[00:00:01]
GOOD AFTERNOON.THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN JANE LICHTER.
I CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH, 2026.
THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING, BROADCAST 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 OPENS MEETING ACT AS FOUND IN THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE THREE DASH 3 0 5 B ONE AND B SEVEN TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT.ASSIGNMENT PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE DEMOTION, COMPENSATION REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONAL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.
AND CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECONDHAND.
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, FEBRUARY 10TH, 2026.
[B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
INVITE YOU TO RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY MS. FORESIGHT ONGA.WE WILL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WISHES STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE.
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, I'LL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE.
[C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION OF THE FEBRUARY 10TH AGENDA.DR. ROGERS, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I AM UNAWARE OF ANY CHANGES TO THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
HEARING NONE, THE AGENDA STANDS AS PRESENTED.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PERSONNEL MATTERS, AND FOR THAT I CALL, OH, WHOOPS.
I DIDN'T READ THE BOTTOM, DID I? SORRY.
EARLIER THIS EVENING, THE BOARD MET ENCLO SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONAL 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 AGENDA DATE.
[D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS PERSONNEL MATTERS, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. MCCALL.ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'D LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL MATTERS.
TONIGHT WE HAVE RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, LEAVES, AND EDUCATOR LICENSURE APPOINTMENTS.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D FOUR? SO MOVED.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND STALOWSKI.
ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
[00:05:01]
YES.[E. PUBLIC COMMENT (6:50 - 7:15 p.m.)]
IS PUBLIC COMMENT.THIS IS ONE OF THE THANK YOU MR. MCCALL.
THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL AT BCPS.
THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HOMELAND SECURITY UNIT AND OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAS RECOMMENDED SAFETY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS, WHICH ARE POSTED IN THE BOARDROOM AND AVAILABLE IN BOARD DOCS AND ON THE BOARD'S PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC WEBSITE.
WHILE WE ENCOURAGE PUBLIC INPUT ON POLICY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF 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 BEHAVIOR SUCH AS LANGUAGE THAT PROMOTES VIOLENCE AGAINST A-B-C-P-S EMPLOYEE OR THAT DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONTACT OF THIS MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
PERSONS WHO OTHERWISE DISRUPT OR DISTURB THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THEIR REMARKS AND WILL BE ESCORTED FROM THE MEETING.
PLEASE OBSERVE THE THREE MINUTE CLOCK, WHICH WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP.
THE MICROPHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AT THE END OF YOUR TIME OR PRIOR TO THE TIME AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR.
WE'LL START WITH OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFILIATED GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. LESLIE WEBER FROM THE PTA COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, AND SHE IS VIRTUAL MS. WEBER? YES.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS WITH DR. ROGERS.
I'M LESLIE WEBER, PRESIDENT OF THE PTA COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
I'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON SOME KEY BUDGET RELATED ITEMS IN WHICH WE'VE RECENTLY TESTIFIED AND SHARE SEVERAL UPDATES.
AS WE NOTED LAST MONTH, PTA COUNCIL RECOGNIZES THE CHALLENGING FISCAL LANDSCAPE, LANDSCAPE FACING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM DUE TO DECREASE FUNDING DECREASES AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, AND DUE TO THE INCREASING NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES, WE UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO BALANCE MANY COMPETING NEEDS AND INTERESTS.
PTA COUNCIL IS PLEASED THAT BCPS IS PRIORITIZING THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF THE BCPS WORKFORCE THROUGH COMPENSATION ENHANCEMENTS.
WE KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT, BUT WE HOPE THAT CLASS SIZES, ESPECIALLY AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL, REMAIN AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE.
WE'RE HAPPY THAT HIRING ADDITIONAL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND PARA EDUCATORS IS INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET AND THAT THERE'S A CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO MULTILINGUAL LEARNER RESOURCES.
PTA COUNCIL APPRECIATES THE PROPOSED BUDGET'S, CONTINUED FOCUS ON SAFETY AND CLIMATE, WHICH ALIGNS WITH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH BCPS TO ADVOCATE FOR RESPONSIBLE CELL PHONE USE AND THE SAFE USE OF TECHNOLOGY.
WE'VE ALSO SUPPORTED HAVING SAFETY ASSISTANCE IN OUR SCHOOLS, SO WE'RE GLAD THAT THESE IMPORTANT P POSITIONS ARE BEING PRIORITIZED.
FINALLY, WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT BCPS REMAINS COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL STRATEGY FOR WHICH THE COUNCIL HAS ADVOCATED OVER MANY YEARS NOW.
FOR SEVERAL UPDATES, WE'RE PLEASED THAT COUNTY BILLS FOR WHICH WE ADVOCATED PAST RECENTLY.
BILL 97 25 ESTABLISHES THE OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS AND A PERMANENT CHIEF OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS.
BILL 98 25 ASSURE ENSURES THAT COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND POLICE FOCUS ON PUBLIC SAFETY RATHER THAN CIVIL IMMIGRATION STATUS.
BOTH BILLS ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL PTA'S POSITION RIGHTS AND SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND IMMIGRANT AND MIXED STATUS FAMILIES, WHICH ASSERTS THAT ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO A QUALITY EDUCATION, ADEQUATE FOOD AND HEALTHCARE.
WE'RE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE CHAIR OF OUR JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE, EDWIN PEREZ, WAS PERSONALLY INVITED BY LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MILLER TO ATTEND GOVERNOR MOORE'S STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS TOMORROW BEGINNING AT NOON.
EDWIN WAS SELECTED BECAUSE OF HIS STRONG LEADERSHIP AND WIDE RANGING ADVOCACY RELATED TO PROTECTING IMMIGRANT AND MIXED STATUS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
WE JOKE THAT EDWIN WEARS MANY HATS.
WE'RE HAPPY THAT PTA COUNCIL IS ONE OF THEM.
MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION WILL BROADCAST THE EVENT LIVE AND IT'LL BE LIVE STREAMED ON THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
OUR SECOND SPEAKERS ARE FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCILS, AND THAT'S MEN REED ANAD AND SAM PARK.
MS. LICHTER, VICE CHAIRMAN, MS. HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROGERS, STUDENT MEMBER, MS. ABE, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M RI ONIN, THE BCSE PRESIDENT, AND I'M SAM PARK, THE BCSE VICE PRESIDENT.
TODAY WE ARE HERE TO UPDATE YOU ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCILS OR BCSE.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING A TON OF EXCITING THINGS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS.
BCSE HAS MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP COUNTYWIDE.
[00:10:01]
ON NOVEMBER 8TH, WE HOSTED OUR FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE YEAR WITH 15 PLUS SCHOOLS IN CLOSE TO A HUNDRED STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE.AS PART OF OUR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, OUR STUDENT WORKSHOP COORDINATORS AND OPERATIONS DIRECTORS ORGANIZE WORKSHOPS TO FOCUS ON A COLLABORATION AND NETWORKING.
SINCE OUR LAST REPORT, BCSC HAD HAD FIVE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS CONSISTING OVER 40 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING EFFICIENTLY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES AND PRODUCING SOME AMAZING RESULTS.
WE HAVE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY HELD THREE VIRTUAL STUDENT SEMINARS THIS YEAR, OPEN TO ALL SECONDARY BCPS STUDENTS.
IN OCTOBER, WE TALKED ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY WITH MR. KNOX, THE BCPS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL SAFETY.
IN NOVEMBER, WE HAD OUR SM OUTREACH SEMINAR ATTENDED BY OUR CURRENT SM FORESIGHT.
IN DECEMBER, WE HAD OUR SERVICE LEARNING SEMINAR WITH OUR WONDERFUL BCSE ADVISOR AND FACE PROGRAM SPECIALIST, MS. WADE.
OVERALL, THESE SEMINARS HAVE BEEN AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS DIRECTLY WITH CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF, WHILE ALSO GETTING TO HEAR INFORMATIVE PRESENTATIONS FROM THEM ON THEIR EXPERTISE.
OUR NEXT ONE WILL BE ON FEBRUARY 18TH TO SHARE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES SUCH AS TALKING POINTS.
WE ARE ALSO EXCITED TO SHARE THAT OUR 20 26 20 27 SMOP APPLICATIONS RECENTLY CLOSED ON JANUARY 23RD.
AS WE WORK THROUGH THE REVIEW PROCESS, TWO FINALISTS WILL BE OU SOON.
THEY'LL GO ON TO PARTICIPATE IN SPEECHES AS WELL AS A Q AND A BEFORE THE VOTING DAY IN APRIL.
WE ARE ALSO CONTINUING TO REMAIN HEAVILY INVOLVED WITHIN THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCILS.
THIS PAST MONTH ON JANUARY 24TH, BCSC HOSTED THE ANNUAL MASE LEGISLATION SESSION AT LOCK RAVEN HIGH SCHOOL.
THIS EVENT WELCOMES MORE THAN 400 STUDENTS, ADVISORS, AND GUESTS FROM ACROSS THE STATE TO DISCUSS PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE BILL STANCES, VOTE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS, ATTEND WORKSHOPS, AND VOTE ON THE FINAL TWO NOMINEES FOR THE STATE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE MARYLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION, WHOSE APPLICATIONS WILL BE SENT TO GOVERNOR WESTMORE FOR A FINAL DECISION.
WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT ABIOLA DAVID OLO, A JUNIOR FROM EASTERN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL, WAS CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE FINALISTS.
AND SINCE OUR LAST REPORT, THE BOARD OF SELECTED STUDENTS HAS HELD FOUR MEETINGS.
DURING THESE MEETINGS, STUDENTS FROM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTY CAME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS STUDENT RELATED TOPICS SUCH AS SCHOOL SAFETY AND ADVOCACY.
WE ALSO WANTED TO SHARE THAT WE'LL BE HOSTING THE FIRST EVER IN-PERSON BOSS MEETINGS SINCE THE PANDEMIC.
IT'LL CONSIST OF THREE IN-PERSON MEETINGS FOR EACH RESPECTIVE REGION IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS.
FINALLY, WE'LL BE GOING DOWN TO ANNAPOLIS ON FEBRUARY 24TH TO SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY DELEGATES AND SENATORS IN THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON OFFICIAL YOUTH RELATED BILLS, STANCES SUPPORTED BY BCSE.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK HERE AGAIN, AND WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR BCPS STUDENTS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, OUR NEXT CATEGORY IS UNIONS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER, UM, VIRTUALLY IS MR. BILLY BURKE.
EVENING CHAIR LICHTER VICE CHAIR HARVEY, DR. ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF CASE.
AT THE LAST MEETING, YOU ALL HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE TRANSITION TO VIRTUAL LEARNING.
I COLLECTED FEEDBACK FROM SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT FEEDBACK WITH YOU.
THE FEEDBACK WAS OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE, BUT I DO HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS MOVING FORWARD.
OUR PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ARE REMARKABLY RESILIENT.
AS ONE LEADER NOTED, WE FIGURED IT OUT, BUT THE PROCESS WAS FRUSTRATING.
WHILE MANY REPORT THAT THE ACTUAL INSTRUCTION WAS A SUCCESS, THERE ARE SYSTEMIC ISSUES REGARDING COMMUNICATION, EQUITY, AND LOGISTICS THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THE NEXT WEATHER EVENT.
WHEN THE SCREENS TURNED ON BCPS SHOWN PRINCIPALS REPORTED OUTSTANDING ATTENDANCE EXCEEDING 94% IN SOME SCHOOLS, AND PRAISED THE IMPROVED SECURITY FEATURES IN GOOGLE MEET THAT PREVENTED DISRUPTIONS.
TEACHERS, INCLUDING THOSE NEWS TO THE PROFESSION, DELIVERED HIGH QUALITY SYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION THAT MAINTAINED ACADEMIC CONTINUITY.
HERE ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT MOSTLY DEALT WITH COMMUNICATION AND LOGISTICS.
THE PRIMARY GRIEVANCE FROM THE FIELD WAS THE TIMING OF THE DIRECTIVES.
INFORMATION REGARDING DEVICE DISTRIBUTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS SHIFTED DAILY, CULMINATING IN A CHAOTIC FRIDAY MORNING.
THERE WERE LAST MINUTE DETAILS.
SOME PRINCIPALS RECEIVED ORDERS AT 8:00 AM FRIDAY TO DISTRIBUTE CHARGE AND SCAN HUNDREDS OF DEVICES INTO INCIDENT IQ, A TASK THAT TOOK HOURS AND PULLED TEACHERS AWAY FROM INSTRUCTION.
THERE WAS SOME RESOURCE MISALIGNMENT.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND PACKETS FROM THE DISTRICT OFTEN ARRIVED AFTER SCHOOLS HAD ALREADY SPENT TIGHT BUDGET DOLLARS PRINTING THEIR OWN.
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE HAS RETURNED TO OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
THERE IS FRUSTRATION REGARDING THE INEQUITY BETWEEN GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE WHO HAVE DEVICES AND PRE-K THROUGH TWO WHO DO NOT.
PARENTS WERE CONFUSED WHY SOME CHILDREN WERE WERE ONLINE ALL DAY, WHILE OTHERS ONLY HAD PAPER PACKETS.
MANY SCHOOLS COULD NOT SEND HOME CHARGERS.
STUDENTS WERE FORCED TO LOG OFF ONCE BATTERIES DIED OR RELY ON MOM'S PHONE TO JOIN A LESSON.
[00:15:01]
AND EXPECTATIONS FOR PARAEDUCATORS AND ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE REMAIN UNCLEAR, LEADING TO LOW MORALE AND INCONSISTENT SUPPORT.FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS, OUR PRINCIPALS ARE ASKING FOR A CLEAR MESSAGE WAY BEFORE THE THREAT OF WINTER WEATHER.
WE RECOMMEND EARLY DECISION MAKING.
FINALIZE THE GO NO GO PLAN FOR DEVICES AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
IMPLEMENT A CONSISTENT COUNTYWIDE ELEMENTARY VIRTUAL SCHEDULE TO ELIMINATE PARENT CONFUSION AND FOR LOGISTIC SUPPORT.
ADDRESS THE CHARGER SHORTAGE, AND PROVIDE CLEAR EARLY GUIDANCE ON ATTENDANCE AND PARAEDUCATOR ROLES.
OUR SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS PROVED THEY CAN MAKE VIRTUAL LEARNING WORK NOW.
WE MUST PROVIDE THEM WITH THE PREDICTABLE, TIMELY SUPPORT THEY NEED TO LEAD AND TEACH EFFECTIVELY.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
IT DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE I'M CRAZY.
DO YOU WANNA PUT A BUCKET THERE? YEAH.
WE ARE OUR OWN WEATHER RELATED EVENT RIGHT NOW.
IT'S OKAY, EXCEPT MISS POEY NEEDS TO FACE THAT DIRECTION FOR ME.
WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR A BUCKET.
WE'VE GOT REPORTERS WE CAN REPORT ON, ON THE WEATHER.
I'M GONNA REPORT ON THE TIMELINESS OF OUR FACILITY STAFF AS THEY COME IN, OR SHOULD I KEEP GOING? SHOULD I KEEP GOING OR WAIT? KEEP.
AND OUR NEXT IS MR. LLOYD ALLEN.
SO I JUST WANT YOU TO REALIZE IF SOMEONE COMES IN HERE THAT NO WORRIES.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THIS, THIS SEAT IS DRY, CORRECT? YES, IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
HE, HIM, VICE PRESIDENT OF TABCO SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE ORGANIZATION WITH PERMISSION FROM PRESIDENT OLDS.
I MOVED TO BALTIMORE IN 1999 TO TEACH MATHEMATICS AT PARKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
AS A GENERAL EDUCATOR, I HAD TWO SECTIONS OF GEOMETRY THAT HAD 32 STUDENTS EACH IN A 32 STUDENT CLASS.
IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO BUILD RAPPORT TO KNOW THE STUDENTS AS PEOPLE WITH PERSONALITIES TO GIVE PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK, TO MAKE POSITIVE PHONE CALLS HOME, AND TO RETURN PAPERS TO STUDENTS IN A TIMELY FASHION.
HOWEVER, AT LEAST THE ROOM IN WHICH I TAUGHT PHYSICALLY HAD ENOUGH SQUARE FOOTAGE TO FIT 32 STUDENT DESKS.
SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAD LARGER CLASSES WHERE A STUDENT WOULD SIT AT THE TEACHER'S DESK, WHICH COULD LEAD TO MISCHIEF WHERE STUDENTS HAD TO SIT ON THE RADIATOR, WHICH WOULD THEN CLICK INCESSANTLY OR WHERE STUDENTS PHYSICALLY SPILLED OUT INTO THE HALLWAY.
IN MY CURRENT ASSIGNMENT, AFTER TWO YEARS OF STAFF REDUCTIONS, I'M IN SEVERAL CLASSES THAT HAD TO BE REORIENTED SO THAT MORE DESKS WOULD FIT IN THE ROOM AND EVERY SEAT IS TAKEN.
THE DESK DENSITY MEANS THAT SOME CLASSROOMS HAVE VIRTUALLY NO AISLES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM.
THIS INTERFERES WITH EVERYTHING FROM ONE-ON-ONE HELP TO HANDING OUT PAPERS.
ONE OF MY CO-TEACHERS WOULD HAVE STUDENTS WORK ON BOARDS AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE ROOM ABOUT ONCE A WEEK LAST YEAR, BUT THIS YEAR, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR US TO HAVE THE STUDENTS GET UP AND MOVE AT ALL DURING THE 80 MINUTE PERIOD.
CAN YOU PICTURE THIS FOR A MOMENT? PEOPLE CAN'T FREELY MOVE AROUND OUR ROOM AND IN THE CLASS, I DON'T HAVE THE SPACE FOR PROPER ONE-TO-ONE CONVERSATIONS WITH LEARNERS.
HOW CAN I EFFECTIVELY ALTER THE TRAJECTORY OF A CHILD'S LEARNING CAREER IF I CAN'T PROPERLY GET FACE-TO-FACE WITH THEM? THESE CONDITIONS ARE INADEQUATE, BUT INADEQUATE DOESN'T DO THE SITUATION JUSTICE.
INADEQUATE CONDITIONS MEAN FUTURES ARE IMPACTED.
IT MEANS STUDENTS THAT COULD HAVE EXCELLED JUST BARELY GET BY.
IT MEANS STUDENTS TEETERING ON THE EDGE OF FAILURE FALL OVER THAT EDGE.
WITH ALL THAT IMPLIES AND ALL THE HARM THAT DOES TO A CHILD, THE PROPOSED BUDGET WOULD CUT 594 AND FOUR-TENTHS FULL-TIME POSITIONS.
MANY OF THESE CUTS TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS.
WHY WOULD WE DO THIS TO OUR STUDENTS? ANY PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE AS A SYSTEM IS DUE TO THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EDUCATORS AND LEARNERS.
INCREASING THE STAFFING FORMULA MEANS INCREASING CLASS SIZE.
INCREASING CLASS SIZE MEANS ADDING BARRIERS TO LEARNING.
I AM THE SCHOOL AS FAMILIES, YOU ARE THE SCHOOL AS A COMMUNITY, INCLUDING FOLKS WHO DON'T HAVE CHILDREN.
[00:20:01]
TOGETHER.WE ARE CONNECTING, COMMUNICATING, AND EDUCATING EACH OTHER.
RIGHT NOW, THE SCHOOL IS NOT THE BUILDINGS, IT'S THE PEOPLE.
WE HAVE TO PROTECT CLASS SIZE SO WE CAN BUILD THESE RELATIONSHIPS AND GET STUDENTS TO REACH THEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL.
IF WE ARE HERE FOR THE STUDENT AND I AM, THEN WE MUST NOT INCREASE CLASS SIZE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
OUR NEXT CATEGORY ARE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MR. CME.
UH, MADAM CHAIRMAN LECTURE, UH, AND BOARD MEMBERS, MADAM SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND STAFF, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT.
I AM REPRESENTING BILINGUAL GLOBAL CITIZEN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL.
WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS A VERY BIG, UM, MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE F THE PURCHASE AGREEMENT WE SUBMITTED TO PCPS, AND THAT MISUNDERSTANDING LED TO A DECISION ABOUT OPENING IN THE FALL OF 2026.
THIS DETERMINATION APPEARS TO BE BASED ON AN INCOMPLETE OR INACCURATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGREEMENTS, INTENT, AND PROVISIONS.
WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE DECISION BE REVIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF THE FULL CONTEXT OF THE AGREEMENT, INCLUDING THE PARTY'S ORIGINAL UNDERSTANDING AND OPERATIONAL STEPS ALREADY TAKEN IN GOOD FAITH, A CAREFUL REASSESSMENT WILL HELP ENSURE THAT THE DECISION ALIGNS WITH BOTH THE CONTRACTUAL FRAMEWORK AND THE BCPS BROADER COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING EDUCATIONAL ACCESS AND CONTINUITY.
ALLOWING BILINGUAL GLOBALISM, PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS AND PROCEED WITH THE PLAN FOR 2026 OPENING WILL SERVE THE BEST INTERESTS OF ALL STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND THE COMMUNITY.
SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES, PLANNING AND COLLABORATION HAVE ALREADY BEEN INVESTED TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL OPENING AND HALTING PROGRESS AT THIS STAGE WILL CREATE UNNECESSARY DISRUPTION.
WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT OPEN REVIEW, THE MISUNDERSTANDING CAN BE RESOLVED WITHOUT PREVENTING THE SCHOOL FROM OPENING AS SCHEDULED.
WE RESPECTFULLY URGE BCPS TO RECONSIDER THE POSITION AND WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH US TO ALLOW OPERATION TO CONTINUE AND ENSURE IT TIMELY AND LAWFUL AND OPENING FOR THE FALL 2026.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
OUR NEXT CATEGORY ARE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS GEORGE BISIGNANI.
I DON'T KNOW ALL OF YOU, BUT I'LL ADDRESS THE BOARD AS ONE WHOLE THING, A WHOLE, UM, CONGREGATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LETTING ME TO SPEAK.
I WANT TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE BOARD ABOUT A SITUATION THAT HAPPENED ON MAY 20TH, 2025.
THE SCHOOL BUS HIT MY MOTORCYCLE AND I, AND TO DATE THE BOARD AND BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE NOT GIVEN ME ANY KIND OF HELP WHATSOEVER.
I'M OUT $2,300 FOR BUS 54 HITTING ME.
MIRIAM, I SENT A WHOLE PACKET OF INFORMATION TO YOU.
I'VE TALKED TO ATTORNEYS AND I'VE TALKED TO THE BALTIMORE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE.
THEY ASKED ME TO PRESENT THIS TO YOU AND TO HAVE SOME SORT OF RESOLUTION.
AN ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY THE BALTIMORE SUN BY OUR GAL RIGHT THERE, ABOUT A 75-YEAR-OLD MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT.
I'M ASKING THAT THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAKES ME WHOLE AGAIN FOR $2,300.
I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING OUTRAGEOUS.
I JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS LINE IS OKAY SINCE IT'S
[00:25:04]
FOR THE RECORD.UH, DARREN BURNS BOARD ATTORNEY, I'M, I'M NOT AWARE OF THE LAWSUIT THAT GENTLEMAN'S REFERRING TO, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS IN FACT A LAWSUIT, BUT IF HE, BASED ON THE BOARD'S INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKERS, IF HE'S GONNA GET INTO SPECIFICS OF ACTIVE LITIGATION, THEN GENERALLY YOU ALL DO NOT ALLOW THAT.
SO AM I ALLOWED TO CONTINUE OR NOT? NOT IF YOU'RE GONNA TELL ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THE CASE, NOT IF I'M GONNA TELL YOU ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THE CASE.
WELL, I'M ASKING THAT THE BOARD CONSIDER GIVING ME $2,300 FOR MY EXPENSES FOR MEDICAL BILLS AND REPAIRS FOR MY MOTORCYCLE.
I'VE TALKED TO ATTORNEYS AND THEY HAVE SAID I HAVE TO LIE ABOUT MY INJURIES TO BRING ON THE CASE.
I'M, I'M NOT THAT TYPE OF PERSON, SO I'M ASKING THAT SOME CONSIDERATION.
IF I CAN LEAVE YOU THESE, EXCUSE ME.
IF I COULD LEAVE YOU THESE DOCUMENTS.
I'VE SENT THESE TO MIRIAM BEFORE.
SO I WON'T GET INTO WHAT THE BUS NUMBER IS ON HERE.
I WILL NOT MAKE THAT PUBLIC INFORMATION BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO THE BUS DRIVER, BUT IT'S A DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE HE'S STILL ON THE JOB.
YEAH, THERE'S SOMEBODY THAT YOU CAN HAND THE DOCUMENTS TO.
I HAVE SIX COPIES IF YOU GIVE THEM TO THIS GENTLEMAN.
IF YOU WOULD RECONSIDER, AT LEAST GIVE ME SOME SOLTICE THAT YOU FLAT LEAST LOOKED AT THE DOCUMENTS AND GIMME SOME SOMETHING IN, IN RETURN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EDWIN PEREZ.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EDWIN PEREZ, WHO IS VIRTUAL TO THIS EVENING.
SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS, CHAIR LICHTER, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I STAND BEFORE YOU TONIGHT AS A CONCERNED COMMUNITY MEMBER AND AN ADVOCATE FOR THE IMMIGRANT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WHO CALL THIS DISTRICT HOME.
I WANT TO BEGIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING OUR PROGRESS.
WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE THE RECENTLY UPDATED BCPS IMMIGRATION GUIDANCE.
IT IS A VITAL FIRST STEP, BUT WE CANNOT AFFORD TO BE COMPLACENT.
GUIDANCE IS A, IS A SUGGESTION.
POLICY IS A PROMISE IN A CLIMATE OF PROFOUND UNCERTAINTY.
OUR FAMILIES NEED MORE THAN SUGGESTIONS.
THEY THE SECURITY OF FORMAL COMMITMENT.
IT'S TIME TO SHOW OUR STUDENTS THAT OUR SUPPORT IS BACKED BY THE FULL POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THIS DISTRICT PROTECTION.
IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, WE ALREADY HAVE THE STRUCTURAL TOOLS TO LEAD.
WE HAVE THE NEW BALTIMORE COUNTY TRUST ACT AND A NEWLY CODIFIED OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS.
THESE ARE MORE THAN JUST LINE ITEMS. THEY'RE MORAL AND LEGAL ASSETS.
WE MUST LEVERAGE THEM TO TRANSFORM OUR CURRENT BCBS GUIDANCE INTO A STRONG BINDING POLICY THAT ENSURES HUMAN RIGHTS AND STUDENT DIGNITY.
OUR NON-NEGOTIABLE UNDER PDO, WE ARE THE LEGAL IMMORAL GUARDIANS OF THESE CHILDREN DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.
TO FULFILL THAT RESPONSIBILITY, WE MUST MOVE BEYOND ADVICE AND ADOPT A FORMAL POLICY THAT ACTS AS A SHIELD FORMALIZES, A DISTRICTWIDE SAFE ZONE, AND PROTECTS OUR PRIVACY.
TRUE ADVOCACY DOES NOT STOP THE SCHOOL HOST DOORS SHOWING WE LOVE AND CARE MEANS PROTECTING OUR STUDENTS BEFORE THEY EVEN REACH THE FRONT STEPS.
WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE FEAR OF SURVEILLANCE NEAR OUR SCHOOLS AND IN SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IS REAL.
I URGE THE BOARD TO WORK TOWARDS SUPPORTING NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY BY EMPOWERING EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO COORDINATE AND NEIGHBOR AND CONDUCT NEIGHBORHOOD PATROLS TO COUNTER SURVEILLANCE DURING COMMUTES, PRIORITIZE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, PROACTIVELY ASSIST FAMILIES IN CREATING EMERGENCY CONTACT PLANS.
AND PREPARATION FOR THE BEST IS THE BEST, BEST DEFENSE AGAINST PANIC AND EMPOWER THROUGH KNOWLEDGE COMMITTING TO CONTINUOUS KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAINING FOR STUDENT, STAFF, AND FAMILIES.
