The current contract between the County and Waste Pro, Inc. features stricter quality stipulations and enforcement standards than their prior agreements to “ensure quality performance”. To improve curbside waste collection, operational aspects of service delivery were enhanced, including “a new fleet of trucks, added routes, route efficiency technology, outlined response times, and enhanced customer service”.

The agenda item states that “To ensure Waste Pro meets the agreements stricter quality stipulations and enforcement standards the Agreement contains detailed liquidated damages for violations of standards.” Staff gave an example stating, “Liquidated damage categories increased from 7 in the prior contract to 57 detailed parameters in the current agreement. These standards ensure that Waste Pro has clear expectations for service and performance.”

The status report notes that the routes are near the 100% completion level due to the investment made in fleet routing technology which yields greater efficiency, and along with “levied liquidated damages, staff has also been able to verify customer complaints in real time”.

Waste Pro has received the majority of the new trucks required by the agreement and is in receipt of two new claw trucks, two supervisor support vehicles, and a split-load truck that is smaller and lighter than its regular fleet vehicles and are useful for narrower private roads (which have contributed to customer complaints in the past).

Lastly, Waste Pro has also made an investment in their administrative and customer support functions as well.  The agenda item states, “Additional staff were hired for the call center and new technology was implemented to track inbound calls received by Waste Pro … since January, the hold/wait time for each call remains low with wait times averaging under one minute and thirteen seconds.”

The Board received a presentation by Dr. Kimball Thomas on the Tallahassee Engaged in Meaningful Productivity for Opportunity Program (TEMPO). So far, TEMPO has engaged more than 3,100 participants ages (16-24), helping youth enroll in higher education, gain meaningful employment, receive GED and Technical Certificates.

The Board approved a new Policy–Notification and Permission (School Sponsored Events and Activities) with Board Member Alva Smith in dissent. The Policy states parent/guardian permission is required for school-sponsored field trips, extracurricular activities, and supplemental programs or activities outside of the curriculum.

The Board unanimously voted to contract with Harrell Roofing LLC, who submitted the lowest bid in the amount of $273,680, for the Fort Braden Building 9 Roof Replacement Project.

The Board approved the recommendation to increase the school meal prices for elementary, secondary and adult meals. Staff noted the change is due to the increase in food and labor costs over the last several years. For the 2024-2025 school year 36 schools will continue to offer meals to students at no charge through the Community Eligibility Program (CEP). The price adjustments at those schools would only affect students who purchase a second lunch or adults purchasing a meal. These increases are based on the rate of inflation from 2020 to 2024.

The Board approved the engagement letters between Purvis Gray and Leon County School District for the performance of the District Financial Audit and School Internal Accounts Audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The engagement letters provide information about the audit engagement and scope of services for both audits – District Financial Audit and School Internal Accounts Audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The fee for the services is $168,000.

The Board approved the annual license agreement and renewal for 2024-2025 with PowerSchool for Unify Assessment & Analytics, Professional Learning Management System, and Employee Evaluation Management System. The fiscal impact was listed as $333,002.81.

The Board approved the annual license agreement renewal for 2024-2025 with Curriculum Associates for i-Ready. This is an annual license agreement with Curriculum Associates, LLC for I-Ready. I-Ready provides computer-based differentiated instruction in mathematics for grades K-5. The fiscal impact was listed as $295,384.

The Board reviewed their Wireless Communication Devices Policy and discussed whether they would want to amend the policy and further restrict high school students from having their phone out during the school day. As of now, the current policy language (that was approved by the Board just this past January) follows state laws which prohibit students from having their cell phones out during instructional time unless they are directed to do so for educational purposes by a teacher.

Superintendent Rocky Hanna brought up potentially amending the policy so that similar to elementary and middle school students, high schoolers would not be permitted to have their phone out while at school.

Chair Rosanne Wood noted that she doesn’t feel comfortable amending the policy until the Board gathers information from parents, teachers and principals. The Board eventually decided to create a focus group to discuss the policy and have the superintendent bring back administrative procedures for enforcing their current policy before school starts.

During the meeting, the Board also reviewed their Discipline Matrix Guide, which is a tool for administrators to respond appropriately when students have committed behavioral infractions. The guide explains what disciplinary actions should be taken based on what the student has done, and is broken up into four main areas, starting with severe consequences which covers offences such as aggravated battery and arson, and ends with informal consequences which covers offences such as inappropriate language and dress code violations.

