Motion by Mr. Cake                       Seconded by Mrs. Sharpe

Moved to approve the minutes of April 7, 1998, as presented.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Moved to adopt the agenda for the meeting of May 5, 1998, as presented.

Place Action Item 6., Select Finalist for the Superintendency, immediately following Citizen Input as the first action item.

Action Item 1., Student Cases, add g., Student Case No. 98-51-X; Action Item 2., Certificates of Participation, Series 1998, change the project Archer Community School classroom additions to Archer Community School Food Service facility; and change Action Item 4., Personnel Reclassifications, to read: Personnel Reclassifications—Attachment E.

Pull for discussion Consent Agenda item j., Textbook Adoption.

The question was called on the agenda as amended.

                                             Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Board members announced events and activities they attended.

Mrs. Brashear suggested the Board schedule a workshop to exchange information following review of the school improvement plans.

Mrs. Sharpe commended Duval Elementary School for coming off the critically low list based on improved test scores on the Florida Writes test.

The Board extended their condolences to the family of Essie Gassett.

The Board commended everyone for their efforts and Mrs. Brashear requested a formal "thank you" be sent to teachers, students and district staff by way of a Proclamation for a job well done.

On behalf of the Alachua County community a Mebane Middle School teacher expressed the appreciation of the faculty and community for acknowledging the needs of the Alachua community.

These job descriptions will change the focus of how performance is reviewed and specifies job performance rather than competencies, skills and knowledge that one should have in order to do the job of principal or assistant principal.

There was no public input.

Mrs. Brashear noted that the Board is raising the expectations for principals for their performance, abilities, achievements, accomplishments and commitments.

Chairman Rhea suggested stronger performance responsibilities.

A citizen commented that the School Board’s responsibility is to hire a superintendent and it is the superintendent’s responsibility to decide whether principals are doing their jobs. Suggested the Board categorize the strengths and weaknesses.

- Several citizens, parents and community members expressed their support for the appointment of Dr. Dan Boyd as Superintendent of Schools.

- A Gainesville High School parent stated that the principal suspended his son last semester for five days on falsified charges of assault, abusive language and disorderly conduct. The principal violated his son’s right of due process and ignored the Code of Student Conduct. The Board was urged to appoint a superintendent who will hold principals accountable for their actions.

- A citizen urged the Board to look at all the candidates and the needs of the district.

Motion by Mr. Cake                       Seconded by Mrs. Sharpe

Moved to nominate Dr. Dan Boyd for the superintendency of Alachua County.

Mr. Cake commended all the applicants and noted the four finalists represent the Board’s collective insights and biases and a decision needs to be made, and each Board member is unique in thinking what is best for the students of this district. As a former principal he experienced Dr. Tommy Tomlinson selected as an interim superintendent three times, but he was never selected as superintendent. It sent a chilling message to employees that to advance in this district you must leave the district. As Dr. Blanton pointed out this afternoon, administrators that move up in their districts are just as successful as those chosen from outside the district. He pointed out that all elected superintendents in the state must be insiders or they could not be elected. He has been accused of being a "good ole’ boy," but he hopes that he has brought unique insights to this Board by being that way and he is proud to support a professional friend, colleague and fellow-insider, Dr. Dan Boyd.

Mrs. Sharpe stated that all the candidates had a common theme and that is that the Alachua County school district is an excellent school district.

She stated she has not been pressured or coerced in any manner and the only thing she has received is a great number of recommendations in favor of Dr. Dan Boyd. Her decision is based clearly on what she thinks is best for the children of Alachua County, the school district and the community.

As a member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce she did not take part in the evaluation of any candidate, but she did receive a call from an individual on the 14-member Superintendent Search committee. The caller stated that the result of the evaluation was a dead heat between Mr. Nagy and Dr. Fudesco. When the selection was narrowed down, Mr. Nagy had the most votes due to his experience as a lobbyist. She stated that the Board is not looking for a lobbyist since Mr. Brian Babb is doing an excellent job in that position.

Mrs. Sharpe supports Dr. Dan Boyd and truly believes that he is a perfect fit for the Alachua County school system. He is the epitome of what is good about education and he knows the school system, knows the community, is well respected and has very good rapport with the community. He has the respect of the principals, teachers, staff, administrators, bus drivers, custodians, etc., and he gained that respect by earning it. She feels that if the Board does not give Dr. Boyd a chance to move up to the next level, which he is very capable of doing, the Board will be remiss in their duties. The Board should not worry about the past, or personal agendas. She will not knowingly compromise the momentum of the education of students in this county, and she strongly supports Dr. Dan Boyd for the next superintendent of Alachua County schools.