WHEN WE ORGANIZE, WE ENSURE THAT EVERY STUDENT AND EVERY RESIDENT IS INFORMED AND EMPOWERED AND UNAFRAID.
OUR STUDENTS HAVE SEEN ENOUGH FEAR AS WE WITNESSED THIS PAST WEEK.
THEY'RE NO LONGER ASKING FOR OUR SYMPATHY.
THEY'RE CRYING OUT FOR OUR SUPPORT AND OUR ACTION.
LET US FORMALIZE OUR SUPPORT BY TURNING THIS GUIDANCE INTO A PERMANENT, IMPROVED POLICY.
LET US LEAD WITH COURAGE THAT OUR FAMILIES CAN LIVE WITHOUT FEAR.
WE CAN NO LONGER, NO, NO LONGER JUST SAY WE LOVE AND CARE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
NOW WE MUST STEP FORWARD AND WE MUST SHOW THEM.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MATTHEW CAMBRA.
UH, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER.
UM, UH, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, UH, SUPERINTENDENT ROGERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING.
UM, MY NAME IS MATT CAMRY AND I HAVE A SON AND DAUGHTER AT OLIVER BEACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
I'M HERE TO DISCUSS THE SOUTHEAST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARIES.
UH, I BELIEVE I SPEAK FOR ALL PARENTS IN SAYING THAT THE BOUNDARY STUDY AND SU REBALANCING OF ENROLLMENT BETWEEN SENECA CHASE AND OLIVER BEACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IS SORELY NEEDED
[00:30:01]
AND OVERDUE, AND LEARNING THAT OUR SCHOOL OLIVE BEACH WAS AT 50% CAPACITY AND SENECA AND CHASE WERE OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT CAPACITY.CLEAR COMMON SENSE THAT ENROLLMENT NEEDED TO BE BALANCED TO ENSURE ALL CHILDREN GET A GOOD EDUCATION AND RECEIVE THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE FROM OUR TEACHERS.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE GET THIS BOUNDARY STUDY RIGHT AND IN TIME FOR THE 2026 SCHOOL YEAR.
THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS BOUNDARY STUDY WAS TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT ACROSS ALL THREE SCHOOLS.
THE COMMITTEE ULTIMATELY NARROWED THE STUDY DOWN TO TWO OPTIONS.
NEITHER OPTION ACHIEVED THE OBJECTIVE, AND THERE WAS AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.
FURTHERMORE, BCPS HAS SINCE PROVIDED UPDATED UTILIZATION FIGURES USING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025 ENROLLMENT, ALONG WITH ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE MOVEMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING.
THESE UPDATED NUMBERS RENDER ALL EFFORTS PUT FORTH FOR THE BOUNDARY STUDY, NULL AND VOID, HUNDREDS OF PARENTS' HOURS AND THE COMMITTEE'S HOURS OF TIME AND DELIBERATION HAS BEEN BASED ON INACCURATE DATA.
SO HOW DO WE RESOLVE THIS? FIRST, THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO BE BRIEFED ON THE CHANGE IN DATA, THE SOURCE OF THE DATA AND DETAILS OF THE CHANGE.
THE FEW SLIDES PROVIDED IN THE RECENT POWERPOINT ARE VERY FAR FROM SUFFICIENT.
SIMPLY SAYING IN ONE SLIDE THAT ENROLLMENT IS BALANCED IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
TWO, THE BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE NEEDS TO RECONVENE, DIGEST, AND DISCUSS THE NEW DATA AND DETERMINE IF IT CHANGES THEIR RECOMMENDATION.
IT'S CRITICAL WE GIVE THEM THE TIME TO DO SO.
THREE, THE BOARD NEEDS TO DIS TO GUIDE THIS PROCESS, PROVIDE THE COMMITTEE AND THE PUBLIC WITH A TIMELINE THAT ALLOWS FOR THESE ACTIONS, BUT STILL MEETS THE DUE DATES TO ALLOW FOR THIS CHANGE IN 2026 CANNOT BE PUSHED TO THE NEXT YEAR.
A BOARD MEMBER NEEDS TO BE CLEAR AND CONCISE REGARDING THE OBJECTIVES OF EACH MEETING IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS AND BE IN ATTENDANCE.
IN ADDITION, I RECOMMEND THAT ANO, ANOTHER COMMITTEE MEMBER, PARENT COMMITTEE MEMBER BE ADDED TO EACH OF THE COMMITTEES FOR FRESH PERSPECTIVE.
THIS CAN BE DONE, BUT THE BOARD NEEDS TO ACT NOW AND LEAD THE WAY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE.
PARENTS IN THE COMMUNITY ARE RELYING ON YOUR GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT TO FOLLOW THIS PROCESS AND REACH A FAIR AND EQUITABLE CONCLUSION.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MATTHEW POWERS.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU.
I'M GONNA SECOND WITH MR. CAMRY.
SAID, I'M HERE AS A PARENT FROM, UH, STUDENT OLIVER BEACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND A FUTURE STUDENT.
SHE'S A YOUNG ONE, WHICH YOU'LL GET THERE EVENTUALLY.
UM, I BELIEVE THE, I WAS HERE ORIGINALLY TO OBJECT BECAUSE THE STUDY WAS SHOWING THAT WE WERE OVER OR AT NEAR CAPACITY, WHICH MISSES THE POINT OF THE STUDY TO REBALANCE THE SCHOOLS.
BUT NEW DATA WAS PRESENTED TODAY, WHICH IS GOOD THAT WE HAVE ACTUALLY UPDATED DATA, BUT THAT GOES TO SHOW THAT THE FLAW IN THE SYSTEM AND THE PROCESS HERE, UH, I BELIEVE COMMITTEE CONVENED IN SEPTEMBER, AND IT'S PUZZLING TO ME HOW WE DID NOT HAVE ACTIVE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.
WHEN WE PRESENTED THE OPTIONS IN LATE OCTOBER AT MIDDLE RIVER MIDDLE TO THE PUBLIC, THE PUBLIC WAS THEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON THOSE OPTIONS, UH, USING OLD DATA.
I AGREE WITH MR. CAMBRI THAT WE NEED TO RECONVENE THE COMMITTEE AND ALLOW THEM TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE SIX OR SEVEN COURSES OF ACTION THAT THEY ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH.
ENSURE WE'RE ACTUALLY BALANCING THE SCHOOLS PROPERLY BASED ON THE NEW DATA, ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT SPLITTING UP COMMUNITIES UNNECESSARILY.
I KNOW THIS IS A TOUGH DECISION.
NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, WE HAVE TO MOVE STUDENTS.
50% CAPACITY OF ONE SCHOOL IN THE OTHER SCHOOLS AT A HUNDRED PERCENT IS NOT A GOOD ANSWER.
BUT ALSO AT THE LAST MINUTE ON THE DAY THAT THE DATA IS ACTUALLY PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE, THE ENTIRE TABLES AND DEMOGRAPHICS AND EVERYTHING CHANGE, WHICH WASN'T PRESENTED TO THE COMMUNITY AND ALLOWED US TO REVIEW AND UNDERSTAND, IS ALSO UNACCEPTABLE.
IT'S ALSO NOT CLEAR HOW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IS GOING TO INFLUENCE ON ANY OF THESE DECISIONS.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE WERE JUST LOOKING AT PURE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS.
IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT CLEAR HOW RESOURCES WILL BE IMPACTED, FUNDING AND THINGS AND HOW IT FOLLOWS THE STUDENTS IF, UH, IF, IF WE'RE ACTUALLY BALANCING SCHOOLS PROPERLY AND ACTUAL MANPOWER IS GOING APPROPRIATE PLACES.
ALSO, THE CURRENT OPTION HAS BUSES PASSING EACH OTHER, SPLITTING UP COMMUNITIES, GOING FOR FURTHER AWAY SCHOOLS, WHICH SEEMS TO BE UNNECESSARY.
IT SEEMS THAT WE COULD BALANCE THE SCHOOLS AND KEEP COMMUNITIES CLOSER TOGETHER TO THEIR HOME SCHOOL OR A SCHOOL THAT'S ACTUALLY IN THEIR BACKYARD, AS OPPOSED TO BUSING THEM 15, 25 MINUTES AWAY, PASSING ANOTHER BUS, BUSING STUDENTS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, ANOTHER 15, 20 MINUTES AWAY.
SO I ASK THAT YOU RECONVENE THE COMMITTEE.
I ASK THAT WE ALSO GUIDE THE COMMITTEE AND INTRODUCE BALTIMORE COUNTY OFFICIALS INTO THE PROCESS AS OPPOSED TO JUST COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
I THINK OLIVER BEACH, YOU KIND OF MADE IT THAT WE WERE PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER.
IN MY OPINION, YOU HAD NINE VOTING MEMBERS FROM THE THREE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
IT JUST SETS US UP TO PIT IT AGAINST EACH OTHER AS OPPOSED TO HAVING SOME UNBIASED OPINIONS IN THERE.
I THINK WE COULD HAVE MORE FACULTY MEMBERS TO
[00:35:01]
OFFSET THE VOTE AND MAKE AN ACTUAL BETTER UNBIASED OPINION IN THINGS AND NOT MAKE IT A COMMUNITY AGAINST COMMUNITY TYPE DECISION.AND YOU GUYS ARE THE BOARD THAT HAS TO MAKE THE TOUGH DECISION.
I THINK YOU GUYS SHOULD HAVE THAT DATA IN FRONT OF YOU AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AT MORE COURSES OF ACTION THAN JUST ONE RECOMMENDATION.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS OUR, OUR LAST SPEAKER IS LAUREN TEAGUE.
UM, CHAIR LETCHER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY AND DR. ROGERS AND, UM, ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT.
MY NAME IS LAUREN TY MEREDITH.
I AM A PARENT OF TWO BCPS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN.
I'M SPEAKING TODAY AS A PARENT WHO BELIEVES THAT SCHOOL SHOULD BE THE SAFEST PLACE IN A CHILD'S LIFE OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOME, REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS OR THE STATUS OF LOVED ONES IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD.
EVERY MORNING I SEND MY CHILD TO SCHOOL TRUSTING THEY WILL BE CARED FOR, PROTECTED, AND ABLE TO FOCUS ON LEARNING.
NO PARENT SHOULD HAVE TO WORRY THAT SCHOOL COULD BECOME A PLACE OF FEAR FOR THEIR CHILD OR FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S CLASSMATES.
BUT FOR MANY FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT FEAR IS REAL.
WHEN CHILDREN ARE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO THEIR PARENTS OR THEMSELVES, THEY CAN'T FULLY LEARN.
THEY MISS SCHOOL, THEY SHUT DOWN AND THEY CARRY STRESS THAT NO STUDENT SHOULD HAVE TO CARRY.
THIS DOESN'T JUST AFFECT FAMILIES TARGETED BY ICE.
IT AFFECTS CLASSROOMS, TEACHERS, AND THE ENTIRE SCHOOL COMMUNITY AS STUDENTS COME HOME ASKING HARD QUESTIONS.
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION RECEIVED A POLICY DRAFTED BY TABCO AND CASA IN APRIL OF 2025.
IT PROTECTS CHILDREN'S PRIVACY, SETS CLEAR RULES FOR HOW STAFF RESPOND TO IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES AND MAKES SURE NO CHILD IS SINGLED OUT OR MADE TO FEEL UNSAFE.
IT ALSO SUPPORTS TEACHERS AND STAFF BY GIVING THEM GUIDANCE AND NOT LEAVING THEM TO FIGURE OUT SITUATIONS ON THEIR OWN.
I URGE THE BOARD TO ADOPT THIS POLICY AND STAND WITH PARENTS WHO JUST WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO LEARN IN PEACE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, I WANT EVERY CHILD IN BALTIMORE COUNTY TO FEEL SAFE, RAISE THEIR HAND, SHOW UP, READY TO LEARN AND DREAM ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.
ADOPTING THIS POLICY SENDS A MESSAGE THAT BCPS VALUES CHILDREN OVER FEAR AND EDUCATION OVER INTIMIDATION.
FURTHER, SENATE BILL 2 93 REQUIRES COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO COMPLETE ANTI-BIAS TRAINING AT LEAST ONCE DURING THEIR TERM.
THIS LAW TOOK EFFECT IN JULY OF 2025, AND I'M URGING THE BOARD TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TRAINING SO THAT YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES AND TOOLS TO MAKE GREAT DECISIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE YOU AND SPEAK WITH YOU.
[F. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:15 - 7:20 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. ROGERS.GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I AM PLEASED TO PROVIDE A FEBRUARY UPDATE TO THE BOARD AND COMMUNITY, CLOSE THE SLIDES AND GET STARTED SHORTLY.
THE FIRST THING WE WANNA REPORT ON IS THAT WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO HAVE ANNOUNCED ON THE SIXTH DIRECT ADMIT PARTNERSHIP WITH CCBC.
THIS ALLOWS FOR ALL OF OUR GRADUATING SENIORS TO HAVE STREAMLINED ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
WE ANNOUNCED THIS TO THE COMMUNITY LAST WEEK.
IT ALSO ALLOWS FOR A VERY GENTLE HANDOFF.
CCBC WILL REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO OUR STUDENTS.
UM, OUR STUDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO FINANCIAL AID AND ACTUAL COURSE COUNSELING.
KURTIS SHARED WITH US WAS THAT MORE THAN, UM, I THINK SHE SAID 90% OF HER STUDENTS, UH, ATTENDED SCHOOL LAST YEAR.
UH, ALMOST TUITION FREE OR TUITION REDUCED.
AND SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS, UH, ONE THAT HAPPENS IN MANY OTHER, UH, PLACES AND SPACES AND LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED, UH, FOR THE CLASS OF 2026 TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.
AND THIS IS ALSO A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FAMILIES, UH, IN TERMS OF LOWERING, UH, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES DURING CHALLENGING TIME AND ACCESS.
[00:40:01]
I WANNA PROVIDE A FEW UPDATES TO OUR COMMUNITY.UH, THE FIRST THING THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, THAT IS CLEAR, PARTICULARLY SINCE WE ARE ONLY IN FEBRUARY AND IT IS, UH, WHILE NONE OF US KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH MOTHER NATURE, IT IS LIKELY THAT THERE WILL BE MORE INCLEMENT WEATHER.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS CLEAR ABOUT HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS, THE SOURCES THAT I USE, AND THE TEAM WHO CALLS ME AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING USES THE TEAM THAT IS OUT IN EVERY ZONE IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, ACTUALLY SURVEYING CONDITIONS, WEATHER WORKS, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, AND ACCUWEATHER THAT ALONG WITH BCPS OPERATION TEAM MEMBERS WHO ARE OUT AND ABOUT ON THE GROUND.
THAT IS THE GROUP THAT COMES TOGETHER TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
GRIM THEN HAVE A CONVERSATION TO MAKE A DECISION ON BEHALF OF THE 108,000 STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE.
UM, WE TAKE OUR DECISIONS FOR CLOSINGS, DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS, ET CETERA, VERY SERIOUSLY.
SAFETY IS OUR FIRST AND PRIMARY, UH, CONSIDERATION.
WHILE, UH, SOMETIMES IT MIGHT NOT BE 100% APPARENT AS TO WHY DECISIONS WERE MADE.
IF WE RECEIVE INFORMATION LIKE WE DID LAST FRIDAY REGARDING A WEATHER EVENT THAT WILL START WHEN WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE STUDENTS ON BUSES TRAVELING HOME, IT IS ICU INCUMBENT UPON US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONSIDER THE SAFETY OF THE STUDENTS.
AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UM, QUITE A STORM AT THE END OF JANUARY AFTER THREE TRADITIONAL WEATHER DAYS.
UH, WE TRANSITIONED TO VIRTUAL LEARNING.
UM, AS WE TALKED ABOUT DURING LAST MEETING, I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND, UM, THANK MR. BURKE FOR HIS PARTNERSHIP.
I APPRECIATE THE SENTIMENT THAT THE TIME WAS, UM, HUGELY SUCCESSFUL.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR MORE INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES TO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT A, UH, SCHOOL SYSTEM-WIDE SCHEDULE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WOULD BE IN ORDER AND SOME OTHER, UH, FEEDBACK THAT THEY RECEIVED.
SO WHILE THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WAS OUT THERE WERE PLANS FROM THE, UH, SUMMER AND FALL FOR WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS WERE IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT.
UM, THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND PEOPLE AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS FOLLOW THROUGH IN A TIMELY MANNER SO THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT, UH, CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY MOTHER NATURE.
UH, WE DID SEND OUT A SURVEY LAST WEEK TO OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HAD MORE THAN 10,000 RESPONSES.
THE RESPONSES ARE CATEGORIZED ON THE SCREEN FOR YOU, PARENT CAREGIVERS, STUDENTS, AND SCHOOL STAFF.
UM, THE FIRST QUESTION WE WANTED TO KNOW WAS, UH, IN THE EVENT OF ADDITIONAL INCLEMENT WEATHER, UH, DAY CLOSURES THIS YEAR, SINCE WE'RE ONLY IN FEBRUARY, WHAT WOULD PEOPLE LIKE US TO DO? AND THE PREVAILING, UH, RESPONSE WAS TO TRANSITION TO VIRTUAL.
YOU'LL SEE THAT, UH, NEARLY 85% OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, SHARE THAT SENTIMENT, AND YOU'LL SEE IT ON THE SLIDE, UH, IN GRADE BANDS.
WHEN WE, UH, SPOKE ABOUT EXTENDING THE SCHOOL YEAR, ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF PERCENT, UM, WERE IN FAVOR OF EXTENDING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
WE ALSO GAVE THE OPTION TO MAKE UP DAYS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WITHOUT EXTENDING, UH, LIKE SPRING BREAK AND ET CETERA.
UH, APPROXIMATELY 6.8% OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, WAS IN FAVOR OF THAT OPTION.
AND THE THIRD QUESTION THAT WE ASKED, UM, WAS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY.
ACCESSIBILITY TO THE, UH, MATERIALS, TO THE VIRTUAL CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENT WITH MINIMAL DIFFICULTY.
YOU'LL SEE OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE, UH, RESPONSE ABOUT 92% OF OUR, UM, STAKEHOLDERS OVERALL, UH, ACCESS THE INSTRUCTION WITH MINIMAL DIFFICULTY, WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED, UH, FROM THE TWO DAYS OF VIRTUAL LEARNING.
UH, THAT BEING SAID, THERE IS ADDITIONAL, UH, FEEDBACK THAT WE WANT FROM OUR STAFF MEMBERS WAYS TO IMPROVE BECAUSE IT IS VERY EARLY ON IN THE WINTER SEASON.
AND SO WE WILL BE GATHERING ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS WELL EQUIPPED WITH THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED FOR ANY FUTURE VIRTUAL INCLEMENT WEATHER DAYS.
WANT TO TAKE SOME TIME TO SPEAK TO STUDENT PROTEST, UM, STUDENT PROTESTS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY THE SIXTH.
WANT TO PROVIDE SOME, UH, SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXPECTATIONS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WHAT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY THE SIXTH.
I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THAT THERE ARE, UH, DIFFERING OPINIONS ON THE MATTER, UH, ACROSS, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
WE KNOW, ACKNOWLEDGE AND RESPECT THAT WITH SUCH A LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UH, BUT THE KEY FACTOR OR THE KEY WORD HERE IS RESPECT.
[00:45:01]
ABILITY TO RESPECT EACH OTHER TO RESPECT DIFFERENCES IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.I AM PERSONALLY TROUBLED, UH, BY SOME OF THE CHARACTERIZATION AND NAME CALLING OF CHILDREN WHO ATTEND SCHOOLS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO MODEL OUR EXPECTATIONS AROUND, UH, RESPECT AND ASK, UH, THAT EVERYONE JOINS US IN MODELING FOR THE 108,000 STUDENTS THAT COUNT ON US, UH, THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE OPINION IS, UH, THAT WE ARE TO BE RESPECTFUL IN CHARACTERIZATION, PARTICULARLY OF STUDENTS THAT WE ARE ALL HERE FOR.
YOU'LL SEE AN EXCERPT FROM OUR STUDENT HANDBOOK, THE 25 26 VERSION.
PAGE EIGHT, STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH, RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE AND ASSEMBLE PEACEFULLY.
BUT SPEECH AND BEHAVIOR THAT ARE DISRUPTIVE CAN BE PROHIBITED.
OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO RECORD PERIOD BY PERIOD ATTENDANCE.
THAT IS A DAILY, UH, REQUIREMENT.
STUDENT RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SETTING REASONABLE LIMITS REGARDING TIME, PLACE, AND MANNER.
ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES SAFELY AND APPROPRIATELY.
ANY STUDENT WHO VIOLATES THE CODE OF CONDUCT RECEIVES CONSEQUENCES IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CODE OF CONDUCT.
BCPS WORKS CLOSELY WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, AS THIS FEBRUARY 6TH, UH, PROTEST IS WHAT WE ARE SPEAKING ABOUT IN THIS, UH, MOMENT.
I ALSO WANNA REMIND PEOPLE THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT STUDENTS HAVE ORGANIZED AND HAVE HAD PROTESTS IN OUR SCHOOLS, UH, OVER THE LAST, UH, SEVERAL YEARS.
UH, SHOULD A WALKOUT OCCUR IN ADDITION TO COMMUNICATION THAT GOES, UH, OUT IN ADVANCE, UH, PROVIDED THE SCHOOL HAS NOTICED TO FAMILIES A FOLLOW-UP COMMUNICATION IS SENT TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, WITH DETAILS REGARDING THE, UH, STUDENT WA WALKOUT.
STAFF MEMBERS ARE TO REMAIN NEUTRAL, UH, DESPITE PERSONAL OPINIONS AND FAMILIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO DISCUSS PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS WITH THEIR CHILDREN.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE FACTS, BECAUSE WE DID WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THERE WAS A, UH, COMMAND CENTER AND COORDINATION TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS WERE SAFE.
UH, WE DO HAVE SOME DATA FROM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY THE SIXTH, 39 PROTESTS WERE PLANNED.
AS WERE REPORTED TO US, 36 OF THE 39 WERE HELD.
UM, AND 5,797 PARTICIPANTS, UH, WERE A PART OF THOSE PROTESTS.
UH, THIS DATA CAME FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY, THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, PARTNERS.
AND SO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAD ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, THIS, THE RIGHTS THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE AND WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND LASTLY, UM, OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND WE STILL LOOK OUTSIDE AND SEE ALL OF THE SNOW AND THE ICE AND MANY SPACES.
I WANTED TO, UM, ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, UM, PROVIDE A HARDY THANK YOU TO THE OPERATIONS TEAM, FACILITIES, UH, GROUNDS BUILDING SERVICES, TRANSPORTATION, OUR DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER, UH, TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS, UM, IN SCHOOL SAFELY.
UM, IT HASN'T BEEN, UH, 100% PERFECT, BUT THE COMMITMENT OF THESE, UH, INDIVIDUALS IS TRULY RECOGNIZED AND APPRECIATED.
AND SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
[G. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:20 - 7:25 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT, AND I'M GONNA KEEP MY REMARKS BRIEF.SO WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME FOR OUR SECOND BUDGET WORK SESSION AND OTHER BUSINESS TONIGHT.
UM, WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S BEEN A LOT HAPPENING AND THE BOARD HAS RECEIVED MANY, MANY EMAILS ON TOPICS LIKE BUDGET, BOUNDARIES, WEATHER, CURRENT EVENTS.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS VALUED AND IT HELPS US CONSIDER ALL PERSPECTIVES.
ALSO, TODAY WE STARTED RECEIVING EMAILS CONCERNING WIKI BEING ELIMINATED.
AND, UM, SINCE I'M HERE TONIGHT, PLEASE KNOW THAT THE WIKI PROGRAM IS NOT SLATED FOR ELIMINATION.
AS A LOT OF THESE EMAILS, UM, BEING SENT TO US ARE INDICATING, UM, BUILDING ON WHAT DR. ROGERS SAID, A POS A POSITIVE, BUT SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED UPDATE IS OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CCBC, WHICH CONTINUES TO BENEFIT, UM, BCPS STUDENTS ON FRIDAY.
THE NEW DIRECT ADMIT PROGRAM WAS ANNOUNCED ALONGSIDE OTHER EXISTING PROGRAMS. THE NEW DIRECT ADMIT PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE OR CAREER TRAINING STUDENTS GAIN ACCESS TO OVER 300 PROGRAMS, ACADEMIC ADVISING, FINANCIAL AID GUIDANCE, TUITION FREE OPTIONS, AND CAN CHOOSE FROM A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS. BCPS REALLY GREATLY VALUES OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CCBC AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT AFFORDS OUR STUDENTS.
UM, TO THOSE PARENTS WHO MAY BE LISTENING AND NOT AWARE OF WHAT B, WHAT CCBC OFFERS, I REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO SPEAK WITH YOUR CHILD, YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR, OR VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR OTHER ADDITIONAL DETAILS.
[00:50:01]
THAT REALLY CAN HELP OFFSET A LOT OF COURSE COSTS AND GIVE OUR KIDS, UM, A LEG UP.I'D ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR ONGOING APPRECIATION TO THE STAFF FOR THEIR EFFORTS REGARDING THE FY 27 BUDGET.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE RESPONSES PROVIDED BOTH IN WRITTEN FORM AND THAT WILL BE GIVEN IN TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD OF ED.
AS A REMINDER TO THE PUBLIC, THE MANY, MANY QUESTIONS POSED AND THE RESPONSES CAN BE FOUND ON BUDGET 100, UM, WHICH IS ON OUR BCPS WEBSITE.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE ON BUDGET 1 0 1, I SAID BUDGET 100, IT'S BUDGET 1 0 1, CORRECT, CORRECT.
KEEP SCROLLING ALL THE WAY DOWN, AND YOU'LL FIND THE RESPONSES TO OUR QUESTIONS TOWARDS THE BOTTOM.
UM, BEFORE ALL OF THE VIDEO PRESENTATIONS.
AND LASTLY, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE TEACHERS THAT HAVE BEEN NOMINATED AS TEACHER OF THE YEAR AT THEIR RE RESPECT.
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPRECIATES YOUR HARD WORK, YOUR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION TO OUR STUDENTS EVERY DAY.
AND WE'RE EXCITED TO CELEBRATE YOU AND YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS AT THE CHAMPIONS OF CHILDREN EVENT IN APRIL.
[H. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:25 - 7:30 p.m.)]
NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS OUR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD REPORT.AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MS. OBE.
GOOD EVENING BOARD CHAIR, MRS. LICHTER, VICE CHAIR, MRS. HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, STAFF, FAMILIES AND BCPS, THE BCPS COMMUNITY.
OVER THE PAST MONTH, I'VE CONTINUED WORKING TO STRENGTHEN STUDENT VOICE, BOTH WITHIN BALTIMORE COUNTY AND ACROSS THE STATE.
ON JANUARY 24TH, WE SUCCESSFULLY HOSTED THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCIL'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION, BRINGING TOGETHER STUDENT LEADERS FROM ACROSS MARYLAND TO REVIEW OUR OFFICIAL LEGISLATIVE BILL STANCES AND SELECT THE FINAL TWO CANDIDATES FOR THE STATE STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD WHO WERE LONO WU, A SOPHOMORE FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY, AND DAVID OLO, A JUNIOR RIGHT HERE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY.
IT WAS INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL TO WATCH STUDENTS ENGAGE IN DISCUSSIONS AND HELP SHAPE THE STATEWIDE STUDENT LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AS ONE OF STATE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COORDINATORS.
I WAS PROUD TO HELP SUPPORT AND FACILITATE THIS WORK, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THAT DAY A SUCCESS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL.
I'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH BCPS TV TOWARDS PRODUCING MY MONTHLY SMALL UPDATE SEGMENTS, WHICH WILL HELP KEEP STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FAMILIES INFORMED ABOUT BOARD WORK, STUDENT INITIATIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT.
ADDITIONALLY, I'VE CONTINUED TO COLLABORATING WITH STUDENT LEADERS ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY, THE BALTIMORE COUNTY STUDENT COUNCILS SUPPORTING EXECUTIVE BOARD PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE STUDENT STRONG STUDENT REPRESENTATION ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS.
