Tonight's important Broward Schools outreach mtg. re Broward Supt. Licata's plan to close 5 schools/sell property within a year, with 3 in SE Broward on the prospective chopping block because they are less than 70% capacity

Today's blog post is a follow-up to my blog post of WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2023, titled,

Torey Alston's call for "Major reform" now by the Broward County School Board is 100% correct -and 100% long overdue
https://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2023/11/torey-alstons-call-for-major-reform-now.html

I also tweeted about that post here, https://x.com/hbbtruth/status/1729940297038078417?s=20

This was me on Twitter this past Sunday afternoon, plus the predicate tweets from BCPSCanDoBetter and Alexander Russo highlighting the Chicago Sun-Times account of what happened when the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) closed 50 schools throughout the nation's third-largest city.

Chicago Sun-Times

To report on the impact of Chicago’s mass school closings, we turned to neighborhood residents.
While City Hall and Chicago Public Schools put roadblocks in the way of reporting for the Sun-Times and WBEZ series, people who lived near the closed schools opened up with their stories.
By  Lauren FitzPatrick, December 28, 2023, 10:00am EST

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/12/28/23962649/cps-chicago-50-closed-schools

Will be interested to see who among SE #Broward elected officials/candidates fm #HollywoodFL #HallandaleBeach participate @ 3rd of 3 #BCPS' mtgs re under-enrolled schools Thurs. @ Flanagan HS @ 6 pm.  Spies tell me few of Usual Suspects @ either City Hall attended. 

Re Thursday's important mtg. re under-enrolled Broward schools, Supt.'s plan to close school/sell property of 5 within a year, with 3 in SE Broward on possible chopping block because they are less than 70% capacity: Hallandale High School, McNicol Middle School and Hollywood Central Elementary School.

There's a good but-not-perfect graph that was on a popular Broward public policy Facebook page that showed reasons that some Broward parents give for why they have -or may- pull their kids from the system. 

The official number given for so-called "lost" BCPS kids in the past 20 years is 58,000, but I suspect it is considerably higher since the very people who were NOT polled actually are the ones I'd like most to hear from in such a poll to know the truth: parents who fled Broward county ENTIRELY, and did not know of the poll.

Concerned Citizens of Broward County

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1801524496544974/

https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?id=1801524496544974&story_fbid=7541725325858167

Though this particular Facebook page is much more useful than most things online that have a South Florida emphasis, the truth is that is very noticeable that at certain times of the week -say on Sunday mornings and around midnight on weeknights Monday thru Thursday- it tends to have indignant and angry posts that are VERY heavily weighed and biased towards the long term interests and goals of the Broward Democratic Party and its activist allies, principally, teachers and their union friends, the Broward Teachers Union -the BTU.

The BTU expects that all Broward School Board candidates it endorses and who get elected to be faithful puppets and to always think as exactly as they are told, especially regarding salaries and pay raises.

That is, they believe that the answer to every problem in the school system, including why has Broward County lost 58,000 students over the past 20 years, is because teachers were not paid enough. Which is preposterous of course.

You can see for yourself below how their comments condescendingly dismiss all parents answers to simple questions about why they pulled/may pull their kids from the BCPS system, IF the answer isn't simply giving more $ to teachers.

We all know that parents in Broward County are NOT removing their children from the public schools and voting with their wallets/purses and feet by moving simply because of the level of salary individual teachers earn each year. Especially in a county where because of the efforts of Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature, the starting salary of a teacher in Broward County is $50,000, plus benefits, regardless of how poorly a teacher they may prove to be in their first year.

Here are the responses to the graph above, which make my larger point. 

Reality = Broward taxpayers interested in both solid academic improvement and financial efficiencies KNOW BCPS buildings and land WILL be sold, so the belief among self-serving, politically- driven #BTU and its members that honestly think that the number of teachers will or should remain the same is... DELUSIONAL. 

I'm NOT a fan of BTU's B.S.

As for tonight, I'm out-of-town, so I will NOT be able to attend the meeting in Pembroke Pines at Flanagan, the HS that my nephew graduated from 20 years ago.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article284879932.html

Miami Herald

Broward superintendent plans to close - or re-purpose - 5 public schools
February 4, 2024

Jimena Tavel; Staff Writer 

About four years ago, Walnite Denis moved from Miami Gardens to Pembroke Pines for her daughters.

"I moved to Broward to make sure they go to a good school," the Haitian immigrant said.

Her eldest now attends Pines Middle School at 200 Douglas Rd., and her youngest goes to Palm Cove Elementary School at 11601 Washington St. They're both gifted students.

