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[A. CLOSED SESSION]
I CALLED TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, JULY 8TH, 2025.THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST, AND ON BCPS TV, XFINITY CHANNEL 73 AND VERIZON CHANNEL 34.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AS PERMITTED BY THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AS FOUND IN THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE SECTION THREE DASH 3 0 5 B ONE B SEVEN, AND B EIGHT TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINED DEMOTION, COMPENSATION REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OR WHO HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.
CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE AND CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? SO MOVED.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND, HARVEY.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY,
[B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
JULY 8TH, 2025.I INVITE YOU TO RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY MS. FORESIGHT, UNG UNBE WELCOME PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ON IDEATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL OF LIBERTY, JUSTICE.
ALL WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, XFINITY CHANNEL 73 AND VERIZON FIOS, CHANNEL 34.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE JULY 8TH AGENDA.DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I'M UNAWARE OF ANY CHANGES TO THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
MADAM CHAIR, MS. HUMPHREY, I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE ADDING AN AGENDA ITEM TO, UM, PROPOSE A CHANGE TO THE BUDGET, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE TEACHER'S CONTRACT IS SAY THE MOTION AGAIN, PLEASE ADD AN AGENDA ITEM TO PROPOSE A CHANGE TO THE BUDGET, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE TEACHER'S CONTRACT.
IS THERE A SECOND, SECOND HAND.
MS. POEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? I DON'T WANNA, I, I'LL SPEAK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ADDING THE AGENDA ITEM.
I'D RATHER DISCUSS DURING THE AGENDA, BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE, SO I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT AS AN AGENDA ITEM.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
MS. HARVEY, I, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO SUPPORT SUCH A MOTION.
SO MY ANS MY RESPONSE IS NO MSUM BAY.
THE MOTION DOES NOT PASS EARLIER THIS WHOOPS.
I MOVE TO ADD AN AGENDA ITEM TO REINTRODUCE THE CREATION OF A BUDGET, THE RECREATION OF A BUDGET COMMITTEE.
IS THERE A SECOND TO MS. HENS MOTION? SECOND IKI.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TALK TO YOUR MOTION OR YOUR AGENDA ITEM BRIEFLY? I BELIEVE THE NEED HAS
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NEVER BEEN MORE URGENT THAT THE BOARD REESTABLISH ITS OWN BUDGET COMMITTEE AND WE CAN DISCUSS IT FURTHER ONCE THIS HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE AGENDA.MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
EARLIER THIS EVENING, THE BOARD MEANT ENC CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.
CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE AND CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION.
THE CLOSED SESSION SUMMARY AND THE OPEN SESSION INFORMATION SUMMARY CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THIS BOARD MEETING AGENDA DATE.
[D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS PERSONNEL MATTERS, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. MCCALL.CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR, HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'D LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL MATTERS.
TONIGHT WE HAVE RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, AND DECEASED RECOGNITION OF SERVICE.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D THREE? SO MOVED.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
[E. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Rogers) (6:50 - 7:00 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M BRINGING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR YOUR APPROVAL DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF BUDGET AND REPORTING DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER, ADMINISTRATOR OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, DEEP CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIALIST, DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSESSMENT AND SPECIALIST, SPECIAL EDUCATION, SCHOOL SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT E ONE? SO MOVED.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND SAVOY.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS DEANNA ASHENFELTER.
I DEANNA IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND CHRIS AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE DIRECTOR IN THE OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER WITH SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HER PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE FISCAL SUPERVISOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTANT ACCOUNTING AND MANAGER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING.
PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS ACCOUNT AND FINANCING MANAGER AT INDUSTRIAL UH, RETAIL GROUP AND SENIOR ACCOUNTANT AT HEALTH PRO.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS LISA BELL.
PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
LISA IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND TERRY BELL AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT DEEP CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH 15 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
LISA'S BCPS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ENGLISH TEACHER AT DEEP CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL.
PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER AT MARVIA PRE-K THROUGH EIGHT.
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ADELE HORNE.PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
ADELE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER SON ALEX, AND WAS APPOINTED AT THE JUNE 24TH BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT DEEP CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH NINE YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
ADELE'S PRIOR EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ENGLISH TEACHER AT WOODBRIDGE ELEMENTARY AND NEWTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT WELLWOOD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AND SCHOOL SUPPORT SPECIALIST AT DEEP CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL.
ADELE'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDE ELEMENTARY TEACHER IN HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS MATH CURRICULUM WRITER WITH SUCCESS FOR ALL FOUNDATION, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRINCIPAL AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WORD GENERATION COACH WITH HARVARD UNIVERSITY ADJUNCT FAM, FACULTY MEMBER WITH LOYOLA AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION ASSOCIATE AT THE HISTORIC SAMUEL COLERIDGE TAYLOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS STEPHANIE GWAN GWAN.
STEPHANIE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SPECIALIST AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SUPPORT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS WITH 17 YEARS OF SERVICE WAS BALTIMORE COUNTY.
HER PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES IN ELEMENTARY TEACHER AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY, SANDALWOOD ELEMENTARY AND OAKLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND CONSULTING TEACHER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF STAFF RELATIONS AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.
NEXT APPOINTMENT IS LASHAUN GOODIN.
LASHAWN IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER CHILDREN XAVIER AND JAYLEN AND WAS APPOINTED AT THE JUNE 24TH BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT LOCK RAVEN HIGH SCHOOL WITH 20 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
LASHAWN'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ENGLISH TEACHER AT DEER PARK, MID MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL AND RESOURCE TEACHER AT CATONSVILLE CENTER FOR ALTERNATIVE STUDIES.
PRIOR TO THAT, SHE SERVED AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER AT HARLEM PARK COMMUNITY SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION AND ENGLISH TEACHER AT TALLAHASSEE MARINE INSTITUTE AND DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AT TALLAHASSEE MARINE INSTITUTE.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS TIFFANY HIGGINS.
TIFFANY IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER MOTHER, DOROTHY HIGGIN AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS SPECIALIST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSESSMENT WITH 15 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
TIFFANY'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES WORLD LANGUAGE TEACHER AT VILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER AT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
PRIOR TO THAT, TIFFANY SERVED AS A WORLD LANGUAGE TEACHER AT FALLSTON HIGH AND PATTERSON HIGH SCHOOLS.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS SHELLAH LUCKIN FIELD LOOKED AND FELD PLEASE STAND.
SHELLAH IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER MOTHER, LYNN DENISON, AND WAS APPOINTED AT THE JUNE 24TH BOARD OF EDUCATION BERG MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH 16 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HER PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES MATHEMATICS AND STATS TEACHER AT SOUTHWEST ACADEMY AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT PIKESVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS LINDA MCLEOD.
LINDA IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER SONS PETE AND WILL BOTH FORMER BCPS STUDENTS, ONE OF THEM, UM, AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE ADMINISTRATOR SCHOOL SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS WITH 32 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
LINDA'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IST PROGRAM, FACILITATOR IN THE OFFICE OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES SPECIALIST AND COORDINATOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR IN THE DIVISION OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION DIRECTOR IN THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SUPERINTENDENTS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT PLEASANT PLAINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MOST RECENTLY PRINCIPAL AT LYONS MILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
NEXT APPOINTMENT IS ERICA MOORE THAMES.
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ERICA IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER MOTHER AND WAS APPOINTED AT THE JUNE 24TH BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING AS THE SPECIALIST KINDERGARTEN COMPREHENSIVE COORDINATED EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES.THAT'S LONG WITH 18 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
ERICA'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AND ELEMENTARY TEACHER AT SCOTT'S BRANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY TEACHER, RESOURCE TEACHER AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT TEACHER AT HALSTEAD ACADEMY, RESOURCE TEACHER IN THE OFFICE OF SCHOOL CLIMATE AND CULTURE FACILITATOR TEACHER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS KELLY WYNN.
KELLY IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND QUA WYNN AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE DIRECTOR OF BUDGET AND IN THE OFFICE OF BUDGET AND REPORTING WITH 21 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
KELLY'S BCPS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES FISCAL ANALYST AND FISCAL SUPERVISOR IN THE OFFICE OF BUDGET AND REPORTING.
NEXT APPOINTMENT IS THOMAS RHODES.
THOMAS IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING AND WAS APPOINTED AT THE JUNE 24TH BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT WATERSHED PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL WITH 18 YEARS OF SERVICE.
THOMAS' EXPERIENCES INCLUDE ENGLISH TEACHER, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER AT WORLD COMMUNICATIONS CHARTER AND BELL MULTICULTURAL HIGH PROGRAM ASSISTANT AT ST.
ELIZABETH SCHOOL, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AT THE CROSSROAD SCHOOL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT WESTPORT ACADEMY.
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO BCPS.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS BRITTANY WATKINS.
BRITTANY IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND BEN WATKINS AND WAS APPOINTED AT THE JUNE 24TH BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING AS THE SPECIALIST COMPREHENSIVE COORDINATED EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES WITH 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCES WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HER PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES SCHOOL COUNSELOR AT LANSDOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL, CATONSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, AND STONELEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
THANK YOU DR. ROGERS AND CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE THAT'S HERE TONIGHT.
[F. PUBLIC COMMENT (7:00 - 7:40 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENT.THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG.
THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS HOMELAND SECURITY UNIT AND OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAS RECOMMENDED SAFETY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS, WHICH ARE POSTED IN THE BOARDROOM AND AVAILABLE IN BOARD DOCS AND ON THE BOARD'S PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC WEBSITE.
WHILE WE ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INPUT ON POLICY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THIS BOARD AND THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM, THIS IS NOT THE PROPER FORUM TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE MATTERS OR TO COMMENT ON MATTERS THAT DO NOT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
INAPPROPRIATE PERSONNEL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-B-C-P-S EMPLOYEE OR THAT DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
PERSONS WHO OTHERWISE DISRUPT OR DISTURB THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE TO CONTINUE THEIR REMARKS AND WILL BE ESCORTED FROM THE MEETING.
PLEASE OBSERVE THE THREE MINUTE CLOCK, WHICH WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP.
THE MICROPHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AT THE END OF YOUR TIME OR PRIOR TO THAT TIME AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR.
WE ARE GONNA START WITH OUR UNIONS AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS CHARLOTTE BANKEY FROM CASE.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS CHARLENE BANKEY AND I'M HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CASE BILLY BURKE.
I AM HONORED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO YOU AS THE NEWLY HIRED DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL OF ADMINISTRATOR AND SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES CASE.
I COME TO THIS POSITION WITH 34 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
OVER THESE YEARS, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING IN MANY ROLES, 15 OF THOSE YEARS AS A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND MORE RECENTLY FOUR YEARS SUPPORTING THE OFFICE OF STAFFING.
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THESE EXPERIENCES HAVE GIVEN ME INSIGHT INTO THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF OUR SCHOOLS AND THE VITAL CONTRIBUTIONS OUR ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPERVISORS MAKE.IT IS FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE AND WITH GREAT PRIDE THAT I STEP INTO THIS ROLE.
I DO SO WITH A STRONG BELIEF IN THE COLLABORATION AND WITH FULL ALIGNMENT TO THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER AGREEMENT, A COMMITMENT TO OPEN COMMUNICATION, MUTUAL RESPECT, AND A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACHIEVING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR ALL OUR STUDENTS.
ALONGSIDE OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BILLY BURKE, I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS IMPORTANT WORK OF ADVOCATING FOR FAIR STAFFING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES, BUILDING A CLIMATE WHERE SCHOOL LEADERS CAN THRIVE AND FOSTERING A CULTURE OF TRUST BETWEEN CASE MEMBERS AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP.
WE ALL KNOW THAT RECENT BUDGET CUTS HAVE CAUSED SOME CASE MEMBERS TO QUESTION WHETHER THIS BOARD AND OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM LEADERSHIP TRULY VALUE THEIR WORK AND DESIRE TO TREAT THEM WITH THE RESPECT THAT ALL EMPLOYEES DESERVE.
OUR PRIORITIES AT CASE REMAIN THE SAME, SUPPORT OUR MEMBERS PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS AND AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES IN A WAY THAT UPLIFTS THIS ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
CASE BELIEVES AS THIS BOARD DOES, THAT EVERY CHILD DESERVES A HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION AND WE KNOW THAT BEHIND EVERY GREAT SCHOOL ARE STRONG AND SUPPORTED LEADERS.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING THE HARD WORK WITH YOU TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT OUR LEADERS ARE HEARD, RESPECTED, AND EMPOWERED TO SUCCEED.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CASE AND THIS BOARD AND TO BUILDING A FUTURE THAT IS DEFINED BY COLLABORATION, PROGRESS AND A SHARED PURPOSE.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TONIGHT.
OUR NEXT CATEGORY IS NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MARIAN BAKER FROM THE BROADMEAD RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO ADDRESS THIS BOARD.
I'M MARIAN BAKER AND I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO REPRESENT A GROUP OF RESIDENTS OF THE BROADMEAD RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AND TO TELL YOU OF A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP THAT EXISTS BETWEEN THIS BROADMEAD AND TWO OF THE LOCAL SCHOOLS.
BROADMEAD IS LOCATED IN COCKEYSVILLE AND CONSISTS OF ABOUT 500 SENIOR CITIZENS.
I'VE LIVED THERE FOR TWO YEARS.
WHEN I ARRIVED, I NOTICED THAT THERE WEREN'T MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF BROADMEAD AND I ALSO KNEW THAT RETIRED PEOPLE TYPICALLY ENJOYED INTERACTING WITH THEIR COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEERING.
SO I AND TWO OTHER RESIDENTS, SANDRA ANGEL AND CINDY SUGA, LOOKED FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER AT NEIGHBORING SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF RETIRED TEACHERS AT ALL LEVELS AT AT BROAD NEED AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
WE WERE OVERJOYED WHEN WE DISCOVERED THAT PAONIA ELEMENTARY INTERNATIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WELCOMED VOLUNTEERS AND NEEDED OUR SERVICES.
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH PAONIA HAS HELPED BOTH PAONIA AND BROAD MEAT AND HERE ARE THE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO.
WE ELICIT CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE RESIDENTS AT BROAD MEAT OF FOOD AND WE DISTRIBUTE THAT FOOD AT BOTH PAONIA AND ANOTHER NEIGHBORING SCHOOL, COCKEYSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WE SORT AND DISTRIBUTE CLOTHING DONATIONS THAT COME TO THESE SCHOOLS AND, UH, UH, ORGANIZE THEM SO THAT PARENTS CAN COME IN AND FIND THINGS THAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
WE COLLECT AND DISTRIBUTE, UH, DONATED SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND TOILETRIES.
WE HELP OUT AT SCHOOL EVENTS LIKE THE HEALTH FAIR, THE BOOK FAIR, PARENTS NIGHT REGISTRATION, GRADUATION MATH NIGHT.
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WE ALSO SERVE AS TEACHER ASSISTANTS IN SOME CASES WHEN THE TEACHER WOULD, UH, ALLOW US TO.WE ALSO HAVE ONGOING PROJECT OF KNITTING AND CROCHETING, HATS, SCARVES, AND EVEN LITTLE DOLLS THAT WE DONATE TO THE SCHOOL.
WE HAVE A ART SHOW OF THE, UM, ART STUDENTS AT PAONIA.
THAT WAS A WONDERFUL, UM, MS. BAKER, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING FOR PAONIA ELEMENTARY AND C**K MIDDLE AND FOR PRESENTING TO US TONIGHT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARISSA, IS CARISSA SERBER REPRESENTING FAITH COMMUNITIES OF BALTIMORE WITH PRIDE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU THIS EVENING.
I'M CARISSA SERBER, PASTOR OF HUNTS MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN LUXTON RIDERWOOD, AND I'M ALSO A PARENT OF A BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT.
UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF FAITH COMMUNITIES OF BALTIMORE WITH PRIDE, WHICH IS A COALITION OF 57 DIFFERENT FAITH COMMUNITIES OF DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS THAT HAS COME TOGETHER TO AFFIRM AND CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY AND BEAUTY OF THE LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY.
TWO WEEKS AGO, THE SUPREME COURT HANDED DOWN A DECISION THAT RULED THAT PARENTS CAN OPT OUT OF HAVING THEIR CHILD HEAR LITERATURE THAT INCLUDES L-G-B-T-Q PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF RELIGION.
AND SO I'M HERE TODAY TO ENCOURAGE THE BALTIMORE COUNTY, UH, BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CONTINUE TO INCLUDE THOSE MATERIALS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
UH, LIKE YOU, I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS RULING'S GOING TO REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN ON TEACHERS AND ON ADMINISTRATORS, BUT I'M EVEN MORE CONCERNED THAT IT WILL HAVE THE CHILLING EFFECT OF LEADING TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS TO OMIT SUCH LITERATURE FROM THE CLASSROOM ALTOGETHER AS A PRODUCT OF THE MARYLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, I KNOW FIRSTHAND HOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACES FOR STUDENTS TO ENCOUNTER PEOPLE WITH A VARIETY OF LIFE EXPERIENCES.
IT WAS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT I FIRST MET PEOPLE WHO CELEBRATED RAMADAN AND WHO KEPT YOM KIPPUR, AND IT WAS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT I FIRST MET PEOPLE WHO WERE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER.
AND OVER TIME, THOSE PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPERIENCES AND THE BOOKS AND THE CURRICULUM THAT SURROUNDED THOSE EXPERIENCES TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE TOLERANT AND THEN ACCEPTING AND AFFIRMING OF PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE.
AS A PARENT AND AS A CLERGY PERSON IN THIS COMMUNITY, I WANNA ENSURE THAT THIS BOARD HEARS THAT THERE ARE MANY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WANT OUR CHILDREN TO OPT OUT OF SUCH LEARNING.
SOME PARENTS MIGHT WISH TO PREVENT THEIR CHILDREN FROM LEARNING ABOUT L-G-B-T-Q PEOPLE, BUT THE 57 FAITH COMMUNITIES IN OUR COALITION CELEBRATE THESE PEOPLE AND THIS LEARNING.
AND SO WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE BELIEVE IN COEXISTENCE AND COOPERATION AND CIVIL DISCOURSE AND THAT ALL OF THAT REQUIRES MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.
WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE YOUR LONGSTANDING HISTORY OF SUPPORTING TEACHERS AS THEY HELP THEIR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RACES AND GENDERS AND ORIENTATIONS AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUSES, LANGUAGE, IMMIGRANT STATUS, ABILITIES, ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENCES.
WE BELIEVE THAT THIS KIND OF EXPOSURE CAN FOSTER THE CURIOSITY AND EMPATHY THAT WE NEED TODAY.
IN MY FAITH TRADITION, WE SAY THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD AND WE BELIEVE THAT THAT MEANS ALL PEOPLE, ALL PEOPLE.
AND SO IT'S MY SINCERE HOPE THAT THIS BODY WILL CONTINUE TO AFFIRM ALL PEOPLE IN THIS WAY.
I HAVE A HANDOUT THAT I'LL, UH, MAKE AVAILABLE FOR THE BOARD AFTER I SPEAK.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, I BELIEVE VIRTUALLY IS MARIETTA ENGLISH.
IS THAT OKAY? YEP, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
SELECT BY CHAIR HARVEY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I AM SO SORRY THAT I AM NOT THERE WITH YOU TONIGHT, BUT I AM ALSO EXCITED BECAUSE WE ARE ON OUR WAY.
I CHAIR THE EDUCATION AND AXO COMMITTEE FOR THE BALTIMORE COUNTY NAACP, AND WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO CHARLOTTE.
WE ARE SO HAPPY AND EXCITED TO BE GOING TO THE NATIONAL COMPETITION.
I WANNA THANK DR. ROGERS AND THIS BOARD FOR SUPPORTING US SO THAT WE CAN, UM, MAKE THIS TRIP AND COME BACK WITH GOALS.
AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK THOSE TEACHERS WHO WORK WITH ALL THE STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL WINNERS.
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BUT THEY WERE ALL WINNERS BECAUSE THEY PARTICIPATED IN THIS ACTIVITY.I WANNA THANK, ESPECIALLY MS. COPE FROM PIKESVILLE WHO, UH, JUMPED IN.
THIS IS HER SECOND YEAR WORKING WITH STUDENTS AND EACH YEAR SHE'S HAD A GOLD MEDAL WINNER, SO WE HOPE THAT SHE WILL BRING HOME A GOLD MEDAL WINNER THIS YEAR AS WELL.
AND OF COURSE, MS. STEPHANIE POWELL FROM CARVER, SHE'S PHENOMENAL.
SHE BRINGS TO US AT LEAST 25 STUDENTS AND SHE ALWAYS HAS GOLD MEDAL WINNERS AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT ON OUR WAY TO CHARLOTTE AND I KNOW WE WILL WIN.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE SUPPORT DR. ROGERS, YOU HAVE GIVEN US.
IT IS PHENOMENAL AND WE ARE ON OUR WAY.
LIKE I SAID, I'M SORRY I'M NOT THERE IN MY AXO SHIRT TONIGHT, BUT WE ARE GETTING READY TO TAKE OFF TONIGHT AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE COMING BACK WHEN I GET BACK HERE AND TELL YOU HOW MANY GOLD MEDALS WE'VE WON.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND I WILL SEE YOU IN A COUPLE WEEKS OR AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.
AND GOOD, GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU.
SO WE WILL MOVE TO INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS.
AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. SHARON SOFF.
I WANNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT SUMMER SCHOOL AND HOW IT'S GOING.
ALL STUDENTS ON THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, WHETHER THEY HAVE AN IEP OR NOT HAVE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO, I GO TO CLASS, I SIT AND LOOK AT VIDEOS OR LOOK AT SOME KIND OF COMPUTERIZED ITEM AND MAYBE A TEACHER HELPS ME OUT IF I HAVE A NEED FOR ASSISTANCE.
THERE IS NO ACTUAL INSTRUCTION GOING ON.
THE ONE SIZE FITS ALL, BUT I HAVE AN IEP.
SO HOW DOES THAT WORK FOR ME? LET THAT SIT THERE.
WE ONLY HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SLOTS, SO IF I DON'T GET MY GRADES UNTIL AFTER ALL THOSE SLOTS ARE FILLED, I HAVE A PROBLEM.
I EITHER HAVE TO GO TO VIRTUAL IF THERE'S ROOM OR GO TO NIGHT SCHOOL IN THE FALL OR GO TO SATURDAY SCHOOL IN THE FALL OR DOUBLE UP ON CLASSES BECAUSE GUESS WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN? AND I'LL GIVE YOU A FOR INSTANCE THAT I'M DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW THAT I'VE DEALT WITH IN THE PAST.
IF I FAILED ALGEBRA, GUESS WHAT I DON'T DO? I DON'T REPEAT ALGEBRA, I GO TO GEOMETRY.
IF I FAILED GEOMETRY, GUESS WHAT I DON'T DO.
HOW IS THAT WORKING? AND REMEMBER, I'M A KID WITH AN IEP.
THAT'S ONE THING GOING ON ON THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, IF I HAVE FAILED AND I NEED TO GO TO MIDDLE TO SUMMER SCHOOL, I NEED TO MAKE SURE I HAVE TRANSPORTATION, I NEED A CAR, I NEED ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE IF I DON'T, THE NEAREST BUS STOP, MAYBE FOUR MILES FROM MY HOUSE BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY PICKING UP AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
AGAIN, HOW IS THAT CHEW ON THAT PLEASE.
[00:35:04]
GOOD EVENING.WE ARE HERE TO MAKE A GENERATION OF HAPPY, PATRIOTIC AND SUCCESSFUL CITIZENS.
THE QUESTION IS, WHAT DID THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACCOMPLISH IN THE PAST ONE YEAR? ONE, BUDGET CHAOS.
TWO, REPRIMANDING THE MANKY ON POLITICAL GROUNDS JUST BECAUSE SHE'S PASSIONATE.
THREE, SUPPORTING THE ILLEGAL ALIENS.
FOUR, PROVIDING MARYLAND POLITICIANS WITH UN LONG, LONG TIME ELECTIONARY TIME RIGHT HERE IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
THE RESULT OF THAT WILL BE THAT YOU, THE BOARD, IN MY HONEST OPINION AS AN OBSERVER, ONCE YOU LEAVE THIS NICE PLACE, YOU WILL NOT BE REMEMBERED FOR ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT.
ACTUALLY, LORI PHELPS ARTICLE BY, UH, FOX 45 IS THE ONLY REALLY POSITIVE GOOD NEWS ABOUT PCPS THAT I READ FOR QUITE A WHILE.
YOU MIGHT DISAGREE A LITTLE HERE, A LITTLE THERE, BUT A REAL PROGRESS IS LORI PHELPS PRESENTATION IN FOX 45.
SO WHAT AM I PROPOSING TO YOU? ALRIGHT, I PROPOSE TO YOU THAT YOU'LL LOBBY AN ANNAPOLIS FOR YOU, THE PUBLIC EDUCATION TO BE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM, TO HAVE TAX LEVY AUTHORITY.
SO WHEN YOU NEED TO BUY A COMPUTER OR RAISE THE SALARY OF TEACHERS, ALL WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO GO TO THE PUBLIC.
WE AUTHORIZE IT OR WE SAY NO, THAT'S IT.
I PROPOSE TO YOU THAT YOU TEAM UP CONSIDER TEAMING UP WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS.
TO MY SENSE, IT MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER THAT WE HAVE CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT AS AN EXAMPLE.
AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE IN ANOTHER SYSTEM.
AND SAME THING WITH CONTRACTS.
THAT BIG VOLUME IN ANY FUNCTION OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL SAVE YOU MONEY.
I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER WHAT I TALK TO YOU.
REMEMBER, PUBLIC SCHOOL, THIS SCHOOL COST STUDENTS MUCH MORE THAN PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
FRON, YOU CAN STAY RIGHT THERE.
NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICIES.
AS A REMINDER TO SPEAKERS, COMMENTS SHOULD BE RELATED AND LIMITED TO THE POLICY.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER FOR POLICY BOARD POLICY 1270 PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IS DR.
FARONE POLICY 1270 SAID LINE, PAGE ONE, LINE 12, 13, THE BOARD'S VISION, INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORTING PARENTS, ETC.
I SAY INCREASING ACHIEVEMENT IS A RUBBER RETURN.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD MOVE THE NEEDLE A LITTLE BIT.
SO WHAT I RECOMMEND IS THAT THIS SENTENCE WOULD BE THE BOARD'S VISION ACCOMPLISHING SUCCESSFUL AND HAPPY SCHOOL GRADUATES.
KIDS NEEDS TO BE HAPPY WHEN THEY LEAVE AND THEY NEED TO BE EFFECTIVE.
FINISH COLLEGE OR WORK ON LINE 16 AND 17.
THEY, THE POLICY SAYS, PROVIDING A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM OF SUPPORTING ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL SUCCESS OF ALL STUDENTS.
SO HERE THE WORD SUCCESS, I BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE DEFINED.
OKAY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? SUCCESS.
YOU COULD BASICALLY STRETCH IT OR SHRINK IT THE WAY YOU WANT.
[00:40:01]
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE CLEAR DEFINITION OF WHAT SUCCESS YOU HAVE, THEN HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE? HOW CAN YOU MEASURE? SO I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THIS SYSTEM FOR A LONG TIME, 25 YEARS, EASILY.IT'S THE SAME STORY EVERY YEAR.
WHAT'S THE SUCCESS? MY DEFINITION OF SUCCESS THAT THE GRADUATES OF THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM TO BE HAPPY, NUMBER ONE, TO BE PATRIOTIC.
NUMBER TWO, TO FINISH COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY OR TO GAIN A, UM, A JOB PROFESSION, RIGHT? THOSE ARE THE CRITERIA TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES NOT REALLY MEASURE ANYTHING CLOSE TO WHAT I JUST TOLD YOU TODAY.
UM, OUR NEXT SPEAKER FOR POLICY 1270 IS MS. SOFF.
I KNOW, BUT SHE HAS THAT FIRST POLICY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CONCERNS ME ABOUT A POLICY OF ANY KIND IS THAT WE MAKE ASSUMPTIONS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS POLICY ASSUMES IS THAT EVERY PARENT IN THE BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM KNOWS WHAT THE PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICY IS.
THAT IS REQUIRED BY THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT A LOT OF PARENTS THAT I WORK WITH ARE STILL DEALING WITH THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, WHICH WAS BACK IN STONE ITCH BY THE STANDARDS.
SO WE FIRST NEED TO NOT ASSUME THAT EVERY PARENT, EVERY TEACHER WHO'S READING THIS POLICY KNOWS WHAT'S IN THE POLICY.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVEN'T MEMORIZED, I KNOW I PARTICIPATED IN STATEWIDE WORKSHOPS WHEN EVERY CHILD SUCCEEDS CAME OUT, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT THAT POLICY SAYS VERBATIM UNLESS SOMEBODY PUTS SOMETHING IN FRONT OF ME.
SO LET'S FIX THAT SO THAT AT LEAST PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THEY'RE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW, WHAT IT IS THEY'RE HOPING TO.
THIS IS THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS THE TEACHERS, THIS IS YOUR ADMINISTRATORS.
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THIS POLICY BEFORE WE FINALIZE IT.
NEXT IS POLICY 52 10 GRADING AND REPORTING.
YOU WANT ME TO DO YOU WANT ME TO? SURE.
UH, PAGE TWO, LINE EIGHT AND NINE SAYS, GRADES SHALL BE BASED ON A BODY OF EVIDENCE AND ALIGNED TO CONTENT STANDARDS.
I SAY GRADES SHALL BE BASED ON MY PROPOSAL, SHALL BE BASED ON RECOGNIZED NATIONAL EVIDENCE AND BE ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL STANDARDS.
IF YOU LEAVE THE PHRASE THE WAY IT IS, ANYONE CAN INTERPRET IT WHICHEVER WAY YOU WANT.
ALRIGHT? SO GRADES ARE REALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR SCHOOL SYSTEM AND FOR STUDENTS, UM, AND TEACHERS ALIKE.
AND IF WE ARE USING VAGUE AND RUBBERY STATEMENTS, THEN WE CANNOT REALLY TRULY MEASURE OUR WORK OR SUCCESS OR FAILURE.
THE WORD EVIDENCE HERE CAN BE AN EVIDENCE IF OBJECTIVE.
[00:45:02]
WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT AN EVIDENCE CAN BE ALMOST ANYTHING.OKAY? ANYBODY CAN SAY SOMETHING AND IT'S AN EVIDENCE.
SO I LIKE THE WORD OBJECTIVE BEHIND IT BECAUSE IT REALLY QUANTIFY WHAT THE EVIDENCE IS.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR THIS POLICY.
UM, I THINK I HAVE SOMETHING ELSE.
GRADES ARE AN ESSENTIAL WAY TO COMMUNICATE STUDENT PROGRESS AS SUCH.
AND THEN THE LINE TALKS ABOUT FEEDBACK ON STUDENT PROGRESS.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT THE ACHIEVEMENT, THE WORD ACHIEVEMENT, IS BETTER IN THIS POLICY, IN MY OPINION, THAN THE WORD PROGRESS.
BECAUSE ONCE YOU FINISH ONE YEAR IN ANY STUDENTS, YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE A MILESTONE.
IF YOU JUST ACCEPT THE WORD PROGRESS, LITTLE PROGRESS, WELL, IT'S ACCEPTABLE.
AND I THINK THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO DIFFERENTIATE A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL SYSTEM VERSUS A SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT IS NOT AS SUCCESSFUL.
AND OUR NEXT SPEAKER FOR POLICY 52 10 IS MS. SOFF.
OKAY, I'M GOING TO NOTE THAT EVIDENCE-BASED CONTENT, OKAY.
I AM GONNA BRING IN A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT I NOTED PREVIOUSLY.
THE CONTENT SHOULD BE THE SAME ACROSS THE BOARD, ACROSS SCHOOLS.
AND YES, IT STATES SAYS THAT IN HERE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT'S NOT HAPPENING.
WE NEED A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONTENT WE ARE USING IN EVERY CLASSROOM IS EVIDENCE-BASED AND IS BEING UTILIZED WITH DEL AND TAUGHT WITH FIDELITY.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PARENTS HAVE ACCESS TO WHAT THE CURRICULUM IS, HAVE ACCESS TO WHAT THE GRADING POLICY IS FOR, AND FOR IT TO BE CONSISTENT AGAIN, ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND I CAN TELL YOU AGAIN THAT NOT EVERY PARENT HAS ACCESS.
WE TELL THEM TO GO TO FOCUS OR SCHOOLOGY OR WE NOT, WE DON'T GIVE OUT REPORT CARDS NOW THAT ARE PAPER REPORT CARDS.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A WAY OF OVERSIGHT.
AND THAT NEEDS TO BE BUILT IN TO THIS POLICY BECAUSE OTHERWISE WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE CONTINUE TO DO IS HAVE A REPETITION OF SUPPOSEDLY EVIDENCE-BASED CONTENT.
AND WE'RE GRADING STUDENTS ON, OH, THEY HAVE AN A THAT'S A MEANINGLESS A WHEN I'M IN HIGH SCHOOL AND MY READING LEVEL IS THE SECOND GRADE.
ARE WE USING EVIDENCE-BASED? I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
AND AGAIN, IT HAS TO BE ACROSS THE BOARD, WHETHER I'M IN DEER PARK MIDDLE OR REISTERSTOWN ELEMENTARY OR OVERLY HIGH SCHOOL, DOESN'T MATTER.
YOUR POLICY HAS TO BE CONSISTENT AND THERE'S GOTTA BE A WAY WRITTEN DOWN TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS DONE THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE DONE.
[G. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:40 - 7:45 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I AM PLEASED TO PROVIDE A REPORT IN THE FORM OF A VIDEO.
THIS IS OUR ANNUAL, UM, END OF YEAR VIDEO
[00:50:01]
THAT THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS PUT TOGETHER.SO MS. GOVER, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, PLEASE.
AND WITH THAT, THE 20 24 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR HAS COME TO AN END.
THE 20 24 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR WAS AN INCREDIBLE YEAR OF COLLABORATION, GROWTH, AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR TEAM BCPS WORKING TOGETHER WITH RENEWED FOCUS, A SHARED VISION, AND AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS.
WE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN OUR EFFORTS TO FAST FORWARD.
WE CELEBRATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON KEY SYSTEM AND STATE MARKERS OF PERFORMANCE LED THE STATE IN THE NUMBER OF FIVE STAR RATED SCHOOLS WERE RECOGNIZED BY THE STATE FOR THE GREATEST IMPROVEMENTS IN CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM AND EXPANDED STUDENTS' ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY AND CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR.
ACROSS OUR 176 SCHOOLS, PROGRAMS AND CENTERS, OUR STUDENTS WERE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN LEARNING AND EXPLORING NEW AND STIMULATING SUBJECTS, PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES.
MANY OF OUR INCREDIBLY TALENTED STUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS EARNED LOCAL, STATEWIDE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL HONORS FOR THEIR ACADEMIC, CIVIC, ARTISTIC, AND ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS.
BPS HAS SUPPORTED MY SUCCESS AS A STUDENT FROM INVESTING IN ME SINCE KINDERGARTEN.
THEY'VE GIVEN ME WONDERFUL TEACHERS AND STAFF THAT HAVE HELPED ME LEARN ALL THE DIFFERENT TOPICS I'VE LEARNED TO THIS DAY.
WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN SOLVE ANY PROBLEM, WHICH IS A COMMON LESSON TAUGHT THROUGH BPS SCHOOLS.
AS A STUDENT STRIVING TO LEARN IN BCPS, ITS MANY AP COURSES IN MATH, ENGLISH HISTORY, AND MORE HAVE PROVIDED ME KNOWLEDGE THAT I CAN USE THROUGH THE REST OF MY LIFE.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT BEING A-B-C-P-S STUDENT IS JUST HOW SUPPORTIVE EVERYONE IS AND HOW YOU CAN REALLY GO TO ANYONE WHENEVER YOU NEED HELP.
AND PEOPLE AREN'T AFRAID TO OFFER YOU ANY KIND OF SUPPORT, LIKE THEY WILL FIGURE ANYTHING OUT JUST FOR YOU.
BCPS HAS SUPPORTED MY SUCCESS AS A STUDENT BY PROVIDING ME OPPORTUNITIES THAT I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE, SUCH AS PROGRAMS THAT ARE DIRECTED JUST TOWARDS ME AS AN ASIAN IMMIGRANT AND ALSO AS A FEMALE.
THIS SPRING, BCPS AWARDED DIPLOMAS TO MORE THAN 7,000 STUDENTS.
GRADUATES WALKED ACROSS THE STAGE WITH A DIPLOMA IN HAND AND AN ARRAY OF PROMISING OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD.
LEARNING IS FOR YOU AND CAN NEVER BE TAKEN AWAY AS YOU VENTURE OUT INTO THE WORLD, NEVER STOP BEING SITUATIONALLY AWARE.
THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING FOR ALL OF US TO LEARN EACH AND EVERY DAY IF WE'RE OPEN TO IT.
ONCE YOU HAVE A PLAN OF WHAT YOU WANNA DO AND THE KIND OF PERSON YOU WANT TO BECOME, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN IN ORDER TO SUCCEED.
REMEMBER, NOTHING IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT EDUCATION.
PLANNING FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR IS WELL UNDERWAY FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR.
BCPS IS TARGETING INVESTMENTS IN AREAS ALIGNED WITH SYSTEM PRIORITIES TO ACCELERATE STUDENT LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES IN KEY ACADEMIC PRIORITY AREAS, INCLUDING ENGLISH, LANGUAGE ARTS, MATHEMATICS, ENGLISH, LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IN OUR CLASSROOMS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UTILIZE HIGH QUALITY EVIDENCE-BASED STANDARDS ALIGNED CURRICULUM.
STAFF WILL ENGAGE IN COMPREHENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO STRENGTHEN THEIR SKILLS, ALIGN PRACTICES, AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW ERP SYSTEM WILL CREATE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS THAT WILL SUPPORT AND POSITIVELY IMPACT STUDENT LEARNING, STAFF PRODUCTIVITY, AND SYSTEM SAFETY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
TO SUSTAIN ANYTHING THAT'S GOING WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO BE COLLABORATIVE IN NATURE, WHICH BCPS IS REALLY EXCELLENT AT DOING.
UM, YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE ALL STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH AGAIN IS A HUGE, UM, YOU KNOW, MARKER IN OUR SUCCESS.
AND I THINK LAST OF ALL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY, UH, FOCUS ON DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION AS WELL AS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING CHANGES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE HARD FACTS AND THEN MAKING THE CHANGES BASED ON THAT DATA.
I THINK THIS GENERATION OF TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS AND THE STAFF AND FACILITY PERSONNEL HAS CAME A LONG WAYS AND THEY REALLY CARE FOR YOUR CHILDREN.
THEY GO OUT THE EXTRA EXTRA MILE TO HELP OUT WITH EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED.
THEY HELP OUT WITH THE PARENTS.
IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT'S NEEDED FOR THE PARENTS TO HELP WITH THE CHILDREN, THEY ALSO HELP WITH THAT.
ALSO, THEY REALLY GO TO EXTRA MILE THESE DAYS TO HELP OUT WITH EVERYTHING FROM THE KIDS, TO THE PARENTS, TO MY COAD ADMINISTRATORS, TO THE TEACHERS.
UM, IT'S, IT REALLY FEELS LIKE ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY.
UM, WE HAVE OUR CHALLENGES AND WE WORK THROUGH IT AND WE COME OUT THE OTHER SIDE BETTER.
SO, UM, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
IT'S ABOUT COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION, AND, UM, DEDICATION TO ONE ANOTHER.
IT'S BEEN A, UH, BUSY YEAR, BUT WE'RE EXCITED
[00:55:01]
AT MANY OF THESE, UH, ACCOMPLISHMENTS BASED ON THE HARD WORK AND THE HARD EFFORTS OF ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES ACROSS TEAM VCPS.WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE SYSTEMIC AND SUSTAINABLE IMPROVEMENT.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE FOUNDATIONAL ASPECTS AND WE NEED TO, UH, BE CONSISTENT, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE GOING TO REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE SAME PRIORITIES.
WE ARE LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 20 25, 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR WITH OPTIMISM AND CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE PLANS, BELIEVING THAT TEAM BCPS WILL ATTAIN EVEN HIGHER LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT.
OUR STRATEGIC WORK AND STEADY FOCUS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY, AND CLIMATE, AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF WILL CREATE THE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS AND ENSURE THAT BCPS PROVIDES THE GREATEST PUBLIC EDUCATION TO EVERY STUDENT.
THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM FOR THIS VIDEO.
[H. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:45 - 7:50 p.m.)]
IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT.AND WHILE THE 20 24 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR CAME TO AN END SUMMER 2025 IS VERY MUCH UNDERWAY IN BCPS.
I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR STAFF THAT ARE PROVIDING CONTINUED LEARNING AND ENRICHMENT FOR OUR STUDENTS.
OUR FOUR WEEK SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAM STARTED YESTERDAY FOCUSING ON LITERACY AND MATHEMATICS FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND OFFERING A RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOLERS TO EARN HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS IN ALL SUBJECT AREAS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION.
ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS INCLUDE PROGRAMMING FOR OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AND OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS OF STUDENTS ATTENDING OUR SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROMOTE CONSISTENT ATTENDANCE TO ADDRESS SKILL GAPS AND DECREASE SUMMER LEARNING LOSS.
ALSO, THANK YOU TO STAFF THAT HAVE PROVIDED OUR STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS CAMPS, ATHLETIC PROGRAMS AND SPORTS CLINICS, RECOGNIZING THAT SCHOOLS OFTEN SERVE AS VITAL SOURCES OF NUTRITION FOR STUDENTS.
BCPS MAINTAINED SUMMER MEAL SERVICES THROUGH SEVERAL INITIATIVES, INCLUDING OUR SUMMER MEALS TO GO PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES FIVE DAYS WORTH OF BREAKFAST AND LUNCHES BY PROVIDING OVER 300 COUNTY PROGRAMS WITH DAILY BREAKFAST AND LUNCH.
AND THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY OR LUNCHES SERVED DAILY IN THE LIBRARIES, THANK YOU TO THE OFFICE OF FOOD AND NUTRITION FOR ALL OF THEIR EFFORTS WITH THESE PROGRAMS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT EACH OF THESE PROGRAMS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR BCPS WEBSITE.
AND WHILE I'M FOCUSING ON SUMMER, UM, AUGUST 25TH, THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WILL BE HERE.
BEFORE WE KNOW IT, FAMILIES NEW TO BCPS OR THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY RELOCATED SHOULD VISIT THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL TO COMPLETE THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS.
ALSO, IF YOU HAVE A THREE, FOUR, OR 5-YEAR-OLD, PLEASE VISIT YOUR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRESCHOOL THREE, OUR PRE-KINDERGARTEN AND KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS. DETAILS REGARDING THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS AND THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED ON OUR WEBSITE, INCLUDING HOW TO BEGIN THE PROCESS ONLINE AND ALL OF THE DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO EXTEND A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD, MS. FORSIGHT UNBE.
ALTHOUGH NEW TO HER POSITION AS STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD, WE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR HER SPEAK ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS REGARDING HER VERY ACTIVE WORK WITH THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNSELOR.
HER VOICE ON THIS BOARD IS ESSENTIAL.
OUR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD OFFERS A UNIQUE FIRSTHAND PERSPECTIVE THAT ENHANCES THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS, PROMOTES A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT AND CONTRIBUTES TO IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR ALL MEMBERS OF VCPS.
THE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD SERVES AS A CRUCIAL BRIDGE BETWEEN STUDENTS AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIPS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU THIS YEAR,
[I. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:50 - 7:55 p.m.)]
AND NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO PRESENT YOUR FIRST STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD REPORT.BOARD CHAIR, MS. LICHTER, VICE CHAIR, MS. HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS STAFFING COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THE STUDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, I JUST WANNA START WITH THE SIMPLE TRUTH.
AS MENTIONED, STUDENTS ARE NOT ONLY THE CENTER OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE ARE ITS ROOTS.
THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE SAID THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE CAMPAIGN, LIKE ROOTS IN A GARDEN, STUDENTS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THEY'RE WHAT KEEPS THE SYSTEM GROUNDED, AND THEY'RE WHERE GROWTH BEGINS.
BUT JUST LIKE IN A REAL GARDEN, IF THE ROOTS ARE IGNORED OR UN OR UNDERNOURISHED, NOTHING ELSE CAN TRULY THRIVE.
THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE IN A SYSTEM THAT STARTS WITH STUDENTS BY LISTENING TO THEM, LEARNING FROM THEM, AND LETTING THEIR EXPERIENCES GUIDE THE WAY FORWARD.
THAT BELIEF IS WHAT BROUGHT ME HERE TODAY.
MY NAME IS FORE AND I'M HONORED TO SERVE AS THE NEWLY ELECTED 45TH STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
[01:00:01]
FEW MONTHS, I'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS ROLE WITH INTENTION AND CARE BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE WEIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH REPRESENTING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND STUDENTS.I'VE MADE A CONNECTED STUDENTS IN MANY DIFFERENT SPACES, WHETHER IT'S DURING LUNCH AND CLASSROOMS AND THROUGHOUT THEIR DAILY ROUTINES, TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE WIDE RANGE OF EXPERIENCES THEY HAVE, WHETHER STUDENTS ARE THRIVING OR FACING SOME CHALLENGES.
I'VE LISTENED CAREFULLY TO THEIR STORIES TO GRASP THE REALITIES OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A STUDENT IN BALTIMORE COUNTY TODAY.
THIS HAS HELPED ME SEE THE MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND NEEDS THAT SHAPE OUR SCHOOLS.
BEHIND THE SCENES, I SPENT TIME STUDYING BOARD POLICY, ATTENDING MEETINGS, AND WATCHING PAST BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS, AND LEARNING HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE AT THIS LEVEL.
I'VE ALSO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF LEARNING FROM OUR PREVIOUS SM MISS GK KALU, WHO HAS BEEN AN AMAZING EXAMPLE.
OMA, YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION HAS BEEN TRULY INSPIRING.
AND I KNOW I HAVE VERY BIG SHOES TO FILL, BUT JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, I'VE BEEN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT REPRESENTATION IS NOT JUST ABOUT SHOWING UP, IT'S ABOUT BEING ROOTED IN THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS.
AND IT'S ABOUT LEADING WITH EMPATHY, ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS AND MAKING SURE THE STUDENT VOICE DOESN'T, DOESN'T JUST ECHO.
SO I DO NOT COME TO THE, I DO NOT COME TO THIS TABLE WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, BUT I DO COME WITH CURIOSITY, COMPASSION, AND A COMMITMENT TO DOING THE WORK.
I COME AS SOMEONE WHO SEES STUDENTS, NOT JUST AS A CHECKBOX AND POLICY, BUT AS POWERFUL, INFORMED, AND ESSENTIAL VOICES IN THE CONVERSATION.
I WANNA BE CLEAR, THIS ROLE IS NOT JUST A TITLE OR AN OPPORTUNITY, IT'S A RESPONSIBILITY I TAKE SERIOUSLY.
IT'S, IT IS A PROMISE TO THE STUDENTS WHO WAKE UP EACH MORNING FACING CHALLENGES THAT MAY MANY ADULTS MAY NOT SEE.
WHETHER THAT'S NAVIGATING MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES, CONFRONTING INEQUITY, MANAGING ACADEMIC PRESSURE, OR SIMPLY JUST TRYING TO FIND A SAFE SPACE.
I BELIEVE OUR SCHOOLS MUST BE PLACES WHERE EVERY, EVERY STUDENT FEELS VALUED, SEEN AND SUPPORTED.
THAT MEANS CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES ARE NOT JUST AVAILABLE BUT ACCESSIBLE, WHERE EQUITY ISN'T JUST A GOAL, BUT A LIVED REALITY.
AND WHERE STUDENTS HAVE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO SHAPE THE POLICIES THAT IMPACT THEIR LIVES.
THIS YEAR I WORKED TIRELESSLY TO TO BE A BRIDGE CONNECTING THE VOICES OF STUDENTS WITH THE DECISIONS OF THIS BOARD.
I WILL BRING TRANSPARENCY TO THIS PROCESS AND ENSURE STUDENTS KNOW THEY HAVE A REAL ROLE IN SHAPING OUR SCHOOLS.
I INVITE EVERY BOARD MEMBER, EVERY EDUCATOR, EVERY FAMILY, AND EVERY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, EVERY STUDENT TO JOIN ME IN THIS WORK.
LET US REMEMBER THAT LIKE A GARDEN, OUR SCHOOLS FLOURISH WHEN EVERY ROUTE IS NUR IS NURTURED.
AND WHEN WE COME TOGETHER WITH RESPECT, UNDERSTANDING, AND A SHARED COMMITMENT, WE CAN GROW A SYSTEM THAT EMPOWERS ALL STUDENTS TO THRIVE.
I'M EXCITED TO LEARN FROM YOU ALL, TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU ALL AND TO SERVE AS A VOICE FOR THE STUDENTS TO ENTRUST ME WITH THIS RESPONSIBILITY.
TOGETHER, WE WILL WORK TO ENSURE THAT THE ROOTS OF THIS GARDEN GROW STRONG SO EVERY STUDENT CAN BLOSSOM.
[J. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (7:55 - 8:05 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONSIDERATION OF BOARD POLICIES VISIT.OR DO YOU KNOW THAT PERSON THAT'S LEAVING NOW? OH,
JUST, COULDN'T, COULDN'T STAY AWAY.
THIS IS THE SECOND READER FOR THOSE POLICIES AND FOR THAT I CALL HIM AS CHRISTINA PUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, NEW BOARD POLICY 50 54, 40 TELEHEALTH AND IN-PERSON SERVICES FROM EXTERNAL BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, BOARD POLICY 82 70 BOARD COMMITTEES.
THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBITS J ONE AND J TWO.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD'S POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES? 54 40 AND 82.
SINCE A RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MS. BOOKER DWYER? UM, I DO HAVE ONE SUGGESTION TO ADD TO POLICY 82 70, UM, UNDER SPECIFICALLY THE COMMITTEE PROCEDURES, UH, TO ENSURE, SO, YOU KNOW, AS A BOARD, WE HOLD THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE, THE, AND TEACHERS AND EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE FOR IMPLEMENTING, UH, EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES, RESEARCH ALIGNED PRACTICES TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE MOVING EVERYTHING FORWARD.
AND AS A BOARD, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD HOLD OURSELVES TO THE SAME STANDARD.
