Feb 13, 2023 Board Meeting

AT THIS TIME I ASK THAT EVERYONE PLEASE MUTE YOUR DEVICE TO AVOID INTERRUPTIONS UNTIL CAUSED CALLED UPON.

[00:00:07]

[Call to Order]

MRS. ROLLO, WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE THE ROLL CALL? YES, MISS ALVAREZ.

PRESENT, MISS BRUCE.

HERE. MISS HAHN.

PRESENT. DR.

HAROLD. HERE.

MISS PERRY HERE.

DR. PHILLIPS. HERE.

MS.. RICCARDI PRESENT.

MS.. BLINKEN AS VICE PRESIDENT SAW.

DEAR PRESIDENT MUELLER HEAR.

SUPERINTENDENT WILSON HEAR.

THIS COMPLETES THE ROLL CALL.

THANK YOU. THE FOLLOWING PROCESS WILL BE USED THIS EVENING.

BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF WILL MUTE THEIR DEVICE UNTIL CALLED UPON.

BOARD MEMBERS PLEASE HOLD ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION.

FOLLOWING THE PRESENTATION, DR.

MUELLER WILL CALL ON EACH BOARD MEMBER FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.

BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF MEMBERS SHOULD RESTATE THEIR NAME BEFORE SPEAKING.

DR. BILSON WILL RESPOND TO QUESTIONS OR CALL ON THE APPROPRIATE STAFF MEMBER TO DO SO.

WHEN A ROLL CALL IS TAKEN FOR A MOTION, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE REPLY WITH A YES OR NO.

BOARD MEMBERS. YOU HAD THE AGENDA BEFORE YOU.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA? THIS IS JOYCE. I MOVE TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.

THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I MAKE A MOTION TO DISCUSS EACH ONE OF THE CONSENT ITEMS INDIVIDUALLY.

AND ADJUST THE AGENDA.

WOULD THAT NOT BE WHEN WE GO TO THE CONSENT AGENDA? IT COULD BE. I DON'T KNOW.

YES. SO THIS IS THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING.

THE CONSENT AGENDA IS A SEPARATE ITEM.

SO DO I HAVE A SECOND? A SECOND TO.

THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR? I. I OPPOSED.

MOTION CARRIES.

MR. SEWELL.

ALL RIGHT. I'D LIKE TO LEAD EVERYONE AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

NEXT, WE HAVE BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND WE'LL START WITH MRS.

[A. Board Member Comments]

I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM UP HERE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE THAT VOTED ME TO SIT UP HERE.

SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT SO THAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE REACHING OUT TO ME WHENEVER YOU FEEL YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

I SUPPORT DISTRICT F AND ALSO I WANT TO THANK.

THIS WEEK WE GOT TO GO AROUND TO THE SCHOOLS AND GET TO VISIT SOME OF THE SCHOOLS ON A ON A BUS TRIP.

AND I WANT TO THANK ALL THE SCHOOL SCHOOLS FOR OPENING THEIR DOORS.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IT WAS IT WAS GOOD TO ACTUALLY GET INTO THE SCHOOLS AND SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE DOORS.

AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT WE WERE SERVED A NICE MEAL AT AT HARTFORD TECH SCHOOL.

THEY THEY GAVE US A TASTING MENU.

IT WAS IT WAS IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE A LOT ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT.

SO I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE UP ANY MORE TIME.

MRS. BRUCE? YES.

I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT ONE OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS BASKETBALL GAMES IN THE MIRROR, GAMES THAT THEY HAD.

AND IT WAS REALLY ENCOURAGING TO SEE HOW THE STUDENTS WERE PARTICIPATING.

AND IN TALKING TO THE PRINCIPAL, SHE SAID THAT THEY HAD CHILDREN THAT WERE 70, TRIED TO TRY OUT FOR THE TEAMS, AND THEY ARE REALLY GRADES ARE GOING UP BECAUSE THE STUDENTS KNOW THAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE A GRADE POINT AVERAGE TO PLAY.

SO I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO SUPPORT THOSE WHEN THE SEASON STARTS AGAIN.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. HAN. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL COMING OUT.

WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.

AND I SECOND MS..

ALVAREZ'S COMMENTS THAT WE WORK FOR YOU AND WE'RE HERE FOR YOU AND REACH OUT TO US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TO WORK WITH YOU AND TO, YOU KNOW, FIX ANY OF YOUR CONCERNS OR WORK WITH YOU TO HELP ALLEVIATE THOSE CONCERNS.

I ALSO ATTENDED THE GRATUITOUS THAT WE WENT ON.

IT WAS REALLY AWESOME, REALLY FUN.

AND HARPER TECH IS DOING SOME PRETTY AMAZING THINGS.

IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING, IT'S REALLY AWESOME.

[00:05:03]

THANK YOU, GUYS. AND THAT'S IT.

I WON'T HOLD EVERYBODY UP.

DR. HAROLD.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.

I HAVE SUCH A GREAT TIME TODAY AT BEL AIR HIGH SCHOOL.

I WAS INVITED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE WISE STUDENT GROUP.

WISE STANDS FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.

REACHED OUT TO ME AND ASKED ME TO COME AND SPEAK TO THEIR STUDENT GROUP TODAY.

SO IT WAS MY PLEASURE AND MY HONOR TO BE AMONG 30 PLUS YOUNG WOMEN WHO PLAN ON ENTERING THE FIELD OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AND THEIR FUTURE. I WANT TO GIVE A WONDERFUL SHOUT OUT TO MRS. KRISTEN BERRY, WHO IS THEIR THEIR FACULTY LEAD FOR THEIR STUDENT GROUP, AND TO ALL OF THE TEACHERS AND ADVISORS WHO WHO PLAY THAT ROLE, WHO STAY AFTER SCHOOL AND WORK WITH THE STUDENTS TO TO KIND OF ACT OUT THEIR PASSIONS AND EXPLORE DIFFERENT THINGS IN THEIR AREA OF INTEREST IN THE SCHOOLS.

AND SO IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL TO TALK ABOUT, SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF AS A HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATOR AND ALSO HEAR HOW YOU KNOW WHAT THEIR INTERESTS ARE AND WHAT ARE THEIR CURIOSITIES, AND ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS FOR THEM AND MAKE SOME CONNECTIONS FOR THEM.

SO IT WAS WONDERFUL, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT, Y'ALL.

THANK YOU, MR. PERRY. WELL, I'M SO GLAD TO SEE WE HAVE A PACKED ROOM HERE.

THAT MEANS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY CONCERNED ABOUT EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN.

I COMMEND YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.

WHAT I'VE DONE.

LAST WEEK, I ATTENDED DEERFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE THEY HAD BOOKS AND BREAKFAST, WHICH WAS VERY, VERY A VERY NICE PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY GAVE ALL THE KIDS WHO CAME IN A NUMBER AND THEN THEY GOT A CHANCE TO GO OUT AND GET TO PICK THEIR OWN BOOK.

SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST WONDERFUL TO START THEM EARLY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO THE LOVE OF READING.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU, DR.

PHILLIPS. WE DO HAVE A BUSY AGENDA.

I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE TOO MUCH TIME.

I JUST WANT TO ADD ON TO WHAT'S BEEN SAID THAT WE DO HAVE A NICE CROWD HERE TONIGHT.

OUR EXPERIENCE OVER THE PAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS, THOUGH, HAS BEEN THAT AFTER PUBLIC COMMENTS, ABOUT 80% OF YOU WILL GET UP AND LEAVE.

SO WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO STICK AROUND BECAUSE A LOT OF IMPORTANT STUFF HAS SAID AT THE LATTER PART OF THE MEETINGS THAT I THINK WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR YOU AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY.

STICK AROUND TO HEAR ABOUT. THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME.

I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT THERE IS AN AWARD THAT'S GIVEN OUT ANNUALLY FROM HARVARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

IT'S THE ATHENA AWARD.

AND THERE ARE FIVE ATHENA FINALISTS.

AND THE ATHENA AWARD REALLY IS THE HIGHEST ACKNOWLEDGES THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE, PROMOTES LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALS, AND PROVIDES THOSE WHO PROVIDE VALUABLE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.

AND ONE OF OUR OWN IS ONE OF THE FINALISTS IN HER NAME IS MARY BETH STAPLETON.

AND I WOULD JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE MARY BETH, BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY QUITE AN HONOR.

AND THE AWARDS WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND RECOGNIZED THE FIRST FRIDAY IN MARCH AT THE RICHLAND BALLROOM.

AND AGAIN, IT'S SPONSORED BY HARVARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING OUT AS YOU HAVE BEEN.

MANY OF YOU REPEAT VISITORS AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

AND WE ALL APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE AND TRY TO LISTEN AS A BOARD TO EVERYONE.

OUR PRIORITY IS, OF COURSE, THE STUDENT POPULATION.

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, MISS BLINKEN.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. FEBRUARY 2ND, WE HAD A HARVARD COUNTY REGIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCILS MEETING AT C MELTON.

IT WAS REALLY AWESOME.

WE HAD MULTIPLE IT WAS A STUDENT VOICE FORUM WHERE WE HAD MULTIPLE DIFFERENT STATIONS, INCLUDING A MENTAL HEALTH STATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATION, RACE AND IMPLICIT BIAS STATION, A LEADERSHIP ADVOCACY WORKSHOP, AND SOME INFORMATION ABOUT BEING THE NEXT MEMBER ON THE BOARD OF ED.

CURRENT JOB APPLICATIONS ARE LIVE ON HARFORD COUNTY'S WEBSITE.

RIGHT NOW THEY ARE DUE SMALL.

THE MEMBER ON THE BOARD OF ED THAT'S MY MY ROLE HERE.

I'M SORRY GUYS THEY ARE LIVE ON HARVARD COUNTY'S WEBSITE JUST HTTPS DOT ORG AND THEY ARE DUE MARCH 17TH.

SO IT'S OPEN TO THE RISING SENIORS IN THE CLASS OF 2024.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE.

SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU.

THANK YOU, VICE PRESIDENT.

SO, ALL RIGHT.

SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT.

I LOVE TO SEE EVERYONE HERE, ESPECIALLY I BELIEVE WE HAVE A MANY STUDENT PRESENTERS TONIGHT.

[00:10:02]

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

BREAKFAST AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LAST MONTH.

AND THAT WAS A VERY INSPIRING EVENT.

AND TONIGHT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON BLACK HISTORY HERE THAT THINGS ARE GOING ON IN THE SCHOOLS.

SO THAT WOULD BE GREAT. I ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY SPEAKING TO THE CHOIR HERE A LITTLE BIT, YOU'RE SHOWING UP FOR THIS.

YOU'RE PROBABLY SHOWING UP FOR A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER THINGS.

BUT IF IF YOU CAN JOIN YOUR TAS AND TRY TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR PTA, IN THE SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU LIVE, THEY THEY DEFINITELY COULD COULD USE YOUR HELP TO TO PLAN THINGS AND, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE THINGS TO TO STUDENTS.

I ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE GUIDED TOUR LAST WEEK.

THAT WAS AMAZING.

REALLY GREAT TO SEE ALL THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE COUNTY.

I WISH THAT WE COULD HAVE GOT TO ALL THE ALL THE SCHOOLS WHEN IT WAS OVER AROUND 3:00 THAT AFTERNOON, I WAS I WAS SORRY TO SEE IT ENDING.

RIGHT. BUT WE'LL DO MORE OF THOSE THINGS.

SO JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING TONIGHT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE HAVE.

THANK YOU. SO I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY THIS MONTH.

THEY HAD THE ALL-COUNTY BAND ORCHESTRA, CHORUS AND JAZZ CHORUS THAT THAT JAZZ BAND EXCUSE ME, THAT PLAYED THEIR CONCERTS YET HAVE A DEGREE.

I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND TWO OF THEM.

I WENT TO THE JAZZ BAND AND TO THE CHORUS, AND FROM THE JAZZ BAND WE HAD A ONE STUDENT WHO MADE IT INTO THE REGIONALS AND WE HAD ALL-STATE JUNIOR CHORUS.

THERE WERE SIX AND THE ALL STATE SENIOR CHORUS THERE WERE NINE.

AND ONE IS GOING TO THE ALL OR EXCUSE ME, THOSE ARE STATEWIDE AND ONE IS GOING TO THE REGIONALS, THE ALL EASTERN HONOR CORPS CHORUS IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SO WE HAVE ONE STUDENT GOING THERE.

SO IT'S REALLY EXCITING.

GREAT, GREAT CONCERTS.

IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE JAZZ GROUP BEFORE, THE JAZZ BAND, I'D HEARD THE ONE FROM HARVARD GRACE AND I WAS SO EXCITED BY THAT THAT I WANTED TO GO AND HEAR WHO MADE THE ALL-COUNTY BAND BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST AMAZING.

AND THEY ALSO AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

THEY HAD THE BAND INSTRUCTORS ALSO HAD A FACULTY BAND THAT PLAYED, AND THEY WERE JUST AMAZING.

YOU EVER WONDER WHY OUR STUDENTS DO SO WELL IN MUSIC? YOU SHOULD HEAR WHAT THEIR INSTRUCTORS CAN DO.

IT WAS A PHENOMENAL TIME, SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE 17 STUDENTS THAT WERE ABLE TO GO ON TO THE STATE AND TO THE REGIONAL.

IT'S EXCITING THAT WE HAVE THAT LEVEL OF EXPERTISE IN OUR SCHOOLS HERE.

SO THAT WAS REALLY AN AWESOME TIME.

AND I ALSO GOT TO GO ON THE GRAND TOUR, WHICH I SWEAR WAS WAS THE WHOLE SCHEDULE WAS SET UP BY A 30 YEAR OLD BECAUSE BY THE END OF THE DAY, CLIMBING UP AND DOWN ALL THE STAIRCASES GOT TO BE PRETTY STRENUOUS.

BUT IT WAS AN AWESOME TIME AND SO GREAT TO SEE THE STUDENTS TAKING SUCH PRIDE IN THEIR SCHOOLS THAT THEY WERE TAKING US AROUND AND SHOWING OFF EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON.

SO THAT WAS PRETTY AMAZING.

SO JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT.

SO NEXT WE'RE GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING THIS.

[B. Public Comments]

FIRST, THEY'LL BE CALLED ON BY THE BOARD SECRETARY.

REMOTE SPEAKERS WILL PROCEED.

NEXT, THEY WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE MEETING BY AN HCP STAFF MEMBER WHEN IT'S THEIR TURN TO SPEAK.

ALL SPEAKERS WILL RECEIVE 3 MINUTES TO SPEAK DUE TO THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED SPEAKERS.

SPEAKERS MAY BE INTERRUPTED AND GIVEN NOTICE WHEN THEY HAVE 30 SECONDS LEFT.

WHEN SPEAKERS HAVE REACHED THEIR THREE MINUTE MARK, THEIR TIME WILL EXPIRE.

SO, MRS. ROLLO, WOULD YOU PLEASE BEGIN WITH THE IN-PERSON REGISTERED PUBLIC SPEAKERS? YES, WE HAVE DAVID BAUER, FOLLOWED BY JESSE COSGROVE.

GOOD EVENING. STARTING WITH THE TOPIC OF THE BUDGET.

AFTER PASSING THE BUDGET, WE HOPE THAT YOU ALL WILL REACH OUT TO THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE SUPPORT.

BASED ON SOME COMMENTS AT THIS PAST STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS AND COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING.

YOU WILL FACE SOME MISUNDERSTANDING AND INCORRECT STATEMENTS.

[00:15:03]

WHAT THEY MEAN IS THAT ALL SPENDING FROM THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND ON BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL MAKES UP JUST UNDER 50% OF THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND.

BUT THAT INCLUDES FUNDING FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS AND SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS THAT THE COUNTY CONTROLS.

THE ACTUAL FIGURE FOR FUNDING UNDER YOUR CONTROL FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR IS 43.1%.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS DOWN FROM LAST YEAR WHEN IT WAS 44.6%.

MOVING TO A SECOND TOPIC LGBTQ RIGHTS AND ATTACKS ON THEM.

THERE IS A FAMOUS QUOTE THAT STARTS OFF FIRST.

THEY CAME FOR THE SOCIALIST AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT BECAUSE I WAS NOT A SOCIALIST.

SO THREE WEEKS AGO, FOR THE LAST MEETING I SENT YOU, COMMENTS INCLUDED A LINK TO A GOOGLE DOCUMENT SHOWING CURRENT ANTI LGBTQ BILLS. THIS IS A LIVE DOCUMENT.

CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED AND IF YOU CHECK IT NOW YOU'LL FIND THE LIST HAS GROWN TO OVER 300 BILLS, UNFORTUNATELY, INCLUDING ONE IN MARYLAND.

AND FAR FROM BEING ABOUT PARENTAL RIGHTS, MANY OF THESE BILLS ATTACK THE RIGHTS OF ADULTS.

HERE IN MARYLAND, WE ONLY HAVE THE ONE BILL SO FAR, BUT THEY'RE COMING FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENT ATHLETES.

IN SOME OTHER STATES, THEY'RE COMING FOR THE RIGHTS OF ALL TRANSGENDER PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 AND THEN SOME.

THEY'VE ALREADY MOVED ON TO COMING AFTER TRANSGENDER ADULTS, DRAG PERFORMANCES, SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND THE RIGHT OF EVERYONE TO BOYCOTT. TO BE CLEAR, I DO NOT IDENTIFY AS LGBTQ, NOR DO I HAVE ANY CLOSE FAMILY WHO DOES.

I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR ITS OWN SAKE.

IT IS ALSO A WARNING ABOUT WHAT THIS MOVEMENT, THIS PURPOSEFUL MORAL PANIC IS ABOUT.

THE QUOTE ENDS.

THEN THEY CAME FOR ME AND THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT TO SPEAK FOR ME.

THANK YOU ALL.

GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT PAULSON AND BOARD MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS JOSIE COSGROVE AND I'M A PARENT EDUCATOR AT THE STRIVE PROGRAM AT WILLIAMS JAMES ELEMENTARY.

TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE GENERAL CLASSROOM.

SETTING AN ELEMENTARY SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER WHO SERVES IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING IS OFTEN RESPONSIBLE FOR TWO GRADE LEVELS.

THEIR SCHEDULE IS FAIRLY STANDARD ARRIVAL DUTIES TEACHING MATH TO GRADE A TEACHING READING, WRITING TO GRADE B, 40 MINUTE PLANNING LUNCH, THEN REVERSE TEACHING MATH TO GRADE B, TEACHING, READING AND WRITING TO GRADE A AND DISMISSAL DUTIES.

BUT WHAT YOU DON'T SEE IS THAT IN ORDER FOR THAT, IN ORDER FOR THEM TO TEACH THEIR STUDENTS ACADEMIC, THEY MUST ADAPT WHAT THE GENERAL CLASSROOM TEACHER IS TEACHING HER CLASS IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.

FOR EXAMPLE, IN FOURTH GRADE, THE CLASS MAY BE READING ABOUT HISTORICAL FICTION.

BECAUSE THE STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN READING ARE AT A PRE K TO THIRD GRADE READING LEVEL.

THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER MUST FIND HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS FOR HER STUDENTS.

AND AS THE LESSONS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING TO FICTION, NONFICTION, MEMOIRS, ETC., SHE MUST CONTINUALLY ADAPT THE LESSONS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HER STUDENTS.

AND THIS IS OKAY, BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS IN SPECIAL MADE SPECIAL EDUCATION THEIR CAREER CHOICE.

BUT WHAT IS NOT EXPECTED IS TO HAVE TO SPEND TIME EVERY MONTH DOING BILLING, A SIMPLE CASELOAD OF TEN STUDENTS, OF WHICH NO ONE HAS ONLY TEN STUDENTS, REQUIRES THE TEACHER TO SPEND ON AVERAGE 15 MINUTES A MONTH ON BILLING.

THAT'S 150 MINUTES.

THAT'S TWO AND ONE HALF HOURS OF BILLING A MONTH.

HOW DOES THAT GET DONE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY? IT DOESN'T GETS DONE DURING THEIR OWN TIME.

HARFORD COUNTY IS THE ONLY COUNTY IN THE STATE THAT REQUIRES A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TO BE THE CASE MANAGERS.

WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT WHEN A STUDENT STARTS TO RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, THEY ARE NOT ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING THE ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILD, BUT THEY ALSO MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REQUESTING SCREENINGS, EVALUATION, ETC.

FROM OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS.

THIS RESPONSIBILITY IN CASE MANAGER CAN EASILY TAKE UP TO 8 HOURS OF TIME PER STUDENT PER MEETING.

[00:20:01]

EACH STUDENT HAS AT LEAST ONE MEETING A YEAR AND SOME HAVE THREE OR MORE MEETINGS A YEAR.

THEY DO NOT HAVE AN ASSISTANT TO DO THIS.

HOW DOES THIS GET DONE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY? IT DOESN'T. IT GETS DONE DURING THEIR OWN PERSONAL TIME.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE, A STUDENT ATTENDING A PRIVATE SCHOOL WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF WILLIAMS JAMES OR ANY OTHER SCHOOL WHO MAY NEED SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, HAS AS ITS CASE MANAGER, A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER FROM THAT SURROUNDING SCHOOL SUCH AS WILLIAMS JAMES.

THAT TEACHER WILL SPEND 8 HOURS OF PAPERWORK AND PHONE CALLS COURTING EVERYONE'S EFFORTS WITHIN EIGHT KPS AND THE PRIVATE SCHOOL, BUT THAT STUDENT WILL NEVER RECEIVE SERVICES FROM THAT SCORE. ANY CPS SCHOOL.

HOW DOES SHE DO THIS DURING THE DAY? SHE DOESN'T. SHE DOES IT DURING HER OWN PERSONAL TIME.

THE DEMANDS ON OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ARE UNNECESSARY.

FIND THE LEAD OF OTHER MARYLAND COUNTIES.

WE CAN HIRE INDIVIDUALS TO DO THE BILLING AND BE THE CASE MANAGERS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES CAN BE FOUND THROUGH CHILD FIND AND THROUGH THE PHYSICIANS TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE. THEY CHOSE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CAREER IN ORDER TO TEACH CHILDREN WITH INDIVIDUAL NEEDS NOT TO BE PAPER PUSHERS.

THANK YOU.

NEXT, WE HAVE MR. BEN HEISER, FOLLOWED BY MRS. MARLA POSEY.

MS..

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME'S BENJAMIN HEISER.

IN THE MERE FACT THAT LOOKING AT THE AGENDA AND WE'RE VOTING ON SO MANY THINGS THAT COST SO MUCH MONEY AND THAT WE CAN'T HAVE THIS MEETING NEXT WEEK WHEN WE HAVE THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS, SHOWS THE ABSOLUTE LACK OF LEADERSHIP THAT THIS BOARD HAS.

WE HAVE TWO CURRENTLY APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD WHO ASKED TO BE APPOINTED ON THE NEXT ONE, AND WE'RE TURNED DOWN BY OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE FOR THIS DAMN REASON.

THERE'S NO REASON THAT THE BUDGET AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN BE VOTED ON.

NEXT ON THE FOLLOWING BOARD OF ED MEETING.

BOTTOM LINE, THAT'S IT.

WE SHOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET.

WE SHOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING.

WE SHOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT 260.

$265,526.16 FOR THE BOOK SOURCE PUBLISHERS CONTRACT.

WE SHOULDN'T BE SPEAKING ABOUT THAT EITHER.

THE THIS SHOULD WAIT FOR THE NEW BOARD TO BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED.

AND SPEAKING OF WHICH, I LOOKED OVER THAT CONTRACT.

DO YOU ALL KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BOOK SOURCE PUBLISHERS? DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE PART OF THE WHOLE WOKE NATION? DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A PORTION OF THEIR CURRICULUM THAT'S ABOUT TRANSGENDER FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIVE? AND PART OF THAT PART OF THEIR CONTRACT IS REALLY TO STACK OUR OUR LIBRARIES FULL OF BOOKS, WHETHER WE KNOW WHAT BOOKS GO IN THERE, WHAT BOOKS DON'T GO IN THERE.

THEY ALSO HAVE A BLACK LIVES MATTER.

HO HO BOOK COLLECTION FROM KINDERGARTEN ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH FIVE.

SO WHO'S GOING TO VET THIS CONTRACT? WE'RE GOING TO PAY 260, 265 GRAND FOR THESE FOLKS, AND THEY'RE JUST GOING TO THROW BOOKS RIGHT ON INTO OUR LIBRARIES.

THAT'S HOW IT'S READ.

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

THEY'RE ALSO PART OF THE NCT NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS IN ENGLISH.

THAT'S ALSO A WELL WOKE ORGANIZATION AS WELL.

ANY VOTING ON ANY TYPE OF MONETARY BUDGET LINE SHOULD WAIT FOR THE FOLLOWING BOE MEETING UNTIL THE OTHER THREE ARE CONFIRMED.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO VISIT WITH YOU TODAY.

I'M MARLA MOSS, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FREE STATE PTA HERE REPRESENTING THE NATIONAL PTA IN MARYLAND.

WE ARE THE OFFICIAL CHARTER ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING NATIONAL PTA.

AND I'D LIKE TO APPRECIATE THE PRESIDENT AND DR.

WOLFSON FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK ALONG WITH YOU BOARD MEMBERS.

AND I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE IF ANY OF MY PTA MEMBERS ARE IN HERE, IF YOU COULD PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND OR STAND.

RAISE YOUR HAND. STAND. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WHEN YOU GIVE ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THE POWER OF PTA.

SO I WANT TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PTA FROM THE STATE PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT DISTINGUISHES US FROM OTHER PARENT GROUPS.

ALL PARTIES ARE NONPROFITS AND MEMBERSHIP BASED ADVOCACY ASSOCIATIONS.

AS THE LARGEST CHILD ADVOCACY ASSOCIATION IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, REPRESENTING OVER 50,000 MEMBERS.

THE FREE STATE PTA VALUES, COLLABORATION, COMMITMENT, DIVERSITY, RESPECT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

[00:25:05]

PROMOTION OF PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY.

ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAMS AND GRANT FUNDING THAT PROMOTE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.

THE ARTS, HEALTH AND SAFETY LITERACY AND OTHER PARENT INTEREST THAT CONTRIBUTES TO A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE.

AND THE PTA WELCOMES ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE MISSION AND PURPOSES OF PTA.

A CRITICAL COMPONENT THAT UNDERLIES OUR WORK AS A FAMILY IS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

THE TEAM REALIZES THAT STRONG EDUCATION THAT CONSIDERS DEI HELPS CHILDREN, THEIR FAMILIES AND SCHOOL COMMUNITIES BE SUCCESSFUL.

MOREOVER, A QUALITY EDUCATION IS ATTAINED WHEN DIVERSE VOICES, PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES ARE INFUSED IN ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOMS. EXECUTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

AND CONDUCTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

ADDITIONALLY, ACHIEVEMENT IS IMPROVED WHEN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATION IS TAILORED WITH THE PROPER RESOURCES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.

THAT IS EQUITY.

MEMBERSHIP PTA IS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE PURPOSES AND VALUES OF PTA, AND THIS INCLUDES INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN.

TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF NONPUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.

TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND OF COURSE, PERSONS LIKE YOURSELVES.

POLICYMAKERS. THE MISSION OF PTA IS TO MAKE EVERY CHILD'S POTENTIAL REALITY BY ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL CHILDREN.

SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE TESTIMONY THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING IN ANNAPOLIS IS HB 185 NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE PROVIDERS.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT PROHIBITION.

HOUSE BILL 24 SALES AND USE TAX MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS EXEMPTION THAT EXEMPTS THE SALES TAX FOR HOME SCHOOL STUDENTS AS WELL AS PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.

AND SENATE BILL 120.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS ANAPHYLACTIC FOOD ALLERGIES AND GUIDELINES.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.

NEXT, WE HAVE CINDY POPPER, FOLLOWED BY LYNDA STONE FLYNT.

GOOD EVENING BOARD. IN THE EARLY 1960S, AT THE AGE OF EIGHT, I MOVED HERE FROM OUTSIDE OF BOSTON.

I HAD NO IDEA WHAT DISCRIMINATION, BIGOTRY OR RACE HATE WERE.

ONE DAY MY MOTHER TOOK ME AND MY BROTHER TO WASHINGTON.

WE WERE GOING TO RIDE THE BUS.

ON THE BUS THERE WERE ALREADY 12 TO 15 AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN SPREAD OUT AROUND THE BUS, CHATTING.

AS WE BOARDED, THE BUS DRIVER IMMEDIATELY STARTED YELLING AT THE LADIES TO MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE BUS.

THEY HUDDLED INTO THE THREE OR FOUR ROWS IN THE BACK WHILE THE THREE OF US HAD THE REST OF THE BUS TO OURSELVES.

ON A HOT, STEAMY MARYLAND SATURDAY, MY FAMILY WENT TO THE NATIONAL ZOO.

GIVEN AS THIS WAS WAY BEFORE THE DAYS OF CARRYING WATER BOTTLES, WE WERE RELIANT ON PUBLIC WATER FOUNTAINS FOR A DRINK.

I REMEMBER CLEARLY AT THE NATIONAL ZOO, A SIGN ABOVE A CENTRALLY LOCATED WATER FOUNTAIN THAT WE WENT TO USE THAT WED WHITES ONLY.

AS A TREAT. ONE DAY WHILE EXPLORING PARTS OF WASHINGTON, MY PARENTS TOOK US TO A PEOPLE'S DRUGSTORE THAT HAD A LUNCH COUNTER.

YEAH, I'M DATING MYSELF.

I REMEMBER SEEING 8 TO 10 AFRICAN AMERICAN PATRONS HUDDLED AROUND THE FOUR OR FIVE SEATS AT THE END OF THE LUNCH COUNTER.

THERE WAS A ROPE STRUNG FROM THE BOOTHS ON THE WALL ACROSS THE LUNCH COUNTER.

THE DIVIDED THE AREA.

HANGING ON THE ROPE WAS A HANDWRITTEN SIGN THAT READ WHITES ONLY.

I'M GLAD THAT BACK THEN THERE WERE PEOPLE LIKE DR.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, MEDGAR EVERS, JOHN LEWIS, RALPH ABERNATHY, RUBY BRIDGES, ROSA PARKS, AND SO MANY OTHERS THAT FELT THAT THE CAUSE OF EQUITY, INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY WERE WORTH THEIR TIME AND THEIR EFFORT.

OTHERWISE, MANY OF THESE OUTWARD SIGNS OF HATE, DISCRIMINATION AND BIGOTRY WOULD STILL EXIST TODAY.

I'M ALSO GLAD THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT BELIEVE THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE IS NOT SOLELY DEFINED BY A TEST SCORE, BUT ALSO BY THEIR ACTIONS IN AN EVER INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT WORLD.

THAT THEY ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO STAND UP AND SPEAK UP.

TO ENSURE THAT ALL OUR STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, ARE MADE TO FEEL WELCOME, SAFE, AND INCLUDED IN OUR SCHOOLS.

I'M GLAD THAT HCP HAS GIVEN THEM THE SPACE AND OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AND BECOME ROLE MODELS FOR THEIR FELLOW CLASSMATES AND THE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM. THESE STUDENTS ARE BECOMING THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW TO GUIDE US INTO A WORLD THAT IS HOPEFULLY MORE ACCEPTING AND UNDERSTANDING OF ALL PEOPLE.

[00:30:03]

I, FOR ONE, AM GLAD THAT EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ARE PRIORITY TO HCP AND TO THE STUDENTS WE HEARD FROM LAST MEETING.

WE NEED TO STOP AND LISTEN TO OUR STUDENTS.

WE MIGHT JUST LEARN SOMETHING.

THANK YOU.

HI, MY NAME IS LINDA STEIN FLYNT, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE TONIGHT.

IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING FEW YEARS.

AND FIRST, I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE LEAVING.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR TIME.

AND I APPRECIATE THOSE THAT DID RESPOND AND REACH OUT AND EDUCATE ME.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE WHEN YOU'RE SUBMITTING A QUESTION TO THE BOARD, YOU ALWAYS GOT TO REMEMBER WHAT'S THE QUESTION IF YOU WANT A RESPONSE.