Progressive Talking Points

The local progressive element of the Democrat party has targeted Laurie Cox on social media labeling her extreme and associating her with the Moms for Liberty group.

Rogers repeated the same attacks at the forum, but when pressed to provide details he could not.

“Recently we learned that my opponent’s campaign just hired a very heavy hitter in the Republican Party and raised …and is there to raise a bunch of money from those donors,” said Rogers.

“Who are you talking about?” responded Lawson Cox. “And to me, my opponent is the one who’s trying to bring partisan politics by labeling me as an extremist. And anyone who knows me knows that is the farthest thing from the truth.”

Rogers suggested that “giant, dark, corporate PACs” are supporting Lawson Cox.

When the moderator, Tallahassee Democrat’s William Hatfield, pressed Rogers for an example, Rogers could not name one.

Rogers later suggested that Moms for Liberty was funding Cox’ campaign, but Lawson Cox said she hadn’t taken any money from that group.

Then Rogers mentioned Friends of Corey Simon, which is associated with the senator representing Senate District 3. Lawson Cox responded by saying Simon is a personal friend.

Charter Schools & School Vouchers

When asked how universal vouchers and charter schools have impacted Leon County Public Schools, Rogers stated, “I’m anti-voucher. I think I that’s just a sneaky way to privatize public schools. I don’t think public money should be going to private entities … I think that money needs to go to teacher pay, it needs to go into training, it needs to go into a myriad of things. But outside? It just doesn’t have a place for that.”

However, Cox felt differently stating, “I am a huge advocate for our public schools, but at the end of the day, I also realize that parents should be able to choose the best place that they want their student or their kids to be educated. Whether that’s private, charter, homeschool. I believe that parents should have that choice.”

Advice for Superintendent

Contract negotiations between Leon County Schools (LCS) and the Teachers Union have begun again. When asked what advice they would give to the Superintendent in keeping the negotiations productive, Rogers gave a simple response stating, “Pay them more. They deserve a livable wage. You should be able to afford the neighborhood you’re living in.”

Cox’s advice for the Superintendent was to keep communication open. She stated, “When you sit down and have a conversation with someone you can see their point of view, they can see your point of view. Things are not always as easy as they seem. But we do need to work towards paying our teachers more and our staff members more.”

Volunteer School Chaplains

As of July 1^st, Florida Law authorizes school districts and charter schools to have volunteer school chaplains on school campuses and to provide counseling to students. When asked if LCS should create a chaplain program, Cox stated, “If that’s something that parents are really on board with and a school really wants to have, then I think those are some conversations that could be had.”  Additionally, Cox noted that she will continue to foster churches partnering with LCS to provide mentors and volunteers.

Rogers noted that although he didn’t know much about the law, he doesn’t necessarily support LCS creating a chaplain program. He stated, “I think we can do other things like pay teachers more, getting kids outside, coming up with rigorous curriculums.”

Law Enforcement

When asked to grade TPD on how well they’re fighting violent crime, Dilbert noted that since the violent crime was increasing, he would have to grade them a C. He also commented that if they were operating at a higher level then violent crime would reduce.

Ferguson who has worked alongside TPD at the Citizen’s Advisory Council, graded TPD a B, stating, “We still have a long way to go, nevertheless, our law enforcement is getting there with our community.”

Porter graded law enforcement an A, while grading the Chief of Police an F. She stated, “I think they’re doing the best they can with the resources they have.” Additionally, she noted that she doesn’t believe it’s law enforcement’s job to prevent crime.

Additionally, the candidates were asked about the new TPD Headquarters project. Each candidate agreed that law enforcement deserves to have the tools they need. However, Porter and Dilbert do not agree with the budget for the project being $200 million, and Ferguson said he would want to figure out what unnecessary dollars could be spent elsewhere.

Firefighters

When asked why firefighters have a problem closing the deal when the police union does not, Ferguson stated “The negotiations failed because it has been weaponized for political purposes. And I believe that if the union president had simply just offered that to the firefighters, they would have made a decision, up or down which way they want to do, and that would have brought us back to the table.”

