Notes from Board of Education Meeting 12/11/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, December 11 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 - See Report

Correspondence/Board member updates

• Wade - 6th Annual Military Ball
• Bowie - New Library opening
• Bowie - possiblity of extending winter break to two full weeks.
• Pedersen - impressed with Senior Portfolio Interviews
• Wise - EACC Legislative Meeting
• Lukas - All County Band; It's Academic; Somers, Rachels Challenge

Education Association of Charles County update - see report

Student Board member update - See report

Student transfers - See statistics and reports.

• My personal assessment - seems as though new policy is working for general residents, but i still would like to see employees out-of-zone transfers reduced and out of county tuition paid. 
• Residency Investigation - at North Point and LaPlata, see report.

CIP update  - see report; received rebate check from SMECO

Transportation - Very in depth; detailed report.  Must Read.

Policy #3514 – Green product cleaning supplies - see recommendation

Unfinished business

• Wade - concerned with empty homes around the county

New business

• Pedersen - Get on the Commissioners agenda to discuss new schools at the elementary and middle school
• Azeezat - eReaders and tablets in the classroom

Future agenda items

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students  - Jamia Hicks, 5th grade, Personal Responsibility, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School, Principal: Amy Hollstein; Maurice Anderson, 5th grade, Career Readiness, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School, Principal: Kathleen Morgan; Elizabeth Daniel, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, T.C. Martin Elementary School, Principal: Gregory Miller; Gabriel Cleveland, 8th grade, Academic Achievement, John Hanson Middle School, Principal: Kathy-Lynn Kiessling; Adriana Freiling, 12th grade, Academic Achievement, Henry E. Lackey High School, Principal: James Short
• Staff - Valerie Austin, reading recovery teacher, Barnhart; Thomas Smallwood, building service assistant manager, Brown; Mollie McCauley, kindergarten teacher, Martin; Sandra Ginyard, secretary, Hanson; Juin Lai, media instructional assistant, Lackey

Public Forum- 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the  Minutes by Wade; Second by Pedersen

Yes=Abell, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Abstain=Bowie; Absent=Cook



• Personnel

Motion to accept Personnel by Lukas; Second by Pedersen

Yes=Abell, Bowie, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent=Cook

 

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, December 11, 2012

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 11, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system website at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

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 Reports of officers/board/committees

• Correspondence/Board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student Board member update
• Fall athletics
• Student transfers
• CIP update
• Transportation
• Policy #3514 – Green product cleaning supplies

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff

Public Forum- 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

Asperger's: No longer a diagnosis

Asperger's dropped from revised diagnosis manual

Saturday - 12/1/2012, 6:52pm  ET

WTOP.com

By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO (AP) - The now familiar term "Asperger's disorder" is being dropped. And abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums will be given a scientific-sounding diagnosis called DMDD. But "dyslexia" and other learning disorders remain.
The revisions come in the first major rewrite in nearly 20 years of the diagnostic guide used by the nation's psychiatrists. Changes were approved Saturday.
Full details of all the revisions will come next May when the American Psychiatric Association's new diagnostic manual is published, but the impact will be huge, affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. The manual also is important for the insurance industry in deciding what treatment to pay for, and it helps schools decide how to allot special education.
Read more HERE.

Schools, county must find dollars to combat teen drug abuse

The Gazette
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Duchy Trachtenberg, Bethesda
The writer served as an a-large member of the Montgomery County Council from 2006-2010 and had maintained a private clinical practice specializing in dolescent addiction prior to her election.

Recently, there was an important dialogue that took place at the Montgomery County Council building. A joint Education and Health and Human Services work session addressed the current status of drug abuse in our schools, notably the epidemic of prescription drug abuse by middle and high school students. In attendance were MCPS officials who discussed data trends, administrative challenges and possible school service improvements.

This is a subject I have first-hand knowledge in. For many years I had worked in the community with both students and families touched by the challenge of alcohol and drug addiction. Of course, I brought these skills to the dais during my County Council term as budget decisions were made and the few times MCPS participated in council discussions on this urgent problem. And I must admit after hearing from countless clinicians, parents and students on this topic after this recent public conversation, I find myself frustrated once again by the all-too-familiar finger-pointing and unnecessary delays at swift and decisive action.

The solutions for this growing community crisis are clear.

First off, there needs to be an established protocol for screening, early intervention and responsive services at every school location. This requires a firm commitment from both the Board of Education and our superintendent. That means sufficient dollars to staff the guidance units appropriately. Plenty of other school districts across this country could serve as models for a school-based program.

Read more HERE.

PPLEASE READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AND GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 11/13/13

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, November 13 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.

Not much extra I can offer this month by way of notes.  If you review the reports & presentations on BoardDocs, you're pretty much covered.

Executive session - 12 p.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m.Pledge of Allegiance, Maurice J. McDonough High School JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the Board  - See Report

Correspondence/Board member updates - none

Education Association of Charles County update - See Report

Student Board member update - See Report

CIP update - See report
  
One-room school house - see powerpoint

Mock trial - see report

Recruitment and retention - See Report; lots of statistics and loads of information

Legislative update - See Report.  State legislation on discipline, keep students in schools as opposed to suspension.  Proposed state changes are in report.  [ ] indicate wording to be removed, italics is proposed wording to be inserted.  Recommendation is to oppose these regulation changes

Unfinished business - None

New business

• Wineland - land transfer (.68 acres) to volunteer fire department to extend parking lot near Smallwood Shopping Center.  Land behind Stoddert.  No vertical construction except a fence.
• Pedersen - Other uses for property, selling, surplus
• Wineland - Other schools too close, can't sell
• Abell - wasn't there a request from Smallwood Association for a park
• Wineland - never a formal request, some interest, they looked at it & not conducive to  their project
• Lukas - 40 acres minus the .68 acres...does that make the remaining land unuseable for anything else for us
• Wineland - No

