On the second and third Tuesday of the month, Osceola County holds Schoolboard Workshops. For all members living within the county, these meetings are able to be attended. As of right now, these meetings are held at the School District Administrative Complex, at 5:30, located at 817 Bill Beck Boulevard, in Kissimmee. The Workshops are livestreamed, and the footage from every single meeting is available for viewing on YouTube, under the SDOC – Board Meetings channel.

In these workshops, members of the Board and individuals from the community gather to discuss the set topic. The next couple of subjects coming up are the Superintendent Search, Legislative Priorities, Internal Audit, Facilities Update, Curriculum Review, Health Plan and Center Update, Academic Success, Budget Planning, etc. After the pledge and national anthem, speakers can address member of the Board directly by stepping up to the podium.

The agenda for dates, subjects, and other important information is available online. You can find this schedule by visiting the Workshop Boardroom, with a physical copy of the agenda available on the evenings of meetings. Another way to view the agenda is to visit the Osceola County School for the Arts website, Osceola County School for the Arts / Homepage (osceolaschools.net). Then, visiting the Events Calendar and clicking on any of the “Workshop” events should take you to a page with links to the SDOC YouTube channel. The board meeting schedule, that also includes the topics, and Featured – Osceola County School District BoardDocs® Pro, a website with meeting information, along with access to the 735-page rule book for the county. This rule book covers all of the county’s policies and procedures. It’s an incredibly useful resource for students going to school under Osceola County’s management. If you’re planning on speaking to the members of the school board, I would suggest using that as a guide for your argument.

For those planning on attending a Workshop, the set topic isn’t the only thing you can speak about. If you wish to address the member of the board on a topic not on the agenda, there are request forms available in the back of the board room prior to the start of the meeting. Dr. Debra P. Pace (on the Boarddocs website) states “Time is allotted on each agenda for community comments and questions as the School Board welcomes input.” Chances like this may be our students’ time to make a difference. To any hoping to get their message across at a meeting, I wish you the best of luck.