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AFTERNOON.THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN TIARA BOOKER DWYER.
I CALLED TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 9TH, 2024.
THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH A MICROSOFT TEAMS LIVE EVENT.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[A. CLOSED SESSION]
GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AS PERMITTED BY THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AS FOUND IN THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE THREE DASH 3 0 5 B ONE B SEVEN, B EIGHT, AND B NINE TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE.
CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION AND CONDUCT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS OR CONSIDERATION OR CONSIDER MATTERS THAT RELATE TO THE NEGOTIATIONS.
GOOD EVENING AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN TIARRA BOOKER DWYER.
I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 9TH, 2024.
[B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG.WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH MICROSOFT TEAMS LIVE EVENT.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION OF THE JANUARY 9TH AGENDA.DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I'M UNAWARE OF ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
THE AGENDA STANDS AS PRESENTED EARLIER THIS EVENING.
THE BOARD MET IN CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PERMISSION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS AS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.
CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE.
CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING POTENTIAL LITIGATION AND CONDUCT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS OR CONSIDER MATTERS THAT RELATE TO THE NEGOTIATIONS.
THE SUMMARY OF THE CLOSED SESSION AND OPEN SESSION INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THE BOARD MEETING AGENDA DATE.
[D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS PERSONNEL MATTERS, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MR. MCCALL.GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
LIKE THE BOARD'S, CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING, PERSONNEL MATTERS, RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, LEAVES DECEASED RECOGNITION OF SERVICE AND CERTIFICATE APPOINTMENTS.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D FIVE?
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SO MOVED FROM PAUL.ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE.
[E. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Rogers) (6:50 - 7:00 p.m.)]
IS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M BRINGING FORWARD THIS EVENING THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR YOUR APPROVAL.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, EASTERN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, KENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT CONDUCT HEARING OFFICER AND SUPERVISOR BIRTH TO FIVE INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN E ONE? SO MOVED.
HARVEY, DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE.
OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS ELLIE GARDNER.
ELLIE GARDNER IS BEING APPOINTED AS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL EASTERN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL WITH 11 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH IN BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS.
HER FORMER EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ENGLISH TEACHER AT KENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER AT CROSSROADS CENTER AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT CROSSROADS CENTER IN SPARROWS POINT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
OUR SECOND APPOINTMENT IS ROCHELLE HARLEY.
SHE'S BEING APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL KENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL WITH 10 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE COP TEACHER AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL BUSINESS EDUCATION TEACHER AT OWINGS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT MILFORD MILL.
ADDITIONALLY, SHE PREVIOUSLY WORKED IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR 14 YEARS.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS MEGAN STEWART.
SHE'S BEING APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 15 YEARS OF SERVICE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE CLASSROOM TEACHER AT GLENDON AND MAYS CHAPEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND STAT AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER AT TIMBER GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS THEODORE TEDDY WELLSAND.
HE IS BEING APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF STUDENT CONDUCT HEARING OFFICER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL SAFETY WITH 15 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HIS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE MATHEMATICS TEACHER AT PARKVILLE AND HALLBERG MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT SOUTHWEST ACADEMY AND FRANKLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
OUR FINAL APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS REBECCA ZIMMERMAN.
REBECCA IS BEING APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF SUPERVISOR BIRTH TO FIVE INFANTS AND TODDLERS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION WITH NINE YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE SPECIAL EDUCATION INCLUSION TEACHER AT HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THE OFFICE OF BIRTH TO FIVE SERVICES, INFANT AND TODDLERS TEACHER IN THE OFFICE OF BIRTH TO FIVE SERVICES AND SPECIALIST IN THE OFFICE OF BIRTH TO FIVE SERVICES.
HER PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE KENNEDY KRIEGER INSTITUTE FOR FIVE YEARS.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR APPOINTEES.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.[F. PUBLIC COMMENT (7:00 -7:40 p.m.)]
IS PUBLIC COMMENT.THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG.
THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HOMELAND SECURITY UNIT AND OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAS RECOMMENDED SAFETY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS, WHICH ARE POSTED IN THE BOARDROOM AND AVAILABLE IN BOARD DOCS AND ON THE BOARD'S PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC WEBSITE.
WHILE WE ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INPUT ON POLICY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THIS BOARD AND THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, THIS IS NOT THE PROPER FORM TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE MATTERS OR TO COMMENT ON MATTERS THAT DO NOT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
INAPPROPRIATE PERSONAL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES
PERSONS WHO OTHERWISE DISRUPT OR DISTURB THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THEIR REMARKS AND WILL BE ESCORTED FROM THE MEETING OR KICKED OFF OF TEAMS. PLEASE OBSERVE THIS, THE THREE MINUTE CLOCK, WHICH WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP.
THE MICROPHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AT THE END OF YOUR TIME, AT THE END OF YOUR TIME OR PRIOR TO THAT TIME AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR.
SO WE WILL BEGIN OUR PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY ELECTED OFFICIALS OR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS.
SO WE WILL GO TO OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER, SPEAKER IS ARIA KINA, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I PRONOUNCED YOUR NAME WRONG.
DO WE HAVE ARIA ON THE CALL? I THINK HE'S ON NOW.
YOU JUST HAVE TO UNMUTE OR COULD WE UNMUTE ARIA? UH, HI.
I WAS HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE GETTING IN THE MEETING.
UM, GOOD EVENING TO THE CHAIR, THE VICE CHAIR, THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS ARIA NIA AND I'M HERE TODAY AS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST TECH CHALLENGE TEAM 2 3 7 4 1, AND A FORMER BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT.
AS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLER, I WAS FASCINATED WITH ROBOTS IN SPACE.
EACH MORNING I DRESSED AS CLOSE TO AN ASTRONAUT COSTUME AS I, MY MOTHER WOULD ALLOW ME TO GO TO SCHOOL IN AND HEADED OFF TO CROMWELL VALLEY ELEMENTARY, ONE OF ONLY TWO STEM MAGNET ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THIS EARLY EXPERIENCE WAS UNDOUBTEDLY WHY I DECIDED TO PURSUE ENGINEERING WITH CLA, WITH CLASSES THAT TAUGHT ME AND MY CLASSMATES CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, PROBLEM SOLVING, ABILITIES, PERSEVERANCE, AND COOPERATION.
WHILE SOME MAY SAY THAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STEM EXPERIENCE IS NOT AS FORMATIVE AS LATER YEARS, THEY FAIL TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE PATH OF STEM MAGNET MATRICULATION MUST START YOUNG TO GARNER INTEREST IN THE FIELD.
JUST AS ENGLISH AND MATH ARE TAUGHT TO YOUNG STUDENTS, ENGINEERING AND STEM CLASSES SHOULD BE AVAILABLE AS WELL, GIVING STUDENTS THE EXPERIENCE OF EXPLORING ALL THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
STEM MAGNETS LIKE CROMWELL VALLEY ELEMENTARY ARE FAR TO FIND IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
ACCORDING TO A 2015 BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL MAGNET PROGRAM, RECOMMENDATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
ON THE 2013 MAGNET PROGRAM AUDIT, THE CONSTITUENTS OF OUR COUNTY AND UH, SURVEYED INDICATED THAT THERE WAS AN INTEREST IN INCREASING MAGNET PROGRAMS AT THE ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVELS.
AND RIGHTFULLY SO, AS THERE ARE ONLY TWO ELEMENTARY LEVEL STEM MAGNET PROGRAMS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, WE ARE NOT EXPOSING KIDS TO STEM EARLY ON, AND THUS THEY'RE NOT MATRICULATING THROUGH OUR STEM MAGNET PROGRAMS IN THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS.
NOT ONLY ARE WE, UH, EXPOSING OUR TO STUDENTS TO STEM LATE, BUT TO MATRICULATE THROUGH THE BCPS STEM PROGRAM.
BCPS FAMILIES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WHILE BUSES ARE ABLE TO BRING THE NEIGHBORHOOD STUDENTS TO THE STEM SCHOOLS.
THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE, UH, DIFFERENT SCHOOLS MEANS THAT STUDENTS WILL NEVER BE ZONED TO AN ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE STEM PROGRAM, PUTTING EXTRA STRAIN ON THE BCPS TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AND REQUIRING MORE RESOURCES TO TRANSPORT STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATIONS, TO MAG TO MAGNET PROGRAMS ACROSS BCPS.
NOW IS THE TIME, UH, TO UPDATE
[00:15:01]
OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS AND EXPAND TO STEM EDUCATION FOR ALL BCPS STUDENTS, UTILIZING THE KEY DATA OF THE 2015 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS NECESSARY, DUST CREATING UPLIFTING SHINE, UH, UH, DUST CREATING AND UPLIFTING MAGNET PROGRAMS FOR OUR STUDENTS THROUGH ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOLS.BARBARA DESMOND FROM THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS.
UM, CHAIR, MS. BOOKER DWYER AND VICE CHAIR MS. HUMPHREY, BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS.
I HAVE A SLIGHT COLD TONIGHT AND I HOPE I CAN CONTINUE WITHOUT COUGHING.
RECENTLY, I AND OTHER MEMBERS FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AND THE RANDALLSTOWN NAACP FOR BOTH GROUPS OF WHOM I'M FOR, FOR WHICH I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT.
WE JOINTLY MET WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CHAIR, MS. BOOKER DWYER AND VICE CHAIR MS. EY.
THE MEETING FOCUSED ON CONDITIONS IMPACTING EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE BOARD'S ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN ADDRESSING RELEVANT ISSUES.
FOR THE PAST DECADE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS BEEN CONFRONTING A DECLINE IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR TOO MANY STUDENTS TO RESOLVE.
THE CHALLENGES RELATED TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND DISCIPLINE IN KEY AREAS WILL REQUIRE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM LEADERSHIP AND THE PUBLIC.
KEY TO THIS COLLABORATION IS MAINTAINING OPENNESS IN COMMUNICATION REGARDING THE BUDGET.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE ENCOURAGE PRIORITIZING INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPING HUMAN CAPITAL THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO RETURNING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO THE LEVEL OF ACCIDENT TO, UH, EXCELLENCE TO WHICH IT EXPIRES AND OVERALL EXPIRES, TO WHICH IT NEVERMIND.
OVERALL, AT THIS POINT, WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE GOALS EXPRESSED BY THE BOARD AND IN PAST DISCUSSIONS BY DR. ROGERS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING SUCH DIALOGUES WITH DR. ROGERS, MEETING WITH OTHER BOARD MEMBERS AND ASSISTING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN FULFILLING THE GOAL OF SUCCESS FOR ALL CHILDREN.
WE WERE IMPRESSED WITH DR. ROGERS BUDGET PRESENTATION.
ALSO, I WOULD ADD THE RANDALLSTOWN NAACP IS PREPARING A SERIES OF ARTICLES ENTITLED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO DISCLOSE INSIGHT INTO WHAT HAS OCCURRED BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE PAST THAT HAS LAPSED LED US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
WE WILL GIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE.
BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND YOUR COMMITMENT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. ABRAHAM NIK.
I HAVE A, A FEELING I'VE MISPRONOUNCED YOUR LAST NAME CAR.
KENNETH, DO WE HAVE ABRAHAM ON THE CALL? I BELIEVE HE'S ON NOW.
MY COMPUTER IS BEING A BIT SLOW.
DO YOU WANT US TO GO TO THE NEXT SPEAKER AND COME RIGHT BACK TO YOU? UH, IT OKAY? YEAH, I JUST GOT IT.
GOOD EVENING TO THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, SUPERINTENDENT, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS ABRAHAM CUIS AND I'M HERE TODAY AS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST TECH CHALLENGE TEAM NUMBER 2 3 7 4 1.
I OFTEN THINK BACK TO WHEN I FIRST LED ONE OF OUR TEAM'S OUTREACH EVENTS AT A LOCAL LIBRARY DESIGNED WITH THE GOAL OF EDUCATING CHILDREN IN MIND.
