The Leon County School Board heard an update regarding the LCS district’s partnership with Florida State University and the reading achievement program focused on Leon County students. The aim is reading and early learning and intervention for students using literacy coaches and resources to provide materials and support to students and families in need.
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The Board heard from Dean Meade from the Tallahassee Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section. He discussed a seminar for high school students, Adulting 101, where guest speakers will discuss money management, obtaining a job, applying for law school, and understanding your rights. This year’s seminar will be held virtually on May 10, 2022, at 5:30 p.m., and students can register at the provided link.
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Superintendent Rocky Hanna highlighted occurrences benefiting teachers over the last four years, including salary, bonuses, and contracts. Hanna stated there had been $9.8 million in salary increases in the previous four years, citing veteran teachers having a $5,700 increase, lower health insurance costs, two additional paid holidays, and two new paid planning days.
Additionally, Hanna discussed plans for a $6 million salary increase where all teachers will receive a minimum of $1,800, which raises the base pay by $2,700.
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The LCSB unanimously approved revisions to Policy 8330-Student Records, allowing the district to release student information to recruiting officers for any branch of the United States Armed Forces or an institution of higher education that requests such information. Additionally, the revision will allow for reports of serious or recurrent behavior patterns and psychological evaluations to be released.
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The Board authorized amendments to Policy 1430.06-Annual Leave- to be publicly advertised and for a public hearing scheduled for June 21, 2022. The revision to the policy extends the temporary waiver of the annual leave cap for exempt/salaried administrative staff, implemented due to COVID-19. ____
The changes for Policy 2371-Hope Scholarship- and a public hearing scheduled for June 21, 2022, were unanimously approved by the LCSB. The Hope Scholarship Program is established to provide the parent of a public-school student an opportunity to transfer the student to another public school or request a scholarship to enroll in and attend an eligible private school. The option would be permitted if the student was subjected to an incident such as battery, bullying, or sexual offenses.
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The Board supported revisions and scheduled a public hearing for June 21, 2022, for Policy 5111-Students in Foster Care. The amendments use language to comply with Title 42 of the U.S. Code, stating that students in foster care will not be stigmatized or segregated based on their status. The district shall establish safeguards that protect foster care students from discrimination based on their foster care status.
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In the fall of 2021, the LCSB obtained census data from Leon County to determine if school district boundary lines needed to be redrawn. However, after careful review, it was determined that the residence areas remained roughly equal in population and that redistricting was unnecessary. Therefore, the Board approved a correspondence to Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley regarding their decision to preserve the current boundaries. ____
The Board unanimously approved the removal from service and demolition of Old SAIL Buildings 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5, and Portable 99-408, located at 725 N. Macomb Street.
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A contract between the LCSB and Rippee Construction, Inc. in the amount of approximately $1 million was approved by the Board. The contract is for services to Griffin Middle School, remodeling and renovations to Building 15 Rooms 106, 202, 206, and 212.
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Brain Rode was unanimously appointed by the LCSB as a Leon County Value Adjustment Board citizen member. The Leon County Value Adjustment Board includes membership representatives of the County Commission and the School Board. The purpose of the value adjustment board is to hear petitions relating to assessments, listen to complaints relating to homestead exemptions, hear appeals from exemptions denied or disputes arising from exemptions granted.
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The Board unanimously approved $70,000 of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds to the Council on the Status of Men and Boys (CSMB) for the 2021 – 2022 school year. Leon County will serve as the fiscal agent to receive these funds.
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Counselor Ms. Thomas of Deerlake Middle School received a letter from the Department of Education informing her of an allegation made by a student stating a counseling session she held with them made the student uncomfortable. The Board collectively authorized providing legal services for Ms. Thomas to respond to the investigation. She has less than two weeks to provide documentation denying the allegation.
Florida law and LCSB policy provide permissive authority for providing legal representation to employees charged with civil or criminal actions arising out of and in the course of their assigned duties and responsibilities.
Leon County School Board Meeting Notes April 26, 2022 added by Lynsey Kirk on
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@ Hope, I caught the last bit of that meeting, Mr. Sims was awesome and dead on about the Raises. I am very disappointed in Mayor Dailey running the Meetings as he has been. Everyone that has something to say, should be heard.
If I’m elected, I would like to see the Time raised from 3 Minutes to 5 Minutes for the County Meetings. If you have to be there until Midnight to hear everyone speak, so be it. I would also like to see weekly Meetings instead of Bi-Weekly, the Work Shops can stay Bi-Weekly.
O/T –
Where is the news about Stanley Sims doing a “gotcha” on Mayor Failey and City Manager Reese Goad at the last City commission meeting?
Total control was lost by the mayor and he attempted to adjourn the meeting.
It appears that the mayor and Reese Goad shut down talks for raises for lower-level employees by giving huge increases to upper-level employees. Curtis Richardson and Diane Williams Cox bailed on the people they are supposed to serve and went along with this farce.
City Manager Reese Goad and Mayor Failey mis-manage city funds again and give huge increases to people around them and going around the assistant city manager Cynthia Barber.
Yet another display of the mayor and Reese Goad mismanaging city funds
ref: The Board heard from Dean Meade from the Tallahassee Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section…applying for law school, and understanding your rights.
(Insert sacrarium) …just what we need, more slip and fall attorneys. The law field has certainly degraded over the past years. According to an acquaintance of mine who is finishing his second year of law school at FSU, law school is set up so you are almost guaranteed to pass. And look at the character and quality of today’s attorney. Our local Civil Rights Ambulance Chaser Al Sharpton wanna-bee can barely be understood when he speaks. Court TV hires “expert attorneys” that I wouldn’t retain to write a simple will. Then there are the ones that advertise constantly offering “you do not pay if we do not win”. If it wasn’t bad enough that slip and fall attorneys keep the Lion’s share of the verdict most contribute to Liberal Politicians that have wrecked our economy. So for $140,000.00 in tuition at FSU law, you are projected to earn, after 7 years, a $100,000.00 salary. You would be better off to become a electrical lineman and make $71,000.00 to start.
Your higher Home Owner’s and Insurance Car Insurance premiums can directly be traced back to all the slip and fall attorneys really sticking it to the insurance company. Attorney lawsuits have driven up new cars prices, boat prices and aircraft prices.
So instead of encouraging your son or daughter to become an attorney, steer them to a profession you can be proud of like playing the piano at the local bordello.
Just curious, the Policy 2371-Hope Scholarship- provides an option to be permitted if the student was subjected to an incident such as battery, bullying, or sexual offenses to Transfer to another School. OK BUT, what happens to the person that was causing the problems? Do they also get transfer or expelled?