Citizens' Advisory Committee Minutes

Meeting Date: February 26, 2018
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: School Board of Highlands County, 426 School Street, Sebring, FL, Garland Boggus Board Room

  1. Welcome: Chairman Jason Biance welcomed everyone to the Citizens' Advisory Committee (Committee) Meeting and asked for roll call.

  2. Roll Call by Marlene Welborn:

    1. Members present - Jason Biance, Chet Brojek, David Burnham, Kay Ferguson, Diane Juve, Curt Matthews, Maritza Telesky, Vicki Musselman, John Shoop, and Joe Wright

    2. Members absent - Tiffany Green, Ned Hancock, Velma Lumpkin, and Jennifer Waltman, Olimpia Lonsdale

    3. Others in attendance - Brenda Longshore, Donna Howerton, Mike Averyt, Harry Howes, Frank Brown, David Solomon, Darrell Layfield, Lisa Branca, Wendy Amos

  3. Approval of Minutes: John Shoop moved and Curt Matthews seconded to approve the minutes of the August 28, 2017, meeting. The minutes were approved by a unanimous vote.

  4. Update on funds received: Chair Jason Biance reported that revenues are $5,144,665.68 and a monthly average of $467,696. Mr. Biance shared a PowerPoint presentation showing a timeline of revenue received

  5. Project List Overview: Chair Biance shared an overview of expenditures by category (buses, structural repairs, technology, HVAC, and security), by school, and by area. PowerPoint included pictures of the progress.

  6. Walk-through Overview: Diane Juve reported on facility walk-throughs in February, and urged all members to attend in the future. She spoke highly of the schools' principals and staff, their positive attitudes, and their knowledge of the needs of their individual campuses.

  7. Technology Update: Harry Howes shared an update on the installation of security camera and Darrell Layfield shared an update on technology equipment throughout the district. Mr. Layfield stated that software security for Chromebooks would be purchased to allow access to student devices issued by the district. Mr. Layfield gave an insurance update and said that monies collected had been sufficient to date with warranty covering most repairs. Mrs. Branca asked if Chromebooks would be collected at the end of the year and Mr. Layfield said that they would and re-issued at the beginning of the new year.

  8. Bus Fleet Update: David Solomon, Director of Transportation, stated that in addition to buses, that four (4) white fleet vans were purchased to replace those with high mileage and would implement a rotation of vehicles. Mr. Solomon reported that four (4) vans were also purchased to replace those with high mileage.
    Chet Brojek asked how many buses we anticipate getting for next year. Mike Averyt answered stating that nine new buses were ordered last December: three (3) ESE and six (6) regular education buses and will be delivered for the start of the 2018-19 school year. Another bus order will be made in December 2018 for delivery at the beginning of 2019-2020 continuing the order and delivery cycle.

  9. Revenue and Expense Update: Mike Averyt provided a hand-out and reported on revenue and expenditures through January, another list of expenditures by school and by category. Also, during recent walk-throughs, principals submitted added projects to the list. A budget workshop will be scheduled in March to go over capital outlay. He requested the Committee provide categories by priority where they would like the District to focus.

  10. Safe Schools Update: Dr. Longshore shared an update from the Governor's office on Safe School Allocations and placing SROs in all schools. We currently have eight (8) SROs and approximately 12,000 students. There are no SROs presently in elementary schools. The Governor's proposal states that capital funds would not be used until schools were "hardened" and that there was not a precise definition of the word "hardened."
    Mr. Wright asked about completing fencing at all schools. Dr. Longshore stated her willingness to explore all options. She reinforced the advantages of security cameras with staff now able to see the campus. She also noted that many safety measures out-lined by the governor are already in place through collaboration with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office (HCSO).
    Harry Howes suggested adding 55" TV s in the front office area to monitor all key entry points where multiple people would see suspicious activity.
    Maritza Telesky asked about linking cameras to the HCSO. Mr. Howes stated that cameras are linked and monitored by the HCSO. Additionally, alerts are received when cameras are not working so that repair is done right away. He added that the HCSO sees all cameras on all campuses.
    Dr. Longshore announced that she would hold Town Hall meetings in each community beginning at Avon Park, followed by Lake Placid, and finishing in Sebring. Safety, security, and student achievement will be discussed. There is time after the presentation to take questions and comments from the people.
    Jason Biance asked if the Governor's proposal included mental health. Dr. Longshore stated that there was much language on mental health (threat assessment teams, training in crisis intervention, and mental health counselors on each campus whose sole responsibility would be counseling). Presently, the district has two mental health counselors. The governor's proposal would require one at each facility. She also stated that the Florida House and Senate were proposing to put money towards these initiatives, and if passed, would be a huge win for our district. Dr. Longshore urged members to continue communicating with legislators the importance of receiving the funding and how great the need is for those funds.
    Mr. Mathews asked would the SBHC proceed with initiatives for security in anticipation of receiving funding from the state or hold until funds are available. Dr. Longshore stated that once decided in statute, that the statute itself would lead our work going forward and hopefully the money will follow. Darrell Layfield installing cameras would continue in the meantime. Dr. Longshore clarified that when statute comes into play, then moving forward would be dictated by the terms of the statute (i.e. not spending any capital dollars until schools are "hardened", whatever their definition of that word might mean. Mike Averyt also addressed this issue and further comments were made by Mr. Wright and Mr. Brojek.
    Dr. Longshore stated she was collaborating with the Sheriff's Department to have Nell Hayes conduct a safety walk-through checking for safety issues on every campus. She commented on making wise decisions on what steps to take to make schools safer, and to depend on safety experts to help make those decisions.

  11. Capital List: Frank Brown shared his concerns on defining what constitutes "hardening" a campus and what we want to achieve. He stated he would need to know before dollars are allocated as $4.6 million is already allocated. Mr. Brown shared further comments on the capital list. Dr. Longshore re-emphasized that the statute would determine how we can use our funds.

  12. Final Comments: Jason Biance made final comments and asked for feedback on getting information out to the public on the impact of the half-cent sales tax and stated the enormous positive impact it has made in the schools for both safety and computers for students.

  13. Adjourn: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:28 PM.