AND SO UNDER THE COMMITTEE PROCEDURES, UM, ADDING THAT, THE, THAT COMMITTEE SHALL ALIGN WITH RESEARCH INFORMED PRACTICES.
AND THIS WOULD INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO, UM, ALIGNING COMMITTEE PLANS WITH THE STRATEGIC GOALS OF THE BOARD, UM, PROVIDING REPORTS ON COMMITTEE WORK AND EVIDENCE OF HOW IT HAS ADVANCED THE BOARD AND ACHIEVING ITS STRATEGIC GOALS, PROVIDING AN ORIENTATION FOR NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UM, TO ORIENT THEM TO THE BOARD, UH, TO THE, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE AND THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE, UM, TO INVEST IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT THAT WOULD HELP TO STRENGTHEN OUR KNOWLEDGE IN THAT COMMITTEE
[01:05:01]
TOPIC.AND SO, UM, I I BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD BE IN STRONG ALIGNMENT IN WHAT THE BOARD BELIEVES.
UM, AND WE CAN PUT, BUILD THAT INTO THE POLICY THAT WE ARE ALIGNING OUR COMMITTEE WORK WITH RESEARCH INFORMED PRACTICES.
UM, I AGREE WITH MS. BOOKER DWYER'S SUGGESTIONS.
I QUESTION WHETHER THAT BELONGS IN THE POLICY OR IN THE BOARD HANDBOOK AND WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE INCLUDE THOSE PROCEDURES AS THEIR OPERATIONAL IN THE BOARD HANDBOOK.
SO, UM, MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE.
UM, I'M SURE IS THERE A MOTION? THERE WAS NOT A MOTION, SO THAT'S WHY.
UM, AND SO I MOVE TO, UM, TO ADD A LINE UNDERNEATH COMMITTEE PROCEDURES THAT STATES, UM, COMMITTEE SHALL ALIGN WITH RESEARCH INFORMED PRACTICES.
IS THERE A SECOND TO MS. BOOKER DWYER'S MOTION? OKAY.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
ON POLICY BOARD POLICIES 54 40 AND 82 70 MR. YOUNG? YES.
LEMME JUST GET TO THE NEXT PART.
[K. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (8:05 -8:10 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION.AND FOR THAT I CALL MR. BURNS.
LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR. ROGERS, UH, ENCLOSED RECENT CLOSED SESSIONS INCLUDING TONIGHT, THE BOARD TO ACTION ON, UH, APPEALS HEA 25 DASH 0 2 5 SDA 25 DASH 0 0 4 AND HFA, I'M SORRY, HEA 25 DASH 0 0 6.
THIS WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO AFFIRM THE ACTIONS THE BOARD TOOK.
BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATION OF CASES FOR VOTE
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ACTION TAKEN ENCLOSED SESSION ON HEARING EXAMINER CASES? H OKAY.
MAYBE YOU STILL HAVE IT AS TWO UNLESS MAYBE I NEED TO REFRESH.
ON HEARING EXAMINER CASES HEA 25 DASH OH TWO FIVE AND SDA 25 DASH OH FOUR AND AUTHORIZED MS. GOR TO SIGN FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ACTION TAKEN ENCLOSED SESSION ON HEARING, HEARING EXAMINER'S CASE HEA 25 DASH OH OH SIX AND AUTHORIZED MS. GOER TO SIGN FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT? SO MOVE YOUNG.
MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND SAVOY.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL THOUGH, PLEASE? MR. YOUNG? YES.
MS. BECK? UM, JUST TO CONFIRM, JUST TO CONFIRM, THIS IS THE, UM, THE ONE THAT OKAY, ABSTAIN.
[01:10:01]
THE NEXT ITEM ON[L. NEW BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (8:10 - 8:20 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS REPORT ON THANK YOU MR. BURNS REPORT ON BOARD POLICIES.THIS IS THE FIRST READER FOR THIS POLICY AND FOR THAT I CALL MS. CHRISTINA PUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY RE REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THIS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO PO BOARD POLICY 1270 PARENTS AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND BOARD POLICY 52 10 GRADING AND REPORTING.
THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBITS N ONE AND N TWO.
THANK YOU, MS. EY, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD'S POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES? 1270 AND 52.
SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MS. BOOKER DWYER? I DO HAVE ONE CLARIFYING QUESTION.
THE BOARD'S VISION, SO IN THAT HIGHLIGHTED SECTION WHERE IT SAYS, UM, WHAT LINE 11, LINE 12 TO 13, THAT VISION, UM, IS NOT STRONGLY ALIGNED TO WHAT'S THE VISION THAT WE ADOPTED IN OUR BOARD HANDBOOK ON PAGE FIVE OF THE BOARD HANDBOOK.
IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT OR IS THIS VISION MEANT TO BE A SEPARATE VISION FROM WHAT'S IN THE BOARD HANDBOOK? OR DO WE HAVE TWO VISIONS AS A BOARD? I'M TRYING TO OPEN THE POLICY NOW.
SO IT'S POLICY, UH, THE COMMU POLICY, UH, 1270 MS. THANK YOU.
UM, THIS LANGUAGE WAS PROPOSED BY STAFF.
UM, THE COMMITTEE ORIGINALLY DISCUSSED THIS POLICY.
WE DISCUSSED IT IN TWO MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE AND STAFF PROPOSED THIS LANGUAGE, UM, BASED ON THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, TO INCORPORATE ONE A, B, C, ONE POINTS, ONE A, B, AND C OF THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE.
AND THIS WAS LANGUAGE THAT WE HAD AGREED UPON.
AND I'LL DEFER TO MS. HUMPHREY FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
I'M JUST, I JUST HAVE A CLARIFYING QUESTION.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT B, RIGHT? WHICH IS, HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT LINE 12.
SO THE, WHAT'S IN THE HIGHLIGHTED SECTION, NOT WHAT'S BEING REMOVED IN THE BRACKETS.
SO WHAT MS. HEN SAID WAS ACCURATE.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY WHAT WE, WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT HERE.
AND SO IS IT THE BOARD'S WILL TO HAVE TWO VISION VISIONS OR IS THERE A WAY TO, UH, TO ALIGN, TO STRENGTHEN THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN WHAT THE BOARD HAS ADOPTED IN THE HANDBOOK WITH WHAT'S IN THE POLICY? MS. HEN? THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.
SO THIS SPEAKS SPECIFICALLY TO THIS POLICY REGARDING PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, AND IT'S THE BOARD'S VISION REGARDING PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PARTICULARLY.
SO THE DETAIL THAT'S IN THE LANGUAGE HERE IS SPECIFIC TO THIS POLICY.
SO WHAT THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSED, UM, UNDER ONE B, WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED, HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE NEW POLICY STATEMENT, WHICH IS NOT IN LIEU OF THE, THE BOARD'S OVERALL VISION, IT'S THE POLICY STATEMENT AS IT REGARDS PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
SO STAFF, UM, TOOK OUR FEEDBACK AND DRAFTED THIS STATEMENT, WHICH WE ACCEPTED WITH ONE MINOR CHANGE, WHICH IS HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN, AND IT PERTAINS SPECIFICALLY TO THIS POLICY, NOT THE BOARD'S OVERALL VISION.
AND SO SHOULD WE HAVE THEN A VISION FOR ALL OF OUR POLICIES? ARE WE ASSESS SETTING THAT PRECEDENT OR, OR AS A BOARD, DO WE OPERATE UNDER ONE VISION? AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD HASH OUT AT OUR RETREAT.
WOULD STAFF LIKE TO, UH, SINCE YOU, SINCE YOU, UM, HELPED CREATE THIS LANGUAGE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? I THINK MS. UM, GOOD EVENING.
UH, I THINK MS. HEN SUMMARIZED IT ALL, BUT I THINK WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO WAS, UM, CAPTURE, UH, THE VISION MORE BROADLY, WHICH IS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORTING FAMILY AND STUDENT SUCCESS AND SIMPLIFYING THAT LANGUAGE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE POLICY WOULD BE A MUCH CLEARER, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE HAPPY TO RECEIVE YOUR FEEDBACK, BUT I THINK THAT WAS THE GOAL, JUST TO, UM, KIND OF SUMMARIZE THAT OVERARCHING, UH, GOAL OF SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS BOTH ACADEMICALLY AND, AND PERSONALLY.
IT MAY ALSO BE JUST USING THE WORD VISION HERE
[01:15:01]
IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.SO INSTEAD OF SAYING THE BOARD'S VISION, I DON'T KNOW ANOTHER WORD THAT WE COULD USE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE BOARD'S VISION AS FAR AS LIKE THE HANDBOOK VISION AND GOALS.
WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE BOARD'S VISION IN GENERAL FOR THIS SPECIFIC POLICY.
SO MAYBE THERE'S ANOTHER TERM WE CAN USE OTHER THAN VISION, WHICH I CAN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING, BUT THEN ANYBODY HAS ANY RECOMMENDATIONS? I'D BE HAPPY TO MAKE THAT.
WHAT DID YOU SAY? CHANGE IT TO COMMITMENT TO THE BOARD'S COMMITMENT TO INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORTING PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN BCPS.
IF THAT'S NOT OBJECTIONABLE, MS. HEN, THANK YOU.
AND, AND THIS DOESN'T CONTRADICT OUR VISION.
WE, WE DID, UM, REVISIT THAT, UM, NO PUN INTENDED, BUT IN, IN LOOKING AT OUR, OUR OVERARCHING VISION, OUR PRIORITY IS INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
AND THAT IS, UM, ENCAPSULATED IN OUR VISION STATEMENT.
AND, AND THANK YOU, UM, FOR HELPING US WITH THE LANGUAGE AND, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
WHAT, WHAT IS WRITTEN? THE COMMITTEE, UM, SUPPORTED THIS UNANIMOUSLY, WE FELT LIKE YOU CAPTURED, UM, OUR PRIORITIES BEAUTIFULLY IN THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU PROPOSED, AND WE FELT IT IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT HERE.
THE ORIGINAL, UM, VERSION WAS SUCCINCT.
HOWEVER, WE FELT THAT OUR PRIORITIES WEREN'T CAPTURED HERE.
SO WHILE THERE IS SOME REDUNDANCY, IF YOU WILL, WE, THE COMMITTEE FELT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BE REDUNDANT IN THAT WE EMPHASIZED THE PRIORITIES, WHICH ARE REITERATED IN OUR VISION OF EMPHASIS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AS THE REASON FOR WHY WE WANT PARENTS AND, AND FAMILY MEMBERS TO BE ENGAGED.
AND, AND I GUESS THIS IS WHAT ANSWERS THE WHY FOR US IN OUR POLICY STATEMENT.
WHY DO WE HAVE A POLICY STATEMENT? WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT? WHAT IS THE END GOAL FOR WHY THIS POLICY EXISTS? SO, NO, NOT ALL OF OUR POLICIES HAVE THIS, BUT I AGREE, MS. BOOKER DWYER, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT AS POLICIES COME UP FOR REVIEW, WE SHOULD LOOK AT THEM AND SAY, DO WE NEED TO ANSWER THE WHY OF THIS EXISTS? AND I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WE SHOULD LOOK AT.
UH, THIS IS, I I HAVE A GENERAL AND THEN A SPECIFIC COMMENT OR QUESTION.
SO MY GENERAL, UM, COMMENT HAS TO DO WITH WHAT MS. SARAH SAID IN HER, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT WHEN IT COMES TO POLICIES AND EVEN WITH RULES.
I, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER OF POLICIES AND RULES BCPS HAS, BUT I KNOW THERE'S QUITE A FEW.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, IN OUR EFFORT TO BE, YOU KNOW, MORE TRANSPARENT AND MORE INTERACTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY, IF, WHEN WE HAVE THESE CHANGES, I KNOW WE'RE DOING THIS IN OPEN SESSION AND, AND FAMILIES CAN COME AND, AND READ THIS, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T ALWAYS DO THAT.
IF WE COULD INCLUDE, LIKE, IN AN EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENT EVERY TIME WE HAVE THIS POLICY REVIEW, AND WHEN IT'S PASSED, THE CHANGES THAT ARE MADE.
'CAUSE I, I KNOW MYSELF, I'VE GOTTEN SEVERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT POLICIES.
I HEARD, YOU KNOW, A PARENT WILL REACH OUT TO ME AND SAY, I HEARD THIS POLICY CHANGE.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE CHANGES? IF WE COULD JUST SEND OUT A GENERAL RELEASE, A STATEMENT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA OF EXPLAINING THE POLICIES TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND ALSO, UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS, UH, AS OPPOSED TO POLICY 52 10, UM, WHAT DR.
FARONE SAID, I, I HAPPEN TO AGREE THAT JUST SAYING EVIDENCE BASED AND DATABASED, WE NEED, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING MORE, A LITTLE BIT MORE CONCRETE IN THAT POLICY AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, GOING ABOVE THE STANDARD.
INSTEAD, OUR STUDENTS SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, AT GRADE LEVEL PROFICIENT IN AT LEAST OUR MOST BASIC SUBJECTS LIKE ELA OR ENGLISH, MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, HISTORY.
IF WE COULD, WE SHOULD BE, UM, ADVANCING STUDENTS THAT ARE PROFICIENT ENOUGH TO ADVANCE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WE ADD THAT LANGUAGE IN THERE, BUT IF WE COULD ADD SOMETHING MORE CONCRETE LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
MS. EY, I'M GONNA, UM, MOVE TO AMEND POLICY 1270 TO REMOVE, UM, TO REM, HOPE I'M DOING THIS CORRECTLY.
REMOVE THE WORDING ON LINE 12 PAGE ONE, VISION OF INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORTING AND REPLACE THAT WITH COMMITMENT TO INCREASE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORT.
SO YOU JUST MADE A MOTION TO MAKE AN AMENDMENT CORRECT.
IS THERE A SECOND TO MS. HUMPHREY'S SECOND HARVEY? THANK YOU.
UM, DO YOU WANNA DISCUSS YOUR AMENDMENT, MS. PUMPHREY, OR, YES.
WELL, JUST BACK TO WHAT I SAID BEFORE, I'M TRYING TO REMOVE THAT VISION LANGUAGE SO IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE BOARD'S VISION, UM, SPECIFIC VISION AS STATED IN THE HANDBOOK.
AND WE STICK TO, UM, THIS SPECIFIC POLICY.
AND I THINK COMMITMENT MAY BE A BETTER WORD TO USE THERE.
THE OTH OTHER LANGUAGE CHANGING IS THE SE CEMENT SEMANTICS TO MAKE SURE IT READS CORRECTLY.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION MS. HEN? UM, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS MOTION
[01:20:01]
AND I THINK COMMITMENT IS A STRONGER VERB THERE.SO I APPRECIATE MS. HUMPHREY'S MOTION.
SO MAY WE HAVE A, YOU WANNA READ THE MOTION? I KNOW SHE'S STILL TYPING.
UM, WHILE MS. HUMPHREY IS TYPING HER MOTION, I DID WANNA REFERENCE, UM, POLICY OH 200 AND, UM, SOMETHING THAT THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERED IN THIS LANGUAGE FOR, UM, MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS.
AND THAT IS ON PAGE TWO, I BELIEVE.
UM, THE POLICY STATES, WE BELIEVE THAT ENGAGING PARENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND BUSINESS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL AND HAS A DIRECT LINK ON STUDENT SUCCESS.
SO THERE IS, UM, PRECEDENT AND A, A FOUNDATION OR ROOTS IN EXISTING POLICY THAT WAS REFERENCED AS GROUNDING FOR THIS POLICY.
SO WE HAD A SECOND TO YOUR MOTION? CORRECT? SO THE MOTION, WHICH IS IN THE CHAT, IS TO STRIKE VISION OF INCREASING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORTING AND REPLACE WITH COMMITMENT TO INCREASE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SUPPORT.
MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THAT.
SO THE AMENDED MOTION PASSES NO, NO, NO.
SO NOW WE GO BACK TO THE POLICY AS AMENDED, BUT IT WAS TWO OF THEM.
SO, AND I DO HAVE A QUE UH, COMMENT ON THE SECOND POLICY AS WELL.
SO WITH THE GRADING POLICY POLICY, 5, 2, 1, 0 MM-HMM
UM, AND SO I, I WANT US TO CONSIDER PERHAPS ADDING SOME ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE, UM, THAT SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT GRADES ARE ADMINISTERED IN A TIMELY MANNER.
THAT THERE'S A RESEARCH INFORMED PROCESS TO MODIFY A GRADE THAT IS CLEARLY COMMUNICATED TO STAFF, STUDENTS, PARENTS, GUARDIANS, AND THAT THERE IS TRAINING PROVIDED TO THOSE WHO ADMINISTER GRADES SO THAT THERE IS CONSISTENCY IN THE STANDARD OF WHAT CONSTITUTES AN A, A, B, A, C, ET CETERA FOR EACH SUBJECT OR COURSE.
AND THAT STAFF IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR IMPLEMENTING, UM, CONSISTENCY IN GRADING WHEN AWARDING AN A, B, OR C.
UM, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SEND THAT BACK TO THE COMMITTEE TO THINK ABOUT, UH, I DIDN'T MAKE A MOTION TO, TO CHANGE ANYTHING.
UM, BUT JUST SO THAT WE CAN STRENGTHEN THAT GRADING POLICY LANGUAGE.
MS. POEY, I AGREE WITH THE INTENT AND DEFINITELY WITH THE NEED TO FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID, HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE IT MAY BE MORE, UM, SO SPECIFIC THAT IT SHOULD BE IN THE ROLE AND NOT IN THE POLICY.
MS. HEN, THAT WAS MY THOUGHT AS WELL.
WAS THE ORIGINAL MOTION PRIOR TO THE AMENDMENT DISCUSSION ON BOTH POLICIES? YES.
CAN I BREAK 'EM NOW BECAUSE OF, OR DO I STILL DO IT FOR EFFICIENCY OR ACTUALLY FOR CLARITY? YES.
SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE AMENDED BOARD POLICY? 1270.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND HUMPHREY.
MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE 1270 AS AMENDMENT AMENDED.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD POLICY? 52.
SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE, MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
[01:25:01]
YES.AND THANK YOU FOR THAT DISCUSSION.
[M. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Dr. Grim) (8:20 - 8:35 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONTRACT AWARDS.AND FOR THAT, I CALL HIM MR. YOUNG CHAIR OF THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, JULY 7TH, 2025.
ITEMS M1, M TWO, M FOUR THROUGH M EIGHT AND AND M 10 THROUGH M 18, WERE FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
ITEMS M THREE AND M NINE WERE FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD WITHOUT A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMITTEE.
I, AND I KNOW I'M NEVER GONNA LIVE THAT ONE DOWN.
WILL WE, WE WILL SEPARATE ITEMS M THREE AND M NINE FOR THE VOTE.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL SEPARATIONS THAN M THREE AND M NINE? OKAY.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS? M1, M TWO, M FOUR THROUGH M EIGHT.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS? OKAY.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO HELLO, THIS IS, THIS IS MS. HARVEY.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM M THREE.
UM, SO TO START THE DISCUSSION, I'D LIKE TO CALL ON DR. ROGERS.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD CALL FOR DR.
KRAFT, UM, I BELIEVE MR. CONNOLLY TO COME FORWARD.
WE HAVE PREPARED A FEW SLIDES.
I WANT TO THANK THE CONTRACT COMMITTEE FOR YOUR, UH, MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, AS YOU REVIEWED CONTRACT NUMBER THREE, UM, AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE POSED, UH, REGARDING CONTRACT NUMBER THREE AND SOME OF THE DISCUSSION, UH, THE STAFF.
UH, AND I TOOK SOME TIME, UM, TO RESPOND TO THOSE INQUIRIES.
AND WE'D LIKE TO BEGIN BY SETTING SOME CONTEXT AND HOPEFULLY ANSWERING ALL OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE POSED YESTERDAY, UH, BEFORE OPENING IT UP FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
SO THE FIRST THING WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS READING INSTRUCTION OVERALL.
UM, AS ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND ALL MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC KNOW, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO TEACH READING INSTRUCTION.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY UNDER COMAR, UM, FOR US TO ASSESS AND, UH, DIAGNOSE, UM, WHERE STUDENTS ARE IN REGARDS TO THEIR READING INSTRUCTION.
AND WHEN WE LEARN BASED ON THOSE ASSESSMENTS, UM, THAT THOSE, UH, THAT REQUIREMENT THAT IS IN, UH, STATE, UH, REGULATIONS, AS WELL AS IN OUR OWN BOARD POLICY, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY NOT ONLY MORALLY BUT LEGALLY TO RESPOND WITH AN INTERVENTION TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.
AND SO WE HAVE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, UM, SHOWN THIS SLIDE, BOTH FOR ACADEMICS AS WELL AS BEHAVIOR, THE RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION PYRAMID.
UH, MANY TIMES IN THE PAST WHEN WE'VE SPOKEN ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, WE'VE SPOKEN, UM, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THIS SLIDE, BUT JUST AS A REFRESHER TO OUR PUBLIC, THE FIRST TIER ONE IS WHAT'S UNIVERSAL? WHAT DO WE PROVIDE TO EVERY SINGLE STUDENT THAT WALKS THROUGH OUR WALLS? THIS IS WHAT EVERY STUDENT RECEIVES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UM, 80% OF STUDENTS, UH, NATIONALLY, UH, WHEN THEY ARE PROVIDED WITH THAT HIGH QUALITY FIRST INSTRUCTION IN A CLASSROOM, UM, ARE ABLE TO MASTER THAT CONTENT.
UM, WHEN WE ARE USING RESEARCH BASED PRACTICES, IN THE CASE OF ELA, WE'RE SPECIFICALLY SPEAKING ABOUT IMPLEMENTING THE SCIENCE OF READING.
[01:30:01]
MANY TIMES, FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION, UM, WE'RE NOT JUST PURCHASING THE CURRICULUM, BUT WE'RE PUTTING MECHANISMS IN PLACE, BOTH AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL AS WELL AS CENTRAL OFFICE TO MONITOR ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT THE INSTRUCTION IS HAPPENING AS INTENDED IN THE CLASSROOM.IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, UM, WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED YEAR TWO IN ELEMENTARY USING HMH INTO READING THAT IS ROOTED IN THE SCIENCE OF READING.
SO THIS IS OUR, WE'VE JUST COMPLETED OUR SECOND YEAR OF TEACHING THE SCIENCE OF READING FOR ELEMENTARY.
AND THIS YEAR WE JUST COMPLETED OUR, UH, FULL YEAR PILOT FOR SECONDARY.
AND WITH THE GRACIOUS SUPPORT OF THE BOARD ADOPTED SAVVIS MY PERSPECTIVES FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION NEXT YEAR.
SO THAT IS TIER ONE FOR EVERYONE.
UM, BEYOND THAT, WE HAVE A GROUP OF STUDENTS.
IF 80% OF THE STUDENTS, UM, ARE SUCCESSFUL, WE HAVE A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO NEED A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT, UH, REGARDLESS OF WHAT SUBJECT MATTER YOU'RE SPEAKING TO.
SO THAT TARGETED INTERVENTION NATIONALLY, THE STATISTICS ARE ABOUT 15% OF STUDENTS NEED, UH, ADDITIONAL SUPPORT BEYOND THE FIRST QUALITY FIRST, UM, INSTRUCTION THAT HAPPENS IN THE CLASSROOM.
UH, SO OUR TARGETED INTERVENTION FOR READING INSTRUCTION, UH, WE HAVE BOTH TARGETED INVENTION FOR COMPREHENSION, UH, WHICH IS REALLY A STUDENT'S LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY'RE READING OR DECODING, UM, THEIR ABILITY TO, UH, READ AND ENGAGE IN, UH, PHONEMIC AWARENESS AND PHONICS.
UM, OUR, UH, VENDORS OR MODELS THAT WE USE READ 180 OR EYELET FOR COMPREHENSION, AND WE USE JUST WORDS OR HD WORDS FOR DECODING.
UM, IN BOLD, YOU SEE THE BOX AROUND COMPREHENSION, BECAUSE THIS CONTRACT SPEAKS SPECIFICALLY, UH, TO OUR NEEDS AROUND COMPREHENSION.
UM, YOU SEE 5,000 LICENSES OUT OF, UH, 56,000 123 STUDENTS.
THAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, MEANING GRADES SIX THROUGH 12.
UH, THIS REPRESENTS ROUGHLY 9% OF STUDENTS.
IF YOU ADD THAT TOGETHER WITH THE NUMBER OF LICENSES THAT WE TYPICALLY HAVE FOR DECODING ANOTHER, UH, 2000 STUDENTS, YOU'LL SEE THAT TYPICALLY IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, UM, WE'RE A LITTLE BIT OVER, UH, 12% OF STUDENTS RECEIVING THAT TIER TWO INTERVENTION.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT STUDENTS DON'T RECEIVE TIER ONE OR TIER TWO AS A STUDENT MOVES UP THE PYRAMID.
THESE ARE ADDITIONAL LAYERS OF SUPPORT.
SO STUDENTS WHO ARE IN TIER TWO RECEIVE TIER ONE, WHICH IS DAILY INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM, AND THEY RECEIVE THAT TIER TWO TARGETED SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION.
AND THEN THERE ARE A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT REQUIRE EVEN MORE INTENSIVE INTERVENTION.
UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THAT TODAY, BUT THAT ALSO IS EVIDENCE-BASED.
