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ALL RIGHT.THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN TIARRA BOOKER DWYER.
I CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2024.
THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH BCPS ON LIVE ONLINE, LIVE MEETING, BROADCAST, AND ON THE BCPS TV, COMCAST XFINITY, CHANNEL 73 VERIZON FILES CHANNEL 34.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[A. CLOSED SESSION]
I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AS PERMITTED BY THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AS FOUND IN ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE THREE DASH 3 0 5 B ONE 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.SO MS. LESKI, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM PAUL? SECOND.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. DOKI.
THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN TIARRA BOOKER DWYER.
I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2024.
[B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
I INVITE YOU TO RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY MS. KAYLA DRUMMOND.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.
ALL TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV.
THAT'S COMCAST AFFINITY CHANNEL SE 73.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)]
THE FIRST ITEM ON AG ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION OF THE JANUARY 23RD AGENDA.DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I AM 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, 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.
THE SUMMARY OF THE CLOSED SESSION AND OPEN SESSION INFORMATION SUMMARY CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THIS BOARD MEETING AGENDA DATE.
[D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)]
ITEM ON 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.
I'D LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL MATTERS.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE AND D TWO? SO MOVED FROM PONG.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, LECTER.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. DOKI? YES.
[E. PUBLIC COMMENT (6:50 - 7:30 p.m.)]
ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENT.THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES
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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 MEMBER, 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 AND BALTIMORE COUNTY.
INAPPROPRIATE PERSONAL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-B-C-P-S EMPLOYEE OR THAT DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED TO OTHERWISE DISRUPT OR DISTURB.
THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THEIR REMARKS AND WILL BE ESCORTED FROM THE MEETING.
PLEASE OBSERVE 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 OR PRIOR TO THAT TIME AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR.
SO IT IS THE PRACTICE OF THIS BOARD TO ALLOW ELECTED OFFICIALS TO PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD.
UM, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND SO I NOW CALL ON SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS TO SPEAK.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. BILLY BURKE WITH CASE.
MRS. UH, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, MRS. PUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK ON BEHALF OF CASE.
I SERVE CASE IN THREE SIGNIFICANT WAYS.
ONE, I AM THE CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR CASE MEMBER CONTRACTS.
TWO, I REPRESENT CASE MEMBERS WHEN THERE HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS TO THEIR CONTRACTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS.
AND THREE, I SUPPORT CASE MEMBERS WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF VIOLATING THE CONTRACT AND BOARD POLICY.
MY ROLE IN REPRESENTING MEMBERS IS TO ENSURE THEY GET DUE PROCESS.
WHAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY? WHEN AN EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF WRONGDOING? IN RECENT WEEKS, A CASE MEMBER HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF MAKING RACIST STATEMENTS.
THE STATEMENTS IN QUESTION ARE A ABHORRENT AND CASE DENOUNCES THEM.
AN INVESTIGATION IS OCCURRING AND CASES COOPERATING WITH BCPS AND THE AUTHORITIES, THE MEMBER AND HIS FAMILY HAVE RECEIVED EMAILS AND CALLS THAT RANGE FROM HARASSMENT TO ACTUAL THREATS OF HARM.
AT ITS CORE ARE LEGAL SYSTEM IS FOUNDED ON THE TENANT THAT YOU ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
PRESS COVERAGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE STATEMENTS AND TELL STORIES WITH NO EVIDENCE AND NO ACCOUNTABILITY.
I AM GRATEFUL TO DR. ROGERS FOR HER LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY ASKING THEM TO LET THE INVESTIGATION HAPPEN AND TO NOT RUSH TO JUDGMENT.
I AM GRATEFUL THAT DR. ROGERS AND HER STAFF COORDINATED POLICE PRESENCE AT THE MEMBER'S HOUSE WHEN THEIR LIVES WERE THREATENED.
I AM GRATEFUL TO THE POLICE CHIEF AND TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE FOR SUPPORTING THE INVESTIGATION.
WHAT IS THAT RESPONSIBILITY AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY WHEN AN EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF WRONGDOING, WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A-B-C-P-S LEADER? WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A BOARD MEMBER? WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A STAFF MEMBER, PARENT, STUDENT, OR COMMUNITY MEMBER? DO I VALUE FAIRNESS IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH? TRUTH? AM I WILLING TO STAND UP AND SAY THAT I USUALLY MAKE MY COMMENTS IN PERSON.
I DIDN'T FEEL SAFE COMING IN PERSON BECAUSE I TOO HAVE RECEIVED HARASSING EMAILS.
WHAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY WHEN AN EMPLOYEE IS ACCUSED OF WRONGDOING? WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.
PLEASE DON'T RUSH TO JUDGMENT.
PLEASE MAKE INVESTIGATIONS SAFE AND FAIR.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
AND, UM, MR. BURKE IS WITH THE UNION, SO NOT A SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUP, AND I'VE JUST BEEN MADE AWARE THAT WE DO HAVE ONE SCHOOL AFFILIATED GROUP MEMBER, DR.
STIFF, STIFF STIT STITT STITT.
UM, I'M GONNA HAVE A BRIEF STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF PARENTS, STAKEHOLDERS AND
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STUDENTS IN THE PIKESVILLE COMMUNITY, WHICH ENCOMPASSES THE NORTHWEST AREA EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL.GOOD EVENING GREETINGS BOARD MEMBERS.
LASHAW STITT, AND AS THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE NORTHWEST AREA EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL, I REPRESENT THOSE SCHOLARS, FAMILIES, AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE NORTHWEST REGION OF THE COUNTY WHILE SERVING AS THE LIAISON BETWEEN THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY.
I USUALLY SAY A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BECAUSE I WANT KEEP MY TIME TIGHT.
I WILL JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS THE LAND OF THE SESHAN PEOPLE AND WE SHOULD ALWAYS HONOR AND GIVE THEM GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION FOR THEIR TERRITORY.
AS A PARENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE AND SCHOLAR, IT IS NOT ONLY MY PASSION TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE FOR EQUITY, BUT TO ALSO RAISE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS.
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR VOICES MUST BE USED AGAIN TO RAISE CONSCIOUSNESS CONCERNING THE DEGRADING STATEMENTS MADE IN AN AUDIO RECORDING, PRESUMABLY FROM THE PRINCIPAL AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL IN PIKESVILLE THAT CIRCULATED LAST WEEK.
MANY WERE IN SHOCK, BUT I WASN'T.
THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW FAILING TO LEAD WITH AUTHENTICITY AND COURAGE HAS CONTINUED TO GROW AND FESTER IN OUR DISTRICT.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE FILM WAITING ON SUPERMAN? WELL, I INVITE YOU TO VIEW IT.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF LEMONS THROUGHOUT THIS DISTRICT THAT CREATE A SOUR LEARNING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR SCHOLARS AND STAFF DAILY.
THEIR BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED OR SWEPT UNDER THE RUG FOR YEARS, HOPING THAT IT WOULD ALL GO AWAY.
WELL, IT IS TIME TO TAKE THE BLINDERS OFF AND TO STOP CONDUCTING AN ORCHESTRA OF LEMONS.
TAKE A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO DEIA AS IT RELATES TO OUR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES.
COMMIT TO THE EQUITY TRAINING THAT IS OFFERED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF EQUITY AND CULTURAL PROFICIENCY RIGHT HERE AT BCPS.
CREATE A POLICY FOR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO ENGAGE IN THE SAME TRAINING TO ADDRESS EXISTING BIASES AND BIGOTRY THAT IS LURKING IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
PERHAPS THIS APPROACH WILL MITIGATE THOSE SITUATIONS THAT POSE HARM, DISCOMFORT, AND PREJUDICE TO OUR CHILDREN.
AND THOSE THAT FEAR RETALIATION, HOPEFULLY THEY WILL FEEL COMFORTED KNOWING THEIR VIEWS AND BELIEFS ARE SUPPORTED.
THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THE NORTHWEST REGION DESERVE FULL TRANSPARENCY, DEMAND INTEGRITY, AND REQUIRE ACCOUNTABILITY AS WE WERE PROMISED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT LAST WEEK WITH A FULL INVESTIGATION.
WE WILL NOT STAND TO HAVE OUR INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY INSULTED NOR WILL WE ALLOW THIS BEHAVIOR TO CONTINUE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
NO MATTER HOW MUCH FOLKS WANT TO CONVINCE US THAT AMERICA IS NOT A RACIST COUNTRY.
WHAT WE CAN DO IS MOVE WITH RESPECT FOR OUR FELLOW CITIZENS AND CONSCIOUSLY ATTEMPT TO SHIFT THE TRAJECTORY OF HATE THAT CONTINUES TO DWELL.
NEXT ARE OUR UNIONS AND WE HAVE HEARD FROM MR. BURKE.
SO NOW WE WILL, UM, GO TO MS. CINDY SEXTON OF TAPCO.
MS. BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, MS. PUMPHREY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO OUR LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST BACK ON JANUARY 6TH.
YOU BRAIDED THE COLD AND THE SNOW AND THE ICE AND, UH, WE HAD MANY VALUABLE CONVERSATIONS, NOT ONLY AROUND LEGISLATION, BUT ALSO THE WORKING AND LEARNING CONDITIONS THAT ARE HINDERING OUR STUDENT IN EDUCATOR SUCCESSES.
LET'S PLEASE CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE.
AND AT THAT LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST, OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE ASSURED US THAT THE AGREEMENTS AND NEGOTIATIONS WE COMPLETED WOULD BE FUNDED SO WE CAN TURN OUR ATTENTION TO SOMETHING ELSE.
UH, AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST FACING US NOW IS THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.
I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE MET WITH THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE COALITION, AND YOU MAY BE AWARE OF COMMUNITY SCHOOL CHAMPIONS THAT WE ARE WORKING TO FIND AT EVERY SINGLE COMMUNITY SCHOOL BECAUSE IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN JUST THE SYSTEM TO GET THIS RIGHT.
AND WE ARE HERE TO DO THE WORK TOGETHER.
THE POSSIBILITIES THAT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MAKE AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ARE TRULY LIFE ALTERING AND WE MUST BE SURE WE GET IT RIGHT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, STUDENTS, STAFF, AND ALL THOSE IN THE SYSTEM WHO WILL PLAY A ROLE IN THIS IMPORTANT IMPLEMENTATION.
IT IS DAUNTING, BUT IT IS WORK THAT WE MUST GET.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR THE COLLABORATION, AND AS ALWAYS, TABCO STANDS AT THE READY TO DO THE WORK WITH YOU.
NEXT ARE THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS ARIA KINA FROM TEAM METAL PIPE.
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UM, GOOD EVENING TO THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, SUPERINTENDENT, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.MY NAME IS ARI NIA AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE FIRST TECH CHALLENGE TEAM.
WE HAVE SPOKEN AT GREAT LENGTHS AT PAST MEETINGS ABOUT STEM PROGRAMS, AND THEY HAVE HAD SUCH A POSITIVE IMPACT ON MY TEAMMATES AND I WITH MOST OF US COMING OUT OF THE COMMONWELL VALLEY ELEMENTARY STEM PROGRAM.
WE CAN STAY WITH FULL CONFIDENCE THAT WE WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY WITHOUT, UH, WITH WE HAD NOT BEEN.
WE WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY IF WE WERE NOT RICH AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE.
AND I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT THOUSANDS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTY AND IN THE WORKFORCE WOULD AGREE MAGNET PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN A TOP PRIORITY FOR FUNDING AND GROWTH.
NOT, NOT ONLY DO YOUR CONSTITUENTS SEE THE REMARKABLE IMPACT THESE PROGRAMS CAN HAVE, BUT ALSO THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ON WHOM YOU DIRECTLY LEAVE YOUR MARK.
THE EXISTENCE OF MAGNET PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY THAT THOSE THAT START EARLY AND ALLOW STUDENTS TO MATRICULATE HAVE SINGLE-HANDEDLY BOLSTERED OUR STUDENTS, ALLOWING THEM TO EXPLORE CAREERS AND INTERESTS THAT WOULD BE UNAVAILABLE OTHERWISE.
ANY CONSIDERATION OF TAKING MAGNET PROGRAMS OUT OF OUR STUDENTS' HANDS IS AN AFFRONT TO THE MISSION OF EDUCATION AND THE POLICIES THAT THE BOARD HAS SET FORTH SUCH AS BOARD POLICY.
6,400 MAGNET PROGRAMS HAVE PROVEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO PRODUCE GLOBALLY MINDED, PASSIONATE 21ST CENTURY THINKERS WITH A DEDICATION TO SERVING THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS BODY OF DEVOTED PUBLIC SERVANTS WOULD TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN USHERING IN A NEW GENERATION OF SKILLED INNOVATORS AND GREAT THINKERS WITHIN OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS. YOU'LL FIND STUDENTS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS.
YOU'LL FIND HOPEFUL, RESILIENT STUDENTS WHO HAVE HAD AN ILLUMINATING VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
GIVE THEM THE OXYGEN THAT THEY NEED, GIVE THEM THE HOPE THAT THEY DESERVE.
MAGNET PROGRAMS PAID TCBC TUITION FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS, CTE PROGRAMS AND COUNTLESS OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THIS BOARD HAS CREATED MUST BE FUNDED, SUPPORTED, AND ALLOCATED THE RESOURCES THAT THEY DESERVE.
I TRUST THAT YOU'LL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION BECAUSE I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE ALL DEDICATED TO THE SERVICE OF OUR STUDENTS.
ABOVE ALL ELSE, KEEP THESE PROGRAMS AND ELEVATE THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ZARIA ROW.
GOOD EVENING TO THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, SUPERINTENDENT, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS AIDA ROE AND TODAY I'M REPRESENTING THE FIRST TECH CHALLENGE TEAM NUMBER 2 3 7 4 1.
AS A KENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IN THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM, I HAVE FELT THE IMPACT OF MAGNET PROGRAMS PROFOUNDLY IN MY OWN LIFE.
THE IB PROGRAM IS INTERDISCIPLINARY, GLOBALLY MINDED AND RIGOROUS, BUT WITH THE SHINING QUALITIES, THERE IS A GEM AMONG THEM THAT HAS ALWAYS STOOD OUT TO ME.
THE IB PROGRAM, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE MAGNET PROGRAMS IN OUR COUNTY, ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS IN AN ENRICHING AND EXCITING WAY.
I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS AND IT HAS CHANGED THE WAY THAT I THINK AND VIEW THE WORLD IN A OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE WAY.
THE IB PROGRAM HAS CHANGED MY LIFE.
IT HAS MADE ME A WELL-ROUNDED STUDENT.
NOW I'M PROFICIENT IN BOTH THE HUMANITIES AND THE STEM FIELDS.
I'M FREE TO EXPLORE MY INTERESTS AND CHALLENGE MYSELF.
STEM IN PARTICULAR IS AN AREA THAT OUR STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH.
THESE PROGRAMS EMBODY A RICH OPPORTUNITY TO ELEVATE THE STEM FIELDS IN OUR SYSTEM AND TO CREATE INNOVATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING STUDENTS WHO COULD ONE DAY CHANGE THE FUTURE.
STEM CAREERS ARE PIVOTAL AND HIGH EARNING DOORS OPEN UP.
WHEN ONE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH, IT IS HIGH TIME.
WE OPEN THESE DOORS TO OUR STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF THEIR BACKGROUND.
STEM PROGRAMS AND MAGNET PROGRAMS IN GENERAL SERVE AS SOCIOECONOMIC EQUALIZERS.
AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT, I'M CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT I AM COMPETING WITH PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS WHEN I APPLY TO COLLEGES.
I'M CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT I MAY HAVE LESS RESOURCES THAN THEY DO, AND THAT I MAY NOT HAVE THE CONTACTS THAT THEY DO, BUT IT IS A GREAT RELIEF TO BE IN A MAGNET PROGRAM WHERE I HAVE THE CHANCE TO BE CHALLENGED AND TO ENRICH MYSELF.
AND IT IS REALLY A GEM IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT I'M SO THANKFUL TO HAVE AND THAT I HOPE THAT FUTURE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ACCESS AS WELL.
MY WISH IS THAT YOU KEEP INVESTING IN MAGNET PROGRAMS, THEY COULD CHANGE SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE LIKE THEY HAVE CHANGED MINE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SONYA BUSBY FROM DECODING
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DYSLEXIA, BALTIMORE COUNTY.GOOD EVENING, DR. ROGERS BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF.
I AM HERE REPRESENTING DECODING DYSLEXIA, MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY CHAPTER.
WE ARE A PARENT-LED ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR IMPROVED IDENTIFICATION INSTRUCTION AND TEACHER TRAINING IN BCPS FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.
WE ALSO SERVE AS A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO BCPS FAMILIES AND STAFF.
I JOINED DECODING DYSLEXIA, MARYLAND WHEN MY SON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DYSLEXIA BY AN EVALUATION THAT WE PAID FOR.
WHEN I FIRST ASKED FOR HELP FOR MY SON, I WAS MET WITH EXCUSES.
I MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THAT THE OUTSIDE EVALUATION RESULTS AND A DIAGNOSIS WOULD LEAD TO AN IEP AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, SUPPORT FOR HIM.
INSTEAD, I WAS MET WITH MORE DELAY IN DENY TACTICS, INCLUDING MISCONSTRUING DATA BY SHARING IT WITHOUT GRADE LEVEL BENCHMARKS AND HAVING HIS ELA TESTS READ OUT LOUD TO HIM AND USING INFLATED GRADES TO FURTHER DENY HIM HELP.
HE NEVER RECEIVED A TIER THREE INTERVENTION NOR AN IEP.
AND AFTER FOUR MONTHS, THEY STOPPED ALL INTERVENTIONS LEAVING US AS PARENTS TO FILL IN THE GAPS.
HE'S NOW THRIVING IN A SCHOOL OUTSIDE OF BCPS THAT IS ADDRESSING HIS NEEDS.
I AM HERE BECAUSE THIS IS WRONG BECAUSE MY CHILD'S EXPERIENCE IS THE SAME AS MANY FAMILIES.
YOU SAY CONSISTENTLY THAT THE SYSTEM IS FOCUSED ON EQUITY.
HOW CAN IT BE WHEN PARENTS HAVE TO PAY FOR TUTORING OR MOVE THEIR KIDS OUT ALTOGETHER SO THEY CAN LEARN TO READ THIS SYSTEM'S ACTIONS ON EQUITY DO NOT AT ALL ALIGN WITH YOUR WORDS.
SWITCHING GEARS, I'D LIKE TO SHARE A RECENT ACCOUNT FROM A STRUGGLING BCPS TEACHER WHO REACHED OUT TO US BECAUSE THEY ALSO ARE NOT BEING SUPPORTED AS THEY TRY TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
THIS TEACHER'S IEP TEAM ASKED THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL ED TO PROVIDE A TEACHER WITH TRAINING ON VISUALIZING AND VERBALIZING THE ONLY ELEMENTARY TIER THREE INTERVENTION FOR READING COMPREHENSION.
THE TEACHER POINTED OUT THERE IS NO ONE CURRENTLY TRAINED IN THE BUILDING FOR VNV, AND THE RESPONSE FROM OSE WAS THAT THEY'RE NOT CURRENTLY TRAINING ANYONE IN THIS TIER THREE INTERVENTION AND INSTEAD HANDED THE TEAM TEACHER PAID TEACHER MATERIALS TO USE.
THIS IS NOT HOW A TIER THREE INTERVENTION IS SUPPOSED TO BE IMPLEMENTED EVER PER THE ELEMENTARY ELA TIERS OF SUPPORT.
GRAPHIC BCPS HAS THREE PROGRAMS FOR TIER THREE ELA VISUALIZING AND VERBALIZING WILSON READING SYSTEM IN ORTON-GILLINGHAM.
ACCORDING TO OSE, YOU ARE NOT TRAINING IN VNV STAFF STATED IN THE FALL THAT YOU HAVE NO ONE CERTIFIED SYSTEM-WIDE TO TEACH.