SO I APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK, BUT TONIGHT THERE SHOULD BE NO VOTE TONIGHT BE MADE ON THE BUDGET CURRICULUM OR ANY CONTRACT, AS THERE ARE THREE NEW PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING APPOINTED THAT WILL START NEXT WEEK.

AND THOSE PEOPLE KIND OF REMEMBER.

HARPER COUNTY VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY FOR THE NEW COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND WE NEED TO RESPECT THAT.

AND THOSE NEW BOARD MEMBERS NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE INPUT AND BE ABLE TO VOTE ON THESE CONTRACTS, BECAUSE IT APPEARS THAT YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO RAM IT THROUGH WITHOUT ANY THOUGHT.

THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE THOUGHT AND PLANNING TO THE BUDGET TO REDUCE MONEY PAID TO ADMINISTRATORS AND PUT THAT MONEY TO ITS TEACHERS AND EXPENSES THAT THE SCHOOL HAS.

REMEMBER, 50% OF OUR BUDGET IS GOING TO THE SCHOOL BOARD.

THAT'S A HUGE SUM.

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE IT'S SPENT WISELY.

THE BOOK CONTRACT, IT NEEDS TO BE A SPECIFIC CLAUSE IN THERE THAT THERE'S NO BOOKS IN THERE ABOUT ANAL SEX, ORAL SEX, ANY OF THOSE THINGS THAT THE BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THERE THAT WERE FOUND IN ONE OF THE LIBRARIES, THAT IF WE SHOWED THAT, WE WOULD BE IN TROUBLE HERE.

AND SO THAT CLAUSE AND THAT CONTRACT NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THERE BECAUSE THAT IS NOT ACCEPTED.

THE CURRICULUM NEEDS TO FOCUS ON WHAT ALL STUDENTS NEED, LIKE READING, WRITING, MATH, SCIENCES, CIVICS, ACTUAL REAL HISTORY.

THE BOARD, ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS EACH NEED TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT.

THE PARENTS ULTIMATELY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FOR THEIR CHILDREN, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN'T DECIDE THAT THEY GET A SHOT.

THAT'S NOT NECESSARY.

AND YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T EXPECT THEM TO TELL SECRETS BEHIND THEIR PARENTS BACK.

PARENTS MAKE THE ULTIMATE DECISION.

AND ALSO TEACHERS ALSO NEED TO BE TEACHING THAT THEY'RE BASED ON SCIENCE AND ACTUAL FACT.

THERE ARE TWO GENDERS A BOY AND A GIRL.

I DON'T CARE IF YOU I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE TRANSGENDER OR IF YOU'RE LGBTQ OR WHATEVER.

THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME. THAT'S FINE.

BUT YOU NEED TO STOP MAKING THESE STUDENTS ACCEPT BOYS IN THE LOCKER ROOM BECAUSE THESE GIRLS ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP.

BECAUSE WHILE YOU WANT TO INCLUDE THE TRANSGENDERS IN THERE, YOU WANT TO MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD.

IT'S JUST THE GIRLS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE TO SPEAK UP BECAUSE YOU PENALIZE THEM.

AND THAT COMES FROM ACTUAL TRUTH, FROM FROM SOME PARENTS AND STUDENTS.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEW APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS JOINING THIS BOARD SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A BOARD THAT WORKS FOR ALL HARFORD COUNTY STUDENTS.

THANK YOU. LOVE PETERS, FOLLOWED BY SUSIE SCOTT. SELA PETERS, FOLLOWED BY SUSIE SCOTT.

GOOD EVENING. FIRST, I WANT TO START BY THANKING MS..

ALVAREZ AND MS.. HAHN FOR HOSTING THE FIRST EVER BOARD OF EDUCATION TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

WE APPRECIATE THAT PARENTS AND CONSTITUENTS HAVE A FORUM IN WHICH WE CAN VOICE OUR CONCERNS FREELY AND THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO US.

THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION LATELY CONCERNING THE LUCY CALKINS READING PROGRAMS, AND BASED ON RECENT CONVERSATIONS FROM TEACHERS THAT I'VE HAD WITH, THEY ARE NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS CURRICULUM.

COGGINS, A PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, HAS CREATED ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST WIDELY USED READING INSTRUCTION PROGRAMS. AND ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PARTNERS ASAP, THIS PROGRAM IS DEEPLY FLAWED.

[00:35:08]

RECENT TEST SCORES SHOWED MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF THE NATION'S FOURTH GRADE GRADERS CAN'T READ AT A BASIC LEVEL, AND I GUESS I CAN'T EITHER.

THE COGGINS CURRICULUM USES THE IDEA KNOWN AS THREE CUING, WHICH ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO LOOK AT PICTURES AND USE CONTEXTUAL CLUES TO IDENTIFY WORDS AS THEY ARE READING.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SHOWS THAT SKILLED READERS DO NOT USE CUES TO READ WORDS, AND THAT INSTRUCTING CHILDREN TO USE THESE CUES TEACHES THEM THE HABITS OF STRUGGLING READERS.

THIS IS CONCERNING, AS HARFORD COUNTY IS CURRENTLY AT THE BOTTOM OF TEST SCORES.

TEST SCORES IN READING AND MATH IN THIS COUNTY.

THE THREE CUEING SYSTEM IS BAKED INTO THIS PROGRAM AND IT IS INEFFECTIVE.

I URGE THE MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN AND TO VOTE NO ON THE LUCY CAULKINS CURRICULUM.

UNLESS THE BOARD IS PREPARED TO DEMONSTRATE ITS TRANSPARENCY TO THE PARENTS AND CONSTITUENTS OF THIS COUNTY, I ALSO URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON THE EXECUTION OF THE $265,000 CONTRACT OF A BOOK COMPANY THAT HAS NOT LISTED ANY OF THE BOOKS THAT WOULD BE PURCHASED FOR CHILDREN K THROUGH FIVE.

PARENTS ARE ALREADY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONTENT OF SOME OF THESE PORNOGRAPHIC BOOKS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR SCHOOLS.

THE SEXUALIZATION OF OUR CHILDREN IS ABHORRENT, AND THEIR SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF MIND, BODY AND SOUL SHOULD BE A PRIORITY.

IS IT ANY WONDER THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND CONFUSION AND AGGRESSION? CHILDREN ARE HERITAGE FROM THE LORD AND THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB IS HIS REWARD.

PSALMS 127 THREE.

THANK YOU.

I'M REQUESTING 5 MINUTES TONIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE A BUNCH OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE CONSENT AGENDA.

CAN I GET 5 MINUTES? DUE TO A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS, SHE STATED.

WELL, MY FIRST CONCERN IS WITH THE DECISION ON THE PURCHASE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS FROM HEINEMANN PUBLISHING IN EXCESS OF 100,000.

YOU STATE THAT THE EXPENDITURE WILL EXCEED 100,000 AND YOU DON'T STATE HOW MUCH YOU EXPECT TO SPEND.

AND THEN YOU FURTHER STATE THAT MOST OF THESE PURCHASES WILL BE FUNDED BY THE OPERATING BUDGET.

HOWEVER, WHEN APPROPRIATE, GRANT AND CAPITAL FUNDS MAY BE USED.

THIS IS QUITE VAGUE AND ON THIS BASIS ALONE, THIS EXPENDITURE SHOULD BE CHALLENGED BY THE BOARD.

FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE AWARE, HEINEMANN PUBLISHING IS THE PUBLISHER OF THE LUCY HAWKINS UNITS OF STUDY READING CURRICULUM USED BY CPS.

UH. OUR CHILDREN AREN'T READING PROFICIENTLY.

THE MATH SCORES SHOW IT.

AND THIS IS AN ABJECT FAILURE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THIS BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATORS OF HTTPS.

I'M MOVING ON SINCE I DON'T HAVE 5 MINUTES.

WE'RE FOCUSED NOW ON THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE, WHICH WILL REQUIRE US TO FOCUS ON SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION AND NOT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.

SO THERE'S LITTLE HOPE FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM TO CRAWL OUT OF THIS ACADEMIC MORASS.

WHICH LEADS ME TO ANOTHER CONCERN AND THE AGENDA ITEMS CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

AGAIN, THE AMOUNT REQUESTED IS NOT STATED.

IT JUST SAYS OVER 100,000.

AND THIS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IS NOT A GOOD USE OF MONEY.

FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT? ABOUT THE BOOKS, THE 265,000 IN THE BOOKS.

WE GET THE COMMENTS ABOUT THESE ARE VERY RELATABLE CHARACTERS AND THEY'RE DIVERSE.

INEQUITY OF INCLUSION IN THESE STORIES.

BUT WHAT PARENTS MIGHT DEEM TO BE AN APPROPRIATE BOOK FOR A SCHOOL LIBRARY, ESPECIALLY DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WAS WAS DENIED BY CPS.

THEY DENIED THIS BOOK BY A SITTING SENATOR OF THE UNITED STATES.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT INCLUSION IN OUR LIBRARIES DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

BUT INSTEAD I GOT A LETTER THAT SAID THAT THIS STORY DOES NOT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR TWO FAVORABLE REVIEWS FROM INDUSTRY RECOGNIZED REVIEW SOURCES.

THEREFORE, IT DOESN'T MEET THE CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN THE KPS LIBRARY COLLECTION.

YET THE HEART STOPPER SERIES DOES MEET THE CRITERIA.

THIS BOOK INCLUDES THE F-WORD AND PROMOTION OF UNDERAGE DRINKING.

[00:40:03]

I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.

NEXT, WE HAVE NELLY DOKA, FOLLOWED BY JAMES RAMSEY.

MY NAME IS MONICA.

I'M A FORMER READING SPECIALIST, TITLE ONE DIRECTOR AND A FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.

I AM APPALLED THAT MY TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT ON INAPPROPRIATE AND WHAT I THINK ARE PORNOGRAPHIC BOOKS THAT ARE BEING PUT IN OUR CHILDREN'S HANDS.

BUT THIS ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO PUT THE BOOK AMERICA A REDEMPTION STORY, WRITTEN BY TIM SCOTT, A BLACK SENATOR FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT CHOOSING HOPE AND CREATING UNITY.

I THOUGHT THIS ADMINISTRATION AND BOARD WAS ALL FOR DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION.

BUT I GUESS THAT ONLY APPLIES IF THE AUTHOR IS LIBERAL AND WOKE.

I WONDER, HAVE ANY OF YOU READ THIS BOOK? IT'S AN UPLIFTING STORY ABOUT A BLACK MAN FROM A POOR SOUTHERN FAMILY WHO BECAME A CONGRESSMAN AND A SITTING SENATOR.

I WONDER IF IT WAS DENIED BECAUSE IT HAS NO SEXUAL ELEMENTS IN IT.

I ENCOURAGE EVERY AMERICAN TO READ THIS BOOK.

I LAUGHED AND I CRIED READING IT.

IT'S A STORY ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL OUR COUNTRY IS.

EVEN WITH ALL OUR FAULTS, NO ONE OR NO COUNTRY IS PERFECT.

BUT AMERICA IS THE BEST COUNTRY ON THIS PLANET.

I READ HEART STOPPERS.

AND LET'S TALK ABOUT A TEEN'S GUIDE TO SEX, RELATIONSHIPS AND BEING HUMAN, WHICH IS AVAILABLE IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

SOME MAY CALL ME A PRUDE, BUT I AM EMBARRASSED TO READ OUT LOUD TO YOU.

WHAT IS IN THESE BOOKS? THEY DESCRIBE THE SEXUAL ACT IN EXPLICIT DETAIL.

IS THIS APPROPRIATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS? I THINK NOT.

I'M SURE THERE ARE BOOKS LIKE THESE THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DISCOVERED YET.

AND WHO IS MAKING THE DECISION TO PURCHASE SUCH JUNK? TONIGHT YOU ARE VOTING ON BOOK PURCHASES.

HAVE ANY OF YOU REVIEWED OR READ SOME OF THESE THAT ARE ON THAT ORDER? I SUGGEST YOU DO.

AND FOLLOWING THE LUCY CALKINS AS A READING SPECIALIST AND A TITLE ONE DIRECTOR, IN MY EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION, IN OVER 100 YEARS, THE BEST READING PROGRAMS THAT I HAD SUCCESS WITH IN WORKING WITH STRUGGLING READERS WERE A PHONICS BASED CURRICULUM.

THANK YOU.

YES. HERE GOES.

I ONLY BE HALF JOKING BY SAYING THAT MANY THINK THAT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING OR SQL FOR SHORT IS A CONSPIRACY FOR INDOCTRINATING OUR CHILDREN INTO BECOMING MARXIST DRAG QUEENS.

WHEN I LOOK AT THE CORE PARTS OF SQL, THOUGH, I DON'T SEE CONSPIRACY, BUT RATHER AN ATTEMPT TO TEACH MORE CLEARLY.

A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE OFTEN EXPECT KIDS TO PICK UP THROUGH OSMOSIS.

HAVING KIDS LEARNED TO BE SELF AWARE AND TO NOT ONLY MANAGE THEIR IMPULSES BUT TO MOTIVATE THEMSELVES, SEEMS TO ME.

TEACHING THEM TO NAVIGATE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.

SOUNDS KIND OF FLUFFY AT FIRST UNTIL YOU REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH OUR WORLD REVOLVES AROUND THOSE THINGS.

MAKING RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS.

YEAH, LET'S ENCOURAGE THAT.

THIS LOOKS MORE LIKE A SHIELD AGAINST GROOMING RATHER THAN A PATH TO IT.

AND IT CERTAINLY IS NOTHING TO DO WITH CRITICAL RACE THEORY OR OTHER SCARE PHRASES FROM THE WOKE DISCOURSE.

THANK YOU. BRENDA PETRICK, FOLLOWED BY OUR OUR VENDOR. PAELLA.

MARI.

GOOD EVENING. BOARD MEMBERS.

DR. OLSON, I WILL NOT BE WORDY BECAUSE A LOT OF WHAT I WAS GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT IS STUFF THAT'S ALREADY BEEN TOUCHED.

AND I DON'T WANT TO WASTE OUR TIME AND BEAT A DEAD HORSE WITH SOME NUMBERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO I'LL JUST TELL YOU THAT I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN OVER AN ITEM YOU'RE VOTING ON TONIGHT AND THEN A FUTURE VOTE.

[00:45:06]

IF THEY CAN'T BE TRANSPARENT FOR THE CONTENT, IT JUST SOUNDS SUSPICIOUS.

IT'S A LOT OF MONEY TO SPEND ON THINGS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT.

IT'D BE LIKE ME BEING OFFERED A $265,000 HOUSE AND SAYING, THIS IS THE PICTURE OF IT, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S INSIDE OF IT.

AND THEN ONCE I BUY THE HOUSE, IT'S MINE AND MAYBE I DON'T LIKE IT.

HOW DO WE GET RID OF IT? SO I BELIEVE THERE NEEDS TO BE TRANSPARENCY BEFORE YOU GUYS VOTE ON SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

THE SECOND THING IS PERTAINING TO THE LUCY CALKINS CURRICULUM, AND I ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE I'M SORRY THAT YOU DO NOT CONTINUE WITH THIS CURRICULUM OR ADDITIONS TO IT.

I HAVE ONE CHILD.

I HAVE ONE CHILD IN THE SYSTEM, AND I HAVE ONE CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT.

WHEN I'M CURRENTLY SEEING IN MY KID'S EDUCATION.

HE'S EIGHT YEARS OLD. HE'S IN THIRD GRADE.

I'VE TALKED TO SOME OF YOU ABOUT IT ALREADY.

I TALKED TO FRIENDS OF MINE THAT ARE IN EDUCATION.

AND YOU CAN BLAME IT ON SO MANY THINGS.

IT COULD BE THE CURRICULUM, IT COULD BE THE PANDEMIC.

BUT WHAT I SEE IS NOT RIGHT.

AND IN THIRD GRADE, I'M SEEING A REGRESSION ALREADY WITH HIM.

THINGS THAT HE SHOULD RETAIN, THINGS THAT HE SHOULD KNOW AND HE DOESN'T.

AND IT BREAKS MY HEART.

AND I BROUGHT IT UP TO SOME FRIENDS OF MINE THAT ARE IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

AND WHEN I TOLD THEM ABOUT MY SON HAVING A C IN READING AND WRITING, THE RESPONSE I GOT FROM A COUPLE OF THEM WERE, THAT'S AVERAGE BRENDA.

WHO WANTS THEIR KID TO BE AVERAGE.

THIS IS ALSO THIRD GRADE.

THIS IS THE FOUNDATIONAL BUILDING BLOCK TIME FOR OUR CHILDREN.

AND IF HE'S LOSING GROUND NOW AND IF THE CURRICULUM IS FAILING HIM AND HE'S NOT.

ENGAGING AND GROWING.

WHAT'S FOURTH GRADE GOING TO BE LIKE? WHAT'S FIFTH GRADE GOING TO BE LIKE? WHAT'S HIGH SCHOOL GOING TO BE LIKE? I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE A CHILD THAT I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY FIX AND PULL UP BECAUSE THE SYSTEM FAILED HIM.

THERE NEEDS TO BE BETTER CURRICULUM.

ONE MORE THING I'LL SAY, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO THROW ANYBODY UNDER THE BUS, BUT ANOTHER THING IT RESONATES THAT REALLY UPSETS ME.

AND I WON'T SAY THE TEACHER, BUT.

AT SOME POINT WHEN I BROUGHT SOMETHING UP TO A TEACHER ABOUT MY SON AND WHERE DOES HE FARE IN THE SCHEME OF THE CLASS? IS HE ON PAR UNDER PAR? YOU KNOW, ABOVE PAR WHAT? AND SHE SAID.

THAT HE WAS ON PAR.

BUT SHE SAID, IF I'M BEING HONEST, THE ENTIRE CLASS IS UNDER PAR.

WHO HERE WANTS TO HAVE THEIR KIDS IN A CLASS WHERE EVERYONE IS PERFORMING UNDER PAR? SO I'LL SAY THIS.

THERE'S A PHRASE THAT IS, IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S VERY BROKE AND WE NEED TO FIX IT.

THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

IN THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THE VARIOUS PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTY, INCLUDING IN TONIGHT'S MEETING.

I MORE AND MORE THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR'S BLACK HISTORY MONTH MAY ITSELF GO DOWN IN HISTORY.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL BE FOR THE BANNING OF BOOKS OR FOR THE PEOPLE STANDING UP TO PROTECT THE FREEDOM TO READ, TO STUDY THE PAST, EVEN WHEN IT EVEN WHEN THERE ARE MOMENTS OF DISCOMFORT.

WHO ARE NOT AFRAID TO UNDERSTAND TOPICS LIKE INTERSECTIONALITY AND OTHER THINGS WHICH ARE UNFORTUNATELY BEING BANNED IN FLORIDA.

AND JUST FOR QUICK REFERENCE, AND SOME PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THE AUTHORS BEING BANNED IN STATES LIKE FLORIDA, I HAVE A FEW HERE.

BELL HOOKS, ROBIN D.G.

KELLEY, KIMBERLY CRENSHAW, ANGELA DAVIS, THOMAS COATES, BINYAVANGA WAINAINA, HENRY LOUIS GATES, RODERICK FERGUSON.

WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO READ THESE BOOKS.

WE DON'T WANT TO BE THE ONES WHO ARE BANNING BOOKS AND POLICING BATHROOMS. I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO SAY THIS.

I ACTUALLY THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF CONCERNS ON WHICH WE MAY HAVE COMMON GROUND CONCERNING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION OR THE AGE APPROPRIATENESS OF CERTAIN TYPES OF READING MATERIAL.

BUT ALL TOO OFTEN IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE PEOPLE SPEAKING VOCALLY ABOUT BANNING BOOKS CONCERNING TOPICS OF CIVIL RIGHTS OR LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS MAY ACTUALLY PREFER TO THINK THAT IF WE IF WE BAN ALL REFERENCE TO THEM, THEN THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES MAY NOT EXIST.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE CAT WAS LET OUT OF THE BAG EARLIER WITH THE COMMENT OF ONLY BINARY GENDER.

IT'S SIMPLY NOT THE CASE.

AND I THINK OUR I THINK AS WE WE AS A COMMUNITY AND A SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, ARE WE GOING TO ALLOW OUR CHILDREN THE FREEDOM TO BE THEMSELVES? QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS.

I ALSO GREW UP WITH THE ASSUMPTION OF A BINARY GENDER.

[00:50:01]

ARE WE GOING TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH THE DIFFICULT LESSONS OF HISTORY? ARE WE GOING TO BE AFRAID? WE KNOW BANNING BOOKS ONLY GIVES THEM GREATER PUBLICITY.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BOOKS.

IT'S ABOUT FUELING CULTURE WARS FOR POLITICAL GAIN.

AND WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES WHO IS BEHIND THIS AND WHY? WE NEED TO SEE THROUGH THE MISLEADING CLAIMS. IT IS ABOUT PROTECTING KIDS.

IT IS NOT. IT IS A DISSERVICE TO PREVENT KIDS FROM READING ABOUT TOPICS JUST BECAUSE THEY RAISE QUESTIONS ON RACE, GENDER, HISTORY, OR OTHER BIG TOPICS.

WE SHOULD ACCEPT THAT KIDS HAVE THESE QUESTIONS, WHETHER THEY SHARE THEM WITH US OR NOT, AND IF WE WANT TO BE THERE FOR THEM, WE SHOULD LISTEN AND NOT RESTRICT ACCESS TO IDEAS THAT MIGHT MAKE US UNCOMFORTABLE.

THANK YOU. NEXT, WE HAVE ZACHARY GREENE, FOLLOWED BY EMMA PELLER.

SHE'S GOING TO PASS BECAUSE SHE'S PART OF THE PRESENTATION.

GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PAULSEN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU TONIGHT.

AND HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

I'M PLEASED TO SEE A PRESENTATION ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH ON THE AGENDA, AND I'M EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT HOW HPE IS CELEBRATING ACROSS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY AND SHOULD BE TAUGHT AND CELEBRATED ALL YEAR.

I HOPE THIS MONTH UNDERSCORES THAT.

I'M ALSO HERE TONIGHT TO ASK YOU NOT TO SPEND ANY MORE MONEY ON UNITS OF STUDY OR ANY READING CURRICULUM THAT IS NOT SCIENTIFICALLY ALIGNED.

OUR CHILDREN HAVE A RIGHT TO LEARN HOW TO READ AND TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD GETS A CHANCE.

I'LL CLOSE TONIGHT BY SAYING BLACK LIVES MATTER.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. NEXT, WE HAVE DYLAN LEWIS, FOLLOWED BY RENEE TOBIAS.

2 A.M. SPORTING MY BANNED BOOK AUTHOR'S.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO URGE THE APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT TEACHERS ARE GIVEN THE TOOLS TO HELP CHILDREN LEARN APPROPRIATE SOCIAL SKILLS TO NAVIGATE SCHOOL AND LIFE, TO LEARN COMPASSION.

AND HOW TO CONTROL AND MANAGE EMOTIONS AND TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS.

THAT IS THE GOAL OF THAT CURRICULUM.

I URGE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THE INDIVIDUAL CHILD AND SUPPORTS THEM.

THIS MEANS THOSE THAT LEARN DIFFERENTLY.

MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQIA PLUS COMMUNITY ARE CHILDREN OF COLOR.

THOSE THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH EMOTIONAL ISSUES, ETC..

WHETHER WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE THEIR NEEDS.

OR NOT.

THEY ARE, IN FACT, IMPACTING THE CLASSROOM ON A DAILY BASIS.

IT'S AFFECTING CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES BY REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM, THEIR OWN FAMILIES, THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES.

WE ARE DENYING THEIR EXISTENCE.

WE ARE FAILING THEM, AND YOU WILL BE FAILING YOUR MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITY.

AT ITS MOST BASIC LEVEL, WE ARE BEING UNKIND.

YOU NEED TO RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF EVERY CHILD THAT IDENTIFIES AS A MEMBER OF THAT COMMUNITY.

MANY TIMES THE CONVERSATION SEEMS TO PRESUME THAT PARENTS OF LGBTQI STUDENTS ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE.

WHILE I FIND IT TERRIBLY SAD AND FRANKLY DISGUSTING THAT A PARENT WOULD DENY THEIR CHILD'S EXISTENCE BECAUSE OF THEIR PERSONAL BELIEF SYSTEM, I'M AFRAID WE'VE SEEN IT IN ACTION IN THIS ROOM.

I REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE BOUND BY FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS AND STATE EDUCATIONAL POLICIES IN FULFILLING YOUR JOB.

AND WHILE YOU SHOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS, YOUR ACTUAL DUTY IS TO THE STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES OF HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

I ALSO SUPPORT THE FUNDING OF CLASSROOM LIBRARIES.

I DO NOT BELIEVE IN BANNING BOOKS, INCLUDING MR. SCOTT'S BOOK.

I BELIEVE IN THE MAGICAL POWER OF BOOKS, BUT I SEEM TO HAVE BEEN READING DIFFERENT BOOKS THAN THOSE THAT WANT TO BAN THEM.

AS A CHILD, WHEN I READ THE LORD OF THE RINGS, I WANTED TO BE AN ELF.

SADLY, THE ACT OF READING IT DID NOT TURN ME INTO AN ELF, NOR DID READING HARRY POTTER TURN ME OR MY CHILDREN INTO WIZARDS OR WITCHES.

[00:55:10]

READING BOOKS ABOUT BEING QUEER WILL NOT MAKE YOU QUEER.

READING BOOKS ABOUT OUR HISTORY OR CURRENT ISSUES OF RACISM WILL NOT MAKE YOU A RACIST.

THANK YOU. PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR EMPLOYEES OF HARVARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

GOOD EVENING. BOARD. MY NAME IS RENE DIBIASE.

TOGETHER WITH MY HUSBAND BRIAN AND OUR FOUR CHILDREN, WE HAVE BEEN AN HPE FAMILY FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS.

I WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO SHARE THE THINGS ABOUT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR WHICH WE ARE GRATEFUL.

CPS HAS GIVEN OUR KIDS OPPORTUNITY.

MY TWO OLDER CHILDREN EACH ATTEND A MAGNET SCHOOL.

IN CHOOSING TO GO TO EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AND HARVARD OR GRACE HIGH SCHOOL, RESPECTIVELY, THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE CONCENTRATED AREAS OF STUDY IN WHICH THEY HOLD AN INTEREST.

THIS DOES NOT COME WITHOUT DEDICATION ON THEIR PART AS THEIR COMMUTE BEGINS AT 5:45 A.M..

AS WE MAKE OUR WAY TO THE DEPOT, STOP AND THEIR ONE WAY.

45 TO 60 MINUTE TREK TO THE SCHOOL.

MY THIRD CHILD CURRENTLY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM THE INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM AND WAS ON AN IEP THROUGH SECOND GRADE IN SCHOOL.

HE HAS TAKEN AN INTEREST IN SPANISH AND IS TRYING TO TEACH HIMSELF JAPANESE.

THIS IS NOT INSIGNIFICANT AS HIS IEP WAS FOR SPEECH APRAXIA.

HE IS ALSO HOPING TO TAKE GEOMETRY OVER THE SUMMER.

MY YOUNGEST IS ALSO IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND RECOUNTS HER FOND MEMORIES OF FORCE LAKES AS I HAD BEEN TAKING HER WITH ME TO VOLUNTEER AS MY SON WAS GOING TO HIS SPEECH LESSONS, SHE WAS TOO.

BY THE TIME KINDERGARTEN CAME AROUND, SHE HAD A UNIQUE FAMILIARITY WITH THE EXPECTATION REQUIRED OF HER IN THE SCHOOL.

IN PREPARATION FOR TODAY.

I ASKED EACH OF THEM WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT HCP.

AS THEY ALL RESPONDED, MY FRIENDS.

OTHER REFLECTION INCLUDED SCHOOL LUNCH EXCEPT BREAKFAST FOR LUNCH, VIOLIN, DANCE, INDOOR TRACK, MY TEACHERS AND THE INTRAMURAL SPORTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THERE AREN'T CHALLENGES, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS FROM MY FAMILY'S PERSPECTIVE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

NEXT, WE HAVE JESSICA HENDRICK, FOLLOWED BY CHERYL ADAMS. YEAH. I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS.

IT'S MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING IN FRONT OF YOU GUYS, BUT ONE OF MY MAIN THINGS TO SAY IS THANK YOU.

I'VE BEEN IN HARFORD COUNTY ALL MY LIFE.

MY PARENTS BOTH WENT TO BEL AIR, MIDDLE BEL AIR HIGH SCHOOL ALL THROUGH BEL AIR SCHOOLS.

I WENT THROUGH THE BOSTON SCHOOL SYSTEM MYSELF.

I SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN OFFERED.

I HAVE A NINTH GRADER THIS YEAR WHO'S ALSO IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WE'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.

WE KNOW THAT'S NOT THE CASE FOR EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTY.

SO ON THAT NOTE, I ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNEW I WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR FOCUS ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN OUR COUNTY.

AND I HOPE NO MATTER WHO'S SITTING ON THE IN THESE CHAIRS IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS THAT THAT STAYS A PRIORITY.

THAT SORT OF THING TAKES GENERATIONS.

MY DAD ALWAYS TOLD US THAT IT'S GENERATIONAL CHANGE THAT CHANGES US.

YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND NOT GOING BACK TO THE WAY THINGS USED TO BE.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE ANYBODY WHO'S SITTING ON THE BOARD TO KEEP THAT IN MIND, TO NOT PULL US BACK AND TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND ENCOURAGING OUR STUDENTS.

AND ON THAT NOTE, ALSO, I ATTENDED THE TOWN HALL THIS PAST WEEKEND AND WAS REALLY ENCOURAGED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE ROOM AND BOTH THE BOARD MEMBERS AND COUNTY COUNCIL FOLKS IN THE ROOM THAT WERE SUPPORTIVE OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND MADE ASSURANCES TO THE FOLKS IN THE ROOM THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS.

AND THEY EVEN SEEMED EXCITED ABOUT THE IDEA OF POSSIBLE GRANT MONEY OR OTHER FUNDING BEING AN OPTION.

SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THOSE AND TO MAKE SURE THAT STAYS A PRIORITY FOR EVERYBODY.

HOLD ON ONE SECOND. I LOST MY SCREEN.

I WANT TO YEAH, AND JUST ONE MORE THING, BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE COMING UP HAS COME TO A FEW MORE MEETINGS.

[01:00:02]

IT'S NOT ONE OR THE OTHER.

THOSE THINGS CAN BE DONE TOGETHER AND IN UNISON TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR KIDS COME OUT AS WELL ROUNDED, WHOLESOME, KIND.

AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE A, B, C STUDENTS, THEY'RE GOOD PEOPLE WHO ARE READY TO GO MAKE A GOOD DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

SO THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS SHERYL ADAMS. I WANT TO MENTION FIRST THAT I ATTENDED THE TOWN HALL THAT MS..

HAHN HAD ON SATURDAY.

AND THANK YOU.

THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION SURROUNDING THE BUDGET, AND BOTH MS..

HAHN AND MS.. ALVAREZ MENTIONED THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO RECEIVE A LINE BY LINE ITEM COPY OF THE BUDGET.

THEY ONLY GOT AN OVERVIEW AND WE KEPT POKING AROUND AT THAT TO FIGURE OUT WHEN THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE THAT OR AND I, I LEFT REALLY WANTING TO FIGURE THAT OUT AND IT TOOK ME ABOUT 5 MINUTES TO FIGURE OUT THAT.

ABSOLUTELY. YOU HAVE ACCESS TO IT.

YOU JUST NEED BUT ASK.

SO THERE, I GUESS IS THE BUDGET CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE.

I DON'T KNOW THE NAMES AND DEPARTMENT HEADS.

THAT WOULD CERTAINLY GO LINE BY LINE WITH YOU ON ANY OF THOSE ISSUES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR IN YOUR OVERVIEW.

SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I SAID THAT OUT LOUD AND AND.

THAT THERE ISN'T ANY ANYTHING SHADIER, NOT TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE BUDGET.

I ALSO WANTED TO THANK DR.

STANTON. I WAS LISTENING ONLINE TO THE WONDERFUL STUDENTS AND VOICES FOR EQUITY.

I THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM AND I HOPE THAT THE BOARD WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE THEIR FULL SUPPORT TO PROGRAMS LIKE THAT.

