Notes from Board of Education Work Session, 4/30/12

The Board of Education Work Session on Monday, April 30 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 - none

Work Session

Charles County Public Schools Common Core Transition Plan

• Abell - Post presentation on BoardDocs; additional presentations to parents & community; Literacy Extension Packets = cost to students?  workbooks?
• Estep & staff - yes, yes, and not workbooks -- additional reading books, more indepth, no cost to parents
• Wise - Textbooks are being written? Costs associated with buying all new texts; curriculum is too rigorous, doesn't think it's going to work
• Lukas - Maryland curriculum was based on achieving the HSA; how will we evaluate where we are with meeting Core Curriculum Standards?; percentage of students in Meeting the Middle?
• Estep & staff- MD Curriculum was supposed to be the bare minimum.  Data Analysis and future test similar to HSA.  About 10% of students in Meeting the Middle.
• Bowie - ELL and special needs...how will they meet this rigorous curriculum?; How can library assist, like in story times?
• Estep & staff - Current support services will still be provided and as we move forward, additional needs will be addressed and services put in place.  Would be grateful for partnering with library.
• Cook - Happy with the writing portion.  Worried about the students that start school in Kindergarten
• Estep & staff - Ongoing planning in place to tackle this concern.
• Pedersen - Concern with transition and bringing the community along with us.  Freshmen year students having two periods of Math is not being taken well, no electives
• Estep & staff - Doesn't affect everyone but there is nothing we can do if we want to get in that good solid base.

Superintendent Search

• Abell - Recommends using a consultant. 
• Wise - Spoke with Caroline County yesterday; they did not use MABE, used a private consultant & while they were happy with their Superintendent, they were unhappy with some things that transpired.  Thinks we should use MABE, initial cost of $24,000.
• Abell - Doesn't think we should automatically go with MABE.  I believe they are a good option, but with any major purchase, quotes should be received.  Other consultants should be interviewed before a decision is made.
• Pedersen - Agrees; attended a seminar at the conference.  Wants an organization that knows the community and puts them first.
• Lukas - Cook & I were at the same seminar; if we go for an outside source, we should make a list of criteria for the firm instead of just doing a blanket interview.
• Bowie - MABE's website; sample brochures and applications for Superintendent searched; MABE also mentioned EdWeek for advertising.
• Cook - NSBA session recommended using your state agency (MABE) because they are so connected to everyone else in the state as well as across the nation.
• Pedersen - Firm should be very aware of Maryland State Law regarding searches.
• Bowie - referenced Maryland State Superintendent Survey
• Wise - While we want to be transparent, not all applicants will be revealed to the public.
• Balides - May have to go through a procurement process for  over $25,000.  We would need to get quotes even if we went with MABE.
• Bowie - Madison Partners; maybe Texas?
• Wise - BWP & Associates; out of Illinois?
• Lukas - can we talk to firms prior to possibly doing an RFP
• Pedersen - Private firms might try to fit one of their Superintendent clients into our position and it might not be a good fit. 
• Abell - would feel secure letting the Chair and Vice Chair come up with two other price quotes
• Wise - Cook and she will research firms and prices and bring it back to us at the next board meeting.
• Abell - Cost, Locality, Experience
• Pedersen - how they developed their process; how do they get to know us
• Cook - Timeline & Confidentiality

Goals

• See report
• Abell - add ACT under Goal #1
• Bowie - doesn't see anything that would conflict with Race to the Top Initiatives, made to complement
• Pedersen - should see increase in scores just with implementation of Race to the Top
• Pedersen - should be open to virtual schools

Adjournment