Notes from Board of Education Work Session, 4/25/22

The Board of Education Work Session on Monday, March 28, 2022 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/ .  CCPS also will post the meeting on its YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/ccpsmd.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.

Public forum 

•  None

FY 2023 operating budget - Presentation

Eligibility policy 6431 - Presentation; Draft Revised Policy

• Abell - Disagree that all are "not afforded opportunity because they are all afforded the opportunity.  Moving backwards and lowering the bar.   Last revision was 4/2018 and eligibility actually went up in 2019/2020.  I need to see additional stats on eligibility for other counties to compare with our numbers.  I can agree with changing quarter to semester but not lowering GPA or allowing failing grades.  If a child can not attend school, they should not be able to play ball.
• McGraw - Disagree with Abell.  Look at it through our equity lenses, Special Ed and FARMS is falling behind and cannot participate,
• Battle-Lockhart - Struggle with the GPA requirement except with Special Ed, FARMS.  Yes to semester vs quarter.  No failing grades.  Some students will just always be 2.0.
• Wilson - Open to suggestion but in 2018 i would not have,  We want to have a standard but opportunity for growth.  Would this help with discipline issues?
• Herd - excited to see this discussion and for the students.  against the attendance policy.  How many would this make eligible?  
• Brown - Agree with Ms. McGraw and Ian.  I support the policy. 
• Hancock - Against anything that lowers the bar.  How do we get the FARMS students eligible?  We are suppose to educate them for a career in the world.  This is not going to help them get or keep a job.  What job can you hold successfully and have 20 unexcused absences per year.
• Lukas - clarification on numbers.  Staff will provide all of the additional requested data and bring before us at the next meeting.

Action item

• 2022-2023 calendar

Motion to accept the 2022-2023 calendar by Abell; Second by Brown

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

• Personnel 

Motion to accept the Personnel by Abell; Second by Wilson

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

Adjournment

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 4/12/22

The Board of Education Work Session on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 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/ .  CCPS also will post the meeting on its YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/ccpsmd.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.  

Recognition of student athletes

Superintendent’s update

Board Member correspondence

• Lukas - Strategic Plan Launch; Art Event; Chorus events; NSBA Conference
• Herd - 2 student board member finalist and election results;  NSBA Conference; Theater productions attended; Strategic Plan launch
• McGraw - NSBA Conference; Equity lense; Strategic Plan; Band and chorus events;
• Abell - NSBA Conference; BoardDocs
• Battle-Lockhart - MSDE Business Leadership roundtable focusing on apprenticeships and need industries to support our endeavors.
• Wilson - Recruiting fair at Salisbury University; low number of teacher graduates; HIT Expo; Years of Service; Chorus and band; NSBA Conference.
• Brown - Strategic Plan launch; HIT Expo; Rainbow Fish Play; NSBA Conference

Education Association of Charles County (EACC) update

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

School climate update

• Wilson - Sensationalism, peer pressure, parent involvement/engagement
• Lukas - Page 3 - compared to other school systems?
• Herd - annual culture and climate survey; push for return of hour lunch
• Battle-Lockhart - extended school hours; mentors are key
• Lukas - lack of outside peer mentors
• Hancock - inform commissioners, ie overcrowded classrooms etc.

Student Member of the Board elections update

Project status update

• McGraw - Interested in visiting newly renovated Brown Elementary; also asked why they cannot get new furniture and technology to go with their new renovation.
• Battle-Lockhart - McDonough renovations and need for new technology and furniture as well.

Legislative update

• HB739/SB916 - P3 Study - Public Private Partnerships
• HB1450 - Blueprint Alterations; Timeline changes to due dates due to COVID; Maintenance of Effort requirements.
• SB528 - Climate Solutions Now Act - Zero Emissions school buses with funding
• HB1349/SB831 - $500 payment to non-certificated employees
• HB753 - Study on bus driver wages
• HB277/SB234 - Purple Star School Program; opional to provide additional support to military families
• H1433 - Redesginates Indian Head Hwy to Piscataway Highway

SY2022 - 2023 Calendar Update - Proposed Calendar

• Change in Spring break for 2022-2023 School Year

Unfinished business  - None

New business - None

Future agenda items

• Lukas - forward any ideas from NSBA to Dr. Navarro for possible inclusion in future board meeting

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• No Kid Hungry award - Michelle Atwell, Food and Nutrition Services manager, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School; Vickey Langley, Food and Nutrition Services manager, J.C. Parks Elementary School; Marcia Brown, Food and Nutrition Services manager, Westlake High School; Charla Hillyard, Food and Nutrition Services, senior field operations manager
• Teacher Appreciation Week - Keyons Djossou, PLTW engineering/technology education teacher, Maurice J. McDonough High School; Helen Garvey, kindergarten teacher, Indian Head Elementary School; Stephanie Barry, special education teacher, La Plata High School; Corrine Deavers, reading resource/language arts teacher, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School 
• Administrative Professionals Week - Laurie Silk, registration secretary, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center; Amanda Chapman, secretary, office of technology, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building; Martha Miller, financial secretary, Henry E. Lackey High School; Yushica Walthour, principal’s secretary, J.P. Ryon Elementary School
• Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week - Crystal Richardson and William Kreuter, supervisors, Food Services 
• National Physical Education and Sport Week - Kellee Shoemaker, physical education teacher, William B. Wade Elementary School
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month - Kellee Shoemaker, physical education teacher, William B. Wade Elementary School
• Students

• Eileen Browning, Grade 12, Academic Achievement, Maurice J. McDonough High School, Principal: Darnell Russell

• Eleanora Jones, Grade 8, Academic Achievement, Milton M. Somers Middle School, Principal: Sandra Taylor
• Austin Polhemus, Grade 5, Personal Responsibility, Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Principal: Tangela Scales
• Keely Pham, Grade 5, Academic Achievement, Mary H. Matula Elementary School, Principal: Carrie Richardson
• Alison Marroquin-Corzo, Grade 5, Career Readiness, Arthur Middleton Elementary School, Principal: Benjamin Harrington

• Staff
• John Hairston, pupil personnel worker, McDonough

• Julie Snavely, physical education teacher, Somers

• Michelle Foxx, instructional specialist, Gale-Bailey

• Mary Buckey, attendance secretary, Matula

• Jennifer Toone, learning resource teacher, Middleton

Public forum – 6 p.m. - Virtual speakers must preregister by 4 p.m. Monday, April 11

• Melissa Carpenter - resident and teacher, school climate presentation and what are we doing about the 16%.  Need for more counselors  Testing season is upon us and counselors will now be pulled to help with testing.  Schools are in crisis, even before the pandemic.

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to approve the minutes from the March 8th Executive Session by Abell; Second by Brown

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

Motion to approve the minutes from the March 8th Board Meeting by Abell; Second by Brown

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

Motion to approve the minutes from the March 28th Work Session by McGraw; Second by Abell

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

• Personnel

Motion to approve the Personnel by Abell; Second by Brown

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

• Textbooks: “Principles and Practices of Barbering”, and “Illustrative Mathematics”
  

Motion to approve the textbooks by Abell; Second by McGraw

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

• Maryland Stadium Authority Memorandum of Understanding

Motion to approve the MOU by Herd; Second by Abell

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

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

• Director of Community Engagement & Equity - Ms. Sylvia Royster
• Chief of Schools - Dr. Marvin Jones

Adjournment