Attendence Boundary Committee - Regular Meeting

good morning everyone thank you for joining us today we're going to get started with the kickoff to abc season and at this time i'll defer to dr lewis our deputy superintendent for welcome and greetings thank you there miss abner good morning everyone let me just simply say happy new year

it is truly indeed a pleasure to see all the familiar faces and so forth i really want to start off where we left off last year um really thank you thank you for your efforts thank you for everything that you did last year because it's through these type conversations we're able to move the district forward as we venture into the 2026-27 school year just know that we have a lot of very important decisions that has to be made in reference to our schools in reference to the continued viable option as far as miami-dade county public schools so i want to thank each and every one of you as we know this year we're embarking on the 46th year of abc where citizens such as yourselves you know has really sat in and made decisions on new school boundaries and of course existing school boundaries as well as the landscape of dade county public school continue to shrink Unfortunately or fortunately, we are tasked with making some decisions that's going to impact certain communities, but I feel very confident. Not only do I feel confident, I know that the people that are in this room will be the ones that is going to carry those messages forward. On that note, I want to thank each and every one of you for your service and look forward to a year of continued communication and continued growth. With that being said, I turn it back over to Ms. Tracy Abner, and I'm quite sure she's going to get into the ABC calendar. and all other priorities.

Absolutely. Thank you, Dr. Lewis. Before we begin, we'll start with introductions. Many of you have already been here and served on the committee for years, and we are so glad that you are joining us again. And for those who will be new to the process, you will hear what the ABC entails. This year, we're going to inform you of some things that have changed, board item-wise, board policy-wise, calendar-wise, expectation-wise, because we are embarking on a new ABC. It is one that's more modernized. It's one that I hope you'll find to be more efficient and one that moves at a speedier pace. So as you heard, Tracy Abner, Assistant Superintendent, School Leadership and Performance, and I oversee and facilitate the process. So we'll go around the room with introductions. And when we conclude with Mr. I-Feliz, he'll get directly into the law and order aspect of ABC.

Good morning, everybody.

I'm representing District 6. Good morning, ABC. My name is Alfred Billings. I serve with the pleasure of the superintendent. Thank you.

Hello, Jeffrey Cudayo, representing the superintendent. Good morning, George Garcia, representing the superintendent.

Good morning, Mary Elsie Hoyer, representing the superintendent.

Michael Horn, representing District 1.

I'm Regina David, representing District 2, Dr. Ben-Joseph Indigo.

Good morning, Yesenia Plante, North Region Superintendent.

Good morning, Brenda Swain, Central Region Office Superintendent.

Good morning, Robin Atkins, South Region Office Administrative Director, presenting today on behalf of Mr. Rafael Villalobos. Crystal Coffey, retired principal, representing the superintendent.

Good morning, I'm Sharon Watson, and I'm representing Miami-Dade County Council PTA.

Oh, John, I will help you.

Omar Reyes, retired principal, representing the superintendent. Ron Smith, representing the superintendent.

BRUNO REPRESENTED THE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

GOOD MORNING, CAROLYN NELSON-DOTERK. I'LL TAKE IT FOR THE RENOVATE COUNTY COUNTY COMMITTEE.

GOOD MORNING, STEPH.

GOOD MORNING, ALL. LISBETH GONZALEZ, NORTH REGION OFFICE. GOOD MORNING, JAROMA PHILLIPS.

GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. CARLOS RIO, SOUTH REGION OFFICE ADMINISTRATIVE CORRECTION.

I'm Andy Garcia, Administrative Director, Administrative Office. Good morning, Leonard Torres, North Region Office, Administrative Director. Good morning, everyone.

Good morning, Tracy Cruz, Enrollment Officer, Financial Services.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning, everyone. Kelly Connor-Shepard representing Exceptional Student Education. Don't worry, I won't do it. That's just one opportunity to perform it.

and now i believe john associate general counsel for the board attorney's office we are going to jump right into mine um and you have a copy of the powerpoint in front of you so again i know a lot of you guys have seen this before it's not here than in other committees that a lot of you guys are a part of this is going to be a very truncated version this is the essentials so sunshine law public records law state and school board public and school three parliamentary procedure Sunshine Law Essentials. Open meetings, open government, no private deliberations, common sense. What are open meetings? Open meetings basically mean we have to provide notice seven days before the meeting. All meetings that we attend are open to the public. That is true virtually and in person. uh with pitts abner um all open government all votes are public no um no ballots no secret ballots no head down and up voting uh written minutes must be taken uh again we usually do that for you why do we have to take written minutes even if the meeting is being recorded because it's florida and that's the government um no discussions about official business between members outside of notice meetings that includes anything that may come before you for a vote you cannot talk to another government in the sunshine you can't text each other about it you cannot lean to discuss something quietly while you're getting ready to vote it must all be opened in in the sunshine there are believe it or not criminal consequences which have been uh have been done through florida from time to time after this committee public i'm sorry was there a question okay gotcha uh public record was a public record any record created or receiving connection with official business so if it is regarding any business that you are getting for this community it is a public record if you are responding to any uh anything regarding this community it is in fact a public record this is inclusive of any form that it takes that can be handwritten notes that can be emails that can be texts you can be on a vacation on a beach with a non-government phone writing, hey, I'm gonna be able to attend that meeting, and it is absolutely a public record that absolutely would have to be responded to if requested. What should you guys remember? Assume all communications are public records, retain records, or give them to a staff member to retain for you. Some records may be exempt, but that's rare. Violations can result in similar criminal penalties. this this is as open as if you at some point respond to one of us with your uh with your home address that is now a public record so be very cautious what you're sending what you're receiving ethics and conflicts of interest essentials do not accept gifts or compensation to influence your decisions use your position to pass along confidential information or personal gain represent others before the court this basically means you cannot be suing us and sitting on a sport at the same time um voting conflicts do not vote if you have a personal or financial conflict you have to disclose this if you do not vote um there's a specific form to be filled out now that is the only way that you do not vote if you are the voting member at the time there are no abstentions so you have to vote one way or another over parliamentary procedure essentials obviously so the meetings are conducted in a horribly ambitious manner we must have a forum all members have equal rights one motion at a time motions are made through the chair seconded discussed and decided by majority vote the chair managing the meeting um is the one who is able to manage the meeting, I guess is the best way to put it. They can ask the parliamentarian, which is me or someone from my office for advice, but is at the discretion of the chair. For the chair, the only general exception to the parliamentary rules are chair can make motions. Some parliamentary settings they cannot, but the chair can make motions. Advisory committee member essential. Must be a Miami-Dade County resident. Must not have a pending loss in your policy challenge against the district. You may not serve on a committee that regulates or oversees your livelihood. You must remain eligible under federal state school board law. Qualifying as a candidate for an elected position is an automatic resignation. Qualifying as a candidate is actually a designation in date. There is a specific time when you qualify as a candidate. That is an automatic resignation on any board. You serve at the discretion of the appointing board member. Each committee elects chair and vice chair annually. Committee business requires a forum. That is it. Thank you all very much.

