* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS [B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)] IS CHAIRWOMAN TIARA BOOKER DWYER. I CALLED TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024. THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, COMCAST, XFINITY, CHANNEL 73, VERIZON FIOS, CHANNEL 34. IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AS PERMITTED BY THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AS FOUND IN ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE THREE DASH 3 0 5 B ONE AND B SEVEN TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURIS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS. AND CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. SO, MS. LESKY, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND EY, MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. FONG. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MS. LESKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MR. YOUNG. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN. MS. BOOKER DWYER. YES. MOTION CARRIES. IT DID. GOOD EVENING. THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN RA BOOKER DWYER. I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024. I INVITE YOU TO RESET THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY ME. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION FROM UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE ALL. AND I FORGOT TO READ THAT WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE IN RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN COUNTY. TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, COMCAST, XFINITY, CHANNEL 73 VI VERIZON FILES CHANNEL 34. IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE. THE FIRST ITEM ON [C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)] THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION OF THE FEBRUARY 27TH AGENDA. DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I AM UNAWARE OF ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA. HEARING NONE. THE AGENDA STANDS AS PRESENTED EARLIER THIS EVENING. THE BOARD MET IN CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPENING MEETINGS, ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS. AND CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. THE SUMMARY OF CLOSED SESSION AND OPEN SESSION INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THIS BOARD MEETING AGENDA DATE. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE [D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)] AGENDA IS PERSONNEL MATTERS. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. MCCALL. GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'D LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING, PERSONNEL MATTERS, RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, AND DECEASED. RECOGNITION OF SERVICE. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D THREE? SO MOVED. HARVEY, DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, SAVOY. ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. MS. FONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. [00:05:01] MS. STALOWSKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. BOOKER DWYER? YES. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT ITEM ON [E. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Yarbrough) (6:50 - 7:00 p.m.)] THE AGENDA IS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'M BRINGING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENT FOR APPROVAL THIS EVENING, ACCOUNTING MANAGER, OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT E ONE? SO MOVE LESKI. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, SAVOY, ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. MS. FONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MS. LESKY? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. BOOKER DWYER? YES. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES AND DR. ROGERS WILL DO RECOGNITION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS. THANK YOU. UH, PLEASE HELP ME TO RECOGNIZE MS. DINA DEANNA ASHENFELTER, UM, SHE'S ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND. PLEASE STAND AND YOUR HUSBAND CHRISTOPHER, PLEASE STAND WITH HER. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. YOU'RE BEING APPOINTED. SHE IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE ACCOUNTING MANAGER, OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER WITH OVER FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE INCLUDE FISCAL SUPERVISOR AND THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND THE CONTROLLER. ADDITIONALLY, HER PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE MANAGER AT INDUSTRY RETAIL GROUP, AND SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, FINANCIAL ANALYST FOR HEALTH PRO. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT ITEM IS PUBLIC [F. PUBLIC COMMENT (7:00 - 7:40 p.m.)] COMMENT. THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS. IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG. BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S, HOMELAND SECURITY UNION, AND OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAS RECOMMENDED SAFETY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS, WHICH ARE POSTED IN THE BOARDROOM AND AVAILABLE IN BOARD DOCS AND ON THE BOARD'S PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC WEBSITE. WHILE WE ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INPUT ON POLICY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THIS BOARD AND THIS 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 PERSONNEL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-B-C-P-S EMPLOYEE OR THAT DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. PERSONS 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 LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. THE MICROPHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AT THE END OF YOUR TIME OR PRIOR TO THAT TIME AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR. IT IS THE PRACTICE OF THE, OF THIS BOARD TO ALLOW ELECTED OFFICIALS TO PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD. FIRST TO SPEAK IS DELEGATE CHERYL PESTER. OKAY. IF, IF THE DELEGATE, UM, JOINS US, WE WILL GO TO HER. I NOW CALL ON OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS TO SPEAK. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. LISA DINGLE. GOOD EVENING BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, BOARD VICE CHAIR, POEY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS LISA DINGLE, PRESIDENT OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY ALLIANCE OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS. S DR. OUR MEMBERS INCLUDE TEACHERS, FRONT OFFICE STAFF, ADMINISTRATORS, PARAEDUCATORS, BUILDING SERVICE STAFF, RETIRED STAFF, AND PARENTS. BA CAPSI HAS BEEN PARTNERING, PARTNERING WITH BCPS FOR OVER 26 YEARS. THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING A TRANSPARENT BUDGET PROCESS. IN MY 32 YEARS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, I CANNOT REMEMBER THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCH HIGH LEVEL ENGAGEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS AS SEVERAL STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS WERE HELD THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUDGET. THE ADDITION OF THE BUDGET 1 0 1 WEBSITE PROVIDES STAKEHOLDERS AN OVERVIEW OF THE BCPS OPERATING BUDGET, INCLUDING WHERE OUR FUNDING COMES FROM, HOW IT IS SPENT, AND HOW WE ENSURE WE ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF EVERY BCPS STUDENT. THE BUDGET [00:10:01] DIRECTLY ALIGNS WITH THE SYSTEM'S FOUR PRIORITY AREAS, AS WELL AS THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE OF NOTE IS THE FOCUSED ON INCREASED ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. THIS IS EVIDENT IN THE BUDGET AS IT OUTLINES AN INVESTMENT IN THE HIRING AND DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, DIVERSE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF COMPENSATION ENHANCEMENTS FOR ALL STAFF. THE ADDITION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM IEP CHAIRS, THE REDUCTION OF CLASS SIZE IN GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, THE EXPANSION OF FULL DAY PRESCHOOL AND PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS. THE INCREASE OF RESOURCE TEACHERS SUCH AS ESOL AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS TO PROVIDE ONSITE ONGOING PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT, INCREASED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER ALLOCATION, INCREASED SPECIAL AREA TEACHER ALLOCATION, THE PARTICIPATION IN AN ELEMENTARY MATH LEAD, TEACHER'S PILOT, AND THE EXPANSION OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. THANK YOU FOR PLACING PEOPLE FIRST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUDGET. DR. ROGERS. YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE PEOPLE OF BCPS WILL INCREASE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE ADOPTION OF THIS BUDGET PROPOSAL. HAVE A GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU, MS. INGLE. NEXT ARE OUR UNIONS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. BILLY BURKE, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF CASE. GOOD EVENING CHAIRWOMAN. MS. BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIRMAN, MRS. PUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. ON BEHALF OF CASE, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON TWO SUBJECTS TONIGHT. THE FIRST IS THE BUDGET. TONIGHT YOU WILL CONSIDER DR. ROGERS' PROPOSED BUDGET. ALL BARGAINING UNITS WERE ADVISED THIS WOULD BE A TIGHT YEAR. CASE IS SUPPORTIVE OF THE BUDGET, BUT WE NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, AND STAFF ARE BEING ASKED TO DO MORE WITH LESS. THE STAFFING SHORTAGE IS STILL HAVING A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE, ESPECIALLY IN CHALLENGING SCHOOLS. STAFF REDUCTIONS MADE TO BALANCE THIS YEAR'S BUDGET WILL MAKE THE STAFFING SHORTAGE LOOK SMALLER IN THE AGGREGATE. NOT PLANNING TO FILL OPEN POSITIONS IS THE RIGHT STRATEGY IN A LEAN YEAR, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THESE POSITIONS BE RESTORED AS SOON AS IT IS FISCALLY POSSIBLE. PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU PLAN SPENDING THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR. THE SECOND SUBJECT I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON TONIGHT IS EDUCATOR WELLBEING. IT IS THE GOAL OF CASE AND THE OTHER BARGAINING UNITS TO IMPROVE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION BY IMPROVING THE CULTURE, CLIMATE, AND WORKING CONDITIONS OF ALL BCPS EMPLOYEES. I HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WITH COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC ON EDUCATOR WELL-BEING BASED ON THE SURGEON GENERAL'S REPORT ON EMPLOYEE WELLBEING. I BELIEVE BCPS COULD IMPROVE, IMPROVE RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONAL IDEAS. ONE, EMPLOYEES ARE PROTECTED FROM HARM. WORKPLACES ARE SAFE AND JOBS ARE SECURE. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE UNIONS AND MASTER AGREEMENTS. TWO, THERE IS A CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY. WE'VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME THAT STUDENTS REQUIRE SOCIAL SUPPORT AND A SENSE OF BELONGING. STAFF REQUIRE THE SAME THING. THREE, THERE IS WORK LIFE HARMONY. STAFF HAVE THE AUTONOMY TO DO THE JOBS THEY WERE HIRED TO DO WITHOUT MICROMANAGEMENT, AND THERE IS FLEXIBILITY AVAILABLE WHEN STAFF NEED TO ATTEND TO PERSONAL AND FAMILY ISSUES. FOUR, STAFF NEED TO KNOW THEY MATTER TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. THEY NEED TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY, AND THEY NEED TO KNOW THEIR WORK HAS MEANING TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY. AND FIVE, STAFF NEED. WELL-DEVELOPED OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH. THERE SHOULD BE CLEAR LANES FOR MOVING UP THE LADDER IN YOUR OWN POSITION AND IN LEADING OTHERS. WORK SHOULD BE SEEN AND VALUED AS ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT IMPROVE CONDITIONS FOR STUDENTS, OTHER STAFF, AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. I AM ASKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP THESE IDEAS WITH THE OTHER BARGAINING UNITS AND BCPS LEADERSHIP. I THINK IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF CASE. THANK YOU, MR. BURKE. NEXT WE HAVE MS. CINDY SEXTON SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF TAPCO. GOOD EVENING CHAIRMAN, MS. BOOKER, WIRE, VICE CHAIRMAN PUMPHREY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. I DON'T LOVE THIS BUDGET. I DON'T LOVE ANY BUDGET THAT CUTS POSITIONS, BUT I'M SURE THAT NONE OF US DO. IT'S NOT WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS OR STAFF. AND YOU ALL KNOW MY POSITION IS RECRUIT AND RETAIN. SO WHILE I DON'T LOVE IT, I SUPPORT THIS BUDGET. I'M LOOKING AT IT AS A ONE YEAR ONLY ANOMALY. NEXT [00:15:01] YEAR, WE WILL GET THOSE POSITIONS BACK AND HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN LIKE NEVER BEFORE BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS NEED US. AND BECAUSE EDUCATORS NEED EACH OTHER, WE NEED THE VETERAN STAFF TO HELP OUR EARLY CAREER EDUCATORS LEARN AND GROW IN THE PROFESSION. WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF EACH OTHER BECAUSE TEACHING AND LEARNING IS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY, AND IT'S HARD WORK. THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR EDUCATORS. WE'RE DEALING WITH STUDENT NEEDS THAT GO WAY BEYOND JUST THE ACADEMIC ONES. AND WHILE I'VE SAID IT MANY TIMES THAT OUR JOB IS HARD AND IT NEVER STOPS, THAT JUST SEEMS TO BE MORE TRUE THIS SCHOOL YEAR. WE SIMPLY MUST FIND A WAY TO TAKE THINGS OFF THE PLATES OF EDUCATORS. AND I IMPLORE THIS BOARD AND BCPS LEADERSHIP TO DO ALL THEY CAN TO FIND TASKS THAT TRULY ARE NOT ESSENTIAL TO STUDENT LEARNING AND TAKE THEM OFF OUR PLATES. WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO DO THIS, AND IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR EDUCATORS. I SUPPORT THIS BUDGET BECAUSE, AS I SAID, I HOPE IT'S A ONE YEAR ANOMALY, BUT IT DOES FUND OUR COMPENSATION PACKAGE THAT WE NEGOTIATED WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, OUR TABCO UNIT MEMBERS WILL REALIZE AN AVERAGE INCREASE OF 13.25%. IT GIVES US PREDICTABILITY. WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE STARTING AND WHERE WE WILL END UP. THAT IS INVALUABLE IN OUR CAREER AND FINANCIAL PLANNING, AND IT WILL WORK TOWARDS RECRUITING AND RETAINING THOSE EDUCATORS. SO I CAN'T SUGARCOAT OUR CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY, AND CERTAINLY NOT JUST IN BCPS, BUT I'LL SUPPORT THE BUDGET. AND AS ALWAYS, EBCO STANDS AT THE READY TO FACE THE CHALLENGES AND WORK WITH OUR EDUCATORS AND OUR SYSTEM TO MAKE THE CHANGES WE NEED FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. YOUNG. SPEAKING. NEXT, I MEAN MS. SEXTON. SORRY. SPEAKING. NEXT, WE HAVE MS. JEANETTE YOUNG OF THE EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY. GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER CHAIRWOMAN BOOKER DRYER, VICE CHAIR, POMPEY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. I CO I'M COMING TO YOU TO TONIGHT ON THE BEHALF OF THE 2200 PEER EDUCATORS, TECHNICIANS, OFFICE PROFESSIONALS, INTERPRETERS, HEALTH ASSISTANCE AND DEDICATED EDUCATOR EDUCATION EMPLOYEES OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL. YOU'VE HEARD ME SPEAK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE HAD OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AS WE WORK TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS. I COME TO YOU TONIGHT TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK YOU FOR THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS AND STAFF OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. EDUCATION IS IS THE FUTURE, IS A COST. EDUCATING THE FUTURE IS A COST. THE GREATEST COMPONENT OF THE COST IS THE PEOPLE INVESTING IN THE STUDENTS. THEREFORE, THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF THE PER PARAEDUCATOR OFFICE. PROFESSIONAL HEALTH ASSISTANT TECHNICIANS AND INTERPRETERS HAVE WE HAVE ON THE, UH, 111,000 STUDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. YOU RECOGNIZE THE INCREASED NEED OF STUDENTS BY INCREASING THE NUMBERS OF PARA PARAEDUCATORS FTES IN THE BUDGET. YOU RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF EDUCATION BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF OFFICE PROFESSIONALS AND INTERPRETERS. INCREASED COMPENSATION IS A PRIORITY OF MY MEMBERS. WHILE THERE'S ALWAYS A DESIRE FOR MORE YOUR COMMITMENT TO DENY TO A MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT THAT WILL PROVIDE INCREASED COMPENSATION EACH YEAR WITH INCLUDING NO FURLOUGHS, NO LAYOFF WILL BE COMMENDABLE. TONIGHT, I'M COMFORTABLE SEEING THIS BUDGET FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS AND PROGRAMS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. LET'S AGREE THIS BUDGET IS WORTH YOUR BOARD VOTE IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. YOUNG. NEXT WE HAVE MR. NICHOLAS AR, UM, FROM B-C-P-S-O-P-E. GOOD EVENING, CHAIRWOMAN BOI, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. ON BEHALF OF OPE TONIGHT, ON BEHALF OF THE CENTRAL OFFICE PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES, I WOULD LIKE TO CONVEY OUR ENDORSEMENT OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET. I WANT TO TAKE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO DR. ROGERS AND THE BOARD FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO GUARDING THE LIVELIHOOD OF OUR EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE. YOUR PROACTIVE MEASURES TO SC SAFEGUARD EMPLOYEES AGAINST LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS, WHILE CAREFULLY WEIGHING ALL COMPONENTS OF THE TENTATIVE WORK AGREEMENTS, SHOWCASE YOUR SINCERE CARE FOR STAFF, STUDENTS, AND THE COMMUNITY'S WELLBEING. THE SENSE THIS SENSE OF SECURITY AND REASSURANCE GIVES CENTRAL OFFICE [00:20:01] PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES A PEACE OF MIND, ALLOWING THEM TO CONCENTRATE ON OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR NEEDS. I SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND ADV ADVOCACY. YOUR DEDICATION TO PRIORITIZING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES DOES NOT GO UNNOTICED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. ARGER. MR. NEXT, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. BRIAN EPPS FROM AFSCME. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOARDMAN BOCA DRYER, UH, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. AS YOU KNOW, MY NAME IS BRIAN EPPS. I REPRESENT AME, WHICH IS ABOUT THREE, 3000 MEMBERS. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SUPPORT OF THE BUDGET. LAST MONTH, WE HAD OUR LARGEST MEMBERSHIP MEETING, AND WE SHARED WITH THEM WHAT AME MEMBERS WOULD RECEIVE OVERWHELMING OF MORE THAN 150 PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO SEE. AND THEY'RE VERY EXCITED AND ASKING THAT THIS BUDGET BE PASSED. AS YOU KNOW, I REPRESENT THE FRONTLINE WORKERS, TRANSPORTATION, FOOD, AND NUTRITION, AS WELL AS, UH, FACILITIES, OPERATIONS, AND LOGISTICS. THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE FIRST ONES TO SEE THE STUDENTS AND THE LAST ONE TO TAKE THEM HOME. AND THEY ARE VERY PLEASED, AND I'M STANDING HERE IN SUPPORT OF THIS BUDGET AND ASK THAT YOU PASS THIS BUDGET, THAT MY MEMBERS WILL BE HAPPY WITH THEIR INCREASE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT ARE THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. MARIETTA ENGLISH FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY NAACP. UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU. YOU CAN PROCEED, MS. ENGLISH. THANK YOU. UH, DIDN'T HAVE THE PROBLEM I HAD LAST TIME. GOOD EVENING. CHAIRWOMAN BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS. I AM MARIETTA ENGLISH, AND I CHAIR THE BALTIMORE COUNTY NAACP AXO PROGRAM AND THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE. AND ON BEHALF OF THE BRANCH, I WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR OPENNESS WITH YOUR BUDGET PROCESS. YOU HAVE PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY'S INPUT, AND I AM SURE AND HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL BE PASSED TODAY. I WANT TO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS, UH, DR. ROGERS TO MEET WITH OUR EDUCATION COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS ISSUES THAT WE FEEL THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US. AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TREMENDOUS SUPPORT OF THE ACTUAL PROGRAM. I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TODAY TO SPEAK TO ABOUT 50 STUDENTS AT PIKESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. THEY WERE SO INTERESTED AND ENGAGED, AND THEY LISTENED, AND AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, THEY ASKED QUESTIONS AND TOOK APPLICATIONS. I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANYONE TO PARTICIPATE FROM PIKESVILLE. THIS PROGRAM IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS OF COLOR. AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AS WE ARE PREPARING FOR OUR LOCAL COMPETITION, WHICH WILL BE ON APRIL THE 27TH AT NEWTOWN HIGH SCHOOL. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL JOIN US ON THAT DAY AND SEE THE WORK OF THE STUDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY AND HOW WONDERFUL, TALENTED THEY ARE. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AS WE PREPARE FOR THE NATIONAL COMPETITION AND LOCALLY. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT WE WILL GO TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. SO, UM, FOR THIS, I CALL ON MS. DELEGATE DELEGATE. CHERYL PASTURA. SHE'S CALLING YOU MS. CHERYL. OKAY. WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AND STUDENT GROUPS. AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. SHARON SOFF. I'M ONLY GONNA GONNA SAY, OKAY, YOU CAN GO NOW. YES. I'M ONLY GONNA SAY GOOD EVENING BECAUSE THAT'S THE PROPER THING TO SAY. UM, THE PAST TWO WEEKS HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY CHALLENGING FOR A GOOD PORTION OF MY CLIENTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED A LACK OF WILLINGNESS OF THIS COUNTY TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS IN SPECIAL [00:25:01] EDUCATION. AND THAT'S PART OF MY CONCERN WITH THIS BUDGET. WHEN WE SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE CUTTING SOME TEACHERS, AND WHEN WE SAY, AND WE'VE BEEN SAYING THIS ALL YEAR LONG, SPECIAL EDUCATION IS A PRIORITY. AND I HAVE TO ASK, HOW IS IT A PRIORITY IF WE'RE REFUSING TO EVALUATE A STUDENT'S NEEDS, HOW IS IT A PRIORITY IF WE FU IF WE'RE REFUSING TO PUT A CHILD IN THE APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENT, IN THE NAME OF LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, THAT DOESN'T TELL ME IT'S A PRIORITY. I HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE LITERALLY REFUSING TO GO TO SCHOOL BECAUSE SCHOOL TO THEM IS A FRIGHTENING PLACE, IS A DANGEROUS PLACE. I HAD ONE CLIENT TODAY THAT I HAD A MEETING FOR, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS, WE FINALLY GOT A SAFETY PLAN. SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR, WE FINALLY GOT IT. THAT SHOULD SAY VOLUMES TO YOU. WE CAN'T CUT TEACHERS RIGHT NOW, NOT WHEN WE'RE REFUSING TO GIVE OUR STU OUR MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. AS I SAID, IT'S NOT A GOOD EVENING FOR MY CLIENTS AND FOR ME, IT'S BEEN VERY ROUGH WHEN I HAVE TO WAKE UP AT SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO A CALL FROM A CLIENT WHOSE CHILD IS IN CRISIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SARAH. SO AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GO TO DELEGATE PASTEUR, OUR ELECTED OFFICIAL. I AM CALLING SOON. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL GO TO OUR NEXT CI, OUR NEXT INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN. UM, WE HAVE, UH, S CRUZ. IS THERE CRUZ? OKAY. SO WE'LL GO TO OUR NEXT CITIZEN, UH, DR. BOSCH FARONE. MM-HMM. TIME'S UP. . GOOD EVENING TO ALL. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBER, UH, FELICIA STALOWSKI FOR LAST MEETING WHEN YOU MENTIONED MY IDEA, SUPPORT OF MY IDEA OF, UM, CIAN HISTORICAL NAMES FOR SCHOOLS. SO AMERICANS DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT OUR PRESIDENTS, UM, ANY PRESIDENT. THEY ARE MORE INTERESTED, INCLUDING ME, UM, WITH SALES. AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I KNOW I TOLD YOU THAT LAST TIME AMERICANS LIKE MONEY. UM, SO I WONDER IF YOU CAN REALLY TAKE CARE OF THAT. TO MENTION ABOUT THE MONTH OF, UM, DR. KING. UM, MANY MUSLIMS CAME TO THIS COUNTRY STARTING IN THE 15 HUNDREDS. AND EVEN IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. UM, DR. KING DID NOT REALLY DO IT BY HIMSELF. HE HAD BEHIND HIM MANY MUSLIM AMERICANS, AFRICAN AMERICANS THAT WERE SUPPORTIVE OF HIM. BUT IN GENERAL, REALLY, STUDENTS AND AMERICANS DON'T KNOW THAT. AND ALSO THEY DON'T KNOW THAT IN THE 15 HUNDREDS WITH THE EXPEDITIONS THAT CAME FROM PORTUGAL, UH, TRACKERS, NAVIGATORS FROM, UM, THE ARAB WORLD, MOSTLY PROBABLY MOROCCO. UH, ONE OF THEM IS CALLED ESTEBAN OF TIME, KNOWN AS ESTEBAN, UH, CAME WITH THE EXPLORERS AND OBVIOUSLY STAYED HERE. UM, 10 YEARS AGO. I BROUGHT THAT TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT OUR EDUCATORS REALLY BRING THAT. THERE ARE MANY MUSLIM AFRICANS THAT CAME IN ON THE SLAVE SHIPS, AND THEY WERE FORCED TO CONVERT, AND THEY FOUGHT THE BRITISH. AND IN THE INDEPENDENCE [00:30:01] WAR, THEY WERE TRACKERS. THEY BUILD COLONIES. UM, PERSONALLY, I DON'T THINK REALLY SCHOOL CURRICULUMS, UM, REFLECT THAT. AND IF I AM REALLY WRONG, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SHOW ME, UH, THAT THAT'S WHY OUR KIDS IN PART FEEL A BIT ALIENATED. THAT THEY ARE TREATED INFERIORLY. THEY DON'T REALLY SEE MANY MUSLIM TEACHERS. THEY LEARN BASICALLY THE HISTORY THROUGH A WESTERN PRIM. UH, AND IN MY 40 SECONDS, THIS COUNTRY WENT TO WAR IN VIETNAM, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, WITH TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED, HANDICAPPED FOR NOTHING, AND WE LOST ALL OF THEM. PART OF THAT MAY BE THE LOVE OF POWER AND MONEY, BUT THE OTHER PART IS ITS REALLY PURE IGNORANCE. AND THE JOB OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS REALLY TO EDUCATE OUR FUTURE LEADERS. SO I ASK YOU, DR. ROS AND DR. DENADO TO REALLY TAKE CARE OF THAT PART AND REALLY SHOW ME IF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FAIRLY TEACHES THE HISTORY I MENTIONED TO YOU. I'LL BE SENDING YOU A COPY. THANK INFORMATION. THANK YOU, DR. FARONE. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. I PUT FIVE SECONDS. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO NOUN, WE HAVE OUR ELECTED OFFICIAL DELEGATE. CHERYL, PASTOR, GOOD EVENING. I HOPE THAT YOU CAN HEAR ME WELL. I'M IN A CLOSET, ACTUALLY. UM, YES, WE COULD HEAR YOU TAKE A BREAK FROM A HEARING. OKAY, VERY GOOD. I JUST WANTED TO CALL IN, UM, JUST TO MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THE BUDGET. I MIGHT BE WAY OFF IN TERMS OF, OR WHAT THE TOPICS HAVE BEEN SO FAR. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT EVERYBODY IS PULLING IN THOSE BELTS, THOSE ECONOMIC BELTS. CERTAINLY WE ARE FEELING THAT HERE IN ANNAPOLIS. MANY OF THE OFFICES HAVE HAD TO, UH, REDUCE WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO DO. I'M, I'VE SPENT THIS A GOOD PORTION OF THIS EVENING TRYING TO PARE DOWN A BILL THAT I HAVE WRITTEN ON RESTORATIVE PRACTICES, BECAUSE I WANT OUR SCHOOLS TO MAXIMIZE OUR ABILITIES, UH, ONE TO BE SAFE AND TO BE SAFE SO THAT OUR CHILDREN CAN LEARN AND DO ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT I KNOW YOU ARE DOING IN BALTIMORE COUNTY NOW. AND I HAD TO PULL THAT BACK BECAUSE OF BUDGET CONSTRAINTS. SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE, UH, DR. UH, ROGERS AND THE BOARD, UH, SOME KUDOS FOR, UH, RECOGNIZING, UH, THAT THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE WAY WE WANT IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN SPEND THE MONEY. BUT I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT, UH, IN MANY CASES, CENTRAL OFFICE HAS BEEN, UM, UH, REDUCED IN TERMS OF SPENDING. SO WE CAN PUT SOME OF THOSE FUNDS BACK INTO OUR SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY OUR PRE-K OUR YOUNGER FOLKS. UM, I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT WHEN WE GIVE OUR CHILDREN A STRONG START, WE CAN KEEP THAT GOING. SO IN THESE EARLY GRADES, HAVING, UM, MORE TEACHERS, MORE SUPPORT. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. OUR ESOL STUDENTS, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I THINK I HEARD, UM, MS. SARAH, UH, NORTH TALKING, SARAH TALKING EARLIER, AND SHE WORKS SO HARD ON BEHALF OF SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILDREN, AND SO MANY OF YOU DO. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF THE WAYS WE'LL BE ABLE TO BETTER SUPPORT THEM AS WELL. SO I WISH I COULD SAY THERE WAS SOMETHING MORE I COULD DO DOWN HERE, BUT THERE ISN'T. BUT AGAIN, BRAVO FOR TAKING A STRONG LOOK AT HOW TO SERVE THE CHILDREN IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. EVERYONE HAVE A GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR WORKING AROUND MY SCHEDULE. THANK YOU. SINCE THERE ARE SPEAKER SPACES AVAILABLE, WE WILL NOW CALL FROM THE WAIT LIST FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AND STUDENTS CATEGORY. THE FIRST WAIT LIST SPEAKER IS MR. ERIC MORRIS. GOOD EVENING, [00:35:01] UH, CHAIRWOMAN BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, PLUM FREE, DR. ROGERS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. UH, MY NAME IS ERIC MORRIS. I'M HERE TODAY AS A PROUD PARENT OF THREE TEENAGERS WHO ARE BBS STUDENTS, TWO OF WHICH ARE TRANSGENDER. EACH DAY IN SCHOOL, I SEE LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS WHO ARE AFRAID TO BE THEMSELVES IN SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF RETRIBUTION FROM OTHER STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. WHY? BECAUSE THERE ARE HATE GROUPS OUT THERE THAT ARE CREATING CONFUSION AND FEAR WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING OUR LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS. PLEASE, I BEG YOU NOT TO LISTEN TO THESE WORDS OF HATE, LIES AND DIVISION. THESE GROUPS ARE SPEWING AND LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF LOVE, COMPASSION, AND EQUITY FROM GROUPS LIKE THE ACL U, NAACP, PFLAG GLISTEN, OUR OWN TEACHERS UNION, TABCO, AND OUR VERY OWN BCPS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS. I ONCE AGAIN ASKED YOU, THE BOARD TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, THE LEADERS OF BCPS TO REREAD THE BCPS LGBTQ PLUS GUIDELINES AND CALL FOR A VOTE TO MAKE THOSE GUIDELINES, POLICIES OR RULES, OR BETTER YET, PUT TOGETHER A SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO PLAN A NEW INCLUSIVITY POLICY, A COMMITTEE MADE OF TEACHERS AND STAFF ADMINISTRATION AND PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND THESE L-G-B-T-Q EXPERT ORGANIZATIONS TO PUT TOGETHER THE BEST POLICIES TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN. WHICH OF YOU LEADERS ARE READY TO TAKE A STAND AND PROTECT OUR L-G-B-T-Q STUDENTS SO WE DON'T HAVE A DEATH LIKE NEXT BENEDICT, A 16-YEAR-OLD NON-BINARY STUDENT WHO IS BRUTALLY AND VICIOUSLY BEATEN INSIDE A BATHROOM IN A HIGH SCHOOL IN OKLAHOMA. NEXT WAS RELEASED AND TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL, READMITTED THE NEXT DAY, AND SHE SUCCUMBED TO HER INJURIES AND TRAGICALLY DIED. THIS IS AT LEAST THE SECOND BRUTAL KILLING OF A SCHOOL AGED TRANSGENDER OR GENDER EXPANSIVE PERSON IN 2024. AGAIN, WHICH OF YOU LEADERS IS READY TO TAKE A STAND AND PROTECT OUR LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS FROM THE NEEDLESS DEATHS LIKE NEXT BENEDICT? THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK WITH BC PATH STUDENTS. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM [G. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY2025 OPERATING BUDGET (Dr. Rogers) (7:40 - 8:00 p.m.)] ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS. THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY 2025 OPERATING BUDGET. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU, MS. BOOKER DWYER, CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. AS YOU KNOW, UM, WE PRESENTED THE OFFICIAL OPERATING BUDGET ON JANUARY THE NINTH. AT THE BOARD MEETING. WE HAD A WORK SESSION ON JANUARY THE 23RD AND LAST BOARD MEETING. UH, AS PART OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, I ALSO, UM, ADDRESSED THE FY 25 OPERATING BUDGET. SO TODAY WE ARE SCHEDULED FOR A VOTE ON THE FY 25 OPERATING BUDGET, AND I AM, UH, PLEASED TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU FOR THAT PROCESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FFY 2025 OPERATING BUDGET. SO APPROVED LICHTER, SO MOVED. SORRY, . THANK YOU MS. LICHTER. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SO, BOY, ANY DISCUSSION, UH, MR. LESKI? UM, GOOD EVENING. AND, UM, I WANNA AGREE WITH MANY OF THE COMMENTATORS ABOUT HOW TRANSPARENT AND ENGAGING THE BUDGET PROCESS WAS. UM, I WAS LOOKING FOR THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CENTRAL OFFICE CUTS AND, UM, AND I JUST COULDN'T FIND IT. UM, SO I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME MISINFORMATION OR, OR, UM, DIFFERENT TAKES ON WHAT THE CENTRAL OFFICE CUTS HAVE LOOKED LIKE. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S THE VISUAL OR OR WHATEVER TO JUST CLARIFY WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING WITH CENTRAL OFFICE FOR THE 20, YOU KNOW, THE FISCAL YEAR, 2025. THANK YOU. AND SO THE CENTRAL OFFICE, THAT WAS ALL ADDRESSED IN THE BUDGET BOOK AND IN THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THAT WERE PROVIDED. SO THAT INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED AND IT'S IN THOSE DOCUMENTS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, MR. MCMILLIAN? I, I GOT A STATEMENT OR TWO TO MAKE. AND THEN, AND THIS JUST SORT OF CAME TO ME HERE VERY RECENTLY. UH, YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE ZERO BASE BUDGETARY PROCESS AND THE WAY YOU STARTED THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO GO ABOUT IT. THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE I THINK IS EXCELLENT. THE THREE YEAR AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIONS. YOU KNOW, BEING A FORMER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE SIX ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME ATHLETIC TRAINERS. THE PIECE THAT I'M HAVING A DIFFICULT DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING IS THE CUTS TO THE TEACHING POSITIONS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, IN MY 35 [00:40:01] YEARS, I NEVER SCHEDULED A BUILDING, AND I DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW THAT. BUT WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT PLACED THAT ARE EXCESS RIGHT NOW, OR WILL BE SHORTLY. AND, AND THERE'S GONNA BE A LARGE GROUP OF 'EM. IT'S NOT GONNA BE A FEW, IT'S GONNA BE A LARGE GROUP OF THEM. HOW ARE THEY GONNA BE PLACED OVER THE SUMMER? YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE TOLD THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE JOBS, BUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA KNOW WHERE THEY GO. SO IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT HAS AN EXPERTISE IN THEATER, YOU KNOW, WHICH WILL, WILL THAT INDIVIDUAL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO A, TO A MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL AND TEACH THEATER? ARE THEY GONNA TEACH ENGLISH OR SOMETHING ELSE AND BE PLACED AT THE LAST MINUTE AFTER THESE SCHEDULES HAVE BEEN KIND OF SORTA, I WOULD THINK, CONSTRUCTED, YOU KNOW, IN THIS SPRING AND THIS EARLY SUMMER. AND THEN THESE PEOPLE ARE, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE GONNA BE PLACED, IS, IS THE PIECE I DON'T GET. AND SO, MR. MCMILLIAN, THE, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UM, THIS BUDGET, UM, AND, AND HOW THE, HOW THE STAFFING IS DONE, UM, IN THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, UM, THERE WAS DISCUSSION AROUND THE, THE STAFF TEACHER RATIO AND HOW PEOPLE WOULD, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH TEACHERS IN THE BUILDING FOR THE COURSES THAT ARE THERE. SO THAT WAS ALL ADDRESSED IN THE INFORMATION THAT WAS PROVIDED IN THE, UM, IN THE BUDGET BOOK, IN THE, UH, THE, THE RESPONSES TO THE, THE FREQUENTLY EX THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE PROVIDED. SO A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION WAS ALREADY PROVIDED. CAN, CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO? HOW, HOW YOU WANNA PLACE 'EM? YES, MR. MCMILLION, QUITE SIMPLY, THEY'RE GONNA GO TO OUR SCHOOLS. SO IF WE THINK ABOUT THE, UH, VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, OUT OF, I WOULD SAY 173 VACANCIES THAT WE OPENED THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH, MOST RECENTLY, I CHECKED, WE HAVE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, OVER 130 VACANCIES. THEN YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS THAT THIS BUDGET, UH, REQUEST, UH, FOR YOUR APPROVAL EVERY YEAR, WHETHER YOU HAVE, UM, A TIGHT, UM, BUDGET IN TERMS OF FISCAL CONSTRAINTS OR NOT. YOU ALWAYS GO THROUGH A, UH, PRIORITY TRANSFER, UM, PROCESS THAT, UH, YOU GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS. UM, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, UH, 10 YEARS FROM NOW, THIS YEAR, LAST YEAR, UH, BECAUSE, UH, STAFFING IS LARGELY BASED ON ENROLLMENT. AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE ENROLLMENT SHIFTS, YOU HAVE TO MOVE THE STAFFING TO WHERE THE STUDENTS ARE. UM, AND SO WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THAT PROCESS OF PRIORITY PLACEMENTS. UH, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED MATCHING. PRINCIPALS ACTUALLY HAVE RECEIVED A, UH, COPY OF A LIST. THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, INTERVIEW PEOPLE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS. ON MARCH 12TH, WE HAVE OUR COUNTYWIDE JOB FAIR. UM, AND IT'S THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T ALREADY BEEN PLACED, UM, THAT THEY HAVE TO MEET WITH DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, UM, FOR ADDITIONAL PLACEMENT. AND THEN AFTER THAT, THERE IS A WINDOW WHERE, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES FREEZES ALL ACTIVITY. AND WHEN THAT WINDOW FREEZES, IT'S BECAUSE HUMAN RESOURCES WORKS TOGETHER WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS TO PLACE TEACHERS. UM, WHEN I WAS AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, THAT WAS A PROCESS THAT I WAS A PART OF. IT IS AN ANNUAL PROCESS. I WANNA, AGAIN, REITERATE, THERE ARE NO FURLOUGHS, THERE ARE NO LAYOFFS. UH, WE HAVE SPACES, UH, FOR OUR TEACHERS. UM, WE ALREADY HAVE, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, SOME EXISTING VACANCIES AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL, UH, POSITIONS. AND YOU NAMED A FEW OF THEM THIS EVENING. THEY WILL BE IN OUR SCHOOLS ACCORDING TO THEIR AREA OF CERTIFICATION. MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. OH, GO, GO AHEAD MR. LESKY. THANK YOU. SO JUST, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY 'CAUSE I DID GO THROUGH THE, THE DOCUMENTS THAT WERE REPUBLISHED AND I COULD NOT FIND THE SECTIONS DEALING WITH CENTRAL OFFICE. SO I, I JUST WANNA BE FULLY TRANSPARENT IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE HAPPENING WITH CENTRAL OFFICE. ABSOLUTELY. ON JANUARY 8TH AND JANUARY 9TH WHEN I PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC, UH, THERE IS A SLIDE WITH A LARGE, I BELIEVE IT'S ORANGE BOX THAT SPEAKS TO A PRETTY DETAILED LIST OF THE REDUCTIONS. AGAIN, ON JANUARY 23RD WHEN THERE WAS THE BUDGET WORK SESSION. IF YOU GO SPECIFICALLY TO SLIDES SEVEN, 10, AND 11, ALL THREE OF THOSE SLIDES SPEAK TO CENTRAL OFFICE. UM, YOU HAVE THE POSITIONS, UH, I THINK $12.9 MILLION. YOU HAVE $13.7 MILLION IN, UH, ZERO BASED BUDGETING AND AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION IN BUILT-IN SAVINGS FOR A TOTAL OF $36.6 MILLION WORTH OF CENTRAL OFFICE SAVINGS. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. [00:45:01] FPA? OH, SHE HAD A YES. COMMENT. NO, UH, GO AHEAD MS. DOKI. GO AHEAD, . SURE WHAT? GO AHEAD, MS. HAND. UM, SO, LIKE MS. SEXTON SAID EARLIER, THERE ARE PARTS OF THIS BUDGET THAT ARE FANTASTIC IN TERMS OF FOR OUR STAFF. WHAT I'M NOT HEARING ANYONE ADDRESS IS THE REAL IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS. MY TWO CONCERNS ARE CLASS SIZES AS WELL AS THE COURSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. AND CHAIR BILL REYER, YOU MENTIONED THAT WE WILL HAVE ADEQUATE STAFF FOR THE COURSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. WHAT WE HAVE NOT ADDRESSED ARE THOSE COURSES THAT WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE AS ELECTIVES TO OUR STUDENTS. CREATIVE WRITING JOURNALISM, AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. I WANNA PAUSE YOU RIGHT THERE 'CAUSE YOU'RE NAMING THINGS THAT ARE NOT ACCURATE. I WOULD LIKE, I WOULD LIKE OFFICIAL INFORMATION PRIOR TO CASTING THIS VOTE, AND SO THAT FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT TO SPEAK TO WHAT EXACTLY WHAT IMPACT WILL THESE HAVE ON OUR STUDENTS IN TERMS OF COURSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM. AND CLASS SIZES. BECAUSE ANECDOTAL INFORMATION, AS YOU'RE INFERRING, IS NOT, UM, WHAT WE SHOULD BE BASING OUR DECISION ON. SO I'VE REQUESTED THAT FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT IN TERMS OF ACTUAL IMPACT. I HAVE TEACHERS TELLING ME THEY HAVE ACTUAL ROSTERS FOR NEXT YEAR OF 38 STUDENTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. THAT ELECTIVE ARE THAT, THAT FACTUAL. MS. HENN, I'M GONNA HAVE TO STOP YOU IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA SPEAK IN THE FACTS. I'M REQUESTING INFORMATION OFFICIALLY THAT IS NOT OPERATIONS AND NOT GOVERNANCE, WHICH IS OUR, UM, ROLE AS A BOARD. AND SO THE PROCESS FOR, UM, THE, THE IT, THE PROCESS FOR SELECTING CLASSES FOR, UM, ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO CLASSES, MASTER SCHEDULING, ALL OF THOSE OPERATIONAL PROCESSES ARE STILL IN PLACE. SO WE'RE NOT, SO YOU'RE NAMING CLASSES THAT YOU ARE, YOU HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THAT IT'S GOING TO BE CUT OR NOT. WE ARE REALLY LOOKING TOWARD THE BIGGER PICTURE FOR THIS BUDGET. EVERY SCHOOL WILL HAVE THE TEACHERS THAT IT NEED. EVERY SCHOOL WILL HAVE THE COURSES THAT THEY NEED. WE ARE IN TIGHTER FISCAL TIMES. AND I, AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE GOING DEEP INTO THE WEEDS OF OPERATIONS, WHICH IS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE BOARD'S WORK. MADAM CHAIRMAN, I RESPOND, THE BOARD NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT ON STUDENTS. WE KNOW WHAT THE IMPACT ON COMPENSATION FOR OUR STAFF IS, AND THAT'S BEEN SPOKEN VERY POSITIVELY BY OUR, UM, BARGAINING UNITS THIS EVENING. WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN, AND I HAVE REQUESTED OFFICIAL INFORMATION ON THIS, ARE WHAT ARE THE ACTUAL CLASS SIZES? WHAT ARE THE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACADEMICS AT YOU HAVE A PROVIDED LEVEL, THE CLASS SIZES OPERATIONS HIGH, YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDED THE CLASS SIZES, AND YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDED. WE, WE, OUR PRIORITIES IS STUDENTS. THAT IS, THAT IS OUR MORAL IMPERATIVE. THAT IS WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON. SO WE ARE NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING THAT IS GONNA NEGATIVELY IMPACT STUDENTS. GO AHEAD, MS. DOKI. UH, I I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF FOLLOW UP AND AS BEING FROM A GOVERNANCE, TRYING TO VOTE ON THIS BUDGET AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ONLY GONNA GET AN ESTIMATED NUMBER OF THE CLASS SIZE BECAUSE WE CAN'T PREDICT THE FUTURE. BUT KNOWING THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO INCREASE THE CLASS SIZE BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA HAVE SOME, WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THE CLASS SIZES IN THREE TO FIVE. WHAT I WOULD'VE WANTED TO HEAR TONIGHT WAS FROM MORE TEACHERS IN OUR CLASSROOMS, WHERE WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF TEACHERS THAT, YOU KNOW, UNION REPRESENTATIVES, BUT I DIDN'T HEAR A LOT FROM ACTUAL TEACHERS IN OUR CLASSROOMS WHO ARE GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS AND HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT. AND I'M COMING FROM THAT, FROM A POINT OF WITH CLIMATE AND SAFETY AND GIVING OUR TEACHERS THE TOOLS TO, YOU KNOW, CONDUCT A QUALITY CLASSROOM IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. AND, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT GOES TO CLASS SIZE. AND YES, WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WHERE YOU CAN HAVE A CLASSROOM OF 30 STUDENTS WHO ARE WELL-BEHAVED, AND YOU'RE GONNA GET THROUGH A CLASS PRETTY QUICKLY, AND YOU COULD HAVE A CLASSROOM OF FIVE THAT ARE NOT, AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET ANYTHING DONE. BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT LIBERTY OF THAT, OF KNOWING ANY OF THAT RIGHT NOW WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO PASS THIS. SO IT'S HARD TO SAY TO MS. HE'S POINT, WE'RE KIND OF IN A WAY, FEELS LIKE WE'RE BLIND PASSING THIS, AND I UNDER, I KNOW WE'RE GIVING, YOU'RE GIVING US AS MUCH AS WE CAN, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT SCARY NOT KNOWING THE TOTAL IMPACT OF THIS. GOOD. DR. ROGERS, MS. DOKI, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. UM, I WOULD BRING THE BOARD'S ATTENTION TO EVERY YEAR WHEN YOU PASS A BUDGET. UM, THE FINAL SCHEDULES ARE NEVER DONE. FINAL SCHEDULES AREN'T DONE UNTIL JULY. AND SO I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY PRACTICE, UM, WHERE ANYONE CAN HAVE THAT INFORMATION. SO IF THERE IS MISINFORMATION, ADDITIONAL MISINFORMATION CIRCULATING ABOUT, UM, CLASS ROSTERS FOR NEXT YEAR AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, UH, THAT'S SIMPLY INACCURATE. UH, SPEAKING AS A, UH, EXPERIENCED MASTER SCHEDULER, I CAN TELL YOU THE MOST INFORMATION THAT A SCHOOL HAS AS AT THIS POINT, ARE THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE REQUESTED SPECIFIC COURSES. AND YOU CAN HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 12 STUDENTS REPORT, UH, REQUEST THE COURSE FROM HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS THAT REQUEST THE COURSE. [00:50:01] BUT WHAT MAKES FOR A MASTER SCHEDULE IS THE CHOICES THAT YOU HAVE, THE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS TOGETHER WITH THE PRINCIPAL, THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, AND YOU MATCH IT UP WITH THE CERTIFICATION. YOU HAVE TO PUT THE REQUIRED COURSE REQUIREMENTS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR SOCIAL STUDIES IN HIGH SCHOOL. THERE'S THREE COURSES THAT ARE REQUIRED. UM, YOU HAVE TO PUT THOSE UP AGAINST THE ELECTIVES. AND BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS AND THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS AND THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, THAT'S HOW YOU CREATE A MASTER SCHEDULE. UM, SO INFORMATION THAT IS CIRCULATING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, COURSES THAT ARE, UH, CANCELED AT THIS TIME AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AS A RESULT OF THIS BUDGET ARE INACCURATE. I WOULD SAY THAT AS A FORMER PRINCIPAL, THAT DECISIONS, UH, PROBABLY WERE MADE RIGHT AFTER STUDENTS SUBMITTED COURSE REQUESTS, UM, FROM PRINCIPALS ALONG WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP TEAM TO DETERMINE WHAT, WHAT CLASSES THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE OR NOT. UM, SO IF YOU PUT ON YOUR COURSE REQUEST SHEET FOR, UH, EXAMPLE, A LEVEL, UH, SIX CLASS, AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING, OR EVEN 12 STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING WHO SIGN UP FOR IT, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE WHAT WE CALL A SINGLETON, MEANING IT'S OFFERED ONLY ONE TIME IN THE SCHEDULE. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT A REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE THAT HAS HUNDREDS, MAYBE NEAR A THOUSAND SECTIONS, SO THAT 12 STUDENTS QUICKLY GETS WHITTLED DOWN TO THREE STUDENTS THAT CAN MAKE THAT MATCH FOR THAT PERIOD, THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR A PRINCIPAL OR AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL MASTER SCHEDULER TO SAY, THIS CLASS IS NOT GOING TO BE OFFERED THE KINDS OF DECISIONS THAT MASTER SCHEDULERS SHOULD BE MAKING, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU'RE UP AGAINST FISCAL TIMES AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE CHOICES IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE FOUR YEARS. AND SO YOU WANNA THINK ABOUT THE TOTALITY OF THEIR EXPERIENCE. YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT DURING THE FOUR YEARS THAT THEY HAVE AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE THE SPECIFIC CLASSES, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA THINK ABOUT IF THEY'RE SEMESTERIZED WHEN YOU'RE OFFERING THEM. AND SO, WHAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU, AND, AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN OUR ONE-ON-ONE MEETING, , UM, SAFETY AND, UM, CLIMATE IS ONE OF THE PRIORITIES OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT NOT ONLY MUST STUDENTS BE SAFE, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING, BUT WE KNOW THAT OUR ADULTS NEED THAT AS WELL SO THAT THEY CAN DO, UH, THEIR WORK, UH, TO COMPARE WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN THE BUILDINGS NOW TO WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT YEAR. UM, IS IS JUST NOT THE PROPER COMPARISON BECAUSE WE ARE ADDING BACK SEVERAL SECTIONS INTO OUR MASTER SCHEDULES THAT SIMPLY DID NOT EXIST. BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF SCHEDULE YOU HAVE, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME CLASSES THAT ARE SMALLER AND SOME CLASSES THAT ARE LARGER. AND THAT'S BASED SPECIFICALLY ON THE NEEDS OF KIDS. AND OR AS I SHARED BEFORE, IF THERE ARE LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS, IF YOU HAVE A NURSING PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STATE OF MARYLAND SAYS THAT THERE'S ONE NURSE TO EIGHT STUDENTS. AND SO IF YOU HAVE TWO NURSES, YOU CAN HAVE 16 STUDENTS. IF YOU HAVE ONE NURSE, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, NO MATTER HOW MUCH INTEREST IS GENERATED, YOU CAN ONLY HAVE EIGHT STUDENTS IN THAT CLASS. AND SO, AS A PRINCIPAL, AS A MASTER SCHEDULER, YOU NEED TO THINK THROUGH THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS GOING TO OFFSET THAT? WHAT KIND OF OTHER DECISIONS ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE? FOR ME, AS A PRIOR MASTER SCHEDULER, THAT WAS MY AP BC CALCULUS CLASS, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 35 OR 36, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE SIZE OF THAT CLASS, AS OPPOSED TO MY ALGEBRA ONE CLASS THAT HAD 21, 22 STUDENTS IN IT. THAT'S A PART OF MASTER SCHEDULING. AND SO WE HAVE THE NEW PARAMETERS THAT I SHARED, UH, VERY DETAILED IN TERMS OF OUR EXPECTATIONS, UH, FOR NUMBERS AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO MONITOR THOSE PROCESSES, AS WELL AS HOW WE'RE GOING TO SHARE OUT WITH MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS. SO THERE IS NO ROOM FOR CONJECTURE. THERE ARE NO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MISINFORMATION AND DIFFERENT STORIES OUT THERE. YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO LOOK AND SEE IN THIS SCHOOL, THIS IS WHAT THE STAFFING LOOKS LIKE. THESE ARE THE COURSES THAT ARE OFFERED, AND THESE ARE AVERAGE SIZES. WE PROVIDE IT AND IT'S POSTED, UH, ON OUR WEBSITE AS PART OF THE FIRST BUDGET SET OF QUESTIONS. UM, OUR CLASS SIZES FOR EVERY SINGLE LEVEL, FOR EVERY SINGLE COURSE, WE PUT EXACTLY WHAT LIVED UNDER THERE. WE HAD EVERY SINGLE SECTION IN OUR MASTER SCHEDULE. UM, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT REPORT, YOU SEE MANY SMALL CLASSES. YOU SEE SOME MIDDLE OF THE ROW CLASSES, AND THEN YOU SEE SOME CLASSES, UH, THAT ARE LARGER. AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS SPECIFICALLY TO TALK TO THOSE CLASSES THAT ARE LARGER AND SOME OF THOSE CLASSES THAT ARE WAY AT THE BOTTOM OF EXTREMELY SMALL, THAT WE'RE PUTTING SPECIFIC PARAMETERS IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS ARE ABSOLUTELY OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. AND RECRUITING AND RETAINING OUR TEACHERS IS A PRIORITY FOR US BECAUSE WE KNOW TEACHERS COUPLED WITH LEADERS, MAKE THE DIFFERENCE THAT WE SEEK TO SEE IN OUR SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS [00:55:01] ARE LEARNING AT HIGH LEVELS. ONE, GO AHEAD, MS. DAM. MS. DAM, I THOUGHT WAS EVERY AVENUE EXHAUSTED, EVERY CUT MADE POSSIBLE IN EVERYTHING, BUT TEACHERS TO KEEP AS MANY TEACHER POSITIONS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE? ABSOLUTELY. AND I'LL SHARE AGAIN, FOR THE PUBLIC. UM, THE FIRST START WAS TO ROUND UP THE NUMBER 'CAUSE WE WERE AT 0.7 AND 0.3, THEN WE ADDED ONE TO THAT. AND THEN WHEN THE BUDGET TEAM NOTIFIED ME THAT WE STILL HAD A SHORTFALL, THAT'S WHEN WE MOVED TO TWO. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY THE LAST CHANGE THAT WE MADE. MS. HARVEY. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS WE, UH, TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET TO HAVE CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVE. WE HAVE A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. WE ALL BELIEVE THAT IT'S OUR MORAL IMPERATIVE THAT EACH AND EVERY STUDENT CAN AND WILL LEARN. UH, THIS BUDGET, WHILE IT MAY NOT INCLUDE EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE WANTS, INCLUDES SMALLER CLASS SIZES FOR SOME OF OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS. AND WE KNOW THAT THIRD GRADE IS THE MAGIC GRADE FOR READING. IT INCLUDES SUPPORTS FOR OUR ATHLETES, IT INCLUDES SUPPORTS FOR OUR IEPS, IT INCLUDES SUPPORTS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION. IT INCLUDES JOB STABILITY FOR OUR STAFF. THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, UH, HOW THEY'RE GONNA NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS FOR THREE YEARS. IT HASN'T BEEN DONE IN A LONG, LONG TIME, IF EVER IT INCLUDES, UH, SECURITY. WE TALK ABOUT SAFETY AND CLIMATE. IT INCLUDES SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE GERMANE AND IMPORTANT TO OUR MORAL IMPERATIVE THAT WE FOCUS ON EACH AND EVERY STUDENT. THAT I, I BELIEVE WHEN WE FOCUS ON, UH, INDIVIDUAL ASPECTS, THAT THOSE THINGS GET LOST. CLASS SIZE IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE HAD MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CUT FROM THIS BUDGET. AND THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE SYSTEM'S COMMITMENT TO MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WE ENTRUST OUR, OUR STUDENTS TO OUR CHILDREN TO WERE THE LAST ONES TO BE IMPACTED, UH, BY THOSE CUTS. THOSE WERE HARD DECISIONS, HARD DECISIONS THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HER TEAM WILLINGLY ENGAGED IN AND WERE THOUGHTFUL AND CONSIDERATE ABOUT THAT THEY ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY ON MULTIPLE LEVELS ABOUT. AND SO I, I THINK THAT WHILE WE CAN WORK ON THOSE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SEE IMPROVE WHEN WE ARE IN A BETTER FISCAL SITUATION, I DON'T THINK, UH, WELL, NO, I KNOW I CANNOT QUESTION THE INTEGRITY WITH WHICH THE BUDGET WAS APPROACHED, THE INTEGRITY WITH WHICH WE ARE RECEIVING INFORMATION. WE HAVE MANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. TRANSPARENCY ONLY MATTERS IF YOU GIVE CONTEXT. AND SO, UH, FOR ME, THIS BUDGET MEETS MANY CRITICAL NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. AND IT WOULD, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID NOT EXPRESS THAT IN THIS SETTING AND SAY THAT THERE'S MUCH WORK TO BE DONE, AND I BELIEVE WE'RE ON THE PATH TO DO IT. THIS BUDGET IS A BEGINNING AND NOT AN END. THANK YOU, MS. HARVEY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MS. HUMPHREY? JUST A QUICK COMMENT. I ALSO WAS CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, THE CLASS SIZES IN HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND I WOULD, UM, REITERATE THAT WE DIDN'T HEAR FROM ANY TEACHERS. HOWEVER, UM, OR AT LEAST THIS EVENING. HOWEVER, I DO FEEL THAT THAT'S PART OF WHAT OUR UNION REPRESENTATIVES ARE HERE FOR. THEY SPEAK FOR THE STAFF AND THE TEACHERS. UM, AND SO IF WE DON'T HEAR FROM THE TEACHERS DIRECTLY, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S WHERE WE TAKE OUR INPUT FROM THE TEACHERS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE AT OUR HANDS AND AT OUR DISPOSAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. FREAL? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MS. DUSKY? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? I'M VERY SORRY. NO. MS. HARVEY? YES. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. MINOSKI? NO. MS. HEN? NO. MS. BOOKER DWYER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT ITEM [I. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. DiDonato and Dr. Jones) (8:05 - 8:30 p.m.)] ON THE AGENDA IS REPORT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT MATHEMATICS. THIS WAS POSTPONED FROM THE FEBRUARY 13TH MEETING, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. DTO AND DR. JONES. THIS [01:00:01] IS NOT DR. JONES . ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. UH, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, UH, MS. PUMPHREY AND SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. TONIGHT WE SHARE WITH YOU, UM, SOME UPDATES ON MATHEMATICS WITH A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON SECONDARY MATH. NEXT SLIDE IN FRONT OF YOU IS, THANK YOU. IN FRONT OF YOU IS A UH, THOUSAND FOOT, UH, LEVEL VIEW OF OUR MCAP DATA. DR. JONES AND I, AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, SHARED IN DEPTH WITH YOU, UM, BY GRADE LEVEL OUR MATH MCAP SCORES. WHAT THIS DOES IS LOOKS AT GRADE LEVEL BANDS. AND THIS IS REALLY TRULY JUST TO RECALL, HELP US RECALL WHERE OUR FOCUS AND NEED WAS. WE ALL KNOW THAT MATHEMATICS WAS CLEARLY AN AREA OF NEED WHERE WE WERE FOCUSING, BUT THIS ALLOWED US TO REALLY DIVE INTO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IN OUR PLAN TO HELP ADDRESS THIS. LOOKING AT THE STRATEGIC NEEDS FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR TEACHERS, BOTH AROUND CONTENT STANDARDS AS WELL AS PEDAGOGY PRACTICES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CURRICULUM. UM, REALLY FOCUSING ON WHAT DOES LESSON PLANNING LOOK LIKE USING ILLUSTRATIVE MATH IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IS SHOULD WE SEE SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR, NOT ONLY OUR TEACHERS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION IN THE CLASSROOMS, BUT ALSO REALLY SUPPORTING OUR TE OUR LEADERS IN THE SCHOOL WITH HOW DO THEY PROVIDE EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO THEM? SO AGAIN, THIS IS THE CONTEXT OF ALL THE REST OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT HOW WE ARE STRIVING TO ADDRESS THIS NEXT SLIDE. GOOD EVENING. UM, MY NAME IS HIN DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF MATHEMATICS. AND SO, JUST IN, IN LIEU OF THE SLIDE THAT WE JUST LOOKED AT WITH THE DATA, YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING TODAY. UM, AND IT'S LARGELY THE ASK. SO THIS SLIDE OUTLINING THE STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE REALLY DICTATE THE THINGS WE WANT TO DEVELOP IN STUDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN BE PROFICIENT MATHEMATICS THINKERS. AND WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT IS THAT THESE ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE CONTENT STANDARDS, AND THEY'RE ALSO MEASURED ON OUR STATE ASSESSMENT. SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STUDENTS BEING ABLE TO PRODUCTIVELY STRUGGLE AND RECOGNIZE STRUCTURE AND REPEATED REASONING. THEY HAVE TO CRITIQUE ARGUMENTS OF THEIR PEERS AND NEGOTIATE THESE UNDERSTANDINGS THROUGH THEIR EXPERIENCES. SO WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR REGURGITATION OF AUTOMATIZED FACTS, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR SIMPLE COMPUTATION. UM, AND WE'RE NOT EVEN ASKING FOR MANIPULATION OF LIKE AN ALGORITHM OR AN EQUATION. THOSE THINGS ARE STILL TRUE AND IMPORTANT, BUT IN ADDITION, STUDENTS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS THROUGH THE LENS OF CONTEXT BY ENGAGING IN THEIR STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE. SO THAT'S WHAT LOOKS AND FEELS VERY DIFFERENT, UM, ABOUT, UH, MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION TODAY. AND SO IN THINKING ABOUT THIS AND ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THAT DIFFERENCE THEN IS GOING TO DRIVE US TO LOOK AT INSTRUCTION DIFFERENTLY. HOW CAN WE PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO DO THIS? THIS IS THE BEDROCK OF THE APPROACH THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH, WHERE STUDENTS ARE AT THE CENTER. HOW CAN WE DEVELOP STUDENTS WHO CAN DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY BY TEACHING THEM TO BE PROFICIENT MATHEMATICS THINKERS? IF I CAN ADD TO THIS, UM, THIS IS ALSO GOOD EVENING. THIS IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE BLUEPRINT AND IN THE EXPECTATIONS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS. SO, MS. SHINTA TALKED ABOUT NOT ONLY IS IT SHIFTING THE WAY WE'RE ASSESSED ON MCAP ASSESSMENTS, IT'S ALSO A PART OF HOW THE SAT WAS REDESIGNED. IT'S A PART OF THE EXPECTATIONS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AND HOW WE'RE SHIFTING THOSE EXPECTATIONS FOR ALGEBRA READINESS AND FOR HOW WE'RE PREPARING STUDENTS TO BE DEEMED READY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER SO THAT WE CAN SHIFT THIS APPLICATION. AND SO SOME OF THE GAP IN PRACTICE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FILL IN WITH THE SHIFTS IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION ARE ALSO PUTTING US ON THE PATHWAY TO MEET THE EXPECTATIONS FOR BLUEPRINT, AS WELL AS SOME OF THOSE OTHER HIGH STAKES ASSESSMENTS AND HOW THEY'RE DEFINING THAT READINESS FOR MATHEMATICS. NEXT SLIDE. MM-HMM. . SO HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING? UM, IS ALSO REALLY MEETING THE NEEDS OF TEACHERS BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR DATA THAT'S TELLING US WHAT OUR STUDENTS REALLY NEED. HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT OUR TEACHER'S WILL REALLY NEED? WELL, IN, UH, 2022 AND 2023, UH, JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY DID AN IMP UH, IMPLEMENTATION STUDY WITH PCPS. THIS WAS STARTED PRE PANDEMIC, UH, MOVED THROUGH PANDEMIC AND ROUNDED OUT LAST YEAR. UM, BUT WHAT THE POINT OF THIS STUDY WITH HOPKINS WAS, WAS TO REALLY LOOK AT TEACHER IMPLEMENTATION OF CURRICULUM AND GET FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS ON THE POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT THE CURRICULUM, THE THINGS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AS CHALLENGES FOR THEM. AND THEY SURVEYED AND MET WITH TEACHERS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHER LEADERS WITHIN A SCHOOL. AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO MOVE FORWARD IS SPECIFICALLY OUTLINED BY THAT STUDY. YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WERE REALLY HOW DO THEY ADDRESS THE RIGOR? HOW DO THEY ADDRESS PACING? SO IN SOME OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IN JUST A [01:05:01] MOMENT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL PACING. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UNIT PLANNING, WHICH IS THE FOUNDATION TO ENSURE THAT YOU'VE GOT ENOUGH TIME TO TEACH THE CONTENT THAT YOU'RE WORKING TOWARDS WITHIN A SPECIFIC, UM, INSTRUCTIONAL TIME PERIOD. DIFFERENTIATION. AGAIN, HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING THE NEEDS, THE NEEDS OF ALL OF OUR LEARNERS? SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THESE AREAS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED WITHIN A STUDY IN ADDITION TO OUR DATA, IS WHAT REALLY IS HELPING US MOVE FORWARD TO IDENTIFY SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO SUPPORT THEM WITH THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS A, A HIGH LEVEL VIEW OF THE APPROACH. UM, WE KNOW THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN HIGH QUALITY EVIDENCE-BASED, UH, CURRICULUM, AND WE WANT TO LEVERAGE THAT SPACE AND CONTINUE DIGGING IN BECAUSE THE CURRICULUM HAS ALL OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS' INSTRUCTION AND THAT LEARNER TRANSFER. WHAT WE NEED TO DO MORE OF IS MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT THEN WILL SHIFT THE INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE SO THAT THAT EXPERIENCE LIVES IN THE CLASSROOM FOR STUDENTS. AND SO WHAT DO WE HAVE IN OUR CURRICULAR RESOURCES NOW IN BRIDGES FOR K THROUGH FIVE AND ILLUSTRATIVE MATHEMATICS FOR ADVANCED FIVE THROUGH ALGEBRA TWO, WE HAVE A CURRICULAR RESOURCE THAT IS ALIGNED TO BOTH THE CONTENT STANDARDS AS OUTLINED IN MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER READY STANDARDS FOR MATH AND THOSE STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE THAT I JUST SHARED. SO BOTH OF THOSE PIECES ARE ALREADY EMBEDDED IN THAT RESOURCE. IT IS, UH, INCLUDES RIGOR AS OUTLINED BY THE COMMON CORE. SO THERE IS A BALANCED FOCUS ON PROCEDURAL SKILL, FLUENCY, CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION. NO ONE MORE THAN THE OTHER, BUT ALL THOSE THINGS BAKED INTO THE EXPERIENCES THAT STUDENTS HAVE. UM, AND IT INCLUDES A FOCUS ON SOME LITERACY STRATEGIES. AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S RESEARCH OUT THERE THAT CONNECTS LITERACY TO ACHIEVEMENT ACROSS OTHER CORE AREAS. WHERE CAN I FIND THIS IN BRIDGES. ALL OF THE WORKOUTS THAT STUDENTS DO IN BRIDGES FROM K TO FIVE INCLUDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO NEGOTIATE THEIR UNDERSTANDING THROUGH DISCOURSE IN THEIR WORKPLACE GAMES. THEY HAVE SENTENCE FRAMES THAT HELP THEM DEVELOP THEIR LANGUAGE. UM, IT INCLUDES STORY PROBLEMS. ALL THOSE THINGS IN ILLUSTRATIVE MATHEMATICS TO BALANCE THAT OUT. THERE ARE MATH LANGUAGE ROUTINES. KIDS ARE HAVING DISCOURSE. SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE PART OF THE CURRICULAR RESOURCE. NOW. WE NEED THAT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO SHORE UP THE SHIFT WE WANNA SEE IN THE CLASSROOM DYNAMICS. AND SO THAT'S THOSE FIRST TWO EFFORTS THAT GO TO THE, TO THE APPROACH. THAT THIRD PIECE IS ALL AROUND STUDENT TRANSFER. THE STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE ACHIEVEMENT. WE DON'T GIVE THEM ACHIEVEMENT. THEY DEMONSTRATE ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH US. AND SO THIS IDEA OF LEARNER TRANSFER IS HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS YEAR OVER YEAR, AS THEY SPEND TIME IN BCPS, ARE BETTER FOR IT WITH WHAT THEY KNOW FROM GRADE LEVEL TO GRADE LEVEL? WHAT ARE THOSE STRATEGIC PIECES I NEED TO KNOW FROM GRADE THREE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN GRADES FOUR AND FIVE? WHAT DO I NEED TO CARRY WITH ME FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE GRADES TO HAVE ACCESS TO ALGEBRA ONE? SO AS A PART OF THAT APPROACH, WE'RE IDENTIFYING SOME BENCHMARK STANDARDS AT BENCHMARK GRADE LEVELS THAT WE CAN USE TO MEASURE AND QUANTIFY TRANSFER. WHAT ARE WE GONNA LOOK AT IN GRADE THREE? WELL, THAT IS A, A GRADE LEVEL THAT INTRODUCES THIS NEW NUMBER. FRACTION STARTS IN GRADE THREE, THREE TO FIVE. WE START TALKING ABOUT THAT. HOW CAN WE MEASURE WHAT STUDENTS CARRY WITH THEM IN THEIR REASONING AND UNDERSTANDING AROUND FRACTIONS TO MIDDLE GRADES WHEN THEY BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT RATIO AND PROPORTIONAL REASONING, WHICH IS JUST ANOTHER TERM, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER, UH, IDEA AROUND FRACTION. APOLOGIES IF I GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS, BUT THIS IS PRIVILEGING, THIS IS PRIVILEGE FOR STUDENTS, STUDENTS WHO KNOW AND CAN DO MATHEMATICS. AND YOU MIGHT RELATE TO YOUR OWN CHILDREN. THEY HAVE ANOTHER LEVEL OF PRIVILEGE. WE OWE THAT TO THE STUDENTS AT BCPS. SO THEN HOW DO THEY TAKE THAT TO BE READY FOR ALGEBRA ONE? SO THAT PART OF THE STRATEGY IS REALLY THE ROOT. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT AFTER MAKING SURE THAT THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION ALIGN, THAT WE SEE IT LIVING IN STUDENTS' ABILITY TO HAVE MATHEMATICAL INDEPENDENCE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY WHEN THEY'RE READY TO PERFORM. WE KNOW WE'VE PREPARED THEM TO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN PERFORMANCE. OH, THANKS. SO, TO BE REALLY DELIBERATE AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, WE'VE IDENTIFIED FOUR AREAS THAT WILL HELP MAKE THESE SHIFTS. AND WHEN WE SPEND TIME DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, IT SHOULD FIT IN EITHER A PLANNING SHIFT, AN INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFT, A STUDENT LEARNING BEHAVIOR SHIFT, OR DATA LITERACY SHIFT. AND SO WE'VE BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THAT'S WHERE YOU WILL FIND ANY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITY THAT WE'RE OFFERING TO BRIDGE ALL OF THOSE THREE EFFORTS. AT THE NEXT SLIDE HERE IS A, UM, SAMPLE OF WHAT WE'VE OFFERED TO DATE. UM, SO THE FIRST TYPE OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WE DO OFFER, WE, WE KNOW THOSE AS TOUCHPOINT SUPPORTS. THEY ARE IN TIME, THEY ARE SITE-BASED AND LARGELY REQUESTED BY SCHOOL BUILDING LEADERS. AND SO TO DATE, WE HAVE BEEN TO EVERY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL IN A TOUCHPOINT SUPPORT WAY. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? THAT LOOKS LIKE CO-TEACHING. [01:10:01] THAT LOOKS LIKE MODELING, THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT. PLANNING WITH TEACHERS AND TEACHER TEAMS. THAT LOOKS LIKE WALKING AND DOING CLASSROOM VISITS WITH MATH LEADERS IN THE ELEMENTARY SPACE WITH THE SAME SIZE TEAM. WE'VE BEEN TO OVER 55%. AND SO I CAN SAY THAT I, UM, I PREPARED THIS SLIDE FOR THE LAST BOARD MEETING. SO THESE NUMBERS ARE GREATER THAN WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. UM, AND THEN THE FINAL PIECE IS JUST SUPPORT FOR BUILDING LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATORS. AND WE HAVE WALKED ALONGSIDE OF THEM AND, AND TALKED ABOUT ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK AND THOSE PIECES OF REFLECTIVE, UM, FEEDBACK THAT WILL MOVE AND SHIFT INSTRUCTION ONE, ONE STEP AT A TIME. SO THESE ARE TOUCHPOINT, UM, SUPPORT. WE, WE'VE DONE MANY HOURS OF THAT, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO DO MORE AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS ON THAT REACH. AND THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, LOOKS SPECIFICALLY AT ELEMENTARY SUPPORT. SO ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PIECES ABOUT THIS, UH, APPROACH IS THAT NO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CAN BE ONE AND DONE. ALL OF IT NEEDS TO BE ONGOING AND AS JOB EMBEDDED AS WE CAN MAKE IT, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS SLIDE IS OUR BRING YOUR OWN BIN, UM, PREPARATION SERIES. WE HAVE TEACHERS TO COME AND MEET US AT A SCHOOL, GRADES K TO FIVE WITH AN EMPTY BIN AT THAT SESSION. THEY DO ONE SESSION PER MODULE FOR THE UPCOMING UNIT WITH COLLEAGUES FROM ACROSS THE SYSTEM. SO NOW YOU'RE WORKING WITH TEACHERS WHO HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES, CHALLENGES, AND, YOU KNOW, UM, GAMES IN DIFFERENT WAYS. WE'RE GONNA TRY THE LESSON ON, WE'RE GONNA COUNT THE BEANS OUT WHILE WE'RE DOING THE INSTRUCTIONAL PIECE. YOU'RE GETTING YOUR PAPERCLIPS, YOU'RE GETTING MODELING CLAY, YOU'RE GETTING M AND MS. ANYTHING THAT WOULD MAKE THE LESSON COME TO LIFE FOR STUDENTS IN A CONCRETE WAY. THEY'RE DOING THAT TOGETHER IN GRADE LEVELS, AND THEY'RE LEAVING WITH A BIN, INCLUDING COPIES FOR EVERY STUDENT FOR THAT LESSON. THEY'RE LEAVING WITH A BIN FOR THAT UNTIL THE NEXT TIME WE CARAVAN THIS EFFORT. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE GET PRETTY GOOD PARTICIPATION, BUT WE CARAVAN THIS EFFORT AROUND THE COUNTY. SO THERE WE'RE IN DIFFERENT ZONES AND AT DIFFERENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS EACH TIME WE'VE COMPLETED UP THROUGH UNIT SIX. UM, SO FAR WE HAVE ONE BRING YOUR OWN BIN SESSION LEFT. I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT ABOUT THIS IS THESE ARE ALSO OPTIONAL AFTERSCHOOL SESSIONS. SO TEACHERS ARE SEEING THE VALUE OF THIS WHEN YOU HAVE OVER, YOU KNOW, 50% OF THE SEATS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR PARTICIPATION. TEACHERS ARE ATTENDING THIS, SO THEY ARE SEEING VALUE IN IT. AND WHAT WE'VE ALSO ENCOURAGED IS SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO ATTEND TO. THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH YOUR TEACHERS TO LOOK AT THE MATERIALS THAT THEY'RE PREPARING, GET SOME PRACTICE AND WHAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL PEDAGOGY SHOULD ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE AND BE PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS RIGHT ALONGSIDE YOUR TEACHERS. SO AGAIN, THESE ARE OPTIONAL AFTERSCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. SO THIS IS NOT PART OF REQUIRED. SO TEACHERS ARE REALLY TAKING IT UPON THEMSELVES TO ENGAGE IN THESE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. OKAY. AND IF I CAN ADD THE SLIDE THAT DR. DEDO SHARED FROM JOHNS HOPKINS. THIS WAS THE NUMBER ONE THING TEACHERS SHARED FOR BRIDGES. SO THE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS, WHEN THEY FIRST ADOPTED BRIDGES, TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE MATERIALS AND PREPARING MATERIALS. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION THAT WE REALLY DO VALUE THAT TEACHER FEEDBACK. AND THEN THAT WAS A DIRECT DRIVER FOR DESIGNING THIS SESSION. AND TEACHERS HAVE RESPONDED BY GIVING UP THAT TIME IN, IN THEIR EVENING, UM, TO DO THAT. YES, WE'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND THIS INTO MIDDLE GRADES, AND WE DO OFFER A SESSION FOR ADVANCED FIVE THAT COVERS ILLUSTRATIVE MATHEMATICS, SIX AND SEVEN MATERIAL. AND SO BECAUSE OF THE, THE PARTICIPATION WE'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND, THE NEXT SLIDE IS, UH, SECONDARY. AND THE SECONDARY SLIDE. UM, YOU'LL NOTE SOME SIMILARITIES IN THAT, UH, THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS TIED TO LIFTING THE CURRICULAR RESOURCE. SO THOSE I AM TEACH AND LEARN MODULES REALLY GUIDE TEACHERS THROUGH THE, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM THROUGH THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROGRAM AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT ARE THERE AND EMBEDDED IN THE PROGRAM TO BE USED. OUR MATH LANGUAGE ROUTINES PROVIDE ENTRY POINTS FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AND JUST STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH ACADEMIC VOCABULARY AROUND MATHEMATICS ALL ALTOGETHER. UM, AND WE HAVE OUR MONTHLY DEPARTMENT CHAIR MEETINGS BECAUSE THE IDEA IS TO MAKE SURE THERE IS A MATH LEADER IN THE BUILDING WHO HAS ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT ANYONE IN THE MATH OFFICE WOULD HAVE TO TRY TO LIFT THE, THE CURRICULAR RESOURCE. I THINK THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO ALSO JUST SAY, UM, I'M ENCOURAGED ABOUT AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE NEW BUDGET TO INCREASE, UM, POSITIONS THAT WILL ALLOW FOR MATH LEADERSHIP TO BE IN ALL OF THOSE SPACES. SO THOSE MATH SPECIALIST PILOT ID, YOU KNOW, THE PILOTS AND THE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ON THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS IS ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE FOLKS IN BUILDINGS WHO ARE AROUND MATH SUPPORT OR JUST TEACHER SUPPORT. SO WE ARE TRAINING THIS YEAR, UM, STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS WHO COME TO SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS AND MAY NOT HAVE CONTENT PEDAGOGY EXPERTISE. AS A STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER, I MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT BACKGROUND, BUT NEED TO GO IN AND SUPPORT A TEACHER IN, IN A MATH CLASSROOM. AND SO THE IDEA THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REACH OUT AND MEET WITH THIS MANY STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS ON A MONTHLY BASIS AND PROVIDE THEM [01:15:01] WITH SUPPORT AROUND THE STRENGTH OF EACH OF THE COMPONENTS WITHIN THE CURRICULAR RESOURCE ALSO HELPS TO BRIDGE THAT GAP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SEEING SOME, SOME SHIFTS IN INSTRUCTION. AND NEXT SLIDE. AND SO TO CONTINUE ROUNDING THIS OUT, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN THE SPRING, BUT WE'RE HEADED TO THE SUMMER. AND A PART OF THE WORK THAT WE WANNA CONTINUE TO DO WITH OUR SUMMER IS TO INCORPORATE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS, SESSIONS ON INTERVENTION. WE ARE SPECIFICALLY USING OUR BRIDGES INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS, UM, AND TO CONTINUE THOSE REQUIRED IMPLEMENTATION TRAININGS THAT ALLOW FOR TEACHERS NEW TO THE PROGRAMS OR JUST SHIFTING IN GRADE LEVELS TO HAVE THE, UM, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY NEED TO REALLY LIFT THE, THE CURRICULUM. THE CURRICULUM HAS THE RIGOR, THE CURRICULUM HAS THE ALIGNMENT WE'RE SUPPORTING TO MAKE SURE THE INSTRUCTION LIFTS THOSE THINGS FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE THAT INDEPENDENCE. AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UM, THIS MATH ALSO FEELS VERY DIFFERENT FOR OUR PARENTS AND FAMILIES THAT ARE SUPPORTING THEIR CHILDREN. UM, AND SO WE OFTEN GET, UM, QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW CAN WE SUPPORT. SO I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT AS WE CONCLUDE TO SHARE THE RESOURCES THAT ARE PUBLIC FACING FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES. UM, AT THE VERY TOP, YOU'LL SEE BOTH OUR CORE ELEMENTARY RESOURCES, BRIDGES AND MATHEMATICS, AND OUR SECONDARY RESOURCE ILLUSTRATIVE MATH. UM, ON OUR WEBSITE, ON BCPS, THERE ARE DIRECT LINKS FOR FAMILIES TO GO DIRECTLY TO THAT CURRICULUM AND TO FAMILY SUPPORT RESOURCE RESOURCES OFFERED BY BOTH BRIDGES AND ILLUSTRATIVE MATH. UM, DOWN BELOW IN THE LEFT CORNER, YOU'LL SEE WE HAVE FAMILY UNIT OVERVIEWS. UM, CURRENTLY THEY ARE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, BUT WE ARE WORKING ON TRANSLATING THEM INTO OTHER LANGUAGES. UM, WHEN YOU USE THOSE FAMILY RESOURCES, IT, UM, USES LANGUAGE TO SUPPORT FAMILIES WITH HELPING THEIR CHILD AT HOME AND INCLUDES SAMPLE PROBLEMS. SO WE ACTUALLY, UM, IF YOU'VE EVER HEARD YOUR CHILD COME HOME AND SAY, THAT'S NOT HOW MY TEACHER DID IT, UM, THIS IS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THAT FOR FAMILIES. SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A STEP-BY-STEP PROBLEM MODELED IN THAT UNIT. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LEARNING, THIS IS WHY RELATED TO THOSE STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE AND THOSE EXPECTATIONS. AND THEN A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THIS IS HOW YOUR CHILD IS BEING TAUGHT TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM SO THAT WE CAN HELP SUPPORT THOSE CONVERSATIONS. AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IN THE CENTER, UM, I WANNA MAKE A PLUG FOR OUR MATH HOMEWORK HELPERS. UM, PARENTS MAY NOT REALIZE THAT WE SAVE ON ARCHIVE ALL OF THESE EPISODES ON OUR VIMEO. UM, WE'RE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE B-C-P-S-C-V-N THAT PARTNERSHIP OFTEN TIMES THEY FEATURE OUR ELEMENTARY SUPERVISOR, MR. JOE TANG, UM, STARRING IN THOSE VIDEOS, WHO DOES A FANTASTIC JOB, UM, IN BREAKING DOWN SOME OF THOSE TOPICS. SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FAMILIES TO KNOW THAT WE MAINTAIN THAT AS A LIBRARY THAT YOU CAN GO BACK AND SEARCH, UM, TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD AS WELL. AND THEN, UM, ON THE RIGHT, THAT'S JUST A VISUAL OF SOME OF THOSE UNIT OVERVIEWS. UM, BUT I WANTED TO SHOW WHAT FAMILIES WOULD SEE ON THE WEBSITE WHEN THEY GO TO CLICK FOR THAT FOR SUPPORT. NEXT SLIDE. I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO DR. GIDO TO SUM IT UP, . SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, WHAT WE REALLY WANTED TO EMPHASIZE TONIGHT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY COGNIZANT OF OUR DATA, BOTH, UM, QUALITATIVE DATA THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THE STUDY, UH, IMPLEMENTATION STUDY WITH JOHN HOPKINS, AS WELL AS QUANTITATIVE DATA FROM OUR ACHIEVEMENT. UM, WE ARE TAKING VERY DELIBERATE SPECIFIC MEASURES TO FOCUS ON, UM, OUR INSTRUCTION, OUR PLANNING, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE PROVIDE TO TEACHERS ON A DAILY BASIS, AND HOW THAT WE ARE DOING THAT ONGOING COACHING BY DEVELOPING THE SKILLS OF THOSE SITE-BASED MATH RESOURCE TEACHERS, STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, UM, TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT IN SHIFTING SOME OF THE, THE DATA TRENDS THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN CERTAINLY TAKE THOSE. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? UH, MS. DOKI, I'M SORRY, I SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD WITH THIS STUFF BECAUSE I DO THIS WITH MY FIFTH GRADER AND IT'S DEFINITELY DIFFERENT THAN SOMETHING THAT, THAT I'M USED TO. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS BECAUSE I'M SOMEONE THAT WAS PAYING ATTENTION. OKAY. I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY SINGLE NEWSLETTER EMAIL THAT I GET FROM SCHOOL, BUT LIKE, I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT HIS WORK TO FIGURE OUT HOW, AND, AND HONESTLY, IT'S GREAT. LIKE THE, SOME OF THE DIVISION AND THE MULTIPLICATION WITH, WITH SEVERAL LIKE YOU IN THE HUNDREDS TO THE T, LIKE I IT'S GENIUS. LIKE, I CAN ACTUALLY, I WAS LIKE, OH, AND NOW I GET IT AND I CAN DO IT WITH HIM, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I COULD GO FIND THAT SOMEWHERE. YOU KNOW, THAT THERE WAS A LESSON LIKE THIS. SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE FIGURE THAT OUT? HOW DO WE LIKE GET MORE PARENTS AND LIKE, GET IT MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS INVOLVED TO SAY THIS IS, I KNOW THIS ISN'T HOW YOU, THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU'RE USED TO AND YOU WANNA TEACH IT YOUR WAY, BUT LIKE, BREAK THAT, YOU KNOW, GLASS CEILING WITH SOME PARENTS THAT ARE, DON'T WANT TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY USED TO DO THINGS AND LOOK AT THIS WAY BECAUSE IT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A LOT BETTER FOR THEIR, AND SO HOW, LIKE WHAT DO, WHAT DO WE DO? I DON'T, LIKE, I DON'T EVEN, WHAT DO WE DO ? WELL, I'LL START, BUT I'LL CERTAINLY INVITE. I THINK WHAT YOU JUST SHARED IS ONE WAY. SO SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A PARENT AND HOW THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL IS PART OF IT. UM, I THINK HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT AT THE BOARD TO PRESENT AND TO SHARE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHY IS ANOTHER AVENUE. UM, WE [01:20:01] PARTNER WITH PARENT UNIVERSITY SUSHAN AND HER AMAZING TEAM TO DO DIFFERENT WAYS. WE'VE LEARNED, WE HAVE TO USE, UM, XI GUESS IT'S CALLED NOW, DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA, DIFFERENT WAYS TO, TO DO THAT. UM, WE HAVE, UM, WORKSHOPS THAT WE'VE DONE FOR, UM, SCHOOLS AT THE SCHOOL. UM, BUT ANYTHING WE'LL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO ADVISORY COUNCILS, PTA, COUNCILS, ANYTHING WE CAN DO, BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. I THINK SOME OF IT IS, UH, FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN AND KIND OF BRIDGING THAT GAP. UM, AND I OFTEN HEAR FROM, UH, PARENTS AND FAMILIES A VERY SIMILAR NARRATIVE THAT ONCE THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IT, THEY FEEL MUCH BETTER. THERE'S LESS FRUSTRATION AT HOME BECAUSE THE STUDENTS ARE LIKE, YES, THAT IS HOW MY TEACHER SHOWED ME TOO. UM, SO WE'RE OPEN TO ANY OTHER AVENUES, UM, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT PARENTS AND FAMILIES ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PARTNERS IN MAKING THIS SHIFT. UM, ANYTHING YOU WANNA ADD TO THAT PIECE? SO, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN, UM, SOME OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENTS CURRICULUM NIGHTS, UM, IS ONE OF THE GREAT WAYS THAT WE ARE HOPING TO REALLY ENGAGE OUR PARENTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO SEE FIRSTHAND AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THOSE THINGS, TO PRACTICE, TO SEE EXAMPLES TO, YOU KNOW, ENGAGE IN THE MATH, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN REALLY SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS AT HOME. SO PLUG FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT. THAT'S BOB WOODLAWN HIGH . THAT'S THE FIRST ONE. OKAY. OTHER QUESTIONS? MS. HARVEY? UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. FIRST, LET ME SAY THAT, UH, I APPRECIATE NOT ONLY THE ENTHUSIASM WITH WHICH YOU HAVE APPROACHED, UH, THIS PRESENTATION AND CLEARLY THE ME THE WORK ITSELF, BUT I ALSO APPRECIATE WHAT IS THE APPARENT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE. I, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, MATH IS ONE OF THOSE SUBJECTS THAT, UH, INSTILL SPHERE IN MANY STUDENTS AND ADULTS. UH, BUT YOUR PRESENTATION MADE ME WANNA DO A QUADRATIC EQUATION. SO I, WHAT I AM INTERESTED IN, IN HEARING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IS, UH, THE RIGOR AND THE ATTENDING TO PRECISION THAT'S PART OF THIS PROCESS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT SETTING HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS YIELDS US HIGH PERFORMANCE IN OUR STUDENTS. SO CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, PLEASE? YEAH. SO THE IDEA OF RIGOR BEING, THE IDEA OF RIGOR, THE THREE COMPONENTS, CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING, PROCEDURAL FLUENCY AND APPLICATION IS THAT YOU DEVELOP ONE OUT OF THE OTHER. THEY ONLY TO HAPPEN EQUAL INTENSITY. BUT WHEN YOU SEE A SHIFT IN A PROBLEM WHERE WE USED TO MAYBE DO DRILL AND KILL WORKSHEETS, THAT WAS LOTS OF THE PROCEDURAL FLUENCY AND VERY LITTLE OF THE CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING. SO MAYBE LIKE, YOU DIDN'T GET WHY YOU WERE DOING IT, BUT YOU KNEW THAT THIS THING WORKED AND WOULD WORK EVERY TIME YOU DO IT. SO THIS IDEA IS GO THROUGH THE CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND THE PROCEDURAL FLUENCY COMES OUT OF PRACTICING THAT UNDERSTANDING. SO I'M GOING TO NOW TALK THROUGH AND EXPLAIN AND CRITIQUE MY PEERS AND ALL THOSE THINGS. IN THIS CONCEPTUAL MOMENT, I'M GONNA TACKLE SOME VERY, MAYBE TEXT HEAVY MATH PROBLEMS WHERE I HAVE TO, TO DECONTEXTUALIZE, PULL OUT AND ABSTRACT THE MATHEMATICS AND THEN RECONTEXTUALIZE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. I'M GONNA DO ALL OF THAT TOGETHER. AND ALL THE WHILE I'M PRACTICING PROCEDURE, I'M, I'M GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH ALGORITHM. I'M MAKING, I'M TAKING THIS IDEA OF WHAT USED TO BE MAKING SURE THE KIDS WERE FLUENT, RIGHT? FLUENCY WAS HUGE. IT, IT'S STILL HUGE, BUT WE NOW WANNA MOVE FROM FLUENCY TO FLEXIBILITY. I WANNA HAVE SOME STRATEGIC COMPETENCE IN WHAT I KNOW, NOT JUST THAT I'M FLUENT IN IT, BUT I KNOW NOT ONLY WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO DO IT, BUT WHEN TO USE IT, BECAUSE I HAVE THAT UNDERSTANDING OF, OF, SO THAT, SO THAT IS WHAT MAKES SOMETHING RIGOROUS. I THINK WE'VE IN, IN MANY CASES, UM, ATTACH THE IDEA OF RIGOR TOO HARD. IT'S HARD, IT'S CHALLENGING, BUT THAT'S NOT RIGOR. RIGOR IS, I'VE GOTTA THINK THROUGH THIS IN VERY MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS AND EXPOSE MY UNDERSTANDING AT, AT DEEP LEVELS, RIGHT? UM, AND SO ATTENDING TO PRECISION BEAUTIFULLY ENOUGH IS ONE OF THE STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE. AND THAT HAPPENS IN TWO WAYS. IT IS THE VOCABULARY THAT ACADEMIC VOCABULARY THAT ALLOWS STUDENTS TO ARTICULATE EXACTLY WHAT THEY KNOW THAT IS ATTENDING TO PRECISION, IT'S PRECISE LANGUAGE, IT IS, IT'S PRECISE, UH, UNITS OF MEASUREMENT AS WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S PRECISE LABELING, BUT REALLY WHAT COMES OUT IN A PART OF THIS RIGOR PIECES, CAN I BE PRECISE IN MY ARTICULATION OF UNDERSTANDING. AND SO PART OF WHAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT TEACH STUDENTS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO IS HAVE THAT PRECISION IN LANGUAGE, AND THAT COMES THROUGH BUILDING THEIR ACADEMIC VOCABULARY AND ABILITY TO USE MATHEMATICS LANGUAGE AS THEY'RE EXPLAINING THEIR THINKING THROUGH CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THAT EXPLANATION. AND I WOULD JUST ADD IN TERMS OF REACHING OUT TO PARENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH OLD MATH VERSUS NEW MATH, OR WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO HELP THEIR STUDENTS, UM, SUCCEED WITH THEIR HOMEWORK, ANY WAY THAT WE CAN TOUCH A PARENT, WHETHER IT'S AT PICKUP, DROP OFF, UM, STUDENT CONFERENCES, [01:25:01] UM, UH, ROBOCALL, ANY WAY THAT WE CAN, UH, TOUCH A PARENT, I WOULD, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO THAT BECAUSE IF THE HELP IS OUT THERE, BUT, BUT OUR PARENTS DON'T KNOW AND THEY'RE NOT ACCESSING IT, IT'S REALLY NOT HELPFUL. YEP. UNDERSTOOD. MS. DUSKY. OH, YOU DIDN'T HAVE, OH, OKAY. OH, MS. DER, MS. HEN, UM, I ALSO WANNA ECHO MS. HARVEY'S COMMENTS. I MEAN, I'M THINKING MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MATH TEACHER. I DON'T KNOW. AND I, THAT WAS NEVER ALL MY, WE'RE STILL HIRING IF YOU NEXT JOURNEY. BUT, UM, I JUST WANNA COMMENT ON THE INTENTIONALITY OF THE PD PLAN. YOU KNOW, I REALLY LOVE SEEING THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED FOUR SHIFTS, THAT THE PD IS FALLING UNDER THOSE SHIFTS SO THAT TEACHERS REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE GOING TO THE PD, WHAT THEY SHOULD BE TAKING WITH THEM WHEN THEY LEAVE THEIR BACK TO THEIR CLASSROOMS. SO I, YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK IT'S VERY STRATEGICALLY MAPPED OUT. I MEAN, IT IS NOTICEABLE THAT YOUR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ARE ATTENDING SOME OF THE PD SESSIONS AT GREATER NUMBERS THAN YOUR SECONDARY. BUT A LOT OF THAT WILL TAKE WORD OF MOUTH AND, YOU KNOW, A REPUTATION THAT IF YOU GO TO IT, YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE WITH THINGS, UM, TO DO. SO. I KNOW THAT IS A STRUGGLE DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES IN, YOU KNOW, ELEMENTARY VERSUS SECONDARY TEACHERS. UM, AND WHILE I DON'T WANNA GET OPERATIONAL, UM, WE HAVE HOMEWORK HELPERS FOR OUR KIDS, BUT LISTENING TO SOME OF THE COMMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUES, SHOULD WE HAVE HOMEWORK HELPERS FOR OUR PARENTS? LIKE, I COULD SEE THE LIGHT GO OFF IN MS DO'S EYES WHEN SHE, YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE HOMEWORK . BUT IT'S FOR BOTH. IT'S, IT'S FOR BOTH. BUT ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I AM, I'M DOING THIS CRAZY, NO, IT'S NOT CRAZY. NOT CRAZY WHY I I KNEW, AS I SHOULD HAVE SAID IT, YOU KNOW, WHY I AM USING THIS MODEL TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT LONG DIVISION WHEN YEARS AGO ALL I HAD TO DO WAS GIVE IT A SHOVE AND ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS. SO JUST, ANYWAY, AND EVEN THIS BOARD MEETING TO BE ABLE TO SIT AND LISTEN TO YOU, YOU CLEARLY EXPLAINED OLD MATH VERSUS NEW MATH AND THE CHANGE IN IT. SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN PULLING THIS OFF AND PUTTING IT ON THE MATH WEBSITE, I JUST THINK LISTENING TO YOU, IT WAS SO CLEAR WHY WE HAVE TO MAKE THE SHIFT AND HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS FOR OUR KIDS. BUT IT'S SO HARD FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE, WERE NEVER RAISED THAT WAY TO UNDERSTAND MATH IN THE TERMS. BUT THANK YOU. YOUR, YOUR PASSION, THE WAY YOU'VE PRESENTED THIS WAS JUST, UM, WONDERFUL. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. HAN. THANK YOU. AND I WANNA CHIME IN WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND JUST E REEMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IS AND HOW THIS IS THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN BCPS, THAT THESE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THEM WITH THE BOARD. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THEM WITH EVERYONE AT HOME WATCHING, I'LL CERTAINLY HELP SPREAD THE WORD, BUT I ALSO WANTED TOSS OUT THE IDEA OF SHARING THEM WITH OUR STUDENTS. BECAUSE THE VERY FIRST TOUCH POINT, AS MS. HARVEY SAID, HOW DO WE TOUCH PARENTS? THEY'RE, WE ARE ASKING OUR CHILDREN, OUR STUDENTS HELP. YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHO THEY HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO, AND THEY'RE, UM, THE MOST FREQUENTLY ACCESSED RESOURCE, IF IT WILL. AND OUR, OUR STUDENTS THEN BECOME THE TEACHERS AND CAN HELP THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, FIND THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED. AND I CAN'T TELL YOU THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN HELPFUL. I'VE DONE IT MYSELF TO WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE SYSTEM, HEY, WHAT, WHAT'S AVAILABLE? SHOW ME. OH, NOTHING'S OUT THERE, MOM . OKAY. NO, THAT'S FALSE. UM, SO LET'S, LET'S BUST THAT MYTH AND GET THE WORD TO OUR STUDENTS, UM, WITHIN THE CURRICULUM THAT, HEY, IF, IF YOU'RE GOING TO MOM, DAD GRANDMOM FOR HELP, HERE'S, HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN POINT THEM TO. AND I THINK THAT THAT WILL STICK. AND WHEN THEIR PARENTS ASK THEM, HOPEFULLY THEY WILL SAY, OH, YEAH, I, I REMEMBER HEARING SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. NOT A LOT. THIS WAS GREAT. IT REALLY IS. AND I'M ENCOURAGED BECAUSE WE, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO REALLY IMPROVE MATH IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. SO I I LOVE THIS. UM, SO THE JOHNS HOPKINS IMPLEMENTATION STUDY, THAT WAS DONE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY TEACHERS? OR WAS THAT LIKE A, OKAY, SO WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY TEACHERS, AND WE NOTICING THAT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THEM WERE, WELL, 60 AND 65%, UM, OF THEM WERE NOT, THEY WERE USING MATERIALS FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CURRICULUM. WHY WAS THAT? IS IT COULD, DID THE, DID THE STUDY SPEAK TO THE WHY? SO I THINK THERE WERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO REPORT ON THAT TO SELF-REPORT. WHAT MY REASON WAS, WE, SO THE, THE STUDY INCLUDED SURVEYS. IT ALSO INCLUDED FOCUS GROUPS. SO THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE, THE RESEARCHERS TO GO IN AND ASK THE TEACHERS JUST THOSE QUESTIONS. AND, AND THEY PROVIDED BLURBS OF JUST SENTENCES OF HERE AND THERE. BUT I THINK IT WAS A LOT AROUND EXACTLY WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR THE BRING YOUR OWN, BEN, IF I HAVE TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW THAT I FEEL LIKE MAYBE I'VE BEEN DOING FOR A VERY LONG TIME, I, I REMEMBER, UM, AS A TEACHER HAVING MY SHELF OF ALGEBRA ONE, UNIT ONE, [01:30:01] AND AT THE END OF THE SUMMER, THERE IT IS, I KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. SO I HAVE TO, UM, I HAVE TO ENGAGE AND OPEN MYSELF UP TO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WHAT I TRY TO REMIND JUST EVERYONE AROUND IS THAT THIS IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN EFFICACY STUDY SOMEWHERE THAT SAID IT WORKS IF IMPLEMENTED THIS WAY. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS ENCOURAGE TEACHERS TO USE THE CURRICULUM IN THIS WAY, AND LET'S TEST IT AND SEE. BUT WHAT WE FOUND WITH THAT JOHNS HOPKINS STUDY WAS THAT IT WAS, THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TO REALLY SAY YEAR ONE COULD BE A YEAR ONE. AND, AND WHAT I'VE OFTEN SHARED IS THAT THERE HAD TO, THERE NEEDS TO BE A SORT OF A BELIEF SHIFT, BECAUSE THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A REALLY GOOD WAY TO, TO BRING US IN. LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT A BELIEF SHIFT AROUND THE, THE SAME THING I'VE SHARED TODAY. A SHIFT IN THINKING AROUND HOW PRACTICE MIGHT NEED TO SHIFT, HOW ENGAGEMENT MIGHT NEED TO SHIFT THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP IN KIDS. HAVING THAT BELIEFS SHIFT CONVERSATION FIRST PROBABLY WOULD'VE DONE A GREAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD'VE BEEN A GREAT, BUT, BUT, SO NOW WE'RE DOING BOTH. AND, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK WHAT YOU, YOU SAW FROM TEACHERS IN THAT STUDY WAS, YOU KNOW, YEAH, I'M USING SOMETHING ELSE. 'CAUSE I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY BOUGHT IN TO THE WHOLE PROGRAM YET. AND SO I'M NOT GONNA TRY IT WITH FIDELITY JUST YET. I'M STILL GONNA HOLD ONTO MY, AND I'M, I'M, I'M SPEAKING AS A TEACHER MYSELF, RIGHT? WHAT I MIGHT HAVE FELT GETTING A NEW PROGRAM, UM, AND, AND NOT KNOWING, UM, ALL THE THINGS. SO THAT'S PART OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND HO AND EVERY DAY, EVERY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND WHY IT FITS IN THOSE BUCKETS WE ARE LOOKING, ONE OF THOSE IS A SHIFT IN, IN INSTRUCTION. AND SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. NO, YOU ANSWERED. AND, AND SO ARE YOU STARTING TO SEE THAT SHIFT IN THE, YOU KNOW, SO IT WAS, AND I GET THIS WAS ONE OF 'EM WAS JUST DONE 2023, WHICH WAS JUST LAST YEAR. UM, BUT AS YOU'RE GOING ON YOUR LEARNING WALKS AND, UM, AND YOU'RE GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS AND SEEING THIS IN ACTION, ARE YOU BEGINNING TO SEE MORE TEACHERS? ANECDOTALLY, ARE YOU SEEING A, A LARGER BUY-IN WITH THE, THE 60 TO 65%? I THINK, I THINK WE ARE, BUT I ALSO WANNA MENTION ONE OF THE, THE THINGS COMING OUT IS, I THINK WE'RE AT, WE'RE HEARING MORE QUESTIONS. WHAT DOES FIDELITY MEAN? SO IF YOU'RE ASKING ME THIS QUESTION, THEN YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE, SO WE HAVE A TECHNICAL FOR THAT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY PURPOSE, IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM WITH PURPOSE? THOSE QUESTIONS ARE BEGGING THE ANSWER FOR HOW I MIGHT DO THIS BETTER. SO I APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL. BUT YES, IN THE, IN THE WALKTHROUGHS, WE ARE SEEING THE PROGRAM IN USE. AND I, AND I WOULD SAY JUST FROM, YOU KNOW, BEING AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND BRIDGES WAS FIRST IMPLEMENTED TO EVEN VISITING ELEMENTARY, NOW THERE IS A MUCH HIGHER, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF USE OF MATERIALS WITH BRIDGES AND NUMBER CORNER, UM, ACROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THERE'S A LOT LESS OF THE EITHER FORMER MATH SERIES MATERIALS THAT YOU SEE, OR OTHER RESOURCES THAT TEACHERS MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN ON PINTEREST OR SOME OF THOSE OTHER WEBSITES. UM, IT IS MUCH MORE ALIGNED. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, SEEING THAT PATTERN, UM, AND AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE TYPES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT'S BEING PROVIDED AND REALLY FOCUSED ON USE OF MATERIALS AND GATHERING MATERIALS REALLY GIVES US SOME INSIGHT TO THAT. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S WORKING TO HELP CHANGE THAT. UM, SO AGAIN, AS, UH, MS. MEEZ SAID, REALLY LOOKING AT HOW DO WE NOW MOVE, MOVE THAT TO REALLY OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES. THANK YOU. I HAVE LIKE SIX MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL HOLD OFF. SO . SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS IS GOOD. I'M VERY ENCOURAGED FROM THIS WORK. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM [H. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (8:00 - 8:05 p.m.)] ON THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKING ENCLOSED SESSION. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MS. TI JONES. GOOD EVENING. UM, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THERE WAS NO ACTION TAKEN DURING THE CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [J. REPORT - CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAPACITY RELIEF BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION (Dr. Grim) (8:30 - 8:55 p.m.)] IS THE REPORT ON THE CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAPACITY RELIEF BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. GRIM AND DR. GRIM AND TEAM . GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING TO PRESENT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE. JOINING ME THIS EVENING ARE DR. RAQUEL JONES, CHIEF OF SCHOOL, MR. PETE DIXON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, MR. STEVE BENDER, AND DR. SHARONDA GREGORY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS. AND MS. MELISSA ALER, COORDINATOR, STRATEGIC PLANNING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. ON FEBRUARY 13TH, WE SHARED THIS SLIDE WITH YOU AS PART OF THE NORTHWEST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY STUDY NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION. IT DEPICTS THE BOUNDARY STUDY PROCESS, AND I'M NOT GONNA READ IT ALL AGAIN TO YOU. AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. DIXON. [01:35:01] THANK YOU, DR. GRAHAM. AND GOOD EVENING CHAIR BOOKER DRYER, UH, VICE CHAIR PORE SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. UH, THIS SLIDE GIVES YOU NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. YEAH, THE RATIONALE FOR THE BOUNDARY STUDY FOR CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IT WAS TO RELIEVE SCHOOLS PROJECTED TO BE OVERCROWDED AND TO MAXIMIZE USE OF AVAILABLE SPACE IN SCHOOLS UNTIL ADDITIONAL SEATS CAN BE ADDED IN THE REGION THROUGH THE CAPITAL PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY CHANGE PROCESS WAS INITIATED IN THE SPRING, IN THE SPRING OF 2023. PLANNING OCCURRED FROM JUNE THROUGH AUGUST, AND THE COMMITTEE BEGAN MEETING IN SEPTEMBER. THE COMMITTEE MET FOUR TIMES WITHIN SEPTEMBER, 2023 AND JANUARY, 2024. FORMULATING AND REVIEWING VARIOUS BOUNDARY CHAIN OPTIONS. STAFF, LISTEN TO THE BOARD'S FEEDBACK FROM THE SUMMER OF 2023 AND EMPHASIZE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. THIS EVENING, THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION IS BEING PRESENTED TO THE BOARD FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THE BOARD'S PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 6TH, AND A VOTE BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 19TH, 2024. 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. NEXT SLIDE, DR. YES. THANK YOU, MR. DIXIE. GOOD EVENING. UM, BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY, AND SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS. THIS SLIDE AS MR. UM, DIXON SUGGESTED WILL SHARE WITH YOU BACK IN OCTOBER. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'M SORRY. UM, OUR NEW FOCUS WAS SHARED BACK IN OCTOBER, AND IT IS PART OF THE, UH, RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS BROUGHT TO YOU AT THAT TIME. BCPS CONTINUES TO BE COMMITTED TO ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE BOUNDARY STUDY PROCESS, AND SCHOOLS ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY IN THE BOUNDARY STUDY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS SLIDE IS ANOTHER SLIDE THAT YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE. IT ALSO DEPICTS SOME OF THE EXAMPLES AND SOME OF THE WAYS WE FOCUS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SPECIFIC TO THE CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAPACITY RELIEF BOUNDARY STUDY. NEXT SLIDE. AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO, IS IT YOU? MM-HMM. , MS. APPLE. GOOD EVENING. UM, CHAIR BOOKER DRYER, BUT CHAIR, UM, MS. EY AND, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS. UH, THIS IS A MAP SHOWING THE CURRENT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ZONES FOR THE 19 SCHOOLS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE BOUNDARY, UH, PROCESS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AGAIN, 19 SCHOOLS PARTICIPATED IN THIS BOUNDARY PROCESS. THEY ARE LISTED IN THE TABLE TO THE LEFT AND SHOWN IN THE MAP TO THE RIGHT. THE STUDY WAS LARGE IN SCOPE BECAUSE OF THE ADJACENCIES TO THE SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED IN NEED OF RELIEF AND THE OVERALL COMPOSITION OF THE AREA. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. A TOTAL OF 23 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 DOWN THE 23 DOWN 23 OPTIONS TO FOUR OPTIONS THAT THEY FELT WERE MOST VIABLE AND SHARED THEM WITH THE PUBLIC AT A PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION. THESE FOUR OPTIONS WERE ALSO THE FOCUS OF THE PUBLIC SURVEY. THE SURVEY OF RESULTS WERE SHARED WITH THE COMMITTEE AND, UH, WHO FURTHER ENGAGED WITH THIS FEEDBACK. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THROUGH SMALL GROUP AND LARGE GROUP DISCUSSIONS, THE COMMITTEE CONCLUDED THAT DRAFT OPTION C TWO WAS THE PLAN THAT BEST ADHERED TO THE CONSIDERATIONS AS A WHOLE AND BEST MET THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS IN THE AREA. OPTION C TWO SHOWN HERE, RECEIVED 72% OF THE VOTES OF THE FINAL RECOMMENDATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OPTION B THREE WAS ALSO UNDER RECOMMENDATION AND RECEIVED 28% OF THE VOTES. NEXT SLIDE. AT THE LAST MEETING, UH, AS I'VE MENTIONED, TWO OPTIONS WERE NOMINATED AS POTENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND OPTION C TWO WAS NOMINATED FOR CONSIDERATION TONIGHT. NEXT SLIDE. THIS CHART SHOWS THE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE STUDY AREA, THE STATE RATED CAPACITY FIGURES CURRENT ENROLLMENT AND UTILIZATION COMPARED TO THAT OF THE RECOMMENDED OPTION. WHILE THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO RELIEVE SCHOOLS PROJECTED TO BE OVERCROWDED AND TO MAXIMIZE USE OF AVAILABLE SPACE, SIX SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO BE AT OR EXCEED 100% UTILIZATION FOR THREE OF THOSE SIX SCHOOLS, THAT THAT CONTINUE TO EXCEED 100% UTILIZATION. THIS IS THE RESULT OF COMMUNITY FEEDBACK THAT REQUESTED THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF [01:40:01] THESE SCHOOLS REMAIN UNCHANGED. THE REMAINING THREE SCHOOLS TO THAT ARE NOW THAT AT, AT OR EXCEED 100% UTILIZATION ARE THE RESULT OF CHANGES THAT INCREASED UTILIZATION FOR THESE SCHOOLS. THEY EXCEED 100% BY NO MORE THAN SEVEN UH, STUDENTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. A TOTAL OF 388 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 SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. NEXT SLIDE. THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE IMPACTED FEEDER PATTERN FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOLS. THERE ARE CHANGES TO SIX ELEMENTARY FEEDER PATTERNS. BACK TO OUR NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, DR. GURN. WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT STEPS, THE BOARD WILL HOST A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION ON MARCH 6TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM AT RAVIN HIGH SCHOOL. TO GATHER ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS THEN SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE BOUNDARY FOR THE CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION AT ITS MARCH 19TH, 2024 MEETING. WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK ALL OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ENGAGE WITH BCPS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? UH, MS. LICHTER AND THEN MS. DOKI. UM, CAN YOU JUST REPEAT MS. LER WHEN YOU SAID THERE WERE SIX THAT WERE OVER A HUNDRED AND THAT THE RECOMMENDATION THAT'S BEING MADE WILL ONLY NOT FIXED, WILL ONLY REDUCE THREE OF THOSE SIX? YES. SO CAN YOU JUST REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID? I, SO IN THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY, THERE WERE SIX SCHOOLS, UM, THAT WERE OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT UTILIZATION. AND FOLLOWING THE BOUNDARY STU STUDY, THREE OF THOSE SCHOOLS REMAIN RIGHT OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT UTILIZATION. OKAY. UM, DURING THE PROCESS, UM, PUBLIC FEEDBACK, UM, AND COMMUNITY INPUT, UM, THEY DECIDED THAT THOSE SCHOOLS, UM, THEY DID NOT WANT THEIR BOUNDARY CHANGED. OKAY. THANK YOU, MS. DOKI. UM, I, I JUST WONDERED, UM, IF PINE GROVE ELEMENTARIES, UM, IN THE, IN THE COMMENTS THAT WERE COMING IN, WERE THEY CONSIDERED, UM, MORE OR LESS IN, IN THIS DISCUSSION? BECAUSE I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT LOOKING AT THE FEEDERS GOING FROM, UM, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS. WERE NOW ONE OF THE CONCERNS WITH, YOU KNOW, SEPARATING. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE CONCERNS WITH THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WAS, WAS SEPARATING THE SCHOOLS GOING TO TWO DIFFERENT MIDDLE SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAD, WE HAD DECIDED BACK DURING THE MIDDLE, THE CENTRAL NORTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL TO KEEP ALL, YOU KNOW, ALL OF CARROLL MANOR TOGETHER SINCE IT WAS SUCH A SMALL GROUP. AND NOW WE'RE TAKING A SMALL PART AWAY AGAIN. WAS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION, UM, WHAT WERE THERE, WHAT WAS THE CONSENSUS, YOU KNOW, FROM PINE GROVE ELEMENTARY? WAS THIS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE FOR OR AGAINST, OR WHAT WAS THE CONSENSUS THERE? SO WE, WE PROVIDE THE BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE WITH WHATEVER OPTIONS THEY'VE REQUESTED. UM, SO OUT OF THE 23 MAPS, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY WOULD'VE ADDRESSED THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE. WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WHATEVER DATA YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THAT WOULD SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THOSE PIECES. UM, AGAIN, OUR, OUR ROLE IN THIS AS STAFF IS TO COORDINATE THE PROCESS WITH THE COMMITTEE. UM, SO AS THAT CAME UP FROM ANY OF THE SCHOOLS OR ANY OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, WE WOULD'VE PROVIDED THAT DATA TO THEM. UM, IN A STUDY OF, OF THIS SIZE AND SCOPE, AS WE SAID, THE REALITY IS WE, WE NEED MORE ELEMENTARY SEATS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, AND THAT IS WHAT WILL ULTIMATELY TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE. UM, IN TAKING A LOOK AT THIS PARTICULAR STUDY, THE THE BEST RECOMMENDATION AS PROVIDED BY THE COMMITTEE WAS THE ONE THAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE BOARD. SO AGAIN, WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH WHATEVER DATA OR MAPS YOU'D LIKE RELATIVE TO, TO PINE GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND I KNOW IT WAS ALREADY BIG ENOUGH AS IT WAS, BUT WITH PINE GROVE KIND OF BEING ON THAT EDGE OF CENTRAL, WERE THERE ANY OTHER ELEMENTARY, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITH OPEN SEATS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS, UM, STUDY THAT COULD HAVE HELPED PINE GROVE AS OPPOSED TO SENDING THEM TO A SCHOOL THAT WAS ALREADY PROJECTED TO BE OVERPOPULATED? SO, IF I'M HEARING YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY, OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THIS STUDY, WERE THERE ANY OTHER SCHOOLS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED? WERE THERE ANY OPEN SEATS IN ANY OF THE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT WERE CLOSE TO PINE GROVE THAT WERE, WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THAT WERE, WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY? SO THEY, SO YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT ADJACENCIES TO PINE GROVE. OKAY. SO I, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE ADJACENCIES TO PINE GROVE WERE CONSIDERED, AND I'D HAVE TO LOOK TO MELISSA [01:45:01] OR ACTUALLY GO BACK TO THE MAPS, SIMPLY BECAUSE THE, THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE STUDY WERE THE ONES IN THE CENTRAL AREA THAT WERE RELIEF. UM, AND IN FACT, THE, THE SIZE OF THIS PARTICULAR STUDY, THE SCOPE OF IT WAS SO LARGE BECAUSE AS WE, UM, AS WE BEGAN TO LOOK AT THEM, WE NEEDED TO LOOK AT THE ADJACENCIES TO THE ADJACENCIES. SO, UM, I I, I CAN'T SPECIFICALLY SAY ABOUT PINE GROVE AND I, I'M NOT TRYING TO, I REALLY DON'T WANT YOU GUYS TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER STUDY. I'M JUST, THE ONLY THING I'M WORRIED ABOUT WITH PINE GROVE MM-HMM. IS BECAUSE THEY WERE, THEY, I THINK THEY WERE THE HIGHEST PROJECTED TO BE THE HIGHEST OVER POP, LIKE, OVER THEIR ENROLLMENT. AND I JUST, I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD HAVE LOOKED AT ANOTHER SET OF SCHOOLS THAT WAS CLOSER TO THEM THAN CARROLL MANOR AND, UM, JACKSONVILLE AND, UH, HAMPTON OR WHATEVER THAT, LIKE, IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER SCHOOLS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LOOKED AT WITH OPEN SEATS TO HELP THEM SO THAT WE WEREN'T SENDING THEM TO ANOTHER SCHOOL WHERE THEY WERE GONNA BE SEPARATED IN MIDDLE SCHOOL FROM THEIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FRIENDS. MS. DOKI, WE CAN NOTE THAT AND TAKE IT BACK AND, UH, SEND A FOLLOW UP. THANK YOU, UH, MS. HARVEY. OH, IT IS. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I JUST, I HAVE A FOLLOW UP TO MS. LICHTER, UH, QUESTION. 'CAUSE I'M, I'M NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING AT THIS POINT. I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT THERE WERE THREE SCHOOLS, THAT IT WAS SCHOOLS, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS SCHOOLS OR COMMUNITIES THAT DIDN'T WANT THEIR BOUNDARIES CHANGED. SO CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT PROCESS? I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT DECISION WAS MADE, BECAUSE THE PRESENTATION SOUNDS AS IF THESE SCHOOLS SAID, WE DON'T WANT OUR BOUNDARIES CHANGED AND THEY DIDN'T GET THEIR BOUNDARIES CHANGED, WHICH IMPACTS OTHER DECISIONS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE ABOUT BOUNDARIES. AND CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THOSE THREE SCHOOLS ARE? SO IF, IF WE GO BACK TO, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S SLIDE NUMBER THREE, WHICH COVERS THE RATIONALE FOR THE, FOR THE OVERALL BOUNDARY STUDY, THE FOUR SCHOOLS THAT WERE ABOVE UTILIZATION THAT WE WERE TARGETING TO HELP RELIEVE WERE TIMONIUM ELEMENTARY, HAMPTON ELEMENTARY, CARROLL MANOR ELEMENTARY, AND, AND PINE GROVE ELEMENTARY. MM-HMM. . UM, TO CLARIFY, THE COMMITTEE IS PROVIDED OPTIONS. SO THEY'RE PROVIDED AN INITIAL LIST OF OPTIONS OF WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS PLANNING BLOCK, OR YOU LOOK AT THAT PLANNING BLOCK, HERE'S HOW WE COULD SHIFT TO ADDRESS THE CAPACITY RELIEF IN THIS AREA. BASED ON THOSE MAPS, THE COMMITTEE DRIVES THE ADDITIONAL OPTIONS AND CHOICES THAT THEY LOOK AT. AND THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WOULD BE THE ONES TO DETERMINE THAT ULTIMATELY THEY WERE ASKING FOR THE BOUNDARIES OF THOSE SCHOOLS NOT TO BE CHANGED. SO I, WE CAN'T SPECIFICALLY TELL YOU AS OUR PART OF THE, OF THE PROCESS, WHO WITHIN THE COMMITTEE DETERMINED, UM, MA MADE THE DECISION THAT NOT TO CHANGE THOSE SPECIFIC BOUNDARIES, IT WAS THE COMMITTEE DECISION. THAT'S WHAT THE COMMITTEE ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO PUT FORTH WITH THEIR RECOMMENDATION. SO IT'S FOUR SCHOOLS AND NOT THREE. IT'S THOSE, THERE WAS FOUR. NO, MA'AM. IT WAS, I'M SORRY. IT WAS FOUR THAT WERE PART OF THE, PART OF THE INITIAL TARGET. AND THEN THE, THE, THERE WERE SIX AT THE END UNDERSTOOD. THAT ARE SLATED TO BE LEFT. UM, THE THREE, MELISSA, DO YOU HAVE THE THREE WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY? YES. THAT WERE LEFT. SO THE THREE THAT WERE PART OF THAT ARE LUTHERVILLE, UH, TIMONIUM AND PINEWOOD. SO I, I I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US, WE'RE STRIVING TO MAKE THIS PROCESS, UH, MORE TRANSPARENT, MORE EQUITABLE, MORE EFFICIENT, UH, MORE ENGAGING WITH OUR COMMUNITIES. AND IT, I, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW THAT DECISION WAS MADE IF IT'S, UH, THE COMMITTEE THAT CONSIDERED THAT IN ALL OF THEIR, UM, DELIBERATIONS. THAT'S FINE. THAT'S A PROCESS. BUT WHEN I HEARD THE SCHOOL, I, IT SHIFTED THAT KIND OF DECISION MAKING FOR ME. SO MAYBE I JUST NEED CLARIFICATION. WAS IT THE SCHOOL OR WAS IT THE COMMITTEE? THE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOLS ARE ONLY A, A PART. THE SCHOOLS COMPRISE THE COMMITTEE. THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE SCHOOLS COMPRISE THE COMMITTEE. SO ULTIMATELY THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE MAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. DOES THAT, DOES THAT HELP ANSWER, DOES THAT HELP ANSWER YOUR QUESTION SLIGHTLY? UH, THE PRESENTATION WAS THAT IT WAS REQUESTED THAT THOSE BOUNDARIES NOT BE CHANGED IN THE COMMUNITY. I MEAN, THE COMMITTEE HONORED, UH, THAT REQUEST, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS AS TO HOW THAT CAME ABOUT. MM-HMM. , JUST AS A PROCESS QUESTION. MM-HMM. , MS. HARVEY, IF I MAY. UM, [01:50:01] SO FOR THE RECORD, YOU KNOW, PRINCIPLES, IF YOU WILL, CAN'T SWAY THIS PROCESS. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE A PART TO, UM, GIVE INFORMATION, BUT THEY'RE NOT ONE OF THE, UH, VOTERS. WHAT I'M HEARING AROUND THE QUESTIONS, PARTICULARLY THAT YOU'VE ASKED AND MS. LICHTER HAS ASKED, IS, IF THE INTENT OF THE PROCESS IS TO RELIEVE OVERCROWDING, HOW CAN WE WALK OUT OF THE PROCESS WITH A RECOMMENDATION THAT LEAVES OVERCROWDING IN SOME SCHOOLS? UM, VERY GOOD QUESTION. ONE THAT WE WILL FOLLOW UP ON. UH, THIS IS SUCH A COMMITTEE DRIVEN PROCESS, UH, THAT THIS IS WHAT THE COMMITTEE WANTED TO, UH, HAVE THE GROUP MOVE FORWARD TO THE BOARD. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, HONORING THAT PROCESS, THAT'S WHY THIS RECOMMENDATION IS HERE. UH, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME FOLLOW UP CONVERSATIONS ABOUT. UM, AND IF WE NEED TO MAKE SOME, UH, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL CHANGES MOVING FORWARD, AGAIN, RECOMMITTING TO THE OVERALL POINT OF THE PROCESS, UH, IS TO RELIEVE THAT OVERCROWDING. AND YOU HAVE THAT COMPETING AGAINST, YOU KNOW, THE COMMITTEE DRIVING EVERYTHING THAT TAKES PLACE. SO WE CAN CERTAINLY TAKE THAT BACK, UH, AND UNPACK IT AS A TEAM AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MAKE THE NECESSARY, UH, UPDATES AND, UH, CHANGES MOVING FORWARD. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. YES. AND I, I, DO I HAVE A FOLLOW UP TO THAT BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO, WERE, WERE THERE ANY OPTIONS WHERE THE SCHOOLS WERE NOT OVERCROWDED? WHERE, WHERE THERE WERE ZERO THAT WERE OVERCROWDED? I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE, BUT WE CAN CHECK OUT, I BELIEVE. AND SO, SO NO MATTER WHAT OPTION WE WOULD'VE, THE COMMITTEE WOULD'VE RECOMMENDED, THE SCHOOLS WOULD'VE BEEN OVERCROWDED. STILL THERE WOULD'VE BEEN OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS. YES, MA'AM. UM, AND A AS I SAID, THE, THE, AS I SAID EARLIER, THE O THE ONLY, UM, PERMANENT SOLUTION ARE MORE SEATS, ARE MORE SEATS IN THE AREA THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA, THAT WILL BE THE ONLY THING THAT WILL, UM, ELIMINATE OR, OR ADDRESS OVERCROWDING IN THE, IN THE AREA. AND, AND SO AND SO WE'RE, SO THIS PROCESS IS JUST TO MAKE IT A LITTLE LESS OVERCROWDED. UM, BUT EITHER WAY, IT'S JUST GONNA BE OVERCROWDED. UM, AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS WHY I THINK WE REALLY DO NEED AS A BALTIMORE COUNTY COMMUNITY TO LOOK AT THE, A BIGGER PICTURE HERE. UM, BECAUSE I'M EVEN WONDERING WHAT'S THE POINT OF EVEN DOING A BOUNDARY STUDY IF WE'RE STILL JUST GONNA END UP WITH SCHOOLS THAT ARE OVERCROWDED? I MEAN, AND I GET, I KNOW WHY THERE'S A POINT, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING FROM, WHAT, 123% TO 1 0 6, WHICH HELPS EASES THAT IS A, IT HELPS TO EASE IT, BUT, UM, BUT WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP SHIFTING STUDENTS AROUND. AND I MEAN, THIS JUST, IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME AT ALL. UH, IT, I MEAN, WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING IS FINE. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ON YOU. I THINK IT'S A BIGGER BALTIMORE COUNTY PROBLEM THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING THESE BOUNDARY STUDIES JUST TO GET SCHOOLS THAT ARE STILL OVERCROWDED. UM, SO, OKAY. I'LL, I'LL JUST END IT THERE. BUT, AND THERE'S NO, THERE WAS REALLY NO OTHER OPTION. EVERYTHING WAS JUST OVERCROWDED THERE. ALL OF THE OPTIONS WERE AS, AS WE SAID, RESULTED IN OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS. THE COMMITTEE WAS, WAS PROVIDED 23 DIFFERENT OPTIONS. I BELIEVE WE STARTED WITH, WITH SEVEN. I'M LOOKING AT MELISSA. I BELIEVE WE STARTED WITH SEVEN OPTIONS AS THEY ASK FOR OTHER, FOR OTHER OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES. UM, OUR JOB AS COORDINATORS OF THE PROCESSOR TO WORK WITH OUR CONSULTANT TO FACILITATE WHAT THOSE OPTIONS ARE AND WHAT THEY MIGHT LOOK LIKE. SO WE PROVIDED MAPS, UM, STRICTLY ON THE BASIS OF, UH, RACE ECONOMICS. WHAT IF WE, YOU KNOW, COMPLETELY TRIED TO MAKE EVERYTHING, EVERY SCHOOL AS EVEN AS POSSIBLE, WHAT WOULD THOSE BA THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? JUST YEP, GO AHEAD, MS. A QUICK ASK, COULD WE HAVE THE OTHER THREE OPTIONS BROKEN UP, LIKE THE SLIDE NUMBER 13 THAT HAS THE, FOR THE RECOMMENDED ONE? CAN WE SEE THE OTHER THREE? YOU SAID THERE WAS FOUR THAT WENT, THERE WAS FOUR FINAL ONES, RIGHT? THAT WENT TO THE PUBLIC COMMUNITY HEARING? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. THERE WERE FOUR THAT WENT, AND THEN TWO WERE RECOMMENDED TO BE VOTED ON. OKAY. SO WE CAN PROVIDE, WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH WHATEVER YOU WOULD LIKE. RIGHT. THOSE, THOSE FOUR. SO THREE MORE THREE IN ADDITION TO THE ONE THAT'S HERE. JUST, AND YOU WANT, YOU WANT LIKE THE CHART ON SLIDE 13, MS. TER, CORRECT? YES. MM-HMM. THAT HAS UTILIZATION. OKAY. YES. MS. HARVEY, JUST ONE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION, WHICH I DON'T REALLY EXPECT AN ANSWER TO NOW, BUT, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT WERE THERE ANY SURROUNDING SCHOOLS THAT MAY HAVE HAD CAPACITY? I'M NOT, I I THINK YOU ALL ARE RESEARCHING THAT. I, MY QUESTION IS, IS WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS BEFORE ON THIS BOARD ABOUT THE, UH, [01:55:01] REGIONAL, THE REGIONALIZATION OF OUR SYSTEMS. WE HAVE THE NORTHEAST AND THE NORTHWEST, AND THESE ARE BOUNDARIES THAT WE SET. THEY'RE, THEY'RE GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES THAT WE HAVE IMPOSED. AND THERE HAS BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THOSE BOUNDARIES SHOULD BE CROSSED. BUT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A SYSTEM OR A SYSTEM OF SCHOOLS THAT IS BORDERING CROSSING A BOUNDARY, BUT, UM, IT WOULD RELIEVE OVERCROWDING TO JUST GO ACROSS THAT SELF, YOU KNOW, ESTABLISHED LINE. THAT, THAT IMAGINARY LINE THAT WE DRAW, UH, WAS THAT CONSIDERED IN ANY OF THE 23 OPTIONS? SO, I'LL, I'LL ANSWER THAT BY SAYING THE, WHEN WE INITIALLY LOOKED AT THE, AT THE FOUR SCHOOLS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO, UM, TO RELIEVE, WE CONSIDERED WHAT THE APPROPRIATE SIZE OF THE BOUNDARY STUDY WOULD BE. UM, I BELIEVE WE BEGAN WITH 11 SCHOOLS, THEN WE INCREASED THAT TO 13 SCHOOLS, THEN WE INCREASED IT TO 16 SCHOOLS, THEN WE INCREASED IT TO 19 SCHOOLS. SO THE, THE CHALLENGE THAT, THAT WE HAVE AS STAFF WHEN WE ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY IS, UM, JUST THE VERY ISSUE THAT YOU'RE BRINGING UP, WHERE, WHERE DO WE ATTEMPT TO, TO DRAW ANY TYPE OF IMAGINARY LINE OR ANY LINE WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE, AT THESE BOUNDARIES. SO IN THIS CASE, THE FOUR SCHOOLS THAT WE STARTED WITH, WE WENT TO ADJACENCIES OF ADJACENCIES. SO IT WASN'T JUST THE SCHOOLS DIRECTLY AROUND THEM, IT WAS SCHOOLS THAT WERE AROUND THE SCHOOLS THAT WE WERE, THAT WE WERE TRYING TO RELIEVE. AND SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS CROSSED OUR REGIONAL CATCHMENT AREAS. THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY DO IN FACT, PINE, PINE GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS IS ONE OF THOSE THAT'S CONSIDERED AN, A NORTHEAST SCHOOL RATHER THAN A CEN, UH, CENTRAL AREA SCHOOL. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. YEAH. MS. HARVEY, AM I HEARING THAT YOU WANNA, UM, REDRAW ALL THE BOUNDARY LINES IN BALTIMORE COUNTY SO THAT WE COULD GET TO A MORE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS? WHAT YOU'RE HEARING IS THAT THERE'S THE PRACTICALITY OF, I HAVE A SCHOOL HERE AND I HAVE A SCHOOL THAT'S THREE BLOCKS DOWN THE ROAD OR A MILE DOWN THE ROAD, BUT IT'S IN A DIFFERENT DISTRICT. MM-HMM. , UH, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IF WE ARE SITTING HERE REDRAWING MAPS TO REDUCE OVERCROWDING, BUT MAINTAIN OVERCROWDING AND THERE'S SPACE IN THOSE SCHOOLS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY RELIEVE THE OVERCROWDING. THAT TO ME IS A RESPONSIBLE, UH, USE OF OUR RESOURCES AND MORE OF A SERVICE TO OUR STUDENTS WHO WE JUST HAD A BIG CONVERSATION ABOUT CLASSROOM SIZES AND OVER, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OVERCROWDING. SO OVERCROWDING LESS FALLS SHORT OF THE GOAL FOR ME. AND SO IF THERE'S SCHOOLS THAT ARE CLOSE, BUT OUTSIDE OF OUR, OUR SELF-IMPOSED LINES, THEN THEY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. THANK YOU, MS. HARVEY. MS. HARVEY. WE DON'T DISAGREE WITH YOU AT ALL. UM, AND IN FACT, WHEN, WHEN LOOKING AT THE, THE NORTHWEST CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE'VE PROVIDED, THE LUXURY THAT WE HAVE IN THE, IN THE NORTHWEST ARE THE IN INFLUX OF NEW SEATS THAT WE HAVE THERE BECAUSE OF THE BOARD SUPPORT IN THE NEW SCHOOLS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONSTRUCT IN THE AREA. SO WE HAVE FOUR CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THAT AREA OVER THE COURSE OF TIME THAT WILL BRING AN INFUSION OF SEATS THAT WILL HELP THE OVERCROWDING IN THAT AREA. WE'VE WORKED ON CAPITAL PROJECTS ELSEWHERE TOO, TO ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM, BUT IT'S THAT DELICATE BALANCE AS YOU'VE, AS YOU POINTED OUT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE. THANKS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MOTIONS TO LOOK AT BOUNDARIES AS A WHOLE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY? THAT'LL COME AT A LATER DATE. OKAY. WE'LL, WE'LL DO THAT LATER, . OKAY. SO THANK YOU DR. GRIM. THANK YOU EVERYONE. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [K. INFORMATION (8:55 - 9:05 p.m.)] IS INFORMATION. THE FIRST ITEM IS FY 24 GENERAL FUND REPORT ON REVENUES, EXPENDITURES, AND ENCUMBRANCES, BUDGET AND ACTUALS FOR PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER, 2023. THE NEXT ITEM IS QUARTER TWO AUDIT REPORT PROVIDED TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AT THEIR JANUARY 17TH MEETING. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE REVISED 20 24, 20 25 SCHOOL CALENDAR TO COMPLY WITH THE VIRTUAL EDUCATION BILL. DECEMBER 20TH, 2024 AND MAY 16TH, 2025 WILL NO LONGER BE LISTED AS HALF DAY, HALF DAY ASYNCHRONOUS DAYS FOR STUDENTS. BOTH DAYS WILL REMAIN AS THREE HOUR EARLY CLOSURE DAYS AND INSTRUCTION WILL TAKE PLACE IN PERSON. THE NEXT FOUR ITEMS ARE [02:00:01] REVISED SUPERINTENDENT'S RULES 3 5 2 0 3 5, 3, 2, 3, 6, 2 0 AND 6 8 0 0 FORM C. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE ANNUAL REPORT ON STUDENTS COUNT FOR FY 23 WITH COMPREHENSIVE DATA ON ENROLLMENTS, PROJECTIONS, AND SCHOOL CAPACITIES. AND THE LAST ITEM IS AN UPDATE ON KEY SCHOOL LEGISLATION THAT HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED AND PRESENTED DURING THE SESSION. WE HAVE A LOT OF ITEMS FOR INFORMATION. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM ON [L. BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES AND AGENDA SETTING (9:05 - 9:20 p.m.)] THE AGENDA IS BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES AND AGENDA SETTING. FIRST ARE COMMITTEE UPDATES. SO I'LL GO TO MR. MCMILLION FOR THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. THANK YOU. THE AUDIT COMMITTEE MET ON FEBRUARY 20TH. TWO SEPARATE AUDITS WERE DISCUSSED, UH, WITH PRESENTATIONS, THE MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AUDIT REPORT AND THE BUS CONTRACTOR'S AUDITS REPORT. AS A REMINDER, ALL AUDIT REPORTS ARE POSTED TO THE OFFICE OF INTERNAL AUDIT WEBSITE. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THAT WEBSITE AND LOOK AT THESE. OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY ON TUESDAY, MARCH 12TH AT 4:30 PM THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, BUDGET COMMITTEE. MS. MINOSKI. OUR NEXT BUDGET MEETING WILL BE HELD MARCH 13TH, VIRTUALLY AT FIVE 30. THANK YOU. UH, BUILDING AND CONTRACTS, MS. HARVEY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THE NEXT BUILDING AND CONTRACTS MEETING IS ON MARCH 4TH AT 4:30 PM WE INVITE EVERYONE TO, UH, COME AND JOIN US VIRTUALLY. THANK YOU. CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, MS. LICHTER? UM, YES, THANK YOU. WE JUST HAD A MEETING THIS PAST MONDAY WHERE WE, UM, REVIEWED THREE, UM, POTENTIAL CONTRACTS AND HAD AN OVERVIEW OF THE SECONDARY, UM, ELEMENT SECONDARY ELA PILOT. OUR NEXT MEETING IS ON APRIL 4TH. THANK YOU EQUITY COMMITTEE, DR. SAVOY. WE HAVE NOT SET A DATE YET FOR OUR NEXT MEETING. THANK YOU. LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS. THAT IS MAY. OUR NEXT MEETING IS MARCH 18TH AT FOUR 30. POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE. MS. HUMPHREY, OUR NEXT POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, MARCH 11TH AT FOUR 30. THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM NEXT IS AGENDA ITEMS. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND TO INDICATE IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION. OKAY, THE LAST ITEM ON THE [M. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:20 p.m.)] AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS. THE MARCH 4TH, 2025 BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 4:30 PM WITH THE PRESENTATION ON THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN FOR SCOTT'S BRANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, FOLLOWED BY CONTRACTS AT 5:00 PM THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD TUESDAY, MARCH, MARCH 5TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM LASTLY, TONIGHT, THE BOARD WAS PRESENTED WITH THE COMMITTEE, CENTRAL AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CAPACITY RELIEF BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION, THE BOARD WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON MARCH 6TH, 2024, 6:30 PM AT LOCK RAVEN HIGH SCHOOL, IN ORDER TO LISTEN TO COMMUNITY TO LISTEN TO COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC REGARDING RECOMMENDED BOUNDARY CHANGE. AS A REMINDER, SPEAKER SIGN UP WILL BEGIN AT 5:30 PM AND EACH SPEAKER WILL BE ALLOTTED THREE MINUTES TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY. RECOMMENDATIONS. COMMENTS MAY ALSO BE SENT TO THE BOARD@BOEATBCPS.ORG. THIS MEETING IS NOT INTENDED AS A DISCUSSION BETWEEN BOARD MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC. BUT TO GAIN FEEDBACK ON THE PROPOSED RECOMMENDATION BOARD, MEMBERS MAY ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS TO SPEAKERS OR RESPOND TO QUESTIONS PRESENTED BY SPEAKERS TO BETTER INFORM BOUNDARY DECISIONS. A TRANSCRIPT ON THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE POSTED TO THE BOARD'S WEBPAGE UNDER TRANSCRIPTS. ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED WILL BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THE BOARD TAKES FINAL ACTION ON THE BOUNDARY CHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS AT THEIR MARCH 19TH, 2024 BOARD MEETING. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.