CCPS Special Legislative Session/Public Hearing

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:02:41]The Education Channel presents coverage of the District School Board of Kier County. Here now, the school board chair, who will call the session to order.

[00:02:54]>> Good afternoon.

[00:02:56]>> I better turn my mic on. Good afternoon.

[00:03:00]I will now call to order the special meeting of the Kier County School Board at 4:30 on May 1st, 20126.

[00:03:09]Would everyone please stand for the pledge to the flag and a one minute moment of silence to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:04:38]Okay, Miss Taylor, will you please call the role?

[00:04:41]>> Mr. Carter, >> present.

[00:04:43]>> Mrs. Lucarelli, >> here.

[00:04:44]>> Miss Mason, >> here.

[00:04:45]>> Mr. Moir, >> here.

[00:04:47]>> Mr. Rutherford, >> here.

[00:04:52]>> Okay, I will have um a variety of comments. Um but first, Mr. Myers, can you please briefly provide us with an explanation as um to why this hearing has been convened?

[00:05:05]>> Well, I I wish I could be brief, but unfortunately I can't. Uh because I I I think it's important for the people who are in attendance and the people who are watching to understand how we got here and uh so let me go through this. Uh I guess first thing is the script and the ground rules were provided to the parties in advance of the hearing. uh we made some slight adjustment to the uh the binder that the board members received. Uh we'll go over that uh later in the opening remarks. Uh so this is a public hearing convened pursuant to section 447.43 of the Florida statutes for purposes of resolving a labor impass between the Collier County School Board and the Collier County Education Association.

[00:05:46]The representatives for the respective parties will be permitted to call witnesses. Any person testifying is subject to cross-examination.

[00:05:54]This is a special board meeting. It's held in order for the board to make to meet in a quasi judicial capacity. This means the board will be meeting in a kind of appellet capacity whereby it will listen to the presentations and arguments of the parties concerning the opinion and recommendations of the magistrate issued subsequent to the impass hearing recently held. After listening to the presentations and arguments, the board will view and discuss the issues and deliberate and vote on resolving the impass. Uh the public hearing will be livereamed and recorded. The the school district is under no legal obligation to have the hearing recorded by a certified court reporter. There will be no public comments taken at this hearing because it's quasi judicial in nature. Let's talk a little bit about background. Uh, by the way, background, the school board and CCEA previously reached an agreement on a three-year contract effective July 1st, 2022 to June 30th, 2025. The parties commence collective bargaining on November 14th, 2024 for the purposes of reaching an agreement on a successor union contract, that is a new contract commencing July 1st, 2025. After attempting to negotiate a su a successor collective bargaining agreement, an impass was declared by CCA.

[00:07:13]The collective bargaining agreement comprises 13 articles and various appendices. The parties have reached agreement on all matters involving terms and conditions of employment except the matter of compensation which is article 12. Uh that's the article that's in dispute. That's why we're here today.

[00:07:30]Therefore, when the impass was declared, the sole issue to resolve was compensation under article 12. The declaration of impass triggers a quasi judicial process which is detailed in chapter 447. The first stage is an evidentiary hearing before a special magistrate which concludes with findings of fact and a non-binding recommendation. The final stage of the process is a public hearing before the legislative body. Here the parties participated in evidentiary hearing before a special magistrate on February 26th and 27th of 2026. The magistrate was Mark Luri who was mutually selected by the parties. Uh he evaluated the party's respective positions on compensation and issued his recommendations. As noted, these recommendations are not binding on the parties. They are they are recommendations. The law details that if either party rejects the special magistrate's recommendations, the legislative body, in this case the school board, converts to a neutral body and becomes a representative of the general public. The magistrate's recommendations were rejected by the superintendent on April 10th, 2026, and then amended on April 13, 2026, and rejected by the union on April 21st, 2026. Therefore, the school board is now tasked with resolving the impass at this hearing. With that said, I will turn this hearing back over to the chair.

[00:08:53]>> Okay. Thank you. And and thanks for the reminder, Mr. Carter. I will read the statement of meeting guidelines at this point. Uh all electronic devices such as cell phones must be turned to the silent setting when entering the boardroom.

[00:09:06]Members of the public who wish to um address the board regarding items um well on the agenda, not on the agenda, may do so during a regular school board meeting. Um, and no public comments will be heard at this hearing. Members of the public may always contact school board members outside of the business meeting by means of email or other forms of communication. The school board attorney as the parliamentarian shall work with the board chair to enforce the meeting guidelines. Okay. So, with all of that said, uh, board members, before you is the binder of the relevant material that everyone received in advance of today's hearing. The binder includes the following materials. uh a copy of part two of chapter 447 which is that's the statutes relative to impass the special magistrate's findings of fact and non-binding uh recommendations the union's recommendation for settling the disputed issue attach attachment superintendent's recommendation for settling the disputed issue um the union's request for more time and uh script so let's discuss the proposed hearing process under chapter 447. It does not outline how impass hearings should run. Um, is that correct, Mr. Myers?

[00:10:34]>> That is correct.

[00:10:36]>> The time allocated for this hearing is as follows. 30 minutes for the attorney for the superintendent to present the district's proposal and 30 minutes for the attorney for the union to present its proposal.

[00:10:51]a period of rebuttal um using any remaining reserved time that wasn't already used during the first um presentation um will be allowed and then a 30 minute question and answer um period will be available for the board. Uh the board's discussion and then determination will follow that. Um after that um it's my understanding that the board has four options relative to resolving this matter. The first is to accept the special magistrates's recommendation. The second would be to accept the superintendent's recommendation. Third would be to accept the union's recommendation or fourth to fashion our own resolution.

[00:11:39]Um Mr. Myers, is that all accurate?

[00:11:42]>> Yes. Uh that that's correct. So uh whatever the board decides that that decision will be reflected in a resolution that will be ratified in a meeting on the 6th of May. Uh each side will get a copy of the uh collective bargaining agreement which they have an opportunity to ratify. If either party rejects the agreement, uh the disputed issue at impass, which is wages, uh will take effect for the remainder of the fiscal year, which is through September 30th, 2026. Uh for all other issues, the parties will follow the status quo. In other words, the board's decisions on wages will be imposed on the parties for the remainder of the fiscal year and will become the new status quo if uh you know if if the party uh if a party rejects the uh doesn't ratify the agreement. Um back to you Madam Chair.

[00:12:33]>> Okay. before before we get really into it, can you please discuss the criteria or guidelines that we should be using to evaluate the parties respective positions?

[00:12:45]>> Yes. So, uh, so the Florida Florida statute 447.434D requires that the board take such action as it deems to be in the public interest, including the interest of the public employees involved to resolve all disputed impass issues. That's your sole criterion. By way of reminder, this the special magistrate was bound by five factors that were set forth in the statute. You are free to review those factors, but your criterion is much broader. Like I say, it's what is in the public interest. The board represents the public, which requires that you consider the positions of the parties equally in order to arrive at a fair and impartial decision. Madam Chair, that that is that's what the statute says about the purpose of the hearing.

[00:13:30]>> Okay. Uh board members, does anybody have any questions before we begin?

[00:13:35]>> Okay, >> Madam Chair, if if I'm let me know when it's appropriate for us to raise a procedural >> right there. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:13:42]>> Um actually, right now, if there's any um preliminary matters or questions from either um either party, >> if I may.

[00:13:50]>> Yes.

[00:13:51]>> Mark Richard, proudly on behalf of the educators and teachers of this A-rated district, we have two procedural concerns. Uh, one is, and I've done this for 46 years, this is the shortest amount of time that I've ever been given. Uh, another district has apparently followed you or you followed them. That that hearing hasn't happened.

[00:14:10]Uh, the law, as you know, came in 1975.

[00:14:13]Teachers were not allowed to strike in Florida. And in exchange, uh, the bargain, and I've been doing this since 80, uh, was this impass hearing. And it's a very unique procedure because you sit no longer as the five schoolboard members that we respect and we do. Uh you sit as an independent neutral body as the council described. He described it quite well. And you get to fashion whatever remedy you believe is in the best interest of the public including the employees, the educators that are here with us and those watching at home as well. And the notice that you put out, you put a public notice out. Um I don't know when you put it out but I believe April 27th and it is correct and it says at the end that the district and the CCEA the union shall shall be required to explain their positions with respect to the rejected recommendations of the magistrate. Mr. Lur Mark made recommendations that both of us have rejected. I have a duty on their behalf.

[00:15:16]They have the duty. I can't do it in the 30 minutes. I have a binder for you that's 219 pages. Some of it's duplicative of other things you've gotten. We have uh nine exhibits. We have six witnesses. I want to be mindful of your time and respectful, but it's the only time these educators get to come before you on one of, if not the most important issue that they have. So, I have one coming up. I hope I settle.

[00:15:45]In Broward, we each have three hours each side. I could be off 30 minutes, but I'm not. Uh, I have done orange unfortunately too many years in a row, but we have well more than an hour to two hours. Um, it's not about the time, it's about the explanation. And then for a few more minutes, if you would, the statute, which your council alluded to, 447.43, 403 chapter 447 is the public employer relations act of 1975 says the legislative body or duly authorized committee thereof shall forth with conduct a public hearing hence today at which time the parties quote shall be required to explain their positions. So it's not just telling you what we have I have a duty to explain it. It's impossible to do it in 30 minutes. If I'm ordered to do so I will. We have a court reporter here. We don't want to litigate you. This is a very fine school board. These are great educators. It's not even a class period. It's not even equivalent to a high school class period, the 30 minutes. And so, and they never get finished with they're they're Sunshine State Standard curriculum. And so, we would in all earnest deeply, deeply ask you to look at it. There's one case that's a seminal case that my law firm handled a long time ago in the city of Hyia over in Dade County if I'm allowed to say that in outside of D County, right? But it talks about uh and this is just coming from the ruling uh interpreting that statutory scheme and it says from that point the primary measure of the public employer legislative body's fulfillment of its duties shall be based upon the parties receiving a full fair and adequate opportunity to present their positions and to have their positions fully and fairly considered.

[00:17:36]The last part's in your hands and we have no doubt that you will do so. I cannot fully present and we would res we would we need a lot more time but if we could get 30 extra minutes an hour total it would mean a lot uh for the educators who are here and who are watching. But more importantly it would allow us to meet our statutory duty that we're just being frank in 30 minutes we we can't do it. And one last thing from an equity point of view, but it's not a legal point. Under the law, you're allowed to have and you had them and you should have them shade meetings. So your lawyers meet with you all along the bargaining process to talk about what direction they should go on bargaining.

[00:18:16]So you've heard from them a lot. We don't have that opportunity. It's the law, right? Uh but we can meet with you privately or in any which way we want.

[00:18:25]Speak at a schoolboard meeting, but we don't get to have private shade meetings with you. Once either party rejected the magistrate's ruling and you, the school district, the superintendent rejected first, we go into the insulated period and we're not supposed to talk to you about the case uh unless we're together.

[00:18:43]It's an exparte communication in Latin.

[00:18:45]And the difficulty we're having is we this is our first time to fully explain to the five of you our case. So, could I do it in in two hours? Do I need it?

[00:18:56]Yes. Do I want to be mindful of these rules? Yes. We're asking for a compromise. And we're asking this is an important day. Don't don't cut their time to where we can't Ken and I can't do it in 30 minutes. For order to do so, we will.

[00:19:09]>> I I hear what you're saying and I read the email that you sent as well and you brought up the shade meetings and those obviously were things that happened previous to this u getting to this point. Um, so because we were referring to things that happened previous to this, I will say previously, even though that is not what this today is all about, um, >> every school board member did have the opportunity to watch all of the um, negotiations and the magistrates um, you know, the the hearing that day because but those were things that happened >> prior to all of this. Um, but knowing all of that and knowing that you are a fabulous attorney, I believe that you can you can present this case because it is one issue. Several other um counties that go into impass, they are dealing with lots of other issues. And so my decision is that it will be 30 minutes.

[00:20:17]However, what I will say is if you use your full 30 minutes for your presentation, I will still let you have the last word and I will give you 10 minutes rebuttal at the end.

[00:20:28]>> Okay? And we appreciate that, but on the record, we object and we will have to consider taking action. Just understand what you all are saying. I am under a duty statutory. Your notice to the public li the notice you put out to the public says that we're going to have that opportunity and I shall be required to explain and you're determining that my explanation is limited to less than a class period. So we would ask you if you would be kind enough to meet us somewhere between the 30 minutes and an hour. I know you just gave me 10. Uh but we're going to have to be honest. We have a couple of teachers. We're going to have to cut those witnesses. That's just not right. And they have something to say that's gerine to salary. Yes, it is one issue, >> but it's the issue. It's it's an existential issue. It's like saying the future of humankind is one issue. It is, but it's a little bit defies 30 minutes.

[00:21:21]And so we would re we would request that you reconsider and give us something above the 30 minutes up front if you'd be kind enough to do so.

[00:21:31]>> Thank you. Um, who's going to be presenting the proposal for the district? I will, Madam Chair.

[00:21:37]>> Okay. Can you please state your name um and affiliation clearly for the record?

[00:21:41]>> Sure. My name is Leonard Deetsson and I'm representing the chief executive officer superintendent in this matter.

[00:21:48]>> Okay. And do you have any witnesses?

[00:21:50]>> No witnesses. Um this is just an explanation of the positions that you've already heard.

[00:21:56]>> Okay. So, you are going to have a maximum of 30 minutes excluding any questions from the board. But I will say board members, if you have questions as um these gentlemen are presenting, please jot them down. I would like to give them their full 30 minutes. Um and then at the end after after uh both gentlemen have an opportunity to present, we can then go back and ask questions.

