Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Notes from Board of Education Work Session, 1/27/16

The Board of Education Work Session on Wednesday, January 27 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 hearing on the FY 2017 Budget

Public Forum

  • FY 2017 proposed operating budget
  • No one attended to speak

Work session


    • Palko - Transportation..contract out for snow removal at schools, flat amount of $200k average.
    • Kelly - migrating to a different student reistration system; we also have a visitor registration system
    • Crawford - why does our enrollment look so good
    • Sotomeyer - Baltimore lost a lot of funding and it was divided amongst counties
    • Lukas - funding for mentors; 20 mentors and staff development; how much would the mentor be compensated
    • Lukas - Health care cost;
    • Balides - more people to insure (new hires) plus increased cost
    • Lukas - breakdown on the categories; what's under all of them
    • Palko - Mentors; how many now
    • Hollstein - we have 18 now and want to recruit to 20
    • McGraw - mentors are valuable
    • Kelly - how many hours a week do mentors work ; 20 is an average
    • Kelly  how do we measure effectiveness of mentor program
    • Hollstein - survery, feedback, retention
    • Crawford - supplemental requests...where do they show up?  as an addendum
    • Kelly - BYOD initiative; for all schools?
Adjournment

Monday, January 25, 2016

Board Reschedules Budget Work Session

The Board of Education of Charles County has postponed its budget work session originally scheduled for Monday, Jan. 25. The meeting is rescheduled for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata.

The meeting will be aired live on Comcast Channel 96/Verizon FiOS Channel 12 and the school system website, www.ccboe.com. The agenda is subject to change and is as follows:

Call to order – 6 p.m.

  •  Pledge of Allegiance
Public hearing on the FY 2017 Budget

Public Forum
  • FY 2017 proposed operating budget
Work session
  •  FY 2017 proposed operating budget
Adjournment

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Board of Education Budget Public Hearing and Work Session, 1/25/16

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a work session at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The meeting will be aired live on Comcast Channel 96/Verizon FiOS Channel 12 and the school system website, www.ccboe.com. The agenda is subject to change and is as follows:

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

Public hearing

  • FY 2017 proposed operating budget
Work session
  •  FY 2017 proposed operating budget
Adjournment

Friday, January 15, 2016

Why Md. lawmakers won’t take up a bill to reduce student testing this year

Washington Post
By Ovetta Wiggins
January 13, 2016


It is one of the few issues that Gov. Larry Hogan and Democratic legislative leaders agree on: students are tested too much.

But it also an issue that most likely will not get addressed this year.

Hogan said Wednesday that reducing the number of tests students are required to take each year was not something that was “on our radar screens” as lawmakers returned to Annapolis for their annual
90-day legislative session.

“It’s not a priority for this session,” he said during an annual back-to-session radio show.

The governor said he agrees with the teachers union on overtesting “in general,” noting that “we don’t agree on everything every day, but that’s one we 100 percent agree on.”

Hogan said he wants to wait for a commission that is reviewing overtesting before taking action on reducing the number of tests students take.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) agreed.

The commission was created under bill that was approved during the 2015 legislative session.
Hogan named members to the commission in October. The committee has started its work and is expected to release a report in July, after the legislature has adjourned.

READ MORE HERE

Maryland State Board of Education releases student enrollment data

WBAL-TV
Tim Wooten
January 14, 2016


BALTIMORE —Even though some Maryland school systems can boast about student growth, others are being forced to close buildings.

It's all based on new data released by the state Board of Education.

Every fall, school systems take a one-day snapshot of how many students show up for classes. It determines whether that particular district is losing or gaining students.

Statewide, enrollment is up 0.6 percent to a record 879,601 students. In our region, enrollment numbers are up in Howard, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties. But that's not the case for Baltimore City, Harford County and Carroll County, where the district is set to close three schools this year.

"This enrollment projection was not unexpected," Carroll County School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie said.

