Meeting Date: November 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 a roll call.

2. Roll Call by Cindy Wester:
   Members present – Jason Biance, Curt Matthews, Maritza Telesky, John Shoop, Wendy Amos, Chet Brojek, Vicki Musselman, and Joe Wright.
   Members absent – David Burnham, Tiffany Green, Diane Juve, Velma Lumpkin, Lisa Branca, Jennifer Waltman.
   District Staff present – Brenda Longshore, Darrell Layfield, Frank Brown, Harry Howes, Mike Averyt, David Solomon, and Cindy Wester (recorder).

3. Condolences: Chair Biance announced the passing of member Kay Ferguson and offered condolences to her friends and family. An alternate member will be asked to fill the position.

4. Approval of Minutes: John Shoop made the motion, and Curt Matthews seconded to approve the minutes of the August 6, 2018, meeting. The minutes were approved by a unanimous vote.

5. Chair/Vice-Chair Election: Chair Biance stated he was stepping down as Chair and asked for nominations for the Chair position. He offered assistance with the transition. Chet Brojek made a motion, seconded by John Shoop, to nominate Diane Juve as Chair. Mrs. Juve was not present at the meeting. After unanimous vote, Mrs. Juve was elected to Chair, provisionally, with the option to decline the office. There were no nominations for Vice-Chair.

6. Secretary Election: Assistant Superintendent Mike Averyt explained the responsibilities of the Secretary. Wendy Amos stated that she had experience taking minutes and volunteered for the position. John Shoop made the motion to nominate Wendy Amos as Secretary; motion seconded by Chet Brojek. The vote was unanimous to elect Wendy Amos as Secretary.

7. Fiscal Year/Project Lists: Chair Biance stated that the fiscal year is July 1 through June 30.

8. Cash Flow & Expenditures Presentation: Chair Biance presented a PowerPoint of monies received and expended. Mr. Averyt stated that he had updated the spreadsheet to include expenditures through November.

   1. Cash Flow: Chair Biance announced that average quarterly receipts are about $896,000, up approximately $10,000 per month. Total revenue collected is about $9.9 million and about $46,000 was earned in interest. The monthly average of collections is an estimated $496,000.

   2. Expenditures: Chair Biance shared expenditures by category and monies spent. Buses, computer software for students, and roofs/covered walkways ranked one, two, and three, respectively. Approximately $1,000,000 was spent from capital funds on hurricane damage. Joe Wright asked what portion insurance and FEMA paid. Mr. Averyt addressed this concern.

      1. Transportation: Transportation Director David Solomon stated that there were 18 buses purchased and received and the same amount would be purchased each year.

      2. Student computer software: MIS Director Darrell Layfield updated the Committee on computers and software purchased and implemented in the schools. Chair Biance asked how long students have had the computers to which Mr. Layfield answered two years. He added that none was retired to date unless broken. Chair Biance asked about repair costs versus insurance protection collected. Harry Howes addressed this. Chet Brojek asked if students kept the same Chromebook as they progress to the next level to which Mr. Layfield answered “yes.”
         Chair Biance asked for follow-up on software licenses discussed at the last meeting. Mr. Layfield addressed this issue.

      3. Roofs and Covered Walkways: Mike Averyt stated that the 2018-19 project list was on the agenda for amendment at the next board meeting for the second phase of the walkway at Avon Elementary. He added that the State awarded the school district a grant for $426,000

         for safety and security. Brenda Longshore added Andrew Lethbridge and Frank Brown worked collaboratively with Nell Hayes of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) conducting a walk-through on all campuses determining single-point entries. The cost for fencing for single-point entries is estimated at $1,000,000. Frank Brown has asked for an additional $374,000 for set up costs.
         Mike Averyt stated that Transportation is planning to implement a student tracking software, which is another recommendation of the HCSO. Director Solomon added that the software would provide student accountability at all times during transport.

9. Debris Cleanup: Curt Matthews asked about an issue regarding debris cleanup using inmates around fenced areas in Lake Placid. Frank Brown addressed this issue.

10. Roof Re-Address: Joe Wright asked about an estimated period in completing roof repair. Frank Brown addressed this concern. Mike Averyt added that this year the focus is to allow Mr. Brown the financial support for facilities projects, including fencing. He stated that the School Board Facilities Walk-throughs are in January, and the 2019-20 project list would go before the Board shortly afterwards for approval.

11. New Business/Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee will be scheduled in late January after the Board Facilities Walk-throughs. Cindy Wester will email the Committee to announce the date.

12. Adjourn: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:15 PM.