WILSON AND STAFF HAS CUT ORTON-GILLINGHAM TRAINING IN HALF BY 30 HOURS.
WHAT IS HAPPENING? THESE ARE YOUR MOST MARGINALIZED STUDENTS, BOARD MEMBERS.
YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT CURRICULUM AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OR SURFACE LEVEL AT BEST, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO FULLY ENGAGE IN ENSURING THIS SYSTEM IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR STUDENTS? THANK YOU.
NEXT ARE OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AND STUDENT GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. SHARON COFF, IF YOU DON'T WANT NO.
I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET.
IF YOU ADD THEM TO THE QUESTIONS I RAISED EARLIER, I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWERS.
WILL THIS BUDGET HAVE ADEQUATE EFFECTIVE READING AND MATH SPECIALTIES SPECIALISTS? PLEASE SHOW ME.
WILL THIS BUDGET CUT THE CLASS SIZE AND BY HOW MANY? PLEASE SHOW ME WILL THIS BUDGET HAVE ADEQUATE EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AT ALL LEVELS SO STUDENTS WILL GRADUATE READY TO FACE THE WORLD? WILL THIS BUDGET HAVE ADEQUATE PARAEDUCATORS AT ALL LEVELS SO TEACHERS CAN EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE THE STUDENTS PERFORMANCE? WILL THIS BUDGET ASSESS ANY REDUNDANCY OR INEFFECTIVE POSITIONS IN THE CENTRAL AREA OR DOWN? PLEASE SHOW ME.
WILL THIS BUDGET ADDRESS THE ADEQUACY AND EFFECTIVENESS
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AND ACCURACY OF THE CURRICULUM FREE FROM BIAS? PLEASE SHOW ME.WILL THIS BUDGET HAVE ADEQUATE COUNSELORS TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF LACK OF DISCIPLINE, BEHAVIOR, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, ET CETERA.
SO I KNOW I HAVE A MINUTE AND 20 SECONDS LEFT AND I DON'T WANT TO DRAG IT.
I LISTEN TO OUR ESTEEM SUPERINTENDENT AND I REALLY HAVE GREAT HOPE AND REGARDS TO HER.
THIS IS NOT CRITICISM OF YOU, DR.
RAJAS, I LISTENED TO YOU WHEN YOU WENT AROUND.
I READ THE BUDGET AND I CANNOT PINPOINT THE ANSWERS TO MY PREVIOUS QUESTIONS TO THIS QUESTIONS.
SO I HAVE BEEN PAYING TAXES FOR 48 YEARS.
I DO DESERVE ANSWERS, OTHERWISE I ASK FOR REBATE.
HEY, WE WILL GO BACK TO MS. SHARON SOFF.
I WAS DROPPING MY CHILD OFF AT WORK IN THE CITY.
UM, SINCE YOU KNOW WHO I AM, I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF.
UM, WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO MARYLAND 20 SOME ODD YEARS AGO, I WAS TOLD THAT THE DISABILITY THAT I HAVE ONE OF MANY WITH AUDITORY PROCESSING WAS NOT A REAL DISABILITY BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ON A LIST.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE LIST CAME FROM.
STILL DON'T KNOW IF IT EXISTS, BUT THIS IS WHAT I WAS TOLD.
I AM MENTIONING THIS BECAUSE I'M WONDERING IF OUR BUDGET IS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR COUNTY RIGHT NOW.
IMAGINE LOOKING AT A PAGE OF PRINT WITH THAT KIND OF A DISABILITY WHERE STUDENTS WHO HAVE AUDITORY PROCESSING THAT'S NOT CONSIDERED A LEGITIMATE DISABILITY ANYMORE.
AGAIN, IN BALTIMORE COUNTY WAS LAST YEAR.
I HAD A CLIENT TESTED FOR IT LAST YEAR.
SHE CAME UP NEEDING AND SHE'S BENEFITING NOW FROM THE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT SHE GOT AS A RESULT OF THAT EVALUATION.
SO I'M WONDERING, DR. ROGERS IS THE IDEA OF WE ARE PUTTING SPECIAL EDUCATION FIRST INCLUDE DECIDING NOT TO TEST KIDS SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE EXPENSE OF SERVICING THEM BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE ARE LITERALLY FIGHTING PARENTS, TAKING THEM TO COURT SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO TEST THEIR CHILD FOR WHAT WE CONSIDER AN ILLEGITIMATE DISABILITY.
I WISH I COULD TURN IT OFF AT A WHIM, BUT I CAN'T.
AND WE SHOULDN'T LOOK AT DISABILITIES IN THAT MANNER THAT WE CAN SIMPLY TURN THEM ON AND OFF.
IN AN IEP MEETING, THEY DO SPECIAL EDUCATION IS REAL.
AND YES, IT'S EXPENSIVE, BUT IT'S NECESSARY FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE EQUITY IN THIS COUNTY.
SINCE THERE ARE SPEAKER SPACES AVAILABLE, WE WILL NOW CALL FROM THE WAIT LIST FOR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AND STUDENT CATEGORY.
THE FIRST SPEAKER ON THE WAIT LIST IS ERIC MORRIS.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN.
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NAME IS ERIC MORRIS.I'M A PROUD BCPS EMPLOYEE, BUT AS YOU KNOW, I'M NOT HERE FOR THAT.
I'M HERE BECAUSE I HAVE, I'M A PROUD PARENT OF THREE TEENAGERS IN YOUR COUNTY, IN THIS COUNTY WHO ARE STUDENTS HERE AND TWO OF WHICH ARE TRANSGENDER.
EVERY DAY IN SCHOOL, I SEE LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS WHO ARE AFRAID TO BE THEMSELVES IN SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF RETRIBUTION FROM OTHER STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
SADLY, I SEE IT AS MUCH IN THE WAY STAFF ARE TREATING THESE LGBTQ STUDENTS.
WHY? BECAUSE THERE IS ARE HATE GROUPS OUT THERE THAT ARE CREATING CONFUSION ABOUT INFORMATION AND FEAR WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING OUR LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS GROUPS LIKE MOMS FOR LIBERTY AND PASS.
PLEASE, I BEG YOU NOT TO LISTEN TO THESE WORDS OF HATE LIES AND DIVISION.
THESE GROUPS ARE SPEWING AND LISTEN FOR THE WORDS OF LOVE, OF COMPASSION EQUITY FROM GROUPS LIKE THE A CLU NAACP PFLAG GLISTEN, OUR OWN TEACHERS USING TABCO AND OUR VERY OWN BCPS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS.
THEIR MISSION STATEMENT STATES THAT BCPS MUST PROVIDE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO IN FACT, IMPACTFUL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE STUDENTS' ACADEMIC, BEHAVIORAL, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE CAREER AND LIFE READINESS.
WITH THIS MISSION STATEMENT IN MIND, I ONCE AGAIN ASK YOU THE BOARD, THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, THE LEADERS OF BCPS TO REREAD THE BCPS GUIDELINES, UM, ON L-G-B-T-Q POLICY.
I SHOULDN'T SAY POLICY, IT'S NOT YET, HOPEFULLY SOON.
AND CALL FOR A VOTE TO MAKE THOSE GUIDELINES.
WE'RE BETTER YET PUT TOGETHER A SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO PLAN A NEW POLICY, A COMMITTEE MADE OF TEACHERS AND STAFF ADMINISTRATION AND PARENTS AND STUDENTS AND THESE OUTSIDE LGBTQ EXPERT ORGANIZATIONS TO, TO PUT TOGETHER THE BEST POLICIES TO PROTECT OUR LGBTQ PLUS CHILDREN.
AS I LOVE TO QUOTE THE FOO FIGHTER SONG, RESCUED IT STATES, KINGS AND QUEENS AND INBETWEENS.
LET'S PUT THESE RIGHTS IN PLACE FOR OUR LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK FOR ALL BCPS STUDENTS.
NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE NAMING OF THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO POLICY 75 20 TALKS ABOUT NAMING SCHOOLS PER GEOGRAPHIC AREA STREET.
YOU COULD CALL IT, UM, I DON'T KNOW, MEDSTAR SCHOOL.
YOU COULD NAME IT AFTER ME BECAUSE MY CLINIC IS JUST NEARBY.
BUT THE POLICY TALKS ABOUT NAMING SCHOOLS AND THE NAMES OF PEOPLE THAT HAS IMPACT ON OUR MARYLAND HISTORY.
AND AS YOU KNOW, I'M BORN IN TEXAS, SO I HAVE TO LOOK IT UP.
SO I SUGGEST TO YOU TO CALL THE SCHOOL THOMAS STONE OR HAM.
HE WAS IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES AND HE BELIEVED IN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, WHICH I FOUGHT FOR HERE FOR 25 YEARS.
YOU COULD CALL IT FRANCIS KY, OF COURSE, THAT'S A FAMOUS NAME.
OR MAYBE, MAYBE LIEUTENANT AL GEORGE ARMSTEAD.
GEORGE PEABODY IS A GOOD NAME.
EVERYBODY KNOWS FREDERICK DOUGLAS AND ITS IMPACT.
HARRIET TUBMAN IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE, DON'T CALL IT JEAN WILKES BOOTH.
HE'S FAMOUS, BUT HE IS REALLY INFAMOUS.
SO WHY AM I SAYING THIS IN MY LAST ONE MINUTE? WHEN YOU GIVE A SCHOOL NAME LIKE ESSEX ROSEVILLE, UM, WHATEVER, YOU ARE REALLY WASTING EDUCATIONAL OCCASION.
[00:35:01]
I MEET IN MY PROFESSION DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY.AS A GD FOREIGNER MYSELF, I KNOW MORE ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY THAN MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME MY WAY.
AND IT'S REALLY NOTICEABLE, YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU CALL IT BAB BECAUSE SCHOOL, ROSWELL SCHOOL OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THERE IS NOTHING EDUCATIONAL ABOUT IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT'S A BIG DEAL? BUT IF YOU CALL IT HARRIETT TUBMAN, FOR INSTANCE, PEABODY JOHN HOPKINS, IT MEANS SOMETHING.
AND THEN YOU CAN DO, LIKE YOU DO IN CARVER, YOU WILL HAVE A PLATE IN THE FRONT EXPLAINING WHO IS THAT PERSON AND WHAT IMPACT THAT PERSON HAD ON ALL OF US IN MARYLAND.
NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 3 1 7 0 FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. SHARON SOFF.
I THINK MOST OF WHAT I WANTED TO SAY FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, UM, I JUST SAID IN MY PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I WILL ADD TO IT.
UM, I THINK WE NEED TO BE VERY SPECIFIC IN OUR GOALS AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THESE GOALS, UM, AND PUT IT INTO THE POLICY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE NOTICED ABOUT THE POLICIES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT I HAVE BEEN IN, IN CONTACT WITH AND IMPACT STUDENTS, IS THAT THEY'RE VERY VAGUE.
THEY DON'T TELL PARENTS THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO BEHIND IT.
LIKE IF YOU DISAGREE WITH GRADING, YOU HAVE TO GO TO A HEARING 'CAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY THE O AND HIRE A LAWYER BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GONNA GET ANYWHERE.
UM, IF WE ARE GOING TO SEEK TO IMPROVE STUDENTS, WE HAVE TO BE VERY SPECIFIC AS TO WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND DO IT ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, WE'RE TALKING RIGHT NOW ABOUT A CUTTING FUNDING FOR, UH, THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
UM, SO THAT IT'S ONLY AVAILABLE TO 11TH AND 12TH GRADERS SO THAT IT'S ONLY AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS WHO PASS A SPECIFIC, UM, GROUP OF UH, THINGS.
AND, UH, THAT'S NOT TO, THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO IMPROVE ACROSS THE BOARD.
THE WAY TO IMPROVE ACROSS THE BOARD IS TO HAVE A SPECIFIC GOAL THAT EVERY STUDENT IS GOING TO BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL.
AND WE'RE NOT DOING THAT RIGHT NOW IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO WHAT I JUST SAID.
SO LET'S GO BACK, LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE AND HAVE A PLAN IN MIND AND BE SPECIFIC.
AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, WE'RE NOT CUTTING FUNDING FOR ELE FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS OR THINGS ARE NOT JUST ALLOCATED FOR OUR 11TH AND 12TH GRADERS.
THAT'S WHAT'S BEING TOLD TO PARENTS.
I HAVE A CLIENT WHO'S DEALING WITH THAT RIGHT NOW.
CAN I DO FOUR OF THEM FOR 10 MINUTES? NO INTERRUPTION.
POLICY 31 70, LINE NUMBER SEVEN INTO 16 SAYS, ENSURE EVERY STUDENT IN EVERY SCHOOL IS PREPARED FOR COLLEGE, ET CETERA.
I BELIEVE OUR STUDENTS NEEDS TO BE COMPETING WITH GERMANY, FINLAND, CHINA, AND INDIA.
WE SHOULD NOT REALLY RELATE OURSELVES TO GARRETT COUNTY.
PARAGRAPH ALSO TALKS ABOUT QUALITY, TEACHING, EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE SYSTEM, ET CETERA.
THOSE ADJECTIVES ARE IN THE EYES OR BEHOLDER.
I THINK THEY SHOULD BE DEFINED IN THE POLICY.
ITEM B, LINE 26 TALKS ABOUT USING THE DATA FOR INFORMED
[00:40:01]
DECISIONS.I AGREE, BUT THE DATA ARE AS GOOD AS WHAT GOES IN.
SO, AND IT'S ALSO AS GOOD AS REMOVING THE NOISE IN THE DATA.
THAT POLICY ALSO TALKS ABOUT COLLABORATION WITH SYSTEMIC STAKEHOLDERS.
REMINDER, HONORABLE BOARD, YOU CUT DOWN PUBLIC SPEAKERS FROM 10 TO FIVE.
LINE NUMBER 39, ITEM D TALKS ABOUT WILL RAISE THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING.
I SAY THE QUALITY IS ALSO IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER UNLESS YOU DEFINE IT OF OBJECTIVELY IN THE POLICY ON PAGE TWO.
LINE TWO TALKS ABOUT IMPROVE THE INVOLVEMENT OF PRINCIPAL CAREGIVERS IN DECISION MAKING, ET CETERA.
AGAIN, I SAY THAT HE CUT DOWN THE PUBLIC SPEAKING TO FIVE AND ALSO THE EDUCATIONAL AREA COUNCILS ARE INEFFECTIVE OR WEAK IN MY OPINION.
YOU CAN STAY RIGHT THERE BECAUSE NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 3 5 2 0 MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
AND YOU ARE OUR FIRST SPEAKER.
LINE NUMBER NINE AND NUMBER 10 TALKS ABOUT PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF FACILITIES.
I THINK THE WORD PROPER NEEDS TO BE DEFINED.
WHAT IS PROPER FOR ONE PERSON IS NOT THE SAME FOR ANOTHER LINE.
22 AND 23 AND 24 TALKS ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FACILITIES.
I SAY THE IMPROVEMENTS NEEDS TO BE DEFINED IN THE POLICY.
A SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IS NOT AN IMPROVEMENT.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO HAIR UP, YOU DID IMPROVEMENT, BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY BIG DEAL.
AND THE SAME ABOUT THE WORD HEALTHY AND SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS.
THOSE, THOSE TWO WORDS I BELIEVE SHOULD BE DEFINED IN THE POLICY LINE 26 AND 27.
ITEM B TALKS ABOUT THE BOARD DOING ANNUAL REVIEW VIEW.
SO AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 25 YEARS WITH THE BOARD AND NOBODY REALLY KICKED ME OUT YET.
I THINK IF YOU DO ANNUAL, LIKE HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE IN MANY THINGS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS NOT REALLY, TRULY BETTER A WHOLE LOT OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
I THINK YOU NEED TO CONSIDER EVERY SIX MONTHS.
IT IS NOT A DISTRUST OF ADMINISTRATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I THINK THE BOARD NEEDS TO ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSIGHT MUCH MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS BOARDS, MUCH MORE.
SO INSTEAD OF 12 MONTH, I RECOMMEND SIX MONTH AS AN OBSERVING PERSON FROM THIS SIDE OUT AND, AND I KNOW OUR SUPERINTENDENT WILL SHINE, BUT THANK YOU.
UM, NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 3, 5, 3, 2.
UH, THE, THE RESTITUTION FOR VANDALISM AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS DR.
BOSCH FERONE, LINE NUMBER EIGHT AND NUMBER NINE TALKS ABOUT THE STUDENT WHO VANDALIZES BOARD PROPERTY, ET CETERA.
MY RECOMMENDATION, YOU KNOW, UH, IDEA FOR YOU THAT THE VANDALS CAN BE STUDENTS BUT ALSO CAN BE OUTSIDERS OR CAN BE EMPLOYEES.
SO I THINK THEY SHOULD BE ADDED.
LINE NUMBER 26 AND 27 TALKS ABOUT WILL BE DISCIPLINED.
THAT'S THE STUDENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEHAVIOR CODE.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, WHERE IS THAT BEHAVIOR CODE? NOW I KNOW I LOOK FOR THINGS ONLINE AND I'M REALLY NOT A DUMMY WITH, WITH ONLINE, BUT I HAVE THE HARDEST TIME OF FINDING THINGS.
SO, UM, I ASK YOU REALLY TO PUT IT RIGHT IN THE POLICY.
WHERE DO YOU FIND THAT CODE LINE 29 AND 31 TALKS ABOUT PARENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR RESTITUTION.
HOWEVER, I SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSIDER THAT THE STUDENTS ALSO NEEDS TO PAY PRICE.
STUDENTS DO HAVE MONEY, AND SOMEHOW YOU NEED TO GET PERMISSION FROM PARENTS EARLY
[00:45:01]
ON BEFORE THEY GO TO SCHOOL THAT THEY WILL AGREE FOR PAYING THE MONEY AND FOR THE STUDENTS ALSO TO PAY FROM WHATEVER THEIR ALLOWANCE IS.I THINK STUDENTS NEEDS TO BE FEELING IT AND JUST REALLY DISCIPLINING THEM WITHOUT TAKING MONEY FROM THEIR ALLOWANCE AND PUTTING IT IN RESTITUTION OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THEY WOULD NOT REALLY FEEL IT, IT WOULD BE LIKE A SLAP ON THE HEAD.
THE FINAL THING IS THAT I THINK ABOUT THIS POLICY, IT REALLY LACKS ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSE OF VANDALISM.
SO WHEN A STUDENT, UM, YOU KNOW, PAINTS SWASTIKA OR SOMETHING HORRIBLE ABOUT ISLAMOPHOBIA OR HINDUS OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, OR AFRICAN AMERICANS, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO STUDY WHY DID THIS THING HAPPEN? YOU NEED TO GO TO THE ROOT OF IT.
AND THE POLICY DOESN'T TALK AT ALL ABOUT ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSE.
SO BASICALLY WE ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, DISCIPLINING STUDENTS AND ASKING PARENTS TO PAY, BUT WE ARE REALLY NOT LOOKING AT THE ROOT CAUSE OF IT.
AND I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE WISE FOR YOU AS A BOARD TO CONSIDER.
THIS IS MY COMMENT ABOUT 35 32.
SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT BOARD POLICY.
SO NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 3 6 2 0 IN INVENTORIES.
AND YOU ARE OUR FIRST SPEAKER SO YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR REMARKS.
SO MADAME CHAIR, SINCE YOU ARE FRIENDLY AND I'M FINISHED EARLY
HOWEVER IT IS BRIEF, YOU KNOW, READ IT PLEASE.
IT IS BRIEFER THAN A TELEGRAM.
SO I SUGGEST THAT YOU NEED TO CHARACTERIZE WHAT IS THE INVENTORY SYSTEM AND, UH, YOU ARE CONSIDERING OR YOU KNOW, YOU ADVOCATE FOR IN MORE DETAILS IN A TYPICAL CHARACTERISTIC FASHION.