ON FEBRUARY 18TH, WE'LL BE HOSTING OUR MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR USING THE GOOGLE MEET CODE BCPS SEMINAR.
AS PART OF MY ONGOING COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SAFETY AND AWARENESS, I ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH OUR OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY ON A PROJECT TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHAT TO DO DURING EMERGENCIES AND FEEL CONFIDENT IN THE SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO PROTECT THEM.
WITH THAT IN MIND, I'M EXCITED TO SHARE A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE CREATED, EXPLAINING THE I LOVE YOU GUYS STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOL, WHICH WILL NOW BE PLAYED.
SCHOOL IS WHERE WE LEARN ROW AND BUILD FRIENDSHIPS.
BUT WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, BEING PREPARED MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
THE STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOL GIVES EVERY STUDENT, TEACHER AND STAFF MEMBERS CLEAR'S SIMPLE ACTIONS TO FOLLOW IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, HOLD, SECURE, WALK DOWN, EVACUATE SHELTER.
SIMPLE PRACTICE STEPS TO KEEP US SAFE.
SAFETY IS ABOUT MORE THAN ONE PERSON.
IT'S ABOUT ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER.
WHEN WE KNOW WHAT TO DO, WE CAN FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST EACH OTHER.
THANK YOU TO MR. KNOX, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL SAFETY BCPS TV, AND OTHER ESSENTIAL STAFF MEMBERS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO AND ORGANIZED THIS VIDEO.
AND THANK YOU TO EVERY STUDENT, STAKEHOLDER, DECISION MAKER AND EDUCATOR WHO CONTINUES TO SPEAK UP, ENGAGE AND CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM STRONGER.
[I. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - BOARD POLICIES (Ms. Pumphrey) (7:30 - 7:40 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS REPORT ON BOARD POLICIES.THIS IS THE SECOND 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 REVIEW COMMITTEE ASKS THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND THE FOLLOWING BOARD POLICIES, BOARD POLICY 41 0 2, SEXUAL HARASSMENT BOARD POLICY 53 20 STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUBS AND BOARD POLICY 83 20 FINAL ACTION BY THE BOARD.
THESE POLICIES ARE PRESENTED TO YOU ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA AS EXHIBITS I ONE THROUGH I THREE.
BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATIONS BEING REQUESTED? OKAY.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD'S POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR BOARD POLICIES? 41 0 2, 43 20 AND 83 20.
[00:55:01]
HEN.I DON'T THINK WE NEED A SECOND SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION IS COMING FROM THE COMMITTEE, BUT THANK YOU.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ACTION TAKEN, ENCLOSED SESSION.
AND FOR THAT I CALL MR. BURNS.
UH, THE BOARD TOOK NO ACTIONS ON LEGAL MATTERS IN CLOSED SESSION REQUIRING CONFIRMATION.
[K. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Dr. Grim) (7:45 - 7:55 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONTRACTS AWARDS.AND FOR THAT I CALL MR. YOUNG CHAIR OF THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE.
MR. YOUNG MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACT COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2026.
ITEMS K ONE THROUGH K 29 WERE FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
I REQUEST ITEM K 13, BE SEPARATED OUT FOR THE VOTE.
THANK YOU MR. YOUNG BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER SEPARATIONS BESIDES FOR K 13 CHAIR? LICHTER? THIS IS BOARD MEMBER FONG? YES.
MS. FONG, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON K NINE.
SO SHOULD I WAIT FOR A DISCUSSION? UM, YES PLEASE.
UM, I THINK JUST AN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
UM, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS? K ONE THROUGH K 12 AND K 14 THROUGH K 29.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION, MS. FONG? THANK YOU.
UM, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT K NINE, WHICH IS THE, UM, CONTRACT FOR MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ASPIRING LEADERS, UM, NON-DEGREE ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSURE PROGRAM.
UM, WITHIN THE DESCRIPTION IT TALKS ABOUT THE LAST BULLET SAYS THAT THE ENROLLMENT IS OPEN.
UM, AND IT'S FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY HOLD A MASTER'S AND ARE SEEKING LICENSURE SUPERVISORS OF INSTRUCTION ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS.
UM, AND SO MY QUESTION IS ACTUALLY MORE SO I GUESS ABOUT THE PROCESS WITH THIS.
THIS WAS SOMETHING, UM, RECENTLY WE TALKED ABOUT IN EQUITY COMMITTEE AS FAR AS OPTIONS FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS.
SO THIS SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO HOLD A MASTER'S AND I GUESS I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATORS IF THEY DON'T HOLD MASTERS? DO YEARS OF SERVICE, UM, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OR IS IT ONLY IF YOU HAVE A MASTER'S AND THEN YOU COULD, UM, APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM? THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM DOES NOT REQUIRE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ORDER TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THE COURT.
SO THAT LAST BULLET IN MY, DID I A SECOND? IT DOES, IT DOES.
IT, THIS ONE, THIS PROGRAM DOES REQUIRE A MASTER'S DEGREE? YES.
BUT THEN MR. MCCALL DOES IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE, ARE YOU SAYING THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS AVAILABLE THAT DO NOT REQUIRE A MASTER'S IN ORDER TO SEEK THE LICENSURE FOR THE, UH, FOR THE SUPERVISION OR ADMINISTRATION? THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT DO THAT DO NOT REQUIRE THE MASTER'S DEGREE? CORRECT.
SO THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, IT'S JUST THIS ISN'T ONE BECAUSE OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR A MASTER'S? THAT IS CORRECT.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEMS K ONE THROUGH K 12 AND K 14 THROUGH K 29? LEMME JUST DOUBLE CHECK.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM K 13? SO MOVED.
NO SECOND IS NEEDED SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM K 13? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
[01:00:01]
YOU.[L. REPORT - SOUTHEAST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY (Dr. Grim and Mr. Taylor) (7:55 - 8:15 p.m.)]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE REPORT ON THE SOUTHEAST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION.GRIM AND MR. TAYLOR AND DR. ROGERS WILL GET US STARTED.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UM, AS MS. LICHTER SAID, UH, BOTH DR.
GRUMAN, MR. TAYLOR ARE HERE TO PROVIDE TO YOU A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SOUTHEAST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY STUDY.
UM, I JUST WANT TO BRING BACK TO EVERYONE'S AWARENESS.
ANNUALLY WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR STUDENT, UH, ENROLLMENT.
THE SEPTEMBER 30TH IS THE OFFICIAL DATE OF STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
AND AS YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS, UM, IS BOTH INTERNAL AND IT ALSO REQUIRES EXTERNAL VALIDATION FROM THE STATE.
UM, I WANT TO ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE, UH, COMMUNICATION THAT WE RECEIVED FROM, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UH, AT FIRST CONCERNED THAT WE WERE MOVING, UH, ONE SCHOOL THAT WAS AT 50% CAPACITY, UH, WITH TWO SCHOOLS THAT WERE OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT.
UM, TWO NUMBERS THAT WERE NOT BALANCED.
THE REVISED NUMBERS OR THE UPDATED NUMBERS THAT WERE VALIDATED WERE PROVIDED AND ARE A PART OF THIS PRESENTATION.
I JUST WANT TO, UM, CALL THAT TO EVERYONE'S ATTENTION AND, UM, WOULD LIKE, UH, DR. GRAHAM AND MR. TAYLOR TO WALK EVERYONE THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WAS FOLLOWED.
SO, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR, TER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, SUPERINTENDENT, DR. ROGERS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UM, SO AS DR. ROGERS SAID, WE'RE HERE WITH THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE SOUTHEAST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UH, COMMITTEE.
UH, YOU'VE SEEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE.
IT IS THE PROCESS THAT IS FOLLOWED THROUGH, UH, BOARD POLICY AND SUPER END SUPERINTENDENT'S RULE 1280.
SO, THIS PARTICULAR, UH, BOUNDARY STUDY HAD THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES.
UH, THE FIRST WAS TO ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM PROGRAMMING.
THE SECOND WAS TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT AMONG THE PARTICIPATING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
AND THE THIRD WAS TO ELIMINATE, UH, THOSE SATELLITE ATTENDANCE AREAS, UH, WHEN POSSIBLE.
IN TERMS OF ACCOMMODATING THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING, THIS OBJECTIVE WAS ESTABLISHED AS A KNOWN OUTCOME.
IT WAS A NON-NEGOTIABLE AND NOT A CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS WHEN THE COMMITTEE FIRST MET, UH, THE COMMITTEE WAS INFORMED THAT A REGIONAL PROGRAM WOULD BE PART OF, OF THIS EQUATION.
IT WOULD BE PART OF THE STUDY.
AND THAT REGIONAL PROGRAM NEED IS BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND WHERE THEY, WHERE THEY HAVE THE NEEDS BASICALLY.
AND THEY HAVE NEEDS IN THIS AREA, IN THIS CLUSTER, UM, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR STUDENTS.
SO IT REALLY WASN'T A, THAT PART WASN'T A CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH THE COMMITTEE WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WOULD BE AN OUTCOME, UM, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS.
THE OTHER TWO OBJECTIVES TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT AND ELIMINATE THE SATELLITE ATTENDANCE AREAS WERE REALLY THE FOCUS OF THE COMMITTEE'S WORK.
THIS MAP SHOWS THE CURRENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARIES FOR THREE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS.
CHASE OLIVER BEACH AND SENECA.
THE SOUTHEAST AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARY CHANGE PROCESS WAS INITIATED IN SPRING OF 2025, AND THE COMMITTEE BEGAN MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.
THE COMMITTEE MET THREE TIMES BETWEEN SEPTEMBER AND NOVEMBER, 2025, FORMULATING AND REVIEWING VARIOUS BOUNDARY CHANGE OPTIONS.
THIS EVENING, THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION IS BEING PRESENTED TO THE BOARD FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
THE BOARD'S PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 25TH, AND A VOTE BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 10TH, 2020 SIXTH.
THROUGHOUT THE BOUNDARY STUDY BCPS IMPLEMENTED PRACTICES THAT FULLY ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY, SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESS, OBTAINING FEEDBACK TO PROVIDE TO THE COMMITTEE.
SOME EXAMPLES FOR STAKEHOLDERS PROVIDE FEEDBACK, INCLUDE THE ONLINE COMMENT FORM, PUBLIC INFORMATION SURVEY, EXCUSE ME, PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION, AND THE ONLINE SURVEY AND EMAILS.
ALL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC DURING THE STUDY WAS PROVIDED TO THE COMMITTEE.
[01:05:01]
VARIATIONS WERE CONSIDERED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE COMMITTEE'S WORK.THESE OPTIONS WERE THE RESULT OF COMMITTEE AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AS PART OF THE PROCESS, THE COMMITTEE SELECTED TWO OPTIONS TO SHARE AT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION.
THESE TWO OPTIONS WERE ALSO THE FOCUS OF THE PUBLIC SURVEY.
THE SURVEY RESULTS WERE SHARED WITH THE COMMITTEE AND WERE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THEIR DELIBERATIONS.
ULTIMATELY, THE COMMITTEE NOMINATED FOUR OPTIONS FOR FINAL CONSIDERATION.
THESE MAPS SHOW THE PROPOSED ATTENDANCE AREAS.
THIS PART SLIDE BEFORE, OOPS, MY APOLOGIES.
THE COMMITTEE WENT THROUGH TWO ROUNDS OF VOTING.
THE FIRST VOTE RESULTED IN A TIE BETWEEN OPTION A, OPTION A, AND OPTION B.
THE SECOND ROUND OF VOTING RESULTED IN OPTION B RECEIVING THE MAJORITY OF THE VOTES.
THESE MAPS SHOW THE PROPOSED ATTENDANCE AREAS FOR OPTION A AND OPTION B.
THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION OPTION B IS ON THE LEFT.
THIS CHART SHOWS THE ENROLLMENT AND UTILIZATION OF THE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY, TWO SCHOOLS, CHASE AND SENECA WERE OVER CAPACITY AT 100%.
OLIVER BEACH WAS SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER CAPACITY AT 50%, AND THESE NUMBERS ARE BASED ON THE DATE WE HAD AT THE TIME, THE END OF THE YEAR SCHOOL YEAR 24 25 ENROLLMENT.
IN THIS TABLE, STUDENTS HAVE BEEN REDISTRIBUTED BASED ON RECOMMENDA RECOMMENDED BOUNDARIES AND ENROLLMENT UPDATES WITH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025, OFFICIAL ENROLLMENT WITH OPTION B.
THE BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEE ACHIEVED THE OBJECTIVES OF ELIMINATING SATELLITES, ACCOMMODATING THE PROGRAM, AND BALANCING ENROLLMENT AMONG THE THREE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS WITH ALL THREE SCHOOLS UNDER 90%.
OPTION B RESULTS IN 122 STUDENTS MOVING TO OTHER SCHOOLS AND 589 STAYING AT THEIR CURRENT LOCATION.
WITH RESPECTS TO THE NEXT STEPS, THE BOARD WILL HOST A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY RECOMMENDATION ON FEBRUARY 25TH, 2026 AT 6:30 PM AT STEMS RUN MIDDLE.
TO GATHER ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS THEN SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE BOUNDARY CHANGE AT ITS MARCH, MARCH 10TH, 2026 MEETING, WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK ALL OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ENGAGE WITH BCPS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UH, I, WE HAD TWO PARENTS, UH, TONIGHT, UH, COME TO TALK ABOUT THE ENROLLMENT, UH, THE, THE PLANNING ON THE BOUNDARY STUDY AND THE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS AND HOW THEY IMPACTED OR CHANGED, UM, THE OUTCOME OF THE BOUNDARY STUDY.
SO CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW GETTING THOSE UPDATED NUMBERS IMPACTED THE STUDY? YES.
SO I'LL START AND THEN I'LL, UH, ASK MR. MR. TAYLOR TO PROVIDE SOME SPECIFICS.
SO, UM, WHEN THE, WHEN THE STUDY IS, WHEN OUR PLANS ARE FORMALIZED, OBVIOUSLY IN THE SPRING BEFORE THE, THE FOLLOWING YEAR, WHEN WE BEGIN THE PROCESS IN SEPTEMBER, WE USE THE MOST CURRENT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA THAT WE HAVE.
IN THIS CASE, IT WAS FROM THE END OF THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR.
SO WHEN WE BEGAN, UM, THE STUDY, THE COMMITTEE WAS INFORMED THAT THE DATA BEING PROVIDED WAS FROM THAT, THAT TIME PERIOD, UM, AND THAT IT COULD, THAT IT COULD CHANGE OVER, OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
UM, ULTIMATELY WHAT HAPPENS, UM, AND DR. ROGERS ALLUDED TO THIS IN HER, IN HER COMMENTARY, UM, AND QUITE FRANKLY, THIS IS SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE VARIANCE IN, IN THESE NUMBERS THAN WE SOMETIMES SEE.
UM, THE OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 30TH ENROLLMENT NUMBER IS, WHILE THAT'S LOCKED IN WITH US IN MID-OCTOBER, IT HAS TO GO TO THE STATE FOR VETTING, AND WE CAN'T PUBLICLY REPORT IT
[01:10:01]
UNTIL, UM, MID-NOVEMBER OR LATER.AND SO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IS BY THE TIME THE COMMITTEE, UM, HAD ITS FINAL MEETING, UH, MR. TAYLOR AND THE TEAM WERE ABLE TO SHARE THE NUMBERS AT THAT TIME.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WAS AT THE LAST MEETING THAT THEY HAD.
SO THEY DID KNOW, UM, AT THE LAST MEETING THAT THE UTILIZATION NUMBERS WOULD CHANGE, ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T HAVE THEM LOCKED IN, IN A, IN A GRAPH AT THAT TIME.
SO THE UTILIZATION NUMBERS ON SLIDE 12 ACROSS THE SCHOOLS ARE THE NEW NUMBERS THAT ARE BEING USED FOR CONSIDERATION? YES, MA'AM.
THEY ARE, THEY ARE BASED ON OUR OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 30TH ENROLLMENT THAT WAS VERIFIED BY MSDE.
THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE BEFORE THAT, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S SLIDE 11, ARE THE NUMBERS THAT, UH, WE HAD AT THE END OF LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
SO AGAIN, BASED ON SOME OF OUR SPEAKERS TONIGHT, UM, WHAT I HEARD, AND MAYBE I MISHEARD, WAS THAT THE INITIAL UTILIZATION WAS NOT QUITE AS, I MEAN, THIS LOOKS PRETTY EVEN TO ME, BUT WHAT THEY INITIALLY SAW, I THINK, UM, WHEN THEY VOTED OR YOUR RECOMMENDATION FOR WHAT YOU KNOW IS COMING FORWARD TO US, UM, WAS THERE WAS MORE OF A DISCREPANCY.
SO MY QUESTION IS, IS THIS A COINCIDENCE THAT IT CAME OUT SO BALANCED, OR WAS THERE SOME ANTICIPATION BY EITHER THE COMMITTEE OR STAFF MEMBERS THAT THESE NUMBERS MIGHT BECOME MORE BALANCED AFTER WE GOT THE NEW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS? SO AGAIN, I'M GONNA ASK MR. TAYLOR TO CHIME IN.
UM, RARELY DO WE SEE SOMETHING THIS BALANCED AT THE VERY END OF A STUDY, QUITE FRANKLY.
UM, NOT ONLY, NOT ONLY IS IT, UH, ARE THEY BALANCED, BUT FOR US, THEY'RE AT AN EXCELLENT UTILIZATION RATE BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE, UM, THEY PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF BUFFER.
UM, IF WE WERE TO ASK THE IAC, THEY PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE HAPPY WITH THIS UTILIZATION BECAUSE THEIR GOAL IN EVERY INSTANCE IS 100%.
SO, UM, SO YES, I, I WOULD SAY IT IS, IT IS, UM, I, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT'S LUCKY, BUT WE RARELY, WE RARELY SEE NUMBERS THIS CLOSE IN ALIGNMENT WHEN WE'RE DONE AMONG ALL SCHOOLS.
UM, SO I I, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE CREDIT FOR OUR TEAM THAT WE PLANNED IT THIS WAY, BUT, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED.
AND AGAIN, THIS PROCESS IS REALLY DRIVEN, UM, THROUGH THE COMMITTEE'S WORK.
UM, MR. TAYLOR, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED ADD? UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT AT THE LAST MEETING BEFORE THEY STARTED VOTING THAT MEETING, WE, THEY WERE GIVEN THE ACTUAL ENROLLMENT OF EACH OF THE SCHOOLS SEPTEMBER 30TH ENROLLMENT.
SO THEY WERE MADE AWARE THAT THE ACTUAL ENROLLMENT OF EACH ONE OF THESE SCHOOLS HAS ACTUALLY GONE DOWN SINCE THE END OF THE YEAR.
THOSE NUMBERS WERE PROVIDED, SO THEY KEPT THAT AS PART OF THEIR DELIBERATION WHEN THEY MADE THEIR FINAL DECISION.
AND, UM, WHEN WE, WHEN ON SLIDE NINE, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT VOTE ONE AND VOTE TWO, VOTE OF THOSE VOTES, WERE AT THE SAME MEETING.
MR. MCMILLION, IN, IN ALL DUE RESPECT, IT SEEMS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE THAT WE START THIS PROCESS AND WE DON'T HAVE, WE START WITH ONE SET OF NUMBERS, AND THEN WE, WE INTRODUCE ANOTHER SET OF NUMBERS WHEN THE PROCESS IS ALMOST COMPLETE.
AND WHAT'S THAT SAYING TO OUR, OUR PARENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEY PUT INTO THIS? IT, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OUTTA WHACK, A LOT OF TIME OUTTA SOMETHING DR. ROGERS.
DOES IT SEEM, WAIT, IT JUST SEEMS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO ME.
I MEAN, WE'VE GOT ALL THESE PEOPLE UPSET BECAUSE WE'VE REINTRODUCED, WE'VE INTRODUCED NUMBERS AFTER ALL THIS WORK'S BEEN DONE.
SO THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS, UH, WE HAVE TO START BOUNDARY STUDIES AT A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME BECAUSE WE ARE DOING A LOT OF THE WORK INTERNALLY.
THEY'RE STAGGERED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND THAT COMES FORWARD TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR SCHEDULING.
GR HAS SHARED, TYPICALLY THERE ARE ENROLLMENT SHIFTS, BUT NOT THIS LEVEL OF ENROLLMENT SHIFTS IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THE NUMBERS MIGHT MOVE AND NOT END UP, UM, THIS NEAT AS THEY DID.
UM, BUT I WOULD, UH, SAY THAT THE WORK THAT THE COMMUNITY DID, UM, IS ABSOLUTELY VALUED.
THE COMMUNITY CAME UP WITH THE OPTIONS THAT RESONATED WITH THEM.
I THINK THE TEAM STARTED WITH TWO, THEY MOVED TO 11, UH, EXAMINED THOSE OPTIONS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
[01:15:01]
THAT TIDE VOTE, THEY ELIMINATED THE CHOICES THAT HAD, UH, ONLY ONE OR TWO UM, DECISIONS.AND THEN, UH, AS MR. TAYLOR INDICATED THAT ON THE FINAL DATE OF THE VOTE, EVERYONE HAD, THESE ARE THE NEW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS IN THE SPECIFIC SCHOOLS.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE REQUIREMENTS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND FOR SEPTEMBER 30TH, UH, ENROLLMENT, AND WE ALSO HAVE RE UH, REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF WHEN WE CAN SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
AND SO, UM, I HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK AND WATCH THE VIDEOS, UH, BASED ON THE, UH, REPORTS THAT I'VE HEARD.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT THAT WAS, UH, MADE PLAIN, UM, AS A PART OF THE, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING PROCESS.
UH, MR. TAYLOR COULD SPEAK MORE TO THAT.
IF I'VE STATED ANYTHING IN ERROR THAT'S CORRECT.
I'D, I'D LIKE TO ADD ONE OTHER, UM, ITEM DR. ROGERS THAT MAY HELP YOU, MR. MCMILLION, THE UTILIZATION AT, AT OLIVER BEACH WAS AROUND 51%.
UM, THAT, THAT IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE UTILIZATION AT OUR, AT OUR OTHER SCHOOLS.
SO THE, THE VARIANCE THAT PROVIDES, WHEN YOU LOOK AT A BOUNDARY CHANGE LIKE THIS, UM, AND BALANCING OUT THAT UTILIZATION, AGAIN, THAT'S, THAT'S WHY WHEN THE FINAL NUMBERS LOOK THE WAY THEY DO TODAY AT, UM, AT THOSE UPPER EIGHTIES, WITHIN 1%, IT'S, IT'S REALLY STRIKING THAT THEY'RE THAT CLOSE.
UM, BECAUSE AS THE, AS THE COMMITTEE COULD SEE IN THE INITIAL, UM, NUMBERS, IF WE WERE TO USE LAST YEAR'S, UM, THAT IT WASN'T QUITE SO CLOSE, THE UTILIZATION WAS MUCH HIGHER AT THE OTHER SCHOOLS.
I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO THE SMALL SIZE.
SO EVERY STUDENT IN A SCHOOL, UM, THE SIZE OF A SCHOOL LIKE OLIVER BEACH HAS MORE WEIGHT TO IT IN TERMS OF A PERCENTAGE THAN OBVIOUSLY A MUCH LARGER ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, OR HIGH SCHOOL.
NOW, AM I OVERLOOKING, IS IS THERE A, A, A SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE DATA THAT WE STARTED WITH AND THE DATA THAT WAS ADDED? OR DO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT A COUPLE DIFFERENT SLIDES TO FIGURE THAT OUT? SO IF, IF YOU, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT SLIDE, UH, 11, MR. MCMILLIAN YEAH.
THAT'S THE ONE THAT, THAT THEY WERE PROVIDED WITH AT, WITH THE DATA THAT THEY STARTED WITH.
THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE TOTAL FTE ENROLLMENT AT THE END OF 25.
AND WHAT THE UTILIZATION WOULD'VE LOOKED LIKE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY.
AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE IS WHAT THE, UM, THE ADJUSTED NUMBERS WERE BASED ON, UM, THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY AND THE, UH, THE SEPTEMBER 30 ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.
AND THEN THE, THE FINAL SLIDE, AND I KNOW AGAIN, IT'S THREE DIFFERENT SLIDES, SO I KNOW YOUR QUESTION WAS, IS IT ALL IN ONE PLACE? NO.
UM, THE, THAT THIRD SLIDE, UH, WHICH IS SLIDE 13, UM, AGAIN, OUTLINES THAT MR. TAYLOR WENT OVER THIS, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WOULD STAY AT THEIR SCHOOLS AND THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WOULD MOVE BY SCHOOL AS WELL.
SO JUST BUILDING ON THAT ONE MORE TIME.
SO THE SLIDE 11, SLIDE 12, THAT HAS THE CRAZY ALIGNMENT OF PERCENTAGE OF UTILIZATION.
THE COMMITTEE SAW THAT THEY KNEW THAT WITH THE NEW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS AND THEIR OPTION B WHEN THEY VOTED, THEY KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE 87, 87 AND 89.
THEY, THEY HAD THE, THEY HAD THE, UH, NEW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.
THEY DID NOT HAVE THESE PERCENTAGES WEIGHED OUT FOR WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
SO WHEN THEY VOTED CORRECT, WHAT UTILIZATION NUMBERS DID, DID THEY HAVE THE ONE ON SLIDE 11, THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GIVING 'CAUSE THAT THAT WASN'T WHAT THEY THOUGHT THE OPTION B WAS GONNA GIVE THEM? 'CAUSE THAT WAS STILL 50% TO OLIVER BEACH.
THAT WOULD BE THE NUMBERS THEY HAVE WOULD BE ON THE WEBSITE.
UM, WE JUST PROVIDED THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THIS POWERPOINT.
SO THEY DIDN'T SEE THE UTILIZATION THAT WE'RE SEEING ON 12 WHEN THEY VOTED.
THAT IS, THAT IS CORRECTS ALL DIFFERENT UTILIZATION.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THOSE, UH, NUMBERS AT THAT TIME OF, BUT THERE NUMBERS OFFICIALLY, I'VE SEEN THOSE NUMBERS SOMEWHERE.
I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN LOTS OF EMAILS ABOUT THIS.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE INCLUDING THE OTHER UTILIZATION NUMBERS IN THEIR EMAILS TO US.
SO THEY'VE, THEIR, THEIRS WAS MORE OF A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN 'EM, IT WASN'T THIS THAT IS CORRECT.
SO THESE NUMBERS ARE DOING WHAT? THE INTENT OF THE STUDY WAS TO BALANCE OUT THE UTILIZATION IN THE THREE SCHOOLS.
SO IT STILL WORKED WHEN YOU GOT THE UPDATED NUMBERS, THESE NUMBERS DO IT BEST.
THE SPECIAL ED, UM, PROGRAM THAT'S GONNA BE AT CHASE, ARE THOSE STUDENTS INCLUDED IN THE, THE NUMBERS? YES.
[01:20:01]
OH.UM, I THINK WE HAVE SOME THAT HAVEN'T QUESTIONED YET, MS. HEN? YES.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, UM, THIS EVENING.
SO THE ORIGINAL UTILIZATION NUMBERS THAT ARE ON THE BOUNDARY STUDY WEBSITE, THOSE ARE THE ONLY ONES SEEN BY THE BOUNDARY COMMITTEE, IS THAT CORRECT? THOSE ARE THE ONLY UTILIZATION NUMBERS.
WE DID PROVIDE THEM WITH NEW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.
WE JUST DIDN'T CALCULATE THE UTILIZATION.
THE NEW, WE PROVIDED NEW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS FOR THE THREE SCHOOLS BASED ON THE OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025 ENROLLMENT.
SO, AND MR. TAYLOR, WHEN WERE, WHEN WERE THOSE PROVIDED? BECAUSE I WENT BACK AND WATCHED THE LAST MEETING, AND I DON'T RECALL THAT BEING DISCUSSED.
