* 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. [00:00:05] GOOD EVENING. THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN TIARA BOOKER DWYER. I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 11TH, 2024. I INVITE YOU TO RECITE [B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)] THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY THE LAST TIME FOR BY OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, MS. KAYLA DRUMMOND. WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. I THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, COMCAST, XFINITY, CHANNEL 73, VERIZON FILES CHANNEL 34. IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE. THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION [C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)] OF THE JUNE 11TH AGENDA. DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I'M UNAWARE OF ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA. HEARING NONE THE AGENDA STANDS AS PRESENTED EARLIER THIS EVENING. EARLIER THIS EVENING, THE BOARD MET IN CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS AND TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. THE CLOSED SESSION SUMMARY AND THE OPEN AND THE OPEN SESSION INFORMATION SUMMARY CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THIS BOARD'S MEETING. AGENDA DATE NEXT ON THE AGENDA [D. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS - RECOGNITION OF THE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD (Ms. Booker-Dwyer) (6:40 - 6:50 p.m.)] IS A SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS, RECOGNIZING OUR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD, MS. KAYLA DRUMMING AT THIS TIME, COULD KAYLA PLEASE JOIN DR. ROGERS AND ME AT THE FRONT OF THE DAES SO WE HAVE A RESOLUTION FOR OUR BOARD MEMBER. WHEREAS KAYLA DRUMMOND HAS SERVED AS THE STUDENT BOARD MEMBER OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR THE 20 23 20 24 SCHOOL YEAR, INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP ON THE BOARD'S, EQUITY AND LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEES. AND WHEREAS KAYLA'S STUDENT ADVOCACY JOURNEY BEGAN AS A MEMBER IN THE PARKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL IN WHICH SHE IS NOW PRESIDENT, HER LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE COUNCIL NOT ONLY FOSTERED A SENSE OF COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO IGNITED HER PASSION FOR AFFECTING POSITIVE CHANGE. IN ADDITION, HER INVOLVEMENT IN AVID ALLOWED HER TO MENTOR PEERS CULTIVATING AN ENVIRONMENT OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND INCLUSIVITY. EXCUSE ME. THANK YOU. BEYOND THESE ROLES, SHE PLAYED A VITAL PART IN ORGANIZING EVENTS AND INITIATIVES AIMED AT EMPOWERING STUDENTS. AND WHEREAS KAYLA'S COMMITMENT TO THE STUDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY IS EVIDENT THROUGH HER ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN THE BOARD OF SELECTED STUDENTS, SHE NOT ONLY AMPLIFIED STUDENT VOICES AND ADVOCATED FOR PROGRESS, BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATED A GENUINE WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS AND UNDERSTAND THEIR CONCERNS. HER COMMITMENT EXTENDS BEYOND MERE PARTICIPATION. SHE ACTIVELY SEEKS TO MEET WITH STUDENTS, LISTEN TO THEIR ISSUES AND COLLABORATE ON SOLUTIONS, FOSTERING A CULTURE OF OPEN DIALOGUE AND MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. THERE'S MORE , WHEREAS KAYLA IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR BRINGING HONOR TO THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM AS SHE CONTINUES HER EDUCATION AT THE MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TO MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY ASSEMBLED IN REGULAR SESSION ON THE 11TH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR 2024 EXPRESSES TO KAYLA ITS FONDEST REGARDS AND GRATITUDE FOR HER SERVICE. AND MAY IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD HERE WITHIN EXTENDS ITS BEST WISHES TO KAYLA FOR HER HAPPINESS, GOOD HEALTH, AND CONTINUED SUCCESS IN FUTURE ENDEAVORS, AND DIRECTS A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO BE RECORDED AMONG [00:05:01] THE PERMANENT RECORDS OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. CONGRATULATIONS, KAYLA. OKAY. DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? NO, I HAVE MY, MY, UM, REPORT. OKAY. WELL LET'S ALL GET A PICTURE. THE BOARD MEMBERS, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT RESOLUTION 20 24 0 1 IN RECOGNITION OF STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD. KAYLA DRUMMOND, MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND LTER. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THE MOTION HAS PASSED. CONGRATULATIONS KAYLA. AND LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER, MS. OMA CHICA KALU ON AS OUR INCOMING STUDENT BOARD MEMBER FOR THE 20 24 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR. I DON'T SEE HER IN THE AUDIENCE, BUT IF SHE DOES COME, WE WILL RECOGNIZE HER. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [E. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:50 - 6:55 p.m.)] 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, LEAVES, AND DECEASED RECOGNITION OF SERVICE. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS E ONE THROUGH E FOUR? SO MOVED FROM PONG. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, SAVOY, ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. BONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. POEY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MS. ALKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BOOKER DWYER. YES. MOTION CARRIES THE NEXT ITEM ON THE GET COME ON IN . AND SO EVERYONE, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING OUR NEWEST STUDENT BOARD MEMBER OMALU. SHE WILL BE SWORN IN ON JULY 1ST WHERE SHE WILL OFFICIALLY BEGIN HER DUTIES. SO OMA, WE HAVE A SPACE RESERVED FOR YOU SO THAT YOU CAN TAKE IN THIS WONDERFUL BOARD MEETING. THANK YOU FOR BEING SO. YEP. PERFECT. THE NEXT ITEM [F. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Rogers) (6:55 - 7:05 p.m.)] ON THE AGENDA IS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS. AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. ROGERS. GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'M BRINGING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR YOUR APPROVAL. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL, SAFETY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS. STAFF ATTORNEY, SPECIAL EDUCATION, OFFICE OF LAW DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF LITERACY AND HUMANITIES DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, PRINCIPAL FOR THE FOLLOWING SCHOOLS. BALTIMORE HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PERRY HALL MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND SEVEN OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SUPERVISOR. BUSINESS SYSTEM SUPPORT. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL REPORTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT THE FOLLOWING SCHOOLS, DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DELANEY HIGH SCHOOL, LANSDOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ROSSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SPARROWS POINT HIGH SCHOOL, STEMER RUN. MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIALIST ELEMENTARY, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE SPECIALIST. ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OF MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL PROGRAM SPECIALIST OFFICE OF TITLE ONE. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT F1? SO MOVE LICHTER. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND SAVOY. ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. FONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MS. STALOWSKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MS. MCMILLIAN? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BOOKER DWYER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, WE CAN PULL UP THE POWERPOINT. [00:10:03] OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS JUSTIN BENJAMIN. JUSTIN IS ATTENDING WITH HIS WIFE COLLEEN. YOU STAND UP AND BE RECOGNIZED. AND ADAM CARNEY, PRINCIPAL AT COCKEYSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL. HE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE PRINCIPAL AT PERRY HALL MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH 18 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HIS PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER AT LANSDOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT COCKEYSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS JENNIFER CONRAD. JENNIFER IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND PAT AND SCOTT CONWAY, PRINCIPAL OF HAMPTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE PRINCIPAL AT SEVEN OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 28 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. JENNIFER'S EXPERIENCES INCLUDE CLASSROOM TEACHER, READING, TEACHER, STAT TEACHER AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER AT OWINGS MILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT OWINGS MILL ELEMENTARY AND HAMPTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TEACHER IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CONGRATULATIONS. APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS ALLISON BLOOM. ALLISON IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND, DEREK GOLDBLUM. DEREK . THERE YOU ARE. SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE PRINCIPAL AT BALTIMORE HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 20 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE CLASSROOM TEACHER AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AT TIMBER GROVE ELEMENTARY, CLASSROOM TEACHER AT RYER TOWN ELEMENTARY, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION TEACHER AT DEER PARK ELEMENTARY SPECIALIST IN THE OFFICE OF TITLE ONE AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT PAONIA INTERNATIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS TIFFANY GROSSO. TIFFANY IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND JOE. OH NO WE DIDN'T. NO. OKAY. WE CHANGED IT. ALRIGHT. IT'S MY FIRST AND PRINCIPAL CHRISTY ALLEN, UH, FROM STEMS RUN MIDDLE SCHOOL. SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT STEMS RUN MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH 16 EXPERIENCE, UH, WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE PRE-KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AT OLIVER BEACH ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TEACHER AT EDGEMERE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND MATH TEACHER AT DEEP CREEK MIDDLE AND GOLDEN RING MIDDLE SCHOOLS. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT APPOINTMENT IS BRIANNA HOPKINS. BRIANNA IS ATTENDED EVENING WITH HER MOTHER, NINA NASH AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT TEACHER AT DOGWOOD ELEMENTARY AND SANDALWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TEACHER IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATH COACH AT THE CHILDREN'S GUILD. CONGRATULATIONS BRIANNA. OKAY, I'LL GET THEM. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS KAREN HORIGAN. UH, KAREN IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SPECIALIST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE OFFICE OF MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT. PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ESOL TEACHER DATA AND TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AND TITLE ONE ESOL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATE AND INSTRUCTIONAL COACH IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR AT THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO BCPS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS MARY LOU JONES. MARY LOU JONES IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND BRANDON JONES AND KEVIN JENNINGS, PRINCIPAL AT ROSSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT ROSSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 14 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. PRE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES CLASSROOM TEACHER AND RESOURCE [00:15:01] TEACHER AT ELMWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM TEACHER AT ROSSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS ERIC KNOX. SERGEANT ERIC KNOX IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HIS MOTHER, ROSINA KNOX AND HIS WIFE DR. PENELOPE MARTIN KNOX. HE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL SAFETY. HIS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE POLICE OFFICER, CORPORAL, ASSISTANT PATROL SUPERVISOR, SERGEANT PATROL SUPERVISOR, SERGEANT ASSISTANT SCHOOL SAFE SCHOOLS FACILITATOR WITH THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT. CONGRATULATIONS AND OFFICIALLY WELCOME WITH BALTIMORE TOWN. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS KIMBERLY KERR. KIMBERLY IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND STEVE KERR. HE IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE DIRECTOR AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WITH 27 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS ANALYST, DATA ANALYST SPECIALISTS, DATA AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS, AND BUSINESS MANAGER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS PAUL LATIAN. PAUL IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HIS WIFE ADRIANA KRAUS AND PRINCIPAL EMILY CASTOR FROM SPARROWS POINT HIGH SCHOOL. HE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT SPARROWS POINT HIGH SCHOOL WITH 20 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HIS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT SPARROWS POINT HIGH SCHOOL AND SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER AT PATAPSCO HIGH SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS KALE NDA. KALE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS WITH TWO YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. K'S PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE DIRECTOR IN THE OFFICE OF MATHEMATICS. PRIOR TO THAT, HER EXPERIENCES INCLUDE COORDINATOR OF MATHEMATICS, ACADEMIC DEAN AND INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATOR IN ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS TIFFANY SAILOR. TIFFANY IS ATTENDING WITH HER HUSBAND GEORGE CURTIS SAILOR AND BEST FRIEND OF OVER 40 YEARS, ALAVITA TILTON BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL WITH 23 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TIFFANY'S BCPS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ENGLISH TEACHER, READING TEACHER, COP TEACHER, UH, CAREER RESEARCH TEACHER AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT KENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS WILLIAM SHIRE. WILLIAM IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT LANSDOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 10 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ENGLISH TEACHER AT LANSDOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS LAURA SCHREIBER. LAURA IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND BRENDAN AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SPECIALIST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE OFFICE OF MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT WITH THE SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES CLASSROOM TEACHER AND ESOL TEACHER AT PADONIA INTERNATIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER IN FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS SAMARA SCOTT [00:20:04] SAMARA SCOTT ESQUIRE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING AND IS BEING APPOINTED STAFF ATTORNEY SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE OFFICE OF LAW. PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE CASE MANAGER, SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISOR, STAFF ATTORNEY AND SUPERVISING ATTORNEY IN BALTIMORE CITY, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES JUVENILE COURT SERVICES SPECIALIST IN THE CIRCUIT CO COURT FOR BALTIMORE CITY ATTORNEY AT LAW AT FAMILY SOLE PRACTITIONER AND ASSOCIATE COUNSEL IN THE OFFICE OF CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL WITH BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO BCPS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS MARY ELLEN NER SIN. MARY ELLEN IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND, A SIN AND HER SON XAVIER. SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT DELANEY HIGH SCHOOL WITH 18 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MARY ELLEN'S PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ENGLISH TEACHER AT GENERAL JOHN STRICKER, MIDDLE SCHOOL CONSULTING TEACHER AT STEMMERS RUN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND STAT TEACHER AND ENGLISH TEACHER AT KENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS DR. HEATHER SWINDER. DR. SWINDER IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND PAUL AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE PRINCIPAL AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 11 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE CLASSROOM TEACHERS, SPECIAL EDUCATION INCLUSION TEACHER AND STAT TEACHER AT NORWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT DUNDALK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT FOR THIS EVENING IS JODY WICKS. JODY IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND ANDREW WICKS AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE DIRECTOR OF LITERACY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF LITERACY AND HUMANITIES WITH 21 YEARS OF SERVICE IN WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ENGLISH TEACHER AT DELANEY HIGH SCHOOL AND GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY RESOURCE TEACHER IN THE OFFICE OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION AND SUPERVISOR AND COORDINATOR IN THE OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT APPOINTMENT FOR THE EVENING. WHO'S WATCHING FROM HOME IS CHERYL CLARK. CHERYL IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SCHOOL PROGRAM SPECIALIST IN THE OFFICE OF TITLE ONE WITH 17 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES MATHEMATICS TEACHER AT WOODLAWN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT NORTHWEST ACADEMY OF HEALTH SERVICES. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT APPOINTMENT IS ALONA HANSEN. ALONA IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SPECIALIST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE OFFICE OF MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT WITH 17 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ESOL TEACHER AT PARKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL AND RESOURCE TEACHER IN THE OFFICE OF ESOL IN WORLD LANGUAGES. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT APPOINTMENT FOR THE EVENING IS PAULA HARRIS. PAULA HARRIS IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SUPERVISOR BUSINESS SYSTEM SUPPORT IN THE OFFICE OF FINANCIAL REPORTING WITH 34 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE CLERK IN THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTS OF PAY PAYABLE, JUNIOR ACCOUNTANT, SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTING, SUPERVISOR OF OPERATIONS, FISCAL SUPERVISOR, DATA SPECIALIST IN THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS SYSTEM SUPPORT ANALYST IN THE OFFICE OF FINANCIAL REPORTING. CONGRATULATIONS. AND OUR FINAL APPOINTMENT FOR THIS EVENING IS KATHLEEN HERNANDEZ. KATHLEEN IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SPECIALIST ELEMENTARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS IN THE OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. KATHLEEN'S EXPERIENCES INCLUDE INSTRUCTIONAL COACH, DEAN OF STUDENTS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND PRINCIPAL IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF LANCASTER AND PRINCIPAL IN KONA CONESTOGA VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT. CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO BCPS. KATHLEEN, BEFORE WE CLOSE, I WOULD LIKE TO RE UH, RECOGNIZE THREE OF OUR PRINCIPALS WHO ARE HERE SUPPORTING, UH, THEIR TEAM MEMBERS WHO WERE PROMOTED THIS EVENING. MS. SEYMOUR, PRINCIPAL OF LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL, DR. KELLY AS WELL AS I'M PRETTY SURE I SAW [00:25:01] DAN PIZZO. I DO. AND DR. LAURA KELLY. WHAT WAS SHE HERE? KELLY. DR. KELLY IS HERE WAVING. YES. THERE WE GO. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE AND THANK YOU. YES, CONGRATULATIONS TO FOR ALL OF YOUR PROMOTIONS. WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE GONNA DO WONDERFUL THINGS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. OUR NEXT ITEM IS [G. PUBLIC COMMENT (7:05 -7:45 p.m.)] PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS. IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG. THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HOMELAND SECURITY UNIT AND OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAS RECOMMENDED SAFETY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS, WHICH ARE POSTED IN THE BOARDROOM AND AVAILABLE IN BOARD DOCS AND ON THE BOARD'S PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC WEBSITE. WHILE WE ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INPUT ON POLICY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE BOARD AND THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, THIS IS NOT THE PROPER FORM TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE MATTERS OR TO COMMENT ON MATTERS THAT DO NOT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. INAPPROPRIATE PERSONAL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIOR 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 AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR. IT IS THE PRACTICE OF THE BOARD TO ALLOW ELECTED OFFICIALS TO PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD. FIRST TO SPEAK IS DELEGATE ERIC EBERSOL. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. UH, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU AND SPEAK THIS EVENING. UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, I'M A STATE DELEGATE WHO REPRESENTS BALTIMORE COUNTY. THERE ARE 20 OF US THAT GO TO THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES AND EIGHT SENATORS, BUT WE WON'T TALK ABOUT THEM. UM, BUT THERE ARE 20 OF US AND WE FORMED THE HOUSE DELEGATION. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW ALL TOO WELL, WE OFTEN HAVE TO WORK ON ISSUES THAT ARE STATE ISSUES THAT INVOLVE BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS. AND TO THAT END, WE NEED TO HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL OF YOU AND WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND THIS, UH, THIS WAS ACTUALLY PRINTED BACK IN MAY. WE'RE A LITTLE LATE TO THE TABLE, BUT I WAS LOOKING FOR A GOOD PLACE. AND SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO THIS EVENING IS PRESENT, UH, DR. MIRIAM ROGERS WITH A CITATION FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE BAL OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY HOUSE DELEGATION TO THIS, TO THE LEGISLATURE. IF I COULD, AND WITH YOUR PERMISSION, IF SHE COULD COME OVER HERE, I'D BE HAPPY TO PRESENT IT TO HER. YES, SHE CAN. THANK YOU, . THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'RE ONLY ALLOWED 30 WORDS IN OUR CITATIONS, SO IT WON'T TAKE LONG, BUT IT WILL BE TO THE POINT. UM, PETE HEREBY NOAL HERE, CONGRATULATIONS ARE OFFERED THE SUPERINTENDENT, SUPERINTENDENT DR. MIRIAM ROGERS, IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS, PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR AS SUPERINTENDENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DELEGATION AND YOUR DEDICATION TO BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY HOUSE DELEGATION. WE'RE SO PLEASED TO HAVE YOU WORKING WITH US THESE DAYS, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU DELEGATE EBERSOL, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STATE SUPERINTENDENT. OUR, I'VE GIVEN YOU A PROMOTION NO TO, TO BALTIMORE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT. I NOW CALL ON OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS TO SPEAK. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. EDWARD KLOWSKI. UM, ON BEHALF OF TABCO. HI, GOOD EVENING. GIMME, I I HAVE THREE MINUTES. BRING IT RIGHT TO THE POINT. LAST OCTOBER, I WENT TO THE PHARMACY TO PICK UP A PRESCRIPTION, WHICH USUALLY HAD A $5 COPAY. WHEN SHE RANG IT UP, THE PRICE WAS $695. I WENT HOME AND AFTER A FEW PHONE CALLS, I LEARNED MY HEALTH INSURANCE HAD BEEN CANCELED BY BCPS. LET THAT SINK IN AND CONSIDER WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO YOU IF YOU [00:30:01] FOUND OUT YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE WAS GONE. ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UNDER THE A CA AND SPECIFICALLY UNDER MARYLAND LAW, QUOTE, IF AN EMPLOYER IS GOING TO CANCEL HEALTH INSURANCE, THEY MUST PROVIDE EMPLOYEES WITH A 30 DAY NOTICE. DIDN'T HAPPEN. CONTACTED BRA BRANDI SMITH AT HR. THIS WAS HER REPLY. WE DO NOT SPEAK TO ABOUT OR COUNSEL ON MEDICARE GUIDELINES. HOWEVER, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE RETIREE TO ADHERE TO THEIR REGULATIONS. SO WE REFER THEM DIRECTLY TO MEDICARE. THIS IS WHAT MEDICARE SAYS. GENERALLY, YOU CAN FIRST SIGN UP FOR PART A AND OR PART B DURING THE SEVEN MONTH PERIOD THAT BEGINS THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE MONTH. YOU TURN 65 AND ENDS THREE MONTHS AFTER THE MONTH YOU TURN 65. SO STATE OF MARYLAND ALSO HAS THE LAW THAT HEALTHCARE GOES FOR 12 MONTHS. NOW, RETIREE FIRST WAS REALLY HELPFUL, BUT I ESSENTIALLY WENT TWO MONTHS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE. SO, UM, WHAT WOULD YOUR LIFE BE LIKE IF YOU WENT WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE FOR TWO MONTHS? SO I HAD TO ASK DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS FOR SAMPLES OF THE MEDICINES I TAKE. DANA AT RETIREE FIRST TOLD ME, UM, AND THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL, THAT, UM, I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHOSE HEALTH INSURANCE HAD BEEN TERMINATED BY BCPS. AND BCPS IS THE ONLY COUNTY NEGOTIATING UNIT THAT HAS A POLICY THAT CANCELS A PERSON'S HEALTH INSURANCE. SHE SAID RETIREE FIRST HAD ASKED BCPS TO CHANGE THE POLICY AND I JUST REMIND BOARD POLICY 42 0 2 ITEM B. THE BOARD SUPPORTS THE CONTINUATION OF HEALTHCARE BENEFITS FOR RETIREES AS AN INCENTIVE FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF EMPLOYEES AND TO RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES FOR THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE TO BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED IS CONSISTENT WITH THAT. SO NO ONE AT BCPS HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE IMPACT OF OR TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR CANCELING MY HEALTH INSURANCE. I WROTE TO YOU THE BOARD OF ED JANUARY 6TH, 2024 ABOUT THIS AND HEARD NOTHING. NOW I KNOW CINDY SEXTON HAS BROUGHT THIS ISSUE UP TO DR. ROGERS. WE AT TABCO RETIRED STEERING COMMITTEE CONTINUE TO HEAR RETIRED TEACHERS WHO'VE HAD THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE CANCELED AND HAVE NO REASSURANCE. THE POLICY WHICH WILL CANCEL A RETIREES HEALTHCARE HAS ENDED, BUT IT MUST THANK YOU. OUR NEXT TO SPE OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. CINDY SEXTON WITH TAPCO. GOOD EVENING CHAIRMAN, MS. BOOKER, VICE CHAIRMAN POEY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. HERE WE ARE AT THE END OF ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR. IT'S BEEN ANOTHER YEAR OF CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF. AND THE UPCOMING YEAR WE WILL HAVE SOME AS MORE AS ALWAYS, FROM THE CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BLUEPRINT TO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TO EXPANDING PRE-K AND MORE. THERE'S SO MUCH ON THE HORIZON. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK COLLABORATIVELY THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS DESPERATELY NEED US TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THEIR SUCCESS. TO THAT END, I AM SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE OF WHICH TABCO IS A MEMBER. BECAUSE WE ALL BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF EDUCATORS AND THE COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER FOR OUR STUDENTS FOR EQUITY AND EDUCATION, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TRANSFORMATION THAT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CAN PROVIDE DOES HAPPEN. THAT GROUP IS ASKING IF THIS BOARD PASS A COMMUNITY SCHOOL POLICY AS ALL THE MAJOR SURROUNDING COUNTIES AROUND US HAVE DONE. AND IT WOULD SHOW THE COMMITMENT OF BCPS TO CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT WITH FIDELITY THE TASKS AND STEPS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, PROVIDING SERVICES WHERE AND WHEN OUR STUDENTS NEED THEM SO ALL THEIR NEEDS ARE MET. THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THAT. ALSO, OUR THANKS AGAIN FOR THE THREE YEAR AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE OTHER COUNTIES ARE STILL NEGOTIATING, DEMONSTRATING, AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THEIR SALARY SCALES. SO THANKS TO THE NEGOTIATORS ON BOTH SIDES FOR GETTING HOURS DONE. MS. DRUMMOND, BEST OF LUCK TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE. AND FINALLY, TO OUR EDUCATORS, WE CAN NEVER SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH, BUT THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WORKS IN ANY CAPACITY FOR AND WITH OUR STUDENTS. YOUR DEDICATION AND EFFORTS ARE APPRECIATED AND WE NEED YOU. OUR STUDENTS NEED YOU. THANK YOU FOR GIVING AND GIVING OF YOURSELVES AND YOUR TIME. THE WORK IS HARD AND IT DOESN'T STOP. BUT I HOPE EVERYONE CAN TAKE A [00:35:01] BREAK THIS SUMMER, REST AND REJUVENATE AND BE READY TO DO THE WORK NEXT SCHOOL YEAR FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR STAFF, AND FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER. THANK YOU. AND MS. AND, UM, MS. SEXTON AND MR. K. K KLOWSKI WAS, THEY WERE BOTH WITH THE UNIONS. OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED, UH, SPEAKER IS JORDAN SAL S YOU'LL HAVE TO CORRECT ME. GOOD EVENING CHAIR, MS. BROOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, MS. EY, DR. ROGERS, STUDENT MEMBER KAYLA DRUMMOND AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. TODAY WE ARE HERE TO UPDATE YOU ON THIS CURRENT STATUS OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCIL OR BCSC. MY NAME IS JORDAN SOUT, A CURRENT SOPHOMORE FROM TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL. AND MY NAME IS FOR GOMBE, A CURRENT SOPHOMORE FROM EASTERN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL. BACK IN MARCH, BCSE HELD OUR ANNUAL ELECTION GENERAL ASSEMBLY, WHICH IS VIRTUAL AND AVAILABLE TO ALL BCPS STUDENTS, BCPS, SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS. THESE STUDENTS ALL PLACE THEIR VOTES FOR THE 2024 TO 2025 OFFICER TEAM. THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTIONS INCLUDED FOR PRESIDENT ME JORDAN, SAHEL, VICE PRESIDENT FORESIGHT, AG BAY, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT ARSENIA WGU, A SEVENTH GRADER FROM PARKVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHO WILL ALSO SERVE AS THE CHAIR OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY JUNIOR COUNCILS COMMUNITY OUTREACH DIRECTOR SAMUEL PARK, A FRESHMAN FROM EASTERN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL. AND FINALLY THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY JUNIOR COUNCILS CASSIDY KIM, A SEVENTH GRADER FROM HEREFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE ARE ALL SO EXCITED TO TAKE ON THESE ROLES IN THE COMING YEAR, AND WE HAVE MANY GOALS. OUR GOALS ARE VAST AND SPANNED FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. SO WE'LL JUST BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE. OUR FIRST GOAL FOR THE YEAR IS TO APPOINT A DIVERSE AND COMPETENT EXECUTIVE BOARD WITH STUDENTS FROM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTY. THIS EXECUTIVE BOARD INCLUDES A WIDE VARIETY OF POSITIONS, INCLUDING VARIOUS SCHOOL ISSUE COORDINATORS LIKE SCHOOL SAFETY AND MENTAL HEALTH STUDENT WORKSHOP COORDINATORS WHO WILL CREATE ENGAGING AND INFORMATIVE WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS AT OUR GENERAL ASSEMBLIES. SEMINAR COORDINATORS WHO WILL PLAN SEMINARS OPEN TO ALL BCPS STUDENTS, FOCUSING ON A WIDE VARIETY OF STUDENT ISSUES TO GAUGE STUDENT OPINION AND MUCH MORE. THE APPLICATIONS CLOSED YESTERDAY AND WE WILL BE REVIEWING THEN CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS TO HAVE OUR FINAL EXECUTIVE BOARD APPOINTED BY JUNE 28TH. OUR SECOND GOAL IS TO ELAB, IS TO ESTABLISH THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER IN ORDER TO GET A JUMPSTART ON THE YEAR. WE'LL DO THIS BY PROVIDING RESOURCES AND TRAINING FOR OUR MEMBERS AT OUR SUMMER EXECUTIVE BOARD RETREAT WHERE WE'LL GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, COMMUNICATE ROLES, AND DISCUSS THINGS, ALL THINGS BE CSC. FROM THERE, WE WILL GO INTO THE YEAR PLANNING OUR GENERAL ASSEMBLIES WITH STUDENT COUNCILS ALL ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY, PLANNING OUR OFFICIAL STANCES ON MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY BILLS, HEARING THE STUDENT OPINION THROUGH SEMINARS, COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF SELECTED STUDENTS, AND MEETING FREQUENTLY WITH THE EXECUTIVE BOARD TO PLAN A WIDE RANGE OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE HOPE TO REACH, REACH OUT TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS WHO CONTINUE THESE REPORTS. THE BOARD UPDATED ON ALL OUR, ON ALL OF OUR ENDEAVORS BY REMAINING CONNECTED WITH THEIR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD. THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCILS WILL BE THE GATEWAY BETWEEN STUDENTS, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, AND OUR NEW SMMA. WE THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK HERE TONIGHT, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR THE STUDENTS OF BCPS. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SPEAKING WITH YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ARE THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. MARIE LAPORTE. WE'RE FROM THE GREATER BALTIMORE GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MARIE LAPORTE AND I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE GREATER BALTIMORE GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB. I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AROUND SYNTHETIC TURF AROUND FOUR YEARS AGO, AND WHILE I'M STILL DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE ISSUES, I BECAME EVEN MORE CONCERNED WHEN I LEARNED ABOUT THE MANY HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES AROUND SYNTHETIC TURF OR SYN TURF AS IT'S CALLED. SYNTHETIC TURF IS A TOXIN FILLED PRODUCT THAT TYPICALLY USES TIRE CRUMB AS A DIRT SUBSTITUTE. ABOUT 40,000 TIRES ARE USED ON EACH FIELD, AND WHILE THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE A GOOD WAY TO USE UP OLD TIRES, I'VE LEARNED THAT HUNDREDS OF THE CHEMICALS IN THESE TIRES ARE LINKED TO CANCERS, LEARNING DISABILITIES, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION, AND MUCH MORE. A KOREAN STUDY CITED IN OVER [00:40:01] 26 OTHER ACADEMIC RESEARCH STUDIES ESTIMATES THE RISK OF CANCER TO BE 10 TIMES HIGHER FOR CHILDREN WHO PLAY ON THESE SURFACES. TIRES ARE MADE FOR VEHICLES TO KEEP THEM SAFE ON THE ROAD FOR SPEED, FOR FUEL EFFICIENCY, TRACTION, BUT THE DANGEROUS CHEMICALS USED USED TO MAKE THEM LEAD BENZENE BUTADIENE PFAS, ALSO KNOWN AS FOR CHEMICALS. POLYAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS WERE NEVER INTENDED FOR CHILDREN'S PLAY. YOUNG ATHLETES ABSORB THESE CHEMICALS BY BREATHING IN THE VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, DUST THROUGH THEIR SKIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY GET TURF BURNS AND EVEN INGESTION. TURF BURNS ARE A SERIOUS SKIN ABRASION THAT IS UNIQUE TO SYNTHETIC TURF FIELDS THAT IS QUITE COMMON FOR STUDENT ATHLETES. IT'S A SOURCE OF INFECTION AND DISFIGURING SCARS THAT IS FAR MORE SEVERE THAN ABRASIONS ON NATURAL GRASS. STUDENT ATHLETES ALSO HAVE THREE TIMES THE NUMBER OF SERIOUS IN INJURIES TO THEIR LOWER EXTREMITIES, A-C-L-P-C-L ANKLE AND FOOT. ACCORDING TO A 10 YEAR STUDY WITH 3 MILLION INTERACTIONS FROM NCAA DATA. AS MANY STUDENTS JOIN TEAMS TO EARN SCHOLARSHIPS, THESE INJURIES CAN NOT ONLY DESTROY ATHLETIC ASPIRATIONS, BUT ALSO IMPACT ACCESS TO SCHOLAR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS. SYNTHETIC TURF FIELDS ARE HARDER THAN GRASS AND RARELY IF EVER TESTED AS THEY ARE IN THE PROS. DID YOU KNOW THAT NINE OUT OF 10 PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS PREFER NATURAL GRASS? THE RAVEN SWITCHED BACK TO GRASS YEARS AGO DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS AND THEIR ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, DR. DR. GUYTON, HAS REPEATEDLY TESTIFIED ABOUT THE HARM OF SYNTHETIC TURF. ALMOST ALL PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL FIELDS ARE ALSO NATURAL GRASS AND FIFA. THE GOVERNING BODY FOR SOCCER NOW REQUIRES NATURAL GRASS FOR ALL THEIR TURF PLAY. FEMALE SOCCER PLAYERS FOUGHT A LOT ASU TO WIN AND WON TO PLAY ON NATURAL GRASS. SO WHY ARE WE EXPOSING OUR CHILDREN TO GREATER INJURIES AND TOXINS ON THESE FIELDS? MOST PROS PLAY ON NATURAL GRASS IN NEARLY ALL PREFER IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DR. BARBARA DESMOND WITH THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS BALTIMORE COUNTY. OKAY. SHE CAN FIX, YOU CAN'T GET TO THIS SIDE. I GOT THIS ONE. IS IT DANGEROUS? OKAY. HERE AND GIVE THIS TO MS. HOLLY AND GIVE THAT TO THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. I KNOW. GOOD EVENING CHAIR. PO DWYER, VICE CHAIR EY SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS. I'VE COME IN PART TONIGHT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS. UM, MY FIRST ISSUES, I'VE RECEIVED CONCERNS REGARDING BEHAVIOR AT ONE OF THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS. I'VE SPOKEN TO THIS BEFORE, AND THAT WOULD BE CROSSROADS, PARTICULARLY DISTURBING BECAUSE I HELPED OPEN THAT SCHOOL. I'M TALKING ABOUT STUDENTS ALMOST RUNNING RAMPANT RACIAL EPITHET, PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, THREATS TO TEACHERS, THREATS TOWARD EACH OTHER. AND WHAT I'M REQUESTING ON BEHALF OF THE LEAGUE. AND WE'VE HAD A GOOD COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS OVER THE YEARS, IS A FULL IN DEPTH INVESTIGATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, LIKE, UM, CROSSROADS BY A SELECT COMMITTEE AND THEN A REPORT TO THE PUBLIC OF THE FINDINGS. SECOND, ON BEHALF OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, I WANT TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE AS SPONSORS TO THE STUDENT SUPPORT NETWORK FOR THEIR SERVICE TO THE CHILDREN AND COMMUNITY. WE HAD A WONDERFUL EVENT AT THE GORDON CENTER FEATURING MS. VICKI WINANS. OUR GUEST INCLUDED SENATOR BEN CARDIN, HOUSE SPEAKER ADRIAN JONES, SENATE PRESIDENT PRO, TIM AUGUSTINE, COUNCIL CHAIR PATOKA, SENATOR DOLORES, KELLY, KELLY, SENATOR, UM, SIDOR AND BOARD PRESIDENT, MS. RA BOOKER DWYER, WHO GRACIOUSLY CAME ON BEHALF OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE THANK YOU. FINALLY, I HAVE A GIFT, WHICH I'M PASSING OUT TO EACH OF YOU. THERE'S A PROGRAM WE DEVELOPED, UM, YEARS AGO, AND ACCORDING TO A LEGAL CONTRACT, WHICH I JUST GAVE TO YOUR, UM, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR, UM, [00:45:01] ATTORNEY, I HAVE TO PROVIDE YOU ANY UPDATES AND UPGRADES. BUT WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU IS THAT I REALLY HOPE THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS READ IT BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU AND YOUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO. IT IS ABOUT LEARNING PREFERENCES. UM, A TEACHER MENTIONED TO ME THE OTHER NIGHT, UM, DR. DESMOND, I JUST FOUND SOMETHING IN AN INSTRUCTIONAL PACKET AND READ ME A QUOTE. SHE SAID, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THIS? I SAID, I SHOULD BE. I WROTE IT, UM, 17 YEARS AGO. SO THIS BOOK OUTLINES THAT. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED PROGRAMS STILL IN THE COUNTRY AND UNDER CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE WITH THE SYSTEM. ALTHOUGH I OWN IT, I HAVE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ANY UPDATES. BUT I THINK THIS WILL HELP YOU IN UNDERSTANDING THE DIVERSE POPULATION OF STUDENTS AND CULTURAL PROFICIENCY. YOU JUST CAN'T THROW LEARNING PREFERENCES AND THE WAY CHILDREN LEARN AT THE WALL AND HOPING SOMETHING STICKS. YOU'VE GOT TO DIAGNOSE IT. AND THIS ENABLES YOU TO DIAGNOSE IT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT TO EVEN THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN DIAGNOSE A HUNDRED THOUSAND CHILDREN AND HOW THEY LEARN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU DR. DESMOND. THANK YOU. AND OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. MAYA BOND FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE. CAN WE GET THE GOOD EVENING? UH, CHAIR BOOGER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, HUMPHREY STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, UH, DRUMMOND, UH, SCHOOL, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS. I'M MAYA BOND, A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER WITH THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE. THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE IS A COALITION OF 16 ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING EDUCATION, LABOR, FAITH, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS, ACO ACROSS THE COUNTY. OUR MISSION IS TO ADVANCE EQUITY FOR ALL STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF ZIP CODE ACROSS THE COUNTY. WE HAVE MET WITH A NUMBER OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ABOUT A NEEDED COMMUNITY SCHOOL POLICY AND OUR WISHLIST FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRANSFORMATIVE MODEL OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO FOLLOWING UP WITH MEMBERS WE HAVEN'T MET YET, INCLUDING BOARD MEMBERS. UM, MS. HEN, DR. SAVOY, UH, MS. DUSKY, MS. DOKI, AND, UH, THE NEW STUDENT ELECT. BOARD MEMBER OMA CHIKE KALU. THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE HAS CREATED A WISHLIST IN SUPPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL, WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. WE SEEK A PUBLIC COMMITMENT FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION TO PRIORITIZE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY SCHOOL. WITH THE FOCUS ACROSS THE SYSTEM ON ROBUST AND REPEATED COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENTS FOR EACH COMMUNITY SCHOOL SITE AND UNIVERSAL EFFORTS TO BRING AS MUCH OF THE EXPRESS COMMUNITY NEEDS INTO SCHOOL BUILDINGS. THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP TABLES, WE SEEK A SCHOOL BOARD POLICY THAT SOLIDIFIES THIS COMMITMENT AND PROVIDES CLARITY TO ALL BCPS ADMINISTRATORS, STAFF, AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL ABOUT WHAT A COMMUNITY SCHOOL IS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY AND WHAT THE STEPS ARE TO IMPLEMENT THE MODEL, AS WELL AS GUIDANCE ON THE SYSTEM'S, FOCUS ON ROBUST AND ONGOING COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON PROMOTING LEADERSHIP AND PRACTICES THAT EMPOWER PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO BUILD A CULTURE OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, COLLECTIVE TRUST AND SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES, UM, USING STRATEGIES DEVELOPED BY THE COMMUNITY, THE MEMBERS OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION JUSTICE TABLE. LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU ABOUT HOW THESE POINTS MAY BE ADOPTED, UM, AS SCHOOL BOARD POLICY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO OUR NEXT NEXT ARE OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AND STUDENT GROUPS. AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. ADAM ROTHWELL. OKAY. HEY, DR. ROGERS. UH, MADAM CHAIRWOMAN, UH, AS CHAIRWOMAN A MEMBER OF THE BOARD. UH, MY NAME IS ADAM ROTHWELL. I COME HERE JUST ON MYSELF. I DON'T COME HERE WITH OTHER TEACHERS. I'M A TEACHER AT CHESAPEAKE [00:50:01] HIGH SCHOOL IN ESSEX AND BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I PRACTICED IMMIGRATION LAW FOR 20 YEARS IN MARYLAND BEFORE GETTING A MASTER'S ART AND TEACHING IN SPECIAL ED AT TOWSON. AND THEN I BECAME A TEACHER AT CHESAPEAKE HIGH SCHOOL IN JANUARY, 2020. UH, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MAGNET PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE. AND THE CONCERN THAT WE HAVE AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL IS THE MAGNET PROGRAMS AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL ARE GONNA BE ELIMINATED. UH, THERE'S A PLAN FOR THAT TO OCCUR. UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW, IF, IF IT'S SET IN STONE OR NOT, UH, BUT WHEN I CAME, I CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT MY OWN MAGNET PROGRAM. SO MY MAGNET PROGRAM THAT I TEACH, I TEACH FIVE OUTTA SEVEN CLASSES OF HOMELAND SECURITY. WE'RE THE ONLY HOMELAND SECURITY MAGNET PROGRAM IN THE COUNTY. THERE ARE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT HAVE HOMELAND SECURITY. WE'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS AS A MAGNET PROGRAM. WHEN I CAME TO CHESAPEAKE, THE HOMELAND SECURITY MAGNET PROGRAM DIDN'T DO ANY FIELD TRIPS. IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY SPEAKERS. UH, THIS YEAR I BROUGHT IN 13 PRESENTERS TO THE SCHOOL. I HAD A FIELD TRIP TO RAVEN STADIUM WHERE THE VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS GAVE US A TOUR ON, ON STADIUM SECURITY. I BROUGHT US TO BWI, WE, WE HAD A, A PRESENTATION BY THE SWAT TEAM BY, UH, UNDERCUT OR OFFICER BY CANINE. I HAD A FIELD TRIP TO THE MARYLAND STATE SUPREME COURT WHERE WE HAD THE JUDGE FROM THE SUPREME COURT THAT REPRESENTS BALTIMORE COUNTY SPEAK TO MY STUDENTS PERSONALLY ALONE FOR 30 MINUTES. I, I HAD TWO OTHER FIELD TRIPS AS WELL. I'M WORKING ON A FIELD TRIP NEXT YEAR ALREADY FOR OCTOBER, NOT ONLY FOR CAPITOL HILL, BUT THE SUPREME COURT AS WELL IN THE CAPITOL POLICE. EVERY YEAR THE GOAL IS TO BUILD IT. THE GOAL AT OUR SCHOOL IS TO KEEP BUILDING THINGS UP, NOT JUST MY HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM, BUT OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS AS WELL. AND OUR CONCERN IS THAT OVER TIME, IF THERE ARE ELIMINATED, RATHER THAN BUILDING UP, THEY MAY ACTUALLY GO THE OTHER WAY. SO I, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND I KNOW THIS IS FAR IN ADVANCE, UH, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD THINGS UP AT CHESAPEAKE AND SOMETIMES CHESAPEAKE, HONESTLY, A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE CHALLENGES. WE'RE NOT ALWAYS THE FIRST THING ON PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, BUT OUR STUDENTS DO WONDERFUL STUFF TOO. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. BETH JARRET. OH, YEAH. SO WE WANNA, WE JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY FOR, FOR THE LAST SPEAKER THAT GO AHEAD. DR. ROGERS. SIR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PASSIONATE, UM, UH, ITERATION AND, AND SHARING WITH US ALL OF THE WONDERFUL, UH, OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU HAVE FOR OUR STUDENTS. BUT I THINK THERE'S BEEN SOME MISINFORMATION. HOMELAND SECURITY IS NOT ON THE LIST OF PROGRAMS TO GO AWAY, SO THOUGHT YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT INFORMATION. , THANK YOU. YES, YOU MAY PROCEED. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. CHAIRWOMAN BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'M A PARENT OF THREE BCPS STUDENTS AND I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT CONCERNS I HAVE REGARDING SYNTHETIC TURF FIELDS. AS BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS AND PARENTS, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WARDING OFF HARMFUL DANGERS FOR OUR CHILDREN. AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS POSED BY ARTIFICIAL TURF. JUST AS WE WOULD NOT BE COMFORTABLE EXPOSING OUR CHILDREN TO LEAD AND PAINT ON THE WALLS OR LEAD IN THE WATER, IN THE WATER FOUNTAINS, WE SHOULD NOT BE COMFORTABLE EXPOSING OUR CHILDREN TO LEAD AND PFAS IN THE, THE SURFACES THEY PLAY ON. AS MY FRIEND MARIE MENTIONED EARLIER, CHILDREN CAN ABSORB TOXINS THROUGH THEIR SKIN AND BREATHE IN CONTAMINATED DUST FROM ARTIFICIAL TURF. ALSO, THE RISK OF INJURY IS MUCH HIGHER ON ARTIFICIAL TURF, WHICH IS WHY ATHLETES SUCH AS ODELL BECKHAM JR. AND DAVID BECKHAM HAVE SPOKEN OUT PUBLICLY AGAINST IT. BUT I'M GONNA FOCUS ONLY ON THE ISSUE OF HEAT, WHICH IS A VERY REAL AND VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. TWO WEEKS AGO, MY DELANEY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND I WERE AT THE SOCCER PLEX IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY FOR A SOCCER TOURNAMENT. I WAS HAPPY TO KNOW THAT MOST OF THE FIELDS AT SOCCER PLEX ARE GRASP. DURING MY SON'S FIRST GAME, I NOTICED THAT HE WASN'T PLAYING HIS BEST. AFTER THE GAME, HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS EXTREMELY HOT AND WEARY. THIS WAS AN 80 DEGREE DAY. I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE IT WASN'T VERY HOT. AND I HAD BEEN VERY COMFORTABLE SITTING ON THE SIDELINES. I JUST ASSUMED THAT HE DIDN'T DRINK ENOUGH WATER OR MAYBE HE DIDN'T GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. IT WAS ONLY UNTIL HOURS LATER THAT I REALIZED HE WAS NOT ON A GRASS FIELD. HE WAS ON ONE OF THE VERY FEW PLEX, AND THE AIR TEMPERATURE ON THE FIELD WAS PROBABLY CLOSER TO 130 DEGREES AT HIS CHEST HEIGHT. AS RESEARCHERS HAVE DOCUMENTED THE ELEVATED SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF SYNTHETIC TUR, FIELDS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES. ONE STUDY FOUND FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE 11 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER A HEAT RELATED ILLNESS PLAYING ON SYNTHETIC. AND DUE TO THEIR PHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIORS, CHILDREN ARE AT EVEN GREATER RISK OF HEAT-RELATED STRESSES THAN ADULTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE DIFFICULTY REGULATING TEMPERATURES AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO SPEAK UP. HEAT STROKE CAN LEAD TO LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS AND EVEN DEATH. WHEN JORDAN MCNAIR, A UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOOTBALL PLAYER, PASSED AWAY FROM HEAT STROKE AFTER PRACTICE ON A SYNTHETIC FIELD, [00:55:01] HIS CORE BODY TEMPERATURE WAS 106 DEGREES. SUMMERS IN MARYLAND CAN GET EXTRAORDINARILY HOT. BALTIMORE NOW AVERAGES 50 DAYS OVER 90 DEGREES. THE TEMPERATURE ON ARTIFICIAL TURF CAN BE MUCH HOTTER THAN THAT. ON A 90 DEGREE DAY GRASS FIELDS HAVE BEEN MEASURED TO BE AROUND 88 DEGREES WHILE SYNTHETIC TURF HAS BEEN MEASURED TO BE ROUTINELY AROUND 155 DEGREES. NATURAL GRASS STAYS COOL AND USUALLY BELOW THE AIR TEMPERATURE CAN EVEN COOL THE AMBIENT AIR ON THE FIELD. SYNTHETIC TURF ROUTINELY BECOMES DANGEROUSLY HOT. REGARDLESS OF THE INFILL THAT'S USED. THEY REGULARLY RE REACH TEMPERATURES OF 120 TO 180 DEGREES. AND SOME CITIES HAVE EVEN RECORDED TEMPERATURES AS HOT AS 200 DEGREES. CHILDREN CAN BE BURNED IN JUST FIVE SECONDS TOUCHING A 130 DEGREE SURFACE. BEFORE WE INSTALL MORE SYNTHETIC TUR FIELDS AT OUR SCHOOL, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE FULLY UNDERSTAND THE RISKS THAT THESE SURFACES POSE TO OUR CHILDREN. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. AMBER HOLT. OKAY, WE'LL COME BACK. WE'LL COME BACK IF SHE'S SHOWS UP. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. CHRISTINA PIRE, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I MISPRONOUNCE THAT LAST NAME. HI, IT'S PARIS. PARIS, YES, . GOOD EVENING. UM, MY NAME IS CHRIS PRE, I AM A STAKEHOLDER IN EVERY CATEGORY. UH, I'M A PROUD GRADUATE OF DUN DUCK HIGH SCHOOL. I AM A PROUD PARENT OF THREE BCPS STUDENTS OF RECENT, UH, 2024 GRADUATE AND FUTURE AIRMEN. UH, A BALTIMORE COUNTY HOMEOWNER, A VETERAN MATCH TEACHER OF 22 YEARS, INCLUDING A DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN, UH, CENTRAL OFFICE RESOURCE TEACHER SUPPORTING VARIOUS SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. I'M HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME TO TALK TONIGHT ABOUT IMPACT VERSUS INTENT. UM, FROM A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE, AS A HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER, I TEACH PREDOMINANTLY FRESHMAN STUDENTS NEW TO THE WORLD OF HIGH SCHOOL. MY COLLEAGUES AND I HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY THIS YEAR TO ONBOARD OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STUDENTS TO CHEERLEAD, TO MENTOR, TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILIES, TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN LIFE SKILLS AND MATERIAL CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS. IN HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPRING, I WAS PREPARING INTERNS FOR MY SENIOR CLASS AND I WAS MADE OF AWARE OF A GRADING POLICY CHANGE, WHICH, UM, ESSENTIALLY DROPPED THE REQUIREMENT THAT STUDENTS HAD TO PASS ONE QUARTER PER SEMESTER. THIS HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT. AS TEACHERS, WE IMAGINE THE INTENT IS GOOD. UM, WE DECREASE COURSE FAILURES, WE INCREASE GRADUATION RATES. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. AS A TEACHER, THAT IS CREATING AN IMPACT THAT IS VERY DETRIMENTAL TO OUR STUDENTS. UM, DECREASED ACCOUNTABILITY. UH, MY CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM HAS GONE UP DRASTICALLY THIS YEAR. AS SOON AS STUDENTS REALIZE THEY HAD PASSED, I DON'T SEE THEM ANYMORE. FRESHMEN, I HAVE FIVE SETS OF THEM. THIS IS A CRITICAL TIME FOR THEM TO COME TO OUR SCHOOL. WE NEED TO ONBOARD THEM CORRECTLY. IF THEY FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE HERE, THEY WILL NOT BE HERE. AND IT'S PROBLEMATIC. UM, THE STUDENT, THE FACT THE STUDENTS ALREADY KNOW THEY'RE DONE. WE'VE INCREASED STUDENT APATHY. WE'VE DECREASED MOTIVATION. UH, I TEACH MATH. THEY DIDN'T SIGN UP. I LOVE THEM. I HOPE THEY COME EVERY DAY. I HOPE THEY LEARN GREAT THINGS. WE TEACH 'EM TO WRITE, TO READ, TO THINK, BUT I CAN'T DO THAT WHEN THEY'RE NOT HERE. THEY FEEL, UM, DEFEATED. A LOT OF MY FRESHMAN STUDENTS HAVE FAILED A LOT OF, UM, COURSES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, NOT EVEN MATH, ALL COURSES FOR MULTIPLE YEARS. AND THEY'RE STILL WITH US AND WE'RE TRYING EVERY DAY TO HELP THEM. UH, WHEN WE CHANGE THIS, THIS IS CREATING MORE UNFINISHED LEARNING FOR KIDS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED, THAT ALREADY HAVE SIGNIFICANT GAPS. IT IS REALLY PROBLEMATIC AND I'M BEGGING US TO REEXAMINE THE GRADING POLICY THAT HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED. UM, IT REALLY AFFECTS OUR DISPROPORTIONATE POPULATIONS. NOT ONLY ARE STUDENTS NOT TRYING, UH, MOTIVATION IS GONE, THEY ARE ALSO HAVING PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS. AND THEN MY STUDENTS THAT WANT TO TRY ARE NOW BEING HINDERED BY THE ONES WHO DON'T WANT TO TRY. UH, AS A FRESHMAN TEACHER, I JUST WANNA SAY AGAIN, UH, WE HAVE WORKED WITH FAMILIES ALL YEAR TO SAY, WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA PASS YOU ALONG THIS YEAR. WE'RE GONNA HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE. WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, AND THEN WE DID IT AGAIN. SO IT'S REALLY TRYING TO MOVE THE CART IN A WAY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO. I AM BEGGING YOU, I WANT US TO BELIEVE IN KIDS. LIKE I BELIEVE IN KIDS. I WANNA BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN DO THE BEST THING EVER. AND I NEED US TO HAVE SOME EXPECTATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. AND AS A MATH TEACHER, I HOPE I'M HERE FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE SOME GOOD PRO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DR. BOSCH FARONE. GOOD EVENING TO ALL. I REALLY DON'T HAVE PREPARED REMARKS. I HOPE [01:00:01] I'LL DO WELL. AS ALWAYS, I ASK YOU TO OPEN YOUR MINDS. 'CAUSE I KNOW I TALK TO YOU ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAN OTHERS DO. SO SITTING BEHIND AND LISTENING TO YOU GO BACK TO MEETINGS WHEN YOU, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MADE A VERY SPECIAL AND IMPORTANT EFFORT OF MAKING A MOTION, ASKING THE BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCIL TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU. I THINK THE KEY OF THE DISCUSSION IS THE WORD COLLABORATION. AND THERE WERE AMENDMENT, SECOND AMENDMENT, MAYBE THIRD. LOTS OF DISCUSSION WAS VERY INTERESTING. SO SITTING BACK THERE, MY QUESTION TO YOU REALLY, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THAT THE COUNTY COUNCIL WOULD COLLABORATE WITH YOU? THEY HAVE THEIR RULES AND LAWS, AND YOU HAVE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, RULES AND LAWS. AND AT THE BEGINNING, AT THE END, ANY KIND OF PORTION OF GOVERNMENT, THEY HAVE TO GO BY THE RULE STILL, NO MATTER HOW YOU DISSECT IT, THEY CONTROL THE PURSE. THE ONE WHO CONTROLS THE PURSE CONTROLS THE OUTCOME. AND I MEAN NOTHING NEGATIVE. I AM A PRODUCT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. MY KIDS ARE PRODUCT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. I AM COMMITTED HERE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. BUT YOU NEED THE INDEPENDENCE. YOU ARE REALLY NOT INDEPENDENT. THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT THIS HAT. 'CAUSE HAS THE WORLD LIBERTY. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ABOUT CARRYING A GUN AND FIGHTING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IT'S REALLY ABOUT IMPROVING THE LIVES AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WHOLE POPULATION. AND THERE IS NOTHING LIKE EFFECTIVE EDUCATION THAT WILL CHANGE THE FUTURE OF ALL KIDS NO MATTER WHAT RELIGION, COLORS, NATIONAL ORIGIN THEY ARE. SO SOME 20 YEARS AGO I ADVOCATED FOR, UM, ELECTED BOARD AND IT WAS APPROVED SEMI ELECTIVE BOARD. I AM ASKING YOU TO LOBBY THE STATE AND THE COUNTY TO GIVE YOU AUTHORITY TO LEVY TAXES. YOU NEED THE MONEY. YOU NEED COMPANIES THAT CAN COLLABORATE WITH YOU. AND YOU KNOW, THE BALTIMORE COUNTY FOUNDATION IS GREAT, BUT LOOK WHAT THEY GAVE YOU IN, IN THE OUTSIDE THE SMALL COPY HALL WITH BOOKS. YOU NEED MUCH MORE THAN THAT. YOU, YOU CAN'T, I MEAN, I'M NOT REALLY BAD MOUTHING BALTIMORE COUNTY FOUNDATION. I BELIEVE IN IT AND I THINK IT HAS A GREAT LEADERSHIP. BUT YOU, YOU NEED BIG DONORS. THANK YOU, DR. FARONE. SINCE THERE IS SPA SPEAKER SPACES AVAILABLE, WE WILL NOW CALL FROM THE WAIT LIST FOR OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AND STUDENT CATEGORY. THE FIRST WAIT LIST SPEAKER IS LEE CAPUTO. GOOD EVENING CHAIR. UH, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY AND SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS. I'M LEE CAPUTO. I'M THE CURRENT ART DEPARTMENT CHAIR AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL. WOODLAWN IS MY HOME. I LOVE OUR SUPPORTIVE ADMINISTRATION, MY COLLEAGUES, AND ESPECIALLY MY STUDENTS. I BELIEVE THE DECISION TO LIMIT DEPARTMENT CHAIRS TO NINE PER SCHOOL WAS MADE WITH AN EYE TOWARD F SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITY. BUT THE INTENDED UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TO TEACHERS LOOKING TO ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS TO VITAL DEPARTMENTS AND ULTIMATELY TO STUDENTS. THIS YEAR WAS THE BEST OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER. I ACHIEVED NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF BCPS AND WAS NAMED BCPS SECONDARY CAREER ART TEACHER OF THE YEAR. MY STUDENTS HAVE WON SEVERAL AWARDS AND SUBSTANTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS ON FRIDAY. I'M SADLY DEPARTING MY DEPARTMENT CHAIR POSITION THAT I'VE HELD FOR EIGHT ALL OF MY EIGHT YEARS AT BCPS. THIS HAS ULTIMATELY DERAILED ANY CAREER ASPIRATIONS THAT I HAVE FOR LEADERSHIP WITHIN BCPS. I KNOW THAT I'M NOT ALONE. CONTENT EXPERTISE IS ESSENTIAL WHEN COACHING NEW TEACHERS, MAINTAINING A BUDGET AND SUPPLIES AND MEETING BCPS STATE AND NATIONAL STANDARDS. FOR INSTANCE, ONE OF OUR STANDARDS IS FOR [01:05:01] STUDENTS TO PREPARE WORK FOR EXHIBITION. AS DEPARTMENT CHAIR, I SPEND MANY HOURS RESEARCHING EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES, REGISTERING, WORK, FRAMING, AND DELIVERING ARTWORK. I WILL NO LONGER HAVE THE TIME TO DO THIS, AND SOMEONE WITHOUT THE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE WILL KNOW, NOT KNOW HOW TO MEET THIS STANDARD, NOR WILL THEY HAVE THE TIME NOW THAT THEY HAVE TO TEACH NEARLY A FULL LOAD. SOMETHING LIKE THIS WILL HAPPEN OVER AND OVER IN EVERY CONSOLIDATED DEPARTMENT IN EVERY SCHOOL, AND IT WILL IMPACT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. BCPS HAS MAINTAINED A REPUTATION OF EXEMPLARY PROGRAMS IN THE ARTS. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T YET, I URGE YOU TO GO AND SEE THE CURRENT HIGH SCHOOL EX EXHIBITION AT THE TOWSON STARTUP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS AT STAKE AND HOW THIS WILL AFFECT STUDENTS. I SPEND HOURS EACH WEEK COACHING NEW TEACHERS ON INSTRUCTION, TEACHING AND DEMONSTRATING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT OF SUPPLIES AND STUDENTS. I DO INFORMAL OBSERVATIONS WITH FEEDBACK TO ENSURE THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE CONFIDENT IN THEIR SKILLS WHEN THEY'RE FORMALLY OBSERVED. I KNOW HOW TO INTERPRET THE DANIELSON FRAMEWORK TO REFLECT HIGH STANDARDS AND RIGOR IN AN ART ROOM. TEACHER RETENTION IS ALREADY A CHALLENGE AND IT WILL SUFFER FURTHER WHEN NEW TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES FROM ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS, ARE BEING LED BY SOMEONE OUTSIDE OF THEIR CONTENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 3 5 4 0 ENERGY CON CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY. AND THE FIRST SPEAKER IS DR. BOSCH FERONE. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. UH, SO THIS POLICY TALKS ABOUT ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY. I THINK THE KEY WORD IS SUSTAINABILITY. UM, WHEN I READ THIS POLICY, I SEE THAT IT IS MINI HORIZON, THE ENERGY CONSERVATION INTO JUST ABOUT ENERGY. UM, IT IS A FIRST STEP, I BELIEVE, BUT IT IS REALLY MUCH MORE, UH, IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. SO BASICALLY I ASK YOU MAYBE TO EXPLAIN THAT WHEN YOU DISCUSS IT, UH, WHAT EXACTLY REALLY DO YOU MEAN ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY? THE OTHER ITEM IS LINE 12 AND 17 TALKS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, PRESERVE, CONSERVE, SOCIAL WELLBEING, NATURE, NATURAL RESOURCES. AND MY QUESTION COMES WHEN I READ THAT. I MEAN, ALL THESE ARE REALLY GREAT, UH, GOALS, GREAT WORDS, BUT YOU KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO BE EXECUTED. IS THERE GOING TO BE LIKE BIZARRE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY THAT MAKES SURE IT IS BEING DONE CORRECTLY AND EFFECTIVELY? UM, WOULD THERE BE DATA THAT WOULD BE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD AND TO THE PUBLIC? LINE 19, UH, TALKS ABOUT POLICY CONSISTENT AND WILL BE IMPLEMENTED. ACCORDION, SUPERINTENDENT RULES. SO BASICALLY IT'S SAYING, YOU KNOW, REFERRING TO THE STATE LAW AND TO THE RULE, BUT I HAVE THE HARDEST TIME REALLY TO KNOW WHICH STATE LAW, EVEN WHEN I GOOGLE IT, I GET KIND OF FLOODED. WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF A PORTAL OR A FOOTNOTE. AND THE SAME THING ABOUT, UH, DR. RAJA'S RULE. UH, I LOOKED FOR IT, I COULDN'T FIND IT. SO BASICALLY THE WEAKNESS THAT I SEE FIRST THAT THIS POLICY DOESN'T TALK ABOUT A MASTER PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION. AND THE SECOND ONE IS, UH, UH, THAT, UH, UH, SCHOOLS ARE BEING BUILT AND TAKEN AWAY. GREEN SPACE. I OBJECTED TO THAT. UH, IN THE PAST. UH, I, I THINK I WOULD ASK YOU POLICY WISE TO GO UP AND NOT REALLY TAKE MORE GREEN SPACE FROM THE COUNTY. YOU KNOW, YOU ARE A LEADER IN A SENSE. UM, THAT WOULD BE ALSO PART OF SUSTAINABILITY. IF WE KEEP BUILDING SCHOOLS, THIS COUNTY IS GOING TO BE PARKING LOT MAYBE EXCEPT FOR A SMALL PORTION IN THE NORTH AREA. AND A LOST WEAKNESS. THIS POLICY HAS TALKS ABOUT, I THINK SUSTAINABILITY ENGINEERS. I DON'T KNOW REALLY ABOUT THAT, BUT I THINK THE, THE [01:10:01] STANDARD IS A CERTIFY ENGINEER AND I DON'T SEE THAT THE POLICY. THANK YOU DR. FERONE. YOU COULD STAY THERE. UH, THE NEXT NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 5 4 1 0 SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES. AND THE FIRST SPEAKER IS DR. FERONE. SO THIS POLICY LINE, 11 TO 15 TALKS ABOUT THE GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE STUDENT, PREPARE THEM FOR COLLEGE CAREER. I LOVE ALL THOSE. AGAIN, AS PER MY PREVIOUS CRITIQUE, I REALLY LOVE THAT YOU WOULD ADD THE WORD UNIVERSITY. IT, IT JUST GIVE DIFFERENT MEANING. WHEN YOU SAY COLLEGE CAREER, YOU DON'T SAY UNIVERSITY. I THINK WE NEED ELECTRICIANS, WE NEED RESEARCHERS, WE NEED SURGEONS, LAWYERS, ET CETERA. LINE 23 TO 29 TALKS ABOUT COLLEGE READY AND CAREER. UH, THAT'S REALLY SIMILAR. UH, POINT LINE 31 TO 34 TALKS ABOUT USING AMERICAN SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION MODEL. AND I HAD THE HARDEST TIME REALLY TO UNDERSTAND THAT. I THINK IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WHO SPECIALIZED IN THAT PART OR PROFESSION, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT US REALLY TAXPAYERS THAT ARE NOT EDUCATORS, THEY ARE, ARE NOT LAWYERS, SOCIAL WORKERS. YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING FOR US. SO I WOULD ASK YOU TO EITHER HAVE A FOOTNOTE OR, UM, A PORTAL ABOUT IT. LINE 36. UH, CULTURALLY, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE COUNSELING. UH, I REALLY LIKE THAT. AND, UH, I WOULD LIKE THE CODE SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, TO KEEP WORKING ON IT. OBVIOUSLY FOR 25 YEARS I HAVE BEEN PLUGGING AWAY, UH, ON, ON THE ISSUE AND STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE. UH, IN PAGE TWO. FINALLY, IN LINE FOUR TO LINE SEVEN, TALKS ABOUT EQUITABLE PRACTICES AND REMOVES BARRIERS TO STUDENT SUCCESS. I THINK THE CURRICULUM NEEDS TO BE ASSESSED AND NEEDS TO BE SANITIZED. UM, I KNOW I ASKED YOU BY EMAIL TO DO THAT. I ASKED YOU BY, UH, PREVIOUS TALKS. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP, THE IMPORTANT STEP. UH, STILL THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES NOT REALLY TREAT DIFFERENT CULTURES, DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN A FAIR OR EQUAL WAY. AND I'LL BE GLAD TO HELP IN THAT REGARD. UM, OBJECTIVELY, I'M NOT REALLY A RELIGIOUS PERSON. I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW IN THIS ROOM. I'M NOT ADVOCATING FOR ONE RELIGION OR THE OTHER. AND, UM, I WILL ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN, IN GOD IN THE SAME WAY. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS. YOU CAN BELIEVE IN YOUR FAITH OR YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN ANY FAITH OR ON ALL THREE OF THEM, OR MAYBE A HUNDRED FROM THEM. I MEAN, YOU KNOW. SO I ASK YOU REALLY TO ADDRESS THAT IN POLICY. THANK YOU. AND YOU COULD STAY RIGHT THERE. THE NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 5 6 1 0 SCHOOL SPONSORED MEDIA, STUDENT JOURNALIST, AND DR. FERRONE, YOU ARE OUR SPEAKER. SO THIS POLICY IS REALLY GREAT AND IT TALKS ABOUT BASICALLY THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF STUDENT JOURNALISTS. AND I COULD BASICALLY SPEND THREE MINUTES OR MORE IN ACCOLADES TO THE PRC. HOWEVER, AGAIN, I'M GIVING YOU MY, MY PERSPECTIVE. IT REALLY DOES NOT TALK ABOUT THE FREEDOM OF RELIGION EXERCISE FOR THOSE SAME STUDENTS. SO IF YOU CLICK THE SEARCH BUTTON, YOU KNOW, KEY SEARCH KIND OF A THING PUT RELIGION, PUT FAITH. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THIS. I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, AND I'M NOT REALLY A LAWYER, THERE ARE SMARTER LAWYERS RIGHT THERE, BUT I KNOW AS AN IMMIGRANT WHY MOST IMMIGRANTS REALLY CROSS OCEANS LIKE I DID AND LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND, YOU KNOW, TO COME HERE. THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS ABOUT FAITH, FREEDOM OF FAITH, AND IT'S ABOUT SPEAKING UP. AND I THINK THIS POLICY NOT HAVING, UH, TO ADDRESS THE PORTION OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT, WHICH THIS POLICY IS BASED ON, NOT ADDRESS THE RELIGION, I THINK THAT'S A MEASURE OF DEFECT. UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US, THAT POLITICS OUTSIDE THIS ROOM ALL THE WAY TO WASHINGTON IS INTERMINGLED WITH RELIGION. [01:15:01] I PERSONALLY, AS A PERSON WHO IS NOT THAT RELIGIOUS AND THEN IMMIGRANT, NATURALIZED CITIZEN, THIS IS A DANGER FOR ALL OF US AS A NATION. AND, UM, IT'S BIGGER THAN ALL OF US. BUT YOU GOT TO START SOMEWHERE. AND FOR ME, I START WITH THREE MINUTES ADVOCATING FOR YOU TO PUT THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY IN THAT POLICY MISSING. FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN THIS POLICY IS A MAJOR DEFECT THAT I, I SEE. AND I KNOW I FINISHED EARLY. I WILL TAKE A RAIN CHECK FOR A MINUTE IF, OKAY. WELL, UM, AND SO THE, THE LAST NEXT IS OUR PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 6, 6 0, 0 EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS PROGRAMS. AND, UH, DR. FARONE, YOU ARE OUR SPEAKER FOR THAT. I REALLY LIKE THIS POLICY. AND THE GOAL OF THIS POLICY IS TO CLEARLY OFFER ALL STUDENTS ANY OF ALL THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES OF BCPS. ALRIGHT? THIS IS THE PRINCIPLE AND I REALLY LIKE THAT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE IS NOTHING NOT TO LIKE, BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING AND PLEASE OPEN YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART. IF A STUDENT NEEDS AN EXTRA SERVICE AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OFFER THAT SERVICE, BUT MAYBE NOT AS GOOD AND THE STUDENT WANTS TO GO TO A PRIVATE TUTOR OR A PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY, OR A QUASI PRIVATE WHATEVER OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO ALLOW THAT FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE STUDENT PAY PART OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE TUITION. SO, AS YOU KNOW, I'M A PHYSICIAN. IF, IF MY INSURANCE POLICY APPROVE ONLY ST. JOSEPH, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S IN NETWORK AND IF I REALLY LIKE HOPKINS, YEAH. DO BETTER CARE, YOU KNOW, THEN I GET PART OF THE COVERAGE OR I, I DUNNO IF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES THAT, I WOULD ASSUME NOT. SO OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE THE STUDENTS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY. AND THE QUESTION I POSES TO YOU, THEN, IF THAT SUPPORT CAN BE DONE BETTER OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHY NOT GIVE THEM A VOUCHER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? THIS IS NOT BEING ANTI PUBLIC EDUCATION. ALRIGHT? IT, IT, IT, IT'S REALLY PROVIDING WHAT'S BEST FOR THE STUDENTS, WHETHER IT'S IN THE HOUSE OR OUTSIDE. I THINK IT'LL STIMULATE ACTUALLY SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THAT REGARD, RATHER THAN HAVING ALL THESE KIND OF RULES THAT, YOU KNOW, DO THIS, DON'T DO THAT BECAUSE IT'S PUBLIC SCHOOL, ET CETERA. SO I, YOU KNOW, PLEASE DON'T LABEL ME AS ANTI-PUBLIC SCHOOLS DON'T LABEL ME AS I WANT TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF VOUCHER SYSTEM. I'M THROWING THE IDEA AT YOU. UH, IT'S NOT TO DISMANTLE PUBLIC EDUCATION, IT'S REALLY TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE, WHETHER IT'S HOPKINS OR ST. JOSEPH IN MY MEDICAL EXAMPLE. AND THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. OKAY, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [H. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:45 - 7:50 p.m.)] IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOT THERE. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. UH, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE PCH, CHAIR HUMPHREY AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT THE JUNE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT TO YOU. I WANNA BEGIN, UH, BY EXPRESSING MY HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD MEMBER, OUTGOING KAYLA, UH, DRUMMOND. UM, YOU WERE RADIANT AND MAGNIFICENT IN YOUR GRADUATION LAST WEEK AT PARKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. ABSOLUTELY WISHED YOU THE BEST, UH, AS YOU MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AS MOR IN AT MORGAN UNIVERSITY. AND WELCOME OMA CHIKA, UH, CHI KALU, WHO IS COMING FROM WESTERN, UH, TECHNICAL. WE ARE, UH, PLEASED FOR YOU TO BE A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP WITH THAT. I WANNA SHARE A FEW UPDATES THIS EVENING ON, UH, BOTH OUR STAFF AND OUR STUDENTS. WHAT, UH, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN EXPECT THIS SUMMER. I'D LIKE TO BEGIN. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. [01:20:03] I'D LIKE TO BEGIN BY SHARING A, UH, BRIEF VIDEO THAT WE HAVE POSTED FOR ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS THAT REALLY INTRODUCES OUR SUMMER, UH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN I'LL SHARE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION READINGS. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO LAUNCH OUR FIRST SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES IN BCPS. THIS SERIES HITS ALL FOUR SYSTEM PRIORITIES WITH THE GOAL OF IMPROVING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS. HAVING SYSTEMIC PROCESSES THAT PROVIDE MEANINGFUL AND ENGAGING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS TRULY KEY TO MOVING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM FORWARD. OUR INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE WILL YIELD HIGH DIVIDENDS FOR OUR 111,000 PLUS STUDENTS WHO COUNT ON US EACH AND EVERY DAY. THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO LEVEL SET AS A SYSTEM AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL STAFF ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND STRATEGIES NEEDED TO DO OUR BEST WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. THAT IS A WIN FOR EVERYONE. WE HAVE REACHED OUT FOR FEEDBACK AND ARE VERY CLEAR ON WHAT YOU NEED. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS WITH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS WILL BE A PART OF THIS LEARNING. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU WALK AWAY FEELING THAT THIS INVESTMENT IN TIME WAS WORTH IT. AND EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT, WE WANNA SEE AN IMPACT ON CLASSROOM PRACTICES AS A SYSTEM. IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG TIME SINCE WE HAVE AN EARNEST PROVIDED RIGOROUS, CONSISTENT, AND COHERENT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY TO ALL MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO IMPLEMENT THIS BEST PRACTICE WITH ALL OF OUR LEAD LEARNERS, YOU TEAM BCPS, PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS INVESTMENT IN YOU AS WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. LEAN IN AND JOIN US. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THIS SUMMER AND THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS. TAKE CARE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NEXT ONE. THANK YOU. AND SO, UM, AS THE VIDEO SHARED, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO, UH, SO MANY MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF THIS SUMMER. UH, THE GOAL AS, UH, YOU HEARD ON THE VIDEO IS REALLY TO ENGAGE OUR STAFF MEMBERS. UM, THIS WORK IS, UH, LED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. LIZ QUIST, WHO IS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UM, FOR EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT. UM, YOU SEE THE AUDIENCE ON THE SLIDE. WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON CONTENT, ON PEDAGOGY, UM, SPECIFICALLY HOW TO TEACH WELL TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO LEVEL SET ACROSS OUR BUILDINGS AND SKILLFUL LEADERSHIP. UH, WE HAVE A WEBPAGE THAT'S ALREADY BUILT OUT, SO I ENCOURAGE, UH, EVERYONE WHO'S HERE AS WELL AS EVERYONE WHO'S WATCHING IN THE PUBLIC, UM, TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE, UH, WHAT SPECIFIC ACTIONS, UM, OUR TEACHERS AND, UM, OTHER STAFF MEMBERS, INCLUDING OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS AND LEADERS WILL BE ENGAGED IN THIS SUMMER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND IN THE SAME WAY THAT OUR TEACHERS WILL BE BUSY PREPARING FOR THE STUDENTS, OUR, UM, STUDENTS WILL BE BUSY. I SHARED AN UPDATE A FEW MONTHS AGO ABOUT OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS AT EACH LEVEL. WE'RE EXCITED THAT OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS WILL BEGIN ON JULY 8TH THROUGH AUGUST 2ND. INVITATIONS HAVE BEEN SENT OUT TO SPECIFIC, UH, STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. WE ARE ESPECIALLY, UM, ASKING OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES TO TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR EMAIL FROM BCPS TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, FOCUS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN INVITATION. AND IF YOU HAVE AN INVITATION, PLEASE RESPOND TO THAT. UH, WE HAVE A, A NICE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE RESPONDED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL. UM, AND WE ARE STILL WORKING TO IMPROVE OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL NUMBERS. UM, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM PROMISES TO BE EXCITING, ALIGNED WITH OUR STANDARDS, UM, SPECIFICALLY IN LITERACY AND MATHEMATICS. AND WE'RE ALSO EXCITED, UM, THAT WE WILL BE MOVING OUR ATTENDANCE WORKS CAMPAIGN FORWARD FOR THE SUMMER. WE HAVE 20 DAYS, UH, WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN CLASS. WE'RE EXPECTING 20 DAYS OF PROGRESS, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OUR FAMILIES AND ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE THERE AND THAT THEY DO NOT EXPERIENCE THAT SUMMER [01:25:01] SLIDE. AND SO WITH THAT, I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, PROVIDE AN UPDATE THIS MONTH. THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [I. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:50 - 7:55 p.m.)] IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT. AND I JUST WANNA START OFF BY CONGRATULATING THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT YOUR BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL'S EDUCATION HAS PREPARED YOU FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS. THANK YOU TO ALL THE PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED OUR STUDENTS. IN MEETING THIS MILESTONE BOARD MEMBERS HAD THE HONOR TO PARTICIPATE IN GRADUATIONS IN MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROMOTION CEREMONIES, AND IN CLOSING EVENTS SUCH AS THE BCPS ALL COUNTY HONORS DANCE ENSEMBLE GALA CONCERT. THE BOARD IS LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR SUMMER WORK WHERE WE WILL CONTINUE TO VISIT SCHOOLS TO SEE SUMMER LEARNING AND ACTION. WE WILL CONTINUE TO REVIEW DATA TO INFORM GOVERNANCE DECISIONS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS ACTIVELY READING AND PRACTICING MATH PROBLEMS TO MINIMIZE THE SUMMER LEARNING SLIDE. AND WE HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAVE A, HAS A SAFE, RELAXING, AND PRODUCTIVE SUMMER. AND NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS THE [J. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:55 - 8:00 p.m.)] STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS' REPORT. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MS. DRUMMOND. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I'M HERE TODAY WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT WITH YOU ALL AND SEE THE GENUINE PASSION YOU SHARE FOR THE WELLBEING AND SUCCESS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENTS. REFLECTING ON THE LAST YEAR, I, I'M COMPELLED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEDICATION AND RESILIENCE OF OUR EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND STAFF IN SURROUNDING THE CHALLENGES OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. AS A STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD, I ESPECIALLY WANNA THANK STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE ONE, STUDENTS IN B-C-S-E-B-C-J-C AND BOSS STUDENTS THAT I'VE MET DURING SCHOOL VISITS AND THOSE WHO HAVE QUICKLY D DMD ME WITH A QUESTION. I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE STUDENTS WHO BELIEVED IN ME, EVEN WITHOUT KNOWING ME PERSONALLY. I PRIDE MYSELF ON BEHALF ON BEING A LISTENING EAR FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT. WHETHER THEY WANT ADVICE TO VENT OR ANYTHING IN BETWEEN. I'VE USED THE PASSION AND EMPATHY I HAVE TO MAKE SCHOOL VISITS AS IMPACTFUL AND EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. I LOVE TO START WITH, TELL ME ONE THING YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE AND ONE THING YOU ABSOLUTELY HATE AT YOUR SCHOOL. NOT ONLY TO SHOW THAT I LISTEN, BUT THAT I'M ON THEIR SIDE AND THEY CAN BE HONEST. BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH STUDENTS FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND AREAS OF THIS LARGE COUNTY HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY TERM. I LEARNED EVERYTHING FROM OPINIONS STUDENTS HAVE ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ITSELF TO THEIR FAVORITE SPIDER-MAN MOVIE. NOT ONLY DID I ATTEND SCHOOL VISITS TO LEARN ABOUT THE OPINIONS OF STUDENTS, BUT ALSO TO INFORM THEM OF THE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES THEY HAVE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY TO BE LEADERS. I STRIVE TO DO FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENTS WHAT CHRISTIAN THOMAS DID FOR ME BEFORE 10TH GRADE WHEN CHRISTIAN VISITED MY SCHOOL, I HAD NO IDEA STUDENTS COULD BE SO INFLUENTIAL IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF THIS MOB OR BCSE. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ONE COULD ATTEND A BOARD MEETING. AFTER LEARNING OF THE OPPORTUNITIES I MISSED, I TOOK THAT AS A PUSH TO NOT ONLY BECOME A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, BUT TEACH AS EARLY AS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OF THE MANY ENDEAVORS THEY CAN ACHIEVE. DURING MY TERM, I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE THE BEST MOB I COULD DUE TO MANY PERSONAL CHALLENGES I HAVE FACED THROUGH PAST YEAR. BUT I DO HOPE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE YOU ALL PROUD TO CALL ME YOUR SM THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO GOT ME HERE AND PUSHED ME IN MY MOST DIFFICULT TIMES. AS FOR MS. CHIKE KALU, YOUR NEXT SM I KNOW SHE WILL FILL MY SHOES AND SO MUCH MORE. AND A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO JORDAN, THE ELECTED BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND FOR THE LAST TIME, THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. DRUMMOND. THE NEXT ITEM ON [K. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (8:00 - 8:10 p.m.)] THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS REPORT ON BOARD POLICIES. THIS IS THE SECOND READER FOR THESE POLICIES AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. CHRISTINA PUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, BOARD POLICY 31 30 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR PURCHASE BY STUDENTS BOARD POLICY 31 70 FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS APPROVAL BOARD POLICY 3,200 PURCHASES FROM MINORITY AND SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES. BOARD POLICY 32 0 9 PURCHASING PRINCIPLES BOARD POLICY 32 25 FURNITURE FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT BOARD POLICY 36 40 DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS OR EXCESS PROPERTY. THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBITS K ONE THROUGH K SIX. THANK YOU MS. EY. BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATION REQUESTS? MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES? 3 1 3 0 3 1 7 0 3 2 0 0 3 2 0 9 3 2 2 5 [01:30:08] AND 3 6 4 0. SO MOVED FROM PONG. NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE? MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. ONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. POEY? YES. MR. DRUMMOND? YES. MR. LUKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BOOKER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT ITEM [L. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (8:10 - 8:15 p.m.)] ON THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION. AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. DTI JONES. GOOD EVENING. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THERE WAS NO ACTION TAKEN DURING OUR CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [M. NEW BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (8:15 - 8:25 p.m.)] IS NEW BUSINESS REPORT ON BOARD POLICIES. THIS IS THE FIRST READER FOR THESE POLICIES AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. CHRISTINA PUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ASK THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THIS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, BOARD POLICY 35 40 ENERGY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY BOARD POLICY 54 10 SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES BOARD POLICY 56 10 SCHOOL-SPONSORED MEDIA STUDENT JOURNALISTS BOARD POLICY 6,600 EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS PROGRAMS. THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBIT EXHIBITS M1 THROUGH M FOUR. THANK YOU MS. EY. BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATION REQUESTS? MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD PO OF THE BOARD'S POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES 3 5 4 0 5 4 1 0 5 6 1 0 AND 6 6 0. SO MOVED FROM PAUL. NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. ONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. EY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MR. LASKI? YES. DR. VOY? YES. MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. POKER DWYER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA [N. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Mr. Hartlove and Mr. Dixit) (8:25 - 8:40 p.m.)] IS CONTRACT AWARDS. AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. HARVEY CHAIR OF THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, JUNE 10TH, 2024. ITEM IN ONE WAS WITHDRAWN BY BCPS DURING THE BUILDINGS AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE. ITEMS N TWO THROUGH N 22 WERE FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL. THANK YOU MS. HARVEY. BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATION REQUESTS? MS. HIN? THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. MAY WE SEPARATE ITEM 15? YES. ANY OTHERS? OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS N TWO THROUGH N 14 AND N 16 THROUGH N 22? SO MOVED. 10. NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM COMMITTEE. ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HAN? YES. MS. FONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. POEY? YES. MS. TRUMAN? YES. MR. LUKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BOOKER DWY? YES. MOTION CARRIES. MS. HIN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO, UM, YOUR SEPARATION OF N 15? SURE. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. UM, DURING THE COMMITTEE MEETING YESTERDAY, I RAISED SOME QUESTIONS, UM, REQUESTING INFORMATION ON THIS ITEM THAT STAFF WERE GOING TO, UM, RETURN TO THE BOARD AND PROVIDE ANSWERS TO. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE PREPARED TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION AT THIS TIME. OKAY. GO AHEAD, DR. ROGERS. YES. THANK YOU. UM, UH, MS. N YOU DID FORWARD A SET OF QUESTIONS. UM, I DO HAVE SOME, UH, RESPONSES IN TERMS OF, UH, GOVERNANCE, UM, SPECIFICALLY IN TERMS OF LIABILITY, UH, AROUND THAT CONTRACT. UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DIVISION OF OPERATIONS, THE MAIN FOCUS HAS BEEN STUDENT SAFETY FOR THE CONTRACT, UH, WHEN REQUESTING APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BUS AND STUDENT SAFETY INITIATIVE. UH, BYPRODUCT OF THAT IS THE REVENUE GENERATED FROM THE ENFORCEMENT OF THIS, UH, BALTIMORE CODE TO SUPPORT THE SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS, PEDESTRIANS AND MOTORISTS. UH, BECAUSE OUR SOLE FOCUS IS ON STUDENT SAFETY, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, UM, INVOLVED IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF VIOLATIONS NOR THE COLLECTION OF REVENUE. REVENUE COLLECTION AND DISBURSEMENT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. UNDER THIS CONTRACT, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION [01:35:01] WILL HAVE COMPONENTS OF THIS INITIATIVE, UH, PAID FOR BY CITATION REVIEW, UH, REVENUE AND ALL REMAINING FUNDS REMAIN WITH THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO USE AS DEEMED APPROPRIATE. A BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS NO OUTLAY OF FUNDS AND WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OR ASSUME LIABILITY FOR THE COST OF THIS PROGRAM, REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT'S COLLECTED. UM, WHILE HIGHLY UNLIKELY IF CITATION REVENUE DID NOT COVER THE COURSE, UH, COST BORNE BY THE VENDOR, THE BOARD HAS NO OBLIGATION RELIABILITY IN TERMS OF DATA PRIVACY. UH, THE VENDOR HAS COMPLIED WITH ALL BCPS EXPECTATIONS AND PROTOCOLS. THE BCPS OFFICE OF LAW HAS CAREFULLY REVIEWED DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO THIS INITIATIVE, SPECIFIC TO THE VENDOR, BUT ALSO IN RELATIONSHIP WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. UM, AND THERE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, PROJECTED, UH, REVENUE FOR, UH, THE STOP ARM CAMERA PARTNER. UM, SO I DID WANNA PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THE, THE BIG QUESTIONS AND WHAT YOU, YOU TOUCHED ON THOSE. THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS. YOU'RE WELCOME. MY REMAINING QUESTION THEN IS WHY THIS WOULD A CONTRACT THAT THE BOARD WOULD ENTER INTO VERSUS BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, GIVEN THAT THE REVENUE FLOWS TO BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT DIRECTLY. GENERALLY, THE LIABILITY WOULD ALSO FALL TO BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND WE WOULD EXECUTE A SHARED USE AGREEMENT WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, WHEREAS THE EQUIPMENT WOULD BE INSTALLED ON AN ASSET OF THE BOARD, BUT SIMILAR TO, UM, THE COUNTY'S USE OF OTHER BOARD PROPERTIES, UM, WE WOULD ALLOW COUNTY TO USE OUR PROPERTY FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THIS EQUIPMENT VERSUS CONTRACTING WITH THE BOARD DIRECTLY. GIVEN THAT WE DON'T HOLD THE LIABILITY. SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHY THIS NEEDS TO BE A CONTRACT WITH THE BOARD VERSUS BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU OR SOMEONE? SO I'LL CERTAINLY ALLOW, UH, MEMBERS OF THE TEAM TO FOLLOW UP, BUT I WILL SHARE WITH YOU IN ALL OF THE COUNTIES, AND, AND I THINK WE'VE HAD, UH, THIS CONVERSATION AT THE BOARD TABLE FOR A FEW YEARS. ALL OF THE COUNTIES THAT HAVE THESE, UH, SAFETY CONTRACTS ON BUSES, UH, WITH, UH, DIFFERENT VENDORS AS THERE ARE TWO VENDORS NOW. UH, THE RELATIONSHIP, THE AGREEMENT IS WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE OUTSIDE ADDITIONAL, UH, COUNTY GOVERNMENT PARTNER. BUT CERTAINLY IF THERE'S SOMETHING DR. GRIM OR, UM, ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO ADD POLICE. SO GOOD EVENING. UM, WITH US THIS EVENING, MAJOR ECK FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHO'S BEEN ONE OF OUR PARTNERS IN WORKING THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE. AND KENNY WEST MANAGER OF OPERATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. SO THE, THE REASON WHY THIS IS COMING FORTH TO THE BOARD IS BECAUSE FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS IS A STUDENT SAFETY INITIATIVE. THIS IS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS. UM, IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS AND OTHER MOTORISTS, BUT IT REALLY IS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR KIDS AND, AND THE STOP ARM. UM, AS IT'S EXTENDED ON OUR SCHOOL BUSES. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TRANSPORTING STUDENTS EACH AND EVERY DAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL. UM, SO AS SUCH, WE ARE, WE ARE THE CARRIERS OF THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT. AND, AND THAT'S WHY, UM, AGAIN, AS PRIMARILY FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS VANTAGE POINT, IT IS A SAFETY INITIATIVE FOR OUR KIDS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, MS. DOKI, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO MS. T. DO WE HAVE, UM, ANY SUPPORTING DATA THAT SHOWS THE SAFETY ARM CAMERAS ON BUSES? IS, IS LIKE, BRINGS MORE, MAKES OUR STUDENTS MORE SAFE AS OPPOSED TO BUSES THAT DON'T HAVE THIS CAMERA? YES, MA'AM. I CAN, UH, SPEAK TO THAT. UM, MAJOR, WE, I'M IN CHARGE OF THE, UH, SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION. ONE OF THE, UH, UNITS WAS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT. I BROUGHT, UH, STATS FROM OUR LAST THREE YEARS. UM, AND THESE ARE NOT SCHOOL YEARS, THESE ARE CALENDAR YEARS. SO IN 2021, WE WROTE A TOTAL OF 128 TICKETS FOR SCHOOL BUS VIOLATIONS. UM, IN 2022, WE WROTE 175. AND IN 2023, WE'VE WROTE IN 148. UM, WHILE IT'S VERY HARD TO WRITE THESE CITATIONS, UH, FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE A MARKED CAR. WHEN PEOPLE SEE THE MARKED CAR, THEY ACT DIFFERENTLY. UH, WE'VE, UH, MET WITH THREE OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT CURRENTLY HAVE THIS AND REVIEWED THEIR VIDEOS. UM, IT'S KIND OF A APPALLING TO WATCH THE, UH, CARS GOING THROUGH AND BY, UM, AROUND THE STOP BARN WHEN THE POLICE CARS ARE NOT PRESENT. SO, UM, WITH THE, WITH THE MARKED CARS RIGHT THERE, AS SOON AS THIS PROGRAM GETS OUT AND WE HAVE A, UH, A MULTI, UH, PRESS RELEASE COMING OUT FROM BOTH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW. SO HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE WAR GETS OUT, THAT EVERY ONE OF THESE SCHOOL BUSES ARE GONNA HAVE THE CAMERA SYSTEM. IF YOU GO BY, YOU ARE GONNA GET A TICKET, THEY STOP. AND THAT'S ALL WE REALLY WANT HERE, IS WE WANT THE CARS TO STOP AND WE WANT NONE OF THE CHILDREN TO GET HURT. SO WHETHER [01:40:01] WE GET MORE ENFORCEMENT OR THEY STOP GOING BY IF THE CHILDREN ARE SAFE, THAT'S OUR ULTIMATE GOAL. ONE, ONE FOLLOW UP. GO AHEAD, MR. ARE THE CAMERAS ONLY ON WHEN THE BUS IS IN SERVICE? LIKE IF, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU? LIKE IT'S NOT, IF SAY A BUS IS ON THE SIDE WAITING FOR, I DON'T KNOW, THEY HAVE TO WAIT FOR THEIR NEXT ROUTE TO START AND THEY, THEY CAN'T START RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE THEY'LL BE TOO SOON TO PICK UP THE KIDS. WILL THE CAMERAS STILL BE ON WHILE THEY'RE JUST SITTING THERE WITH NO KIDS IN THEIR BUS? THE CAMERAS WILL BE, WILL BE ON, BUT THEY WILL NOT BE OPERATIONAL TO RECORD FOR ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES. SO THEY'RE ONLY ACTIVATED ONCE THE DRIVER ACTIVATES THE AMBER LIGHTS AND THEN THE RED LIGHTS. AT THAT POINT, THEY ARE RECORDING ANY VEHICLES THAT, THAT TRAVEL PATH, THE STOP ARM. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU MS. HAND. THANK YOU. SO MY QUESTIONS ARE NOT WITH REGARDS TO THE MERIT OF THIS IN TERMS OF IT BEING A SAFETY INITIATIVE. I JUST WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR. I, I HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FINANCING REGARDING THE PROCUREMENT OF THIS. AND MR. HARLOW MAY NEED TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, BUT I, I UNDERSTAND ACCORDING TO OUR CONTRACT EXHIBIT, WE ARE PROCURING, UM, THIS UNDER A COOPERATIVE CONTRACT. UM, THE HONEY, I'M SORRY, THE SOURCE WELL CONTRACT. GOOD EVENING, MR. HARLOW. GOOD EVENING. YES. WHICH IS A COOPERATIVE CONTRACT THAT REFERENCES, UM, OR IT'S STRUCTURED TO PURCHASE THE EQUIPMENT DIRECTLY FROM THIS VENDOR. UM, ACCORDING TO MY UNDERSTANDING, I REVIEWED THE CONTRACT THAT WE ARE USING TO, UM, PIGGYBACK OR AS AN ICPA TO PROCURE THIS EQUIPMENT. SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO, GIVEN WHAT, WHAT I UNDERSTAND ABOUT HOW OUR, UM, INITIATIVE IS STRUCTURED, WHY WE'RE USING THIS PARTICULAR, UM, VEHICLE AS A PROCUREMENT IF BCPS IS NOT INCURRING ANY OF THE EXPENSE UPFRONT AND HOW THAT WILL WORK. SO MY, MY QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR LIABILITY. WHAT IS THE OVERALL COST OF THE EQUIPMENT? WHY ARE WE GOING THROUGH A PROCUREMENT IF THIS EQUIPMENT IS, IS BEING PROVIDED AT NO COST OR THERE'S NO OUTLAY BY THE BOARD TO COVER THIS IS WELL, IT'S A, IT'S A PROCUREMENT. IT'S A PROCUREMENT BECAUSE WE'RE STILL THERE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPTIONS. THERE ARE DIFFERENT, AS AS, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE ARE TWO COMPANIES THAT, THAT, THAT CAN PROVIDE THIS SERVICE. SO WE WANTED, WE WANTED TO, UH, PICK THE, THE, THE PROVIDER THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE, YOU KNOW, THE DO THE BEST JOB FOR, FOR, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO THAT'S WHY WE WENT THROUGH A PROCUREMENT. BUT THERE IS NO FISCAL IMPACT TO US BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE TAKING A PERCENTAGE OF THE, OF THE, UM, TICKETING THAT, UH, THAT THAT COMES OUT OF THIS. SO THEY WILL TAKE A PERCENTAGE OF THE DOLLARS THAT COME IN THAT THE DOLLARS GO TO THE COUNTY, BUT THEY TAKE A PERCENTAGE OF THOSE TO PAY FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR THE CAMERAS AND THE MAINTENANCE OF THE CAMERAS. SO WHAT IS THE OVERALL COST OF THIS? THE CAMERAS, THE SERVICE, WHAT IS THE, THE OVERALL VALUE OF WHAT WE'RE OBTAINING IN TERMS OF SERVICES AND GOODS FOR THIS PROCUREMENT? I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE TAKING IT AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE REVENUE, THE CITATION REVENUE COLLECTED, BUT WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THIS, THIS CONTRACT TO I CAN, THE VENDOR, I I CAN TELL YOU THE PER, THEY TAKE APPROXIMATELY 60% OF THE, THE TICKETING THAT COMES IN. THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, UH, OF, OF THE, BUT EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE A FOR-PROFIT COMPANY. SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE MAKING MONEY OBVIOUSLY AS WELL, BUT THEY'RE PROVIDING UPFRONT. THEY'RE TAKING THE RISK OF, OF PROVIDING THE EQUIPMENT UPFRONT, INSTALLING THE EQUIPMENT. THAT'S ALL