SO I JUST SAID SUGGEST FEW THINGS BASED ON MY KNOWLEDGE, I HAVE INVENTORIES AND SOFTWARE THAT THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE ACCURATE FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THE SYSTEM NEED TO BE SCALABLE UP AND DOWN AND NEEDS TO BE COST EFFECTIVE.
IT NEEDS TO BE EASY WITH MAINTENANCE.
YOU KNOW, YOU BUY A CHEAPER SYSTEM BUT COST YOU MORE MAINTENANCE.
IT'S NOT CHEAP AND NEEDS TO BE EASY TO TEACH AND FOR THE STAFF TO LEARN TO, TO USE JUST MY RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND I HAVE ONE MINUTE AND 33 SECONDS.
CAN I JUST SIT AND NO THANK YOU.
[F. NEW BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (7:30 - 7:45 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS REPORT ON BOARD POLICIES.THIS IS THE FIRST READER FOR THESE POLICIES AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. CHRISTINA PUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THIS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION OF PROPOSED POLICY CHANGES, EXCUSE ME, PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, BOARD POLICY 31 70 FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT BOARD POLICY 35 20 MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS BOARD POLICY 35 32 RESTITUTION FOR VANDALISM BOARD POLICY 36 20 INVENTORIES.
THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBITS F1 THROUGH F FOUR.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD OF THE BOARD POLICIES REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES 3 1 7 0 3 5 2 0 3 5 3 2 AND 3 6 2 OH.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THEIR COMMITTEE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? SO I HAVE A FEW.
SO LET'S GO TO BOARD POLICY AND I'LL JUST PULL UP MY NOTES.
3 1 7 0, THE FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
AND SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT POLICY RESEARCH INFORMS POLICY, POLICY INFORMS PRACTICE.
AND WHEN I LOOK AT THIS POLICY, I'M NOT CLEAR ON THE PURPOSE OF THE POLICY AND HOW DOES THIS POLICY, HOW THIS FRAMEWORK ALIGN WITH OTHER FRAMEWORKS
[00:50:01]
AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE.AND IS THIS POLICY STILL NEEDED? I DON'T KNOW IF, OKAY, AND SO YEAH, CAN YOU HEAR, SO I'M SEEING IF WE HAVE ANYONE FROM, UH, DRAW WHO CAN SPEAK AND I THINK, UH, MR. CONNOLLY IS NOT WITH US, BUT DR.
GRIM HAS COME FORWARD TO, UH, CERTAINLY TRY TO RESPOND OR WE CAN TAKE SOME NOTES BACK.
UM, MR. CONNOLLY WAS UNAVAILABLE THIS EVENING.
THAT WAS A, A LAST MINUTE ISSUE.
UM, SO IN TAKING A LOOK AT, AT THIS PARTICULAR POLICY, UM, IT IS BASICALLY AS IT'S NOTED, THE FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
THE RULE WOULD BE MORE SPECIFIC AROUND BLUEPRINT OR ANY OTHER CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CYCLE.
SO WHAT THIS IS INTENDED TO DO IS TO SET A FRAME SO THAT WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON DATA AND THAT WE'RE PROVIDING DATA LITERACY TO OUR STAFF.
SO IT ENCOMPASSES THOSE TWO REALLY IMPORTANT POINTS.
UM, AND THAT IS WE FOUND, UM, AS DR.
FRON SAID, YOU, YOU KNOW, DATA IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE QUALITY OF THAT DATA AND THE USE OF DATA IS ONLY AS GOOD AS FOLKS WHO ARE, ARE STAFF WHO ARE TRAINED TO USE IT PROPERLY.
SO THAT IS, THAT'S REALLY THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE POLICY.
UM, OF COURSE IT'S UP TO THE BOARD TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS IN ITS FORM IS NECESSARY OR NOT.
ALL RIGHT, AND, AND THAT IS MY QUESTION BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, THERE'S ELEMENTS OF THIS IN OTHER THINGS THAT ARE BEING DONE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO HOW, HOW TIGHTLY RIGHT NOW ARE YOU ALL ADHERING TO THIS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK? AND HAS IT REALLY YIELDED THE RESULTS THAT YOU INTENDED? UM, I'M JUST WONDERING, IS IT STILL, IS IT NEEDED RIGHT NOW CONSIDERING EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE, IN THE NEW GOALS AND EVERY, DO WE, DO WE STILL NEED THIS? LET ME, UH, RESPOND.
MS. BOOKER DWYER, I AM NOT, UH, THE EXPERT ON, YOU KNOW, KAMAR STIPULATES THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. THERE ARE CERTAIN POLICIES THAT WE MUST HAVE, UH, BUT OUR GENERAL COUNSEL IS, AND SO, UH, WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR OUR SYSTEM.
SOME, SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IN THE POLICY ANALYSIS.
UM, AND I ALSO WOULD RECOMMEND LOOKING AT THE RULE COMPARED TO THE POLICY BECAUSE IF THE POLICY'S NOT THERE, THE RULE GOES ALSO, UM, WHICH IS MORE SPECIFIC.
SO, AND IT'S ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION.
SO I WOULD CERTAINLY, UM, RECOMMEND IT TO COMPARE THE TWO BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THE POLICY.
AND, AND THEN IF WE ARE DECIDING TO KEEP THIS, COULD IT BE MORE SPECIFIC AND TRULY SET THE PARAMETERS AROUND THE RESEARCH FOR WHAT CONSTITUTES CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT? SO I, I DO AGREE WITH SOME OF THE SPEAKERS TODAY IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE CORE.
IF WE'RE TRYING TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEN WHEN YOU READ THE POLICY, IT'S, IT IS, IT'S VERY VAGUE AND IT'S, I JUST THINK WE COULD FRAME THIS AROUND LIKE THE EFFECTIVE PRACTICES FOR WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS AROUND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
UM, IF WE DO DECIDE TO, TO KEEP THIS MADAM CHAIR.
UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE POLICY 31 70 BACK TO THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR FURTHER REFINEMENT.
GIVEN YOUR QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS YOU'VE RAISED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, I BELIEVE.
THERE'S NO, IF THAT'S NOT AN AMENDMENT OFFERED, THEN YOU GOTTA GO BACK TO THE PRIMARY MOTION BECAUSE THE MOTION WAS RIGHT.
WE HAVE THE MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION.
MAY I MOVE TO AMEND THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR? YES.
UM, LET ME PULL UP THE LIST OF POLICY NUMBERS.
HERE I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING 35, 20, 35, 32, AND 36 20.
AND TO MOVE 31 70 BACK TO COMMITTEE FOR DISCUSSION AND REFINEMENT.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND ESKI, MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. DOKI? YES.
[00:55:01]
MR. YOUNG? YES.AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION I HAVE IS AROUND POLICY 3, 5, 3, 2, THE RESTITUTION FOR VANDALISM.
SO I, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE WANT THE STUDENT'S FAMILY TO, TO, OH YES.
SO YOU DISPENSED WITH, UH, PARDON? OH, SORRY.
SO NEVERMIND FORWARD, GO BACK TO YOUR MOTION, MOVE FORWARD.
NO, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO YOUR PRIMARY MOTION NOW THAT'S BEEN AMENDED AND HAVE YOUR ROLL CALL TO ACTUALLY APPROVE.
SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES? 3 5 2 0 3 5 3 2 AND 3 6 2 0.
SO MOVED FROM PAUL, IT WAS ALREADY MADE.
NOW YOU NEED A ROLL CALL THAT, THAT'S THE ROLL CALL VOTE OFFICIAL MOTION.
I, I LEFT OUT 3 1 7 0 BUT SHE ALREADY AMENDED YOUR MOTION, SO.
SO MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. DOKI? YES.
OKAY, SO NOW I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS POLICY 3, 5, 3, 2 RESTITUTION FOR VANDALISM.
AND SO WITH THIS ONE, WE'RE LOOKING AT HAVING THE, A STUDENT WHO VANDALIZES TO, TO ESSENTIALLY PAYBACK OR TO REPAIR TO PAY THE COST OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT FOR THE VANDALIZED PROPERTY.
AND I'M WONDERING, UM, GIVEN THAT WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF STUDENTS FROM LOW SOCIOECONOMIC HOUSEHOLDS, IS THERE ANOTHER WAY OR ANOTHER, IS THERE A MORE PROACTIVE OR PRODUCTIVE, UM, WAY TO, TO SEEK, IT FEELS LIKE THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE, RIGHT? SO IS THERE A BETTER CONSEQUENCE OR ANOTHER, ANOTHER OPTION.
COULD WE HAVE THE STUDENT DO COMMUNITY SERVICE? COULD WE HAVE THE STUDENT DO SOMETHING ELSE? BECAUSE WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY AND YOU'RE ASKING ME FOR MONEY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THE MONEY.
AND SO I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE, I THINK THAT WE COULD KEEP THIS IN HERE AND HAVE ANOTHER OPTION.
IF THE FAMILY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY, THEN THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
UM, JUST SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST HANGING OUT THERE.
UM, WE COULD DO SOMETHING MORE PRODUCTIVE IF I COULD.
SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR THOSE STATEMENTS, MS. BOOKER DWYER.
AND I WOULD SHARE THAT THE GOAL FROM PRE-K ON UP IS TO BE PROACTIVE AND PREVENTATIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS VALUE PROPERTY.
UM, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY IN SCHOOLS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE RULES, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RESPECT, WE DON'T ONLY TALK ABOUT RESPECTING YOURSELF AND RESPECTING OTHERS.
WE TALK ABOUT RESPECTING PROPERTY.
AND SO I THINK ULTIMATELY THE GOAL WOULD BE THAT STUDENTS AREN'T INVOLVED IN VANDALIZING PROPERTY.
UM, I I DON'T ALSO, UH, THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S ONLY ONE OPTION IN TERMS OF RESTITUTION.
UH, SOME OF THE THINGS NEED TO BE REPAIRED.
AND SO THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
BUT THERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR SCHOOLS REALLY WORK TO RESTORE THE RELATIONSHIP.
AND PART OF RESTORING THE RELATIONSHIP IS, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHETHER IT'S COMMUNITY SERVICE, WHETHER IT'S REFLECTING ON THE IMPACT, UH, THAT THE VANDALISM HAD ON THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A PART OF OUR PRACTICE.
I THINK THIS POLICY SPECIFICALLY JUST SPEAKS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO RECOUP THE DAMAGES.
AND CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE DON'T WANT STUDENTS TO VANDALIZE TO BEGIN WITH.
UM, WE DO WANNA RECOUP, UH, THE DAMAGES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BUT THERE IS CONSIDERATION, UM, YOU KNOW, IF STUDENTS ARE, UH, EXPERIENCING AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE EXPERIENCING, UH, SIGNIFICANT, UM, ECONOMIC HARDSHIP.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL OF THIS POLICY IS TO, UH, MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE WITH THE FIRST AND PRIMARY GOAL BEING THAT WE DON'T WANT STUDENTS VANDALIZING ANY OF OUR PROPERTY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION, MS. HUMPHREY.
UM, I ALSO JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT UNDER THE, UNDER PARAGRAPH THREE B, IT, UM, THE POLICY DOES MENTION ALSO THAT THIS IS PART AS PART OF THE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY ACTION.
UM, AND AGAIN, JUST IN GENERAL TO, UM, TO THIS RULE AND POLICY, EXCUSE ME, AND THE REMAINDER OF THE POLICIES, ANYTIME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICS AND BEING MORE SPECIFIC IN THE POLICY, THAT OFTEN LEADS ITSELF TO THE RULE BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND THE RULE IS OFTEN MORE SPECIFIC THAN THE ACTUAL POLICY.
UM, SO IT IS, IT'S DIFFICULT TO FIND THAT BALANCE, I THINK ESPECIALLY FOR THE PUBLIC.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S MAYBE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD EXPLAIN MORE IN DETAIL TO THE PUBLIC.
SO DO THEY UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RULE AND POLICY,
[01:00:01]
UM, AND HOW THE ROLE, UM, IS WHERE THE MORE SPECIFICS COME INTO PLAY? THANK YOU MS. HIN.AND TO MS. HUMPHREY'S POINT, I WAS LOOKING AT THE ROLE AND I PULLED UP THE REFERENCE TO THE ALTERNATIVE THAT YOU RECOMMENDED, UM, UNDER FOUR C IT REFERS TO THE STUDENT'S ASSIGNMENT TO A SCHOOL WORK PROJECT AND IT AS AN OPTION, UM, OR AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MONETARY RESTITUTION.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OH, MS. DONKEY, JUST A GENERAL COMMENT AS FAR AS, 'CAUSE WE KIND OF BRING UP THIS A LOT AS FAR AS MORE CLARITY IN THE POLICY.
IF WE WERE TO BRING THE POLICY AND THE RULE TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME, IF THAT MIGHT HELP, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATE SOME OF THESE, YOU KNOW, CAN WE GET MORE SPECIFICS ON THE POLICY? AND I WAS ACTUALLY THINKING THAT, I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE POLICY, YOU CAN GO RIGHT TO THE RULE, BUT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL.
JUST HAVE IT IN WITH OUR PRESENTATION SO THAT WE CAN REFERENCE IT MORE EASILY.
[G. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - PROPOSED FY2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET (Dr. Grim) (7:45 - 8:05 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS, THE PROPOSED FY 2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET.BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
AT THE BOARD'S MEETING ON DECEMBER 19TH, 2023, WE SHARED WITH YOU THE PROPOSED FY 2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET RECOMMENDATION AT YOUR VIRTUAL BOARD MEETING ON JANUARY 9TH, 2024, STAFF WERE PRESENT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS RECOMMENDATION.
THIS EVENING, WE ARE SEEKING THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED FFY 2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET RECOMMENDATION.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY 2025 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET.
HEN IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.
VOY ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. DOKI? YES.
[H. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (8:05 - 8:10 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN ENC CLOSED SESSION.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MR. BURNS.
THAT REQUIRES, UH, RATIFICATION AND OPEN SESSION.
[I. WORK SESSION - PROPOSED FY2025 OPERATING BUDGET (Dr. Rogers and Mr. Hartlove) (8:10 - 8:50 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE WORK SESSION ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY 2025 OPERATING BUDGET.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.
GOOD EVENING, BOARD CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I AM PLEASED, UH, TO OPEN OUR WORK SESSION THIS EVENING.
I WANNA BEGIN, UH, BY SHARING AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE, UH, OPERATING BUDGET TIMELINE.
YOU'LL NOTE, UM, NEXT STEPS AFTER OUR WORK SESSIONS THAT WE'VE HELD THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THE PRESENTATION OF THE BUDGET, UM, INCLUDE THE FEBRUARY VOTE FROM THE BOARD AND THE, UM, BUDGET IS THEN SUBMITTED TO OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND COUNTY COUNCIL IN FEBRUARY FOR THE, UH, FINAL APPROVAL IN MAY BY THE, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL AND JULY FUNDS FOR, UH, JULY 1ST, EXCUSE ME, FOR FUNDS TO BE DISPERSED.
AS A REMINDER, OUR BUDGET IS IN DIRECT ALIGNMENT WITH OUR IDENTIFIED PRIORITIES FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
OUR PRIMARY ROLE IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE LEARNING AT HIGH LEVELS AND THEY'RE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THOSE LE THAT LEVEL OF LEARNING, UM, IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.
BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE MUST CONTINUE TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY AND CLIMATE AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF.
AND SO WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE WAY THAT WE HAVE GONE ABOUT THIS BUDGET PROCESS.
AS EVERYONE KNOWS, IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING, UH, BUDGET PROCESS.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE ENGAGED ACROSS TEAM BCPS FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, REALLY EMPOWERING ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO BE A PART OF THE PROCESS FOR THEM TO SHARE THEIR TRUE, UM, EXPERIENCES, AND ALSO HELP US TO PRIORITIZE OUR NEEDS SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND EXCEL.
WE ENGAGE STAFF, UH, AND STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.
A STAKEHOLDER SURVEY, PRINCIPAL SURVEY, THE NEW BUDGET 1 0 1 WEBSITE, UH, DOZENS OF MEETINGS WITH OUR PRINCIPALS AND CENTRAL OFFICE, UH, MEMBERS, AS WELL AS ADVISORY MEETINGS.
ADVISORY MEETINGS CONSISTED OF PRINCIPALS,
[01:05:01]
UH, CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF, AS WELL AS SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONALS THAT WORKED IN A VARIETY OF ROLES.AS A REMINDER, THIS BUDGET IS PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING, UH, BECAUSE THE ESSER FUNDS EXPIRE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
FOR US, BEING A LARGER SYSTEM, THIS IS $84 MILLION OF FUNDS THAT WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE.
UM, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS GRAPHIC, YOU'LL NOTE SOME, UM, CRITICAL INITIATIVES ACROSS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT WE MUST CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
THIS ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME YEAR THAT WE ARE RECEIVING THE SMALLEST PERCENTAGE OF, UH, ALLOCATION TOWARDS MOVING THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE INITIATIVES FORWARD.
AND SO WE HAD TO, AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, FIND A WAY TO, UH, MAKE, UH, TO FIND SOME SPECIFIC SAVE WELL AS ADD, UM, NEEDS, ADD ITEMS TO OUR BUDGET BASED ON OUR IDENTIFIED STUDENT NEEDS, BASED ON OUR SPECIFIC DATA.
AND SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS, UH, SOME DOCUMENTS THAT ARE INSIDE OF OUR BUDGET BOOK THAT HAS BEEN, UH, PUBLISHED, UH, FOR THIS PROPOSED BUDGET.
UH, IN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, YOU'LL FIND A, UH, SUMMARY OF THE GENERAL FUND CATEGORIES AND, UH, WHAT'S DEPICTED THERE.
THE FY 24 ADJUSTED CATEGORY COMPARED TO THE FY 25 PROPOSED.
AND THAT GIVES EVERYONE, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE WHETHER THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE, A PROPOSED INCREASE, OR A PROPOSED DECREASE IN THAT SPECIFIC AREA.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE THE, UH, PIE CHART DEPICTING WHERE THE EXPENDITURES ARE GRO GOING ACROSS THE SYSTEM PROPOSED FOR FY 25.
AND WHILE, UM, AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE HAVE COMMITTED TO WORKING ON SAFETY AND CLIMATE SAFETY.
AND CLIMATE IS MORE THAN JUST, UM, ENSURING THE PHYSICAL SAFETY OR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SAFETY OF STUDENTS AND STAFF WHEN THEY'RE IN THE BUILDING.
A LOT OF THE WORK THAT HAPPENS IN OUR SCHOOL IS SUPPORTED BY OUR CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF MEMBERS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED, UM, AS, UH, SENIOR LEADERSHIP WAS, UH, IN OUR PAST PRACTICES HOW INADVERTENTLY, UH, STAFF MEMBERS WOULD FIND OUT THAT THEIR POSITIONS WERE BEING CUT, UH, THROUGH A BUDGET PRESENTATION.
UM, WHEN THERE WAS A SPECIFIC POSITION, UH, THAT WAS AVAILABLE THE PREVIOUS YEAR, AND THE NEXT YEAR, THE PROJECTED YEAR, YOU SAW A ZERO.
UH, THAT IS HOW PEOPLE FOUND OUT THAT THEY WERE LOSING, UH, THEIR POSITIONS.
UH, WE HAVE COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE CLIMATE AND MORALE ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
WE HAVE ALSO COMMITTED TO TREATING ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES WITH THE RESPECT, UM, THAT THEY DESERVE.
AND SO, UM, AS I SHARED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE BUDGET BOOK, IN THE BUDGET, UH, LETTER, UH, THE FIRST OPERATING BOOK PROVIDES DIVISION ROLL-UPS.
AND ON THIS SLIDE YOU'LL SEE AN EXAMPLE FROM PAGE 197.
