[00:00:06] >> THANK YOU. WELCOME, EVERYBODY. [1. Opening Items] IT'S TUESDAY, APRIL 16TH, 2024. THIS IS THE BOARD WORK SESSION. A LITTLE BIT AFTER 6:00. SORRY FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN WAITING. HAD TO GET EVERYBODY IN HERE AND READY TO GO. WE HAVE THREE BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT. ONE IS ONLINE. MR. PLUTSCHAK IS ONLINE, ATTENDING VIRTUALLY. THERE'S HIS PICTURE. LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO OPEN US INTO OUR OPEN SESSION OF OUR MEETING. >> MOVE THAT BEFORE WE MOVED INTO OPEN SESSION. >> SECOND. >> ALL IN FAVOR? >> AYE. >> AYE. >> I'LL ASSUME THAT'S UNANIMOUS. WE WILL START WITH OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL TUESDAY EVENING, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'D WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE. I'M NOT ASKING THAT QUESTION. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR AGENDA? >> MOVE TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. >> I SECOND. >> ALL IN FAVOR? >> AYE. >> THE AGENDA IS APPROVED. WE CAN NOW MOVE INTO OUR CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH INCLUDES PERSONNEL. [2. Consent Agenda] >> PRESIDENT BARTON, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR. SIMMONS, PERSONNEL AGENDA FOR TONIGHT I BELIEVE IS 10 RESIGNATIONS THAT WE NEED TO APPROVE. >> ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD? HEARING NONE. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? >> I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. >> DO WE HAVE A SECOND? >> YES. SECOND. >> ALL IN FAVOR? >> AYE. >> AYE. >> NONE OPPOSED. CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. THIS IS GOING TO BE FASCINATING TONIGHT. DO WE HAVE ENOUGH MOTIONS? BECAUSE WE JUST LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND FLIP A COIN. WE NOW CAN MOVE INTO DISCUSSION ITEMS. [3.01 Blueprint Implementation Plan] WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM OF PEOPLE HERE TO DISCUSS BLUEPRINT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WITH US, AND WE'LL LET YOU TAKE IT AWAY. >> BRINGS ME GREAT PLEASURE TO BRING THE ENTIRE TEAM TONIGHT WITH YOU AS WE WALK THROUGH THE DRAFT, WHERE WE ARE AT THIS POINT IN TIME ON OUR BLUEPRINT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. THE FULL PLAN IS DUE MAY 1. I WILL NOT STEAL ANY OF THE TEAMS THUNDER OR DR. DOWNES THUNDER, BUT WE ARE EXCITED TO BE SHARING THIS WITH THE BOARD TONIGHT SO WE CAN GET ANY FEEDBACK THAT CAN HELP GUIDE THE REMAINDER OF OUR PROCESS TO MAKE SURE WE HIT THE MAY 1 DEADLINE. DR. DOWNES, IT'S YOURS. >> GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT BARTON, DR. SIMMONS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND THIS AMAZING TEAM OVER HERE, AS WELL AS OVER THERE. EVERYBODY HAS WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO PREPARE FOR THE SUBMISSION FOR THE MAY 1. I'M GOING TO WALK THROUGH SOME HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I'M GOING TO MOVE TO THE SLIDES AT THE END. THE TEAM IS HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. I WILL ASK IF THEY CAN LEAVE ONCE THIS IS OVER SINCE THEY'VE BEEN WORKING SO HARD AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS. I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF THE 10-PAGE DOCUMENT THAT WAS SHARED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. THIS IS THE SECOND PIECE TO THAT. THE 10-PAGE DOCUMENT IS AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE OVERARCHING MESSAGE AND THE INTENT TO THE BLUEPRINT. THEN THIS SUBMISSION IS DOING A LITTLE BIT OF DEEPER DIVE INTO EACH PILLAR. THE RESPONSES WERE, WHAT IS THE DATE THAT YOU HAD BEFORE, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? THAT'S WHAT THIS IS LIKE. IT'S A PROGRESS CHECK ON HOW WE'RE MAKING OUT WITH THE PILLARS. WE PULLED TOGETHER SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM EACH PILLAR. THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY GOING INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL. I