UPFRONT COST. AND THEN THEY, THEY, THEY ARE, THEY, UH, RECOVER THOSE DOLLARS THROUGH, THROUGH THE TICKETING, UH, PERCENTAGE OF THE TICKETING REVENUE. OKAY. LET ME ASK THIS ANOTHER WAY. SO I, WITHOUT HAVING SEEN THE CONTRACT, I'M, I'M KIND OF ASKING BLINDLY, SO BEAR WITH ME. SURE. UM, FOR, I'M NOT ASKING AS EFFICIENTLY AS I COULD BE. HAD THE BOARD BEEN GIVEN THE CONTRACT, IF THERE WERE AN EARLY TERMINATION, A CLAUSE IN THE CONTRACT, WHAT WOULD BE THE LIABILITY TO THE BOARD OR COUNTY FOR THE COST OF THE EQUIPMENT? I ASSUME ONCE IT'S INSTALLED SHORT OF COLLECTING THAT EQUIPMENT OR, YOU KNOW, RECOUPING THAT, WHAT ARE THOSE COSTS? WHAT, WHAT IS OUR OVERALL LIABILITY THERE? I BELIEVE THERE IS A TERMIN, AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THERE'S NO, OTHER THAN PAYING THAT, IF WE WANT TO TERMINATE OUT, I BELIEVE THERE'S A FEE. BUT BEYOND THAT, UH, THERE'S NO COST TO, WE GET TO KEEP THE, WE GET TO KEEP THE EQUIPMENT. UM, AND, UM, SURE. YEAH, I, I'LL CORRECT. THERE'S ACTUALLY NO EARLY TERMINATION FEE. SO [01:45:01] THE ONLY, THE ONLY, UM, THE, THE ONLY, UH, LIABILITY OR DECISION THAT WOULD NEED TO BE MADE AT THAT POINT IS WHETHER OR NOT, UM, THE, THE VENDOR WOULD, UM, WANT TO TAKE THE BACK POSSESSION OF THE CAMERAS BEFORE THE END OF THE CONTRACT, OR WHETHER, UM, BCPS WOULD WANNA NEGOTIATE WITH THEM TO, TO KEEP THE INTERNAL, THE, THE EXTERIOR EXTERIOR CAMERAS WOULD BE OF NO VALUE OR BENEFIT TO US WITHOUT ALL THE OTHER SERVICES. UM, SO IT WOULD JUST BE THE, THE INTERNAL CAMERAS AT THAT POINT. BUT THERE IS NO, THERE IS NO EARLY TERMINATION FEE. THERE IS NO LIABILITY TO THE BOARD. THE, UM, TO EX EXTEND ON MR. HART LOVE'S RESPONSE. UM, THE, THE VENDOR IS TAKING THE RISK, WHETHER AS MAJOR WEEX SAYS THERE ARE 10 VIOLATIONS THIS YEAR, A HUNDRED OR A THOUSAND. SO THE WAY THAT VENDORS WORK IN THIS SPACE IS THAT BASED ON THE MARYLAND SCHOOL, UM, UH, STOP ARMS SURVEY THAT EACH LEA CONDUCTS EVERY YEAR AND WE'VE DONE FOR DECADES, UM, THEY TAKE THAT DATA, THEY TAKE COMPARATIVE DATA FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS. THEY LOOK, UM, THEY WORK WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AROUND TRAFFIC CONTROL, AND THEY MAKE THEIR BEST ESTIMATION ON WHAT REVENUES THEY BELIEVE THEY WILL. UM, THEY WILL GET OUT OF A, OUT OF A PRODUCT IN BC IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, UM, IN NEIGHBORING JURISDICTION. SOMETIMES THEY'VE BEEN QUITE ACCURATE AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVEN'T. AND FOR THEM, IT'S AN INVESTMENT, UM, WHICH OVER TIME WILL PAY FOR THEIR EQUIPMENT. AND AS MR. HART SAID, THEY'LL MAKE A PROFIT. BUT AS FAR AS THE BOARD'S, UM, LIABILITY THERE, THERE IS NONE FOR THIS CONTRACT. THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. THERE WOULD BE NO, I HAVE A FOLLOW UP. AND SO WAIT, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADHERING TO THE TWO MINUTE, UM, TIMEFRAME THAT, THAT HASN'T BEEN ENFORCED FOR ANY OTHER SPEAKER. IT HAS FOLLOW UP. IT, IT ABSOLUTELY HAS BEEN ENFORCED FOR, UM, DURING OUR OPEN MEETINGS. IT HAS ABSOLUTELY BEEN ENFORCED. OKAY. I, AND SO, UM, IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? MR. MCMILLIAN, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THERE'S A, THERE'S AN INTERNAL CAMERAS THAT GO ALONG WITH THE EXTERNAL PACKAGE AND WOULD SOMEBODY DISCUSS WHAT AN UPGRADE THEY ARE TO WHAT OUR CURRENT EQUIPMENT IS, AND WILL OUR ADMINISTRATORS HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE CAMERAS TO WATCH, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIORAL ON THOSE BUSES? THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO THIS PACKAGE DOES INCLUDE AN UPGRADE TO THE INTERIOR CAMERAS THAT WE HAVE. SO ALL OF OUR BUSES CURRENTLY HAVE A CAMERA SYSTEM ON THEM. MM-HMM. . WHAT WE CURRENTLY DO IS WHEN AN ADMINISTRATOR REQUESTS A VIDEO FOR WHATEVER REASON, AND WE GET APPROXIMATELY 3000 A YEAR, A SUPERVISOR PHYSICALLY GOES TO THE VEHICLE AND PULLS A HARD DRIVE, COMES IN AND DOWNLOADS IT TO THEIR COMPUTER AND SEND THE, A LINK TO AN ADMINISTRATOR TO VIEW THE VIDEO. SO THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT'S VERY, VERY TIME CONSUMING. THIS UPGRADE WILL COME WITH NEW INTERIOR CAMERAS THAT ARE JUST HIGHER QUALITY. THERE ARE HIGHER DEFINITION, UH, CAMERAS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO SEE A LARGER COVERAGE OF THE INTERIOR OF THE, OF THE VEHICLE. AND THEY WILL BE REMOTELY ACCESSIBLE. SO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISORS WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, GO TO, UH, THEIR PORTAL AND REQUEST A VIDEO ELECTRONICALLY AND DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO FROM THE HARD DRIVE REMOTELY. IN ADDITION, UM, WE DON'T HAVE AN, UH, WE'RE NOT EXPECTING TO ALLOW ALL THE ADMINISTRATORS ACCESS TO BUSES BECAUSE YOU CAN ACTUALLY DIAL INTO A BUS AND WATCH IT LAUGH. UM, WE'RE, WE ARE RESERVING THAT AT THIS POINT JUST FOR SUPERVISORY STAFF WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. BUT THAT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS. WE CURRENTLY DO BUSES HAVE THREE CAMERAS. FOUR CAMERAS? AND WHAT WOULD THE UPGRADE BE? THE, WE HAVE THREE INTERIOR CAMERAS AND THE NEWER BUSES WE'RE NOW PURCHASING ONE FORWARD FACING CAMERA, UM, WHICH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL, WILL BE ABLE TO USE FOR ENFORCEMENT. UM, SO WE ARE CARRYING THAT SAME DESIGN WITH THE NEW CAMERA SYSTEM. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, MS. LICHTER? WHOOPS. UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, 'CAUSE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HAVE ME CONFUSED. THERE IS ZERO COST TO BCPS WITH THIS PROGRAM? YES, THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. AND SO THE BENEFITS ARE INCREASED SAFETY FOR OUR KIDS AND THEN THE INCREASED, UM, USE FOR ADMINISTRATORS TO HELP US FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ISSUES GOING ON, ON BUSES AND GET A CLEAR PICTURE. THOSE ARE THE BENEFITS? ABSOLUTELY, YES. OKAY. BUT NO COST? NO, NO MATTER WHAT. GREAT. NO, THANK YOU. THIS IS FULLY FUNDED BY CITATION REVENUE. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM N [01:50:01] 15? SO MOVED. HARVEY. NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THIS, UM, COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE. MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. ONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. POEY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MR. KY? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BOOKER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT ITEM ON [O. NEW BUSINESS - REVISED FY2024 BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER (Mr. Hartlove) (8:40 - 8:50 p.m.)] THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS REISE FY 2024, BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. HARTLOVE. GOOD EVENING. EVENING, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY. UM, IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU WILL FIND A BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER BAT REQUEST. THE, UH, BCPS BUDGET CONSISTS OF 14 SEPARATE APPROPRIATIONS BY ACTIVITIES PRESCRIBED BY THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. TRANSFER OF FUNDS BETWEEN THESE ACTIVITIES REQUIRES APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND COUNTY COUNCIL BASED ON CLOSE MONITORING OF EXPENDITURES. TO DATE OUR CURRENT FULL YEAR EXPENDED EXPENSE PROJECTIONS SHOW AN OVERALL SURPLUS, BUT WITH SHORTFALLS IN SOME ACTIVITIES AND SURPLUSES IN OTHERS. WE MANAGED THESE SURPLUSES AND SHORTFALLS DURING THE YEAR VIA AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET. AS YOU MAY RECALL, YOU APPROVED A BAT AT THE APRIL 16TH, 2024 MEETING. THAT BAT WAS DEVELOPED IN MARCH, AND THE PROJECTIONS WERE BASED UPON NINE MONTHS OF ACTUAL EXPENDITURES. REVISED PROJECTIONS AFTER APRIL 16TH IMPROVED OVERALL, BUT WITH SOME ACTIVITIES STILL WITH SHORTFALLS, WE DETERMINED THAT THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO REPLACE THAT BAT WITH A REVISED BAT, WHICH IS WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU FOR CONSIDERATION TONIGHT. WE ARE PROJECTING THAT OVERALL WE WILL FINISH THE YEAR APPROXIMATELY $25 MILLION UNDER BUDGET. THAT'S APPROXIMATELY 1.3% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET, WHICH IS BETTER THAN OUR PREVIOUS PROJECTION THAT WE BROUGHT TO YOU BACK IN APRIL OF 13 MILLION, UH, DOLLARS UNDER BUDGET. THE BAT, UH, TOTALS 56 MILLION, AS DID THE PREVIOUS BAT, UM, WHICH, UH, REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 2.9% OF THE BUDGET. SO IT'S A SIMILAR BAT. IT'S JUST, UH, IT'S JUST WE HAD A FEW, UH, CATEGORIES THAT WE NEEDED TO, UH, WE NEEDED TO SHORE UP. UM, SO THAT'S, UH, WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU. AND I AM HERE FOR ANY, UH, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REVISED FY 2024 BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER. SO MOVED. DOKI. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. LECTER, ANY DISCUSSION MS. DOKI? YES. UM, LI LINE SIX OR ITEM SIX, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION. UM, YOU'RE ASKING FOR A TRANSFER AMOUNT OF 27.6, ALMOST $7 MILLION, UM, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THAT GOING TOWARDS NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENT AND CONTRACTED SERVICES. CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHY WE NEED SO MUCH MORE? THE THE COSTS ARE, ARE HIGHER THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED. AND THERE ARE A FEW THINGS GOING ON THERE. THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS, UM, BUT A BIG THING THAT'S HAPPENED RECENTLY IS THERE WAS LE LEGISLATION, UH, REGARDING THE TEACHER SALARIES AT NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENTS THAT THEY HAVE TO AT LEAST, UM, EQUAL THAT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL COUNTERPARTS, WHICH, UH, HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE TO THE COST OF NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENTS. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE DRIVER. THAT'S THE DRIVERS. THIS MIGHT NOT BE A QUESTION FOR YOU, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ADDRESS THAT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, NOT PLACING OUR STUDENTS IN, IN NON-PUBLIC AND BRINGING THEM BACK? YOU WERE RIGHT TO US. NOT THE EXPERT ON THAT WEBSITE. IT LOOKS LIKE DR. ROGERS WANTS TO JUMP IN . MS. DOKI, IF I COULD, UM, YES. THANK YOU MR. HARTL, UH, FOR THAT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. UM, UH, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, MS. MEYERS SPOKE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE STRATEGIC, UM, THE ROADMAP FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE STEPS AND EFFORTS THAT THE TEAM IS TAKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ROBUST, UH, PROGRAMS IN ALL OF OUR K THROUGH 12 SCHOOLS. UH, THIS BOARD'S, UM, UNPRECEDENTED INVESTMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY AROUND IEP CHAIRS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. AND, UM, THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UH, FOR OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS IN PRE-K SCHOOLS IS GOING TO HELP US TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS TO NOT, UH, NECESSARILY NEED AS MUCH, UM, SUPPORT, UH, FROM THE OUTSIDE. BUT THE, THE PIECE WITH THE NEW LEGISLATION AND THE, THE LAW CHANGING IN TERMS OF THE COST FOR TEACHERS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ADJUST FOR. AND THEN THE OTHER, UM, HIGH ITEM IS AROUND CONTRACT RELATED SERVICES [01:55:01] WITH THAT NATIONAL SHORTAGE, UH, FOR RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS. I'M TALKING ABOUT SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE, UH, IN THAT AREA, YOU KNOW, THOSE INCREASING COSTS, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH UNIVERSITIES TO DEVELOP SOME, UM, NEW NON-TRADITIONAL COHORTS, UH, TO GROW OUR OWN. UM, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING, UH, STUDENTS AS THEY GO IN COHORTS THROUGH THE UNIVERSITIES. AND WE'RE, WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN THE FIELD, THERE'S A NATIONAL SHORTAGE IN TERMS OF, UH, PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE CERTIFIED IN THESE AREAS. IF YOU, YOU KNOW, EVEN LOOK AT, UM, OUR VACANCIES THAT REMAIN, UM, LARGELY YOU'RE GONNA FIND THAT THEY'RE CONCENTRATED IN THESE AREAS, THIS, UH, AREA OF HIGH DEMAND WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SHORTAGE, UH, ACROSS ALL STATES, ACROSS ALL SCHOOL SYSTEMS. SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO PUT SOME INCENTIVES. WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GROW OUR OWN, UH, WITH THE UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP, AND WE'LL TRY TO, UM, CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM STARTING FROM, UH, THE VERY BEGINNING. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, YOU'RE WELCOME. LAST THING, THE OTHER THING I NOTICED WAS THE 1.8 MILLION FOR LEGAL SERVICES. IS THAT SOMETHING MORE THAN WE'VE SPENT IN RECENT YEARS OR FOR, UM, LEGAL RESOLUTIONS UNDER SPECIAL EDUCATION? UM, THAT, UM, I'VE NOT, I'M, I DON'T KNOW THE TREND. I, I DON'T, SO I ACTUALLY, I THINK SOMEONE'S COMING TO HELP YOU. OH, OKAY. , VERY GOOD. SO THAT COST IS NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS, SO WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A PLACE IN THAT. SO IT'S WHEN THE ATTORNEYS ARE NEGOTIATING SETTLEMENTS FOR THINGS. SO AS FAR AS, UM, WE GET THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND THEN HAVE TO ADHERE TO THAT. SO I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE FOUNDATIONAL THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING WITH A, YOU KNOW, HIGH QUALITY TRAINED IEP CHAIRS WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, SERVICES AND SUPPORTS WITH OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS, REDUCING THEIR CASE LOADS, LOOKING FOR, AGAIN, FILLING THOSE, UM, SLP VACANCIES AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE GONNA BE THE THINGS THAT HELP PREVENT LEGAL SETTLEMENTS AND HAVING TO GO TO MEDIATION AND DUE PROCESS, WHICH IS ULTIMATELY WHAT WE WANNA DO IS BE ABLE TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND FOR FAMILIES TO FEEL THAT WE'RE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTING THEIR STUDENTS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MR. MCMILLION? UH, YEAH. IF, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, WE ZERO BASED ALL DEPARTMENTS. CORRECT. DR. ROGERS, WHEN THEY, THEY PREPARED THEIR BUDGET. YEAH. WE DID ZERO BASED BUDGETING. YEAH. SO IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT'S, IT'S OVER 10%, ALMOST 11% DIFFERENCE. AND THE BAT, GO AHEAD, MR. MCMILLION, ZERO BASED BUDGETING FOR FY 25. THIS IS FY 24 BAT, SO OUR CURRENT YEAR. OKAY, SO IT'S STILL 10 TO 11% OVER, ARE THERE $27 MILLION COMPARED TO THE 250 SOME MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE ADDED TO IT? BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE THERE. THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY GOING THERE WITH THE NONPUBLIC PLACEMENTS, OR THAT'S ALMOST $10 MILLION. ARE WE IDENTIFYING MORE KIDS OR IT IT ARE THESE KIDS THAT WE CAN'T PROVIDE A SERVICE TO, SO THEN WE HAVE TO FIND AN OUTSIDE PLACEMENT FOR THEM? CORRECT. SO NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENTS, UM, TYPICALLY STUDENTS ARE ASSIGNED BASED ON THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS. SO WHETHER A STUDENT HAS GONE THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT STEPS IN DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS OR A STUDENT IS NEW TO US AND PRESENTS, UH, INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLAN WITH SPECIFIC SERVICES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE PROVIDE EITHER IN THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IN OUR REGIONAL PROGRAMS, THOSE WOULD BE THE TWO PRIMARY PATHWAYS WHERE A STUDENT ENDS UP IN A NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENT. SO WE ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT SERVICE WITHIN OUR SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE. IN SOME CASES, YES. BECAUSE SOME CASES ARE SO EXTREME THAT NEED TO BE YES. SO YEAH, SOME NEEDS DEFINITELY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL SPECIALIZATION OUTSIDE OF WHAT, WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE IN THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL. OKAY. AND AS