IT'S GROUNDED IN THE SCIENCE OF READING WE HAVE FOR, UM, TIER THREE INTERVENTIONS FOR BOTH COMPREHENSION AND DECODING AS NOTED ON THE SLIDE.
AND THIS IS ONLY, UH, USED FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE READING BELOW GRADE LEVEL.
AND, UH, THE TIER TWO INTERVENTIONS WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL.
SO WE WANT TO, UM, JUST GROUND OURSELVES IN A REAL PRACTICAL, UM, EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION, AND PARTICULARLY AROUND, UH, TIER TWO INTERVENTIONS AND HOW MANY, UH, STUDENTS THAT WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT.
BECAUSE SOME OF THE CONVERSATION THAT OCCURRED YESTERDAY, UH, IN THE COMMITTEE WAS AROUND, UH, THE STUDENTS, THE NEEDS FOR STUDENTS.
WHAT IS THE, UH, CHANGE OR RETURN ON INVESTMENT? AND SO, UH, WE WANNA DO FIRST A NUMBERS EXAMPLE, USING THE, UM, EXAMPLE THAT I PROVIDED ABOUT THE TIERS.
IF WE HAVE A HUNDRED STUDENTS IN A CLASS AND WE TEACH THEM, UM, A TOPIC, OR MOST OF US CAN RELATE TO HAVING CHILDREN, EITHER OUR OWN CHILDREN OR CHILDREN THAT WE KNOW WHO ARE NEAR AND DEAR TO US.
AND WE KNOW THAT ALL BABIES AT SOME POINT NEED TO LEARN HOW TO WALK, WHICH THE LITTLE YOUNG LADY ON THE SCREEN IS REPRESENTING FOR US.
UH, IF WE HAVE, UH, 100 BABIES, WE KNOW THAT, UH, ON AVERAGE BY 12 MONTHS, UH, MANY BABIES WILL JUST GET UP AND START WALKING.
UM, THAT IS YOUR TIER ONE UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTION.
SO IN A CLASSROOM, IF WE WERE TEACHING ALL OF THESE BABIES, WE WOULD SAY 80 OF THOSE BABIES GOT UP AND STARTED WALKING BY 12 MONTHS, THERE'S STILL 12, UH, 20 STUDENTS, OR 20 LITTLE ONES WHO ARE NOT YET UP AND MOVING AROUND AS WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
UM, SO THAT'S BEYOND THE 12 MONTHS IN A CLASSROOM, THAT'S 20 STUDENTS THAT ARE LEFT.
UM, THOSE 20 STUDENTS GO TO TIER TWO
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INTERVENTION.IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BABIES LEARNING TO WALK, UM, THAT'S WHERE ENCOURAGING THE BABY, WE'RE SHOWING THEIR FAVORITE TOY AND TRYING TO MOVE THE TOY AROUND.
UM, WE'RE SINGING, WE'RE CHEERING THEM ON.
UH, SOME PARENTS EVEN USE HULA HOOPS TO GET KIDS TO GRAB AND TRY TO HOBBLE ON.
UM, SO THOSE 20 KIDS, 15 OF THEM TYPICALLY, UM, WILL START WALKING BASED ON THOSE MEASURES.
YOU STILL HAVE FIVE MORE BABIES AND THEY'RE GETTING A LITTLE OLDER.
THEY MIGHT BE 15, 16 MONTHS, UM, THAT STILL NEED A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT.
AND SO THAT IS THE TIER THREE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WE HAVE A, UH, THRIVING BIRTH THROUGH FIVE OFFICE.
AND, UH, MANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS IN OUR BIRTH THROUGH FIVE OFFICE, THEY GO INTO THE HOMES OF PARENTS AND THEY WILL WORK DIRECTLY, UH, WITH THOSE FIVE BABIES OUT OF A HUNDRED THAT STILL YET ARE NOT WALKING.
AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY HELPING THEM MOVE THEIR LEGS AROUND GIVING PARENTS AND FAMILIES TIPS AND THINGS TO DO TO HELP THE STUDENTS OR HELP THE LITTLE, UH, ONES LEARN HOW TO WALK.
THREE, UH, TWO OF THOSE, UH, LITTLE BABIES WILL GET UP AND WALK AND DO IT, AND YOU'LL NEVER THINK ABOUT THAT AGAIN.
AND, UH, YOU MIGHT PERHAPS HAVE THREE STUDENTS WHO NEED INDIVIDUALIZED PLANS, SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
UM, WE USE THIS EXAMPLE IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE IT WAS RELATABLE, UM, BUT REALLY UNDERSCORES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TIER ONE, TIER TWO, AND TIER THREE.
THIS CONTRACT REALLY SPEAKS TO TIER TWO INTERVENTION.
SO AFTER THAT FIRST LEVEL INSTRUCTION, UH, WHEN OUR STUDENTS, WHEN WE HAVE 20 STUDENTS LEFT IN A CLASSROOM OUT OF A HUNDRED WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO MASTER THE READING CO UH, COMPREHENSION, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SOMETHING THAT IS TARGETED FOR THEM.
AND SO THIS CONTRACT, UM, SPEAKS TO SPECIFICALLY WHAT IS DONE AND WHAT ARE THE RESULTS THAT WE SEE AS A RESULT OF, UH, IMPLEMENTING TARGETED INSTRUCTION.
AND SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO THE, UH, TEAM TO WALK US THROUGH READ 180 AND EYELID.
UH, SO, UH, THANK YOU DR. ROGERS.
UH, SO THE TWO PROGRAMS THROUGH THE 6,002 PROCESS THAT CAME OUT AS THE, UH, TOP TWO BEING REVIEWED BY MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS WERE READ 180 AND ISLET.
AND IN THE PAST SCHOOLS HAVE REALLY, UM, DECIDED WHICH PROGRAM THEY WANT TO USE BASED ON, UH, WHAT TEACHERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FACTORS.
UH, WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO IS REALLY LOOK AT DATA AND, UM, DECIDE WHICH PROGRAM WOULD BE BEST FOR WHICH SCHOOL.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UH, REALLY, UM, REDUCING THE NUMBER OF REED 180 SCHOOLS BASED ON THE DATA THAT WE LOOKED AT, UM, FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, THE BOTH PROGRAMS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH AN A DAY, B DAY SCHEDULE.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE WILL BE DOING IS TAKING THE 15 SCHOOLS THAT HAD SHOWN, UM, THAT THEY HAVE ALL THEIR, THE TEACHERS TRAINED, UM, THROUGH MULTIPLE EXPOSURES, NOT JUST THE INITIAL TRAINING.
THEY'RE SHOWING CONSISTENT STUDENT GROWTH, AND THEY ARE IMPLEMENTING WITH FIDELITY.
UH, FOR OUR SCHOOLS THAT HAVE NOT HAD AS MUCH SUCCESS WITH RE 180, WE'RE PROPOSING TO MOVE THOSE OVER TO ISLET, WHERE WE HAVE SEEN A THREE YEAR, UH, HISTORICAL TREND OF ABOUT AN AVERAGE OF TWO YEARS OF GROWTH EACH YEAR.
UM, AND SO WE WILL BE IMPLEMENTING THAT, UM, IN THOSE ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS.
UM, AND WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN ARE WHAT THOSE MODELS LOOK LIKE FOR READ 180 AND EYELET.
SO YESTERDAY DURING CONTRACT COMMITTEE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE WERE ASKED WERE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CONTRACT THAT WAS BROUGHT IN JUNE VERSUS THE ONE THAT WE'RE BRINGING NOW IN JULY.
UM, WE JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE KEY FEATURES.
SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE REDUCED THE CONTRACT TERMS. SO THE FIRST CONTRACT THAT WAS BROUGHT IN JUNE WAS A SIX YEAR CONTRACT, UM, FOR $3.9 MILLION.
WE'RE NOW BRINGING A THREE YEAR CONTRACT, UH, FOR $1.6 MILLION.
UM, THE DECISION WAS REALLY MADE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WILL, AGAIN, IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAMS, LOOK AT OUR, CONTINUE TO LOOK AT OUR DATA, LOOK AT OUR PROGRESS, SEE HOW STUDENTS ARE MOVING FORWARD, ALSO LOOKING AT CHANGES WITHIN THOSE SCHOOLS THAT MOVE FROM READ 180 TO ISLET TO SEE IF WE ARE GETTING MORE STUDENT PROGRESS AND MOMENTUM.
UM, SO THAT WE HAVE ABBREVIATED THAT SO THAT WE'RE REPORTING BACK MORE FREQUENTLY, PROVIDING MORE UPDATES REGARDING WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH OUR STUDENTS AND THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING.
WHAT WE'VE ALSO DONE IS WE PROVIDED IN THE NEW CONTRACT A REALLY, UH, DETAILED STRUCTURE FOR HOW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WILL
[01:40:01]
BE PROVIDED.IN THE FORMER CONTRACT THAT WAS PRESENTED IN JUNE, WE JUST GAVE AN OVERVIEW OF PRICE.
HERE'S THE COST VERSUS WHAT WE PRESENT PRESENTED YESTERDAY AND WHAT'S IN THE CONTRACT EXHIBIT TONIGHT, WHICH REALLY LAYS OUT THAT THERE IS ONBOARDING TRAINING, THAT FIRST DAY, MAKING SURE THAT THEY, EVERY TEACHER DELIVERING THE PROGRAM IS FULLY TRAINED, AND THAT THERE'S ONGOING FOLLOW UP FOR THOSE TEACHERS WHO ARE IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM.
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBER OF DAYS BETWEEN THE TWO, UM, MODELS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY FEWER SCHOOLS WHO WILL BE IMPLEMENTING READ 180 VERSUS THE SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTING ILET.
SO WE HAVE ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING DAYS ALLOCATED TO ILET SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND COACHING TO ALL OF THOSE SCHOOLS.
UM, SO AGAIN, NEEDING MORE DAYS FOR THAT.
ONE OF THE OTHER DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE CONTRACT PRICING IS WE HAD PREVIOUSLY, UM, PROVIDED A WINDOW OF FUNDING.
UM, WE OFTEN HAVE SCHOOLS WHO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL MATERIALS FROM VENDORS WHO HAVE, UM, INTERVENTION PROGRAMS OR JUST OUR CORE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM.
SO IN OUR FIRST JUNE CONTRACT, WE HAD, UM, ADDED $300,000 FOR SCHOOL-BASED EXPENDITURES.
THAT'S NOT THAT CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION IS SPENDING THE ADDITIONAL MONEY.
IT'S WHENEVER SOMETHING IS SPENT ON THIS CONTRACT WITH THIS VENDOR, IT GOES AGAINST THE SPENDING AUTHORITY.
SO WE REDUCE THAT TO JUST $50,000.
SO AGAIN, THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON NOT THE SUPPLEMENTAL THINGS AND THE EXTRAS THAT CAN BE ADDED IN, BUT THE FULL, UH, VERY CLEAR DELIBERATE INTENTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM AT THE SCHOOLS.
AND THEN REALLY WORKING WITH SCHOOLS TO SEE WHAT MAY BE NEEDED AFTER THEY HAVE MASTERED THE, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM.
BUT WE REALLY WANTED TO CLARIFY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UM, THOSE TWO CONTRACTS, SO THAT MOVING FORWARD, UM, YOU COULD REALLY SEE SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT.
AND RIGHT BEFORE WE, UH, TURN IT OVER TO, UH, MR. CONNOLLY TO TALK US THROUGH THE DATA, UH, AN ADDITIONAL POINT ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, I THINK PART OF THE DISCUSSION WAS ON YEAR TWO AND YEAR THREE OF THE CONTRACT POSING THE SAME NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS EVERY YEAR, UM, FOR CURRICULUM.
AND IT'S JUST A OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TALK ABOUT SYSTEMIC AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT REQUIRES THREE MAIN COMPONENTS.
THE FIRST ONE BEING THE CURRICULUM, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO INVEST IN.
BUT THAT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS A REQUIRED PART OF IT.
WE NEED TO, IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMETHING'S IMPLEMENTED WITH FIDELITY, WE NEED TO NOT ONLY HAVE CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF IN THE BUILDING, UM, SEEING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT WE NEED, UM, OUR VENDORS IN THE BUILDING, UH, COACHING, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL A DISTANCE, UH, SUS SUPPORT TO OUR TEACHERS.
UH, WE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT, UH, IN THE PAST THAT JUST LAST YEAR, WE HAVE RE-INVIGORATED THOSE EFFORTS TO INVEST IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOKED AT OUR, IT HAD BEEN MORE THAN A DECADE WHERE WE WHOLESALE ACROSS THE SYSTEM, UM, INVESTED IN, UH, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AROUND HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION AND TEAM BCPS, I WANTED TO NOTE THAT AS THAT WAS A SPECIFIC, UH, QUESTION.
AND AS WAS STATED, THE DAY'S DIFFERENTIAL IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS DIFFERENTIAL.
MR. CONNOLLY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WHAT WE HAVE TO SHOW YOU RIGHT HERE IS VERY EXCITING.
UM, JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE CONTEXT, THE GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT'S REPRESENTED IN THIS DATA SET WERE STUDENTS WHO LAST YEAR, SO THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR WERE IN A READING INTERVENTION.
TIER TWO EITHER READ 180 OR EYELET.
AND THEN WHAT WE DID WAS WE TOOK THOSE, THAT GROUP AND WE BACK MAPPED THEIR ASSESSMENTS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS TO SEE HOW THEY WERE PERFORMING.
UM, AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IN THIS REPRESENTATION IS WHAT CHANGED OVER TIME.
SO TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTEXT, UM, IN THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR, OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM TO FAST FORWARD STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IMPLEMENTED, UH, INTERVENTION READING INTERVENTION PROGRAM IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
BY THE TIME THAT WE GOT TRAINING AND SCHEDULES AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WE HAD ABOUT A HALF A YEAR WORTH WORTH OF INSTRUCTION THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THAT TIER TWO MODEL.
WHAT WE SAW WAS THAT THE YEAR PRIOR TO THAT AND THE YEAR THAT, UM, WE IMPLEMENTED THE PROGRAM, THOSE, UH, PERCENTILE SCORES THAT YOU SEE IN BLUE WERE FLAT.
SO KIDS' DATA WERE NOT CHANGING PRIOR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE READING INTERVENTION.
AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS THAT BY THE END OF THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR, WE HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE PERCENTILE RANK, WHICH IS A NORM REFERENCED, UH, DATA MEASURE OF HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE MOVING FROM LOW PERCENTILES TO, UH, INCREASED PERCENTILES OF ACHIEVEMENT.
SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS THAT ALL
[01:45:01]
OF OUR STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED ON AVERAGE IN THE REED 180 AND ILIT PROGRAMS, UM, DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN THEIR PERCENTILE RANK.WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT ILIT FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION YEAR OF 23, 24 TO LAST YEAR, OUR STUDENTS INCREASED BY 11 PERCENTILE POINTS.
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN READING BECAUSE OF A TIER TWO READING INTERVENTION.
THEY WERE NOT DEMONSTRATING THAT SAME INCREASE IN ACHIEVEMENT PRIOR TO THAT INTERVENTION.
SO THIS IS WHAT RESPONSE INTERVENTION IS ALL ABOUT.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE READ 180 PROGRAM, STUDENTS, UH, WERE PERFORMING AT THE 18TH PERCENTILE PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION AND FINISHED AT THE 22ND PERCENTILE.
AND AS REFERENCED, UM, FOR THE 15 SCHOOLS THAT WILL CONTINUE WITH RE 180, BECAUSE THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING WITH FIDELITY, THOSE SCHOOLS ACTUALLY DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE FROM THE 16TH PERCENTILE FOR THEIR CLUSTER OF STUDENTS TO THE 24TH PERCENTILE.
SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS WORKING MM-HMM
ROGERS' POINT INTO THE POINT OF DR.
WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THOSE PROGRAMS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE KIDS ARE GETTING WHAT THEY NEED.
PURCHASING A PROGRAM IS ONE THING.
BUT SEEING THE FIDELITY AND IMPLEMENTATION IN ACTION AND PROVIDING ON TIME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT IS CRITICAL FOR THIS TO CONTINUE.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL TURN IT OVER AND OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS AND OKAY.
UM, MS. PORE LET YOU START WITH QUESTIONS.
I HAVE FOUR QUESTIONS IF I CAN GET 'EM ALL IN
UM, FIRST ON SLIDE THREE, I LOVE THIS EXAMPLE OF, WITH THE PYRAMID AND IT REALLY EXPLAINED, HELPED TO EXPLAIN EACH TIER.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, UM, AND THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE CONTRACT, BUT IN GENERAL, THAT'S PYRAMID IS WHAT THE PERCENTAGE IS NATIONALLY.
BUT WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, CORRECT? AS FAR AS 80, BUT WE, WE, WE ARE SIMILAR.
SO, UH, RE UH, SPECIFICALLY AROUND TIER TWO, I GAVE THE NUMBER OF LICENSES, SO THAT'S WHAT WE CAN USE TO APPROXIMATE IT.
UM, I THINK IT'S A ABOUT 12 TO 13%, WHERE NATIONALLY IT'S AROUND 15%.
UM, AND THEN YOU HAVE A MUCH SMALLER PERCENTAGE THAT'S IN, UH, TIER THREE.
THAT, THAT'S WHY I, THAT'S WHY I ASKED.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE RIGHT ALLOCATION FOR THAT.
UM, MY OTHER QUESTION IS, UM, REGARDING SLIDE FOUR, UM, WELL, PART OF IT WAS ON SLIDE FOUR.
THE QUESTION IS IF THIS IS, IF THIS IS AN IMPLEMENTATION ISSUE AS FAR AS READ 180 AND THE SWITCH, UM, WHAT DIFFERENCE WOULD BE MADE IN IMPLEMENTATION WITH ILIT SO THAT IT'S NOT YET AGAIN, AN IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ISSUE? BECAUSE IF IT'S AN IMPLEMENTATION ISSUE, NOT A PRODUCT ISSUE, YOU KNOW, HOW IS CHANGING THE PROGRAM GONNA ENSURE THAT IT CHANGES THE STUDENT'S PROGRESS? YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
SO THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE INVESTED SOME SIGNIFICANT TIME IN, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKING SOME DETERMINATIONS ABOUT WHAT MIGHT WORK.
AND SO AGAIN, WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH EYELET, UM, AND WE FEEL LIKE WITH A RESET AND EVERYBODY GETTING TRAINED, UH, WE HAVE ALSO CHANGED OUR, WE HAVE AN INTERVENTION AGREEMENT LETTER THAT GOES OUT TO EACH SCHOOL.
UM, AND THIS YEAR WE CHANGED IT SO THAT IT TALKS ABOUT TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY, TEACHER LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATORS, AND WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING IN TERMS OF ATTENDANCE AT DATA MEETINGS, THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, NOT JUST THE INITIAL, BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, PARTICIPATION IN COACHING.
UM, AND WE HAVE ALSO WORKED WITH BOTH VENDORS TO BE ABLE TO RUN A REPORT.
UM, SO THEN, UM, TWICE A MONTH WE'LL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH SCHOOLS, UM, THAT ARE NOT MEETING THE FIDELITY MINIMUMS AS WELL AS ALL THE SCHOOL VISITS.
SO 80% OF OUR SPECIALIST TIMES ARE SPENT IN SCHOOL.
SO THE COMBINATION OF ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THE DATA DASHBOARD FROM THE COMPANY AS WELL AS OBSERVING THE INSTRUCTION, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE HAD A RENEWED FOCUS ON.
AND WE HAVE BEEN PARTNERING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AS WE LOOK TO DO THIS WORK BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS DESERVE THE BEST AND DESERVE TO HAVE THAT PROGRAM FIDELITY.
THAT NO IMPLEMENTATION IS FOR BOTH PROGRAMS OR JUST FOR EYELET? NO, IT'S FOR BOTH.
UM, AND YOU, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT, UM, EYELET WAS BOTH PROGRAMS I BELIEVE WERE COMPATIBLE WITH THE AB SCHEDULE, BUT IT LOOKED LIKE ON THAT SLIDE ONE SIDE, I THINK IT WAS READ 180 SAID DAILY INSTRUCTION AND, UM, EYELET SAID AB SCHEDULE.
SO, SO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TWO MODELS.
UM, AND IF A STUDENT NEEDS MORE INTENSE INSTRUCTION, SO AS WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT GOING UP, UH, INTO TIER THREE, A DAILY MODEL WOULD PROVIDE THAT MORE INTENSE OR A TIER THREE MODEL.
UM, THE MODEL THAT, UH, WE CURRENTLY USE IN OTHER DISTRICTS, UM, ARE, IS REALLY THAT E EVERY OTHER DAY.
SO THE DAILY MODEL IS 45 MINUTES A DAY, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT QUITE
[01:50:01]
90 MINUTES, UM, BUT MAYBE ABOUT 80, YOU KNOW, TWO MINUTES A PERIOD, WE'RE REALLY JUST BREAKING IT UP.AND SO, UH, THE WAY THAT IT WORKS IS INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH ALL THREE ROTATIONS IN ONE CLASS, IN, UH, THE FIRST CLASS, YOU'RE DOING THE WHOLE GROUP IN ONE ROTATION, AND THEN THE NEXT CLASS YOU'RE DOING THE NEXT TWO ROTATIONS AND THE CLOSURE.
AND MY LAST QUESTION, I THINK
HERE'S, HERE'S MY REASON FOR THAT.
UM, WE TALKED, WE, WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME ABOUT NOT ALLOW, NOT LETTING A STUDENT CONTINUE IN AN INTERVENTION IF IT'S NOT WORKING MIDYEAR.
SO IF A SCHOOL ONLY HAS ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS, WHAT HAPPENS IF IT'S NOT WORKING MIDYEAR? DO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO ANOTHER INTERVENTION? DO YOU WANNA START? UM, SO ACTUALLY THAT'S WHY WE ACTUALLY LIKE HAVING TWO DIFFERENT TIER TWO COMPREHENSION INTERVENTIONS, BECAUSE WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WHOLESALE ON PAPER, BOTH THESE PROGRAMS WORK, BOTH OF THEM HAVE EFFICACY STUDIES.
UH, CERTAINLY WE HAVE OUR OWN, YOU KNOW, DATA NOW FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY SPECIFICALLY.
BUT EVERY PROGRAM DOESN'T WORK FOR EVERY STUDENT.
EVERY STUDENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL.
AND SO IF ONE OF THE PROGRAMS ISN'T WORKING, THEN WE WOULD WORK WITH THE SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE ABLE, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT A RE 180 SCHOOL, UM, THEY WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.
AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE REALLY COMMITTED TO, IS THAT WE DO NOT LET AN ENTIRE YEAR GO BY WHERE WE'RE NOT SEEING PROGRESS HAPPENING.
UM, AND SO WE WOULD WORK WITH THE SCHOOL TO SEE WHAT THE BEST WAY TO, TO PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS NOT MAKING PROGRESS, BUT THEY ABSOLUTELY WOULD.
SO, ALTHOUGH RIGHT NOW ON PAPER WE SAY, OKAY, THESE 15 SCHOOLS ARE READ 180, BUT IF A STUDENT NEEDED EYELET BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MAKING PRO PROGRESS IN READ 180, THEY WOULD HAVE ACCESS IF WE HAD BOTH PROGRAMS. OKAY.
UM, WHO WILL BE USING THESE, UH, PROGRAMS? IS IT CLASSROOM TEACHERS, SPECIAL EDUCATORS, OR READING SPECIALISTS OR ALL OF THE ABOVE? ALL OF THE ABOVE.
AND ALSO ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS.
AND HOW MANY OF THESE EDUCATORS NEED TO BE, UM, NEED TO BE TRAINED IN THESE PROGRAMS TO BE EFFICIENT TO THE, IN ORDER TO BE EFFECTIVE WITH THIS PROGRAM.
SO, UH, BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF TEACHERS TEACHING AND INTERVENTION.
WE ALREADY HAVE A CADRE OF TEACHERS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED.
SO THEN WE ARE JUST LOOKING AT THE TEACHERS THAT ARE NEW TO THE SCHOOL, ARE NEW TO THE PROGRAM TO BE TRAINED.
WE ALREADY HAD, UM, A JUNE TRAINING.
WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER ONE IN AUGUST, AND THEN WE USUALLY DO ANOTHER ONE IN OCTOBER FOR ANY LATE TEACHER HIRES.
SO WHAT IS THE CONTINUED TRAINING PLAN FOR THIS? 'CAUSE AS WE'VE SAID, OR WE'VE HEARD YOU SAY THE, THE READ 180, ESPECIALLY FOR IT TO BE EFFECTIVE, IT NEEDS TO BE, UM, TAUGHT WITH FIDELITY.
SO HOW ARE WE ENSURING THAT OUR TEACHERS THAT ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS ARE TEACHING IT WITH FIDELITY? I'M CONFUSED WITH THE 12 DAYS VERSUS THE 22 DAYS, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IN THE EACH DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, LIKE WHAT IS THE ACTUAL TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS THAT EACH TEACHER NEEDS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THESE PROGRAMS TO BE EFFICIENT AND TEACH THESE WITH FIDELITY.
SO EACH PROGRAM HAS A FULL DAY OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS AN INITIAL TRAINING.
THERE'S THEN THE FOLLOW-UP TRAINING, WHICH IS WHAT THE COACHES COULD DO IN THE CLASSROOM THAT'S EMBEDDED.
THEY COULD EITHER MODEL A LESSON, THEY CAN PROVIDE COACHING FEEDBACK TO THE TEACHER.
