Notes from the Board of Education Meeting, 9/21/10

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, September 21st will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . 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.

Executive session 12 p.m.

Call to order 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance North Point High School's JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the board

• Read report
• Pedersen - date for students to use telepresence; Richmond - in progress

Correspondence/board member updates

• Pedersen - thank staff for all the back to school events
• Bailey - in communicating with the youth on school grounds, they were unfamiliar with the election process
• Wade - thank you to the board for your involvement with MABE

Education Association of Charles County update

• Read report

Student board member's update

• Read report

Update on fall sports

• See reports
• Still requiring nutrition and hydration emphasis
• CPR and sports injury certfication required
• J. Johnson is on a state committee regarding concussion awareness. She has also initiated a concussion awareness program and requires all coaches to be certified. Consulted with school nurses as well.
• Athletic trainers - OSPT did not renew their contract. Sent out in RFP and awarded to Rehabilitation Center of Southern Maryland at the same cost. 3-FT & 2-PT
• Wise - Concerned with inelgibility
• Pedersen - when does re-eligibility happen; Johnson - interim
• Pedersen - certification expenses paid for by CCBOE except for the basic coaching certification
• Cook - minorities are the greater athletic population; overall grade point averages of athlete is high
• Cook -concussion...26 for Charles County last year...how does that compare
• Abell - clarification on inelgibility for first quarter

Use of tasers Sheriff Rex Coffey

• Postponed until October Board meeting

Review of the cell phone policy

• Number of suspensions increasing - added another level of suspension at the school level; committee was convened last year to review policy and uses; review how it can possibly used as an educational teaching tool.
• Wade & Wise - move cautiously
• Abell - Thank you for embracing the technology and being pro-active in the positive uses; I look forward to hearing more from the committee

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update

• See report

FY 2011 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

• See report

Bridge to Excellence update

• See report

Diversity training in the work place

• See report
• Wise - possibly a future in offering to the students

Food services report

• See report

Oral update on staffing

• 4,000 employees; largest employer in Charles County; currently hired 190 new certificated employees to this date, lower than previous years.
• Teacher evaluations will be changing this year; piloting in January; collaborative effort

Board chairman election bylaw

• See document; discussion and minor revisions.  Action item next meeting

Unfinished business

• None

New business

• Requested a student ran candidate forum
• Abell - violates our own policy.  further discussion curtails idea.

Future agenda items

• Wants to add an update on the Performance Audit Report in October

Public Forum 6 p.m. (please forgive name spelling)

• Martine Stevens - on 9/11 at Westlake she was denied entrance to the JV game.  Was stopped by an officer who said entry to the game was cut-off at the end of second quarter.  She felt like she was treated as a child.  Other parents tried and encountered the same response.
• Robert Harlan - had a wonderful time getting involved in the political fray.  Attended several forums.  Feels the school system major support comes from african american community and organizations. 

Action items

• Minutes

Cook - motion to accept the minutes

Wade - second

Vote - UNANIMOUS

• Personnel

Carrington - motion to accept personnel

Pedersen - second

Vote - UNANIMOUS

• State CIP 2012

Pedersen - motion to accept State CIP

Cook - second

Vote - UNANIMOUS

• Recurring resolutions - Health Careers Month; American Education Week; American Freedom Week; African American History Month; Career and Technical Education Month; National School Counseling Week; Read Across America; Women's History Month; Fine and Performing Arts Month; Month of the Young Child; National Student Leadership Week; Teacher Appreciation Week; Administrative Professionals' Week; Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week; National Physical Education and Sport Week; Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leader; Charles County Teacher of the Year; Employees' Retirement; Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award

Bailey motion to recognize individual days incorporated in American Freedom Week

Carrington - second

Bailey withdrew motion after discussion; Richmond stated it is already being done

Wade - motion to accept recurring resolutions to include Bailey corrections

Carrington- second

YES - Bailey, Carrington, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
ABSTAIN - Abell

Adjournment