Northrop Grumman executive challenges Maryland businesses to support education

Baltimore Business Journal
Nov 20, 2014
Rick Seltzer


The head of Northrop Grumman's $7 billion Electronic Systems sector called on local business leaders Thursday to back education.

"I challenge us as a community to make sure that we're supporting education here in Maryland," said Gloria A. Flach, president of the defense contractor's Electronic Systems operating unit, which is based in Linthicum near Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Flach was the keynote speaker at the BWI Business Partnership's November breakfast.

Northrop Grumman employs about 10,000 people in Maryland, making it one of the state's largest employers.
For the Electronic Systems sector, education in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — is a foundation for business success, Flach said. It prepares students to succeed in the workplace.

The country needs more employees with technical skills, Flach said. And Northrop Grumman promotes STEM education through awareness, mentoring and financial support. But that doesn't mean there's a lack of talent in Maryland.
"I can tell you, ladies and gentleman, that the talent coming out of our education system is eye-watering," Flach said. "Think of the opportunity for our young people in terms of careers."

Read more HERE

REMINDER: Board of Education Work Session Tonight, 11/24/14

The Board of Education will hold a work seesion on Monday, Nov. 24, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 6 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 also streamed live on the school system website www.ccboe.com. Select CCPS TV and then choose the Live Broadcast tab.


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

Public Forum 

GWWO School Facilities hearings results 

 Report - Academic Eligibility Proposal #6431

Adjournment 

Satanic worship group seeks to hand out coloring books to high school students prompting Florida school board to consider banning distribution of all religious materials

• The Satanic Temple, a worship group, has asked to distribute a coloring book to Florida high schoolers
• Florida allows religious groups to distribute bibles and other materials in schools
• The board is thinking of changing the policy so that no one may hand out any religious material   

By Alexandra Klausner for MailOnline

Published: 17:50 EST, 15 November 2014 | Updated: 17:50 EST, 15 November 2014

 A Florida school board may change a policy allowing groups to distribute religious materials in high schools after a satanic worship group has asked to distribute coloring books about their faith.

The board discussed changing their current policy during a workshop on Thursday but the earliest it could vote to change would be late January or early February, said officials.

A spokesperson for The Satanic Temple says that they should be able to hand out coloring books that feature children performing satanic rituals and drawing pentagrams just like any other religious group.

'It strongly implies they never intended to have a plurality of voices,' said Doug Mesner, co-founder and spokesman for The Satanic Temple, who also goes by the name Lucien Greaves.

The content in the coloring books are puzzles that ask children to search for words like, empathy, love, care, and friendship.

Another typical page of the coloring book shows a young girl named Annabel who is 'spreading knowledge and helping to dispel fear and ignorance by demonstrating her satanic ritual for her class.'

The satanic group is not the only one that hands out materials, either. 

An evangelical group called World Changers of Florida has given out Bibles in Orange schools three times, reports WPTV.

District counsel Woody Rodriguez said that the satanic group is the only one that submitted a request but that the evangelical group said they will hand out their material as well.

'They seem to be moving against the interests of a large part of the community,' said World Changers of Florida Greg Harper of the Static Temple's Desire to hand out material.

'The Bible will open somebody's heart, somebody's mind, and cause them to pursue answers.'

Board Member Christine Moore said that people are having trouble with a policy change on Christian groups.

'Everyone's upset about the Satanists and the atheists coming,' she said.

An atheist groups saw the upside of the potential policy change and has given out atheist materials in the past in opposition to Bible distributions.

'It's a bit of a relief,' said David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community.

'Given that there's a potential change in the policy, we won't be allowing distribution,' Rodriguez said. 

'We're going to wait.'

Read the original article HERE.

States Listen as Parents Give Rampant Testing an F

New York Times
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
NOV. 9, 2014

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida embraced the school accountability movement early and enthusiastically, but that was hard to remember at a parent meeting in a high school auditorium here not long ago.

 

Parents railed at a system that they said was overrun by new tests coming from all levels — district, state and federal. Some wept as they described teenagers who take Xanax to cope with test stress, children who refuse to go to school and teachers who retire rather than promote a culture that seems to value testing over learning.

