Notes from Board of Education Work Session, 2/22/21

The Board of Education Work Session on Monday, February 22, 2021 was 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.

Call to Order – 6 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance

• Board members’ notes

Public Forum – preregistered speakers only

• Darlene Persons - discouraged and stung by the vote to delay opening at the last meeting. MSDE said should not be based on vaccinations. CCHD says schools are not a driver of the spread. Scientific evidence and research says to send children back to school. Mental health. Focus was on adult needs and vaccinations.
• Francisco Rodriquez - grew up in poverty and is honored to be here.  7th grade instructional assistance.  been in building working since August.  Father of 3 children.  Why does CCPS have only one contact tracer.  Are people being missed? Concern of bandwidth with more devices in school buildings.  Fear of crash.  more diverse leadership in central office for outreach.  Comment that students aren't learning was hurtful. are virtual learners exempt from standardized testing.
• Linda McLaughlin - EACC President.  Thank you to board for choosing caution when sending students back to school.  Thank you to Heim and Stoddard for the traveling road show (walk thru) at schools. Oppose House Bill 1060 as written, Charles County Board of Education election put forth by Delegate Patterson.  Also proposes full voting rights for student board members.
• Rachel Clark - Teach HS Biology and Biomedical Science.  Thank you for choosing to delay.  I look at it as a scientist and a teacher.  One week after Spring Break is too early to move to Phase 4.  Weekly testing for secondary students.  
• Danny Mears - 11th grade at McDonough HS.  HB1060/SB749 support student board member voting rights.
• Eric Valentine - LPHS student liaison; HB1060/SB749 support student board member voting rights. Give Phase 3 and 4 the opportunity to return.

Facility Funding Task Force - Report

• Development projects in the pipeline and affects on the capacity.
• Battle-Lockhart - State rated capacity - could it change with our new hybrid model of school
• $42M for a new elementary school for 766
• $32M for renovation and expansion of TC Martin
• $56M for new middle school
• $123M for another HS 
• $308M in total construction within 5 years to accommodate growth.
• Lukas - New schools level of confidence that those will happen in the time frame requested?
• Andritz - Turner is on, others may be delayed. 

House Bill 1060/Senate Bill 749: Board of Education Membership Alteration and Full Student Board Voting Rights Bill

• Bill
• Summary
• Brown - very much against trying to amend this bill when the public has not been given a chance to weigh in.  Welcome opportunity to sit down with legislators and come up with 

Motion to oppose the bills by Brown; Second by Abell

• Abell - After careful reflection and reconsideration i agree with Ms. Brown.
• Hancock - agreed.  Process was flawed.  With zero communication from public.
• McGraw - I contacted Delegate Patterson for though process; she is looking forward to and would consider any amendments we produce.  Worried about opposing it altogether.
• Battle-Lockhart - Agree with Ms. McGraw. 
• Lukas - Agree with McGraw and Battle-Lockhart; comparison to other counties and term limits
• Wilson - No discussion about this bill at any of our collaborative forums and legislative sessions we have held with the delegates.  No discussion of this during our work session with the delegates that we initiated and again no comment about this bill.  Not honoring the process and setting a bad precedent.  If we make amendments we are participating in not honoring the process.  The public should have an opportunity to weigh in.  We received an invitation about this bill today from the commissioners for a discussion with all of us tomorrow.  No transparency.  Total disregard for the public participation with significant consequences on the county education.
• Battle-Lockhart - the public voted for us to represent them.
• Lukas - this is not a county bill or even a county delegation bill.  Fearful that if we do nothing the delegate can say that no objections from the education.

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

• Wilson - move forward with letter to Ellis and Patterson about
• Lukas - we need to give specifics
• Abell - need to get constituents opinions before deciding how to move forward on any other topics.  We heard from public on student board member voting but nothing else in this.

Motion to send a letter requesting the bill not be introduced until next legislative session to allow for collaboration by Lukas; Second by Abell

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

Phase-in timeline of the reopening of schools - Report

• Battle-Lockhart - Testing (Yes for symptomatic); contact tracing question (in house in collaboration with health department, once kids come back we will be adding additional staff to help with this); Spring Break and travel (honor system; hope people act responsibly); Healthcare individual supervisor to lead this effort (school nurses will be integral and additional people added as necessary).
• Abell - Standardized testing (required by government; waiting for the possibility of waivers from the state, if we have to we will delay as long as possible and narrow the scope.  On the state board agenda for tomorrow)  Virtual learning?  Not sure how this will work for the virtual students.
• Hancock - 7,924 students for Phase 4 how many will use transportation? (do not have that number right now but can get it.)
• Battle-Lockhart - Senior celebrations etc. (outdoor graduation is do-able but current limit on outdoor gatherings would prevent it right now but it's still on the table.)
• Lukas - if they go away for Spring break they should quarantine for 2 weeks and NOT come back to school even if no symptoms.  Leniency for change in plans to send children back. (Families can contact their principals.)

Motion to accept Superintendents recommendation by McGraw; Second by Lukas

Amendment to require Supt to send out reminder letter to quarantine by Lukas; Second by Abell

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

Motion vote.

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

Adjournment