Notes from Board Meeting, 4/8/08

The Board Meeting from Tuesday, April 8th will be broadcast on Channel 96 on Wednesdays at 6 p.m.; Fridays at 9 a.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

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.

Superintendent Report

• Budget not being presented today - financial challenges. All depts. & principals ask to go through budget for cuts of non-essentials. All out-of-state travel ceased. All outside staff development and food purchases ceased.
• New HS architect is working for cuts including costs for a green school and pool. More at work session on 4/28
• Davis dedication
• Neal & Levilee is preparing ...mascot choosing
• MSA began last week
• upcoming activities
• Thanks to student leadership & Mr. Pete Mahon.

Board Members Updates

• Cook - NSBA conference - Ethical Literacy Session; Internet Cyber Safety
• Carrington - Congratulations Stodderts Celebration of the Arts
• Abell - NSBA conference, notes aren't prepared yet but some on website. MABE nominations due 5/30/08; MABE budget meetings 6/26 & 7/21
• Wise - NSBA...Sidney Portier: Handling Media Inquiries with Nerves of Steel; Can you Hear Me now?; Cyber Bullying; Wants to submit one of our programs for Magna Awards
• Pedersen - Fantastic first time conference; Use & Listening Tools; English Language Learners; School Board Financial Literacy
• Wade - Charles Willis Award - due 7/3

EACC Update

• Bus to visit with legislators
• hired R.J. Pellicore Associates to review the county's budget. Full report still being compiled
• School not receiving 52.4%. BOE based on projections not actual
• See EACC Report for eye opening details
• Teacher compensation #1 priority; teacher shortage
• will join Board at commissioners meeting in May
• Bailey - Will final report be available to the public?
• Fisher - IT will be available to the Board
• Bailey - Will you give a copy to the commissioners
• Fisher - We'll see how we need to use.

Student Board Member Report

• Jessica Mundy read Shah's report; he's away at a college interview
• Student meeting and elections on Friday at 11:30 at LaPlata HS

Supporting Services Report CIP Update

• Neal on schedule
• Somers ahead of schedule
• Requested a transfer of $2M from projects that came in under budget to purchase two 8 classroom modular units for North Point. Always planned for those units. Approved.
• Architects working to reduce cost of new HS
• Pedersen - requests for description of units for duplex
• Wineland - relocateables come in classroom singles (1), duplex (2), quads (8). The quads are more cost efficient. One door at each end - center hallway - 4 classes on each side.
• Wise - Duplex at Lackey?
• Wineland - Yes
• Wise - Electrical still there; same spot as previous relocateables?
• Wineland - same spot; no electrical there; will need to be done
• Bailey - Questions regarding costs
• Wineland - $1.7M is cost of units; remaining $300K is for installation sidewalks, etc.
• Wade - How Many relocateables
• Wineland - 248 units next year; less expensive to buy a new one than move an old one

Instruction Report - New Textbooks

• Advanced Placement English Language & Composition - $56.25 need 600
• Health - Uses the term STI instead of STD; has new food pyramid; last purchased Health books in 1994. Comes with a video
• Marketing and Web Design - Marketing $60.50 need 50;
• Web Design course requires two books $49.50 & $52.50 & one optional $37.50
• Books will be on display for 30 days at Lackey; Stone; and Starkey
• (side note - I have personally reviewed all books and like them; let me know what you think)

Human Resources - 09-10 Calendar - Oral Report

• This was an oral report; Actual report will be presented to the Board at the May meeting
• Abell - Spring break before Easter as opposed to after
• Hettel - arranged around MSA testing. Good Friday and Easter Monday are mandatory holidays per state law.
• Hettel - First MD teachers fair in Baltimore at the Sheraton. 1300 interested applicants at fair. Charles County spoke to about 175 people. Long line. Interviewed 40 people. Grasmick there
• Cook - Diverse group?
• Hettel - racially and gender diverse; good things happening in Charles County
• Carrington - States they were from
• Hettel - MD - PG & Baltimore & Anne Arundel County & new MD grads
• Wise - Area of interests?
• Hettel - Math, Science & Special Ed

Legislative Update - Oral Report

• Session is over
• Attendance Age 17 - Unresolved...will come back next session
• Student Bullying Bills ...HB199 passed, combination of multiple bills
• Public Labor Relations Board - Unresolved...next session
• P.E. Bills - amended to a task force
• Disabled Athletes - Passed; regulations coming from the state
• HSA - Unresolved; thinks we'll see changes at the state level with new state board
• tax credits for donation to scholarships
• notification to parents to opt out of NCLB military recruitments - Passed
• Wise - Disabled sports bill clarification
• Schwartz - Howard County case - female wheelchair track runner; changes in COMAR forthcoming
• Bailey - Boast bill vote count
• Schwartz - Senate 30-17 House Died
• Carrington - Sports bill unfunded mandate
• Schwartz - yes

Unfinished Business

• Pedersen - Number of students identified and removed for attending out of zone/county this year
• Staff response was 77

New Business

Future Agenda Items

• Pedersen - Communication issue with commissioners. They stated they were unaware of our APFO vote during a televised session
• Abell - Didn't we discuss this with them at the retreat we had, and gave them the vote of unanimous?
• Wise - Yes and the press was present. Suggests Wade send out a letter and call Commissioner Cooper
• Abell - Consensus or motion
• Wade - Consensus

UNANIMOUS

Recognition

Public Forum (Must sign-up prior to 6:30)

• Female - Lacross...4/2 article in Post. Team sport of MD. Fastest growing sport. Charles & PG only two counties. Only SMAC county not participating. Other counties had to go out of area. Parents happy to provide own gear. Coaches and buses only expense. Concern of effect on other sports not an issue. Kids already not participating in school sports because they are traveling out of town to play. Scholarships available.
• Male - Drivers Ed in after school with CSM excluding private companies. Instructors required to have a license and instructors license. Instructors must have a physical and background check every two years $150. Taxpayers will have to pay for CSM or CCPS teachers. Consider cost factor if the wheels not broke don't fix it. Less parent involvement in schools.
• Male - Athletic event attended with children and could not enter because of the smell of marijuana. Our Drug Free school zone is a joke. HSA's- reject Bridge Plan; make graduates pass. HSA's - if they don't pass no participation in extracurricular activities or athletics. On January 6, 2006 the Board passed to approve early entrance into Kindergarten, he's been calling for three years and still hasn't gotten a response. Black children progress on standardized test is appalling. Why are they so far behind? And he is disgraced that he is the only black parent here to speak for public forum.
• Male - Lacrosse; post article; coach of lacrosse team in Mechanicsville; no Charles club teams after 8th grade. Please fund a Varsity Team. Look at other funding sources.

Action Items

• Minutes from 3/11/08
• Personnel

All action items were unanimously approved by the board.

Mr. Bailey was not present for this portion of the meeting.