She loves their schools, so she raised her eyebrows in surprise when she found out this week that one of them, Pines Middle, is one of the 67 most under-enrolled public schools in Broward County, possibly meaning the school district could close it or re-purpose it in coming months. Currently, Pines Middle has the capacity for 1,769 students, but it's missing 1,159 students - thus operating at a measly 34.5% of capacity.

Denis is exactly the type of person Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata wants to meet as he and his administration embark on one of the most challenging missions the school district has faced in years: closing or re-purposing at least five out of a total 239 schools in the 2025-2026 school year. Broward Schools is currently missing about 51,000 students, and the projections are bleak.

In total, 67 out of the total 239 schools in Broward - or 28% - are operating at 70% of their capacity or less.

"If you ask superintendents around the country, it's something they never want to do. It's incredibly challenging. But I can't look at it negatively; I want to look at it as an opportunity," Licata told the Herald in a recent interview. "It may not seem like an opportunity, but it is one. Remember, if we're spending money on things we don't have - like students - it takes away from teachers and bus drivers and cafeteria workers and others."

To hear opinions from parents, students, employees, business owners and others, the Broward school district will hold three town halls this month, open to anyone in the community:

6 p.m. Thursday at the Fort Lauderdale High School at 1600 NE 4th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale

6 p.m. Feb. 15 at the J.P. Taravella High School at 10600 Riverside Dr. in Coral Springs

6 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Charles W. Flanagan High School at 12800 Taft St. in Pembroke Pines

All the meeting dates are Thursdays, and the meetings will be live-streamed at www.becon.tv/redefining. The school district will also put out surveys to gather input.

Why are students leaving, and what are the options?

If you ask the top official at the Broward school district why families are fleeing his public schools, he will point to myriad reasons - and none for certain at the same time. Most leave from kindergarten to third grade, or from sixth to eighth grade, he said.

Families could have pulled students because they have opted for home-schooling instead, switched to charter or private schools, or moved out of the county or state because of the rising cost of living.

They could've also done it because they were seeking a specific magnet program at another school, because they disliked the staff or because that school's state-granted grade fell.

The county's shrinking birth rate, controversial state politics and the lack of families moving to Broward could also be triggering it.

All of that could be affecting the enrollment at Broward Public Schools, but he won't know for sure until he speaks to the people directly involved, he said.

That's why he refuses to put out a list of schools he's considering for possible changes, because he wants to keep an open mind, he said.

"There is no written list. There will be none. We all have something in our heads. We've looked at schools. But if we do that we've already tanked the process," he said.

He also wants to keep his options open, he said. For Licata, "close" or "re-purpose" aren't the only changes he could implement.

The district could also combine two under-enrolled schools to create an at-capacity elementary school or a K-8 center or 6-12 center.

The district could convert part of a school to provide another service, like a technical education or special education, medical or dental health care, workforce training, youth programming or recreational activities.

It could also lease or sell a property to address other needs, like affordable housing for underpaid teachers and others.

And it could also change the school attendance zone by adding or removing neighborhoods assigned to a specific school.

If a school does close, the district will reassign students to another.

Bargaining agreements with teachers and other groups will mandate what happens to the employees of a school that closes; they would be likely to fill in the gaps at other schools or follow students if schools are combines.

To decide what to do ultimately, Licata intends to rely on data - data like the list of the 67 under-enrolled schools using less than 70% of their capacity, enrollment numbers for surrounding private and charter schools, enrollment projections, academic performance and facilities' status.

The timeline, sensitivity the superintendent foresees

Because of two controversial previous moves since the summer, Licata said he wants to get this right.

In August, Broward Schoolsreversed a decision to require all students to use only clear backpacks after people protested it. Similarly, in December, the Broward School Board killed a proposal to start its own police force after the public strongly rejected it.

That's why with the "re-defining" of schools, as he calls it, Licata says he wants to be intentional. He's allotting about 18 months for the process to play out, keeping in mind, he said, that it will be a sensitive topic because it may involve changing historical facilities, boundaries and family traditions.

Alongside the February town halls, Licata will gather with city mayors and managers, county commissioners and other public officials to get their feedback.

He will also reach out to leaders of places of worship.

"Places of worship are very important for communities. They're places where you can get authentic feedback. And a lot of the traditions in history exist in places of worship, and in this county, there are a lot of traditions, and historical names and facilities that we really want to make sure we respect as we move through," Licata said. "We can't just go into neighborhoods, and tell them, 'Yeah, we own the property.' Everyone owns the property, so we want to be very sensitive to the community. That's why we want to listen to them."

On March 20, Licata plans to meet with the Broward School Board to get more direction. He also scheduled another board workshop for May 14.

He doesn't "foresee" taking any decision that affects students in the 2024-2025 school year, he said. Instead, he said the district will focus on selling excess land and, if needed, changing boundary limits, which he's "99.9%" sure he'll need to do.

