Board of Education Meeting Agenda, 11/12/19

The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week.

Board meetings are streamed live on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) website, www.ccboe.com. Click on the middle of the main page to start the live streaming. The following is a meeting agenda and is subject to change.

Executive session – 12 p.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance – Henry E. Lackey High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

·         Correspondence/board member updates

·         Education Association of Charles County update

·         American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update

·         Student Board member update

·         Elementary homework update

·         Overview of JROTC

·         Project status update

·         Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) update

Unfinished business

·         Resolution discussion

New business and future agenda items

·         New business

o    Intercategory budget changes: Fresh Start Academy and Food and Nutrition Services

o    Fund balance transfer for ERP system

·         Future agenda items

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

·         Students

·         Staff

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

·         Minutes

·         Personnel

·         2020 legislative positions

Adjournment 

Notes from Board of Education Community Town Hall, 10/28/19

The Board of Education Community Town Hall on Monday, October 28 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.

The Future of Charles County Public Schools - Presentation

Main Policy Areas

• Provide early support and interventions for young children and their families, including free full-day prekindergarten for low income 3- and 4-year-olds.
• Support schools serving high concentrations of students living in poverty with before-and after-school and summer academic program and student access to needed health and social services, and increase support for English learner and special education students.
• Elevate the teaching profession to attract high -quality, diverse teachers and school leaders, who are compensated comparable to other fields.
• Provide benchmarked curriculum that enables most students to achieve “college - and career -ready” status by the end of 10th grade so they may pursue pathways that include early college, Advanced Placement courses and a rigorous technical education leading to industry -recognized credentials and high -paying jobs.
• Provide additional resources, supports, and services for students who need them to achieve the CCR standard, including English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families with particular attention on students in schools with high concentration of poverty. 
• Adopt a strong accountability system with the authority to hold all entities accountable for implementing The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future effectively to ensure that all students are successful. 

Public Comments

1. Doug Sayers - Parent.  state balanced budget, legislative bodies, money does not solve county education issues such as discipline.  Don't increase class size.  Security and safety of our students and staff is more important.  Select one or two no to low cost recommendations before spending money.For example the path and career readiness would be a good start.avoid removing existing programs. Caution note on page 140 regarding IEP's.  Kirwan doesn't take into account inflation.
2. Amy Lang - 4H University of MD extension happy to support the county.
3. Brian Johnson - CSM experience as a student with the post 911 GI bill,  Give CSM a lot of credit and love their programs and professors..  Professor in the spring caused great concern because she repeatedly shared her own political position and ideology to the young impressionable minds,. It does not belong in public education.  Wants to know if CCPS allows this or condones it.  
• Battle-Lockhart - absolutely not
• Abell - absolutely not and we have a policy prohibiting such actions
4. Linda McLaughlin - EACC; thank you.  Questions on how CCPS is planning on expanding the CTE programs
• Dr. Hill - exposure to technical schools in middle school; field trips etc.  
• Hollstein - CASE program at McDonough High School (environmental science/agriculture); expanding cyber-security programs and offerings as well as healthcare.  Expanding apprenticeship programs.
5. Maureen Mears - Parent of McDonough student in the CASE program.    Kirwan recommendations are good.  more CTE.  CASE is new to CCPS but not to the state.  MSDE offers 53 courses statewide so continue to add.  exams need to be accessible to students with disabilities.  CTE offerings should be equal at each school.  Cooperation/collaboration at all schools. Reading and literacy.  Move away from the "wait to fail" option and move towards preventative. 
6. Robin Cooper - what is the boards position on initiating uniforms system wide and provide vouchers to the families that cannot afford.  Believes uniforms would help with discipline.
• Dr. Hill - Discipline review committee discussed uniforms and dress code at length.  No to uniforms but alterations were made to dress code. 
7. Robert Sondheimer - supports lower class sizes.  not a fan of common core but we should concentrate more on the basics in elementary schools.  For example multiplication facts, spelling and grammar.  students are coming to school with a lot of excess baggage (emotional) need more counselors in schools.
8. Brian Johnson - was able to mento a young neighborhood man who graduated this year.  He's doing well now.  Some students dont have the  parents with parenting knowledge.  Do schools now a days of courses like bachelor cooking, how to shake a hand, be a man etc.  we should add back in.
9. Lisa Ambers - Owns a non-profit (Beyond the Classroom) and recipient of "Be The Difference Award" working with several schools in the community.  Offer financial literacy, social skills, bullying, etiquette, etc.  Funding is an issue but would love to do more.  Applying for more grants.  Does the school have funding to help non-profit partners?  Would love to be a resource to help push information out to the community.  
10. Darrell Gray - Learned a lot today.  Keep up community forums.  thank you
11. Jocelyn Chaplin - two sons in high school.  .  Concerned with writing skills.  Noe enough focus on it or grammatical.  Need to work with students more so they can write an essay/letter, etc by the time they graduate.  
12. Dr. Drakeford and Alicia Walden - has a foundation (Eagle Life Learning) that focuses on the needs of African American and Latino males.  Helps them to be aware of how they learn and to advocate fgor themselves working on their strengths and not deficits.  