[00:22:21]Um as you know, you may reserve any time remaining following the presentation for a rebuttal. And um Mr. Armis, I believe you will be acting as our clerk today and uh we'll be keeping track of the time and provide please provide a fivem minute warning to our do I need to swear anybody in at this time?

[00:22:42]>> Wait, >> I don't believe our attorneys need to be sworn in. Do they?

[00:22:45]>> No.

[00:22:45]>> No. Okay.

[00:22:46]>> One last procedural question. May I ask?

[00:22:49]Um two well two. We have exhibits for you. Should we give them to the attorney now? How do we want we we don't want to erode our you know unfortunate limitation of how do you want us to proceed on our >> No, that's fine.

[00:23:01]>> I think we gave you one L, didn't we? Or no?

[00:23:03]>> Yeah, it's >> I I'll tell you that if there's if there's any documents or materials that are presented just just have them marked so we know like you know union exhibit AI and you can um >> well they're already in the notebook.

[00:23:18]They're ready to go.

[00:23:19]>> You have you have copies for each board member of course.

[00:23:22]>> Yeah. And uh who I I think uh is Kathy going to uh so Kathy's going to mark them exhibit A BC if if you uh you can give them to her and then she'll circulate them to the board.

[00:23:35]>> Okay, >> we'll do that. And one last thing, it is a public hearing and I to be honest, I don't know if there's any law that requires this as my second request, but teachers want to speak. They want to speak and it is so odd for the government to say come to the next board meeting. the decision will be made by then. You all are good elected officials. This is the greatest country in the world and democracy is the hallmark. And so to say to these folks out here that they, you know, I don't know what your normal rules are, three minutes, I know you have rules that make sense. To say at this hearing, unlike so many other hearings, they can't speak.

[00:24:13]So, I'm gonna answer that because this is a quasi judicial hearing and if you go to a hearing in court, there is no public comments.

[00:24:22]>> I I have spoken to dozens of teachers.

[00:24:24]Teachers know they can reach out to me at any time. They can reach out to all of these board members. So, we are going to handle the business of this hearing and there will not be public comments.

[00:24:35]But if you would like to bring those documents over to Miss Taylor, she can make sure that those get um distributed.

[00:24:43]>> And then last, I just want to make sure we have a court reporter. I really think you all are being misguided by respect to decision. Just want to make the court reporter make sure you have it down that they're not allowed to speak and I didn't get more than 30 minutes. I want it in the record. Okay. Thank you.

[00:24:58]>> Thank you. Okay. Um Mr. Deetsson, you may begin.

[00:25:03]Good evening board and good evening superintendent.

[00:25:07]Um the purpose in the legal framework we've already discussed is set forth in 44743.

[00:25:14]Um there was a full and fair hearing on all the issues that are in front of you today. Uh the special magistrate by and large in the high 90 percentile ruled in favor of the superintendent and the district. Um we'll go through why uh he the special mag did this. U the superintendent today makes her recommendation to dissolve to resolve this disputed impass in a very minor way. Uh technical legal reasons and also financial reasons. Um, again, we know the school board's the final decision maker uh and you must vote, but the road map has been clear by the special magistrate who we both agreed was the expert to handle this matter. Yes, it's a recommendation. However, it compares all the data of two days worth of testimony from your chief financial officer, from your chief negotiator, from their expert in LA who did not have an idea of what your current budget was or what the third calc did to this school board in January. Um, so we'll go through that and why we're here is just to remind the board we have to be fiscally prudent in an environment where Florida right now is in an FTE dumpster fire. Every district is losing students.

[00:26:44]We're no exception. The the third calc we lost over,00 students. um we have to be mindful that there's a fourth calc coming and and that could also um display reveal some some additional bad news. Um so here's the basics. We declared impass. Uh the union also declared impass. We resolved every issue except for wages.

[00:27:11]The hearing before Mark Liry again was comprehensive.

[00:27:16]I would say our financial the superintendent's financial data was left untouched because their expert from LA did not have the financial budget for this year in this year's state of Florida's environment did not compare all the districts like you're supposed to do. You want to know are you going to be losing people to Lee County? Are you going to be losing people to surrounding districts? Are you going to be competitive with like-sized districts?

[00:27:45]Uh the answer was clearly no because you're the second highest ranked district for teacher average salary pay.

[00:27:53]You'll hear a lot from uh the president of the FBA that we're 50 out of 50.

[00:27:59]Well, this district is not. This district's above the Florida state average, far above thousands above, and it's far above the nation average. This district has a lot to be proud of. and we'll and we'll tell you why. But here's our two proposals side by side. Um they're also contained uh in the special magistrates's report. Um the slight differences the parties during during impass negotiations agreed to $130 increase in the base pay uh for all teachers. Um so there it is side by side.

[00:28:39]These are the numbers that you just can't hide from, the union can't hide from, and makes your district outstanding. I have the privilege of representing 22 school boards as chief negotiator and HR adviser. These numbers are are literally pop out at everyone. You school board have invested $94 million in teacher salaries over six years. We started low 40s. We are now u uh well above everybody number four in the state and number one and the most important simils sized district. So what do they do with the resources they have? What do they do with the tax base they have? And what do you do? You have poured it into and I'll show you soon these these this $94 million again is reoccurring.

[00:29:34]Are your students reoccurring? know they're declining and you're losing revenue from those students.

[00:29:41]So there was a lot of talk during the impass about inflation. It was misunderstood in my opinion and in the special magistrate's opinion that the superintendent got it right. If you have a teacher at year one and at year five received a 44% raise, that's higher than 30%. I don't care how you do the math.

[00:30:03]It's just not correct to say you're not keeping pace with inflation. He went through taxes. He went through your cost of living. Yes, Naples expensive. He accounted for all of that. You as a board and as a superintendent have kept pace and then some uh relative to comparable districts. And look at the comparable districts. St. John's um they had a 2% raise this year. Lake School Board had just Tissa and a bonus. Clay School Board, just Tissa for years 10 and up. Everyone else got zero. Uh, Escambia, Tissa and a small bonus. All of these school boards and many aid districts, St. John's is always in one or two in the state, all have excellent teachers like you do, but they're dealing with the realities of declining FTE. the family empowerment scholarship vouchers that are strategically draining your funds u just strategically and and and it's in the millions. It's it's up to $47 million is leaving your district this year uh from family empowerment scholarship.

[00:31:19]That's a number you can't ignore. It went up again this year, 7 million. So the total leaving your district is $47 million. We could settle with that money. We don't have that money. That money strategically has left the house.

[00:31:35]So looking at historical wage increases, this is quite something. You went from 43760 all the way to 57,000 in a relatively short period of time. And I would say all of those numbers and the percentages if if that doesn't beat inflation of 30% inflation, you just do the math, it beats inflation. That that is a side argument that is just not why we're here today. um your CFO again well trained well certified in the state of Florida board finance has testified that you you have a $53.2 2 million projected shortfall after the third calc. And again, the third calc during impass came out with 1320 less students, $11 million more. Glad you didn't settle early, you're losing more.

[00:32:34]You could just see you still got to wait for the fourth count. So when you make a decision, if you're going to spend any more money, you you have to understand the environment we're in. I know you all read everything from the associations.

[00:32:46]It's a difficult climate everywhere and and again Collier's not alone. Uh you are alone in in the money amount of money you have previously given. So your financial condition ratio has dropped from 19.06 to 10.75.

[00:33:02]That's according to your CFO who is one of very few certified CFOs in Florida on Florida schoolboard finance. He is not from LA. He is trained in your state's finances. You have to rely on him and you have to rely on the superintendent and her staff when they say these numbers are real and we need to be careful moving forward because we cannot afford another $20 million that the union's asking for um to go into this deficit spending. to grant the union's proposal would be 40 more percent to your deficit spending to to just just consider that I think that would be financially imprudent and I think the special mag found that to be financially imprudent.

[00:33:53]So the salary comparability um a after adjusting it for the Florida price level index and and the cost of living he still found that Collier County is among the very top amongst comparably size and districts surrounding you. So no one's leaving to go to Lee County and and because right now Lee County is facing layoffs they're facing insurance problems. Uh the governor was there today for various various reasons, but Lee County is somewhere where they're they're in trouble right now. Uh because of again family empowerment and loss of students. This is not a mystery. Uh Palm Beach is the same way. Palm Beach went to impass. They lost 7,000 students in the third calc. They like their teachers. They respect their teachers.

[00:34:48]But the board could only offer 1.5% bonus and 1.5% raise. And that's going to impass because the special magistrate didn't agree. Superintendent had to reject because of their financial condition. They don't want it to deteriorate in an environment where you where they would have to start closing schools. Neither do we. Uh this superintendent does not either. So the special matter should found our methodology for inflation was correct not theirs. Uh the limiting factor we really need to focus on is financial prudence.

[00:35:25]It's yes. If if if Mr. Antoni said if the board ordered you to pay, could you pay? Yes. The answer is however if you did, what would happen next year? $20 million added to that debt. And then we start looking around.

[00:35:43]You go when you go from 19 to 105 then you're into my a couple of my clients where the state takes over. So you you really want to be careful with that.

[00:35:57]Again, after adjusting, even after with the inflation analysis, taking out the federal income tax, the individual teacher raises exceeded the commun the cumulative inflation over the past five years. So, they're just it's it's just not a serious argument that their expert gave you from LA. It's just not uh an argument that you should entertain.

[00:36:27]Now again adjust the special manager adjusted every which way and try to find where Collier ranks and you rank amongst the best compensated in the state. I think you should be proud of that. Even with referendum money, Broward and Dade are still below you. So that's with referendum money. Um Sarasota is is a unique story. uh Sarasota declared financial urgency. Uh they had a they had a deal 3.5% raise deal and then their insurance just exploded.

[00:37:04]They also lost a serious number of FTE through family empowerment. Uh they for the first time are laying off positions.

[00:37:14]The president was in the paper saying for the first time in Sarasota in 39 years he never thought it would get to this point.

[00:37:23]Well, we don't want to get to this point, but Sarasota was your competitor that was a little bit higher than you in a couple categories. They're not now.

[00:37:33]Um, this is today and they're not now.

[00:37:36]Now, here's here's the special magistrate's finding in a nutshell.

[00:37:43]The union's proposal would seriously deplete the district's reserves of fiscal year ending 202526 without a change in the downward trend of FEFP funding in future years. The adoption of its proposal, the union's proposal would further erode the reserves in the future. That's on page 20 and that will be in your notebook that he has if you haven't already read it. Um, this is what you cannot do as a board if you're looking after the interest of the public. It's public money and the public employees. You don't want to seriously deplete your funds so that next year you'll be in no position to give raises.

[00:38:27]So, we want to keep everybody employed and we want to have the ability to negotiate next year. Um the comparability factors were well in favor of this board. There was there was no contest. I think they conceded that by not even trying. U when when I asked the expert, did you look around the state at similarsized districts? No. Did you look surrounding you? No. Um they they just put on an inflation and then teachers who had some serious hardships. Yes, they did have some hardships. The factors in the special match and in the statutes, the financial factors were largely ignored. And unfortunately for public servants like you, it's the public's money. You have an obligation to watch every dollar that comes into the district and every dollar that leaves the district. Um, you've you've given $94 million in six years. It's quite a compliment to this board relative to what again is going on in the state of Florida. If you look at Orange County, uh thousands have fled.

[00:39:42]They're looking at uh 200 positions plus. Bvard County is looking at a 7% reduction in staff up to 350 jobs in Bvard. Broward had on the table 800 jobs and then large crowd came out, tabled it, but they had a long-term plan between a thousand and 3,000 positions they're going to cut. Again, they lost thousands of FTE. It's not the Broward Board not respecting their teachers.

[00:40:11]They're losing students. They're closing schools. Uh we don't want to be there.

[00:40:16]We just don't want to be in that position.

[00:40:23]The special magistrate's recommendation adopted our complete wage proposal with a slight modification. The only modification by the special magistrate was to give $880 extra to the grandfather teachers who are highly effective.

[00:40:42]the the issue the superintendent took with that is is under Florida law and and we'll show that came out during the hearing with with FEA executive director Eman Lewis.

[00:40:56]Under Florida law and this board's practice, highly effective performance pay teachers get 25% more than grandfather teachers under Florida law.

[00:41:08]It's just the law. It's not your policy.

[00:41:11]Um this this award just ignored that one part. Um and that that's in this statute um one222.

[00:41:25]Now what does the statute again say? The annual wage increase under performance salary schedule for an employee rated highly effective must be at least 25% greater than the highest annual salary increase available to employee of the same classification. So a grandfather teacher can't make the same as an annual contract highly effective teacher. It's plain as day. Um, if if you want to know exactly how how plain as day and I'll have to get my and and this is this is in in the testimony from Mark Richards and executive director Even Lewis on page 3301 of volume two.

[00:42:12]It is from Mark Richards. On top of that, what is the difference between highly effective effective or no evaluation teachers under each calary? And the answer from Mr. Lewis was so specifically referring to the salary proposal question. Well, in general, then go to the proposal.

[00:42:34]Mr. Lewis's response. So in general, the difference is at least 25% less for grandfather regardless if they are effective or highly effective as compared to performance paid highly effective. So he's pretty much just admitted this is the law. Then when asked by Mr. Richards. So performance pay teachers who receive highly effective evaluations must be paid more than grandfather teachers who are effective or highly effective. Correct Mr. Richards question. That's built into the law. Answer that's built into law and that has been the practice that I have understood for the last three and a half years that he's been with CCA. So we have followed this the superintendent and the board the board has ratified ratios where this district does it correctly and frankly the special manager just got it off a little bit not much but a he he got it off. Another reason the the superintendent's rejection was again it's adding more money to your deficit spending. your your CFO has testified under oath. You're over $50 million projected to be deficit spending. We we you don't want to join other districts who who are in financial crisis. Um so look at the financial impact of what we're talking about here.

