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THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024.
[B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY KAYLA DRUM, MS. KAYLA DRUMMING.WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
MS. DRUMMOND, YOU CAN BEGIN LEADING US IN THE PLEDGE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS UNDER GOD, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE, ONLINE LIVE MEETING, BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, COMCAST XFINITY SEVEN CHANNEL 73 VERIZON FILES CHANNEL 34.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL.
[C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)]
THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION OF THE FEBRUARY 13TH AGENDA.DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I'M UNAWARE OF ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
THE AGENDA STANDS AS PRESENTED EARLIER
[A. CLOSED SESSION]
THIS EVENING.THE BOARD MET IN CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPEN MEETING 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 JU JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.
CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE AND CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION.
THE SUMMARY OF THE CLOSED SESSION AND OPEN SESSION INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THE BOARD MEETING AGENDA DATE.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PERSONNEL
[D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)]
MATTERS, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. MCCALL.GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, EY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'D LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING, PERSONNEL MATTERS, RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, LEAVES DECEASED RECOGNITION OF SERVICE AND CERTIFICATED APPOINTMENTS.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D FIVE? SO MOVE CELESTE.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. YES.
[E. PUBLIC COMMENT (6:50 - 7:30 p.m.)]
IS PUBLIC COMMENT.THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG.
THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD, 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 BOARD'S ROOM AND IT 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 THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THIS IS NOT THE PROPER FORM TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE MATTERS OR TO COMMENT ON MATTERS THAT DO NOT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
INAPPROPRIATE PERSONAL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-B-C-P-S EMPLOYEE OR THAT DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONDUCT OF THE MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
PERSON WHO 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, WHICH WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP.
THE MICROPHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AT THE END OF YOUR TIME
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OR PRIOR TO THAT AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR.I NOW CALL ON OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS AFFILIATED GROUPS TO SPEAK.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS ANDREA BROADWATER FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PTA COUNCIL IS MS. BROADWATER HERE, MS. BOOKER DWYER AS A REMINDER TO OUR CALL-INS, UH, ON THE KEEP OUT OF THEIR PHONE.
WE'LL UNMUTE THEIR MIC SO THEY CAN SPEAK.
SO WE'LL GO TO OUR UNIONS NEXT AND IF, UM, MS. BROADWATER JOINS US, WE WILL, UM, ALLOW SO I SEE A HAND RAISE THIS.
UH, STAR FIVE RAISES A HAND ON THE PHONE.
HELLO, THIS IS ANDREW BROADWATER.
I AM SECRETARY FOR THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PTA COUNCIL.
THE COUNCIL ASSISTS OUR APPROXIMATELY 150 DISTRICT PTAS AND PTSA IN THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE EVERY CHILD'S POTENTIAL A REALITY BY ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL CHILDREN.
I DON'T THINK IT'S ANY SECRET THAT BCPS FAMILIES CARE FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND WE'VE BEEN PLEASED TO SEE THE RECENT MOVES BY THE DISTRICT TO PROVIDE EXTRA SUPPORT FOR OUR ADOLESCENTS MENTAL HEALTH BECAUSE ACCORDING TO OUR KIDS, THEY NEED IT.
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY, ABOUT 41% OF BALTIMORE COUNTY ADOLESCENTS FELT SAD OR HOPELESS ENOUGH THAT THEY STOPPED DOING SOME USUAL ACTIVITIES, MORE CONCERNING ABOUT 20% SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED ATTEMPTING SUICIDE.
AND ABOUT 16% ACTUALLY TRIED TO DO SO AT LEAST ONCE DURING THE 12 MONTH SURVEY PERIOD.
IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN THE BUILDINGS, BCPS HAS SUPPORTED STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH THE HEALTHY MINDS PROGRAM, AND WE APPRECIATE THE NEW PROGRAM TO CONNECT OUR STUDENTS WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL DAY THROUGH TALKSPACE AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM.
BUT WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE IGNORING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM CONTRIBUTING TO POOR MENTAL HEALTH OF OUR STUDENTS.
AND THAT'S EARLY SCHOOL START TIME.
I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH UNDER THE CURRENT SCHEDULE.
OUR REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL BUS PICKUPS START AROUND 6:00 AM MAGNET SCHOOL BUSES START EVEN EARLIER.
BIOLOGY MAKES IT HARD FOR ADOLESCENTS TO GO TO SLEEP BEFORE ABOUT 11, YET THEY STILL NEED ABOUT NINE HOURS OF SLEEP DOING THE MATH.
WE'RE ASKING THEM TO BE READY FOR THE BUS TWO HOURS BEFORE THEIR BODIES ARE READY TO BE AWAKE.
AND IF YOU ASK ANY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, IF THEY HAVE A CLASS THAT'S FULLY AWAKE AND ALERT KIDS FOR FIRST PERIOD, YOU'RE GONNA GET A FLAT OUT NO.
WHEN KIDS ARE FULLY RESTED, THEY ACHIEVE HIGHER ACADEMICALLY AND IN SPORTS AND ARE MORE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY HEALTHY.
SO I ASK YOU, WHY ISN'T BCPS ADDING THIS TO THE CATALOG OF SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS? IT'S ONE THAT'S SUPPORTED BY MANY, INCLUDING THE PTAS, THE AMERICAN ACADEMY, PEDIATRICS, CDC, AND TWO OF OUR NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS.
NOW, I KNOW IMPLEMENTATION IN ANNE ARUNDEL AND HOWARD COUNTIES WAS NOT WITHOUT ITS BUMPS, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THOSE CHANGES WERE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE MIDST OF A NATIONWIDE BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE AND WITH A BRAND NEW BUS CONTRACTOR.
AND WE CAN LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES AS THE 2014 JOINT REPORT FROM MARYLAND'S DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH AND EDUCATION, ELOQUENTLY STATED IN PRESERVING THE STATUS QUO, THE STATE RISKS, LETTING, LETTING LOCAL RESISTANCE TRUMP A STRONG BODY OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT SLEEP IS CRITICAL TO HEALTH AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
YOUR MISSION AS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH THE SUPPORTS NECESSARY TO LEARN, ACHIEVE, AND FIND SUCCESS IN COLLEGE AND CAREERS.
I THINK YOU KNOW, NONE OF THAT IS POSSIBLE IF THEY'RE TOO TIRED TO LEARN.
PLEASE USE YOUR LEADERSHIP TO PREVENT WHAT THE SCHOOL, WHAT THE REPORT PREDICTED, LETTING LOCAL RESISTANCE TRUMP THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.
NEXT ARE OUR UNIONS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. NICK ARROS.
AND REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO DO THE STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
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WE WILL GO TO OUR NEXT SPEAKER AND COME BACK TO MR. ARROS.UM, MS. JEANETTE YOUNG, REMEMBER THE STAR SIX? OKAY.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DRYER, VICE CHAIR, POP, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
I'M COMING TO YOU ON THE BEHALF OF THE EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
I COME TO YOU TODAY TO RECOGNIZE THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS AND STAFF OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
EDUCATING THE FUTURE IS A COST.
THE GREATEST COMPONENT OF THE COST IS THE PEOPLE INVESTING IN STUDENTS.
THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF PARAEDUCATORS OFFICE PROFESSIONALS, HEALTH ASSISTANCE TECHNICIANS, INTERPRETERS WHO HAVE, WE HAVE UNDER 110,000 STUDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
YOU RECOGNIZE THE INCREASED NEED OF STUDENTS BY INCREASING THE NUMBERS OF PARAEDUCATORS FTES.
YOU RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF EDUCATION BY ACKNOWLEDGING EDUCATION ATTAINMENT OF OFFICE PROFESSIONALS AND INTERPRETERS.
THE INCREASED COMPENSATION IS A PRIORITY OF MY MEMBERS.
I BELIEVE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT WILL INCREASE STAFF RETENTION AS WELL AS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
WHILE THE MEMBERSHIP WILL BE RATIFYING A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, I'M COMFORTABLE SEEING THAT THIS BUDGET FOCUS ON THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT BY SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAM OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
OUR NEXT UNION REPRESENTATIVE IS MR. BRIAN EPPS.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIRWOMAN BOCA DWYER, VICE CHAIR, HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS BRIAN EPPS, PRESIDENT OF AFME LOCAL 4 34.
I REPRESENT VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, WHICH INCLUDES TRANSPORTATION, FOOD, AND NUTRITION, OPERATIONS, FACILITIES, AS WELL AS LOGISTICS.
THE MEMBERS THAT I REPRESENT ARE THE ONES THAT FIRST SEE THE STUDENTS BEFORE SCHOOL EVEN START.
IT'S OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WHO PICKS THE KIDS UP AND BRING THEM TO SCHOOL.
IT'S OUR OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES WHO OPENS AND MAKES SURE THE BUILDINGS ARE SECURE AND CLEAN AND READY FOR LEARNING, AND IT'S OUR CAFETERIA FOOD NUTRITION WHO FEEDS THEM.
I'M HERE TODAY TO SAY, TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE MULTI CONTRACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO, AS WELL AS THE MULTI AGREEMENT WE WERE ABLE TO DO, AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO FINISH NEGOTIATIONS EARLY.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF BALTIMORE COUNTY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO A THREE YEAR MULTI CONTRACT.
WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE FOR THAT, BUT MORE THINGS THAN OTHERS.
AS WE FACE A TOP BUDGET THIS YEAR, WE ARE HAPPY AND GRATEFUL TO HAVE IN OUR CONTRACT, NO LAYOFFS AND NO FURLOUGHS.
AGAIN, WE'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AS WELL AS THE BOARD, AND PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
AND NEXT WE HAVE MS. CINDY SEXTON.
REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO PUSH STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
GOOD EVENING CHAIR, MS. BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, MS. HUMPHREY, DR. ROGERS, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT.
THE CHATTER ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA AND MY INBOX IS AROUND STAFFING TRANSFERS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, THE BUDGET, ALL THOSE TOPICS THAT ARE INTERRELATED, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW THEY ALL AFFECT OUR STUDENTS, NOT ONLY THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, BUT THEIR SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AS WELL.
AND THE CONCERN ABOUT HOW THE CHANGES WILL AFFECT OUR EDUCATORS AND THEIR SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH.
AS I HAVE SAID MANY TIMES, OUR JOB IS HARD AND IT NEVER STOPS.
WE MUST, WE SIMPLY MUST FIND A WAY TO TAKE THINGS OFF THE PLACE OF OUR EDUCATORS.
I HAVE BEEN IN SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH DR. ROGERS, ASKING QUESTIONS AND EXPRESSING
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CONCERNS ABOUT MANY THINGS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CLASS SIZE, TRANSFERS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, AND MORE.DR. ROGERS AND I SPOKE LAST NIGHT AND SHE ASKED ME TO CALL A MEETING OF THE TCO BUILDING REPS SO SHE COULD MEET WITH THEM DIRECTLY TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS.
WE DID THAT TODAY AT THREE O'CLOCK, MORE THAN 100 OF US WERE ON THE CALL.
DR. ROGERS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, HOW STAFFING IS SHARED WITH BY ADMINISTRATORS IEP FACILITATORS, AND WE HAVE A FOLLOW UP LIST OF QUESTIONS THAT WE JUST DID NOT HAVE TIME TO GET TO, AND I WILL BE SENDING THEM IN FOR ANSWERS.
THE BUDGET CONCERNS ME BECAUSE I WANT TO, AS YOU KNOW, RECRUIT AND RETAIN OUR EDUCATORS.
BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT AS A SYSTEM, WE MUST LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY IN ORDER TO GET BETTER RESULTS.
AS A SOCIETY, WE KEEP DOING THE SAME THINGS IN EDUCATION AND OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT SUCCEEDING.
MY FELLOW UNION PRESIDENTS AND OTHER COUNTIES TELL ME THE SAME STORIES ABOUT PROBLEMS IN THEIR SYSTEMS. I DON'T LIKE THAT WE'RE CUTTING POSITIONS.
MY MESSAGE SINCE MY FIRST DAY AS TABCO PRESIDENT HAS BEEN THAT FULLY STAFFED SCHOOLS INCREASE LEARNING OUTCOMES, DECREASE STUDENT BEHAVIOR CONCERNS, AND INCREASE THE POSITIVE CLIMATE AT SCHOOL.
WE HAVE STRUGGLED WITH FULLY STAFFING SCHOOLS AND IT'S NOT GETTING BETTER, SO WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
LOOKING AT THE BUDGET, LOOKING AT WHAT WE HAVE, DOING THE BEST WE CAN FOR OUR STUDENTS.
DR. ROGERS HAS STATED THAT WE, WHEN WE ARE IN A BETTER FISCAL PLACE, AND I'M HOPING THAT'S NEXT YEAR, THOSE POSITIONS WILL BE PUT BACK IN SCHOOLS.
I APPRECIATE HER WILLINGNESS TO MEET DIRECTLY WITH TABCO REPS AND ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS.
I CONTINUE TO ASK THEM AND DO ALL THAT I CAN TO HELP THE SYSTEM, HELP US RETAIN OUR EDUCATORS SO WE CAN BE THERE FOR THE STUDENTS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THE WORK WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS ALWAYS.
AND I'LL GO BACK TO SEE IF MR. NICK ARGER IS THERE.
NEXT ARE THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS DR.
REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
AM I UNMUTED? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
GOOD EVENING TO BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M GONNA GO QUICKLY THROUGH THIS, SO I TRY TO GET IT ALL IN THE RANDALLSTOWN NAACP.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE CHESKY FOR AUTHORIZING $1 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AMONG TEACHERS.
HOWEVER, WE MUST POINT OUT THAT WHILE DIVERSITY AMONG STAFF IS IMPORTANT TO THE SCHOOL CLIMATE AND CULTURE AND STUDENT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CONDITIONS, IT IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR HIGHLY COMPETENT TEACHERS AND A RIGOROUS STANDARDS BASED CURRICULUM.
THERE IS A CONVENIENT MYTH IN EDUCATION CIRCLES THAT BLACK CHILDREN NEED BLACK TEACHERS TO LEARN.
THESE CHILDREN, LIKE OTHERS ARE RESILIENT AND READY TO LEARN.
IT IS THE DUTY OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO TEACH THEM.
NUMBER TWO, CROSSROADS CENTER STARTED AS A STRATEGY TO PREVENT DISCIPLINE ISSUES FROM IMPACTING STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS AND PROVIDING STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADJUST TO BCPS ON THE WEBSITE.
THE SCHOOL SPEAKS ABOUT PROACTIVE SERVICES AND THE POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENTS.
HOWEVER, BASED ON INFORMATION WE HAVE RECEIVED, OUR UNDERSTANDING NOW IS THAT CURRICULUM QUALITY, IMPLEMENTATION AND CONSISTENCY IS QUESTIONABLE.
ALSO, THE CENTER IS A REVOLVING DOOR WHERE STUDENTS RETURN TO REGULAR SCHOOLS ONLY TO RETURN TO CROSSROADS BEHAVIOR.
DISRESPECT OF FACULTY AND OTHER STUDENTS IS REPREHENSIBLE.
THUS, WE URGE THE SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION OF CONDITIONS IN ALL ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
THIRD, HANDWRITING INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD BE BROUGHT BACK TO SCHOOLS.
DATA INDICATE THAT THEIR ADVANTAGE TO LEARNING CURSIVE AND ACHIEVEMENT.
KNOWING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE EXPERIENCE AMONG BLACK PEOPLE ESPECIALLY, IT WAS A DISSERVICE TO MANY STUDENTS TO STOP HANDWRITING.
MANY STATES HAVE RETURNED TO CURSIVE DESPITE RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THE BENEFITS TO STUDENT LEARNING.
IT WAS ABANDONED IN MANY SCHOOLS LOCALLY WITH PERMISSION OF CENTRAL OFFICE.
WE HOPE THAT THAT CAN BE CORRECTED.
FOURTH, THE YEAR IS HALF OVER AND WE WILL BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF MINORITY AND OTHER STUDENTS.
BCPS CANNOT CONTINUE TO GRADUATE.
STUDENTS WHOSE SCORES INDICATE THAT THEY ARE NOT PREPARED FOR COLLEGE OR CAREERS.
OVER THE PAST DECADE, THERE HAS BEEN A DECLINE THAT CANNOT CONTINUE.
FINALLY, PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS.
THE RANDALLSTOWN NAACP IS PARTNERING WITH STUDENT SUPPORT NETWORK TO PRESENT A SPECIAL CONCERT FUNDRAISER AT THE GORDON CENTER ON MAY 25TH,
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FEATURING GOSPEL LEGEND.VICKI WINE IS TO RAISE MONEY TO FEED CHILDREN.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS A QUALITY EDUCATION.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. MARIETTA ENGLISH SIX.
YOU MAY HAVE TO PUT PUSH STAR SIX AGAIN, MS. ENGLISH, MS. ENGLISH.
YOU WANNA PUSH STAR SIX AND THAT SHOULD UNMUTE YOU.
I'LL GO TO THE NEXT ONE AND I'LL COME BACK TO, TO MS. ENGLISH.
SO NEXT ON OUR LIST IS MS. SHIAO WITH THE CHINESE AMERICAN PARENT ASSOCIATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
AND YOU JUST PUSH STAR SIX TO UNMUTE.
IF YOU PUSH STAR SIX, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNMUTE.
SEEING THE HAND RAISES, YOU JUST HAVE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO YEP, I CAN HEAR YOU.
ALRIGHT, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD THEN.
I, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO, UM, MR. NICK ARROS.
HE, I HEAR HE'S ON THE LINE, SO IF YOU, UM, STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOU.
HELLO? CAN I HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU, YES, GO AHEAD.
DEAR BOARD CHAIR B, VICE CHAIR, EY SUPER, DR. ROGERS AND BOARD MEMBER.
DEAR BOARD CHAIR
THIS PAST SATURDAY MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE NO AND NEW YEAR.
I WISH EVERYONE AND JOYFUL AND PROSPEROUS YEAR OF DRAGON.
I'M PRESIDENT OF THE CHINESE AMERICAN PARENT ASSOCIATION OF THE BALTIMORE COMMUNITY.
IN SHORT, BC OUR ORGANIZATION IS DEDICATED TO SERVING THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN THE GREAT BALTIMORE AREA WITH A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE.
ONE OF OUR CORE, CORE MISSIONS IS TO FOSTER AND CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY DIVERSE RY OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
MASTER FRIDAY, MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO ORGANIZE A CULTURE SHOWCASE AT THE WHITE MARSH LIBRARY IN CELEBRATION OF THE NOLAN NEW YEAR.
THE EVENT FEATURED A DELIGHTFUL FASHION SHOW WITH TRADITIONAL CHINESE ATTIRE MODELED BY A DOZEN CHINESE CHILDREN, MANY OF WHOM WERE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WITHIN BCPS.
ALL THE KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS ARE VERY THANKFUL FOR BOE TO MAKE FRIDAY A PROFESSIONAL DAY SO THEY CAN CELEBRATE AND EMBRACE THEIR HERITAGE.
TO ADD TO THE FESTIVITIES, WE OFFERED INTERACTIVE GAMES SUCH AS CHINESE CLOTHING, PAPER, FOLDING CHOPSTICK CHALLENGES AND MILLENNIAL YEAR, SAME BINGO.
THE EVENT DREW A LARGE CROWD AND ALL ATTENDEES DEPARTED WITH READ ENVELOPES SYMBOLIZING GOOD FORTUNE FOR THE YEAR AHEAD.
FOR THOSE WHO MISSED LAST FRIDAY'S CELEBRATION, WE ARE EXCITED TO EXTEND AN INVITATION
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TO A SIMILAR EVENT TAKING PLACE THIS SATURDAY FROM 3:00 PM TO 4:30 PM AT THE COVILLE LIBRARY.PLEASE BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY WITHIN OUR COMMUN WITHIN OUR COUNTY.
ADDITIONALLY, I INVITE YOU TO EXPLORE THE RECENT BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY BLOG POST, WHICH CONTAINS AN INTERVIEW OF TWO MEMBERS OF OUR ORGANIZATION TO DELVE INTO THE HISTORY RITUAL, FOOD, AND FUN FACTS ABOUT THE NEWLAN NEW YEAR.
THROUGH INITIATIVES LIKE THIS, WE ENDEAVOR TO ENRICH THE CULTURAL FABRIC OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION AND HAVE A GOOD EVENING.
OKAY, I'M GONNA GO TO MS. ENGLISH NEXT.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
THIS WAS A DIFFICULT TASK, VERY VISUAL PERSON, SO I WAS TRYING TO GET ON THE COMPUTER, BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
GOOD EVENING, BOARD CHAIR DWYER AND VICE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS.
MY NAME IS MARIETTA ENGLISH AND I CHAIR THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE FOR THE NAACP BALTIMORE COUNTY BRANCH, AND I ALSO CHAIR THE AXO PROGRAM AND I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THIS EVENING.
I WANT TO BEGIN BY THANKING SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND THE BOARD FOR WORKING TOGETHER ONE OF BUDGET.
I KNOW THIS IS A DIFFICULT TIME TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET AND FOR HAVING FIVE COMMUNITY BUDGET HEARING SESSIONS TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET AND TO GET COMMUNITY RESIDENT AND STAKEHOLDERS INPUT.
THIS WAS THE MOST OPEN AND TRANSPARENT BUDGET PROCESS EVER.
IT GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS AND TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE INPUT.
WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE PROCESS AND FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE COUNTY COUNCIL WILL FULLY FUND THE BUDGET ONCE IT IS SENT TO THEM.
WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT BUDGET YEAR WITH THE FEDERAL FUNDS DRYING UP FROM COVID AND STATE ALSO HAVING BUDGET ISSUES.
WE KNOW THAT YOU HAD TO WORK VERY HARD TO PRESENT THIS BUDGET, AND WE THANK DR. ROGERS AND THE BOARD FOR YOUR TIRELESS EFFORT AND WORK ON THIS BUDGET.
WE KNOW IT WAS DIFFICULT, BUT YOU CAME UP WITH A BUDGET AND WE HOPE EVERYONE THAT WILL BE PASSING BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE THREE YEAR CONTRACT FOR OUR TEACHERS.
HAVING BEEN A NEGOTIATOR FOR YEARS IN THE CITY.
I KNOW THAT A THREE YEAR CONTRACT BRINGS LABOR PIECE TO THE TEACHERS AND THEY WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR CONTRACT.
AND, UM, THERE WILL BE OTHER ISSUES, BUT THE BIG THING ABOUT THE CONTRACT AND THE, UH, PERCENTAGE OF A RAISE IS VERY, WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND I KNOW THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM AS WE WORK FOR A LABOR PIECE IN THE, UH, CONTRACT.
THERE'LL BE OTHER ISSUES, I'M SURE, BUT AT LEAST WE CAN WORK THEM OUT AS WE WORK TOGETHER, UH, AS A COMMUNITY AND AN ORGANIZATION.
AND OF COURSE, MY HAT, MY OTHER HAT IS AXO.
I WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS PROGRAM.
WE HAVE OUR COORDINATORS, WE HAVE MEETINGS GOING ON, WE HAVE OUR STUDENTS APPLICATIONS COMING IN, AND WE HAVE MORE INTEREST IN MORE CATEGORY.
YES, I HAVE A I DON'T, I I DON'T HAVE A VISUAL THAT LET YOU TO SING, SO I DIDN'T KNOW MY THREE MINUTES WAS UP, BUT I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU AND I'LL BE BACK.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK UP TO OUR UNIONS, UM, TO MR. NICK ARGUES.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU.
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YEP.NOW WE GOTTA PUSH STAR SIX AGAIN.
I WILL GO TO OUR NEXT NONPROFIT, UH, COMMUNITY GROUP, UH, DR.
SOWELL, YOU COULD PUSH STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR DWYER, VICE CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS.
NIKIA SOWELL, PEDIATRICIAN AND PRESIDENT OF THE ALPHA KAPP ALPHA SORORITY INCORPORATED UPSILON, ESP FINAL OMEGA CHAPTER, UPLIFTING AND EMPOWERING THE BALTIMORE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOR 30 YEARS.
FIRSTLY, WE'D LIKE TO THANK MR. BAYSMORE AND THE BOARD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.
WE GREATLY APPRECIATE HAVING THE ABILITY TO ADVOCATE FOR CONTINUED FY 25 FINANCIAL PRIORITIZATION OF STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAMS SUCH AS THOSE THAT WE SPONSOR.
THE FORMS LIKE THIS MEETING AND THE ENGAGING COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SERIES THAT DR. ROGERS HAS LED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LADIES OF VISION CHARITIES INCORPORATED THE PHILANTHROPIC ARM OF SWANSON OMEGA CHAPTER.
WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED SEVERAL PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON WELLNESS AND EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
TEEN IVY ACADEMY OR TIA IS A LONGSTANDING MENTORSHIP PROGRAM INITIALLY CONCEIVED FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS ATTENDING PERRY HALL HIGH SCHOOL AND SUBSEQUENTLY EXTENDED TO RANDALLSTOWN OWINGS MILLS AND CURRENTLY MILFORD AND FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOLS.
IN 2014, THE INAUGURAL FREE TIA PROM DRESS, A GIVEAWAY EVENT WAS IMPLEMENTED AND NOW IN ITS 10TH YEAR, WILL BE HELD AT NEWTOWN HIGH SCHOOL ON MARCH 16TH.
ANOTHER STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM IS THE PRECIOUS PEARLS COTILLION PROGRAM.
THIS SIX MONTH PROGRAM IS COMPRISED OF OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS, MANY OF WHOM ATTEND BCPS PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DEMONSTRATE EXEMPLARY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTER INVOLVEMENT.
THE CULMINATION OF THIS PROGRAM IS THE COTILLION BALL, WHICH THIS YEAR WILL SHOWCASE 36 AMAZING YOUNG LADIES ON JUNE 2ND FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNTY STUDENTS.
WE SPONSOR THE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, A YOUTH-LED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT CENTERS ON THE LEADERSHIP QUALITY OF SELF-AWARENESS THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF CONCEPT OF A GROWTH MINDSET.
NOW IN ITS SECOND YEAR, WE'VE ENROLLED OVER 30 LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTY AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA CHILDHOOD HUNGER INITIATIVE POWER PACK, AKA CHIP.
THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, WE OFFER A SUPPLY OF MEALS AND SNACKS FREE OF CHARGE FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED AT SANDY SPRINGS, SCOTT'S BRANCH, WINFIELD HAMPTON, AND STONELEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, OVER 22,000 FOOD ITEMS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED AND PASSED IN 806 FOOD BAGS TO SERVE 111 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PARTNERING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTY.
RECOGNIZING THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING THE FINANCIAL BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER EDUCATION, WE HAVE AWARDED OVER $300,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS OVER THE YEARS TO STUDENTS.
