Notes From Board Meeting, 1/09/07

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes. Please follow-up for official minutes upon approval. For copies of printed reports presented visit http://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/ccpsmd/Board.nsf/Public?OpenFrameSetElection of Officers

Chair nominations – Wade received 5; Bailey received 2
Chair vote – Wade 7

Vice Chair nominations – Abell 2; Wise 5
Vice Chair Vote – Wise 7

Public Forum

• Woman spoke in support of new recommendations for the Math curriculum as reported in an article in the Washington Post recently. Need for smaller class sizes and making student moves prior early in the year, not January.
• Teacher spoke regarding the sex education legislation and the removal of it from the package. Family Life course is elective in 11th and 12th grade and has an opt-in curriculum that is reviewed by the parents. This is different from the sex education received by all students.
• Woman spoke regarding the parent visitation policy. Not welcoming. Son is disabled. Only correspondence she receives about his progress is via the quarterly report card. He cannot communicate what he has learned. Wants to be more active in his education. Currently has to pay $.15 per page for daily data on progress. Quite expensive. Current policy too restrictive.
• Substitute Teacher spoke of the It’s Academic, Math Team, and DI not receiving Letters for their competitions. Would like to see this addressed and changed.
  

Action - Approval of Minutes from 12/12/06

• Abell motioned to amend minutes as follows. Bailey seconded
• Student Board Member Update - Mr. Van Woerkom's statements regarding the Freshman Seminar class, teachers teaching effectively, and discussions with Mr. Richmond regarding implementing an IB program and comparing it to AP
• Budget Update - Mr. Balides statements regarding Food Services being monitored closely however the general funds are in good shape
• Curriculum Briefing - Ms. Young's statements commending the students for their discipline and respectfulness and her question about the implementation of a similar program (JROTC) at the middle school level. Ms. Stafford's response
• School Naming - Ms. Abell's comments about Neal having no relation to this particular school or this area of the county. Ms. Abell feels that the Board should consider not naming schools after people. Ms. Young agreed with Abell's statements with the exception that she believes schools should be named after people.

*Vote on amending the minutes
Unanimous
PASSED

*Vote to approve minutes
Unanimous
PASSED

Correspondence/Board Member Updates

• Abell – regarding her email asking fellow Board members to consider the Boards recurring agenda items

Report – EACC

• Bill Fisher – Congrats to new board members. Last month the main concern was testing. Showed visual of testing schedule. Quite lengthy. Teacher workload. Concerned about technology because a number of schools are still requiring paper as well. Double the work. Martin Luther King’s Birthday breakfast at North Point. Board invited. Discussed legislation proposals for sex education and special education removal of disruptive students from classroom. Just brings us up o speed with new IDEA regulations.
• Wise – asked if we are currently in compliance and re quested stats on surrounding states.
• Meg MacDonald - yes we are in compliance but this legislation would update and make better alignment; didn’t have current stats at this time but could will provided in three days.
• Pedersen – Teachers comments on sex education… were those his personal thoughts or those of your colleagues?
• Teacher – Hasn’t taught this class for two years but these are his reflections from when he was teaching
• Pedersen – Any parent complaints when you taught?
• Teacher – Listed different scenarios of parents requests to refrain from certain aspects of the curriculum.

Report - Student Board Member

• Andrew VanWoerkem – No CCASC Meeting in January. Preparing for MASC legislative session at North Point on 2/3. Lots of planning and training. All high schools contributing volunteers and support. Invited BOE members to training and sessions.
• Abell – Loves the icebreakers. What do you need from us?
• VanWoerkem – Support and attendance.

Report – Superintendent

• Richmond - Heidelberg Printing Press installation at North Point almost complete.
• Richmond - New announcement calling and email. System. Still working out the kinks.
• Richmond - Immunizations. Only 30 suspensions remain.
• Abell – May the Board have an update in the future regarding your meeting on ¼ to discuss Navy Projects
• Richmond – Met to discuss the enhanced Math/Science curriculum. Working with delegation, senators and Grasmick. Will give the Board a complete update in the near future

Policy Amendments

• Schwartz – presented his recommendations.
• Abell – Referred to her amendments sent to all Board members via email. Asked fellow members to consider.
• Wise – Wanted clarification on why Abell thought it necessary for Board members to receive a copy. Doesn’t see a need.
• Abell – History shows that when Board members have been unable to attend meetings and requested to review or receive a copy of the closed session minutes they were denied.
• Schwartz – Explained and clarified the current procedure. Stated that both his and Abell’s amendments were legal and there is no right or wrong with them.
• Abell – again asked the Board members to review her revisions and consider them for nest months meeting