[00:44:11]The cost of recommendation from uh the board, the superintendent, the district was $8.2 2 million uh 3.61%.

[00:44:24]If there was another district in Florida that had your history of five years of raise increases, the $94 million, wouldn't you believe the union would have brought that district forward during a two-day hearing? They certainly would have. They didn't because there isn't. you you have given exceptional raises and it is now time to put the brakes on. But 3.61 is not is nothing to um scoff at when you look at all the other districts giving less than 2% or TISA alone. There are some districts who put the teacher salary increase allocation funds into their health insurance to shore it up.

[00:45:08]If you look at the second bullet, this board and superintendent recommended to take the full 12.6% increase in health insurance and not pass that on to employees. Right now in Sarasota, again, they're having to the for the first time put hundreds of dollars and make employees pay part of that. They're raising the deductibles tremendously. And it's not because again they don't respect their teachers. It's because the FTE has left the house and they have family empowerment problems. I can't say that enough. Has nothing to do with mismanagement. They are in a district. It's just the reality that this has hit everybody at one time and this is the year of impass. Um um it's all over the place. But again, that health insurance premium that the board spent 10 million, there was some reference that you're you're kind of taking money and and and spending it.

[00:46:08]The superintendent spending it on a recommendation to hire a vendor called Fleet. Well, Fleet is a group, self- insurance group that's trying to spread your losses so next year that 10 million will be less. You're trying to save money for all your employees. That just makes common sense. Um, again, that health insurance not talked enough about in my opinion and I didn't I didn't address it enough during the um impass, but this district does more than just salary, more than just health insurance costs. You heard a lot from the chief of HR of all the different programs that this district and superintendent recommends and puts at the classroom for for everyone in the classroom for parents and for teachers. That is why you have a 97% retention rate. They're not leaving because this is a good place to work. Uh people quit jobs when it's not. They're not quitting. You could have five or six people come before you today and say they know someone who left. HR has the stats. The stats don't lie. If they did, we certainly would have heard that at at the impass hearing again. Last year, you ended the year with a $9 million deficit spending.

[00:47:39]This is the financial impact analysis that the special magistrate looked at of where you currently are what the you're below the state average and you're below the government finance officer associations. They they recommend two months of full um expenditures revenue in your account and you're below that.

[00:47:59]Again, what was missed from the union during their presentation was comparable sized districts. You have to know what people are doing in similar size districts and what people are doing around the state and there's a lot of a districts here that are just not able to do what you're able to do. You're above all of them. Um and again, then some.

[00:48:27]And again, if there were districts making more in the last three or four years, uh, we would have heard and we have not heard.

[00:48:37]Just a few headlines.

[00:48:39]Sarasota cuts 136 teacher jobs due to a budget crunch. Lee County teachers jobs at risk. 46.7 million shortfall. Um, teachers get notices that their jobs may not continue. Uh, Glades County was taken over. there there are surrounding district where they were taking over and they're getting financial help from the state to make payroll. Uh Broward County layoffs are eminent. Uh declining enrollment is astronomical.

[00:49:11]Uh Union County again the state board over took them. U this I could have went for hours with headlines that you read.

[00:49:21]I know you read every day from the schoolboard association, superintendent association, other groups, education slice. It just keeps coming. And again, Palm Beach in this high cost of living environment lost 7,000 students. They could only offer 1.5 bonus and a 1.5 reoccurring. And again, not because they don't respect their teachers.

[00:49:48]The special magistrate substantially adopted the district's position on wages, which again, your team, your board's team and the superintendent were were executing your will on trying to be fiscally prudent and and that that is what the goal was throughout bargaining.

[00:50:06]>> Five minute warning.

[00:50:08]>> Thank you.

[00:50:12]just just for statistics wise about 12% of of teachers are grandfather and 88% are performance.

[00:50:22]So in conclusion uh the superintendent respectfully requests the board to adopt her recommendation to resolve this impass and her recommendation is right up there. This complies with the Florida statutes on performance pay as understood by Mr. Lewis and Mr. Richard.

[00:50:39]It stops deficit spending. I would say there should be a motion to adopt her recommendation in full, a second, a debate, and and this should be the final outcome. Thank you for your time. I reserve four minutes.

[00:50:59]>> Okay. Thank you.

[00:51:02]Okay. Who's going to be presenting for the union?

[00:51:06]>> Mark Richard. on behalf of the union and the teachers.

[00:51:10]>> Um, do you have anyone else?

[00:51:14]>> Yes, we have several other speakers.

[00:51:17]>> Okay. If you have um other witnesses that you are going to um have speak during this 30 minutes, please, we need to have them sworn in by Mr. Armis.

[00:51:30]>> You can swear them all in now to save time before my clock starts.

[00:51:33]>> Sure.

[00:51:34]>> So, Mr. before your >> and these two our economist is watching from afar.

[00:51:44]>> Please raise your right hand.

[00:51:46]>> Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give in this matter shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

[00:51:54]>> I do agree.

[00:51:55]>> Let the record reflect that the witnesses have been duly sworn.

[00:51:58]>> Thank you. Okay. You will have a maximum of 30 minutes.

[00:52:04]Um you may reserve any time if you would like for to use for rebuttal and u Mr. Armis will keep track of your time and she will let you know when there's five minutes remaining.

[00:52:16]>> Thank you and I hope I can possibly use that extra 10 minutes that you had graciously offered.

[00:52:22]>> Let's see >> at the end the rebuttal.

[00:52:27]>> We have a we have an issue here. My good colleague read a lot of numbers to you.

[00:52:33]We're not allowed to go back to our classrooms on Monday and teach in our economics classes the half math that he just did. It's true. Some of this is true, but it's half true. And none of our students would get an A in any of those classes, nor would any economist do so well if they presented you these numbers. For the last three years, for example, you've been told in your budget what your budget deficit would be. Every single year, they were wrong. And he's a good CFO. It's a budget mechanism.

[00:53:06]So they use these numbers today to tell you the sky is falling. The sky is falling. Yes, some of those factors are true and you're going to have to weigh them. But the way they present it is so disingenuous it's going to make them go Monday to school wondering why they're here. Think about it. Let me give you some numbers real quick. In 71, the district projected a 30.9 million, just sort of the same monotone that he talked with in its fund balance. In reality, the loss was 16.6 million. 30 from 16.

[00:53:39]$14 million off, but that doesn't matter today because they're telling you, God forbid, you give some more money, some amount more, a meteor is going to hit Kier County. That's what their argument was. It's not right. There are real numbers. There are loss of students.

[00:53:58]There are challenges. We get that.

[00:54:01]That's what you five have to figure out between our proposal and theirs. What they also didn't tell you is in our our estimate, Eman's estimate, the principles, you just gave a raise greater than the one they have on the table >> right now. And they don't tell you those numbers.

[00:54:22]>> Okay. No, we will we will not have any of that. You are wasting time.

[00:54:27]>> I don't think teachers expressing themselves are wasting time.

[00:54:30]>> I the screaming. Clap all you want.

[00:54:33]>> Okay. I'm just Come on, man. They're professionals.

[00:54:37]>> Listen.

[00:54:38]>> All right.

[00:54:38]>> Okay, Marbel.

[00:54:40]>> Your principles and others APS, etc. The superintendent, I am sure welld deserved, got a greater percentage, some of it in bonus. You're on a video that I'm going to show you and I'm proud of your video. I watched it where you talked about what what the superintendent should go home and sleep at night and have a certain level of confidence. The lack of confidence from this presentation makes everybody rethink their career.

[00:55:06]How many of you would tell your children to be a teacher?

[00:55:12]>> Of course, you gave some good raises and we thank you. And what you did with the insurance is laudable. The five of you did that. But you don't get to say and pretend what gas is up the street at the racetrack gas station when I came in here from Dade. Do you know that you're the highest cost of living allegedly of the 67 counties? Do you know in Naples how wealthy a bunch of folks are and often some of the wealthy ones go around telling those who don't make the same amount of money you and I make, Len, that you ought to be happy with what you make. Come on.

[00:55:46]You are an A-rated district. You love your teachers. You are proud of them.

[00:55:52]You do pay them more than most. And that's one of the reasons they stay.

[00:55:56]It's like golden handcuffs. They get it.

[00:55:58]They want to teach. But they can't hear that and come in here and hear, "Oh my god, the same people whose budget deficits were wrong are the people who are now going to scare the hell out of all of you into not at least contemplating some compromise between the numbers. So, one of the things you look at is your affordability. You've been given some statistics that are correct and some of these are misleading and it's embarrassing for the district to do that. But I will tell you, you didn't see a single slide, not a single slide about their affordability.

[00:56:31]Gas, the highest home prices on average allegedly in the state of Florida of the 67 counties. Yes, they mixed in some of those average salaries, teachers who make work 196 days, but they also add in salaries of teachers who are in those special areas that work more than 196.

[00:56:50]Let's just be upfront about it and you'll hear from our economists. You can't tell folks out there that you became debtree. And by the way, congratulations.

[00:57:01]You can't brag about being debtree. They can't even think about being debtree.

[00:57:12]So, they need your help. They need your wisdom. Student losses. We ask for a joint program to go bring kids back to school. No one ever responded to Ken.

[00:57:22]Let's go get customers back. We just don't go, "Woe is me." And then what do we do? They don't show up. Take it out of their salaries.

[00:57:30]You can't. We We need to be partners.

[00:57:33]You want to handle today's hearing in the same way you want us to teach in every classroom. The scientific method, honest query, debate, intellectual honesty, not scare tactics. So yes, you have done some good work. Thank you. And yes, this trick is debtree. Excellent.

[00:57:54]Now, we're asking you in this inflationary environment, in a world where people are working second jobs at Chili's, where people go to bed at night scared, where people sometimes don't get divorced because they don't like the person next to them, but they can't afford the divorce. That people are worried about what will happen to specialty drugs if one of their kids has a rare type of cancer that needs amunotherapy or some drug that's 5, 8, 10,000 a month. They're scared. So they're not asking for something that will hurt the district. They're asking for the same five of you that made us debtree to help their debt, not make them debtree, help their debt. And what they're saying is, "Oh, we won. We won that issue." And yeah, the magistrate on the wages for the most part ruled that way. Okay, you heard him. What he said the law is. We elected the five of you because of your wisdom, your bonafidees in this community, your pledge. But what we don't want any more from anyone, not you particular, is how great teachers are. Teachers changed our lives. We're an A-rated district. Let's tell the world and you should be proud of it. You all helped lead it and this superintendent and this union president, too. We're so proud of it. But when they ask one time to have 30 more minutes at a hearing, they can't get it. When they ask to speak one more time, they can't get them. That doesn't match your wonderful. It's embarrassing.

[00:59:20]And to sit there and hear these kind of stare tactics is wrong.

[00:59:25]So somewhere in there in your heart, your head, the reason you got elected, we need your wisdom. We believe it has to be higher than what it is. We need you, you have to at least pay us what the principal's got. Andy Brown, my understanding, and Andy's a good guy, used to say this package is eight, it was six million. Now it's 8 million.

[00:59:46]When I cross-examined your CFO, who is also a very upstanding gentleman, I said, "What's the delta? Is it about 15?" He goes, "Yes, if my memory serves me. These numbers are flying around like five bucks at a utom. This is crazy.

[00:59:59]We're better and smarter than this. You ran for office. You don't need this.

[01:00:03]Y'all don't need this. You don't get paid enough for this stress. You did it because you love public schools and you love public school teachers. So, I want you to listen to our economist and he'll give you a view." And his view is one snapshot and you've got another. You're gonna have to figure out the snapshot.

[01:00:20]Kyle, are you ready?

[01:00:24]Come in, Kyle. He's on the west coast of the country.

[01:00:28]I'm here. Let's go. Can we put Kyle Arnan on? Tell him who you are and do your presentation, sir.

[01:00:35]>> Yeah. Just give me a second to give my screen up. Can you see my screen?

[01:00:39]>> We're good to go.

[01:00:40]>> Okay. My name is Kyle Arnon. Um, I'm the director of collective bargaining at the AFT and I know we don't have a lot of time, but I'm going to walk you through just uh, you know, a few slides um, to to share our perspective on the situation.

[01:00:58]The first thing, you know, I want to share with you is just the impact of inflation on the average teacher salary.

[01:01:06]And so what you're going to see, this chart looks at that impact on average teacher salary in Collier County. Um this is called the inflationadjusted salary. And when you adjust for inflation, it shows how much purchasing power teachers have at different points in time. When inflation rises faster than salary, purchasing power decreases.

[01:01:27]When inflation rises slower than salaries, purchasing power increases.

[01:01:32]Inflation here is measured as the consumer price index. So this chart shows that from 2020 to 21 uh school year to the 2526 school year inflation outpaced salary. The way that you know that is because when the the bar goes down from the year prior that means inflation beat the increase in salary.

[01:01:51]And you can see like over a over a 3 four year period from 21 to 24 inflation uh really outpaced salary. And thanks, you know, to the Mark was saying to the wisdom of the board, 24-25, you dug yourself out of that hole. Um, but still in 2526, it went down again. Um, and if you look at 2526 compared to 202021, um, the purchasing power of teachers has declined by a um on average by $1,500.

[01:02:24]Uh, so they that same amount of money does not go as far. If you made $58,000 in 21, the purchasing power you have, in other words, in 2526 is $1,500 less uh $56,715.