THIS YEAR ALONE, WE WILL AWARD 18 SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $36,400 TO GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS.
WE ALSO AWARD AN ANNUAL $2,500 GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY'S EMERGENCY FUND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
WE THE OOPS ON EPSON OMEGA CHAPTER AND LADIES OF VISION CHARITIES INCORPORATED, REMAIN COMMITTED AND INSPIRED TO PARTNERING WITH BCPS TO DESIGN AND DELIVER PROGRAMS OF EXCELLENCE AND SERVICE TO THE STUDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
AGAIN, THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.
YOUR NEXT SPEAKER, MS. CLARISSA TAYLOR JACKSON, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU.
UM, TO THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, SUPERINTENDENT, AND BOARD MEMBERS, MY NAME IS CLARISSA TAYLOR JACKSON.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF ZETO OMEGA SIGMA CHAPTER OF SIGMA GAMILLO, WHO ALREADY INCORPORATED, AND I'M ALSO COMING BEFORE YOU ON BEHALF OF NBHC METROPOLITAN BALTIMORE.
UM, I AM SHARING MY GRATITUDE FOR THE BOARD AND CERTAINLY MADAM SUPERINTENDENT, UM, FOR BRINGING TOGETHER A DRAFT BUDGET THAT I HOPE AND, AND I KNOW YOU DO TOO, WILL SUPPORT THE TEACHERS, UM, IN OUR COUNTY.
UH, SIG EMERALD SORORITY INCORPORATED WAS FOUNDED BY TEACHERS.
AND SO OF COURSE MY CHAPTER HAS SEVERAL TEACHERS WHO TEACH IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, AND OF COURSE NPHC METROPOLITAN BALTIMORE ALSO HAS SEVERAL EDUCATORS, UM, IN THE, IN THE
[00:35:01]
SCHOOL SYSTEM.UM, AND WHAT I HEAR MOST, ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M TALKING TO ONE OF MY VERY CLOSE FRIENDS IN MY CHAPTER WHO IS A VICE PRESIDENT OF A BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOL, IS WE NEED MORE HELP.
UM, WE, WE JUST NEED, WE NEED SMALLER CLASSROOM SIZES AND WE NEED MORE HELP, ESPECIALLY IN, UM, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, UM, AS WELL AS IEP UM, SUPPORT.
AND SO WITH THE PROPOSED BUDGET, I REALLY DO HOPE THAT, UM, WHILE IT IS THE BEGINNING, UM, I, I DO HOPE THIS IS A GREAT BEGINNING FOR THE STUDENTS AND ESPECIALLY THE TEACHERS WHO ARE THERE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SO I DO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND HAVE A GOOD EVENING.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA TRY AGAIN WITH MR. NICK, OUR ADUS.
WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS.
UM, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. SHARON SOFF.
AND YOU PUSH STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU.
GOOD EVENING CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AND SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD MEMBERS.
I AM HERE TONIGHT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION A VERY CONCERNING TREND OF MISINFORMATION THAT MANY SCHOOLS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ARE PROVIDING TO PARENTS.
THIS DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT KEEPS SAYING SPECIAL EDUCATION IS A PRIORITY.
I'VE HAD PARENTS ALERT ME ON FACEBOOK THAT THEY ARE BEING TOLD THAT BECAUSE A AN IEP IS A LEGAL CONTRACT, THEY DON'T HAVE INPUT.
AND ONE PARENT WAS ACTUALLY TOLD TO BRING WHAT THE LAW SAYS TO PROVE THAT SHE HAS INPUT.
PARENTS ARE ESSENTIAL AND REQUIRED MEMBERS OF THE IEP TEAM.
DECISIONS SHOULD NOT BE MADE WITHOUT THE PARENT PRESENT AND WITHOUT THE PARENT'S INPUT.
I HAVE HEARD VERY RECENTLY, WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK TO ADVOCATES BECAUSE ADVOCATES DO NOT PROVIDE A DIRECT SERVICE TO STUDENTS.
I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL, THE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S LEGAL COUNSEL AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THEM AND BY THE STATE THAT IF THE PARENT PROVIDES THE SCHOOL WITH A SIGNED RELEASE AND REQUESTS THAT THE SCHOOL TALK TO AN ADVOCATE, TALK TO A THERAPIST, OR TALK TO THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR, THE SCHOOL HAS PERMISSION AND SHOULD BE DOING THAT.
AND YET I'M NOW GETTING THIS IN WRITING AS TO WHY PARENTS CANNOT REQUEST ADMINISTRATORS, GUIDANCE COUNSELORS OR OTHER STAFF OUTSIDE OF AN IEP TEAM TO ATTEND AN IEP MEETING.
AGAIN, THAT IS NOT CORRECT IF I NEED A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR TO COME TO A MEETING BECAUSE DISCUSSING MY CHILD'S SCHEDULE IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS, OF GETTING THAT IEP TOGETHER, THAT PERSON SHOULD BE AT THE MEETING.
THERE IS NOTHING IN THE STATE LAW THAT SAYS I CAN'T HAVE THESE INDIVIDUALS AT MEETINGS.
AND PARENTS SHOULD NOT BE RETALIATE, RETALIATED AGAINST IF THEY REQUEST THESE PEOPLE AND PUSH THAT KIND OF A MATTER, WHICH IS SOMETHING I'M SEEING.
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MS. ADAMS, YOU CAN JUST PUSH STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND WE'LL COME BACK TO MS. ADAMS. UM, I'LL GO TO MS. RAMONA BA.CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
MY NAME IS AMY ADAMS. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PARENT STUDENT COALITION.
ON THE TOPIC OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO DATE, WE HAVE ONLY SEEN POSTED QUESTIONS FROM FOUR OF 12 BOARD MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER MEMBER QUESTIONS TO BE PUBLISHED? WHETHER ELECTED OR APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS ARE SUPPOSED TO GOVERN NOT ACQUIESCE.
SINCE STAFF ALLOCATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED TO SCHOOLS, MANY PEOPLE HAVE REACHED OUT WITH CONCERNS ABOUT CUTS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL AND HOW IT WILL IMPACT SCHOOL SAFETY AND CLIMATE AND STUDENT OUTCOMES.
WE ARE ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO PROVIDE DIRECT FEEDBACK TO YOU PRIOR TO THE VOTE ON THE 27TH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT COVID GRANT MONEY IS ENDING BLUEPRINT MANDATED SPENDING BEGINS THE ADDED 15 MINUTES, AND THE NEGOTIATED SALARY INCREASES NEED TO BE FUNDED.
WHAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY IT SEEMS SEEMS LIKE MOST CUTS OR REASSIGNMENTS ARE HAPPENING AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL CLOSEST TO STUDENTS.
STUDENTS WHO ARE SO CRITICALLY BEHIND BCPS ISN'T ALONE WITH BUDGET CHALLENGES, BUT ARE YOU ASKING THE COUNTY AND STATE FOR EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO FUND YOUR PRIORITIES? THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES, STATE LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNORS FREQUENTLY STATE THAT EVERY MARYLAND STUDENT DESERVES WORLD CLASS EDUCATION.
IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY NEED TO PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS.
A RECENT IG REPORT SHOWED $12 MILLION WERE LEFT UNSPENT FROM A COP GRANT IN EIGHT COUNTIES, INCLUDING OURS.
SOME COUNTIES HIRED CONSULTANTS TO STUDY THE LAW AND HELP THEM SPEND THE MONEY BECAUSE OF LACK OF DIRECTION FROM MSDE.
THIS STORY RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE IN CHARGE OF EDUCATION IN MARYLAND AND THEIR COMPETENCY.
THAT MONEY SHOULD HAVE REACHED AND HELPED THE NEEDIEST CHILDREN.
IS ANYONE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE? THE BUDGET BOOK STATES, SO THERE WILL BE SLIGHT INCREASES IN STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, BUT CLASSROOMS ALL OVER THE COUNTY HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY UNDERSTATED.
AS TO TRUE CLASS SIZES, TEACHERS ARE SAYING THAT MANY SCHOOLS ARE LOSING ANYWHERE FROM EIGHT TO 22 TEACHERS.
MOST CLASSROOMS THIS YEAR ARE WELL OVER THE CALCULATED AVERAGES.
HOW FUNCTIONAL IS A PRE-K CLASS WITH 20 TO 22 KIDS OR A KINDERGARTEN CLASS WITH 27 STUDENTS INCLUDING SIX WITH IEPS OR A THIRD GRADE CLASS WITH 29 KIDS AND 14 IEPS, OR A SIXTH GRADE HEALTH CLASS OF 40 STUDENTS? MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE TEACHING MULTIPLE GRADES DURING LUNCH PERIODS.
THEREFORE, OTHER STUDENTS CANNOT SEEK HELP DURING THAT TIME.
SOME CLASSROOMS ARE PHYSICALLY OUT OF SPACE TO FIT ANY MORE STUDENTS.
DESKS OR CHAIRS WILL REDUCE STAFF AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS, AFFECT THE VARIETY AND RIGOR OF CLASS OPTIONS IN ORDER TO FOCUS ON GRADUATION REQUIRED CLASSES.
A PARENT REPORTED THAT THEIR STUDENT MIGHT BE DIRECTED TO TAKE AN ONLINE THIRD PARTY COURSE DUE TO THE LACK OF AVAILABLE TEACHER.
WHAT REDUCTIONS ARE BEING MADE IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE? ANYTIME THERE ARE FOUR CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF MEMBERS SITTING AT A TABLE DURING A BOARD MEETING, WE ARE LOOKING AT AT LEAST $1 MILLION IN SALARY.
CAN YOU REDUCE THE CENTRAL OFFICE POSITIONS AND MOVE STAFF TO OPEN PRINCIPAL STOPS? BOTTOM LINE IS THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW HOW THIS BUDGET WILL LOOK NE NEXT YEAR IN THE CLASSROOM.
THIS LAST DECADE HAS BEEN A ROUGH ONE FOR BCPS.
HOW DOES THIS BUDGET IMPROVE ANYTHING? THE PUBLIC'S NOT SEEING IT.
ON PAGE 1 0 9 OF THE BUDGET BOOK PERFORMANCE MEASURES FROM FY 2223 AND PROJECTED GOALS FOR THIS YEAR WERE LISTED.
HOW WERE THIS YEAR'S PLANNED? ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS CALCULATED? WILL ANYONE BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR MEETING THESE SCORES? WILL STAFF CONTINUE TO BE REWARDED FOR EFFORT? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NO IMPROVEMENTS IN OUTCOMES OCCUR AS INDICATED ON PAGE 1 0 9? THANK YOU MS. ADAMS. I WILL GO, UH, BACK TO MS. RAMONA BAIO, AND IF YOU CAN JUST UNMUTE YOURSELF, YOU CAN PUSH STAR SIX AND WE WILL COME BACK.
FARONE, YOU CAN PUSH STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
[00:45:01]
PERFECT.I HAVE A SOLUTION AT LEAST TO GOOD NUMBER OF THE PROBLEMS YOU HEARD TODAY, AND IT'S CALLED GENERATIVE AI.
THIS IS THE ONLY TECHNOLOGY THAT IS AVAILABLE TODAY THAT CAN BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND FOR THE COURTS AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS, ET CETERA.
THE COST OF TRAINING TEACHERS IS HIGH AND HUMANS ARE FALLIBLE AND THEY NEED THE TECHNOLOGY TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE EFFICIENT.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL ALLOW YOU TO TEACH THE TEACHERS FASTER AND BETTER AND CHEAPER.
AI IS ABLE TO ANALYZE AND GATHER THE DATA MUCH BETTER THAN HUMANS.
AI CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH BETTER DATA, WILL MAKE YOU ABLE TO LOOK AT OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT YOU MAY LEARN FROM.
JAPANESE STUDENTS, THEY SPEND 14 YEARS IN EDUCATION AND ACTUALLY THEY GAIN 16 YEARS OF EDUCATION FOR EACH CHILD.
AI CAN GIVE UNDIVIDED ATTENTION TO EACH CHILD, CAN RECOGNIZE IF THE CHILD IS TIRED OR SLEEPY OR NOT REALLY RETAIN IT.
AND AI CAN TAILOR TO DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLE AND DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES.
THERE IS FEAR THAT AI IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL ELIMINATE JOBS.
THERE IS SOME TRUTH THERE, PROBABLY SOME LOSS.
HOWEVER, THE US ECONOMY IS PROVEN TO BE RESILIENT AND KNOW THAT OUR UNEMPLOYMENT IS 3.7%.
SO EDUCATION EDUCATORS ARE REALLY HAVE A HEAVY BURDEN AS YOU HEARD, AND AI CAN LIGHTEN UP THAT WORKLOAD FOR THE TEACHERS.
AI CAN PROVIDE THE TEACHERS WITH STEP-BY-STEP LESSON PLAN.
THIS IS A SOLUTION FOR TOO FEW TEACHERS, TOO FEW SUBS AND SO FORTH.
AI IS PICKING UP IN KENYA, INDIA, BRAZIL, AND OUT OF ALL COUNTRIES, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
SO BASED ON WHAT I KNOW AND READ, AI IS A GOOD EQUALIZER AND CAN SOLVE MANY ISSUES FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE IS THE FEAR OF AI AND THE FAKE NEWS THAT IT IS GOING TO KILL JOBS.
I REALLY SINCERELY WISH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WOULD STUDY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR A POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO SOLVE MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU HEARD TODAY.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
I JUST HAD SOME TECHNOLOGY ISSUES.
GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, MADAM VICE CHAIR, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I AM DELIGHTED, UM, FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BEFORE YOU EVEN USING THE PHONE.
I AM WEARING MY BALTIMORE, UM, COALITION OR MY DEER PARK, FRIENDS OF DEER PARK COALITION HAT, EVEN THOUGH IT SAYS DEER PARK COALITION.
IT'S REALLY AN ORGANIZATION OF FORMER PTA PARENTS, UM, EXECUTIVE OFFICES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM A BOARD THAT I ATTEND AND NEIGHBORS WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN DEER PARK COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THE SURROUNDING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOL.
I BRING BRADYS ON BEHALF OF THAT ASSOCIATION OF ABOUT 30 PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE QUITE CONCERNED.
I ALSO BRING THEIR MOST SINCERE AND HUMBLE APPRECIATION FOR THE BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS.
AS ONE PARENT TOLD ME LAST THURSDAY, IT'S NOT AS WONKY.
THERE'S INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN THE MOST TRANSPARENT SHE HAS SEEN IN YEARS.
SHE COULD ACTUALLY FOLLOW IT AND SHE GOT SO EXCITED.
I THINK SHE'S DELVING INTO THE 500 AND SOME PAGES OF IT.
WE WANNA THANK THE BOARD AND THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR SUCH A TRANSPARENT PROCESS FOR THE TOWN MEETINGS, FOR THE INPUT.
AND AS THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS IT DOES,
[00:50:01]
AND IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL MORE AND MORE LIKE THE PEOPLE'S BUDGET.I ALSO WANNA ELEVATE TWO OTHER POINTS THAT I HEARD THIS EVENING AND THAT SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE MENTIONED.
FIRST, HAVING TO DO WITH THE TECHNOLOGY, THE CLASS ACTION SUIT THAT WE BELIEVE BALTIMORE COUNTY HAS SIGNED ON REGARDING SOME PLATFORMS, UM, THAT ARE PRESENTING INFORMATION THAT IS DAMAGING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF OUR STUDENTS.
WE'D LIKE TO STAY ON TOP OF THAT AND GET ANY UPDATES ON THAT AS IT OCCURS.
SECONDLY, I BELIEVE IT WAS DR.
DESMOND WHO MENTIONED THE HANDWRITING, UM, SYLLABUS.
ONE PARENT MENTIONED THAT THE HANDWRITING PROGRAM IS NEEDED.
WHEN HER SON GOES TO HIGH SCHOOL, HE WON'T HAVE MUCH OF A PROBLEM BECAUSE SHE'S A TEACHER AND SHE HAS TAUGHT HIM.
BUT THE HANDWRITING FOR MANY STUDENTS IS ATROCIOUS AND THEY NEED IT TO SUPPORT WHATEVER CAREER AND COLLEGE PROGRAM THEY'RE GOING TO FOLLOW.
THE THIRD PIECE I WANNA MENTION, AND I PROMISED THE PARENT THAT I WOULD RAISE THIS.
IT HAS TO DO WITH SERVICE LEARNING WITH THE GOVERNOR, CREATING MARYLAND AS A SERVICE.
STATE SERVICE LEARNING IN BALTIMORE COUNTY IS SECOND TO NONE.
WE BELIEVE ONE PARENT SUGGESTED A SERVICE WEEK WHERE SENIORS AND ANY STUDENTS COULD TAKE TIME OUT FROM SCHOOL.
TRANSPORTATION WOULD BE PROVIDED TO HELP STUDENTS ACHIEVE THE 75 HOUR LEARNING PRO UM, REQUIREMENTS.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I WANNA ADD MY OWN THANKS AND I WANNA ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THE SUPPORT FOR ESOL AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO BACK ONE MORE TIME TO SEE IF WE HAVE MR. NICK ARROS.
I THINK I'M BREAKING RECORDS TONIGHT.
MS. BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, MS. HUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.
ON BEHALF OF THE CENTRAL PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO DR. ROGERS AND THE BOARD FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO GUARDING THE LIVELIHOOD OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
YOUR DECISIVE ACTION TO PROTECT EMPLOYEES AGAINST LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS.
AND BEING DILIGENT ABOUT CONSIDERING ALL ASPECTS OF THE TENTATIVE WORK AGREEMENTS, DEMONSTRATES THAT YOUR GENUINE CONCERN FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR STUDENTS, AND THE STABILITY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
YOUR LEADERSHIP AT FORESIGHT HAVE PROVIDED US WITH A SENSE OF SECURITY AND REASSURANCE DURING UNCERTAIN TIMES, ALLOWING US TO CONTINUE OUR IMPORTANT WORK FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH PEACE OF MIND.
PLEASE ACCEPT THIS GENUINE THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY.
YOUR DEDICATION TO PRIORITIZING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES DOES NOT GO UNNOTICED.
I HOPE THAT ALL CAME THROUGH
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
[F. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:30 - 7:35 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.
CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M PLEASED TO SHARE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT WITH YOU.
I WILL GET YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENT.
WE CAN ADVANCE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THIS EVENING FOR THE TOPIC OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, I WANTED TO SPEND SOME TIME ON WHAT WAS MOST ON TOP OF MIND FOR TEAM BCPS OVER THE LAST WEEK.
I'VE HEARD, UM, SOME FEEDBACK, UH, MISINFORMATION IN THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY WANNA SPEND SOME TIME FOCUSING ON BUDGET OVERALL, THE MISSION OF THE FY 25 OPERATING PROPOSED BUDGET STAFFING.
WHAT DOES, WHAT DO STAFFING ALLOCATIONS REALLY LOOK LIKE IN SCHOOLS? AND LASTLY, SOME INFORMATION REGARDING MASTER SCHEDULES IN CLASS SIZES.
AS WE HAVE SHARED SINCE SEPTEMBER, WHEN WE STARTED THE BUDGET PROCESS VERY EARLY, IT WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO
[00:55:01]
US BECAUSE WE KNEW IT WAS A CHALLENGING YEAR THAT WE REALLY ENGAGED ALL MEMBERS, STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS TEAM BCPS AND AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS EMPOWERED THEM TO SHARE WITH US WHAT THEIR, UH, MOST SIGNIFICANT NEEDS WERE SO THAT WE COULD ALL WORK TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD AND ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXCEL ACROSS TEAM BCPS.AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS BY US AND HAS BEEN MENTIONED BY STAKEHOLDERS THIS EVENING, WE HAVE MORE THAN 110,000 STUDENTS COUNTING ON US.
THOSE STUDENTS NEED US TO WORK TOGETHER TO REVERSE THE TREND OF DECLINING PERFORMANCE THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST DECADE AND TEAM BCPS.
IF WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAPS THAT ARE SHARED ON THE SLIDE, AND WE REALLY DIG INTO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS SLIDE, WE'LL NOTE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THAT IS WHERE WE SEE THE MOST PROMISE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND LITERACY.
THE GREEN, IF YOU RECALL FROM BEFORE, POINTS TO STUDENTS THAT ARE PROFICIENT AND ADVANCED AS MEASURED BY THE STATE ASSESSMENTS.
WHAT WE IDEALLY WANNA SEE AS WE MOVE FORWARD, AS WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN PEOPLE, AS WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR STUDENTS, WE WANNA SEE MORE GREEN.
THE LONGER A STUDENT STAYS WITH US.
WE WANNA SEE GREEN PROFICIENT AND ADVANCED STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND IN HIGH SCHOOLS.
AND SO, WE STARTED THIS SCHOOL YEAR SHARING FOUR SPECIFIC PRIORITIES FOR TEAM BCPS.
THESE PRIORITIES WERE DEVELOPED BASED ON ANALYSIS OF OUR DATA, ENGAGING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, AND IDENTIFYING WHERE WE NEEDED TO GO AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM TO GET US BACK TO OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE AT, IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND BEYOND, OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL, OUR MOST IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE DO IS FOCUSING ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
I'VE SAID IT MANY TIMES, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN.
WE EXIST TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, ALL STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS.
IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE MUST ADDRESS ISSUES AND CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE IN INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY AND CLIMATE, AND ENSURE THAT WE HAVE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
WHILE WE ARE FOCUSING ON OUR SPECIFIC PRIORITIES AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE MUST ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE.
SPECIFICALLY ADVANCING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
AGAIN, HIGH QUALITY, DIVERSE TEACHERS AND LEADERS, ENSURING THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY BY THE END OF THEIR 12TH GRADE SEASON WITH US, AS WELL AS PROVIDING MORE RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL ARE FOUR OF THE TOP PILLARS, INCLUDING THE FIFTH PILLAR, GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO ENSURE THAT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE'RE CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE REST OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY WITH PSYCHOMETRICIANS TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR DATA TO IDENTIFY WHERE ARE THOSE AREAS THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON FIRST IN ORDER TO MOVE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FORWARD.
OUR ACADEMIC PRIORITIES HAVE BEEN THIS YEAR AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, MATHEMATICS, ESOL TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
AND SO THIS SLIDE REALLY SPEAKS TO WHERE DO WE SEE OUR STUDENTS GOING? HOW ARE WE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE COLLEGE, CAREER AND COMMUNITY READY? I WANNA POINT TO THE FIRST, UM, INDICATOR OF COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS.
THAT IS KINDERGARTEN THAT HAPPENS THE F UH, WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH OF STUDENTS ATTENDING KINDERGARTEN.
AND SO THIS BUDGET REALLY SPEAKS TO THAT IN OUR ACCELERATION OF, OF PRE-K PROGRAMS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE BLUEPRINT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NEXT TWO INDICATORS, THOSE TAKE PLACE IN OUR INTERMEDIATE GRADES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BOTH GRADE THREE AND GRADE FIVE ARE CRITICAL TIMES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
OUR STUDENTS, BY THE END OF GRADE THREE, NEED TO BE ABLE TO READ AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL AND GRADE FIVE.
THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN ELA AND MATHEMATICS ON THE MCAP ASSESSMENT WHEN WE MOVE UP.
AND I'LL ALSO NOTE GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, THOSE ARE THE GRADES THAT CURRENTLY ARE THE LARGEST CLASSES
[01:00:01]
IN TERMS OF HOW WE STAFF ACROSS TEAM BCPS.OUR NEXT MARKER IS IN GRADE EIGHT.
THAT SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ALGEBRA ONE, REALLY FOCUSING ON THE MATHEMATIC NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO, IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE IN BCPS.
AND THE LAST MARKER, UH, POINTS TO SEVERAL INDICATORS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
IN THE MIDST OF A CHALLENGING B BUDGET YEAR.
I CAN SHARE WITH YOU AS A BRAND NEW SUPERINTENDENT, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MY PREFERENCE TO HAVE TO WALK INTO THE FIRST OPERATING BUDGET, HAVING TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS.
BUT OFTENTIMES, A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT IS WORTH IT ON BEHALF OF STUDENTS INCLUDES MAKING DIFFICULT DECISIONS FOR US.
WE KNOW THE LARGER THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THE LARGER THE PORTION OF ESSER FUNDS.
AND SO FOR US, THAT WAS $84 MILLION.
THERE WERE MANY CRITICAL INITIATIVES THAT WE FUNDED USING ESSER FUNDS AS DEPICTED ON THE SLIDE, THIS IS ALSO THE VERY SAME YEAR WHERE ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND, ALL SCHOOL SYSTEMS RECEIVE THE SMALLEST PERCENTAGE OF BLUEPRINT FUNDS WHILE STILL HAVING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE MANDATES.
AND SO WE HAD TO MAKE DECISIONS.
WE HAD TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS WORKING TOGETHER WITH MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS TO ANALYZE STUDENT DATA, UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DATA FOR THE LAST DECADE WAS TELLING US THAT THEY NEEDED HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PRINCIPALS, HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH TEACHERS, HAVING CONVERSATION WITH CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS.
AND SO WE COULD NOT AFFORD TO SPEND ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT INVESTING IN OUR SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UM, QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF THIS BUDGET AND WHERE THE POSITIONS ARE GOING WHILE WE ARE SHIFTING SOME RESOURCES, WHILE WE DO HAVE TO MAKE, UH, DIFFICULT DECISIONS AND CUTS, UH, THE CUTS THAT HAVE BEEN SHARED BEFORE FOR THE $104.1 MILLION, UH, YOU HAVE A LARGE PORTION OF THOSE, UH, WHERE THEY ARE, UH, IN CENTRAL OFFICE.
AND THEN YOU HAVE, UH, ANOTHER PORTION, UH, RELATED TO, UM, CLASS SIZES, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO DIG INTO A LITTLE DEEPER SHORTLY.
BUT WHAT I WANT US TO FOCUS ON IS HOW WE HAVE SHIFTED RESOURCES.
UM, A LOT OF THE, UH, MISINFORMATION, MISCOMMUNICATION, UH, THAT IS OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY FOCUSES ON THE, UM, CUTS.
UH, WHILE THERE ARE, UM, SOME CUTS, THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT WE ARE ADDING TO THIS BUDGET DIRECTLY TO SCHOOLS.
OUR FOCUS IS ON OUR STUDENTS PUSHING RESOURCES CLOSER TO SCHOOLS.
AND SO IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, YOU'LL NOTE ALL OF THE NEW POSITIONS THAT ARE IN THE BUDGET.
ALL OF THESE POSITIONS THAT ARE IN BOLD DIRECTLY IMPACT CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION.
THESE POSITIONS ARE WHAT WE NEED BASED ON OUR STUDENT DATA.
