Nov 04, 2024 Board of Education Meeting

APPOINTMENTS, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ADMINISTRATIVE

[E. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Rogers) (6:50 - 7:00 p.m.)]

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I'M BRINGING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR YOUR APPROVAL THIS EVENING.

PRINCIPAL HEREFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, SOUTHWEST ACADEMY SUPERVISOR BUSINESS SYSTEMS, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND SENIOR STUDENT INFORMATION REPORTING ANALYST, DEPARTMENT OF APPLICATION AND NETWORK SECURITY SUPPORT SERVICES.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT E ONE? SO MOVE ESKI.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, SAVOY.

ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. CHIKE KLOW? YES.

TURN IT OVER TO DR. ROGERS.

AND A CLASSROOM TEACHER AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL IN HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS ROBIN BOMAR, PLEASE STAND.

ROBIN IS ATTENDING WITH HER HUSBAND, DAMON BOMAR AND HER SONS.

IF YOU ALL CAN BE STAND, STAND, PLEASED TO BE RECOGNIZED, SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE PRINCIPAL AT SOUTHWEST ACADEMY WITH FOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL.

PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

[00:05:01]

CONGRATULATIONS, MS. BOMAR.

NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS CHRISTIE MOORE GERMAN CHRISTIE, PLEASE STAND.

CHRISTIE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND, TRACY.

PLEASE STAND.

CHRISTY IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE PRINCIPAL AT HEREFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH 27 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AT PIKESVILLE MIDDLE AND LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL'S ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT WOODLAWN HIGH AND CATONSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.

CONGRATULATIONS.

NEXT APPOINTMENT NOT ATTENDING THIS EVENING IS RIHA KANDA.

SHE'S BEING APPOINTED AS THE SENIOR STUDENT INFORMATION REPORTING ANALYST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF APPLICATION AND NETWORK SECURITY SUPPORT SERVICES WITH 11 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE SSIS AND FILEMAKER, PRO DEVELOPER PROGRAMMER ANALYST IN THE OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS SPECIALIST STUDENT INFORMATION SERVICES, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF APPLICATION AND NETWORK SECURITY SUPPORT.

CONGRATULATIONS.

AND OUR FINAL APPOINTMENT IS JOHN SMITH.

JOHN IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SUPERVISOR FOR BUSINESS SYSTEMS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WITH NINE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

HIS PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ROUTING SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN AND SUPERVISOR ROUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE APPOINTEES.

OUR NEXT ITEM IS PUBLIC

[F. PUBLIC COMMENT (7:00 - 7:35 p.m.)]

COMMENT.

THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE, 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 ON BOARD DOCS AND ON THE BOARD'S PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC WEBSITE.

WHILE WE ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INPUT ON POLICY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THIS BOARD AND THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, THIS IS NOT THE PROPER FORM TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE MATTERS OR TO COMMENT ON MATTERS THAT DO NOT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.

INAPPROPRIATE PERSONAL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-P-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.

I NOW CALL ON OUR, OUR FIRST GROUP IS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS, AND I CALL ON MS. WEBER FROM THE PTA COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.

HELLO.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU, MS. WEBER.

AT WEST TOWSON ELEMENTARY.

GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR, PALM FREE, DR. ROGERS AND BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS.

I'M LESLIE WEBER, PRESIDENT OF THE PTA COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.

TONIGHT, I'D LIKE TO OFFER A QUICK UPDATE ON WHAT PTA COUNCIL HAS BEEN DOING SINCE THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR OVER THE SUMMER, AND CURRENTLY WE'RE TALKING TO AND MEETING WITH PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS, BE CPS STAFF, PRINCIPALS AND COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS ABOUT STARTING PTA UNITS AT A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS.

AS WE ALL KNOW, A STRONG PTA CONTRIBUTES TO A SCHOOL COMMUNITY IN SO MANY WAYS.

I'D LIKE TO THANK BCPS FOR ALLOWING PTA COUNCIL TO CONTRIBUTE EVERY MONTH TO THE BCPS PART PARTNERSHIP SPOT SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER.

IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE, I EXPLAINED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PTA, WHICH MEANS NATIONAL PTA, THE OLDEST AND LARGEST CHILD ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION IN THE COUNTRY, AND UNAFFILIATED PARENT GROUPS LIKE PTOS AND BOOSTER CLUBS WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT MONTHLY B-C-P-S-P-T-A LEADERSHIP ROUND TABLES BETWEEN DR. ROGERS, MS. CHARLIE GREEN, PTA COUNCIL, AND PTA PRESIDENTS ARE CONTINUING THIS YEAR.

THANK YOU TO SUE HAN OF THE OFFICE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR FACILITATING THESE SESSIONS.

THEY'RE A VALUABLE OP OPPORTUNITY FOR PTA PRESIDENTS TO ASK QUESTIONS AND SHARE FEEDBACK.

THEY ALWAYS RECEIVE THOUGHTFUL, DETAILED RESPONSES FROM DR. ROGERS AND MS. CHARLIE GREEN.

A SIGN OF THE STRONG P-T-A-B-C-P-S PARTNERSHIP IS OUR JOINT WORK ON DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND RESPONSIBLE CELL PHONE USE.

WE APPRECIATE BEING PART OF THE SCHOOL HEALTH COUNCIL AND ITS SOCIAL MEDIA WORK GROUP.

WE HELD OUR FIRST BIG TRAINING EVENT OF THE YEAR, OUR ANNUAL FALL WORKSHOPS IN GENERAL, MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 26TH

[00:10:01]

WE THANK WEST TOWSON FOR HOSTING US AND APPRECIATE ALL THE NEW AND RETURNING PTA OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS WHO ATTENDED.

IT WAS GREAT EVENT.

OUR NEXT GENERAL MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE IN JANUARY, AND WE'LL FOCUS ON LEGISLATION.

PTA COUNCIL REFLECTIONS CHAIR, JESS ROOST IS WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT ALL THE PTA UNITS TAKING PART IN NATIONAL PTA'S ANNUAL ARTS PROGRAM.

WE HAD MANY STATE LEVEL WINNERS LAST YEAR AND ONE NATIONAL WINNER.

WE HOPE FOR GREAT RESULTS THIS YEAR, TOO.

AMERICAN EDUCATION, AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK IS COMING UP, AND WE KNOW MANY PTAS WILL HOST HOSPITALITY TABLES FOR SCHOOL VISITORS.

THANKS TO ALL PTA LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO WORK TO MAKE THEIR SCHOOLS WARM AND WELCOMING PLACES, WE HOPE EVERYONE CONSIDERS BECOMING A MEMBER OF THEIR LOCAL PTA TO SUPPORT THE GOOD WORK OF OVER 130 PTA UNITS IN BCPS.

THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTE THEIR TIME AND TALENTS TO BETTER THEIR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.

MEMBERSHIP IS OPEN TO ALL, SO PLEASE JOIN US.

AND GOODNIGHT.

THANK YOU, MS. WEBER.

NEXT ARE OUR NON, ARE THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND FOR, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. JAFFE.

WE WILL COME BACK TO MR. JAFFE NEXT, OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS.

OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. SOFF.

WE WILL COME BACK TO MS. SOFF AS WELL.

UH, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. DR.

FARONE.

GOOD EVENING TO ALL, AND I REALLY THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.

THIS IS YOUR TIME, REALLY.

TODAY IS YOUR TIME.

I NEED YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE CALENDAR.

IS IT THE SAME AS LAST YEAR OR IS IT DIFFERENT? IMPROVED.

NOT IMPROVED.

SAME.

IS IT THE SAME AS THREE YEARS AGO? IS IT THE SAME OR DIFFERENT THAN FOUR YEARS AGO? SIX YEARS AGO.

SEVEN.

WELL, SEVEN YEARS AGO, THE BOARD APPROVED EQUAL HOLIDAYS AFTER MYSELF AND MY FELLOW, UM, CITIZEN JAMIL WORKED FOR 25 YEARS.

25 YEARS TO ACCOMPLISH EQUAL HOLIDAYS.

BUT SINCE DR. BERGER APPOINTED ME TO THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE IN 19 95, 96 UNTIL NOW, IT'S THE SAME.

IT'S REALLY THE SAME.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT TWEAK HERE, TWEAK THERE.

IT'S THE SAME.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS CHANGING AROUND US, AND THE CALENDAR SETS THE MESSAGE OF THE BOARD TO EVERYONE, STUDENTS, TEACHERS.

AND I'M REALLY STRUCK BY HOW THIS CALENDAR IS GIVEN TO YOU THE WAY IT IS.

NO FACTS.

IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT THIS CALENDAR IS GOING TO IMPROVE EDUCATION BY PRE-LABOR OR LENGTHY SPRING BREAK, I MEAN, I KNOW YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE THAT.

I REALLY DO.

I I, I I KNOW YOU ARE SO EDUCATED AND SO ELIGIBLE.

YOU KNOW, I WOULD NOT LENGTHY HOLIDAYS.

I NEED YOU TO THINK ABOUT THAT.

BECAUSE FOR US AS A NATION, I, WE CAN BE VERY STRONG MILITARY WISE.

WE CAN WIPE OUT THE WHOLE WORLD.

BUT IF WE KEEP WEAKENING OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND THIS CALENDAR REPRESENTS THAT, WE WILL NOT REALLY BE AROUND, YOU KNOW, WE CALENDAR HURTS MINORITIES, MOST AFRICAN AMERICANS, LATINOS, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT A GOOD CALENDAR.

I ASK YOU TO DO WHAT I SEND YOU BY EMAIL, AND I HOPE YOU REALLY DEBATED HONESTLY, AND NOT JUST REALLY JUST RUBBER STAMP IT AND AGREE FOR IT AND GET IT DONE AND OVER WITH.

THANK

[00:15:01]

YOU.

WE WILL GO BACK TO OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, UM, MR. JAFFE.

AND THEN WE WILL GO BACK TO OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS, MS. SOFF.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.

[G. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:35 - 7:40 p.m.)]

CONVERSATIONS AROUND SAFETY.

GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT THE NOVEMBER SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT IS TO SHARE WHERE WE HAVE BEEN, UM, SINCE THE SCHOOL YEAR HAS STARTED, OUR CURRENT NEXT STEPS AND, UH, WHAT WE WILL BE DOING BEYOND THE BUDGET SEASON.

SO WE BEGAN THE YEAR BY ENGAGING WITH OUR COMMUNITIES.

UH, WE HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT THERE WAS A NEED TO HAVE SOME FOCUS CONVERSATIONS ON SCHOOL SAFETY IN OUR SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS, UM, TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT STUDENTS WERE LEARNING ACROSS SCHOOLS.

SO WE WERE VERY PLEASED, UH, TO REPORT THAT WE HAD GREAT TURNOUTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAME OUT WITH A PROBLEM SOLVING MINDSET AND REALLY, UM, TALKED ABOUT SOLUTIONS TO, UH, CONTINUING TO CREATE, UH, CONDITIONS THAT REALLY SUPPORT THE LEARNING OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT AND LOOK FORWARD TO ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS IN THE FUTURE.

UM, LIKEWISE FOR OUR BCPS CURRICULUM NIGHTS, OUR DIVISION OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, UM, ALONG WITH THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS, UH, WAS AVAILABLE TO SHARE WITH FAMILIES, UH, VERY LARGE TURNOUT, UM, AT OUR, UM, SECOND, UH, BCPS CURRICULUM NIGHT, UM, WHERE PARENTS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FIRSTHAND TO INTERACT WITH THE CURRICULUM AS WELL AS THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE, UM, ACROSS TEAM BCPS AND ANSWER, UH, TO RECEIVE ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAD, UH, REGARDING WHAT THEIR STUDENTS WERE LEARNING.

UH, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE FAMILIES, UH, THAT CAME OUT AND INTERACTED WITH US.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO REMAIN ENGAGED WITH YOU.

SO IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN.

UM, CURRENTLY, UH, WHAT'S OUR NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS THE FY 26 BUDGET SEASON.

UM, A LITTLE LATER ON TODAY, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND MYSELF WILL PRESENT A BUDGET, UH, REPORT ON THE PROCESS TO DEVELOP AN OPERATING BUDGET.

WANTED TO CALL TO EVERYONE'S ATTENTION THAT WE DO HAVE FOUR OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, STAKEHOLDERS, UM, TO COME AND ENGAGE WITH US ABOUT, UH, NOT ONLY THE BUDGET PROCESS, BUT ALSO TO SHARE, UH, PRIORITIES AS THEY SEE IT.

UH, WE WILL CONTINUE THIS YEAR PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF INPUT, UM, THROUGH, UH, STAKEHOLDER SURVEYS PROVIDED IN MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE.

UM, OF COURSE, THE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE COMMUNITY, UH, CONVERSATIONS, OUR SYSTEM LEADERS.

WE WILL BE MEETING, UH, SEVERAL TIMES WITH OUR PRINCIPALS AS WELL AS OUR CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS, UM, AND HEARING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM DIVISION AND RECEIVING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.

AND THAT WILL BE SHARED AT A FUTURE, UH, BOARD MEETING.

UM, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE THAT OUR AREA ADVISORY COUNCILS ALSO HOST MEETINGS ON THE BUDGET.

AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE YOUR DIRECT FEEDBACK ON, UH, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU AND THAT, UH, THEY CAN, UH, EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN TURN TO OUR BUDGET 1 0 1 WEBSITE THAT HAS UPDATED INFORMATION.

UM, AND IT INCLUDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE BCPS OPERATING BUDGET PROCESS.

UH, WHAT WE ARE MOST PROUD OF, UH, WITH OUR BUDGET PROCESS IS OUR ABILITY TO ENGAGE STAFF IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.

UM, THIS HAS BEEN NOTED, UH, BY THE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION OF MARYLAND, UH, WHICH, UH, REQUESTED A, UH, SESSION FOR ALL OF OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENTS IN MARYLAND.

AND WE ALSO WILL BE PRESENTING AT THE, UH, NATIONAL, UM, CONFERENCE IN A FEW MONTHS, UH, HOSTING A ROUND TABLE WITH LEADERS ACROSS, UM, THE UNITED STATES ON AN OPEN AND INCLUSIVE BUDGET PROCESS.

SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING EVERYBODY'S FEEDBACK THIS YEAR AGAIN.

AND THE LAST THING, UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT'S NEXT, WE WANTED TO SHARE, UH, THAT, UH, TEAM BCPS IS WELL AWARE OF OUR FOUR MAJOR PRIORITIES THAT GUIDE OUR WORK.

UM, WE JUMPED RIGHT IN LAST YEAR BECAUSE WE KNEW THIS IS WHAT, UH, WE NEEDED TO DO, AND WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS WORK THIS YEAR.

WE ALSO

[00:20:01]

HAVE A TEAM THAT IS GOING TO BE, UM, DEVELOPING A, UH, VERY USER FRIENDLY STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, THAT IDENTIFIES OUR GOALS, UH, FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, OUR, UM, OUR TARGETS FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND, UH, WHAT OUR, UH, RESEARCH BASE IS FOR EACH ONE OF THESE, UH, PRIORITIES AND HOW WE WILL, UH, WORK TOGETHER TO GET THERE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND SO, UH, THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES AND MORE INFORMATION TO COME ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

WANNA PUT THIS ON YOUR RADAR THAT, UH, MORE INFORMATION IS COMING.

THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STAKEHOLDERS TO PROVIDE SOME, UM, FEEDBACK.

WE ALSO ARE USING ALL OF THE FEEDBACK THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO DATE TO REALLY INFORM OUR WORK AND THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE MOVING IN ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND SO WITH THAT, I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE.

THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS.

I WAS JUST INFORMED THAT ONE OF OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS FOR THE COMMUNITY GROUPS, UH, JUST ARRIVED.

SO I WILL CALL ON MR. JAFFE TO, UH, GIVE HIS PUBLIC COMMENT.

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE, UH, GIVE THIS, UM, FLYER OUT IF I COULD TO HER.

YOU COULD HAND THE FLYER TO SECURITY AND THEY WILL OKAY.

SHARE IT WITH US MS. STORE YET? NO, NOT YET.

NOT YET.

CAN YOU, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU HAVE TO SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE.

ARE YOU, AM I READY TO START NOW? OKAY.

FIRST, I WANT, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.

UH, IT'S BEEN SEVEN MONTHS SINCE I'M TRYING TO GET THE EAR OF THE POWERS TO BE.

WAIT, MR. JAFFE, COULD YOU HAVE TO, UH, SO COULD YOU PLEASE HAVE A SEAT AND THEN WOULD, UH, SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE.

THIS GUY HOW TO TEACH? NOW, WE WERE AT THE CURRICULUM WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LEARN HOW LAWS WERE PASSED.

YOU WANT ME TO SIT DOWN? YES, PLEASE.

ALRIGHT.

MY BODY MAY NOT BE ALL THAT GOOD, BUT I HOPE MY BRAIN POWER IS PRETTY GOOD.

ALRIGHT, SO THE FLYER YOU GOT GIVES A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHY I'M HERE.

SO FOR SEVEN MONTHS, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE ATTENTION OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THESE IMPORTANT DECISIONS.

AND I HAVE A PROGRAM THAT IS DESIGNED TO KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL WHO HAVE ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS. THEY'RE ENCOURAG, UH, THEY CAN'T GO ON WITH THEIR PARENTS, THEY CAN'T GO ON WITH THEIR CLASSMATES AND SO FORTH.

AND SO THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED FOR ANYBODY, BUT IN PARTICULAR FOR TROUBLED STUDENTS WHO NEED HELP.

AND THIS PROGRAM ISN'T GONNA COST THE TAXPAYERS ONE PENNY.

IT'S CALLED THE TWO TO MENTOR TEAM APPROACH.

AND BEFORE I TELL YOU HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS, I FEEL IT.

IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A, A PRE FOR ME TO TELL YOU A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT MYSELF, NOT TO BO TO BRAG, BUT JUST TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY.

UH, SOME PEOPLE THINK I'M A LAWYER, WHICH I FIND INSULTING.

SOME PEOPLE THINK I'M A, UH, POLITICIAN, WHICH IS EVEN MORE INSULTING.

AND SOME PEOPLE THINK I'M A RABBI.

I WISH I WERE, BUT I'M NOT.

BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I THINK I AM AS A PRETTY GOOD TEACHER, AND I THINK I CAN PROVE THAT TO YOU SO THAT I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

SO WHEN I FIRST STARTED TEACHING BACK AT RICHARD JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN LUTHERVILLE, NINTH GRADE IN 1964, AND ABOUT FIVE YEARS LATER, UH, A BIG SHOT COMES UP TO ME AND SAYS, J, WE'RE GIVING YOU A STUDENT TEACHER.

I'M THINKING, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? BUT THEY DID.

YOU KNOW, I HAD TO, I HAD TO SAY TO MYSELF, WHAT AM I GONNA DO TO SHOW

[00:25:01]

SO SOMEHOW I GOT THIS THOUGHT, MAYBE IT WAS MY MAKER PLANTED A SEED IN MY HEAD, AND I SAID TO MY STUDENTS, WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP AN IDEA, A BILL, AND THEN WE'RE GOING, INSTEAD OF USING THE TEXTBOOK APPROACH, WE'RE GOING OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD TO SEE IF WE CAN'T GET THIS BILL, UH, PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW BY THE PRESIDENT.

IT TOOK 11 MONTHS.

BUT I'M VERY PLEASED TO TELL YOU THAT ONE DAY WHEN I'M DRIVING TO, TO SCHOOL, WHEN I SIGN IN ABOUT IN THOSE DAYS, UM, I'M NOT PROUD OF THIS, BUT THIS IS THE TRUTH.

UH, I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOL AT 8 45.

I'M SORRY, I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT EIGHT 30, BUT I WAS, I WASN'T GETTING INTO 8 45.

AND, UH, IS THAT, IS THAT, THAT'S YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU, MR. JAFFE.

OKAY, YOUR HONOR, THANK YOU.

AND TO CONTINUE, I'LL CONTINUE THIS UPDATE.

SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS TO HEAR THEIR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.

OKAY, THANK YOU, MR. JAFFE AND I WILL GO BACK TO OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS.

UM, MS. COFF, GOOD EVENING.

I WISH I WOULD COME HERE WITH SOME BETTER NEWS, BUT I'M NOT, UNFORTUNATELY.

UM, WE REACHED THE END OF THE QUARTER, AND I'M ONLY SEEING TWO SCHOOLS ACTUALLY DOING THEIR JOB.

UM, THERE'S A CONTINUING, UH, LACK OF SUPPORT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS. THERE IS A CONTINUING FEELING THAT OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IS NOT THAT BIG A DEAL.

UM, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IS NOT THAT BIG A DEAL.

WELL, IF I NEED TO HAVE MY LETTERS MAGNIFIED, YES, IT IS A BIG DEAL.

THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT KEEPS CLAIMING THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION IS A PRIORITY.

TONIGHT, WE ARE UP AGAINST THE CCAC MEETING.

DOES EVERYBODY KNOW WHAT CCAC STANDS FOR? SPECIAL EDUCATION CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? NOBODY LOOKED AT THE CALENDAR.

THAT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING, THAT THE CAC MEETING IS OPPOSITE A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING.

THAT MEANS THAT PARENTS OF KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS CAN'T ATTEND THIS MEETING UNLESS THEY WANNA SKIP CAC.

AND TONIGHT WE ARE PLANNING FOR NEXT MONTH'S VISIT OF OUR SUPERINTENDENT.

SO THIS IS A MEETING THAT PEOPLE INTERESTED IN IMPROVING SPECIAL EDUCATION.

SHOULDN'T MEET, SHOULDN'T MISS, THAT'S A PROBLEM.

ONE LAST PROBLEM THAT I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF IS HOW THE SCHOOLS ARE BEING FORCED TO SCHEDULE IEP MEETINGS AND 5 0 4 MEETINGS.

I, I SEEM TO RECALL THAT TEACHERS SHOULDN'T HAVE MEETINGS DURING THEIR PLANNING SLASH CASE MANAGEMENT TIME.

THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING BECAUSE SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH COVERAGE.

THIS IS A SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT KEEPS PREACHING THAT THEY CARE ABOUT KIDS WITH DISABILITIES.

I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE, KNOWING WHAT I'M SEEING ON A CONSTANT BASIS.

DAY AFTER DAY, I WENT AWAY FOR FIVE DAYS AND I CAME BACK AND I FELT LIKE I WAS JUGGLING FIRE.

THAT SPEAKS.

THANK YOU, MS. SARA.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA

[H. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:40 - 7:50 p.m.)]

IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT.

SO IF WE CAN GET THAT PRESENT, UM, PULLED UP ON THE

[00:30:01]

SCREEN.

AND SO THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHAIR'S REPORT IS TO SHARE THE ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THE SCHOOL BOARD IN 2024.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU? WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO ENHANCE OUR BOARD OPERATIONS, IMPROVE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND ELEVATE STUDENT OUTCOMES? AND I WANNA START BY GROUNDING US IN THE VISION FOR THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, WHICH REALLY BOILS DOWN TO ENSURING THAT EVERY STUDENT IN EVERY SCHOOL AND EVERY COMMUNITY RECEIVES THE HIGHEST QUALITY EDUCATION TO GRADUATE CAREER AND COLLEGE READY.

THIS YEAR, WE ALSO ADOPTED A MORAL IMPERATIVE WHERE WE KNOW THAT ALL STUDENTS CAN AND WILL LEARN IN SAFE, INCLUSIVE, AND HIGH QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.

SO OUR VISION, OUR MORAL IMPERATIVE, AS WELL AS OUR MISSION.

I DIDN'T GO OVER, UM, THE MISSION, BUT THAT GROUNDED OUR WORK FOR 2024.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK IN OUR BOARD HANDBOOK, THERE ARE SOME KEY THINGS THAT, UM, THAT WE HAVE UPDATED IN THE BOARD HANDBOOK AND SOME KEY THINGS THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON.

THE FIRST IS PROFESSIONAL GROWTH.

WE EXPECT OUR TEACHERS TO CONTINUE TO GROW PROFESSIONALLY.

WE EXPECT OUR SCHOOL LEADERS, OUR STAFF, OUR SUPERINTENDENT, UM, AND AS A BOARD, WE MUST CONTINUE TO GROW PROFESSIONALLY AND LEARN EFFECTIVE PRACTICES, UM, FOR A BOARD GOVERNANCE NATIONALLY.

AND SO OVER THE COURSE OF 2024, WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES, EVERYTHING FROM EQUITY TRAINING TO PARTICIPATING IN THE, UM, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES PROVIDED BY MAB, UM, TO NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON, UM, FROM THE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION AND THE COUNCIL COUNCIL OF URBAN SCHOOL BOARDS.

AT EACH OF THESE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES, WE HAVE BROUGHT BACK EFFECTIVE PRACTICES TO DIRECTLY APPLY TO OUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, OUR INTERNAL OPERATIONS, AND HOW WE GOVERN.

AND SO USING THAT AS OUR FOUNDATION, LOOKING AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN, WE HAVE MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO OUR INTERNAL OPERATIONS SPECIFICALLY.

UM, WE HAVE UPDATED OUR HANDBOOK, AND IT'S A DETAILED DOCUMENT THAT GOES OVER OUR COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL.

IT GOES OVER ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HELP US INTERNALLY TO, TO FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY AS A BOARD.

WE HAVE ALSO ESTABLISHED BOARD GOALS.

UM, AND THIS PROVIDES DIRECTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO OUR WORK.

IT ALLOWS US TO GROUND OURSELVES AND TO KEEP US FOCUSED ON, UM, OUR GOVERNANCE RESPONSIBILITIES.

WE HAVE ALSO STREAMLINED COMMITTEES, AND WE DEFINE THE PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS ONCE AGAIN, TO FOCUS OUR WORK SO THAT OUR COMMITTEES CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION.

AND ALL OF THESE DOCUMENTS ARE POSTED ON OUR, UM, WEBSITE.

WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY ELECTED OFFICIALS, STAFF AND STUDENTS ALTOGETHER SINCE DECEMBER OF 2023.

UNTIL NOW, WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN OVER 97 COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL SYSTEM EVENTS.

AND THESE EVENTS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALLOWED US TO INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH THE PUBLIC.

WHEN YOU COME AND YOU GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT AT A BOARD MEETING, WE, THERE'S NO BACK AND FORTH WITH THE BOARD BECAUSE OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE BUSINESS MEETINGS THAT ARE BEING CONDUCTED IN THE PUBLIC.

BUT WHEN WE ARE AT A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION MEETING, WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE A MORE IN-DEPTH DIALOGUE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THERE'S A LOT OF FOLLOW-UP THAT HAPPENS AFTER THESE ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCES.

I CAN THINK OF ONE EXPERIENCE WHERE AFTER A A MEETING AFTER A COMMUNITY MEETING, TWO PARENTS AND I, WE WENT AND TO, TO THEIR SCHOOL, THEY HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR KIDS' HIGH SCHOOL.

SO THE TWO PARENTS, PRINCIPAL, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND I, WE ALL WENT, WERE AT THE SCHOOL, WALKED AROUND THE SCHOOL, GOT TO HEAR THE PARENTS, AND THERE WERE SOME, UM, AND, AND THEIR CONCERNS WERE ADDRESSED.

AND SO THESE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS, UM, ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD.

UM, AND IT WAS WELL OVER 97 OF THEM.

AND STILL COUNTING THE YEAR ISN'T DONE YET.

WE'VE ALSO ENGAGED WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND I THINK ONE WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.

AND WE ENGAGED WITH OUR TEACHERS AND OUR EDUCATION

[00:35:01]

I FEEL LIKE THE BREAKFAST THAT WE WENT TO WITH THE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION AND THE, UM, EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATIONS WAS PROBABLY THE THE MOST POWERFUL, UM, EXPERIENCE THAT WE PARTICIPATED IN BECAUSE WE GOT TO SIT AT TABLES WITH TEACHERS, WITH OUR SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS, REALLY HEAR THEIR CONCERNS.

AND IT HELPED TO INFORM THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THAT WE DEVELOPED AS A BOARD.

WE PARTICIPATED IN MAID'S LEGISLATION DAY WHERE WE WERE OUT IN ANNAPOLIS, UM, SIDE BY SIDE WITH MAE.

AND WE PROVIDED TESTIMONY, UM, AND PARTICIPATED IN PRESS CONFERENCES TO EITHER PROVIDE INFORMATION ON BILLS THAT WE HAD CONCERN WITH, OR TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR PROPOSED LEGISLATION BOARD MEMBERS.

THIS YEAR, THEY HAVE VISITED 70 SCHOOLS.

THESE VISITS ARE SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ARE ABLE TO SEE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN ACTION.

WE'RE ABLE TO TALK WITH TEACHERS, WITH STUDENTS, UM, AND WITH SCHOOL LEADERS.

AND WHAT WE HEAR DURING THESE SCHOOL VISITS DIRECTLY INFORM REVISIONS TO POLICIES AND OTHER GOVERNANCE, UH, AND OTHER GOVERNANCE RESPONSIBILITIES.

WE'VE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN 29 GRADUATIONS.

UM, AND OUR, OUR MAIN ROLE AT GRADUATIONS IS TO CONFER THE DIPLOMAS, BUT ALSO TO CELEBRATE OUR STUDENTS.