[01:02:40]The single largest contributor um to inflation um as Mark alluded to um is housing costs. Um housing costs make up about a third of the consumer price index. And in Kier County, uh the the increase in the cost of rent, which is the main way that they measure it instead of mortgage payments, um is is not quite double, but it's like 80% more than the than the increase um in the average teacher salary. Um and I want to talk about this average teacher salary again. So 46% increase in housing, 28% um increase in the average teacher salary. Um I just want to say one thing because the attorney for the district said that there's been a 44% increase in the average or you know in teacher salaries in Kier County and he also said that it doesn't he doesn't care what math you do. Um I happen to be somebody as our math teachers um also are somebody who cares about the math.

[01:03:38]When I look at the math I look at average teacher salary. The reason why we choose average or median is because it's representative of the entire population of teachers. I don't know where the 44% number is coming from, but I can guarantee you it is a subset of the teacher workforce in Kier County, and it is not representative of the whole.

[01:04:01]Uh Kier County, this just shows you here, is the most expensive um uh county in the state of Florida. the that the Florida Department of Education measures cost um across counties as part of the funding adjustments uh that they make under the FEFP. It's called the Florida price level index. So instead of showing variance over time, it shows variance in costs across counties. The statewide average is indexed at 100. Um if a county has an index below 100, that means the cost of living in that county is below the statewide average. If a if a county has an index above 100 as Kier does, that means the cost of living in that county is higher than the statewide average. Kier, as you can see here, has an index of 105.54, which means that the cost of living in Kier County is at least 5 a.5% higher than the statewide average.

[01:04:58]Now, we're going to get to the the question of uh the district's ability to afford a fair salary increase. So, the general fund, this looks at the general fund balance. Uh the general fund accounts for most of the operational spending in the district. This chart shows the general fund balance at the close of each fiscal year from 2021 um to 2025. It's important to point out that the general fund balance can only increase if there is a surplus at the end of the fiscal year. That's how you get more money into the fund balance.

[01:05:32]There has to be a surplus. If there's a deficit, those bars go down. And what you can see here is that over this time period, the general fund balance went from 78 million to 140 million. Yes, there was a small de decrease in the last fiscal year, but it's not quite a doubling, but it's almost a doubling over the four or five years. Um, and I can promise you teacher salaries did not double over those four or five years.

[01:05:57]Now, this makes that point even a lot sharper. So, what I've done here is I looked at um growth, the cumulative growth over time um in uh average teacher salary um which is the black line. um inflation, which is the pink line, and then growth in the general fund balance, which is like the turquoise teal line. And what it shows you is that the general fund balance increased 81% over that time period. It really blew growth in inflation and growth in the average teacher salary out of the water. And so in other words, the district is accumulating general fund balance much faster than it is increasing average teacher salaries and much faster than the pace of inflation.

[01:06:45]And Mark, that's my last slide for now.

[01:06:48]I want to ask you to go on to one more slide. Uh did we do an analysis of what uh the principles and a few other work groups, the non-represented groups have gotten from uh the school board?

[01:07:00]>> Uh yes. Go ahead. Put it put it up.

[01:07:04]>> So this is it. Um so from my understanding uh uh there there was you know just like teachers there's a tiered uh performance-based system for giving raises uh to the school-based administrators which is the principles and the assistant principles. Effective um principles and assistant principles got a 3.25%.

[01:07:27]and uh highly effective principles and assistant principles got a 3.75%.

[01:07:33]Now, if you take the district's proposal um for effective teachers and for highly effective teachers and you divide it by the average teacher salary, you can come up with what is the percent increase that teachers in each of those groups would get. And for effective teachers, it's 1.82 82 um percent well below what has been uh provided um to school-based administrators who were rated effective.

[01:08:00]Um and for highly effective teachers it is 3% um again almost a full percent 3/4 of a percentage point lower than the raise provided uh for highly effective principles and assistant principles.

[01:08:17]So Kyle, from what I understand, based on your analysis, the raise that the superintendent is putting on here doesn't even it doesn't match what has gone to these other groups portrayed on your chart. Do I have that right?

[01:08:34]>> In two respects. One, the percent is lower, right? um in both categories. But another thing that's worth pointing out is that I imagine that the principles and assistant principles base salaries are much higher than teachers. So even if you were to provide the exact same percent, the money that's going into the pockets of the principles and assistant principles would be considerably higher than the money going into the pockets of our teachers. I know you're not an expert in economics of gasoline, but do you know if the principal, the superintendent, and the most recently hired teacher pay the same amount at the pump?

[01:09:12]>> Yeah.

[01:09:13]>> Okay. Thank you. Our next witness will be Emanc >> that >> will not be uh counted against. Right.

[01:09:29]That's part of his out of his 30 minutes and he's reserved five that Right. What I was >> I only need 20 seconds.

[01:09:35]>> Okay. And what I was saying, Mr. Richard, it won't be taken out of your time.

[01:09:39]>> All right. And I know you mentioned nothing in the Brown rules about cross-examination to my >> I did.

[01:09:45]>> You did? Okay. Then I trust you. Okay.

[01:09:46]Go ahead.

[01:09:47]>> For for clarification, is this out of the remaining 30 minutes for the district?

[01:09:52]>> Yes.

[01:09:53]>> Yes.

[01:09:53]>> Okay. I just need one second to change the clock.

[01:09:55]>> Okay.

[01:10:00]Um so because of the way that the clock is set right now the um union has 1330.

[01:10:09]I can't go back to it exactly like that.

[01:10:12]I can only go back to 10 or 15.

[01:10:17]>> Okay. Go back to 15. Yes ma'am.

[01:10:26]For the record, the um district has four minutes remaining.

[01:10:33]>> All right, I really don't need much time. This whole show was put on before the special magistrate and rejected because their numbers don't add up. You don't average teacher salaries with teacher average teacher salaries.

[01:10:48]average a teacher over the last five years or six years they did receive 44%.

[01:10:54]The special measures had found our methodology was appropriate not their expert. It's just not their expert. Um and I'm not going to grandstand. I'm just going to say he was wrong then. He is wrong now. Do the right thing. Thank you.

[01:11:15]>> Thanks. I'm sure if he ruled >> I mean I'll just address that. I mean if I may.

[01:11:19]>> Go ahead Kyle.

[01:11:19]>> Um I mean >> Hold on one second so that >> I'm good. I'm at 15.

[01:11:24]>> Thank you. Miss >> Kyle.

[01:11:27]>> Yeah.

[01:11:28]>> Go.

[01:11:29]>> Uh you know I I'll just say I do this in hundreds of school districts, hospitals, universities across the country. And I have never heard anyone say that the way I calculate an average is somehow wrong.

[01:11:44]Our next witness, Mr. Lewis.

[01:11:58]Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the school board. As you know, uh me as a regular in this hall, I am the executive director of the CCA. Thank you for the opportunity to present what I'm going to describe as a way out, a compromised salary proposal.

[01:12:17]And with all due respect to council on the other side, it it is a bit rich for an attorney making uh six figures to suggest teachers getting by that they are overpaid.

[01:12:28]But that that will end my editorial.

[01:12:30]>> I didn't I did not say that.

[01:12:34]>> With all due respect to Mr. Deetsson, his numbers that he presented on behalf of the superintendent are simply false.

[01:12:42]And I'm just going to just talk math here, even for non-math people using like hundreds are an easy way to just tell math. So the district said that the teachers have received a 3.6% raise according to Mr. Deetsson's presentation is wholly false. The district's presentation or or offer to the teachers is $13501 1350.

[01:13:13]If a person made $100,000, three half% would be 3500, right?

[01:13:23]And if a person made $50,000, three and a half% would be one half of that, which would be $1,800 and >> whatever it is.

[01:13:36]>> Yeah, roughly $1,800.

[01:13:40]The superintendent's offer to the teachers is $1,350.

[01:13:45]I don't know how they calculated that number as 3.6%, but it is not even 3.6. 6% of starting teacher salaries at 57,000.

[01:13:58]That's that ends my math lesson. So at your April 14th meeting, the board approved three 3.5% of a salary package for all nonbargaining employees with the exception of school-based um school-based administrators at 3.25 25 for effective and 3.75 for highly effective. However, instructional staff, the largest workforce in this district, have yet to receive a comparable adjustment. And as I shared with my brief math lesson, the the offer at uh $1350 is not even one half of 3.5% of uh based on average teacher salary.

[01:14:47]So average teacher salary and and it is laudable what this board has done.

[01:14:52]Average teacher salary is uh well above our peers but it has to be because we live in based on the numbers that were shared by the economist the most expensive county in the entire state of Florida when you measure it by the real things that people use their money for.

[01:15:11]Housing being the the largest number.

[01:15:14]So my offer and plea to you is in the name of instit institutional equity. And I know equity has gotten a a bad word, but the the the simple word of equity is just fairness among all of your employees.

[01:15:33]You gave OKAP more than uh $1,576 OKAP. These are and and this is all due respect to that group, but their salaries are much lower than teachers and the requirements to be a non-instructional staff member are less.

[01:15:53]They don't have to have a certification, but you gave them a dollar per hour. And when you add that up, a dollar times eight hours a day times 197 or 96 days a year, it's over $1,500. You gave non-instructional employees more than $1,500.

[01:16:12]And yet the superintendent's offer to a teacher who is performing effective is $1350.

[01:16:21]So the CCA compromise acknowledges that the board's um uh increase that they just voted in at the April 14th meeting is average 3.5% to all employees, administrators alike.

[01:16:39]And that is what my plea on behalf of these teachers behind me is. I think that that is the delta between where we were and where the district's first, final, and last offer is.

[01:16:55]My my proposal is for the board to give truly 3.5% of average teacher salary. Just so you know, and this is in the special magistrate's report, average teacher salary here in Kier is $73,571.

[01:17:13]An average of 3.5% of that number is $2575.

[01:17:21]That's truly $3.5% of average teacher salary. Um, and for those teachers who are highly effective, they would get an additional 880, which mirrors the superintendent's offer that you already have before you. So for a total of 3455 for grandfather teachers, they would get the same 2575.

[01:17:47]And to not discourage highly effective grandfathered uh teachers on the grandfather salary schedule, they would also get an additional $880.

[01:17:58]However, that would be in the in the form of an F FRS eligible supplement rather than continuing salary. And so you pay all of your highly effective teachers the exact same number, at least out the door. However, because of the district's view on Florida statutes requiring 25% more, that $880 that's paid to grandfather teachers, highly effective, would be a one-time FRS eligible supplement, much like, and not much like, exactly like you did last year. That's what you did. So, we thank you for that. Um, the total salary cost for this proposal is $10.4 million.

[01:18:42]a delta of, depending on whose math you want to listen to, it's either three and a half million from the district's original number during the special hearing or it's an additional $2 million based on what Mr. Deetsson has offered to you today. So, that's the only difference. a difference of $2 million would at least put teachers in the same position, relatively speaking, that you put school-based administrators and frankly all other non-bargaining employees in this district. Um, I have provided uh that proposal in writing to you that I believe will get to you uh from Marbel and and her staff and I thank you very much on behalf of these teachers behind me who just want enough to be able to live.

[01:19:27]>> Fantastic.

[01:19:33]Can I um Madam Chair, may I get a time check on what's left of our 30?

[01:19:38]>> Sure. 6 minutes and 51 seconds.

[01:19:40]>> Okay. We are going to need uh rebuttal time if you will be kind enough. But a couple of other issues. Florida law does have a mechanism, two mechanisms if you will, when someone's in such financial straits. any public employer, not just a school, could be a county or a municipality, a water district. Um, if someone's in severe economic and dire straits, the most severe is very rare.

[01:20:07]I've been involved in them, unfortunately, like the city of Miami many, many years ago, and it's a a fiscal urgency statute. It's very it's almost tanamount to a bankruptcy in the public sector. I just did the Puerto Rico bankruptcy uh on behalf of 30,000 teachers down there. The largest governmental bankruptcy in the history of the United States of America. Um no one here has declared that. No one has even said it. And I don't even know if any district of the 67 have gone there.

[01:20:34]So let's not get into the scare tactics.

[01:20:37]But then there's something in this uh paradigm called inability to pay. It's a defense in an impass hearing. It's just saying, "Love you, but I have no way to pay it." Right?

[01:20:52]I mean, that happens. I've had to tell my kids that sometimes, but you just don't have the ability in cross-examining your CFO, who again is a is a very decent person. Uh, he didn't raise and he admitted that they're not raising an inability to pay argument.

[01:21:08]So, no one is telling you you cannot afford what we're asking for, which we thought was about a $15 million difference. The fight that we're having here, Esmond's parody argument is a two-ish million. No one's saying y'all can't afford that, especially being debtree. What they're saying is under their definition of prudence, they don't think it's prudent.

[01:21:32]And I think that might be to my memory, but I may poorly serve me the word that was used.

[01:21:38]poorly worded. I I may have picked the prudence. So they it is prudent in their mind that not to do that. But guess what? You were elected to make that decision. The voters here went into the booth to elect you to make that hard decision. You didn't run to make easy decisions. You run because you love the public school system in Kier County both. And so we're asking you, we have a few more witnesses we'll have to save for the uh I don't know where you want me to do it, but we're asking you to look at both Eman's argument and ours.

[01:22:13]Prudence versus affordability. We can't afford it. We need your graciousness. We need the prayers on Sunday to carry Monday through Saturday. We need the accolades that a teacher changed your life and two professors changed my life to not just be words that you can give out cheaply. Put some money behind it for our families. It's for our families.

[01:22:46]So, I'll reserve what I have and uh we have a couple more witnesses, but I'll turn it over to my colleague.