SO FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN EXACTLY WHERE THE CUTS MAY BE, HERE IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE YOU'RE ABLE TO SEE THE FY 24 ADJUSTED BUDGET ITEMS. YOU SEE THE PROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF NUMBERS, YOU'LL SEE A DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THE FY 25 PROPOSED, AS WELL AS SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNTS FOR BUDGET BY OBJECT CLASSES, UM, SPECIFICALLY CALLING OUT SALARIES AND WAGES, CONTRACTED SERVICES, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, OTHER CHARGES, EQUIPMENTS AND TRANSFERS.
THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED IN OUR, UM, BUDGET BOOK FOR EVERY SINGLE DIVISION.
UH, IT ALSO GIVES US THE, UH, TIME TO NOTIFY STAFF MEMBERS DIRECTLY OF ANY CHANGES TO THEIR CURRENT POSITION, AS WELL AS OPTIONS THAT EXIST, UH, WITHIN THE SYSTEM FOR ALL OF OUR REPRESENTED STAFF, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE TAKEN CARE OF FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
AND AS STATED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BUDGET BOOK.
UM, AND I WANNA SHARE AGAIN FOR THE PUBLIC OUR NEXT TWO ITERATIONS OF THE BOOK, SINCE WE TYPICALLY, UM, SHARE THREE VERSIONS OF THE BOOK, THE FIRST PROPOSED ONE, THE MARCH, UM, BOOK, AS WELL AS ONE AFTER WE'VE HAD FINAL APPROVAL FROM ALL PARTIES.
THOSE NEXT TWO VERSIONS WILL INCLUDE THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL DATA.
BUT I WANTED TO SPEND SOME TIME THIS EVENING REALLY SPEAKING TO THE SAVINGS, UM, TO ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR PUBLIC HAS, UM, A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, FIND THESE COST SAVINGS.
UH, SO THIS SLIDE SPEAKS TO THE POSITION REDUCTIONS THAT WERE NOT IN SCHOOLS.
[01:10:01]
POSITIONS, THE 239 POSITIONS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE BUDGET, UH, THEY WERE ACROSS DIVISIONS AS SHARED.UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PRIOR, UH, WE HAD EVERY DIVISION AT THE TABLE.
WE HAD ALL DEPARTMENT, UM, LEADERS BEING AN ACTIVE PART OF THIS PROCESS, I WOULD ESTIMATE ABOUT 200 STAFF MEMBERS, UH, ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN IDENTIFYING, UM, POSITIONS THAT WERE CHRONICALLY VACANT.
WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT IS EVEN IF A POSITION IS CHRONICALLY VACANT FOR A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHEN YOU ARE DEVELOPING THE BUDGET, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO STILL FUND THOSE POSITIONS.
AND SO WE TOOK A DEEP DIVE AND IDENTIFIED THOSE POSITIONS THAT WERE CHRONICALLY VA UH, VACANT.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT OUR INCREASED VA, UH, EFFICIENCIES THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN PLACE, UH, LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATING, UH, ALLOWING US TO ELIMINATE REDUNDANCIES AND TO, UH, MAKE SOME, UH, REDUCTIONS IN AREAS.
AND AGAIN, THAT COMMITMENT TO, UH, NO LAYOFFS FOR ANY REPRESENTED STAFF.
THE SAME COMMITMENT THAT WE MADE TO ALL OF OUR UNION PARTNERS, UH, THE STAFF THAT YOU SEE, SEE THERE DETAILS THE DIVISIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO SHOW YOU WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE, UH, MONEY.
UM, SPECIFICALLY, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE, UM, THAT IN THE OTHER AREAS, UH, H YOU KNOW, HUMAN RESOURCES, CHIEF OF STAFF AND FINANCE, UM, YOU SEE A SMALLER AMOUNT.
AND THOSE ARE OUR DIVISIONS THAT ARE EXTREMELY LEAN TO BEGIN WITH.
ANOTHER AREA, UH, FOR SAVINGS WAS IN CLASS SIZES AND WANTED TO REALLY, UH, PRESENT, UM, SOME INFORMATION FOR ALL OF OUR PUBLIC, UH, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS.
SO, ON ONE SIDE OF THE SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE, UH, THE CLASS SIZES PROPOSED FOR FY 25.
UM, IN BOLD, YOU SEE THE NUMBERS FOR GRADE THREE THROUGH FIVE.
THAT IS WITH A REDUCTION IN CLASS SIZE.
UM, WE SHARED FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THERE WAS A SLIGHT INCREASE, UH, IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, BUT IF YOU'LL NOTE, UH, THAT SLIGHT INCREASE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS STILL HAS OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AT THE SAME LEVEL WITH KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWO.
AND IT ALSO HAS OUR HIGH SCHOOL, UH, STILL UNDER THE NUMBER THAT WE HAVE FOR GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE AT THIS TIME BY ELIMINATING, UH, REDUCING THE CLASS SIZE BY ONE.
THE NEXT ITEM THAT I WANTED TO CALL TO EVERYONE'S ATTENTION IS RESPONSIBILITY FACTORS.
RESPONSIBILITY FACTORS ARE PART OF OUR NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT, UM, AND THEY ARE, UM, UH, FUNDS THAT SPECIFIC ROLES RECEIVE, UH, ABOVE AND BEYOND, UM, THEIR, UH, SALARY, UH, FOR DOING, UM, ADDITIONAL WORK TO MOVE DEPARTMENTS FORWARD.
SO THEY ARE TYPICALLY FOR DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, TEAM LEADERS, AS WELL AS OUR NURSES.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, REDUCE THE, UH, AMOUNT OF EXPENDITURES FROM FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE $1.8 MILLION IN THIS AREA.
PART OF THAT APPROXIMATELY $400,000 WAS BY MOVING OUR NURSE RESPONSIBILITY FACTOR TO A GRANT THAT WE RECEIVED FOR NURSING.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER PART CAME FROM REDUCING, UM, THE ALLOCATIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
UM, WE RIGHT-SIZE THOSE RESPONSIBILITY AND FACTORS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CONTENT AREAS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AND SO WE'RE MOVING IN HIGH SCHOOL FROM 15 TO NINE, AND MIDDLE SCHOOL FROM 14 TO EIGHT.
UM, THOSE DO NOT COUNT SPECIAL EDUCATION AND COUNSELING.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS IN THOSE AREAS.
UM, WE ALSO ARE GONNA STANDARDIZE OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR TEACHING COURSES IN THOSE AREAS.
UH, WHEN WE ANALYZED OUR REPORT, THERE WAS GREAT VARIABILITY ACROSS OUR SYSTEM, AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND TEAM LEADERS WERE TEACHING EVERYTHING FROM ZERO CLASSES TO A FULL LOAD.
UM, AND SO WE ARE STANDARDIZING, UH, THAT ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
AND THEN THE OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED IS, UH, WHAT DOES, UH, THE ALLOCATIONS THAT ARE PROVIDED IN NEIGHBORING SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UM, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE SO THAT THERE CAN BE A COMPARISON, UH, WITH WHERE WE ARE MOVING TO AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH THOSE SAVINGS.
NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT ZERO BASED BUDGETING.
WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF SAVINGS THAT WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO REALIZE, UH, EARLY ON, WE TALKED ABOUT TWO THINGS THAT WE HAD TO DO AS A SCHOOL
[01:15:01]
SYSTEM, UH, IN ORDER TO START SAVING.PART OF THAT WAS, UH, TO PUT A FREEZE ON CENTRAL OFFICE, UH, POSITIONS THAT WERE NOT ESSENTIAL AND PUT IN A PROCESS IF THERE WAS, IF THERE WERE POSITIONS THAT WE NEEDED TO FILL THOSE VACANCIES.
BUT THE OTHER PIECE WAS ZERO BASED BUDGETING.
UH, TYPICALLY IN A LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEM, UM, THE BUDGET IS CREATED ANNUALLY BY PROVIDING PEOPLE WHAT WE CALL THE BUILT-INS, THE AMOUNT THAT HAS BEEN SPENT IN PRIOR YEARS.
AND THEN DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES, UH, THAT THEY FEEL ARE NEEDED.
THIS YEAR, WE DID NOT FOLLOW THAT PROCESS THIS YEAR, UM, EVERYONE STARTED WITH ZERO, AND THEY WERE ASKED TO BUILD A BUDGET, UM, TO MAKE THEIR REQUEST TO PROVIDE A RATIONALE FOR EVERY LINE ITEM THAT THEY WERE REQUESTING.
UH, BEING HONEST WITH YOU, BECAUSE THIS WAS VERY NEW.
UM, OUR, UM, TEAM MEMBERS HAD A LITTLE BIT OF STRUGGLE WITH THIS TASK AT FIRST.
AT FIRST, THEY THOUGHT THE TASK WAS TO BUILD BACK UP TO THE MONEY THAT THEY USED TO RECEIVE.
UM, WE ALL CAME BACK TOGETHER AND SHARED THAT THIS WAS NOT INDEED THE TASK.
UM, AND WHAT WE DIDN'T WANNA DO IS TO SIT AT A TABLE AND MAKE SOME BLIND DECISIONS OF WHAT AREAS WE NEEDED TO CUT.
WE WANTED THESE DECISIONS TO BE WELL-INFORMED BY THE PEOPLE THAT WERE CLOSEST TO THE WORK.
SO WE SHARED WITH THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, GAVE THEM ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE AND MAKE THOSE DECISIONS BASED ON THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING, BASED ON THE NEW EFFICIENCIES.
AND WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, ARE THE RESULTS THAT THEY CAME BACK WITH.
UM, IT IS DIVIDED BY DIVISION, UH, WHERE YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE FY 24 ADJUSTED, WHERE WE ENDED UP BY DIVISION AND WHERE WE WERE, UM, AFTER THE ZERO BASE BUDGETING EXERCISE, UH, INFORMED NOT ONLY BY THE, UH, CHIEFS THAT LEAD THOSE DIVISIONS, UH, BUT REALLY THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND LEADS THAT WORK IN THE DIVISIONS, UM, ACROSS TEAM BCPS YIELDING THOSE SAVINGS SLIDE PLEASE.
WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO REALIZE SOME SAVINGS WITH BUILT-IN BUDGETS.
UM, BUILT-IN BUDGETS INCLUDE ITEMS SUCH AS HEALTH INSURANCE, OTHER EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, FICA WORKERS' COMPENSATION, UM, UTILITIES, RETIREMENT, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WANNA MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT REDUCING FUNDING IN ANY OF THESE AREAS.
BUT WHAT OUR BUDGET AND FINANCE TEAM DID, UH, WAS THEY TOOK A DEEP DIVE INTO OUR ACTUAL EXPENDITURES INTO THESE AREAS.
AND BASED ON, UM, THAT THROUGH THAT THOROUGH REVIEW, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES WHERE WE REALIGNED OUR BUDGET REQUESTS TO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE NEEDED TO SPEND IN THESE AREAS.
AND THAT, UH, RESULTED IN APPROXIMATELY, UH, $10 MILLION WORTH OF ADDITIONAL SAVINGS.
SO THIS SLIDE AGAIN, UH, REMINDS US OF THE TASK IN FRONT OF US.
WE HAVE A DIFFICULT TASK IN FRONT OF US, BUT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WORK, WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WHEN THEY STEP FOOT IN OUR PRE-KS ALL THE WAY TO WHEN THEY LEAVE US AS GRADUATES OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THAT THEY'RE A COLLEGE, UH, CAREER AND COMMUNITY READY.
AND SO WE MUST INVEST IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY, AND CLIMATE, AS WELL AS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STAFF BECAUSE IT TAKES OUR PEOPLE TO GET THIS WORK DONE.
WHEN WE REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT OUR DATA AS WE'VE BEEN SHARING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND WE'LL CONTINUE, UM, TO SHARE, IT CALLS OUR ATTENTION TO FOCUSING ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, MATHEMATICS, MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS, UM, WHO ARE MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, AS WELL AS OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
AND SO THAT IS WHY THIS BUDGET INVESTS HEAVILY IN THOSE FOUR PRIORITY AREAS.
WE ALSO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTINUING TO ADVANCE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ROBUST EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS. AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE EXPANDING, UM, ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE HIGH QUALITY AND DIVERSE TEACHERS AND LEADERS ACROSS OUR, UM, SCHOOLS AND OFFICES, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UH, PROVIDING MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY AFTER.
UM, THEY HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT STUDENTS ARE UNABLE TO DEMONSTRATE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS UNTIL THE END OF GRADE 10, UH, PER, UH, MSDE REQUIREMENTS.
AND SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION, UM, THAT WE SHOULD, UH, HIGHLIGHT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND, UH, LASTLY, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE INVESTING MORE
[01:20:01]
RESOURCES, UH, FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE RESOURCES IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL.UM, THAT'S WHERE OUR WORK WITH COMMUNITY SCHOOLS COMES IN, AS WELL AS OUR INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON PROVIDING MORE RESOURCES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS WANTED TO CALL EVERYONE'S ATTENTION BACK TO OUR TRAJECTORY.
UM, AS I SHARED DURING THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH PSYCHOMETRICIANS TO REALLY IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE STEPS ALONG THE WAY THAT OUR STUDENTS NEED TO TAKE, SO THAT BY THE TIME THEY REACH THE END OF 10TH GRADE AND THEY HAVE TAKEN ALL OF THOSE ASSESSMENTS, THEY'RE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE READINESS.
UM, YOU'LL NOTE THAT THE FIRST MARKER IS IN KINDERGARTEN.
AND SO THE WORK THAT WE DO TO EXPAND PRE-K WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE READINESS ON THE KINDERGARTEN READINESS ASSESSMENT.
THERE ARE TWO MARKERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UH, WE HAVE DESIGNED THIS BUDGET TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INVESTING REINVESTING HEAVILY AT THE FOUNDATION SO THAT IT, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR MAPS FOR STUDENT PERFORMANCE ACROSS A VARIETY OF MEASURES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, UH, WE ARE ABLE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS, UH, TO DEMONSTRATE HIGH LEVELS OF READING, UM, AT THE END OF GRADE THREE, AS WELL AS IN GRADE FIVE, MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DEMONSTRATING, UH, DEMONSTRATING PROFICIENCY OR ABOVE PROFICIENCY ON THE MCAP IN LITERACY AS WELL AS MATHEMATICS IN EIGHTH GRADES.
SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ALGEBRA ONE WITH A GRADE OF C OR HIGHER, UM, IS A GOAL.
AND YOU WILL NOTE A VARIETY OF MEASURES THAT DEMONSTRATE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
SO THE REMAINING SLIDES, UM, SIMPLY PROVIDE A REMINDER OF OUR, UM, ASK BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP FOR, UH, ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS FOR ACHIEVEMENT, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE REDUCING THOSE CLASS SIZES AND GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, UH, THOSE CLASS SIZES, WERE ORIGINALLY AT 25, THE LARGEST IN OUR ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM, UM, FOR ELEMENTARY INVESTING, UM, IN MATH LE LEAD TEACHERS AS A PILOT, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT JOB EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AND, UM, RESPONDING TO OUR NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, FOR THE VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM, EXPANDING THE REACH OF OUR ONLINE TEACHING OPTIONS AND, UH, IN COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
REALLY PARTNERING, UH, WITH OUR PARTNERS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AT COUNTY GOVERNMENT, UH, TO HAVE 25 NEW POSITIONS THAT REALLY FOCUS ON THAT, UM, CAREER COUNSELING, UH, THAT OUR STUDENTS NEED, AS WELL AS ADDRESSING THE GROWTH, UH, NEEDED FOR OUR NEW SCHOOLS.
WE ALSO ARE MO ARE, UM, HAVE PROPOSED THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION OF OUR PRE-K PROGRAMS, UM, ALIGNED IN THE AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THE GREATEST NEED.
THIS IS ALSO ALIGNED WITH THE DATA THAT WE HAVE FROM THE BLUEPRINT IN TERMS OF WHERE OUR HIGHEST POPULATION OF TIER ONE STUDENTS ARE LIVING.
UM, WE, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING TEACHERS, WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING THOSE SPECIAL AREA TEACHERS, THE PARA-EDUCATORS NECESSARY, UM, AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE REQUISITE, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT SO THAT OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE, UM, SERVICES.
WE ALSO TO CON CONTINUE TO GROW OUR POPULATION OF MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, UM, AS SHARED BEFORE, OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS ARE LAGGING BEHIND, UM, AND MANY OF OUR MEASURES.
AND SO INVESTING IN ADDITIONAL ESOL TEACHERS AS WE MOVE MORE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BACK TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS AND INVESTING, UM, IN A NEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER CURRICULUM USING ONE-TIME FUNDS IS THE REQUEST IN THE AREA OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, IDENTIFYING THIS AS A PRIORITY.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR, UH, ENROLLMENT, WE SEE THAT THERE WAS A DIP.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC, OUR NUMBERS WENT BACK UP, UM, AND, AND WE'RE CLOSE TO NEAR WHERE WE WERE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF THE, UH, LEARNING, UH, LOSS THAT HAS OCCURRED, UM, WE ARE SPENDING MORE MONEY ON SPECIAL EDUCATION NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENTS.
AND SO IN THE REQUEST, YOU SEE, UM, AND AN ADDITIONAL REQUEST FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENTS, BUT YOU
[01:25:01]
ALSO SEE A REQUEST TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ACROSS ALL OF OUR GRADES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS, AS WELL AS PROVIDING THOSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IEP CHAIRS, SO THAT WE ARE PROVIDING, UM, SUPPORTS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE IN WORKING WITH OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STUDENTS TO MEET THEIR NEEDS IN THE AREA OF SAFETY AND CLIMATE.UH, WE HAVE OVER 170 SAFETY ASSISTANCE DEPLOYED IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND A, UH, DIFFERENTIATED MODEL IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SO MOVING THAT OVER TO THE OPERATING BUDGET, AS WELL AS MOVING FORWARD WITH PHASE TWO OF OUR ATHLETIC TRAINERS ARE THE TWO REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE USING BLUEPRINT FUNDING.
UM, UH, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR BLUEPRINT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING ALL OF THE SUPPORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY, UH, FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
UM, MENTAL, PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND ACADEMIC, INCLUDING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
AND THEN OUR FINAL AREA, WHICH IS INFRASTRUCTURE, SORRY, NEXT TO FINAL AREA INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, ADDITIONAL TRANSPORTATION CONTRACT BUSES, UM, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL STAFF FOR FACILITIES AND GROUNDS IN OUR NEW SCHOOLS, UM, DEVICES, UH, CASES TO PROTECT OUR DEVICES, UM, AND TO HELP US WITH SAVING AT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL, UH, FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, WHICH IS A GREAT AREA OF NEED, AS WELL AS PROVIDING THOSE DESKTOP NEEDED FOR STAFF MEMBERS, UH, UTILITY RISING UTILITY COSTS AND STARTUP COSTS FOR OUR NEW, UH, BUILDINGS THAT ARE SLATED TO, UH, OPEN NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
AND FINALLY, UH, INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, FUND OUR COMPENSATION INCREASES, MOVE OVER TO THE OPERATING BUDGET, UH, THE COST FOR EXTENDING, UM, OUR SCHOOL DAY, UH, TO BE, UH, ON PAR WITH ALL OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEM ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND, AS WELL AS CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS NECESSARY FOR OUR CONTRACTUAL, UM, AND SUBSTITUTE, UH, STAFF MEMBERS AND, UH, PAY FOR THE, UH, RISING COSTS OF BENEFITS FOR STAFF MEMBERS.
AND SO WITH THAT, I, UH, TURN IT OVER TO BOARD MEMBERS.
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
BOARD MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? YES, MS. HEN? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS, FOR THE OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION.
I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS REGARDING STAFFING, AND I ALSO APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING OUR WRITTEN QUESTIONS.
WE SUBMITTED THOSE, PROVIDED A LOT OF ANSWERS WE NEEDED.
UM, COULD YOU SPEAK TO THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IMPACTED, AND THESE WOULD BE NON-REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES BY THE POSITION REDUCTIONS? I BELIEVE IT'S 250, GIVE OR TAKE.
