School Board - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is shaping the future of public education. Built on our core anchors of excellence, choice, innovation, and safety, the 2025-2026 school year elevated educators, amplified student voices, expanded career pathways, and reimagined classroom technology and wellness. Together, we are building relevant, responsive schools deeply connected to the needs of our community. Here's a look at this year's signature highlights. Led by our Department of Early Childhood Programs, we spent the year developing PK-3 Sprouts, a high-quality, district-operated, full-day early learning model for three-year-olds. Launching this upcoming school year across seven strategic sites, this program supercharges school readiness before VPK. By embedding early literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional growth within a structured environment, we empower our youngest learners from day one, expanding public-private early childhood partnerships. We are reaching our youngest learners faster than ever. The district hosted three regional town halls in September 2025, uniting families and early learning advocates. MDCPS is actively establishing public-private pathways for children from birth through age three. By ensuring robust readiness before students ever step into VPK, we are closing achievement gaps so our entire community can thrive. Big Smiles on-site dental care. True education goes beyond textbooks. Through our transformative partnership with Big Smiles, we brought comprehensive preventative dental care straight to our campuses, removing barriers like cost and transportation. This year alone, the program served over 1,200 students. By delivering vital health care right to the school door, we are tackling a leading cause of chronic absenteeism and keeping our kids healthy, confident, and ready to learn. HealthConnect in our schools, safety and wellness are paramount. This year, we achieved a massive milestone by dramatically scaling HealthConnect in our schools. We expanded a $16 million footprint across 141 campuses into a massive $24 million investment spanning 283 school sites. Thanks to multiple funders and providers, we are deploying on-site nursing and advanced telehealth solutions to protect the physical and mental well-being of our students every single day. Miami loves teachers. When our educators thrive, our students win. Through Miami Loves Teachers, a powerhouse collaboration with the College Football Playoff Foundation, the Orange Bowl Host Committee, and the Education Fund, we turned appreciation into massive action. Throughout the year, this centralized hub hypercharged morale with Teacher of the Week grants, free classroom supplies, and exclusive access to major sporting events. expanding career and technical education dual enrollment. We are connecting education with immediate economic opportunity. This year, we expanded CTE dual enrollment across six of our premier technical colleges. High schoolers now get fully tuition-free access to high-wage industry certifications in automotive technology, medical assisting, avionics, and more. This powerful initiative fuels the Miami-Dade economy by building a direct, fast-track bridge to high-demand employment, aerospace, and aviation workforce education. We're pioneering tomorrow's workforce through a monumental $3.2 million state investment in career and technical education. Partnering with Space Florida, we launched our second-premier Space Hub magnet program at the historic Booker T. Washington Senior High School, offering elite tracks in aerospace engineering, robotics, and electrical systems. An additional $350,000 expands advanced mechanics certifications for adults and recent grads, launching our students straight into the high-tech aerospace industry. Partnership with Adidas. We set a high bar for excellence, and that extends right onto the field. This year, MDCPS launched a historic multi-year partnership, making Adidas the official apparel and equipment partner for all greater Miami athletic conference schools. Outfitting 41 high schools, including our legendary Super 7 programs, this deal injects elite performance into our athletic programs. Plus, fans can now back their teams through an exclusive online marketplace featuring custom 305 and made-in-Dade collections. The 2026-2031 Strategic Plan.

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Thank you. you Thank you. Thank you.

and good morning and welcome to the July 22nd, 2026 meeting of the Miami-Dade County Public School Board. Please stand as board member, Vice Chair Calucci leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance. to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please pause for a moment of silent meditation. Thank you, you may be seated. Pursuant to its policies, proposed board member resolutions will be presented at 11 a.m. The board will then reconvene the regular public meeting, including other hearings, and in accordance with our policies of the board at 1 p.m. or soon thereafter. If there is anyone from the audience who would like to address the resolutions but has not had an opportunity to sign up, please go outside to the counter in the outer auditorium area where staff is ready and happy to assist you. The board must approve additional speakers by a majority vote. At this time, we do not have a quorum, so therefore the vote will be taken at a later time. I will be moving B3, B4, and B5 to the floor. And again, We will be taking the vote when we have a quorum or at the official board meeting at 1 p.m. this afternoon. Pursuant to board policy 0165, whenever practicable and as determined by the board chair, presentations that include students should always occur first. At this time, our first presentation will be B3, And B3 is the request for approval of resolution number 26-034 of the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, recognizing the retirement of Dr. Alexis Martinez. This is my item, so therefore I pass the gavel to our Vice Chair, Ms. Monica Colucci. Thank you, Madam Vice Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And at this time, I do not have any public speakers. So Madam Chair, please present your item.

Well, good morning, everyone. And the presentation that I am going to do today, which is requesting, again, the approval of resolution number 26-034 of the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, recognizing the retirement of Dr. Alexis Martinez is one that is very personal and very dear to me, since he has been not only an amazing professional in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, but also a very dear friend. So it is an honor and a pleasure for me to have this opportunity. I would like to, at this time though, also recognize some members of his immediate family and very close friends that are here today to honor him. And Dr. Martinez, if you could stand here next to me, please. And when I call the members of your family, I'd like for them to stand as well. So we're gonna start with Vivian Nunez Martinez, his wife. We also have Lily Ramirez, his sister. Come join them over here. And Alexis Martinez Jr., his son. Priscilla Martinez, daughter-in-law. Yamil Martinez, a friend. Jesus Terechea, another friend. Eddie Cora, our big president from our youth fair. Umberto Miret, a very good friend as well. Vivian Santiesteban, who made many changes today in her personal agenda so she could be present for Dr. Martinez. and our very own former amazing superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, who I had the honor and pleasure to work for.

We have Mr. Roger Cuevas. Please join us, sir.

It is a great honor for me to bring this resolution to celebrate the retirement of an incredible educator with a remarkable career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The extraordinary career of Dr. Alexis Martinez stands as an absolute testament to nearly four decades of exemplary service, visionary leadership, and unwavering dedication to public education. As he retires, his enduring contributions have truly left an indelible mark in Miami-Dade County public schools and on countless lives of those he has influenced throughout his very distinguished career. Throughout his career, Dr. Martinez has led with honesty, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to always doing what is right. Right for his students and right for his employees and right for the families he serves. He has served in a number of different capacities. starting as a very proud teacher, assistant principal, principal, region administrative director, district administrative director in school operations and facilities operation, region superintendent, and assistant superintendent. He has consistently approached every challenge with thoughtfulness, professionalism, and an extraordinary ability to bring people together. One of the most remarkable chapters of his career came early on when he served as Acting Director of Educational Operations for Operation Sea Signal at the United States Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In that role, the United States Department of State called upon the assistance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools to provide educational services during the 1993 Rafter migration crisis for more than 5,000 Cuban and Haitian children, which were intercepted at sea as families were seeking asylum in the United States. And trusted with this extraordinary mission, he established and opened a fully functioning school at the military base, recruiting teachers, counselors, and support staff to ensure that students receive not only a quality education, but also an emotional and social opportunity and support that they desperately needed at that time. It was an undertaking that demanded exceptional leadership, strategic vision, unwavering compassion, and much passion. By creating a safe and nurturing learning environment during one of the most uncertain periods of these children's lives, he helped to restore a sense of stability, of dignity, and of hope. Those same qualities, visionary leadership, humanity, and enduring commitment to serving others have remained the defining hallmarks of his very distinguished career. Dr. Martinez is widely respected for his intellect, strategic thinking, and also for those who know him best, They will tell you that his greatest strength is his character. He is a good man. He treats people with tremendous respect. He listens carefully. He leads with tremendous humility and genuinely cares about others. In a profession where relationships matter, Dr. Martinez has earned the admiration, the trust, and the friendship of colleagues across every level of this school district. His accomplishments are many, but perhaps his greatest legacy is the positive impact he has had on people. Again, it is evident by all those that are here from his department today. Will you all please stand to be recognized? Here we can clap. Thank you. You may be seated. He has mentored leaders. supported schools, solved complex challenges, and helped make this district stronger each and every day. Along the way, he has earned something that cannot be listed on any resume, the affection and the respect of so many who have had the privilege of working alongside him, and that includes me, Dr. Martinez. On behalf of the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the Miami-Dade County Public School family, and the countless students, families, colleagues, and members of our workforce whose lives have been enriched by his leadership, we extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Alexis Martinez for his 38 years of dedicated, committed service and exemplary service, I must say, to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. We wish him much health, much happiness, much peace, much love in whatever endeavors he undertakes. For me, in addition to the fact that you have been a colleague here, he now has another very important role where I have the privilege to be part of as well. We are both members of the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair. We have Eddie Cora here, and I already introduced him. We have our former superintendent, Roger Cuevas, who's also a member of the Youth Fair Board. And we have now our new Mr. of our youth fair. So I'm gonna continue to work with him. I'm honored and privileged to be able to do that. And I look forward to seeing him excel in that responsibility as well. I know he will, and we will shine together as a team because it's always teamwork that makes the dream work. It's never just about one individual. So I know that you have, you're very adventurous. like someone else that's being recognized today, right? And so I know you've got plenty of wonderful opportunities coming your way in the very near future, but we're always looking for volunteers. So if you wanna come back to Miami-Dade County Public Schools, our arms are always open. Welcome you and your beautiful wife as well to our school district. Thank you, Dr. Martinez, for making such a difference in my life. Let's give this gentleman a round of applause. I'm gonna ask my colleagues on the board if they could please come down for a picture, please. And by the way, everyone, shifting on to something else, today we celebrate the birthday of our dear board member, Dr. Bendros Mendingo. Happy birthday! We ready? We're ready.

Boy, this is gonna be tough. Good afternoon to all of you. With age and beauty, and hair, comes an overabundance of emotions. So I catch myself crying at Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, so I hope that I can hold it together. Good morning, Madam Chair, members of the school board, superintendent, colleagues, friends, and family. I'm gonna go off script just for a second because there's two individuals I need to recognize. First and foremost, you, Madam Chair. I've known her for 25, 28 years. She's always been stunningly beautiful, and she still is. But back in the good old days when high school principals were kings, and our budget showed that we were king, it was a common practice for high school principals to subsidize the feeder patterns. And there's a word that describes our chair. And she uses this word all the time, tenacious.

Yes.

She is tenacious. But what this board needs to realize that there's a second part to her. She's quite a business lady. Because every time her and her sister, you were at Sunset Elementary, sister was a little carver, they came with a deal that I couldn't resist. And there were so many deals that I couldn't resist that when I looked around, she had better programs than the high school, okay? So yes, tenacious is the word, and I love you for that. Secondly, Dr. Daltris is not here, but I'm still going to say a couple of words on his behalf, because I respect the man. I've known him for quite a bit of time. We're both gladiators, regional superintendent gladiators in the arena, fighting for what we thought was best for our region. He was the mighty north, and I was the deep, deep south. And there were times when him and I didn't come to an agreement, but at the end, it was about kids. And there's one word that describes him. Genuine. Genuine. And it's not my perception of the word. It's what his troops out in the trenches describe. Genuine. That's hard to find nowadays. So, thank you Dr. Doltris. And now for my script. Thank you for this incredible recognition. When I began my career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools 38 years ago, I thought I was simply taking a job. I was a marine biologist, zoologist, worked at UM for a short period of time. A friend of mine tells me, hey, there's a teaching job at Miami Jackson. And I took it, and I loved it. I loved it because I realized that some of our inner city kids didn't know what a seahorse was. didn't know what an ecosystem was, didn't know what their beach and their grass flats were about. And that was quite fulfilling. Looking back, I realize it was much more than a job. It was an adventure. Like the old Army slogan, it's not just a job, it's an adventure. My career truly became one, taking me to places and giving me experiences I could never have imagined. Early in my career, again, I was a marine biologist at Miami Jackson Senior, but also became a naturalist at the Biscayne Nature Center. Watching students discover the remarkable ecosystems just beyond our shorelines reminded me that education is not limited to four walls. Sometimes the greatest classroom is the world around us. One of the most meaningful chapters, and Madam Chair alluded to this, was my career when I served as acting director of education in Guantanamo Naval Base during Operation Sea Signal. Roger Cuevas, superintendent then said, I'd like to send you on a needs assessment. He wanted to see what the needs were. Little did I know that the needs were gonna be seven months at Guantanamo. My parents, being from Cuba, always said that it's a tropical paradise. Coconut trees, white sands, beautiful. I was born in the United States, so I get to Guantanamo, and it's the arid side of the island, tumbleweed cactus super hot.

Mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes, living in tents and guard houses, okay? It was difficult, but it was so meaningful. because working alongside other dedicated educators while serving thousands of migrants who reminded me that education brings hope, dignity, and stability in times of uncertainty. And boy, these people were super confused, super confused. And you know what? They had a chance to come to the United States, and I can give you some stories that you could say only in America, only in America. Later, I had the privilege of serving as a principal of Georgia Jones Ayers Middle School. That was my gift from coming from Guantanamo. Boy, I wanted to go back to Guantanamo. That was a difficult school, very difficult. Mike, Mike was my sidekick, and let me tell you, Dr. Lewis runs faster than anything you can possibly imagine, okay? I would ask them, Mike, we got a runner. They would run across the field, jump over the fence, and they were gone. Mike would do an intercept.

Boom.

Thank you for that. I'll never forget it. Later, I became principal of Coral Gables Senior High. Ten and a half wonderful years. And I learned a lot. It taught me that schools are built on relationships between students, teachers, families, and communities. My journey continued as a regional director, regional superintendent, assistant superintendent. Each role brought me new challenges, but more importantly, new people who inspired me. One responsibility, and I'm gonna tell you, I get choked about it, because I saw bad things was lending aid to neighboring counties that had gone through the hurricane. That was difficult. But it was great because, you know, supporting educator students and families during the darkest moments reminded me that public education is far more than academics. It's also about showing up. And helping communities. As I reflect on 38 years, I think about people, the students whose potential I had privilege to help unlock, teachers whose passion changed lives every day, support staff who kept our schools running, administrators who challenged me. I see a lot of you guys up there. Jose, Luis. Nelson, Trish, Baglos, goes on and on, all of you. You inspire me. You inspire me because you know what the hell you're doing, which is important. It's important in today's world. And for mentors who believed in me before I believed in myself. He sent me to Guantanamo with the first laptop ever. The laptop was this thick. This wide and little green letters, okay? I didn't know how to use it, but I felt important. It taught me that whatever success I have enjoyed belongs to all of them. No one builds a career like mine or like this one alone. I also wanna thank my family, my beautiful wife, my incredible sister, which I love for so many reasons, especially because she takes care of my 100-year-old mother. which is feisty, I can tell you. That's a descriptive word. Priscilla, my daughter-in-law, my mini-me clone, AJ, I have another son, which is a principal at Janus Roberts, he's in Alaska. Yamil Martin, Humberto Moret, Jesus Talechea, those last three are my dear buddies. I call them the cookie team, okay? They've been with me through some of my difficult times. A great friend, Vivian Pardo. You know what? You talk about having your back, you describe it. Thank you. Again, I want to thank my incredible staff. You stood up before. You know what? Again, I get my recognitions. I even got my promotion. But you know what? It's about you guys, your hard work. The master custodians, I don't know if they're here. Peter Abreu, plant operations. We keep schools clean. You never hear of the schools being dirty anymore. That's teamwork, okay? Alarms, energy management, Carly, Jose, you got a long journey ahead of you, okay? And I know Ms. Santos, maybe she's listening. She's gonna inspire you. All of these folks have shared their journey with me. and I celebrate all of you. Thank you for celebrating me. Let me just close by saying this. Regardless of how our educational world continues to change, the storms that are peaking at the horizons, MDCPS remains your best choice, thank you.

Thank you, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for being here and joining us today and with this great honor. At this time, I'll turn it over to my colleagues, Board Member Blanco.

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Dr. Martinez, congratulations. I first started taking notes, and the first thing I put was we never really had much of a chance to work together. And then I, what does that say, right? But I have to say this, when I walked in, I ran into a few people that I know from different parts of this world. And they were all here to recognize you. And they're all very good, special people, so that told me a lot. But as you shared about your career path, I couldn't help but identify a little bit with it, because when you do what you love with the science, and then you find a way to share it with others, you didn't use this term, it's my term, and you see that light bulb go off in a student, And there's nothing better than that. And so I feel that bug got you early when you came in to teach. And those unexpected things, like going to Guantanamo, right, bring us the most joy. But what really stood out to me as you spoke is you said schools are built on relationships, which is absolutely true. But you seem to be a king at fostering relationships. Because the amount of support that you have here, I thought I was recognizing a storyteller today. You're quite the storyteller as well. But as your story unraveled and you shared, that piece about relationships really stood out. And so with all the lives that you have touched in these, what was it, 36 years? 38? Countless. countless the amount of lives that you've touched, and your impact remains with all those that are still with us here today. So congratulations, and thank you for your incredible years of service to the district.

Thank you, and at this time, Board Member Dorothy Bendres-Mentengal.

It's a homecoming for me. So many people out there, and they made me really feel good as you heard the Chair say, it's my birthday. You're supposed to clap. You know I'm a teacher by trade, so I have to tell you what to do. Thank you so much. And I think you might realize this. Each time I saw you, you were moving. You were going somewhere, doing something. 38 years. Maybe there are two of us here who might be able to outdo you. But we won't talk about that since we're having birthdays. Thank you for your service. I could never say I don't know how you do it because we just do it. As I was coming in this morning, Madam Chair, all I could think about was another turn in front of that fire station that we keep talking about, but then for such a delight to see you And you're going somewhere we don't know where, but wherever it is, it's going to be for the good of others. I appreciate you. I want you to make this next step, the next part of your journey, to be the best part of your journey. You are loved. Some people can't say that. Look out there. And I tell everyone, when you can get out of this thing called life with maybe two good friends, that's a miracle. But look at what you have here. Don't cry. I understand. But we all have to get away from this building at some point. So do what you need to do, but make a lot of what you do about you. God bless you, and I'll see you on the journey. Thank you, Dr. Douglas Windenbaugh.

And thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Martinez, like Board Member Blanco said, I didn't have an opportunity to work very closely with you. But what I have learned today speaks volumes. You said something that the classroom is four walls and lessons in life extend beyond the classroom. And that is the truest thing. We're learning constantly every day. And who would have thought, when you stepped into a classroom years ago, that you'd end up in another island, you know, with a migration crisis and impacting all of those lives. what an impact you have had on so many right here in this room. You got a proclamation today, but in your heart, know that the impact that you have had has been far reaching beyond the classroom walls, beyond Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and into the entire world. So remember that. God bless you. Congratulations. And I wish you only the best as you continue enjoying. And, you know, don't be a stranger. We love to see you around here. All right. Thank you. And at this time, we do not. Oh, I'm sorry, Dr. Lewis. Yes.

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Madam Chair, Ms. Rojas, first of all, thank you for bringing this item and recognizing such a great gentleman. And, you know, they say in life, God put angels in your path, in your life. And I was very fortunate that one of the angels that entered my life was Dr. Alex Martinez. You see, many years ago, or several decades ago, I should say, he took a chance on a young man, and that young man was me. We always say that in life, all you can ever ask for is an opportunity, and he gave me that opportunity. I wouldn't be who I am, I wouldn't be where I am, if it wasn't for that opportunity. So Dr. Alex Martinez, as you venture into retirement, I want you to know that not only am I appreciative of you, my friend, the Lewis household is forever indebted to you. Thank you for taking a chance on me. And whatever you do in life, continue to do with the zest that you've always done it with. May God bless you. May he continue to hold you. And I want to wish you the very best. And at the end of the day, I want you to know that you have had a tremendous impact on me. And I truly thank you for that.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And at this time, since we do not have a quorum, we will move on with our next presentation, which is B4, Request for Approval of Resolution No. 26-0305, of the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, recognizing Ron McGill of Zoo Miami. And Board Member Blanco, as soon as the auditorium clears out, please present your item. I do not have public speakers at this time.

