I genuinely believe people care about what’s happening in their communities and schools but long gone are the days of people having time to physically attend public meetings.  Work, family, social obligations, etc. demand more and more of people’s time than ever before.

This has contributed to the well-documented challenges our District has faced, and continues to face, with parent and community engagement. As elected officials, it’s our responsibility to identify and solve the challenges our communities face, as well as produce effective solutions.

I requested quotes for video/audio recording capabilities in both boardrooms of the Hendry County School Board as I believe it’s in the best interest of transparent service to the public to create video/audio recordings of every workshop and board meeting, and upload recordings to the district’s website for parents, employees, and taxpayers to view at their convenience. Assistant Superintendent Larry Worth reported back that the best bid we received to provide this service would be a one-time $17,000 investment.

Public education has become increasingly accountability-focused. Public school teachers receive VAM scores (which are public record) based on standardized tests scores each year for the purpose of enforcing accountability for student achievement. The collective standardized testing results of a school determines a school’s grade (also public record) for the purpose of holding school administration accountable. The collective standardized testing results of each school determine the district’s grade (also public record) for the purpose of holding district administration accountable for student achievement.

Well, what about accountability for the leadership of elected officials who also receive taxpayer-funded salaries? Hendry County School Board Members collectively receive $180,000 annually in salaries and benefits? (Each member is paid a $27,000 salary and receives an annual benefits package valued at $9,000.) Over a four year term, each School Board Member is compensated approximately $144,000 between salary and benefits.

If transparency and accountability is demanded of the teachers and administrators, then it should be demanded of the elected officials as well. The video/audio recordings will be a cost effective and convenient tool we can provide taxpayers in order to do that.

Can you imagine being able to watch board meetings from the comfort of home? You get firsthand information instead of having to rely on this blog or a local newspaper. I love writing this blog but, to be perfectly honest, it reflects my personal opinions and attitudes toward the topics I write about. All journalism does that to an extent…but not video/audio recordings. Video/audio recordings are unbiased and unflinching.

I’ll admit, the thought of being in front of that camera scares me because I know that by doing so that I’m abandoning the comfort of unattended board rooms for the criticism of unprecedented transparency. I just know that nothing great was ever achieved inside a comfort zone.  Our current comfort zone is a  D-rated school district by the Florida Department of Education. I think it’s time we get out of that zone.

Chairman Dwayne Brown tabled conversation and a potential vote on this topic for the July 14 meeting. I’m inviting anyone who would like to weigh-in on this topic to attend the meeting at 5:30 pm at the Clewiston Sub-Office, or if you can’t attend the meeting, reach out to me and my fellow board members via email before then.

Chairman Dwayne Brown: District1@hendry.k12.fl.us

Vice-Chairperson Sally Berg: District2@hendry.k12.fl.us

John Benkert: District3@hendry.k12.fl.us

Stephanie Busin: District4@hendry.k12.fl.us

Jon Basquin: Stephanie Busin: District5@hendry.k12.fl.us

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my post. I appreciate your engagement and I’m honored to serve as YOUR District 4 Hendry County School Board Member. All opinions stated within this post or on this website are mine.

~ Stephanie

The Board participated in a workshop to review new allocations and briefly touched on the school food service transition prior to the regular business meeting.

In Superintendent Puletti’s absence, Deputy Superintendent Gordon Swaggerty reviewed the Superintendent’s recommendation to spend $710,694 in unrestricted funds on new allocations for the 2015/16 school year.  You can see details of the recommendations on pages 6-15 of the 6/9 board packet located here.

Figures quoted include salary and benefits. An overview of the allocations are as follows:

LaBelle Middle School: Guidance, $57,815; Teacher, $57,815

Clewiston Middle School: Guidance, $57,815; Teacher, $76,460; Paraprofessional 1, $23,452; Paraprofessional 2, $23,452; Paraprofessional 3, $23,452.