Thank you so much. So before we get into the selection of our chair and vice chair, inside your folder is a copy of the ethics information that everyone needs to complete. And we need to have your document as part of your service to this committee. So please be sure to fill this out, complete it, and Ms. Funias will collect it at the conclusion of today's meeting.

any questions for mr i believe about what was just discussed and if you don't want to discuss it in this form you guys can always grab me personally um i'll be happy to discuss any questions regarding any of this stuff at any time

Okay, before we go on, I'd like to welcome Dr. Hernandez back. You look fantastic, nice, bright, sunny, yeah, sleeping on someone's beach. As Dr. Lewis said, would you just introduce yourself to the committee and will you represent, please, ma'am? In a long time, I haven't had such a pleasant welcome. That's why you came in at the time that you did. Yes.

Okay. Dr. Fernandez, I'm here representing, they changed the name, formerly DEAC, and now it's EOAC.

Yes.

Okay. Good to be back. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. We'll talk about the selection of the chair, and then we'll get into the vote for that.

okay so as before chair and vice chairs be selected today the process is generally going to remain the same um we'll be able to take uh nominations from the floor and then we'll ask that individual to accept you can self-nominate generally speaking um if they so choose any one of the nominees can have just a few seconds to briefly introduce themselves talk per the rules we'll do a quick vote that'll have to be a um voice vote and then we will move on to the election of vice chair The only restriction is the chair may not serve two consecutive terms, but our current chair has not served two consecutive terms, so our current chair, if he so chooses, can run again. Any questions about that process? All right. Then if we can, we can start for nominations. I'm just going to move this.

Please go ahead. I'd like to nominate Mr. Avede. I second it. Avede.

I second it.

i hope you accept would you accept sir i accept perfect do we have any other nominations from the floor ladies and gentlemen we have a new chair thank you very much don't even have to change the name tag that's right that's uh okay we'll do the same for our vice chair if we can open up for nominations i'd like to nominate mr billings okay do we have any other nominations you guys are the best that is it congratulations mr billings

We also have someone new joining us at the table. Please introduce yourself. I'm Tracy Abner. Nice to meet you.

Hello, everyone. My name is Mark Burton. I'm honored to be here. I apologize for my tardiness. I was listening.

Okay.

And I would have been on time, but I had an emergency filing in the Court of Appeals.

Well, welcome. Tell us who you represent.

Yes, I'm here for school for Geller, and I live in the Ogis neighborhood, and I have a first grader at Virginia Boone Highland Oaks, and next year I will have a kindergarten there as well.

We appreciate you. We really appreciate you. All right, so we're going to, at the pleasure of our chair, if it is okay, I'll go ahead and get into it. the attendance boundary procedures and then defer to the regions for next steps.

Looking forward to explain, for you to explain all the new changes.

Okay, awesome, awesome. So last year, we experienced something we had not experienced before, which was nine school closures last year. That was pretty much unprecedented. We had multiple community meetings and a lot of input and feedback from one of our board members who spearheaded the process of modernizing the attendance boundary committee process through policy. In previous years, we never had it codified in policy what this process would look like. But now we do. So there is a change in vernacular. So we're not using terms like targeted and advised anymore. We're calling those schools that are now going to see some sort of impact reassessed. The definition of reassessed is included in your information. So reassessed will be those schools that are going to see actual change. And for those schools that we're going to monitor and decide on at a later date, those will be called under review. So if you look in your folder behind the ethics certification, you will see the ABC calendar. We never before had a one page calendar. Never before. So as you can see, just through the calendar, we're starting this process two months earlier than we have in the past. All in an effort to align with the magnet calendar and to get a jump start on things like transportation. And I want to thank Mr. Cohn for being here because he's a new addition to this team as well. transportation food and nutrition facilities they all play a major role in what it is we do in this room because of course it impacts everything the boundaries impact the routes for transportation so thank you mr cone for being here and being a part of the process so as you can see today we're beginning with the orientation meeting and the presentation of those reassessed and at and under review schools. In the past, that was two different meetings. So as part of this process, you will see it extremely expedited. So once I conclude going through the folder and going through the changes, then we'll hear from the region superintendents to let you know which of the schools in their regions will be reassessed and under review. Then come September, we're already into community meetings. So next steps for the regions after today's meeting, they'll communicate with their principals who are on this list. And I know there's already been some talk prior to, just so that they're aware, board members have been spoken to as well. So everyone's on the same page, but community meetings will be held beginning in September as per this new board policy in order to tell families and our school communities what the next steps will be. Then come November, we're reconvening to pretty much land this plane already. We're landing the plane because come December is the first initial reading of the board item, which will conclude in February with the final reading. So that gives us ample time. It gives families time to make some informed decisions based on what they will now know will happen in the upcoming school year. In addition to the calendar, you have the list of appointees and alternates, the administrative procedures, which are our bylaws that govern how we operate, the attendance boundary process, which Dr. Little's referenced within its 46 years.

And as I thought about that, I thought about where I was 46 years ago.

I mean, I know I wasn't born yet, according to Dr. Little, but I really was like nine years old. I was nine years old at the time. And we were in a scenario district-wide where we were still growing. Schools were still being built. I mean, it was overcrowding everywhere. And so the fact that today we are seeing these shifts and adjustments based on our current conditions says a lot about how we are nationwide, statewide, locally. You have a copy of the actual board item so that you can read it at your leisure. And it does tell you what the new updates for this will be. One of the things that I can just identify as a quick change is one of the conditions that we look at. So the class size amendment piece of the factors was removed. So instead of 11, we now have 10. So you'll see that noted in here. As I mentioned previously, the definitions of reassessed and under review are located in this folder as well. These things are also on our district website for ABC, which now has a forward-facing database and FAQs and has been updated to reflect these changes as well. So take a look at what it means to be reassessed and under review, which were formally targeted and advised. You'll also have the list of schools that the regions will speak to very briefly, but I wanted you to have a copy for yourself because you as our community liaison We'll maybe ask questions and you will need to be able to speak to this and truly understand what it is that is going to happen for these schools. And then you have a copy of the school calendar, which I'm over as well. And we'll be doing this year for the next two years. So moving on in the fold, any questions about anything you have heard thus far? Because if not, we'll go ahead and get into the region presentation, starting with Dr. Aponte in the North Region after Dr. Lewis.