Report - CIP

• Wineland – “Beg-A-Thon” for school funding is coming up with Public Works. Requesting planning approval for new high school and middle school
• Wineland – Wetland concern with Pinefield site
• Wineland - Davis on schedule to finish 30 May
• Wineland - Smallwood Boiler replacement on going
• Wineland - CCPS Annex 1 & 2 Renovations and Improvements
• Wineland - Westlake locker renovations
• Wineland – Eva Turner water main break
• Abell – Email from parent regarding Article 13-203 requiring all government and public school buildings display a cross bottony flagpole topper on Maryland flagpoles. Noticed the one at Starkey building is missing. Requested all new schools have the cross bottony on the MD flagpole.
• Carrington – Great job

Report - Curriculum Update – Instructional Technology

• Estep – Bringing the world to the classroom. LCD projectors. White boards. Digital library resources. Reviewed an interactive tutorial. Response pads & clickers. Can import individual responses into grade book. Data slicing charts. Virtual fireld trips. GPS research done last summer. Google Earth.
• Wise – Praise. Adequate training for teachers?
• Abell – Kudos. 50% of all classrooms. Constantly adding more. Report shows grant money but not money spent.
• Estep – Money comes from technology budget not instruction; will forward totals
• Cook – Possibility of getting this information to the parents to use at home as reinforcement.
• Willingness to speak at PTA’s
• Pedersen – Fantastic. Word is getting home. Her daughter used recently.
• Richmond – Future update on technology partners from beginning to now.
• Cook - equitable virtual field trip scheduling
• Abell – love technology and support of the board

Report – Budget

• Balides – Technology money mentioned above. In 2003 CCPS took out a loan of $8M for technology that expires in 2010. Annual technology budget is $3M plus $1M at year end if we have the resources for additional hardware.
• Balides – reviewed report for new board members
• Balides – Food Service report from weekly update. Breakfast & lunch prices due to increase by .10 beginning in February
• Abell – Does the money deficit take into account the possible additional funds we might see from the state in response to Mr. Richmond’s letter to Grasmick to re-evaluate?
• Balides – Overall reduction in free & reduced meals. Some additional funds are expected but not enough to cover the deficit. Prices will again have to be raised for the 2007-2008 school year

Action - Personnel* Vote to accept staff recommendations
Unanimous
PASSED

Unfinished Business

• Abell – Keys for Employees Program update (11/27/06)
• Abell – Request for a sample Fitness Report Card (10/10/06, 12/12/06)
• Abell – Safe Haven Posters and program (1/2005, 10/10/06)
• Abell – Possibility of broadcasting audio tapes of meetings (10/10/06,11/14/06)
• Abell – update on the committee for the new high school vision (11/14/06, 12/12/06)
• Abell – Schedule meeting with Chamber of Commerce and EDC (9/19/06, 11/14/06, 12/12/06)
• Abell - Number of violent offenders in schools (11/14/06, 12/12/06)
• Abell – Board meeting to determine goals and objectives (12/12/06)

New Business & Future Agenda Items

• Pedersen – Would like the board to have a discussion on changing the board meeting time
• Carrington – We’ll never satisfy everyone.
• Abell – supports the move and always has
• Wise – need to discuss with staff and public before moving. Future discussion at work session
• Abell – Board Retreat
• Abell – Possibility of English college classes counting as senior year of English high school credit
• Cunningham – will provide report in weekly update
• Abell – future discussion on affordable housing alternatives for teachers
• Abell – future discussion on merit pay
• Abell – Furture discussion on alternative funding methods for school construction
• Abell – consider public forum requests to review parent visitation policy
• Abell – consider public forum request regarding competition letters
• Wade – asked for direction from the Board regarding the list of items
• Bailey – two ways to look it. One the chair could decide yes or no to place the items on the agenda or two the chair could ask for a board consensus.
• Cook – would like to hold off on these issues until the board discusses its goals and mission in a work session
• Pedersen – Concur with Cook. Doesn’t want to be led by the veteran members
• Wise – Concur with Wise and Pedersen
• Wade – wants the Boar to work on goals collaboratively in work session. Everyone will put in their goals for him to combine and then we will prioritize.
• Abell – Dejavue! Doesn’t have a problem with this with one stipulation. All individual goals submitted must have the Board members name on it that is submitting the idea and the combined list cannot be titled Board Goals. :)
  

Superintendent Proposed Budget for 2008
See Report on Board Docs