[01:22:52]>> Okay. Um Mr. And you have >> how much time? Four.

[01:22:56]>> Uh, we have 3 minutes and 23 seconds for the district. I can either do a three or a four.

[01:23:04]>> Four minutes for Mr. Deedson for rebuttal.

[01:23:07]>> Sure. The special magistrate report says the district proposals 8.2 2 8 million233,472 or an aggregate increase of 3.61 for this coming year. That's the average.

[01:23:28]We're not talking about one teacher versus another. What Mr. Arno was doing.

[01:23:33]>> Is your microphone on?

[01:23:35]>> Yes. I I apologize. What the the the average is 3.61. Not everyone gets 3.61.

[01:23:42]That's what the special magistrate found after reviewing everything. Why we think it's $20 million is on the last day, their last proposal, they added what's called an automatic step to this to their proposal. They have a nice flyer that they sent out that says teachers are contractually owed a yearly step increase. That's not true. That left decades ago. You're they're they're not owed an automatic step. They put an automatic step in their proposal so that you pay the current 15 million the special managers talked about and then July 1, another 5 million according to your CFO, your certified CFO, not somebody in LA who's not certified in Florida finance. He's just not. He's majored in sociology. Uh this this your CFO is telling you what the numbers are.

[01:24:39]their show was completely done before a special magistrate completely rejected.

[01:24:46]And let me just say he said no one no one has ever rejected his his um inflation his flation argument. We're not arguing the teachers averages and inflation to his that calculation is wrong. were were arguing it's not applicable to what a teacher made five years ago and what the same teacher made today.

[01:25:11]The special measure said the special measure deems the school board's numbers to be more reflective of the changes in the purchasing power of teachers as it reflects the actual experience of a typical teacher over the school year term. Now, this these charts, these graphs, they were all done. It it didn't work, nor should it work today. We are asking you not to continue to deficit spend. That's what we're asking. We're asking you to follow your good practices in the past. And yes, I heard a lot about debtree. That's called capital outlay debtree. I know you know the difference. That's not personnel debtfree. You have you're carrying 93 million or 94 million from the last five years into July 1. So yes, it's great to be have capital outlay debtree for borrowing purposes and and bonding has nothing to do with why this board needs to stick to a responsible budget. Your CFO is telling you >> one minute >> that you have to be fiscally prudent.

[01:26:27]We're not saying we're absolutely broke.

[01:26:29]We've never said that. We're honest the entire time. You you go from 19 to 10. I trust his numbers. Um and you uh should adopt the superintendent's recommendation. It is not Mr. Lewis's recommendation. And why it changed, I have no idea, but it doesn't matter. It adds to your deficit spending. Stick to the will of the public for you to maintain a high functioning district with competitive more than competitive raises. Thank you.

[01:27:07]>> Thank you.

[01:27:10]>> Okay. At this time, um Mr. Richard, you have 10 minutes for rebuttal.

[01:27:19]Yes. Hi, I'm Karine Vega. I teach at >> Please use the microphone.

[01:27:23]>> Hi, I'm Karen Vega. I teach at Goldengate High School. Um, I've been there 10 years.

[01:27:28]>> Hang on. I'm sorry. I'm going to stop you for one second. Can you do We need to swear in the new witness.

[01:27:33]>> Yes.

[01:27:34]>> Yes.

[01:27:35]>> Please raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give in this matter shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

[01:27:44]>> Yes, I do. Let the record reflect that the witness has been duly sworn.

[01:27:48]>> Thank you.

[01:27:49]>> Okay. Uh I'm a science teacher at Golden Gate High School. I've been there going on 11 years. I have my master's degree.

[01:27:56]And unfortunately, in the past several years, I've had four surgeries and two on my spine, one on my leg, and then the other one on my Achilles. due to the increase in premium and also due to the increase in the out-of- pocket maximum, the increase in our deductible and the change of our pharmacy benefit provider.

[01:28:15]I actually ended up owing I believe if I remember my math correctly um it was 26% rate increase that teachers had to take on due to the increase in out-of- pocket maximums and deductibles and pharmacy allocations. So when we're talking about the money that was given for I've always I've been highly effective for eight years now. Um, when you talk about my raise, you also need to take into account that 26% of my raise because I did have medical issues that were unexpected. Um, it went towards my insurance costs. So, instead of me being able to pocket the money that I was given as a highly effective teacher, it instead went towards the insurance.

[01:29:08]>> Thank you.

[01:29:10]>> Thank you, >> Ken.

[01:29:18]Ken Muton, president of CCA.

[01:29:22]Good evening. For months, this board has described the district as being debt-free and fiscally responsible.

[01:29:28]Those are powerful claims. From what educators stand, these claims don't match reality. If the district's financial footing is truly as strong as you have asserted, then the question is simple.

[01:29:42]Why are educators still waiting to be paid what they are owed?

[01:29:46]And if the district cannot meet that obligation, then the claim of being debt-free deserves reconsideration.

[01:29:54]There is an outstanding obligation to the educators of Kier County Public Schools. That obligation has remained unresolved since the start of our beginning session in June 2025.

[01:30:06]That is not a matter of interpretation.

[01:30:08]That is a matter of record. Fiscal responsibility is not measured solely by capital projects, bond ratings or press statements. It is measured by priorities where those who do the work are treated as liabilities or as investments.

[01:30:28]Whether commitments are honored, commitments that were made by the school board members, ensuring that the teachers will be paid.

[01:30:37]When the educator obligations remain unresolved while financial strengths is publicly emphasized, the disconnect becomes impossible to ignore. If this board claims fiscal responsibility, it must demonstrate it by ensuring educators receive what they have earned and deserve, performance pay. Financial financial credibility is not built on words or labels. It is built on followth through.

[01:31:07]And until educators receive what they have earned and deserve, that followthrough remains unfinish.

[01:31:14]School board, you are delinquent on your account.

[01:31:18]Your account requires attention.

[01:31:21]Pay the teachers and show them the money. Thank you.

[01:31:31]There's a colloqu or a video that I'd like to run right now. It involves, and I mean this in all sincerity, I think one of the best descriptions by a school board member. I think you were vice chair at the time on how to deal with a human being's an employees stresses and strains and performance in the most respectful of ways. And we would be asking you to do that to your 3,000 educators here today. We want to be treated no better than the superintendent in terms of affect, care, dedication, respect, but no less. Would you please play the video?

[01:32:15]We are not being wasteful. And I think clearly everybody's heard this a million times, but the fact that we are going to be debt-free come February of this year is something I don't think any school district in Florida has ever seen.

[01:32:28]>> Unfortunately, a lot of districts are in financial crisis where they don't have any additional funding to bring above the TIS.

[01:32:35]>> Correct. But you're going to tell me right now, you're going to agree we're not in a financial crisis in part because of you.

[01:32:40]>> I'm trying to avoid it.

[01:32:42]>> Okay. You would agree with me that when you borrow money, you have a very high rating with the rating services.

[01:32:48]>> Yes, very proud of that.

[01:32:49]>> You all were bragging a few weeks ago that you were debtree.

[01:32:52]>> Yes, we're incredibly proud of that.

[01:32:54]>> Okay. And so you've been able to run a capital operation without the sky falling, but when it comes to operations to pay teachers, all of a sudden you can't find the what eight $15 million we're apart. Okay. If the school board voted tomorrow to tell Mr. flurry after this report comes to find the additional 15 million roughly that separates our two proposals. Am I right that that's the delta or a little more?

[01:33:18]>> I think it's a ballpark. Yeah, >> ballpark.

[01:33:20]>> Uh you would do it and you could find it. Correct.

[01:33:24]>> Yes.

[01:33:25]>> Florida is a state where we have a majority of our superintendents that are elected. So, they're elected for four-year terms. So, it should not be a surprise that we should consider an a four-year um contract extension. But I like what some of our speakers have said. And you know what? Let's go for five. Um, before we hired the superintendent during that sixmonth span, how uncertainty bring breeds anxiety and stress. Um, we saw that so vividly during those six months. Um, and I think that I would hate to see us ever, I mean, be in that kind of a position again where our staff is trying to figure out, do I stay here, do I go?

[01:34:09]>> Just as the superintendent earned her contract extension and bonus, teachers have earned their fair and comp competitive compensation, their results in the classroom demanded.

[01:34:25]You found the resources toward one leader. Now it's time to show that same respect to the thousands of educators who make this district success possible every single day. There is no excuse not to invest in people who are responsible for our continued success.

[01:34:45]Show teachers that same commitment. Show them that same respect and show them the money. Thank you.

[01:34:52]>> Thank you.

[01:35:00]I think I What's my time check? Two minutes.

[01:35:03]>> 2:40.

[01:35:05]>> So, in my last two minutes, I want to just say two things. I hope you are blessed with the ability to make a hard decision.

[01:35:14]They always say that these things are done. People already know who's going to make the motion, who's going to make the second. I guess I'm naive after being a lawyer 40ome years. I still don't believe that. I just don't believe it. I don't want to believe it. So, we hope you are blessed with the ability to come and figure away between these two paths for all of these people.

[01:35:37]But equally, we ask you this. We really ask you this. You have one time.

[01:35:43]One time to show up for them. One time when this room is filled up. one time when they get to go home on pillow talk tonight and talk to their spouse or partner or tell their kids tomorrow maybe or maybe they can't go to a university or community college one time it's contract time and this entire time no it was not with disrespect our time is limited our letters are always said to be no everything we've asked has been no okay that's fine that's your province now you have the ability to give them the raise that we are asking or minimally the raise that Esmond offered you or not. But you cannot say you're an A-rated district and have people walk out of here with a sense of respect that's an F. We want you to treat us with the same care concern that was laudable towards the superintendent for everyone else. May you make the right decision. Thank you.

[01:36:48]You might need a break.

[01:36:52]You need a break. Five minutes.

[01:36:57]Oh, okay.

[01:37:21]Okay, thank you. Um we we will go to questions but I think we will take um a five minute break in a second but I I have to make something very clear that the video the things that I was saying about listen oh excuse me I was talking about all of you not the stress and anxiety of the superintendent that was not what I was talking about. I just want to be very clear and I mentioned it at the end. What I was concerned about, what I heard over and over and over again from so many teachers was that they were concerned about the two options we were looking at for superintendence and that if we did not get Dr. Ricardelli that how many people were going to have to leave because they couldn't work under a figure head somebody who didn't really know anything about education who have never walked in your shoes. That's the stress and anxiety that I was talking about not stress and anxiety for the superintendent.

[01:38:31]So I just want to be very clear because there are a lot of things that are being spun differently and that is not going to be one of them. So we will take a five minute break and then we will come back for the board to ask questions.

[01:40:54]Heat. Heat. N.

[01:42:02]Heat. Heat.

[01:45:02]Heat. Heat.

[01:45:11]Heat.

[01:45:38]Heat.

[01:46:03]Hey, hey, hey.

[01:46:07]Heat. Heat.

[01:46:38]Heat. Heat.

[01:47:51]Everybody down.

[01:48:20]Hey, hey, hey.

[01:49:26]Hey. Hey. Hey.

[01:49:28]Heat. Heat.

[01:49:49]Hey daddy, everything.

[01:52:03]Yeah, >> we're going to extend this break so that if you want to look through this binder, you have an extra >> um I just wanted you to know that you have two Okay, just so everybody knows what's going on up here, we did take a bathroom break, but um the board members are going to take an extra five minutes to go through the binders that were presented from the union. So, we'll reconvene again in another couple of minutes here.

[01:53:42]Heat. Heat.

[01:54:04]Heat.

[01:54:17]Heat.

[01:55:28]Ah, hey.

[01:56:17]Hey, Oh, wow.

[02:04:45]Heat. Hey, Heat.

[02:05:20]Heat.

[02:05:34]Heat.

[02:06:08]Hello.

[02:06:36]Heat. Heat.

[02:06:57]Happy number.

[02:08:28]Okay, thank you. Um we will reconvene and at this time um will be an opportunity for board members to ask any questions of either either party, Mr. Deetsson or Mr. Richard. Um you guys can all use your lights if you want to get started. Uh Mr. Carter, thank you for the presentation and I do want to make a comment about the video that was shown. I've worked with Stephanie Lucarelli for about nine years on this board. And I assure you, there's never been anybody more that I have met that is in favor of the teachers and doing what we need to do to help the teachers. And I I uh I just want to make that absolutely clear. I've gotten to know her family. I've seen her kids grow up. And it's been an honor to work alongside her. I want to be clear about that. And I also want to be clear about something else. I feel like this whole process has been a a dog and pony show to divide this board with the teachers.

[02:09:21]And I am not going to let that happen.

[02:09:23]despite this outcome. We're going to continue to work hard for the teachers and continue to move forward despite what the outcome may be here today. Now, I'm going to move forward with a couple of things and some questions I have for Mr. Richards. Is it sir? Yes, sir. I just want to ask you, did your your expert witness we I assume he's gone and we can't ask him of any question. Is that correct?

[02:09:43]>> I think I could probably get him back.

[02:09:44]>> Okay. Thank you.

[02:09:45]>> Let me try.

[02:09:47]>> U do you have other questions while I try?

[02:09:49]>> Well, I mean, I can ask you the same question. I'm just curious. Did you guys ever study the final budget book for 25 and 26, particularly the general fund balance?

[02:09:58]>> Uh, I'm going to have to the people that would have studied it would be his team because he does about 3,000 unions across the country at AFT.

[02:10:05]>> Okay.

[02:10:06]>> And Esmond I I Okay, so I don't I wouldn't have direct knowledge. They're the experts.

[02:10:10]>> All right, that's fine.

[02:10:12]>> Do you want him to get >> If he can, that'd be fine.