Eastside Elementary School: Change Assistant Principal title and compensation to Dean; -$11,620

District: Network Technician, $49,922; Director of Professional Development & Evaluation, $118,633; 1/2 salary for ESE Specialist, $28,908; Nurse, $36,032; 1/4 salary for Reading Specialist, $19,730. Change Administrator of Facilities, Maintenance, and Transportation title and compensation to Director of Facilities, Maintenance, and Transportation; $17,446 ($107,774 total). Change IT Trainee title and compensation to IT Specialist; $1,789 ($49,922 total).

Director of Finance Michael Yanosik told the Board to expect an increase in health insurance rates and explained why he budgeted an estimated 4.03% increase for a total of $129,233 included in the $710,694 total price tag for the new allocation recommendation.

Mr. Yanosik also took the opportunity to give the board an update on the food service management transition and introduce the board to the new General District Manager, Mark Turner. Mr. Turner reported a successful employee sign-up process for the current food service employees and advised the Board that job seekers outside of the District showed up to apply for positions with Sodexo too. Yanosik also advised the Board of the progress on the District’s Community Eligibility Program application. We should hear something back from the Dept of Agriculture relatively soon.

The regular business meeting began immediately following the workshop by recognizing the following Clewiston-area retirees for their dedicated service to the District:

Ana Marrero, CHS Teacher, 8 years

Beatriz Hechavarria, CHS Custodian, 14 years

Horace Mixon, Clewiston Transportation Master Mechanic, 32 years

Under Old Business: After tabling the allocations from last meeting after I expressed concerns regarding changes in job titles, and resulting increases/decreases in compensation, equitable applications of steps, and whether these were sustainable positions and salaries for the district to fund in the event of an economic downturn like there was in 2008, the board ultimately approved the superintendent’s recommended allocation requests.

Under New Business: The Board approved additional allocations to the tune of $235,940.20.  One position totaling $57,815 is funded through unrestricted general funds. The remainder are funded through restricted funding sources. You can see details of the recommendations on pages 27-32 of the 6/9 board packet located here.

Figures quoted include salary and benefits. An overview of the allocations are as follows:

LaBelle Middle School: Music Teacher, $57,815; ESE Teacher, $49,654.60

LaBelle High School: ESE Teacher, $49,654.60; ESE Self-Care Assistant, $22,959.40

District: Migrant Literacy Specialist, $78,816

The following changes in allocations were board approved:

LaBelle Middle School: Change Reading Teacher Allocation to Agriculture Teacher

Clewiston Middle: Change Migrant VPK Paraprofessional to Title 1/School-wide Paraprofessional and move position from Central Elementary to CMS.

Country Oaks Elementary School: Move Migrant Resource Teacher from Central Elementary to Country Oaks Elementary.

I’m extremely pleased to report that the Board approved a contract with Neola, Inc. and will begin the process of updating and revising District policies. This is a suggestion I brought to the Board several months ago.  Participation by the Board will be a great educational experience especially since three of us are new to our positions. Policy update/revision is our opportunity as board members to have an influence over the processes and guidelines the district operates under.

During discussion over the Consent Agenda, I requested from the District regarding the price tag for the Contract for Services for First Baptist Preschool and RCMA to provide daycare services for children of teen parents attending school in Hendry. The request piggy backs onto the request from the last board meeting for expenditures associated with the on-campus infant care centers provided at both high schools.

I want to disclose that the funding from these programs doesn’t come from the unrestricted funds the Board controls but is paid through federal and state monies. The subject of teen pregnancy/parenting is very complex one but one which can’t be ignored because of it’s complexity. According to 2014 data from the National Vital Statistics System, Hendry County’s teen birth rate is 75, the fifth highest in the State. That means that for every 1,000 female students ages 15-19 in Hendry County, 75 have given birth. It was my observation while reviewing this data that districts with high teen birth rates also had low academic performance. Considering the continuing challenges teen parents face after high school, finding ways to partner with health providers and be proactive in reducing these numbers through education should be a priority in my humble opinion.