GOOD SEGWAY. WHAT I'M REALLY SPEAKING TO TONIGHT IS MY CONCERN ABOUT THE RISE IN ANTI-LGBTQ RHETORIC THAT I SEE AND HEAR FROM OUR POLITICAL LEADERS, FELLOW CITIZENS HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY, IN PERSON ONLINE AND SOME HERE TONIGHT.

WE HAVE GROUPS LIKE MOMS FOR LIBERTY, PROUD BOYS, PLANNING PROTESTS AND EVENTS THAT EXIST TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR KIDS IN THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.

I WANT TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO ANYONE HERE TONIGHT WHO'S IN A POSITION TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT WOULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE LIVES OF LGBTQ+ KIDS OR ANY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY, AND ARE LOOKING TO DO THAT WITH BANS ON PRIDE FLAGS OR CERTAIN BOOKS OR ANYTHING THAT SAYS YOU ARE NOT WELCOME OR WOULD INVALIDATE THEM IN ANY WAY.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT.

I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT YET, BUT I SEE IT COMING.

YOU'RE FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.

IF YOU'RE CHOOSING THAT PATH, YOUR CAUSE IS A LOST CAUSE.

YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR A WORLD LONG GONE.

YOU'VE ALREADY LOST.

THE MAJORITY OF US KNOW IT.

THE KIDS KNOW THIS FOR SURE.

KIDS KNOW THEY ARE FREE TO BE WHO THEY ARE.

THEY CAN MARRY WHO THEY CHOOSE.

THEY CAN WATCH TELEVISION SHOWS AND MOVIES WITH POSITIVE, JOY FILLED REPRESENTATION OF OTHERS JUST LIKE THEM.

THEY SEE THEMSELVES IN EVERY ASPECT OF AMERICAN LIFE, IN GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION, PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT.

THEY HAVE ACCESS TO A WIDE WORLD AT THEIR FINGERTIPS.

AND I WILL TELL YOU, IF WHAT YOU ARE DRIVING CONCERN IS THIS GROOMING THING, YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.

DRAG QUEENS, MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQIA ARE NOT WHERE YOUR ATTENTION SHOULD BE FOCUSED.

I BELIEVE WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS FOR OUR CHILDREN.

I'M GOING TO CUT IT SHORT. I GOT ABOUT THREE MORE PARAGRAPHS.

YEAH. THANK YOU.

NEXT WE HAVE JANINE CANDIDO, FOLLOWED BY TANIA TEO.

THERE, JANINE INCOGNITO.

CALLED. UM.

I FEEL LIKE I'M HAVING A HOT FLASH.

I SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THIS AFTERNOON WRITING AND REWRITING AND EDITING AND REWRITING WHAT I WANTED TO SAY TO THE BOARD TONIGHT.

I'M GOING TO GO OFF SCRIPT JUST BASED ON WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS TONIGHT.

[01:05:01]

BUT I THINK THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT NEED TO BE SAID.

SOME SAY, YOU KNOW, RIGHT WING EXTREMIST PARENTS ARE TRYING TO EXERCISE CENSORSHIP.

NO. WHAT WE DO WANT IS AN EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM THAT IS SCIENCE BASED AND WORKS.

I SAT HERE TONIGHT AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WAS VERY DISTURBED BY MR. JAMES AND THE THIRD ROW MOCKING AND GIGGLING AT PARENTS WHO EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS IN OUR CHILDREN'S LIBRARIES.

I FOUND THAT INCREDIBLY INSENSITIVE.

AND. REPREHENSIBLE.

AND YOU CAN SIT THERE AND ROLL YOUR EYES AT A PERSON.

YOU'RE SPEAKING TO THE BOARD? I AM SPEAKING TO THE BOARD.

IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE SPEAKING TO PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE.

I TURNED AROUND.

I YOU KNOW, I SAW A QUOTE ON A T RECENTLY.

IMAGINE LIVING THROUGH THE PAST THREE YEARS AND NOT BEING SUSPICIOUS OF ANYTHING.

WE NEED TO BE SUSPICIOUS OF A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF IN IN AN AGE WHERE I SEE, YOU KNOW, HEADLINES STATES SEEKING TO LOWER AGE OF SEXUAL CONSENT AND OTHER KINDS OF THINGS.

AND THEN WHEN I SAW LITERALLY THE PORNOGRAPHIC CONTENT OF SOME OF THE BOOKS IN OUR LIBRARIES.

I WAS FLABBERGASTED.

AND IF ANYONE HERE THINKS THAT THAT IS OK, THEN YOU NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ME AS A CLINICIAN BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY WRONG.

AND I ENCOURAGE THE BOARD TO VOTE AGAINST THE PURCHASING OF BOOKS.

IN THE ABSENCE OF TRANSPARENCY AND KNOWING WHAT THE CONTENTS, TITLES OR ANYTHING ELSE IS.

THAT'S ALL I GOT.

HI, I'M. I'M TANYA TEO.

I'M HERE TO ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO VOTE NO TO PURCHASING THE LUCY CALKINS CURRICULUM.

THIS MATTER SHOULD BE TABLED.

I AM HEARING THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE NOT SEEN THE LINE BY LINE BUDGET.

IF THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO SEE IT, IT WOULD BE UNETHICAL TO VOTE FOR IT.

THIS CURRICULUM HAS NOT BEEN EFFECTIVE.

THIS CURRICULUM IS FRUSTRATING FOR CHILDREN LEARNING HOW TO READ.

THE KIDS HAVE MISSED SO MUCH TIME ANYWAY BECAUSE OF COVID.

LET'S USE SOMETHING MORE EFFECTIVE TO GET OUR CHILDREN BACK WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.

I HAD EMAILED ABOUT THIS MATTER LAST NIGHT AND I RECEIVED A BLANKET RESPONSE FROM MR. BOLTON. I HOPE THAT I HEAR FROM EACH OF EVERY ONE OF YOU ABOUT THIS.

THE OTHER SUBJECT THAT I EMAILED ABOUT WAS THE FACT THAT HARVARD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 22 AND 23 HAVE AND WILL NOT RECEIVE CERTIFICATES FOR THE TRADE COMPUTER AIDED MACHINING.

THE REASON THAT THERE IS IS THAT THERE'S NOT A REAL TEACHER TO TEACH THIS TRADE.

AND IT'S BEEN LIKE THAT FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.

I AM ASKING FOR THE WHOLE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO LOOK INTO THIS.

THIS IS VERY DISCOURAGING.

THESE KIDS APPLIED AND WERE SELECTED FROM TO HARVARD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

MY SON IS A PART OF THIS YEAR'S GRADUATING CLASS.

WHAT ARE YOU ALL GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? THESE KIDS CHOOSE TO GRADUATE WITH A CERTIFICATE SO THAT THEY WOULD GET A CERTIFICATE.

ALSO, I WANTED TO THANK DIANNE ALVAREZ AND MELISSA HORNE FOR HOSTING THEIR TOWN HALLS.

THEY ARE STEPPING UP AND BEING TRANSPARENT.

I ENCOURAGE THE REST OF YOU TO DO THE SAME.

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE WORKING FOR CHILDREN, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND CITIZENS OF HARFORD COUNTY.

SO DO IT.

ACT LIKE IT. THANK YOU.

NEXT, WE HAVE WILLIAM MARTINO, FOLLOWED BY CRISTINA LA NOCHE.

GOOD EVENING. AND YOUR VALUES ALIGN WITH THE LORD'S WILL.

[01:10:05]

THAT WAS QUITE A SHOW THAT WAS ORCHESTRATED AND CONTRIVED BY DR.

PAULSEN AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION LAST MEETING.

ESPECIALLY HEARING FROM EACH MEMBER OF THE ALL FEMALE VOICES OF EQUITY CLUB.

WELL, THE OTHER CLUBS GET EQUAL BILLING IN THE FUTURE.

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO HEAR FROM THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES CLUB OR THE ACADEMICS TEAM CLUB? I WILL NOT HOLD MY BREATH.

SPEAKING OF ACADEMICS, WHEN IS THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM GOING TO ADDRESS THE BROKEN PROCESSES THAT HAVE RESULTED IN LOWER ACADEMIC SCORES, SUCH AS THE FAILED LUKE CAULKINS STUDY MATERIAL? READING PROFICIENCIES IN ELEMENTARY STUDENTS DROPPED 20 TO 50% OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS.

DEPENDING ON WHICH PRECINCT YOU LOOK AT.

WE HAVE LOST THE FOCUS ON THE CORE MISSION.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DROPS IN READING ABILITIES HAVE OCCURRED IN TITLE ONE SCHOOLS.

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS SO FOCUSED ON PUSHING AND FORCING DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION MATERIAL THAT THEY HAVE COMPLETELY SHOVED TRADITIONAL ACADEMICS OUT OF THE WAY.

TODAY'S YOUTH ALREADY RECEIVE A HEAVY DOSE OF D IN EVERY PART OF THEIR LIVES.

THEY TURN ON THE TV AND BLUE'S CLUES IS ADVOCATING FOR PRIDE.

COMMUNITY. DISNEY.

DISNEY HAS AN ENTIRE MENU OF MOVIES THAT PROMOTE A WOKE AGENDA.

DISNEY'S PROUD CARTOON SERIES IS NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY, PLUS THAT DEALS WITH THE ISSUE OF WHITE FRAGILITY.

EVEN MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION IS GETTING IN THE ACT WITH THE LONG RUNNING SERIES ARTHUR.

GEN Z. SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUCH AS TIK TOK, INSTAGRAM, SNAPCHAT AND YOUTUBE ARE LOADED WITH DIY AND LGBT PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL. THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA CORPORATIONS SUCH AS TARGET ART SHOWS AND MUSEUMS ALSO GET INTO THE ACT.

THE STUDENTS OF HERTFORD COUNTY RECEIVED D-II LGBT AND WOKE CONCEPT IN EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR LIVES, SO THIS BOARD THINKS THEY NEED MORE OF IT WHEN THEY SHOW UP FOR CLASS EACH MORNING IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

WHEN DO WE START TEACHING ACADEMICS? MAYBE THEY RECEIVE A LITTLE MATH FROM WATCHING SESAME STREET.

THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE FOUR WALLS OF THE CLASSROOM HAS THE ACTIVIST IDEAS FULLY COVERED.

THE STUDENTS NEED ACADEMIC INSTRUCTIONS.

INSIDE THE CLASSROOMS, FOCUS MORE OF THE AVAILABLE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ON ACADEMICS AND IMPROVE THE DISMAL TESTING SCORES.

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

YES, WE DO NEED GOD BACK IN OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR SCHOOL BOOKS.

SO I'M 73, 26 TO 28.

MY HEALTH MAY FAIL, IN MY SPIRIT, MAY GROW WEAK, BUT GOD REMAINS A STRENGTH IN MY HEART.

HE IS MINE FOREVER.

THOSE WHO DESERT HIM WILL PERISH FOR YOU, DESTROY THOSE WHO ABANDON YOU.

BUT AS FOR ME, HOW GOOD IT IS TO BE NEAR GOD.

I HAVE MADE THE SOVEREIGN LORD MY SHELTER.

AND I WILL TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU DO.

AS WE SAY IN OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

WE ARE ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

REGARDING BANNING BOOKS, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO BAN BOOKS.

THE BOOKS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE READILY AVAILABLE IN ANY PUBLIC LIBRARY, BOOKSTORE, OR AMAZON.

THE BIBLE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS NOT TAUGHT EVEN IN LITERATURE CLASS ANYMORE, THOUGH IT IS AT THE VERY LEAST, GREAT LITERATURE.

IT'S NOT READILY AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS YET.

IT'S NOT CONSIDERED BANNED.

WE AS PARENTS ONLY WANT TO HAVE THE CHOICE TO MAINTAIN OUR CHILDREN'S INNOCENCE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN.

IT IS INCORRECT TO SAY WE GIVE OVER OUR POWER AS PARENTS TO THE SCHOOL JUST BECAUSE WE SEND THEM TO PUBLIC SCHOOL.

REGARDING THE SCHOOL BOOKS, YOU, THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALLOWING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE CHILDREN THROUGH OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CLASSROOMS. YOU, THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALLOWING PORNOGRAPHY AND GRAPHIC ART FORM TO BE AVAILABLE TO OUR CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CLASSROOMS. YOU, THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALLOWING PERSONAL SURVEYS TO BE GIVEN OUT TO OUR CHILDREN IN THE SURVEYS ASK QUESTIONS REGARDING SEXUAL IDENTITY PREFERENCE.

AS WELL AS OTHER INAPPROPRIATE TOPICS FOR SCHOOL.

THE PARENTS ARE NOT BEING GIVEN COPIES OF THESE SURVEYS AHEAD OF TIME, NOR ARE THE PARENTS GIVEN EXPLICIT PERMISSION FOR THESE QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED OF THE CHILDREN.

IN ADDITION, THE ANSWERS TO THESE SURVEYS ARE NOT BEING GIVEN TO THE PARENTS.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS TO A CHILD SHOULD BE LEFT TO BE ASKED BY THE PARENTS.

THESE ARE PARENT CHILD DISCUSSIONS AND HAVE NO PLACE IN SCHOOLS WHERE WE EXPECT THEM TO BE TAUGHT READING, WRITING AND MATH, ALL THREE OF WHICH SHOW VERY LOW PROFICIENCY SCORES FOR OUR COUNTY DESPITE BEING HIGHER THAN THE OTHER COUNTIES.

THE BOOKS SUCH AS LAWN BOY AND THE ABSOLUTE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN WITH SEXUALLY EXPLICIT SCENES AND THEMES AND THE ONES WITH PORNOGRAPHY, AS I SAID BEFORE,

[01:15:01]

MOST PARENTS WANT TO PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN'S INNOCENCE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AND NOT EXPOSE THEM TO SEX AND PORN AS SOON AS THEY GO TO SCHOOL.

EVEN MOVIE THEATERS HAVE RATINGS SO PARENTS CAN DECIDE WHAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR CHILD.

IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL, CHILDREN'S PARENTS DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO CHOOSE WHAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR CHILD.

THE BOARD BELIEVES THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE DECISIONS OVERRIDING THE PARENTS WISHES.

THESE CHILDREN ARE THE PARENTS CHILDREN, NOT THE BOARD'S CHILDREN.

THE BOARD HAS BEEN ELECTED BY US, THE PARENTS, AND THAT MEANS WE DO EXPECT THAT YOU WILL BE LISTENING TO US AND TAKING WHAT WE SAY SERIOUSLY.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL WITH WISDOM AND COURAGE.

NEXT, WE HAVE CHERRY TANNER, FOLLOWED BY BERNADETTE GORSKI.

I. YOU SAY. HOW ABOUT BERNADETTE? SIKORSKY.

I WAS HERE THREE WEEKS AGO AND I FILLED A POSTCARD OUT AND MY NAME WAS NEVER CALLED.

SO I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU, YOU USED TO HAVE SIGN IN SHEETS.

I THINK SIGN IN SHEETS WORK BETTER.

SO ANYWAY, I'M BACK AGAIN, AND I'M THE CURSIVE WRITING LADY.

I WORK IN FINANCE AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW CRITICAL IT IS FOR OUR CHILDREN TO BE LEARNING CURSIVE WRITING.

IT'S WHEN YOU OPEN BANK ACCOUNTS, WHEN YOU SETTLE LOANS, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SIGN THE DOCUMENTS, NOT JUST SIGN DOCUMENTS.

YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO READ CURSIVE WRITING.

AND MY I WAS APPALLED AND I TOLD YOU THIS FIVE WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS HERE, I DID NOT KNOW THAT MY SONS COULD NOT CURSIVE WRITE.

I MEAN, I SAW SOME OF THE SOME OF THEIR HOMEWORK, BUT MY BOYS WERE VERY SELF ACHIEVERS AND I DIDN'T REALLY NEED TO STAY ON TOP OF THEM WHEN I DIDN'T.

AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THEY COULD READ OR WRITE CURSIVE.

AND THEY'RE VERY SMART YOUNG MEN.

AND I WAS VERY EMBARRASSED AT THE DMV WHEN IT TOOK A HALF AN HOUR FOR MY SON TO WRITE HIS NAME IN THE BOX.

THAT IS A REFLECTION ON THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AND SO, ANYWAY, I'M I'M NOW ON A LITTLE PERSONAL CRUSADE TO IF YOU ALL DON'T WANT TO TEACH THEM CURSIVE WRITING, I'M GOING TO BE GIVING THESE WORKBOOKS OUT TO FRIENDS WHO HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN.

IT'S CALLED CURSIVE HANDWRITING FOR KIDS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON FOR 599.

AND I HAVE LOOKED THROUGH THIS BOOK.

THERE WAS NOTHING OBJECTIONABLE.

THERE'S NO MENTION OF MOTHER OR FATHER.

THERE'S NO PRONOUNS, NOTHING.

THAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE A PROBLEM FOR ANYONE IN THIS ROOM.

HOPEFULLY. SO ANYWAY, THIS WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND VERY PRACTICAL, AND I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO PLEASE TAKE THIS UNDER ADVISEMENT AND TEACH THE CHILDREN CURSIVE.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK I COULD GET FROM THIS.

SHOULD I EMAIL YOU? I'D LIKE TO KNOW. I WANT I WANT TO SEE FOLLOW THROUGH BECAUSE I YOU KNOW, PEOPLE GET UP HERE AND TALK ABOUT THINGS AND WHAT'S THE FOLLOW THROUGH? AM I JUST WASTING MY TIME COMING TO THESE MEETINGS? JUST ASKING THE BOARD.

SO IF SOMEONE COULD MAYBE TELL ME WHAT THE FOLLOW THROUGH IS ON THIS, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.

THE CURSIVE WRITING IS CRITICAL FOR THESE YOUNG CHILDREN TO LEARN.

SO THANK YOU.

NEXT, WE HAVE NADIA MCDONALD'S, FOLLOWED BY CASSANDRA BEVERLY.

HELLO. I'M ONE OF THE PARENTS FROM ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN REGARDS TO AN INCIDENT, A VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE THAT TAKEN PLACE WHERE YOUNG LADIES WERE TOUCHED. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF UPROAR.

NO FOLLOW THROUGH. I EMAILED MR. BOLTON TODAY.

NO RETURNED EMAIL, NO ANYTHING.

I SAT AND TALKED TO MARY JO, WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HER.

IT'S REALLY SAD THAT I HEARD YOU WERE EATING AT HARTFORD TECH AND SOMEONE ELSE WAS ENJOYING A GOOD SHOW THAT NO ONE SHOWED THEIR FACES DOWN AT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR ANY OF THESE GIRLS.

IT'S GREAT TO ENJOY A MEAL AND ENJOY A SHOW.

BUT WHAT IF THEY WERE ONE OF YOUR KIDS? YOU'D WANT SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY DONE.

AND I KNOW ABERDEEN MIDDLE AND ABERDEEN HIGH DOESN'T SIT IN THE NICE GRADE AREAS, BUT YOU COULD COME DOWN THERE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

IT'S CONVENIENT THAT WE HAVE TO COME HERE TO YOU GUYS, BUT YOU CAN'T COME OUT TO THESE KIDS.

THAT SCHOOL IS BROKEN.

THOSE KIDS HAVE LOST TRUST.

[01:20:02]

I'M OBVIOUSLY.

BORING, MR. BOSTON.

BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER THAT THESE KIDS AND THESE YOUNG LADIES HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS.

AND NO ONE HAS REACHED OUT OR SAID ANYTHING.

YOU KNOW, THEY'VE HAD THEIR SIBLINGS PROTESTING.

ONE GIRL HAD HER ARM TRAMPLED OVER.

THE KIDS WERE BROUGHT OUTSIDE.

GIRLS WERE CRYING. THERE WAS NOT ONE ADULT OUT THERE THAT WAS CONSOLING ANY OF THESE KIDS.

AND AGAIN, WHAT IF IT WAS ONE OF YOUR KIDS, YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS, ANYTHING YOU'D WANT SOMETHING DONE.

AND IT'S REALLY DISHEARTENING THAT WE HAVE TO COME HERE AND TALK ABOUT THIS WHEN I'VE MADE NUMEROUS CALLS LETTING YOU GUYS KNOW, HEY, THERE'S THE SITUATION GOING ON.

AND NO ONE CAME DOWN.

I CALLED TODAY TO SPEAK TO THE SUPERINTENDENT.

HE WAS AT A MEETING THAT TOOK PRECEDENCE OVER KIDS IN ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL BEING UPSET.

MY SON. THERE WERE NUMEROUS KIDS SUSPENDED, YOU KNOW, AND.

THEY HAD TO ENDURE WATCHING THIS.

SO WHY SHOULD THEY BE PUNISHED? YOU KNOW, IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

AND THE CALL DIDN'T COME TILL LATE AFTER THE FACT.

NOW, EVERY DAY EVERYONE'S COVERING THEIR TRACKS.

BUT WHERE WAS THE CALL THAT NIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENED? AND THIS IS MONTHS PRIOR TO WHEN A LITTLE BOY GOT FAITH POUNDED IN THE GYM AND THERE WAS NO ONE IN THERE AND HAD SUFFERED MULTIPLE FACE FRACTURES.

WHERE ARE THESE ADULTS? EVERYONE WANTS TO BE RESPECTED, BUT RESPECT IS A TWO WAY STREET AND THESE KIDS AREN'T DOING IT AND YOU GUYS AREN'T GOING TO GET IT UNLESS YOU GET FROM BEHIND YOUR DESK AND GET OUT IN THESE SCHOOLS AND NOT ENJOY A GOOD MEAL.

GOOD EVENING. WE'RE PRESIDENT MUELLER, SUPERINTENDENT BOLTEN, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE BOARD.

I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING AND I HOPE THAT YOU LEARNED, AS I DID, HOW VERY HARD THE TEACHERS AND OTHER PERSONNEL IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, HOW VERY HARD THEY WORK TO DO A GOOD JOB ON BEHALF OF THE STUDENTS.

IN RECOGNITION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, I WANT TO SHARE THE STORY OF JANICE MOREHEAD GRANT, A LONGTIME HARTFORD COUNTY EDUCATOR WHO HELPED TO DESEGREGATE THE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM. SHE HAS BEEN NAMED A HARVARD LIVING TREASURE.

MOST RECENTLY, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING HER RECEIVE THE FIRST HALF OF COUNTY CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERSHIP AWARD.

SHE FOUGHT TO HAVE THE SCHOOL'S CURRICULUM MORE ACCURATELY REFLECT THE HISTORY OF THIS NATION.

SHE MARCHED. SHE SPOKE OUT, ORGANIZED AND INSTITUTED LAWSUITS AGAINST THE HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO OBTAIN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR HERSELF AND OTHER BLACK TEACHERS.

AS ONE OF THE BENEFICIARIES OF THE BATTLES SHE FOUGHT, I AM COMPELLED, INDEED OBLIGATED TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT AGAINST THE EFFORTS TO BLOCK FURTHER PROGRESS, TO HAVE A TRULY INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM, AN HONEST, FACTUAL CURRICULUM, AND TO HAVE MORE BLACK TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS. SHE GAVE ME THIS PEN.

IT BREEDS RESPECTING OUR DIFFERENCES AND VALUING OUR DIVERSITY.

I BELIEVE DEEPLY IN THIS MESSAGE.

WE CAN'T VALUE OUR DIVERSITY BY SEEKING TO DENY THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR HISTORY.

WE CAN'T WHITEWASH OUR HISTORY BECAUSE IT IS UNCOMFORTABLE FOR SOME.

THE TRUTH MUST BE TAUGHT.

I'M CERTAIN THERE ARE MANY WHO WOULD LIKE SCHOOLS TO CONTINUE TEACHING THAT COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA.

MANY PEOPLE KNEW THIS WAS UNTRUE, BUT THEY WERE NOT PERMITTED TO TEACH THE TRUTH.

THE TRUTH, HOWEVER, INCONVENIENTLY REFUSES TO REMAIN BURIED NO MATTER HOW HARD SOME MAY TRY.

I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT EFFORTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY TO BAN TEACHING ABOUT RACE AND RACISM IN THE CLASSROOM.

I BELIEVE THAT SUCH EFFORTS MAY HAVE ARRIVED ON OUR DOORSTEP IN THE GUISE OF ADVOCATING FOR PARENTS RIGHTS WHO WILL PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF STUDENTS TO HAVE AN EDUCATION FREE FROM POLITICAL SHENANIGANS THAT TRULY PREPARES THEM FOR THE WORLD.

THEY WILL INHERIT AN EDUCATION THAT IS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE AND INTELLECTUALLY HONEST.

I IMPLORE YOU NOT TO PERMIT THIS BOARD TO BECOME A POLITICAL FOOTBALL THAT SERVES ONLY THE POLITICIANS AND NOT OUR STUDENTS.

[01:25:04]

THANK YOU. MRS. JILLIAN, LATER MANAGER OF COMMUNICATIONS.

WOULD YOU PLEASE BEGIN THE VIRTUAL PUBLIC SPEAKERS? YES. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT MUELLER.

JOHN, GOOD EVENING.

YOU ARE NOW ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE STATE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME.

YOUR TIME WILL CONCLUDE IN 3 MINUTES.

YOU WILL HEAR A BELL RING.

WHEN YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS REMAINING, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT NOW.

HELLO. MY NAME.

HELLO. MY NAME IS AMY NELSON.

I AM A MOTHER AND AUNT AND A CONCERNED COMMUNITY MEMBER IN HARFORD COUNTY WITH STUDENTS IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL.

I'M CALLING BECAUSE ALL OUR STUDENTS DESERVE TO BE SAFE IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

TODAY, I'M ESPECIALLY CONCERNED FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRL.

RECENTLY, MULTIPLE YOUNG GIRLS WERE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AT AN EVENT.

THE FACT THAT THIS HAPPENED.

THE STUDENTS WERE NOT PROPERLY SUPERVISED.

THAT THESE GIRLS WERE SUBJECT TO AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT AND THAT THEY WERE HURT AT SCHOOL.

EVENT IS BAD. IT'S BAD ENOUGH.

BUT TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND THIS IS BEING ADDRESSED HAS FURTHER COMPOUNDED THE ORDEAL FOR THESE INNOCENT GIRLS.

THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS PUBLICLY STATED THAT THE STUDENT WHO ASSAULTED THEM IS BEING APPROPRIATELY DISAPPOINTED.

HOWEVER, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINE HAD HIM RIGHT BACK IN THE SAME CLASSROOM WITH SOME OF THE GIRLS HE VICTIMIZED THE DAY AFTER HE ASSAULTED THEM. WE HAVE GIRLS WHO ARE JUSTIFIABLY AFRAID TO RETURN TO SCHOOL, WHO ARE HAVING THEIR RIGHTS TO AN EDUCATION JEOPARDIZED.

ADDITIONALLY, THESE GIRLS WERE TOLD BY THE SCHOOL BY SOMEONE WITH SOME LEVEL AUTHORITY.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT LEVEL THAT THE ATTACKS WERE THEIR THEIR OWN FAULT BECAUSE OF THE DRESSES THEY WERE WEARING.

INAPPROPRIATE, PROVOCATIVE, ASKING FOR IT.

THE FACT THAT SOMEONE AT THE SCHOOL WITH ANY LEVEL OF PERCEIVED AUTHORITY WOULD VICTIM BLAME AND SHAME.

IMPRESSIONABLE 11 AND 14 YEAR OLD GIRLS IN THIS WAY LEAVES ME ALMOST SPEECHLESS.

OUR GIRLS, OUR GIRLS, ALL OUR KIDS DESERVE SAFETY AND AN EDUCATION.

OUR KIDS SHOULD NOT FEAR BEING SUBJECTED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT OR RAPE WHEN THEY WALK INTO SCHOOL.

I'VE HEARD PEOPLE IN PUBLIC MEETINGS TALK ABOUT HOW TRAUMATIC CERTAIN THINGS HAVE BEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE BEEN FOR OUR STUDENTS.

WELL, HAVING SOMEONE GRAB YOUR BREASTS, YOUR BUTT, YOUR VULVA WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT, AND THEN BEING TOLD BY A RESPECTED ADULT THAT IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT, AND THEN HAVING TO SIT IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THE PERSON WHO ATTACKED YOU THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR SIX PLUS HOURS, JUST TRYING TO FOCUS ON YOUR SCHOOLWORK.

THAT'S TRAUMATIC.

I'M NOT AN EXPERT.

I'M NOT A TEACHER, A CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST.

I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT STEP TO FIX THIS, BUT I'M A MOTHER, A FAMILY MEMBER, A COMMUNITY MEMBER.

THERE ARE LOTS OF KIDS THAT I LOVE GOING TO THESE SCHOOLS FOR BEING EDUCATED IN HTTPS, AND THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

YOU GUYS ARE IN CHARGE.

YOU'RE THE EXPERTS. YOU HAVE ACCESS TO EXPERTS.

THIS HAS TO BE FIXED.

OUR KIDS NEED A SAFE PLACE TO WORK.

YOU HAVE REACHED THE THREE MINUTE MARK.

THANK YOU. THAT EVENING.

YOU ARE NOW IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE STATE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME.

YOUR TIME WILL CONCLUDE IN 3 MINUTES.

YOU WILL HEAR A BELL RING. WHEN YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS REMAINING, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT NOW.

GOOD EVENING. I AM CRYSTAL.

DON PARKS. I SPOKE PREVIOUSLY ABOUT THE ETHICAL AND LEGAL MANDATES OF AN ELECTED BOARD MEMBER.

THIS CONCEPT SEEMS BEYOND COMPREHENSION FOR SOME.

I WAS SHOCKED TO WITNESS A BOARD MEMBER PUBLICLY ENDORSE AND CALL FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE THREE BOE APPOINTEES AT A RECENT COUNCIL MEETING.

FURTHER. AT THE RECENT BOARD OF ED TOWN HALLS, DISCLAIMERS WERE AGAIN UTILIZED.

ABORTIVE BID EVENT PUBLICIZED THAT THESE MEETINGS AND ON INTERNET PLATFORMS IS A BOARD OF ED EVENT PERIOD.

IN ADDITION, THE TOWN HALL IN CHARLOTTESVILLE WAS STRUCTURED AS A PANEL OF SPEAKERS, INCLUDING TWO PLUS TWO ELECTED BOARD OF ED MEMBERS.

[01:30:03]

STRAUSS, ON THE PANEL PRIOR TO CONFIRMATION BY THE COUNCIL WAS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE.

LET'S TURN TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

I NOTED SEVERAL SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS REFLECTING THE HISTORICAL VIEWS THAT SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE.

A FEW WERE DEEPLY DISTURBING.

FROM 2015, A POST REGARDING NEW PUBLIC POLICIES IN THE BALTIMORE REGION TO CURB RACIAL SEGREGATION.

IT WAS NOTED THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR WERE RELOCATING TO THE SUBURBS, INCLUDING HARTFORD.

THE BOARD MEMBER COMMENTED, GOOD THING I'M NOT MOVING TO THAT AREA.

LAUGH OUT LOUD.

IN 2016, THE SAME BOARD MEMBER POSTED IT'S GREAT IF YOU WANT TO BE INTEGRATED.

WE ENDED SEGREGATION MANY YEARS AGO.

EITHER ADJUST TO THE AMERICAN CULTURE OR GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM.

IN 2017, A POST FEATURING OUR FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OBAMA DISCUSSING THE TERRIBLE TOLL THAT RACISM, DISCRIMINATION AND HATE HAS ON COMMUNITIES.

OUR BOARD MEMBER COMMENTED.

WHAT A PIECE OF FECES.

HE OUR PRESIDENT HAS NO CONCERN AT ALL, CANNOT WAIT FOR HIM OR OUR PRESIDENT TO DISAPPEAR.

AND 2021 THREE POSTS FEATURING AWARD WINNING MUSICAL PERFORMERS, NOTABLY WOMEN OF COLOR WINNING SONG OF THE YEAR.

THE BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.

DISGUSTING, ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL.

DISGUSTING AND PERVERTED.

SOCIETY IS SO FAR AWAY FROM GOD.

ONLY GOD CAN FIX THIS MESS.

