[00:00:01]
JANE LICHTER.I CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH, 2025.
THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, XFINITY CHANNEL 1 0 7 3 AND VERIZON FIOS, CHANNEL 34.
IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, ALL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[A. CLOSED SESSION]
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, BE ONE AND B SEVEN TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS, AND CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE.MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN JANE LICHTER.
I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH, 2025.
[B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
TO RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, XFINITY CHANNEL 1 0 7 3 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 DECEMBER 16TH AGENDA.DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I AM UNAWARE OF ANY CHANGES TO THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
THE AGENDA STANDS AS PRESENTED EARLY THIS EVENING.
THE BOARD MET AND CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPENS MEETING ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS, AND CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE.
THE CLOSED SESSION SUMMARY AND THE OPEN SESSION INFORMATION SUMMARY CAN BE FOUND ON BOARD DOCS UNDER THIS BOARD MEETING 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.
LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL MATTERS.
WE HAVE RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, AND EDUCATOR LICENSURE APPOINTMENTS.
SECOND, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D THREE? SO MOVED.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, YOUNG.
ANY DISCUSSION GUSHY? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
[00:05:01]
THE NEXT ITEM ON[E. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Rogers) (6:50 - 7:00 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M BRINGING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR YOUR APPROVAL COORDINATOR, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ARBUTUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, FISCAL SUPERVISOR THREE, OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER AND BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST, DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT E ONE? SO MOVE YOUNG.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND LESKI.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS ANNETTE HEIMLICH.
PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
ANNETTE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND RICHARD AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE FISCAL SUPERVISOR THREE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER WITH 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
HER PRIOR SERVICE INCLUDES BUSINESS UNIT UNIT CONTROLLER AT FLEX LIMITED OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR AT BENEFIT DESIGN GROUP AND FINANCIAL CONTROLLER AT AMWINS CONNECT ADMINISTRATORS.
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO BCPS.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT THIS EVENING IS CHANTEL JACOBS.
PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
CHANTEL IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING WITH HER HUSBAND DUANE AND PRINCIPAL SAMANTHA, AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT ARBUTUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH SIX YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL.
CHANTEL'S BCPS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TEACHER AND READING SPECIALIST AT LIONS MILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHER AT OUR BUTAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
PRIOR TO THAT, CHANTEL SERVED AS A TEACHER IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS NICOLE TORBET.
PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED AND NICOLE IS ATTENDING THIS EVENING AND IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE COORDINATOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES.
SHE'S ALSO ATTENDING WITH THE DIRECTOR, OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES, NANCY TUCCI WITH 11 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
NICOLE'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES SCHOOL NURSE AT DEEP CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND WITH THE OFFICE OF HEALTH SERVICES AND SUPERVISOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES.
PRIOR TO THAT, NICOLE SERVED AS A REGISTERED NURSE AT ST.
ELIZABETH'S SCHOOL AND REHABILITATION CENTER AND WITH THE BALTIMORE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
OUR FINAL APPOINTMENT FOR THIS EVENING IS OLIVIA BONNER.
OLIVIA IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION WITH EIGHT YEARS OF SERVICE.
OLIVIA'S SERVICES INCLUDE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONISTS, ADVANCED BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONISTS, A B, A AUTISM INSTRUCTOR, AND A BA SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR AT TRELLIS SERVICES AND BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST AT COLUMBUS ORGANIZATION.
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO BCPS OLIVIA.
THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE APPOINTEES.
[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 ME, IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG.
THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HOMELAND SECURITY UNIT AND THE OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAVE 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 FORM TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE MATTERS OR TO COMMENT ON MATTERS THAT DO NOT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
INAPPROPRIATE PERSONAL REMARKS OR OTHER BEHAVIORS SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-B-C-P-S EMPLOYEE OR THAT DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
PERSONS WHO OTHERWISE DISRUPT OR DISTURB THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THEIR REMARKS AND WILL BE ESCORTED FROM THE MEETING.
[00:10:01]
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'LL START WITH OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS.
OH, AND WE DO NOT HAVE ANYBODY THIS EVENING.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE RIGHT ON TO OUR, OUR UNIONS AND OUR SPEAKER IS KELLY OLDS FROM TAPCO.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT.
I WAS FORTUNATE TO SPEND PART OF LAST WEEK WITH EDUCATORS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WHERE WE DISCUSSED MANY TOPICS THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY FACING IN EDUCATION.
WE DISCUSSED THE NE, THE NECESSITY IN UNDERSTANDING THAT REAL CHANGE TAKES TIME AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO NOT BE SHORTSIGHTED IN OUR GOALS OF THIS.
WHEN WE ARE SHORTSIGHTED IN THE GOALS FOR OUR STUDENTS' GROWTH, WE MISS OPPORTUNITIES FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE AND POSITIVE MOVEMENT.
THERE WAS ALSO A COMMON THREAD OF CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW VALUES ARE REFLECTED IN OUR BUDGETS.
AMONG TAB CO'S VALUES IS THE PRINCIPLE OF ADVOCACY.
WE BELIEVE IN PROMOTING THE BETTERMENT OF EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES.
SOMETIMES THIS MEANS STANDING UP ALONE AND SOMETIMES WITH FRIENDS AND PARTNERS TO SAY WHAT IS NEEDED FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE ADULTS WHO SERVE THEM TO SAY WHAT IS RIGHT.
I'M DOING THAT NOW AND I'M ASKING YOU TO JOIN US.
LET US WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BUDGET OUR STUDENTS NEED.
ONE THAT HONORS OUR NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS AND PRESERVES THE STAFF NEEDED TO APPROPRIATELY SERVE THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
ONE THAT KEEPS US MOVING OUR STUDENTS FORWARD.
I'M ASKING US TO TRULY COLLABORATE.
I PROPOSE THAT WE MEET JOINTLY WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
I'M ASKING YOU TO JOIN ME AND TABCO MEMBERS PUBLICLY TO SAY IF WHAT IS CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED FOR MONEY OVER MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT IS NOT ENOUGH IN ORDER TO FUND THE AGREED UPON SALARIES WITHOUT MAKING MORE DRASTIC CUTS TO STAFF AND THEREFORE LIMITING WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR THE STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE, THEN WE NEED MORE.
WE DON'T NEED CUTS IN THIS COUNTY NOT CUTS TO PAY AND CUTS TO STAFF BECAUSE THESE CUTS ARE CUTS TO OUR STUDENTS.
WE'VE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD AND WE DON'T NEED TO DO IT AGAIN.
INSTEAD OF A LOT OF ENERGY BEING SPENT THIS SPRING FIGHTING FOR SOMETHING WE'VE ALREADY BEEN PROMISED, LET US STAND TOGETHER NOW AND SAY IN A UNIFIED VOICE THAT THIS IS WHAT OUR CHILDREN NEED, AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT I MEAN BY WHAT OUR CHILDREN NEED.
THEY NEED THEIR VETERAN TEACHERS TO BE IN THE SYSTEM BECAUSE OUR KIDS NEED THAT EXPERIENCE, BOTH FOR TEACHING THEM AND FOR MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF EDUCATORS.
OUR KIDS ALSO NEED THE NEXT GENERATION TO COME THROUGH.
THEY NEED YOUNG EDUCATORS TO WANT TO COME HERE AND WANT TO STAY.
THAT IS DONE IN PART BY RESPECTING OUR EDUCATORS, WHICH MEANS ALLOWING US TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS AS THINGS CHANGE, COMMUNICATING WITH EDUCATORS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS OF DECISIONS AND RESPECTING ADDIT EXISTING AGREEMENTS.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS THIS EVENING.
SO OUR NEXT IS OUR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. NAVIN.
SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M A-B-C-P-S PARENT AND THE LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST AT DUNDALK HIGH SCHOOL.
AS WE WORK TO REVERSE DECLINING READING SCORES AND WIDENING ACADEMIC GAPS, WE MUST FOCUS ON WHAT DECADES OF RESEARCH TELLS US.
STRONG SCHOOL LIBRARY STAFF BY FULL-TIME CERTIFIED LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS.
MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF RESEARCH ACROSS MORE THAN 60 STUDIES SHOW THAT STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO WELL-RESOURCED LIBRARIES AND CERTIFIED LIBRARIANS SCORE HIGHER ON STANDARDIZED TESTS, PERFORM BETTER IN READING AND MATH, AND GRADUATE AT HIGHER RATES.
THESE FINDINGS HOLD TRUE EVEN WHEN CONTROLLING FOR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
THE RESEARCH IS EQUALLY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIBRARIANS ARE REMOVED.
NATIONALLY, STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT SCHOOL LIBRARIAN LOSSES CORRELATE WITH DECREASES IN SCORES.
THESE DECLINES ARE PREDICTABLE AND PREVENTABLE.
LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS AREN'T A LUXURY LUXURY.
WE ARE AN EVIDENCE-BASED ACADEMIC SUPPORT.
YET, DESPITE THIS OVERWHELMING RESEARCH, OUR DISTRICT IS MOVING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION DUE TO CHANGES IN THE
[00:15:01]
STAFFING GUIDANCE AND EXCESS POSITIONS.LAST YEAR, HALF OF OUR SECONDARY LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO TEACH OUTSIDE OF THEIR SECONDARY PRIMARY ROLE, RESTRICTING ACCESS TO BOTH THE LIBRARY AND THE EXPERTISE OF THE LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS THAT STUDENTS RELY ON.
WE KNOW THIS IS INEQUITABLE AND NOT EDUCATIONALLY SOUND PRACTICE.
THE INEQUITY CREATED BY THIS DECISION IS PROFOUND.
ACCESS TO A FULL-TIME LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL IN BCPS NOW DEPENDS ON YOUR ZIP CODE AND THE DISCRETION OF YOUR PRINCIPAL.
SOME STUDENTS STILL BENEFIT FROM A FULL-TIME CERTIFIED LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST, WHILE OTHERS DO NOT.
THIS IS NOT A SMALL DISPARITY.
IT IS A STRUCTURAL INEQUITY THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITY, LITERACY DEVELOPMENT, AND LONG-TERM ACHIEVEMENT.
WHEN LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS ARE ALLOWED TO FULFILL THEIR ROLES, THE RESULTS ARE UNDENIABLE.
AT DUN DUCK HIGH SCHOOL WHERE I HAVE NOT BEEN ASSIGNED OUTSIDE CLASSES, I HAVE CO-TAUGHT MORE THAN 140 CLASSES SO FAR THIS YEAR, SUPPORTING RESEARCH SKILLS, DIGITAL LITERACY, AND CRITICAL THINKING.
OUR LIBRARY HAS CIRCULATED MORE THAN 3,600 BOOKS, SUPPORTING GAINS IN LITERACY AND READING STAMINA AT A SCHOOL OF ROUGHLY 1800 STUDENTS.
THAT'S ALMOST TWO BOOKS PER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WITHIN FOUR MONTHS.
WHEN A LIBRARY IS STAFFED APPROPRIATELY, STUDENTS USE IT, TEACHERS RELY ON IT, AND ACADEMIC OUTCOMES IMPROVE.
I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT IN OUR CURRENT FISCAL CLIMATE, THESE STAFFING CHANGES ARE NOT A TEMPORARY STOP GAP, BUT A SOFT REMOVAL OF SECONDARY LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS.
IF THAT HAPPENS, THE ACADEMIC DECLINE THAT FOLLOWS WILL NOT BE A SURPRISE.
IF WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT LITERACY, EQUITY, AND PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS, THEN WE MUST RESTORE AND PROTECT FULL-TIME CERTIFIED LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS IN EVERY SECONDARY SCHOOL.
OUR STUDENTS DESERVE NOTHING LESS.
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO CALL ON THE NEXT SPEAKER AND THEN YOU CAN GET YOUR STUFF READY.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHARON SOFF.
I'M HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ABOUT BALTIMORE COUNTY'S BEST KEPT SECRET HOME AND HOSPITAL.
I WONDER HOW MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE OF THIS PROGRAM, WHAT IT'S USED FOR AND HOW IT WORKS? I HAVE SEVERAL CLIENTS CURRENTLY AND HAVE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND IT'S STILL A MYSTERY TO ME AND A MYSTERY TO EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL THAT I'VE WORKED WITH.
HOLMAN HOSPITAL IS A PROGRAM THAT EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS THAT IS PROVIDED TO STUDENTS WHO CANNOT ACCESS THE SCHOOL BUILDING FOR LEARNING EITHER FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME.
SOME OF THE STUDENTS NEED TO ACCESS HOME AND HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF A PHYSICAL CONDITION OR MEDICAL CONDITION, AND SOME STUDENTS NEED TO ACCESS IT BECAUSE OF A MENTAL HEALTH SITUATION.
IT'S USUALLY AVAILABLE FOR 60 DAYS AND SUPPOSEDLY YOU CAN GET THAT INFORMATION IN YOUR COUNSELING OFFICE AT THE SCHOOL, AND I'M GONNA SAY SUPPOSEDLY, BECAUSE UNLESS YOU ARE AWARE OF IT, YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT AND NEITHER DOES THE SCHOOL, SCHOOL DOESN'T SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
ANOTHER THING THAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS THAT IT'S NOT UNIFORM ACROSS THE COUNTY.
RECENTLY I HAD A STUDENT WHO HAD HOME AND HOSPITAL FOR 60 DAYS AND HE HAD MORE THAN TWO IEP GOALS TO WORK ON.
HE ONLY WORKED ON TWO OF THEM.
THAT WAS THE GUIDANCE THAT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GOT.
PICK TWO GOALS, WORK ON THOSE FOR THE 60 DAYS YOU'RE IN HOME AND HOSPITAL AND THEN YOU CAN COME BACK TO SCHOOL AND BE WE ON, BE ON THE SAME PAGE AS EVERYBODY ELSE.
[00:20:01]
FOR ME AND IT DIDN'T WORK FOR THE CLIENT 'CAUSE THE KID'S FAILING RIGHT NOW.YOU DON'T PICK JUST TWO GOALS AND WORK ON ONLY THAT FOR 60 DAYS AND THEN EXPECT THE CHILD COME BACK INTO THE BUILDING AND BE ABLE TO PASS.
I URGE THE SCHOOL BOARD TO PLEASE MAKE THEMSELVES FAMILIAR.
I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.
UM, HAPPY HOLIDAY FOR ANYONE, UH, WHICHEVER HOLIDAY PEOPLE CELEBRATE AND HOLIDAYS ARE REALLY ABOUT PEACE, ABOUT LOVE, ABOUT
BUT IF YOU REMEMBER THE PAST MEETING OF DECEMBER 2ND, I DIDN'T SEE ANY LOVE.
CERTAINLY I DIDN'T SEE ANY PEOPLE TEAMING UP OR GETTING TOGETHER, AND I REALLY WANT TO REFLECT TO YOU AS AN INDEPENDENT, A OBSERVER, WATCHING AND LISTENING, WATCHING YOUR BODY LANGUAGE AND LISTENING TO YOUR WORDS.
IT TOOK MORE THAN AN HOUR TO DO THE ELECTIONS.
EVERYBODY GOT NAMED NOMINATED, STUDENT MEMBER WAS NOMINATED.
UH, THAT'S FIRST IN MY HISTORY OF 25 PLUS YEARS WATCHING THE BOARD.
I WONDER, NOBODY REALLY NOMINATED ME.
I HAVE BEEN LONGER HERE THAN ANYBODY ELSE.
UM, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES, UM, I TRY TO JUST REALLY FOCUS ON EDUCATION, UM, AND POLITICS DOES NOT REALLY HELP THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
IT WAS SO CLEAR ON DECEMBER 12 THAT THERE WAS ONE GROUP OF FIVE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO THE OTHER SIDE AND DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN, INCLUDING NAMING THE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD FOR POSITION OF VICE CHAIR.
AND THERE IS ANOTHER GROUP, SIX OF YOU COMPLETELY CLOSED ON THE IDEA OF MANN COMPLETELY CLOSED ON THE IDEA OF ENGAGING WITH OTHERS.
WHAT DID THE STUDENTS LEARN FROM DECEMBER 2ND? NOT REALLY GOOD.
THE WAY YOU CONDUCTED YOURSELVES LOOKED ORGANIZED, BUT I DON'T THINK IT IS A PLUS FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SANTINA GENTI.
UH, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UH, MY NAME IS SANTINA GENTI AND I AM A-B-C-P-S PARENT AND LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST.
AND THIS YEAR ENGLISH TEACHER.
I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR MAINTAINING FULL-TIME CERTIFIED LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS IN BCPS SECONDARY SCHOOL.
UH, RIGHT NOW HALF OF ALL SECONDARY LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS ARE ASSIGNED TO TEACHING ROLES OUTSIDE OF THE LIBRARY.
HOWEVER, RESEARCH AND OUR OWN DISTRICT SUCCESS SHOWS THESE POSITIONS ARE ESSENTIAL TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
DECADES OF RESEARCH, INCLUDING OVER 34 STATEWIDE STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THAT SCHOOLS WITH CERTIFIED MEDIA SPECIALISTS HAVE HIGHER
[00:25:01]
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, STRONGER READING AND WRITING OUTCOMES, INCREASED GRADUATION RATES, EVEN AFTER CONTROLLING FOR POVERTY AND OTHER FACTORS IN BCPS.THIS SUCCESS IS THE RESULT OF INTENTIONAL PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.
EACH YEAR, EVERY LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST ANALYZES SCHOOL AND STUDENT DATA AND DEVELOPS A COMPREHENSIVE CO COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT PLAN ALIGNED TO CURRICULUM, ENROLLMENT, LITERACY NEEDS, AND EQUITY OF ACCESS.
THIS DATA DRIVEN WORK REFLECTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY STANDARDS, WHICH DEFINE LIBRARIANS AS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS, COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS, AND INFORMATION SPECIALISTS, UH, BEYOND COLLECTION MANAGEMENT BCPS, LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS TEACH RESEARCH CRITICAL THINKING, DIGITAL LITERACY.
WE CO-PLAN AND CO-TEACH WITH OUR CLASSROOM TEACHERS.
WE MANAGE PRINT AND DIGITAL COLLECTIONS.
WE SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION.
WE LEAD EQUITY INQUIRY AND INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM INITIATIVES.
UH, THESE ARE NOT SUPPORT TASKS.
THEY ARE INSTRUCTIONAL AND LEADERSHIP ROLES.
THIS COMPREHENSIVE STANDARDS ALIGNED APPROACH, EARNED BCPS, THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAM OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 2017, A NATIONAL RECOGNITION OF NOT JUST OUR COLLECTIONS, BUT OUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE, OUR COLLABORATION AND IMPACT ON TEACHING AND LEARNING RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CERTIFIED LIBRARIANS OUR WORK SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES STUDENT OUTCOMES, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR, LOW INCOME STUDENTS AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
WITH SOME STUDIES SHOWING MORE THAN DOUBLED RATES OF ADVANCED WRITING PERFORMANCE, MAINTAINING THESE POSITIONS IS THEREFORE AN ISSUE OF EQUITY AND ACCESS, NOT CONVENIENCE.
UH, BCPS HAS BUILT A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RESEARCH BACKED MODEL.
ASSIGNING CERTIFIED LIBRARIANS TO TEACH CONTENT CLASSES INSTEAD OF PROVIDING LIBRARY SERVICES IS A STEP BACKWARD THAT DOES NOT SERVE BCP S'S STATED STUDENT OUTCOMES.
I URGE YOU TO PROTECT FULL-TIME CERTIFIED LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS IN THEIR POSITION AS THE MEDIA SPECIALIST IN THE LIBRARY AND CONTINUE INVEST INVESTING IN PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE TRULY CAPABLE OF TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND COMMITMENT TO BCPS STUDENTS.
NEXT, NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON BOARD POLICY 1600 PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS.
AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS BA FARONE.
LINE NUMBER EIGHT, NOT A BIG DEAL, BUT IT SAYS, COMMITTED TO OFFERING A VARIETY OF INNOVATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS. THE WORD INNOVATIVE, I THINK IT IS EXTRA.
IT REALLY DOESN'T ADD TO IT WHAT KIND, WHAT COUNTS AS THE INNOVATION.
THEN LINE 25 TALKS ABOUT, UH, PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS NON-SECTARIAN IN ALL PRAGUE PROGRAMS, POLICIES, OPERATIONS, OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS, UM, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
AND MY THOUGHT IS, NOW, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, ALL RIGHT? YOU TAKE IT THE WAY YOU WANT.
I HAVE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
THIS POLICY BASICALLY SAYS THAT SCHOOLS AS SUCH ARE ALMOST A MIRROR OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO, UH, COMPLY WITH NO DISCRIMINATION OPEN FOR EVERYONE, UH, POLICIES APPROVED BY THE BOARD, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
AND I REALLY WONDER THEN, WHY HAVE THIS SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, TO ME IT LOOKS LIKE A MIRROR OF B-C-P-S-I, I DON'T GET IT.
I DON'T REMEMBER REALLY HEARING IN THE PAST ANY EXPLANATION ABOUT THAT.
SO I THOUGHT TO THROW THAT IN YOU.
UH, I THINK THE POLICY NEEDS TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT THE BENEFIT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS.
THE BOARD SHALL NOT GRANT A CHARTER TO, AND THEN IN LINE 25 SAYS A SCHOOL THAT OPERATES FULLY ONLINE.
SO HIGH TECH IS COMING ON US, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ET CETERA.
[00:30:01]
I DON'T SEE REALLY THE VALUE OF THIS.I MEAN, IF IT IS GOOD FOR A MORTAR KIND OF A SCHOOL, IT SHOULD BE GOOD FOR A SCHOOL THAT OPERATES ONLY ONLINE.
I THINK DOWN THE ROAD, UH, THE USE OF SUCH REMOTE TEACHING IS GOING TO BE COST EFFECTIVE AND REALLY MUCH BETTER THAN THE SYSTEM WE HAVE HERE AND PUTTING IT THERE.
I THINK IT'S FLYING AGAINST THE PROGRESS THAT WE ARE ALL SEEING AROUND US.
THAT'S MY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS POLICY.
OUR NEXT BOARD POLICY FOR COMMENT IS 42 0 1 COMPENSATION BENEFITS AND RETIREMENT.
FRON AND THE FIRST PARAGRAPH TALKS ABOUT BENEFITS, EMPLOYEES NEEDS, BENEFITS, ESPECIALLY HEALTHCARE.
UM, BUT AS OFTEN THE SUPERINTENDENT AND OTHERS SHOWN THAT MOST OF THE BUDGET GOES TO THE STAFF, THINK ABOUT 70% OR SO.
UH, AND OF COURSE, INSURANCE COST QUITE A BIT OF MONEY, AND I SEE HERE HEALTHCARE, AND I SAW IN THIS POLICY ALSO, UH, LIFE INSURANCE.
LIFE INSURANCE IN MY OPINION IS PERSONAL.
UM, SO THAT'S REALLY EXTRA COST FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UH, VERSUS LIKE DISABILITY INSURANCE IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN LIFE INSURANCE BECAUSE WHEN A PERSON DIES DEAD, YOU KNOW, IT'S DONE.
BUT WHEN A PERSON BECOMES DISABLED AND HAS TO LIVE WITH THEIR DISABILITY, THEY NEED DISABILITY INSURANCE.
I THINK THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE BENEFITS FOR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND LAST, BUT NOT REALLY LEAST, UM, THIS POLICY TALKS ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THE BENEFITS FOR RETAINING QUALIFIED STAFF.
SO I STARTED OBSERVING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH DR. BERGER, 1994 OR 95, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE THESE FOR A LONG TIME.
I DON'T SEE AN EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS THAT HAVING LIFE INSURANCE, HEALTHCARE, OR ANY OTHER BENEFITS IS REALLY SOLVING THAT ISSUE, WHICH HAS BEEN THERE FOR THE PAST 20 OR MAYBE 30 YEARS.
YOU KNOW, TO CLAIM THAT THESE BENEFITS ARE HELPING RETAIN QUALIFIED TEACHERS, EFFECTIVE TEACHERS NEEDS TO BE SUPPORTED BY DATA.
AND I DON'T SEE THAT MYSELF WATCHING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM EVERY TWO WEEKS COMING HERE READING ABOUT YOU.
AND THE LAST, UM, BOARD POLICY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IS 53, 20 STUDENT ACTIVITIES, STUDENT ORGANIZATION AND CLUBS, DR.
THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING.
THE FIRST PARAGRAPH TALKS ABOUT ESTABLISHMENT OF STUDENT CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ENGAGEMENT IN LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY.
AND I BELIEVE SOMEWHERE THERE TALKS ABOUT IN SECOND PARAGRAPH THAT NEEDS TO BE AUTHORIZED AND APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATION.
WELL, IF STUDENTS CLUBS ARE APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATION, THEN THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION HAS SERIOUS INFLUENCE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE STUDENTS AND THE SELECTIONS OF STUDENTS.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT, I THINK FOR US HERE IN, IN THE BOARD IS THE CHOICE OF THE STUDENT, MEMBER OF THE BOARD.
AND IF ADMINISTRATION HAS SUCH INFLUENCE ON THESE CLUBS, THEN THEY COULD HAVE UNDUE INFLUENCE ON WHO IS CHOSEN TO BE THE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD.
AND THAT INFLUENCE AFFECTS THE OUTCOME.
AS YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S THE SOLUTION OF THAT.
I POSE IT TO YOU AS A CONCERN,
[00:35:02]
UH, ABOUT THIS POLICY.UM, HISTORICALLY, UH, WHEN THE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD DID NOT HAVE AUTHORITY TO, UM, VOTE ON BUDGET AND OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS, SYSTEM WORKED FINE, THEN POLITICIANS WANTED SOME SORT OF A, A CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD CAN VOTE ON ALL ISSUES, INCLUDING OBJECT.
AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY MINGLING.
AGAIN, POLITICS WITH EDUCATION, POLITICS AND RELIGIONS DON'T GO ALONG WITH GOOD EDUCATION.
THEY REALLY MAKE THE SYSTEM INEFFECTIVE.
AS I HAVE WATCHED YEARS AFTER, YEARS AFTER YEARS, POLITICS AND RELIGION ARE NOT REALLY GOOD MIX WITH EDUCATION.
[G. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (7:40 - 7:45 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION.AND FOR THAT I CALL HIM MR. BURNS.
TER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR. ROGERS.
UM, OVER THE LAST TWO, UH, CLOSED SESSIONS, THE BOARD TOOK ACTION TWO APPEALS ONE, HEA, UH, 26 DASH 0 0 9.
THE OTHER, UH, HEA DASH UH, ZERO 14.
NOW WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR THE BOARD TO AFFIRM THE ACTION THAT TOOK IN THOSE CASES.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ACTIONS TAKEN ENCLO SESSION ON HEARING EXAMINER CASES HEA 26 DASH OH NINE AND AUTHORIZE MS. GOVER TO SIGN FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT? SO MOVE YOUNG.
MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, HARVEY.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ACTIONS TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION ON HEARING EXAMINER CASE HEA 26 DASH OH ONE FOUR AND AUTHORIZE MS. GOR TO SIGN FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT? SO MOVE YOUNG.
MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, EY.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLE CALLED VOTE PLEASE? MS. DOKI? YES.
[H. NEW BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (7:45 - 8:00 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS NEW BUSINESS REPORT ON BOARD POLICIES.THIS IS THE FIRST READER FOR THESE POLICIES, AND FOR THAT I CALL MS. CHRISTINA HUMPHREY, CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THIS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, BOARD POLICY 1600 PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS, BOARD POLICY 42 0 1, EMPLOYEE INSURANCE BENEFITS BOARD POLICY 53 20 STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUBS.
THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBITS H ONE THROUGH H THREE.
BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATIONS? MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICY 1642 0 1 AND 53 20.
SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE.
[I. WORK SESSION - PROPOSED FY2027 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET (Dr. Grim) (8:00 - 8:20 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE WORK SESSION ON THE PROPOSED FY 2027 COUNTY CAPITAL BUDGET REQUEST.[00:40:01]
I CALL ON DR.WE'RE HERE THIS EVENING TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ON THE PROPOSED FY 27 COUNTY CAPITAL REQUEST.
THAT COULD BE OUR QUICKEST PRESENTATION EVER.
YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR SEATS,
[J. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. Mullenax, Ms. Myers, and Ms. Mustipher) (8:20 - 8:40 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS, SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND RELATED SERVICES.MUL NEXT, MS. MEYERS AND MS. MUSTER.
AND I BELIEVE DR. ROGERS DIDN'T GET IT STARTED, AND YOU GUYS CAN COME UP.