THERE IS NOT TIME TO WAIT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE HIGH QUALITY MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION, NOT TIME TO WAIT FOR EXPANDING PRE-K FOR OUR STUDENTS, OR MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS OR OUR ESOL STUDENTS, OR RESPONDING TO OUR FAMILIES WHEN THEY TELL US THAT VIRTUAL ACADEMY IS AN OPTION THAT MANY STUDENTS FIND SUCCESS WITH.
AND SO, FOR THOSE REASONS, THIS BUDGET REALLY IS FOCUSED ON TEAM BCPS.
WE ARE MAKING THOSE INVESTMENTS.
WE PROPOSE TO MAKE THOSE INVESTMENTS IN EARLY GRADES, PRE-K EXPANSION, AND ACROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
WE WANNA ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT NEEDS.
WE WANNA FOCUS ON SAFETY AND CLIMATE, WHICH MEANS BRINGING OVER INVESTMENTS THAT WE HAD ON ESSER, UH, GRANT FUNDS AND REALLY FOCUS ON HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STAFF, BOTH RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
WE WANT TO STAY AT LEAST AT THE NUMBER TWO SPOT FOR THE, UM, HIGHEST STARTING SALARY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE THREE YEAR CONTRACTS, UH, AVAILABLE FOR ALL UNIONS, WHERE WE HAVE AN AVERAGE OF A 13% INCREASE, UH, FOR ALL STAFF MEMBERS ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
AND THIS IS BECAUSE WE WANT OUR STAFF MEMBERS TO FEEL SECURE IN THEIR COMPENSATION.
SO ALL OF OUR TIME AND ATTENTION CAN BE FOCUSED ON MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
BUT RECRUITMENT, AS I SAID, UM, OFTEN IS
[01:05:01]
ONLY ONE PIECE OF IT.THE OTHER PIECE IS RETENTION, MAKING SURE THAT OUR STAFF MEMBERS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR BEST WORK.
AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS AND RESOURCES IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR OUR STAFF IN INSTRUCTION AND IN OPERATIONS.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR, UH, PROPOSING ADDING STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS IN ACROSS ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS TO PROVIDE THAT JOB EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, AS WELL AS THOSE MATH LEAD SPECIALISTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAVE THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY TO START TO CHANGE OUR TRAJECTORY OF STUDENTS' MATHEMATIC PERFORMANCE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND SO, ONE OF THE, UM, QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE HEARD, UH, SOME OF THE FEEDBACK AND THE MISINFORMATION IS AROUND STAFFING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE NUMBERS FLOATING AROUND IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT SCHOOLS, UH, LOSING, UH, YOU KNOW, 20 SOME PEOPLE THAT IS SIMPLY INACCURATE.
UM, I WANNA PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE STAFFING ALLOCATIONS REALLY LOOK LIKE ACROSS TEAM BCPS ON JANUARY 25TH.
WE MET WITH ALL PRINCIPALS BY LEVEL TO PROVIDE STAFFING ALLOCATIONS FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO NOTE THAT WE ARE REINVESTING IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, UH, WHERE WE HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FOCUS IN ON THE NEEDS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND OUR BELIEF IS IF WE POUR INTO THE FOUNDATION WHEN STUDENTS WALK IN WITH THE GREATEST ABILITY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO IMPACT NOT ONLY THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY AND LITERACY AND MATHEMATICS, BUT ALSO THEIR PERFORMANCE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL, OUR DATA CALLS US TO DO THIS.
AND SO FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SPECIFICALLY, THE INVESTMENT IN PRE-K, THE LEAD MATH SPECIALIST INVESTMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, THOSE CLASSROOM TEACHERS SO THAT SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE TO FLIP-FLOP ANNUALLY BETWEEN A RESOURCE MODEL AND AN INCLUSION MODEL, THAT THEY HAVE THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS THAT THEY NEED IN THEIR BUILDING TO INTERVENE EARLY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
AS OUR ENG MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS CONTINUE TO GROW THAT POPULATION.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO ARE A PART OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COMMUNITIES THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE THAT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION THAT OUR STUDENTS NEED.
AND LASTLY, IEP FACILITATORS, WE HAVE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM OUR FAMILIES AND FROM OUR, UM, ADMINISTRATORS AT THAT ELEMENTARY LEVEL THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR THAT SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS.
SOMEONE WHO SPECIALIZES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, SOMEONE WHO CAN WORK DIRECTLY WITH FAMILIES, AS WELL AS WORK WITH THE STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MEETING THIS NEEDS OF STUDENTS EARLY AND THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING UP ON THOSE NEEDS ON A REGULAR BASIS, REGULAR BASIS.
IN TERMS OF THE CHANGES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS, YOU'LL KNOW ON THE SLIDE, UH, WE SAID MODEST CHANGES.
AND I WANNA SHARE THAT WE STARTED WITH, UH, THE ADDITION OF 0.3 AND 0.1 BECAUSE WE'RE AT 19.7 AND 20.9 RESPECTIVELY.
AS WE WENT THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS AND THERE WAS STILL A, UH, BUDGET SHORTFALL, WE ADDED 1.3 AND 1.1 RESPECTIVELY.
IT WASN'T UNTIL DECEMBER 11TH WHEN WE WERE STILL AT A $18 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL, WHERE WE ADDED ONE MORE TEACHER TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL RATIOS.
AND SO YOU SEE THE NUMBERS ARE 19.7 TO 22 AND 20.9 TO 23 FOR HIGH SCHOOLS.
IF WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALLOCATIONS THAT WERE SHARED, IF WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALLOCATIONS THAT WERE SHARED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL, AND AGAIN, I WANNA SHARE THIS WITH MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND OUR BOARD BECAUSE OF THE, UH, INFORMATION THAT IS, UH, FLOATING IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT IS NOT ACCURATE.
UH, PART OF MY WORK PERSONALLY IN THAT WORK OF, UH, THE WORK OF THE TEAM WAS TO PERSONALLY TOUCH THE STAFFING OF EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND EVERY HIGH SCHOOL TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SWINGS WERE NOT SO DRASTIC THIS UPCOMING YEAR THAT THEY WERE NOT TENABLE AND THAT THEY CAUSED HARM IN OUR CLASSROOMS. THE RANGE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STAFFING SUMMARIES, BECAUSE IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS, STUDENTS WERE MOVING AROUND AND RESOURCES FOLLOW STUDENTS.
UH, SOME SCHOOLS GAINED AS MUCH AS 7.5 INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF AND THE RANGE WENT TO 8.8 WAS THE MAXIMUM LOSS IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
[01:10:01]
ENROLLMENT DRIVEN.SO WHETHER WE ARE IN YEAR OF BUDGET CUTS OR NOT, AS SCHOOLS LOSE STUDENTS, WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE DECENTRALIZING ESOL CENTERS AND THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR OF THAT, UH, OR WE HAVE NEW SCHOOLS BEING BUILT OR BOUNDARY STUDIES, THE RESOURCES MOVE WITH THE STUDENTS SO THAT THE STUDENTS IN A SCHOOL MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT NUMBER OF TEACHERS, PARAEDUCATORS, ET CETERA.
THE GENERAL REDUCTIONS ACROSS MIDDLE SCHOOL AVERAGE WAS 4.7 IN THE AREA OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, BECAUSE WE ARE PROPOSING ADDING STAFFING, THERE WAS AN AVERAGE GAIN OF 0.3 FTE AND MAGNET AND ESOL, SPECIFICALLY AROUND ESOL.
THERE WAS A GAIN OF 0.7 FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
IF WE TAKE A LOOK AT HIGH SCHOOLS, THE RANGE OF REDUCTIONS WAS FROM 2.1 TO 13.4.
THAT WAS THE MAXIMUM REDUCTION.
WHEN WE LOOK AT INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF IN TOTALITY, WHEN YOU'RE ADDING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF, IN ALL CASES WITH, UH, HIGH SCHOOL REDUCTIONS, ANYTIME YOU SAW A NUMBER THAT WAS EIGHT OR ABOVE, IT WAS ALIGNED DIRECTLY WITH ENROLLMENT.
AGAIN, WHETHER THAT WAS BECAUSE, UH, IN SOME CASES WE LOST MORE THAN, UH, A HUNDRED STUDENTS THAT MOVED, UH, ACROSS AND RETURNED TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS, UH, OR THERE WAS, UH, ENROLLMENT THAT SIMPLY WENT DOWN, UH, IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.
STAFFING WAS COMMENSURATE WITH THAT.
SO OVERALL, THE GENERAL REDUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS 6.7.
THAT IS AN AVERAGE ACROSS THE HIGH SCHOOLS AS I SHARED THE RANGE EARLIER AND THE CHANGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION BECAUSE OUR HIGHEST, UM, AMOUNT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFFING, UM, CURRENTLY GOES TO HIGH SCHOOL.
WE DID NOT MAKE ANY CUTS IN HIGH SCHOOLS THAT NOT WERE NOT COMMENSURATE WITH IEP CHANGES.
UM, WE HAD INCREASES IN HIGH SCHOOLS WHERE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVING, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES INCREASED.
AND SO THIS SLIDE REALLY GETS, UH, GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE MASTER SCHEDULE.
UM, FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY.
UH, THE MASTER SCHEDULE IS, UM, MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ALLOCATION OF TEACHER RESOURCES AND WHAT THE CLASS SIZES ARE.
UH, THERE'S PRETTY MUCH A DIRECT ALL, UH, DIRECT, UH, CORRELATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
THE, UH, MORE COMPLEX PART IS, UM, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR TEACHERS HAVE THEIR REQUIRED 300 HUNDRED 25 MINUTES WORTH OF PLANNING AND WHAT THE SPECIALS LOOK LIKE.
UH, BUT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MASTER SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT IS MORE COMPLEX.
GENERAL EDUCATION STAFFING IS DETERMINED BASED ON SEPTEMBER 30TH ENROLLMENT.
WHEN WE RECEIVE STAFFING ALLOCATION FUNDING FROM OUR STATE PARTNERS, OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS, THE NUMBER THAT IS UTILIZED ARE OUR OFFICIAL ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.
UM, AND SO WE NEED TO, UH, WE HAVE MADE SURE THIS YEAR THAT WHEN WE'VE ALLOCATED SCHOOLS, UH, ALLOCATED STAFFING TO SCHOOLS THAT WE'VE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THAT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE HIGHLY TRANSIENT POPULATIONS.
AND SO WHILE WE HAVE TO WORK WITH SEPTEMBER 30TH, IN ALL OF OUR STAFFING ALLOCATIONS, WE HAVE PROJECTED ENROLLMENT AS WELL AS ACTUAL ENROLLMENT.
AND FOR THE TRANSIENT SCHOOLS, WHAT WE TOOK INTO ACCOUNT WAS THE HIGHER NUMBER, UH, BETWEEN THE TWO.
THAT'S WHAT WE USED TO STAFF SCHOOLS, SO THAT WE ENSURED THAT SCHOOLS HAD, UH, THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF STAFFING TO START WITH.
UM, THIS WAS THE STEP THAT WE TOOK TO ACCOUNT FOR HISTORICAL TRENDS AND TO ENSURE THAT WE PROVIDED STAFFING THAT WAS NECESSARY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.
OUR MASTER SCHEDULE COURSES ARE DETERMINED BY STATE REGULATIONS, UH, STUDENT NEEDS AND STUDENT CHOICE, UH, PARTICULARLY IN HIGH SCHOOL, UH, WITH THE STATE REQUIREMENTS.
UH, THOSE TYPICALLY REMAIN CONSTANT, UH, BUT STUDENT NEEDS AND STUDENT CHOICES CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR.
UM, THAT RESULTS IN EITHER CON THE CONTRACTION OF THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR THE EXPANSION OF THE MASTER SCHEDULE IN RESPONSE TO THOSE ANNUAL CHANGES.
UM, STUDENT ENROLLMENTS AND THOSE COURSE NEEDS, UM, TRANSFER OR CHANGES IN TEACHER ASSIGNMENT TO COVER ALL THE, UM, COURSES THAT HAPPENS ANNUALLY IN A MASTER SCHEDULE.
THAT IS A PART OF THE PROCESS THAT HAPPENS ANNUALLY.
[01:15:01]
THE MORE TEACHING SECTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR SCHEDULE THAT HELPS TO REDUCE YOUR CLASS SIZES, THE FUTURE, THE FEWER TEACHING, UM, SECTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR SCHEDULE.THOSE, UM, INFLATE CLASS, CLASS SIZE, IF, UH, WE HAVE LARGE NUMBERS OF CLASSES AT, UH, WITH VERY SMALL ENROLLMENTS THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO GROWING, UH, CLASS SIZES.
AND SO, UH, THIS YEAR WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, STAFFING, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CLASS SIZES, UH, WE ARE ONLY TALKING ABOUT TEACHERS WHO ARE TEACHERS OF RECORDS IN INSTRUCTING STUDENTS IN THE CLASSES.
UM, THE NUMBERS DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR, UH, NURSES, COUNSELORS, PARAPROFESSIONALS, OR ANY OTHER STAFF WHO DO NOT INSTRUCT OUR STUDENTS DIRECTLY.
ADDITIONALLY, UM, AS, AS I SHARED, UH, THERE ARE SOME OTHER CONSTRAINTS AS I SHARED THE UNDERSIZED CLASSES, STAFF EXPERTISE AND CONFLICTS, CONFLICTS BETWEEN WHAT WE CALL SINGLETONS.
IF YOU'RE ONLY WANTING RUNNING ONE SECTION OF A MASTER SCHEDULE, THOSE POSE BARRIERS AND SOMETIMES WILL INFLATE CLASS SIZE.
UM, SCHOOL LEADERS, UH, MAY TAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS TO ADDRESS CONSTRAINTS.
UM, THOSE OPTIONS THAT EXIST, UM, INCLUDE, UH, PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, CO-TEACHERS IN CLASS, UH, IN THOSE LARGE OR HIGH NEEDS CLASSES, LIMITING SOME COURSES TO CERTAIN GRADE LEVELS, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE COURSES ARE AVAILABLE, UH, MORE THAN ONCE WHEN WE'RE, UH, TALKING ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL MORE THAN ONCE THROUGHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT'S CAREER, COMBINING LEVELS INTO ONE CLASS OR PARTNERING WITH A NEIGHBORING SCHOOL OR THE VIRTUAL LEARNING, UH, ACADEMY ARE SOME OF THE OPTIONS THAT SCHOOLS HAVE, UM, TO ADDRESS CLASS SIZE ISSUES.
UM, THIS IS DIFFICULT WORK IN THE SAME WAY THAT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, UH, WE HAVE HAD TO APPROACH THIS BUDGET SEASON DOING ZERO BASED BUDGETING, NOT USING WHAT WE'VE HAD, AND TRYING TO MAKE SLIGHT SHIFTS TO THAT, UH, THE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE IN THE MASTER SCHEDULE WITH THE, I I THINK OUR SUPERINTENDENT, UM, HAS FROZEN, SO WE'LL GIVE HER A MOMENT TO COME BACK ON.
WE ARE, UM, JUST GONNA GIVE HER A MINUTE TO, UM, GET BACK ON THE DEVICE, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S A LOT OF THOUGHT, A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT THAT HAS WENT INTO THIS BUDGET.
AND, UM, AND, AND I KNOW THAT THERE WAS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MASTER SCHEDULE, AND WE CAN SEE JUST HOW DETAILED AND HOW MUCH INFORMATION GOES INTO THE MASTER SCHEDULE.
SO, UM, WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THIS THOROUGH OVERVIEW FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
AND JUST TO PREP BOARD MEMBERS, I WILL ALLOW QUESTIONS AFTER THIS PRESENTATION.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THAT BECAUSE IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT WE HAVE ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND THAT, UM, THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC FULLY UNDERSTANDS, UM, EVERYTHING THAT WENT INTO THIS BUDGET AND THAT WE CLARIFY ALL OF THE, UM, ANY MISINFORMATION THAT WAS COMMUNICATED TO THE PUBLIC.
[01:20:12]
HELLO.YOU, SO YOU'RE GOOD TO GO? NO,
I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY.
I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE COMPUTER FROZE.
UM, DID WE DISCUSS THIS SLIDE, OR? WE DID.
SO ESSENTIALLY, THE MASTER SCHEDULE IS A, UM, COMPLEX PROCESS THE SAME WAY WE DID.
ZERO BASED BUDGETING IS THE SAME WAY FOR SCHOOLS.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO UNDERGO THAT, THAT HEAVY LIFT, UH, TO REIMAGINE THE MASTER SCHEDULE PROCESS SO THAT WE ARE REALLY MAXIMIZING OUR RESOURCES, UM, IN SCHOOLS.
AND WHEN ALL ATTEMPTS TO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE IN SCHOOLS REALLY LEAVE, UM, PRINCIPALS WITH A SHORTFALL AS A PART OF THE NATURAL BUDGET PROCESS.
AS A PART OF THE NATURAL SCHEDULING PROCESS, WE HAVE, UM, A MECHANISM FOR PRINCIPALS TO REQUEST ADDITIONAL STAFFING.
WE LEAVE A CUSHION, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS, UH, UNANTICIPATED, UH, CHANGES, WHETHER THAT'S INCREASED ENROLLMENT IN KINDERGARTEN, UH, MORE AND MULTILINGUAL, UH, LEARNERS OR INCREASED ENROLLMENT IN ANY SCHOOL.
UH, WE ARE, UH, POISED TO ADDRESS, UM, THOSE NEEDS AS THE, UH, SCHOOLS, UH, MAKE US AWARE OF THEM.
AND SO THIS SLIDE, UH, REALLY ANSWERS THE QUESTION, WHO TEACHES.
PART OF WHAT WE'VE DONE, UH, FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR, UH, WHEN WE HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH OUR PRINCIPALS, UM, SINCE SEPTEMBER IS, IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT HOW DO WE MAXIMIZE OUR CURRENT, UM, STAFF IN SCHOOLS.
I'VE SHARED, UH, PUBLICLY BEFORE, I'VE SHARED WITH PRINCIPALS WITH CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS.
AS WE WERE DIGGING INTO THE BUDGET, AS WE WERE DIGGING INTO OUR RESOURCES, UH, WE PULLED REPORTS TO EXAMINE, UH, WHO WAS TEACHING, UH, AND COMPARE THAT TO WHO COULD BE TEACHING.
UH, ON THIS SLIDE IN FRONT OF YOU, UH, THE BOX THAT'S BOLDED WHEN WE SHARE THOSE, UH, STAFFING RATIOS THERE, UH, STAFFING FORMULA.
THERE'S A FORMULA IN THE BOOK THAT SPEAKS TO A 1.4 AND 1.3 THAT HAS, UH, SOME HISTORICAL REFERENCE THAT HAS BEEN THERE, UH, FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
THE CALCULATION IS MADE USING CLASSROOM TEACHER, THAT ONE BOX, COMPARING THAT MULTIPLYING IT, WHETHER YOU'RE USING 1.4 OR 1.32, UH, MAKING THAT COMPARISON WITH THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING, BUT THE CLASSROOM TEACHERS IN THAT BOX ARE NOT THE ONLY TEACHERS OF RECORD.
AND SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU EVERYWHERE ELSE, EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S IN A SCHOOL BUILDING WHO'S ALLOCATED, UM, WHO TEACHES STUDENTS WHO CAN TEACH STUDENTS.
AND SO, UH, PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH FY 25 IS TO REALLY ADDRESS THAT IN TERMS OF HOW WE MOVE FORWARD SO WE CAN MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF THOSE MODEST, UH, INCREASES AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.
AND SO, I'VE SHARED THIS BEFORE AND I, I WANNA SHARE IT AGAIN.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS A, UH, VERY LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE HAVE A HIGH, UH, AMOUNT OF VARIABILITY ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, THE NUMBER OF RELEASE PERIODS, MEANING THE NUMBER OF PERIODS, UM, THAT CERTIFY CLASSROOM TEACHERS IN BUILDINGS, UM, ARE NOT TEACHING CLASSROOM VARIES GREATLY FROM BUILDING TO BUILDING.
UM, WE, WHEN WE PULLED A REPORT WORKING, UH, ON THE BUDGET, UH, WE LEARNED THAT WE HAD, UH, 250 SCHOOL-BASED RESOURCE TEACHERS, UH, WHO WERE, WHO HAD NO COURSES ASSIGNED IN FOCUS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS, IS HOW PEOPLE ARE SCHEDULED AND THERE'S PUSH IN, UH, SUPPORT, BUT, UM, PARTS ARE THAT, YOU KNOW, PERIODS ARE NOT ASSIGNED.
WHEN WE LOOKED AT DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND TEAM LEADERS, UH, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 51 SCHOOLS TOTAL, WE HAD 726, UH, STAFF MEMBERS IN THIS ROLE IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
UM, AND THERE WAS LARGE VARIABILITY THERE.
THE TEACHING LOADS WERE EVERYTHING.
ANYTHING FROM ZERO SECTIONS TO FIVE SECTIONS IS WHAT WE FOUND.
OUR DESIRED STATE, AS I'VE STATED BEFORE, IS WE WANNA MAXIMIZE STAFFING IN OUR BUILDINGS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE ARE INCREASING
[01:25:01]
COHERENCE AND CONSISTENCY ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS AND ACROSS SPECIFIC POSITIONS.AND WE WANT TO EMPOWER PRINCIPALS TO REALLY CREATE MASTER SCHEDULES, UH, THAT HAVE THE BUILT-IN NEEDS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.
UH, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CREATE A MASTER SCHEDULE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE SOME CLASSES THAT ARE SMALLER AND SOME CLASSES THAT ARE LARGER.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN MATHEMATICS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THE ALGEBRA ONE CLASSES SHOULD BE SMALLER, THEN YOUR BC CALCULUS AP COURSE, FOR EXAMPLE.
BUT THE WAY THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO DO THAT IS BY MAXIMIZING THE CURRENT STAFFING.
AND SO, AS I STATED BEFORE, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING STEP BY STEP REALLY ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY, SPEAKING TO OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS, OUR, UM, UH, DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS, OUR UNION PARTNERS, TEACHERS WHO SERVE ON ADVISORIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, UH, TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR POTENTIAL NEXT STEPS WERE, WHAT OUR NEEDS WERE.
AND AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, A DIRECT RESULT AT LOOKING AT OUR DATA, EXAMINING A MASTER SCHEDULE, WHAT EXACTLY IS IN FOCUS, WHERE ARE THE LARGER SECTIONS, WHERE ARE THE SMALLER SECTIONS? WE PROVIDED FY 25 STAFFING ALLOCATION GUIDANCE TO OUR PRINCIPALS WHERE WE SHARED OUR EXACT EXPECTATIONS FOR DIFFERENT ROLES AND WHAT TEACHING LOADS LOOK LIKE.
OUR REDUCTION IN DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, UM, REALLY, UH, ADDED MORE CLASSES TO THE MASTER SCHEDULE TO PROVIDE A DIRECT INSTRUCTION TO OUR STUDENTS.
WE, UH, STANDARDIZED THE TEACHING EXPECTATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT CHAIRS TO ADDRESS THE VARIABILITY THAT I SPOKE OF BEFORE THAT RANGE FROM ZERO TO FIVE.
UM, WE ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, WERE CLEAR ON OTHER TEACHING ROLES IN THE BUILDING, WHAT THOSE EXPECTATIONS WERE, UM, TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR, UH, STUDENTS AND TO ALSO, UM, MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF THOSE MODEST IMPACTS, UH, EXCUSE ME, MODEST GAINS, UM, IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
AND SO, WHEN SOMEONE ASKS A QUESTION SPECIFICALLY ABOUT CLASS SIZE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, OR FORTUNATELY, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S INFORMATION FLOATING IN THE, UM, COMMUNITY THAT IS, UH, INACCURATE TO SIMPLY COMPARE FY 24 NUMBERS IN A, UH, BUDGET BOOK, UH, AND APPLY A, UH, FORMULA FOR FY 25 IS INACCURATE.
AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE HAVE GUIDELINES AND WE HAVE EXPECTATIONS THAT ARE DIFFERENT IN OUR SCHOOLS.
THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE EX, UH, EXAMPLE, PROVIDED FOR YOU ON THIS SLIDE WHERE YOU TAKE A MASTER SCHEDULE FOR FY 24, YOU DEDUCT THE RELEASE PERIODS FOR 15 DEPARTMENT CHAIRS.
CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF VARIABILITY.
AND SO IF YOU PROVIDE THREE RELEASE PERIODS TO 15 DIFFERENT PEOPLE, THAT'S 45 SECTIONS THAT ARE DEDUCTED FROM THE MASTER SCHEDULE.
IF YOU FURTHER REDUCE THE SECTIONS IN THE MASTER SCHEDULE BY THE OTHER STAFF MEMBERS IN OUR CURRENT BUILDINGS WHO CURRENTLY, UM, DO NOT HAVE TEACHING LOADS OR HAVE MINIMAL TEACHING LOADS, THOSE ARE FURTHER REDUCTIONS.
AND YOU ADD UP ALL THOSE NUMBERS, AND YOU HAVE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SECTIONS THAT YOU'RE REDUCING BY THE MASTER SCHEDULE.
IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT FY 25 AND WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED MOVING THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR ALLOCATIONS TO NINE FOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND EIGHT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, RESPECTIVELY, WE HAVE NOT ONLY IDENTIFIED THAT, WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE GUIDE PROVIDED GUIDANCE ON THE NUMBER OF RELEASE PERIODS BASED ON THE CONTENT FOR THE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS.
AND SO YOU HAVE FOUR DEPARTMENT CHAIRS THAT ARE RELEASED FOR TWO ADDITIONAL RELEASE PERIODS.
THAT'S EIGHT SECTIONS IN A MASTER SCHEDULE, MEANING THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR TEACHES FOUR SECTIONS, AND YOU HAVE FIVE POSITIONS, FIVE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL WITH ONE ADDITIONAL RELEASE PERIOD.
SO EACH DEPARTMENT CHAIR IN THAT CASE WOULD TEACH FIVE SECTIONS.
THE TOTAL REDUCTION OF SECTIONS OVERALL IN THAT MASTER SCHEDULE
[01:30:01]
IS 13 SECTIONS.IF YOU DO THAT, COUPLED WITH REDUCING THE NUMBER OF UNDERSIZED CLASSES, AS WELL AS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF STAFF WHO ARE TEACHING ACROSS THE BUILDING, OUR BELIEF, OUR STRONG BELIEF IS MATHEMATICALLY.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST PHILOSOPHICALLY IS THAT THE IMPACT OF ADDING TWO STUDENTS, UM, TO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS IS GOING TO BE GREATLY MINIMIZED BECAUSE WE ARE ADDING MORE SECTIONS TO THE MASTER SCHEDULE OVERALL.
AND SO YOUR NEXT QUESTION, NEXT SLIDE MAY BE, SO HOW DO WE KNOW IT'S FINE TO HAVE THIS EXPECTATION, BUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAPPENS IN TEAM BCPS? WE STRONGLY BELIEVE IN MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO ALL OF OUR 110,000 STUDENTS AND OUR 20,000 STAFF MEMBERS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON WHAT WE'VE SAID TO DATE.