[02:10:16]>> Do you have any other questions while he >> Well, I think this is the most important question that I may have. And since Mr. Richard can't answer the question. I I just want to ask a few questions of him if I may.

[02:10:24]>> Yeah, >> go ahead.

[02:10:25]>> We could go on and I'll I'll locate them.

[02:10:27]>> Okay.

[02:10:29]>> Thank you, sir.

[02:10:30]>> Thank you. Um, any other questions? Let me let me uh let me see what else I may have had here.

[02:10:37]I do want to make a comment. You had one speaker that had mentioned about her health insurance and she had mentioned that her insurance premiums have increased. In fact, we don't have premiums in Collier County. I don't know if she maybe meant her deductible had increased, but we we don't our I don't believe our teachers pay premiums in Collier County if I'm if I'm correct. Am I correct on that?

[02:10:57]>> Right. That that's that's that's what I thought. Okay, that's fine. I I it was probably just misspoken. I understand that happens. We all do that.

[02:11:05]>> Yeah.

[02:11:06]>> I just wanted to be clear.

[02:11:07]>> If I can answer that if you'd like.

[02:11:08]Yeah, it's my understanding. You all correct me. So, there's premium and there's plan design and there's individual coverage and family coverage, right? individual coverage I believe for the premiums are not charged if I have that right >> that's correct >> but the plan design of deductibles out of pockets co- insurance co-ay those change >> right but that's not a premium >> it is a premium it just comes when you use it versus the premium that's coming each month so >> I'm I'm sorry I thought that was called the deductible >> the deductible is part of the plan design so you have a premium which is the right to have insurance and that is paid paid every month. In this case, not paid, right, by the employee. But plan design could be uh 500 when you go to the emergency room. It may be 75 out of pocket. If you have a specialty drug that's not that's not a formulary drug, it could be $200 or $2,000. And then you have to reach a certain amount of deductible until you don't have a deductible. That's called plan design.

[02:12:08]So, you pay twice. The premium is one.

[02:12:11]You all have done a great job of not doing, you know, passing >> not having a premium.

[02:12:14]>> Right. Right. Oh, there's no premium.

[02:12:16]That That was >> There's a lot of out-of- pocket expenses for health insurance.

[02:12:18]>> There's out of- pocket expenses, but no premium, which is I come from a business world where I've had to have my own health insurance. And in the business world, the premium is what you pay for the insurance. And then there's a deductible. So, and I have employees that I've had to work with insurance before. And and I and I just want to be clear, there is no premium. So, the value of our insurance, I believe, is roughly $13,000. And teachers don't have to pay that. I would say it's roughly, right? Maybe it's 125. Whatever. We're not going to squall over numbers, right?

[02:12:43]>> The concept. the con >> not here, not at this point. Right. So, so, so I I just want to make sure that that we're on the same page. There is no premium per se that teachers have to pay for the insurance outside of deductibles and medical costs and so forth of that nature.

[02:12:57]>> But those deductibles, co-pays, out of pockets can be thousands and thousands of dollars.

[02:13:01]>> Oh, I understand that. I understand.

[02:13:03]I've had to use it. I understand that.

[02:13:05]>> Then we're on the same page.

[02:13:06]>> Yeah, we're on the same page. So, all right. So, is your is your uh expert online yet?

[02:13:11]>> Yes, sir. I'm here. Oh, thank you very much. I appreciate it. And I'm sorry, sir. I I didn't get your name. If you may please repeat it.

[02:13:20]>> It's excuse me, my >> your name, Kyle, if you would state it for the record.

[02:13:25]>> Kyle.

[02:13:25]>> Okay, Kyle. I'm I'm pretty casual, so I'm Eric, so you don't have to call me Mr. Carter. I'm okay with all that. So, anyways, a question for you if I may.

[02:13:33]Um, did you happen to look at the budget summary, uh, the final budget 25 and 26 in our budget book?

[02:13:41]Uh, I did um look at that. Yes.

[02:13:45]>> Okay. Can can you tell me a little bit about our redundancy?

[02:13:49]>> Um, that I don't know what you mean. I know what you mean about the fund balance issue, but what do you mean about the redundancy?

[02:13:55]>> Redundancy is like uh monies that have already been more or less counted twice.

[02:14:00]Are you familiar with the redundancies?

[02:14:03]>> Uh, no, I'm not.

[02:14:04]>> Okay. Are you familiar with our tax neutral referendum and how that works in play with the with the um with the uh general fund?

[02:14:12]>> No.

[02:14:12]>> Okay. So, I I I think you what what I'm demonstrating is that you're really not totally familiar with our budget and grant it's extremely complicated. I'm I'm a business owner as I stated earlier and this budget government budgeting was very um odd to say the least. you know, we have redundancies where we, for an example, if we move, we have $2 in one account and we move $1 to another account, all of a sudden we got $3. And that doesn't make much sense to me as a businessman. But, you know, over the time, um, you know, I've had the CFOs explain it to me and so forth. But I I will tell you the redundancies are quite high in our budget. And are you familiar with our carryover balance?

[02:14:53]>> Um, I am looking at it right now. So, I can I can see the general fund balance.

[02:14:57]>> Okay. Are you familiar with of of our monies that are allocated to certain funds and reserves and things of that nature?

[02:15:06]>> Uh yeah, broadly.

[02:15:07]>> Probably. Okay, that's a good answer from an expert. So, all right. So, the the the the the thing the thing I want to say the >> You made your mind up. Why are you asking the questions? Well, I'm asking the questions because I want you to >> I will point out >> I'm asking you the question because I want you to understand why this Mr. Carter, let me let me just explain something. Uh this portion of the hearing is devoted to the board. The board asks the questions. If it's not back and forth between council and the board, so if if a board member has a question of council or one of their witnesses, that's fine. But uh it's hard for anybody to respond to the board directly unless they've been asked a question.

[02:15:49]>> Okay. Well, I I apologize then, Kyle, but I I think what I want to illustrate to you is the tax neutral referendum that we did. It took money out of capital and moved it into general fund.

[02:15:59]So that's why you will see a growth in general fund when we move 35%. And that referendum was approved by the voters because they put trust in us. So in doing so, it meant that we took money out of capital, which is what we use to to build our schools, fix our schools, etc., etc., of that nature. And in getting debtree, we were basically stealing from Peter to pay Paul. And we used a majority of that money to help with raises for our teachers. So, and in getting debtree, we stole from Peter to pay Paul. Now that we're debtree, we're taking that debt funding and put it back into the general fund so we can keep our schools up to par. We had a plan and we executed that plan. So that may be why you'll see an increase in the general fund because I think you illustrated that in in in one of your slides. So I just want to be clear where that where that increase in general fund may be coming from. So and um so so so that's all I wanted to say. So um I do appreciate you coming back on. Um, should we ask anybody else has any questions of him while he's here with us?

[02:17:01]>> Does anybody else have Okay. No.

[02:17:04]>> Okay.

[02:17:05]>> May I answer one more part of his question?

[02:17:07]>> Absolutely.

[02:17:08]>> So, the I would just ask you to consider this. According to your CFO and everything we read, your bond ratings with Moody's and others um has gotten better, which means your cost of borrowing, your you know, your carrying costs have come down. It's because you actually haven't robbed Peter to pay Paul. the district's in better shape and an independent rating service whom everyone relies upon if you need to borrow money is saying you've done a good job and that does recognize that dynamic that we talked about. Thank you, sir.

[02:17:38]>> Thank you.

[02:17:38]>> Yeah. All right.

[02:17:39]>> Um who else? Um Miss Mason.

[02:17:45]>> All right. So, my first question, are you able to put up your slides back on the screen by chance?

[02:17:51]>> Someone have to help.

[02:17:54]It's got a password.

[02:17:57]>> It would be slide 18.

[02:17:59]>> Okay, I have that. Hang on.

[02:18:03]>> I just had a question about that one.

[02:18:05]>> Sure.

[02:18:15]>> Okay. From budget headlines.

[02:18:17]>> Uh, >> which one? It was the one um you were showing the comparative districts and >> Okay. Yes.

[02:18:25]>> and raises >> statewide comparable district settlements.

[02:18:29]>> Yeah. So are you it was slide 18 and you had talked about what proposals were given for this year and it showed us as higher and they were giving like 1%.

[02:18:40]>> Correct.

[02:18:40]>> Do you have the information for the last like three to five years of what raises they were doing prior to this year? I I know St. John's went to impass two years ago with this special magistrate lur. He ruled in their favor and it was 3.5%.

[02:19:00]>> Okay.

[02:19:00]>> Um and that was after impass. They chose not to go to impass and accept 2.0 this year and they're a client of ours because of the declining enrollment. Um again, nothing to do with how that board valued teachers. Um, Klay County had better raises. Um, and they're just they have serious health insurance issues that's impacted their entire budget and they had probably 30 private schools within driving distance and they took the cash and went and so that they're in a financial situation.

[02:19:36]Scammy I'm aware of. Um, not 3.61 at all in the last couple years. Um, >> so nobody had anything remotely like 9% 12% 11%.

[02:19:47]>> I I don't know. If there was, we would have heard it five times from them.

[02:19:52]>> There was no This is When I first read your data, I was like, are you kidding?

[02:19:56]It's so incredibly high. And to sustain it, that's why we're here today. You have to sustain it for $94 million of reoccurring debt. So every July one, boom, that that 10% >> May we address that question? Sorry. Um, you also mentioned you were talking about the you said you actually I quoted you FTE dumpster fire and then you referenced several districts that are having serious financial crisis um deficits um job layoffs um cut I've seen cutting programs athletics um >> schools closing schools are going on everywhere um the the proposals to cut schools are going everywhere Uh insurance again crisis FTE crisis in Sarasota. Lee County Glades has taken taken over. Broward County is in serious problems. Miami Dade's closing schools.

[02:20:52]They they have problems. You could go around the state east to west. Charlotte has an FTE problem. Um I could just go all the way down the panhandle. It's >> So you mentioned Sarasota and the insurance. Do they pay 100% of the insurance? They did, but they went to financial urgency because they went below their um board policy. Okay. And now they they're passing on premiums to their employees for the first time. Um and actual premiums and raising deductibles. So, it's it's a two two-way street. They're they're they also took away some supplements because they lost so much students. It's not mismanagement.

[02:21:38]They're an a district. They have a referendum for teachers. You just can't balance it. And again, they had two-year deal I did with them, 3.5 3.5, and they still the the the new revenues were lower than the expenses going out the door. It's it's it's just that much.

[02:21:59]And I didn't mention this year's budget, the Senate budget, the net to our district is 0.93. The House is like 0.19. So, if there's going to be a fight between the House and the Senate, you're going to get less than 1% additional funding in this district because seven more million are going to family empowerment.

[02:22:21]>> So, you're going to see a new revenues of 9 million and say, "Oh, we can just spend that." 7 million, just analyze this with John, 7 million will go to family empowerment. So, you're getting way less in inflation, way less in everything. So, fiscally, we're in a tight spot. if if you look at the legislature of what they're actually doing today.

[02:22:44]>> Okay. So, may I respond >> real quick? I'm I'm not done, but thank you. Um >> with I don't know why that's funny.

[02:22:52]>> It's funny because we wanted to respond.

[02:22:54]>> I'm I'm questioning him. That's the process. We don't need to we don't need to comment to that.

[02:22:58]>> Yeah. Let me just jump in. I mean, I think I think it's it's fair if if you ask a question, he should answer it. And then if he's going into some sort of narrative, then I think the other side should be able to respond.

[02:23:10]>> Well, I'm The only thing is I'm >> But I wasn't done with my my questioning.

[02:23:20]>> As many questions, >> but it's all tied in together. That's the only thing.

[02:23:24]>> It was a long >> I'll wait. Uh I'm not sure it was just an answer to your question. I don't I don't think I've been disrespectful or rude at all to anybody in this room today at all. Okay.

[02:23:36]>> Um >> I I wanted to just as my final question along the same lines here is your concern if adding this amount of um increase of potentially another $20 million. Do you feel that this district would be in a similar situation as many of these others as in looking at laying off um employees, cutting programs, those types of things? Just asking.

[02:24:03]>> You have to and most boards have a three to fiveyear window when you plan your finances. It's not July one and just hope to get to July one. Fiscally responsible boards look three years out.

[02:24:14]So your CFO testified under oath. He's concerned about the trend in two years from now. Um and and the the downward trend without a Ford calc even knowing um yes, you'll you'll you'll be where Sarasota thought they were great. Uh you will be there adding any millions. We uh whatever the the the millions are, any millions. Uh you offered 8.2 million.

[02:24:42]>> All right. Thank you. So now now is a great opportunity for you to respond.

[02:24:46]Thank you. Thank you for the courtesy.

[02:24:48]So, in all due respect to my colleague, you're getting half information and it's embarrassing. So, yes, there are student pressures going on. Some districts go doortodoor and try to recruit kids back.

[02:24:58]It's partly from the raids and things that have gone on in the immigration world. There's the the vouchers. There's a bunch of things going on that pull student populations. I'm not going to evaluate those. I'm just going to tell you. So, what does a business do? You can either put it on the backs of the teachers or we can go out and try to raise student costs. Not every I go to day county. I represent as many unions probably as he does around the state.

[02:25:22]Okay. And yes, there's some things that he's telling part true. There's some stresses, but he didn't tell you in Dade, for example, the referendums range. I'm going in the ballpark. The referendum that they passed that goes just to teacher salaries go from like three to 17 $18,000 on top of their salary. So they just talk about the percentages and the percentages won't be great uh because of their strains but that not everybody's doing layoffs.

