[Call to Order]
          [00:00:09]
          CALL TO ORDER THIS SPORT BUSINESS MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF HARFORD COUNTY ON MAY 22ND 2023 AT 6 32. PM. THIS BUSINESS MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED IN A HYBRID FASHION MISSES. RALLO, PLEASE TAKE A ROLL CALL. MS ALVIRA. PRESIDENT. BRUCE HERE. MISS HAN ISN'T DR HAROLD PRESENT. MISS PERRY HERE. DR PHILLIPS. MR RICCARDI. HERE. MS BLANK IN HERE. VICE PRESIDENT SUO YEAH. PRESIDENT MUELLER HERE. SUPERINTENDENT WILSON COMPLETES THE ROLL CALL. THANK YOU. MR DONOVAN BROOKS, WOULD YOU PLEASE READ THE MEETING'S RULES OF ORDER? MY GUESS HE STEPPED OUT FOR A MINUTE. FIRST HAS TO BE THERE. UH JUST ONE MINUTE. HERE WE GO. HI, DONOVAN. 
          SORRY. I CALLED ON YOU WHILE YOU WERE OUT. THANK YOU. EVERYONE I'M DONE. OTHER SECRETS. IN THIS MEETING. PURPOSES OF THE MEETING. THANK YOU. UH I JUST WANT TO SHARE SOME UPDATED PRACTICES. THAT WILL BE ENFORCED THIS EVENING AND FOR ALL FUTURE BOARD MEETINGS, MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO DURING THE BUSINESS MEETING, WE ASKED ALL ATTENDEES. PLEASE CONDUCT YOURSELVES IN A RESPECTFUL MANNER. GRANDSTANDING, WHICH INCLUDES. LOUD LONG APPLAUSE. AUDIBLE COMMENTARY. EXCESSIVE GESTURES, STANDING OVATIONS AND SIMILAR DISTRACTING BEHAVIORS IS NOT PERMITTED. LIKEWISE THREATENING WORDS, GESTURES OR BEHAVIORS ARE ALSO NOT PERMITTED. SHEDDING INTENT AND ATTENDEE ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE PROHIBITED ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED. AND THAT'S DETRACTING FROM THE BUSINESS PURPOSES OF THE MEETING. THE ATTENDEE WILL RECEIVE A WARNING. TO IMMEDIATELY CEASE THE PRIMITIVE BEHAVIOR. IF THE ATTENDEE DOES NOT CEASE TO PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR. THE ATTENDEE WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE AND ESCORTED. 
          FROM THE BUSINESS MEETING BY SECURITY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR RESPECTFUL ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION AND LOOK FORWARD TO A PRODUCTIVE MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR BROOKS. DR PHILLIPS. 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 BOLSON 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 A NO. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS. YOU HAVE THE AGENDA BEFORE YOU DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. THIS IS NOT A BLANKET EMOTION WEED OUT THE AGENDA. THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND? CAROL BRUCE A SECOND. THANK YOU ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. PLEASE SAY YES. YES, YES. YES. 
          OPPOSED. PLEASE SAY NO. MOTION CARRIES DR PHILLIPS. EVERYONE, PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. FINISHED. STATES OF AMERICA. THE REPUBLIC NATION. AND WE WILL START WITH BOARD 
          [A. Board Member Comments]
MEMBER COMMENTS. MRS ALVAREZ. I AM SORRY. I CAN'T BE THERE IN PERSON WITH YOU TONIGHT. I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S ATTENDANCE, UM, AND THEIR PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. UM I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT YOU KNOW, WE'RE COMING DOWN TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AND JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO 
          [00:05:04]
RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE SOLDIERS. THAT HAVE FOUGHT AND, UM, GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY, SO IF WE COULD JUST TAKE JUST A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR IN MEMORY OF THEM. 
          THANK YOU. AND MAY EVERYBODY HAVE A SAFE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND NEXT WEEKEND. MRS BRUCE YES, SIR. THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE COMING. APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENDANCE. AND INTEREST IN THE . EDUCATION OF STUDENTS OF HARTFORD COUNTY. THANK YOU. MRS HARD. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. 
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
          I ONCE AGAIN FOR THE THIRD TIME ASKED FOR TO BE ADDED TO OUR AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION TO WHICH I WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD DECIDED TO WAIT. UM AND I AGREED. BUT YET AGAIN PUBLIC COMMENT WAS MOVED. 
          SO THREE TIMES I ASKED FOR THE ITEM TO BE ADDED TO OUR AGENDA AS A DISCUSSION. WHICH WHEN I WAS FIRST SWORN IN I'M SORRY. YES WHICH, WHEN I WAS FIRST MORNING, I TRIED TO ADD NEW BUSINESS AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS CATEGORIES TO WHICH I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. ALL I HAD TO DO WAS ASK FOR AN ITEM TO BE ADDED TO THE AGENDA AND IT WOULD BE I KNOW OF ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER WHO ALSO ASKED TO BE ADDED TO OUR AGENDA, SO THAT IS A TOTAL OF FOUR TIMES THAT WE ASKED IT TO BE ADDED. I FIND IT VERY CONCERNING THAT WHEN I ASKED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR SOMETHING TO BE ADDED TO OUR AGENDA, IT IS DISREGARDED. BUT SOMEONE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHOM CAN DECIDE THAT THEY WANT TO MOVE PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING TO THE END WITHOUT THE INPUT OF THE BOARD, AND THAT REQUEST IS HONORED AND PUBLIC COMMENT IS MOVED. AND THIS EVENING WE'RE ALL INFORMED OF UPDATED PRACTICES. I WAS UNAWARE OF THOSE UPDATED PRACTICES, ALSO AS A BOARD OF EDUCATION WHEN CHANGES ARE MADE, I BELIEVE THAT WE AS A BOARD SHOULD DISCUSS THOSE CHANGES AND NOT WHEN IT'S HAPPENING. UM I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A FUN AND SAFE HOLIDAY AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING OUT. DR HAROLD. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. UM I TOO HAD, UM WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT OUR SCHOOLS. UM WITHIN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, UM, I ATTENDED A CAREER DAY. UM AT HOMESTEAD WAKEFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH WAS PHENOMENAL. IT WAS AWESOME. UM THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO. UM THIS PARTICULAR SCHOOLS ABLE TO, UM, DIVE BACK INTO KOREA DAY FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE THE PANDEMIC , SO IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE STUDENTS GET EXCITED ABOUT DIFFERENT. UM YOU KNOW, CAREER FIELDS AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY. UM WHETHER LOCALLY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND OR NATIONALLY. UM ALSO HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER SOME 
          [00:10:04]
THANK YOU BASKETS TO VARIOUS SCHOOLS. UM DURING TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK OR STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK. UM IT WAS WONDERFUL TO GET OUT IN THE SCHOOLS, UM, JUST TO SHOW APPRECIATION. UM TO OUR STAFF, UM, AND THE TEACHERS. IT WAS AWESOME. UM AND THEN I ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY ON THIS PAST FRIDAY. TO ATTEND THE YOUR MIND MATTERS OF FAMILY WELLNESS NIGHT , WHICH WAS HOSTED BY THE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH, UM HARFORD CRISIS CENTER, AND, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT WAS A PHENOMENAL EVENT, UM, RAISING AWARENESS AND HELPING TO END THE STIGMA, UM, FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS. UM AND, UM, MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS. UM, IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER. VARIOUS COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WERE AVAILABLE, UM AND REPRESENTED ON THE CONCOURS. 
          LOTS OF FUN ACTIVITIES FOR THE KIDS, LOTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES. IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE MANY OF OUR, UM ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERS REPRESENTED AND SERVING THE COMMUNITY. UM AND IT WAS A WONDERFUL EVENT. SO I WANTED TO JUST SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE. 
          ALL OF THE AGENCIES THAT WERE REPRESENTED. THIS IS THIS WAS A TRUE, UM, PICTURE. UM OF COLLABORATION FOR THE GREATER GOOD THINKING OF OUR KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH REGARDS TO MENTAL HEALTH, SO JUST WANTED TO SAY A HEARTFELT THANK YOU. WISHING EVERYBODY A WONDERFUL MEMORIAL DAY CAN ADVANCE AND THAT IS ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DR HAROLD, MISS PERRY. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. NICE TO SEE YOU ALL OUT TODAY. UM WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING FOR MEMORIAL DAY. THIS YEAR IS WHERE WE COULDN'T FLAGS ON SERVICE MEMBERS GRADES AND PASSED AWAY. 
          UM. MY POST. I'M AT THE V F W M AND PREDOMINANTLY A BLACK POST BECAUSE DURING THAT TIME A LOT OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY WERE BURIED IN CHURCH CEMETERIES. AND SOMETIMES THEIR GRAVES WERE DESECRATED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TRIED TO, UM NAME ALL OF THE ONES THAT ARE IN ALL OF THESE CEMETERIES. SO NORMALLY WE PUT OUT ABOUT 300 FLAGS AND VISIT ABOUT 8 TO 10 CEMETERIES, AND WE KNOW THIS GIVES SOME COMFORT TO THE FAMILIES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T ALWAYS BE THERE OR HAVE ALREADY PASSED ON. BUT IT'S NOW TURNED INTO WHERE A LOT OF THE OLD HEADSTONES ARE BEING REFURBISHED. THEY'RE BRINGING LOSE, AND SO THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES ABOUT MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE HOURS TO DO ALL OF THAT, BUT IT'S A VERY WORTHWHILE CAUSE. 
          THANK YOU, DR PHILLIPS. JUST A COUPLE OF BRIEF COMMENTS. FIRST OF ALL, LIKE TO THANK MS ALVAREZ FOR, UH REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. NUMBER ONE NUMBER TWO. WE STILL HAVE A FEW ATHLETIC TEAMS. I BELIEVE WHO ARE IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS OR SEMI FINALS. SO GOOD LUCK TO THEM. I BELIEVE THOSE WILL BE FINISHING UP THIS WEEK. AND FINALLY, UM, SINCE THIS IS OUR LAST MEETING BEFORE GRADUATIONS OCCUR. UM I'LL BE ATTENDING ONE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND FUTURE LINK GRADUATION, SO I WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL THOSE SENIORS WHO WILL BE GRADUATING WITHIN THE COMING WEEKS. THEY'VE CERTAINLY HAD A INTERESTING AND UNIQUE. HIGH SCHOOL CAREER AND, UM I THINK WHAT THEY'VE. DEALT WITH OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS THROUGH COVID AND OR THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THAT THEY WILL HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN WELL PREPARED TO MOVE ON IN THE WORLD AND BE ABLE TO ENCOUNTER WHATEVER OBSTACLE FACES THEM AND A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK TO THE YOUNG LADY SITTING TO MY SECOND LEFT, WHO WILL BE GRADUATING THIS YEAR AS WELL. THANK YOU. MR CARDI. THANK YOU, DR MUELLER. UM, AGAIN. WELCOME. 
          I CAME IN THE FRONT DOOR TODAY AND IT WAS VERY NICE TO SEE EVERYBODY THERE AND TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONVERSATION. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING THIS EVENING. UM I DID WANT IT. ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING MEMORIAL DAY, UPCOMING MEMORIAL DAY, AND AS WE ENJOY THIS LOVELY WEEKEND, UPCOMING THAT WE REALLY DO THINK OF OUR FALLEN HEROES AND OUR PEOPLE THAT SERVE IT'S A IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO GIVE. THANKS. I WASN'T HERE AT THE LAST MEETING, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO THANK OUR TEACHERS FOR THE TEACHER IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. THANK YOU. FOR ALL YOU DO EACH AND EVERY DAY I, TOO, ATTENDED THE RECOGNITION BANQUET AND WANTED TO MENTION THERE WAS 292 ATTENDEES THAT CELEBRATED 10 THROUGH 40 50 YEARS ACTUALLY AND 265 YEAR HONOREES. SO IT WAS WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY 
          [00:15:08]
TO SEE EVERYBODY AND CELEBRATE THEIR TENURE WITH HARVARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I, TOO, ATTENDED SEVERAL PATRIOT PROGRAMS MEADOWVALE CHURCHVILLE, AND ALTHOUGH CHURCHILL AND HEAVY GRACE WE'RE GOING AT THE SAME TIME, MISS HAN AND I WENT OVER TO HEAVILY GRACE JUST TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE PATRIOTS, WE DID CELEBRATE THE BOWTIE BREAKFAST AT HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS VIRTUALLY THROUGH 22 ON A REASON. CENTRAL OFFICE. UH I WANT TO WELCOME COUNCILMAN PENMAN. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US EU BACK THERE, AND I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO CHRISTIAN WALKER, WHO WAS OUR PAST STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD WHO'S HERE? GIVE US A WAVE. SOUNDED YOU SOME GREAT THINGS IN CHICAGO AND I DID WANT TO VERY MUCH CONGRATULATE OUR SENIORS. I BELIEVE OUR FIRST GRADUATION I'LL BE ATTENDING IS THIS FRIDAY AT C. MILTON WRIGHT, AND IT'S REALLY A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. WE'RE VERY SPOILED TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT THE DIPLOMAS TO THE GRADUATING SENIORS, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR BLANKEN. UM GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. SO THANK YOU, EVERYONE FOR CONGRATULATING THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2023. I'M ALSO SUPER PSYCHED. I DIDN'T TELL ANYONE YET FROM THE BOARD, BUT I DID COMMIT TO VIRGINIA TAX. SO EVERYONE YES, CLAP BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF MONEY. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. IT'S A LOT OF MONEY, SO I JUST TELL MYSELF IT'S TOTALLY FINE. IT'S NOT HAPPENING. UM CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE GRADUATING THIS NEXT FEW WEEKS FROM HARFORD COUNTY AND FROM ALL AROUND THE COUNTY ARE FROM HARPER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND FROM OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTY. UM HAPPY PROM SEASON BE SAFE. AND ENJOY THE SUMMER THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO GET. THANK YOU GUYS. MR SEWELL. HELLO, EVERYONE, UM. SO MANY THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, UM NO. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY JUST LAST WEEK TO VISIT UH, ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE AND FOSTER HIGH WITH CATTLEMEN. PENMAN THANKS FOR GREAT BUSINESS. UM WORK AT. HOW THE SCHOOLS OF THE IMPACTED WITH CUT TO OUR BUDGET. UM AND THAT I WAS VERY INFORMATIVE, REALLY APPRECIATE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOLS, TAKING TAKING TIME TO DO THAT AND ALSO FOR CANCELING PAYMENT ATTENTION TO THEIR OUR BUDGET ISSUES IN OUR SCHOOLS. UM I ALSO ATTENDED THE RECOGNITION DINNER FOR EMPLOYEES . THAT WAS AMAZING EVENTS, UM, WAS MENTIONED HERE. JONES WAS CELEBRATED FOR 51 YEARS. UM HE WAS ACTUALLY MY TEACHER, UM DECADES AGO, FOSTER. COOL IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE THEM. WHO'S ON TO RETIREMENT AND JUST WHAT ABOUT TOM? DO, UM I, UH, DID THE SWAN STREET, THE SCHOOL AND THE PRINCIPAL THERE, MARK. AH. COPY. UM. REALLY IMPRESSED ME. BUT YOU KNOW, NOT M AND I WAS IMPRESSED WITH HIM, WAS IMPRESSED WITH HIS THOUGHT. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND PERHAPS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. FOR COURSE FOR STUDENTS ARE GOING FORWARD WITH THAT SCHOOL. UM YEAH, ALSO ATTENDED PATRIOT PROGRAMS, UM, AND WILL BE ATTENDING. FOR GRADUATION COMING UP. UM, WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE THE SENIORS. I WISH ALL OF YOU THE VERY, VERY BEST HOPE YOU HAVE A STATE. 
          SEASON HERE IS YOU AS YOU'RE GOING TO GRADUATION AND YOUR CELEBRATE, UM, JUST APPRECIATE EVERYONE COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SORRY WAIT. I DIDN'T CALL YOU VICE PRESIDENTS . WHO WILL I APOLOGIZE, SO I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE WHEN I GET TO DO MY COMMENTS LAST EVERYTHING HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID. I THINK THE ONLY THING AND DIANA ALVAREZ WAS ALSO AT THE MAYOR. SCIENCE ACADEMY. UM I DID ALL THE PATRIOTS WILL NOT ALL THE PATRIOTS, BUT I DID PATRIOT PROGRAMS. I DID THE RECOGNITION DINNER. THIS NEXT WEEK. COMING UP. WE'VE GOT THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE CELEBRATION. UM I ALSO HAVE THE TEACHER ACADEMY OF MARYLAND CELEBRATION, SO JUST A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW . I GUESS MR RICCARDI AND I WILL BE TOGETHER. IT'S STEVE MILTON RIGHT FOR THE GRADUATION, BUT I ALSO HAVE FOUR GRADUATIONS TO GO TO YOUR SO IT'S AN EXCITING TIME OF YEAR. LOT OF CELEBRATIONS AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE STUDENTS AND ALL THE PARENTS THAT I GET TO MEET DURING THESE ACTIVITIES. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE. DR PHILLIPS. IT'S YOUR TURN. YEP. YOU AGAIN, OKAY? THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING 
          [B. Consent Agenda]
          [00:20:06]
NUMBER ONE MONTHLY PERSONNEL REPORT MARCH APRIL 2023 NUMBER 2 2023 2024 HCPS SCHOOL CALENDAR ADJUSTMENT FOR PRIMARY ELECTION DATE DURING CHANGE. NUMBER THREE CONTRACT AWARD AMERICAN DESIGN ASSOCIATES. NUMBER FOUR CONTRACT AWARD CARE SOULLESS, INCORPORATED. NUMBER FIVE CONTRACT AWARD COMPUTER REFRESH FOR STAFF. NUMBER SIX CONTRACT AWARD. ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS NUMBER SEVEN CONTRACT AWARD HABIT OF GRACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COMPREHENSIVE ROOF REPLACEMENT GOING ON FOREVER. UH NUMBER EIGHT CONTRACT AWARD SOFTWARE LICENSE RENEWAL FOR IN FOR LAWSON. NUMBER NINE CONTRACT AWARDS STUDENTS, SEAT LICENSES AND NUMBER 10 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS BOARD MEETING OF APRIL 17TH 2023. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO PROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. THIS IS NO BLANKET, EMOTIONALLY APPROVED OF CONSENT AGENDA. HAVE A SECOND. 
          THIS IS MELISSA AND I MOVE THAT WE 2ND 2ND. THANK YOU. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. PLEASE SAY YES. YES YES. YES, ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. SO NEXT, WE'RE DOWN TO ITEM CNR 
          [C. Decision on Proposed Revisions to Board Policy 08-0010-000 Threat Assessment Team , Kimberly H. Neal, Esq.,General Counsel]
AGENDA DECISION AND PROPOSED REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY 080010 . THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM, MISS NEIL OH, THERE YOU HEARD DID MOVE TODAY. GOOD EVENING, LORD. UM THE THREAT ASSESSMENT POLICY WAS PRESENTED. IT WAS ACTUALLY LED BY MR HENNIGAN BACK ON MARCH THE 13TH AND IT REFLECTED JUST SOME RELATIVELY MINOR CHANGES, BUT IMPORTANT CHANGES TO ALIGN OUR POLICY WITH THE CURRENT STATE OF THE LAW REFERENCES TO OUR SORROWS, FOR EXAMPLE, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. THE POLICY WAS POSTED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THERE WAS NO COMMENT RECEIVED ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY. SO IT IS BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION TO VOTE TO ADOPT THIS POLICY WITH THE INCORPORATED CHANGES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. THIS IS MELISSA AND I MOVE. THAT WE, UM EXCEPT THE THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM REVISIONS . THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? DENISE PERRY, I SAID THANK YOU. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING YES. 
          YES, YES. ANY OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVING RIGHT ALONG. WE HAVE ITEM D DECISION 
          [D. Decision on Elementary Reading Program Pilot , Ms. Heather Kutcher, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction,and Assessment, Mr. Andrew Renzulli, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Ms. Kristine Scarry,Supervisor of English/Language Arts, Mr. Gideon Twigg, Curriculum Specialist, Ms. Victoria Jones, Literacy TeacherSpecialist, and Mr. Phil Snyder, Supervisor of Accountability]
ON ELEMENTARY READING PROGRAM PILOT MS CULTURE AND TEAM. 