Motion by Wade to approve the transfer; Second by Pedersen

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

• NSBA Resolution on Federal Funding

Motion by Cook to accept the resolution; Second by Pedersen

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Future agenda items

• Lukas - Requests a report on the transfers now that the policy has been implemented

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Orianna Eldridge, 5^th grade, Academic Achievement, Dr. James Craik Elementary School; Natalie Chirinos-Deleon, 5^th grade, Career Readiness, Dr. Thomas Higdon Elementary School; Addison Kindrick, 5^th grade, Personal Responsibility, Malcolm Elementary School; Eric Wood, 5^th grade, Career Readiness, J.C. Parks Elementary School; Lauren Holmes, 8^th grade, Academic Achievement, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School

• Staff - Kathleen Reamy, school counselor, Craik; Mary Bailey, reading recovery teacher, Higdon; Jennifer Walsh, speech therapist, Parks; Michele Brucculeiri, first grade teacher, Malcolm; Kevin Wassie, language arts teacher, Stoddert

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

• Latrina Carr - son at J.P. Ryon and one at Stone.  JP. Ryon, Title 1 school, applaud curriculum and teachers.  Effectiveness with 30 students in class at various levels.

Action items

• Redistricting Hearing Minutes 11/5/12

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Cook

Yes= Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Abstain = Abell

• Executive Minutes  10/9/12

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Cook

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

• Minutes 10/9/12

Motion by Cook; Second by Lukas

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

• Personnel

Motion by Abell; Second by Cook

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

• Gifted and Talented Education Month resolution

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Lukas

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

• Policy #5171.1 - Epi-pens

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Lukas

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

• 2013 Legislative positions

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Lukas

Yes=Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Adjournment

Pennsylvania high school hockey league bans national anthem to save money on ice time

Comments on this, anyone?

Yahoo! Sports
By Cameron Smith
Prep Rally Blog
November 13, 2012

Veterans Day is usually reserved for honoring the American flag and those who fought to preserve the values it stands for. In Pennsylvania on Monday, it also oversaw ferocious debate over one of the least patriotic things possible: eliminating the playing of the national anthem from all high school hockey games.
As first reported by Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League has issued a directive to 183 high school squads in central and western Pennsylvania banning the national anthem from being performed.
"The national anthem should not be played only because of time constrains," PIHL commissioner Ed Sam told KDKA. "It's not that we're not patriotic, that's the furthest from the truth."
While Sam's words might sound like bizarre lip service, there actually is some logic to the PIHL's decision to kick the national anthem out of high school hockey. Sam notes that ice time in western Pennsylvania is quite expensive, making every minute of rented time sacred in an era of cutbacks throughout interscholastic athletics.
Read more HERE.

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 11/13/12

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system website at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

Executive session - 12 p.m.  Call to order - 1 p.m.Pledge of Allegiance, Maurice J. McDonough High School JROTC unit Superintendent's update to the Board Reports of officers/board/committees

• Correspondence/Board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student Board member update
• CIP update
• One-room school house
• Mock trial
• Recruitment and retention
• Legislative update

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• Gifted and Talented Education Month resolution
• Policy #5171.1 - Epi-pens
• 2013 Legislative positions

Adjournment

Superintendent Search Officially Begins

The Board of Education of Charles County is advertising for candidates to apply to be the next superintendent of Charles County Public Schools.

Ads have been placed nationally and locally, and the application, qualifications and minimum salary can be found on the Charles County Public Schools website at www.ccboe.com on the “Superintendent Search” link. The Board, after reviewing public input provided at seven community forums, developed a set of six statements defining the qualifications and characteristics they want in a superintendent. The statements include qualities such as an innovative, energetic visionary; a passionate advocate for children; consensus builder; experienced instructional leader; and an experienced, decisive administrator. More details are included in the brochure posted on the website.

“The Board is pleased with the completion of the community input phase that culminated in the development of the characteristics being sought in the new superintendent. The Board is now moving to the application process, which begins the search to replace Superintendent James Richmond, who is retiring June 30 after 44 years of service to Charles County Public Schools, with the last 17 years being served as Superintendent of Schools,” Board Chairman Roberta Wise said.

Qualifications for preferred candidates include: Maryland certification required; doctorate preferred; and at least five years administrative/executive level experience in public education. Minimum salary is $200,000. The amount of the offer will depend on the qualifications of the selected applicant.

The Charles County Board hired the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) as a consultant for the superintendent search process. MABE is accepting all applications and questions from applicants about the position. Prospective applicants may call MABE at 410-841-5414. The Board of Education will not be accepting applications or contacts directly; all applications and questions must be submitted to MABE. Applications for the position are on the Charles County Public Schools website and MABE’s website at www.mabe.org.

Application reviews will begin Dec. 17 with interviews for invited candidates taking place in February and March. “The Board plans to name a successor in April so the transition in leadership can move forward smoothly,” Wise said.

“Mr. Richmond is leaving the school system in excellent condition. His is a leader in the state,” Wise said. “Through the public forums, we learned our stakeholders –our students, staff, parents, and community – want us to find someone who can implement strategies to promote continued academic growth.  We want a leader who will continue the tradition of personal leadership by measuring success one student at a time,” Wise said.

 

Board to hold redistricting information meeting

The Board of Education is holding its first high school redistricting meeting on Monday, Nov. 5 to provide information about the process to develop new high school attendance zones. Staff members will explain the redistricting timeline, committee selection process, how alternatives will be developed and opportunities for community input. The meeting is at 7 p.m., Nov. 5 at Westlake High School in Waldorf. A question/answer period will follow the presentation.


The committee has not yet developed alternatives or proposals. Committee work begins following the Nov. 5 public meeting.

The redistricting committee's purpose is to develop and evaluate potential high school attendance zones for consideration by the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education. The high school redistricting committee, which was selected at the Board's Oct. 9 meeting, may take as long as five months to develop proposals. The Board of Education, through policy, requires the committee to submit two different proposals. Public hearings on the committee's proposals will be held in the spring.

