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District Multi-Purpose Center, Corner of Walnut Street and Gratio Place, Green Cove Springs, FL | |||
June 17, 2024 - School Board Workshop | |||
Date: Jun 17 2024
(9:00 a.m.)
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Invocation (Ashley Gilhousen) | |||
Call to Order (Present: Mary Bolla (attended via telephonic conferencing), District 2; Beth Clark, District 3, Michele Hanson, District 4; Ashley Gilhousen, District 5; and Superintendent David S. Broskie. Not Present: Erin Skipper, District 1 ) | |||
Workshop Items | |||
1. Review Draft Agenda for Regular School Board Meeting on June 27, 2024 | |||
June-27-2024-school-board-regular-meeting_agenda_packet.pdf | |||
Minutes: Recognitions and Presentations:
Discussion Agenda:
Consent:
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2. Review Neola Proposed Policy Options 0169.1 Public Participation at Board Meetings | |||
Minutes: Board members evaluated and discussed Neola proposed bylaw 0169.1. These policies will be advertised and adopted at a later date with all revised school board policies. |
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3. Discussion of Internal Auditor | |||
Minutes: Mrs. Hanson noted her opposition to comments Mrs. Bolla made at the June 6, 2024 meeting re retaining an Internal Auditor, citing disagreement with two of Mrs. Bolla's main reasons:
Jeremiah Blocker, School Board Attorney, shared FS 1001.42 and noted section L indicating that districts with funds/budgets over $500M shall retain an Internal Auditor. Mrs. Bolla indicated she brought up this issue at the last board meeting with the intention of being more transparent to the community. She does not see the need for an Internal Auditor when there are already audits that are published, the board has access to every account, an additional person to support the Coordinator of Internal Accounts has been approved, and she believes the cost of hiring a CPA would range from $110K - $120K. Purvis Gray has been used for audits for a number of years, but each year an RFP is conducted for this service and audits are available under the "financial transparency" portion of the district's website. She desired to educate the public as to what is currently being utilized and indicated Clay has a budget that is considerably smaller than St. Johns or Duval. Additionally, financial impacts have been felt by increased costs for legal services, safety and security, and parental choice scholarships. There is also the uncertainty of state requirements and no guarantee that the mill money will be provided again through the voters. Mrs. Gilhousen suggested exploring budget management options through a firm such as Educational Resource Strategies, which can work with the board to delve into budget and provide suggestions on how to improve on processes and spending. Needs would be assessed to provide clearer direction prior to moving forward with creating and retaining an Internal Auditor position. Mrs. Clark indicated she recently learned more about the processes of schools and noted the changes with how money is taken and purchases made. She indicated Purvis Gray ensures compliance with the "redbook" and indicated a need to understand the type of audit being done and needed. She wants to ensure the public understands the board is not wasting money. She supported Mrs. Gilhousen's proposal to obtain additional information through ERS. Mrs. Bolla clarified that she did not mean to insinuate money is being wasted, but more money is being spent as growth and requirements have increased and all funds need to be spent with the greatest care possible. Mrs. Gilhousen shared prepared comments from Mrs. Skipper (not in attendance) expressing her strong support for establishing an Internal Auditor to safeguard financial assets and enhance public trust in the district's governance. Mrs. Gilhousen requested Mr. Blocker research how to go about this process legally and to find out what other districts are doing in terms of budget size, auditing processes, firms, and expense. Mrs. Gilhousen will contact ERS for additional information to assess moving forward. |
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Questions from the Audience (None) | |||
Superintendent Comments | |||
4. Superintendent Comments | |||
Minutes: Superintendent Broskie provided an overview of summer training for teachers and school-based administrators. Topics being covered with administrators are intentional benchmark-aligned instruction and grading practices. Mrs. Hanson indicated a desire to focus on limiting the lowest quartile of students who are not able to read on grade level, setting parameters that will not allow weighted standards to skew master standard grading. Mr. Broskie advised there is an entire team working on this issue as well as focusing on student behavior, how to create classroom expectations for behavior, increase attendance, and address barriers to attendance issues. There are currently efforts underway to bring back truancy court, and there will be an entire day for training on school safety and the implementation of new requirements. If moving forward with an Internal Auditor, the board will need to write a job description. |
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School Board Attorney Comments | |||
5. School Board Attorney Comments | |||
Minutes: Lisa Miles, School Board Attorney, reported that a meeting with Judge Steven B. Whittingdon re truancy court went well and there is a follow-up meeting in July with the superintendent, the Douglas Firm, the Clerk's office, and the State Attorney's Office as well as Judge Forbess. |
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School Board Comments | |||
6. School Board Member Comments | |||
Minutes: Mrs. Hanson expressed the need to explore programs that will allow more efficiency. Mr. Broskie noted that steps are taken to become more efficient, that Florida is 42nd in funding, and that the district has put an additional $44M into salaries over the past three (3) years. Mrs. Bolla extended congratulations to Mrs. Clark and Mr. Broskie for securing their respective positions. She officially announced that she is not running for school board member. |
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Adjournment (10:58 a.m.) | |||
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