AND SO, I JUST WANNA PAUSE BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA TAKE THESE NUMBERS LIGHTLY.

BEING ON A BOARD, IT'S A VOLUNTEER POSITION.

THE PEOPLE SITTING AROUND THIS DAIS, THEY HAVE FULL-TIME JOBS.

SOME OF THEM, SOME OF THEM ARE TAKING CARE OF KIDS OR THEIR PARENTS, AND THEY ARE INVOLVED IN OTHER ACTIVITIES, BUT YET THEY HAVE TAKEN TIME TO PARTICIPATE, NOT JUST IN ALL THESE BOARD MEETINGS, BUT IN ALL THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, ALL THE SCHOOL VISITS, ALL THE SCHOOL EVENTS.

SO IT IS QUITE A HEAVY LIFT WHEN YOU ARE A BOARD MEMBER AND IT'S A DEDICATION OF TIME.

AND SO I REALLY WANTED TO APPRECIATE AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THE TIME THAT ALL EACH BOARD MEMBER HAS PUT IN TO INFORM THE GOVERNANCE OF THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AND WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER.

SHE HAS JUST BEEN PHENOMENAL, UM, WITH HER COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS, WITH ALL THE WONDERFUL VIDEOS THAT SHE HAS DEVELOPED, ALL OF HER SCHOOL VISITS, ALL OF THE PANELS THAT SHE HAS SERVED ON.

UM, WE HEAR, I HEAR GREAT THINGS ABOUT OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, UM, FROM OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.

UM, I KNOW HOW GREAT SHE IS AND IT'S REAFFIRMING WHEN I'M JUST TALKING WITH SOMEONE AND THEY SAY, OH, YOU, YOU HAVE THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT BOARD MEMBER.

SHE'S ONE OF THE BEST.

SO, UM, SO VERY PROUD OF OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER AND ALL THAT SHE HAS DONE DURING HER TIME.

AND AS A BOARD, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.

WHETHER IT'S HONORING OUR TEACHER OF THE YEAR, INSPIRING HOPE OR WELCOMING NEW BOARD MEMBERS, WE SHOW UP AND WE CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AND COLLECTIVELY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS, HAS GROWN THIS YEAR, UM, AND IT STARTED, IT REALLY STARTED LAST YEAR WHEN WE, UM, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CHAIR LICHTER AND VICE CHAIR HARVEY, AND CONTINUED ON UNDER, UH, VICE CHAIR PUMP FREE.

AND I, UM, YOU SEE THAT WE HAVE REALLY HAD HAD A KEEN FOCUS ON EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE PRACTICES.

AND THIS HAS ALLOWED US TO ADOPT A BALANCED BUDGET, TO REVISE POLICIES, TO APPROVE ALL, ALL OF THOSE KEY STAFF APPOINTMENTS AND CONTRACTS AND TO IMPLEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES THAT HAVE RESULTED IN ENHANCED OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS.

SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK EACH BOARD MEMBER.

IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR SERVING AS CHAIR, AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD IN DECEMBER TO PASSING THE GAVEL ON TO THE NEXT BOARD CHAIR.

SO THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS.

YOU ALL HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB THIS YEAR.

VERY EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE.

AND WITH

[I. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:50 - 7:55 p.m.)]

THAT, I'M GONNA PASS IT ON TO OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER.

WELL, FIRSTLY, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT SHOUT OUT.

THANK YOU .

AND SO CAS.

GOOD EVENING BOARD CHAIR BROOKE OF DWYER, VICE CHAIR, HUMPHREY SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS BOARD MEMBERS, BCPS STAFF, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND OF COURSE STUDENTS.

AS YOUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, I AM THRILLED TO BE HERE AND REPRESENT ALL OF YOUR VOICES.

AND THESE PAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN INSPIRING.

I'M HAPPY TO SEE ALL OF THE WORK HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT, MOVING US CLOSER TO A SCHOOL SYSTEM WHERE EVERY STUDENT TRULY DOES FEEL HEARD.

AND TONIGHT I'LL BE SHARING SOME UPDATES, BUT WITH A TWIST.

INSTEAD OF MY LONG SPEECH, I'VE MADE A VIDEO, WHICH IS STILL KIND OF LONG, BUT TO KICK THINGS OFF.

I RECENTLY HAD THE AMAZING PRIVILEGE AT SPEAKING

[00:40:01]

AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY IN DC AT THE DEMOCRACY EVENT, FOCUSED ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FOR YOUNG WOMEN.

THIS EVENT WAS AN INSPIRING EXPERIENCE AS I HAD THE CHANCE TO ENGAGE WITH A ROOM FULL OF YOUNG WOMEN FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

STANDING THERE, SEEING SO MANY FACES THAT CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE WAS A REMINDER OF WHY WE DO THIS WORK TO CREATE A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE'S VOICE COUNTS.

NEXT, LET'S TALK SCHOOL SAFETY.

ONE OF THE TOP CONCERNS FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND PARENTS ALIKE.

AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO ESTABLISH THE STUDENT SCHOOL SAFETY ADVISORY BOARD.

I'VE BEEN COLLABORATING WITH MR. KNOX AND MS. MUSTER, WHO ARE KEY FIGURES IN OUR SCHOOL SAFETY AROUND THE SCHOOL.

WE'RE BUILDING A PLATFORM FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE A REAL VOICE IN THE SAFETY POLICIES THAT AFFECT US EVERY DAY.

SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE UPDATES BECAUSE THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING YOU WANT TO STAY TUNED FOR.

I'M ALSO THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE JUST HELD OUR FIRST BOSS OR BOARD OF SELECTED STUDENTS MEETING.

TO THOSE OF YOU ALREADY EMBOSSED, GET READY FOR AN EXCITING YEAR.

THIS ISN'T JUST GOING TO BE ANOTHER FEEDBACK GROUP.

I'M ACTUALLY WORKING ON TRANSFORMING BOSS INTO AN ACTION ORIENTED STUDENT SOLUTIONS NETWORK.

THIS MEANS YOU'LL NOT ONLY SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS, BUT YOU'LL ACTIVELY SHAPE REAL SOLUTIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE BCPS.

IMAGINE BEING ON A TEAM THAT DIRECTLY IMPACTS STUDENT ISSUES AND CREATES INITIATIVES THAT SOLVE THE PROBLEMS WE SEE IN OUR SCHOOLS EVERY DAY.

SO AS THE YEAR PROGRESSES, I'LL BE WORKING TO BUILD OUT THIS STRUCTURE.

SO BOSS BECOMES MY CORE ADVISORY TEAM, SERVING AS LIAISONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND THE BOARD.

THIS IS DEFINITELY A HUGE STEP FORWARD IN MAKING STUDENT VOICES A DRIVING FORCE IN BCPS, AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR.

NOW, A QUICK SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY STUDENTS.

YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER.

I KNOW THIS SEASON HAS BEEN HECTIC FOR EVERYONE.

SENIORS, YOU JUST HIT THAT NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE FOR EARLY ACTION COLLEGE APPLICATIONS.

SO YOU'VE EARNED A BREATHER.

WELL, I GUESS MAYBE JUST A LITTLE QUICK ONE, BECAUSE SOME OF YOU KNOW YOU STILL HAVE EARLY ACTION DEADLINES ON NOVEMBER 15TH AND MORE REGULAR DECISION APPLICATIONS COMING UP IN JANUARY.

BUT TRUST ME, I SEE YOU WORKING HARD AND I'M CHEERING YOU ON EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, JUNIORS AND EVEN SOPHOMORES.

YOU'VE KNOCKED OUT THE P SATS.

THAT IS NO SMALL FEE.

NOW THAT WE'RE KICKING OFF THE SECOND QUARTER, TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT WHAT'S WORKING.

WHAT CAN YOU ADJUST AND WHERE CAN YOU ACTUALLY REACH OUT FOR MORE? DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE RESOURCES BCPS HAS FOR YOU, INCLUDING BCPS, TALKSPACE.

WE CAN GET TIPS, UNWIND OR TALK WITH A LICENSED THERAPIST AND KEEP OUT FOR A NEW RESOURCE SHEET THAT'S COMING TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF EVERYTHING WE OFFER.

YOU'VE GOT THIS AND START THE SECOND QUARTER STRONG.

NOW LET'S TALK UPCOMING EVENTS.

THIS NOVEMBER, I'M HOSTING A TOWN HALL FOCUSED ON STUDENT VOICE.

WE'LL BE DIVING INTO SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FROM HOW STUDENTS' VOICES ARE ACTUALLY BEING REFLECTED IN B CCP S POLICIES TO LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE MISSING, AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO BETTER SUPPORT YOU? PLUS THERE'S AN UPCOMING BCSC OR BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCIL'S MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR TO OPEN THE CONVERSATION UP ABOUT MENTAL WELLBEING, WHETHER IT'S ABOUT ACCESSING COUNSELING OR TIPS FOR MANAGING STRESS.

OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE STUDENTS CAN SHARE THEIR NEEDS AND FIND SUPPORT.

NOW, TEASER TIME, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON INTRODUCING REAL TALK.

THIS IS AN INSTAGRAM REEL SEGMENT THAT WILL BRING YOU ALL THE LATEST BCPS UPDATES.

BUT HERE'S THE CATCH.

WE'RE DOING IT IN 60 TO 90 SECONDS OR LESS.

I KNOW YOU'RE ALL BUSY, SO WE WANTED TO KEEP IT QUICK, FUN AND TO THE POINT.

PLUS, IT WON'T JUST BE ME ON SCREEN.

TRUST ME, EVEN I GET TIRED OF SEEING MY FACE.

WE'LL HAVE A ROTATION OF STUDENT SHARING THESE UPDATES.

SO YOU GET TO HEAR FROM A DIVERSE GROUP OF VOICES FROM ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.

SO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR A REAL TALK ON INSTAGRAM SOON.

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT.

ALSO, CHAT CAFE IS COMING BACK AND IT WILL NOT JUST BE ME.

YOU'LL SEE IT WITH SO MANY THINGS FROM SMALL ON THE STREETS WHERE WE HEAR DIRECTLY FROM STUDENTS AND SPOTLIGHT THEIR VOICES TO BCPS BROUGHT TO YOU WHERE YOU SEE THE GREATNESS OF SO MANY ACTIVE STUDENT LEADERS IN OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND SO MUCH MORE.

TRUST ME, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS SEGMENT AS IT COMES BACK.

NOW, THIS IS A BIG ONE.

TOMORROW'S ELECTION DAY FOR EVERYONE WHO WAS ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED.

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.

YOU USE YOUR VOICE TO ELECT ME.

NOW IT'S YOUR TIME TO USE IT IN AN EVEN BIGGER WAY.

VOTING IS ABOUT SHAPING THE FUTURE.

YOU WANT TO SEE, WHETHER IT'S IN OUR SCHOOLS, OUR COUNTY, OR BEYOND, JUST LIKE YOU'RE NOT STATIC PIECES IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, YOUR ACTIVE VOICES IN THE WORLD.

SO BUILD A WORLD THAT REFLECTS WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU VALUE.

AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR NEAREST POLLING STATION, HEAD TO I WILL VOTE.COM.

YOUR VOICE MATTERS.

SO GO OUT AND MAKE IT COUNT.

AND SPEAKING OF EXCITING EVENTS, I'M THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT I'LL BE SPEAKING AT THE JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT LEADING LADIES EVENT SOON.

I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET SO MANY OF YOU, AND I'M BEYOND EXCITED TO SEE EVERYONE THERE.

NOW I JUST WANNA SAY ONE MORE TIME, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE IN OUR BCPS FAMILY, STUDENTS, STAFF, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, EVERYONE, EVERY INITIATIVE WE'RE WORKING ON WOULDN'T BE

[00:45:01]

POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT, ENERGY AND SUPPORT.

BECAUSE AS YOUR SM I HAVE THREE MAIN GOALS THIS YEAR, AMPLIFYING STUDENT VOICES, SUPPORTING STUDENT WELLNESS, AND CELEBRATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS.

SO I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING YOU BECAUSE NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU.

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL THE EXCITING THINGS WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR.

SEE YOU SOON.

BYE .

OKAY, SO I DID SAY STAY TUNED FOR A LOT.

I TOLD YOU IT WAS GONNA BE A LITTLE LONG, BUT I DID SAY STAY TUNED FOR A LOT, BUT THAT REALLY DOES RING TRUE.

THERE IS A LOT IN THE WORKS AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THEM UNRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND JUST TO SEE THE GREATNESS OF STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.

IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE YOU GUYS IN JUST THE PAST THREE MONTHS.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MS. CHICA KALU.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA

[J. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - PROPOSED 2025-2026 SCHOOL CALENDAR (Ms. Charley-Greene and Ms. Bielski) (7:55 - 8:05 p.m.)]

IS CONSIDERATION OF THE PROPOSED 25 20 26 SCHOOL CALENDAR.

AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MS. CHARLIE GREEN AND MS. BISKY.

YEP.

YES, MR. MCMILLION, I HAVE A MOTION I'D LIKE TO MAKE, I MOVE THAT THE 2026 DASH 27 CALENDAR COMMITTEE CREATE BOTH PRE AND POST LABOR DAY CALENDARS PRESENT TO OUR BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE FALL OF 2025.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

ANY DISCUSSION MA, MS. HARVEY? CAN MR. MCMILLIAN, CAN YOU SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION PLEASE? I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED AN OPTION AND, UH, THERE'S A GROUP OF PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT THINK WE NEED A PRE, PRE AND A POST.

AND I AGREE WITH THAT RATHER THAN JUST, AND I, I THINK THE WAY TO DO THIS IS AS THEY'RE CREATING THE NEXT YEAR'S CALENDAR, THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO BOTH RATHER THAN ASK THEM NOW TO GO BACK AND DO THAT.

I'M NOT FOR THAT, DOING THAT WORK OVER AGAIN.

BUT AS THEY CONSTRUCT THE 26 27 CALENDAR, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE IT IN FRONT OF 'EM.

LET'S DO A PRE AND A POST AND PRESENT IT TO US SO WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE INPUT INTO IT.

YES, MS. MINOSKI? YEAH, JUST TO THAT POINT, UM, IF WE COULD GO BACK AND MAYBE DO ANOTHER, UM, SURVEY OF BCPS COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND STUDENTS.

'CAUSE THE LAST ONE THAT WE WENT OVER WAS, UH, 2019 OR 2020.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN 2019, THE SURVEY.

WELL, THAT WAS BCPS EMPLOYEES WAS 22.

BUT THE, UM, COMMUNITY CALENDAR SURVEY WAS IN 2019 AND BOTH OF THOSE SURVEYS CAME BACK THAT THEY WANTED THE POST.

AND IT WAS, UM, MOSTLY LED BY THE TABCO ENDORSEMENT OF DOING A PRE, WHICH I MEAN, I'VE ALWAYS SAID I'M IN FAVOR OF THE PRE, BUT I THINK THAT IT, IT SHOULD BE REVISITED AND THAT WE SHOULD BE GIVEN MORE OF AN OPTION SINCE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT IT AFFECTS.

MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE MS. CHI KALO? NO.

MS. BOOKER DWYER? NO.

SO, MS. BILL, MS. BISKY, AND MS. CHARLIE GREEN.

GOOD EVENING, BOARD CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR POEY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

I'M HERE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING WITH MS. JOEL BISKY, OUR DIRECTOR OF STAFF RELATIONS, TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION A PROPOSED CALENDAR FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR.

AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MS. BISKY WHO'LL GO THROUGH A SHORT PRESENTATION AFTER WHICH WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION.

THE BOARD HAS BISKY.

INTO THE CALENDAR AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, UH, FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER.

GOOD EVENING, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH BOARD POLICY AND SUPERINTENDENT'S ROLE 63 0 1, THE SUPERINTENDENT IS CHARGED WITH CONVENING A COMMITTEE TO ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHOOL CALENDAR.

THE COMMITTEE MET ON MAY 6TH, 2024 AND MAY 13TH, 2024 TO DEVELOP A CALENDAR FOR THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY SHARED WITH YOU.

SINCE THEN, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON BOTH VERSIONS.

TONIGHT I WOULD LIKE TO, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

THE 20 25 26 CALENDAR ENCOMPASSES 191 TEACHER DAYS, 180 ELEMENTARY, UH, STUDENT DAYS, AND 181 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT DAYS WITH AN ADDITIONAL THREE DAYS BUILT

[00:50:01]

OH, THANKS.

AS DISCUSSED AT OUR INITIAL PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD, A PRE-LABOR DAY START HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND IT ALLOWS THE SYSTEM TO PROVIDE DATA TO MSDE THAT HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON EDUCATIONAL FUNDING.

THEREFORE, THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE FOCUSED ON PRE-LABOR DAY START CALENDAR OPTIONS FOR THE 25 26 CALENDAR.

THE DATA ON THIS SLIDE WAS PREVIOUSLY SHARED AND PROVIDES JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS DECISION.

OUR, OUR UNION LEADS ARE MEMBERS OF THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE AND EACH OF THEM ADVOCATES FOR THE PRE-LABOR DAY START ON BEHALF OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP.

THIS SLIDE CAPTURES THEIR STATEMENTS AND SUPPORT OF THE PRE-LABOR DAY START.

THE MAJORITY OF SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND OPEN PRIOR TO LABOR DAY.

AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, THE COUNTY'S MOST SIMILAR TO BCPS IN SIZE AND DEMOGRAPHICS OFFER A PRE-LABOR DAY START DATE FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF.

17 OUT OF 24 SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND OPENED THEIR DOORS FOR STUDENTS PRIOR TO LABOR DAY ONE CHARGE OF THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE IS TO HONOR THE BOARD'S DIRECTIVE FOR THE RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS TO BE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS.

THESE HOLIDAYS COUNT AS TEACHER DUTY DAYS, BUT DO NOT COUNT AS STUDENT LEARNING DAYS.

THEREFORE, THESE DAYS MUST BE PART OF OUR OVERALL CALCULATION AND CONSIDERATION.

SO WE DO NOT GO OVER THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TEACHER DUTY DAYS.

AS A REMINDER, WITH THE SIX HOLIDAYS THAT ALL OCCURRED DURING THE SCHOOL WEEK IN WHICH STUDENTS HAVE OFF AND TEACHERS ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THERE WAS AN IMBALANCE IN THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF TEACHER DAYS VERSUS STUDENT DAYS AS STUDENTS WERE IN SCHOOL OF, OF A TOTAL OF 180 DAYS, WHICH IS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT.

AND TEACHERS WERE SCHEDULED TO WORK 192 DAYS, WHICH IS OVER ONE BY ONE DUTY DAY PER THE TABCO MASTER AGREEMENT.

THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE MAJORITY VOTE AND THE VOTE OF OUR UNION PARTNERS IS FOR VERSION ONE OF THE PROPOSED SCHOOL CALENDAR.

I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.

THANK YOU, MS. BIELSKI AND MS. CHARLIE GREEN.

AND I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT PRE-LABOR DAY VERSUS POST-LAB DAY, AND I FEEL LIKE FOCUSING ON PRE OR POST LABOR DAY, THAT'S FOCUSING ON THE WRONG ISSUE.

IF WE TRU, IF WE TRULY WANT TO MAXIMIZE OUR STUDENT LEARNING, WE NEED TO THINK BIGGER WHEN IT COMES TO THE CALENDAR, NOT PRE AND POST LABOR DAY.

IF WE'RE TRULY LOOKING AT MAKING A DIFFERENCE, THEN WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW CAN WE MAXIMIZE THE INSTRUCTIONAL DAY AND HOW CAN WE MINIMIZE SUMMER LEARNING LOSS.

I'M NOT INTERESTED IN PRE AND POST DISCUSSION.

I'M INTERESTED IN TRIMESTER SCHEDULES.

HOW CAN WE GET STUDENTS IN CLASS AND IN SCHOOL LONGER PERIODS OF TIME? HOW CAN WE HAVE THOSE AUTHENTIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH CAMPS AND OTHER, UM, OPPORTUNITIES? AND SO, UM, SO THAT'S WHY I VOTED NO ON THE LAST MOTION BECAUSE WE CAN KEEP GOING BACK AND FORTH ABOUT PRE OR POST LABOR DAY.

THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE HERE.

THE ISSUE IS ABOUT THE BIGGER PICTURE WHEN IT COMES TO THE CALENDAR, WHICH IS RESTRICTED BY STATE LAW.

SO I THINK UNTIL WE ADDRESS THAT BIG ROCK PRE AND POST DOESN'T, DOESN'T EVEN MATTER.

WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE STATE LAW THAT REDUCE THAT, THAT RESTRICTS US IN THE NUMBER OF CALENDAR DAYS AND HOURS THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS, UM, IN CLASS.

SO, UM, SO I AM ALL FOR THIS PRE-LABOR DAY CALENDAR BECAUSE IT, WITH THE, THE CONSTRICTIONS THAT WE HAVE, UM, THIS CALENDAR WILL AT LEAST MAXIMIZE WHAT WE CAN DO DURING THAT TIME.

SO I'M ALL FOR THIS CALENDAR.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSIONS, MS. RUMPA? UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I, UM, WAS GOING TO ASK ABOUT, THANK YOU TO MR. MCMILLION, AND WE'RE ALREADY BRINGING THOSE TO, UM, THE FOREFRONT.

UM, SO THE QUESTION I HAD WAS JUST FROM ONE OF THE SLIDES WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT THE STRAW POLE OF THE TAPCO BUILDING REPRESENTATIVES.

UM, I GUESS COULD YOU SPEAK ON THAT? LIKE HOW, HOW LARGE WAS THAT POLE AND THEN IF IT WAS JUST TAP CODE, DOES THAT MEAN THEN IT DID NOT INCLUDE OUR OTHER BARGAINING UNITS, OUR OTHER REPRESENTATIVES? UM, AND THEN I GUESS THE SECOND QUESTION WOULD BE, UM, IF, YOU KNOW, WHY DIDN'T WE DO A SURVEY AGAIN, KIND OF JUST TO ASK EITHER OUR, UM, THE TEACHERS OR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE ABOUT A PRE VERSUS POST LABOR DAY START? SO, UM, THE, THE POLL WAS RUN BY TABCO.

THAT WAS, UM, PRESIDENT SEC SEXTON'S DECISION TO, TO PURSUE THAT.

UM, SO THAT WAS NOT OUR, UM, ENDEAVOR.

UM, TO ADDRESS YOUR OTHER QUESTION, UM, BECAUSE OF THE SIX HOLIDAYS THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT,

[00:55:01]

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PRE, AT A POST LABOR DAY START, THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WOULD'VE BEEN BEEN DAYS BEFORE OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS BEGIN.

SO THERE WOULD VIRTUALLY BE NO TIME FOR, UM, FOR PLANNING FOR, YOU KNOW, TRANSITIONING FOR, FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. SO WE, IT'S NOT THAT WE DIDN'T LOOK AT PRE, WE COULDN'T MAKE IT WORK IN THE TIME AND THE CONSTRICTIONS WE HAD TO DEAL WITH, IT'S RARE.

THIS, I'M SORRY.

NO, YOU PLEASE GO AHEAD.

IT'S RARE THIS YEAR THAT ALL SIX OF THOSE HOLIDAYS ARE ON A WEEKDAY.

OFTENTIMES THEY FALL ON A WEEKEND.

AND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THOSE DAYS, BUT THIS YEAR ALL SIX DO.

SO THAT WAS AN ADDITIONAL CONSTRAINT.

SORRY, YOU SAID WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, SO WE, OH WAIT, MS. CHARLIE GREEN, YOU HAD NO, MS. BIELSKI MADE THE POINT THAT I WAS MAKING ABOUT THE WEEK THE HOLIDAYS FALLING A WEEKDAYS THIS YEAR.

VERY UNIQUE SITUATION.

OKAY, MS. DOKI, I, UM, WE COULDN'T REDUCE ANY OF THE, THE WINTER BREAK OR FALL BREAK OR SPRING BREAK IS, DO WE HAVE THAT IN LIKE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME OFF? IT'S NOT IN THE CONTRACT.

UM, THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME OFF, UM, WE, WE DIDN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT THAT.

UM, JUST BASICALLY OPERATING WITH IT WITH WHAT THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE HAS, THE PARAMETERS THAT WE'VE WORKED AROUND IN THE PAST.

I'M JUST LOOKING, 'CAUSE I KNOW THE MANDATED SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR THAN IT'S THANKSGIVING THROUGH THAT SUNDAY.

SO YOU HAVE TO BE CLOSED FOR THAT THURSDAY AND THAT FRIDAY AND THEN, UH, FOR, IT'S THE EASTER SUNDAY TO EASTER MONDAY.

SO IT'S REALLY ONLY FOUR TOTAL DAYS, BUT WE HAVE MUCH LONGER SPRING AND, UH, WINTER BREAKS.

SO WAS THERE TALK OF REDUCING THAT SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO EXTEND THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE PRE, YOU KNOW, A PREOR POST AND THEN OUR KIDS, THERE WASN'T AS MUCH OF A BREAKUP IN THEIR EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR.

IT WASN'T A CONVERSATION DURING CALENDAR COMMITTEE MEETINGS, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT IN UPCOMING, UM, CONVERSATIONS.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I JUST HAVE A QUICK COMMENT.

OH YES, MS. HUMPHREY.

UM, JUST, UM, AS IT RELATES TO, UM, MR. MCMILLAN'S MOTION THAT WAS GRANTED, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REQUEST THAT WE AND MORE SPECIFICALLY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR THE PUBLIC, UM, BE PRESENTED WITH DATA NEXT GO AROUND REGARDING, UM, HOW STARTING POST LABOR DAY, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, PRE-LABOR DAY INCREASES STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IF POSSIBLE.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE VERSION ONE OF THE PROPOSED 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL CALENDAR AS RECOMMENDED BY THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE.

SO MOVE LICHTER.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

CHIKE.

KALU.

ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. CHIKE KLU? YES.

THANK YOU MS. CHARLIE GREEN.

THANK YOU MS. BIELSKI.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA

[L. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Mr. Hartlove and Dr. Grim) (8:10 - 8:25 p.m.)]

IS CONTRACT AWARDS.

AND FOR THAT I CALL ON MR. YOUNG CHAIR OF THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MET ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31ST, 2024.

ITEMS L ONE THROUGH L 15 ARE BEING FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL.

THANK YOU MR. YOUNG.

BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATION REQUESTS? DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MADAM CHAIR? OH, MS. HIN, THANK YOU.

I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING L 15.

ANY OTHER SEPARATION REQUESTS? SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS L ONE THROUGH L 14.

SO MOVED.

FONG NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM COMMITTEE.

ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE.

ANY DISCUSSION? MS. HINT? THANK YOU.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO, IN MR, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM L 15.

SO MOVED.

NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.

[01:00:01]

UM, I HAVE A MOTION RELATED TO L 15 THAT I WAS HOPING TO MAKE BEFORE WE VOTE ON L 15.

I INTEND TO SUPPORT L 15, BUT I HAVE A RELATED MOTION.

SO I WOULD MOVE TO AMEND THE MOTION.

SO I THOUGHT YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT L 15.

I HAVE A MOTION TO AMEND IF IT'S, UM, WE MAY NEED ADVICE FROM COUNSEL, WHETHER IT'S CLOSELY ENOUGH RELATED TO AMEND THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO, UM, SUPPORT IT OR IF I MAY MAKE IT AFTER WE VOTE ON IT.

MADAM CHAIR, IT'S RELATED TO THIS ITEM.

AFTER WE VOTE ON THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR, I MAY, MAY I EXPLAIN MY MOTION? IT WOULD PERHAPS BE CLEARER IF I MAY.

AND SO AND SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR AND YOU WANT TO AMEND THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE FLOOR.

I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO MAKE THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, UM, PUBLIC AND THE EXEC.

LAST TIME THE BOARD CONSIDERED THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, WE REQUESTED THE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR CONSIDERATION.

AND I WOULD LIKE THAT FEASIBILITY, THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

AND MS. HIN, THAT IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, MADAM CHAIR, NOT THE FULL FEASIBILITY STUDY.

UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DOES NOT PRESENT ANY CONCERNS.

IT'S, IT, IT ABSOLUTELY PRESENTS, UM, CONCERN.

SO BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION, SO WE, SO YOU, YOU MOVE TO AMEND THAT MOTION TO ADD TO, TO MAKE THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PUBLIC.

IS THAT THE YES.

IT'S TO APPROVE THIS CONTRACT RECOMMENDATION AS WELL AS TO MAKE THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY PUBLIC.

SO THE EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, THAT'S A SEPARATE MOTION.

SO LET'S DEAL WITH THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR THAT, UM, TO APPROVE ITEM L 15.

AND THEN YOU CAN MAKE ANOTHER MOTION ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

SO, UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS? L 15? MR. MC.

OH, MR. MCM.

SECOND.

UM, WELL, NO SECOND IS NEEDED.

SO THE MS. MCMILLION MADE THE MOTION.

NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM COMMITTEE.

ANY DISCUSSION ON L 15? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE.

MS. BOOKER DRYER? YES.

SULASKI, ANY DISCUSSION DR. ROGERS? YES.

SO MS. HEN, YOU MAY MAKE YOUR MOTION.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

I MOVE TO MAKE THE SPARES POINT MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL FEASIBILITY STUDY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

DO YOU PLAN TO HAVE THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AVAILABLE THAT EVENING? ABSOLUTELY.

