Thursday, February 15, 2007

Notes from Board Meeting, 2/13/07

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 BoardDocs.

Public Forum

  • Gentleman spoke about the Piscataway Indians; museum property on Bumpy Oak Road; frustrated over loss of property CCPS took and gave to Sheriff. Coffey stated he will not use it.
  • Student spoke against summer required reading assignments. Summer is for free time, free reading, family and enjoyment.
  • Woman spoke on the need for CCPS to have an open door policy for visitation. Statistics show majority of sexual offenses on students happen from staff NOT parents
  • Gentleman spoke on the FASEB program offered at the college

Action - Approval of Minutes from 1/9/07

*Vote to approve minutes
Unanimous
PASSED


Correspondence/Board Member Updates

  • None

Report – EACC – Bill Fisher

  • Opposes the use of HSA as a graduation requirement. General Assembly will be addressing.
  • Teacher workload; use creative talents vs. test preparation
  • Read Across America on March 1st at Old Country Buffet
  • FEA members attending annual conference in San Diego
  • Discontinued resolutions in Sept. 2004 need to re-adopted
  • MSTA Reading contests

Report - Student Board Member – Andrew VanWoerkem

  • CCASC meeting – stuffed legislative folders for delegates
  • MS meeting – reviewed parliamentary procedure
  • Legislative session – two reps were chosen for state board. Workshops included choosing a SMOB and Constitution review. Numerous compliments from other counties regarding the conference and North Point
  • Bills reviewed and supported include: Register to vote at 16, not to vote just register; Prohibit colleges from raising in-state tuition; Drug and alcohol tests on students only for reasonable suspicion; Elementary school students mandatory 150 minutes of Physical Education every week

Report – Superintendent – Ron Cunningham

  • Visits schools weekly and gets most of his ideas there.
  • New teacher breakfast once a month
  • CISCO projects. Brainstorming session took place on new high schools. TelePresence conference 5/23
  • Vital source – electronic curriculum filmed teachers for marketing
  • Rotary Club donation to foundation will help with the My Library program
  • New high school advisory group met.
  • CIP appeal – complete fund Davis MS; increase funds for Neal
  • CAC and PAC met 1/30. Report on meeting time survey will be presented at 2/26 work session
  • Job Shadow Day success
  • Tri-County Superintendent Meeting
  • Spelling Bee, Science Fair, Mock Trials Destination Imagination, JROTC Drill Meet, band and choral festivals
  • Matula 2007 MD Characters school in running for national
  • $5,000 donation to Stoddert for Accelerated Reader
  • McDonough Marching Band participated in the Governors inauguration
  • American History Month

Report - CIP

  • Hagis – Davis 81% complete; on schedule for August 2007 opening. No foreseen problems
  • Hagis – Smallwood Boiler Project still underway
  • Hagis – Gwynn Center new roof top units. Will complete before warm weather
  • Barret – Elementary School site in Pinefield. They are wetlands. Plans have been redone to accommodate wetlands, school, and fields.. Emphasised renovation of existing schools.
  • Wineland – Article 13-203 regarding the cross botony as an ornamental pole topper. Determined it is nor required byt MAY be used. CCPS is in compliance
  • Bailey – Questions regarding IAC funding decisions worksheet

Report - Technology Update – Laura Bennet & Paul Balides

  • Video conferencing – interactive communication; principals have cameras for video conference call.
  • Middle and high schools have one unit; elementary have two units sytem wide for checkout
  • Virtual field trips, meetings, training, and classes.
  • Pedersen – Reassueance that we are not doing away with actual field trips.
  • Bennett – Definitely not.
  • Carrington – Unit costs?
  • Balides - $6,500
  • Richmond – Possibility of using this technology to offer AP courses system wide that would otherwise need to be cancelled due to low enrollment at a single high school

Report – Curriculum – Early Childhood (Birth – 5 years) – Judy Estep and panel

  • Panel includes Southern Maryland Tri-County Action Committee, Charles County Judy Center, Title 1 Coordinator, Specialist in Early Childhood Education
  • Review of programs available
    3’s Spring Forward
    Even Start
    Pre-kindergarten
    Kindergarten (Half day and full day)
    Judy Center
    Head Start
  • Pedersen – Questions on enrollment and availability.
  • Estep - If there is an opening, non-eligible parents/students cannot attend due to federal funding guidelines.
  • Cook – PreK enrollment
  • Estep – Based on need first (free and reduced lunch)
  • Abell – Clarification on enrollment for Pre-K. Isn’t it based on medical need also.
  • Estep – First financial need and secondly medical need.

Action – Personnel

* Vote to accept staff recommendations
Unanimous
PASSED


Action – Superintendent FY08 Proposed Budget

  • Bailey – Is there enough money in the budget to perform the vision of the Board?
  • Richmond – Yes
  • Wise – Motion does not include supplemental budget, correct?
  • Richmond – correct
  • Cook – Date for meeting with Commissioners to discuss budget
  • Balides – at the retreat in March
  • Pedersen – Thanks to all. Request a cheat sheet for board members to use when discussion budget with commissioners.

* Vote to accept staff recommendations
Unanimous
PASSED


ADJOURNED – Due to inclement weather

  • Abell - requested clarification as to when the remaining items would be addressed.
  • Wade – Staff presentations/reports would be heard at the next Board meeting (March); all other items could be addressed at the board work session on 2/26.

REMAINING AGENDA ITEMS

Report – Budget – Paul Balides

Update

Report – Human Resources – Keith Hettel
Calendar for 08-09; Daycare

Report – Legislative – Eric Schwartz

Legislative; Policy Amendments

Unfinished Business

New Business & Future Agenda Items

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this information, Jennifer!

LegalBeaglette said...

Would it be possible for you to elaborate on the Piscataway Indians/ museum property issue? This is the first I've heard of it.

I didn't know CCPS could "give" the county, or the sheriff's office, real estate...thought it had to be declared "surplus" and turned over to the state. At least I think that's what CCPS did with the old Pomonkey High School area.

Jennifer Abell said...

3291asiber:
I wish I could eleaborate more but unfortunately, this was the first I've heard of it before also. I did ask a couple of staff members during the recess about it and the only information I received was that there was a building on Bumpy Oak Road that housed a museum for the Piscataway Indians. Something about $40,000 a year to keep in open and an average of 7 people per year visited. As to the ownership, surplus, Sheriff Coffey, I haven't a clue but plan on following up.

Heather Brooks said...

The bit about summer reading - I think summer reading is important.

More important I think would be looking at year-round schooling and uniforms - I think those two things would help the school system a lot and many other issues would go away - such as dress code issues and whether or not there should be summer reading.

LegalBeaglette said...

January Minutes still haven't been posted on BoardDocs.

[Twiddling my thumbs, twiddling my thumbs]

:(

State-of-the-art technology for video-conferencing, but the BoE can't post Minutes for days, weeks, months?

LegalBeaglette said...

Sad, isn't it? The Compliance Board Opinion was rendered 02/05/07, and posted online by the Attorney General's Office within 24 hours. CCPS can't post already electronically stored minutes for days, weeks, months.

Sorry, Mrs. Abell. We know that you don't personally upload the Minutes to the CCPS website or BoardDocs...but who does? And why does it take so long?

Jennifer Abell said...

legalbeaglette - The Board secretary uploads those minutes and as to the amount of time it takes...I am uncertain why it takes so long.