          GOOD EVENING, LORD PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD SUPERINTENDENT BOSTON. I'M HERE THIS EVENING WITH A TEAM TO SHARE THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE READING CURRICULUM PROGRAM TO PILOT AND IDENTIFIED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR. WITH ME IN PERSON THIS EVENING IS AND EVEN ZOLI, DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT. 
          SNYDER, OUR SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY. AND GETTING IN TWIG OR ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM SPECIALIST IN THE READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS DEPARTMENT. OUR SUPERVISOR OF READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS. MRS CHRIS SCARY IS JOINING US REMOTELY. HER SON IS GRADUATING FROM SALISBURY UNIVERSITY, SO SHE'S TRAVELED DOWN TO WACO MUKO MUKO COUNTY FOR THAT MILESTONE. NOT MANY THINGS WOULD PREVENT MRS SCARY FOR FROM PARTICIPATING IN THIS MEETING AND RECOMMENDATION, BUT HER CHILD'S COLLEGE GRADUATION IS CERTAINLY ON THAT SHORT LIST . SO SHE IS REMOTE WITH US TODAY AND CAN HELP US ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MAY HAVE. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MRS VICTORIA JONES, WHO IS INTEGRAL TO THE PROCESS AND PRESENTATION THAT WE ARE GIVING TONIGHT, AND SHE'S ALSO JOINING US REMOTELY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS. MRS. JONES IS R K THROUGH TO LITERACY SPECIALIST IN THE READING, ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE OUT OF OFFICE. SO FOR SOME SOME CONTEXT AND SOME BACKGROUND PERFECT COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WENT THROUGH RIGOROUS CURRICULUM SELECTION PROCESS DURING THE 2018 19 SCHOOL YEAR, AND THEN YOU HAVE STUDY AND READING WAS THE RECOMMENDED PROGRAM AND THEN THE 2019 SCHOOL YEAR, EIGHT SCHOOLS IMPLEMENTED THIS PROGRAM AND GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH. THAT FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR AID, ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS CAME ON BOARD WITH THE REMAINING SCHOOLS, IMPLEMENTING THE UNITS OF STUDY AND READING BEGINNING IN THE 21 22 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          [00:25:09]
AS WITH MANY OTHERS, WE'VE BEEN KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UNITS OF STUDY PROGRAM AND PROMOTING LITERACY SKILLS IN ALL LEARNERS. SO WE ARE TAKING THIS TIME AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PILOT A DIFFERENT READING PROGRAM AND SELECTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN ORDER TO ANALYZE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND IDENTIFY THE MOST EFFECTIVE CURRICULAR PROGRAMMING TO SUPPORT ALL CHILDREN'S LITERACY SKILLS. TO START THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING A NEW CURRICULAR PROGRAM. THE READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS OFFICE BEGAN THE REVIEW OF PROGRAMS USING MULTIPLE DATA POINTS, WHICH WILL HEAR ABOUT TONIGHT. THEY ALSO ESTABLISHED A TIMELINE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR A THOROUGH PROCESS INVOLVING MANY STAKEHOLDERS AND STILL ALLOWING THE DISTRICT TO CONTRACT WITH THE PUBLISHER AHEAD OF THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR. MR TWIG WILL GO INTO MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE INITIAL STEPS THAT LEAD TO THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE ARE BRINGING BEFORE YOU TONIGHT. UM SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS WAS THE TIMELINE THAT WAS FOLLOWED TO SET THIS PROCESS INTO MOTION. AND SO IT BEGAN WITH GOING TO THE GENERAL CURRICULUM COMMITTEE AND GETTING PERMISSION TO FORM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE. SO PULLING MEMBERS OUT OF GCC TO CONSIDER, UM, WHICH READING PROGRAMS WE REALLY SHOULD TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT UM, AND SO THAT'S THE PROCESS . I WANTED TO WALK YOU THROUGH FIRST, SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE NEXT SLIDE. THIS WAS THE MEMBERSHIP ON THE GCC AD HOC, UM AS MISS CULTURE, SAID, WE WANTED A BROAD REPRESENTATION, AND SO WE HAD FORD MEMBER WE HAD THE PRESIDENT OF THE TEACHERS UNION , AS WELL AS TEACHERS AND, UM PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS OFFICES SO THAT WE COULD REALLY GET A GOOD CROSS SECTION OF VIEWPOINTS. UM WE BEGAN THAT SELECTION MEETING AS A GROUP AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS OUR VISION FOR READERS AND WRITERS IN HCPS, SO THAT WE WENT INTO THE PROCESS KIND OF ON THE SAME PAGE WITH WHAT WE HOPED AND SO THE EVERYTHING THAT WE THOUGHT THROUGH WAS, WHAT DO WE BELIEVE IN SO YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, WE KNEW PUBLISHERS WERE GOING TO COME IN. THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO TELL YOU THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THEIR PROGRAM, BUT KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU'RE CAR SHOPPING. YOU WANT TO GO IN KNOWING WHAT YOU'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR, SO YOU DON'T GET KIND OF DISTRACTED BY BELLS AND WHISTLES. AND SO AS A COMMITTEE, WE CAME UP WITH THESE THINGS THAT WE WERE REALLY LOOKING FOR IN A PROGRAM. AND THEN, UM MR SNYDER IS GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED AFTER WE KIND OF MET AS A WHOLE GROUP AND HOW WE WHEEDLED IT DOWN TO THE PROGRAMS THAT MEANT FOR REVIEW. THANK YOU, MR TWEED. GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE OUR PROCESS, SO WE DID GO THROUGH A RIGOROUS PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW OF THE CURRICULUM THAT IS OUT THERE. AND SO WE STARTED WITH ED REPORTS MSD AMERICAN STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT IS COMPLETELY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THAT REPORTS THAT MEETS ALL THE EXPECTATIONS . AND SO WE STARTED WITH THE SEARCH OF LOOKING AT IT REPORTS AND WHAT PROGRAMS ARE OUT THERE, AS YOU ARE AWARE OF PROGRAMS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING, BEING REVISED ADDED BEING DELETED, AND SO WE NEED TO HAVE THE LATEST INFORMATION AND THE DATA FROM ANY REPORTS. THE REALTOR OFFICE REACHED OUT TO COUNTERPARTS ACROSS MARYLAND. AND TO SEE WHAT PROGRAMS ARE IN OPERATION IN EACH OF OUR 24 DISTRICTS, AND THAT INFORMATION WAS COMPILED IN SOME FOLLOW UP WAS DONE TO STILL HAVE SOME CLARIFYING QUESTIONS. 
          AND THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY COMPELLED SOME DATA REGARDING OUR ASSESSMENTS, AND NOT ONLY ARE CAP STATE ASSESSMENTS AS WELL AS LOCAL DATA, JUST TO SEE HOW OUR COUNTY'S DOING THE FINAL PIECE THAT I WANT TO SAY ABOUT THAT. IS THAT EVERY OTHER ALLEY A IN MARYLAND, PRETTY MUCH IS IN THE SAME BOAT THAT WE ARE. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR PROGRAMS LIKE WE ARE. THERE IS NOT ONE PROGRAM THAT RISES TO THE TOP AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF PER NUMBER OF DISTRICTS THAT ARE USING A PROGRAM, SO WE FOUND THAT VERY INTERESTING. UM AND FINALLY, WE TOOK ALL THAT DATA AND INFORMATION CALCULATE INTO A RANKING OF PROGRAMS, AND I'M SURE THAT A LITTLE BIT IN A MINUTE HERE. SO THESE ARE ALL THE PROGRAMS THE FIRST COMMITTEE AND IT WAS A 14 COMMITTEE AD HOC COMMITTEE OF GCC AND THOSE 14 MEMBERS WERE VERY COME FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND ALL MEMBERS AGAIN OF GCC, AND WE OBVIOUSLY NEEDED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE EXAMPLE. 
          HERE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE NOT REVIEWED BY REPORTS OR PARTIALLY MEETS AND IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE ULTIMATELY NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PROGRAMS THAT MEET EXPECTATIONS IN BOTH THE ALIGNMENT AND USABILITY. AND I ALSO LISTED THERE. HOW MANY ELEAZAR PLANNING TO USE THIS PROGRAM IN THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR. AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THERE. FOR EXAMPLE EIGHT FOUNDATIONS THAT'S AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM, NOT NECESSARILY ACCORD PROGRAM. SO THE HIGHEST ONE THERE WAS. THE PROGRAM ACTUALLY MET A COUPLE THAT WERE IN FORCE. FOR COUNTIES 
          [00:30:01]
AND AGAIN. SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS WERE NOT FINALIZED BY THIS OTHER COUNTIES. SO WE HAD A NARROW IT DOWN. WE KNOW WE CAN'T LOOK AT AND MEET WITH EVERY SINGLE PUBLISHER ON THAT LIST. 
          AND SO THE GREAT DISCUSSION WAS WE GOT IT DOWN TO EIGHT PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE AND, UM, WE WENT FORWARD WITH THESE A TEAR. WE WANTED TO GET THAT DOWN TO ABOUT FIVE PROGRAMS TO MEET WITH PUBLISHERS AND HOW WE GOT THERE. WE'LL TALK ON THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, AND THIS SIDE HERE INDICATES THE FORMULA THAT THE OFFICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY USED TO GENERATE OUR DATA, SO WE LOOKED AT THEIR HEAD REPORTS RATINGS. OBVIOUSLY MEET EXPECTATIONS IS GOING TO GET MORE POINTS THAN NOT MEETING EXPECTATIONS. EVERY MEMBER ON THE COMMITTEE INTERPRET. EXCUSE ME. ADMITTED THEIR INTEREST IN LOOKING AT PROGRAMS AND SO THEY WERE RANKED FROM A LOW INTEREST TO HOW YOU'RE INTERESTED IN AMERICA SCALE. WE LOOKED AT HOW MANY ALLEYWAYS WERE USING THOSE PROGRAMS ACROSS OUR STATE, AND THEN WE LOOKED AT THE DATA THERE . AND THE REASON YOU MAY SEE IS WHY IS THE DATA ONLY 5% 1? THE ASSESSMENT IS NEW. AND TO THE ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE USED ACROSS THE STATE ARE VERY DIVERSE. AS FAR AS OUR ONLY SCREENER. WE USE DOUBLES AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND SHARE DATA WITH DOUBLES BEFORE OTHER STATES OR THE SYSTEMS MAY NOT USE THAT. AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER COMPLEXITY FACTORS AROUND THAT. SO GOING FORWARD. THE COMMITTEE VOTED IN THE DATA WAS IN AND WE HAD SIX PROGRAMS. WE WERE LOOKING AT FIVE. HOWEVER, THE THIS, UH TWO PROGRAMS WERE AT VERY CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM. 19 AND 19.2 THAT WAS BENCHMARK ADVANCE AND THAT WAS IMAGINE LEARNING AND AGAIN. THAT WAS JUST FROM OUR MEETINGS AND THE 14 COMMITTEE MEMBERS DOING SOME HOMEWORK ON THEIR OWN, LOOKING AT IT REPORTS AND LOOKING AT THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITES. SO WE DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST INTEREST TO TAKE SIX PUBLISHERS MOVING THEM FORWARD TO THE NEXT ROUND. AND THAT ARE THESE ARE THE SIX PUBLISHERS LISTED HERE. 
          AND SO ONCE WE KNEW WHICH PROGRAMS WERE GOING TO BE FULLY REVIEWED, WE REACHED OUT TO EACH OF THE PUBLISHERS TO SET UP A TIME FOR THEM TO COME AND MEET WITH OUR COMMITTEE. AND ON THE NEXT SIDE, YOU'LL SEE WE HAD A LARGE COMMITTEE. IT WAS NEARLY 50 INDIVIDUALS WITHIN OUR SYSTEM . UM AND I THINK ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT MANY OF THE PUBLISHERS CAME IN AND WERE LIKE WOW. THIS IS A VERY BIG GROUP. SOMETIMES WE PRESENT 23 PEOPLE OR 10 PEOPLE TO MAKE THIS DECISION FOR A COUNTY. SO MANY OF THEM ACTUALLY APPLAUDED US FOR INCLUDING SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE DECISION ON THE NEXT SLIDE. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO JUST RECOGNIZE THOSE TEACHERS WHO STEPPED OUT OF THEIR CLASSROOM FOR THREE DAYS, WROTE SOME PLANS TO BE A PART OF THIS, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WHILE SOME DISTRICTS MAYBE ONLY HAVE 10 PEOPLE ON THEIR SELECTION COMMITTEE, WE HAD 8 TO 9 PEOPLE PER GRADE LEVEL. AND AT EACH GRADE LEVEL HALF OF THOSE, UM PEOPLE WERE CLASSROOM TEACHERS. THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS IN 3RD AND 5TH GRADE. A LOT OF THAT WAS DUE TO M CAP TESTING GOING ON, WHICH MADE IT HARD TO PULL TEACHERS OUT OF THOSE CLASSROOMS. BUT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE HAD A LARGE TEACHER REPRESENTATIVES, UM, ON THIS SELECTION COMMITTEE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WORKING WITH STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD DIVERSITY AS FAR AS HAVING PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS READING SPECIALIST SPECIAL EDUCATORS SO THEY COULD REALLY LOOK THROUGH THAT LENS OF HOW WILL THIS PERSON GRAHAM, MEET OUR STUDENTS WHO NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. AS WELL AS GIFTED AND TALENTED TEACHERS TO SEE HOW HOW WILL THIS PROGRAM BE ABLE TO ALSO ACCELERATE STUDENT PROGRESS? AND SO ONCE WE HAD OUR COMMITTEE IN PLACE? UM WE HAD THREE DAYS OF MEETINGS, ONE FULL DAY AND TWO HALF DAYS TO JUST HEAR FROM THE PUBLISHERS THEMSELVES. AND SO EACH PUBLISHER HAD 90 MINUTES TO PRESENT TO THE GROUP AND ANSWER QUESTIONS. WHICH AGAIN MANY OF THE PUBLISHERS APPLAUDED HAVING 90 MINUTES. THEY SAID THAT MANY TIMES THEY ONLY HAVE 30 MINUTES TO PRESENT WHICH PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMITTEE FELT LIKE, HOW WOULD YOU MAKE SUCH A BIG DECISION WITH ONLY 30 MINUTES OF INFORMATION? SO AFTER THE 90 MINUTE PRESENTATION, GRADE LEVEL TEAMS MET AND DISCUSSED THE PROGRAM, THEY WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT SAMPLERS AND OTHER MATERIALS THAT PUBLISHERS BROUGHT WITH THEM FOR US TO BE ABLE TO LOOK THROUGH. AND WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT WE SAW AS THE POSITIVES AND THE DRAWBACKS FOR EACH PROGRAM AND THEN ON THE NEXT SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THAT EACH MEMBER INDIVIDUALLY FILLED OUT A CURRICULUM VETTING RUBRIC. WE USED THE RUBRIC THAT IS SUGGESTED BY MSD FOR CURRICULUM VETTING. HOWEVER WE DID MAKE ONE CHANGE IN THE CURRENT MSD VETTING RUBRIC. THERE IS NO CRITERIA FOR ALIGNMENT TO SCIENCE OF READING PRACTICES, AND SO WE DID ADD AN ENTIRE CATEGORY FOR SCIENCE OF READING PRACTICES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROGRAM THAT WE WERE PICKING DID HAVE A STRONG FINAL, LOGICAL AND ANEMIC AWARENESS COMPONENT THAT IT DID HAVE A SYSTEMIC AND SEQUENCED PHONICS INSTRUCTION THAT IT DID USE OROGRAPHIC MAPPING TO TEACH HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS. AND THAT IT DID USE DAKOTA BLE TEXT FOR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO APPLY THOSE PHONICS SKILLS IN CONTINUOUS TAXES THEY'RE READING, SO WE FELT THAT THAT WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT HEARING PUBLIC COMMENT AND HEARING OTHER CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED THAT WE REALLY 
          [00:35:03]
DID PUT THAT FRONT AND CENTER IN OUR CONSIDERATION OF THE NEW PROGRAM. AND SO ONCE EVERYBODY UNDERSTOOD THE RUBRIC OUR VENDORS CAME. YOU CAN SEE. THIS IS ONE JUST EXAMPLE OF WHAT VENDORS KIND OF BROUGHT WITH THEM FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL. TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT. WE BEGAN DIGGING INTO THE PROGRAMS. UM AND SO YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS JUST EXAMPLES OF TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE PROGRAMS LOOKING THROUGH THE MATERIALS THAT PEOPLE HAD BOUGHT. YOU'LL SEE MORE OF THAT. ON THE NEXT SLIDE. YOU CAN SEE MEMBERS FILLING OUT THE INDIVIDUAL RUBRICS AND HAVING ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS , AND SO WE'LL HOLD ON THAT SIDE FOR JUST A SECOND. SO WE HAD THE FULL DAY AND TWO HALF DAYS TO LOOK AT PROGRAMS. THEN WE CAME BACK AND HAD AN ADDITIONAL HALF DAY JUST TO DEBRIEF AND START KIND OF WIGGLING THROUGH SO AGAIN. IF YOU'LL EXCUSE MY CAR BUYING ANALOGY, I MAY HAVE TEST DRIVEN SIX. BUT NOW IT'S KIND OF TIME TO THINK LIKE, WHAT ARE MY TOP TWO OR THREE AND SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT EACH GRADE LEVEL MET AND YOU'LL SEE ON THE NEXT SLIDE EACH GRADE LEVEL INDIVIDUALLY RANKED THE SIX PROGRAMS FROM NUMBER ONE THE PROGRAM. THEY'RE MOST INTERESTED IN TO NUMBER SIX. THE PROGRAM THEY FELT WOULD BE THE LEAST. STRONGEST FIT FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND SO YOU'LL NOTICE AS YOU LOOK ACROSS KINDERGARTEN 1ST AND 2ND GRADE, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE PROGRAMS IN THE TOP THREE ARE THE SAME JUST IN DIFFERENT ORDER, AND THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE 45 AND SIX ARE ALSO THE SAME, JUST IN A DIFFERENT ORDER. AND SO ONCE WE HAD LOOKED AT THOSE UM, IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE WOULDN'T REALLY CONTINUE ON CONSIDERING THE THREE PROGRAMS THAT WERE IN THE BOTTOM THREE FOR EVERY SINGLE GRADE LEVEL BECAUSE AT THAT POINT CONSENSUS, IT'S KIND OF BEEN REACHED. SO WE BEGAN OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT THE THREE PROGRAMS INTO READING WONDERS AND BENCHMARK ADVANCE AND SO IN ORDER TO DO THIS, INSTEAD OF MEETING IN GRADE LEVELS, WE FORMED CROSS GRADE LEVEL TEAMS. SO A MEMBER OF THE KINDERGARTEN TEAM, THE FIRST GRADE TEAM, THE SECOND GRADE, 3RD, 4TH AND 5TH GRADE TEAM, ONE MEMBER WOULD FORM TOGETHER SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT YES, I LOOKED AT IT THROUGH A THIRD GRADE LENS. BUT WHAT DID YOU THINK FOR MY KINDERGARTEN LENS ABOUT THIS PROGRAM SO WE REALLY COULD GET SOME DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS AND A MORE HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROGRAM. UM AFTER THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO HEAR FROM YOU. ON THE NEXT SIDE. YOU'LL SEE THE OFFICE OF INNOVATIVE LEARNING AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY, UM , HEADED BY MARTHA BARWICK. SHE ACTUALLY MET WITH EACH PUBLISHER INDIVIDUALLY AND WAS ABLE TO ASK THEM ABOUT HOW WELL WILL THIS PROGRAM INTEGRATE WITH CANVAS? UM AND THEN BRIANNA QUINN, WHO WORKS IN THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REALLY FOCUSES ON ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY. WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH EACH PROGRAM ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD THE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED BY MARYLAND STATE LAW BECAUSE WE DEFINITELY KNEW WE WANTED A PROGRAM THAT MET STATE LAW AND THAT DID ALLOW ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ACCESS TO THE CURRICULUM. SO AFTER HEARING ALL OF THAT INFORMATION TEACHERS WERE GIVEN THREE POST IT NOTES. THEY WERE GIVEN A PINK POSTED A YELLOW AND BLUE POST IT AND ASKED TO RANK THE PROGRAMS. THE PINK POST. IT WAS TEACHERS NUMBER ONE CHOICE. THE YELLOW POST. IT WAS FOR A TEACHER'S SECOND CHOICE AND THE BLUE POST . IT WAS FOR A THIRD PLACE. 