The remainder of the agenda was approvals of agreements for ESE-based student services. Please feel free to consult the board packet if you’re interested in reviewing those agreements.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for the privilege of serving as your board member.  I hope all our teachers are enjoying their summer break and I’d like to say thank you to our administrators who are working extra hard to compensate for the shorter-than-usual summer.

~ Stephanie

LaBelle Middle School students with the School Recognition Program check from the Florida Dept. of Education.

Governor Scott visited LaBelle Middle School on May 29 to present the Hendry County School District with a check for $132,183 with funds from the Florida Department of Education’s School Recognition Program. Westside Elementary and LaBelle Middle School earned this recognition money by improving their school grades based on standardized test performance.

My sons greeting Governor Scott when he arrived at LMS.

In the governor’s signature style, he greeted every person he met as he walked through the hallways toward the library. He visited classrooms and spoke with students and teachers. He made sure that every person who wanted their picture taken with him got the opportunity, students included. (A little side note: Clewiston native, Nathan Edwards, son of Chip and Mary Edwards, is the Governor’s staff photographer. I used his pictures in this blog. I’ll give you a link at the end of this post to see all the pictures he took during the Governor’s visit.)

Principal Tony Busin

While Governor Scott was here, he spoke to the press about his hopes for the senate and house to pass a budget that included “record allocations on K-12 education” during special session currently underway. The Governor also gave Superintendent Puletti, and Principals Ken Pickles and Tony Busin a chance to address the press regarding their school’s achievements. Both school administrators praised their students, teachers, and staff for the successes.

Superintendent Paul Puletti, Governor Scott, LMS Principal Ken Pickles, and WES Principal Tony Busin.

As a board member, to have the Governor visit your district and present school recognition funds to two schools is an amazing honor. I’m incredibly proud of these schools for their successful strategies, hard work, and resourcefulness that moved the student achievement needle. (I think it needs to be acknowledged that Clewiston High School has shown recognition-worthy growth and was within a few points of improving the school grade to a B.)

Governor Rick Scott and The Busin Family

I don’t know if you caught the last name of one of the principals I mentioned earlier. The principal of Westside Elementary, Tony Busin, is my husband so the honor was not only professional, but personal as well. It was such an exciting moment for our family to celebrate together.

The Governor’s visit brought additional exciting news to the district with the announced appointment of John Benkert to the District 3 seat vacated by Pat Langford. I’ve had the privilege of working with John on various education-focus initiatives through the Hendry County Education Improvement Task Force in the past and look forward to working with him as a colleague on the school board. You can read his professional bio on his Facebook page: District 3 John Benkert

As promised, you can see all the pictures from the Governor’s visit here. Thank you again for reading my blog and for the privilege of serving Hendry County.

~ Stephanie

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. I’ve had quite a few people tell me they’ve enjoyed reading it and appreciated the transparency I’m attempting to provide. That makes me very happy! Thank you again.

The Board began the meeting by observing a moment of silence in memory of Louella Howard, a teacher’s aide at Country Oak Elementary for 21 years. Friends and families of LaBelle area retirees packed the board room  to see their loved ones being recognized for their faithful service to the Hendry County School District.

Mary Jo Higginbotham, 21 years, LMS typist

Ginger Kisela, 33 years, LES teacher

Linda O’Ferrell, 31 years, LES clerk/typist

Ester Betancur, 16 years, LMS food service employee

Virginia White, 34 years, UES food service worker and bus driver

The Board was fortunate to get to meet UES student, Isiah Asbed, who could easily be considered an academic prodigy, during the meeting as he was recognized by his teachers for his excellence in character and academics.  We also had the opportunity to meet and recognize members of the LHS AP Government Class for their impressive academic accomplishments as well.