Yeah, just quickly, let me just add on to the commentary from Ms. Abner. You know, as it relates to the calendar itself, hopefully you guys also see not only has it been shortened, but it's also more in line, like you said, with the magnet application window as well. But even beyond that, what it does on the back end, it allows us to start planning as far as those transition of those schools that we're going to take action on, as opposed to waiting until summer. And summer, what we discovered this year that sometimes those two months don't give us enough time because as much as we would like to think that those transition happens overnight, it happens over time. And the last thing we want is to kind of be behind the eight ball and rushing. And I know this year we actually experienced that. So we're trying to eliminate that altogether. And then even more so when she talked about the forward facing dashboard, I know Dr. Cabrera and team is here and I really want to thank them for it because when we talk about data and analytics, Those are the individuals that's really providing us with that information. But at the end of the day, hopefully we all see that, unfortunately, due to the current climate that exists, not only in Dade County Public Schools, but as Abner said it, throughout the country itself, things are changing. And as a result of that, certain actions definitely needs to be taken. So once again, as we embark upon this work, I want to thank each and every one of you. And I also want to lastly say that The schools that have been identified as far as being reassessed and being reviewed, trust me, it wasn't a decision that was made overnight. We also have what is known as an educational asset development team. That committee itself, what it does, it looks at all of our assets. It also looks at trends. It also looks at shifts that happens within our community. And as a result of that, and it's collaboration with several members from several different bureaus and so forth, and um and as a result of that you know those schools were actually identified for the opportunity to possibly take certain actions and uh i foresee as we continue to move down the the path as far as the not only the academic year but as years continue to progress i challenge each and every one of you to go back and take a look at the strategic plan Okay. That is really the item on the document that's guiding our action. So please take a look at that. And the goal is at some point the year 3030 is to be at least at 80% when it comes down to utilization. So as a result of that, this particular group of individuals are now tasked with looking at those shifts and making those important decisions. So thank you, Ms. Atman.

thank you so much for that commentary dr lewis because it's just important for us to continue to hear what is happening behind the scenes as well so that you know these decisions were not made arbitrarily so with that i'll turn things over to dr raponte and followed by miss wayne and then followed by

Thank you, Ms. Abner and Dr. Lewis. Thank you to Attendance Founder Committee Chair and our newly elected Chair and newly elected Vice Chair, and to all the committee members for your time and dedication to this process. A special thank you to Mr. Leonard Torres, ABC Administrator Director for the North Region Office, and Ms. Lisbeth Gonzalez for their assistance and guidance with this presentation. At this time, as a North Region Superintendent, I'd like to present the North Region recommendations for the reassessed schools. Brentwood Elementary, Carroll City Middle, Golden Glades Elementary, Lake Stevens Elementary, Myrtle Grove Elementary. These proposed schools meet the factors evaluated and considered by the Attendance Boundary Committee, centered primarily on under enrollment and under utilization. as displayed in the chart or in the slide every school listed is operating significantly below capacity ranging from a critical low of 19 to just 45 percent driven by a steady five-year enrollment decline or fluctuating enrollment in a strong trend of neighborhood families exercising school choice options. By analyzing these attendant boundaries, we have identified a vital opportunity to maximize available classroom capacity in neighborhood adjacent schools. Realigning these boundaries allow us to fill empty seats in nearby schools, eliminate the high operational cost of running underutilized buildings, and store district resources far more efficiently. all while protecting and offering a viable educational program for our students. Despite district efforts to increase enrollment by implementing specialized programs, such as exceptional student education or pre-K programs in some of these school buildings, student enrollment has not increased. Furthermore, in some cases, this transition will move students out of some of our outdated open pod layout schools into modern facilities. The receiving schools will be adjacent and continuous to the sending school so that the neighborhood slash community stability is preserved. An important point to make is that as of today's enrollment data, the majority of these schools are under the projected enrollment displayed on the side, therefore continuing the decline in enrollment. As of yesterday, the following are the students in attendance at these schools. Brentwood, 275 students. Carroll City Middle, 383 students. Golden Glades Elementary, 134 students, Lake Stevens, 187, and Myrtle Grove, 118 students. Thank you.

Good morning again, everyone, and thank you so much for being here today. A special thank you to my CRO team, Mr. Manny Garcia and Mr. Ronia Phillips. The 2627 reassessed schools for the Central Region Office all have three driving factors in common. ability to conduct a viable educational program due to declining enrollment, use of available student stations in a contiguous area, and of course, facility underutilization and inefficient use of existing physical infrastructure. The Central Region Office will focus on Emerson Elementary with a projected enrollment of 240 students only utilizing 42% of the building, but their current enrollment is at 230 students. Next, we'll focus on Lily C. Evans K-8 Center with 244 students utilizing only 38% of the building. Our Lower Park Elementary is our third reassessed school. This school has been on the ABC advised list since the 24-25 school year. the enrollment continues to decline. This year's projected enrollment for the building was 138 students with a low utilization of 26%. Currently, the student enrollment stands at 105 students. We will also focus on Ludlam Elementary with a projected enrollment of 190 students with a building utilization of 43%. The current student enrollment at Ludlam Elementary is 164 students. The Central Region's final reassessed school is Dunbar K-8 Center. While Dunbar is a K-8 center, it has a projected enrollment of 299 students. The current enrollment as of yesterday is 265 students with a building utilization of 34%. Thank you.