THESE EVENTS CATER TO THE CURIOUS YOUNG MINDS WE FIND OURSELVES PRESENTING TO.
ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY, THE LESSON WAS ABOUT A DIFFERENT, WAS ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF BRIDGES AND THE VARIOUS FACTORS THAT INFLUENCED THEIR CONSTRUCTION.
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WAS AN EDUCATIONAL YET EXCITING ACTIVITY FOR US, AND THEIR SMILES WERE DEEPLY MOTIVATING SITE FOR US.BRINGING ME HERE TONIGHT, REMEMBERING WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A YOUNG EXPLORATIVE KID.
I MADE SURE TO ENGAGE THE STUDENTS AT OUR EVENTS DEEPLY SO THAT THE INTEREST IN STEM COULD BE EXPLORED WITHOUT BARRIERS.
STEM, ENRICHMENT AND EXPOSURE NEEDS TO START AT A YOUNG AGE IN ORDER FOR IT TO TAKE ROOT.
WITHOUT THE EARLY EXPLORATION, COUNTLESS STUDENTS MAY NEVER DISCOVERED THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL.
THEY MAY NEVER REALIZE THE LEVEL OF SUCCE SUCCESS POSSIBLE FOR THEM.
AND IT IS OUR JOB TO PREVENT THESE YOUTHFUL PROMISING MINDS FROM NEVER TAKING FLIGHT STEM CAREER SERVE AS AN ECU SOCIOECONOMIC EQUALIZER, AND WITH STRONG EDUCATION INSIDE TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH, STUDENTS CAN ELEVATE THEMSELVES TO PREVIOUSLY UNIMAGINABLE HEIGHTS REGARDLESS OF RACE, GENDER IDENTITY, SEXUALITY, ECONOMIC STATUS, OR RELIGION.
THE POWER OF THIS BOARD HAS TO MAKE THAT DREAM UNTRUE IS NOT TO BE UNDERSTATED.
ONCE SUCH OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE THE PIVOTAL FIELD OF STEM WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS IS FOUND IN MAGNET PROGRAMS. WHILE THERE ARE QUITE A FEW STEM MAGNET PROGRAMS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVELS ARE SEVERELY LACKING WITH ONLY TWO ELEMENTARY LEVEL STEM PRO MAGNET PROGRAMS AVAILABLE.
MANY FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY UNDERPRIVILEGED ONES, THEY STRUGGLE TO PROVIDE THEIR CHILD WITH THE RESOURCES WE OWE THEM.
AS STATED ABOVE, WE MUST PROVIDE EARLY ON HOW MANY MORE CHILDREN WILL NEVER UNLOCK THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL WHILE WE DRAG OUR FEET IN FIXING THIS ISSUE.
WILL IT TAKE US A YEAR TO AMEND THIS FIVE 10? THIS CANNOT NOT BE STALLED.
AN INVESTMENT IN OUR STUDENTS IS AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE.
I CALL UPON THIS BOARD TONIGHT TO TAKE EQUITABLE INCLUSIVE, FORWARD THINKING ACTION.
TO RESOLVE THIS AND BUILD UPON OUR CURRENT RESOURCES, WE NEED TO INVEST IN OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS, FEARLESSLY AND UNYIELDING.
WE MUST BE INNOVATIVE IN FINDING WAYS TO MOLD OUR BUILDING STUDENTS INTO THE LEADERS AND THINKERS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. SHARONS.
I DON'T SAY MS. SARAH PHONE THE UM, CALL.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES.
YOU CAN HEAR ME? YES, YOU CAN PROCEED.
UH, I HAVE A BLACKOUT AT MY HOUSE.
THAT'S WHY I HAD TO GET OFF THE, UH, THE OTHER MODE OF, UH, CONTACT.
UM, WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT OF, UH, MAGNET PROGRAMS, THAT'S WHAT I CAME TO SPEAK ABOUT.
UM, BUT MY CONCERN IS ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL MAGNET BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I HAVE THE MAJORITY OF MY CLIENTS RIGHT NOW, IS ON THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
AND I SHOULDN'T BE HEARING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TELLING ME THAT THEIR NEEDS AREN'T BEING MET BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT LEARNING ANYTHING.
THEY'RE SITTING IN A CLASSROOM FOR UPWARDS OF AN HOUR AND A HALF AND THE TEACHER ISN'T DOING ANYTHING.
OR THE TEACHER ISN'T PROVIDING THEIR ACCOMMODATIONS ON THEIR IEP OR 5 0 4 BECAUSE THE TEACHER FEELS, WELL, YOU'RE IN A MAGNET PROGRAM, YOU'RE IN AN AP CLASS, YOU'RE IN A GT CLASS.
YOU'RE A VERY SMART INDIVIDUAL.
YOU DON'T DON'T NEED IT IN MY CLASSROOM OR THE GOALS AREN'T GEARED FOR MY CLASSROOM.
MY CLASSROOM IS A SCIENCE CLASS, NOT US.
AND YOUR GOALS ARE READING GOALS.
THIS IS COMING UP A LOT AND IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT IN SOME SCHOOLS WHERE IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE AND AN ATTENDANCE ISSUE.
WE NEED TO IMPROVE TEACHER TRAINING IN THESE MAGNET PROGRAMS. WE ALSO NEED TO INCLUDE IN THESE MAGNETS, THE SAME CLASSES IN ALL OF THE MAGNETS.
LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL HAS MORE DANCE MAGNETS, FOR INSTANCE, THAN CARVER DOES.
AND A LOT OF PARENTS DON'T KNOW THIS AND A LOT OF STUDENTS DON'T KNOW THIS UNTIL THEY GET INTO THE SCHOOL.
SO WE WERE GONNA TALK ABOUT EQUITY.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT MAKING OUR MAGNETS BETTER AND INVESTING IN OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE.
LET'S MAKE SURE ALL THE MAGNETS ARE ON BOARD WITH MAKING THE NEEDS OF
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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES A PRIORITY AND MAKING THE NEEDS OF THEIR MAGNET STUDENTS A PRIORITY SO THAT THEY COME TO CLASS AND THEY'RE LEARNING SOMETHING.I SHOULDN'T HEAR A STUDENT SAYING TO ME, I'M NOT LEARNING ANYTHING, BUT I WANT TO LEARN.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. ASHLEY STEVENS STIVERS.
CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
I AM COMING AS A MOM, BUT ALSO A BALTIMORE COUNTY EMPLOYEE.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING HAPPEN TO A CHILD AND I'VE WORKED IN FOUR DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
THE EVENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO MY CHILD, WHICH IS THIS, HIS FIRST YEAR IN PERSON, 'CAUSE HE DID VIRTUAL, WHICH WORKED AMAZING FOR HIM BEFORE, HAVE LED ME TO COME AND TALK TO YOU GUYS AS A DESPERATE PARENT.
SO I'M GONNA, I'M JUST GONNA HIGHLIGHT ONE, ONE THING, ONE EVENT THAT I HAD A WHOLE HAD POLITICIANS, LOCAL POLITICIANS UPSET.
HAS A DISTRICT Y OF PASTORS UPSET THIS, THIS EMAIL THAT WAS SENT TO ME THAT THREATENED MY SON IF HE CONTINUED TO SHARE HIS FAITH OR IF HE CONTINUED TO SHARE THE BIBLE WITH OTHER KIDS IN AN APPROPRIATE TIME, THAT HE WOULD HAVE FURTHER ACTION TAKEN AGAINST HIM.
WHEN KIDS GO TO SCHOOL, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL TO FEEL SAFE, NOT TO FEEL THREATENED.
SO I HAD TO MAKE THE EXECUTIVE DECISION BASED OFF OF ADMINISTRATION, BASED OFF OF CENTRAL OFFICE, NOT GIVING MY SON THE PROPER EDUCATION TO PULL MY SON.
SOME WOULD ARGUE THAT RELIGION SHOULD NOT BE IN SCHOOL.
NEITHER SHOULD LGBT GENDER IDENTITY AND PRONOUNS.
BOYS GO, BOYS AND GIRLS GO INTO THE SAME BATHROOM.
CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER THAT I SPOKE TO WOULD ARGUE THAT BALTIMORE COUNTY IS NOT CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYERS.
THEY ALSO WOULD ARGUE WITH YOU GUYS THAT YOU GUYS WENT AGAINST MY SON'S RIGHTS MULTIPLE TIMES LEADING TO A POSSIBLE LAWSUIT.
DOUBLE STANDARD IS WHAT BALTIMORE SIT COUNTY HAS SET, NOT ONLY FOR ME, BUT FOR MY CHILD.
THEY HAVE SHOWED ME THAT I CANNOT TRUST THEM WITH MY OWN CHILD.
PARENTS' CHOICE IS WHAT I'M PUSHING FOR.
PARENTS GIVEN THE CHOICE LIKE ME TO SIT THERE AND TO BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE WHERE THEIR KIDS NOT ONLY GO TO SCHOOL, BUT WHERE THE TAXPAYERS FUND GO TO.
I HAVE, AS A SINGLE PARENT, HAD TO TAKE MY SON OUT OF SCHOOL NOW AND, AND HAVING THE CALL OF PROVIDING EDUCATION FOR MY SON, I HAVE TO PAY FOR MONEY.
WHEN YOU GUYS RECEIVE TAXPAYER'S MONEY THIS YEAR FOR MY CHILD'S EDUCATION, I'M ASKING FOR A REFUND.
I'M ASKING FOR THE ADMINISTRATION THAT I TRUSTED WITH MY CHILD FOR THIR FOR 30 HOURS A WEEK PLUS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
I'M ASKING FOR CENTRAL OFFICE AND THE, THE SUPERINTENDENT AND EVERYBODY IN THIS THAT IGNORED ME AND THAT CAUSED CALEB TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE SCHOOL TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.
THE US CONSTITUTION IS A SYMBOL OF, IS FREEDOM, WHICH ARE FLAGS.
THE AMERICAN FLAG THAT PEOPLE FOUGHT FOR THAT STANDS AT THESE SCHOOLS SIT THERE AND THEY STAND FOR OUR FREEDOM ON OUR RIGHT.
AND BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN HAVE LOST THEIR LIFE FIGHTING FOR OUR RIGHTS.
LIKE I SAID, I HAD TO HOMESCHOOL MY SON.
AND NOW I HAVE TO SIT THERE AND I HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW, HOW IGNORANT THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS BEEN TO MY CHILD.
A CHILD THAT IS, IS EXTREMELY DOING WELL AND GIFTED AND TALENTED.
AND I ALSO HAD TO SIT THERE AND HAD TO COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT ACTUALLY A PROSTHETIC WORD THAT WAS GIVEN IN THE BIBLE.
THE BIBLE SAYS, I DON'T CARE IF YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, IT SAYS THE UM, THERE WILL BE A GOOD A DAY THAT THEY CALL GOOD EVIL AND EVIL.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THREATENING A CHILD FOR SHARING THE WORD AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME, BUT WE'RE SAYING THAT THE KIDS COULD GO IN THE, UH, EACH OTHER'S BATHROOM.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? MADAM CHAIR? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR WORKING THROUGH THE RAIN AND, AND THE WIND.
MY FIRST POINT TODAY IS REALLY SPECIAL THANKS TO DR. ROGERS FOR HER OPERATING BUDGET 2025.
HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS ONE POINT FURTHER.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE GOALS THAT THIS BOARD IS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE YEAR 2024.
AND I SUGGEST THAT YOU AS A BOARD WOULD ENUMERATE THE GOALS THAT YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH AND YOU WOULD PUT IT
[00:30:01]
ON THE WALL AND EACH TIME THE GOAL MAKES, UH, OR FINISH ONE GOAL, YOU PUT THAT CHECK MARK, UH, FOR IT.I THINK THAT WILL PROVIDE CLARITY, UH, TO THE PUBLIC.