High school redistricting will create an attendance zone for the new St. Charles High School scheduled to open in August 2014 and balance the student enrollment at the six existing high schools. The plan, once complete, will shift students entering grades 9, 10 and 11 in August 2014 and will impact students across the county. Staff regularly posts information about the redistricting on the school system's website, www.ccboe.com.

Tentative redistricting timeline

• Starting in November, the redistricting committee meets weekly at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata for as long as it takes to develop two different proposals for the high school redistricting. Dates and times will be determined after the Nov. 5 public information meeting.
• The tentative recommendations for 2014 redistricting will be presented to the community at two public meetings. The meetings will be scheduled in the spring and after the recommendations are complete. Tentatively, the committee will present its proposal to the Superintendent at the April 9 Board of Education meeting. A public hearing on both proposals will be held shortly after that presentation.
• The Superintendent's recommendation will be presented to the Board of Education the following month, on May 14. The Board will schedule a public hearing prior to approval of the boundary changes and following the Superintendent's recommendation to the Board.
• The Board will approve the school attendance areas for the 2014-2015 school year at its June meeting. The redistricting decision occurs one year prior to the opening of St. Charles High School in August 2014. Students affected by the redistricting change schools in August 2014.
• This schedule may change depending on the length of time it takes the committee to develop its alternatives.

Throughout the process, information will be provided through telephone calls and e-mails, mailings/backpack fliers, Charles County Public Schools television stations Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12, and the CCPS website at www.ccboe.com. The Board is also accepting written comments. Send comments or questions to redistrict@ccboe.com or Charles County Public Schools, Redistricting, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 10/9/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, October 9 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, La Plata High School's JROTC unit

Sheriff's update – Charles County Sheriff Rex Coffey

• 11-12 school year - 8,039 Juvenile contacts; 382 Criminal Incident Reports; 299 Juvenile Offense Reports; 21 Physical arrests; 1,963 6th Graders in the DARE Program; 2,456 9th graders Truth & Consequences Program
• Crime Solvers - 349 Tips; 97 cases solved; $3,230 Payout
• Teen Court - 199 cases
• Drug Court - 14 juveniles assigned
• $10,000 grant from Cal Ripkin Association for special events and summer programs
• Sheriff Coffey doesn't see a need to bring the drug dogs through the schools

Superintendent's update to the Board  - see report

• Selection of redistricting committee members - see report
• The following members were selected:
• Betty Tayman, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School;
• LaCharles Earle, Eva Turner Elementary School;
• Karen Haskins, Mattawoman Middle School;
• Kristopher Foote, Milton M. Somers Middle School;
• Joanna Wilson, community member;
• David Cooksey, community member; and
• James Hooper, community member.

Correspondence/Board member updates

• Pedersen - attendance at MABE conference; telepresence
• Bowie - Waldorf West library to open in November; science projects, please let the students do their own projects
• Lukas - college fair, very impressed and and excellent opportunity
• Wade - Dr. Carl Smith, Executive Director of MABE is retiring on December 30th.
• Wise - Attended Reading Partners Luncheon

Education Association of Charles County update - no one in attendance

Student Board member update - see report

FY2012 Independent financial audit - annual financial report - see report

• Page highlights 1, 3, 13, 15, 20, 50, 61, 62,
• highest ratings throughout the report in all areas
• major impact on budget forcast - pension planning

Budget update - see report

Middle School Program  - see report for more information on the programs at the individual schools

• my opinion - organized, guided, fancy study hall
• I personally have received praise and complaints from various parents throughout the community.

School Audit Update

• North Point - 37 students identified in violation and withdrawn; 19 out-of-county; 10 additional siblings in other schools identifed
• LaPlata - 21 ongoing investigations; 5 out-of-zone, out-of-county, or out-of-state
• All have been sent letters with tuition owed

CIP update - see report

Annual Bridge to Excellence - see report

Gifted and Talented Education Month resolution - see report

Human Resources Update - In need of Math, Science, Special Ed, English

Policy #5171.1 – Epi-pens - demonstration

Unfinished Business - none

New business - none

Future agenda items - Schedule for first redistricting meeting; date set November 5th.

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Khloe Sedlack, 5th grade, Career Readiness, Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Principal: Carolyn Richardson; Meybel Alvarado-Huezo, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, Mary H. Matula Elementary School, Principal: Timothy Rosin; Casey Nottingham, 5th grade, Personal Responsibility, Arthur Middleton Elementary School, Principal: Sabrina Robinson-Taylor; Sarah Chen, 8th grade, Personal Responsibility, Milton M. Somers Middle School, Principal: Stephanie Wesolowski; Jenette Phillips, 12th grade, Academic Achievement, Maurice J. McDonough High School, Principal: Bradley Snow
• Staff - Nina Ogasaware, school counselor, Gale-Bailey; Tracy Bell, third grade teacher, Matula; Shirley Turner, first grader teacher, Middleton; Crystal Holm, mathematics teacher, Somers; Jason Bursick, athletic director, McDonough
• Resolutions – American Education Week and American Freedom Week

Public Forum – 6 p.m.  - none

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the Minutes by Cook; Second by Bowie

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wise, Wade; Abstain = Lukas

Motion to accept the Work Session Minutes by Cook; Second by Bowie

Yes = All

Motion to accept the Executive Session Minutes by Cook; Second by Wade

Yes = All



• Personnel

Motion to accept the Personnel by Cook; Second by Wade

Yes = All

• FY2013 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Motion to accept the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan by Pedersen; Second by Lukas

Yes = All

• Gifted and talented education policy

Motion to accept the Gifted and talented education policy by Pedersen; Second by Cook

Yes = All

Adjournment

Redistricting Committee Selected

Members of the Charles County Public Schools high school redistricting committee were selected today by the Charles County Board of Education. Seven committee members were chosen in a random drawing that included names from each middle and elementary school, as well as community members who applied to serve. Today's drawing selected two representatives at the elementary school level, two representatives at the middle school level and three representatives from the Charles County community. The following members were selected:

• Betty Tayman, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School;
• LaCharles Earle, Eva Turner Elementary School;
• Karen Haskins, Mattawoman Middle School;
• Kristopher Foote, Milton M. Somers Middle School;
• Joanna Wilson, community member;
• David Cooksey, community member; and
• James Hooper, community member.

