SNEADS TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL WORKSHOP DECEMBER 13, 2022  The Town Council ofthe Town of Sneads, Florida, met in a special workshop at the Sneads  Assembly of God on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Mike Weeks called the meeting to order with the following present:  Mike Weeks, Tony Money, Daniel Cox, Attorney Lee Garner, Town Manager Mike Miller, Police Chief Sherri Griffin, City Clerk Danielle Guy, Deputy Clerk Jackson County School Board Grand Ridge Town Council And the following were absent:  George Alexander, and Angela Locke, Council Members  Also present were:  Donovan Weeks, Council member All stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.  This was a special workshop with the combined councils/ boards of Sneads, Jackson County School and Grand Ridge to discuss the relocation/ possible closure of Sneads Elementary to Grand Ridge K-8 School. Sneads Council President Weeks opened the meeting stating his preference to be a new school bel built here in Sneads where there is already infrastructure in JCSB Chairman Chris Johnson went over details leading to the decision for the change in location from the Four Points area to Grand Ridge, reflecting some of the problems encountered with the land purchased in the Four Points are with environmental. and soil conditions, along with JSCB. Attorney Clay Milton discussed the procedures taken by the School Board and conditions from the FDOE for the funding process of the new school. He also reported that as ai result of consultation with thel FDEP FRDAP program, the prior suggested use ofs sports complex area at Grand Ridge was not feasible due to repayment of prior FRDAP expenses, or the need to construct like facilities at local expense, or not use them for the school. Due to the expense of either oft the above proposals, the School Board is no longer considering use oft the FRDAP improved area and will utilize land south of the school for parking and loadingunloading areas.  place. He then asked for opening comments from the JCSB and GR.  other additional expenses in site preparation.    Special Workshop December 13, 2022 Page 2  Sneads Town Attorney Dan Cox made comments regarding his exploration oft the funding process, demographics ofs school attendees, questioned transportation procedures, and discussed the fact that Sneads has a Police Department, Ambulance on site, Fire Department and could support a new school, ifc constructed in the Town limits, much better than Grand Ridge. He also stated that there was adequate land available from State resources in Sneads that could accommodate the new school and felt sure a plan could be worked out for the School Board to Sneads Town Manager Lee Garner stated in his research and request for information from the JCSB; he can find no record ofthe School Board providing draft copies of the Tentative District Educational Facilities Plan to the Town of Sneads for review for the past five (5): years as required by state statute 1013.35(C), in which all the reported change in location oft the school was contained, and the first time the Town knew oft the change in location from Four Points to Grand Ridge was on November 22, 2022, when he read an announcement in the newspaper of the meeting previously held in Grand Ridge. He also stated some information on the demographics oft the school attendees, apparent concern by parents of a combination of Pre-K and elementary school, with larger and older children, asked about more details oft transporting the children and time spent away from home. He stated throughout his comments that from the time ofhis employment with the' Town of Sneads which was. August 20, 2020, until recently, every comment or discussion regarding the school was that it was going to be constructed on the 160 acres purchased at Four Points and never had Grand Ridge mentioned. He did say he was concerned even more to learn the land purchased was annexed into the Town of Grand Ridge in Mr. Garner thanked the Deputy Superintendent Cheryl McDaniel for her cooperation in providing responses to requests for records contained in a public records request and that he had received a large stack of responses tonight and had not had a chance to review this data but Mr. Milton responded to some oft the comments made by Town Manager, along with Chairman Johnson, with a few comments from Superintendent Benton who stated all this occurred before he came into office. All stated the FDOE funded they asked for in the initial request from several years ago was for a Pre-K to gth grade facility and under the current agreement, that is the facility  obtain already near shovel ready location.  May 2020.  would soon and would determine what else might be requested.  that would have to be constructed, or the Board would lose the funding.  Public Comment:  Amy Glass, Teacher from Sneads Elementary School had made a request to be heard. She read a prepared statement regarding the current situation and requested that school remain in Sneads as currently structured and the school as currently structured in Grand Ridge remain, with some needed upgrades to each school. She stated that out oft the fifteen years the State ofl Florida has been issuing letter grades, Sneads Elementary has been the most "A" graded school and is the best school in the county. Ifiti is not broken, why fix it? She also had comments regarding combining the two schools together and the problems this would cause with all the ages on the  same campus.    Special Workshop December 13, 2022 Page 3  Miranda Baggett and Jason Johnson both spoke briefly. There being no other comments from those present.  Council President Weeks adjourned the meeting at 5:55 pm, with notice to all present that the regular December council meeting oft the Town of Sneads would follow in 10 minutes.  Respectfully Submitted, anull Guy Danielle Guy, Deputy Clerk  APPROVED:  MIKE WEEKS, COUNCIL PRESIDENT