I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA BE AS QUICK AS OUR LAST REPORT.
UM, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR, LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UH, WE HAVE BOTH MS. MEYERS AND MS. MUSTER WHO ARE HERE TO PROVIDE AN IN DEPTH REPORT ON SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES UPDATE TO MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS.
UM, IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
DURING THIS PRESENTATION, THERE ARE THREE MAIN AREAS THAT THEY WILL SPEAK ABOUT.
UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION AND BCPS, THAT CONTEXT AND VISION TO PROVIDE, UH, SOME CRITICAL, UH, INFORMATION TO OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, WHAT THE EXISTING ACCOUNTABLE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES AND STRUCTURES ARE AT THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS, AS WELL AS INTEGRATED STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES.
UH, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS AN AREA OF INTEREST AS EVERYONE KNOWS.
UH, THREE YEARS AGO, WE IDENTIFIED, UH, SPECIFIC ACADEMIC PRIORITIES FOR BCPS IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR DATA, UM, AND THE ANALYSIS OF THAT.
UH, IN ADDITION TO LOOKING AT LITERACY AND MATHEMATICS, SPECIAL EDUCATION AND MULTILINGUAL, UH, LEARNING, UH, WERE ON OUR LIST AND CONTINUE TO BE ON OUR LIST FOR AREAS OF, UH, FOCUS AND TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
WANT TO SHARE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF DATA TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT HERE ABOUT BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
UH, THIS DATA IS DATA THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH AS WE HAVE, UH, SHARED WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT, UH, LOOKING AT OUR STUDENTS AND HOW STUDENTS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
OUR STUDENT NEEDS CONTINUE TO INCREASE.
OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE HAVE HAD MORE THAN, UH, DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.
UM, A GROWTH OF MORE THAN 49% IN MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
AND, UM, 1.7% INCREASE IN OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
BECAUSE WE ARE DOING A DEEP DIVE INTO A SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHARE, UM, CHANGES BY STUDENT GROUP, BY THEIR AGE BANDS.
UM, HERE, IF YOU LOOK AT A 10 YEAR, UH, PERIOD OF TIME, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAD ABOUT A 19%, UM, INCREASE IN STUDENT COUNT.
BUT WHEN WE DISAGGREGATE THAT DATA, WE FIND THAT THE GREATEST AREA OF GROWTH IS PRESCHOOL TO PRE-K, FOLLOWED BY KINDERGARTEN TO FIFTH GRADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THOSE ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS, UH, IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND YOU SEE, UM, 16.5% GROWTH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND 10.5% IN HIGH SCHOOL.
I BELIEVE THE LAST SLIDE THAT I'LL SHARE, UM, PARTICULARLY SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INVESTMENTS AND, UM, REALLY FOCUSING PRI PRIORITIZING OUR STUDENT NEEDS ARE INVESTMENTS.
OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, UH, THERE ARE THREE POINTS ALONG THE LINE, UH, FOR YOU.
[00:45:01]
THE STAFFING LOOK LIKE FOR SPECIFIC, UH, JOB TITLES THAT SUPPORT, UH, STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.THAT INCLUDES ADULT ASSISTANCE, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATOR TEACHER POSITIONS, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM TEACHERS, UM, AS WELL AS SPECIAL EDUCATION PARA EDUCATORS, OUR SEL TEACHERS.
THOSE WERE, UH, FORMERLY BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION, UH, SPECIALISTS.
AND OUR IEP CHAIRS, YOU'LL NOTE, UH, THAT IN ALL AREAS WE HAVE, UH, EXPERIENCED GROWTH.
ADULT ASSISTANCE DID NOT COME TO, UH, BCPS UNTIL 20 21, 20 22 SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, AND IN THE OTHER YEARS, YOU'LL ALSO SEE FOR EVERY CATEGORY, UH, THAT WE HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH OUR MOST RECENT INVESTMENT BEING IN IEP CHAIRS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE NEEDS AND THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM OUR FAMILIES, FROM OUR TEACHERS, FROM OUR SCHOOL LEADERS, ABOUT A PERSON THAT IS DEDICATED ON, UH, STUDENT NEEDS TO WALK A PARENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND TO HELP, UH, TEACHERS IMPLEMENT THE IEP PLANS THAT ARE WRITTEN AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.
ALSO, WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR PARENTS AND OUR STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE PROVIDED US WITH VERY SPECIFIC FEEDBACK AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.
MOST RECENTLY, OUR CCAC, UH, MEETING WHERE, UH, FAMILIES WERE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, UM, THE INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, FAMILIES SPEAKING ABOUT THE IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND WHAT THEY SEE IN THEIR SCHOOLS.
UM, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT FEEDBACK.
UM, CONCRETE, UH, NEXT STEPS TO ADDRESS THE, UH, NEEDS OF OUR STUDENT, AS WELL AS OUR VERY CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WITH, UH, WHICH MS. MYERS WILL GET INTO DETAIL ABOUT THE FEEDBACK THAT WE ARE RECEIVING.
UM, ISSUES OR CONCERNS, CHALLENGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, UM, HAVE A LONG HISTORY IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
UM, IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THIS AREA AND THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS BRINGING IN, UH, PARENTS AND WORKING ALONGSIDE THEM FOR US TO CONTINUE TO SEE THE FORWARD PROGRESS OF OUR STUDENTS.
AND SO, AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MS. MYERS TO TAKE US THROUGH THE REST.
AS DR. ROGERS INDICATED THREE YEARS AGO, UM, SHE IDENTIFIED SPECIAL EDUCATION AS A PRIORITY AREA AND MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WHAT HAPPENS IN ALL CLASSROOMS MATTERS.
UM, OUR VISION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION IS OUTLINED HERE THAT OUR EXPECTATION IS FOR ALL CHILDREN RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS TO FEEL ACCEPTED AND EMBRACED AND SUPPORTED BY THAT SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THERE'S COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES FOR GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT, WHICH WE'VE OUTLINED A BIT ALREADY, UM, THAT OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING THOSE SERVICES MEET OR EXCEED EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES TO BECOME COLLEGE CAREER AND COMMUNITY READY, THAT WE'RE SURE THAT OUR SERVICES ARE FULLY FUNDED TO ENABLE ALL STUDENTS RECEIVING SERVICES TO BE IN THEIR LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
AND FINALLY, THAT FOCUS ON COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT STUDENTS.
AND AGAIN, WHAT HAPPENS IN ALL CLASSROOMS DOES MATTER.
DR. ROGERS SPOKE A BIT ABOUT THE HISTORICAL CHALLENGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND WE KNOW THAT, UM, THERE HAVE BEEN YEARS OF, UM, CONTINUED NEEDS AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION IN OUR SYSTEM.
OUR STATE INDICATOR MEASURES OF GROWTH AND COMPLIANCE REFLECTED THE NEED FOR IMPROVED SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES, UM, EXPECTATIONS FOR SERVICE AND SUPPORT TO BOTH STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS.
OUR SYSTEMIC ACHIEVEMENT CONCERNS HAVE BEEN EVIDENT, NEEDING, EXPANDED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, INCREASED COLLABORATION ACROSS CONTENT AREAS FOR IMPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES, AND FOR CROSS-DIVISIONAL SUPPORT IN PRIORITIZING IMPROVEMENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STRATEGIC ROADMAP.
AND THROUGH ANALYSIS OF, UM, HISTORIC COMPLAINT DATA, WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM OUR FAMILIES WANTING TO BE PART OF THAT, UM, A COLLABORATIVE MEMBER OF THE IEP TEAM PROCESS, UM, ENSURING THAT THEY FELT THAT THEY HAD THE INFORMATION, UM, AVAILABLE TO THEM IN ORDER TO FEEL THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE AND ADVOCATE FOR THEIR STUDENTS.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, WE'VE IDENTIFIED BEFORE THAT DISPROPORTIONALITY, UM, IN BOTH IDENTIFICATION FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL ED EDUCATION SERVICES AND SUSPENSION OF THOSE STUDENTS HAS BEEN AN AREA THAT WAS OF CHALLENGE AS WELL.
UM, ALSO, UM, AT THAT SPACE OF ENSURING THAT, UM, STUDENTS WERE ACCESSING THEIR LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, UM, IN A PROPORTIONAL WAY.
SO IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THOSE CHALLENGES, UM, WITH
[00:50:01]
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP, WE FOCUS ON THREE PRIORITY AREAS, AND I'LL GET INTO THOSE NOW, OUR PEOPLE.AND THEN WE'LL TALK THROUGH OUR SERVICES AND OUR CULTURE.
SO TO START WITH PEOPLE WE KNOW THAT BEST TO BEST SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND PARTNERS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SERVICES, WE MUST FOCUS ON OUR PEOPLE.
TWO MAIN POINTS OF FOCUS THAT WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED HERE.
UM, AND WE'LL TALK THROUGH OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND WORKLOAD.
I MEAN, PROBABLY, BUT WE'LL GET THERE.
UM, SO FOCUSING ON WORKLOAD, UM, FOCUS ON RELATED SERVICES HERE.
SO WE KNOW, UM, WE, THIS HAS BEEN AN AREA OF, UM, REAL LOT OF A DIRECT, UM, INTENTIONAL ATTENTION, UH, AROUND, UM, ANALYZING AND REFINING THE WORKLOAD STANDARDS FOR BOTH RELATED SERVICES AND OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS, SPECIFICALLY WITH OUR RELATED SERVICES.
UM, WE SAT HERE LAST YEAR AND TALKED ABOUT, UM, KIND OF THAT SHIFT IN SERVICE DELIVERY THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS WERE HAVING ACCESS TO SPECIFICALLY OUR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE, UM, PROVIDERS.
UM, WE MOVED TO A HYBRID SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT, UM, OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS AND STUDENTS IN OUR REGIONAL PROGRAMS HAD ACCESS TO BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL, DEPENDING, UM, AND THAT THERE WERE IN-PERSON PROVIDERS AVAILABLE ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, WITH THAT, WE DID, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR, UM, FROM OUR, SPECIFICALLY OUR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS ABOUT THEIR WORKLOAD AND THEIR CONCERNS WITH BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN, UH, WITH REGARDS TO THE SERVICES FOR STUDENTS.
WE DEVELOPED THIS, UH, SPEECH AND WE CALLED THE SLP WORK GROUP LAST, UM, WINTER, UM, AND REALLY HEARD FROM THEM, WORKED COLLABORATIVELY ON WHAT WERE SOME TAN REALLY, UM, CONCRETE STRATEGIES THAT WE COULD PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THAT WORKLOAD.
SOME OF THOSE THAT CAME OUT OF THAT WAS AN ASK FOR A, UM, A TARGET CASELOAD.
UM, SOMETHING THAT DR. ROGERS PRIORITIZED WAS US BEING ABLE TO SAY THAT WE WOULD HAVE A DIRECT SERVICE CASELOAD TARGET OF 60 TO 65, UM, STUDENTS FOR OUR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS.
UM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, TO DO THAT.
AND ACTUALLY, UM, AT A QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THAT, WE'VE, WE'VE MET WITH THOSE, UM, SLPS WHO ARE AROUND THAT TARGETED BASE AND ARE, UM, WORKING TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MEET THAT, UM, THAT TARGET.
AGAIN, THE OTHER COMPONENT HERE WAS AROUND PROGRAMMATIC STAFFING.
WE HEARD THAT WHILE WE STARTED OUR STAFFING.
UM, BASED ON, OF COURSE, WE LOOK AT A VARIETY OF FACTORS AROUND WORKLOAD.
UM, WE ALSO REALIZED THAT THAT WASN'T ACCOUNTING FOR THE STUDENT GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
SO LOOKING AT IT FROM A PROGRAMMATIC STANDPOINT, WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, IDENTIFY THAT WE WOULD PROVIDE, WE WOULD ASSIGN STAFF BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS IN CERTAIN SPACES.
SO IF I HAVE A REGIONAL PROGRAM WITH THREE CLASSES ALLOCATE BASED ON THE CLASSROOM RATHER THAN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR GROWTH.
SO ALTHOUGH I MAY START THE YEAR WITH TWO STUDENTS IN THERE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT ALLOCATION WOULD BE REFLECTED IN ORDER TO HAVE THEM, UM, HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR WHAT WOULD BE THAT RECOMMENDED CLASSROOM RATIO LATER ON IN THE SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, AGAIN, THE OTHER, SOME OF THE ASKS WERE AROUND SOME, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND DIFFERENTIATED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR OUR RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THEY SHARED THAT OFTEN THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WAS FOCUSED ON SPECIAL EDUCATORS OR GENERAL EDUCATORS, AND THEY WANTED THE OPPORTUNITIES TO COME TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE AND BE ABLE TO, UM, REALLY FOCUS ON THEIR, ON THEIR EXPERTISE AND AREA.
UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT THIS YEAR, UH, WHICH WAS GREAT.
SO WE JUST, AND, UM, ACTUALLY NOVEMBER HAD, UH, AN, WE CALLED IT AN ED CAMP STYLE OPPORTUNITY AT THE EDC FOR ALL RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS TO COME TOGETHER, UM, AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AT, AGAIN, DIFFERENTIATED, UNPROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT JUST TARGETED ON THEM AS PROVIDERS.
AND THEN FINALLY, ANOTHER ASK THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH WITH THAT WORK GROUP, UM, WAS, UM, HAVING A UNIVERSAL TEMPLATE AND COMMON ASSESSMENT MATERIALS WE'RE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR ASSESSMENT MATERIALS FOR THEM.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE, UM, HAD HEARD AND, AND HAVE SEEN WITH REGARDS TO OUR VIRTUAL PROVIDERS WAS THAT WE HAD OUR IN-PERSON PROVIDERS DOING ALL OF THE ASSESSMENTS FOR OUR STUDENTS, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE.
UM, AND WITH THE, UM, INCREASE IN THE ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND WORKING ON THIS, WE'VE ALLOWED, THAT'S BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT TO BE A SHARED WORKLOAD APPROPRIATELY.
UM, WHICH HAS HELPED EVERYONE WITH REGARDS TO, UM, AGAIN, WORKLOAD AND CASELOAD, BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATORS.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN AN AREA OF FOCUS, UM, AGAIN, FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS.
I THINK IT'S IN EVERY POINT OF EVERYTHING WE DO WITH REGARDS TO INITIATIVES AS WE WANNA ANALYZE AND ENSURE THAT IS IT AFFECTING WORKLOAD OR CASELOAD FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS, AND WHAT IS THAT IMPACT? UM, THAT IS ALSO AN AREA FOCUS FOR, UM, MSDE IN THAT WE KNOW THAT RETENTION AND, UM, RECRUITMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATORS IS VERY MUCH RELATED TO THAT WORKLOAD FOR SPECIAL ED.
UM, SO REALLY FOCUS ON EFFICIENCY FEATURES FOR IEP DEVELOPMENT, ANY OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE AND MAKING THAT IEP MORE EFFICIENT WITH REGARDS TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, UM, IT TAKES TO DEVELOP A REALLY GOOD COMPREHENSIVE IEP, WE ARE WORKING ON
[00:55:01]
THAT.UM, THERE ARE SOME FEATURES AROUND THOSE, UM, ITEMS THAT CAN BE COPIED FORWARD.
SO IF IT'S DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OR ASSESSMENT DATA THAT HASN'T CHANGED THE AVAILABILITY TO BE ABLE TO COPY PORTIONS OF THAT IEP FORWARD, WHICH HELPS THEM WITH, THEY CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, BUT HAVE TO HAVE TO ENTER IT ALL IN FROM SCRATCH.
UM, THE USING OUR DATA SYSTEMS FOR FORWARD FACING DATA AROUND, UM, THAT REVIEW OF EXISTING DATA, YOU MIGHT HEAR OUR PRO STUDENT PROFILE REPORT THAT ALLOWS FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS TO PRINT A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.
THIS IS ALSO GREAT FOR FAMILIES TO BE ABLE TO RE THAT SPEAKS TO, UM, THE REVIEW OF THE EXISTING DATA AND SUPPORTS WITH THAT CONVERSATION AROUND ELIGIBILITY, THE EXPANSION OF THE STAR ASSESSMENT PLATFORM TO SUPPORT PRESENT LEVELS AND PROGRESS MONITORING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATORS.
THERE'S THREE, UM, VERY TARGETED REPORTS THAT SPECIAL EDUCATORS CAN USE.
IT ALLOWS THEM, AGAIN, SOME EASE OF ACCESS WITH, UM, UH, GRADE LEVEL, UM, DIAGNOSTIC STATE STANDARDS, MASTERY REPORT AND GROWTH REPORT FOR THOSE, UM, PRESENT LEVELS AS WELL AS PROGRESS MONITORING TOOLS.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, WE REALLY DO VALUE, UM, I'LL SAY I MEET WITH THE TABCO.
WE CALL THE, THEY CALL THEMSELVES SWAG, UM, THAT, UH, MEET, UH, MONTHLY.
AND WHAT OUR, ONE OF OUR MAIN TOPICS AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION IS WORKLOAD.
SO IT'S A GREAT GROUP TO BE ABLE TO JUST KIND OF RUN THINGS THROUGH, HEAR FROM THEM.
UM, AND I WILL SAY THEIR, THE CONTEXT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN GREAT, THAT THEY'VE BEEN VERY, UM, COMPLIMENTARY OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED.
UM, WE CALL THE COPY FORWARD FEATURES, THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING, UM, AND BEING REALLY DELIBERATE ABOUT IN ORDER TO ADDRESS BOTH, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATOR WORKLOAD AS WELL AS FOR RELATED SERVICES.
UM, THIS, UH, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, UM, IS AN AREA THAT WE HAVE REALLY, UM, HIGHLIGHTED AND WORKED HARD TO DEVELOP FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS.
UH, ACROSS THE SYSTEM, WE REALIZED THAT OUR, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATORS NEEDED, UM, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT WAS TARGETED TO THEM.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS NOT ONLY THE GENERAL EDUCATION COMPONENTS AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS OF THEIR ROLE, BUT ALSO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SPECIAL EDUCATOR.
AND WITH THAT, WE ROLLED OUT THIS YEAR THE BUILDING OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TOOLKIT.
UH, WE USE THOSE SYSTEM-WIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS THAT ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO FOCUS ON WHAT WOULD BE THREE BUCKET AREAS.
AND THEN WITHIN THAT HAVE PROVIDED DIFFERENTIATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
YOU'LL SEE THREE EXAMPLES HERE BEING THAT ENGAGE IN APPLY, WHICH IS THAT DEEPER DIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO SPEND A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME ENGAGING WITH THE WORK, UM, IN AN IN-PERSON FORMAT, AND BEING ABLE TO REALLY DIVE IN AND HAVE SOME PRACTICE.
FAST TRACK WOULD BE A SHORTER VERSION THAT SHORT, AGAIN, SYNCHRONOUS MAY BE VIRTUAL, ALLOWING OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS TO MAYBE REMAIN IN THEIR BUILDINGS, UM, BUT STILL BE ABLE TO DIVE INTO CONTENT IN A, IN A DIFFERENT, MORE LIKE FAST-PACED WAY.
AND THEN THE QUICK TAKES WOULD BE A HANDOUT TYPE VERSION THAT WOULD HAVE LINKS AND THINGS WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS AND OTHERS HAVE, YOU KNOW, VARYING EXPERIENCES, AND THEY MAY NOT NEED, UM, THAT DEEP DIVE IN THE SAME WAY.
AND MAYBE FINE WITH THAT QUICK TAKE.
UM, SO JUST KIND OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE LEARNING PROFILES OF OUR, UM, EDUCATORS, SIMILAR TO OUR STUDENTS.
AND WE'VE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT, UM, FEEDBACK AROUND THIS.
ADDITIONALLY, TO HIGHLIGHT OUR WORK WITH NEW TEACHER SUPPORT SESSIONS, UM, WHICH DR. ROGERS REFERENCED, UM, THE C CAC KIND OF COMMENTS.
WE HAD A, UM, PARENT SAY, I HAVE NOTICED, UM, MY, MY NEW, THE NEW SPECIAL EDUCATOR, AND I ALMOST WISH THAT MY, UM, HER CHILD HAD TWO SPECIAL EDUCATORS THAT THE MORE TENURED SPECIAL EDUCATOR MAY HAVE HAD SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES OF THE NEW ONE AROUND SOME OF THE TRAINING, WHICH WAS A NICE, UM, POINT OF
UM, THIS STARTED FOR NEW, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATORS IN THE SUMMER WITH AN ADDITIONAL, UM, WEEK FOCUSED ON, UM, COMPLIANCE AND THE, AGAIN, THE WORK OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATOR AND CASE MANAGEMENT PRIOR TO THE REGULAR NEW EDUCATOR ORIENTATION.
SO FOR YEARS, WE'VE HAD THE ONE WEEK, AND WE HAVE TRIED REALLY HARD TO FIT IT ALL IN, BUT AGAIN, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS NEED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SO WITH THAT WEEK, AND THEN HAVING AN ONGOING SERIES WITH OUR NEW SPECIAL EDUCATORS, UM, HAS REALLY BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM WHERE THEY ARE AT THAT TIME AROUND THAT NEED FOR, WE HEARD FROM PRINCIPALS AROUND, THEY'RE OVERWHELMED EITHER WITH CASE MANAGEMENT OR INSTRUCTION, AND IT ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF HIT BOTH AREAS.
THE OTHER THING IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, UM, DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT IS, UH, BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH OUR, UM, CTS AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ALSO ARE ABLE, UM, AND HAVE THE SKILLS AND THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO BE ABLE TO HELP OUR, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATORS, PRIORITY TWO BEING OUR SERVICES.
KNOWING THAT WE NEED TO BE, IN ORDER TO EXPAND THOSE SERVICES, WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR SCHOOL SUPPORT AND THEN THAT ONGOING, UM, CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVEMENT.
TALK A LITTLE ABOUT THE DIFFERENTIATED SCHOOL SUPPORT.
WE ALL KNOW THAT EVERY SCHOOL IS DIFFERENT.
OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS ARE DIFFERENT, OUR STUDENTS ARE DIFFERENT.
[01:00:01]
TO, WE KNOW IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.SO THIS GRAPHIC REALLY TALKS ABOUT THAT DIFFERENTIATED MODEL THAT WE USE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT OUR, UM, OUR SCHOOLS WITH REGARDS TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, AN AREA I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS REALLY THAT CROSS-DIVISIONAL SUPPORT, UM, WITH THE FOCUS ON, UM, COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS.
THAT'S BEEN A CRITICAL COMPONENT FOR US.
SO OUR DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE DIVISION OF SCHOOLS, UM, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TEAM, WE MEET MONTHLY BY ZONE, UM, WITH THOSE GROUPS, WITH MY TEAM AND THAT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO LOOK AT STUDENT DATA TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT SCHOOL PERFORMANCE.
WE HAVE TARGETED, UM, IF THEY'RE PLANNING SESSIONS.
THAT LEVEL OF COLLABORATION, UM, ALLOWS FOR BOTH, UM, IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS AND ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, AND, AND SEES AS A U UH, UM, A JOINT EFFORT IN THOSE IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS.
ADDITIONALLY, UM, WE KNOW THAT, UM, SPECIAL ED SERVICES SPAN BIRTH TO 21, SO WE'RE DELIBERATE IN OUR WORK, UM, WITH THAT ONGOING DATA ANALYSIS AND RESPONSE TO STUDENT AND PLANNING AT ALL LEVELS.
SO YOU'LL NOTE HERE THAT IT TALKS ABOUT IN OUR, UM, BIRTH TO THREE GROUP, OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS IN PRESCHOOL.
UM, THE NEED FOR, AND THE FOCUS ON CHILD OUTCOME SUMMARY DATA.
AGAIN, FOCUS, LOOKING AT THOSE DATA POINTS AND SHIFTING AT THE SITE LEVEL IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING STUDENTS FROM BIRTH UP, UM, TO THE OTHER END OF THE TRAJECTORY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UM, TRANSITION, REALLY MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS WITH GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, UM, AND CHILD OUT AND OUTCOMES, UM, AND, UH, POST-SECONDARY OUTCOMES AND THAT SUPPORT AS WELL.
WE KNOW THAT OUR LEARNERS HAVE SHIFTED AS THEY'VE ENTERED OUR SYSTEM AND A FOCUS ON KINDERGARTEN FORWARD.
WE, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW THAT OUR SCHOOLS, UM, NEED SUPPORT AROUND, UM, OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS COMING IN, UM, AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AS WELL AS COACHING CLASSROOM SUPPORT.
UM, WE'VE BUILT OUT OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD TEAM, UM, THAT SUPPORTED BOTH PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
UM, SOME OTHER AREAS TO HIGHLIGHT IS THAT, AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT DIFFERENTIATED SUPPORT IS NEEDED WITH OUR REGIONAL PROGRAMS. SO WE HAVE A TEAM WHO'S REALLY FOCUSED ON, ESPECIALLY IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, OUR INTEGRATED SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL, UM, AND OUR, UM, WE CALL OUR SELS PROGRAM, ANOTHER ONE OF THE SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS.
AGAIN, ALLOWING FOR THAT DIRECT TEACHER COACHING PLANNING WITH TEACHERS, WORKING WITH PRINCIPALS ON WHAT THOSE CLASSROOM MODELS WORK LOOK LIKE, AND ENSURING THAT WE ARE IN THERE NEXT TO THE FOLKS IN THE CLASSROOMS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS THE WAY WE NEED TO.
HERE, YOU SEE THE, UM, VARIOUS GROUPS THAT WE MEET WITH ACTUALLY MONTHLY, UM, TO, TO REALLY ENGAGE WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS AROUND THE WORK OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THE GREAT PART OF THIS IN A, IN THE VARIATION OF THE DIFFERENT GROUPS, IS THEY BRING SOME OTHER KIND OF LENS TO THE TABLE AROUND THE WORK, BUT ALSO WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT WE'RE DOING, HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR DATA AND INITIATIVES, AND NOT BOTH RECEIVE FEEDBACK, BUT ALSO SOMETIMES PROVIDE CLARITY AROUND THE REASONS AND THE RATIONALE AROUND WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO IT REALLY, I'LL GIVE SOME EXAMPLES AROUND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP.
THIS IS A NEWER GROUP THAT, UM, HAVE STARTED MEETING, UM, THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE OUR NEXT MEETING IN JANUARY.
UM, AND THAT WE WORK WITH ADVOCATES, UM, WITH PARENT, UM, FOCUS GROUPS, WITH SOME VERY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WHO ARE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT'S GOING ON FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE.
WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE AROUND OUR PARENT ADVOCACY WORK ACTUALLY, UM, AND OUR PARENT INFORMATION.
AND THEN AGAIN, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CLARITY, BUT ALSO TAKE THAT FEEDBACK AROUND THINGS THAT COULD LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UM, I, I'VE TALKED ABOUT, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE CAC ALREADY.
UM, OUR L ICCS FOR OUR YOUNGEST GROUP, UM, MS. PAULA BOYKIN, OUR BIRTH TO FIVE SUPERVISOR, UM, IS, UH, CO-CHAIRS THE LICC, WHERE IT'S AN, UM, INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION FOR, UM, OUR YOUNGEST, OUR OUR YOUNGEST STUDENTS CHILDREN IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TAPCO WITH THAT.
UM, AND THEN THE PRINCIPAL WORK GROUP, DR. ROGERS MEETS WITH PRINCIPALS EVERY, UM, MONTH.
UM, AND OUT OF THAT CAME THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR PRINCIPALS TO REALLY WANNA BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, UM, AROUND, UM, ENHANCING OUR ELEMENTARY, UM, SERVICES FOR AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO THAT'S A GROUP THAT IS ALSO PROVIDING FEEDBACK AND IDEAS AND THINGS RELATED TO THAT.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, YOU KNOW, OUT OF ALL OF THOSE THINGS, WE WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM AND WE LOOK TO OTHER, UH, DISTRICTS.
WE LOOKED AT OTHER STATES FOR THINGS THAT ARE WORKING WELL.
MSDE HAS HIGHLIGHTED THIS SPECIAL EDUCATION PLAYBOOK THAT'S ACTUALLY COMING OUT OF LOUISIANA, LOOKING AT THREE CONCRETE THINGS THAT THEY'VE HAD A GREAT, UM, THEY'VE SEEN ACHIEVEMENT SHIFTS AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, AND IT'S AN AREA THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT WITH MSDE AROUND JUST LOOKING AT CONCRETE PRACTICES AROUND ACHIEVEMENT PRACTICES AND THINGS THAT ARE REALLY TANGIBLE AND EASY FOR SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS TO KIND OF PUT THEIR HANDS ON, AND THEN BE ABLE TO KIND OF SHIFT PROGRESS ACCORDINGLY.