In the 2025-2026 school year, the district would make changes affecting at least five schools, which he said could be painful.

"The schools belong to the community, and they're historical places," Licata said. "If all of a sudden we say, 'Hey, we're closing this school,' people go, 'Wait a minute, I went here. My mother went here. My kids go here. That's where they're supposed to go; how could you do this?' That's the sensitive part of it."

"We learned a lot when we brought up the potential police force," he added. "We learned we need to communicate even more. So our goal is that nobody, nobody, in 18 months is able to say, 'I didn't know about this.'"

Miami Herald
'Tough conversations': Broward school district hosts its first input event on school changes
Jimena Tavel, Staff Writer
February 12, 2024

While scrolling social media Wednesday night, Cathy Curry, 61, saw a list of the most under-enrolled schools in Broward County Public Schools and one caught her eye: her alma mater Hallandale High School, the same majority-Black school that, in 1974, she and her mother marched in protest to get the district to open.

She saw that the district could close it because it's operating at only 64% of its capacity. She panicked.

"I was so hurt I couldn't sleep," Curry, who graduated from the high school in 1980, told the Miami Herald.

The following day, on Thursday, she decided to attend a district event on the topic at Fort Lauderdale High School. That was the first of three events that Broward school district officials have planned to seek community input on a plan to close or repurpose at least five out of the district's total of 239 schools in the 2025-2026 school year. They say the district must make changes because it has lost about 58,000 students in the past 20 years.

Instead of holding a traditional town hall Thursday, district officials held small-group conversations.

First, Superintendent of Broward Public Schools Peter Licata briefly explained why the district needs to affect at least five schools. Then officials split the roughly 150 in-person attendees inside the school's auditorium - and the about 200 who tuned in to the live stream online - into eight groups and directed them to different areas such as classrooms and the cafeteria. They assigned a facilitator to lead and survey each group using an artificial intelligence platform called ThoughtExchange.

Facilitators asked each group two questions using ThoughtExchange and then led a discussion about all of the groups' answers, which they could see and rate up or down online.

The first was, "When the District decides to close or combine schools, what should we think about the most. What considerations are most important and why?"

Some of the answers included bus schedules and transportation concerns, the well-being of children, maintaining or improving the quality of the education, increasing targeted programs for specific careers in the future, the overall fiscal impact to the district and the classroom sizes.

The second question was, "How can we make changing schools a positive experience for students, teachers, and the community to help our schools become the best they can be?"

Those answers featured statements like "infrastructure is key," "increasing mental health for students," and "pay the teachers a decent wage."

The first question upset Curry.

"To see that felt like the decision is already made, and it's disingenuous to gather the community here," she said.

Zoie Saunders, the district's chief strategy and innovation officer, was facilitating Curry's group and apologized for that. She later told the Herald that the original question was too long and in the editing process, it lost some clarity.

"I completely acknowledged that was a mistake," Saunders said. "We'll try to wordsmith that question for the future."

Overall, Licata, who walked in and out of all of the group settings, told the Herald after the event that he thought it had gone well.

"I thought tonight was pretty good," he said. "We had some really good conversations; we had some really tough conversations. ... It was the first night. We're going to redirect some things, fix some things. We are going to address what people have said. We're listening."

Complaints with format, use of AI

Others in Curry's group raised concerns about the district's logistics for the event.

Narnike Pierre Grant, the mother of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School freshman and the chair of the school district's diversity committee, said she disliked being divided into small groups.

"I wasn't happy with the format. I don't think it was conducive for the people in this district," said Pierre Grant. "When they were advertising it, they made it feel like a town hall, and that's not what it was. It was hard for people who aren't technologically savvy."

In response, Licata said the district never called the event a "town hall meeting." The official district web page and the flyer describe the events as "Community Conversations." But he acknowledged that the district can hammer that point more in the future.

Overall, he said he understands that there's a history of mistrust in the school district and that that might affect some perspectives.

"We know we have to build trust. This is new to this district, and I'm new to this district. It will take time," he said.

Similarly to Pierre Grant, one of the teachers who attended Thursday, Erica Hansinger from Western High School in Davie, felt that the district could have surveyed people at home instead of in person. And that the use of AI didn't foster "deep, raw conversations."

After the group members answered the two questions, they got to up-vote or down-vote other attendees' ideas. At the end, the platform produced a "summary" with conclusions about what the people said, which the facilitator read out loud.

"That's not the way to engage the community," said Hansinger, who's been teaching for 20 years. "I was baffled. It was bizarre."

After the group stopped looking down at their devices in Hansinger and Pierre Grant's group, they started chatting. A woman shared that she had experienced trauma back in 1995 when the district rezoned some schools and she lost all of her friends; she said she didn't want her own children to experience that, too.