However, Porter, who’s campaign is endorsed by the firefighter’s union stated the union president has brought back offers to the firefighters, and blames the lack of progress on “political retribution”. She stated, “I believe that this is a political issue unfortunately.”

Additionally, Dilbert took a different angle than Porter or Ferguson, blaming the union for not moving the negotiation along, stating, “It goes back to whoever is in the leadership of these unions. He went on to note that unions are not always reflective of the people who work there.

Amazon

The candidates were asked about a slew of recently approved controversial Blueprint projects, including the $2.5 million in tax incentives for Tallahassee’s Amazon facility. When asked if the project was “worth it”, Ferguson said “Yes”. He stated, “Certainly, because it brought the 2,000 jobs … and it also gave a sense of hope for those zip codes who are otherwise unemployed.”

However, Porter (who voted against the $2.5 million tax incentives) felt the money could have been spend differently stating, “These kind of incentive packages do not really factor into the decision making for a company like Amazon.” She continued, “They don’t need our $2.5 million dollar tax incentives.”

Additionally, Dilbert also felt that Amazon didn’t need the $2.5 million stating, “Yeah I don’t know about that, (laughs) Amazon makes a lot of money.”

Affordable Housing

When asked what measure the City should take to increase the stock of affordable housing, Porter noted that the City needs to look at growth management and use decisions for long term effects stating, “When we invest in urban density, its cheaper for the City, it’s cheaper for those who live in the City.”

Dilbert said that the permitting process for what type of housing is built in Tallahassee needs to be looked at, saying there are too much high-rise housing for the City’s college students.

Additionally, Ferguson noted that it is important for the City to work along-side the business community to incentivize developers to build affordable housing.

Staff provided the Board with a presentation on the Summer Enrichment Program, which has been funded by the Children’s Services Council of Leon County. Staff explained that Leon County Schools will be serving around 200 children over the summer, and a minimum of 140 of those children will have a program scholarship to allow them to attend the full eight-week program.

The Board unanimously approved several revisions to the District’s Weapons Policy. Changes to this policy include but are not limited to, revising the definitions section to broaden the definition of a weapon and to expand the list of areas where concealed weapons are prohibited.

The Board unanimously approved revisions to the Compulsory School Attendance Policy. Revisions include repealing the current policy and replacing it with language that complies with State law requiring the parent/guardian of each student of compulsory school age or from an adult student who has been absent from school or from class for any reason, submit a statement of the cause for such absence.

The Board unanimously approved revisions to the Homeless Students Policy. Revisions include repealing the current policy and replacing it with language that complies with state law providing children and youth who are identified as meeting the federal definition of “homeless” a free appropriate education (including a public preschool education) in the same manner as all other students of the District and other services needed to provide equal opportunity.

The Board voted unanimously to waive the Policy of Naming of School and District Faculties, to name the Music Wing at Sealey Elementary School the Blair Clawson Music Wing. The agenda item explains that Mr. Clawson will retire this year after teaching 50 years, and has had positive impact on the lives of thousands of “Sealey Superstars.”

The Board voted unanimously to waive School Board Policy 6320.02 which currently provides that continuing contracts cannot exceed $1,500,000. Due to the damage done to Godby High School from flash flooding, the Board has chosen to allow for execution of a Short Form Agreement with a not to exceed provision of $4,000,000 as allowed by Florida Statues.

The Board voted unanimously to award Capital City Gutter a contract – the lowest responsible bidder – in the amount of $215,000, for the Deerlake Gutter Replacement Project.

Additionally, the mother and sister of Angel Footman, (a teacher who was arrested for allowing physical fights in her classroom) attended the meeting to defend Angel Footman claiming her daughter is innocent. Angel’s sister Tonya Footman claimed her sister had been “railroaded” by Griffin Middle School and “let down” by the District. Angel’s mother Alexis Footman stated Angel was “falsely accused and arrested of having an organized fight club in Griffin Middle School last year.” Angel’s mother also added that Angel had been bullied and ostracized for a year by the Griffin Middle School staff even after reporting it.

In 2021, the Commission adopted the Essential Libraries Initiative (ELI), to re-vision the Leon County Public Library System and address the changing needs of residents and trends in library use. The ELI targets four focus areas; Literacy and Lifelong Learning, Arts and Humanities, Business and Workforce Development, and Civic and Community Engagement. Additionally, the ELI includes a capital improvements element to the Main Library to support the initiatives of the ELI.