          CHOICE, BASICALLY SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THE INITIAL UM, FEEDBACK. WE'RE THINKING KIND OF WENT, THERE WERE DEFINITELY MORE PINK POST. ITS FOR BENCHMARK ADVANCE , HOWEVER, LIKE ANY GOOD I SHOULD JUST GO BACK ONE SIDE. SORRY UM, LIKE ANY GOOD CAR PURCHASE. YOU WANT TO SLEEP ON IT? SO, UM, AND THERE WAS STILL SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WE HAVE FOR PUBLISHERS, WHO ARE AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL AND COULD SEND RESPONSES BACK SO MEMBERS HAD THREE ADDITIONAL DAYS TO JUST LOOK THROUGH ANY LAST INFORMATION, CONSIDER ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM PUBLISHERS. AND THEY WERE SENT AN INDIVIDUAL SURVEY WHERE THEY COULD VOTE ON THEIR FINAL CHOICE BETWEEN ALL SIX OF THE PROGRAMS . AND SO MR SNYDER IS GOING TO KIND OF TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE RUBRICS AND THAT FINAL VOTING. UM ALL OF THAT. WE PUT THE INTO OUR MEDIAN XXL SHEET. AND SO WHAT IT CAME OUT IS THAT WE HAD THE RUBRICS WERE ALL CALCULATED AND BENCHMARKING BANDS WAS RANKED IN THE TOP 4516 POINTS, AND THAT IS A COMBINATION OF EVERY SINGLE MEMBERS VOTE BASED UPON THE RUBRIC, MR TWIG EXPLAINED EARLIER. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT AGAIN. A TOP THREE ARE VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH THE OTHER THREE PROGRAMS THAT WERE DONE AT DIFFERENT TIMES DURING THE PROCESS. AND THEN FINALLY, THE FINAL VOTE CAME DOWN TO AFTER MUCH THOUGHT AFTER PROBABLY CLOSE TO A WEEK FOR THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO INDIVIDUALLY GO BACK INTO LOOKING THROUGH THEIR NOTES, INDUCE AN ADDITIONAL HOMEWORK. 
          IT CAME DOWN AS WHAT IS YOUR ONE CHOICE? YOU HAVE ONE CHOICE OUT OF THE SIX. WHAT IS YOUR ONE CHOICE TO MOVE FORWARD? AND 44 VOTING MEMBERS AND 25. VOTED SO THE MAJORITY WAS ABOUT 60 57% FOR BENCHMARK ADVANCE AND MR TWIG. TO ME. SO, UM, OF COURSE WE'VE SAID THIS IS THE PROGRAM PICKED. SO OF COURSE. NOW YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KNOW. SO TELL ME A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THIS 
          [00:40:02]
PROGRAM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO IN THIS NEXT SECTION OF THE PRESENTATION. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE APPRECIATE ABOUT BENCHMARK IT VANCE IS THAT IT DID MEET AND GREAT GREEN ON ED REPORTS AND ALL CATEGORIES, SO THAT WOULD BE BOTH. UM ALIGNMENT, WHICH IS HOW WELL IT KIND OF TEACHES THE STANDARDS BUT ALSO USABILITY AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE. 
          USABILITY REFERS TO HOW EASY IS THIS PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS TO USE LIKE ARE ALL THE MATERIALS RATED A TEACHER'S FINGERTIPS THAT THEY'D BE ABLE TO FIND WHAT THEY NEED QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY. UM THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY NICE ABOUT BENCHMARK ADVANCE IS THAT IT ALSO WAS GREEN ON ALL OF WHAT THEY CALL THEIR GATEWAYS, SO IT WAS GREEN ON TEXT, QUALITY AND COMPLEXITY. IT WAS GREEN ON BETTER BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND AGAIN, ALSO ON USABILITY. UM. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THEY WERE CERTAINLY ALL GREEN, BUT THEY ALSO RECEIVED IN 2022 THEY RECEIVED FROM TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING. THEY WERE A PRIMARY EDUCATION AWARD EXCELLENCE WINNER. UM AND THEY ALSO RECEIVED THE EXCELLENCE AND EQUITY WARD. SO THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. UM BOTH FOR ITS USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY, AND IT'S UM ITS ABILITY TO REPRESENT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. UM IN CONVERSATION AS TEACHERS WERE DEBRIEFING THE PROGRAM. WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO CAPTURE WHAT TEACHERS FELT WERE POSITIVES OR THINGS THAT THEY APPRECIATED ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND TO JUST HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THESE FOR YOU. TEACHERS DID APPRECIATE THAT. THERE WAS A FOCUS ON CLOSE READING AND THE USE OF TEXT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT STUDENT THINKING. TEACHERS ALSO APPRECIATED THAT, UM THERE WERE A RANGE OF MATERIALS AVAILABLE. 
          SO FOR INSTANCE, THERE KNOWLEDGE BUILDING LIBRARY SETS. THEY MAY HAVE A BOOK. BUT THEN THEY HAVE THAT SAME BOOK WRITTEN A LEVEL GRADE LEVEL BELOW AND A GREAT LEVEL ABOVE SO THAT STUDENTS AT VARIOUS LEVELS CAN STILL ACCESS THAT INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY EDUCATORS AND ALSO OUR SUPERVISOR FOR L. L STUDENTS APPRECIATED THAT IN THE TEACHER'S GUIDE, THE SUGGESTIONS FOR THOSE STUDENTS WERE ACTUALLY SPECIFIC TO THE STORY AND MANY OTHER PROGRAMS. THE SUGGESTION MIGHT BE USED VISUALS. BUT IT DIDN'T REALLY GIVE ANY SPECIFICS FOR WHAT VISUALS YOU MIGHT USE OR HOW YOU MIGHT USE THEM AND IN BENCHMARK, IT ACTUALLY HAS, LIKE LIGHT SCAFFOLD, MEDIUM SCAFFOLDING AND HIGH SCAFFOLDING SO THAT YOU CAN REALLY MATCH STUDENT NEED, BUT IT'S RIGHT THERE FOR TEACHERS AND SPECIAL EDUCATORS TO BE ABLE TO USE SOMETHING ELSE THAT TEACHERS APPRECIATED WAS THAT IT IS ALIGNED WITH SCIENCE OF READING PRACTICES. UM BOTH AT ITS SEQUENTIAL AND SYSTEMATIC BUT ALSO THAT IT DOES USE TO QUOTABLE TEXT. UM AND WE SAW PRACTICES LIKE ELKIN AND BOXES THAT WE WOULD HOPE TO SEE. THE OTHER THING THAT TEACHERS APPRECIATED WAS. THIS IS WHAT'S CALLED A KNOWLEDGE BUILDING CURRICULUM, AND SO. TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT HAPPENS IS IN EACH GRADE LEVEL. THEIR FIRST UNIT IS ROUGHLY THREE WEEKS, AND THAT UNIT IS CALLED THE ROUTINES UNIT . SO IT'S REALLY GETTING KIDS UP AND RUNNING UNDERSTANDING THE ROUTINES, REVIEWING SOME OF THE SKILLS FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, AND THEN STUDENTS LAUNCHED INTO 10 UNITS THAT ARE EACH THREE WEEKS IN DURATION, AND SO, FOR INSTANCE, YOU CAN SEE UNIT ONE IS LIFE SCIENCE AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS IN EVERY GRADE LEVEL. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A UNIT WHERE ALL THE TEXTS ARE CENTERED ON LIFE SCIENCE SO THAT IN KINDERGARTEN, I BUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE VOCABULARY IN FIRST GRADE, I CAN BUILD ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY AND ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THAT TOPIC. KNOWING THAT BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAN HELP STUDENTS BETTER COMPREHEND TEXT AND SO THEY DO THAT ACROSS ALL CONTENT AREAS. 
          SO FOR INSTANCE, IN SCIENCE, THERE'S LIFE SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, UM, AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. THERE'S A UNIT ON CITIZENSHIP AND GOVERNMENT. THERE'S A UNIT ON HISTORY. AND THEN THERE ARE TRADITIONAL ENGLISH BASED UNITS ON CHARACTER AND ON THEME. UM AND SO WHAT'S INTERESTING IS, FOR INSTANCE, IN THE LIFE SCIENCE UNITS, UM EACH UNIT IS CENTERED ON KIND OF A CENTERING QUESTION. AND SO, FOR INSTANCE, IN KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS MIGHT CONSIDER THE QUESTION. WHY DO LIVING THINGS HAVE NEEDS BUT IN SECOND GRADE, THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A QUESTION. HOW DO LIVING THINGS GET WHAT THEY NEED TO SURVIVE? AND BY FIFTH GRADE, REALLY PUTTING EVERYTHING THEY LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FOURTH GRADE TOGETHER TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. HOW DO WE DECIDE WHICH RESOURCES TO DEVELOP? SO YOU CAN SEE THE LEVEL OF THINKING IS REALLY HAVING TO INCREASE AND GET MORE ABSTRACT PER GRADE LEVEL. AND SO OUR TEACHERS APPRECIATED THAT ABILITY TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE ACROSS GRADE LEVELS WITH THIS IN THE PURCHASE OF THE PROGRAM. UM WE GET EVERYTHING THAT WE WOULD NEED, UM SO TEACHERS WILL GET ALL OF THE RESOURCES. THAT BENCHMARK SHOWED. THIS INCLUDES THE TEACHER'S GUIDE. IT INCLUDES THE INTERVENTION RESOURCE IS ALL OF THE PHONICS, RESOURCES AND MATERIALS. IT INCLUDES SMALL GROUP TEXT THAT ACTUALLY HAVE LESSONS WRITTEN OUT FOR TEACHERS. SO UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IN A PRIMARY GRADE, THEY MIGHT HAVE THIS BOOK WHO'S IN THE TREE FOR THE LIFE SCIENCE UNIT. BUT IT COMES WITH AN ACCOMPANYING LESSON PLANS FOR TEACHERS. BUT THEN AT THE INTERMEDIATE GRADE, 
          [00:45:02]
YOU CAN SEE THE TEXT INCREASES. SO IT'S OPINIONS ABOUT ROBOT BEES. THIS IS FROM THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIT. AND THE LESSON PLAN IS THERE FOR TEACHERS RIGHT WITH THE BOOK. UM YOU CAN SEE IT HAS DECOTA BALS THAT WOULD BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM THAT COME WITH THE PROGRAM. BUT IT ALSO COMES WITH PACKETS OF SMALLER DAKOTA BALS THAT STUDENTS CAN USE FOR PRACTICE IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT ALSO CAN BE SENT HOME SO THAT PARENTS AND FAMILIES CAN ALSO SUPPORT THEIR READERS AT HOME. AND SO THOSE RESOURCES ARE ALL INCLUDED, AS WELL AS THE MAGAZINES THAT STUDENTS USE FOR EACH UNIT. SO ENERGY UNIT STUDENTS WOULD GET A MAGAZINE. 
          THIS IS FOR KINDERGARTEN. UM AND THE MAGAZINE HAS AND THIS IS FOR FIFTH GRADE THIRD GRADE. I'M SORRY, HAS ALL OF THE TEXT IN IT WITH ROOM FOR KIDS TO ANNOTATE TO BE ABLE TO MARK UP THE TEXT AND THEN WHAT'S REALLY NICE IS AT THE END OF THREE WEEKS. UM ON THE BACK IS A MENU OF ACTIVITIES THAT FAMILIES CAN DO AT HOME TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD'S LEARNING. SO AT THE END OF THE THREE WEEKS THIS GOES HOME. AND FAMILIES CAN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, SEE WHAT THEIR CHILD'S BEEN LEARNING BUT ALSO HAVE ACTIVITIES TO EXTEND THAT AS WELL. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TEACHERS APPRECIATED AND FELT THAT STUDENTS WOULD KIND OF LIKE GETTING A LITTLE MAGAZINE EVERY SO OFTEN WOULD KIND OF BE EXCITING FOR THEM. UM THE OTHER THING. IT DOES INCLUDE THEIR ASSESSMENT PACKAGE. UM, AND IT DOES INCLUDE ALL DIGITAL RESOURCES, SO EVERYTHING THAT'S HERE IN PRINT IS ALSO AVAILABLE DIGITALLY AND DOES FULLY INTEGRATE WITH OUR CANVAS. SO THAT WILL BE SEAMLESS. UM, WHAT I FOUND VERY, UM THAT WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE IS THAT YOU CAN ACCESS IT IF YOU HAVE A STRONG WIFI CONNECTION. BUT HOWEVER, YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD THOSE RESOURCES. ONTO YOUR COMPUTER, SO THAT FOR PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTY WHO MAYBE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH SPEED INTERNET LIKE I KNOW, CERTAINLY UP AROUND NORRISVILLE . SOMETIMES YOU CANNOT GET THAT IT'S NOT AVAILABLE OR FOR FAMILIES WHO MAYBE DO NOT HAVE THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES AT THE MOMENT THAT THEIR STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THESE RESOURCES TO STILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEM AT HOME ON THEIR HCPS ISSUED DEVICE. SO FROM AN EQUITY LENS. THAT'S ALSO REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE APPRECIATED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BOARD? I WILL NOW SHARE WITH YOU SOME PRELIMINARY FIGURES TO GIVE EVERYONE A SENSE OF WHAT THIS PILOT WILL GENERALLY COST HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I KNOW THAT THIS INFORMATION IS ALL PRE NEGOTIATION AND PRIOR TO US, KNOWING EXACTLY HOW MANY SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS PILOT. WHILE WE HAVE 13 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT HAVE EXPRESSED INITIAL INTEREST IN PILOTING, WE DO EXPECT SOME SHIFTING NOW THAT WE ARE FURTHER ALONG INTO THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING THE FINAL PILOT PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION. THIS PROGRAM IS MARKETED BASED ON THE TIME BASED SUBSCRIPTIONS ON THE SCREEN. YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE GENERAL PRICING INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS THAT ARE FOR ONE YEAR VERSUS SIX YEARS. LIKE MOST PRODUCTS, YOU REALIZE THE COST SAVINGS GIVEN A LONGER COMMITMENT THAT ONE IS WILLING TO MAKE. GREAT SCAN ONE FOR A SIX YEAR SUBSCRIPTION. THIS PROGRAM WILL COST $4500 PER TEACHER. AND THIS IS A ONE TIME FEE FOR THE ENTIRE SIX YEARS, WHICH INCLUDES ACCESS TO THE COMPANY'S ONLINE PLATFORM AND CONSUMABLE MATERIALS THAT MR TWIG JUST SHARED WITH YOU. CONTRAST THAT WITH A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FOR CAN ONE AT A COST OF $3800. FOR GRADES TWO THROUGH FIVE. THE COST FOR A SIX YEAR SUBSCRIPTION IS $5400 PER TEACHER VERSUS 43 50 FOR ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION PER TEACHER. SO YOU CAN SEE THEN THAT THE SIX YEAR SUBSCRIPTION IS A MORE COST OF COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION EVEN IF THIS PROGRAM PILOT WORK TO LAST FOR ONLY TWO YEARS. AGAIN FINAL COSTS WILL OBVIOUSLY DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED. AND THIS SLIDE YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE HAVE 13 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT EXPRESSED EARLY INTEREST IN PILOTING A NEW PROGRAM. GIVEN THAT WE MAY EXPERIENCE SOME SHIFT IN THAT INTEREST ON THIS SLIDE IS A GENERAL COST ESTIMATE BASED ON 11 AND NINE AND 13 SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING. FOR NINE SCHOOLS. THE COST WOULD BE $1.2 MILLION, AND FOR 13 SCHOOLS, THE COST WOULD BE $1.7 MILLION. THIS DOLLAR AMOUNT REFLECTS ALL MATERIALS AND CURRICULUM ACCESS AGAIN FOR A TOTAL OF SIX YEARS. ON THIS SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE COST DIFFERENTIAL FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF SCHOOLS BUT ONLY GIVEN A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION. IN TERMS OF A FUNDING SOURCE. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE BULK OF THE FUNDS TO COVER THE COST OF THIS PILOT PROGRAM WOULD COME FROM OUR TARGETED SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL GRANT AND THE REMAINING FROM OUR OPERATING BUDGET. THE C I. A DIVISION HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE TO IDENTIFY THESE FUNDING SOURCES AND WILL LATER BE PROVIDING GREATER DETAIL ON THAT BREAKDOWN. IN TERMS OF OUR NEXT STEPS WERE HERE THIS EVENING TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH THE BENCHMARK ADVANCED AS A PILOT ACROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR NEXT YEAR. IF THIS PROGRAM IS APPROVED, WILL MEET WITH THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES INTERESTED IN PILOTING TO SHARE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROGRAM SO THEY CAN MAKE THEIR FINAL COMMITMENT ONCE THEY HAVE REVIEWED AND DECIDED TO COMMIT, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SECURE A DETAILED COST PROPOSAL FROM BENCHMARK TO BRING BACK HAVING THE INFORMATION ON OUR SCHOOLS 
          [00:50:05]
AND THE SUPPORT OF THE PUBLISHER CAN PROVIDE, WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS NEW PROGRAM. AS YOU HAVE HEARD FROM CONTENT, SUPERVISORS AND ALL AREAS THIS YEAR SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IS A KEY PIECE OF THE WORK OF THIS OFFICE. THE READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS OFFICE WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT TO NOT ONLY THE TEACHERS WHO ARE IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM, BUT ALSO THEIR ADMINISTRATORS, SO THEY WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL WITHIN THEIR DAY TO DAY CLASSROOM VISITS AND THEIR ONGOING SCHOOL BASED MEETINGS. 
          SO THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH BRINGS US TO OUR REQUEST FOR TONIGHT THAT THE BENCHMARK ADVANCED PROGRAM IS APPROVED FOR PILOT STATUS FOR IDENTIFIED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR. WE TAKE ANY QUESTIONS? WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS JUST GO AROUND AND LET EVERYONE ASK WHATEVER QUESTIONS. THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME, MRS ALVAREZ, I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU. YES SO YOU SAID THAT THERE'S 13 SCHOOLS THAT HAVE, UM EXPRESSED INTEREST IN. AND USING THE PILOT PROGRAM. UM AND SO THAT WOULD. SO DO YOU. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, WHO IS INTERESTED AND THE REASONS THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN THREE REASONS WHY THE OTHER SCHOOLS ARE NOT SURE, MISS ALVAREZ. UM. SO WHEN WE INITIALLY UM, LET THE DISTRICT KNOW THAT WE WERE INTERESTED IN HAVING A PILOT TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE DATA ACROSS CURRICULAR PROGRAMS. WE HAD SCHOOLS THAT LOOKED AT THEIR OWN DATA. THEY TALKED WITH THEIR TEACHERS. THEY ALSO TALKED WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES TO SEE IF THERE WOULD BE SUPPORT FOR EITHER REMAINING WITH THE CURRENT UNITS OF STUDY CURRICULUM OR TRYING A DIFFERENT CURRICULAR PROGRAM. AND SO PRINCIPLES TALKING WITH THEIR STAFF. WE ALSO ENCOURAGE THEM TO SPEAK WITH THEIR P T. A S. THEY MADE THAT DECISION THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO TRY SOMETHING. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A BIG COMMITMENT TO HAVE AN ENTIRE SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM AND BE INVOLVED IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOMETHING ENTIRELY NEW, SO PRINCIPLES THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET BUY IN FROM THEIR STAFF AND THEIR COMMUNITY. SO THEY USE THEIR LITERACY DATA FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES AND JUST TEACHERS INTEREST THEIR TEACHERS KIND OF THOUGHTS ON UNITS OF STUDY TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. AND SO NOW, MOST OF THEM HAVE SAID THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT WOULD BE PILOTED TO MAKE THAT FINAL DECISION AND MAKE SURE IT IS A GOOD FIT FOR THEIR STAFF AND FOR THEIR STUDENTS. AND THE SCHOOLS THAT WOULD PILOT IT. THEY WOULD, UM THEY BUT THE ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL WITH WOULD PARTICIPATE, OR IS IT WOULD IT BE JUST UM, SPECIFIC CLASSES. SO IN ORDER TO GET ROBUST DATA, WE ARE HAVING THE ENTIRE SCHOOL K THROUGH FIVE. SO ALL TEACHERS K THROUGH FIVE IN EACH SCHOOL WOULD PILOT THIS PROGRAM. OKAY THANK YOU. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORTS THAT THE STAFF AND ALL OF THE SCHOOLS WENT THROUGH IN, UM AND SELECTING THIS AND, UH, THE ROBUST, UM, ANALYSIS THAT YOU DID, UM VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. MRS BRUCE YES. COUNT. WHAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ARE YOU GOING TO USE TO MAKE THE DECISION ON THE SCHOOL'S WHO'S GOING TO MAKE THAT DECISION? TWO SCHOOLS ARE OPTING IN TO PILOT THIS PROGRAM . SO OF THOSE 13. WE ARE WAITING FOR THEM TO SEE THE PROGRAM. BUT WE ARE PLEASED THAT THE SCHOOLS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL THE DISTRICTS ACROSS THE SYSTEM. THERE'S A VARIETY IN SIZE FROM VERY SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE. 