UH, WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE IS OUR COMMON PRACTICE HAS BEEN AFTER WE SHARE, HAVE THE COMMUNITY MEETING WHERE WE, UH, SHARE THE, UH, COMPONENTS OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR ALL OF OUR LARGE PROJECTS.

WE ALSO ALWAYS, UM, PROVIDE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

AND SO THAT'S SOME INFORMATION THAT WE PROVIDED IN ADVANCE THAT WE WERE GOING TO DO FOR THIS PROJECT SINCE IT INVOLVES A HIGH SCHOOL AND A MIDDLE SCHOOL ANYWAY, UM, THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY GOING TO POST THE SLIDES FROM THE COMMUNITY PRESENTATION, BUT WE WERE ALSO CREATING AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THAT WOULD BE POSTED FOR THE PUBLIC ON OUR WEBSITE.

SO THAT'S JUST INFORMATION FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE.

MADAM CHAIR, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? MAY I SPEAK TO MY MOTION? MS. THANK YOU.

UM, AS THIS DOCUMENT WAS INV, UM, USED FOR THE DECISION THAT THE BOARD JUST REACHED ON THE APPROVAL OF THIS CONTRACT RECOMMENDATION, I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE PUBLIC HAVE ACCESS TO THE DOCUMENT, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT WHEN THIS MOTION WAS CONSIDERED LAST TIME, THE BOARD DECIDED TO POSTPONE OUR DECISION, UM, CONTINGENT ON THE RECEIPT OF THIS DOCUMENT.

SO GIVEN THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED THE DOCUMENT, IT WAS DISCUSSED IN OPEN SESSION, WE RECEIVED IT PRIVATELY.

UM, THE DECISION WAS MADE IN PUBLIC LAST TIME TO POSTPONE THE DECISION WAS NOW MADE IN PUBLIC TO APPROVE.

I BELIEVE THIS INFORMATION WOULD BE TIME, UM, TIMELY, UM, RECEIVED BY THE PUBLIC, SHOULD BE RECEIVED BY THE PUBLIC TIMELY CONSIDERING THAT WE VOTED TO APPROVE IT TONIGHT.

SO I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT IT BE PUBLISHED TO BOARD DOCS.

UM, ALONG WITH THE MEETING MINUTES FOR THIS EVENING.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION, MR. MCMILLIAN? A QUICK, OH, MS. RY, I'LL GO TO YOU NEXT.

UM, THANK YOU MR. MCMILLIAN.

OH, WOULD YOU? YEAH.

DR. ROGERS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, NOVEMBER 20TH WAS PICKED AS THE COMMUNITY MEETING.

WE DIDN'T FINALIZE A TIME.

IT WAS EITHER SIX OR SIX 30.

BUT MY QUESTION IS,

[01:05:01]

FOR THE PUBLIC.

ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU MS. HUMPHREY.

SO MR. MCMILLIAN ASKED THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT IF I MAY, I ALSO HAVE A CLARIFYING QUESTION, QUESTION FOR MS. HENRY REGARD SPEAKING TO HER MOTION IF POSSIBLE.

YES.

UM, MY QUESTION IS JUST, UM, WHAT WOULD THE DIFFERENCE BE BETWEEN RELEASING IT NOW AND WAITING FOR THE NOVEMBER 20TH MEETING? MS. HENRY, MAY I ANSWER THAT? MM-HMM.

, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION MS. HUMPHREY.

UM, THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT IT'S STANDARD PRACTICE FOR THE BOARD TO RELEASE.

ITS, UM, SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS RELATED TO PUBLIC AGENDA, TOPICS OF THE BOARD MEETINGS IN BOARD DOCS, UM, ALONG WITH OTHER MATERIALS, UM, PERTAINING TO BOARD BUSINESS.

SO TO BE, UM, IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE MARYLAND PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, UM, TO BE FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THAT.

IT WOULD BE, UM, BEST PRACTICE IF WE WERE TO RELEASE THAT DOCUMENT.

AND I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS WITH RELEASING THE FULL DOCUMENT, UM, WITH REGARD TO BUILDING SECURITY.

HOWEVER, THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, UM, WOULD, WOULD SUIT BOTH PURPOSES, WOULD ADDRESS THE SECURITY CONCERNS AS WELL AS PROVIDE THE PUBLIC THE INFORMATION THAT THE BOARD DISCUSSED AT ITS LAST MEETING, AS WELL AS THE INFORMATION USED TO MAKE OUR DECISION TONIGHT.

SO IT WOULD BE TIMELY AND COMPLIANT WITH THE MPIA TO RELEASE IT THIS EVENING SINCE WE MADE OUR DECISION THIS EVENING.

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, DR. ROGERS.

YES.

UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT.

I AM UNFAMILIAR WITH ANY MPIA REQUESTS, BUT AS MR. MCMILLIAN HIGHLIGHTED, UM, WE HAD TO HAVE CONVER, WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHEN THE COMMUNITY MEETING WAS OCCURRING.

COMMUNITY MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 20TH.

UM, I DID HAVE MY ASSISTANT DO SOME RESEARCH FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS.

OUR STANDARD PRACTICE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS BEEN THAT, UH, WE RELEASED TO THE FULL BOARD IN SOME, UH, INSTANCES, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, THE FULL, UH, FEASIBILITY STUDY.

UM, THEN WE HAVE A COMMUNITY MEETING WHERE FINDINGS FROM THE FEASIBILITY STUDY ARE PRESENTED TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

AND IF IT, AND THAT IS POSTED, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY, THE ENTIRE DECK.

AND IF IT IS A LARGER PROJECT, UM, SPECIFICALLY, UH, HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WE SEE MORE EVIDENCE OF THAT WE POST AN EXECUTIVE, UH, SUMMARY.

UM, AND AS I SHARED WITH MR. MCMILLION, AND I'VE SHARED WITH EVERYONE, UH, THIS EVENING, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO COM UH, ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY.

I, UH, BELIEVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY SPEAK TO A LOT OF WHAT THE SPARROWS POINT COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ASKING US FOR, FOR YEARS.

UM, AND WE ABSOLUTELY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE, UM, SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS IS, UH, PRIORITIZED AND TO FOLLOW OUR STANDARD PROTOCOL IN TERMS OF SHARING WITH THE COMMUNITY, THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK THAT SHAPES OUR NEXT STEPS, AND WE POST BOTH DOCUMENTS AS WE HAVE COMMITTED TO IN PRIVATE AND PUBLICLY.

THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT BCPS, UM, SHARING THE DOCUMENTS, AND I'VE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH LAWMAKERS DIRECTLY, UH, REGARDING THIS PROJECT AS WELL.

THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON BUDGET, DEVELOPING THE OPERATING BUDGET.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE MS. CHICA KALU? NO.

MS. BOOKER DWYER? NO.

THE MOTION DOES NOT CARRY.

THE NEXT ITEM ON

[M. REPORT - BUDGET (Dr. Rogers and Mr. Hartlove) (8:25 - 8:45 p.m.)]

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT BEING MOST IMPORTANT.

MR. HART LOVE IS COMING FORWARD.

THE TOPIC OF, UM, THIS BUDGET REPORT IS DEVELOPING THE OPERATING BUDGET.

AND SO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WE USE TO DEVELOP THE OPERATING BUDGET.

ALSO TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, WHAT'S, UH, APPEARS TO BE OUT IN THE FISCAL LANDSCAPE AS WE START TO TURN OUR EYES TOWARDS THE, UM, UPCOMING BUDGET.

SO, WHAT DRIVES OUR BUDGET ARE OUR FOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

WE HAVE SHARED, UM, THROUGHOUT LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON FOUR MAIN AREAS,

[01:10:01]

UM, OUR RULE THAT WE USE INTERNALLY AS WE CREATE A, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS AND WE LISTEN TO STAKEHOLDERS, UM, SO THAT, UH, WE CAN PUT TOGETHER A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD IS ENSURING THAT IN THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATION, THAT WE CAN SEE OUR FOUR PRIORITIES REFLECTED, UH, THAT WE ENSURE THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING OUR RESOURCES AND INVESTMENTS, UH, THE SPECIFIC ONES THAT ARE NEEDED TO TAKE US FORWARD IN THESE FOUR AREAS.

LAST YEAR AS WE WERE PREPARING THE BUDGET, WE REALLY SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY, UM, CONCERNS AND THE AMOUNT OF CHANGES THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE AS WE WERE, UH, ALL, UH, STATES COMING TOWARDS A, UH, ESSER FUNDING FISCAL CLIFF.

UM, HOWEVER, WE THOUGHT WE HAD, UH, GOOD NEWS COMING FOR THIS YEAR BECAUSE LAST YEAR IT WAS ALSO THE SAME YEAR FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR THAT THE PERCENTAGE FOR, UH, FOUNDATION FORMULA FOR BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE.

IT WAS THE SMALLEST OUT OF THE EIGHT YEAR PROJECTION.

UM, IF YOU LOOK ON THIS SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE FOR FY 26, THE, UM, PROJECTED AMOUNT IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE FOUNDATION AMOUNT FOR THIS YEAR.

HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK ON THE SAME SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE AS RECENTLY AS TODAY, UH, MANY NEWS STORIES WARNING ABOUT DIFFICULT FISCAL DECISIONS AHEAD, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON THE BLUEPRINT.

UM, SO THIS SAYS TO US, UH, WE WILL HEAR MORE INFORMATION, I'M SURE IN THE, UH, WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME, BUT IT ALSO SAYS TO US, UH, THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT WE'RE EXPECTING FROM BLUEPRINT.

UM, THE PERCENTAGE MIGHT NOT BE AS, UH, PLANNED FOR, WHICH WILL MEAN THAT WE'LL HAVE TO, UH, MAKE SOME DECISIONS TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD, UM, TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF ALL THE STUDENTS.

AND TEAM BCPS? YES.

JUST A REMINDER TO OUR COMMUNITIES.

UM, WE ALLOCATE RE RESOURCES BASED ON, UH, THREE WAYS.

THE FIRST IS ENROLLMENT, WHICH IS, UM, WHAT EVERYONE RECEIVES BASED ON THE NEW, UH, NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL.

UH, WE HAVE FORMULAS THAT ARE CREATED, AND THAT'S HOW WE PRIMARILY ALLOCATE RESOURCES.

UM, ANOTHER LAYER OF ALLOCATION IS BASED ON NEEDS.

THIS SPEAKS TO OUR STUDENT, UM, SERVICE GROUPS.

SO, UM, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS, UM, RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND MULTILINGUAL, UH, UH, STUDENTS.

ALSO, UH, POPULATIONS OF STUDENTS IN THOSE SCHOOLS, UM, ACCORDING TO, UH, LAW, RECEIVE ADDITIONAL ALLOCATIONS.

AND THIRDLY, WHERE WE HAVE SPECIAL PROGRAMS, WHETHER THEY'RE MAGNET PROGRAMS, CTE PROGRAMS, UH, COMBINATION OF THE TWO.

WE ALSO, UM, ALLOCATE RESOURCES IN, UH, STAFFING FOR SPECIAL PROGRAMS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.

UH, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES IS CONTINUING TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY.

UM, IT, WHILE, UH, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS ABOUT, UH, FINAL DECISIONS REGARDING THE BUDGET, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IS CREATE, UH, SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR PUBLIC TO ENGAGE WITH US TO SHARE, UH, WHAT THEY SEE AS PRIORITIES TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.

ON THIS SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE, UM, OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY IS LARGE, AT LARGE, UM, AS PART OF THIS UPCOMING BUDGET PROCESS, TO ENGAGE WITH THEM TO, UM, HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THEM, UM, TO SHARE INFORMATION.

TWO-WAY INFORMATION, AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO, UM, ENGAGE, UH, WITH OUR BOARD OF EDUCATION, UM, UH, AS WE CONSIDER THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE MAKE TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR THE UPCOMING, UH, BUDGET.

UM, TURN IT OVER TO MR. HARTLEY.

HE'LL WALK US THROUGH THE TIMELINE.

UH, SURE.

UH, GOOD EVENING, UH, BOARD MEMBERS.

UM, THE, UH, SO WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU IS THE BUDGET TIMELINE.

THIS TIMELINE IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE, UH, USED LAST YEAR.

UH, YOU GO FROM, UM, YOU START WITH THE SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER TIMEFRAME, WHICH IS, WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S WHERE THE BUDGET PLAN IS DEVELOPED.

UM, AND REALLY THIS STARTED THE, THE BA THE FOUNDATION WORK STARTED IN JULY AND AUGUST, BUT WE'RE REALLY RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF

[01:15:01]

THAT WORK, RIGHT AS AS WE SPEAK.

AND THAT'S, THAT'S ONGOING.

UH, WHEN WE GET TO JANUARY, THAT'S WHEN, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL, UH, BRING FORWARD A RECOMMENDED, UM, OPERATING BUDGET TO, UH, TO YOU, UH, FOR, UH, YOUR REVIEW.

AND, UH, YOU WILL HAVE THE MONTHS OF JANUARY AND MOST OF FEBRUARY TO REVIEW.

UH, THERE'LL BE A SERIES OF, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS AND WORK SESSIONS WHERE YOU CAN, UM, UM, EITHER, UH, ACCEPT THE, THE BUDGET AS IS.

YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES, ADDITIONS, UH, DELETIONS.

AND, UH, YOU WILL APPROVE A BUDGET, YOUR BUDGET IN, UM, UH, YOUR BUDGET REQUEST IN THE END, TOWARDS THE END OF FEBRUARY.

UH, THAT WILL GO TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND COUNTY COUNCIL BY MARCH 1ST.

AND THEY, THE COUNTY COUNCIL, COUNTY EXECUTIVE, HAVE THE MONTHS OF MARCH AND APRIL AND A LITTLE WAYS INTO MAY, WHERE THEY WILL BE REVIEWING THE REQUEST.

THEY ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS, PROVIDE A LOT OF, WE NEED TO PROVIDE A LOT OF BACKUP IN INFOR, UH, BACKUP, UH, DATA.

SAME TIME THE STATE BUDGET IS STARTS TO, UH, THE THINGS THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT WAS REFERRING TO EARLIER.

WE'LL START TO SEE WHAT, UH, HAPPENS WITH THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET AND THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS THERE.

UH, SO WHEN WE GET INTO MAY, WE WILL HAVE, UH, UH, WE WILL HAVE OUR FINAL STATE REVENUE NUMBERS AND OUR FINAL COUNTY REVENUE NUMBERS.

AND AT THAT POINT, IF WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO OUR BUDGET AND, UH, MAKE IT FIT INTO A REDUCED AMOUNT OF REVENUE, WE WILL DO SO AT THAT TIME.

AND THEN ONCE WE GET TO JULY ONE, THE FISCAL YEAR STARTS AND THE FUNDS BECOME AVAILABLE TO BE SPENT.

UH, JUST SOME HIGH LEVEL DOLLAR, UH, DOLLAR REVIEW HERE.

UH, THIS IS THE OVERALL, THE OVERALL BUDGET.

THE, THE PIE CHART ON THE LEFT SHOWS, UH, OUR REVENUE SOURCES.

AND AS YOU ARE, UH, AWARE, THE, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT PROVIDES THE LION'S SHARE.

WELL, STATE DOES A NICE JOB AS WELL, BUT, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY, UH, PROVIDES THE LARGEST PORTION OF REVENUE FOR US.

UH, CURRENTLY, UH, 1,246 MILLION.

THE STATE, UH, PROVIDES ALMOST 38% OF OUR REVENUE AT, UH, 979, UH, MILLION.

AND THEN THE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AT TWO, ALMOST 278 MILLION.

UH, OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE, UH, TOTAL LESS THAN 3% OF THE TOTAL, AND THEY'RE ABOUT $77 MILLION, THOSE SAME DOLLARS.

THEN WE SHOW YOU ON THE PIE CHART TO THE RIGHT, AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, HOW THE DOLLARS ARE SPENT.

AND AS YOU'RE AWARE, WE'RE A SERVICE PROVIDER.

SO THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF OUR, OF OUR EXPENDITURES ARE ON SALARIES AND WAGES, UH, MAKING UP, UH, 53% OF, OF OUR SPENDING.

YOU'LL, BECAUSE THIS, THESE SLIDES SHOW ALL OF OUR BUDGET, YOU'LL, YOU'LL NOTICE, YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE, UH, CAPITAL OUTLAY, UH, AND, UM, DEBT SERVICE AS WELL ON HERE.

UM, THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT JUST THE GENERAL FUND, UM, BUT YOU ALSO SEE A CONTINGENT HERE, CONTINGENCY HERE.

THIS IS FOR CA, UH, FOR THE CAPITAL FUND.

SO HERE WE'RE GONNA DRILL, DRILL DOWN A LITTLE BIT ON THE, UH, GENERAL FUND BUDGET.

AND THIS IS, UH, THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET SHOWN IN A BAR CHART.

UM, AND THE DOLLAR FIGURES HERE ARE IN MILLIONS.

AND, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, KIND OF THE SORTING OF THIS, UH, THE FIRST ONE IS FIXED CHARGES.

WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.

THE NEXT IS OPERATION OF PLANT, UH, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PLANT.

UH, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, OUR BUILDINGS, IT'S, IT'S THE, THE OPERATIONS, MEANING UTILITIES, UH, CLEANING, UH, CUTTING THE GRASS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS ARE THE OPERATIONS OF THE BUILDINGS.

AND THEN THE MAINTENANCE OF THE BUILDINGS ARE FIXING THE ROOFS.

UH, YOU KNOW, ANY KIND OF REPAIRS THAT ARE NECESSARY, UM, UH, THAT ARE NOT IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET OR HERE ARE CAUGHT HERE.

THESE ARE THE SMALLER TYPES OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING.

THE, UH, INSPECTIONS, ALL THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UH, TO THE BUILDINGS.

SO THAT'S WHAT THAT, UH, BAR FOR IS FOR, IS FOR JUST THE BUILDINGS.

THE NEXT TWO ARE ADMINISTRATION.

UM, UH, UH, YOU HAVE ADMINISTRATION AND MID-LEVEL ADMINISTRATION.

MID, MID-LEVEL, UH, IS SIMILAR, ALTHOUGH WHAT, UH, IT CAPTURES, UH, ADMINISTRATOR, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, AS WELL AS INSTRUCTIONAL ADMINISTRATORS VERSUS THE STRAIGHT ADMINISTRATION ARE FOLKS LIKE MYSELF WHO ARE, DON'T RUN SCHOOLS OR, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THE CURRICULUM, UH, PROCESS.

WE ARE JUST GENERAL ADMINISTRATORS, .

SO, UM, SO THAT'S THE BREAKDOWN THERE.

UH, THE, THE NEXT THREE, THEY ALL START

[01:20:01]

WITH THE WORD STUDENT.

AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT INSTRUCTIONAL, BUT THEY'RE ALL THE THINGS THAT HELP US TO, UH, INSTRUCT OUR KIDS.

OBVIOUSLY, OUR STUDENTS HAVE TO GET TO SCHOOL.

SO WE, WE HAVE OUR BUS SERVICES, STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES, OR OUR NURSES, AND MAKING SURE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE, UM, HEALTHY MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY.

AND THEN THE NEXT IS STUDENT PERSONNEL SERVICES.

AND THESE ARE REALLY, UH, UH, AIMED TOWARDS ATTENDANCE.

UH, YOU'RE, WE WANT, IN ORDER FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN, WE WANT THEM TO SHOW UP TO SCHOOL.

SO WHEN STUDENTS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS AT HOME OR IN SCHOOL OR IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, WE ARE OUT THERE TRYING TO SUPPORT THEM, UM, BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT'S THE, IT'S THE BEST WAY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO EDUCATE THEM IS, IS FOR THEM TO BE THERE, BE HEALTHY, BE FULLY, UM, PRESENT.

SO THOSE ARE WHAT THOSE THREE THINGS ARE.

AND THEN THE LAST FOUR ARE ALL ABOUT, UM, INSTRUCTION.

UH, THE LARGEST IS INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES AND WAGES.

AND THEN YOU HAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS.

AND THE OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL COSTS ARE THINGS THAT DON'T FIT IN ONE OF THOSE THREE CATEGORIES.

AND THEY'RE BASICALLY THINGS LIKE EQUIPMENT AND, UM, UH, CONTRACTED SERVICES.

SO THAT'S THE OVERALL.

NOW GO BACK TO FIXED CHARGES.

I MENTIONED THAT AT THE BEGINNING.

FIXED CHARGES ARE BA BASICALLY THINGS LIKE, UH, MEDICAL INSURERS, FICA, UH, RETIREMENT.

AND THESE, THESE ARE, UH, REALLY WE COULD ALLOCATE THOSE.

UM, IF YOU WANTED TO GET A TRUE, UH, REPRESENTATION OF OUR COSTS, WE COULD REALLY ALLOCATE THOSE OUT TO THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES.

'CAUSE WE HAVE EMPLOYEES IN ALL THE AREAS, ADMINISTRATION, UM, STUDENT, THE STUDENT SERVICES, AND IN INSTRUCTION.

SO WE COULD ACTUALLY ALLOCATE THOSE OUT.

AND YOU'D SEE EVEN MORE COSTS GOING TOWARDS INSTRUCTION, WHICH IS, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

WE WANT OUR DOLLARS TO BE GO GOING TOWARDS INSTRUCTION.

SO, UH, THAT'S THE OVERALL KIND OF THE HIGH LEVEL KICKOFF.

CERTAINLY NOT IN THE DETAILS, BUT JUST KIND OF A, A BIG PICTURE OF, OF OUR BUDGET WHERE WE ARE.

AND WE WILL BE COMING TO YOU, UM, OVER THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS WITH A LOT MORE INFORMATION AND MORE DETAILS.

SO WITH THAT, UH, THANK YOU.

IS THIS YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, EXPONENTIALLY MOVE WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WITH PRE-K FOR OUR STUDENTS, UM, WHERE WE WERE, UH, I THINK LESS THAN 10% OF FULL DAY SEATS COMPARED TO WHERE WE WERE, WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE WHERE WE'RE NOW ABOUT 50 50 WITH FULL DAY SEATS AND HALF DAY SEATS.

ANY QUESTIONS, MS. DOKI? YES.

UM, SO I GUESS GO BACK TO SLIDE THREE.

START OUT, THESE ARE PROBABLY GONNA BE QUESTIONS THAT ARE HARD TO ANSWER, BUT IF WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING THE FUNDING WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT THE BLUEPRINT.

HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD IMPLEMENTING THE BLUEPRINT? AND THEN WHAT DO WE SAY WHEN THE MONEY STOPS? AND WE'VE ALREADY STARTED SOMETHING AND OUR, LIKE, I BASICALLY LIKE, WHO'S GOING TO GET THE CONSEQUENCES WHEN THIS DOESN'T WORK, WHEN WE LOSE THE FUNDING FOR STUFF THAT WE HAVE TO START, BECAUSE THAT'S IN THE BLUEPRINT LAW, BUT NOW THE FUNDING'S NOT COMING.

EXCELLENT POINTS.

, I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF.

EXCELLENT POINTS IS THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING THE REST OF THIS WEEK.

ALL 24 SUPERINTENDENTS ACROSS THE STATE, THE STU STATE SUPERINTENDENT WILL BE THERE, A IB, WHICH IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, IMPLEMENTATION BOARD OF BLUEPRINT WILL BE THERE.

UM, BECAUSE THAT'S THE QUESTION WHERE WE'RE ALL ASKING, UM, A AS, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE TIMELINE, THEY DON'T ALL ADD UP FOR WHEN YOU HAVE THIS INFORMATION.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE REASON WHY WE WANTED TO INCLUDE THAT WITH THE OVERVIEW IS NOT ONLY FOR THE BOARD, BUT ALSO FOR THE COMMUNITY.

UM, GOING BACK TO OUR FOUR PRIORITIES, WE NEED TO REALLY THINK THROUGH OUR FOUR PRIORITIES, WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, WHAT IS IT THAT WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO? AND THEN SOME OF THE PIECES OF THE BLUEPRINT THAT THEY'VE KIND OF, UM, SHARED IMPLEMENTATION AND A SCHEDULE FOR, UM, OUR PLAN FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEARS.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALKED THE OTHER DAY ABOUT, UM, 75, 24, THERE'S A 60 40 IN TERMS OF PLANNING TIME THAT IS PLANNED, UH, ROLLOUT.

AND SO WE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, UH, SUPERINTENDENT'S GONNA TRY TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE, BUT THERE WILL COME A TIME WHERE WE HAVE TO, UM, MAKE A DECISION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT MOVES FORWARD, UH, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHO'S GONNA BE RESPONSIBLE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE GONNA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INSTRUCTING ALL OF THE STUDENTS THAT ARE IN OUR SYSTEM.

UM, WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE SOME DEF UH, DECISIONS BASED ON THE BEST INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AT THE TIME, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH, THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD OR AT WHAT PACE.

UM, ONE EXAMPLE

[01:25:01]

UM, IT IS CLEAR TO ME, BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE WOULD, UM, THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD THAT WE MOVE FORWARD AT THE SAME LEVEL OF, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING AS AGGRESSIVE WITH THIS UPCOMING YEAR.

SO I THINK IT'S AREAS LIKE THAT WHERE THERE ARE SOME BIG ITEMS IN THE PILLARS THAT WE KNOW COME WITH VERY LARGE PRICE TAGS, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF OUR INFORMATION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING FROM THE STATE, AS WELL AS WHAT WE KNOW WE CAN AFFORD.

AND THEN I'LL BRING YOU A RECOMMENDATION, UM, THAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE 111,000 STUDENTS THAT WE'RE STILL GONNA BE ACCOUNTABLE TO, UM, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE RECEIVE.

BUT WELL STATED.

ABSOLUTELY.

MY ONLY FOLLOW UP TO THAT WAS, IS THERE ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSEQUENCE FOR US, IF WE DON'T FOLLOW THIS TO THE LETTER AS IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DONE, UNDERSTAND WHAT'S SAYING, LIKE, OKAY, YEAH, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE, UM, SAYING.

SO I, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN, UM, PRETTY SUCCESSFUL IN, UH, SHARING OUR CONCERNS, UM, WITH OUR, UH, STATE SUPERINTENDENT WHO IS VERY RESPONSIVE AND OPEN.

AND ALSO, UH, I REPRESENT US AS ONE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT, UH, MEETS WITH A IB THEIR LEADERSHIP AS WELL TO SHARE OUR CONCERNS.

I WILL SAY, UM, SOME OF THE, UH, CONCERNS THAT WE'VE BROUGHT FORWARD TO THEM, THEY HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES, UM, HAVE SLOWED SOME THINGS DOWN.

AND THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO, IS TO CONTINUE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WHERE WE IDENTIFY OUR PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF WHAT WE THINK IS FEASIBLE, WHAT WE THINK IS NOT FEASIBLE, THINKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE TO SERVE IN OUR RESPECTIVE, UH, COMMUNITIES.

AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE, UM, BEFORE SESSION AND DURING SESSION, UH, SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, MOVING FORWARD.

UH, SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN IN THAT SPACE PARTICULARLY.

OUR SYSTEM HASN'T BEEN IN THAT SPACE WHERE THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE HAVEN'T MOVED FORWARD WITH.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE'VE SHARED IN LAST YEAR IN PARTICULAR, UM, WE SHARED SOME THINGS WHERE SOME CHANGES WERE MADE THAT, THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE, NOT ONLY FOR US, BUT FOR SOME OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS. AND SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT'S THE SAME DIRECTION THAT WE CONTINUE TO MOVE IN.

GREAT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

LASTLY, UM, HOW ARE THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATION BUDGETS, UM, CON LIKE, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO FORMAT THOSE FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS? HOW WILL THAT GO? JUST LIKE LAST YEAR, OR IS IT GONNA BE DIFFERENT? IT WILL BE DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF CONTENT, BUT, UM, UH, TYPICALLY WHEN WE DO COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE FIRST, AND THEN, UM, PEOPLE GET TO, UM, SPEAK, SPEAK IN SMALL GROUPS, THEY'LL SHARE OUT, UM, I WILL, YOU KNOW, REACT TO THOSE THINGS.

UM, AS WELL AS, UH, JUST A GENERAL, UH, QUESTION ANSWER SESSION.

UM, AS YOU HAVE SEEN, THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO, AND BASED ON THE TIMELINE OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE COUNTY AS WELL AS IN THE STATE, I WON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS, UH, FOR THOSE THINGS.

BUT I THINK WHAT'S MOST POWERFUL ABOUT THOSE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ARE PEOPLE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE, UH, WHAT ARE THEIR PRIORITIES AND THEIR RATIONALE FOR THE PRIORITIES THAT INFORMS HOW WE COME TOGETHER, UM, AS THE SCHOOL LEADERS TO DEVELOP A BUDGET THAT WE'RE GONNA RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD.

ANY OTHER ? RIGHT.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON SAFETY AND CLIMATE, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS.

[N. REPORT - SAFETY AND CLIMATE (Dr. Jones and Ms. Brown) (8:45 - 9:05 p.m.)]

YEAR, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, INCREASE OUR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS THAT WORK IS CONTINUING THIS YEAR.