Good morning and welcome back to the 2026-27 agency season. I'd like to first thank my colleague, Dr. Carlos Rios, as well as James Molina for working to bring all this information together for the South region office. We currently have five schools listed under reassessed. We have a center for international education. Greenglade Elementary, Amex Middle, Kendale Elementary, and Village Green Elementary. As indicated on the slide on the PowerPoint that you have, the Center for International Education as of yesterday has 387 students. The driving force and the ABC factors that impact Center for International Education is the impact of new residential developments, impact of changes to other school boundaries, as well as overcapacity and increasing utilization at neighboring high schools. The remaining four schools for the South Region Office are Green Glade Elementary, Hammocks Middle, Kendall Elementary, and Village Green Elementary. They share the three primary ABC factors, which is the ability to conduct a viable educational program due to declining enrollment, use of available student stations within these areas, and facility underutilization and inefficient use of existing physical infrastructure. For Greenglade Elementary, as of yesterday, their membership is 215 with a building utilization of 36%. Hammocks Middle School, as of yesterday, their membership is 419 with a building utilization of 28%. Kendall Elementary School has a membership of 285 with a building utilization of 40%. And finally, Village Green has a membership currently of 151 students with a building utilization of 32%. Thank you.

The North Region has identified the following schools under review as noted on the slide. National Bridge Elementary, North County K-8 Center, North Dade Middle. The schools under review have been identified for a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether continued operations best serves the educational, operational, and financial interests of students in our district. and most importantly, our students. Beyond these strategic evaluations, each of these campuses have experienced a sustained decline in both student enrollment and overall facility usage, currently operating at a critical utilization rate between 29% and 42%. These schools have experienced this decline in enrollment since 2020. Current student attendance as of yesterday for these schools are as follows. Natural Bridge, 263, North County K-8, 269, and North Dead Middle, 190 students. Throughout this evaluation, our focus remains on maximizing the educational options available to affected students while fully considering the potential impact on our families and broader communities. Every attendance boundary recommendation we bring forward today is made with the utmost gravity, care, and deliberation, recognizing the profound impact these decisions have on our families and neighborhood communities. Throughout this entire process, student success has remained our absolute North Star. Our primary duty is to ensure that every choice we make directly serves the academic, emotional, and safety needs of our children. By making these difficult yet necessary structural adjustments, we are not simply reorganizing physical buildings, We are actively removing operational barriers to deliver safer learning environments, richer specialized programs, and the robust educational resources every single student truly deserves. This concludes the presentation for the North Region Office.

Thank you. The 2627 under review schools for the Central Region Office have the same three driving factors that I mentioned earlier for the reassessed schools. Kelsey Farr Elementary, with a projected enrollment of 232 students, now has a current enrollment, as of yesterday, of 222 students, utilizing 57% of the building. Our second under-reviewed school is Orchard Villa Elementary, with a projected enrollment of 248 students and a current enrollment of only 214 students, utilizing only 30% of the building. The Central Region Office looks forward to working with our schools during this process to ensure transparent community meetings. This concludes the presentation for the Central Region Office. Thank you.

For the 2026-27 ADC year, the South Region Office has the following schools that have been listed as under review. Gloria Floyd Elementary, Lamar Louise Curry Middle, Margie Stoneman Douglas Elementary, Olympia Heights Elementary, Riviera Middle School, South Miami Heights Elementary, and Tropical Elementary. As of yesterday, Gloria Floyd Elementary School has 330 students utilizing 43% of the building. Lamar Louise Curry, 444 students utilizing 42% of the building. Margie Stoneman Douglas Elementary School, 385 students utilizing 34% of the building. of the building. Olympia Heights is at 253 as of yesterday with a building utilization of 44%. Riviera Middle School is at 386 students with a building utilization of 36%. South Miami Heights is at 284 students with a building utilization of 41%. And Tropical Elementary is at 255 students with the building utilization of 32%. All of the schools listed for the South Region Office in the under review category have the same agency factors impacting those schools as previously mentioned for our reassessed schools. Thank you.

Thank you all. And now over to our chair.

Good morning. Good morning.

This is a very interesting report and the amount of work that we have in front of us is incredible.

Let me start recognizing whoever has questions. Go ahead.

I just did not hear your presentation. Would you mind repeating the current presentation? I'm sorry. I didn't hear your presentation.

Their current student membership, as of yesterday, was 255 students with a building utilization of 32%. 32? Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

Yes.

Can you tell us how North County went from capacity at 529 to 651?

North County? Because they dropped an enrollment?

Well, their capacity increased by 52%.

Yeah, the enrollment was 315, the projected enrollment, and the capacity was at 53%. Yeah, from 651 it changed the capacity. I'm not sure. We could check that. It usually doesn't change the capacity, so that could have been an error on the slide. But the capacity is 651, so it's going to be a little higher. THE AVAILABLE SPACE. SO WE'LL CORRECT THAT.

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THAT OUT. GO AHEAD.

MS. ZABIS, PLEASE.

GO TO CHAIR. CAN YOU GIVE ME THE CURRENT ENROLLMENT CENTRAL FOR LYNNESSEE ADMINISTRATION?

so for lily sevens the current enrollment is 265 students the building utilization is 34 percent 265 265 and at 244 is 38 percent and at 265 is 30 percent 34%.

That's confusing. Right. They have more kids and now they got to go there.

Yeah, that's a mistake.

You may want to redo that and take a look at it.

I'll look at it. Thank you. I'm going to clarify this. I have the numbers on it yesterday. Okay. In attendance, we have a membership 185 and register is 246, actually. but in attendance .

All right, in attendance is 185, but registered already is 2.6.

Well, unless those kids show up by Friday, that's going to be, you got it, okay?

People normally, sometimes after Labor Day. Correct, correct. Yes, Dr. Hernandez, go ahead.

Yes, I don't know who to direct the question. Maybe you, maybe Mr. Joyce. Is there a range of percentage that, gives an indication to the region suits of what schools to look at because the ranges that i see here very wide from 19 to 53. so what makes 53