          THERE'S A VARIETY AND THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE STUDENT POPULATION. SO UM, BASED ON THE 13 WHO ARE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED ALONG THE WAY? WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE WOULD HAVE A GREAT REPRESENTATION ACROSS THE COUNTY WITH DIFFERENT DATA, DIFFERENT STUDENT POPULATION SO WE COULD GET A GOOD SENSE OF THE, UM VALIDITY OF THIS PROGRAM AND HELPING STUDENTS. SO YEAH, YOU SAID 13 IS INVOLVED IN THE PILOT . OUT OF WHAT POPULATION. I MAY HAVE MISSED THAT. SO WE HAVE 35 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF 34 COMPREHENSIVE, SO 13 OF THOSE 34. SO YOU HAVE 13 34. SUPPOSED 15 STEP UP TO THE PLATE. WHERE? HOW ARE YOU GONNA MAKE THAT CUT? 13 IS JUST WHO'S EXPRESSED INTEREST, SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BROUGHT FEEL. IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT. WE COULD EXPAND THAT IF WE HAD A GREAT INTEREST AND THE OPERATING BUDGET SUPPORTED THAT. YEAH, BUT I GUESS, WHITE MAN, IF I WOULD LOOK AT THE 13 THAT YOU HAVE 
          [00:55:08]
WHAT'S THE CROSS SECTION OF WHERE THE REPRESENTATION IS GOING TO BE? IS MY QUESTION THE 13 WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS THOSE SCHOOLS REALLY DO REPRESENT LIKE THIS CULTURE, SAID SCHOOLS THAT HAVE TWO GRADE LEVELS PER OR TWO CLASSROOMS PER GRADE LEVEL, AS AS LARGEST SCHOOLS THAT HAPPENED EIGHT GREAT LEVELS, SO DEFINITELY SCHOOL SIZE, BUT THEN IT ALSO IS A TRUE CROSS SECTION OF LIKE NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST OF OUR COUNTY, SO THAT IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE YOU COULD PAIR SISTER SCHOOLS UP AND BE LIKE, OH, THESE TWO SCHOOLS ARE SIMILAR IN DEMOGRAPHICS, LOCATION AND SIZE. 
          ONE IS DOING UNITS OF STUDY. ONE IS DOING BENCHMARK SO THAT IT IS REALLY COMPARABLE DATA VERSUS LIKE I UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN IF THEY'RE ALL CLUSTERED IN ONE REGION. THEN HOW DO WE REALLY COMPARE THAT WHEN WE'RE MAKING A DECISION FOR AN ENTIRE COUNTY AND I GUESS WHAT? I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN THOSE 13 THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE AT THAT WOULD AT LEAST GIVE US GIVE ME MORE INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO THAT. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD. I'M ON THIS PROCESS FOR DETERMINING THE TOP SIX PROGRAMS. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY. MM CAT. EARLY SCREENING RESULTS WAS GIVEN SUCH A LOW PERCENTAGE, SO I'LL ADDRESS THAT. THE M CAP ASSESSMENT WAS BRAND NEW IN 2022 . IF YOU RECALL EITHER PRESENTATIONS THAT THE ASSESSMENT WAS IN ITS FIRST YEAR UNDER A NEW VENDOR BY DIFFERENT ITEMS IN DIFFERENT ITEM TYPES. THERE IS NOT ANY CONSISTENT PROGRAM OUT THERE IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, SO IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT. UM THE OTHER THING THAT HAS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IS POVERTY LEVEL. WE HAVE DIFFERENT POVERTY LEVELS AND VERY DIFFERENT, DIVERSE COUNTIES. AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER LAYER TO THE PIECE, SO GIVEN THAT WE CERTAINLY LOOKED AT THE DATA, IT WAS CERTAINLY A BIG DISCUSSION. BUT ULTIMATELY WE WANTED TO BASE OUR DECISION ON ED REPORTS AND THE COMMITTEE THEMSELVES. THOSE WE HAD THE LARGEST WEIGHTS IF WE HAD THIS PROCESS, AND THREE YEARS FROM NOW, I WOULD DEFINITELY CHANGE THAT AND MAKE IT HIGHER. BUT WE JUST HAVE VERY LITTLE DATA. UM, DUE TO COVID. WE STILL HAD A HUGE CHRONIC ABSENTEE RATE LAST YEAR, AND THAT'S ALSO IMPACTS. OBVIOUSLY IF YOU'RE ABSENT, THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. SO IT WAS A LOT OF DECISIONS. LOT OF REASONS WHY THEY WENT TO THAT GREAT QUESTION. SORRY. OH MISS BRUCE TO JUST ADD ON A DIFFERENT LAYER WHEN MISCARRY REACHED OUT TO ALL OF THE OTHER SUPERVISORS ACROSS COUNTY HONESTLY, WHAT WE WERE HOPING FOR WAS THAT MANY COUNTIES WOULD SAY WE'VE DONE THIS PROCESS AND WE ALL CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS THE GREAT PROGRAM FOR KIDS. WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT ALMOST EVERY COUNTY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND IS IN THE SAME PROCESS. WE ARE IN WHERE THEY WOULD WRITE BACK AND SAY, WELL, WE CURRENTLY USE THIS, BUT WE'RE PILOTING THIS ONE, AND WE WANT TO SEE FOR NEXT YEAR SO THAT ALSO MADE IT HARD TO LOOK AT THEIR M CAP DATA BECAUSE THEIR CAP DATA MIGHT HAVE BEEN USING THEIR OLD PROGRAM, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE ALSO LOOKING TO PILOT A NEW PROGRAM AS WELL. SO FOR INSTANCE, IF THEY WERE PILOTING INTO READING THEIR M CAP SCORE WOULDN'T TELL US WHETHER INTO READING WAS GOOD BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HAVE ONLY HAD FIVE SCHOOLS PILOTING IT. BUT IF WE LOOKED AT THE M CAP DATA, IT REPRESENTED THEIR ENTIRE COUNTY IF THAT MAKES SENSE AND CLARIFIES A LITTLE BIT MORE. FROM THAT ANGLE. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD LOOKED AT, UM REVIEW SELECTION GENERAL CURRICULUM AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBERS. CAN YOU TELL ME IF THERE ARE ANY MINORITIES REPRESENTED ON THAT COMMITTEE? OTHER THAN POLICY STANDS. AND NOT, AND I JUST WANT TO CROSS SECTION OF MINORITIES. I JUST I CAN'T TELL FROM THIS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION, CAN YOU PROVIDE IT TO ME? BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE REPRESENTATION. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, THEN WE NEED TO HELP YOU. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. SO, MISS BRUCE. I CAN SAY THAT ON THE LARGE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE THAT WAS A CONSIDERATION THAT OUR OFFICE MADE AS WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DID HAVE VARIOUS REPRESENTATION SO THAT ALL COMMUNITIES WERE REPRESENTED IN THE TEXTBOOK SELECTION PROCESS. UM, IN THE GCC, YOU WOULD BE CORRECT. AND IN THAT LARGE GROUP, WHAT WAS THE PERCENTAGE? I CAN LOOK THROUGH THE NAMES IF YOU GIVE ME A MINUTE AND COME UP WITH THE NUMBER FOR YOU, OKAY? GREAT. I DON'T WANT TO HOLD IT UP. YOU CAN GO ON TO MELISSA. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. YOU CAN GET BACK TO ME AT THE END. THIS IS HAN. THANK YOU, UM, ARE ALL OF THE MATERIALS PROVIDED AT ONE TIME OR THEY DELIVERED MONTHLY LIKE, HOW DOES THAT WORK? UM, BECAUSE I MEAN, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED AHEAD OF TIME AND IF FOR SOME REASON THERE'S ISSUES JUST TEACHERS WOULD RECEIVE YEARLY SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, 
          [01:00:01]
THEY WOULD GET ALL 10 UNITS. EVERYTHING WOULD COME ONCE AND THEN, AT THE START OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, THEY WOULD GET NEW MAGAZINES BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY KIDS HAVE WRITTEN IN THESE, YOU CAN'T USE THEM AGAIN. SO EACH YEAR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR TICKET, EVERYTHING OF EVERYTHING THEY NEED FOR THE WHOLE YEAR PERFECT. AND THEN FOR THE ASSESSMENTS THAT DOUBLES UM WE WOULD BE BE ABLE TO USE THOSE TO COMPARE THE PROGRAM THIS PILOT PROGRAM TO THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE USING AND DETERMINE THE PROFICIENCY RATE USING THE DEVIL'S. THAT'S THAT'S EXCELLENT , ACTUALLY AN EXCELLENT IDEA THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING BECAUSE DEVILS CAN BE. IT'S VERY HOLISTIC. IN THE SENSE IT'S NOT TIED TO A PARTICULAR PROGRAM. SO THAT WILL BE ONE METRIC THAT WE HAVE ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. WE ALSO HAVE THE READING INVENTORY ASSESSMENT AS WELL AS STUDENTS IN GRADES TWO AND ABOVE . TAKE THAT ACROSS OUR COUNTY. SO WE WILL BE USING THAT AS A MEASURE AND THERE WILL BE OF COURSE, OTHER MEASURES THAT WE THAT WE LOOK AT JUST BEYOND DATA. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WHEN YOU COME BACK NEXT YEAR WITH UPDATED NUMBERS, UM, WILL BE LOOKING AT THE DOUBLES AS WELL AS WHATEVER OTHER STUDIES YOU USED. CORRECT. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO DR HAROLD. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR SUCH A ROBUST, UM PRESENTATION. UM YOU PAINTED A PRETTY CLEAR PICTURE FOR ME. UM, HOW WE GET TO THIS POINT TODAY, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ASKED SEVERAL OF MY QUESTIONS. UM AND YOU'VE ANSWERED TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. THE ONLY QUESTION THAT I HAD IN ADDITION TO, UM THE OTHER THREE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. UM AND I THINK MAYBE I MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS. BUT UM, YOUR BEST EDUCATED GUESS AS TO HOW MANY YEARS OF PILOT YOU WOULD LIKE, UM. TO IMPLEMENT TO ROLL OUT BEFORE YOU HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO MAKE A DECISION. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, RESEARCH SAYS. AT LEAST THREE YEARS MORE SO IT'S BETTER IF FIVE YEARS BUT AFTER THREE YEARS WE CAN REALLY GET A SENSE OF IS THIS PROGRAM WORKING? IS IT NOT WORKING? IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO MEET WITH THE VENDOR ABOUT SPECIFIC TO THE PROGRAM? WE CAN DO THAT ALL EARLY ON, WE WILL HAVE A ROBUST, BECOME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIP. I'M ASSUMING WITH THE VENDOR THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, FIRST YEAR IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF LEARNING, BUT AFTER THREE YEARS, DEFINITELY AFTER FIVE YEARS, THREE YEARS WE CAN REALLY START LOOKING AT IS IT TIME TO MAKE A DECISION. THANK YOU. AND SO, IN TERMS OF, UM COST, RIGHT? DEFINITELY. IT'S UM. IT'S A BETTER FINANCIAL DECISION TO LOOK AT THE SIX YEAR SUBSCRIPTION VERSUS YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL YEARS BECAUSE WE WANT AT LEAST THREE YEARS OF DATA. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT IS ACCURATE. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE YOUR WELCOME. THANK YOU, MISS PERRY. I'M LOOKING AT THE THREE GRADE LEVELS THAT WE'RE DOING. UM COULD THE 13 SCHOOLS THAT YOU'RE PILOTING? ARE THEY? BASICALLY THE SUIT SCHOOLS ARE PERFORMING. ABOUT THE SAME OR THEIR LOWER, PERFORMING HIGHER PERFORMING CROSS SECTION OF ALL OF THEM, SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THE 13 SCHOOLS EXPRESSED INTEREST AND THAT WOULD BE BASED ON THIS DECISION TONIGHT. THEY'RE GOING TO CERTAINLY WANT TO SEE THE MATERIALS SPEAK WITH THE RILA OFFICE TO SAY. IS THIS A PROGRAM THAT WE NEED TO TAKE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY TO CONSIDER SO THAT 13 MAY GO DOWN TO 10? WE MAY HAVE OTHERS THAT WE HAVE WE HAVE 13. WE MAY FOUND WHERE THE MOUTH WE MAY GO UP TO 15. SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT NUMBER THAT IT'S NOT YET SET IN STONE BASED UPON THIS DECISION AND FURTHER CONVERSATIONS. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. BUT OF THE ORIGINAL 13. IT IS A CROSS SECTION OF TRADITIONALLY PERFORM HIGHER AND SOME SCHOOLS THAT TRADITIONALLY PERFORMED LOWER. SO IT IS A CROSS SECTION. SO EVEN IF WE LOST ONE OR TWO, IT WOULD STILL MAINTAIN THAT RANGE. THANK YOU, OF COURSE. DR PHILLIPS. UM I COMMEND YOU ON THE PROCESS THAT YOU UNDERTOOK TO COUNTER THIS DECISION. IT WAS QUITE EXTENSIVE, AND IT CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT. I'M SURE BY EVERYBODY INVOLVED TO BE INVOLVED AT THAT LEVEL, SO NO ONE'S GOING TO ACCUSE YOU OF OPERATING THE VACUUM. UM I GUESS ONE ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE OF BEING AT THIS END OF THE TABLE IS THAT MOST OF THE QUESTIONS BY THE TIME WE GET HERE HAVE BEEN ASKED. SO I THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR THINKING AHEAD. UM, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS NUMBER ONE. STUDENTS WHO ARE IN A DIFFERENT SCHOOL THAT MAY NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN THE PILOT, AND THEY GET THEY RELOCATE MOVED DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR OR HALFWAY. HOW ARE THEY? DO WE ANTICIPATE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY COMING IN IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, NO. UM 
          [01:05:01]
IT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT CURRICULUM AND A DIFFERENT APPROACH. SO THAT'S CERTAINLY CONSIDERATION. HOWEVER WE GET STUDENTS ALL THE TIME THAT ARE COMING FROM CECIL COUNTY IN OR BALTIMORE CITY UP OR, YOU KNOW, MILITARY THROUGH A PG, WHERE THEY MIGHT BE COMING FROM CALIFORNIA OR GERMANY. AND SO TEACHERS ARE PRETTY SKILLED AT KIND OF ACCLIMATING STUDENTS TO AN APPROACH AS FAR AS THE SKILLS. BOTH UNITS OF STUDY AND BENCHMARK ARE ALIGNED WITH THE MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER READY STANDARDS, SO THE STANDARDS TAUGHT AT EACH GRADE LEVEL WOULD BE THE SAME APPROACH MAY BE DIFFERENT, BUT AS FAR AS WHAT SKILLS THEY WOULD HAVE LEARNED IN THE SCHOOL PREVIOUSLY OR THE PREVIOUS YEAR OF EDUCATION THOSE WOULD BE CONSISTENT ACROSS PROGRAMS OKAY ? AND JUST ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT ONE OF THE SLIDES, YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE COST ESTIMATE FOR THE 66 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION YOU HAVE UP THERE. I THINK IT WAS LIKE 2.15 MILLION, BUT YOU IN OUR SLIDE. PLUS, WHAT YOU HAD MENTIONED WAS 1.7 MILLION FOR THE 13, WHICH IS THE CORRECT FIGURE. 1.7 IS CORRECT. THAT IS A TYPE OF I APOLOGIZE. OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. MR RICCARDI. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU. TELL THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE QUESTIONS YOU'VE ASKED. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I DID LOVE YOUR ANALOGY. AND PEOPLE DON'T SLEEP ON IT. SO IT'S GOOD THAT WE'RE NOT LETTING HER EMOTIONS GET INTO IT. BUT THE QUESTION I DO HAVE IS AND IT WASN'T CLEARLY ANSWER FOR ME IS DO WE HAVE A SET DETERMINATION? AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO KNOW IF THIS PROGRAM IS SUCCESSFUL OR NOW NOT. I KNOW THERE IS EXTRA EXTRA FACTORS THAT AFFECT US LIKE UNITS OF STUDY, WHERE WE HAD OUR TESTING THE CHANGED AND UM COVID, OF COURSE IMPACTED AND I DON'T THINK I THINK WE ONLY HAD HOW MANY YEARS OF INFORMATION DID WE HAVE FOR UNITS OF STUDY? THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND YEAR OF FULL IMPLEMENTATION. SO WE'VE ONLY HAD TWO YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION TO BE EARLY TO MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF IT. BUT, UM, HOW DO IT. DO YOU HAVE THAT MAPPED OUT ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO KNOW IF THAT'S SUCCESSFUL OR NOT? I WASN'T CLEAR, SO AND THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. BECAUSE I REALLY DIDN'T COME UP WITH THAT. I KNEW SOMEBODY WAS GOING TO ASK THAT WE WILL HAVE AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TO LOOK AT THIS PROGRAM. AS WE'VE DONE WITH UNITS OF STUDY. WE HAVE A PROCESS THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS . WE HAVE EXTERNAL EVALUATORS. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT COMMITTEES. SO WHAT IS THE MATTER OF CHOOSING THE RIGHT FIT WHO MAY HAVE EXPERIENCE PARTICULAR IN CURRICULUM IF THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED IN ENGLISH CURRICULUM, OBVIOUSLY, THAT WOULD BE A PLUS FOR THEM, SO WE WILL DO A NUMBER OF THINGS WE WILL DO SURVEYS. WE WILL DO FOCUS GROUPS. UH WE WILL LOOK AT THE DATA WE WILL DO CLASSROOM WALK THROUGHS, AS WE DO NOW, IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, LRL OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WERE IN THERE AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR FOR HALF DAY OR FULL DAY WALK THROUGHS TO COLLECT SOME DATA THERE. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A ROBUST EVALUATION PROCESS. AND AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS WILL CONTINUE TO AND WILL THAT BE ANNUAL? YES. THANK YOU. 
          AND I THINK IN ALL OF THAT, WE'RE LOOKING FOR GROWTH. THE STUDENT GROWTH IN THE DATA SO NOT NECESSARILY. I'M ONLY COMPARING SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. BUT LOOKING AT DID THE STUDENTS IN THAT PARTICULAR GREAT GROWTH FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OR FROM THE YEAR PRIOR. THANK YOU. 