"Her story touched me," Hansinger said, pointing out that the woman wouldn't have been able to share that emotion and those details online on ThoughtExchange and that the format possibly hindered others from sharing their own tales.

In response to that, Saunders said the district decided to use the platform to collect more data and spark ideas. She said that it's not over-relying on its results, as it will also consider other factors when deciding what schools to change: factors including enrollment, neighborhood demographics and the condition of each facility.

The next two district events will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the J.P. Taravella High School at 10600 Riverside Dr. in Coral Springs and at 6 p.m. Feb. 22, which is also a Thursday, at the Charles W. Flanagan High School at 12800 Taft St. in Pembroke Pines.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article285429077.html

Miami Herald
‘Let's look at the root causes': Community weighs in on potential Broward school closures
Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald
February 16, 2024

Anabelle Rivera moved from Miami Shores to Weston in 2021 in hopes that a Broward public school could help her autistic son. She had tried three private schools in Miami-Dade and disliked them all.

"To my surprise it was better," she said. "We are in a much better place now but it took a lot of work. It took a lot of conversations between me as an interested and informed parent and staff."

Then recently, the mom of a seventh grader at Tequesta Trace Middle School found out the Broward school district will close or repurpose at least five schools of its total 239 schools in the 2025-26 school year. She decided to attend a Thursday community meeting hosted by the school district to discuss those plans.

Rivera was one of about 75 people who went in person to J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs; about 50 others tuned in online.

The event was the second in a series of three. The first event took place Feb. 8 at Fort Lauderdale High School, and attracted about 150 in person and about 200 others online. The last event is planned for 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines.

Like the first event, Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata began Thursday with a presentation in the school's auditorium that explained the district must change because it has lost about 58,000 students in the last 20 years. After, the attendees got divided into five groups and sent to different classrooms.

In the small breakout group that Rivera was in, about 20 people sat in a semicircle. Two facilitators asked questions and led the discussion, using an artificial intelligence surveying program called ThoughtExchange.

They first asked a question about what challenges and opportunities of closing or repurposing some schools.

Rivera, the mother of the autistic son, said she hopes that the district takes the chance to add more resources to students with disabilities like her son. She also said that she has a daughter, a senior at a charter school in Wynwood that focuses on the arts, who has thrived there because she's developed her singing, and Broward public schools should replicate those types of program in all fields.

"I'm hopeful," she said.

A woman said the district will struggle to regain the public's trust, an issue largely rooted in a failed 2014 tax payer-approved $800 million project to fix schools, called the SMART bond.

Another woman said that it would be a problem if people lose their jobs in the process.

Aiykiera Brown, a senior at Millennium Collegiate Academy in Tamarac, said she worried students' mental health would suffer if they were removed from their comfort zones and separated from their friends.

"You could have a lot of students drop out," she said.



Then facilitators repeated the two questions from the first event on ThoughtExhange.

First: "When the District decides to close or combine schools, what should we think about the most. What considerations are most important and why?"

Those answers largely led the group to wonder why students were leaving in the first place. A woman worried that if the district doesn't identify the underlying causes and fix them, repurposing or closing some schools would be a "Band-Aid solution."

"So then the plan is what? To keep closing schools?" she said.

Joi Calderon, the mother of a junior at J.P. Taravella and an eighth grader at Ramblewood Middle in Coral Springs, agreed with that. She wondered if the Broward school district has looked at charter and private schools and analyzed why people are choosing those over the traditional public schools.

"Is it a community thing? Is it a cultural thing? Is it a location thing? I don't know," she said. "But let's look at the root causes, because if not we're going to keep losing students."

Calderon also said the district should set ways to measure success quickly in each of its decisions. Whether the district decides to close a school, combine two under-enrolled schools, convert part of a school to provide another service like a technical education, change the school attendance zone or implement any other idea, the district should monitor how that's going and pivot with agility if needed, she said.

"How are they going to reassess, and how are they going to make decisions to say, ‘Yes, we need to move forward with this' or ‘No, we need to retract it. Let's try this instead?'" she said.


The second question facilitators asked the group — "How can we make changing schools a positive experience for students, teachers, and the community to help our schools become the best they can be?" — elicited some ideas.

A man suggested the school district hold more meetings in low-income neighborhoods to reach people who may have not been able to travel to the three designated locations. Or alternatively, he said, the district could offer free transportation from across the county to the last event.

Another man said he used to work for the school district as a lawn maintenance operator and knows the district owns a lot of land in Broward. He wondered if instead of spending money on constantly cutting grass and maintaining empty lots, the district could sell of lease them.

"You know what 50 acres can go for?" he said. "3.4 million."

