revisions under the Martin County Commission Section. The committee met to consider options for that area. Most of the discussion was consumed with Covid cancellation clauses. After spending $29,130, he spent nearly as much campaign cash as he raised, county election finance records show. And without support of the community, it never will. When it is available, the newsletter will spend more time on that subject. The original pay gap that Martin County School District had was $9 million. Many teachers do not have the ability to work with individual students both in the classroom and at home. An elated Russell expressed gratitude Tuesday night and acknowledged her supporters who helped her win by 4,558 votes. Once again, congratulations to this chair and vice chair. "I see the ability to make positive change and make things explainable and transparent to parents and to taxpayers and to citizens," she said of her decision to seek a third term on the board. This is the disclaimer text. Eight years of being on the firing line is a long time. It states how the district has implemented policies to conform with Florida and federal law. It is immensely satisfying to have such meaningful and detailed information to make prudent and logical fiscal decisions. I hope you, and the voters of Martin County see this non-partisan election for what it is, a job interview, and I urge you to vote for the best, most qualified candidate. This myopic vision of what a school should be is becoming less and less relevant especially with declining enrollment. They do better in a smaller setting and with more rigorous learning standards. They are often part of so called roll forward reports, which include a breakdown of the current period starting balance and all debit and credit activity the sum of which is the roll forward value (a/k/a endingbalance).*. It has 18,140.62 students or a loss of 783.78. Just one of those bureaucratic things. He is a member of the Joseph E. Martin Shakespeare Circle. It did not appear that there were any complaints. First why do the employees want Florida Blue over any of the others? I dont want to get into the merits of the case. It was a guide as to what the priest was saying on the alter. If she knows how to do it, she can place an agenda item to take a vote on whether to proceed with having those experts such as Cleveland Clinic address the board. Good for you Tony! That is what I took out of this meeting. Fletcher delved into the facility they are building in conjunction with the school district on Martin Luther King behind Stuart Middle School. The initiative probably resulted in many teachers staying in the district rather than go north or south. Should Martin County spend all that money on one more certificate program? Superintendent Millay outlined his plan about how to move forward. If you believe that homosexuality is wrong and evil, then any mention of it (even in the context of explaining that Heathers family is different than ours) should be kept out of schools. She then made a motion to issue the proclamation. How many parents are going to devote the time to unearth the concepts being conveyed in the language of education? Unfortunately for her, the timing was far from right. No dates for when things would happen. Many candidates would never take a job where the Board is so split. The agreement was signed by Resciniti and Millay on August 16th retroactive to August 1st. That shortage will not be easily addressed in the district or any place else. That means it has lost money. Neither George nor Spellman were given a copy of the draft prior to execution. For more than an hour, the board discussed and planned for Covid cancellations. The board that claims to want transparency needs to make sure it is provided. Several projects have recently been approved in Stuart which would probably add the most students. Now it seems they may be looking to ramp that up again. He also mentioned demographics and the changing racial landscape. Naturally, no one was in support including Commissioner Ciampi who is the supposed champion of affordable housing. Powers was attending virtually, and it fell to Vice-Chair Anderson to preside. We should be looking to move educational decisions to the local school as much as possible because that is where parents can be most involved. This content is the sole responsibility of the entity that makes it available. Anderson opened with how wonderful a place Martin County is. Then imagine how hard it is for students whose parents speak a language other than English and so have no idea how to help their children do their homework. The state levies what is known as the Local Required Effort. Tallahassee lowered the rate from 3.6990 to 3.5750, a decrease of .1240. At the district fine tuning this is a continuing project. Apparently even to some board members, the arrangement between the district and the union allowing MCEA President Karen Resciniti to remain as a paid employee on the district payroll with all benefits while working exclusively in the unions offices was a surprise. Nor were the proposed new school buildings. Whether that means driving to Palm Beach or St. Lucie Counties to find school jobs or to begin in a new profession, this is how markets work. John Millay has brought some great skills and educational background. This will have a total cost to the board of $608,183 per year. With what these kids watch on TV and play on video games, this is tamed stuff. They will all safely keep their salaries and benefits since the governor will not be threatening this group. In the District 3 race, Bernstein, a wellnessinstructor at her businessSoulful Elephant Yoga,raised $64,457 - the most cash collected in any of the Martin County School Board races. I dont know. If anything, he may be too cautious in his approach. He touched on the war over desegregation when he was child of 9 or 10. Both Pritchett and Russell are not professional educators like Anderson and Defenthaler both of which had worked for the Martin County School