THE SECOND POINT ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND I ALREADY LABELED IT AS IMPRESSIVE, BUT REALLY BUDGETS BEFORE HAVE NOT REALLY BEEN BAD.
AND EACH ONE HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
SO MY QUESTION TO THE BOARD, HOW DOES THE PUBLIC, LIKE MYSELF AND OTHERS, WOULD KNOW THAT THIS OPERATING BUDGET IS GOING TO FIX ALL THE PROBLEMS? MY THIRD POINT IS ABOUT POLICY 83 15.
AS YOU KNOW, POLICY 83 15 PROVIDE FIVE SLOTS FOR STUDENTS AND CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY.
THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IS 111,000, AND I THINK THE BALTIMORE COUNTY RESIDENT POPULATION IS 849,000.
GIVE OR TAKE, I DO NOT THINK FIVE SLOTS ARE ENOUGH.
I THINK THIS POLICY IS FLAWED AND IT'S NOT REALLY WELCOMING, AND I, UH, REQUEST THE BOARD TO RECONSIDER AND SEND IT BACK TO PRC.
MY FOURTH AND LAST POINT IS IN THE FIRST MEETING IN DECEMBER, I BELIEVE THREE CITIZENS CAME AND COMPLAINED ABOUT ACTS OF ANTISEMITISM IN THE BALTIMORE LIBERAL CONGREGATION WERE A SIGN WAS DEMOLISHED OR, UH, UH, DEFACED AND SOME INCIDENTS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT HAVE BEEN ALREADY ADDRESSED.
AND IN THAT MOMENT, DR. ROGERS AND THE CHAIR BOTH ADDRESSED THE SPEAKERS, UH, ABOUT ANTISEMITISM, BUT I NEVER REALLY HEARD MYSELF ANY OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OR THE CHAIR OF THIS BOARD OR PASSPORT ADDRESS ISSUES OF ISLAMOPHOBIA THAT I HAVE RAISED BEFORE.
I THINK THIS IS UNEQUAL TREATMENT.
I THINK THE SCHOOL SYSTEM NEED TO ADDRESS ALL PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MS. HAN ALREADY ASKED FOR THAT LAST YEAR AND I THINK IT'S REALLY A GREAT IDEA.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S
[G. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:40 - 7:45 p.m.)]
REPORT, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
LAST WEEK WE WERE PLEASED TO COME BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER THE NEW YEAR AND OPEN THE BRAND NEW RED HOUSE RUN AND SUMMIT PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SO THE BCPS COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS PREPARED A SHORT VIDEO OF THE SIGHT AND SOUNDS OF COMING BACK TO SCHOOL IN A BRAND NEW SCHOOL IN YEAR 2024.
BOYS AND GIRLS, WE ARE SO EXCITED TO WELCOME YOU FOR YOUR FIRST DAY IN OUR BRAND NEW SCHOOL BUILDING.
AS YOU CAN TELL, ALL OF THE HARD WORK OVER THE YEARS HAS PAID OFF AND WE ARE READY TO ENJOY AND MAKE SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES AND LEARNING HAPPEN IN OUR NEW SCHOOL.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS DAY FOR, UH, FOR YEARS NOW, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO GET 'EM IN THERE AND SEE WHAT THE NEW BUILDING LOOKS LIKE.
WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL AND WE KNOW WE'RE EXCITED FOR THE, THE TEACHERS, THE STAFF, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY ALL THE KIDS.
WE'RE GONNA WALK IN, GO TO THE GYM TOGETHER AND THEN GONNA, OKAY, SO BIG.
EXTRA CLOTHES, BACKPACK, JACKET, WATER, AND LUNCH, AND THEN SHOES.
OKAY, THIS LITTLE SHELF, YOU'RE GONNA PUT YOUR LUNCH IF YOU HAVE IT.
THAT WAY EVERYTHING IS IN A SPOT AND YOU CAN FIND EVERYTHING NICE AND EASY.
WE ARE EXCITED THAT THIS DAY HAS FINALLY COME.
[00:35:01]
NEW SCHOOL STATE-OF-THE-ART.WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING STUDENTS WALKING THE HALLS, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACE, WHICH HAS NOW TURNED INTO AN AMAZING AREA FOR STUDENTS TO WORK TOGETHER WITH TEACHERS AS WELL AS FELLOW STUDENTS.
HOW WAS YOUR ALRIGHT GUYS, IT IS GAME TIME.
WE WANNA BE AS QUICK AS WE CAN AND ALSO MAKE SURE THEY'RE GETTING TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO SAFELY.
BECAUSE IN A FEW MINUTES, 609 KIDS, THEY'RE GONNA WALK THROUGH THIS BUILDING AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THEY'RE GOING.
IT'S PURE JOY, GRATITUDE, AND EXCITEMENT.
WE ARE EXCITED TO WELCOME OUR STUDENTS THROUGH THE DOORS.
IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING AND I'M EXCITED TO FINALLY HAVE A SCHOOL BUILDING WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART CLASSROOMS AND TECHNOLOGY THAT REFLECTS THE FINE SCHOLARS WE HAVE HERE AT RED HOUSE RUN.
SPECIAL THANKS TO BCPS TV AND THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM FOR THAT VIDEO.
WE ALSO WANNA THANK THE, UH, DIVISION OF, UH, FACILITIES AND CONSTRUCTION LOGISTICS WHO HELPED WITH ALL OF THE MOVING AND OF COURSE, UM, OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE FOR THE GENEROUS FUNDING TO OPEN THESE BEAUTIFUL STATE-OF-THE-ART SCHOOLS, AND THE RED HOUSE RUN IN SUMMIT PARK COMMUNITIES.
AND THEY LOOK LIKE WONDERFUL SCHOOL OPENINGS, UM, AND THOSE NICE BRAND NEW BUILDINGS.
[H. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:45 - 7:50 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT.AND, UM, FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T KNOW, JANUARY IS MARYLAND SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION MONTH.
GOVERNOR WESTMORE HAS ISSUED A STATE PROCLAMATION THAT READS THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF BOARDS OF EDUCATION AS A PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SERVING AND SUPPORTING BOARDS OF EDUCATION IN MARYLAND AND MARYLAND.
STUDENTS GREATLY BENEFIT FROM THE STATE SCHOOL BOARDS PROVIDING ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT.
AND OUR STATE IS GRATEFUL TO ALL OF THE MARYLAND SCHOOL BOARDS THAT WORK TO ENSURE RIGOROUS AND WORLD-CLASS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR EVERY MARYLAND STUDENTS.
SO I, UM, WANNA THANK MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS FOR YOUR SERVICE TO BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN RECOGNITION OF MARYLAND SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION MONTH.
SINCE THE LAST CHAIR'S UPDATE, UM, BOARD MEMBERS AND I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH SEVERAL COMMUNITY GROUPS.
PRIOR TO THE HOLIDAYS, WE MET WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM DIFFERENT AREA EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCILS.
THESE COUNCILS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THEY ARE CHARGED WITH ADVISING THE BOARD ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT STUDENTS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES, AND SCHOOLS.
I ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO JOIN THEIR AREA EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH US TO CONTINUOUSLY ELEVATE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
I ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH MS. NIKKI COLE FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE, DR.
BARBARA DESMOND AND MS. ARTE THORNTON FROM NAACP RANDALLSTOWN CHAPTER, MS. RAMON JOHNSON FROM THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AND MS. AMY ADAMS AND MS. MARY TAYLOR FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PARENT AND STUDENT COALITION.
I APPRECIATE EACH OF THEM FOR TAKING TIME TO SHARE THEIR CONCERNS AND SUGGESTIONS TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH EACH OF THESE GROUPS.
THE TEACHER ASSOCIATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY AND THE EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY HOSTED THEIR ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA THANK MS. SEXTON AND MS. YOUNG FOR A FABULOUS EVENT WHERE THEY SHARED THEIR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND THE THEME OF RESPECT.
JUST AS WE REQUIRE OUR SUPERINTENDENT, PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS TO ENGAGE IN CONTINUOUS LEARNING BOARD MEMBERS ALSO ENGAGE IN CONTINUOUS LEARNING TO IMPROVE OUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.
TOMORROW WE ARE ENGAGING IN AN EQUITY TRAINING LED BY MR.
[00:40:01]
DOUG HANDY, WHERE WE WILL BUILD OUR CAPACITY TO LEAD FOR EDUCATION EQUITY THROUGH SCHOOL BOARD GOVERNANCE.I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS THERE AND US APPLYING WHAT WE LEARNED TO OUR ROLE AS BOARD MEMBERS.
[I. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:50 - 7:55 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS THE STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS REPORT, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. DRUMMOND.UM, SO APPLICATIONS FOR THE 20 23, 20 24 STUDENT NUMBER OF THE BOARD, UM, CLOSED LAST NIGHT.
SO STUDENTS WILL BE ELECTED FOR FROM THEIR APPLICATIONS AND WILL ATTEND AN INTERVIEW SESSION WITH MYSELF, UM, AND SOME OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS AND A COUPLE OF PEOPLE.
UM, ALSO I HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH STUDENTS INTERESTED IN WIDENING THE STEM PROGRAMS IN, UM, BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS, CLEANING UP BALTIMORE OR BALTIMORE COUNTY AND BALTIMORE CITY STREETS.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, I'LL BE VISITING MANY SCHOOLS IN THE COMING WEEKS TO MEET WITH STUDENTS TO HEAR THEIR CONCERNS AND RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ON COMMON NEEDS.
[J. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (7:55 - 8:05 p.m.)]
IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONSIDERATION OF BOARD POLICIES.THIS IS THE SECOND READER FOR THESE POLICIES AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. CHRISTINA HUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS, EXCUSE ME, THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND BOARD POLICY 51 40 ENROLLMENT, ATTENDANCE ASSIGNMENT AND OR SPECIAL SPECIAL PERMISSION TRANSFER.
THIS POLICY IS PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBIT J ONE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD POLICIES REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICY 5 1 4 0.
I'M NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE RECOMMEND SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE? MR. YOUNG? YES.
[K. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (8:05 - 8:10 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN, ENCLOSED SESSION.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MR. BURNS.
UH, THERE IS NO ACTION REPORT ON FROM CLOSED SESSION AND THEREFORE NO ACTION NEED TO BE TAKEN BY THE BOARD.
[L. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Mr. Hartlove and Mr. Dixit) (8:10 - 8:25 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONTRACT AWARDS.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. HARVEY CHAIR OF THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, JANUARY 8TH, 2024.
ITEMS L ONE THROUGH L 19 ARE BEING FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS L ONE THROUGH L 19.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE.
[M. NEW BUSINESS - COLLECTIVE BARGAINING MASTER AGREEMENTS (Ms. Charley-Greene and Ms. Bielski) (8:25 - 8:30 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING MASTER AGREEMENTS.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MS. CHARLIE GREEN.
BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
TONIGHT I AM HERE WITH OUR STAFF RELATIONS MANAGER, MS. JOEL BISKY, TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND HISTORIC, UH, THREE YEAR AGREEMENT WITH ALL FIVE OF OUR BARGAINING UNITS.
[00:45:01]
THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MS. BISKY, WHOSE LEADERSHIP BROUGHT US TO THIS MOMENT.GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT NEGOTIATIONS FOR ALL FIVE BARGAINING UNITS CONCLUDED THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER, ALL TE AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED AND ARE AWAITING BOARD APPROVAL.
EACH UNION AGREED TO A THREE YEAR PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES A 13% SALARY INCREASE OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD OF TIME.
THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS PUT US AT THE FOREFRONT IN EDUCATION ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND SET A NEW PRECEDENT IN BCPS.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK ALL MEMBERS OF THE NEGOTIATING TEAMS FOR THEIR COLLABORATION AND COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS FOR TEAM BCPS.
AND I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FY 2025 TO FY 2027 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING MASTER AGREEMENT.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MR. YOUNG? YES.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS HISTORIC CONTRACT, UM, WITH ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNITS.