[01:05:06]
PRIOR TO I THREE IS OUR CULTURE WHERE WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEN FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.WE KNOW THAT THAT CULTURE IS AN AREA THAT IS OF HIGH FOCUS.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT AT THE LAST CEC MEETING, THERE WAS SOME FEEDBACK GIVEN, AND DR. ROGERS LOOKED AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT I HEAR ABOUT IS CULTURE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT AND FOCUS ON.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY, IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED FROM OUR PARENTS SITTING IN THE SPACE.
SO, CUSTOMER SERVICE, WE KNOW, I, I'VE ALREADY KIND OF TALKED THROUGH THAT DIFFERENTIATED SUPPORT MODEL FROM A PROACTIVE LENS, THE THINGS WE DO EVERY DAY AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR A RESPONSIVENESS THAT REQUESTS FOR SUPPORT THAT COMES THROUGH, AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT ACCORDINGLY TO OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR STUDENTS.
UM, WE ARE PROUD THAT WE HAVE AN AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME ABOUT ONE DAY FOR THAT RESPONSE RATE TO SCHOOLS WHEN THOSE REQUESTS COME THROUGH.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS DATA, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS IN THAT FIRST, UM, PORTION OF THE SCHOOL YEAR ALREADY.
WE'VE HAD OVER 2,500, UM, SUPPORTS PROVIDED TO SCHOOLS.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, UH, WE, THIS DATA ALLOWS US TO LOOK AT TRENDS BY LEVEL, ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
UM, AGAIN, WE REVIEW THAT SUPPORT WITH, UM, IN THOSE MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH OUR DOS COLLEAGUES, UM, IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ALIGNED TO WHAT THE NEEDS ARE, AND THEN SHIFT ACCORDINGLY.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, IN SCHOOL SUPPORTS THAT ARE, I'M GONNA SAY SOMEWHAT RESPONSIVE IN NATURE WOULD BE, AGAIN, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, PLANNING SESSIONS, TEACHER COACHING, UM, STUDENT SPECIFIC SUPPORT.
THIS IS WHERE THE IEP TEAM SUPPORT WOULD BE CAPTURED, UM, SUPPORT WITH, UM, PARENT ENGAGEMENT, ET CETERA.
THIS IS A CELEBRATION SLIDE FOR ME, I WANNA SAY IS THE WORK THAT'S DONE WITH THIS FAMILY AND COMMUNITY WORK, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY AND ANYONE ELSE SEEING HERE, OUR, OUR MESSAGE IS THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH OUR FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES.
THIS TEAM HAS WORKED REALLY HARD UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MS. KENYA GOLDEN, UM, TO FOCUS ON BOTH FROM BIRTH TO 21, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES, UM, TO ENGAGE AND, AND HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION, UM, WHAT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR SYSTEM, WHETHER THOSE ARE VIRTUAL RESOURCES THROUGH THE BULLETIN BOARD, WE SEE THE MAILING LIST HERE.
UM, CONTACTING US DIRECTLY WITH A QUESTION OR CONCERN OR FOLLOWING ON INSTAGRAM, THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, ON OUR HOMEPAGE OF BCPS HOMEPAGE.
THERE'S A TILE AT THE BOTTOM THAT YOU CAN CLICK FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND IMMEDIATELY FILL OUT THAT REQUEST AND YOU WILL GET A CALL.
WE WANT FOLKS TO KNOW THAT WE ARE JUST THAT CLICK AWAY AND THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE AND PROVIDE YOU THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED.
UH, SOME OF THE THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT ON HERE, WE HAVE THE FAMILY SUPPORT NEWSLETTER THAT GOES OUT TO FAMILIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE INTERESTED AND OPT INTO THAT.
WE HAVE SUPPORT GROUPS, UM, FOR FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS, UH, PARENT WORKSHOPS AND PARENT INFORMATION SESSIONS.
UM, ADVOCACY LINKAGE ACTUALLY TO, UH, VARIOUS, UM, NON-PROFIT GROUPS THAT WILL WORK WITH THE FAMILY TO SUPPORT BOTH FOR IN-HOME SUPPORTS AS WELL AS SCHOOL-BASED, UM, IEP TEAM.
UM, QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, ET CETERA.
UM, WE HAVE OUR PARENT RESOURCE CENTER WITH ALSO VIRTUAL AVAILABILITY, UH, PARTNERS WITH PARTNERSHIPS WITH LIBRARIES, UM, AND VARIOUS OTHER COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.
UM, AND THEN OUR, UM, OUR FAIRS, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION FAIRS.
WE HAVE A SPECIAL ED FAIR THAT IS, UM, ONCE A YEAR THAT IS JUST SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT'S ROBUST WITH, YOU KNOW, PARTNERS AND, AND FOLKS BEING ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.
BUT WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S SCHOOL-BASED FAIRS THAT ARE MORE SCHOOL SPECIFIC AND COMMUNITY SPECIFIC FOR OUR FAMILIES TO ENGAGE IN.
SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE ACCOUNTABILITY PORTION OF, UM, THAT KIND OF BULLET.
ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION ARE CRITICAL TO ENSURING EQUITY COMPLIANCE AND IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES.
IN ADDITION TO BCPS EXPECTATIONS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY, IT IS ALSO REQUIRED BY MSDE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE ARE KIND OF THREE MECHANISMS AROUND FOR ACCOUNTABILITY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION BI-ANNUALLY, MEANING EVERY OTHER YEAR.
WE, UM, ARE, THERE'S COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING THAT OCCURS THROUGH MSDE.
UH, THE NEXT ONE OF THOSE WILL BE IN FALL OF 2027.
WE ENGAGE IN THAT COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING.
UM, MSD SUB RECIPIENT FISCAL MONITORING ALSO OCCURS, OCCURS, WHICH WILL HAPPEN IN SPRING OF 2026, WHERE WE LOOK AT ALL OF THE SPENDING AND THE FUNDING OF SPECIAL EDUCATION ANNUALLY.
UM, MSDE, UH, DOES OUR, UM, STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN AND ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT.
SO THAT'S AN ANNUAL REVIEW OF OUR DATA WHERE WE, UM, THEN, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE.
[01:10:01]
THE, UM, MARYLAND, THE MSDE AND MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE INTERAGENCY MEDICAID MONITORING TEAM, WHICH LOOKS AT OUR, UM, BOTH, UH, SERVICES AND MEDICAID BILLING COMPONENTS.AND THEN FINALLY, OUR OFFICE OF INTERNAL AUDIT, WHICH THERE'S A YEARLY RISK ANALYSIS AND WORK PLAN RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR THE SYSTEM.
AS REFERENCED, FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES EACH STATE TO MO TO MONITOR EACH STATE TO MONITOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THESE SLIDES OUTLINED HERE THAT, UM, THAT MONITORING INCLUDES HOW A STATE IS ACCOUNTABLE TO INFANTS, TODDLERS, AND CHILDREN, AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH DISABILITY FAMILIES THEY SERVE.
SO, AGAIN, NOT JUST SCHOOL AGE WAS BIRTH TO 21 MSDE.
THE STATE THEN MONITORS HOW EACH LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY, OR FOR US, BALTIMORE COUNTY IMPLEMENTS, IDA AND COMMAR.
SO YOU HAVE THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENT FOR THE STATE TO MONITOR.
THE STATE THEN DETERMINES HOW THEY'RE GONNA MONITOR, UM, THE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS.
AND THEN MSD HAS THAT MONITORING SYSTEM IN PLACE TO EXAMINE HOW WE, THE LEA ARE MONITORING THOSE INDICATORS AS PART OF THE STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN.
SO WHEN I WAS REFERENCING THAT, SPP AND A PR, THAT'S THE ANNUAL, THAT'S WHAT THIS IS REFERENCING.
AND THEN BASED ON THAT PERFORMANCE DATA, WE DEVELOP IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR EACH INDICATOR THAT MAY NEED IMPROVEMENT.
THERE ARE TWO MAIN BUCKETS OF WORK RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION COMPLIANCE, UM, SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT AND SCHOOL-BASED IMPROVEMENT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DR. ROGERS WAS REFERENCING EARLIER IS THAT WE HAVE A MONTHLY MEETING WITH MSDE.
WE ARE COMMITTED AS A SYSTEM, AND WE ACTUALLY ARE HEARING THAT FEEDBACK FROM MSDE THAT OUR, UM, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED OUR POSITIVE TRAJECTORY AND THAT THE DISTRICT'S IMPROVEMENT WORK, UM, IS PRODUCING RESULTS CONSISTENT WITH STATE EXPECTATIONS.
THAT WAS A, A HOORAY DAY, I WILL SAY, OF EXCITEMENT.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE, BUT WE ALSO ARE APPRECIATIVE, UM, OF BEING ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE THE GROWTH AND WE'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH WITH REGARDS TO WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING.
UM, SO AGAIN, THERE'S SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES AND SCHOOL-BASED IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES SYSTEMICALLY.
UM, WE ARE HAVING FORWARD FACING COMPLIANCE PROCESSES THAT ARE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT, UM, WE ARE MONITORING AT EVERY, UH, POINT IN TIME.
WE'VE INCREASED OUR DSE COMPLIANCE OVERSIGHT, WORKING CROSS DIVISIONALLY WITH OUR, UM, DIVISION OF SCHOOLS AROUND LOOKING AT THAT COMPLIANT COMPLIANCE DATA, ACTUALLY WEEKLY, AND THEN REPORTING THEM A MONTHLY.
THERE ARE ACTION PLANS PUT IN PLACE AS NEEDED, UM, IF WE HAVE A, A SITUATION WHERE WE NEED TO DO THAT.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S TARGETED COMPLIANCE TO SUPPORT TO SCHOOLS AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
UM, AS WELL AS FROM A SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY IS JUST AROUND THAT KIND OF LIKE ONGOING SUPPORT TO SCHOOLS WITH IEP TEAMS, IEP TEAM TRAININGS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
WE HAVE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT PLAN, WHICH OUTLINED THE EXPECTATION IS THAT EVERY SCHOOL HAS A SPECIAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT OUTLINES HOW SPECIAL EDUCATION IS HAPPENING IN THAT BUILDING FROM ENROLLMENT TO, UM, IEP DEVELOPMENT, TO ENSURING THAT, HOW IT'S BEING MONITORED IN THE BUILDING TO, UM, AROUND DISCIPLINE, ET CETERA.
THAT THAT IS THE PLAN FOR THAT BUILDING OF HOW THEY'RE THEN APPLYING THOSE EXPECTATIONS AROUND COMPLIANCE, UM, AS A PRINCIPAL.
UM, THEN THE MONTHLY AT A GLANCE DOCUMENT, SO THAT WAS NEW THIS YEAR THAT WE ADDED, IS THAT IT PROVIDES A MONTHLY DOCUMENT FOR PRINCIPALS TO BE ABLE TO USE FOR REFERENCE THAT GIVES THEIR CALLED THE MUST DOS AND MAY DOS, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE MUST DOS, UM, AROUND ENSURING THAT IT IS THE EXPECTATION THAT ALSO WAS ACTUALLY SHARED OUT BY DR. ROGERS WITH PRINCIPALS TO HIGHLIGHT THAT EXPECTATION FOR COMPLIANCE, UM, AND IMPROVEMENT IN COMPLIANCE IN OUR SYSTEM.
THAT IS SHARED OUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
AND THEN IT IS ALSO SHARED MONTHLY AND THE NEWSLETTER THAT GOES OUT TO PRINCIPALS, SO NO ONE CAN MISS IT.
UM, WE ALSO, THERE'S DESIGNATED TIME FOR IEP MONITORING BY IEP CHAIRS, SO MONTHLY AT OUR REQUIRED IEP CHAIR TRAINING.
UM, THEY DO A SAMPLING OF IEPS FROM THEIR SCHOOL BUILDING, UM, THAT THEY CAN LOOK FOR A TARGETED AREA.
THEN WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, AND THEN THEY IN TURN CAN PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THEIR, AND THEN FINALLY, UM, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAMS AS NEEDED FROM THAT SCHOOL-BASED IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY PERSPECTIVE.
SO THAT ANNUAL SPP AND A PR MONITORING, WHICH IS OUR SCHOOL, UM, STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN AND, UM, ANNUAL STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN MEASURES, UM, WERE MONITORED FOR BOTH PROGRESS TOWARDS TARGETS AND COMPLIANCE, WHICH IS THAT ZERO OR A HUNDRED PERCENT.
SO THE TWO SIDES OF THAT ARROW THAT YOU SEE HERE, MSC HAS CATEGORIES IDENTIFIED, UM, AROUND, UM, IMPROVEMENT STATUS.
[01:15:01]
SO THE, THE BOTTOM TIER IS THAT YOUR MEETING REQUIREMENTS AND THERE'S NEEDS ASSISTANCE, NEEDS INTERVENTION, AND NEEDS SUBSTANTIAL INTERVENTION.WE KNOW, AS INDICATED IN THAT FIRST SLIDE THAT WE'VE BEEN IN THAT PLACE OF NEEDS INTERVENTION FOR A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME.
AND SOMEWHERE IN THIS TRAJECTORY OF, UM, NEEDS.
WE ARE IN OUR SECOND YEAR OF NEEDS INTERVENTION FOR OUR PART B, WHICH IS PRESCHOOL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, WE MET REQUIREMENTS IN 63 OF THE 87 SUBINDICATORS AND SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN 11 OF THE 24 REMAINING AREAS FOR OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM.
UM, THEY'RE ACTUALLY IN THE NEEDS ASSISTANCE, UM, COMPONENT.
UM, AND THEY MET REQUIREMENTS IN 17 AREAS AND THEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENT IN FIVE OF THE EIGHT INDICATOR AREAS.
THIS IS AN AREA WHERE I'LL SAY THAT THAT ONGOING MEETING WITH, UM, THE DEPARTMENT, UM, MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF ED AROUND OUR DATA IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE MEET MONTHLY TO LOOK AT THIS, HOW'S IT GOING? IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT ALLOWS US TO MAKE THOSE JUST IN TIME ADJUSTMENTS.
ALSO AS A DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE, UM, I HAD EVERY OFFICE IDENTIFY WHAT THEIR GOALS WERE ALIGNED TO THESE INDICATORS.
WE MEET AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM, UM, AND A LEADERSHIP TEAM AS A DEPARTMENT, UM, AND MONTHLY LOOK AT THOSE INDICATORS, UM, IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON MOVING THAT DATA.
THE EVERY OTHER YEAR MONITORING IS THAT COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING THAT BIANNUAL.
UM, AS NOTED IN PREVIOUS SLIDES, UM, WE GO THROUGH THIS, UM, COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING.
THE WAY IT LOOKS IS THAT IT'S A REVIEW OF A SAMPLE FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY.
UM, YOU SEE ON THAT LEFT COLUMN THAT IT HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE LOOK AT VARIOUS COMPONENTS.
SO THEY'LL DO AN S DESK AUDIT, THEY LOOK AT RELATED SERVICES, UM, THE ALTERNATE FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENTS WORKING TOWARDS AN ALTERNATE, UM, NOT WORKING TOWARDS A DIPLOMA, UM, RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION DATA.
UM, OUR REVIEW OF OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, AND THEN SPECIFIC CASE REVIEWS.
THE METHOD REALLY IS THAT SAMPLE OF STUDENTS, AND THE EXPECTATION IS THAT YOU'RE MEETING AT A 75% LEVEL OR HIGHER, UM, OR YOU THEN DEVELOP WHAT WOULD BE AN IMPROVEMENT PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
THOSE TOP FINDINGS THAT YOU SEE DOCUMENTED HERE ARE AREAS, UM, THAT WE'VE ALREADY ADDRESSED.
AND I'LL GET THAT INTO THE NEXT SLIDE.
WHAT I WILL SAY, AND I'M PROUD OF MY TEAM AROUND THIS, IS THAT BEFORE THE REPORT EVEN COMES OUT OFTEN, UM, IN THIS PAST YEAR, IS THAT WE WERE ALREADY ON TOP OF, UM, THOSE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, AND WE'RE ADDRESSING THESE THINGS EVEN BEFORE THE REPORT CAME OUT.
SO THOSE COMP, THE COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING CORRECTIONS THAT I'M REFERENCING HERE, UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE WAS AN UPDATED IEP TEMPLATE TO RE TO ADDRESS THAT CREATION OF REPORTS, TO ASSIST CHAIRS WITH MONITORING, RECEIPT OF REQUIRED SIGNATURES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, AROUND IFSP DOCUMENTATION, UM, ONLINE SERVICE LOGS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS, UM, ACROSS BOTH, UM, FOR CHAIRS AND THEN SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF ON KEY AUDITS.
UM, WE'VE COMPLETED ALL OF THOSE, AND WE'RE IN PROGRESS RIGHT NOW ON THOSE IEP TEAM SPECIFIC MEETINGS THAT WOULD NEED TO GO BACK AND ADDRESS STUDENT SPECIFIC, UM, NEEDS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THAT AUDIT.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MS.
SO, UM, THE SLIDE THAT YOU SEE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT MANY TIMES BEFORE, PART OF OUR SERVICES TO ALL STUDENTS IS THE INTEGRATED TIERED, UM, SUPPORT MODEL.
AND REALLY LOOKING AT A TIER ONE, WHICH IS OUR UNIVERSAL SUPPORT, OUR TIER TWO, THAT REALLY LOOKS AT VERY SPECIFIC AND SMALL GROUP TARGETED SUPPORTS, AND THEN OUR INTENSIVE INTERVENTION THAT TENDS TO LEVERAGE MORE INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTS.
YOU ALSO, UM, DURING THE PRESENTATION ON SPECIAL EDUCATION, YOU TALKED ABOUT LEVERAGING FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
WE TALKED ABOUT HOW, UH, FREQUENTLY WE ARE PROGRESS MONITORING, WHICH REQUIRES US TO BE REALLY STEADFAST IN OWNING OUR DATA AND WALKING THROUGH OUR DATA.
OKAY, I GOTTA REMEMBER TO DO TWO THINGS AT ONE TIME.
UM, FOR THE PURPOSE OF TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION, I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH HOW SERVICES ARE PROVIDED.
UM, I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT THE WORK OF OUR PEOPLE, PERSONNEL WORKERS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, UM, REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE DATA THAT WE PULL FROM OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS, BUT ALSO FROM OUR STUDENT PLANNING SYSTEMS. THERE WE GO.
SO THIS SLIDE, UM, OUTLINES THE EXCEPTIONAL WORK OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, AND I'M REALLY PROUD TO SAY THAT, UM, ON OUR TEAM, WE ARE WORKING CONSTANTLY IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS, WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES DOESN'T JUST LIVE IN ONE ISOLATED AREA.
IT INTERSECTS EVERY SINGLE STUDENT AND IS PROVIDED ACROSS THE INSTRUCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT.
SO, WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT
[01:20:01]
SOME THINGS THAT YOU SEE HERE, UM, THAT ARE INTRICACIES IN THE PROFESSIONAL ROLE OF THE PROVIDERS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED THERE.UM, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, THEY SPEND A WEALTH OF THEIR TIME AT TIER ONE WITH PREVENTION AND PROMOTION.
UM, THIS IS REALLY LEVERAGING THE EXPERTISE OF OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS THROUGH LESSONS, THROUGH, UM, CREDIT CHECKING, THROUGH HAVING DIRECT CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR STUDENTS ABOUT THE COLLEGE CAREER, UH, AND COMMUNITY READINESS, OUR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS.
THEY ENGAGE IN SUPPORTING STUDENTS ALSO ACROSS THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, UM, AND HAVE INTRICATE EXPERTISE AROUND ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, CONSULTATION, CRISIS INTERVENTION AS WELL, UM, AND MAKING SURE TO BRIDGE THE NEED FOR RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS, ESPECIALLY AROUND MENTAL HEALTH WITH OUR FAMILIES.
UM, AND THAT CAN LOOK LIKE A VARIETY OF THINGS, INCLUDING CONSULTATION WITH PSYCHIATRISTS, UM, MEETING WITH FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, TALKING WITH MARYLAND COALITION FOR FAMILIES.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS IN WHICH WE SEE THIS OCCUR.
OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS ALSO ARE INTRICATE, UM, TO OUR PROCESSES, UM, PROVIDING SUPPORT THROUGH THE ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, ALSO SUPPORTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FBA AND BIPS.
AND OF COURSE, THEIR ADVOCACY FOR SERVICES ALIGNED TO IDEA, OUR PPWS, WELL, THEY'RE HERE FOR IT, AND I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD THAT TERM BEFORE.
UM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR ATTENDANCE CAMPAIGNS, SO OUR PPWS ARE SPENDING A LOT OF THEIR TIME REALLY FOCUSED ON SPECIAL ENROLLMENTS WHILE THEY DO WORK AT TIER ONE AT SCHOOLS, REALLY SUPPORTING THE SCHOOLS AND ADVANCING THE ATTENDANCE CAMPAIGNS.
UM, SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS, I'M SURE IF I WAS OUT TODAY, AND I HEARD ABOUT THE SANTA VERSUS GRINCH ACTIVITY AS AN AWARD WHERE KIDS GOT TO ENGAGE AND VOTE WHO THEY WANTED TO SEE AT THEIR SCHOOL.
AND SO IT WAS ONE WAY FOR THE KIDDOS WHO WERE ABLE TO ATTEND AND MEET THE, THE THRESHOLD FOR ATTENDANCE.
UM, BUT THEY ARE REALLY SPENDING A LOT OF TIME HELPING SCHOOLS TO LIFT THAT AND THEN MITIGATING AND REALLY WORKING WITH FAMILIES TO BRIDGE THE GAP TO GET STUDENTS INTO SCHOOLS.
THESE ARE ALL COMBINED EFFORTS.
AGAIN, I WANNA STRESS NONE OF THIS SITS IN ISOLATION.
IT IS ALL TO THE GREATER SUPPORT OF STUDENTS ACROSS, UM, THE TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT.
SO THIS SLIDE, UM, I STANDS STEADFAST WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO CONTINUING TO EXPAND SERVICES.
UM, YOU HEARD DR. ROGERS, AS WELL AS MS. MEYERS SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT WHILE WE HAVE, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO SEE THE INCREASED NEEDS FOR OUR STUDENTS, UM, AND REALLY TRYING TO PLAN AND MAKE SURE THAT THE RESOURCES ARE ACCESSIBLE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SO THE GRAPH ON THE LEFT REALLY SPEAKS TO THE, THE BLUE ON THE LEFT SPEAKS TO 2019, UM, THE VARIOUS SERVICE PROVIDERS, UM, THAT YOU CAN SEE ACROSS THE, THE BOTTOM.
THEN THE, THE, UH, LINE IN ORANGE SPEAKS TO 2025 IN THE AREAS OF GROWTH THAT WE'VE TRIED, UM, TIRELESSLY TO MAKE HAPPEN TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR INCREASED NEEDS ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT FOR JUST A SECOND.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
UM, YOU HEARD MS. MEYERS SPEAK TO THE WORK AROUND SLPS.
THERE'S OTS, PTS, COUNSELORS, PPWS, UM, PSYCHOLOGISTS AND SOCIAL WORKERS.
THE TOP LAYER, YOU WILL SEE WHAT THE ACTUAL FT E, SO THE FULL-TIME EQUIVALENCY IS WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS.
THE SECOND LINE LOOKS AT THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT MS. MYERS SPOKE ABOUT OF CONTRACTUAL SERVICES AND HOW WE DO PROVIDE SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS, UM, EXPANDING ACCESS, UM, AND CONTINUING TO GROW ACCESS.
WE ALSO HAVE A LEVEL OF VACANCIES THAT WE ARE SEEING ACROSS, UM, SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, UM, IN, UM, MEETING THE STUDENT'S NEEDS.
UM, BUT WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN THE LAST, THE LAST ROW IS THAT WE, IN SOME AREAS HAVE HYBRID MODELS.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT SLPS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.
WHAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT IS, YES, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN-PERSON, BUT THERE'S ALSO OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIRTUAL PROVIDERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
UM, AND, AND IN MANY OF THESE AREAS THAT YOU SEE HERE, THESE ARE IN AREAS WHERE WE'VE SEEN NATIONALLY A TREND IN A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PROVIDERS IN THOSE AREAS.
AND, AND WE KNOW THAT ALSO IMPACTS BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
SO, UM, WHILE I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I COULD READ THOSE LITTLE TINY, UM, THINGS OUT THERE, I CANNOT.
SO I'M GONNA REFERENCE AND LOOK DOWN FOR A MINUTE.
THIS SLIDE SPEAKS TO THE SERVICES THAT WERE PROVIDED, UM, DURING THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR.
AND WHAT YOU WILL SEE ACROSS THE,
[01:25:01]
THE CONTINUUM FOR OUR COUNSELORS, OUR SOCIAL WORKERS, OUR PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND YES, OUR PPWS.THEY WERE ENGAGED IN SSSTS IEPS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF THAT THAT WE TOOK A LOOK AT WHEN WE JUST WANTED TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOU WAS WE LOOKED AT ENCOUNTER DATA.
YOU HEARD MS. MEYERS TALK ABOUT AN INTERAGENCY AUDIT WITH MEDICAID.
THESE ARE ENCOUNTERS THAT COME IN THAT RECORD, THE SERVICE PROVISION OF, UM, THE PROVIDERS THAT YOU SEE LISTED HERE.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS, I'M VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM TO SAY THAT 77% OF OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS ARE ENGAGED IN DIRECT SERVICES.
MEANING THEY ARE HAVING TO INTERFACE OPPORTUNITY WITH A STUDENT TO PRI PROVIDE THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT, TO GROW THEIR SKILLS, UM, TO GROW THEIR CAPACITY TO ACCESS THE INSTRUCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT.
WHAT COULD THAT LOOK LIKE? THAT COULD LOOK LIKE CLASSROOM COUNSELING LESSONS THAT COULD LOOK LIKE A ONE-TO-ONE CONVERSATION OR A PARENT CONVERSATION THAT COULD LOOK LIKE A CREDIT CHECK.
AND SPENDING TIME LOOKING AT WHAT THE STUDENT NEEDS OR WHAT THE STUDENT MAY NEED TO RECOVER AND PLAN FOR THAT COLLEGE CAREER AND COMMUNITY READINESS.
UM, WE ALSO INDICATED IN THERE 23%, WE TALKED ABOUT INDIRECT SERVICES.
UM, AND THOSE ARE SERVICES THAT REALLY ARE, UM, COMPONENTS OF FACILITATION ORGANIZATION AND COORDINATION OF THE SERVICES BEING PROVIDED.
SO, UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE.
AND YES, WE, UM, HAD OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS ENGAGED IN 2,234, UH, THREAT ASSESSMENTS, UM, ALIGNED TO THE 355 STAFF MEMBERS, SOCIAL WORKERS ALSO.
UM, AND I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT, UM, ENGAGING IN THE TEAMING, UM, PROCESS, BUT WHEN WE LOOKED AT THEIR ENCOUNTER, UM, DOCUMENTATION, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH PROVIDING PSYCHOTHERAPY AND THERAPEUTIC SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS, 57% OF THEIR SERVICES ARE THAT DIRECT FACE-TO-FACE SERVICE, THAT THAT CAN LOOK LIKE SOME LEVEL OF THERAPY THAT'S PROVIDED VIA GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL SERVICES.
UM, AND YOU MAY ASK ME, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPY AND COUNSELING? MANY TIMES PEOPLE EQUATE THEM TO BE THE SAME.
IN FACT, THERAPY IS SOMETHING YOU DO BECAUSE YOU'VE MET SOME LEVEL OF DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DIFFERENTIATE THOSE PIECES BECAUSE THAT'S A QUESTION I GET ALL THE TIME.
UM, IN ADDITION, WE HAD, UM, 47, UH, 40, SORRY, 43% WAS THAT INDIRECT.
AGAIN, I WANNA LEVERAGE THE FACT THAT WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME ORGANIZING, COORDINATING, COLLABORATING, UH, WITH EXTERNAL, BUT ALSO INTERNAL PROVIDERS.
'CAUSE THE WHOLE GOAL IS ACCESS TO THE INSTRUCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT.
AND THAT INCLUDES OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, SCHOOL SAFETY, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS, UM, PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE THAT, THAT INTERFACES WITH THE STUDENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AS WELL ARE PART OF THIS GREAT PROCESS.
