Ready, Willing and Abell: Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 8/13/19

The Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, August 13 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 – 10:30 a.m.

Call to order – 12 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent’s update - Report

Correspondence/Board Member updates

Battle-Lockhart – Summer graduations
Hancock – Summer Graduations; July attended swim meet to deliver certificates; Thank you to Dr. Hill for putting discipline first
Brown – AVID Training; Attracting and Retaining Top Talent Seminar; NSWC apprenticeship program; Commissioner Stewart Back to School Fiesta
Wilson – Avid Leadership Institute; Attracting and Retaining Top Talent Seminar – onboarding coaching feedback; NSWC Apprentice Program – expand; Summer graduation; Kudos to Welcome Back to School Safety; Congratulations to Lt. Col. Johnathan Brown for Crystal Apple Award from vet to another; discipline is a serious topic; Student members let us know if there is events you want us to attend.
Lukas – July 15 – NPHS MSDE Fine Arts Advisory Council;
Abell – Rocktoberfest on October 5^th. Please come visit me as lead bartender at the beer truck
McGraw – NSWC Apprenticeship program amazing, SEAP; Thank you to Dr. Hill for the activities and trainings provided to staff over the summer; Restorative practices training; MABE board of directors meeting on discipline. New member of MSDE, Warren Sumter (former MABE President),

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

Contract signing

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

Student Board Member update - Report

Project status update - Report

Lukas – what budgets are used; capital projects use CIP budget and smaller maintenance projects are part of operating budget

Summer projects - Report

McGraw – Looking at school, whats happening with construction on left hand side? Connect
Wilson – Opening Ceremonies; Oct 11 for Mudd; 4/17 Billingsley
Hancock – Mudd new additions SRC? 542 approximately, being re-evaluated and may be 585
Hancock – Stoddert renovations, special needs student’s entry (long walk); separate entrance
Lukas – possibility of using bond from commissioners for some one time projects

School seat allocations - Report

Abell – push for changes to the APFO at the county government. We should have a task force to address.
McGraw – yes, we need to be proactive and make a task force within the school system.
Hancock – Agrees with everything and a question about SRC on graph
Lukas – APFO should also focus on funding and increasing capacity.

Motion to start an internal CCPS APFO task force to include staff and request chair to contact commissioners and request reconvening the previous APFO task force by Abell; Second by Hancock

Yes = Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson

McGraw – Ms. Abell willing to serve on this task force? yes

FY 2020 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) state and local program - Report

Hancock – don’t see any immediate or long term relief for Somers. County wide redistricting.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) update - Report

Lukas – estimated cost of software; investment for the next 32 years…$3M-$6M.
Battle-Lockhart – sounds exciting. Will cause reduction on salaries.
Abell – Just went through this with March of Dimes. Year long process with hurdles but so well worth it.
Hancock – Good use of time and finances to streamline processes and thank you to your team

Recurring resolutions: American Education Week; American Freedom Week; Black History Month; Gifted and Talented Education Month; Career and Technology 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 Principal of the Year awards program; Charles County Teacher of the Year; Washington Post Teacher of the Year awards program; and Be the Difference awards program.

Woods (student board member) – Presented 3 new resolutions for consideration, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month

Unfinished business

McGraw - Announcement of violation of Opening Meetings Act on June 3^rd and June 13^th.
Community Town Hall dates – Oct. 21 or Oct. 28
Abell – request the 28^th and keep on regular work session dates. Also please add to all works sessions to board calendars.

New business

Equity policy, Board representation – Lukas and Battle-Lockhart volunteered
Superintendent Contract to increase salary and post-retirement benefits

Lukas – cannot vote in favor of post-retirement benefits

Motion to amend the Superintendent’s Contract for a change in salary and post-retirement benefits by Brown; Second by Wilson

Yes = Brown, Hancock, McGraw, Wilson; No = Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Lukas

Future agenda items

Abell – Financial Literacy Update with the suggestions offered by the students during public forum
Wilson – Community Schools…what are they and how can grow and utilize.
Wilson - JumpStart Summer Program.
Wilson – Reading Programs
Wilson – AVID Program
Wilson – ROTC Programs
Battle-Lockhart – AlphaBest presentation and review of program
Abell – Be The Hero program
Hancock – how to get involved as community members either financially or mentoring
Wilson – how to conduct voter registration; at project graduation table is set up. Could become political

Public Forum – 3:30 p.m. (Names are spelled to the best of my ability)

Ian Heard – Student. Financial Literacy. Thankful for the class. Confused on the future of course. Wants clarity on the changes being implemented. Create a financial literacy workshop on the last four days of the school year that are underutilized as is.
Sylvia Saveto – CCPS parent and intervention advocate. Child was helped with early intervention at the Gwynn Center. Early intervention is key.
Asha Patel – Student, financial literacy. Take FL last four days of school is needed.
Kalise Taylor – student. Financial literacy. Is very instrumental and needed. Best for the last four half days of school.
Eric Taylor – parent. Thank you for allowing the students to come and speak.

Action items

Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes of June 3^rd by Hancock; Second by Wilson