Notes from Board of Education Meeting 9/8/15

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, September 8 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 – St. Charles High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Correspondence/board member updates

• Palko - thanks for the bus tour and the most detailed reports at each school
• Marshall - ditto Palko's comments; impressed on first day of school
• Crawford - attended 3 days of new teacher orientation; made 15 school open houses and praise to staff.
• Kelly - health card and emergency card...can information be pre printed?  Attended two orientations.
• Marshall - Thank you for invite to the crab feast to EACC

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

Student board member’s update - Report

Opening of schools

Summer school

• Marshall - time spent in summer school class does not equal time spent in the school year
• Lukas - Center remain open a little later for testing (Novell)

Project status update - Report

Solar update

• ground units only at 3 locations and one overhead unit at the maintenance shop
• Consensus to allow staff to move forward with proposal

FY 2015 Comprehensive maintenance plan - Report

Teacher Academy of Maryland - Report

Staffing update - Report

Social media policy - Report

Unfinished business

• McGraw - format of town hall meeting
• McGraw - Meeting with CSM - room not confirmed yet; agenda suggestions compiled

New business

• Kelly - PIMA (Parent Involvement Matters Award) should be recognized locally.  Consensus was given by Kelly, Crawford, Palko, and McGraw for wording on the resolution to be added.

Future agenda items

• Abell - concerns regarding Special Needs bus drivers and aids not having CPR and First Aid certified.
• Palko - requested revised staff organization charts
• Lukas  3 year plan on implementation and goals for the new Chief of Technology position
• Kelly - Esteemed base curriculum, adding arts into the curriculum (band vs. technology)
• Kelly - testing update, results and schedule and comparison to other counties
• Kelly - volunteers for schools in office clarifications and restrictions

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Keith McGrit ??? - CCPS Bus driver, equality as other county employees, retirement plan is a joke and no benefits, wants same as other government employees
• Kathy Lancaster - school bus driver, incident on bus, went to court, CCPS person came to court and never talked to her.  doesn't like their health insurance.  wants to be treated equally.
• Susan Eckerle - director of instrumental music and mother of HS student with grade issues.  wants to discuss eligibility requirements.  should have been advertised and implemented more efficiently.   staff received training on 8/27.  did not know it was for extracurricular activity in addition to athletics eligibility.  wording needs to be refined to ensure it doesn't mean attending football games, prom etc.
• Tammy Posey - been a bus driver for 20 years.  need better benefits.  sick and out of work for 4 months.
• Brian Eckerle - LPHS student.   has grade issues.  cannot participate in marching band.  bands do not have a bench to pull from when students do not meet the grade requirements.  no hope of competing
• Heather Hartman Janson - parent and a teacher.  unexcused absence policy.  wants to be able to write a note for her son and not take him to the doctor

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the Minutes by Abell; Second by Marshall

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

• Personnel

Motion to accept Personnel by Abell; Second by Kelly

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

• FY 2017 CIP state and local improvements program

Motion to accept FY 2017 CIP by Lukas; Second by Abell

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

• Recurring resolutions: American Education Week; American Freedom Week; African-American History Month; Career and Technology Education Month; Gifted and Talented 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 Recurring Resolutions by Kelly; Second by Palko
Yes = Crawford, Kelly, Marshall, McGraw, Palko; Abstain = Abell; Lukas








Amendment to the motion to change African-American History Month to Black History month by Marshall; Second by Crawford
Yes = Crawford, Kelly, Marshall, Palko; No = Lukas; Abstain = Abell

 

Adjournment