AND 82% OF THEIR EFFORTS WHEN WE TOOK A LOOK, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THE REALM OF IEP AND STUDENT SUPPORT, TEAMING, 82% OF THEIR EFFORTS ALSO WERE IN DIRECT SERVICES, REALLY ALIGNED TO THAT EVALUATION PROCESS.
UM, AND THE COORDINATION, COLLABORATION, CONSULTATION, UM, AGAIN, WITH MANY OF THE PARTNERS, UM, TO BRING ABOUT HOW DO WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION SO THAT STUDENTS CAN ACCESS, HOW DO WE SUPPORT THEM IN DEVELOPING GOALS, VIPS, BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLANS, UM, STUDYING THE BEHAVIOR, UM, AT 18%.
UM, AND ALSO THERE WAS THE ELEMENT OF, UM, THREAT ASSESSMENTS AS WELL.
AT 159, OUR PPWS, I, YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE REALLY SPENDING A LOT OF TIME AROUND SPECIAL ENROLLMENTS.
UM, AND, AND REALLY LEANING INTO THAT LAST YEAR ALONE, THIS, UM, MIGHTY GROUP.
UM, I WILL SAY ENGAGED IN, LOOK IN CONSIDERING AROUND 3000 SPECIAL ENROLLMENTS, UM, AND WEEDING THROUGH, UM, WHO, WHO CAN GO TO WHICH SCHOOL AND SUPPORTING SCHOOLS IN HELPING PARENTS, UM, BUT ALSO SCHOOLS TO NAVIGATE THAT.
AND THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF COORDINATION AS WELL, WITH THE SCHOOLHOUSE, WITH THE COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION, AND OF COURSE, UM, OUR DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS AT ALL TIMES.
OH, I DID FORGET ONE PIECE THAT I THINK IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND THAT IS, YOU ALL HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THE CONTINUED EXPANSION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE.
UM, SO ONE THING I WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE IS WHEN WE LOOK AT UP IN THE FAR RIGHT CORNER, THE ORANGE BOX IN THE CORNER, WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT CONTINUED EXPANSION, WE NOW, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE, BUT HAVE CONTINUED TO EXPAND AND CHANGE TO MEET THE
[01:30:01]
NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.WE HAVE 18 COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS THAT HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH OUR SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE SERVICES.
AT THIS JUNCTURE, THEY ARE SERVING 86% OF OUR SCHOOLS.
SO THAT MEANS EVERY SINGLE 86% OF OUR SCHOOLS HAS A PARTNER THAT'S PROVIDING SERVICES IN THE SCHOOLS AND CAN EXTEND OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOLS, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP.
YOU'VE ALSO HEARD THE DISCUSSION AROUND BLUEPRINT, UM, AND CELEBRATING THE FACT THAT WE HAVE CONSORTIUM DOLLARS, UM, THAT ALSO FUND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, UM, ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY RIGHT NOW THAT IS IMPACTING 127 OF OUR SCHOOLS, UM, AT 72%.
AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE WE'RE ON THE CUSP.
THE RECENT REQUEST FOR APPLICATION, UM, THROUGH THE MARYLAND, UM, CONSORTIUM COMMISSION WAS JUST RELEASED.
SO WE WILL BE LOOKING AT FUNDING PATHWAYS FOR, UH, 2027 AS WELL.
SO WHAT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE IS THE MORE SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS DOES NOT STOP WHEN SCHOOL ENDS.
WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS, UM, IN, IN ACCESSING THE INSTRUCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT, BUT ALSO THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT.
UM, SO AS YOU LOOK, WE'VE CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION TO LOOK AT THESE, AT THE PROVIDERS, UM, HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT THAT OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS WERE VERY VISIBLE, UM, LAST SUMMER IN, UM, SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS.
OUR DEPARTMENT CHAIRS WERE DOING CREDIT CHECKS, WHICH I'M VERY PROUD OF BECAUSE THAT RESORTED IN A, A WEALTH OF CREDIT RECOVERY FOR THIS FALL FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO NEEDED TO CONSIDER THAT.
WE ALSO HAD STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED 667 DIRECT COUNSELING SESSIONS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS LAST SUMMER.
OUR COUNSELORS, UM, DURING LAST SUMMER, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS RECEIVED 23 EYE DAYS.
UM, AND THEY ALSO GET A RESPONSIBILITY FACTOR DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THEIR, UM, DEPARTMENT AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.
OUR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, AGAIN, THE SUPPORT DURING LAST SUMMER WAS FOR EXTENDED YEAR SERVICES IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE IEPS.
UM, SO LOOKING AT THAT, THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE 461 DIRECT PSYCHOTHERAPY SESSIONS, UM, AND THEN RESPONSIVE TO IEP, UM, TEAMS, 43 OF THOSE AND FOUR SSSTS AND OUR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS ARE 10 MONTHS.
AND THEN OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, UM, THEY ALSO ENGAGED IN PROVIDING SERVICES, EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR SERVICES.
UM, THEY HAD HEAVY LIFT LAST SUMMER.
I CAN DEFINITELY SPEAK TO THAT.
THEY ENGAGED A 116 ASSESSMENTS FOR 510 TEAMS. AND WE KNEW, UM, GOING INTO THAT PERIOD OF TIME AND IN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL ED AND BIRTH TO FIVE, UM, THAT WE WOULD HAVE CLOSE TO 240 TEAMS THAT WERE, UM, IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD REALM.
AND THEN WE HAD 270 TEAMS THAT WERE SCHOOL-BASED, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 1.5, UM, TEAMS PER SCHOOL, UM, OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS.
AND OUR, UM, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN SEVEN SST TEAMS LAST SUMMER.
UM, OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE SUPPORTS, THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS RECEIVED 10 EYE DAYS, UM, FOR LAST SUMMER.
AND THEN OUR BIRTH TO CHILD HAD EXPANDED DAYS TO 23 TO MAKE SURE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE SERVICE PROVISION AND TEAMING THAT WAS NEEDED.
UM, AND OF THOSE DAYS, 59% OF THOSE DAYS WERE USED OUT OF 1000, UM, 38 DAYS ACROSS LAST SUMMER TO PROVIDE SERVICES.
AND OUR PUPIL PERSONNEL WORKERS, I HAVE TO BRING, YOU KNOW, CELEBRATE THEM BECAUSE IN THE SUMMER THEY'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON ATTENDANCE AND GETTING OUR STUDENTS ENROLLED TO BE READY FOR THE, FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR AHEAD.
UM, SO THEY'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME NOT ONLY FOCUSED ON OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE ATTENDING IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, BUT THEN THEY'RE ALSO TALKING WITH FOLKS ABOUT, UM, THE WHAT'S AHEAD FOR REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT AS WELL, AND WORKING INTRICATELY WITH ATTENDANCE TEAMS TO BE READY TO KICK OFF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA CONCLUDE AND TURN IT OVER TO DR. ROGERS OR ANY QUESTIONS? YES.
UH, MS. LTER, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I KNOW THAT WAS QUITE LONG, BUT I THINK THE, THE LENGTH KIND OF REINFORCED THE COMPLEXITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL ED ABOUT WHAT REALLY THE VASTNESS AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT
[01:35:01]
GO WITH IT.SO THANK YOU FOR ALL, ALL THAT DETAIL THAT YOU PROVIDED US.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? MS. LESKI? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, UM, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU USE WORKLOAD AND CASELOAD? I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR GOAL OF A CAP FOR CASELOAD WAS 60 TO 65 MM-HMM
UM, WHAT PERCENT OF OF EDUCATORS ARE ABOVE THAT CAP? AND THEN HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORKLOAD AND CASELOAD TO ACHIEVE THAT CAP? AND, UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER THINGS THAT YOU CONSIDER IN TERMS OF DETERMINING THE BEST CASE CASELOAD FOR TEACHERS? SO THAT, UH, THE, THE WORKLOAD DISCU THE CASELOAD DISCUSSION OF THE 60 65 TARGET IS ACTUALLY FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS SPECIFICALLY.
SO THAT, UM, WE TYPICALLY, UM, FOR, UM, SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS, UM, AND REALLY OUR RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS, WE LOOK AT THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF DIRECT SERVICE ASSESSMENT, UM, PLANNING TIME.
UM, ACTUALLY WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF LIKE THE DUTY DAY COM PIECES TO IT, UM, CONSULTATIVE SERVICES AS WELL AS DIRECT SERVICES.
SO IT'S NOT JUST A STUDENT BASED RATIO, WHICH WE DO LOOK AT FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UM, BUT IT'S A, UM, REALLY LOOKING AT THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS THAT IMPACT WORKLOAD FOR OUR SLPS.
HOWEVER, WE DID AN ADDED COMPONENT OF LOOKING AT THE CASELOAD BECAUSE WE HEARD THAT JUST LOOKING AT THE WORKLOAD IN PARTICULAR FOR SLPS, UM, WAS, WAS NOT, UM, SUFFICIENT IN THEM BEING ABLE TO, UM, FEEL THAT WHAT THEY WERE DOING WAS SUSTAINABLE.
SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE DR. ROGERS WAS ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT, LET'S, WE, WE TALKED TO, LOOKED NATIONALLY WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH REGARDS TO STANDARDS, HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, UM, AND WE'RE ABLE TO SAY THAT OUR, IT'S A TARGET OF 60 TO 65 FOR DIRECT.
WE HAVE, UM, I DO ACTUALLY HAVE A LIST.
UM, WE HAVE EIGHT SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW WHERE THEY, WE WOULD BE RECOM, WE ARE RECOMMENDING AN ADDITIONAL 0.2 SUPPORT FOR THEM, WHICH IS AN ADDITIONAL, UM, KIND OF APPROXIMATES LIKE WHAT DAY, A DAY A WEEK BY A VIRTUAL PROVIDER TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT, UM, REDUCTION IN THAT WORKLOAD CASELOAD FOR THAT SLP.
AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO SUPPORT IN SOME VARIOUS WAYS WHILE WE'RE HIRING FOR THAT.
UM, WHAT PERCENT ARE STILL ABOVE THE 60 TO 65? IS IT JUST THE EIGHT? IF IT'S ONLY EIGHT SCHOOLS, THAT WOULD BE EIGHT.
EIGHT HUMANS, THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD NEED ABOVE THAT.
OTHER THAN THAT, AS FAR AS THAT, THE TARGET OF THE 60 TO 65 DIRECT, EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO, IT SHOULD BE MET WITH THAT.
AND ONE MORE FOLLOW UP QUESTION MM-HMM
UM, IN TERMS OF THE VIRTUAL PROVIDERS, WHAT IS THE FEEDBACK YOU'RE GETTING FROM PARENTS, STUDENTS IN TERMS OF YEAH.
HOW SUCCESSFUL? THE VIRTUAL FOR SPEECH IN PARTICULAR? YES, PLEASE.
SO, UM, VIRTUAL SERVICE PROVISION, I DO WANNA SAY, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST A BIT, IS THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT NEW FOR US, RIGHT? SO, UM, IT WAS ACTUALLY AROUND BEFORE COVID AS A RESEARCH BASE PRACTICE, UM, EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE.
BUT ALSO, UM, I, I SAY I, I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT VIRTUAL SERVICES.
I ACTUALLY SAW THAT AS A PRINCIPAL AT WHITE OAK, SOME OF OUR MOST COMPLEX LEARNERS AROUND SPEECH NEEDS.
UM, REALLY DID A FANTASTIC JOB AND WERE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT.
THE KEY COMPONENT BEING, I WILL SAY THE SUPPORT OF THE OTHER HUMAN THAT'S PRESENT AS THEY'RE ACCESSING THE VIRTUAL SERVICE.
SO DURING COVID V, RIGHT, THAT WAS MOM OR DAD OR CARE PROVIDER AT HOME, AND WE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD MANIPULATE IN ORDER TO ACCESS.
NOW, UM, WE HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL ADULT THAT IS TRAINED AS THE FACILITATOR BY OUR, UM, CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM TO ENSURE THAT, AGAIN, THAT HUMAN IS NEXT TO THE STUDENT IN ORDER TO ACCESS THAT VIRTUAL SERVICE PROVISION THAT'S ONLINE.
SO THIS IS NOT JUST THE STUDENT THAT'S SITTING THERE STARING AT A SCREEN WITH THE PROVIDER THERE, BUT THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL ADULT HUMAN, WHOEVER THAT MAY, THERE IS AN ACTUAL SIGN, BUT SOMETIMES IT MIGHT BE AN ADMINISTRATOR, SOMETIMES IT BE ANOTHER PERSON THAT'S ABLE TO SUPPORT IN THAT WAY.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT PERSON IS ALSO THERE TO BE ABLE TO HELP WITH KIND OF THE MATERIALS AND THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SERVICES ARE, UM, APPROPRIATELY ACCESSED WITH APPROPRIATE MATERIALS, ET CETERA.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, MY QUESTIONS ARE RELATED, SORT OF RELATED TO MS. LESKI, UM, REGARDING THE, UH, TARGET OF 60 TO 65 FOR THE DIRECT SERVICE, UM, CASELOAD TARGET MM-HMM
IS THERE A UNIVERSAL RECOMMENDED NUMBER FOR THAT TARGET? OR WHERE, HOW DO WE COME UP WITH THAT NUMBER? IS IT SOMETHING UNIVERSAL THAT'S WHAT'S BEST FOR STUDENTS? OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE CAME UP? YEAH, SO WE DID, UM, CONDUCT WITH OUR NATIONAL, UM, GROUP AND WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH ASHA, IS THAT, UM, ASSOCIATION OF SPEECH AND HEARING AGENCY.
I THINK I ALWAYS MISS THE NAME.
UM, AND THEY, WE TALK ABOUT THAT DIRECT SERVICE.
UM, AND THERE IS A STANDARD, I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THAT'S A RELATED TO THE 60.
[01:40:01]
AND MAKE SURE OF THAT, BUT THAT'S WHERE THAT, UM, NUMBER CAME FROM, WAS IN CONSULTATION.AND SECONDLY, UM, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE ACCESS THAT WE HAVE TO BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON SLPS, DO YOU, DOES THAT MEAN EACH STUDENT HAS ACCESS TO BOTH, OR EACH SCHOOL HAS ACCESS TO BOTH OR HOW, OR IS IT JUST SYSTEM WIDE? YEAH, THANK YOU.
SOME, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT STUDENTS MIGHT GET DIFFERENT ACCESS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFYING QUESTION.
I REALIZE I KIND OF SAID THAT STRANGELY EARLIER.
SO, UM, ALMOST ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVE BOTH, UM, PROVIDERS IN THEIR BUILDING.
IT WAS THAT WE USE THAT HYBRID MODEL IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW FOR DIRECT SERVICE ACROSS.
UM, STUDENTS MAY HAVE BOTH, BUT MOST HAVE ONE OR THE OTHER DEPENDING.
UM, AND WE HAVE THAT IN ORDER TO AGAIN, ENSURE THAT STUDENTS THAT REALLY NEED THAT, IF THEY NEED THAT IN-PERSON SERVICE PROVISION FOR WHATEVER REASON, UM, THAT THEY HAVE THAT, BUT ALSO THAT THEY HAVE A PROVIDER.
SO BOTH MAY BE AVAILABLE WITH A HYBRID, BUT, UM, IT, MOST OF THEM WOULD HAVE ONE PROVIDER OR THE OTHER.
BUT OUR SCHOOLS HAVE, HAVE ACCESS TO BOTH SO THAT IT'S EQUITABLE AS FAR AS STUDENT ACCESS.
THAT'S EXACTLY TARGET WORD THERE.
WHAT WE DID WAS TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS EQUITABLY PROVIDED ACROSS THE SYSTEM FOR A LONG TIME.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT THERE WERE STUDENTS, THERE WERE SCHOOLS THAT HAD AN IN-PERSON PROVIDER, UM, YOU KNOW, A FULL-TIME IN-PERSON.
AND WE HAD SCHOOLS THAT DIDN'T HAVE AN AN SLP THAT HAD HAD A FULL VACANCY FOR PERIODS OF TIME.
WE SAID, THIS IS NOT BEST PRACTICE.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPREAD THAT ACCORDINGLY.
THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION, MS. EY, IF I MAY ADD TO THAT, UM, TO THAT QUESTION SPECIFICALLY, THAT WAS FEEDBACK THAT CAME FROM OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.
AND SO WE BROUGHT TOGETHER A WORK GROUP AND THERE WERE, UH, SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS, IF I'M CORRECT, WHO SAT ON THE WORK GROUP AND MADE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A BETTER WAY TO DISTRIBUTE AND A SIGN THAT IS MORE EQUITABLE.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, LADIES.
THAT WAS A LOT WITH 28 SLIDES.
UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH, SO FIRST SLIDE NINE AGAIN, WITH THE 60 TO 65 FOR THE DIRECT SERVICE CASELOAD.
UM, IF CHANGES HAVE TO BE MADE, HOW ARE CHANGES MADE? FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE'S LIKE A DECREASE IN STAFF OR AN INCREASE IN STUDENTS, HOW ARE THOSE CHANGES MADE? AND THEN WHAT'S THE TIMEFRAME THAT THOSE CHANGES ARE MADE? OKAY.
YEAH, SO THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION.
UM, WE HAVE COMMITTED TO MONITORING IT ABOUT QUARTERLY WITH BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT, UM, AND THE DIRECT SERVICE, UM, STUDENTS ARE, FOR SLPS IN PARTICULAR, WE ALSO HEAR FROM OUR PROVIDERS.
SO WE, UM, OUR TWO SUPERVISORS THAT SUPPORT THIS WORK HAVE A PRETTY GOOD HANDLE ON, UM, AND, AND, AND COMMUNICATION WITH PROVIDERS AROUND.
WE KNOW THE OTHER PART OF IT IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE 60 TO 65, BUT THERE IS THAT WORKLOAD COMPONENT.
SO THERE ARE TIMES BASED ON THE SERVICES, THEY MAY HAVE LESS THAN THAT BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THERE'S MULTIPLE COMPONENTS.
UM, AND THEN WE ADJUST ACCORDINGLY.
WE DO HAVE A TEAM LEADER WHO'S ABLE TO SUPPORT.
WE ALSO HAVE SOME ITINERANT PROVIDERS WHO ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT WITH, UM, ASSESSMENTS OR IEP TEAM IN ORDER TO PROVIDE SOME, UM, KIND OF FLEXIBILITY AND, AND SO THAT THE PROVIDER COULD FOCUS ON SERVICES.
UM, AND THEN WE WORK WITH OUR CONTRACTED AGENCY TO, UM, HIRE ADDITIONAL PROVIDERS.
WHEN I REFERENCED THAT WE HAD THE, UM, EIGHT SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE ELIGIBLE.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ONBOARDING AND WORKING WITH THAT, UM, CONTRACTED AGENCY TO BE ABLE TO ADD THAT.
SO, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO SAY THAT WE JUST HAVE FOLKS READY TO COME ON.
UM, WE CONTINUE THAT HIRING PROCESS.
I WILL SAY THAT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE'VE HAD NEW HIRES TO BCPS AS SLPS THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO COMING ON BOARD, ONE IN JANUARY AND ONE IN FEBRUARY, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN STANDARD OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
SO NOT ONLY ARE WE GETTING, UM, CONTRACTORS IN PLACE, BUT WE ARE FILLING IN-PERSON PROVIDERS WHO WANNA COME WORK FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH IS HUGE.
AND THE TWO THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, WE HAD A RECENT RETIREMENT AND WE ALSO HAD SOMEONE WHO LEFT BECAUSE HER HUSBAND WAS TRANSFERRED TO, UM, CALIFORNIA.
BUT, UM, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT SEEING A MASS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FOLKS WANTING TO LEAVE IF ANYTHING WE'RE HIRING, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GREAT FOR US.
AND THEN FOR SLIDE 16, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY.
HOW IS THIS INFORMATION SHARED OR SPREAD SO THAT PARENTS LOVED ONES IN THE COMMUNITY CAN ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL THESE RESOURCES? YEAH, SO IT'S SHARED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.
UM, AND WE CONTINUE TO REALLY TRY TO HIGHLIGHT THE, THE, THE VARIETY OF, OF WAYS THAT IT IS SHARED.
IT'S ON WEBSITES, IT'S ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
IT'S SHARED THROUGH, UM, THE DASHBOARD THAT WE'VE ASKED, UM, THAT LINK TO THAT TO BE ON EVERY IEP CHAIR'S, UM, EMAIL SIGNATURE.
WE WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS.
[01:45:01]
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM TO PUT OUT COMMUNICATION, UM, YOU NAME IT, WE ARE OPEN AS FAR AS WITH COMMUNICATION.UM, AND THEN JUST AGAIN, CONTINUOUSLY WANTING TO SAY TO FAMILIES THAT IF YOU'RE FEELING THAT YOU NEED SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE IS JUST GO RIGHT TO THE WEBPAGE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION IS RIGHT THAT LITTLE BAR AT THE BOTTOM.
SO THERE WE WILL, WE WILL THEN LINK YOU TO WHATEVER THAT, WHATEVER THAT THING IS.
AND THEN ON SLIDE 20 WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT OUR INDICATORS, UM, FOR PART B, UH, WE'VE MET 63 OF THE 87.
SO WHAT IS THE WORK, AND CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.
WHAT IS THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING FOR THE OTHER 24 SUBINDICATORS, UM, IN PART B THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MET? YEAH, SO THERE'S IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
THERE ARE IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR EVERY INDICATOR ASSOCIATED.
THAT'S THE WORK THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH BOTH, UM, TARGETED ACTION PLANS THAT ARE BOTH, UM, WITH MSDE AS FAR AS THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
THEY'RE ALSO INDIVIDUAL WITH REGARDS TO EACH OFFICE HAS TARGETED THOSE INDICATORS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE GROWTH AND PROGRESS.
SO THERE'S ACTUALLY 14 FULL INDICATORS, AND THEN THERE'S THOSE SUBINDICATORS.
SO THEN WE WORK CONTINUOUSLY TOWARDS, UM, THE VET.
THAT'S OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT, THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
THAT'S THE, UM, COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS, THE, THE CROSS-DIVISIONAL COLLABORATION, THE ACCOUNTABILITY METRICS, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE REFERENCED WITHOUT THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION.
THE GOAL IS THAT THOSE WILL CONTINUE TO, UM, HAVE THAT IMPACT ON IMPROVING, IMPROVING THOSE, UM, METRICS THAT ARE REFERENCED.
UM, AND NEXT QUESTION IS, OH GOODNESS, I DIDN'T WRITE THE SLIDE.
THERE WAS A GRAPH, IT'S AFTER SLIDE 20, AND THERE WAS A COMPARISON BETWEEN 2019 AND 2025.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO 2019 IS LIKE SIX YEARS AGO.
SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO, WITH THE GRAPH USING 2019 INSTEAD OF LIKE A 2023 OR 2024 TO COMPARE TO 2025 SO THAT WE COULD SEE MORE RECENT TRENDS.
YEAH, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ACCESS TO THAT.
I WOULD JUST SAY THAT WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING THE INCREASED POSITIONS ACROSS THAT TRAJECTORY BASED ON POSITION THAT YOU'LL SEE THERE.
SO NOTHING WENT BELOW WHERE WE WERE AND THAT WE'VE CONTINUED.
UM, AND THAT YOU CAN JUST SEE WHERE WE ARE NOW AS FAR AS WITH THE INCREASE OF POSITIONS.
MS.
UM, FOR SLIDE 27, UM, WITH THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER, UM, AND IT TALKS ABOUT 1 52 SCHOOLS AND 1 27, DO WE HAVE A OVERLAP THEN OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS? SO SOME MAYBE HAVE DOUBLE, 'CAUSE WE HAVE 1 52 AND 1 27, OR ARE THERE STILL SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT HAVE ACCESS, UM, TO THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT THE SCHOOLS? AT THIS TIME? WE HAVE SCHOOLS THAT MAY HAVE MORE THAN ONE PROVIDER.
KEEPING IN MIND THAT CONSORTIUM FUNDING IS FOR OUR UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED SERVICES, WHEREAS MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS, UM, BILL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, OR THEY TAKE PRIVATE INSURANCE, WHICH IS A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE PROVIDERS.
SO, UM, TO DIFFERENTIATE HOW THAT LOOKS, UM, IF YOU ARE IN A SCHOOL THAT, UM, HAS, UM, UH, VARYING NEEDS, UM, THE CONSORTIUM FUNDING COULD BE UTILIZED TO ACCESS SERVICES THAT THERE, THERE MAY NOT BE INSURANCE OR THERE MAY BE SLIDING SCALE FEES.
SO THAT COULD GO TOWARDS SUPPORTING A STUDENT WHO NEEDS THAT LEVEL OF SUPER SERVICE AND INTERVENTION.
ALSO, I WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT THE CONSORTIUM FUNDS DOES A LOT OF BRIDGING INTO THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDING THOSE WRAPAROUND SERVICES.
UM, SO THEY ARE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT WHILE, UM, BUT THEY CAN BE IN MORE, THEY, THERE CAN BE MORE THAN ONE PROVIDER IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
AND ARE THOSE PROVIDERS IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL OR BOTH? UM, SO MOST, UM, ARE IN PERSON.
WE DO HAVE SOME ONLINE ACCESS.
UM, BUT THAT'S REALLY AROUND MODULES FOR, UM, SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING.
BUT MANY OF THE PROVIDERS ARE, ARE IN PERSON, UM, AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE.
AND LASTLY, FROM SLIDE 28 WITH THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, UM, YOU WERE SAYING THERE'S ROUGHLY ABOUT 1.5 TEAMS PER SCHOOL FOR THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST.
DOES THAT NUMBER INCREASE OR DECREASE WITH THAT RECENT CHANGE THAT WE HAD TO THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST FROM 12 MONTHS TO 10 MONTHS?
[01:50:01]
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THAT DESCRIPTION IS REALLY DICTATED BY THE NEEDS OF WHAT STUDENTS NEED IS NEED AS FAR AS TEAMING, UM, GOES, THAT'S NOT REALLY DICTATED BY THE STAFF.IT'S REALLY DICTATED AND IDENTIFIED BY STUDENTS, UM, WHERE THERE'S AN INITIATED NEED FOR AN IEP TEAM.
AND LAST QUESTION, I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE, LADIES, IS THE SCHOOL PSYCH, THOSE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, DO THOSE TEAMS INCLUDE VIRTUAL PSYCHOLOGISTS? SO, UM, OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS, THOSE WERE, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO PROVIDED SERVICES VIA THEIR EYE OR, UM, SCHOOLS HAD IDENTIFIED IT, HAD IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR SUPPORT, UM, OVER THE SUMMER.
WE DO HAVE VIRTUAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, UM, NOW WE HAVE SEVEN WHO ARE PROVIDING LEVELS OF SUPPORT AT SCHOOLS.
YOU GUYS REALLY DID A GREAT JOB, UM, PREEMPTIVELY ANSWERING A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS I ALREADY HAD.
UM, ONE QUESTION I HAD WAS, UM, ABOUT THE VIRTUAL SERVICES WHEN THERE'S WAS, IS THERE EVER A TIME WHEN THERE'S MORE THAN ONE STUDENT RECEIVING VIRTUAL SERVICES OF DIFFERENT KINDS IN THE SAME ROOM WITH A FACILITATOR? DO YOU KNOW, LIKE IF SAY THEY'RE AT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? OKAY.
THOSE, SO LIKE, LIKE YOU'RE HAVING ACCESS TO A PSYCHOLOGIST AND THEN AN SLP LIKE THAT? NO, THAT WOULDN'T, NO, WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULDN'T DO THAT.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, GOING BACK TO THE, THE AUDITS.
I'M NOT SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS, BUT, UM, WITH THE SAMPLE SIZE, WHO DECIDES THE SAMPLE? LIKE WHO PICKS THE, IS IT RANDOMLY SELECTED? DO WE RANDOMLY SELECTED? DO THE MSDE RANDOMLY SELECT IT? OKAY.
SO MSDE SELECTS THAT SAMPLE SIZE.
UM, WE GET A RANDOM LIST OF STUDENTS AND THEN WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE, UM, RECORDS ACCORDINGLY.
AND THAT'S ACROSS FOR ALL OF THE VARIOUS AUDITS THAT ARE REFERENCED.
AS A POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IF I CAN ADD, UH, NOT ONLY DOES MSDE UH, IDENTIFY THE SAMPLE SIZE, THEY ALSO SELECT THE SAMPLE SO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO EVERY SINGLE STUDENT IN THE STATE AND ALL 24 DISTRICTS WHO ARE, WHO HAVE AN IEP AND THEY IDENTIFY THE IEPS THAT THEY WANNA SEE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
IT'S TRULY OUTSTANDING AND A LOT OF INFORMATION.