          MR BLINKEN. I HAVE NO QUESTIONS . IT WAS AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT PROGRAM. THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT SOUL. YEAH. SO, UM SECOND YEAR. TO BE OFF HERE. THE ORCHESTRA PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND. WE CAN WE CAN OKAY. ON THE PULSE IN HIGH SCHOOL TONIGHT AT MY DAUGHTER'S ORCHESTRA CONCERT. THAT'S WHY I'M NOT UH IN PERSON AND LOOKING TO AND PARTICIPATING IN THE BOARD MEETING, BUT ALSO TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, BE PRESENT AS A DAD. UM SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE HERE AND JUST THANK EVERYONE THAT WORKED HARD ON THIS AND PUTS A BREAKNECK PAY. TO EVALUATE THEM BRAND NEW READING PROGRAM WITH SO MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED, YOU KNOW THE ADMINISTRATORS THAT NEEDED TO FIND YOU KNOW, SUBS TO COVER THE CLASSROOMS. EDUCATORS HAVE STEPPED UP TO EVALUATED. UM I MEAN, ALL HAPPENED JUST OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS, SO IT'S REALLY AMAZING THE EFFORT THAT WENT INTO THIS AND HOW THOROUGH AND ROBUST PROCESS WAS. UM I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE THAT WAS INVOLVED. UM SO YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'VE HEARD FROM YOU KNOW WHAT THE WHAT THE COMMUNITY THOUGHT, BUT I WANT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU UM YOU KNOW BETTER, ANDY. UM AH, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT? WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THE BUGGER. MR SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION. I CAN SAY THAT AS DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS FIRST AND FOREMOST ON MY MIND WAS THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE PROGRAMS TRULY BUILD KNOWLEDGE ACROSS THE GREAT LEVELS. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THESE LITERACY SKILLS NOT 
          [01:10:05]
BE TAUGHT IN ISOLATION, BUT TAUGHT IN CONTEXT, SO THAT AS KIDS PROCEED THROUGH THEIR READING LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTION, THEY COULD SEE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING. IN TERMS OF THE LITERACY, SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AS WELL AS CONTENT. SO AS MR TWIG SHARED THE NOTION THAT THE SCIENCES AS WELL AS THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, AS WELL AS TRADITIONAL LITERACY APPROACHES TO LITERACY BASED EDUCATION, OR ALL INTERSPERSED AND WEAVE TOGETHER WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROGRAM, AT LEAST FROM MY INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE IN TERMS OF WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IN A READING PROGRAM. SO THAT WAS ONE FACTOR THAT I EXAMINED AND AS A RESULT, I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THAT FORM OF KNOWLEDGE BUILDING, BUT I AS WELL COMPLETELY TRUST IN THE PROCESS AND DETERMINATIONS THAT THIS HIGHLY SKILLED GROUP OF EDUCATORS MADE IN TERMS OF THIS FINAL RECOMMENDATION AND FEEL THIS IS DIRECTLY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE VISION AND THE FUTURE OF READING INSTRUCTION FOR HARFORD COUNTY. AND I WOULD I WOULD ECHO THAT AND JUST HEARING ABOUT THE PROCESS IN THIS PRESENTATION, I THINK, SHOWS THE INTENTIONALITY AND THE WIDE VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED . SEEING IT IS ALSO QUITE QUITE SOMETHING TO THE HOLD AND WE HAVE CURRICULAR EXPERTS IN OUR READING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS OFFICE WHO WHO STUDY THIS WHO STUDIED THIS FOR YEARS WHO KEEP REALLY CURRENT ON ALL SIDES OF THE READING ARGUMENT, AND SO BROUGHT THEIR EXPERTISE, BUT THEY REALLY TRIED TO HOLD BACK AND NOT INFLUENCE. UM THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE THEY WANTED A COMMITTEE THAT REPRESENTED PEOPLE WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE DIEHARD UNITS OF STUDY FANS AND ALSO THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT THE ONES WHO REALLY QUESTION HOW EFFECTIVE THAT CURRICULUM IS, AND SO THEY REALLY CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT. WHERE THAT THE TEACHERS, THE ADMINISTRATORS, THE PEOPLE USING THIS CURRICULUM COULD DIG IN AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING TO WORK FOR THE KIDS AND SO TO SEE THAT PROCESS AND HEAR THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND GRADE LEVELS FIRST, AND THEN ACROSS GRADE LEVELS TO REALLY COME TO CONSENSUS IN A FAIRLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME GIVES ME A GREAT DEAL OF TRUST IN THE DECISION THAT THEY MADE, THERE IS NO PERFECT CURRICULUM. IF YOU LOOK AT THIS, YOU ARE GOING TO FIND ISSUES. YOU COULD PROBABLY FIND RESEARCH THAT SHOWS WHY THIS PIECE ISN'T AS EFFECTIVE AS THIS PIECE AND ANOTHER CURRICULUM. THAT IS TRUE OF ANY CURRICULUM. 
          BUT THIS OFFICE THIS READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE OFFICE WITH MEMBERS LIKE MR TWIG, MISS BARD , MISS STELTER. MRS. SCARY MISS JONES. THEY'RE OUT SUPPORTING. WE HAVE OUR LITERACY SPECIALISTS IN THE SCHOOLS AS WELL. WHO WILL SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT? AND THEN IT WILL BE EFFECTIVE FOR OUR STUDENTS. I THINK THAT TRUST IN THEM AND IN THE PROCESS MAKES ME KNOW THAT THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT WE CAN BRING FORWARD. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? GREAT ACTUALLY. YEAH SO I DIDN'T MEAN TO. WE WANT TO EXCLUDE MR SPEAKER. MR SNYDER AND THAT CONVERSATION. UM DO DO YOU HAVE ANY. ALRIGHT. 
          SORRY THAT WAS HARD TO HEAR YOU , UM I WAS BEING AN EXTERNAL PERSON EXTERNAL. IN THE SENSE. 
          I'M NOT TIED TO A CONTENT. I'M MORE OF A GENERALIST. UM, I WAS MATH AS A MATH TEACHER NEVER WOULD HAVE FIGURED THAT RIGHT? BUT IT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING PROCESS JUST TO HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS THAT THE TEACHERS HAD. AND THE OTHER ADMINISTRATORS WHO WERE THERE IN THE ROOM OF 44 ADULTS AND PLUS SOME OTHERS FROM CENTRAL OFFICE WHO WERE NON VOTING MEMBERS. 
          THEY COULD HAVE STAYED THERE TIL MIDNIGHT. AND THEY COULD HAVE STILL BEEN DISCUSSING. IT WAS JUST SO REWARDING TO SEE THE HARD WORK AND THE AMOUNT OF THOUGHT THEY PUT INTO THIS. I MEAN, I WAS TRULY AMAZED BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER REALLY DUG IN THAT DEEPLY WITH A LARGE COMMITTEE LIKE THAT. UM SO I'M VERY MUCH SUPPORT THIS PROCESS. UM, IT WAS A DYNAMIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF US. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO GET THIS PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING, BUT I KNOW IT WILL BE DONE. AND I WOULD JUST ECHO WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT THIS COMMITTEE. UM THEY REALLY DID ASK A LOT OF TOUGH QUESTIONS OF THE PUBLISHERS. SOMETIMES I GET A SENSE OF THE PUBLISHER WISH THAT THEY WOULD STOP ASKING QUESTIONS BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE DOING YOUR SALES PITCH, YOU WANT TO DO YOUR WHOLE PITCH AND NOT BE INTERRUPTED BY, UM QUESTIONS. BUT I THINK TEACHERS REALLY FROM THEIR LENS REALLY WANTED TO KNOW. WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE? AND I WOULD ECHO WHAT MS CULTURE SAID, AS WELL. SIMILAR TO BUYING A CAR. I'M JUST GOING TO GO WITH IT TONIGHT. NO CARS. PERFECT RIGHT. LIKE YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THE CAR. BUT THE CUP HOLDERS ARE SMALL. AND SO ANY OF THE CURRICULUMS WE PICKED TEACHERS HAD THINGS THEY REALLY APPRECIATED ABOUT IT AND THINGS LIKE OH, I WISH THIS ONE PART WAS A LITTLE BIT BETTER. UM AND THAT'S JUST TRUE OF ANY CURRICULUM. THERE IS NO ONE CURRICULUM. EVERY CURRICULUM PUBLISHED WILL TELL YOU, THERE'S IS THE PERFECT ONE. BUT IN 
          [01:15:01]
REALITY THAT'S JUST NOT THE CASE. ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY THANK YOU. SO NOW IT'S MY TURN. SO I'M GOING TO ASK YOU A QUESTION THAT I KNOW THE ANSWER TO, BUT I KNOW SOME OTHER PEOPLE HAD ASKED THIS QUESTION, SO I WANTED TO BRING IT UP FOR THE GROUP HERE, AND THAT IS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, WE PURCHASED SOME DECODER BOLS AND THOSE DAKOTA BALS. HOW WILL THEY BE USED NOW THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING A DIFFERENT PROGRAM? ABSOLUTELY UM, SO THE DAKOTA BALLS IN THE BENCHMARK PROGRAM THERE IS TIME FOR STUDENTS TO READ. TO APPLY THE PHONICS SKILLS THAT THEY'VE BEEN TAUGHT AND THAT CAN BE DONE USING ANY TO QUOTABLE. SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF I'M A TEACHER AND I HAVE TAUGHT, UM SORRY, JUST LIKE ALL MY PROPS HERE LIKE IF I'VE TAUGHT LONG OH, YES, I CAN USE THE BENCHMARK LONG OH DAKOTA BLE READER, BUT THE JUMPER BREEDERS THAT YOU BOUGHT ALL OF THE DAKOTA BALLS YOU BOUGHT HAVE LONG AGO DECODER BALS THAT CAN BE USED IN ADDITION TO THESE AS WELL SO STUDENTS WILL JUST HAVE MORE BOOKS TEACHERS WILL HAVE RATHER THAN JUST LIKE I ONLY HAVE THIS ONE FOR KIDS TO PRACTICE. THEY'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO TAKE THE ONES THAT YOU PURCHASED AND ADD TO THE COLLECTION THAT THEY GET FROM BENCHMARKS SO THAT THEY HAVE A ROBUST COLLECTION OF QUOTABLE TEXT FOR STUDENTS TO PRACTICE THE PHONICS SKILLS. THEY'VE BEEN LEARNING, SO CERTAINLY NONE OF THOSE MATERIALS WILL NEED TO BE PUT AWAY OR NOT USED. WE WOULD, AS A REAL OFFICE WOULD STILL BE ENCOURAGING TEACHERS TO USE THOSE IN ADDITION TO THE DAKOTA BALLS THAT COME WITH BENCHMARK. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT, OF COURSE. AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT IS THE COST OF THIS PROGRAM VERSUS THE UNITS OF STUDY PROGRAM BUT ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT YOU GET FOR THE DOLLARS THAT YOU PUT INTO IT. SO UNITS OF STUDY. UM IS A MUCH CHEAPER PROGRAM WHEN WE LOOK AT, UM BENCHMARK BECAUSE IS 4500 FOR KINDERGARTEN FOR UNITS OF STUDY FOR THE COMPLETE PROGRAM. YOU WOULD NEED A READING OR WRITING AND A PHONICS KID IN EACH OF THOSE RUNS AROUND $400. SO IT'S ABOUT $1200 PER CLASSROOM. UM THE UNITS OF STUDY DOES NOT HAVE A DIGITAL ONLINE KIND OF COMPONENT. IT DOESN'T HAVE LIKE A DASHBOARD WHERE STUDENTS CAN GO TO ACCESS TEXT OR THINGS LIKE THAT AT HOME. SO THAT IS ONE THING THAT'S MISSING FROM UNITS OF STUDY THAT IF THAT'S IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE, THEN THAT'S OBVIOUSLY SOMEWHERE WHERE WE COULD SAY THAT THAT PROGRAM IS LACKING, BUT IT DEFINITELY IS CHEAPER. AND IN THAT COST IS A ONE TIME COST VERSUS THIS YEAR, WHICH WOULD BE THEIR SIX YEAR OR ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION. SO FOR A SCHOOL THAT HAS UNITS OF STUDY THE ONLY TIME THEY WOULD NEED TO BUY A NEW KID, AS IF FOR INSTANCE, MAYBE A TEACHER'S GOT DAMAGED AND THEY NEEDED TO BUY A NEW SET. BUT ONCE YOU BUY THE KIT, YOU HAVE THE KIT FOREVER THE RESOURCES THAT ARE ON THEIR PLATFORM YOU HAVE THEM FOR EVER . SO THERE'S NOT A RECURRING COSTS OTHER THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO TRY TO GROW CLASSROOM LIBRARIES FOR STUDENTS, BUT WE WOULD WANT TO PROBABLY DO THAT, REGARDLESS OF PROGRAMS SO THAT STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO BOOKS. SO NOW THAT YOU SAID ALL THAT ONE OF THE THINGS I'M EXCITED ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT STUDENTS HAVE THINGS TO TAKE HOME WITH THEM BECAUSE NOT EVERY STUDENT HAS A LIBRARY AT HOME, SO JUST BEING ABLE TO TAKE THOSE LITTLE DAKOTA BALS HOME AND THOSE MAGAZINES HOME CAN REALLY GIVE A LEG UP TO THE STUDENTS THAT MAYBE ARE NOT ECONOMICALLY ADVANTAGED. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT. SO WE'RE AT THE END QUESTO INTERRUPT YOU, BUT I DID WANT TO GO BACK TO MS BRUCE'S QUESTION DIDN'T QUESTION SO ON THE COMMITTEE. THERE WERE FOUR MEMBERS THAT ARE OF COLOR OF 48, WHICH I DID. A QUICK MATH IS 8% OF THE COMMITTEE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GENERAL PERCENT OF HCPS STAFF POPULATION IS. I DON'T KNOW IF WE ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THAT? I MEAN, CERTAINLY, THAT IS A WHOLE SEPARATE ISSUE OF TRYING TO RECRUIT MORE EDUCATORS OF COLOR. UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS REALLY AN ISSUE, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT FOR OFFICE TO MAKE SURE AND MORE CONTINUE TO WORK AND MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING BETTER REPRESENTATION. AND I GUESS THE QUESTION I WOULD HAVE HAD WAS YOU'RE SAYING OF COLOR, BUT IN THAT, ARE YOU INCLUDING OTHER YOU KNOW, HISPANICS OR WHATEVER . OR JUST YES, YES. SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE YES STUDENT WOULD INCLUDE ALL MEMBERS WHO WOULD WHO IDENTIFY AS AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMBERS WHO IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC AS WELL. THE ONE OTHER QUESTION I DID HAVE. I CAN ASK THAT, UM NEW TEACHERS COMING INTO THE SYSTEM. UM IS THIS REALLY QUITE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY MAY HAVE LEARNED WHEN THEY WERE AN UNDERGRAD AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OR UNDERGRAD? I MEAN, I KNOW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. YES. 
          YES I'M TRYING TO A REALLY GREAT QUESTION. UM AND I HATE TO ANSWER WITH AN IT DEPENDS IF THEY IT DOES DEPEND A LITTLE BIT, THOUGH ON WHERE THEY DID THEIR STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE. SO IF, FOR INSTANCE , THEY STUDENT TAUGHT IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THEY MAY HAVE, YOU KNOW, LEARNED UNITS OF STUDIES, SO THIS WOULD BE A NEW APPROACH IF THEY WERE IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT USED MORE OF AN ANTHOLOGY BASIL KIND OF APPROACH THAN THIS WOULD MATCH MORE WITH THEY WERE FROM SO BECAUSE WE RECRUIT FROM EVERYWHERE WE CAN FIND, YOU KNOW 
          [01:20:03]
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
          ALRIGHT SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO GO TO THE SLIDE WITH THE REQUEST ON IT, PLEASE SO NOW I NEED A MOTION, UM, TO APPROVE THE PILOT FOR THE BENCHMARK EDUCATION COMPANY FOR THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR, SO I NEED A MOTION IN A SECOND. THIS IS MELISSA AND I MOVE THAT WE UM, APPROVE THE BENCHMARK ADVANCED EDUCATION COMPANY AS THE PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR. THANK YOU SECOND AND THIS IS PATRICIA RICCARDI I SECOND MR L A. WOULD YOU PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL VOTE. 
          MISS ALVAREZ. YES. BRUCE YES. MISS HAN? YES. DR HAROLD YES. MR PERRY. DR PHILLIPS. CARDI? YES. 
          MR BLINKEN? YES. VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL. YES PRESIDENT MILLER? YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO WE DID THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY TONIGHT. WE BUILT IN THE BREAK FOR THE MEETING. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A 10 MINUTE BREAK. NOW THAT WAS PART OF THE APPROVED AGENDA, AS IS THE ADJOURNMENT WHEN WE GET TO THE END OF THE MEETING, SO PLEASE, EVERYBODY, ENJOY YOUR 10 MINUTES.E WAS ENJOYING HIS BREAK. GO AHEAD. WELL DR PHILLIPS IS GETTING 
          [F. Decision on Transfers between State Categories for the FY2023 Budget, Ms. Deborah Judd, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services and Mr. Eric Clark, Director of Budget]
READY TO RETURN. WHAT WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL UP. UM NEXT IS ITEM APP DECISION ON TRANSFERS BETWEEN STATE CATEGORIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET SO IT WILL BE MISS DEBORAH JUDD AND MR ERIC CLARK. AND ALSO MISS HEATHER CULTURE IS GOING TO COME UP FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU LIKE TO JUST WAIT A MINUTE OR I COULD GO FIND HIM. THANK YOU, MR ELO. BREAK SERIOUSLY. 
          COME BACK. THANK YOU BACK. YOU KNOW, WE COULDN'T START WITHOUT YOU. OKAY? THANK YOU WERE HERE THIS EVENING TO ASK FOR THE BOARD'S APPROVAL ON OUR INTER CATEGORY TRANSFERS. WE DO THIS TRANSFER ANNUALLY WHEN WE HAVE STATE CATEGORIES THAT HAVE BEEN OVER SPENT IN THIS YEAR. WE DO HAVE SEVERAL STATE CATEGORIES THAT EITHER ARE OVERSPEND CURRENTLY OR ARE PROJECTED TO BE OVER SPENT OR VERY CLOSE TO ZERO. BY THE END OF THE YEAR. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S ENOUGH SURPLUS IN THOSE CATEGORIES SO THAT WE COMPLY WITH STATE REGULATION. THE REQUEST TONIGHT WAS WAS TO TRANSFER $7,780,000 WITH BETWEEN OUR CATEGORIES. WE ARE GOING TO AMEND THAT THIS EVENING BASED ON MS CREATURES PRESENTATION, THE. COST OF THE PROGRAM FOR THE READING PILOT IS ONE POINT $7,800,000 OF THAT WILL COME FROM A GRANT. $900,000 NEEDS TO COME FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET, WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE IN THE CORRECT CATEGORY. SO WE WILL HAVE TO AMEND THIS TO INCLUDE THE $900,000 SO MR CLARK WILL WALK THROUGH THE DETAILS OF THE TRANSFER. AND THEN WHAT CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. SO AS MR JUDD SAID, THIS IS A NORMAL PROCESS. WE HAVE NOT HAD TO DO THIS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF FISCAL YEARS, SIMPLY BECAUSE OF WHAT EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON. SO WE DO PROJECTIONS EACH MONTH AND WE TRYING TO PROJECT OUT WHAT EACH 
          [01:25:03]
STATE CATEGORY WITH IS GOING TO BE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. AS MISJUDGE SAID BY STATE REGULATION, WE CAN'T OVERSPEND IN ANY OF THE 14 CATEGORIES WHERE WE BUDGET OUR FUNDS AND SPEND OUR FUNDS SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE DO. WE ARE GOING TO REQUEST AN AMENDMENT TO THIS TO ADD $900,000 TO INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, AND THE ACCOUNT NUMBER WOULD BE TEXTBOOKS. BUT I'LL RUN THROUGH THESE FIRST. SO IN OUR CATEGORY. INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES ARE STATE CATEGORY. 103 WE'RE PROJECTING RIGHT NOW TO BE OVER BY ABOUT 1.56 MILLION. SO WE'RE PROPOSING TO MOVE 300 OR $3 MILLION INTO THAT LINE ITEM IN 106, WHICH IS OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STATE CATEGORY. WE ARE PROJECTING TO BE OVER SPENT BY ABOUT $300,000 A PORTION OF THAT A BIG PORTION THAT IS NONPUBLIC PLACEMENT, SO WE'RE ASKING TO MOVE $500,000 INTO OOH, THAT STATE CATEGORY. 
          IN HEALTH SERVICES WERE PROJECTING JUST UNDER $100,000 TO BE OVER THAT HAS TO DO WITH SOME SUBSTITUTE NURSING AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE PAST YEAR, SO WE'RE ASKING FOR 200,000 TO BE MOVED INTO THAT STATE CATEGORY. UM TRANSPORTATION OR BUS ARE ARE LARGE BUS CONTRACTOR LINE ITEM IS GOING TO BE ABOUT $1.2 MILLION OVER. WE DO HAVE SOME POSITIVE VARIANCES IN SOME OTHER LINE ITEMS WITHIN THE STATE CATEGORY. 109 TRANSPORTATION TO OFFSET SOME OF THAT OVER SO WE'RE REQUESTING THAT $1 MILLION BEING MOVED INTO THE BUS CONTRACT LINE. THE NEXT THREE ARE REALLY UTILITIES. WE'VE SEEN A DRASTIC INCREASE OR DRAMATIC. 
          I SHOULD SAY INCREASE IN UTILITY COSTS, UM, OVER THE PAST YEAR, SO WE'RE ASKING FOR $1 MILLION TO BE ADDED TO OUR ELECTRICITY LINE. $1.5 MILLION TO OUR NATURAL GAS LINE AND $500,000 TO OUR OIL, WHICH IS OUR HEATING OIL FOR OUR SCHOOLS LINE. THE LAST ONE IS DEBT SERVICE. UM PRINCIPLE WE'RE ASKING FOR $80,000 TO BE ADDED TO THAT LINE ITEM. WE RE FUNDED OUR ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING LAST YEAR AND WE DID NOT MOVE. WE RE FUNDED AT A LOWER INTEREST RATE. 
