Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 10/10/17

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, October 10 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 – Henry E. Lackey High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Correspondence/board member updates

• McGraw - Indian Head lunch for Homegrown Week; MABE Conference enjoyed; EACC Age of Innocence informative
• Crawford - 10/19 Unified Tennis Tournament at Thomas Stone at 3
• Abell - 9/26 EACC Innocence Stolen Seminar was very informative but not well attended; MABE Conference highlighted sessions on Gang Violence and Undocumented Students; Nanjemoy Heritage Day, thank you Mt. Hope Nanjemoy staff for volunteering; Rocktoberfest put on by LaPlata Business Association with proceeds to CCPS Fine Arts; Training by Center for Children Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children very informative
• Kelly- Thank you to board members attending MABE conference; JC Parks ASPIRE classroom and strings practice; Lackey visit; LPHS marching band performed at Matula; Parent Conferences yesterday; review police access to schools
• Palko - education building at fair was awesome; EACC session, consider showing at PAC; Lunch at Malcolm; MABE Conference DLLR vendor fliers on adult education & GED Program
• Lukas - MABE Conference; Block Party at Stoddert; Rocktoberfest

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update - Report

Student board member update - Report

Human resources update - Report

• 38 job fairs in 15 states; two in-county job fairs
• screened over 1,500 applicants; hired 284; 201 MD certificate
• 14 % new teachers; 74.2% female; 96 African American
• retention rate up to 87.4%; most leave to teach in another school district
• continue to target colleges with education program, quality candidates that stay at CCPS; build relationships with the faculties
• retention includes check-ins, mentors, collaboration, observance, peer-to-peer
• Palko - how many of our recent hires are from the TAM Program.
• Lukas - are the places we recruit at different then years ago
• Campbell - There is typically more recruiters than applicants
• McGraw - are we doing social activities, housing information, banking information

Overview of grading guidelines - Report

• Current practice in place for 4 years.
• Elem.- 50% classwork; 40% assessment; 10% homework
• MS - 0-59% is an F
• HS - too but one school piloted no one gets an F.
• At Lackey and Stone if nothing is turned in it's a 0.  if effort is made 50%
• St. Charles gives actual percent earned until end and if below 50% they get a 50%.
• PE, Music, Art - 25% Skills and Performance; 25% class/homework; 50% safety & participation
• changing to 50% process 50% product must have a minimum of 5 assignments in each category each quarter.
• Next meeting Nov. 10th at 2:30; will also be looking at how GPA's are determined.  

Project status update - Report

• See report for project updates

Projected enrollments for school year 2018-19 - Report 1; Report 2 

• Enrollment analysis (report 2) shows only the elementary schools affected by the rezoning and delay of the new elementary school.

FY 2017 Independent financial audit, Clifton Larsen Allen, LLP - Report

• all normal, nothing to note

Proposed 2018 legislative positions - Report

Unfinished business

• Commissioner recognition - thank you letter for funding training
• Kirwan Commission update - Palko on committee; funding formula is outdated and addresses how to have a world class education system

New business and Future agenda items

• New business
  • Joint Board of Education/College of Southern Maryland meeting agenda items
  • Dual enrollment; new CTE Coordinator at CSM; are CCPS students ready or do they need remedial courses; new presidents vision
  • Open Meetings Act designation
  • Abell, Palko, Kelly, McGraw, Lukas have all completed the training
• Future agenda items
• Abell - Tri-County Board of Education meeting
• McGraw - Presentation on equity
• Palko - Review of goals and strategy and stakeholders
• Lukas - Update on new process for project funding

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Resolutions
• American Education Week: Accepting:  Katie Willett, alternate student Board member, Henry E. Lackey High School;Jordyn Best, student liaison, North Point High School; Elizabeth Braziel, student liaison, Thomas Stone High School; Joyah Magee, student liaison, Maurice J. McDonough High School; Robert Jonathan Moss, student liaison, St. Charles High School; Thomas Rahill, student liaison, Westlake High School; Shaun Burroughs, student liaison, La Plata High School; Education Association of Charles County (EACC) representatives; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) representatives
• American Freedom Week: Accepting:  Army Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Salyers, senior, Maurice McDonough High School; Air Force Cadet Brandon Taylor, junior, Henry E. Lackey High School; Navy Cadet Seaman Rosemari Kieser, freshman, La Plata High School; Marines Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Maya Young, senior, St. Charles High School

• Students
• Carlos Eldridge, Jr., eleventh-grade, Academic Achievement, Westlake High School, Principal: Michael Meiser
• Liumotumotua'an (Liu) Aumavae, eighth-grade, Academic Achievement, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, Principal: Kim McClarin
• Izabella Krebs, fifth-grade, Personal Responsibility, Indian Head Elementary School, Principal: Timothy Rosin
• Casey Shamenek, fifth-grade, Career Readiness, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, Principal: William Miller
• Employees
• Catherine Powell, school counselor, Indian Head
• Monica Halloran, fifth-grade teacher, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy
• Velvet Gipson, instructional specialist, Davis
• Lori Sanchez, secretary to the principal, Westlake
• Miriam Ratcliffe, special education teacher, F.B. Gwynn Educational Center, Principal: Daphne

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Maureen Meers - 1 in 5 students have dyslexia.  October is awareness month.  What can we as a district do to help our students.  Administrators and teachers must be informed.  Screening is needed.  Wants resolution for dyslexia. Decoding Dyslexia
• Tracey Wolf - Charles County Chapter Decoding Dyslexia; early screening, identification, assistive technology
• Kim Young - 50/50 grading system; concerned standard is going down.  Needs more information.  Checked other counties and they don't.  Cross county transfers of continuity is a concern.  Wants to know how parents and students will be selected for the upcoming committee.
• Derrick Terry - Current health curriculum updates?  Thinks current one is watered down.  Has a free workshop he invited everyone to attend.
• Dionne Morgan - What is the threshold for class sizes in Title 1 schools?  Two sons they have 27 and 29 students in a class room.  Child at Stoddert, standardized testing allowed to go to bathroom during testing but wont be given time back.  Where is the Policy for parents to see this and this could impact student performance.
• Jason Delizio - friends child was punched in the throat at Mitchell Elementary today and didn't notify the parents.  Thanks to Dr. Hill & Jennifer Abell for assisting me and my son with an incident that happened off of school grounds.

Action items

• Minutes - September 12, 2017; September 25, 2017

Motion to accept the Minutes by Abell; Second by McGraw

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

• Personnel 

Motion to accept Personnel by Abell; Second by Marshall

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

• FY 2018 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan - Action Item

Motion to accept the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan by Abell; Second by Kelly

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

• Policy 1000 revisions - Policy 1000

Motion to accept Policy 1000 Revisions by Kelly; Second by Abell

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

Adjournment