WE HAVE SHARED OUR EXPECTATIONS AND FOLLOWED THROUGH.
OUR, UH, STAFF MEMBERS IN DOIT HAVE ALREADY CREATED TOOLS SO WE CAN DO THE REPORTING.
THESE TOOLS, PRINCIPLES WILL BE TRAINED ON THEM SO THEY CAN IDENTIFY OVERSIZE AND UNDERSIZED CLASSES, AS WELL AS A RELEASE PERIODS REPORT.
IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE AVERAGE MASTER SCHEDULE IN A HIGH SCHOOL, YOU CAN HAVE HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS OF SECTIONS.
AND SO TO TRY TO IDENTIFY ALL OF THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, CHANGES BY EYEBALLING, IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT TASK.
AND SO WE HAVE A REPORTING STRUCTURE FOR US TO DO THIS.
PRINCIPALS WILL BE TRAINED, TRAINED ON HOW TO USE THESE TOOLS.
SO PRINCIPALS CAN BE THE FIRST LINE TO CHECK, AS WELL AS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OUR CHIEF OF SCHOOLS AND MEMBERS OF EXECUTIVE STAFF WILL BE PULLING THE SAME REPORTS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.
OUR PRINCIPALS ARE GOING TO KNOW IN ADVANCE THE DATES AND TIMES WE'RE GONNA PULL THESE REPORTS SO WE CAN WORK TOGETHER.
AND INSTANCES WHERE WE NEED TO ADDRESS ANY ISSUES THAT WE SEE, WE'RE GONNA WORK TOGETHER HAND IN HAND WITH OUR PRINCIPALS, WITH OUR MASTER SCHEDULERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS AND TEAM BCPS.
WE HAVE COMMITTED TO MOVING FORWARD AND REVERSING THE TREND OF DECLINING PERFORMANCE.
AS I STATED BEFORE, IT WOULD NOT BE A PREFERENCE TO HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS FOR A BUDGET, BUT THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME CHANGES AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY.
I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT THE FEEDBACK AND INPUT OF MEMBERS, MANY MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS THAT HAVE INFORMED THIS BUDGET, HAVE HELPED US TO MAKE SURE, HAVE HELPED US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE RECOMMENDED A BUDGET THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO, AS I HAVE ALSO STATED BEFORE, AS SOON AS OUR FISCAL, UH, OUTLOOK IS IMPROVED, TO PUT THAT STAFFING RIGHT BACK IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IMMEDIATELY, THIS IS A INTERIM STEP TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
IN CHALLENGING TIMES, WE'RE COMMITTED TO ONGOING CONVERSATIONS AND WORKING STEP BY STEP WITH OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR, UM, TEACHERS, UH, WHICH, UH, MS. SEXTON SHARED EARLIER, UH, THAT I WAS VERY PLEASED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THEM DIRECTLY SO THAT THEY CAN HEAR DIRECTLY FROM US TO HAVE THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED, UM, AND FOR THEM TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT A, UH, PROVIDE US WITH FEEDBACK ABOUT OUR NEXT STEPS.
AND SO, AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO TAKE A DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL PRACTICE AND, UM, TURN IT OVER TO YOU, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, AND OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SPECIFICALLY THE BUDGET, STAFFING, OR CLASS SIZE, THE BOARD MEMBERS.
THANK YOU DR. ROGERS FOR, UM, FOR ADDRESSING A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS THROUGH YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND SO I'LL OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR ANY BOARD MEMBERS THAT HAVE QUESTIONS ON WHAT WAS JUST PRESENTED.
UM, IF YOU COULD JUST RAISE YOUR HAND, AND I WILL CALL ON YOU, MS. EY FIRST, I JUST, UM, WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THIS EXTREMELY DETAILED AND HELPFUL PRESENTATION.
UM, I DID WANNA SAY THAT REGARDLESS OF THE INACCURATE INFORMATION THAT MAY HAVE SPREAD, UM, THESE CONCERNS THAT WE'VE RECENTLY HEARD ARE NOT NEW.
I ATTENDED SEVERAL OF THE COMMUNITY INPUT MEETINGS, UM, AND WE HEARD FROM TEACHERS AT THESE MEETINGS ADDRESSING
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SPECIFIC CONCERNS WITH THE EXTREMELY LARGE CLASS SIZES.OF COURSE, THIS WAS PRIOR TO SEEING THE BUDGET.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THIS AND, AND THEN SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE CLASS SIZE IN THE BUDGET, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT CONCERNS THAT WERE EXPRESSED BY TEACHERS AND THE PUBLIC.
UM, BUT I DO THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION BECAUSE I THINK IT PROVIDED, UM, A WEALTH OF INFORMATION AND EXPLANATION.
UM, MY QUESTION WOULD BE, AS FAR AS THE SLIDE REGARDING THE, UM, REALLOCATION OF RESOURCES AND MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
UM, IS THIS REPORTING AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AT ALL OR TO THE BOARD? AND SECONDLY, IS THERE A SPECIFIC NUMBER OR RED FLAG WHEN YOU, WHEN, AND I KNOW IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE CLASS, BUT IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WOULD IMMEDIATELY STICK OUT AND SAY, I'M GONNA USE A VERY HIGH NUMBER AS AN EXAMPLE.
OKAY, THIS CLASS HAS 50 STUDENTS IN IT, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING DONE IMMEDIATELY.
IS THERE, IS THERE, YOU KNOW, A MECHANISM WHERE, UM, THERE'S A MEDIA ATTENTION GIVEN TO SOME EXTREME SITUATIONS LIKE THAT? ABSOLUTELY.
SO, SO THANK YOU, UM, FOR SHARING THAT.
AND, AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR RECOGNIZING THAT CLASS SIZES, UM, ARE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS HOLISTICALLY ACROSS, UM, UH, TEAM BCPS WITH, WITH A LONG RANGE PLAN.
UM, I, I WANNA ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT A RED FLAG.
UH, WHILE WE DON'T, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SEND OUT, UH, TO THE, UH, PUBLIC THE CLASS SIZES, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'RE GONNA DO THAT REPORTING.
AND, UM, I DON'T HAVE, UH, AN ISSUE, UM, YOU KNOW, REPORTING TO THE, UH, BOARD OF EDUCATION, WHAT OUR NUMBERS LOOK LIKE.
AS I MENTIONED, UH, EARLIER, THE GOAL OF MAXIMIZING THE RESOURCES IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE'LL NEVER HAVE ANY SMALLER CLASSES WHERE WE'LL NEVER HAVE ANY LARGER CLASSES.
THERE IS A TIME IN A SPACE FOR THAT IF YOU'RE BRINGING ON A NEW PROGRAM THAT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE IF YOU HAVE A PROGRAM THAT'S ATTACHED TO LICENSURE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE A NURSING PROGRAM AND THE STATE SAYS, UH, ONE NURSE FOR EIGHT STUDENTS, YOU CAN'T, YOU HAVE TWO NURSES.
IT'S A MAXIMUM OF 16 STUDENTS.
IF YOU HAVE A RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, THERE'S A CERTAIN NUMBER OF OVENS THERE.
THERE ARE MANY, UM, EXAMPLES WHY SOME CLASSES MIGHT BE, UM, LARGER AND SOME CLASSES MIGHT BE SMALLER.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GUARD AGAINST ARE THOSE, UM, ARE THOSE CLASSES WHERE YOU SEE THE THIRTIES FROM THE ONSET, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T MAXIMIZED THE AMOUNT OF STAFF AVAILABLE.
WE WANNA GIVE PRINCIPALS THE ROOM TO ADDRESS PROGRAM NEEDS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT NEED A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT, ALL THESE THINGS ARE A TYPICAL PART OF A HIGH SCHOOL, UM, SCHEDULE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I CAN SHARE FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE, UH, BEING A FORMER MASTER SCHEDULER, UH, NOT ONLY AS, YOU KNOW, A, UH, PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, BUT ALSO HAVING MASTER SCHEDULED FOR THE LARGEST HIGH SCHOOL IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND WITH WALL TOWA ACADEMIES.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A PLACE FOR LARGER AND SMALLER, UM, CLASSES IN THAT MASTER SCHEDULE.
BUT THE NUMBERS THAT WE DON'T WANNA SEE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, NUMBERS.
JUST AS A GENERAL RULE IN THE, UH, THIRTIES, WHEN YOU START SEEING, UH, YOU'RE MOVING PAST 31, UM, THAT'S THE AREA FOR US TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK FOR US, PARTICULARLY IN THE MASTER SCHEDULE, BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY, SO, SO MANY SECTIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO WORK WITH OUR COUNSELORS TO ENSURE THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE OTHER OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, YESTERDAY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST IN RESPONSE, UH, TO A LOT OF, UH, THE FEEDBACK WAS TO GO AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S IN FOCUS RIGHT NOW.
I SAW CLASSES IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAD SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE SAME COURSE, UM, WITH FIVE STUDENTS.
I SAW SOME WITH, UM, SIX, I SAW SOME WITH FOUR, UH, I SAW TENS AND THIRTEENS.
BUT THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE, I WOULD SAY I SAW, UH, UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR CLASSES IN THE TWENTIES TO THE LOW THIRTIES.
I STARTED SEEING LARGER NUMBERS IN THE, UM, THIRTIES I SAW IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION.
I SAW IN, UM, UH, PERHAPS BAND IN THOSE AREAS.
THERE WERE A FEW OUTLIERS, BUT, UM, I, ONCE WE START SEEING THIRTIES, THAT'S THE, UH, TIME WHERE WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER, UH, LOW THIRTIES TO COME TOGETHER AND LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT EXIST.
BUT THAT ALSO MEANS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT SEVERAL, YOU KNOW, THE SEVERAL SECTIONS THAT WE HAVE OF VERY SMALL CLASSES, UM, THAT WE'VE BUILT INTO THE MASTER SCHEDULE, PARTICULARLY IF IT'S THE SAME EXACT, UM, COURSE WITH THE SAME, UH, TEACHER.
WHAT OPTIONS EXIST IN THAT CASE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I'M SORRY, JUST ONE QUICK FOLLOW UP, ONE MORE THING.
UM, IF WE, IF WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO SAY, THIS SOUNDS WONDERFUL, BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT I'M SEEING IN MY CLASSROOM, I KNOW THERE'S PROTOCOL
[01:40:01]
THAT THEY FOLLOW TO GO TO THEIR ADMINISTRATORS.UM, AND IF IT'S STILL NOT WORKING, WHAT DO WE SAY TO THE TEACHER? WHAT CAN WE SAY TO THOSE TEACHERS? HERE'S YOUR RECOURSE.
IF THIS, IF YOU'VE TRIED THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TRY AND IT'S NOT WORKING, YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANSWERS, UM, WITHOUT RETALIATION.
ARE THERE PLACES THEY CAN GO TO SAY, LOOK, THIS ISN'T WORKING.
I'VE HAD THIS SUPER HUGE CLASSROOM, IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT BEING ADJUSTED.
I CAN'T WORK IN THESE CONDITIONS.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP THOSE TEACHERS? YES.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOR FY 25, 'CAUSE CURRENTLY THE FY 24 4 SCHEDULES ARE BUILT.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, REPORTING AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THEM IS TO REACH OUT TO TABCO.
UM, I HAVE A REGULAR STANDING MEETING WITH TABCO EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
AND SO I, I WOULD SAY TO REACH OUT TO THEIR UNION REPRESENTATIVES, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THEY FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'VE WORKED THROUGH AND THERE'S NO RECOURSE.
UH, OUR GOAL IS THROUGH THE REPORTING, UM, THAT WE'RE NOT IN THAT, UH, SITUATION IN FY 25.
FIRST, UM, DR. ROGERS, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK THIS WEEK ON TRYING AND DISPELLING THE MISINFORMATION THAT MAY HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATED.
UM, YOUR EXPLANATION CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES THE COMPLEXITY OF MASTER SCHEDULING, UM, ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL.
UM, I THINK THE NEED TO TIGHTEN WHAT YOU CALL THE VARIABILITY, UM, AMONGST DIFFERENT POSITIONS WILL GO FAR TO TRY TO, UM, GIVE OUR KIDS MORE SECTIONS TO BE IN AND MORE, UM, FACE-TO-FACE TIME WITH TEACHERS.
UM, BUT WILL PRINCIPALS, AND I THINK YOU SAID IT, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, BUT WILL PRINCIPALS STILL HAVE THE AUTONOMY TO LOOK ACROSS THEIR STAFFING, TO LOOK ACROSS THEIR CLASSES AND MAKE A DETERMINATION THAT WHILE THE AVERAGE CLASS SIZE SHOULD BE X, I AM MAKING THIS CLASS SIZE LARGER? BECAUSE DOWN THE HALL, I HAVE MADE A CLASS FOR REASONS BASED ON LEARNER NEEDS, MUCH SMALLER.
SO WHILE YOU'VE PUT IN PLACE MORE, UM, EXPECTATIONS, WE'RE NOT TAKING AWAY THAT AUTONOMY, ARE WE, WE ARE NOT TAKING AWAY THAT AUTONOMY.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, WE CAN'T, UH, IT'S A MUST.
WE, WE NEED TO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY BUILT INTO THE MASTER SCHEDULE TO MEET, UH, THE NEEDS OF THOSE STUDENTS.
UH, BUT WE NEED TO ALSO BE ABLE TO CLEARLY COMMUNICATE WITH ANY AND EVERYONE WHEN WE'VE MADE THOSE DECISIONS, HOW AND WHY WE'VE MADE THAT, THOSE DECISIONS AND WHY THEY'RE, UH, IN THE BEST INTEREST OF STUDENTS.
SO JUST MAKE SURE THAT PRINCIPALS HAVE THAT, THAT STILL HAVE THAT, UM, ABILITY.
THE SECOND PART IS, UM, WITH ALL THE, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND ONE OF THE SLIDES WHERE YOU WENT OVER THE RATIOS, THAT'S TEACHERS OF RECORD.
SO CAN YOU, UM, AGAIN, JUST REDEFINE WHAT A TEACHER OF RECORD IS? AND THEN WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER TEACHERS? IF I'M AN AVID SCHOOL AND I HAVE AVID TEACHERS, IF I HAVE MAGNET PROGRAMS AND MAGNET TEACHERS, MY SL TEACHERS MIGHT NOT BE TEACHERS OF RECORD.
SO HOW DO ALL OF THOSE OTHER TEACHERS THAT MAY NOT BE TEACHERS OF RECORD FIT INTO THE MASTER SCHEDULING, UM, AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL? SO THAT'S JUST IT.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, CLASS SIZES, UH, WHILE WE ONLY REPORT THAT ONE BOX, ALL OF THOSE OTHER PEOPLE CAN BE AND MAYBE BE TEACHERS OF RECORD.
WHAT WE HAVE REDUCED IN OUR FY 25 GUIDANCE IS THAT WE'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR ABOUT EXPECTATIONS.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE ONE SCHOOL WHERE THE MAGNET COORDINATOR IS TEACHING AND ANOTHER SCHOOL WHERE THEY'RE NOT.
THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS ACROSS THE BOARD THAT WITH EACH SPECIFIC POSITION, HERE'S WHAT THE COMMENSURATE TEACHING LOAD SHOULD LOOK LIKE, AND THEN WE HAVE THE MECHANISM TO, UM, CHECK.
WHAT THAT DOES IS IT REDUCES, IT FURTHER REDUCES OUR CLASS SIZES.
AND SO IF YOU DON'T ONLY HAVE THE MODEL WHERE PEOPLE PUSH IN AND PULL OUT, AND THESE TEACHERS BECOME BONAFIDE TEACHERS OF RECORD, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, YOUR READING SPECIALIST TEACHES YOUR SOME OF YOUR READING INTERVENTION COURSES, THOSE ARE ADDITIONAL SECTIONS IN YOUR MASTER SCHEDULE WHERE STUDENTS CAN ATTEND CLASSES.
AND SO THAT, THAT IS THE IMPACT OF MAXIMIZING, UH, AND, AND REALLY, UM, REDUCING THAT VARIABILITY ACROSS SCHOOLS SO THAT EVERYONE THAT'S A CERTIFIED CLASSROOM TEACHER, UM, IN THAT BUILDING WHO HAS THE ABILITY TO TEACH ABILITY THAT THEY HAVE SECTIONS OPEN FOR STUDENTS.
AND LAST POINT, FOCUS WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACTUALLY SEE EVERY CLASS IN OUR SYSTEM AND HOW MANY KIDS ARE IN IT AND, AND THE TEACHERS OF RECORD.
SO, AND THAT'LL BE CLOSELY MONITORED DURING 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR? CORRECT.
EVEN BEFORE WE START THE UNION SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO THE BUDGET ITSELF, AND ALSO
[01:45:01]
CLARIFYING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IS INCREDIBLE.UM, IN, IN TERMS OF THE MODEST INCREASES FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDABLY, AND I KNOW SOME OF THE SPEAKERS TONIGHT SPOKE ABOUT CLASS SIZES IS JUST THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO PROTECT, AND OBVIOUSLY PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE CONCERNED AS WELL.
SO WITH THE JUMP WITH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL FROM 19.7 TO 22, AND THEN HIGH SCHOOL, 20.9 TO 23, THAT SEEMS ALARMING.
YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE.
UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN OR, OR DESCRIBE HOW THE IMPACT MAY NOT, UM, BE WHAT IT SEEMS WHEN IT'S ACTUALLY PUT INTO EFFECT? YES, I, I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A, A BRIEF OVERVIEW THAT THAT'S REALLY WHAT THAT SLIDE WHERE YOU SAW THE ORANGE COMPARISON FOR FY 24 AND FY 25 COMES IN.
UH, THE GOAL IS BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS THAT'S AVAILABLE IN THE MASTER SCHEDULE, THAT THE CHANGE IS NEGLIGIBLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY IF WE CURRENTLY HAVE A CLASS SIZE THAT'S 23 NOW, AND YOU ADD TWO STUDENTS TO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE PREFER NOT TO ADD STUDENTS, BUT 23 TO 25, UH, THAT'S OKAY.
BUT WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA HAVE A CLASS THAT'S OF 30, AND WE'RE ADDING, UH, MORE STUDENTS TO THAT AS A RULE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY, UH, WE WANNA MAXIMIZE THE STAFFING, THE AVAILABLE, UM, CERTIFIED TEACHERS THAT ARE IN A BUILDING THAT WE ARE VERY CLEAR ON THE GUIDELINES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR WHO'S TEACHING VERSUS THE NUMBER OF RELEASE PERIODS, UH, TO ABSORB, IF YOU WILL, UM, SOME OF THOSE CHANGES AND, AND MIGHT I ADD, TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, THOSE TEMPORARY CHANGE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE TO FIND, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN AS A RESULT OF THE FY 25 OPERATING BUDGET.
AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, UM, FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
MY, UM, ONE THING I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ADDING THE STUDENT SAFETY ASSISTANCE OVER, IT WAS 190 OF THEM, I THINK, UM, JUST FROM MY STANDPOINT OF LOOKING AT THIS, WHEN I SEE A LARGER CLASS SIZE, I WORRY ABOUT, NOT THAT OUR TEACHERS AREN'T ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, TEACH THAT MANY STUDENTS, BUT WHAT ARE, HOW ELSE ARE WE ARM? ARE WE, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING THEM AND HELPING THEM TO KEEP ORDER IN THE CLASSROOM SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO KEEP, TO TEACH THAT MANY, I, UM, I'M LOOK THINKING ABOUT STUDENT IN INSTANCES WHERE, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS MIGHT BE CALLING OUT OR DISRUPTING, OR HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING OUR, OUR TEACHERS SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THIS CONSTANT INTERRUPTION WITH A LARGER CLASSROOM AND CAN TEACH, YOU KNOW, A MORE STUDENTS, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THAT THERE'S MORE STUDENTS, BUT IF THE STUDENTS ARE MORE DISRUPTIVE THAN, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER STUDENTS.
I THINK I SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING.
YEAH, I THINK I SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PRIORITIES IS SAFETY AND CLIMATE.
AND SO, UM, WE ARE REALLY WORKING IN EARNEST TO PROVIDE THAT TRAINING THAT'S NECESSARY TO OUR SCHOOL SAFETY ASSISTANCE.
THEY'RE BEING MOVED OVER 'CAUSE THE GRANTS ARE ENDING TO THE OPERATING BUDGET, UM, TO OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN PARTICULAR.
SO THERE ARE A CADRE OF PEOPLE WHO CAN RESPOND, UM, TO THE NEEDS AS THE TEACHERS HAVE THEM.
BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF PROACTIVE WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, MAKING SURE THAT OUR CODE OF CONDUCT IS UPDATED, UH, BASED ON WHAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING ACTUALLY AS NEEDS IN SCHOOLS, MAKING SURE THAT WHEN AN INCIDENT HAPPENS THAT WE RESPOND SWIFTLY AND THAT WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THE CODE OF CONDUCT AS WRITTEN, UM, SHARING REGULAR REMINDERS WITH OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT OUR, UM, EXPECTATIONS.
UH, BUT WE ALSO ARE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO OUR STUDENTS, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, EVERYTHING FROM, UM, ADDITIONAL, UH, ACADEMIC SUPPORT TO ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS TO ADDITIONAL, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EIGHT POSITIONS IN THE BUDGET, SPECIFICALLY AROUND EXPANDING OFFERINGS FOR OUR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, UM, IN THE VIRTUAL ACADEMY.
AND SO I THINK WE HAVE A VARIETY OF WAYS THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THIS.
THIS IS NOT JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE THING THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, TO ADDRESS THAT, BUT OVERALL, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT HIGH QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING GOING ON IN THE CLASSROOM THAT REALLY HELPS TO KEEP STUDENTS ENGAGED.
AND PART OF THAT IS INVESTING IN OUR TEACHERS AND OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS WITH THAT ROBUST PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THEM, UM, THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR TO MEET THEIR NEEDS SO WE CAN, UM, YOU KNOW, ENGAGE OUR
[01:50:01]
STUDENTS AND THEN RESPOND, UH, QUICKLY, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN, UH, OR IF THERE IS A SITUATION IN A CLASSROOM.AND WE'LL ALSO NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR ELEMENTARY, WE WANT THOSE, UH, NUMBERS, UM, TO BE REDUCED SO THAT WE CAN REALLY MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS EARLY ON.
UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S ALSO RESEARCH AROUND STUDENTS THAT ARE ENGAGED, UM, IF STUDENTS THAT ARE MEETING WITH SUCCESS THAT, UH, YOU TEND TO SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, CORRELATION, UH, WITH POSITIVE, UH, BEHAVIOR AND POSITIVE SUCCESS IN SCHOOL.
UM, AND SO WE, WE WANNA ADDRESS, UH, THOSE CONCERNS IN, IN THAT REGARD AS WELL.
UH, JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP OR BE MORE CLEAR.
SO IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, ENHANCING THE STUDENT SAFETY ASSISTANCE, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, UPDATING OUR STUDENT HANDBOOK POLICY MAKING, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS, STAFF, STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS, MAKE THEM CLEAR, KNOWN, YOU KNOW, OF THE, YOU KNOW, WHEN AN INCIDENT OCCURS, THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE ENFORCING THOSE AGAIN OR ENFORCING THEM, PERIOD.
AND WE, AND WE'VE TRIED TO, UM, SHARE REGULAR REMINDERS WITH OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE IN SCHOOL, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. JONES, UM, YOU KNOW, DR. LEWIS AND, UH, TEAM, WE WORK TOGETHER WITH OUR, UH, YOU KNOW, SROS, OUR CHIEF POLICE, OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE, VERY, UM, UH, STRONG RELATIONSHIPS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONDING, UH, SWIFTLY AND WE'RE HOLDING EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE TO CONTRIBUTING, UM, TO A, UH, YOU KNOW, A, UH, ENVIRONMENT THAT IS CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING.
AND, AND I JUST WANNA ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT CLASS SIZE REDUCTION, AND I'M ALL FOR THAT.
WE ALL KNOW THAT, UM, STUDENTS PERFORM BETTER WITH SMALLER CLASSES, BUT TO TRULY GET AT THE SIZE OF THE CLASS SIZE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A TRUE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, IT'S GONNA TAKE MAJOR SHIFTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR BOUNDARIES AND THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WE HAVE TO TEACH CERTAIN, UM, SECTIONS.
AND SO WHILE THIS FY 25 BUDGET, I GET IT, WE HAD, WE'RE ADDING A STUDENT OR TWO TO, TO CERTAIN CLASSES, WE NEED TO UNDERTAKE THE IDEA OF REDUCING CLASS SIZE HOLISTICALLY AND REALLY LOOK AT WHAT'S CAUSING THESE INCREASES IN CLASS SIZE.
AND IT'S BEYOND JUST THE SCOPE OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE NEED TO TRULY ENGAGE STATE LAWMAKERS AND LOCAL LAWMAKERS, UM, AROUND THESE BOUNDARIES AND AROUND IMPACT FEES AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT IMPACT, DIRECTLY IMPACT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO I GET IT, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS FY 2025 BUDGET AS IF THAT'S IT.
UM, AND TRULY TO GET AT THE CLASS SIZE ISSUE, IT'S A MUCH BIGGER DISCUSSION, AND WE NEED A LOT MORE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE.
THIS BUDGET ISN'T GOING TO DO IT.
IT'S GONNA TAKE A MUCH BIGGER, UM, MUCH BIGGER VIEW AND A LOT MORE PEOPLE AND SOME MODIFICATIONS IN OUR LEGISLATIVE PROCESS AND HOW FUNDS ARE BEING COLLECTED.
SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE AS WELL.
SO I WILL GO TO MS. HI, MS. HEN NEXT.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR REMARKS.
I APPRECIATE YOU PROVIDING THE CONTEXT SO THAT OUR STAKEHOLDERS UNDERSTAND JUST HOW COMPLEX THIS IS.
RIGHT? THERE ARE TWO CLASS SIZES WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
ONE IS THE REALISTIC CLASS SIZE VERSUS OUR GOAL CLASS SIZES, AND OUR GOALS WON'T BE MET IN ONE YEAR.
I AGREE WITH YOU ON ALL OF THE POINTS YOU JUST MENTIONED.
MY QUESTION FOR DR. ROGERS AND DR. ROGERS, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION IS WHERE CAN THE PUBLIC, UM, FIND OUR TARGET CLASS SIZES FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR? UM, PREVIOUSLY THOSE WERE ON, WELL, THEY'RE PUBLISHED ON PAGE 1 25 OF THE SCHOOL STAFFING ALLOCATION RATIOS, AND THERE WAS A FORMULA THAT WAS EASILY UNDERSTOOD ON HOW TO CALCULATE IT AND SET EXPECTATIONS.
