Tuesday’s Osceola County School Board meeting was packed with tension — from the public who came to speak and on the dais.
Teachers expressed disdain for how many of their non-teaching workdays were front-loaded to the start of the year. Parents made embattled pleas to re-institute a mask mandate in schools with coronavirus case numbers spiking across Florida.
And district 1 member Terry Castillo directed strong emotions at district 3 member Jon Arguello, reaching a boiling point since he took office last year and calling him “absolutely out of control,” before he directed emotion at the rest of the Board.
Arguello made a series of motions Tuesday, which the Board voted down 3-2, with Arguello and Julius Melendez voting for and Castillo, Clarence Thacker and Robert Bass voting against. They included canceling a Legislative lobbying contract with former state Rep. Mike Horner for not being properly disclosed as a Tallahassee lobbyist, creating a business enterprise program for veterans and minorities, and creating a time during meetings to ask for report on rate of investment on district contracts at the six and 18 months.
Castillo offered to abstain her vote on the enterprise program motion because she didn’t have enough information about it.
“Sitting here and being told you don’t care about your community, that you’re dubious and corrupt and hearing those words on the dais … it’s disrespectful and I’m tired of it,” Castillo heatedly said to Arguello. “It has got to stop. It’s unnecessary, and you know it. I will not be ashamed of my passion.”
Arguello apologized but responded shortly later, “You should not be ashamed for your passion. You should be ashamed for your behavior.”
Castillo openly asked Board Attorney Frank Kruppenbacher, “What can I do to protect myself from these attacks?”
“Cease it,” he replied, referring to her emotional reactions to Arguello. “It is not appropriate to have these individual attacks.”
Arguello then directed strong emotions at other Board members, including Thacker, who proposed a motion to prevent Board members from exercise administrative influence on staff, or use their Board position to make political statements. It was in reference, in part, to a press release Arguello sent out about Horner’s lobbyist on his district letterhead that, other members were concerned, gave the impression it came from the Board at large or the District.
Arguello argued that he’s being singled out and silenced for taking a stand.
“I am serving my district. I have an opinion, and I will make it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many motions or how many rules you put out here, I will continue to make my opinion known.”
The motion passed with the same 3-2 vote as the rest of the night.
Wednesday morning, after the dust cleared, Castillo reflected that she’s simply trying to do the best job she can for students, parents and the School District.
“We’re not working for the kids when that happens" she said. "I get passionate, and I’m the one who pushes back the most."
Arguello said Wednesday that it’s been clear to him over his nine months since taking office that there’s a majority-minority makeup of the Board.
“I didn’t realize a lot of this when I was running for the seat,” he said. “I’m doing the job as a School Board member. I didn’t seek their permission (when writing the release against Horner). Going forward, I won’t be intimidated.”
“In 15 months there will be another election, and if people listen to me, there will be consequences," he said, noting that Castillo, Thacker and Bass' seats will all be on the ballot in 2022.
Thacker said transparency was behind his motion.
"We need the Board to function better," he said Wednesday. "We can't have members act in ways that negatively affect the rest of us. Our capacity as Board members isn't a platform for political agendas."
During the meeting, Kruppenbacher explained Florida’s mask conundrum.
“We have a governor who signed a bill that masks would be optional. Broward County challenged it, but backed down 24 hours later when the Governor threatened to take away their (state-level) funding. With no funding for education, the devastation to the community becomes insurmountable.
“As for coming up with creative options, I’ve watched Dr. Pace talk every day with medical officers. Virtually every creative option you come up with, the state won’t fund you for it. This board and superintendent are in the cross hairs of a horrible situation. Every one cares very deeply about our students and staff.”
When a solution became reinstating school-based virtual learning, Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace said teachers reported doing another school year of hybrid, simultaneous instruction would be “very, very challenging … something I heard loud and clear was that did not want to do that again.”
The deadline for signing up for Osceola Virtual School was extended to Friday. Pace said she’s looking for short-term solution for exceptional education students who likely won’t thrive in virtual learning.
“Make a good decision for yourself and your family, and get a vaccine if you are able,” she said. “If you are sick, do not come to school or work.”
There was some level-headed work done Tuesday. The board approved paid sick time for certain employees who contract COVID-19 and must quarantine. Those employees would receive a maximum of 10 paid sick days as a one-time benefit, but only applies to fully-vaccinated employees or those who can’t get the shot because of health reasons and cannot work remotely.