I KNOW I'M GOING TO BE GOING BACK THROUGH IT AND JUST REFLECTING ON ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN SHARED.
UM, MY QUESTIONS, AND, AND I HAVE THREE BRIEF ONES ARE FOCUSED ON THE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES AND MONITORING.
AND WE'VE TOUCHED ON A, A FEW OF THESE AREAS ALREADY WITH, UM, MY COLLEAGUES QUESTIONS.
BUT MY FIRST HAS TO DO WITH, UM, DO, DO WE HAVE A CORRECTIVE ACT, A COURSE OF CORRECTIVE ACTION FOR ISSUES THAT COME UP ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, EITHER AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL OR AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, OR BOTH? UM, IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN AN ISSUE COMES TO US, IS THAT ADDRESSED PROACTIVELY IN TERMS OF, UM, LOOKING AT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THAT? AND I KNOW WE HAVE MONITORING AND, UM, FOR FORMAL PROCESSES, RIGHT? AND MSDE LOOKS AT A SAMPLE AND INTERNAL AUDIT LOOKS AT THINGS.
BUT WHAT IS THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN? AND DO WE LOOK AT THE ROOT CAUSE OUTSIDE OF THE FORMAL, THOSE FORMAL MONITORING PROCESSES? YES.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
UM, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE FOCUSED ON SPECIFICALLY WAS COMPLIANCE.
UM, SO TO YOUR POINT, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE STATE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MSDE DOES IS THEY SEND ME A COPY OF EVERY, UM, COMPLAINT AND CONCERN THAT THEY RECEIVE.
AND AFTER REVIEWING EACH ONE OF THEM INDIVIDUALLY, I STARTED TO NOTICE SOME TRENDS AND PATTERNS AND TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY IN MY MONTHLY MEETING WITH PRINCIPALS, UM, TO SHARE WITH THEM WHAT THE TRENDS AND PATTERNS WERE, THINGS THAT WERE, UH, SIMPLE FIXES AND, UH, CLEARLY CREATED, UH, SHARED WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS WERE, PROVIDED THE SUPPORTS, UM, THE REMINDERS, THE DOCUMENTS SO THAT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS WERE ON THE SAME PAGE IN TERMS OF A RESET THAT WAS NEEDED IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AROUND COMPLIANCE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE DID AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL.
THOSE DOCUMENTS COMING FROM THE STATE, AS I SAID, I RECEIVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
NOW, AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY YEAR, I PROVIDE AN UPDATE TO THE, UH, PRINCIPALS AND SHARED THEM FOR THEIR CONTINUED, UH, FOCUS IN THIS AREA.
AND WHEN WE RECEIVE INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS, UH, THEY ARE, UH, SENT
[01:55:01]
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.UH, BOTH DR. JONES AS WELL AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, UH, REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO SCHOOLS.
AND, UM, THEY HAVE REGULAR STANDING MEETINGS WHERE SPECIAL EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS, UM, AS WELL AS CNI, UM, OTHER OFFICES COME TOGETHER, BIRTH THROUGH FIVE, ET CETERA.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT DATA, THEY'RE LOOKING AT TRENDS.
I THINK, UM, IT WAS SLIDE NUMBER 19, UH, WHERE MS. MEYERS WENT THROUGH, UH, WHAT IS DONE DIFFERENTLY FOR SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES VERSUS WHAT THEY DO AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL.
SO AS SOON AS PATTERNS AND TRENDS ARE IDENTIFIED, UM, THAT IS ADDRESSED BY SPECIAL EDUCATION AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT IS OUR EXPECTATION.
DR. ROGERS, YOU WANNA ADD? I I THINK YOU COVERED IT.
UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE ASPECT THAT I WOULD A LITTLE BIT OF AN AD IS JUST THAT, THAT'S WHERE THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMES INTO PLAY THAT WE'VE, THAT WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT IS THAT THAT'S PROACTIVE WITH REGARDS TO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, AND THEN YOU'RE ABLE TO REFLECT ON THAT AS FAR THEY'VE ALREADY HAD IT, SO THEN WE CAN GO BACK TO THOSE DOCUMENTS.
THE OTHER AREA THAT, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT I SAID IS THAT WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON BEING ABLE TO HAVE AT HAND THOSE RESOURCES AND MATERIALS THAT PRINCIPALS NEED FOR THEIR REFLECTION AROUND COMPLIANCE.
WE HAVE THE E HANDBOOK THAT IS UP TO DATE AND UPDATED REGULARLY THAT HAS THE MOST RECENT GUIDANCE FROM THE STATE, AS WELL AS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT.
SO THOSE ARE EASY GO-TO THINGS IN ORDER TO STAY IN COMPLIANCE, BUT IF THERE'S AN ISSUE THAT SERVICES, WE, WE IMMEDIATELY GO BACK TO THAT, REMIND THEM WHERE THOSE THINGS ARE AND ENSURE THAT THEIR, THEIR EASE OF ACCESS DOCUMENTS THAT ARE EASY TO READ AND ABLE TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT.
UM, WHAT I'M THINKING OF, AND, AND THANK YOU, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL AND, AND YOU'RE ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD, THAT I HAVE, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, WHAT I'M ALSO ASKING ABOUT ARE THE, THE ONE-OFFS THAT WOULD HOPEFULLY BE RESOLVED AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL WITHOUT NEEDING TO BE ESCALATED TO THE STATE OR, OR TO COME TO THE SYSTEM, AND IS, IS THERE A RESOLUTION PROCESS OR ISSUE RESOLUTION PROCESS THAT IS SHARED BY THE SCHOOL WITH FAMILIES, UM, RECEIVING, YOU KNOW, SERVICES FOR THEIR STUDENTS THAT BLESS YOU.
I'M SORRY, I HEARD SOMEONE ELSE SPEAKING.
THAT IT COULD RESOLVE THAT ISSUE, UM, WITHOUT NEEDING TO, TO ESCALATE IT.
AND IS, IS THAT A PROCESS THAT FAMILIES, THAT IS COMMUNICATED TO FAMILIES AND THAT PRINCIPALS, UM, ARE RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON? YEAH, SO WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY REFERENCING IS THE PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS THAT ARE PART OF IDEA.
SO, UM, AT EVERY TEAM, UM, FAMILIES RECEIVE A COPY OF THEIR PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS, UM, OR AT LEAST ANNUALLY.
AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY CON QUESTION OR CONSIDERATION, THOSE ARE THEN PROVIDED AGAIN.
SO THERE IS A RESOLUTION PROCESS THAT'S MANDATED BOTH, UM, THAT, THAT IS THROUGH MSCE, UM, AS, AND OUR SYSTEM ALSO WORKS WITH THAT RESOLUTION PROCESS.
SO THAT'S REALLY WHY WE, WE WANT TO BUILD OUT THAT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, THAT COMMUNITY THAT'S, UM, UM, OUR PARENT TEAM THAT IF THERE'S ANY QUESTION THAT THEY FEEL THAT MAYBE THEY CAN'T GET RESOLVED AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO OUR PARENT TEAM WHO CAN THEN HELP TO KIND OF NAVIGATE AND ALLEVIATE SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.
UM, THOSE I WHAT WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO, THERE'S LEGAL OBLIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE AROUND PARENT THE RESOLUTION PROCESS, WHICH WE HAVE, IN ADDITION TO THAT IS JUST WHAT I WOULD SAY WOULD BE BEST PRACTICE AROUND WANTING TO ENSURE FAMILIES HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR THEM TO GET A RESPONSE FROM A SCHOOL TO BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THEIR QUESTIONS SO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T NEED TO ESCALATE, HOWEVER, IT IS A PARENT'S RIGHT TO DO SO.
SO IF THERE IS A DISAGREEMENT, UM, THERE IS A PROCESS TO DO THAT, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO DO THAT, THAT IS THEIR ABSOLUTE RIGHT, AND THEY ARE PROVIDED THOSE, UM, THOSE RIGHTS ACCORDINGLY.
AND, AND, AND I'M AWARE THE LEGAL RE OUR LEGAL REQUIREMENTS TO DO SO.
UM, HOWEVER, IF, IF WE CAN GO BEYOND THAT TO, UM, WORK TOWARDS AVOIDING THAT BREAKDOWN AND, AND GO ONE STEP FURTHER AND MAKING SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THAT CONNECTION WITH OUR FAMILIES, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES THAT CONFLICT, THAT ESCALATION CAN BE AVOIDED WITH SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS.
AND LIKE I TELL MY CONSTITUENTS, RESOLVE IT WITH THE SCHOOL, HAVE A CONVERSATION, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN RESOLVE MOST ISSUES BY WORKING WITH YOUR TEACHERS, WITH YOUR ADMIN, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS.
AND, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES OUR, OUR PROCEDURES ARE OUT OF REACH OR AREN'T ACCESSIBLE TO FAMILIES IF, IF THEY'RE WRITTEN IN LEGALESE, IF THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, HARD TO UNDERSTAND OR HARD TO GRASP OR NOT.
SOMETIMES WE BUILD CONFLICT INTO PROCESSES AND IT'S, IT'S UNINTENTIONAL, BUT THE WORK TO MAINTAIN THAT RELATIONSHIP AND THAT ENGAGEMENT, I THINK THE, THE FEWER CONFLICTS AND FEWER ESCALATIONS, UM, WE WILL
[02:00:01]
SEE.SO IT, EVEN IF WE TAKE THAT ONE STEP FURTHER, BUT, BUT YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION THERE.
UM, MY, MY NEXT QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH, UM, THE MONITORING AND THE REPORTS THAT ARE GENERATED OUT OF THAT MONITORING.
IS THERE A CENTRALIZED REPOSITORY WHERE STAKEHOLDERS CAN LOCATE THAT INFORMATION? THERE'S A LOT OF WORK HAPPENING AND A LOT OF ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
UM, WHAT I'M WONDERING ABOUT IS THE TRANSPARENCY OF THAT DATA.
IS THERE A ONE-STOP SHOP OR A PLACE THAT INDIVIDUALS CAN BE DIRECTED TO SAY, LOOK, HERE'S, HERE'S WHAT'S GOING ON.
I MEAN, THIS PRESENTATION IS FANTASTIC AND I PLAN TO SHARE IT, UM, WITH THOSE WHO ASK.
BUT IS THERE A DASHBOARD? IS THERE, UM, YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE PLANS TO SHARE THIS ON THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE? BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS GOOD STUFF AND, AND I THINK OUR STAKEHOLDERS WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN, IN HAVING THIS INFORMATION.
SO THE SPP AND A PR REPORT IS ON THE MSD WEBSITE ACTUALLY, SO THAT IS PUBLIC FACING AS FAR AS HOW, UM, SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE PERFORMING.
UM, AND THOSE, THAT'S THE YEARLY METRIC THAT IS THERE.
UM, AS FAR AS, UM, THIS INFORMATION AND PRESENTATION, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PUBLICLY FACING WITH REGARDS TO IT BEING IN BOARD DOCS.
UM, AND THAT'S ALWAYS AVAILABLE.
OUR STRATEGIC ROADMAP IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON, UH, THE WEBSITE, WHICH HAS DRIVEN ALL OF THIS WORK ACCORDINGLY.
SO YES, UM, IT IS PUBLIC INFORMATION AS FAR AS HOW WE'RE PERFORMING, UM, WITH REGARDS TO THAT, THAT ANNUAL YEARLY PROGRESS.
UM, ALSO, UM, THAT COMPLAINT DATA THAT DR. ROGERS WAS REFERENCING WITHOUT, UM, STUDENT SPECIFIC INFORMATION IS ALSO PART OF, UM, AS MSD, UM, DASHBOARDS ACCORDINGLY, ARE OUR SCHOOL PLANS ALSO AVAILABLE? THE SPECIAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT PLAN IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS, UM, FORWARD FACING AT THE MOMENT.
THERE'S ALWAYS ANSWERS THAT COULD BE PROVIDED ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S NOT PRESENTED IN THAT WAY.
THOSE ARE REALLY, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC, LIKE THE WHO IN THE BUILDING COMES TO REGISTER WOULD BE THE PERSON THAT WOULD CONNECT, WHO SENDS OUT THE DOCUMENT TO WHOEVER AT HOME, WHO'S THE PERSON THAT'S ACCOUNTABLE FOR WALKING THROUGH THE CLASSROOM TO ENSURE THE IEPS BEING, THOSE ARE VERY SCHOOL SPECIFIC THINGS.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS THE EXPECTATION FOR A MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT'S WRITTEN INTO OUR, UM, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION, UM, ROADMAP REFERENCES THAT THAT'S IN THIS, UM, AND KIND OF SOME VARIOUS OTHER THERE, VARIOUS OTHER PLACES THAT IT LIVES.
BUT AS FAR AS FORWARD FACING OF THAT SPECIAL ED MANAGEMENT PLAN, PER SE, THAT WOULDN'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD BRING VALUE TO FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THOSE SPECIFIC, UM, NAMES ASSOCIATED E EVEN TO THOSE SCHOOL FAMILIES THAT I, I WOULD JUST, UM, LOOK AT THAT THROUGH THE LENS OF A SCHOOL FAMILY AND, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THERE THAT WOULD BRING VALUE TO THEM, BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE'S, THERE'S GOOD INFORMATION HERE.
AND OFTENTIMES GOING BACK TO THE CONFLICTS THAT, THAT OFTEN RESULT, UM, I THINK AT THE ROOT OF THAT IS A LACK OF INFORMATION.
UM, I HEAR FROM FAMILIES THAT, THAT DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM THAT.
AND, AND THE MORE WE CAN ENGAGE WITH OUR FAMILIES AND SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH THEM, UM, I THINK IT CAN SMOOTH THAT OVER AND, AND RESULT IN BETTER EXPERIENCES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SO IF, IF THAT'S A POSSIBILITY, AND I HEAR YOU MENTIONED THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE IN, IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
AGAIN, IF THE MORE INFORMATION WE CAN PUT OUT AND MAKE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO OUR, OUR FAMILIES, UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, A LOT OF WORK IS HAPPENING, THIS IS FANTASTIC, AND WE, WE NEED TO SHARE THIS, UM, WIDELY AND, AND LET FAMILIES KNOW, UM, OF WHAT, WHAT REALLY IS HAPPENING.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THERE, THERE'S FRUSTRATION AROUND WHEN, WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, AND I, I, I WANNA GET THE GOOD NEWS OUT THERE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK HAPPENING IN, IN THE GOOD NEWS WITHIN THE SYSTEM AS WELL.
SO, BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, THANK YOU MS. MYERS FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND FOR THE WORK OF YOUR TEAM.
I CAN SEE THE ENTHUSIASM YOU HAVE FOR, UH, SPECIALIST EDUCATION THROUGH THE WAY YOU PRESENT, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I, I, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT, UH, THIS IS A EITHER OR PROPOSITION.
I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT SLIDE SEVEN, THE HISTORICAL CHALLENGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE CAN CELEBRATE INCREMENTAL STEADY CHANGE AND ALSO MAINTAIN AN EXPECTATION, UH, FOR ACCOUNTABILITY IN MEETING OUR ULTIMATE GOAL.
AND SO MY QUESTION, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
ONE IS ABOUT ENSURING PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS ARE COLLABORATIVE MEMBERS OF THE IEP PROCESS.
SO WE KNOW THAT THERE CAN BE AN INHERENT POWER DIFFERENTIAL IN AN IEP
[02:05:01]
MEETING.PARENTS ARE SITTING SOMETIMES IN FRONT OF 3, 4, 5, UH, SCHOOL PERSONNEL.
THERE'S A LOT OF JARGON AND ACRONYMS THAT ARE THROWN ABOUT THE MEETING CAN FEEL RUSHED, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S A SCHEDULE TO BE KEPT.
HOW, UH, ARE YOU ALL ENSURING OR WORKING TOWARDS MAKING IEP MEETINGS MORE MEANINGFUL FOR PARENTS, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT REALLY IS HAPPENING, UH, WITH THEIR CHILDREN, WITH THEIR STUDENTS, AND SO THAT, UH, THEY FEEL EMPOWERED TO DISAGREE, TO ASK FOR RESOURCES THAT MAY NOT BE LISTED, UH, AND TO ADVOCATE, UH, ON BEHALF OF THEIR CHILDREN.
UM, ONE IS THAT AT EVERY IEP CHAIR TRAINING, WE DO A PARENT ENGAGEMENT, PARENT INFORMATION SESSION FOR OUR CHAIRS AROUND THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGING WITH OUR FAMILIES.
UM, BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT STRATEGIES OF LISTENING, UM, CONNECTING WITH FAMILIES, TRYING TO HEAR SOMEONE INDICATED A ROOT CAUSE.
WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE OUR PARENTS LOOKING FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY SAY IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
REALLY THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT USING THE JARGON, RIGHT? UNDERSTAND THAT.
I WILL SAY TO YOU PERSONALLY, I HAVE A CHILD WHO, UM, HAS A 5 0 4 PLAN AND, UM, WE LIVE IN ANOTHER STATE, BUT I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE AT THAT TABLE, RIGHT? AND THIS IS MY WORLD, SO
I SIT THERE AND THINK I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO ASK.
SO I HAVE EMPATHY FOR THAT AND REALLY HOLD THAT IN A, UM, HIGH LEVEL OF, UM, EXPECTATION FOR MY TEAM AND AS WELL AS WITH IEP TEAMS. THAT'S A SESSION I ACTUALLY PRESENTED AT TO CHAIRS.
UM, I'VE DONE IT TWICE THIS YEAR.
I WALKED IN ON ANOTHER ONE THAT I WASN'T, UM, I WANTED TO SAY IT A BIT DIFFERENTLY, A LITTLE BIT MORE DIRECTLY.
SO I DID IT MYSELF, UM, AROUND THAT EXPECTATION FOR HOW WE'RE ENGAGING WITH FAMILIES AND ENSURING THAT THAT IS, UM, OUR HIGHEST EXPECTATION.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE HAD PARENT PANELS, UM, AND OTHER PANELS OF FOLKS THAT DO THIS WORK.
SO, UM, PARENTS PLACE A MARYLAND FOR EXAMPLE, AND OTHERS THAT HAVE COME AND BEEN ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE WORK OF, UM, IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGING OUR FAMILIES AND PROVIDING THOSE RESOURCES.
SO, SO THAT'S FROM THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND EXPECTATION SIDE.
UM, THE OTHER SIDE I WILL SAY IS THAT THAT IS THE WORK OF THIS, UM, TEAM WITH REGARDS TO PROVIDING, UM, PARENT TRAINING SESSIONS, REALLY WANNA BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON, UM, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, THAT TEAM HAS GONE THROUGH, THERE'S SESSIONS ON UNDERSTANDING THE IEP UNDERSTANDING THE IEP TEAM PROCESS.
THERE ARE RECORDED VERSIONS OF THAT AVAILABLE.
THERE'S ALSO LIVE ONES, AND THEN WE JUST WANNA CONTINUE LIKE PUBLIC SERVICE AROUND THAT IDEA THAT, UM, KENYA'S TEAM WILL SIT AND SIT WITH THE FAMILY AND TALK THROUGH THAT ENTIRE PROCESS FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO PREPARE FOR THAT TEAM MEETING.
UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S A SERVICE WE ARE HAPPY TO DO, UM, AND, AND DO PRETTY REGULARLY.
AGAIN, IT'S THAT WANTING TO PROMOTE AND MAKE SURE IT'S ACCESSIBLE AND UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS TEAM IS THERE AND AVAILABLE AND THAT IS THE WORK.
UM, SO WE'RE THERE, WE WANNA DO IT, WE'RE PROVIDING IT IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT FORMATS RELATED TO THAT.
AND THEN ALSO JUST THAT, UM, IT COMES DOWN TO THAT CULTURE PART THAT WE TALK ABOUT, RIGHT? IS THAT WANTING TO VALUE OUR FAMILIES AT THAT TABLE AND UNDERSTAND THAT FOLKS SHOW UP IN WHATEVER WAY, AND WE'RE, WE'RE STILL, WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR OUR KIDDOS, AND THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
JUST A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS TO FOLLOW UP.
ONE IS HOW, HOW WE PREPARE, AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT OUR FAMILIES FOR ATTENDING AN IEP MEETING, BEYOND PROVIDING THEM WITH THE IEP IN ADVANCE MM-HMM
UH, WHETHER IT'S DIRECTING THEIR ATTENTION TO SPECIFIC AREAS, WHETHER IT'S, UM, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE GROWTH AND PROCESS THAT'S OCCURRED IN PLAIN LANGUAGE AS OPPOSED TO SAYING THEY'RE AT A 3.6 AND NOW THEY'RE AT A 3.8, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT MEANS.
ALSO, UH, THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IN THAT PARENT PREPARATION PROCESS AND UNDERSTANDING THE IEP.
THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF OF THOUGHTS THAT I HAD.
ALSO, UM, MY SECOND QUESTION REALLY IS ABOUT THE DISPROPORTIONALITY, UH, AND IDENTIFICATION AND SUSPENSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
CAN YOU PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON, UH, WHAT THAT IS SPEAKING TO, AND WHAT IS THE WORK YOU'RE DOING TO ADDRESS THAT HISTORICAL CHALLENGE? YES, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UM, SO, UH, DISPROPORTIONALITY, THERE'S A VARIETY OF, UM, AREAS THAT ARE LOOKED AT.
IT'S IDENTIFICATION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES PLACEMENT.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, UM, OR DISCIPLINE WITH REGARDS TO, UM, HOW STUDENTS ARE DISCIPLINED AND THAT, ARE THEY BEING DISCIPLINED AT A DISPROPORTIONATE LEVEL, THEN THEIR, THEIR PEERS OR STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT DISABLED, UM, IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A DISABILITY.
UM, SO WITHIN THAT, UM, WITHIN BALTIMORE COUNTY, A, A SYSTEM IS REQUIRED IF YOU ARE IDENTIFIED AS DISPROPORTIONATE IN ONE OF THESE AREAS, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO USE 15%, 15% OF YOUR FUNDS TO ADDRESS
[02:10:01]
THOSE DISPROPORTIONATE AREAS.UM, THAT WAS UNDER THE WORK OF OUR CCIS OR COMPREHENSIVE COORDINATED EARLY INTERVENTION SUPPORTS AND SERVICE.
SO WITHIN OUR SYSTEM, UM, WE HAVE USED THAT TO BUILD OUT VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADDRESS THOSE AREAS.
UM, ACTUALLY THAT IS WORK THAT, UM, TRICIA AND I DO TOGETHER.
UM, SO ONE COMPONENT IS THAT WE'VE BUILT OUT OUR 5 0 4 AND SST TEAM.
SO WE ACTUALLY, THAT, UM, FUNDS THE SUPERVISOR AND THE SPECIALIST AND HER TEAM, UM, AROUND, UM, SUPPORTING THE SSST PROCESS.
SO ENSURING THAT STUDENTS ARE APPROPRIATELY IDENTIFIED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE, BUT AGAIN, NOT OVERLY IDENTIFIED.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE BUILD OUT WHAT WE CALL COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT TEAMS. SO ANOTHER, UM, THESE ARE TEAMS THAT ARE ABLE TO GO IN AND EMBED IN SCHOOLS, UM, IN ORDER TO HELP ON MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS, UM, AND BEING ABLE TO BUILD OUT THOSE, UM, STRUCTURES THAT ARE GOOD FOR ALL STUDENTS, WHETHER THAT IS CLIMATE AND CULTURE, WHETHER THAT'S ACADEMIC NEEDS, UM, AND REALLY BEING ABLE TO BUILD THAT OUT PROACTIVELY TO BE ABLE TO, AGAIN, ADDRESS THOSE AREAS.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HIT ALL THREE.
WE ALSO HAVE USED THOSE FUNDS IN ORDER TO ADDRESS EARLY CHILDHOOD.
SO WE KNOW THAT, UM, THAT IS AN AREA THAT WE NEED TO, UM, WE, OUR KIDS ARE COMING IN VERY DIFFERENTLY, UM, THAN THEY DID YEARS AGO.
UM, AND THE HAVE ALLOWED US TO HAVE, UM, NOT ONLY OUR DIRECTOR, BUT FIVE SPECIALISTS WHOSE FOCUS IS ON PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN, BUILDING OUT SUPPORTS COACHING TEACHERS, PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ACCORDINGLY.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT WORK IS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A SPECIALIST WHO JUST FOCUSES ON, UM, A KIND OF ANALYSIS AND WORKING WITH SCHOOLS SPECIFICALLY WHO ARE SHOWING, UM, TRENDS OF DISPROPORTIONALITY, MAYBE AROUND SUSPENSION, UM, AND THEN A RESOURCE TEACHER AS WELL.
THE OTHER WORK OF THAT GROUP IS LOOKING AT STUDENTS AS THEIR ENTERING BALTIMORE COUNTY AND WHAT THEIR ELIGIBILITY IS, AND ENSURING THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR STUDENTS, UM, IDENTIFIED AS AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY.
THERE ARE TIMES WHERE, UM, WE HAVE TO BE VERY CLEAR ON THE COM AND ON THOSE, UM, PIECES OF DATA NECESSARY TO MAKE VERY INFORMED, APPROPRIATE DECISIONS FOR KIDDOS, AND THAT THAT IS NOT DISPROPORTIONATELY IDENTIFYING OUR BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AS HAVING AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, WHICH IS AN AREA THAT WE HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATE.
SO THAT TEAM LOOKS SPECIFICALLY AT STUDENTS COMING INTO THE SYSTEM, MAYBE FROM ANOTHER SYSTEM AS WELL AS ANY NUMBER OF THOSE ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL COMPONENTS, UM, TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE IDENTIFICATION.
SORRY, JUST ONE QUICK FOLLOW UP AS WE BROUGHT THAT UP.
HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY TRENDING UPWARDS AS WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE LEAST, UM, EXCL LIKE THE, OR THE MOST INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS? WE WE'RE TRYING TO GET KIDS FROM THAT EXCLUSION, YOU KNOW, THE EXCLUSION CLASSROOM INTO THE MORE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM WITH THE SPECIAL, WHEN SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, DO YOU SEE THE, UM, THE LEVEL OF SUSPENSIONS AND, UM, BEHAVIOR ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM MORE THAN YOU DID BEFORE? I THINK OUR, I'M NOT GONNA SAY IT.
I THINK OUR STUDENT NEEDS ARE COMPLEX, RIGHT? SO, UM, ACROSS THE SYSTEM, OVER THE LAST, UM, I WANNA SAY COVID AND EARLY, YOU JUST SEE DIFFERENT DYNAMICS.
AND OUR STUDENTS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS THAT WE ADDRESS IN A MULTIPLE WAYS.
UM, YOU KNOW, MS MOST OFER TALKED ABOUT THAT COMPREHENSIVE, UM, SUPPORT WITH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT WE KNOW WE WORK COLLECTIVELY, UM, AND COLLABORATIVELY, UH, TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR, OUR CLASSROOMS ARE, UM, SUPPORTED AROUND THAT, THAT WE WORK OUR MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS AROUND CLIMATE AND BEHAVIOR STRATEGIES THAT ARE, WHAT IS YOUR TIER ONE, WHAT IS EVERYONE GETTING? AND THEN WHAT ARE SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, KIND OF VARIATIONS.
UM, I WOULDN'T ATTRIBUTE LRE TO THAT, WHICH IS WHAT YOU'RE REFERENCING, UM, AROUND LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT IS REALLY STUDENT SPECIFIC.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD CORRELATE THE TWO, TWO BEING THAT THERE'S MORE DISCIPLINE NEEDS, BUT WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE APPROPRIATELY ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF EVERY STUDENT IN WHATEVER THEIR ENVIRONMENT IS.
NO, I, I, I JUST KIND OF, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THAT YOU'VE NOTICED THAT THE, UM, DISCIPLINARY NEEDS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IS ON IS ON THE RISE, OR THERE'S, THEY'RE MORE FREQUENTLY.
HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT WITH THAT LEASE, UM, RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT THEY'VE BEEN GOING UP OR IF THEY'VE BEEN GOING DOWN? SO OUR DISPROPORTIONALITY SUSPENSION ACTUALLY WENT DOWN.
WE WERE NOT DISPROPORTIONATE FOR, UM, THIS YEAR.
SO I WOULD SAY NO, IN THAT SENSE.
UM, IT IS AN AREA WITH CCIS FUNDS, WE ARE ABLE TO DO TWO THINGS.
ONE IS ADDRESS IT IF YOU ARE DISPROPORTIONATE.
THE OTHER IS, UH, BUILD OUT THE SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES TO PREVENT IT.
