Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 8/11/20

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, August 11 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 – 11:30 a.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.  

Superintendent’s update - Report

Board Member correspondence - None

Education Association of Charles County (EACC) update, Linda McLaughlin, president - Report

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) update, Sarah Burch, president - Report

Student Board Member update, Ian Herd, La Plata High School - Report

Reopening Plan

• Reopening Plan FAQs
• About the Reopening Plan
• Reopening Plan
• Reopening Powerpoint
• Board Presentation
• Wilson - role of Principal and VP during virtual learning and also virtual learning etiquette and assessments
• Thompson - guidance will be provided to students, parents, and staff
• Jones - current code of contact will be implemented as much as possible; tips to parents for setting up home workspace
• Hollstein - the P and VP should be leading their schools both staff and parents; interims every two weeks for grades 3-12.  Wednesdays are for conferences.
• Hancock - Criteria for moving from phase to phase.
• Hill - no singular metric; stats, confidence and readiness of staff and students.
• Abell - Survey results, Phase 2 date of announcement then to implementation; Long Term Sub training; number of employees denied; use of leave for positive Covid 19
• Hollstein - # of teachers denied will have numbers forthcoming by end of week.  Just closed yesterday.  Phase two movement will happen at end of quarters not mid stream.  Long term subs will be invited to teacher orientation and training.
• Hill - Survey results will be sent but basically 60/40 with only 40% of Phase 2 students prepared to come to school.
• Majors - Staff must use their own leave until COVID 19 positive test is confirmed and then they will be reimbursed.
• Battle-Lockhart - request for virtual learning denial of certain positions because it wasnt clear in survey/application.  Wearing a certain color band to signify level of comfort.  Special Ed schedules etc. Homework?
• Hill - The band idea was abandoned because some were offended.  Fully her responsibility.
• Prozik - still working on analysis of what day would entail.  it will be individualized by case managers. 
• Hollstein - homework will not be emphasized during Phase 1.  Curriculum hasn't changed but method of delivery has changed.
• Lukas - Sick Leave issue clarification; All teachers have laptops with webcams on first day
• Majors - even if negative test they will be reimbursed but must have a doctors note up to 80 hours.  Does not include temporary employees. 
• Thompson - yes.
• Lukas - numbers spoken rapidly and verbally about survey seemed odd/off.  Need in writing.

Draft equity policy

• Equity Board Policy 1820
• Summary Statement Equity Policy
• Equity Board Presentation

Project status update - Report

School seat allocations - Report

• Internal committee has been preparing since January for invite to collaborate with County Government.  The invite never happened.
• County government staff have presented a draft legislation change to the planning commission, again without board of education formal position.  This proposal includes MAJOR changes that will negatively affect class sizes and student education.
• Not only Waldorf Station but ALL Priority Funding Areas are included.
• Board of Education position has been sent to commissioners, planning commission and to the media. 
• EVERYONE needs to sign up to voice your concerns to the planning commission public hearing on Monday 8/17.  Sign up must happen by this Friday at close of business.  
• Planning commission will be voting to present their recommendations to the commissioners. 
• Hancock - how many school seats overall are available; county government staff indicated we just need to redistrict.  Our MS are already overcrowded even if we redistricted.  We need forward funding. Our budget already wasn't fully funded.  Dont see government being able to commit to this funding. 
• Andritz - applying the yield factor it would be 682 
• Wilson - contact commissioners, sign up to speak at planning commission.
• Lukas - not against development its funding to the system to provide to that development.  

FY 2022 state and local CIP program - Report

Recurring resolutions

• American Education Week; American Freedom Week; Inclusion and Diversity Resolution; 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; Washington Post Teacher of the Year Awards Program; Maryland Teacher of the Year (MTOY): Charles County nominee; Be the Difference Award, Employee Retirement Resolution.

Unfinished business - None

New business

• Suspension of Board policies - Policies
• Lukas - #3721 - no transportation?  not private schools?
• Snow - no private school transportation at this time.  Transportation can be provided as need at the discretion of Superintendent.

Motion to suspend the policies by Abell; Second by Brown

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

Future agenda items

• Battle-Lockhart - add multicultural curriculum discussion

Public forum

• Email written comments to boardmail@ccboe.com.

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes from June 9 Board Meeting by Abell; Second by Brown

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

Motion to approve the minutes from June  18 Board Meeting by Abell; Second by Brown

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

Motion to approve the minutes from June 22 Board Meeting by Lukas; Second by Abell

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

Motion to approve the minutes from June 29 AFSME Town Hall by Abell; Second by Lukas

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

Motion to approve the minutes from June 29 Community Town Hall by Lukas; Second by Abell

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

Motion to approve the minutes from July 7 Board Meeting by Abell; Second by Brown

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

Motion to approve the minutes from July 14 Board Meeting by Wilson; Second by Brown

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

• Personnel 

Motion to approve Personnel from June 9 by Abell; Second by Lukas

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

Adjournment