 

“My third grader loves school, but I can’t get her out of the car this year,” Dawn LaBorde, who has three children in Palm Beach County schools, told the gathering, through tears. Her son, a junior, is so shaken, she said, “I have had to take him to his doctor.” She added: “He can’t sleep, but he’s tired. He can’t eat, but he’s hungry.”

 

One father broke down as he said he planned to pull his second grader from school. “Teaching to a test is destroying our society,” he said.

 

Where once these frustrations were voiced in murmurs, this year not only parents but also educators across Florida are rebelling. They have joined a national protest in which states have repealed their graduation test requirements, postponed the consequences of testing for the Common Core — national standards in more than 40 states — and rolled back the number of required exams.

 

In August, Education Secretary Arne Duncan added to the chorus when he wrote in a blog post that “testing issues today are sucking the oxygen out of the room in a lot of schools,” and that teachers needed more time to adapt to new standards and tests.

 

Read more HERE.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 11/11/14

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, November 11 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 – La Plata High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Correspondence/board member updates

• Lukas - fantastic job to chess tournament
• Wise - Kudos to McDonough Football
• Cook - Kudos to LaPlata Volleyball
• Abell - Kudos to McDonough Volleyball
• Pedersen - Congratulations to newly elected board members 

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

 

Student Board member’s update - Report

 

Academic eligibility proposal update - Report

• Change from semester to quarter
• Pedersen - Ensure the policy is adhered to across the board.  Feedback from students and coaches. 

CIP update - Report

• Enrollment Numbers
• Abell - requested review and verification on totals; errors on spreadsheet.

Technology through the eyes of students - Oral Report

       (CSM Access pilot telepresence program at LaPlata High School)

• Daja Lewis - Access CSM; Class helped her be more responsible; counts towards college GPA; Pop Culture class; wouldn't have taken AP course because they are so intimidating but tried this and found out college courses arent so scary.
• Kayla Gretgen - Collaboration amongst other students; professor sometimescomes to the school and telepresence back to the college; sometimes technical difficulties but nothing not able to oversome.  still feel apart of your home high school
• Trevor Abell - earn 12 credits before entering college.should be offered to all of Charles County students.  intro to college classes....only one class no pressure.  saves on gas money
• Hill - interaction with CSM Students; any feedback or suggestions before rolling it out to other schools.
• Students - Pop Culture first class; second class, technology; interesting topics.
• Lukas - would you consider doing it after school
• Students - more difficult due to other activities, jobs, etc.

      North Point Technology Classes (DTS & CSB)

• Students - affected future by opening doors to technology and how they can related to current studies such as medical (medical + technology); need more women in technology.
• How to encourage more females?
• Students - not sure; started a club Women in Computer Sciences to entice and gain interest.
• Pedersen - if you were given a chance to talk to elementary age girls what would you say?
• Students - Equal Rights in jobs and salaries; opportunities.
• Joe Greenwalt - STI program in Charles County is the only one that has achieved enrollment in program similar to demographics in entire system.  We are a model across the nation.
• Lukas - offer more certificated programs

        PARCC Requirements

• Students will need to pass HSA's
• Fall of 16-17 PARCC will become part of the graduation requirements (Algebra & English scores will be combined in some fashion for requirement but we dont have full information as of yet.)
• Pedersen - Affect on the bridge plan, # of students involved
• Amy Hollstein - there will be changes but not known right now.  Will get numbers

Microsoft Office 2013 Textbook- Report

Pension policy #3920 - Report

 

Legislative update - Report

• New Govenor - unknown policies and direction; change coming
• PARCC assessments delayed as graduation requirements by the state
• Abell - Requested Mr. Schwartz report be placed on BoardDocs

Unfinished business

• Abell - Where are we losing teachers to? Asked at last board meeting.
• Abell - Board Goals review

New business
 

Future agenda items

• Abell - Update on Out-of Zone Transfers
• Abell - World History Textbook Review
• Pedersen - Portable classrooms review, condition, etc.

