Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 12/11/18

The Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, December 11 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 – 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance – Westlake High School

Recognition of student state winner

• Bailey Davis, tenth-grade, North Point High School; 2018 Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) Golf Championships; Class 3A/4A Girl's Individual Competition; Individual State Champion

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Correspondence/board member updates - 

• McGraw - It's Academic, Col. Wade Military Ball, MABE Board of Directors meeting, Thank you to outgoing board  members
• Crawford - Memories and thank you
• Kelly - Middle School Archery Tournament; thank you
• Marshall - Juvenile Services Education System MSDE; thank you
• Lukas - Ditto events; winter sports; congrats to NP football team; CC Arts Alliance; thank you
• Abell - MABE Budget Committee, 2.5% increase in dues for FY20202; thank you
• Palko - Senior Interviews; Culinary Arts Students; Thank you

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

Student Board member’s update - Report Polar Plunge 1/24

Grant funding use to enhance instruction - Report

• Kelly - Dyslexia Portion of Grant = Just Words; Parent Center at Gwynn Center

Student suspension: the data, the law and the alternatives - Report

• MD Law - 7-305.1 - PK-grade 2 cannot be suspended; very specific exceptions
• MD Law -  13A.08.01.11 Principal of a school can only suspend up to 10 days.  School is still required to provide work and we have to accept it.
• Reportable offense law- 73 crimes are reportable offenses in MD.  If under the age of 22, law has to report to school system.  Principal and system decides if it is safe for student to attend school.  If not safe, alternative education is provided under Safe Schools.  Could be home schooled.  If the student commits one of the 73 offenses AT THE SCHOOL...it is not a reportable offense and Safe Schools does not apply. (This has GOT to change.)
• If they are Special Education - we cannot educate them in an alternative environment. 
• Alternative Program for elementary school students to open next school year on Stetham campus
• Matthew Henson has a program called Huskies.  Suspension numbers have decreased YOY.  Therapeutic component, in school education.  A whole team of support to keep them in the building.  
• Abell - Who can get to the discipline/incidents stats in Synergy? Principals/teachers = yes; Tracking incidents and suspensions compared to other years...tracking below; Suggest transportation aids or other adults for Alternative Program for elementary students.; Huskies program similar to in school suspension with therapeautic component.
• Lukas - Reportable Offense Law pertain to field trips, sporting events, etc.  because they can get school dscipline.  Synergy referrals are parents notified?  Yes.
• McGraw - negotiated agreement states a conference with school, student, parents.  Hollstein - only if teacher requests and on severe incidents.
• Kelly - Special Ed - have to educate in our facilities - does it have to be there home school - no.  Parent Shadowing parents not taking advantage - why?  need to collect more hard data is that they cant take off work.  Similar to SHIELD at high school.  

Project updates - PRESENTATION POSTPONED UNTIL JANUARY

• Project Status Report December 2018
• Supporting Services Report December 2018

Health insurance update - Report

Unfinished business - NONE

New business - NONE

Future agenda items

• Abell - Board Member Retreat

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Ja'Nae Pickeral, twelfth-grade; Personal Responsibility; La Plata High School; Principal: Douglass Dolan; Steven McPhee, eighth-grade; Academic Achievement; Piccowaxen Middle School; Principal: Wendell Martin; Brandon Lin; fifth-grade; Personal Responsibility; Berry Elementary School; Principal: Louis D'Ambrosio; Anthony Cave; fifth-grade; Career Readiness; Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School; Principal: Kathleen Morgan; Tre'Joir Washington; third-grade; Academic Achievement; Eva Turner Elementary School; Principal: Ingrid Williams-Horton
• Employees - Jennifer Joyner, theater arts teacher; La Plata; Maggie Fitzgerald, Spanish teacher; Piccowaxen; Eileen Holden, third-grade teacher; Berry; Laura Kelly, art teacher; Higdon; Keith Juarez, technology facilitator; Turner

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Christy Wright - bus safety, distracted motorists, misconduct on bus, vulgar language.  safety issues, she drives her own kids to school.  Need another adult on the bus as a monitor.  Volunteer bus monitors if there isnt enough funds.
• Melissa Williams - teacher at Somers Middle School, views and support from speech last month has been overwhelming.    Hard to get high fliers out of the building.  We understand it's state law but there is maybe 5 at each school.  Use Stethem.  Not set number of days.  Discipline problem is not happening everywhere and accept our problem.  why is it up to teachers to come up with a solution.  Charles County is in a crisis situation.  
• Yolanda Michelle Coleman-Brown - mother of 6 in Charles County for years.  Twins in middle school and one in high school.  concerned with discipline and lack of pipe lining, lack of intervention.  Not utilizing all of our resources.  Child was suspended and she is very concerned.  Suspension is not the answer.  Boys across all races are bot being treated fairly.  Communication is not getting out to parents.  PPW, Tri-County Youth Services, Charles County Mediation Services.