I WILL BE JOINED BY DR. JONES, AS WELL AS COURTNEY BROWN.

DR. JONES, OUR CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, UH, COURTNEY BROWN, OUR SUPERVISOR OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

UH, ONE OF THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE MADE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM LAST YEAR WAS TO REALLY FOCUS ON SAFETY AND CLIMATE.

UH, PART OF SAFETY AND CLIMATE WORK IS DEFINITELY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES.

UM, IT'S ALSO ADDRESSING, UH, BEHAVIOR AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR POLICIES, UM, AND OUR, UH, FOLLOW THROUGH ARE ALIGNED.

BUT IT'S ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE, UH, INVEST IN PREVENTATIVE SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND WHEN OUR STUDENTS ARE, UH, GOING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES THAT WE HAVE AMPLE SUPPORTS FOR THEM.

AND SO LAST

[01:30:01]

AND SO WE ARE, UH, GRATEFUL FOR DR. JONES AND, UH, MS. BROWN TO SHARE, UH, THE SPECIFIC SUPPORTS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ACROSS TEAM BCPS.

THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS.

GOOD EVENING BOARD CHAIR, MS. BOOKER DWYER, UM, VICE CHAIR HUMPHREY AND MEMBERS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE SOME OF THE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS THAT WE PROVIDE FOR STUDENTS IN TEAM BCPS.

I AM JOINED BY MS. COURTNEY BROWN, SUPERVISOR OF MENTAL HEALTH, UM, SERVICES.

AND OUR OUTCOMES FOR TODAY ARE REALLY TO JUST TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH MENTAL HEALTH TRENDS AND THE DATA AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

WE'RE GOING TO ALSO REVIEW OUR MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT AND THE FRAMEWORK BY WHICH WE PROVIDE THESE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

AND THEN, UM, LAST, OUR PLAN IS TO JUST HELP ALL MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFIC MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE.

THIS IS SOME NATIONAL DATA, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, FROM THE SLIDE, ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY SMALL, UM, WE'RE ALL FULLY AWARE OF THE FACT THAT OUR, OUR, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING, UM, MENTAL HEALTH CRISES.

UM, IT SHOWS UP IN, IN IN DIFFERENT WAYS FOR, FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT WE'VE NOTICED THAT, UM, IS MOSTLY AFFECTING OUR TEENS BASED ON THE DATA.

AND THERE'S ALSO, UM, AN IMPORTANT ROLE THAT OUR SCHOOLS HAVE TO PLAY.

THERE ARE NOT MANY CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT INVOLVE SOME FORM OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, AND HOW WE CAN ACTUALLY RESPOND TO THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF OUR LEARNERS.

SO OF COURSE, WE WANT THEM TO ACHIEVE ACADEMICALLY, BUT THEN THERE'S THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL ASPECT OF THAT AS, AS WELL.

WE KIND OF LOOK AT THESE CONCENTRIC CIRCLES AS AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO FOLLOW THE, UM, THE WORK FROM CDC AND THE RESEARCH FROM CDC THAT SAYS, EDUCATION SERVICES AND SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS KIND OF GO HAND IN HAND AS IT RELATES TO MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT.

UM, EDUCATION, OF COURSE, WHICH WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF, UM, CONNECTING YOUNG PEOPLE TO SERVICES THAT THEY NEED.

AND THEN THIS IDEA OF MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SPACES, AND THEN OUTLETS FOR OUR STUDENTS.

ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE GO ABOUT PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS, SUPPORTS IS THROUGH THIS NOTION OF EARLY INTERVENTION.

UM, WE'VE, WE'VE FOUND THAT THE MORE WE ARE PROACTIVE IN OUR SUPPORTS, THE BETTER THAT OUR STUDENTS, UM, CAN ACHIEVE.

WE ALSO HAVE NOTICED THAT, UM, IN THE RESEARCH SAYS THAT IT IMPROVES THE ACADEMIC SUPPORT, ACADEMIC SUPPORT OF OUR STUDENTS.

SO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AS DR. ROGERS HAS SAID, THE PRIORITIES, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED BY OUR SUPERINTENDENT ARE, UM, VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, BUT ALSO SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT.

AND WE ARE VALUING KIND OF A HOLISTIC APPROACH AS WE, AS WE MONITOR THE SUPPORTS THAT WE, THAT WE PROVIDE.

UM, WE HAVE MEMBERS OF OUR STUDENT SUPPORT TEAMS IN OUR SCHOOLS THAT CONSIST OF THE SCHOOL COUNSELORS, THE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, AND THE PSYCHOLOGISTS THAT CHAMPION THE WELLNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH OF ALL OF OUR 111,000 STUDENTS IN OUR 176 SCHOOLS EACH DAY, STAFF ARE MEETING AGAIN TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED INDIVIDUALLY AND OR AS IT RELATES TO GROUP SESSIONS.

SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MS. COURTNEY BROWN.

SHE'LL GO INTO GREATER DEPTH ABOUT OUR MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS AND WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE, UM, IN TERMS OF THE CONTINUUM OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR OUR STUDENTS HERE IN BCPS.

THANK YOU, DR. JONES.

THANK YOU BOARD FOR HAVING US TONIGHT.

UM, SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, UM, I BELIEVE THE MTSS OR THE MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS, UH, WAS REVIEWED AT THE 2324 OVERVIEW.

SO IF YOU REFER TO THE SLIDE, AS KINDA GIVES YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT TIERS.

UM, THE FRAMEWORK IS A GUIDE FOR US TO OFFER TO OUR SCHOOLS, UM, OF A CONTINUUM OF PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION SERVICES AND SUPPORTS.

THE DECISIONS TO IMPLEMENT THESE SERVICES AND SUPPORT SHOULD BE BASED ON DATA, UM, BASED ON EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES, UM, IN A MANNER THAT ENSURES EQUITABLE AND CULTURALLY PROFICIENT OUTCOMES AND A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM PROCESS.

UM, THE ITEMS THAT ARE EMPHASIZED ON THE SLIDE THAT ARE BOLD ARE THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF SERVICES THROUGH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ACROSS ALL THREE TIERS.

THE NEXT FEW SLIDES WILL BREAK DOWN EACH TIER INDIVIDUALLY TO EXPLORE, EXPAND MORE ON THAT.

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO TIER ONE IS OUR UNIVERSAL SUPPORTS AND INTERVENTIONS.

THIS IS A TIER THAT'S AVAILABLE TO ALL STUDENTS.

IT REALLY CENTERS ON EDUCATION AND EDUCATING STUDENTS ON WELLNESS.

UM, IT'S PROMOTION, UH, PREVENTION AND AWARENESS, UH, ACTIVITIES FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND MENTAL HEALTH.

THE PROVIDERS OF THIS TIER ARE SCHOOL-BASED STAFF, UM, OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS, OUR

[01:35:01]

UM, ON THIS, ON THIS SLIDE I WANNA HIGHLIGHT, THESE ARE GREAT PICTURES TOO, BY THE WAY.

UM, WE HAVE A MIND OVER MATTERS AMBASSADORS PROGRAM.

IT'S ALSO A TIER ONE UNDER INTERVENTION.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY, UM, A PROGRAM FOR OUR SECONDARY STUDENTS THAT CAN REALLY BE AMBASSADORS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS.

SO, ON THE LEFT HAND, OR THIS PICTURE ON THE LEFT IS OUR OWINGS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL GROUP.

AND THEN, UM, THE MORE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE WAS OUR MILFORD MILL FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY.

SO IT WAS A GREAT, BOTH OF THOSE WERE DONE DURING, UM, CAFETERIA OR LUNCH DUTY FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN.

TIER TWO WAS FOR EARLY INTERVENTION.

SO THIS INCLUDES STUDENTS THAT HAVE ACCESS TO TIER ONE, BUT MIGHT NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.

SO THIS COULD LOOK LIKE SMALL GROUPS MENTORING, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS THAT PROVIDE THAT EXTRA SUPPORT, LIKE, UM, DIFFERENT PLANNING, STUDENT PLANNING AND TEAMING.

SO OUR SST 5 0 4, UM, COULD BE AN OPTION TOO FOR OUR TIER TWO.

AND THEN THOSE PROVIDERS OF THOSE SERVICES ARE ALSO OUR SCHOOL-BASED STAFF, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, UM, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, BUT CAN ALSO INCLUDE OUR BCPS COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS AS WELL.

ALL RIGHT, THIS IS OUR TIER THREE.

IT'S OUR MOST INTENSIVE TIER.

UM, AGAIN, THIS CAN INCLUDE OUR TIER ONE AND TIER TWO, BUT THEN ALSO SOME OF THOSE SERVICES THAT ARE MORE INTENSIVE.

UM, THIS LOOKS LIKE MORE 5% OF OUR POPULATION.

THIS CAN LOOK LIKE IEP, UM, SERVICE OR INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLANS.

UM, ALSO CRISIS RESPONSE AND INTERVENTIONS, UM, REFERRALS AS WELL.

SO THIS COULD ALSO INCLUDE OUR SCHOOL-BASED STAFF, SO THE SOCIAL WORKERS, COUNSELORS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS.

BUT THEN ADDITIONALLY SOME OF OUR ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THIS, THIS SLIDE SHOWS TWO OF OUR, UM, PARTNERS IN THE WORK THROUGH THE CONSORTIUM.

UM, SO TWO OF OUR PROVIDERS THAT ARE HELPING OUT WITH THIS, UM, THESE ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR OUR STUDENTS, THESE SERVICES FOCUS ON AND TRY TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED.

SO THIS IS TWO EXAMPLES OF WHAT THE SERVICES ARE, UM, OFFERED TO OUR STUDENTS RIGHT NOW.

UM, ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THE CATHOLIC CHARITIES ARE VILLA MARIA.

THEY HIGHLIGHT AND FOCUS ON OUR TIER TWO.

UM, SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT FAMILY CARE COORDINATION.

THIS IS SPECIFIC TO OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH ATTENDANCE.

AND THEN ON THE RIGHT YOU'LL SEE, UM, HOPE HEALTH SYSTEMS AND THEY KINDA HAVE A CONTINUUM, UM, OF SERVICES THROUGH TIER ONE, TIER TWO, AND TIER THREE.

SO THAT RANGES FROM DIFFERENT, UM, EVENTS OR WORKSHOPS ALL THE WAY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICES LIKE INDIVIDUAL GROUP OR FAMILY.

AND ANOTHER WAY WE'RE KIND OF EXPANDING MENTAL HEALTH IS THROUGH TALKSPACE.

SO SHOUT OUT TO THIS MOM FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT IN HER VIDEO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

PARTNER IN THE WORK.

UM, SO TALKSPACE IS ONE OF THOSE RESOURCES THAT'S AVAILABLE TO ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

THERE'S TALKSPACE GO, WHICH IS MORE PREVENTATIVE, REALLY EDUCATES STUDENTS ON MENTAL WELLNESS.

UM, IT'S A TWO WEEK COURSE THAT THEY CAN TAKE SELF-PACED.

UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE TEXTING THERAPY.

THAT'S AN OPTION TOO FOR OUR STUDENTS.

UM, REALLY WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT.

UM, I'M GONNA LOOK AT MY NOTES 'CAUSE THERE'S NUMBERS.

I WANNA SHARE THAT WE HAVE NEARLY 2000 USERS WHO HAVE ENGAGED IN THE TEXT THERAPY WITH NEARLY 30,000 CONNECTIONS.

SO THAT'S NEARLY 5% OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WHICH ARE, UM, PARTICIPATING IN THIS RESOURCE.

UM, ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT, I KNOW THIS WAS SHARED PREVIOUSLY, BUT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT.

UM, DURING THE 20 23 24 OVERVIEW, 44% OF THE USERS, UH, WHO WERE NEW TO THERAPY IDENTIFIED A PATHWAY FOR WELLNESS THAT MAY NOT HAVE OTHERWISE, EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME, THAT MAY HAVE OTHERWISE GONE UNMET, UM, FOR THIS BENEFIT OF TALKSPACE.

AND RESULTED IN 69% OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ENGAGED IN THIS, UM, HAVING REPORTED IMPROVEMENT CLINICALLY WITH A SATISFACTION OF 4.1 OUT OF FIVE RATING FOR THE TALKSPACE THERAPIST, UM, WITH A SECOND OUTCOME OF 63% OF USERS REFLECTING IMPROVEMENT.

SO JUST REALLY EXCITED THAT STUDENTS ARE ENGAGING IN THIS RESOURCE AND THEN IT'S SHOWING TO BE EFFECTIVE, SUPPORTING THEM IN THEIR DIFFERENT, UM, MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES.

ALL RIGHT, IN THE LAST SLIDE, WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THE EXPANSION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES.

SO WE'RE GONNA OF COURSE CONTINUE, UM, THE WORK WITH OUR MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.

THIS IS A COUNCIL THAT INCLUDES INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT REALLY FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH.

UM, WE'VE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE SHAPE ASSESSMENT, WHICH REALLY FOCUSES ON, UM, WHERE SHAPE STANDS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION.

SO IT REALLY FOCUSES ON MENTAL HEALTH, THE SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.

UM, ALSO WANNA CONTINUE WITH OUR PLANNING AND, UM, LOOKING TO CONSIDER UNIVERSAL SCREENING MOVING FORWARD.

SO THERE'S A WORK GROUP THAT'S, UM, WORKING TOGETHER, MULTIDISCIPLINARY THAT'S WORKING TOGETHER TO THAT WE'RE ALSO GONNA EXPAND OUR PARTNERSHIPS, UM, COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT, UM, CONTINUE TO PROMOTE POSITIVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND POSITIVE COMMUNITIES, AND THEN CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH OUR HUB, SO THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BUREAU OF HEALTH AND LOCAL MANAGEMENT BOARD TO IDENTIFY BALTIMORE COUNTY CONSORTIUM PRIORITIES.

UM, I THINK THAT'S IT.

AND THE LAST SLIDE IS A BIG THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT, AND WE, WE WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

MS. LICHTER? UM, SO FIRST, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING TO TRY TO REALLY HELP OUR STUDENTS.

ANY QUESTIONS,

[01:40:01]

UM, IN THIS AREA.

YOU KIND OF ALLUDED TO IT, BUT THERE'S SO MANY PARTNERS AND, AND OPTIONS AND DIFFERENT WAYS OF REACHING OUR STUDENTS.

HOW ARE YOU GAINING INPUT ABOUT WHAT REALLY IS WORKING OR WHAT MIGHT NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE OR WHAT ENHANCEMENTS MAYBE NEEDED? ARE WE TALKING TO STUDENTS ABOUT, UM, YOU GAVE SOME, UM, PERCENTAGES FOR TALKSPACE, BUT HOW ABOUT ANY OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS? HOW ARE WE GETTING FEEDBACK? SO FOR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS, WE DO, UM, RES UH, WE DO GET ANNUAL DATA TO REFLECT ON HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE BEING SERVED, UM, WITH REGARDS TO SATISFACTION WITH THE SERVICE.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CERTAINLY BRING BACK TO OUR TEAM AND LOOK AT HOW WE'RE CAPTURING THAT.

UM, BUT THAT'S A GREAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

THANKS.

, MS. SIMONOVSKI, WITH REGARD TO THAT DATA, ARE WE GETTING ANY FEEDBACK ON, NOT SPECIFICALLY WHICH STUDENTS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT ACTUAL MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ARE PREVALENT AMONG OUR STUDENTS, NOT LIKE DEPRESSION OR WHY ARE, LIKE, WHAT'S CAUSING THE DEPRESSION OR WHAT, WHAT'S THE NUMBER ONE SEARCH OR ASKED FOR GUIDANCE, YOU KNOW, SESSIONS OR THINGS LIKE THAT? I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY THAT WE HAVE THIS MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, BUT WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH EXACTLY.

LIKE WHAT, WHAT ARE THESE ISSUES THAT OUR KIDS ARE HAVING MENTAL HEALTH, LIKE WHAT'S CAUSING THAT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE? YEAH, I HEARD WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

ARE INVOLVED ALSO FOR OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS.

UM, SO I'LL, IF I CAN SPEAK TO, UM, THE YOUTH BEHAVIOR RISK SURVEY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT TELLS US NATIONALLY WHAT'S GOING ON.

BUT THEN ALSO BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PARTICIPATES IN THE YRBS.

SO WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF GATHERING DATA FOR THAT AND PARTICIPATING IN THOSE, UM, SURVEYS.

SO I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT IT'S GREAT THAT AS YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE YRBS, THAT DATA IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IT BREAKS IT DOWN BY COUNTY.

SO WE CAN REALLY LOOK AT KIND OF WHERE ARE SOME OF THE STRUGGLES THAT SOME OF OUR KIDDOS ARE REPORTING.

UM, TYPICALLY THE NATIONAL DATA AND OUR, UM, MORE SPECIFIC LOCALIZED DATA DO TALK ABOUT DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY BEING THE TWO KIND OF HIGHEST, UM, REPORTED CONCERNS.

UM, AND THEN OUR, OF COURSE, OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS ALSO SHARE WITH US THE REASONS FOR STUDENTS TO BE REFERRED.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER WAY WE CAN LOOK AT OUR DATA.

SO IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON YOUR DATA SOURCE, BUT IT ALL KIND OF POINTS TO SIMILAR FEELINGS OF DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY.

ARE WE USING THAT DATA TO HELP, YOU KNOW, IN THE CLASSROOM, I GUESS, OR WITH TEACHERS, OR LIKE, ARE WE IMPLEMENTING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET AWAY FROM USING, YOU KNOW, THE TALKSPACE OR BEING LIKE, I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY HERE, BUT I'M JUST LIKE, HOW ARE WE USING THAT DATA, I GUESS, OTHER THAN LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET MORE SERVICES OR TO, UM, YOU WANT ME TO SAY SO I CAN SPEAK TO THAT.

WE ARE, UM, I'LL JUST KIND OF HIGHLIGHT, UH, OF COURSE, THE BOARD K THROUGH 12.

WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT WAYS TO PROVIDE, UM, RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION AND RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.

UM, IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND PARTICULARLY WE ARE, WE ARE USING WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS AROUND THE ADVISORY PERIOD TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE THEIR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING NEEDS MET, BUT THEN ALSO EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS, ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS, AND JUST WAYS TO REALLY PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE, UM, ONE-ON-ONE TARGETED SUPPORT.

SO AGAIN, IT'S THE, UM, IT'S THE ACADEMICS, BUT IT'S ALSO THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, UM, LEARNING AND HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR, OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND WE, WE WORK WITH OUR COUNSELORS TOO.

AND AT THE, I THINK IT WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE ARE, UM, LOOKING AT THE STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A BASELINE OF SUPPORT THAT STUDENTS RECEIVE FROM THE COUNSELORS AND ALL THE OTHER ADULTS IN THE BUILDING.

UM, YOU'VE HEARD DR. ROGERS SAY OFTEN TOO, THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE THAT TRUSTED ADULT THAT THEY CAN GO TO.

SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS THAT WE ARE INFUSING, UM, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS.

AND REALLY JUST, UM, AS MS. BROWN SAID, JUST LOOKING AT WHAT THE NATIONAL DATA IS SHOWING US THAT OUR DATA IS, UM, PRETTY MUCH ALIGNED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED, UM, IN OUR SCHOOLS.

AND AGAIN, UM, THE DATA SAYS THAT EACH STUDENT HAS, UM, MENTAL HEALTH, ALTHOUGH IT SHOWS IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE DEALING WITH, IT SHOWS UP DIFFERENTLY FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND, UM, BECAUSE OUR TEACHERS ARE THERE TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION WHENEVER THERE ARE, UM, SPECIAL CASES OR SPECIAL NEEDS, WE REFER THEM TO OUR STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES TO GET WHAT THEY NEED.

AND JUST LASTLY, UM, HOW ARE ALL THESE, YOU KNOW, SERVICES THAT THE STUDENTS ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR, OR EVEN JUST BEING PUT IN? IS IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY? ARE PARENTS BEING INVOLVED AND, AND KNOWN ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AS FAR AS THEIR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND ANYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING TO HELP THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELLBEING? ARE PARENTS ALSO INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY? I'LL LET YOU ANSWER MORE TIME.

UM, SO WHEN WE HAVE OUR STUDENT SUPPORT TEAMING PROCESS, PARENTS ARE INVOLVED IN THAT.

SO, UM, AND PARENTS CAN ALSO REACH OUT TO THE SCHOOL IF THEY WANT SUPPORTS TOO, FOR THEIR STUDENTS.

SO, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TEAMING PROCESS, PARENTS

[01:45:01]

UM, PARENTS HAVE TO BE INVOLVED WITH THAT.

THEY HAVE TO BE, UM, AGREEABLE TO SERVICES.

SO OFTENTIMES BEFORE REFERRAL IS MADE TO OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNER, A SCHOOL-BASED STAFF WILL REACH OUT TO THE PARENT TO SEE IF THAT'S SOMETHING THEY'RE WILLING TO PURSUE.

UM, SO WE OFTEN, WE KNOW OUR PARENTS ARE, UM, OUR ALLIES IN THE WORK, AND WE NEED TO WORK WITH THEM TOO TO, TO, UM, SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS.

SO THEY ARE WITH US ALONG THE WAY, AND WE DO OUR BEST TO SUPPORT THEM AND EDUCATE THEM AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

SO THERE AREN'T ANY SERVICES THAT A STUDENT COULD RECEIVE WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PARENT? WELL, I GUESS WHAT WE WOULD SAY IS, IN TERMS OF OUR BCPS PRACTICES, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SERVICES THAT STUDENTS ARE RECEIVING OR ACCESSING WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR PARENT THAT FALL OUTSIDE OF BCPS GUIDELINES.

I, I, I THINK WITHIN OUR GUIDELINES, WITHIN OUR PRACTICES, IT IS, UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR PARENTS ARE AS FORMED AS POSSIBLE.

BUT WE DO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME STUDENTS HAVE GREATER ACCESS TO THINGS THAN OTHERS, BUT WE MAKE IT A PRACTICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INFORM STUDENTS, AND WE ALSO CONTINUE TO PUT OUT, UM, INFORMATION, WHETHER IT'S, UM, THROUGH OUR, UM, NEWS HUB, THROUGH OUR PRINCIPALS WEEKLY TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS FULLY INFORMED OF WHAT'S BEING OFFERED.

IT IS OUR PRACTICE, AS MS. BROWN SHARED, TO MAKE SURE OUR STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED NOW, WHAT STUDENTS ARE ACCESSING OUTSIDE OF THAT, UM, WE CANNOT SPEAK TO.

DR. ROGERS, DID YOU WANNA, UH, THE ONLY POINT, UH, I WANTED TO MAKE AND, AND I, UH, CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE RAISED, IS THAT WE HAVE THE DATA THAT SUGGESTS NOT ONLY IN BC, UH, BUT ACROSS THE NATION SINCE, UH, COVID THAT, UH, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, PARTICULARLY IN OUR ADOLESCENTS, ARE, UM, INCREASED.

AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THOSE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AREN'T JUST UNIQUE TO STUDENTS.

THEY'RE ALSO, UM, MANIFESTING THEMSELVES IN THE ADULTS.

AND WE REALLY WANT OUR, UM, TEACHERS TO BE TRUSTED ADULTS FOR OUR STUDENTS, BUT WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOT EXPERTS WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH.

SO WE HAVE THE STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM THAT HAS THE COUNSELOR, THE, UM, PSYCHOLOGIST, UM, AND, AND OTHERS, BUT WE ALSO CONTRACT WITH THE EXPERTS TO BRING THE STUDENTS WHAT THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL AND TO BE MADE WHOLE.

WE'VE WORKED A LOT TO TRY TO DE-STIGMATIZE MENTAL HEALTH, UM, IF A STUDENT NEEDS THAT SUPPORT.

AND SOMETIMES THE ANXIETY IS JUST AROUND HAVING MULTIPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, DEMANDS BEING PLACED ON THEIR TIME, UM, AND TRYING TO MANAGE IT ALL TO BE A GOOD STUDENT, A GOOD FRIEND, AND, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN BETWEEN.

UM, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S MORE PRONOUNCED AND MANY TIMES THAT THERE ARE, UH, STUDENTS ARE SHARING ISSUES THAT ARE IMPACTING SCHOOL, BUT THEY'RE REALLY TAKING PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY OR AT HOME.

AND SO OUR, UM, VIEWPOINT IS THAT WE WANT TO PARTNER WITH FAMILIES, UM, FIRST, BUT ALSO WITH OUR EXTERNAL EXPERTS TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED, UH, TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT WE ALSO WANNA CREATE A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT, UM, INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF WELLNESS FOR ALL STUDENTS.

AND SO JUST WANTED TO, UM, SHARE THAT, UH, WITH YOU, MS. MINOSKI, BASED ON YOUR QUESTION, BUT ALSO WITH THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

UM, IN TERMS OF OUR APPROACH AND LEVERAGING THE EXPERTISE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRAINED SPECIFICALLY TO, UH, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY HELPING THE STUDENTS RESPOND TO THE ISSUE, IT'S ALSO, UH, TEACHING THEM, UM, SKILLS AND STRATEGIES SO THAT WHEN THEY DO LEAVE TEAM BCPS, THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND OR ACCESS ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, MS. HEN.

AND THEN MS. LESKI, AND THEN MS. CHICA KALU.

RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS RECEIVING THOSE SUPPORTS AS COMPARED TO THE POTENTIAL POOL OF STUDENTS THAT HAVE THOSE NEEDS, THAT'S MY CONCERN, IS HOW ARE THEY BEING IDENTIFIED? WHO'S DOING THE WORK? AND IF WE'RE NOT IDENTIFYING, HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING THAT? BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BE EVERYTHING FOR, FOR OUR STUDENTS TO FULFILL THAT NEED.

UM, MY COMMENTS ARE IN THE SAME VEIN, AND I THANK DR. ROGERS FOR SHARING HER THOUGHTS ON THAT AS WELL AS MS. DOKI.

THE STATISTICS ARE SOBERING WHEN IT, UM, COMES TO HOW MANY YOUTH ARE AND ADULTS ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES OR NEEDS.

AND THE PERCENTAGES CAN BE MISLEADING WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TRANSLATE THOSE INTO RAW NUMBERS AND THINK ABOUT OUR STUDENTS AND, YOU KNOW, A 2000 STUDENT HIGH SCHOOL, THAT'S 200 PLUS STUDENTS THAT HAVE THOSE NEEDS.

AND THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT COMES TO MY MIND IS IDENTIFICATION.

WHO'S DOING THE WORK? AND AS WE TALK ABOUT STUDENTS NEEDING THAT TRUSTED ADULT, AND I'M WONDERING WHO IS THAT TRUSTED ADULT? OUR TEACHERS TELL US THEY'RE STRUGGLING TO MEET OUR STUDENTS' INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS, THEIR ACADEMIC NEEDS MUCH LESS THEIR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS.

AND AS DR. ROGERS SAID, THEY'RE NOT TRAINED TO BE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.

NOT THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE.

AND WE KNOW THEY WEAR MANY HATS AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL BE EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING TO OUR STUDENTS.

THAT'S HOW MUCH THEY CARE.

UM, BUT THEY'RE NOT, AND, AND WOULD LOVE TO BE.

SO WHO'S DOING THAT WORK? WHO'S IDENTIFYING THESE STUDENTS ONCE THEY'RE IDENTIFIED? IT'S CLEAR.

WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT

[01:50:01]

IT'S NOT OUR COUNSELORS, IT'S NOT OUR PSYCHOLOGISTS.

WE KNOW WHAT THE RECOMMENDED RATIOS ARE.

THE THIS BOARD HAS PROVIDED THOSE RESOURCES IN THE PAST BY INCREASING OUR BUDGET AND ALLOCATING RESOURCES TO PROVIDE MORE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS TO OUR STUDENTS.

THAT'S BEEN A PRIORITY, UM, FOR THIS BOARD AND BOARDS IN THE PAST, BUT WE'RE STILL NOT THERE YET.

YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALWAYS DO MORE AND PROVIDE MORE FOR OUR STUDENTS.

WE'RE JUST NOT QUITE THERE.

SO THAT'S MY QUESTION IS HOW DO WE ENSURE WE'RE IDENTIFYING THOSE STUDENTS SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM, UM, CONNECTED TO THE RESOURCES WE NEED? I'M LOOKING AT THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT NUMBERS IN PARTICULAR, AND THERE'S SOME GREAT RESOURCES THERE THAT, THAT ARE IDENTIFIED.

AND I THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT INFORMATION.

BUT HOW DO WE IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE AND WHAT DOES THAT INTAKE PROCESS LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE WE CAN'T ASK MORE.

WE'RE ALREADY PUTTING MORE, YOU KNOW, SO MUCH ON OUR EDUCATORS, UM, TO DO THAT.

AND WHO TAKES ON THOSE ROLES? SO I'LL, I'LL RESPOND TO THAT'S LOT OF QUESTIONS.

SORRY.

THE, THE TRUE ANSWER IS EVERYONE TAKES ON THAT ROLE.

IT'S EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE, UH, TAKEN CARE OF.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MS. BROWN SHARED IS THAT WE ARE, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, AND EXPLORING UNIVERSAL SCREENING IS, WHICH IS ONE WAY THAT SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE GOING ABOUT DOING THIS WORK.