SO WE, WE HIT IT FROM BOTH ANGLES.
SO WHILE WE WERE DISPROPORTIONATE FOR YEARS AROUND SUSPENSION, WE MADE IMPROVEMENTS AND WEREN'T, WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE COULD EASILY END UP THERE, UM, DUE TO VARIOUS FACTORS.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE THEN BUILD IN, UM, KIND OF THAT PROACTIVE, AGAIN, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, ET CETERA, TO ADDRESS THAT.
SO, UM, WE WERE NOT DISPROPORTIONATE AND DISCIPLINED.
MR. MCMILLION, REAL QUICKLY, UH,
[02:15:01]
ON SLIDE 28 AND THE YELLOW RECTANGLE WITH SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, IT SAYS THERE WAS 138 EYE DAYS ALLOCATED.THERE WAS 1038 EYE DAYS, 10 OF THE, UM, DAYS EACH COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS RECEIVED 10, AND THEN OUR BIRTH TO FIVE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS RECEIVED 23.
WHICH MEANS THEY WERE OFFERED TO THE PSYCHOLOGIST, AND THEY, THEY WEREN'T INTERESTED IN WORKING THOSE DAYS.
THEY WERE PROVIDED, AND THEY DIDN'T, THEY DID NOT USE THEM, OR THEY WERE NOT ALLOCATED, UH, OR THEY WEREN'T UTILIZED IN THAT ALLOCATION.
AND THAT'S AFTER WE, THEY'RE 10 MONTHS NOW, RIGHT? YES, SIR.
WE, THEY'RE CUT BACK TO 10 MONTHS AND THEN THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE THESE EYE DAYS AND THEY DIDN'T DO IT.
SO THAT WAS, I WAS GONNA
UM, SO SERVICES THAT WERE NEEDED FOR KIDS DURING THE SUMMER, WE HAD THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST AVAILABLE THROUGH THEIR EYE DAYS MM-HMM
AND KEEP IN MIND, THE EYE DAYS, UM, ARE AT THE CHOOSING OF THE STAFF MEMBER TO USE THOSE, RIGHT? SO THEY DO MAKE THAT CHOICE IN, IN USING THEM AND WHEN THEY USE THEM.
UM, BUT ALSO KEEP IN MIND THE ARRAY OF SERVICES THAT WERE PROVIDED ACROSS SCHOOLS, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR STUDENTS IN EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR FOR STUDENTS WITH IEPS.
BUT THEN ALSO WE HAD DEPARTMENT CHAIRS FOR COUNSELORS, UH, AS FAR AS COUNSELING DEPARTMENT CHAIRS ALSO AVAILABLE DURING THAT TIME.
SO, UM, YES, WE, WE HAD AN ARRAY OF SERVICES AND OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS IN MANY SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER.
SO STUDENTS NEEDED SERVICING DURING THE SUMMER.
WE DID HAVE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN AVAILABLE WITH THE EYE DAYS.
AND WE HAD OTHER PROVIDERS THAT WERE ALSO ACCESSIBLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES.
UM, AND THEN I JUST, UM, I THINK WE'VE GOT ALL THE QUESTIONS.
UM, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR SHARING, UM, DR.
I MEAN, IT WAS ON ONE SLIDE ON SLIDE 19, BUT IT, IT'S HUGE.
AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF US BEING, UM, NEEDING IMPROVEMENT ACCORDING TO MSDE, FOR THEM TO COME OUT AND SAY THAT WE ARE ON A POSITIVE TRAJECTORY IS HUGE.
YOU KNOW, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, UM, SPECIAL ED IS ALWAYS GONNA BE CHALLENGING.
IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE COMPLEX, EVEN WHEN WE THINK WE HAVE IT RIGHT.
UM, IT'S STILL GOING TO HAVE, UM, SPECIAL NEEDS BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE STUDENTS THAT WE'RE SERVING.
SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING, UM, TO PUT IT TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES ARE PLACED.
SO ANY CHILD THAT ENTERS OUR SYSTEM CAN FIND THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
I KNOW WE GRILLED YOU ON A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT, UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE ANSWERS.
DID YOU HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION? OKAY.
AND OUR LAST QUESTION, MS. LESKI.
I HAVE THREE QUICK QUESTIONS, BUT THE PROGRESS IS TERRIFIC, AND I AGREE WITH THE OTHER COMMENTS THAT THIS DESERVES TO BE CELEBRATED.
UM, SO THE FIRST QUESTION IS REGARDING SLIDES 13 AND 16 WITH THE ADVISORY OPPORTUNITIES, AND JUST FOR, UM, ANY FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ARE LISTENING TONIGHT IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH GIVING FEEDBACK.
UM, ARE THOSE ADVISORIES OPEN TO EVERYONE OR ARE THEY LIKE SELECT GROUPS WITH REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE, SAY, TEACHERS, PARENTS AND SO FORTH? OR IS IT, UM, SO CAC, ARE THERE ADVISORIES THAT ARE OPEN FOR EVERYBODY? THANK YOU.
YEAH, SO SEE, I WOULD SAY, UM, DIRECTING THAT WITH REGARDS TO THE SPECIAL ED CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH IS CAC IS THE BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES AROUND THAT.
UM, ALSO, I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO GO BACK TO THAT PARENT GROUP, IS THAT IF THERE'S A QUESTION OR CONCERN OR NOTE IS THAT THAT TEAM LISTENS ALL THE AREA TO ADDRESS THAT WOULD BE THERE.
UM, AS FAR AS THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP THAT WAS A SELECTED GROUP BASED ON THOSE FOLKS THAT WE'RE INTERACTING WITH PRETTY REGULARLY, THAT ARE ACTIVE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND ARE PROVIDING, UM, FEEDBACK THAT IS, UM, UH, THAT, THAT IS ABLE, THAT IT'S KIND OF A TWO, TWO WAY STREET WITH REGARDS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, INTERACTIONS.
THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE REALLY CONCRETE, UM, ACTIONABLE THINGS THAT COULD BE ADDRESSED, UM, THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH FOR, YOU KNOW, PERIODS OF TIME AROUND THAT, THAT ARE, THAT WANNA PARTNER IN THE WORK, I THINK IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT.
UM, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE THAT GROUP, SO THOSE ARE, UM, SOME OF THEM ARE PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE ALSO COMMUNITY, UM, MAYBE WORKING IN, I GIVE PARENTS PLACE AS AN EXAMPLE, SO, RIGHT.
THAT'S AN, THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, SOMEONE MAY, I'M GIVING JUST EXAMPLES OF GROUPS, UM, OR AN ADVOCATE WHO MAY ALSO HAVE HAD THEIR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
BUT YEAH, IT IS MORE SPECIFIC.
[02:20:01]
SECOND QUESTION IS FROM SLIDE 26, JUST FOLLOWING UP ON MS. ONG, UM, WITH THE DATA FROM COMPARING 2019 TO 2025, UM, IF TO THIS DATA COULD BE ADDED, UM, THE REPRESENTATIVE POPULATIONS OF STUDENTS FOR THE GROUPS SO THAT WE, LIKE, I KNOW THERE'S, THERE'S PROGRESS BEING MADE, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE POPULATIONS HAVE CHANGED.SO JUST TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE MOST ACCURATE PICTURE, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE OT STUDENT POPULATION IN 2019, AND THEN THE OT STUDENT POPULATION IN 2026.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT INFORMATION TO HAVE AND FOR THE PUBLIC AS WELL, WHICH I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE HERE, BUT, OKAY.
MS. KY, DO YOU MEAN THESE ARE THE PROVIDERS? DO YOU MEAN THE POPULATION FOR PROVIDERS OR? RIGHT.
SO SINCE LIKE, THE PROVIDERS OBVIOUSLY ARE INCREASING IN ALL OF THE CATEGORIES, JUST TO HAVE THE BEST UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE WORKLOADS OR, AND, OR REALLY THE CASELOADS TO HAVE THE REPRESENTATIVE STUDENT GROUPS IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS FOR EACH OF THOSE SCHOOL YEARS WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, I KNOW YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MSDE COMPLIANCE RATE MM-HMM
AND IF YOU COULD SHARE THE COMPLIANCE RATE FOR BCPS, I GUESS THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, AND THEN HOW THAT COMPARES TO EITHER THE PREVIOUS YEAR OR PREVIOUS YEARS.
SO IN THE SPP AND A PR MONITORING, WHICH IS THE ANNUAL WE WERE IDENTIFIED, UM, MY EYES ARE REALLY, THIS IS FUNNY AT THIS POINT, AND I'M GONNA REDO MY CONTACTS.
UM, SO FOR OUR PART C, UM, OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS, WE ARE IDENTIFIED WHEN YOU SEE THOSE, UM, THE KIND OF THE FOUR SECTIONS WE ARE IN, UM, NEEDS ASSISTANCE AND YEAR TWO OF NEEDS ASSISTANCE.
UM, AS FAR AS FOR OUR PART B, WHICH IS OUR PRESCHOOL AND SPECIAL ED, UH, SCHOOL AGE, WE ARE IDENTIFIED AS NEEDS INTERVENTION IN THAT SECOND YEAR QUESTION.
I DIDN'T, IF THERE WAS LIKE A PERCENT SO, SO, OH, NO.
BUT YES, THAT INFORMATION WAS VERY DETAILED AND WONDERFUL.
SO THAT'S JUST, THAT'S WHERE THAT'S RELATED TO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO BOTH OF YOU.
AND IT'S A GOOD THING WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY CAPITAL QUESTIONS,
[K. REPORT - ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (Dr. Mullenax, Dr. Elmendorf, and Ms. Schubert) (8:40 - 9:00 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, DUAL ENROLLMENT.YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO KNOW THAT THIS PRESENTATION WILL ONLY BE SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN THE LAST ONE.
WELL, GOOD EVENING, UM, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, AND, UH, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
WE ARE EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU TONIGHT ABOUT THE EARLY COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM HERE IN BCPS, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS ECAP.
SO HERE ON THE SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF THE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES THAT STUDENTS HAVE AS A RESULT OF DUAL ENROLLMENT IN BCPS.
YOU MAY REMEMBER BACK IN 2014, LEGISLATION REQUIRING THAT STUDENTS HAVE TUITION DISCOUNTS IF THEY ARE LOOKING TO BE ENROLLED IN COLLEGE WHILE THEY'RE ENROLLED IN, UM, HIGH SCHOOL.
SO WE PARTNER WITH CCBC, UM, QUITE A BIT.
WE ACTUALLY MEET WITH THEM EVERY WEEK TO TALK ABOUT DUAL ENROLLMENT.
UM, AND WE ARE SO PROUD TO, TO TELL YOU THAT BCPS HAS ONE OF THE, UH, HIGHEST LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION IN DUAL CREDIT AND DUAL ENROLLMENT, UM, IN THE STATE.
AND MS. SCHUBERT IS GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE, UH, GREAT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN BCPS AS IT RELATES TO, UM, DUAL ENROLLMENT AND EARLY COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM.
SO I WANTED TO START BY TALKING ABOUT OUR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS THAT ARE, UM, ISSUED AT THE STATE LEVEL.
THESE STANDARDS HAVE CHANGED AND BEEN ADJUSTED FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
AND SO NOW AT THE END OF 10TH GRADE, AS YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH OUR STUDENTS, UM, CAN ACHIEVE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STATUS BY HAVING A GPA OF GREATER THAN 3.0, AND THEN A MATH ALGEBRA ONE GRADE OF A, B, AND C OR SCORE PROFICIENT ON THEIR MCAP.
SO THAT'S A STANDARD WE'VE BEEN USED TO FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, AT THE END OF 10TH GRADE, THEY CAN SCORE PROFICIENT ON, UH, THEIR ENGLISH MATH PROFICIENCY AND THEIR MATHEMATICS PROFICIENCY.
AND IF A STUDENT ACHIEVES THOSE MEASURES, THEY ARE DEEMED COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.
AND WE'LL TALK IN A FEW SLIDES ABOUT KIND OF THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE THEN AFFORDED TO STUDENTS.
UM, WITH THE NEW STANDARDS, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AT THE END OF 11TH GRADE, AND THEN AT, AGAIN, AT THE END OF 12TH GRADE.
UM, SO THERE'S FIVE ADDITIONAL WAYS THAT
[02:25:01]
STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.UM, WE CAN LOOK AT THE END OF 11TH AND 12TH GRADE, UM, A ONE YEAR UNWEIGHTED GPA, THAT WOULD BE THE 11TH GRADE GPA OF 3.0 OR HIGHER, AND THEN A MATH GRADE OF A, B, AND C IN ANY OF THEIR MATH COURSES.
UM, WE COULD LOOK AT STUDENTS TAKING THE ASVAB, AND THAT IS RELATED TO, UM, MILITARY SERVICE READINESS.
UM, WE CAN LOOK AT A STUDENT ACHIEVING AN APPRENTICESHIP OR COMPLETING AN APPRENTICESHIP OR AN INDUSTRY RECOGNIZED CREDENTIAL IN ONE OF OUR CTE PROGRAMS. DUAL ENROLLMENT ACTUALLY MIGHT QUALIFY THEM FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
SO, AGAIN, THESE, UM, CCR STANDARDS CHANGED AS OF THIS YEAR.
UM, AND ONCE A STUDENT DOES ATTAIN THAT CCR STANDARD, THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AFFORDED TO THEM, INCLUDING ECAP, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS WITH YOU THIS EVENING.
SO, BACK TO THOSE STANDARD STANDARDS.
ONCE OUR STUDENTS DO ACHIEVE, UM, CCR, UM, THEY BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR TWO COMPLETELY FREE CCBC COURSES IN THE FALL AND SPRING OF BOTH THEIR JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR.
SO THAT CCR STATUS REALLY OPENS UP A FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS AS THEY ENGAGE IN DUAL ENROLLMENT.
UM, THAT IS TUITION FREE, THAT IS FEE FREE, AND THAT IS THEIR BOOKS PAID FOR AS WELL.
SO THESE ARE COMPLETELY FREE COURSES ONCE STUDENTS ACHIEVE THAT CCR STATUS.
NOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT CCR READY, UM, CANNOT TAKE DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES.
THEY WOULD PAY THE 50%, UM, REDUCED RATE THAT IS AVAILABLE TO ALL, UM, RESIDENTS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
SO MEETING THAT CCR STANDARD DOES REALLY PROVIDE A FINANCIAL BENEFIT TO OUR STUDENTS AS IT RELATES TO DUAL ENROLLMENT.
UM, HERE WE HAVE DATA FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS OF THE NUMBERS OF OUR STUDENTS IN THE FALL SEMESTERS WHO HAVE ACCESSED OUR DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A BIT OF A DIP FROM FALL OF 23 TO FALL OF 24.
THAT WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THOSE CCR STANDARDS WENT INTO PLACE, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT ACCOUNTS FOR, UM, PART OF THAT DIP.
BUT THIS, UM, THIS FALL, WE HAD JUST SHY OF 2,400 STUDENTS TAKING CLASSES AT OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
I WANTED TO BRIEFLY HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU, UM, DR.
MONDOR ON THE SECOND SLIDE SHARED THE ARRAY OF DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS.
I WANTED TO BRIEFLY HIGHLIGHT THREE OF THESE PROGRAMS FOR YOU THIS EVENING.
WE HAVE OUR EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM, UM, AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS WHO APPLY TO THAT PROGRAM TO GRADUATE IN FOUR YEARS WITH THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND THEIR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE FROM CCBC.
UM, YOU CAN SEE IN THE DATA THAT 56 STUDENTS HAVE EARNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE SINCE 2119.
STUDENTS HAVE EARNED A BA OR UM, BS DEGREE.
AND WE HAVE ONE STUDENT THAT EARNED A MASTER'S DEGREE.
I, I VISITED THIS PROGRAM, UM, THE WEEK BEFORE OUR THANKSGIVING BREAK.
UM, SO WE HAVE STUDENTS IN NINTH GRADE WHO ARE TAKING CCBC CLASSES ON LOCATION AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AND WE ARE PROUD, 16 OF 21 STUDENTS ARE ON TRACK TO GRADUATE WITH BOTH OF THEIR DEGREES.
AND, UM, THIS IS A HUGE SUCCESS FOR NOT ONLY THESE STUDENTS, BUT PROGRESS IN THE PROGRAM AS WELL.
AND THEN AT DUN DUCK HIGH SCHOOL AND OWINGS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL, WE HAVE OUR PTECH PROGRAM WITH, WHICH IS PATHWAYS AND TECHNOLOGY EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.
I LIKE TO THINK OF THESE AS KIND OF HAVING A CTE SPIN ON THAT EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM.
SO THESE STUDENTS ARE FOCUSED IN, UM, TWO DIFFERENT ENGINEERING TRADES.
UM, THE DIFFERENCE WITH P-TECH IS THE GOAL THERE IS FOR STUDENTS TO EARN THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, AND THEN THEY HAVE AN ADDITIONAL YEAR FIVE AND YEAR SIX POST-GRADUATION TO EARN THAT ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE AS WELL.
AGAIN, SUPER EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE STUDENTS.
UM, AND OF COURSE, WALKING ACROSS THE STAGE IN YEAR FOUR, YEAR FIVE, OR YEAR SIX WITH YOUR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE, UM, IS A HUGE BENEFIT TO OUR STUDENTS.
SO HERE WE'RE SHARING SOME DATA ON OUR, UM, UH, COURSES THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION, UM, WITH OUR STUDENTS.
UM, THE DATA INCLUDES COURSES WITH OVER A HUNDRED BCBS STUDENTS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT FALL AND SPRING OF LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, SOME OF OUR MORE POPULAR COURSES ARE COLLEGE COMPOSITION ONE AND TWO, UH, WHICH EQUATE TO, UH, ENGLISH 11 AND ENGLISH 12.
FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION IS ALSO A COURSE THAT WE SING HIGH ENROLLMENT IN THAT EQUIVALENCE TO SPEECH ONE AND BCPS.
UM, AND INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY ALSO IS A HIGH ENROLLMENT.
SO WE HAVE SOME COURSES, I LIKE TO CALL THEM OUR HEAVY HITTERS THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN.
UM, BUT OUR STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN, UH, DOZENS AND DOZENS OF, UH, DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES WITH THEIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNER.
[02:30:01]
UM, SHAMELESS PLUG, I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WE ARE SO LUCKY TO BE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY IS AN INCREDIBLE RESOURCE FOR NOT ONLY OUR ENTIRE COUNTY, BUT OUR STUDENTS HERE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
OKAY, SO BACK TO THOSE CCR STANDARDS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT LAST SCHOOL YEAR, 75% OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ACCESS DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES AT CCBC WERE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.
25% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE NOT COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.
UM, THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED IN MANY WAYS.
OF COURSE, AS STUDENTS PROGRESS IN THEIR ACADEMIC CAREER IN HIGH SCHOOL, THEY'RE MORE APT TO START ENGAGING IN THOSE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES.
AND OF COURSE, AFTER 10TH GRADE IS WHEN YOU CAN BECOME CCR READY.
BUT WE DO HAVE STUDENTS AS EARLY AS NINTH GRADE WHO PARTICIPATE IN DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES.
AND THEN FINALLY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOK AT HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING IN THESE COURSES.
UM, IT'S AMAZING TO ME WHEN YOU GO IN AND YOU SEE THESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REALLY ENGAGED IN COLLEGE LEVEL COURSES.
SO WE WANNA KNOW HOW ARE THEY DOING.
SO WE HAVE GRADE, UM, DATA ON THE SLIDE FOR LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, LAST YEAR, UH, JUST SHY OF 86% OF OUR DUAL ENROLLMENT STUDENTS EARNED A PASSING GRADE IN THE FALL SEMESTER.
JUST UNDER 82% OF OUR STUDENTS HAD, UH, EARNED A PASSING GRADE IN THE SPRING SEMESTER.
WE DO TAKE A LOOK AT THESE DATA BY COURSE, AND BY GRADE WE ALSO LOOK AT SCHOOL AND BY GRADE.
UM, AND WE REALLY TUNE INTO OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT MEETING WITH SUCCESS.
SO THAT WOULD BE A FAILING GRADE, OR, UM, AN FX GRADE IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE MEANS THEY REGISTERED FOR THE COURSE AND THEY NEVER SHOWED UP, UM, OR A WITHDRAWAL GRADE.
UM, AND WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERS TO NOT ONLY, UM, MONITOR THOSE STUDENTS AND PUT IN SUPPORT SO THAT THEY'RE MEETING WITH SUCCESS, BUT ALSO THEN WORKING WITH OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS TO HAVE HARD CONVERSATIONS WITH STUDENTS.
MAYBE THIS ISN'T THE BEST WAY FOR YOU TO GO.
MAYBE YOU WANNA LOOK AT AN AP COURSE.
THEY'RE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE, ONE OF ONE ANOTHER.
BUT WE DO LOOK AT THESE DATA BECAUSE MOST IMPORTANT TO US IS THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE MEETING WITH ACADEMIC SUCCESS.
AND THEN HERE, COMMUNITY COLLEGE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES REALLY ARE HUGELY BENEFICIAL.
WE KNOW ON A NATIONAL LEVEL THAT STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN, UM, DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A LEARNER AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL, BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING A LEARNER AT, AT THE, UM, HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
HOW DO WE PROMOTE AGENCY WITH THEIR STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE TAKING COLLEGE CLASSES? HOW DO THEY PACE THEMSELVES? UM, THERE ARE FINANCIAL BENEFITS.
STUDENTS WHO TAKE THESE COURSES WALK AWAY WITH A GRADE THAT IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND IS GUARANTEED TO TRANSFER TO ANY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, UM, COLLEGE.
UM, AND WE ARE PROUD TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT THAT 67% OF OUR ECAP STUDENTS HAVE A COLLEGE GPA BETWEEN 3.0 AND 4.0.
AND THAT THE AVERAGE GPA FOR ALL OF OUR ECAP STUDENTS IS A 3.0.
UM, THOSE ARE AMAZING STATISTICS FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE ENGAGING IN THESE COURSES.
UM, AND THAT 49% OF OUR NON ECAP STUDENTS HAVE A GPA BETWEEN 3.0 AND FOUR POINT.
BUT OUR AVERAGE GPA FOR NON ECAP IS THE 2.79.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO MONITOR THIS.
UM, AND OF COURSE WE TALK WITH STUDENTS AND PARENTS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS TO HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THEM AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
SO I TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INCREASE IN CERTIFICATE OR DEGREE ATTAINMENT IS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THEY CAN ACCESS, SOME OF OUR STUDENTS ARE TAKING CCBC COURSES RIGHT IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.
I MENTIONED OUR WOODLAWN KIDS.
UM, AND THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS, IF STUDENTS ARE CCR, THIS IS AT ABSOLUTELY NO COST.
AND YOU KNOW, AS A PARENT, WE ALL, WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT BENEFIT, RIGHT? UM, IN JANUARY, WE ARE GOING TO BE SHARING SOME VERY EXCITING NEWS.
I CAN'T TELL YOU TOO MUCH, UM, REGARDING CCBC EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCESS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
UM, THIS NEWS WILL BE ESPECIALLY EXCITING FOR OUR CURRENT SENIORS.
SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION.
JUST A LITTLE TEASER, UM, COMING FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL SEE IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS FOR BOARD MEMBERS.
MR. YOUNG, THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION YOU MENTIONED, UM, LIKE THE P-TECH PROGRAM THAT DUNDALK AND NOS MILLS, AND ON THE SLIDE IT TALKS ABOUT, UM, YEARS FIVE AND SIX OR FIVE THROUGH EIGHT.
SO DO THE STUDENTS BASICALLY GRADUATE LIKE YEAR FOUR FROM BCPS SCHOOLS AND THEN CONTINUE THOSE FI YEARS FIVE THROUGH WHATEVER, SIX EIGHT AT CCBC? THAT'S CORRECT.
[02:35:01]
WITH US FOR FOUR YEARS, UM, ALL OF THEIR CCBC COURSES ARE COVERED THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CCBC.THEY THEN GRADUATE FROM VCPS YEARS FIVE AND SIX.
WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH CCBC THAT THEY ARE THEN PAYING FOR THE STUDENTS TO CONTINUE THAT AND HOPEFULLY ATTAIN THEIR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IN FIVE AND SIX.
THEY WHO ARE PAYING C-C-C-B-C COVERS THE TUITION IN YEARS FIVE AND SIX FOR OUR STUDENTS YES.
IN THOSE TWO PROGRAMS. SO THAT GOES TO A DOUBLY BIG IMPACT FINANCIALLY BECAUSE FIVE AND SIX, YOU, THE LATER YEARS ARE PAID FOR BY CCBC AND THEY GET AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE.
I JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION BECAUSE I, I HEARD YOU SAY THAT, UM, THERE'S A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPANTS WHO GET A GRADE OF AN FX, WHICH MEANS THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP AT ALL.
IS THERE AN ATTENDANCE TRACKING OR REQUIREMENT? HOW DO WE KNOW EARLY ON IF STUDENTS WHO ARE QUALIFIED AND ENROLLED MET THE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT ATTENDING? AND ARE THERE INTERVENTIONS THAT FOLLOW? YEAH, THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND WE CONTINUE TO TALK WITH OUR CCBC PARTNERS ABOUT THAT.
SO TECHNICALLY, WHEN STUDENTS ENROLL IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE COURSE, UM, THEY ARE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS.
AND SO ACCESS TO THAT GRADE MONITORING IS NOT AVAILABLE TO US IN BCPS.
UM, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, UM, AND I'LL GIVE A GREAT EXAMPLE.
AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL, WE HAVE AN AMAZING COORDINATOR THERE.
UM, I I CALL HER THE ECAP MAMA, WHO REALLY, UM, KIND OF HARNESSES THESE STUDENTS, RIGHT? SHE SITS DOWN SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEM AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT THEIR GRADES, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THEIR PROGRESS, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THEIR ATTENDANCE.
SO THE STUDENT HAS IT UP ON THEIR SCREEN.
UM, MAMA BEAR IS WATCHING WITH THEM AND THEN PROVIDING GUIDANCE TO THEM.
UM, THIS IS A CONVERSATION WE CONTINUE TO HAVE WITH OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS WHEN WE MEET EVERY OTHER FRIDAY WITH CCBC SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A GREATER PARTNERSHIP AND KIND OF MONITOR THAT STUDENT ATTENDANCE SO THAT WE CAN, UM, AVOID STUDENTS WHO REGISTER FOR A CLASS AND THEN DON'T ATTEND.
DOES THAT LACK OF ATTENDANCE IN ONE CLASS IMPACT THEIR ABILITY TO FURTHER PARTICIPATE IN ECAP? ARE THERE IS THAT? YEAH.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOKED AT THIS YEAR WAS, UM, STUDENTS EARNING A FAILING GRADE FOR WHATEVER REASON OR WITHDRAWAL AFTER THE WITHDRAWAL DATE.
THIS YEAR, WE HAVE PUT IN SOME GUIDELINES TO STUDENTS THAT WE WILL LOOK AT THOSE FAILURES AT THE END OF SCHOOL YEAR 25, 26, UM, AND STUDENTS MAY LOSE THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE THE 50% FINANCIAL SUPPORT THAT BCPS PROVIDES, UM, WITH THOSE FAILING GRADES.
AND WE'LL HAVE AN APPEAL PROCESS FOR THAT AS WELL.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS PROGRAM.
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS THAT, UM, IS OFFERED BY BCPS.
SO, UM, JUST CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM, AND KUDOS TO DR. ROGERS AND HER LEADERSHIP AND THE STAFF WHO WORK WITH CCBC AND THANK YOU TO THEM AS WELL FOR BEING PARTNERS, UM, IN THIS AND WORKING WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP AND STAFF, UM, TO OFFER THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SO, UM, I WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT SLIDE EIGHT, AND I KNOW THE CRITERIA HAS CHANGED AS FAR AS THE STUDENTS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE, AND WE'VE MADE SOME ALLOWANCES FOR THAT.
UM, BUT ON THIS SLIDE, AS FAR AS THEY DO HAVE TO, TO DO SOME PAYMENT VERSUS THE STUDENTS WHO ARE CONSIDERED CCR READY AND DO NOT HAVE TO, UM, HAVE THE SAME PAYMENT.
SO FOR THAT 25% OF STUDENTS WHO WERE CONSIDERED TO BE QUOTE, NON-COLLEGE AND CAREER READY, ARE WE TRACKING LIKE HOW THEY'RE DOING, UM, IN THESE PROGRAMS AND IF THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE SUCCESS AS WELL? YES.
SO ANNUALLY WE DISAGGREGATE ALL OF THESE DATA.