YEAH, THAT WAS PROVIDED NOVEMBER 19TH, WHICH WAS THE LAST MEETING, AND THOSE WEREN'T PRESENTED, AND I COULDN'T FIND THOSE ON THE WEBSITE.
WELL, I, THEY, THE INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED IN THE SLIDE AND A PRESENTATION.
IF YOU GO TO THE, UM, EVERY MEETING, WE HAVE A SLIDE PRESENTATION TO REVIEW THE BOUNDARY PROCESS AND PROVIDE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE ANSWERS OF THE QUESTION THAT THEY HAD, WAS YOU HAVE MORE UPTODATE INFORMATION.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE SLIDES THAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE COMMITTEE THAT, WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS, IF YOU CAN SEE THE, UM, POWERPOINT ON THE WEBSITE.
THAT, THAT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION.
AND THE REASON I WATCHED THE LAST MEETING IS BECAUSE OPTION A AND B, THE TWO FINAL OPTIONS DID NOT ACTUALLY BALANCE THE ENROLLMENT.
I WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE OPTION A LEFT, UM, ONE SCHOOL, I BELIEVE IT WAS OLIVER BEACH AT 83% WHILE THE OTHER TWO WERE AT 95%.
I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IT WAS ROUGHLY THOSE.
AND THEN OPTION B LEFT OLIVER BEACH AT 99%.
SO I WAS A BIT PERPLEXED BECAUSE OUR BOUNDARY STUDY COMMITTEES ARE ALWAYS GUIDED TOWARDS THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
SO COULD YOU SPEAK TOWARDS, UM, THE, THAT PROCESS AND HOW THEY WERE GUIDED TOWARDS ACHIEVING THAT OBJECTIVE? AND I KNOW DR.
GRIM SAID THAT THE OPTION, I BELIEVE IT WAS DR.
GRIM SAID THAT THE OPTIONS MET THE OBJECTIVE, BUT IF THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT, UM, AS I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, NEITHER OPTION A NOR B MET THAT OBJECTIVE.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THEY LANDED ON THOSE TWO OPTIONS? WELL, THE START OF THE PROCESS, WE PRESENT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE BOUNDARY STUDY.
WE ALSO LIST THE CONSIDERATIONS IN 1280 THAT THEY SHOULD KEEP IN MIND.
AND WE REVIEW THAT WITH EVERY MEETING.
ULTIMATELY, IT IS THE COMMITTEE'S JOB TO DECIDE WHAT THE OPTIONS MAY LOOK LIKE, HOW TO CHANGE THE OPTIONS, WHICH OPTIONS TO CONSIDER, WHICH OPTIONS TO CHOOSE.
SO EVEN THOUGH EVERY MEETING WE TELL THEM, REMIND THEM OF THE OBJECTIVE, ULTIMATELY THE DECISION IS THEIRS.
DECIDE WHERE THE NEW BOUNDARIES GO.
SO AT ANY POINT, DID, WAS THE CONCERN RAISED WITH THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT, HEY, THESE NUMBERS AREN'T LOOKING TOO BALANCED, YOU MIGHT WANNA REVISIT YOUR MAPS? NO, WE, WE DON'T, WE DON'T JUDGE WHAT THE COMMITTEE COMES UP WITH.
WE, WE, WE DO EXERCISES THAT EVALUATE THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS, UM, THAT LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND HOW THEY DO OR DO NOT MEET THE OBJECTIVES.
WE HAVE THEM HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, WHEN THEY VOTE, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT DECIDE WHERE THOSE BOUNDARIES ARE GONNA GO AND WHICH OPTIONS ARE GONNA BE RECOMMENDED.
WE DO NOT GUIDE THEM TOWARDS PARTICULAR SOLUTION.
I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE, THAT THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE FOR THIS STUDY WAS ALSO THE ADDITION OF A SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IN THE, IN THE AREA, WHICH WAS SHARED THAT, THAT THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
AND AGAIN, THE MOST OPTIMAL LOCATION FOR THAT WAS GONNA BE AT AT CHASE ELEMENTARY.
UM, IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS AND WHAT THE, THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION WAS, AGAIN, IT'S VERY RARE THAT WE HAVE, UM, SUCH BALANCE AS WE ULTIMATELY ENDED UP WITH BASED ON THE SEPTEMBER 30TH ENROLLMENT DATA.
UM, SO SOMETIMES THAT BALANCE LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
AND, AND WHILE WE STRIVE NOT TO HAVE ANY OVER UTILIZATION IN THIS CASE WITH THE, THE SIGNIFICANT UNDER UTILIZATION AT OLIVER BEACH, UM, THE CONDITIONS WERE MORE BALANCED WITHIN THE THREE SCHOOLS, EVEN WITH THE COMMITTEE'S ORIGINAL RECOMMENDATION AND NUMBERS.
BUT, BUT ACCORDING TO THE PRESENTATION, THAT PRIMARY OBJECTIVE HAD ALREADY BEEN PREDETERMINED TO ESTABLISH THIS SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING AT CHASE.
[01:25:01]
SO THAT WASN'T PART OF THE SCOPE OF WORK OF THE COMMITTEE AT ALL.THAT WAS PREDETERMINED BY BCPS.
THE SCOPE OF THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE WAS TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT, AND IT HAS BEEN BCP S'S ROLE TO GUIDE THE COMMITTEE TO, UM, MEET THEIR OBJECTIVE.
SO THEIR OBJECTIVE WAS TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT.
SO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION STANDS, WHY WASN'T THE COMMITTEE DIRECTED TO MEET THEIR OBJECTIVE? WHEN IT'S OBVIOUS TO ANYONE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS THAT THEY DIDN'T MEET THE OBJECTIVE AND NOT TO, NOT TO FAULT THE COMMITTEE.
THEY, THEIR VOLUNTEERS, THEY WORKED VERY HARD.
THEY'VE SPENT A LOT OF HOURS ON THIS.
AND THE TWO OPTIONS THAT THEY CAME UP WITH IN, IN BOTH CASES, THEY ENROLLMENT WASN'T BALANCED, AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT IT, IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING BALANCED.
SO WHILE ULTIMATELY WE GOT THERE, WE GOT THERE OUTSIDE OF THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE BECAUSE THE COMMITTEE HADN'T EVEN SEEN THESE NUMBERS AND HADN'T SEEN THE UPDATED UTILIZATION BEFORE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
I WOULD FIRST NOTE, UM, ON THE WEBSITE, AS MR. TAYLOR INDICATED, IT IS SLIDE NUMBER 13 THAT HAS THE OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025, UH, ENROLLMENT DATA THAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE COMMITTEE.
UH, MR. TAYLOR HAS INDICATED, UM, THAT IN HIS ROLE, IN HIS CAPACITY, HE DOES NOT GUIDE THE COMMITTEE.
UM, HE, UH, PROVIDES THEM WITH ALL OF THE DATA DIRECTS THAT THEY, UH, COMMUNICATE AND MAKE ULTIMATE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THE NEXT STEP THAT'S A PART OF OUR OFFICIAL PROCESS IS THAT THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMITTEE COMES FORWARD TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR REVIEW AND DELIBERATION.
UH, THE NUMBERS ENDED UP MORE BALANCED THAN ORIGINALLY, UM, UH, DISCUSSED IN THE, UM, GROUP, BUT I WOULD IDENTIFY TWO THINGS.
THE, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A LOCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN THAT AREA IS SOMETHING THAT IS ACHIEVED.
AND NOW WITH THE SHIFTS IN ENROLLMENT, THE UTILIZATION, UH, HAS BEEN, UH, ACHIEVED AND IS HERE FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION REVIEW AND DELIBERATION.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE SURVEY.
SO SLIDE EIGHT MENTIONS THE SURVEY, BUT THE RESULTS ARE NOT IN THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO PAGE TWO OF THE SURVEY RESULTS THAT ARE POSTED.
AND, UM, AS FAR AS RESPONSES, WE SEE 73 FROM CHASE, 71 OLIVER BEACH, BUT THEN ONLY 12 FROM SENECA AND TWO FROM OTHER.
SO, UM, OLIVER BEACH IS 71, WHICH IS LIKE FIVE TIMES MORE THAN SENECA, OR 59 MORE VOTES.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT COMMUNICATION AND WHAT EFFORTS WERE DONE? UM, AS FAR AS GETTING THE FEEDBACK AND RESPONSES FOR THE SURVEY FROM THE COMMUNITY, THE SURVEY, UM, IS PART OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION PROCESS.
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION PROCESS IS ADVERTISED, IT'S PUBLISHED UPFRONT.
WHEN WE START THE PROCESS, UM, OFFICE COMMUNICATION SENDS OUT INVITATIONS SO PEOPLE CAN COME TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION.
THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION INCLUDES COMMENTS ABOUT TAKING THE SURVEY.
UM, WE HAVE CARDS THAT HAVE A QR CODE ON IT, SO PEOPLE CAN DO IT RIGHT THERE AT THE MEETING.
WE HAVE COMPUTERS DURING THE MEETING, PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION, SO THAT THEY CAN DO THE SURVEY THERE IF THEY WANT, THEY CAN DO IT ON THEIR PHONES.
UM, PRINCIPALS SEND OUT LETTERS TO THE COMMUNITY TO INFORM THEM ABOUT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION AND THE SURVEY.
SO WE USE MULTIPLE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION TO THE PUBLIC TO INVITE THEM TO PUBLIC INFORMATION SURVEY AND TO ANNOUNCE THE SURVEY ITSELF, UM, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION, AND TO ANNOUNCE THE SURVEY ITSELF SO THAT AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WOULD PARTICIPATE.
AND THEN WHAT IS THE POPULATION OF SENECA BEACH? YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO THOSE MUTATION.
UM, I'M, I'M SORRY, MS. ONG, CAN YOU REPEAT YOUR QUESTION? SURE.
I WAS TRYING TO FIND WHAT IS THE POPULATION OF SENECA BEACH? THE STUDENTS MEAN OLIVER BEACH OR SENECA? I'M SORRY.
WHEN, WHEN YOU REFER TO POPULATION MS. FONG, ARE YOU, ARE YOU ASKING FOR THE ENROLLMENT NUMBER OR ARE YOU ASKING FOR THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF THE STUDENTS? SO I'D BE ASKING IN THIS CASE FOR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
[01:30:01]
IN THIS CASE, UM, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AT SENECA THAT WOULD STAY ARE 247 STUDENTS.UM, SENECA WOULD RECEIVE SEVEN NEW STUDENTS.
SENECA WOULD ALSO LOSE 37 STUDENTS.
NO, I'M LOOKING FOR, THERE IT IS, SLIDE 11.
AND SLIDE TH SLIDE 13 AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, EVEN, I GUESS WHEN I LOOK AT IT, THE 78 IS SMALL WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT IN COMPARISON TO ENROLLMENT, BUT THE NUMBER 12 IS DEFINITELY SMALL, AT LEAST IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER TWO.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW, UM, I GUESS IF YOU, AS YOU, WE CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH THESE BOUNDARY STUDIES, IN WHAT WAYS ARE WE ALSO LOOKING AT AND ENCOURAGING THAT FEEDBACK? UM, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN DOING A BETTER JOB WITH RECENT, UH, BOUNDARY STUDIES, BUT FOR THIS ONE WITH ONLY HAVING 12 FROM ONE SCHOOL, THAT'S A CONCERN TO ME.
UM, SO I LIKE TO KNOW, I GUESS AS WE, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT WE CONTINUE DOING THIS, WHAT THINGS ARE WE LOOKING AT WORKING ON, UM, IMPROVING OR CAN WE, UM, CAN GROW AND IMPROVE THAT AND REACHING OUT TO THE PARENTS TO FACILITATE THE RESPONSES.
MS. FRI, DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION? OH, SORRY.
UM, YES, AND I, I APOLOGIZE IF THIS IS REPETITIVE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FOLLOW THE TIMELINE HERE.
UH, AS FAR AS WHEN THE NEW INFORMATION WAS RECEIVED ABOUT ENROLLMENT.
UM, SO WHEN I'M LOOKING AT SLIDE EIGHT, SO WHEN THE COMMITTEE SELECTED THE TWO OPTIONS, A AND B, THEY DID NOT HAVE THAT ENROLL UPDATED ENROLLMENT DATE, UM, INFORMATION.
CORRECT? THAT WOULD BE BEFORE IT WAS, UM, PRESENTED TO AT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION.
THAT INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
BEFORE THE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION.
AND, BUT, UH, MEETING FOUR WAS THE LAST MEETING.
SO AT THAT LAST MEETING WHEN THEY HAD THE FOUR OPTIONS, THEY DID HAVE THAT INFORMATION? YES.
I'M TRYING TO JUST LOOK AT THE TIMELINE HERE AND FIGURE THAT OUT.
AND AS MR. TAYLOR SAID, THEY HAD THE ENROLLMENT INFORMATION AT THAT, AT THAT TIME, NOT IN UTILIZATION.
DID I SEE YOUR HAND UP? THANK YOU.
YEAH, I THINK WE'RE ALL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE DETAILS HERE, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THE MEETING WAS ON NOVEMBER 19TH? YES, THAT WAS THE LAST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE.
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO SEND THE BOARD THE SLOTS? EXCUSE ME, FROM THAT? I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THEY'RE POSTED.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE SLIDES WOULD BE POSTED? IT'S ON THE BOUNDARY.
IF YOU GO ON THE HOMES PAGE, THE BOUNDARY.
AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION, I KNOW A PARENT SPOKE ABOUT THE BUS ROUTE, AND I ACTUALLY WAS LUCKY TO TEACH AT MIDDLE RIVER MIDDLE FOR MANY YEARS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME STUDENTS REALLY DO LIVE REMOTELY AND FAR FROM THE SCHOOLS.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO, I GUESS, WHAT THE PLAN IS IN TERMS OF TIME LIMIT FOR BUS RIDES AND COORDINATION OF THE BUSES, AND THEN OF COURSE, WITH SPECIAL ED STUDENTS, IF THEY'RE TRAVELING A GREATER DISTANCE BECAUSE OF, UM, IT NOT BEING THEIR HOMESCHOOL, UH, THEIR TRANSPORT AS WELL.
SO, SO I'M GONNA ANSWER THAT FIRST.
AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK MR. TAYLOR TO ANSWER.
UM, MS. STALOWSKI, I HAD THE SAME QUESTION WHEN, WHEN WE LOOKED AT, AT SOME OF THE FINAL RESULTS, AND WE HAD A MEETING, UM, WITH, UH, NOT ONLY MR. TAYLOR'S GROUP, BUT, UH, DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPORTATION LEADERSHIP, AND, UM, EVEN THERE, THERE IS A, UM, A SMALL SATELLITE BOUNDARY THAT IS THERE.
THEY HAVE CALCULATED THE TIME AND DISTANCE, UM, AND LOOKED AT BOTH OPTIONS, AND THEY ARE, THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR.
UM, OPTION A WOULD REQUIRE MORE ADJUSTMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION AND LONGER, UH, BUS RIDE TIMES TRANSPORTATION HAD SHARED WITH US THAN OPTION B WOULD.
UM, SO THEY'VE, THEY'VE LOOKED AT THAT.
AND, AND ALSO ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS FOR IDENTIFYING CHASE AS THE SITE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING WAS EXACTLY WHAT YOU ASKED, WHICH WAS THE, THE BUS RIDE AND RIDE TIMES.
UM, IT WOULD BE DISINGENUOUS OF ME TO TELL YOU WHAT THE EXACT RIDE TIMES ARE BECAUSE I, I CAN'T.
UM, AND THAT'S GONNA DEPEND ON THE, THE STUDENT ENROLLMENT FROM THE AREA.
WHAT I WILL TELL YOU IS THAT, UM, THERE ARE SOME EXISTING, UH, ROUTES ALREADY THAT ARE VERY SOLID INTO THE AREA THAT THAT WOULD SERVICE AS CHASE.
AND SO TRANSPORT TRANSPORTATION IS, IT WAS, WAS A BIG PART OF THE DECIDING FACTOR, UM, IN SPECIAL SPECIAL EDUCATION, IDENTIFYING THEIR DESIRE TO HAVE
[01:35:01]
THE PROGRAM THERE.MR. TAYLOR, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO ADD? THE ONLY THING ELSE I WOULD ADD IS THAT, UM, TRANSPORTATION ATTENDS ALL OUR MEETINGS, AND WHEN THE COMMITTEE ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, THEY DO PROVIDE ANSWERS.
AND IN FACT, AT THE FOURTH MEETING, UM, THEY COMMITTEE MEMBERS ASKED SPECIFIC DRIVE TIMES FOR CERTAIN PLANNING BLOCKS TO GET TO CERTAIN SCHOOLS.
AND, UM, SORRY, IT'S AGAIN ON ONE OF THE POWERPOINTS IN MEETING FOUR ON THE WEBSITE, SO IT HAS THAT INFORMATION.
SO COMMITTEE HAD THIS INFORMATION WHEN THEY MADE THEIR DECISIONS AND MEETING FOUR WAS NOVEMBER 19TH? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, GENTLEMEN, THERE IS A DOCUMENT, IT'S TITLED THE 24 25 STATISTICAL INFORMATION COMPARISON, AND IT'S INTEGRAL TO THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.
UM, IT'S LINKED AS THE OPTION STATISTICS DOCUMENT ON THE WEBSITE.
DO YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SHARE THAT SO THAT THE BOARD CAN SEE THE DOCUMENT I'M REFERRING TO? I DID PUT A LINK TO IT IN THE TEAMS CHAT WHEN MADAM CHAIR WAS ASKING ABOUT IT.
IT HAS SEVERAL, UM, TABLES ON IT WITH THE UTILIZATION ESTIMATES, THE DEMOGRAPHICS BY OPTION FEEDER PATTERNS.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH, UM, THE DOCUMENT TO WHICH I'M REFERRING? SHE WANTS US TO POST THIS, UM, BOARD MEMBERS, MS. HE HAS, UM, PUT IT IN THE CHAT SO YOU CAN ALL OPEN IT FROM THE CHAT.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN, UM, BROADCAST? MADAM CHAIR? I'M NOT SURE IF, IF THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THIS DOCUMENT RIGHT NOW, WHAT CAN YOU, CAN YOU POSE THE QUESTION BASED ON THAT YOU'RE ASKING MS. HEN BASED ON THIS STATISTICAL INFORMATION? I, I CAN, MY QUESTION IS SIMPLE.
UM, IF THIS IS THE MASTER DOCUMENT THAT HAS KEY STATISTICS, MY QUESTION IS WHEN NEW ENROLLMENT DATA BECAME AVAILABLE, WHY WASN'T IT, UM, WHY WASN'T THIS DOCUMENT UPDATED WITH THE NEW ENROLLMENT DATA SO THAT THE COMMITTEE COULD CONSIDER ALL OF THESE OTHER STATISTICS GIVEN THAT THEY USE THIS, UM, DATA QUITE INTENSIVELY WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT MAPS AND FORMULATING THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS? THANK YOU, DR. ROGERS.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE, UM, FEEDBACK.
I THINK, UH, THE MEMBERS OF THE TEAM THAT ARE SEATED HERE TODAY, UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, ARE, ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO, UH, GO BACK AND ANSWER WHY THIS WASN'T DONE.
WHAT THEY CAN SHARE WITH YOU IS THAT, UM, PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA BECAME, UH, AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS IN NOVEMBER.
THE LAST MEETING FOR THIS COMMITTEE, UH, COMMITTEE WAS ALSO IN THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER.
UM, I WILL MAKE THE REQUEST TO THE TEAM SHOULD WE BE IN ANOTHER BOUNDARY STUDY THAT HAS A SIMILAR, UM, SITUATION THAT, THAT INFORMATION, THE STATISTICAL INFORMATION COMPARISON IS UPDATED AND PROVIDED AS A PART OF THE FOURTH MEETING, UH, MOVING FORWARD.
I, I APPRECIATE THAT DR. ROGERS, AND I KNOW THIS WAS A SMALL STUDY AND OTHER STUDIES ARE MUCH LENGTHIER COMMITTEES MEET FOR MORE MEETINGS, UM, AND THERE ARE MORE MOVING PARTS.
UM, IN THOSE COMMITTEES I'VE OBSERVED THAT THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN UPDATED, AND THAT MAY HAVE BEEN AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS SPECIFICALLY.
UM, AS OPTIONS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THOSE, THOSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAY HAVE REQUESTED TO SEE THESE STATISTICS.
UM, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS WAS NOT DONE IN THIS CASE.
UM, BECAUSE WE, WE WANT OUR COMMITTEES USING DATA, WE WANNA MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS.
AND I BELIEVE MY, MY CONCERN IS THAT IT INVALIDATES THE OUTCOME.
AND WOULD THIS COMMITTEE HAVE ARRIVED AT OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS? UM, IT'S GREAT THAT THE NUMBERS DO LOOK BALANCED NOW, HOWEVER, MY CONCERN IS THAT WHAT WOULD THIS, WHAT WOULD THIS PROCESS HAVE LOOKED LIKE HAD THEY HAD, UM, THESE STATISTICS BASED ON THE UPDATED ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS OR HAD THEY BEEN ASKED TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT USING THE BEST DATA THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
I WAS JUST, UM, WANTED TO AGAIN, HEAR FROM MR. TAYLOR ABOUT WHAT THINGS THEY WERE DOING TO IMPROVE THOSE COMMUNICATIONS I HAD MENTIONED ABOUT, UM, THE 12 STUDENTS FROM SENECA AND PERCENTAGE WISE OUTTA 342 STUDENTS.
SO DO WE HAVE A CUTOFF OR ARE WE GOING TO LOOK AT A CUTOFF AT A CERTAIN POINT TO SAY, IF WE DON'T HEAR FROM MORE THAN AT LEAST A MINIMUM NUMBER OF, UH, THE COMMUNITY, WE'RE GOING TO DO MORE EFFORTS, UM, TO REACH OUT? OR AGAIN, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO WORK ON IMPROVING, STILL
[01:40:01]
GETTING SOME OF THE RESPONSES FROM THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE ARE NOT HEARING FROM IN LARGE, UH, NUMBERS.AND THIS PARTICULAR STUDY, WE DID, UM, MONITOR THE RESPONSE RATE AND AT ONE POINT WE ASKED THE PRINCIPAL TO SEND OUT ANOTHER NOTICE TO THEIR COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN INCREASE THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES.
RIGHT? BUT THAT NUMBER, THAT 12 IS, UH, OUTTA 342 STUDENTS THAT'S COMING TO YOU GUYS AT YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU BRING THAT ACTUALLY FORWARD AT THE LAST MEETING.
SO YOU HAVE, I GUESS, ACCESS TO THAT DATA OR INFORMATION PRIOR TO BRINGING IT BACK TO THE FULL COMMUNITY.
NOW AT LEAST THERE'S TWO PARENTS, I GUESS, FROM SENECA THAT GET TO PARTICIPATE.
BUT AGAIN, WITH SUCH A SMALL NUMBER, I MEAN, I THINK IT JUST SEEMS LIKE WE NEED TO DO MORE THAN JUST SEND ANOTHER NOTICE BECAUSE THAT PARTICULAR METHOD WASN'T THE MOST EFFECTIVE.
DR. ROGERS? YES, MS. FONG, THANK YOU, UH, FOR THAT FEEDBACK AS WELL.
UM, YOUR, UH, COMMENTS AND CONCERNS ARE NOTED.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IS TRY TO LEVERAGE, UM, COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS IN SCHOOLS WHERE WE HAVE COMMUNITY SCHOOL FACILITATORS.
WE CAN, UH, TRY TO LEVERAGE THE BACKPACK METHOD AND ADDITIONAL METHODS BEYOND, UM, UH, THE PRINCIPAL SENDING OUT NOTICES, UH, TO FAMILIES IN THEIR EMAIL TO INCREASE, UH, FAMILY PARTICIPATION.
AS YOU KNOW, FOR THE LAST, UH, THREE YEARS, WE HAVE, UH, UPDATED THIS PROCESS AND REALLY WORKED TO, UM, TRY TO GATHER AS MANY, UM, VOICES AS POSSIBLE AS, UH, YOU'VE HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE.
UH, THERE WAS NOT A LOT, UM, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RESPONSE FROM THE SENECA COMMUNITY.
AND THEN, UM, MOVING TO THE REGIONAL PROGRAM, I THINK THAT WAS SAID THAT IT'S GOING TO BE AT CHASE AND, UH, THE CHASE NUMBERS INCLUDE THOSE STUDENTS.
WE HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM REGIONAL PROGRAMS FOR ESOL, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE STAYING WITH THEM, I GUESS, FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THERE BEING ONE AT CHASE.
UM, SO SINCE WE'RE CONTINUING WITH THIS REGIONAL PROGRAM, CAN WE JUST HEAR, I GUESS WHY WE ARE CHOOSING TO CONTINUE WITH THE REGIONAL PROGRAMS FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND WE'RE KEEPING IT IN THIS PARTICULAR FORMAT? MS.
UH, UM, AS FAR AS REGIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SPECIAL ED, SO WE CAN PUT THAT ON AGENDA LIST IF YOU WOULD LIKE.
SO THEN WHEN, I'M NOT SURE, BUT THAT WASN'T PART OF THE, THE BOUNDARY COMMITTEE'S DECISION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE REGIONAL PROGRAM.
THAT WAS A GIVEN BEFORE IT EVEN STARTED.
SO THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T HAVE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REGIONAL NUMBERS INCLUDED, THEN THE NUMBERS COULD ALSO LOOK DIFFERENT ACROSS THE BOARD.
'CAUSE YOU'RE WORKING WITH DIFFERENT NUMBERS.
SO YOU'RE ASKING HOW MANY ARE GONNA BE AT THAT PART, WHAT THE, UM, CAPACITY IS FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM.
HOW MANY THEN WILL BE INCLUDED FOR THAT? APPROXIMATELY 30 STUDENTS.
AND THEN WE CAN STILL ADD, I GUESS IF IT'S STILL A SEPARATE TOPIC ABOUT WHY, UM, WE'RE STILL DOING IT.
WE'RE STILL REGIONAL PROGRAMS. OKAY.
THE BOARD WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING.
OH, I'M SORRY, MS. LESKI? YES.
UM, THANK YOU TO MS. HEN FOR, UM, PUTTING THE STATISTICAL INFORMATION COMPARISON IN THE CHAT.
I WAS WONDERING IF THIS COULD BE, UM, UPLOADED TO THE BOUNDARY STUDY WEBSITE LINK? IT IS THERE IT, I THINK IT IS ALREADY, BUT WE'LL DOUBLE CHECK.
MS. EY, JUST ONE MORE QUICK QUESTION.
UM, WE DID HEAR SOME INPUT REGARDING, UH, THE, OUR REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE TO THE COMMITTEE.
IS THERE ANYTHING IN OUR POLICY, WHICH I THINK IS 1280 THAT PRECLUDES US FOR PROVIDING ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE TO THE COMMITTEE AS FAR AS STAFF? OR IS IT MORE OF A BEST PRACTICE TO ALLOW THE COMMITTEE, UM, UH, NOT TO BE INFLUENCED BY STAFF MEMBERS IN THE PROCESS? IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR PRACTICE NOT TO INFLUENCE THE DECISION OF THE COMMITTEE.
THAT WAS WHEN I STARTED DOING THIS WORK.
THAT WAS SOMETHING I WAS TOLD.
WE WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE COMMITTEE THINK THAT WE HAD PREDETERMINED OR HAD A, AN IDEA ALREADY THAT THE RECOMMENDATION MUST COME FROM THE COMMITTEE.
SO ALL OUR PRACTICES HAVE BEEN DESIGNED OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY OPTION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE, THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE.
I WOULD, I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT, UM, WITH FEEDBACK FROM THE BOARD, WE'VE MOVED AWAY FROM USING CONSULTANTS TO, TO DO THIS WORK AND WE'VE MOVED IT IN HOUSE WHERE
[01:45:01]
WE, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS, IS, UH, WE'RE MORE IN TOUCH WITH THAT.UM, WE'RE MORE IN TOUCH WITH THOSE PARTS OF THE PROCESS.