Those committee members selected today will work with a representative from each of the county's six high schools, as well as school system and county staff, on the high school redistricting committee. Each high school advertised the opportunity to represent the school as part of the redistricting committee, and each high school principal held a public drawing to randomly select their representative. The following members were selected at the high school level:

• Tawanda Rooney, Henry E. Lackey High School;
• Cindy Arnone, La Plata High School;
• Suzanne McCarthy, North Point High School;
• Suzann Martin, Thomas Stone High School; and
• Christina Adeboyejo, Westlake High School.

McDonough's rep will be selected at a public meeting tonight.

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting 10/9/12

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 9 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system website at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.


Executive session – 12 p.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, La Plata High School's JROTC unit

Sheriff's update – Charles County Sheriff Rex Coffey

Superintendent's update to the Board

• Selection of redistricting committee members

Correspondence/Board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student Board member update

CIP update

FY2012 Independent financial audit

Budget update

Annual Bridge to Excellence

Gifted and Talented Education Month resolution

Policy #5171.1 – Epi-pens

Legislative positions 2013

Unfinished Business

New business

Future agenda items

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff
• Resolutions – American Education Week and American Freedom Week

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• FY2013 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan
• Gifted and talented education policy

Adjournment

North Point student attendance zone audit continues; investigation expands to La Plata

Thirty-five students have either been denied enrollment or withdrawn from North Point High School during the past month as a result of a crackdown on out-of-zone students at the school.


The school system has expanded its audit to include La Plata High School, where students and parents were notified today of a residency audit of students enrolled there. Superintendent James E. Richmond sent a letter informing La Plata parents and students of the audit, asking for their cooperation and providing an Oct. 12 deadline for voluntary withdraw of a student attending under false information.

The student attendance audit at North Point, which began in mid-September, has already led to 35 students being stopped from enrolling or withdrawn from Charles County's largest high school. According to Richmond, the 35 students include seven who were prohibited from enrolling with false information, two students who voluntarily withdrew after receiving a letter and 26 students who were asked to leave the school.

Of the 28 students who have withdrawn from North Point, 17 were out-of-county residents. Additionally, seven siblings of out-of-zone students attending North Point were also withdrawn from other Charles County schools.

The school system is still investigating the residency of about 250 North Point students, including those with more than one family using the same address. The formal audits supplement daily efforts by schools and the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) student services department to monitor enrollment numbers and to ensure children are enrolled at the schools they are zoned to attend. The school system's audit to confirm students' residency status includes, but is not limited to:

• A complete review of all residency documents, including lease agreements and statements of residency;
• Unscheduled home visits to confirm the accuracy of residency documents; and
• A review of publicly available information regarding property ownership.

Parents of students enrolled at La Plata under false information can withdraw their child by Oct. 12 with no questions asked. "I hope parents will respond before we need to take action," Richmond said in the letter sent home today through e-mail and with students. Students found to be fraudulently attending a school will be sent to their zoned school or removed from the school system if they are not a resident. Nonresidents will be charged tuition, retroactively, for the time they attended school here. County students attending a school under false information will be ineligible to participate in athletics. Richmond asks anyone with knowledge of a family that is attending school who does not reside in the school's attendance zone to contact the school or anonymously call the school system's fraud hotline at 301-302-8305.

Views: World's Greatest Teacher

Brad Meltzer
Published September 30, 2012
The Parade Magazine:Views

A best-selling author goes back to his high school to thank the person who first encouraged him to write.

The teacher who changed my life didn’t do it by encouraging her students to stand on their desks, like John Keating in Dead Poets Society. Or by toting a baseball bat through the halls, like Principal Clark in Lean on Me. She did it in a much simpler way: by telling me I was good at something.

When I met Ms. Shelia Spicer, I was in the ninth grade and had just moved to Florida from Brooklyn. Most of my teachers at Highland Oaks Junior High seemed to look past me; I was one more student among hundreds. Ms. Spicer, however, took a special interest.

“You can write,” she said, explaining that she wanted to move me into the honors English class. But because of scheduling conflicts, transferring wasn’t an option. So instead, Ms. Spicer told me to ignore everything she wrote on the blackboard for the rest of the year. “Ignore the discussions. Ignore the assignments. You’re going to sit here and do the honors work.”

A decade later, when my first novel was published, I went back to Ms. Spicer’s classroom and knocked on the door. “Can I help you?” she asked, trying to place me. I’d had a lot more hair the last time we saw each other. “My name is Brad Meltzer,” I said, handing her a copy of my book. “And I wrote this for you.”



Read more HERE.

Chicago teachers strike underscores shift among Democrats

The Washington Post
Opinions
By Michelle Rhee, Published: September 27, 2012

 

Michelle Rhee was chancellor of the D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010. She is founder and chief executive of StudentsFirst, a national nonprofit education advocacy group based in Sacramento.
 