District. Obviously not only is the public not informed but apparently neither is the board on matters coming before it. He also would do any investigations of any member of her union on disciplinary matters. Parents were not going to have to change their families routines. Some were very emotional. I would suspect that maybe half of these will be built. I think that trend will continue. I am a mom and former assistant school administrator who cares deeply about our education system. How is that even possible? Local Moms for Liberty co-chair Amy Pritchett, 66, of Stuart, beat Port Salerno resident Anthony Tony Anderson, 65, in his District 4 reelection bid, whileJennifer Russell, of Hobe Sound, won the School Boards open District 3 seat over rival Elizabeth Bernstein, of Tequesta. It should not be this hard for lay people to understand what the school district is proposing and doing. It is meant to raise starting salaries to a target range of $47,500. I would imagine she will not have the opinions of Defenthaler for sure. But the arbiters of how children are educated are not professional teachers or administrators. There has been some frustration when funding has been allocated and designated to cover a longer period (like two years) then subsequent reports did not show a huge spend down of those funds in the near term. I am not going to go through every page of the budget presentation that was shown. Both the BOCC and school board want this to happen, but the devil is in the details. Powers then motioned for Roberts to be chair and it was seconded by DiTerlizzi. Public schools throughout the country have tended to go away from more practical hands-on classes that were meant to train students to be auto mechanics and carpenters. The evaluations were of Dr. Millay, the superintendent, by the board. Agreements must be signed, insurance certificates exchanged, and most importantly money paid. Neither the proclamation nor any suggestion of it being discussed was on the agenda. There is nothing innovative about the district. The district believes it will be $147 million that will be spent in district-controlled classrooms for 2022/23. Like Defenthaler, it is caught in a time warp where parents knew their place and educators were the only ones knowledgeable enough to call the shots. It can be foundhereand then by following the tabs, you can see each grade level and subject matter. If you are an organized sports team, then this agreement will be welcomed. Superintendent Laurie Gaylord retiring in November. The district will follow a voluntary mask policy as recommended by the Florida Department of Education in 2021/22 school year. If you care to see the changes you can do here. Without specifics, there is nothing that can be done. Click here to watch the finalists' answers to questions submitted by members of the community here. And to see what the Florida subject standards are you can gohere. In this weeks diatribe by Anderson, he compared me to a boll weevil in a bag of rice and that I am from somewhere else. I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with me on the campaign trail and get to know me and what I was about.. A student who tests positive or is. So, what is the problem? A motion was made by Russell and seconded by DiTerlizzi for Powers to become chair. There are no plans for that in the next school year either. This prevents many kids from enjoying activities of just hanging around in a relatively safe environment after school and on weekends. If Defenthaler or any other school board member tries to resurrect this contentious issue, it will be time to once again come out and speak. Doing so would take innovation and changesomething that seems improbable. 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart, FL 34996. The buck stops with them. As an example, one bill just passed that mandates health education and in what grade it can be taught. The Council now needs to get into the building to see the physical condition and what needs to be remediated. Comments are limited to three minutes and board members will listen but not address the comments shared during the meeting. How much would all this cost? As I have traveled throughout beautiful Martin County over the last few weeks, I have met countless students, faculty, staff and residents who have been incredibly welcoming and excited to see what lies ahead for our school system. There was some concern about car lines and parking. Mr. Anderson gave him all exceptional ratings in the 12-page evaluation report. Mr. Anderson and Mr. DiTerlizzi expressed some hesitancy. This is something that requires more study, and I would suggest that the administration reach out to their LGBTQ+ students and find out what they believe their needs are. Didnt that strike anyone as unusual and odd. He said the resolution follows current law and there is already an anti-bullying policy in place. However, the bulk of the money goes to every teacher and other employees for a total of about $11 million. Other contributors with GOP ties included Dan Bongino, who donated $1,000; former Florida Senate President Joe Negron and his wife Rebecca, who gave a combined $1,000; Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder, who donated $250; and Martin County Commission candidate Doug Mustapick, of Stuart, who gave Russell $250. Ill add some detail on our discussions. We cant afford to build such specialized places with the idea that they belong to a District and not all County residents. I think Millay was a good hire. The next meeting will be September 9, 2021. Today he was looking for resolution and not to prolong the building of the schools. She wants to brand schools. The way we do things now in conventional school districts are more fitting for the society of a century ago than todays. One of the MOUs would have had the district give that amount to other MCEA (Martin County Education Association) eligible employees that were not covered under the governors order. I remember when I was young, the Catholic mass was still in Latin.