SO THIS ISN'T, THIS ISN'T THE FIRST THAT WE'VE DONE AS FAR AS BEING ON 1280, BUT, UM, AS MR. TAYLOR SAID, WE BELIEVE OUR ROLE IS TO, UM, IS, IS TO BE THERE AS A RESOURCE, AS PART OF THE PROCESS AND TO FRAME IT RATHER THAN TO DO ANY TYPE OF GUIDING.
AND SO AS FAR, I GUESS THAT'S MORE WHAT I MEAN AS A RESOURCE MORE THAN GUIDANCE.
SO IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THE COMMITTEE HAS, BUT NEEDS STAFF INPUT FOR THAT SOMEONE IS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE QUESTIONS, THEY'RE JUST NOT GONNA LEAD 'EM AND GUIDE THEM IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER.
AND WE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL WHEN THE COMMITTEES ASK FOR ADDITIONAL OPTIONS OR, OR THEY WANNA MOVE PLANNING BLOCKS AROUND, THEY HAVE QUESTIONS AS MR. TAYLOR SAID ABOUT, UH, TRANSPORTATION SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE HAVE EXPERTS IN THE ROOM THAT CAN ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.
IF THE EXPERTS AREN'T THERE, THEY ENLIST THEM AT THE, AT THE FOLLOW UP MEETING AND BRING THE RESOURCES WITH THEM AT THAT NEXT MEETING.
THANK YOU, MS. I MEAN, DR. ROGERS, DID YOU NO, THE ONLY OTHER THING I WOULD SHARE FOR THE, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE AS WELL AS, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UM, WHILE THE TEAM FACILITATES THE MEETINGS, THEY WILL ALSO, UM, ENSURE THAT MOVING FORWARD, THAT IS, IT IS IMPRESSED UPON EVERY COMMITTEE THAT CAN C CONVENES THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, REACHING, UH, OPTIONS THAT MOVE FORWARD TO THE BOARD, THAT EMPHASIZE BALANCING NUMBERS WITH UTILIZATION.
AND IT WILL BE PART OF OUR PRACTICE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE UPDATED NUMBERS, UM, ARE PROVIDED AS, AS LONG AS THEY ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
SO I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT FOR YOU.
UM, MS. ONG, IS YOUR HAND STILL UP FROM LAST QUESTION? IT'S NOT SHOWING ON MY SCREEN THEN.
I THINK, ALRIGHT, LET ME GET BACK.
UM, THE BOARD WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH.
I'M SORRY IT WASN'T SHOWING A MIND.
AND DR. ROGERS SUGGESTED, SO THANK YOU.
HAVE YOU HAVE 40 SECONDS LEFT, MS. HEN ON YOUR TIME? OKAY.
I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT IN IT HAS BEEN PAST PRACTICE THAT THE, UM, LEAD OR FACILITATOR HAS PROVIDED PARAMETERS FOR THE COMMITTEE, NOT IN THAT THEY'RE LEADING THEM TO A CERTAIN OUTCOME, BUT THE PARAMETERS SUCH AS DR. ROGERS MENTIONED, WERE THAT THE RECOMMENDATION SHOULD BALANCE ENROLLMENT.
ANOTHER PARAMETER THAT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT IS, WAS THIS COMMITTEE GUIDED OR GIVEN THE PARAMETER OF MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL STUDENTS VERSUS THEIR OWN PARTICULAR SCHOOL? ABSOLUTELY.
IN FACT, THE WORDING WE USE IS SUSPEND PAROCHIAL INTEREST AND DO WHAT'S IN WORK FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL THE STUDENTS.
MS, COULD YOU HEAR THAT RESPONSE? I COULD.
AND IF MR. TAYLOR COULD ELABORATE ON HOW THAT WAS EXPLAINED TO THE COMMITTEE.
IN THE BEGINNING OF EVERY MEETING, WE HAVE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION WHICH REVIEWS THE PARAMETERS, THE CONSIDERATIONS, THE OBJECTIVES, AND WE RESTATE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE THINK ARE IMPORTANT AND THAT'S HOW IT'S COMMUNICATED TO THE COMMITTEE.
SO WE'RE STARTING ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH, 2026 AT STEMS RUN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THEIR AUDITORIUM AT 6:30 PM SPEAKER SIGN UP WILL BEGIN AT FIVE 30 AND WE'LL END AT 6 25.
THE BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON THE BOUNDARY ON MARCH 10TH, 2026 AT OUR BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING.
AGAIN, THE HEARING IS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH, DENVER RUN MIDDLE SCHOOL SPEAKER SIGN UP BEGINS AT FIVE 30 UNTIL 6 25.
THANK YOU GENTLEMEN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND ANSWERS TO OUR QUESTIONS.
[M. WORK SESSION #2 - FY2027 OPERATING BUDGET (Dr. Rogers, Dr. Grim, and Mr. Tantleff) (8:15 - 8:50 p.m.)]
NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS OUR WORK SESSION NUMBER TWO ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED FY 2027 OPERATING BUDGET.AND FOR THAT I CALL DR. ROGERS, DR.
DR. JONES, AND MS. CHARLIE GREEN.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR HARVEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, WE ARE PLEASED TO OPEN WORK SESSION NUMBER
[01:50:01]
TWO ON THE FY 27 PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET.WE WANT TO BEGIN FIRST BY, UH, MAKING A CLARIFICATION REGARDING WIX E.
WE ARE ONLY MAKING THE CLARIFICATION BECAUSE THERE IS A WIKI, UM, WIX,
UM, ALSO WANT TO SHARE THIS, UH, WORK SESSION NUMBER TWO.
UH, WE HAVE POSTED ALL QUESTIONS THAT WERE RECEIVED BY THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS.
UH, WE ALREADY HAVE A SET OF QUESTIONS, UH, THAT ARE, UH, SET NUMBER THREE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE BEFORE FEBRUARY 24TH.
UM, THE DEADLINE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS IS THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS THIS THURSDAY.
THIS WILL ENSURE THAT STAFF HAVE, UH, ENOUGH TIME TO RESEARCH AND POST THE, UM, ANSWERS, UH, TO ALL BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS.
WE ARE UP TO 168 PAGES WORTH OF RESPONSES AND 93 QUESTIONS TO DATE.
UM, THIS PROPOSED BUDGET REALLY ADDRESSES, UH, TOUGH FISCAL CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE FACING WHILE PRIORITIZING THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR COMMUNITY MEMBER.
UM, PRIORITIZING THAT WE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF OUR STAFF BY HONORING BOTH YEAR TWO AND YEAR THREE OF THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE, AS WELL AS MOVING FORWARD A BALANCED BUDGET THAT INCLUDES THE TARGET OF 2% INCREASE, WHICH IS AN ADDITIONAL $30 MILLION ABOVE WHAT IS REQUIRED.
AS WE KNOW, UM, BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LIKE ALL THE OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN MARYLAND, IS SLATED TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL REVENUE FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
OUR ADDITIONAL REVENUE, UM, SHOULD TOTAL AROUND $46 MILLION.
THIS SLIDE SIMPLY SHOWS WITH DECLINING ENROLLMENT AND INCREASED COSTS AND WAGES AND BENEFITS, THAT THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN THE COMPENSATION COSTS AND THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT WE ARE RECEIVING.
THE INCREASES OF REVENUE SIMPLY DO NOT KEEP UP WITH THE RATE OF INCREASED COMPENSATION.
WANT TO SHARE WHAT IS NEW, WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE HAVE LAST MET.
UM, I CONTINUE TO ENGAGE WITH THE TEAM IN ONGOING MEETINGS WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND HER TEAM.
JUST AS RECENTLY AS YESTERDAY, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH COUNTY EXECUTIVE KLOS MEYER.
UM, SHE IS VERY CLEAR, AS IS HER TEAM.
UH, THERE IS A DESIRE TO DO MORE.
HOWEVER, WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUDGET PROCESS AND THE BALTIMORE COUNTY GOVERNMENT PRO, UH, PROCESS, UM, DOES NOT ALLOW AT THIS TIME TO KNOW HOW MUCH MORE SO WE ARE GOING TO REMAIN IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION.
UM, AS SOON AS MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE, UH, SHE IS GOING TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
ONCE I HAVE THAT INFORMATION, IT WILL BE SHARED, UM, WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OUR COMMUNITY.
I WANT TO AGAIN REITERATE, UM, THAT SHE WAS CLEAR AS WAS HER TEAM, THAT SHE ABSOLUTELY HAS A DESIRE TO DO MORE IN FY 27.
THE QUESTION IS HOW MUCH MORE AND AS THAT INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, IT WILL BE SHARED, UH, DIRECTLY.
UH, ALSO WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO, UH, SHARE THAT, UH, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT DESIRE TO DO MORE, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE, UH, STATE BUDGET HAS ALREADY BEEN SHARED AND IN THE STATE BUDGET, THERE ARE INCREASED COSTS, UH, FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
SO IT IS CERTAINLY A BIG DEAL THAT OUR COUNTY IS STILL EXPRESSING COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE, UH, FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT IS ABOVE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.
I HAVE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, AS THE PRESIDENT ELECT OF ZAM TO, UM, PRESENT TO, UH, IN A BLUEPRINT PRE BRIEFING AT THE WAYS AND MEANS AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE.
UM, YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDES SOME OF THE SLIDES THAT WERE, UH, PROVIDED AS A PART OF THE BRIEFING, ELEVATING TO OUR STATE LAWMAKERS, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING CRISIS THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN ACROSS THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
UH, BALTIMORE COUNTY BEING THE THIRD LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEM, UM, AND THIRD LARGEST, UH,
[01:55:01]
LARGE SET SET OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT WE DO NOT RECEIVE, UM, STATE OR UM, FEDERAL FUNDS TO COVER.AND WE ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
UH, WE HAVE ASKED FOR THEIR SUPPORT WITH THAT.
WE'VE ALSO ASKED, UM, FOR SUPPORT, UH, TO CLOSE THE GAP IN COMPENSATORY ED IN THE STATE BUDGET.
UH, THE BUDGET THAT CAME OUT, UM, ADDRESSES, UH, LARGE PORTION OF IT, ABOUT 12 MILLIONS, BUT THERE IS STILL THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OF A GAP THAT EXISTS, UH, BASED ON ENROLLMENT.
AND SO WE ARE ADVOCATING TO, UM, OUR LAWMAKERS IN ANNAPOLIS, UH, TO HELP ALL SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO CLOSE THOSE GAPS.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO GO THROUGH A SERIES OF SLIDES THAT HIGHLIGHT SOME, UH, TR UH, THEMES THAT WE SAW EMERGE IN THE QUESTIONS, UM, OR, UH, QUESTIONS THAT, UH, WE RECEIVED IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS WITH, UH, OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.
UH, THE FIRST IS WE WANT TO JUST BE EXTREMELY CLEAR ABOUT THE CENTRAL OFFICE POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED.
THE ORANGE TABLE YOU HAVE SEEN BEFORE SEVERAL TIMES.
UM, IT SPEAKS SPECIFICALLY TO THE SUPERVISOR LEVEL POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED IN BCPS.
UH, THERE WAS, UH, SOME CLAIMS MADE, UH, REGARDING POSITIONS THAT WERE ELIMINATED, WERE REALLY, UH, NOT ELIMINATED.
THEY WERE, UH, LARGELY VACANT POSITIONS.
IN FFY 25, WHEN I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT A PROPOSED BUDGET TO THIS BOARD OF EDUCATION, I SHARED THAT OUR FIRST STEP WAS GOING TO BE TO ELIMINATE HIGH NUMBERS OF TRADITIONALLY VACANT POSITIONS.
AND SO WE DID THAT IN FY 25 AND FY 26 AND FY 27.
THE CENTRAL OFFICE POSITION, DIC REDUCTIONS WERE LARGELY FILLED 82% LAST YEAR AND 86%, UH, THIS YEAR.
THESE ARE POSITIONS THAT ARE ELIMINATED AND, UM, INDIVIDUALS ARE FILLING THOSE POSITIONS.
SO WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR FOR OUR VIEWING PUBLIC.
WE ALSO RECEIVED SOME FEEDBACK ABOUT THE REVISED BUDGET BOOK FORMAT.
UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS, UH, SHARED EARLIER BY CHAIR LICHTER, UH, THAT DURING THE LAST WORK SESSION WE TALKED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THE BUDGET, UM, INFORMATION WAS ACCESSIBLE TO OUR PUBLIC.
BY THE NEXT DAY, THE WE MET LAST MONDAY, BY TUESDAY, WE HAD ADDED A BUTTON, UM, TO THE TOP OF OUR WEBPAGE, WHICH YOU SEE THERE.
AND ALSO AT THE VERY FRONT OF OUR WEBPAGE, THERE IS A BUTTON FOR THE B BUDGET, MAKING IT EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE TO ANY MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WANTS TO, UM, GO TO BUDGET 1 0 1 OR THE OPERATING BUDGET WORK SITE.
UM, YOU ALSO SEE ON THE SLIDE THE MANY OPPORTUNITIES, UM, AND MANY GROUPS THAT WE ENGAGED WITH, UM, THROUGHOUT SEVERAL MONTHS TO DEVELOP THE BUDGET.
UM, AS A PART OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE HEARD MANY THINGS.
UM, WE IMPLEMENTED, UM, THAT FEEDBACK, MAKING SURE THAT THERE WAS CLARITY AROUND, UM, WHERE DOES EVERY DOLLAR GO IN OUR BUDGET, MAKING SURE THAT THERE WAS CLARITY, UH, BETWEEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OPERATING BUDGET AS WELL AS THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
AND, UM, OTHER ITEMS. UH, MOST RECENTLY WE RECEIVED A REQUEST, UH, TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN OUR BUDGET BOOK FORMAT THAT WERE SIMILAR TO OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS. BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS NOT AVERSE TO THAT REQUEST.
UM, AS A MATTER OF FACT, WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE ARE THE STEPS THAT WE WILL TAKE.
UH, WE WILL CONVENE A TEAM TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE LINKS, UH, CREATE A CROSSWALK AND ANALYSIS OF WHAT IS INCLUDED IN SOME OTHER LARGE SYSTEMS IN THE, UM, STATE OF MARYLAND THAT PERHAPS IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SAME FORMAT IN BCPS.
WE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, AS WE DO FOR EVERYTHING FOR THE COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE SOME DIRECT FEEDBACK AND INPUT.
WE WILL THEN LOOK AT THE FEASIBILITY, CREATE A DESIGN, AND HAVE AN UPDATED FORMAT, UM, IMPLEMENTED FOR FY 28.
SO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDED SOME CLARITY THAT WE ARE OPEN TO THAT AND CERTAINLY WILL IMPLEMENT THE PROCESS NECESSARY TO MAKE CHANGES.
WANTED TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO, UM, TALK ABOUT SALARY TURNOVER, AS THAT HAS BEEN A POINT OF DISCUSSION.
WANTED TO START WITH THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT.
AND SO, UM, WHAT YOU FIRST SEE IN FRONT OF YOU IS A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE EFFICIENCY REVIEW REPORT.
AS YOU WILL RECALL, UH, UH, THE PREVIOUS BOARD IN 2021 RECEIVED A REPORT WITH SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEAM BCPS.
[02:00:01]
WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU IS RECOMMENDATION 3.7 IN THE CHAPTER ON FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.IN THAT RECOMMENDATION, IT SPECIFICALLY SPOKE TO MODIFYING THE PRACTICE OF UNDERESTIMATING STAFFING VACANCIES AT 2% WHEN THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES, UH, HAD BEEN AT THAT TIME CONSISTENTLY CLOSER TO 4% ANNUALLY.
UM, THERE WAS A FINAL REPORT THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE PUBLIC.
UM, IT WAS POSTED IN MAY OF 2022.
AT THAT TIME, THE DECISION WAS NO.
UM, AND YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE THE RATIONALE THAT WAS PROVIDED THAT BCPS WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION.
HOWEVER, LAST YEAR, UM, WHEN WE WERE IN THE FY 26 BUDGET PROCESS, UM, SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED INDICATED THAT THERE WERE, UH, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN POTENTIAL SAVINGS, UH, FROM THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EFFICIENCY REPORT.
AND SO AT THAT TIME LAST SPRING, WE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AS WELL AS THE COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS WELL AS OUR, UH, SENATE AND HOUSE DELEGATION.
AN UPDATE ON THE 2021 REPORT, YOU'LL SEE THE THREE COLUMNS AS WE PRESENTED THEM, UM, IN AN ANALYSIS OF THE 19 ITEMS THAT WERE MOVED FORWARD WITH A VOTE OF NO OR A DECISION POINT OF NO, PARDON ME.
AND THEN ISOLATING THE SEVEN RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE RELATED, UM, TO FINANCES AND ANY UPDATES.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE FROM MARCH, 2025 IS, UH, RECOMMENDATION 3.7 IS RIGHT THERE.
AND, UM, IT WAS SHARED THAT, UM, THAT NOTE WAS TURNED INTO A YES.
WE HAD ALREADY IMPLEMENTED THAT, UH, RECOMMENDATION.
AND THIS SLIDE SHOWS ONE, WE IMPLEMENTED THAT RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO AGAIN, THAT WAS, UH, FY 24 INFORMATION.
UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SALARY TURNOVER, WE SHOW FIRST A GRAPH THAT SHOWS THE FY 24 ACTUAL PERCENTAGE, THE FY 25 ACTUAL PERCENTAGE, AND THE FY 26 PROJECTED PERCENTAGES.
SALARY TURNOVER IS NOT A NEW SOURCE OF REVENUE.
IT IS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY LEFT OVER IN THE SALARY BUDGET AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
SALARY TURNOVER INCLUDES EVERY SINGLE POSITION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS.
FY 24 WAS THE LAST TIME THAT 2% WAS USED AS THE BUDGET AMOUNT FOR SALARY TURNOVER STARTING AN FY 25.
AND LAST YEAR, AN FY 27, EXCUSE ME, 26, THE BUDGET AMOUNT WAS INCREASED TO 3.6%, NEARLY DOUBLE THAT 2% RATE.
THE FY 27 AMOUNT WILL ALSO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS CONSISTENT WITH FY 25 AND 26 AT 3.6%.
SALARY TURNOVER WAS HIGH IN THE PAST.
UM, BECAUSE WE HAD A LARGE NUMBER OF BUDGETED VACANT POSITIONS, UH, WE LARGELY ADDRESSED THAT STARTING IN FY 25.
SINCE FY 25, WE HAVE REDUCED THE HEAD COUNT IN B-C-P-A-S BY MORE THAN A THOUSAND POSITIONS.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE A LOWER HEAD COUNT, YOU HAVE A LOWER AMOUNT OF SAVINGS AS YOU SEE IN THE GRAPH PROVIDED BY FISCAL SERVICES, THE VACANCY RATE MUST MEET OR EXCEED THE PROJECTIONS.
OUR AWARD-WINNING BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING TEAM THAT HAS RECEIVED AWARDS FOR THE LAST 22 YEARS, STAFF BY ACCOUNTING EXPERTS, THEY IDENTIFY THE INTERNAL RATE BASED ON THE SYSTEM NEEDS AND THE HISTORICAL TRENDS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO BCPS.
IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE MUST RETAIN ENOUGH MONEY IN OUR FUND BALANCE FOR POTENTIAL, UH, SUPPLEMENTS.
UH, WE HAVE HAD, UH, SUPPLEMENTS PROVIDED, UM, SINCE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE RANGE HAS BEEN FROM $4.7 MILLION TO $35 MILLION.
AND, UH, LASTLY, THE MONEY THAT IS REDUCED FROM SALARY TURNOVER, UM, IS MONEY THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE IN THE FUND BALANCE.
AND SO THE, UM, EFFORT AND THE ATTEMPT WAS TO, UM, ADDRESS, UH, SOME OF THE INFORMATION AND THE QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED AROUND SALARY TURNOVER, UH, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAD ACCURATE INFORMATION TO WHEN FISCAL PRACTICES WERE LAST, UM, ENACTED IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THAT WE WERE NOT CONFLATING PRACTICES THAT HAVE OCCURRED PRIOR TO FY 25 WITH THE CURRENT PRACTICES IN THE BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING TEAM
[02:05:01]
AND TEAM BCPS.UH, MY LAST SLIDE BEFORE I TURN IT OVER, UM, TO DR.
GRIMM IS ABOUT THE FUND BALANCE, UM, TRYING TO GRAPHICALLY REPRESENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT THE FUND BALANCE, UH, MANY THINGS GO INTO THE FUND BALANCE, SALARY, BUDGET SAVINGS IS ONE THING, BUT ALSO ANY OTHER SAVINGS, ANY UNPLANNED RESIN REVENUE.
CLOSED PURCHASE ORDERS IF, UM, LIGHT BILLS COME IN, UM, LESS THAN WHAT WAS EXPECTED, IF LIGHT BULBS COME IN LESS THAN WHAT WAS EXPECTED AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN BETWEEN, THAT GOES DIRECTLY INTO THE FUND BALANCE.
UM, WHAT GOES OUT OF THE FUND BALANCE IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT.
ANY AND ALL UNPLANNED ADDITIONAL EXPENSES.
UM, SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES ARE SNOW REMOVAL.
UM, WE PLAN FOR SNOW REMOVAL IN OUR BUDGET, UH, BUT WE ARE NEVER ABLE TO PLAN FOR, UH, WHAT MOTHER NATURE IS GOING TO DO FOR THE LAST YEARS.
UM, WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY, UM, SPECI LARGE, UH, SNOW EVENTS.
UM, THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE.
WE ALSO USE THE FUND BALANCE FOR CATASTROPHIC EVENTS, UM, FOR FLOODING THAT OCCURS IN OUR THIRD OLDEST SET OF BUILDINGS.
AND YOU SAW A DEMONSTRATION THIS EVENING.
UM, AS WELL AS, UH, MAJOR EQUIPMENT FAILURE THAT, UM, OCCURS IN OUR BUILDINGS.
IT'S THE ANNUAL USE FOR ONGOING EXPENSES.
UM, A SMALL PERCENTAGE WITH MISS, WHICH MR. TANIFF WILL SPEAK TO, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION OVERAGE AS, UM, I SHARED AS I HAVE ADVOCATED ALONG WITH THE 23 OTHER SUPERINTENDENTS IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, UM, TO OUR LAWMAKERS THAT COSTS, UM, SCHOOL SYSTEMS MORE THAN $1 BILLION, UH, IN FUNDING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL TO PROVIDE MANDATED SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND AS YOU KNOW, UM, OUR ONE-TIME ERP PROJECT, UM, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF WHAT THE FUND BALANCE IS USED FOR.
AND SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, DR.
GRIM TO SPEAK TO INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, UM, AT LAST MONDAY NIGHT'S HEARING, I DID HEAR THE DRIP DROP.
WE HAD STAFF OUT TUESDAY, THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE IT.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE STAFF OUT TOMORROW NOW THAT WE HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO AGAIN, WE, I APOLOGIZE, BUT THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED.
UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION THIS BUDGET CYCLE AROUND, UM, UH, RATIOS, UM, AND LOOKING AT OUR, OUR, OUR CLASSROOM NUMBERS.
UM, BUT WE WANTED TO TAKE AN OP A MINUTE TO, TO TALK, UM, ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY AND THE WORK THAT EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT HAS SPEARHEADED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY.
AND AS THIS SLIDE INDICATES, UM, PRINCIPLES HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE AT AT 25% AS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS.
BUT REALLY OUR SYSTEMIC, UH, FOCUS ON RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING PRINCIPLES HAS PROVIDED STAFF, INCLUDING TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND CENTRAL OFFICE WITH A COMMON LANGUAGE AND COMMON EXPECTATIONS RELATED TO TEACHING AND LEARNING.
THIS HAS LED TO RICHARD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TEACHING PRACTICES AND MORE IMPACTFUL FEEDBACK CONFERENCES.
ALL KEY COMPONENTS OF TEACHER EFFICACY.
TEACHERS AND LEADERS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN TARGETED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ON CORE COMPONENTS NECESSARILY FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FIRST INSTRUCTION.
SO THIS GRAPHIC REALLY OUTLINES THE PROGRESSION OF OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ARC, BEGINNING WITH CLARITY FOR BOTH THE TEACHER AND STUDENT MOVING TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND MASTERY OBJECTIVES.
JOHN HATTIE CONDUCTED THE MOST POWERFUL META-ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH RELATED TO WHAT MAKES THE MOST IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
AND AGAIN, YOU SEE THAT SNIPPET HERE.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT COLLECTIVE TEACHER EFFICACY WAS THE MOST IMPACTFUL WITH TEACHER CLARITY AND TEACHER EXPECTATIONS RELATED TO ACHIEVEMENT.
WE KNOW THAT THE BACK TO BASICS, FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENTS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ARE PART OF THE SKILLFUL TEACHER PYRAMID AND ARE EVIDENCE-BASED AND IMPACTFUL.
SO THAT INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY IS REALLY THE KEY COMPONENT OF MOVING OUR SCHOOLS FORWARD.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MS. CHARLIE GREEN.
BUT BEFORE I BEGIN, UH, THERE IS A VIDEO THAT ACTUALLY EXEMPLIFIES EXACTLY WHAT YOU SHARED.
AND I BELIEVE MS. GOVER PREPARED TO SHARE THAT.
NOW THIS WORK WILL BE THE UNIFYING FORCE BEHIND SYSTEM-WIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
WE HAVE NOT ENGAGED IN THIS TYPE OF COHESIVE WORK FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS A CRITICAL LEVERED SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT
[02:10:01]
PRINCIPALS ACCOUNT FOR 25% OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL.THE RESEARCH ON TEACHER EFFECT SIZE WHEN THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER IN A PLC, THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT AND NOTHING HAS A GREATER IMPACT ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE.
THERE IS NO WAY WE DO THIS WORK WITHOUT PEOPLE, AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE DO THIS WORK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EFFECTIVE WITHOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE, WHICH MEANS INVESTING IN YOU, INVESTING IN RECRUITMENT, INVESTING IN RETENTION, AND INVESTING IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
AND THERE ISN'T ANYTHING AS DETERMINANT OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AS WHAT A THE INDIVIDUAL TEACHER WITH THE KIDS KNOWS, BELIEVES, AND CAN DO.
WE HAVE TRAINED ALMOST 300 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS IN THE PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING, WHICH HAS ALLOWED US TO HAVE HIGH QUALITY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT INSTRUCTION ACROSS ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL.
WHEN WE FIRST DECIDED THAT WE WERE GONNA USE THE RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING COMPANY, WE LOOKED AT OUR DATA AROUND INSTRUCTION, AND OUR DATA SHOWS THAT WE NEED A LASER FOCUS ON EFFECTIVE BRUSH INSTRUCTION.
AND WHAT SKILLFUL TEACHER ALLOWS US TO DO IS HONE IN ON VERY SPECIFIC SKILLS THAT TEACHERS NEED TO HAVE THAT ARE NOT NEW AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS.
THE WALKTHROUGH DATA THAT WE'VE SEEN AS EDUCATORS HAVE ENGAGED IN THE LEARNING WITH RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING HAS BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE SCHOOL LEADERS ABLE TO PROVIDE STRATEGIES AS THEY DEVELOP THEIR REPERTOIRE, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE OUR EDUCATORS PROVIDING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO HELP SUPPORT STUDENT GROWTH.
NOT ONLY DO WE, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH OUR RESEARCHER BETTER TEACHING COHORTS, WE ALSO TOOK THE MESSAGE TO OUR, UM, CENTRAL OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.
SO IT'S NOT JUST THE EDUCATORS, BUT AS YOU TALKED ABOUT SHIFTING CULTURE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EVERY, YOU KNOW, 20,000 EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE AND NOTICE THE FOCUS IS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT NO MATTER WHAT THEIR ROLE.
AND IN ORDER TO MAKE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRESS, IN ORDER FOR KIDS TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL, EVERYONE HAS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.