[N. WORK SESSION - FY2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET (Mr. Hartlove, Mr. Grim, and Mr. Dixit) (8:30 - 8:45 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS THE WORK SESSION ON THE FY 2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MR. HARTLOVE, MR. GRIM.
BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
AT THE BOARD'S LAST MEETING ON DECEMBER 19TH, 2023, WE SHARED WITH YOU THE PROPOSED FY 20 25 5 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET RECOMMENDATION IN PREPARATION FOR BOARD ACTION AT THE JANUARY, 2020 THIRD, 2024 MEETING THIS EVENING.
STAFF WERE PRESENT TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS RECOMMENDATION.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? UH, YES.
UM, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, UM, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT THE REASON TOSEN HEIGHT ISN'T LISTED ON THE COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET REQUEST IS BECAUSE THE FUNDS FOR THAT PROJECT PROJECT ARE EXPECTED FROM THE STATE? YES, THAT IS TRUE.
AND ALSO, UM, TAS HIGH IS LISTED AS A RENOVATION ON THE STATE CAPITAL BUDGET.
CAN YOU CONFIRM AGAIN, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THAT THIS IS STILL GOING TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT? KEEPING THE FRONT OF, KEEPING THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND THE AUDITORIUM, BUT BUILDING MOST OF THE SCHOOL NEW.
IT IS GOING TO BE A LIKE NEW SCHOOL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? MADAM CHAIR? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, I TOO HAVE A QUESTION TO CONFIRM FUNDING FOR PRIORITY ITEMS ONE AND TWO, THE NORTHEAST AREA HIGH AND THE SOUTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL PROJECTS? UM, THE INFORMATION ON THE COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET REQUEST THAT WE'RE APPROVING TONIGHT IS, LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN A REPORT, UM, THE BOARD RECEIVED EARLIER, UM, THIS WEEK.
AND I'D LIKE TO CONFIRM, UM, THE FY 25 COUNTY AND STATE FUNDING BEING REQUESTED FOR THOSE TWO PROJECTS.
SO I'M NOT SURE IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION.
WE HAD PROVIDED OUR RESPONSE IN WRITING THAT THE CAPITAL REPORT THAT YOU SEE IS THE PAST OF WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED AND A LOT OF WORK THAT WAS DONE IS TO PREPARE.
IT WAS THE PLANNING AND PRE-PLANNING WORK FOR THOSE PROJECT.
ALL OF THE FUNDING THAT WE CAN REQUEST FOR SOUTHEAST, UM, WILL BE REQUESTED AT THE TIME WHEN WE ARE READY TO DO SO.
SO WE ARE ON TRACK WITH BOTH OF THOSE PROJECTS IN TERMS OF FUNDING
[00:50:01]
THAT THE BOARD HAS REQUESTED, GIVEN THE STAGE OF THOSE TWO PROJECTS IN PLANNING.IS THAT UNDERSTANDING YOU'RE SAYING? YES, THAT IS TRUE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ADDITIONAL UPDATES ON THOSE TWO.
ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? OKAY, THE BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE FY 2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET AT THE JANUARY 23RD, 2024 BOARD MEETING.
AND THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON NAMING
[O. REPORT - NAMING OF THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL (Dr. Jones, Dr. Grim, and Ms. Santos) (8:45 - 8:50 p.m.)]
THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. JONES, DR.
BOARD CHAIR, BOOK OF DWYER, UM, VICE CHAIR PUMP RAISE.
I AM HERE TO PRESENT THE REPORT ON THE NAMING OF THE NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UM, BEFORE I BEGIN, I DO WANT TO, UH, PERSONALLY THANK OUR PARTNERS IN DRAA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF, UM, DR.
ALSO WANNA THANK, UH, MY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LARISSA LAA SANTOS, UM, WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE PRINCIPAL, MR. BRIAN.
SO, AS WE ALL KNOW IN, IN CONDUCTING THIS, UM, THIS PROCESS AND THE NAMING PROCESS, WE HAVE THE RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE TWO TOP SCHOOLS NAMES, AS WE ALREADY KNOW, HAVE BEEN NORTH.
WERE NORTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL AND NOTTINGHAM, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH SOME OTHER RESPONSES BEING CALCULATED FROM THERE.
THE NAMING PROCESS, WHICH IS OUTLINED ON THE SCREEN, FOLLOWS POLICY AND RULE 75 20.
UM, WE SURVEYED THE COMMUNITY BACK IN NOVEMBER.
AS I STATED BEFORE, THE TWO TOP NAMES MOVED FORWARD AND THE COMMUNITY RECEIVED A SECOND SURVEY, UM, AT THE END OF NOVEMBER.
AND THE NAMING CRITERIA, WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH THE POLICY, INVOLVES THE COMMUNITY SUBDIVISION WHERE THE SCHOOL IS LOCATED, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, UM, ANY TYPE OF DISTINGUISHABLE OR SIGNIFICANT LANDMARK.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, ANY, UM, DECEASED OR PROMINENT PERSON WITHIN BALTIMORE COUNTY AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND OR THE UNITED STATES CAN ALSO BE A PART OF THE NAMING PROCESS.
THE RESULTS OF THE FINAL SURVEY WITH THE TWO TOP NAMES.
AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, SWITCHED A LITTLE BIT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST SURVEY.
WELL SWITCHED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST SURVEY.
AND THE, UM, THE TWO NAMES NORTHEAST, MIDDLE, AND NOTTINGHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL WERE PRESENTED TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE OVERWHELMING RESPONSE WAS FROM THE NAME NOTTINGHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO THE NAMING OF THE SCHOOL, AGAIN, JUST TO, UM, GO OVER OUR PROCESS.
THE, THE NEW NAME OF THE SCHOOL IS, UM, WITH THE, UM, INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY IS THE, UM, UM, NOTTINGHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL, BUT THEN ALSO THE BOE RECOMMENDATION, WHICH IS TODAY.
UM, PUBLIC COMMENT, JANUARY 23RD, BOE VOTE, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, UM, JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE IN TERMS OF THE STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND THE BOUNDARY PROCESS, UM, THAT TOOK PLACE ON MARCH 2ND, 2020 THIRD.
PUBLIC COMMENT WAS IN MAY OF 2020 THIRD.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE BO OE VOTE, UH, AROUND THE PROCESS WAS JUNE 13TH, 2023.
NOTIFICATION LETTERS IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS WITH THE SCHOOL WILL BE SENT TO FAMILIES.
UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH DRAA AND STRATEGIC PLANNING AND THE DIVI DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN GRADES FIFTH AND SIXTH AND SEVENTH RECEIVE NOTIFICATION IN FEBRUARY.
THIS INFORMATION, AGAIN, WILL BE SENT TO FAMILIES AND STUDENTS IN PRESCHOOL, AND THAT WILL GO OUT AROUND MARCH.
BETWEEN PRESCHOOL AND GRADE FOUR.
THE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ARE BEING PROVIDED MESSAGES TO SHARE WITH FAMILIES WITHIN THE STUDY AREA REGARDING THE ADOPTION OF THE NEW SCHOOL BOUNDARIES AND ALL THE INFORMATION THAT, UH, PARENTS AND FAMILIES WILL NEED, UM, IN TERMS OF THOSE FAMILIES WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS OR WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE BOUNDARY STUDY.
I THINK THIS MAY BE THE THANK YOU SLIDE
I THINK, UM, SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY IT AS WE, UM, YOU KNOW, WORK THROUGH THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, BUT WE WANNA THANK EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.
AGAIN, IT HAS BEEN A TRUE COLLABORATION AND, UM, WE ARE EXCITED AGAIN TO SEE SO MANY OF OUR STUDENTS EXPERIENCE, UM, ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT COMES ALONG WITH A NEW SCHOOL.
[00:55:01]
THANK YOU.ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS? SO I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
THE FIRST SURVEY, UM, THE, IT DIDN'T APPEAR, THE MAJORITY OF RESPONSES WERE OTHER NAMES THAT POPPED UP FROM THAT OTHER, THAT KIND OF BUBBLED TO THE TOP.
SINCE WITH THAT FIRST SURVEY, MOST OF THE RESPONDENTS DIDN'T APPEAR TO ONE EITHER NORTHEAST OR NOTTINGHAM.
SO THOSE WERE OUT OF, OUT OF THE BALANCE OF, OF THOSE NAMES.
UM, SOME WERE NOT PERMISSIBLE UNDER POLICY AND RULE.
SO SOME FELL OUT OUTSIDE OF, OF THOSE OTHERS.
UM, OTHERS DID NOT HAVE A, A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF VOTES TO GET THEM WITHIN THE TOP TIER.
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN 10 OR 15 FOR ONE IDEA OR ANOTHER.
UM, BUT THESE WERE THE, THESE WERE THE, THE, THE ONES THAT HAD THE MOST, THE MOST VOTES THAT WOULD MOVE ON TO A SECOND SURVEY.
YEAH, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS AN INCREDIBLY WIDE RANGE OF, UM, SUBMISSIONS FOR, FOR THE NAME I CAN IMAGINE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
SO THE BOARD WILL HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE NAMING OF THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL AT THE JANUARY 23RD, 2024 MEETING.
AND THE BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE NEW NAME AT THE FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024 MEETING.
SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON
[P. REPORT - SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY2025 OPERATING BUDGET (Dr. Rogers) (8:50 - 9:20 p.m.)]
THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FYI 2025 OPERATING BUDGET.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.
I WANNA CHECK TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE CAN SEE THE FULL PRESENTATION.
UM, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UH, BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS, I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT FORMALLY THE FY 25 OPERATING BUDGET.
ALL RIGHT, WE ARE GONNA TRY THIS AGAIN.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE HAVE SWITCHED FORMAT AND ARE WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE WEATHER CHALLENGES.
SO HOPEFULLY YOU'LL HEAR BY THE END OF THE PRESENTATION THAT VIDEO AND THAT VIDEO IS REALLY, UM, A VIDEO MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS SHARING THEIR HOPES AND VISIONS AND ASPIRATIONS FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UM, WHAT THEY SHARE IS GOING TO BE AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO AND WHY WE DO IT EVERY DAY.
FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR FAMILIES, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR STAFF, AND OUR STAKEHOLDERS, WE WANT TO CONTINUE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM DOING THE CRITICAL WORK OF BUILDING AN INNOVATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SYSTEM, A COMMUNITY WHERE ALL STUDENTS CAN EXCEL AND REACH THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL.
BEFORE WE BEGIN, WE MUST START BY SHARING WHO WE ARE.
UM, BCPS COMMUNITY HAS MORE THAN 110,000 STUDENTS, 176 SCHOOL CENTERS PROGRAMS AND GROWING.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 20,000 EMPLOYEES.
OUR STUDENTS SPEAK MORE THAN 103 LANGUAGES REPRESENTING 122 COUNTRIES.
THAT MAKES US THE THIRD LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND THE 22ND LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
WE ARE A COMMUNITY THAT COMES TOGETHER ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY DURING CHALLENGING TIMES.
WE DON'T LACK FOR COMMITTED STAFF OR ENGAGED COMMUNITIES.
AS EVIDENCED BY HUNDREDS OF PARTICIPANTS IN OUR MEET AND GREETS, IN OUR BUDGET CONVERSATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTY, WE HAD NEARLY A THOUSAND STAKEHOLDERS SURVEY RESPONDENTS.
UM, WE HAD SEVERAL RESPONSES ON OUR PRINCIPAL SURVEY.
MORE THAN THOUSANDS OF CLICKS ON OUR NEW BUDGET, 1 0 1 WEBPAGE.
MORE THAN TWO DOZEN MEETINGS WITH CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS, AS WELL AS PRINCIPALS AND ADVISORIES THAT INCLUDE A VARIETY OF SCHOOL-BASED ROLES AND MANY PARTNERS STEPPING UP TO BE A PART OF OUR EFFORTS TO FAST FORWARD SUCCESS ACROSS BCPS.
