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Gov. Crist recognized Brevard Public Schools as the recipient of the 2007 Governor's Sterling Award. Lynn Clifton and her staff did a wonderful job of putting together a luncheon for more than 500 on very short notice. Thank you to all the community sponsors who hosted the community leaders.

And to the 10,000 BPS employees who made the award possible.

Rockledge High School will hold a "School of Choice Showcase" on Tuesday, January 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. They will be highlighting all of their academies and their Cambridge Program. The RHS programs and other options will be presented Saturday, January 19th, from 10 until 3 at the Merritt Square Mall School of Choice Fair.

First in Florida! Brevard leads the state in the number of methamphetamine labs closed by the authorities.

Do the Right Thing! The most frustrating argument is being asked to "do the right thing". This argument implies any other course of action is "the wrong thing". Who is anointed with the certainty of knowing "the right thing"? Providing logical, reasoned and respectful arguments for your position wins most people over every time.

Upset about school exams after the holiday break? Please call write, or email you legislature and ask them to return control of the school calendar to the local school board to respond to community needs rather than the interests of the hotel and restaurant industry that wants low cost student labor as late in the summer as possible.

Like me, you are probably concerned about the cost of homeowner's insurance, property taxes and garbage fees. These are the least of your problems as a homeowner. Visit Zillow.com and get an estimated value on your home and the rise and fall over the past 5 years. Don't be surprised if your house dropped 5% in value in the last 30 days alone!

As I begin my 8th and final year on Brevard's School Board. I plan to review the accomplishments and shortfalls of the District during that period. As it is my nature to focus on the work remaining to be done, I will devote most of my attention to those areas. Perhaps my comments will lead thoughtful candidates to propose meaningful solutions rather than trite sentiments.

Competitive Salaries

Brevard Public Schools has a recruitment and retention record that would be the envy of any commercial organization. Career Fairs held over the past several years bring multiple highly qualified candidates for every opening to the district. Our annual turnover rate system wide hovers around 5% with the most populated category of teachers those with more than 20 years experience. We have been able to hold the line on the employee's cost of insurance, even providing a payment holiday in 2007. Brevard received national recognition by being named one of the AARP's top 50 employers in the nation for three consecutive years.

Yet I remain concerned about employee compensation, particularly that of teachers. While it takes a team to achieve success, the classroom is where the rubber meets the road.

- We pay our best teachers the same as our worst teachers. And we effectively guarantee our worst teachers employment for life. Yes, we do have the ability to impose sanctions on teachers performing below an acceptable level. But with only 3, 5 or even 10 of 5,000 evaluated as needing improvement, do those evaluations have any real merit? An involved parent can likely name as many at their child's school that should not be teaching. Impose meaningful financial rewards and sanctions to encourage teachers to "up their game" or to find more appropriate fields of employment.

- We compensate teachers equally regardless of subject area expertise. As a result, we get a dozen or more highly qualified candidates when we seek an elementary teacher but are very lucky to receive even one candidate for secondary mathematics or science. While salary "supplements" provide some minor relief, basic economics demands that we consider supply and demand as we set salaries. Pay for needed skills.

- Different schools offer different challenges. Teaching at an affluent beach school may, for example, be less difficult that teaching at a historically low performing, high mobility, high poverty school. And the likelihood of receiving a school-based performance bonus is different. Provide bonuses to those accepting the challenge of low performing schools, encouraging our best teachers to nurture our lowest performing students.

- In reporting teacher compensation, consider all compensation, not just base salaries. Reporting only a portion of total compensation paints an inaccurate picture of compensation and furthers organized labor's incessant call for "more, more, more". Average compensation should be just that, an average of the W2 income. The IRS would not accept base salary reporting only, why should the public?

- Negotiations with organized labor need to be more comprehensive than just divvying up the pool of dollars that remain after the budget is developed. Historically, all parties at the negotiating table get the same average increase, if there is 5% available, the teachers get an average of 5% as do the administrators and the Superintendent on the other side of the table. Who then represents the taxpayer at the table? The Board is constrained by their potential quasi-judicial role in case of impasse. Independent, professional labor negotiation can break the employee-negotiating-with-employee cabal.

- Stable revenues are needed to implement these and other concepts. The Legislature must stop micromanaging schools, provide adequate funding as required by Florida's Constitution and allow local elected officials to do their jobs. Conversely, local elected officials must step up to the plate and make the difficult decisions our schools, employees and students need to achieve all that is possible.

Did you hear about the dyslexic police officer?

He spent New Years Eve handing out IUDs.

Source:

Larry E. Hughes

Parent, Citizen

LarryHughes at OurFlorida.info

According to data collected by the Florida Department of Education, Brevard Public Schools is best in the state with its 2006-07 graduation rate of 92.1 percent. The 2006-07 state average for graduation rates is 72.4 percent. Since 2000, the BPS graduation rate has risen from 80.4 percent to 92.1 percent in 2007. Brevard has been first or second in graduation rate every year since 2001.

Congratulations to Holland, Ocean Breeze and Quest Elementary schools for being named Music Demonstration Schools. This brings Brevard�s total to 10 plus 5 Honorable Mentions.

Every 6th grader in Brevard will take part in a special curriculum component called Space Week, culminating in a full-day study trip to Kennedy Space Center In November and December. The program emphasizes science and math but includes all facets of the curriculum with special emphasis this year on art. My personal thanks to NASA/KSC, Delaware North and our business partners for making this possible. And to Center Director Bill Parsons for his personal interest and participation, sharing his wife�s education advocacy.