WHAT MESSAGE ARE YOU SENDING TO OUR COMMUNITY, OUR CHILDREN OF COLOR, WITH THESE PUBLIC POSTS ON A BOARD OF ED MEMBER PAGE? I GUARANTEE THE COURTS WILL FIND THEM HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC.

HARTFORD STANDS AGAINST HATE.

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

BLACK HISTORY IS HERE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

GOOD NIGHT. THOSE ARE ALL THE INDIVIDUALS WE HAVE WAITING IN THE LOBBY AT THIS TIME.

EXCUSE ME. THAT'S IT.

OKAY. SORRY, I COULDN'T HEAR.

NEXT, WE HAVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

[C. Consent Agenda]

THE C, MILTON WRIGHT HIGH SCHOOL, PROFESSIONAL FOODS LAB AND CHILD CARE LAB, AND ALSO FOR RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STRIVE.

THE SECOND IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF FLOORING AT BELLAIRE, MIDDLE AND FOUNTAIN GREEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

THE THIRD ITEM IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTRACTUAL SERVICES PROVIDER.

THE FOURTH ITEM IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR BRYCE LAWN CARE AND LANDSCAPING LLC.

THE FIFTH IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

THE SIXTH ITEM IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS.

THE SEVENTH IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR CLASSROOM LIBRARIES.

THE EIGHTH IS A CONTRACT AWARD FOR BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSTS AND REGISTERED BEHAVIOR TECHNICIANS.

AND THE NINTH IS THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS BOARD MEETING FROM JANUARY 23RD, 2023.

MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? I HAVE A MOTION TO DISCUSS EACH ITEM INDIVIDUALLY.

OKAY. SO YOU DON'T NEED TO MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT.

WE CAN BREAK THINGS OUT THAT YOU NEED TO.

MY QUESTION IS, YOU NEED EACH ITEM SEPARATELY OR ARE THERE CERTAIN ITEMS YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS? WELL, PARTICULARLY THE ITEMS FIVE THROUGH SEVEN.

OKAY. SO CAN WE REMOVE THOSE FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REST OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND HOLD THOSE FOR A SEPARATE DISCUSSION? AND I ALSO MAKE A REQUEST ON FUTURE INFORMATION CONCERNING WHAT WE RECEIVED TO REVIEW TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION, PARTICULARLY ITEM NUMBER TWO, IT SAYS REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF FLOORING.

AND AS A NEW BOARD MEMBER RECEIVING THE BUDGET INFORMATION THAT I RECEIVED, I WENT INTO THE CAPITAL BUDGET WHICH IT REFERRED TO, TO TRY TO FIND THE LINE ITEM TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD PROPERLY BUDGETED FOR IT IN THE BUDGET.

BUT THEN I LEARNED THAT I HAD TO LOOK AT THE QUARTERLY STATEMENT TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THE MONEY WAS AVAILABLE AND ALLOTTED.

SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE BEING PROVIDED IS SUFFICIENT TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE SUFFICIENT BUDGET

[01:35:09]

AND I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE DETAIL GO INTO FOR FUTURE REQUESTS BECAUSE IT TOOK ME A LITTLE BIT OF TIME OF DIGGING AND MAKING A FEW PHONE CALLS.

AND FORTUNATELY, MISS JUDD IS ALWAYS BEEN AVAILABLE TO TO CALL ME BACK AND ANSWER MY QUESTIONS, BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S UNNECESSARY. OKAY, SO LET ME SO NOW YOU'RE ADDING TO ONTO YOUR LIST TWO, FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN, IS THAT CORRECT? I'M MAKING A REQUEST THAT WHEN WE RECEIVE A REQUEST TO APPROVE.

BUDGET ITEMS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SUFFICIENT INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS MONIES ALLOCATED IN THE BUDGET TO COVER THOSE EXPENDITURES, IF I MAY.

SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, IS THERE EVER AN ITEM? WHEN A CONSENT AGENDA THAT WE DO NOT HAVE THE SUFFICIENT FUNDS FOR.

DOES THAT EVER HAPPEN? NO. THERE'S ALWAYS.

HOW ABOUT YOU? IDENTIFIED.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S. WHEN I TALKED TO MS..

ALVAREZ TODAY, HER POINT WAS THAT THE PARTICULAR FLOORING ITEM INDICATED THAT IT WAS BEING PAID FROM THE FY 23 CAPITAL BUDGET.

SO SHE DID GO TO THE DETAILED BUDGET THAT SHE HAS AND IDENTIFIED THE CAPITAL SECTION THAT WAS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR CAPITAL REQUESTS.

SO WHEN I LOOKED AT THE WORDING AND HEARD HER QUESTION, I REALIZED THAT OUR WORDING ON THOSE SHEETS, PROBABLY EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE BEEN LIKE THIS FOR YEARS, PROBABLY NEED TO SAY THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND BECAUSE NOT ALL CAPITAL MONIES ARE SPENT IN THE CURRENT YEAR, THEY ROLL OVER.

WE HAVE CAPITAL MONIES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE ON OUR BIGGER PROJECTS.

THEY MAY BE THERE FOR YEARS AND WE TRANSFER THINGS WITH THE COUNTY'S APPROVAL TO DIFFERENT PROJECTS.

SO REALLY THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND IS AN ACCUMULATION OF CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN CLOSED OUT AND THEN ARE UTILIZED AS WE NEED TO.

SO THERE IS MONEY ASSIGNED FOR EACH ITEM THAT WE'RE REQUESTING.

YES, BUT TO HER POINT, THAT STATEMENT WAS NOT CLEAR.

SO GOING FORWARD, THOSE TYPES OF ANYTHING FUNDED WITH CAPITAL FUNDS, WE'LL SAY THAT IT'S IN THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND.

AND OF COURSE, THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS STARTED IN DECEMBER.

THEY'VE NOT SEEN OUR QUARTERLY FINANCIALS WHICH ARE AVAILABLE.

I SENT HER THAT LINK, SO SHE WILL HAVE THAT GOING FORWARD AND BE ABLE TO REFERENCE THAT.

GREAT. SO DIANE, DOES THAT ANSWER THAT FOR YOU? YEAH. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY TO YOUR POINT, I DON'T WANT TO APPROVE THINGS, WANT TO TRUST ME.

IT'S THEIR ATTITUDE.

I MEAN, WE NEED TO SEE WE NEED TO SEE THE EVIDENCE THAT THAT THAT THE THAT THE BUDGET IS BEING MONITORED APPROPRIATELY.

AND I HAVE THE FULL CONFIDENCE IN MS..

JUDD'S OFFICE.

IT'S JUST THAT WE ARE KIND OF THE LAST STAMP OF APPROVAL TO BECAUSE HONESTLY, I KNOW THAT.

BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES OR THEY GET BUSY AND THEY CAN OVERLOOK STUFF.

SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE COUNTING ON EACH OTHER TO TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO MISTAKES MADE.

THANK YOU. SO I GUESS TO YOUR POINT, I'M NOT QUITE CLEAR ON EXACTLY WHAT WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR YOU.

WELL, I THINK I THINK, LIKE MR. RUDD SAID, THAT IT SHOULD BE SPECIFIC AS TO WHERE THE MONEY'S COMING.

AND SHE DID SEND ME THE LINK OF THE QUARTERLY STATEMENT WHICH INDICATES WHERE THE BALANCES ARE.

SO I DO NOW HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT I DIDN'T HAVE GOING INTO THIS AND JUST IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT TO GO THROUGH THE, THE AGENDA AND PREPARE FOR THE MEETING THAT I THOUGHT WAS A LITTLE UNNECESSARY.

SO MOVING FORWARD, HOW DO YOU WANT IT CHANGED THAT IT BE SPECIFIC AS TO WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM? WELL, I DID SPEAK WITH DR.

DAVIS AND MR. BROWN, AND THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT I SPECIFICALLY NEEDED ANSWERS TO MAY NOT BE GERMANE TO EVERYBODY ELSE.

SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT HE SAID HE WOULD PROVIDE THOSE SPECIFICS FOR ME.

AND SO WHEN I GET THE NEXT I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT DOCUMENTS, I CAN CALL AND I CAN GET CLARIFICATION ON IT.

SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS DON'T NEED ALL OF THESE THINGS, BUT CERTAINLY THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION TO YOU SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE A, YOU

[01:40:01]

I KNOW THAT THE LAWN CARE, YOU KNOW, DOES SPECIFY THINGS LIKE SNOW REMOVAL.

AND IN THE CASE OF THAT, SOMETIMES YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IS GOING TO BE EXPENDED BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH SNOW WE'RE GOING TO GET.

SO I CAN SEE WHERE THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT LESS DEFINED.

BUT THINGS THAT ARE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS LIKE FLOORING, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THAT PLAN FOR OR WE SHOULD DEFER IT UNTIL NEXT YEAR WHEN THE MONEY'S AVAILABLE.

BUT. BUT. EXCUSE ME, MRS. JUDD. IT IS AVAILABLE NOW.

CORRECT. THERE'S MONEY AVAILABLE TO DO THIS.

YES. OH, YES, YES.

SO. SO WHAT SHOULD WE DEFER IT FOR? I THINK I'M NOT SAYING WHAT I WAS.

WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE NEED THE INFORMATION TO MAKE THE DECISION.

AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THERE ARE 161,000 PLUS SOME CHANGE LEFT IN THE FLOORING BUDGET.

SO PROVIDE IT THAT WE HAVE NO OTHER FLOORING THAT WE HAVE TO DO THIS YEAR.

THERE'S ROUGHLY ENOUGH TO COVER THE EXPENDITURE FOR THE FLOORING IF THERE'S OTHER FLOORS THAT NEED TO BE THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FLOORED, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO COVER THEM THIS FY.

SO, DR.

MUELLER, IF I MIGHT INTERJECT, IS THAT OKAY? YEAH, THAT'S FINE. OVER MY TERM AS A BOARD MEMBER, I'VE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONSENT AGENDA SIMILARLY TO WHAT YOU HAD.

AND WHEN I'VE ASKED THE QUESTIONS, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO GET THE INFORMATION THAT I NEEDED BECAUSE IT ISN'T NECESSARILY SOMETHING ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE INTERESTED IN FOR WHATEVER REASON.

BUT I THINK THAT GOING FORWARD, IF I'M HEARING YOU CORRECTLY, MS..

JUDD, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO REALLY BE AS SPECIFIC AS WE CAN BE, BECAUSE I HAVE INSTANCES WHEN I'VE BEEN CONFUSED, AND RIGHTFULLY SO, BECAUSE THE CLARITY WASN'T THERE IN THE CONSENT ITEM. SO IF WE CAN JUST BE COGNIZANT OF THAT AND TRY TO BE AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE, AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR IF THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THAT INFORMATION STILL NEEDS FURTHER DIVE IN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT, I THINK, IN THE BOARD MEETINGS TO ASK FOR ADDITIONAL CLARITY.

BUT I THINK YOUR YOUR REQUEST IS REASONABLE AND I'VE HAD THE SAME ISSUES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

SO THIS JUDGE, YOU CONCUR? CORRECT. YOU'RE GOING TO WORK TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO BE AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE.

YES. YEAH. AND I CAN SHARE THE LINK.

I DON'T I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS SENT DIRECT ONLY TO ME.

I COULD SHARE IT WITH THE OTHER NEW BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL, OR IF MR. JUDD WANTS TO SEND IT OUT.

BUT IT DID HAVE SOME VERY USEFUL INFORMATION IN IT.

SO WHAT I SENT WAS THE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS FROM SEPTEMBER 30TH, SO THEY'RE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE IN EACH MEETING AND I'LL ACTUALLY BE COMING IN TWO WEEKS TO PRESENT THE DECEMBER 31ST QUARTERLY FINANCIALS.

SO YOU'LL SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS.

YOU'VE NOT BEEN HERE FOR A PRESENTATION ON THE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS BEFORE, SO YOU'LL SEE THAT SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN TWO WEEKS.

I JUST HAVE A COMMENT.

SO I THINK WHAT DIANE IS LOOKING FOR BASICALLY LIKE WHEN WHEN WE HAD SOMEBODY COME AND SPEAK ABOUT THE PLAYGROUND, IT WAS ALREADY IN OUR BUDGET.

IT WAS ALREADY BASICALLY FUNDED.

WE HAD THE MONEY AVAILABLE AND WE WERE SENT ESTIMATES AND WE HAD ALL THE INFORMATION NECESSARY, BUT WE STILL DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS IN OUR BUDGET.

SO WE WERE ASKING, IS THIS IN OUR BUDGET FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THIS? SO WE HAD A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS NECESSARY.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT SHE'S ASKING FOR EVERYTHING SO THAT WE CAN MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISION WHETHER OR NOT IT'S IN OUR BUDGET, IT'S NOT IN OUR BUDGET.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, GO AHEAD, MRS. JUDD. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BRING SOMETHING FORWARD THAT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET.

SO I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT.

SO THE DETAILS OF THE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT ARE IN PLAY AT THE MOMENT IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE FROM MY OFFICE.

HOWEVER, YOU NEED TO ACCESS THAT.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ASK FOR THINGS THAT AREN'T FUNDED.

SO IF WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY THAT COMES UP, WE ARE GOING TO COME TO THE BOARD.

WE'RE GOING TO SAY WE NEED TO APPROPRIATE FUND BALANCE IN ORDER TO TO PAY FOR THIS, OR WE NEED TO MOVE FUNDS FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER TO DO THIS.

SO WE WOULD BE VERY TRANSPARENT WITH THAT PROCESS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T ALREADY APPROVED, ESPECIALLY IN CAPITAL, BECAUSE THOSE FUNDS ARE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS.

DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES. YES, I BELIEVE SO.

AND LIKE I SAID, I'LL MISJUDGE WHEN I DO HAVE QUESTIONS.

THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN FORTHCOMING.

[01:45:01]

OKAY. SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE PULLED ITEMS FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.

DO I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH ITEMS FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN REMOVED? ACTUALLY, I DO HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT CONSENT.

ITEM NUMBER THREE.

IF THAT COULD BE DESCRIBED A LITTLE BIT MORE.

AND THAT ONE IS FOR THE.

THE PEDIATRIC DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES AND.

CAN I CAN I ASK THE FIVE AND SEVEN ARE ACTUALLY GRANTS.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING.

SO THESE ARE GRANTS THAT THAT THAT THE MONEY IS COMING TO US TO PAY FOR THIS.

SO ARE WE GOING TO NOT VOTE ON THOSE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET GRANTS? WE'LL DISCUSS THE THINGS THAT ARE BEING PULLED OUT SO WE CAN DISCUSS THOSE.

THEY'LL BE DISCUSSED TONIGHT. WE'RE JUST PULLING THEM.

WE'RE JUST PULLING THEM OUT TO DISCUSS AFTER THE REST OF THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED.

SO ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, THIS IS A.

REQUESTS FOR APPROVING FUNDS TO BE USED FOR PEDIATRIC DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES DUE TO SHORTAGES.

AS I UNDER THE WAY I READ THIS IS SHORTAGES IN THOSE AREAS FOR STAFF.

AND SO THEY'RE BEING CONTRACTED OUT IS THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT.

AND THE AMOUNT IS TO EXPECT IT TO BE IN EXCESS OF 100,000.

IT'S FOR A SINGLE PROCUREMENT OF 100,000 IS WHAT IT SAYS.

I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.

ARE THEY GOING TO BE COMING IN TO.

PROVIDE SERVICES OR TEACHER.

WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING TO BE THE EXTENT OF THAT CONTRACT? YES. SO THESE WOULD BE SERVICES WOULD BE PROVIDED THROUGH OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAMS. AND THE EXPECTATION IS THAT IF IT WERE TO GO OVER 100,000, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED BOARD APPROVAL.

SO WE DON'T KNOW THAT IT WILL, BUT WE WON'T NEED TO COME TO THE BOARD FIRST IN THE EVENT THAT IT DOES.

SO THESE ARE THESE ARE DIFFERENT SERVICES.

AS YOU COULD SEE, THERE'S PHYSICAL OCCUPATIONAL SPEECH LANGUAGE THERAPY FOR STUDENTS, 0 TO 5 IN OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM.

I THINK WE NEED TO PULL THEM OUT FIRST AND THEN DISCUSS THEM INDIVIDUALLY.

AND WE HAVEN'T. THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING.

YEAH, THAT'S WHAT CAROL'S IS TRYING TO DO, IS CONFIRM FIRST.

SO WHAT WERE THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN? IT WAS THREE.

THREE. NOW SHE'S ADDING THREE.

IT WAS FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN.

WELL, I WENT THROUGH ALL OF THE ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

NUMBER ONE WAS I WAS ABLE TO FIND IT IN THE DOCUMENT THAT I RECEIVED DURING ORIENTATION.

NUMBER TWO, I WAS NOT.

BUT I TALKED TO MISS JUDD AND SHE GAVE ME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

NUMBER THREE IS LOOKS LIKE IT'S IT'S A CONTRACT DUE TO LACK OF PERSONNEL.

AND SO WHICH ARE BEING PAID FOR BY THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN PASS THROUGH AND SPECIAL EDUCATION PASS THROUGH FUNDS.

CORRECT. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SALARY FOR THE PERSON NOW OR LIKE, I JUST I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT SALARY FOR WHAT PERSON.

SO ARE WE ARE WE IS THIS CONTRACT TO BRING IN PERSONNEL TO DO WHAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SHORT WOULD HAVE DONE? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THIS CONTRACT AND AND WHAT IS THE LENGTH THAT ARE THEY GOING TO HOW LONG ARE THEY GOING TO BE IN THAT POSITION OR. SO THAT'S WHAT THIS THIS IS REALLY DRIVEN BY OUR HIRING AND OUR ABILITY TO HIRE FOLKS IN THESE POSITIONS.

SO THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, WE'RE COMING TO THE BOARD IN ANTICIPATION THAT THIS COULD GO OVER 100,000.

BUT AS WE GO THROUGH THE SCHOOL YEAR AND INTO THE SUMMER AND TO NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, IF WE'RE ABLE TO HIRE FOLKS AND DON'T NEED THE CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, THEN WE'RE ABLE TO STOP WORKING WITH THE CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.

SO WE JUST BRING PEOPLE ON AS THE NEEDED, AS THE SERVICES ARE NEEDED.

AND WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF ON OUR OPERATING BUDGET TO DELIVER THOSE SERVICES.

SO ONCE WE FIND ONCE WE ARE ABLE TO HIRE SOMEONE TO DO THIS FUNCTION, THEN THIS CONTRACT WOULD GO AWAY.

AND WE HAVE THIS IN SEVERAL OTHER AREAS AS WELL.

SO THE GOAL IS ALWAYS TO HAVE OUR OWN FOLKS DOING IT, BUT WE JUST HAVE CERTAIN AREAS WHERE WE ARE UNABLE TO STAFF BECAUSE OF JUST THE LABOR SHORTAGE.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

I JUST WAS I HAVE A QUESTION.

I KNOW THAT THE CONTRACT IS IN SILVER SPRING.

WOULD THE RECRUITMENT AREA BE LOCAL OR WOULD THEY BE FROM THE SILVER SPRING AREA? AND HOW IS THAT NORMALLY HANDLED FOR THE FOLKS THAT WOULD BE CONTRACTED OR FOLKS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO HIRE?

[01:50:02]

SO, SO SO WHAT DOES THE THE AREA LOOK LIKE? DO WE HAVE SUFFICIENT INDIVIDUALS IN THE LOCAL AREA THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO BE HIRED OR TO BE HIRED BY THE CONTRACTOR? BUT WE HAVE SUFFICIENT POOL SO WE DON'T HAVE A SUFFICIENT POOL, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE CONTRACTOR.

SO THE CONTRACTOR WOULD THEN HAVE FOLKS THAT THEY HAVE THAT THEY EMPLOY, AND THEN WE PAY THEM TO HAVE THOSE PEOPLE DO THE SERVICES FOR US.

BUT WE DO AGAIN, WE RECRUIT THESE FOLKS THE SAME WAY THAT WE RECRUIT OUR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND ANY OTHER STAFF THAT WE RECRUIT.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO HIRE AND WE HAVE FOLKS IN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT THAT ARE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO HIRE FOLKS THROUGH OUR OPERATING BUDGET TO DO THESE SERVICES SO THAT OUR OUR EMPLOYEES.

CAN I CAN I INTERVENE REAL QUICK? I'M SORRY, WHAT WHAT NUMBER ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? YOU NUMBER THREE? NUMBER THREE. SO SHOULD WE SAY WE'RE PULLING NUMBER THREE, NUMBER FIVE, NUMBER SIX, NUMBER SEVEN, AND THEN DISCUSS THEM LATER.

APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA RIGHT NOW, AND WE'LL DISCUSS THE REST LATER, BECAUSE THAT SEEMS WE CAN'T APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA UNTIL WE GO THROUGH IT.

YOU CAN APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WHILE PULLING CERTAIN ITEMS OUT.

THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.

THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING, WHICH ONES YOU NEEDED PULLED OUT.

RIGHT. SO WE CAN SAY WE'RE GOING TO PULL OUT NUMBER, WE'RE GOING TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH EXCEPT FOR NUMBER TWO, NUMBER FIVE, NUMBER SIX, NUMBER SEVEN.

WE APPROVE IT.

GREAT. AND THEN WE CAN DISCUSS THEM ONE BY ONE.

BUT RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW, WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH WHATEVER ITEMS YOU NEED PULLED OUT.

SO YOU TOLD ME FIVE, SIX, SEVEN.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED? PULL DOWN? YOU CAN ADD NUMBER THREE AND CAN DISCUSS IT LATER.

DO YOU NEED NUMBER THREE PULLED OUT TO.

WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING NUMBER THREE.

YOU KNOW, I THINK I GOT MOST OF MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M COMPLETELY CLEAR ON WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SALARY MONEY.

DOES THAT GET PUT INTO A YES.

SO THE SALARY MONEY IS NOT IF IT'S NOT USED, IT'S A VACANCY.

SO THAT MONEY SITS THERE TO IN THAT ACCOUNT TO COVER HELP OFFSET SOME OF THESE COSTS TO BE PAID UNDER THE CONTRACTED SERVICES LINE.

RIGHT. OKAY.

SO RIGHT NOW I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH ITEMS FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN PULLED OUT FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.

DO I HAVE A MOTION? SHOULD WE INCLUDE NUMBER THREE? SHOULD WE INCLUDE. SHE SAID SHE HAD HER QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

DO YOU NEED THREE PULLED OUT OR NO? WELL, I THINK I DID GET MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED FOR NUMBER THREE, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF DISCUSSION ON IT.

SO IF EVERYBODY ELSE IS FINE WITH IT, THEN WE CAN LEAVE THAT ONE IN THE CONSENT AS WELL.

SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? A SECOND. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR, I.

IS THERE ANY OPPOSED? OKAY, MOTION CARRIES.

NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE DISCUSSION ON ITEMS FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN.

SO, DIANE, NUMBER ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

YES. SO ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

IS, LET'S SAY IT'S ON KIDS HEART DEVELOPMENT FOCUS.

AND THIS IS ANOTHER ONE THAT I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES.

I THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE SPECIFIC SPECIFICITY OF HOW MUCH MONEY IT'S GOING TO BE EXPENDED AND THE THE WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS ALL ABOUT.

I'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY TABLE THIS AND SEE IF WE COULD GET A BRIEFING ON WHAT WHAT WHAT IS CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS? YOU KNOW, I, I GUESS IT WAS A PROGRAM THAT WAS USED ELSEWHERE THAT GOT SOME, I GUESS.

YOU KNOW, THAT WAS MAYBE SUCCESSFUL AND IT'S BEING BROUGHT HERE.

I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS IS SOMETHING THAT THAT WE WERE ADDING IN OR WAS IT SOMETHING THAT HAD ALWAYS BEEN PLANNED.

SO SO JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY.

I WAS ON THE GENERAL CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING ON THE 31ST AND THERE WAS A PRESENTATION GIVEN.

IT'S A PILOT PROGRAM FOR CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS.

IS THIS THE SAME PROGRAM? I CAN SPEAK TO THAT. SO CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE BROUGHT ON THROUGH GRANT FUNDS.

NO OPERATING FUNDS WERE INVOLVED WITH IT AT MAGNOLIA AND CHURCHVILLE LAST YEAR.

AND THEN WE BROUGHT ON BAKERSVILLE.

BAKERSFIELD. AND GLASBY IS WHAT YOU HEARD ABOUT MISS HONG AT THE GCC MEETING.

SO THE REASON FOR FOR THIS ITEM IS BECAUSE THEY DO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT.

[01:55:07]

AND WE JUST SEE WITH FOUR SCHOOLS NOW, WE POTENTIALLY NOT DEFINITELY, BUT POTENTIALLY COULD GO OVER 100,000, WHICH REQUIRES BOARD APPROVAL.

SO WE'RE SEEKING BOARD APPROVAL PROACTIVELY.

WE MAY NOT GET NEAR 100,000, BUT IN THE EVENT THAT WE DO, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE YOUR APPROVAL TO DO SO.

SO CURRENTLY IT'S HAPPENING IN THOSE FOUR SCHOOLS AND THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WILL HELP HELP IT CONTINUE TO GROW AND THRIVE IN THOSE BUILDINGS.

SO MY QUESTION IS, COULD WE HAVE A PRESENTATION OF THE CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS PROGRAM FOR THE REST OF THE BOARD MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE VOTING ON THE 100,000 FOR? I SUPPOSE YOU COULD. YEAH.

I'M JUST ASKING BECAUSE I SAW IT AND I KNOW CAROL WAS ON THE COMMITTEE AND SHE SAW IT AS WELL.

BUT I FEEL LIKE AS A BOARD, IF WE'RE VOTING ON SOME KIND OF CURRICULUM, WHETHER IT IS FOR A PILOT PROGRAM OR ACTUAL CURRICULUM, IT'S THE BOARD'S JOB TO ADOPT THE CURRICULUM.

SO IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON, HOW CAN WE OR IF WE DON'T SEE EXACTLY WHAT THE PROGRAM IS, HOW CAN WE IMPLEMENT IT IN OUR SCHOOLS AND ACTUALLY PUT THAT $100,000 OUT THERE TO FUND THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHEN WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY.

WELL, WAS THERE A PRESENTATION LAST YEAR WHEN IT WAS APPROVED THE FIRST TIME? YES. SO IF IT WAS ALREADY APPROVED BY LAST YEAR'S BOARD AND WE TRUST THEM AND THEIR OPINION, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY.

I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. WE'RE NOT WE WERE NOT COMING HERE SEEKING APPROVAL FOR THE PROGRAM, JUST FOR THE FACT THAT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COULD GO OVER 100,000 PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE IN EXISTENCE AND CONTINUE AT THESE SCHOOLS.

THE QUESTION IS, WILL WE GET THE APPROVAL FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO OCCUR, WHICH COULD BE IN THE EXCESS OF $100,000 FOR THIS CONTRACT? IF THE BOARD TURNS IT DOWN, THE PROGRAM WILL STILL CONTINUE AT THESE SCHOOLS.

THE SCHOOLS JUST WILL NOT GET THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THEY NEED.

SO THE PROGRAM IS FULLY FUNDED.

IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THAT THE PROGRAM IS FULLY FUNDED? IT'S JUST IT'S JUST THE ADDITIONAL TRAINING OF THE PERSONNEL THAT IS THAT IS REQUIRED EXCEEDED 100,000.

IF YOU IF YOU READ IN YOUR AGENDA, IF YOU CLICK ON THE ITEM, IT GIVES YOU A FULL PAGE EXPLANATION AND IT SAYS RIGHT THERE, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING.

BUT MY IT SAYS THAT IT'S BEING THAT IT'S IN BAKERSFIELD AND GEORGE DE LISBOA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

THAT'S THE ADDITIONAL TWO SCHOOLS THAT HE MENTIONED THAT IT'S BEEN ADDED TO THAT ARE THIS YEAR THAT ARE BEING ADDED.

THERE WAS TWO SCHOOLS PREVIOUSLY I'M SORRY, THE FIRST TWO ARE SKATE IN MY MIND, KIRKSVILLE AND MAGNOLIA.

WHICH IS IT? IS THAT RIGHT? YES, THAT'S IN HERE.

SO IT'S ALREADY THE FOURTH PARAGRAPH.

THANK YOU. SO MY QUESTION IS, WAS THIS PREVIOUSLY WAS THIS PILOT PROGRAM OR THIS CURRICULUM PRESENTED TO THE BOARD AND THAT ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OR WAS IT PRESENTED TO THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE AND THEN PRESENTED TO THE CURRICULUM? NO, THIS WENT THROUGH THE GENERAL CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, WHICH IS THE TYPICAL PROCEDURE.

RIGHT. BUT THE GENERAL CURRICULUM COMMITTEE APPROVED IT, NOT THE BOARD.

CORRECT. THAT'S THE PROCEDURE THAT THAT SAYS ALWAYS THAT THOSE ARE THE SPECIALISTS THAT THAT THAT ARE GOING TO ADOPT THE CURRICULUM.

NO, BECAUSE IT'S THE IT'S THE BOARD'S JOB TO ADOPT THE CURRICULUM.

IT'S IN OUR DOCUMENTS THAT SAYS WE HAVE OUR JOB TO ADOPT THE CURRICULUM.

IT SHOULD BE PRESENTED.

AND THEN IT'S OUR JOB TO VOTE ON ADOPTING THE CURRICULUM.

WELL, IT'S LITERALLY IF YOU LOOK UP ON OUR AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, A SAYS THE BOARD NUMBER FOUR IS ESTABLISHING CURRICULUM GUIDES, OF COURSE, IS A STUDY.

AND THEN B SAYS THE SUPERINTENDENT IS TO RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD THE GUISE OF COURSES OF STUDY.

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE DONE.

YEAH, BUT IF WE DIDN'T SEE THE PRESENTATION AND WE DIDN'T ADOPT IT OR THE, THE PREVIOUS BOARD, THEN HOW WAS IT APPROVED.

NOW AS I UNDERSTAND THIS, AND I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND SEE MAYBE LOOK AT THE THE THE BOARD MEETING WHERE IT WAS PRESENTED, IF SOMEBODY KNOWS WHAT THE DATE IS FOR THAT. BUT I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A PILOT PROGRAM IS THE WAY THAT I BELIEVE WAS IT A PILOT PROGRAM? IT WAS NOT PRESENTED AT THE BOARD MEETING.

EXCUSE ME. IT WAS NOT PRESENTED THE WAY WE WAS PRESENTED.

THE GENERAL CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, WHICH MOST OF OUR PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE RUNNING ARE.

OKAY. I'M SORRY, I MISUNDERSTOOD.

NO, I THOUGHT SHE SAID THAT IT WAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY THE BOARD.

FOR THE OTHER SCHOOLS, WASN'T IT? IT WAS NOT PRESENTED TO THE BOARD AT ALL.

NO, BUT OTHER SCHOOLS.

THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.

SO WHEN THESE PROGRAMS GET APPROVED AND THEN THEY'RE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE, IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL THAT WE GET A, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF, YEAH, THIS IS

[02:00:08]

I KNOW.

NO FUNDS ARE BEING EXTENDED SAYING THAT THE THE.

THE PERSON THAT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

IT'S NOT THE PROGRAM EXCEEDING FUNDS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

THIS IS THIS IS A EXPENDITURE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM TO EXPEND FUNDS ON ON PROVIDING TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL.

SO IT IS IT IS A REQUEST TO FOR US TO APPROVE EXPENDITURE FUNDS.

DO YOU SEE WHERE THE FUNDS ARE COMING FROM? IT'S COMING FROM A GRANT.

AND SO WHAT'S IF IT'S IF IT'S COMING FROM GRANT MONEY, IS THIS GOING TO BE A IS THIS EXPECTED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WILL BE A SUSTAINED ITEM THAT WILL BE MOVED OVER INTO OUR BUDGET AFTER THE GRANT MONEY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE? JUST WHAT IS THAT? WHAT IS THE WHAT'S THE PLAN MOVING FORWARD LIKE THE PLAN MOVING FORWARD LIKE THIS FOR THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN THIS OR CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY SCHOOLS WHICH GET ANOTHER ALLOTMENT OF FUNDING FROM THE STATE FOR FOR PROGRAMS SUCH AS THIS.