NOT THAT WE DON'T SEE VARIANCE IN THAT, IN THOSE NUMBERS, WE DO, AND YOU'VE EXPLAINED VERY ELOQUENTLY JUST HOW COMPLEX THE SCHEDULING PROCESS IS, BUT WHERE CAN THE PUBLIC FIND WHAT THOSE RANGES COULD LOOK LIKE IF THEY WANNA UNDERSTAND ANY OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS, WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW STAFFING ALLOCATIONS WERE DETERMINED AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF NUMBERS OF CLASS SIZES, UM, FOR EACH LEVEL.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR, UM, I, I THINK, UH, IN THE BUDGET BOOK, UH, THERE IS A CHART, UH, IN SCHOOLS THAT GOES BY LEVEL TO IDENTIFY HOW STAFFING ALLOCATIONS WERE MADE.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, PRE-K IS 20 TO ONE.
UM, KINDERGARTEN IS I THINK 22 TO ONE, AND THEN YOU GET TO, UH, YOU KNOW, FIRST TO FIRST AND SECOND GRADE, AND THEN THIRD TO FIFTH GRADE, UH,
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WHERE WE'VE REDUCED FROM 25 TO 24 FOR HIGH SCHOOL.UH, THOSE NUMBERS, UH, AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ARE, THOSE NUMBERS ARE, ARE IN THAT, UM, SAME CHART AS I'VE, UH, SHARED HERE.
SO THE, UH, FORMULA OF 1.4 AND 1.3, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE HAVE SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT.
UH, AGAIN, I THINK THE, UH, CHALLENGES, UH, THAT I'VE SHARED ARE, WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS, WE LOOK AT ONLY ONE BOX WHEN THERE ARE MANY MORE STAFF MEMBERS, UM, WHO CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE MASTER SCHEDULE.
AND WE'RE REDUCING THAT VARIABILITY, UH, THIS UPCOMING YEAR.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT, BECAUSE WE RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TYPES OF FEEDBACK AROUND, UH, THE BUDGET BOOK, UH, ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS CLEAR COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING, AND WE DON'T, UH, EITHER, UH, YOU KNOW, IN ANY WAY INADVERTENTLY PUT OUT INFORMATION THAT IS CONFUSING, UH, FOR MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS TO UNDERSTAND.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE SO COMMITTED TO HAVING THIS OPEN, ONGOING CONVERSATION TO WORK TOGETHER STEP BY STEP FOR THERE NOT TO BE ANY SURPRISES.
AND SO ONE OF OUR LEARNINGS AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IS FOR US TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, ANY PUBLICATION THAT WE PUT OUT THERE, PARTICULARLY MASSIVE PUBLICATIONS, TO DETERMINE OUR ABILITY TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS A PROCESS ANNUALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED, UM, IS ACCURATE.
WE ARE LOOKING AT OTHER LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, WHAT ARE THEIR PRACTICES? AND WE'RE REALLY GOING TO GO OUT AND ASK ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE THE MOST SENSE TO THEM, WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE MOST USER FRIENDLY? HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY AS A PART OF OUR NEW PROCESSES SO THEY CAN HAVE UPTODATE ACCURATE REPORTING? AND I'M ALSO VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA SEE, UH, COMING SOON, STARTING WITH FY 25, IS GOING TO BE, UM, SORT OF A SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE PEOPLE WONDERING, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, RUMORS FLOATING.
WE ARE GOING TO REPORT, HERE ARE OUR SCHOOLS, HERE'S WHAT STAFFING LOOKS LIKE, HERE'S WHAT THE CLASS SIZES ARE, HERE ARE THE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS. UM, AND BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT ELECTRONICALLY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, CHANGES AND UPDATES IN REAL TIME.
AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THE INFORMATION THAT THE, THAT, UM, OUR COMMUNITIES NEED IS, UM, EXTREMELY, UM, AVAILABLE TO THEM.
UH, BECAUSE WE STRONGLY BELIEVE IN MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
WE ALL HAVE SERIOUS WORK TO DO ON BEHALF OF 111,000 PLUS STUDENTS WHO ARE COUNTING US EACH AND EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND OUR 9,000 TEACHERS AND OTHER, UM, 11,000 STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE COUNTING ON US TO GET IT RIGHT.
UH, WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS WE ARE WILLING, ABLE, AND OPEN, UH, TO PEOPLE ASKING THE QUESTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF OUR WORK IS TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE DO TO DEVELOP THAT COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING.
AND THE SAME WAY THAT WE MET WITH TABCO, WE MEET WITH OTHER GROUPS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UH, I WOULD MUCH PREFER THAT PEOPLE REACH OUT AND ASK THE QUESTION FOR US TO IDENTIFY EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT ARE, YOU KNOW, IF WE NEED TO TAKE CORRECTIVE STEPS THAT WE DO THAT, UH, AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, UM, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING OR GETTING THEIR INFORMATION FROM PLACES THAT ARE NOT, UM, DIRECTLY FROM TEAM VCPS.
SO IF THERE'S A MESSAGE THAT I CAN SHARE WITH OUR COMMUNITY THAT WOULD BE TO REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY, WE, UM, ENCOURAGE, UM, FOR THEM TO REACH OUT TO US.
WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT, UH, WHAT THEY, UH, CAN LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IN FY 25 AND ARE DEFINITELY COMMITTED TO THIS WORK, OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION, AND I'M EXCITED TOO BY WHAT YOU SHARED WITH, UM, THE DATA DASHBOARDS OR WHATEVER FORM THAT TAKES.
THAT'S, THAT'S EXCITING BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THAT INFORMATION WILL BE DIRECTLY AVAILABLE FROM THE SOURCE, LIKE YOU SAID, AND I ALWAYS TRY TO DIRECT MY CONSTITUENTS TO THE SOURCE AND TO GET THEIR INFORMATION.
SO MY QUESTION THOUGH, AND I HEARD MADAME CHAIR SAY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT BOARD MEMBERS ASK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THIS, IS IF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE BUDGET BOOK ON 1 25 IS NOT ACCURATE, WHERE CAN I DIRECT MY CONSTITUENTS TODAY AND STAKEHOLDERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE STAFFING ALLOCATIONS WERE DETERMINED AND WHAT EFFECT THAT WILL HAVE ON CLASS SIZE, EVEN IF IT'S A RANGE? I UNDERSTAND WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE EXACT NUMBERS, BUT IF THE BOARD'S MAKING A DECISION ON THIS BUDGET, IT'S CRITICAL FOR US, US TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THESE DECISIONS AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME HARD DATA TO BACK IT UP WITH.
I APPRECIATE THAT IT'S COMPLEX, BUT IT STILL FEELS EXTREMELY INTANGIBLE IN TERMS OF WRAPPING OUR HEADS AROUND WHAT IS THIS GOING TO LOOK LIKE NEXT YEAR IF WE APPROVE THIS BUDGET?
[02:00:01]
CAN YOU PROVIDE US WITH SOME GUIDANCE ON WHERE WE CAN LOOK FOR THOSE NUMBERS AND WHERE WE SHOULD DIRECT OUR STAKEHOLDERS? YES.I'M GONNA TRY TO ANSWER IT A DIFFERENT, UH, WAY.
SO ON PAGE 1 25, WHEN YOU LOOK AT ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND, UM, HIGH SCHOOL, THERE ARE SPECIFIC NUMBERS THERE THAT ARE TARGETED.
UH, FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IT'S VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
WE'RE ADDING ADDITIONAL SPECIAL AREA TEACHERS SO THAT, UH, WILL ADDRESS, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FLUCTUATIONS THAT WE SEE IN THOSE SPECIAL AREAS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, IT IS CORRECT THAT WE HAVE ALLOCATED 19, UH, WE HAVE ALLOCATED 22 AND 23 RESPECTIVELY FOR, UH, BASED ON THE SPECIFIC ENROLLMENT, UH, AS WE SHARED, IF IT'S A SCHOOL WITH, UH, TRANSIENT POPULATION, TRANSIENT, UH, ENROLLMENT, WE'VE USED THE LARGER NUMBER BETWEEN PROJECTED AND ACTUAL.
AND SO, UH, THAT IS HOW STAFFING, UH, WAS ALLOCATED TO SCHOOLS.
THERE, THERE'S NOTHING, UH, THAT VARIES FROM THAT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PROVIDING ADDITIONAL STAFFING IN OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITABLE RESOURCE ALLOCATION.
WHEN WE SEE A SCHOOL, UH, HAS HAD, YOU KNOW, UH, GREATER INFRACTIONS AND THEY HAVE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL, UM, STAFFING PERHAPS, UH, MTSS STAFFING OR COUNSELING STAFFING THAT HAS BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR BASED ON OUR SPECIFIC, UH, STUDENT DATA.
UM, AND, AND SO WHAT I CAN, UH, SAY TO YOU, THE 1.4 AND THE 1.3 FORMULA, I CAN'T SPEAK TO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE VESTIGES OF THAT AND HOW THAT CAME TO BE.
UH, AT, WHEN I DO STAFFING ALLOCATIONS, I START WITH THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
I START WITH THE NUMBER OF COURSES EACH STUDENT TAKES.
I MULTIPLY THAT, AND THEN I IDENTIFY THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS THAT ARE NEEDED IN A BUILDING, AND THEN I SUPERIMPOSE UPON THAT THE ALLOCATION THAT I PROVIDE.
UM, THAT IS NOT HOW HISTORICALLY, UH, ALLOCATIONS WERE SHARED IN THE, UH, BUDGET BOOK.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY TO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THE INFORMATION IN THE BUDGET BOOK, UH, REGARDING HOW STAFFING WAS ALLOCATED IS ABSOLUTELY, UM, CORRECT.
UM, AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS YOU CAN'T TAKE THOSE NUMBERS AND APPLY THEM TO WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN FY 24 TO MAKE A NEW NUMBER FOR FY 25.
UM, IN SEVERAL OF THE SLIDES, I'VE TRIED TO SHOW SPECIFIC POSITIONS WHERE YOU HAVE, UM, CLASSROOM CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN THE BUILDING AND POTENTIAL SECTIONS TO BE ADDED TO THE MASTER SCHEDULE, ALL WHICH HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON CLASS SIZE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE GUIDANCE FOR FY 25 FOR MAGNET COORDINATORS, WE HAVE 0.5 TEACHING RESPONSIBILITY IS THE EXPECTATION.
SO THERE IS NO LONGER ANY VARIABILITY.
SO THIS MEANS THAT A MAGNET COORDINATOR IS TEACHING THREE ADDITIONAL SECTIONS.
SO IF FOR FY 24, THEY WERE NOT TEACHING, NOW THERE'S THREE ADDITIONAL SECTIONS AS TO ADDED TO THE MASTER SCHEDULE, WHERE THOSE ARE THREE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR AT LEAST ON AVERAGE 75 STUDENTS TO HAVE ACCESS TO CLASSES.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO LAYER THAT ONTO ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SQUARES THAT I SHOWED, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AVID, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, TITLE ONE FUNDED POSITIONS, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ESOL POSITIONS, WHERE ESOL TEACHERS TEACH OUR STUDENTS DIRECTLY, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, UM, WHO TEACH OUR STUDENTS.
AND SO YOU, YOU, UM, SIMPLY CANNOT TAKE WHAT WE DID IN FY 24 AND APPLY IT TO FY 25 BECAUSE WE ARE CHANGING OUR PRACTICES AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO HELPING OUR PRINCIPALS TO DO THAT WORK AND OUR MASTER SCHEDULERS, AND WE'RE GONNA HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO DOING WHAT IS RIGHT FOR OUR STUDENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT, I JUST HAVE A VERY BRIEF FOLLOW UP.
UM, MADAM CHAIR, IT SOUNDS AS IF EACH SCHOOL'S NUMBER IS UNIQUE TO THAT, UM, SCHOOL'S POPULATION AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION TO DERIVE THE CLASS SIZES BECAUSE IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
IT, WOULD THAT BE AN ACCURATE STATEMENT, DR. ROGERS? I, I WOULDN'T SAY IT LIKE THAT.
UM, I WOULD SAY THAT WHEN YOU CREATE A MASTER SCHEDULE, PARTICULARLY FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, UM, THERE HAS TO BE A LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY THAT EXISTS.
THERE ARE, UM, SEVERAL PARAMETERS THAT REQUIRE SOME CLASSES TO BE SMALLER, SOME CLASSES TO BE LARGER.
HOWEVER, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A STANDARD, UM, ONE SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO GO IN INTO AN ENGLISH CLASS, UM, ACROSS ANY SCHOOL IN TEAM BCPS AND FIND, UH, 35, 40 STUDENTS IN THAT CLASS.
[02:05:01]
UM, WE ARE, UH, WE HAVE A FORMULA WHEREBY WE ALLOCATE STAFF.UH, WE'RE GONNA BE VERY, WE HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR ON WHAT WE EXPECT TO SEE IN TERMS OF MAXIMIZING THAT STAFFING.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE TAKING REPORTS TO SEE HOW SCHOOLS ARE DOING, AND I WILL BE SHARING REPORTS WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MOVING FORWARD ON OUR UNDERSIZED AND OVERSIZED, UH, CLASSES IN OUR BUILDING.
AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY AND ACCURATELY TO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, MEMBERS OF A SCHOOL WHEN THERE ARE SMALLER CLASS SIZES, WHAT THAT REASONING IS, AND WHEN THERE ARE LARGER CLASS SIZES, WHAT THAT REASONING, UM, IS.
BUT IT, BUT IT'S NOT, UM, ALL, YOU KNOW, FLEXIBLE AND, YOU KNOW, THE BUILDING LEVEL, UM, DECISION THAT THERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES AND SOME PARAMETERS, UH, WHERE THERE ARE SOME SPACES WHERE IT'S EXPECTED TO BE LARGER.
YOU KNOW, MY PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES TYPICALLY ARE LARGER THAN YOUR ENGLISH CLASSES OR YOUR SCIENCE CLASSES WHERE YOU HAVE LABS AND, UM, SAFETY, UH, CONSTRAINTS AROUND SPACE.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY THANK I WAS ASKING.
THANK YOU, MS. HEN, MADAM CHAIR, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON.
CHAIR, YOU WERE BEHIND IN THE AGENDA, UH, MS. HEN, AND SO WE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION.
DR. ROGERS TER, YOU CAN, UM, YOU CAN, YOU CAN, YOU CAN ASK YOUR QUESTION, THOSE STANDARDS.
DR. ROGERS, YOU ANSWERED MY, AND SO MS. LICHTER, YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR QUESTION JUST VERY QUICKLY.
I JUST DON'T WANT US TO LOSE THE FACT THAT WHILE WE MAY HAVE INCREASED CLASS SIZES AND MIDDLE AND HIGH, WHAT YOU'VE TRIED TO DO FOR ELEMENTARY, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT SIZE CLASSES, UM, AND THEY'RE GETTING THE SUPPORT THEY NEED, BECAUSE EVERY YEAR THAT A CHILD PROGRESSES FROM GRADE TO GRADE, BELOW GRADE LEVEL, WHETHER IT'S READING, MATH OR ANY CONTENT AREA, THE GAP JUST WIDENS.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE INCREASE IN SECONDARY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE TRIED TO PLACE IN THE BUDGET FOR OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, UM, IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET US ON THE RIGHT START AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO MORE OF A COMMENT THAN A QUESTION.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT.
OUR MIDDLE, OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN PARTICULAR HAVE BEEN TOO LARGE FOR TOO LONG.
AND SO TO YOUR POINT, WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO RIGHTSIZE THAT AND TAKE CARE OF OUR STUDENTS AT THE FOUNDATIONAL LEVELS.
[G. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:35 - 7:40 p.m.)]
THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT.AND SINCE MY LAST REPORT, MEMBERS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, WE HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED AROUND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE'VE CONDUCTED SCHOOL VISITS TO EXPERIENCE THE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS.
WE'VE PROVIDED TESTIMONIES IN SUPPORT OF BILLS.
WE'VE PARTICIPATED ON A PANEL TO DISCUSS CIVIC EDUCATION.
WE'VE ATTENDED PTA MEETINGS AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY THE ALL COUNTY JAZZ PERFORMANCE DIRECTED BY MR. MCFALL AND DR.
WE ALSO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING THE BATTLE OF LIBERTY ROAD, WHERE PRINCIPALS FROM WINDSOR MILL MIDDLE SCHOOL, DEER PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND RANDALLSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, SHOWCASE THE EXCEPTIONAL MUSICAL AND ATHLETIC TALENTS OF OUR STUDENTS, WHICH TRULY FOSTERED COMMUNITY PRIDE.
OUR BOARD REMAINS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WE UTILIZE THESE INSIGHTS, UM, FROM THE COMMUNITY TO INFORM OUR GOVERNANCE DECISION.
AND WE KNOW THAT A KEY GOVERNANCE DECISION PERTAINS TO THE FY 25 BUDGET.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF MISINFORMATION AND DOCTOR DOCUMENTS CIRCULATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT THE BUDGET.
I ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUDGET FROM PRIMARY SOURCES, UM, SUCH AS THE OFFICIAL BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEBSITE, AND NOT FROM PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES THAT MAY BE RIDDLED WITH INACCURACIES AND DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE BOARD.
SUCH MISINFORMATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS NOT ONLY DISTRACTS FROM THE CORE MISSION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, BUT IT ALSO DETRIMENTALLY AFFECTS OUR STUDENTS.
ONE PREVALENT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION IS CLASS SIZES.
AND WE SAW THAT TODAY, JUST WE, WE'VE HAD THIS ROBUST CONVERSATION ABOUT CLASS SIZES, AND I WANNA BE CLEAR ON WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT CLASS SIZES, THAT YOU NEED A CLASS SIZE BETWEEN 13 AND 17 STUDENTS, COUPLED WITH A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHER TO HAVE MEASURABLE IMPACTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
WE NEED CLASS SIZES THAT ARE 13 TO 17 STUDENTS ACHIEVING THIS OPTIMAL CLASS SIZE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY WOULD NECESSITATE SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, STAFFING AND SCHEDULING, AND IT WILL REQUIRE MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BEYOND WHAT IS IN OUR FY 25 BUDGET.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO IMPLEMENTING A RESEARCH INFORMED,
[02:10:01]
RESEARCH INFORMED PRACTICES THAT MOVE TEACHING AND LEARNING FORWARD IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, THAT ARE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND THAT ARE PRACTICAL FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE CLASS SIZES THAT ARE 13 TO 17 STUDENTS.
WE'RE NOT THERE YET IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS LAY THE FOUNDATION SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION.
IF WE CONTINUE TO DO THINGS THE WAY THAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, WE'RE GONNA KEEP GETTING THE SAME RESULTS.
THIS BUDGET REFLECTS A NEW DAY.
IT REFLECTS A REVISED DIRECTION.
IT RE REFLECTS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
WE MUST DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, AND THIS BUDGET BEGINS TO SHIFT HOW WE ARE DOING THINGS.
WE ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOL, THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH US THROUGH PUBLIC COMMENTS, THROUGH THE BOARD EMAILS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS.
YOUR ENGAGEMENT AND FEEDBACK IS INVALUABLE AS WE NAVIGATE THE CHALLENGES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD IN SHAPING THE EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPE FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY.
I THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR RESPONDING TO THE COUNTLESS EMAILS FOR, UM, AND FOR ALSO PROVIDING THIS THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
I ALSO THANK ALL OF HER STAFF FOR HAVING TO, FOR THE DISTRACTIONS THAT HAPPENED, UM, WHEN, WHEN CERTAIN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS OCCUR, AND THEN NOW THEY HAVE TO PULL THEIR ATTENTION TO ADDRESS THIS SO THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAVE HAS THE CORRECT INFORMATION.
UM, AND I THINK ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND, UM, AND THE SCHOOL STAFF FOR REALLY STICKING WITH US THROUGH THIS PROCESS, IT IS A $85 MILLION SHORTFALL THAT THE, THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAD TO FILL.
UM, AND SO THIS BUDGET REPRESENTS THE MOST FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE USE OF THE FUNDS THAT'S IN ALIGNMENT WITH, NOT ONLY WITH BLUEPRINT FOR MARILYN'S FUTURE THAT REQUIRES MORE TEACHERS TO TEACH IN THE CLASSROOM.
YOU EVEN LOOK AT THE LAW AND THERE'S, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S THINGS IN THERE ABOUT THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL HAVING MORE OF A DEPARTMENT CHAIR ROLE AND, AND ALL THAT.
SO WE ARE MOVING ALONG THE LINES TO, TO MEET STATE LAW REQUIREMENTS WHILE DEALING WITH THIS FISCAL CLIFF.
SO I JUST WANTED TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT THAT IN MY CHAIR'S REPORT, UH, TONIGHT AND NEXT, I'M
[H. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:40 - 7:45 p.m.)]
GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD, MISS DRUMMOND.I WANTED TO START OFF BY INFORMING YOU ALL THAT WE ARE NOW IN THE CANDIDATE STAGE OF CHOOSING THE NEXT STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD FOR 20 24, 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, SO MAKE SURE TO STAY UPDATED.
IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, I HAVE VISITED A PLETHORA OF SCHOOLS, UM, RED HOUSE RUN ELEMENTARY STEMS, RUN, MIDDLE RIVER, DEEP CREEK, HEREFORD SOUTHWEST ACADEMY, AND WOODLAWN MIDDLES, AND THEN HEREFORD AND WOODLAWN HIGHS.
THROUGHOUT THESE SCHOOL VISITS, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TOUR AND MEET WITH SO MANY AMAZING STUDENTS.
SOME OF THE COMMON, COMMON TOPICS BROUGHT UP HAVE BEEN SAFETY AND CLIMATE, STUDENT FACULTY, RELATIONSHIPS, AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES SPREAD THROUGHOUT ALL BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS.
I HAD WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY, I HAD A VERY ENGAGING CONVERSATION WITH A GROUP OF HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENTS WHO WERE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT HIGHLIGHTING THE POSITIVES IN SCHOOLS.
JUST AS MUCH AS, AS THE NEGATIVES ARE THROUGHOUT THE MEDIA.
SO MANY SCHOOLS OBTAIN NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE, BECAUSE THEIR AMAZING STUDENTS ARE NOT BEING SHOWCASED.
I CAN'T WAIT TO VISIT MORE SCHOOLS AND BRING STUDENTS' VOICES TO LIFE.
[I. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (7:45 - 7:50 p.m.)]
AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONSIDERATION OF BOARD POLICIES.THIS IS THE SECOND READER FOR THESE POLICIES, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. CHRISTINA HUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE, ASK THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, BOARD POLICY 35 20 MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS BOARD POLICY 35 33 RESTITUTION FOR VANDALISM AND BOARD POLICY 36 20 INVENTORIES.
THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBIT I ONE THROUGH I THREE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD BOARD'S POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES 3 5 2 0 3 5 3 2 AND 3 6 2 0.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COME FROM THE COMMITTEE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE.
[02:15:01]
MS. DRUMMOND? YES.[J. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - NAMING OF THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL (Dr. Jones, Dr. Grim, and Ms. Santos) (7:50 - 7:55 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS NAMING OF THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. JONES, DR.
GOOD EVENING, BOARD CHAIR DWYER, BOARD CHAIR, UH, BOOKER DWYER AND, UM, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY.
I AM HERE TO, UM, PRESENT OR SHARE INFORMATION AROUND THE NAMING OF THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND AS WE, UM, AS WE KNOW, THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM, IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN BEGINNING, UM, NEXT SCHOOL YEAR 24, 25 BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY AND SUPERINTENDENTS RULE 75 20 ADDRESSES THE NAMING OF THE NEW SCHOOL.
TWO SURVEYS ON THE NAMING OF THE SCHOOL TOOK PLACE PREVIOUSLY.
THE FIRST ONE WAS NOVEMBER 6TH, 2023.
AND INCLUDED OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS FOR STAKEHOLDERS IN LINE WITH POLICY 75 20.
THE FIRST SURVEY YIELDED TWO RECOMMENDATIONS, NORTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL AND NOTTINGHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THE SECOND SURVEY WAS AVAILABLE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH, 2023 THROUGH DECEMBER 12TH.
BASED ON THE RESULTS FROM THE SECOND SURVEY, A RECOMMENDATION IS BEING MADE TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO NAME THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.
NOTTINGHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL PUBLIC COMMENT WAS ALSO SOLICITED DURING THE BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2024.
AND THE BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE THIS EVENING ON THE RECOMMENDED SCHOOL NAME AT, UM, THIS BOARD MEETING.
BOARD MEMBERS, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE NAME OF NOTTINGHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THE NEW NORTHEAST AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL.
MS. HEN, MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND HUMPHREY, ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE.
MS. MS. WAIT, MS. LESKI, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I JUST HAD A VERY QUICK COMMENT.
I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE NAME OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS EITHER AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING OR THE TIME BEFORE THAT.
FA, UH, FARONE BROUGHT UP, UM, WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A REALLY GOOD POINT ABOUT USING HISTORICAL NAMES FOR SCHOOLS SO THAT WE CAN INFUSE SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT OR WEAVING IN, UM, SOME HISTORY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF THROW THAT OUT THERE FOR THE FUTURE THAT, UM, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA SUPPORT IS MAYBE A BENJAMIN BANNOCK OR MIDDLE SCHOOL OR, UM, A SCHOOL NAME WITH A HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE SO THAT WE CAN INFUSE THAT.
BUT OF COURSE, I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE NAMING OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TONIGHT.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. HAMMOND? YES.
[K. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (7:55 - 8:00 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN IN SESSION, ENCLOSED SESSION.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. BURNS.
UM, IN RE UH, RECENTLY THE BOARD IS CONSIDERED TWO, UH, APPEALS.
THE FIRST WAS A DISCIPLINE APPEAL, UH, NUMBER SD 2 2 0 2 3 2 0 2 4 DASH FIVE, UM, IN WHICH HE REFERRED THE MATTER TO A HEARING EXAMINER WHO RECOMMENDED ACTION BY THE BOARD, WHICH THE BOARD TOOK NOW WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR THE BOARD TO AFFIRM THAT ACTION THAT IT TOOK IN CLOSED SESSION.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO AFFIRM THE ACTION TAKEN DURING CLOSED SESSION ON HEARING EXAMINER'S CASE SD 20 23, 20 24 DASH ZERO FIVE AND ON CASE E 23 DASH 37, IN WHICH ORAL ARGUMENT WAS HEARD AND AUTHORIZED AND AUTHORIZED MS. GOR TO SIGN FOR BOARD MEMBERS.
SO, HARVEY, IS THERE A SECOND? DOKI ANY DISCUSSION? UH, I APOLOGIZE.
I'M NOT SURE IF I SHOULD HAVE SAID THIS PRIOR TO THE MOTION.