IT'S BEEN GREAT TO HAVE TWO YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL SO THAT THE WORDS ARE NOT NEW.
THE PROCESSES, THE STRUCTURES ARE NOT NEW.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TYING IN ALL OF THAT LEARNING THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, THANKS TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S INITIATIVE TO REALLY, UM, TRAIN ALL STAFF ON THIS.
AND THIS IS A MUCH MORE STRATEGIC, FOCUSED WAY OF LOOKING AT INSTRUCTION.
IT'S ABOUT HOW DO YOU TAKE THE SCIENCE AND THE ART AND MERGING THEM TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO, AGAIN, GET THE STUDENT OUTCOME OR THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
IF YOU HAVE QUALITY TEACHERS IN A CLASSROOM, SO WHEN A STUDENT GOES FROM ONE CLASSROOM TO THE OTHER, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE THOSE GAPS.
AND SO I THINK WITH RBT, IT'S HELPING CLOSING THE THOSE GAPS.
SO, ACCELERATING LEARNING, CLOSING THE GAPS, IT'S ABOUT THAT, THAT TEACHER WHO'S AT CENTERPIECE AND BEING ABLE TO TEACH STUDENTS WITH QUALITY WELL OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM, OUR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND PROGRESS IS INCREASING.
SO IT'S REALLY FUN TO EXPERIENCE INSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM.
OUR CULTURE OF LEARNING IS BLOSSOMING AND OUR STUDENTS, UM, AGENCY IS ALSO, UH, INCREASING THE INDEPENDENCY IS REALLY FUN TO WATCH AND OBSERVE.
UM, THE LIGHT BULB MOMENT THAT EVERY TEACHER HAS IS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE IN OUR CLASSROOMS. OUR STUDENTS ARE CONVERSING ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING.
THEY'RE OWNING THEIR OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO ENGAGE IN THE CLASSROOM, AND THEY'RE A PART OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
UM, STUDENTS MOST IMPORTANTLY, ARE ABLE TO GIVE FEEDBACK TO TEACHER, UM, THAT WAY TEACHER CAN USE THAT DRIVING THEIR INFORMAL, UH, ASSESSMENTS OR FORMAL ASSESSMENTS OF STUDENTS, AND THEN THEY CAN MAKE MAKE RESPONSIVE DECISIONS FOR THE CHILDREN IN THE CLASSROOM.
I PARTICIPATED IN ALL THE SUMMER PDS AND THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PDS AND JUST BEING AS A NEW TEACHER SECOND YEAR, I THINK THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT I TOOK AWAY FROM IT WAS PROBABLY LIKE THAT TIME MANAGEMENT SKILL AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINES AND ATTENTION.
BECAUSE HAVING THAT ENVIRONMENT THAT'S WORKING IN THE CLASSROOM, UM, BEING ABLE TO PUSH YOUR STUDENTS TO THAT HIGHER LEVEL THINKING AND THAT EFFORTFUL THINKING TO GET THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO BE, IT ALL STARTS WITH THAT ENVIRONMENT.
THE SYSTEM WIDE PROFESSIONAL, UM, DEVELOPMENT AND THE PD DAYS HAVE REALLY HELPED, UH, MYSELF AND MY COLLEAGUES REFOCUS, UM, ON HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
AND, UM, FAST FORWARDING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT BY PLANNING AND LOOKING AT DAILY INSTRUCTION AND THE PLANNING PHASE, WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR LESSONS ARE MEANINGFUL, THEY'RE CLEAR, AND THEY'RE ALIGNED WITH CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS.
FURTHERMORE, OUR DELIBERATE PLANNING IS ALLOWING US TO EMBED RESEARCH BASED STRATEGIES AND TOOLS TO SET STUDENTS UP FOR SUCCESS AND ALSO MAXIMIZE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.
[02:15:03]
THANK YOU.I'M GLAD WE TOOK A MOMENT TO TO WATCH THAT VIDEO.
WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS, AND AS WE ALL HAVE, WE'VE BEEN HEARING DIRECTLY FROM OUR COMMUNITY CONCERNS ABOUT CLASS SIZE AND CLASS RATIOS, AND WE, WE RECEIVED THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS, BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO REALLY RECOGNIZE, UM, WHAT REALLY MAKES CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION EFFECTIVE.
AND SO, UM, WE WANTED TO JUST INTRODUCE FOR THE GOOD OF THE VIEWING PUBLIC SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO ENSURE HIGH QUALITY TEACHING IN EVERY CLASSROOM.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE RESEARCH SAYS THAT WHEN YOU START SEEING THE BENEFIT OF SMALLER CLASS SIZES, IT REALLY CAPS AT IT ABOUT 14, THE CLASSES ARE MORE THAN 14.
YOU LOSE SOME OF THAT BENEFIT OF SMALLER CLASS SIZES.
THAT IS NOT IN ANY WAY TO SAY THAT WE DO NOT APPRECIATE SMALLER CLASS SIZES, NOR DO WE BELIEVE THAT CHANGING THE STAFFING RATIO IS A GO-TO.
WE, AS DR. ROGERS HAVE SAID, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT IS THE OPTION OF LAST RESORT, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT HIGH QUALITY TEACHING INVOLVES MULTIPLE FACTORS, AND WE JUST WANTED THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL FACTORS ARE.
UM, TONIGHT I WANTED TO, IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE SLIDESHOW, JUST REGROUND US IN OUR NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS.
I DID BRING THIS FORWARD AT OUR LAST WORK SESSION.
JUST AS A REMINDER, UM, OUR NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OUR ASSOCIATIONS INCLUDE LANGUAGE AROUND, UH, LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS.
SPECIFICALLY, NO LAYOFFS, NO FURLOUGHS.
THAT LANGUAGE HAS BEEN PRESENT IN OUR MASTER AGREEMENT SINCE 1996.
AND SO THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE 99% OF BCPS WORKFORCE, 99% OF THEM ARE REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES, MEANING THAT ONE OF THE MASTER AGREEMENTS APPLIES TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
IN FACT, FEWER THAN 100, THERE ARE ONLY 100 NON-REPRESENTED, UH, STAFF MEMBERS IN TEAM BCPS.
THE CHART THAT'S OVER TO THE FAR LEFT, AS YOU CAN SEE, REPRESENT SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE.
AND MANY OF THOSE ARE IMPACTED.
UH, MANY OF THOSE IMPACTED FOLKS, MOST OF THOSE IMPACTED FOLKS ARE NON-REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS WITH NON-REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES AND WHAT HAPPENS WITH ALL EMPLOYEES WHEN A JOB IS ELIMINATED, IS WHAT I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS, UH, WITH YOU NEXT.
AND THAT IS, IF YOU GO OVER TO THE GREEN BOX, OUR EMPLOYEES ARE PLACED IN POSITIONS THAT ARE CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THEIR CREDENTIALS AND THEIR EXPERTISE.
SIMPLY PUT POSITIONS, BECAUSE OF OUR MASTER AGREEMENT LANGUAGE ARE WHEN THEY ARE ELIMINATED, WE STILL OWE A POSITION TO THOSE EMPLOYEES.
AND SO PART OF THE WORK THAT OUR HUMAN RESOURCES TEAM DOES, AND THEY DO IT QUITE WELL, IS WORKS WITH THOSE STAFF MEMBERS TO IDENTIFY A POSITION IN WHICH THEY CAN BE MOVED.
AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO GROUND OUR CONVERSATIONS THERE BECAUSE AS WE ARE ALL LOOKING TO COME UP WITH A BUDGET THAT IS BALANCED, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE DO HAVE A COMMITMENT TO OUR EMPLOYEES TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE ARE HONORING THE MASTER AGREEMENTS AND THAT WE'RE FINDING POSITIONS THAT ARE WITHIN THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE.
AND SO THIS NEXT SLIDE TALKS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHY A DEDICATED TV VIDEO TEAM IS ESSENTIAL.
AND I'M SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT BCPS TV, AND I SPEAK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT BCPS TV FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
I'LL START BY SAYING THAT BCPS TV IS MADE UP OF REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES.
SO THAT SLIDE THAT I SHOWED YOU PREVIOUSLY APPLIES TO EVERYONE IN BCPS TV AS WELL.
THEY ARE REPRESENTED BY OPE, THEY'RE REPRESENTED BY E-S-P-B-C.
SO IN VERY MUCH THE WAY WE WOULD NOT CONSIDER ELIMINATING AN ENTIRE, UH, GROUP OF FOLKS IN E-S-P-B-C OR OPE, WE HAVE TO REALLY BE VERY COGNIZANT OF THE MESSAGES WE SEND WHEN WE LOOK AT A PARTICULAR OFFICE.
NO LAYOFFS APPLIES TO BCPS AS WELL.
I SPEAK ALSO ABOUT BCPS TV TONIGHT BECAUSE I'VE HEARD SAID, AND IT'S ACTUALLY A QUOTE, THAT THIS IS THE OFFICE THAT MIGHT HAVE THE LEAST IMPACT ON STUDENTS.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE, UH, STUDENT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD'S, UH, COMMENTS TONIGHT AS SHE SHARED, UH, THE SAFETY VIDEO, WOULD BEG TO DIFFER THAT STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY IMPACTED BY THE WORK OF BCPS TV BECAUSE IT SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO HOW THEY COMMUNICATE.
IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATES DIFFERENTLY.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE RECEIVE THEIR INFORMATION FROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND FROM DIGITAL CONTENT.
IF YOU WANNA THINK ABOUT THE LAST TIME YOU PICKED UP A NEWSPAPER, AN ACTUAL PAPER NEWSPAPER, AND READ IT FROM COVER TO COVER, I STILL DO, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE DO.
UM, PEOPLE ABSORB AND RECEIVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONTENT, AND PRIMARILY THEY ARE DIGITAL.
IT PROVIDES EQUITABLE ACCESS TO MANY OF OUR MULTI MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT VIDEO, WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY CLOSE CAPTION.
WE'RE ABLE TO CHANGE IT INTO MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.
WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY TO OUR AUDIENCE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT PROVIDES A WINDOW INTO OUR SCHOOLS.
FREQUENTLY OUR COMMUNITY IS ASKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASSROOMS. THEY SPEAK TO TRANSPARENCY.
THAT'S PART OF THE WORK THAT BCPS TV V DOES.
WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING THE WORK OF BCPS TV.
THEY HELP US COMPLY WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
[02:20:01]
A PRESENTATION ON A BOUNDARY STUDY.THEY PRODUCE THOSE, UH, THOSE VIDEOS AS WELL.
YOU HEARD SAID SEVERAL TIMES, OH, IT'S ON THE WEBSITE.
GO TO THE LINK AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY WATCH THE MEETING.
THEY CREATE SHORT FORM VIDEOS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THOSE SHORT DIGESTIBLE VIDEOS, AGAIN, IT'S HOW WE CONSUME ALL OF OUR, MUCH OF OUR INFORMATION.
AND THEN LASTLY, IT IS A STANDARD PRACTICE FOR LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. FRANKLY, 20 PLUS IS THE NUMBER MANY LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS HAVE, AND THIS DATA IS DIRECTLY FROM THE NATIONAL SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION.
I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE THAT I'D LIKE TO CONVEY IS THAT IT IS NOT AN ADD-ON.
IT IS ACTUALLY A PART OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO JUST AS WE THINK ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY, THE INTERNET SERVICES WE EXPERIENCE, THE ELECTRICITY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT HELP MOVE THINGS ALONG, BCPS TV, THAT CONTENT IS PART OF THAT.
AND SO JUST TONIGHT WE HEARD ABOUT A SAFETY VIDEO THAT OUR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD SHARED.
WE JUST WATCHED A TRAINING VIDEO THAT SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
WE ALLUDED TO, AND WE DIDN'T SEE IT, BUT LINKS TO BOUNDARY STUDIES.
WE ALSO ARE EXPERIENCING THE WORK OF BCPS TV HERE, AND IT'LL BE ARCHIVED SO YOU CAN EXPERIENCE IT MOVING FORWARD.
IF WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, SPECIFICALLY, AND AGAIN, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THIS.
BCPS TV INCREASES AND IMPROVES ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THEY VIDEOTAPE ATHLETIC EVENTS, WHICH WE KNOW IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MANY OF OUR STUDENT ATHLETES THAT FILM.
ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS SHARED.
THEY VIDEOTAPE ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT OUR SCHOOLS.
THEY CREATE AN ARCHIVE YOUTUBE VIDEOS THAT ARE VERY EXPLANATORY AND HELP MOVE PEOPLE FORWARD.
THEY WORK WITH PARENT UNIVERSITY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT INFORMATION IS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND IT CREATES CONNECTIONS.
I HEARD A QUESTION FROM BOARD MEMBER F PONG ABOUT HOW ARE WE INCREASING COMMUNICATION.
I WOULD HAZARD A GUESS THAT BCPS TV COULD PLAY A ROLE IN MAKING SURE GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OUR BOUNDARY STUDY PROCESS.
ONCE AGAIN, IT IS A CRITICAL PART OF INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, I ALSO HIGHLIGHT THIS BECAUSE IF WE LOOK AT OUR FOUR PRIORITIES, AND THEY'RE DEPICTED ON THIS SLIDE, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, WE'VE SHOWN TONIGHT HOW THAT WORK IS CONNECTED TO IMPROVING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
OVERALL INFRASTRUCTURE, AS I STATED, IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE WAY WE DO OUR WORK SAFETY AND CLIMATE, AS WELL AS ENSURING A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STAFF.
AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE BROUGHT THIS TO LIGHT AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE OPERATING BUDGET.
I WANTED TO REMIND VIEWERS THAT, UH, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES.
WE DO NOT TYPICALLY SINGLE OUT A SINGLE OFFICE, BUT THIS OFFICE HAS BEEN SPECIFICALLY SINGLED OUT.
SO I FELT IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BCPS TV, THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THEM AND THEIR TOTALITY, THAT WE ARE VALUING THE WORK THAT THEY DO AND THE SUPPORT THAT THEY PROVIDE FOR OUR FAMILIES.
AND SO THIS FINAL SLIDE, WHICH I WON'T READ FOR YOU, SPEAKS TO HIGHLIGHTS OF OTHER WORK THAT BCPS TV DOES.
AND SO THIS WAS, UH, THE CHALLENGE OR THE, THE TASK FOR US WAS TO IDENTIFY THEMES IN THE QUESTIONS THAT WE SAW.
UH, IT HAS BEEN COMMENTED THAT PERHAPS THE EFFICIENCY REVIEW OR THE COUNTY AUDITOR INDICATED THAT THIS MIGHT HAVE THE LEAST IMPACT ON KIDS, ON STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS.
AND I WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IF WE ARE MAKING THAT CLAIM, THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORK THAT THIS OFFICE DOES IN FRONT OF US.
SO I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE THAT, AND AT THIS TIME, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE.
UM, ON THE FIRST SLIDE, UH, THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT BREAKING OUT THE, UH, COMPENSATION COSTS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF YEAR TWO AND YEAR THREE.
SO THESE ARE THE SAME TOTALS YOU SAW, UH, AT THE PREVIOUS MEETING, BUT JUST BREAKING OUT BY BARGAINING UNIT.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALARY FRINGES, UH, AND THE GRAND TOTAL IS THE SAME AS LAST TIME.
UH, ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, UH, BECAUSE WE HAD SOME DIALOGUE ABOUT IT LAST TIME, THAT WHEN YOU JUST LOOK AT AN OFFICE, YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE THE FTES OR TAKE THE TOTAL SALARY DIVIDED BY THE FTES BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER NON FTE OR NON, UM, PERMANENT POSITION COSTS THAT WON'T SHOW UP WITH A CORRESPONDING FTE.
AND HERE YOU HAVE SOME OF THEM LISTED THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME, STIPEND SUBS, UM, AAS.
SO PERMANENT TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES, TUTORS, PD, ET CETERA.
THERE'S, THERE'S A LONG LIST OF THINGS.
SO WE JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE, YOU CAN'T JUST LOOK AND TO DIVIDE THE TOTAL BY THE FTES.
UM, MID-LEVEL ADMINISTRATION, THAT GENERALLY REFERS TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.
SO IT'S PRINCIPAL AP SECRETARIES IN THE SCHOOL, AND IN OUR CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION, UH, DEPARTMENT HERE IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE, A NUMBER OF THE SUPERVISORS, MANAGERS, ET CETERA, ALSO FALL INTO MID-LEVEL ADMINISTRATION.
BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE COSTS ARE
[02:25:01]
IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE.UM, YOU CAN SEE, UH, HERE, THE MOST OF THE INCREASE IS JUST DUE TO THE NEGOTIATED COMPENSATION INCREASES.
SO OF THE 4 MILLION IN SALARIES AND WAGES, UM, TWO AND A HALF MILLION WAS SCHOOL-BASED SALARIES.
UM, CHARTER SCHOOLS WERE ALMOST A MILLION OF IT.
OUR TWO NEW CHARTERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE BUDGET.
UM, AND OF I JUST MENTIONED, WE HAVE THE YEAR TWO AND THREE STEPS IN COLA.
SO IT'S, IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE COMPENSATION INCREASE THIS YEAR.
'CAUSE WE HAVE HALF OF YEAR TWO AND ALL OF YEAR THREE.
SO YOU'RE GETTING A FULL YEAR AND A HALF OF INCREASES.
SO ANYWHERE YOU LOOK IN THE BUDGET BOOK, YOU'RE GONNA SEE RELATIVELY LARGE SALARY INCREASES.
IT MAY AT FIRST GLANCE, UH, BE A LITTLE CONFUSING, BUT THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S DRIVING IT.
AND NON-SALARY EXPENSES ARE ACTUALLY REDUCED OVERALL IN, UH, MID-LEVEL ADMINISTRATION.
UH, A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS BECAUSE, UM, UH, IT'S NOTED IN THE BOOK, IT, IT APPEARS THAT THERE'S A $10 MILLION INCREASE IN SUBSTITUTES.
SO, SO FIRST OF ALL, SUBSTITUTE INCREASE SUBSTITUTES ARE NOT FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT EMPLOYEES.
CURRENTLY, SUBSTITUTES ARE 100% CONTRACTUAL MANAGED BY KELLY SERVICES.
WE'VE BEEN, THIS IS THE FOURTH YEAR WE'VE BEEN ON THE KELLY CONTRACT.
UH, NEXT YEAR WE'RE TRANSITIONING BACK TO SUBSTITUTES IN-HOUSE, WHICH THROUGH THE WHOLE OF OUR EXISTENCE, WE'VE ALWAYS MANAGED THE SUBS DIRECTLY.
WE TRIED FOUR YEARS WITH KELLY, BUT, UH, TO SAVE MONEY AND TO BRING IT BACK IN HOUSE, THEY'RE COMING IN NEXT YEAR.
SO IT, IT'S NOT AN INCREASE, IT'S JUST A MOVEMENT FROM CONTRACTUAL TO SALARY.
SO, UH, THERE'VE BEEN A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
UM, GRANT POSITIONS, UM, IT, IT'S A VERY STEADY PERCENT OF THE BUDGET IF YOU EXCLUDE ESSER, WHICH, UH, WE ALL KNOW IS AN EXTRAORDINARY, UH, BUMP IN OUR, UH, GRANT FUNDED FEDERAL EXPENDITURES.
IT'S ABOUT 6% VERY, VERY STEADY OF THE BUDGET YEAR IN, YEAR OUT.
THERE'S CERTAINLY SOME VARIATION, UM, BUT IT'S PRETTY STEADY.
UM, OUR THREE, THERE'S REALLY THREE MAJOR GRANTS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, ON THE FEDERAL SIDE, WE HAVE THE IDA SPECIAL ED PASS THROUGH GRANT.
AND THEN ON THE STATE, OF COURSE, NOW WE HAVE THE CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY, WHICH HAS GROWN REALLY EXPONENTIALLY OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS SINCE BLUEPRINT CAME INTO EXISTENCE.
CERTAINLY A LOT OF OTHER IMPORTANT GRANTS, BUT THEY'RE JUST MUCH SMALLER THAN TITLE ONE IDA AND CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY.
UM, AND ON BUDGET 1 0 1, YOU CAN SEE A LIST OF THE GRANTS.
UH, I, I TOUCHED ON THIS AGAIN LAST TIME.
THIS IS THE SAME SLIDE WE LOOKED AT.
IT WAS JUST A VERY SIMPLE EXAMPLE.
YOU CAN'T JUST LOOK THAT, SEE, UH, ONE FTE AND A AND A VERY LARGE SALARY BECAUSE THE BOARD MEMBER STIPENDS ARE ALSO IN THE SALARIES AND WAGES OF THE BOARD.
UH, WE JUST, I JUST MENTIONED ON THE OTHER SLIDE, IT'S STIPEND, SUBS, AAS, ET CETERA.
SO, UH, JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT AGAIN.
UH, DR. ROGERS MENTIONED IT LAST TIME, AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT, UH, QUITE EXTENSIVELY AT THE LAST MEETING.
BUT FUND BALANCE IN THE FY 27 BUDGET IS ABOUT 2.4% OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
UM, IT'S AN ONGOING STABLE SOURCE OF REVENUE.
IT'S A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF, UH, THE GENERAL FUND.
WE ALWAYS WANNA KEEP A SUBSTANTIAL BALANCE, BOTH SO IT'S REPEATABLE.
SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK I SAID LAST TIME, WE WANNA, UM, IT'S A PRECIOUS ASSET THAT WE WANT TO, UM, COVET AND NOT LET IT GO.
WE ALSO USE IT FOR EMERGENCIES, CONTINGENCIES, SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS, UM, AND ANY OVERAGES THAT OCCUR.
THINGS LIKE SPECIAL ED, UH, FUND BALANCE CAN ONLY BE ACCESS THROUGH THIS BOARD'S APPROVAL, AND THEN APPROVAL BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL, THE SUPERINTENDENT, UM, THE STAFF.
NO ONE CAN ACCESS THAT FUNDS WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO ACCESS THAT.
UH, AND THIS, THIS CHART HERE JUST SHOWS A COUPLE OF THE SUPPLEMENTALS THAT WE'VE HAD THE LAST FEW YEARS AND WHAT THEY WERE FOR.
UM, AND ALSO OUR BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER, WHICH IN APRIL, BOTH OF THOSE, UM, UH, DOCUMENTS WILL COME TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL IN APRIL.
AND THEN THEY'LL GO TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
BUT YOU CAN JUST SEE THE AMOUNT OF, UH, BAT AS WE CALL IT, AND THE BUDGET SUPPLEMENTAL NOW WITH THE BAT.
JUST A REMINDER, UM, THE BAT IS JUST, IT'S BUDGET
[02:30:01]
NEUTRAL, JUST MOVING MONEY BETWEEN CATEGORIES.AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LOT MORE WHEN WE COME AND PRESENT THAT, UH, TO THIS BODY IN APRIL.
BUT THE POINT IS, WE NEED FLEXIBILITY IN THE BUDGET.
WE CAN'T END THE YEAR JUST A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS UNDER BUDGET, AND WE MUST END UNDER BUDGET.
WE HAVE TO END UNDER, WE CANNOT GO OVER BUDGET.
WE NEED TO HAVE, UH, SOME FLEXIBILITY IN THE BUDGET.
AND THAT'S WHY MOST OF THAT COMES THROUGH, UM, SALARY SAVINGS.
BUT, UH, IT'S STILL A VERY LOW, UH, NUMBERS A PERCENT OF THE BUDGET.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR VARIANCE BEING TWO-ISH PERCENT, TWO TO 3% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET.
SO IT'S REALLY PRETTY MODERATE.
AND, UH, WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY WHERE WE'LL BE AT RISK OF GOING OVER BUDGET.
UM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT FUND BALANCE.
THESE ARE THE SAME OVERALL FIGURES THAT YOU SAW LAST TIME.
UM, BUT, BUT A KEY TAKEAWAY WAS WE WANT TO USE A SUSTAINABLE AMOUNT.
SO WE HAVE 50 MILLION IN THE, UH, BUDGET THIS YEAR.
OUR PLAN IS TO, UH, TEMPER THAT DOWN OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO GET TO ABOUT A $30 MILLION, WHICH WE FEEL IS A SUSTAINABLE RATE.
AND THAT'S ABOUT WHAT WE USED PRE COVID.
THE BALANCE GOT VERY, VERY LARGE AS A RESULT OF, UH, UNDERSPENDING DURING COVID.
I, IT WAS THE, UH, LEAVING AT THE END OF, UH, THE END OF FY 20.
WE WERE REMOTE THE FULL YEAR FY 22.
WE WEREN'T DOING MANY FIELD TRIPS.
UM, AND I THINK WITHIN MARYLAND, JUST THE ESSER GRANT WAS SO LARGE THAT IN ITSELF MAY HAVE DRIVEN UP OUR VACANCIES BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH DEMAND FOR POSITIONS.
'CAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH MONEY JUST FLOATING THROUGH THE SYSTEM AT THAT TIME.
SO WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE, UH, AS MUCH AS THE, THE BUDGET CAN REALLY SUSTAIN THIS YEAR.
AND, UH, OUR PLAN IS TO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THAT RESOURCE AND NOT GO TOO LOW.
AND AGAIN, IF WE DO GO TOO LOW, IT'LL CREATE A LARGE GAP AT SOME POINT, WHICH WE LOOKED AT LAST TIME.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF WE CONTINUED USING 50 MILLION A YEAR, OR IF WE INCREASED OUR, UH, TURNOVER RATE TO 4%, OR 5.5% I THINK WAS MENTIONED, WE'LL RUN OUT OF FUND BALANCE REALLY QUICKLY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
AND THEN THERE'LL BE A REALLY LARGE GAP WILL BE DEALT WITH.
SO IT'LL BE THE ULTIMATE KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD BECAUSE WE'LL END UP WITH, UH, JUST A HUGE GAP THAT'LL BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME IF WE END UP IN THAT PLACE.
SO I THINK THIS WAS THE LAST SLIDE THAT WE HAD TODAY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, JUST FYA COUPLE FYIS FOR BOARD MEMBERS.
WE'RE NOT VOTING ON THE BUDGET TONIGHT.
WE'LL VOTE ON IT, UM, IN TWO WEEKS AT OUR NEXT BUDGET MEETING.
IF YOU SUBMITTED QUESTIONS PAST THE DEADLINE, THEY'LL BE WORKED ON, UM, AND THEN POSTED OR POSTED FOR US.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT, UM, I WILL, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND BOARD MEMBERS TIME TO THREE MINUTES.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
UM, MR. LESKI, YOU MAY START, I'LL START.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, UM, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR THIS NEXT SET OF QUESTIONS TO BE DIS UH, TO BE POSTED EARLY ENOUGH BEFORE THE MEETING, SINCE WE'LL BE VOTING AT THE NEXT MEETING SO THAT BOARD MEMBERS HAVE A TIME TO REVIEW THE NOTATIONS.
STAFF MEMBERS WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO OKAY.
UM, IN TERMS OF LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE 64 SECONDARY LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS.
HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE A LIBRARY AID? SO THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS, UM, CONDUCTED A SURVEY AFTER OUR LAST MEETING MONDAY.
UM, WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE GENERAL EDUCATION PARAEDUCATORS THAT SOME SCHOOLS CHOOSE TO USE.
UM, IT IS NOT ALL SCHOOLS IN UNIFORM AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UH, MS. UH, CHARLIE SPOKE TO EVERYONE IS,
[02:35:01]
UH, REQUIRED A POSITION.WE DO HAVE SOME, UM, AVAILABILITY WITH, UH, E-S-P-B-C STAFF TO ENSURE THAT, UH, REALLOCATION, UH, ENSURES THAT EVERY SECONDARY SCHOOL HAS A MEDIA ASSISTANT TO PRIZE SUPPORT.
AND THAT WOULD BE FOR FY 27? YES.
AND THEN WOULD THERE BE SOME TRAINING FOR THOSE SPECIFIC EMPLOYEES? ALWAYS.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE NON-LIBRARY TIME, THE TWO CLASS PERIODS, WOULD THE LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST ALSO HAVE AN ADVISORY? I KNOW THAT I THINK IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS THERE HAVE A, HAVE A LESSON AS PART OF AN ADVISORY, AND THEN THE DEVICE DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION COULD BE PART OF AN ADVISORY.
