From a new middle school to book reviews: 5 things to expect in 2024 from Brevard Schools
From a new superintendent to an overhaul of district discipline procedures, Brevard Public Schools experienced plenty of changes during 2023. With 2024 on the horizon, the school board and administration are already working on more potential changes, like the possibility of implementing year-round school at some locations, expanding Career and Technical Education in at least one high school and deciding which books will and won't be available to students.
Here's what you should know ahead of the new year at BPS.
2024-2025 school calendar ... and the possibility of year-round school
The school board is still working on the 2024-2025 school calendar, with the topic discussed at a Dec. 12 work session. Prior to the work session, a preliminary calendar had been created based on survey feedback from 7,077 parents, employees, students and other community members.
The draft plan is similar to this school year, but some things remain up for discussion, such as hurricane days and early release days.
Most survey respondents — 55.28% — said they had no concerns with the proposed 2024-2025 calendar, with another 33.04% saying they only had minor concerns. Only 4.27% said they had major concerns regarding the calendar. The biggest priority for participants was the idea of ending the school year prior to Memorial Day.
During the work session, Board Chair Megan Wright proposed the possibility of year-round school. It's something the state of Florida plans to try as a four-year pilot program in some schools, with the program beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
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The board discussed the possibility of trying year-round school at certain locations within Brevard. They agreed they would need to conduct community surveys prior to choosing locations. Wright said she would work with administration to create a year-round calendar and bring it back at a future meeting, after which the board could begin polling community members.
If the board decides to try year-round school, it's not known when they will implement the switch.
During the discussion, Wright said she attended Challenger 7's year-round program as a child in elementary school. Though the program is no longer offered, she praised its impacts on her, saying the shorter breaks throughout the year allowed her to spend extra time with her family.
School board meetings set to resume Jan. 23
2023's final school board meeting was Dec. 12, and board meetings won't resume until Jan. 23. Many of their 2024 meetings are scheduled for the morning, unlike in 2023, when generally their meetings during the school year were held at 5:30 p.m. Meetings during the summer were typically held at 9:30 a.m.
The goal in alternating between morning and evening meetings is to allow parents with different schedules to attend at least one meeting a month, said Russell Bruhn, spokesperson for the district.
These are the dates for board meetings in 2024:
Jan. 23, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 6, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 27, 9:30 a.m.
March 19, 5:30 p.m.
April 9, 5:30 p.m.
April 23, 9:30 a.m.
May 14, 5:30 p.m.
May 28, 9:30 a.m.
June 11, 9:30 a.m.
June 25, 9:30 a.m.
July 25, 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 13, 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 27, 9:30 a.m.
Sept. 5, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 24, 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 22, 9:30 a.m.
Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 10, 5:30 p.m.
The school board also discussed changing their schedule for work sessions, saying they would consider moving to either the Tuesdays when they are not holding board meetings or Thursdays. No decisions were made.
More book debates
Books have been a hot topic for the past couple of years at BPS, with members of the public bringing up bans at nearly every meeting. At the final meeting of the year, multiple members of Moms for Liberty and other groups organized to read explicit passages of books out of context. It was a way to circumvent the district review process, as House Bill 1069 says that if a speaker reading a book is stopped by a school board member because of sexual content, the book must be removed from district shelves.
It's not yet known what will happen to the 13 books speakers read passages from. Bruhn said they had been removed from library and classroom shelves while the district does more research on the legality of keeping them versus permanent removal.
As for the book review committee, it met again just days later on Dec. 15. Three members recommended the novel "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini be kept available for high schoolers. Member Katie Delaney recommended removal, and Michelle Dale was absent.
The committee is set to meet twice in January, with their first meeting on Jan. 12 to review "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut. A second meeting is set for Jan. 26 to review "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas.
Their first meeting was held Dec. 1, at which they voted unanimously to keep "Sold" on BPS shelves. At the Dec. 12 board meeting, the board voted 4 to 1 to approve the committee's recommendation, which would keep the book available to high schoolers only — which content specialist Missy Slack said was already the case. Board member Gene Trent cast the sole vote in opposition.
At the Nov. 14 board meeting, Trent proposed using a list compiled by the state of books banned throughout all districts to quickly remove books from BPS shelves without the committee's help. When the board shot down the idea, he vowed to bring it up in the future.
It's not known if the board will vote on the committee's recommendation about "The Kite Runner" at their Jan. 23 meeting.
New middle school in Viera
Viera Middle School is set to open in August of 2024 following a year and a half of construction.
BPS broke ground on the project Feb. 1 of this year, with a $48,890,150 construction contract through Wharton-Smith, Inc. The cost for technology, fixtures, furniture and equipment has been estimated at $2.5 million.
The name for the new school was approved at the Dec. 12 school board. The name, Viera Middle School, was chosen through a survey of the community, with a naming committee of zoned parents and students, Principal Catherine McNutt and school secretary Patty McCormick then narrowing down the options.
Attendance boundaries for the school were approved at a May school board meeting, with the boundaries including the Viera, Viera East and Suntree neighborhoods. To see if your address is zoned for the school, visit BPS' website.
New Career and Technical Education program at Titusville High
A new Career and Technical Education program will be ready for students in August of 2024, with a focus on space mechatronics. The program will teach skills like soldering, robotics, assembly and more.
Expanding CTE programs throughout the county was a big focus for new Superintendent Mark Rendell when he was hired. The district already has programs in Titusville, Viera, Space Coast, Satellite, Rockledge, Palm Bay, Merritt Island, Melbourne, Heritage, Eau Gallie, Cocoa Beach, Cocoa, Bayside and Astronaut high schools, as well as Brevard Virtual School and some middle schools.
These programs explore everything from skills such as how to become an administrative office specialist to digital design to machine technology.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Looking forward: 5 things 2024 will bring from Brevard Public Schools
