Residents debate School Board policy on public comment

SARASOTA — The ways the public can talk to the Sarasota County School Board during meetings has been formalized into a new policy.

It was quickly met with comments and concern from the public.

According to the proposed Policies 2.22 and 2.222, public comment will be split into two portions of agenda comments and general comments.

Agenda-related comments will take place at the start of the meeting, while general comments will commence after the Board has taken action on all agenda items.

The agenda notes general comments must be “relevant to the business of the Board or operation of the District,” and will take place prior to board member comments.

Priority will be given in speaking order to residents of Sarasota County, parents/guardians of a current Sarasota County Schools student, current students of Sarasota County Schools and employees of Sarasota County Schools.

Some members of the public came forward to thank the Board for the advised policy.

“This will allow the board’s business to return to its proper priority and let politics go to the bottom of the agenda but still be allowed to be heard,” Conni Brunni said. “Those two things are a delicate balance, and I think both are important so that we are doing it legally and properly.”

Other residents were not as keen.

Grace Johnson, a Pine View School graduate, called the proposal “inflammatory,” raising concern for “nonspecific” language in Agenda Item 22 would raise opportunity for bias by the Board chair.

The agenda item states it is unlawful to “disrupt or interfere with a School Board meeting and that any such actions may result in a misdemeanor offense of the second degree.”

Punishments would range from paying up to $1,000 in fines to spending 60 days in jail.

“Without defining these limits, any current or future chair could decide that any opposing comment is disruptive,” Johnson said. “Maybe you trust that the current chair will not abuse your power so grossly. But do you trust that of every chair? I, for one, do not.”

ELL and ESOL expands

Superintendent Terry Connor revealed the district would be enhancing support services for English Language Learners students to meet the growing number of multi-lingual students in Sarasota County.

According to the district gap analysis, 16.4% of the district student population have requested communications home in a language other than English.

Of that 16.4%, 75% of students are, or have been, in the English for Speakers of Other Languages program.

According to the district, the expansion project aims to increase ELL parent participation and to support the instructional experience of ELL students at home and at school.

Currently, 52% of the positions of the ELL Department department are funded through the district’s federal entitlement grants, 24% is funded through state grants and 16% is already funded out of SCS’s general fund.

Connor said the district only needs to add $89,000 to the general budget to add positions including a grant specialist, a parent and family outreach coordinator and program specialists.

“I’m very excited about this, because is we’re adding a lot of positions here but we’re actually only impacting our general fund very, very minimally,” Connor said.

Candidates come forward

The rising cost of school meals in Sarasota County became a topic from some of the Board’s electoral opponents.

School Board District 3 Seat candidate Thomas Babicz spoke on school meal costs during public comment.

“Nobody can blame you. This is the fault of people who vote for Democrats who ruined this country,” Babicz said. “And this is the reason the prices are doubled. And this is why of course the cost will go up.”

The School Board candidate — who has repeatedly said he wants to remove politics from education — went on to thank the Board for “turning the ship around” from the “catastrophic” results in academic achievements when the previous Board’s “majority was was liberal.”

“All of you could really achieve so much,” Babicz said. “Imagine what five conservatives could do.”

School Board District 2 Seat candidate Liz Barker differed with Babicz on school meal costs.

Noting the issue to be “a daunting task” for the Board to tackle, Barker raised concern that the Board majority is “disconnected” from the needs and struggles of “actual parents.”

“School breakfasts and lunches and weekend food backpack programs help us ensure that no student is hungry while they’re trying to learn, and this is the perfect arena to bring in community partners to grow our capacity as was discussed at the workshop this afternoon,” Barker said.

District 3 Seat candidate Greg Wood was also present for the Board meeting, but did not choose to speak during public comment.

Public comment policy passes

Board member Bridget Ziegler came forward to speak on concern for the advised public comment policy, stating it was one of the only policies she and fellow Board member Tom Edwards agreed on to create a “stabilization” during board meetings.

“It’s not intended to shut people down,” Ziegler said.

Edwards came forward to say, while he stands by the advised policy, there is still room for improvement when it comes to guidelines for what is considered a “disruption.”

“I don’t agree 100% with what was said beforehand, because hate is hate,” Edwards said. “We know what that is, and attack is an attack. We know what that is. And politics and or campaigning should not be in here.”

The public comment policy was passed unanimously.