I WILL TAKE THAT BACK TO THE TEAM.
AND THEN, UM, IS THERE A PLAN TO SUNSET THIS NEED TO HAVE THEM TEACHING THE TWO PERIODS? I KNOW THAT OF COURSE, KOMAR AND POLICY ONCE A FULL-TIME LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST, SO I UNDERSTAND FISCAL CIRCUMSTANCES THIS YEAR, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN IDEAL LONG-TERM PLAN.
UM, I THINK OUR OVERALL GOAL WOULD BE TO, UH, REDUCE CLASS SIZES.
IF CLASS SIZES, UH, END UP BEING INCREASED, UM, PRIORITIZE THAT FIRST AND THEN, UH, RESTORATION.
SO THERE WOULD CERTAINLY BE A PLAN, UH, IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE FISCAL REALITIES THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS, UH, FACING.
IF, IF, UH, CLASS SIZES CHANGE, UH, THE PLAN WOULD, WE WOULD PRIORITIZE REDUCING CLASS SIZES FIRST.
I HAVE A QUESTION OR A, A MOTION RIGHT ALONG WITH THAT, WITH MR. LUSK'S COMMENTS, I MOVE TO RESTORE SECONDARY LIBRARY SLASH MEDIA SPECIALIST, THE FULL-TIME POSITIONS FOR THE FALL OF 20 2026, AND GOING FORWARD WITH NO CLASSROOM SLASH ADVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND, ESKI ANY DISCUSSION? THANK YOU.
TO RESTORE SECONDARY LIBRARIAN MEDIA SPECIALISTS TO FULL-TIME POSITIONS FOR THE FALL OF 2026 AND GOING FORWARD WITH NO CLASSROOM ADVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES, MR. IKI DISCUSSION, I MEASURE, UH, IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER THIS, DR. ROGERS, UM, WHAT WOULD BE THE FISCAL IMPACT OF THAT? I CAN, UM, CALCULATE THAT FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, 60 INDIVIDUALS WITH TWO PERIODS.
WE WILL HAVE TO CALCULATE THAT AND, UM, POST THAT RESPONSE.
SO IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF EVERYONE HAS ON AVERAGE AT LEAST 25 STUDENTS, THOSE ARE 50 STUDENTS PER BUILDING, UM, THAT WOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO CLASSES.
AND SO NOT ONLY IS THERE A, UH, THERE'S A, THERE'S THE IMPACT IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO MAXIMIZE THE EXISTING CERTIFIED TEACHING STAFF TO KEEP CLASS SIZES AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, WE WOULD BE UNDOING THAT.
SO THE ONLY THING I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT IT WOULD BE HARD TO VOTE ON THAT WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE FISCAL IMPACT WOULD BE.
THAT, THAT WOULD BE MY ONLY THING.
UH, I, IF THIS IS PROPER, I'D LIKE TO INVITE A, A MOTION TO POSTPONE THE VOTE ON THIS UNTIL OUR NEXT MEETING WHEN WE HAVE ADDITIONAL DATA REGARDING FISCAL IMPACT.
SO DID YOU JUST MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION? WELL, WHAT'S A MOTION? A SEPARATE MOTION THAT WOULD, OKAY.
SO IS THERE A SECOND TO MS. HUMPHREY'S? MOTION? SECOND.
FURTHER DISCUSSION ON MS. HUMPHREY'S MOTION.
SO MAY HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON MS. HUMPHREY'S.
SO THEN GOING BACK TO, TO MR. MCMILLIAN, IS THAT OFF THE TABLE NOW? POSTPONE.
UM, DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION, MR. OKAY.
MS. FONG, I, MY HEAD WAS RAISED OUR DISCUSSION FOR THE LAST ONE.
WHAT IS OUR VARIANCE PERCENTAGE AND DOLLAR AMOUNT, YEAR TO DATE BUDGETED VERSUS ACTUAL SCHOOL SALARIES?
[02:40:05]
UM, I DON'T HAVE THAT FIGURE WITH ME TONIGHT.WHAT PERCENTAGE AND DOLLAR AMOUNT OF BUDGETED SCHOOL SALARIES AND WAGES WERE REALLOCATED TO OTHER SPENDING CATEGORIES IN FY 26? I'M SORRY, FY 25? UM, WE, I DON'T KNOW THAT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I'D HAVE TO REVIEW, UH, THE BAT, BUT THE BAT WAS APPROVED BY THIS BOARD, AND, UH, THEY WOULD'VE, WE WOULD'VE REVIEWED THAT AT THE MEETING, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THE BAT AND GET YOU THAT FIGURE.
AND LASTLY, WHAT FEDERAL REVENUE CHANGES WILL BE MADE AS A RESULT OF THE CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT SIGNED INTO LAW ON FEBRUARY 3RD? SO I'LL ANSWER THAT.
UM, THAT WAS SIGNED ON FEBRUARY THE THIRD.
UH, WE HAVE BOTH OUR, UH, DIRECTOR WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, FEDERAL GRANTS AND THE OFFICE OF LAW RE REVIEWING THAT INFORMATION TO, UM, IDENTIFY THE IMPACT AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO OUR TEAM.
MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE A MOTION THAT I FORWARD IT TO THE FULL BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION, UM, THAT I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UM, THIS EVENING FOR A VOTE ON AT OUR FEBRUARY 24TH MEETING.
WOULD IT BE APPROPRIATE TO, UM, READ THAT MOTION NOW AND ASK THAT WE VOTE ON FEBRUARY 24TH? UM, YES.
THERE'S A POINT OF CLARIFICATION BEING ASKED.
I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR WE'RE MS. HEN IS MAKING A MOTION, BUT WE ARE NOT VOTING ON THE MOTION UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING.
IS THAT MR. BURNS? I THOUGHT WHAT I HEARD HER SAY IS THAT SHE WAS NOT MAKING A MOTION.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CLASSIFY IT, BUT NO, I WOULD SAY YOU CAN'T MAKE A MOTION AND THEN SAY FOR LATER, WE'RE NOT SECONDING IT OR MOVING ON IT TONIGHT.
I MEAN, I'M SORRY, ACTING ON TONIGHT CAN'T HAPPEN BOTH WAYS.
SO I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU WOULD CALL THIS.
MAY, MAY I CLARIFY, MADAM CHAIR? YES.
UM, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE A PROPOSAL FOR THE BOARD'S CONSIDERATION FOR VOTE AT THE FEBRUARY 24TH MEETING.
AS LONG AS, UM, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES OR LESS NOW.
I'D LIKE THE BOARD TO CONSIDER AMENDING THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGET THROUGH THE FOLLOWING FOUR PART, UM, PLAN.
PART ONE IS A FEDERAL REVENUE RECONCILIATION.
UM, THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND WOULD BE INCREASED BY 10 MILLION TO RECONCILE WITH THE CONSOLIDATED PER APPROPRIATIONS ACT SIGNED INTO LAW ON FEBRUARY 3RD.
UM, THESE FUNDS WILL BE RESTRICTED TO THEIR MANDATED PURPOSES.
UM, TITLE ONE AND IDEA, UM, PART TWO IS A VACANCY RATE REALIGNMENT.
THE BUDGETED VACANCY TURNOVER RATE SHALL BE INCREASED TO 5.5%, WHICH IDENTIFIES 28 MILLION IN EXISTING GENERAL FUND REVENUE.
THESE FUNDS WOULD BE REALLOCATED TO RESTORE CLASSROOM TEACHING POSITIONS PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED FOR A REDUCTION.
PART THREE DIRECTS THE SUPERINTENDENT TO PRESERVE ALL EXISTING FY 26 INSTRUCTIONAL STAFFING RATIOS, K THROUGH 12.
UM, TO BRIDGE THE REMAINING $3.8 MILLION GAP BETWEEN THE IDENTIFIED VACANCY SAVINGS OF 28 MILLION AND THE TOTAL COST OF RATIO RESTORATION, THE BOARD WOULD FORMALLY REQUEST THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING IN THAT AMOUNT.
AND PART FOUR ADDS A LAYER OF BUDGET OVERSIGHT ASKING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO PROVIDE QUARTERLY REPORTS OF BUDGET LINE TRANSFERS, WHICH WERE PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED TO THE BOARD'S BUDGET COMMITTEE FOR ANY TRANSACTION OF 50,000 OR GREATER WITHIN ANY, WITHIN ANY SINGLE MSDE CATEGORY.
THIS IS TO TRACK ANY, UM, BUDGETED FUNDS THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO SALARY THAT ARE, UM, DIVERTED TO CONTRACTED SERVICES OR OTHER NON-SALARY OPERATIONAL COSTS.
SO WHAT THIS MOTION DOES IS IT RECONCILES THE AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDING WITH ITS MANDATED USE.
IT ADJUSTS VACANCY SAVINGS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COUNTY AUDITOR, ALLOWING US TO PRESERVE CURRENT CLASSROOM STAFFING RATIOS.
IT CHANGES OUR REQUEST TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE REDUCING OUR ASK TO 3.9 MILLION AND ALLOWING US TO PRESERVE ALL SCHOOL STAFFING RATIOS.
AND FOURTH, IT HOLDS US THE BOARD ACCOUNTABLE FOR PROVIDING REGULAR, ONGOING OVERSIGHT OF THE USE OF VACANCY SAVINGS TO FUND SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS AS ATTENDED.
AND BY CONSIDERING THIS MOTIONS, WE, THIS MOTION AT OUR NEXT MEETING, WE, THE BOARD WOULD BE ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR BUDGET AND CHOOSING OUR CLASSROOMS. AND THIS MOTION IN ITS ENTIRETY HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION.
OTHER BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MS. HUMPHREY? I JUST HAVE A, I GUESS A REQUEST IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT REGARDING MS. HEN'S MOTION.
IF WE COULD RECEIVE, THIS IS PROBABLY ALREADY, YOU'RE PROBABLY ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THIS, BUT, UM, A STAFF RESPONSE, I
[02:45:01]
GUESS, I DUNNO IF THAT'S THE RIGHT TERM TO THIS PROPOSAL OR STAFF RECOMMENDATION OR ANALYSIS OF THIS PROPOSAL, UM, AT THE NEXT MEETING AS WELL.UH, MS. HUMPHREY, WE WILL, UH, PROVIDE INFORMATION FROM OUR FISCAL TEAM.
OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE BUDGET? THIS IS MS. FONG.
UM, I DID HAVE A QUESTION ALSO RELATED TO MS. HEN'S, UH, MOTION.
UM, AS FAR AS IF THE, IT'S A FOUR PART, BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE, UM, TAKEN IN ITS ENTIRETY IN ORDER FOR THOSE NUMBERS TO WORK OUT THE WAY THAT THEY DO BASED ON HER CALCULATIONS? I, I GUESS I'M, MAY I YES, GO AHEAD.
UM, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO RESPOND NOW, MADAM CHAIR, OR WHEN I FORMALLY MAKE THE MOTION? AND THIS MAY BE A QUESTION FOR MR. BURNS, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
IT'S FOR CONSIDERATION ONLY AT THIS POINT.
HE'S THINKING, WELL, I'M, I'M NOT, I THINK WE'RE MIXING APPLES AND ORANGES.
I THINK A BOARD MEMBER ASKED ANOTHER MEMBER TO ANSWER A QUESTION ABOUT THE PROPOSAL.
SO I THINK WITHIN THE RANGE OF WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING TONIGHT AS A WORK SESSION, SHE COULD ANSWER THAT.
I WOULD CAUTION MS. HEN THAT, UM, SHE'S OUT OF TIME WITH RESPECT TO HER OWN, UH, STATEMENTS.
BUT IF, IF THE BOARD WANTS TO ANSWER EACH OTHER'S QUESTIONS, YOU CAN.
UM, SO YES, MS. FONG, TWO OF THE, UM, PARTS OF THE MOTION ARE DEPENDENT ON, ON ONE ANOTHER.
THE 32 MILLION, UM, GAP IN PRESERVING THE STAFFING RATIOS ARE DEPENDENT ON THE 28 MILLION, UM, AND THE 4 MILLION IN SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FROM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, THE 28 MILLION BY ADJUSTING THE VACANCY, UM, RATE AND THE 4 MILLION IN SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FROM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE.
UM, THE OTHER TWO ARE, ARE NOT DEPENDENT.
MS. QUE, DID YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP BEFORE? YES.
UM, AS NOTED IN THE SLIDE ABOUT, UM, BT DCPS TV V AND HOW THERE'S SEVERAL LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT HAVE 20 PLUS, UM, STAFF, EMPLOYEE STAFF ON THERE.
COULD, UM, COULD YOU NAME SOME, SOME OF THOSE SCHOOL SYSTEMS? I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T, UH, RECALL.
I COULDN'T DO THAT NOW, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
UM, AND THEN ALSO WITH REGARDS TO LARGER CLASS SIZES AND UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU HIT THE 14 THRESHOLD, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT REALLY LOSING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER EFFECTIVENESS THAT IT HAS.
BUT MY CONCERN MOSTLY WITH IT IS THAT WE ARE ALREADY NEAR THAT 25 FOR MOST OF OUR SCHOOLS.
I KNOW THE DATA SHOWS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY, BUT, UM, JUST FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, UM, MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, EVERY GRADE IS 25 OR MORE, AND SPARKS IS IN THE SAME BOAT AS THIRD TO FIFTH GRADE.
UM, AND IT'S NOT JUST THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, IT'S THE FACT THAT WE HAVE GONE FROM THAT, UM, MORE INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE'RE BRINGING IN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATOR EDUCATION STUDENTS, WHICH IS, IS GREAT.
BUT SOMETIMES THERE ARE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS REQUIRE OR REQUIRE.
I CAN'T, UM, MORE ATTENTION FROM THE SPECIAL EDUCATED EDUCATOR, YOU KNOW, PARA EDUCATE WHAT OTHER PERSON IN THERE WATCHING THEM THAT THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY BE WATCHING FIVE OR SIX OTHER IEPS, BUT THEIR, LIKE, THEIR ATTENTION ON THAT ONE PERSON, WHICH TAKES AWAY FROM THE INSTRUCTION OF THE TEACHER IN THE HEAD OF THE HEAD OF THE CLASS.
UM, SO MY CONCERN IS GREAT THAT WE ARE EXPANDING FROM 20, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SAYING ARE 1 25, BUT REALLY WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THOSE, UM, WHEN YOU DO THE FORMULA, THE CLASS SIZES ARE GONNA BE MORE THAN 25.
THEY'RE GONNA BE CLOSER TO 30.
AND I WANNA KNOW WHAT KIND OF SUPPORTS WE'RE GONNA HAVE FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS IN THOSE SITUATIONS.
WHAT, WHAT, HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING THOSE TEACHERS AND, AND ABLE TO CONTROL THAT CLASSROOM, GET, UM, INSTRUCTION OUT, UM, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR THAT IF WE HAVE TO END UP DOING THIS ONE TO 25? SO I THINK I WILL, UM, UH, HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS.
UH, THE FIRST THING IS, AS WAS SHARED LAST WEEK, UM, OUR STAFFING ALLOCATIONS FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES WHO HAVE INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLANS IS SEPARATE FROM OUR GENERAL CLASSROOM TEACHER ALLOCATIONS.
UM, WE DO HAVE, UH, PROGRAMS WHERE
[02:50:01]
STUDENTS ARE INCLUDED IN WHEN YOU HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE INCLUDED.THE CALCULATION FOR A STUDENT RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IS DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF THE WEIGHT TO, UM, THEIR, UH, NON, UH, THEIR, THEIR PEERS IN THE CLASSROOM TO ENSURE THAT AN INCLUSION CLASS DOES NOT HAVE A, UM, HIGH NUMBER OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, WHICH THEN TURNS IT INTO IT'S NO LONGER A LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT IN ALIGNMENT WITH THEIR IEP.
UM, IT, I HEARD SOME TERMS ABOUT CONTROL AND PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE ROOMS. UM, OUR TEACHERS ARE PROVIDED WITH, UH, CO-TEACHERS.
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INSTRUCTION IS BOTH TO THE, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AS WELL AS THE GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER BY MARYLAND LAW.
EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT, UM, THE ACCOMMODATIONS IN AN IEP TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS IN THEIR LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
UM, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, UH, SEEING SPECIFIC DATA REGARDING SCHOOLS AND POPULATIONS OF, UH, YOUNGEST LEARNERS THAT WERE 25 GOING TO 30.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT THE COMMUNITY IS CLEAR, ESPECIALLY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
THAT SHOULD BE THE GRADE LEVEL WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF VARIABILITY.
I WILL ALSO HIGHLIGHT FOR THIS BOARD AN FY 25, WHEN WE CAME TOGETHER, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE DID WAS ADDRESS THAT GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE HISTORICALLY HAD THE HIGHEST CLASS SIZES, THE HIGHEST STAFFING ALLOCATION HIGHER THAN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
SO CERTAINLY IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, TWO YEARS IN, YOU MIGHT SEE THOSE NUMBERS A LITTLE, UM, HIGHER THAN, UH, KINDERGARTEN AND ABOVE.
I BELIEVE WHEN WE SHARED THE DIRECT NUMBERS LAST YEAR, UH, WE SEE ANYWHERE FROM SIX TO 9% IN THE YOUNGER GRADES OF STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL SITTING RIGHT NOW WITH, UH, MORE THAN 25 STUDENTS.
SO IF THERE ARE SPACES, UM, WHERE THAT IS NOT THE CASE, UH, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
UM, THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT IF A SCHOOL RECEIVES AN ALLOCATION FOR 25 STUDENTS OR FOR 50 STUDENTS AND THEY GROW TO 52 OR 53, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE AN EXTRA TEACHER, UM, THAT IS, IS NOT, UM, A REALISTIC EXPECTATION, NOR ARE THOSE TEACHERS READILY AVAILABLE.
UH, WHAT WE ARE PROVIDING, AND I'M NEGLECTED TO SAY IT, AND SO I APPRECIATE, UH, THIS QUESTION THAT GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY IT.
WHAT WE ARE PROVIDING TO OUR PRINCIPALS WHEN WE DO STAFFING THIS YEAR ARE STAFFING CAPS.
WE HAVE BROKEN IT OUT BY GRADE LEVEL IN THE SECONDARY, UH, GRADES.
WE HAVE BROKEN IT OUT BY CONTENT, AND WE PROVIDE WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE FOR MINIMUM, BUT ALSO WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE FOR MAXIMUM.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE VERY, UM, UH, STRICT IF YOU, IF YOU WANNA CALL IT THAT WITH OUR MONITORING OF MAXIMIZING THE USE OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
IN A CHART THAT I SHARED LAST WEEK, YOU'LL SEE ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH, THE NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT EMPLOYEES THAT ARE PAID AND HIRED TO TEACH FULL-TIME ALL DAY.
BUT THEY HAVE BEEN GRANTED RELEASE PERIODS.
THIS IS NO JUDGMENT ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THOSE RELEASE PERIODS.
I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE WORKING TO SUPPORT STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING.
HOWEVER, IF WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH CONSIDERATION OF INCREASED CLASS SIZES, WE MUST MAXIMIZE ALL THE CERTIFIED INDIVIDUALS IN OUR CLASSROOM.
AND SO I WILL END WITH THE TRAINING THAT WE PROVIDED ON FIRST INSTRUCTION IS WHERE WE ARE INVESTING.
THAT IS COUPLED WITH THE MONITORING THAT HAPPENS NOT ONLY FROM SCHOOL BUILDING LEADERSHIP, BUT ALSO THE MONITORING THAT HAPPENS FROM CENTRAL OFFICE ON A REGULAR BASIS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IS CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING.
AND SO THAT MEANS THAT STUDENTS ARE FOCUSED, THAT MEANS THE STUDENT NEEDS ARE BEING MET AND THAT THERE IS, UM, MOMENTUM THAT CONTINUES, UH, HIGHLY ENGAGED CLASSROOMS. AND SO CERTAINLY IF THERE ARE SPACES WHERE THERE ARE CONCERNS, I WOULD INVITE FOR THOSE, UM, SPECIFIC, UM, CHALLENGES TO BE REPORTED IF THEY HAVE BEEN REPORTED FIRST TO THE BUILDING PRINCIPAL.
BEYOND THAT, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS AND OUR CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, DR. JONES IS SITTING HERE.
SHE TAKES THESE, UH, CONCERNS VERY SERIOUSLY AND SPENDS THE MAJORITY OF HER TIME INSIDE SCHOOLS IN CLASSROOMS. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO ADD, I TURNED IT OVER TO YOU, DR. JONES.
I I THINK YOU COVERED IT, DR. ROGERS.
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEREVER THIS EXISTS, PLEASE BRING IT TO OUR ATTENTION.
AND WHEN OR IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS COMES TO OUR ATTENTION, WE
[02:55:01]
TRY OUR BEST TO ADDRESS IT IMMEDIATELY.UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CAPS, WILL THERE BE CAPS ON HOW MANY STUDENTS WILL BE IN A CLASSROOM THAT WITH IEPS TOO? WILL YOU CAP THAT? SO THERE IS A FORMULA.
UM, THERE IS A FORMULA THAT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS APPLYING.
UM, WHAT IS TYPICAL ACROSS SCHOOL SYSTEMS IS ONE TO ONE AND A HALF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
I HOW MANY STUDENTS DO YOU LIKE? HOW MANY STUDENTS DO YOU PUT IN THAT EQUATION THAT HAVE IEPS THAT ARE IN A CLASSROOM? SO THAT, THAT IS WHAT I'M REFERRING TO.
SO FOR EVERY ONE STUDENT THAT DOES NOT HAVE AN IEP, UM, AND THEN YOU HAVE ONE STUDENT THAT HAS AN IEP IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER, THE CLASS, UH, CAP THAT YOU HAVE, YOU'RE COUNTING THE STUDENT WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS AS A HIGHER LOAD.
SO POTENTIALLY IF YOU HAVE A CLASS OF 25, 10 OF THEM COULD HAVE IEPS? NO, NO, BECAUSE 10 OF THEM WOULD BE COUNTED AS 1.5.
UM, AND THEN THAT, UM, I FORGOT WHAT MY OTHER QUESTION WAS.
MAYBE WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU LATER.
WE'LL COME BACK IF YOU REMEMBER.
UM, OTHER QUESTIONS, MR. LESKI? UM, THANK YOU.
UM, IN THINKING ABOUT, UM, SUPPORTS FOR TEACHER IN LIGHT OF CLASS SIZE INCREASES, I KNOW THERE'S SOME SUPPORTS IN PLACE THAT TEACHERS HIGHLY VALUE.
UM, EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND PEER ASSISTANCE REVIEW ARE TWO THAT COME TO MY MIND.
UM, SO HOW ARE WE ENSURING THAT THOSE PROGRAMS CONTINUE AND CAN BE CONSISTENTLY IMPLEMENTED GIVEN THE FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS? SO THERE ARE NO PLAN CHANGES TO PAR OR PEER ASSISTANCE AND REVIEW.
UM, THE BLUEPRINT ACTUALLY REQUIRES FOR ALL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN MARYLAND TO HAVE A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO, UM, NEW TEACHERS.
AND SO THERE ARE NO PLAN CHANGES FOR THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, SUPPORT AND CONTINUED, UH, OPERATIONS OF THE EDUCATION FOUNDATION.
UM, AGAIN, THAT'S ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE PLAN TO, UH, REMAIN FULLY OPERATIONAL, NO, UH, IMPACT TO SERVICES OF THE END USER.
AND WERE THERE ANY STAFFING CUTS IN THESE AREAS? UH, THERE ARE NO CHANGES, UH, PLANNED TO PAR.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, CONSOLIDATION OF SOME AREAS AS YOU HAVE IN THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL BOOK.
THE FINAL DECISIONS, UH, WON'T BE MADE UNTIL THE SPRING.
AND PAR RELIES ON STIPENDS, RIGHT? TO THE, UM, UH, WHAT IS IT LIKE A TEAM OF TEACHERS AND CONSULTING TEACHERS, AND IS THAT A STIPEND? I DUNNO.
MR. TIFF, DOES PAR HAVE A STIPEND? THERE IS A STIPEND ASSOCIATED WITH PAR.
AND THAT IS FULLY FUNDED? YES.
AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION, UM, I KNOW IN LIGHT OF, AND, AND THIS IS A DIFFICULT QUESTION, BUT I KNOW IN LIGHT OF THE, THE FINANCIALS, OBVIOUSLY EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS.
SO SOME TEACHERS HAVE COME AND SHARED ABOUT, UM, LIKE TABCO GRIEVANCES AND THE COST INVOLVED THERE.
SO IF YOU CAN SPEAK TO THE AMOUNT OF COST TO THE SYSTEM OF THE GRIEVANCE FILINGS FOR THE THIS YEAR SO FAR, AND HOW THAT IS FUNDED.
UM, FIRST I WOULD HAVE TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL ON WHETHER OR NOT THAT INFORMATION, UH, IS INFORMATION THAT CAN BE PUBLICLY SHARED.
UM, FISCAL WOULD HAVE TO DO SOME, UH, INFORMATION GATHERING.
AND ADDITIONALLY, UH, I BELIEVE IT IS THE RIGHT OF NOT ONLY TABCO, BUT EVERY ASSOCIATION HAS THE RIGHT TO GRIEVE MM-HMM
UM, AND WITH GRIEVANCES ARE ASSOCIATED COSTS.
I THINK IT WOULD BE FROWNED UPON LARGELY, UM, FOR ANY SCHOOL SYSTEM TO TAKE EFFORTS THAT WOULD, UM, INFRINGE UPON THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS TO GRIEVE.
AND I SEE BOARD COUNCIL, UM, NODDING IN AGREEMENT BEHIND YOU.
UM, CAN YOU SHARE, IS THERE LIKE AN ESTIMATED COST IN THE FY 27 BUDGET FOR THAT? I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
[03:00:01]
UH, I'M NOT SURE WHICH PAGE NUMBER NOW I'M IN THE OPERATING BUDGET QUESTIONS AND IT'S ON PAGE, UM, 21, QUESTION NUMBER 72, AND IT TALKS ABOUT DEPARTMENT 0 94, WHICH IS EQUITY, AND THAT IT'S BEEN ZEROED OUT, MOVED TO DEPARTMENT 1 77 WITH THE TRAINING.UM, AND THEN THERE'S ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND INFORMA, UH, UH, ASKING ABOUT THE DETAILS.
SO THE RESPONSE TALKS ABOUT THAT IT WAS JUST MOVED AND IT'S PART OF THE REORGANIZATION.
UM, BUT THERE WAS A REDUCTION TO THREE POSITIONS IN THE RESPONSE.
IT TALKS ABOUT, UM, THE RECLASSIFICATIONS OF THE TITLES EVEN FOR, UM, THE NAME OF THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF.
SO IT'S MOVED FROM THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND CULTURAL PROFICIENCY, IT'S NOW DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO MY QUESTION IS IN REGARDS TO THAT AS QUESTION SLASH COMMENTS.
UM, BECAUSE AS A BOARD, WE HAVE A COMMITMENT TO EQUITY.
WE HAVE AN EQUITY COMMITTEE, WE EVEN HAVE AN EQUITY POLICY THAT'S ZERO 100.
AND AS WELL AS WITH OUR COMMITTEE, WE HAVE AN EQUITY ADVISORY COUNCIL.
SO IT CONCERNS ME WHEN I SEE THAT WE ARE MOVING A DEPARTMENT UNDER ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, WE'RE NOT EVEN REFERRING TO IT AS EQUITY ANYMORE, AND THEN WE ARE REDUCING THE POSITION.
SO THERE'S SOME DEFUNDING THAT'S HAPPENING THERE.
SO I'D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT THE WORK THAT, UM, I MEAN, WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO IT THIS PARTICULAR WAY? IT SOUNDS LIKE IF THE FUNDS ARE NOT CHANGING, WHY ARE WE DOING IT THIS WAY INSTEAD OF CONTINUING AS WE HAVE IN THE SAME VEIN, FUNDING THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND CULTURAL PROFICIENCY AS IS.
