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Minutes 04-01-04 MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, 208 SOUTH SEACREST BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2004 AT 6:15 P.M. Present Beverly Agee, Chairperson Jean Cairo, Vice Chairperson Lillian Artis Barbara Brunetti Erica Hammond Joan Pleasants Floyd Bell, Alternate Virginia Farace, Board Liaison Absent Phyllis Pacilli, Alternate Kyle Dencker, Student Call to Order Chair Agee called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m., followed by a moment of silent reflection. The current Board members introduced themselves for the benefit of the two new Board members. Ms. Pleasants noted that she had now received certification as a regular elementary school science teacher. Ms. Erica Hammond is the President of the Ridgewood Community Neighborhood Association in the Heart of Boynton area. lVls. Barbara Brunetti is a teacher at Forest Park Elementary School. Light refreshments were served in honor of the outgoing Board members and to welcome the new members. I]. Approval of Minutes February 5, 2004 and March 4, 2004 The minutes of the subject meetings were approved as written. TTT. Chair's Report Chair Agee spoke of the past year and the challenges and successes of the Board. She recalled that the Board had spent a considerable amount of effort on volunteerism, but this had proven to be more difficult and less productive than anticipated. The Principal for a Day program was considered to be very successful and Chair Agee hoped that the new Board would continue this activity. She planned to volunteer to work on this project when she stepped down from the role of Chair. The EAB produced two resolutions on FCAT and the modernization of Galaxy Elementary School. Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 1, 2004 Chair Agee reported that she had sent a message to City Attorney Cherof asking him to prepare a draft ordinance change for the City Commission's consideration. The draft ordinance change would reduce the quorum requirements for the Education Advisory Board to a simple majority and allow persons with children in the Boynton Beach School District to be full Board members. In response to a question about the Sunshine Law issue, Chair Agee stated that alter further research, that formal and informal meetings would still be governed by this law. Chair Agee gave a brief description of the Sunshine Law to the new Board members. Chair Agee mentioned the ongoing negotiations between the School District and South Technical Community High School about the school's request for conversion charter status. Chair Agee stated that she hoped the Board would do the bus tour of the area schools. Ms. Farace has obtained permission from the Recreation Department to use the bus, but a date will be established when the full Board has been assembled. TV. City Liaison's Report Ms. Farace asked the Recording Secretary to request that the City Clerk's office send her copies of Board applications that come in for the Education Advisory Board and the Library Board. Mr. Farace reported that she had received a phone call from the City Clerk's office advising that Dr. Robinson's secretary at the School Board was looking for the EAB's FCAT Resolution to include in something she was putting on the School Board agenda. Ms. Farace advised Dr. Robinson's secretary that each School Board member had been sent a copy previously, but e-mailed another copy to Dr. Robinson. She asked the Board members to watch the newspapers to see if the issue came up in a School Board agenda. Ms. Farace also mailed the FCAT Resolution to the League of Cities and she had not heard back as to whether they were using it, whether they had altered it, and whether they forwarded it to the Florida League of Cities. Ms. Farace reported on a School Board Workshop that she had attended recently along with Commissioner McKoy, Mr. Bressner, and Ms. Artis. The Commissioner made it a point to ask the EAB to keep the modernization of Galaxy Elementary School on the agenda and to notify the Commission if it needed to do anything on this. The school is still not on the last modernization list, but it is in process. Ms. Farace realized that it would not be on the 5-year Bond or Sales Tax Lists, but hoped it would be on the list of schools to be done during 2009 or 2010. Ms. Farace is going on vacation and will Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 1, 2004 return on April 15. She asked Ms. Artis to keep in touch with the Principal at Galaxy, Mr. Guarn Sims, and to ask him to keep the City Manager's office informed of any developments on this issue. Ms. Brunetti will assist as well. Ms. Farace commented that while they were free to discuss this with the Principal, they could not confer with each other about it due to Sunshine Law restrictions. Ms. Farace explained the procedure for requesting ordinance changes. Normally, the Board Liaison prepares agenda request forms, shows financial impacts, lists the reasons for the request, and produces a draft outlining the requested action. There is a very strict timeline for this. She stated that this item could be put on the EAB's agenda for May unless the City Attorney had proceeded on the basis of Chair Agee's contact with him. Ms. Farace advised the Board about two issues that would have a dramatic effect on the delivery of City services, including money for schools, if put into effect: A ballot initiative to add another $25K on top of the existing Homestead Exemption has been introduced. The State is considering a change in the formula used to distribute money to the counties. The three southeastern counties now receive additional money due to their higher cost of living. This adjustment has been deemed unfair to the other counties. If both of these measures were to pass, a real crisis in the delivery of City services would occur. At present, 1/3 of the citizens in Boynton Beach do not pay property taxes due to the existing Homestead Exemption. Ms. Farace asked that the Board members remain conscious of this and speak to their friends and neighbors about it. V. Principal for a Day Vice Chair Cairo thought that a letter should be sent to all the schools asking if they intend to participate this year. The event is tentatively scheduled for November 18, 2004 and the FAB plans to do this in concert with the Delray Beach FAB. The Board will verify the date with the Delray Beach EAB. Vice Chair Cairo wanted to send a letter to all the Principals and all the Principals for a Day from last year. Ms. Artis announced that the Boynton Beach Charter School had an ice cream party and silent auction and that both activities were a result of the Principal for a Day activity. VI. South Florida Parenting Block Party, April 24-25, 2004 So far, Boynton Beach High School and Forest Park Elementary will be participating. Vice Chair Cairo and Dr. Beil will be "booth sitting" on Sunday. Ms. Pacilli was going to be the point person on this task, but she was not present at this meeting. Vice Chair Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 1, 2004 Cairo stated that after the last meeting, she used her contact list from Principal for a Day and sent notification to all the schools about the South Florida Parenting Block Party, asking them to fax their responses to the contact individual at the South Florida Parenting magazine. The telephone number of the contact person is 954-747-3056 and Ms. Pleasants and/or Vice Chair Cairo will call to get a status report. Ms. Farace said it was probably too late to get anything on the marquee or in the newsletter, but she would try to do so. VII. SAC Reports Many Board members felt that a brief verbal report at the meeting on the various SAC meetings would be a good thing. The Board thought that having the verbal reports would insure that the information was contained in the minutes and that this would be very useful. Chair Agee stated that there were 9 board members and 13 schools in Boynton Beach and that it was difficult to cover them all. The item will be moved up on the agenda and time limits will apply to the reports. If each report were to generate discussion, the entire agenda could not be covered in the time now allowed for the meetings. Ms. Farace stated that if a SAC issue needed discussion, the point person for the involved SAC could fax the information to Ms. Farace and she would include it on the agenda for the following meeting. Thank You to Chair Beverly A§ee Ms. Farace expressed thanks to Chair Beverly Agee for her long and able service to the Education Advisory Board. She hoped that Chair Agee would consider continuing that service but if not, she thanked her for the service already rendered. Ms. Farace presented Chair Agee with a colored, enlarged photograph of Chair Agee with Commissioner Ensler taken at a recent Library luncheon. VIII. Read Together Palm Beach County - Their Eyes Were Watching God The Board members discussed this book and the people who had read it shared their thoughts and feelings about it. Most people enjoyed it very much, even though some found the dialect in which it was written to be a little challenging. The author's poetic phrasing and imagery and her writing about the closely knit, warm community in which she lived received special mention. Governor Bush has selected this book for Read Together Florida also. IX. Adjournment Since there was no further business before the Board, the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:00 p.m. 4 Meeting Minutes Education Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 1, 2004 Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (o~oso~;) 5