The question was called.           Upon Vote: Motion failed 3-2

                                               Yes: Mr. Cake
                                                       Mrs. Sharpe

                                                No:  Mrs. Brashear
                                                       Mrs. Carroll
                                                       Mr. Rhea

Motion by Mrs. Carroll               Seconded by Mrs. Brashear

Moved to nominate Dr. Lawrence Marazza for the superintendency of Alachua County.

Mrs. Carroll stated she has spent many hours during this process in looking for a leader for the Alachua County school system. She wanted to find a leader that would give this district a vision of something larger than ourselves and one who would be a leader who would encourage people to work harder and longer on projects, and she believes Dr. Marazza to be that leader. She has listened to the consultants, individuals in his district, and his input and she believes he is a genuine, authentic person. He not only manages a school system, but leads the system. Alachua County is at a very pivotal time in history, and the Board can choose to manage and go along as it is and eventually the other counties in other states will be barking at the back door of the district’s own achievements. The Board can choose to go forward in a deliberate manner with a man who is well studied, researched and very strong in curriculum. He is a man of stability and has lasted 12 years in his district and values all participants. A weakness in the Alachua County school system is that too many participants do not feel included in the process. It was quite evident by the situations on the school advisory councils and the past few Board meetings. The valuing of participants and the way he teaches that inclusion in his district that he can transfer to this district would improve our public education system. He holds everyone accountable in a fair way, he is motivational, validates people and their concerns. He may not be an entertaining candidate, but she believes he is a fascinating candidate and is well educated to lead the district, has wisdom and the depth of the wisdom that is needed to lead this district into the next century.

Mrs. Brashear read a statement she had previously prepared prior to the meeting stating she will cast her vote for Dr. Lawrence Marazza based on his 24 years of experience as a superintendent. She believes he is at the peak of his profession after two 12-year terms as superintendent. The district will benefit from all of the advantages of his knowledge and expertise, and she is voting for him because of his business connections and the fact that he has developed private sector initiatives that have proven to be very successful. In his community he has developed leadership developments, which include parents in a professional leadership development program with the university and a teacher intern program for individuals who do not graduate from colleges of education, but wish to become teachers. She found him to be a very deliberate person, well prepared, experienced and a solid person who is able to bring innovations to fruition.

Mr. Cake expressed concern that there was not a representative group, a single caller to his home, or letters in support of Dr. Marazza. He pointed out that Dr. Marazza has never been a school administrator, other than at the district office and supervises and evaluates only nine schools and nine principals, and his total student population is only 4,500 students. He cannot support this candidate and he did not fully understand him when he was interviewed, but likes him as a person. In his opinion he never even met the criteria that this Board required in their selection brochure.

Mrs. Sharpe stated that Dr. Marazza has the ability because he is a superintendent, but the size of his district compared to Alachua County would set this district back. He does not have the experience to deal with a district as large as Alachua County and both consultants have indicated that Dr. Marazza would have a learning curve which would take him a while to catch up to what is going on in Alachua County. Taking all this into consideration she will vote no for Dr. Marazza.

The question was called.        Upon Vote: Motion passed 3-2

                                            Yes: Mrs. Brashear
                                                    Mrs. Carroll
                                                    Mr. Rhea

                                             No:  Mr. Cake
                                                    Mrs. Sharpe

Chairman Rhea stated that before the Board takes a recess in order to call Dr. Marazza to see if he is willing to accept, he felt it appropriate to make the selection unanimous.

Motion by Mrs. Brashear        Seconded by Mrs. Carroll

Moved to nominate Dr. Lawrence Marazza unanimously.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 3-2

                                             Yes: Mrs. Brashear
                                                     Mrs. Carroll
                                                     Mr. Rhea

                                              No:  Mr. Cake
                                                     Mrs. Sharpe

The Board took a recess and the Board meeting reconvened.

Chairman Rhea stated that he has spoken with Dr. Marazza and he has accepted the nomination with a 3-2 vote.

Motion by Mrs. Brashear               Seconded by Mrs. Sharpe

Moved the hearing agent’s recommendation to expel the student through the end of the 1997-98 school year and be reassigned to the alternative center on probation.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mr. Cake                       Seconded by Mrs. Sharpe

Moved the administration’s recommendation to expel the student through the end of the 1997-98 extended school year.

Following Board discussion it was decided to bring back Student Cases Nos. 98-44-X and 98-48-X for modifications in the recommendations due to inconsistencies.

Mr. Cake as the maker of the motion withdrew his motion and Mrs. Sharpe as the seconder agreed.