I, UM, CAN WE SEPARATE THESE TWO CASES BEFORE VOTING? THAT WAS, THAT WAS WHAT I PLANNED TO DO.
I JUST HEARD THAT I HEARD, UM, THE MOTION.
I MEAN, I HEARD, UM, MADAM CHAIR'S OR ORAL ARGUMENT WAS REFERENCED.
I WOULD RECOMMEND MADAM CHAIR THAT WE SEPARATE THEM JUST BECAUSE THE, THE CASE IS PROCEEDED IN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TRACKS.
[02:20:01]
AMEND THE MOTION.MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO AFFIRM THE ACTION TAKEN DURING CLOSED SESSION ON HEARING EXAMINER'S CASE SD 2 23 DASH 24 DASH FIVE? SO MOVE KY.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM PAUL? SECOND.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. HAN? YES.
SO THAT WAS ON THE AMENDED MOTION.
SO DO I NEED TO DO A MOTION NOW FOR THE, TO ACTUALLY AFFIRM IT OR IS THAT WE, DID WE COVER IT? YOU JUST AMENDED YOUR MOTION.
SO NOW JUST A MOTION TO, UH, AFFIRM THE ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION ON THAT CASE.
SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO AFFIRM THE ACTION TAKEN DURING CLOSED SESSION ON THE HEARING'S ON THE HEARING EXAMINER'S CASE SD 2023.
AND AUTHORIZED MS. GO TO SIGN FOR BOARD MEMBERS.
MCMILLION, ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL THOUGH? MS. HE? YES.
SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO AFFIRM THE ACTION TAKEN DURING CLOSE SESSION ON CASE E 23 DASH THREE SEVEN IN WHICH ORAL ARGUMENT WAS HEARD AND AUTHORIZED MS. GOLD TO SIGN FOR BOARD MEMBERS? SO, MOVE KY.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND S BOY.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE.
[L. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Mr. Hartlove and Mr. Dixit) (8:00 - 8:10 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS CONTRACT AWARDS.AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. HARVEY CHAIR OF THE BUILDINGS AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE.
I'M SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY.
MEMBERS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, 2024.
ITEMS L ONE THROUGH L 13 WERE FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING CONTRACTS WILL BE SEPARATED FROM THE VOTE FOR ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION.
ITEM L ONE MWE DASH 8 0 3 DASH 24 SERVICES.
TO SUPPORT MATH TUTORING CORE GRANT ITEM L FOUR COH 9 0 0 DASH 24 APPRENTICE PROGRAM, MASTER OF EDUCATION AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SECONDARY ITEM L FIVE CH DASH 9 0 1 DASH 24 OPEN COURSE COHORT.
COHORT AA DEGREES FOR BCPS EMPLOYEES AND ITEM L DASH SIX GDA DASH 3 0 0 DASH 24 NETWORK AND WIRELESS UPGRADE.
[02:25:02]
OKAY, SO WE'RE PULLING ALL THE ITEMS WE'RE, WE ARE SEPARATING OUT ITEMS L DASH ONE, L DASH FOUR, L DASH FIVE, AND L DASH SIX.SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS L DASH TWO THROUGH L DASH TWO L DASH THREE AND L DASH SEVEN THROUGH L DASH 13.
MOVED MS. HE OKAY, NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. HAM? YES.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS SPECIAL PROJECT REQUEST.
MAY WE DISCUSS THE ITEMS THAT WERE SEPARATED OUT THE CONTRACTS? YES, WE CAN.
SO LET'S DISCUSS L ONE, L FOUR, L FIVE, AND L SIX.
UM, DO WE WANNA, WE CAN, SO LET'S, LET'S, LET'S OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION.
MADAM CHAIR, I BELIEVE WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE EACH ITEM BEFORE WE OPEN IT FOR DISCUSSION.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM, ITEM L ONE SERVICES TO SUPPORT MATH TUTORING CORPS GRANT.
SO MOVED FROM PAUL, NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION? MS. ONG? THANK YOU.
UM, I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS, UM, CONTRACT AS FAR AS, UM, HOW THE SCHOOLS OR STUDENTS ARE DETERMINED AND IDENTIFIED, UM, THAT ARE GONNA RECEIVE THIS ADDITIONAL MATH TUTORING.
AND IS IT ONLY GONNA BE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS AT THAT SCHOOL OR ARE STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS ABLE TO, UH, PARTICIPATE? GOOD EVENING.
UM, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
DITO, IS IT OKAY WITH YOU IF I START? YES, GO AHEAD.
AS I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH MY CAMERA RIGHT NOW.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, MS. FONG.
UM, THIS GRANT IS PART OF THE MARYLAND MATH TUTORING GRANT OPPORTUNITY THAT WAS OFFERED TO LEAS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND YOU MAY REMEMBER FROM THE FALL WE WERE VERY PROUD TO BE ONE OF ONLY THREE LEAS IN THE STATE THAT WERE AWARDED THE GRANT.
BUT THE PURPOSE OF THE GRANT FUNDS IS TO PROVIDE STARTUP MONEY, IF YOU WILL, TO CREATE AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LONG TERM IN SCHOOL TUTORING PROGRAM.
AND SO THE FIRST, UM, YEAR OF THE GRANT THIS YEAR, THE STARTING PLACE IS JUST ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE ARE WORKING WITH PARTNERS AND INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO ACTUALLY CREATE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SELECT THE STARTING SCHOOL.
WE USED, UM, SYSTEM LEVEL DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES, INCLUDING OUR MCAP DATA AS WELL AS MAP DATA.
UM, AND WE IDENTIFIED THE STARTING SCHOOL, UM, IS WOODLAWN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WE ALSO IDENTIFIED THAT SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY TO UMBC, WHICH IS OUR IHE, OUR INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNER AND WHERE OUR TUTORS WILL BE COMING FROM.
AND THAT WAS A PART OF THAT PARTNERSHIP.
AND A PART OF THE EXPECTATION OF THE GRANT WAS TO PARTNER WITH, UM, AN INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
AND SO THEN AS WE EXPAND IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS OF THE GRANT, THE GOAL IS TO INCREASE BOTH THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOLS AND THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE THAT SAME MODEL, PARTNERING WITH THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS AND USING SYSTEM LEVEL DATA ON MULTIPLE MEASURES TO IDENTIFY SCHOOLS.
AND THEN WITHIN THOSE SCHOOLS, PARTNERING WITH THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM TO IDENTIFY THE STUDENTS WHO WOULD BEST BENEFIT.
UM, WE ARE STARTING WITH MATH EIGHT, UM, BECAUSE THE SYSTEM LEVEL DATA INDICATED, WHILE THERE'S CERTAINLY MUCH NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT ACROSS MULTIPLE COURSES, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S ALSO A PIVOTAL COURSE HELPING STUDENTS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR READINESS
[02:30:01]
FOR HIGH SCHOOL COURSES.SO, UM, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE BACKGROUND OF HOW WE CHOSE OUR STARTING POINT, BUT THE GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THAT INFRASTRUCTURE SO WE CAN ULTIMATELY GET IT TO ALL SCHOOLS.
UH, MINE IS KIND OF A GENERAL QUESTION, UM, ON CURRICULUM CONTRACTS, AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, UM, IN OUR MEETING, IN OUR CURRICULUM MEETINGS THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP BEFORE THE WHOLE BOARD.
AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ARE BROUGHT THESE CURRICULUM CONTRACTS TO SIGN, UM, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, IT IS A CONTINUATION OF A CONTRACT THAT IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE.
AND IF WE DON'T APPROVE IT, THEN WE'RE GONNA LOSE OUT, UM, ON THAT, YOU KNOW, TOOL FOR OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO LEARN FROM.
OR IT'S A CONTRACT, UM, THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE A LOT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, RESEARCH, LIKE, BECAUSE IT'S A NEW CURRICULUM, THERE'S NOT AS MUCH, YOU KNOW, RESEARCH AND, UM, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS ON IT.
SO WE WERE TALKED ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING TOGETHER WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A CHECKS AND BALANCES WHEN IT COMES TO THESE CONTRACTS.
YOU KNOW, WHAT, HOW, HOW ARE THEY IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS? WHERE, WHERE ARE THEY GONNA IMPROVE? WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO HERE? WHAT, SO AS YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, CURRICULUMS THAT WE'VE HAD TO REPLACE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PERFORMING FOR OUR STUDENTS.
WE'RE, YOU KNOW, REALLY THE ONLY PERSON THAT IT'S LETTING DOWN ARE THE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE BEING, YOU KNOW, FAILED BY A CURRICULUM THAT'S NOT WORKING FOR THEM.
SO INSTEAD OF PLACING, UM, THE ONUS ON OUR STUDENTS, I, HOW DO WE GET THE ACCOUNTABILITY BACK TO US AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THESE CONTRACTS FORWARD, ASKING US TO APPROVE THEM AND US NOT FEELING LIKE, IF WE DON'T APPROVE THIS, OUR STUDENTS AREN'T GONNA HAVE ANYTHING.
AND AS OPPOSED TO, WE NEED TO APPROVE THIS.
'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY THE RIGHT THING.
IT'S GOING TO MAKE THE OUTCOME.
AND HOW ARE WE PUTTING A VALUE ON THAT SO THAT WE KNOW IF WE'RE MAKING A BAD DECISION, WE WILL KNOW AND WE CAN LOOK BACK ON IT LIKE, WE MESSED UP OR WE MADE A GREAT DECISION.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS GOING DOWN THE LINE.
SO, MS. DOKI, I CAN RESPOND A LITTLE BIT JUST TO SOME OF THE GENERAL QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES THEN SPECIFIC TO THIS CONTRACT.
SO, UM, DURING SCHOOL DAY HIGH, UH, INTENSITY TUTORING HAS A LOT OF RESEARCH BEHIND IT AS FAR AS HAVING SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON SHIFTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S DONE CORRECTLY, WHICH IS AT LEAST THREE TIMES A WEEK, 30 MINUTES A SESSION, WHICH ARE ALL THE PARAMETERS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE FOR THIS TUTORING PROGRAM.
THERE IS PRE AND POST ASSESSMENT DATA THAT WILL BE DONE WITH THE STUDENT MEASURES THAT WILL BE DONE WITH THE STUDENT.
SO WE'RE GONNA MEASURE OUR PROGRESS WITH THIS.
SO WE WILL SEE WITHIN THE, UH, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD, IS THIS WORKING FOR OUR STUDENTS? WE LOOKED AT A LOT OF VARIABLES AS, UM, AS SHEA HAD DISCUSSED, AS FAR AS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, BUT ALSO ATTENDANCE, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE WANT KIDS WHO ARE HIGHLY ENGAGED, WHO ARE GONNA BE PARTICIPATING IN TUTORING AND WHO ARE DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE COLLEGE AGED STUDENTS WHO WILL BE THE TUTORS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH.
SO THERE'S MULTIFACETED COMPONENTS, BUT AS FAR AS ARE WE GONNA MEASURE I, IS THIS WORKING? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
THERE'S GONNA BE PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS AS WELL AS WE'RE GONNA ALSO LOOK AT HOW ARE STUDENTS IMPROVING WITH JUST THEIR REGULAR CURRICULUM ASSESSMENTS.
SO WE'LL HAVE TWO DIFFERENT MEASURES TO LOOK AT PROGRESS WITH STUDENTS.
UM, SO THERE'S LOTS OF RESEARCH.
WE CAN CERTAINLY PROVIDE THAT TOO, AS FAR AS THE IMPACT OF, UM, HIGH DOSE TUTORING, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SCHOOL DAY WHERE COMING BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL IS NOT A VARIABLE THAT BECOMES PROHIBITIVE FOR STUDENT PARTICIPATION.
UM, SO WE CAN CERTAINLY GET THAT TO YOU.
UM, BUT THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ED FOR A GRANT.
UM, AND SO WHILE IT IS TIME SENSITIVE, IT WAS BECAUSE OF STATE PARAMETERS, NOT BECAUSE OF THE CONTRACT WE NEED TO MOVE THROUGH, BUT IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE DIDN'T WANNA LOSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT WE COULD PROVIDE FOR OUR STUDENTS, WHICH IS WHY WE, YOU KNOW, HAD APPLIED FOR THAT GRANT.
UM, JUST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION EVEN MORE FROM JUST THE, THE OPERATIONAL SIDE, I THINK THIS IS WHERE WE CAN REALLY SHIFT TO HOW SOME OF THE OPERATIONS WITHIN OUR, OUR BOARD AND HOW WE FUNCTION.
I MEAN, I, I KNOW I'VE MENTIONED TO BOARD MEMBERS BEFORE THAT I THINK THAT THE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE CAN BE LIMITING AT TIME AND ACTUALLY DO A DISSERVICE, UM, TO, TO TRANSPARENCY AND HAVING THESE DEEP CONVERSATIONS.
UM, AND SO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I MEAN, I, IT'S NO SECRET LIKE I DO, I FEEL LIKE THE, WE DON'T REALLY NEED A CURRICULUM COMMITTEE BECAUSE THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE IS THE WORK OF OUR ENTIRE BOARD.
AND SO ALL OF THESE SHOULD BE COMING STRAIGHT TO THE BOARD.
AND IF WE BUILD IT INTO THE AGENDA, UM, WITH THE TIMEFRAME, THEN THAT CAN REALLY HELP US, I THINK, UM, MAKE MORE INFORMED DECISIONS AND LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY WITH ALL THE DATA, THE BUDGET THAT GOES WITH IT, AND SO THAT WE CAN THEN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION AND IT'LL BE TOTALLY TRANSPARENT
[02:35:01]
TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO WATCH A COMMITTEE MEETING AND THEN WATCH ANOTHER COMMITTEE MEETING, YOU KNOW, TO THE BUILDING CONTRACTS COMMITTEE, HAVE TO WATCH CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, THEN BUILDING THE CONTRACTS AND THEN THE BOARD MEETING.UM, AND SO IF WE COULD DO SOME OF THESE CURRICULUM ITEMS AT THE BOARD MEETING AND BUILD IT IN SO THAT THEN IT GOES TO THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE, AND THEN WE CAN VOTE ON IT.
UM, I THINK WE CAN MAKE MORE INFORMED DECISIONS AND GET MORE AT WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT FOR MS. DOMI, MS. MINOSKI, WHICH IS THE BIG PICTURE FOR EVERYTHING AND HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER INSTEAD OF SEEING CONTRACTS IN THE BITS AND PIECES.
UM, MS. FROM, OH, MS. SIMON, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR? NO, THANK YOU.
MS. ONG IS, DO YOU HAVE AN, IS THIS YOUR HAND RAISED AGAIN OR IS THIS JUST FROM THE LAST TIME YOU HAD YOUR HAND RAISED? THAT IS ME NOT LOWERING MY HAND, WHICH I NOW.
SO MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM TO APPROVE ITEM L FOUR, APPRENTICE PROGRAM, MASTER OF EDUCATION AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SECONDARY.
SO MOVED FROM PALM, NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION? OH, MS. HARVEY? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
I, I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THE DISCUSSION, UH, THAT WE STARTED IN THE CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MEETING.
AND THAT IS PARTICULARLY AROUND, UH, WHAT IS THE RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT? WE'RE ASKING, WE'RE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE AN INVESTMENT IN THE EDUCATION FOR OUR GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAM, WHICH IS A, UH, WORTHY PROGRAM.
THIS IS A STRATEGY THAT WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF IM IMPROVING, UM, OUR, OUR STAFF, OUR TEACHERS, OUR SUPPORT STAFF, BUT THERE WAS NO, IN THE, IN THE MEETING, THERE WAS NO, UM, CONFIRMATION THAT THERE WAS A, UM, CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION BY THOSE PARTICIPATING TO WORK A CERTAIN TERM IN THE SCHOOL YEAR, UH, OR IN BCPS AND OR, UH, RETURN ANY FUNDS IF THEY DID NOT MEET THAT OBLIGATION.
SO I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT AND SEE IF WE HAD ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION, MS. HARVEY.
AND I THINK DR. JONES IS ALSO POISED, UH, TO RESPOND.
THE UPDATE IS, YES, THERE IS CONFIRMATION THERE, UM, IS AN, UH, EXECUTIVE, UH, SUMMARY AS AN ADDENDUM IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS.
WHAT'S THE EXPECTATION IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE, UH, BONUSES THAT WE PROVIDE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM OR THE HIRING INCENTIVES, IF YOU WILL, FOR PEOPLE TO, UM, CHOOSE TO TAKE ON A SPECIAL EDUCATION POSITION OR CHOOSE TO MOVE TO A HIGH NEED SCHOOL? UM, THERE IS AN ADDENDUM THAT PROVIDES THE, UH, PROVIDES THE SPECIFIC, UM, INFORMATION, THE THREE YEAR, UH, REQUIREMENT OR THE PRO RATING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THOSE OTHER, UH, PROCESSES.
UH, THAT WILL, I BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY IN EXECUTIVE CONTENT, AND IT WILL BE SHARED, UH, POSTED FOR THE PUBLIC, UH, IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR NORMAL PRACTICES.
UM, I AGREE THAT THE GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAM IS AN IMPORTANT STRATEGY.
UM, AS WE ALL KNOW, CONCERNS HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED TO THE BOARD THAT THESE HIGHER ED COHORTS DO NOT TE TEACH ON, UM, TEACH, EXCUSE ME, TEACH BASED ON THE SCIENCE OF READING.
AND SOME OF MY WORDS OR COMMENTS ARE COMING DIRECTLY FROM WHAT I, WE'VE, WE'VE ALL HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC.
UM, SO MY QUESTIONS ARE AROUND WILL THESE PROGRAMS PROPERLY PREPARE OUR TEACHERS TO TEACH READING BASED ON THE SCIENCE OF READING? UM, WE'RE ALL AWARE THAT RECRUITING
[02:40:01]
TEACHERS IS A HIGH PRIORITY, UM, AND I AGREE, BUT I ALSO AGREE THAT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT WE CAN'T JUST, JUST IGNORE.UM, SO IF WE APPROVE THIS CONTRACT, THESE CONTRACTS, HOW CAN WE ENSURE THE PROPER TRAINING FOR THESE TEACHERS ONCE WE HAVE PAID FOR THE DEGREES AND SPECIFICALLY, UM, THE SCIENCE OF READING? YES, YOUR HONOR.
AND ALSO, AND ADDITIONALLY, JUST SO I GET ALL MY QUESTIONS OUT THERE, UM, WHAT STOPS US FROM APPROVING THESE, THESE AT A LATER DATE? WHAT, WHAT ISSUES WILL THAT, IF WE, IF WE HELD OFF ON APPROVING THESE, UM, WHAT WILL BE THE RESULT OF HOLDING OFF DR. ROGERS? SURE.
DENADO, UH, MS. SHEA AND, UH, DR.
KRAFT MIGHT BE WITH ME, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED AND THEY CAN ADD TO ANYTHING THAT WE MISSED.
UM, WE ARE 100% IN AGREEMENT THAT THE SCIENCE OF READING IS EVIDENCE-BASED.
UM, IT HAS PROVEN, IT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE SUCCESSFUL TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.
AND SO AS WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN PROGRAMS, WE WANNA INVEST IN PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE THAT INSTRUCTION, UM, FOR OUR TEACHERS SO THAT INSTRUCTION CAN, UH, THEN TAKE PLACE IN ALL OF OUR CLASSROOMS. THE REALITY IS, CURRENTLY IN OUR AREA, LOYOLA AND MORGAN ARE THE ONLY TWO SCHOOLS THAT HAVE CERTIFIED SCIENCE OF READING PROGRAMS. UM, AND, UH, THIS SUBJECT WAS BROUGHT UP, UH, LAST WEEK AT THE MSDE MEETING.
AND, UH, OUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON REQUIRING ALL UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS TO BE BASED IN THE SCIENCE OF READING.
UH, ONE OF THE CONTRACTS I BELIEVE YOU HAVE FOR THIS EVENING, I APOLOGIZE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, UH, NUMBER IT IS.
IT IS LOYOLA THAT TEACHES THE SCIENCE OF READING.
WE DO KNOW FROM OUR PARTNERS THAT TOWSON IS, UH, AND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, THEY'RE BOTH MAKING CHANGES TO THEIR CURRICULUM.
UH, BUT IT'S TAKING A LITTLE LONGER, UH, TO SHIFT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE ARE TEACHING THE SCIENCE OF READING TO ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY, UH, STUDENTS, UH, BY THE END OF JUNE 30TH, 2024.
100% OF GRAVES K THROUGH THREE TEACHERS, UM, RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS AND ADMINISTRATORS WILL BE TRAINED IN THE SCIENCE OF READING AND WILL CONTINUE NEXT YEAR WITH GRAVES FOUR AND FIVE.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WAITING FOR THE, UH, UNIVERSITIES TO CATCH UP.
THE STATE OF MARYLAND, UH, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS WORKING ON IT.
AND IN THE MEANTIME, UH, BASED ON THE NEW CURRICULUM THAT WE HAVE AND THE, UH, TRAINING THAT WE HAVE ON THE STA UH, SCIENCE OF READING, WE HAVE ALREADY EMBARKED UPON THAT WORK FOR ALL OF OUR STAFF.
I INVITE AT, UH, THIS TIME, UM, AS I SAID, UH, DR.
KRAFT, IF I HAVE MISSED, UM, ANY PORTION OF THAT, UH, PLEASE, UH, SHARE THAT WITH, UH, BOARD MEMBER, UH, VICE CHAIR EY.
AND I WILL ALSO ADD IN TERMS OF, UM, DELAYING A CONTRACT.
DELAYING A CONTRACT, UM, GIVEN, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE ARE WITH THE, UM, STATE OF MARYLAND AND THE REQUIREMENTS, AND GIVEN THE WORK THAT'S IN PROGRESS IN THE UNIVERSITIES, UH, DELAYING A CONTRACT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD PROBABLY BE DELAYING IT UNTIL, UH, ALL UNIVERSITIES HAD THESE PROGRAMS IN PLACE.
UM, WHILE SOME ARE WORKING ON IT, YOU KNOW, PART OF HAVING IT IN PLACE IS ALSO GOING TO COME WITH GUIDANCE AND REQUIREMENT, UM, FROM THE STATE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD BE MAKING A DECISION, UH, AGAINST PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT TRAINING AND THAT HIGHER LEVEL EDUCATION FOR OUR TEACHERS AS WE'RE WORKING TO, UM, ENSURE THAT WE HAVE HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS IN EVERY SINGLE CLASSROOM.
SO ANYONE, UH, WANNA ADD TO THAT? PLEASE FEEL FREE.
SO, DR. ROGERS, JUST, JUST ADD ON TO MS. PORE.
WE WOULD CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND TRAINING FOR ANY OF OUR PARAEDUCATORS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THE GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAM AS FAR AS LETTERS, TRAINING, AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCE OF READING TRAINING THAT WE'RE DOING FOR ALL OF OUR TEACHERS.
SO THEY WOULD STILL GET THAT IN ADDITION TO WHATEVER CHANGES AND SHIFTS THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL DOES MAKE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WAITING FOR A UNIVERSITY SYSTEM TO CHANGE CURRICULUM, UM, VERSUS BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO THE SUPPORT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THEM WHILE THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THEIR COURSEWORK, UM, ALLOWS US TO STILL CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, BUILD OUR TEACHER PIPELINE WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS TO MAKE SOME OF THOSE TRANSITIONS.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON ITEM L FOUR APPRENTICE PROGRAM, MASTER OF EDUCATION AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SECONDARY.
[02:45:01]
YES.DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM L FIVE C 0 9 0 1 24 OPEN COURSE COURT AA DEGREES FOR BCPS EMPLOYEES.
SO MOVED FROM PUMP, NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION? DEFINITELY THAT.
AND MS. EY, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR IS THIS FROM THE LAST? YOUR HAND IS RAISED FROM THE LAST TIME.
ANY, ANY DISCUSSION FROM ANY? NO OTHER QUESTIONS.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS TO? YES.
MS. HUMPHREY? MS. PUMPHREY? SHE'S ON HOLD.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? ITEM L SIX GDA 3 0 0 24 NETWORK AND WIRELESS UPGRADE.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION, MS. FONG? GOOD EVENING.
SO, UM, MY QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THIS ONE WAS, IT SAYS THAT IT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY OF THE EXISTING NETWORK.
UM, AND SO I JUST WAS LOOKING FOR SOME CLARIFICATION ON NETWORK.
FOR WHOM, IS IT JUST THE NETWORK FOR THE OFFICE OF NETWORK SUPPORT SERVICES? IS THIS GONNA BE EXTENDED TO BCPS, CENTRAL OFFICE, SCHOOLS, PARENTS, ET CETERA? AND THEN, UM, ONCE THAT QUESTION HAS BEEN ANSWERED, MY SECOND QUESTION IS, CAN YOU SPEAK TO SOME OF THE TANGIBLES THAT THE USERS ARE GONNA BE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED BASED ON THESE UPGRADES THAT ARE GONNA BE MADE? UM, 'CAUSE WE KNOW TECHNOLOGY IS GREAT, BUT IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING WHEN WE'RE NOT GETTING THE DESIRED RESULTS.
SO JUST TRYING TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT THESE UPGRADES ARE GONNA DO.
WELL, THANK YOU, MS. FPI CAN ANSWER THAT.
SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, THE, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO PURCHASE IS NOT JUST FOR THE OFFICE OF NETWORK SERVICES, IT'S ACTUALLY, IT'S A CONTINUATION OF THE UPGRADE OF OUR NETWORK, UM, EQUIPMENT.
UM, WE'RE MOVING INTO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, SO THAT INCLUDES, UM, THE SWITCHES, THE ROUTERS, VOICEOVER IP PHONES, UM, WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS.
UH, THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS IS THAT THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IS AT END OF LIFE.
UM, SO WE ARE CURRENTLY, WHENEVER WE HAVE A DISRUPTION IN SERVICES, WE'RE TAKING, UM, EQUIPMENT THAT WE'VE PULLED FROM OTHER SCHOOLS THAT'S STILL OLDER EQUIPMENT JUST TO GET THEM UP AND RUNNING.
SO IT'S REALLY TO AVOID DISRUPTION IN SERVICES AT THE NETWORK LEVEL.
AND, UH, PRIMARILY WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S APPROXIMATELY 110 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, SO WE'RE STARTING THAT PROCESS, UM, WITH THIS CONTRACT TO START UPGRADING THE NETWORK CAPABILITY IN THOSE SCHOOLS.
UM, IN TERMS OF TANGIBLE BENEFITS, UM, AGAIN, IT'S, UM, AVOIDANCE OF DISRUPTION IN SERVICES.
ALSO WITH THE, UH, NEWER MODELS OF CORE ROUTERS AND SWITCHES, UM, YOU DO GET, UH, INCREASED RELIABILITY.
UM, YOU GET, UM, INCREASED SPEED.