[02:25:50]Broward is orange is not at the moment.

[02:25:53]Um so what you're doing is you're getting scare tactics. Could you imagine Monday teaching a class like this on the economics of the United States right now? If someone said, "Oh, it's all going to close down. Nobody would go to your business and and have their hair done. People would not hire me." Yes, there are real strains. You all have done a really darn good job at dealing with them. But Eman's proposal is around $2 million, right? That $2 million is a rounding you. Nobody's going broke over $2 million. Not even you're not being irresponsible. When I asked your CFO, he was so honest when I said, "If you were ordered to do this, could you do it?" He goes, "Yeah, but prudently, meaning the $20 million difference." So then we come in here, we call people, say, "Do you all want to talk?" They go, "No." Do you know how many offers you guys put on the table? Do you have any idea? We teach business school. We teach dispute resolution in our classes. We teach kids how to get along. Guess how many salary offers you all put on the table that that superintendent put on the table.

[02:26:55]>> And I can tell you one.

[02:26:56]>> One. And I'm going to explain that because this was something I have asked for for a long time because speaking to teachers and seeing what would happen.

[02:27:06]I'm going to tell you this is how this is how a negotiations process works. The board meets with our financial >> people, right? and we we get their information and we tell the negotiations team this is the limit right this is the ceiling that we have and then our negotiations team then we say okay but obviously you know if you're going to negotiate you're not starting at the ceiling so you start below the ceiling right and then you spend months going back and forth negotiating and then you get somewhere maybe near the ceiling And so for years I have said but I don't want I want our teachers to get the maximum amount that we can give them. So this year they gave you the ceiling.

[02:28:02]They gave you the ceiling and said figure out where you all want to put the money. Here's how much money can be spent. Figure out where to put it. And now, so we're crucified if you know, okay, you're we're nickel and dimming, we're lowballing, we're doing that, but now we're also crucified by giving the teachers the ceiling. So >> So why have a hearing if you gave us the maximum and you told them what to >> I don't think this is >> why have a hearing.

[02:28:33]>> I want everybody But I want everybody to understand.

[02:28:36]>> The hearing isn't to understand. The hearing is you all have made your mind but you keep saying they're safe. Yeah, >> I think he's made his mind up.

[02:28:47]>> There is no mind made up. I because this is outside of all of this. The point is when one offer is presented and and everybody wants to know why is there only one offer? That's why. So, I'm just explaining something that you keep bringing up.

[02:29:04]>> How about the superintendent contract?

[02:29:06]Was the one offer a 2,00 $700?

[02:29:08]>> You don't get to ask me questions right now. Okay, this this is let me let me just say it again and I'm going to say it for the last time. Unless you're asked a specific question. There's not back and forth between the parties and the board. Uh and if the board wants to a board member wants to make a statement unless she he or she asks a question.

[02:29:27]There's no response from either side.

[02:29:29]>> Thank you, >> Mr. Myers. May I say I had asked the question and then it went off into >> Right. And I just I just wanted I I knew what would happen is council for the other side would say, "Well, I should be given an opportunity to rebut because some of what was said wasn't really responsive to your question." Correct.

[02:29:45]And that's why I said what I said. I didn't want to, you know, stop you from asking as many questions as you have of the witness.

[02:29:52]>> No, but then when I when I do ask a direct question and there's a response, it's not even about the issue. It's just an opportunity to >> Okay.

[02:29:59]>> Yeah. So, >> Okay. So, um, did you have any more?

[02:30:02]>> I did have a question. Um I I assume the the NEA um because you represent unions puts out um salary increases um averages across you know what are national averages. Do you have any of that data?

[02:30:18]>> Uh Kyle has it so I can get it. Okay.

[02:30:21]>> Yeah. Is there do you want >> Yeah. I I just I'm curious what would be like across the board unions are seeing what are national averages of increases.

[02:30:29]>> Yeah. He does actually them across the country. I'll get that for you in a minute. Okay. Thank you.

[02:30:34]>> Thank you.

[02:30:34]>> That's that's all I have. Thank you.

[02:30:36]>> Okay. So, I'll move on to Mr. Moier.

[02:30:40]>> Um I think when we did started the negotiation like what you were referring to earlier, we just went to the max. It was known back and forth and back and forth and I think that was the right thing to do because the last >> few years before that was a little bit negotiation back and forth and we had more money at that time because the ESRE funds that we don't have anymore. So, I mean we're up there in the top pay. So, I think that that's says a lot for us.

[02:31:04]>> Did you have any a question for either of the >> No, I mean you you you you mentioned the fact that uh the the principles and the staff were getting more raises than the teachers over the last like three to five years. What has the staff gotten versus the teachers?

[02:31:19]>> I don't >> less.

[02:31:23]>> He wants to know over the five years, what was the staff's raise versus what the teachers got?

[02:31:29]I don't I I have to confirm.

[02:31:31]>> I can tell you um because I did look at that. Um so >> it's it's lower.

[02:31:42]Um, so first off, I'm just going to say that um saying that everyone is getting raises except teachers is not accurate.

[02:31:58]Um, once whatever decision is made today, I'm going to assume that there is a raise included in whatever decision is made today. So then it will come. The only reason that teachers haven't seen anything yet is because the union and the district could not agree and we are here. Um no other reason than that. And also um the district did try and offer at least the Tissa money um which was rejected as well. But in three years the teachers were getting 11.65% 65% 12.5% 9.7% and at that same time administration was getting about half mostly less the highest that at one in just in those three years the highest was 5.7 one year but the other two years were way lower.

[02:33:02]um our non-bargaining at the highest again 5.25. So five you know let's just say round up 6% and 5 and a half% don't really compare to 11.6 12.5 9.7 and our superintendent by the way she's had zero raise 0% raise over these last several years. Um, and by the way, um, comparing 3,200 teacher salaries to one superintendent, I think is ridiculous. Um but now now that we're trying to or the district has been trying to um recognize the fact that we do in fact somebody said I don't think that assistant principles and principles are making less money than teachers. There are assistant principles making less money than teachers. Um so that is not that is not a fair statement either. Um, I will see if there's anybody else that Oh, Mr. Carter, you have another question.

[02:34:10]>> I I do have a question. This is for the district attorney. Um, can you you mentioned 47 million leaving the district. Can you elaborate on that at all? Is is that >> 47?

[02:34:21]>> Can you repeat that? 47 what?

[02:34:23]>> 47 million and mentioned leaving >> that was in vouchers. That was the that was in vouchers. That was >> amount the total amount in six years from the beginning of the Florida voucher program, >> right? family empowerment scholarships to today is 47 million. This year alone was seven more million than last year.

[02:34:42]>> So is it it this is how I understood that 47 million. Those are students that were never actually on campus per se.

[02:34:49]They were already in private schools. So we lost $47 million without losing any expenses. So our expenses stayed the same, but revenue went down $47 million.

[02:34:58]Correct.

[02:34:58]>> Yes. It was in your FT and it left the house just like Right.

[02:35:02]>> It just did.

[02:35:03]>> Right. So, and and I do want to add something to when we were talking about recruitment and what we're doing as a district. I personally know I've had several clients that have had their children in private school and they request a tour at any school. They call the principal and the principles are more than happy to give tours of the school. So, that's one thing we're doing to increase recruitment. And I've had several uh of my parents move their teachers into school, particularly Aubrey Rogers High School. And you know, it it's a wonderful school. We all know that. So, um I just want to add that in.

[02:35:32]Did you want to add something to that 47 million, sir?

[02:35:34]>> No. Kyle is on the phone and I think could answer the question that you had and and a couple others. But Kyle, can you hear us?

[02:35:42]>> Madam Chair, just for the record.

[02:35:44]>> All right. And there were two or three questions if you could answer them because I can't.

[02:35:47]>> We have just over five minutes on the Q&A 30 minute aotment.

[02:35:51]>> All right. Miss Mason, if you want to ask.

[02:35:53]>> Oh, I'm sorry. Um the I was looking at wanting to know National Education Association. Um do they look I I would assume look at national averages for teacher salary increases. Do you have any data on that?

[02:36:09]>> Yes, I do. Um uh one the attorney for the district said that the average salary in Kier is higher than the national average. That is not true. Um they're around, you know, collier somewhere 7374.

[02:36:23]Um average the national average is like 76,500.

[02:36:28]Um you're looking at percentages just >> Yes. And that's I'm about to get there.

[02:36:33]I'm just giving you the baseline. Um so yearover-year from 20 25 to 26 it was a 2.76% increase. That's the way I calculate it though. Uh and the way the NEA calculates it. Um the way that the district calculates uh averages is a little bit different but it's 2.76 from 25 to 26.

[02:36:52]>> So for 2526 national average for teacher salary increases was under 3%.

[02:36:58]>> Is what you correct?

[02:36:59]>> Okay. Thank you >> Mr. Moier.

[02:37:03]>> Yeah I just had another question. And uh when I was flipping through the book that you gave us in uh section 2, page 22 for the Florida price level index, uh you keep saying it's going up, but according to your chart, it keeps going down.

[02:37:16]So I'm just I'm just trying to get some clarification on it. In 22, >> that is not longitudinal. It's comparative. So it has nothing to do with time. It's it's comparing it county by county, >> right? But in 22, our our base was 105.81 and then went to 105.69. 69 and then went to 105.54 for 24 and it seems like a lot of other counties they're trending the opposite way. So I just wonder if that was brought up that would just mean home home prices here are still the highest in the state. The difference between the highest and the next highest may have closed that gap may have closed because it's whatever is above 100. So if it's 105 that means it's 105% right. So it may mean that some of the more the homes in other counties went up too. It doesn't change that you're still the most expensive alleged.

[02:38:08]>> Right. But it it is trending down. So I just want to point that out.

[02:38:12]>> Well, the costs are not trending down.

[02:38:13]The difference is trending down.

[02:38:15]>> Okay. Um I'm not seeing any other questions.

[02:38:20]>> Um I just have one question um that I believe I know the answer to. Can any district take um take on debt for operational expenses?

[02:38:36]>> No, you cannot borrow you cannot borrow like if if you did a line of credit for like payroll, what I don't know how you you couldn't pay that back um out of capital.

[02:38:48]>> So that's just not the way boards >> No, you have places in your budget to find $2 million. I asked during the impass hearing, name one expense this board did incorrectly in your assigned accounts.

[02:39:02]No, no one challenged how you budget.

[02:39:06]Specifically, how you all budget. Not one mis account in all those accounts.

[02:39:13]>> Okay.

[02:39:17]>> And and this is sort of where >> Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. Just one second. Mr. I I didn't see that you entered the room. Mr. Mr. Antonachi, can you answer that question?

[02:39:25]>> Yes, Mr. Lucarelli. You cannot borrow dollars for operating. The only time you can, you can take out a tax anticipatory note. Um that some districts do that at the beginning of the year because um since this you may not have enough funding before the tax uh from property taxes come in. So some districts between July and November have to take out shortterm loans before they receive the tax revenue from property uh taxes. So there there is that, but it's only short-term and they only give you that loan because they know you're going to be getting the money in uh November from uh November to to February when people pay their property taxes. So that's the only time that you can borrow for operating. Typically when you take out loans and bonds, it's for capital.

[02:40:10]>> Correct. Okay. That's what I've >> learned. Maybe respond. Sure. So of course he's right, but the amount we're asking would not cause you to have to borrow any money. your general fund, some of the money's in it, you can't spend on salaries, right? There's categorical tie-ups, but the money that's not tied up, that's not earmarked, is more than enough because you all have done a decent job. Eman's proposal wouldn't be a blip on the radar screen and he knows it. So, no one's even suggesting borrowing money, not borrowing money, debt. You you've chosen not to do a referendum and date people are getting 17, 18, 19,000 above their salary. It's a choice people make. These are choices and and >> I believe he's answered your question.

[02:40:55]>> Yeah. Thank you, >> Mr. Um, Miss >> Mr. Rutherford, did you have a question?

[02:41:02]>> No questions. I have some comments for that.

[02:41:04]>> Okay, just a minute.

[02:41:06]>> Madam Chair, >> well, the 30 minutes is completely >> Okay. Well, well, mine's mine's more of a comment anyway.

[02:41:11]>> Okay, save that. Um, okay. Um since the presentations and questions have already been heard, the board will proceed with deliberations and then a vote to resolve the issue um at impass as it deems to be in the public interest including the interest of the public employees involved. So at this time I will we can start deliberations. I mean this can be a conversation. We we can start with um you know somebody that has some comments or and then but I mean it can be a conversation amongst the board.

[02:41:51]Mr. Carter.

[02:41:52]>> Yeah. So I I just want to make a few comments if I may. Um so to me where I get frustrated with this whole process is that and I apologize to the expert for the comment but to me it's frustrating. Everything is laid out in the general fund. I've been on many homeowners associations and everything we do has a reserve and it's allocated for the roof. It's allocated for painting. In the same thing, you have a reserve and you have a general fund where you spend things like landscaping that are reoccurring expenses. That's all laid out in our general fund. And to me, it's just frustrating when we talk about this and then, you know, you're saying that there is extra money. I don't see where it is. I've studied this fund. Jonathan Tuttle was great when I first got on about teaching me about this budget. So was uh so was John Antonady and our and our and our previous CFO. And that's where I get frustrated. I just don't see it. We're required by statute to show a projection of our funds where it's going. We know at Naples High School it may have a new roof in 15 years. We know that as an example. And we have a great Mark Ruo is fabulous. He'll go out and look at that roof and say, "You know what? We can push it back two more years." And that's great when we can do things like that.