Dave

David Bruce Smith  


Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bruce-smith-b945b376/

Instagram: @hbbtruth https://www.instagram.com/hbbtruth/
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What happened at #HollywoodFL City Mgr.'s office in June 2023 that led to firing of Dir. of Development Services? I and many other Hollywood civic activists + residents have VERY LITTLE confidence in CM George R. Keller, Jr., who's MORE of what we want LESS of.

What happened at #HollywoodFL City Mgr.'s office in June 2023 that led to firing of Dir. of Development Services? I and many other Hollywood civic activists + residents have VERY LITTLE confidence in CM George R. Keller, Jr., who's MORE of what we want LESS of.

Back on September 19th, I received a very lengthy email from a very savvy and well-connected Hollywood civic activist friend. Someone who is noted for both their genuine alacrity as well as their longstanding desire for Hollywood to be a MUCH BETTER place to live and MUCH BETTER managed. They share with me and so many of my friends and fellow Hollywood civic activists for many of the anti-democratic and authoritarian excesses of the past several years at Hollywood City Hall to be rolled back, and for the people responsible for implementing those policies FINALLY being held to account.

They/We are tired of Hollywood being on the slippery slope and becoming something that we frequently don't even recognize when it comes to the caliber and competency of both the elected officials and high-ranking, highly-paid city bureaucrats, in what has always been a very liberal city that had taxes far too high to be justified by the ROI and the self-evident results.

The fact that very liberal Hollywood was the last large city in South Florida to finally institute police body cameras is perhaps the best example of the city's virtue-signaling ringing hollow when it comes time to putting their money where their mouth was. They would NOT pay for it initially out of the city budget -as most other localities have- but instead, waited and waited and waited until it received a non-city funding source, via largesse from Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. 

WHY? 

You should ask Mayor Josh Levy that very question next time you see him tooling around town as he runs for re-election. 

NOT A SHOCKER: I will NOT be voting for him in November!

Given the amount of crime that takes place in Hollywood and HPD's well-known and less-than-stellar reputation over the years, how could Hollywood have been among the last of South Florida cities to come into the light when it was and is a city that was tailor-made to have the devices as soon as they were available? Especially when the public here was repeatedly assured by City Hall and HPD that it was so important to implement such a system? Exactly.

I've chronicled that particular cat-and-mouse sleight of hand many times before on this blog, as well as in fact-filled emails around the area and very pointed tweets on my popular Twitter feed, @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies    

Here was my last blog post about it, last year on January 31st:

#Memphis Police Body Camera video release is a great time to recall that 74 months into reign of Josh Levy as #HollywoodFL mayor, he still can NOT give the public a firm date when it, the LARGEST #SoFL city STILL w/o #police body cameras, will have them. 😳🙄🤨🤔

https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1623206932071825409

Since I received that email in September from a friend, roughly 5 months ago -back when Miami Dolphins fans here and elsewhere were yet again getting their hopes up about FINALLY returning to the Super Bowl after 39 years of frustration since their last appearance -I've been waiting, semi-patiently, for the right moment to finally drop this email on you faithful readers of the blog.

That way, those of you who never knew about this conflict, or, only heard snippets of what was reportedly said or written at the time, could read it for yourselves, and see the facts and arguments as they were stated at the time. 

Not some historic revisionism of the sort that this city's elected officials of past and present have been so prone to do for SO many years, as is well-known by local reporters.

Years where inconvenient facts and public records are erased or misplaced and memorable arguments for or against a particular policy were forgotten by the very people in charge who consistently made bad decisions and showed very poor judgment at the time. 

So many bad decisions, so many mistakes in judgment! 

And look what happened in September to one of the persons who used to have a large -some say  oversized influence- on what actually happened on a daily basis at Hollywood City Hall, Shiv Newaldass, who worked for over 8 years for the city. 

Chief Development Officer from Jun 2015 - March 2021, then Director of Development Services from October 2018 - June 2023.

I first met him and spoke to him during a break of a meeting of the city's very important Evaluation Committee back in 2016, a meeting where I was the only member of the public actually present for a P3 meeting in a small room on the third floor. A room that was otherwise full of city employees and real estate developers and their attorneys. Judging by what was said and done -and meetings are NOT taped- it was hard to see who was there in the room to be the eyes and ears of the public's best long-term interests besides myself.  

Well, cutting to the chase, the city has DISAPPEARED him from its website and archives.

A person whose name used to be a cc or bcc on nearly every other important city document for YEARS, which is one of the reason he was making roughly $182,000 a year.

 

Here's the link to his LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiv-newaldass/

Back in September, I hoped to have more useful context her so I could once and for all connect-the-dots on a few important matters and policy issues that have been percolating in the city for quite a while, and to use this situation as but the latest example of what was going on under-the-radar, and NEVER seeing the light of day in the South Florida Sun Sentinel or at any of the four English language TV stations serving South Florida. 