HOW MANY ACTUAL EMPLOYEES WILL BE IMPACTED BY THOSE REDUCTIONS? SO I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS, UH, SO WE HAVE 239, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, OFFICES, AND WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT, UM, SCHOOL BASE, WE, WE WORK VERY HARD TO STAY FAR AWAY FROM SCHOOLS BECAUSE AFTER ALL, WE'RE WORKING ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
AND SO WE, WE DIDN'T WANNA DO ANYTHING THAT WOULD ADVERSELY IMPACT, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD THESE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF POSITIONS, UH, AND WHEN I SAY VAST MAJORITIES, I MEAN IN THE NINE, THE HIGH 90 PERCENTILE, UM, UH, WERE, UH, VACANT POSITIONS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO THAT EXPLANATION WHERE WE WERE STILL CONTINUING TO FUND CHRONICALLY VACANT POSITIONS THAT EITHER WE HAD INCREASED EFFICIENCIES, AND SO THEY WERE NO, NO LONGER, UH, NEEDED, OR, UM, THEY WERE CHRONICALLY VACANT AND NOT BEING FILLED, BUT STILL, UM, CAUSING THAT BURDEN ON THE SYSTEM, UH, THAT WAS ONE WAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK.
AND AGAIN, NIGHT, NOT IN ISOLATION, NOT RANDOM DECISIONS, REALLY BRINGING, UH, DEPARTMENT LEADS AND DIVISION HEADS TO THE TABLE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT MEANT.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE HAD AN AREA WHERE THERE WERE OVER 200, UH, YOU KNOW, VACANT POSITIONS, HOW MANY DID WE REALLY NEED? UM, WE DIDN'T CUT TWO ZERO.
SO IF WE HAD 200, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A HUNDRED NOW, UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO RECRUIT AND, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE ADDITIONAL, UH, PEOPLE AVAILABLE.
WHAT I WOULD SAY, HIGH NINETIES, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WERE VACANT, I WOULD SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE A, UH, FEW DOZEN FILLED AND A MUCH SMALLER NUMBER OF, UH, NON-REPRESENTED.
UM, AND, AND I MAKE THAT DISTINCTION BECAUSE AS A PART
[01:30:01]
OF OUR NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT, UM, WE HAVE GUIDELINES THAT WE'VE AGREED TO FOLLOW, AND WE ABSOLUTELY WILL FOLLOW THEM TO A T IN TERMS OF FINDING POSITIONS WHERE PEOPLE HAVE, UH, ARE QUALIFIED, WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL, UM, IN THE PAST TO MAKE THAT MATCH.AND, UH, FOR OUR CHIEF OF HUMAN RESOURCES, UH, TO WORK TO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH PEOPLE, UH, MAKE THE OFFER, UH, GIVE THEM A, YOU KNOW, THESE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UH, SO THAT WE ARE, UM, LOSING AS FEW PEOPLE, IF ANY, UH, ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
WE REALLY WANT TO INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE AND REALLY WANNA RESPECT THE WORK THAT THEY DO IN A RE ON A REGULAR BASIS, IN ADDITION TO BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND MEETING THE CHALLENGE THAT'S IN FRONT OF US, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENT IN ADDITION TO THE $84 MILLION FROM ESER, THANK YOU OF, AND OF COURSE, OUR PEOPLE COME FIRST.
AND THAT'S A POINT THAT MAKES ME NERVOUS LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, BUT HEARING YOU SAY THAT 90%, UM, ARE CHRONICALLY VACANT POSITIONS, AND YOUR GRAPHIC WAS VERY HELPFUL TO THAT EFFECT.
UM, IF I DO THE MATH IN MY HEAD, THAT'S ABOUT 24 INDIVIDUALS, NON-REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES POTENTIALLY AFFECTED.
UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CLASSROOM POSITIONS, UM, 255 CLASSROOM TEACHERS WON'T BE FURLOUGHED.
THEY'RE PROTECTED AGAINST FURLOUGHS, BUT THEY, HOW MANY OF THOSE WOULD YOU SAY ARE, UM, CHRONICALLY VACANT? SO TEACHERS IS DIFFERENT.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT TEACHERS, UH, WANT US TO THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS THAT WE TYPICALLY HIRE IN A YEAR.
SO TYPICALLY WE HIRE 800 TO A THOUSAND TEACHERS IN A YEAR.
UM, SO WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE IN THE POSITION WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, ARE, UM, DOING THAT.
SO IF WE HIRED A THOUSAND AND THAT WAS THE FLAT NUMBER, AND 2 55, UH, WAS THE NUMBER THAT WE IDENTIFIED THROUGH SAVINGS, IT WOULD MEAN FOR US THAT WE WOULD HIRE 745, UH, THE FOLLOWING YEAR IF WE HAD THE SAME LEVEL OF TURNOVER.
SO SOME TURNOVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GONNA RETIRE, PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE PROMOTED WITHIN THE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS, UM, OUTSIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WE ARE DOING OUR LEVEL BEST TO RETAIN AS MANY, UM, PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, SO, SO TEACHERS LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT YOU ALSO SEE THAT WE ARE ADDING IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET SOME TEACHER POSITIONS.
SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 35 MORE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THOSE SPECIAL AREA TEACHERS, UM, IN THE BUDGET WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PRE-K TEACHERS THAT WE NEED.
SO IT, IT'S NOT AS, UH, BLACK AND WHITE AS, YOU KNOW, IT'S 255 AND 255 ARE GOING FROM SOMEWHERE.
OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP AS MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE HERE, UM, FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, 30 YEARS AND BEYOND.
WE WANT THEM HERE, AND WE'RE ADDING MORE TEACHERS.
BUT WHERE WE'RE MAKING THE CHANGE IS WE HAD TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS TO SECONDARY TO REALLY START THAT IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE NEEDED IN GRADE THREE THROUGH FIVE.
PARTICULARLY IF YOU LOOK AT THAT DATA AND THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR DATA, OF MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS BY THE END OF GRADE THREE ARE READING AT OR ABOVE, UH, PROFICIENCY LEVEL AND SEEING THAT THEY WERE AT 25, WHICH WAS LARGER THAN EVEN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, A HIGHER CLASS SIZE.
SO WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO DO IT STEP ONE THIS YEAR, UM, IF EVERYTHING PASSES, WHICH BRINGS US TO 24.
SO THEY'RE STILL THE HIGHEST, UH, IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT WE'RE MOVING IT IN THE, UH, RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS THOSE PRIORITIES.
THE BOARD FULLY SUPPORTS YOU IN THAT.
UM, SO IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO CATEGORIZE TEACHING POSITIONS AS CHRONICALLY VACANT, SINCE THAT'S CONSTANT, THAT NUMBER'S CONSTANTLY IN FLUXX.
IT'S, IT'S CONSTANTLY IN FLUXX, AND WE LOOKED AT THINGS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD SPECIFIC, UH, POSITIONS FOR YEARS THAT HAD BEEN, UH, VACANT, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE A SPECIALIZED NICHE AREA, UH, BUT THE PRINCIPLES FOR THE LAST THREE YEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE, THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, MAKE IT WORK WITH, UH, REASONABLE, YOU KNOW, GOOD CLASS SIZES, PARTICULARLY SINCE THAT HIGH SCHOOL.
WE WERE, YOU KNOW, MUCH, UH, SMALLER ON THAT CLASS, ON THOSE CLASS SIZES.
WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT DATA AND SAY, THIS HAS BEEN OPEN FOR YEARS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE CHECKED THE CLASS SIZES AS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THAT FULL REPORT THAT YOU HAVE IT, IT'S NOT CAUSING, UH, UNDUE BURDEN ON OUR STUDENTS AND THE ABILITY OF OTHER STUDENTS TO LEARN.
AND SO IN THOSE, YOU KNOW, ISOLATED INSTANCES, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE KINDS OF REDUCTIONS AS WELL.
AND THIS EXERCISE, AND IT'S A LOT OF WORK.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU IN THE EFFORTS OF ALL YOUR TEAM.
UM, HAS NOT BEEN DONE, AT LEAST IN MY TIME ON THE BOARD THAT I'M AWARE OF IN MAKING, IN RIGHT SIZING OUR, OUR STAFFING BASED ON LOOKING AT THOSE, LIKE YOU SAID, CHRONICALLY VACANT POSITIONS AND ELIMINATING THOSE BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE TO BE FUNDED, WHETHER THEY'RE ARE FILLED OR NOT.
SO, TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE, IS THAT AN ACCURATE STATEMENT THAT THIS IS NEW WORK THAT IS HAPPENING, UM, AS PART OF, NOT NECESSARILY YOUR ZERO BASED BUDGETING PROCESS, BUT IN LOOKING AT WHAT ARE OUR ACTUAL NEEDS VERSUS WHAT, WHAT WE'RE FUNDING THAT COULD BE REALLOCATED? SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T
[01:35:01]
SPEAK WITH 100 SPECIFICITY OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE DONE, UM, YOU KNOW, BEHIND, UH, CLOSED DOORS IN THE PAST.BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WE TOOK A DEEP DIVE, WE LOOKED EVERYWHERE.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT PLACES THAT PERHAPS IN THE PAST, UH, ENROLLMENT HAD SURGED.
AND SO BASED ON THE STAFFING ALLOCATION FORMULAS, WE HAD PROVIDED ADDITIONAL STAFFING.
BUT OVER YEARS, THOSE NUMBERS WENT DOWN.
UM, AND, AND SO THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, UH, CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE EASY TO HAVE WITH OUR PRINCIPAL COLLEAGUES, UH, BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALREADY A FORMULA.
SO WE LOOKED AT ALL OF THOSE PLACES AND ALL OF THOSE SAVINGS, I, I CAN SHARE THAT WE TOOK A COMPREHENSIVE, UM, LOOK, UH, TOGETHER WITH EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE BOARD.
UH, THIS YEAR, THIS WAS JUST A PART OF THE WORK BECAUSE WE WANTED TO, UM, STAY AWAY FROM TOUCHING PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, UH, WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE FISCAL OUTLOOK, UM, YOU KNOW, NATIONALLY IS STILL GONNA BE TIGHT AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, BUT WE REALLY VALUE OUR PEOPLE AND NEED OUR PEOPLE TO DO THIS WORK.
AND SO WE LOOKED AT THINGS FIRST, WHICH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU SAW THE BIG AREAS WITH THAT.
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOKED AT PEOPLE, WE TRIED TO LOOK AT, UM, POTENTIAL PEOPLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, EFFICIENCIES THAT WERE, UM, NECESSARY, UM, AND, AND PLACES THAT WE COULD, UH, ELIMINATE, UH, REDUNDANCIES AND REALLY JUST STANDARDIZE OUR FORMULAS.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I GAVE THAT EXAMPLE ABOUT, UH, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND THE GREAT VARIABILITY THAT WE FOUND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF OUR PROCESS MOVING FORWARD, BEING ABLE TO SAY, HERE ARE OUR EXPECTATIONS SO THAT WE CAN BUDGET.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU PAY FOR A POSITION, UM, AND YOU PAY FOR A RESPONSIBILITY FACTOR, AND THERE ARE REDUCED CLASSES THAT YOU'RE TEACHING, IN ESSENCE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS PAYING FOR THAT AS WELL, BECAUSE IT MIGHT CAUSE A SWELL IN SOME AREAS, OR IT MIGHT CAUSE A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL STAFFING THAT IS PROVIDED.
AND, YOU KNOW, THOSE COME AT A COST TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND MY FINAL QUESTION, AND THEN I'LL TURN IT BACK TO MY COLLEAGUES, UM, IS MAGNET PROGRAMS AND THE REDUCTIONS THERE, WE HEARD FROM TWO STUDENTS TONIGHT SPEAK TO VERY ELOQUENTLY SPEAK TO THE VALUE OF OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS, AND WE ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO, TO SUPPORTING THEM.
UM, IT'S ONE THING TO REDUCE PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS OR THINGS THAT ARE NON-ESSENTIAL, UM, WHEN I'M READING THE BUDGET BOOK, THAT STAFFING COULD BE AFFECTED.
SO COULD YOU SPEAK TO THE DIVISION OF THAT HALF MILLION THAT'S BEING REDUCED FROM SCHOOL MAGNET ALLOCATIONS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN, IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE? ABSOLUTELY, YES.
AND I, AND I TOO, UH, COMPLIMENT OUR STUDENTS WHO, UH, WERE HERE THIS EVENING AND HAS, HAVE COME TO, UH, SEVERAL SESSIONS, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, SHARE WITH US THE IMPACT THAT ELEMENTARY, UH, STEM MAGNET PROGRAMS HAVE HAD ON THEM.
UM, AND SO THAT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, AS SHARED, IT'S, UH, THE, SO THE REDUCTION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT WE PUT TOGETHER, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR MAGNET WITH ESSER.
UM, AND SO THOSE FUNDS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY EXPIRE AT SEPTEMBER 30TH.
UM, BUT WE ALSO HAD A PROCESS WHERE WE, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO THE ZERO BASED BUDGETING, WHERE WE DIDN'T REACH OUT TO SCHOOLS AND ASK THEM, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MOVE FORWARD? UM, WE KIND OF JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE PROVIDING.
SO THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT MONEY, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS SPENT ON PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT MONEY IS GOING TO BE, UM, ABSORBED IN THAT WAY.
WHEN WE SAY PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HIGH GLOSS COPIES AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME SHIRTS AND SOME THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO A LOT OF IT IS THINGS, UH, BUT WE ALSO CREATED A, UH, PROCESS, UH, WHERE, UM, DR.
ALMANOR, WHO LEADS, UM, OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS, UM, SCHOOLS, THEY SUBMIT A, UH, BUDGET REQUEST WITH A JUST JUSTIFICATION, JUST LIKE OUR ZERO BASED BUDGETING.
UM, AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE APPROVALS BASED ON, UH, THE NEEDS, UM, IDENTIFIED BY THE SCHOOLS.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THOSE ACTUAL EXPENDITURES VERSUS WHAT WE HAD ALLOCATED, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, UH, PAST PRACTICES WHERE THERE, THERE IS THAT TIME AND SPACE WHERE THERE'S MONEY LEFT AND PEOPLE SPEND IT.
UM, BUT IS IT SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAD A LOT OF EXPENDITURES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SHOWING US THIS DEMONSTRATED NEED, UH, TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON STUDENTS.
AND SO WE'RE CONFIDENT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, UH, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE ARE, UM, PRIORITIZING OUR STUDENTS, WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT THAT CUT IS MOSTLY ON THINGS.
AND WE'RE ALSO CONFIDENT THAT THIS PROCESS IS GONNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SCHOOL HAS WHAT THEY NEED.
AND YOU HAD MENTIONED IN YOUR RESPONSES THAT A PORTION OF, THAT THOSE FUNDS WERE NOT SPENT WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT LOOKING AT ACTUAL EXPENDITURES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BALLPARK ESTIMATE ON WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT
NOT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, YES.
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? UH, MS. LESKI AND MR. MCMILLION? OKAY.
[01:40:02]
THANK YOU FOR BEING SO INTENTIONAL AND PURPOSEFUL WITH THIS BUDGET.I KNOW IT WAS REALLY CHALLENGING.
UM, MY CLASS, MY QUESTIONS JUST RELATE TO CLASS SIZES, AND I HAVE TWO.
SO ONE, UM, KNOWING THAT THERE HAS TO BE SOME INCREASES IN THE CLASS SIZES, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY TEACHERS, STAKEHOLDERS, ET CETERA, ABOUT WHAT THE SECONDARY INCREASES IN CLASS SIZE SIZES WILL ACTUALLY MEAN IN PRACTICALITY? AND THEN DO YOU HAVE, UM, ANTICIPATION IN A LONG-TERM PLAN TO REDUCE CLASS SIZES ACROSS THE BOARD IN THE FUTURE? THANK YOU.
SO I'LL START WITH THE SECOND QUESTION, AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE, UH, THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS.
SO, THE FIRST QUESTION, OR THE SECOND QUESTION ABOUT DO WE HAVE PLANS LONG-TERM TO REDUCE ABSOLUTELY AS SOON AS WE GET BACK TO A PLACE WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE, UM, YES, THAT, THAT IS WITHIN, UH, OUR REACH AND PART OF OUR, UH, LONG-TERM PLAN.
UM, UH, THE FIRST QUESTION IN TERMS OF REALLY SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO OUR TEACHERS, OUR TEACHER LEADERS, AND OUR PARENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THIS IS WHERE THAT COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH IS GOING TO PAY DIVIDENDS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I TALKED ABOUT, UM, LOOKING AT, UH, OUR DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND TEAM LEADERS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SAW THAT GREAT VARIABILITY FROM ZERO TO FIVE, UH, CLASSES.
AND SO THOSE RELEASE PERIODS HAVE AN IMPACT ON WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CLASSROOM.
ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE SAW THAT WAS SCHOOL-BASED RESOURCE TEACHERS WHERE WE PROVIDE THESE POSITIONS IN THE SCHOOL, AND YOU HAD SOME OF THEM THAT TAUGHT IN CLASSES, AND THEN YOU HAD SOME THAT TAUGHT A FEW, OR A FEW NUMBERS IN BETWEEN OUR GOAL.
AND WE'RE ACTUALLY MEETING WITH ALL OF OUR PRINCIPALS TO PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, STAFFING ALLOCATIONS ON THE 25TH.
UM, SO THAT IS THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
UH, WE ARE PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE MEMO WHERE WE SPEAK TO ALL OF THESE AREAS THAT WE LEARNED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS THAT WE HAD VARIABILITY BECAUSE EITHER THINGS CHANGED OVER TIME, OR WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING IN WRITING.
WE'VE REALLY BROUGHT PEOPLE TO THE TABLE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT MAKES SENSE AND WHAT'S BEST FOR STUDENTS.
AND SO WE, WE STRONGLY BELIEVE BY REDUCING, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RELEASE PERIODS AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE STANDARDIZED EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT SPECIFIC POSITIONS ARE DOING ACROSS THE SYSTEM, UH, THAT WE REALLY SHOULD NOT SEE ANY GREAT FLUCTUATIONS IN TERMS OF SECONDARY, AGAIN, SECONDARY WAS EVEN LOWER, UH, THAN OUR INTERMEDIATE GRADES IN ELEMENTARY.
AND ONE OF THE REPORTS THAT I, YOU KNOW, PROVIDED IT, IT GIVES YOU THE SUMMARY BY COURSE, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH, UM, FOR THE AVERAGE CLASS SIZE.
BUT THEN WHEN YOU LOOK UNDERNEATH IT, IT SHOWS YOU EVERYTHING THAT LIVES UNDERNEATH THAT FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE CLASS SIZES IN SPECIFIC NUMBERS.
AND, AND YOU'LL FIND WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, PERUSE THAT REPORT THAT YOU DON'T SEE LARGE NUMBERS JUMPING OUT AT YOU.
SO THIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS IS ONLY GOING TO IMPROVE THAT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS BUDGET, BECAUSE IT'S OBVIOUS BY THE WAY THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO THE DETAIL.
YOU DIDN'T REFER TO ANYBODY OUT THERE.
YOU COULD SPEAK TO IT BECAUSE YOU WERE INVOLVED IN IN THE PROCESS.
I ALSO APPRECIATE HOW YOU WALKED THROUGH YOUR LEADERS THROUGH THE, THE, UH, THE BUDGET PROCESS WHERE YOU SCALED IT DOWN, THE ZERO BASED BUDGET, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN NEEDED FOR QUITE A WHILE.
BUT THE, THE PIECE THAT I HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME WITH IS ON MY FIVE YEARS ON THE BOARD AND SEEING FIVE BUDGETS COME THROUGH, YOU KNOW, IT'S PITCHED TO US THAT IT'S OUR BUDGET AND IT'S CONSTRUCTED BY YOU AND YOUR STAFF, BUT PEOPLE SAY IT'S OUR BUDGET.
I'M FINDING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CONCEPTUALIZE VOTING FOR A BUDGET WHERE I CAN'T SEE DETAIL, LIKE ONCE FINALIZED BY THE BOARD, THE ADOPTED 25 OPERATING BUDGET WILL INCLUDE, WILL INCLUDE, WILL INCLUDE.
