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Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 8/9/16
The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, August 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 – 11 a.m.
Call to order – 12 p.m. - Pledge of AllegianceExecutive session – 11 a.m.
Superintendent’s update - Superintendent's report August 2016.docx (17 KB)
Correspondence/Board Member updates
- Kelly - watch for buses; 100th anniversary update...look for us at the fair, October 1 at the Richmond Science Center, October 2 at the one room school house. Requested follow up on sveral previously discussed items.
- Palko - financial literacy, received email from Dr. Cox at Towson; invited by bus contractors to visit and did so at Koch, very informative.
- Marshall - Read poem from grandson
- McGraw- appointed to state adult education task force; reviewed MABE committees and appointees
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update - verbal update provided John Groat; AFSME now offers Associate degrees to employees and families in specific areas.
Student Board Member update - student board memberr update.pdf (149 KB)
Review of Maryland’s use of assessment and testing in public schools - CCPS_Assessment_Overview.pdf (275 KB)
- Focus on formative assessments
- District Committee of teachers, parents, stakeholders, etc. to be formed
- Questionable as to why students with IEP cannot have their specific accommodations during PARCC testing. mandated by COMAR not decided by us
Project status update - Construction status-2016-08R.pdf (224 KB)
- Love the new report format
Oral update on staffing - Staffing Status 8.8.2016.pdf (339 KB)
- 96 vacancies - mainly in Math, Science and Special Education
- Due to late notification of resignations ; not just us, nationwide
- Still hiring and concentrating on recruitment and retention
Unfinished business
- Palko - Needs information on our adult ed population in Charles County and per pupil expenses for her to take to the state task force meeting
- Kelly - status on PPO Council, Mentor survey results, status on summer gym
Future agenda items
- Marshall - Policy 6000 completion; transgender bathroom issue
- Gene Kirsch - no religion in schools is a myth. Satan is infiltrating all aspects of society. Normalization of satanic values. Satanic laws are being passed by the federal government. Transgenderism is an abomination.
- MaryAnn Linker - Support contractor owned buses. Worked for 11 years in PG county and likes the privately owned bus system in Charles County much better. Contractor has a vested interest in their buses and drivers. Issues are addressed in a timely manner.
- John Melnenson - Concerned parent and graduate of Lackey. 15yo and 5yo daughter. cannot believe we would vote to have transgender students in the bathrooms with his daughters. Opening the door to pedophiles. Doctors just trying to make a buck will diagnosis them as transgenders. Goes against the laws of mother nature. God help you if you don't change this.
- Karen Cross - transgender policy...everyone has a different definition for compassion. Creates confusion and division amongst us and our children. Beliefs and opinions and have been spread as truths. Read scripture from Matthew. Please reconsider and help these children accept who they are the way God made them.
- Christa Fawls - Mother of 7. what are we going to do because school will be starting soon. schools are not prepared to accommodate the number of children that will be requesting private bathrooms and changing rooms. why even have dress codes because everything will be revealed in the locker rooms. Love everyone but don't contribute to their delusions.
- Chris Fawls - reality is bigger than a policy at school. not just about the transgender individual. It is a mental ailment/conflict. County in Virginia won a reprieve just last week because the stood up.
- Crystal Rajesky - transgender policy. locker rooms and bathrooms used to be private. anyone can dress as they wish. children will now be forced to find individual bathrooms.
- Ellen Blumhart - transgender policy. concerned about the logistics for the students and don't believe we can accommodate them. doesn't thing this is the best policy for any of the students. believe that these students need support and we provide support
- Mark Koch - Koch trucking...speaking for bus contractors. priority is safety of school children. referenced the boe survey. contractors are concerned the consultants are not reviewing the correct and adequate data. wants representation with the consultants. wants equitable representation. rate of return presented by ccps staff are not correct.3
- Jessica Rainey - Owner/Operator bus company. 9 buses and 12 employees. concerned about inadequate contract with operating costs. include the small businesses in the transportation study and realize they have gone 3 years without an increase.
- Norman Sheff - Sheff bus service. 20 employees. board does not understand the costs and maintenance required to run a bus service. tires for a bus is $2k+. add in oil, filters, brakes, rotors, crossing gates, thermostats, diesel emissions fluids. contract payment for maintenance does not cover the cost of the actual maintenance. wants to be included in study and wants us to look at contract.
- Joe Roberts - school contractor. PVA payment is not inflated like the auditors state. doesn't even provide enough to cover the bus payment much less than the employee benefits and company expenses. model Calvert county. administrative fees.
- Richard Pope - bus contractor. father taught him to be honest and fair. life of a bus used to be 10 years. then it changed to 12 years. then it changed to 15 years. that is a long time to keep a bus in running order and safe. You can buy a bus but you have to have good employees, managers, secretary's, etc. safety is number one. thank you for coming down.
- Keith McGirt - representing bus drivers. did a survey and asked how many drivers could afford to purchase a house or to send a child to college and not one of them could. shouldn't need 3-4 jobs to send a child to college. Needs improvement in benefits and salaries.
- Chris Ogney - Pastor with 4 daughters. wants to know when the transgender item will be on the agenda. thousands of children are being taught that biology does not dictate gender. wants an opportunity to discuss the policies and vote so everyone can see which board members are on which side.
- Calvin Compton - bus contractor. Drivers health insurance policy history. ccps pays 60%, driver pays 20% and company pays 20% of a $10,000 annual bill. just about 10 years ago the company only had to pay $250. do not take away the fuel refund.
• Minutes - 061416 brdmin GOOD.pdf (263 KB)062716 work session brd min GOOD.pdf (150 KB)
Motion to accept the minutes by Abell; Second by Marshall
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko
• Personnel
Motion to accept the personnel by Kelly; Second by Lukas
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko
• Financial literacy- Proposal #1 - workshop model - 9-11th grade - last 4 days of the school year; 3-5th grade, 6-8th grade
- Proposal #2 - leave as is, required during school or Novell during the year or summer school. $50 fee refunded if passed
Motion to accept the financial literacy proposal 2 by Palko; Second by Marshall
Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko
Adjournment