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. So today I'm presenting the approval for Resolution Number 26035 of the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, recognizing Mr. Ron McGill of Zoo Miami. Mr. McGill, if you could please join me along with Ms. Chattel from Zoo Miami. Mr. McGill needs no introduction, I think, to most of us here. But it's very unfortunate, although his family supports him extremely. His wife is unable to be here and his children. But we all know him as an educator, a conservation wildlife advocate, a storyteller. He's been communications director of Zoo Miami for 46 years, and the moment that I heard that he was retiring, Zoo Miami sits in my district, I knew that we had to recognize him. Mr. McGill, you have elevated Zoo Miami as an educational institution, supporting students throughout Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He even created, through his endowment, a scholarship to inspire and support students that want to continue and pursue careers in wildlife conservation. Through your work, through your storytelling, through your knowledge, you have truly transformed Zoo Miami into a living classroom for Miami-Dade County public school students. As we heard earlier, learning does not only take place inside those four walls of a classroom, and you have allowed students to go outside of that and truly experience that. a five-time Emmy Award winner for your education television segments. You have been entertaining our students and the adults of Miami-Dade County for years while making sure that we learn and we see that passion. As a little anecdote, I first had an opportunity to meet him personally as a school board member. He's been invited every year along with myself to the Kendall Federation to recognize the teachers of the year in the Kendall area. And you always talk about how teacher, A specific teacher inspired you. And so you recognize the value of what teachers do day in and day out in the classroom. And then I shared with him, although I didn't get to meet him that day, I first had an opportunity to see him in person when he was invited to present at the high school that I work at. And he doesn't believe me, but I promise you, it was a surprise visit. They didn't tell the students ahead of time. And the only time they've ever done that is when we had David Beckham visit the school. And so you can see the magnitude of the celebrity that you are. The best news that I got though was this morning when I heard that although I'm recognizing him for those 46 years in his retirement is that he is coming back or he has been back. And so he will continue to be available to the students of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and to all students in the county. And I am so excited to hear that, but I will let you tell us more about that. So thank you for all of your service. I have a, let's present the proclamation first. And so the proclamation reads, now therefore be it resolved that the school board of Miami-Dade County, Florida approve resolution number 26035 of the school board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, recognizing Ron McGill of Zoo Miami.

One of yours.

I told Mr. McGill he could say a few words. They took the mic away.

Listen, I always feel tremendously humbled when something like this happens because, and with all due respect to the board, I don't really deserve this. I'm just a zookeeper. I've been around for a long time. I think you get these things when you get old. And the funny thing is that life is like a roll of toilet paper. As you get towards the end, it goes a lot faster. It just goes really fast. If you had told me I would be there for 46 years, I'd think you were nuts. But at the end of the day, I feel like I've lived a scam. And I mean this with all profound respect, because when you get paid to do things that people pay to do, you would never think it was a job. You know that old saying, if you get a job you love, you never work a day in your life? I've never really had to work a day in my life. I was born and raised in a small apartment in New York City from immigrant parents. I moved here when I was 12 years old, and I'm a product of Miami-Dade County Schools, Cutler Ridge Junior High, Miami Palmetto Senior High. It built the foundation of who I am. I have a tremendous debt of gratitude to this system, the doors they opened for me, for the opportunities they've given me. I've set foot on every continent on this planet. As a kid who grew up in a small apartment watching a small little 12 inch black and white television set, to have traveled around the world, I remember watching these, you know, Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom shows of Africa and think, oh my gosh, look at the elephants in Africa. What would that ever be like to see in person, in color? Because we only had a black and white television. What would that be like? And today I've been to Africa 53 times. You know... I can't believe I've gotten to do the things I've gotten to do. I've gotten to know people like Eddie Cora. Oh, my God, the god of the fair. He's a friend. These are people. I'm a zookeeper. I carry a wheelbarrow and a shovel and a rake. And now I don't do that as much as I used to years ago. But one of the things I remember very, very clearly from the director who hired me, he told me something as a young 20-year-old. He said, pal, never forget that the people below you are much more important than the people above you. And I'll never forget that because it is so true. I am a product of all these people. I brought Liz Chattel with me. She's the director of education at the zoo. She's the one who comes up with all these great programs. I just talk. I'm just a storyteller. Those are the people that are the story. The horticulturists, the secretaries, the security guards, the zookeepers, the people you don't see, they deserve all the credit. I have carried this chip on my shoulder for a long time because, and I mean this again with profound respect, we live in a very shallow society today, folks. People see you on television, they hear you on the radio, and they think you're important. That couldn't be any further from the truth. It's the people that write the scripts. It's the people that put the cameras on them. It's the people that make them look the way they look. Those are the important people. Those are the people we can never forget. This irony of the higher up you get, really, the less I've worked. I never worked as hard now as I worked those first few years as a zookeeper. I worked so much harder back then. You got more responsibility now. And yes, it's easy to talk. It's easy to tell these stories. It's a lot harder to do the work that builds a foundation for those people. So I'm very honored and touched that you would do this. And I accept it on behalf of all those people. Liz Chattel, the zookeepers, the volunteers, the people you don't see who do all of the work. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me that people even recognize you. But again, it's this whole television thing. You know, we live in a world today I hate this word, influencers. I hate that word because what does it mean that you have a bunch of people following you? I try to tell people in schools, don't be a follower, be a leader. Don't worry about following people, be a leader. We live in a shallow world. This whole internet, social media thing, God, get out, look at the world, explore the world. I'm telling you, and I mean this again, school is hard to say this, there's no greater education than travel, none. When you travel and you meet other people, you meet other cultures, it opens your mind. It makes you understand the world is so much bigger than you think it is. So if I could give you any advice, learn to live your dreams. I have lived my dreams. I cannot believe I could step out of here and drop dead and nobody should ever set a tear for me because I have lived a life beyond any dream anyone could ever have. Even when bad things have happened to me, I'm going to tell you a quick story and then I'll be done. About 38 years ago, I was handling crocodiles. I was a young guy, right? Young guys, they're cocky. They think they know it all. They don't pay attention and all that machismo crap going on. I had all that going on. I didn't pay attention. I got bitten by a crocodile pretty badly. This crocodile nailed me on my hand. Luckily, I had some good guys with me. They jumped on the crocodile so he didn't rip my hand off. But we had to put a shovel in its mouth to open its mouth so I could get my hand out. My hand's all broken, bone sticking out. I had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. And I'm thinking, oh my gosh, this is terrible. This is horrible. I go to the hospital. I remember my father always told me, he said, There's a good reason for every bad thing that happens. I go, yeah, what's the good reason for this? I'm out of surgery. I got to cast up the hair. It's horrible. And I remember thinking, this is going to be seen politically incorrect. Please forgive me for this, but I'm just being honest with you guys, okay? I'm a 20-something-year-old guy. I'm thinking, I'm going to have a beautiful nurse taking care of me. This is going to be good, okay? I know politically incorrect. Well, I come out of surgery. I'm fast asleep out of surgery. A guy hits my back, and I wake up, and I go, what? It's my nurse. It's a guy. And I go, yes, yes. What did you wake me up for? You've got to take this pill. What's this pill for? It's a sleeping pill. I go, I was sleeping. I'm thinking, this is not happening. This is terrible. But then I had to go down to get physical therapy to learn how to use my hand again. And I remember going down. They always put you in a wheelchair in a hospital. You can't walk. I don't know why. So I go down to the physical therapy thing. The door opens. It's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. You ever have that happen to you where you see someone and all of a sudden everything goes foggy around them and all you hear is like, That's what happened to me. And I'm thinking to myself, oh my God, who is this woman? And she came up to me and she held my hand. She goes, hi, I'm going to be your physical therapist. And I went, thank you, God. Anyway, long story short, I married her a year later. Had it not been for that crocodile burying, you know, biting my hand, I would never have met that woman. And now I get physical therapy for free. So here's the bottom line. Learn to live your dreams. My favorite saying is this. Life is not measured by the number of breaths that you take. It's measured by the number of times your breath is taken away. Don't sit in front of a television with a remote control for 99 years. Have fewer years, but have all those breathtaking moments because that's what makes a difference. Thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you for being here with us today and those wonderful stories. It was very, as a classroom teacher, I can appreciate great storytelling and that was top notch. At this time, I'll turn it over to my colleagues, Board Member Alonso

Thank you so much Madam Vice Chair for the opportunity to speak and thank you so much Board Member Blanco. I was running down here because I was excited that you were here and I thought I was gonna see some like crazy animal with you because I was running late from another meeting but you gave me so much more. And that's why you're being recognized here today. Those stories are amazing. And the purpose of our life, right? We talk about it all the time as board members on living purposeful lives. And you truly have done that. And you've inspired so many in our community. You've inspired me from a child. You're not much older than me, but I watched you as a child. And have just visited the zoo and... The zoo allows you to sometimes visit other countries too, right? And we talk about that because not every single one of our students come from a family in which they can afford to be able to visit Africa, but we should live those dreams, right? And we should work hard because you were one of those students, right? That maybe never thought they could afford, but had that opportunity. But one of the biggest things you left on me today, and it's really a huge takeaway for everybody to know, and just this past weekend I was at an event and a gentleman wrote on the back of a painting that I was buying that if you are the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. And that is so important to all of our students and to all of us as board members and as leaders in our community is always remembering all those others that are in the room with us, right? And always associating ourselves with those that can help us become better, but never forgetting those that are doing all the hard work below us, right? that is the real work happening whether it be in our district the custodians or the bus drivers our teachers in the classrooms and throughout our entire community as you said in the zoo but thank you so much for your inspiring words as as i know you take it a little bit easier at the zoo we could really have you at a lot of our schools giving these great stories so we're hoping that you will join us

I screwed up already because I need to tell you, I retired from the county after 46 years, but I'm working for the foundation now. And my main job at the foundation is to go and speak at schools. That's my whole job now. There's going to be a whole thing now where you can call and register. And I've got tons of programs to talk about, all kinds of experiences. So that's going to be the passion I live now is being able to go to schools throughout the county and speak and give different programs. That's what I'm going to be doing. So I retired from the county, but I'm living this great new dream now. So that's it.

Well, I'm looking forward to having you at District 4 and throughout our entire district and speaking. Thank you so much for your hard work. And thank you for inspiring so many young people and inspiring adults in our community to not just learn about the zoo, but to enjoy life and to look at the greater purpose. So thank you. God bless you on your retirement. And I know that you're going to probably be working harder than you've ever worked now because now everybody here knows that you can come to our schools and speak.

Thank you. And Dr. Bendris-Mendigal.

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. I was telling my colleague to my left that, yeah, left, when he said he was looking for an animal, then I would have vacated this seat. My first teaching job was at Pine Villa. And I never knew a school was that far south. Then the children trust Member Blanca to want to go to the zoo. So I made nice with all of the parents, because I wasn't going. You know, we needed chaperones. So you saved me a long time ago, you didn't know it. But I whispered selfish, the word selfish, when my seatmate said, you're welcome to District 4. You're welcome to this whole dais in terms of visiting schools. I can tell you many of my schools, the children might not get all the field trips that they deserve. If you come to some of our events in the heart of District 2, you're talking Overtown, Liberty City, Brown Sub, The police officers and others bring their horses. And whatever is happening elsewhere, they don't see anything but those horses. So I look forward to you coming to all of our districts. It's going to make a difference. And as someone said earlier about the four walls of learning, My first trip to Africa was South Africa. I had never seen anything so beautiful other than the Lion King. It is the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen in my life. And we lived on a reservation. And when the certain times of the day, the beautiful zebras would leave our spot. And when we would wake up in the morning, I'm not a friend of those animals. Wake up in the mornings and they are right there where they're supposed to be. We might not know they are. And you open the door and there they are. They're beautiful with the big eyes and everything. Big eyes like mine. And I'm looking. This must be what heaven looks like. We traveled through, we took the safari. I was like you with the elephants and the hippopotamus, everything, the giraffes. You are absolutely right. There should be no child who doesn't get to travel some parts of the world other than Liberty City over town, et cetera. We got some beautiful children in here. and we're gonna honor their leader, and we're gonna do our best to get them out of the confinements of what happens in some of the neighborhoods. And I'm so glad you are in the position that you're in now to help us. But their leader's very, very smart, and your assistant, that wonderful teacher, nothing like a teacher. we're gonna be in touch with you to make sure that whatever proposals we must write, et cetera, we'll get it done. So thank you. You're an angel among us. You might not know it, sometimes you might not feel it, but that's why you're here. We got you out of New York and you're never going back. Thank you so much. God bless you. See you on the journey. Thank you, Dr. Bendros-Mendigal.

And Board Member Blanco, thank you for bringing Mr. McGill here today. You are a legend in this community. And I can't say it any other way. I mean... Ever since I was in the classroom, when I would take students on field trips every year, the zoo was always one of them. And as we were talking here on the dais, there are some students that never have the opportunity to go to the zoo unless they go with school. So I think, and it was always one of the favorites, there's just something so majestic about the creation of the animals and what's created there and it lets them appreciate the wonders that are around the world and encourage them to go beyond and actually see those animals, hopefully in the future, in their natural habitat, you know, and just have such an amazing appreciation. So such wonderful learning experiences that are offered and you're gonna be such an asset to this district going out to all of the schools in this county. And thank you so much for what you're doing. And again, I'll say you have been a legend and you continue to be. And just keep doing the great job. You are so engaging. I can just see the kids lighting up when they hear you speak. And, you know, it's a wonderful thing. Thank you for being here with us today. And at this time, Dr. Lewis.

Thank you again, Madam Vice Chair and Board Member Blanco. Thank you for recognizing this gentleman as well. You know, as a kid growing up, one of my favorite shows was National Geographic Omaha Wild Kingdom. You know, and I also found that in you, because on Saturdays I used to watch you and how you present certain animals and so forth. You know, over the years I've been very fortunate. Not only have I attended several of the events that you've hosted, but I've also had an opportunity to be a co-host with you. And the one thing that strikes me as relates to you is the joy you bring to what you do. and is very infectious. You know, the comment that was made, and I'm quite sure we have a lot of principals that's watching this particular board meeting, and hopefully they take full advantage of the opportunity to get you to come into their school and actually speak to their students. But the love you have for what you do, I just want you to know that I've never seen anything like it. Congratulations on your 46 years at the zoo, and more importantly, as related to the next journey in life, hopefully you go into it with the same zest that you've done for the last 46 years. Thank you for everything you do. I love your personality. You're such a good natured person, and I think that will serve our students very well. Thank you for all that you do.

Thank you so much and congratulations, and at this time, we still do not have a quorum, so we will continue on with our next presentation, which is request approval of resolution number 26-036 of the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, recognizing Samantha Quarterman for her outstanding contributions and dedication to the Miami-Dade County community. At this time, I do not have any public speakers, so I will be turning it over to Dr. Bendros-Bendingal. Please present your item.

Madam Vice Chair, I believe we do have some speakers.

I don't know if they signed up. Give me one moment. I don't have them on my list here, but I will get them. Just give me one moment.

Through the chair, I do not have any public speakers that have signed up for B5. If the honorable board member has certain speakers, if they come up to the podium, state their name, we'll be glad to give them documents to fill out and we can time them as appropriate. Thank you.

Yes, and through the, Mr. Harvey. We can go ahead and do that even though we don't have a quorum, we don't need a motion. It's okay, correct? Correct, yes. Perfect, okay, thank you. Perfect, thank you. State your name for the record and then we'll write it on the, correct, Madam Secretary? Through the chair, correct. Okay, so just go ahead and you have two minutes to speak. Just state your name for the record.

Good morning, my name is Commander Altar Williams, that's A-L-T-A-R-R Williams. Again, good morning. My name is Altar Williams, I'm the commander of the Model City Liberty City area, and I've been with the city of Miami for 35 years, and I was assigned to the Model City area about four years ago. During that time, one of my goals were to go around to the different businesses as well as schools in the neighborhood and get to know the directors as well as the principals. And I am here to say that I was blessed and very fortunate that I was able to meet my friend, Samantha Quarterman, and learn what she does on a day to day basis. My team and I met with her several times, and during that time, we were so impressed with what she does for the community. I mean, we all went to district schools. I, myself, graduate from Highland Miami Lakes Senior High School in 86, and when I went over there and sat with her and learned what she do, I was very pleased, and appreciative, more so appreciative, that she had took upon herself to help with the kids in Miami, city of Miami, particularly in the Liberty Square area community as well, that need additional attention or just need someone to love. And I want to say with Samantha, I have nothing but profound respect for her. I know that she's a hard worker. She always do the best that she can, and she's to the point that anything she asks of the Miami Police Department, and I have something to do with it, she's gonna get it. Because I know it's done for a good reason and for a good cause. Thank you, sir. Thank you.

Thank you for being here. The next speaker, please state your name. For the record. Yes, the children, please come up.

Come on, we don't have all day. Okay. There you go.

Okay.

I guess I can halfway talk when the timer's not on. Do we have everybody up here? It's so nice. Because when the timer's on, I get stifled. And I'm not the person that you stifle. So that's something that should be recognized. Now it's two minutes. I have two minutes. Let me say this. Good morning.

State your name for the record.

The name for the record is Jeffrey Watson. Let me say before I forget, because if I get to the end, I will. Happy birthday to the vice chair of the school board. One. Two. Two, let me say congratulations to Samantha. Let me say congratulations to Mr. McGill and Dr. Martinez.

Two short things.

One, Ron McGill and I, 40 years ago, shared a stage at Intercontinental Hotel as some of Miami's most eligible bachelors. 40 years hence, he was raising money for an organization. 40 years hence, he is where he is, and I am where I am. Dr. Martinez, I went to Coral Gables. I started at Phillips Wheeler Elementary School, who you all are closing. I understand the dynamics, but I'm a product of Miami-Dade County school system, and I never let anybody forget that. Let me say this. If you look at the back of the kid's shirt, you will understand what MAGA is. If you talk to Ms. Samantha, you understand her passion for what the kids mean and what MAGA represents every day. It's probably out of character for the public schools to recognize a private entity per se, but to her credit, to my right, less than a month ago it was decided this would be done, and here we are, which is a testament to why she didn't have any opponents, and she did well, and she does well all the time. I only have 20 seconds, so let me say this. Miss Samantha, and I've been a big supporter in whatever form I've been vehicle of that school, and it will only get better, in my opinion. The purity of kids, If in fact now today, and I'm gonna go over 10 seconds, oh, I'm not, okay, they're gonna shut me down. All right, they're gonna shut me down. I just wanna say Dr. Martinez did a hell of a job. If it was another time, the accommodation of immigrants would be arresting of immigrants. And so we should all remember that in this environment, things do change.

Thank you so much. May I have the next speaker, please?

Good morning. My name is Jerry Coleman, and I am a resident and a product of Dade County Public Schools. Now, I graduated from Miami Jackson, and I purchased a home in Liberty City, right around the corner from Ms. Samantha's school. And I have the privilege of going there and seeing these young kids and what she's doing with them. And it reminded me of my journey as a young man leaving Dade County, joining the military, getting an education. And that's all through to what I learned from my teachers back then. And Ms. Samantha is one of those type of people that is helping these children go beyond the classroom to learn. because I heard that classroom is four walls, but once you leave the four walls.

Excuse me, sir, for just a moment. Just a moment. The clock isn't running. I'm sorry. Can we? Oh, I get more time? No, no, no, no.

Yeah, you get extra time. Go ahead. Continue.

No, no, but I support Ms. Samantha, mega school, 100%. And this lady is God sent. And thank you.

Thank you, sir. The next speaker, please.

Good morning, my name is Jackie Collier. I live in Liberty City. No, I don't, I live in Little Haiti. But I went to school at Miami Edison Senior High School. Go Red Raiders, thank you very much. And I just wanna say a couple of things about Samantha. And I saw this quote and I thought about her immediately. And it says, a good teacher is like a candle. It consumes itself. to light the way for others. And I have watched how hard Samantha works to light the way for all of these wonderful children that attend Mega. And Mega to me is like a beacon that just sits in Liberty City, and works hard and does all the things, don't start crying, and does all the things for these children that none of us can even imagine. If they need clothes, she figures it out. If they need food, she figures it out, or she calls me. If they need transportation, she figures it out. If they need a lawyer, I've got a sister. So we have just worked together for years and years. No tears, no tears, because I'll start crying too. And we have just done everything we can to keep the candle going and for her to be the light and the inspiration that I think she is and that I know she is in Liberty City and for the children of Mega. Thank you and happy birthday, boss.

thank you I'm former state representative James Bush the third from the Brownsville community and let me as you Jeff say before I forget let me say happy birthday to our Super Bowl to my Super Bowl That's right. To our school board member, Dr. Meningo. Let me just say very quickly, because I know my time, two minutes, is very short. Let me just say how much we appreciate you. I have observed you now for At the very genesis of your school, at the beginning, when the old Liberty Square was there, and I, you know, most of the time when I look at people who serve our children, first thing that comes to my mind, I wonder whether or not they're doing it for the sole purpose of the child, or whether they're doing it for the grants or for the money. And so I observed you for many, many years, and one of the things that convinced me that you were really committed to these children, you were consistent. And did you serve at a time when it was very kind of hostile in the community and a lot of people didn't want to come into those areas, but I watched you day and night. And I've said this to you over and over for years. I've said this to you how much I appreciate what you do for our children. I represented that district and those individuals or those children in that area. So we are just so happy that you have you stepped into your space that God has given you and you have been consistent. And we want you to know that we appreciate all that you do for these children. You also have broadened their horizon. You took them, and this will be my closing statement. Yeah, as you see, I'm talking real fast. A lot of times children from the inner city area don't have that opportunity to broaden their horizon in terms of traveling. You took these kids to, I had the opportunity to see that film, or should I say that movie that you gave over at Liberty Square. You took them to the Kennedy Space Center. And how did I know that? Thank you, Representative. I was in the legislature and one of the representatives said, oh, these kids from Liberty City. So we thank you, God bless you, and may it keep you alive.