be included when other schools are in their 20s but in other words what's understood understood and you want to know the why or what's the parameters that we're actually looking at and that's a very good question and let me start off by simply saying you know every school is different right because in certain schools i may have let's say 300 kids however the capacity of the school that says if it's a thousand so automatically that drives down to actual utilization Right next door, I can have a very similar school that has 300 kids. But guess what? The capacity of the school is only 500. So it automatically looks a whole lot higher. I think at the end of the day, when we look at our schools, as far as what schools do we reassess or what school do we put under review, a lot of it has to do with also schools and proximity. okay if we're able to and our goal has always been our north star has always been to ensure that we provide our kids with the most optimal educational opportunity i think you can all agree that when you look at some of the numbers in certain schools you can only imagine the lack of educational programs that are inside those schools and what it contributes to the lack of social development for many of our students so the goal is honestly taking a look at the portfolio of all of our schools. And at the end of the day, making the best decision for that particular community. And I'll use one as an example. I know that Lilly C is being referenced. As a result of this particular committee, go back and think Poinciana Park. You had a school that was less than a mile away from Lilly C. Then you had another school, Liberty City Elementary, which was also less than a mile. Then you had another school, Charles Drew, which was also less than a mile. Charles Drew, however, was one of those schools that we had just built a brand new facility. And so when we're looking at all of our schools, which actual school facility we can actually maximize and put our kids in a much better place. And as you recall, when we decided to close down Poinciana, kids actually went to Liberty City, which has been a traditional school for the past couple of years. who also hosts the principal of the year for day county public schools and also charles drew like i said got a brand new facility but now that area the footprint of students in that area are constantly shrinking so now we're looking at lily c and so looking at lily c what will end up happening as we go through this process schools like liberty city elementary charles drew more than likely will inherit those kids and what it does for those students in that community, be able to provide them with more rich programs and a greater opportunity for academic success. Going back to your initial question, there isn't a set number. What we look at, we look at schools also in proximity to make some of those determination, but just be mindful, Sometimes, like I described, you may have a school that may have 300 kids, but the capacity of the school is like 700. And so automatically, when you look at the utilization, it's going to be low, whereas similar school, same number of kids, and the capacity is high. So those are some of the factors and so forth. But thank you. Excellent question, because there's no one set criteria that we look at. We look at a variety of factors to answer your question. Yes, ma'am.

I want to really that the individuals were part of this committee that i think for the very first time we have been very upfront with figures and numbers and sometimes and i you know commend the reason sometimes when we send this data we send the numbers they're individuals and they walk away comparing the numbers and just looking at what's on the paper. We're trying to be really transparent with these figures, but like Dr. Lewis said, these numbers here are just a little piece of what is being looked at. We are looking at the facilities number one from an academic angle, but number two, What are the conditions of this facility? So sometimes we have a facility that has a higher utilization, but we know that the condition of that facility is not really, it's going to cost a lot more to fix it than we are to consolidate and put this into another facility. so i asked the committee that yes we are very very upfront with numbers but do not think that these numbers in isolation have driven these decisions they have been extensive conversations regarding the approach that we will take i also want to highlight that this is a five-year plan This is not a plan that's gonna stop this year. There are going to be more schools. As Dr. Lewis indicated, we have a strategic plan trying to get us to 80% utilization. Right now, we're sitting at about 65. That means we have to eliminate close to 90,000 student seats. And we have to consolidate our team in order to be efficient . But I do ask that, just don't look at these numbers. Sometimes we get obsessed with the numbers. There's a lot behind it.

So, go ahead, Bruno. So, just a question. When we closed Ponce de Ana Park last year, and the students shifted, get this now operating at Ponce de Ana Park,

has been the impact thus far at the neighboring schools with them opening um and now operating i can answer that through the chair um first of all great question and yes we did take action on poinsettia park two years ago now i think the biggest challenge that we have as as a school system we're taking action and of course as a result of certain actions we have certain schools that it appears are sitting idly no longer servicing students let me also say that in the years past we were quickly saying this was going to happen to this particular piece of property But we had to actually pull back and really do a deep analysis as far as what are the potential. So therefore we can maximize those resources in any way, form or fashion. And hopefully the end result, we're trying to see how we can actually generate funds for Dade County Public Schools. So going back to the initial question, as we know, KIPP ended up building a brand new facility on the College of North, I'm sorry, on the Miami Dade. college north campus right and their model i want to say is from k through eighth grade at that particular location Most recently, as a result of the fact that Poinciana was available, there was a proposition that was made to see whether or not they can utilize that facility. As of right now, it is my understanding that they're expanding at grade level, because as those kids get older, they go into different grade levels. So they're trying to shift the primary grades into that particular setting. So it's currently the kids that they currently have over at Miami-Dade that they're shifting towards that location. Now, as far as potential impact, I guess the best time to be able to assess that, allow us to go through this whole entire no-show period so we know what our bottom line basically is, and then we'll do a deeper dive to see if there have been any impact based on growth on their side. And if so, where is that growth actually coming from? And that's the only way to truly determine that answer.

I appreciate it. Thank you. Just a few follow-ups.

have a follow-up and a different question and then give a chance to someone else thank you davis yes to the chair um dr lewis you mentioned that with the lindsay evans we have drew available and recently parents have been turned away from you so the capacity of through the handle additional uh eight the middle schooler seems impossible so

Going back to our conversation, that matter was addressed. I did speak to the region superintendent who was right next to you at this point. It was just a conversation in reference to a child and being accepted into the school, right? However, let me say this about Lilly C. with borders lily c before you get to charles drew you pass liberty city elementary but it's not okay okay it's not a k-8 center right however you still have a couple of options for those parents that want that traditional k-8 experience for their kids yes you have quote-unquote charles true and from a capacity standpoint listen at the end of the day we want to be able to be the one that service our students in our community so there was a miscommunication in reference to what we spoke about that should not be happening i think every piece of communication that has come out from the superintendent that has come out of my mouth is the fact that and i know we have a a gentleman that's currently on the committee that have two of his kids at ogis and another one that's going to be at virginia phone i'm challenging him to have more kids so we can educate his kids and so forth and so on so in other words listen we are experiencing a decline in enrollment and we want all of our kids not only to come back but we want to be the one servicing our kids so the idea of someone saying that there's no room there's no space i challenge that and these are the people the powers to be those three powerful women that you see on that end from miss atkins um the swain and of course dr ponte they are some of the decision makers when it comes down to a specific region and that is something that we can address but hopefully before this is over with let's do a follow-up because i want to make sure that that parent went back to the school and that child was accepted into that school

Well, through the chair, I had a granddaughter that is going to the eighth grade. And we had to check with the principal. We had to check with the century to see if a seat was available. And that was like yesterday. And we ended up leaving her at Brownville. But we did, through choice, had to check and see if a seat was available. So that makes me even more concerned. If Lizzie Evans is on the list, that we have to make some arrangements for parents who want the K-3. Maybe we'll add Henry Mack on there, who seems to have an additional role. But not just, I know Drew's new, but for our community, we just can't go in there and say Drew, and Drew has no seats.