Motion by Mrs. Brashear                    Seconded by Mr. Cake

Moved to extend the suspension for Student Cases Nos. 98-44-X and 98-48-X through May 19, 1998.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mrs. Brashear                Seconded by Mrs. Carroll

Moved the administration’s recommendation to extend the student’s suspension through May 19, 1998.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mrs. Carroll                   Seconded by Mrs. Sharpe

Moved the administration’s recommendation to extend the student’s suspension through May 19, 1998.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mrs. Sharpe                   Seconded by Mrs. Carroll

Moved the administration’s recommendation to extend the student’s suspension through May 19, 1998.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mrs. Sharpe               Seconded by Mrs. Brashear

Moved the administration’s recommendation to extend the student’s suspension through May 19, 1998.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mr. Cake                      Seconded by Mrs. Sharpe

Moved the administration’s recommendation to approve Resolution COP-5 approving the ground lease; authorizing the issuance of the Series 1998 COPs; approving the major financing documents in order to receive funds for purchase of property for Gainesville High School at 16^th Avenue and 16^th Terrace; Buchholz High School parking and site improvements, Gainesville High School tennis court replacement and existing parking and traffic safety improvements, Archer Community School food service facility, Mebane Middle School additions, and Westwood Middle School additions; and approving a negotiated sale of the COPs subject to certain financial parameters.

The question was called.         Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Motion by Mr. Cake                        Seconded by Mrs. Brashear

Moved the administration’s recommendation to approve the new/revised job descriptions as presented.

The question was called.              Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Moved the administration’s recommendation to approve the reclassifications as presented on Attachment E.

The question was called.              Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Moved to elect Mrs. Sharpe and Mrs. Carroll to serve on the 1998 Value Adjustment Board and Mrs. Brashear will serve as alternate.

The question was called.              Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Following discussion of the textbook selection process, it was noted that the textbook selection committee selected Harcourt Brace as the top choice. Schools may use any textbook series they wish and are not mandated to use the committee’s recommendation.

The Board was informed that funding is budgeted for a unified curriculum, single text, but flexible funds are allotted to each school for discretionary purposes that may be used to purchase an alternative title.

Motion by Mrs. Sharpe                 Seconded by Mr. Cake

Moved to approve the consent agenda as described in items a.-p. (See Supplementary Minutes Book.)

The question was called.              Upon Vote: Motion passed 5-0

Mrs. Sharpe requested Board Attorney Lang be actively involved in the contract negotiation.

Chairman Rhea noted that the draft contract is identical to that of Mr. Hughes’ contract with a few minor changes.

Mrs. Brashear requested the following points be considered:

- No car.
- Agrees with phone.
- Contract should be kept out of the political arena and expire December 2001.
- Item 14, contract term should be specified and instead of "prior to" specify June 99, June 2000, June 2001.
- Consider the parameters in the advertisement $85,000-$110,000 plus substantial bonuses and Dr. Marazza’s current salary and benefits package. Board give Chairman Rhea the latitude to negotiate with the parameter of $30,000 as an outside figure and in September set performance standards to be agreed to by all parties.
- Involve Mr. Lang in negotiations.
- Compare with a standard superintendent’s contract.
- Consider an interim superintendent at the May 19 Board meeting.

Mr. Cake made the following suggestions for consideration:

- If the board negotiates a higher base pay there should be less money available for performance pay $10,000-$20,000.

Mrs. Carroll made the following suggestions for consideration:

- Start at the base pay of $85,000 which was publicized and include a $20,000 maximum available for performance pay with parameters.

The Board agreed to come to an agreement by September 30 on performance and how it will be evaluated.

Mrs. Sharpe requested Mr. Lang receive copies of all of the contract information.

- The Central Florida Community Action Agency would like to distribute bicycle helmets to needy children. Who on staff can help facilitate this distribution?

Superintendent Hughes noted that Safety personnel in Risk Management would help coordinate the distribution.

- Final accounting breakdown of superintendent search costs.

Mrs. Brashear made the following requests:

- Send formal thank you letters to the ACCPTA, Chamber of Commerce, district staff and any other groups which hosted events for the superintendent candidates.

- Status of scheduling Board level hearing for Waldo parents on the Internet access incident.

Superintendent Hughes informed the Board that Mr. Wittmer has communicated with the Waldo parents and is awaiting their decision on whether to schedule a Board hearing.

- Timeline for beginning Executive Sessions and for Board members to submit items for consideration during negotiations.

Mrs. Sharpe made the following requests:

- Suggested distributing the bicycle helmets at the annual Family Services Center event for needy children.