SO THAT'S REALLY DIFFERENTIATED BASED ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE SPECIALIST FROM THE OFFICE OF, UM, ELA WILL BE VISITING SCHOOLS, PROVIDING THAT FOLLOW UP FEEDBACK COACHING, UM, WITH THE TEACHERS THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR, WE'VE SPOKEN A COUPLE TIMES ABOUT THE DEMONSTRATION CLASSROOMS THAT WE DID.
ONE OF OUR SPECIALISTS FROM THE ELA OFFICE WAS DOING A DEMONSTRATION CLASSROOM.
SO WE HAD TEACHERS COME VISIT THEM ON AN ONGOING BASIS AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATORS TO SEE, UM, WHAT INSTRUCTION SHOULD LOOK LIKE AND THEN BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT BACK TO THEIR SCHOOLS TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THEN TO ALSO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE STAFF WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL BUILDING.
SO EACH SCHOOL WILL, EACH TEACHER WILL HAVE A FULL DAY OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS THEIR KICKSTART, UM, TO IMPLEMENTING THE READING INTERVENTION PROGRAM AND AS WELL AS FOLLOW UP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FROM THE VENDOR AS WELL AS THE STAFF FROM THE CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION OFFICE AND IN CLASSROOM COACHING, WHICH COULD EITHER BE A MODEL FOR THEM, IT COULD BE FEEDBACK, IT COULD BE SOME OF BOTH.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT'S REALLY TIERED BASED ON, ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN THAT CLASSROOM.
AND DOES THIS IN CLASSROOM COACHING, DOES IT INCLUDE LIKE AN UNANNOUNCED VISIT OR LIKE A, A VIDEOTAPED, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FOR CRITICAL REASONING OR GRADING PURPOSES FOR THE TEACHER, BUT JUST SO THE TEACHER CAN SEE HERSELF
[01:55:01]
OR HIMSELF TEACHING THIS CURRICULUM AND CAN CRITIQUE THEMSELVES, THAT I, I THINK THAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO WORK, IS TO ACTUALLY VIEW YOURSELF TEACHING THAT CURRICULUM.MS. DOKI, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UH, WHILE THE, THERE IS NO, UH, REQUIREMENT THAT ACROSS THE BOARD THAT THERE'S UNANNOUNCED VIDEOTAPING, YOU DO, UH, IDENTIFY A PRACTICE THAT NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION USES FOR TEACHERS AS THEY, UM, UH, CONTINUE TO PERFECT THEIR CRAFT, WHICH IS VIDEOTAPING, UM, PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UH, PROVIDE ANNOUNCED AND UNANNOUNCED OBSERVATIONS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE FORMAL AND INFORMAL OBSERVATIONS WITH A, UH, STANDARDIZED TOOLS FOR, FOR THE CLASSROOM.
AND THE LAST LAYER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE HAVE, UH, ARE THOSE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM-WIDE DAYS.
SOME OF THEM ARE SCHOOL-BASED AND SOME OF THEM ARE CENTRALLY BASED.
UH, SO THERE IS SOME VIDEOTAPING THAT OCCURS CURRENTLY.
THERE IS NOT A REQUIREMENT TO, UM, UH, THERE IS NOT A REQUIREMENT OR I WOULD SAY THERE'S NOT EVEN A PRACTICE WHERE UNANNOUNCED VIDEOTAPING, UH, OCCURS IN, UH, CLASSROOMS. BUT IT, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY PART OF THE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION PROCESS.
I'M SORRY, I DON'T THINK I, I DON'T THINK I SAID THAT THE RIGHT WAY.
I DON'T MEAN UNANNOUNCED VIDEOTAPING, BUT JUST MORE OF AN ENCOURAGEMENT OR SUPPORT OF A TEACHER VIDEOTAPING THEIR CLASSROOM SO THAT THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, CRITIQUE THEMSELVES IN A WAY.
CERTAINLY THAT IS CERTAINLY A, UH, BEST PRACTICE THAT IS USED.
AND THERE'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITY AS WE KICK OFF THE SCHOOL YEAR TO ENCOURAGE EVEN MORE VIDEOTAPING FOR TEACHERS TO, UH, REFLECT THEMSELVES OR ENGAGE IN LESSON STUDIES AS A GROUP.
AND THEN LASTLY, WHAT IS THE GOAL OF TIER TWO INTERVENTION? THE GOAL OF TIER TWO INTERVENTION IS MASTERY.
UM, SPECIFICALLY THESE TWO TIER TWO INTERVENTION, UM, UH, PRODUCTS ARE MASTERY AROUND READING COMPREHENSION.
AND SO IF YOU THINK BACK TO THAT EXAMPLE OF 100 STUDENTS, 80% OF, UH, THE KIDS OR 80 STUDENTS ARE GONNA GET IT THE VERY FIRST TIME.
SO YOU HAVE 20 STUDENTS LEFT THAT NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
SO WHEN YOU GO TO THAT TIER TWO INTERVENTION, YOU ARE TAKING THOSE 20 STUDENTS, YOU'RE PROVIDING THEM WITH TARGETED SUPPORT.
AND THE GOAL IS TO HELP THOSE STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE GRADE LEVEL FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND COMPREHEND, UM, WHETHER IT IS THE STORY OR IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, A, UH, TEXT THAT THEY'RE READING SO THAT THEY CAN BE, UM, UH, FLUENT IN READING AS THAT IS THE FOUNDATIONAL SKILL THAT NO MATTER WHAT SUBJECT WE'RE TEACHING, NO MATTER WHAT GRADE LEVEL OUR STUDENTS NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE MASTERY TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
LASTLY, SUPER QUICKLY, BECAUSE I KNOW I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME, SO IF THAT'S THE GOAL IS TO GET OUT OF THE TIER TWO AND TO BE IN TIER ONE, HOW ARE WE TRACKING THAT? SO EVERYONE'S IN TIER ONE, TIER ONE IS SCHOOL.
UM, IT IS FOUNDATIONAL FIRST QUALITY INSTRUCTION EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO NO STUDENT IS GOING TO EVER BE OUT OF TIER ONE, BUT SOME STUDENTS ARE GONNA RECEIVE TIER TWO ON TOP OF TIER ONE.
AND THEN A MUCH SMALLER SUBSET OF STUDENTS ARE GONNA RECEIVE TIER THREE ON TOP OF, UH, YOU KNOW, TIER ONE AND TIER TWO IF TIER TWO IS NOT SUCCESSFUL FOR THEM.
SO I GUESS WHAT I MEANT IS THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA NEED TIER TWO ANYMORE.
I, I MEAN, THE, THE GOAL IS, IT, IT ALL DEPENDS WHERE A STUDENT ST UH, STARTS.
YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS, AND IT IS SUCCESSFUL FOR SOME STUDENTS, UM, THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO BE DISMISSED.
IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT, WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IS THEY'RE IN READING, UH, FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR, UH, THEY HAVE MADE THE NECESSARY GROWTH, UM, AS EVIDENCED BY THE, UM, UH, DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS.
AND THOSE STUDENTS WOULD MOVE TO SECOND SEMESTER ACCESS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT IS THE GOAL.
AND, AND SOMETIMES STUDENTS JUST NEED ADDITIONAL, UH, PRACTICE ALONG THE WAY.
BUT, UH, BASED ON THE NUMBER OF LICENSES AND OUR, UH, HISTORICAL DATA, WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF STUDENTS TIER ONE INSTRUCTION WORKS FOR THEM.
SOME STUDENTS NEED A LITTLE BIT, UH, MORE TIER TWO AND TIER THREE, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHY THESE PROGRAMS WORK IS THAT THEY'RE EVIDENCE-BASED AND THEY TEND TO YIELD, UM, SUCCESS WITH OUR STUDENTS.
AND WE, UH, MR. CONNELLY POINTED TO THE SPECIFIC DATA AROUND EYELID AND RE 180.
THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
I JUST KIND OF CIRCLING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION IS HOW WE'RE TRACKING THAT WE ARE, THEY'RE MOVING AWAY FROM NEEDING THAT TIER TWO AND ARE JUST BACK TO TIER ONE.
HOW ARE WE TRACKING THAT? SO WE CURRENTLY, UM, IN FOCUS HAVE A READING INTERVENTION TAB OF WHICH IT INDICATES THAT STUDENTS ARE IN A READING
[02:00:01]
INTERVENTION, THE DATE THAT THEY WERE IDENTIFIED FOR IT, AND WHAT TIER INTERVENTION THEY WERE IDENTIFIED FOR.SO THAT STAYS ON A STUDENT'S RECORD OVER TIME.
SO WE CAN SEE, AND, YOU KNOW, MIGHT HAVE STARTED IN READING INTERVENTION AT THE FALL OF A SCHOOL YEAR, AND THEY MAY HAVE EXITED TWO YEARS LATER IN THE SPRING.
UM, AND WE CAN SEE THAT OVER TIME IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, OTHER INDICATORS TWO YEARS ALONG FURTHER INTO SCHOOL THAT THERE MIGHT BE A CONCERN AND THEY DO A DIAGNOSTIC AND A STUDENT MIGHT BECOME ELIGIBLE AGAIN FOR READING INTERVENTION THAT'S IN THERE.
SO YOU CAN ALSO SEE PATTERNS FROM OF STUDENTS OVER TIME.
UM, SO THAT IS WITHIN OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, WHICH IS FOCUS.
SO CONTINUING ON THAT LINE, UM, I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHAT IS THE THRESHOLD THEN FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING AN INTERVENTION? BECAUSE OUR MKE DATA SHOW US THAT 44% OF THIRD GRADERS ARE PROFICIENT IN ELA, AND THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 80% GETTING IT.
UM, SO OF THOSE 44 OR UM, 56% WHO ARE NOT PROFICIENT IN ELA, HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE RECEIVING, UM, AN INTERVENTION? WHAT, WHAT IS THE THRESHOLD AND HOW ARE WE ENSURING THAT THOSE STUDENTS ARE GETTING THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED? AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION IS AGAIN, TO FOLLOW UP.
IF WE ARE TRACKING THOSE THAT ARE RECEIVING INTERVENTION, WHAT PERCENTAGE THEN BECOME PROFICIENT AND AT WHAT, UM, PERIODS, IF WE'RE TRACKING IT IN FOCUS, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO REPORT OUT ON WHAT THEIR OUTCOMES ARE.
BECAUSE WHILE IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE GROWTH DATA THAT MR. CONNOLLY SHARED, THAT'S WONDERFUL.
I CARE ABOUT THE EVENTUAL PROFICIENCY AND MASTERY, AS DR. ROGERS SAID, THAT'S DATA WE NEED TO SEE.
SO I THINK MR. CONLEY SPOKE TO IT AS WE STARTED THE FULL WHOLE SCALE IMPLEMENTATION OF READING INTERVENTION AND BCPS CONSISTENTLY ACROSS ALL OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS WAS REALLY LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
SO, AND THE DOCUMENTATION WITHIN FOCUS, WHAT STARTED THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
SO OUR ABILITY TO TRACK THAT, WE WILL HAVE THAT DATA AVAILABLE.
HOWEVER, AT THIS MOMENT, I DON'T HAVE THE HISTORIC DATA FOR YOU BECAUSE IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WAS BEING CONSISTENTLY TRACKED IN THAT WAY.
PART OF WHAT WE DID WHEN WE TALKED WAY EARLIER IN THE SCHOOL YEAR, JUST EVEN ABOUT ELEMENTARY INTERVENTIONS, WAS OUR USE OF OUR DATA SYSTEMS AND TOOLS TO PROVIDE MORE ROBUST SYSTEMS SO THAT WE CONSISTENTLY WERE TRACKING IT AT A SYSTEM LEVEL VERSUS JUST WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT A SCHOOL.
SO AS A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, I MIGHT HAVE HAD DATA BINDERS.
MY TEACHERS ARE TRACKING DATA ON PIECES OF PAPER ABOUT STUDENTS, AND I HAD SPREADSHEETS AND ME METRICS AT MY SCHOOL THAT WASN'T ACCESSIBLE FOR CENTRAL OFFICE NOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS TO ROUTINELY REVIEW UNLESS YOU WENT TO A SCHOOL AND LOOKED AT THOSE DOCUMENTS.
THE SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE NOW ARE ALLOWING US TO DO THAT.
SO WE CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE SCHEDULED IN THE MASTER SCHEDULE FOR THE READING INTERVENTION COURSE.
WE CAN SEE NOW HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE IDENTIFIED THIS FALL, HOW MANY HAVE CONTINUED, UH, THROUGH THE SPRING TO STILL BE IDENTIFIED.
AND THEN WE CAN CROSS REFERENCE THAT TO SEE ARE THEY ACTUALLY SCHEDULED IN AN INTERVENTION FOR THE FALL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE CHECKS AND BALANCES.
SO WE'VE HAD TO PUT A LOT OF STRUCTURES.
DR. ROGERS HAS TALKED ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AS ONE OF OUR BIG GOALS AS A SYSTEM.
WE'VE HAD TO BUILD THOSE INFRASTRUCTURES, AND THAT'S TAKEN A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, BUT WE'VE BUILT IT AND TRAINED ALONG THE WAY.
SO READING SPECIALISTS ARE BEING TRAINED ON COLLECTING THIS DATA AND ENTERING IT INTO FOCUS.
OUR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARE BEING TRAINED ON IT SO THAT WE ARE BUILDING SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES THAT ARE GONNA ALLOW US TO VERY CLEARLY ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND BE ABLE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF OUR STUDENTS.
UM, BUT THAT INFRASTRUCTURE HAS BEEN CRITICAL AS WE'VE BEEN BUILDING THIS AND TRAINING AND BEGINNING THE IMPLEMENTATION AT THE SAME TIME.
AND I KNOW INFRASTRUCTURE IS ONE OF OUR KEY PRIORITIES, SO I INVESTMENT IN THE EFFORTS OF EVERYONE THAT'S, THAT ARE INVOLVED, THAT'S A HUGE UNDERTAKING.
MY INITIAL QUESTION WAS WHAT ARE THE THRESHOLDS THEN THAT WE ARE USING? AND IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ON A SCHOOL BY SCHOOL BASIS, ALTHOUGH I HOPE THERE'S SOME STANDARDIZATION, UM, FROM AN EQUITY STANDPOINT TO DETERMINE WHICH STUDENTS THEN WE ARE ABLE TO OFFER THESE INTERVENTIONS TO.
BECAUSE AGAIN, OUR DATA SHOW US THAT THERE'S A NEED STRONG, A VERY HIGH NEED WHEN OVER HALF OF OUR STUDENT STUDENTS ARE NOT TESTING PROFICIENT IN ELA.
UM, WHAT, HOW ARE WE DETERMINING THAT AND HOW ARE WE DETERMINING, YOU KNOW, DETERMINING THAT WE ARE, UM, PROVIDING ADEQUATE SUPPORTS FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE OF COURSE THAT MEANS WE NEED TO PROVIDE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LICENSES AND, AND EVERYTHING WE'RE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE IN THIS CONTRACT AUTHORITY.
UH, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
SO WE, DR. CRAFT ONE MINUTE PLEASE.
OH, I JUST, WE'RE GETTING KIND OF OFF TOP WITH THE OFF TOPIC.
I TIED IT BACK TO THE CONTRACT SPENDING AUTHORITY.
CAN YOU ASK THE, THE SPENDING AUTHORITY QUESTION AGAIN? I MUST HAVE MISSED THAT.
[02:05:01]
WE DETERMINE THE NEED FOR THE SERVICES, WHICH WE ARE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE THE CONTRACT SPENDING AUTHORITY TO SUPPORT THAT NEED.SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION, MS. HIN, UH, SPECIFICALLY AROUND MCAP, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, ONE DATA POINT THAT AS WE KNOW THAT DATA, UM, IS, IS LAGGING DATA.
UH, COMMAR SPEAKS TO THE REQUIREMENT OF ALL SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO ADMINISTER, UM, THE DIAGNOSTIC.
AND I THINK WE HAVE PREVENTED, UH, PRESENTED OVER, UH, WE'RE ABOUT TO GO INTO THE THIRD YEAR, DIBBLES AND AMIRA SPECIFICALLY.
SO THIS TIES TO OUR, UM, DELIBERATE INSTRUCTION IN THE SCIENCE OF READING THE DIBBLES AND, UM, AMIRA DATA.
KRAFT, UH, CAN SPEAK TO SPECIFICALLY WHAT THOSE BANDS ARE AND HOW A STUDENT MOVES FROM JUST THE EIGHT INTO HMH, WHERE WE KNOW 30 MINUTES OF PRACTICE A WEEK, UM, YOU KNOW, SHOWS US GAINS AND WE PRESENTED THOSE GAINS TO A TIER TWO, UH, PROGRAM AROUND COMPREHENSION OR DECODING.
SO IF YOU COULD DO THAT FOR US, THAT'S GREAT.
SO WE ACTUALLY REALLY, UH, LIKE TO TRIANGULATE DATA.
AND SO WHILE MCAP WILL GIVE US ONE DATA POINT, UH, WE ALSO HAVE CONSISTENTLY GIVEN MAP.
AND SO WE HAVE A LEXILE OR A WRIT SCORE FOR THE STUDENTS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO WE LOOK AT CBAS.
AND SO, UM, THOSE ARE THREE PIECES OF DATA THAT WE START WITH.
WE ALSO LOOK AT TEACHER RECOMMENDATION.
WE LOOK AT GRADES, WE LOOK AT WRITING SAMPLES.
AND SO ONCE WE HAVE LOOKED AT A TOTAL STUDENT PROFILE, UH, THEN WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR A STUDENT, UM, AND WE HAVE A MORE DETAILED FLOW CHART THAT TALKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FIRST THIS, THEN YOU MIGHT NEED MORE INFORMATION HERE.
AND SO IN TERMS OF CONSISTENCY, THAT FLOWCHART IS USED, UH, THROUGHOUT AS WE COLLECT THAT DATA TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STUDENTS IN NEED OF INTERVENTION AND SPECIFICALLY TO DETERMINE IS IT A DECODING INTERVENTION THAT THEY NEED VERSUS A COMPREHENSION.
UM, JUST, UH, UH, FIRST A COMMENT ONE, UH, YOU KNOW, I I THANK YOU FOR, UH, REDUCING THE CONTRACT TERM FROM SIX TO THREE YEARS, INDICATING YOUR WILLINGNESS AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO MAKING SURE THAT THIS INTERVENTION OR THESE INTERVENTIONS ARE, ARE BENEFICIAL TO OUR STUDENTS AND THAT THEY HAVE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF EFFICACY.
MY QUESTION IS SIMPLY, IF WE DO NOT APPROVE THIS CONTRACT, WHAT TIER TWO INTERVENTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS WHO NEED THEM IN THE FALL? SO OUR CURRENT ILET CONTRACT, UM, EXPIRES IN FEBRUARY, SO WE WOULD IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO MOVE ALL SCHOOLS TO ILET.
UM, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO OFFER READ 180 FOR THOSE SCHOOLS THAT ARE CURRENTLY SUCCESSFUL WITH IT, UM, AND TRAIN THOSE TEACHERS.
HOWEVER, THAT CONTRACT WOULD EXPIRE IN FEBRUARY.
SO WE'D BE BACK AT THIS TABLE, UM, BEFORE THAT TIME, UH, SEEKING APPROVAL.
UM, WHAT IT WOULD CREATE IS DISRUPTION FOR STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS WHO'VE BEEN DOCUMENTING GREAT PROGRESS WITH READ 180.
SO IT WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE FOR THOSE SCHOOLS, UM, AND WE'D BE, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO MAKE THAT QUICK CHANGE FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
HELPED TO IMPLEMENT A READ 180 IN A SCHOOL, AND IT HAS PROVEN RESULTS.
CHILDREN WITH THE LOWEST READING LEVELS HAVE ACTUALLY ACHIEVED MM-HMM
UM, IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM THAT COMBINES TEACHER-LED INSTRUCTION, ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY, HIGH INTEREST READING MATERIALS, UH, TO IMPROVE READING SKILLS.
IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE SEEN.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WORKED WITH IT, YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT, BUT IT IS A GREAT PROGRAM AND I NAME BEHIND IT DOESN'T MEAN MUCH.
BUT ANYWAY,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR GREAT PRESENTATION.
DITO, ON THE LAST SLIDE YOU SHOWED I THINK 12 DAYS FOR READ, 180 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND 22 DAYS FOR, FOR THE OTHER PROGRAM.
ARE YOU GONNA PULL TEACHERS OUT OF THEIR CLASSES TO DO THAT OR ARE YOU GONNA PAY THEM EXTRA ON OVER THE SUMMER AND DIFFERENT DAYS? SO WE ARE OFFERING SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS PAID FOR TEACHERS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE SYSTEM-WIDE AND SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE WHOLE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS DOING TRAINING.
SO TEACHERS WHO ARE TEACHING THE EITHER READ 180 OR
[02:10:01]
ILET WOULD GET ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON THOSE DAYS.AND PART OF THOSE 22 DAYS IS ALSO, AND THE 12 DAYS ARE THE COACHES GOING TO THE SCHOOLS, WORKING WITH THE TEACHERS THERE.
SO THEY'RE OBSERVING THE CLASSROOM.
SO THE TEACHER WILL BE TEACHING THEIR REGULAR LESSON, THEY'RE OBSERVING AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK.
OR DEPENDING IF WE, IF STAFF FROM THE A OFFICES VISITED AND MAYBE A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR HAS VISITED AND A TEACHER'S REALLY STRUGGLING WITH A PART OF A LESSON, THE TEACHER MIGHT TEACH PART OF THE LESSON, THEN THE READ 180 OR ILET COACH WOULD THEN STEP IN AND TEACH THE NEXT PART OF THE LESSON TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT LIVE MODEL.
SO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS BOTH OUT OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING AS WELL AS IN THE BUILDING IN THEIR CLASSES WITH THEIR STUDENTS.
SO, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE SIX AND A HALF HOURS A DAY WHEN YOU SAY 12 DAYS, THE SIX AND A HALF HOURS A DAY.
IT'S THE FIRST FULL DAY OF TRAINING TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS LEVEL SET WITH THE CURRICULUM, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IT.
SO IF THE VENDOR COMES IN, THAT'S GONNA BE FOR X NUMBER OF MINUTES WHILE YES.
AND LAST COMMENT, MR. YOUNG, JUST A QUICK QUESTION, DR.
DENADO, UM, I WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT YOU SAID OUR ILAC OUR CURRENT LAC CONTRACT EXPIRES IN FEBRUARY? YES.
ON CONTRACT NUMBER THREE, MR. YOUNG? YES.
NOW WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THAT INFORMATION.
UM, NEXT CONTRACT IS NUMBER NINE, SECONDARY ACADEMIC INTERVENTION MODEL SCHOOL LEASE.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONTRACT NUMBER NINE? SO MOVED.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND YOUNG.
OKAY, DR. ROGERS, WE'LL BEGIN THE DISCUSSION.
UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS IN COMMITTEE YESTERDAY.
WE DID PROVIDE JUST TWO SLIDES TO PROVIDE SOME, UH, CONTEXT, UM, FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
SO JUST AS A REMINDER, UH, IN OUR OWN BOARD POLICY POLICY 55 60 ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION, UM, WE ARE ABLE TO TRANSFER A STUDENT FROM THE REGULAR ACADEMIC PROGRAM, UH, BY MY DIRECTION OR DESIGNEE DURING A SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION, UM, TO PROVIDE STUDENT WITH COMPARABLE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND APPROPRIATE BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT.
UM, WITH THE GOAL BEING THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROMOTE SUCCESSFUL RETURN TO THE STUDENT'S REGULAR ACADEMIC PROGRAM AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UM, NOT ONLY DOES OUR POLICY CALL FOR THIS, BUT THIS IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR, UH, REQUIREMENTS, UH, IN COMMAR, UH, IN THE STATE IN TERMS OF WHERE, UH, STUDENTS ARE TO BE EDUCATED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT CROSSROADS CENTER.
UH, LAST YEAR IN MAY, A TEAM, UH, CAME FORWARD TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND PRESENTED A REPORT ON ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS.
IT WAS AS A RESULT OF THE DATA THAT WE HAD RECEIVED, AS WELL AS STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK, UH, ON WHAT THE NEEDS WERE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
IF YOU WILL RECALL, CROSSROADS CENTER WAS A DIFFERENT PROGRAM WHEN IT STARTED.
UM, YOU HAD SEVENTH THROUGH 12TH GRADE, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, SEVENTH THROUGH 10TH GRADE, SEVENTH THROUGH 10TH GRADE STUDENTS THERE.
UM, AND STUDENTS, UH, CAME TO CROSSROADS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.
AS A RESULT OF THE DATA THAT WE WERE SEEING AND THE NEEDS AROUND SCHOOL SAFETY BEING ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES, WE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED MORE SEATS AND MORE ACCESS, UM, FOR OUR STUDENTS ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
AND SO THE TEAM CAME TO WORK TOGETHER, PRESENTED TO THE BOARD THAT WE ENDED UP WITH TWO HIGH SCHOOL ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS AND TWO MIDDLE SCHOOL ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS. CROSSROADS SPECIFICALLY IS ONE OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS THAT SERVES THE EAST ZONE AND HALF OF CENTRAL.
AND IT IS THE COMPLIMENT TO MEADOW WOOD WHO SERVES THE WEST ZONE AND THE OTHER HALF OF CENTRAL, UM, STUDENTS COME FOR THREE REASONS OR IN THREE WAYS TO AN ALTERNATIVE CENTER.