WE HAVE STUDENT SUPPORT TEAMS IN EVERY SCHOOL WHILE WE ARE NOT YET AT THE, UM, 300 FOR EVERY SCHOOL RATIO FOR COUNSELORS.

AND SOME SCHOOLS WE'RE TWO 50.

UM, AND THEN WE'RE THREE 50, WHICH IS, UH, MUCH BETTER THAN, UH, MANY OF OUR, UM, UH, NEIGHBORS ARE, UH, FARING.

BUT BEYOND THAT, THE COACHES ARE INVOLVED.

BEYOND THAT, WE HAVE, UM, UH, A, AN $8 MILLION GRANT THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MS. BROWN SHARED WITH YOU TWO EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, AND WHAT THEIR WORK LOOKS LIKE.

BUT WE ARE REACHING 155 SCHOOLS WITH THAT.

UM, THE TALKSPACE DATA THAT WAS SHARED, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THAT'S 2000 MORE STUDENTS THAN WAS REACHED BEFORE IN ONE QUARTER, TO PROVIDE THEM WITH A DIFFERENT METHOD OF, UM, SUPPORT THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE AVAILABLE TO THEM.

AND I THINK IF WE KIND OF GO THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PAGES OF, UH, THIS REPORT, UH, THEY, THEY PROVIDED SOME HIGHLIGHTS, UH, BUT THE $8 MILLION FROM THE, UH, WORKING DIRECTLY WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY, UH, HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE, UH, WORK THAT WE HAVE WITH THE STUDENT SUPPORT TEAMS, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING DIRECTLY WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, THESE ARE ALL ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.

CIGNA STUDENT SUPPORT LINE, UM, TALKSPACE, THESE ARE ALL ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS BEFORE THAT THEY NOW HAVE.

UM, AND I THINK EVERYONE HAS BEEN TASKED WITH, UH, IDENTIFYING IF A STUDENT SEEMS THAT SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH THEM.

UM, IT'S ALL OF OUR SHARED WORK.

IT'S, IT'S NOT ATYPICAL FOR ME TO GO INTO A SCHOOL AND IF SOMETHING LOOKS LIKE IT'S WRONG WITH A STUDENT TO ASK WHAT'S HAPPENING.

UM, AND STUDENTS USUALLY SHARE THAT INFORMATION.

AND SO CERTAINLY THERE WILL NEVER BE AS MANY ADULTS AS THERE ARE STUDENTS, BUT I THINK, UH, B TEAM BCPS TAKES THIS WORK SERIOUSLY.

WE'RE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL, UM, RESOURCES, AND I THINK STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED SERVICES THAT THEY HAVEN'T, UM, IN YEARS.

AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW IN GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS, UH, TO MEET THAT NEED, UH, FOR OUR STUDENTS.

BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY AN AREA OF PRIORITY, UM, FOR US AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AND WE SEE THE EVIDENCE AND THE FEEDBACK, UH, FROM OUR FAMILIES AND FROM OUR STUDENTS THAT, UH, IT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO ACCESS THE, UM, EDUCATIONAL SERVICES THAT WE HAVE FOR THEM.

SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD IN THAT WORK.

MS. LESKI, AND THEN, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS IN THIS IMPORTANT WORK.

UM, IF YOU COULD JUST BRIEFLY SPEAK TO HOW, UM, MAYBE TRANSLATING SERVICES OR ANY OTHER SERVICES TO SUPPORT, UM, EITHER STUDENTS WHO COULD BE WEAK IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OR FAMILIES WHO MAY NOT BE FLUENT IN ENGLISH.

BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS THAT ARE BILINGUAL IN SPANISH, SO WE TRY TO MAKE THOSE REFERRALS, UM, WHEN THEY COME UP.

I KNOW A NUMBER OF OUR, UM, PROVIDERS DO USE A, IF THEY DON'T HAVE A, A THERAPIST TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE IN THE, IN THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE, UM, THEY CAN USE THE LANGUAGE LINE.

I KNOW THAT'S NOT IDEAL, BUT I THINK THAT'S ONE THING WE'RE FINDING IS THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF PROVIDERS THAT SPEAK MULTIPLE LANGUAGE LANGUAGES.

WE DO HAVE SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY

[01:55:01]

BUT IT'S, IT IS TRICKY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO NAVIGATE, AND OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO NAVIGATE.

WE'RE GONNA GO TO MS. CHICA KALU, THEN MR. YOUNG, THEN MS. HARVEY.

WELL, THANK YOU.

AND THEN I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION.

SO HOW ARE WE KIND OF IDENTIFYING THOSE STUDENTS WHO MAY NEED, OR LIKE SUPPORTING THE STUDENTS WHO MAY NEED MORE TIER THREE INTENSIVE SUPPORT, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THAT PARENTAL ASPECT OF IT, WHERE IN WHICH IT REQUIRES A REFERRAL OR TO ACTUALLY GET INTO THOSE WELL, TO THERAPY OUTSIDE OF BCPS TALKS BASED AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT.

HOW DO WE KIND OF SUPPORT THOSE STUDENTS AND LACK, WHILE THEY LACK THAT PARENTAL ASPECT OF IT? I CAN TAKE THAT ONE TOO, IF YOU WANT.

UM, SO WE CERTAINLY WORK WITH THE PARENT DEPENDING ON THE, THE, THE SCENARIO, RIGHT? WE TRY TO, IT'S BEST TO ALIGN WITH THE PARENT.

SO WE TRY TO NAVIGATE WHAT'S THE BARRIER, WHAT'S THE CONCERN, WHAT'S THE ISSUE? IS IT INSURANCE? LIKE, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.

SO I THINK THE GOAL IS TO REALLY WORK WITH THE PARENT TO SEE WHAT'S, WHAT THE CONCERN IS, AND THEN NAVIGATE AROUND THAT.

UM, IT IS BEST AND IDEAL TO HAVE THE PARENT INVOLVED IN TREATMENT.

SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE TRY TO NAVIGATE.

SO IT'S, THERE'S NO REAL QUICK, EASY ANSWER, SO I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT.

BUT WE CERTAINLY, UM, WANNA ALIGN WITH OUR PARENTS AND WORK WITH THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE CHALLENGE.

IF THERE'S A SITUATION WHERE, UM, WE HAVE TO NAVIGATE THAT WITH, UM, WHEN THERE'S A, A, A STRONG PARENT CONCERN, BUT THERE'S STILL A MENTAL HEALTH NEED, WE STILL WORK WITH THAT STUDENT TO SUPPORT THEM AS BEST WE CAN.

BUT AS YOU REALIZE, THERE'S PROBABLY SOME CHALLENGES WITH THAT.

SO IT'S TRICKY, BUT WE ALWAYS TRY TO SUPPORT OUR KIDDOS AND WORK WITH THE PARENTS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE MENTAL HEALTH NEED.

YOU WANNA YEP, DR. ROGERS, THERE'S ALSO LAW.

AND, UM, IF A STUDENT IS IN CRISIS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA DO THAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STUDENT IN THE MOMENT, WHO'S IN CRISIS AS THE MOMENT, UH, AT THE MOMENT.

SO WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MOBILE CRISIS CENTER OR A STUDENT HAS TO GO TO A HOSPITAL, IF A STUDENT IS MANIFESTING THAT LEVEL OF NEED.

UM, AS, UH, MS. BROWN SAID, WE TRY EVERYTHING TO, UH, WORK WITH THE FAMILY TO CONVINCE THE FAMILY, UH, THE NEEDS SOMETIMES, UM, YOU KNOW, THEIR DIFFERENT, UM, BELIEFS, BUT WHAT, WHAT A STUDENT PRESENTS TO US, UM, COMPELS US, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD AND TAKE ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE STUDENTS, UH, DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY AS WELL.

SO WE'LL GO TO MR. YOUNG, AND THEN MS. HARVEY, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.

UM, IN HERE YOU SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT TALKSPACE GO AS A COURSE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

IS THERE AN EQUIVALENT FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS? I AM NOT SURE.

I WILL CHECK WITH TALKSPACE.

GO TO MS. HARVEY.

AND THEN, MS. FONG, I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I JUST, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT OR GET YOUR, UM, ASSESSMENT OF PREVENTION ACTIVITIES.

I KNOW TIER ONE ARE KIND OF THOSE UNIVERSAL THINGS, AND WE'VE ALL HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW, UM, THERE IS A FINITE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES, UM, IN THE CLASSROOM FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING SOME KIND OF MENTAL HEALTH, EITHER CRISIS OR CHALLENGE.

YOU KNOW, BRAIN BREAKS OR OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, COLLABORATE AND, UM, AND ENGAGE IN, IN GROUP ACTIVITIES OR, UM, COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES THAT ALLOW THEM TO HAVE CONVERSATION WITH THEIR CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR PEERS, BUT THEN ALSO THOSE ONE-ON-ONE TIMES WITH STUDENTS.

AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT JUST POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE INFUSED INTO LIKE THE CLASSROOM AND THE SCHOOL DAY THAT KIND OF PROMOTE POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS WITHOUT KNOWING WHETHER A STUDENT IS EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS OR A CHALLENGE? JUST HOW ARE, HOW ARE OUR SCHOOL STAFF KIND OF TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SOME POSITIVE, UH, MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS? SOME THOUGHT PUT INTO THAT, INTO THE SCHOOL DAY? BECAUSE I, I BELIEVE THAT I, WE ALL AGREE THAT WHILE TEACHERS ARE STRETCHED AND CHALLENGED, UM, THEY ARE TEACHING A WHOLE CHILD.

AND IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO, UH, EDUCATE A CHILD WHO HAS SOME OTHER PRESSING CONCERN THAT IS IMPACTING EITHER THEIR PHYSICAL OR THEIR MENTAL STATE.

SO, MM-HMM.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, TALK A LOT ABOUT, BUT THEN ALSO MAKE SURE WE SEE WITHIN OUR CLASSROOMS WHEN WE, WHEN WE VISIT CLASSROOMS, WE'RE LOOKING AT OF COURSE, TEACHING AND LEARNING, BUT THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND WHAT, WHAT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, UM, INTANGIBLES ARE IN PLACE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

RIGHT? AND SO HOW DO STUDENTS, HOW ARE, HOW ARE TEACHERS, HOW ARE PRINCIPALS? HOW ARE STAFF CREATING SPACE FOR STUDENTS TO FEEL, UM, TO FEEL A PART OF THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT THEN ALSO, UM, THOSE SAFE, THOSE SAFE SPACES.

SO WHILE WE BELIEVE THAT, UM, THERE SHOULD BE, UM, BELL TO BELL INSTRUCTION, THERE ARE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR YOUNGER STUDENTS TO HAVE WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE LIKE, UM,

[02:00:01]

SO IT'S, UM, IT'S INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION, IT'S GROUP INSTRUCTION, BUT THEN IT'S ALSO GOES BACK TO CREATING THIS CULTURE WHERE STUDENTS FEEL VALUED.

STILL STUDENTS FEEL HEARD AND THEY FEEL SEEN.

A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE, UM, STUDENT, UM, ADVISORIES, I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW THAT DR. ROGERS HAS, UM, ADVISORIES, BUT WE ALSO HAVE, UM, STUDENT LEADERS IN OUR SCHOOL AND, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR VOICE AND THEIR IMPACT AND THEIR, THEIR FEEDBACK AROUND THINGS THAT THEY NEED HELP WITH.

AND WHEN WE SIT DOWN AND TALK TO STUDENTS WHEN WE VISIT SCHOOLS, THEY SHARE THAT WITH US.

THEY SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE EXPERIENCING, BUT WITHIN THE CLASSROOM, WE ARE LOOKING FOR HOW IS IT, UM, HOW IS IT THAT A STUDENT IS ABLE TO NOT ONLY JUST ACCESS THEIR EDUCATION, BUT BE, UM, SEEN AND HEARD AS, AS A STUDENT? AND AGAIN, FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL, IT'S THE ADVISORY FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS, IT'S THE, UM, IT'S THE BRAIN BREAKS.

THERE ARE EVEN TIMES DURING RECESS WHERE WE'LL SEE TEACHERS TALKING TO STUDENTS AND, AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO PROVIDE, UM, FEEDBACK.

I WAS JUST IN AN ART CLASS, UM, THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY HAD STUDENTS JUST HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SHARE SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS.

AND STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR, UM, THEIR THOUGHTS THROUGH ART.

AND IT ALLOWED US AN OPPORTUNITY JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME OF SOME OF THE CONCERNS.

SO I THINK IT GOES BACK TO JUST KIND OF BASIC RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, BUT THEN ALSO PROVIDING CLEAR WAYS IN WHICH, IF YOU NEED TO SOME HELP IN YOUR CLASSROOM, OR IF YOU NEED TO BE SEEN OR HEARD HERE IS KIND OF WHAT, UM, WHAT OCCURS.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO, AGAIN, I WANNA GO BACK TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE REVAMPED THE WORK OF, AND THE SUPPORT OF OUR COUNSELORS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE THOSE GROUP LESSONS AND INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORTS FOR, FOR STUDENTS.

SO IT IS, THERE'S AN ARRAY OF WAYS IN WHICH WE PROVIDE THOSE SUPPORTS THAT STUDENTS MAY NOT EVEN REALIZE ARE TAPPING INTO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

UM, BUT WE'RE CONSTANTLY MAKING SURE THAT IT'S, UM, SAFETY, CLIMATE, UM, MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELLBEING OF OUR STUDENTS.

I, I JUST A COMMENT, I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD IN STRESSING THAT IT IS INCUMBENT UPON EVERY ADULT IN A SCHOOL BUILDING, IN A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, IN A CLASSROOM, TO ACTIVELY CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING AND VALUE FOR EACH AND EVERY STUDENT THAT THEY ENCOUNTER.

AND THAT THOSE ARE SAFE SPACES FOR STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.

SO THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS.

GOOD.

YOU'RE GOOD.

TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

UH, MS. FONG, THANK YOU.

THIS HAS REALLY BEEN, UM, A WEALTH OF INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED.

I JUST WANTED TO ASK THE QUESTION FOR, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT MAY BE WATCHING THIS AND NOT EVEN AWARE THAT WE'VE HAD THESE RESOURCES.

SO AS A PARENT, HOW WOULD A PARENT BEGIN TO TRY TO ACCESS SOME OF THESE RESOURCES FOR THEIR STUDENTS? THEY CAN REACH OUT TO THE SCHOOL DIRECTLY, UM, SPEAK WITH A SCHOOL, UM, COUNSELOR OR STU, A SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER.

UM, THEY ARE GONNA BE MINDFUL AND KNOW ABOUT THE DIFFERENT, UM, COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS THAT MIGHT ALREADY HAVE PARTNERSHIPS ESTABLISHED WITH THE SCHOOL.

SO, UM, WITH THAT PARTNERSHIP, UM, STUDENTS CAN MEET WITH A THERAPIST DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.

UM, SO THEY CAN MAKE THAT REFERRAL FOR THAT.

UM, IF THERE'S QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS INITIATIVES, THE COUNSELOR, THE SOCIAL WORKER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THAT TOO.

SO JUST TO REALLY INFORM THE PARENT.

MM-HMM, .

AND THEN, I GUESS IN GENERAL, KIND OF, AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT BEING PREVENTATIVE, HOW IS THIS INFORMATION JUST SHARED OR DISSEMINATED TO THE PARENTS EXPERIENCE? I GUESS I WOULD SAY, AND DR. JONES, FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN.

UM, WE COMMUNICATE THIS WITH OUR STAFF, AND THEN THEY, SOMETIMES THERE'S, UM, DIFFERENT NEWSLETTERS FOR PARENTS OR DIFFERENT COMMUNICATIONS WHERE PRINCIPALS OR, UM, OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS OR SCHOOL, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS CAN COMMUNICATE WHAT'S GOING ON AND THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE.

UM, I KNOW OUR WEBSITE ALSO HAS RESOURCES TOO.

UM, SO IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, THERE'S, UH, POINTS OF CONTACT.

UM, WE START THIS WORK WITH THE BECK TO BCPS, UH, CAMPAIGN.

WE POST IT ALL OVER THE WEBSITE.

PRINCIPALS REINFORCE IT.

UM, COUNSELORS REINFORCE IT, BUT IT'S NEVER OUT THERE ENOUGH.

WE HAVE IT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.

AND, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS EVENING GIVE US ANO ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SPOTLIGHT ALL THAT'S, UM, AVAILABLE.

AND SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANNA CONTINUE SHARING IT.

AND SO OUR, UH, COUNCIL OF PTAS DOES A GOOD JOB, UH, SUPPORTING US, OUR AREA ADVISORIES, UM, AND OTHER PARTNERS SHARE THIS INFORMATION.

AND WE ALSO SHARE IT WITH, UH, OUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT PARTNERS, UM, THAT SOMETIMES HELP US WITH MESSAGES

[02:05:01]

DR.

SAVOY? YES.

THANK YOU FOR THE, OH, DR.

SAVOY, TURN ON YOUR MICROPHONE.

IT, IT'S ON.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY.

THANK YOU FOR THE VERY BRILLIANT PRESENTATION.

JUST WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION.

I SEE THAT SOME PROVIDERS OR SCHOOL COUNSELORS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, THIS ALL LOOKS LIKE AN A RD TEAM.

IS IT SORT OF THE SAME THING WHEN THEY'RE SCREENED, LIKE BY THE A RD OR IS THAT SOMETHING ELSE? TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

WHAT'S A RD? YEAH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT A RD WHAT'S, WHAT'S A RD I'M SORRY.

SPECIAL ED.

A RD ADV ADVANCE.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT A RD YOU DON'T HAVE.

SO IT, UM, ASSESSMENT, REVIEW AND DISMISSAL.

DISMISSAL.

THANK, THANK YOU LICTOR FOR REMINDING US ALL OF THE WORDS.

UM, FOR, FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS.

SO YOU CAN HAVE, UM, A, WE CERTAINLY HAVE, UM, WE CALL THEM IEP TEAMS THAT GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BUT THIS IS FOR ANY STUDENT.

SO IT INCLUDES A STUDENT THAT MIGHT BE RECEIVING, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, A MULTILINGUAL STUDENT, A STUDENT WITH NO SERVICES, ANYBODY IN BETWEEN.

UH, WE HAVE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS AVAILABLE TO THEM.

ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, MULTILINGUAL LEARNER EDUCATION, AND I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.

SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS INFORMATION.

IT'S BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.

SO, ON THE SLIDE WHERE EXPANSION OF SERVICES CONTINUES, UM, THERE'S, UH, A BULLET ABOUT THE SHAPE ASSESSMENT AND UNIVERSAL SCREENING SCREENING.

COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE SHAPE ASSESSMENT? WHAT IS THAT? WHAT HAPPENS THERE? AND THEN, UM, JUST THE UNIVERSAL SCREENING PROCESS.

SURE.

SO SHAPE STANDS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION.

UM, THIS, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH CREATED THAT.

AND, UM, IT'S A WAY FOR US, FOR ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT REALLY TO REALLY ASSESS THE SERVICES THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE FOR A SCHOOL SYSTEM.

SO REALLY LOOKING AT, UM, THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM THAT COULD BE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS.

SO WHAT HAPPENS IS REALLY SCHOOLS CAN CREATE THEIR OWN TEAM.

THEY CAN ASSESS THEIR, UM, THEIR SERVICES IN INDIVIDUALLY.

WE ALSO CAN HAVE A DISTRICT TEAM.

IT'S JUST A REALLY GREAT RESOURCE TO, UM, AGAIN, ASSESS WHAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE, AND THEY GIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO IMPROVE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE'VE DONE AS THE MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.

WE'VE DONE THIS AS A DISTRICT AND JUST KIND OF TAKING THE ASSESSMENT, UM, LOOKING TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, WHAT CAN, WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER, SO THAT ASSESSMENT CAN BE TAKEN YEARLY AND ACTUALLY AS FREQUENTLY AS FOLKS MIGHT WANT TO TAKE.

SO IT'S A GREAT WAY TO, AGAIN, JUST TO ENHANCE OUR SYSTEM, UM, IN THE SCREENING, UNIVERSAL SCREENING, WE HAVE A, A PLANNING AND MULTIDI DISCIPLINARY PLANNING GROUP THAT'S LOOKING AT DIFFERENT UNIVERSAL SCREENERS SO THAT WE CAN THEN ELEVATE TO OUR LEADERSHIP ABOUT WHAT SOME RECOMMENDATIONS MIGHT BE.

SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS AND WE CAN CERTAINLY GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION ONCE WE MOVE FORWARD.

[O. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. Jones and Ms. Bloetner) (9:05- 9:25 p.m.)]

THANK YOU, DR. JONES.

PLEASE, UH, STAY RIGHT THERE.

UM, WE WANT TO THANK THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF THE CONTRACT TO PURCHASE NEW CURRICULUM FOR OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.

UM, IT HAS MADE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, UM, IN OUR EXPECTATIONS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION WITH FIDELITY IN THE CLASSROOMS. WE HAVE WITH US THIS EVENING, DR. JONES, CHIEF OF SCHOOLS THAT, UM, IS JOINED BY, UH, MS. SONYA BLATTNER, UM, OUR, UH, DIRECTOR OF MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT TO SHARE WITH YOU SPECIFIC UPDATES, UH, REGARDING OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.

SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU GUYS.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

UM, GOOD EVENING.

UM, CHAIR BOOKER DWYER, UM, DR. ROGERS AND VICE CHAIR AS WELL AS BOARD MEMBERS.

WE ARE HERE TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WITH OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.

UM, I WANTED TO JUST ANCHOR THIS CONVERSATION TODAY WITH THIS SLIDE, AND I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THIS INFORMATION BEFORE, BUT A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AS WE MOVE FORWARD IS MAKING SURE THAT AS WE ARE SUPPORTING OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, THAT WE ARE ENSURING THAT THEY HAVE A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

AND IT VERY CLOSELY ALIGNS TO THE WORK OF THE MSDE WORK GROUP THAT TOOK PLACE, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

AND WE ALSO ARE ANCHORING IT TO WHAT COMAR TELLS US NEEDS TO HAPPEN, WHICH IS ENSURING THAT WE'VE GOT CURRICULUM RESOURCES IN PLACE, THAT WE ARE VERY CLEAR ON THE MODELS THAT WE'RE USING, AND THAT WE HAVE CERTIFIED ELD TEACHERS GUIDING THE WORK.

ONE, WE KNEW AS WE LOOKED AT THE RESOURCES THAT WERE IN PLACE IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THAT WE NEEDED ALIGNMENT.

AND SO, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR ELEMENTARY ELD INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, WE REALLY WANT TO ANCHOR TO THESE THREE CORE CONCEPTS.

[02:10:01]

WE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS ALIGNED TO NOT ONLY THE WIDA STANDARDS, BUT THE MARYLAND COMMON COLLEGE, COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS.

AND SO THAT, THAT OUR ELD TEACHERS WERE SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF BOTH BODIES OF STANDARDS THAT OUR STUDENTS WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE.

THEY WOULD LISTEN, SPEAK, READ, AND WRITE IN ALIGNMENT TO THE ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THAT ALIGNS TO THESE STANDARDS.

AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTIONAL MODELS.

SOMETIMES OUR STUDENTS NEED SMALL GROUPS.

SOMETIMES THEY NEED TO BE IN A CO-TAUGHT MODEL AND BEING VERY INTENTIONAL DEPENDING ON PROFICIENCY LEVELS OF STUDENTS AND MEETING THEIR NEEDS.

SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE PROVIDED TO OUR ELD TEACHERS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL HAS BEEN, SO AS THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THESE RESOURCES WITH HMH INTO READING, WE'RE LOOKING AT PACING GUIDES, PACING GUIDES THAT ALIGN TO THE MARKING PERIOD, AND DEFINING WHAT THAT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE, LOOKING AT ENSURING OUR TEACHERS HAVE LESSONS THAT ARE WELL DEVELOPED THAT WORK ON LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING.

AND THAT'S WHAT OUR TABLETOP LESSONS DO.

HOWEVER, WHEN OUR STUDENTS GET TO UPPER PROFICIENCY LEVELS, THEY NEED GREATER LEVELS OF RIGOR.

AND THAT'S WHERE THE DESIGNATED ELD LESSONS THAT ARE PART OF THE MODULES IN H MASON TWO READING, AS WELL AS THE RIGBY READERS AND THE TAKE AND TEACH LESSONS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO OUR ELB TEACHERS.

SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THESE RESOURCES.

SO THAT'S FOR ELEMENTARY.

AND THEN AS WE GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU AGAIN THAT A LARGE INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING IN OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, AND THAT MEANS THAT AS WE LOOK AT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, WE LOOKED AT THE PURCHASE OF GET READY, GET READING, AND THEN FOR ESOL LEVELS, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR COURSES, WE HAVE BRIDGES.

AND THEN FOR HIGH SCHOOL, WE ALSO HAVE THE GET READY FOR THOSE NEWCOMERS WHO COME TO BCPS, AND THEN THEY HAVE THE ENGAGE A, B, AND C.

SO, REALLY IMPORTANT, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THAT ALIGNMENT TO BOTH THE WIST STANDARDS, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT AS THEY'RE LEARNING THAT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE, THAT IT IS FULLY ALIGNED TO OUR M-C-C-R-S STANDARDS.

I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO DR. JONES.

IF YOU CAN GO BACK.

SO, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE, THERE'S A SIDE BY SIDE, UM, SOMEWHAT OF A COMPARISON OF WHAT WE, UM, USED FORMALLY, UM, AND THEN WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY AND WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY USING.

UM, WE ARE EXCITED AS, UM, MS. UM, NER SHARED THAT OUR NEW CURRICULUM HAS INCREASED THE RIGOR, UM, AND IS INDEED ALIGNED TO THE WIDA AND THE MARYLAND COLLEGE CAREER AND READY STANDARDS.

WE ARE USING BRIDGES FOR SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH, AND WE'RE USING ENGAGE FOR OUR, UM, NINTH THROUGH 12TH GRADERS.

THIS HAS INCREASED RIGOR, INCREASED COMPLEXITY, AND IT REALLY, UM, AS WAS SAID, DEMONSTRATES AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE INDIVIDUAL, UM, NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.

THERE ARE DETAILED ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE, AND OUR STUDENTS ARE, UM, SHOWING BASED ON OUR EARLY DATA THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO LEARN, UM, A NEW LANGUAGE.

SO WE'RE JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE, UM, WE HAVE THE NEW CURRICULUM AND THAT THEY ARE MEETING, UM, IT WITH HIGH BASED ON OUR HIGH, HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GO INTO AND TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, PLANNING AND SUPPORT WITH VISTA HIGHER LEARNING COACHING, UM, THROUGH THIS VIDEO, UM, SEPTEMBER 23RD THROUGH 27TH, UM, WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COACHING VISITS TO OCCUR IN ABOUT 20 OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

UM, AT THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THE, UM, THE SCHOOLS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH, UM, PROFESSIONALS AND, UM, SPECIALIZED SUPPORT TO REALLY THINK ABOUT, UM, WHAT IT IS THAT OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS NEED AND HOW THEY CAN DEVELOP THAT SUPPORT.

UM, VISTA DID A 90 MINUTE PLANNING PERIOD WITH, UM, EACH OF THE SCHOOLS, AND THERE WAS, UM, A PRE-MEETING, UM, CLASSROOM LOOK FORS, AND THEN OF COURSE, A, A DEBRIEF, UM, MEETING.

AND THIS PARTICULAR VIDEO GIVES US A PEEK INTO THE PLANNING AND THE WORK THAT OCCURRED AT PARKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

SO YOU CAN PLAY THE VIDEO.

WE HAD SOME STUDENTS WHO IT WAS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO GET THINGS OUT OF THEM, SO I ADDED SOME SCAFFOLDS TO GET THEM TALKING AND COMFORTABLE FIRST BEFORE THEY WROTE.

SO YEAH, I'M GLAD YOU POINTED THAT OUT.

YEAH, I LIKE, I, I LIKED WHEN YOU SHOWED THE VIDEO THAT REALLY SEEMED TO STIMULATE THE STUDENTS.

FRIENDS? WHY DO YOU THINK THEY'RE FRIENDS? FRIENDS, THEY'RE SMILING.

AND YOU MANAGE TO GET THEM SPEAKING MORE THEN AS WELL.

WE SEE IN THIS PICTURE, WHAT DO WE SEE? WE SEE PEOPLE TALKING.

OH, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE? WHO, WHO ARE THEY? WHO DO WE THINK?

[02:15:01]

THEY SEEM HAPPY TO BE TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

WAS ANYONE GOING TO SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT? IN YOUR DIGITAL PROGRAM, YOU DO HAVE TUTORIALS WHERE IT'S GOING TO OFTEN SHOW IMAGES, SAY THE WORD FOR THEM, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN PRACTICE, REPEAT THAT KIND OF THING, THE DEFINITION OR USE IT IN A SENTENCE.

AND THEN THERE ARE ACTIVITIES THAT EVEN HAVE POSSIBLY SOMETHING WITH AUDIO, AND THEN THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING WITH THE VOCAB WORDS.

UM, JUST LOTS OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, UM, SO ON.

SO ALL THROUGHOUT, BOTH BRIDGES AND THEN WITH OUR OTHER PROGRAMS, GET READY.