I'm a Democrat because I believe in the party’s basic principles, particularly the idea that we have to look after one another and stand up for those who need help. I believe in fighting for the civil rights of all Americans, especially children and those facing injustices. That’s why I was heartened to see Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel advocating for the rights of kids in his standoff with the Chicago Teachers Union. Although his stance made perfect sense to me, it surprised many political observers. After all, Emanuel is a favorite within the Democratic Party, and teachers unions have long been allied with the party.
Emanuel went head to head with the union to get a better contract for the city’s schoolchildren. In the process, he underscored a transformation in the Democratic Party. Increasingly, those who staunchly side with unions at any cost appear to be in the minority, while more Democrats are saying we have to look at education differently.
...
It’s no longer acceptable to ignore the inequities and overall shortcomings of our public education system. Consider that only about half of black and Hispanic students earn high school diplomas with their peers, compared with three-fourths of whites, and that the academic achievement gap between poor students and their wealthier peers is widening. When kids do make it to college, roughly a third need remedial work because they weren’t adequately prepared by the K-12 system. The United States is also falling far behind our global competitors in math and science.
...
At the heart of the debate was a focus on teacher quality. We know that great teachers can have a tremendous impact. Yet we don’t have policies in place to ensure that all children are taught by great teachers. That’s why the mayor pushed for an evaluation system that would help determine who is excelling, who needs help and who may be better off in another profession. I’m so glad that, for the first time in Chicago, teacher evaluations will at least consider whether students are learning over the course of the year. But I do wish the union hadn’t won some key concessions.

Read more HERE.

AP scores increase; SAT scores dip in 2012

Charles County's students' scores increased slightly on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, but the average SAT score for the Class of 2012 decreased, according to data released this week by the College Board, which administers AP, SAT and other national programs.

Charles County Public Schools average score on AP exams rose slightly to 2.22 from 2.14 in 2011. Nearly 90 percent of all students taking the rigorous AP classes took at least one test in 2012. "Taking Advanced Placement classes in high school better prepares our students for future study and success," Superintendent James E. Richmond said.

While the number of students taking the SAT increased, average scores decreased. Scores for the class of 2012 were 1447, down from 1455 in 2010. National and state averages also declined. Average participation countywide is 39 percent.

Students average score on the critical reading section is 486; the average math score is 490 and the average writing score is 471.

The SAT is used by many colleges as part of an admission process and designed to demonstrate a student's mastery of certain subjects. Only scores for graduating seniors are included in the 2012 report. Students in the Class of 2012 were offered nearly $52 million in scholarships.

La Plata High School students averaged 1611, with 28.3 percent of graduates taking the SAT in 2011. North Point High School students posted a 1450 average, with 60 percent of seniors taking the test. Henry E. Lackey High School students averaged 1430, with 30.6 percent participation. Westlake High School students averaged 1423, with 20.6 percent participation. Thomas Stone High School students averaged 1398, with 42.7 percent participation and Maurice J. McDonough High School students averaged 1392 with 38.1 percent participation.

A detailed chart of SAT results for 2011-12 college bound seniors is posted on the Charles County Public Schools website at http://www2.ccboe.com/PDF/testscores/SAT-2012.pdf.

Notes from Board of Education, 9/24/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Monday, September 24 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.

Call to order – 6 p.m.


Pledge of Allegiance

Public Forum

Work Session

Opening of St. Charles High School - See report for additional development figures
According to officials from the developers of St. Charles:

--Sheffield is built out and includes about 1,300 housing units (apartments, townhomes, and single family.)
--Gleneagles North and South will have about 1,700 housing units.
--Fieldside will include just under 500 housing units.

Gleneagles North is largely complete. The first unit in Fieldside settled this month. St. Charles is still finishing lot development in Gleneagles South, but expect the first homeowner early next year.

This illustrates St. Charles' immediate plans around St. Charles High School. Of course, there are future neighborhoods that are still in planning and are not depicted on the map. After these units, the development agreement calls for approximately 10,000 more housing units, in the area between St. Charles High School and Radio Station Road/La Plata High School. At 300 units a year, those units would be built over 33 years.

The following is the link to the four options for opening St. Charles High School:
http://www2.ccboe.com/parentscomm/stcharleshsopeningoptions.cfm

• Wade - requests Richmonds opinion
• Richmond - doesn't recommend moving seniors

Motion to accept Option 2 for opening the St. Charles High School with grades 9,10,& 11;

Second by Bowie

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Bowie - Costs involved

Balides/Richmond - $18M to run a new high school....no seniors would be less; based on our decision tonight they will produce a more detailed number.

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 9/24/12

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a work session at 6 p.m., Monday, September 24, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The meeting will be aired live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and streamed on the school system website at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/. The agenda is as follows:

Call to order – 6 p.m.

• Pledge of Allegiance

Public Forum

Work Session

• Opening of St. Charles High School

Adjournment

Redistricting committee members wanted

Charles County Public Schools is looking for a few good people to serve on its high school redistricting committee.

The school system will select 10 parents, two each from the elementary and middle school levels, and six from the high schools, to serve on the committee. Additionally, three community members will be selected for the committee, which also includes principals, county government planners and Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff. The school system is starting a comprehensive high school redistricting process that will create an attendance zone for the new St. Charles High School and redistribute and balance student populations at all high schools. The redistricting, which will be approved by the summer of 2013, takes effect in August 2014.

Commitment Applicants must agree to fulfill a four- to five-month commitment of attendance at a weekly meeting. The meeting day will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, and is determined after the first meeting and by consensus with the group. The time of all meetings is 6:30-8:30 p.m.

How to apply Elementary, middle and high school principals are now accepting names from parents with interest in serving on the committee. Please call your child's school for the deadline to apply. Community members must not have a child enrolled in any Charles County public school and must fill out an online application at http://www2.ccboe.com/parentscomm/transportation/hsredistricting.cfm, or call 301-934-7221 to receive an application by mail.

The process Each elementary and middle school will submit to the Superintendent the name of one parent to be selected at random from all expressing interest. The name of a parent from each elementary school will be placed in a container and two names will be selected at random from the 21 submissions. Principals from each of the eight middle schools will follow the same process. The name of a parent from each middle school will be submitted to the Superintendent, placed in a container and two names will be selected at random from the eight submissions.

Each high school will accept names of any interested parent and select one name, at random, to serve on the redistricting committee. Each high school will send the name of one representative, and no further drawing will be held at the high school level.