THE PRIMARY WAY BEING DISCIPLINARY PLACEMENT.
SO AFTER THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY INCIDENT, THE SCHOOL CONDUCT HEARING OFFICER WILL PLACE A STUDENT AT AN ALTERNATIVE CENTER, UM, FOR THE DURATION OF THE TIME.
[02:15:01]
EXTENDED SUSPENSION IS 44 DAYS.AND SO YOU'LL SEE STUDENTS ENROLLED FOR 44 DAYS ON END, AND THE GOAL IS FOR THEM TO, UM, BE ABLE TO MOVE BACK TO A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL.
UM, THERE ARE TWO EXCEPTIONS TO THAT.
IF A STUDENT IS AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL AS A SAFETY PLACEMENT, UM, IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY WILL BE IN THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL FOR LONGER THAN, UH, THE 44 DAYS.
PROGRAM REVIEW CAN BE BECAUSE A PARENT AND THE FAMILY COMES ON BEHALF OF THE STUDENT.
THE STUDENT NEEDS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT OR THEY NEED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, AND THE LARGER COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IS NOT WORKING FOR THEM.
AND SO THERE'S A VOLUNTARY ENROLLMENT.
UH, STUDENTS ON PROGRAM REVIEWS TEND TO STAY FOR A YEAR AT A TIME, OR A STUDENT THAT WAS ON DISCIPLINARY PLACEMENT IS SUDDENLY EARNING CREDITS, IS DOING WELL, UH, BEHAVIORAL, ACCESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH REQUIRED SUPPORTS THAT WE HAVE THERE IN ADDITION TO ACADEMIC.
AND THERE'S A PROGRAM REVIEW WHERE THE FAMILY SAYS TO THE SCHOOL, WE WANT OUR STUDENT TO STAY.
SO THE ENROLLMENT AT SEPTEMBER 30TH SPEAKS TO STUDENTS AT THE END OF, UH, THE SCHOOL YEAR, THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR, WHO WERE INVOLVED IN A DISCIPLINARY INFRACTION AND THEY HAVE THEIR 44 DAY PLACEMENT, UM, OR A PORTION THEREOF AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
UH, WHAT'S MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS? YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE, THE DECEMBER ENROLLMENT.
UM, AND THEN THE SPRING SEMESTER YOU SEE THE MAY ENROLLMENT.
SO BECAUSE WE ADDED VIRTUAL PROGRAM AND HYBRID HYBRID OPTIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE FROM SERVING 176 STUDENTS, UM, AT CROSSROADS, SPECIFICALLY IN 23, 24 TO 291 STUDENTS, UH, TWENTY FOUR, TWENTY FIVE, A HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT WERE FULL-TIME IN PERSON, UH, DEPENDING ON WHATEVER THEIR, UH, WHETHER IT WAS 44 DAYS OR LONGER.
UM, AND THEN 123 VIRTUAL STUDENTS.
THEY COULD HAVE BEEN HYBRID, UH, PARTIAL FACE-TO-FACE, AS WELL AS PARTIAL VIRTUAL, AND SOME STUDENTS ALL VIRTUAL DEPENDING ON THE, UH, SPECIFIC, UH, NATURE OF THEIR, UH, INFRACTION OR CONCERN.
UM, IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ALL OF OUR, UH, SCHOOLS HAVE A COMMUNITY SCHOOL DESIGNATION, WHICH MEANS THERE'S INCREASED ACCESS TO, UH, RESOURCES AND WE HAVE SPECIALIZED STAFF TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.
AT THIS TIME, I WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO DR.
GRIMM TO SPEAK SPECIFICALLY AROUND THIS CONTRACT.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE RESTRAINTS OR CONSTRAINTS, UH, THAT WE HAVE, UH, WITH THIS CONTRACT, AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
SO, GOOD AFTERNOON OR GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
UM, SO THIS CONTRACT WAS INITIALLY APPROVED BY THE BOARD BACK IN 2007.
UH, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT'S BEEN 18 YEARS SINCE IT'S BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE BOARD.
THE REASON WHY THIS CONTRACT WAS BROUGHT TO THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE IS AS, UH, MY STAFF AND FACILITIES WAS PAYING THE BILLS, THEY HAD REALIZED THAT THEY HAD EXTENDED PAST THE SPEND, THE ALLOWABLE SPEND AUTHORITY.
THE REASON WHY THEY WERE, UH, PAST THE ALLOWABLE SPEND AUTHORITY IS BECAUSE WHEN THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT WAS SIGNED AND THE ESTIMATIONS WERE GIVEN, THERE WERE SOME KEY COMPONENTS THAT WERE LEFT OUT, INCLUDING, UM, SOME OF THE ESCALATING COSTS PER YEAR.
UH, THE COMMON AREA MAINTENANCE, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, LANDSCAPING, UM, UH, SOME OF THE, THE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, UH, ROOF WITH ROOFING, SIDING, SNOW REMOVAL, ANYTHING THAT IS, AGAIN, IN THAT COMMON AREA OF THE BUSINESS PARK, UM, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER HVAC COSTS AND SOME OF THE REAL ESTATE TAXES.
SO, WHEN THE TEAM LOOKED AT THAT, LOOKED AT WHERE WE ARE AND LOOKED AT THE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE LEASE, UM, WE NEEDED TO COME TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL TO CONTINUE TO SPEND ON, ON THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT.
QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD, MR. MCMILLION? DR. GRAHAM, HAVE WE MADE A DECISION WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH GOLDEN RING MEDAL? UH, WE ARE, WE ARE STILL EXPLORING SOME OPTIONS REGARDING, UH, GOLDEN RING MIDDLE, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE SOME OPTIONS TO THE BOARD, UH, SOMETIME THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
SO THE TWO YEARS THAT ARE LEFT ON THE CROSSROADS CONTRACT, IF WE STAY AT CROSSROADS, YOU'RE GONNA BRING THAT BACK TO US AT SOME POINT.
SO OUR, OUR INTENTION IS NOT TO CONTINUE AFTER THE LEASE EXPIRES WITH CROSSROADS IN 2027.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT OPTIONS SO THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO RENEW, UH, THIS LEASE OR HAVE ANOTHER LEASED FACILITY.
UM, QUITE HONESTLY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COST, UH, PER SQUARE FOOT, WE'RE NOW, WHEN WE SIGNED THE LEASE FOR CROSSROADS IN 2007, UH, ROUGHLY THE COST PER SQUARE FOOT WAS $19 AND 25 CENTS.
[02:20:01]
IT IS, IS CLOSE TO, UH, 31 82.AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN INCLUDE, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER COSTS THAT, THAT I, THAT I MENTIONED THAT ARE YEAR TO YEAR COSTS.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS WE MAY ABLE, WE MAY BE ABLE TO, UM, TO HOUSE THIS PROGRAM.
UM, SO IN 2007 WHEN THE CONTRACT WAS FIRST APPROVED, AND GOOD EVENING, DR. GRAHAM, GOOD EVENING.
UM, IT OPENED AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, WITH 408 STUDENTS, GIVE OR TAKE.
I BELIEVE THE OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 30TH COUNT WAS SLIGHTLY UNDER THAT, AND IT OPENED WITH EVEN MORE, UM, AS AN ALTERNATE CENTER.
SO FROM, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENTATION, ITS PURPOSE WAS THE SAME.
THE SQUARE FOOTAGE WAS THE SAME.
UM, IT WAS DESIGNED TO BCP S'S SPECIFICATIONS, WHICH IS ONE REASON FOR THE COST OR DROVE THE COST.
AND AT THAT TIME, IT SEEMED REASONABLE.
UM, SO MY CONCERNS WERE IN THE FACT THAT WE'RE SERVING, EVEN WITH THE UPDATED NUMBERS THAT DR. ROGERS PROVIDED, WE'RE SERVING FAR FEWER STUDENTS AND STILL INCURRING, UM, THAT SAME COST VERSUS WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY THE INTENT WHEN THE BOARD APPROVED IT IN 2007.
408 IS FAR DIFFERENT THAN OPENING IT 32 VERSUS EVEN IF WE END UP WITH 200 ON SITE AND ANOTHER 200 VIRTUAL, THE VIRTUAL AREN'T USING THE FACILITY.
UM, SO THAT, THAT COST IS, IS IRRELEVANT.
SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHAT HAS CHANGED VERSUS THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE FACILITY VERSUS THE INTENT NOW.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION, MS. SIN.
UH, GRIM, MYSELF OR ANYONE IN THIS, UH, ROOM WOULD BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO WHAT THE ORIGINAL INTENT WAS AND WHAT HAS CHANGED.
UH, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS PRACTICES AND POLICIES AND LAWS HAVE CHANGED, UM, OVER TIME.
UH, IN THE PAST, UH, WAY BACK IN THE DAY WOULD, AS PRINCIPALS, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE, UH, DECISIONS ABOUT HOW STUDENTS MOVE TO ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS.
IT WAS VERY TYPICAL THAT A STUDENTS, ONCE THEY WERE EXPELLED, THEY WERE EXPELLED FOR THE YEAR.
UM, AND SOME INSTANCES THEY WERE EXPELLED, UH, FOR ALL OF THEIR YEARS.
AND SO YOU, THAT INCREASED, UH, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WERE ALLOWED TO GO.
THE LAWS HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THEN.
AND THE ONLY OTHER POINT I WOULD ADD IS, UH, FOR THOSE VIRTUAL STUDENTS, WHILE SOME OF THEM HAVE SOME, UM, UH, CIRCUMSTANCES THAT DON'T ALLOW THEM TO STEP FOOT INTO THE FACILITY, WE HAVE A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ON HYBRID.
UM, AND SO THOSE STUDENTS COME IN, WHETHER IT'S, UH, A DAY ONLY AND B DAY IS VIRTUAL OR VICE VERSA, IF WE'RE KEEPING STUDENTS SEPARATE, UM, AND STUDENTS COME IN TO ACCESS, UH, THE OTHER WRAPAROUND, UH, SUPPORTS IN THE BUILDING.
BUT I, I DON'T, UH, THINK IT WOULD BE, UH, FAIR OR PRUDENT FOR ANYONE TO SPEAK TO 2007 SINCE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE INTENT WAS, BUT, BUT CERTAINLY CAN TELL YOU HOW RULES HAVE CHANGED NOW AND HOW WE HAVE, UH, MADE THE COMMITMENT AS A PART OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESPONDING TO THE, UH, SAFETY PRIORITY TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY IN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING, UH, CROSSROADS CENTER.
AND CERTAINLY THE LEGISLATIVE PUSH TO MOVE FROM EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE, UM, PRACTICES, UM, SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT DRIVER IN, IN THOSE CHANGES.
HOWEVER, AS I SPEAK TO COUNSELORS, THEY, THEY SPEAK OF, UM, THE DIFFICULTY WITH PLACEMENTS IN CENTERS SUCH AS CROSSROADS, AND THEY SPEAK SO FAVORABLY OR POSITIVELY ABOUT THE SUPPORT, THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS THAT THEY SO DESPERATELY NEED, AND THAT IT IS THEIR RECOMMENDATION THAT WHETHER IT BE FOR 44 DAYS OR, YOU KNOW, A SHORTER STAY, THAT THEY, THEY FEEL STRONGLY THAT THAT IS THE APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR THESE STUDENTS, AND THAT THEY CAN'T GET THOSE PLACEMENTS NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY, THEY'VE DESCRIBED IT AS BEGGING FOR THESE PLACEMENTS.
AND WHEN I SEE THAT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY, WE MAY NOT HAVE THE STAFFING, BUT MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE NOT STAFFING TO MEET A GENUINE NEED, AND THAT THESE STUDENTS WOULD BE BETTER SERVED IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH THE APPROPRIATE, UM, WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEED.
SO THAT'S MY CONCERN, IS THAT ARE WE, UM, MAKING THE BEST USE OF THIS FACILITY, AGAIN, WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE LAW TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE STUDENTS ARE IN THE MOST APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL SETTING? AGAIN, THESE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THEIR COUNSELORS.
THEY ARE BEING MADE WITH THE FULL SUPPORT OF THEIR PARENTS IN MOST CASES, UM, BECAUSE THE COUNSELORS ARE WORKING WITH THE FAMILIES, AND I, I'M OPEN TO, I'M ALL EARS IN TERMS OF SUGGESTIONS, BUT AS THIS CONTRACT COMES TO THE BOARD, MY MY CONCERN IS THAT WE ARE NOT LEVERAGING THE SPACE AND IN A WAY THAT, THAT MEETS AN UNMET NEED THAT I'M HEARING OF FROM OUR SCHOOL STAFF.
[02:25:01]
THAT OUR COUNSELORS ARE, ARE NOT THE, UH, PRIMARY STAFF MEMBERS THAT PLACE STUDENTS IN ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS. HOWEVER, PROGRAM REVIEW IS ONE WAY IN PARTICULAR, UH, THAT COUNSELORS TOGETHER.UH, YOU TAKE THE STAFF MEMBERS, UH, REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL AS WELL AS THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL TO COME TOGETHER WITH THE PARENT AND GUARDIAN SUPPORT.
UM, I HAVE NOT, MY OFFICE HAS NOT RECEIVED COMPLAINTS ABOUT PROGRAM REVIEWS NOT BEING APPROVED.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE FOR ANYONE WHO'S WATCHING, ANYONE WHO REACHES OUT TO YOU, IF THAT HAPPENS TO, UH, IF THEY RUN INTO THAT SITUATION FOR IT TO BE IMMEDIATELY REFERRED TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL OR FORWARD IT TO MY OFFICE FOR IMMEDIATE FOLLOW UP, BECAUSE THE PROGRAM REVIEW, UM, IT IS A, UH, YOU KNOW, PRETTY SIMPLE PROCESS.
YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THAT MUTUAL AGREEMENT OF TRYING TO PUT A MATCH A STUDENT TO RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, UH, TO ADDRESS THEIR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS AS WELL AS ACADEMIC NEEDS IN A SMALLER SETTING, WHICH FOR SOME STUDENTS IS MUCH BETTER, UM, UH, THERE, THERE SHOULDN'T BE A LOT OF, UH, UH, CONFLICT OR, UM, UH, RESISTANCE AROUND MOVING FORWARD IN THAT WAY.
AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE, UH, WHO HAS DIFFICULTY OR IF ANYONE, UH, CONTACTS YOU AGAIN, THAT THEY PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUPERVISING SCHOOLS.
WE SENT OUT A COMMUNICATION THAT'S POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE WITH ALL OF THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THAT, OR SEND AN EMAIL DIRECTLY TO MY OFFICE AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP.
AND, AND LIKEWISE, IF, IF THE, IF OUR HANDS ARE TIED BY ANY LAWS, IF AS WE SPEAK TO AND WORK WITH OUR LEGISLATORS, UM, AND, AND I, I RECOGNIZE MY TIME IS IS OFF MADAM CHAIR, BUT THESE, IF WITH OFF TOPIC, WITH THE CONTRACT, WITH SCHOOL RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WITH FAMILY SUPPORT, I WOULD ASK THAT WE, WE BE ADVOCATES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT THEY NEED.
AND IF LAWS NEED TO CHANGE, THEN WE SHOULD LET OUR, UM, LEGISLATORS KNOW THAT.
THANK YOU, AND I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO PAY THE BILL FOR THE, FOR THE REST OF THE TWO YEARS ON THE CONTRACT.
AND I'M TRYING TO MAKE A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE DECISION KNOWING THAT WE HAVE UNMET NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS THAT COULD BE MET ON WITH THIS FACILITY.
BUT MR. DR. GRAHAM, CAN YOU JUST CLARIFY, DO WE HAVE AN OPTION ON THIS CONTRACT? UH, SO, SO WE WILL, WE WILL PAY, WE WILL PAY THIS CONTRACT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
UM, THE PENALTIES, UM, THE PENALTIES FOR NOT PAYING ON TIME ARE SEVERE.
UH, WE DO NOT ENTER INTO CONTRACTS LIKE THIS ANYMORE.
UM, THERE ARE, UH, CLAUSE, UH, CLAUSES IN ALL CURRENT CONTRACTS THAT GIVE THE BOARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, WE DON'T HAVE FUNDING.
WE DON'T APPROVE FUNDING, UM, FOR THIS YEAR, WHICH GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY FOR AN OUT.
UM, I AM, I AM NOT A, A LEGAL EXPERT, BUT OUR, UM, OUR PARTNERS IN THE OFFICE OF LAW AND PURCHASING HAVE LOOKED AT THIS CONTRACT, AND WE ARE OBLIGATED TO IT.
I THINK YOU'VE PHRASED IT, UM, PROPERLY.
WE'RE, WE'RE VEERING OFF COURSE.
THIS CONTRACT IS ABOUT US AS THE BOARD FULFILLING OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ALLOCATE THE FUNDS TO ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO PAY, UM, THE LAST TWO YEARS OF THIS CONTRACT, WHETHER THE BUILDING IS FULLY UTILIZED OR NOT, WHETHER IT WAS OVERCROWDED IN 2007 WHEN IT OPENED.
THAT'S NOT WHAT THE POINT IS OF THIS CONTRACT.
WE ARE HERE TO ALLOCATE THE FUNDS TO PAY OUR BILLS AND NOT END UP WITH SEVERE PENALTIES OF MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE.
AND PART OF MY QUESTION WAS ALREADY ANSWERED THAT WE ARE OBLIGATED FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
AND I GUESS, I DON'T KNOW IF MY ANSWER THE QUESTION ANSWER TO MY QUESTION CAN BE ANSWERED TONIGHT, BUT, UM, HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, MAKE GOOD ON A BAD SITUATION IN THIS CASE? BECAUSE CLEARLY, LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT OF IT, AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN THIS, IT WASN'T A CONTRACT THAT WE SIGNED ON FOR IN 2007, BUT HERE WE ARE.
SO HOW DO WE DO BETTER AND, YOU KNOW, BENEFIT OUR STUDENTS AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO PAY THIS MONEY.
SO WHAT, WHAT ARE THE STEPS WE'RE TAKING TO UTILIZE THIS PROPERTY IN THE TWO YEARS, OTHER THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW? IS YOUR QUESTION ASKING FOR HOW MUCH, HOW DO WE GET MORE STUDENTS INTO THE BUILDING? HOW DO WE UTILIZE THE PROPERTY? I MEAN, WE, WE HAVE TO PAY IT CLEARLY.
LIKE WE DON'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
WE DON'T WANNA HAVE TO SAY NO TO THE CONTRACT MM-HMM.
BECAUSE THEN WE'LL HAVE TO PAY THE FINE.
[02:30:01]
WE'RE TAKING? WHAT IS THE RESEARCH THAT WE'RE DOING? I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A CONTRACT, AND WE HAVE TO, AND IT'S, I MIGHT BE OFF TOPIC, BUT IT'S ALSO PERTINENT TO BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, IS THAT HOW ARE WE FULLY UTILIZING IT IF WE HAVE TO KEEP IT IN OUR BUDGET, IN OUR PAYROLL FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS? SO HOW ARE WE FULLY UTILIZING IT TO THE BENEFIT OF OUR STUDENTS? OKAY, DR. ROGERS? YES.SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING OR WE'VE ALREADY DONE IS WE DON'T ENTER INTO CON CONTRACTS LIKE THIS ANYMORE.
UM, ADDITIONALLY WE HAVE EXPANDED THE NUMBER OF SEATS IN ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS. UM, UH, BOARD MEMBER HEN RAISED THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT PERHAPS THERE WERE SOME COUNSELORS THAT FELT, UM, UH, THAT THEY HAVE MORE STUDENTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THOSE CLASSES OR IN THAT PROGRAM.
UM, WE ARE, UH, ABSOLUTELY WILLING TO, UH, ADDRESS ANYONE WHO HAS DIFFICULTY WITH A PROGRAM REVIEW.
UM, THE ONE THING THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND AND, AND WE SHARE FOR THE PUBLIC IS THAT, UM, WITH THE NEW LAWS AROUND EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES, STUDENTS, ALL STUDENTS HAVE, UM, UH, THE RIGHT TO A LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
UM, AND, AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE ARE ALIGNED WITH, UH, THOSE PRACTICES WHILE WE STILL PRIORITIZE, UH, SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS.
UM, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, ADDED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THERE.
AND I THINK WHERE I HEAR THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY IS FOR EXPANDED ENROLLMENT IS AROUND PROGRAM REVIEWS WHEN THERE ARE FAMILIES, UH, THAT ARE IN AGREEMENT, UH, WITH THE SCHOOLS THAT THEY WANT THEIR STUDENTS IN A SMALLER ENVIRONMENT.
AND, UM, ALL THE PARENTS WATCHING TONIGHT, UM, CAN HEAR THAT YOU CAN INITIATE THAT AT YOUR SCHOOL IF YOU'RE RUNNING INTO ANY DIFFICULTY.
UH, RIGHT ON OUR WEBSITE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU IF THERE ARE ANY DIFFICULTIES.
UH, BEYOND THAT, THAT INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE SENT DIRECTLY TO MY OFFICE FOR FOLLOW UP.
SO THAT IS, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO PROVIDE A SERVICE TO OUR FAMILIES, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT NEED IT AND, AND FEEL THAT THIS IS, UH, THE RIGHT NEXT STEP FOR THEIR CHILD.
THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER, DR. ROGERS.
AND, AND I GUESS MY, MY QUESTION WAS MORE OF LIKE, WAS THERE ANY FORETHOUGHT AS THIS FACILITY WAS A MUCH LARGER FACILITY THAT COULD, YOU KNOW, CAPACITATE MORE STUDENTS AND KNOWING THAT THE BEST PRACTICES WAS TO BE INCLUSIONARY WITH OUR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS OR, YOU KNOW, WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO GET THEM BACK TO THEIR HOMESCHOOL.
WAS THERE ANY FORETHOUGHT OF USING THIS FACILITY FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THAN IT WAS INTENDED FOR KNOWING THAT WE WERE STUCK IN THIS LEASE UNTIL FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS? SO THINGS HAVE CHANGED A LOT SINCE 2007.
THERE WEREN'T THESE RULES AND, UM, LAWS AROUND EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES IN 2007.
UH, ANY, YOU KNOW, COMMENT I WOULD MAKE ABOUT THE FORETHOUGHT IN 2007 WOULD SIMPLY BE CONJECTURE.
I WAS NOT HERE, UH, IN ANY, UH, SPECIFIC ROLE.
SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT WAS OF, UH, LEADERSHIP AS WELL AS, UH, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WHEN ENTERING INTO, UH, THIS CONTRACT AT THIS TIME.
ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT, UH, THE RULES AROUND EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE 2007, AND THEY PROHIBIT SOME PRACTICES THAT WERE ALLOWABLE IN THE PAST.
YEAH, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT RESPONSE, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU WEREN'T HERE IN, IN 2007.
AND THE RULES HAVE CHANGED SINCE 2007.
I, I, I GUESS I JUST WAS MORE THINKING ABOUT RECENT HISTORY IF WE HAD LOOKED AT THIS CONTRACT IN THE MORE RECENT YEARS AND KNOWING THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE UP AGAINST TWO MORE YEARS AND WE WEREN'T UTILIZING IT THE WAY THAT IT WAS INITIALLY INTENDED.
MS. HARVEY? UH, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I AM, UH, CLEAR.
UH, WELL, FIRST, LET ME JUST SAY THAT I THINK WE ALL CAN APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, ALMOST TWO DECADES FROM THE TIME THAT THIS CONTRACT WAS INITIATED, THAT MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT EDUCATION, IN THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT LEARNING DIFFERENCES AND THE, AND THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
AND I ALSO, UM, WANT TO BE CLEAR FROM MY CLARITY, IF WE DO NOT APPROVE THIS CONTRACT, WHICH TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION INCREASED COST OF MAINTENANCE AND SUPPLIES, THIS, THIS SPENDING AUTHORITY IS NOT A PER PUPIL, UH, ISSUE.
IT'S ABOUT MAINTAINING THE BUILDING THROUGH THE CONTRACT.
[02:35:01]
WE DO NOT APPROVE THIS CONTRACT, WE WILL NOT, IS IT THE CASE THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MEET OUR FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS? I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR ON THAT.SO WE, WE ARE, WE ARE OBLIGATED UNDER THE CONTRACT TO, TO MEET WHAT'S IN THE CONTRACT, UM, IN THE, IN THE COST PER YEAR, THE ESCALATIONS, UH, THE OTHER, UM, AREAS OF THE CONTRACT, THE CAM, THE REAL ESTATE TAXES, UH, HVAC, SO FORTH.
SO YES, WE WOULD, WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THAT.
AND, AND THE CONTRACT ACTUALLY READS THAT IF WE WERE TO LEAVE THE PREMISES OR TO TRY TO BREAK THE LEASE, WE WOULD STILL OWE THEM THE MONEY.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON CONTRACT ITEM M NINE.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING ANYWHERE, DR.
[N. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. Grim and Mr. Connelly) (8:35 - 8:55 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE, BASELINE DATA AND SCHOOL YEAR 2025 TO 2026 TARGETS.AND THAT, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON DR.
SO, GOOD EVENING, BOARD CHAIR, LIQUOR.
GOOD EVENING, VICE CHAIR, HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS, AND ALL OF OUR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
SO, UH, THIS EVENING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL YEAR DATA AS WELL AS 25, 26 TARGETS.