SO NOT ONLY ARE WE LOOKING AT COURSE PERFORMANCE BY COURSE AT CCBC, BUT WE DO LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COURSE PERFORMANCE FOR OUR CCR AND NON CCR STUDENTS AS WELL AS BY GRADE LEVEL.
AND THEN WITH THAT DATA, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, I GUESS, TAKE AND PRESENT ON, EXCUSE ME, EVEN A STATE LEVEL, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THIS CRITERIA IS COMING FROM, AND SO EVEN JUST TO SAY, HEY, AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT THEY CHANGED SOME OF THE CRITERIA TO ALLOW MORE ACCESS, BUT EVEN WITH THINGS LIKE THIS SHOWING THAT THESE STUDENTS WHO WERE GIVEN THAT LABEL OF NON CCR, THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL STILL IN THESE COLLEGE STUDIES AND BEING ABLE TO, UM, TAKE THIS DATA, PRESENT THIS DATA TO HOPEFULLY, I GUESS, LOOK AT SOME POTENTIAL CHANGE TO THAT CRITERIA JUST SO THAT WE CAN EXPAND THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE STUDENTS.
[02:40:03]
UH, MS. FONG, UM, I WOULD SHARE THAT YES, THE DATA IS AVAILABLE TO THE STATE AND THE STATE IS, UM, CONSTANTLY WORKING ON REVISING, UH, DIFFERENT WAYS AND PATHWAYS FOR STUDENTS TO BE CCR READY.DR. WRIGHT HAS A REAL COMMITMENT, UM, TO ACCESS FOR STUDENTS AND, UM, THAT IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION THAT THEY'RE HAVING ADDITIONAL PATHWAYS FOR STUDENTS.
AND OF COURSE, LIKE I SAID, I, I LOVE THIS PROGRAM AND I LOVE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE SUCCESS STORIES.
I, I ACTUALLY, I THINK I'M EVEN MORE PARTIAL TO THIS COMPARED TO AP, ALTHOUGH AGAIN, AS IT'S BEEN SAID, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN STUDENTS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THESE PROGRAMS AND HAVE LEFT HIGH SCHOOL TO GO ONTO COLLEGE AND REALLY ONLY HAD TO HAVE TWO MORE YEARS OF COLLEGE BEFORE ACHIEVING A BACHELOR'S DEGREE.
AND I JUST THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SHARING THIS STORY AND THIS OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS TO OUR STUDENTS.
BECAUSE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE RISING COST OF COLLEGE, UM, THE PROGRAM AND OPPORTUNITY, IT HELPS TO ALLEVIATE THAT COLLEGE DEBT FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.
AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE COLLEGE SADDLE DOWN WITH AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF COLLEGE DEBT.
SO AGAIN, I JUST, I THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS.
PIGGYBACKING ON, UM, BOARD MEMBER HARVEY'S EARLIER QUESTION FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO, UM, GET THE FX OR WITHDRAW AFTER THE FACT, IS THERE ANY, UM, FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS TO THEM FOR THAT CURRENTLY? UM, IF THAT STUDENT IS CCR, WE ARE STILL PAYING FOR THOSE COURSES.
UM, AND PART OF THIS CAME FROM A DATA ANALYSIS IN TERMS OF THE TUITION PAID FOR STUDENTS WHO, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY DIDN'T END THE COURSE WITH A PASSING GRADE, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR.
UM, WHICH IS WHY WE WORKED WITH OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNER TO PUT IN SOME GUIDELINES AROUND, UM, REVIEWING THOSE DATA ANNUALLY EACH SCHOOL YEAR, UM, AND REMOVING THOSE TUITION BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS IF THEY DO NOT PASS.
BUT CURRENTLY WE, WE DO PAY THE BILL FOR THE STUDENT WHO TOOK A FALL COURSE THAT DID NOT PASS STUDENT DOESN'T MATTER.
AND THE STUDENT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT BILL AS OF RIGHT NOW? THAT IS CORRECT.
THANK YOU MS. MCMILLION, JUST TWO REAL QUICK QUESTIONS.
DO MOST OF THE KIDS THAT SUCCEED AND AND ATTAINING THE, THE AA DEGREE IN HIGH SCHOOL, ARE THEY STARTING IN THE NINTH GRADE? SO OUR STRUCTURED PROGRAMS AT WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL, AT DUNDALK AND AT OWINGS MILLS, THEY DO START COLLEGE COURSES IN NINTH GRADE.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE DO HAVE STUDENTS THAT DO IT ON THEIR OWN IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHO EARN AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE WITH THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF DUAL ENROLLMENT, NOT IN A STRUCTURED PROGRAM, BUT ARE STRUCTURED PROGRAMS. THEY START IN EIGHTH GRADE.
SO THOSE KIDS THAT START IN NINTH GRADE.
SO AS JUNIORS AND SENIORS, THEY GET THE EIGHT FREE COURSES IN OUR STRUCTURED PROGRAMS, EARLY COLLEGE AND PTECH.
WE COVERED THE COST OF ALL OF THEIR COURSES FOR ALL FOUR YEARS BECAUSE IT IS A PROGRAM OF STUDY THAT THEY OPTED IN.
AND, AND THEN YOU MENTIONED THE MOST POPULAR TWO OF THE POPULAR COURSES WERE THE ENGLISH COURSES.
AND YOU MENTIONED, UH, LIKE ENGLISH 11 AND ENGLISH 12.
SO CAN THEY TAKE THOSE AT THE COLLEGE AND THEN NOT TAKE THE HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH? I LOVE THAT QUESTION.
SO THE, THOSE TWO COURSES ARE WHAT WE CALL DUAL CREDIT, MEANING THAT THE STUDENT GETS HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT AND COLLEGE CREDIT AT THE SAME TIME.
SO IF YOU TOOK ENGLISH 1 0 1, WHICH IS A EQUIVALENT TO THE ENGLISH 11, YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE ENGLISH 11 AND THAT GRADE POSTS TO YOUR BCBS TRANSCRIPT BECAUSE THEY ARE IDENTIFIED AS DUAL CREDIT COURSES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
I THINK THE REACTIONS OF THE BOARD, IT'S, IT'S AN VERY EXCITING PROGRAM AND, UM, IS A REAL BENEFIT TO KIDS AND, AND PARENTS.
[L. INFORMATION (9:00 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION, WHICH ARE THE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDING OCTOBER, 2025, MINORITY AND SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE ANNUAL REPORT FOR 20 24, 20 25 OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 30TH ENROLLMENT REPORT.REVISED SUPERINTENDENT'S RULES 81 30, 81 32 AND THIRD PARTY BILLING ANNUAL REPORT FOR 24 20 24 TO 2025.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS, WAIT A SECOND.
[M. BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES AND AGENDA SETTING (9:00 -9:10 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES[02:45:01]
AND AGENDA SETTING.BEFORE WE DO THAT, THE FIRST ITEM IS BOARD COMMITTEE'S PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
SO EACH OF OUR BOARD COMMITTEES HAS MET AND REVIEWED THEIR, UM, MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND THEIR PURPOSES.
AND THE COMPILED DOCUMENT WAS PROVIDED TO BOARD MEMBERS.
IT'S ON BOARD DOCS AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IT'S STILL IN DRAFT FORM SO THAT BOARD MEMBERS COULD SEE THE OLD AND THEN THE NEW.
UM, SO I HOPE EVERYONE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THAT.
UM, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BOARD COMMITTEE'S PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AS PRESENTED AS EXHIBIT M1? SO MOVED.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND HARVEY.
ANY DISCUSSION MS. POEY? UM, REGARDING THE EQUITY COMMITTEE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS SUBSTANCE? IT LOOKS FINE.
UH, BUT THE FIRST THREE BULLETS UNDER MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS ARE IN PAST TENSE, AND THE SECOND TWO ARE NOT.
AND I SORT OF THINK THOSE TENSES SHOULD BE CHANGED TO BE IN AGREEMENT TO ALIGN WITH ONE ANOTHER.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
OH, MS. PON, THIS IS BOARD MEMBER.
I JUST, I HAD A QUESTION I WANTED TO MAKE SURE.
SO THIS IS IN LIKE A TRACKING CHANGE FORMAT AS FAR AS THE DOCUMENT.
SO IF WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING STRICKEN OR RED, ET CETERA, IT MEANS THAT IT STAYED THE SAME? CORRECT.
AND THEN I GUESS MY OTHER QUESTION IS, WE HAVE A FORMER, UM, BUDGET COMMITTEE ON THERE.
ARE WE KEEPING THIS STILL TOGETHER WITH THE CURRENT COMMITTEES OR ARE WE SEPARATING THAT OUT? WHEN I'M LOOKING AT HIS AUDIT AND THEN BUILDING AND CONTRACTS? THE LAST ONE.
UM, MS. GILBERT, YOU JUST PUT THAT ON THERE.
'CAUSE IT WAS, THAT WAS REQUESTED BY THE BOARD TO SEE.
OH, THE BOARD I HAD FORGOTTEN.
THE BOARD HAD REQUESTED TO SEE WHAT THE FORMER BUDGET COMMITTEE HAD PUT DOWN.
THAT'S WHY IT SAYS FORMER, BUT AT THIS POINT WE'D BE VOTING ON THE ACTIVE COMMITTEES.
I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT MISLEADING BECAUSE IT SAYS THAT THOSE WERE THE THINGS THAT WERE BEING DONE, AND I DON'T, IS THAT WHAT WAS ACTUALLY BEING DONE PREVIOUSLY? BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE ADVISORIES, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THEY WANTED TO DO OR ACTUALLY HAD BEEN DONE? WELL, SINCE THERE'S NO CURRENT BUDGET COMMITTEE, THEN THEY DIDN'T REVIEW IT AS THE OTHER COMMITTEES DID.
UM, I'M SORRY, MR. I'M GONNA ASK, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? NO, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THEY WERE, IT WAS VOTED TO BE DISMANTLED BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO DISCUSS THIS AND, UM, PASS THOSE, SO.
SO THEY HAVEN'T BEEN RE-LOOKED AT AS THE OTHER COMMITTEES HAVE GOT IT.
UM, SO WE ARE VOTING ON THE CURRENT ACTIVE COMMITTEE, UM, INFORMATION THAT'S HERE, NOT THE LAST ONE, THE BUDGET ONE.
THE NEXT ITEM IS BOARD COMMITTEE.
UM, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION ON THIS AGENDA ITEM.
I'D LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE REINSTATE THE BUDGET COMMITTEE AND TASK THE COMMITTEE WITH REVISITING THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
IS THERE A SECOND TO MS. HENS? SECOND HUMPHREY.
UM, ANY DISCUSSION MS. HEN, DID YOU WANNA TALK TO YOUR MOTION? NO, THANK YOU.
ANY DISCUSSION MS. EY? I, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
I, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WAS NOT AT THE MEETING WHERE THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WAS DISMANTLED, SO I DO HAVE A COMMENT.
UM, I CAN'T PINPOINT THE EXACT MABE MEETING THAT WE HAD, BUT WE DID DISCUSS AND MAE DURING ONE OF OUR TRAININGS THAT THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMITTEES OF A BOARD OF EDUCATION.
UM, SO I WAS QUITE DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE DISMANTLED THE BUD BUDGET COMMITTEE.
I THINK IF WE FEEL THAT THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WAS NOT EFFECTIVE, THE BEST WAY TO, UM, ADDRESS THAT WAS WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT HERE IS TO LOOK AT THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS LIKE WE DID WITH ALL OTHER COMMITTEES, AND MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMITTEE IS RUN APPROPRIATELY BASED ON THOSE, BASED ON THE PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS THAT WE VOTE ON BOARD THAT ARE APPROPRIATE.
UM, AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE A BUDGET COMMITTEE.
[02:50:01]
HELPS US TO CON TO THE BUDGET IS THE BOARD'S BUDGET.SO THE PURPOSE HERE WHERE IT SAYS ASSIST IN THE PREPARATION OF THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR THE OPERATING AND CAPITAL NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM STICKS OUT TO ME AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PURPOSES BECAUSE IT IS OUR BUDGET.
IT'S NOT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGET, IT'S THE BOARD'S BUDGET.
AND PART OF THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE INDEED TO BE, UM, PART OF THAT PREPARATION.
OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY, MADAM CHAIR, THIS IS MS. HEN.
UM, I AGREE WITH WHAT MS. HUMPHREY STATED AND, AND WE'LL ADD THAT MOST LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UM, THEIR BOARDS DO HAVE A BUDGET COMMITTEE ALONG WITH POLICY.
IT IS, UM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMITTEES THAT A BOARD CAN ESTABLISH.
WHEN THIS COMMITTEE WAS ORIGINALLY FOUNDED, I PROVIDED, UM, STATS SPECIFICALLY ON, UM, HOW MANY BOARDS NATIONWIDE HAVE BUDGET COMMITTEES.
IT'S AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY, UM, AS WELL AS IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
MOST BOARDS HAVE ESTABLISHED BUDGET COMMITTEES IN ADDITION TO AUDIT COMMITTEES.
UM, IT'S NOT A DUPLICITOUS COMMITTEE.
UM, WE HAVE NO CHANNEL RIGHT NOW TO, UM, DO A DEEP DIVE ON A NEARLY $3 BILLION BUDGET.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
SO I WOULD ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION AND WOULD ENCOURAGE FULL PARTICIPATION OF THE WHOLE BOARD, UM, IN THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
SO IT, UM, I THINK I'D LIKE TO SEE, I GUESS WHAT THE MEASURES, WHAT THE REVISED, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE REVISED MEASURES AND EFFECTIVENESS WOULD BE FOR THE COMMITTEE BEFORE WE DECIDE ON REINSTATING THE COMMITTEE.
AND SO, UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S WHAT THE MOTION IS.
I WILL BE LOOKING FOR THAT BEFORE WE SAY THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO BE PUT BACK IN PLACE.
BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE IN PREVIOUS TIMES WHEN IT IS IN THE MIX OR THE KIND OF THE CRUX OF THE BUDGET SEASON, THE COMMITTEE'S NOT MEETING.
AND SO IF WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT MAKING SURE THAT THE BUDGET IS KIND OF BEING VIEWED AND THE ENTIRE BOARD IS HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY, I WOULD THINK IT REMINDS ME OF LIKE WITH THE LEGISLATIVE, WHERE IT'S VERY ACTIVE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BECAUSE THERE'S THAT FOCUS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WOULD SEE FOR, UM, THE BUDGET COMMITTEE DURING THAT TIME.
AND SO I, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR ON WHAT THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND PURPOSE WILL BE AND HOW IT'LL BE STRUCTURED BEFORE WE ACTUALLY VOTE WHETHER OR NOT WE WANNA, UM, PUT IT BACK IN PLACE OR NOT.
MAY I RESPOND? YES, MS. HEN? THANK YOU.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION, MS. MS. FONG.
UM, IN ORDER TO REVISIT THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS, WE WOULD NEED TO REINSTATE THE BUDGET COMMITTEE, UM, TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AND TO REVISE IT.
AS MS. MINOSKI SUGGESTED, THIS IS WORK THAT THE COMMITTEE HAD ENGAGED ON AND WAS ABOUT TO, UM, BEGIN WORK ON BEFORE IT WAS DISMANTLED.
SO I'M NOT SURE HOW WE WOULD, UM, MEET YOUR, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR WITHOUT, UM, SUPPORT OF THIS MOTION.
SO WE, UM, MS. GOVER HAD PROVIDED A DRAFT OR THE LAST VERSION OF OUR MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO UPDATE THOSE, WE WOULD NEED TO REINSTATE THE COMMITTEE TO BEGIN WORK ON THAT.
SO I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW WE WOULD DO THAT WITHOUT, UM, SUPPORT OF THIS MOTION.
I JUST WANTED TO PIGGYBACK ON WHAT MS. HEN SAID.
UM, ALL COMMITTEES DID THE PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AFTER THEY WERE ALREADY INSTATED.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHY THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT.
HOW, HOW CAN THEY WORK ON SOMETHING IF THEY'RE NOT A ACTUAL COMMITTEE? THANK YOU.
WHEN WE DECIDED TO REVISIT THE, UM, MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS, I BELIEVE MS. HEN SPOKE TO, UM, REVISITING ALSO THE BUDGET COMMITTEE AND HAVING, YOU KNOW, THOSE MEMBERS WHO ARE ON IT REVISIT THESE EFFECTIVENESS AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD.
SO THAT SAYS THAT WE CAN SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS, HAVE A SMALL GROUP, EVALUATE, DISCUSS, AND TALK ABOUT THIS IS WHAT WE VIEW AS WHAT THE PURPOSE SHOULD BE BEFORE SAYING, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE COMMITTEE AND THEN DECIDE WHAT ITS ROLE AND PURPOSE IS.
I JUST, I I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I'M GONNA, UM, RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE.
I JUST, EVERY OTHER COMMITTEE WAS ALREADY FORMED IN MAKING THOSE DECISIONS ON MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
[02:55:01]
ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS NO LONGER HERE.THAT WAS ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE.
SO HOW CAN THEY MEET EFFECTIVELY? AND THEN HOW CAN YOU ASK SOMEONE TO BE A PART OF A COMMITTEE THAT IS NOT A COMMITTEE TO MAKE THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS? THAT'S ALL.
MR. YOUNG, DID YOU WANNA RESPOND? YES.
UM, THAT'S, I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISAGREEMENT, BUT GOING BACK TO THE MEETING WHERE WE BROUGHT THIS UP, MS. HEN BROUGHT THE SUGGESTION THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE WOULD MEET.
SO SHE HAD THE IDEA THAT THIS COULD BE DONE, AND IF THEY DID NOT MEET TO COME UP WITH OR REVISE THEM, THEN THIS IS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW WITH IT.
MADAM CHAIR? YES, MS. HEN, UM, FOLLOWING MY SUGGESTION, MS. GOVER PROVIDED THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS THAT THE COMMITTEE HAD PREVIOUSLY WORKED ON, WHICH WAS, UM, PROVIDED IN BOARD DOCS FOR ALL BOARD MEMBERS TO REVIEW.
SO THE WORK HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN DONE, UM, ON THAT THE COMMITTEE WOULD, IF REINSTATED, WOULD RECONVENE AND REVISIT THOSE AND BEGIN WORKING ON THEM ANEW, JUST AS EVERY OTHER COMMITTEE DID.
SO WORK HAD BEEN DONE ON THOSE, AS MS. DOKI SAID, AND WE WERE REVISIT THOSE JUST AS ALL OF THE OTHER COMMITTEES.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT CREATING A NEW COMMITTEE WITH A NEW PURPOSE AND NEW, UM, GOALS FROM SCRATCH.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SAME COMMITTEE AND ALL BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, THAT DOCUMENT WITH WHAT THAT COMMITTEE WAS, UM, TASKED WITH DOING.
NO, I, I HEARD, AND I DID HAVE THE SAME UNDERSTANDING AS MR. YOUNG, WHICH IS WHY I WAS LOOKING, AND I HAD ASKED ABOUT WERE THERE ANY REVISIONS MADE? SO THE THING IS, IS THAT BASED ON WHAT WAS PRESENTED AT THE TIME, I THINK WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION WHEN THE BOARD VOTED, AND THEN THE VOTE WAS TO DISMANTLE IT.
SO IF WE ARE BEING ASKED TO USE THAT SAME INFORMATION AND NOTHING DIFFERENT, THEN I DON'T SEE HOW THERE'S GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT OUTCOME IF WE DON'T HAVE NEW INFORMATION TO REVIEW OR MAKE A DECISION ON.
I THINK THE BOARD WORKED BACKWARDS ON THIS FROM THE BE FROM THE TIME THAT IT WAS DISMANTLED.
I THINK THAT IF WE THOUGHT THE COMMITTEE WAS NOT EFFECTIVE, WE SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THESE MEASURES OF EFFECT OR MADE AN ATTEMPT OR ASKED THE COMMITTEE TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THEIR MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS BEFORE WE VOTED TO DISMANTLE IT.
UM, SO WE DISMANTLED IT WITHOUT REVIEWING THAT ALL OTHER COMMITTEES HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO ADDRESS THEIR MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND, AND PINPOINT THEM AND MAKE THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, AVAILABLE TO THE REST OF THE BOARD MEMBERS TO, FOR ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH COMMITTEE IS BEING EFFECTIVE.
THE BUDGET COMMITTEE NEVER HAD THAT CHANCE.
THESE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AREN'T APPROPRIATE, AREN'T APPROPRIATE.
THEY NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO, UM, UPDATE OR THE BOARD HASN'T HAD A, DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO UPDATE THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS TO MAKE THAT COMMITTEE MORE EFFECTIVE.
I THINK THE POINT HERE IS THAT THE BUDGET COMMITTEE, A BUDGET COMMITTEE IN GENERAL FOR ANY BOARD IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO JUST TO SAY THAT THESE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AREN'T, AREN'T GOOD, AREN'T APPROPRIATE FOR THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, AS I SAID BEFORE, IF ANYTHING ELSE, WE SHOULD BE CHANGING THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS, NOT, WE SHOULD NEVER HAVE DISMANTLED THE, THE, THE COMMITTEE, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS INEFFECTIVE.
INSTEAD, WE SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THE MEASURE OF EFFECTIVENESS TO MAKE IT EFFECTIVE.
UM, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT MS. PUMPHREY JUST STATED AND SEVERAL OF THE OTHERS.
THE OTHER ONE THING THAT I WILL ADD IS THE BUDGET IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT TASK AND WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO THE PUBLIC, TO GIVE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURING OUR TRILLION DOLLAR BUDGET IS AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE.
AND THE DEEP DIVES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE BUDGET COMMITTEE ARE IMPERATIVE.
WE JUST VOTED ON EVERY OTHER COMMITTEE'S PURPOSE.
SO MS. HEN'S MOTION IS ABOUT REESTABLISHING THE BUDGET COMMITTEE.
WE VOTE ON THAT IF IT PASSES OR IT DOESN'T PASS.
IF IT PASSES, THEN WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, THE BUDGET, PEOPLE IN THE BUDGET COMMITTEE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADJUST THEIR PURPOSE, AND THEN WE BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD AND THE BOARD VOTES ON THE PURPOSE.
IF IT DOESN'T MEET THE PURPOSE, THEN WE ADJUST IT AGAIN.
SO I THINK IT'S PRETTY CUT AND DRY THE PROCESS HERE, IT APPEARS TO ME ANYWAY.
UM, GIVEN THE BOARD STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITIES WITH, UM, CREATING A BUDGET, I'D LIKE BOARD COUNCIL TO WEIGH IN ON BUDGET COMMITTEE, PLEASE.
AND GIVEN HIS WORK WITH OTHER BOARDS, MR. BURNS.
[03:00:12]
GOOD EVENING.UH, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR. ROGERS, UH, DARREN BURNS, BOARD COUNCIL.
UM, I THINK WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT BOARD COMMITTEES, IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO REMIND YOURSELF WHAT, WHAT THE LAW DOES AND DOESN'T REQUIRE.
AND I KNOW MS. HEN ASKED ME TO COMMENT, UM, IN A BROADER SENSE THAN THAT, BUT THERE'S VERY LITTLE ON THE STATUTORY BOOKS REGARDING MANDATORY COMMITTEES.
ONE OF THEM IS TO HAVE A CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THAT TAKES A LOT OF DIFFERENT SHAPES ACROSS THE, UH, SCHOOL SYSTEMS. BEYOND THAT, YOUR POLICY IS YOUR NEXT SET OF LAWS AND RULES.
AND IF YOU HAVE POLICY, UH, AS SET FORTH IN YOUR POLICIES AND REGULATIONS OR IN YOUR HANDBOOK, WHICH YOU ADOPT THIS, THIS BOARD ADOPTS AS IF IT'S A POLICY.
WHEN THOSE THINGS ARE THERE AND THEY REQUIRE COMMITTEES, YOU SHOULD FOLLOW THEM.
UM, AND WITHOUT HAVING THOSE SOURCES IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT THIS SECOND, I'M NOT GONNA COMMENT ON WHETHER YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC THAT WOULD BE THE TIMER FOR EVERYONE SPEAKING.
UM, YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE A MANDATORY, UH, A POLICY THAT SETS FORTH MANDATORY COMMITTEES, UH, IN THE SENSE THAT A LOT OF BOARDS DO.
MOST BOARDS HAVE A POLICY LIKE YOURS THAT TALKS ABOUT THE ABILITY TO ESTABLISH COMMITTEES, AND THEY'LL CALL THEM STANDING COMMITTEES AS WELL AS ABILITY TO ESTABLISH AD HOC COMMITTEES.
BUT SOME BOARDS HAVE GONE TO THE NEXT STEP, A SPECIFYING WHAT THREE OR FOUR STANDING COMMITTEES WOULD BE.
AND I WOULD SAY IN MY EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE STATE, IN THE COUNTIES THAT I'VE WORKED WITH, WHICH IS AT LEAST HALF OF THEM, UH, OVER TIME, THEY ALWAYS HAVE AT LEAST A POLICY COMMITTEE, ALWAYS A BUDGET COMMITTEE, OFTEN AN AUDIT COMMITTEE OF SOME SORT.
AND THEN THERE'S AN ASSORTMENT FROM THERE.
UM, I THINK I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, BEFORE THAT LIKE CONTRACT COMMITTEES ARE NOT STANDARD.
SO THAT'S ONE YOU ALL HAVE DIVED INTO THAT ADDS TO WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF DOING.
UM, BUT WITH RESPECT TO ANY LAW REQUIRING A BUDGET COMMITTEE, I WOULD SAY NO.
WITH RESPECT TO A BUDGET COMMITTEE SERVING ONE OF YOUR KEY STATUTORY, UM, REQUIREMENTS AND OBLIGATIONS, BUDGET'S, ONE OF THEM, IT WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT THAT MISSION.
BUT I MEAN, THAT'S, AGAIN, THAT'S A POLICY CALLED BY THE BOARD.
UM, I, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR MS. HEN.
WHEN YOU, UM, TALKED ABOUT YOUR MOTION, YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING ALL BOARD MEMBERS ON THAT COMMITTEE.
SO I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED BY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT DR. ROGERS, ESPECIALLY IN OUR AGENDA PLANNING, HAS ADDED MORE PRESENTATIONS ON THE BUDGET THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO HELP PREPARE US, UM, BETTER.
SO I WAS CONFUSED WHEN YOU SAID ALL BOARD MEMBERS WOULD BE ON THAT COMMITTEE, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE ALL BOARD MEMBERS ON THAT COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, MADAM CHAIR.
UM, WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO IS ENCOURAGING BOARD MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE, ASSUMING WE, WE DON'T REACH QUORUM, UM, IN THE COMMITTEE, BUT PARTICIPATION CAN TAKE A NUMBER OF FORMS, RIGHT? UM, FROM WATCHING THE MEETINGS TO SUGGESTING AGENDA TOPICS, TO PARTICIPATING AGAIN, UNDER THE, THE QUORUM, RIGHT? UM, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS TO PARTICIPATE AND ENCOURAGING ALL MEMBERS TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN THE WORK OF THAT.
AND OF COURSE, FOR THE, THE COMMITTEE ITSELF TO REPORT BACK TO THE BOARD AND, UM, INVOLVE THE WHOLE BOARD IN THAT, NOT FOR THE, THE FULL BOARD TO BE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, OF COURSE.
BUT THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO CLARIFY.
MS. FRUMP, IS YOUR HAND STILL UP? IT IS.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. BURNS.
UM, MR. BURNS, CAN YOU SPEAK TO BOTH SIDES? UH, HOW DO YOU, FOR THE LEAS THAT HAVE BUDGET COMMITTEES, CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THEY WORK? AND THEN FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT, CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THEY WORK? WELL, THE FIRST ONE'S EASIER, MS. ROPA, BECAUSE I CAN'T THINK OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHO DOESN'T HAVE SOME FORM OF A BUDGET COMMITTEE.
UH, AND CERTAINLY THE LARGER COUNTIES, UH, HAVE ONE.
UM, AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE AD HOC, RIGHT? I MEAN, SOMETIMES THEY ARE, I THINK SOMEONE MENTIONED THE SEASON.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE, THEY'RE FORMED FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE RELATED TO BUDGET.
AND THEN THEY MAY NOT BE NEEDED AT OTHER PARTS OF THE YEAR, OR THEY MAY NOT MEET AT OTHER PARTS OF THE YEAR.
BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE THEM, TYPICALLY WHAT THEY DO IS THEY, UM, HELP SET PRIORITIES.
