Charter Review Commission considering proposals changing how school leaders take office

Even with the demise of a proposal to set up a way to recall Brevard School Board members, other proposed charter amendments are making their way through the Brevard County Charter Review Commission that would dramatically alter the makeup and organization of Brevard Public Schools.

Among those moving forward is a measure to make the school superintendent an elected position, and a proposal to have two additional school board members, who would be elected on an at-large basis.

These two proposals are on top of the one already proposed by Public Defender Blaise Trettis to do away with a section in the charter allowing for the election of single members districts for Brevard Public Schools because it conflicts with existing state statute.

“Obviously, a lot of discussion around school board this cycle,” said Matt Nye, a Charter Review Commission member, who introduced the latest two school-related proposals. “I was trying to come up with some possible alternatives to the recall and some of these other things.”

The public has become increasingly polarized in the past few years, as the nation’s culture wars have taken hold. Trettis, at the urging of two community members, first proposed a measure to allow for the recall of school board members.

It was a direct response to Brevard Public Schools’ decision to implement a mask mandate protecting staff and students from the coronavirus pandemic as the schools transitioned to in-person learning.

Since then, supporters of the recall provision cited even more issues — from allowing what they perceived as inappropriate reading materials in schools’ libraries and transgender issues, to time limitations school board members imposed during public comment at board meetings.

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Soon afterward, Trettis made another proposal to eliminate single-member districts for Brevard Public Schools, with the implication that school board members elected countywide would not be the same ones as the current board, given the conservative leanings of the county.

Trettis’ first measure — the possibility of recalling those elected to the school board — was removed from consideration after six of the 11 committee members who attended May 12 meeting voted against allowing for another hearing.

His second school-related measure — eliminating single-member districts — is still under consideration.

More: Charter Review Commission now considering county-wide elections for Brevard Public Schools

Even after eliminating one school-related proposal, Charter Review Commission members now have three proposals they must decide on that are related to Brevard Public Schools.

Nye thought of the measure on electing the superintendent after reviewing other areas of the state, and realized that some counties directly elect the organizational leaders of their public schools.

According to the proposal, the superintendent would be elected in a countywide election, as opposed to the school board members, who currently are elected by voters within a single district.

“The goal here is to make it where the superintendent is accountable to the voters, so that he has got some skin in the game when it comes to these policies and things,” Nye said.

More: Surprise: Charter Review Commission kills proposal to recall school board members

Just how successful this proposal will be is unclear, because of reservations that some expressed at the meeting.

“I have some concerns about having a person face the voters, when they may be implementing policies that were directed by the elected officials above him, and he doesn’t have any real ability not to do that,” said Charter Review Commission member Cole Oliver, who didn’t take an official position on the proposal.

Currently, the school superintendent is appointed by school board members.

Nye also introduced an amendment to add two school board members to the current five who already oversee Brevard Public Schools.

“I am ‘Mr. Limited Government,’ so it is very interesting that I am proposing adding payroll to the new positions,” Nye said. “There has been so much discussion around the school board issues, this was another scenario that I looked at to add, in this case, two additional school board members.”

The net result of Nye’s amendment, should it pass, would result in seven school board members, with five elected within specific districts, and another two who would be voted on by all of Brevard County.

Term limits for county commissioners

Aside from the issues related to the school district, the Charter Review Commission also vetted amendments related to the length of service for county commissioners.

Most of the commission voted on term limits in some form, denying commission member Robin Fisher’s proposal to extend term limits for commissioners for another four years.

In discussing his new proposed charter amendment, Nicolas Tomboulides, the executive director of U.S. Term Limits, said: “What this would do, it would strike the word 'consecutive' from the term limits provision in the charter and create a lifetime term limit for county commissioners."

Commissioners currently can serve for no more than eight years, with two four-year consecutive terms. But they are allowed to run for a commission seat again after stepping aside for a single term.

Tomboulides' proposal would prohibit any individual from serving more than eight years, even if the terms are not consecutive.

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Tomboulides said that people he spoke with like the eight-year limit.

But “they don’t like the fact that it is consecutive, because when it is consecutive, you have the possibility for formerly termed-out county commissioners to come back,” he said.

For example, former County Commissioners Trudie Infantini and Chuck Nelson — who served eight years in the commission — ran for a County Commission seat again in 2018. But both lost in Republican primaries that year.

Charter Review Commission members voted to move Tomboulides' measure forward with little discussion.

Ralph Chapoco is government and politics watchdog reporter. You can reach Chapoco at rchapoco@floridatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @rchapoco.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: New school-related proposals come before Brevard Charter Review Commission