Page 3 - 2019 BPS NEWS

School Board OK’s School Renovations, Student Travel
VIERA — The Brevard County School Board reviewed and approved the following items at its Jan. 22 meeting.
NEW VIERA ELEMENTARY
Determined that the next elementary in Viera (expected to open in 2020) will not have to be built to standards for a hurricane shelter, saving as much as $2 million on the project. This decision by Brevard County Emergency Management, which determined that BPS already has enough schools in the area established as emergency shelters.
HALF-CENT SALES TAX PROJECTS
Approved renovations funded by the half-cent sales surtax for facilities at the following schools during summer of 2019:
Atlantis Elementary: Renovation will include new controls, central energy plant components, some HVAC components, water heater and exhaust fans – bringing total spent at Atlantis to just over $1 million.
Harbor City Elementary: Improvements will include new air-conditioning, controls, electrical and plumbing renewal, bringing the total spent to $992,862. Classroom technolo- gy infrastructure is also included.
Indialantic Elementary: Approved a proposal from Welsh Construction to coordinate the design and preconstruction activities such as estimating, subcontractor bidding, developing the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), and scheduling and coordination with district and school-based staff. The estimated cost of upcoming work at Indialantic: $1 million.
STUDENT TRAVEL
Approved out-of-state travel for student groups to compete in numerous activities:
• Titusville and Astronaut High School Robotics Clubs to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to compete in the Palmetto Regional Robotics in late February.
• Rockledge High School, Cocoa High School, Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School and Space Coast Jr./Sr. High School FIRST Robotics “Pink Team #233” to Houston to compete in the FIRST Robotics World Championships in April.
• Merritt Island High School Band & Orchestra to travel to Washington, D.C., to perform at a national monument in March.
• Palm Bay Magnet High School’s Marine Corps JROTC Air Rifle Team to travel to Chandler, Arizona, to compete in the MCJROTC National Air Rifle Championship in February.
MATH BOOKS AND CURRICULUM
Adopted updated mathematics-instruction books and materials for grades K-6: Great Minds - Eureka Math; and Carnegie Learning, Inc. - Middle School Mathematics Solu- tion Grade 6 Advanced. Districtwide cost: $2.29 million.
Testing Days – Combine Some Subject Sessions
Limit the FSA exam and other state assessments to
one day per subject instead of two testing sessions over days for some subjects such as ELA and math. This would ease complications with scheduling during the compressed year-end testing window passed by the Legislature and mitigate the inevitable delays in transcripts, test scores and teacher VAM scores likely to be caused by slower (and now mandatory) paper-and-pencil testing.
Add JROTC Enrollment to School-Grading
Data on Career/College Readiness
Include JROTC enrollment in the Department of Education’s measurement of secondary schools’ college-and-career readiness. The military is widely recognized as a good job and career for many Florida students. JROTC courses
are aligned with work skills and academy requirements such as principles of navigation in Air Force JROTC and maritime geography in Navy JROTC. Cadets begin earning college scholarships at as many as 300 institutions as early as
ninth grade.
Best-and-Brightest Bonuses –
Make More Educators Eligible
Clarify and/or expand the state definition of teachers who can qualify for Best-and-Brightest bonuses to include staff who teach students and courses with state-recognized codes – but who have titles such as media specialist or counselor. Differing interpretations between the DOE
and state auditor ceneral have caused some districts to initially include those personnel, only to be told later to repay the money.
State Health Standards for Carcinogens in Water
The School Board has joined Brevard cities in passing
a resolution calling on the State of Florida to adopt health standards for two contaminants. The carcinogenic chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were found in unhealthful concentrations in groundwater in Cocoa Beach and at nearby Patrick Air Force Base, probably from firefighting foam. There are no state standards
for PFOA and PFOS in groundwater or drinking water, leading to confusion among parents and residents.
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