* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          THIS IS CHAIRWOMAN 
          [00:00:01]
JANE LICHTER. 
          I CALLED TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2026. 
          THIS E, WHOOPS. 
          THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF ED. 
          OH DARN. 
          I KNOW IT. 
          I GOT IT. 
          THIS EVENING'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST AND ON BCPS TV, COMCAST XFINITY, CHANNEL 1 0 7 3 AND VERIZON FIRES CHANNEL 34. 
          IN ORDER TO EFFICIENTLY CONDUCT THIS MEETING, I'LL VOTING ITEMS THIS EVENING WILL BE DONE BY ROLL CALL VOTE. 
          MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO 
          [A. CLOSED SESSION]
CLOSED SESSION AS PERMITTED BY THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AS FOUND IN THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE THREE DASH 3 0 5 B ONE B SEVEN B EIGHT AND B NINE TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM AND HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS. 
          CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. 
          CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION AND CONDUCT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS OR CONSIDER MATTERS THAT RELATE TO THE NEGOTIATIONS. 
          SOKI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM PAUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE. 
          MS. HE MR. YOUNG? YES. 
          MR. BJI? YES. 
          MS. DOKI. 
          MS. DUSKY? YES. 
          DR. 
          SAVOY? YES. 
          MR. FITZPATRICK? YES. 
          MS. EY? YES. 
          MS. THORNTON? YES. 
          MR. MCMILLION? YES. 
          MS. FONG . 
          YES. 
          MS. LICHTER? YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          THIS 
          [B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT MEDITATION (6:30 p.m.)]
IS CHAIRWOMAN JANE LICHTER. 
          I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BALTIMORE COUNTY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2026. 
          I INVITE YOU TO RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG TO BE LED BY MS. CLAIRE JI AND WE'LL THEN HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. 
          I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH CHAMPION ONE NATION UNDER INVIS WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          TONIGHT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST THROUGH THE BCPS ONLINE LIVE MEETING BROADCAST ON BCPS TV, COMCAST, 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. 
          I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. 
          UM, SOMETIMES OUR AGENDA ITEMS DURING CLOSED SESSION REQUIRE A LENGTHIER DISCUSS THAN WE ANTICIPATED, WHICH IS WHAT OCCURRED TONIGHT. 
          SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR PATIENCE WITH US. 
          FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA 
          [C. AGENDA (6:35 p.m.)]
IS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE OCTOBER 6TH AGENDA. 
          DR. 
          HEISER, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? I'M UNAWARE OF ANY CHANGES OR ADDITIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          EARLIER THIS EVENING, THE BOARD MET IN CLOSE SESSION PURSUANT TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS TO DISCUSS THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT ASSIGNMENT, PROMOTION, DISCIPLINE, DEMOTION, COMPENSATION, REMOVAL, RESIGNATION OR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF APPOINTEES, EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS OVER WHOM IT HAS JURISDICTION OR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL MATTER THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS. 
          CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE, CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION AND CONDUCT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS OR CONSIDER MATTERS THAT RELATED TO THE NEGOTIATIONS. 
          THE CLOSED SESSION SUMMARY AND THE OPEN SESSION INFORMATION SUMMARY CAN BE FOUND ON DILIGENT COMMUNITY UNDER THIS BOARD MEETING AGENDA DATE. 
          THE NEXT ITEM ON THE 
          [D. NEW BUSINESS - PERSONNEL MATTERS (Mr. McCall) (6:45 - 6:50 p.m.)]
AGENDA IS OUR PERSONNEL MATTERS, AND FOR THAT, I CALL ON MR. MCCALL. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR, YOUNG AND SUPERINTENDENT, DR. 
          HEISER, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          I'D LIKE THE BOARD'S CONSENT FOR THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL MATTERS. 
          TONIGHT WE HAVE RESIGNATIONS, LEAVES OF ABSENCE, EDUCATED LICENSURE APPOINTMENT, AND DECEASED RECOGNITION OF SERVICE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL MATTERS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBITS D ONE THROUGH D FOUR? SO MOVED. 
          IKI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DO I HAVE A SECOND? 
          [00:05:01]
SECOND HAND. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE. 
          MS. HEN? YES. 
          MR. YOUNG? YES. 
          MS. JI? YES. 
          MS. DOKI? YES. 
          MS. STALOWSKI? YES. 
          DR. 
          SAVOY? YES. 
          MR. FITZPATRICK? YES. 
          MS. HUMPHREY? YES. 
          MS. THORNTON? YES. 
          MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. 
          MS. FONG? YES. 
          MS. LICHTER? YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THE NEXT ITEM ON 
          [E. NEW BUSINESS - ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS (Dr. Heiser) (6:50 - 7:00 p.m.)]
THE AGENDA IS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS, AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. 
          HEISER. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, LICHTER, VICE CHAIR YOUNG AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          I'M BRINGING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR YOUR APPROVAL SPECIALIST, CLIMATE AND CULTURE SUPERVISOR, RESEARCH TEAM LEADER, PRODUCTION CONTROL AND SYSTEMS SUPPORT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT E ONE? SO MOVED. 
          SO MOVED. 
          STALOWSKI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND JI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE. 
          MS. HEN? YES. 
          MR. YOUNG? YES. 
          MS. JI? YES. 
          MS. DOKI? YES. 
          MS. STALOWSKI? YES. 
          DR. 
          SAVOY? YES. 
          MR. FITZPATRICK? YES. 
          MS. HUMPHREY? YES. 
          MS. WHARTON? YES. 
          MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. 
          MS. FONG? YES. 
          MS. LICHTER? YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MOTION CARRIES DR. 
          HEISER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MADAM CHAIR. 
          PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING KELLY ALEXANDER, WHO IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SPECIALIST CLIMATE AND CULTURE IN THE DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. 
          SHE'S HERE TODAY WITH HER FAMILY WITH MORE THAN 16 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. 
          KELLY RECENTLY SERVED AS THE CONSULTING TEACHER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. 
          CONGRATULATIONS, KELLY. 
          NEXT, PLEASE JOIN ME AND CONGRAT CONGRATULATING ELIZABETH DAVIS, WHO IS BEING APPOINTED AS THE SUPERVISOR RESEARCH IN THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH. 
          SHE'S HERE TODAY WITH HER FAMILY WITH MORE THAN 13 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. 
          ELIZABETH RECENTLY SERVED AS A SPECIALIST RESEARCH IN THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH. 
          CONGRATULATIONS ELIZABETH. 
          AND LAST, PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING, UM, DAM IN MADOX MADDOX, WHO IS BEING APPOINTED AS TEAM LEADER PRODUCTION CONTROL AND SYSTEM SUPPORT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WITH MORE THAN NINE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, DAMIEN RECENTLY SERVED AS THE SENIOR BUSINESS SYSTEM SOFTWARE ENGINEER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND CONGRATULATIONS TO DAME N. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU DR. 
          HEISER. 
          OUR NEXT ITEM 
          [F. PUBLIC COMMENT (7:00 - 7:40 p.m.)]
IS PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          THIS IS ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THE BOARD PROVIDES TO HEAR THE VIEWS AND RECEIVE THE ADVICE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          IF NOT SELECTED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD MEMBERS VIA EMAIL@BOEATBCPS.ORG. 
          THE BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HOMELAND SECURITY UNIT AND OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY HAVE RECOMMENDED SAFETY AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS, WHICH ARE POSTED IN THE BOARDROOM AND AVAILABLE AND DILIGENT COMMUNITY 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 SPECIFIC 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 THE DISRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH THE CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING ARE OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. 
          PERSONS WHO OTHERWISE DISRUPT OR DISTURB THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THEIR REMARKS AND WILL BE ESCORTED FROM THE MEETING. 
          PLEASE OBSERVE THE THREE MINUTE CLOCK, WHICH WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. 
          THE MICROPHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AT THE END OF YOUR TIME OR PRIOR TO THE TIME AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD CHAIR. 
          WE'RE GONNA BEGIN WITH OUR UNION CATEGORY AND OUR SPEAKER IS KELLY OLDS FROM TAPCO. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR YOUNG DR. 
          HEISER AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          I KNOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED A NUMBER OF EMAILS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AFTER OUR SECOND NEGOTIATION SESSION. 
          YOU HEARD FROM MEMBERS ABOUT WHAT A TYPICAL DAY LOOKS LIKE, FRUSTRATION WITH ALREADY NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO PROPERLY SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND CONCERNS ABOUT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF EDUCATORS AND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT THIS CONTRACT HAS ON ALL OF THAT. 
          AS YOU KNOW, I AM CURRENTLY SERVING AS THE TABCO PRESIDENT. 
          THIS IS HOW I NORMALLY SAY THAT BECAUSE WORDS ARE IMPORTANT AND THIS LIKE YOURS 
          [00:10:01]
IS A POSITION OF SERVICE. 
          I AM TABCO IN THE SAME WAY THAT EVERY MEMBER IS TABCO. 
          SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE UNION, THIS GETS SEPARATED AND LEADERSHIP OR EVEN STAFF ARE REFERRED TO AS TABCO AS THOUGH MEMBERS ARE AND OTHER. 
          I REMEMBERED THIS COMING UP SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN THE MEMBERS SERVING AS TABCO PRESIDENT THEN RAISED EDUCATOR ISSUES AND CONCERNS WITH BCPS ISSUES AND CONCERNS SHE BROUGHT FORWARD FROM OTHER MEMBERS. 
          BCPS WOULD CHALLENGE WHETHER OR NOT THESE WERE COMING FROM MEMBERS OR IF THESE WERE JUST PROBLEMS CREATED BY THOSE IN LEADERSHIP. 
          I'M CERTAINLY GLAD THAT WE'VE MOVED BEYOND THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU AS THE BOARD TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF OUR CORE VALUES IS TO BE MEMBER DRIVEN. 
          MEMBERS ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR ORGANIZATION'S. 
          WORK MEMBERS EXAMINED MEMBER SURVEYS TO DETERMINE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES TO ADDRESS THROUGH BARGAINING MEMBERS RESEARCHED OTHER CONTRACTS. 
          MEMBERS WROTE PROPOSALS. 
          MEMBERS ARE AT THE BARGAINING TABLE SHARING THE RATIONALE FOR PROPOSED LANGUAGE WITH THE INTENT OF ENGAGING IN DISCUSSION ON WHERE WE CAN FIND COMMON GROUND. 
          WE ARE MEMBER DRIVEN. 
          WE ARE NEGOTIATING A THREE YEAR CONTRACT BETWEEN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE ASSOCIATION THAT OUR FULL MEMBERSHIP WILL VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT TO APPROVE THIS MEANS THEY MUST STAY INFORMED AND THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE HEARD FROM TABCO OVER THE LAST WEEK. 
          THE EDUCATORS THAT I HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO SERVE WANT TO HAVE THE TIME TO APPROPRIATELY SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND WANT TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR ROLES. 
          THIS IS WHAT OUR PROPOSALS ARE BASED ON AND THIS IS WHAT WE SEEK FROM YOU. 
          ACTIVE COLLABORATION TO IMPROVE EDUCATOR WORKING CONDITIONS, WHICH ARE ALWAYS STUDENTS LEARNING CONDITIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT CATEGORY IS NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND OUR SPEAKER IS SHARONDA HOFFMAN REPRESENTING THE BLUE AND GOLD DEMOCRATIC CLUB. 
          SHE'S NOT ONLINE. 
          I'M SORRY, WHAT? SHE'S NOT ONLINE. 
          SHE'S NOT ONLINE. 
          OKAY. 
          WE CAN COME BACK. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, OUR NEXT CATEGORY ARE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OR STUDENTS, AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS ANNABEL AL. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          DEAR BOARD MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES. 
          MY NAME IS ANNA AND I'M CURRENTLY A SENIOR AT HEREFORD HIGH SCHOOL, A SENIOR WITHOUT CONSTANT ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION LIKE MANY OTHER STUDENTS AS A SENIOR, OUR DAYS ARE TYPICALLY SHORTER THAN THAT OF OUR UNDERCLASSMEN. 
          I LEAVE THE BUILDING AT ONE 10. 
          OUR SCHOOL DAY ENDS AT TWO 30 ALSO ON THE HEREFORD HIGH SCHEDULE. 
          SENIORS WITH EMPTY BLOCKS GET SOMETHING CALLED RELEASE TIME. 
          THIS MEANS THAT WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO STAY ON CAMPUS AFTER THIS RELEASE. 
          TIME IS ON OUR SCHEDULES. 
          THIS LEAVES ME, MYSELF, AND MANY OTHER STUDENTS, NO CHOICE BUT TO WALK TO ONE OF THE PUBLIC PLACES IN THE AREA, WHICH IS USUALLY THE HEREFORD BRANCH OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY. 
          IF YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN DOWN YORK ROAD IN FRONT OF HEREFORD HIGH SCHOOL IN THE AFTERNOON, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN STUDENTS WALKING ON THE SHOULDER TOWARDS TOWN. 
          THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE HEREFORD BRANCH OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE MORE THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD NARROWS. 
          THIS LEAVES STUDENTS WITH APPROXIMATELY LESS THAN A FOOT OF ROOM TO WALK ON. 
          IT ALSO LEAVES US PEDESTRIANS TO COMPENSATE FOR SWERVING DRIVERS AND LARGER VEHICLES. 
          THE OPTION TO WALK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE GUARDRAIL IS IMPOSSIBLE AS IT'S PLACED ON THE PEAK OF A STEEP HILL. 
          IT'S ALSO SO CLOSE TO THE ROAD THAT MOST OF THE STRETCH IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WALK IN THE GRASS. 
          IT CAN BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AND INCLEMENT WEATHER, SPLASHING FROM PUDDLES SLIDING ON WET OR ICY ROADS, AND LITTLE SPACE FOR DRIVERS TO REACT IN THE VENT THAT THEY LOSE CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLE. 
          THIS WOULD NOT BE A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR A STUDENT ON CRUTCHES IN A BRACE, A WHEELCHAIR, ET CETERA. 
          WELL, THESE AREN'T IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS THAT HEREFORD IS FACING. 
          I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE TO MAKE A CHANGE. 
          STUDENTS OF ALL MEANS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS THE REASON THAT I BELIEVE THE BOARD SHOULD ALLOCATE FUNDING TO PAVE A SIDEWALK ON THE LEFT SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, STRETCHING FROM HEREFORD HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS TO THE TOWN PLAZA. 
          THIS WOULD NOT ONLY HELP STUDENTS WHO ARE WALKING THE DISTANCE BE SAFE, BUT IT WOULD ALSO GIVE DRIVERS MORE CLARITY OF WHERE IT IS AND WHERE IT ISN'T SAFE TO DRIVE TIME AND TIME AGAIN. 
          I'VE SEEN 18 WHEELERS, TRACTORS LIFTED, TRUCKS DRIFT TOO FAR INTO THE SHOULDER. 
          [00:15:01]
FORCING STUDENTS TO QUICKLY JUMP INTO THE GRASS IS A MOMENTARY FIX OR WAIT OUT THE TRAFFIC IN A DRIVEWAY. 
          THOUGH NOTHING HAS HAPPENED IN MY TIME LIVING IN THIS COMMUNITY, I CARE DEEPLY FOR MY HOMETOWN AND DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS FOR US TO SEE THAT WE HAVE A PROBLEM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I HOPE THAT YOU CAN CONSIDER THIS PROPOSITION AS ONE THAT WILL BETTER OUR COMMUNITY AND IN TANDEM OUR COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JILL SMITH. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. 
          RECENTLY, CARE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN AND ISLAMIC RELATIONS SET OUT TO INTIMIDATE YOUR BOARD MEMBER AND IN DOING SO, ALSO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, THEY CALLED TOGETHER GOVERNMENT REPS AS WELL AS THE PRESS. 
          THEY DEMANDED AN APOLOGY OR RESIGNATION IF THEIR DEMANDS WERE NOT MET. 
          THEY REQUIRED HER TO VISIT THEIR MOSQUE. 
          THEY SUGGESTED SHE IMPLEMENT WHAT THEY DEEMED APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO MITIGATE AND LIMIT RISK OF WHAT THEY REFER TO AS ISLAMOPHOBIA IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          BY YOUR OWN DEFINITION, POLICY 5 5 8 0. 
          REGARDING BULLYING, YOU STATE A COURSE OF ACTION TO ADDRESS IT. 
          YOU IMPLEMENT DEFINITIONS OF BULLYING AND APPROPRIATE EXPECTATIONS AND INTERVENTIONS. 
          YOU ESTABLISHED GUIDELINES FOR PREVENTING BULLYING OR INTIMIDATION PLUS SUPPORTIVE MEASURES FOR VICTIMS. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER YOUR BOARD MEMBER WAS BULLIED? I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT. 
          OOPS, S**T. 
          SHE WAS BULLIED AND INTIMIDATED. 