Not a believer in higher education? Consider these 2005 Population Survey findings on annual earnings by education level nationwide:

Didn�t finish high school $22,274

High school graduate $31,665

Some college $38,009

College graduate $56,740

Masters $68,302

Ph.D. $93,593

MBA, JD, MD $119,343

1 in 4 school age children are exposed to sexual content on the Internet every day.

1 in a 100! Palm Bay�s Patriot Municipal Charter is the only school in Brevard failing to comply with the Class Size Reduction Amendment (CSRA). The Deputy Palm Bay City Manager said he wasn�t sure if it is worth $150,000 to comply with the CSRA. This is interesting from several perspectives: Patriot will receive $1,043,754 to comply with the CSRA. How many of the taxpayer�s tax dollars does Palm Bay spend to oversee the lowest performing school in Palm Bay? A City official doesn�t support adhering to Florida�s Constitution?

First in the Nation! Florida has the highest gas prices in the nation, 6 cents higher than the national average, according to a recent survey.

Run on the Bank � The State Board of Administration�s high risk investments, including non-prime mortgages, resulted in a run on the Local Government Investment Pool, the subsequent closure of the account for a week and only limited withdrawals are now available. Thanks to Ms. Judy Preston and her staff, the Brevard School Board withdrew our funds well before the run began so our funds are safe. The Brevard County Commissioners and Tax Collector have a total of $365M still at risk in those accounts! Correction � YOU have $365M at risk!

No �punishment� for bomb threats!

As might be expected, I�ve received a certain amount of heat for daring to suggest that time lost be made up on the Saturday immediately following the bomb threat. I have no quarrel with that criticism as I have no hard scientific data to support what my gut is telling me. That the strongest influence on our kids is not their parents, their school, their church or even their scout leaders. It is their peers. And when the kids peers say 'enough', it will stop.

But in answering a critic, I realized that most of those opposing the plan center their arguments on �punishment�. As in �why punish the good kids� and �why punish the faculty?�

As adults, do we consider schooling to be �punishment� for our children?

Do our employees consider their work to be �punishment�?

We should rethink our beliefs and consider how those beliefs impact those students that are acting out.

Meanwhile, Central Middle School has had their 9th bomb threat of the school year.

Unless there is some legislative relief, Brevard could need 20% (app. 1,000) more teachers in the 2008-2009 school year. Although Brevard has consistently been ahead of the Class Size Reduction Amendment annual goals, next year would implement a maximum class size as opposed to the school average class sizes this year. The cost impact is $50M in very round numbers.

As the State of Florida is learning, a long term investment is a short term investment that failed.

Larry E. Hughes

Parent, Citizen

LarryHughes@OurFlorida.info

(321) 724-4203

Florida Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Drops; Fewer Workers Confident in Personal Employment Situation and Job Market

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Employee Confidence Index declined for the second consecutive month, decreasing 4.4 points to 53.4 in June, according to the latest Spherion(R) Employment Report. The monthly survey of Florida workers, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation, shows that a higher number of workers have concerns about their personal employment situation and the number of jobs available.

Results from the Florida Employment Report:
* Forty-five percent of workers are confident in their ability to find a
new job, compared to 55 percent in May.

* The percentage of workers reporting confidence in the future of their
employer decreased from 66 percent in May to 61 percent in June.

* More workers believe fewer jobs are available. Specifically, 43 percent

of workers believe that job availability has decreased versus 34
percent in the previous month.

"This month's report is somewhat surprising, considering that the job picture looks very good across the state," said Paula Franco, branch manager of Florida for Spherion Staffing Services. "The unemployment rate remains significantly lower than the nation and it is clearly still a candidate's job market. Our clients are continuing to add to their payrolls, although hiring managers are still finding difficult to find "A" players. We are specifically noticing a shortage for accounts with 2-5 years experience, as well as fresh graduates with finance and technology degrees. We've also seen a recent increase in requests for workers with help desk experience."

Link to full Report & Methodology:
http://spherion.mediaroom.com/pressroom/index.php?s=43&item=406

Petition website created to recall Florida Senator Mel Martinez. The primary goal at RecallMel.com is to protest the Senator's change of position on Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants. The website is attempting to gather signatures to effect a special recall election of Senator Martinez or work to get him to return to his original stated positions on Illegal Immigration.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) June 27, 2007 -- The site www.RecallMel.com was launched June 18th 2007 by central Florida IT Tech Mr. Dewey Wallace to protest what he views as a reversal of Senator Martinez's campaign promises of no Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants. The website has a secure SSL page designed to gather signatures in an attempt to make a legal recall via special election of the Senator.

Even though the stated goal of RecallMel.com to gather enough registered Florida voters to recall the Senator, Mr. Wallace readily admits that it is going to be an uphill battle as over 514,000 signatures are required, and no national recall has ever succeeded. However seeing this as an opportunity to set a new legal precedent, Mr. Wallace states RecallMel.com is moving forward with an optimistic eye on success.

Throughout the site are quotes of the Senators own words & voting records on Immigration, complete with links to the original source material. The site has a clean look and makes clear the reason for its existence, "to recall Senator Martinez for his support on Immigration Reform". RecallMel.com shows a respectful tone for the Senator, is free of foul language or hyperbole yet offers biting information on the subject.

Working on the fact that the Senator has betrayed his campaign promise to the people by not only reversing his position on Amnesty but also actively pushing for its passage in the Senate. RecallMel.com no longer believes that the Senator is working with the best interest of Floridians or America. Therefore RecallMel.com is committed to removing Senator Martinez from both his Senatorial & RNC Chairperson positions.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release please visit www.recallmel.com.