THINK ALREADY IT'S ABOUT 67-PAGE DOCUMENT. YOU'RE GETTING 37 PAGES HERE OF A PRESENTATION. THIS IS AN OVERARCHING HIGHLIGHT. YOU'LL GET THE FULL DOCUMENT ONCE WE SUBMIT AND FINALIZE FOR SUBMISSION TO THE AIB AND MSDE. AGAIN, THE PURPOSE OF THE BLUEPRINT AND THIS PRESENTATION IS TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRATEGIES AND PLANS THAT WE HAVE AND HOW THEY WEAVE INTO THE BLUEPRINT. WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT HOW THERE WAS REALLY ALREADY AN ADOPTION OF THE BLUEPRINT. IT'S IN OUR LANGUAGE. IT'S EMBEDDED IN OUR WORK. IT'S TIED TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. IF YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR, I SHARED WITH YOU THE CONNECTION OF THE BLUEPRINT PILLARS TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN. [00:05:02] WE'VE JUST BEEN CONTINUING TO HAVE THAT CONTINUE TO BRAID AND WEAVE INTO OUR WORK SO THAT IT'S COMBINED, IT'S STRATEGIC. INSTEAD OF ADDING EXTRA, WE'RE JUST MAKING IT PART OF OUR LANGUAGE. THEN THE PURPOSE OF THIS EVENING IS TO SHARE WITH YOU TO GET FEEDBACK, INFORMATION UPDATES, KEEPING OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND OUR SHAREHOLDERS CONNECTED. AGAIN, THE BACKGROUND IS THAT WE RECEIVED THIS NEW IMPLEMENTATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN GUIDE IN JANUARY. WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF TIME TO PLAN AND PREP FOR THIS. THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WENT INTO COMPLETING THESE RESPONSES WITH INTEGRITY AND WITH MEANING REALLY IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE TEAM HERE AND THEIR TEAM THAT THEY WORK WITH IN THEIR PILLARS. THEY RALLIED, THEY PULLED TOGETHER. THEY REFLECTED AND THEY, I THINK, TRULY CAPTURED WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE DOING SYSTEM WIDE HERE. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE IN THE TIMELINE. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE STILL HAVE A FEW MORE SUBMISSIONS TO MOVE THROUGH. OF COURSE, IT'S A YEAR OUT, BUT WE ARE ON TRACK AND WE'RE ACTUALLY BEING VERY INNOVATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. THE LITERACY PLAN AND THE BLUEPRINT WORK, AND OF COURSE, THE CAREER LADDERS AND CAREER COUNSELING ASPECT AS WELL. PILLAR 1, THE CHAIR IS MS. ELIZABETH SAYLOR. SHE'S ALSO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ADVISOR, SO SHE'S TIED VERY CLOSELY TO THE WORK. THESE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PREK EXPANSION GRANT COMPONENT OF PILLAR 1. WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR PREK 3 PROGRAMS FULL DAY. WE HAVE NEW CLASSROOMS IN RIDGELY, PRESTON, GREENSBORO, AND FEDERALSBURG ELEMENTARY. SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE'RE HAVING IS SPACE, TRANSPORTATION, STAFFING, FUNDING, AND PLANNING. WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT NOW. WE HAVE TO REFLECT ON WHAT OUR CHALLENGES ARE, BUT WE'RE ALREADY WORKING THROUGH SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES AS WE SPEAK. THAT IS WHERE WE'RE AT, RECOGNIZING THE CHALLENGES AND SEEING WE CAN DO INNOVATIVELY. THREE-YEAR-OLDS ARE A UNIQUE GROUP OF STUDENTS, CHILDREN, AND LIZ IS VERY REFLECTIVE AND PLANNING ALREADY NOW FOR NEXT YEAR ON WHAT CAN BE DONE THAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THAT PROGRAM AND CONTINUE TO GROW. >> DO YOU WANT QUESTIONS AS WE GO OR DO YOU WANT TO STOP? >> CAN I DO IT AFTER EACH PILLAR? >> YEAH. >> WE GET INTO THE TRANSPORTATION AND STAFFING. WE NEED SEPARATE BUSES FOR THE PREK-3 AND 4. THE CHALLENGE IS OBVIOUSLY PROVIDING THAT TRANSPORTATION SPECIFICALLY AS THEIR NEEDS ARE DIFFERENT ON THE BUSES. WE HAVE STAFFING CHALLENGES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS INSTEAD OF HAVING TUTORS, WE'RE GOING TO ADD ASSISTANTS SO THAT THEY CAN WORK FULL-TIME. LIZ CAN SPEAK TO YOU IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. WE NEED TO MOVE OUR POLICY TO THE SLIDING SCALE FOR THE YEAR FY '25, '26 FOR PREK-4S. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE GUIDANCE JUST CAME OUT FROM MSDE AND AIB ON THAT. OUR POLICY WILL BE MOVED TO THAT DIRECTION AND YOU'LL BE GETTING INFORMATION ON THAT MOVING FORWARD. OUR CHALLENGES, OF COURSE, ARE STILL THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND THE DIVERSE CLASSROOM COMPOSITIONS. WE PLAN TO WORK WITH PRIVATE PROVIDERS AND STILL INCREASE THAT MEMBERSHIP AND THAT RELATIONSHIP, ADDRESSING OUR DIVERSITY AND EXPANDING THE CLASSROOMS AS WE USE FUNDING AND ENROLLMENT TO PREDICT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE BUILDINGS. THIS IS WHERE WE'RE REALLY BEING INNOVATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO MIXED DELIVERY, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. THAT HAS TO BE A DANCE AND VERY INTENTIONAL FOR LIZ BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE CONNECTED. WE HAVE THREE PRIVATE PROVIDERS. WE JUST ACTUALLY BROUGHT ON A NEW ONE, SO LIZ IS WORKING VERY HARD TO DEVELOP AN MOU, GET THAT RELATIONSHIP GOING, GET THEIR CAPACITY GOING AS WELL. THAT'S MRDC, IT'S THE HEAD START PROGRAM. WE ARE NOW ABLE TO USE THEM, ACCESS THEM AS PRIVATE PROVIDERS. AGAIN, THE CHALLENGES CONTINUE TO BE THE PRIVATE CARE PROVIDERS. THEIR INTEREST IN BEING PART OF THIS REALLY HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THEIR CAPACITY TO PROVIDE ACCREDITATION BECAUSE THAT IS COSTLY. SO THAT WE MOVE THROUGH CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THEM FOR TRAINING FOR SCIENCE OF READING AND ENSURING THAT WE HAVE ENGAGEMENT WITH RESOURCES AND ALSO PARENTS. AGAIN, STAFFING IS STILL A CHALLENGE, THAT WE KNOW AND PROVIDING SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AS THEY'RE ATTENDING PRIVATE PROVIDER PROGRAMS. THAT REQUIRES LIZ TO BE CREATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO PROVIDING SERVICES IN THE PRIVATE PROVIDER ENVIRONMENT. THEY HAVE TO EITHER COME TO US OR WE HAVE TO GO TO THEM, SO THAT ADDS AN EXTRA CHALLENGE. THEN WE HAVE FIELD TRIPS THAT ARE FACILITATED FOR [00:10:03] STUDENTS MOVING INTO KINDERGARTEN FROM THE PRIVATE PROVIDER. >> TARA WILL JUMP IN AND ANSWER THE QUESTION WHETHER IT IS FRIVOLOUS TO CLARIFY FOR THE BOARD. WE TALKED ABOUT IT A WHILE AGO, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME IN. ON THE PRIVATE PROVIDER PIECE, PERCENTAGE-WISE, LIZ, WHERE SHOULD WE BE PERCENTAGE-WISE IN THE COMING YEAR? >> ABOUT 40. THIRTY-FIVE WAS LAST YEAR, SO IT GOES UP BY FIVE. >> YOU STOLE MY QUESTION. >> SORRY. [LAUGHTER] [BACKGROUND] BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE AND YOU WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET TO THREE? >> YES. >> IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 40%. SO OBVIOUSLY, WE'LL BE DOING THE WAIVER. >> I WAS GOING TO SAY WE HAVE YOUR GUIDANCE ON THAT AS WELL. >> BUT THERE'S A BIG GAP, BUT IT'S NOT THROUGH A LACK OF EFFORT BY ANY MEANS. IT REALLY IS A LOT ON THE PROVIDERS, THE PRIVATE PROVIDERS. >> AND WE'RE SEEING THAT STATEWIDE. ALL OF THE LEAS ARE EXPERIENCING THAT SAME CHALLENGE. >> I NOTED, I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE IT JUST RIGHT, YOU SAID THE ACCREDITATION WAS COSTLY AND THAT WAS PART OF THE REASON WHY SOME OF THE PRIVATE PROVIDERS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GETTING THE ACCREDITATION AND ALL OF THAT. DO WE PROVIDE ANY KIND OF SUPPORT. I'M NOT TALKING EVEN FINANCIAL, BUT JUST ANY GUIDANCE TO HELP THEM WITH THAT? >> I CAN LET LIZ ANSWER, BUT THEY DO, THEY ARE PROVIDING GUIDANCE, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEM BE CERTIFIED TEACHERS, SO I CAN LET LIZ SPEAK TO THAT. >> THE HOME PROVIDERS? >> YES. >> OKAY, THEN I UNDERSTAND. >> JUST THINK OF IT AS EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO DO IN THERE, AT HOME. >> THEN I CAN SEE WHY. >> WE PROVIDE SUPPORT THROUGH DUTY CENTERS. THEY'RE ALWAYS PROVIDING TRAINING TO PROVIDERS, AND WITH ANY SUPPORT THAT WE CAN TO GET THOSE NUMBERS HIGHER FOR US. >> THANK YOU. >> WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT