Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 4/15/15

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, April 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 – 10:30 a.m. Call to order – 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School JROTC

Recognition of winter athletes - See Report

Superintendent’s update - See Report

Correspondence/Board Member updates

• Palko - Request for Math Tutorials on web site
• Kelly - attended several ceremonies and events and impressed by both students and coaches.  Volunteer and Teacher Appreciation Week coming up.  Many of us attended the National School Board Association in Nashville at the end of March and learned a lot. Spoke of presentations she visited.  One in particular on anti-bullying.
• Palko - Parent Connection session at NSBA conference
• Lukas - DI ceremony, Senior Citizens Prom was great, Minority Achievement showcase
• McGraw - NSBA Conference; kudos to Dr. Mudd history club

Education Association of Charles County update - See Report

Student Board Member update - See Report

Winter sports update - See Report

St. Charles High School pool update - Oral report - no date yet on opening

Testing overview - See Report (Please see this for the complete testing timeline)

• Palko - questions concerning the number of times the teachers get to see their students (specials)
• Palko - why do parents receive a scale score and teachers receive a percent score
• Kelly - Kindergarten assessments - late in year
• Kelly - teachers must be certified to give test
• Marshall - raising the bar?
• McGraw - Portfolios

2016-17 school calendar - See Report

• proposed changes to 15-16 Calendar based on survey
• Abell - Requested posting on BoardDocs ASAP for Public consumption
• Crawford - Thank you for going back to the drawing board
• Spring Breaks will no longer be one week, now only Thursday - Monday
• 6 snow days built into calendar and extended through June
• 15 - 16 Proposed Changes Report

Legislative update

• Basically, the house and state passed a budget the governor does not like and he doesn't have to allocate any funds to it. :)
• HB135 - Charles County School Construction Excise Tax Rates - PASSED
• SB595 - Charter School Bill - PASSED with amendments
• SB497 - Commission to Review Testing Statewide - PASSED
• HB278/SB??? - Dyslexia education - PASSED
• HB535/SB538 - IEP changes for visually impaired - PASSED
• HB642/SB508 - Contractors/subcontractors prohibition on criminals - PASSED
• HB1032 - Public Safety weapons transport by retired - PASSED
• HB755/SB695 - PIA Compliance Board - PASSED
• HB396/SB204 - Election Law - PASSED

Unfinished business

• Abell - number of items requested at the last meeting including committee on testing

 New business

Motion to accept the 15-16 School Calendar Changes by Abell; Second by Palko

Yes = Abell, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko; No = None

Future agenda items

• Palko - Program Quality Indexes; Matthew Henson Bullying Program
• Kelly - Survey to post graduates on college/work readiness
• Abell - Board and CSM meeting on programs available

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Danielle Monopoli, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, Principal: Kristin Shields; Jacob Gallagher, 5th grade, Career Readiness, Indian Head Elementary School, Principal: Timothy Rosin; John Canonizado, 8th grade, Academic Achievement, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, Principal: Stephanie Wesolowski; Ricardo Cardoza, 12th grade, Personal Responsibility, Westlake High School, Principal: Chrystal Benson
• Staff - Megan E. Barrows, pre-kindergarten teacher, Indian Head; Kathleen C. Parry, music teacher-vocal, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy; Joanne S. Shelak, science teacher, Davis; Bradley Grey, science teacher, Westlake
• Resolutions: Teacher Appreciation Week, Administrative Professionals Week, Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week and National Physical Education and Sport Week.

 Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Mary Gyrus - student LaPlata HS, graduating senior, wants graduations moved back to Show Place Arena. Does not want to graduate at a rival high school.  Has a petition.  Wants results of our survey. Focus on ceremony not location.
• Amir Quadry?(sp) - Pres. of LPHS Thespian Society.  Club invited to attended in Nebreska.  Wants BOE support to help.

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the Minutes by Abell; Second by Marshall

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko; No = None

• Personnel

Motion to accept the Personnel A by Abell; Second by Lukas

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko; No = None

 

Motion to accept the Personnel B by Abell; Second by Lukas

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko; No = None; Abstain = Kelly

Adjournment