AND WITH ENGAGE FOR THE QUEARY SECTION, THERE'S ALWAYS A PRESENTATION, WHICH LIKE WHAT YOU SAW UP THERE WITH THE ONE IMAGE IN THE SENTENCE WHERE THE STUDENTS CAN HEAR IT AND THEN THEY CAN REPEAT IT AS MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THEN A TUTORIAL WHERE THE STUDENT SEES THE WORD, REPEATS THE WORD, AND THEN THEY GO THROUGH THE LIST OF WORDS.

AND THEN THE NEXT STEP IS THEY SEE THREE IMAGES.

THEY HEAR THE WORD, THEY SEE THE IMAGES, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO PICK THE RIGHT IMAGE THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT.

AND THEN IN THE LAST ONE, THEY SEE THE IMAGE AND THEN THEY HAVE TO PRODUCE THE WORD OKAY.

AND THEN THEY GET A THUMBS UP OR A THUMBS DOWN AS FAR AS WHETHER OR NOT THAT WHAT THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, MATCHES.

OKAY, LET'S PUT OUR WORD WE PICKED OVER HERE WITH CONVICTION OR IN ANY OF THE PICK A SQUARE AND WRITE THE WORD ONE OF THOSE FINAL STATIONS.

ONE OF THOSE FINAL ACTIVITIES, UM, WAS A VOCABULARY ROUTINE.

IN ENGAGE, YOU'LL SEE THE VOCABULARY ROUTINES THROUGHOUT THE TEXT, IN THE MARGINS WITH THE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS, UM, ASKING STUDENTS TO IDENTIFY SYNONYMS, ANTONYMS, GIVE AN EXAMPLE.

I THINK WITHIN THE LESSONS, YOU KNOW, THE VOCABULARY IS KIND OF SOMETHING I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH, LIKE KIND OF INCORPORATING IT AGAIN IN A WAY THAT WILL BE ENGAGING, NOT JUST PUTTING A LIST OF WORDS IN FRONT OF THEM AND SAYING, GO LOOK UP THE DEFINITION.

SO AGAIN, PUTTING IT IN THAT KIND OF A GROUP WORK SITUATION, THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO FIND THAT INFORMATION, I THINK IS GREAT.

SO WE COULD PUT THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BACK UP.

SO AGAIN, THE VISTA HIGHER LEARNING RESOURCES HAVE LESSONS.

THEY HAVE ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF RESOURCES THERE.

SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR TEACHERS ARE, THERE'S SO MUCH THERE, WHAT DO WE DO FIRST? SO IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE WE GAVE THEM PACING GUIDES SO THEY UNDERSTAND WITHIN A WEEK'S TIME, WHAT CAN YOU ACCOMPLISH WITHIN THAT PERIOD OF TIME, DEPENDING ON WHICHEVER RESOURCES THEY'RE USING.

SO THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE ALSO WANTED TO HAVE A WAY TO MONITOR HOW ARE STUDENTS DOING IN THE PROGRAM.

THERE ARE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS, THERE ARE SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS.

THERE ARE ASSESSMENTS THAT ALIGN TO BOTH THE CONTENT OF THE UNIT, THE ACADEMIC LANGUAGE, AS WELL AS THE COMMON, THE MARYLAND COMMON CORE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS.

AND SO OUR ELD PROGRESS CHECKS ARE A WAY FOR US TO CHECK EACH MARKING PERIOD, HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING.

THERE ARE ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE IN THE CURRICULUM RESOURCES THAT TEACHERS ARE USING AND ASSIGN.

AND SO THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW.

AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS, SO THEY CAN MAKE SURE THEY ARE PRACTICING THAT LANGUAGE, JUST AS YOU SAW IN THE VIDEO WITH THE VOCABULARY PRACTICE.

BUT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO READ, TO ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER IN DISCUSSIONS.

THERE EVEN ARE SOME AI COMPONENTS THAT ARE EMBEDDED WHERE STUDENTS CAN PRACTICE WHERE VOCABULARY AND TALK WITH AN AI PARTNER.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS, IS VERY HELPFUL FOR OUR STUDENTS AS WELL.

THIS HAS JUST GIVEN YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THE USAGE DATA IS LOOKING LIKE.

WE HAVE ABOUT 516 MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS THAT ARE IN THE GET READY PROGRAM, ABOUT 1,550.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'VE USED AND BEEN IMPLEMENTING OVER 4,399 ASSIGNMENTS.

AND THAT'S JUST IN THE PLATFORM.

THERE ARE ALSO OTHER RESOURCES THAT THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING WITH STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM, NOT JUST VIA TECHNOLOGY.

SO THAT'S MIDDLE SCHOOL.

AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS ONE HERE IS HIGH SCHOOL, AND YOU CAN SEE AGAIN 464 THAT'S IN THAT ESOL ONE, THE GET READY, UM, CURRICULUM.

AND THEN ANOTHER 1,910 STUDENTS THAT ARE IN ENGAGE A THROUGH C.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING A LOT OF VARIOUS ASSIGNMENTS, UM, IN THE PROGRAM.

AS YOU LOOK AT THE PIE GRAPH, THIS JUST KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF SOME OF THE PIECES.

I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT TO READ.

SO WE HAVE DIAGNOSTIC, WHICH

[02:20:01]

WOULD BE ASSESSMENTS.

THERE'S INTERPRETIVE, THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE ENGAGING IN LISTENING AND READING ASSIGNMENTS.

UM, THERE'S INSTRUCTIONAL, SO IT COULD BE MIXED MEDIA.

THEY'RE WATCHING A VIDEO, THEY'RE RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.

UM, THERE'S ALSO THE INTERACTIVE PIECE WHERE THEY'RE TALKING WITH A PARTNER OR ENGAGING WITH A VIRTUAL, UM, AI ASSISTANT TO RESPOND RECORD, LISTEN TO THEMSELVES.

SO IT GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE.

THEY ALSO PRESENT INFORMATION, AND THERE ARE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO PRACTICE THEIR VOCABULARY AS WELL AS GRAMMAR TUTORIALS.

SO LOTS OF DIFFERENT, UM, COMPONENTS THAT ARE PART OF THE CURRICULUM RESOURCE.

AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

YES, I'M EXCITED TO SHARE ABOUT THE, UM, THE K TO 12 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE RECEIVING THROUGH THE MULTILINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT.

UM, TEAM, YOU KNOW, HEADED BY MS. UM, MS. NER, THERE'S, UM, A LOT OF TIME BEING SPENT IN SCHOOLS, AS YOU CAN SEE THIS.

UM, THIS DATA IS FROM AUGUST UP UNTIL ABOUT, UM, A, A WEEK OR SO AGO.

AND THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME IN SCHOOL IS FOCUSED ON CURRICULUM PLANNING, UM, HELPING WITH CO-TEACHING, MODELING LESSONS, UM, ASSESSMENTS IN TERMS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE SAME, AND THE REVIEW OF NEW INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

UM, AS WE ARE VISITING SCHOOLS IN THE DIVISION, AS WE ARE VISITING SCHOOLS, UH, MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS ARE ACTUALLY TAKING SOME OF THE TEAM MEMBERS WITH US TO VISIT SCHOOLS, TO SOME OF, TO WHEN, WHEN THE DATA SHOWS US THAT, UM, WE NEED TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS OR WE NEED TO KIND OF WORK WITH SOME OF OUR NEWER TEACHERS, OR JUST TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE CURRICULUM IN ACTION.

WE HAVE PARTNERED UP WITH THE MULTI-LINGUAL ACHIEVEMENT TEAM TO VISIT SCHOOLS AND SIT WITH TS AND REVIEW DATA AND REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW ARE WE MAKING A, A DIFFERENCE, UM, A DIFFERENCE FOR, FOR OUR LEARNERS.

THERE ARE, UM, SINCE THE, UM, THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN 68 ELD INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS PROVIDED TO, UH, SPORTS VISITS PROVIDED TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 80, 34, 34 PROVIDED TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND 50 AS IT RELATES TO, UM, TO HIGH SCHOOLS.

AND AGAIN, THE BEST PART ABOUT IT IS THAT THE SUPPORTS ARE ONGOING AND, AND NOW WE'VE WORKED IT OUT.

UM, SO THAT IF A SCHOOL, UM, IS LOOKING AT, UM, TRYING TO DO SOME PROBLEM SOLVING OR REALLY INCREASE INCREASE, UM, UM, TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE ELD SUPPORT, THEY KNOW HOW TO REACH RIGHT OUT TO MS. BLO AND THE TEAM.

AND THOSE RESOURCES ARE MOBILIZED VERY QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY.

SO, SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP.

SO SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, JUST BRIEF COMMENTS.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THE COACHING VISITS, WHICH IS DOWN IN THE GREEN AREA.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE DID COACHING VISITS FOR BOTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AS WELL AS SECONDARY.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO TOUCH QUITE A FEW SCHOOLS.

AND THEN WE'VE ALSO BEEN PROVIDING THIS ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR TEACHERS, WHICH IS, UH, DAYS THAT WERE SET ASIDE BY OUR DISTRICT.

AND THEN WE ALSO DID VIRTUAL SESSIONS AND OFFICE HOURS FOR OUR TEACHERS.

SO WHATEVER THEY NEED.

AND WE ALSO THEN PROVIDE THAT DIRECT SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS.

SO THIS GIVES YOU A SENSE OF, WELL, WHERE WE ARE WITH THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WITH THE COACHING, WITH THE SUPPORTS TO SCHOOLS.

IF YOU GO TO THE LAST SLIDE, WE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU.

I KNOW THAT WE'VE, THERE'S A LOT THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT IT'S REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT.

ANY QUESTIONS, MS. ONG? GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION IN HERE.

UM, AND EVEN JUST WITH THE ONE SLIDE GOING FROM, UM, I GUESS THE OLD CURRICULUM TO THE NEW CURRICULUM, YOU CAN EVEN SEE JUST VISUALLY THAT IT'S MORE APPEALING.

UM, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THESE THINGS HAPPENING.

UM, ONE QUESTION I HAD IS FOR SLIDES NINE AND 10, SO AS WE LOOK AT MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL AND WE SEE THE STUDENTS OR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE USING THESE, UM, AND IT, IT MAY NOT TRANSLATE, BUT I GUESS IS THERE A POINT WHERE WE WOULD SAY, UM, THEY'RE DOING SO WELL WITH THIS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL THAT THEY, THEY DON'T NEED IT IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THOSE NUMBERS IN HIGH SCHOOL WILL START TO DECREASE? OR IS THIS PRETTY MUCH JUST KIND OF ALSO JUST BECAUSE OF OUR POPULATION AND PEOPLE COMING IN AND GOING OUT OF THE SYSTEM, YOU CAN'T REALLY LIKE LOOK AT PATTERNS LIKE THAT? GOOD QUESTION.

I KNOW THAT WHEN A STUDENT REACHES 4.5, SO IT'S A 1.0 SCALE UP TO A 6.0, BUT WHEN STUDENTS REACH 4.5, THEY EXIT THE PROGRAM.

SO IT, IT'S GONNA BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

WE KNOW THAT AS OUR STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL, THEY'LL BE EXITING.

WE'RE HOPING AT A HIGHER RATE.

THEY HAVE A GREATER SENSE OF BEING ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS AND BE SUCCESSFUL.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE TEND TO HAVE A LOT OF NEW STUDENTS COME IN AT ELEMENTARY PRIMARILY, BUT ALSO HIGH SCHOOL.

SO WE SEE THAT GROWTH HAPPEN AT THESE TWO ENDS, NOT AS MUCH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

SO WE'LL HAVE TO JUST KIND OF MONITOR.

OUR GOAL IS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA THAT IF STUDENTS EXIT BY GRADE FIVE,

[02:25:01]

IF THEY GET TO GRADE SIX, IT TAKES LONGER FOR THEM TO EXIT, AND THEN IT, IT INCREASES WHERE THEY CAN EXIT AGAIN IN SEVEN AND EIGHT.

SO WE NEED TO REALLY CLOSELY MONITOR ALL OF THAT OF HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING.

AND THEN WE WILL ALSO SEE HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE COMING IN THAT ARE NEW.

SO I WOULD SAY THAT IF WE HAVE ABOUT MAYBE 2000 OR SO STUDENTS EXITING AND WE HAVE, LET'S SAY 3000 COMING IN, IT LOOKS LIKE WE WENT UP BY 1000, BUT TECHNICALLY IT'S A TRANSIENT IN THE POPULATION.

AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO JUST KEEP MONITORING THAT.

WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WE DO HAVE A DASHBOARD WHERE WE CAN CLEARLY SEE THE EXIT RATES, WE CAN SEE STUDENTS THAT ARE MEETING THEIR TARGETS.

WE CAN SEE WHERE STUDENTS ARE SITTING ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS.

AND THAT DATA IS GONNA HELP US AS A CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM, PRINCIPALS, AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON ACHIEVEMENT AND THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE EXITING THE PROGRAM.

'CAUSE THEY HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BEING EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL AS THEY EXIT.

AND WE DO KNOW THAT HAVING THAT EXTRA LANGUAGE IS A SUPERPOWER BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY BRING TO OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY.

ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STAFF, BCPS IN ACTION COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION.

SO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE COACHING THAT'S PROVIDED TO TEACHERS LOOK REALLY GOOD.

WHAT SUPPORT IS PROVIDED TO ADMINISTRATORS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN THEY ARE DOING THEIR LEARNING WALKS AND EXCELLENT GOING INTO CLASSROOMS. SO EVERY MONTH WE HAVE OUR, UH, PRINCIPALS LEARNING DAY THAT HAPPENS.

WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ON OUR STAFF DEVELOPMENT.

SO THOSE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO GET IN FRONT OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND HOW TO EFFECTIVELY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CURRICULUM SHOULD LOOK LIKE, WHAT THE KIDS NEED, AND THEN HOW THEY CAN MONITOR.

SO WE ALSO HAVE TOOLS SUCH AS LOOK FORS AND WE GO OVER SOME OF THE THINGS THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CURRICULUM SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE SURE THEY'RE MONITORING THAT THE BEING IMPLEMENTED EFFECTIVELY.

SO, GOOD QUESTION.

AND THEN, UM, HOPEFULLY I HAVE ANOTHER GREAT QUESTION THEN.

SO , UM, WHAT INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO PARENTS SO THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO SUPPORT THEIR KIDS AT HOME AND PARENTS WHO MAY NOT SPEAK THE LANGUAGE? OR WILL THEY HAVE, DO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THESE RESOURCES OR THEY, IT, HOW CAN, HOW CAN PARENTS BE INVOLVED IN THIS? YES.

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT CAN BE A CHALLENGE WHEN THE PARENT DOESN'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AND THE CHILD IS LEARNING THE LANGUAGE.

SO IS THERE ANYTHING WE'RE DOING TO KIND OF BRIDGE THAT GAP? YEAH, SO I THINK IT'S MULTIFOLD.

I WOULD START BY SAYING WE JUST HAD A CURRICULUM NIGHT AND WE WERE PART OF THAT NIGHT ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH OUR FAMILIES, AND WE SAW SEVERAL FAMILIES COME BY.

HOWEVER, IT'S STILL NOT TOUCHING EVERYONE.

SO WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR TEACHERS HAVE INFORMATION THAT WHEN THEY'RE HAVING PARENT NIGHTS OR PARENT CONFERENCES, THEY'RE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION.

WE ALSO HAVE A FAMILY LIAISON TEAM THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT.

SO I KNOW THAT WE'VE TOUCHED AT LEAST 15 TO 20 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS JUST RECENTLY WITH OUR THREE FAMILY LIAISONS, GETTING OUT THERE, JOINING THEIR FAMILY EVENTS AND SUPPORTING THEM.

SO I WOULD ENVISION WE WOULD CONTINUE TO DO THAT, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF OUR GOALS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S REALLY ABOUT THAT LANGUAGE ALIGNED TO STANDARD SO THAT THEIR CHILDREN CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.

SO IT'S GONNA BE ONGOING IN MULTIPLE FRONTS.

THANKS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY.

[P. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STAFF (Dr. DiDonato and Ms. Forster) (9:25 - 9:45 p.m.)]

A PARENT PERSPECTIVE, WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? UM, BECAUSE IT, WE KNOW THAT IT TRULY TAKES ALL OF US, UH, TO DO THIS WORK TO REALLY TAKE CARE OF OUR STUDENTS.

EVERYONE, WE NEED TO WAKE UP AS THE BEST PART OF THE, EVERYBODY WAS GREAT, BUT THE BEST PART OF THE EVENING IS THREAD, UH, COMING UP, COMING FORWARD.

SO THIS IS OUR SECOND INSTALLMENT OF BCPS IN ACTION, UH, REALLY FOCUSING, UM, ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, BUT ALSO, UH, CLIMATE AND SAFETY.

UM, MELISSA FORSTER IS OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, UM, AND WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING SANDALWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, WHO HAS MELISSA LINGENFELTER, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR, UM, UH, SHANNON ALMOND, OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATOR, JUST A, UH, TEAM OF ROCK STARS WHO, UM, THEY ARE REALLY DOING SOME WONDERFUL THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, REALLY TO GIVE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR, UM, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL FROM THE PEOPLE WHO DO THE WORK EVERY DAY.

WHAT, UM, AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY SCHOOL LOOKS LIKE.

UH, WHAT IS THE WORK AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOLS? AND, UM, I'M SO GLAD WE HAVE A PARENT HERE, MS. HARRIS, UM, TO SHARE FROM

[02:30:01]

AND SO WITH THAT, I WILL STOP AND TURN IT OVER TO ONE OF THE MELISSAS.

ONE OF THE MELISSAS, YES.

UM, OKAY.

I'M JUST GONNA REMIND YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AS IT RELATES TO BLUEPRINT LEGISLATION.

UM, SO IF YOU REMEMBER, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IS REALLY TO HELP IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS AND REALLY ADDRESS THOSE BARRIERS THAT ARE IMPACTING THEIR LEARNING.

UM, WHETHER THAT BE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS, WHETHER THAT BE ATTENDANCE, SUPPORTS, WHATEVER IT NEED IT IS THAT THEY NEED, THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS ULTIMATELY TO IMPACT THEIR SUCCESS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

SO, JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A REMINDER ABOUT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO THESE LOVELY LADIES.

SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY ARE LIKELY TO BE FIVE YEARS BEHIND THEIR PEERS WHEN GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US.

IT TRULY DOES TAKE A TEAM TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ANY SCHOOL.

AND BEING, I'VE BEEN AT SANDALWOOD FOR EIGHT YEARS, SIX OF THOSE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, AND I CAN SAY IN THE, THE TRANSFORMATION THAT WE'VE MADE SINCE BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL IS TRULY ABOUT THE TEAM.

AND SO THANK YOU TEAM FOR BEING HERE.

UM, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING SINCE BECOMING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL.

WE WERE ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FIRST FOUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WHEN WE BEGAN, I'M GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU, WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING OR WHAT KIND OF AN IMPACT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WAS GOING TO MAKE ON THE SANDALWOOD COMMUNITY.

UM, SIX YEARS LATER, I'D NEVER GO BACK.

IT HAS BEEN TRULY TRANSFORMATIONAL.

AND IF YOU SPEAK TO ANY OF OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT MANY EVENTS, THEY WILL TELL YOU THE IMPACT THAT IT HAS HAD ON THEM AS WELL.

AND YOU'LL HEAR THAT FROM OUR, SOME OF OUR, UM, MEMBERS THIS EVENING.

SO OUR PURPOSE IS TRULY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS AND HOW CAN WE HELP TO REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS SO THAT OUR STUDENTS CAN HAVE, UM, ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY TO LEARNING.

AND WE ARE LOOKING OF COURSE FOR THOSE LEARNING OUTCOMES.

UM, BUT I'M GONNA SHARE AN EXAMPLE.

SO IN THE BEGINNING WHEN WE BECAME A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, WE DID A NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY.

WE HAVE MONTHLY SHARED HOLD, UM, DECISION MAKING TEAMS, AND WE IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE NEEDS.

SO WE IDENTIFY THAT WE NEED FOOD ACCESS.

WE HAVE A MONTHLY FOOD BANK.

SO THAT'S WHERE IT STARTED.

NOW, IF YOU ATTEND ONE OF OUR MONTHLY FOOD BANKS, YOU WILL SEE THAT IT IS A RESOURCE FAIR.

WE HAVE A THRIFT STORE.

UH, WE HAVE PARENTS THAT ARE DONATING CLOTHES FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, THEN THEY COME ON THURSDAY AND THEY TAKE THE CLOTHES THAT THEY NEED.

WE HAVE CHILDREN WHO COME FROM THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS TO COME AND SHOP FOR CLOTHES.

THEY SHOP FOR FOOD OF COURSE, AS WELL.

BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE LOTS OF GREAT RESOURCES.

WE HAVE ACCESS TO FREE LEGAL ADVICE.

WE HAVE, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE THERE TO HELP WITH TECHNOLOGY.

SO IT'S SOMETHING AS APPLYING FOR SNAP BENEFITS OR MEDICAL INSURANCE.

IF OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS HELP WITH, WE MAKE SURE ON THAT THURSDAY THAT WE HAVE THE SUPPORT THERE FOR THEM.

UM, IT HAS BEEN A HUGE TURNOUT, SO MUCH SO THAT WE WILL OPEN THE DOORS AT FOUR O'CLOCK AND BY 4 45 WE ARE FINISHED AND OUT OF EVERYTHING.

UM, BUT WE WILL STAY.

SO FOR INSTANCE, ONE TIME WE WERE THERE UNTIL ALMOST 7, 7 30 AT NIGHT BECAUSE THERE WAS THAT MUCH OF A NEED FOR THE FREE LEGAL ADVICE.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SAW.

WE EVEN HAVE COMMUNITY, UM, PARTNERS NOW THAT WILL COME IF THEY'RE HIRING, AND THEN OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN COME AND APPLY FOR JOBS AT THAT TIME.

SO YOU CAN SEE HOW WE WENT FROM SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS PROVIDING FOOD TO REALLY TURNING THAT AROUND TO, UM, MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

UH, WE ALSO JUST RECENTLY, I HAVE TO GIVE MISS AMEN A BIG SHOUT OUT HERE.

WE ARE THE FIRST SCHOOL IN BALTIMORE COUNTY TO PILOT A MOBILE DENTIST.

SO OFTEN OUR STUDENTS WILL GO TO THE NURSE COMPLAINING OF TOOTHACHES, BUT IT STOPS THERE.

THERE'S NOT MUCH THE NURSE CAN DO OTHER THAN GIVE THEM, YOU KNOW, A NAME OF A DENTIST TO VISIT.

SO SHANNON, MISS MENT WAS ABLE TO PARTNER WITH A MOBILE DENTIST.

THEY CAME IN LAST MONTH.

THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE BOTH STUDENTS WITH INSURANCE AND WITHOUT INSURANCE.

AND WE LEVERAGED COP FUNDS TO PAY FOR THOSE COPAYS FOR OUR STUDENTS.

FOR MANY OF OUR STUDENTS, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE EVER SEEN A DENTIST.

AND IF THEY NEEDED A FOLLOW UP VISIT, WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING, UM, WITH MS. FORESTER OVER HERE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE COP FUNDING TO BE SURE THAT THEY GET THE CARE THEY NEED.

OKAY, NEXT SLIDE.

SO ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT WE CAME UP WITH DURING SOME OF OUR SHARED DECISION MAKING TEAMS. UM, I, IN THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IS GOING TO MAKE THE IMPACT THAT WE NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE.

THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE RESIDING IN LOW INCOME AREAS, LOW INCOME ZIP CODE AREAS, CAN BE AND WILL BE SUCCESSFUL JUST AS THOSE WHO ARE NOT.

AND I DO THINK COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IS THE WAY.

UM, SO ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CHILDREN WHO COME FROM LOW SES

[02:35:01]

SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT NOW? AND I TRULY BELIEVE IT STARTS AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL.

AND IF YOU GO ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT SOME OF WHAT WE ARE DOING, YOU SEE OUR SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS HERE AS WELL AS OUR STUDENT ENROLLMENT.

WE HAVE SEVEN FTE POSITIONS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.

WE NEED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS, AND WE UTILIZE THEM.

OUR SCHOOL RUNS LIKE A SMOOTH OPERATING MACHINE.

WE JUST, YOU COME INTO OUR BUILDING AND OUR STUDENTS ARE IN THE CLASSROOM LEARNING.

THEY'RE RECEIVING THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE GAINS ON THEIR ACADEMIC PROGRESS.

AND IT, A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THESE POSITIONS HERE THAT WE USE.

UM, IT'S ENABLED US TO STABILIZE OUR STAFF.

SO PRIOR TO BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, WHEN I FIRST CAME TO SANDALWOOD, WE HAD A 79% STAFF RETENTION RATE.

SINCE BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, WE'VE HELD AT 90% OR BETTER FOR OUR STAFF RETENTION RATE.

AND WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT'S TO HAVE CONSISTENCY AND TO HAVE HIGH QUALIFIED TEACHERS TEACHING OUR STUDENTS.

UM, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU CAN SEE IS THAT 60% OF OUR STUDENTS WHO START THE YEAR AT SANDALWOOD WILL NOT END THE YEAR AT SANDALWOOD.

SO WE HAVE A VERY HIGH MOBILITY RATE.

FOR EXAMPLE, THIS SCHOOL YEAR ALONE, WE'VE ENROLLED IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, 119 STUDENTS.

88 OF THOSE STUDENTS HAVE WITHDRAWN.

UM, 49% OF THE STUDENTS THAT WE ENROLLED ARE ACHIEVING AT LEAST ONE YEAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL.

SO AGAIN, WE ARE UTILIZING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REACHING OUR STUDENTS AND PROVIDING THEM WITH THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED.

AND A LOT OF THAT DOES COME.

I HEARD ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND MENTAL HEALTH.

WE HAVE A SOCIAL WORKER THAT WE ARE HIRING THROUGH COP.

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MEETING OUR STUDENTS' NEEDS SO THAT THEY CAN BE IN THE CLASSROOM LEARNING.

SO THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

SO UNFORTUNATELY, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE WERE NOT IMMUNE TO COVID.

THE, UM, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM HIT US HARD AFTER CO WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE EVEN GREATER PROGRESS THIS YEAR.

UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE WITH THE HELP OF COP IN HIRING THAT SOCIAL WORKER, WE'VE ALSO HIRED AN MTSS TEACHER.

WE, WHEN I STARTED AT SEEWOOD, UM, MS. LTER REMEMBERS WE HAD AN SEL TEAM OF TWO TWO.

AND, AND MS. ALEXANDER WILL SHARE SOME MORE DATA WITH YOU.

WE NOW HAVE AN SEL TEAM THAT'S A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUPPORT TEAM OF FIVE.

WE HAVE MADE THEM IN CHARGE OF OUR ATTENDANCE COMMITTEE ALONG WITH MS. AMEN AND MS. ALEXANDER.

AND WE HAVE PAIRED EACH MEMBER WITH ONE GRADE LEVEL.

SO WHEN A STUDENT IS ABSENT, THEY BY NINE 30 MAKE A PHONE CALL HOME TO FIND OUT FROM THE PARENT WHAT IS THE BARRIER THAT IS KEEPING YOU FROM SENDING YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL, AND HOW CAN WE SUPPORT YOU? SO BY IDENTIFYING THOSE BARRIERS, SOMETIMES IT'S CLOTHING, SOMETIMES THEY NEED TIDE PODS TO WASH THEIR CLOTHES.

WE HAVE A CARES CLOSET THAT WE WILL IMMEDIATELY GO TO.

SOMETIMES IT'S, THEY DON'T HAVE ANYONE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO WALK THEIR CHILD TO SCHOOL.

WE, UM, ARE AN ENTIRELY WALKING NEIGHBORHOOD.

WE DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION.

WHEN IT RAINS, THEY HAVE A HARD TIME SENDING THEIR CHILD OUT IN THE RAIN.

WELL, WE CAN PURCHASE UMBRELLAS AND RAIN JACKETS.

SO WE JUST NEED TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP AND IN TANDEM WITH OUR FAMILIES TO FIND OUT WHAT THOSE BARRIERS ARE BECAUSE WE CAN FIND RESOURCES TO HELP SUPPORT THEM.

UM, I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT, UM, AT THIS POINT OF THE YEAR, WE HAVE A LOWER CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM RATE THAN THE AVERAGE IN THE COUNTY AND THE EAST ZONE BY OVER 8%.

SO, UM, , OUR TACTICS ARE WORKING.

UM, WE ALSO, AS PART OF OUR ATTENDANCE TEAM, THEY MEET BIWEEKLY.

THEY DO MAKE THOSE DAILY PHONE CALLS.

WE HAVE THE POSITIVE INCENTIVES AND MUCH OF THIS COMES FROM THIS COMMUNITY SCHOOL.

AND WE USE THE COP FUNDS FOR THIS.

BUT WE'VE ALSO REALIZED THAT IT'S TRULY ABOUT BUILDING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE.

SO WE HAVE TO GET OUR KIDS TO WANT TO COME TO SCHOOL, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO HELP OUR FAMILIES UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT, IF YOU SEE THEIR KINDERGARTEN FROM A VERY EARLY AGE, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO START SENDING YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL IN KINDERGARTEN? AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO OUR WONDERFUL AP AP MS. ALEXANDER.

