Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 7/14/20

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, July 14 was conducted via teleconference and streamed live on ccboe.com and aired live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOs Channel 12.  The meeting 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.

Reports of officers/boards/committees

• School seat allocations - Report
• Hancock - requests parents to pay attention to this new proposed legislation; concerned about this and the lack of public content available and lack of public knowledge and communication about these changes.
• Lukas - decision should include stakeholders and will end up opening the flood gates for school population.  Two terms ago we had a better APFO combined committee.  Unhappy with the commissioners and the decisions they are making regarding this and the lack of communication to stakeholders.
• Wilson - Same sentiments as Hancock and Lukas. Suggest county commissioners to reconsider moving forward on this topic for more transparency and allow more stakeholders input.  More collaboration between Board of Ed and Commissioners.  Implications of proposal will be huge on the school system.  
• Brown - Agree with fellow colleagues.
• Abell - Urge community to pay attention to what the commissioners are proposing.  Lack of collaboration.
• Battle-Lockhart - Collaboration is imperative.  We need you the community to support the Board of Ed and this is happening quickly.  Attend and pay attention to commissioners meeting. 
• McGraw - agree with all comments.  Class sizes and overcrowding will affect the quality of education.  Would like the opportunity to share our comments with our commissioners.  
• CCPS local recovery plan overview - Report
• Option 1 = All virtual; Option 2 = Bring back special population; Option 3 = Bring back PK-2nd and special population; Option 4 = AABB days for all population; Option 5 = All back
• Abell - Phases as opposed to options.  Presentations not on BoardDocs, the one that is doesn't match the Options presented; not prepared to vote on this today.  Multiple children in family all on LIVE classrooms?  Bandwidth or internet issues?  Not with hotspots.
• Lukas - Staff recommends Option 2?  Yes; staffing and logistics will be difficult; Was suppose to vote on in August and now in July; Athletics will be gradually resumed through Governors Phase 3 plan. Just bringing back all staff is a lot of people back in the buildings.
• Hancock - no more packets and good to hear technology available to all students; Childcare for staff?  Yes, included in Option 2.  Sick staff (not COVID) how would they teach?  Substitutes will still be utilized.   If staff has ability and technology to conduct class from home, why wouldnt we give them that option?  It will be addressed with staff on a case by case basis.  
• Herd - conducted survey of students in HS and MS.  85% said the learned less digitally.  43% said mental impact negatively 42% had a hard time getting questions answered. 84% wanted to go back in person.  If digital what platform would you use and 45% wanted interactive.  Staff should have conducted a student survey.  Also student comments have not been included in public comments on website.  Why are we not listening to our students.
• Battle-Lockhart - needs presentations to make decision.  can we find out how many teachers want to do virtual vs classroom so we know how much staff we have before making a decision.  Thank you to Ian for sharing students opinions.  
• McGraw - thank you to staff for putting this together.
• Wilson - agrees with staff to open using Option 2.  
• Lukas - how many students are we talking in Option 2?  7600 will pull numbers.  Survey questions, results broken down?  
• Battle-Lockhart - AlphaBest, are they going to be operating in schools?  Yes. Number of kids per staff member has been decreased.  
• Herd - David vs. Goliath.  BOE has to face COVID without fear and let students go back to school.  Cannot support Option 2 because only 15% of students support this option.  
• Lukas - Agrees option 2 is the best way to open schools but not at this time.
• Hancock - What would the Gwynn Center look  like under Option 2?  In person may not be offered to all students such as Infants and Toddlers.

Motion to accept school reopening plans for Option 2 by Wilson; Second by Brown

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

MOTION FAILS

Motion to accept school reopening plans for Option 1 with movement to Option 2 as soon as possible by Hancock; Second by Lukas

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

 Public forum

• Email written comments to boardmail@ccboe.com

Action items

• Future school site approval

Motion to accept future school site by Lukas; Second by Wilson

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

• Personnel

Motion to accept personnel by Abell; Second by Brown

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

• EACC and AFSCME contract signing

Motion to accept EACC and AFSCME contracts by Abell; Second by Lukas

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

 Adjournment