[02:43:05]You know, another thing this board did uh about a year or so ago is we reduced our strategic fund balance and we took that money out and we bonused it to the teachers. We were able to do that. You know, we want to keep that res reserve balance, the strategic reserve at a certain percentage because we're hurricane ally. We have to have that.

[02:43:23]FEMA does not step in right away with money. We have to cover oursel in a situation like that. So, we have to be prudent. You know, Abraham Lincoln once said, "We don't have the luxury of an extreme position." Lincoln said he didn't have a luxury of extreme position because he wants to hold everything together. And that's what we want to do with this budget. We don't want to be like Sarasota or those other counties that are laying people off. And I'm sure you as teachers don't want to see your fellow teachers that you teach with next door be laying off because we're not doing our due diligence with this budget. We have worked hard over the past 10 years and Miss Miss uh Mason was on that board at that time when we started doing things like doing um audits. We formed an audit committee, a citizen audit committee which is open to the public for anybody to come in and see. We are working hard on this budget and we're going to continue to do everything we can for teachers and teachers pay raises. But I think it's important that you understand the position that we are in. The revenue for this school year from the state they gave us 78% and they have told us to expect that same amount next year. It did not meet inflation of 2.75%.

[02:44:29]Our tissa funds were reduced by 52% from 3.1 million to two for 1.5 million.

[02:44:36]The zero increase in funding for safe schools and mental health which we still have to provide that. So these are things that we are working hard to to make happen while at the same time doing record raises. You know, I know Mr. Moier talked about one time when we did these raises, he went to the uh uh FSBA con conference and they were amazed what we were able to do. In 2023, we did a raise of 9.7%.

[02:45:01]2024 we did 12.5%.

[02:45:04]11.65 we did 24.5. We would love to continue that pattern, but nobody in business increases their fees to that extent. I can't increase that fee to my extent. I'll give that as an example. If I and that's an average that's an average over those three years of 11.28%.

[02:45:21]If I increased my fees for an average haircut in my salon, that average would go from $75 to $113 in a three-year period. It's a lot of money. And it's not that we don't want to give it. It's difficult. Now, Eman made another proposal and um you know, unfortunately, I wanted to ask another question, but I think I can figure it out myself. So, but the thing of it is I looked at a lot of things. I looked at a lot of factors.

[02:45:46]I looked at I looked at other states across the board. We look at states like California that has the highest paying teachers in this in in the in the United States of America. They get $103,000 is their average pay. But you have to look at the big picture. And if you'll uh give me one second, I'll I'll flip to that. their their their um their price index is 142. So if you take that down, what their spending power actually is in the state of California is 72 thou $72,900 with our price induct in Florida. Our Florida average is lower, but that's not true of Collier County. The highest paid teachers in the state of or in the state of California, it's the highest paid teachers in our nation. Kier County teachers compared to to the state of California with the price index is $69,79.

[02:46:37]We are $3,100 below the highest paid teachers in the United States of America. We're doing what we can. We're absolutely doing what we can and we've had a great partnership with the union and I don't want to lose that partnership and I don't want to lose the partnership with the teachers.

[02:46:53]The state is making it more and more difficult. That's what's happening. We need to work together and petition to the state and move forward to to put caps on the vouchers. To put caps on the vouchers. Right now, Tom Brady's son can get a voucher. And I use Tom Brady for two reasons. Uh I hated when he played my Dolphins. And and secondly, the other reason is because, you know, he he he's a multi-millionaire, but he can still get a he he can he can still get a a voucher. There needs to be a financial cap, and that's what would help the school districts. You know, the state says that it's a separate pot of money.

[02:47:24]Well, we all know that's not true. they take from A and put it to B and call it A and B and that's what they've done and we're the A. So, um we're going to continue to do what we can. Um I appreciate you guys all being here, but we're in a tight situation. You know, we we have a responsibility not only to the teachers, we have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Collier County. That's why I tell you we do not have the luxury of an extreme position. So, thank you, >> Mr. Rutherford.

[02:47:52]To me, teachers are probably the most important occupation in our world.

[02:48:08]>> You're training our children. And I've got one in Aubrey Rogers right now. The other one graduated a couple years ago.

[02:48:18]Uh just like uh Abraham Lincoln said, he quoted Abraham Lincoln. I've got another quote and you've probably heard it. The philosophy in the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next generation.

[02:48:36]That's a powerful statement, but it's true. You're training our children for the future leadership. And so I appreciate y'all so much. Sometime though what we want to do is not what we can do. And my thinking through all this and I didn't ask any questions. My thinking through all this is if we're in a deficit situation, why should we increase that deficit situation which can cause us major problems in the future like like the speaker has said. So, I think that our proposal is reasonable, although it's not maybe what I would want to give you, but I think it's reasonable. It's what we can do. And so, I appreciate what our district has done. And I hope that the next time it'll be many times over that, but be aware that we appreciate the teachers that are here. I would have loved to been a teacher. I was a substitute teacher here for five years.

[02:49:39]Loved every minute of it. love the students. We had a great time together.

[02:49:43]But that's my uh speech. Okay.

[02:49:47]>> Okay. Um Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you George Washington said in his farewell speech, "Don't ever get into deficit spending." Thank you.

[02:50:05]>> Okay. Comments?

[02:50:08]>> Okay, Miss Mason.

[02:50:10]So my com just a comment um you know as as a school board member you know we're we're faced with making major decisions and we have to take into account not just today right now we also have to think about stability long term. Um we also we are accountable to our students, our teachers, our staff um our families, our taxpayers and it is it is a balance.

[02:50:38]Um, and my my I think my biggest concern and what I still got out of today was that especially what we're seeing across the state is that we need to continue the stability here. Um, I I do feel very strongly in the fact that we have shown um great support um for our teachers and the aggressive raises. Um, but my biggest concern right now is financial stability long term. um and still being able to give a reasonable increase even though we couldn't like the last three years we went very aggressive. So I have to be honest I I never imagined we'd be sitting here today. That's that hard that part is difficult for me. Um but again we're we're I'm one of five and we have to take into account all factors. It's not just one single thing and I would not be doing my fiduciary duty if I didn't factor all of those things into those decisions. And I want to ensure that nobody loses a job that our students have athletics and arts and music programs because we're seeing that's getting cut. I want to make sure I've I've said since I got here I want Kier County to be not just the number one district in the state of Florida but in the country. And I think the representation that we have in our community within our schools and I've been visiting all the schools this lot I go every year. Um I and some of you I I see in this room I've been in your classroom and the things you are doing every single day are incredible. And it's not just the teachers, it's our support staff. It's the people at the front desk when I come into those schools. um the assistant principles. I I go my son plays uh baseball and the number of teachers, administrators that are there until I mean some of those games go until 9:30, 10 o'clock at night and they're there supporting those kids.

[02:52:43]It's incredible and and I don't want to have some divide between teachers and board or teachers and admin or I I really I felt like especially I have to say this. I felt like when the superintendent vote happened and many of you were in that room and as you know I was the swing vote that day and I didn't I wasn't beholden to some political interest. I made that decision because it was in the best interest of the entire district not some special group entire district. That was the decision I was faced with making and as you know I got a lot of backlash a lot and I knew going in it was going to be a lose-lose in a lot of ways but at the same time when that decision was made and there was applause that erupted in this room people were so excited about the future of this school district and when I have visited these schools and seeing the morale that was another thing it was not just being aggressive with teacher salaries it meeting with the superintendent saying, "How can we minimize some of these extra things that have been thrown at the teachers previously with the previous superintendent that we can take off their plates?" Because it's not just about pay, it's about job satisfaction and making their lives better. And I feel like we did that from from the start. And so I'd hate for something like this. It'd be so disappointing for this divide. Um, and I and again I'm just going to say this and I'm done with my comments, but I have to take into account the entire district. So, thank you, >> Mr. Moier.

[02:54:22]>> Um, where we are right now, I just like to thank the superintendent because she's the one that's been pushing, gave us the opportunity along with Mr. Anachi for, you know, what we have been able to do for the the last three years. And, you know, we came up, we hit it as hard as we could to get where the salaries are today. And you know, she's the the person running the district and she gets to see everything, knows what's going on, and you know, as Miss Lucarelli was saying, you know, we came in as this is what we could do for a raise this year.

[02:54:54]I mean, we want to be make sure we're there and we don't get any layoffs and, you know, we just have to take the direction of what's going on. I mean, we've seen the numbers and we didn't get a fourth calculation last year and we don't know what's going to happen next year with the money coming down from the state and it's not like we have the same number every single solitary year and with inflation it just kind of fluctuates a lot. So, you know, we have to take this into consideration and you know, if we do have more money coming up, you know, that comes to our way in the future, we'd be fine. I mean, like uh Mr. Carter was saying he'd have to raise the price of his his uh to his customers and we don't have that opportunity to just say, "Hey, we're going to raise the price. We have to take what the state gives us." So, you know, you know, I wish we could, but we we can't do that. So, we just have to accept what we have and and go from there. And, you know, that's all I have to say.

[02:55:41]>> Thank you.

[02:55:43]um you know, we we've been hearing I've been hearing um a lot about providing teachers with a livable wage and um hearing that teachers want to be paid what they're worth.

[02:56:03]teachers, you are worth so much more than than we could pay you, than the state of Florida could pay you, than the United States.

[02:56:15]Um, I just it it's truly unfortunate. I mean, I was a former teacher myself, but it is an unfortunate fact that overall society does not value what you guys do in the classroom every day. Um, and it's not a situation that I think we're going to solve here tonight in Kier County. It's it's a national issue for sure. But I can tell you that and I appreciate Mr. Carter your comments. I can tell you that fighting for teachers and and trying to put our teachers first has been something that you know I mean obviously we're we're our main focus is on our students but our teachers are right there too because what good you know if we don't have you then we don't have students and and I know that we heard from um Mr. Richard, you know, this is all just talk, but I I know that we have been doing the best we can with the resources we have in these past years to make sure that we're paying our teachers and we, you know, and I want to make sure that we are able to continue doing that. Just as um Miss Mason said, I think it's very difficult. Yes. To make a decision knowing that especially those of you in this room are are potentially going to be very hurt by you feel like we're betraying you. But I have to say I feel like what we tried to do very aggressively over the last three years to to be in this situation. It does it does feel a little bit like a slap in the face. And I know you guys feel the same way um because you got a 9% 9.7% raise last year and now it's 3.6. Um and and I I want to just say I know that um if the way we calculate what those percentage raises are, then it would be the same way we calculate them for our administrators or for our non-instructional. So, you know, to say we just want to get what everybody else got, um, but you don't like the way we figure out that 3.5%, you know, it's kind of contradictory. And, and you know, and I've heard from other teachers, why don't administrators and support staff get have the opportunity this year to get a raise when our teachers got significant raises over the last three years? I mean, we can't not say that. And you know, the the district I know has tried to hold off on giving anybody else a raise or giving anybody else anything until we settled this with the teachers. But this is the process. The union didn't accept what was offered. And so we had to get here. Well, why should everybody else in the school district suffer?

[02:59:27]Because the union could not agree with what we were presenting. So, so they got their So, they got a raise, but I'm saying you're going to get one, too.

[02:59:39]It's just might not be exactly what you want if if I'm reading the the deis correctly. Um the I guess the bottom line is I feel that this is it's very unfortunate to see how much um the union is pitting everybody against each other. Um listen that it's fine if you don't agree with me.

[03:00:13]I want to ensure I want to ensure that our teachers um get paid that our sta that we pay our teachers and our staff as much as we possibly can and be able to sustain it because what the worst thing that I I never want to be sitting on a board when we give we give a big huge raise and then the following year we can't sustain it and so then we have to let people go or I mean and You know, I've seen I've been watching the things that have been going on and the one of the comments is always there's, you know, bloated administration. Get rid of the bloated administration.

[03:00:53]The superintendent has done a lot of that and we have there have been positions up here that have been cut, a lot of positions that have been sent back to the schools. And then it was not long after and that I started getting calls that there wasn't enough support.

[03:01:08]So, it's just, you know, it's very much feels like we're damned if we do and damned if we don't in some capacities, but I think um >> looking through all of our notes, I think that at this point I think we can move to I think are there any other comments before >> Okay.

[03:01:33]>> So, uh first of all, I'd like to ask Dr. Dr. Rickali that you please get that budget reduction committee to work a little harder so we can hopefully be I know they're working hard but I just can't go without saying that efforts you've made with the uh uh budget reduction community and the return on investment on our programs and we can continue to do that that will be very helpful but as as as that is I would like like to make a motion that we uh accept the superintendent's recommendation.

[03:01:59]>> I'll second that.

[03:02:02]Is there any discussion?

[03:02:05]>> I'll second.

[03:02:06]>> Okay, we have a first and a second. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any um any other discussion.

[03:02:13]Okay, with a motion and a second on the floor, all those in favor signify by saying I.

[03:02:19]>> I opposed.

[03:02:22]>> Okay, thank you.

[03:02:30]So, at this time, >> I I I actually have a couple of comments. I I'm going to um You can all leave. That's fine. I'm But I I used to get very upset with the state for attacking Okay, thanks.

[03:03:01]>> You know, we we did hear um from the union representative that we're all on the same team and I hope that we can all you guys. So, as teachers, I think it's very interesting that you would not accept this from your students in the classroom, but yes, this is how you choose to behave in here.

[03:03:29]>> Oh, no. Listen, >> you don't.

[03:03:36]>> Okay. Well, all right.

[03:03:41]Thanks, Yes.

[03:03:51]>> And and I Yeah. Okay. So, >> is there a motion to adjurnn?

[03:03:57]>> Motion to adjurnn. Second.

[03:04:01]>> There's a motion and a second. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.

[03:04:05]>> Motion adjourned.