Thank you, thank you, Representative.

Did we get all of the speakers? Okay, did you have a child you wanted to speak for you? No, for you, not you, for you. Because these are beautiful children. You know I was at graduation. That's why I asked. But if you want to come now.

Before we get started, I would like to say this here, because I know it's a lot of talk, but I want you guys to make a, We are a generation of adolescent leaders, youth with a purpose. And do you guys got something to say to the point?

Happy birthday! You snuck that one in. And that is good. Madam? Oh, you're back? Okay, good, okay. Okay, so am I continuing with the vice chair or you? It doesn't matter? Okay, wonderful.

Okay.

When you say Liberty Square, I listen carefully. I spent 15 years of my life in Liberty Square. And I want you all to look at me. I clean up pretty well, right? If I can get out of Liberty Square. I did not know we were on welfare until I went to college. He's looking at me like, you were on welfare? Yes, if you lived in Liberty Square, you were on welfare. Judges, doctors, lawyers, and the Supreme Court Justice, Katonji Brown Jackson, her parents grew up with me in Liberty Square. So think about it. You ain't got to look at me with that look. This is what you look like when you pay attention. You've got a leader here who insists that you pay attention. I was at your graduation, almost two weeks now, huh? Goes so fast. And you honored everybody. I don't know if they deserved it or not, but you did. And I wanted, I said that night, I said, I'm honoring her. And I know that you did not ask, you're priceless, which means that we could never pay you for what you do. And someone said, I've seen you over the years. I saw you when you had absolutely nothing in that little space up there in the community center. But you stayed the course. You decided, well, I'm gonna do this because the children need me. And someone said something about the children coming to your school versus coming to Dade County Public Schools. I have to say this to you with great respect. If you didn't have them, I don't know who would have them. You decided they're worthy. You would never wake up one morning or any morning and not love our children. You know what touched me most of all when I saw them in their caps and gowns? Some of them had gowns that were a little bit too long, but they were so proud, and I said some years ago, that was me coming out the projects. You know where they're building all those high rises? We didn't have that, and you know what I think sometimes, Samantha? I'm glad we didn't. See, we had some Samanthas when I was growing up. You need an army So District 2 will be working closely with you. Jackie Collier will see to it. She and I have known each other for years, and we never stopped serving. It's almost as if someone said, well, that's all you were born for. You're born to serve. And that's what we do. And one of our dearest friends who's now in heaven, Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek, she said that's the rent we pay. for being here. Yes, today is my birthday. I'm so proud that I get another one. And to look the way I look having been on welfare, I'm proud. So if there's anybody standing up here with us who is on welfare, you just look at them and say, well, my board member was on welfare. And what did that mean? It meant that at some time, there were people who had to come to each other's homes. Not us. My mom didn't play that. My mom and dad didn't play that. They ate at our houses. So I hope that's still going on, the love that was poured upon us to share with all of the children. So I want you all to know that you are loved. It's a special kind of love. Someone said to you, that's the principal's voice. Yes, I used to be a principal. Yes, I did. And was I hard? Yes, I was. But then look at us. Someone was hard on us. So it is called tough love. It's still love. So thank you so much, but I want you to say something if you choose. You're busy. I know you know how to talk. I know that. Because you get what you want. You get what you need. Come and just say something, okay? I had a speech, but you see I didn't use it.

I'm just truly honored, and this is priceless, and I'm a very emotional person, but I am Samantha Quarterman of the Mega Learning Center and Multi-Ethnic Youth Group. We are bigger than a school. We only been a school for a few years. We have been community services for over 25 years that served this community that was in need and low-money income. I would not be able to do this without the leaders and the people in our community like this. So I want you to give them an applause because we would not be where we are without them. And the second thing is, if it wasn't for these kids, and this is my passion, and this is where I come from, this is why I do what I do, because they just need somebody to open a door for them like someone opened a door for me.

And that's it. Thank you.

Yes, please. Well, before we do anything, I guess it's appropriate we have the children, and it's all about you. You're our future. And we have a birthday girl, so let's sing happy birthday to our wonderful Dr. Bendros Mendingal. So on three, everybody join me, and here we go. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Dr. Bendros Mendingal. Happy birthday to you. Congrats. I'm sorry? Okay. Okay.

Yes!

Absolutely. All right, everybody's sharp.

Everybody's very sharp, no doubt.

All right, so congratulations. You know, it takes one person in this world to make a difference. Each one of us can make a difference. Every single one of us. Starts with a dream, and then it is followed by perseverance and you have to have grit because you know what? Balls will be thrown out of left field, you know, constantly. And you have to get yourself back up when you think you failed or you haven't been able to achieve the dreams that you once had, but you keep on going. And you keep on going. And every day you're making a difference and touching the lives of so many people. You don't even know how many lives you touch through your actions. It's not your words. It is your actions. So I see we started with a group of girls that you realize were having challenges. And those are tears of joy. We've had those today, right? But you know, you realize that they were challenges that were coming from situations that the children, obviously at that time, were exposed to beyond their control. but you weren't gonna look the other way. You were going to be someone who not just talked the talk, but you walked the walk. And you started with the girls. It evolved afterwards to realizing it's an entire family. It's the girls, it's the boys, it's the parents, it's just the family. And so together with all these wonderful individuals that are here from the community, with our board member here who is totally committed to her community, I know that. I'm at all her events. I witness it constantly. You know you make a difference. And so I just had to say thank you to you for what you do because you do it quietly. You don't do it for recognition. You don't. You do it because of the passion and yet compassion. that comes together to make a difference in the lives of all these amazing students that we see in front of us today, and so many more that I know you've touched throughout the years. So congratulations. Being a teacher, to me, is a calling. And you have, without a doubt, answered that calling. We are very, very grateful for what you've done, and we look forward to many, many more years of much success, not just for you, but for all those whose lives you touch. And students, remember this, okay? You've had a great example. These are your role models right here. And you have to remember that there were people there to mentor you throughout your lives, And you have to give back. When you get older, you're gonna be the role models for other students that will undoubtedly be facing challenges the same way that you did. So remember that. The word love came out several times today, and it is about love. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. Do we know that song? Oh, we know that song. So how does it go? What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That's the only thing that there's just too little of. Perfect. So remember that, students. Remember that. Thank you. God bless you all. Thank you. Do I have any other colleagues at this time? Okay, so, okay, we'll start on this side then. All right, go ahead, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Ben-Jasmin Nigal, happy birthday. Thank you for bringing this angel. I'm speechless. You know, many times we find ourselves saying someone should do something, or someone needs to do something. But you are that someone. And not many people have the courage to set aside in many ways, their lives to give, because to start something like you've started, I know takes a lot of work. and you sacrificed a lot of yourself, I'm sure, in the beginning, probably putting many of your own resources or sacrificing the opportunity to create resources for yourself in order to give to these amazing children. Like I said, I'm speechless. The gratitude that your community and this county needs to offer you is immense. And while you might feel at times like you're just in that little pocket, that's where you're meant to be, serving these children, kids, Madam Chair said it best. And I think Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mendigal said it well. You need to listen. You need to look around you. What this lady is doing for you, what this community is doing for you is a gift of love. take advantage of every opportunity, of every moment that you are given every day. Learn not just the academics, but be inspired by all the amazing people around you that are giving of their time to you and that are shining examples of who you can be. Don't look at your world and think that there's no hope because every time you look at every one of these community members that are involved with your school, that's the sign of hope. And as Madam Chair said, don't forget what you've been given and then give it back. The world is a better place for you. Thank you so much for everything that you do and may God continue to bless you and inspire you and motivate you to continue blessing these children. Congratulations. Thank you, Board Member Blanco.

And now we have Board Member Alonso.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair, and thank you, Dr. Dorothy Bendos-Mendigo. Happy birthday again, and today is a national holiday here at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. I was just a little afraid when we started singing if Madam Chair was gonna ask us to start dancing, too. I behaved, too. She behaved, so thank you so much, Madam Chair. This is what it's all about, about, as our board member says always, it's all about the ones with the little legs. And it's you guys. You guys are the true meaning of why we all do what we do. And you all inspire individuals like your leader at your school to want to go out there and make sure that we create a better life for you. Just a little earlier, we had our zookeeper, right, sharing all those funny stories, right? And just think about something that he said, each one of you here. He said that he grew up in a one-bedroom apartment with not much in dreaming of one day being able to go out and travel the world. He then got to, thanks to this school district, thanks to the Opportunities Community, visit Africa over 58 times, I think he said. That can be each and every one of you. You each have that opportunity. That is one great gift that we get given in this country is that any of us can be whoever we want to be. But more importantly, we can live our dream freely to be who we want to be. So take this inspiration that you receive every day and be grateful for it because you are given incredible opportunities every day when you show up to school and use that as an opportunity to not just continue to help yourself but to help others in your community too. Go out there in your community and share this amazing message that you guys are delivering to us today because we need to spread this love. And it was so beautifully sang, right? To be able to spread that love throughout our community and to show that we're one. We're one Miami-Dade County Public Schools. We're one Miami-Dade and we're one city of Miami. And together we're gonna make this world better. So thank you so much for bringing us together.

Thank you, Board Member Alonso. And now we have Vice Chair Colucci.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First and foremost, I want all of you in the front and the back just to turn around so we can look at the back of your shirts. Because there's some words on there that you were speaking that just stood out to me. Unity, love, and hope. You can turn around and I can see you all standing there so nice and straight and tall. You're being very patient. I promise I won't talk for a long time.

Are you happy about that?

Yes. But I'm going to take a little bit of time because you're here today with a very, very special individual. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. Samantha, I'm going to say the following. The words that you bring to mind are you reap what you sow. And you are sowing such beautiful seeds. Thank you for doing that. Thank you. You truly are doing God's work. Thank you. That mustard seed is going to grow tremendously. And each of you are one of those seeds, and you're going to sprout into something very beautiful, and you're going to do great things. Remember that. Remember that. You have a wonderful future ahead of you. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't because you can and you will. Believe in yourself and always, this is the last thing I will say, always surround yourself with people who will inspire you and make you greater than who you are. Love and respect everyone. Love and respect everyone. But surround yourself with those who will raise you up, lift you higher and make you better than who you are. Got that? Promise?

Yes.

Samantha, thank you for the work that you're doing for these students. And I know not only are you on a journey, you are on a mission. You are on a mission, and you are truly doing God's work on earth. God bless you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Vice Chair Colucci and all my colleagues on the board for your comments. I will be going to Dr. Lewis in a in a moment, but you're absolutely right. It's a mission and it's a mission impossible made possible. So congrats, Dr. Lewis, sir.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And let me start off by solving the puzzle. Go show this your birthday. Technically, that's $0.50. But beyond that, I just want to say to board member Dr. Vendross Mendenhall, first of all, thank you for highlighting this wonderful organization. As I sit here and I look down in the audience and I'm looking at the faces, I see me. And I heard that there's a Trojan. I know that there's a couple of bulls in the audience. But I also know that there's a general. but I was told many years ago that there's nothing greater than being a what? Thank you very much, okay? But with that being said, as a lifelong educator, as a lifelong educator, Ms. Quarterman, I really want to applaud you for the work that you're doing. It is often said that when it comes down to our youth, that there's no future for them. But I'm listening to what board member Blanco had to say. And the comment was to the students, you need to learn how to listen. Listen. And let me also say beyond listening, you need to also love school. because we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for the fact that we listened, but even beyond that, we love school. Board Member Alonso said it, you know, there's endless possibility when it comes to what you can be in life, but it start with paying attention, it start with listening, but even beyond that, it start with loving school. So hopefully the adults that you have in front of you, you're listening to them every day because that can be a life changer. I'm a hard and humble believer that if you want to change your destination, it starts with education. And from what I see, you guys have a great start. Hopefully, you take full advantage of it. And to board member Vendross-Mendegal, once again, thank you for bringing this to our attention. And Ms. Quarterman, I know you're a bull. I know you're a bull, but I had to throw that in there. It hits you and I understand, but thank you for bringing this to the board. Have a wonderful day.

Thank you. So to bring closure to where we are right now, remember students, Your attitude will determine the altitude that you reach in life. Don't forget that. And I believe that there is a special gift for you. Dr. Bendros Mendingo, flowers and balloons and cake. Oh kids, you're gonna have a grand old time. So there it is. Congratulations and God bless. Dr. Bendros-Meningo, I hate to be a party pooper, but I need you up here for the vote. If you could just come up real quickly and then we'll get you right back down. I need a quorum. Ah, we do too, thank you. Oh, so you heard me.

I see you folks.

Hi, hello, how are you?

Can you sign something?

Yes. Okay.

Yeah, it's her birthday.

Okay, now that I have everybody.

At this time, do I hear a motion for approval of the supplemental list of speakers to the resolutions? Move it.

Do I have a second? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. We have three board member resolutions on today's agenda. Do I hear a motion to approve? And we moved agenda items B3, B4, and B5 to the floor. All right, do I have a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Nay. All right, seeing none, motion passes. Do I hear a motion to approve these items?

Nay.

Do I have a motion? Yes. Second. All right. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed, nay. All right, seeing none. We didn't do co-sponsorships. If we want to do co-sponsorships, we can do so at this time. Are we interested? Yes. All right, so let me have a motion to co-sponsor B3, B4, and B5.

Move it.

Do I have a second? Second. All in favor, aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Thank you. Seeing none, motion passes. And now do I have a motion to approve the item as amended?

Move it.

Second. Second. All in favor, aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. And we will be back here at 1.45 this afternoon. The meeting is now adjourned.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The public school provides the accommodations your kid needs. So I can't be more grateful for being here.

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are shaping a future where every student is inspired to dream boldly and access the limitless opportunities that lead to lifelong success. Through our commitment to excellence, we deliver a high quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters achievement, and prepares students to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing world. At MDCPS, we celebrate choice, empowering families with diverse academic programs, magnet schools, and career pathways to fit every student's unique aspirations. Innovation is at the heart of our approach, empowering students through forward-thinking learning experiences that prepare them to lead, adapt, and excel in the world of tomorrow. With safety as a top priority, we provide a secure and nurturing environment where students, families, and employees feel protected, valued, and supported every day. Excellence, choice, innovation, safety. These are the anchors of MDCPS, making us your best choice for education. Join us at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where your child's future begins today.

As Chief of the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, I want to remind everyone that safety is our top priority and it takes all of us working together to protect our schools. When something doesn't feel right, don't stay silent, say something. Fortify Florida is an anonymous reporting tool available to all student, staff, and community members. Whether it's a threat, suspicious activity, or something that just doesn't sit right, no matter how big or small, you can report it anytime, from anywhere. Your tip could prevent harm, protect a classmate, or even save lives. This is just one more way we're using technology to enhance school safety and ensure that every member of our school community has a voice. Remember, if you see something, say something. And with Fortify Florida, you can do it instantly and anonymously. Stay safe, stay alert, we've got your back. And we're all in this together.

Parent Academy is excited to share our new Parent Academy Resource Guide, your one-stop digital catalog of departments, divisions, and services to help students succeed in school and beyond. Start by visiting parentacademymiami.com and then click on Parent eGuide button. Inside the guide, you'll find direct links to department websites, videos, and internet tools, all just a click away. As you flip through, discover even more departments and the parent resources they offer. Many resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, making it easier for every family to stay connected. And here's a quick tip. Look for the QR codes throughout the guide. Simply scan with your phone for instant access to the information you need, right when you need it. Parent Academy Resource Guide, helping you connect, engage, and support your child's journey every step of the way. Be the link to your child's success.

In Miami-Dade, we're surrounded by water, bathed in sunshine, and filled with hope. Hope that our children thrive and stay safe. But hope isn't enough. It takes action. Every swim lesson, safety tip, and watchful adult moves us closer to zero child drownings. Let's act together. Join the Zero Challenge at ZeroDrowningsMiamiDade.org.

Imagine what a classroom looks like. Imagine what assignments look like. Imagine doing things differently.

Miami Dade's magnet schools offer unique thematic strands of study that focus on students' special interests, talents, and abilities for all grade levels. Imagine that. A world of choices awaits. Learn more at MiamiMagnets.org.

The public school provides the accommodation your kid needs. So I can't be more grateful for being here.

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are shaping a future where every student is inspired to dream boldly and access the limitless opportunities that lead to lifelong success. Through our commitment to excellence, we deliver a high quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters achievement, and prepares students to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing world. At MDCPS, we celebrate choice, empowering families with diverse academic programs, magnet schools, and career pathways to fit every student's unique aspirations. Innovation is at the heart of our approach, empowering students through forward-thinking learning experiences that prepare them to lead, adapt, and excel in the world of tomorrow. With safety as a top priority, we provide a secure and nurturing environment where students, families, and employees feel protected, valued, and supported every day. Excellence, choice, innovation, safety. These are the anchors of MDCPS, making us your best choice for education. Join us at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where your child's future begins today.

As Chief of the Miami Dade Schools Police Department, I want to remind everyone that safety is our top priority and it takes all of us working together to protect our schools. When something doesn't feel right, don't stay silent, say something. Fortify Florida is an anonymous reporting tool available to all student, staff, and community members. Whether it's a threat, suspicious activity, or something that just doesn't sit right, no matter how big or small, you can report it anytime, from anywhere. Your tip could prevent harm, protect a classmate, or even save lives. This is just one more way we're using technology to enhance school safety and ensure that every member of our school community has a voice. Remember, if you see something, say something. And with Fortify Florida, you can do it instantly and anonymously. Stay safe. Stay alert. We've got your back. And we're all in this together.

Parent Academy is excited to share our new Parent Academy Resource Guide, your one-stop digital catalog of departments, divisions, and services to help students succeed in school and beyond. Start by visiting parentacademymiami.com and then click on Parent eGuide button. Inside the guide, you'll find direct links to department websites, videos, and internet tools, all just a click away. As you flip through, discover even more departments and the parent resources they offer. Many resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, making it easier for every family to stay connected. And here's a quick tip. Look for the QR codes throughout the guide. Simply scan with your phone for instant access to the information you need right when you need it. Parent Academy Resource Guide, helping you connect, engage, and support your child's journey every step of the way. Be the link to your child's success.

In Miami-Dade, we're surrounded by water, bathed in sunshine, and filled with hope. Hope that our children thrive and stay safe. But hope isn't enough. It takes action. Every swim lesson, safety tip, and watchful adult moves us closer to zero child drownings. Let's act together. Join the Zero Challenge at ZeroDrowningsMiamiDade.org.

Imagine what a classroom looks like. Imagine what assignments look like. Imagine doing things differently.

Miami Dade's magnet schools offer unique thematic strands of study that focus on students' special interests, talents, and abilities for all grade levels. Imagine that. A world of choices awaits. Learn more at MiamiMagnets.org.

The public school provides the accommodation your kid needs. So I can't be more grateful for being here.

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are shaping a future where every student is inspired to dream boldly and access the limitless opportunities that lead to lifelong success. Through our commitment to excellence, we deliver a high quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters achievement, and prepares students to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing world. At MDCPS, we celebrate choice, empowering families with diverse academic programs, magnet schools, and career pathways to fit every student's unique aspirations. Innovation is at the heart of our approach, empowering students through forward-thinking learning experiences that prepare them to lead, adapt, and excel in the world of tomorrow. With safety as a top priority, we provide a secure and nurturing environment where students, families, and employees feel protected, valued, and supported every day. Excellence, choice, innovation, safety. These are the anchors of MDCPS, making us your best choice for education. Join us at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where your child's future begins today.

As Chief of the Miami Dade Schools Police Department, I want to remind everyone that safety is our top priority, and it takes all of us working together to protect our schools. When something doesn't feel right, don't stay silent. Say something. Fortify Florida is an anonymous reporting tool available to all student, staff, and community members. Whether it's a threat, suspicious activity, or something that just doesn't sit right, no matter how big or small, you can report it anytime, from anywhere. Your tip could prevent harm, protect a classmate, or even save lives. This is just one more way we're using technology to enhance school safety and ensure that every member of our school community has a voice. Remember, if you see something, say something. And with Fortify Florida, you can do it instantly and anonymously. Stay safe, stay alert, we've got your back. And we're all in this together.

Parent Academy is excited to share our new Parent Academy Resource Guide, your one-stop digital catalog of departments, divisions, and services to help students succeed in school and beyond. Start by visiting parentacademymiami.com and then click on Parent eGuide button. Inside the guide, you'll find direct links to department websites, videos, and internet tools, all just a click away. As you flip through, discover even more departments and the parent resources they offer. Many resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, making it easier for every family to stay connected. And here's a quick tip. Look for the QR codes throughout the guide. Simply scan with your phone for instant access to the information you need, right when you need it. Parent Academy Resource Guide, helping you connect, engage, and support your child's journey every step of the way. Be the link to your child's success.