Through the chair, never the case. Let me also say that the current superintendent has been very vocal. When we talk about day county public schools, we don't see boundaries. Okay. He's been very vocal with that. And yes, our goal is to try to satisfy and be the service provider for any students in Miami day, or even proud as well. So. you know we welcome that challenge and interesting point i'm quite sure miss sweene and the other two uh region representatives are here as well i'm quite sure they hear it as well and uh we will do everything within our power but i also hear brownsville and i know that's your school of choice yeah so i'm sure you guided that family to brownsville as we speak i know regina davis thank you mr garcia

I respect to the chair. First of all, I want to thank and acknowledge the powers that be for having heard the committee and the others in reference to the way this process has been compressed and to address many of the concerns and opportunities for parents. I also want to thank the Regent's superintendents, particularly when we address numbers are only numbers. You mentioned viable curriculum delivery. And that is for me as a former educator and as a former school administrator is the critical piece. If we really want to encourage our communities to keep their children in our schools, it's about the curriculum that we have available and the ability to deliver that curriculum to them. And I'm just gonna use myself in one particular school as an example, which was my former school. Natural Bridge Elementary. I can't believe that number. When I was assigned to that school, I won't say how many years ago, there were 1,200 children there. Wow. easily wow 1200 children i had more portables than i had actual classrooms wow i drive by every once in a while um but when a school diminishes and diminishes and diminishes in numbers the availability of delivering quality services to our students with consistency is compromised. So I challenge all of us to please keep that in mind. And as we make those decisions, Dr. Lewis, as you're commenting right now about, It isn't just proximity that we should be looking at. My former colleague who used to sit over here from representing District 1 used to always challenge us about the safety. And having been at Natural Bridge for as long as I was, my concern was always, I had a boundary that those kids had to cross Biscayne Boulevard. So as we're making these decisions, please also let's all of us keep safety in mind in terms of the major thoroughfares that our students may be having to traverse. Thank you. Thank you.

Mr. Kudayo. Yes, through Dr. Lewis. I know that some studies have been done as to what is causing the decline. Can you share with us at least the three top things that you have found to be causing the decline?

By all means, through the chair. Excellent question, by the way, Mr. Goddard, because you see the challenges that we have. The very first one, I must say, and quote, has more so to do with affordability. When you look at the state of Florida, especially the South Dade area, it is extremely expensive to live in the Miami and the Dade County area. And that, as you can tell, is driving people to either move out of state or move in the upper part of the state where it's more affordable. So affordability being one of the top challenges. And one of the other impacting challenges is the matter of fact that in years past, we've always had families, when they do come into this country, they're pouring into this particular area, right? Because like-minded people tend to attract to each other. Unfortunately, when you look at the current conditions of the country, you don't have too many borders that's open and people are not pouring into this country so that's another factor and then the other piece i'll use the um declining birth rate unfortunately people are not having as many many kids as they have in the past and then i'll give you another factor competition is real okay competition is real in the sense that families now have other options and some of them are exercising that um No longer if you were going to a private school that, guess what, if you as a parent chose to educate your child in a private school, then guess what, you were responsible for paying for it. Now families can actually petition the state to get those dollars, those FTE, and they can use a portion of that money to be able to pay for the tuition and supplement the rest of it. So there are several factors that are impacting the current conditions here. and for the most part is having a impact on Dade County Public Schools and the surrounding area. It's not just a Miami-Dade problem. It's starting to be a national problem when it comes down to the enrollment factor.

Yes. I saw that the Broward County is having similar as Miami-Dade County is. I was looking and reviewing some of this, looking at across Florida. the fact that the cost of living is one of the major things.

And I just want to see if we- Yes, trust me, through the chair, trust me, we've analyzed all of that. And I'll be remiss if I didn't mention this other factor that we're analyzing We really and honestly don't know the current impact. I know in the news you guys see TPS, and we acknowledge that as well. But honestly, to this day, we couldn't tell you what type of impact that is currently had in many of our schools. We know every community is different, and we are really taking a deep dive to really monitor those schools that have those high Creole-speaking populations. within those schools to see what type of impact but honestly um thank you dr cabrera again on a daily basis she's sending me data in reference to those targeted schools that we look at and honestly i'll tell you what i've seen i can't really just say tpn is the driving factor behind the no-shows because when i look at certain schools it's not that many especially in that particular epic center okay thank you and bruno you got another question yes um

I know there was a recent board item as it relates to North Dade Middle some time ago about potentially bringing it to a junior high or a high school 6-12. Is it still the goal, or is that part of the review?

That's part of the review. We're currently looking at the feasibility. We're doing a study in conjunction with Dr. Figueroa's office, the North Region. We're looking at the feasibility. We've got to keep in mind, Bruno, there's 190 students, and that boundary has about 4,000 students in grade level 6 through 12, yet 190 are only choosing to go there. So we need to, we're exploring that. We're looking at the boundaries that would affect, and then we really have to be realistic. Are the kids going to go? And what other options can we explore in that same campus? Okay. So we're still working on that. And I know that that board item of follow-up is due next month. So that's something we're working on.

Thank you, Dr. O'Connor.

I know we're about to have the community meetings, but some of these schools, ESE population and I know we're getting ahead of the schedule for magnet and I know we're going to have community meetings but as a new member of that ESE populations not those parents are not necessarily going to go to those communities so that we can find the next home if some of these schools ultimately are recommended for repurposing our culture.

Well said. Thank you.

Sharon. Sorry.

Go ahead.

I do want to add that we have the ESC requirement here. It is part of the committee. This is why they sit here. When we make these decisions, folks will be here. Cone will be here looking into transportation impact. ESC will be here looking into the impact. but the goal is we do know that some of the students we don't have a continuation of services specialized but the esc office does a tremendous job to make sure that we address those children so we will be covered with any of these schools that have specialized programs in terms of where they are

Thank you. Mr. Horne, please. Yes, Chair. My question is like a statement and a question. I know in last school year, we did have a discussion, even with a superintendent about the open inventory. And it was explained to us that basically my big kind of schools don't own these open inventories. So with the shutting down of schools, I know that we discussed or needs of the community. I think these open inventories in the conversation we had will also push enrollment and visibility to the school too. So I wanted to know, are we still having those conversations? So I understand that we're supposed to have strategic team to go out survey the community and what things they want to do so like if we're going to merge carrot city uh middle with the high school if we're going to make carrot city middle a performance art school that will uh or performance art center or whatever whatever is that i think it will also push the enrollment for monday kind of public school so i'll be still looking at that