THIS HIGH LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT SHOWS US THE RENEWED HOPE AND EXPECTATION FROM OUR PARTNERS.
AND RIGHTFULLY SO, OUR PARTNERS NEED SOMETHING FROM US.
WE NEED TO DELIVER ON OUR PROMISE
[01:00:01]
FOR OUR STUDENTS.OUR APPROACH TO THIS BUDGET WAS INCLUSIVE AND FAR REACHING.
WE REALLY MADE SURE THAT WE ENGAGED THE VOICES OF MANY PEOPLE.
WE STARTED EARLY AND ENGAGED COMMUNITY OFTEN IN MANY WAYS, PEOPLE WERE EMPOWERED TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE, SHARE EXPERIENCES AND NEEDS.
AND AS A RESULT, SEVERAL THEMES EMERGE ACROSS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
ULTIMATELY, WE WORKED TOGETHER TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS THAT WERE COLLABORATIVE AND AS RESPECTFUL AS POSSIBLE WITH A STRICT FOCUS ON WHAT WAS BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS.
JUST ABOUT EVERYONE KNOWS AND HAS HEARD ME TALK ABOUT SEPTEMBER 20TH AND THE EXPIRATION OF ESSER FUNDS.
THIS BUDGET SEASON FY 25 IS CHALLENGING.
IT IS CHALLENGING BECAUSE THE FUNDS ARE EXPIRING AND SO WE HAVE TO MEET, RESPOND TO THE FISCAL CLIFF.
WE HAD KEY INITIATIVES THAT MUST CONTINUE IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT WERE BEING FUNDED BY ESSER FUNDS THAT ARE GOING AWAY.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE.
AND THIS IS THE YEAR THAT THERE IS A MUCH SMALLER PERCENTAGE OF BLUEPRINT FUNDS THAT SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND RECEIVE.
AND SO WITH CLEAR CHALLENGES AND A TIME OF NEED, UH, WHERE THERE ARE SHORTING STAFFS, EXCUSE ME, STAFFING SHORTAGES IN VIRTUALLY ALL AREAS, WE HAD TO TRY A NEW APPROACH.
THIS NEW APPROACH INCLUDED REVIEWING ALL DOCUMENTS.
WE IMPLE IMPLEMENTED A HIRING FREEZE IN CENTRAL OFFICE.
WE ANALYZED OUR SPENDING REPORTS, WE BUDGETED TO ACTUAL EXPENDITURES AND REIMAGINED WAYS TO MAXIMIZE GRANT FUNDING AND HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS TO INFORM OUR DECISIONS AND TO HELP US PRIORITIZE.
WE CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT WE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING, WHAT DID NOT SERVE US WELL, SHOULD NOT COMMAND OUR TIME, OUR ATTENTION OR RESOURCES.
AND THIS BUDGET REFLECTS THAT.
THE NET RESULT WAS $104.1 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS.
THIS WAS NOT AN EASY PROCESS OR FAST PROCESS.
THIS SLIDE DEPICTS THE MAJOR SAVINGS WHILE STAYING AWAY FROM SCHOOLS.
WITH THE INPUT TO OF ALL DIVISIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO CUT AS MANY THINGS BEFORE LOOKING AT PEOPLE.
THINGS LIKE SUPPLIES IN OFFICES, COPIES FOR OFFICES AND TRAVEL.
TO BE CLEAR, WE WILL NOT HAVE ANY LAYOFFS ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT US LOWERING CLASS SIZES, THIS SPEAKS TO THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS THAT WE WILL NEED TO HIRE DURING THE NEXT STAFFING SEASON.
SO TYPICALLY BALTIMORE COUNTY HIRES MORE THAN 800 NEW TEACHERS EVERY YEAR.
WITH THE CHANGE THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, WE WILL HIRE FEWER THAN 800 TEACHERS.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE POSITION REDUCTIONS OTHER ARE VACANT POSITIONS ALSO.
AND THAT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE VACANT POSITIONS, AS YOU DEVELOP A BUDGET, YOU MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THAT POSITION.
AND SO WE'VE MADE REDUCTIONS TO THOSE POSITIONS OVERALL.
WE WERE ALSO ABLE, WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY REPRESENTED STAFF THAT THEY'RE PROVIDED INTERNAL OPTIONS AFTER THEY RECEIVE NOTIFICATION BY MARCH AND OTHER SAVINGS WERE FROM OTHER AREAS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN.
CENTRAL OFFICE BASELINE, NON-SALARY ITEMS, TRANSITIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION, FORMULA REDUCTION.
WE RIGHTSIZE THE RESPONSIBILITY FACTORS IN ALIGNMENT WITH CONTENT AREAS, TURNOVER, ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SOFTWARE LICENSES BASED ON USAGE AS WELL AS FUEL AND OTHER BUILT-INS.
I'M GRATEFUL TO WORK WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO COME TOGETHER AND MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS IN SERVICE OF STUDENTS.
YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY THIS BEFORE.
WE ARE A SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WE EXIST TO EDUCATE ALL STUDENTS AT HIGH LEVELS.
WE ARE NOT THERE YET AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN THERE FOR SOME TIME.
HOWEVER, WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE WHERE YOU LIVE OR YOUR
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SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS CAN NO LONGER CONTINUE TO PREDICT PERFORMANCE.WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE CANNOT DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE BECAUSE THERE ARE LIMITED RESOURCES.
HOWEVER, THIS BUDGET TAKES A THOUGHTFUL STRATEGIC APPROACH TO TO HELPING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM FAST FORWARD.
INVESTMENT IN OUR AREAS OF GREATEST NEED ARE NEEDED RIGHT NOW SIMPLY BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF CAN'T WAIT.
NOW IS THE TIME FOR BCPS TO FAST FORWARD STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
THAT'S WHY THIS BUDGET CONTINUES OUR WORK TO MEET OUR MORAL OBLIGATION, REMAIN COMPETITIVE, AND ENSURE LONG-TERM STABILITY OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE MUST FOCUS ON OUR FOUR PRIORITIES AS WE HAVE BEEN THIS YEAR.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY AND CLIMATE, AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF.
ALL CONTENT AREAS ARE CERTAINLY IMPORTANT IN THE LIVES OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND THEY COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER.
WE MUST NARROW OUR FOCUS AND SO OUR BUDGET PRIORITIES EXPRESS OUR COMMITMENT TO CREATING THE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, MATHEMATICS, ESOL, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE INCLUDES COMPREHENSIVE CHANGES TO PUBLIC EDUCATION DESIGNED TO ENRICH STUDENT EXPERIENCES AND ACCELERATE IMPROVEMENT TO STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES.
THIS BUDGET PROPOSED INVESTMENTS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THOSE REQUIREMENTS, SUCCESS IS ATTAINABLE AND WE ARE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT WE WANT IN EVERY CLASSROOM EVERY DAY FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
THERE ARE MANY BRIGHT SPOTS IN BCPS WHERE STUDENTS ARE BEING CHALLENGED WITH HIGH LEVEL RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION.
NEWTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, LED BY PRINCIPAL COSTAN HAS MANY ENGAGING CLASSROOMS. IN PARTICULAR, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF VISITING MS. CHENEY'S CLASSROOM.
MS. CHENEY IS A 16 YEAR VETERAN WHO HAS SPENT HER ENTIRE CAREER AT NEWTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
I WATCHED HER IMPLEMENT OUR LITERACY CURRICULUM IN THAT CLASSROOM.
DURING THE TIME THAT I WAS THERE, I WITNESSED A CLASSROOM FILLED WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS, BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF STRONG RELATIONSHIPS, CLARITY OF INSTRUCTION, FREQUENT CHECKS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTING THE CURRICULUM WITH FIDELITY.
MS. CHENEY WAS ALSO FEATURED IN ED WEEK, SHARING BEST PRACTICES IN TERMS OF HOW YOU MOVE STUDENTS INTO GROUP WORK.
THIS LEVEL OF TEACHING IS WHAT LEADS TO IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS.
THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION IN THIS LITERACY CLASSROOM NEEDS TO BE COMMONPLACE ACROSS ALL OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THAT'S WHY THIS BUDGET DECREASES VARIANCE AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
WE ARE EXPANDING INVESTMENTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, REDUCING CLASS SIZES IN ELEMENTARY GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, WHICH WAS OUR LARGEST CLASS SIZE ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
PLACES PLACING CONTENT EXPERTS IN SCHOOLS, NAMELY MATHEMATICS IN ELEMENTARY, AND INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN CRITICAL AREAS, INCLUDING SPECIAL EDUCATION AND ESOL.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE NUMBER, LET'S FAST FORWARD TO OUR VISION FOR EVERY STUDENT COLLEGE CAREER AND COMMUNITY READINESS IS THE GOAL.
BCPS GRADUATES SHOULD NOT LACK FOR OPTIONS.
AS A RESULT OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT THEY'VE HAD OVER THEIR TIME ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO SELECT A CHOSEN PATHWAY AND NAVIGATE IT SUCCESSFULLY.
WORKING WITH PSYCHOMETRICIANS, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE SPECIFIC MARKERS THAT OUR STUDENTS NEED TO MEET ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS DURING THEIR CAREER TO MEET WITH COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
AS YOU, AS YOU SEE DEPICTED BY THE SLIDE KINDERGARTEN, STUDENTS BEING ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE READINESS ON THE KRA STUDENTS READING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
AT THE END OF GRADE THREE, PROFICIENCY ON GRADE FIVE, MARYLAND ASSESSMENT, GRADE EIGHT, SU SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ALGEBRA
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ONE WITH A GRADES OF C OR HIGHER.AND SEVERAL MARKERS OF HIGH SCHOOL WILL ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE READY.
SO LET'S REVIEW WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY AND THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED SO THAT WE ALL CAN GET TO OUR FINAL DESTINATION.
THIS FIRST SLIDE DEPICTS BALTIMORE COUNTY COMPARED TO THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
AS WE COMPARE THE STAR RATINGS, YOU'LL NOTE FOR 2222, COMPARED TO 2023 BCPS HAD A SLIGHT DECLINE.
THE STATE OF MARYLAND ALSO HAD A DECLINE.
OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS STAYED THE SAME FROM 20 22, 20 23, AND OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS EXPERIENCED A DECLINE FOR GRADUATION RATE.
BALTIMORE COUNTY IS ALMOST 2% BEHIND THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
I PLEASE, WE WANNA TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PERFORMANCE.
THESE MAPS ARE ARRANGED BY LEVEL AND THE COLOR CODING SPEAKS TO THE LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY OF OUR STUDENTS.
SO BLUE IS FOR BEGINNING LEARNERS, CREAM FOR DEVELOPING AND GREEN FOR PROFICIENT AND DISTINGUISHED.
AND SO WHAT YOU'LL NOTE IS THAT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WE HAVE SOME POCKETS WHERE THERE ARE PROFICIENT AND DISTINGUISHED LEARNERS.
AS OUR STUDENTS MOVE TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, THERE IS A LOT OF CREAM IN THOSE, UH, IN OUR DIFFERENT SCHOOL AREAS.
UM, IDENTIFYING THE POTENTIAL TO MOVE THOSE STUDENTS TO PROFICIENT AND DISTINGUISH.
AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR HIGH SCHOOLS.
WE NEED MORE GREEN ON OUR MAPS ULTIMATELY.
WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT MATH, OUR PERFORMANCE IS SIMILAR TO THE STATE.
MATHEMATICS IS A SIGNIFICANT AREA OF NEED.
WE NEED TO MOVE OUR APPROACH FROM PROCURING MATERIALS TO INVESTMENTS IN COACHING AND TEACHING.
OUR TWO-PRONGED APPROACH STARTS WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
OUR BIGGEST INVESTMENT IS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN ALL OF THOSE STUDENTS HAVE A FRESH START, THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN THEIR LEARNING.