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

Students
• Nicholas Long, 5th grade, Personal Responsibility, Dr. James Craik Elementary School, Principal: Debra Calvert
• Amir Moore, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, Malcolm Elementary School, Principal: Wilhelmina Pugh
• Morgan Martin, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, J.C. Parks Elementary School, Principal: Thadine Wright
• Devyn Thompson, 8th grade, Career Readiness, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, Principal: Kenneth Schroeck
• Jeanne Franchesca Dela Cruz, 11th grade, Career Readiness, St. Charles High School, Principal: Richard Conley

          Employees

• Jane K. Pilkerton, reading resource teacher, Craik
• Melissa F. Gross, secretary to the Principal, Parks
• Erin L. Berfield, music teacher, Malcolm
• Danielle M. Carpenter, social studies teacher, Stoddert
• Latisha S. Chase, instructional assistant, St. Charles

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Margaret Martin - school bus driver; no salary increase unless mandated by the county budget, haven't received a raise since 2009, all the other duties related to job other than driving a bus.
• Debbie Vahle - school bus driver; no bus aide on normal bus runs, always on call, no pay on days off. (gave a hard copy report/presentation to all board members)
• Dominique Mars - member of community, support school bus drivers, 2 children in school, bus drivers put up with alot.  Support all employees for a system that works.
• David Leach - School bus driver; wants a union to represent all of Charles County bus drivers, mutual respect from the contractors.
• Sue Manning - Adoption of Common Core standards has affected her child.  Age 9 but  developmentally on age 5. Suffered anxiety, and a former teacher stated to not to bring him back. Withdrew him and now homeschools.  High standards need to be realistic and for HIM.  These standards actually hurt him. 
• Tony Piacente - CCBOE website states beliefs (cites), not working for us, LPHS incident, hundreds of emails of concerns went unanswered, violates a parents rights of religions. 
• Male ????(didn't hear name) - Bus driver, 18 different contractors, who to answer to?  All here together for fairness and equality.
• Christine Pate(?) - Pres. of the NAACP Youth Council, student - requests return of activity buses.  More students could stay after for extra curricular activites, sports, clubs, and tutoring.  2008 they were implemented.  Budget has increased, can they reinstate. Maybe not 430 and 600 but just 6:00 p.m.
• Melissa Queen (?) - Student at Thomas Stone High School, reinstate activity buses.  Ensured all students equal opportunity for participation.  Has been stopped twice by strange men in cars in her walk home from school at night.
• Kyle Smith - NAACP Youth Council, Student at Thomas Stone, activity buses reinstate, wants to start a petition among all students.
• Faye Weekly(?) - two children in middle school - we are the parents not you.  letters from schools about what to feed our children and nutrition content, and now an administartor assuming the content of a class being taught.  parentsshould be allowed to opt their child out.  not the schols job to judge a parent.  Parents responsible for their child.  Not schools job to protect a child from their parent.  Schools undermine a parents authority.  Reminder and cautioned not to cross the line.  Parents are protective of their children.

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the Minutes by Cook; Second by Abell

Yes = Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise; Absent = Bowie

• Personnel

Motion to accept the Personnel by Abell; Second by Lukas

Yes = Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise; Absent = Bowie

• 2015 Legislative positions

Motion to accept the 2015 Legislative Positions by Cook; Second by Pedersen

Yes = Abell, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise; Absent = Bowie

Adjournment
 

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 11/11/14

The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 11, 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 also streamed live on the school system website www.ccboe.com. Select CCPS TV and then choose the Live Broadcast tab.

Executive session – 12 p.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m.- Pledge of Allegiance – La Plata High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

• Correspondence/board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County updat
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update
• Student Board member’s update
• Academic eligibility proposal update
• CIP update
• Technology through the eyes of students
• Microsoft Office 2013
• Pension policy #3920
• Legislative update

Unfinished business

New business and Future agenda items

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Employees

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• 2015 Legislative positions

Adjournment

Notes from the Parent Advisory Council, 10/28/14

(Thank you to Joseph Cormier Arthur Middleton Owls PTO President for forwarding the notes)

Information dissemination: Working together toward a brighter tomorrow. 

