Brevard Public Schools is a school district serving Brevard County, Florida, and based in Viera, Florida.
In 2015, the district had about 74,000 students. 24% attend a school other than the one to which they are assigned. In 2009, the school board was Brevard's largest local government employer with 9,500 workers of whom 5,000 are teachers. The superintendent of schools is Dr. Mark Rendell.
School Board Board members run as non-partisan. District 1 - Megan Wright District 2 - Gene Trent District 3 - John Thomas District 4 - Matthew Susin District 5 - Katye Campbell
The budget for 2008-9 was about $1 billion. Roughly half is operating; about half is capital outlay. Board members were paid $35,000 annually in 2011.
In 2010, there were 7,000 students whose parents were employed by the federal government which pays no local real estate taxes. The budget is fairly dependent on real estate taxes. As a result, the federal government contributes money through the Federal Impact Aid program by way of compensation. However, in 2010, the amount had dropped from an expected $43 million to $5 million due to cuts in the federal budget.
In 2011, $232 million was budgeted for teachers' salaries.
History The 1892–93 school year there were 27 schools in Mosquito County. It was the forerunner for Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Osceola and Lake Counties. The twenty-one schools were: LaGrange, Titusville, Titusville (Colored), City Point, Shiverville, Rockledge, Eau Gallie, Sanders (Merritt Island), Says (Merritt Island), Martin (Merritt Island), Melbourne, Ten Mile Creek (St. Lucie), Lake view (Osceola), Prairie View (Osceola), Willis (Osceola), Crab Grass (Osceola), Bassiville (Lake), Taylor (Okeechobee), Bassinger (Okeechobee), Ft. Drum (Okeechobee), Drum Creek (Okeechobe).
Each school was a "one room" schoolhouse with one teacher. Part of the teachers pay was based on daily attendance. Teachers pay was $1.00 a month.
Clifton Colored School was built around 1890 in north Merritt Island where students were taught trades such as carpentry, concert and masonry and agriculture. It was the second colored school in the county. It later became Monroe High.
Disparities existed between black and white schools including teacher salaries. The first attempt in Florida to change this system occurred in 1938 when the NAACP brought suit in Brevard.
In 1964, the school board initiated a "freedom of choice" allowing blacks to voluntarily attend white schools. Resulting integration was insufficient.
In 1966, there were three black high schools including Gibson High, Titusville, Monroe High in Cocoa,reportedly closed in 1968 and Stone High, Melbourne. These were all closed with integration in 1968.
In 1966, Brevard was brought under federal jurisdiction for the purpose of desegregation. It was released from federal control in 1978 when this was achieved.Florida Desegregation Report
About 1967, the school district was split into three administrative units, North, Middle and South, each with its own assistant superintendent.
There were race riots in Rockledge and Melbourne high schools during the period of integration from 1969 to 1972.Florida Today obit on former superintendent accessed December 6, 2007
In 2002, the district elected its first black member to the school board.
In 2007, the school board voted to borrow nearly 3/4 of a billion dollars for maintenance and future expansion. By a majority of one, the Board believed that it could do this without raising taxes because of the increasing tax base.
In 2007, the Florida Department of Education announced that Brevard's graduation rate was the highest in the state at 92.1%. However, there is a major discrepancy between the way the state measures student graduation (tracks each student) and the way the federal government does (quantity entering, quantity graduating). So the figure by national standards is much lower. Using federal guidelines, the graduation rate for the class of 2005, was 69.3%, the highest in the state, but below the national average of 70.6%. The school district was first or second in the state for graduation rates from 2001 through 2009.
The budget for 2007-8 was about $1.2 billion. This was the highest in its history.
In 2005, there were 75,235 students. The count reached an all-time high of 76,062 in the 2006–07 school year. The count was 72,519 in 2009.
In 2010, with the end of the shuttle program and the subsequent loss of jobs in the area, officials have been concerned that a quarter of the schools would fall below 70% enrollment capacity.
In 2011, six public schools were ranked by the state in the top ten schools in the state, out of 2,800 There was one list each for primary and secondary schools.
