What to know from Sarasota's School Board meeting Tuesday
Sarasota's School Board reconvened Tuesday evening following a short summer hiatus to approve several agenda items ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 school year.
The agenda included different agreements with colleges to permit teaching interns, postings of new job descriptions, and contract approvals with firms involved in capital development projects in Wellen Park.
Here are three things to know from Tuesday's Sarasota School Board meeting.
First School Board meeting for new superintendent
Tuesday marked the first meeting for newly-sworn-in Superintendent Terry Connor, who came from Hillsborough County as an assistant superintendent. Connor started the meeting by giving a lengthy superintendent's report, where he discussed the district's recent statewide test score results. He then presented an updated organizational chart with new jobs he brought before the board for a vote that evening.
Board members said they were "blown away" by Connor in their impressions of working with him just in one day, specifically in his communication with the board ahead of Tuesday's meeting.
"I have not been this excited since I worked with Lori White, and I know there are great things ahead of us," said Board Vice Chair Karen Rose.
The majority of those who spoke during Tuesday's public comment welcomed Connor to the district, congratulating him on being sworn in and wishing him well as he starts the job.
However, tempers again flared causing Board Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler to call a recess, a common theme in recent Sarasota School Board meetings. A speaker addressed board member Tom Edwards's outspoken support of LGBTQ+ youth. Edwards, who is gay, interrupted the speaker calling for a point of order. Ziegler then told Edwards that points of order were only for use with other board members.
"When I am misquoted, which is what happens, it is point of order," Edwards said.
"Actually, you are out of order," Ziegler responded.
The chairwoman then called for a five-minute recess where Edwards, Rose, and Robyn Marinelli then approached Connor and talked in a huddle.
Approval of new job descriptions
As Connor takes office as superintendent, he presented the public and the board with a new organizational chart with positions he proposed for a vote. Some current position descriptions were updated, but the new jobs proposed by the superintendent were each approved 4-0 by the board with Tim Enos absent.
The first new job proposed to the board was a Supervisor of Government Affairs, who would help navigate new legislation and communicate with lawmakers in Tallahassee. The next proposed jobs were Behavior Specialist, Bookkeeper trainer, Executive Director of Professional Learning and Leadership Development, and Safety and Security Coordinator positions. The board approved each by a 4-0 vote with no discussion.
Connor's organizational chart also included updated job descriptions for a Chief of Middle Schools and Chief of High Schools. Both positions were approved by the board, which would change how the district is currently structured with a combined Secondary Education department.
Approved contract for Wellen Park high school construction
The final item on Tuesday's agenda was the approval of a $1.19 million contract with Universal Engineering Sciences LLC to plan, review, permit, and inspect the Wellen Park high school construction.
The new high school's construction was expected to be completed by the summer of 2025, according to the district's chief operations officer Jody Dumas. The district is also building a K-8 school in Wellen Park, which was still in the design stages as of March.
The high school will hold at least 2,000 students and alleviate crowding at Venice High School, according to the district's adopted budget. The K-8 school will hold at least 1,200 students and relieve a crunch at Tatum Ridge, Taylor Ranch, and Laurel Nokomis Schools.
Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota School Board: Three things to know from Tuesday's meeting