SO WE CHOSE SPECIFICALLY SCHOOLS THAT CAN SUSTAIN THEM WELL OUTSIDE OF CHURCHVILLE ALSO.

BUT CHURCHVILLE WILL BE ON YEAR THREE NEXT YEAR, SO WE'LL HAVE THE SUSTAINABILITY TO BE ABLE TO CARRY THE PROGRAM FORWARD.

THESE OTHER SCHOOLS ARE SORT OF MORE IN THEIR INFANCY, AT LEAST THE GLASBY AND THE BAKERSFIELD.

SO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS REQUIRED TO CONTINUE TO GET THEIR STAFF UP TO SPEED WITH THE USE OF THESE GRANT FUNDS.

AND THEN LIKELY IN THE FUTURE IT WILL BE THEM USING THEIR CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY FUNDS TO CONTINUE THE PROGRAM FOR IT, BUT IT BECOMES MUCH LESS COSTLY IN FUTURE YEARS ONCE YOU HAVE THE PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING.

SO DO YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? NO, BUT YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO APPROVE THE EXPENDITURES UNTIL THAT'S YOUR PREROGATIVE.

THAT IS YOUR PREROGATIVE. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER THREE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA OR FIVE? EXCUSE ME. A MOTION TO APPROVE.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? I OPPOSED.

NO, NO MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU. NUMBER SIX CONTRACT AWARD COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS.

SHOULD SHOULD WE JUST GO ROUND AND HAVE START WITH MRS. ALVAREZ? YEAH, WELL, THIS IS WE GOT MORE RESPONSE ON THIS ONE THAN WE'VE GOTTEN ON ANYTHING ON OUR AGENDA, MAYBE EVEN IN THE HISTORY I DON'T KNOW.

THERE WERE 13 EMAILS THAT WERE SENT IN THAT SAID, DO NOT APPROVE THIS.

YOU KNOW, AND AND THE FACT THAT IT SAYS HEINEMAN, WHO IS KNOWN TO BE CARRYING THE THE LUCY HAWKINS CURRICULUM AND NOT SPELLING OUT THE CURRICULUM THAT IS GOING TO BE PROVIDED IS IS A LITTLE CONCERNING.

YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THIS WAS ANOTHER ONE WHERE I HAD TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH AND DIG INTO WHERE WHAT THE HEINEMANN PUBLISHER CARRIES AND WHAT KIND OF CURRICULUM ARE WE BEING REQUESTED TO PURCHASE.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT WE FOUND WAS NOT GOOD, THAT THE UNITS OF STUDY HAVE BEEN HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE DETRIMENTAL TO OR TO THE STUDENTS ABILITY TO READ SCIENCE OF READING HAS BEEN ADAPT ADOPTED BY MANY OTHER SCHOOLS AND IT'S SEEN SUCCESS.

YET WE'RE CONTINUING TO REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CURRICULUM THAT IS FAILING OUR STUDENTS.

SO. IF I'M READING THIS CORRECTLY AND YOU CAN HELP ME, IT'S THE THIRD PARAGRAPH DOWN.

THIS IS FOR READING MATERIALS, INCLUDING CLASSROOM LIBRARIES.

SO MOST OF THIS FUNDING, IN MY UNDERSTANDING, WAS GOING TO PURCHASE CLASSROOM BOOKS SO THAT IN THE CLASSROOM THEY WOULD HAVE BOOKS AVAILABLE TO USE.

AND IT SAYS UNITS OF STUDY IN READING NOT SCIENCE OR BREEDING.

AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A PRESENTATION OF THE COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS THAT WILL BE PUT FORTH INTO THE SCHOOLS.

AND ALSO FOR NUMBER SEVEN, THE CLASSROOM LIBRARIES, THE BOOKS THAT WE WILL BE APPROVING, BASICALLY WITH THE MONEY THAT WE'RE APPROVING FOR THIS

[02:05:08]

SO THE COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS AND THE CLASSROOM LIBRARIES, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE PRESENTATIONS OF EXACTLY WHAT THOSE ARE BEFORE WE APPROVE THOSE.

OKAY. SO, MRS. ALVAREZ, YOU'RE DONE WITH YOUR COMMENTS RIGHT NOW.

I BELIEVE SO.

MRS. BRUCE? YES? I WANT TO SAY THAT WE WERE AT A PRESENTATION FOR THE STATE STRATEGIC PLAN.

MY CONCERN WITH THIS READING MATERIALS AND THE LUCY COCHRAN METHODOLOGY WAS VERY EVIDENT BECAUSE ON ALL OF THE CHARTS, HARFORD COUNTY HAD STATISTICS AND INFORMATION ON THE READING CHART.

THERE WAS NONE. AND THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE SAID TO ME, THAT WAS BECAUSE HARFORD COUNTY WAS NOT USING AN APPROVED CURRICULUM FOR THE READING PROGRAM, FOR WHICH I HAVE HEARD NUMEROUS TIMES IN THIS ROOM THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T GET FUNDING FOR IT.

SO I AM CONCERNED THAT AND I'VE RECEIVED INFORMATION RELATING TO THE READING LEVELS, AND I HAVE REQUESTED TO BE BRIEFED ON THE STATISTICS BECAUSE THERE WERE NO STATISTICS ON THE CHART FOR HARFORD COUNTY.

SO I CAN'T REALLY VOTE FOR SOMETHING WHERE I KNOW THE STATE CAN'T MEASURE HOW WE'RE DOING IN OUR SCHOOLS.

AND IF I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR THAT REASON, I COULD NOT VOTE FOR THIS ITEM.

THANK YOU, MRS. HIGH. I AGAIN WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A PRESENTATION OF THE MATERIALS AND THE BOOKS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO IMPLEMENT IN THE SCHOOLS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE VOTING ON BEFORE WE VOTE ON THOSE ITEMS. BECAUSE I CAN'T APPROVE THOSE ITEMS EITHER WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT WE'RE APPROVING.

THANK YOU, DR.

HAROLD. SO AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS PARTICULAR LINE ITEM IS APPROVING EXPENDITURES TO PURCHASE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE CURRENT READING CURRICULUM.

CORRECT. IN CLASSROOM LIBRARIES.

SO IT'S KIND OF IT'S ALL IN ONE.

IT'S NOT JUST ONE. SO SIX, SIX, I THINK INCLUDES THE READING MATERIALS AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, AND THEN SEVEN IS JUST THE LIBRARIES.

OKAY, THAT'S MY QUESTION.

THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.

MRS. PERRY. YOU ON THE NUMBER SIX.

NUMBER SIX. I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH NUMBER SIX BECAUSE.

IT'S BEEN RECOMMENDED.

AND IT APPEARS THAT.

IT'S FOR PHONICS WRITING.

I DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH READING PHONICS AND WRITING.

WE TALKED ABOUT. DR.

PHILLIPS. THERE'S BEEN ENOUGH.

WE GOT A FEW EMAILS THIS WEEK OR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS, I GUESS.

I THINK THERE'S BEEN ENOUGH CONCERN IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MAYBE WE OUGHT TO TAKE A LITTLE FURTHER LOOK AT.

JUST BACK OFF ON. 330.

I WAS HOPING THAT WE COULD GET SOME.

INFORMATION ON HARVARD COUNTY.

AND I'VE TALKED TO DR.

WILSON ABOUT IT, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE INFORMATION COMPARATIVELY OF WHERE WE ARE.

I KNOW THAT WE HAD SOME DIFFICULTIES DURING COVID THAT MIGHT SKEW THE DATA, BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE SOME DATA AND AGREE THAT WE NEED TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER ON WHAT THE PUBLICATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PURCHASING ARE, BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE'RE GETTING FROM THE COMMUNITY.

LINCOLN. JUST LIKE TO ECHO WHAT DR.

PHILLIPS SAID. I'D LIKE TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH AND READING ON THIS BEFORE WE MAKE ANY DECISIONS.

MR. SEWELL. YEAH.

SO. WE ALSO RECEIVED EMAILS FROM EDUCATORS WHO HAVE RUN OUT

[02:10:05]

THEY'VE RUN THROUGH THEIR MATERIALS FOR THEIR STUDENTS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO.

HAVE A MORE TRANSPARENT, THOROUGH PRESENTATION ON THE READING CURRICULUM AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THE PUBLIC'S CONCERNS WITH IT.

BUT I'M ALSO CONCERNED THAT IN OUR CLASSROOMS, WE'VE RUN OUT OF MATERIALS.

SO. YOU KNOW, WITH WITHOUT.

I GUESS NUMBER SEVEN, LET ME I KNOW THAT WE'RE ON SIX, BUT IT'S KIND OF TIED TOGETHER.

CAN WE MAYBE POSSIBLY PUT IT ON THE NEXT AGENDA? I MEAN, INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT OFF, IT'S TWO WEEKS.

YES, IT'S TWO WEEKS. BUT TO GET THE INFORMATION THAT WOULD SATISFY EVERYONE.

SO I GUESS THE GENERAL FEELING I'M GETTING FROM THE BOARD IS THAT WE WOULD TABLE ITEMS SIX AND SEVEN AND PUT THEM ON THE NEXT AGENDA. DO I NEED A MOTION FOR THAT? I WOULD CALL FOR MOTION. CAN I CAN.

SO FIRST I NEED TO CALL FOR A MOTION TO ACCEPT SIX AND SEVEN.

AND WE CAN HAVE THE MOTION FAIL AND THEN IT CAN BE TABLED.

BUT I NEED TO HAVE A MOTION SO I CAN DO SOMETHING.

I MAKE A MOTION TO.

APPROVE AND THE RIGHT.

WE JUST THINK WE CAN MAKE A MOTION TO TABLE.

TABLE THE MOTION TO TABLE.

YES, MOTION.

WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION TO TABLE.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? YES, I OPPOSED.

ALL RIGHT, SO THE CONSENT AGENDA HAS BEEN APPROVED EXCEPT FOR ITEMS SIX AND SEVEN, WHICH ARE GOING TO GO ON TO THE NEXT.

DID NOT VOTE ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE, FIVE, FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN FIVE.

WE VOTED. WE DID.

YEAH. THANK YOU.

WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT EIGHT EITHER.

WE VOTED ON FIVE.

WELL, EIGHT WAS NOT PULLED OUT.

IT WAS PART OF THE.

YOU ASKED ME TO PULL OUT FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN.

WE VOTED ON FIVE.

IT PASSED SIX AND SEVEN ARE BEING TABLED.

YES. DID I CAPTURE THAT CORRECTLY? YES. AND WILL WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THOSE TWO LINE ITEMS TO.

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.

SEVEN. YES. YES.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

THAT WAS EASY.

ALL RIGHT. GLAD IT WORKED.

SO NEXT WE HAVE ITEM D.

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH PRESENTATION.

GREAT. I DON'T NEED A BREAK.

DR. STANTON, IF YOU DON'T MIND, BEFORE WE START ON THIS, CAN WE TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK? THANK YOU. AND.

THANK YOU. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR PRESENTATION NOW FOR CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

[D. Harford County Public Schools Celebrates Black History Month, Dr. Paula Stanton, Supervisor of Equity and Cultural Proficiency]

PAULA STANTON AND OR SHOULD I SAY AT ALL.

COULD YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOUR GROUP? I WILL ACTUALLY. I WILL ALLOW THEM TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES IN A COUPLE OF MOMENTS BEFORE WE GET STARTED.

WE'RE STILL WORKING ON GETTING THE PRESENTATION TO COME UP, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY I RECEIVED LOTS OF SUBMISSIONS FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AROUND HOW WE CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

BUT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE TONIGHT IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE.

SO THERE ARE LOTS OF WONDERFUL CELEBRATIONS HAPPENING THAT ARE NOT GOING TO BE CAPTURED IN THIS PRESENTATION.

HOWEVER, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO WITH THE BOARD'S PERMISSION IS COME BACK AT THE END OF THE MONTH AND CAPTURE SOME OF THE OTHER CELEBRATIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED.

SO I DO WANT TO SAY THAT WE GOT A LOT AND WE GOT A LOT AFTER THIS.

THE PRESENTATION WAS DUE AND SO I WASN'T ABLE TO INCLUDE EVERYTHING.

SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SHOW OR SHOWCASE HOW ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE CELEBRATING.

I'M GOING TO ALLOW THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES A LITTLE LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, IF THAT'S OKAY.

IS THAT OKAY? YEAH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT TO SAY AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I SPEAK QUICKLY SO WE CAN GET RIGHT TO IT.

SO I HAVE THE PLEASURE TONIGHT.

FIRST OF ALL, I JUST LIKE TO SAY GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT MUELLER, VICE PRESIDENT, SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS, AND DR.

BOSTON. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

AND I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE DO TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY.

[02:15:02]

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF VISITING FOUNTAIN GREEN LAST WEEK, AND I WAS STRUCK BY THIS DISPLAY THAT WAS ON THE WALL.

THIS WAS PUT TOGETHER BY, I BELIEVE, THE MULTICULTURAL COMMITTEE.

BUT WHAT'S WONDERFUL ABOUT IT IS THAT IT'S STUDENT ARTWORK.

THE STUDENTS WERE LEARNING ABOUT HISTORICAL FIGURES AND LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AND I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THIS WHEN I WALKED IN.

THE SCHOOL IS BEAUTIFUL AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF DISPLAYS AROUND DIFFERENT CULTURES AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT DISPLAY FOR YOU ALL TO SEE.

AT THE ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

THEY ARE. THE SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN THE LEADERSHIP OF ENSURING THAT THERE'S A VISUAL DISPLAY EVERY MONTH REFLECTING SOME CULTURAL CELEBRATION.

THIS MONTH DISPLAY IS A HISTOGRAM DISPLAY HONORING SIGNIFICANT BLACK FIGURES.

THE DISPLAY CELEBRATES BLACK CONTRIBUTIONS IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF SOCIETY, SOME FAMOUS AND SOME THAT WE MAY NOT RECOGNIZE.

THIS IS ANOTHER DISPLAY THAT'S IN THE BUILDING RELATED TO MATTHEW HENSON.

AND THEN THEY HAD A BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM AT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AS WELL.

MR. JONES HAS BEEN LEADING THE FEBRUARY BLACK HISTORY MONTH ACTIVITIES FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS AT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

THIS YEAR THE PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE ON MONDAY, THE 27TH OF FEBRUARY.

STUDENTS HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING BLACK HISTORICAL FIGURES AND THEY WILL PRESENT A POETIC REPRESENTATION DURING THE PROGRAM.

THIS PROGRAM WILL ALSO INCLUDE A LITTLE MINI STEP SHOW.

THIS YEAR THEY'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EIGHTH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES TEAM TO SUPPORT THEIR CURRENT UNIT OF STUDY.

ON FEBRUARY 6TH AND SEVENTH, YOU'LL NOTE IN THE PICTURE, DR.

BELL AND MR. JONES ARE IN THERE.

THEY PRESENTED A BLACK HISTORY LESSON THAT FOCUSED ON THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BLACK INVENTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, AND THE ALIGNMENT WITH WORLD IN US HISTORY.

THE PRESENTATION INCLUDED HISTORICAL FACTS, A CANDID CONVERSATION, AND SOME TRIVIA WITH PRIZES.

AT MILTON WRIGHT HIGH SCHOOL.

THEY DESIGNED A SHOWCASE FOR THE MONTH.

TWICE A WEEK THERE HAVE BEEN CLUES DESCRIBING ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FEATURED IN THE SHOWCASE.

STUDENTS CAN SCAN THE QR CODE.

WE'RE IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY HERE.

STUDENTS CAN SCAN THE QR CODE ON THE SHOWCASE TO ENTER THEIR GUESTS.

LAST MONTH FOR DR.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR'S BIRTHDAY.

THEY HAD A TABLE SET UP IN THE CAFETERIA WHERE VO MEMBERS SO THAT VOICES OF EQUITY, THE GROUP THAT WAS HERE LAST TIME, SPOKE TO PEOPLE AND TALKED ABOUT HOW HAVING A DREAM IS IMPORTANT.

EVERYONE'S DREAM LOOKS DIFFERENT AND WE CELEBRATE EVERYONE.

STUDENTS WROTE THEIR DREAMS ON POST-IT NOTES AND THEY HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED FOR THIS MONTH.

SO HERE'S A PICTURE OF THAT.

AT BELLAIRE HIGH SCHOOL, HOME OF THE BOBCATS.

THEY HAD A HOMEROOM DOOR DECORATING CONTEST.

SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN IS DIFFERENT DOORS CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY.

WEEKLY CAHOOTS.

WEEKLY MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS.

SHARING OUTSTANDING AFRICAN AMERICANS.

THE LIBRARY DISPLAY THAT YOU'LL NOTICE IN THIS PICTURE FOCUSES ON PROMINENT YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS.

AND THEY ARE FORMING A BLACK STUDENT UNION AT A BEL-AIR HIGH SCHOOL.

AT EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. THIS IS AN INTERESTING STORY THAT I THOUGHT REALLY SPEAKS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDENT VOICE.

MS.. VANDROSS, AP LANGUAGE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A PROJECT IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AND IN RESPONSE TO SOME FEEDBACK THAT SHE RECEIVED FROM HER STUDENTS, THEY EXPRESSED THAT THEY WERE GETTING A LITTLE TIRED OF ALWAYS HEARING ABOUT THE SAME HANDFUL OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS.

AND SO MISS MONROE AND THE LIBRARIAN, MISS LINDA ZIVKOVIC, DECIDED TO COLLABORATE ON SOMETHING NEW FOR THE STUDENTS TOGETHER.

THEY GATHERED NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN A VARIETY OF WAYS AND WEBSITES AND RESOURCES THAT COULD LEAD STUDENTS TO OTHERS AND TO PRESENT THEIR IDEAS.

THEY CREATED A SWAY PRESENTATION FULL OF IMAGES, NAMES AND LINKS TO DATABASES AND WEBSITES.

BUT THEN THE STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO PERUSE THE RESOURCES FOR INSPIRATION AND DECIDE ON TOPICS TO EXPLORE FOR THEMSELVES.

THE STUDENTS THEN CREATED THEIR OWN SWAY PRESENTATION SO THEY COULD ALL SEE EACH OTHER'S, AND I GOT SO ENGROSSED IN LOOKING AT THE SWAY PRESENTATIONS AND LEARNING THINGS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW LAST NIGHT, THAT I ALMOST DIDN'T FINISH SOME THINGS THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.

SO I HOPE THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW PUBLIC THIS WAY IS ARE, BUT I HOPE SOME OF YOU WILL GET A CHANCE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEM.

AT ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL.

THEY ARE HAVING AN ASSEMBLY WITH A GUEST SPEAKER AND PERFORMANCES AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

THEIR SPEAKER IS A PREVIOUS STUDENT OF ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL BY THE NAME OF KAYLA WATERS, AN AWARD WINNING URBAN JAZZ PIANIST.

[02:20:01]

THEY'RE ALSO DOING BLACK INNOVATOR INNOVATOR MURALS.

FOR EACH DEPARTMENT, THEY'VE BEEN PLAYING MUSIC BETWEEN CLASSES BY BLACK ARTISTS.

THEY HAVE A TRACE YOUR ROOTS MURAL ON THEIR SCHOOL INSTAGRAM.

THEY'RE ALSO DOING BLACK STORIES SHARED BY STUDENTS.

RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

THEY TOOK A TRIP TO THE BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TO LEARN ABOUT THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE.

THEY'RE PARTICIPATING IN A VIRTUAL EVENT WITH ARTS FOR LEARNING MARYLAND ORG.

AND THEN MISS TAYLOR JOHNSON, A FACULTY MEMBER AT THE SCHOOL, SENT OUT A SLIDE DECK TO ALL STAFF TO HONOR AND ACKNOWLEDGE DIVERSITY IN OUR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY.

THEY'RE CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH SCHOOLWIDE.

THEY USED THESE SLIDE DECKS TO SHARE DANCE AND MOVEMENT ATTIRE, READ ALOUD ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS DISCUSSIONS.

ON MARCH 2ND, THEY ARE HOSTING A BLACK EVERYDAY EXCELLENCE WHERE THEY HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE WILLING TO COME OUT AND SCHOLARS IN GRADES 3 TO 5 WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK QUESTIONS AND INTERACT WITH PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS CAREERS.

ON MARCH 3RD, THEY'LL HAVE THEIR BIG CELEBRATION AND THEIR SCHOLARS WILL BE ABLE TO USE KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY TO SHOWCASE ALL THAT GRADE LEVELS AND CLASSROOMS HAVE PUT TOGETHER FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

IT WILL INCLUDE DANCE ART, A LIVING MUSEUM, POETRY AND SONG SELECTIONS.

WILLIAM JAMES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

SO WILLIAM JAMES, STUDENTS ARE CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH THROUGH BOOKS.

THEY SHARED AN IMAGE OF AN ENTIRE BOOKSHELF IN THE LIBRARY DEDICATED TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

IN ADDITION, STUDENTS SHARE SOME OF THE DREAMS THEY HAVE FOR THE FUTURE AND THEIR DREAMS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE THEM, BUT INCLUDED PEACE, KINDNESS, NO LITTERING.

NO ONE WILL BE MEAN.

I'M GOING TO SAY THAT AGAIN. NO ONE WILL BE MEAN.

AND BEING ABLE TO READ ALL BOOKS.

THEIR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, MR. STUMP, ALSO SENT ME A VIDEO OF STUDENTS PERFORMING A SONG THAT WE'RE GOING TO PLAY IN JUST A SECOND.

IT SHOWS THEIR STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUALS AND GENERAL MUSIC AND THAT MANY GENRES OF MUSIC TODAY WERE DEVELOPED OUT OF SPIRITUALS AND AFRICAN RHYTHMS SUCH AS JAZZ, GOSPEL, FOLK.

THEY ARE PRACTICING FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD, WHICH HAD A SECRET MESSAGE IN THE LYRICS THAT HELPED ENSLAVED PEOPLE ESCAPE.

YOU SEE IF I CAN PLAY IT.

VERY IMPORTANT.

ACTUALLY. WHAT ONE? CAN YOU? THREE LOCAL.

SPEND MORE ON.

FOR THE. MY DAD USED TO BRING DOWN ALL THE DRINKING WATER.

ALL RIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE A CLIP.

IF I PLAY MUCH MORE, I'M GOING TO BREAK OUT IN SONG.

AND YOU WILL, TOO. SO.

BUT LOVELY RENDITION OF FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD AT NORTH HARFORD HIGH SCHOOL.

THEY HAVE A BLACK STUDENT UNION THAT HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTING BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS ON THE MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS.

THIS IS AN OLDER PICTURE OF THE BSU.

THEY SENT ME A MORE RECENT PICTURE, BUT IT WAS AFTER THE DEADLINE AND THEY ALSO HAD A CELEBRATION A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO.

SO AT THE NEXT MEETING, IF I'M ABLE TO SHARE, I LOVE TO SHARE OTHER WAYS THAT THEY'VE BEEN CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

AND THAT LEADS US TO THE MAGNOLIA MIDDLE SCHOOL.

AND I DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT MAGNOLIA BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES.

SO RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO PRINCIPAL LORI NAOMI, THE PRINCIPAL OF MAGNOLIA MIDDLE SCHOOL, TO SHARE HOW THEY ARE CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

THANKS. AND THANK YOU, EVERYONE.

ALTHOUGH I PROBABLY DON'T NEED A MICROPHONE.

I KNOW IT'S BEST TO HAVE A MICROPHONE.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US.

LIKE DR. STANTON SAID, I'M LAURIE NAMIE, THE VERY PROUD PRINCIPAL OF MAGNOLIA MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND I FEEL THAT IT IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE AND A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ME AS A PRINCIPAL TO UPLIFT AND HONOR AND CELEBRATE THE LIVED EXPERIENCES, THE CULTURE AND THE INDIVIDUALITY OF MY BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL STUDENTS, STUDENT BODY AND STAFF.

SO A GREAT LEADER NAMED DR.

ERIC DAVIS SAID, GREAT LEADERS GET OUT OF THE WAY.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO NOW.

WELL, I'LL LET MY BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMMITTEE AND THEN TWO ONE OUT OF MY TWO STUDENTS THAT WERE HERE THIS EVENING, ZACHARY DID HAVE TO LEAVE.

[02:25:06]

SHE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT WHAT BLACK HISTORY MONTH MEANS TO HER.

AND OUR THREE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMITTEE ARE JANELLE HATCHER, OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL SPECIALIST, MISS SABRINA WIGGINS, OUR MEDIA SPECIALIST.

AND DOWN ON THE END IS MS..

TERRY TANNER, WHO WILL BE TALKING FIRST.

AND SHE IS OUR PROJECT LEAD THE WAY TEACHER.

SO, MS.. TANNER.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

FIRST, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.

I AM GOING TO TRY TO KEEP THIS SHORT AS POSSIBLE, BUT I AM GOING TO TRY TO GET EVERYTHING OUT AS WELL.

SO LET'S GET STARTED.

WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY.

I AM GRATEFUL.

BLACK HISTORY CONTINUES TO IMPACT ALL OF US TODAY, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR GENERATIONS OF TOMORROW AND FUTURE HISTORY MAKERS. HERE IS THE LIST OF OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS ORATORY CONTESTS, POETRY SLAM HEADED TOWARDS OUR DREAMS DAY, HBCU DAY, BLACK EXCELLENCE DAY, SMALL BUSINESS DAY, NAVIGATION DAY.

AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME FIELD TRIPS PLANNED BEFORE CLOSING.

ALLOW ME TO TALK ABOUT OUR EVENTS FOR OUR POETRY SLAM.

MISS WIGGINS RIGHT BESIDE ME AND I DID CO TEACH THE POOR AS LESSON ENTITLED MY VOICE, MY POWER.

WE ENDED THE EXPERIENCE WITH STUDENTS DELIVERING POETRY ON THE MIC FOR HEADED TOWARDS OUR DREAMS DAY.

WE HAD MENTORING MALE TEENS AND THE HOOD AND DESTINED FOR GREATNESS MENTORING PROGRAM TO JOIN OUR STAFF TO TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO TIE NECKTIES.

WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR OUR STAFF, COMMUNITY, SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES DONATING NECKTIES FOR OUR STUDENTS TO HAVE.

LASTLY, WE ALSO HONOR DR.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AND OUR DREAM BOARD IS STILL UP AS WE HAVE IT ON THE MLK BULLETIN BOARD FOR THE HBCU DAY, WE WILL HOST AN HBCU ALUMNI SHOWCASE WITH AN HBCU INFORMATION GALLERY.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW REPRESENTATIVES FOR THIS UPCOMING EVENT.

DELAWARE STATE BLUE STATE UNIVERSITY.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY AND ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY.

I KEYNOTE SPEAKER IS NONE OTHER THAN DR.

JAMES DAVIS, WHO IS THE ASSOCIATE DEAN AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND HAVE TAUGHT AT THREE HBCUS UNIVERSITIES.

SCUSE ME, HBCU.

ON SMALL BUSINESS DAY I WILL VIRTUALLY CO TEACH WITH THE COLLINGWOOD CULTURE STEM PROGRAM LOCATED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

NAVIGATION DAY.

WE WILL WELCOME MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TO SHOWCASE ITS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM.

LASTLY, IN OUR MEDIA CENTER MAKERSPACE.

SOON AS WE BUILD AIRPLANES, TRAINS AND CARS OUT OF STEM KITS.

IN CLOSING, I AM PROUD TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE ENTIRE SCHOOL FOR LEADING SEVERAL CLASS ACTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WHERE MISS SABRINA WILLIAMS, PLEASE STAND.

MS.. WIGGINS, OUR MISSION SPECIALIST.

AND I'M HERE SINCE MAKERSPACE IS THE SPACE WHERE STUDENTS ENJOY ALL BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE COOPERATION WE HAVE DONE SINCE LAST YEAR.

MS.. JANELLE HAS HER.

PLEASE STAND. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TO PRESENT THESE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS LEADING AND ALSO LEADING THE ORATORY CONTESTS.

AND LASTLY, MISS NAOMI, PLEASE STAND.

THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE SCRIPT.

I THANK YOU FOR TRUSTING ME TO LEAD, COORDINATE AND MAKE PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE SURROUNDING AREAS FOR OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS.

NOW I TURN IT OVER TO ONE OF MY CW STUDENTS.

THANK YOU. SO, SO FAR, WITH ALL THE INTERESTING AND FUN THINGS WE ARE DOING FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, I'VE GOTTEN TO ENJOY A COUPLE OF THEM, SUCH AS GOING DOWN FOR POETRY SLAM IN THE MEDIA CENTER AND ALSO DOING.

I WAS ALSO GOING TO SIGN UP FOR A44 SORRY FOR THE SPEECH THAT WOULD BE SENT TO MISS HATCHER.

AND SO FAR IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN AND INTERESTING BECAUSE AT MY OLD SCHOOL, SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN THOUGHT OF TO BE TO BE DONE

[02:30:09]

AND I'VE SEEN RACISM AND.

HOMOPHOBIA, SEXISM, EVERYTHING LIKE THAT FIRSTHAND.

MY SISTERS MIXED.

I'M A PART OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY AND IT'S JUST VERY NICE TO FEEL THIS ACCEPTING AT A SCHOOL.

AND I'VE REALLY ENJOYED SO FAR WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT ELSE WE HAVE NEXT.

THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT TO.

I'LL BE THERE. JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN IT'S HAPPENING.

ALL RIGHT. SO FINALLY, I WANT TO JUST END WITH, IN ADDITION TO CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, OUR DIVERSITY RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST SHARON FOSTER MOORE HIGHLIGHTS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL CULTURAL GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WITH AN INITIATIVE CALLED DIVERSITY 365, WHICH ENCOURAGES MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO SHARE HOW THEY ARE CELEBRATING AND ACKNOWLEDGING THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT WE ALL MAKE EVERY DAY.

ONE THING I LIKE TO SAY IS WE SHOULD BE CELEBRATING LOTS OF PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.

AND SO I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BUT NEXT MONTH IS ANOTHER MONTH, AND THEY BELIEVE IT'S WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.

SO WE WANT TO BE CELEBRATING LOTS OF PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR COMING TONIGHT.

APPRECIATE IT.

ALL RIGHT. WHAT'S NEXT? NEXT WE GET TO ITEM E DECISION ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED F Y 2024 BUDGET.

[E. Decision on the Superintendent's Proposed FY2024 Budget, Ms. Deborah Judd, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services]

I GUESS WE GET ERIC CLARK, TOO.

OH, WE ALWAYS. WE ALWAYS GET YOUR CLARK.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, I'M GOING TO START US TONIGHT ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC.

SO I WANT TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF A PREVIEW.

MR. JOHN AND MR. CLARK ARE GOING TO RUN THROUGH SORT OF REVIEW OF THE PARTICULAR CHANGES THAT ARE RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS WE'VE MADE SINCE THIS BUDGET WAS INITIALLY INTRODUCED TO THE BOARD AND ALSO SINCE OUR MEETINGS WITH MR. CASSELL. IT'S.

SO FIRST OF ALL, THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STILL HERE, THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO'S STILL HERE.

THANK YOU. THIS LAST YEAR, WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION AROUND THE BUDGET AND LITERALLY WHEN MISS JUDD STARTED SPEAKING, THE VERY LAST MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE, I SWEAR TO GOD, TIPTOED OUT AND WE HAD AN EMPTY ROOM.

AND WE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE HERE.

WE'D HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR BALANCING ENROLLMENT.

AND I KNOW THAT HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE ENERGIZED AND WE HAD PEOPLE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

BUT BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THIS, NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF $1,000,000,000 BUDGET, THE ROOM WAS EMPTY.

AND SO OBVIOUSLY, ENGAGEMENT IN THIS AND HAVING PEOPLE INVOLVED IS VERY IMPORTANT.

AND I ALSO WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND MY SLIDES IN PARTICULAR ARE REALLY KIND OF IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE LANGUAGE ABOUT OUR BUDGET THAT HAS SORT OF BEEN RUNNING THROUGH THE DISTRICT.

AND IN FACT, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ENCOUNTERED EVER SINCE ARRIVING SOME OF SOME OF THIS LANGUAGE.

SO I WANT TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO SHARE SOME DETAILS WITH YOU.

THERE ARE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE PRESSURES ON THE BUDGET.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE WORK THAT ARE NOT THE WORK THAT KIND OF THE PRESSURE.