SO IF I'M GONNA BE PHYSICALLY PRUDENT AND WITH MY VOTE, I, HOW CAN I, HOW CAN I VOTE FOR SOMETHING I CAN'T SEE? SO, CAN YOU, CAN YOU TALK ME OFF MY CLIFF? I'M GONNA TALK YOU RIGHT OFF THE CLIFF WHERE I'M GONNA DO A, UH, DO MY BEST TO HELP YOU TALK ME OFF THE CLIFF.
UM, AND SO WHAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU, UH, MR. MCMILLION, IS YOU DO HAVE THE INFORMATION.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DIVISION ROLL-UPS, IT SPEAKS SPECIFICALLY TO HERE'S WHERE WE WERE, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GO.
SO YOU CAN SEE IN THE SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THE SAVINGS, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SLIDE THAT I SHARED, YOU KNOW, THIS EVENING ABOUT THE DIVISION, SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE THOSE SAVINGS ARE.
SO WHEN WE SAY TO PEOPLE THAT THIS WAS ACROSS DIVISIONS, THIS WASN'T ONE ISOLATED PLACE, THERE IS EVIDENCE ACROSS 309 PAGES THAT THIS HAPPENED.
BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO ALL CONTINUE TO BE COMMITTED TO, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, WHERE WE WANT PEOPLE TO STAY, IS DEMONSTRATE THAT LEVEL OF RESPECT THAT WE HAVE FOR THEM.
[01:45:01]
ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THIS ROOM AND WATCH PEOPLE'S FACES CHANGE WHEN THEY HEARD IN A PUBLIC BOARD PRESENTATION THAT NEXT TO THEIR POSITION WAS A ZERO, I WOULD NEVER WANNA BE IN THAT POSITION.AND AS THE LEADER THAT YOU ENTRUST WITH THE CARE AND CONCERN OF THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, I WOULD NEVER WANNA PUT PEOPLE IN THAT SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND SO MY WORK, MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO MAKE SURE YOU AND THE PUBLIC HAVE THE DIVISION INFORMATION ALSO TO SHARE IN A TIMELY FASHION WITH THOSE INDIVIDUAL, WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE.
AND TO ANSWER, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS THAT I CAN IN A PUBLIC, UH, FASHION SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW WE DID THE WORK, WHERE THE SAVINGS ARE COMING FROM, UH, WHAT LIVES UNDERNEATH THAT, WITHOUT EXPOSING THOSE.
UM, I THINK PART OF IT, UM, ALSO, AND, AND I'M NOT GONNA SAY THAT PART OF THIS IS, IS ABOUT, UM, TRUST, BECAUSE THERE ARE NUMBERS IN BLACK AND WHITE.
SO LIKE PAGE 1 97 FOR CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, THERE'S ONE THAT'S THERE FOR THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS.
THERE'S ONE THAT'S THERE FOR OPERATIONS, THERE'S ONE THAT'S THERE FOR EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO I THINK IT'S ABOUT SHIFTING HOW WE'RE DOING BUSINESS, IF WE WANT DIFFERENTIATED OUTCOMES TO CONTINUE TO DO THINGS IN THE WAY THAT WE DID.
UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE CAME TOGETHER AND TALKED ABOUT HOW DO WE IMPROVE CLIMATE AND MORALE? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ATTRACTING PEOPLE? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN VERY PROUD TO SEE PEOPLE COME TO THIS BOARD MEETING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE APPOINTING THEM.
UH, YOU ARE APPOINTING THEM, UH, APPROVING THE APPOINTMENT, AND THEY'RE COMING FROM OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UM, DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THIS IS A PLACE WHERE WE WANT PEOPLE WANT TO, TO BE WHERE THEY WANNA COME.
AND WE WANT OUR PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY WANT TO STAY.
AND SO I'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO THEM PERSONALLY ABOUT OUR INVESTMENT IN THEM, ABOUT HOW THEY'VE BEEN A PART OF THIS PROCESS, ABOUT THE RESPECT THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW TO THEM.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD THEN BE DISINGENUOUS FOR ME TO TURN AROUND AND IN THE BIGGEST PRESENTATION THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE TO THE PUBLIC TO SHOW THEM THAT THEIR CUTS IN THEIR POSITIONS ARE IN A BOOK.
AND SO I AM HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND ANYBODY ELSE TO GO THROUGH DIVISION BY DIVISION.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF, UM, THE INFORMATION THAT I GAVE TO, UH, THIS EVENING WASN'T SUFFICIENT IN TERMS OF THE DIVISION TO SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHERE YOU SEE THE PROFESSIONAL, WHERE YOU SEE THE SUPPORTING, AND THEN YOU SEE THOSE OTHER BUDGET CLASSES, UM, HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU.
BUT I, I THINK THE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, UH, DEMONSTRATES OUR COMMITMENT TO, UM, REALLY KEEP OUR WORD WITH PEOPLE, UH, TO REALLY WALK THROUGH A PROCESS OPENLY, HONESTLY, TO REALLY LOOK AT EVERYTHING TO VALUE PEOPLE FIRST, BUT THEN AT THE VERY END, WHEN WE HAVE TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS, WHICH IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, UM, TO DO IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE'RE STILL VALUING AND HONORING PEOPLE TO THE END.
AND, AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ANSWER.
AND I KNOW IT MIGHT SEEM THAT I'M BEING CRITICAL OF YOU, BUT I'M, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. EY? MY QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED, BUT I JUST HAVE A
SO WHEN THESE THINGS COME IN FRONT OF US AND PEOPLE LOOK AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, NO, THIS LOOKS DIFFERENT.
WHY DOES THIS LOOK DIFFERENT? WHY ISN'T THIS INCLUDED? I APPRECIATE THAT YOUR RESPONSES INCLUDE THE WHY SO THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS US AND, AND INCLUDING THE PUBLIC, WHY IT LOOKS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AND WHY THINGS MAY BE THE WAY THEY ARE.
SO JUST, JUST TO COMMENT, I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, SO I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT AT THE SCHOOL-BASED BUDGET.
WE DO SEE THAT THE, UM, NUMBER OF SUPPORT STAFF HAS INCREASED, AND IT'S BY 109, UM, FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS.
UM, BUT I WAS LOOKING, SO THAT'S FROM PAGE 1 22, BUT I DID HAVE A QUESTION FROM PAGE 1 25, UM, WHERE, JUST, WHERE DO THE NUMBERS COME FROM WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THRESHOLDS? UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN IT REFERS TO CLERICAL AND THE STUDENT POPULATION, IF IT'S 500 STUDENTS OR MORE, THEN WE GET ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.
BUT THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN FROM A READING SPECIALIST WHERE THE NUMBER IS 700.
SO WHERE DO THOSE NUMBERS COME FROM AS FAR AS THRESHOLDS FOR THE SUPPORT STAFF? I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION.
SO THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORICAL, UM, I WOULD HAVE TO DIG DEEPER TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE ALLOCATION, UH, FORMULAS FOR, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN A DECADE.
WHEREAS, UH, SOME, I, UH, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THE QUESTION AROUND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND, YOU KNOW, FOUND OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF ALLOCATIONS THAT HAD BEEN IN PRACTICE FOR THREE TO FOUR YEARS.
UM, AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO DO SOME MORE WORK TO, YOU KNOW, TO FIND OUT HISTORICALLY WHERE THEY CAME FROM, UH, AT THE VERY BEGINNING AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING, UH,
[01:50:01]
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY SOME OF, UH, WORK FOR THE FY 26 BUDGET WHERE THERE'S, UH, MORE ROOM WHERE WE ALSO IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, WE, I ALWAYS TRY TO BENCHMARK WITH, UH, NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS OR SIMILARLY SITUATED DISTRICTS MIGHT BE OUTSIDE OF OUR NEIGHBORS TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALIGNED WITH THOSE BEST PRACTICES.UH, BUT I, BUT I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SHORT ANSWER IS, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THEM ARE HISTORICAL IN NATURE OF THE WHY.
UH, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THAT, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY GO ON A JOURNEY TO FIND OUT
UM, AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE, UM, THE, THE NURSES.
SO THERE WAS THE REDUCTION, UM, FOR THE NURSES, UM, AS FAR AS THE MONEY, BECAUSE THERE'S GRANT FUNDING, SO THAT'S FROM PAGE 1 24.
BUT THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT, AGAIN, THIS SAME SCHOOL ALLOCATION, THERE'S ONLY ONE NURSE PER SCHOOL.
AND THERE WAS SOME DATA IN HERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THERE'S 450,000 HEALTH SUITE VISITS, THERE'S 80,000 MEDICAL TREATMENTS, AND ALL OF THAT IS JUST ONE NURSE.
SO CAN YOU TALK MORE INTO THAT? SURE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IN MY YOUNGER DAYS I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE A NURSE.
'CAUSE I CAME FROM TWO GENERATIONS OF NURSES, AND OBVIOUSLY I DIDN'T MAKE THAT DECISION.
UM, SO I, I HAVE HIGH, I HOLD NURSES, PHYSICIANS ALL IN, UH, VERY HIGH ESTEEM AND HIGH REGARDS.
WHAT I WILL, UM, SHARE WITH YOU IS, UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR THE, UH, RECORD, WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY CHANGES.
NO REDUCTIONS IN NURSES, NO REDUCTIONS IN OUR HEALTH ASSISTANTS, NO REDUCTIONS IN THE RESPONSIBILITY FACTORS.
UM, WE ARE CHANGING THE FUNDING SOURCE, SO THAT IS A NET SAVINGS FOR US ON THE OPERATING BUDGET.
UM, BUT I WILL SHARE WITH YOU OF ALL THESE SYSTEMS THAT I'M AWARE OF, UH, THE ALLOCATION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE NURSE THAT MIGHT BE AN AREA, UH, WHERE WE CAN, UH, PARTNER, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, EXTERNAL PARTNERS TO, UM, SEE, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A LONG-TERM PLAN TO, UM, MAKE SOME INCREASES.
I KNOW IN OUR, UH, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, OF WHICH, UH, WE THINK WE'RE GONNA BE ABOVE 80 NEXT YEAR, UH, ONE OF THE, UM, AREAS WHERE WE PROVIDE SUPPORT IS, UM, HEALTH SERVICES.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT USUALLY COMES WITH A HEALTH ASSISTANT, AND WE ALSO, UM, USUALLY WORK WITH SOME KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, MEDICAL, UH, CLINIC, UH, PROVIDERS FOR OUR FAMILIES IN THOSE AREAS.
AND SO, UH, HAVING OVER 80 OF THAT, OF THOSE, UM, I THINK WILL HELP TO, UM, PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR NURSES.
BUT I, I THINK, UM, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A MUCH, YOU KNOW, LONGER, UH, TERM PLAN.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE CAN, UM, TAKE A LOOK AT OUR, UM, I, I KNOW WHAT THE NEIGHBORING, UM, SYSTEMS ARE IF THEY HAVEN'T, UM, CHANGED.
BUT IT, IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN, UM, LOOK INTO AS WELL AS OUR, UH, VERY, UH, COLLABORATIVE AND HELPFUL COUNTY GOVERNMENT, UH, PARTNERS, UM, YOU KNOW, IN OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT THAT REALLY WORKS WITH US HAND IN HAND ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UM, MY LAST QUESTION ACTUALLY IS KIND OF, UM, IT'S A FOLLOW UP.
I BELIEVE MS. HEN HAD ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT THE 18, UM, MATH SPECIALISTS, AND THEN I SAW A SLIDE THAT SPOKE TO THE SCHOOLS.
AND I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, HOW WERE THOSE SCHOOLS DETERMINED? BECAUSE IF WE LOOK AT THE MAP, UM, INFORMATION THAT'S IN HERE, SOME OF THE LOWER SCHOOLS, I DIDN'T SEE THOSE NAMES.
SO HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE ALLOTTING THE MATH SPECIALISTS TO, YOU KNOW, MORE FLUENT IN SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE BETTER SCORES VERSUS THE ONES THAT ARE LESS AFFLUENT AND DON'T HAVE AS GOOD SCORES? GREAT QUESTION.
SO THE FIRST ANSWER IS, UM, IF WE COULD HAVE PROVIDED ONE TO EVERYONE, WE ABSOLUTELY WOULD'VE.
UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, WITH OVER A HUNDRED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, UM, THAT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE.
UH, SO, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE DESIGNING A PILOT, PART OF WHAT YOU WANNA DO IS HAVE A RANGE OF SCHOOLS.
SO WE DIDN'T WANT ONLY TITLE ONE SCHOOLS.
WE DIDN'T WANT ONLY AFFLUENT SCHOOLS.
UH, BUT, UH, WE ALSO LOOKED AT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UM, THAT WERE AVAILABLE.
UH, PART OF OUR CONCERTED EFFORT MOVING FORWARD IS GOING TO BE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A MATH EXPERT IN EVERY SINGLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
BUT WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO, IN REAL TIME, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE INDICATORS OF HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING ON OUR MATH CURRICULUM.
AND SO IN THOSE SPACES, I THINK, UM, EACH, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE SPACES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED, WE DIDN'T HAVE A DEDICATED, UH, MATH EXPERT, UH, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK ACROSS OTHER SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, EITHER WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDS WHERE YOU HAVE A, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL-BASED MATH RESOURCE TEACHER, UM, THAT CAN SUPPORT THAT WORK, THAT WE CAN BRING ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THIS PILOT, UM, TO REALLY FOCUS ON, UM, IMPLEMENTING THE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM,
[01:55:01]
UH, WITH FIDELITY, AND ALSO MONITORING THE PROGRESS OF OUR STUDENTS AND MAKING, YOU KNOW, THOSE COURSE CORRECTION, UH, CORRECTIONS IN REAL TIME.SO THAT'S HOW WE, UH, DECIDED ON THE SCHOOLS.
OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. LICHTER? UM, MORE COMMENTS.
'CAUSE A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED.
ONE, AS A FORMER ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL, THE IDEA OF IEP FACILITATORS LOWERING THE RATIO IN GRADE THREE TO FIVE AND THE MATH SPECIALIST ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN NEEDING DESPERATELY FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
SO THANK YOU FOR WADING THROUGH ALL OF THE, UM, ALL THE INFORMATION AND ALL OF THE FUNDS TO START TO FUND THAT IN OUR SCHOOLS, AND IT'S SO ALIGNED WITH THE NEEDS THAT WE'VE SEEN.
THE, UM, ONE QUESTION I HAD WAS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, UM, PIECE AND THE 84% OF ELEMENTARY KIDS GAINING SCORES IS HUGE.
SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF POINTS IN HERE THAT ARE POINTING, SHOWING US IT'S POINT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, IS THERE PD, IS THE PD AMOUNT OF 31,000 ENOUGH CONSIDERING THE INCREASE OF TEACHERS AND THAT THERE AREN'T EXPERTS FOR ELL IN THE SCHOOLS? SO, UM, THIS IS A GRAY AREA WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO LEVERAGE, UH, GRANT FUNDING.
UM, SO WE HAVE SOME, I THINK IT'S TITLE THREE, TITLE THREE FUNDING, UH, WHERE WE CAN USE THAT, UH, SPECIFICALLY FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO, UM, LEVERAGE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SO PART OF THIS EXERCISE WAS ALSO LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN MAXIMIZE GRANT FUNDING, UH, TO MEET SOME OF OUR NEEDS.
UM, YOU KNOW, USE OUR TITLE TWO FUNDING IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, THEN, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS WE'VE USED THEM IN THE PAST.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO USE IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, OUR, UM, UH, DIRECTOR OF, UM, ESOL AND WORLD LANGUAGES ON THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION SIDE, WHO'S REALLY FOCUSING ON THAT PIECE.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE DIRECTOR OF MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT ON THE SCHOOL SIDE, REALLY FOCUSING ON GETTING TO, UH, INSIDE OF SCHOOLS, WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF THE, UM, PRINCIPALS AND THE TEACHERS IN THE, UH, CLASSROOM AS WELL AS, UH, ELA TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THAT SUPPORT.
UH, ONE OF THE AREAS SHOWING PROMISE IS, UH, H-M-H-H-M-H PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, UM, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, OUR, UM, UH, STUDENTS IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS AND OUR HIGH, UH, VERY HIGH ACHIEVING, UH, STUDENTS.
AND SO I THINK, UH, USING SOME EXISTING RESOURCES AS WELL AS TITLE THREE ALLOWS US TO, UM, DO WHAT WE NEED TO.
UM, THEY HAVE COME UP WITH A VERY ROBUST PLAN, UH, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS LOOK LIKE, INCLUDING, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS SUMMER AND BEYOND.
AND THEN JUST ONE LAST COMMENT, I APPRECIATE, I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION OR, AND NOT SEEING ALL OF THE DETAILS ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT I SAT IN MS. BOOKER DWYER'S SEAT LAST YEAR AND WATCHED PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE FIND OUT THAT THEIR POSITIONS HAVE BEEN CUT.
AND IT WAS, IT, IT WAS HEART WRENCHING.
SO WHILE I UNDERSTAND WE, WE MAY FEEL WE'RE MISSING INFORMATION, THE LOOK ON THOSE PEOPLE'S FACES TO HEAR THAT THEIR FUTURE WAS NOW NOT IN JEOPARDY, BUT THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THEIR POSITION BACK WAS, WAS VERY HARD.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT BEING THE PARAMOUNT, UM, CONSIDERATION FOR THIS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? OKAY, WELL THANK YOU DR. ROGERS FOR, UM, ANSWERING ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS FOR PROVIDING CLARITY, UM, TO THE BUDGET.
UM, I DEFINITELY THINK IT REFLECTS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT WE ARE ASPIRING TO BE WHERE WE ARE PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST, WHERE WE'RE INVESTING IN OUR STUDENTS AND, UM, AND REALLY RESPECTING THE, THE PROFESSIONALISM OF ADULTS BY NOT DETAILING, UM, POSITIONS IN, IN THAT, THAT DETAILED DEPARTMENTAL, UM, BUDGET LIST.
THE BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE FY 2025 OPERATING BUDGET AT THE FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024 BOARD MEETING.
WE STILL HAVE MORE ON THE AGENDA.
[J. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. Jones, Dr. DiDonato, and Mr. Connelly) (8:50 - 9:20 p.m.)]
SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON THE MARYLAND STAR RATING SYSTEM.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. JONES, DR.
DDO, AND MR. CONNOLLY, DR. JONES AND DR.
UH, ONE OF OUR TRIO IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING, BUT WE ARE GONNA DO OUR BEST TO GIVE A GOOD SHOW FOR HIM.
SO WE'LL KIND OF JUST JUMP, JUMP RIGHT IN.
UM, DR. ROGERS, WE DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING.
YOU HAVE SAID A LOT
SO WE'RE GONNA JUST GET STARTED.
[02:00:01]
UM, UM,WE ARE HERE AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT THE 20 22 23 SS STAR RATINGS.
UM, JOINED WITH ME AS MY COLLEAGUE, UM, DR.
DATO, AND AS WAS STATED, MR. CONLEY, WHOSE, UM, DRA TEAM IS A REPRESENTATION OF DR.
JESS GRIM AND THE, UM, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, UM, DUE TO AN EMERGENCY HE IS NOT, UM, HERE, BUT THEY DID CONTRIBUTE A LOT TO WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO POINT OUT AND REALLY, UM, START OFF THE PRESENTATION AROUND IS THAT THE MARYLAND REPORT CARD REALLY ADVANCES EQUITY THROUGH ESSA AS WE KNOW THE, UM, ESSA STANDS FOR EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT.
AND IT WAS, IT HAS ESTABLISHED AN ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM HERE WITHIN MARYLAND, FOCUSED ON EQUITABLY PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS.
THE PLAN CLOSES CLOSELY ALIGNS WITH THE SYSTEM'S, FOCUS ON EQUITY AND INCREASED ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, AND IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR, UM, PRIORITY AROUND INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND CLOSING GAPS FOR STUDENTS.