Parents affected by drug abuse:

·       Amy Young: A parent affected by addiction in child.

·       Face of drug user doesn’t look stereotypical.

·       Need to Educate parents and teachers beyond DARE into the real world.

·       11^th -12^th grade with no post high school goals are target group.

·       MD is heroin capital of country.

·       Be aware of social media and friend groups your children participate in.

·       Don’t wait until something has happened.

·       Don’t assume happy, involved straight A student is not tempted.

·       Parents don’t want to admit their kids would fall into trap of friend offering drugs.

·       Medicine cabinets can be treasure trove. Use it or dispose of it. Don’t keep it.

·       Need anonymous feedback from parents and students.

·       Want to come to individual schools for presentations.

·       https://www.facebook.com/PABAParents1

·       pabaparents@yahoo.com

CCPS On the GO

·       Apple and android users can download free app.

·       Parent portal.

·       Blackboard Kinect.

·       Parent notification.

·       News releases and external releases.

·       Users can ‘follow my child’ follow my school.

·       General calendar populates as well.

·       Still in beta phase, working hurdles for different gateways

·       Need student 6 number lunch number/ID number

·       Dec/Jan update coming down. Need parent feedback for them.

·       smackey@ccboe.com For any Tech questions.

Keith Hettel:

·       Building and construction management is on going process.

·       GWWO study Capital improvement plan is in phase 3.

·       $235,000 dollar study bid process.

·       State and county funding for CIP.

·       60 Million in improvements to present schools. Fire alarms, PA System, HVAC, Kindergarten addition.

·       21^st century educational opportunity for all students.

·       Need a seat for all students, reduce learning cottages.

·       On site assessments for all building

·       Building manager and staff survey

·       All buildings objectively scored by capacity and condition for priority.

·       Some funding is 63 % state 37% local

·       Aggressive 10 year plan for renovation or new building

·       Also include 10 maintenance

·       $578,256,877 todays dollars not inflated

·       Stoddert, Jennifer, matula, mudd and new school west of 301.

·       www.ccboe.com/GWWO/gwwo.php

Marvin Jones Safety Brief:

·       Inside locks for interior doors.

·       Shades for widows.

·       Increase in student resource officers rotations.

·       Indoor and outdoor cameras

·       Access control.

·       Spare entry cards for PE, Learning cottages

·       Vigilant for student unrest.

Linda Gill School Student Recognition program

·       Making sure students are recognized for activities in and out of school.

·       Participation from parents and students

·       Volunteer hours recognized.

PTO Council

·       Vicky Kelly started group

·       Getting all PTO/PTA on the same page

Maryland’s new test requirement for graduation to be delayed two years

The Washington Post
October 2, 2014
By Ovetta Wiggins

The Maryland State Board of Education voted on Tuesday for a two-year delay in requiring that high school students pass new standardized tests in order to graduate.

This year, students in grades 3 to 8 and in English 10 and Algebra I will take the new tests, developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and based on the national Common Core State Standards.

Prior to Tuesday’s action, the new tests for English 10 and Algebra I were required for graduation. Under the new plan, students still will have to pass the courses to graduate, but will not have to pass the tests, state officials said.

The graduation requirement will go into effect during the 2016-2017 school year.

The action reverses a decision the state board made in July to implement the new test requirement.

“Our two-year plan will allow our students and teachers to become more knowledgeable in the more rigorous standards during the transition,” said Mary Kay Finan, the board’s vice president.

Maryland joins other states, including Massachusetts, that have either decided to delay the transition to the new tests or opted not to make them a graduation requirement this school year.

Since the board’s action earlier this year, some local district officials have raised concerns about holding students accountable during the transition to the new tests.

Read more HERE

CSM and BOE Joint Meeting Notes, 10/27/14

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.

Access CSM

• Offered at LaPlata High School this year as a pilot program
• Allows seniors to take a telepresence college class at the school during the school day and receive college credits.
• Tuition at 50% savings
• Currently offering Pop Culture and Sociology
• Program is successful
• Discussion involved both boards liking the partnership and increasing the opportunity to other high schools in the coming school year.