But seeing as how many of those avenues have either dried-up because information has gone curiously missing, or, rather suddenly, people who used to be fonts of reliable information here in our community suddenly got cold feet and went radio silent, apparently, wanting me to forget what they already told me and then being unwilling to go on-the-record, I'm dropping this today.

I've deleted the personal contact information of not only the person who first shared it with me, as well as people they sent it to besides myself.

That is also a reminder that in the year 2024, there's still no extant diagram on the city's website detailing the exact chain of command in the city, with a clear delineation of not just who's who, but who gets to prevent other ideas and POVs from going forward.

When in doubt, contact me directly, and I'll share them with you.

For the record, here's the city's current sanitized biography for City Manager George R. Keller, Jr.: 

https://www.hollywoodfl.org/863/City-Manager-George-Keller-Bio

Date: Wed, Sep 20, 2023, 11:17 AM
Subject: ICYMI: Wow! Email I just received re City of Hollywood's Shiv Newaldass, until recently, the city's Director of Development Services

-----

From: Shiv Newaldass 

Sent: Friday, June 16, 2023 12:27 AM

To: George R. Keller JR CPPT 

Cc: Douglas Gonzales ; Gus Zambrano <GZAMBRANO@hollywoodfl.org(mailto:GZAMBRANO@hollywoodfl.org)>; Mayor-Commissioners <Mayor-Commissioners@hollywoodfl.org (mailto:Mayor-Commissioners@hollywoodfl.org)>; Tammie L. Hechler <THECHLER@hollywoodfl.org(mailto:THECHLER@hollywoodfl.org)>; Adam Reichbach <AREICHBACH@hollywoodfl.org(mailto:AREICHBACH@hollywoodfl.org)>; Jorge Camejo <JCAMEJO@hollywoodfl.org(mailto:JCAMEJO@hollywoodfl.org)>

Subject: [EXT]For the Record

City Manager Keller,

On the eve of my promised termination, a note for the record.

For those of us called to public service, working for the City of Hollywood had always felt a privilege.  For the past 8 years, together, as part of the City’s Executive Management team, we achieved a tremendous amount through a style that can best be described as collaborative disruption.  Empowered to do more, take chances, question each other, and push/pull the City forward, we did.  Prior to your appointment to the City Manager position, you and I met to discuss expectations.  Our rapport, one of ease and transparency, was grounded on what I understood be mutual respect.  As an atypical Director, we bonded on shared values and a sense that service can be more business like.  I was inspired by you and you often told me how much I reminded you of your own career.  I was honored. 

When your candidacy was being considered, I shared my enthusiasm with those in the public, including some elected officials.  When probed about fears regarding a potential stylistic difference relative to the preceding City Manager, I continued to express my support, assured by you, of the same values. 

The irony in all of this, months after championing your ascension and attempting to allay fears over a reputation of petty vindictiveness, I never imagined being on the receiving end as to what one can only describe as a targeted campaign to oust me from the City of Hollywood- a “Special Project” of sorts.     

Since the beginning of your administration in April, in an effort to deliver “more, better, faster”, work has devolved into a toxic, hostile environment.  These past few weeks have introduced new experiences in my professional career that have both jarred and terrified me.  Your reputation for “decisiveness”, especially with regards to personnel issues, has always troubled those of us witnessing it on the outside, yet we remained silent. 

You would often say that “people fire themselves” and that you never took any delight in the actions required.  I wanted to believe you even as colleagues departed under spurious circumstances and often, a one-sided rationalization.  So, I remained silent. 

Earlier this year, at our the site visit for a bicycle rental operation to resolve ongoing tension with Jorge Camejo, you told me “not to worry, he’s a Special Projects of yours”.  Shamefully, I remained silent. 

When at our March 6th meeting, you noted that Gus Zambrano, another “Special Project” of yours, “did not have the votes”, yet again I remained silent.

I am not exactly certain when the change occurred or why between us, but to unpack, I can only speculate that it has to do with my concerns about the Orangebrook vote. 

During the process, I raised some concerns about rumored tactics being utilized by one of the firms.  I cautioned, for the sake of transparency in the process, to make certain members of the Commission and potential respondents not communicate outside of the Cone of Silence.  I spoke up during the evaluation meetings to emphasis an “apples to apples” comparison rather than “apples to kangaroos”.    The day of the award, I unfortunately commented that the specific ranking was the “worst outcome” for the City.  You shot me a glance and someone else pulled me aside, warning not to say such things in front of you. 

At the time, Real Estate, was under Development Services, and I had been the lead negotiator for the City on a number of transactions prior, including 1301.  When the team was being put together, Dave Keller, a truly exceptional person and professional, was selected to lead negotiations, I was intrigued by the approach yet pleasantly surprised when he took control over a very complicated process with aplomb.

