Personnel, Student, School, and Community Support Committee - Regular Meeting

All right, good afternoon and welcome to the Personnel, Student, School and Community Support Committee meeting for September 2nd, 2026. And I'll call to order this meeting. The time is now 2.48. Before we get started, I'll state committee membership. I am your committee chair. Members, Dr. Dorothy Bendros-Mindego and Mr. Danny Espino. Alternate members, Mr. Robert Alonzo and Mr. Joseph Geller. Non-voting member, Ms. Luisa Santos. And our ex-officio members, Madam Chair Rojas and Vice Chair Colucci. our first order of today's business is to approve the committee meeting minutes of august 5th 2

Okay, thank you so much. Our next D item on the floor is D-20 from Dr. Baglos.

Yes. D-60. No, I apologize. I missed that, and I saw Mr. Diaz. I know we skipped ahead D68, but he's given the introduction. Any questions or comments?

Questions or comments? No. No? Okay. Can I get a motion to move the D items to the board meeting? Second. Thank you. Our next order of business will be to move the G items to the floor. All in favor? Aye. Thank you.

prudent to just withdraw the item and bring it back next month okay and i know um i know we had some preliminary conversations at the start of committee meeting today when the superintendent asked um for that point of personal privilege is anybody that maybe wasn't available to make comments earlier or would like to make comments now about the item no board member santos

I just wanted to clarify, and thank you for pausing. I wanted to clarify with Mr. Harvey, because he's commented on withdrawing the item. When I opened it for comments, not everybody that's here now was here at the beginning, so I was more intended for that opportunity. I don't know if appropriate to continue with conversations now if you're withdrawing, and it would be more appropriate to have later, or is it appropriate to have these conversations now?

And Board Member Santos, my intention was not to quiet you. I was waiting to see. I just wanted to get some clarification. Through the chair, and I want to clarify as well. Before we allow her to continue.

I think we should allow her to continue. And then, Madam Chair, if you.

We've already gotten clarification that Board Member Santos can continue. So let's let Board Member Santos continue. We've gotten that clarification that we can discuss an item. And if a board member would like to discuss the item now, then it's her purview since it is on the agenda. And then we'll come back.

Right. Madam Chair, I think we always have the ability to speak individually with the maker of the item, any questions we have. But if there's a topic that a board member wants to bring up at committee so that we can speak in the sunshine, it is absolutely the right of that board member. So please, Board Member Santos, please continue.

Board Member Alonzo, you've been waiting.

You know, when we did our strategic plan, we talked about shifting perspectives and how we analyze things. And in our conversations, not just with the superintendent, but Central Region and Dr. Lewis, you know, this process was developed initially for the development of new schools, new schools. And we really have to look at it from the contraction lens that we now have to look at it. And our points are incredibly important in terms of communication with the public, but and also the basis upon which we wanted to make the changes last year of getting kids enrolled. Some of the language is impor

Board Member, Vice Chair Colucci, I'm sorry.

I'd like to give everybody an opportunity that hasn't been able to speak, so Madam Chair.

Thank you. And I know a few others would like to speak, and I'm definitely going to circle back, but I'd like to give some input as well. I gave a little bit at the beginning, and I'm on board with withdrawing, giving us some time, I think this is a useful conversation, though, because as we've said, this needs to kind of come back to us soon, so I think it's helpful for the feedback to be heard now rather than wait another month and then there be concerns that we need to keep postponing. In my memo, I made it very clear. I understand that we need to do certain things that we don't want to do,

Member Spino, did you have any comments?

Pass. I'm kidding. A lot has been said today. I just don't think we need to continue to pile up on it. I think we are all committed to a delivery process. I look forward to the superintendent's work.

Thank you Board Member Espino for wrapping it up in that way. Obviously there's more and more that could be said. I think I've said what I wanted to say. One thing that I do think is important and maybe it'll come of this is for a school to be under reassessed in this short timeframe as the first time they appear at ABC. That's something that I think has to be considered. And one of my biggest issues as well is exactly what you mentioned, Madam Chair. How are we changing a process when we don't have a policy in place and it still hasn't been approved as a final reading? So that was one of my m

Any questions or comments from the board? Okay. Thank you, Mr. Harvey. G3?

Any questions, comments? No? Okay. I believe G6 would be the next item. Mr. Harvey? You're still in the hot seat.

Okay. Board Member Svino, you have some questions?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I mentioned this to Walter yesterday. There have been a couple incidents in my district where, whether it's a vehicle or an e-bike, the battery has been punctured and resulted in an uncontrollable fire. Actually, two children passed away tragically because they weren't able to get out of the car in time. And so it's beginning to have a conversation around the safety of our facilities when you have these electronic batteries, these components that are incendiary devices. The reason why they tell us not to keep them on your person on an airplane, not to store it on a... I

Okay, Board Member Alonso, you're recognized.