Supreme Court declines to review legal appeal

The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review an appeal by a former La Plata High School student, Caleigh Wood, asserting the school violated her First Amendment Rights.

The decision reaffirms a favorable U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruling earlier this year that the school did not “impermissibly endorse any religion and did not compel Wood to profess any belief.” The Fourth Circuit’s decision rejected Wood’s claim that she was forced to embrace Islam during a world history class in October 2014. Wood has since graduated from Charles County Public Schools (CCPS).

“We are pleased that the Supreme Court’s decision not to review this supports the lower court ruling. We believe the Supreme Court’s action properly affirms the ability of public school educators to require students to complete assignments with which they may have personal disagreements as long as those assignments are reasonably related to a legitimate educational purpose,” said Andrew Scott, an attorney who represented CCPS and several of its administrators.

The court disagreed with Wood’s claim that the assignments promoted and endorsed Islam and noted in its opinion that the challenged materials constituted a small part of the school’s world history curriculum. “A reasonable observer, aware of the world history curriculum being taught, would not view the challenged materials as communicating a message of endorsement,” Judge Barbara Keenan wrote in the court’s final opinion.

“Our schools play an important role in ensuring that our children are provided with information that best prepares them to understand and thrive in a society with many different cultural and religious viewpoints. We present a curriculum with that goal in mind,” Superintendent Kimberly Hill said.

“School authorities, not the courts, are charged with the responsibility of deciding what speech is appropriate in the classroom. …Although schools are not ‘immune from the sweep of the First Amendment,’ academic freedom is itself a concern of that amendment. Such academic freedom would not long survive in an environment in which courts micromanage school curricula and parse singular statements made by teachers,” Keenan wrote.

Board of Education to Host Town Hall, 10/28/19

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 in the boardroom at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building. The topic will center on the future of public schools. The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education — also known as the Kirwan Commission — put forth recommendations to improve the quality of the state’s public education system. Board members want to hear what CCPS parents and students, and county residents would like to see as the school system phases in commission recommendations.

The Town Hall will be televised live on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) website at ccboe.com and broadcast on Comcast Channel 96/Verizon FiOS Channel 12.

Speakers should identify themselves and statements should be brief, to the point and limited to education-related topics. Personnel matters, pending or potential appeals regarding the actions or statements of individual staff members of the private lives of any individual are not appropriate topics.  

The following is an agenda and is subject to change.

Call to order – 6:30 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Town Hall

Adjournment

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 10/8/19

The Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, October 8 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.

Executive session – 12 p.m.   

Call to order – 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, St. Charles High School 

Superintendent’s update - Report

Correspondence/Board Member Updates

• Battle-Lockhart - Principals meeting; AVID Family Night; Fair; Visit Henson after lockdown; Equity Task Force Training; New Teacher Reception; Commissioner meeting to restore funding; MABE Conference
• Abell - New Teacher reception, thank you to Alpha Kappa Alpha; Rocktoberfest, thank you LaPlata BUsiness Association; EACC Forum on Kirwan Blueprint
• Brown - SECAC; Dr. Mudd Open House; Commissioners Legislative Meeting; New Teacher Reception; MABE Conference; EACC Forum
• Lukas - MABE website has Kirwan presentation; MOU with Indian Head,; New Teacher Reception; MABE Conference; Roctoberfest; College Fair at NP
• Wilson - Kudos to board members for being active; new teacher recption; Spoke at AVID classes at Westlake; JROTC drills; SECAC Meeting 10/16 at Gwynn Center; Fair; Rocktoberfest; EACC Blueprint Forum; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Congrats to McGraw for becoming treasurer of MABE.
• Hancock - JC Parks visit; Rocktoberfest; MABE Conference; Fair, 4-H
• McGraw - EACC Kirwan forum; CC Scholarship Committee; State Board Meeting; Somers Soire; National Bus Safety Week DRIVE SAFELY!

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update

Student Board Member update

Staffing update - Report

• Abell - Remote teacher at Somers - ia one of our teachers over telepresence; No.  Its a contracted teacher.  $11,000 per class for year.  Certified, Highly Qualified.  Why arent we doing this in-house ourselves; logistics and schedules not lining up.
• Battle-Lockhart - how do we make teaching more appealing with all of the issues facing education today?  ,marketing
• Hancock - more men teachers
• Lukas - stress our county cost of living is less than PG and Baltimore

Project status update - Report

FY 2019 independent financial audit - Report

• Abell - OPEB needs to be increased?  It's a balancing act.
• Lukas - Hw does it compare to other counties?  It's low 13.4

Food Nutrition Services – summer meals, free breakfasts - Report

• Lukas - What is an open site?  Open to anyone 18 and under.
• Lukas - Mobile Sites?  School bus is used; routes; roving
• Battle-Lockhart - how are locations determined?  By the number of free and reduced  meals in the zone.  

