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Public commenters praise ratified contract and press board on books, vouchers and a representative’s posts
Summary
Public comments at the Oct. 14 Pinellas school board meeting included praise from PCTA President Lee Bryant for the ratified contract, a resident’s letter asking whether State Representative Bernie Jacques should be allowed in schools after social-media posts, and community concerns about voucher programs and sexually explicit library titles.
Four public speakers addressed the board during the scheduled public-comment period on Oct. 14.
Nicholas Samiloff read a letter to Superintendent Hendrick that criticized a Sept. 12 Facebook post on State Representative Bernie Jacques’s account that referenced a Starkey Elementary teacher’s post about the murder of Charlie Kirk and quoted the phrase "good riddance." Samiloff asked whether the representative’s posts were "abhorrent and unbecoming" and whether Representative Jacques should be invited back into Pinellas County Schools. The board limited him to his allotted time and no formal response is recorded in the transcript.
Lee Bryant, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, thanked bargaining teams and said the contract ratified by teachers received 65.1% approval versus 34.8% opposed in the referendum; he warned that teachers in Florida have lost purchasing power and cited a 0.7% state salary increase for the year. "This is the best contract we've had in Pinellas County in my 30 years," Bryant said.
Sally Coleman criticized state funding and voucher policies (which she said have diverted public funds to empowerment scholarships and could lead to co-location of 'Schools of Hope' charters in district buildings) and called for accountability for co-located charters. Barbara DuMochelle asked for a list of library titles that remain in district schools and urged mental-health supports for students she said were harmed by sexually explicit content; portions of her remarks in the transcript were redacted for explicit language.
Outcome and next steps: Public commenters raised issues for district follow-up, including a request for information about library holdings and continued community discussion about Schools of Hope and co-location; the board indicated staff would provide information on workshop processes and that the chair planned to participate in an FSBA call about Schools of Hope.
Provenance: Public comments appear in the transcript beginning at SEG 1479.