          SO WE'RE PAYING LESS INTEREST AND MORE PRINCIPAL WHEN WE MAKE OUR PAYMENT EACH YEAR, UM I DID NOT TRANSFER THAT. I DIDN'T CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF INTEREST IN THE AMOUNT OF PRINCIPLE. SO IF YOU GO DOWN TO LOOK AT WHERE WE'RE REQUESTING THOSE FUNDS TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM, WE'RE ASKING FOR 7.7 MILLION TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM HEALTH INSURANCE AND WE'RE ASKING FOR $80,000 TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM DEBT SERVICE INTEREST. SO IN EFFECT THAT THE LAST TWO LINES OF THE CAPITOL OUTLAY AND THE FIXED CHARGES DEBT SERVICE PRINCIPAL DEBT SERVICE INTEREST, JUST A MOVEMENT BETWEEN WE'RE PAYING MORE PRINCIPAL. WE'RE PAYING LESS INTEREST. SO THE TOTAL TRANSFER OUT OF THE HEALTH INSURANCE WOULD ACTUALLY BE $8.6 MILLION TO INCLUDE THE 900,000 THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT FOR THE TEXTBOOKS. SO WE WOULD WE WOULD REQUEST A LINE BE ADDED FOR TEXTBOOKS, MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES. 4 $900,000 THE BEGINNING BALANCE OR PRESIDENT. 
          APPROPRIATION IN THAT ACCOUNT IS 641,000 TO 14 THAT WOULD BRING THE REVISED APPROPRIATION TO 1,541,204. AND THEN WE WOULD REQUEST FOR THAT ADDITIONAL 900,000 AS MISJUDGE SAID TO COME FROM HEALTH INSURANCE, WHICH WOULD MAKE THE TOTAL $8.6 MILLION AND THAT WOULD GIVE OUR REVISED APPROPRIATION OF 85,419,833. SO THIS POINT, UM. I WOULD NEED A MOTION TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS. THE TRANSFERS, UM FOR THE BUDGET THAT YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBED. WOULD THAT BE? SUFFICIENT RIGHT, INCLUDING THE AMENDMENT, BUT SOMEBODY LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION. I WASN'T SURE IF ANYBODY HAD ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS USUALLY DISCUSSION AFTER THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE TRANSFER BUDGET LINE TRANSFER AS PROPOSED. THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND? CAROL BRUCE. I SECOND. 
          OKAY. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION YOU WANT ME TO GO? OKAY? DIANE MRS ALVAREZ. DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. OKAY, MRS BURST. YEAH. MRS HAN. SO THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS THE, UM $7 MILLION THAT IS COMING FROM THE HEALTH INSURANCE. IS THAT LIKE AN EXCESS THAT WE OVERPAID SO THAT WE'RE USING THAT NOW TO PAY FOR OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE OUTSTANDING, SO IT'S A SURPLUS THAT WE HAVE IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE LINES SO WE HAVE HAD WHEN WE SWITCHED OUR RETIREES TO THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN. WE HAD SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS AND HEALTH INSURANCE THAT WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, SO THEN WE HAD EVEN MORE SAVINGS OF THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE. WE DID NOT MOVE. WE DID NOT NEED TO INCREASE OUR RATES DURING THE PANDEMIC, SO THAT BUDGET LINE HAS BEEN FROZEN WITH THE SURPLUS IN THAT LINE. SO LUCKILY THIS YEAR WE HAVE THOSE FUNDS TO TRANSFER TO THE OTHER LINE, SO 
          [01:30:04]
IT'S A NET ZERO IMPACT TO OUR BUDGET. UM, WE WILL NEED THE MAJORITY OF THAT MONEY. JULY 1ST BECAUSE THERE IS A 6.6% INCREASE IN OUR HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS NEXT YEAR, SO WE HAVE THE FUNDS NOW TO MAKE THAT TRANSFER TO COVER THOSE LINE ITEMS THAT WOULD NOT BE THERE NEXT YEAR. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. DR HAROLD. NO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. PERRY QUESTIONS DR PHILLIPS. AND FOR ME, THANKS NOTHING FOR MR RICCARDI. NOTHING FROM HIS PLAYING. VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL. 
          MIGHT BE LOST IN THE ORCHESTRA. I'M GOING TO GO WITH NO, AND I HAVE NO QUESTIONS. SO MR HOLLYWOOD, YOU DO REAL CALL VOTE FOR ME. MR ALVAREZ. YES. MISS BRUCE? YES. TIME. DR HAROLD YES. 
          MR PERRY? YES. DR PHILLIPS. YES. THIS. RICCARDI? YES. LINCOLN. YES. VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL. 
          PRESIDENT MUELLER. YES. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO MRS JUDY GUN. 
          [H. Presentation on Quarterly Financial Report for the Period Ending March 31 2023, Ms. Deborah Judd, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services]
ITEM AGE PRESENTATION ON QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING MARCH 31ST 2023. THE FINANCIALS ARE THE RIGHT STABILIZATION. GET RATES STANDARDIZATION. I'M SORRY. IT'S KEPT ONE. I APOLOGIZE. OKAY, TRUCK. I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE THE MEETING. GO FASTER QUESTION, OKAY? MY PRESENTATION WILL BE QUICK. IT'LL BE UP TO YOU IF WE FINISH QUICKLY. UM SO AFTER THE SETTLEMENT OF OUR HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM RATE STABILIZATION EACH YEAR, WE COME BEFORE THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL ON HOW TO HANDLE AND TREAT ANY SURPLUS FUNDS THAT HAPPENS TO BE IN THE RIGHT STABILIZATION. SO AS FOR THE JUNE 30 2022. UH FISCAL YEAR WE HAD A SURPLUS OF $5.9 MILLION THAT WAS DEPOSITED INTO THE RATE STABILIZATION ACCOUNT THAT BROUGHT OUR TOTAL UP TO 27.3 MILLION. THE REQUIRED AMOUNT. BASED ON THE MEMORANDUM MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WE HAVE WITH THE COUNTY CONSORTIUM PARTNERS REQUIREMENT IS $7.1 MILLION TO REMAIN IN THAT ACCOUNT. HTTPS REQUESTED $10 MILLION TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE ACCOUNT AND THAT WILL SHOW YOU WHERE THAT IS IN THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS WHEN I PRESENT THAT THAT WILL SPEND DEPOSITED IT WILL FALL TO OUR FUND BALANCE FOR JUNE 30 THIS YEAR. IT LEAVES US WITH 17.3 MILLION IN THE ACCOUNT. SO THAT IS $10 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT'S REQUIRED IN THE ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW, BUT WE FEEL THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO LEAVE IT THERE BECAUSE HEALTH CARE HAS BEEN SO VOLATILE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR A CALL. SO WE HAVE HAD INSTANCES IN THE PAST WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN CALLS. THE MONEY HAS COME OUT. IF THE AMOUNT DIPS BELOW THAT REQUIRED AMOUNT, WE HAVE TO CUT A CHECK FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET. TO GO OVER GIVEN OUR BUDGET CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE TIME. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE IT'S VERY WISE TO LEAVE THE FUNDS IN THERE. WE CAN CERTAINLY WITHDRAW IT AT SOME OTHER TIME. IF WE CHOSE TO DO THAT, AND THE MINIMUM WAS STILL MANNED MET, BUT FOR NOW, WE BELIEVE WE WANT TO LET THE $10 MILLION THAT WE WITHDREW, FALL TO FUND BALANCE AND LEAVE THE REMAINING 10 IN THE RATE STABILIZATION ACCOUNT FOR FUTURE USE FOR HEALTHCARE. SO UM THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO APPROVE THIS EVENING. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL MOVE TO, UM. APPROVED THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE 10 MILLION, LEAVING THE BALANCE. THAT'S 17.3 MILLION. THANK YOU. DR A SECOND. THIS IS MORE SO HAND I SECOND THE MOTION. THANK YOU. UM ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE I KNOW WHEN MARILYN WHAT IS THE O P. E? B YES, I SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY WRITTEN THAT OUT. 
          THAT'S OTHER POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, SO IT'S REALLY OUR RETIREE HEALTH CARE, OKAY? THANK YOU. PHILLIPS. JUST THERE ANY HARM IN GIVING THE MONEY THERE. NO IT'S IN THE RATE STABILIZATION THAT'S ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE COUNTY, AND THEY SEND A BREAKDOWN OUT TO THE SCHOOLS, THE LIBRARY'S COLLEGE WE'RE ALL PART OF THE CONSORTIUM, SO EVERYBODY HAS BALANCES IN THERE, SO WE HAVE THAT MONEY AVAILABLE TO US AND WE CAN ASK FOR THAT BREAKDOWN AT ANY TIME AND CERTAINLY WHEN WE ASKED FOR THE WITHDRAWAL EARLIER, WE JUST SEND THEM THE INFORMATION. THEY 
          [01:35:01]
CONFIRM IT WITH OUR CONSULTANTS ON THAT WE WORK WITH AND YOU KNOW, THEY SEND THE MONEY OVER AS AS REQUESTED. THAT'S RICCARDI. I'M NOT CLEAR ON WHAT THIS MONEY YOU SAID THEY GET. WE COULD GET A I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. SO THE SURPLUS THAT I REFERENCED THE 5.9 MILLION. 
          THAT MEANT THAT THE CLAIMS THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR WERE LESS THAN THE PREMIUMS THAT WE PAID IN, SO I'LL CALL WOULD BE IS IF THE CLAIMS WERE HIGHER THAN THE PREMIUMS WERE PAID IN. SO THEN THEY BEING CAREFUL FIRST. GO INTO THAT ACCOUNT AND PULL THAT MONEY OUT. TO PAY FOR THE CALL AND THEN DEPENDING ON THE CALCULATIONS AND THE MEMORY MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE HAVE A MINIMUM THRESHOLD THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IF IT FALLS BELOW THAT, THEN WE HAVE TO PAY MONEY IN AND WRITE A CHECK, SO WE HAD TO DO THAT SEVERAL YEARS AGO, SO I'M ASSUMING THAT'S BECAUSE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND HEALTHCARE CLAIMS WERE MINIMAL DURING COVID , BECAUSE PEOPLE DID NOT GO CRACKED AS THEY NORMALLY WOULD HAVE. AND SO THE CONCERN IS, AS WE GET BACK TO NORMAL THAT THE 7.1 MILLION MIGHT BE SUFFICIENT , AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SUGGESTING TO LEAVE THE 10 MILLION IN THERE. SO WE'VE HAD SURPLUSES THE LAST THREE YEARS. 
          PROJECTION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR IS A MILLION DOLLARS. IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE. IT COULD BE A LITTLE LESS. SO LET'S ASSUME IT'S EXACTLY A MILLION THAT WILL BE DEPOSITED INTO THE ACCOUNT AND WE WOULD RECALCULATE OUR MILLION AT THAT POINT. SO IF A CALL COMES IN BECAUSE HEALTH CARE IS SO VOLATILE IF A CALL COMES IN AND THE 6.6% INCREASE THAT WILL BE PAYING NEXT YEAR ISN'T SUFFICIENT, THEN WE MAY HAVE TO PAY MORE MONEY INTO THE RATE STABILIZATION CLAIMS CORRECT, BASED ON A MILLION, BUT THE MEMORY, AMANDA, MY UNDERSTANDING IS LEAVING 7.1 MILLION IN THERE. WHAT'S THE MILLION EUROS, REFERRING TO IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CLAIMS AND THE PREMIUMS THAT WE PAY THAT DETERMINES THE SURPLUS OR A DEFICIT EACH YEAR AND YOU'RE SAYING IT COULD BE ANOTHER MILLION, ADDED WE COULD HAVE ANOTHER MILLION ADDED TO THE ACCOUNT IF THE SURPLUS HOLDS , AND IT TYPICALLY CHANGES FROM WHAT THEY TELL US, SO IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT LESS. WE JUST DON'T BUT THE CONCERN IS BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN CLAIMS HAVEN'T BEEN WHAT THEY NORMALLY WOULD HAVE. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE ASKING TO LEAVE THE 10 MILLION. WE DON'T KNOW IF NEXT YEAR OF 6.6 WILL BE ENOUGH IF WE HAVE TO DO ANOTHER 6.6 THE FOLLOWING YEAR IF THERE'S A CALL IN BETWEEN THAT AND HOW MANY YEARS OF A CALL? COULD WE POTENTIALLY SEE SO THAT PROVIDE SOME CUSHION? YOU'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE FUND BALANCE IN YOUR NEXT NEXT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. 
          MISS ROLA. DO YOU WANT TO DO A ROLL CALL VOTE FOR ME, PLEASE? MISS ALVAREZ. YES. MISS BRUCE? YES. MISS HAN DOCTOR HAROLD. YES. CORRECT, PERRY? YES. DR PHILLIPS. YES. MR RICCARDI? YES. 
          MISS BLANKENSHIP BECAUSE THANKS TO PRESIDENT SCHOOL. PRESIDENT MILLER. YES. MOTION PASSED. 
          THANK YOU. OKAY WE'LL SEE MR. IF HE DIDN'T DO SO MANY PRESENTATIONS IN THE ROW, I WOULDN'T GET CONFUSED. UM THAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE US THE PRESENTATION AND QUARTERLY FINANCIALS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING MARCH 31ST 2023. SURE. SO THIS IS AS OF THE THIRD QUARTER FY 23 . I WILL WALK THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. THERE WILL BE A COUPLE CHANGES THAT WILL TALK TO BASED ON. UM SOME THINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED SINCE MARCH 31ST. SO I WILL WALK YOU THROUGH THAT AS WE GO. SO OUR REVENUES WE'RE LOOKING AT A $13 MILLION SURPLUS IN OUR REVENUES. THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS RELATED TO THE OTHER LINE OF $10 MILLION, WHICH IS THE WITHDRAWAL THAT WE TOOK FROM THE RATE STABILIZATION SO THAT WILL FALL TO FUND BALANCE. INTEREST INTEREST RATES ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN WHEN WE PREPARED THIS BUDGET. SO WE HAVE ABOUT A $2.5 MILLION SURPLUS FOR INTEREST REVENUE SO THAT TOTAL 13 MILLION. FOR EXPENDITURES. WE HAVE A SURPLUS OF ABOUT $10 MILLION AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS COMING FROM FIXED CHARGES OR HEALTH INSURANCE. THE 11.8 MILLION THAT'S THERE THAT IS BEING USED AS WE JUST TALKED ABOUT TO TRANSFER INTO THE LINES THAT ARE PROJECTED TO BE OVER BY THE END OF THE YEAR OR EXTREMELY SMALL RIGHT NOW THE SURPLUS IS VERY SMALL. SO IF YOU LOOK AT INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES, WE HAVE $1.5 MILLION DEFICIT. FOR THE YEAR THAT IS REALLY RELATED TO THE LANE CHANGES THAT WE EXPERIENCED WITH OUR TEACHERS THIS YEAR WHO ATTAINED THE PROPER, UM, CERTIFICATIONS TO MOVE TO MASTERS PLUS THIRTIES 
          [01:40:03]
MASTERS PLUS 60, SO THEY'RE PAID THAT COMPENSATION WHEN THEY ATTAIN THAT, AND WE DID NOT HAVE SURPLUS THIS YEAR TO COVER THAT IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES LINE. THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET FOR FY 24. WE ALSO ARE SHORT IN STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES AS MR CLARK SHARED STUDENT TRANSPORTATION ABOUT $600,000 REALLY RELATED TO FUEL OUR OPERATION OF PLAN $1.7 MILLION, WHICH IS RELATED TO THE UTILITY COSTS THIS YEAR. SO THAT BRINGS US DOWN TO THE $10 MILLION SURPLUS. SO THE 23 MILLION PROJECTED EXCESS OF REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES IS THE $13 MILLION IN REVENUE AND $10 MILLION IN EXPENDITURES. THE TOTAL FUND BALANCE AT JUNE 30 2020 TO 64.4 MILLION AND TO THE RIGHT. I KNOW IT'S SMALL, BUT I PUT A BOX HERE TO SHOW THE RECONCILIATION FROM THE $92 MILLION THAT WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT. UM TO THE $64.4 MILLION. 
          SO THE 92 MILLION IS OUR GAP FUND BALANCE THAT'S ARE GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE FUND BALANCE. WE TYPICALLY USE AND DISCUSS THE BUDGETARY FUND BALANCE WAS, WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE. THERE ARE RECONCILIATION ITEMS BETWEEN THE 92 AND THE 64 THAT ARE NOT USABLE NUMBERS. SO WE HAVE THE RIGHT STABILIZATION OF $22 MILLION ARE ENCUMBRANCES OF $9.2 MILLION. THERE'S A REVENUE ADJUSTMENT RELATED TO OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS OF 6.2 MILLION AND THEN OUR STUDENT ACTIVITY. FUNDS OF 2.7 MILLION, SO ADJUSTING FOR ALL OF THOSE ITEMS BRINGS US DOWN TO 64.4 MILLION. AS OF THE END OF 2022. WE ALSO HAD ASSIGNMENTS, THE ASSIGNMENTS LISTED HERE. PERTAIN TO THE CURRENT YEAR BECAUSE AGAIN THAT'S 64.4 MILLION WAS AS OF JUNE 30 SO WE HAVE JULY 1ST 2023. 2022 ASSIGNMENTS AS WELL AS 2023. SO FOR THE CURRENT YEAR BUDGET, WE HAD 4.8 MILLION ASSIGNED FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET AGAIN. THIS WAS PREPARED AS OF MARCH 31ST. WE HAVE 4.8 MILLION ASSIGNED. WE HAVE AGREED TO ASSIGN $15 MILLION SO THAT BOTTOM NUMBER WILL GO DOWN FOR THE ADDITIONAL $10.2 MILLION THAT WE'RE ASSIGNING. THE AS OF JULY 1ST 2022. WE TRANSFERRED $5 MILLION TO THE RESTRICTED FUND $5.3 MILLION TO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND. THEN THIS BOARD APPROVED THE TRANSFER OF A MILLION DOLLARS TO THE RESTRICTED FUND AND $20.7 MILLION TO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND. THAT TRANSFER WILL OCCUR JULY 1ST 2023. WE ALSO HAVE THE ASSIGNMENT FOR FUEL OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN THE ASSIGNMENT FOR LEAST PAYMENTS FOR DEVICES, $4 MILLION AND THEN OUR SMALL NUMBER FOR INVENTORY. SO THAT TAKES US TO $40.9 MILLION. AGAIN THAT WILL BE REDUCED BY $10.2 MILLION BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT TO FUND BALANCE SO THAT UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE GOES TO $40.7 MILLION. 
          AND THEN WE JUST AGREED TO TRANSFER $900,000 INTO THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES, WHICH WILL BE SPENT BY JUNE 30. SO THAT'S ANOTHER MILLION DOWN, SO WE'RE REALLY ABOUT $11 MILLION LESS. THAN WHAT? THAT 40.9 MILLION AGAIN. THIS IS JUST A PROJECTED BUT WILL BE DOWN TO ABOUT $30.9 MILLION WERE. ACTUALLY $30 MILLION.01 IF WE TAKE 11 OFF, SO THEY'RE PROJECTED ON ASSIGNED FUND BALANCES ACTUALLY CHANGED SO AGAIN, WE DO THIS AND AS OF MARCH, BUT TILL WE CLOSE AND THEN MAY WE HAVE THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT TONIGHT WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE HAD TO CONSIDER. THIS IS JUST A PRESENTATION. BUT IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS FOR MRS JUDD, YES . SO, THE 10 MILLION WE JUST DISCUSSED THAT WAS GOING TO BE GOING FROM, UH, THE RATE STABILIZATION CIVILIZATION. 