The Board voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Puletti’s personnel and administrative reappointment recommendations. (You can find that list in the meeting packet at  http://hcsb.schoolwires.net/cms/lib8/FL01903259/Centricity/domain/35/packets/5.26.15.pdf ) If you have any questions regarding the Board’s role in regards to personnel appointments, please refer back to an earlier post titled, “The 36K Question.”

The Board got hung up on approving approving new allocations and personnel allocation changes. (You can reference these on pages 16-26 of the board packet.) Superintendent Puletti recommended removing the request for new allocations from the agenda so they he may meet with the Board individually to explain how these new allocations and change in allocations are anticipated to affect student achievement.  As a Board Member, I have no problem spending money if I’m confident that it’s going to have a direct positive impact on student achievement but, as a Board Member, it is my job to intensively question whether every dollar we spend lines up with the goal.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, the most important role of the Board is to manage and control the budget. Our district is entering into a third year of operating in a deficit. While we have a committed fund balance that can currently finance that deficit, my concern is continuing to operate in this manner is fiscally irresponsible and will lead the Board down a road that’s inevitably going to require us to have to make tough decisions to eventually reduce the District’s workforce.

During discussion in regards to the consent agenda, I presented questions regarding the District’s cooperative agreements with daycare providers on our two high school campuses. While I understand that by law these are services our district is obligated to provide, I questioned how much they were costing the district, how many students/children are participating, and what they graduation rates of the student participants have been the past few years. These questions were highlighting the possibly of achieving greater success in reducing the county’s teen pregnancy rate and dependency on this seemingly expensive program by taking a proactive approach and considering addressing risky behaviors.

Under the Board Member Business section of the agenda, I brought to light concerns about parents’ immodest dress (that’s an understatement) and inappropriate behavior (another understatement) while on school campus and during school field trips. Frankly, I’ve been taken aback by the lack of discernment in both areas by a handful of parents who find it acceptable to attend and/or chaperone school-related events in attire that not only creates a distraction, but is frankly more suitable for either sleeping, going to the beach, or going to a nightclub. Personally, I’d like to see District guidelines to address expectations for dress and behavior but wasn’t met with a lot of support as the Board’s attorney cited concerns with trying to legislate an opinion of tastefulness. I’d be willing to compromise tastefulness in an attempt to legislate decency.

While we’re on the subject of legislation, I’m happy to report that the president of NEOLA came to speak to the Board about a draft of a contract to provide professional services to assist the Board in addressing our district policies and bringing them up to date. Updating and keeping policies current has the affect of reducing the District’s liabilities. This would be a time-intensive process but one that strengthens the Board’s policy knowledge, and that’s powerful seeing that the Board has had three new members of the course of the past year.

During the capital outlay report, Asst. Superintendent Larry Worth updated me on my request for bids to install video and audio equipment in both board rooms. The Board should expect quotes within the month. While I’m confident that cameras will “add ten pounds” and I’d like to avoid that, I’m also confident they will provide an unparalleled level of transparency during meetings and a more convenient method for taxpayers and parents to engage in the work of the Board…and that’s incredibly important to me.

I’d like to remind my readers that all opinions expressed within this post are my own and I’d like to invite everyone to attend the next Hendry County School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 9, in Clewiston at the sub-office located at 475 E. Osceola Avenue.  The meeting will begin at 5:30 pm. All School Board meeting are open to the public. Hope to see you there!!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as YOUR school board member.

~ Stephanie

It was a fun week as your District 4 School Board Member!

I kicked off the week at Central Elementary’s school-wide Tropicana Speech Contest! I was honored to serve as a judge alongside Hendry County education legends Cathy Metz and Paul Samerdyke. We heard a lot of interesting topics and witnessed great public speaking skills from the students.