Legislative update - Report

• Hancock - does the state have any ideas about hw we would provide leave for substitutes
• Lukas - this document is provided to our delegation as guidance

Unfinished business - Resolution discussion

• Abell - Nothing is posted on BoardDocs.  Need to delay until public has seen.

Committee Updates

• Abell - Policy 9000 Committee is complete and will have submission to chair this week.  Waiting for 8000 committee to complete and present both at the same timw.
• Lukas - Policy on equity with Battle-Lockhart and Dr. Hill

New business

• Lukas - send letters to local government and companies regarding zoning of some students and neighborhoods being split and/or grandfathered.
• Hancock - concur
• Abell - i would concur but caution the board against accepting solicitation  from specific developers regarding zoning of their individual developments.
• Consensus was to continue with Dr. Hill to send letters

Future agenda items

• Hancock - Review school bus policy and stops etc.
• Battle-Lockhart - Revisit ISR Reflection sheet
• Brown - Cultural competency book study

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Resolutions
• American Education Week; Linda McLaughlin, president, Education Association of Charles County (EACC); Sarah Burch, president, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
• American Freedom Week;  Cadet Captain Jalen Hagans, senior, St. Charles High School, Marine Corp; Cadet 1st Lt. Immanuel Harvest, senior, Henry E. Lackey High School, Air Force; C/CSM Brooke Quade, senior, Thomas Stone High School, Army; C/CPT Donnesha Dee, senior, Thomas Stone High School; Cadet Chief Petty Officer Devin Selph, sophomore, Westlake High School, NJROTC

• Students
• Jasmine Glover, Grade 12; Personal Responsibility; North Point High School, Principal: Daniel Kaple
• Adrian Evans-Jones, Grade 8; Career Readiness; Mattawoman Middle School, Principal: Sonia Blue
• Matthew Bowling, Grade 5; Academic Achievement; Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, Principal: Nicholas Adam
• Gabriella Varela, Grade 5; Academic Achievement; Mary B. Neal Elementary School, Principal: Debbie Brown
• Staff
• Joseph Burton, math teacher, North Point
• Anisah Ansari, language arts teacher, Mattawoman
• Jennifer Elder, instructional resource teacher, Mitchell
• Cassandra Baugher, special education teacher, Neal

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Derrick Terry - 2% of teachers are black males.  He quit teaching because of that.  CCPS and the nation have failed to address the root of the problem.  Due to little to no autonomy in the classroom.  used as a disciplinarian rather than a scholar. low pay.  We need to fix the black male crisis.  
• Dion Morgan - DI Program.  3rd place teams last year could qualify to go but werent allowed to go.  Will boe pay for them to go this year or can they fundraise on their own?  

Action items

·         Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes by Lukas; Second by Hancock

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

·         Personnel

Motion to approve personnel by Abell; Second by Brown

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

·         FY 2020 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Motion to approve the Comprehensive Plan by Lukas; Second by Hancock

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

·          Benjamin Stoddert Middle School Contract

Motion to approve the Comprehensive Plan by Lukas; Second by Hancock

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

Adjournment 

Agenda for Board of Education Meeting, 10/8/19

The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and rebroadcast throughout the week.

Board meetings are streamed live on the school system website at ccboe.com. Select the live streaming image posted on the front page to access the meeting. The following is a tentative meeting agenda and is subject to change.

Executive session – 12 p.m.   

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, St. Charles High School 

Superintendent’s update 

Reports of officers/boards/committees

·         Correspondence/Board Member updates

·         Education Association of Charles County update

·         American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update

·         Student Board Member update

·         Staffing update

·         Project status update

·         FY 2019 independent financial audit

·         Food Nutrition Services – summer meals, free breakfasts

·         Legislative update

Unfinished business

·         Resolution discussion

New business and future agenda items

·         New business

·         Future agenda items

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

·         Resolutions – American Education Week and American Freedom Week

·         Students

·         Staff

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

·         Minutes

·         Personnel

·         FY 2020 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Adjournment 

Agenda for Board of Education Meeting, 9/10/19

The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and rebroadcast throughout the week.

Board meetings are streamed live on the school system website at http://www.ccboe.com. Select the live streaming image posted on the front page to access the meeting. The following is a tentative meeting agenda and is subject to change.

Executive session – 12 p.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, Westlake High School

Superintendent’s update

Reports of officers/boards/committees

·         Correspondence/Board Member updates

·         Education Association of Charles County update

·         American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update

·         Student Board Member update

·         Goals update

·         Financial literacy update

·         Project status update

·         FY 2020 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

·         Legislative update

Unfinished business

·         Fresh Start Academy Advisory Board representative

New business and future agenda items

·         New business

·         Future agenda items

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

·         Minutes

·         Personnel

·         FY 2021 CIP state and local program

·         Recurring Resolutions: American Education Week; American Freedom Week; 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; Charles County Teacher of the Year; Washington Post Teacher of the Year awards program; Be the Difference awards program; and Employees Retirement.

National Hispanic Heritage Month recognized Sept. 15-Oct. 15

LGBTQ + Pride Month recognized in June

Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month recognized in May

Adjournment