          PLUS, YOUR ACT OF OMISSION OF NOT ADVOCATING FOR HER WAS AN ACT OF COMMISSION BY YOUR OWN INACTION, YOU WERE COMPLICIT IN THE BULLYING AND INTIMIDATION YOU DID NOT DO FOR HER. 
          WHAT YOUR POLICY SAYS THE TEACHERS AND THE ADMIN SHOULD DO FOR THE VICTIMS OF BULLYING IN THE SCHOOLS SILENCING, INTIMIDATING AND OVERPOWERING YOUR BOARD MEMBER ALIGN WITH YOUR VERY DEFINITION OF BULLYING. 
          CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY WILL ALSO BE SILENCED AND INTIMIDATED BECAUSE CARE MADE SURE THAT THE PRESS WAS INVOLVED. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT CARE INTENDED HERE OR THE IMPLICATIONS OF YOUR OWN LACK OF ACTION? I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT AS WELL. 
          I HAVE TWO GRADUATE DEGREES. 
          MY FIRST IS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. 
          THE PROMINENT FOCUS OF THE PROGRAM WAS ON SYSTEMS THEORY, ORGANIZATIONAL GROUP AND FAMILY SYSTEMS. A FOUNDATIONAL PREMISE IS THAT CONFLICT AND DYSFUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR AT THE TOP OF THE SYSTEM, WHETHER IT BE PARENTS AND THE FAMILY OR EMPLOYERS AT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL WILL TRICKLE DOWN TO THE CHILDREN OR THE ASSEMBLY ROOM FLOOR. 
          I AM SURE YOU GET MY POINT HERE. 
          A CULTURE THAT CONDONES BULLYING AND SILENCING OF ITS OWN MEMBERS SENDS US SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          THIS DYNAMIC WILL ALWAYS TRICKLE DOWN TO THE CLASSROOM. 
          HERE'S WHAT I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH. 
          IT APPEARS THAT YOUR CULTURE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONTROVERSY AND DEBATE WITHIN YOUR OWN BODY IS ONE OF SILENCING HEALTHY DISCOURSE. 
          THIS IS A DETRIMENT TO THE CLASSROOM AND HENCE TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. 
          EVEN WORSE, YOU DID NOT INTERVENE WITH A BULLYING BY AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION 'CAUSE OF ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND WITH HAMAS, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MUST HOLD AS A HIGHEST STANDARD. 
          THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH WE HOLD DEAR IN THIS COUNTRY. 
          I DID NOT EXPECT YOU TO SET AN EXAMPLE TO THE CLASSROOMS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY THAT YOU'LL BE INTIMIDATED BY THIS BULLYING ENTITY. 
          PLEASE DO BETTER FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S SAKE WHEN CARE COMES KNOCKING BACK AT YOUR DOOR BECAUSE CARE WILL BE BACK IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER. 
          I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JEFFREY FRIEDMAN. 
          HELLO. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          DR. 
          HEISER, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          MY NAME IS JEFF FRIEDMAN AND I'M A 20 YEAR VETERAN SPANISH TEACHER WITH BCPS. 
          I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY BECAUSE OF STAFFING CONCERNS AND I'VE HAD TO ENDURE OVER PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEARS AND MOST RECENTLY THIS SCHOOL YEAR. 
          I LOVE MY WORK AND ESPECIALLY THE ABILITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY IN THE LIVES OF STUDENTS. 
          I HAVE ALWAYS HELD AN EFFECTIVE OR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EVALUATION IN TEACHING. 
          HOWEVER, OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT I'M A SPANISH TEACHER, I BELIEVE I HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH FOUR PRIORITY TRANSFERS AND THIS IS NOT REASONABLE FOR ANYONE. 
          I LEFT MY FIRST SCHOOL AFTER 14 YEARS BY CHOICE DUE TO WANTING NEW EXPERIENCES AND TO GROW IN MY PROFESSION. 
          I THEN ENDED UP IN A PROGRAM FOR TWO YEARS WHERE SIGNIFICANT FUNDING WAS CUT AND I HAD TO TRANSFER AGAIN. 
          AT THAT TIME, I SPENT TWO YEARS IN MY NEXT SCHOOL BEFORE I WAS THE ONLY TEACHER WHO MET THE RULES TO TRANSFER. 
          THEN I WENT TO ANOTHER SCHOOL WHERE TWO SPANISH TEACHERS WERE CUT DOING DUE TO GROWING OF A MAGNET PROGRAM. 
          HOWEVER, THE MOST UNIQUE CUT WAS THE ONE THIS PAST SPRING. 
          THIS TIME HR COULD NOT FIND A PLACEMENT FOR ME BECAUSE DUE TO ALL THE 
          [00:20:01]
REDUCED STAFFING, NO NEW SPANISH POSITIONS WERE AVAILABLE. 
          THEREFORE, I WAS PLACED IN A COMPLETELY NEW POSITION OF TEACHER ACADEMIC SUPPORT IN MY FIRST SCHOOL. 
          EXCUSE. 
          I'M REALLY SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT THIS IS A SPECIFIC PERSONNEL MATTER THAT YOU'RE DISCUSSING, WHICH IS NOT PART OF PUBLIC COMMENTS. 
          UM, IT'S, IT'S IF YOU WANNA TALK GENERALLY ABOUT THE PRIORITY TRANSFER PROCESS, THAT WOULD BE FINE, BUT IF, BUT NOT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT YOUR, YOUR UNIQUE ISSUE. 
          UM, WELL I GUESS I CAN SUM UP THE IDEA IN GENERAL. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED MANY TIMES. 
          UM, I REALLY FEEL LIKE OUR STUDENTS NEED CONSISTENCY WITH HAVING THE SAME TEACHER OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR MORE THAN ANYTHING. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE STUDENTS THAT, UM, IT'S JUST BEEN VERY HARD FOR THEM, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE TEACHER HAS TO LEAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR TO FILL ANOTHER POSITION THAT HAS OPENED. 
          SO I REALLY THINK IT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT AS WHAT WE CAN DO TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THE SAME POSITION, UM, OVER THE COURSE OF YEAR AS I DO NOT REALLY ENJOY HAVING TO LEAVE MY OWN STUDENTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR TO, UM, TO FILL ANOTHER POSITION AND I DON'T REALLY FEEL IT'S FAIR FOR THEM EITHER. 
          AND THE FACT THAT, UM, THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE SPANISH BECAUSE OF IT AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE TO GO INTO CLASS SIZES. 
          THEY'RE VERY, VERY BIG. 
          UM, SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, I HAD SENT AN EMAIL TO DR. 
          HEISER AND I REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE A RESPONSE TO THAT. 
          UM, I LIKE TO KNOW WHAT CAN WE DO TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS HAVING THE SAME TEACHER ALL SCHOOL YEAR AND STOPPING THE SAME PEOPLE FROM BEING TRANSFERRED EVERY YEAR. 
          SO I'M REALLY EAGER FOR RESPONSE TO THAT EMAIL, UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHARON OLA TAYO AND YOU CAN TELL ME HOW MUCH I MISSED THAT NAME UP. 
          I GOT SHARON. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          OLA. 
          OH, GO AHEAD. 
          UM, MY NAME IS SHARON OEO. 
          OEO? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          I AM A JUNIOR AT MILFORD MILL ACADEMY AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY GAP. 
          THIS IS A CHALLENGE THAT AFFECTS MANY STUDENTS ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS. 
          THE OPPORTUNITY GAP IS THE UNEQUAL ACCESS STUDENTS HAVE TO RESOURCES, SUPPORT, AND EXPERIENCES THAT HELP THEM TO SUCCEED AS A STUDENT. 
          I'VE SEEN THIS FIRSTHAND. 
          WHEN I WAS DECIDING WHICH MAGNET SCHOOLS TO APPLY TO MANY OF MY FRIENDS AND FAMILIES ENCOURAGED ME TO APPLY TO SCHOOLS LIKE TOWNSEND, WESTERN AND EASTERN OR EVEN SPECIAL TRANSFER TO CATONSVILLE. 
          THEIR REASONING WASN'T THAT THE STUDENTS WERE SMARTER OR MORE CAPABLE, IT WAS BECAUSE THOSE SCHOOLS WERE KNOWN FOR HAVING MORE OPPORTUNITIES, MORE PROGRAMS, AND MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM. 
          LOOKING BACK, THAT STUCK WITH ME BECAUSE IT MADE ME WONDER WHY STUDENTS OFTEN FEEL THE THE NEED TO LEAVE THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES TO ACCESS THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES. 
          THIS ALSO CREATES THE PERCEPTION THAT SOME SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS WHEN IN REALITY THERE ARE TALENTED, HARDWORKING STUDENTS IN EVERY SCHOOL ACROSS THE COUNTY, EVERY DAY. 
          I KNOW I SEE LEADERS, ATHLETES, ARTISTS AND SCHOLARS, STUDENTS WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO EXCEL, SERVE AND MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. 
          YET POTENTIAL ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH IF STUDENT, IF STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES THAT HELP THEM TURN THAT POTENTIAL INTO SUCCESS. 
          WHEN STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE EQUAL ACCESS TO THE TOOLS THEY NEED, THEY ARE FORCED TO WORK HARDER JUST TO REACH THE SAME STARTING LINE AS THEIR PEERS. 
          ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE IS ABOUT ENSURING THAT EVERY STUDENT HAS A FAIR CHANCE TO SUCCEED. 
          WE CAN HELP CLOSE THE OPPORTUNITY GAP BY EXP EXPANDING ACCESS TO ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, RESOURCES AND EXPERIENCES THAT HELP STUDENTS SEE WHAT IS POSSIBLE FOR THEIR FUTURE. 
          THE 111,000 STUDENTS IN BALTIMORE COUNTY DOES SERVE THE SAME CHANCE TO SUCCEED REGARDLESS OF THE SCHOOL THEY ATTEND. 
          THE OPPORTUNITY GAP IS NOT ABOUT A LACK OF TALENT, IT IS ABOUT A LACK OF ACCESS. 
          WHEN WE INVEST IN CLOSING THE OPPORTUNITY GAP, WE'RE NOT JUST HELPING INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, WE'RE STRENGTHENING OUR SCHOOL AND THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          FINALLY, I ASK YOU TO CONTINUE TAKING BOLD ACTIONS SO THAT EVERY STUDENT HAS NOT ONLY THE ABILITY TO DREAM BE BIG, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE THOSE DREAMS BECAUSE TALENT IS EVERYWHERE, BUT OPPORTUNITY IS NOT. 
          OUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE ONE DAY IT IS AND NO STUDENT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR COMMUNITY TO FIND IT. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND DEDICATION TO OUR SCHOOLS. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LOUISE BAKER. 
          [00:25:12]
GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          I AM HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I BELIEVE THERE IS A MUCH LARGER ISSUE AT STAKE THAN ONE SOCIAL MEDIA POST. 
          THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS OR CARE BECAME INVOLVED AFTER A BALTIMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER POSTED A MEME COMPARING MAGA TO SHARIA LAW. 
          I REVIEWED CARE'S WEBSITE BECAUSE I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE ORGANIZATION BY ITS OWN WORDS. 
          CARE SAID ITS MISSION IS TO ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM, PROTECT CIVIL RIGHTS, PROMOTE JUSTICE, AND EMPOWER AMERICAN MUSLIMS. ITS STATED PRINCIPLES INCLUDE FREEDOM OF RELIGION, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, CIVIL RIGHTS FOR ALL AMERICANS, DIVERSITY AND DIALOGUE BETWEEN FAITH COMMUNITIES. 
          THE THOSE ARE PRINCIPLES WE CAN SUPPORT. 
          BUT HERE'S MY CONCERN. 
          FROM SEPTEMBER ONE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 6TH, I COUNTED 24 ARTICLES ON CARE'S WEBSITE. 
          NINE INVOLVED CALLS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO BE CONDEMNED, REMOVED, OR FIRED OVER STATEMENTS CARE CONSIDERED RACIST OR ISLAMIC PHOBIC. 
          FOUR OF THOSE INVOLVED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND THE BALTIMORE COUNTY SITUATION ALONE GENERATED FOUR CARE ARTICLES OVER APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS. 
          MY QUESTION IS, WHERE WAS THE DIALOGUE? BEFORE PUBLIC PRESSURE WAS ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT SHARIA LAW OR COMPARING SHARIA LAW WITH ANOTHER POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN AND OF ITSELF, A REASON TO CONDEMN OR SEEK REMOVAL OF PUBLIC OFFICE. 
          THERE WAS NO PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THAT COMPARISON. 
          THE ISSUE WAS IMMEDIATELY CHARACTERIZED AS ISLAMIC PHOBIC AND RACISM. 
          CAN WE NOT DISCUSS SHARIA LAW AND ITS IMPACT ON FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS WITHOUT BEING LABELED ISLAMOPHOBIC CARE SUBSEQUENTLY ARRANGED A MOSQUE VISIT AND MEDIA AVAILABILITY AVAILABILITY, IT IS AN DESCRIBING IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DIALOGUE AND REBUILDING TRUST. 
          YET PUBLIC DISCUSSION DID NOT APPEAR TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING QUESTION THAT STARTED THIS CONTROVERSY, THE COMPARISON BETWEEN MAGA AND SHARIA LAW. 
          WE MUST BE CAREFUL ABOUT CREATING A STANDARD WHERE AN ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION CAN MOBILIZE PUBLIC PRESSURE BECAUSE IT DISAGREES WITH THE POLITICAL EXPRESSION OF AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. 
          DO WE BELIEVE IN FREEDOM OF SPEECH ONLY WHEN WE AGREE WITH THE SPEECH? IF WE TRULY BELIEVE IN DIVERSITY, WE MUST ACCEPT DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED 20 27 20 28 SCHOOL CALENDAR AND OUR FE FIRST SPEAKER ON SCHOOL CALENDAR IS JEFFREY FRIEDMAN. 
          HELLO AGAIN. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          UM, DR. 
          HEER, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MY NAME IS JEFF FRIEDMAN. 
          I'M A 20 YEAR VETERAN TEACHER WITH BCPS. 
          IT WAS A PLEASURE TO FINALLY BE A MEMBER OF THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE THIS YEAR AND TO HELP PLAN NEXT YEAR'S PROPOSED SCHOOL CALENDARS. 
          HOWEVER, HAVE YOU NOTICED THE CONSTANT SLANT IN THE PRESENTATIONS TOWARD PUSHING THE BOARD TO VOTE FOR PRE-LAB LABOR DAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR, AS IF STARTING A SCHOOL YEAR, FIVE DAYS EARLIER WILL MAKE OR BREAK A CHILD'S EDUCATION EACH SCHOOL YEAR? SOME OF YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO ASK THE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMITTEE TO RELEASE DATA SHOWING THAT THIS IMPACT IS TREMENDOUS. 
          YET THERE'S NO DATA TO PROVE THAT STARTING BEFORE LABOR DAY INCREASES STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES WHO START AFTER HAVE HIGHER TEST SCORES. 
          INSTEAD, YOU CONTINUE TO HEAR EVERY PUBLIC COMMENT PUSHING FOR A POST LABOR DAY START AND EVEN FOUR OF YOU VOTED START POST LABOR DAY THAT YEAR, LAST YEAR. 
          BUT I ASK THE REST OF YOU, WHY HAVEN'T YOU JOINED IN? YOU SHOULD ALSO RECALL, I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON REQUESTING THIS POST LABOR DAY CALENDAR. 
          OVER 95% OF THE SPEAKERS OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THIS. 
          THERE'S A PETITION WITH OVER 700 SIGNATURES ASKING FOR THIS AND OUR MOST RECENT SURVEY DATA STRONGLY REQUESTED THIS AS WELL, THAT 64% OF THE ENTIRE BCPS COMMUNITY ARE FAMILIES. 
          81.9% OF ASKS ME 63.7% OF CASE 69.1% OF E-S-P-B-C 
          [00:30:01]
70.2% OF OPE 52.9% OF TAPCO AND 71% OF NON-REPRESENTED MEMBERS ALL WANT TO POST LABOR DAY START AND AT THAT AVERAGES OUT TO 67.6% OVER TWO THIRDS OF OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. 
          ACCORDING TO THE DATA IN THE PAST ARGUMENT FOR NOT DOING THIS WAS BECAUSE YOU DID NOT HAVE A CALENDAR OPTION WITH A POST-LAB DAY START OR THAT WOULD END TOO LATE IN JUNE. 
          BUT NOW ALL OF YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MET. 
          THE POST-LAB DAY OPTION ALLOWS FOR JUNE 16TH END DATE ALONG WITH A FULL SPRING BREAK ALONG, UH, PROVIDED THAT WE AVOID INCLEMENT WEATHER, YOU CAN GO RIGHT AHEAD AND APPROVE OUR POST-SLAVERY DAY OPTION AS IT STANDS OR YOU COULD MAKE CHANGES TO THE CALENDAR AS YOU'VE DONE IN THE PAST. 