SO THE MARYLAND, THE MARYLAND REPORT CARD RATING, AS YOU CAN SEE, THEIR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED THROUGH INDICATORS, AND THOSE INDICATORS ARE ARE THERE FOR ALL SCHOOLS, ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IS ALSO FOR ALL SCHOOLS.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR GRADUATION RATE, WHICH WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH FOR HIGH SCHOOLS QUALITY OR STUDENT SUCCESS FOR ALL SCHOOLS.
AND THEN READINESS FOR POST, FOR POST, POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS, AGAIN, IS FOR ALL SCHOOLS.
AND OFF TO THE SIDE YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, UM, THE STARS AND THE AWARDING OF THE STARS BASED ON THE PERCENTAGES THAT ARE RECEIVED.
WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE CHANGES IN THE ESSA REPORT CARD FROM 2022 TO 2023.
I KNOW THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE REPORT CARDS AND WE COMPARE THEM FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT, UM, WE BELIEVE THAT IT'S A TRUE MEASURE.
HOWEVER, THERE'S SOME METRICS CHANGES THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN THE 2022 REPORT CARD AND THE 2023 REPORT CARD.
WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE CHANGES FOR YOU BECAUSE IT GIVES SOME INSIGHT INTO SOME OF THE SCORE CHANGES.
SO AT THE TOP OF THE SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
SO CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM CALCULATION REVERTED TO THE ORIGINAL PRE COVID CALCULATION METRICS THAT WAS USED DURING 2022, RECOGNIZING THAT STUDENTS' ATTENDANCE WAS STILL BEING IMPACTED BY COID.
THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM RATE METRICS CHANGED SO THAT IT WAS A LOWER THRESHOLD, SO IT ALLOWED MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR SCHOOLS WITH A HIGHER LEVEL OF CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM FOR 2023, IT RETURNED TO THE PRE COVID RATE.
SO WHILE WE HAD SCHOOLS WHO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED THEIR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM RATE, IT DIDN'T COME TO FRUITION IN SEEING THAT NUMBER CHANGE FOR THE STAR RATING PURPOSE BECAUSE THE METRIC HAD ACTUALLY INCREASED.
SO THEY HAD IMPROVED IT, HOWEVER, THEY WERE, THEY WERE CHASING AFTER A NUMBER AT THAT POINT.
THE ENGLISH, UH, LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY.
SO THIS IS LOOKING AT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR STUDENTS, UM, MAKING PROGRESS TO ACQUIRE ENGLISH.
ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES, AGAIN, UM, BETWEEN 2022 AND 2023, THE WIDA ASSESSMENT IS WHAT'S USED TO EVALUATE STUDENTS' PROGRESS TOWARDS ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY.
AND THE TIMELINE FOR ADMINISTRATION WAS, UH, CUT SHORT.
UM, AND SO THE ASSESSMENT FROM 2022 TO 2023 MEASURED PROGRESS OVER A SINGLE SCHOOL YEAR.
THE 2022 SCHOOL YEAR SCORE WAS ACTUALLY A MUCH LONGER TIME BECAUSE THERE WERE OPTIONS IN WAIVERS IN 2021 FOR ADMINISTERING THE TEST.
AND THERE WERE STUDENTS IN 2020 WHO DID NOT TAKE THE, THE TEST.
SO IT WAS A LONGER GROWTH WINDOW FOR STUDENTS VERSUS THIS PAST YEAR WAS A TRUE ONE YEAR PROGRESS MEASURE FROM THE TEST THAT THEY TOOK IN 2022 TO THE TEST THAT THEY TOOK IN 2023 TO LOOK AT THEIR ENGLISH PROFICIENCY RATE.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT WE'VE HAD SOME REALLY POSITIVE GAINS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL WE'RE, AGAIN, THAT'S REALLY DEMONSTRATING WE'RE MOVING IN A POSITIVE TRAJECTORY BECAUSE WE HAD GAINS, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A SHORTER WINDOW FOR REALLY ASSESSING STUDENTS.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE, THE NORMAL WINDOW OF ONE YEAR.
UM, STUDENTS, UH, GROWTH PROFICIENCY, AGAIN, THIS WAS ANOTHER FACTOR THAT WAS CHANGED, UM, BASED ON THE IMPLICATIONS AND IMPACT OF COVID-19 AND THE SCHOOL CLOSURES, THE GRADUAL REOPENING, UM, THE METRICS FOR 2023, AGAIN, RETURNED BACK TO THOSE, UH, PRE COVID UH, SCORING SYSTEMS. SO THIS WAS ANOTHER VARIABLE.
SO, UH, WHAT THESE ARE REALLY, UH, COMING TOGETHER TO SHOW IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2022 AND 2022 AND 2023 REPORT CARDS.
UM, AND FINALLY, ONE OF THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES FOR OUR, OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS WAS THAT, UM, SOCIAL STUDIES ACHIEVEMENT WAS NOW
[02:05:01]
INCLUDED ON THE REPORT CARD.THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THAT HAPPENED.
SO AGAIN, UM, OF COURSE WE WANNA SEE GROWTH IN OUR SCHOOLS 100%.
HOWEVER, WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEASURING COMPARABLE INDICATORS.
AND SO THE PAST TWO YEARS WERE JUST A LITTLE CHALLENGING TO DO THAT.
HOWEVER, DESPITE ALL OF THOSE CHALLENGES, WE DID HAVE SOME HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU.
WE DID HAVE 18 SCHOOLS THAT INCREASED BY ONE STAR.
UM, WE HAD 23 SCHOOLS THAT WERE IN THE 90TH PERCENTILE OR HIGHER.
UM, WE DO RECOGNIZE WE HAD 36 SCHOOLS THAT REDUCED BY ONE STAR, AND WE WERE WORKING VERY STRATEGICALLY WITH THOSE SCHOOLS TO IDENTIFY THE AREAS WHERE THAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED.
WE DID SEE THAT HAPPEN IN SEVERAL SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
AND AGAIN, WHILE STU SCHOOLS WERE MAKING SOME PROGRESS WITH THAT, THE INDICATORS HAD CHANGED.
UM, WE WANNA ALSO HIGHLIGHT TWO OF OUR SCHOOLS, EASTERN TECH AND WEST TOWSON, THAT WERE IDENTIFIED PERCENTILE BASED ON THEIR PERFORMANCE.
NITO SAID, THE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CHANGED WAS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
AND SO WE ARE GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE THINGS WE ARE DOING TO FAST FORWARD AS DR. ROGERS HAS CHARGED US TO DO RELATED TO THE, UM, SYSTEM'S PRIORITIES.
AND SO THE FIRST THING WE WANNA DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EMPLOYING PROACTIVE AND RESPONSIVE STRATEGIES.
AND SO WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT IN MANY AREAS, WE WANTED TO MAKE IT RELEVANT TO OUR PRESENTATION.
AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT, UM, A TEAM OF, UM, A TEAM OF FOLKS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL SAFETY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, UM, ACTUALLY WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO BC STAT, WHICH IS BALTIMORE COUNTY'S, UM, STAT, UH, MEETING WITH THE CE AND OTHERS TO REALLY SHARE SOME IMPORTANT DATA AROUND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
AND SO THAT ATTENDANCE COMMITTEE, UM, WHICH IS LED BY OUR ATTENDANCE LIAISON, UM, OUR PPW COORDINATOR AND A REPRESENTATION OF THE PPW TEAM, WE WERE ALL THERE TO BASICALLY SHARE THE STATE AND WE WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.
ALTHOUGH THERE WERE CHANGES MADE TO THE MARYLAND, UM, STATE REPORT CARD, WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT FROM, UM, LAST YEAR BASED ON LAST YEAR'S DATA OR PREVIOUS YEAR'S DATA, WE ARE SEEING INCREASES, UM, IN TERMS OF HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE COMING TO SCHOOL, WHICH REPRESENTS THE, UM, THE BLUE AREA IN TERMS OF JUST LOW CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
AND THEN IT KIND OF MOVES UP THROUGH THE ORANGE AND, AND THE RED.
NOW, THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY YEAR OVER YEAR DATA, BUT THIS IS WHERE WE KIND OF STAND, UM, NOW, AND WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING, UM, DECREASES THERE.
I DID WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT YEAR OVER YEAR, THOUGH FROM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STANDPOINT.
IF WE LOOK AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL, WE'RE AT APPROXIMATELY, UM, DOWN 12% AS IN TERMS OF CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
UM, 2023 TO JANUARY 11TH, 2024.
MIDDLE SCHOOL IS DOWN APPROXIMATELY 10% AND HIGH SCHOOL IS RIGHT AT 10% IN TERMS OF A DECREASE IN CHRONIC CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
IN ADDITION, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS UTILITY AROUND STRATEGIES AND WE'RE UTILIZING STRATEGIES TO INCREASE.
UM, OUR SSR RATING, THIS IS JUST A SAMPLE OF, UM, A REALLY COLLABORATIVE PROJECT AND WORK THAT HAS COME TOGETHER THROUGH THE, THROUGH DRAA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS.
UM, IT DEFINITELY IS SOMETHING THAT THEY ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT.
UM, WE OFTEN THINK ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS FROM AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP STANDPOINT, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE NEED THE SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANT AND WE ASSISTANCE, AND WE DON'T USE THE WORD TECHNICAL VERY OFTEN IN EDUCATION, BUT WE CAME TO THIS UNDERSTANDING AS WE BEGIN TO CUT AND DUCK NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AROUND DATA LITERACY AND THE DATA ANALYSIS AND PROTOCOLS AND ALL THOSE THINGS IS THAT THOSE OF US WHO ARE NOT, UM, STATISTICIANS, WE DO NEED SOME SENSE OF, UM, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
AND SO THEY'VE PROVIDED JUST THAT IN THIS FORM.
UM, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, SAMPLES AS WE BEGIN TO USE IT.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING IT OUT.
UM, WITH OUR PRINCIPALS, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IT WITH THEM AND OUR PRINCIPALS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.
BUT WHAT IT ESSENTIALLY IS, IS IT, IT HAS THE VARIOUS INDICATORS ON THE SCHOOL REPORT CARD, AND THEN EACH SCHOOL ACTUALLY HAS WHAT WE'RE CONSIDERING OR CALLING A TOOL.
AND SO IT WILL SHOW YOU, IT SHOWS THE PRINCIPAL AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE.
UM, OVER TIME, I THINK IT DATES ABOUT THREE OR OR SO YEARS BACK WHERE THEY'VE SCORED IN EACH OF THE AREAS AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO TO INCREASE THEIR SCORES.
WE'RE ABLE TO CLICK ON IT AND IT TAKES YOU, UM, TO A DATA DISPLAY, WHICH IS IN, UM, POWER INFORM.
AGAIN, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING OUT THIS TOOL TO REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN PROVIDE THAT SPECIALIZED, UM, TEACHING AND LEARNING, INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO OUR SCHOOLS.
AS WE CONTINUE TO LOOK TO FAST FORWARD OUR ACHIEVEMENT, PRIORITIZING OUR, UH, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, MATH, ESAU, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION, WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING AND HAVE IN PLACE IN ORDER TO MOVE
[02:10:01]
THIS WORK FORWARD.SO, AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE ARE COMPLETELY PRIORITIZING THESE FOUR AREAS TO THE POINT THAT PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ON A MONTHLY BASIS INCLUDES THESE FOUR TOPIC AREAS AS WELL AS INTEGRATION OF OTHER CONTENT AREAS WITHIN IT.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH ESAU, WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES AND SUPPORTS THAT WE SHOULD BE SEEING IN ALL OF OUR CLASSROOMS FOR OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS? WHAT ARE THOSE COACHING FEEDBACK TOOLS AND MOVES THAT ADMINISTRATORS CAN MAKE TO SUPPORT THEIR TEACHERS DOING IT? AND THEN WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE WITHIN A SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS? SO GIVING THEM THOSE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF WHAT THEY CAN LOOK FOR WITHIN CLASSROOMS SO THAT THEY ARE GIVING FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS AROUND SPECIFIC CONTENT, AS WELL AS SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT LEARNERS IN OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, WE ARE ALSO CONDUCTING, UH, PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP LEARNING WALKS, UM, IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS EACH HAVE TWO DAYS IN WHICH AN HMH COACH COMES TO THEIR SCHOOLS, WORKS WITH THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, COLLABORATES WITH TEACHERS, CAN PROVIDE VERY INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT OF, I CAN'T FIND THIS IN WHAT'S A BETTER WAY TO FIND THIS TOOL, OR IF I WANNA FIND THIS RESOURCE.
AND WILL WORK WITH TEACHERS INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS.
THE HMH COACHES GO ON WALKS WITH THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS.
AND THEN THE FOLLOW UP ARE LEADERSHIP WALKS WITH MULTIPLE PRINCIPALS, UM, AT A SINGLE SCHOOL WITH AN HMH COACH, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, I KNOW THAT DR. JONES WAS AT A SCHOOL THIS AFTERNOON.
I WAS AT A DIFFERENT SCHOOL THIS MORNING WITH AN HH COACH, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER PRINCIPALS AND OTHER, UH, STAFF FROM THE OFFICE, THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS TO WALK THROUGH CLASSROOMS, LOOK AT INSTRUCTIONAL IMPLI IMPLICATIONS, UM, LEVEL SET, IDENTIFY AREAS OF NEED AND GROWTH, ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE MOMENT FROM THE HMH COACH TO IDENTIFY HOW WE CAN THEN ONE SHIFT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT MAY NEED TO OCCUR FOR EITHER PRINCIPALS OR FOR TEACHERS.
AND WE CAN THEN IDENTIFY SOME NEXT STEPS FOR THAT SPECIFIC SCHOOL.
SO IN A FOLLOW-UP VISIT, WHETHER IT'S FROM THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS OR FROM SOMEONE FROM THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS OR WITH THEIR HMH COACH, THEY HAVE ANOTHER INCREMENTAL STEP OF WHAT THEY CAN LOOK AT FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
FOR HMH, WE ARE ALSO DOING OUR CROSS-DIVISIONAL COLLABORATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL VISITS.
SO THAT'S STAFF FROM CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION ALONG WITH THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS, GOING TO SCHOOLS TO VISIT, TO LOOK AT INSTRUCTION, UM, USING THE LOOK FOR TOOLS THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING PRINCIPALS WITH DURING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WALKING TOGETHER WITH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS.
AGAIN, CREATING THAT VERY CONSISTENT LEVEL SETTING OF INSTRUCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS AND REALLY COACHING PRINCIPALS AROUND, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DID YOU SEE IN THE CLASSROOM? WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK WOULD YOU GIVE AROUND THAT? WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS YOU MAY ASK A TEACHER BASED ON WHAT WE SAW IN THE CLASSROOM? AND THEN HOW CAN WE MOVE INSTRUCTION FORWARD FROM THAT POINT? UM, IN ADDITION, YOU SAW IN, UH, THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, THE ADDITION OF, UM, ESAU AS WELL AS SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER POSITIONS.
AND IN TIME OF TEACHER SHORTAGES, I KNOW A LOT OF QUESTIONS ARE, WELL, WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO FIND THEM? UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS SUPPORT OUR OWN TEACHERS IN BECOMING DUAL CERTIFIED.
SO WE ARE PROVIDING, UH, ES O AND SPECIAL EDUCATION PRACTICE COHORTS FOR OUR TEACHERS SO THAT THEY CAN ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TEST, GET SOME TIPS ABOUT, UH, THINGS THAT CONTENT THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT ON THE ASSESSMENT, SO THAT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT CREATING, UM, OUR OWN POOL OF DUAL DUAL CERTIFIED STAFF MEMBERS WHO CAN HELP SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, AS WE'RE IMPROVING EVERYBODY'S PEDAGOGY AND KNOWLEDGE OF STRATEGIES, THAT'S GONNA SUPPORT ENHANCE THE INSTRUCTION OF ALL OF OUR KITS.
EMPHASIZING, UH, STRATEGIES TO INCREASE, UM, OUR, UH, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS' PROFICIENCY WITH ENGLISH.
UM, WE DO HAVE A NEW DIRECTOR FOR MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT.
AS YOU HEARD, DR. ROGERS UH MENTIONED.
SHE'S WORKING IN THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS.
SO REALLY WORKING FIRSTHAND TO LOOK AT THE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM, WORKING VERY COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE OFFICE OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION TO EVALUATE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSES.
LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES THAT, AGAIN, THAT WE'RE PROVIDING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
HOW DO WE SEE THOSE HAPPENING IN SCHOOLS AND FOR THE DECENTRALIZATION OF OUR ESAU CENTER? SO THAT'S THE MOVEMENT OF OUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE REGIONAL CENTERS BACK TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.
WHAT ARE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, NEEDS OF THOSE SCHOOLS? AND HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING TO THEM, THEM TO THEM NOW SO THAT THOSE SCHOOLS ARE WELL PREPARED FOR THEIR STUDENTS.
AND WE'RE NOT OFFERING SOME OPTIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS, BUT RATHER THOSE STAFF ARE GOING TO BE TRAINED ALREADY.
UH, ESAU, WHOOP, GO BACK PLEASE.
UM, ESAU SCHOOL SUPPORT VISITS.
UM, WE PROVIDED, UH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGAIN TO OUR PRINCIPALS LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT DR. JONES WAS TALKING ABOUT, INCREASING DATA LITERACY.
SO HELPING OUR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS REALLY UNDERSTAND, UM, THE ACCESS FOR LS OR THE WIDA ASSESSMENT AND THOSE SCORES, THE WIDA ASSESSMENT, UH,
[02:15:01]
SCORES AND STUDENTS' ENGLISH PROFICIENCY INCREASING CAN EARN UP TO 10 POINTS ON THE SO REPORT CARD THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT TO A GRADUATION RATE POINT VALUE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, WHICH MEANS THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR ADMINISTRATORS TO UNDERSTAND THIS ASSESSMENT AND TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS THAT STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, BECAUSE THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT METRICS THAT CAN BE USED DEPENDING ON HOW LONG A STUDENT HAS BEEN RECEIVING, UM, ENGLISH LANGUAGE SERVICES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.UM, I MENTIONED JUST BEFORE THE S IOPS STRATEGIES FOR PRINCIPALS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SCHOOL TEAMS. SO AGAIN, REALLY LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE FRONT LOAD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO ALL PARTS OF OUR SCHOOL STAFF FROM ADMINISTRATORS TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? YES.
AND I'M, I'M SORRY, I'M GONNA SEE SOME, THERE'S LOTS OF GOOD THINGS IN THERE, BUT ONE THING THAT DEFINITELY STOOD OUT TO ME WAS THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SCORES.
AND I'M WONDERING, I'M, MAYBE DR. ROGERS CAN SPEAK TO THIS.
WHAT ARE WE DOING RIGHT NOW TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THAT? ARE WE, IS I THINK SOME ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVE LIKE A RED LIGHT AND GREEN WHERE QUARTERLY OR, UM, YEAR, UH, UH, HALF YEARLY, THEY, MID-YEAR, THEY'LL CHECK IN AND SEE HOW THEIR, THEIR STUDENTS ARE DOING SO THAT THEY KNOW WHERE THEY NEED TO CATCH UP, WHO NEEDS MORE WORK.
I JUST, THAT'S A, THAT'S THAT.
WHAT ARE WE DOING THERE,
SO ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS THE SECONDARY READING INTERVENTIONS ARE HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AS YOU KNOW, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WE CAME TO YOU AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF OUR SECONDARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
WERE NOT SCHEDULING STUDENTS WHO NEEDED READING INTERVENTION IN READING INTERVENTION.
PART OF WHEN WE HAD ASKED FOR INCREASED SPENDING AUTHORITY WAS SO THAT WE HAD THOSE TOOLS TO PROVIDE READING INTERVENTION.