YOU KNOW, THEY GATHER FEEDBACK, THEY HAVE THEIR MEETINGS, WHICHEVER NUMBER OF MEMBERS, AND AGAIN, AS MS HEN MENTIONED, LESS THAN A QUORUM, UH, AND THEY DISCUSS PRIORITIES AND THEY LIAISON WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF.
I'D SAY THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT A COMMITTEE BRINGS TO THE TABLE IS IN BETWEEN MEETINGS, IN BETWEEN BUDGET SEASONS AND CYCLES, YOU'RE ABLE TO, TO CONFER WITH STAFF, GET A FEEL FOR WHAT'S OUT THERE FROM A FISCAL STANDPOINT, AND WHAT THE NEEDS MAY BE COMING
[03:05:01]
INTO A PARTICULAR BUDGET CYCLE.I MEAN, YOU GOTTA DO IT EVERY YEAR, RIGHT? BUT THERE ARE LOOK AHEAD ISSUES.
THERE'S CAPITAL LOOK AHEAD ISSUES.
SO I THINK THE ABILITY TO INTERFACE WITH STAFF AND SUPERINTENDENT, AND THE ABILITY TO GATHER FROM YOUR PEERS, NOT TO MAKE DECISIONS, AGAIN, RESPECTFUL OF THE OM OMA, BUT TO, TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT PRIORITIES COULD BE.
AND THEN I OFTEN SEE THE BUDGET COMMITTEES, LIKE OTHER COMMITTEES REPORT AT A BOARD MEETING.
AND THEN AS THE BUDGET CYCLE HEATS UP, SOMETIMES THERE'LL BE A REPORT ON A RECENT MEETING AND WHAT MAYBE STAFF REPORTED ABOUT CERTAIN FISCAL TOPICS AT THAT COMMITTEE MEETING.
AND THEN THAT'S FOR THE, FOR THE LARGER GROUP TO HEAR.
SOMETIMES IT'S JUST A MEMO THAT GETS ISSUED BY THE COMMITTEE, AGAIN, BETWEEN MEETINGS TO HELP BRING THE REST OF THE MEMBERS CURRENT.
AND THEN SOMETIMES THE, THE, I SEE COMMITTEES PRESENT AT SOME POINT, MAYBE JANUARY, EARLY WINTER IN THE PROCESS.
UH, A LIST OF COMMITTEE, UH, I'M SORRY, OF PRIORITIES, RIGHT? AND THE BOARD CAN VOTE ON THOSE PRIORITIES AGAIN, AS WAS MENTIONED, IT, IT, THERE IS ONLY ONE BUDGET.
IT IS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S BUDGET.
EVERYONE ELSE IN THE PROCESS IS ADVISING THE BOARD, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVISOR IS YOUR SUPERINTENDENT.
AND PART OF HER MISSION IS TO BRING TO YOU AS BEST AS SHE AND HER TEAM CAN, THE BEST BUDGET THAT THEY THINK THE SYSTEM CAN GET AND THAT IT NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
AND THE COMMITTEE, I THINK, CAN SUPPORT THAT MISSION, BUT SHOULD RESPECT WHAT THE STATUTORY PROCESS IS.
IT'S JUST MY VIEW, BUT I THINK A VOTE FOR THE BUDGET COMMITTEE IS A VOTE FOR WORKING TOGETHER AND TRYING TO CORRECT SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WORK REAL WELL TOGETHER, I DON'T THINK.
AND I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT A WRONG AND, AND WHEN WE D ABOLISHED IT, SO THAT, THAT'S JUST MY VIEW.
A VOTE FOR IT, I THINK IS A VOTE IN THE RIGHT WAY.
I AM, I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT THE BUDGET IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO MANAGE, UM, AND THAT WE ALL NEED TO KNOW, UNDERSTAND, AND BE ABLE TO, UH, SPEAK TO OR ASK QUESTIONS REGARDING HOW THE SYSTEM IS ALLOCATING FUNDS.
WHERE I GET STUCK IS WHY THAT HAS TO BE FILTERED THROUGH A COMMITTEE.
UH, YES, WE CAN LISTEN THROUGH TO THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, BUT THE BUDGET, A TWO PLUS BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET, I BELIEVE IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL NEED TO HEAR, DIGEST, UH, AND INQUIRE ABOUT AS ONE BOARD, BECAUSE AS ONE BOARD, WE HAVE TO APPROVE IT OR NOT.
SO I, I, I AGREE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT.
I AGREE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE WE PUT OUT THE BEST BUDGET, UM, THAT WE CAN IN THE INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WE SERVE.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A COMMITTEE ADVANCES THAT PURPOSE, AND THAT'S WHERE I GET STUCK.
MS. DOKI, HOW DO ALL OF OUR COMMITTEES ADVANCE THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING? ISN'T THAT, I JUST FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE POINT OF ALL COMMITTEES IS TO ADVANCE THE WORK OF THE FULL BOARD AND, AND THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT.
I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT MR. BURN SAID ABOUT, UM, THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND THE, UM, THE BUDGET, UH, EXCUSE ME, THE COMMITTEES THAT THEY ALL HAVE AND IT'S POLICY AND BUDGET, AND THEN IT'S THE, UM, THE, THE OTHER COMMITTEES THAT WE HAVE THAT, THAT ARE NOT MAINSTREAM THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. UM, I, I JUST BELIEVE HIS, HIS STATEMENTS IN TERMS OF WHAT IS, UH, THE NORM AMONG OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UM, JUST FURTHER BACKS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE NEED TO REINSTATE IT.
I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR MR. BURNS AND THEN A COMMENT.
I JUST WANNA CLARIFY WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU SAID.
I BELIEVE THAT YOU SAID YOU COULDN'T THINK OF ANOTHER LEA THAT DID NOT HAVE A BUDGET COMMITTEE.
IS THAT CORRECT? NO, I COULDN'T.
THAT I COULDN'T RECITE THE LIST TO YOU.
AND THAT MY, MY, I BELIEVE THAT ALL THE LARGER SCHOOL SYSTEMS HAVE A BUDGET COMMITTEE IN SOME FORM, WHETHER IT'S STANDING OR AD HOC.
AND THEN MY COMMENT BACK TO MABE AGAIN, OUR TRAINING THAT I REMEMBER FROM MY FIR WHEN I FIRST BECAME A BOARD MEMBER, THE PURPOSE OF COMMITTEES IS TO TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO, YOU KNOW, THE SPECIFIC SUBJECT OF THE COMMITTEE.
UM, AND SO JUST LIKE POLICY TO ME, THAT'S JUST LIKE POLICY REVIEW.
[03:10:01]
IS VERY IMPORTANT.AND AS A WHOLE BOARD, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL THOSE POLICIES.
BUT WHEN WE'RE IN COMMITTEE, WE CAN TAKE A DEEP DIVE CONVERSATION FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL POLICY AND SPEND, UH, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME ON EACH OF THOSE POLICIES TO DISCUSS AND DETERMINE WHAT'S, WHAT WE THINK AS A COMMITTEE IS BEST TO BRING FORWARD TO THE BOARD AT THAT POINT.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S SPECIFIC POLICIES THAT CERTAIN BOARD MEMBERS WILL GO BACK AND LOOK AT OUR DISCUSSION.
OTHERS, THEY TRUST THAT WE TOOK A DEEP ENOUGH DIVE INTO IT THAT THEY CAN, UM, ACCEPT, YOU KNOW, OUR RECOMMENDATION AS WELL AS THE AMENDMENTS THAT WERE MADE BY STAFF MEMBERS THROUGHOUT OUR DISCUSSIONS.
AND I THINK THAT APPLIES ALSO WITH THE BUDGET COMMITTEE.
IT'S STILL A DEEP DIVE INTO THE BUDGET THAT WE CAN ASK MORE DETAILED QUESTIONS, SPEND MORE TIME ON THAT.
AND I KNOW WE'VE INCREASED OUR TIME IN GENERAL AT BOARD MEETINGS, BUT, UM, YOU CAN TAKE AS MUCH OF A DEEP DIVE AT A BOARD MEETING AS YOU CAN AT COMMITTEE MEETING FOR ANY COMMITTEE.
THAT'S WHAT ALL OF OUR COMMITTEES DO.
THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF COMMITTEES IN AS A WHOLE.
IF WE THINK THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WASN'T EFFECTIVE, THEN WE CAN CHANGE THE MEASURE OF EFFECT EFFECTIVENESS.
WE CAN CHANGE THE PURPOSE, NOT ONLY AS A COMMITTEE, BUT ALSO AS A BOARD.
UM, MS. HEN CHAIR, THIS IS THANK YOU, MS. HEN.
UM, MR. BURNS MENTIONED ONE OF THE TASKS OF A, UM, BUDGET COMMITTEE IS TO DEVELOP PRIORITIES.
WELL, AN ANALOGY WOULD BE OUR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE DEVELOPS OUR ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES, BRINGS THOSE BACK TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
WE DISCUSS THEM, WE VOTE AS A BOARD, AND THE WORK MOVES FORWARD, UM, BUDGET COMMITTEE WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT.
AND IN FACT, WE'VE, UM, DISCUSSED THOSE AS A COMMITTEE IN THE PAST AND THE WORK MOVES FORWARD.
SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I'D LIKE TO DO IS CONTINUE THOSE DISCUSSIONS, WATCH OTHER BOARDS, BUDGET COMMITTEES IN ACTION, AND LEARN FROM THEM AND TO SEE WHAT, WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE, UM, BUDGET COMMITTEE AND, YOU KNOW, REVISIT OUR MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AS MS. POEY SAID.
UM, AND MS. DOKI SAID ONCE IT'S UP AND RUNNING AND START TO BUILD THOSE IN.
AND AS MR. MCMILLIAN SAID THIS, A VOTE FOR THIS COMMITTEE IS A VOTE TO WORK, UM, MORE EFFECTIVELY TOGETHER BECAUSE THE WORK WILL RETURN TO THE FULL BOARD.
UM, I APPRECIATE MS. HARVEY'S, UH, VICE CHAIR HARVEY'S CONCERNS, BUT THE WORK DOES FLOW BACK TO THE BOARD AND THE COMMITTEES, AS WE'VE PROVEN WITH OUR OTHER COMMITTEES, AREN'T EFFECTIVE MEANS TO FACILITATE THAT WORK.
I'M JUST THINKING IF THERE'S ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
SO THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS TO REINSTATE THE BUDGET COMMITTEE.
UM, MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE.
MS. HARVEY? UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC BUDGET COMMITTEE FOR THIS BUDGET CYCLE TO ESTABLISH MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND TO GIVE THE BOARD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DETERMINE IF A BUDGET COMMITTEE, UH, DOES SERVE PURPOSES AND IS, IS INTEGRAL TO THE OPERATION OF THE BOARD.
DO YOU WANNA DIS DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR, I THINK SO.
IN LISTENING TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, AND IN HEARING, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ABOUT WHY WE NEED A BUDGET COMMITTEE, I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS IT.
HOWEVER, MY RECOLLECTION OF THE PREVIOUS WAY THE BUDGET COMMITTEE OPERATED, GIVEN THAT IT DIDN'T OPERATE DURING BUDGET SEASON, GIVEN THAT WE RARELY, IF THAT I RECALL, RECEIVED ANY REPORTS AS A FULL BOARD AS TO, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PRIORITIES WERE OR WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS WERE BEING MADE, I THINK THIS IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BOARD TO SUSS IT OUT, UH, DURING THIS BUDGET SEASON, UH, AS AN AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR THIS SEASON, ONLY TO DETERMINE IF WE CAN ESTABLISH MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND IF THE BOARD, UH, SERVES, UM, IF THE COMMITTEE, UH, IS A VALUE ADD TO THE BOARD.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SO I KNOW MS. GOR PROBABLY, DO YOU HAVE THAT MOTION OR YOU NEED IT? I, YOU GOT IT? MM-HMM
CAN YOU REREAD IT? MS. GOR? BELLA? WHAT? I CAN'T.
[03:15:02]
UM, MS. FONG? NO, THAT WAS MS.THAT WAS, OH, I'M, DO YOU WANT ME, OH, YOU WANT PART TWO? I MEAN, I'VE GOT PART OF IT TO CREATE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO CREATE PURPOSES, PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS FOR THE BUDGET COMMITTEE FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR OR FOR THE UPCOMING.
SO MY MOTION WAS TO CREATE AN AD HOC BUDGET COMMITTEE FOR THIS BUDGET CYCLE ONLY TO DETERMINE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
EFFECTIVENESS, AND TO DETERMINE IF HAVING A COMMITTEE IS A VALUE ADD TO THE BOARD.
MS. FONG, IS YOUR HAND CURRENTLY UP FOR THIS, FOR MS. HARVEY'S MOTION? UM, YES.
I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE THAT MOTION.
THAT WE DO AN AD HOC COMMITTEE.
UM, I DIDN'T HAVE THE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE, BUT JUST YES.
LET WE DO AN AD HOC COMMITTEE.
MS. HEN, IS YOUR HAND UP FOR THIS? MY HAND IS UP.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE MOTION, UM, AND THE TIMING.
GIVEN THAT I BELIEVE VICE CHAIR HARVEY SAID THAT THE AD HOC WOULD BE IN PLACE FOR THIS BUDGET SEASON, GIVEN THAT, UM, DR. ROGERS IS IN THE FINAL STAGES OF FINALIZING THE BUDGET THAT SHE WILL PRESENT, UM, WOULD THIS AD HOC COMMITTEE THEN BE DISSOLVED, UM, ONCE THE BUDGET IS PRESENTED? AND DOES THAT DEFEAT THE PURPOSE SINCE THE BOARD, UM, COMMITTEE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT, HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET? DO YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THAT? I DON'T THINK THE COMMITTEE WOULD NECESSARILY NEED TO BE DISSOLVED.
UM, WE HAVE, THERE HAS BEEN NO COMMITTEE TO PARTICIPATE.
IN MY MIND, THIS IS A COMPROMISE AND A BEGINNING FOR US TO LOOK AT HOW TO MOST EFFECTIVELY USE A PROPOSED, UH, BUDGET COMMITTEE.
MADAM CHAIR, MAY I RESPOND? YES.
IF ONE OF THE GOALS OR PURPOSES OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE, AD HOC OR OTHERWISE IS TO DEVELOP PRIORITIES AND BRING THOSE TO THE BOARD, THEN THE EXERCISE OF PRIORITIZATION IS FUTILE FOR THIS BUDGET CYCLE AS DR. ROGERS HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED HER BUDGET.
SO IF THE AD HOC IS ONLY GOING TO BE IN PLACE FOR THE CURRENT BUDGET CYCLE, THEN MY QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT IS THE POINT OF DEVELOPING AN AD HOC? I, I SUPPORT, UM, VICE HARVEY'S MOTION, BUT MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE TIMING.
AND I WOULD PREFER THAT WE NOT LIMIT OURSELVES TO, UM, AN END DATE OR PUT AN END DATE ON THE AD HOC IN TERMS OF LIMITING IT TO THIS BUDGET CYCLE.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE OF THE TASKS WOULD BE TO, UM, DEVELOP A LIST OF BOARD PRIORITIES AND BRING THOSE TO THE FULL BOARD, WHICH IT'S TOO LATE IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE TO DO.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION BEFORE WE DO VOTE? COULD WE PUT THE MOTION IN THE CHAT JUST SO WE COULD SEE IT IN WRITING IN CASE YOU WANNA MAKE ANY AMENDMENTS TO IT? CHAIR LICHTER? YES.
WHILE WE WAIT ON MS. HARVEY TO PUT THAT IN, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT MS. HEN, IF SHE'S THINKING THAT THE PROPOSED END DATE OF THE COMMITTEE WILL BE JANUARY WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT, UM, PUTS THEIR BUDGET FORWARD.
BUT IT'S MY OPINION THAT THE BUDGET SEASON WOULD NOT NECESSARILY END UNTIL WE GET AN
[03:20:01]
APPROVED BUDGET FROM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE.AND THAT'S USUALLY IN MAY, RIGHT? APRIL OR MAY.
AND THERE ARE STILL CHANGES THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND COUNTY COUNCIL CAN MAKE TO THE BUDGET.
JUST ANOTHER COMMENT IS THE CONVERSATION I'M HEARING ABOUT THE PURPOSE DOES NOT MATCH THE PURPOSE OF THE PREVIOUS BUDGET COMMITTEE.
AND THIS IS AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR, WHICH IS ALWAYS A TEMPORARY COMMITTEE BY NATURE.
SO SHE HAS IT IN THE CHAT TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC BUDGET COMMITTEE FOR THIS BUDGET SEASON ONLY TO DETERMINE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND ASSESS THE BENEFIT OF A BUDGET COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD.
IF YOU'RE GONNA PUT A, UH, CAN WE EITHER, SORRY, MOTION TO AMEND THE, UM, TO REMOVE BUDGET SEASON AND FILL IT IN WITH WHATEVER DATE YOU MEAN BY THAT? 'CAUSE THAT BUDGET SEASON COULD MEAN, UH, MORE THAN ONE THING.
LIKE WHEN, WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT BRING, I'M SORRY, I GUESS I SHOULD SPEAK.
I'M TALKING, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT DATE THAT MEANS.
WELL, TO MR. YOUNG'S POINT, THE BUDGET GETS APPROVED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL, THE END OF MAY.
SO, SO SAY THAT THEN, OR SO, SO MOTION TO AMEND, REPLACE BUDGET SEASON TO AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR THE, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO, UM, TILL THE BUDGET, THE FISCAL YEAR BUDGET IS APPROVED YES.
TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR UN IT, IT STILL DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
UM, IF ANYBODY HAS HELP, WANTS TO HELP ME HERE BECAUSE THERE'S LIKE, THE WAY THAT IT'S WORDED RIGHT NOW, IT JUST, UM, BUDGET SEASON.
LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.
UM, MAY WE SEE COUNCIL ON THE MOTION? YEAH.
IT SEEMS TO, IT SEEMS TO BE LIMITING IN AN INVALID MOTION IN THAT IT LIMITS, UM, THE BOARD AND THE COMMITTEE IN TERMS OF FUTURE ACTIONS.
I BELIEVE IT TO BE AN INVALID MOTION.
I, I MS THAT'S A POINT OF ORDER.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT'S CORRECT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S CORRECT, BUT I DO THINK MS. DOMINO'S POSSIBLE AMENDMENT POINTS TO A MORE OF A, MORE OF A CONCERN, WHICH WOULD JUST BE A LACK OF CLARITY BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE BUDGET SEASON IS A DEFINED TERM ANYWHERE.
BUT THE SIMPLE THING THAT YOU COULD DO AND MS. HARVEY COULD CONSIDER EVEN FROM MS. DOKI WITH MY ADVICE IS, IS YOU KNOW THAT YOUR BUDGET CYCLE ENDS JUNE 30TH.
AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME ON JULY 1ST, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PAST BUDGET THAT THIS BOARD AND THE COUNTY HAVE WORKED ON IN ORDER TO START YOUR NEW FISCAL YEAR.
SO IF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE'S TIMELINE IS TO BE, OR SOME PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH SEEMS CONSISTENT WITH AD HOC, THAT'S ONE WAY YOU COULD STRUCTURE IT, MS. HARVEY SIMPLY SAY THROUGH, THROUGH AT LEAST JUNE 30TH AND PENDING FURTHER ACTION.
I'M WILLING TO MAKE THAT AMENDMENT.
I SHOULD HAVE SAID MADAM CHAIR, MAY I ASK A FOLLOW UP FROM MR. OF MR. BURNS? YES.
UM, THE CLAUSE IN THE VICE CHAIR, HARVEY'S MOTION ONLY TO DETERMINE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND ASSESS THE BENEFIT OF A BUDGET COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD IS LIMITING IN THAT IT, IT LIMITS POSSIBLE ACTIONS OF THAT COMMITTEE.
AND ALSO LIMITS WHAT THE, THE BOARD CAN DO.
SO IT'S A SECONDARY MOTION, WHICH IS MY POINT OF ORDER.
I, IF YOU'RE ASKING MY OPINION, I DISAGREE WITH THAT.
I THINK IT'S A LIMITING MOTION.
BUT MO A LOT OF MOTIONS HAVE LIMITS IN THEM.
IT IS, IT IS WHAT IT IS, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING UNLAWFUL ABOUT IT.
I'LL MAKE A, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND WHEN APPROPRIATE.
OKAY, MR. BURNS, WE CAN AT, I'M SORRY, MS. LTER, CAN I ASK? YEAH, GO AHEAD.
MR. BURNS, AT ANY POINT DURING THIS TIMEFRAME BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE 30TH, IF THIS MOTION PASSES, WE CAN REVISIT WHAT THE SCOPE IS, UM, AND INCREASE THAT OR CHANGE THE YES.
AND I WOULD THINK THAT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF MS A'S MOTION, THE COMMITTEE ITSELF, WHOEVER IS ON IT, COULD ALSO COME BACK WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT RELATE TO WHAT ELSE IT MIGHT DO.
THAT'S PART OF EFFECTIVENESS, RIGHT? I I DON'T THINK IT'S AS LIMITING AS PERHAPS IT SOUNDS, BUT I THINK IT IS LIMITING
[03:25:01]
AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT AS IT STANDS.AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING THAT STOPS WHAT YOU SAID FROM HAPPENING.
SO MS. HARVEY, UM, AMENDED IT TO SAY, TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC BUDGET COMMITTEE THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2026, TO DETERMINE MEASURES EFFECTIVENESS AND ASSESS THE BENEFITS OF BUDGET COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD.
MOTION TO AMEND, UM, TO ADD THE WORDS PURPOSE AND RIGHT BETWEEN DETERMINE AND MEASURES.
DID YOU FORGET THE WORD PURPOSE? I CAN ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
SO YOU WERE SAYING MS. HUMPHREY 2026, SABRINA, PURPOSE AND PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
WELL, AND THAT'S WHAT THE, THAT'S WHAT WE JUST LOOKED AT FOR EACH OF THE OTHER COMMITTEES THERE.
I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE WORD.
SO PUTTING THE UPDATED TO ESTABLISH AD HOC BUDGET COMMITTEE THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2026 TO DETERMINE THE PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND TO ASSESS THE BENEFIT OF A BUDGET COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD.
WE HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE.
I JUST HAVE A TECHNICAL QUESTION.
'CAUSE I KNOW AD HOC COMMITTEES CANNOT HAVE A QUORUM AND OBVIOUSLY THE WORK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO WHAT DO YOU MEAN CANNOT HAVE A QUORUM? WE CAN HAVE MORE, WE CAN AS MANY AS PEOPLE AS WE WANT.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? WELL, WE CANNOT FOR AN AD HOC, I THINK YOU CAN, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK, I THINK YOUR GENERAL PRACTICE HAS BEEN NEVER TO HAVE A QUORUM OR MORE ON A COMMITTEE BECAUSE IT MAKES THE WORK MORE FLEXIBLE IN TERMS OF MEETINGS.
SO, SO MY, MY CONCERN WOULD JUST BE THAT CAN WE STILL GET INPUT FROM THE FULL BOARD IN TERMS OF THE PURPOSE AND, YOU KNOW, AND WELL, THEY'LL BRING IT BACK.
THEN THE BUDGET AD HOC COMMITTEE WOULD BRING BACK THEIR PURPOSE AND MEASURES EFFECTIVENESS FOR THE FULL BOARD TO VOTE, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO ASSESSING THE BENEFITS.
UM, DID YOU HAVE A SECOND ON THAT? HAVE WE HAD A SECOND? YOU HAD AN ORIGINAL SECOND FROM MS. HUMPHREY.
I KNOW THAT YOU AND I ARE YOU WITHDRAWING YOUR SECOND? NO, I, I THINK IT WAS FRIENDLY AMENDMENTS.
DO WE, DO WE NEED ANOTHER SECOND? OR THERE WERE FRIENDLY AMENDMENTS.
THERE WERE NO ACTUAL AMENDMENTS.
MS. HARVEY ACTUALLY MODIFIED HER MOTION.
THEN NOW WE CAN HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON MS. HARI'S LAST MOTION.
I DO RECOMMEND MS. LICHTER FOR THE RECORD THAT IT BE READ ONE MORE TIME IN FULL TO ESTABLISH, DO YOU WANNA READ IT? NO.
TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC BUDGET COMMITTEE THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2026, DETERMINE THE PURPOSE AND MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS AND TO ASSESS THE BENEFIT OF A BUDGET COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD.
MS. GOR OF ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE.
OKAY, THEN THE NEXT ITEM IS FOR BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES.
UM, MS. HARVEY AUDIT COMMITTEE.
UH, AS A REMINDER, UH, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE SERVES AS AN INDEPENDENT OBJECTIVE BODY THAT HELPS THE BOARD FULFILL ITS FIDUCIARY FIDUCIARY OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE ARE MEETING ON, UH, JANUARY 14TH, 2026 AT 4:30 PM VIRTUALLY, AND WE ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND.
BUILDING CONTRACTS, MR. YOUNG.
THE NEXT BUILDING AND CONTRACTS MEETING IS JANUARY 12TH, 2026 AT 5:00 PM THANK YOU.
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, MS. LESKI.
THE NEXT CURRICULUM, UH, MEETING WILL BE, UH, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28TH AT 4:00 PM THANK YOU.
MS. FONG, I'M GOING TO DEFER TO MR. YOUNG, MY CHAIR, MY VICE CHAIR
THE NEXT EQUITY COMMITTEE MEETING IS JANUARY 22ND, 2026 AT 4:00 PM THE NEXT EQUITY COUNCIL, EQUITY EQUITY COMMITTEE MEETING WITH THE EQUITY COUNCIL IS JANUARY 29TH, 2026 AT 5:30 PM THANK YOU MR. YOUNG.
AND, UM, LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS ON JANUARY 21ST,
[03:30:01]
WHICH I THINK IS, UM, AROUND THE TIME THAT SESSION STARTS.MR. BASMORE, WHEN DOES SESSION START? UH, 13TH.
SO IT'S THE WEEK FOLLOWING SESSION.
AND OUR LAST COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW, POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE LENGTHY.
I LIKE TO GIVE A DETAILED REPORT.
UM, POLICY 6,800 WE DISCUSSED, UM, STAFF, IT WAS, THAT'S FIELD TRIPS AND FOREIGN TRAVEL.
UM, STAFF PRESENTED, UM, SOME AMENDMENTS AS A COMPROMISE BASED ON OUR PRIOR, THIS WAS A BOARD POLICY THAT WAS FROM THE 20 24, 20 25 SCHOOL YEAR REVIEW.
AND, UM, STAFF PRESENTED AMENDMENTS AS A COMPROMISE BASED UPON OUR COMMITTEE'S DISCUSSION THAT YEAR.
UM, AND THOSE AMENDMENTS WERE MOVED FORWARD.
IT WILL COME TO THE BOARD, UH, FOR FIRST READER, UM, POLICY.
UM, 1, 1, 1 OH, WHICH WAS PUBLICATION, RADIO, TELEVISION, DIGITAL MEDIA AND POLICY.
6,200 SCHOOL LIBRARIES WERE BOTH DISCUSSED AND MOVE FORWARD.
FOR FIRST READER, UM, POLICY 5,000 WAS A POLICY THAT THE BOARD PREVIOUSLY REMOVED, VOTED ON TO REMOVE.
UM, UH, THIS WAS BROUGHT BACK UP FOR DISCUSSION TO REINSTATE.
UM, WE HAD A ROBUST DISCUSSION IN COMMITTEE AND VOTED TO BRING THIS POLICY BACK AGAIN FOR FIRST READER TO THE FULL BOARD.
UM, AND MS. HOWIE ALSO DISCUSSED A KUMAR UPDATE REGARDING, UM, IN-PERSON MEETINGS, UM, FOR LOCAL BOARDS.
AND THAT REF THAT REFERS TO OUR POLICY 83 11.
AND IF YOU WANNA SEE THE MEMO FROM THE MARYLAND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, I'M SORRY, TO THE MARYLAND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FROM THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS THAT IS IN BOARD DOCS UNDER THAT DISCUSSION.
UM, YES, IN OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING, I WROTE SOMEWHERE THAT I CAN'T REMEMBER.
OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING IS, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME.
COMMITTEE MEETING IS FEBRUARY 2ND, 2026.
UM, NEXT IS AGENDA ITEMS. IF YOU HAVE, UM, AN ITEM, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND OR SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH THE TOPIC.
AND THEN, UM, ALL RIGHT, WE'RE ALMOST THERE.
[N. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:10 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 13TH, 2026 AT 6:30 PM I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL, HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND A RELAXING WINTER BREAK.
UM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
HAVE A GREAT EVENING, AND THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.