Brevard Public Schools, Florida

From Sunshine Review

Brevard Public Schools is a school district in Florida. The school system has a total attendance of 70,460 students project for the 2009-2010 school year. The Florida Department of Education provides a list of past, current, and future school enrollment totals for each district.

Taxes Budget Meetings Elected Officials Administrative Officials Contracts Audits Public records Academics Background checks

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Florida school district websites

[edit] The good

• The website has information on Elected and Administrative officials. ^[1]
• Current and previous budgets are posted on the website. ^[2]
• School board meeting information is available on the website. ^[3]

[edit] The bad

• The website does not appear to contain any information on taxes, contracts, audits, public records, academic performance, and background checks.

[edit] School board

The school board controls school property, establishes, organizes, and operates the schools of the district, including: establishing schools, adopting enrollment plans, providing for school elimination and consolidation, cooperating with school boards of adjoining districts in maintaining schools, maintaining the school year schedule and other more specific duties as outlined in the Florida statute. ^[4]

It operates, controls and supervises the district's public schools as well as determines the rate of school district taxes, with the option of two or more school districts operating and financing educational programs together.

Below are the school district board members:

Dr. Brian T. Binggeli is the district's superintendent.^[5]

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Florida taxpayer-funded lobbying

Taxpayer-funded lobbying, public entities using funds to lobby for special interests, happens in cities, counties, and other entities. These activities are hard to track. The issues lobbied for may be diverse, but school lobbying typically deals with issues close to the school district or school board.

In July 2009, Sunshine Review submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to the 27 Florida school districts with lobbyists registered for 2009 with the Florida legislature. ^[6] The results are included in Florida school districts lobbying totals. (For information on the project or to start your own, see the project page.) Brevard Public Schools has two lobbyists which lobby before the legislature. ^[7] Compensation for these lobbyists is $5,000.^[8] The schools also have two lobbyists that represent the schools before the executive. ^[9] The compensation for these lobbyists ranges from $1 to $9,999.^[10]

Brevard County Schools has representation from Mixon & Associates.^[11]

Brevard Public Schools has spent $183,000 on contracts with Mixon & Associates since 2002. It has renewed its contract with the firm several times.^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]} Actual payments to the firm since the 2003-2004 fiscal year are $144,168.13.^[18]

The school district pays membership dues to the Florida School Boards Association, a taxpayer-funded lobbying association.^[19] See also Florida school districts lobbying, 2009.

[edit] Most recent

Brevard Public Schools spent $39,000 for the 2008-2009 school year on a contract with Mixon & Associates.

[edit] Teacher contracts

The county and its teachers made an agreement for the 08-09 and 09-10 school year for the teachers' contract.

During July 2009, Superintendent Brian Binggeli and lawmakers found some common ground during disscussions.

"Many of you have welcomed me into this role and into this community and I sincerely appreciate that," Binggeli said. "We will continue to work as effectively and as efficiently as we can."

Binggeli's predecessor, Richard DiPatri, was accused of ambushing lawmakers by haranguing legislators about proposed budget cuts in front of 10,000 teachers and parents, though he said later that he didn't intend to be adversarial.

During a July 2009 meeting, the politicians and school officials discussed the district's budget. They went over a class size amendment and heard a few public comments. One concern was what to do when the stimulus funds run out in two years.

"There's got to be something that we're going to do," School Board Chairman Robert Jordan said. "We're going to be closing schools and laying off teachers (if there are no funds) and that economic boom will never come back to Brevard County."

The school board asked the delegation for some flexibility on the the class size amendment. Florida's class-size amendment says districts must be in agreement based on head counts per classroom as opposed to school-wide averages, as early as 2010.

District officials will hire approximately 1,000 teachers at an estimated cost of $52 million. Unions have mixed views of the class size amendment.

Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, said lawmakers were hearing mixed assessments of the class size amendment from different unions.^[20]

The specialized Brevard Public School teachers' union is the Brevard Federation of Teachers that settled on an instructional salary schedule.

Brevard Public Schools have a policy to improve and monitor parental involvement, labeled Title I. The policy requires the county to consult with parents (and the supplemental education provider that the parents chose) to settle on specific achievement goals for the student, how the student's progress will be measured and a timetable for improving achievement. If the student has disabilities, the goals and plan must be consistent with the student's individualized education program. It also requires a description of how the student's parents and teacher or teachers will be regularly informed of the student's progress, provision for the termination of the agreement if the provider is unable to meet the goals and timetables required, as well as provisions with respect to making payment to the provider by the county. It also prohibits the provider from disclosing to the public the identity of any student eligible for, or receiving supplemental services without the written permission of the parent of the student. All of the provisions of the supplemental education portion of the county's parental involvement is outlined in it's Supplemental Educational Services Provider/District Contract.