          THERE'S SO MANY NON-REQUIRED CLOSING DAYS, LONG BREAKS, HOLIDAYS, HALF DAYS, AND OTHER INTERRUPTIONS THAT ARE NEGATIVELY IMPACTING LEARNING OF OUR STUDENTS, WHICH IS CONCERNING TO ME AS A TEACHER. 
          AND IF WE REMOVE SOME OF THEM, NOT ONLY WILL WE SHORTEN THE YEAR, BUT IMPROVE CONSISTENT INSTRUCTION. 
          WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE BUILDING OUR CALENDAR AROUND WHAT IS BEST FOR STUDENTS AND LISTENING TO THE FEEDBACK OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          YOU HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AND YOUR STAFF AND FAMILIES ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO LISTEN, START AFTER LABOR DAY, CUT BACK ON INTERRUPTIONS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND MAKE THE CALENDAR WORK BOARD MEMBERS. 
          I'M RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING FOR YOU THIS YEAR TO NOT ONLY VOTE TO APPROVE A POST LABOR DAY CALENDAR FOR 20 27 20 28 SCHOOL YEAR, BUT ALSO TO VOTE NO ON ANY PROPOSED PRE-LABOR DAY CALENDAR SO THAT IT DOES NOT PASS AGAIN, LISTEN TO WHAT STAFF MEMBERS, STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ARE ASKING YOU TO DO AND MAKE SURE WE START AFTER LABOR DAY NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER ABOUT THE CALENDAR I THINK HAS LEFT ANNABEL AL RIGHT. 
          OKAY, I THINK SHE SIGNED UP FOR BOTH. 
          OKAY, THE NEXT SPEAKER ABOUT THE CALENDAR IS CONSTANTINE, HEATHER. 
          NO, I'M SORRY, HEATHER CONSTANTINE. 
          OKAY. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER, VIRTUALLY MS. GILBERT, ARE THERE PEOPLE ON VIRTUALLY NOBODY'S ON VIRTUALLY. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANA, AND OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS B FARONE . 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ME. 
          SO I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA, I BELIEVE IN IT ACTUALLY THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHOULD PRIORITIZE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          THAT'S NUMBER ONE, COST EFFECTIVENESS, THAT'S NUMBER TWO. 
          COMMUNITY AND TAXPAYERS, THAT'S PEOPLE LIKE ME. 
          DIVERSITY, EQUITY, EQUALITY. 
          WHEN YOU REVIEW THIS CALENDAR, I'D LIKE YOU TO ANSWER YOURSELF WHETHER THIS CALENDAR WOULD PRIORITIZE STUDENTS. 
          I DON'T THINK SO. 
          OBVIOUSLY FROM WHAT I SEND YOU BY EMAIL, WHAT I ANALYZED. 
          SO IF FOR A SYSTEM THAT TAKES SIX DAYS TO PREPARE THE SCHOOL IS REALLY AN INDICATOR OF INEFFICIENCY. 
          THEN IF YOU COUNT HOW MANY HOLIDAYS THERE IS IN A CALENDAR YEAR, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD IN MATH, BUT I MIGHT MAKE A MISTAKE. 
          IT COMES TO A TOTAL OF ALMOST 32 DAYS IN THE SPAN OF THE YEAR, YOU ADD THE FEDERAL, THE STATE, THE PROFESSIONAL DAYS, THE PASSOVER, THE YOM KIPPUR, UH, , ET CETERA. 
          AND THEN IT COMES IN, AND THIS IS REALLY A FIRST IN MY 25 YEARS THAT OUR MUSLIM HOLIDAYS MAY BE USED AS A SNOW OPENING DAY. 
          THE ORIGINAL BOARD DISCUSSION IN 2017, 18 AND BEFORE IS THAT THOSE HOLIDAYS WOULD NOT REALLY BE TOUCHED. 
          THEY WOULD BE EQUAL. 
          THERE IS NO EQUALITY IN THE CALENDAR. 
          YOU KNOW, THERE IS FOUR JEWISH HOLIDAYS, ONLY ONE MUSLIM 
          [00:35:01]
HOLIDAYS, AND OF COURSE THERE ARE MORE RELIGIONS THAN JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM. 
          I LIKE YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT OBSERVANCES SHOULD BE EQUAL. 
          I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR WHEN YOU ADVERTISE FOR ONE RELIGION, YOU ARE ADVERTISING WITH TAX DOLLARS FROM WHAT I KNOW IT'S ILLEGAL. 
          ANY SMART PERSON WOULD KNOW THAT IT CREATES ANIMOSITIES, JEALOUSY, FAVORITISM, ET CETERA. 
          THE WORLD CALENDAR DOES NOT EDUCATE. 
          I WROTE FOR YOU THAT IN DETAIL. 
          I THINK IT SHOULD BE EDUCATIONAL AND NOT JUST ABOUT PICTURES. 
          AND I REALLY THANK YOU FOR READING MY NOTES AND LISTENING TO ME ALL THESE YEARS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, IS THERE ANYONE ON VIRTUALLY MS. GO? NO. 
          OKAY, AND OUR NEXT SPEAKER ABOUT THE CALENDAR, SHIAH SHAW. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          UM, I DO WANNA THANK MS MAGGIE FOR SHOWING UP AT THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF BALTIMORE. 
          I SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          UM, I ALSO WANNA SPEAK ABOUT THE CALENDAR. 
          SO GOOD EVENING MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          MY NAME IS SHAZA AND I'M HERE TODAY NOT ONLY AS A MEMBER OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, BUT ALSO AS A MUSLIM AMERICAN AND AS SOMEONE WHO CARES DEEPLY ABOUT OUR CHILDREN AND OUR COMMUNITY. 
          I'M ASKING YOU TODAY TO PLEASE RE RECONSIDER THE REMOVAL OF EID HOLIDAY FROM THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL CALENDAR. 
          FOR MUSLIM FAMILIES, EID IS NOT SIMPLY A HOLIDAY OR A DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL. 
          EID IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS, RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES IN OUR FAITH. 
          IT IS A DAY WHEN FAMILIES GATHER FOR PRAYER, WHEN CHILDREN CELEBRATE WITH THEIR FAMILIES, AND WHEN OUR COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER IN GRATITUDE, COMPASSION, AND FELLOWSHIP. 
          IMAGINE BEING A MUSLIM CHILD AND SEEING YOUR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY REMOVED FROM THE SCHOOL CALENDAR. 
          IMAGINE HAVING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN ATTENDING SCHOOL OR PARTICIPATING FULLY IN ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DAYS OF YOUR FAITH. 
          THAT CHILD MAY ASK. 
          DOES MY FAITH MATTERS TO OTHERS? DOES MY COMMUNITY BELONGS HERE? I BELIEVE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM SHOULD BE GIVING OUR CHILDREN THE OPPOSITE MESSAGE. 
          WE SHOULD BE TELLING EVERY CHILD, REGARDLESS OF THEIR FAITH, CULTURE OR BACKGROUND, THAT YOU BELONG HERE. 
          YOU ARE RESPECTED AND YOU YOUR IDENTITY MATTERS. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT CREATING A SCHOOL CALENDAR INVOLVES DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT DECISIONS AND MANY COMPETING NEEDS, BUT INCLUSION SOMETIMES REQUIRES US TO LOOK BEYOND NUMBERS AND CONSIDER THE MESSAGE OUR DECISIONS SEND TO OUR CHILDREN. 
          KEEPING E ON CALENDAR DOES NOT TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM ANOTHER COMMUNITY. 
          IT DOES NOT GIVE MUSLIMS, IT DOES NOT GIVE MUSLIMS A SPECIAL TREATMENT. 
          IT RECOGNIZES THE DIVERSITY, UH, THAT ALREADY EXISTS WITHIN BALTIMORE COUNTY. 
          OUR MUSLIM COMMUNITY IS PART OF BALTIMORE COUNTY. 
          OUR CHILDREN ATTEND BALTIMORE COUNTY. 
          OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF ARE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY. 
          WE CONTRIBUTE TO THE, UH, COUNTY EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
          SO I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, PLEASE DON'T MAKE OUR MUSLIM CHILDREN FEEL THAT THEIR MOST IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS CELEBRATION ARE LESS WORTHY OF RECOGNITION. 
          KEEP EED ON THE SCHOOL CALENDAR. 
          LET US CONTINUE TO BUILD SCHOOL WHERE DI, WHERE DIVERSITY IS NOT MERELY ACKNOWLEDGED BUT RESPECTED. 
          AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, LET US SEND OUR CHILDREN A MESSAGE THAT THEY WILL CARRY, THAT THEY WILL CARRY WITH THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. 
          YOU BELONG. 
          YOUR FAITH MATTERS, YOUR FAMILY MATTERS. 
          AND YOU, AS YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, I APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING TO ME. 
          THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS THIS EVENING. 
          THE NEXT ITEM 
          [G. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (7:40 - 7:45 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, AND FOR THAT I CALL HIM DR. 
          HEISER. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR YOUNG AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, AND WE'LL BE PULLING UP A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2ND, WE CELEBRATED NATIONAL CUSTODIANS DAY. 
          WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THOSE, UH, DILIGENT HARDWORKING MEMBERS OF TEAM BCPS WHO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS AND STAFF HAVE CLEAN, SAFE, AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENTS 
          [00:40:01]
FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF. 
          THEY'RE THE FIRST TO ENTER THE BUILDING AND THE LAST TO LEAVE AT NIGHT. 
          WHILE BCPS HAS THE THIRD OLDEST SET OF BUILDINGS IN THE STATE, I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT STRONG RESULTS ON THE STATE'S RECENT MAINTENANCE EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT DEMONSTRATES OUR SYSTEMS AND OUR CUSTODIANS ABILITY TO MAINTAIN AN AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AT SCALE AND VALIDATE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. 
          WE ARE GRATEFUL, GRATEFUL FOR THEIR WORK AND SO OUR CUSTODIANS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE. 
          I KNOW THAT ALL OUR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD BELIEVE SO AND WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT THEY DO FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          NATIONAL PRINCIPALS MONTH ALSO BEGAN ON OCTOBER THE FIRST. 
          AND SO I'M TRULY EXCITED TO CELEBRATE THIS INCREDIBLE DAY AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ACROSS BALTIMORE COUNTY. 
          I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH ALL OF THEM, UM, OVER THE LAST MONTH AND GET THEIR INPUT ON A VARIETY OF AREAS. 
          BUT PRINCIPALS ARE THE LEADERS OF OUR SCHOOLS. 
          THEY'RE OVERSEEING INSTRUCTION, STAFF PROGRAMMING, WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR EXCELLENT TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS, AND THEY DO IT ALL WITH HEART AND EMPATHY. 
          AND SO THEIR DECISIONS ARE ALWAYS AT THE CENTER OF WHAT'S BEST FOR STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS. 
          AND FOR THAT, I SAY THANK YOU AND PLEASE JOIN ME IN CELEBRATING AND HONORING ALL OF OUR PRINCIPALS THIS MONTH. 
          THEY'RE ESSENTIAL TO OUR SUCCESS AND THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          SO THANK YOU TO THEM. 
          M ALSO I'D LIKE TO MENTION NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH AND BCPS IS COMMITTED TO CREATING A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE AND WELCOMING SPACE FOR EVERY STUDENT AND EVERY STAFF MEMBER. 
          AS PART OF OUR MIND OVER MATTERS CAMPAIGN, WE INVITE TEAM BCPS TO PARTICIPATE IN WEAR A COLOR CHARACTER WEEK THROUGH OCTOBER THE NINTH, AND I BELIEVE THOSE COLORS ARE MENTIONED THERE. 
          MONDAY WAS BCPS BLUE FOR CIVILITY, WHICH I SEEM TO HAVE A LOT OF BLUE, SO I WORE THAT. 
          UH, TODAY IS GREEN AND IT'S GREEN FOR EQUITY AND FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK WE'LL HAVE WEDNESDAY AS ORANGE FOR UNITY. 
          THURSDAY RED FOR RESPECT AND FRIDAY PURPLE. 
          UM, FOR POSITIVITY. 
          UM, IN ADDITION, IT'S UM, I'D LIKE TO MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, NATIONAL BULLYING AND PREVENTION MONTH. 
          I'VE NOTICED AN INCREASING TREND, UM, ACROSS, UM, IT'S, I THINK IT'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          IT'S CERTAINLY NOT JUST BALTIMORE COUNTY. 
          UM, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MENTION THIS AND THAT IS AN INCREASE IN UM, DISRESPECT, UM, I DUNNO IF I'D CALL IT BULLYING, BUT DISRESPECT AND REALLY KIND OF CALLING OUT INDIVIDUAL, INDIVIDUAL TEAM BCPS MEMBERS BY NAME, WHETHER THAT BE TEACHERS, UM, PRINCIPALS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND SO ON. 
          AND I DO THINK WHILE MY MESSAGE PROBABLY WON'T REACH THOSE INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE WE PROBABLY ARE, ARE LIVING RIGHT NOW IN ONE OF THE MOST DIVISIVE TIMES, I WILL SAY AS PART OF THIS RECOGNITION OF OF NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME TO SAY THAT I STAND WITH EVERY SINGLE TEAM BCPS MEMBER. 
          AND ALTHOUGH WHEN THINGS HAPPEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOMEONE'S CALLED OUT AND I WON'T STEP IN, YOU WON'T SEE ME STEPPING IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT KNOW THAT WHETHER YOU'RE A TEACHER, A PRINCIPAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND SO ON, IF YOU'RE ON OUR TEAM, YOU'RE ON MY TEAM AND THAT MEANS I'M GONNA GONNA STAND UP FOR YOU. 
          AND IT'S NOT OKAY TO BE DISRESPECTFUL FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          IT'S NOT OKAY TO GO ONTO A SCHOOL BUS AND DISRESPECT A BUS DRIVER. 
          IT'S NOT OKAY TO DISRESPECT, UM, A PERSON INDIVIDUALLY. 
          WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DISAGREE AND THERE SHOULD BE THINGS THAT WE DISAGREE ABOUT AND CAN DEBATE ABOUT AND WE'RE EDUCATORS. 
          IF WE CAN'T DO THAT, THEN WE ARE NOT. 
          UM, WE'RE NOT UP TO THE STANDARD, BUT I GUARANTEE YOU THAT WE ARE UP TO THAT STANDARD. 
          WE ARE WILLING TO TO NEGOTIATE, WE'RE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN DIALOGUE AND DEBATE. 
          THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR SYSTEM. 
          I JUST ASK THAT ALL TEAM MEMBERS KNOW THAT AS YOUR SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR TEAM, OUR CABINET AND I KNOW THE LEADERS IN THE SYSTEM, WE WILL STAND UP FOR ALL OUR TEAM BCPS MEMBERS. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THAT TIME TO SAY THAT. 
          I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU. 
          I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT OCTOBER IS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MONTH AND TOMORROW OCTOBER 7TH, BCPS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ARE CELEBRATING NATIONAL WALK AND ROLL TO SCHOOL DAY. 
          THIS IS A PERFECT TIME TO PRACTICE SAFETY, STAY ACTIVE AND HAVE FUN ON YOUR WAY TO SCHOOL, BUT PLEASE DO IT IN A SAFE WAY. 
          DRIVERS PLEASE TAKE EXTRA CAUTION AROUND SCHOOLS AND CROSSWALK AND KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR WALKERS AND OUR BIKERS AND ALWAYS STOP FOR PEDESTRIANS. 
          NEXT I'D LIKE TO MENTION, UM, ON SEPTEMBER 30TH, MANY OF US WERE THERE TO, ALL OF US WERE THERE TO CELEBRATE THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF A NEW BUILDING FOR LANDSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL, A NEW HOME FOR THE VIKINGS. 
          AND YOU SEE A WONDERFUL PICTURE THERE. 
          THIS NEW BUILDING FEATURES A STATE RATED CAPACITY OF 1759 SEATS, WHICH IS 339 SEATS MORE THAN PREVIOUS 
          [00:45:01]
BUILDING. 
          IT WAS $166 MILLION PROJECT THAT INCLUDES A THREE STORY WINGS CONNECTED TO A TWO STORY PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND FINE ARTS WING. 
          AND MOST OF ALL, IT'S VERY, VERY WELL LIT. 
          UM, OUR TEAM, OUR CONSTRUCTION TEAM AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND VENDORS DID A WONDERFUL JOB ON THIS. 
          AND SO CONGRATULATIONS ON OPENING THAT FACILITY. 
          AND TOMORROW OCTOBER 7TH, WE WILL CUT THE CEREMONIAL RIBBON AT DEER PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND WE'RE CERTAINLY EXCITED FOR THAT COMMUNITY. 