AND INSTEAD OF DECREASING POSITIONS, WE SHOULD AT LEAST BE TRYING TO MAINTAIN, IF NOT INCREASE THE POSITIONS.
YOU WANT THAT? GOOD? SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I, SO, SO COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION, PLEASE? I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I CAN RESPONSIBLY ANSWER.
UM, I DO WANNA SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO THE WORK, AND I KNOW MS. FONG, YOU CONTINUE TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH MR. HANDY AS IT RELATES TO THE WORK OF THE EQUITY COMMITTEE.
SO I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT WORK HAS SUBSIDED IN ANY WAY.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT WORK HAS CHANGED IN ANY WAY.
AND IN FACT, I BELIEVE HE IS RESPONSIVE AND, AND LEADING THAT WORK.
UM, I DO KNOW THAT HIGH EXPECT, UH, HIGH EXPECTATIONS TEACHING IS THE WORK THAT ALL OF THE SPECIALISTS ARE ENGAGING IN AS PART OF THE OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, I, EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT, I DON'T KNOW THAT THEIR FOCUS HAS SHIFTED.
THEIR EXPERTISE CERTAINLY HAS NOT.
THEY CONTINUE TO WORK ALONGSIDE PRINCIPALS WHEN PRINCIPALS EITHER REQUEST THEIR PRESENCE OR THERE IS AN ISSUE IN A SCHOOL THAT IS RELATED TO AN EQUITY CONCERN.
UH, THESE SAME FOLKS COME FORWARD AND, AND DO THAT WORK.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN SPEAK TO THE OPERATIONAL PIECE OF TITLES.
I CAN CERTAINLY ALLOW, UH, DR.
GRIM WHO IS SUPERVISING THAT WORK, OR AT LEAST THAT WORK FALLS IN HIS SHOP.
I CAN CERTAINLY ALLOW HIM TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THAT.
SO THANK YOU, UH, MR.
UM, SO THEY WERE PART OF THE FY 26, UM, CHANGES THAT OCCURRED.
AND SO THAT TEAM HAS, HAS ACTUALLY ACTIVELY BEEN INVOLVED THIS YEAR IN, UH, THE EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UM, AS MR. CHARLIE GREEN INDICATED, UM, THEY ARE, UH, AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
SO NOT ONLY ARE THEY, UM, CONTINUING MUCH OF THE WORK THAT THAT THEY'VE STARTED AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN OVER THE YEARS, UM, BUT THERE ARE NEW THREADS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION WHERE THEY'RE PROVIDING SUPPORT TO ALL OF OUR WORKFORCE.
AND IF I JUST, JUST MAY ADD, AND I APPRECIATE, UH, DR.
GRIM REMINDING US THAT IT DID OCCUR LAST YEAR, AND PART OF THE THINKING WAS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT WAS ALL OF THEIR WORK WAS EMBEDDED IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, SO THAT ALL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE TRAINING, UH, THAT WE PROVIDE TO TEACHERS, TO PRINCIPALS, TO SUPPORT STAFF, ARE RECEIVING BENEFIT OF THE EXPERTISE THAT THIS TEAM PROVIDES.
AND SO YOU DID SEE MR. HANDY FEATURED ON THE VIDEO, UH, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING.
SO I THINK THAT'S FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THE WORK IS NOT, UM, SILOED, BUT IS ACTUALLY INTEGRATED FULLY INTO THE WORK WE DO TO ENSURE THAT ALL STAFF, ALL STAFF, REGARDLESS OF POSITION, UNDERSTAND, UH, THE WORK OF IMPROVING LEARNING FOR ALL STUDENTS.
ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A MENTION, THIS IS OPERATIONAL.
I GUESS WHAT I'M LOOKING AT IS THAT IT'S OPERATIONS IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT THE BOARD HAS SAID AS PRIORITY AND COMMITMENTS.
AND SO LIKE IF THE WORK IS STAYING THE SAME AND HASN'T CHANGED AGAIN, WHY NECESSARILY THE MOVE FROM A WHOLE SEPARATE DEPARTMENT AND EVEN THE REMOVAL OF, OR THE CHANGE OF NAMES THAT IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
HOW IS SOMEONE NECESSARILY TO KNOW THAT DEPARTMENT
[03:05:01]
OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT DEALS WITH OUR EQUITY AND CULTURAL PROFICIENCY? HOW IS A PARENT TO KNOW, A STUDENT, TO KNOW, A STAFF MEMBER TO KNOW, ET CETERA? WE DON'T EVEN HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT DEPARTMENT TO GO TO.THE SPECIALISTS ARE NO LONGER IDENTIFIED AS THE SAME.
IT'S JUST INCONGRUENT WHEN WE SAY, HERE'S, WE HAVE THIS COMMITMENT.
AND EVEN FOR BLUEPRINT, THERE'S SOMETHING TALKING ABOUT HIGHLY DIVERSE, UM, STAFF, TEACHERS AND LEADERS.
WE DON'T, AND WE SPEAK ABOUT THE HIGHLY TRAINED, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE DIVERSE PIECE.
SO IT JUST, AGAIN, IT'S LOOKING THAT WE'RE MOVING AWAY FROM BEING ABLE, WE DON'T EVEN, WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT OR IDENTIFYING DIVERSITY EXPLICITLY OR SPECIFICALLY.
SO I WOULD, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I WOULD ADD A FEW COMMENTS AND, UH, SUBMIT THIS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
UM, FOR US AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, EQUITY IS NOT SILOED, EQUITY IS NOT A THING OR RESTS WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF, UH, FOUR OR FIVE INDIVIDUALS.
AS YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST YEAR, FEW YEARS, WE HAVE HAD TO MAKE REDUCTIONS, PARTICULARLY IN CENTRAL OFFICES.
UM, THERE WAS A REDUCTION BY ONE POSITION LAST YEAR.
UM, WE ALSO HAD IN BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THREE YEARS AGO AND PRIOR TO THAT WHERE, UM, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WAS HAPPENING IN SEVERAL DIVISIONS, IN SEVERAL OFFICES.
AND WHAT IT LED TO IS DISPARATE TRAINING FOR OUR STAFF.
AND SO WE MOVED IT TO EMPLOYEE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
AND WHETHER IT IS ON THE OPERATION SIDE, IT'S ON THE SCHOOL BUILDING SIDE, IT'S ON CENTRAL OFFICE, IT IS ALL LED BY DR.
UM, THAT WAY WE HAVE INTERNAL, UH, COHESION AND THERE IS ACCOUNTABILITY THAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE, UM, CONVEYED IN TERMS OF, UH, THE TRAINING THAT WE PROVIDE TO ALL TEACHERS.
WE MOVE TO THE WORK OF, UH, JOHN S SOPHIA, HIGH EXPECTATIONS TEACHING, UM, SO THAT OUR TEACHING STAFF AND PARAPROFESSIONALS WERE VERY CLEAR ON THE SPECIFIC, UH, STRATEGIES THAT SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CLASSROOM, THAT DISPLAY, THAT DEMONSTRATE HIGH EXPECTATIONS TEACHING, WHICH IS IF WE ARE TRULY COMMITTED TO EQUITY, WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING DAY IN AND DAY OUT OF ALL OF OUR CLASSROOMS. SO I CERTAINLY, UH, ALONG WITH THE TEAM, RECEIVE YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, THE CHANGES IN NAMES.
UM, WE DID SHIFT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE MORE EFFICIENT IN PROCESS AND OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS REMAINS UNWAVERING.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THAT EVIDENCE BY THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
ALL OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS ARE WELL AWARE OF THE, UM, UH, ACCESS THAT THEY HAVE TO THE TEAM MEMBERS FOR SUPPORT.
ADDITIONALLY, SCHOOLS ALSO HAVE INDIVIDUALIZED EQUITY LIAISONS TO CONTINUE TO CHAMPION THAT WORK.
OTHER QUESTIONS? MS. DOKI? I REMEMBER THIS BOARD MEMBER FONG, CHAIR FONG, YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR THREE MINUTE TIME.
I DIDN'T HEAR ANYONE SAY THAT.
IT, IT RANG AT THE, WHEN YOU WERE CONCLUDING YOUR LAST QUESTION.
I JUST LET YOU FINISH THAT QUESTION.
I THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING, THEY WERE LIKE, SOMETHING WILL BE SAID TO US WHEN OUR TIME WAS GONNA BE CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED.
IT, IT HAPPENED MID WHILE YOU WERE DOING YOUR LAST QUESTION.
BUT I AM ALSO ED, I DIDN'T HEAR, AND I ALSO HAVE HEARD OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, OH, YOU HAVE THIS MUCH TIME LEFT, ET CETERA.
AND I DIDN'T HEAR THAT IS WHAT I WAS SAYING.
SO I'D LIKE TO ASK ONE LAST QUESTION.
MS. DOS, I MEAN MS. I'M SORRY.
MS. DOKI HAD ANOTHER, WAS THE NEXT PERSON WITH THE QUESTION.
UH, IT WAS JUST A FOLLOW UP FROM LAST WEEK WHEN I ASKED ABOUT, UM, THE CENTRAL OFFICE, UM, POSITIONS THAT WERE ELIMINATED IF, OR HOW MANY OF THEM WERE, UM, SUPPORT SERVICES, SUPPORT STAFF IN, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PEOPLE PERSONNEL SERVICES.
SO WE DID NOT, UM, ELIMINATE PEOPLE, PERSONNEL, UH, WORKERS.
I KNOW THAT THAT WAS SOME, UH, RUMOR THAT WAS FLOATING AROUND IN THE COMMUNITY.
AGAIN, I WANNA REITERATE, THOSE 16 POSITIONS WERE MOVED ON TO A GRANT, A FEDERAL STABLE GRANT.
WE DID NOT CUT PEOPLE, PERSONNEL, WORKERS, UM, SPECIAL EDUCATION.
UH, WE ALSO, UM, UH, DID NOT MAKE CUTS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE PROPOSED NEW SPENDING FOR 20 ADDITIONAL POSITIONS.
A COMBINATION OF PARAEDUCATORS AS WELL AS TEACHERS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION IN, UM, THE BUDGET.
AND I THINK YOU HAD A THIRD PART OF THE QUESTION, BUT I DON'T RECALL IT.
IT WAS NOT NECESSARILY, UM, THE EDUCATORS, THE, THE SUPPORT STAFF THAT WERE IN, IN CENTRAL OFFICE FOR THOSE DEPARTMENTS.
SO THERE WERE SOME CENTRAL OFFICE, UH, SUPPORT STAFF REDUCTIONS.
THE TEAM WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK THROUGH THE BUDGET BOOK DETAILS.
UM, THE 69 THAT WAS SHARED ON THAT ORANGE SLIDE,
[03:10:01]
THOSE WERE ALL SUPERVISORY LEVEL POSITIONS, BUT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN IN, IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PEOPLE PERSONNEL SERVICES, SUPERVISORS, UM, SUPERVISORS OR COORDIN.THERE WAS 31 CO I MEAN THIR, UH, 13 COORDINATORS AND 31 SUPERVISORS.
NONE OF THOSE WERE FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION.
OH, THEY COULD HAVE BEEN, THERE WERE CERTAIN PLACES WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR.
THERE WERE CERTAIN PLACES WHERE WE WOULD HAVE, UM, SEVERAL PEOPLE, UM, IN CHARGE OF THE SAME FUNCTION.
AND SO WE CONSOLIDATED THOSE NUMBERS.
IJI JUST HAD ASKED FOR THOSE NUMBERS THE LAST TIME THAT IF I COULD, IF I COULD ASK THEM AGAIN FOR NEXT TIME.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE ANY CUTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CENTRALIZED SUCH SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR THAT.
SO IS THE QUESTION FROM FFY 25 FY 27 BUDGET OR FY 26? SO I'M, IT'S IN REFERENCE TO THE SLIDE THAT YOU'VE BEEN SHOWING US OF THE 69 ELIMINATED POSITIONS SINCE 25 AND 26 UHHUH BETWEEN 25 AND 26.
SO I, I'M ASKING WHICH SUPPORT STAFF WERE THOSE INCLUDED IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PEOPLE PERSONNEL SERVICES.
SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SUPPORT STAFF 'CAUSE THERE'S NO SUPPORT STAFF ON THAT SLIDE, BUT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHICH PFIZER? YEAH.
I MEANT SUPPORT AS IN LIKE SOMEONE IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE SUPPORTING OUR, OUR, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION EDUCATORS AND OUR PEOPLE PERSONNEL SERVICES THAT ARE WORKING IN THE SCHOOL.
THAT'S WHAT I MEANT BY THAT, BUT I, I, I MEAN SUPERVISORS OR COORDINATORS OR DIRECTORS THAT WERE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION OR PEOPLE PERSONNEL SERVICES.
SO I WENT QUESTION WENT OVER TIME, BUT THANK, THANK YOU WHAT I MEANT.
MS. EY, I'D LIKE TO INVITE A MOTION TO EXTEND TIME FOR DEBATE TO 30 SECONDS ADDITIONAL SECONDS.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE.
UM, I THINK MS. LESKI SECONDED.
MS. FONG, YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL 30 SECONDS.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO POSE YOUR QUESTION? I WOULD.
SO WITH THE BUDGET, THE FULL AMOUNT THAT WAS BUDGETED FOR 2026, IS THAT GOING TO BE THE FULL AMOUNT THAT IS STILL BUDGETED FOR THAT WORK IN FY 2027 AS WELL AS THE STAFFING? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT LAID OUT CLEARLY WITH THE NEW DEPARTMENT.
THERE ARE NO, UM, WELL, ACTUALLY, ARE THERE CHANGES? YES.
I ALSO, THERE WAS, THERE'S A CHANGE.
THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A, THERE WERE SEVERAL REDUCTIONS IN EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.
ONE WAS A SPECIALIST POSITION.
I ALSO WANNA MAKE A GO AHEAD CORRECTION.
I DO ALSO WANNA MAKE A CORRECTION TO THE, UH, RECORD.
THERE WAS, UH, THE QUESTION, MS. LESKI, YOU ASKED ABOUT PAR UH, MY RESPONSE WERE THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO PAR, NO CHANGES TO OUR CONSULTING TEACHERS.
UM, BUT I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT IN, IN CASE THE QUESTION WAS IN REFERENCE TO, UM, ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
UM, THERE IS A REDUCTION THAT IS IN THE FY 27 BOOK.
THAT REDUCTION IS AGAIN, NOT TO CONSULTING TEACHERS OR NOT TO THE, UM, WAY THAT THE PROGRAM WILL MOVE FORWARD TO SUPPORTING ALL OF OUR NEW TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS.
UM, OTHER QUESTIONS? MS. PUMPHREY, HOW MUCH TIME DOES MS. PUMPHREY HAVE MR. BURNS? LOTS.
I'M TRYING TO, BUT MY QUESTION'S QUICK AND I WAITED FOR THE END BECAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY RELATED.
IT'S 2027 BUDGET, HOWEVER, WE DID DISCUSS IT.
SO, UM, MY COMMENT IS THAT REGARDING THE UPDATED FORMAT FOR THE 2028 BUDGET FORMAT, I SAID FORMAT TWICE.
UM, IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THAT, I THINK IT WOULD BE, IF POSSIBLE, THE, UM, A CHANCE FOR THE BOARD TO TAKE A LOOK AT AN INITIAL OVERVIEW OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND PROVIDE COMMENT AND QUESTIONS BEFORE THE FINAL DEVELOPMENT OF THAT IN THE AD HOC FORMAT FOR THE 2028, NO PROBLEM.
AND AD HOC COMMITTEE'S WORKING ON SOME OF THAT OTHER, UM, OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CHAIR LICHTER? MY QUESTION ABOUT THE COST WASN'T ANSWERED
[03:15:04]
THERE, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A REDUCTION IN FTE WITHIN EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.UM, WE'D HAVE, I'D HAVE TO GET WITH MR. TANT LIFT TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER CHANGE THAT WOULD IMPACT THAT INDIVIDUAL UNIT WITHIN EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.
SINCE IT'S ALL PART OF THE UNIT, WE HAD, UM, MULTIPLE FTE REDUCTIONS IN EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.
BUT JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, WHEN THE INFORMATION COMES BACK, MY QUESTIONS RELATING TO EQUITY SINCE ALL OF THAT WAS MOVED OVER.
SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES TO THE WORK IN COST AND IN PEOPLE.
GRIM, DO YOU NEED CLARIFICATION OR? I, I WOULD REQUEST THAT A SPECIFIC QUESTION BE WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO.
UM, SINCE IT'S, WE, WE LOOK IN, IN TOTALITY AT THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT AND, AND WHILE, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF EQUITY WAS A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT, IT'S NO LONGER A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT OR OFFICE WITHIN EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.
SO IT'S PART OF THE TOTALITY OF THAT UNIT.
UH, MS. HAN, CAN YOU SUBMIT THAT QUESTION IN WRITING SO THAT DR.
GIM CAN WORK ON THAT RESPONSE? SURE, I CAN DO THAT.
SAVOY, YOU HAVE A QUESTION, MICROPHONE.
HOW THE PUPIL SERVICE PERSONNEL WORKER DIFFERS FROM A ONE-ON-ONE AIDE FOR SPECIAL ED CHILDREN? HOW THE DUTIES ARE DIFFERENT? UH, THANK YOU.
THE DUTIES ARE DIFFERENT IN THAT THE ONE-ON-ONE, UM, AID FOR A STUDENT IS ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC STUDENT TO, UM, IMPLEMENT REQUIREMENTS ON THEIR, UH, IEP MM-HMM
UM, THEY TYPICALLY ARE WITH STUDENTS IN CLASSES IN THE CAFETERIA, IN GYM, ET CETERA.
WHEREAS THE PUPIL PERSONNEL WORKER, UM, WORKS WITH WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITIES.
THEY REALLY FOCUS ON ATTENDANCE.
THEY FOCUS ON ISSUES OF RESIDENCY, ON, UM, UH, HOMELESSNESS, UM, UH, SPECIAL TRANSFERS, UH, THAT IS, UH, REALLY THE SCOPE OF THEIR WORK.
THEY, UH, WORK ON ATTENDANCE TEAMS IN SCHOOLS, BUT THEY ALSO WORK, UM, CENTRALLY TO, UH, FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE PROCESSES.
OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MR. LESKI? I THINK YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS.
UM, IN, UH, ONE OF THE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS, IT TALKED ABOUT THE 50 MILLION, UH, FUND BA 50 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE DOLLARS BEING USED FOR ONGOING COSTS.
SO WHAT WILL BE THE FUTURE FUNDING SOURCE FOR THESE EXPENDITURES? SO I BELIEVE THERE IS A BUDGET QUESTION WHERE THE BUDGET TEAM, UH, PROVIDED SOME RESPONSE TO THAT IN THE TWO SETS.
UM, MR. TANLEY, IF YOU REMEMBER THAT RESPONSE, YOU CAN SHARE IT.
UM, SOMEONE WILL NOTE THAT TO BE ADDED TO THE BUDGET SET THREE.
UH, I, I THINK IF THE QUESTION WAS IS IT TARGETED TOWARDS A SPECIFIC THING, THE ANSWER IS NO.
IT'S JUST PART OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT, WE, WE HAVE IT LONG-TERM PLANNED IN, IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER.
SO WE'LL STEP THAT DOWN SLOWLY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS FROM 50 MILLION TODAY TO 30 MILLION SEVERAL YEARS FROM NOW.
SO, SO WHATEVER ONGOING COSTS WILL BE PROVIDED IN FY 27, UM, THERE WILL BE A FUNDING SOURCE OF SOME SORT TO FUND THOSE COSTS? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? UH, WHETHER IT'S FROM THE FUND, FUND BALANCE IS, IS A SOURCE OF REVENUE IN THE END, JUST LIKE STATE REVENUE, COUNTY REVENUE.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE'RE PROJECTING OUR REVENUE, WE'RE PROJECTING OUR EXPENSES, AND THEN MAKING THOSE TWO THINGS BALANCE.
SO WE'LL TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUND BALANCE THAT WE CAN, WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO USE NEXT YEAR, WHICH RIGHT NOW WE'RE PLANNING FOR THAT TO BE ABOUT $40 MILLION.
MAYBE MY QUESTION IS CONFUSING.
UM, SO THE ONGOING COSTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE PAID FOR WITH THE 50 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE, KNOWING THAT THE FUND BALANCE IS GONNA GO DOWN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, IS WILL THERE BE A PLAN TO FUND THOSE COSTS? YEAH, UM, AGAIN, WHEN WE START THE BUDGET PROCESS, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT OUR REVENUE.
[03:20:01]
BE GROWING, UM, DEPENDING ON, THAT'LL BE DRIVEN BY ENROLLMENT, SAME WITH COUNTY REVENUE.SO THE SUM OF ALL THOSE WILL BE A GROWTH IN REVENUE.
WE'LL COMPARE THAT TO OUR EXPENSES.
WE FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD BE A LITTLE LIGHTER LIFT NEXT YEAR BECAUSE WE WON'T HAVE A YEAR AND A HALF OF SALARY EXPENDITURES TO FUND.
SO IT'LL, IT'S JUST ONE OF MANY INPUTS, IN OTHER WORDS, AND IT'S NOT TIED TO A SPECIFIC EXPENDITURE.
SO WE HAVE A BIG POT OF REVENUE, BIG POT OF EXPENSE, AND WE NEED TO MARRY THEM IN THE END SO THAT THEY'RE EQUAL.
UM, QUESTION 38 C, THE RESPONSE READS, A MINIMUM SALARY VARIANCE OF 25 TO 30 MILLION IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO MANAGE THE ANNUAL BUDGET APPROPRIATION TRANSFER.
MY QUESTION IS, IF WE ARE BUDGETING, UM, WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE REALISTIC EXPENDITURES, WHY DO WE NEED TO ALLOW FOR SUCH A HIGH VARIANCE FOR THE BAT? UH, THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT A HIGH VARIANCE.
IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN 2% OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
BUT, UH, AS BAD, WE'RE, WE'RE PUTTING THE BUDGET TOGETHER ALMOST A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
AND EVEN, UH, IF OVERALL, UH, OUR BUDGET'S VERY TIGHT TO, UH, HAVE THAT PRECISION BETWEEN ACTIVITIES, WHICH IS WHAT THE BAD IS DOING.
WE'RE JUST BALANCING, UH, DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE, PRIORITIES THAT ARE CHANGED, EXPENDITURES THAT COME UP AND ARE UNEXPECTED.
UH, WITH OUR BUDGET, OUR SIZE, WITH AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS WE NEED TO TIE THINGS DOWN, WHICH IS REALLY NOVEMBER, UH, GENERALLY, THAT ALL THE CHIEFS HAVE PRESENTED TO THE SUPERINTENDENT.
UM, IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT, UH, HAVE TO MOVE MONEY BETWEEN ACTIVITIES.
AND SOME YEARS WILL BE CERTAINLY LESS THAN OTHERS, DEPENDING IF THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING.
BUT, BUT IT, IT SEEMS, MAYBE IT SEEMS LIKE A, A BIG DOLLAR AMOUNT, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY LOW IN, UM, COMPARISON TO THE TOTALITY OF THE BUDGET.
AND WITH THE PRECISION THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO NOT HAVE TO DO A BAT IS, YOU KNOW, JUST NOT REALISTIC.
BUT, BUT MR. TIFF, DON'T WE ALSO HAVE THE OPTION JUST NOT TO SPEND, I MEAN, YOU'RE MONITORING THAT YEAR ROUND AND IF SPENDING IS OVER BUDGET MIDYEAR, THOSE DEPARTMENTS CAN BE ADVISED, HEY, YOU'RE OVER TWO TO 3% AND WE HAVE THE OPTION TO CURB OUR SPENDING.
WELL, THE DEPARTMENT IS NOT NECESSARILY OVERSPENT.
THEY'RE JUST, UH, SPENDING IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY PERHAPS THAN WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED.
THERE MIGHT BE SOME THINGS LIKE, LET'S JUST SAY OUR NUMBER OF NON-PUBLIC KIDS, UH, WERE HIGHER THAN EXPECTED FOR THE YEAR, AND OUR NON-PUBLIC, UH, BUDGET, UH, WENT OVER.
YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE COVERED BY UNDERSPENDS ELSEWHERE.
BUT, UH, WE'RE JUST MINDFUL TO KEEP THE ENTIRE BUDGET ON BUDGET.
UM, AND OFFICES ARE, UH, ABLE TO MOVE MONEY BETWEEN ACTIVITIES AS, UH, NEW INFORMATION IS LEARNED AS, UH, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIES ADJUST THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT THEY CAN ALSO MOVE IT FROM THEIR OWN POTS AT ANY TIME.
WHY ARE WE RELYING ON SALARIES AS THE SOURCE FOR OUR, OUR CUSHION? BECAUSE IT'S THE LARGEST PORTION OF THE BUDGET.
MS. HEND, YOU'RE OUTTA TIME, BUT I'LL LET, THANK YOU.
WAS THERE A, DO YOU WANNA RESPOND? MR. DO YOU WANNA RESPOND? MR. UM, AGAIN, THE BUDGET IN AGGREGATE, UH, NEEDS TO, UM, HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY IN IT.
AND SALARIES ARE BY FAR THE BIGGEST PART OF OUR BUDGET.
YOU'VE SEEN MANY, MANY TIMES SALARIES AND BENEFITS ARE ABOUT 82% OF OUR BUDGET.
SO, UH, THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY PLACE WHERE WE CAN PLAN TO HAVE A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY.
MOST OTHER NON-SALARY ITEMS ARE PLANNED, UH, PRETTY PRECISELY HOW MUCH ARE WE GONNA SPEND ON A CONTRACT.
I MEAN, CERTAINLY THERE'S VARIATION, BUT THE SALARY BUDGET IS JUST SO LARGE THAT, UH, THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY BUILT IN TO COVER ANY OVERSPENDS THAT MAY OCCUR IN OTHER PLACES THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET.
UM, AGAIN, WE'LL BE VOTING ON THE BUDGET AT, UM, IN TWO WEEKS.
IF BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, THEY CAN SUBMIT 'EM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ALLOW STAFF TO RESPOND, AND THEN WE CAN GET THOSE ANSWERS.
I ENCOURAGE ALL BOARD MEMBERS TO LOOK AT THE, HOW MANY PAGES ARE WE UP TO, OR A HUNDRED AND FIFTY, ONE SIXTY EIGHT PAGES OF QUESTIONS, UM, AND THEIR RESPONSES.
SO A LOT OF WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ASKED.
[N. INFORMATION (8:50 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION, WHICH INCLUDES AN UPDATE ON KEY.[03:25:01]
SORRY.SO, UM, IS INFORMATION, WHICH INCLUDES AN UPDATE ON KEY SCHOOL LEGISLATION.
AND THE LAST ITEM IS ANY BOARD MEMBER
[O. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING (8:50 - 9:00 p.m.)]
COMMENTS OR ANY AGENDA SETTING ITEMS THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT THIS MINUTE? IF NOT, YOU CAN EMAIL THEM.MS. HUMPHREY, IF YOU COULD BEGIN.
YES, I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS PUBLIC COMMENTS AND EMAILS THAT WE RECEIVED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS REGARDING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS AS CHAIR OF THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE.
I WILL BE REQUESTING AT OUR NEXT MEETING ON MARCH 16TH THAT THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE ONCE AGAIN, CONSIDER A POLICY THAT SETS CLEAR PROTOCOLS WHEN HANDLING IMMIGRATION RELATED MATTERS AND SAFEGUARDING STUDENT DATA ADHERING TO FERPA WITH THE GOAL OF ENSURING THAT ALL STUDENTS FEEL SAFE COMING TO SCHOOL.
THANK YOU, MS. PUMPHREY FOR THAT.
[P. ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:00 p.m.)]
THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA'S ANNOUNCEMENTS, OUR BOARD MEETING.OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, 2026 AT SIX 30.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.