UM, AND WE'RE, UH, LOOKING AT DOWN THE ROAD ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, INCREASING THE BANDWIDTH FOR THE SCHOOLS, ALTHOUGH WE'RE, WE'RE, OKAY.
NOW UTILIZATION, UM, IS, IS MANAGEABLE AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, BUT, UM, AGAIN, SO THIS SYSTEMWIDE, UM, INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE USING THE FUNDING FOR.
UM, SO THAT YOU'RE SAYING IT'S,
[02:50:01]
IT'S SYSTEMWIDE AS FAR AS IT'S ACROSS THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, BUT IT'S IN SPECIFIC TO THE BUILDINGS THOUGH AS WELL? CORRECT.UM, MINE'S MORE LIKE ON THE TIMELINE WITH THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND THE PRIORITY LIST.
UH, AND IS IT, OR WILL EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GET THIS UPGRADE? AND HOW FAST WILL IT BE DONE? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE SOME SCHOOLS THAT ARE DESPERATE IN NEED OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME UPGRADED OR HI-FI WIFI HOTSPOTS.
SO, UM, THE ALL HUNDRED, ALL THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WILL NOT BE DONE IN ONE YEAR.
SO WE'RE, THIS ISN'T A PHASE APPROACH.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT PRIORITIZING SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE OLDEST EQUIPMENT AND THAT HAVE, BASED ON OUR TICKETING INFORMATION, HAVE HAD NETWORK OUTAGES.
THOSE ARE GONNA BE THE FIRST SCHOOLS THAT WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS.
ARE YOU SERIOUS? SO YOU, WITHIN ONE YEAR THEY SHOULD, IT SHOULD ALL BE ADDRESSED.
IT'S NOT, NO, IT'S NOT GONNA BE, IT, IT WON'T BE DONE IN ONE YEAR.
THAT'S, UH, TOO MANY SCHOOLS TO HAVE COMPLETED.
BECAUSE WHAT WE TRY AND ALSO DO IS THIS IS WORK THAT WE DO OVER THE SUMMER, UM, WHEN SCHOOLS ARE NOT IN SESSION BECAUSE THERE IS A DISRUPTION TO THE NETWORK WHEN WE'RE BRINGING IT DOWN TO REPLACE THE EQUIPMENT.
SO HOW MANY SCHOOLS DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE, BE ABLE TO GET TO IN ONE SUMMER? ONE YEAR? YEAH.
THAT IS INFORMATION I'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO YOU.
I DON'T KNOW RIGHT NOW WHAT OUR SCHEDULE WOULD HOLD, UM, FOR HOW MANY SCHOOLS WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH IN THE ONE YEAR, UH, TIMEFRAME.
COULD, COULD WE GET THAT INFORMATION WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE? YES.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA SHARE.
WE COULD GET YOU THAT INFORMATION AS WELL AS IF YOU, UM, OR, UH, WE HAVE OUR OWN DATA THAT, UH, MR. AGOSTO AND MR. KO'S, UH, REVIEWS REGULARLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UH, PROBABLY COMMUNITIES THAT NEED AN UPGRADE SOONER THAN OTHERS.
BUT IF YOU ARE HEARING REPORTS, UH, PLEASE PASS THAT INFORMATION ON SO WE CAN, UH, TRIANGULATE THAT DATA WITH OURS.
SO WHEN WE'RE CREATING THE PRIORITIZED LIST OF WHO NEEDS TO BE ON THE LIST FIRST, UH, WE CAN ACCOUNT FOR PLACES THAT ARE, UH, EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY NOW.
THANK, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? ITEM L SIX GDA 3 0 0 DASH 24 NETWORK AND WIRELESS UPGRADE.
MS. BOOKER DWYER, WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
WE WERE AT, MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE? YES, MA'AM.
[M. NEW BUSINESS - SPECIAL PROJECT REQUEST (Dr. Jones and Dr. Morrow) (8:10 - 8:15 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS SPECIAL PROJECT REQUEST.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. JONES.
UH, BOARD CHAIR BOOK AWI AND VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT, UH, DR. ROGERS.
I'M ACTUALLY HERE REPRESENTING MY TEAM MYSELF AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, DR. MORROW.
I'M ALSO, UM, PRESENT WITH THE, UH, PRINCIPAL MELISSA POWERS.
WE ARE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT, UM, SPECIAL PROJECT REQUEST 7 73 30 FOR CATONSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
A SPECIAL PROJECT REQUEST HAS BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE PLANTING OF TREES.
THERE ARE 21 TREES TO BE DONATED AND PLANTED BY HOWARD ECHO WORKS INCORPORATED.
THE ADDITION OF THESE TREES WOULD ADD SHADE AND ADDITIONAL LANDSCAPING AROUND THE CAMPUS OF CATONSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AT THE PRESENT, THESE AREAS ARE COVERED WITH GRASS AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR TREE PLANTING.
IN ADDITION, I'M NOT SURE IF EVERYONE IS AWARE, BUT CATONSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS A GREEN SCHOOL AND HAVING ADDITIONAL TREES WOULD PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTRIBUTE TO GREEN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND ALSO CREATE SOMEWHAT OF A MINI OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACE.
THE CATONSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PTA, HAS RECEIVED A GRANT TO MAINTAIN THE TREES AND LANDSCAPING, AND THE SCHOOL GREEN TEAM WILL ALSO CONTINUE MAINTAINING THE LANDSCAPING AS PART OF THEIR ACTION PLAN.
AGAIN, WE ARE HERE TODAY TO PREVENT 77 30 SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR CATONSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TREE PLANTING.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 7 3 3 0 SPECIAL PROJECT REQUEST FOR CATONSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TREE PLANTING PROJECT.
[02:55:02]
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND DOKI.MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. HAM? YES.
[N. REPORT - NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION (Dr. Grim) (8:15 - 8:30 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON THE NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. GRANT.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
WE ARE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY STUDY NUMBER ONE COMMITTEE.
JOINING ME THIS EVENING ARE DR.
RAQUEL JONES, CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, MR. PETE DIXON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING.
AND MR. PAUL TAYLOR, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PLANNING.
AND MR. CORNS, YOU BRINGING UP MY SLIDE DECK, PLEASE? YOU CAN GO TO THE SECOND SLIDE PLEASE.
AS SHARED WITH YOU IN OCTOBER, A BOUNDARY STUDY IS INITIATED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
THE PROCESS OF THE BOUNDARY STUDY IS COORDINATED BY THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AND THE PROCESS IS FACILITATED BY AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT.
THE PROCESS IS DRIVEN BY COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
THERE ARE SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
MEETINGS ARE PUBLICLY ADVERTISED.
THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME TO ATTEND BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE MEETINGS AS AN OBSERVER.
BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE LIVE STREAMED AND ARE RECORDED, AND ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE IS POSTED ON THE BCPS WEBSITE.
FOLLOWING EACH MEETING FURTHER, PRIOR TO THE BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE'S FINAL RECOMMENDATION, THEY WILL PRESENT OPTIONS IN A PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION AND THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A SURVEY REGARDING OPTIONS PRESENTED AT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SET SESSION.
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S ACTIONS IN THIS PROCESS ARE TO RECEIVE THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION AT A REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR THIS EVENING, TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING TO TO, TO SOLICIT FEEDBACK ON THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION.
AND EVALUATE THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION AND FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN TO APPROVE, DENY, OR REVISE THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION AT A REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING.
AND AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MR. DIXON.
AND GOOD EVENING CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR PORE SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
SO THIS SLIDE GIVES YOU THE RATIONALE FOR BOUNDARY STUDIES FOR THE NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH INCLUDES CAPACITY RELIEF RESULTING FROM FOUR CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT'LL ADD OVER 1200 SEATS TO THE REGION.
AND THIS WILL REDUCE OVERCROWDING AND RELOCATE PROGRAMS. SPECIFICALLY THE PURPOSE OF THE FIRST BOUNDARY STUDY IN THE REGION WAS TO EXPAND THE ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES FOR BEDFORD AND SUMMIT PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY PROVIDED BY THESE PROJECTS AND FACILITATE THE MOVE OF STUDENTS CURRENTLY ATTENDING CAMPFIELD ELC AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO ATTEND THEIR HOME SCHOOLS.
SO THIS SLIDE PROVIDES THE PROCESS.
UM, THE NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY CHANGE PROCESS WAS INITIATED IN THE SPRING 2023.
PLANNING OCCURRED FROM MAY THROUGH AUGUST, AND THE COMMITTEE BEGAN MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.
THE COMMITTEE MET FIVE TIMES AND THIS GIVES YOU THE NU THE DATES AND TIMING OF THAT.
IT WRITTEN SEPTEMBER AND DECEMBER, 2023, FORMULATING AND REVIEWING VARIOUS BOUNDARY CHANGE OPTIONS.
OUR TEAM LISTENED TO THE BOARD'S FEEDBACK FROM THE SUMMER OF 2023 AND EMPHASIZE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
THIS EVENING, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION IS BEING PRESENTED TO THE BOARD FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
THE BOARD'S PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 21ST, AND A VOTE BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH THE FIFTH, 2024.
[03:00:01]
THROUGHOUT THE BOUNDARY STUDY, BCPS IMPLEMENTED PRACTICES THAT FULLY ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY, SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESS AND OBTAINING FEEDBACK TO PROVIDE TO THE COMMITTEE.NOW I'LL TRANSFER IT TO DR. JONES.
GOOD EVENING EVERYONE, AS MS. NEXT, NEXT SLIDE.
AS WAS SHARED WITH YOU ALL IN OCTOBER, BCPS IS COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE BOUNDARY STUDY, THE BOUNDARY CHANGE PROCESS AS A RESULT OF FEEDBACK AND REFLECTION.
THE FOLLOWING ENHANCEMENTS ARE PLANNED OR ALREADY UNDERWAY AS PART OF THE CURRENT PLANNING STAGE.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE A RENEWED FOCUS BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE.
OUR WORK HAS TAKEN PLACE TO ENSURE DIVERSITY OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ENGAGING IN AN EXERCISE TO EVALUATE BOUNDARY STUDY CONSIDERATIONS.
AND I WILL SAY THAT WE TAKE THAT, UH, VERY SERIOUSLY AND COLLABORATE VERY CLOSELY WITH DR.
GRIM AND HIS TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ARE BEING, UM, SERVICED IN A WAY THAT PROVIDES, UM, EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND ACCESS.
WE ALSO, UM, HAVE CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF EQUITY AND CULTURAL PROFICIENCY.
AND WE'RE ESTABLISHING PARAMETERS FOR TAKING OPTIONS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS, MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE FEEDBACK IS RECEIVED.
IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY NOTIFICATIONS, WE'RE CONTINUING TO ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS AT SCHOOL INFORMATION MEETINGS, ASSISTING SCHOOLS WITH COMMUNICATIONS, AND LEVERAGING THE BCPS PARTNERSHIP WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITIES AND CONSTITUENTS.
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IS A REALLY BIG PART OF OUR NEW FOCUS, LEVERAGING SCHOOL LIAISONS.
UM, ANYWHERE FROM ESOL TO EQUITY TO OUR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICE AS IT RELATES TO ENGAGING OUR STAKEHOLDERS, WE'RE LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS, HOA RECREATION COUNCILS, AND SO MUCH MORE PROVIDING UPDATES TO KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND IMPROVING THE ONLINE SURVEY, WHICH WE'RE REALLY, UH, PROUD ABOUT ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS AS WELL.
SCHOOLS ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN THEIR COMMUNITY IN THE BOUNDARY STUDY PROCESS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL, UM, OPERATIONS ARE DEFINITELY PARTNERING ALONG THESE LINES.
DURING THE COMMITTEE REVIEW AND FORMULATION PHASE OF THE PROCESS, THE NORTHEAST, THE NORTHWEST'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY STUDIES NUMBER ONE WEBPAGE INCLUDED THE FUNCTIONALITY TO PROVIDE ONLINE COMMENTS.
THOSE COMMENTS WERE REVIEWED AND POSTED ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
A COMMUNICATION TOOLKIT WAS ALSO PROVIDED TO PRINCIPALS WHO SCHEDULED TIMELY MESSAGES AND MEETINGS TO PARENTS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL AND INFORMATION FLYERS FOR THE STUDY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, ALTHOUGH, UM, SOMEWHAT SMALL ON THE SLIDE, THEY WERE ALSO PROVIDED.
WE COMPLETE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING QR CODES FOR GREATER AC ACCESSIBILITY.
AND THEY WERE ALSO POSTED, UM, VIA FACE FAKE FACEBOOK X INSTAGRAM, AS WELL AS PARENT UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS ALSO SENT MESSAGES TO ALL OF THE IMPACTED SCHOOL COMMUNITIES DIRECTLY FROM SCHOOL MESSENGERS, UH, PARTNERS, AGAIN IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT, ALSO SHARED BOUNDARY STUDY INFORMATION WITH THEIR COMMUNITY CONTEXT.
STRATEGIC PLANNING INCLUDED INTERACTIVE MAPS AND OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED TO A OR REQUESTED BY COMMITTEES ON ITS WEBSITE FOR THE PUBLIC TO REVIEW.
AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN A HOLISTIC PROCESS AND A PARTNERSHIP INDEED AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. TAYLOR.
THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES WERE SHARED WITH COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC DURING THE PROCESS AND REITERATE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
THE KEY OBJECTIVES FOR THIS PROCESS ARE TO PROVIDE CAPACITY LEAVE TO NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, RETURN BEDFORD AND MILLBROOK KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS ATTENDING CAMPFIELD BACK TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS.
RETURN EARLY CHILDHOOD THREE AND 4-YEAR-OLD PROGRAMS AT CANFIELD, BACK TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS OR REGIONAL PROGRAMS NEARBY.
ELIMINATE THE SATELLITE BOUNDARIES FOR MILLBROOK AND WELLWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND MAKE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
THIS IS A MAP SHOWING THE CURRENT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ZONES FOR THE SIX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE PROCESS.
PLEASE NOTE THAT CANFIELD EARLY LEARNING CENTER IS NOW ON THE MAP 'CAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE AN ATTENDANCE ZONE, BUT THEY DID PARTICIPATE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS STUDY AREA HAS SEVERAL SATELLITE AREAS SHOWN IN PURPLE AND GREEN THAT WERE PART OF THE COMMITTEE'S FOCUS WITH THE INTENT THAT STUDENTS ATTEND SCHOOLS CLOSEST TO THEIR HOMES.
SIX NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND ONE CENTER PARTICIPATED IN THIS BOUNDARY PROCESS.
[03:05:01]
ON THE TABLE ON THE LEFT AND SHOWN IN THE MAP ON THE RIGHT.THEY INCLUDE THE TWO PROJECT SCHOOLS, BEDFORD AND SUMMIT PARK, AND FOUR ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS ADJACENT TO THE PROJECT SCHOOLS.
FORT GARRISON, MILLBROOK, SCOTTS BRANCH, AND WELLWOOD.
AND AGAIN, CANFIELD, EARLY LEONARD CENTER ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROCESS.
AS FAR AS THE COMMITTEE'S WORK, A TOTAL OF 22 MAP VARIATIONS WERE CONSIDERED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE COMMITTEE'S WORK.
THE MAJORITY OF THESE OPTIONS WERE THE RESULT OF COMMITTEE AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AS PART OF THEIR PROCESS, THE COMMITTEE NARROWED THE 22 DOWN TO FOUR OPTIONS THAT THEY FELT WERE MOST VIABLE AND SHARED THEM WITH THE PUBLIC.
AT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS.
THESE FOUR OPTIONS WERE THE FOCUS OF THE PUBLIC SURVEY.
THE SURVEY RESULTS WERE SHARED WITH THE COMMITTEE WHO FURTHER ENGAGED IN THIS FEEDBACK.
THROUGH SMALL GROUP AND LARGE GROUP DISCUSSIONS, THE COMMITTEE CONCLUDED THAT DRAFT OPTION A WAS THE PLAN THAT BEST ADHERED TO THE CONSIDERATIONS AS A WHOLE AND BEST MET THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS IN THE AREA.
OPTION A SHOWN HERE RECEIVED 94% OF THE VOTES AS THE FINAL RECOMMENDATION.
OPTION B RECEIVE ZERO VOTES AS A FINAL RECOMMENDATION.
THIS IS A SUMMARY OF THE VOTING OF UPON THE OPTIONS.
OPTION D WAS NOT EVEN NOMINATED FOR CONSIDERATION.
THUS ONLY OPTIONS A, B, AND C WERE VOTED UPON.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS HERE.
THIS CHART SHOWS THE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE STUDY AREA THE STATE RATED CAPACITY, CURRENT ENROLLMENT AND UTILIZATION COMPARED TO THEY HAVE THE RECOMMENDED OPTION.
THE EXISTING SCHOOLS THAT WERE PART OF THE STUDY ARE ANY ORANGE AND OPTION A IS DESCRIBED IN THE FAR RIGHT OF THE ORANGE.
A TOTAL OF 434 STUDENTS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE IMPACTED WITH THE RECOMMENDED BOUNDARY CHANGES THE TABLE TO THE RIGHT, SHOWS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE MOVED FROM ONE SCHOOL TO ANOTHER.
WITH REGARD TO FEEDER PATTERNS, THERE WAS NO CHANGE TO FEEDER PATTERNS FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN THIS RECOMMENDATION NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR.
WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT STEPS, THE BOARD WILL HOST A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION ON FEBRUARY 21ST, 2024 AT 6:30 PM AT SUD BROOK MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL.
TO GATHER ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS THEN SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE BOUNDARY FOR THE NORTHWEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY STUDY NUMBER ONE.
AT ITS MARCH 5TH, 2024 MEETING, WE'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK ALL OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ENGAGE WITH BCPS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
SO THE BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO HEAR PUBLIC INPUT ON THE RECOMMENDATION FOR NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 2024 AT SUD BROOK MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM.
SPEAKER SIGN UP BEGINS AT 5:30 PM AND THE HEARING WILL BEGIN AT 6:30 PM YES, MS. ONG.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY GREAT JOB TO, UM, FOR THE PRESENTATION AND EVEN AGAIN, THE WAY THAT THE PROCESS WAS RUN, I WAS ABLE TO READ THROUGH THE REPORT, UM, FROM THOSE SURVEY RESULTS.
AND, UM, IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE WAS A MORE EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNITIES CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SURVEY.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAD, THAT WE EXPRESSED FROM LAST TIME AND REALLY WORKING HARD TO, TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, THE ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS I SAW, UH, IT WAS CAMPFIELD EARLY LEARNING CENTER COMMUNITY AND THE MILLBROOK ELEMENTARY LEARNING COMMUNITY CENTER WHERE THEIR, UM, PARTICIPATION WAS VERY LOW.
I'M GUESSING FROM CAMPFIELD BEING CLOSED, THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN A REASON.
BUT, UM, WE LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IF THERE COULD BE SOME ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MILLBROOK COMMUNITY TO FIND OUT WHAT IS IT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO GET THEM MORE ENGAGED IN THESE TYPES OF, OF SURVEYS AND GETTING, UM, RESPONSES FROM THEM ON THE BOUNDARY STUDY.
I THINK THAT'D BE A, A GREAT ADDITION.
[03:10:01]
YOU, MS. FONG.SO THE NEXT, SO WE'RE IT, WE'RE GONNA OPEN THIS UP FOR QUESTION AT THE, AFTER THE, UM, WE HAVE THE FEBRUARY 21ST OPEN BOARD MEETING, AND THEN WE TAKE THE BOARD VOTE ON FEBRUARY 27TH.
SO THAT'S WHEN WE'LL HAVE THE DETAILED QUESTIONS FOR THIS PARTICULAR BOUNDARY STUDY.
[O. POSTPONED: REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. DiDonato and Dr. Jones) (8:30 - 9:00 p.m.)]
ON THE BOARD MEMBER, SO DUE TO THE LATE TIME I MOVED TO POSTPONE AGENDA ITEM O ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT REPORT ON MATHEMATICS TO THE FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024 BOARD MEETING.SO IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM PAUL? ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. YES.
[P. INFORMATION (9:00 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION ATTACHED IN BOARD DOCS ARE THE MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 20TH SOUTHEAST AREA EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING.[Q. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES 2024 (Ms. Booker-Dwyer, Ms. Charley-Greene, and Mr. Baysmore) (9:00 - 9:15 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES 2024.ATTACHED ARE THE BOARD'S DRAFT 2024 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THAT ARE COMING BEFORE THE BOARD WITHOUT A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
AND THERE'S NO RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LEGISLATIVE AND, UM, GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE BECAUSE THEY PROVIDED INPUT.
WE MADE MODIFICATIONS BASED OFF OF THE INPUT AND WE'RE BRINGING IT DIRECTLY TO THE BOARD.
UM, CONSIDERING THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AS PRESENTED? WHAT I WANNA, UM, PRESENT THE, I WANNA DO A BIT OF A PRESENTATION FIRST.
WE CAN GO BACK, GO BACK A COUPLE OF, UM, GO BACK, UM, TO THE FIRST SLIDE.
AND SO WITH THESE, UM, THE, THE LEGIS, THESE BOARD PRIORITIES, THEY WERE DEVELOPED BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, BALTIMORE COUNTY, WE ARE THE THIRD LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE STATE.
SO WE SHOULD HAVE SOME KEY PRIORITIES THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON.
AND WHILE WE SUPPORT, UM, EVERYTHING THAT MAEVE IS DOING, WE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON, UM, LEGISLATION THAT IMPROVES STUDENT OUTCOME.
IT MAINTAINS OUR LOCAL BOARD GOVERNANCE AND IT ENSURES THAT WE HAVE EQUITABLE FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND SO THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF BOARD OF EDUCATIONS, THEY PUT OUT, UH, THEIR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND, AND WE GET THEM IN THEIR OVERARCHING, THEY'RE NOT SPECIFIC FOR ANY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THEY ARE JUST OVERARCHING BOARD PRIORITIES.
AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE INTRODUCTION TO OUR PRIORITIES IS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SUPPORT THEM ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER, UM, ASSOCIATIONS.
UH, BUT THEY'RE NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE NUANCES THAT THAT MATTER TO BALTIMORE COUNTY, TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE KNOW THAT HOWEVER BALTIMORE COUNTY MOVES, WE MOVE THE STATE BECAUSE WE'RE THE THIRD LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND SO THE INITIAL VERSION OF THE, UM, OF THESE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES WERE PRESENTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
SO THAT'S, UM, MS. LICHTER, MS EY, AND MS. DRUMMOND.
AND WE ARE, UM, SUPPORTED BY MS. CHARLIE GREEN, MR. BAYSMORE AND MS. SIEBEL AND THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY.
AND WE, WE FOCUSED ON THESE THREE BECAUSE THESE TRULY ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF A LOT OF ISSUES OR A LOT OF THINGS THAT COULD REALLY HELP TO ADVANCE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE COULD HAVE HAD A, A WHOLE LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS, BUT WHEN WE GET DOWN TO REALLY THOSE ROOT CAUSES OF WHAT KEEPS COMING UP IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE, WE LANDED ON THESE THREE AREAS.
SO THE FIRST ONE IS REDUCING CLASS SIZES.
AND WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT, UM, THAT SCHOOL STAFFED RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE BASED ON STUDENT
[03:15:01]
ENROLLMENT NEED AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS. AND IN ORDER TO TRULY YIELD THE ACADEMIC RESULTS THAT WE WANNA SEE WITH OUR STUDENTS, WE NEED TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS TO REDUCE THE CLASS SIZES.SO, UM, SO FOR OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY, WE ARE SUPPORTING, NUMBER ONE, INCREASING THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES AND ESTABLISHING A DEDICATED CAPITAL FUND FEE TO SUPPORT PUBLIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT PROACTIVELY ADDRESSES OVERCROWDING.
WE ALSO SUPPORT PROVIDING INCENTIVES TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT REDUCE CLASS SIZES.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR REALLY AT THE STATE LEVEL, BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT NOW, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A SCHOOL BUILDING, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SO MANY, UM, STUDENTS IN THAT BUILDING.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHY WE HAD TO CLOSE CAMPFIELD EARLY LEARNING CENTER, IT'S BECAUSE WE NEEDED MORE STUDENTS TO, SO THAT WE CAN GET A NEW SCHOOL BUILDING TO ACCOMMODATE EVEN MORE STUDENTS.
SCHOOL SYSTEMS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO MAKE THOSE KIND OF DECISIONS.
AND BECAUSE OF HOW THE FUNDING STRUCTURES FOR THE IAC AND SOME OF THE STATE REGULATIONS ARE, UM, STRUCTURED, IT FORCES US TO, UM, CLOSE SCHOOLS LIKE CAMPFIELD JUST SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A NEW SCHOOL AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE PUT IN THAT POSITION AS A BOARD.
AND SO, UM, SO WE ARE REALLY ASKING THE STATE TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT REDUCING CLASS SIZES AND PROVIDING INCENTIVES THAT SUPPORT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT EXPAND PRE-K ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.
SO WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE REQUIRES UNIVERSAL PRE-K FOR, UM, THREE YEAR OLDS AND FOUR YEAR OLDS.
AND FOR ANY PARENT THAT HAS HAD TO PAY FOR, UM, TO, FOR THEIR PRE-K EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE QUITE A BIG, A LARGE EXPENSE.
AND SO WE ARE ADVOCATING, WE WANNA SEE LEGISLATION THAT SUPPORTS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS SO THAT PARENTS CAN STILL PUT THEIR KIDS INTO THE PRIVATE CHILDCARE PROVIDERS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT OUR SCHOOLS MAY NOT HAVE THE SPACE TO, TO HAVE ALL THE THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND THREE-YEAR-OLDS NEED A SPECIAL, A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAN A 4-YEAR-OLD OR A FIVE-YEAR OLD.
AND SO WE REALLY WANNA, UM, START TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THE PRIVATE CHILDCARE PROVIDERS TO HAVE SEATS FOR, UM, OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS, UM, AT LITTLE TO NO COST.
SO THAT'S ALL UNDER THE REDUCING CLASS SIZES, EXPANDING OUT OF SCHOOL TIME LEARNING.
UM, THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHAT HAPPENS OUT OF SCHOOL DIRECTLY IMPACTS WHAT HAPPENS IN SCHOOL.
AND WE KNOW THAT THE, WHAT ALL THE RESEARCH SHOWS IS THAT IF WE CAN KEEP OUR STUDENTS ENGAGED AND ATHLETICS AND ARTS AND, UM, ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND THOSE STRONG COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, WE HAVE BETTER RETURNS ON INVESTMENTS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING AND HOW THEY'RE ENGAGING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IT EVEN HELPS WITH CRIME RATES.
AND, UM, AND JUST IN OVERALL HELPING TO UPLIFT THE BALTIMORE COMMUNITY, THE BALTIMORE COUNTY COMMUNITY.