          LASTLY, COMING UP SOON IS THE FISCAL YEAR 2028 OPERATING BUDGET AND IT'S UNDERWAY AND WE HAVE A SOLID BUDGET PROCESS IN PLACE. 
          WE'LL CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE THIS AS WE DEVELOP A BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. 
          OUR FOCUSING IS ON ADVANCING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR EVERY STUDENT, MAKING SURE THAT'S WHAT'S BEST FOR STUDENTS IS AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF OUR BUDGET DECISIONS. 
          AND SO WE BEGIN ALWAYS LISTENING TO STAKEHOLDERS, STAKEHOLDERS. 
          I ENCOURAGE OUR FAMILIES, OUR STAFF, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ALL WHO ARE LISTENING TO PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS, WE NEED THEM. 
          THESE OPPORTUNITIES WILL INCLUDE AN OPERATING BUDGET SURVEY SENT TO ALL BCPF STAFF, FAMILIES, AND STAKEHOLDERS COMING THIS WEEK. 
          AND WE'LL HAVE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS TO BE HELD ACROSS THE COUNTY IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER. 
          DETAILS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS WILL BE SHARED SOON. 
          IN ADDITION, AS ALWAYS, THE COMMUNITY IS WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE IN BOARD OF EDUCATION, PUBLIC HEARINGS AND AREA EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETINGS. 
          THE STATE HAS ALREADY SIGNALED THAT THE FY 28 BUDGET WILL BE ANOTHER CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT YEAR. 
          HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY HERE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOCUS ON STUDENT AND STAFF NEEDS. 
          SO PLEASE, I HOPE EVERYONE COMES OUT FOR THAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THAT TIME, MADAM CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU DR. 
          HEISER. 
          AND WE DON'T PLAN OUR REPORTS TOGETHER, BUT THEY'RE REDUNDANT TODAY. 
          BUT ALRIGHT. 
          UM, OCTOBER 
          [H. CHAIR'S REPORT (7:45 - 7:50 p.m.)]
MARKS ON PRINCIPAL'S APPRECIATION MONTH, A POSITION NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART IN A TIME WHEN WE FORMALLY RECOGNIZE LEADERSHIP, DEDICATION, AND STUDY GUIDANCE OUR PRINCIPALS PROVIDE EVERY DAY. 
          THEIR WORK IS OFTEN BEHIND THE SCENES, YET IT'S FOUNDATIONAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR SCHOOLS AND THE EXPERIENCES OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          PRINCIPALS ARE THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS OF THEIR BUILDINGS AND THEIR DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES DIRECTLY SHAPE THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING. 
          THEY CONDUCT CLASSROOM WALKTHROUGHS TO OBSERVE INSTRUCTION AND PROVIDE REAL TIME FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS. 
          THEY ANALYZE STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA TO IDENTIFY LEARNING GAPS AND COORDINATE TARGETED INTERVENTIONS. 
          THEY MONITOR SCHOOL CLIMATE BY BEING PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING, ENSURING STUDENTS FEEL SAFE, SUPPORTED, AND CONNECTED. 
          PRINCIPALS OVERSEE OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS SUCH AS STAFFING, SCHEDULING, AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION, ENSURING THAT TEACHERS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION. 
          THEY SUPPORT OUR NEW AND VETERAN TEACHERS THROUGH COACHING AND MENTORING. 
          THEY BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND THEY CELEBRATE OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS TO REINFORCE A CULTURE OF PRIDE AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS. 
          THEIR LEADERSHIP IS ESSENTIAL AND THIS BOARD EXTENDS ITS DEEPEST APPRECI APPRECIATION TO ALL OF OUR PRINCIPLES FOR THEIR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CREATING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ACROSS BCPS. 
          AND ALSO THANK YOU TO OUR CUSTODIAL STAFF WHO HAD THEIR DAY THIS MONTH. 
          AS A BOARD, WE ARE ALWAYS SO PROUD OF HOW OUR SCHOOLS SHINE BOTH INSIDE AND OUT, AND MANY OF OUR BUILDINGS ARE OLD AND WE KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THOSE BUILDINGS TO SHINE, BUT THEY DO. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. 
          LAST WEEK BROUGHT A MAJOR MILESTONE WITH THE RIBBON CUTTING OF THE NEW LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL. 
          THE OPENING OF THIS MODERN STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY REPRESENTS YEARS OF ADVOCACY, PLANNING, AND INVESTMENT IN THE LANSDOWN COMMUNITY. 
          THIS NEW HIGH SCHOOL IS A TESTAMENT TO WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN WE INVEST IN EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. 
          IT STANDS AS A PROMISE TO OUR STUDENTS AFFIRMING THAT THEY DESERVE FACILITIES THAT INSPIRE THEIR CURIOSITY, SUPPORT THEIR ACHIEVEMENT, AND FOR REFLECT THE VALUE WE PLACE ON THEIR FUTURES. 
          WE CELEBRATE THE STUDENTS', FAMILIES, EDUCATORS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS MOMENT AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES THIS SCHOOL WILL PROVIDE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. 
          THE PRO PROPOSED 27 28 SCHOOL CALENDAR WAS PRESENTED AT OUR LAST BOE MEETING AND I'D LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO EMAIL US THEIR THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE PROPOSED CALENDAR AND TO THOSE THAT SHARED THEIR COMMENTS THIS EVENING. 
          THE VOTE ON THE SCHOOL CALENDAR IS SCHEDULED DURING THE NOVEMBER 4TH, 2026 ON BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING AND THE PUBLIC MAY CONTINUE TO SEND US THEIR COMMENTS AT B OE@BCPS.ORG. 
          OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT IS APPROACHING THE COMPLETION OF HIS FIRST A HUNDRED DAYS. 
          THIS PERIOD HAS BEEN MARKED BY ACTIVE LISTENING, SCHOOL VISITS, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND A CLEAR COMMITMENT TO UNDERSTANDING THE STRENGTHS AND NEEDS OF BCPS. 
          HIS EARLY WORK HAS LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR A STRATEGIC DIRECTION CENTERED ON ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, OPERATIONAL READINESS, FINANCIAL STABILITY, TALENT IDENTIFICATION AND RETENTION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          [00:50:01]
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE INSIGHTS AND PRIORITIES THAT WILL EMERGE FROM HIS TRANSITIONS TEAM REPORT. 
          AND WE'RE ALSO VERY EXCITED THAT DR. 
          HEISER IS RECOGNIZED IN THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION MAGAZINE AS PEOPLE TO WATCH SECTION. 
          I KNOW HE FEELS WATCHED BY THE 12 OF US, BUT I'M GLAD THAT HE WAS ALSO RECOGNIZED BY THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TOO. 
          AND FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO EXTEND MY SINCERE APPRECIATION TO MY BOARD OF EDUCATION COLLEAGUES. 
          LAST WEEK WE GATHERED FOR OUR ANNUAL RETREAT A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO LEVEL SET AS A FULL BOARD ALONGSIDE OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT. 
          I AM TRULY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE'S THOUGHTFUL PARTICIPATION, WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND OPENNESS AND REFLECTING WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          WE ENDED THE NIGHT'S SMILING AND THAT'S ALWAYS A GOOD THING. 
          SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU. 
          AND OUR NEXT ON OUR 
          [I. STUDENT BOARD MEMBER'S REPORT (7:50 - 7:55 p.m.)]
AGENDA IS OUR STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD REPORT AND THAT I CALL HIM MS. JI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR YOUNG, DR. 
          HEISER AND FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS. 
          OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, I'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON MAKING CONNECTIONS, ENGAGING WITH STUDENTS, AND TAKING THE FIRST STEPS TO ESTABLISH RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS. 
          I BELIEVE THAT NOT ONLY A KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT CONNECTION IS POWER. 
          OVER THE PAST MONTH, I'VE GOTTEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE CHIEF OF STAFF, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER, CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND CONSTITUENCY SERVICES AND COMMUNICATIONS. 
          DURING THESE MEETINGS, I WAS ABLE TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR ROLES, UNDERSTAND PROCESSES AND HOW WE CAN COLLABORATE TO SUPPORT STUDENT CONCERNS AND NEEDS. 
          ADDITIONALLY, AT DIFFERENT EVENTS, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO MEET MANY GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS ALLOWING ME TO ESTABLISH LARGER SCALE CONNECTIONS. 
          CURRENTLY, I'M WORKING WITH VARIOUS STAFF MEMBERS TO TAKE THE FIRST STEPS OF PLANNING FOR NEW STUDENT RESOURCES. 
          THESE RESOURCES WILL SUPPORT STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES AND ACADEMICS AND EXTRACURRICULARS. 
          I HEAR THE ISSUES BEING BROUGHT TO US BY STUDENTS AND I CAN ASSURE STUDENTS THAT I AM HARD AT WORK TO MINIMIZE GAPS IN ACADEMICS AND OPPORTUNITY. 
          I'M THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION WITH STAFF MEMBERS IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT STUDENT-FOCUSED INITIATIVES. 
          I'M EXCITED TO CONTINUE WORKING HARD WITH STUDENTS AND STAFF TO TURN PLANS INTO ACTION TO IMPROVE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS. 
          AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING MORE INFORMATION SOON. 
          AS FOR STUDENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, I ATTENDED BCPS CURRICULUM NIGHT, A SCHOOL VISIT TO SUD BROOKE MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH FIRST LADY MORIN STATE SUPERINTENDENT BALTIMORE COUNTY DAY LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL RIBBON CUTTING, AND MY FIRST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL VISIT, WHICH WAS AT WESTERN SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AT WESTERN TECH STUDENTS. 
          AND I DISCUSSED MY ROLE, HOW NOT JUST I CAN ADVOCATE FOR THEM, BUT HOW THEY CAN ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR STRENGTHS AND CONCERNS WITHIN THE SCHOOL AND THE COUNTY. 
          I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR FROM STUDENTS THAT IN RESPONSE TO CONCERNS OF AI USAGE IN THE CLASSROOM, MANY TEACHERS AT THEIR SCHOOL HAVE SWITCHED TO PEN AND PAPER. 
          THE STUDENTS I SPOKE WITH AGREED THAT IN THEIR CLASSES AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THEY BELIEVE THERE'S A HEALTHY BALANCE OF ONLINE AND PAPER LEARNING. 
          THESE STUDENTS ALSO SHARED WITH WITH ME THAT CURRENTLY THE LARGE CLASS SIZES ARE ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST CONCERNS AND THEY BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE A PRIORITY OF THE BOARD. 
          STUDENTS BELIEVE THAT THE LARGE CLASS SIZES HINDER ABILITY TO LEARN AS THEY'RE UNABLE TO RECEIVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION AND ASSISTANCE THAT THEY WOULD IN A SMALLER CLASS. 
          I, AS WELL AS MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THAT THE ISSUE OF CLASS SIZES IS COMPLEXED AND LAYERED, BUT I HOPE TO MOVE FORWARD DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO CREATE THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF LEARNING FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE STUDENTS THAT CAME AND SPOKE TODAY. 
          I'M PROUD OF THESE STUDENTS FOR ADVOCATING FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR PEERS. 
          THEIR WORDS HOLD WEIGHT AND INFLUENCE. 
          I'M SO HAPPY THAT STUDENTS ARE GAINING AWARENESS OF HOW THEY CAN SPEAK THEIR VOICE AND WE NEED TO SHOW THEM THAT THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO RESPOND TO CONCERNS WITH ACTION, LEARN FROM STAFF, AND ENGAGE WITH STU STUDENTS DURING MY TERM. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA 
          [J. NEW BUSINESS - ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION (Board Counsel) (7:55 - 8:00 p.m.)]
IS ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION, AND FOR THAT I CALL MR. BURNS. 
          GOOD EVENING, CHAIR LICHTER, VICE CHAIR YOUNG DR. 
          HEER, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THIS EVENING ENCLOSED SESSION. 
          YOU THE BOARD CONSIDERED TWO APPEALS, HEA 26 DASH 40 AND 26 DASH 0 5 2. 
          AND NOW BE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR THE AFFIRM THAT ACTION. 
          THANK YOU MR. BURNS. 
          MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ACTION? TAKE AN ENCLOSED SESSION ON HEARING EXAMINER CASE HEA 26 DASH ZERO FOUR AND HEA 26 DASH 0 5 2. 
          SO MOVED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND ALGI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE PLEASE. 
          MS. HAM? YES. 
          [00:55:01]
MR. YOUNG? YES. 
          MS. JAB BJI? YES. 
          MS. DOKI? YES. 
          MS. DUSKY? YES. 
          DR. 
          SAVOY? YES. 
          MR. FITZPATRICK? YES. 
          MS. EY? YES. 
          MS. THORNTON? YES. 
          MR. MCMILLIAN? YES. 
          MS. FONG? YES. 
          MS. LICHTER? YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MR. BURNS. 
          THE NEXT ITEM ON THE 
          [K. NEW BUSINESS - CONTRACT AWARDS (Mr. McGuire) (8:00 - 8:10 p.m.)]
AGENDA IS CONTRACT AWARDS. 
          AND FOR THAT I CALL MR. MCMILLIAN CHAIR OF THE BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE. 
          MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE BOARD'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTS COMMITTEE MET ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 5TH, 2026. 
          ITEMS K ONE THROUGH K SIX WERE FORWARDED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL. 
          THANK YOU MR. MCMILLIAN. 
          BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY SEPARATIONS BEING REQUESTED? OKAY. 
          DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS? K ONE THROUGH K SIX. 
          SO MOVED. 
          LESKY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NO SECOND IS NEEDED. 
          SINCE THE RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM THE COMMITTEE, IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE. 
          MS. HAN? YES. 
          MR. YOUNG? YES. 
          MS. JI? YES. 
          MS. DOKI? YES. 
          MS. KY? YES. 
          DR. 
          VOY? YES. 
          MR. FITZPATRICK? YES. 
          MS. HUMPHREY? YES. 
          MS. THORNTON? YES. 
          MR. MCMILLION? YES. 
          MS. FONG? YES. 
          MS. LICHTER? YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THE 
          [L. NEW BUSINESS - CONSIDERATION OF REVISED 2026-2027 BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE (Ms. Lichter) (8:10 - 8:20 p.m.)]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION OF THE REVISED 20 26 20 27 BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE BOARD MEMBERS. 
          BECAUSE DECEMBER 7TH IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE ELECTED BOARD MEMBER'S TERM, IT IS PROPOSED TO MOVE THE MEETING SCHEDULED ON DECEMBER 1ST TO DECEMBER 8TH, 2026. 
          THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS TO BE SWORN IN AND TO CONDUCT ELECTIONS AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE BOARD IN DECEMBER. 
          THEREFORE, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REVISED 20 26 20 27 BOARD MEMBER SCHEDULE AS PRESENTED IN EXHIBIT L? SO MOVED. 
          WHOA, WHOA. 
          MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND FITZPATRICK. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY DISCUSSION? GET OUTTA HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE. 
          MS. HEN? YES. 
          MR. YOUNG? YES. 
          MR. BJI? YES. 
          MS. DOKI? YES. 
          MS. STALOWSKI? YES. 
          DR. 
          SAVOY? YES. 
          MR. FITZPATRICK ABSTAIN. 
          MS. HUMPHREY? YES. 
          MS. THORNTON? YES. 
          MR. MCMILLION? YES. 
          MS. FAL? YES. 
          MS. LICHTER? YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THE NEXT 
          [M. REPORT - MCAP, MISA, AND CCR RESULTS - 2025-2026 (Dr. Mullenax, Dr. Craft, Mr. Connelly, and Dr. Staley) (8:20 - 8:40 p.m.)]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS REPORT ON THE MCAP, MISA AND CCR RESULTS FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          AND FOR THAT I CALL ON DR. 
          MULNICKS, DR. 
          KRAFT, MR. CONNOLLY, AND DR. 
          STALEY. 
          UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD EVENING, . 
          EVENING. 
          PUT YOUR GLASSES ON. 
          DR. 
          NIKS. 
          . 
          . 
          THANK YOU. 
          JUST LIKE FOR REMINDING ME, . 
          GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. 
          WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE TO SHARE, UM, THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING WITH REGARDS TO MC A MESA AND THE CCR RESULTS. 
          UM, I'M EXCITED TO SHARE THAT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE MAKING SOME PRO PROMISING PROGRESS. 
          OH, OH, THERE, IT'S OKAY. 
          UM, OUR PATHWAY TO SUCCESS IDENTIFIES MILESTONES THAT HELP US MONITOR STUDENTS' READINESS FOR COLLEGE CAREER AND COMMUNITY LIFE. 
          THE PATHWAY BEGINS WITH KINDERGARTEN READINESS AND CONTINUES THROUGH CRITICAL INDICATORS IN GRADES THREE, FIVE, AND EIGHT. 
          AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE READINESS THROUGH MEASURES SUCH AS ADVANCED COURSEWORK, ASSESSMENTS, AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ALGEBRA TWO M. 
          CAP RESULTS PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT MEASURE OF PROGRESS ALONG THIS PATHWAY AND HELPS US IDENTIFY WHERE STUDENTS NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. 
          OUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT REMAINS ON A CLEAR PATHWAY TOWARDS SUCCESS AFTER GRADUATION. 
          OUR WORK IS GROUNDED IN THE FOUR PILLARS OF EXCELLENCE THAT GUIDE HOW WE SUPPORT STUDENTS, STAFF, SCHOOLS, AND OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          TODAY'S PRESENTATION FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, INCLUDING STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND OUR INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES. 
          PROGRESS IS EVIDENT. 
          CONSISTENCY AND ACCELERATION ARE THE NEXT CHALLENGE. 
          TRENDING UP OVER THE YEARS, HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND ALIGNED TO GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS. 
          THIS IS THE THE NEXT BODY OF WORK THAT WE NEED TO STEP INTO. 
          UH, BEGINNING WITH OUR MA MATH RESULTS OVERALL FOR MATH STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN MA PROFICIENCY ACROSS LEVELS WITH 61 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, 12 MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND 11 HIGH SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATING INCREASED MATH ACHIEVEMENT COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR. 
          AS WE LOOK ACROSS ALL STUDENTS IN 
          [01:00:01]
A COMPOSITE VIEW OF MATH ACHIEVEMENT, EIGHT OUT OF NINE STUDENT GROUPS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENT ACROSS ALL RACE ETHNICITY GROUPS AS WELL AS STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE SERVICES AS MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS OR QUALIFY AS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. 
          ADVANCING EXCELLENCE TOGETHER IS A FOCUS, PRIORITY AND COMMITMENT FOR EVERY STUDENT IN EVERY COMMUNITY. 
          BY GRADE BAND STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENT IN MCAP MATHEMATICS PROFICIENCY IN GRADES THREE TO FIVE, SIX THROUGH EIGHT. 
          AND IN ALGEBRA ONE, DR. 
          JOHN STALEY WILL SHARE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES IN MATHEMATICS TO PROMOTE AND EXTEND STUDENTS' MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND PRACTICES. 
          OUR MATHEMATICS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES ARE FOCUSED ON HIGH QUALITY FIRST INSTRUCTION, INTENTIONAL USE OF DATA AND STRENGTHENING COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT. 
          WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIGH QUALITY FIRST INSTRUCTION, THIS INVOLVES ESTABLISHING A SHARED VISION THAT DEFINES WHAT HIGH QUALITY MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING LOOKS, SOUNDS, AND FEELS LIKE ACROSS PRE-K TO 12. 
          WE THEN CENTER MATHEMATICAL THINKING BY MAKING PROBLEM SOLVING REASONING, DISCOURSE, AND MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES INTEGRAL TO DAILY INSTRUCTION. 
          WE ALSO STRENGTHEN CONTENT COHERENCE AS WE IMPLEMENT THE REVISED MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER MATHEMATICS STANDARDS AND THE NUMERACY DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK. 
          WE CONNECT PRIOR, CURRENT, AND FUTURE LEARNING THROUGH CLEAR PRE-K TO 12 PROGRESSIONS. 
          OUR INTENTIONAL USE OF DATA INVOLVES THE REVISED CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS. 
          ALL MATH ASSESSMENTS WERE REVIEWED FOR ALIGNMENT TO THE REVISED MARYLAND MATH STANDARDS AND REVISED WITH AN INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON THE MAJOR CONTENT OF EACH UNIT. 
          WE ALSO RESPOND TO STUDENT EVIDENCE, THE USE OF ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT WORK TO IDENTIFY STRENGTHS, NEEDS AND RESPONSIVES. 
          NEXT STEPS. 
          AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN AND WE ARE WORKING ON STRENGTHENING COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT. 
          THIS BUILDS A SCHOOL-BASED CAPACITY THROUGH COACHING AND COLLABORATIVE PLANNING BASED ON THE STUDENT GROUP PERFORMANCE AND DEMONSTRATED NEED TO STRENGTHEN MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION. 
          THIS IS PART OF OUR OVERALL CNI SCHOOL SUPPORT MODEL THAT HAS INCREASED A CROSS-DIVISIONAL APPROACH TO PROVIDING SUPPORTS FOR SCHOOLS. 
          OKAY, NEXT WE'LL LOOK AT MCAP SCIENCE PROFICIENCY. 
          AT THE ELEMENTARY GRADE FIVE LEVEL, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADE EIGHT LEVEL, AND AS WELL AS HIGH SCHOOL. 
          BEGINNING WITH GRADE FIVE SCIENCE PROFICIENCY, UH, STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED INCREASED ACHIEVEMENT ACROSS ALL REPORTED STUDENT GROUPS. 
          COMPARED TO THE 2025 MCAP SCIENCE RESULTS. 
          STRONG INCREASES IN PROFICIENCY WERE REALIZED FOR ALL RACE AND ETHNICITY GROUPS, AS WELL AS STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY AS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. 
          FOR GRADE EIGHT MA PROFICIENCY, STUDENTS WHO ARE BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN OR TWO OR MORE RACES DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN ACHIEVEMENT. 
          SLIGHT DECREASES IN ACHIEVEMENT WERE NOTED OVERALL AS WELL AS FOR ASIAN, HISPANIC, LATINO, WHITE, AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENT GROUPS. 
          HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE PROFICIENCY IS MEASURED BY THE LIFE SCIENCES MCAP ASSESSMENT STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED THE INCREASE ACHIEVEMENT ACROSS EVERY STUDENT GROUP COMPARED TO THE 2025 MCAP SCIENCE RESULTS WITH AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 4.7% PROFICIENCY AND 3.5% OR MORE INCREASES ACROSS ALL RACE ETHNICITY GROUPS AND STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY AS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ACROSS GRADE FIVE EIGHT IN HIGH SCHOOL LIFE SCIENCE. 
          OUR STR SCIENCE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES ARE FOCUSED ON HIGH QUALITY FIRST INSTRUCTION, STRENGTHENING CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENTS, AND THE STRENGTHENING THE COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT MODEL FOR HIGH QUALITY FIRST INSTRUCTION. 
          THIS INVOLVES THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOPED LESSONS, AN INCREASE IN EMPHASIS ON SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES FOR STRENGTHENING THE CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENTS. 
          THIS INVOLVE NEW SCIENCE BASIC MINI UNITS IN GRADE FIVE, REVISED CURRICULUM FOR GRADE SIX AND EIGHT, AND A FULL REVISION FOR GRADE SEVEN. 
          AND THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF LESSON DAILY LESSONS THAT INCORPORATE THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS. 
          INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR LIFE SCIENCES. 
          ALL SCIENCE END OF UNIT ASSESSMENTS WERE REVIEWED THIS SUMMER, AND REVISIONS WERE MADE TO INCLUDE MORE ENDCAP STYLE ITEMS FOR GRADES FIVE, SIX THROUGH EIGHT, AND THEN LIFE SCIENCES. 
          AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE ARE CONTINUING IN SCIENCE ALSO TO STRENGTHEN THE COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT MODEL THAT INVOLVES COACHING, COLLABORATIVE PLANNING, AND THE SCHOOL SUPPORT MODEL ACROSS CNI. 
          OKAY, NEXT WE'LL LOOK AT LITERACY OR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS ELA. 
          UM, STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN MCAT PROFICIENCY ACROSS LEVELS WITH 61 
          [01:05:01]
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, 21 MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND 11 HIGH SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATED INCREASED ACHIEVEMENT COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR. 
          AS WE LOOK ACROSS ALL STUDENT GROUPS IN A COMPOSITE VIEW OF ELA ACHIEVEMENT, EIGHT OUT OF NINE STUDENT GROUPS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENT FOR STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY AS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. 
          A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OF 8.1% MCAP ELA PROFICIENCY WAS ACHIEVED FROM 2025 TO 2026 BY GRADE BAND STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENT IN MCAP ELA PROFICIENCY IN GRADES THREE TO FIVE AND GRADE SIX TO EIGHT WITH A SLIGHT DECREASE IN PROFICIENCY FOR STUDENTS IN GRADE 10, DR. 
          JENNIFER KRAFT WILL SHARE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES IN ELA THAT WILL PROMOTE AND EXTEND STUDENTS' READING SKILLS, COMPREHENSION AND WRITING. 
          UH, THE GRADE BEYOND RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ELA WITH A SLIGHT DECLINE IN GRADE 10. 
          THESE RESULTS, UH, REINFORCE THE IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING THE FULL LITERACY CONTINUUM FROM THE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS, UH, AND LEARNING TO READ, WRITE, UM, AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE INCREASINGLY COMPLEX READING, THINKING, AND WRITING STUDENTS NEED TO DO AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE GRADE LEVELS. 
          AND SO SOME OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES WE HAVE INVESTED IN, UM, IS THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURED LITERACY, WHICH IS FULLY ALIGNED TO THE SCIENCE OF READING. 
          UM, AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, JUST RECENTLY THERE WAS AN ARTICLE WHERE THEY ASKED 37 LEADING RESEARCHERS IN THE EDUCATION FIELD, HERE'S LIKE THE 30 THINGS THAT SCHOOLS SEEM TO BE DOING A LOT, WHAT REALLY GIVES US THE BANG FOR OUR BUCK? AND WHAT CAME UP, NUMBER TWO WAS SCIENCE OF READING. 
          UM, IT'S ALSO ONE OF THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE, UH, THINGS, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT OUR MOVEMENT TO STRUCTURED LITERACY, UM, FOR OUR FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS. 
          UM, THIS YEAR, UH, THE MARYLAND STATE LITERACY COMPREHENSIVE POLICY PRE-K TO THREE REQUIRES US TO HAVE STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR OUR STUDENTS NOT MEETING BENCHMARK IN GRADE THREE. 
          AND SO THAT WILL BE OUR FIRST YEAR IMPLEMENTING THAT. 
          UM, IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT THE STATE IS REQUIRING. 
          UH, WE CONTINUE TO, UM, WORK ON OUR EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE DOING THE REQUIRED PROGRESS MONITORING AND MAKING SURE THAT STUDENTS ARE GETTING WHAT THEY NEED JUST IN TIME. 
          AND WHEN IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION. 
          UH, BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS. 
          UH, WE ARE CONTINUING TO DEEPEN OUR CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION, OF COURSE, WITH THE BOARD SUPPORT. 
          WE ARE NOW FULLY HQIM, UH, PRE-K TO 12. 
          AND SO WE JUST THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE HQIM IN ELA, UH, AND SO WE CONTINUE TO REFINE OUR IMPLEMENTATION PRACTICES AROUND, UH, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE LEVERAGING THAT HQIM AS, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO GET THE RESULTS WE WANT WITH STUDENTS. 
          UH, WE DO KNOW AS WE LOOKED AT THAT GRADE 10, UH, THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE OUR ADOLESCENT READING AND WRITING. 
          UM, AND WHEN WE LOOK AT GRADE 10, UH, NINE AND 10 ARE ACTUALLY BANDED STANDARDS. 
          SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS GRADE NINE AND 10 AND REALLY STRENGTHENED THAT. 
          WE ALSO KNOW LITERACY DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN IN ELA AND IN A FEW MINUTES I WILL TALK ABOUT SOCIAL STUDIES, BUT LITERACY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS ALL . 
          UM, AND, UH, LIKE DR. 
          STALEY REFERENCED ALREADY, THE COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL SEE ACROSS ALL OUR CONTENT AREAS BECAUSE WE DO THINK IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE WORKING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER IN SCHOOLS AND GIVING THEM THE SUPPORT THAT THEY SAY IS HELPFUL FOR THEM AS WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          GREAT. 
          FOR GRADE EIGHT SOCIAL STUDIES STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED POSITIVE GROWTH IN PROFICIENCY FOR ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING FIVE OUT OF EIGHT REPORTED STUDENT GROUPS. 
          DR. 
          JEN KRAFT WILL SHARE FOCUSED STRATEGIC INITIATIVES IN SOCIAL STUDIES TO PROMOTE AND EXTEND STUDENTS' DISCIPLINARY LITERACY AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. 
          AS MR. CONLEY SHARED OVERALL GRADE EIGHT SOCIAL STUDIES PROFICIENCY INCREASED, BUT THE STUDENT GROUP RESULTS WERE VARIED. 
          THAT VARIATION MATTERS BECAUSE AN OVERALL AVERAGE CAN MASK VERY DIFFERENT STUDENT EXPERIENCES. 
          IN SOCIAL STUDIES, ONE OF OUR PRIMARY INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES IS STRENGTHENING INQUIRY AND CIVIC REASONING. 
          HIGH QUALITY SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION CANNOT BE PRIMARILY ABOUT RECALLING NAMES, DATES, AND EVENTS. 
          STUDENTS NEED REPEATED OPPORTUNITIES TO EXAMINE SOURCES, ASK QUESTIONS, CONSIDER VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES, ENGAGE IN COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSIONS, REASON HISTORICALLY AND CONSTRUCT EV UM, ARGUMENTS BASED ON EVIDENCE. 
          AND SO, JUST AS I REFERENCED A MINUTE AGO, UM, THAT IS REALLY RELATED TO DISCIPLINARY LITERACY. 
          AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LITERACY AS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC LITERACY STRATEGIES THAT ARE NEEDING 
          [01:10:01]
TO BE DEVELOPED IN SOCIAL STUDIES. 
          READING AND SOCIAL STUDIES HAS SPECIFIC DEMANDS, AND SO IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE TEACHERS KNOW, UH, HOW TO HELP STUDENTS UNPACK THE DEMANDS OF A, A TEXT IN SOCIAL STUDIES AS COMPARED TO ANOTHER CONTENT AREA. 
          UM, UH, WE ALSO CONTINUE TO WORK ON OUR ALIGNMENT BETWEEN CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT. 
          WE HAVE DONE, UM, A PRETTY MAJOR OVERHAUL ON ASSESSMENTS, OUR CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS IN SOCIAL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HITTING THE ASSESSMENT LIMITS THAT ARE IN THE STATE STANDARDS, UH, AND THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT FEEDBACK, UH, AFTER THE FACT TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE ASSESSING, UH, WHAT IS LISTED IN THE CURRICULUM. 
          AND SO WITH THOSE REVISED CBAS, WE HAVE GOTTEN EXCEPTIONAL FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, UH, ABOUT HOW THE RESULTS ARE MORE ALIGNED TO WHAT THEY'RE TEACHING AND CAN HELP THEM WITH ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS. 
          UH, AND THEN WE ALSO CONTINUE TO WORK ON COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT IN SOCIAL STUDIES TO ENSURE THAT THOSE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE ARE GOING IN AND CO-TEACHING AND MODELING LESSONS, AS WELL AS HELPING WITH COLLABORATIVE PLANNING AND HOW TO BACK MAP UNITS OF INSTRUCTION. 
          OKAY, NEXT WE'LL, UH, TALK ABOUT COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS THROUGH STRATEGIC FOCUSED INITIATIVES. 
          STUDENTS IN BCPS CONTINUE TO ADVANCE ON THE PATHWAY TO SUCCESS WITH INCREASED ACCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT AND HIGHER LEVEL ACADEMIC COURSEWORK, AND INCLUDING AP HONORS DUAL ENROLLMENT AND GT PROGRAMS. OUR COMMITMENT TO STUDENT ACCESS AND SUCCESS IS EVIDENT THROUGH THE RAPID RISE IN STUDENTS MEETING THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS OR CCR ME AS 37% MORE STUDENTS EARNED COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STATUS IN THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR. 
          AS WE ADVANCE EXCELLENCE TOGETHER, BCPS IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EVERY STUDENT WITH EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTS TO PROMOTE SUCCESS IN COLLEGE CAREERS AND IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          OUR CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ORGANIZES THE CONDITIONS FOR STRONGER INSTRUCTION INTO THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES, CULTURE, ESTABLISHING A CLEAR INSTRUCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS CAPACITY BY PROVIDING DIFFERENTIATED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, STRENGTHENING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, CONSISTENCY, THE ALIGNMENT OF CURRICULUM ASSESSMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, THE USE OF ACTIONABLE DATA THAT RELATES TO IMPLEMENTATION, EVIDENCE AND PROGRAM EVALUATION. 
          TAKING TOGETHER THESE FOUR AREAS PROVIDE A COHERENT IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY, SHARED DIRECTION, STRENGTHENED EXPERTISE, COHERENT IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVIDENCE AND ADJUSTMENT. 
          THE PHRASE MOMENTUM WITH URGENCY IS INTENTIONAL BECAUSE BOTH IDEAS ARE NECESSARY. 
          WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE AREAS OF REAL PROGRESS IN THE RESULTS THAT WE SHARED WITH YOU TONIGHT. 
          HOWEVER, WE ALSO NEED TO SAY THAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO IDENTIFY THE PRACTICES CONTRIBUTING TO THE GROWTH, SUSTAIN THEM, AND SCALE THEM WHERE THEY'RE APPROPRIATE. 
          BUT WE CAN'T ALLOW IMPROVEMENT IN SOME AREAS TO LESSEN THE URGENCY IN OTHERS. 
          WHILE WHERE PROGRESS IS LIMITED OR WHERE PERFORMANCE HAS DECLINED OR WHERE STUDENT GROUPS CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN OUTCOMES, OUR RESPONSE MUST BE MORE PRECISE. 
          SO OUR COMMITMENT MOVING FORWARD IS NOT SIMPLY TO DO MORE, IT IS TO BE MORE PRECISE ABOUT WHAT WE SUSTAIN, WHERE WE ACCELERATE, HOW WE DIFFERENTIATE, AND WHEN WE ADJUST, WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE PROGRESS REFLECTED IN THESE RESULTS. 
          CLEAR ABOUT WHERE MORE WORK IS REQUIRED AND COMMITTED TO USING THE EVIDENCE TO CONTINUOUSLY STRENGTHEN INSTRUCTION FOR EVERY STUDENT IN EVERY CLASSROOM EVERY DAY. 
          BEGINNING THIS SCHOOL YEAR, THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WILL UTILIZE M STAR ASSESSMENT FOR THE ELA AND MATHEMATICS IN GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT. 
          AS A RESULT, STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON M STAR ASSESSMENTS FOR THE 26 27 SCHOOL YEAR WILL SERVE AS A BENCHMARK FOR ACHIEVEMENT MOVING FORWARD FOR THE 27 28 SCHOOL YEAR, M STAR ASSESSMENTS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND WILL REPLACE SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND HIGH SCHOOL ELA ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENTS IN 28 29, ALGEBRA WILL SUNSET AND THE USE OF INTEGRATED ALGEBRA ONE FOLLOWING THE FOLLOWING YEAR IN 20 29 30. 
          IT WILL ALSO BE, UM, I'M SORRY, ALGEBRA TWO, INTEGRATED ALGEBRA TWO. 
          LASTLY, THIS SLIDE IS MOST IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT JUST JUDGED ON M MCAP OR M STAR DATA. 
          MCAP DATA REPRESENTS ONE DATA POINT FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. 
          [01:15:01]
AND WHILE IMPORTANT DOES NOT PROVIDE THE FULL PICTURE OF OUR STUDENT PROGRESS ACHIEVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE, WE HAVE 80, AN 84.3 GRADUATION RATE. 
          WE HAVE 27 MARYLAND BLUE BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS, EXCUSE ME, 23 5 STAR SCHOOLS THE HIGHEST IN OUR STATE. 
          THESE DATA SPEAK OF WHO WE ARE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO FIRST, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT DATA AND ALL THAT INFORMATION. 
          UM, DO MY COLLEAGUES HAVE QUESTIONS? DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? DR. 
          ER I CAN SAY SOMETHING BEFORE THE QUESTIONS. 
          SURE. 
          FIRST, THANK YOU TO THE TEAM FOR, UM, THAT EXHAUSTIVE REPORT. 
          IT'S, IT'S REALLY GOOD TO SEE THAT, UM, I MEAN THAT SINCERELY. 
          THERE'S A LOT IN HERE. 
          UM, I'M ENCOURAGED, UH, BY THE RESULTS. 
          I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD TO HEAR THIS. 
          I'M ENCOURAGED BY THE RESULTS, BUT I'M NOT SATISFIED. 
          NOR IS THE TEAM. 
          I THINK WE HAVE. 
          UM, WE'VE, WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, I THINK, FULL COMPLIMENTS TO THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE, BUT WE HAVE A LOT MORE GAINS TO HAPPEN AND WE'VE GOTTA CLOSE MORE GAPS AMONG OUR STUDENT GROUPS. 
          UM, INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES ARE VERY, VERY CLEAR. 
          AND WE MADE SURE OF THAT. 
          THAT WAS PRESENTED ACTUALLY IN THE A AND S MEETING, IF YOU RECALL, UM, THAT SAME SLIDE, I BELIEVE, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PRINCIPALS AND OUR TEACHERS KNOW THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A NEW SUPERINTENDENT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CHANGE THE FOCUS INSTRUCTIONALLY. 
          TOO OFTEN THAT HAPPENS. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY KIND OF LEVERAGING WHAT THE TEAM HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILDING. 
          AND ALSO LASTLY, JUST REMIND THE BOARD, AS YOU SAW FROM THE NEXT TO LAST SLIDE, WAS IT'S A CHANGING LANDSCAPE. 
          UH, IT'S A VERY MUCH A CHANGING LANDSCAPE. 
          WE'LL BE CHANGING AGAIN FROM MCAP TO M STAR THAT HAS IMPLICATIONS AND HOW WE TAKE A LOOK AT THESE THINGS. 
          SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME, MR. . 
          UH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT, UM, CHANGES. 
          IS THERE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR THAT'S LIKE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT VERSUS LIKE JUST FLUCTUATION? SO, UH, TYPICALLY WHAT YOU LOOK AT, UM, IS A COMPARISON OF YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM TO WHAT THE STATE IS DOING. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE, NOW WE'RE SCALING IT TO THE ENTIRE STATE AND BASED ON THE SAME STANDARDS. 
          SO THERE ISN'T A CONSISTENT, UM, GOT YOU INCREMENTAL MARK. 
          IT'S ARE WE CLOSING OUR GAP? ARE WE OVER OUTPERFORMING? ARE WE YOU GROWING FASTER? ALL THOSE THINGS ARE CRITICAL PIECES TO LOOK AT IN A QUALITATIVE SENSE WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT THE QUANTITATIVE DATA AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE, THAT ARE IN PLACE. 
          THANK YOU, MR. BJI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, SO I SAW THAT THE SUCCESS FOR LIKE SAT SCORES AND A CT SCORES ARE, UM, BEING TRACKED. 
          AND SAME WITH AP. 
          IS THERE ANYTHING BEING DONE TO TRACK THE SUCCESS WITH DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES? DO YOU HAVE ANY DATA ON THAT? YES, ACTUALLY WE'RE JUST WORKING ON COLLECTING THAT DATA, UM, BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE A C OR HIGHER. 
          SO WE WILL HAVE THAT DATA REPORT, UM, IN THE FU IN COMING TO YOU GUYS IN THE FUTURE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME MS. ONG. 
          SO YOU CAN HEAR ME. 
          SO, UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. 
          UM, BEFORE I START AND ASK MY QUESTIONS, I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU GUYS A ROUND OF, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AS FAR AS THE GAINS THAT WE'VE MADE. 
          UM, AND IT'S ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, SO OF COURSE I'M SO PLEASED ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, WITH SLIDE 19, UM, DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON THE DISAGGREGATED DATA FOR THOSE, UM, ADVANCING EXCELLENCE? 'CAUSE THAT TALKS ABOUT BASICALLY OPPORTUNITY, UM, AVAILABLE TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          SO DO YOU HAVE DISAGGREGATED DATA? UH, WE HAVE DISAGGREGATED DATA AVAILABLE. 
          I DO NOT HAVE IT WITH ME AT THIS MOMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THAT SOMETHING, I GUESS WE CAN JUST GET FOLLOW UP. 
          YOU'RE RIGHT ON THE SAME PAGE THAT I AM. 
          WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT THAT, PARTICULARLY FOR FUTURE YEARS OUT, BUT WE WILL BE ABLE TO JUST AGGREGATE THAT AND SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD. 
          MM-HMM . 
          OKAY. 
          PERFECT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE ACROSS THE DIFFERENT AREAS IS THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT STRENGTHENING COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT. 
          CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE? A SPECIFIC COUPLE OF EXAMPLES? SO I CAN GIVE YOU, UM, A LOT OF EXAMPLES ACTUALLY, . 
          UM, BUT WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR DOS TEAM TO IDENTIFY SCHOOLS THAT WE WANNA GO IN AND SUPPORT THEM. 
          UM, DOS TEAM, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, WERE COLLABORATIVELY WITH THEIR PRINCIPALS TO IDENTIFY WHERE DO THEY WANT US TO COME INTO SUPPORT. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST AROUND BUILDING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, WHICH IS ONE PART OF IT, BUT IT'S ALSO BUILDING INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE KNOWLEDGE. 
          SO THINGS THAT WE DO WHEN WE GO IN THERE ARE RANGED FROM ANYWHERE, FROM PLANNING TO PROVIDING MODEL LESSONS FOR OUR TEACHERS TO COLLABORATIVELY PLANNING. 
          I THINK I JUST SAID THAT, UM, LOOKING AT DATA, UM, CO-TEACHING WITH THE TEACHER, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND HOW, NOT ONLY VERBALLY HOW TO DO IT, BUT ALSO THEY'RE SEEING HOW TO DO IT. 
          SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES THAT WE'RE DOING. 
          WE HAVE IT ON A ROTATION BASIS, SO WE GO IN FOR ABOUT FOUR WEEKS AT A TIME. 
          UM, WE DO WALKTHROUGHS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SEEING SUSTAINED CHANGE IN THE THINGS THAT OUR FOCUSES ARE. 
          UM, WE ALSO LOOK AT THE DATA, SO 
          [01:20:01]
WE'RE IDENTIFYING PIECES OF DATA THAT WE WANNA SEE MOVE WITHIN THOSE FOUR WEEKS. 
          AND THEN AFTER THAT ROTATION ENDS A WEEK AFTER, I WANNA SAY THERE'S A WEEK GAP, AND THEN WE COME BACK TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT THE WORK THAT WE HAD DONE IS BEING SUSTAINED IN THE SCHOOL. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S THE LINCHPIN TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CONTINUING. 
          WHEN WE COME OUT, THE TEACHERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO CARRY IT. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, THEN AS YOU LOOK AT THE PROGRESS, WERE THERE ANY NEW INITIATIVES IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU FELT WERE, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY USEFUL? SO I HEARD SCIENCE OF READING MENTIONED AS A NUMBER TWO. 
          ARE THERE ANY OTHER NEW INITIATIVES OR EVEN EXISTING INITIATIVES THAT WERE HELPFUL? I DO THINK, I THINK, UM, RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL. 
          UM, BECAUSE AS I THINK DR. 
          SALY SAID, IT REALLY LEVEL SETS AND PUTS EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE AS TO WHAT IS HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION, UM, AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE. 
          SO IT SHOULD LOOK THE SAME IF YOU'RE IN PATAPSCO OR IF YOU'RE AT WOODLAWN. 
          UM, AND THIS YEAR WHAT WE'RE DOING IS REALLY EVEN TAKING THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE APPLICABLE PRACTICES TO GO WITH IT. 
          UM, AND THEN AGAIN, OUR COLLEAGUES IN DOS ARE GOING IN TO HOLD SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING THOSE PRACTICES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND LAST QUESTION IS, OF COURSE, WE'RE GONNA BE GOING INTO THE BUDGET AND WE KNOW IT'S TIGHT. 
          ARE THERE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD SAY ARE JUST VITAL? WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE, LIKE, DON'T TOUCH THIS, RIGHT. 
          MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP IT AND, UM, IS IT BUDGETARY OR NON BUDGETARY? BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR SOME OF THOSE THINGS. 
          IT'S A LITTLE BIT SIMILAR TO THE INITIATIVES, BUT DEFINITELY STILL RELATED TO THE BUDGET. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE KEEP IT, I CAN RESCUE THE TEAM ON THIS ONE. 
          , I THINK  MEANING, MEANING IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I DON'T THINK THE TEAM PROBABLY DOESN'T WANT TO GET TOO AHEAD. 
          I THINK WE'RE STILL, THE TRUTH IS WE'RE STILL COLLECTING THOSE IDEAS TO SEE WHERE YOU GET YOUR BEST RETURN. 
          AND THERE'S SOME DEBATE TO BE HAD ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, WE KNOW THAT, AND WE'LL HEAR A LOT ABOUT THIS RIGHT AROUND STAFFING, WE CERTAINLY KNOW THAT. 
          BUT WHERE DOES THE STAFFING GO, RIGHT? IS ALWAYS THE, IS THE POINT. 
          UM, SO I'M GONNA WITHHOLD SOME OF MY OPINIONS RIGHT NOW ON IT IN FAIRNESS BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE STILL COLLECTING THAT INFORMATION AND BE ABLE TO COME BACK TO YOU ABOUT PARTICULARLY NOT ONLY WHICH CONTENT AREA OR WHICH GRADE LEVEL, UM, OR, OR WHICH SCHOOL LEVEL RIGHT. 
          DETERMINES I THINK IF WE ASK THE SCHOOLS, THEY WOULD ALL ANSWER YES TO ALL. 
          BUT WE KNOW THAT'S, WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. 
          SO WE'LL BE BACK IN TOUCH ABOUT THAT. 
          THANK, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MR. YOUNG, DR. 
          DR. 
          MULLINAX IN RESPONDING TO MS FIRM'S QUESTION. 
          YOU GAVE SEVERAL EXAMPLES AND, BUT YOU ALSO MENTIONED PARTNERING WITH DOS. 
          IS THAT THE, UM, SAME WORK BEING DONE BY MR. MUSTER'S TEAM, OR IS THAT SEPARATE FROM WHAT HE'S DOING? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. 
          UM, IT'S SIMILAR TO, UM, WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH MR. MUSTER'S TEAM. 
          UM, SO HIS SPECIALISTS WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE CNI OFFICES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CONSISTENT WITH OUR MESSAGING. 
          SO WHETHER OR NOT IT'S MR. MUSTARD FOR SCHOOLS OR SOME OF THE OTHER D-O-S-E-D SCHOOLS, UM, THEY ALSO ENGAGE IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH US, ALONGSIDE US. 
          UM, THEY, MR. MUSTER COMES, JOINS OUR MEETINGS. 
          UM, OUR TEAM MEETS COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE ENTIRE DOS TEAM. 
          SO IT IS SIMILAR, IT'S JUST MR. MUSTER'S TEAM HAS A LITTLE BIT MORE INTENSIVE SUPPORT. 
          UM, OUR TEAM OF SPECIALISTS SPEND, I WOULD SAY 80% OF THEIR TIME IS IN SCHOOLS. 
          SO THEY'RE NOT SITTING IN, EVEN THOUGH WE SAY THEY'RE CENTRAL OFFICE, UM, THEY'RE NOT SITTING IN CENTRAL OFFICE. 
          THEY ARE IN SCHOOLS 80% OF THE TIME, AS IS MR. AS OUR MR MR FIRST TEAM. 
          THANK YOU, MS. JI. 
          UM, SO YOU MENTIONED, UH, STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR GRADE THREE. 
          YES. 
          UM, CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, BUT ALSO, UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL? BECAUSE I KNOW AT GRADE 10 THERE WERE A COUPLE, UM, DATA POINTS THAT SHOWED A DECREASE IN ELA PROFICIENCY AND WELL, THE OTHER AREAS HAD, UM, AN INCREASE. 
          UH, GREAT QUESTION. 
          SO THE STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLANS COMES OUTTA THE MSDE COMPREHENSIVE LITERACY POLICY, AND IT IS STARTING IN GRADE THREE BECAUSE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESEARCH THAT SAYS, UH, OF JUST LIFELONG TRAJECTORY, NOT JUST IN HIGH SCHOOL, UM, OF BEING ABLE TO READ BY THE END OF GRADE THREE. 
          NOW, WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE END OF GRADE THREE IS IF THEY STILL ARE NOT AT BENCHMARK, THAT WILL FOLLOW THEM INTO FOURTH GRADE AND SO ON. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL UP O OVER TIME. 
          UH, WE HAVE, UM, PUT SEVERAL SYSTEMS INTO PLACE. 
          SO WE STARTED MEETING WITH, UM, BREEDING SPECIALISTS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN THE SPRING, UM, AS SOON AS WE HAD INFORMATION FROM THE STATE. 
          AND THOSE, UH, MEETINGS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. 
          THIS FALL, UH, WE PARTNERED WITH PARENT UNIVERSITY, SO WE'VE ALREADY HAD ONE WORKSHOP AT PARENT UNIVERSITY. 
          WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE COMING UP TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF THOSE CHANGES AND WHAT IS REQUIRED BY THE STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLANS. 
          [01:25:01]
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD SAY THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT THEY ARE COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOPED WITH THE FAMILY. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT IS JUST A REALLY IMPORTANT PART AS WE THINK ABOUT, UM, IMPROVING READING, THAT IT REALLY IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN, UM, SCHOOL AND HOME. 