Guthrie said the district has come up short more than 350 students and he expects the trend to continue.

"We've declined more rapidly than most, but it is a great concern to us not only because of the lack of students, but the lack of revenue," Guthrie said.

In spite of what the new enrollment numbers are showing, it's still hard to process for some Carroll County residents.

"I live out in Manchester and I feel like there's building out there and lots of families that are growing, so I am surprised," Carroll County resident Jackie Speights said.

"It does surprise me. I mean, with the influx of people coming in, so I would expect more kids to be around. It's not like it was when we were growing up. We had kids everywhere," Carroll County resident Glen Hawksford said.

It's been just the opposite in nearby Baltimore County. The district opened a new school in the fall and has another building on the drawing board. It's one of the many counties where school officials are keeping a very close watch on enrollment trends.

Get a closer look at statewide enrollment numbers below:

- 2015-2016 Student Publications (Maryland State Department of Education)
- Maryland Public School Enrollment report

READ MORE HERE

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 1/12/16

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, December 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, North Point High School JROTC
 
Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman
Motion for Virginia McGraw as Chair by Kelly; Second by Palko
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko
 
Motion for Mike Lukas as Vice - Chair by Kelly; Second by McGraw
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko
 
 
Correspondence/Board member updates -
  • Palko - commends entire staff on communication, contingency plan, etc during bus driver sick-out; Attended CCASC quarterly meeting impressed, topic of anti-bullying.  Thomas Stone senior interviews; Richmond Science Center kudos; IA's being pulled from classes to substitute (Hill-being addressed)
  • McGraw - Palkos request for Town Hall meeting
  • Kelly - Thank you to EACC for the legislative breakfast; BOE Centennial celebration this year. Thank you to Abell, Palko, and O'Malley-Simpson for your help.  MABE conference committee planning is underway; greater need for ELL students at the elementary level; bilingual books; teachers need access to wifi password to Google in order to communicate with ELL students better.
  • Crawford - commend Superintendent during Sick Out of drivers and thank you to all the other drivers for showing up.  EACC legislative breakfast, thank you; Veteran of Foreign Wars Awards Ceremony
  • Lukas - MABE legislative meeting.  kudos to our county because other counties are having issues.  County It's Academic team their performance to be aired April 2.
Education Association of Charles County (EACC) update - 01 12 16 EACC Update.pdf (46 KB)

Student Board member update - student update 011216.pdf (39 KB)

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program
  • PBISPresentation_BoardMeeting_Jan2016_Final.pdf (2,299 KB)
  • Palko - more students disrespectful (Snow - not more students but hose that are disrespectful are more disrespectful than they were years ago.)
  • Crawford - teachers say they cannot discipline because of suspension rates looks back. Students always want to be reward.  Shouldn't teach kids to always do something lookin for a reward.
Project status update     Construction status-2016-01.pdf (216 KB)
  
James E. Richmond Science Center - INS_JERScienceCenter Jan12_16 (2).pdf (2,962 KB)

Algebra I textbook - Alg1Textbook_Report Item.pdf (25 KB)

Proposed FY2017 operating budget -
Legislative update
  • Anticipate a very political session
  • possible increase in construction funds
  • hot issue is student assessments
  • school calendar year bills
Unfinished business
  • Kelly - Centennial Celebration
  • Palko - data on CSM articulation and remedial classes
New business
 