In Miami-Dade, we're surrounded by water, bathed in sunshine, and filled with hope. Hope that our children thrive and stay safe. But hope isn't enough. It takes action. Every swim lesson, safety tip, and watchful adult moves us closer to zero child drownings. Let's act together. Join the Zero Challenge at ZeroDrowningsMiamiDade.org.

Testing. Do you hear me? Do you hear me? Testing. One, two, three.

Okay.

Yep, that's better. Can you hear me?

Yes. Cool. Can you see me clearly?

Oh, you're a little far away, but...

I don't know how to do. We're just counting.

Still counting's good. I mean, I can see it.

Zoom in.

The camera's just like.

Because I cannot hear it.

Is it better for... There it is, yes. Would it be better for the person not to stand at the podium because clearly they would not be using a microphone?

Well, now that they zoomed it in, it's okay. Yeah, now it's better. It's better. Maybe, yeah.

No, no, they're good. Well, no, they got to zoom up. Guys, you need to see the person's face.

Yes. There you go. That's perfect. That's perfect.

That would be okay? Yeah. Okay, so the goal would be that the person would be on camera interpreting to the board, and then you would be voicing, signing to the board, and you would be vocalizing what they're trying to say to the voice.

Okay. You can actually zoom out a little bit more, like a tad bit. You could, but yeah, this is good. Yeah. Okay. Just depending. Sometimes you might see different signs, maybe a little bit lower, but it shouldn't really be that big of a deal.

Is it possible for a list?

The public school provides the accommodation your kid needs. So I can't be more grateful for being here.

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are shaping a future where every student is inspired to dream boldly and access the limitless opportunities that lead to lifelong success. Through our commitment to excellence, we deliver a high quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters achievement, and prepares students to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing world. At MDCPS, we celebrate choice, empowering families with diverse academic programs, magnet schools, and career pathways to fit every student's unique aspirations. Innovation is at the heart of our approach, empowering students through forward thinking. With safety as a top priority, we provide a secure and nurturing environment where students, families, and employees feel protected, valued, and supported every day. Excellence, choice, innovation, safety. These are the anchors of MDCPS, making us your best choice for education. Join us at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where your child's future begins today.

As Chief of the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, I want to remind everyone that safety is our top priority and it takes all of us working together to protect our schools. When something doesn't feel right, don't stay silent, say something. Fortify Florida is an anonymous reporting tool available to all student, staff, and community members. Whether it's a threat, suspicious activity, or something that just doesn't sit right, no matter how big or small, you can report it anytime, from anywhere. Your tip could prevent harm, protect a classmate, or even save lives. This is just one more way we're using technology to enhance school safety and ensure that every member of our school community has a voice. Remember, if you see something, say something. And with Fortify Florida, you can do it instantly and anonymously. Stay safe, stay alert, we've got your back. And we're all in this together.

Parent Academy is excited to share our new Parent Academy Resource Guide, your one-stop digital catalog of departments, divisions, and services to help students succeed in school and beyond. Start by visiting parentacademymiami.com and then click on Parent eGuide button. Inside the guide, you'll find direct links to department websites, videos, and internet tools, all just a click away. As you flip through, discover even more departments and the parent resources they offer. Many resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, making it easier for every family to stay connected. And here's a quick tip. Look for the QR codes throughout the guide. Simply scan with your phone for instant access to the information you need, right when you need it. Parent Academy Resource Guide, helping you connect, engage, and support your child's journey every step of the way. Be the link to your child's success.

In Miami-Dade, we're surrounded by water, bathed in sunshine, and filled with hope. Hope that our children thrive and stay safe. But hope isn't enough. It takes action. Every swim lesson, safety tip, and watchful adult moves us closer to zero child drownings. Let's act together. Join the Zero Challenge at ZeroDrowningsMiamiDade.org.

Imagine what a classroom looks like. Imagine what assignments look like. Imagine doing things differently.

Miami-Dade's magnet schools offer unique thematic strands of study that focus on students' special interests, talents, and abilities for all grade levels. Imagine that. A world of choices awaits. Learn more at MiamiMagnets.org.

The public school provides the accommodations your kid needs. So I can't be more grateful for being here.

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are shaping a future where every student is inspired to dream boldly and access the limitless opportunities that lead to lifelong success. Through our commitment to excellence, we deliver a high quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters achievement, and prepares students to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing world. At MDCPS, we celebrate choice, empowering families with diverse academic programs, magnet schools, and career pathways to fit every student's unique aspirations. Innovation is at the heart of our approach, empowering students through forward-thinking learning experiences that prepare them to lead, adapt, and excel in the world of tomorrow. With safety as a top priority, we provide a secure and nurturing environment where students, families, and employees feel protected, valued, and supported every day. Excellence, choice, innovation, safety. These are the anchors of MDCPS, making us your best choice for education. Join us at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where your child's future begins today.

As Chief of the Miami Dade Schools Police Department, I want to remind everyone that safety is our top priority and it takes all of us working together to protect our schools. When something doesn't feel right, don't stay silent. Say something. Fortify Florida is an anonymous reporting tool available to all student, staff, and community members. Whether it's a threat, suspicious activity, or something that just doesn't sit right, no matter how big or small, you can report it anytime, from anywhere. Your tip could prevent harm, protect a classmate, or even save lives. This is just one more way we're using technology to enhance school safety and ensure that every member of our school community has a voice. Remember, if you see something, say something. And with Fortify Florida, you can do it instantly and anonymously. Stay safe. Stay alert. We've got your back. And we're all in this together.

Parent Academy is excited to share our new Parent Academy Resource Guide, your one-stop digital catalog of departments, divisions, and services to help students succeed in school and beyond. Start by visiting parentacademymiami.com and then click on Parent eGuide button. Inside the guide, you'll find direct links to department websites, videos, and internet tools, all just a click away. As you flip through, discover even more departments and the parent resources they offer. Many resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, making it easier for every family to stay connected. And here's a quick tip. Look for the QR codes throughout the guide. Simply scan with your phone for instant access to the information you need right when you need it. Parent Academy Resource Guide. Helping you connect, engage, and support your child's journey every step of the way. Be the link to your child's success.

In Miami-Dade, we're surrounded by water, bathed in sunshine, and filled with hope. Hope that our children thrive and stay safe. But hope isn't enough. It takes action. Every swim lesson, safety tip, and watchful adult moves us closer to zero child drownings. Let's act together. Join the Zero Challenge at ZeroDrowningsMiamiDade.org.

Imagine what a classroom looks like. Imagine what assignments look like. Imagine doing things differently.

Miami Dade's magnet schools offer unique thematic strands of study that focus on students' special interests, talents, and abilities for all grade levels. Imagine that. A world of choices awaits. Learn more at MiamiMagnets.org.

The public school provides the accommodation your kid needs. So I can't be more grateful for being here.

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are shaping a future where every student is inspired to dream boldly and access the limitless opportunities that lead to lifelong success. Through our commitment to excellence, we deliver a high quality education that inspires curiosity, fosters achievement, and prepares students to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing world. At MDCPS, we celebrate choice, empowering families with diverse academic programs, magnet schools, and career pathways to fit every student's unique aspirations. Innovation is at the heart of our approach, empowering students through forward-thinking learning experiences that prepare them to lead, adapt, and excel in the world of tomorrow. With safety as a top priority, we provide a secure and nurturing environment where students, families, and employees feel protected, valued, and supported every day. Excellence, choice, innovation, safety. These are the anchors of MDCPS, making us your best choice for education. Join us at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where your child's future begins today.

As Chief of the Miami Dade Schools Police Department, I want to remind everyone that safety is our top priority, and it takes all of us working together to protect our schools. When something doesn't feel right, don't stay silent, say something. Fortify Florida is an anonymous reporting tool available to all student, staff, and community members. Whether it's a threat, suspicious activity, or something that just doesn't sit right, no matter how big or small, you can report it anytime, from anywhere. Your tip could prevent harm, protect a classmate, or even save lives. This is just one more way we're using technology to enhance school safety and ensure that every member of our school community has a voice. Remember, if you see something, say something. And with Fortify Florida, you can do it instantly and anonymously. Stay safe, stay alert, we've got your back. And we're all in this together.

Parent Academy is excited to share our new Parent Academy Resource Guide, your one-stop digital catalog of departments, divisions, and services to help students succeed in school and beyond. Start by visiting parentacademymiami.com and then click on Parent eGuide button. Inside the guide, you'll find direct links to department websites, videos, and internet tools, all just a click away. As you flip through, discover even more departments and the parent resources they offer. Many resources are available in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, making it easier for every family to stay connected. And here's a quick tip. Look for the QR codes throughout the guide. Simply scan with your phone for instant access to the information you need, right when you need it. Parent Academy Resource Guide, helping you connect, engage, and support your child's journey every step of the way. Be the link to your child's success.

In Miami-Dade, we're surrounded by water, bathed in sunshine, and filled with hope. Hope that our children thrive and stay safe. But hope isn't enough. It takes action. Every swim lesson, safety tip, and watchful adult moves us closer to Zero Child Drownings. Let's act together. Join the Zero Challenge at ZeroDrowningsMiamiDade.org.

I'm supposed to.

Good afternoon and welcome as we reconvene the July 22nd, 2026 meeting of the Miami-Dade County School Board. The time is 1.47 p.m. and I would like to officially call this meeting to order. Please stand as Dr. Bendros Meningo leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please pause for a moment of silent meditation. You may be seated. At this time, if there is anyone from the audience who has not signed up to speak but who would like to address an agenda item or be heard at the public hearing, please go to the lobby counter outside the auditorium where staff will be ready and happy to assist you. The board must approve additional speakers by a majority vote. Are there any added items, Ms. Yopes, to be considered by the board? Good afternoon, Madam Chair. No. Thank you. Are there any withdrawn items, Ms. Yopes? Through the chair, no. Thank you. At this time, I would like any board members who need to abstain from voting. due to a conflict of interest to please publicly announce the conflict and we will note your abstention for the record. Madam Chair. Yes, ma'am, you're recognized. Ms. Blanco.

I have filed the appropriate paperwork with our board attorney's office. I will be abstaining from item E-148 for personal conflict. Thank you very much, ma'am.

Madam Chair.

Yes, sir.

I've also filled out the paperwork. I'll be abstaining from F4 and F5 as my wife is on the Hialeah Housing Eight Authority Commission Board. So it's not an actual conflict, but just in case I'm recusing myself from both items.

Okay, so F4 and F5. All right, thank you. So it was noted for the record that Ms. Mariblanco abstained herself from agenda item E148 during committee meetings, and she would be abstaining from voting and filing her respective form AB memorandum of voting conflict for the county, municipal, and other local public officers for conflict of interest. We have also been apprised now that board member Espino is going to abstain from F4 and F5. And so, general counsel to the board, sir, at this time, this is all that we have for the abstention process.

Yes, Madam Chair. Yes, thank you.

So general counsel to the board, are all of our agenda items properly before the assembly and in compliance with board policy, state statutes, and all other legal requirements under which this board operates?

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you. We will now go through the consent agenda. This is the time that board members advise me of those items they wish to address. Items for which the board has signed up to speak will not be placed on the consent agenda. All items not reserved for separate consideration will then be approved under the consent agenda. The board members will be provided the additional speakers once sign up is complete. Do I hear a motion for approval of speakers to agenda items and public hearing topics not previously signed up to speak? So moved. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed nay? Seeing none, motion passes. Those items receiving unanimous approval will not be discussed by the board. In light of the adoption of chapter 286.0114 of the Florida Statutes and Public Policy 0169.1, citizens who have signed up to speak to an item that is on the consent agenda, that is items not identified by board members for discussion, may either speak at this time prior to the vote on the consent agenda, or you may elect to speak after the board has voted on them during the public hearing. However, speakers who wish to address a consent agenda item may not speak to the item both times. The public hearing will begin no later than 6.30 p.m. The chair or vice chair may begin calling speakers for the public hearing who are present immediately following the conclusion of the regular agenda. The public hearing shall not conclude before 4.30 p.m. unless all of the speakers have signed up to speak, are present, and have been given the opportunity to do so. Before I proceed to call board members regarding the items that they would like to discuss on today's agenda, please note the following co-sponsorship requests have been received. Vice Chair Colucci has requested to be added as a co-sponsor to items H3 and H7. Board Member Bendros-Meningo has requested to be added as a co-sponsor to item H2. Board Member Espino has requested to be added to items H3 and H7. Board Member Geller has requested to be added as a co-sponsor to items H2, H4, and H5. These board members wish to officially add themselves as co-sponsors to the agenda items listed. I need a motion to approve the board members that were just identified with items specified to be listed as co-sponsors on the items announced.

Thank you.

All in favor, aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. Do I hear a motion to approve the item as amended? So moved. Second? All in favor, aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Motion passes. I will now go through those items the board members wish to address. All right, we shall begin with Dr. Bendros-Mendingo, ma'am. I have you down for age seven and board announcements. Is that correct, ma'am? Thank you. Board Member Geller does not have anything. Board Member Alonso, you don't have anything. Is that correct, sir? Yes? Thank you. Board Member Espino, I do have you down, sir, for D69. Thank you, sir. I am down for H5. Board Member Blanco, you're down for D70, F1, and F2. Is that correct, ma'am?

Madam Chair, I did submit those, however, D70, I've had conversation with district staff, I no longer need to speak to that item.

Thank you very much. All right, Board Member Colucci, I don't have you down for anything, ma'am, is that correct? Thank you. And we don't have, Board Member Santos is not here, and the student advisor is not here yet. Before the vote on the consent agenda is taken, I will call those persons who have signed up to speak to items that are part of the consent agenda to address them. Therefore, at this time, I will call those members who have signed up to these items to address the board now.

Do we have any speakers that have signed up?

Thank you. All right, we have Cheryl Mullinax on C1. Is Ms. Mullinax here? Okay. Well, I have Ms. Mullinax on C2, on D19. I have Nancy Lother on D21. Nancy, good afternoon, ma'am.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon, board members. I don't usually comment on D21 items, the personnel items, which month after month demonstrate in black and white the incredible depth of talent responsible for keeping MDCPS an A district. I'm making an exception today because late in the afternoon on July 10th, my phone began to blow up with texts from fellow K-12 advocates across Florida. Are you really losing your CFO, gasped one message from a friend in Tampa. It's true, we are, and the district's loss is Barrie University's gain. I could not let this moment pass, however, without expressing my personal appreciation for all that Mr. Steiger has brought to the district through his distinguished tenure as CFO. I served on the FCIC Parent Budget Advisory Committee for a number of years, as well as on ABAC, and I can offer personal testimony to his leadership, his wisdom, his resourcefulness, his equanimity under stress, and his utterly refreshing candor. I wish him the very best in his new position and extend my congratulations to Ms. Betancourt as she steps into the role of interim CFO. The district's finances have been and will remain in exceptionally capable hands.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Nancy Vega? Nancy Vega.

Hi, this is for item C71. Yes, ma'am, let me double check.

No, it is D71. Ah, no, it's C71. Let me put on my glasses. Mine says D71, so. Oh, I'm sorry, D71, you're right, I'm sorry. Thank you. Okay.

Hi, good afternoon everyone. My name is Nancy and I serve as the Vice President of Advocacy and Legislation for Miami-Dade County Council, PTA, PTSA. I'm here today on behalf of our families, our students, and our local PTAs across the district. We understand that Miami-Dade County Public Schools must adjust meal pricing because our district no longer meets the federal 62.5% direct certification threshold required for universal free meals under the community eligibility provision. We also recognize the rising cost of food, labor, transportation, and equipment that impact the Food and Nutrition Department ability to operate sustainably. However, as we transition into a hybrid CEP model. Our priority and yours must remain the same. No child should ever go hungry at school. And no family should be confused or blindsided by changes that affect their children's access to meals. As PTA advocates, we respectfully request the following. One, clear, parent-friendly communication in multiple languages, explaining which schools will continue offering free meals and which will require families to complete the lunch application. Two, a simple and accessible application process, especially for families who rely on mobile devices or need assistance completing the forms. Three, a grace period at the start of the school year so students are not denied meals while applications are being processed. Thank you ma'am, your time is up.

Thank you, I appreciate it. Cheryl Mullenix, one more time. These are all the speakers that I have that signed up to speak, so therefore we shall continue with the agenda at this time. The vote on the consent agenda shall be bifurcated into two separate votes as follows. A vote on all items in the consent agenda excluding item E-148-F-4, and F5 since board member Blanco and Espino have declared a conflict of interest for the record. May I have a motion? Do I have a second? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed nay. Seeing none, motion passes. A separate vote. Madam Chair? Yes, sir?

Madam Chair, is it possible to take a vote on F4 and F5 and then subsequent to that to take a vote on E148? Is it possible? If that's, if you. Just the next step that you take, if you could do that for me, I'd appreciate it. Because we have six people on the dais.

Okay, so repeat what you want me to say.

So if you could have a vote taken on F4 and F5 first, and then subsequent to that, have a vote taken on E148.

We'll do that, not a problem. All right, so I make a motion to have the vote now on F4 and F5. Do I have a second? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Motion passes. Do I have a motion for E148? Do I have a second? All in favor say aye. Thank you, item passes. This bifurcation now shall allow the board to address items efficiently while maintaining the compliance with conflict of interest guidelines. The results of both votes shall be recorded separately in the official minutes of this meeting. And may I have a motion and a second to approve agenda items, again, E-148, F-4, and F-5. Is that necessary, sir, since we did it? I think we don't need it any longer.

No, ma'am, I'm sorry. Thank you. I just wanted to be sure. It's okay, I got it.

Thank you. All right, thank you very much then. All right, Mr. General Counsel, sir, this concludes this portion.

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, sir. All right, so we now move to Ms. Yopis. I would like to request that you please read into the record and for the listening public the items that were just voted on for the consent agenda. These items will not be discussed. Ms. Yopes, the floor is yours, ma'am.

Through the chair, the items that passed on today's consent agenda are as follows. C-1. C2. D19. D20. D21. D55. D70. D71. E1. E2. E3. E14. E106. E141 E142 E143 E144 E145 E146 E147 E148 E149 E201 F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F26, F27, F50, F80, G1, G2, G3, G4, H2, H3, and H4. Madam Chair, that concludes the items that passed on today's consent agenda.

Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Yopes. And now can you please read the agenda items that will be discussed in today's meeting?

Through the Chair, A1, the Superintendent's Informational Report, D69, F1, F2, H5, and H7. Madam Chair, that concludes the items we'll be discussing in today's regular board meeting. Thank you. Thank you so much.