TIME, WE WERE BEING TOTALLY REACTIVE.

SO, I BEGAN MY CAREER, UM, AT SANDALWOOD 25 YEARS AGO.

SO I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE A TEACHER, A READING SPECIALIST, AND NOW AN ADMINISTRATOR.

UM, THIS HAS REALLY ALLOWED ME TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE AND TO SERVE IN MANY DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE COMMUNITY.

UM, WE'VE HAD THESE BARRIERS ALWAYS AT SANDALWOOD.

THEY'VE ALWAYS EXISTED.

BUT NOW WITH THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL FUNDS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP BREAK DOWN SOME OF THESE BARRIERS.

UM, YOU'LL SEE ON THE DATA THAT BACK IN 2016, WE HAD ONE SCHOOL COUNSELOR, ONE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONIST, AND WE JUST HAD TOO MANY NEEDS.

WE HAD OVER 1000 OFFICE REFERRALS, 23 SUSPENSIONS AT SCHOOL YEAR.

UM, STUDENTS NEED TO FEEL SAFE COMING TO SCHOOL, SO WE NEEDED TO WORK ON THAT.

UM, AT THAT

[02:40:01]

NOW I'M PROUD TO SAY WE ARE BEING COMPLETELY PROACTIVE.

WE HAVE, LIKE MELISSA SHARED A HUGE SEL TEAM, FIVE MEMBERS, TWO SOCIAL WORKERS, TWO SCHOOL COUNSELORS, AN MTSS TEACHER.

UM, AND THEY WORK IN TANDEM WITH EACH OTHER.

LAST YEAR WE ONLY HAD 193 OFFICE REFERRALS AND ONLY TWO INCIDENTS THAT WE NEEDED TO SUSPEND FOR.

SO WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THAT.

UM, AND AGAIN, NOW THAT WE HAVE BEHAVIOR IN PLACE, WE CAN REALLY FOCUS ON ACADEMICS.

UM, OUR KIDS ARE IN THE CLASSROOM, OUR SOCIAL WORKERS AND OUR COUNSELORS, WHEN THEY ARE NOT PULLING GROUPS, THEY ARE IN THE CLASSROOMS, THEY ARE ABLE TO, IF A CHILD THAT THEY SEE IN A GROUP IS STARTING TO BUBBLE UP OR HAVE PROBLEMS, THEY CAN COACH THEM THROUGH THE SITUATION RIGHT IN THE CLASSROOM SO THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING PULLED OUT AND MISSING INSTRUCTION TIME.

SO IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE.

UM, WE HAVE SOME CLIMATE SURVEY DATA POSTED FOR YOU.

AND AS YOU SEE, WE HAVE VERY HIGH MARKS FROM OUR STUDENTS THAT THEY FEEL ENGAGED AND SUPPORTED BY THE ADULTS AND STUDENTS IN THEIR SCHOOL AS WELL AS THE PARENTS FEEL WELCOME.

UM, THIS IS ALSO GREAT FOR MELISSA AND I BECAUSE NOW WE CAN REALLY FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION AND FOCUS ON MOVING THAT ACADEMIC NEEDLE.

UH, IF YOU CAN GO TO OUR NEXT SLIDE, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE SOME OF OUR ACADEMIC DATA WITH YOU.

UM, OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS WORK VERY HARD EVERY DAY.

UM, WE KNOW THAT WITH STUDENTS SPENDING TIME IN THE CLASSROOM, THEY ARE RECEIVING THAT GOOD FIRST INSTRUCTION.

UM, SO IF YOU LOOK AT OUR AMIRA DATA FROM LAST YEAR, ALTHOUGH IT WAS OUR FIRST YEAR, WE BEGAN THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH ONLY 39% OF OUR STUDENTS IN GRADES K THROUGH THREE, UH, SCORING ABOVE THE 50TH PERCENTILE.

UM, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, 60% OF THEM SCORED ABOVE THE 50TH PERCENTILE FOR MAP ELA.

72% OF OUR STUDENTS LAST YEAR MET THEIR WINTER MAP GROWTH.

UH, FOR MCAP ELA, WE SAW A 6.75% INCREASE IN OVERALL GROWTH FROM 2023 TO 2024.

UH, AS MELISSA SHARED, 49% OF OUR KIDS THIS YEAR THAT CAME TO US ARE ALREADY IN READING INTERVENTION PROGRAMS 'CAUSE THEY WERE READING BELOW GRADE LEVEL.

SO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE, UH, READING, UH, RESOURCE TEACHERS THAT ARE ALL DAY LONG, PULLING INTERVENTION GROUPS, PUSHING INTO CLASSROOMS, REALLY SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE FOR THESE STUDENTS THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO GROW AND GET ON GRADE LEVEL.

UM, WE'VE ALSO USED OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL FUNDS TO PARTNER WITH AXIOM TUTORING.

SO THEY ACTUALLY COME TO OUR SCHOOL DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.

THEY WORK WITH OUR READING SPECIALISTS TO PLAN INSTRUCTION, AND THEN THEY ALSO WORK WITH STUDENTS AGAIN AFTER SCHOOL.

SO WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO USE OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL FUNDS TO MAKE OUR STUDENTS FEEL SAFE, WHICH ULTIMATELY IMPROVES OUR ACADEMIC DATA.

AND NOW I'LL PASS IT OVER TO MS. AMEN.

ALRIGHT.

HI EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS SHANNON AMIT AND I'M THE PROUD COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATOR AT SANDALWOOD.

I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO BE AT SANDALWOOD FOR 19 YEARS AS A SECOND GRADE TEACHER.

AND THEN I STEPPED INTO THIS ROLE, WHICH I DON'T CONSIDER A JOB.

UM, I CONSIDER IT MY LIFE'S PURPOSE.

UM, IT'S MY PASSION AND I REALLY APPRECIATE MELISSA FOR TAKING A CHANCE AND LETTING ME STEP INTO THIS ROLE.

UM, I WILL SHARE THAT I'VE BEEN AN ESSEX RESIDENT MY ENTIRE LIFE.

UM, I LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY, SO FOR ME THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S MY KIDS THAT ALSO ATTEND SCHOOLS IN THE COMMUNITY.

UM, I EVEN TOOK BALLET AT THE SANDALWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE RECREATION ROOM AS A TODDLER.

UM, SO I HAVE FLASHBACKS SOMETIMES WHEN I WALK THROUGH THERE, .

UM, UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH THE ESSEX COMMUNITY BEFORE THIS ROLE.

UM, AND BECAUSE I'M VERY INVOLVED WITH MY CHURCH, UM, AND WITH BOY SCOUTS AND THROUGH THAT HAVE MADE MANY RELATIONSHIPS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHER PROMINENT FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, WHICH WAS VERY HELPFUL.

STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE AS A TEACHER, I WOULD OFTEN FILL IN GAPS FOR THE 20 TO 30 KIDS IN MY ROOM.

IF THEY NEEDED A WINTER JACKET.

I MADE SURE THEY HAD ONE IF THEY NEEDED, UH, WHATEVER THEY NEEDED, I MADE SURE THAT THEY HAD IT.

DURING COVID, SINCE I LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IF A KID SAID TO ME AT 11:00 AM I CAN'T DO THIS 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE A PENCIL.

WELL, LUNCH IS AT NOON AND I'M STOPPING BY YOUR HOUSE WITH THAT PENCIL.

UM, SO WHATEVER IT TOOK.

BUT I ALWAYS FELT KIND OF SAD BECAUSE WHILE I WAS ABLE TO DO THAT FOR MY 20 TO 30 KIDS, I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE A WIDER IMPACT.

UM, AND STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE HAS ALLOWED ME NOW TO REACH ALL 400 KIDS AT OUR SCHOOL.

AND YOU SEE WE HAVE FUN, WHICH IS PART OF THE POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE.

THE KIDS LOVE THE SPIRIT.

A UM, FOR PARTNERSHIPS, PARTNERSHIPS ARE CRITICAL TO SUCCESS WITH THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL STRATEGY.

AND I WILL SHARE THAT IN

[02:45:01]

THIS WORK.

I FOUND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF HELPERS IN OUR WORLD, ESPECIALLY IN ESSEX.

THEY JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONNECT WITH A LOCAL SCHOOL OR HOW TO HELP.

AND IT'S FINDING THEM AND BRINGING THEM IN.

AND WE ALWAYS SAY RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH STUDENTS.

WELL, FOR ME IT'S ALSO RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH THESE PARTNERS.

SO I INVITE THEM TO OUR EVENTS AND THEY COME, I INVITE THEM TO VISIT DURING THE SCHOOL DAY AND THEY COME AND IN RETURN, UM, I ALSO SUPPORT THEIR EVENTS.

YOU'LL SEE ME MOST EVERY WEEKEND AT ONE OF THE EVENTS IN ESSEX, VOLUNTEERING, DOING WHATEVER THEY NEED ME TO DO, SPEAKING AT THEIR MEETINGS SO THAT IT'S A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP.

UM, I WILL ALSO SHARE THAT WE HAVE OVER 80 STRATEGIC PARTNERS AT THIS TIME.

UM, AND THAT HAS COME THROUGH NOT ONLY BEING INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY, BUT SOCIAL MEDIA.

UM, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN A KEY TO SUCCESS FOR US BECAUSE LOCAL BUSINESSES WANNA BE A PART OF THAT.

UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD A HAIR DRIVE ONE FRIDAY WHERE OVER 20 KIDS GOT THEIR HAIR BRAIDED AND A LOCAL BUSINESS, A SUITE VILLAGE FOUND US THROUGH THE ESSEX CDC.

BUT I SHOUTED HIM OUT ON FACEBOOK AND YOU WOULD'VE THOUGHT I GAVE HIM A WINNING LOTTERY TICKET.

'CAUSE HE CALLED.

HE WAS SO EXCITED THAT WE SHOUTED HIM OUT.

UM, JUST THREE OF OUR PARTNERS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE FIRST, THE BALTIMORE HUNGER PROJECT, WHICH I HOPE YOU HAVE HEARD OF, IF YOU NOT HAD NOT PLEASE LOOK IT UP.

UM, THEIR OBJECTIVE IS TO BRIDGE FOOD INSECURITY FROM LUNCH ON FRIDAY TO BREAKFAST ON MONDAY.

UM, AND THEY PROVIDE 49 OF OUR STUDENTS CURRENTLY WITH WEEKEND FOOD BAGS, BUT THEY GO ABOVE AND BEYOND.

THEY ALSO PROVIDE SNACKS, SPECIAL TREATS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

A WELCOME BAG, WHICH INCLUDES A CANNED OPENER, UM, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU'RE GIVING KIDS CANNED FOOD.

IF THEY DON'T HAVE A CANNED OPENER, HOW ARE THEY GONNA BE ABLE TO PREPARE IT FOR THEMSELVES? AND THEY'RE ALSO PROVIDING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES WITH A THANKSGIVING MEAL.

SO, UM, OUR SECOND ONE, AND BY THE WAY, RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP THERE.

I'M A PART OF THEIR EMPOWERING MINDS PROGRAM.

I'M GOING TO SPEAK ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH TO THEIR EMPOWERING MINDS COHORT ABOUT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.

UM, THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY TURNS OUT THAT SOMEONE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THERE, THEIR SECRETARY FOLLOWS US ON FACEBOOK.

SO THEY WANTED TO BE INVOLVED WITH US, AND THEY COME MONTHLY.

AND THIS WEDNESDAY IS OUR NEXT VISIT TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION TO OUR KIDS ON CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS.

AND THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WORLD LANGUAGES BECAUSE AS THE WORLD BECOMES MORE GLOBAL, KNOWING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE IS POWERFUL.

AND THEN HERE'S A BIG ONE WITH THEM.

THEY ARE ACTUALLY GONNA BE PROVIDING ONE OF OUR OST CLUBS IN THE SPRING FOR FREE, UM, CALLED THE CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS CLUB.

THEN MELISSA ALREADY TOUCHED ON SMILE MARYLAND A LITTLE BIT.

UM, THAT WAS A BIG DEAL.

UM, IT TOOK OVER A YEAR OF PROC, YOU KNOW, AS UNDERSTAND AS UNDERSTANDABLE, THERE WAS SOME RED TAPE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS A GOOD COMPANY AND THEY WERE A GREAT COMPANY.

THEY EVEN WERE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF MINOR PROCEDURES LIKE CAVITIES ON THE SPOT.

SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE THEM BACK IN APRIL.

I GOT THEM ON THE BOOK THAT DAY, UH, TO COME BACK AND I WILL MENTION THAT ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTNERS, THE ESSEX CDC, IS HERE AND SHE'LL BE SHARING IN A MOMENT.

EVENTS FOR THE FAMILIES TO ATTEND.

UM, ANOTHER BIG PART OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.

ONE OF THE PILLARS IS QUALITY OUTOF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMMING.

AND WE HAD EIGHT DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AVAILABLE AT OUR SCHOOL.

AND CURRENTLY WE HAVE 143 SECOND THROUGH FIFTH GRADERS STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THOSE CLUBS.

SO WE INVITED THE KIDS BASED ON DATA.

WE STARTED WITH CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM DATA BECAUSE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT YOU CAN LOWER NO ATTENDANCE ISSUES IF A STOP A CHILD FEELS CONNECTED AND IS A PART OF A CLUB.

THEN WE ALSO LOOKED AT, AT ATTEND NOT ACADEMIC DATA, UM, TO INVITE THE KIDS.

AND I WILL SHARE THOUGH, WE OFFER CHOICE THOUGH.

THEY HAD THEIR FIRST INVITE.

THEY WERE ABLE TO CHOOSE THE CLUB THAT THEY WANTED TO ATTEND.

AND THEN ONCE ALL THOSE SPOTS WERE FILLED, WE INVITED EVERYONE SECOND THROUGH FIFTH GRADE.

UM, AND OUR MOST POPULAR CLUB IS THE DRAMA CLUB.

UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 50 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THAT WEEKLY.

UM, AND THEY'LL BE PERFORMING AT OUR WINTER CONCERT AND THE ESSEX COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS FAIR AND, AND THE CHESAPEAKE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS, WHICH BY THE WAY, WE USE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FUNDS TO PROVIDE A TRANSPORTATION BUS THAT GOES BACK AND FORTH SINCE TRANSPORTATION IS A BARRIER FOR MANY OF OUR FAMILIES.

AND THE HIPPODROME HAS PARTNERED WITH US AND GAVE US 53 TICKETS TO TAKE THE KIDS TO SEA LION KING IN FEBRUARY.

AND FOR PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE STUDENTS, IT'S GONNA BE THEIR FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE.

SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

ALL RIGHT, NEXT SLIDE.

ANOTHER BIG PART OF THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL STRATEGY IS HAVING MEANINGFUL

[02:50:01]

AND, UH, AN IMPORTANT WAY WE'VE APPROACHED IT IS BY BRAIDING.

UM, WE BRAID THE ACADEMICS WITH THE SEL RESOURCES AND THEN WITH JUST THE FUN RELATIONSHIP BUILDING THAT MAKES OUR CULTURE SO POSITIVE, I WON'T READ THEM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY HAD AND THAT WE'RE CONTINUING WITH.

AND I WILL SHARE BEFORE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS OF LIKE THE STRATEGY, WE WOULD HAVE LESS THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE ATTENDING OUR EVENTS.

UM, THERE WAS A BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT AS A TEACHER ONCE WHERE I DIDN'T HAVE A SINGLE FAMILY COME, WHICH WAS REALLY SAD 'CAUSE I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE THEM.

BUT NOW WE CONSISTENTLY AVERAGE OVER 400 PEOPLE AT MOST EVENTS.

AND OUR TRUNK OR TREAT HAD 800 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE.

AND THE TRUNK OR TREAT WAS MORE THAN JUST DECORATED TRUNKS AND GIVING OUT CANDY BECAUSE EVERY FOURTH OR FIFTH TRUNK WAS ALL OFFERING WRAPAROUND SUPPORT INFORMATION, LIKE FOR NAMI OR FOR BRICK BY BRICK COUNSELING SERVICES OR FOR THE MARYLAND HEALTHCARE CONNECTION.

WE ALSO HAD ACADEMIC TRUNKS SPRINKLED IN WHERE STUDENTS RECEIVED MATH GAMES TO PLAY WITH THEIR FAMILIES OR BOOKS TO READ.

SO WE ALWAYS BRING EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND BRAID IT TOGETHER.

UM, OUR NEXT EVENT IS FALL IN LOVE WITH LEARNING NIGHT ON NOVEMBER 20TH.

AND YOU ALL ARE INVITED.

SO , I THINK THERE'S A FORM , THERE'S A FORM , IF YOU WANNA STOP BY, YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME.

SO, AND MEET OUR AMAZING KIDS AND FAMILY.

AND I HAVE MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, MS. BONAPARTE HERE.

SHE'S A FIRST GRADE TEACHER AT SANDALWOOD.

UM, AS A FIRST GRADE TEACHER, UH, BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, UM, IS AMAZING.

IT'S AWESOME.

UH, IT'S A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR OUR STUDENTS.

UM, I FEEL LIKE IT MAKES THEM WANT TO COME TO SCHOOL.

UM, SO BEFORE THERE'S KINDA LIKE A HESITATION NOT REALLY WANTING TO COME, NOT REALLY INTO LEARNING, BUT NOW, AND I FEEL LIKE THEY WANT TO COME, THEY WANT TO LEARN.

WE'RE BUILDING AND FOSTERING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS.

UM, WE'RE INCREASING THE ACADEMIC ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL, UM, SUPPORTS.

UM, SO IT'S REALLY ADDING A PLUS TO THE WHOLE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE FOR OUR STUDENTS.

UM, SO THE FIRST BULLET POINT IS IT PROVIDES IMMEDIATE NEEDS ACCESS FOR STUDENTS.

SO, LIKE SHANNON WAS SAYING, UM, OUR STUDENTS HAVE NEEDS.

SO BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, I CAN JUST EMAIL SHANNON AND SAY, HEY, I HAVE A STUDENT WHO DOESN'T HAVE A COAT.

UM, AND IT'S 30 DEGREES OUTSIDE.

THEY STILL CAME TO SCHOOL, BUT THEY CAME WITHOUT A COAT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS NOT OKAY.

AND SHE'S LIKE, OH, DON'T WORRY, I'VE GOT IT.

WHAT'S HER SIZE? SO WE CHECKED THE TAG IN THE BACK OF THEIR JACKET OR AT THE BACK OF THEIR SHIRT AND 10, 15 MINUTES LATER, HERE'S A COAT FOR THE STUDENT.

UM, SO IT'S SOMETHING VERY QUICK AND EASY THAT THE KIDS ARE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO SOCKS.

SOME KIDS COME TO SCHOOL WITH NO SOCKS.

IT COULD BE A RAINY DAY AND THEY'RE SOAKING WET.

WE GIVE THEM NICE NEW DRY SOCKS.

JUST SOMETHING SO SIMPLE THAT COULD REALLY TURN A KID'S DAY INTO A A HORRIBLE DAY.

BUT SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AS A DRY PAIR OF SOCKS THAT WE HAVE THAT EASY ACCESS TO REALLY KIND OF CHANGES A STUDENT'S, UM, MINDSET OF HOW THEY'RE COMING IN AND STARTING THEIR DAY.

UM, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AFFORDS OUR STUDENTS WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEND THEIR TIME EFFECTIVELY AFTER SCHOOL.

UM, SO INSTEAD OF OUR KIDS JUST GOING HOME AND PLAYING VIDEO GAMES OR JUST PLAYING OUTSIDE WITH THEIR FRIENDS, THEY HAVE STRUCTURED PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN, UM, PARTICIPATE IN.

UM, THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, SPORTS PROGRAMS, BUT THEY JUST DON'T GO IMMEDIATELY INTO THE SPORTS ASPECT.

THEY HAVE TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK FIRST.

SO WE, THE PROGRAMS MAKE SURE THAT THEIR HOMEWORK IS DONE BEFORE THEY HAVE THEIR FUN.

SO THAT, UM, IMPROVES THEIR ACADEMIC PRIORS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEIR ACADEMICS THAT THEY'VE TAKEN FROM THE DAY CARRIES ON INTO THE AFTERNOON AND THEY'RE MAKING SURE THEY'RE STAYING REENGAGED IN WHATEVER THEY LEARNED THAT DAY.

UM, THIS THIRD BULLET POINT, UM, DECREASE IN DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR.

I'VE DEFINITELY NOTICED A, A HUGE IMPACT IN THIS.

UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS, UM, LIKE WE WERE MENTIONING EARLIER WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, UM, AND A LOT OF THAT BUBBLING, UH, FEELINGS.

UH, WE HAVE OUR HUGE SEL TEAM WHO'S A, A BIG HELP WITH THESE TYPE OF SITUATIONS.

BUT THEN ALSO THESE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, THEY HAVE THAT MENTORSHIP ASPECT WHERE THESE STUDENTS HAVE AN OUTSIDE PERSON THAT THEY KNOW BESIDES YOUR TEACHER, BESIDES YOUR FAMILY, BESIDES THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.

YOU'VE

[02:55:01]

GOT MORE PEOPLE THAT CARE ABOUT YOU.

SO THEN THEY'RE LIKE, WAIT, I DON'T NEED TO BUBBLE UP.

I'VE GOT THIS WHOLE SUPPORT SYSTEM THAT CARES ABOUT ME, THIS WHOLE COMMUNITY THAT CARES ABOUT ME.

UM, SO WE'VE NOTICED THAT THERE'S LESS DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR BECAUSE OF THAT COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT AND THAT COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS' FUNDS.

AND LASTLY, UH, CULTURALLY DIVERSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS.

UM, WE HAVE PLENTY OF CULTURAL, UH, ASSEMBLIES THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOTTED TO OUR STUDENTS AS WELL AS FIELD TRIPS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.

UM, BEFORE WE WERE COM A COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, UH, A COMMUNITY SCHOOL.

UM, OUR PARENTS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINANCIALLY FUNDING FIELD TRIPS, WHICH SOMETIMES IS A BIG BURDEN FOR SOME OF OUR FAMILIES.

UM, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, MAYBE A CHILD COULDN'T GO ON THE FIELD TRIP OR HAVE THAT AMAZING OPPORTUNITY AND MISS OUT.

UM, BUT NOW WE JUST NEED THEIR, THEIR FIELD TRIP PERMISSION SLIP SIGNED, AND THEN THEY'RE ABLE TO GO ON THAT ADVENTURE AND HAVE THAT TYPE OF, UM, NEW LEARNING, UM, IN ADDITION TO THEIR CURRICULUM LEARNING, BUT ACTUALLY SEE IT IN ACTION, SEE IT IN REAL LIFE, UM, WITHOUT THE, THE MENTAL STRESS OF HOW AM I GONNA AFFORD IT, HOW CAN I GET THERE? WE JUST NEED YOUR MOM TO SIGN THE PAPER AND THEN YOU CAN GO.

UM, AND THEN BRINGING THAT INTO THE SCHOOL DAY THROUGH ASSEMBLIES.

UM, AND THEN THE KIDS FEEL PROUD THAT THEY CAN SEE THEMSELVES REPRESENTED INTO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ASSEMBLIES AS WELL.

SO THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS REALLY HAS BROUGHT A NEW LIGHT TO OUR SCHOOL, TO OUR STUDENTS, TO OUR CLASSROOMS, AND IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.

CAN YOU SHARE WHERE FIRST GRADE IS GOING AND THE CONNECTION TO HMH? OH, YES.

SO, UH, WE STARTED HMH, UM, OUR NEW READING CURRICULUM, UH, IN OUR SPRING UNIT.

WE HAVE A UNIT ON WASHINGTON, DC AND LOTS OF DIFFERENT, UM, PLACES IN WASHINGTON DC HISTORICAL LANDMARKS.

THE LINCOLN MAR MONUMENT MEANT, UM, THE WHITE HOUSE.

UM, AND I WAS LIKE, HEY SHANNON, DO YOU THINK IT'S POSSIBLE FIRST GRADE? WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GO TO WASHINGTON DC NEXT YEAR? AND, UH, OUR FAIRY GODMOTHER HERE, WE FIRST GRADE WILL BE GOING TO WASHINGTON DC IN APRIL, AND I'M GONNA BE THE TOUR GUIDE CAN'T WE.

UM, SO IT CONNECTS US, UM, TO OUR CURRICULUM.

SO NOT ONLY DO THEY SEE IT IN THESE PICTURE BOOKS AND UM, THESE BRIGHT FUN LEARNING, BUT THEY'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO SEE IT IN PERSON.

AND HOW OFTEN DOES A 6-YEAR-OLD GET TO GO TO WASHINGTON DC AND SEE WHAT'S IN THEIR, THEIR BOOK IN FRONT OF THEM, BUT ALSO SEE IT IN REAL LIFE.

SO THAT'S GONNA BE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR THEM.

AND AT THE PEAK OF THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS, ACCORDING YES, ACCORDING TO GOOGLE.

AWESOME.

TO A CELEBRATION, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE GRAND.

COUNCIL TO MS. HARRIS.

YES, PROUD PERRY.

GOOD EVENING, .

UH, MY NAME IS LAKOTA HARRIS.

UH, MY SON ATTENDS SAND WOOD.

UM, I MUST SAY I WISH COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WAS BIG LIKE IT WAS WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL.

UM, MISS AMEN AND MS. BONAPARTE WAS HIS TEACHER ONCE UPON A TIME, UM, I AM A PART OF THE DECISION MAKING TEAM, WHICH HELPS TO COME UP WITH THESE DIFFERENT IDEAS.

AS MS. SAMAN AND MS. UH, LINGENFELTER SAID, GET COATS FOR THE CHILDREN, SHOES, SOCKS.

I'M ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO DONATE, SO I GO THROUGH THE CLOSET, MY CLOSET TO APPROPRIATE THINGS FOR CHILDREN, BUT, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH THE KIDS' CLOSET, TAKE AND THEN WE DO SWAPS.

SO I'VE ALSO GOTTEN FOOD, LIKE, IT'S, IT'S JUST A HUGE, WONDERFUL RESOURCE, NOT JUST FOR MYSELF, BUT I FEEL LIKE FOR EVERYONE.

I, I JUST WISH IT WAS OUT WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL.

UM, JAMES IS A PART OF, UM, THE STRIVE TO GREATNESS PROGRAM, WHICH I THINK IS GREAT.

THAT'S THE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM THAT HE ATTENDS, UH, MONDAY AND TUESDAY FROM TWO 30 TO FIVE, I BELIEVE.

AND HE COMES HOME SO EXCITED.

I'M LIKE, DID YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK? YEAH, IT'S ALREADY DONE, SO I'M HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

UM, BRICK BY BRICK, OH MY GOSH, I LOVE THOSE PEOPLE.

NOT ONLY HAVE THEY HELPED JAMES, BUT THEY'VE HELPED ME.

HE HAS DONE A COMPLETE THREE 80, UM, AS FAR AS LIKE HIS, HIS MENTAL HEALTH, UM, THEY'VE EVEN HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I NEED TO DO OR WHAT LEVEL I NEED TO BE ON TO HELP HIM SUCCEED AND GET BETTER IN SCHOOL, WHICH, KNOCK ON WOOD, NO PHONE CALLS HOME SO FAR.

YOU HAD A GREAT YEAR, WONDERFUL YEAR, .

UM, I DON'T KNOW, I'M, I'M JUST HAPPY THAT I AM A PART OF THIS.

I LOVE YOU GUYS, A PART OF THIS, THIS SCHOOL, THIS TEAM, THIS COMMUNITY.

[03:00:01]

I WAS GONNA TRY TO BE BOLD AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

UM, MY NAME IS CHRISSY HERB.

I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ESSEX COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

AND I TRULY FEEL HONORED TO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO COME TO, UM, SPEAK ON BEHALF OF SANDALWOOD BECAUSE AS SHANNON SAID, THEY HAVE 80 PARTNERS AND, AND I KID YOU NOT, THEY ARE ALL TRUE PARTNERS THAT WORK WITH THIS SCHOOL.

UM, IT'S A REALLY GREAT PLACE TO BE.

UM, THE ESSEX COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WE'RE A 5 0 1 C3 ORGANIZATION.

WE'RE ACTUALLY RELATIVELY NEWLY FOUNDED IN THE PAST YEAR, UM, THROUGH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES ESSEX REIMAGINED INITIATIVE, UM, TO SUPPORT REVITALIZATION IN THE ESSEX COMMUNITY.

SO THE BIG JOB THAT WE HAVE IS TO REVITALIZE THE COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR ON EASTERN BOULEVARD.

OKAY, SO, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN SANDALWOOD HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE EASTERN BOULEVARD CORRIDOR.

FRANKLY, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN ESSEX PERIOD HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE, THE CORRIDOR BECAUSE, UH, OVER YEAR, THE YEARS IT HAS CHANGED.

AND SO WE'RE WORKING TO TRY TO BUILD CONNECTIONS WITH BUSINESSES AND THE COMMUNITY, CREATE A, A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AMONG ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT EXIST IN ESSEX AND, UH, BRING NEW BUSINESSES TO THE AREA.

UM, AND SO OUR MISSION OFFICIALLY IS TO BUILD A STRONG, VIBRANT, ECONOMICALLY VIABLE ESSEX.