I mean, through the chair, let me just say, Mr. Horne, I'm happy to have your voice as far as part of this committee. And I know for a fact that you represent the Carroll City area. That's what it takes. it takes number one showing that there is a need so when we do go into the community remember the option that the community have is really to provide an alternative you know plan right and so sometimes we sit here and we think we're making the best decisions for our schools but i always welcome a different voice a different lens and a different just opportunity to to look at things differently so we're always open to that but just be mindful from what i've seen in my humble opinion you know we did something this last year that i think that is going to have a tremendous impact on a particular school What we did last year, we converted Miami Springs Senior High School and made it a six through 12. Right. And what it does, it ensures that those middle schoolers, they get an early indication of what it feels like to be on the life of. And that particular school is the Golden Hawks, if I'm not mistaken. I got one sitting next to me and I got one at the end of the table. So I want to make sure I get it right. What it does. get those middle school or middle-aged kids and get them excited right from an athletic standpoint and you can relate to this there are kids that are high performing now athletically that they don't have to wait until they get to high school to be exposed to varsity sports right and then from a cultural standpoint it's a difference when i become exposed to the culture of the high school and middle school. And it gets me excited to get into upper grades as opposed to coming in my ninth grade year, lost trying to figure things out. Well, I already know the lay of the land. I already know the expectation. I already know the culture of the school and what we've been great at over the years. We make sure we separate the different grade levels. So therefore there's minimum interaction when it comes down to the older kids. as related to carroll city senior high school i know for a fact that over the past five six years even more because i got dr cabrera that's here who was the region superintendent and i know that these were things that we have explored in the past but there haven't been an appetite for the most part and now as we continue to shrink our landscape our footprints i think this is a great opportunity for us to explore and that's exactly what we're doing exploring those potentials thank you and i just want to add to that because i just feel that you know

one i think what we did once i got on uh and the committee started informing the community of decisions that we're making and make the transition very well but also if i know that community if you take something from them put something else back there they'll be okay with it okay we're taking this and that i mean i love the idea of merchant schools so i i love that um but then if you add in okay we took this school away but we're going to use this school to help you guys or help this community it's going to i think it'll smooth up very well thank you that's something that we will solicitate when we go to our community

know we need that feedback so then we can bring it back to our steering committee which is where everyone sits and we could say this is what the community you know would like to see how can we make this happen so we will need that also when we go to our community needs that feedback so we could bring it back of what is it that the vision

Ms. Harris.

Yeah, through the Chair, Ms. Swain. When it comes to Lower Park, we've been there about three or four times. We have a lot of community members that show up, yet the enrollment still drops. What are we gonna do different when we go to the community this year? Because it seems like it's dropping continuously. What do you mean, what are we going to do? Because this is like the third time they've been on the list.

Right. And they fight like crazy. Well, this is the time that through the chair, if you remember last year, we told them that this is the time now that we have been there several times. And of course, it continues to drop. We also showed them that last year, about 60 of the students that were actually at the school were not within the boundary. They actually came from outside of the boundary. and then this particular school year as well their fifth grade class was 38 students so we knew they were going to lose those 38 to begin with so we're just going to go on the preface that we've done before that we told you we would be here at this particular point again and the principal she's still trying of course they do their backpack giveaways and everything to try to bring exposure to them but we this is where we are now again

I would like to say a few comments. Number one, as we are approaching the community meetings, I believe that from the experience of our past meetings, we were explaining to the community what the community was doing to try to be able to increase enrollment, to do this and all that. I think the narrative of these community meetings We need to be able to prepare for them actually with the objectives of the district is having to be able to give that better location and actually the presentations they need to be with the help of Dr. Cruz and everybody a little bit more of a marketing as well. already letting them know the community, hey, we are doing this because we're going to enhance the education of your children. We're going to be able to have more teachers to do this. We're going to do this. Instead of just letting them know about kind of like the sad news that, hey, we're going to be reducing this, actually killing them in these meetings. After all the efforts that we have done, we have come to a resolution. that for the betterment education of our children, we're going to be able to do this, this, and this. So I feel that these community meetings, they need to be prepared already with the objectives of what you are trying to accomplish. So that is already the message that has been given. So they understand that it's not a time for saving. This is not about complaining. It's actually about how we are moving forward. And unless the committee feels different, but I want to be able to tell them this is what I feel that is important as we are moving forward. Yes, please. Go ahead.

My concern is and that I am in the North, I do not see participation from our board member like you saw in Central, but that board member encouraged them and talking to the parents about what's going on. There is a very lack of support in the North. The board members and other community members because you just had an election of board members for us. Most people were asking who those people were who was running because they've never seen them at anything in the North. And I have been going to the North for years and there is very little participation from the mayors, community leaders, and our board member trying to encourage education and explaining to people what the district is trying to do. So can you offer some suggestions as to community meetings coming up? How we can get those people to participate with us, come out and support our superintendent and trying to explain to the parents. It's not there and it hasn't been there in the last five years.

Thank you for your comment.

Yes. I was just wondering, what effect does homeschool enrollment have on this process? So we have seen an increase in the number of students participating in homeschool education. a set that has the numbers, but not to a significant degree. We have right now so that you get an idea about 6,000 students that are registered under communication with the district and they're not participating on the scholarship program. And then there's another set of students I wanna say about 10,000 that are part, and I couldn't get the committee the figures, that are actually part of the state Florida Tax Credit Scholarships, personalized educational plans. And these are scholarships that go to home education families for their children. So it is a growing population. What parents are finding that attractive, whether the, in result of the education of their children will be a good one or not, I suppose will be determined in the long run, but there's a small increase.

Thank you for the information.

Any other questions? It's a statement. Go ahead. To Ms. Seymour. Actually, in the North, so, you know, this is something I was looking at with another group. Miami Gardens have the second largest population of schools than any other city. And the city does have two national programs that hasn't been utilized. The mayor has something called Educational Roundtable. where school boards should meet. And that's something I strongly believe that should happen, that education and city government should meet together because they both need each other. So that's something I think that the community have to kind of push. The vehicles are there, but they're just not being utilized to navigate us through this hard time.

We established a- I'm sorry, can you speak a little louder?

I didn't hear you.

We established an educational committee that has never functioned or engaged with Gay County Student Service. When you had the first mayor, I sat on that committee. They have not attended anything we have invited them to from Stanford. We have tried to, at Norland, we did not have a swimming pool, but we had a swim team. We tried negotiating with them the use of the pool if they can manage. It never worked. We were taking them someplace else to have a swim team. There has not been cooperation. with the school system and make sure that those people understand what's going on and what our school system has to offer the children in that community. So how can we, if we're losing enrollment, what can we do? What can you suggest that we do so we can pick up the enrollment or participation or something?