Early College Academy Proposal

• Program allowing students to earn 31 college credits by the time they graduate high school
• Similar to Dual Enrollment and the Access CSM but done via telepresence at your home school during the school year and on campus over the summer
• Tuition at 50% savings
• Begin summer prior to 11th Grade with interdiscpilinary course and communication course (6 credits)
• 11th grade year - one class per semester (6 credits)
• Summer prior to 12th grade - Science class and social sciences (7 credits)
• Senior Year - Two classes per semester (12 credits)
• Abell as well as others raised concern about the level of stress imposed on these students.
• not for all students, high achievers etc. with screening process
• both boards agreed to move forward with this proposal

Middle College Partnership

• Woudl involve middle school students being transported to the LaPlata Campus or another facility to attend college classes
• Would require a separate budget, staff, etc.
• Students would miss out on the extracurricular activities and socialization at their home school and also would not be involved with those activities at the collefe.
• Both boards agreed to table this initiative for now and focus on the first two.

CSM Hosts Board of Education for Joint Meeting

The Board of Education of Charles County and College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Board of Directors will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27 at the Center for Business Industry in room BI 103/104, located on the CSM La Plata campus. The following is a tentative agenda:

·         Pledge of Allegiance

·         Dinner/Introductions

·         Access CSM

·         Early College Academy proposal

·         Update on Middle College

·         Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CSM and Charles County Public Schools

·         Adjournment

Why Performance Incentives and Public Schools Don't Mix

Huffington Post
By:  Peter Greene
10/17/14


We have always paid public servants a flat fee, untethered to any sort of "performance measures." That's because we want public service to be completely disconnected from any private interests.

Fighting Fire With Money
Imagine if, for instance, we paid fire fighters on sliding scale, based on how many of which type fires they put out at a certain speed. This would be disastrous for many reasons.

Fire fighters would refuse to work in cities where there were few fires to fight, because they couldn't make a living. In cities where there were commonly multiple fires and their livelihood on the line, fire fighters would be encouraged to look at each fire call through a lens of "What's in it for me?"

For instance, in a system where fire fighters were paid based on the value of the flame-besieged property, fire fighters might view some small building fires as Not Worth the Trouble. Why bother traveling to the other side of the tracks? It's only a hundred-dollar blaze, anyway. Let's wait till something breaks out up in the million-dollar neighborhood.

In the worst-case scenario, one of our fire fighters depending on performance-based pay to feed his family may be tempted to grab some matches and go fire up some business.

Perverse Incentivization
Occasionally we've seen these kinds of perverse incentives in action, and we don't much like it. The areas of the country where you take extra speed limit care at the end of the month because the local police have a quota to meet. The neighborhood where cops have to roust a certain number of suspects a week to keep their job ratings. Nobody thinks these are examples of excellence in public service.

In fact, we have tried private police forces and private fire companies in the past. We don't much care for how that works out, because it creates a system that provides excellent service -- but only for the customers who are paying for it.

The idea of public service is to create a class of people who are above self-interest and who do not respond to a single boss. We are outraged when abuse of police power happens precisely because we expect the police to act as if they work for everyone, and to put their dedication to that service above any single interests, including their own.

That's the definition of public service -- service roles that are stripped of any possibility of incentives other than the mandate to serve the public good. That's what we mean by "professional" -- a person who puts all personal self-interest aside and focuses on Getting the Job Done. Trying to motivate a public servant with self-interest inevitably tends to pollute the professional setting with the very self-interest that we're trying to get out of there.

Read more HERE

Board Legal Bill over $140,000

Montgomery County school board,

critics at odds over $140,000 legal bill

The Washington Post
By Donna St. George
October 18 

First there was public uproar about how members of Montgomery County’s Board of Education used their district-issued credit cards. Now comes fallout regarding the $140,000 in legal bills that piled up as the records for those credit cards went under review and investigation.

Board President Phil Kauffman (At Large) defended the legal costs in a commentary recently published by The Washington Post, arguing that hiring outside lawyers to examine members’ spending decisions was “the right thing to do” as the school board sought to examine its own actions and come up with new procedures.

