Page 2 - BPS News March 2018

Gov. Sco appoints Superintendent Blackburn to new school-safety commission
By Ma Reed, BPS News
Gov. Rick Sco has appointed Brevard
Public Schools Superintendent Desmond Blackburn to the newly established Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.
The 16-member panel is charged with inves ga ng past failures to iden fy and stop the perpetrators of mass-violence incidents. It will evaluate policies for preven ng and responding to school shoo ngs and recommend improvements.
The commission includes three parents of
students killed in the February 14 Parkland
school shoo ng as well as sheri s, police chiefs, school board members, a veteran prosecutor, and a mental health expert. It will report its rst ndings and recommenda ons to the governor, Senate president, and speaker of the House of Representa ves by January 1, 2019.
Said Gov. Sco : “Since the shoo ng in Parkland, our No. 1 focus has been to make our schools safer while doing everything possible to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again. I’m con dent that these appointees will con nue the work that has already started in our state to keep our students safe.”
Blackburn par cipated in the governor’s emergency mee ngs to help develop the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. He previously served as a teacher, principal, district trainer, director of school improvement, area superintendent, and as the chief school performance and accountability
o cer for the Broward County School District.
Gov. Sco , Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard Corcoran each chose ve members of the commission. Blackburn is the only school superintendent chosen for the panel.
BPS to build Advanced Manufacturing and Welding Training Center
By Ma Reed, BPS News
Brevard Public Schools has secured a $1.5 million appropria on from the Legislature to build a center for teaching advanced manufacturing and welding skills in Cocoa.
The plan is BPS’ response to pleas from manufacturers and aerospace-avia on companies in
train and cer fy 200 students per year as machinists, welders and cer ed produc on technicians.
The center will be built on the former Clearlake Middle School campus, now occupied by Adult Educa on, which sought the appropria on. The state money will renovate exis ng classrooms, add a pre-fabricated shop building, and purchase equipment such as mills, lathes and welding gear.
The Adult Educa on program for Brevard Public Schools will pay ongoing opera ng costs including instructors, curriculum and sta development.
Ini ally, the Advanced Manufacturing and Welding Training Center will mainly train people who otherwise would be most likely to drop out of school. Most a end night school or are working on GEDs. Depending on demand, it could be opened it to regular students at area high schools.
BPS NEWS is a publica on of Brevard Public Schools.
Superintendent
Desmond K. Blackburn, Ph.D.
School Board Members
Chairperson: John Craig, District 2
Vice Chairman: Tina Descovich, District 3 Misty Belford, District 1
Ma hew Susin, District 4
Andy Ziegler, District 5
Published by the Division of Government and Community Rela ons
Assistant Superintendent: Ma Reed Editor: Jennifer Wol nger
Graphic Designer: Daniel Jankowski
Central Florida who struggle to recruit enough employees to
grow. It is also a response to pleas from Space Coast parents for more low-cost
job-skill training in our public
schools.
Ini ally, the center would
FLEE the FEES!
You Deserve Free Checking! Direct deposit and minimum balances are NOT required to avoid a monthly fee. Don’t settle for anything less!
Membership is available in Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Volusia, and Polk Counties with a one-time $5 membership fee. (Waived if opened online). Federally insured by NCUA.
Join Today at ccuFlorida.org
BREVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Educa onal Services Facility 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way | Viera, FL 32940-6601 | 321-633-1000 Brevard Public Schools is an
equal opportunity employer.
This publication is printed and distributed at no cost to the tax payer and is fully underwritten by the advertisers.