Pinellas School Board closure vote Tuesday: time, place and how to speak

The Pinellas County School Board meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the conference hall of the district Administration Building, 301 4th Street SW in Largo, according to the district's meeting calendar.

The St. Pete Catalyst reported that the board is scheduled to hold its final vote on school closures that day. Bay News 9 reported the board is expected to vote on closing six schools, not the seven in the original plan, along with proposals to repurpose other campuses.

How to speak

Anyone who wants to address the board must fill out a Public Comment Card before speaking, according to district rules. Each speaker gets a total of up to three minutes to cover any and all action items on the agenda.

Sign-up stays open until the chair calls for speakers or the last speaker finishes, whichever is later. The district posts regular meeting agendas on its website one week ahead, so the closure item can be checked at pcsb.org before deciding whether to go.

How to watch

The district streams board meetings live on its YouTube channel. It also rebroadcasts meetings on WPDS-TV Ch. 14 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m., Fridays at midnight and Saturdays at 8 a.m. for two weeks after the meeting.

What Tuesday won't decide

Sexton Elementary in St. Petersburg is not part of Tuesday's vote; Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said the board will return to Sexton later this month, Bay News 9 reported. Zoning changes for affected schools will be taken up at a separate board meeting, WUSF reported.

The district calendar lists a board workshop Oct. 20 at 9:30 a.m. and the next regular meeting Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. Board policy allows no public comment at workshops, so regular meetings are where residents can speak.