THE BLUEPRINT IS BRINGING EVERYTHING.

YOU KNOW, THE LAW PASSED AND THE STATE HAS INTRODUCED A LOT OF MONEY INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AND MANY OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING HERE, SOME ARE IN PREPARATION FOR THE BLUEPRINT.

YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT LATER TONIGHT.

BUT SOME IS MONEY THAT STARTED ARRIVING A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AFTER THIS LAW PASSED AND IT'S BEGUN ADDING THINGS TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. MOST NOTABLE, I THINK SOME OF THE FIRST MONEY TO COME IN WAS AROUND OUR CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY SCHOOLS.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, I THINK, TWO SCHOOLS THE FIRST YEAR IDENTIFIED AS CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY SCHOOLS.

[02:35:02]

AND THIS WAS REALLY IN TWO AREAS.

WE WERE ABLE TO ADD STAFF BOTH THROUGH HELPED CONNECT THE SCHOOLS WITH THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH COMMUNITY LIAISONS WHO WERE, YOU KNOW, PARENT OUTREACH FOLKS WHO CAME THROUGH THE GRANT.

BUT ALSO SOME OF THE FUNDS THAT CAME IN WENT TO THINGS LIKE READING SPECIALIST MATH SPECIALISTS, PEOPLE TO FOCUS ON THE CURRICULUM.

IN ADDITION.

SO THERE HAVE BEEN A WIDE VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE COME TO THE BLUEPRINT, BUT THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE MANY EXAMPLES.

BUT IN ADDITION TO THE BLUEPRINT, THERE'S ALSO THINGS WE'VE DONE LOCALLY THAT WE'RE NOT PART OF THE BLUEPRINT.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES WAS SOMETHING YOU HEARD US TALKING ABOUT QUITE A BIT LAST SPRING.

SAFETY AND SECURITY.

THE BLUEPRINT DOESN'T TOUCH ON THE TOPIC OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, BUT LAST YEAR AS A LOCAL INITIATIVE BASED ON MANY MONTHS DATA COLLECTION PROCESS WHERE IT WAS FOCUS GROUPS AND MEETINGS AND SURVEYS AND THE WORKS TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY, WE CAME BACK WITH A PROPOSAL TO DO A LOCAL INITIATIVE FUNDED FULLY LOCALLY. FOUR WE ENDED UP HIRING THREE REGIONAL SECURITY LIAISONS, AS WELL AS SECURITY LIAISON FOR EVERY SECONDARY SCHOOL, MEANING 20 INDIVIDUAL LIAISONS, PLUS A SMALL NUMBER OF FLOATING LIAISONS WHO ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. I WOULD SAY JUST KIND OF A CASE IN POINT.

YOU HEARD PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT ABOUT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND TO JUST SORT OF BRIEFLY CORRECT THE RECORD ON THAT.

WE HAD MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE FROM THIS BUILDING THERE TODAY IN SUPPORT OF THAT SCHOOL, AND IT COVERED A WIDE RANGE OF STAFF, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDED REDEPLOYING SOME OF THE SECURITY LIAISONS TO GO IN AND ADDRESS MANY OF THE CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED AND RESPOND TO MANY OF THE VERY INACCURATE RUMORS THAT OCCURRED AROUND THAT.

BUT THIS IS THE TYPE OF WORK THAT DOES GO ON DAY TO DAY, AND IT IS A FUNCTION OF SOME OF THE LOCAL EFFORTS WE'VE ENGAGED IN IN THIS BUDGET. AND AGAIN, ADDING THAT IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT THING TO HIRE SOMETHING A LITTLE OVER 20 PEOPLE LAST YEAR, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE SAKE OF SECURITY.

PARTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE HEIGHTENED BEHAVIORS WE WERE SEEING IN SCHOOLS.

AND I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS WELL SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY.

BUT AGAIN, A LOCAL INITIATIVE THAT GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND THE BLUEPRINT.

SO WITH THAT SAID, WITH THESE THINGS WE'VE ADDED, I THINK THE QUOTE THAT I FOUND SORT OF MOST STRIKING FROM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S STATE OF THE COUNTY LAST TUESDAY WAS WHEN HE SAID IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE HARTFORD COUNTY BUDGET INCREASED BY 37% AND IT WAS A FULL ROOM.

IT WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY IN THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AND THERE WAS A COLLECTIVE MURMURING THAT CAME UP.

WOW. THAT'S I MEAN, THAT IS A LOT.

AND YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT IS A LOT.

SO, IN FACT, WHAT WE'VE LOOKED AT IS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM'S IMPACT ON THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT'S BUDGET.

SO TWO THINGS.

HE ALSO CALLED OUT ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES.

OUR BUDGET IS 3% ADMINISTRATION.

IT'S VERY CLEARLY WE PUT IT ON SOMETHING LIKE PAGE THREE.

IT'S ONE OF THE PIE CHARTS IN THE BUDGET.

THE LAST TIME THERE WAS PUBLIC DATA AVAILABLE FOR THIS AT THE STATE, THEY NO LONGER PUBLISH THIS PARTICULAR THING, BUT IT WAS ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO THE DATA WAS FIRST RELEASED. THEY LOOKED AT SCHOOL BY SCHOOL COST.

OF. HOW MUCH EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL COSTS AND HOW MUCH WE SPEND PER PUPIL IN EACH SCHOOL.

THE DATA AT THAT POINT THAT THE STATE SHARED, THEY ALSO CALCULATED A COST OF CENTRAL SERVICES.

IN OTHER WORDS, HOW MUCH DOES THE ESSENTIALLY THE CENTRAL OFFICE COST IN TERMS OF PER PUPIL? WE HAD THE LOWEST COSTS OF THE 24 DISTRICTS IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND.

WE WERE BELOW QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY.

WE WERE BELOW CAROLINE COUNTY.

THESE ARE THE ONES WE WERE CLOSE TO.

BECAUSE WE HAD LESS THAN HALF THE HIGHEST COST.

OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ANYWHERE IN THE STATE.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE STILL.

THE MOST EFFICIENT IF WE'RE THE LOWEST COST CENTRAL OFFICE IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND.

BUT WE'RE VERY CLOSE.

AND SO I PUT THIS OUT THERE.

INSTRUCTION AND TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENTS, 86% OF THE BUDGET AND THEN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE IS ABOUT 11%.

AND AS I SAID, ADMINISTRATION IS 3%.

ONE OF OUR BIGGEST PRIORITIES.

THIS WAS THE PRIORITY OF THE PREVIOUS BOARD AND HAS REMAINED THE PRIORITY OF THE BOARD.

THAT CHANGED OVER IN DECEMBER.

AND I AND I BELIEVE BASED ON COMMENTS I'VE HEARD, THAT TEACHER SALARIES ARE A SIGNIFICANT I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR ANYONE HERE, BUT THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THIS BOARD'S BEEN FOCUSED ON SINCE SINCE BEFORE I CAME.

[02:40:02]

TEACHER STARTING SALARIES FROM 2015 TO 2023 HAVE INCREASED BY 30%.

OUR PAIR OF PROFESSIONAL STARTING SALARIES 46.9.

OUR BUS DRIVERS STARTING OUR LATE 46.9 ALSO.

THOSE NUMBERS ARE STILL REALLY LOW.

IT'S STILL MAKING IT HARD TO COMPETE.

AND I, YOU KNOW, NOD TO JOSE KYGO, WHO SPEAKS REGULARLY ON BEHALF OF THE THE PARAPROFESSIONALS, THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE THERE.

THAT'S AN AREA WHERE WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO GROW.

BUT FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY ON STARTING TEACHER SALARY BECAUSE RECRUITING, PARTICULARLY IN THIS TIME OF NATIONWIDE TEACHER SHORTAGE, HAS BEEN CRITICAL.

SO SINCE THAT SAME IN THAT SAME TIME FRAME 2015 ARE STARTING.

TEACHER SALARY IS NOW FOURTH IN THE STATE AND IT WAS 20TH IN 2015.

WE'VE BEEN INCREASINGLY MOVING UP THAT THAT WAS A PRIORITY OF THIS BOARD AND YES, THAT HAS INCREASED THE OVERALL COST FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BUDGET. BUT I THINK THIS IS THE PART THAT WAS KIND OF MOST STRIKING.

AGAIN, YOU CAN PICK YOUR STARTING POINT.

I LOOKED AT THIS DATA ORIGINALLY GOING BACK TO 2011 OR 12, MAYBE 2013.

YOU CAN GO BACK ALMOST TO ANY POINT.

THE SCHOOL SYSTEM'S SHARE OF THE COUNTY BUDGET HAS CONSISTENTLY GONE DOWN.

SO IN 2000.

AND THE REASON THERE'S THREE LINES HERE IS BECAUSE WE ONCE SHARED THIS IN THE PAST AND THE COUNTY'S RESPONSE WAS TO SAY WE WERE MISSING THINGS.

SO I JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR. WE LOOKED AT THIS MULTIPLE WAYS.

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS THE PERCENTAGE OF GENERAL FUNDS WITH DEBT SERVICE AND PAY GO.

I CAN EXPLAIN THOSE BRIEFLY, BUT THE DEBT SERVICE IS, OF COURSE, WHAT WE PAY REGULARLY BECAUSE THERE ARE BONDS THAT FUND SOME PORTION OF OUR CAPITAL.

SO EACH TIME WE WE WE BUILD A NEW BUILDING AND WE WE DO BONDS TO DO THAT.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE TAKE LOANS TO TO BUILD OUR BUILDINGS.

THERE'S AN ONGOING COST TO THAT AND PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT PAYGO IS ESSENTIALLY THE MONEY WE USE FOR THINGS WHEN THERE'S MONEY ON HAND.

SO SOME PORTION OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S BUDGET WILL OR THE COUNTY'S BUDGET WILL BE BOND FUNDED AND SOME PORTION WILL BE BASED ON MONEY ON HAND, WHETHER IT'S SURPLUS OR WHATEVER.

AND SO THE COMBINATION THAT INCLUDES DEBT SERVICE AND PAYGO, WHERE 52.12% OF THE BUDGET IN 2015, WE ARE DOWN TO 48.91%. THAT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A BIG DROP, BUT I'LL TELL YOU, 3% OF $1,000,000,000 BUDGET IS A LOT OF MONEY. AND SO IF YOU JUST LOOK AT GENERAL FUNDS AND YOU DON'T COUNT THE DEBT SERVICE AND PAYGO AGAIN, 45.7, 9% BACK IN 2015, DOWN TO 43%.

NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT ALL FUNDS WITH DEBT SERVICE AND AM I SAYING IT RIGHT? PERCENT OF ALL FUNDS WITH DEBT SERVICE AND PAY GO.

OH, YEAH. ALL FUNDS, NOT JUST THE GENERAL FUND FROM FROM THE COUNTY, BUT ALL OF THEIR FUNDS LOOKING ACROSS ALL OF THEIR BUDGETS.

AGAIN, WE'RE STILL BELOW NOT AS MUCH, BUT WE'RE STILL BELOW THE COUNTY AVERAGE.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS? IF THE SCHOOLS NOW.

IN THE STATE OF THE COUNTY.

I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH YEAR, WHETHER IT WAS FOUR YEARS OR FIVE YEARS.

WE'VE GONE UP BY 37%.

IF OUR PERCENTAGE OF THE COUNTY BUDGET HAS BEEN GOING DOWN EVERY YEAR.

THE 37%, WHICH SEEMS SO SHOCKING.

WAS LOWER THAN THE COUNTY'S GROWTH IN EVERY AREA.

IN OTHER WORDS, YES, WE DID GROW BY A LOT.

IN FACT, OUR CALCULATION GOING BACK TO 2015 IS THAT OUR BUDGET HAS GROWN BY 44.96% IN THE SAME TIME.

THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT BUDGET GREW BY 54.6%.

THAT LAST BUDGET.

LAST SLIDE I'M GOING TO SHOW IS THIS ONE IS JUST INFLATION.

AND I THINK WE DON'T HAVE THE FINAL NUMBERS FOR THE FY 23 INFLATION.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S BEEN HARD TO KEEP UP WITH INFLATION.

SO. ONE THING I WOULD SAY.

I'M GOING TO GO BACK, JEREMY, IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK ONE.

SO A COUPLE OF THINGS.

THERE ARE MORE SLIDES ATTACHED TO THIS.

THIS IS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE.

SO THESE WERE IN CHARTS, BUT THERE'S FOUR MORE SLIDES THAT ARE JUST TABLES.

THEY'RE BUILT IN EXCEL.

IT SHOWS YOU THE NUMBERS YOU CAN SEE.

SO IF THERE'S QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, THESE ARE TAKEN FROM PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING THE COUNTY'S BUDGET.

WE DID GROW AND WE DIDN'T GROW AS QUICKLY AS INFLATION.

[02:45:02]

SO THE FACT THAT ONLY ONE ENTITY WAS CALLED OUT FOR THIS GROWTH WAS A LITTLE SURPRISING AND A LITTLE CONCERNING.

BECAUSE. AND.

THE SUGGESTION.

THAT THIS BUDGET HAS BEEN LESS THAN RESPONSIBLE, LESS THAN REASONABLE.

AS I THINK QUITE UNFAIR.

AND FRANKLY, I GUESS ONE THING I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT THIS IS THE LAST THREE YEARS.

AGAIN, OUR PERCENTAGE OF THE BUDGET DECREASED.

OVER THE AVERAGE OF THE PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT I CAN'T BLAME THE PRIOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE FOR THAT BECAUSE HE FULLY FUNDED OUR REQUEST.

SO ONE COULD. SO YOU MEAN YOU COULD SUGGEST SO THIS ISN'T ABOUT BLAMING.

ANYONE BECAUSE.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'VE.

OUR DUTY IS TO ASK FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE WE NEED TO SERVE THE STUDENTS IN THIS DISTRICT.

AGAIN, THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS.

RESOURCES ARE ALWAYS AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO DISCUSS AND AN IMPORTANT THING TO DIG INTO CLOSELY.

THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

BUT THESE FUNDS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO BRING A RANGE OF STUDENTS TO YOU, NOT JUST DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL COMMIT TO.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING STUDENTS FROM VARIOUS MAGNET PROGRAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO SHOW YOU THE MANY THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON HERE THAT THAT SHOULD BE CELEBRATED BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS ARE REALLY DOING ABSOLUTELY AMAZING THINGS.

I HAVE TREMENDOUS CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO CARRY US FORWARD.

AND I'M ALSO VERY IMPRESSED WITH MANY OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.

AT THE NEXT MEETING.

WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT THE.

BOTH READING CURRICULUM AND THE REQUESTS THAT WERE HERE.

THE SHORT VERSION OF THAT PRESENTATION IS I DO HAVE GREAT FAITH IN THIS CURRICULUM.

BUT THAT BEING SAID.

I'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT MULTIPLE TIMES NOW.

TO ADDRESS WAS BRUCE WHAT YOU ASKED ABOUT THE SLIDES.

SO. THERE WERE TWO DISTRICTS IN THE STATE THAT DIDN'T RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE MARYLAND LEADS.

AND THAT'S THAT'S THE DATA CHART THAT.

HARFORD COUNTY AND ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY.

SO THAT'S WHY THERE WAS NOTHING ON THAT ONE.

IT WASN'T THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE READING DATA OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

WHAT I WILL TRY TO SHOW NEXT WEEK IS THAT.

OUR PERFORMANCE IS ACTUALLY WE'VE ACTUALLY GAINED GROUND AGAINST OTHER DISTRICTS IN THE STATE ONLY MARGINALLY.

AND FRANKLY, I DON'T HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE DATA FROM.

2022 FROM THE SPRING, BUT WE'LL SHOW THAT AND I'LL SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE ADMINISTRATORS WHO'VE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE FOR THIS CURRICULUM AND WHAT OUR PLANS ARE GOING FORWARD, AND I CAN SHARE THAT.

WITH THAT SAID.

THE DOLLAR IS ALWAYS SOUND.

IT'S A LITTLE SHOCKING.

I MEAN, $1,000,000 HERE, $500 MILLION THERE.

IT'S A LOT. AND IT'S BEYOND PRETTY MUCH ANYONE'S COMPREHENSION IN THIS ROOM WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT MUCH.

IT ALWAYS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT.

BUT IF YOU PUT IT INTO THE CONTEXT OF.

THIS COUNTY.

AND FRANKLY, I BELIEVE THIS COUNTY HAS BEEN VERY WELL RUN FISCALLY.

AND WE'VE BEEN IN A POSITION TO RECEIVE THE FUNDING WE DID OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS OF THE COUNTY LEADERSHIP.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT.

THE FUNDS THAT THERE AREN'T THERE'S NOT AS MUCH TO DRAW ON THIS YEAR AS THERE WAS LAST YEAR.

WE ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND THAT.

THE BUDGET REQUESTS.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS UPDATED BUDGET REQUEST.

IT DOES INCLUDE A REDUCTION IN OUR REQUEST TO THE COUNTY OF I THINK 26% IS WHAT WE'VE DECREASED OUR REQUEST BY.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

BUT AGAIN, THIS WE BELIEVE, IS WHAT WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS IN THIS COUNTY.

AND THEN FROM THERE.

SO I. BOARD I DO ASK YOU TONIGHT IF YOU'LL SUPPORT THAT.

NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER NOW TO MS..

JUDD AND MR. CLARK TO SORT OF WALK YOU THROUGH THE DETAILS OF OUR ADJUSTED REQUEST.

SO AS OUR PRESENTATION COMES UP FOR US TO WALK THROUGH, I DID WANT TO POINT OUT I HEARD SEVERAL TIMES TONIGHT ABOUT OUR DETAILED BUDGET AND NOT BEING AVAILABLE. AND I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT OUR BUDGET LINE BY LINE DETAIL IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE.

[02:50:03]

IT'S VERY DETAILED.

IT'S HUNDREDS OF PAGES.

MS.. ALVAREZ REFERRED TO IT THIS EVENING.

SHE SHE FLIPPED TO THE PAGE TO HELP IDENTIFY SOME INFORMATION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

SO THAT WAS THE CAPITAL PORTION.

BUT ALL OF THE BUDGET IS LAID OUT THERE.

ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO THAT, EITHER ONLINE OR HARD COPIES, AND OBVIOUSLY THE PUBLIC HAS ACCESS TO THAT AS WELL.

IT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION TO GO THROUGH AND IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.

SO BUDGET AT HTTP DOT ORG IS THE DIRECT EMAIL ADDRESS TO US AND WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE REGARDING THAT.

WE'VE MET WITH THE BOARD INDIVIDUALLY TO GO OVER THE BUDGET AND WE'RE HAPPY TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

SO UNDER THE ON THE HOME PAGE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT RIGHT NOW, GO TO THE HOME PAGE UNDER THE ABOUT US TAB, WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE FIRST TAB ON THE LEFT TOP OF THE AND THEN YOU'LL SEE BUDGET AND SCROLL DOWN THESE DOCUMENTS ARE THERE YEP.

SO. WITH THAT, WE WILL WALK THROUGH THE BUDGET AGAIN.

DR. BOLTON JUST REFERRED TO THIS.

THE LARGEST PORTION OF OUR BUDGET IS SALARIES AND BENEFITS AS WELL.

LOOKING THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS, THE LARGEST PORTION OF OUR BUDGET IS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT.

WHEN YOU BRING IN TRANSPORTATION TO THAT, IT'S EVEN LARGER BECAUSE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE STUDENTS, WE WOULDN'T NEED TRANSPORTATION.

SO AS DR. PAULSEN SUGGESTED, WE HAVE REDUCED THE BUDGET FOR FY 24.

SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE UNRESTRICTED FUND INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR OF 8.9%.

SO ORIGINALLY IT WAS ABOUT $54 MILLION.

IT'S $51.5 MILLION CHANGE OVER LAST YEAR.

SO OUR ORIGINAL REQUEST FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WAS ABOUT $27 MILLION.

WE'RE REDUCING THAT REQUEST BY $7.1 MILLION.

SO THE TOTAL LOCAL ASK IS $351 MILLION, APPROXIMATELY OUR STATE REVENUE.

WE DID RECEIVE PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES AFTER WE PRESENTED THE BOARD WITH THE BUDGET, SO THAT WAS AN ADDITIONAL $4.2 MILLION IN FUNDING.

THERE IS RISK IN USING ALL OF THAT AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THEY ARE PRELIMINARY NUMBERS THEY CAN CHANGE.

LAST YEAR THE NUMBER STAYED THE SAME, BUT THE STATE SHIFTED MORE COSTS TO US.

SO IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN AGAIN, WE WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK AND FIND THAT MONEY.

IF THE STATE DECIDES WE'RE GOING TO USE IT FOR SOMETHING ELSE.

SO THAT LEFT US WITH ABOUT $2.9 MILLION THAT WE NEEDED TO FIND WITHIN THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE DID REDUCE THE LOCAL REQUEST.

I DO WANT TO POINT OUT.

SO THE THE ACTUAL LOCAL ASK OF $19.7 MILLION THAT REFLECTS OUR WAGE PACKAGE AS WELL AS THE SPORTS PARTICIPATION FEES, THE COUNTY COUNCIL ASKED LAST YEAR THAT WE PERMANENTLY REMOVE THE SPORTS PARTICIPATION FEE AND BECAUSE THAT HALF THE MILLION DOLLARS IS BUILT INTO OUR REVENUE FROM THOSE FEES, WE COULD NOT JUST ELIMINATE IT.

SO WE DID WAIVE IT FOR THIS YEAR.

WE WILL BALANCE THE BUDGET WITHOUT THAT.

BUT WE ARE REQUESTING THAT THE COUNTY FUND THE SPORTS PARTICIPATION FEE IN ADDITION TO THE WAGE PACKAGE FOR OUR STAFF.

SO THIS IS A SLIDE THAT SHOWS ALL OF OUR MAIN AREAS.

SO THE TOP LINE IS THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE AND THEN THE LINE ITEMS BELOW ARE EACH AREA THAT HAS A REQUEST IN THE BUDGET AND THEN THE HIGHLIGHTED AMOUNT ON THE FAR RIGHT IS THE REDUCTION TO EACH OF THOSE AREAS AND WE'LL WALK THROUGH THAT.

BUT ALL OF THOSE CHANGES TOTAL THE $2.9 MILLION.

SO THESE LINE ITEMS ARE WHAT WE'VE REVIEWED WITH YOU IN JANUARY WHEN WE PRESENTED THE BUDGET.

SO ALL OF THIS HAS NOT CHANGED OTHER THAN THE LINE ITEMS THAT I'LL REFER TO.

NOW, WE CAN CERTAINLY COME BACK AND ADDRESS ANY SPECIFIC LINES THAT YOU HAVE.

SO THE SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION AND TUTORING, WE ARE REDUCING THAT REQUEST BY 83,000.

SO WE'RE GOING FROM 584,000 TO ABOUT 500,000.

SO THAT WAS A NUMBER THAT WE WERE TRYING TO PUT INTO OUR OPERATING BUDGET FOR SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION AND TUTORING.

IF WE CAN'T DO AS MUCH NEXT YEAR, WE AT LEAST WANTED TO PLACE A NUMBER INTO THE BUDGET.

SO THAT'S THE 500.

ON THIS SIDE. THAT'S REALLY HARD FOR ME TO SAY.

THE THE LINE WITH NO NUMBER ON THE LEFT HAND COLUMN.

[02:55:03]

THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY TOLD US YOU CONSIDER IT ONE TIME MONEY AND USE IT IN THE CURRENT YEAR.

SO WE'VE USED THAT THIS YEAR.

WE WILL HAVE USED IT BY JUNE 30, THE 895,000 FOR OUR PRE K CLASSROOMS. MUCH OF THAT IS GOING TOWARDS PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT BECAUSE WE HAD MANY PLAYGROUNDS THAT NEEDED THE ENHANCEMENTS.

SO THAT'S WHERE THAT MONEY IS GOING.

BUT BECAUSE IT IS ONE TIME MONEY IT NEEDED TO COME OUT, THE BUDGET PROCESS IS A YEAR LONG PROCESS.

SO WHEN WE PREPARED THE BUDGET, WE DID NOT REMOVE THAT.

IT WAS AN OVERSIGHT AT THE TIME.

SO WHEN WE WENT BACK AND LOOKED, WE REALIZED THAT NUMBER WAS STILL IN THERE AND WE NEEDED TO PULL IT OUT.

SO THAT NUMBER IS BEING REMOVED.

NOW. THE ESSER SUBSTITUTES AGAIN, THIS WAS A SUBSTITUTE LINE.

THEY ARE SEMI-PERMANENT SUBS, IF YOU WANT TO CALL THEM THAT.

THEY ARE NOT FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS.

THEY ARE GUARANTEED SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK IN EACH CLASSROOM AND WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO BRING OVER FROM OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS THESE POSITIONS BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN SO CRITICAL TO OUR SCHOOLS.

SO IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE REDUCTIONS THAT WE HAVE HERE, WE DID REDUCE THIS NUMBER SLIGHTLY IN ORDER TO COME UP TO THE $2.9 MILLION REDUCTION WE NEEDED TO AT THE BOTTOM, WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED THE FACILITIES NON FTE INCREASES.

THOSE ARE REALLY AS A RESULT OF INFLATION.

SO WHEN WE CALCULATED OUT WITH OUR FACILITIES FOLKS, THEY WERE REQUESTING AN ADDITIONAL $1.4 MILLION.

WE'VE REDUCED THAT BY 200,000 AGAIN, IN ORDER TO MAKE UP THAT DIFFERENCE THAT WE'RE SHORT.

NO CHANGES ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE.

AND THEN WE'RE REMOVING THE 515,000 BECAUSE WE'RE REQUESTING THAT IN THE REVENUE FOR THE SPORTS PARTICIPATION FEES.

NO CHANGES ON THIS SLIDE.

THE SPECIAL EDUCATION ADDITIONAL 6 HOURS.

THERE WAS AN MOU WITH OUR HCA UNIT AND THE ESTIMATED COST WAS 350,000.

IT'S STILL VERY EARLY IN THE YEAR, BUT WHAT WE'VE SPENT SO FAR, WE THINK THE ACTUAL SPEND ON THIS IS GOING TO BE CLOSER TO 200,000.

COME JUNE, WE MAY COME BACK AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE NEED TO ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THAT OR MAYBE WE CAN TAKE SOME MORE OUT.

BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE THINK WE CAN REMOVE 150,000.

AND THIS HAS TO DO WITH ADDITIONAL HOURS THAT SPECIAL EDUCATORS ARE PAID PER QUARTER.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAD, USING OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS, SOME ADDITIONAL HOURS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS.

THERE IS NO MOU RELATED TO THAT.

SO ONCE THESE ASR FUNDS ARE GONE, THOSE HOURS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE.

SO WE ARE REDUCING THAT TO ZERO AT THIS TIME.

WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BRING IT INTO THE BUDGET FOR FY 24.

AND I BELIEVE THIS IS THE LAST ITEM, THE FLEET LEASING.

SO WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED CAPITAL FUNDING FOR OUR VEHICLES AT HTTPS.

AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR, WE LOOK AT WHAT SURPLUS WE MAY HAVE.

MANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS HERE WILL RECALL WE'VE COME BEFORE YOU AND ASKED TO PURCHASE EQUIPMENT VEHICLES AT THE END OF THE YEAR SO YOU CAN FIX THAT BY NOT HAVING CAPITAL MONEY BY PUTTING IT INTO YOUR OPERATING BUDGET AS A LEASE.

UNFORTUNATELY, LEASES TIE YOU YEAR OVER YEAR TO OPERATING PAYMENTS.

WE DID NOT FEEL AT THIS TIME IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO INCLUDE THAT BECAUSE WE WOULD BE COMMITTING TO EVEN MORE MONEY AFTER YEAR ONE, BECAUSE THIS 500,000 REPRESENTS THE OFFSET OF THE SALE OF THE VEHICLES.

SO THE ACTUAL COST IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS WOULD BE OVER $1,000,000.

SO WE'RE REMOVING THAT.

WE'LL HAVE TO REVISIT LEASING AT SOME OTHER TIME IF WE CHOOSE TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD.

SO THOSE CHANGES TOTAL THE 2.9 MILLION AT THE BOTTOM, WHICH BRINGS OUR PROPOSED REVISED BUDGET INCREASE TO $51.5 MILLION.

IT WAS 54.4.

OUR BASE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS HAVE NOT CHANGED.

AND AGAIN, WE HAVE WE ARE NOT SUGGESTING ANY CHANGES TO FTE IN THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET.

SO THIS SLIDE ALSO HAS NOT CHANGED.

WE'RE REMOVING 118.3 POSITIONS FROM OUR RESTRICTED FUND.

THE NET ADDITION TO THE BUDGET IS 66.4 POSITIONS AND YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF THE CHANGE AND THE UNRESTRICTED ABOVE.

WITH THE BULK OF THOSE POSITIONS BEING.

PARAPROFESSIONALS AND TEACHER.

COUNSELORS. PSYCHOLOGISTS.

OUR RESTRICTED BUDGET.

AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS.

NO CHANGES AT THIS TIME.

WE ARE EXPECTING FEWER FEDERAL DOLLARS, WHICH IS RESULTING IN THE REDUCTION THAT WE HAVE HERE.

[03:00:04]

NO ANTICIPATED CHANGES WITH OUR STATE GRANTS.

FOOD AND NUTRITION, AGAIN, VERY EARLY IN THE YEAR.

WE'LL ADJUST THIS WHEN WE DO THE FINAL BUDGET AND ASK THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL AT THAT TIME.

SO WE ARE ASKING FOR APPROVAL THIS EVENING FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET.

I'M SORRY, THIS IS THE CAPITAL BUDGET.

AGAIN, THIS WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN DECEMBER.

SO WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A VOTE ON THE CAPITAL BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR.

THE TOTAL PROPOSED CAPITAL IS $94,580,725, WITH THE SPLIT BETWEEN STATE AND LOCAL, AS INDICATED HERE, OF 20 MILLION FOR THE STATE AND 74.3 MILLION FOR OUR LOCAL PORTION.

SO THIS IS THE SLIDE WHERE THE SUPERINTENDENT IS RECOMMENDING YOUR APPROVAL THIS EVENING FOR THE UNRESTRICTED FUND, THE RESTRICTED FUND AND THE FOOD AND NUTRITION FUND.

THE UNRESTRICTED FUND IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE REDUCED AND REVIEWED TONIGHT.

AND THAT NEW TOTAL FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET IS $630,904,358.

A LOT OF INFORMATION.

WE'RE HAPPY TO GO BACK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM AT THIS TIME.

WHY DON'T WE JUST GO AROUND? MRS. ALVAREZ? YEAH. I WENT THROUGH THE BOOK THAT WE GOT FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND TRIED TO GO THROUGH IT IN DETAIL, AND A FEW THINGS KIND OF POPPED OUT AT ME. I'M JUST GOING TO JUMP TO THE ONE ON TO PAGE 30, WHICH IS BUDGET REQUEST, WHERE IT KIND OF DESCRIBES SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LINE BY LINE, BUT THERE ARE SOME DESCRIPTIONS IN THERE.

NEVERTHELESS, THERE'S SOME DESCRIPTIONS IN THERE OF WHAT THIS MONEY IS GOING TO BE SPENT ON AND IN.

ON PAGE 30, IT DESCRIBES SOME OF THE EXPENDITURES.

AND I'M JUST GOING TO JUMP DOWN TO THE SOFTWARE.

SO I LOOKED UP THE SOFTWARE AND AND KIND OF WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THIS SOFTWARE WAS ALL ABOUT, WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS HAD GOOD REVIEWS AND AND SOME OF THE SOFTWARE I WAS QUITE CONCERNED WITH, IT ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH WITH THINGS LIKE SHARING PII WITH WITH OTHER ADULT ADULTS BEING ABLE TO GET ON AND SHARE INFORMATION. SO WHEN WE APPROVED THE BUDGET, ARE WE ALSO APPROVING THESE THINGS THAT ARE CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT? THERE'S CONTRACTS IN PLACE FOR ALL OF THOSE.

AND WHEN THE CONTRACTS COME THROUGH AND IF THEY'RE OVER 100,000, THEY COME TO THE BOARD.