Contact your child's principal to find out the deadline for applying and when the random selection will be made at the school.

Three community members will be selected from applicants. Community members should not have a child enrolled in any Charles County public school and must fill out an application. The application can be completed and submitted online. Applications will also be mailed on request. Only applications received by Oct. 5 will be considered. If more than three names are submitted, the community members will be selected in a public drawing at the Oct. 9 Board meeting.

Selection of committee members Superintendent James E. Richmond and the Board of Education will publicly draw the names of the elementary and middle school parents and the community representatives at the Board's Oct. 9 meeting.

Questions about the process can be sent to redistrict@ccboe.com or call 301-934-7221.

Open forums scheduled to aid in finding new superintendent

The Charles County Board of Education has initiated its search for a new Superintendent of Schools. The superintendent search process is Charles County's first in 17 years. To help facilitate this process, the Charles County Board has contracted the services of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE), an agency that specializes in assisting Boards with the consideration of candidates for educational leadership roles.

Open forums for the community will be held at locations throughout the county to help identify the qualities and characteristics residents want for the new superintendent.

The following are the open forum times, dates and locations:

• Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Henry E. Lackey High School, 3000 Chicamuxen Road, Indian Head, Md., 20640
• Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at Thomas Stone High School, 3785 Leonardtown Road, Waldorf, Md., 20601
• Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Piccowaxen Middle School, 12834 Rock Point Road, Newburg, Md., 20664
• Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at Westlake High School, 3300 Middletown Road, Waldorf, Md., 20603
• Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at La Plata High School (session open to the public), 6035 Radio Station Road, La Plata, Md., 20646

Participants will be provided a brief presentation about the superintendent search, participate in group discussions and will be asked to answer three questions:

• What do you feel are the most positive things about Charles County and Charles County Public Schools?
• What characteristics and qualifications do you feel a superintendent should possess?
• What challenges do you think the new superintendent will face?

Input from these forums will be compiled, presented to and used by the Board of Education to develop a brochure and advertisement to solicit candidates for the superintendent position. The brochure and advertisement will be posted on our school system website and placed in local, state and national publications.

Individuals or groups that cannot participate in the forums are encouraged to e-mail responses to kblumsack@mabe.org or mail responses to arrive by October 10 to: Kathryn Blumsack, Maryland Association of Boards of Education, 621 Ridgley Avenue, Suite 300, Annapolis, Md., 21201.

School system launches attendance audit at North Point

Charles County Public Schools is launching an attendance audit at North Point High School to ensure students enrolled there live in the North Point attendance zone or in Charles County if they are in a Science, Technology and Industry (STI) program. While the school system routinely investigates questionable attendance issues, this is the first concentrated effort to conduct a formal audit.


Superintendent James E. Richmond said overcrowding strains building capacity in terms of facility and staffing levels, and enrollment at North Point has steadily risen to 2,252 students, which is hundreds more students than the school was designed to handle.

"Despite overcrowding, North Point is managing the challenges and staff continues to provide the students there with quality instructional programs and opportunities. However, as we begin a redistricting process at the high school level, we need to first make sure we are confirming that students in our schools are Charles County residents and that they are attending the proper school," Richmond said.

This is a residency verification pilot program and analysis, and once the North Point student audit is complete, staff could look at other schools, Richmond said.

North Point, which serves as the STI center for Charles County Public Schools, is a comprehensive high school. A designated number of students at the school come from across Charles County and apply for and are accepted in STI programs. The remainder of the student population is zoned to attend North Point. The audit is focusing on the attendance zone population; however, Richmond said staff is looking to ensure students in the STI programs are county residents.
The formal audit supplements daily efforts by schools and the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) student services department to monitor enrollment numbers and to ensure children are enrolled at the schools they are zoned to attend. During the last two school years, more than 60 out-of-zone students have been removed from North Point following residency investigations. Additionally, according to Patricia Vaira, director of student services, many more students are stopped from enrolling because the school system is taking a closer look at leases and residency verification during the registration process.
A letter from Richmond is going home to North Point parents on Sept. 12 alerting them to the audit and asking for cooperation.
The school system's audit to confirm students' residency status includes, but is not limited to:

• A complete review of all residency documents, including lease agreements and statements of residency;
• Unscheduled home visits to confirm the accuracy of residency documents; and
• A review of publicly available information regarding property ownership.

Parents of students enrolled at North Point under false information can withdrawal their child by Sept. 19 with no questions asked. "I hope parents will respond before we need to take action," Richmond said.
"I heard the complaints during the elementary and middle school redistricting that people feel there are students throughout the county, but particularly on the North Point campus, who are not zoned to attend these schools and are causing overcrowding. I felt we needed to investigate thoroughly those claims," Richmond said.
Students found to be attending the wrong school will be sent to their zoned school or removed from the school system if they are not a resident. Nonresidents will be charged tuition, retroactively, for the time they attended school here. County students attending a school under false information will be ineligible to participate in athletics. "Families providing inaccurate residency information not only overcrowd our schools, but they also put our athletic programs at risk. If we find an out-of-zone student playing on one of our teams, the entire team suffers the consequence for this ineligible player through forfeited games," Richmond said.