[edit] School budgets

Budget 07-08

Budget 08-09

Some of the most recent budgets as well as the budget reduction information are posted on the Brevard Public Schools' website, dating back to the 98-99 school year.

The school has an estimated total budget of $1,056,354,712 for the next year. Of that 35 percent is dedicated to salaries, totaling $370,676,027.

The House and Senate of Florida voted on a new budget, causing the state to spend 1.5 percent more on K-12 education for the 08-09 school year than the 07-08 school year, according to Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville. Wise said this small bump is key to Florida getting federal stimulus money.^[21]

Brevard Public Schools is slotted to receive $9,214,981 under the Recovery Act.^[22]

To get the money from the Recovery Act, states are obligated to restore school funding for the coming year back to the levels provided in the 2005-06 school year. The Act outlines that if states could not do that, as Florida said it could not, then they needed to apply for a waiver and show that state education funding for the impending year was the same or more as the current school year, percentage wise.

By making next year's budget 1.5 percent higher than last year's budget, Wise said the state could get the waiver and the money. For the current school year, Florida spent just over 50 percent of its general revenue on public education.^[21]

[edit] Academic performance

Below is a chart of all Brevard public schools and their academic performance in 07-08 and 08-09 school years.^[23] To see results, click on "show".

[edit] Unions

The specialized Brevard Public School teachers' union is the Brevard Federation of Teachers.

[edit] School choice

Brevard Public Schools have File:Brevardbylaws.pdf for setting up new charter schools. They have 9 charter schools that serve K-9, 4 adult learning centers, 3 alternative learning centers and 5 magnet schools. The county's school choice division supplies application information and school information.

District School Choice in Brevard Public Schools is also referred to as "controlled open choice." Parents and students apply to the school in another neighborhood with a specific program and enrollment is based on available space.

Choice Programs are public schools that offer a choice of curriculum and elective courses within the school, and have no residential boundaries assigned to the school.

• Choice Schools - public schools that offer a particular curriculum throughout the school, and do not have residential boundaries assigned to the school. (Edgewood and West Shore have defined boundaries)
• Charter Schools - public schools that operate under a performance contract (charter), which frees them from most rules and regulations in exchange for the charter schools being held accountable for academic and financial results.
• Magnet Schools - public specialty schools that offer curriculums based on a specific theme or instructional method while continuing to serve assigned residential populations.

John M McKay Scholarship Program - The John M. McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities is established to provide the option for students with disabilities for whom an IEP has been written, to attend a public school other than the one to which the student is assigned or to provide a scholarship to a private school of choice.

Opportunity Scholarship Program - allows students attending a school that received an "F" for two school years in a four year period to choose a higher performing public school or attend a private school. Currently Brevard County does not have any "F" schools.

Public School Choice - allows students attending a Title 1 school that has been identified as "School Improvement" to attend another public school that is not in improvement status.

Applied Technology Programs - allows students to gain increase access to applied technology (vocational/technical) programs and courses available throughout Brevard County.

Busing

• There are specific bus stops throughout the county where a student may catch a bus to get to their Choice School.
• Charter Schools may contract with the county to transport students within 2-4 miles from the school.
• Magnet Schools have corridor busing. There are specific bus stops throughout the county where a student may catch a bus.
• A student who accesses a John M. McKay Scholarship to a private school, is never provided transportation by the school district. A student who accesses a John M. McKay Scholarship to a public school, is offered transportation from the school district only if the student resides between two and four miles from the chosen public school site.

All Choice, Charter, and Magnet Schools have applications and timelines. Each of these schools provide some services to special needs students.

Schools of Choice must follow all the state testing guidelines. John M. McKay Scholarship Program students who are enrolled in private schools are eligible to take statewide assessments at the neighborhood public school site.

Choice schools have guidelines to address preferences for students who want to go to the same school as siblings.^[24]

[edit] See also

• Florida Sunshine Law

[edit] External links

Brevard Public Schools, Florida

• Brevard Public Schools Website
• Brevard County Schools Emergency Information Network
• Great Schools - Brevard County
• Public School Review - Bevard County
• Florida Smart - Brevard County public schools
• Adopted tentative budget for 07-08
• Adopted tentative budget for 08-09

[edit] References

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