          WHERE IS THAT? THAT IS LISTED IN THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN. THE 10.1 MILLION ALRIGHT, CALM. OH I'M SORRY. I'M LOOKING AT A DIFFERENT SLIDE. BUT WHERE IS IT IN THIS? YOU SAID IT WAS GOING TO GO TO FUND BALANCE. SO WHY IS IT IN FUNDING THAT WE HAVE 13 MILLION IN THE PROJECTED SURPLUS FOR REVENUES? DO YOU SEE THAT? YES BUT I'M LOOKING AT THE FUN, BALANCED BUDGET THROUGH THAT 13 MILLION SURPLUS FOR THAT. AND THEN WE HAVE 10 MILLION SURPLUS FOR THE EXPENDITURES. SO THOSE TWO NUMBERS TOTAL 23,000,001 66 805. OKAY WE DIDN'T HAVE THE 10 MILLION FROM THE RATE STABILIZATION, WE WOULD HAVE $13 MILLION SURPLUS. ON THAT TOP SO WE WOULD HAVE. 10 LESS AT THE BOTTOM. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 2 $10 MILLION NUMBERS. SO WE'VE GOT THE RATE STABILIZATION 10 MILLION THAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS NUMBER. THEN WE ARE, AS WE HAVE AGREED TO ASSIGN AN ADDITIONAL 
          [01:45:03]
$10 MILLION FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET , WHICH WILL COME OFF THAT BOTTOM LINE THAT IS NOT ACCOUNTED FOR. ON THE SLIDE. OKAY? I'M PROBABLY GONNA HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. OFFLINE. 
          THAT'S FINE. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? THEY WANT TO 10 MILLION. I'M GOING TO ASK ANOTHER QUESTION THAT THE FY 24 BUDGET IS WHAT SO WE HAD THE 4.8 MILLION THAT WE'VE WHEN WE BROUGHT THE BUDGET TO YOU IN FEBRUARY FOR APPROVAL. WE HAD INCLUDED $4.8 MILLION IN THE. 
          FUND BALANCE ASSIGNMENT TO BALANCE THE BUDGET. SO WE HAVE AGREED TO ASSIGN $15 MILLION FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET. WE HAVE AGREED AND THAT WAS WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE. SO HE WILL BE PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION IN REVENUE. WE'VE AGREED TO ASSIGN AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION TOTAL OF $15 MILLION FOR FUN BALANCE. SO WHEN WE BRING THE BUDGET BACK TO YOU IN JUNE, IT WILL INCLUDE AN ASSIGNMENT OF $15 MILLION FOR FUN BALANCE INSTEAD OF YOU HAVE AGREED, BUT IT HASN'T BEEN APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR NOT APPROVED THAT CORRECT. SO THIS INCLUDES THE 15 MILLION THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE 55 . SO THEREFORE WE'RE WITH THAT 15 MILLION. WE'RE GOING TO BE AT A FUND BALANCE OF ABOUT 25 MILLION INCLUDED FIVE SO IT'S AN ADDITIONAL 10 MILLION. OKAY THANK YOU. THAT'S WHAT I WASN'T FOLLOWING CHANGE. THAT'S WHAT I WASN'T ABOUT. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHERE I WAS. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. AND THIS WAS JUST AN INFORMATIONAL, SO WE DON'T NEED TO DO ANYTHING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR CRUNCHING ALL OUR NUMBERS AND ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS. SO WE 
          [I. Superintendent's Report]
ARE DOWN TO ITEM I, WHICH IS THE SUPERINTENDENCY REPORT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. JUST A FEW THINGS. UM SO WE SENT IT OUT IN A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS. BUT CHURCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS NAMED AS A NATIONAL SHOWCASE SCHOOL FOR THE CAPTURING KIDS HEARTS PROGRAM. WHICH I THINK HAS BEEN, UM REALLY GOOD PROGRAM FOR THEM. THAT'S THAT'S IT'S REALLY SORT OF A CAPTURING. IT'S A CHARACTER TYPE PROGRAM THAT I THINK IS WE PROBABLY HAVE AN IMMINENT IN A NUMBER OF OUR SCHOOLS, BUT CHURCH FIELD HAS REALLY ACCELERATED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT. UM, YOU MET THE NORTH HARFORD ENVIROTHON TEAM AT A RECENT MEETING, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY DID WIN THEIR COMPETITION. THEY'LL BE GOING ON TO REPRESENT THE STATE. UM GRADUATION SEASON IS HONEST, BUT WE'VE HAD ALSO I MEAN, A NUMBER OF YOU MENTIONED ATTENDING VARIOUS EVENTS, AWARDS CEREMONIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO A COUPLE THAT I THINK ARE REALLY WORTH NOTING WE HAD A AND AWARDS EVENT FOR OUR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM STUDENTS. SO THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR WITH STUDENTS. GOING THROUGH APPRENTICESHIPS, AND SO THEY HAD A THEY HAD A CELEBRATION LAST WEEK. AND PRIOR TO THAT, ACTUALLY, THERE WAS ANOTHER, UM YEAR ENDING EVENT FOR THE WORKFORCE, INNOVATION STUDENTS AND THESE ARE THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN DOING THE WORKFORCE CREDENTIAL PROGRAM AND IN COLLABORATION WITH HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND SO THEY HAD THEIR CELEBRATION, RECOGNIZING A NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO EARNED VARIOUS WORKFORCE CREDENTIALS. AND THEN ALSO LAST WEEK WE HAD THE SCIENCE MATH ACADEMY END OF YEAR CELEBRATION , WHICH WAS FANTASTIC. WE GOT TO SEE PROJECTS THAT ARE ALWAYS SO OVERWHELMING FOR THOSE OF US WHO TRY TO FOLLOW. WHAT THE KIDS ARE DOING. THEIR WORK IS AMAZING. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THIS WEEK WE CLOSE OUT WE HAVE TWO GRADUATIONS WITH C. MILTON WRIGHT HIGH SCHOOL AND EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL ON FRIDAY. AND THEN OVER THE SUBSEQUENT TWO WEEKS WE HAVE 11 MORE AND I WILL BE ATTENDING ALL 13. THIS YEAR. I KNOW MANY OF YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING A NUMBER OF THOSE SO IN ADVANCE, OR I GUESS MAYBE WE WOULD SAY IS, LET'S MAKE SURE THE BEHAVIOR AND EVERY MAKES EVERYONE MAKES GOOD DECISIONS LEADING UP TO GRADUATION SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY ANYTHING INTERRUPTING THE GREAT EVENT THAT IT IS, UM BUT I VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING OUR STUDENTS AT THOSE 13 DIFFERENT EVENTS. AND SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM AND THE FAMILIES WHO 
          [J. Public Comments]
HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO GET TO THIS POINT. SO THAT WILL CONCLUDE MY REMARKS THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. 
          ITEM J, WHICH IS PUBLIC COMMENTS. SO THE IN PERSON SPEAKERS WILL PROCEED. FIRST THEY WILL BE CALLED ON BY THE BOARD SECRETARY. REMOTE SPEAKERS WILL PROCEED NEXT. THEY WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE MEETING BY AN HCPS STAFF MEMBER WHEN IT IS THEIR TURN TO SPEAK. SPEAKERS WILL RECEIVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK DUE TO THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED SPEAKERS. EXCEPT FOR 
          [01:50:02]
WE HAVE TWO GROUPS TONIGHT. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, SO THEY GET FIVE MINUTES EACH. SPEAKERS MAY BE INTERRUPTED AND GIVEN NOTICE WHEN THEY HAVE 30 SECONDS LEFT TO LEFT TO SPEAK. SPEAKERS WILL WHEN THEY HAVE REACHED THEIR THREE MINUTES OR FIVE MINUTE MARK, THEIR TIME WILL EXPIRE. 
          MRS RILEY, WOULD YOU PLEASE BEGIN WITH THE IN PERSON REGISTERED PUBLIC SPEAKERS. THIS EVENING. WE HAVE SEVEN AND PERSON SPEAKERS, STARTING WITH CHARLENE HOT. REPRESENTING A GROUP PLEASE TAKE THE NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION. OBVIOUSLY FIVE MINUTES. SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          MY NAME IS CHARLENE HELPED AND I AM A MEMBER OF TOGETHER. WE WILL THAT'S AN ORGANIZATION CALLED T. 
          W W. UM I THOUGHT FIRST, I MIGHT BE IN A RAREFIED ATMOSPHERE WITH ALL THESE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FLOATING AROUND. AND LOOKING AT MY MEAGER BUDGET SO THAT I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH EACH MONTH. BUT THEN I THOUGHT MAYBE MY COMMENTS WOULDN'T ADDRESS THOSE THINGS. AND THEN I REALIZED MY COMMENTS DO ADDRESS THAT. AND THE READING PROGRAM THAT WAS SO EXPLICITLY EXPLAINED BY THE COMMISSION THAT WAS HERE WAS ADMIRABLY DONE AND BEING A TEACHER OF READING FOR 37 YEARS. I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM THAT IS GOING TO BE A PILOT HERE IN HARTFORD COUNTY. BUT TONIGHT THEY WERE DISCUSSING THE READING CURRICULUM IN OUR SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS. AND I THINK OF THE READING CURRICULUMS AS BEING FROM INFANCY. THROUGH ADULTHOOD. AND IT DOESN'T STOP THERE. YOU START AS AN INFANT YOU'RE TAUGHT TO READ. YOU'RE TAUGHT TO IMAGINE YOU'RE TAUGHT TO SEE READING FROM AN IMAGINARY VIEWPOINT. BUT THEN IT MOVES THROUGH FACT AND LESS FACT AND THEN IT MOVES TO ADULTHOOD. TONIGHT, I CHOSE TO USE OTHER PEOPLE'S WORDS TO MAKE A POINT THAT OUR ARGUMENTS ABOUT CENSORSHIP AND BANNING OF BOOKS TAKES US BACK IN TIME, NOT FORWARD. THIS ISSUE IS LARGER THAN US OR THOSE OPPOSING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND THE WRITTEN WORD IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES. AND OUR READING PROGRAMS IN THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL BE AFFECTED BY THOSE JUDY BLUME AND AUTHOR SAYS, AND I QUOTE IT WAS BAD IN THE EIGHTIES, BUT IT WASN'T COMING FROM THE GOVERNMENT. TODAY. THERE ARE LAWS BEING ENACTED WHERE A LIBRARIAN CAN GO TO PRISON IF SHE OR HE IS FOUND GUILTY OF HAVING PORNOGRAPHY ON THEIR SHELVES, BLOOM SAID. TRYING TO FIND PORNOGRAPHY TODAY AND YOU'LL FIND THAT IT'S EVERYTHING. BLOOM'S COMMENTS COME AFTER FLORIDA GOVERNOR RHONDA SANTA'S CLAIMED THAT EFFORTS TO REMOVE BOOKS FROM STATE CLASSROOMS ONLY IMPACT PORNOGRAPHIC AND INAPPROPRIATE MATERIALS. CLAIM THAT LITERARY GROUP PEN AMERICA DECLARED FALSE IN A POST LAST MONTH. THE AUTHOR OF RESIDENT OF KEY WEST FLORIDA HAS SPOKEN HAD AGAINST GOP BACKED EFFORTS IN THE STATE AS WELL. HERE'S SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR ALL OF YOU. A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE SANTIS IN FLORIDA FOR OUR PURPOSES. HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. IT ONLY SERVES TO GIVE US SOME AMMUNITION AGAINST THOSE WHO SEE THE WORLD LIKE THIS MAN DOES. THE ARTICLE EXPLAINS THE LAWSUIT, AND I QUOTE TWO SENTENCES. BOOK BANNER SPACE, A TOUGH NEW FOE, ANGRY MOMS WITH LAWYERS AND ARTICLE WRITTEN IN THE WASHINGTON POST OF 5 17 23. THE LAWSUIT ARGUES THAT A SLEW OF BOOKS REMOVALS IN THE COUNTY VIOLATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT BY DENYING PARENTS AND STUDENTS ACCESS TO INFORMATION FOR IDEOLOGICAL PURPOSES. THE LAWSUIT DOESN'T DIRECTLY TARGETED SANTOS'S LAWS OR DIRECTIVES. INSTEAD IT ARGUES THAT THE REMOVALS OF BOOKS THEMSELVES ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL. IF THE COURTS AGREE THIS COULD CREATE CLEARER PROHIBITIONS ON SCHOOL BOARDS BANNING BOOKS FOR IDEOLOGICAL REASONS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT FIG LEAF RATIONALITY SITE. THAT MEANS THOSE SPOKES ON THIS PILGRIMAGE AND THE GUYS OF FREEDOM MIGHT NOT END WELL FOR ANYONE. THE PUBLISHING HOUSE, BY THE WAY, ITS AUTHORS, PARENTS AND AN ADVOCACY ROUTE ALLEGED THAT REMOVING THE BOOKS DISCUSSING RACE IN LGBT Q. PEOPLE VIOLATES THE FIRST AMENDMENT. PERHAPS WHEN IT STARTS TO SHOW UP HERE, AND THE SAME THING HAPPENS IN OUR COURTS , THEY MAY THINK TWICE ABOUT THE OBSTRUCTION OF BOOKS AND CENSORSHIP IN GENERAL. WE ARE STILL A NATION OF LAWS. THE LAWSUIT IS SPEARHEADED BY PEN AMERICA AND IS JOINED BY SEVERAL WRITERS FROM ALL OVER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE BEEN BANNED ALONG WITH PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, WHICH PUBLISHED THEM. AND I QUOTE FROM THEIR ARGUMENTS. POCKETS OF STIFF RESISTANCE HAVE SPRUNG UP TO DEFEND TEACHERS, TEXTBOOKS, NOVELS AND LIBRARIES AGAINST CENSORSHIP EFFORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A LAWSUIT FILED BY FLORIDA PARENTS IN FEDERAL COURT WEDNESDAY. 5 11 23. AIMS TO TRY AND STOP TO AND STOP BOOK BANDS IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY. THOSE HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY, ADVOCATING CENSORSHIP CONTENDED THE LEGISLATION IS NECESSARY TO PREVENT CHILDREN FROM EXPOSURE TO PORNOGRAPHIC AND SEXUAL CONTENT THAT WILL HARM THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND WORK THEIR DEVELOPMENT. OR WE NEXT. I HOPE THE COFFERS OF HARFORD COUNTY ARE GREAT ENOUGH 
          [01:55:04]
TO WITHSTAND ANY LEGAL ACTION THAT MAY TAKE PLACE WHEN THOSE SAME PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING TO BAN AND CENSOR ALL READING MATERIALS. IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND LIBRARIES FIND THEMSELVES AT A CROSSROADS TO EITHER PAY DEARLY FOR SPEND UNWISELY. READING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY HEART. FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE. I CANNOT SEE THE MOVEMENT THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN OUR COUNTRY TODAY AS SOMETHING ANYTHING OTHER THAN TRYING TO TAKE AWAY THE FREEDOMS OF OUR CHOICES FOR OUR READING MATERIALS FOR PAUL, OUR CHILDREN THANK YOU. NEXT. WE HAVE THE WIN. PLEASE. PLEASE TRY TO HOLD DOWN THE APPLAUSE. I'M ASKING THAT FROM BOTH SIDES. THANK YOU. 
          EXCUSE ME. WOULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT YOUR NAME FOR US? LEO WINS. THANK YOU. HMM. BROKEN SHATTERED COLD AND FIGHTING TO BE SEEN IN A SYSTEM BUILT TO DIMINISH MY WORTH AND BREAK ME DOWN. FIGHTING RELENTLESSLY TO BE A LEADER IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. AS I STRAPPED MY BLACK BROTHERS AND SISTERS ON MY BACK MAKING THIS COMMUNITY SAFER FOR US AS EVERY AREA CODE SHOULD BE. I KNOW MY WORDS ARE UNLIKE BY MANY, HOWEVER, THESE CONTROVERSIAL WORDS, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME AND ALL THE MINORITIES IN AMERICA. THOSE THREE WORDS HAVE BEEN AN UMBRELLA TERM THAT ALLOWED BLACKS AND OTHER MINORITIES A SAFE AND RESPECTFUL CORNER TO CALL HOME. THESE WORDS HAVE BEEN DEMONIZED AND PUT TO SHAME BY THE WHITE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE RADICAL CHANGE IT REPRESENTS WE AS BLACK AMERICANS ARE CLAIMING OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN A COUNTRY BUILT ON OUR LABOR. WHAT IS TRULY SHAMEFUL IS THE HISTORY OF WHITE SUPREMACY IN THIS COUNTRY, WHETHER THAT BE SLAVERY. JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMP JIM CROW AND SO MUCH MORE, THEREFORE , WHEN THE ABUSED AND BATTERED CHOOSE TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR THE CULTURE, JUSTICE AND EQUITY THAT WAS STOLEN FROM THEM. THEY ARE CALLED CRAZY AND THEY GET OVER THE PAST. THE REASON WHY WE AS MINORITIES NEED THE PROGRAMS THAT FIGHT FOR MORE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IS BECAUSE I AS A BLACK WOMAN AND STILL BEING TREATED WITH THE SAME EMOTIONAL DISREGARD AND RELENTLESS HATRED AND EVERYDAY LIFE AS MY BLACK BROTHERS AND SISTERS EXPERIENCED DURING SLAVERY. SIMILARLY IN THE ASIAN COMMUNITY WHERE THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE BEING BATTERED AND BEATEN IN THE STREETS UNDER THE NOTION OF WHITE SUPREMACY AND IGNORANCE, I KNOW SOME OF YOU AND WHAT SHOULD BE MORE OF YOU DON'T ENJOY SEEING BLACK MEN AND WOMEN BEING CARELESSLY AND INTENTIONALLY SLAUGHTERED BY THE HANDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND BY WHITE CITIZENS IN THE STREETS WHO ENJOY USING THEIR WHITE PRIVILEGE TO CONTROL THE NARRATIVE. I FIGHT FOR THOSE THREE SILLY WORDS BECAUSE THEY MEAN EVERYTHING TO THE ONES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL. THE SAME ONES WHO BUILT THIS COUNTRY ARE BEING TREATED AS SUB SPECIES OF HUMANS BY THE SAME IDEOLOGIES THAT REPRESENT INDIVIDUALS IN THIS VERY ROOM. WE CANNOT ERASE HISTORY NOR IGNORE THE CURRENT IMPLICATIONS THAT IT HAS ON MINORITY COMMUNITIES. THAT'S WHY EDUCATORS AND MYSELF AS A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL TEACH CHILDREN. TO TREAT ALL PEOPLES AND CULTURES WITH RESPECT, BECAUSE, YES, THEIR ANCESTORS MAY HAVE DONE WRONG, BUT WHEN I TALKED TO WHITE STUDENTS, I TEACH THEM NOT TO BE IGNORANT. THAT'S NOT ALLOWING HISTORY TO REPEAT ITSELF. LASTLY IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT BLACK DISABLED IN NEO DIVERGENT NEO DIVERGENT AND MINORITY STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES AND TEACHERS THAT THEY LOOK UP TO EVERY DAY. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY KNOW THEY CAN DO THE SAME. HAVING REPRESENTATION IN A WHITE DOMINATED FIELD LIKE TEACHING IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THESE EDUCATORS MOLD THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCHOLARS AND ADVOCATES. THESE STUDENTS NEED BETTER AND THEY DESERVE BETTER. 
          THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE SUSIE SCOTT REPRESENT A GROUP PLEASE STATE THE NAME OF YOUR GROUP. 