          AND SO THAT IS A CRUCIAL PIECE OF THOSE STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLANS. 
          UM, AND SO, UH, AT THE END OF THE SCREENING WINDOW, UH, THE, THERE IS 30, UM, DAYS AFTER THE SCREENING WINDOW FOR, UM, US TO INVITE FAMILIES IN TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS COLLABORATIVELY TO PUT A STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLAN IN PLACE. 
          NOW, PART OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING AN INTERVENTION. 
          WELL, WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT PART HAS EXISTED ALREADY. 
          UM, THE FORMAL PROCESS OF WRITING THE STUDENT READING IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND INVITING THE FAMILIES, UM, IS REALLY THE NEWER PIECE. 
          BUT ALL THE OTHER PARTS OF THE STUDENT IMPROVEMENT PLAN HAS EXISTED IN OUR SYSTEM AND THE WAY THAT WE HAVE RESPONDED TO STUDENTS NOT AT BENCHMARK TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET INTERVENTION. 
          UM, AND THEN TO THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION, ABOUT 10TH GRADE, UM, WE ARE REALLY LOOKING AT THAT. 
          AND IN FACT, WHEN WE GO IN AND DO THE COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SUPPORT THAT DR. 
          MULLINAX WAS, UH, TALKING ABOUT, WE ALWAYS START IN, UM, WHEN WE'RE DOING ELA IN GRADE 10, UM, BECAUSE WE DO WANNA MAKE SURE WE KNOW THAT'S THE ASSESSED YEAR, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE READY. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS, SO THOSE READING IMPROVEMENT PLANS WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE STUDENTS. 
          UH, BUT WE ALSO, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT STUDENTS IN NEED OF SUPPORT, WE ALSO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS DESIGNATION. 
          AND SO STUDENTS THAT AREN'T, UM, CCR ARE PROVIDED ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE GETTING WHAT THEY'RE, THEY NEED IN ORDER TO BECOME COLLEGE AND CAREER READY. 
          AND SO IT'S KIND OF A BOTH AND, UH, BUT WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MONITORING ALL OF THOSE DATA POINTS SO THAT STUDENTS AREN'T DECLINING, BUT THAT WE'RE ALWAYS GOING IN THE, THE, THE POSITIVE DIRECTION FOR STUDENT TRAJECTORY. 
          AND JUST TO ADD, UM, MR. BAJI IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS, EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY NOT BE A PLAN SPECIFICALLY FOR GRADE 10, WE DO HAVE READING INTERVENTIONS IN PLACE GRADES, UM, SIX THROUGH 11 AS WELL. 
          SO EVEN IF THERE'S NOT A, AN OFFICIAL QUOTE UNQUOTE PLAN, THEY'RE STILL RECEIVING SOME SORT OF SUPPORT TO HELP CLOSE THAT GAP. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND SORRY, JUST ONE MORE. 
          SO YOU SAID AFTER THEY MEET WITH THE FAMILY, THEN A PLAN IS MADE. 
          SO IS THAT PLAN INDIVIDUALIZED TO A STUDENT? OH, OKAY. 
          SO THEY WILL LOOK AT THAT STUDENT MM-HMM . 
          THEY WILL SAY, HERE'S THE, UH, SCREENING RESULTS, HERE'S THE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS. 
          UM, HERE IS WHAT THE DIAGNOSTIC IS TELLING US IS THE, THE GREATEST AREA OF NEED BASED ON THAT, THEN DEV, YOU KNOW, DECIDING ON AN INTERVENTION. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT THE FAMILY CAN DO AT HOME TO SUPPORT WITH THAT SPECIFIC AREA OF NEED. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MS. TEKI. 
          MY QUESTION ACTUALLY GOES GREAT WITH WHAT YOU WERE ASKING. 
          UM, THIS, UH, IMPROVEMENT PLANS, UH, THE INTERVENTIONS THEY INCLUDE TIER THREE, I I WOULD ASSUME FOR ALL ALL GRADES THREE THROUGH 11, DO WE KNOW HOW MANY, UM, TIER THREE EDUCATORS TRAINED EDUCATORS THAT WE HAVE TO, TO PERFORM OR TO PROVIDE THE INTERVENTION? THANK YOU  PROVIDE THE TIER THREE INTERVENTION? UH, I THINK, UM, IT WOULD BE HARD FOR US TO SAY HOW MANY IN GENERAL BECAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. SO IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE, THE INTERVENTION AND WHAT THEY'RE TRAINED ON. 
          BUT WE CAN DO SOME RESEARCH INTO SEEING SPECIFICALLY WHICH INTERVENTION AND HOW MANY ARE TRAINED INVENTION. 
          IF YOU COULD JUST NARROW, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T, I DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHETHER, WHAT TYPE OF IT, JUST THAT IT'S A TIER THREE INTERVENTION AND HOW MANY TEACHERS AT EACH, UM, HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL WOULD BE GREAT. 
          WE CAN DO THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, UM, ALSO JUST KIND OF GOING BACK THE M STAR MCAP, UM, ARE WE CHANGING TO M STAR BECAUSE IT'S TO ALIGN WITH STATE REGULATIONS? YES. 
          EVERYONE IN THE STATE IS DOING THE SAME TRANSITION. 
          SO THAT SLIDE, I THINK IT WAS, UH, WHATEVER THE SECOND TO LAST SLIDE THAT'S CONSISTENT ACROSS EVERY SINGLE LEA IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. 
          AND HOW OFTEN I FEEL LIKE WE JUST DID MCAP, LIKE . 
          UM, I CAN TELL YOU I'VE BEEN IN EDUCATION FOR 26 YEARS, AND I THINK THIS WILL BE MY SIXTH, SIXTH STATE ASSESSMENT ROUND, SO, OKAY. 
          UH, AND THEN LA LASTLY, YEAH, MARGIN OF ERROR, LIKE, KIND OF GOES WITH WHAT MR. FITZPATRICK WAS SAYING. 
          WHEN IT COMES TO THESE TEST RESULTS, WHAT, IS THERE A MARGIN OF ERROR? WHAT IS THE MARGIN NRA, WHEN IT COMES TO THE PERCENTAGES? SO IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          AND WHAT MAKES MCAP OR M STAR DIFFERENT THAN WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TRADITIONAL NORM REFERENCE ASSESSMENTS IS THAT IT'S CRITERION BASED. 
          SO THE QUESTIONS ARE NOT THE SAME. 
          THE KNOW THE STUDENT POPULATION OF COURSE, SHIFTS AND CHANGES, BUT IN A NORM REFERENCE ASSESSMENT, YOU CAN, UH, LOOK AT QUANTITATIVE DATA AND ANALYZE IT FOR A RANGE OF ERROR OR STANDARD DEVIATION OF ERROR. 
          CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE TESTS ARE NOT THAT WAY. 
          UM, WHAT WE REALLY LOOK AT ARE WHERE KIDS ARE FALLING IN THEIR PROFICIENCY LEVELS AND ARE REMOVING KIDS FROM LEVEL ONE TO TWO, TWO TO THREE, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, AND FURTHER TOWARDS FOUR, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OR DISTINGUISHED LEARNING, RIGHT? 
          [01:30:01]
SO THAT BECOMES THE AREA WHERE WHEN WE START LOOKING AT CLUSTERS OF STUDENTS AND WHERE THEY'RE MOVING, YOU KNOW, HELPS US BETTER UNDERSTAND LIKE THE MEAN PROFICIENCY SCORE OF ARE WE MAKING GROWTH AS WELL AS ARE WE IMPACTING PROFICIENCY OF STUDENTS? THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          UM, I'M GONNA BUILD ON SOME OF THAT. 
          SO WITH THE M STAR, ARE WE STARTING OVER OR IS THERE GONNA BE A WAY TO NO. 
          SO DR. 
          MUL, SO, SO THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A WAY TO SAY THAT BASED ON THE M STAR, WE'VE IMPROVED BASED ON THE LAST M CAP. 
          IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU JUST, WE JUST HAD THIS CONVERSATION, BUT I'LL LET MR. CONY, UM, SO, SO THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. 
          UH, IT IS A DIFFERENT TEST. 
          UM, WE'LL TEST THE SAME STANDARDS. 
          YES, WE'LL TEST THE SAME STANDARDS IN THE SAME WAY. 
          PARTIALLY, IT'S A SHORTER EXAM. 
          UH, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION JUST MET, UM, I THINK IT WAS LAST TUESDAY, AND THEY HAD A PRESENTATION ON, UM, BASED ON A PRIVATE, UH, COMPANY THAT LOOKED AT MCAP DATA OVER TIME. 
          AND THEY NOTICED SOME GLARING GAPS IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE, ESPECIALLY IN MATHEMATICS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL. 
          AND THEN THEY COMPARED THAT TO NAP. 
          AND WHAT THEY SAW WAS OUR NA DATA WAS VERY CONSISTENT ACROSS OUR GRADE LEVELS. 
          UM, BUT OUR, UH, MCAP DATA FOR GRADE SIX, GRADE SEVEN, GRADE EIGHT, AND ALGEBRA ONE MATHEMATICS IN HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT ANYWHERE COMPARABLE TO ALL OF OUR OTHER DATA TRENDS. 
          SO THE INITIATIVE OF MOVING INTO MA IS ONE TO IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL, UM, TESTING, UH, CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND TO SHORTEN THE TEST AND TO USE GREATER, UM, ADAPTIVE ABILITIES AND TESTING SO THEY CAN GET, UH, LESS QUESTIONS, BUT MORE PRECISION. 
          SO WE'LL BE ADAPTIVE THAT EACH CHILD MIGHT BE GETTING DIFFERENT QUESTIONS BASED ON WHAT THEIR ANSWERS ARE. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          THEY, THEY'LL BE STARTING IN THE SAME SPOT, AND THEN IT'LL ADJUST BASED ON THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, BUT THE, THE SHORT ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS THAT THEY'RE NOT COMPARABLE. 
          OKAY. 
          THEN ARE, ARE WE DOING ANY INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MONITOR PROGRESS WHILE WE'RE WAITING YEARS TO GET, UM, A TRAJECTORY? YEAH, I THINK THAT THAT'S PART OF THE INITIATIVE THAT WE DID THIS SUMMER WAS REALLY LOOK AT OUR ASSESSMENTS, OUR, OUR CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS, BUT ALSO NOW WE HAVE THE STAR ASSESSMENTS. 
          SO THAT'S ANOTHER PIECE THAT WE CAN LOOK AT, UM, THE CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS. 
          NOW, THEY SHOULD BE, UM, MORE ALIGNED TO WHAT THE STANDARDS ARE. 
          UM, ALSO ASSESS THOSE MAJOR STANDARDS, UM, MORE REGULARLY THAN OTHERS. 
          SO THEY SHOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PREDICTIVE OF WHERE WE GO, NO MATTER WHAT THIS TEST IS, RIGHT. 
          BECAUSE IF THEY'RE ALIGNED TO STANDARDS, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TEST THEY'RE ON, THEY SHOULD STILL BE PREDICTIVE OF THE OTHERS. 
          SO BEFORE, AND HOW OFTEN DO, I'M SORRY. 
          GO AHEAD KEVIN. 
          I WAS JUST GONNA SAY BEFORE WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CHANGE TO M STAR UHHUH, WE WERE WORKING WITH, UM, STAR IN ORDER TO LOOK AT CORRELATIONS BETWEEN STUDENT PERFORMANCE, UM, ON THE STAR READING OR STAR MATH ASSESSMENTS, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR SCALE SCORE LOOKED LIKE, WHAT THEIR, UM, UH, PERCENTILE RANK LOOKED LIKE IN COMPARISON TO HOW THEY PERFORMED IN MCAP AND LOOKING AT YEARS OF DATA, UM, NOW THAT WILL BE INSIGHTFUL, BUT WITH A NEW ASSESSMENT, WE NEED A COUPLE MORE YEARS TO REALLY PINPOINT THOSE CALCULATIONS, UM, SO THAT WE HAVE THE MOST ACCURATE REFLECTION OF, YOU KNOW, ANTICIPATING OR PROJECTING WHAT A STUDENT NEEDS TO DO OR HOW MUCH THEY NEED TO GROW IN ORDER TO BECOME PROFICIENT IN THE MCAP ASSESSMENTS. 
          AND HOW OFTEN DO WE OR M STAR ASSESSMENTS, HOW OFTEN DO WE GIVE OUR, OUR STAR ASSESSMENT? THREE TIMES PER YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO MONITOR GROWTH, UM, AND PROGRESS AWAY. 
          CORRECT. 
          AND DID THEY HAVE TO CALL THEIRS M STAR SINCE WE'RE ALREADY USING STAR, BUT, UM, , THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT, UM, MARYLAND USES, STATE OF MARYLAND USES THE SAME VENDOR THAT WE USE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THEY USE IT FOR THEIR ASSESSMENTS FOR, UM, KRA MM-HMM . 
          AND YOU KNOW, THEY CALL THEM STAR ASSESSMENTS. 
          SO M STAR IS OKAY, AN INTERESTING TRANSITION, GONNA HAVE TO BE DELIBERATE IN HOW WE'RE, SO THAT'S WHY WE DELIBERATELY SWITCH SHIFTED FROM, UM, NWEA MAP MAP RIGHT. 
          TO STAR, UM, STAR AND RENAISSANCE STAR BECAUSE IT ALIGNS MORE LIKE WITH THE MSDE AND THE STAR WE'RE GIVING IS MATH AND, AND READING MATH AND READING BOTH, UH, ENGLISH AND SPANISH VERSIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU MS. HE, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK IN, IN PREPARING FOR THIS EVENING. 
          I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT. 
          IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE POSITIVE TRAJECTORY THAT WE'RE ON ACROSS ALL SUBJECT AREAS. 
          I LOOK AT THE DATA, THERE'S A LOT OF GREEN IN THE PRESENTATION, AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE THOSE GREEN NUMBERS THROUGHOUT. 
          UM, AND THANK YOU, DR. 
          HEISER, FOR YOUR COMMENTS REGARDING, UM, I SHARE YOUR, UM, SENTIMENT REGARDING A OPTIM. 
          I'M OPTIMISTIC WHEN I SEE THAT, UM, BUT I'M ALSO NOT SATISFIED WITH THAT. 
          SO AS I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, UM, NOT ALL GAINS ARE EQUAL. 
          UM, BUT IT'S ENCOURAGING TO SEE WHAT'S POS POSSIBLE. 
          SO MY QUESTION IS, WHILE WE BENCHMARK AGAINST THE STATE PERFORMANCE, ARE WE ALSO BENCHMARKING AGAINST 
          [01:35:01]
OUR OWN PERFORMANCE? BECAUSE FOR INSTANCE, WHEN I LOOK AT GRADE FIVE, UM, SCIENCE, THERE'S SOME INCREDIBLE GAINS THERE THAT OUTPERFORM OUR PERFORMANCE IN OTHER AREAS. 
          SO TO MR. FITZPATRICK'S COMMENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS POSSIBLE? WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT? ARE WE BENCHMARKING AGAINST OUR OWN SUCCESS AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS GOING REALLY, REALLY WELL IN THESE AREAS? AND HOW DO WE REPLICATE THAT ACROSS OTHER AREAS? SO, UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS WITH THAT. 
          ONE, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW ARE WE GETTING THE GAP SMALLER BETWEEN GROUPS, WHICH MEANS THAT WE NEED TO ACCELERATE SOME GROUPS FASTER THAN OTHERS. 
          UM, SO WE LOOK AT THAT. 
          SO THAT'S ONE, ONE PIECE OF IT. 
          BUT THE OTHER PIECE IS, EXCUSE ME, LOOKING AT WHAT IS WORKING IN AREAS. 
          SO THAT'S PART OF WHY THE COLLABORATION ACROSS THE AND I DEPARTMENTS IS REALLY IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S WORKING IN SCIENCE, WHAT ARE THOSE STRATEGIES THAT THEY'RE DOING IN SCIENCE THAT WE CAN THEN BRING OVER TO SOCIAL STUDIES OR MATH AND WHATNOT. 
          AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT RBT RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING, SORRY, UM, IS HELPING TO DO THAT AS WELL. 
          IT'S REALLY KIND OF MAKING SURE THAT ACROSS CONTENTS THAT GOOD INSTRUCTION IS GOOD. 
          INSTRUCTION IS GOOD INSTRUCTION. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          YES. 
          FIRST I HAD, I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS. 
          I THINK TWO WERE ANSWERED ALREADY. 
          FIRST, I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THIS, BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC WHERE IT SAYS REQUIRED DATA SUPPRESSION, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS? UH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO WHEN, UM, IT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE, IT'S ALSO BEST PRACTICE BY THE NATIONAL CENTER INSTITUTE OF, UH, DATA ANALYTICS AND STATISTICS. 