SO ON ALL OF THESE, I BELIEVE THEY'VE COME TO THE BOARD BEFORE.

SO THE JOHN BURKE REVIEWS THE CONTRACTS WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE, WITH THEIR CURRICULUM PEOPLE.

EVERYBODY'S GOING THROUGH THOSE CONTRACTS AND LOOKING AT PII.

DREW MOORE'S ON THE PHONE.

HE MAY BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO SOME OF THAT.

I BELIEVE HEATHER KUTCHER'S HERE AS WELL.

SHE CAN SPEAK TO SOME OF THOSE SPECIFICALLY.

I DO WANT TO POINT OUT.

SO THE DESCRIPTIONS THAT BEGIN ON PAGE 30 SPECIFICALLY RELATE TO THE ITEMS LISTED IN THE BUDGET BEGINNING ON PAGE 26. SO THE DETAILED LINE BY LINE BUDGET IS THE FY 23 BUDGET THAT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.

THESE ARE THE ADDITIONS AND REDUCTIONS TO THE BUDGET BEING RECOMMENDED FOR FY 24.

SO THOSE ARE THE DETAILS THAT ARE LISTED ON PAGE 30.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS CLEAR.

SO THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE THE ENTIRE BUDGET DESCRIPTION OF THE LINE ITEMS. IT'S FOR THE NEW ITEMS LISTED HERE.

BY APPROVING THE BUDGET.

ARE WE ALSO APPROVING THESE ITEMS TO CONTINUE OR WILL THEY HAVE TO COME IN FRONT OF THE BOARD? AND WHY ARE THEY INCLUDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND SPELLED OUT IF THEY HAVE BEEN APPROVED ALREADY IN A CONTRACT, THEN THEY'RE ALREADY APPROVED.

THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE APPROVED AGAIN.

SO AND I BELIEVE ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN SO THEY WE'RE ASKING TO MOVE THEM INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET.

ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS, I SAY ALL MOST OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE CONTINGENT ON FUNDING.

SO IF FOR SOME REASON THERE WASN'T FUNDING, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEM.

BUT. WELL, JUST I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT, BUT THE HEADER OF THIS SAYS BUDGET REQUESTS, CORRECT.

SO TO ME THAT MEANS THAT THESE ARE NOT APPROVED, BUT THEY'RE REQUESTS AS PART OF THE DOCUMENT THAT WE ARE APPROVING, WE ARE REQUESTING.

TO PUT THEM IN THE OPERATING BUDGET.

AND IN THESE CASES, THEY WERE COMING FROM RESTRICTED FUNDS.

PREVIOUSLY THEY WERE PAID WITH OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS AND WE'RE ASKING TO MOVE THEM OVER INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET SO THAT THEY WOULD BE CAN BE CONTINUED.

BUT THEY HAVE THEY ARE APPROVED CONTRACTS.

[03:05:02]

AND IT'S IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING BECAUSE THE NUMBERS DON'T LINE UP WHEN I LOOK AT THE PIE CHART.

AND SO THE FIRST LINE ITEM, FOR INSTANCE, THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES F Y 2024 RESTRICTED AMOUNT IS OVER 2.8 MILLION PLUS.

LAST YEAR IT WAS 890.

SO IT'S A THREE TIME INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR.

AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE.

I'M OUT. JUST GOING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE DOCUMENT THAT I RECEIVED FROM LAST YEAR.

IT WAS 890 LAST YEAR AND NOW IT'S 2.8 MILLION.

AND THEN THERE WAS DECREASES IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL AND AND SPECIAL ED.

NOT HUGELY SIGNIFICANT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE BUMPING UP THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AMOUNT.

AND I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THAT INCREASE WAS THERE.

ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE RESTRICTED FOR THE RESTRICTED? WELL, AND BUT YOU SAID THERE WAS A DECREASE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL WENT DOWN BY A MILLION IN THE RESTRICTED AND THE RESTRICTED.

RIGHT. BECAUSE WE'RE FOR THE MOST PART, WE'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK LINE BY LINE FOR EACH OF THOSE.

BUT THOSE POSITIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED TO MOVE INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET OR THE UNRESTRICTED BUDGET.

SO AND IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE THE ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS ARE GRANTS SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE POSITIONS AS WELL.

WE'D HAVE TO GET THE DETAILS ON THOSE GRANTS TO LOOK AT THAT.

IT JUST SEEMED LIKE A BIG JUMP IN THE RESTRICTED AMOUNT FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES.

BUT SO THAT THAT WAS.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE THIRD ITEM I GUESS THAT I AM.

LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND THAT ONE.

YEAH. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING, ON PAGE 71, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT A 504 DATABASES.

ON PAGE 71.

I'M SORRY. 71.

IT'S THE LAST ITEM.

THE LAST BULLET ITEM.

OH, THAT'S GOING TO BE FOR THE 504 PLANS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.

AND MR. HENNIGAN, I'M SURE, CAN EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF THAT.

WE HAVE STUDENTS WITH 504 PLANS AND PRIOR TO.

I BELIEVE IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO, THOSE 504 PLANS WERE ON PAPER, SO WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE TO ELECTRONIC DATABASE THE SAME WAY WE DO WITH OUR IEPS.

SO NOW ALL OF THOSE 504 PLANS ARE ELECTRONIC AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF, AS WELL AS SCHOOL BASED STAFF.

SO IT'S FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION.

WELL, FOR STUDENTS WITH A 500 FOR PLAN.

OKAY. NOT WITH I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT A504 PLAN WAS.

SORRY ABOUT THAT. THAT'S OKAY.

I HATE TO SHOW MY IGNORANCE, BUT I'M LEARNING.

THANK YOU. DIAHANN CARROLL.

SORRY. 17, 18.

I GUESS I'M STILL.

WELL, IT'S 17, THE DOD FUNDING.

I LOOKED AT THIS THE LAST TIME AND IT SAYS FOR ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND IT'S ZERO OUT.

AM I CORRECT THAT THAT'S NOT COMING IN FROM THE ODD.

WHICH WHICH PAGE ARE YOU LOOKING AT? 72. AND IT WAS ON THE CHART THAT YOU PUT UP HERE WAS NUMBER 17, I THINK.

BUT IT'S 72.

YES. SO WE RECEIVED WE RECEIVED GRANTS OVER.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS ONE OTHER TIME.

AS WE GET A LITTLE BIT OF CLARIFICATION, WE GOT SOME GRANTS BACK IN LATE 2011, 2012 THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION TO FUND AND HELP SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ABOVE A CERTAIN PERCENT OF IMPACT AID CHILDREN, IN OTHER WORDS, MILITARY CONNECTED CHILDREN AT THAT SCHOOL.

AT THAT TIME, IT WAS 15%.

THOSE KIND OF TOOK A BREAK.

DURING COVID, WE DID JUST RECEIVE INFORMATION THAT THEY ARE STARTING THAT PROGRAM UP AGAIN.

AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THEY'VE LOWERED MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY'VE LOWERED IT TO 10% MILITARY CONNECTED INSTEAD OF 15.

SO I WOULD YEAH, WE WOULD BE APPLYING FOR THOSE.

AND AGAIN, IT'S THEY TAKE THE WHOLE NATION AND THEN THEY DIVIDE UP.

YEAH, YEAH I'M FAMILIAR WITH IT.

THAT'S WHY I ASK ABOUT IT THE LAST TIME AND I DIDN'T GET AN ANSWER SO THANK YOU.

MRS. HAHN. THANK YOU.

[03:10:01]

I'M TRYING TO LOOK AT THE SLIDE.

UM, WHERE IT SAYS CHART CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 36.

THE POSITION SUMMARY BY JOB CODE.

OR. IN THE PARENTHESES, IT'S 83.5 AND THEN OTHER IT'S 34.8.

ARE THOSE POSITIONS THAT WERE CUTTING FROM THE SCHOOLS? NO. SO THERE'S NO POSITIONS BEING.

WELL, 34.8 POSITIONS.

IF YOU LOOK ON THE RESTRICTED SECTION, DO YOU SEE THE -34.8? YES. THAT'S MOVING UP.

IF YOU GO UP ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR BY SIX LINES, YOU SEE THE 34.8.

WE'RE MOVING THAT INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET.

SO WITHIN THE OPERATING BUDGET, WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO APPROVE TONIGHT IS TO MOVE THOSE POSITIONS FROM RESTRICTED AND FUND THEM FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET.

LIKEWISE, THE TEACHING POSITIONS, THE 83.5.

THEY ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE TEACHER, COUNSELOR, PSYCHOLOGIST.

I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S A ONE FOR ONE.

THERE'S A FEW POSITIONS THAT WE'VE DETERMINED WERE NOT NEEDED.

BUT BETWEEN.

ON THAT TEACHER COUNSELOR LINE.

BUT THOSE ARE REFLECTED IN THE TEACHER COUNCIL LINE AND THE OPERATING BUDGET AS WELL.

DO YOU REMEMBER HOW MANY POSITIONS? WE DID NOT. WE COULD GET THAT, BUT IT'S A FEW POSITIONS THAT WE'RE NOT REQUESTING TO MOVE.

ARE THEY ARE THEY ALREADY PEOPLE THAT ARE EMPLOYED? NO, IT WOULD NOT BE.

WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS.

OKAY. OKAY.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU.

DR. HAROLD. SO I'M I'M WELL AWARE THAT WE NEED MORE THAN WE'RE ASKING FOR.

SO AM I TO UNDERSTAND THAT? THE CUTS THAT WERE MADE TO THE UNRESTRICTED FUND.

UM. WE COULD DO WITHOUT.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. WE HAD TO BALANCE THE BUDGET SO WE DID NOT WANT TO LOOK AT POSITIONS.

WE DID NOT WANT TO LOOK AT THINGS THAT WHAT WE DID REDUCE.

AND LET ME GO BACK BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE EASIER FOR ME TO REFERENCE A FEW LINE OF LINE ITEMS. THE FLEET LEASING IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.

WE WE PROBABLY NEED TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE VEHICLES THAT ARE OLD AND THEY'RE COSTING US A LOT OF MONEY TO REPAIR.

BUT. TO PUT THAT INTO A BUDGET WHERE WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO BE CONSERVATIVE AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY CONSIDER EVERYTHING GOING ON.

WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THE BEST TIME TO DO THAT.

SO WE'VE REMOVED IT FROM THE BUDGET.

YOU KNOW, IF THE STATE COMES BACK AND SAYS YOU'VE GOT A LOT MORE MONEY, THEN WE CAN DECIDE WHAT WE PUT BACK IN.

THIS MIGHT BE ONE OF THE THINGS WE PUT BACK IN BECAUSE WE REALLY NEED TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR VEHICLES IN THE SYSTEM BECAUSE WE HAVE MANY EMPLOYEES THAT DRIVE AROUND IN THESE EVERY DAY MAINTAINING OUR SCHOOLS.

AND IF WE'RE NOT MAINTAINING THE VEHICLES, THEY CAN'T DO THEIR JOBS.

SO THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE.

SO CAN WE DO WITHOUT IT? WE GET REALLY CREATIVE AND WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THINGS WORK.

BUT. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S GOING TO BE EASY TO DO THAT.

SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE ON A GRANT AND TECHNICALLY, IF THEY'RE ON A GRANT, WE HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THEY END WHEN THE GRANT FUNDS END.

IN THIS CASE, MANY OF THE POSITIONS THAT WE WANT TO MOVE OVER THERE DIRECTLY FOR OUR STUDENTS AND WE FEEL THEY'RE STILL NEEDED, SO WE WANT TO KEEP THEM ON THERE.

THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE COULD REMOVE AND IT'S ONE OF THE LEAST IMPACTFUL, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SAY.

WE CAN DO WITHOUT IT.

IT MAY BE HARD. I THINK THOSE ARE I MEAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT EACH LINE ITEM, SO BUT TO SAY WE CAN DO WITHOUT THAT FACILITIES NINE FTE INCREASES AND I SAID A LOT OF THAT HAD TO DO WITH INFLATION.

SO THOSE NUMBERS WERE ESTIMATES BASED ON SPENDING PATTERNS AND SO FORTH THAT WE NEEDED TO INCREASE SPECIFIC LINE ITEMS FOR THEM.

SO WE REDUCED IT BY 200,000.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS IF WE HAVE THINGS THAT ARE BROKEN AND WE NEED TO REPAIR THEM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIX IT.

THERE MAY NOT BE ENOUGH BUDGET IN THAT PARTICULAR LINE ITEM, SO WE'LL HAVE TO DO IT IF IT'S NECESSARY.

AND THEN WHEN WE BALANCE BY STATE CATEGORY, WE LOOK AND WE TRY TO SAVE IN ANOTHER AREA SO THAT WE CAN OFFSET THAT COST.

IF WE CAN'T, THAT'S WHEN WE COME BACK AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND LOOK AT TRANSFERRING AS WE NEED TO.

SO WE'LL STILL OPERATE.

AND AGAIN, OUR STAFF DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB OF SAYING, DO WE NEED TO DO THIS NOW? AND IF WE CAN PUSH IT OFF, WE WILL.

BUT IF WE CAN'T, THEN WE HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.

[03:15:01]

SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT.

RIGHT. SO WE'RE ASKING WE'RE MAKING SOME CALCULATED DECISIONS AND ASKING FOR LESS THAN WHAT WE WE MIGHT NEED.

CORRECT. AM I TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE DOING THAT? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT.

WHAT HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED IN TERMS OF.

YOU KNOW, STATE AND LOCAL POSITIONING.

AND WE'RE TRYING TO IN GOOD FAITH.

WORK WITH THOSE COMMUNICATIONS OR OUR LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING? YES. YES. WE I MEAN, WE'RE WE'RE ALL PARTNERS, SO WE HAVE TO HEAR WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND US, BE AWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND US, AND BALANCE THAT WITH ADVOCATING FOR OUR STAFF. SO WE FEEL THAT ASKING FOR THE WAGE PACKAGE AND THOSE SPORTS PARTICIPATION FEES FOR OUR FAMILIES IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASK THAT WE DID NOT WANT TO REDUCE AND THEN ADJUST ELSEWHERE IN THE BUDGET TO DO THAT.

THANK YOU. THIS IS PERRY PRETTY MUCH ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS FROM BEING HONEST AND KIND.

DR. PHILLIPS.

JUST KIND OF. ALLUDING TO WHAT JOYCE WAS SAYING.

WHERE WE'RE AND I UNDERSTAND WE WE ARE OPERATING ON A VERY LEAN BUDGET.

AND I KNOW EVERY TIME I TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION, THEY SAY, YES, WE ARE PRETTY, PRETTY LEAN AND MEAN.

BUT OTHER CUTS THAT WE'RE MAKING, ARE THEY HURTING ANY? I DON'T SAY HURTING, BUT ARE THEY AFFECTING ANY PROGRAMS FOR THE KIDS? I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.

ARE WE MISSING? ARE WE WE HAVING TO DROP PROGRAMS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN'S EDUCATION IN THE COMMUNITY AT THIS WITH THIS PROPOSED BUDGET? THERE'S NOTHING CHANGING RELATED TO PROGRAMING AND STAFFING.

SO PROGRAMS AND STAFFING GO TOGETHER.

SO IF YOU HAVE TO REDUCE STAFF, YOU QUITE OFTEN ARE LOOKING AT PROGRAMS. WE ARE NOT SUGGESTING ANY CHANGE WITHIN THIS BUDGET RELATED TO THOSE THINGS.

OKAY. AND THE OTHER THING I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT ALSO IS THE 3% OF ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

I THINK THAT'S RIDICULOUSLY LOW, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

BUT I THINK IT'S JUST A CREDIT FOR WHAT YOU ALL DO WITH THE SMALL AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT YOU HAVE TO OPERATE THIS $600 MILLION MACHINE.

SO THANK YOU. THIS IS RECURRING.

THANK YOU. YOU.

WE'VE TALKED ONE ON ONE, AND YOU'VE REALLY HELPED ME UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RESTRICTED AND UNRESTRICTED FUND.

I KNOW I DID HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FLEET LEASING.

AND YOU EXPLAINED THAT SALE OF THE VEHICLE.

IT UNDERESTIMATES THE THE COST OF WHAT WE WOULD BE FACING GOING FORWARD.

I DO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE SPORTS PETITION PATIENT BEING TRANSFERRED IF IT'S NOT COVERED.

I'M CONCERNED THAT WE MIGHT WHAT SOME FUTURE DECISIONS WE MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT SPORTS PARTICIPATION IS REALLY CRITICAL.

AND THE WAGE PACKAGE, WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE DRIVEN TO THE BLUEPRINT.

THE BLUEPRINT'S GOT SOME PRETTY STRINGENT IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM REQUIRED BY 2026.

SO I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR THE THE THE WAGE PACKAGE.

AND OF COURSE WE WE WANT THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST AND WE WE NEED TO WE NEED TO PUSH THE WAGE PACKAGE THROUGH IN AREAS WHERE AT THE END OF THE YEAR WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING AND IT'S CRITICAL TO BE COMPLETED AND WE CAN'T TRANSFER IT FROM ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL. BUT WE DO HAVE THE BALANCE FUND, RIGHT? WHAT IS THE BALANCE FUND AT THIS POINT? IS IT 37 MILLION OR.

I HAVE I'M FINALIZING A PROJECTION AS OF THE END OF DECEMBER 31ST NOW, SO I'LL BRING THAT BACK IN TWO WEEKS.

BUT WITH THE SURPLUS THAT WE HAVE PROJECTED FOR THIS YEAR, IT'S ANOTHER I'M GOING TO SAY 10 MILLION.

I HAD A LOT OF NUMBERS TODAY THAT OF GOING THROUGH.

I'M WORKING ON ACTUALS, I'M WORKING ON BUDGETS, SO DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT.

OKAY. BUT YES, SO THERE IS THE THE FUND BALANCE CAN BE USED FOR THOSE ONE TIME.

EXPENSES. WHAT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF IS THAT WE USE IT FOR SOMETHING ONGOING.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU EVENTUALLY RUN OUT OF THOSE FUNDS YOU CAN'T SUSTAIN, RIGHT.

THANK YOU, MR. BLINKEN.

I HAVE NO COMMENTS LINKING. VICE PRESIDENT.

YEAH. SO.

THANK YOU, DR. PAULSEN, FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A GREAT PRESENTATION FOR US, REALLY PUTTING INTO PERSPECTIVE HOW OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM IS OPERATING FINANCIALLY. YOU KNOW, IN REGARDS TO THE OVERALL COUNTY BUDGET.

[03:20:05]

AND I THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD THAT CARVER COUNTY CITIZENS KNOW HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING.

INVESTING IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.

VERSUS OTHER DISTRICTS.

YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO, RIGHT BEFORE COVID, WE HAD THE LEAST FUNDED SCHOOL SYSTEM PER PUPIL IN THE ENTIRE STATE.

AND IT REALLY JUST GOES TO THE CREDIT, GOES TO ALL OF THE EDUCATORS EVERY DAY WHO ARE HOLDING IT TOGETHER FOR US WITH THE LEAST FUNDING.

WE'RE STILL WITH THIS BUDGET.

WE'RE GOING TO BE TOWARDS THE BOTTOM.

SO I THINK WE HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY FOR HAVING A SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT CAN OPERATE SO EFFICIENTLY. AND THAT'S THAT'S IN COMPARISON TO OUR PEERS, RIGHT.

OTHER COUNTIES AROUND THE STATE.

SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, THE PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU PUT ON THIS.

SO SO THAT WE WE AND HARVARD COUNTY CITIZENS UNDERSTAND THAT.

SO SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT THIS YEAR.

AND I DON'T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR QUESTIONS BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID YOU GIVE US ALL THE INFORMATION EARLY, YOU GAVE US OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY AND ASK OUR QUESTIONS. AND I TRULY APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT YOU SPENT WITH ME AND WITH THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS TO HELP US GET UP TO SPEED WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE BUDGET AND FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK AND EFFORT YOU PUT INTO THIS.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THANK YOU. WE'RE HAPPY TO DO IT.

COULD I JUST MAKE ONE MORE COMMENT? IS THAT RIGHT? SURE.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE A POINT OF CLARIFICATION THAT YOU SAID AND WE HAVE SEEN THE LINE BY LINE IS AVAILABLE ON THE CPS WEBSITE BECAUSE IT WAS REPEATEDLY SAID IN TONIGHT'S MEETING THAT WE WERE HOLDING THAT INFORMATION BACK FROM THE BOARD AND FROM THE PUBLIC.

NOW, THE LINE BY LINE BUDGET IS AVAILABLE EVERY YEAR.

ALL OF OUR BUDGETS, YOU CAN GO BACK AND SEE THEM.

AND THEN THE SUMMARY BUDGET THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED IS A SUMMARY BY AREA.

BUT YOU CAN TAKE ITEMS THAT ARE REQUESTED.

THEY'RE SUMMARIZED BY.

SPECIAL EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY.

AND THERE'S TABS IN EACH OF THOSE BUDGETS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGE.

SO WE'VE TRIED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IN THE SUMMARY BUDGET.

AND THEN ONCE THE BUDGET IS FINALIZED, WE CREATE ANOTHER LINE BY LINE THAT WOULD INCORPORATE ANY CHANGES.

BUT WE DON'T KNOW ULTIMATELY IF ALL OF THESE CHANGES WILL BE IN THAT BUDGET.

SO IT'S A WAITING GAME BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE TO TO DETERMINE THAT.

BUT YES, IT IS AVAILABLE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.

SO HEARING NO MORE QUESTIONS.

THE NEXT THING WE NEED TO DO IS ASK FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE BUDGET.

SO WE HAVE THREE SEPARATE BUDGETS TO APPROVE.

SO IF WE CAN DO EACH ONE SEPARATELY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

GREAT. SO CAN I HAVE A MOTION ON THE UNRESTRICTED FUND FIRST? THIS IS JOYCE. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE UNRESTRICTED FUND PROPOSAL.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU.

ALL IN FAVOR? WELL, SHOULD WE DO A ROLL CALL VOTE? LET'S DO A ROLL CALL VOTE.

AND THIS IS MS..

ALVAREZ. CAN I SAY YES WITH COMMENT? BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK INTO THOSE THE THE SOFTWARE.

I THINK YOU DID A GREAT JOB IN ADJUSTING THE BUDGET REQUESTS.

AND BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BECAUSE IT SAYS IN HERE THAT WE'RE APPROVING SOMETHING.

AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR ON WHAT THAT MEANS LIKE.

SO IS THAT A YES OR NO? I GUESS I CAN'T DO IT WITH COMMENT.

SO I GUESS IT'S A NO.

OKAY, THAT'S FINE.

MRS. BURRIS? YES, MRS. HAHN. I'M SO SORRY.

I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.

SO IS THIS THE THIS IS NOT THE FINAL BUDGET, CORRECT.

SO YOU ARE GOING TO ASSUMING YOU APPROVE THIS BUDGET THIS EVENING? WE WILL PREPARE WHAT WE NEED TO TO SEND OVER TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BY MARCH 1ST.

THAT'S OUR DEADLINE TO GET THAT OVER TO HIM.

THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE DOES HIS WORK, THE COUNTY COUNCIL DOES THEIR WORK, AND WE THEN HAVE OUR NUMBER, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO BE.

AND WE START WORKING AT THAT POINT TO ADJUST WHAT'S NECESSARY.

[03:25:04]

WE STILL COME BACK BECAUSE THERE'S PRIORITIES THAT COME UP BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT NECESSARILY RIGHT NOW OR SOMETHING'S CHANGED.

SO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY NOW TO CONTINUE TO MEET WITH YOU, HELP YOU UNDERSTAND.

WE HAVE FOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS.

YOU MAY HAVE QUESTIONS THAT COME UP THAT YOU STILL WANT TO EXPLORE.

MS.. ALVAREZ YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WITH YOU TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.

BUT IT'S IT'S FLUID UNTIL THE FINAL VOTE IS TAKEN IN JUNE.

AND AT THAT POINT, YOU HAVE A FINAL BUDGET.

SO IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES OR ANY ISSUES THAT WE SEE, WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE WITH YOU AT THAT POINT.

AND WE COULD STILL MAKE CHANGES.

YES. YES.

SO THEN. YES. DR.

HAROLD? YES.

MISS PERRY? YES.

DR. PHILLIPS YES.

MS.. RICCARDI YES.

MS.. BLINKEN. DO I GET A VOTE ON THIS? IT'S A PREFERENTIAL.

PREFERENTIAL? YES.

THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT, SIR.

YES. PRESIDENT MILLER? YES. THIS MOTION PASSES.

THANK YOU. NEXT, I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE RESTRICTED FUND.

I MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESTRICTED FUND PROPOSAL.

I HAVE A SECOND. A SECOND.

MOZZARELLA. MS..

ALVAREZ? NO.

MS.. BRUCE? YES.

MS.. HAN. I'M SORRY.

ONE MORE QUESTION. SO THE RESTRICTED FUND, WE CANNOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO AT THAT POINT.

LIKE ONCE WE VOTE YES, IF THERE'S ANY ISSUES, WE CANNOT REVISIT THOSE BECAUSE IT'S FINISHED.

IS THAT CORRECT? IT'S STILL UP.

IT'S RIGHT.

SO WE CAN STILL MAKE WHATEVER CHANGES IF WE CORRECT AND REMEMBER WHAT THE RESTRICTED.

IT'S REALLY THE FUNDS THAT ARE COMING IN THAT WE WOULD BE VOTING TO CHANGE.

SO IT'S IT'S LIKELY THAT ONE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY NECESSARY CHANGES BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE YEAR.

BUT ALL OF THEM CAN BE CHANGED.

THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN A VERY LONG PROCESS.

OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THEN, YES.

DR. HAROLD? YES.

MISS PERRY? YES.

DR. PHILLIPS? YES.

MISS RICCARDI? YES.

MISS BLANKENSHIP? YES.

VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL YES.

PRESIDENT MUELLER? YES.

THIS MOTION PASSES.

THANK YOU. AND FINALLY, I NEED A MOTION IN A SECOND ON THE FOOD AND NUTRITION FUND.

I MOVE TO APPROVE THE FOOD AND NUTRITION FUND PROPOSAL.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? CAROL.

CAROL, A SECOND.

THANK YOU. MR. ZARRELLA. MS..

ALVAREZ? YES.

THIS. BRUCE IS MY SON.

YES. DR.

HAROLD? YES.

MISS PERRY? YES.

DR. PHILLIPS? YES.

MISS RICCARDI? YES.

MISS BLANKENSHIP? YES.

VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL? YES. PRESIDENT MUELLER.

YES. THIS MOTION PASSES.

AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU.

THANK YOU. SO NOW LET'S GET ON TO THE LIGHT STUFF HERE.

JUST KIDDING. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THE BLUEPRINT FOR OUR STUDENTS FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

[F. Presentation on the Blueprint for our Students' Future Implementation Plan, Ms. Katie Ridgway, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Mr. Mike O'Brien, Executive Director of Secondary Ed Services, Ms. Heather Kutcher, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Mr. Bernard Hennigan, Executive Director of Student Support Services, and Dr. Rebecca Gault, Teacher at Bel Air High School]

KATIE RIDGEWAY IS GOING TO DO THAT FOR US.

AND I GUESS THIS IS, AGAIN, AN AT ALL PRESENTATION.

I BROUGHT FRIENDS WITH ME TONIGHT.

HEY. YEAH.

ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING IT THROUGH THIS EVENING AND STAYING AND LISTENING TO OUR PRESENTATION.

AS I SAID, I DID BRING FRIENDS WITH ME THIS EVENING.

AS I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU, THE BLUEPRINT IS THE WORK OF MANY.

WE HAVE OVER 150 PEOPLE ON OUR BLUEPRINT COMMITTEES AND THEY CONTINUE TO GET ADDED AT EVERY MEETING.

AND SO I BROUGHT THE CO-CHAIRS WITH ME TO PRESENT OUR BLUEPRINT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

AS YOU'LL RECALL, WE HAVE TWO CO-CHAIRS IN EACH OF OUR COMMITTEES.

WE HAVE A COMMUNITY CO-CHAIR AND AN HCP CO-CHAIR.

AND I DID NOT INVITE OUR COMMUNITY CO-CHAIRS MAINLY BECAUSE I KNEW THIS WAS BUDGET NIGHT AND IT WAS GOING TO BE A LATE NIGHT.

AND THEY ARE TRULY VOLUNTEERS, ALTHOUGH THIS IS ABOVE AND BEYOND THEIR NORMAL DUTIES AS WELL.

SO I'LL GIVE EVERYONE A CHANCE TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.

WE'LL START DOWN WITH MIKE.

[03:30:03]

AND. WE HAVE HEATHER'S UNDER THE WEATHER AND SHE'S LOST HER VOICE.

SO SHE, AS A PROFESSIONAL, WANTED TO COME AND BE HERE.

BUT I AM GOING TO SPEAK FOR HER.

SO, HEATHER COUTURE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT, NOT ACHIEVEMENT.

I'VE MADE THAT MISTAKE BEFORE.

I CAN AGAIN. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES.

DR. REBECCA GAULT, AND I AM A NINTH GRADE ENGLISH TEACHER.

ALL RIGHT, GREAT.

ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, YOU WILL HEAR FROM THEM EACH IN A MOMENT.

SO I KNOW WE JUST WENT THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION LAST MONTH, BUT FOR ANYONE JUST TUNING IN FOR TONIGHT AND JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE IS A LAW.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT STARTED WITH THE LEGISLATURE HAVING THE COMMISSION ON INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHAT SHOULD BECOME LAW TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION IN AMERICA.

I'M SORRY, IN MARYLAND, THAT WAS THAT.

WE DEFINITELY GOT BIGGER JUST NOW IN MARYLAND.

THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY PASSED IT.

IT HAD TO OVERCOME A VETO.

AND IN FEBRUARY 2021, THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND'S FUTURE BECAME LAW.

SO ALL THE LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCIES GOT TO WORK IN TRYING TO ADDRESS HOW THEY'RE GOING TO START LOOKING AT WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IN THIS LAW TO MEET OUR MILESTONES IN THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT AREAS THAT ARE WITHIN THE BLUEPRINT.

AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT IS CRITICAL TO THE BLUEPRINT IS HAVING AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

NOW, SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITHOUT A PLAN.

AND NOW WE ARE EXCITED TO SAY THAT WE HAVE A DRAFT PLAN AND WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE WITH YOU AND THE PUBLIC THAT OUR DRAFT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS AVAILABLE ON HCP DOT ORG PUBLICLY FOR ALL TO VIEW AND JUDGE AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

SO A FEW THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

IT IS DUE TO THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION BOARD ON MARCH 15TH.

SO OUR FEEDBACK FORM, OUR SURVEY FEEDBACK IS GOING TO BE OPEN THROUGH MARCH 6TH SO EVERYONE CAN VIEW AGAIN OUR DRAFT PLAN ON HCP DOT ORG AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK THROUGH MARCH SIX.

THE PLAN IS IN A TEMPLATE THAT IS REQUIRED BY THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME WELL KNOWS I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED WHEN I FOUND OUT THERE'S A TEMPLATE BECAUSE I LIKE TO BE CREATIVE AND I LIKE TO MAKE THINGS LOOK A CERTAIN WAY.

BUT ULTIMATELY, SINCE IT'S ALMOST 200 PAGES, I WAS REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE TEMPLATE.

BUT I SAY THAT IT'S A TEMPLATE JUST SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND IN THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT.

WE ARE RESPONDING TO REQUIRED QUESTIONS.

THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE IN THE TEMPLATE DID NOT COME FROM US.

THESE ARE NOT THE QUESTIONS WE ARE ASKING.

THIS IS WHAT THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS ASKED US TO PROVIDE AND OUR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

IT HAS 164 QUESTIONS OR DATA TABLES THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BE ANSWERED OR TO BE FILLED OUT.

WE HAVE A 200 PAGE LIMIT IN OUR FINAL PLAN, AND IT WILL HAVE A STATE LEVEL REVIEW PROCESS WHERE WE WILL BE LOOKED AT AND WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO REVIEW, UPDATE AND CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT PLAN.

THE PLAN IS THE STARTING POINT.

THE PLAN IS THE BASELINE.

THIS IS WHERE WE'RE STARTING.