Action items

·         Minutes

Motion to accept the minutes by Kelly; Second by McGraw

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

·         Personnel

Motion to accept Personnel by Marshall; Second by Kelly

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

·         Grading policy #5132.2

Motion to accept Policy 5132.2 by Kelly; Second by Lukas

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

Adjournment 

Board of Education announces December 11 agenda

The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 11 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. 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 Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) website, www.ccboe.com. Click on the middle of the main page to start the live streaming. The following agenda is tentative and subject to change.

Executive session – 11 a.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance – Westlake High School

Recognition of student state winner

Superintendent’s update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

·         Correspondence/board member updates

·         Education Association of Charles County update

·         American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update

·         Student Board member’s update

·         Grant funding use to enhance instruction

·         Student suspension: the data, the law and the alternatives

·         Project updates

·         Health insurance update

Unfinished business

New business and Future agenda items

·         New business

·         Future agenda items

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

·         Students

·         Employees

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

·         Minutes

·         Personnel

·         Grading policy #5132.2

Adjournment 

Maryland releases new report card, rating system

Maryland has changed its school report card using a new format that shows how schools across the state are doing. Today, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released the new report card, which grades schools on academic performance and growth as well as school quality.

Every Maryland public school receives a final score measuring its performance on the state’s new accountability system. Scores show how a school is doing in comparison to others in the state. Each Maryland public school also received a star rating, based on a 1 to 5 scale. All Charles County schools earned three or more stars. Three schools received five stars, 24 schools earned four stars and 10 schools received three stars. Each school’s score measures specific indicators, such as success and growth on state tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics, progress in achieving English language proficiency for English learners, chronic absenteeism, preparation for postsecondary success, access to a well-rounded curriculum and graduation rate.

Elementary schools could earn a maximum of 85 percent on the 2017-18 report card. The combined Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) elementary score is 67 percent with no school earning less than three stars. Elementary accountability results are based on academic achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) and math, student growth in ELA and math, completion of a well-rounded curriculum and progress in achieving English language (EL) proficiency. Additionally, the report card includes chronic absenteeism, measured by the percent of students not chronically absent, and access to a well-rounded curriculum.

Middle school scores are based on a maximum of 83 points. CCPS middle schools combined score is 58 percent. Indicators for middle school include achievement in ELA and math, growth in ELA and math, completion of a well-rounded curriculum, progress in achieving EL proficiency, chronic absenteeism and access to a well-rounded curriculum.

CCPS high schools scored 66 points out of a possible 90 points. High school indicators include academic achievement in ELA and math, high school graduation rate, progress in achieving EL proficiency, percentage of ninth graders on track to graduate, chronic absenteeism and access to a well-rounded curriculum.

“We will use this information to target areas of growth for each school so that schools continue to improve every year. The new report card makes the information easier for parents to understand and sets clear accountability measures. Every school in our district has strengths and areas that need improvement,” Superintendent Kimberly A. Hill said.

School reports may be found on MSDE’s Report Card website at MdReportCard.org and additional information is posted on the CCPS website at  https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/new-maryland-report-card.

Charles County Public Schools Star Ratings 

Five Stars

·         James Craik Elementary School, T.C. Martin Elementary School and North Point High School

Four Stars

·         Paul Barnhart Elementary School, Berry Elementary School, William A. Diggs Elementary School, Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, Indian Head Elementary School, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School, Malcolm Elementary School, Mary H. Matula Elementary School, Arthur Middleton Elementary School, Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, Mary B. Neal Elementary School, J.C. Parks Elementary School, William B. Wade Elementary School, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, Mattawoman Middle School, Piccowaxen Middle School, Henry E. Lackey High School, La Plata High School. Maurice J. McDonough High School, St. Charles High School and Westlake High School

Three Stars

·         Gustavas Brown Elementary School, J.P. Ryon Elementary School, Eva Turner Elementary School, John Hanson Middle School, Matthew Henson Middle School, General Smallwood Middle School, Milton M. Somers Middle School, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, Thomas Stone High School and Robert D. Stethem Educational Center

Two Stars

·         None

One Star

·         None