INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Representatives for the Indian River County teachers’ union, members of the community, and a soon-to-be-fired janitor attended Tuesday night’s School Board meeting seeking more information and answers to questions.
Residents who are concerned about the School District’s implementation of the federally mandated Common Core curriculum addressed the School Board and Schools Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams.
The concern of the Common Core opponents is that the national program is too controlling, too invasive and too dehumanizing, and too federal. They wanted to know if there is a way for state education administrators, along with Indian River County administrators and parents, to have more control.
“You’re responsible for the confusion over Common Core unless you explain it and answer our questions about it,” said Vero Beach resident Renee Bosch.
School Board member Karen Disney-Brombach handed out business cards to the Common Core speakers, encouraging them to call her to talk.
“We need a conversation on Common Core,” said fellow School Board member Claudia Jimenez. We need to listen to each other.”
When that conversation will be held has yet to be arranged.
Teachers’ Union president Beth Weatherstone questioned Dr. Adams’ request to create two new administrative positions for the technology department – at a cost of more than $125,000.
She questioned the placement of the requests on the agenda when no job descriptions were provided.
“The school board should vote no on this … for this reason alone: How can you support any new positions without knowing what the job responsibilities will be and if they are necessary, without job descriptions to review?” Weatherstone said.
She asked that the vote be tabled until more information about the two jobs was available.
Dr. Adams responded, saying she was asking for an assistant superintendent of technology and assessment and a director of technology services because it “is important to have strong visionary leaders in times that call for vision to operate and integrate all of the complex technological systems for teachers and students.”
She was supported by School Board member Jeff Pegler.
“Dr. Adams is running the system,” Pegler said. “None of us has an understanding of it like Dr. Adams. It doesn’t help to get up here and criticize her.”
After the meeting, Pegler said he thought it was “certainly within Weatherstone’s right” to question why no job descriptions of the two new jobs existed.
“That was a reasonable request,” he said. “But sometimes issues are created where no issues exist.”
Unlike Pegler, School Board member Claudia Jimenez supported Weatherstone’s concern about no job descriptions for the technology jobs and said she thought the School Board needed to see the job descriptions before being asked to support the creation of the jobs.
“We don’t know what we are approving,” said Jimenez.
Despite Jimenez’s comments, she voted along with her fellow board members to approve the two new technology positions.
School custodian Richard Delacruz, who faced having his termination appeal denied, approached the School Board in hopes of changing the members’ minds.
“Why was I not given help?” he asked the School Board. “I asked for it. I didn’t get it.”
Delacruz was terminated for substance abuse on his school’s campus.
Jimenez asked if the School District had a “Zero Tolerance Policy” against any employee caught abusing substances.
“Is it always zero tolerance or is there an opportunity for help?” asked Jimenez.
“There is an employee assistance program for addiction, which is confidential …. But it can’t be requested after the fact,” said Human Resources administrator Denise Roberts.
Delacruz needed to ask for help before he got caught with substances illegal on school property. The board ultimately voted unanimously to terminate him.
The School Board meeting ended with Superintendent Adams saying it had been “a hard year.” But she thought the coming year would be better.
Disney-Brombach characterized the last few years and next year in the school system like this: “We’ve been in a hole with straight up and down sides but now it’s beginning to slope a little.”