THERE ARE TEN YEARS WORTH OF MANDATES IN THE BLUEPRINT, AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT PROVIDING YOUR FEEDBACK.

SOME FEEDBACK MIGHT BE IMPORTANT TO THE PLAN TODAY, BUT SOME FEEDBACK MIGHT BE IMPORTANT TO THE PLAN AND THE WORK THAT WE NEED TO DO FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.

WE'LL TAKE BOTH.

WE'LL TAKE WHATEVER FEEDBACK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU AND TO ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS.

AND SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO THIS EVENING IS TO GIVE YOU JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE IN OUR WRITTEN PLAN AND ALSO GIVE EACH OF OUR CO-CHAIRS A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEIR COMMITTEE IS DOING.

BEFORE I GET INTO THAT, I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REALLY REITERATE AND SHOW THE STAKEHOLDER COMMITMENT.

NOW THE BLUEPRINT ITSELF KIND OF DEMANDS STAKEHOLDER COMMITMENT, BUT WE HAVE ALSO INCORPORATED THAT INTO THE HEART OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.

BEFORE WE EVEN BEGAN OUR COMMITTEES, WE STARTED WITH A FEEDBACK FOCUS GROUP PROCESS WHERE WE PROVIDED FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS AND HAD AN ANALYSIS DONE ON WHAT THOSE INTERPRETATIONS, IMPRESSIONS OF THE BLUEPRINT WERE.

AND WE FOUND WHAT WAS IMPORTANT IS THAT WE WANTED DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS IN EVERY COMMITTEE.

WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO JUST BE CENTRAL OFFICE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMITTEES.

WE WANTED STRONG COMMUNICATION PLANS.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS WERE PART OF OUR FINDINGS AND OUR FIRST FEEDBACK ANALYSIS.

SO FROM THERE WE HAVE FIVE BLUEPRINT COMMITTEES, 12 WORK GROUPS, 150 COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

WE HAVE A FEEDBACK SURVEY THAT WE POST AT THE END OF EVERY SINGLE BLUEPRINT MEETING, AND WE'VE HAD OVER 230 RESPONSES FOR THAT MEETING FEEDBACK PROVIDING US

[03:35:10]

WE'RE DOING SMALL GROUP WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS NOT JUST AT HCP BUT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.

HARTFORD BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE WE'VE PRESENTED TO THE HARFORD COUNTY DELEGATION.

WE HAVE OUR OWN BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

I MEAN, WE'VE MADE A COMMITMENT TO GETTING THIS OUT AS ANYWHERE WE NEED TO.

IF ANY OF YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF A PLACE THAT NEEDS A PRESENTATION OR A WORKSHOP, I'LL BE HAPPY TO COME AND PROVIDE THAT.

WE ARE HAVING A TEAM'S LIVE EVENT FOR ALL STAFF ON FEBRUARY 17TH THAT WILL INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR BLUEPRINT PLAN AND ASK ALL STAFF TO GO AND REVIEW AND SEE THEIR PLAN AND PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK.

AND SO WITH THAT, I WILL START WITH PILLAR ONE EARLY CHILDHOOD.

SO THIS PART OF THE BLUEPRINT AND IS ABOUT 30 PAGES IN OUR WRITTEN RESPONSE, AND IT FOCUSES ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PRE-K THROUGH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRE-K PROVIDERS.

SO WE HAVE HEATHER CRUTCHER, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT AS ONE OF OUR CO CHAIRS.

OUR COMMUNITY CO CHAIR FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD IS DEB MARLATT OF THE HARFORD ED FOUNDATION.

THIS GROUP HAS REALLY HONED IN ON TWO REALLY SPECIFIC GOALS, AND JUST HAVING TWO GOALS DOES NOT MAKE THIS SIMPLE, BUT THEY'RE REALLY THEIR MAIN GOALS ARE HOW DO WE EXPAND ACCESS TO PRE K? SO IF A STUDENT WANTS TO HAVE PRE K, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ACCESS? AND THEN HOW DO WE DO THAT WITH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR PRIVATE PROVIDERS? AND THAT IS A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING.

WE HAVE OVER 300 PRIVATE PROVIDERS IN HARFORD COUNTY AND THIS LAST YEAR WE ONLY, WE HAD TWO FAMILY PROVIDERS WITH A TOTAL OF 16 SEATS PROVIDING PRE K UNDER THE BLUEPRINT.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE IN THAT AREA.

AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT OUR PLAN IS IN THOSE FIRST 30 PAGES OF THE OUR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

ALL RIGHT. SO OUR NEXT PILLAR IS ELEVATING EDUCATORS.

NOW, THIS ONE IS ALSO ABOUT 30 PAGES, AND IT GOES THROUGH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BLUEPRINT THAT HAVE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CAREER LADDER GOALS FOR DIVERSITY, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION AND SUSTAINABLE TALENT PATHWAYS FOR EDUCATORS.

SO WHEN YOU'RE REVIEWING THE QUESTIONS IN THAT SECTION, IT COVERS THOSE AREAS.

IT TALKS ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO CREATE A CAREER LADDER, WHAT ARE OUR MILESTONES WE WANT TO TRY TO MEET? HOW ARE WE GOING ABOUT THAT GOAL OF DIVERSITY, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, AND WHAT PLANS DO WE HAVE FOR GROWING OUR OWN EDUCATORS? AND SO THAT'S WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THAT PORTION OF THE BLUEPRINT.

SO I'M NOW GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DR.

REBECCA GAULT, WHO IS OUR BRAND NEW HBS CO CHAIR.

AND SHE'S HAD ONE MEETING AND HAS A LOT TO SAY ALREADY.

YES. GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO OUR PRESENTATION THIS EVENING.

SO I AM REALLY GRATEFUL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE LEADERSHIP IN HARVARD COUNTY FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CO CHAIR THE COMMITTEE FOR THE PILLAR FOR PILLAR TWO, WHICH AGAIN, AS KATIE SAID, IS FOCUSED ON THE HIRING AND SUPPORTING AND RETENTION OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, DIVERSE STAFF THAT WILL MEET OUR STUDENTS NEEDS AND RAISE THEM TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THEIR POTENTIAL.

AT OUR LATEST COMMITTEE MEETING, THE ENERGY WAS ELECTRIFYING.

IT WAS AND THE FEEDBACK INDICATED JUST SO MUCH OPPORTUNITY HERE.

WE TALKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR A SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP COMPONENT, AN OPPORTUNITY TO REIMAGINE LEADERSHIP, AND WE SEE REALLY INSPIRING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPOWERING OUR EDUCATORS, PROVIDING MORE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES, INCREASING COLLABORATION AT ALL LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP.

WE SEE OPPORTUNITIES TO AMPLIFY EDUCATOR EXPERIENCE EXPERTISE AND THEIR THEIR LOVE FOR THEIR STUDENTS AND THEIR PASSION FOR WHAT THEY DO.

WE SEE GREATER OPPORTUNITIES TO MEANINGFULLY CELEBRATE THE WORK OF ALL OF OUR EDUCATORS AND ALL OF OUR STAFF.

AND WE ALSO SEE SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE EQUITY AND REALLY SHARE THE WORK.

ANOTHER OBSERVATION THAT I HAD AFTER OUR EXHILARATING, EXCITING, ENERGIZING MEETING WAS THAT TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS IN THE

[03:40:01]

AND HOPEFULLY THAT IS A THEME THAT HAS RUN THROUGHOUT TONIGHT'S MEETING.

A THEME THAT WE'VE HEARD THROUGH THE VARIOUS PRESENTATIONS TONIGHT IS THAT NEED FOR ALL VOICES AND THAT IS THE NEED THAT WE BRING HERE TO YOU TONIGHT. SO WE MUST EMBRACE THAT DIVERSITY BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF INCLUSION OF ALL VOICES IN THIS BLUEPRINT ABOUT HOW TO ELEVATE EDUCATORS WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN.

THERE IS SO MUCH HOPE IN THE BLUEPRINT, AND I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THE WORK.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH TONIGHT FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ALL.

THANK YOU, DR. GAULT.

AND I WOULD BE REMISS NOT TO MENTION YOUR NEW PARTNER IN CRIME, WHICH IS DR.

LISA TUTTLE, WHO IS A PROFESSOR AT HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WHO IS OUR COMMUNITY CO CHAIR, WHO HAS GOTTEN STARTED.

AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF PLANS, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHERE THEY TAKE US.

SO THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

THE NEXT PILLAR IN THE BLUEPRINT IS THE LARGEST SECTION OF THE BLUEPRINT.

SO AT ONE POINT IN THE DRAFT, IT WAS ABOUT 100 PAGES.

BUT THROUGH SOME EDITING AND THROUGH SOME OTHER THINGS, IT'S MORE LIKE 75 PAGES, AND THAT IS THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PILLAR.

SO THIS IS THE PILLAR THAT ALIGNS WITH THE NORTH STAR INITIATIVE.

BUT WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THAT 75 PLUS PAGES IS ABOUT A THIRD OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS ON THE READING CURRICULUM.

A THIRD IS ON THE MATH CURRICULUM, AND THEN A THIRD IS ON THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PATHWAYS.

ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION, STUDENT SUPPORT PATHWAYS AND ALL OF THE GREAT WORK THAT IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THAT THAT PARTICULAR COMMITTEE.

AND SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT OUR BLUEPRINT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, THAT IT HAS SUCH A HEAVY CURRICULAR COMPONENT AND THAT IT HAS A, AS I SAID, A LARGE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT READING ABOUT MATH AND THEN ABOUT OUR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.

SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MIKE O'BRIEN.

AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE LARGEST PART.

WELCOME. SO WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, AND WHEN WE GOT STARTED WITH THIS WORK, WE WERE PRETTY PLEASED THAT WE WERE ALREADY OFF TO A REALLY GOOD START.

A LOT THAT'S IN THE BLUEPRINT REGARDING THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AS WORK.

WE WE HONESTLY STARTED WHEN DR.

BOLTON CAME HERE AND IT STARTED WITH OUR GRADUATE OUTCOMES.

SO AS WE WE WORK KIND OF BACKWARDS FROM GRADUATION ON BACK, WE WANT STUDENTS TO HAVE ACCESS AND WE WANT STUDENTS TO HAVE OPPORTUNITY.

WE CAME BEFORE THIS BOARD IN DECEMBER WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND MAKING SURE OUR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS REALLY ALIGN WITH THAT WHOLE, YOU KNOW, WHOLE VISION OF OPPORTUNITY AND CHOICE FOR OUR STUDENTS.

AND THAT'S REALLY THE IMPETUS OF THE BLUEPRINT AS WELL.

WE'RE REALLY PROUD THAT AT THIS POINT STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS AP AND IB AT EVERY ONE OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS.

STUDENTS CAN NOW ACCESS DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT NO COST, WHICH IS A HUGE GAME CHANGER FOR OUR STUDENTS.

IN ADDITION, STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, APPRENTICESHIPS AND CTE WITH INDUSTRY RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALING.

THAT'S HUGE AND WE STARTED WORKING ON THAT BEFORE THE YEAR AND A HALF THAT WE STARTED ON THIS BLUEPRINT WORK.

WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TEAMS BECAUSE THE WORK IS SO GREAT.

SO MY SECOND PILLAR THERE REALLY HAS TO DO WITH OUR WORK TEAMS. OUR FIRST WORK TEAM IS DEFINING CCR, WHICH IS AN EVER CHANGING DEFINITION, AND OUR EARLY WARNING INDICATORS, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN JUST A SECOND, WE HAVE A CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT ALIGNMENT TEAM, OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL INNOVATION TEAM, WHICH IS HUGE.

AND YOU GUYS WILL ACTUALLY HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THAT A LITTLE LATER IN THE SPRING.

OUR CCR PATHWAYS AS WELL AS OUR STUDENT SUPPORT PATHWAY.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE PROUDEST OF, WHICH WAS OUR ACTION ITEM FOR LAST YEAR.

THIS FALL, WE HAD TO HAVE AN EARLY WARNING INDICATOR PROGRAM SET UP FOR ALL OF OUR INCOMING NINTH GRADERS.

AND WHAT THAT HAD TO DO WAS PROVIDE DATA FOR HOW ON TRACK OUR STUDENTS ARE FOR CCR, FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.

AS YOU KNOW, OUR STUDENTS, WE WANT THEM TO BE CCR READY BY THE TIME THEY FINISHED 10TH GRADE.

AND WE NEEDED A TOOL THAT WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO MONITOR THEIR PROGRESS.

SO IT'S NOT TOO LATE THAT WE FIND OUT AT THE END OF GRADE TEN THAT THEY WEREN'T COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.

SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD THAT BY THIS FALL WE HAD THAT INDICATOR UP AND RUNNING.

[03:45:01]

SO WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON OUR SIXTH GRADE INDICATOR.

THAT'LL HELP US CREATE METRICS FOR OUR SIXTH GRADERS TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO SEVEN AND TO EIGHT.

SO BY THIS SPRING WE'LL HAVE OUR SIXTH GRADE INDICATORS UP AND RUNNING.

AND THEN SECOND TO THAT IS OUR SUPPORT PATHWAY.

BY THE FALL.

WE NEED TO HAVE A SUPPORT PATHWAY IN PLACE.

SO WE KNOW FOR THE STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT CCR GOING INTO 11TH GRADE, HOW WE'RE GOING TO HELP THEM BECOME CCR AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND AT THE SAME TIME STILL ALLOWING THEM ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE.

ALIGNING WITH OUR GRADUATE OUTCOMES.

SO A LOT OF WORK AND THANK YOU TO MISS HAN, WHO'S GOING TO BE ON OUR TEAM.

THANK YOU. AND OUR COMMUNITY CO-CHAIR FOR THAT IS MR. SYKORA, WHO IS HEAD OF THE HARTFORD BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE.

AND HE'S A GREAT CHAMPION OF THAT WORK.

AND THERE'S JUST A LOT GOING ON IN THAT AREA.

SO THANK YOU, MIKE. ALL RIGHT.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THIS PILLAR HAS.

THAT'S ABOUT 25 PAGES.

SO YOU CAN SEE TOWARDS THE END OF OUR PLAN IS WHERE YOU WOULD FIND THE STUDENT SUPPORT SECTION.

THE STUDENT SUPPORTS SECTION OF THE BLUEPRINT IS REALLY FOCUSING ON EXPANDING SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO ALL STUDENTS WHO NEED IT, INCLUDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, STUDENTS EXPERIENCING POVERTY OR HOMELESSNESS, AND STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, AND THE FLOW OF THE QUESTIONS WITHIN THAT SECTION IN OUR DRAFT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

FOLLOW EACH ONE OF THOSE.

SO THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION, SPECIAL QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY, WHICH YOU'VE HEARD A COUPLE OF TIMES THIS EVENING, AND QUESTIONS ABOUT BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES.

AND THAT IS ALL IN OUR DRAFT PLAN FOR YOU TO REVIEW.

SO WITH THAT, MR. HENNIGAN. GOOD EVENING.

SO, YEAH, AS KATIE MENTIONED, WE STARTED OUR GROUPS LAST YEAR AND REALLY JUST NEEDED TO EDUCATE A LOT OF OUR OUTSIDE STAKEHOLDERS ON WHAT WE DO IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHAT OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, HOW DO WE IDENTIFY STUDENTS IN POVERTY.

SO WE SPENT A LOT OF OUR FIRST FEW MEETINGS REALLY EDUCATING EVERYBODY, HAVING GREAT PRESENTATIONS FROM VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO COME IN AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE'S REALLY AWARE OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.

AND THIS IS THE GREAT PART ABOUT STUDENT SUPPORTS IS A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE ALREADY IN PLACE.

SO NOW OUR GOAL IS TO ENHANCE IT AND MAKE IT BETTER AND CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN.

WHEN WE FIRST STARTED LOOKING AT OUR SCHOOL BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND TAKING A LOOK AT THE PROVIDERS AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A FEW WEEKS AGO WITH THE ATTENDANCE POLICY THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE OUTSIDE PROVIDERS THAT COME INTO OUR BUILDINGS TO PROVIDE THERAPY TO STUDENTS.

SO PARENTS WHO CAN'T GET THEIR CHILD TO THERAPY AFTER SCHOOL, THOSE PROVIDERS COME INTO OUR BUILDINGS AND WE HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, WHICH IS ALSO A PART OF OF BLUEPRINT.

THAT IS, EVERY EVERY COUNTY HAS TO HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST.

WE'VE HAD HER ON BOARD SINCE FEBRUARY OF 19, AND SHE REALLY COORDINATES A LOT OF THOSE SERVICES.

BUT WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO LOOK AT WITH THE BLUEPRINT REALLY IS ASKING US TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ENSURE STUDENTS ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OUTSIDE OF OUR BUILDING WHEN THEY NEED IT. SO THAT'S A LOT OF THE WORK THAT SHE'S DOING WITH THESE PARTNERS.

AND WE CONTINUE TO GROW.

MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS NOW MOVING TO HAVING MORE THAN ONE PARTNER IN THEIR BUILDING BECAUSE OF THE NEED.

SO WHAT WE DECIDED THIS FALL WAS WE REALIZED THAT THIS WORK WAS JUST TOO BIG FOR THIS GROUP.

SO WE BROKE INTO SUBGROUPS, ONE FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ONE FOR STUDENTS IN POVERTY, ONE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND ONE FOR OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.

SO NOW THOSE SUBCOMMITTEES HAVE NOW GONE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND WITHIN THE SYSTEM TO PULL IN OTHER PARTNERS THAT CAN SPECIALIZE IN THOSE AREAS AND HELP US GROW.

SO IN ADDITION TO THE WORK WITH MENTAL HEALTH, WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS AS WELL AND MAKING SURE THAT WE GRADUATE, INCREASE OUR GRADUATION RATE FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, AS WELL AS MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE HITTING THEIR MARKS AND HITTING THEIR GOALS.

AS MR. O'BRIEN SPOKE ABOUT AND USING THOSE EARLY WARNING INDICATORS, USING OUR STAFF AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE PREPARED TO MOVE INTO THEIR POST-SECONDARY WORLD, WHETHER IT BE THE WORKFORCE, WHETHER IT BE CTE, WHETHER IT BE COLLEGE.

SO MAKING SURE THERE ARE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS ARE WELL PREPARED.

AND THE SAME GOES WITH OUR LAW STUDENTS AS WELL, MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE ALL THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEED FROM THE TIME THEY ENROLL WITH US ALL THE WAY THROUGH THEIR GRADUATION. THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE FINAL PIECE HERE IN GREEN IS OUR STUDENTS IN POVERTY.

SO WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT I SHOULDN'T SAY SO MANY.

WE HAVE VARIOUS FUNDING STREAMS COMING IN REGARDING OUR STUDENTS OF POVERTY, WHETHER IT BE CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY, WHETHER IT BE OUR TITLE ONE SCHOOLS, AND OUR OWN PERSONAL HOMEGROWN INITIATIVE OF LOOKING AT PRIORITY SCHOOLS.

SO WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO NOW IS TO GET BETTER AT ALIGNING THOSE EFFORTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WHEN WE HAVE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE TITLE AND MONIES THAT ALSO HAVE A CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY, MONEY THAT ALSO MAY BE LOOKED AT AS A PRIORITY SCHOOL, THAT WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THOSE SCHOOLS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE MAXIMIZING THOSE FUNDS TO

[03:50:06]

AND THAT'S ALL DONE THROUGH ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE WHOLE CHILD, WHICH REALLY STUDENT SUPPORTS IS SORT OF THE BASIC THEME OF THE STUDENT SUPPORT GROUP.

SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK WE'RE DOING AND AGAIN, LEARNING FROM OUR OUTSIDE STAKEHOLDERS ARE PROVIDING US INPUT ON THINGS THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT OR THINK PERSPECTIVES THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE HAD.

SO THAT'S REALLY BEEN A VALUABLE ASSET.

SO WE CONTINUE TO MEET EVERY MONTH AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THESE FOUR AREAS.

THANK YOU. AND OUR COMMUNITY CO-CHAIR FOR THAT COMMITTEE IS BARRY KLEIN OF HEALTHY HARTFORD.

AND WE HAVE MS..

BLINKEN ON THAT COMMITTEE.

AND I THINK WE'RE ADDING, IS IT MS..

ALVAREZ IS JOINING THAT COMMITTEE AS WELL.

SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK.

SO THANK YOU ALL. SO THERE IS ANOTHER PILLAR, AND THIS PILLAR IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOVERNANCE PILLAR.

THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE BLUEPRINT, AND THIS IS THE SHORTEST SECTION.

IT IS JUST THE LAST TEN PAGES, AND IT IS THE GOVERNANCE REQUIREMENTS WHERE MSD HAS ASKED, HOW ARE WE GOING ABOUT IMPLEMENTING THIS WORK? HOW ARE WE INVOLVING STAKEHOLDERS, WHAT ARE THE PLANS AND HOW ARE WE GOING ABOUT IMPLEMENTING IT? HOW ARE WE ALIGNING OUR BUDGET PROCESSES, ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, AND THOSE ARE IN OUR LAST TEN PAGES.

SO PLEASE REVIEW THAT AND PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK.

THIS WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY FOR THIS PILLAR IS THAT SINCE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IS CENTRAL TO THE BLUEPRINT AND SINCE IT'S CENTRAL TO WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO THE FOUNDATION, IT IS A PLEA TO PLEASE LOOK AT THE PLAN AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

PLEASE SEND IT TO ANY GROUPS THAT YOU ARE A PART OF OR ASK ME TO COME AND TALK TO ANY GROUP THAT YOU ARE A PART OF OR ASK ANY OF OUR COLLEAGUES TO TALK ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. BUT THE MORE FEEDBACK WE GET, THEN, THE MORE INFORMATION WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALIGNING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS WORK.

SO WITH THAT, A REMINDER THAT RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN WE ARE AT THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN STAGE AND THEN WE GET TO ENACT THIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND ACTUALLY WORK TOWARDS OUR MILESTONES AND THAT THESE MILESTONES LAST THROUGH 2034.

THE ALL OF THIS IS AVAILABLE ON HTTPS DOI.ORG YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE SUPERINTENDENTS TAB IN THE BLUE BAR AND UNDER THAT IS BLUEPRINT.

AND THEN THERE THERE'S ACTUALLY A NEW NOTICE THAT SAYS WHICH ISN'T IN MY SCREENSHOT THAT'S, THAT SHOWS THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AS WELL AS THE FEEDBACK FORM.

YOU CAN ALSO GET THERE THROUGH THE FRONT, THE HOME PAGE SCROLLING BANNER.

IT'S ONE OF THE ONES THAT POPS UP BAR AND YOU CAN SEARCH FOR IT.

THAT'S RIGHT BLUEPRINT AND THANK YOU AND WITH THAT I'M THAT THAT'S I THINK THAT'S IT.

SO ANY QUESTIONS.

I HAVE A QUESTION. JUST THIS IS JUST KIND OF ADMINISTRATIVE JUST TO JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU GET TO IT.

CAN WE CAN WE ACROSS THE TOP THERE, THERE'S ABOUT US PARENTS, STUDENTS, STAFF.

CAN WE JUST PUT LIKE A BLUEPRINT, LIKE WHOEVER DOES THE WEBSITE FOR US JUST PUT UP.

BUT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A GOOD IDEA OR NOT.

THERE'S A LOT OF INITIATIVES.

SO I WOULD FEEL, YOU KNOW, IF MY IF THE BLUEPRINT WAS THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT INITIATIVES THAT MIGHT WANT THEIR OWN LANDING SPOT, BUT WE COULD CERTAINLY TALK ABOUT IT.

RIGHT NOW, IT'S UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENTS TAB.

YOU CAN ALSO DO THE SEARCH BAR TOO.

LIKE LITTLE SEARCH. I THINK IT'S A BIG ENOUGH INITIATIVE THAT IT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN SPOT.

THAT'S WHAT I MEAN. IT'S LIKE IT'S KIND OF BIG.

SO IT'S EASY TO FIND BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SO MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS INVOLVED IN IT.

IT WOULD BE NICE.

WE WILL. I WILL. I WILL GET ON THAT TOMORROW.

IT'S IT'S IMPORTANT.

THE WORK YOU'RE DOING IS IMPORTANT.

GOOD IDEA. NOT A GOOD IDEA.

I GET IT THAT IT'S IMPORTANT.

THERE ARE A LOT OF INITIATIVES.

AND IF YOU REMEMBER THE WEBSITE PRIOR TO US UPDATING IT IN 2020, IT WAS A MISHMASH OF LITTLE TINY SQUARES.

SO I'M ADDING A MISH BECAUSE WE ADDED THINGS.

IT'S ALWAYS HARD ON THE WEBSITE AND THE LINE I LIKE TO USE, IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW MUCH TO PUT IN BOLD.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EARLIER TONIGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET.

I HAD TO REMIND PEOPLE WHERE TO FIND THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S HUGELY IMPORTANT ALSO.

AND YOU'VE GOT TO GET THROUGH ABOUT US.

SO IT IS GOING TO COACH PEOPLE TO USE THE SEARCH BAR.

BUT WE CERTAINLY KEEP NORTH STAR RIGHT ON THE FRONT PAGE ALL THE TIME, TOO.

SO. AND I DON'T FRANKLY KNOW HOW MUCH RE-ENGINEERING THE WEBSITE WOULD NEED TO ADD ONE OF THOSE TABS.

WHEN YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE THE TEMPLATES IS A TEMPLATE.

[03:55:03]

AND IN THE OTHER 23 DISTRICTS IN THE STATE PRETTY MUCH ALIGN THE SAME WAY AS AS WE ARE.

SO THE TEMPLATE IS THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT ITSELF.

SO MSDE CREATED 164 QUESTIONS AND DATA TABLES THAT EVERY DISTRICT IS ANSWERING THE EXACT SAME QUESTIONS AND DATA TABLES, AND THEY FORMATTED IT IN A THEY FORMATTED IT IN A DOCUMENT THAT WE HAD TO POPULATE.

SO THAT'S THE TEMPLATE.

SO WE HAD TO WE IT'S VERY PRESCRIPTIVE.

I'VE TAKEN A COUPLE CREATIVE LIBERTIES WE'LL SEE AND MADE SURE I ADDED OUR HTTPS LOGO ON IT, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THE SO THE WAY THESE ARE SET UP, AS FAR AS EACH OF THE FOUR PILLARS, ALL THE PILLARS ARE THE SAME.

WE HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT NAMES.

YES, WE, WE HAVE LIKE WE CALL OUR NORTHSTAR PILLAR, THAT'S COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.

AND I BELIEVE THE STUDENT SUPPORT PILLAR IS CALLED SOMETHING LIKE MORE RESOURCES FOR EVERY STUDENT TO SUCCEED.

IT'S REALLY LONG AND WE REBRANDED WE WE THE CAREER LADDER IS NOW ELEVATING EDUCATOR, SO WE HAVE MESSED WITH THE TITLES, BUT THE SUBJECT MATTER IS THE SAME THANK YOU FORMATS THE SAME FOR ALL THE SCHOOLS.

IS JUST WAY TOO CREATIVE.

SHE HAD TO FIX ALL THOSE THINGS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THIS CROWD UP HERE? I DID WANT TO JUST SAY, MR. O'BRIEN, I WAS I WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT.

YOU'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT CCR BEFORE 10TH GRADE.

SO IT WAS VERY ENCOURAGING.

YEAH, WE MIGHT. CAN I SAY WE ALSO WANT TO TAKE IT DOWN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

YEAH. HAVE METRICS FOR EVERY RATING.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALK TO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS IS THEY'LL SAY THEY WANT TO PREPARE KIDS FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND THEN WE ASK THEM A LITTLE MORE DEEP, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO IF WE HAVE METRICS THAT WE WANT EVERY KID TO ACHIEVE, THAT'S GOING TO GET US ALIGNED FOR CCR AND FOR FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS ESPECIALLY, THAT'S THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WORK. AND IT'S WORK WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF RIGHT NOW.

WHAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WE HAVE A LOT OF BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE BAND FROM THE SEVENTIES, COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.

I HAVE HAD I HAVE HAD ONE FEEDBACK DURING OUR STEERING COMMITTEE.

ONE OF OUR STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAS ASKED FOR A GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND HE HE AND I ARE WORKING ON IT TOGETHER.

SO IT'S NOT IN THE DRAFT RIGHT NOW, BUT IN OUR FINAL DRAFT THERE WILL BE A GLOSSARY OF TERMS. SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE IN THERE THAT ARE IN THE CC'D PART.

I CAN'T CHANGE IT. SO IT'LL SAY SOMETHING LIKE LEAH, WHICH IS LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY.

I CAN'T CHANGE THE WORDS OF THE MSDH QUESTION, BUT I CAN PUT A GLOSSARY.

SO I'M WORKING ON THAT WITH AND THAT'S A COMMUNITY MEMBER FROM TOWSON UNIVERSITY WHO SUGGESTED THAT AND HE AND I ARE WORKING ON IT TOGETHER.

HE'S ALL INTO IT.

SO WHICH IS GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT YOU TAKING IT DOWN TO KINDERGARTEN, THOUGH, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH A LOT OF BALLERINAS AND FIREMEN.

I WAS GOING TO SAY SORRY YOU HAD TO THROW THAT OUT THERE.

APPRECIATE. WE NEED MORE FIREMEN.

WE DO. WE DO.

OUR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES DESPERATELY NEED PEOPLE, SO.

OKAY TO KEEP IT AT KINDERGARTEN.

KEEP THAT ENTHUSIASM THERE BECAUSE THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU. AND I THINK THE NEXT THING WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO IS ITEM G, THE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT.

[G. Superintendent's Report]

YOU WANT TO THROW IN DR. PHILLIPS? ALL RIGHT. A FEW THINGS TONIGHT.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES FROM EACH SCHOOL WERE ANNOUNCED FEBRUARY SIX.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE ANNOUNCED ONE FROM EVERY SCHOOL.

SOON WE'LL BE ANNOUNCING OUR TOP FIVE AND INVITE EVERYONE TO TUNE IN APRIL 12TH, WHEN THE TEACHER OF THE YEAR, ALONG WITH THE TEACHER HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES, ARE GOING TO BE NAMED.

SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS ON THAT.

CONGRATULATIONS. IT'S BEEN A LONG NIGHT, FOLKS.

CONGRATULATIONS TO CLAIRE.

RING FALL TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHO WAS NAMED AS A FINALIST FOR THE 2023 MARYLAND SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR BY THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

WE'LL BE CHEERING HER ON WHEN THEY NAME THE LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR ON APRIL 15TH.

THIS THURSDAY IS AN EARLY DISMISSAL, AND FRIDAY, SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED FOR STUDENTS AS STAFF ATTEND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

SWAN CREEK SCHOOL APPLICATIONS CLOSED THIS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH AND WEDNESDAY.

FEBRUARY 15TH IS ALSO CTE NIGHT AT PATTERSON MILL, AND THAT'S OPEN TO FAMILIES WITH STUDENTS IN GRADES TWO THROUGH SEVEN.

SO ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO STOP BY BETWEEN SIX AND 8:00 PM TO LEARN ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND WHAT STEPS YOU'LL WANT TO TAKE LEADING UP TO YOUR DECISION.

[04:00:06]

PRECIOUS. FOR JAMES LOU AND SOPHOMORE CARTER WELLS, THEY ALL PASS THE NETWORK PLUS EXAM AT THE END OF JANUARY ON THEIR FIRST ATTEMPT.

THE CERTIFICATION THEY EARN MAKES THEM CAREER READY AS MANY COMPANIES WILL BE ABLE TO CONSIDER THESE STUDENTS FOR JOBS AT THE AGES OF 16 AND 17 BECAUSE THEY ARE NOW CERTIFIED.

SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF AMAZING.

STEP ONE FOR THE STUDENTS IN OUR P-TECH PROGRAM.

THEY HAVE SO MANY COOL THINGS COMING THEIR WAY.

BUT IT'S GREAT TO SEE THEY'RE ALL IN THEIR JUNIOR YEAR THIS YEAR AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHERE THEY ALL GO OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING WITH US TONIGHT AND WE WILL SEE YOU SOON.

SO THE NEXT BOARD MEETING IS ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2023 AT 6:30 P.M.

[Future Meetings Review]