The first phase of this project will consist of selective demolition and renovation of approximately 8,000 square feet. According to the agenda item, “The construction will include repairs to existing walls and finishes, installation of new walls and doors to reconfigure the second-floor layout that includes: meeting spaces; simulator and media production labs; learning commons; enhanced service points and exhibit/display areas: improved stacks, including books and media; lounge/special event space.”

The project is slated to begin construction in July 2024 and be completed in March 2025. The Main Library will remain open through the construction, and there are plans to realign some 2^nd floor activities to the first and third floors in order to minimize the disruption to patron services.

Additionally, a budget discussion item will be presented at the June 2024 Budget Workshop that will provide a status update on the ELI, which will include an update on the first phase and future phases of capital improvements at the Main Library.

The Council’s proposed amended budget totals $9,570,687 (this includes rollover from previous year) with $7,427,764 or 77.6% of the total allocated to programs.

Non-program expenses include $1,223,803 in administrative expenses, $763,919 in reserves, and $155,200 in various fees.

There are a number of categories under “Compensation and Employee” that are rising in cost. Health insurance is going from $126,288 to $145,000, pay roll taxes will go from $30,283 to $34,502, and retirement contribution will go from $80,690 to $88,226. Salaries will also go up to $451,000.

Executive Director Ceka Green noted the budget change for the salary category is because the Council had previously approved being able to move funding from “contract services” into “salaries”. Ms. Green explained they had taken funding out of contract services to be able to hire a second “PQA Specialist”.

Additionally, the funding for “CSC Leon Awareness and Branding” will rise from $10,000 to $12,000, and the proposed millage rate will not change from the previous years and will continue to sit at .3477.

In June, the full Council will meet to consider and potentially approve the proposed amended budget.

In recent years, Leon County School District has faced a decline in student enrollment. This decline can be attributed, in part, to the Covid Pandemic when students were forced to leave school and attend virtual learning. From 2019-2021, the District lost 1,519 students alone.

Additionally, Smith stated, “We are not the only District in this state having to have this conversation. But we are one that is consistently declining enrollment, and something’s got to give.” She continued, “The data is there. It’s very clear. There are certain schools that consistently decline.”

Due to the steady decline of student enrollment each year, the District is now dealing with the issue of a tighter budget. This loss of funding has placed the District in a competition with private and charter schools. Each student that leaves a Leon County public school for a private or charter school takes approximately $7,775 with them. Over the past five years, the District has lost a total of 2,578 students.

Lastly, Smith further addressed the issue stating, “This is going to be a long discussion. This is not going to be a ‘let’s close this school and let’s do it in August’ … no one wants to do it, I don’t want to do it, but as we look at the numbers and they continue to decline, and our overall budget continues to decline, this is where this money could come from.”

Elementary School Population Trends

The table below provides the unweighted student full-time equivalent, or FTE, for 22 Leon County elementary schools for 20119/20, 2022/23, & 2023/24. The table also provides the school capacity.

The schools are sorted by the largest to smallest decline in FTE’s over the 2019/20 – 2023/24 period.

The data shows:

-FTE’s at five schools have declined 20% or more from 2020 to 2024.
-Seven schools had FTE declines from 2023 to 2024.
-Eight schools which have a current capacity of less than 75%.

There are four schools – Springwood, Hartsfield, Astoria Park, and Sealey – which have experienced a 20% or more FTE decline over the last five years, a FTE decline from 2023 to 2024, and are currently below 75% capacity.

Two schools – Bond, Sabal Palm – have experienced a five-year FTE decline of over 10%, but have rebounded with positive growth from 2023 to 2024.

Four schools – Gilchrist, Riley, Buck Lake, Kate Sullivan – are currently over 90% capacity.

Last year, the City Commission voted to increase property taxes 8.5% to pay fund increased law enforcement funding. The budget passed with a 3-2 vote (with City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter voting in dissent).

Moody commented that the increased budget was vital, stating, “A council’s engagement with and support for their law enforcement men and women and making sure that they have the resources they need to do the job is probably one of the most vital things to a successful city.”

Moody has made her stance on law enforcement well known. On her website, www.myfloridalegal.com, Moody highlights her “Back the Blue” program where people can nominate a law enforcement officer for recognition. Moody notes, “The Back the Blue Award is just one way our office will promote the great work of the men and women who wear the badge and the outstanding Floridians who support them.”