Early meetings indicated an opportunity to work diligently with the top rank firm to meet a very ambitious schedule.  I was excited to participate and share feedback as we worked through a series of interconnected agreements detailing risks, obligations, guarantees, and numbers.  With an MBA in Real Estate, a penchant for numbers, and an understanding of development, this was my natural element.

When Real Estate was reassigned from me on April 24th, you and I not spoken as to your thought process.  As the City Manager, that is your prerogative; however, I had hoped to understand further or delve deeper with the newly appointed Assistant City Manager, Raelin Storey, as to how best to proceed given our different styles.  This never happened.    When my role on the team was diminished, the justification was to focus on “building” issues.  Given my background, this seemed odd.             

When half of Development Services, inclusive of Real Estate, was removed from under my purview, the first time you made note of it was at another first for me- an impromptu disciplinary meeting on April 26th. 

Building had been receiving an inordinate amount of complaints and while an innovative “team based” approach was presented to the City Commission on March 15th and an April 19th meeting that created 11 new positions for DS, you seemed particularly concerned that not enough had been done.  You requested a meeting at 10 am with HR, Finance, and DS to talk about the “change” in approach for Building.  You demanded to know why “no one told you” that the “pay study” had shifted from your direction in December to pay the highest levels for inspectors and plans examiners, to the impending “team” structure.  As we attempted to explain that there were multiple meetings conducted since December, inclusive of you, to discuss this revised approach and was ultimately presented to the City Commission on March 15th.  You even gave two thumbs up after the presentation.  This seemed to have upset you as you immediately demanded that Gus, Tammie, and I meet in your office. 

The moments after became the worst professional experience of my life, only to be trumped by your later actions.  I sat across from you as you pointed your finger at Gus and I, blaming primarily me as the Director for the complaints.  You then instructed Tammie to place in my personnel file an improvement plan with probation promised if I could not deliver on certain milestones by June 30th.  As I stood up to leave, I extended my hand to you.  Your initial hesitation baffled me, but as I shrugged it off, you took my still extended hand and said “this is why Real Estate and Community Development was taken away from you”.  I was not sure how to respond, so I remained silent and smiled.  This seemed to have annoyed you further as you then preceded to berate me for not knowing that one of my division manager had accepted a position with another city.  You demanded that I answer whether or not it was “right” that you knew about it and I hadn’t.  I remained silent and turned to leave.  You then remarked, Code is being take away and given to PD and that this will help me focus on permitting issues.  Half of team was gone and I remained silent.

The letter that was issued later that day, hand-delivered, noted that I had to have all positions filled by June 30th, including the newly created ones.  The other mention was a reduction in complaints and mention that I had provided unsatisfactory improvements.  The letter also referenced a meeting that you and I supposedly had on or about March 31st- the day after the previous City Manager had retired and a Friday.  Unfortunately, this meeting or conversation never happened and the metrics demanded, to many would appear a fool’s errand. 

I wanted to believe that I could do this and continued a manic effort to meet what would become an irrational mad dash.  Each day became a new exercise in trying to fathom what would be a potential minefield with you, but I wanted to believe that your “guidance” was for the best. 

On May 30th, at 6:30, I was summoned to your office. With Raelin and Tammie there, you presented a “finding”, a narrative of an incident that occurred on April 11th between one of my division managers and self.  I read a description that presented me in the worst light possible.  Colleagues that I had worked with for years, my team, prescribing statements to me that I found to be troubling.  I would later find out that some of the statements were not made by the people attributed.  You demanded a response and I asked for more time to digest the information shared.  I was surprised by it all, especially given that the incident had occurred 45 days prior and we had spoken directly about it immediately after.  I asked why now, and you claimed it was because the Union was asking you to do this (records request indicate a different story).  This was not acceptable to you as you insisted that I respond right of way.  I implored for some time, turned to the Human Resources Director, tried to be as balanced as I could be, understanding in that moment what was happening.  You called me a liar and that the problem has “always been me”.  Years of working hand in hand together, I was gutted.  You had been someone I looked up to as a mentor and friend.  Without much to say, you then pulled out of your notebook a pre-written disciplinary letter issuing a 3 day suspension without pay.  It seemed excessive, especially in light of your own behavior towards many of us, including that very moment. 

