Ready, Willing and Abell: Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 4/20/21

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 4/20/21

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, April 20, 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

Lukas - MABE Legislative Committee; Yay, Spring Sports, attended several events; Thank you to commissioners for inviting us to see proposed budget today, but NOT happy with it.
McGraw - Superintendent Search Committee Application has closed. Meet with consultants this week & hope to have selected by June 1; Scholarship Committee has met and selections are ongoing; MABE Equity AdHoc Committee; Equity Lens guidance card or all board members.
Brown - NSBA Conference; Strategic Talent for Leading School Districts Tool Kit; Visit several schools and impressed with how quiet it is.
Battle-Lockhart - Student Information Forum; Equity Task Force; African American Employee Task Force; Implicit Bias Committee; Thank you to Dr. Hill for creating the new HR positions.
Hancock - Thank you to all staff and parents during entrance to Phase 4. SRO Town Hall & # of respondents to survey and how much SRO's are supported in this community; HB1060/SB749 - severely changes our board. Thank you to Del Patterson for reaching out and accepting our proposals. Unfortunately they were not passed. Irony is the bill for the commissioners election by district bill was NOT passed. Why us and NOT commissioners?
Wilson - NSBA Conference; Teacher recognitions; mental health links and resources on CCBOE website.

Education Association of Charles County (EACC) update - Report

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) update

Student Board Member update - Report

Reopening of schools

Report
Family Engagement Slides
34.8% of students returned in Phase 4. NP & LaPlata have the most students. My Hope Nanjemoy had the highest percentage return.

Graduation 2021 - Report

Intercategory budget change - Report

Project status update - Report

Transportation update - Report

saved an enormous amount of fuel; reflected in the budget transfer request.

Legislative update - Report

HB1060/SB749 - Board of Education Election & Membership Changes
HB588 - Budget Bill - increases funding to schools
HB1372 - Blueprint for Maryland's Future
HB373 - Child Abuse and Sexual Misconduct Prevention
HB636 - Waterfountains and Lead in school buildings
SB448 - School provided transportation other than busses
HB205 - Provision of Menstrual Hygiene Products
HB401 - Pregnancy and Parenting Students Policies
SB664 - Student Financial Aid
HB394 - Fees for Summer School Courses Prohibition

Unfinished business

Proposed Students’ Voices on Committees resolution discussion - Report

New business

Suspension of Board policies

Hancock - expectations and accountability; hard not to have a minimum or floor
Schwartz - there is a state minimum requirement of making progress towards graduation.

Motion to approve Suspension of Board Policies by Lukas; Second by McGraw

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

Future agenda items

Lukas - Communication with our legislators
Lukas - SRO's MOU

Virtual recognition – 4:30 p.m.

Resolutions: Teacher Appreciation Week, Administrative Professionals Week, Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week, and National Physical Education and Sport Week
Students:

Evangeline Gilmer, Grade 12, Academic Achievement, St. Charles High School, Principal: Richard Conley
Darrell Jackson, Jr., Grade 8, Academic Achievement, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, Principal: Erica Williams
Lily Oliver, Grade 5, Career Readiness, Dr. James Craik Elementary School, Principal: Michelle Beckwith
Elysia Young, Grade 5, Academic Achievement, Malcolm Elementary School, Principal: Mary Finneran
Laila Johnson, Grade 5, Personal Responsibility, J.C. Parks Elementary School, Principal: Gregory Miller

Employees:

Shannon Chisholm, compliance facilitator, St. Charles
Kimberly Riley, math teacher, Stoddert
Katie Cooper, fifth-grade teacher, Craik
Michelle Schenemann, pre-kindergarten teacher, Malcolm
Shiquita Walker, instructional specialist, Parks

Instructional Assistants recognition

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

Richard Nagy - 2019 the medium household income was $124,000. 2 children in CCPS, one graduating this year. With this high of a revenue income base here, why isn't the education better. Schools belong to residents of Charles County not to the staff and administrators. 2021 is a total failure. What is the system going to do moving forward to better education? Wasn't notified when oldest child wasn't attending classes. Option to Opt out of curriculum that is questionable next year.
Sam Chernoff - Special Population Consultant. All about teaching and learning. Quality education to all students. It's not being upheld for special population students. Staff doesn't adhere to 504 plan and argue with students and parents during 504 meetings. Student with diabetes was threatened to have 504 removed since it didn't apply during virtual learning. Another student with brain injury recovering in a hospital was not provided special accommodations. Take note and move to swiftly resolve issues.

Action items

Minutes

Motion to approve Executive Session Minutes from 11/23/20 by Abell; Second by Lukas