UM, THIS IS A SLIDE THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING MOST RECENTLY, UM, AS WE'VE BEEN ENGAGING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS, UH, THAT SHOWS WITH NO SPECIFIC NUMBERS, UH, THE DECLINE IN A ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS.
UH, AND EVERY DOT REPRESENTS A SPECIFIC YEAR.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS SLIDE IS TO SHOW THAT IN THE SAME WAY WHERE IT TOOK A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF YEARS OR SEVERAL YEARS, UH, TO EXPERIENCE A TRAJECTORY OF ACADEMIC DECLINE, IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO VER SOME TIME TO REVERSE THAT TRAJECTORY.
BUT AS YOU SEE, UH, WE MOVED FROM GOING FLAT TO STARTING TO MOVE UP, MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND A REMINDER THAT SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT, WHERE WE'RE NOT ONLY LOOKING FOR IMPROVEMENT IN ONE OR A FEW HANDFUL OF SCHOOLS, IS BOTH A TECHNICAL AND SOCIAL PROCESS.
AND SO, AS WE'VE SPOKEN, UH, THIS EVENING IN PARTICULAR, AND THROUGHOUT, UM, OUR TIME, WE'VE IDENTIFIED THOSE SPECIFIC PRIORITIES THAT WE HAD TO, UH, FOCUS ON, NAMELY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING A QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE, TENDING TO THE SAFETY AND CLIMATE NEEDS, AS WELL AS, UH, ENSURING THAT WE HAVE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF.
IT IS A TECHNICAL PROCESS IN TERMS OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL, BUT IT'S ALSO A SOCIAL PROCESS WHERE THE PEOPLE HAVE TO ENGAGE IN THE WORK, WHERE WE HAVE TO HEAR FROM STAKEHOLDERS ON A REGULAR BASIS AND RECEIVE, UH, FEEDBACK AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
THE FIRST, UH, DATA POINT, AND I WILL, UH, JUST DO THE NEXT TWO SLIDES AND TURN IT OVER TO MR. CONNOLLY, IS, UM, ABOUT WHAT IS CRITICAL TO OUR MISSION IN ORDER TO EDUCATE STUDENTS WE NEED THEM IN SCHOOL.
UM, AND SO THESE FIRST TWO SLIDES SPEAK TO STUDENT ATTENDANCE.
UH, YOU WILL RECALL LAST YEAR WHEN WE ESTABLISHED TARGETS FOR BCPS, UM, OUR TARGET WAS TO GROW BY A, UH, PERCENT, UH, PER YEAR.
UM, THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU DISAGGREGATED DATA BY GRADE LEVEL IN OUR TWO YEAR TREND, UM, AS WELL AS OUR TARGET FOR 25 26 THAT WAS IDENTIFIED LAST YEAR.
UM, YOU'LL NOTE THAT IN THE AGGREGATE AS WELL AS BY GRADE BAND, UM, THAT THERE ARE INCREASES, UH, FOR ALL OF, UH, THE IDENTIFIED STUDENT GROUPS.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE HAS INCREASED BY AT LEAST, UH, HALF A PERCENTAGE POINT.
AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, WHICH IS WHERE WE STARTED THE LOWEST IN THE, UH, BEGINNING TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE
[02:40:01]
SPEAKING TO ATTENDANCE, HAS INCREASED BY ALMOST ONE PERCENTAGE POINT.SO DOUBLE THE AVERAGE ACROSS, UH, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
UH, THERE IS A FOCUS NOT ONLY, UH, IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, BUT ACROSS THE NATION ON REDUCING THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THAT ARE CHRONICALLY ABSENT, MEANING STUDENTS THAT MISSED MORE THAN, UM, 10% OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
UH, ACROSS THE LAST, UH, TWO SCHOOL YEARS, WE HAVE REDUCED CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM BY ALMOST 9%, 8.7% AS THE, UH, DIRECT RESULT OF THE WORK, THE COORDINATED WORK, UH, HAPPENING BETWEEN CENTRAL OFFICES AS, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL EFFORTS, UH, IN 24 25, AGAIN FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IMPROVED IN ALL GROUPS AT ALL LEVELS.
GRIMBLE WILL TAKE US THROUGH ALL THE DETAILS.
I JUST, UH, WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WITH THAT AS WELL, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED BY MSDE FOR HAVING THE BEST IMPROVEMENT IN REDUCING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM ACROSS ALL LEAS IN THE STATES.
SO THIS SLIDE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS A, IS A DEEPER DIVE INTO CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT IT BY A TWO YEAR TREND OVER GRADE LEVEL.
UH, WHAT WE'RE SHOWING HERE IS THAT WE HAVE A 25, 26 TARGET, WHICH OUR LONG-TERM TARGET IS TO GET UNDER, UH, AT OR BELOW 20%, WHICH IS A STATE TARGET THAT WAS PRE COVID, THAT IT WAS ESTABLISHED.
UM, SO WE'RE INCREMENTALLY, YOU KNOW, ADJUSTING OUR, UH, PERFORMANCE SO THAT WE CAN MEET THAT STATE TARGET OVER TIME.
AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THAT WE HAVE ACROSS ALL GRADE LEVELS, YOU KNOW, REDUCED CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF GRADE LEVELS THAT ARE ACTUALLY BELOW THE STATE THRESHOLD, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
UM, BUT WE CONTINUE TO SHOW IMPROVEMENT AGAIN ACROSS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UM, WE HAVE A TARGET FOR 25, 26 OF 23%, AND YOU CAN SEE OVER THE LAST, UM, TWO YEARS THAT WE'VE GONE FROM 28% OF THE SYSTEM TO 25.2%.
SO AGAIN, MAKING SOME SIGNIFICANT, UH, DECREASES IN CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
FOR OUR NEXT SLIDE, WE'RE LOOKING AT A CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM AGAIN, AND AT THIS TIME ACROSS OUR SCHOOL LEVELS, BECAUSE WHAT WE SEE IS MORE SIMILARITY WITHIN A LEVEL OF SCHOOLS VERSUS COMPARING ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE TO HIGH.
UM, BUT ONE THING IN COMMON IS THAT THEY ALL HAVE DEMONSTRATED REDUCED, UH, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM NUMBERS.
WE CAN ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTS AND SEE THAT SAME, UH, IMPACT ACROSS OUR STUDENTS.
SO ONCE AGAIN, GRADE LEVELS, SCHOOL LEVELS, GENDER, STUDENT GROUPS, WE'RE SEEING IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE BOARD IN CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
AND HERE WE ARE WITH, UH, LOOKING AT A BREAKDOWN BY, UM, RACE ETHNICITY, AS WELL AS SPECIAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE SUPPORT THROUGH ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PROGRAMS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THERE WAS A DECREASE IN CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM ACROSS ALL STUDENT GROUPS AND SPECIAL SERVICES.
WE'RE DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THIS.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK TEAM BCPS MOVING INTO OUR, UM, EARLY READING SKILLS.
WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED FOR YOU SOME, UH, INFORMATION FROM DIBELS AND AMIRA.
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS CHART IS THAT THAT FIRST HALF OF THE CHART IS THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
SECOND HALF OF THE CHART IS THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THEN WHERE THE CODING COMES IN, RED IS CALLED INTENSIVE SUPPORT.
THAT'S WHAT WE CONSIDER LIKE TIER THREE.
UM, YELLOW IS OUR STRATEGIC SUPPORT CONNECTED TO LIKE A TIER TWO AND CS IS CORE SUPPORT, WHICH IS OUR TIER ONE, OUR TYPICAL PROGRAMS. WHAT WE SAW, UM, OVER THE LAST YEAR IN KINDERGARTEN WAS THAT WE HAD A DECREASE FROM 41% AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OF KIDS THAT WERE IN THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF NEED TO 25% AND AN INCREASE FOR IN KINDERGARTEN FROM 40% OF STUDENTS WHO WERE AT OR ABOVE WHAT WE CONSIDER THAT CORE SUPPORT TO 63%.
SO OUR PROGRAMS AT THE KINDERGARTEN LEVEL ARE HAVING A, A, A GREAT IMPACT.
AND THE AMOUNT OF KIDS THAT ARE PICKING UP THE AGE APPROPRIATE, GRADE LEVEL, APPROPRIATE READING SKILLS FOR KINDERGARTNERS, THAT TRAIN CONTINUES WHEN WE LOOK INTO GRADE ONE, AS WE SEE THE CHANGES FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THE YEAR FOR STUDENTS WHO NEEDED INTENSIVE SUPPORT, DROPPED FROM 28% TO 12%, AND STUDENTS THAT WERE WORKING WITHIN THE CORE RESOURCES OF THEIR GRADE LEVEL INCREASED FROM 48% TO 72%.
AGAIN, REALLY GREAT NUMBERS FOR OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD KINDERGARTEN AND GRADE ONE, UH, STUDENTS.
FOR GRADE TWO, WHAT WE REALLY SAW WAS A SHIFT IN WHERE STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING.
WE'RE MOVING STUDENTS THAT HAD, UM, INTENSIVE SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, CLOSER TOWARDS STRATEGIC SUPPORT AND CLOSER TOWARDS
[02:45:01]
CORE SUPPORT.SO OUR KIDS ARE MOVING ACROSS AND WE KNOW THAT READING BECOMES MORE COMPLEX AS KIDS GET OLDER.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT GRADES TWO AND THREE.
IT'S NOT ONLY JUST BASIC READING SKILLS, WE'RE ALSO ADDING INTO THE MIX MORE COMPREHENSION, VOCABULARY AND WORD STUDY.
OKAY, THIS CHART THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS, IS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE.
UM, THE TARGET FOR THE GRADUATION RATE IS INCREASE BY 0.5% EACH YEAR, WHERE WE CAN SEE IN THE GREEN BAR, THE TARGET IS SET FOR 86% FOR STUDENTS WHO HAD JUST GRADUATED PREVIOUSLY.
UH, WE HAVE 20 22, 20 23, AND 23, 24 DATA REPRESENTED IN BLUE AND ORANGE RESPECTIVELY.
AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT WE HAVE INCREASES IN OUR OVERALL GRADUATION RATES BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
AND WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, AREAS WHERE WE HAVE GAPS AND DIFFERENCES.
AND WE ARE, UM, WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES TO NOT ONLY GRADUATE ON TIME, BUT TO BECOME COLLEGE AND CAREER READY AS THEY, UH, MOVE THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, YOU CAN SEE THAT IN 2023, WE HAD 1,881 STUDENTS WHO QUALIFIED AS CCR MET, OR COLLEGE AND CAREER READY, BASED ON, UM, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT METRICS.
UH, BY 2024, WE HAD INCREASED THAT UNDER THE BLUEPRINT TO 6,378 STUDENTS.
AND LAST YEAR WE INCREASED THAT TO 6,570 STUDENTS.
ONCE AGAIN, THE CRITERIA FOR CCR MET HAS CHANGED FROM THE STATE.
SO THIS WILL BE THE THIRD CHANGE THAT WE'VE HAD IN THREE YEARS, AND THAT CHANGE FOR CCR STANDARDS WILL OPEN UP MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS TO HAVE EXTENDED PATHWAYS THAT INCREASE ACCESS TO THOSE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, UM, COURSES SUCH AS DUAL ENROLLMENT, CCBC, AP, IB, THINGS SUCH AS THAT.
WHICH GETS US TO OUR NEXT SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE, WE'RE LOOKING AT PARTICIPATION RATES FOR, UM, ADVANCED ACADEMIC COURSES.
SO WE HAVE AP HONORS, DUAL PARTICIPATION AND GT, AND WHAT WE CAN SEE IS THAT OVER A FOUR YEAR TREND, WE HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN AP COURSES, HONORS COURSES, DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES, AND GT PARTICIPATION.
SO OVERALL, WE HAVE MANY MORE STUDENTS ACCESSING ADVANCED PATHWAYS, WHICH GOES ALONG WITH OUR CCR, UM, UH, INITIATIVES TO MOVE KIDS FORWARD TO HIGHER LEVELS OF COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
NEXT, WE HAVE THE CAREER COMPONENT OF COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS OUR POST-SECONDARY READINESS BASED ON COMPLETION OF AN APPRENTICESHIP, A CTE PROGRAM OR A, UH, INDUSTRY CERTIFICATION OR LICENSE.
AND WHAT WE'RE SHOWING IS THAT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE HAD BETWEEN 28 AND 29% OF OUR STUDENTS EARNING ONE OF THOSE COMPONENTS.
AND ACROSS OUR RACE ETHNICITY GROUPS, WE'RE SEEING IMPROVEMENT IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR ASIAN, WHICH HAD A SLIGHT DECREASE.
UM, ALL OTHER GROUPS ARE ACCESSING, YOU KNOW, AT AN INCREASED LEVEL, THE APPRENTICESHIP CTE PROGRAMS AND INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSURE BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
I THINK, UM, UH, AND THANK YOU MR. CONNOLLY FOR REVIEWING THOSE SLIDES.
I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE, UM, IF WE GO BACK AND JUST THINK IN OUR MINDS ABOUT THAT FIRST SLIDE WITH THE, UM, DOTS THAT WERE GOING DOWN, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE MOVING RIGHT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, WE STILL HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO.
UH, WE HAVE A COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS, TO ALL STUDENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE, UH, DATA POINTS ARE SHOWING, UH, PROGRESS AND THEY'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT STEPWISE APPROACH, INVESTING IN THOSE FOUR PRIORITY AREAS, SO WE CAN SEE THAT SYSTEMIC AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENT GROUPS.
AND SO, UH, WITH THAT, WE TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU CHAIR LICHTER FOR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, MR. YOUNG, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION ON SLIDE 11.
UM, FOR THE DUAL PARTICIPATION RATE, THERE'S A DROP IN THE 24 25 YEAR.
IS THAT THE RESULT OF, UM, THE CHANGING OF WHO COULD DO THE DUAL ENROLLMENT? OKAY, THANK YOU.
YES,
YEAH, SEE THERE, THERE'S BLUEPRINT CHANGE.
THERE'S THAT CHANGE PIECE AS WELL AS, UH, INCREASED ACCESS TO AP COURSES FREE OF CHARGE FOR EXAMS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE CR MAT, THAT ALSO HAD TO IMPACT AS WELL.
OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. BOOKER DWYER? WELL, FIRST I WANT TO THANK DR. ROGERS AND HER TEAM, UM, FOR MOVING BALTIMORE COUNTY FORWARD.
IT'S BEEN QUITE SOME TIME, UM, AND I, AND I GET THAT IT'S INCREMENTAL,
[02:50:01]
BUT WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO MOVE A STUDENT, JUST A HALF OF A POINT.UM, AND WE'RE SEEING SOME, UM, SOME GAINS HERE, AND I THINK THAT IS JUST WONDERFUL.
AND SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, UM, AROUND THE, SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, THE SLIDE FIVE, UM, SPECIFICALLY HIGH SCHOOL ARE NINTH AND 12TH GRADERS.
UM, OR, OR THEN WHEN WE GO TO WHAT SLIDE SIX, AND WE CAN SEE THE MALE STUDENTS OR TWO AND MORE RACE OR TWO OR MORE RACES, UM, THEY HAVE, THEIR, THEIR NUMBERS ARE A LITTLE HIGHER, UM, COMPARED TO OTHER GROUPS.
SO WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM WITH THOSE GROUPS OF STUDENTS? UM, AND IS IT CONCENTRATED TO A SPECIFIC AREA OR REGION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY? UM, AND THEN JUST WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING TO ADDRESS SPECIFICALLY REALLY THE, THESE NINTH AND 12TH GRADE, UM, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM? SO IT'S NOT, UM, UH, RE YOU KNOW, UH, ONLY ONE REGION.
WE DID SEE, UH, SPECIFICALLY THAT FOR SOME OF OUR EAST ZONE SCHOOLS THAT, UH, WE HAD, WHILE EVERY AREA MADE IMPROVEMENT, WE STILL HAD SOME ADDITIONAL WORK THAT WE WANTED TO DO.
SO WE PROVIDED DIFFERENTIATED SUPPORTS.
UM, THE FIRST THING THAT WE DID IS THE COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN AROUND, UM, ATTENDANCE MATTERS, USING A LOT OF THE ATTENDANCE WORK, NATIONAL FRAMEWORK.
UH, SO AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT ATTENDANCE, THE IMPORTANCE, PROVIDING THE ATTENDANCE TRACKERS TO FAMILIES.
STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO GO INTO THEIR CLASS BY GRADE LEVEL IN THEIR SCHOOL AND SEE WHAT THEIR ATTENDANCE LOOKS LIKE.
UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO THE ATTENDANCE COMMITTEE INSIDE OF EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL THAT IS MONITORING, AND THEY'RE DOING OLD FASHIONED THINGS LIKE CALLING HOME, LIKE, UH, PROVIDING ALARM CLOCKS, UM, MAKING SURE WHEN STUDENTS COME IN, THEY UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BE IN SCHOOL.
NINTH AND, UH, 12TH GRADE, NINTH GRADE IS THAT CRITICAL YEAR THAT WE SEE IN THAT, UH, RESEARCH AROUND THE, UM, TRANSITION FOR STUDENTS AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS.
THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF FREEDOM THAT STUDENTS RECEIVE IN NINTH GRADE, UH, THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO BRING IN ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND, UH, EMPOWERING EVERYONE.
WHEN YOU SEE YOUNG PEOPLE OUT DURING THE SCHOOL DAY TO SAY SOMETHING.
WE HAVE OUR LAWMAKERS PARTNERING WITH US TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
WE HAVE PEDIATRICIANS, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, WHO ARE GETTING INVOLVED IN THIS MESSAGE ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT SCHOOL IS.
UM, AND WE'VE MOVED TO, UH, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH, UH, JUST IN TIME SUPPORTS.
UH, IT, IT BECOMES DAUNTING WHEN YOU MOVE TO NINTH GRADE AND WHEN YOU FAIL A COURSE, UM, YOU FAIL FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
SO THIS YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR WHERE WE TRANSITIONED TO HALF CREDIT WITH THE GOAL BEING THAT WE PUT SUPPORTS IN PLACE JUST IN TIME.
SO IT'S MUCH EASIER TO ADDRESS A HALF A CREDIT, AND YOU STILL SEE THAT YOU'RE MAKING, UH, PROGRESS AND THAT YOU'RE, UM, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A FRESH START THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE.
AND THERE'S CONSISTENT MESSAGING AS WELL AS, UH, MONITORING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT IN PLACE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S NOT GONNA ALL HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
WE HAVE, UH, ACTION MEETINGS WITH PRINCIPALS, UH, NEXT WEEK, AS A MATTER OF FACT, UH, WHERE WE'RE GONNA COME IN AND PROBLEM SOLVE AND SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO, UH, THESE GRADE LEVELS WHERE THEY'RE DIFFERENTIATED BY GRADE LEVEL ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ONGOING CONCERNS AND HOW CAN WE PROBLEM SOLVE AND IMPLEMENT SOME BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
AND, AND THEN JUST MY, UH, FOLLOW UP QUESTION AROUND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, UM, JUST WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING FEDERALLY WITH ICE AND, UM, JUST EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING, ARE WE, IS, IS ANY OF THIS, ESPECIALLY IN THAT NINTH AND 12TH GRADE, HAVE YOU SEEN A CONNECTION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING FEDERALLY WITH SOME OF OUR, UM, IMMIGRANT STUDENTS NOT SHOWING UP AT SCHOOL? UM, ESPECIALLY AS ALL OF THIS STARTED RAMPING UP? HAVE YOU ALL LOOKED AT THAT AT ALL? I BELIEVE WHEN WE LOOKED AT, AT SOME OF THOSE DATA IN THE SPRING, WE DID NOT SEE AN APPRECIABLE DIFFERENCE AT THAT TIME, BUT I DO BELIEVE IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY MONITOR.
UM, AND GOING BACK TO YOUR PREVIOUS QUESTION, IN THE 12TH GRADE, IT'S MAKING THAT 12TH GRADE MEANINGFUL, AND YOU CAN SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS THAT, THAT WE HAVE IN TERMS OF DUAL ENROLLMENT AND AP PARTICIPATION AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT STUDENTS ARE ON THE RIGHT FIT AND IN THE RIGHT TRACK IN ALIGNMENT WITH BLUEPRINT.
SO THAT ENGAGEMENT IS, IS CRITICAL TO IMPROVE ATTENDANCE IN THE, IN THE 12TH GRADE.
UM, BUT TO YOUR POINT AROUND, UH, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION, THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON.
[02:55:01]
ONLY THING I WOULD ADD TO THAT, UH, DR.GRIM IS, UH, WE DID SEE SOME ATTENDANCE, UH, CONCERNS MORE SO IN THE, UM, UH, RIGHT IN THE WINTER.
UH, ONE AREA THAT WE'RE KEEPING OUR EYES ON, UH, WITH CONCERNS IS AROUND THE DROPOUT RATE, UH, FOR SOME OF OUR STUDENTS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, SO THAT, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS DIFFERENT THAT WE'RE MONITORING AND DOING A LOT OF OUTREACH WITH OUR PPW SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH SOME OF OUR OLDER STUDENTS.
OTHER QUESTIONS? LEMME JUST CHECK THE, THE, UM, WE, OKAY.
UM, GOING BACK TO SLIDE 10, ARE THESE, UH, ARE THESE YEARS USING COMPARABLE DATA, MEANING ARE THEY, UM, CONSISTENT WITH THE BLUEPRINTS STANDARD AS FAR AS OPTION ONE, OPTION TWO, ARE THEY ALL USING THE SAME GUIDELINES? SO, MS. DEBOWSKI, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
UM, THE STATE HAS CHANGED THE CRITERIA OR THE GUIDELINES FOR WHAT CCR MET MEANS, UH, THREE TIMES IN THE LAST, UH, I BELIEVE 24 MONTHS.
UM, BUT WE ARE GOING BY WHAT'S IN THE BLUEPRINT AND THEN WHAT'S BEING AMENDED AT THE STATE LEVEL FOR CHANGES TO THE BLUEPRINT THROUGH THE A IB COMMITTEE AS WELL AS MSDE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
I'M SORRY, IF I'M GOING IN AND OUT, I MIGHT HAVE SPOTTY RECEPTION, BUT DO WE KNOW THE TOTAL NUMBER OF 11 DEGREE 11 12TH GRADE STUDENTS FOR THESE YEARS? WE'RE LOOKING AT ROUGHLY 16,000 STUDENTS IF YOU COMBINE 11 AND 12 TOGETHER FOR EACH YEAR.
AND WITH, AND WITH THESE STUDENTS, UM, WITH THESE STANDARDS, HOW MANY STUDENTS DO YOU ESTIMATE BCBS GRADUATES WHO ARE NOT PROFICIENT IN ELA 10 OR ALGEBRA ONE, IF ANY? THAT IS? SO WITH THE CURRENT STANDARDS THAT WERE IN PLACE FOR THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR, THERE WEREN'T OPTIONS OUTSIDE OF COURSE, COMPLETION GRADE LEVELS, AS WELL AS PROFICIENCY LEVELS ON ELA 10.
AND, UM, UH, ALGEBRA ONE WITH THE CURRENT CRITERIA, WHICH IS LISTED HERE AS ALTERNATIVE CCR OPTIONS, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S MANY OTHER WAYS THAT STUDENTS HAVE AVENUES TO BE CCR MET RATHER THAN STATE TEST PROFICIENCY.
UM, OR, UH, JUST, UH, COURSE GRADE.
DO WE KEEP TRACK OF THAT, LIKE INDIVIDUALLY? WE DO ACTUALLY, WE, UM, WE, WE COORDINATE FOR SCHOOLS A DATA DASHBOARD THAT TRACKS EVERY STUDENT IN GRADES NINE THROUGH 12.
EVERY ONE OF THESE MEASURES IS TRACKED.
SCHOOLS HAVE FULL ACCESS TO IT, AND IT'S UPDATED IN REAL TIME.
UH, GOING BACK TO SLIDE NINE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME EXACTLY WHAT A FOUR YEAR ADJUSTED GRADUATION MEANS? YEAH.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS WE GRADUATE A GROUP OF STUDENTS, UM, IN, IN JUNE, AND THEN WE MAY HAVE MORE STUDENTS THAT GRADUATE OVER THE SUMMER.
DURING SUMMER PROGRAMS. WE MAY HAVE STUDENTS THAT HAVE TRANSFERRED IN OR TRANSFERRED OUT OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND AS WE UPDATE RECORDS WITH MSDE, THOSE KINDS OF SINGLETONS IS WHAT THEY CALL THEM, BUT THEY'RE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT COUNT TOWARDS OUR GRADUATION RATE.
SO WHILE WE DO HAVE A PRETTY CONFIDENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE APPROXIMATE GRADUATION RATE FOR OUR STUDENTS WHEN THEY EXIT, ESPECIALLY BY SEPTEMBER WHEN WE DO OUR SUMMER GRADS, THERE ARE STILL, UM, HANGING TRANSFERS AND DIFFERENT REASONS WHY STUDENTS, UM, MAY OR MAY NOT COUNT FOR US.
SO THE STATE COMPILES ALL THAT DATA, AND USUALLY BY FEBRUARY, MARCH, THEY'VE ADJUSTED THE ACTUAL CALCULATION FOR GRADUATION RATE BASED ON ALL THESE DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS THAT HAPPEN ACROSS THE 24 DIFFERENT LEAS.