SO ONE, WE'RE WORKING ON MAKING SURE ALL OF OUR KIDS ARE READING.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OUR CURRICULUM-BASED ASSESSMENT.
SO AFTER EACH UNIT ASSESSMENT, THE, UH, SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AS WELL AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS FROM, UM, THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS AS WELL AS DRAA AND UM, CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION ARE LOOKING AT WHAT ARE THOSE INDICATORS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
SO IT'S NOT JUST A BEGINNING OF YEAR, MID-YEAR, BUT IT'S AFTER EVERY UNIT ASSESSMENT.
WHAT ARE WE SEEING AS FAR AS AREAS WHERE STUDENTS ARE STILL STRUGGLING ON CERTAIN STANDARDS? ARE THOSE STANDARDS THAT ARE ADDRESSED IN OTHER UNITS? BECAUSE SOME OF OUR CURRICULUM IS SPIRAL.
SO YOU'LL HAVE A SKILL AND INDICATOR THAT YOU HAVE IN UNIT ONE, AND THEN YOU SEE IT RESURFACE IN UNIT THREE.
AND AGAIN, WHEN WE LOOK AT STANDARDS, WE WANT STUDENTS TO MASTER, IT'S WITHIN A YEAR.
IT'S NOT WITHIN JUST LIKE THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF SCHOOL.
SO IT'S OKAY THAT WE'RE GONNA DO IT AGAIN IN, UH, UNIT THREE BECAUSE WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE END OF THE YEAR YET.
SO THE GOAL IS BY THE END OF THAT UNIT, IF IT'S NOT GONNA BE REVISITED THAT THEY'VE MASTERED IT AT THAT TIME.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS, AND WE ARE SEEING PROGRESS, POSITIVE PROGRESS ON OUR CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS.
WHICH IS, AGAIN, A POSITIVE INDICATOR FOR WHAT WE'RE DOING.
LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING AS FAR AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE IN CLASSROOM WORK.
SO OUR OFFICE OF MATHEMATICS, THAT WAS AN AREA OF BIG NEED FOR US AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, ARE VISITING OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, WALKING WITH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, WALKING THEM THROUGH ILLUSTRATIVE MATH.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR? WHAT DO THEY SEE IN THE CLASSROOMS? WHAT FEEDBACK ARE WE GIVING TO TEACHERS? AND THEN HAVING THOSE FOLLOW-UP VISITS TO REALLY SEE HOW HAVE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS BEGUN, EMBRACING, GIVING SOME DIFFERENTIATED FEEDBACK SO THAT WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO MOVE THE QUALITY OF THE INSTRUCTION FORWARD SO THAT WE WILL SEE THOSE CHANGES.
IT'S NOT JUST THAT, WELL, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY'RE DOING ACADEMICALLY, BUT HOW THEY'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, EMOTIONALLY OR, OR DISCIPLINARY WISE.
ARE, ARE YOU GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE TEACHERS AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW? ARE THEY, IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THERE? I KNOW WE HAVE THE STUDENT SAFETY ASSISTANCE THERE.
IS THAT WORKING? IS THAT SOMETHING WE NEED MORE OF? UM, I JUST, THE ATMOSPHERE WISE THAT'S GOING ON THERE.
I, I, I THOUGHT I WAS DONE FOR THE NIGHT WASOWSKI.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU RAISED IS EXACTLY OUR WORK.
SO WE HAVE A, UH, CENTRAL OFFICE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM MEETING.
AND WE MEET EVERY, UH, THREE WEEKS AND WE ROTATE THE GRADE LEVELS WHERE WE'RE REVIEWING THE DATA.
AND SO WE START OFF WITH THE ACADEMIC DATA.
WE DON'T ONLY LOOK AT REPORT CARDS, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE MEASURE.
BUT WE ALSO LOOK AT THESE DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE DIRECTLY ALIGNED TO THE STATE ASSESSMENT.
UM, AND IT GIVES US THAT OBJECTIVE VIEW OF HOW OUR STUDENTS DOING ARE DOING, AND PREDICTIVE AS WELL AS IT INFORMS, UH, CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONS WORK IN TERMS OF IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT THEY NEED TO DO QUICKLY TO GET OUT, UM, TO THE SCHOOLS.
BUT THE OTHER PIECE OF THAT MEETING, IN ADDITION TO GOING THROUGH ALL OF THE ACADEMICS AND THE STANDARDS, AND WE COMPARE PERFORMANCE FROM LAST YEAR, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE MAKING GROWTH, WE LOOK AT
[02:20:01]
ATTENDANCE, WE LOOK AT SUSPENSIONS, WE LOOK AT BEHAVIOR, ANY, UH, INFRACTIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE'VE ROLLED OUT, UH, THOSE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES WITH, UH, THAT PILOT.UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT DATA 'CAUSE WE KNOW IT ALL HAS A ROLE, INCLUDING, THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
'CAUSE THE FIRST STEP IS YOU NEED TO BE, UH, IN THE BUILDINGS.
AND SO MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM, IS ANOTHER PAIN POINT FOR US, BUT IT'S AN AREA THAT'S RECEIVING A LOT OF, UM, ATTENTION.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FOCUS IN THAT AREA AND CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, MONITOR THAT DATA AND, AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE GONNA SEE THE PROGRESS BASED ON THE INVESTMENTS, UH, THAT WE'RE PROVIDING AND ALSO THE FEEDBACK, THE DIRECT FEEDBACK THAT OUR PRINCIPALS ARE GIVING US ON A REGULAR BASIS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. HARVEY? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
SO I HAVE, UH, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, BRIEF AND COMMENTS.
UH, THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, AND I, I'M NOT REALLY EXPECTING AN ANSWER TONIGHT, BUT LAST YEAR IN THE REPORT FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, UH, WE WERE INFORMED THAT THERE WERE PATTERNS IN THAT, THAT WE COULD PREDICT WHEN KIDS WERE GOING TO MISS SECTIONS OF SCHOOL AFTER THE HOLIDAYS OR, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN TIMES OF YEAR.
AND JUST REALLY WANTING TO KNOW IS, IS THAT CONSIDERATION, ARE YOU STILL RECEIVING THAT TYPE OF DATA? AND IS THAT CONSIDERATION PART OF YOUR STRATEGY? YES.
AND YES, YES, THERE ARE PREDICTABLE PATTERNS.
UM, I THINK WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS DISRUPT SOME OF THOSE PATTERNS AND REALLY CREATE, UM, A SENSE OF, UM, STRONGER MEANING, AND I DON'T WANNA SAY VALUE, BECAUSE I, I, I, I BELIEVE AS A PARENT MYSELF, THAT THAT EDUCATION IS VALUED, BUT A SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING, IF THAT MAKES SENSE, AROUND THOSE PATTERNS THAT CAN BE INTERRUPTED AND, AND CHANGE BASED ON THE FACT THAT OUR STUDENTS NEED TO BE IN SCHOOL.
SO, TO BOTH OF YOUR ANSWERS, YES AND YES.
UM, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT DATA IS NOT AVAILABLE, UM, THIS EVENING, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY DRILL DOWN TO, TO BEGIN THINKING ABOUT BECAUSE THAT HELPS US PROVIDE DIFFERENTIATED SUPPORTS TO OUR, UM, STUDENTS IN A VERY, UM, DIVERSE WAY, BUT THEN ALSO TO OUR SCHOOLS, UM, AS IT RELATES TO THEIR NEEDS.
I ALSO WANTED TO KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE COACHES FOR THE INTER READING, UH, AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL WERE IN THE SCHOOLS TWO DAYS.
TWO DAYS PER WEEK, TWO DAYS PER MONTH.
TWO DAYS AT WHAT INTERVAL? SO THERE WERE TWO VISITS DURING THE FIRST SEMESTER OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
AND THIS WAS AN ADDITIONAL, UH, VISIT TO THE SCHOOL DESPITE OTHER VISITS FROM CENTRAL OFFICE OR FROM THEIR PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS.
SO THIS WAS A FIRSTHAND OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO HAVE SOMEONE JUST WITH THEM TO LOOK AT SPECIFIC NUANCES OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION WITHIN THEIR BUILDING FROM SOMEONE TRAINED BY THE VENDOR.
SO THEY HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WITH US GOING IN.
THEY HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WITH THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS, BUT THIS WAS JUST REALLY FOCUSED WITH SOMEONE WHO IS A CONTENT EXPERT FROM THE VENDOR.
SO THEY COULD LOOK THROUGH SOME NUANCES OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION WITH THEM.
AND THEN WE HAVE 18 SCHOOLS THAT INCREASE BY A STAR, WHICH MEANS WE'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.
I THINK, I THINK DATA LENDS ITSELF, UM, TO PATTERNS.
WHAT, WHAT WE REALLY BELIEVE IS A PATTERN IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
SOME OF THE CHANGES, SOME OF THE CHANGES AS IT RELATES TO, UM, OUR SCHOOLS TRYING TO ACHIEVE A MOVING TARGET.
BUT WE DO BELIEVE THAT THIS YEAR WE'LL BE ABLE TO CREATE SOMEWHAT OF, UM, SOMEWHAT OF A BASELINE.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS BEGIN TO SHARE WHAT SOME OF OUR PRINCIPALS ARE DOING AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING WELL.
SO WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THIS, WE'RE TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE BEST PRACTICES.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE DOING WHERE THERE ARE INCREASES OR INCREMENTAL CHANGE.
AND SO DURING OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WE HAVE PRINCIPALS SHARE OUT.
WE HAVE THEM WORK VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE VISITING EACH OTHER'S SCHOOLS AND TAPPING INTO WHAT IS, WHAT IS WORKING WELL.
WE ARE FINDING THAT IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES AS IT RELATES TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
THEY ARE MAKING INCREMENTAL CHANGE, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SHOWING UP IN THE, IN THE DATA JUST YET.
BUT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THOSE INCREMENTAL, INCREMENTAL
[02:25:01]
CHANGES THAT ARE OCCURRING.WE HAVE SOME SCHOOLS THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MAY, MAY FIT A PROFILE WHERE THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY CONSIDERED TO BE DOING WELL, BUT THEY ARE.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S INCREMENTAL CHANGES.
AND WE ARE CELEBRATING EVERY WIN WE POSSIBLY GET BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT WITH A STEADFASTNESS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO JUMP TO THE NEXT STAR IN THE NEXT, UM, PIECE.
ALSO WORKING WITH OUR, UM, OUR, UM, DOS OR, UM, DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS.
IT'S NOT JUST, WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT SCHOOLS, BUT WE'RE ALSO BUILDING OUR CAPACITY AND WE'RE BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF THE EXECUTIVE LEADERS TO BE ABLE TO COACH EFFORTS THAT REQUIRE TURNAROUND TO BE ABLE TO COACH EFFORTS THAT REQUIRE A DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
SO IT IS, AS WE OFTEN SAY, MULTI-PRONGED MULTIFACETED.
BUT YES, THERE ARE PATTERNS WITHIN THE DATA.
WE ARE SEEING THAT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN TRADITIONALLY, OR, UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY LOW PERFORMING MAKING GAINS, THEY JUST HAVEN'T SHOWED UP IN THE DATA YET.
WE ALMOST HAVE A PLEDGE AND A CHANT WE SAY EVERY DAY,
SO THANK YOU FOR ASKING MS. HARVEY.
JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON WHAT, UH, DR. JONES WAS SPEAKING ABOUT.
SO ONE OF THE, UH, STRATEGIES AS FAR AS LOOKING AT THE SSR RATINGS AND HELPING PRINCIPALS REALLY DIG INTO THAT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
SO THERE'S CERTAIN POINT VALUES ON THAT THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE SCHOOL, BUT THEY'RE ABOUT SCHEDULING.
SO STUDENTS ACCESS TO A WELL-ROUNDED CURRICULUM, THAT'S A REPORT THAT WE PULL FROM FOCUS.
SO IF STUDENTS, UM, AREN'T SCHEDULED IN FIFTH GRADE HEALTH FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEN THAT TAKES POINTS AWAY FROM THAT.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THOSE VERY EASY THINGS, WHICH IS MAKING SURE WE HAVE ACCURATE DATA AND INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENTS ARE ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
THAT SHOULD NEVER BE AN AREA WHERE OUR STUDENT, THAT OUR, WE HAVE SCHOOLS LOSING POINTS.
ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND HEALTH AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.
THEY'RE ALL GETTING THEIR PERSONAL FINANCE COURSES.
THEY'RE, THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING FOR STUDENTS.
SO A SCHEDULING ANOMALY SHOULD NOT BE A REASON WHY A SCHOOL DOESN'T RECEIVE SOMETHING.
RECEIVE THEIR POINTS FOR THAT.
SO PART OF HELPING PRINCIPALS REALLY LOOK STRATEGICALLY AT THEIR DATA AND EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT OF IT IS TO MAKE SURE THOSE LITTLE THINGS ARE NOT CREATING BIGGER CHALLENGES THAT THEN CREATE THAT POINT THERE, UH, VARIATION WHERE THEY DON'T, WE DON'T SEE THEM MOVING UP BECAUSE THE PROGRESS IN THEIR OTHER AREAS AREN'T SEEN BECAUSE OF THAT.
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? YES, MS. RAMAL.
UM, SO IS THIS OPTIONAL FOR SCHOOLS TO TAKE? I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS FOR THE TOTAL, AND I SEE THAT IT'S 161 SCHOOLS, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UM, MORE SCHOOLS THAN THAT.
CAN YOU LET US KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MM-HMM.
SO ON SLIDE NUMBER FIVE, WITH THE BCPS PERFORMANCE, AND YOU SEE THE TOTAL AND THE STAR RATINGS WHEN YOU, UM, TOTAL UP THAT LAST CATEGORY FOR ALL FIVE, UM, IT'S LIKE ONE SIXTY, A HUNDRED SIXTY ONE SCHOOLS, RIGHT? SO, SO OUR SCHOOLS AND, UM, OUR CENTERS LIKE, SO CATONSVILLE, ALTERNATIVE CENTERS, CAMPFIELD, CAMPFIELD, LIKE THOSE ARE ALL, WELL, CAMPFIELD SCORE DOESN'T HAVE SCORES 'CAUSE IT ONLY GOES UP TO KINDERGARTEN, SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE A REPORT CARD.
BUT STUDENTS WHO ARE ATTENDING, UM, ROSEDALE OR UM, VLP, THEIR SCHOOLS, THEIR SCORES ARE ROUTED BACK TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD ZONE SCHOOL.
AND SO THAT DECREASES THE NUMBER OF PLACES, ALTHOUGH THOSE ARE PART OF OUR SCHOOLS AND CENTERS, THEIR SCORES GO BACK TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL.
YEAH, THAT WAS A GREAT QUESTION.
SO I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION, AND I'M, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT MS. HARVEY WAS TALKING ABOUT AROUND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
DO WE KNOW THE ROOT CAUSES OF WHY THE STUDENTS AREN'T COMING TO SCHOOL? OR IS THERE LIKE A CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC OF STUDENT THAT'S NOT SHOWING UP? OR LIKE, ARE THESE THE HOMELESS STUDENTS, MIGRANT STUDENTS? UM, DO WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE ROOT CAUSES AS TO WHY STUDENTS AREN'T, ARE, ARE BEING, ARE CHRONICALLY ABSENT? I CAN START.
UM, I, AND, AND THE START WOULD BE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT CAUSES,
AND WE DID THAT BECAUSE WE WERE HAVING, UM, LEVELS OF, YOU KNOW, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM ACROSS EVERY GROUP.
SO ACROSS EVERY, YOU KNOW, SOCIOECONOMIC, STATIC, CENTRAL EAST, WEST, MIDDLE, HIGH, ELEMENTARY.
UM, AND SO WITH THAT COMES A VARIETY OF REASONS.
THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE BASED ON HARDSHIP, UM, BUT THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, THE STUDENTS WANNA SLEEP IN.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, AND THERE'S EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AND SO, UM, WE LOOK FOR THOSE REASONS, UH, WHERE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ARE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY.
SO WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE WRAPAROUND, UH, SUPPORTS.
BUT ON TOP OF THAT, WE'VE REALLY
[02:30:01]
BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT THAT HERE FOR IT ATTENDANCE CAMPAIGN TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.AND EVEN IF, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU WANNA GIVE, UH, YOUR, YOUR YOUNG CHILD OR YOUR OLDER CHILD, YOU KNOW, A MENTAL HEALTH BREAK, YOU WANNA GIVE 'EM A DAY OFF, YOU CAN AND STILL NOT BE CHRONICALLY ABSENT.
SO PART OF THAT IS EDUCATING, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY ON HERE'S HOW MANY BREAKS YOU CAN TAKE AND STILL BE IN THE LOW AREA.
SO YOU GUYS, IF YOU WANT TO ADD NO, NO, NO, I WAS GONNA SAY THE SAME THING.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE FACTORS AND WE ARE, WE ARE STUDYING PATTERNS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND THOSE ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS.
UM, I, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF THE KEY TO STUDY THOSE PATTERNS, BUT IT'S NOT JUST ONE THING.
I WAS HOPING IT WAS AN EASY ANSWER, BUT, OKAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
[K. INFORMATION (9:20 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION.THE FIRST ITEM IS THE FY 24 GENERAL FUND REPORT ON REVENUES, EXPENDITURES, AND ENCUMBRANCES BUDGET AND ACTUAL FOR THE PERIOD ENDING NOVEMBER, 2023.
THE LAST ITEM IS THE REVISED SUPERINTENDENT'S RULE 5, 2, 1, 0.
[L. BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES AND AGENDA SETTING (9:20 - 9:30 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES AND AGENDA SETTING.SO FIRST OUR COMMITTEE UPDATES, AND I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH THE LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
WE HAD A GREAT MEETING YESTERDAY WHERE WE BEGIN TO, UM, DIVE, TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO OUR DRAFT PRIORITIES.
AND SO WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD AT COMING BACK TO THE BOARD MEETING IN FEBRUARY WITH DRAFT PRIORITIES FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD TO, TO REVIEW AND REACT TO.
NEXT WE'LL HAVE, UM, UPDATES FROM, FROM, UH, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.
I MET WITH MS. BARR RECENTLY AND WE DID OUR AGENDA FOR THE LAST MEETING, UM, THAT WAS HERE A COUPLE, I THINK TUESDAY OR A WEEK AGO.
SO WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER MEETING UNTIL FEBRUARY.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS THIS THURSDAY AT FIVE 30.
BUILDING AND CONTRACTS, MS. HARVEY.
THE NEXT BUILDING AND CONTRACTS MEETING IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH AT 5:00 PM VIRTUALLY PLEASE JOIN US IF YOU CAN.
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, MS. LICHTER.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST AT FOUR 30.
AND ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA WILL BE AN UPDATE ON THE, UM, IMPLEMENTATION OF HMH IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE THE FIRST THURSDAY IN FEBRUARY AT FOUR O'CLOCK THROUGH TEAMS. THANK YOU.
AND POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE, MS. PUMPHREY.
UM, WE DID NOT HAVE A MEETING IN JANUARY, BUT OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 4TH.
AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, I WILL BE DISCUSSING WITH MS. HALLEY AND STAFF A MORE INTENTIONAL WAY TO, UM, REVIEW OUR POLICIES THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS.
I FEEL THAT WE DO THAT ALREADY, BUT I WANNA BE MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT'S BEING DONE THROUGHOUT THE THANK YOU.
NEXT IS AGENDA ITEMS. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND TO INDICATE IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION.
SO FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA COMMENT THAT THERE'S SO MUCH, UM, INTENTION IN EVERYTHING THAT SEEMS TO BE CHANGING WITHIN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
VERY PURPOSEFUL CHANGE AND EFFORTS.
UM, THE ONLY AGENDA ITEM I HAVE IS, I KNOW SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR AN UPDATE ON THE PILOT WITH THE CELL PHONE POLICY.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD, UM, HAVE THAT UPDATE, UM, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
[M. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:30 p.m.)]
OKAY.THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.
THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.