The panic attacks, the sleepless nights, weight loss, fear of retaliation, and feeling overwhelmed, I reached out to my Therapist.  He suggested that I stay away from such a toxic, hostile work environment, and recommended Family Medical leave with an intense, weekly therapy sessions and a referral to a psychiatrist for further assistance.    I reached out inquiring as to the process and then the harassment amplified thereafter.  Prior to a formal designation, on a call with Tammie Hechler, she insisted that I consider a separation agreement instead of FMLA.  Jarred, I told her I would consider, but given my emotional state and the life changing outcome such an action would have, please allow me some time.  She then noted that there was an allegation of impropriety with a contractor that they would be investigating if I did not accept a separation agreement.  I laughed at first, knowing it to be baseless, especially when told that said contractor would not even identify themselves.  I insisted that any investigation that is required to be done is thorough and hopefully impartially.  I told her that I would be prepared to address fully whenever those findings come forward as I have always acted in highest ethical manner in furtherance of my job for the City.  Ultimately, I had to insist that I be afforded the same rights other employees are provided as mental health is a serious concern for the City, or so we are lead to believe.  Reluctantly, she agreed and I was approved to be out through June 16th.

Access to emails and facilities were cut, on the guise of me not being able to work on City related matters while out on FMLA.  I was curious to know more about the “allegation”, but no one followed up and have since been told that this “allegation” would not be pursued further.   

For a few days, I thought I was becoming more centered with therapy and better habits.  Realizing that my time at the City was nearing an end, I began thinking of my future and what could be an alternative career.  Little did I know that colleagues of mine were actively seeking negative information to help identify further possible improprieties.  Figuring out my mental well-being as my employer targets me continued to overwhelm and baffle me.  I realized that this would never stop and my time at the City was effectively over.    A draft separation agreement was shared by Tammie Hechler on Saturday, June 10th.  Without being able to fully respond, another version was sent by Tami Thornton on Tuesday, June 13th at 4 pm.   

I was told that I needed to have a response to you by noon the following day. 

Within this June 13th agreement, I would be forgoing an incredible amount of rights and be subject to future actions by the City.  I was perplexed by this, only to learn that I am now being investigated for “Fraud”.  As persona non-grata at the City, hearing this information secondhand through the industry, imagine my genuine surprise and disappointment.  I gave up, as it was clear that the City, directed through you, was seeking not only to run my professional reputation but life as well.  I was told that City Managers have almost absolute authority and the unlimited resources of an in house legal team.  Be prepared for years of a legal fight and no future in government afterwards.  As a person who felt called  and has dedicated most of my career towards public service, this is intimidating and overwhelming. 

Before 11 am, I responding with a draft, unreviewed by an attorney, accepting the terms presented by Tammie Hechler on June 10th and some language that would allow me to defend myself of any future allegation. 

At 11:48, Tammie Hechler called to tell me that the only draft that would be accepted in the one sent over by Tami Thornton without any changes.  I inquired as to why the significant change to the terms, especially in light of accrued leave, inclusive of sick time, being not paid out in full.  She said you were not willing to do so and that if I did not sign yesterday, would be fired on Monday.  I told her that I did not want to be coerced into signing such a document that forgoes so many rights.  I was promised to be fired on Monday.  At 11:52, Tammie called back to move the date up the date of my termination to Friday, June 16th, per your direction, as she had just gotten off a call with you.

I told her that I would not be coming in, on a day the City is not opened, while I am still out on FMLA, to be fired.  If this is the only option, then I would have to seek legal assistance. 

Assuming that this time was meant to be for me to recover, the harassment and continuous threats the City, per your direction, continues to overwhelm as the uncertainty of my career, the way I can provide for my family, has been debilitating. 

While I have not been the first of your “Special Projects”, I highly doubt I will be the last.  I am reminded of a recent commission meeting at which, this statement was referred:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me- and there was no one left to speak for me.

- Martin Niemuller 

I will not remain silent anymore and given that your commitment to ruining my life, I believe others should be aware of who you are.  Others will speak up eventually, but my biggest regret remains not addressing your intimidating, threatening, petty tendencies sooner when doing to others. 

At this point, I am looking forward, as painful as it is going to be, to having an opportunity to clear my name, as best as I can.  I am confident in my past actions.  I hope the same for you and that “team” of yours, so willing to go deep and dark, so quickly.  Public records are quite revealing.       

Shiv

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More on this in coming weeks!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/SFBJRealEstate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SFBJRealEstate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RedBroward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RedBroward</a> What happened at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HollywoodFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HollywoodFL</a> City Mgr.&#39;s office in June 2023 that led to firing of Dir. of Development Services? I + many other Hollywood civic activists + residents have VERY LITTLE confidence in new CM George R. Keller, Jr. <a href="https://t.co/vTgt1jfVjp">https://t.co/vTgt1jfVjp</a> <a href="https://t.co/800Z16wFcS">pic.twitter.com/800Z16wFcS</a></p>&mdash; HallandaleBeach/Hollywood Blog (@hbbtruth) <a href="https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1758213515423134114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dave

David Bruce Smith,  +1 (786) 815-9440
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