If your item passed under the consent agenda and you did not address it prior to the vote, but you still wish to be able to speak during the public hearing, please, again, go to the lobby counter outside the auditorium where staff will advise you and be happy to help. In the process, do I hear a motion for approval of the bid opening list for June 11th, 2026, June 16th, 2026, June 18th, 2026, and June 23rd, 2026? I have a motion, all right, a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed nay, motion passes. Do I hear a motion for approval of the board minutes for the regular school board meeting of June 17th, 2026 and the special school board meeting of June 24th, 2026. I have a motion. So moved. Do I have a second? Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Thank you, motion passes. We will now proceed with the agenda items reserved for consideration by board members. A high level of citizen involvement in civic life is crucial to the well-being of any democracy, and as such, participation by the public in school board meetings is welcomed and always encouraged by all who sit on this dais. As always, this board seeks public input and participation in our meetings. However, the public purpose is not served when citizens become disorderly or disrupt meetings. Accordingly, and pursuant to board policy 0169.1, citizens' remarks should be directed to the presiding officer on the board as a whole, and not the individual board members. Speakers making comments on agenda items shall confine their comments solely to the agenda item which is being discussed. During this meeting, speakers must limit their remarks to matters related to the business of the district. Speakers are prohibited from discussing their own pending court cases and file claims or complaints against the district or district personnel. Speakers may not use any form of profanity or loud or abusive comments. No clapping, applauding, heckling, shouting comments from the audience or verbal outbursts in support or in opposition to a speaker or his or her remarks shall be permitted. Persons exiting the board meeting shall do so quietly. The chair may notify and warn speakers that their comments have gone beyond the subject matter for which they have signed up to address matters that are not related to the business of the school district or constitute personal attacks on individuals or otherwise violate this policy. The chair may turn off the microphone or recess the meeting if a speaker persists addressing irrelevant topics or engaging in personal attacks. The chair has the authority after one warning to order the removal of the speaker from the meetings. Following a warning, any person making impertinent or slanderous remarks or who becomes boisterous while addressing the board shall be barred from further appearance before the board for the balance of the meeting. Before we move any agenda items to the floor, I would like to remind the public speakers that pursuant to board policy 0169.1, individuals are allowed no more than two minutes to address the agenda item and no more than a total of 10 minutes during the board meeting, including speaking time during the public hearing, regardless of the number of agenda items to be addressed. The green light at the speaker's podium signals two minutes. The yellow light signals 30 seconds are remaining. And the red light signals that the speaker has exhausted their time. Speakers making comments on agenda items shall confine their comments solely to the agenda item which is being discussed. The board policy also states that the total time allotted for the public hearing shall not exceed 90 minutes. Please be advised that the 90 minute time limitation will be observed for public hearings. I need a motion to move agenda item A1 to the floor. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed nay. Motion passes. We are now in A1. A1 is a superintendent's informational reports to the board member on selected topics. The topics today will be the 2025-2026 end of year new initiatives showcase. And I do not have any speakers who have signed up to address this item, so Dr. Lewis, sir, I turn it over to you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, sir. Madam Chair and members of the school board, at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we continue to strive to be nimble and responsive to the rapidly changing educational landscape while never losing sight of our why. When every student reaches their full potential, our entire community thrives. The video you're about to see highlights several of the innovative programs and partnership launched during the 2025-2026 school year. Each reflect our four guiding anchors, excellence, choice, innovation, and safety, and our commitment to expanding opportunities for students and families. From the launch of the K-3 Sprouts and the expansion of our Early Childhood Partnership to Big Smiles and the continued growth of our Health Connect in our schools, we've worked to meet students and families earlier and more fully than ever before. Of course, none of this happens in isolation. These initiatives sits within a much larger story, the one captured in our new portrait of a Miami-Dade County Public School graduate and the 2026 through 2031 strategic plan, both shaped by the voices of more than 190,000 members of our community. That vision will guide our collective work moving forward. For your convenience, a booklet has been transmitted to your offices. which provides an overview of each initiative featured in today's video. This video and booklet would also be featured in the Office of Strategic Planning website. With that being said, we'll play the video and cabinet members are here to answer any questions you may have afterwards.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is shaping the future of public education. Built on our core anchors of excellence, choice, innovation, and safety, the 2025-2026 school year elevated educators, amplified student voices, expanded career pathways, and reimagined classroom technology and wellness. Together, we are building relevant, responsive schools deeply connected to the needs of our community. Here's a look at this year's signature highlights. Led by our Department of Early Childhood Programs, we spent the year developing PK-3 Sprouts, a high-quality, district-operated, full-day early learning model for three-year-olds. Launching this upcoming school year across seven strategic sites, this program supercharges school readiness before VPK. By embedding early literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional growth within a structured environment, we empower our youngest learners from day one, expanding public-private early childhood partnerships. We are reaching our youngest learners faster than ever. The district hosted three regional town halls in September 2025, uniting families and early learning advocates. MDCPS is actively establishing public-private pathways for children from birth through age three. By ensuring robust readiness before students ever step into VPK, we are closing achievement gaps so our entire community can thrive. Big Smiles on-site dental care. True education goes beyond textbooks. Through our transformative partnership with Big Smiles, we brought comprehensive preventative dental care straight to our campuses, removing barriers like cost and transportation. This year alone, the program served over 1,200 students. By delivering vital health care right to the school door, we are tackling a leading cause of chronic absenteeism and keeping our kids healthy, confident, and ready to learn. HealthConnect in our schools, safety and wellness are paramount. This year, we achieved a massive milestone by dramatically scaling HealthConnect in our schools. We expanded a $16 million footprint across 141 campuses into a massive $24 million investment spanning 283 school sites. Thanks to multiple funders and providers, we are deploying on-site nursing and advanced telehealth solutions to protect the physical and mental well-being of our students every single day. Miami loves teachers. When our educators thrive, our students win. Through Miami Loves Teachers, a powerhouse collaboration with the College Football Playoff Foundation, the Orange Bowl Host Committee, and the Education Fund, we turned appreciation into massive action. Throughout the year, this centralized hub hypercharged morale with Teacher of the Week grants, free classroom supplies, and exclusive access to major sporting events. expanding career and technical education dual enrollment. We are connecting education with immediate economic opportunity. This year, we expanded CTE dual enrollment across six of our premier technical colleges. High schoolers now get fully tuition-free access to high-wage industry certifications in automotive technology, medical assisting, avionics, and more. This powerful initiative fuels the Miami-Dade economy by building a direct, fast-track bridge to high-demand employment, aerospace, and aviation workforce education. We're pioneering tomorrow's workforce through a monumental $3.2 million state investment in career and technical education. Partnering with Space Florida, we launched our second premier space hub magnet program at the historic Booker T. Washington Senior High School, offering elite tracks in aerospace engineering, robotics, and electrical systems. An additional $350,000 expands advanced mechanic certifications for adults and recent grads, launching our students straight into the high-tech aerospace industry. Partnership with Adidas. We set a high bar for excellence, and that extends right onto the field. This year, MDCPS launched a historic multi-year partnership, making Adidas the official apparel and equipment partner for all greater Miami athletic conference schools. Outfitting 41 high schools, including our legendary Super 7 programs, this deal injects elite performance into our athletic programs. Plus, fans can now back their teams through an exclusive online marketplace featuring custom 305 of Maiden Dade collections. The 2026-2031 strategic plan. Approved by the school board in May 2026, the strategic plan was built upon the direct feedback of more than 190,000 students, parents, employees, and industry partners. This dynamic blueprint equips our district to improve student outcomes in core areas for lifelong success, elevate student, family, and community experiences to ensure we are the best choice, create a positive and supportive workplace culture, and adjust the organization's facilities footprint while prioritizing school investment. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is shaping the future of public education. Built on our core anchors of excellence, choice, innovation, and safety, the 2025-2026 school year elevated educators, amplified student voices, expanded career pathways, and reimagined classroom technology and wellness. Together, we are building relevant, responsive schools deeply connected to the needs of our community. The foundational cornerstone of this entire plan is a visionary framework known as the portrait of an MD-CPS graduate. It defines the attributes students need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. This framework targets five core pillars, shaping every student to become a collaborator, a problem solver, a resilient learner, a community champion, and an adaptive graduate. Reflecting the collective aspirations of our community, this roadmap was built from 65 targeted focus groups and the insights of over 70,000 students, parents, and industry leaders. We listened, we responded, and we are delivering a blueprint for lifelong success. Excellence, choice, innovation, and safety shape the decisions we make. They ground us in our why. Because when every student reaches their full potential, our entire community thrives. Together with our school board, families, and community, we are building on this foundation to strengthen public education, expand opportunity, and empower every student along a bold, transparent path forward. Thank you for supporting MDCPS. Your best choice.

Dr. Lewis, sir?

Madam Chair, that presents a one. If there are any questions, staff is here to fully answer.

Thank you very much. I'm gonna open it. Any of my colleagues wanna make a comment? All right, well, I just wanna thank you. This was wonderful. We get to truly, not only us sitting here on this dais, but everyone who is watching the meeting gets to see why MDCPS is truly your best choice. And the fact that we are starting at the early years, which is when these children are sponges, truly from zero to five. is when all that learning is taking place and that foundation is being built. And with that foundation comes success. By the time they get to third grade, it's too late if they didn't start early on. So I'm very happy to see that portion, especially of the early years and everything else that was addressed. So on behalf of all of the colleagues on the board, we thank you for putting it together. And again, very, very informative. And hopefully we'll be able to share it at the different schools during the opening of schools and other periods where parents can learn more about what we offer here in our school district.

I totally agree, Madam Chair, and it's a great recruiting video just to show a snippet as far as what Dade County Public Schools has to offer. And without a doubt, it gives us a demonstrate to us rather as to why we are the best choice. So thank you for that, Madam Chair.

Yes, thank you very much, sir. So we now are going to proceed to D69. D69 is a proposed renaming of Hialeah Elementary School at 550 East 8th Street, Hialeah, Florida. And I do not have any speakers that have signed up, but I do have Board Member Espino, sir. You signed up for this item.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me just pass it this way and pass these this way. Colleagues, as I said during committee, it's an honor to have worked with a group to initiate and propose a renaming of Hialeah Elementary to Lincoln Diaz-Balart Hialeah Elementary. in recognition of a man whose life was defined by public service, unwavering principles, and a deep love for our community and our country. Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart devoted decades of his life to serving the people of South Florida. He was a tireless advocate of freedom, democracy, educational opportunity, and the values that made our community strong and that uplifted so many. He never forgot those he represented, and he approached every challenge with humility, integrity, and compassion. For the families in Hialeah, Lincoln was more than a congressman. He was a trusted voice, a champion for those who fled oppression, and someone who understood that public office is not about power but about service. Scripture reminds us in Mark 10.45 that the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve. Lincoln embodied that servant's heart. He viewed the leadership as a calling to lift others and to protect the vulnerable and to leave the next generation with a greater opportunity than the one before it. Renaming this school is an honor for me, but it's an honor especially fitting because schools are places where characters formed alongside knowledge. Every student who walks through these doors of Hialeah Elementary will see the name of someone who dedicated his life to serving with courage, conviction, and grace, characteristics that are synonymous with the Diaz-Balart name, as further evidenced by the elected service of his brother, Mario Diaz-Balart, and the non-elected service of his son, Danny Diaz-Balart. I appreciate Danny, who sent me a letter yesterday evening that I circulated with all of you, a letter of support and appreciation from the Diaz-Balart family, which, actually, can I borrow that for one second? I gave my copy, which I'll succinctly read into the record. Dear members of the Miami-Dade County School Board, on behalf of the Diaz-Balart family, I write to express our deepest gratitude for your decision to rename Hialeah Elementary School in honor of Lincoln Diaz-Balart Lincoln dedicated his life to public service. As a member of Congress, he championed education, opportunity, the values of freedom, hard work that defined our community. Seeing his name graced an elementary school that he represented for all 18 of his years in Congress and whose residents he deeply admired carries special significance. We are profoundly moved the Hiley Elementary will now bear Lincoln's name, inspiring countless children to walk the halls as they prepare to become the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you again for your leadership and for recognizing Lincoln's legacy in such a lasting and impactful way. Special thanks to school member Dan Espino for his tireless work and dedication. We are eternally grateful with sincere appreciation and warm regards. Daniel Diaz-Balart on behalf of the Diaz-Balart family. So colleagues, it's my hope that in naming this school that a life spent in service to others will, well lived, will be recognized, will be honored by not this generation but all the generations to come. And I proudly support this measure and I appreciate the support from committee. Thank you so much. And thank you Dr. Lewis and the entire administration that facilitated this entire process. We got community input and it was a great thing for me to be a part of it for the first time, thank you.

Thank you very much, sir. And yes, indeed, it was an honor for me also to chair the meeting that was conducted with members of the community that came to that meeting to express their sincerest support for the renaming of this school, which is so well-deserved. And thank you, Board Member Espino, for bringing it forth and for all the wonderful words that you have shared with all of us with reference to such a special human being who made a MASSIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY, AND ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS. SO BOARD MEMBER GELLER, SIR, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER ESPINO, FOR BRINGING THIS. LINCOLN WAS MY FRIEND FOR OVER 40 YEARS SINCE WE WERE YOUNG LAWYERS AT THE SAME TIME AND FIRST WHEN HE WAS FIRST DIPPING HIS TOE INTO POLITICS. I admired him tremendously. And among his very many attributes, he was a patriot. And I use that as a term of art to describe who he was and what he stood for. And I don't mind saying that he profoundly influenced my personal views on a number of things, but particularly when it comes to the issue of Cuba, where I've chosen to associate myself for over 30 years, maybe closer to 40, and that's because of Lincoln. I know the family. I THINK ALL OF THEM. YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE TREMENDOUS SERVICE.

POINT MEMBER GELLER, CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE MIC, SIR?

YES, MA'AM. YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE TREMENDOUS SERVICE. BROTHER JOSE PERFORMS FOR THE PUBLIC IN HIS BROADCASTING CAPACITY, HIS NEWSMAN CAPACITY, BUT CERTAINLY MARIO, CHRISTINA, DANIEL. Very happy. Those of us who mourn his loss as the loss of a friend and a leader are all very gratified, Board Member Espino, that you brought this, so thank you very much.

Thank you so much. And at this time, I need a motion to approve D69. Second.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed nay? Seeing none, Motion passes. Congratulations to the family, and thank you once again, Board Member Espino. We are now going to proceed to F1.

I'm sorry to interrupt, Madam Chair, but as you know, I was here, but I had to step out for a few moments. I would like just if the official record would show me as a yes vote on the consent agenda. Thank you.

All right, I'd like to move to F1 at this time. F1 is to authorize the superintendent to finalize negotiations and execute a lease agreement with the Greater Love Full Gospel Baptist Church Inc. for the operation of an early childhood education program at Myrtle Grove Elementary. I do have a board member who signed up, and that is Board Member Blanco.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I did sign up to speak on F1 and F2. They're really mirror items. As you mentioned, F1 is with the full gospel at Myrtle Grove. F2 has to do with Kayleen's Learning Center at Sunset Park Elementary School. This is, first of all, let me just say I'm in full support of the item. These are things that we have been talking about for a while and how we can use how we can maximize our properties and build opportunities for us to both create revenue and to hopefully also increase enrollment. So I'm in full support of both items. I brought up F1 because Myrtle Grove right now is in District 1 and there is no school board member. So I wanted to speak on behalf of both of those. I'm not familiar with Myrtle Grove Elementary, however, Sunset Park Elementary is in my district. And because this is such a new endeavor, and part of a new enterprise, I had many questions. And I was very satisfied with many of the questions that I asked, ensuring that there was a fair proportionate share dollars coming to the school to ensure that there was no financial strain on the school. But then when I asked questions about revenue that's going to be generated, I wanted to know where those funds were going. And because this is such a new endeavor and enterprise for our district, we really don't have policy on that yet. Again, I can't speak to Myrtle Grove, but to Sunset Park, it's a wonderful school. It's a great neighborhood school. They have an amazing staff. The teachers are wonderful. There's great learning going on, but it's an older facility, and there's a lot of needs associated with that school. They could really use a new marquee. Their GOB sign, although I've been told the project is complete, is still up, and it's an eyesore. It's very faded. It needs to be removed. It's a pod school I had brought up about a year ago, or maybe even two, I think it was a little bit over a year ago. Because it's a pod school, we were struggling to meet some of those safety compliances in it, so it needs some work. We've done some of it, but perhaps more could be done. And so I brought up all of these concerns at committee, very thankful to staff where they've added in the revised version in the fourth item, and they provided some clarification, right? And they've indicated three buckets to which revenue will go to. Thank you for identifying the whole school would be one of the buckets, district-wide priorities and enterprise growth. And so I appreciate that clarification, but I would like to ask through the chair So I think I would be really satisfied if we could maybe add a little bit more language to say in consultation with school administrators, region, district, and school board member, because each of these is different, right? And so I understand that we may have one of these agreements in a school that maybe doesn't need a lot of capital improvements. in that situation, maybe all the revenue goes to bucket two or three or split between two or three. But in a school that does need or could benefit from assistance in the capital funding, how are we going to do that, right? And so at least for me as a board member, I want to know exactly what that school would be receiving. If it's a school in my district, I would want the school administrators to be consulted and asked what are their needs. in that assessment, so if through the chair, I could have someone from district staff say if either they can add that language or what the thought is, but I'd like to have something in black and white added to the item if possible through the chair.

Yes. Mr. Bredeser, you're recognized.

Through the chair, Ms. Blanco, and good afternoon, everyone. Yes, absolutely. It goes without saying, but we can codify it further. We can include it in the actual language of the recommend number four. Any of this work, we will involve the region and the school administrator to make sure what the needs are. We would also look at our deficiency list that we currently have for that facility and see what our needs are from district-wide that we would need to identify, but absolutely, we would definitely do.

Okay, so thank you, Madam Chair, follow up. So I think, you know, if we can, and I know, right, it's probably assumed, but because we don't have board policy on something like this, because it's a new endeavor, if we could add that to recommend four on both F1 and F2. Again, F1, that school doesn't happen to be in my district, but we serve the students. of every district and the schools. So if we could add some of that language that I mentioned in consultation with those different individuals, with the school administrators, region, district, and the school board member to kind of know and also be able to advocate, I would really appreciate that.

Thank you. I do have two board members I would like to speak, Board Member Alonso and then Board Member Espino, sir. You have three. Oh, I have another one, Dr. Bendrosman in Gola Swell. Okay, go ahead, Board Member Alonso.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to speak on this. And thank you, Board Member Blanco. As we discussed in committee, these are questions I've been asking. I have two schools in my district that I represent that are revenue generating schools now through programs that we brought in. In one of them, we have an autistic charter school. In another one, we have an early learning center. and the questions have come up, but as you said, this is new to our district, and I appreciate adding this language here, but I do believe that we do need policy that will follow these with some flexibility for staff, but as we look at more and more of these, it becomes a little bit, I wouldn't say dangerous, but just confusing if every single time we have to think through it. If we had some standard policy, I think it would be great. And that's why, as I shared in committee, I'm hoping for the next meeting to hopefully bring a board item that could give directive to the superintendent and staff to maybe start working on this policy, because it's important. Because there's going to be many more of these, and these are great programs that we're gonna be offering in our schools. As you mentioned, from a recruiting, as well as from a revenue generating, but most importantly, a service to families. Our schools are here to serve our communities, and if we have space available, what not better than to do it in a way that's gonna provide additional service to families. I wanna thank staff for working really hard on these. I know it's taken a lot of work and effort to get this done. It's something our district has never done. And I think we'll continue to strengthen these with policy development as well as with guidance that we provide to staff so that all these projects can be done in a thoughtful manner that reinvests into our schools, which is something we've all been talking about because I don't think there's many schools, if any, in our district that couldn't need a little bit of help when it comes to facilities. These are very old buildings that we're constantly having to upkeep. So keeping those dollars locally at the schools, I think it's critically important. So thank you for bringing that up, and thank you once again, the staff, for the hard work that they've done on these projects.

Okay, I do have Dr. Bendros-Meningo, I have Board Member Espino, and I have Vice Chair Colucci.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I totally agree with all that's been said. And thank you, Member Alonso, always going to the very bottom of what we do, and you too, Member Alonso. So I want to put some thoughts on record, and it goes as such. I support this item and the district's efforts. I'm not the board member for District One, but I know that school. I know that school really, really well, and I probably would say that the former representative of District 1 is probably looking and listening. So let me just go on. The district's efforts that we are expanding access to high-quality early childhood education through strategic public-private partnerships, providing additional early learning, which really matters, opportunities for children from birth through age three. As a former principal, we had a partnership for Dade County Housing Authority, and the children right across the street from Lily Carmichael Evans Elementary School would love to say, next year I'm going to the big school. And they would be happy that they were going to the big school, but they were ready for the big school, which was Lily Carmichael Evans Elementary School. This partnership represents responsible use of district resources by maximizing available space while bringing additional services and support to the community. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Yes, thank you very much, ma'am. Board Member Espino, and then I have Vice Chair Colucci.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And, Board Member Blanco, thank you for bringing up those comments because, really, this is the first time we've had an opportunity to discuss it after we passed the strategic plan, which I don't know if you all recall, but we had a specific conversation on this very issue that we adjusted from the days where key result three and objective four, I just pulled it up again, that says develop a transparent facilities reinvestment framework to be presented and adopted by the school board that guides how resources generated through school re-envisioning, consolidation, co-location, repurposing, boundary adjustments, and other facilities optimization efforts are communicated, prioritized, and reinvested, which appropriately are weighing voting districts as well as district-wide needs. So that is something that we need to put some teeth to as we move forward, because if not, it's gonna happen. We're moving forward in that direction, but then it's gonna be ad hoc as we move forward step by step. So I look forward to Board Member Alonso's item, and I look forward to a conversation on how that gets done. Because we've had issues, and I remember Board Member Gallin had brought this up, I feel like two years ago, with regards to parking in some of the schools around the Hard Rock Stadium, and how much of that money was not being reinvested by the school. I think only 10% of that. And when there's so much need in our schools, the whole point is to generate the revenue. So I look forward to that. Thank you.

Thank you very much, sir. Vice Chair Colucci.

Yes, and thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Board Member Blanco. I really appreciate your comments. I think they're timely, they're important. And I do want to, I was just, as you said, Board Member Espino, I was just going to state what you stated, that we had this discussion as far as the strategic plan, which was a starting point, but I look forward to now taking the next step and really putting this in, starting to build a policy framework for this. So again, I look forward to items being brought forth on this because it is something that we really have to consider as we continue to move forward. So it was just to state that I'm glad that we're continuing this discussion.

And thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Vice Chair Colucci, and of course, I absolutely concur with the same, and I do look forward also to the board item that Board Member Alonso will be bringing to us. At this time, if you would like to make a motion so that we can add the language. I heard Mr. Perez say that they would be open to adding the language that you recommended, Board Member Blanco. I just wanna verify one more time. Mr. Perez, sir, you are open to, again, addressing the issue that was brought forth by Board Member Blanco and adding some of the language which she recommended. Is that accurate, sir?

Through the Chair, yes. Madam Chair, Ms. Blanco, what I would recommend is if after the last sentence in communities period, we would start a new sentence that would say these revenues will be apportioned in consultation with school administrator, region office, and school board member.