Future agenda items
  • Kelly - ELL program in Elementary School
  • Palko - Nanjemoy Creek Education Center
Recognition – 4:30 p.m.        
  • Resolutions:
    • Black History Month - Accepting: Student Athlete Education Program at General Smallwood Middle School - Nikell Fitzgerald, 8th grade; Leila Evans, 8th grade; Devontea Johnson, 8th grade
    • Career and Technical Education Month - Accepting: Academy of Health Professions students at North Point High School - Alyssa Raqueno, 12th grade, Olivia Hoy, 12th grade, Edward McNeil, 12th grade, Marco Viray, 12th grade
    • National School Counseling Week - Accepting: Janice Taylor, school counselor, J.P. Ryon Elementary School and Connie Ward-Johnson, school counselor, William B. Wade Elementary School
    • Gifted and Talented Education Month - Accepting: William B. Wade Elementary School: Joe Perriello, learning resource teacher and Kaelan Parkin, 5th grade; Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School: Connie Mattingly, learning resource teacher and Steve McPhee, 5th grade
  • Students - Hayley Pinggoy, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer School, Principal: Nancy Seifert; Cornell Lowe, 5th grade, Career Readiness, William B. Wade Elementary School, Principal: Kevin Jackson, Sr. ; Olivia Johnson, 8th grade, Academic Achievement, Matthew Henson Middle School, Principal: Christina Caballero; Michael Weeks, 12th grade, Personal Responsibility, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center, Principal: Evelyn Arnold
  • Staff - Sandra L. Young, special education instructional assistant, Dr. Samuel Mudd Elementary School; Jamie M. Mucciolo, fifth-grade teacher, Jenifer; Maritza Davis, secretary to the Principal, Wade; Deborah D. Luehe, media instructional assistant, Henson; Sandy L. Rooney, secretary to the principal, Stethem
Public Forum – 6 p.m. (spellings of names are simply my interpretation of the verbal announcement.)
  • David Leach - CC Bus Drivers are actually slaves.  No voice.  No representation. Work for little to no pay.
  • Keith McGurt - Upset about activity buses being cancelled.  No resolve from meeting before the holidays between drivers and Superintendent.  Being held in bondage.  Asked for the Superintendent's resignation. Free your people.
  • T. Dyson - CCPS product.  Young bus driver.  Worked for Marriott with Bachelors degree but had to return to take care of elderly grandmother.  Flexibility led him to drive buses.  Disappointed in Dr. Hill and inability to help the drivers.  Board threatened him?  Asks for a supportive contractor instead of one that throws him under the bus.
  • Shane Higgs - Spouse of Special Educator, father of 3 IEP students.  What are we doing for Special Education.  Understands budgets, trainings, demands etc.  CCPS is extremely understaffed, especially in the special education department.  16 students to one teacher?  Task organize your special ed department.  separate case management from individual education.
  • Latrina Carr - Thomas Stone Dance Team coach.  wants modification to policy regarding academic and attendance requirements so clubs are not included.  Feels since the don't receive any support from CCPS they should not have to follow the same guidelines.
  • Larissa Johnson - student at Thomas Stone High School and a member of the dance team.  against the academic eligibility policy.
Action items
Motion to accept the Executive Session Minutes by Palko; Second by Abell
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

Motion to accept the December Minutes by Marshall; Second by Palko
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
Motion to accept System Goals by Abell; Second by Marshall
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko
 
Adjournment

Tuesday, January 05, 2016

Agenda for Board of Education Meeting, 1/12/15

The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 12, 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. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system website at www.ccboe.com. The following is a meeting agenda and is subject to change.
 
Executive session – 12 p.m.
 
Call to order – 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, North Point High School JROTC
 
Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman
 
Superintendent’s update
 
Reports of officers/board/committees
  • Correspondence/Board member updates
  • Education Association of Charles County (EACC) update
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) update
  • Student Board member update
  • Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program
  • Project status update       
  • James E. Richmond Science Center
  • Algebra I textbook       
  • Proposed FY2017 operating budget
  • Legislative update
 Unfinished business
 
New business
 
Future agenda items
 
Recognition – 4:30 p.m.        
  • Resolutions: Black History Month; Career and Technical Education Month; National School Counseling Week; and Gifted and Talented Education Month
  • Students       
  • Staff
Public Forum – 6 p.m.
 
Action items
  • Minutes
  • Personnel
  • System goals
 
Adjournment