However, City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter disagree. In response to Moody’s comments, Matlow stated, “People in Tallahassee are tired of the never-ending tax increases and want to see cannabis decriminalized and women’s healthcare protected.” He continued, “Big government Republicans and the candidates they support in local elections are way out of step with our community.”

Additionally, Porter told the Tallahassee Democrat she is “proud to oppose the 2023 property tax increase that raised housing costs for Tallasseeans.”

Both Matlow & Porter have consistently been critical of local law enforcement.

The Lively Technical College Director provided a presentation on the upcoming career and technical education expansion at Chiles High School. Soon, a new welding dual enrollment program will be implemented at Chiles High School, and students who enroll in the program will have an opportunity to develop a strong foundation in welding techniques, safety protocols, and precision work.

The Board unanimously approved the amount of $625,468.00 to Childers Construction Co. for construction manager services for the Griffin Middle School Phase 1 demolition project.

The Board unanimously approved the revisions made to the Leon County School Inclusive School Guide for Leon County School employees. Revisions include a section on Florida Law that requires students and staff to use restrooms and changing facilities corresponding to their sex at birth.

The Board voted to remove a section of the guide regarding overnight activities that states, “Schools must provide parents and/or legal guardians a permission form for overnight activities that includes parental notification if overnight lodging room assignments are not separated by biological sex at birth.” However, the “Overnight Activities” portion of the guide still states that “If accommodations are desired, decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, and should be student-focused with the support of the parents, and district and school staff.”

The Board unanimously approved the Memorandum of Understanding between the Leon County Schools and the Leon County Classroom Teachers Association for the 2023-2024 instructional staff verification of experience credit agreement. The agenda item explains that the District and employees recognize the importance of accurately verifying years of experience for instructional staff employees and will provide an amnesty period for those who may have missed the deadline to ensure teachers are credited with the years of their service.

The Board unanimously approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Leon County Schools and the Leon Classroom Teachers Association for the Pre-Planning Days Academic Calendar revisions. The agenda item explains that 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 District Academic were initially structured with 175 instructional days rather than the 176, which created a deficit of one paid day for instructional staff annually. To fix the issue, the Leon County School District is providing an additional Pre-Planning day at the beginning of each associated school year.

The Board unanimously approved the amount of $13,290,463.02 to Rippee Construction Inc. for construction manager services for Nims Middle School Phase 1 Cafeteria Replacement project.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a group of moms to disabled children attended the meeting to speak out against the unfair treatment of their children at Leon County Schools. One mom stated, “As a parent of a Leon County student, I am frustrated that she isn’t getting the same education as her non-disabled peers.”

Staff provided the Board with a presentation on LCS graduation rates and the class of 2024.  The presentation listed an overview of the challenges that the class of 2024 has faced since the start of Covid in 2020, including changes in the concordant scores to meet the English Language Assessment and the End of Course Exam. For example, an SAT score of 430 is a 10^th grade benchmark, now a score of 480 is a 12^th grade benchmark.

Other listed challenges include chronic absenteeism, learning loss during the height of Covid, the increase of students involved with the Juvenile Justice System and more.

The Board reviewed LCS’s graduation rates vs. the State’s graduation rates from 2018-2023. From 2018-2019 (pre-Covid) the State graduation rate was 86.9%, while the LCS graduation rate sat at 92.4%. During the Covid shutdown from 2019-2020, graduation rates rose slightly for both the State and for LCS district. However, this can be attributed to the fact that during this time there was no testing required to graduate. Unfortunately, graduation rates for the State and LCS District have continuously dropped from in 2021-2022 and in 2022-2023. Currently the LCS District graduation rate for the 2022-2023 school year is 86.1%.

Lastly, during the Board’s discussion on budget priorities, Board Member Alva Smith noted she is more focused on where the money is coming from than she is about spending, stating, “When we have this conversation, we are not being fiscally responsible and good stewards of tax payer dollars if we do not discuss downsizing in this district.”

She continued, “This is going to be a long discussion. This is not going to be a ‘let’s close this school and let’s do it in August.’… I don’t want to do it, but as we look at the numbers and they continue to decline, and our overall budget continues to decline, this is where this money could come from.”