Yes, that's acceptable to me. Board Member Blanco? Yes, thank you. All right, so make your motion, please, Board Member Blanco. Make your motion. It's a motion to amend, recommend four as stated by Mr. Raul Perez.

Thank you, do I have a second?

I'll second that.

All right, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. Now I need a motion to approve the item as amended.

So moved.

Second.

Second.

All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed nay. Motion passes and F2 is very similar. So let's make a motion to F2.

Motion to amend recommend four. as stated by Mr. Rowe-Perez for an item F1. I'll second.

Do I have a second? Vice Chair Calucci, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. Now I need a motion to approve the item as amended. So moved. Do I have a second? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. And now I'm going to need a motion to move to the H items. Move it. Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye. Opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. We now have the eight items on the board, on the floor. The first item is my item, and that is Miami-Dade County public schools, humanitarian relief efforts for victims of Venezuela's strongest earthquake in more than 100 years. And first and foremost, I wanna thank my colleagues on the board who supported this item when I brought it forth. Sincerely appreciate. the fact that we are proud here in Miami-Dade County Public Schools to be very compassionate when our neighbors need us. The school board has a very longstanding tradition of providing humanitarian assistance to communities which have been affected by natural disasters, recognizing that education and compassion must go hand in hand, and especially during a time of crisis. Throughout the years, this board has absolutely demonstrated its commitment to supporting students, educators, as well as school communities which have been impacted by either hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and other catastrophic events, both domestically as well as internationally. Most recently, at the January 15, 2025 school board meeting, the board had approved a good cause agenda item, H-10, which expressed support for the Los Angeles Unified School District. And it also provided humanitarian assistance to address the educational needs at that time of students that had been affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California. When I sponsored that item, as I shared with my colleagues in committee, I never imagined that I would once again stand before this board requesting humanitarian relief, and this time for schools, for students, for educators, and for those families in Venezuela following the catastrophic earthquakes that struck that nation on June 24th. The scope of that disaster is almost truly beyond comprehension. The number of children that have been affected has just been alarming. It is the scope of disaster that truly, truly touches your heart. and tells you action is needed. The earthquakes that caused this widespread destruction, they were claiming lives, displacing thousands of families and damaging homes, schools, and critical infrastructure. Again, leaving an entire community struggling to recover. They're struggling today. The impact on children, especially on children, has been particularly profound as many have lost access to safe learning environments and the stability that our schools provide during the time of crisis. This tragedy is especially meaningful to our Miami-Dade County public schools community. Miami-Dade County is the home to one of the largest Venezuelan communities in the United States. And many of our students, of the parents, and even our employees all have roots, deep personal roots from Venezuela. Communities that are affected starting with Doral and all other communities that also have Venezuelan families truly feel the pain and have all moved very rapidly to provide assistance. And that is the same thing that we are going to do hopefully if this item passes, here in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. So this is the item. And again, I thank all of my colleagues on the board for their support. And for the families in Venezuela, please know that Miami-Dade County Public Schools, again, it's not just about education here. but also about reaffirming the compassion and the assistance that is absolutely essential when others are in need. Just the same way we went through it with Hurricane Andrew, which I lived through. as a principal of a school. And when your schools are torn and the children are displaced and the families are going through so much stress, the only place for security and for children to feel that there is a sense of hope is getting them back to schools as soon as possible. So thank you, and at this time, I do not have anyone that signed up to speak. Yes, sir? Board Member Espino.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I just wanna echo some of the sentiments I said during committee. First of all, thank you for bringing this forward. This earthquake has been felt in Miami, perhaps not literally, but certainly figuratively because of the number of families that have family members still in Venezuela and Caracas. I WILL TELL YOU, AS I MENTIONED IN COMMITTEE, DISTRICT FIVE, SPECIFICALLY DORAL BECAME THE EPICENTER OF THE DISASTER RELIEF. THAT'S WHERE GLOBAL EMPOWERMENT MISSION GEM IS LOCATED AND THE CITY OF DORAL WITH ITS LEADERS, MAYOR FRAGA, OUR OWN SCHOOL MEMBER EMPLOYEE, COUNCILWOMAN NICOLE RENOSO AND COUNCILMAN RAPHAEL PINEDO TOOK THIS ON TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY RESPONDED IN A WAY THAT GEM HAS NEVER SEEN BECAUSE This is, they've never been situated in a place where so many members from that country where the disaster was occurring were in our country or in the country where they were responding and the overwhelming support that was generated by the entire Miami-Dade community was just so overwhelming they couldn't even fit it all in their warehouses and other warehouses had to be found, Legacy Park Community Center, and so on, and this discussion is occurring here, and it's occurring, Council Member Pineda took it all the way to the LAO conference recently and tried to get them activated as well, and as Jeff, the COO, said to me in committee, and we're starting to see it already, that as the weeks pass and the need continues, the the fervor to support and the to volunteer starts to wane and people get tired people get tired i mean you're talking about hundreds of volunteers working around the clock sometimes to get everything done and so injecting uh miami-dade county public schools and our students and our community into that not only is it absolutely a necessity but it also furthers those portrait of a graduate characteristics that we wanted to advance so thank you for your leadership on this and i know that district 5 appreciates it

thank you thank you so much board member espino and you're absolutely right people do get tired but not only do they get tired and again i speak through the experience i went through with hurricane andrew that is when they need the help the most the teachers at the school at the time of hurricane andrew that had lost everything the children that is when the emotional needs of all of those affected truly starting to become evident because the months were going by, you still didn't have your homes, you still were going through tremendous stress, and it did create a lot of anxiety, depression, and all kinds of other situations which required a great deal of assistance from others in other communities. So thank you very much for your words, Board Member Espino, I do appreciate it very much. And I don't think I have anyone else, so do I hear a motion to approve the item? Is there a second? Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. We now proceed to H7. Item H7 is a sustainability prioritizing the I-PREP Academy and MDCPS students and parents in formulating strategic redevelopment framework for the full downtown assemblage. Let's see what we have here. I do not have any speakers that have signed up for this item. So therefore, Board Member Bendros-Meningal, this is your item, and I know it's very near and dear to your heart. Thank you so much, Madam Chair.

And I know we've had numerous conversations on this item and anything related to it. Nonetheless, our charge is to do what we were elected to do, and that is to make sure that we take care of all of the children. But when some of them are right in our forefront, right in our faces, there's a message that they're sending us when it keeps popping up. So I'm going to get right into the conversation. This item is about reaffirming that education must remain the driving force behind every redevelopment decision involving district-owned property in District 2. As our neighborhoods continue to grow and to change, our responsibility is to ensure our students and families benefit The board has consistently supported the redevelopment of downtown properties with understanding that I-Prep Academy and Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School are top priorities. Today's item does not stop redevelopment. Instead, it ensures redevelopment remains aligned with the board's educational mission and previous commitments. The redevelopment framework should place students first. I repeat, students first. Educational facilities first. Community engagement first. Commercial development second. IPREP has waited for several years for a permanent modern facility. Parents, students, and staff have advocated consistently for this project. Previous board actions envisioned relocating IPREP to Biscayne Park with expanded student capacity and enhanced educational opportunities. Any alternative location should provide equal or greater educational value, not less. Families deserve to be informed and included before major decisions are made. The Parent Teacher Student Association should receive regular updates and have meaningful opportunities to provide input. Transparency builds trust. Major redevelopment decisions involving district-owned properties should always return to the board for approval. School board members representing impacted districts should be engaged early in discussions, not after decisions have already been shaped. This strengthens accountability and ensures community priorities remain at the forefront. Workforce and affordable housing are important initiatives. However, they should complement, not replace the district's primary responsibility of providing outstanding educational facilities. Again, our students must remain the highest priority. This redevelopment represents a once in a generation opportunity. We can modernize educational facilities, improve infrastructure, support our employees with workforce housing, and strengthen our downtown communities simultaneously. We should maximize every district asset to benefit future generations of students. Thank you very much. I'll see you on the journey. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you so much. And I don't have anyone else who signed up, but I do have two people that want to speak now. So Board Member Espino and then Board Member Geller.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And Dr. Bendros-Mendigo, I wasn't able to be at committee. We had a loss in the family. But I appreciate you very much bringing this item, and especially for what you've had to endure and wait to get this I-PREP developed. I think it's not only right, but it's necessary. A humble recommendation is in number three. You have parcels one, two, three, four, five, and six, but it doesn't contemplate other parcels that the district could potentially acquire, or if at some point in the assemblage a developer comes and says, I happen to have another parcel here, like a swap of some kind, which often happens in these assemblages. I THINK YOU WOULD BE WELL SERVED TO HAVE ALL THE PARCELS WITHIN OUR IMMEDIATE CONTROL AND SUCH OTHER PARCELS AS MAY BE LATER IDENTIFIED BY THE DISTRICT OR A POTENTIAL BIDDER TO THE ASSEMBLAGE. SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT WHICH WOULD JUST BROADEN THE POOL OF PROPERTIES THAT I COULD POTENTIALLY BE MOVED TO. BUT I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR THIS ITEM AND HOPEFULLY AS A RESULT OF THIS, NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE INFORMED OF OPTIONS BUT ALSO KEPT APPRISED OF ANY CHANGES IN YOUR DISTRICT. If you, to look at item number, sorry, recommended action number three, it says identified as parcel, excuse me, review the feasibility of using property currently owned by the district and identified as parcels one, two, three, four, five, and six. And then I would say, or, such other properties that may be acquired by the district or proffered by a third-party solicitor, which could serve as a superior location or relocation for a new, attractive, modern I-PREP. It just broadens the pool a little bit for options for you.

I can accept.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you. Board Member Geller, sir.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And thank you, Board Member Bendross-Mendigo.

As always, for following this up, as you have done so persistently and wonderfully. I thank you also, Board Member Espino, for that observation of a way that we could make this even a little stronger. But we just had this in front of us, colleagues, we just had it come up in the context of that parcel seven and moving forward and on that occasion just a few weeks ago we were notified i thought rather abruptly that the proposed plan to make this effective was not going to work they said suddenly oh well everything's set to go except We can't put I-PREP where we were gonna put I-PREP. Now, I recognize that things come up. I don't fault anybody. I'm glad we found that out before the board had to move forward. But that was some weeks ago. understand these are def difficult issues and that's why i thought that the contribution of board member spino to expand what we could look at to make this happen made made good sense but the bottom line is there was a problem that came up i understand why that problem came up and i certainly do support preserving parkland for park purposes But where's our alternative? What has been brought to us or suggested in the interim? Again, I understand it's a few weeks. It's not a few months. But we need answers. We need a plan. We need something concrete that can be brought before us to say, yes, at the last minute, we presented you with something that turned out not to be workable. Here's our workaround. I just want it to be known I'm looking for that. This is a priority. I don't mind saying again, this is a priority. But saying it's a priority is not a substitute for doing something about it. And we need to hear what alternatives we have that will work to get this done right away. And I support the item certainly, but I want the administration to understand we're looking for solutions. And if we need to pick one, that's what we're here for, but bring us some alternatives, preferably without further delay. Thank you.

Thank you. I just want to thank the maker of the item. I know that this has been going on for years. I've been with you since the previous board was here and this was started. I've been next to you listening to your immediate pleas to get this scenario addressed in front of the commission in the city of Miami. You went with parents from IPREP community, and your voices were heard. Mm-hmm. And so what I would like to have, and I thank you for the item, I would like to have Mr. Perez for some clarity. I do want to understand, I know that when we were in committee, it was stated that there were recommendations that were being made that most of us on the dais were not happy with. Obviously, you don't wanna have a school next to the train station where the noise is happening 24-7. Adjacent to a fire station. Exactly, and then you have also the traffic for the mothers and fathers taking their children. That was a concern for everyone, but I believe I heard administration say that this was just something that had just out of nowhere, really been proposed to all of you, and that that did not mean that that was going to be the only plausible option that we have. Could you please clarify that for us, Mr. Perez? I was gonna call him, because I need to hear this.

I'm tired of it. I was going to call him.

Yes, that's fine. And the follow-up questions are going to be done by Dr. Bendros-Mendingo.

Yes, sir. Yes, Madam Chair, through the Chair. So, yes, absolutely. Basically, this item reinforces last month's item. It does reinforce the parental engagement piece and also provides for board member engagement throughout the process. Once again, similar to, like, F1... language that we were gonna do anyway, right? Not through our normal due diligence, but now we can codify that between both items. And yes, absolutely, by approving the item last month, we are now in communication with the Omni CRA in working a solution. We have engaged also with one of our consultants to look at the fire station site, to look at other sites throughout the area that we have here, to see what is the smallest footprint that we would need for the I-PREP facility. And so we're in the process of that conversation. with the Omni CRA. We're also working on the parking agreements with Crescent Heights for the development for parcel seven. So all that work is ongoing and the consultant will come back to us with the recommendations regarding that fire station site and then conversations on with the Omni CRA as to whether we can swap maybe some property move the park to the west and develop on the east side, having a net zero difference on land and parkland. So all those conversations are now ongoing.

So thank you very much. I'm gonna turn it over to Dr. Bendos-Meningo, but just wanna make sure for the sake of the listening public and all of us on the dais, nothing's gonna happen without everything coming back to this board and the board making the final determination. Is that correct, sir?

Through the chair, Madam Chair, yes, absolutely. As with all of these public-private partnerships, there's a, it's a different, you know, it's a different, there are different steps that go with it. We bring the exploration. We're always seeking approval from the board and ultimately the final solution with the final agreements will come to the board for approval.

Thank you. Dr. Bendos-Mendigo, ma'am, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe you've asked the questions, as I said, and my mic was open, so I know it was heard. I would like to make sure that what we do today leads us to a possible, I won't say conclusion, but an answer to what we have proposed, as the Chair said, years ago, months ago, and we continue to talk about this item, I would like, through the chair, the staff would make sure that when we come before the public, we have all of the information that we need to appease the public as it relates to this item. This is not old. I'm sorry, it is old. I was gonna say it's not new. So is there any other information? I have a statement here I'd like to put on the table, then I would like for you to make sure that we are in order based on what we've talked about, as I said, for months. So through the chair, and with an amendment, I know we talked with a member of SPINO, I would like for everyone to listen to this and help us get through what is possible. To make an amendment to the item 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, as well as any suitable properties identified and mutually agreed upon by and through a public-private May I second? Partnership which could serve as a superior location or relocation for a new, attractive, modern I-Prep Academy K-12 school facility with increased student stations.

Does that make sense?

I think it makes perfect sense, absolutely. Mr. Perez, did you wanna respond? Thank you, Madam Chair. All right, so I'm going to vote right now on the item, and we just finished hearing the board member who proffered the item. We all spoke, do you wanna speak again, sir?

Well, I'm trying to second that amendment.

Well, yes, that's where I'm going. So we have a motion. Now we have a second. Any further discussion? Yes, go ahead, sir.

I just want to, perhaps we can hear from Mr. Perez again in a moment. I'm sorry to kind of jump ahead, but I do want to see if we can get a little bit more follow-up. But first, I just want to say that I agree with the sponsor about having what it takes to appease the public, I think was the phrase he used. But I want to be sure that we also appease my dear sister and the birthday girl, and that it be satisfactory not only to the public, but first to her. having stayed so doggedly on pursuing this item and refusing to let it slip beneath the waves. And that information needs to be in her possession first. But was Mr. Prez ever to come? Did he have to leave? Okay, can you come back just to add one thing? I apologize for, Through the chair, sir. Making me get up again, but through the chair.

Thank you.

Always. Thank you. Always through the chair. Thank you. Never without the chair, ever.

Thank you, I do appreciate that.

Well, that's just not proper.

Yes, thank you so much, and at this time, Mr. Perez, sir, you are recognized.

Well, I had a question for him. Yes. So, through the chair, I understand, I think, what you said. We're pursuing all options. I think the board is about to amend the item to indicate specifically, as both Board Members Spino and the sponsor have said, that we look at other properties and other opportunities. And I understand you're looking at those, and I appreciate that. I guess it's a two-parter, and then I'll be quiet so you can Tell us what you can. Number one, is the fire station currently the most likely, most available option? Do we think it could work? I know previously Board Member Espino has brought some of his expertise with these issues. about the difficulty of working with fire stations and that I believe you also referenced the timeline involved specifically. I think that was just at a recent meeting. I mean, it's not distant memory and mine works well enough to remember that still. So is that something that is right now considered most likely and feasible? but i guess in the second part is do we have some i guess i shouldn't really say timeline because i appreciate that your one leg of a three-legged stool it's not in your control nor is it in the district control where We have two other parties that we're speaking to and one of them is another sovereign political entity. But do we have at least a hoped for calendar wish for when we think this could come back to the board at least for a preliminary approval, if not signing off on the dotted line after Mr. Harvey and his office have a chance to do all the necessaries, but at least I want to be sure that we bring back something to the board that says, in principle, this is what we're looking at, and let us give you some guidance as to whether that proposed course of action is satisfactory, not here's the final agreement. If you want to change a couple of commas, maybe that's possible. And is that doable, and when could we look for that? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Perez? Through the Chair, Mr. Geller, a lot there to talk about and unpack, but yes. So we're looking at the fire station. That was a site that they proffered. Preliminarily, we have some concerns with that site, dealing with traffic flow and drop-off. So we did engage and we have engaged with an architect, an engineer, civil engineer who's looking at that, also meeting with the county and public works and all of that to see how that would work. There's also, like I mentioned, the opportunity of a conversation that's going to take place with these two other entities that you mentioned, the other two legs of the stool, where the park and the fire station are adjacent to each other. So if we were, let's say we could build on a half acre but the location of that fire station creates safety concerns for drop off, the park and the fire station can be sort of like swapped, right? So the fire, that half acre moves west and the park moves east, they're still adjacent to each other, there's no net loss of park and therefore the school now is further east and has less concerns with all the traffic from the trains and the cars and everything that goes through that intersection. So that's a possibility that is being explored. Is it the only one? We're looking at our parcels as well to see if there's a possibility there and what that would look like. And then as you mentioned, a timeframe. We're looking to have some of the preliminary information from the architect back within the next few weeks. We are in keeping and updating the board. We will be updating the board as the board item mentioned at committee meetings throughout as we move forward. I believe there is a time certain where we have to come back to the board with the full redevelopment plan for all our assemblage here at SBAB. I think it's 120 days from the board item from last month. So that is pretty much our timeframe, but we are working through some of the initial steps, site location steps, And then we will, of course, bring all of that back. We will, you know, my plan is not to bring back one solution with agreements and everything in place. This is all gonna be, you know, a step-by-step and the board will be involved throughout the entire process. You will have all the input and you will ultimately make the final decision on where we locate I-PREP with our recommendations, but ultimately it's your decision. Thank you, Madam Chair, thank you, sir.

Thank you. All right, at this time I have a motion, I have a second. We've had discussion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Seeing none, motion passes. Now I need a motion to pass the item as amended. Do I have a second?

Second.

All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, nay. Thank you, motion passes. We have now concluded all the business of the board. Mr. General Counsel, sir, is that correct?

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you. So therefore, according to the published agenda, we have addressed everything during the regular school board meeting. and pursuant to our published agenda, we are now going to begin the public portion of our meeting, and I will be calling speakers who are present immediately at this time, and we are officially starting at 3.15 p.m. for the public hearing portion.

so uh mr harvey sir will you please summarize the procedures that are going to be governing this portion of our meeting sir yes thank you madam chair in order to maintain order and decorum during the public hearing the board has established decorum policies the intent of these policies is not to regulate speech or the content thereof but to provide for the efficient and orderly functioning of the business of the board to protect the rights of each individual, to protect the right of the majority to decide, to protect the right of the minority to be heard, and to preserve the spirit and harmony within the board and those appearing before the board. The policy and procedures governing today's public hearing are as follows. Pursuant to school board policy 0169.1, the purpose of the public hearing portion of the board meeting is to allow the public to address matters directly related to school board business in a manner appropriate for a K-12 audience. Although the purpose of the public hearing is solely to receive public comment and participation concerning this purpose, the purpose is not served when citizens become disorderly or disruptive. Accordingly, a speaker's remarks should be directed to the chair or the board as a whole. The time allotted for the public hearing under the school board policy is 90 minutes. The board will not take any official action on any public hearing presentation but staff may be requested, if appropriate, to take a speaker aside and respond to his or her concerns. As such, speakers are prohibited from discussing their own pending court cases, legal claims, and complaints filed against the district or district personnel or disciplinary matters involving any individual school board employee as there are other more appropriate forms established for those purposes. In accordance with school board policy, substitutions for scheduled speakers will not be allowed except in exceptional circumstances. Campaigning and electioneering on public radio and television are strictly prohibited. While clapping and applauding is typically allowed and expected for resolutions, honors, and awards, it is prohibited at the public hearing since it disrupts and delays the orderly presentation and efficiency of the public hearing. Speakers may not use any form of profanity, loud or abusive comments, intentionally disruptive noises, heckling, or verbal outbursts in support or opposition of a speaker's remarks. Speakers whose comments are not related to the business of the school district or who make personal attacks or impertinent or slanderous remarks or otherwise engage in boisterous behavior which creates a disturbance or disruption may be ruled out of order and be warned that they must confine their comments to matters related to the school district or be prohibited from speaking further. Any speaker who persists in violating the school board's decorum policies may be asked to yield a podium, will have the microphone turned off, and will not be permitted to continue to address the board. Finally, I would like to remind public speakers that pursuant to school board policy, each speaker will be limited to three minutes to address the board during the public hearing. and no more than a total of 10 minutes during the entire school board meeting. The green light at the speaker's podium signals three minutes, the yellow light signals 30 seconds remaining, and the red light signals that the speakers have exhausted their time. Speakers may not refuse to yield a podium when the chair has advised that their time has expired. Any speaker who desires to provide additional comments beyond the time allotted may provide written comments to the board clerk for inclusion of the record of this meeting. Madam Chair, this summarizes the procedures for the conduct of the public hearing.