I was lucky to get to help out the Westside Elementary PTO on Wednesday during the first day of Westside Water Days!  Kindergarten, first, and second grade students enjoyed the water day provided to them through PTO fundraising efforts. A very heartfelt THANK YOU to parents who engage in organizations like PTO and support their schools and students. I’m thankful for the PTO officers at my children’s school who support the students and staff.

I joined the Clewiston High School senior class on their last day at school. City Commissioner Mali Gardner and I attended the last class meeting to talk to them about the importance of completing the FAFSA before walking across Cane Field May 29. I also used to opportunity to share a few words with them that, as an adult, I wish someone had said to me when I sat in their seat in that same auditorium 19 years ago. I told them than in the span of their lifetime, there is no time like the ages between 17-27 to invest in yourself.  If they’ll resist the temptation to “turn up” and justify making poor decisions with “YOLO,” and instead make the investments in pursuing and completing their education in that time frame, they will have a much higher quality of life as an adult.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog! Be on the lookout for a recap of the 5/26 board meeting as well as a recap of a very busy and very eventful week that’s currently underway.

~ Stephanie

It was a great week as your District 4 school board member! This is such a busy time of year and there are so many good things going on in our district.

So, in case I haven’t told everyone at least 100 times already, I’m a member of the Hendry County Education Improvement Task Force. The Task Force is a volunteer think tank comprised of county-wide stakeholders representing various interests and businesses, who share the fundamental belief that high quality public education is the cornerstone of a qualified workforce and a prosperous local economy. We work with the school district and collaborate with school leaders to identify areas we have the capacity, as private citizens, to effectuate positive change.

I. Love. This. Group.

FAFSA Party on May 11 at Clewiston High School.

One of the areas we wanted to address was the county’s lagging FAFSA completion rates. FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The federal government awards over $150 billion each year in financial assistance to attend college and vocational school and close to 70% of this year’s graduating seniors in Hendry County have not completed one. 100% of the 70% of the students who didn’t complete a FAFSA will have limited future education and/or economic opportunities. Our job is to remove as many obstacles as we can for these students to get these applications completed.

We set out to change that number Monday during our FAFSA Party. We had approximately 21 students come out and create their FSA ID. This is the replacement for the Federal Student Aid PIN. (If you have already completed a FAFSA and received a PIN you can link it to your FSA ID. If you have forgotten your current PIN, you can still create a FSA ID.) You will need to go to www.fafsa.gov and click on the FSA ID link at the top of the page to create a new FSA ID.)

Here is the awesome part…we had 14 seniors complete their FAFSA for the first time! We also had Palm Beach State representatives and Florida South Western State representatives on hand to discuss future enrollment. Wait. It gets better! We had a mom of a graduating senior fill out a FAFSA and a young man who had dropped out of high school stopped in to find out about what he needed to do to get his GED and continue his education. (Good gravy! Just typing that makes my allergies flare up!) This was a strong beginning and the Task Force is already brainstorming ideas to increase this initiative to reach more students next year.

Tuesday was Workshop and Board Meeting night. The budget workshop was on overview of the capital outlay budget.

Me, Hector Placencia, WES Principal Tony Busin, and Superintendent Paul Puletti

I was a great honor to recognize one of my favorite people on campus at my children’s school. After 22 years of dedicated service to Westside Elementary, Hector Placencia will be retiring at the end of the school year. Hector was one of the best unwitting PTO members in the history of the organization. I would have never made it through three years as PTO President without him. I hope he has the most lovely retirement.

Representatives from Sodexo were on hand to give the Board an overview of the transition process for food services. Sodexo will officially take over management on July 1, and Sodexo and district staff have already begun meeting with the district’s food service employees to assist with their individual transitions.

Our district has submitted the Community Eligibility Application to determine if our district qualifies to provide FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TO ALL STUDENTS as 82% of our district’s students currently qualify for free/reduced lunch. All students are eligible to receive free breakfast each morning. If that application is denied, the Florida Dept of Agriculture has set 2105/16 school lunch prices at $2.10 for elementary students which is the same price as last year, and a $0.05 increase to $2.40 for middle and high school students.