In 2013, the school board voted to close three schools, Clearlake Middle School, Gardendale Elementary Magnet School, and South Lake Elementary School prompting a large public outcry. The school board proposed the closings and limited public input by holding required public meetings during the 2012 holiday season. The board did not hold any of the required meetings with the capital outlay committee as required by an interlocal agreement with several municipalities. The Brevard Board of County Commissioners, City of Cocoa, and City of Titusville condemned the decision in official letters sent to Superintendent Brian Bingelli and the board. The Board of County Commissioners voted to file a lawsuit against the school board 3–2, however a minimum of 4 votes were required to initiate the lawsuit per county ordinance. In March 2013, a group of parents and community leaders initiated a lawsuit against the board, claiming a racial bias in the decision to close the three schools. The Board of County Commissioners publicly supported the lawsuit and started a dispute resolution process as well on their own behalf. A political action committee (PAC) was formed to oppose the current school board members in future elections and vowed to effect a change in leadership.Cities, parents line up against Brevard School Board | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.comLocal News | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com
In 2014, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch gave the county good marks on its management affecting predictability of cash flow. Moody's commented that the board's leaders gave consistently made accurate and conservative cash flow assumptions. Fitch praised the board's sound operations. An editorial in the local paper demurred, saying that the board should not have cut taxes earlier. It believed the tax cut led directly to requesting from the voters a raise in the sales tax in the county one-half of a percent.
In 2015, the school board selected its first black superintendent.
School must be held for a state-established minimum number of days. It was closed three days for Hurricane Matthew in 2016. It did not have to make these days up because of teacher instruction days built into the calendar. School was closed 7 days for Hurricane Irma in 2017. It will not have to make those up by longer attendance in the spring, for the same reason.
Administration 27 different individuals served in the position of superintendent from 1874 to 2018. William Sharpe was the first. The 3 longest serving superintendents were John Sams, at twenty-seven 27 years (1882-1909); Damon Hutzler (1937-1952) and Woodrow Darden (1952-1966), each serving consecutive 14 years. There has only been one 1 African American to serve as superintendent, Desmond Blackburn (2015–2018). There has never been a female to serve in the position.
The superintendent's office was located in Titusville, the county seat. It is now located in Viera.
The district contains 72,519 public school students in 82 schools.
Students must pass a standardized test, the FSA, to graduate from high school. To avoid surprises, students are given practice tests and are tested several times before they reach 12th grade.
To comply with state testing rules, the 2011–12 school year will start August 10. The semester will end December 21. The second semester will start January 9 and conclude May 25.
The district is split for administrative reasons into four "areas" which tend to have east and west lines in the narrow county which extends north and south. The areas are numbered I-IV, each having its own assistant superintendent.
To get hands-on learning experience about science, the local environment and math, all fourth-graders are given a one-day field trip to the Indian River Lagoon, one of the most diverse estuaries in North America.
The county is the first and only county in the state to have its school health program operated by a county health department and paid for by the school district. It has won several national awards. On an average day, 2,400 students receive nursing care including 1,260 doses of medicine. Nurses typically work seven-hour shifts, 70 hours bi-weekly. There are 107 health care professionals employed. Services are available to all students, public or private.
Einstein Montessori, a private school in Brevard County, was previously a charter school. Explorer Elementary and Middle Charter, Osprey Elementary, and Sawgrass Middle were closed by the school board.
Budget The last time the public approved a school building bond was in 1963. To circumvent the need for public approval for borrowing, both the county and the school district have used certificates of participation. In 2005, the board decided to build seven new schools to accommodate the 800 to 1,300 new students moving into the area annually, and renovate each of the districts schools. This would also help meet the requirement that was imposed when Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment limiting class size, starting in 2010, but phased in before then by the Florida Legislature.
The school district borrowed a total of $643 million, mostly between 2004 and 2008. Annual payments on the debt in 2012 were $38.4 million. At the same time the housing bubble burst. Property values, on which school taxes were based, dropped from $41 billion in 2008 to $27 billion in 2011.
At the same time, the cost of construction materials rose. Estimates to renovate Titusville High School, for example, went from $22 million to $43 million.
After the collapse of property values, the district sought to save money by deferring maintenance. For example, instead of replacing each of its 409 buses every 12 years, it went to a 55-year replacement cycle.
After the voters rejected a 1/2 cent increase in local sales tax to benefit schools, the district decided to close four schools. It also decided to pay fines and exceed class size limitations when necessary to balance the budget.
In 2013, the schools retained their financial rating of AA− and Aa3 by Fitch Group and Moody's.
In 2011, the average teacher earned $44,442 annually, not including benefits. A starting teacher earns $36,000. Top salary was $56,350 after 21 years.
In 2011, there was a pool of 1,900 substitute teachers. Using substitutes when required, cost $4.2 million in 2009–10.
In 2012, an average principal received $93,000 in salary and benefits annually; a school secretary, $40,000; cafeteria manager, $33,000. The average stipend for middle-school department heads averaged $9,176. The average school office phone bill was $9,317. Estimates of savings for closing four elementary and middle schools to save money was $3.8 million.
Class ranking and GPA