Thank you, Mr. General Counsel, sir. And now I will begin calling names. The first one is Antonio White. Mr. White's not here. Okay. Danielle Boye.

Superintendent and board members, I'm Danielle Boye Smith, first vice president of United Teachers of Dade. In just a few weeks, thousands of students will walk through the doors of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, excited, hopeful, and ready to learn. Presently, the employees who welcome them back are preparing classrooms, lessons for the first day of school. They are doing what they always do by putting students first. As they prepare, they still await answers about their salaries. Employees have waited through delays in the state budget process and now there's been delayed data requests and canceled scheduled bargaining sessions. Under the new law, every delay increases the uncertainty facing MDCPS employees. That uncertainty affects students and our community. Students succeed when schools recruit and retain outstanding employees. Every vacancy high-quality employee who leaves and dedicated professionals who question whether they can afford to stay weakens the stability our students deserve. Unlike most state funding the district receives, the TSIA, or teacher salary increase allocation, is restricted by state law for a specific purpose and group of employees. The district cannot use these dollars to provide raises across its workforce. That is why additional district resources must be identified to provide meaningful compensation for our entire workforce. Of the nearly 191 million TSIA allocated to MDCPS, More than 166 million helps maintain salary increases already in place. Only 24.7 million represents new funding. After the required distribution to charter and private schools that now also receive state tax dollars, the district is expected to have only about 13 million available for MDCPS employees. That funding is restricted by state law and may only be used for eligible classroom teachers and FEFP-funded certified pre-K teachers with 10 years of Florida public school teaching experience. Despite what many have heard regarding the new law providing a $3,000 increase, It is not guaranteed based on the number of eligible MDCPS teachers, so they will receive far less. TSIA is only part of the answer. The state has chosen what it will do, and the board is to identify additional resources to help prioritize employee compensation and to bring meaningful proposals to the bargaining table that recognize the value of every employee. United Teachers of Dade is ready to bargain. Our employees are ready to move forward and should not have to continue waiting as opportunities to reach an agreement are lost. The decisions you make in the coming weeks will speak louder than any presentation or budget document. Do not let limited state funding become an excuse for limited district leadership. Find resources, complete bargaining with urgency, and invest in every employee that contributes to MDCPS being an A-rated school district. Thank you.

Thank you.

Mindy Grimes-Festage.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the school board, Mr. Superintendent. I am Mindy Grimes-Feske, Secretary-Treasurer of UTD. In just a few weeks, our community will have an important opportunity to participate in the democratic process. On Tuesday, August 18th, Miami-Dade County voters will cast their ballots in Florida's primary election. School board elections are among the most important in our community because the decisions made by this board directly impact our students, educators, employees, and families, from academics and school safety to budget, facilities, and long-term success. The future of public education is shaped not only in this room, but also at the ballot box. Yet one of the biggest barriers to participation is misinformation. Many people believe they cannot vote in school board elections during a primary if they are not registered with a political party. That is simply not true. School board elections in Florida are nonpartisan. If you live in Miami-Dade School Board District 1, you can vote in this election regardless of party affiliation. Too often, eligible voters miss the opportunity to participate simply because they do not realize they can vote in these races. Knowledge leads to participation, and participation strengthens our community. Once people know they can vote, the next step is making a plan. Whether voting by mail, during early voting, or on election day, having a plan makes participation far more likely. If you plan to vote by mail, the deadline to request a ballot is August 6th at 5 o'clock p.m. Early voting runs from August 3rd through August 16th, providing ample opportunity to cast your ballot before election day. For more information, including key dates, voting resources, and helpful reminders, please visit utd.org. Take a few minutes today to review your sample ballot, confirm your voting location, and decide how you will vote. Then encourage your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to do the same. Sometimes one conversation is all it takes to make a difference. Voting is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways we can support a community. Participation benefits us all. Strong public schools depend on informed and engaged communities. Every eligible voter who participates strengthens our democracy, our public schools, and the future of the students we serve. Thank you.

Thank you. Heather Knickerbocker.

Good afternoon. My name is Heather Knickerbocker, and if that sounds familiar, it should. On March 31st and again on April 7th, every member of this school board, the district, and the superintendent have received detailed emails from me outlining concerns involving student safety, special education compliance, and the misuse of public resources and employee retaliation. None of you replied. For months, I heard nothing. Then after it became known by the district that I had signed up to speak before this board, I suddenly began receiving phone calls to address my concerns. After months of silence, it is difficult for me to view that as anything other than trying to keep me quiet. On that call, I explained that my disappointment was not simply a lack of communication, it was lack of the actual investigation. What was explained to me was a surface level review at best. I stand before you today as a parent in this district, a former behavior management teacher and district SCM trainer with more than 20 years of exemplary experience and an educational advocate. In over two decades, I have not contacted anyone to report concerns about any administrators, not once. So when such an employee reports concerns involving student safety, IDEA compliance, integrity of records, misuse of publicly funded positions, lack of student mental health suicide crisis response, and even live ammunition being brought on a school campus and remaining unreported while the student was making a deal to withdraw, someone should stop and say what is happening. Instead, I was ignored.

After reporting these concerns, I received retaliation, and I reported that too.

Again, no meaningful investigation even after I asked for additional evidence to be looked at. This is bigger than myself. We often hear discussions about declining enrollment and the difficulty of retaining quality educators. This is why. People do not leave because they are asked to work hard. They leave when integrity is no longer valued, when employees who speak up are ignored, and when doing the right thing feels like the greatest risk. At that school, an entire department has left. I have taken a leave after more than 20 years of service, not because I stopped loving my job or the students, but because it's exhausting watching accountability and safety be ignored by the very people that I entrust with providing the oversight. Today I'm asking for accountability because if your own employee can report concerns and receive silence from the leadership of the district, every parent must ask themselves if this is how an employee who witnessed these concerns is handled, how will mine be handled when my child's safety and education is at risk? Thank you.

Thank you. Cheryl Mullinex.

Do we have handouts for the board if somebody would like to come and get them?

Yes, through the chair, I will collect them as she speaks. Thank you.

If you would allow me a moment here, Madam Chair. Kind of got here a little late, I apologize.

It's all right, no problem. All right, where is our secretary? She's on her way down, thank you.

As I would like for you to look at the first document and the second document first. Two. And three. Yeah, summer does not have that on it, and I apologize. Here we go. Okay. And Madam Chair, that is what you have is actually everything for the items that I missed as well. That's the entire.

All right. Go ahead, ma'am.

So. We've had this discussion on many times. Superintendent Dotris has promised roundtables involving community members, deaf professionals. To my knowledge, that hasn't happened. Right now, I'm here to talk about the RFP that was put in place for both agencies. Now, I understand that I believe it is 5.2 that says the lowest bid has the first opportunity to fill assignments. Fiscal responsibility is important, and especially during difficult times. However, is fiduciary responsibility more important than the student's right to receive accessible education That's a good question for you to answer and think about because there's also a piece of paper at the very top that shows you what the different levels of what a 3.2 interpreter would be the English translation to what a nationally certified interpreter would give that information. Also, it defines the scores. What I'd also like to do is to point out section 6.3. This is in your contract that you awarded. It says regarding school board meetings, it states that the successful proposer will provide continuous simultaneous on camera sign language interpretation for televised school board meetings. It further states Two qualified sign language interpreters will be provided at each televised regular scheduled school board meeting for the duration of the meeting. The contract also requires interpreting services for the deaf and hard of hearing parents, employees that rely on sign language to eliminate communication barriers during faculty meetings, professional development, parent conferences, evaluations, and such. There are still staff, students, parents that are not getting equal access. Access is denied. As you have here, you have VRI. That could go up on your teleprompter and you could have simultaneous interpretation with your captioning because your captioning does mess up. We are denying the rights of students.

Thank you very much, ma'am. Thank you. Natalie Contreras. Natalie Contreras. Thank you. Marlene Yanez. Nancy Lawther.

Good afternoon again. As I emailed over the weekend, I'll be addressing topics relating to the 2026 school grades report, this year's secret sauce schools, and finally the disconnect between school grades and enrollment capacity rates. First, let me congratulate the district on its A rating as well as all those from board members to students themselves for demonstrating once again and against all odds how it's done. A seventh A rating in a row, this time with no D or Fs among district managed schools and a relatively small percentage of Cs. Let me note in particular Miami-Dade's secret sauce schools. Of the 97 schools reporting 100% student poverty rates, 95 of them are district-run schools. charter school enrollment skews towards wealthier students. Of those 97, not only did 30, nearly a third, earn A grades, but 14 of the 30 received their second straight A, three received a third A in a row, and three just garnered their fifth straight A. You would think that parents would be flocking to enroll their children in these high-performing schools. Apparently not. iTech at Thomas A. Edison just notched their fifth consecutive A with 91% passing rates in English language arts and 85% passing rates in math. It sat on July 10th at 14.73% of enrollment capacity. The Center for International Education, a Title I school with 93% passing rates in ELA and 77% in math, a school that has never received less than an A grade, is listed at 25.25% capacity and is on the advised school list for next year. These secret sauce and hidden gem schools are, in my view, the true schools of hope. I urge the board to consider the legislative proposal I forwarded over the weekend and to take aggressive action to sustain and uplift these schools. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Elia Seyfi. Phyllis Compton.

Good afternoon, ma'am. Good afternoon. And good afternoon to our board members, Madam Chair, Superintendent Dostris. My name is Phyllis Compton. I am president of the United Teachers of Dade Retiree Chapter. However, today I come to you as an individual deeply concerned and actually shocked that we have considered candidates for our new superintendent who are from the charter school movement. This is not a criticism of any individual's character, but a question A question? A question of perspective and priorities. And thank you for recognizing this as well in announcing our two finalists. As you are all very well aware, the mission of our public schools is to serve every child who walks through their doors. Yes, every child without regard to abilities, spoken language, ethnicity, or economic circumstance. It is what we do best. The selected superintendent and our board members must be 100% committed to that mission and to protecting it for future generations. Charter schools operate under different structures, funding models, and accountability systems. Charter school candidates bring those policies to the table, which frequently do not align with our public school system. We have already begun to see negative effects on Miami-Dade County public schools. I believe co-location is never an answer. Handing over the keys to our public school doors while allowing charter schools to take a piece of our dwindling pie, that is not acceptable to me. So in closing, I am addressing our two finalists as well. And hope you are also listening today. Thank you and have a good afternoon. Thank you.

Theophilus Williams. Michael Llorente.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair, board members, Mr. Superintendent. I'm Mike Llorente with LSN, and we represent AVMED, Inc. I'm here to highlight an egregious error in the financial analysis produced by your consultant Gallagher for the school district's healthcare program. Gallagher concluded that Cigna is the lowest cost vendor to administer the district's massive and very important medical and pharmacy benefits program. But in reaching this conclusion, Gallagher made a $350 million error. They forgot to add the entire cost of Cigna's pharmacy claims over a five-year period, $350 million. A matter of simple arithmetic. So what happens when you add Cigna's actual pharmacy claim costs into the equation? You discover that AvMed is $89 million cheaper than Cigna for medical, $89 million cheaper. for medical and $54 million cheaper for medical and pharmacy. So the board now has two consultants saying that AVMED will save the district between 50 and $90 million. These savings could be much higher because as pointed out by Gallagher in its report just recently released, Cigna failed to provide clear pricing information for disease management coverage, external vendor fees, shared savings fees, ad hoc reporting, cost containment, cap reconciliation, pharmacy integration, single sign-on program, and ReachRx program. So we have a simple request before moving forward with Cigna. Ask your staff in public with the cameras rolling, to explain why it makes sense to spend an extra $50 to $90 million to keep Cigna rather than switching to AvMed. The evaluation committee on a split vote didn't know whether to believe AvMed's numbers, but those numbers have now been certified and validated by AvMed's chief actuary, and now vetted by two consultants. The numbers are real. We believe if the district is going to leave $50 to $90 million on the table, the public deserves to know why. And we're asking for that discussion to take place today. Thank you.

Thank you. Cassie Creed? Cassie Creed? Good afternoon, ma'am.

Good afternoon. What is the purpose of representation if the people you represent never hear your voice? My name is Cassie Creed and I want to give you my honest opinion. I'm tired. I'm tired of coming to this podium meeting after meeting to ask this board to truly listen. We shouldn't have to keep coming here to beg for transparency, accountability, and a seat at the table. Public comments should be more than two or three minutes at a microphone. It should be the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one. School co-locations are not just about putting two schools in one building. They impact student learning environments, Displace teachers and staff, strain shared resources, create scheduling challenges, and change the identity of schools that communities have spent decades building. We are seeing this at Homestead Senior High School, where students, parents, teachers, and alumni have raised concern about the proposed School of Hope co-location. They fear losing the school culture that generations have worked to build. At a time where many Miami-Dade families are already living in fear and uncertainty around immigration enforcement, our schools should be places of stability and trust, no more disruptions. What concerns me just as much as the co-locations is the silence. Silence is a decision. When school board members choose not to speak, families are left wondering who's advocating for them. Your constituents deserve to know where you stand before decisions are made, not after. I ask you to remember that a school is more than just a building. It's where students grow, where families find community, and where futures begin. Please treat these decisions with the care that they deserve. Look at us in the eye when we come up to this podium. Listen, not just because you have to, but because that's what leadership requires. We deserve transparency, meaningful community engagement, and leaders who are willing to stand with the people they represent. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening. Joe Minor with United Teachers of Dade. I had some prepared comments for tonight, but I feel like we're in a little bit of a time warp based on the healthcare conversation I just heard. United Teachers of Dade sent an email to all board members. We sat on the selection committee. I was deposed, as was everybody else on the committee. That was recorded on the camera. Every single vendor was there. Every single vendor heard the conversation. Any vendor who was not selected had the opportunity to challenge that outcome, and AVMED did not. UnitedHealthcare did and subsequently withdrew their challenge after they had deposed everyone. So I do appreciate that they sent a letter and they're here to speak, but there is a process. There was an opportunity to deal with whatever concern they may have, and they did not exercise that. So it seems to us that it's incumbent upon you to follow the procurement procedure and all of the challenge process that are built into it. They did not exercise any of those options. I think last time I spoke about the lobbying that was going on behind the scenes, we had no idea what they were saying to board members, what it was about, because none of that was recorded. Most of it wasn't in writing. We did see the letter this time. I didn't make the math error, but I agree there was a math error in the most recent report. But last time we spoke, we should have spent that $90,000 anyway. The procurement process was followed. A challenge process was available. They did not exercise the challenge. Game over. Separate, I'll go on to my other comments here, but... You know, as we enter the election season, one of our priorities must be to ensure that residents of Miami-Dade County have accurate information about the issues directly affect our public schools. One of the most important is renewal of the referendum. Preparation does not begin in October, right? The election's in November, but we need to start now. We've been having these conversations. I was happy to hear that it was talked about yesterday, instability, that we need to finish bargaining, we need to get a referendum done. These are things that we need to finish. So however the superintendent situation goes, we all need to know that we have things that are in process and we must finish those. Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average pay. That's the reality we face as we work to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. The referendum helps, but even the money we get from the referendum doesn't make up for what we don't get from the state. We've still lost ground with inflation. You guys all got a presentation from Mr. Steiger, we did too. Even when you add the referendum money, we still do not keep up with inflation. So the importance of making sure that we lay the groundwork, let the public know what that referendum pays for, whether that's instructional personnel or school safety, the importance of passing that and continuing that referendum, and also letting them know what's at stake if they don't. And it's $400 million, thank you.

Angel Lopez. Angel Lopez? Daniela Sorto?

Sorry, I'm here. Oh, I'm sorry. Angel Lopez? Yes.

Yes.

Good afternoon, fellow chair and board members. I am Angel, and I am here to show my support for the public schools across the county. I am aware that the board knows that policy D64 deals It doesn't believe benefit the public and is aware of the $700 per student amount, which is not enough to cover the proportional cost for the charter schools that are implemented within our public schools. There was insufficient consultation with affected families, students, and constituents alike. I do not envy the position that the board was placed in. I understand that law mandates the county to comply, and I want to recognize that the board's efforts to create the best outcome possible. However, as it stands, the deal is insufficient and it harms our public schools. When the contract is up for renewal, I urge the board to critically examine the charter schools. A charter school company that has been steep in controversy for discrimination practices in the state of New York should not be in our county. To that end, I ask the board to use whatever avenues available to make this process transparent for the public and allow those affected to have a say in the matter. Thank you.

Thank you. Daniela Soto.

Soto.

Good afternoon, ma'am.

Good afternoon. Hello, my name is Daniela Sorto. I live in Homestead, and I've lived there for the past 13 years. By the time I got there, the charter school system already had its grips on the city, so I attended a charter school for elementary, middle, and high school, and I really wish that I could have had this conversation before I wasted my entire education on a system that was made to exploit me, but I was nine, and I didn't know anything except what the charter school system afforded me, which was not very much. And I was a good student. I was bright. I loved learning. I got a lot of comfort out of going to school, and my teachers had a lot of hope for my future, so much so that they actually begged me to transfer to better schools. But even the smartest kids will still only be sitting ducks to adults in power. And I didn't know what I didn't have. I didn't actually know that the facilities I saw every day were run down. I didn't know the classes were overfilled. I didn't know it wasn't normal to share so little with so many people. I only learned any of this post-graduation when I saw that my peers were given a better education, better resources, better opportunities, and I was leagues behind all of them. And my potential, I realized, was bit off and sold to some parasitic corporate entity that claimed to want to nurture it and then devoured it. What Schools of Hope did was put us in this weird Munchausen's by proxy situation where we're given a treatment that they know will only ever keep us sick because they profit off of what they are calling treatment. I live across from Homestead Senior High, which is the next school slated to be taken over and consolidated by the charter system, who will leech off of its facilities along with the public funding that maintains them. And I know better now and I see it happening, and I'm still a sitting duck. They don't accept any inputs, don't ask what we think, until they've already finished tying our hands. I want transparency, I want accountability, I want a real say in the future of my community. If I've learned anything from the charter school system, it's that it doesn't work, and I'd want to use that knowledge to good use. Thank you.

Thank you. Stephanie Rupp.

Good afternoon. I thought that if I sat up front with more lighting, I wouldn't be as cold as I usually am. But I am numb. I had a whole speech prepared. And then when I heard the chair mention having lived through Hurricane Andrew, I too lived through Hurricane Andrew. Our Venezuelan community has my sympathy, and I am heartbroken for families who have lost loved ones. The political atmosphere in Venezuela is also distressing for many of our residents. I hope that the board members are preparing for the stress Many of our resident families are feeling due to the political atmosphere in Cuba, which is soon to be a disaster for all of us, especially the children. I personally witnessed an ICE traffic stop. where a young man was pulled out of a landscaping truck, handcuffed and taken away in a police car. I am still traumatized by what I saw. This young man may have a family here, children in public schools that likely are horrified as I am, families without the income this young man was providing, et cetera. It is my hope that there will be provisions for children, including uniform supplies, most importantly mental health for those that are being affected by this. I need mental health. because of what I saw. Also, with TPS in jeopardy for the Haitian community, over 350,000 Haitians are in Miami. What will become of all of their American-born children? I hope the school board is also planning for this disaster that is right around the corner. jerking them around like the government is, giving them a week, two weeks, then when the two weeks are up, oh, maybe we'll give them another week. Imagine how the parents and the children feel not knowing What's gonna happen? It's just, it's beyond anything. I've said it before, and maybe you don't remember, my uncle was in a concentration camp. what's going on now with ICE being everywhere and picking up people even when they're American citizens or preparing for their asylum hearing. Just think about the children.