Okay, thank you. Any other? Yes, Mr. Lewis. Dr. Lewis, I'm sorry.

Of course. Any other comments on G6? Okay, just for point of order, I know we need to move the G items to the board meeting. Best way to handle the G1 at this time?

Okay, so motion to move G1 with no recommendation. Second? All in favor? Aye. Okay, and then motion to move items G2, G3, and G6 to the board meeting? A second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Our next order of business will be to move the H items to the floor. Can I get a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Item H1, Madam Chair, this is your item. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Any questions or comments? Thank you, as always, for bringing this forward. Motion for co-sponsorships? Second. All in favor? Motion to move it as amended to the board meeting. All in favor? Thank you. Our next item is H5, Madam Chair. Oh, sorry, H3.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Any comments or questions? Thank you, as always, for recognizing the amazing work our custodial staff do. Co-sponsorships? All in favor? Thank you. We move on to H5. Madam Chair, the floor is yours again.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We support you always in bringing this item forward, so can I get a motion for co-sponsorships? All in favor? Thank you. Motion to move as amended to the board meeting. All in favor? Thank you. The next item is H8. Dr. Dorothy Vandross-Mindegall cannot be here, but asked me to present. Her item is school board endorsement recognizing October 2026 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month throughout Miami-Dade County Public Schools. October is recognized nationally as domestic violence awareness, an important observance dedicated to raising awareness of domestic abus

All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Let's see. Motion to approve. Oh, yeah, motion to approve as amended. Second. Thank you. All in favor? Aye. All right, we now go to H11. Mr. Espino, this is your item. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Colleagues, I brought this up a couple of times. This is the commemoration of the anniversary of the October 7th, 2023 attacks on the state of Israel and remembrance of the victims. In my adult life, I don't know that I've seen the level of anti-Semitism that I'm seeing recently, especially on social media. It's almost become fashionable. It's disgusting. And so, you know, whatever we can do to make everyone feel safe, let alone victims of a state where this occurred, and their families and members of that community, then we should do so. So this essentially commemorate

Yes. Motion for the sponsorships? Move it. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Thank you for bringing this item forward. We move on to item H-12. Ms. Santos had to leave. Motion to move without recommendation. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay, motion to move H-11 as amended to the meeting. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. All right, for item H-12, Board Member Santos had to leave. Motion to move without recommendation to the board meeting. Can I get a second? All in favor? Aye. Thank you. And thank you for coming on in. All right. I believe we have exhausted the items, the H items. All right. Motion

Right. And I think it just, you know, created, I don't know if confusion is the right word, right? But when they heard your child will get lunch through September 25th, but we need you to fill out this application. And then they fill out the application, don't qualify, but now they lost it on August 25th because they were good and completed it a month before, you know, at our encouragement, right? they thought they were going to continue getting that until at least September 25th. So I think that started some confusion. And then please go ahead and answer the second part.

So thank you for that clarification because I know that that's the policy, but it seems like that's not the communication that's going out. And I think that may not even be the communication that's going out to principals. So I think there needs to be just take a look. Let's make sure that everything is being communicated properly from district to school and school to PTA because somewhere along the line, the message does not seem to be accurate as it's being received to the PTA. I've had a few schools inquire about that. But I feel like we're walking into this perfect storm, right? We have al

Right. Okay. Thank you. Any other new business? Yes.

Any other new business? Okay, we have two staff follow-ups. One from item H8 from June 2026, review of under-enrolled secondary schools, attendance boundaries, and the feasibility of expanding 612 school configurations, including North Dade Middle School. Any comments or questions? Yes, Board Member Espino.

This is the one on the 612s, right? Yep. Okay, so colleagues, I would just like to say that first and foremost, THE COMMUNITY IN MIAMI SPRINGS HAS RESPONDED EXCEPTIONALLY WELL TO THE CONVERSION OF MIAMI SPRINGS SENIOR HIGH TO THE MIAMI SPRINGS PREPARATORY ACADEMY. AND SOME OF THAT HAS BEEN THE NUMBERS WE'VE SEEN ENROLLED. SECOND HAS BEEN ANECDOTAL, WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, Miami Springs families diverted from their priors education plans because they wanted to put their child on a path where they're academically and baseball could be successful. And the idea is, you know, it's a very successful bas

Thank you, Mr. Espino. Any other comments? All right, one more staff follow-up on the board meeting from June 17th. Item H9, exploration of district teacher and employee infill housing program. Any questions or comments for staff? Okay.