“Objectivity was an important part of this process,” he wrote, saying that the board hired the Venable law firm for its experience handling public-integrity issues. The board asked Venable to review board expense records, provide a written report and recommend actions.

“This is standard operating procedure when an organization is reviewing its own practices, whether it’s a business, a sports league or a government agency,” Kauffman wrote.

But several Montgomery County Council members and a Montgomery watchdog group have challenged the need to involve outside lawyers and assailed the cost of the help.

“I just don’t think there is any way you can tie a ribbon on the fact that our school board spent $140,000 getting advice on how to stop wasting money and make it look good,” County Council member George L. Leventhal (D-At Large) said.

Read more HERE

Now this is interesting! Opting Out Of State Testing - Could we do it?

Florida School District Sets Precedent

By Opting Out Of State Testing

Huffington Post
August 28, 2014
By Letitia Stein

TAMPA, Fla., Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Florida school district is opting out of all state-required testing, a move that experts said on Thursday sets a national precedent amid a growing controversy over the use of high-stakes standardized assessments in public education.

The Lee County School Board voted 3-2 on Wednesday to reject state-mandated testing in a district of some 90,000 students, saying it was acting on behalf "of administrators, teachers and most importantly students, whose educational growth has not been enhanced as a result of such testing."

Lee ranks as the 33rd largest school district in the nation, according to school officials based in Fort Myers in the southwestern part of Florida.

"We can sit here and roar like little kitty cats in the future and nothing is going to happen," said school board chairman Thomas Scott, who voted to reject the testing. "We have to make an impact on what is going on."

District Superintendent Nancy Graham raised concerns about the move. "This will hurt children. There is no way around it," she told school board members.

 

Read more HERE

We're not the only ones feeling the growing pains...

Montgomery schools see enrollment jump of 3,000 students

Starr says he will try to restore construction projects that were cut

The Gazette

by Lindsay A. Powers    

October 15, 2014

 

Montgomery County Public Schools gained another 2,941 students this school year, according to preliminary numbers discussed at the county school board’s Tuesday meeting.

That figure moves the system’s total enrollment to 154,230 students, Bruce Crispell, director of the school system’s Division of Long-range Planning told the board.

Final enrollment numbers will be released at the end of the month.

By 2020, the system’s enrollment is projected to hit more than 165,000 students, Crispell said. Even with added space from currently approved construction projects, he said, the system expects its schools to face significant overcapacity.

Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said at the meeting that, after construction projects the school board requested last year were delayed due to a lack of funding, he aims to restore the project schedule as much as possible. Starr will make his recommendations for amendments to the system’s Capital Improvements Program budget on Oct. 28.

The school system needs to make its capital needs “very clear” and push for legislation at the state level, Starr said. He referenced lawmakers’ unsuccessful efforts in the General Assembly’s last legislative session to direct more construction money to schools.

Read more HERE

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 10/14/14

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, October 14 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 – Henry E. Lackey High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board - See Report

Correspondence/board member updates

• Pedersen - GWWO survey, thank you to everyone for attending
• Wise - College Fair
• Abell - APFO Committee; commissioners dismissing
• Lukas - New Teacher Reception

Education Association of Charles County update - See Report

• testing, teacher workloads, emails of complaints, edline does NOT make it easier, natives are restless, do more with less, no one listening to concerns, SLO workshop

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update - See Report

• Assist Lifestyles, collecting Twin size blankets to help the homeless.
• North Point HS incident.  Lockdown.  Commend them on their efficiency regarding students.  Need training for visiting staff, maintenance, and parents.

Student Board member’s update - See report

Access control system

• All exterior doors will be locked during school hours. Main door entrance will need to be buzzed in.  Doors utilized by students during school hours have been fitted with access control panels.