Think about that. Thank you, Ms. Rupp. Esther DeVarona.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Esther de Verona, and I'm here representing a nonpartisan citizen and civic group called Cuban American Women Supporting Democracy. We've been watching the process of selection for your superintendent, and we want to thank you for your diligence, for your hard work, and especially for including input from the community. I think it will help with much needed trust. Our organization understands that the bedrock of true democracy is having an educated citizenry that can participate in government and is able to self-govern. In a time like today where we have so much uncertainty and scarcity of funds, it's important to make clear the priority of strengthening and fully uplifting our community assets, and by that I mean our public schools, our buildings, and our quality teachers and staff. somehow or other reputation proceeds and the assumption that public schools wouldn't be as good as a private type of schooling a small charter that is not necessarily the case and we need champions to highlight these A public schools so that parents choose to go there. The public's hard-earned tax money should first go to these public district-owned entities. Thank you so much. Thank you. For all you do.

James Bever. Okay. Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon, superintendent, Madam Chair, and board. I'm Jay Bieber. I am also a member of United Teachers of the Day retired, but I'm speaking on my own terms here and do not necessarily represent our members. I want to thank all of you for leading a meticulously fair and thorough search process. for our next superintendent. As you prepare to interview the two finalists, I know you're getting your final questions together. I wanna underline what I feel is a major priority, and that is stopping the demise of our traditional neighborhood public schools. Across Miami-Dade, zoned neighborhood schools are facing declining enrollment, and charter programs may be valuable, as are magnet programs, or not, but every family deserves a thriving top-tier public school right in their neighborhood. When you do go to question the final two candidates, I submit to you three questions that you might ask. Number one, what is your concrete plan to stabilize and revitalize our public neighborhood schools? Number two, how will you ensure equitable funding and veteran teacher placement for neighborhood schools alongside the choice options? And three, how will you reengage local families to rebuild trust in their local schools? Our next leader cannot oversee the gradual demise of the neighborhood school system. We need a superintendent with a plan to strengthen them. Thank you for your time and your leadership.

Thank you. Esther Garrett.

It's Garvin. Sorry about the handwriting. I'd like to thank you for allowing me to speak. I want to introduce myself. I'm going to be 78 at the end of August. I was born and raised right here in Dade County. I went to Shenandoah Elementary till the fifth grade. Then we moved to the Palmetto area. I went to Palmetto Elementary. Palmetto, there was no junior high, so... The first year of junior high, I went to Palmetto Senior High. Then they had the junior high opened enough to have the eighth grade class, so I was there for eighth grade, ninth grade, first graduating class from the junior high, and then back to Palmetto Senior High, which was like old home week. I was lucky enough to get to go to college and be a teacher. I didn't really want to be a teacher. I wanted to be a nurse from the time I was two. And I don't know what ended, caused me to go down the road that said be a teacher, but it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. My second year as a teacher, when I'm still learning how to be a teacher, because I really didn't know what I was doing yet, they brought a little girl into my classroom who arrived the day before from Vietnam. She spoke no English. I obviously spoke no Vietnamese. I looked at her and I thought, oh my God. Oh my God, what do I do? And somehow I thought of this wonderful little system where she was assigned four buddies. They volunteered to do this. They sat together all day. They took turns pointing to the words as we read them. And every 30 minutes they had to take her to the bathroom because how was she going to tell us she had to go? She probably thought, what's wrong with these Americans? All they do is go pee all day long. It's ridiculous. Two years later, I got the same thing, a little girl from mainland China, spoke no English either. I could say chicken chow mein, but that's not a conversation piece. Same system, I used that system for all 37 years. Dade County Public Schools was lucky enough, or nice enough, to let me be part of the program. I have really strong feelings about public schools. I got a great education. I don't know that I was always the greatest student, I don't know that all my teachers loved me, but I got a great education and I got to give back to the kids that I taught. A charter school is not a public school. Now, I have no problem with anybody who wants to go to a private school, a parochial school. Thank you, ma'am. Am I done? Thank you so much. Yes, your time is up. I am so sorry. It's all right. And happy birthday, Ms. Dorothy.

Thank you. I've been apprised that Antonio White will not be here. I'm gonna call again those that I previously called that were not present. Natalie Contreras. Okay, Marlene Yanez. Elias Safey.

Through the chair, I have spoken with Mr. Safey, he's on his way.

Okay, thank you. Theophilus Williams. Okay. And all the others were here, okay. So I'm going to, at this time, take it back to announcements and we'll go back to the public hearing after we do announcements instead of ending and taking a break because by 4.30 is a time that we have to remain. Mr. General Counsel, sir, is that acceptable to you?

Madam Chair?

Yes, sir. Oh, our superintendent.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted, as you finish public, I know you're gonna go back, clarify something. One of the speakers mentioned a couple of things that I believe need clarification. And it has to do with a very particular group of students, or students that are deaf and hard of hearing. We have been working, although they are a small group, that does not diminish the importance in how we have to work with them. And a couple of things. We've been working very diligently in providing additional supports and looking carefully of how we work with these students. We most definitely have had round tables. We've had two round tables with teachers and interpreters, and we've had one round table with parents and students. We're looking at the training, we're looking at the certification of the interpreters, The speaker has been instrumental for several years in making sure that we look at the different aspects of this special group of students and what they need. And I must affirm that through the leadership of Ms. Angie Torres, there has been a lot of focus on how we service and the delivery of services for these students. I just wanted to make sure that the board is aware and we do not leave here today with misconceptions. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Superintendent, for that clarity. That's very important because those students are amazing and we need to make sure that we do everything in our power to ensure that the services that are necessary are provided. Thank you. Yes, sir?

Madam Chair, if I could have a moment just to follow up on something. I wasn't gonna speak, and I never speak when there's public speakers, but because I think this is a very sensitive, important topic, I myself had the opportunity to shadow a school interpreter that was working with our students that are hard of hearing in one of our elementary schools where we have specialized programs for these students. I wanna share with the superintendent, our teams are doing incredible work out there when it comes to these, and I was in a classroom where we had a teacher plus an interpreter plus support for additional students in there. I never wanna claim that we're perfect, but I do know that we have some amazing teachers out there, and actually, one of our teachers at the school that I visited, she herself is deaf and hard of hearing, and she's in the classroom teaching the students, and it was so special to see her working together with our students and how they were communicating with each other, how they would smile, how they were learning, and how they were given opportunities because it's very important that all of our students receive the services that they can, and we can always improve, and I welcome all the feedback from our community, but I want our community, especially our special needs community to understand that This district does incredible things. Our teachers do incredible things and the support staff that are with them out there are also doing. So I just wanted to make sure that those folks that I shadowed and were there knew that I was going to be their voice here today and sharing the experience that I had when I was there with them. So thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak.

Absolutely, thank you Board Member Alonso, and I too can state the same, because number one, I was a board member, appointed, not elected, but appointed for eight years. I traveled once a month. and to a school called the School of the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida. I got to see firsthand the needs of all of those children and all of the amazing services that were being provided to them. And I can tell you that some of the schools that I have visited here have also done the same. The one area though, Mr. Superintendent, that maybe we can take a deeper dive in is this is a field that has a very limited number of applicants that want to get into that particular arena and just the same way, Mr. Superintendent, that we have other options for those that wanna enter specific fields. This is a field that we may want to take a look at and try to encourage our students, our high school students to get involved in because finding interpreters is not an easy task. It is not, and so just food for thought on something that I think might be beneficial for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Thank you, thank you for your comments. Mr. General Counsel, sir, you were about to respond.

Yes, Madam Chair, just a reminder, the policy says the public hearing shall not conclude before 4.30 unless all speakers signed up to speak are present and have been given an opportunity to speak.

Yes, thank you.

Oh, just repeating.

That's the verification and that's good that the listening public is hearing us and we shall definitely wait and I've been apprised that Mr. Safey is on his way as well. He should probably be getting here any moment. So I'm gonna open up to announcements and we have Dr. Bendros-Mendingo, ma'am.

Thank you, Madam Chair. More than likely, my announcement will become more of a statement. I know they're gone, but I want to thank those retired teachers for speaking with us today and the poignant remarks they made. I am indeed pleased. I just hope they would get in front of some of the issues. They would be very helpful to us. And I know someone made mention that some of their emails, et cetera, were not responded to. Well, just give us a chance to do what we can. Why? Because our marching orders to a degree come from a place called Tallahassee. I want you all, those retired teachers and others who are listening and watching, please pay attention. and help us help you and our children. We have concerns also about what is happening in our schools. I should say that I have served, or I served for eight years in Tallahassee. I saw it coming, but we need you all to walk with us, talk with us, and decide what we're gonna do, we. What are we gonna do with Dade County Public Schools? The schools belong to the people. Pay attention, help us help you. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

And now we have Vice Chair Colucci. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I just quickly want to make three very brief announcements. I know one, we've declared a special holiday today for Dr. Bendros Mendigal, so happy birthday. I also want to congratulate, I was remiss yesterday with our meeting, I didn't get to, I'm sure she's tuned in, Board Member Santos on the birth of her baby boy, so congratulations to you and to our Madam Chair. tomorrow marks 50 years of her marriage to her wonderful husband. So it's her 50th wedding anniversary. Thank you. So we have a lot to celebrate and wish you 50 more. Thank you. Or more than that. So thank you. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you so much. Yes, Board Member Blanco.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I know I didn't sign up for announcements, but we do have some time. I just want to announce for those that may be listening, tomorrow from 4 to 6 p.m. at South Dade Senior High, we'll be having a book bag distribution along with other elected officials. I'll have lots of resources for parents from the library to Parent Academy, Title I, Migrant Education. We'll have plenty of book bags to give away. First come, first serve until we run out, and we will also have barbers there providing free haircuts.

Thank you, anyone else? Okay, I would also like to inform the families in my district to make sure to follow me on social media. I am going to have several backpack giveaways together with elected officials from different municipalities. We have a lot of need in our community, and I'm very grateful to the partnerships that we have established in Miami-Dade County Public Schools with other municipalities and the county. so please follow the social media so that you can get the exact information as to the dates and times when we will be engaging in those activities. Also, I want to commend and congratulate one more time All of the interns that we had during the summer, they just were fantastic and did a superb job. We always learn from them many times more than what they even learn from us. So thank you once again for your participation and for the outstanding work that you have done. In my particular case, The intern that we have is the one that designed all of the invitations for the backpack events and did a truly superb job. Very, very proud. And we have our superintendent of schools, Dr. Jose L. Dutris, who would like to have a moment to be able to share with all of us about his experience this weekend with the State Board of Education. So, Mr. Superintendent, sir, you're recognized at this time.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And it wasn't this week and it was today. That was the reason why I was late. But a couple of things happened at the State Board that were, I think, really significant for us. So the first for the state, we're having a new commission of education, Dr. Henry Mack. And I have to tell you that Dr. Mack has really made an incredible emphasis in this state regarding the multiple pathways that we have to provide for students. In the world of industry connected learning, all these career and technical education options, he really headed and led a lot of this when he was here. So he's actually come back to us. When the very first program for teacher, apprentice was created in the state, he had a lot to do with it. So it was a real honor and pleasure for me to speak on his behalf. But then we also had Ms. Diaz, Mr. Mateo, and the wonderful teacher, Ms. Cruz, Principal Ms. Cruz from Venetian Park there. And the State Board of Education has actually approved Florida's first ever District Innovation School of Technology. at Venetian Park Academy, it will now become a model to transform the educational landscape. And it's just not only about technology. What the proposal and what the model will be that is even more important is that by securing waivers from traditional minimal instructional hour requirements, We are shifting the focus from seat time to learning time. This flexibility allows students to progress through the curriculum at their own pace based on competency-based frameworks. And so ultimately, this can be a real game changer as we move into the future. Because of personalized learning, this model represents a fundamental shift towards student-centered education. The flexibility afforded by the state board empowers teachers to act as mentors, as coaches, leveraging technology and educational resources to provide educational trajectory for every single learner. So it's a pleasure for me to announce this, and we will be looking at the school very carefully and making sure that it really becomes a model for our district and, of course, beyond. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. That is wonderful news. Really looking forward to it. And Board Member Blanco?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Superintendent, I just want to thank you for that wonderful news. Venetian Park is in my district. When we're talking about enrollment and consolidation of schools, it's a brand-new school that we opened last year. And... having visited, having met with the principal, and seeing how the enrollment has, I mean, I wanna say quadrupled or more, I think, in just one year, speaks volumes to the work that is being done there, and so I'm excited to hear this new development, and I was just noticing today in the morning scrolling through social media the things I say the students shouldn't do, but I saw something that talked about how The education and the way that we have designed education is from the time of, you know, industrial revolution, right? And as we move into a new world, education needs to change in a way where it's not just about learning information, because so much information is readily available at our fingertips, but it's about creating individuals who can think, who can... problem solve and I was really excited as I was looking through it because so many of that is what is in our portrait of a graduate and it's absolutely what we're doing at Venetian Park and so I'm extremely happy to hear that development. Thank you, Mr. Superintendent, for sharing.

Thank you, Board Member Blanco, for sharing that with us. Do I have anyone else that would like to make any announcements at this time? Okay, let's look at the time. It is 419. I'm going to call names again and see if anyone has arrived. We'll start with Natalie Contreras. Marlene Yanez. Elia Seyfi. Theopolis Williams.

Oh, okay, Mr. Seyfi's here, great.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. School Board members, I understand that Mr. Ron Steiger, our current Chief Financial Officer of Dade Schools, will be leaving the school system next month. So I thought it best to express my best wishes to him in his future employment at this time. I have known Mr. Steiger for about 12 years and first met him when he was chief budget officer and part of the district staff that holds what has been colloquially known as the parent budget subcommittee on a monthly basis. While we may not align philosophically on several issues and I still have pending important questions regarding our school district technology expenditures and IDEA grant salary budget and expenditures in recent years, I contend he has generally done well representing the financial picture of the school district. I've known Mr. Steiger to be competent and confident. He exhibits wit and drive pragmatism Moreover, he has rarely shied away from a difficult question and is usually comfortable and willing to offer and express his personal point of view, something that citizens appreciate and is not the norm in public service. Thank you.

Thank you very much, sir. Theopolis Williams. Okay, I believe I have called everyone on the list, and the time is 421, so we have a few more minutes before 430, so we're going to, let's see, okay, so we're gonna make some additional announcements. I have a few more to make, and I know that Board Member Alonso also has some more to make. Let's see where we are.

It's not an effort to kill time, but I wasn't going to speak on it, but I want to congratulate Board Member Blanco and the superintendent on Venetian and the incredible team that worked on it. I was in Tallahassee and actually Paul Burns, who was our interim temporary commissioner of education for a while, had come up to me and shared with me how impressed he was when he did a walkthrough with Mr. Mateo and the team over at that school. And I'm honestly a little bit jealous. I can't wait to have one in District 4, as well as I'm sure every board member wants it, right? And it's truly the evolution of education, right? And it just continues to show how Miami-Dade County Public Schools is leading the front. We're leading the front when it comes to change, innovation, and always keeping students at the forefront. This is about meeting students where they're at. This is the power of innovation. This is the power of artificial intelligence in a good way to be able to meet a child where they're at and allow a teacher to continue working with them at those places. Because the one important thing that we have to realize is this is not replacing teachers. This is helping our teachers have an opportunity to meet that child where they're at at that moment. And it's truly... something that we look at sometimes, right, and when we look at seat time, right, it's such a big topic that it's talked about around the state, around the country, around the world. We've developed seat time really around schools being daycares, per se, for students, right, and having the opportunity for a child to be dropped off at school so that a parent can go to work and come back. We know that the world has evolved so much, right, so this really gives us opportunity to test that concept, to really perfect it as we continue to expand it, And I think we're definitely gonna be a model for the state and probably beyond with the work that's gonna be done there. So just congratulations to the superintendent, to the entire team that worked on it. I know it was a lot of work because to the state, they had never had anybody actually follow the law because we did follow the law and actually implement it. And that just goes to show how the team here always follows the law and implements it the way that needs to be done, always keeping our students informed. So congratulations, and I look forward to walking that school soon and seeing all the amazing work happening there.

Thank you, Board Member Alonso, and I'm very happy to hear you saying that this would never ever be able to replace a teacher, because I was watching TV and saw that in some states, they actually showed the picture of artificial intelligence with a robot, basically, doing the job of a teacher, very. So I do wanna take this opportunity though to commend and congratulate every single member of the Miami-Dade County public school family that helped together as a solid team to attain that A grade for the seventh year. This is not an easy task in the third largest school district, where we have a plethora of different languages, children that are coming from many different countries. We serve a population that there are many ESE students, students, again, that come from low-income households. It's just a lot of different arenas that other parts of the country do not have to deal with. And to be able to get that A again this year for the seventh year is truly a very commendable task that has been completed. And that is because of the hard work, the dedication, the commitment, the passion. for everyone, but especially our teachers, our principals, our assistant principals, our region personnel, district personnel, our bus drivers, cafeteria employees, our law enforcement department, I can go on and on. It's every single person that is part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, they all play a role in making that happen. And to the parents of our students, thank you, because without you, this would not have been possible. And that includes the partnerships that we have with members of our community. We witnessed some amazing people this morning who are members of a community that are engaged in making a difference in the lives of our students. So to everyone that has worked tirelessly for that A, congratulations, and we've celebrated, and now we have to get ready to hit the ground running. It seems like yesterday we were at graduations giving speeches, and here we are getting ready for another speech, Mr. Superintendent, for your opening of schools. And so if you would like to share with us some amazing, dreams that you have for this year for implementation as we wait for any other speaker that can come?

Well, Madam Chair. Are you referring to the opening of schools?

Yes, sir.

We're still in developing them. Always the theme is we have to celebrate what we've achieved, making sure that everyone is aware that we take ownership. It's not about one person only, but the accomplishments have to be very well recognized. The principles always sit at the very center of that work. We have some remarkable individuals that we also have to recognize. And we always portray the stories of students. Students that have really grown and have improved and can be really role models for others. So we're even still working on the theme. So a little bit more to come. It takes a little bit of while, but we're almost there. Right now we're working on DASA. THIS WEEKEND. WELL, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER EXCITING OPENING OF SCHOOLS THIS YEAR, AND AS YOU MENTIONED, DASSA, AND I'M GOING TO DR. BENDROLZ-MENINGEL, TOO, THIS IS A WONDERFUL EVENT, TRULY TO the enthusiasm as we prepare to open schools one more time. So to everyone who will be attending DASA, I know that it's gonna be another phenomenal year with our amazing administrators who are at the schools. making magic happen each and every day. Dr. Bendrill-Sminnickle, ma'am?

Yes, Madam Chair, thank you. I want to know if there is anyone who can respond to the question, what's happening with our children who might be under fear of TPS?

All right, who will be responding? Yes, sir?

and I'll respond for our incredible team and student services and we're always, no matter who the student is, no matter where the conditions are, Dr. Mendez-Mendingo, I think we have a very responsive teams at the school sites, it begins with the counselors, it begins with the teachers, the principals, and then our role from the district level is to make sure that schools are properly resourced, they're properly informed of the resources that are available in the community to support the parents and support the children. So we have been doing this in multiple situations and sometimes the focus just shifts from one particular population to the other. And right now there is the concern of Haitian American students and their families. And you know, we have a particular clusters of schools that have high numbers, of students with that background, and we were very attentive to them. Our student services department, headed by Miriam Stewart, attends to all of that, and the key is we want to make sure that parents are told or given enough resources for them to navigate the questions and, honestly, the fears that they have.

Follow up, Madam. Yes, yes, ma'am. Being totally transparent, I've met with some of the leaders and, of course, some of the community-based organizations, one in particular, St. Law, who's now head by Tamara LaBruce. I want to make sure that if the phone calls come through, not if, but when they come through, that we are quick to answer them. And I believe Ms. LaBruce is going to look into doing a meeting of sorts so that we will know, and as you said, large populations, I speak for all of us pretty much, but in District 2, and I'll be meeting with some of them tonight. Yes, I will, to talk about what their needs are. I've been part of, I suppose you would say this, community for 30 plus years. And so we maintain a close relationship. So I get the calls pretty much early on and I want everyone to be aware. is horrific in the place called Haiti. Want to make sure that we leave no one out. I was listening to our chair and making sure, making sure that we help all of our children and they are suffering. So we want to make sure, as you said, you have a good team If they don't call us, then we should find ourselves checking in, getting an update. So thank you very much, Madam Chair. And to our superintendent, I appreciate you. And I was gonna sing to you, but I changed my mind. Thank you.

Yes, Madam Chair.

Yes, sir.

And if I may, Dr. Bendis-Mendigo, thank you very much. I have to double check with Linda McRoberts, but I think the time has come. She might have been doing it. I don't know. I have not spoken to her. But you speak to a more coordinated effort. and we have been doing quarterly meetings with community-based organizations. Maybe, I know Linda's listening, but maybe very soon we need to do one with community-based organizations that address, support the Haitian American community. So we will get that done as soon as possible. She might have been doing something already because she's very involved, but if we have not, to your point, Let's bring them, let's discuss what needs to be done, and then in a united, more coordinated approach, we can become even more impactful with those families. Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. So upon exhausting all of our public speakers at the public hearing portion of our meeting, the time is 4.33 p.m., and this meeting is now adjourned.