AND IS THERE A DIFFERENT REQUIREMENT WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE THE ADJUSTED, SO YOU HAVE THE, THE JUNE GRADUATES AND THEN THE ONES THAT GRADUATE IN SUMMER.
IS THERE A DIFFERENT REQUIREMENT FOR THOSE STUDENTS? NO.
A STUDENT GRADUATES THAT YEAR THROUGH THE END SUMMER OF THAT SCHOOL YEAR.
SO THE GRADUATION IS STILL THE SAME YEAR OF GRADUATION.
THE REQUIREMENTS ARE STILL THE SAME FOR GRADUATING.
UM, AND THEN GOING TO SLIDE EIGHT.
DO WE HAVE COMPARABLE DATA FOR, UM, PREVIOUS YEARS FOR THIS, LIKE, SAY 23, 24 WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, AMIRA AND DIBELS? WE DO, THAT'S CORRECT.
THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR THOUGH, WHERE DIBELS WAS USED ONLY IN KINDERGARTEN, SO IT STANDS ALONE.
UM, PREVIOUS YEARS, DIBELS AND AMIRA WERE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EACH OTHER, SO THEY WEREN'T CENSUS DATA COLLECTIONS, UM, FOR AMIRA, BECAUSE WE HAD SOME SCHOOLS DOING DIBELS AND SOME SCHOOLS DOING AMIRA.
SO WE HAVE DATA, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ORANGES TO ORANGES.
AND I WOULD ADD THAT I BELIEVE WE HAD 19 SCHOOLS THAT DID DIBELS LAST YEAR, AND THE OTHER SCHOOLS DID AMIRA.
WE PRESENTED THAT DATA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
[03:00:02]
UM, SO THAT IS AVAILABLE IN, UH, BOARD DOCS FOR, UH, COMPARISON PURPOSES.COULD YOU, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO BRIEFLY REVIEW THAT? ARE, ARE WE ON THE, THE TRAJECTORY GOING UP? YES.
UM, IN, IN ONE WORD, YES, WE ARE ON THE TRAJECTORY GOING UP.
WE ALSO PROVIDED, UM, A REPORT WHERE WE LOOKED AT THE SAME GROUP OF STUDENTS, UM, WHAT THEIR PROGRESS LOOKED LIKE AS THEY MOVED GRADE LEVELS.
AND, UH, THOSE, THOSE THE STUDENTS ARE, UH, SHOWING GAMES IN PROGRESS.
AND I, I NOTICED THAT WE, WE DIDN'T HAVE A SLIDE FOR MATH.
IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON OUR BASELINES OR WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR MATH AND ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS? SO FROM, FROM A MATH STANDPOINT, WE HAVE DIFFERENT MATH DATA POINTS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT.
KRAFT MENTIONED THE TRIANGULATION OF CBAS MAP DATA AS WELL AS MCAP DATA.
YOU KNOW, WHICH SPECIFICALLY ARE YOU, ARE YOU REFERENCING? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD OR WHAT, WHAT OUR PLANS ARE BASELINE WISE.
I, I JUST, I, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE NUMBERS AS FAR AS WHEN IT GOES FROM
BUT, UM, I JUST DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING REGARDS TO MATH.
WE, MS. MINOSKI, WE CAN ASK FOR, UM, MATH SLIDES TO BE ADDED OR PRESENTED AT ANOTHER MEETING.
IS THERE A REASON WHY THEY WOULD'VE LEFT OUT FOR THIS MEETING? NOT TO, I'M JUST CURIOUS.
SO, UM, I BELIEVE THE LAST, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MCAP DATA THAT WAS AVAILABLE HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE BOARD SEVERAL TIMES.
'CAUSE IT WAS BASED ON THE 2324.
UM, BUT MOVING FORWARD, WE ANTICIPATE THAT MCAP DATA WILL BE RELEASED IN OCTOBER FOR PUBLIC, UH, UH, RELEASE.
AND WE WILL HAVE MARYLAND REPORT CARD DATA, UM, STAR RATINGS IN DECEMBER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? OKAY, THANK YOU.
CONTINUING WITH THE GRIM AND CONNOLLY SHOW, OUR NEXT
[O. REPORT - 2025 CLIMATE SURVEY (Dr. Grim and Mr. Connelly) (8:55 - 9:15 p.m.)]
PRESENTATION IS 2025 CLIMATE SURVEY SYSTEM REPORT.I'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE TO SWITCH GEARS THERE.
OH, AND DR. ROGERS GONNA ENTER YOU.
SO WE WERE ASKED FOR A PRESENTATION ON THE 2025 CLIMATE SURVEY.
UM, I TRULY WANNA THANK THE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR HARD WORK.
UH, TWO YEARS AGO, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, INCREASING OUR RATE OF RESPONSE ON THE CLIMATE SURVEY SO WE COULD REALLY HAVE THE VOICES OF STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS TEAM BCPS.
THIS FOR US, MEANT OUR STAFF IN OUR BUILDINGS.
IT MEANT OUR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS AS WELL AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, THEM FOR TAKING THE LEAD AND SCHOOL BUILDING ADMINISTRATORS, UH, FOR MOVING THIS FORWARD.
UH, IN A FEW MINUTES, UH, MR. CONNOLLY WILL WALK THROUGH THOSE NUMBERS, AND WE KNOW THAT SOMETIMES WE HEAR, UH, VERY LIMITED, UH, FEEDBACK FROM, UH, UH, VERY, UH, FEW, UH, MEMBERS.
BUT THIS GIVES US AN, UH, ACTUAL, UM, INFORMATION OF THE EXPERIENCE THAT OUR STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING OUR STUDENTS, UH, WHO A WISE YOUNG PERSON, UH, ONCE SAID, UM, ARE THE ROOTS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING IN OUR SCHOOLS, WHAT THOSE CLIMATES LOOK LIKE.
UM, AND THEY SPEAK TO, UH, I BELIEVE WELL OVER, UH, 10,000, UH, PARENTS, WELL OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND RESPONDENTS, UH, TO GIVE US SOME INSIGHT ON CLIMATE.
UH, THIS DATA IS CERTAINLY ENCOURAGING, ESPECIALLY AFTER, UH, A CHALLENGING SCHOOL YEAR TO HEAR THAT THIS IS WHAT, UM, UH, OUR DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS ARE REPORTING AS THEIR EXPERIENCES IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
SO, GOOD EVENING BOARD CHAIR, LIQUOR, VICE RESIDENT
UM, SO AS DR. ROGERS HAD MENTIONED, WE HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION FOR OUR CLIMATE SURVEY.
WE HAD OVER 105,000 RESPONSES, WHICH IS REMARKABLE.
LAST YEAR WE WERE, WE WERE AT 83,900, SO IT'S A 25% INCREASE IN ONE YEAR.
UM, SO REALLY WE'RE VERY THANKFUL THAT FOLKS ARE SHARING WITH US THEIR COMMENTS AND THEIR FEEDBACK TO HELP US HAVE ANOTHER DATA POINT TO A QUALITATIVE DATA POINT TO REALLY LOOK AT OUR OWN PRACTICES AND REFLECT ON WHAT WE CAN DO, UH, THAT'S WORKING AND WHAT WE CAN DO FOR IMPROVEMENT.
UM, ALSO WE INCREASED ENGAGEMENT THIS YEAR BY HAVING THE SURVEY AVAILABLE IN 20 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, WHICH RESULTED IN 4,632
[03:05:01]
TRANSLATED RESPONSES, WHICH IS GREAT.UH, WE WANT THAT NUMBER TO INCREASE, BUT IT'S STILL A 61% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR.
SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR FAMILIES.
SO THE CLIMATE SURVEY, WELL, IT'S REALLY BASED ON A SCHOOL CLIMATE INDEX.
SO WHAT WE LOOK AT ARE HOW DO OUR STUDENTS, OUR STAFF, OUR PARENTS, OUR CARE PROVIDERS AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, AND CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF AS WELL AS SCHOOL ADMINS, LOOK AT THAT SCHOOL CLIMATE INDEX OR THEIR WORK CLIMATE INDEX IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH STUDENTS PERCEIVE QUALITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHOOL LIFE.
AND SO FOR THE STUDENT PERCEPTION, WE HAD 68,468 RESPONSES.
AND I KNOW THAT WE HAD SHARED THAT WE'RE REPRESENTING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND, SO LET'S GET THOSE NUMBERS UP.
BUT THEY'RE GREAT AND THEY'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, WE ALSO CAN SEE, JUST BASED ON LOOKING ACROSS THE SCHOOL CLIMATE INDEX, THAT EVERYTHING FALLS IN THE FAVORABLE RANGE, WHICH IS GREAT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL, THERE ARE DIFFERENCES WITHIN LEVELS, JUST AS WE SAW WITH SOME OF OUR OTHER DATA POINTS LIKE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
BUT WITHIN, UM, THOSE LEVELS, WE HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY IN REPORTING ACROSS, UH, STUDENT GROUPS FOR ETHNICITY AND RACE, AS WELL AS CONSISTENCY WITH RELATED SERVICES.
UNDERNEATH THAT SCHOOL CLIMATE INDEX, WHICH IS A COMPOSITE, UM, LIVES THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT DOMAIN FOR STUDENTS AND THE SCHOOL CONNECTION DOMAIN.
SO THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT DOMAIN IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN THE LEARNING PROCESS AND FEEL SUPPORTED BY ADULTS IN SCHOOL.
THE SCHOOL CONNECTION IS HOW STUDENTS FEEL, UM, WITH THEIR PEERS.
DO THEY FEEL SAFE? DO THEY FEEL SUPPORTED? AND AGAIN, WHAT WE SAW ACROSS ALL LEVELS, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL, WITH SLIGHT DIFFERENCES BASED ON THE LEVEL, WAS FAVORABLE, UM, PERCEPTIONS BY ALL STUDENTS.
AND THE PERCEPTIONS ARE BASED ON A LIKERT SCALE.
SO YOU HAVE FOUR OPTIONS, AND THOSE FOUR OPTIONS ARE VERY UNFAVORABLE, UNFAVORABLE, FAVORABLE, OR VERY FAVORABLE.
AND WHEN YOU CAN LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHART, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE SCALE RATINGS ARE FOR THOSE FOUR AREAS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, ALL STUDENTS ACROSS ON AVERAGE ARE, UH, SHARING THAT THEY HAVE FAVORABLE RESULTS FOR SCHOOL.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PARENT GUARDIAN PERCEPTION, WE HAD 11,730 RESPONSES, WHICH WAS AN INCREASE OF 21% FOR, UH, PARENT OR CAREGIVER.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE MANY, MANY MORE PARENTS AND, UH, GUARDIANS AND CARE PROVIDERS OUT THERE.
SO PLEASE, YOU KNOW, COME JOIN US IN FEBRUARY FOR THE STAKEHOLDERS FOR THE CLIMATE SURVEY FOR NEXT YEAR.
UM, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE RATINGS FROM THAT SCHOOL CLIMATE INDEX FOR PARENTS, WHICH IS, WHICH THEY PERCEIVE THE QUALITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHOOL AT THE ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
WHILE DIFFERENT ALL REPRESENT SCORES THAT ARE IN THE FAVORABLE RANGE APPROACHING VERY FAVORABLE AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL FOR STAFF PERCEPTION, WE HAD 9,293 STAFF RESPONSES.
WE KNOW WE HAVE MORE THAN THAT, SO LET'S GET NUMBERS UP, BUT, BUT IT'S BEEN GREAT, UM, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THE INCREASE IN RESPONSES AND ALSO SEEING HOW WE'RE BEING RATED.
SO 78% OF SCHOOL STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS PARTICIPATED IN THE SURVEY THIS YEAR.
THE SCHOOL STAFF, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, AND CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF RESPONSES, AGAIN, ARE BROKEN DOWN IN THE CHART AND SHOWING THAT AGAIN, UH, FAVORABLE AND APPROACHING, VERY FAVORABLE FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AS WELL.
OKAY, FINALLY, WE HAVE THE BCPS COMMUNITY PERCEPTION, AND THIS WAS A NEW MEASURE ADDED IN 20 24, 20 25.
IT REALLY IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PARENTS CARE PROVIDERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BCPS COMMUNITY TO SHARE THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF BCPS AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
UM, IT'S ABOUT THE QUALITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR SYSTEM AND OUR SYSTEM.
CLIMATE INDEX WAS A 65.9, WHICH AGAIN, WAS IN OUR FAVORABLE RANGE.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE COMPARISON DATA BECAUSE THIS WAS A NEW, UM, MEASURE, BUT WE WILL HAVE THAT FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND WITH THAT, WE'RE OPEN FOR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
ARE THERE QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, MS. HEN? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, MR. CONLEY.
UM, WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE THE BREAKDOWN OF RESPONDENTS BY ROLE IN TERMS OF WHO RESPONDED? WE, WE DO.
AND WE CAN PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
DO, DO YOU HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF, UM, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO QUOTE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, UM, GIVEN THE VOLUME THAT WE HAVE, BUT WE HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS THAT REPORT, AND WE'VE ALL BROKEN DOWN IN OUR, UM, YEAR END REPORT VERSUS EM EMPLOYEES VERSUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS VERSUS STUDENTS.
YEAH, IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL THERE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A BRIEF COMMENT BASED ON OVERALL PARTICIPATION.
I KNOW YOU MENTIONED WE HAD THE HIGHEST ON RECORD SO FAR, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT THIS PAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE
[03:10:01]
TO WORK OR, UH, THE BOARD OF SELECTED STUDENTS, WHICH IS A COALITION OF STUDENTS FROM ACROSS ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND BALTIMORE COUNTY WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH DR.UM, SHE WAS ABLE TO COME PRESENT SOMETHING ABOUT THE CLIMATE SURVEY, WHICH I THINK REALLY, UM, HELPED WITH PARTICIPATION SINCE STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO DISSOLVE THAT INFORMATION BACK INTO THEIR SCHOOLS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
AND IF I MAY JUST ADD TO THE QUESTION THAT YOU POSED, WE ALSO HAVE A PUBLIC SITE AVAILABLE THAT HAS IT ALL BROKEN DOWN FOR CLIMATE INDEX.
MAY NOT HAVE THE EXACT DETAIL THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR, UM, BUT IT, THE CLIMATE SURVEY IS BROKEN DOWN AND WE'LL BE UPLOADING ALL THAT NEW SURVEY INFORMATION INTO, UH, THE TABLEAU DATA DASHBOARD ON OUR PUBLIC WEBSITE.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO ROUGH PERCENTAGES IN, IN TERMS OF WHO OUR RESPONDENTS ARE YEAH.
THE CHALLENGE BECOMES REALLY LIKE, HOW DO YOU JUDGE THE DENOMINATOR OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS? HOW DO YOU JUDGE THE DENOMINATOR OF PARENTS AND CARE PROVIDERS? SO THAT BECOMES A HARD THING FOR COMPARISON, BUT WE HAVE COUNTS.
UM, IS THAT, THAT, AND MADAM CHAIR, MAY I ASK A FOLLOW UP QUESTION? GO AHEAD.
I BELIEVE ONE OF THE FIRST QUESTIONS ASKED THE RESPONDENT TO IDENTIFY AS ONE OF THOSE ROLES.
SO I BELIEVE BELIEVE THAT WOULD BE ANSWER MY QUESTION IN TERMS OF HOW DID YOU IDENTIFY AND, AND SEEING THE DATA BEHIND THAT, THAT QUESTION.
SO UNDERSTANDING THE COUNCIL RESPONSES BY THAT I, THAT IDENTITY WOULD ANSWER MY QUESTION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN, FOR BOTH OF THOSE REPORTS.
[P. REPORT - BUDGET (Dr. Grim and Mr. Tantleff) (9:15 -9:35 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE BUDGET REPORT FOR THE MONTHS ENDING APRIL AND MAY, 2025.GRIM, MAYBE OR NOT MR. TAN LIP.
AND MR. I WAS GONNA SAY, AND MR. ALL RIGHT, I'M HERE FOR THE GRAND FINALE.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR, LICHTER, VICE CHAIR, HARVEY, DR. ROGERS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M HERE TO, UH, PRESENT THE MAY YEAR TO DATE BUDGET REPORT, WHICH IS THE NINTH BUDGET REPORT YOU'VE RECEIVED THIS YEAR.
AND MR. CS, UH, KICKED OFF THE PRE PRESENTATION OF THIS REPORT, UM, IN MAY.
SO NEXT PAGE OR I HAVE THE NEXT PAGE.
UH, THE FIRST UH, PAGE JUST GIVES YOU A LITTLE, UH, SUMMARY OF THE REVENUE FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
UH, SO YEAR TO DATE, WE RECEIVED $1.8 BILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT 92% OF THE BUDGET.
UM, UH, THE REPORT COMPLIES THE REPORT THAT YOU RECEIVE COMPLIES WITH ALL MSCE AND COUNTY, UH, REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
THE MAJORITY OF OUR REVENUES ARE, UH, RECEIVED MONTHLY AND CONSIST OF REGULAR DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE COUNTY AND STATE.
UH, WHILE THE COUNT FOR THE COUNTY, WE REQUEST, UH, THE REVENUE AS WE NEED IT TO MEET PAYROLL AND OTHER EXPENSES.
WHILE ALMOST ALL OF THE STATE REVENUE, STATE AID BLUEPRINT, ET CETERA, IS AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO US IN BI-MONTHLY PAYMENTS.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO REQUEST THAT THOUGH.
THERE IS SOME STATE REVENUE THAT'S REIMBURSABLE, SUCH AS NON-PUBLIC PLACEMENT.
UM, OTHER REVENUE, WHICH IS OUR OTHER LARGE BUCKET, IS MOSTLY, UM, FOR OUR FUND BALANCE USAGE, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME SMALLER STREAMS SUCH AS, UH, INTEREST INCOME, AND THEN WE GET VERY LITTLE FEDERAL REVENUE IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
IT'S REALLY JUST OUR ROTC, UH, REIMBURSEMENT.
UM, AND HERE'S JUST A SHOT OF THE YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES IN THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, IT'S SPLIT UP INTO THE ACTIVITIES THAT THIS BOARD IS USED TO SEEING.
UH, IT'S HOW YOU APPROVE AND ADOPT THE BUDGET FOR THE YEAR.
UH, YOU SAW IT RECENTLY WITH OUR BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER AND OUR SUPPLEMENTAL EVERYTHING IS BY ACTIVITY.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE YEAR TO DATE SPENDING BY ACTIVITY HERE.
UM, OUR EXPENDITURES ARE ABOUT 1.84 BILLION OR 93.9% OF THE BUDGET.
UM, PAYROLL AND BENEFITS ARE MOST OF OUR BUDGET, WHICH YOU'VE HEARD MANY TIMES OVER 82%.
UM, THE ACTIVITIES DRIVEN BY SALARIES, WHICH ARE ADMINISTRATION, UH, MID-LEVEL ADMINISTRATION, INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES, SPECIAL ED, GENERALLY, UH, GO PROPORTIONAL, UH, TO THE PERCENT OF THE YEAR THAT HAS EXPIRED SINCE, UH, IT'S PROPORTIONAL TO OUR PAYCHECKS.
YOU CAN SEE THERE, THERE'S TWO, UH, ACTIVITIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY OVERSPENT THROUGH MAY.
UM, UH, AND THAT'S, UH, ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS DUE TO THE ERP PROJECT
[03:15:01]
AND MAINTENANCE OF PLANT DUE TO MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS, RELOCATABLES AND FUEL.AND THERE'S ALSO TWO CATEGORIES THAT ARE JUST ABOUT OVERSPENT, OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL COSTS, WHICH IS DUE TO KELLY SERVICES, UH, AND THE PRIVATE PRE-K, UH, BILL THAT WE JUST STARTED PAYING THIS YEAR.
AND ALSO SPECIAL ED DUE TO, UH, ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE OR RELATED SERVICES.
HOWEVER, ALL ACTIVITIES WILL BE IN BALANCE AT YEAR END, UH, ONCE THE BAT AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ARE PULLED INTO THE BUDGET.
THAT'S ACTUALLY OCCURRED ALREADY IN JUNE AFTER, UH, THIS BOARD APPROVED BOTH DOCUMENTS.
AND THEN THE COUNTY COUNCIL IN THE BEGINNING OF JUNE, UM, APPROVED BOTH OF THOSE, UH, REQUESTS.
THEY'VE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE BUDGET.
SO WHEN WE SHOW YOU THE YEAR END REPORT, YOU'LL SEE THE EXTRA $35 MILLION FROM THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION AND DOLLARS WILL HAVE MOVED BETWEEN ACTIVITIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BAT, UH, THAT YOU APPROVED.
UM, SO EVERYTHING WILL BE COPACETIC AT THAT POINT.
AND THEN, UH, FOR THE LAST PAGE, UH, WE'RE JUST GONNA SHOW YOU A LITTLE SNIPPET ON OUR YEAR TO DATE, SPECIAL REVENUE OR GRANT EXPENDITURES.
NOW THIS 676 MILLION IS NOT WHAT WE HAVE SPENT THIS YEAR.
UH, THIS PARTICULAR REPORT SHOWS, UM, PROJECT TO DATE COST FOR ALL OF OUR ACTIVE GRANTS.
THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN THE AMOUNT THAT YOU APPROVE IN THE, UH, ANNUAL BUDGET.
UM, I THINK WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT COVID AND ESSER FUNDS.
THE, UH, BCPS DID A FABULOUS JOB OF GETTING ALL OUR, UH, ALL OF OUR, UH, EXPENDITURES IN AND EXPENSE.
NOTHING WAS LEFT ON THE TABLE OTHER THAN JUST A, A COUPLE OF DOLLARS HERE AND THERE, BUT REALLY A NICE JOB.
THE VAST MAJORITY WENT, UH, TO COMPENSATION FOR TEACHERS IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, WHETHER IT WAS THE 15 MINUTES, WHETHER IT WAS TUTORING, WHETHER IT WAS BONUSES, ET CETERA.
UH, GRANTS ARE PRIMARILY REIMBURSABLE AS WE EXPEND THE MONEY IT GETS, UH, REIMBURSED TO US.
UH, THERE IS A LAG DEPENDING ON TIMING AND THE PROCESS FOR BOTH, UH, THE STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS.
AND THE LARGEST STATE GRANT, WHICH WILL COME OF NO SURPRISE DOWN HERE IS OUR CON OUR CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY GRANT, WHICH IS FAIRLY NEW, WHICH IS 37 MILLION THIS YEAR, GROWING RAPIDLY, UH, IN FY 26 AND OUR LARGEST FEDERAL GRANTS.
OUR TITLE ONE AT 57 MILLION AND THE IDA SPECIAL ED PASS THROUGH GRANT AT ABOUT $33 MILLION.
UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
YOU GOT BOTH THE APRIL AND MAY REPORTS POSTED TO BOARD DOCS, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? OKAY, THANK YOU.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION.
WHICH INCLUDES THE BOARD POLICY SCHEDULE FOR 25, 26 AND EDITING CONVENTIONS.
OH, I'M SORRY, MS. I'M GONNA ASK YOU, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION.
UM, I KNOW THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE JUNE, BUT ARE WE PROTECTING TO STAY WITHIN BUDGET AFTER JUNE? TOTALS ARE ACCUMULATED.
WE WILL BE ON BUDGET IN ALL ACTIVITIES.
UH, WHICH WAS, UM, THAT WAS REALLY THE PURPOSE OF OUR BUDGET, APPROPRIATION, TRANSFER, AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL TO MAKE SURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR FORECAST, WE GOT EVERYTHING INTO BALANCE AND WE'RE STILL PROJECTING THAT WE WILL BE IN BALANCE IN ALL ACTIVITIES AT YEAR END.
AND THEN LASTLY, I KNOW THIS ISN'T WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, BUT UM, AS WE ARE ALREADY PREPARING FOR THE 2027 OPERATING BUDGET SCHEDULE, DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE COMPLETE AMENDED VERSION OF THE 2026 BUDGET WILL BE AVAILABLE? UH, DO YOU MEAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET BOOK? THE AMENDED? YES, THE AMENDED JULY.
IT'LL BE AVAILABLE THIS MONTH.
UH, MS. DOKI, WE'LL SEND AN EMAIL AS SOON AS IT IS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE.
IT IS IN FINAL, UH, REVIEW PHASE NOW.
[Q. INFORMATION (9:35 p.m.)]
ITEMS, THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON APPEALS AND HEARING HANDBOOK.THE REVISED 25 26 SCHOOL CALENDAR, WHICH INCLUDES UPDATED LANGUAGE AND THE ADDITION OF THE CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS AND OFFICES FOR PRIMARY ELECTIONS AND REVISION TO SUPERINTENDENTS RULES.
12 40 40 10, 55, 50 63 0 7, 64 0 1, AND 6,500.
[03:20:01]
NEXT[R. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING (9:35 - 9:45 p.m.)]
ARE TIME FOR BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING ITEMS IF THERE ARE ANY.SO PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU HAVE, UM, AN AGENDA ITEM OR A COMMENT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE.
I THEN NEXT IS Y'ALL SURPRISE ME SOMETIMES
[S. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:45 p.m.)]
THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.THE BOARD WILL HOLD A SPECIAL VIRTUAL MEETING FOR PERSONNEL MATTERS ONLY ON TUESDAY, JULY 22ND, 2025 AT SIX 30.
OUR NEXT BOARD MEMBER BOARD MEETING WILL BE ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 12TH, 2025 AT 6:30 PM THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR JOINING US TONIGHT, AND THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.