THE LEVEL OF SUCCESS THAT A STUDENT HAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILL CARRY FORWARD IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
BUT WHILE WE ARE INVESTING IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, WE ALSO HAVE TO SHORE UP THE TEACHING AND LEARNING THAT'S HAPPENING CURRENTLY.
NOW FOR OUR SECONDARY STUDENTS, THESE STUDENTS NEED OUR VERY BEST.
THE LAST TIME WE TRAINED ALL TEACH ALL LEADERS IN OBSERVING AND ANALYZING TEACHING IN EARNEST WAS WITH THE ROLLOUT OF THE NEW FRAMEWORK, WHICH WAS ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO.
A LOT HAS CHANGED IN 12 YEARS.
AND SO WE ARE CHANGING MOVING FORWARD.
THAT'S WHY WE ARE INVESTING IN STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS AT THE BUILDING LEVEL IN EVERY SCHOOL.
AND WE ARE USING OUR GRANT FUNDS TO TRAIN DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, SCHOOL LEADERS, AND CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS IN RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING FOCUSED ON HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
THESE CHANGES AREN'T GOING TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO CHANGE OUR DIRECTION.
WE MUST INVEST IN AND VALUE THE ADDITION OF THESE TEACHERS ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS SO THAT WE CAN IMPROVE OUR COLLECTIVE EXPERTISE AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
THIS SLIDE DEPICTS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGE.
THE COMPARISON IS TO THE STATE AVERAGE.
THE STATE AVERAGE IS ALMOST AT 39%.
SO EVERY AREA THAT YOU SEE COLOR CODED IS ABOVE STATE AVERAGE IN TERMS OF POVERTY.
AS IT GETS DARKER, THERE IS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF POVERTY IN THOSE SPECIFIC AREAS.
AND YOU'LL NOTE THAT THESE MAPS ARE ALSO ARRANGED BY SCHOOL LEVEL BLUEPRINT.
PILLAR FOUR CALLS FOR US TO GIVE MORE RESOURCES TO SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS WHO NEED THOSE RESOURCES.
FOCUS AND ATTENTION TO THE IMPACT OF POVERTY AND LEVERAGING RESOURCES IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS BUDGET AND SPECIAL REVENUE, AS IN THE CASES OF GRANTS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
AREAS OF NEED, YOU'LL NOTE, ARE CONCENTRATED FOR US PRIMARILY IN THE EAST ZONE AND THE WEST SOUTH.
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INCLUDES FUNDS TO BEGIN REVERSING.THESE TRENDS THERE ALREADY EXIST.
A ROBUST BODY OF RESEARCH THAT INDICATES PROMISING PRACTICES THAT SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT EMPLOY.
THERE ARE THREE PRIMARY STEPS.
FIRST, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT MATERIAL, THAT WE HAVE HIGH QUALITY CURRICULUM THAT IS ALIGNED TO STATE STANDARDS.
IT IS EVIDENCE-BASED, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION DUE TO THE GENEROSITY OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY WITH CURRICULAR INVESTMENTS, AND THIS BUDGET SHOWS THE AREAS WHERE WE NEED ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS.
THE NEXT STEP IS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
WE HAVE TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF ALL OF OUR TEACHERS, PARAPROFESSIONALS, LEADERS, AND CENTRAL OFFICE TO IMPLEMENT CURRICULUM WITH FIDELITY, OUR LEADERS, TO OBSERVE AND ANALYZE TEACHING, AND PROVIDE ROBUST FEEDBACK ON THE CURRICULUM AND ON THE QUALITY OF TEACHING HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOMS EVERY DAY.
AND THE LAST PIECE IS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS AND IN CENTRAL OFFICE.
WE NEED TO BE WORKING ON A REGULAR BASIS TO ANALYZE OUR STUDENT DATA AND MAKE CHANGES BASED ON OUR STUDENT NEEDS IN REAL TIME AND CENTRAL OFFICE, WORKING ALONGSIDE SCHOOLS TO HELP TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES.
AS WELL AS LOOKING AT AND EXAMINING PATTERNS AND TRENDS ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.
WE NEED THE FOLLOWING INVESTMENTS IN ACHIEVEMENT.
WE WANNA REDUCE CLASS SIZES AND GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE.
MOVE FORWARD WITH ELEMENTARY MATH LEAD TEACHER PILOTS ENSURE THAT WE HAVE STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS IN EVERY SCHOOL, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SPECIAL AREA TEACHERS FOR OUR STUDENTS, INVEST IN A NEW SECONDARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM ALIGNED TO MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STANDARDS.
OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN LOUD AND CLEAR ABOUT THE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH A VIRTUAL OPTION.
AND SO THIS BUDGET INCLUDES FUNDING FOR VIRTUAL ACADEMY TEACHERS SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE ENSURING THAT WE EXPAND OUR OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS AT GREATEST NEED.
AND SO, MAXIMIZING THE SEATS AT OUR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE A ROBUST SET OF OFFERINGS, ALL LEVEL OF COURSES, BUT BEING ABLE TO USE THE BENEFITS THAT OUR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING THE SMALL CLASS SIZES, THE WRAPAROUND SUPPORTS IS A PART OF THIS BUDGET, AS WELL AS MOVING FORWARD WITH HAVING CAREER NAVIGATOR POSITIONS TO HELP OUR STUDENTS TO BE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY IN ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS FOR GROWTH, WE NEED TO EXPAND POSITIONS FOR THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL, RED HOUSE RUN, SUMMIT PARK, AND BEDFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
WE ALSO NEED TO EXPAND FOR ANOTHER GRADE LEVEL AT WATERSHED, PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL SLIDE PLEASE.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO AN ACCELERATED EXPANSION OF FULL DAY PRE-K ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
DID YOU KNOW THAT 50% OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP DIFFERENCES IN HIGH SCHOOL ARE ATTRIBUTED TO EARLY LEARNING DIFFERENCES? ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS WHO ATTEND PRESCHOOL, THEY GAIN ANYWHERE FROM FOUR MONTHS TO AN ADDITIONAL YEAR OF LEARNING COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS.
AND ADDITIONAL EARNING OVER THE LIFETIME IS LINKED DIRECTLY TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
THAT IS WHY WE PLAN TO EXPAND AGGRESSIVELY THIS UPCOMING YEAR.
AND YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE THE NUMBER OF LOCATIONS AND THE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT WE WANT TO EXPAND IN.
THIS BUDGET INCLUDES FUNDING FOR FULL DAY, PRE, PRE-KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS, SPECIAL AREA TEACHERS, PARA-EDUCATORS, ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS ATTENDING FULL DAY PRE-K IN THE AREAS OF TEACHERS AND PARAEDUCATORS.
OUR POPULATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS HAS INCREASED BY MORE THAN 10% THIS PAST YEAR.
THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS CONTINUES TO LAG BEHIND, LAG BEHIND ON A VARIETY OF MEASURES.
WE MUST ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AS WE CONTINUE THE NEXT PHASE OF DISASSEMBLING
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ESOL CENTERS AT THE SECONDARY LEVELS, AND RETURNING MORE THAN 12 SCHOOLS OF MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS STUDENTS BACK TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.THIS BUDGET INCLUDES ESOL TEACHERS AND A NEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER CURRICULUM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
WITH ALMOST 16,000 STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, WE MUST ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS AND FAMILIES RECEIVE THE SUPPORT AND THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO ACCESS LEARNING AND REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.
OUR GOAL IS TO RESPOND TO STUDENTS' NEEDS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
FOR THIS REASON, SPECIAL EDUCATION REQUESTS INCLUDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IEP OF CH IEP, CHAIRPERSONS, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TO SUPPORT GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENTS.
AS I SAID BEFORE, WE HAVE BRIGHT SPOTS ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
THERE ARE BRIGHT SPOTS WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND THEY ARE ACHIEVING AT HIGH LEVEL.
ONE EXAMPLE IS LIONS MILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LED BY PRINCIPAL MCLEOD, MS. MONICA ELLI, GRADE TWO TEACHER.
HER STUDENTS UNIT ONE DISTRICT MEASURE TEST.
THEIR MEAN WAS 79% MORE THAN 70%, 70 MORE, UH, 20 OUTTA 23 STUDENTS SCORED ABOVE 70%.
THE MEAN SCORE OF HER SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASS WAS 12% ABOVE THE COUNTY AVERAGE.
ANOTHER SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AT LIONS MILL IS MS. CLARISSA ACEVEDO.
MS. ACEVEDO SPEAKS PASSIONATELY ABOUT THE WORK THAT SHE DOES AS A SPECIAL EDUCATOR.
SHE TALKS ABOUT HOW MUCH PRIDE SHE FEELS WHEN SHE SEES THE LIGHT BULB GOES OFF IN THE MINDS OF HER STUDENTS.
WHEN SHE DESCRIBED THE LEARNING AND CLOSING THE GAP EVERY DAY IN THE CLASSROOM AND MAKING SURE THAT HER STUDENTS WERE ACHIEVING, SHE SAID, I LOVE THESE KIDS MORE THAN ANYTHING, I WANNA SEE THEM THRIVE AND SUCCEED.
SO KUDOS TO LIONS MIDDLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SLIDE.
ANOTHER BRIGHT SPOT IS CATONSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, LED BY PRINCIPAL MATT AMES.
MS. REBECCA MELO, MATH TEACHER JOINED BY CO-TEACHER MS. EMMA WALSH.
THEY ARE DEFINITELY COMMITTED TO THEIR ALGEBRA ONE STUDENTS.
THEY HAVE A CLASSROOM OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, AS WELL AS SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS COMPARING THEIR STUDENT SCORES ON A DISTRICT MEASURE.
THE CURRICULUM-BASED ASSESSMENTS FOR ALGEBRA ONE, SIX OUT OF 13 OF THEIR STUDENTS SCORED ABOVE 70%, AND THEIR MEAN SCORE FOR THEIR ENTIRE CLASS WAS 21% ABOVE THE COUNTY AVERAGE.
THANK YOU TO CATONSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, AND THANK YOU TO BOTH OF THESE SCHOOLS AND MANY OTHERS.
THE PERFORMANCE IN THESE CLASSROOMS IS EVIDENCE THAT PERFORMANCE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PREDICTABLE BY SERVICE GROUP.
WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
THESE REQUESTS REPRESENT A $45.8 MILLION INVESTMENT IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
THIS IS THE LARGEST PART OF THE BUDGET BEHIND COMPENSATION.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO ALLOCATING RESOURCES IN THE PLACES THAT WILL YIELD THE HIGHEST RETURNS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
BUT EVEN WITH ALL OF THESE INVESTMENTS, WE CAN'T ADDRESS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
AND IF STUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS DON'T FEEL PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY SAFE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DELIVER ON OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS, CONSISTENT RESPONSES AND COMMUNICATION AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING AND PRESERVING SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS ARE THRIVING.
SAFETY AND CLIMATE IS AN AREA WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO LEVERAGE GRANT FUNDING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF TEAM BCPS, SPECIFICALLY OMNI ALERT, OUR WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEM ON OUR CAMERAS AND THE TELEHEALTH SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE TO MEET THE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AND SUPPORTS.
THEY WILL CONTINUE AND WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE THESE ITEMS TO GRANT FUNDING.
THIS BUDGET REQUESTS STUDENT SAFETY, ASSISTANT FUNDING, AS WELL AS
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EXPANSION, FURTHER EXPANSION OF OUR ATHLETIC TRAINERS TO PROVIDE THAT CRITICAL SAFETY NEEDED IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS.A CRITICAL FACTOR IN ADDRESSING SAFETY AND CLIMATE IS PROMOTING EQUITABLE POSITIVE OUTCOMES, PROVIDING RESOURCES AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO MEET THE MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IDENTIFY AND FILL GAPS WHERE OUR STUDENTS NEED MORE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO ENSURE THEIR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS.