          UM, IF YOU HAVE PERFORMANCE ABOVE 95%, IT HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING THE DATA, UM, TANGIBLE TO, TO BEING ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHO THE STUDENTS ARE, LESS THAN 5% IS THE SAME, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO FOR ASSESSMENTS. 
          AND THEN FOR A GRADUATION RATE, IT'S 97% AND 3%. 
          UH, AND BASICALLY IT'S TO PROTECT STUDENTS. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE A SMALL SUBGROUP OF STUDENTS. 
          OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          AND, UM, MY SECOND QUESTION IS, THE ONLY AREA WHERE I ACTUALLY SAW RED WAS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION. 
          UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE, ARE THERE SPECIFIC AND INTENTIONAL THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO HELP INCREASE THOSE NUMBERS FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS? YEAH, I THINK, UM, A COUPLE OF THOSE THINGS. 
          UM, OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T HAVE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL ED HERE, BUT, UM, HER TEAM WORKS COLLABORATIVELY. 
          SHE'S ALSO DONE SOME RESTRUCTURING WITHIN HER, UM, DE DEPARTMENT TO REALLY FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION AND NOT JUST COMPLIANCE. 
          THAT SHIFT IS STARTING TO TAKE PLACE, WHICH I THINK IS A REALLY POSITIVE SHIFT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE SPECIAL ED, AND I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT , SO IF A CHILD IS RECEIVING, UM, SPECIAL ED SERVICES BECAUSE THEY'RE READING BELOW THEIR GRADE LEVEL AND WE'RE TRYING TO ACCELERATE THEM, THEY STILL ARE GIVEN THE ASSESSMENT ON THE GRADE LEVEL YES. 
          THAT MATCHES THEIR AGE. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO IF, SO THAT GAP OR THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON TO BUILD THEM UP, BUT THEY'RE STILL GETTING THAT TEST. 
          YES, THEY ARE. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT A CAVEAT TO THAT IS THAT THEY'RE ALSO STILL RECEIVING GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCTION. 
          SO THEY'RE GETTING THEIR GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCTION, BUT THEN THEY ALSO MAY GET PULLED OUT FOR THE INTERVENTIONS OR FOR RETEACHING OR THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO THEY ARE EXPOSED TO IT, AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE REAL IMPORTANT PART OF STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION, THAT THEY ARE EXPOSED TO THEIR GRADE LEVEL, UM, CONTENT AS WELL. 
          SO WITH M STAR BEING ADAPTIVE, THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT WOULD BE A BENEFIT FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BECAUSE IT WILL THEN KIND OF TRY TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY SHOULD BE ASSESSED AS THEY'RE ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS. 
          IS THAT TRUE? IT IS. 
          UM, BUT IT'S WITHIN A RANGE OF FOUR PROFICIENCY LEVELS. 
          SO IF YOU FALL BELOW WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE, YOU MAY HAVE QUESTIONS THAT ARE MORE, UM, AT YOUR LEVEL, BUT THEY'RE NOT AT PROFICIENCY LEVEL. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT WE'LL STILL GIVE US DATA ABOUT THEIR, THEIR PROGRESS. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          YES. 
          AND THEN WITH STAR, OUR STUDENTS OF SPECIAL NEEDS ALSO TAKE THAT STAR ASSESSMENT. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE CAN TRACK THEIR PROGRESS THROUGH THAT TOO. 
          WE HAVE WONDERFUL GROWTH DATA THROUGH STAR, WHICH IS IMPORTANT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND GROWTH ALONE ISN'T THE ONLY THING WE NEED. 
          WE HAVE TO HAVE GROWTH WITH ACHIEVEMENT, BOTH EFFICIENCY, SO TALKING ABOUT CLOSING THE GAPS AND ACCELERATION ARE CRITICAL COMPONENTS, AND THAT IS A FOCUS WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR, UM, SCHOOL PLANS ACROSS THE SYSTEM, THE NUMBER ONE STUDENT GROUP THAT IS THE FOCUS, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, MR. BJI, SO I KNOW YOU SAID THERE WAS SOME OVERLAP BETWEEN M STAR AND MCAP. 
          UM, ON SLIDE 12, IT SAYS THAT WITH, UH, STRENGTHEN STRENGTHENING CURRICULUM, THAT THERE'S MCAP STYLE QUESTIONS. 
          SO I KNOW THERE'S SOME OVERLAP BETWEEN THOSE TWO, BUT IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE EVOLVED? SO IT'S M STAR STYLE QUESTIONS? YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          IT WILL BE ADAPTED, BUT WE ARE ALWAYS GOING BACK AND LOOKING AT OUR ASSESSMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ALIGNED TO WHERE WE'RE AS A, AS A STATE. 
          SO YES, THERE WILL BE SOME CHANGES, BUT THAT HAPPENS ALMOST REGULARLY ANYWAY BECAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS REEVALUATING THE ASSESSMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ALIGNED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THIS IS JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION, AND I APPRECIATE WHEN YOU GIVE AN ACRONYM THAT YOU SAY WHAT IT, WHAT IT MEANS, BUT, UM, GOING TO SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHEN YOU HAD THAT SUBSET OF STUDENTS, IS IT, UM, ANY STUDENT THAT'S RECEIVING A SPECIAL EDUCATION 
          [01:40:01]
SERVICE, WHETHER IT'S FOR THEIR IEP OR THEIR 5 0 4? OR IS IT JUST 5 0 4 IS NOT SPECIAL EDUCATION. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT IS SPECIAL ED SERVICES, BUT WHAT I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY IS THAT THAT STUDENTS THAT RECEIVE JUST SPEECH AND ARTICULATION, IT IS STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE COMPREHENSIVE IEPS THAT ARE ELA, MATH, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, UM, STUDENTS WHO HAVE JUST BEHAVIORAL TYPE GOALS ON THERE. 
          UM, SO YES, IT'S THOSE ALL STUDENTS WHO HAVE AN IEP ARE CONSIDERED SPECIAL EDUCATION. 
          5 0 4 IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT THANK YOU. 
          AND SOMETIMES THE DATA WILL BE DISAGGREGATED OUT AS TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE FIVE OH FOURS AND SPECIAL ED. 
          YEAH. 
          I, I'VE, I'VE, I SAW THAT AND, BUT I, THAT'S WHAT I WAS LIKE TRYING TO UNDER MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THEY'RE TWO SEPARATE. 
          SEPARATE. 
          YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          I COULD ASK MORE, BUT I'M GONNA STOP. 
          SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, . 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND ALL THAT INFORMATION, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BETTER UNDERSTANDING M STAR IN THE FUTURE. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THE NEXT ITEM 
          [N. INFORMATION (8:40 p.m.)]
ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION, WHICH INCLUDES THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE'S ANNUAL REVIEW OF POLICY COMMITTEE WORK THAT WAS PRESENTED AT THEIR SEPTEMBER 14TH MEETING. 
          OKAY. 
          NEXT ON THE AGENDA 
          [O. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING (8:40 - 8:50 p.m.)]
IS BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND AGENDA SETTING. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM OR COMMENT YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. 
          MS. DOKI? YES. 
          UM, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP, SINCE WE TALKED ABOUT WALKING, HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS THE STUDENT THAT CAME FROM HEREFORD. 
          IF WE COULD LOOK INTO THAT EARLY RELEASE. 
          UM, THAT'S HAPPENING. 
          THAT I, YEAH. 
          IS IT HAPPENING BEFORE THE SCHOOL BELL? AND ARE STUDENTS BEING EXPECTED TO LEAVE CAMPUS AT THAT TIME? IF WE COULD JUST LOOK INTO THAT. 
          UH, LASTLY, TODAY IS NATIONAL COACHES DAY. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNEW THAT. 
          UM, COACHES AREN'T JUST OUR ATHLETIC COACHES, IT'S TEACHERS, IT'S EVERYBODY. 
          UM, HOW WE INSPIRE OUR YOUTH, UM, CHANGES OUR FUTURE. 
          I HAD A REALLY GOOD QUOTE, AND I, THERE IT IS. 
          A GOOD COACH CAN CHANGE A GAME. 
          A GREAT COACH CAN CHANGE A LIFE, AND THAT GOES FOR ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND ANYBODY THAT HAS INFLUENCE OVER OUR KIDS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MS. LESKI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES. 
          JUST TO ADD ON TO WHAT MS. DOKI WAS SAYING ABOUT THE EARLY RELEASE, UM, MAYBE WE CAN DO A WIDER LOOK INTO THE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE A WALKABILITY TO SOME KIND OF PUBLIC LIBRARY OR SPACE WHERE STUDENTS CAN WALK THROUGH. 
          THAT MIGHT BE VERY HELPFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, UM, I JUST WANNA THANK SHARON. 
          I DID NOT CATCH YOUR LAST NAME FROM MILFORD MILL ACADEMY, SPEAKING REALLY BEAUTIFULLY AND HONESTLY ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY GAP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MS. HUMPHREY. 
          YES, I DO HAVE A COMMENT IF YOU BEAR WITH ME. 
          UM, I, I WANNA SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE OVERLY COMMUNITY. 
          NO COMMUNITY ENJOYS A BOUNDARY STUDY WHICH COULD IMPACT WHERE STUDENTS ATTEND SCHOOL. 
          HOWEVER, THE CURRENT BOUNDARY STUDY INVOLVING THE OVERLY COMMUNITY IS THE QUICKEST WAY TO ADDRESS THE EXTREME OVERCROWDING WE ARE EXPERIENCING AT OVERLY HIGH SCHOOL. 
          OPENING A NEW SCHOOL, OR EVEN REOPENING A CLOSED SCHOOL IN ANY CAPACITY TAKES TIME AND WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY ADDRESS THE OVERCROWDING ISSUE. 
          ADDITIONALLY, A BOUNDARY STUDY TO ADDRESS OPEN SEATS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA IS NEEDED BEFORE THE STATE WILL EVEN CONSIDER FUNDING A NEW SCHOOL. 
          MY POSITION WILL ALWAYS BE THAT WE NEED A NEW OVERLY HIGH SCHOOL. 
          I ALSO REALIZE THERE ARE FISCAL CONSTRAINTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE HOLDING US BACK. 
          HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE ADVOCATING FOR FUNDING AND TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX OF FIND WAYS TO SECURE FUNDING FOR NEW SCHOOLS. 
          I WAS HONORED TO ATTEND THE OPENING OF THE BEAUTIFUL NEW LANSDOWN HIGH SCHOOL AND THE NEW TOWSON AND DELANEY HIGH SCHOOLS WILL BE OPENING SOON. 
          OUR OVERLY STUDENTS DESERVE NOTHING LESS AND ANYTHING LESS WOULD BE INEQUITABLE. 
          PART OF CONGRESSMAN OF LES'S COMMENTS DURING THE RIBBON CUTTING CELEBRATION AT LANSDOWN REMINDED ME OF THE IMPACT OF ADVOCACY. 
          IN SUMMARY, HE SAID, WHEN ADVOCATES ASKED FOR NEW LANDSDOWN, A NEW TOWSON AND A NEW DELANEY HIGH SCHOOL, THEY WERE, THEY WERE TOLD NO OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT THEY KEPT FIGHTING. 
          AND LOOK WHERE WE ARE NOW. 
          I WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR A NEW OVERLY HIGH SCHOOL, WHETHER I'M ON THIS SIDE OF THE DEUS OR THAT SIDE OF THE DEUS, AND NOT JUST DURING AN ELECTION YEAR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MS. THORNTON. 
          THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          UM, IT IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. 
          UM, OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, AND I WANT US TO RECOGNIZE THOSE WHO ARE CURRENTLY FIGHTING BREAST CANCER. 
          THE SURVIVORS AND THE FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES WHO SUPPORT THEM. 
          WE HONOR THEIR STRENGTH WHILE CONTINUING TO RAISE, UM, AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DETECTION AND SUPPORT. 
          OCTOBER IS ALSO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. 
          AND SO I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED OR OR WHO ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. 
          PLEASE KNOW THAT SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE, AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE IN NEED TO REACH OUT FOR HELP. 
          AND TO OUR STUDENTS WHO MAY BE EXPERIENCING VIOLENCE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO A TRUSTED ADULT AND KNOW THAT HELP AND SUPPORT ARE AVAILABLE. 
          NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO NAVIGATE IT ALONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MS. HEN. 
          THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          IN RESPONSE TO OUR PUBLIC SPEAKER THIS EVENING, AND IN SUPPORT OF OUR GOAL FOR EDUCATOR RETENTION, I'D LIKE THE REPORT ON THE FREQUENCY 
          [01:45:01]
OF TRANSFERS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. FITZPATRICK. 
          UH, ALSO, UH, IF I, WE COULD GET A REPORT IN A FUTURE SUB ABOUT, UH, UH, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS CASELOADS AND IEP EVALUATION CLEARANCE RATES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IEP CLEARANCE RATES CLEAR. 
          YEAH, IP EVALUATION CLEARANCE RATES BY THE SITES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MR. MCMAHON. 
          I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING COMPARING KELLY'S SERVICES EFFICIENCY VERSUS THE LOCAL SCHOOL'S EFFICIENCY WITH SUBSTITUTES. 
          YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TEACHERS ARE COVERING OR COVERING MORE NOW THAN THEY DID BEFORE. 
          HOW MANY SPOTS ARE LEFT OPEN? UM, THAT'S IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DR. 
          HEISER. 
          DID YOU WANT TO, MAYBE I'LL WAIT UNTIL THE LAST COMMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          I SEE YOUR, UM, WITH TRANSFER RATES, CAN WE ALSO GET INFORMATION AS TO WHEN THEY HAPPEN? LIKE IF IT'S BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTS OR DURING, THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          DR. 
          EISNER. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEP. 
          BE HAPPY TO, HAPPY TO PROVIDE, UM, SOME OF THE REPORTING DATA THAT, THAT WAS, UH, REQUESTED. 
          I'M ALSO INTERESTED, I'LL JUST KIND OF TAG ALONG THIS, UM, EARLY RELEASE QUESTION. 
          UM, I'M, I'M ALSO INTERESTED LESS, I MEAN, WE'LL GET THE INFORMATION, I'LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION, PARTICULARLY THE SAFETY ISSUES IF THERE ARE. 
          BUT I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN, IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT SENIOR'S GOALS AND, AND WHY YOU WOULD DO RELEASE TIME. 
          WE KNOW WE HAVE STUDENTS AT WORK. 
          WE KNOW THERE ARE A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS, BUT I'M INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS TO THE STAFFING WHEN SENIORS DO LEAVE EARLY. 
          AND I'M HAPPY. 
          AND SO THERE'S A MYRIAD OF QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE THAT HAVE PROBABLY EVOLVED OVER TIME. 
          SO WE'D DEFINITELY BE LOOKING AT, UM, ALSO, AND THEN, UM, I DO WANNA ADDRESS MR. MCMILLION, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. 
          UM, THE TEAM HAS BEEN LOOKING AT, UM, OUR, UM, SUBSTITUTE CHALLENGES AS WE'VE TAKEN THAT ON AFTER KELLY'S RELIEF. 
          SO WE ARE, UH, MORE THAN AWARE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT EXIST PROBABLY THAT YOU ARE HEARING ABOUT. 
          UM, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED, UM, SOME SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM RECOMMENDATIONS AS IT RELATES TO SUBSTITUTES, UH, THE DATA THAT YOU, UH, HAVE REQUESTED. 
          FOR THE MOST PART, WE HAVE, WE HAVE DATA, UH, COMPARING, YOU KNOW, THIS TIME LAST YEAR COMPARED TO, UH, THIS YEAR, UM, WHERE WE ARE WITH FILL RATES. 
          SO WE'VE GOT SOME OF THAT DATA WE'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE, BUT IT'S, IT'S KEENLY AT THE TOP OF OUR VERY SHORT LIST OF HUGE, HUGE THINGS THAT ARE OF MAJOR PRIORITY RIGHT NOW. 
          SO, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I SAY THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE, UH, TEACHERS THAT ARE LISTENING. 
          WE HAVE ADMINISTRATORS THAT ARE LISTENING, AND IT'S AN ISSUE THAT, UM, AN AREA THAT WAS CUT IN THE BUDGET AND OUR TEAM HAS TAKEN IT ON. 
          AND OUR HR TEAM IS, IS, UM, DOING THE BEST THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO WITH THE STAFFING. 
          HOWEVER, IT'S AN AREA THAT, UM, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IMPROVEMENTS ON AND WE MAY HAVE BUDGETARY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE GO INTO NEXT YEAR AROUND THIS AREA TOO. 
          SO, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR EIGHT 50 AND IT IS EIGHT 50. 
          JUST SAYING THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA 
          [P. ANNOUNCEMENTS (8:50 p.m.)]
IS ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
          THE BOARD'S NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST, 2026 AT 6:30 PM I'LL CONTINUE TO PRACTICE MY QUICK TALKING. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. 
          THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.