Student recognition update

• Individual plans for each school.  More opportunity for students to be recognized.  Board members will receive invitations.
• No more cluster recognition

FY 2014 Independent financial audit - nothing noted; no abnormal findings

• Charles County BOE - FinStmt - Final.pdf (586 KB)
• Informational Item for the Board of Education - October 14 2014.pdf (18 KB)
• Charles County BOE - GovCom - Final. (2).pdf (2,801 KB)

Pension Policy -

• BOE pension policy.pdf (8 KB)

CIP update - Report

• St. Charles High School - Pool walls are going on now.
• F.B. Gwynn Center - Completeing roof top units and Boiler replacements
• Dr. Brown - Completeing roof top units and Boiler replacements
• Lighting Improvement project at 18 schools almost complete
• Gale-Bailey - new sewer system should be complete in the Spring.
• Henson - Gym upgrade ongoing
• LaPlata - Gym upgrade just began in September
• Aging schools program - funding from state to replace ventilators
• Access Controls - large project; installation, badges, programing and training; lost badges should be reported ASAP and there is no penalty
• Security initiative to place outside cameras at 18 schools
• T.C. Martin - site refurbishment for parking and bus flow to get permit for work over the summer

Bridge to Excellence and Race to the Top - Report

Secondary Academy of International Languages (SAIL)

• MHS SAIL ACADEMY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 10 8 14.pdf (930 KB)
• INS_SAIL_Oct 14 BrdMtg. (2).pdf (1,446 KB)
• 52 students participating in the program at McDonough; over 30 students are at a level 1 or 2 (little English literacy)

Microsoft Office Textbook Approval - Report

• Book will be on display at Thomas Stone, Westlake LaPlata and Starkey building)

Recruitment and staffing update - Report

• Math and English areas of greatest need
• Special Education is a need across the state
• Attended additional job fairs at historically black colleges
• Abell - requested additional information on where are we losing teachers to?

Proposed 2015 legislative positions - Report

Unfinished business

• Review of 2012 Board goals - alot of talk about not reviewing, changes, not holding accountability.  I again requested a review on how we, as a board, did on the goals we set just two years ago.
• Review of Board benchmarks - done in 2005, different board, rejected.
• Bowie - requested next board to be more proactive and almost demanding of co-board meetings with the commissioners, delegates, etc.
• Pedersen - board should get more involved in other community agencies, such as the planning commission.

New business - none

Future agenda items -

• Lukas - eligibilty requirements, based on current numbers how would we fair
• Pedersen - how is lack of activity buses affecting extracurricular activities other than sports and was the number of buses being used prior inflated.  Could we reinstate at lower quanitity.
• Abell - GWWO study review of public comments and decide where we are going from here.

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Jack Goodwin, 5th grade; Academic Achievement; Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Principal: Toni Melton-Trainor; John Gibson, 5th grade; Personal Responsibility; Mary H. Matula Elementary School; Principal: Carrie Richardson; Allissa Barnes, 5th grade; Academic Achievement; Arthur Middleton Elementary School; Principal: Sabrina Robinson-Taylor; Emily Maljack, 8th grade; Personal Responsibility; Milton M. Somers Middle School; Jordan Parker, 12th grade; Career Readiness; Maurice J. McDonough High School; Principal: Bradley Snow
• Employees - Debra C. Haan, physical education teacher, Middleton; Christine D. Busey, pre-k instructional assistant, Bailey; Lauren M. Hoza, kindergarten teacher, Matula; Holly C. Marsh, instructional assistant, Somer
• Resolutions – American Education Week; Accepting: Linda McLaughlin, President of EACC, Georgia Benson, student member of the Board; and student liasion; American Freedom Week: Accepting: Henry E. Lackey's JROTC Unit

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Jonathan Cook - Broadband education and issues in the county.  Disparity. FCC information provided.  Copper, fiber optic, cellular, satellite, fair access...bandwidth restrictions.  Homework or data given to our students eats through a families data usage.  Please consider when assigning homework.
• Debbie Vahl - school bus driver; notification of delayed opening, closing, bad weather, etc. Now has to log into email.  wants schoolsout.com reinstated.  Notification needs to be made sooner and more efficiently.  Staff explained new county system. 

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept the minutes by Cook; Second by Pedersen

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise

• Personnel

Motion to accept the personnel by Abell; Second by Pedersen

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise

• FY 2015 Comprehensive maintenance plan

Motion to accept the comprehensive maintenance plan by Lukas; Second by Pedersen

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise

Adjournment