Richmond asks anyone with knowledge of a family that is attending school who does not reside in the school's attendance zone to contact the school or anonymously call the school system's fraud hotline at 301-302-8305.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 9/11/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, September 11 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 – Henry E. Lackey High School's JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the board - see report

Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) update  - see report

Correspondence/board member updates

• Bowie - Encourage reading your calendar, wealth of information
• Wade - 911 remembrance; worse than Pearl Harbor
• Pedersen - Update on classroom sizes; flex program in middle schools and middle school schedules
• Cook - Bannister Neighborhood Association looking for used books to use as awards for their one-on-one tutoring program
• Wise - Commissioners' meeting on the 18th; Reaching Out Now hopes to provide Wal-mart gift cards as well as monetary donations to schools; Letter from Commissioner Kelley asking for a joint committee to study school capacity.  Abell & Pedersen volunteered.  Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Summit

Education Association of Charles County update - see report

Student board member's update - see report

Opening of schools - oral report; uneventful

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update - see report

• Construction of high school has begun; March 2014 completion
• F B Gwynn Center renovation update

Report item: FY 2013 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan - see report

Gifted and talented education policy - see report

• Pedersen - questioning validity of 'flex time'
• Wise - Annotated Code of Maryland states that students are identified by a qualified individual; who identifies our students?
• Bourasso - Committee of teachers and staff

Gifted and Talented Education Month resolution - see report

Policy #5171.1 – Epi-pens - see report

Unfinished business - none

New business

• Resolution for MABE

Motion to accept the resolution by Abell; Second by Cook

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas



Future agenda items - none

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Truth Chapter No. 19, Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall Affiliated

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Roseman Diaz - Davis to Henson redistricting; students love it but it is extremely crowded.  Already 70 students overcrowded.  Additional developments being built.  Here to advocate for the students and ally with the board.
• Lourdes Sagun - redistricting; students love school; class sizes are still 27-30 students; wants to be involved and on the committee for the high school redistricting

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the June 5 meeting minutes by Pedersen; Second by Cook

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

Motion to accept the June 28th teleconference by Cook; Second by Pedersen

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

Motion to accept the August 14th minutes by Abell; Second by Pedersen

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

Motion to accept the August 14th executive session minutes by Cook; Second by Pedersen

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

Motion to accept the August 6th & August 14th executive session minutes by Cook; Second by Wade

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

• Personnel

Motion to accept the personnel by Wade; Second by Personnel

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

• FY 2014 CIP state and local CIP program

Motion to accept the CIP by Cook; Second by Wade

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

• Redistricting policies

Motion to accept the redistricting policies as amended by Abell; Second by Pedersen

YES = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; Absent = Lukas

• Recurring resolutions: 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; and Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award.

Motion to accept the recurring resolutions by Cook; Second by Bowie

YES = Bowie, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise; ABSTAIN = Abell; Absent = Lukas

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 9/11/12

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 11, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

Executive session – 12 p.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance – Henry E. Lackey High School's JROTC unit

 
Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) update

Superintendent's update to the board

Correspondence/board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student board member's update

Opening of schools

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update

Report item: FY 2013 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Gifted and talented education policy

Gifted and talented education month resolution

Policy #5171.1 – Epi-pens

Unfinished business

 
New business

• Resolution for MABE

Future agenda items

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Truth Chapter No. 19, Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall Affiliated

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• FY 2014 CIP state and local CIP program
• Redistricting policies
• Recurring resolutions: 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; and Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award.

Adjournment

Number of Homeschoolers Growing Nationwide

This article was published in May but I believe is very relevant in Charles County today.

Education News
May 21, 2012
Julia Lawrence

Researchers are expecting a surge in the number of students educated at home by their parents over the next ten years as more families spurn public schools.
As the dissatisfaction with the U.S. education system among parents grows, so does the appeal of homeschooling. Since 1999, the number of children who are being homeschooled has increased by 75%. Although currently only 4% of all school children nationwide are educated at home, the number of primary school kids whose parents choose to forgo traditional education is growing seven times faster than the number of kids enrolling in K-12 every year.
Any concerns expressed about the quality of education offered to the kids by their parents can surely be put to rest by the consistently high placement of homeschooled kids on standardized assessment exams. Data shows that those who are independently educated typically score between 65th and 89th percentile on such exams, while those attending traditional schools average on the 50th percentile. Furthermore, the achievement gaps, long plaguing school systems around the country, aren’t present in homeschooling environment. There’s no difference in achievement between sexes, income levels or race/ethnicity.

Read more HERE

Board hopes to announce new superintendent by April

Charles County's Board of Education is starting its search for a new Superintendent of Schools to replace Superintendent James E. Richmond, who has announced he is leaving at the end of the 2012-13 school year.


Consultants from the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) met with Board members Tuesday evening to brief them on the search process and to begin developing a timeline. William Middleton, lead MABE consultant, said the search is a "patience-building process that will not happen overnight."

Middleton said MABE conducts a transparent, open and fair process for everyone involved. He said there is a confidentiality protocol used to maintain privacy of applicants unless the Board identifies them as a finalist. At that point, Middleton said, names of finalists are released and publicly vetted.

Part of the process involves public forums to gather input from staff, students and the community. The Board asked MABE to conduct five public forums in different areas of the county. MABE is planning to hold the forums, which are open to the general public, in October. MABE will solicit community input about Charles County Public Schools, what characteristics the public thinks the Board should look for in a superintendent and what challenges the public believes the new superintendent will face. Forums will be announced on the Charles County Public Schools website and in the local media, and sent to community groups.

MABE compiles the community input and provides it to Board members to help them develop the criteria and characteristics they want a new superintendent to possess. The information will be used to develop a brochure and advertisements soliciting superintendent candidates. The Board will nationally advertise the position beginning in November and MABE will start screening applications on Dec. 17. The Board hopes to make a final decision and offer by late April 2013.

"We are looking for a superintendent who will come here and stay here. We will look for someone who will meet your needs and stay for an extended period of time," Middleton said.

Maryland law requires Boards to award a four-year contract, and the new superintendent's term would begin July 1, 2013 and end June 30, 2017.

Tentative Timeline

August 2012

Board meets with MABE consultants to develop timeline and search process.

October 2012

Community residents, students and staff will have the opportunity to share input at five regional public forums. Ideas and opinions from these forums will be incorporated into the brochure and advertisements describing the job opening and used to develop the criteria and characteristics the Board will look for in a new superintendent.

November 2012

Position advertising begins. Brochure and application will be mailed out and posted on the Charles County Public Schools website. Position advertising will be on a local, state and national level.