The Board unanimously approved $286,592.62 in new allocations for a Network Technician, Behavior Specialist, ESE Specialist, Parent Assist, and a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. An additional Network Tech is needed to keep up with the increasing tech demands from digital classrooms and online testing. The other new positions were necessary to respond to the tremendous growth of Exceptional Student Education (ESE) populations within the district.

In an earlier post, I stated that we would be voting on a School Board Policy Review at this meeting but I was incorrect. We reviewed it.

When Chairman Brown asked if there was any board member business, I expressed my continued enthusiasm for developing a strategic plan, inquired about the development process for district wellness programs, and inquired about information being current on district and school websites.

I left the board meeting with a folder of applications for the Educators Affecting Autism Classroom Grant in Honor of John Mack. This year, I asked teachers to tell me how they would spend $250 in their classrooms to support the sensory and academic needs of students on the autism spectrum. Reading the essays and plans they have submitted has been an enlightening experience as it provides educator’s insight to what they need to help their ASD students be successful academically and socially. Many thanks to people who purchased shirts which funded these grants.

CES Patriotic Program

I was blown away on Thursday when I attend Central Elementary’s Annual Patriotic Program. Mrs. Denault orchestrated a powerful performance of students singing patriotic songs, and honoring veterans and current members of our country’s military. There is an awesome video by  The Clewiston News  on my facebook page if you want to check it out. www.facebook.com/StephanieSchneiderBusin

FPSA Officers

I ended the week with one of my favorite organizations at Clewiston High School.  The FPSA / Criminal Justice Academy students held their end-of-the year banquet and I was delighted to be their guest. This club brings honor to our district and these students, and their remarkable leader, contribute so much to our communities within Hendry County. As each Senior was recognized tonight, I was confident each one will be great contributors to society. I am grateful for their teacher who invests so much in shaping these leaders of tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s a new week full of fun! I’ll kick it off at Central Elementary on Monday morning to serve as a judge for their school-wide Tropicana Speech Contest.  Looking forward to it!

As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and the opportunity to serve you as your District 4 School Board Member. All opinions stated within are my own.

~ Stephanie

“Exactly what do you do, Stephanie?”

It was a question spawned from a moment of frustration felt by a constituent who perceived my role in the school district as one of a “Junior Superintendent” and was wanting me to exercise my “authority” in a matter which lies outside the scope of the board’s work.

“School board members have an extraordinary amount of responsibility and very little authority,” is what I was told at the very first Florida School Board Association conference I attended, and is the best summary I’ve heard thus far in my term to describe the job.

When explaining the roles within the district, I like to compare it to the federal government. The Superintendent is the President. The School Board is the House/Senate and, on rare occasion, may serve in a quasi-judiciary capacity.

The Superintendent is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the district, including appointing and dismissing personnel. The prerogatives of individual school board members are extremely limited in those administrative actions. The law indicates the Board must approve recommendations presented by the Superintendent unless the legality of the recommendation is being questioned.

The two major responsibilities of the Board are governing through policy (legislation) and creating a budget that aligns resources to support the district’s academic achievement and student service objectives. These are areas, in my humble opinion, that appear to have been neglected in the past and rank high on my list of goals in areas I hope to see our board focus on, as they are proven vehicles for the Board to effectuate positive change within the district.

Since taking my oath of office, I’m happy to report to my constituents that the School Board has began conducting monthly budget workshops before the regular business meetings on the first meeting of the month AND we’ll be voting on whether we want to a contract with a company that specializes in helping school districts update and maintain their district policies on Tuesday, May 12.

I hope this helps clarify a School Board Member’s roles and responsibilities within the district and has provided you with a brief update of what I’m doing, within the scope of my responsibility and authority, to serve you as your District 4 School Board Member. Thank you for the privilege.

~ Stephanie