Superintendent Wysong called the reorganization of the School Board meeting to order at 10:01 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Oaths of Office were administered to each of the three new school board members by Judge Renee Inman. Accompanied by their spouses, newly elected board members, Heather Felton and Charlie Kennedy, and newly appointed by Governor DeSantis, returning board member Richard Tatem, each took the Oath of Office, certified that each was duly qualified to hold the Office, and would “well and faithfully” perform the duties of a School Board Member.
Election of Chairman. Dr. Wysong opened the floor for nominations. Mr. Kennedy nominated Mr. Choate as Chair, and Ms. Spray nominated herself as Chair. Ms. Felton, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Choate, and Mr. Tatem were in favor of Mr. Choate. Ms. Spray did not oppose. Superintendent Wysong confirmed she was conceding, and Mr. Choate was elected 5-0 to continue as Chair.
Election of Vice Chairman. Mr. Choate nominated Mr. Tatem as Vice Chair. Mr. Kennedy nominated Ms. Spray. Mr. Choate and Mr. Tatem voted in favor of Mr. Tatem as Vice Chair. Ms. Felton, Mr. Kennedy, and Ms. Spray voted in favor of Ms. Spray as Vice Chair, so Ms. Spray was elected 3-2 to continue as the Vice Chair.
Set Schedule for Regular Meetings. After reviewing the draft schedule and asking questions about the various dates of interest, Ms. Felton moved, Ms. Spray seconded and all agreed that evening meetings would begin at 5:30 p.m., to make it easier for the public to attend. Morning meetings will continue to convene at 10:00 a.m.
Discussion Regarding Workshops. Consensus was achieved to continue holding workshops on the Friday following regular school board meetings. All agreed the start time for workshops would be 10:00 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m. to be consistent with the start time of regular morning board meetings. Mr. Choate and Dr. Wysong, with staff assistance, will continue to schedule workshop topics identified by individual board members during one-on-one briefings.
Discussion of Board Committee Assignments for 2024-2025. Board Members reviewed the various Florida School Board Association (FSBA) committees, School Board Consortia, local Chambers of Commerce, and other local organizations which require or request school board member participation. Each expressed their interest in serving on various committees. The final assignments will be voted upon at the December meeting.
Annual Meeting of Manatee School Board Leasing Corporation. Chair Choate recessed the Reorganization Meeting to convene the meeting of the Leasing Corporation, the members of which are the school board members. Approved 5-0, Mr. Choate will serve as President, Ms. Spray will serve as Vice President, and Dr. Wysong will serve as Secretary-Treasurer. Chair Choate adjourned the Leasing Corporation meeting and reconvened the Reorganization meeting.
Comments.
Mr. Kennedy thanked voters for the overwhelming passage of the referendum indicating improved results since 2018-2019. He inquired about upcoming FSBA training for the newly convened board. Turning to Mr. Tatem, he expressed hope that since the elections are behind them, that they could have a restart.
Mr. Tatem indicated “sure,” then asked as a favor to his constituents that Mr. Kennedy confirm all legal requirements of residency have been met. Mr. Kennedy indicated he would provide Board Attorney Dye with a lease agreement.
Ms. Felton thanked her family and friends who came today, including her husband and son. She thanked the staff for the thorough onboarding and feels she is very prepared to fulfill her duties.
Ms. Spray indicated staff will schedule FSBA activities for the Board.
Dr. Wysong indicated they had been planning for four school board members, but now that they have five again, he will move forward with setting up workshops to best support the School Board. He will schedule with Chair Choate a FSBA facilitated discussion. There will be one workshop in December due to the time element.
Chair Choate adjourned the meeting at 10:49 a.m. The Board then attended an Executive Session in Room 203.
The meeting was efficiently run, and Board Members stayed on task. They adjusted future meeting times to seek consistency and support public participation.
The observers commend Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Tatem for publicly agreeing to put campaign issues behind them. However, Mr. Tatem’s public questioning of Mr. Kennedy's residence was unnecessary, as this concern had been addressed during the campaign. This was observed to conflict with his verbal agreement to move forward
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