AND SO, UM, WE SUPPORT INCENTIVIZING THE EXPANSION OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS THAT COMPLEMENT THE CONTINUUM OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND ACTIVITIES THAT OCCUR DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.
AND WE ALSO, UM, WE WANT EXPANDED OUT SCHOOL TIME LEARNING RESOURCES THAT SUPPORT EXPANSION OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, WHICH WE KNOW IS SO NEEDED IN OUR, UM, IN, IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
AND THEN THE LAST PIECE IS AROUND SCHOOL SCHEDULES.
SO THIS GETS BACK TO REDUCING CLASS SIZES.
I MEAN, WHEN, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN ALL OF OUR MAGNET CLASSES RIGHT NOW, WE ARE, WE ARE RESTRICTED BY THE 180 DAY CALENDAR AND THE 1085 HOUR, UM, COUNT.
IT PREVENTS US FROM IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIVE SCHEDULES LIKE TRIMESTERS, UM, SCHEDULING OR EVEN IMPLEMENTING MODIFIED SCHOOL HOURS WHERE WE COULD PERHAPS GET ANOTHER BATCH OF STUDENTS INTO, UM, A MAGNET PROGRAM TO DO AUTOMOTIVE PROGRAMS OR CARPENTRY.
THAT'S BEYOND THE, THE TWO 15 SCHOOL HOUR.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW WE CAN'T DO ANY OF THAT AND WE CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLORE INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES BECAUSE THERE'S A STATE LAW THAT PREVENTS US.
SO, UM, WHAT WE ADVOCATE FOR, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO ADVOCATE FOR IS TO REVISE THAT STATE LAW TO EITHER REMOVE THE DAY OR OUR REQUIREMENT AND, UM, AND TO ALSO REVISE IT, TO EXPAND IT BEYOND JUST ALLOWING FOR INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES FOR LOW PERFORMING OR AT RISK SCHOOLS.
WE BELIEVE THAT OUR, EVEN OUR HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS CAN, CAN BENEFIT FROM INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES.
WE WANNA KEEP THE STUDENTS THAT ARE PERFORMING WELL, UM, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THEM WITH ADVANCED LEARNING EXPERIENCES, UM, WITH THE INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES.
THIS ALSO CONNECTS TO THE EXPANSION OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.
UM, SO WE WANT THOSE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO, UM, EXPAND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AND TO INCENTIVIZE SCHOOL SYSTEMS
[03:20:01]
TO IMPLEMENT, UH, SCHOOL CALENDARS.AND I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES, IT IS A GRADUAL, UH, PROCESS THAT WILL TAKE MONEY AND TIME.
BUT IF WE CAN START LAYING THE FOUNDATION NOW, UM, THEN OUR STUDENTS WHO ENROLL IN THE FUTURE, WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING, UM, MORE, UM, INNOVATIVE TO TO PROVIDE THEM.
SO WE ARE PROPOSING THESE THREE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND HOW WE WOULD USE THESE PRIORITIES.
WE WOULD SEND THEM TO ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
WHENEVER, UM, WE GIVE TESTIMONY FOR A BILL, WE CAN SAY COLLECTIVELY THAT THIS IS WHAT THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION SUPPORTS OR IS AGAINST BASED OFF OF OUR, UM, LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.
AND THEN WE CAN USE THIS AS FOUNDATIONS FOR FUTURE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TO WORK WITH, UM, LAWMAKERS IN CRAFTING BILLS THAT CAN REALLY ADDRESS THESE, UM, AREAS.
AND SO I'M GONNA PAUSE THERE AND, UM, AND I'M GONNA ASK FOR MAY NOW, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT Q1? SO MOVE ESKI, MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND FROM PAUL.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR ANY DISCUSSION.
AND MS HINT, MS HINT, YOU CAN START.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I HAVE ONE, UM, BRIEF QUESTION ABOUT THE PRIORITIES.
IN THE PAST, THE BOARD HAS INCLUDED COUNTY LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AS WELL AS STATE, AND I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THE FOCUS IS ON STATE PRIORITIES.
HOWEVER, THERE IS A COUNTY PRIORITY THAT THIS BOARD HAS UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED IN THE PAST, UM, WHICH IS PASSAGE OF THE ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ORDINANCE.
UM, RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THERE WAS A TASK FORCE FORMED IN 2020 AND PREVIOUSLY, UM, SUPPORTING THAT PASSAGE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BOARD'S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT INCLUDED.
IT COMPLIMENTS THE NEED FOR INCREASED, UM, SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING BY BALANCING BETTER BALANCING DEVELOPMENT WITH INVESTMENTS IN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION.
AND THE CURRENT COUNCIL CHAIRMAN HAS INDICATED HIS SUPPORT FOR THIS AS WELL AS IT IS ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES.
SO I THINK TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT AS A BOARD FOR THAT, UM, IS NOT ONLY TIMELY, BUT CONSISTENT WITH OUR PRIORITIES THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED HERE.
SO THANK WOULD ACCEPT AN AMENDMENT TO ADD, UM, SUPPORTING THE ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ORDINANCE, TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS AS A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT MS. HEN.
AND, UM, YES, THAT IS SOMETHING I DEFINITELY THINK WE COULD ADD.
AND SO WHEN WE, UM, GO TO ACTUALLY VOTE FOR THIS, WE COULD MAKE THAT A AMENDMENT.
AND, UM, AND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NOT JUST AT THE STATE LEVEL.
THEY DO CONNECT TO LOCAL, UM, PRIORITIES AS WELL, BUT WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF THESE BILLS TEND TO COME UP AT THE STATE LEVEL.
BUT IF LIKE THE, UM, IMPACT FEES AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT, IF THAT DOES COME UP AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, THEN WE WOULD USE THIS AS FOUNDATION TO, UM, TO SUPPORT OR GO AGAINST, UM, THAT LEGISLATION.
AND WE'VE, WE'VE SHARED THESE WITH OUR COUNTY LEGISLATORS AS WELL IN THE PAST, SO EXPLICITLY INCLUDING HOW THEY CAN HELP US AND KNOWING OUR, THE BOARD'S POSITION ON SUCH MATTERS WOULD, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
SO WHENEVER IT'S APPROPRIATE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED THE A PO TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS.
MS. DOKI? SORRY, I WAS TRYING TO FIND MY NOTE WHERE I, UM, I JUST WANNA KNOW IF WE COULD ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGE OUR, OUR STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS TO NOT PUSH FOR, YOU KNOW, ACADEMIC BILLS THAT, YOU KNOW, ADD TO ADD, UM, I DUNNO, UNNEEDED BURDENS TO OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS AS FAR AS LIKE PUTTING SOMETHING MAN MANDATING SOMETHING INTO OUR CURRICULUM THAT IS NOT ADVANCING, UH, MATH OR, YOU KNOW, ELA READING, UM, YOU KNOW, CAREER READINESS, UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN LANGUAGE THAT JUST KIND OF, UM, MAKES THINGS, THERE'S, I, I'LL, I'LL TRY TO FIND THE, ONE OF THE BILLS THAT I WAS, UM, REFERRING TO, AND I'LL SEND IT TO YOU, BUT I, I JUST, UM, I WANT THE FOCUS TO BE MORE ON, YOU KNOW, GETTING OUR KIDS READY TO, YOU KNOW, LEAD A LIFE AFTER, YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL AND, UM, NOT FOCUSED ON ANY LIKE, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S GONNA GET IN THE WAY OF THAT.
AND SO, MS. DOKI, THAT WOULD FALL UNDER THE MAINTAINING LOCAL BOARD GOVERNANCE, UM, AND THAT WE WOULD MAKE THOSE DECISIONS AND NOT HAVE, UM, SOMEONE DICTATE WHAT NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT OR
[03:25:01]
HOW IT SHOULD BE TAUGHT.AND SO THAT'S A PART OF MAID'S PRIORITIES.
AND SO ANY BILL THAT, UM, THAT WOULD PREVENT, UM, THAT WOULD TAKE CONTROL FROM LOCAL BOARDS WE ARE WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGAINST.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT WOULD COVER WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, MY FIRST COMMENT WAS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME AS, UH, THE, UH, AS MS. HEN.
SO I'LL REFRAIN FROM THAT, BUT I DO, I DO SUPPORT THAT, UM, I WILL SUPPORT THAT AMENDMENT THAT, UM, AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION TO APPROVE THESE PRIORITIES.
MY SECOND QUESTION, WE HAD A PUBLIC SPEAKER EARLIER TALK ABOUT, UM, SCHOOL STAR TIMES, AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF, IF YOU THINK THAT WOULD FALL UNDER, UM, THE INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULE SECTION AS FAR AS ANY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SCHOOL START TIMES? IT WOULD.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK HOLISTICALLY AT INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES, AND I CAN, AND I KNOW IN OTHER, UM, IN OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OTHER STATES, THERE ARE, I MEAN, THEY EVEN HAVE SOME SCHEDULES WHERE TEACHERS ARE ON A ROLLING SCHEDULE WHERE EVERY TEACHER IS NOT COMING INTO THE BUILDING AT THE SAME TIME, WHERE YOU HAVE COHORTS OF TEACHERS COMING IN.
UM, AND THERE'S THIS KIND OF ROLLING SCHEDULE AT A SCHOOL.
NOW WE'RE, WE'RE FAR FROM THAT IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, BUT I DO, BUT THAT WOULD DEFINITELY, UM, LOOK AT THE START TIMES FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS WHO DO FUNCTION BETTER EARLIER, AND THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS WHO FUNCTION BETTER, UM, AT A LATER, AT, AT A LATER TIME.
SO JUST TO MAKE A, A BLANKET STATEMENT THAT ALL STUDENTS, I MEAN, WE ALL HAVE, THERE'S CERTAIN NEUROLOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN OUR STUDENTS THAT CAN IMPACT CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. AND SO, UM, SO JUST TO GIVE ALL, YOU KNOW, TO SAY THAT EVERY STUDENT NEEDS TO BE AT SCHOOL, A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, LET'S SAY AT THIS TIME, UM, THAT COULD, THAT'S A MUCH LARGER IMPACT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TAKE IN THE CON CONSIDERATION THE NEURODIVERSITY OF OUR STUDENTS AND THE THEN THE DIFFERENT CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. AND I ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE I WORKED WITH CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS ON MICE FOR YEARS AND, UM, RECOGNIZE THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AND THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS WHO ARE ACTUALLY MORE EFFECTIVE EARLIER IN THE MORNING AND OTHERS WHO, WHO, WHO KICKS IN LATER ON IN THE DAY.
SO THAT WOULD, UH, OPEN UP THE DISCUSSION, I THINK FOR INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULES AND, UM, LOWER THE BARRIER, UM, THAT, THAT BALTIMORE COUNTY WOULD NEED TO USE, UM, IF WE WANTED TO HAVE THOSE, UM, THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND MOVE TOWARD THAT BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THAT, THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS LIKE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY OR HOWARD COUNTY HAD TO DO JUST TO GET THOSE MODIFIED START TIMES.
UM, WE DON'T WANNA HAVE TO GO THROUGH, THROUGH ALL OF THAT IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO, MADAM CHAIR, THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
MAY I AMEND, OFFER MY AMENDMENT NOW? YES.
SO NOW YOU MAY OFFER YOUR AMENDMENT.
UM, I MOVE TO APPROVE THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES WITH THE ADDITION OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES ORDINANCE, TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE MS. ADAM? YES.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE UPDATE ON, OH, OH, NO.
NOW YOU JUST HAVE TO OUT MOVE.
YOU HAVE TO MOVE YOUR MOTION AS AMENDED.
AND SO, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AMENDED 2024 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES? SO MOVED.
MS. HEN, ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. HES YES.
SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE UPDATE
[03:30:01]
ON KEY SCHOOL LEGISLATION.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MS. CHARLIE GREEN AND MR. BAYSMORE.
AND MR. CORS, YOU WANNA, UM, YEAH.
SO TURN IT OVER TO YOU, MS. CHARLIE GREEN AND MR. BMORE.
BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, EY, UH, SUPERINTENDENT WILLIAMS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UH, WE ARE PLEASED TONIGHT TO BRING FORWARD AN UPDATE ON KEY SCHOOL LEGISLATION.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST THANK MR. BAYES MORE FOR THE WORK THAT HE HAS DONE, AS WELL AS TO UPLIFT THE SUPPORT PROVIDED BY AARON ALT.
UM, OUR LAWMAKERS HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING HUNDREDS OF BILLS IN ANNAPOLIS, AND SO, UM, I HAVE A GOOD FORTUNE OF WORKING WITH TONY, UH, BAYES MOORE, WHO HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING THESE BILLS AND CERTAINLY, AND HELPING US PROVIDE THIS UPDATE TO YOU TONIGHT.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE WORK OF THE TEAM.
AND AT THIS TIME, I TURN IT OVER TO MR. BAYSMORE.
UH, CHARLIE GREEN, I APPRECIATE THAT.
UH, MADAM CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS, AND, AND TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS.
UH, FIRST I, I, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, UH, AFFAIRS TEAM FOR THE WORK WE ARE DOING.
AS, UH, MS. CHARLIE GREEN SAID, WE ARE TRACKING WELL OVER, UH, 200 BILLS THIS SESSION, AND, AND I THINK IT MAY BE UP TO 300 AT THIS POINT.
UM, IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF GOOD WORK, A LOT OF GOOD WORK.
UM, AND I WANTED TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT WE WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH MAE, THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF BOARDS OF EDUCATION.
AND, UH, YOU ARE, WELL, WELL REPRESENTED BY THEM IN ANNAPOLIS.
UM, THEY DO A TREMENDOUS JOB, UH, DOWN IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE REPRESENTING ALL LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION.
UM, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER AND VICE CHAIR, UH, HUMPHREY ACTUALLY ARE ON THE MAS LE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, AND THEY DO A GREAT JOB AT THAT.
UM, WHAT WE, UM, UH, THOUGHT TO DO TONIGHT WAS, UH, GET FIVE SAMPLE BILLS THAT WE COULD JUST SHARE WITH YOU TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS AND WHAT WE GO THROUGH IN THE LEGISLATURE.
UH, WE, WE, WE, WE DEFINITELY CAN'T GO OVER 300 BILLS TONIGHT,
SO, UM, FILE, I'LL, UM, HIGHLIGHT THESE FIVE BILLS AND, UH, AND I'LL TRY TO BE RESPECTFUL OF, RESPECTFUL OF, UH, OF EVERYBODY'S TIME.
OUR FIRST BILL IS HB 3 86, SENATE BILL 4 25, AND I'D LIKE TO THANK VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, UH, FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS BILL FOR US THAT WE ARE, WE ARE TRACKING.
IT'S THE MARYLAND MEALS FOR ACHIEVEMENT AND CLASSROOM BREAKFAST PROGRAM.
UM, THIS BILL AUTHORIZES ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE MARYLAND MILLS FOR ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM TO SERVE BREAKFAST IN ANY, UM, ACCESSIBLE PART OF THE SCHOOL, INCLUDING GRAB AND GO CARTS, UM, AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF STUDENTS, UH, TO THE SCHOOL.
UM, PROVIDED THAT THESE STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO CONSUME THE MEAL IN THE CLASSROOM, UM, AFTER THE START OF THE SCHOOL DAY.
UM, THIS BILL IS SUPPORTED BY MA, IT'S ACTUALLY ON THIRD READING.
UM, ALL THE LOCAL LEAS, UH, LOVE THIS BILL BECAUSE IT GIVES US FLEXIBILITY AROUND FOOD AND NUTRITION, UM, WITHOUT, UM, COMPROMISING ANY, UM, QUALITY.
UM, AND ACTUALLY, AND THIS IS GREAT NEWS, BCPS, WE ARE CURRENTLY USING GRAB AND GO, UH, IN, IN OUR SYSTEM.
WE'RE KIND OF AHEAD OF THE, THE, THE LEG, THE LEGISLATION AND, AND, UH, IN SPEAKING WITH JAMIE HETZLER, OUR DIRECTOR OF, UH, NUTRITION AND, AND, UH, FOOD AND NUTRITION, UM, WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH THIS.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE SUPPORT THIS MAY SUPPORT THIS.
UH, JAMIE HESSLER ACTUALLY CAME DOWN AND SHE, SHE ACTUALLY TESTIFIED IN SUPPORT OF THIS BILL, SO I JUST WANNA THANK HER AS WELL.
AND, UH, IF ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS BILL, BE GLAD TO ANSWER.
IF NOT, I'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE.
I'LL JUST MAKE A COMMENT AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, BRINGING THAT TO MY, TO OUR ATTENTION BECAUSE, UM, I, YOU KNOW, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, SO I APPRECIATE IT.
ALTHOUGH WE ARE, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN BCPS USING THIS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE FUNDING, UM, COULD CHANGE.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALSO FOLLOW AND, UM, SUPPORT THIS BILL.
VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY AND MR. BAYSMORE.
YOU CAN REVIEW, DO A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF ALL THE BILLS, AND THEN WE CAN ASK FOR QUESTIONS, UM, AFTER.
UM, OUR SECOND, UH, BILL IS HB 74, UH, DELEGATE MICHELLE GEDEN.
SHE'S IN THE NORTHEAST OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
IT'S CALLED THE LIFESAVER SCHOOLS PROGRAM, UH, BILL ESTABLISHMENT BILL, UH, THIS
[03:35:01]
BILL ESTABLISHES THE LIFESAVER SCHOOLS PROGRAM TO RECOGNIZE PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING TO STUDENTS AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL.THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MUST DESIGNATE A PUBLIC SCHOOL AS A LIFESAVER SCHOOL IF THE, IF THE SCHOOL APPLIES AND MEETS THE CRITERIA ADOPTED BY MSDE, UM, MAY SUPPORTS THIS BILL AS WELL.
UH, THIS IS A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM FOR LEAS, IF THEY CHOOSE TO OPT IN TO GET THIS DESIGNATION.
UM, IS REVENUE NEUTRAL AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S ON SECOND READING IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
UH, THE NEXT BILL IS HOUSE BILL 75, SENATE BILL 3 70 77.
IT'S ALREADY BEEN CROSS FILED.
THE, UM, UH, SPONSOR ON THE HOUSE SIDE IS DELEGATE ERIC EBERSOL, UM, FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY AND SENATOR NANCY KING.
AND, UH, THIS IS THE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAM.
AND, AND YOU'VE, YOU'VE SPOKEN QUITE A BIT ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TEACHERS TONIGHT.
SO THIS BILL, UM, ACTUALLY IS A PILOT PROGRAM.
UH, THE BILL EXPANDS ELIGIBILITY FOR TEACHER DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAMS, PROVIDING AN EDUCATOR STIPENDS.
UM, AND THE PILOT PROGRAM TERMINATES, UH, JUNE 30TH, 2029.
IT PROVIDES, UH, STIPENDS AND IN FOR INTERNS, UM, THAT INCLUDES OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WHO INITIALLY ENROLLED IN ANY MARYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
SO IT'S A COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASED BILL.
IT SUPPORTS OUR, OUR ALL OF OUR, UM, EFFORTS IN TRYING TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TEACHERS BY GIVING FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND, AND INCENTIVE TO STUDENTS TO BECOME TEACHERS.
UM, THE BLUEPRINT SUPPORTS, UH, THIS IS ONE OF THE PILLARS, UH, TEACHER RETENTION AND, AND HIRING.
AND THE BLUEPRINT SUPPORTS THIS.
AND AGAIN, MA SUPPORTS THIS BILL AS WELL.
UM, OUR THIRD BILL IS HOUSE BILL 1 0 8, SENATE BILL 4 51.
UH, THIS IS, UH, BILL, UM, ON THE HOUSE SIDE.
IT WAS INTRODUCED BY DELEGATE CHERYL, PASTOR, AND ON THE SENATE SIDE BY SENATOR BEN BROOKS AND SENATOR SHELLEY HEMAN.
IT, IT IS WHAT WE CALL A LOCAL BILL.
I WANTED TO GIVE AN AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
UM, SO IT WILL ONLY AFFECT BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL.
UH, THIS BILL, THIS BILL IS MOVING, UM, FORWARD, UM, THROUGH THE, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY, UH, HOUSE DELEGATION AND OUR BALTIMORE COUNTY SENATE DELEGATION.
UM, IT'S CALLED THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, NON-STUDENT MEMBER COMPENSATION AND STUDENT MEMBERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP ALTERATIONS.
AND THE BILL INCREASES COMPENSATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
UM, AND, AND FOR THE, UH, NON-STUDENT MEMBER, OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, OTHER THAN THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, INCREASES BY $9,000 TO A TOTAL OF 16,500 ANNUALLY.
UH, COMPENSATION FOR THE BOARD CHAIR INCREASES BY INCREASES TO, UH, 17,500.
UM, THE STUDENT MEMBERS SCHOLARSHIP, UH, GOES UP TO FROM 7,500 TO 10,000.
UM, THE BILL HAS BEEN AMENDED TO, UH, ACTUALLY TAKE EFFECT, UH, JULY THE FIRST 2026.
UM, IF THE, TYPICALLY, IF THE LOCAL JURISDIC JURISDICTION, UH, UH, RECOMMENDS A BILL, IT GOES TO THE FULL COMMITTEE, AND THEY, UH, TYPICALLY WILL DEFER TO THE LOCAL, UM, YOU KNOW, HOUSE OR SENATE DELEGATION.
AND THESE, THIS BILL IS MOVING, UM, AND I THINK IT'S SCHEDULED FOR A VOTE ON THE SENATE SIDE, UH, MONDAY, UM, AND MAY DOESN'T WEIGH IN ON LOCAL BILLS UNLESS, UNLESS WE NEED THEM, UH, THEN THEY'LL BE THERE.
BUT, UH, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THEY USUALLY ALLOW THE, THE LOCAL JURISDICTION TO, TO, UM, UM, SHEPHERD THEIR BILLS THROUGH, UM, HOUSE BILL ONE 16 IS IN THE WAYS AND MEANS OF ECONOMIC MATTERS COMMITTEE IS THE TEACHER DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS A PILLAR OF THE, UH, BLUEPRINT THAT ENCOURAGES APPRENTICESHIPS AND CTE TRAINING.
UM, SO THE BILL ESTABLISHES THE TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP STARTUP GRANT PROGRAM.
IT'S ADMINISTERED, UM, BY THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO BEGIN A CAREER IN EDUCATION IN THE STATE, UH, TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND, UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, CAREER CHANGERS.
UM, SO THE, UH, PROGRAM IS, UM, UH, SUPPORTED BY, UH, UH,
[03:40:01]
A MAID.AND THERE'S A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM AROUND THIS BILL.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY, UM, UH, GONNA MAKE ITS WAY, UH, THROUGH, THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE BILLS? IF NOT, WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
OUR NEXT SLIDE IS, UH, WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU, GIVE YOU SOME KEY, UM, DATES OF INTEREST IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
SIGN AND DIE WHEN WE ADJOURN IS APRIL THE EIGHTH.
UM, AS I, AS I SAID EARLIER, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT ABOUT 300 BILLS ALREADY.
UM, AND IT'S NOT EVEN CROSSOVER YET, SO BILLS STILL CAN BE, UM, DROPPED AS WE SPEAK.
UM, BUT THE, THE DATE FOR, FOR ALL OF US TONIGHT IS, UH, MARCH THE 18TH.
THAT IS THE DATE THAT, UH, WE CALL CROSSOVER.
UM, THAT'S WHEN EACH CHAMBER SENDS TO THE OTHER CHAMBER, UH, THOSE, THOSE BILLS THAT IT INTENDS TO, UH, PASS FAVORABLY.
SO THAT'S A KEY INDICATOR WHETHER OR NOT A BILL, UH, WILL PASS.
SO WE'LL KEEP OUR, OUR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE WILL DEFINITELY KEEP OUR HOUR ON MARCH THE 18TH.
AND, UH, WE'LL BE, WE'LL BE REPORTING OUT ON THAT.
AND I BELIEVE THIS IS THE, THE LAST SLIDE.
WE JUST WANTED TO GIVE SOME, UM, SOME, UM, INFORMATION ON TESTIMONY AND, AND THE PROTOCOLS AND GUIDELINES FOR TESTIFYING BECAUSE INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS CAN TESTIFY, AND THEY HAVE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED FOR, FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, AND, AND, AND VERY ACTIVE IN THAT PART OF IT, INCLUDING MEMBERS THAT ARE, THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT US.
WE CAN WALK YOU THROUGH IF YOU WANT TO TESTIFY ON THE BILL, IF YOU WANT INFORMATION, UM, RESEARCH, UM, CONTACT US.
BUT, UM, YOU CAN ALSO GO INTO MARYLAND STATE, UM, GENERAL ASSEMBLY WEBSITE.
UH, THE SENATE HAS ITS OWN WEBSITE THAT HAS A, HAS A LINK IN THE GUIDELINES AND ALSO THE HOUSE, UM, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT.
BUT I, I WOULD SUGGEST REACHING OUT TO US AND, AND LETTING US, YOU KNOW, WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UH, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME KEY DATES THAT YOU HAVE TO SIGN UP TO TESTIFY.
YOU DON'T WANNA MISS THAT WINDOW.
SO I THINK THAT'S IT, UH, MADAM CHAIR.
AND, UH, THANK YOU AND THIS BOARD FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU DO AND THE SUPPORT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP, UM, IN ANNAPOLIS.
WE HAVE GREAT REPRESENTATION DOWN THERE.
WE HAVE PEOPLE ON, IN, IN KEY POSITIONS THAT WE CAN CALL ON AND RELY ON.
AND, UH, SO THE WORK THAT YOU DO IS, IS, IS WELL APPRECIATED AND BY, BY OUR, OUR COMMITTEE AND BY STATE LEGISLATORS AS WELL.
SO, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM CHAIR.
AND MS. UH, AND MS. CHARLIE GREEN.
ANY QUESTIONS, ANYTHING TO DISCUSS? OKAY, THANK YOU.
[R. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING (9:15 - 9:25 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING.AND I WILL START WITH MR. YOUNG.
MS. HUMPHREY, FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, I'M GONNA HOLD MINE.
THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR YOUR HARD WORK WITH THE BUDGET.
SAVOY, NO COMMENT, MS. HARVEY, NO COMMENT.
AND MY LAST COMMENT IS, I KNOW IT WAS NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK, AND SO THANK YOU TO ALL THE SCHOOL COUNSELORS.
UM, AND THAT'S ALL THE COMMENTS THAT I HAVE.
[S. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:25 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.THE BOARD WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION AT SUD BROOK MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE AUDITORIUM ON FEBRUARY 21ST, 2024 AT 6:30 PM SPEAKER SIGNUP BEGINS AT 5:30 PM THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.