FAR AS THAT 1.8 MILLION FOR LEGAL RESOLUTION IS, IS THAT WHEN WE, WE HAVEN'T PROVIDED THE SERVICE THAT THE LAW SAYS WE NEED TO PROVIDE, AND PEOPLE THAT ARE AWARE OF THAT AND HAVE LEGAL RECOURSE, THEN THEY, THEY TAKE THAT TO COURT AND THEN THEY RESOLVE THAT LEGALLY, AND WE HAVE TO PAY OUT A FEE TO THESE PARENTS. SO MR. MCMILLIAN, I AM, UM, AWARE OF MANY THINGS AN ATTORNEY, I AM NOT. SO I WOULD DEFER TO, UH, I THINK MS. HOWIE IS IN THE BACK, OR MS. DESI JONES. YES. UM, MR. MCMILLAN, THAT IS, UH, THAT IS CORRECT. SO THERE IS LEGAL RECOURSE FOR FAMILIES, UM, WHO HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN, UM, [02:00:01] SPECIAL ED EDUCATION PROGRAMS. AND AS, UM, WAS EXPLAINED, IF THERE, UM, IF WE HAVE NOT ADHERED TO THOSE, UM, GUIDELINES AND THOSE RULES, THERE IS A MONETARY RECOURSE. AND SO THAT'S WHERE THAT MONEY IS GOING TO. YEAH. AND, AND NOT, AND NOT TO GET INTO IT NOW, BUT IT, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, TO ME, AND I DON'T THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IT, IT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THAT COULD BE AN EQUITY ISSUE AND THE PARENTS THAT HAD THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM TO PURSUE THAT LEGAL ACTION, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF FAMILIES OUT THERE THAT DON'T KNOW, THAT DON'T HAVE THAT, THAT RECOURSE, THAT STRATEGY, CAN'T PURSUE THAT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST CONCERNING TO ME THAT WE'RE, WE'RE PAYING OUT THAT KIND OF MONEY. BUT THERE'S PROBABLY OTHER PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE THOSE, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES OR DON'T HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, LAWYER THAT THEY CAN GO TO AND TRY TO RESOLVE THEIR ISSUES. THAT'S, THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED TO SAY. WELL, MR. MCMILLIAN, I CERTAINLY HEAR YOU. AND I WOULD SAY THAT OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF EVERY SINGLE STUDENT. SO NO ONE, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE IS, FEELS LIKE YOU NEED TO SEEK, UM, LEGAL RECOURSE THAT WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER FROM THE VERY BEGINNING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. AND IF THERE'S A PROBLEM THAT PARENTS FEEL EMPOWERED TO COME BACK TO THE TABLE AND IDENTIFY WHAT THAT PROBLEM IS, AND WE TAKE THE NEXT STEPS TOGETHER, THAT WOULD BE MY GOAL, UM, FOR ALL OF OUR FAMILIES ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. MS. LTER. UM, JUST A COMMENT, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME, DR. ROGERS, I'M WRONG, BUT WITH SPECIAL ED, SEEING THE TRANSFER WITH BAT, IT'S VERY HARD FOR US TO PREDICT COST FOR SPECIAL ED AHEAD OF TIME BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHICH STUDENTS ARE GONNA BE IDENTIFIED AND THEN WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE GONNA BE. SO A LOT OF TIMES, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT'S BLIND, BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA IF THERE ARE GONNA BE, IT'S NOT JUST EXISTING STUDENTS MOVING ON TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL. IT'S STUDENTS THAT MAY START TO STRUGGLE AND NEED SERVICES, KIDS COMING IN FROM OTHER COUNTIES THAT NEED IT. SO SEEING THAT THE BAT IS GOING TOWARDS SPECIAL ED TO ME MAKES SENSE BECAUSE OF THE UNKNOWN. RIGHT. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'LL EVER GET A GRASP ON THE UNKNOWN, BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN YEAR, YOU KNOW, YEAR AFTER YEAR. NOW, HOPEFULLY WE HAVE KIDS THAT ARE DISMISSED ALSO BASED ON OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE KIDS THAT COME IN OR KIDS THAT GET IDENTIFIED THAT WE DIDN'T PLAN FOR, BUT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE THEM THE SERVICES, WHICH, WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF THAT IS GOING TOWARDS THOSE KIDS. YEP. I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. AND THE, THE, THE, THE LEGAL ASPECT IS ALSO, THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABILITY WITH THAT TOO, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT PARENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED, HOW PARENTS AND ARE FEELING ABOUT THOSE, THOSE SERVICES. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA VARY QUITE A BIT FROM YEAR TO YEAR. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REVISED A? NO, WAIT, WE ALREADY DID. MAY I HAVE WAIT, WE DID THE SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE? MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN? YES. MS. FONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MS. ALKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BOOKER DWYER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU MR. HART. LOVE. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE [P. NEW BUSINESS - CURRICULA (Dr. DiDonato) (8:50 - 9:00 p.m.)] AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS CON CONSIDERATIONS OF THE CURRICULAR CHANGES FOR THE 20 24 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR. AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MS. LICHTER. UM, AT OUR CURRICULUM MEETING, WE, UM, WERE GIVEN A PRESENTATION ON THE CHANGES. UM, IT WAS APPROVED BY THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, BUT WE NOW NEED FULL BOARD APPROVAL, SO I'M NOT ON THE RIGHT PAGE. SO I GUESS MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I OKAY, GO AHEAD, . I DIDN'T. I DIDN'T. SO YEAH, SO IT WAS AT THE JUNE 4TH, 2024 BOARD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETINGS, UH, STAFF PRESENTED THE OVERVIEW OF NEW CHANGED AND DEACTIVATED COURSES FOR THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR AND BEYOND. THE BOARD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE VOTED TO APPROVE THESE NEW PROPOSED COURSE OFFERINGS AND, UM, AND MS. LTER SUBMITTING THEM TODAY. YES. SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO CURRICULUM FOR THE 20 24 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR? SO MOVED DOKI NO SECOND IS NEEDED AS IT COMES FROM COMMITTEE. ANY DISCUSSION? MS. FONG? I HAD A QUESTION. I NOTICED, UM, WITHIN THE DOCUMENT THAT THE, IT WAS SAYING THAT FRENCH ONE AND FRENCH TWO HONORS WAS NOT BEING OFFERED ANYMORE. UM, SO MY QUESTION WAS WHAT IS GOING TO BE OFFERED INSTEAD? AND, UM, IS THERE AN IMPACT THE NON STAFFING, UM, WITH OUR LANGUAGE TEACHERS? GOOD EVENING. UM, WITH REGARDS TO, UM, FRENCH ONE AND TWO HONORS, THOSE ARE, THEY'RE STANDARD LEVEL COURSES. AND WE HAD A, A [02:05:01] HONORS COURSE LISTED IN OUR COURSE CATALOG, SO THIS WAS MORE OF A CLEANUP OF OUR COURSE CATALOG. THEY'RE, IT'S A STANDARD LEVEL COURSE, SO IT'S, WE STILL OFFER FRENCH. IT'S JUST CONSIDERED A STANDARD COURSE THOUGH, NOT AN HONORS LEVEL? YES. OKAY. AND THEN, SO THERE'S NO IMPACT TO OUR LANGUAGE TEACHERS NEEDED OR ANYTHING? NOPE. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. MR. YOUNG? YES. MS. DOKI? YES. MS. HEN. MS. FONG? YES. MS. LICHTER? YES. MS. HUMPHREY? YES. MS. DRUMMOND? YES. MR. LUKI? YES. DR. SAVOY? YES. MR. MCMILLION? YES. MS. HARVEY? YES. MS. BROOKER DWYER? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS [Q. NEW BUSINESS - SYSTEM RECORDS RETENTION BAN (Dr. Rogers) (9:00 - 9:15 p.m.)] NEW BUSINESS SYSTEMS RECORDS RETENTION BAN. AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A POWERPOINT. START WITH THE FIRST SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THIS EVENING, WANT TO BRING SOME INFORMATION FORWARD, UH, TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS REGARDING OUR, UM, THE RECORDS DISPOSAL BAN THAT IS IN PLACE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UM, BEFORE YOU, YOU HAVE A SLIDE WITH SOME ACTUAL PICTURES OF SPACES ACROSS CENTRAL OFFICE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE IMPACT OF THE RECORDS, UH, DISPOSAL BAN. UM, THIS NEGATIVELY IMPACTS OPERATIONS IN THAT, UH, MANY OF OUR LOGISTICS, UH, TEAM MEMBERS, THEY ARE, UH, DOING THIS WORK OF PICKUP AND, UM, MOVING THESE BOXES IN DIFFERENT SPACES. UM, AS PEOPLE WORK IN OFFICES WHERE TYPICALLY, UH, YOU WOULD WORK IN AN OFFICE AND IF YOU HAD AN EXTRA COPY OF A DOCUMENT, YOU WOULD DISPOSE OF THAT TO RECYCLE. OR IF YOU HAD A BLANK, UH, PIECE OF PAPER, YOU COULD DISPOSE OF THAT IN, UM, OUR OFFICES, THAT, UH, IS NOT ALLOWED TO HAPPEN. THERE IS NO RECYCLING, UM, HAPPENING IN OUR OFFICES, UH, FOR A SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON, UH, SUSTAINABILITY. UM, THIS IS A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD IN MANY SPACES. YOU SEE THE PICTURES IN FRONT OF YOU, THESE BOXES ARE FILLED, UH, WITH PAPERS ACROSS OUR CENTRAL OFFICES FOR STAFF MEMBERS AND, UM, VISITORS AS THEY COME TO VISIT. UM, IT'S, UH, UNSIGHTLY AND, UM, IT, IT RENDERS, UH, MANY SPACES, UNUSABLE PLACES THAT CAN'T BE USED FOR MEETINGS, PLACES THAT CAN'T BE USED, UH, FOR, UH, TRAINING SPACES. THIS IS VERY COSTLY, AND I'LL GET TO THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE. IN TERMS OF THE COST TO BALTIMORE, UH, COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE, UM, IT IS IMPRACTICAL TO, UH, ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT, MEANING THAT WE HAVE BOXES OF PAPERS IN A VARIETY OF SPACES, A VARIETY OF OFFICES, THREE DIFFERENT WAREHOUSES, AND, UM, IF SOMEONE HAD DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE, UH, TO LOOK FOR A DOCUMENT, THERE IS NO GUIDE MAP, UH, TO IDENTIFY WHICH BOX IN WHICH OFFICE IN WHICH LOCATION SOMEONE WOULD GO TO. UM, AND IT, THIS IS NOT A PRACTICE IN ANY OTHER MARYLAND SCHOOL SYSTEM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. IN TERMS OF THE IMPACT ON COSTS, UH, THERE IS A STRESS ON INFRASTRUCTURE. ONE OF OUR, UH, THANK YOU. UH, ONE OF THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE MADE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM WAS TO EXAMINE INFRASTRUCTURE AND BY INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, WE SPOKE VERY PLAINLY ABOUT THE NEED TO EXAMINE OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES, THINGS THAT USED TO SERVE US WELL, THAT PERHAPS THERE IS NO LONGER A NEED, AND TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WITH HOW WE WERE DOING WORK. UM, THIS CURRENT PROCESS IS INEFFECTIVE. IT STRESSES, UM, NOT ONLY SPACES, UH, BUT IT ALSO PUTS A STRESS ON OUR, UM, STAFF, UH, IN LOGISTICS AND IN CENTRAL OFFICES. UM, WHAT YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE IS THAT WE HAVE THREE DEDICATED WAREHOUSE SPACES IN ADDITION TO ALL CENTRAL OFFICES THAT HOLD RECORDS. UM, THERE IS A TOTAL OF 15,470 SQUARE FEET AVAILABLE, UH, IN THESE WAREHOUSES. THE THIRD ONE WE ADDED LAST YEAR, UM, 11,602 SQUARE FEET ARE ALREADY USED. UM, YOU SEE SOME PHOTOS THERE, UM, AND YOU'LL NOTE THAT SOME OF THE SPACE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN BETWEEN IS ALSO FILLED WITH PALLETS AND BOXES AND PAPER. UM, WE CURRENTLY PAY AN AVERAGE OF $10 AND 63 CENTS PER SQUARE FEET. UM, AND THE ANNUAL STORAGE COST CURRENT TOTAL IS $164,000, $446, UM, [02:10:01] FOR US TO STA UH, STORE THIS, UH, PAPER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO I WANT TO SPEAK TO OUR RECORDS RETENTION, UH, POLICY AND PROCESS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS ONE, ONE OF THE MOST ROBUST PROGRAMS, UM, ACROSS THE STATE. UH, WE HAVE, UH, APPROVED RECORDS, RETENTION SCHEDULES IN PLACE. UM, THOSE SCHEDULES ARE DESIGNED TO ENSURE THAT WE KEEP ALL RECORDS, UH, FOR LONG AS THEY ARE NEEDED ADMINISTRATIVELY, LEGALLY, FINANCIALLY, FOR AUDIT PURPOSES. AND WHEN THAT, UM, TIME, UH, YOU KNOW, THEIR LIFETIME, UH, HAS PASSED THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY DISPOSED OF, UM, ADHERENCE TO THE SCHEDULES IS IMPORTANT FOR EFFICIENT AND PROPER FUNCTIONING IN BCPS. AND, UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE A WEBSITE THAT DETAILS OUR POLICY, OUR, UH, RULES AS WELL AS OUR PROCESSES ON THAT SAME WEBSITE. UM, THERE IS A PROCEDURE WHEN RECORDS ARE TO BE DESTROYED. UH, IF YOU ARE IN A PARTICULAR OFFICE, YOU CANNOT GO BECAUSE THE TIME IS UP AND DESTROY THOSE RECORDS. THERE IS A VERY DETAILED PROCESS, UM, WHERE THERE IS A REQUEST THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE, A CERTIFICATE, UM, HAS TO BE ISSUED. UM, AND, UH, SEVERAL OTHER OFFICES ARE INVOLVED. EVERY SINGLE, UM, OFFICE HAS A LIAISON FOR, UM, RECORDS EVERY, UH, MEMBER OF CENTRAL OFFICE AS WELL AS OUR PRINCIPALS, UM, ENGAGE IN ANNUAL TRAINING ON RECORDS RETENTION, WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE BY POLICY AND RURAL AND BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UM, WE HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONAL, UM, SYSTEM AND, UH, WE HAVE HAD A CONSULTANT OPINION, UH, EMERGE AS THE NAME OF THE CONSULTANT, AS WELL AS THE OFFICE OF INTERNAL AUDIT, UM, RECOMMENDATION, UM, STATING THAT THIS IS NOT A GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED AS A BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE. UM, AGAIN, I WANNA STATE THAT WE TRACK THE DESTRUCTION OF EVERYTHING, INCLUDING TEXTBOOKS. AND WE ARE THE ONLY SCHOOL SYSTEM IN MARYLAND THAT, UH, TRACKS THE DESTRUCTION OF TEXTBOOKS. UM, BCPS GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE INTERNAL CONTROLS IN PLACE AND A CLEAR PROCESS. UM, AND CURRENTLY THE AMOUNT OF, UH, BOXES AND PAPER THAT WE HAVE ACROSS ALL OF OUR OFFICES AND THESE THREE WAREHOUSES WOULD TAKE THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF, UH, HUMAN CAPITAL TO ADDRESS THOSE CURRENT, UH, RECORDS. UM, AND SO, UH, MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT, UH, WE MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TO, UH, LIFT THE, UM, RECORDS DISPOSAL, UH, BAN THAT IS CURRENTLY, UH, IN PLACE, UM, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WOULD ADHERE TO THE APPROVED MARYLAND ARCHIVIST APPROVED RECORDS RETENTION, UH, SCHEDULE. AND THERE IS A VERY DETAILED PROCESS IN PLACE. UM, I'M OPEN TO ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO LIFT THE JANUARY 8TH, 2019 BOARD DIRECTIVE REGARDING SYSTEMS, RECORDS RETENTION. SO MOVED, LICHTER. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM PONG. ANY DISCUSSION? MS. HIN? THANK YOU. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR. ROGERS, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION, DR. ROGERS. UM, THE, I HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE RECORDS FOR RETENTION SCHEDULES AND THE DOCUMENTATION ON THE WEBSITE, AND IT IS EXTREMELY ROBUST AND VERY DETAILED, AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT HAVE GONE INTO THIS. UM, AND WAS PART OF THE BOARD THAT, UM, PUSHED THIS AND CHAMPIONED A ROBUST RECORDS, UM, RETENTION SCHEDULE PROCESS. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND IT, IT OFFERS OR INCLUDES A VERY DETAILED CLASSIFICATION OF RECORDS AND I CAN'T THINK OF ANY RECORDS THAT WOULD NOT BE COVERED WITHIN OUR CURRENT RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE, WHICH IS GREAT TO SEE. SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHAT RECORDS WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THERE THAT COULD BE FOUND IN THESE BOXES THAT ARE PICTURED IN OUR SLIDESHOW. BECAUSE YOU SAID WE COULD, STAFF COULD NOT FIND OR LOCATE RECORDS IF THEY HAD TO. SO MY QUESTION IS, HOW WOULD THE RETENTION SCHEDULES BE IMPLEMENTED IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT RECORDS EXIST IN THESE BOXES AND WE COULDN'T FIND THEM IF WE NEEDED TO? UM, DEPENDING ON THE CLASSIFICATIONS, EACH HAS ITS OWN SCHEDULE. IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE IN THE BOXES AND WE CAN'T PINPOINT WHAT THEY ARE, HOW COULD WE EFFECTIVELY FOLLOW THE RECORD RETENTION SCHEDULES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE FOR EACH CLASSIFICATION? SO I'M, I'M GOING [02:15:01] TO, UM, ASK MS. HOWIE TO COME FORWARD, UH, IN A MOMENT. HOWEVER, I'M REFERRING TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF IF, UM, I HAVE A POWERPOINT THAT I'M WORKING ON OR THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOUR YEARS AGO AND SOMEONE NOW SAYS, I'D LIKE THAT DOCUMENT, THE LIKELIHOOD OF YOU BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THAT DOCUMENT. BECAUSE WE HAVE BOXES UPON BOXES UPON BOXES BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS THROWN AWAY IN OUR OFFICE. SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO IN TERMS OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF YOU BEING ABLE TO PINPOINT THIS IS THE BOX THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GO AND FIND THIS COPY. * 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.