I mean, through the chair, Ms. Seymour, thank you for the insightful statement. At the end of the day, it boils down to choice, right? And what we need to do, we need to demonstrate and continue to show our communities why we are the best choice. I know we have a campaign that's going on saying that your best choice, your best choice. I think we need to constantly continue to demonstrate that and hopefully they see it as well. But to add on to it, I would say this. Myself, and I know the region is here as well, we always welcome the opportunity to engage in any meaningful conversation with county or city or whomever, because at the end of the day, I think that if more families realize what we are able to provide, the type of services that we are able to offer, I think they'll see that we are the best choice. However, let me also say this, not every family want their child in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. That's why we have charter schools and that's why we have private schools. So we acknowledge that as well, but I still feel as though that we are the best choice. but I'm open to any conversation. I heard what Mr. Horne had to say. That particular committee, I haven't been invited as of yet, but if invited, I'll humbly show up and see what strategies can be hashed out for the betterment of Dade County Public Schools and of course the cities in which we operate in.

Well, as we wrap up, Ms. Hernandez, Dr. Hernandez, please go ahead.

Yes. Next. I was surprised at one of our last meetings when a school in the South area, a lot of community people from that school came to speak to us. And I learned that that school had a waiting list of 700 students to get into that school. I was so surprised that I made it a point to look at data that was being provided by the and whatever other information I could get and questions that I asked. I came to the conclusion that most people are not running away from Degani schools. We're good.

Yes, we are.

They're staying. in Miami-Dade public schools. They're just not going to certain schools. So the question is, sir, what are the other schools offering that this school is not? And how can we replicate the success? And I know that I asked you about a certain program, and the answer Baffle me more. We don't have enough teachers.

Well, let me answer your question. First of all, thank you for the question. Through the chair, that's exactly why this committee was formed. Notice the comment that you made. We had a particular school that had close to about 700 kids on the waiting list. And the reason why those kids was on the waiting list, it had to do with a capacity issue. The current school that they were all seeking to get into didn't have the capacity. So this is what we did and what we brought to the community, to the committee rather. We proposed switching the site Because here it is, a mile away, or less than a mile away, we had a school that had over 1,500 student stations. And the school was built no more than less than 10 years prior. And so by moving that school into that particular school, we were able to capitalize on those kids on the wait list. and also the current kids that were attending that school there were two other schools that were less than a mile away which was leisure city and pesco we were able to successfully move those kids change the boundary move those kids into those schools and trust me as we do follow-ups within both schools it's great to see that those kids are having success what we also did this summer and with dr rios is here what we did this summer we went into the shelter because there were like 40 something kids that lived in the shelter near Mandarin Lakes. And just to be able to not only engage them in conversation, but make sure transition was taking place thanks to Title I, Project Upstart, and some of the other programs, some of the other departments that was there to include the ESC department as well. And so back to your question, this is why we're here right and i continue to say there are several factors that we look at when we make certain decisions and when we have schools we want to make sure that we're highlighting our better schools we're keeping our better schools and we're moving and shifting populations into those better schools so therefore we can enrich their experience when it comes down to the educational um experience that they're getting so That's what we're doing here. Okay. And trust me, like Dr. Cabrera said, we just don't look at one factor. We don't look at numbers. We don't just simply look at enrollment. Oh, I'm sorry. We don't look at capacity. We look to see which one of our schools offers the very best. So therefore, as we continue to shrink our footprint and try to get to that 80% utilization, we're selecting the best schools that we have. So therefore the community, the kids in particular can better benefit from it.

Well, I want to honestly thank you all of you for coming to present today and for also the reconvene. I would like just to remind all of you the next time that we're going to be meeting actually is going to be in September meeting already the schools. I really encourage all the all the board members that are here representing and representing the board members, the members of this community to really attend those meetings. It's extremely important for us to attend those meetings. The next time that we will gather together, we'll be here on Thursday, November 19th. But we will be seeing each other through the entire Lake County in a very short period of time. Again, I really encourage the Regents for those very positive presentations on the reason why we're getting better and better every day, because we are also the day we will have much better budgets. We will have better facilities and the best administrators as well. So, okay, as we're moving forward, I just want to thank for all of you being here, but before we adjourn, I would like to hear from Ms. Watson. Go ahead.

The numbers we hear are disturbing and drastic. Are we going to move our national designation as the third largest school district in the United States?

That's a very good question. Through the chair, that's a very good question, and that is something that we're monitoring, and that is something that we're very concerned about, right?

Sure. Do charter school students count as students? Yes, they do.

Yes, they do. Those numbers count for the overall number as well, yes.

Do we have a calendar of meetings?

Oh, yeah. That's the calendar. Oh, no. One of those. The community meetings. The community meetings? No. We do not have one currently, but there will be an email to us.

Because it says it starts September 1st. That's correct. That's in 10 days.

correct that's why that's why i'm trying to say i encourage all of you to be looking at your events how many vouchers do we have currently been

um about and it is a number that probably may increase by the next uh release but this year's numbers they're just coming out um we have about anywhere between 82 000 and 85 000 That's Florida Empowerment Scholarship, and there's several categories as well as, well, that's not actually including Florida TechSquared, that's another topic. So about 82,000. And the private school enrollment is somewhere around 92 to 95,000. So it's fair to say most of the students that are attending private school now are doing so with some type of scholarship. I don't want to use scholarship for scholarship.

Dr. Cabrera, thank you. We have as a baseline, since we'll be having a baseline, we'll add that to our baseline. There's so many people homeschooling. How many, just for us to have a baseline.

Okay, thank you. Just quickly in reference to that, even existing kids that attended charter, I mean, private, can go back and get those dollars and still remain at that school. So those numbers, even though I know she quoted somewhere about 80 some thousand, but just be mindful, a lot of that within that number of kids that was already in private, now they're just benefiting from those opportunities, okay?

So there has been an increase in the number of students receiving scholarships, but a lot of the bulk of them were already private school participants.

We just want to recommend Ms. Keller before we adjourn, you know, but Liz, would you please state your name and the medium who you represent?

My name is Deborah Lee Heller and I represent the Superintendent's Committee Council Panel for Children with Exceptionalities.

with that welcome again to another wonderful year and do i hear from any member of the committee a motion to adjourn god bless all of you depending on your emails and let's get to work all right