          GOOD EVENING. I'M SUSIE SCOTT. WITH MOMS FOR LIBERTY. THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE TO SPEAK TO YOU TONIGHT. I HAVE JUST ONE QUESTION. WHY CAN'T THE MAJORITY OF OUR THIRD GRADERS READ AT PROFICIENCY? RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CHILDREN WHO DON'T LEARN TO READ BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE ARE LIKELY TO REMAIN POOR READERS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. SO WHY ARE YOU WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR KIDDOS ARE NOT PROFICIENT READERS? THIS IS A QUESTION THAT I HAD BACK IN THE LATE 19 NINETIES, WHEN MY OLDEST CHILD WAS HEADING INTO THE FIRST GRADE. IT'S A QUESTION THAT'S NAGGED ME FOR 30 YEARS. WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU CURIOUS? DO YOU THINK SELECTING A NEW 
          [02:00:05]
READING CURRICULUM VIA CONSENSUS OF STAKEHOLDERS? WILL TURN THE SHIP AROUND. HOW MANY DEFICIENT READING PROGRAMS HAVE COME AND GONE SINCE MY CHILD WAS PULLED OUT FROM HCPS SO I COULD BRING HER HOME TO TEACH HER HOW TO READ. HOW IS IT THAT ALL THESE EXPERTS, THESE HIGHLY COMPENSATED ADMINISTRATORS AND ARE HIGHLY COMPENSATED AND EDUCATED SUPERINTENDENT HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO RAISE PROFESSIONAL PROFICIENCY SCORES. FOR GENERATIONS, EDUCATORS HAVE HELD TWO THEORIES OF TEACHING READING THAT HAVE PROVED TO BE FAILURES. YET THESE THEORIES PERSIST TO THIS DAY. THIS REALLY ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE. THE HUMAN BRAIN ISN'T WIRED TO READ KIDS MUST BE EXPLICITLY TAUGHT HOW TO CONNECT SOUNDS WITH LETTERS. WE CALL THAT PHONICS, ACCORDING TO A WELL RESPECTED EDUCATION CONSULTANT AND RESEARCHER CALLED LOUISA MOATS. QUOTE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF STUDIES AND READING IS THE MOST STUDIED ASPECT OF HUMAN LEARNING. SO HOW HAS THIS RESEARCH NOT MADE ITS WAY INTO OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOMS? MANY EDUCATORS DON'T KNOW THE SCIENCE OF READING AND IN SOME CASES, ACTIVELY RESISTED. THE RESISTANCE IS THE RESULT OF BELIEFS ABOUT READING THAT HAVE BEEN DEEPLY HELD BY THE EDUCATION STYLE ESTABLISHMENT FOR DECADES, EVEN THOUGH THOSE BELIEFS HAVE BEEN PROVEN WRONG BY SCIENTISTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. MANY TEACHERS ARE NOT BEING TAUGHT READING SCIENCE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS BECAUSE MANY DEANS AND FACULTIES AND COLLEGES OF EDUCATION EITHER DON'T KNOW THE SCIENCE OR THEY DISMISS IT. AS A RESULT OF THEIR INTRANSIGENCE. MILLIONS OF KIDS HAVE BEEN SET UP TO FAIL. HCPS HAS BEEN OPERATING UNDER THE BALANCED LITERACY APPROACH FOR SOME TIME, AND THE RESULTS ARE CLEAR. THE MAIN IDEAS SEEM TO BE GIVE KIDS LOTS OF GOOD BOOKS AND WITH SOME GUIDANCE AND ENOUGH PRACTICE, THEY BECOME READERS. CHILDREN ARE HARDWIRED FOR SPEECH, BUT NOT HARDWIRED FOR READING. WHEN A CHILD NEEDS TO DO TO BECOME A READER IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE WORDS SHE HEARS AND KNOWS HOW TO SAY, CONNECT TO THE LETTERS ON THE PAGE. WRITING IS A CODE HUMANS INVENTED TO REPRESENT SPEECH SOUNDS, KIDS HAVE TO CRACK THAT CODE TO BECOME READERS. THIS REQUIRES EXPLICIT ONYX INSTRUCTION. SO WHEN. THE READING WARS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME SINCE THE EIGHTIES AND FINALLY IN 2000 CONGRESS CONVENED A NATIONAL READING PANEL, WHICH REVIEWED ALL THE READING RESEARCH AND RELEASED A REPORT. THE PANEL CONCLUDED THAT PHONICS LESSONS HELP KIDS BECOME BETTER READERS. DID THOSE WHOLE LANGUAGE ZEALOTS SEE THE LIGHT? NO. THEY REFUSED TO GIVE UP THEIR CORE BELIEFS THAT LEARNING TO READ IS A NATURAL PROCESS, AND THEY REFUSED TO GIVE UP THE HUGE PROFITS THEY HAD MADE ON THEIR SNAKE OIL PRODUCT. THAT WAS HOW BALANCED LITERACY WAS BORN. THEY SAID THEY WOULD ADD, ADD SOME PHONICS AND VOILA. THE WHOLE LANGUAGE PROPONENTS TREATED PHONICS LIKE SALT. SPRINKLE A LITTLE HERE. SPRINKLE A LITTLE THERE, BUT NOT TOO MUCH BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE BAD FOR YOU. SO WHY ARE THERE SO MANY EDUCATORS WHO REFUSED TO EMBRACE THE SCIENCE OF READING IN THE EXPLICIT TEACHING A PHONICS AS THE FUNDAMENTAL SUCCESS FUNDAMENTAL OR THE FOUNDATION OF A SUCCESSFUL READING CURRICULUM? PHONICS IS CRUCIAL. ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT FINDINGS AND ALL OF EDUCATION RESEARCH IS THAT CHILDREN BECOME BETTER READERS WHEN THEY GET EXPLICIT AND SYSTEMATIC PHONICS INSTRUCTION. ONE THING I KNOW FROM SITTING IN THESE BOARD MEETINGS AS YOU EDUCATORS LOVE YOUR JARGON. I REALIZED 30 YEARS AGO THAT PHONICS BASED DID NOT MEAN EXPLICIT PHONICS INSTRUCTION. THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. READING PROFICIENCY AT THIRD GRADE IS BELOW 50. LET'S TURN THIS SHIP AROUND. THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME. I'VE ASKED FOR NO PAUSE. NEXT. 
          WE HAVE WILLIAM MARTINO, FOLLOWED BY RACHEL DELAUGHTER. GOOD EVENING. LAST SPRING, SEVERAL HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PARTICIPATED IN A DAY OF SILENCE TO PROMOTE SUPPORT FOR THE PRIDE COMMUNITY. IT WAS REPORTED THAT STUDENTS WERE ATTEMPTING TO REPEAT THE DAY OF SILENCE AGAIN THIS YEAR AT NORTH HARFORD HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT WE REALLY NEED. IS A MOMENT OF 
          [02:05:01]
SILENCE FOR THE DEATH OF ACADEMICS. IN THE H C P C. H P. C. P S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. WE NEED A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF READING AND MATH PROFICIENCY IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. A MOMENT OF SILENCE. PRETTY ASSASSINATION OF CURSIVE WRITING, GEOGRAPHY AND THE U. S CONSTITUTION IN THE CLASSROOMS. THE MAIN FOCUS OR ONLY FOCUS OF HCPS IS PUSHING ACTIVISM ON THE PUPILS OF THIS COUNTY, ALL WHILE ACADEMIC SCORES ARE PLUMMETING. IN 2016. THE YEAR BEFORE DR BOLSON ARRIVED. THE MATH PROFICIENCY IS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN HARTFORD COUNTY, WHERE 54% SO FIVE OUT OF 10 STUDENTS WERE PROFICIENT. THAT'S REALLY NOTHING TO BE THAT PROUD OF HOWEVER, IN 2022, THAT NUMBER HAS DROPPED TO 14. ONE OUT OF 10 STUDENTS ARE NOW PROFICIENT. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUSH FOR TEACHING MATERIALS THAT HAVE ZERO ACADEMIC VALUE. THEY ARE DISTRACTIONS FROM ACADEMICS. UNDER THE BOWL SENT ADMINISTRATION. OTHER ACADEMIC SCORES HAVE SEEN A SIMILAR TREND. AND YET THIS BOARD VOTED. 
          TO EXTEND HIS CONTRACT ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. WHY. THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. IT IS TIME FOR THIS BOARD TO CONSIDER NEW LEADERSHIP AND QUICKLY. ON ANOTHER TOPIC. I AM IN SENSE THAT AFTER JACOB BENNETT WINS A COUNTY COUNCIL POSITION. HCPS PROMOTES HIS WIFE, ABBY, THEN IT TO THE CENTRAL OFFICE. WAS THIS AN ATTEMPT BY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO INFLUENCE A SITTING COUNCIL MEMBER. THEN ABBY BENNETT USED THE TAXPAYER FUNDED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE TO ORGANIZE A BUDGET PROTEST. THERE'S SO MUCH CORRUPTION HERE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. I SURE HOPE THE NEW BOARD OF ETHICS LOOKS INTO THIS MATTER. JOHN 3. 19 LIGHT HAS COME INTO THE WORLD, BUT PEOPLE LOVED DARKNESS INSTEAD OF THE LIGHT BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL. HTTPS HAS 104 GRAND POSITIONS OF THE DESIRE TO MOVE. TWO OF THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET. EACH ONE OF THESE NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED. THE POSITION SUPPORTS TRADITIONAL ACADEMICS. KEEP IT IF IT DOESN'T ELIMINATED, GET BACK TO TEACHING ACADEMICS. THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, SO I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A LIST OF THE BANNED BOOKS OR THE BOOKS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS. EXCUSE ME. COULD YOU PLEASE RESTATE YOUR NAME? I'M SORRY. MY NAME IS RACHEL DELAUGHTER. THANK YOU HAVE BEENE A LOT OF EXPLICIT BOOKS THAT DON'T BELONG IN OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES. SO I'VE BEEN ASKING AROUND TO TRY TO FIND THE TITLES OF SAID BOOKS. I? FINALLY AFTER, UM PHONE CONVERSATION WITH A MEMBER OF THE BOARD TODAY WAS DIRECTED TO A FACEBOOK PAGE THAT HAS A LIST OF 37 TITLES. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT FIRST OF ALL THE FACEBOOK PAGES RUN BY SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T HAVE CHILDREN IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND NO LONGER LIVES IN THE STATE. 36 OUT OF 37 TITLES ARE AGAINST LGBT Q. BUT WE BELIEVE IN INCLUSION CORRECT. 
          UM OUT OF THE 37 TITLES. IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS ON THE LIST THAT ONLY FIVE OF THEM HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY CHECKED FOR CONTENT. THE REST OF THEM, OR ALL OF THEM WERE FOUND ONLY BY USING SEARCH ENGINE FOR KEYWORDS. SO MOST OF THE TITLES THAT THE PEOPLE WANT REMOVED FROM OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES HAVEN'T BEEN READ AND CHECKED FOR CONTENT AND HAVE BEEN MADE BY A LIST OF SOMEBODY WHO IS TARGETING. L G B T Q. PLUS BOOKS. AND. I HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN RED. SO YOU DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE CONTACTED CONTENT IS. IT'S JUST A BLATANT I'M SORRY. IT IS. IT IS A BLATANT ATTEMPT AT EXTERMINATION OF OUR LGBTQ, PLUS COMMUNITIES IN OUR SCHOOLS. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS AWARE THAT THIS LIST OF BOOKS HAS NOT BEEN REVIEWED FOR CONTENT. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE CHRISTINA AND OSHA BY JANINE, CANADA. YES WE DO NEED GOD BACK IN OUR 
          [02:10:11]
SCHOOLS. OUR GOD IS LOVE AND WE LOVE ALL CHILDREN, NO MATTER THEIR OPINIONS OR THEIR ACTIONS AS PARENTS. IT'S OUR DUTY TO BRING THEM UP TO HAVE STRONG MORAL COMPASS AND A DEEP FAITH. 
          INDEPENDENCE ON THAT. GOD YOU MAY NOT ALWAYS AGREE WITH OUR CHILDREN, BUT WE'LL ALWAYS LOVE THEM. WHILE THEY'RE IN OUR CHARGE IS OUR DUTY TO PROTECT THEM AND GUIDE THEM IN TRUTH AND LOVE, JESUS SAID. I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. THIS MEANS THAT THE ONLY WAY TO THE FATHER IS THROUGH TRUTH, LIES AND DECEPTION HARM OUR CHILDREN. PUBERTY IS A VERY DIFFICULT PERIOD IN A CHILD'S LIFE. AS WE ALL KNOW, MOST OF US FELT OUT OF SORTS, AWKWARD, EVEN UNCOMFORTABLE IN OUR OWN BODIES . THIS IS A NORMAL STATE OF TRANSITION FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD. CANDY A DIFFICULT ONE, WHEREAS ADULTS SHOULD BE A LOVING AND HELPING OUR CHILDREN THROUGH THIS TIME. WE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGING THEM AND LIFTING THEM UP UP. WE SHOULD NOT BE LYING TO THEM. GENESIS 1 27, SO GOD CREATED MANKIND IN HIS OWN IMAGE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, HE CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE. HE CREATED THEM. THIS PARTICULAR LIVE TELLING OUR CHILDREN THAT THEIR GENDERS CAN BE CHANGED AS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS. IT'S DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT STARTS A CHILD DONALD ROAD TOWARDS POSSIBLE HORMONE REPLACEMENTS AND SURGICAL MUTILATIONS, BOTH OF WHICH CAUSED IRREVERSIBLE HARM. IN ADDITION, IN THIS AGE, THERE ARE MANY PLACES WHICH ILLEGALLY AND AGAINST THE NUREMBERG CODE, ALLOW MINORS TO CONSENT TO THESE THERAPIES AND PROCEDURES. THIS IS NOT INFORMED CONSENT. MINORS ARE NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO GET A TATTOO WITHOUT PARENTS. PARENTS CONSENT. YET THEY'RE ALLOWED TO MAKE DECISIONS WHICH CAN CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE HARM. FIRST CORINTHIANS 3 16 17. DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODY IS GOD'S TEMPLE AND THAT GOD'S SPIRIT 12 IN YOU. IF ANYONE DESTROYS GOD'S TEMPLE, GOD WILL DESTROY HIM FOR GOD'S TEMPLE IS HOLY. AND YOU ARE THAT TEMPLE. REGARDING THE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT PORNOGRAPHIC BOOKS. WHY ARE THEY STILL ON THE SHELVES AND AVAILABLE TO OUR CHILDREN? WE HAVE R AND X RATED MOVIES TO HELP PARENTS PROTECT CHILDREN HAVE SPECIAL SECTIONS AT BOOKSTORES AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO WARN PARENTS OF EXPLICIT CONTENT. WHY ARE CHILDREN NOT PROTECTED IN OUR SCHOOLS? AND WHY ARE THESE SEXUALLY GRAPHIC BOOKS? FREELY. AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN IN SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT EXPLICIT CONSENT FROM THE PARENTS. EPHESIANS. 5 11 DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE USELESSLY DEEDS OF DARKNESS BUT INSTEAD EVEN EXPOSE THEM IS THAT ISAIAH 5 20 WORLD TO THOSE WHO CALL EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL WHO SUBSTITUTE DARKNESS FOR LIGHT AND LIGHT FOR DARKNESS WHO SUBSTITUTE BITTER FOR SWEET AND SWEET FOR BITTER. MARK 88 36. WHAT DOES IT PROFIT A MAN TO GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND YET LOSE HIS VERY SOUL. GO TO OF YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN STATES THAT YOU WILL ENGAGE FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY TO BE PARTNERS IN THE EDUCATION OF OUR STUDENTS. IT SEEMS THAT THE BOARD IS NOT ENGAGING US TO BE PARTNERS AND IS INSTEAD MAKING UNILATERAL DECISIONS REGARDING OUR CHILDREN. PLEASE SAVE YOURSELVES IN OUR CHILDREN AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL WITH HIS WISDOM AND GUIDANCE. 
          WOW. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. UM. NUMBER ONE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE CANCER TO KNOW HOW TO TREAT IT. IF MY CHILD SEES A BOOK IN WHICH ANOTHER CHILD IS GIVING ANOTHER CHILD TO BLOW JOB. I'M PRETTY SURE THAT DOESN'T BELONG IN OUR SCHOOLS. AND TO HELL WITH DIVERSITY. TOO BAD THAT IS JUST EVIL AND IMMORAL. FIRST I WANT TO ADDRESS MADAM PRESIDENT'S LACK OF FOLLOW THROUGH IN RESPONSE TO MY RECENT EMAIL, REQUESTING AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY PUBLIC COMMENTS WERE SENT TO THE END. IT SEEMS TO ME . IT'S A PRETTY PETTY ACTION ON THE PART OF A PETTY LEADER. I USED TO THINK I TOOK THE TIME TO SPEAK AT THESE MEETINGS TO IMPART INFO AND CHANGE MINDS. I NO LONGER THINK THAT WHAT I NOW REALIZE IS THAT I AND OTHERS. SPEAK TO PUT THE MASTER MANIPULATORS AND THE PUPPET MASTERS ON NOTICE THAT THE PUBLIC IS WATCHING. 
          SUPERINTENDENT BOLSON NOR THE BOARD ATTORNEY OR OTHER CENTRAL OFFICE ELITES WILL NOT BE GETTING A 70,000 TO 78,000 PAY RAISE. UNDER OUR WATCH. NO WE THE PEOPLE WILL BE MONITORING PUBLIC RECORDS AND WATCHING SALARY INCREASES, LIKE SOME PEOPLE WATCH THE STOCK MARKET. 
          [02:15:05]
YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE IN THE PAST, YOU WILL NOT GET RICH AT THE COST OF CITIZEN TAXES AND TEACHERS SALARIES. I GOTTA SAY I AM I CONTINUE TO BE A STEP HOUNDED BY SUPERINTENDENT PAULSON'S ABILITY TO INCITE RACIAL TENSION BY HIS ABILITY TO CAN TO CONVINCE YOUNG BLACK STUDENTS THAT THEY ARE SURROUNDED BY WHITE SUPREMACISTS . NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH FOR THOSE UNDER THE SPELL OF THE CULT OF BOLSON. I REALLY FEEL SORRY FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE BEING DUPED. PRESIDENT MUELLER. THAT'S ALL THEIR SPEAKERS THIS EVENING. 
          OKAY, UM. KYLE ANDERSON. ARE THERE ANY VIRTUAL SPEAKERS? YES, DR MUELLER. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU PLEASE BEGIN THE VIRTUAL PUBLIC SPEAKERS? YEAH. YES, OF COURSE. GOOD EVENING. YOU ARE NOW IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE STATE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME RETIREMENT CONCLUDE IN THREE MINUTES. YOU WILL HEAR A BELL RING WHEN YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS REMAINING. PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF. AND YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT NOW. THANK YOU. I'M DAVID DOOR. GOOD EVENING, ALL START OFF VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE OLD ENTRY READING CURRICULUM PILOT PRESENTATION. I KNOW THIS IS NOT EASY THING AND THAT THERE ARE OTHER UNAPPRECIATED COMPLEXITIES AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT IT IS BEING DONE. SECOND I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT OF INCREASING HTTPS FUNDING BY 10 MILLION DOLLARS. THAT. IT IS STILL A NATURE DECREASE IN COUNTY FUNDING COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. WHICH I WORRY WE'LL HAVE BOTH SHORT AND LONG TERM REPERCUSSIONS. STILL I'M HAPPY FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT WAS INADEQUATE, EVEN THOUGH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE PROPOSAL MILLION'S ENOUGH QUESTION. FOR MY NEXT TOPIC. I'D LIKE TO START WITH A QUOTE DIAGRAM ACROSS THIS QUOTE WAS THE OPENING OF A CNN STORY LOOKING AT THE MONTHS FOR LIBERTY GROUPS. QUOTE. BY EXPOSING OUR CHILDREN TO ADOPT CONCEPTS LIKE GENDER IDEOLOGY. 
          WE ARE ASKING THEM TO CARRY A LOAD THAT IS MUCH TOO HEAVY FOR THEM. INPUT. NOW IF I WERE MAKING A LIST OF ADULT CONCEPTS THEY'RE HEAVY OF A LOAD FOR CHILDREN TO CARRY. I WOULD LISTEN THINGS LIKE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. CHILD ABUSE. DRUG ADDICTION. WAR. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT KNOWING THAT GENDER IS COMPLICATED IS A SIGNIFICANT MOOD FOR PEOPLE. I DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE ADULTS WHO SEEM TO TAKE PERSONAL SENSE. BUT THE FACT THAT GENDER IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE. SIMILARLY I'VE BEEN DISAPPOINTED BY THE NUMBER OF HANDLE. YOU THINK THAT BIOLOGICAL SEX IS THIS BINARY, BLACK AND WHITE? I SEE THIS, I THINK EDUCATIONAL ISSUE. BECAUSE I KNOW MY SEVENTH GRADE SCIENCE CLASS COMFORT. COMPLICATIONS LIKE INTERNAL SYNDROME. CLIENT CULTURE CENTRAL THOSE ARE PEOPLE WITH ONLY A SINGLE EXTRA MAZZONE'S PEOPLE EXPECT, RESPECTIVELY. ABOUT INTERSEX PEOPLE, UM TRANSGENDER PEOPLE, ALTHOUGH DIFFERENT TERMINOLOGY WAS USED. WHEN I WAS A KID. SUCH A LONG TIME. SHE WAS LIKE THIS ADULTS FIT. THE COMPLEXITIES OF BIOLOGY. MAKE SOMETHING HAVE YOU MOVED FOR CHILDREN? AND SO IS IT FUNNY TO ME THAT. YEAH, I'LL CUT IT OUT THERE. THANK YOU ALL. THAT CONCLUDES THE VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU, MR 
          [Future Meetings Review]
ANDERSON. UM THE DECKS BOARD MEETING IS MONDAY. JUNE 12TH 2023
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.