WITH THE BLUEPRINT CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY GRANT, WE PROJECT EXPANSION OF OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS THIS UPCOMING YEAR TO AT LEAST 20 MORE SCHOOLS WITH A POTENTIAL OF, UH, BRINGING OUR NUMBER UP TO 84 SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR.
THIS MEANS MORE COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS, MORE HEALTHCARE ASSISTANCE AND SUPPLEMENTAL SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS BASED ON INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL NEEDS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MORE SOCIAL WORKERS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, MTSS, RESOURCE TEACHERS, CARE LIAISONS, MENTORS, AND MORE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THE IMPORTANT WORK OF IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN OUR EDUCATORS AND FAMILIES.
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDE US WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP ALL STUDENTS FEEL SAFE IN A POSITIVE CLIMATE, SOLELY FOCUSED ON THEIR SUCCESS.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING AT BALTIMORE HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHERE THEY ARE COMBINING DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS, AND A RELATIONSHIP CENTERED APPROACH.
SHOUT OUT TO PRINCIPAL BRIAN WILLIAMS AND JILL SAVAGE, COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATOR FOR EXEMPLARY WORK.
BECAUSE OF THEIR EFFORTS, THEIR COMMUNITY BENEFITS FROM IN-HOUSE CARE TEAM, BILINGUAL FAMILY LIAISON, A BILINGUAL HEALTH ASSISTANT, THEIR FOOD PANTRY THIS YEAR HAS SERVED MORE THAN 331 ADULTS AND 354 CHILDREN TO DATE.
AND THEY HAVE A ROBUST PARTNERSHIP WITH ST.
AGNES FOR THAT BRINGS A WEEKLY MOBILE MEDICAL CLINIC ON SITE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR STUDENTS.
KUDOS TO THE BALTIMORE HIGHLANDS COMMUNITY FOR THIS EXEMPLARY WORK.
OUR THIRD PRIORITY AREA IS INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE PRIORITIZE INFRASTRUCTURE BECAUSE IT'S HOW WE DO THE WORK.
EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE, RESPONSIBLE, AND RELIABLE SYSTEMS THAT ENSURE SMOOTH OPERATIONS ACROSS TEAM BCPS IS OUR GOAL.
THIS BUDGET PROCESS REQUIRED A DEEP ANALYSIS OF OUR REVENUE, OUR EXPENDITURES, OUR PROCESSES ACROSS THE SYSTEM, AND IT REVEALED OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTINUED GROWTH.
IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE MOVE RESOURCES CLOSER TO SCHOOLS, THAT WE REDUCE REDUNDANCY.
WE LEVERAGE RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND DECREASE VARIABILITY.
AT THE SAME TIME, MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR MOST IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.
WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EQUITABLE RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND HAVE STANDARDIZED OUR STAFFING FORMULAS TO ADDRESS SCHOOL COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE GREATER NEEDS.
INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYSIS IS AN ITERATIVE PROCESS WITH LOTS OF REFLECTION AND COLLABORATION.
EVERY YEAR, OUR COMM COMMIT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CYCLE WILL FORCE US TO EVALUATE WHAT WORKS AND COURSE CORRECT AS NEEDED.
THIS PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING REQUESTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE.
TRANSPORTATION, CONTRACT, BUSES, FACILITIES, OPERATIONS, AND GROUND STAFF FOR OUR NEW NORTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BEDFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
PROTECTIVE CASES FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL DEVICES, SHARED DESKTOPS FOR STAFF MEMBERS, UTILITIES, AND THOSE RISING COSTS, AS WELL AS STARTUP AND MOVING COSTS FOR THE TWO AFOREMENTIONED NEW SCHOOLS.
I SAID BEFORE, THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S BUDGET.
PEOPLE PUT THIS BUDGET TOGETHER.
IT TAKES PEOPLE TO DO THIS WORK.
AND WITHOUT THE RIGHT PEOPLE, WE WILL NOT ACHIEVE OUR GOALS AND RETURN TO THE TOP.
MY EXPERIENCES OVER THE LAST 27 YEARS HAS TAUGHT ME THAT PEOPLE DON'T LEAVE BECAUSE OF HARD WORK.
THEY LEAVE WHEN THEY DON'T FEEL VALUED.
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AND RESPECTS OUR PEOPLE.RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO EVERY OFFICE IN TEAM BCPS.
I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL OF OUR UNIONS WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AND HIS COME UP WITH A HISTORIC THREE YEAR CONTRACT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS CAN FEEL SECURE IN THEIR COMPENSATION SO WE CAN ALL FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
I AM GRATEFUL TO JOEL, OUR LEAD NEGOTIATOR AND UNION PRESIDENTS, NICK, BRIAN, CINDY, JEANETTE, AND BILLY FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND CONTINUED COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP.
AS A RESULT, WE HAVE A LUCRATIVE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS PACKAGE.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE NEW HIRE INCENTIVES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND HIGH NEED SCHOOLS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO FOCUS ON RETENTION AND FOCUSING ON CLIMATE IMPROVES MORALE IS HOW WE SHOW RESPECT, APPRECIATION, AND VALUE, THE INPUT OF OUR STAFF.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR PEOPLE AND WE WILL BRING IN MORE STAFF.
WE ARE FOCUSED ON MANAGEABLE WORKLOADS AND POSITIVE WORKING CONDITIONS.
WE WILL BE INVESTING IN ADULT LEARNING ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION IN ALL AREAS.
THIS INCLUDES EXPANDING OUR GROW OUR OWN PROGRAMS FOR OUR PARAEDUCATORS AND ADULT ASSISTANCE, BROADENING OUR UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND COMING TOGETHER WITH INNOVATIVE PRACTICES AND CREATING UNIQUE PART, UH, PARTNERSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIFFERENT COHORTS.
AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, MOVING FORWARD WITH RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING TO FOCUS ON, IMPROVE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
THIS BUDGET REQUEST SPECIFICALLY FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION COMPENSATION INCREASES MOVING THE EXTENDED DAY SALARIES THAT WERE PREVI PREVIOUSLY ON ESSER CONTRACTUAL AND SUBSTITUTE SALARY ADJUSTMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, SPECIAL PROJECT LIAISONS, AND CONTINUED BENEFIT COSTS, HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS.
WE'RE GONNA SKIP THIS SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, MR. CORINS AS THIS IS A VIDEO.
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF.
THESE REQUESTS TOTAL 94 95 $0.4 MILLION.
THIS IS THE LARGEST PART OF OUR BUDGET REQUEST BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE, AND WITHOUT THEM, WE WON'T MOVE FORWARD AS A SYSTEM.
IN SUMMARY, ON BEHALF OF STUDENTS AND STAFF, WE ARE REQUESTING INVESTMENTS IN TEAM BCPS, THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, WHICH CONTAINS MAJORITY OF THE DAY-TO-DAY SPENDING FOR SCHOOLS AND OFFICES, INCLUDING MOST SALARIES, IS PROPOSED AT $1.95 BILLION FOR FY 25.
THIS IS OVERALL 2.2% ABOVE LAST YEAR'S FUNDING WITH COUNTY FUNDING GROWING 3% EXCLUDING ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES.
THE BCPS FY 2025 PROPOSED BUDGET FOR ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING GENERAL FUND, SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, CAPITAL PROJECTS, FUND, DEBT SERVICE FUND, AND ENTERPRISE FUND TOTALS $2.58 BILLION.
OUR UPCOMING FY 2024 BUDGET MEETINGS INCLUDE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON JANUARY 17TH, THE BOARD WORK SESSION ON JANUARY 24TH, AND THE BOARD VOTE TO ADOPT THE FY 2024 BUDGET ON FEBRUARY, 2027.
BEFORE WE CLOSE, I'D LIKE TO TAKE US BACK TO THE BEGINNING.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE VIDEOS ARE READY, AND SO WE TRULY WANNA SHARE THE HOPES, BELIEFS, AND DREAMS OF TEAM BCPS WITH ALL OF YOU WHO ARE WATCHING THIS EVENING.
AND SO, MR. KOS, IF YOU CAN PLAY THE IMPACT VIDEO FIRST AND FOLLOWING THAT VIDEO, WE'LL ROLL RIGHT INTO THE PERSPECTIVE FROM TWO OF OUR PRINCIPAL LEADERS AND WHAT, WHAT THIS BUDGET IF APPROVED, CAN MEAN TO THEM, AND THE
[01:35:01]
WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON BEHALF TEAM OF TEAM BCPS BEFORE WE CLOSE IT OUT, MR. TO BE A PART OF TEAM BCPS, THAT YOU'RE A PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT'S INCLUSIVE AND VERY WELCOMING, AND THE TEACHERS CHALLENGE YOU TO ACHIEVE HIGHER GOAL.I AM A-B-C-P-S PARENT, AND I'VE BEEN AN EDUCATOR FOR 11 YEARS IN A DIFFERENT SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR IN BCPS AS A STAFF MEMBER.
AND IT IS REMARKABLE THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE FOR STUDENTS.
NO MATTER WHAT STUDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN, WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR THEM TO PURSUE THROUGH OUR CLUBS.
OUR SPORTS TEAMS ARE FINE ARTS PROGRAM AND THE MANY, MANY, MANY COURSES THAT WE OFFER, IT'S TRULY A MAGICAL AND SPECIAL DISTRICT.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A HOUSE BE BEING BUILT, YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T START WITH THE ROOF FIRST.
YOU START WITH THE FOUNDATION.
AND THAT'S TRULY WHAT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS.
UH, THE THINGS THAT WE DO IN PREPARING STUDENTS TO DO HIGHER LEVEL MATH.
UM, LEARNING TO READ ALL THAT STUFF SETS THE TONE, NOT ONLY FOR THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL CAREER, BUT AS WE TALK ABOUT COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AND ENTERING THE WORKFORCE AND THE WORLD EVENTUALLY.
HOW IMPACTED MY LIFE IS, IT TAUGHT ME A LOT OF IMPORTANT LESSONS THAT, THAT I NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN MY LIFE.
AND IT ALSO ALLOWED ME TO GET AN ADVANCED MATH.
I AM A PRODUCT OF BCPS SCHOOLS.
I, UH, MATRICULATED FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL.
AND SO I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THE SUPPORT AND THE SUCCESS OF, UH, BCPS AND THEIR CURRICULUM, THEIR STAFF, UM, THEIR TEACHERS.
AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT MY CHILDREN ARE IN GOOD HANDS UNDER BCPS, AND I REALLY APPLAUD ALL OF THE COMMITMENT.
I APPLAUD ALL OF THE EFFORTS OF OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF, AND I AM EXCITED TO, TO SEE THE FUTURE.
BCPS HAS POSITIVELY IMPACTED MY LIFE BECAUSE IT'S ALLOWED ME TO EXPRESS MY CREATIVITY IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND OFTEN GIVEN ME OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE THE SKILLS I'M INTERESTED IN, SUCH AS BEING AN APPRENTICE AT BCPS TV, WHICH HAS ALLOWED ME TO EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE AND MY SKILLS ON THE FIELD THAT I WANNA GO INTO LONG TERM.
I THINK WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL IS THAT DESPITE HOW LARGE IT IS, I ABSOLUTELY FEEL LIKE EVERYONE IS GIVEN A VOICE.
UM, WE ARE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS, TO BE PART OF THE DECISION MAKING, UM, AND, AND FEEL VALUED IN DOING SO.
UM, SO TO ME, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A DIFFICULT CHALLENGE WITH A SYSTEM OUR SIZE, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES US SO SPECIAL.
I BELIEVE IN BCPS STAFF BECAUSE WE ARE DEDICATED AND WE ARE ENTHUSIASTIC AND WE LOVE OUR STUDENTS.
I BELIEVE IN BCPS STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE RESILIENT, AND THEY HAVE SHOWN THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND THAT RESILIENCE IS GOING TO SHOW THEM HOW THEY CAN OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACE NOW AND IN THEIR FUTURE.