I REALLY SEE OUR ROLE AS BEING A CHAMPION OF AN ESSEX, A CHEERLEADER FOR ESSEX, AND THAT WE ARE TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS LIKE THAT.

THESE LADIES ARE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THOSE CHEERLEADERS AND CHAMPIONS OF ESSEX.

UH, BECAUSE OF MISS AMEN'S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CHESAPEAKE GATEWAY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OUR LOCAL BUSINESS NETWORK, UH, IN ESSEX, MIDDLE RIVER OR WHITE MARSH, THAT WHOLE AREA.

UM, SHANNON ACTUALLY SERVED AS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY TEAM THAT SUPPORTED THE FORMATION OF OUR ORGANIZATION.

YOU HEARD HER SPEAK EARLIER AND SAY SHE'S A RESIDENT OF ESSEX THROUGH AND THROUGH, BORN AND RAISED THERE.

SHE HAS ROOTS THERE, HER FAMILY'S THERE.

UM, AND SHE'S INCREDIBLY ACTIVE.

UM, I HAD THE GREAT PRIVILEGE TO GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROGRAM AND SANDALWOOD ELEMENTARY THROUGH THAT PROCESS, UM, MS. AMIT SERVES ON THE ESSEX CDC EVENTS COMMITTEE AND HAS DONE SO FOR THE PAST YEAR.

WE'VE HAD THE CHANCE TO PLAN, UH, AND PARTICIPATE IN MANY EVENTS TOGETHER, INCLUDING MOVIE NIGHTS, CONCERTS, FESTIVALS, NETWORKING EVENTS.

SHE SHOWS UP TO THE NETWORKING EVENTS FOR THE BUSINESSES BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT SHE CAN CONNECT WITH THEM.

IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

WE HAVE A MONTHLY NETWORKING EVENT WHERE WE BRING TOGETHER BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, LEADERS FROM ALL THE SCHOOLS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND SHE CHAMPIONS THAT EFFORT AND MAKES A TON OF CONNECTIONS THAT WAY.

LET ME TELL YOU, WHEN MS. AM AMEN.

OFFERS TO VOLUNTEER AT AN EVENT, SHE GOES ALL OUT.

SHE BRINGS HER SCHOOL FAMILY, HER CHURCH FAMILY, HER NEIGHBORHOOD FAMILY, AND HER BIOLOGICAL FAMILY.

I KID YOU NOT, I MEAN, SHE'S LIKE THE PIED PIPER.

SHE BRINGS EVERYONE WHERE THIS COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATOR GOES.

THERE IS A CROWD, AND IT'S, IT'S TRULY REMARKABLE.

I MEAN, WE ARE VERY BLESSED TO HAVE SHANNON AS, AS THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL'S FACILITATOR AT SANDALWOOD.

WE HAVE SUCH HONEST AND OPEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN ESSEX, UM, PARTICULARLY THE SANDALWOOD COMMUNITY, OBVIOUSLY, WHICH IS APART FROM WHERE WE ARE FOCUSING ON OUR ORGANIZATION.

UM, BUT IT'S NOT A MINIMAL PART OF THE COMMUNITY.

IT'S A HUGE PART OF THE COMMUNITY.

UM, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE LEARNED THAT SANDALWOOD DOESN'T HAVE GREAT ACCESS TO RESOURCES, THAT IT'S IN A FOOD DESERT, THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE GREAT TRANSPORTATION.

THERE ARE A LOT OF TRANSIENT FOLKS IN THAT AREA.

A LOT OF FOLKS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WHO ARE COMING WHO DON'T KNOW THE NORMS AND THE PATTERNS THAT EXIST IN OUR CULTURE.

UM, THERE'S NOT A LOT TO DO ON WEEKENDS DOWN IN THE SANDALWOOD AREA, AND FAMILIES DON'T HAVE REGULAR ACCESS TO CARS TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM PLACE, DO DIFFERENT THINGS.

SO WITH THIS IN MIND, WE ACTUALLY DECIDED TO CHANGE THE LOCATION OF ONE OF OUR EVENTS.

UM, WE HAD HAD LAST YEAR AN EVENT, UH, AT RENAISSANCE PARK UP IN A MORE CENTRAL AREA IN ESSEX, AND SHANNON SAID, GOSH, IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AT MY SCHOOL.

AND I SAID, OKAY, , TWIST MY ARM.

LET'S DO IT.

SO THIS YEAR WE HAD THE AFRO-CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL.

WE, WE KICKED IT UP A NOTCH, UM, AND CHANGED IT TO BE FROM MORE THAN JUST MUSIC

[03:05:01]

AND WE HAD ABOUT 350, 400 PEOPLE COME THROUGH ON THE PARKING LOT OF SANDALWOOD.

UM, AND IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO THAT DAY.

UM, IT REALLY WAS A TRUE CELEBRATION OF THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY.

AND YOU FEATURED ESSEX BUSINESSES.

IT WAS ALL ABOUT BRINGING ESSEX BUSINESSES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET GRANT FUNDING FOR, TO HAVE THEM GIVE OUT FREE FOOD.

THESE ARE BUSINESSES THAT THESE FOLKS CAN VISIT, UH, CAN COME BACK TO, AND THAT WAS REALLY SPECIAL.

IT'S A WAY TO CONNECT OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR WITH THE COMMUNITY AROUND, I'LL SAY.

AND THE RECIPROCAL ASPECT OF THIS IS THAT WE AS ESSEX, CDC, ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS THAT WE CAN BRING NEW BUSINESSES TO DISTRICT.

AND WE WANTED TO GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO INFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, TO KNOW WHAT ARE PEOPLE DOING IN THEIR HOMES FOR WORK? ARE THEY MAKING THINGS? THERE'S A LOT OF FOOD BEING MADE IN ESSEX THAT IS BEING DISTRIBUTED, SOLD THROUGH, UH, INFORMAL MEANS.

IT'S NOT UNCOMMON, UM, TO SHARE CULTURE, TO SHARE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, AND IT'S A REALLY BEAUTIFUL THING.

UM, BUT WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE RESOURCES TO PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND SAY, LOOK, THESE ARE THE, THESE ARE THE LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST.

THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO BE TO, TO DO, TO BE A, A, A LEGIT BUSINESS, SHALL WE SAY.

RIGHT? UM, AND SO WE GOT TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT THAT BECAUSE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP.

WE DID INTERVIEWS WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

UM, IT'S REALLY A WIN-WIN TO HAVE SCHOOL PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AS BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE ESSEX COMMUNITY, RIGHT? OUR ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS THEM IN FORMING THEIR BUSINESSES.

THEY GAIN THE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND CONFIDENCE TO START THEIR BUSINESS, AND THEN THEY OPEN THEIR BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ALL LOVE AND WANT TO SEE THRIVE.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL, AND IT REALLY IS STARTING TO HAPPEN.

IT'S A GREAT MODEL OF SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE PARENT, UM, TINA, WHO, UM, COMES FROM, OH GOSH, UM, A LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY.

I WANNA SAY IT'S GUYANA.

UM, AND SHE MAKES INCREDIBLE FOOD AND MET WITH HER THROUGH THIS PROCESS, STARTED TO TALK TO HER.

IT, SHE'S A COTTAGE INDUSTRY, SO SHE GOES THROUGH THE PROCEDURES TO MAKE THINGS FROM HOME.

AT ONE OF OUR FESTIVALS.

SHE SOLD A BUNCH OF HER PRODUCTS AT A STAND, AND IT WAS, IT SOLD OUT.

I MEAN, IT WAS AMAZING.

THAT HAS GIVEN HER CONFIDENCE TO MOVE ON, TO START TO LOOK AT FORMING HER, STARTING HER OWN BUSINESS OFFSITE.

SHE HAS GAINED MORE CONFIDENCE IN HERSELF.

SHE AND HER FAMILY HAVE GONE AND PURCHASED A HOME NOW IN ESSEX, IN ESSEX, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE HOME THAT SHE'S SHARING WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.

SO YOU SEE THIS STARTING TO HAPPEN, AND IT'S TRULY EXCITING.

LIKE I'M SITTING HERE GETTING GOOSEBUMPS, BUT IT'S, IT'S A REAL THING THAT'S HAPPENING.

UM, AND THEN I WILL SAY, THE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY WANNA SHARE IS THAT THIS YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, SHANNON AND I, TO ACCESS $5,000 OF FUNDING THROUGH THE BALTIMORE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR INCENTIVES TO PROMOTE ATTENDANCE.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE'S NO 5 0 1 C3 THAT EXISTS AT THE SCHOOL.

THERE'S NO PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION CURRENTLY.

NOT BY ANY LACK OF TRYING, WE WILL GET THERE.

BUT, UM, FOR RIGHT NOW, IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HELP BE A FISCAL SPONSOR.

AND BASICALLY, THIS PROGRAM IS SO INTERESTING.

IT PROVIDES INCENTIVES TO PARENTS TO GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL.

I HAD TO CONVINCE MY BOARD THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IN ESSEX, PARENTS SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL.

IT'S NOT A QUESTION, RIGHT? OLD SCHOOL, ESSEX WORKING CLASS, YOU KNOW, DEDICATED TO DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY.

FAMILIES KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO SUCCEED.

AND YOU SEND YOUR KID TO SCHOOL, IT'S NOT A QUESTION.

AND I HAVE INCREDIBLE BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE LONGSTANDING, UM, BUSINESS OWNERS IN ESSEX, BORN AND RAISED THERE.

SHANNON CAME IN AND PRESENTED TO OUR BOARD ABOUT WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.

WE, THE COMMUNITY AT SANDALWOOD IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF COMMUNITY THAN WHAT MANY OF THESE FOLKS GREW UP WITH.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD COMING HERE.

THEY HAVE DIFFERENT VALUES.

THEY HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF HAVING EXPERIENCED THINGS IN THEIR CULTURES.

MAYBE THEY GREW UP ON FARMS

[03:10:01]

WHERE THEY NEEDED CHILDREN TO COME AND HELP WITH PULLING UP CROPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

IT'S NOT, AND THAT'S ONE EXAMPLE.

THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE.

MAYBE, MAYBE YOU NEED TO STAY AT HOME AND WATCH YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, BECAUSE MOM AND DAD NEED TO GO TO WORK, RIGHT? SO TO BE ABLE TO BREAK IT DOWN AND SHARE THAT WITH OUR BOARD MEMBERS, AND HAVE OUR BOARD MEMBERS SAY, HUH, I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE.

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHY IT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO BE INCENTIVIZED TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL.

THAT WAS A MOMENT THAT REALLY SHIFTED SOME MINDSETS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS PART OF OUR WORK IN ESSEX TO BE ABLE TO BE THIS VIBRANT, THRIVING COMMUNITY.

SO, I COULD GO ON, I WON'T, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCE IN ESSEX, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE WORK TOGETHER AS SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT, SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN ESSEX AND ALL OVER THE COUNTY.

UM, I'M SO GRATEFUL TO MELISSA, TO SHANNON, TO THESE FOLKS HERE, THE TEACHERS, EVERYONE, UM, FOR HELPING ME SEE ESSEX THROUGH THEIR EYES.

THEY'RE TEACHING THE FUTURE GENERATION.

THESE ARE THE KIDS THAT WE WANNA HAVE STAY IN ESSEX AS LEADERS, AS TEACHERS, AS ENTREPRENEURS.

SO IT, IT ALL COMES AROUND FULL CIRCLE.

AND I'M JUST SO THANKFUL TO BE PART OF THIS AMAZING EFFORT THAT'S HAPPENING HERE AT SANDALWOOD.

SO, THANK YOU.

THANKS.

I THINK THE LAST SLIDE OF QUESTION.

WELL, THANK YOU.

I THINK THIS DEFINITELY DESERVES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

THIS IS GREAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE IN ESSEX, IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

UM, THANK YOU MS. HARRIS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME UP HERE.

YES.

UM, FROM ESSEX AND SHARE THE PARENT PERSPECTIVE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THAT WAS SO REFRESHING TO HEAR.

AND I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP.

, I'LL START WITH MS. LICHTER.

I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST HAVE TO TELL YOU HOW.

SO VERY PROUD I AM OF THIS ESSEX, OF THIS SANDALWOOD, UM, FACULTY, COMMUNITY AND PARENT.

I HAD THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF, UM, BEING IN YOUR SCHOOL FOR SO MANY YEARS, UM, AND WORKING ALONGSIDE YOUR ADMINISTRATORS.

AND I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD THIS MOMENT OF EVERYTHING YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED.

ONE THING YOU, YOU DIDN'T SAY IN THE BEGINNING IS ONE OF THE REASONS YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST FOUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WAY BACK WHEN, WAS BECAUSE OF THE NEEDS OF YOUR SCHOOL WERE THE GREATEST IN OUR COUNTY.

UM, YOU HAD CHILDREN WHO WERE COMING FROM HOMES, UM, THAT HAD TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF NEEDS.

AND TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN THESE YEARS, TO HEAR HOW YOU HAVE USED THESE FUNDS, AND TO SEE THE DATA THAT YOU ARE SHOWING US JUST GIVES US SO MUCH HOPE THAT, UM, THAT WE CAN ALL DO IT.

UM, SO I JUST WANNA TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM AND HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO SEE, UM, ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED.

SO THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? MS. HARVEY, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? THANK YOU.

OKAY, MS. PUMPHREY, YOU CAN GO.

HAD TO PUT A CAMERA ON MY FRENCH PORCH BECAUSE STRANGERS, UM, WHO LIKE THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, BELIEVE DONATIONS OF CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS ON MY PORCH, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING.

UM, FIRST, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS AMAZING PRESENTATION.

UM, AT THE VERY BEGINNING, YOU, UM, TALKED, USED A WORD TRANSFORMATIONAL AS FAR AS HOW THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR SEAWOOD.

AND I LOVE THE USE OF THAT WORD BECAUSE I THINK THAT, UM, USING A TRANSFORMATIVE MODEL FOR OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, UM, IS THE WAY THAT WE NEED TO GO.

AND I THINK THIS PRESENTATION DEMONSTRATES HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS AND ALSO SHOWS THAT IT WORKS.

UM, I ALSO WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING A CHILD'S BASIC NEEDS IN ORDER TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR ACADEMIC SUCCESS.

UM, SO, UH, MY QUESTION WOULD BE AS FAR AS THOSE BASIC MEANING, THOSE BASIC NEEDS, LIKE, UM, FOOD INSECURITIES, CLOTHING, UM, YOU MENTIONED YOUR CARES CLOSET AND YOUR MONTHLY FOOD BANK AND THE THRIFT STORE.

MY QUESTION IS, DO DOES THE FUNDING OR THE SUPPLIES FOR THESE RESOURCES COME DIRECTLY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND DONATIONS, OR DO, OR ANY OF YOUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL FUNDING USED, UM, TO SUPPLY THE THINGS LIKE THE FOOD, LIKE THE CARES CLOSET AND THE FOOD BANKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? SO I AM PROUD TO SHARE THAT THE MAJORITY OF IT DOES COME THROUGH DONATIONS.

THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS.

IT DID NOT START THAT WAY.

UM, WE DID FOR THE FIRST YEAR HAVE TO USE SOME COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FUNDS TO GET SOME BASIC HYGIENE AND CLEANING ITEMS. UM, BUT THAT BECOMES LESS AND LESS THAT WE NEED TO BUY EACH YEAR BECAUSE PEOPLE JUST SHOW UP WITH DONATIONS.

UM, I'VE

[03:15:01]

SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THOUGH, THE MAJORITY COMES FROM DONATIONS.

AND IF I CAN JUST JUMP IN.

SO IN THE BEGINNING, YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU HAVE THROUGH THE COP FUNDS, AND YOU THINK, WHY EVEN GO THE ROUTE OF DONATIONS WHEN WE HAVE THIS MONEY? BUT IF YOU TRULY ARE GOING TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL WITH THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROCESS, YOU NEED TO USE THAT MONEY IN OTHER WAYS.

SO THIS IS ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THESE FUNDS EVER RUN OUT? WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THESE PARTNERSHIPS, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS 10 YEARS FROM NOW, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE STUDENTS AND THE CHILDREN THAT LIVE IN THE SANDLEWOOD COMMUNITY.

SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO GET THAT POINT ACROSS .

THAT'S EXACTLY THE ANSWER I WAS HOPING TO HEAR.

SO THANK YOU, .

UM, AND I, I DID JUST CATCH ONE PART, AND MAYBE I MISUNDERSTOOD, BUT IT MENTIONED THAT AT ONE OF YOUR, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A RESOURCE FAIR FOR YOUR MONTHLY FOOD BANK THAT IN 45 MINUTES YOU RAN OUTTA ITEMS. SO THAT WAS MORE MY CONCERN WAS DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH, ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE CHILDREN'S NEEDS? OR, UM, DO YOU FEEL LIKE OFTENTIMES YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF WHAT YOU NEED TO, TO, UM, FOR THOSE VERY, VERY BASIC NEEDS? UH, WE DEFINITELY GET AS MUCH AS WE NEED.

I AM, I'VE DEVELOPED A SKILL WHERE I PEEK OUT THE DOOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES BEFORE, UM, AND IT HELPS ME DETERMINE HOW MANY OF EACH TYPE OF ITEM THAT FAMILIES CAN GET.

UM, SO WE HAVE IT ALL CATEGORIZED, MEATS, PRODUCE, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY WALKS AWAY WITH SOMETHING AND THEN OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH, ONCE EVERYBODY HAS THEIR FAIR SHARE, THEY CAN GO AROUND A SECOND TIME SO THAT EVERYTHING IS TAKEN.

FANTASTIC.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS IMPORTANT WORK.

THANK YOU, MS. POEY.

MS. HARVEY, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES.

THANK YOU, MADAM .

UH, FIRST I WANNA SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING IS CONSEQUENTIAL, NOT JUST FOR SANDALWOOD, BUT FOR OUR SYSTEM AND FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY FAMILIES.

SO I APPRECIATE IT.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES AND GROW AS BIG AS YOU CAN.

UM, THE PARTNERSHIPS, OF COURSE, IS LIKE FOUNDATIONAL TO THE SUCCESS OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS.

AND SO I'M WONDERING, I, I SEE A LOT OF PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND I'M WONDERING ABOUT YOUR PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU IDENTIFY NEEDS LIKE HOUSING AND, UH, PARKS AND REC AND, UH, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

UH, EVEN, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH SOME OF THOSE OTHER BASIC NEEDS LIKE FOOD AND CLOTHING, UH, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, THERE ARE LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, UH, THAT CAN PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE WITH THAT.

UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, PARKS AND REC, ALL, ALL THOSE THINGS.

SO CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THOSE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE OR WOULD LIKE TO HAVE? ABSOLUTELY.

SO I'LL SPEAK TO THE TWO THAT YOU MENTIONED FOR HOUSING.

WE HAVE DEVELOPED A STRONG PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE NETWORK.

UM, I MET MITCH AT AN EVENT AND I SAID, CAN WE SIT DOWN? AND THEY HOSTED ME WITHIN A WEEK, UM, TO SPEAK WITH THEIR NEEDS, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO REALLY HELP FAMILIES IMMEDIATELY.

THEY, IT CAN EVEN PROVIDE LIKE A ONE MONTH, ONE MONTH RENTAL ASSISTANCE, AND THEN REC AND PARKS.

THEY'RE MY GOOD FRIENDS.

UM, SO I INVITED THEM TO A SHARED DECISION MAKING TEAM BECAUSE OVER AND OVER IN OUR NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WE HEARD THAT THERE IS NO AVAILABLE REX AND PARKS PROGRAM.

AND IT'S TRUE.

UM, FOR SOME REASON, WE USED TO HAVE, 20 YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST STARTED, WE HAD A VERY ACTIVE RACKING PARKS.

UM, BUT IT KIND OF DISSOLVED.

BUT I AM PROUD TO REPORT THAT THIS YEAR WE HAVE DANCE BEING HOSTED AT OUR SCHOOL, AND WE WERE ABLE TO LEVERAGE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FUNDS TO ALLOW SEVERAL OF OUR STUDENTS TO ATTEND SO THEY COULD JUST WALK ACROSS THE STREET TO DANCE CLASS AND BACK.

UM, AND ALSO WE HAVE SOCCER AT SANDALWOOD ELEMENTARY, AND WE ARE ALSO DEVELOPING ANOTHER PARTNERSHIP TO SEND, UM, KIDS TO CAMP AGAIN.

THIS SUMMER, WE HAD 20 KIDS THAT ATTENDED THE ESSEX RECREATION ACTIVITY CENTER LAST SUMMER TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING POSITIVE TO DO.

IS TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE, IT IS.

, MR. MCMILLIAN, YOUR ENERGY LEVEL AT NINE 30.

I, I I ED TO BRING IT.

IT'S THE PASS I DIDN'T GO ON FOR ONCE.

, I MUST SELF DISCLOSE THAT.

I STUDENT TAUGHT AT SAND WOOD IN 1976.

I WAS THE RECREATION CENTER SUPERVISOR IN THE LATE SEVENTIES.

I HAD LONG TERM SUBSTITUTED IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES AT SAND WOOD.

SO WHEN I SAY THAT THIS

[03:20:01]

UH, AND LASTLY, THERE'S ONE GROUP OF KIDS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT I STILL IDENTIFY WITH AT THIS AT MY AGE, AND THAT'S THE KIDS WITH WET FEET AND WET SOCKS.

, I CAN'T, I CAN'T HANDLE THAT WHEN I DO ANYTHING.

SO I APPRECIATE YOU HAVING A DRY PAIR OF SOCKS FOR THOSE KIDS.

, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONSTANT SUPPORT, .

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AND SO, MS. LING, MS. FELDER SAY, DID I SAY THAT RIGHT? YES, MA'AM.

PERFECT.

SO BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, GOING FROM NOT BEING A COMMUNITY SCHOOL TO A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, AND YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT FOR SIX YEARS, IT TOOK YOU TO GET IT TO THIS POINT.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS THAT YOU FACED EARLIER ON THAT WE COULD PROACTIVELY ADDRESS AS COMMUNITY SCHOOLS ARE BEING ROLLED OUT ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY? SO I THINK IN THE BEGINNING, IT'S MAKING SURE THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR UNDERSTANDS THE PURPOSE, THE CORE PURPOSE OF WHAT A COMMUNITY SCHOOL IS AND WHAT IT CAN DO, AND HOW IT CAN BE TRANSFORMATIONAL.

UM, VALERIE AND I, WE ARE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS WITHIN OUR BUILDING NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS HAS ALLOWED US TO DO.

I ALSO THINK THAT YOUR CSF, IT HAS TO BE THE RIGHT FIT.

IT HAS TO BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.

SO SHANNON IS THE MOST AMAZING CSF, AND SHE IS GREAT IN THE ESSEX COMMUNITY.

SO IT'S HELPING OUR ADMINISTRATORS ALSO.

AND I SPOKE TO A GROUP OF ADMINISTRATORS WHO WERE NEWLY BECOMING COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND HOW PIVOTAL THAT ROLE IS AND MAKING SURE THEY HIRE THE RIGHT PERSON.

THEN I ALSO, AGAIN, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK, SO WE ARE GIVEN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FTES.

WELL, YOU NEED THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THOSE FTES.

YOU CAN'T JUST HIRE ANY SOCIAL WORKER.

I DON'T WANT A SOCIAL WORKER WHO'S GONNA SIT BEHIND HER DOOR ALL DAY.

I WANT A SOCIAL WORKER THAT WHEN SHE'S NOT MEETING WITH A GROUP OF PARENTS OR A GROUP OF STUDENTS, SHE'S SITTING IN THE CLASSROOM SO THAT SHE CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM WITH OUR CHILDREN.

SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY, AND IT'S ALSO, IT'S TEAMWORK.

IT'S A LEVEL OF COMMITMENT.

UM, I'LL BE HONEST, WHEN I HEARD ABOUT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, IMMEDIATELY AS AN ADMINISTRATOR, I'M THINKING, WOW, THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF MY TIME.

AND IT ABSOLUTELY DID.

BUT THE BENEFITS ARE WORTH IT.

AND IT HAS TO BE A TEAM EFFORT.

YOU DON'T DO IT IN ISOLATION.

SO SHANNON IS PART OF OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM.

SO WHEN WE MEET WITH OUR READING SPECIALIST AND OUR MATH RESOURCE TEACHER, SHANNON IS PART OF THAT.

SHE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND FROM THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE, WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO CHANGE WITHIN OUR BUILDING ACADEMICALLY? HOW CAN WE REACH AND USE HER SUPPORTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND BRAID ALL OF THAT TOGETHER.

YOU'RE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB.

THIS IS SO EXCITING.

OH, THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, DR. ROGERS, YOU WANNA HAVE THE CLOSING WORDS ON THIS? SURE.

I JUST, UH, ON BEHALF OF THE, UH, SCHOOL SYSTEM, REALLY WANNA THANK YOUR TEAM.

UM, YOU ARE DOING AMAZING WORK, AND I WILL SHARE THAT, UM, THEY HAVE SOME OF THE MOST OUTGOING, HILARIOUS STUDENTS THAT EXIST ACROSS TEAM BCTF.

TIME TO SEE.

UM, YES, I HAVE HAD SOME TIME WITH THEM AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.

ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION, WHICH IS BY SUPERINTENDENT'S RULE 1280 BOUNDARY CHANGES.

THE NEXT ITEM

[Q. INFORMATION (9:45 p.m.)]

THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.

THE NE THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM OH, NOPE.

WAIT, I SKIPPED SOMETHING.

THE NEXT ITEM

[R. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING (9:45 - 10:00 p.m.)]

ON THE AGENDA IS BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING.

I WILL START WITH MS. CHICA KALU, UM, JUST, WELL, FIRST AND FOREMOST FROM SANDALWOOD.

I KNOW I DIDN'T SAY IT, BUT THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN.

IT WAS GREAT HEARING FROM YOU.

AND THEN JUST FOR MY STUDENTS, WELL, YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW, SO I HOPE YOU TAKE THAT DAY TO REST AND VOTE.

YOU GUYS SHOULD GO VOTE, BUT JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

, MS. LESKI.

UM, TWO TOPICS FOR, UH, FUTURE, UH, BOARD MEETINGS.

ONE WAS WITH A PARENT CONCERN ABOUT LIKE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS.

UM, JUST SOMETHING BRIEF ABOUT HOW WE'RE, UM, IN OUR TASK TO ACHIEVE ACADEMIC AND MENTAL HEALTH.

UM, HOW ARE WE ALSO SUPPORTING THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF OUR STUDENTS? AND THEN, UM, A PRESENTATION AND PERHAPS ON, UH, SOME OF THE RELATED SERVICES IN SPECIAL ED SUCH AS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND HOW THEY ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, SOME DATA RELATED TO HOW THEY'RE CURRENTLY SUPPORTING OUR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS.

AND IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

THANK YOU, DR.

SAVOY.

UH, JUST SOMETHING FROM, JUST SOMETHING FROM THE, UM, CUBE CONFERENCE.

UH, ONE, IN ONE OF THE WORKSHOPS THEY ASKED THE QUESTION

[03:25:01]

IT SAYS, UM, HOW OFTEN DO YOU VISIT SCHOOLS? BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT MAKING SCHOOL VISITS, WHY ARE YOU HERE? GOODNIGHT, .

I, I JUST WANNA SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC THAT A FEW WEEKS AGO I ATTENDED A NATIONAL CONVENTION AT LOYOLA COLLEGE THAT DEALT WITH LATER SCHOOL STARTS.

AND I, AND THEY REALLY MADE A BELIEVER OUTTA ME WITH, THEY HAVE A LARGE BODY OF RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS THIS CONCEPT.

AND I WENT IN THERE WITH, WITH AN ATTITUDE THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS DOESN'T WORK.

IT'S, IT CAN'T WORK.

UH, AND I LEFT THERE WITH THE ATTITUDE THAT IT'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT.

SO I'M, I'M KIND OF PLEASED WITH MYSELF THAT I OPENED UP MY MIND TO ACCEPT THAT INFORMATION.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS THAT CONCEPT.

THANK YOU, MS. HARVEY.

I, I JUST, UH, WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, A THREAD THROUGH MANY OF THE PRESENTATIONS TONIGHT, WHICH WAS, UH, IF WE ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS, ACADEMIC SUCCESS, UH, FOR OUR STUDENTS, THAT THERE HAS TO BE A COMMITMENT TO VALUING EACH AND EVERY STUDENT, UH, THEIR UNIQUENESS, THEIR CHALLENGES, ESTABLISHING A SENSE OF BELONGING IN, IN THE SCHOOL SETTING.

AND I, I I, I WANT US TO REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS FOR A CHILD COMING INTO AN ENVIRONMENT AS THEIR WHOLE SELF, BRINGING WITH THEM, UH, THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THEIR HOME, THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON WITH THEM DEVELOPMENTALLY, AS WELL AS THEIR ACADEMIC CHALLENGES.

AND SO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE WHOLE CHILD, UH, AND CREATING AND SAFE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE CHILDREN FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG.

THANK YOU, MR. YOUNG.

I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR PRISONERS TONIGHT FOR THEIR HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND THEIR PASSION.

THANK YOU, MS. DOKI.

MS. H.