Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 3/9/21

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, March 9, 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.

Executive session – 11:30 a.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Board Member correspondence

• Brown - Attended Equity virtual symposium and one of the speakers was great
• Lukas - thank you to our health department; fantastic job on vaccine implementation
• McGraw - Superintendent search application was available online as of March 5th and was advertised in several national publications and websites.  Closing date is April 12th.
• Wilson - Zoom is where it happens - all thespian group had 20 amazing performances; opposition to Senate bill 749.  Leadership of schools participated in an extensive Implicit Bias Training over several weeks.  It was very good.  Early Childhood parenting classes 4/17 and 4/27; Dr. Higdon one of 6 schools across nation for national reading award.

Education Association of Charles County (EACC) update - Report

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) update - Report not available

Student Board Member update - Report

Three-year-plan for addressing disrupted learning - Report

• Summer programs availability
• Concern over teachers willing to participate in summer programs
• Lukas - funding over 3 years?  CARES funding.  How many students should/would participate?  Wont know until next meeting; dependent on number of teachers.

Athletics update - Report

Student representation on committees’ resolution - Report

Project status update - Report

Construction projects at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School and Eva Turner Elementary School - Report

• McGraw - Stoddert 3 stories; accomodations for handicapped?  Elevator and food distribution on each level.

Legislative update - Report

• Blueprint for schools; Kirwan Bill; deadlines pushed back
• HB1080/SB749 - Charles County Board of Education election and student board member voting rights.  Patterson is making amendments but we have not received them yet.  Senator Ellis said he would be willing to listen to amendments and none have been issued yet.
• Lukas - Why weren't commissioners election included in this?
• Wilson - Convene a work session.

Motion to convene a work session to discuss HB1080/SB749 on 3/15/21 by McGraw; 

Second by Lukas

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

Unfinished business 

• McGraw - Policy Committees need to complete and need closure.

New business

• Suspension of Board policies - Report
• Abell - reason for 3rd quarter waiver and quarter ending 3/29
• Hancock - cannot continue to waive it once we get in school

Motion for the Suspension of Board Policies by Abell; Second by Lukas

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

Future agenda items

• Graduation - choices provided in a report for public

Virtual recognition – 4:30 p.m. 

• Resolutions:  Month of the Young Child and National Student Leadership Week
• Students

• Iris Golden, Grade 12, Academic Achievement, Maurice J. McDonough High School, Interim Principal: Linda Gill

• Logan Boswell, Grade 5, Personal Responsibility, Arthur Middleton Elementary School, Principal: Benjamin Harrington

• Madison Owens, Grade 5, Career Readiness, Mary H. Matula Elementary School, Principal: Carrie Richardson

• Iona-Iris Pangratie, Grade 5, Academic Achievement, Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Principal: Tangela Richardson

• Tobi Ojo, Grade 8, Academic Achievement, Milton Somers Middle School, Principal: Sandra Taylor

• Employees

• Bethany Berkowitz, business teacher, McDonough

• Janet Ryan, Middleton

• Jennifer Malone, reading resource teacher, Matula

• Carolyn Scott, kindergarten instructional assistant, Gale-Bailey

• Monica Strobel, language arts teacher, Somers

• Building Services staff

Legislative Breaking News - Del Patterson forwarded her amendments which were presented to the board for discussion.

• Abell - Go page by page; feel attacked by this because it doesn't address the commissioners.
• Lukas - change wording to make it "consistent with the election of county commissioners"
• Brown - What if no one runs from a district?
• All in agreement with proposal amendments on page 2, 3, and 4
• Page 5 deals with student board member voting rights; all in favor
• Page 6 all in favor

Motion to support HB1080 with amendments as discussed by Lukas; Second by McGraw

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

Public forum – 6 p.m. - Preregistered speakers only

• Nicole Kramer - Elem and HS parent, disappointment in celebration plans for seniors FY21.  Seniors have had their senior year obliterated.  I don't know what we are going to do is not a response. You had a hold year to plan and we've had no communications throughout the year.

Action items

• Minutes

Motion for the November 10, 2020 Virtual Executive Session Minutes by Abell; Second by Hancock

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

Motion for the December 8, 2020 Virtual Executive Session Minutes by Brown; Second by Hancock

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

Motion for the January 12, 2021 Virtual Executive Session Minutes by Lukas; Second by Abell

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

Motion for the January 25, 2021 Virtual Executive Session Minutes by Hancock; Second by Brown

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

Motion for the February 9, 2021 Virtual Executive Session Minutes by Abell; Second by Hancock

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

Motion for the February 9, 2021 Virtual Board Meeting Minutes by Lukas; Second by Brown

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

Motion for the February 22, 2021 Work Session Minutes by Abell; Second by McGraw

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

• Personnel

Motion to approve Personnel by Abell; Second by McGraw

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

Adjournment