December 2012

Application review by MABE begins on Dec. 17. Position remains open until filled.

March 2013

Board announces finalists. Candidates visit Charles County and are interviewed by stakeholder focus groups.

April 2013

Board expected to make announcement of final selection by end of month.

July 1, 2013

New superintendent begins.

Richmond notified the Board of Education in April that he does not plan to ask for renewal of his contract in 2013. The 17-year superintendent is a former Maryland Superintendent of the Year and took the top job in Charles County Public Schools in 1996 as interim superintendent. He was appointed to his first four-year term as superintendent in 1997, and he will complete his fourth term in June 2013.

The Board of Education in May voted to contract with MABE to assist with the search for a new superintendent.

Washington Supreme Court rules that school resource officer’s search of student’s locked backpack violated rights against unlawful search and seizure

State of Washington v. Meneese, No. 86203-6 (Wash. Aug. 2, 2012) (majority opinion); (dissenting opinion)


Abstract: In a 7-2 split, the Supreme Court of the State of Washington has ruled that a school resource officer (SRO), who is a member of a local police department, violated a student’s right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure under the federal and state constitutions when he searched the student’s locked backpack after arresting the student and handcuffing him. The court’s majority concluded that the “school search” exception did not apply to the SRO’s search.

The majority reversed the intermediate appellate court’s decision upholding the trial court’s denial of the motion to suppress the air pistol discovered during the search. The majority concluded that the “school search” exception to the requirement for a warrant did not apply, because at the time the SRO executed the backpack search, he was acting as a police officer, and not a school official.

Read more HERE

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 8/14/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, August 14 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 – 9 a.m.

Call to order – 11 a.m. - Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent's update - See Report

Correspondence/Board member updates

• Wise - MABE committee member requests

Education Association of Charles County update - See Report

Student Board Member update - See Report

Opening of schools, athletics update - See Report

• Impact testing for athletes.  Computerized test at start of year gives a baseline.  Students will take the test again after an impact/injury.  Will tell doctors whether a students is fully recovered and if they can return to play.
• All coaches required to take a test and have an emergency plan in place
• Cook - impressed with information given on sports night for her son.

CIP update  - See report

• Richmond - why does it cost $200,000 to hook up three schools
• Wise - letter from the board

FY 2014 CIP state and local CIP program - See Report

Redistricting policies - See Report

• Wise - issue with 'desireability to limit the movement of a high school student after initial enrollment
• Abell - change 'limiting' to 'minimizing' in both sentences
• Cook - against having a board member select a person to the committee
• Abell - change wording back to original just with more explanantion about pool of applicants and random drawing

Change of gifted education policy - See Report (Policy 6411.1)

• recommended changes to align county policy with revised state (COMAR) policy

Staffing update

Recurring resolutions: 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; Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award; Charles County Teacher of the Year; and Employees' Retirement

Unfinished business

• Pedersen - any follow-up on a date to meet with the commisioners
• Wise - new policy in place; we cannot call and request a meeting, have to log online and submit a request; process didn't work; printed and snail mailed.

New business - None

Future agenda items - None

• Wise - Study on high school start times; still working on it
• Bowie - Common core and the waiver and the affect on us; staff working on it
• Pedersen - Safety report form Sheriff Coffey; October meeting

Public Forum – 3:30 p.m. - None

Action items

• Minutes

Abell requests to hold the Exective Session Minutes

until the next meeting since we never received a copy.

Motion to accept the Minutes from 6/14/12 by Lukas; Second by Pedersen

Yes = All

Motion to accept the Minutes from 8/6/12 by Cook; Second by Bowie

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Wade, Wise; Abstain = Pedersen



• Personnel

Motion to accept Personnel by Abell; Second by Pedersen

Yes = All

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 8/14/12

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, August 14, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 11 a.m. and Public Forum is at 3:30 p.m. All Board meetings are televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and rebroadcast throughout the week. Schedules for Channel 96 are available on the Charles County Public Schools website at www2.ccboe.com/publicinfo/channel96/schedule.cfm.


Executive Session – 9 a.m.

Call to order – 11 a.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent's update

Correspondence/Board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student Board Member update

Opening of schools, athletics update

CIP update

FY 2014 CIP state and local CIP program

Redistricting policies

Change of gifted education policy

Staffing update

Recurring resolutions: 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; Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award; Charles County Teacher of the Year; and Employees' Retirement

Unfinished business

New business

Future agenda items

Public Forum – 3:30 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

School system sponsors bus hotline for parents

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is sponsoring a bus hotline for parents to call with questions about school bus routes. Call 301-932-6655 to access the hotline. The hotline is available Aug. 23-24 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Aug. 27-28 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Parents can access bus routes through the School Locator feature available on the CCPS website. School Locator is designed to allow the public to enter an address and see which three schools - elementary, middle and high - an address is zoned for. It also indicates if the address is eligible for bus transportation to a particular school, what the bus number is and where the closest bus stop to the address is located.

School Locator can be accessed at www2.ccboe.com/schoollocator/. Click on Launch Application (Public) to access the system. No password is needed. School Locator uses mapping data from the county and filters it by the system's current school zones.

Additionally, bus stops within established subdivisions are permanently placed at specific locations to ensure consistency and equity among riders and will not be changed. Buses may run later than normal during the first week of school to adjust for changes in routes and/or established stops.

For more information about bus routes, contact your child's school, or the transportation department at ccpstransportation@ccboe.com or 301-934-7262.

Notes from Board of Education Work Session, 8/6/12

The Board of Education Work Session on Monday, August 6 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 – 5:30 p.m.

Call to order – 6 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance / Public Forum

Work Session - Redistricting/New high school

• Subcommittee recommendation HERE - some discussion
• Staff presented 4 options on opening enrollment of St. Charles High School - HERE
• Questions?  email redistrict@ccboe.com

Adjournment