INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — It might be the shortest list the Indian River County School District has created for Florida legislators but it speaks the loudest, according to School Board member and Legislative Liaison Karen Disney-Brombach.
“It isn’t all about money anymore,” she said at Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s also about stopping the unfunded mandates, giving us flexibility, giving us local control.”
The board approved seven items to present to the Florida Legislative Delegation Thursday, removing one item as requested by more than 200 School District teachers.
Luke Flynt, a teacher and member of the teacher’s union – Indian River County Education Association, asked the School Board to remove an item regarding the Teacher Lead Program.
He said having the item on the board’s list of legislative items is “perhaps not in the best interest” of the district.”
“I wanted to say I was heartened you listened to the teachers,” Flynt told the School Board, noting that it was his understanding prior to the meeting that one board member would recommend removing the item from the list.
Disney-Brombach requested the “Teacher Lead Allocation” item on the list be removed, which was unanimously supported by her fellow board members.
“It wasn’t reflecting the district as a whole,” she said, explaining why she wished the pull the item.
The item had been a request to the legislature to take the $31.8 million allocated to the Teacher Lead Program and instead move the funds into the base student allocation. The Teacher Lead funds are meant to be used by classroom teachers to supplement materials provided for instruction.
The items to be presented to the Legislative Delegation include issues of adequate funding, class size, Exceptional Student Education, tax dollars, and voluntary pre-kindergarten.