My first experience attending an OCPS Board Meeting

Back in Febuary, I did something I thought I would never do which was attend a school board meeting. Now I say I thought I never do it because I really did not know about how they function and what real importance was behind them. This experience really was beneficial and made me realize just how important these meetings are! I have a much more open and positive opinion of the school board after attending.

I went to the meeting that was held on February 24th, 2015. The meeting started out with some joking about how they started with good time for once and there was some light laughter within the room. The meeting started by taking a moment of silence as well as saying the Pledge of Allegiance. It was then time for a very special moment to recognize someone that had been an important person behind the scenes. Her name is Kathy Marsh and she would be moving on to serve in a different area of Orange County's government. Chairman Sublette took a moment to speak about her impact and her importance to everyone there and then the board each took a moment to thank her for her time and help. You can tell that they were upset to see her go, but were very happy and wished her well on her future endeavors. I thought it was funny how they took a moment to joke around and feel a little bit like people instead of just having a serious meeting full of just business. What a great meeting to see as a "newbie"!

They also took the time to thank Central Florida Educators Federal Credit union for their continued support through specific types of transactions that their customers do that gives the school an amount of money for. The county was recieving another donation from the credit union of over $60,000 that helps to fund programs that are either underfunded or not funded by other means. Board Member Christine Moore took a moment to thank the Credit Union for their support, especially during the tough economic times from a few years ago which looked to devastate Art and other programs within the county. It was truly amazing to see the impact that the credit union has made for our schools and to know that the credit union I use is helping my son get the best education possible.

Next there was discussion of their strategic plan which, I must admit, was a little hard to keep up with because I felt lost on what was being discussed. They went over the status of schools who were being rebuilt or refreshed in some way and the status of where they were at. It was interesting to see the layout of when schools would be started and completed and their goal to have all schools being advanced in technology and a proper environment for students.

There was also recognition for the Arts and Social Worker departments. Performing Arts holds such a dear place in my heart that it was refreshing to see the wonderful conversation and recognition of the department.

There was so much being discussed that it was a lot to take in. The meeting was informative and I can now see the great importance behind them. I really wished there was a more diverse group of members, but they all seemed to really care about what they were doing. What a great experience!

Members Present:

• Superintendent Barbara Jenkins
• Chairman Bill Sublette
• Board Member Daryl Flynn
• Board Member Nancy Robinson
• Board Member Christine Morre
• Board Member Linda Kobert