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Notes from Board of Education Meeting 11/12/19
The Board of Education Meetingl on Tuesday, November 12 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. Individual names are spelled to the best of my ability.
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
Education Association of Charles County update - Report- Battle-Lockhart - All County Performances; CTE Program Tours; Task Force Training; Cheer Competition; Community Town Hall; CTE Advisory Council and Dinner; LPBA Check Presentation, Economic Development Summit
- Hancock - Career Day at Piccowaxen; LPBA Presentation, Policy 8000 Committee Meetings, Veterans Day Parade, Consumer, Science Teachers visited Hancock Farms
- Abell - Economic Development Summit; Community Town Hall, LPBA Check Presentation, APFO Internal Committee met and reviewed the history and stats, MABE Budget Committee meeting coming up on 11/22.
- Lukas - All County Performance, LPBA Check Presentation, Turkey Trot, ESOL Night, Thank you Chick Fil A, PAC Meeting, Educators Rising, Chess Tournament, Thank you Mr. Cunningham
- Wilson - Economic Development Summit, Educators Rising Ceremony, Turkey Trot, Community Town Hall, All Count Performances, College Application Week @ Stone, ESOL Community Night, Lackey "Shakespeare in Hollywood", Mitchell Veterans Day Ceremony, Farming 4 Hunger tower gardens at elementary schools, Federal Impact Surveys - please complete them
- Brown - In addition to everything already mentioned, CSM Advisory Council, First Adult Education Graduation at CSM, MSEA Convention
- McGraw - Scholarships - two added, range from $250 - $10k, First Adult Education Graduation at CSM,
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update
Student Board member update - Report
Elementary homework update - Report
- Battle-Lockhart - did you receive any negative feedback from teachers. Yes
- Lukas - Assessment vs Product....classwork = process; Assessment = Product; Standardized assessments aren't part of the grade
- Abell - graded vs, corrected; new Supt Rule requires all assignments to be returned to parents within two weeks.
- Woods - (student board member) Feedback from students as well.
- Hancock - Will students and parents still feel compelled to complete homework if its not being graded.
- Wilson - How can we expand the program and provide more support. (need more exposure to middle school students; better educate counselors)
- If in STI Program there is not enough room in schedule to take JROTC also
- Lukas - comparison to other counties/states; 10% of population must enroll or lose program
Project status update - Report
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) update - Report
Legislative Update - Report
- Kirwan Commission - 4 billion in funding (see chart in Report); none from charles county gov
- Bill to Learn Act - passed house but not senate; coming around again - provide $2B for school construction. controversy with IAC funding formula, most going to select counties (not Charles)
- Abell - Will local government have the option to select categories (buckets) of funding they want to enact or not enact?
- Lukas - Sentiment he guesses is that either you take all of the money and cannot select a specific category
- Hancock - $$ Amount we would get for school construction if bill moves forward as is. (Hard to tell yet but suggested it's less than what we get through IAC)
Unfinished business
- Resolution discussion - Report
- Wood - asked what happened to his original resolution
- After much discussion and review of Minutes from the September board meeting both drafts are ready for discussion and an action item by the board.
- Abell - reiterate that I do not vote for resolutions because you will always leave out a segment of the population.
- Wood - very passionate about his submission
- Hancock - Not suitable for young children
- Brown - agrees with Abell but thinks this diversity resolution is inclusive of all.
New business
- Intercategory budget changes: Fresh Start Academy and Food and Nutrition Services - Report
Motion to accept the Budget Changes by Abell; Second by Lukas
Yes=Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson
- Fund balance transfer for ERP system - Report
Motion to accept the transfer by Lukas; Second by Wilson
Yes=Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson
Future Agenda Items
- Lukas - DRAFT of board policy on Equity almost ready to come before the board. But need to wait on the Rule but need it on the radar.
- Lukas - Frederick County Schools presentation on the Links Program. The board may be interested in seeing it.
- Battle-Lockhart - Wants to look at the challenge nation wide regarding meal shaming. What would it cost to treat all students regardless of account balance with same meal.
- Woods - Fine and Performing Arts Opportunities to students.
Recognition – 4:30 p.m.
- Students - Ashani Davis, senior; Personal Responsibility; Thomas Stone High School, Principal: Shanif Pearl; Brady Freundel, Grade 8; Academic Achievement; General Smallwood middle School, Principal: Brenda Tillotson; Shirley Luu, Grade 5; Academic Achievement; William A. Diggs Elementary School, Principal: Debra Calvert; Logan Bivens, Grade 5; Career Readiness; J.P.Ryon Elementary School, Principal: Melinda Johnson
- Staff - Sabryna Valen, ESOL teacher, Stone; Christine Trest, learning resource teacher, Smallwood; Amanda Nadeau, second-grade teacher, Diggs; Bianca Watson, fifth-grade teacher, Ryon; Renard Barnes, special education instructional assistant, F.B. Gwynn Educational Center
Public Forum – 6 p.m.
- Sean Heyl - Teacher at McDonough; thank you for doors at McDonough and numbering exits; elementary school teachers being abused by students and having classrooms evacuated. Secondary PTSD of other students being abused in the classroom Aggression is at an all time high. Fresh Start Academy, thank you but we need something NOW. We are going to lose some of the most enthusiastic teachers in the county. Shouldn't evacuate the other students. Please help my peers. Doesnt help the kid in the crisis or the other students.
- Patty Stine - Early Childhood Advisory Council; Charles County students ranked 4th from the bottom in Kindergarten readiness. Council is here to help. All counties have one. Funded by race to the top funds which ran out. Council has now been reactivated by $25,000 grant from the state. comprised of members of the communities from many agencies.
- Hiba Kahn - Sophomore at McDonough HS. Talked about mental health, suicide rates, depression. Propose solution. Mental Health Unit needs to be embedded in curriculum. Increase awareness on a broad level to staff, students, and parents. Education at all grade levels. raise awarenss and show students they are supported. Please consider my proposal and I'm willing to help with implementation.
Action items
Motion to accept the Minutes by Abell; Second by Wilson
Yes=Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson
Motion to accept the Minutes by Abell; Second by Brown
Yes=Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson
- Personnel
Motion to accept Personnel by Brown; Second by Hancock
Yes=Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson
Motion to accept the Legislative Positions by Abell; Second by Lukas
Yes=Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson
No motion brought forward ; FAILED
Motion to accept the Resolution by Hancock; Second by Brown
- Lukas requesting changes.
- Remove "every" from second paragraph and fix tense;
- Remove "of children" in fifth paragraph.
- Seventh Paragraph "create a continuum of diversity and inclusion in schools".
- Eighth paragraph - "continue to respect the value of all cultures and lifestyles
Motion to accept the amendments to the motion by Lukas; Second by Hancock
Yes= Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain=Abell; Battle-Lockhart
Original Motion
Yes= Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain=Abell; Battle-Lockhart
Motion to add LGBTQ + Pride Month to the school calendar by Wilson; Second by Lukas
Yes= Battle-Lockhart; Brown, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain=Abell; Hancock
Yes= Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain=Abell; Battle-Lockhart
Original Motion
Yes= Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain=Abell; Battle-Lockhart
Motion to add LGBTQ + Pride Month to the school calendar by Wilson; Second by Lukas
Yes= Battle-Lockhart; Brown, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain=Abell; Hancock