WE HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH SOME WONDERFUL PRINCIPALS ACROSS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WELL AS SOME WONDERFUL TEACHERS.
WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO IN AND WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH OUR TEACHERS AND LEADERS TO ENSURE THAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN OUR CLASSROOMS WILL MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
THIS WORK IS INNOVATIVE, IT IS STRATEGIC, BUT MOST OF ALL, IT IS PERSONALIZED.
IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO RECRUIT AND HIRE EMPLOYEES.
WE NEED TO CONSIDER HOW WE ARE ALSO HELPING THEM BUILD THEIR CAPACITY IN THE ROLE THAT THEY'RE IN.
TWO THINGS THAT WE THINK ABOUT ARE UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING.
UH, UPSKILLING IS HELPING PEOPLE TO DO THEIR JOB BETTER IN THE ROLE THAT THEY'RE IN.
AND RESKILLING IS GIVING PEOPLE NEW TOOLS TO LEARN AND SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN EXISTED WHEN THEY TOOK THE JOB THAT THEY'RE IN CURRENTLY.
AND BOTH OF THOSE THINGS REQUIRE AN INVESTMENT IN HUMANS.
WE ARE VERY EXCITED THIS YEAR TO PROVIDE ALL STUDENTS WITH BCPS WITH FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH EVERY DAY.
UH, WITH THE SUPPORT OF AMAZING SYSTEM, UM, ALL STUDENTS ARE NO LONGER FORCED TO ENTER THE CLASSROOM WITH AN EMPTY STOMACH.
UM, OBVIOUSLY AS A SYSTEM, IT'S OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO EDUCATE OUR STUDENTS, UM, AND THEY CAN'T DO THAT WITH AN EMPTY BELLY.
SO NOW IT'S, IT'S A VERY EXCITING, UM, FOR US TO BE LEADING THE CHARGE IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND TO PROVIDE FREE MEALS TO EVERY STUDENT OF VCPS
[01:40:01]
REGARDLESS OF ELIGIBILITY STATUS.I BELIEVE STAKEHOLDERS SHOULD INVEST IN TEAM BCPS BECAUSE A STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IS THE FOUNDATION OF A STRONG COMMUNITY.
WE ALL NEED TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION AND USE OUR UNIQUE TALENTS TO BETTER THE LIVES OF BCPS STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
I WANTED TO SHARE THE IMPORTANCE AND ABSOLUTE NEED OF A DEDICATED STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER IN OUR SCHOOLS.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THE EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPE IS EVER CHANGING, AND WITH THOSE CHANGES COME CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES, AND WE AS EDUCATORS NEED TO ENSURE THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE PREPARED TO HANDLE THOSE CHALLENGES AND STAY AHEAD OF THOSE CHANGES.
THE STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER ROLE IS PIVOTAL IN THIS PROCESS.
THEY HELP TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN MEET THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF OUR STAFF.
THEY CAN HELP NOT JUST IMPLEMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BUT ACTUALLY CUSTOMIZE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO GROW.
THE PROPOSED INVESTMENT IN STAFFING FOR INTERMEDIATE CLASSROOMS WILL NOT ONLY REDUCE THE CLASS SIZES AND CLOSE THE GAPS, BUT WILL ALSO BETTER PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BEYOND.
ROGERS' PROPOSED IEP FACILITATOR POSITION WILL ALLOW FOR AN INDIVIDUAL THAT IS SPECIFICALLY TRAINED IN THE IEP PROCESS, AS WELL AS SUPPORT PROCESS TO SUPPORT FAMILIES AND STAFF WITH IDENTIFYING STUDENT NEEDS AND PUTTING APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIONS IN PLACE WITH THE END GOAL OF A SMOOTHER TRANSITION FROM FIFTH GRADE TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, AS WELL AS PROVIDING THOSE SUPPORTS EACH YEAR IN ELEMENTARY.
THANK YOU MR. KOS, FOR SHARING THOSE VIDEOS.
UM, HOPEFULLY YOU, UH, SAW A GLIMPSE OF WHAT MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS HAD TO SAY ON BEHALF OF 110,000 PLUS STUDENTS, 20,000 STAFF MEMBERS.
I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE FY 2025 OPERATING BUDGET.
AND JUST TO, TO REITERATE THAT TIMELINE FOR EVERYONE TODAY WAS JUST THE PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD.
I MEAN, IT WAS AN AMAZING PRESENTATION.
WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT IS THE BOARD MEMBERS, YOU ALL HAVE THE DETAILED BUDGET.
UM, JANUARY 16TH, THERE'S A BOARD OF PUBLIC HEARING AND WORK SESSION ON JANUARY 23RD.
WE WILL HAVE THAT IN-DEPTH WORK SESSION.
AND SO, UM, TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE, YOU ARE REQUESTED TO PROVIDE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE RELATED TO THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET TO DR. ROGERS BY THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17TH.
AND DURING, WE WILL, WE WILL DEVOTE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AT THAT JANUARY 23RD MEETING TO ADDRESS ALL QUESTIONS, UM, AFTER YOU HAVE HAD THE TIME TO, TO GO THROUGH THAT DETAILED BUDGET BOOK.
SO ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT NEXT STEPS FROM ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS? OKAY.
[Q. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING (9:20 - 9:30 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTINGS.AND I AM GONNA START WITH MR. YOUNG THANK YOU CHAIR BOOKER DWYER.
I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THEIR STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK ON PUTTING THIS BUDGET TOGETHER AND THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX IN THIS, UH, UPCOMING TRYING FISCAL TIME THAT SHE HAS REFERRED TO.
I JUST WANNA SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU'VE PUT INTO THE BUDGET, UM, AND ALL THE PRESENTATIONS THAT WE SAW THIS EVENING.
UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO GOING THROUGH IT.
UH, ANYBODY WHO HAS TO DRIVE HOME TONIGHT, BE SAFE.
MS. HIN, ANY CONSIDERATIONS? I'M SORRY.
UM, YOU HAVE SET A NEW BAR, UM, FOR THE BUDGET, DR. ROGERS, AND I TRULY APPRECIATE EVERYONE, UM, AND ALL THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION
[01:45:01]
YESTERDAY AT CARVER.UM, IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED, AND I KNOW THE PUBLIC APPRECIATES IT AS WELL.
UM, THANK YOU ALSO FOR FACILITATING RESPONSES TO OUR CAPITAL BUDGET QUESTIONS FOR THIS EVENING.
MS. DOKI, STAY SAFE, EVERYONE, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE AIMING FOR.
ALL RIGHT, MS. FONG, GOOD EVENING.
DEFINITELY ECHOING THE SENTIMENTS OF ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES.
UM, REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT DR. ROGERS SPENT DEVELOPING THIS, BUT THIS WAS NOT A ONE PERSON EFFORT.
UM, EVEN GOING BEYOND THE STAFF, SHE REACHED OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND HELD THOSE SESSIONS BACK IN THE FALL SO THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT, UM, THE DESIRES WERE, WHAT WERE THE PRIORITIES OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITY GROUPS.
AND I THINK IT WAS VERY WELL, UM, DONE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING REFLECTED IN THIS BUDGET THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US, YOU, MS. ER.
UM, SO MY COLLEAGUES WERE, UM, VERY ARTICULATE IN THEIR APPRECIATION FOR, UM, WHAT WE JUST SAW TODAY AND YESTERDAY.
I ALSO, UM, AM JUST STILL IN AWE OF THE THREE YEAR CONTRACTS FOR OUR UNIONS.
AND I DO UNDERSTAND THE WORK THAT GOES INTO THAT.
AND THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE AT THE TABLE, LOTS OF UNIONS.
UM, SO TO HAVE DONE IT FIRST IN SUCH A TIMELY MANNER, AND THEN FOR THREE YEARS, UM, THAT WAS A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF EFFORT, UM, WHICH IS PART OF THIS BUDGET PROCESS TOO.
SO I JUST CAN'T THANK, UM, MS. BISKY, UM, AND, UM, ENOUGH FOR WHAT SHE DID TO HELP YOU AND YOUR, UM, TEAM GET THAT DONE.
IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE AND IT WILL FREE UP THE BOARD AND OTHERS TO REALLY WORK ON OUR, OUR BIG FOCUS, WHICH IS IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR KIDS.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT.
IT'S, IT'S TRULY, UM, I DON'T WANNA SAY A MIRACLE, BUT IT FEELS LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF ONE.
THANK YOU, MS. ER, MS. HUMPHREY.
UM, THIS IS REPETITIVE, BUT I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK ON THE BUDGET AND SPECIFICALLY THE PRESENTATION ON MONDAY AT CARVER CENTER.
UM, I WAS PRESENT AT SEVERAL OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS.
UM, IT WAS CLEAR, UH, DURING THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PRESENTATION THAT FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING PARENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, UM, AS WELL AS SOME FEEDBACK THAT SHE GOT FROM BOARD MEMBERS WAS USED WHEN DEVELOPING THE BUDGET.
UM, I THINK PRESENTING THE BUDGET IN THIS WAY WAS THE PERFECT CULMINATION TO ILLUSTRATE, UM, IF, I MEAN, I'LL USE DR.
ROGER'S WORDS, THAT THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S BUDGET.
UM, AND I, I THINK THIS IS, WE'RE MOVING IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION WITH THIS.
UM, NO, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SHARE.
I'M GOING TO SOUND LIKE AN ECHO, BUT I DO FEEL THAT WE HAVE TWO AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO CELEBRATE THE COLLECTIVE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, WHICH TOOK A LOT OF TEAMWORK COMBINED WITH THE WAY THAT THIS BUDGET WAS CREATED AND SUGGESTED.
I AGREE THAT USING THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND STAFF FEEDBACK JUST REALLY GETS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM, ALL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.
I JUST FEEL THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS REALLY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE THANKED.
UM, HAPPY, HEALTHY, NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY AND TRAVEL SAFELY.
AND THE SAME, I SHARE THE SAME SENTIMENTS OF ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES TONIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS THAT DR. ROGERS AND HER STAFF DID AN EXCELLENT JOB.
AND IT'S YOUR, UH, BUDGET IS WELL, WAS VERY WELL PRESENTED AND WELL RECEIVED.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK, THE HARD WORK,
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS.
I JUST WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND I THINK, UH, REPETITIVELY, UH, GIVE PRAISE WHAT PRAISE IS DUE TO DR. ROGERS AND HER TEAM.
UH, THE BUDGET, INCLUDING THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, IS FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.
UH, THEY CAST A WIDE NET TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS INCLUSIVE, UH, WITH CLEAR MANDATES ON EQUITY AND IMPROVING
[01:50:01]
OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS BY SUPPORTING OUR TEACHERS AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS SAFE.SO I APPRECIATE THAT WORK, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING THE WORK OF MAKING BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS A WORLD CLASS SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND I AGREE WITH ALL THE COMMENTS THAT MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS HAVE MADE.
THIS IS TRULY A, IT FEELS LIKE IT'S A NEW DAY IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
UM, I THINK WITH EVERY PRESENTATION WE'RE SEEING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LISTENING TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS SAYING, WE'RE USING EVIDENCE-BASED AND, AND STRATEGIC PROCESSES TO, TO GUIDE THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO, UM, SO THIS JUST, IT FEELS DIFFERENT AND I JUST HOPE THAT THE COMMUNITY SEES IT AND, UM, AND FEELS IT AS WELL.
[R. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:30 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.THE BOARD WILL HOLD A VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY 2025 OPERATING BUDGET NEXT TUESDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM THE LINK TO REGISTER TO SPEAK CAN BE FOUND ON THE PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC PAGE AND ALSO IN BOARD DOCS UNDER THIS AGENDA ITEM TONIGHT.
THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2024 AT 6:30 PM THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.