THE PROVIDERS DON'T REALLY SEE THE VALUE IN MOVING TOWARDS ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN THEIR DAYCARE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THEY MIGHT BE RECEIVED, IT DOESN'T MATCH WHAT THEY HAVE TO SPEND. AM I CORRECT IN THAT? >> YEAH. WE JUST HAVE A LOT OF PROVIDERS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, AND RETIREMENT IS MUCH CLOSER THAN WHEN WE STARTED OUR INITIATIVE. IT'S ALSO A HICCUP WE RUN INTO. >> WE'RE ALL BEING IN THE SAME POOL. WE'RE TRYING TO HIRE TEACHERS AND WE'RE A VERY SMALL AREA. I'VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE HORIZON ON THAT ON PILLAR 2. AGAIN, LIZ DOES SPEND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND BUILDING PIPELINES FOR HIGH-QUALITY PRE-K STAFF WITH US. AND OF COURSE, THE PRIVATE PROVIDERS, AGAIN, WE ALREADY DISCUSSED THAT CHALLENGE. THAT'S NOT REALLY A CHALLENGE FOR US, IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR AIBMS TO SORT THROUGH AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT RELATIONSHIP WORK. WE'RE WORKING THROUGH ENSURING THAT WE HAVE CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE TRAININGS AND WE ARE LOOKING INTO RECRUITMENT, AND LIZ HAS BEEN VERY CREATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO TAPPING INTO OUR CURRENT PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE UNIVERSITIES AND HIGHER ED AND OUR CURRENT STUDENTS, OUR TM STUDENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY WORKING TOWARDS COMING BACK TO TEACH FOR US. SO SHE CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE IF YOU'D LIKE FOR HER TO REGARDING THE CERTIFIED. I KNOW THAT SHE DISCUSSED THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, ABOUT WORKING TO GET CERTIFICATIONS AND SUPPORT FOR THE TEACHERS, OR FOR THE PRE-K STAFF. THIS IS AN INTERESTING ONE. WE'RE SHOWING GROWTH IN OUR KEY AREAS FOR PRE-K-3, AND PRE-K-4 ARE ALSO SHOWING READINESS FOR KINDERGARTEN. WE'RE CONTINUING TO TRACK PROGRESS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE PROVIDERS AND THE PUBLIC PROGRAMS. WE'RE WAITING KRA ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE BECAUSE MSDE JUST PROVIDED NEW INFORMATION THAT WE'RE NO LONGER USING THE KRA ASSESSMENT THAT WE'VE BEEN USING, AND THEY'RE GOING TO DELIVER A NEW ASSESSMENT THAT WE THEN WILL BE TRAINED ON AND WE LITERALLY HAVE THE FIRST PART OF THE SUMMER TO DO THAT. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY WAITING ANXIOUSLY TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO REALLY IMPACT WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. IT SEEMS TO BE PROVIDING US WITH WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR US. THEN, OF COURSE, PLAYING THOSE FIELD TRIPS AND EVENTS TO MAKE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRE-K-3-4, INTO KINDERGARTEN SEAMLESS. THEN REVIEWING AND ENHANCING CURRICULUM, THAT ACTUALLY LIZ AND I ARE TAKING A TOUR TO SEE WHAT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE DOING WHEN IT COMES TO PRE-K-3S AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO GATHER INFORMATION AND NEW IDEAS. SO SHE'S TAKING SOMEONE ON A TOUR AND THEN WE'RE GOING TOGETHER ON A TOUR, [00:15:02] WHICH I'M EXCITED ABOUT, TO SEE WHAT OTHER CLASSROOMS LOOK LIKE IN PRE-K-3. ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING PILLAR 1 AND FOR MS. SAYLOR? >> I DO, BUT I'LL LET MARK AND MICHELLE AND TROY GO FIRST. >> YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE MOVING FROM PART-TIME TUTORS TO FULL-TIME ASSISTANTS. WILL THAT BE FOR THE INCOMING SCHOOL YEAR? >> THAT IS OUR HOPE FOR AT LEAST PRE-K-3, THAT IS BECAUSE WE KNOW THE NEEDS THERE AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN CONSISTENT WITH THAT TUTOR POSITION BEING FILLED. [OVERLAPPING] >> I BELIEVE YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE PRE-K EXPANSION GRANT? >> YES, AS LONG AS WE GET THE GRANT WE'LL BE OKAY. >> THAT'S GOOD. I HOPE IT WORKS OUT WITH THE GRANT MONEY. >> YES. >> MS. SAYLOR HAS A GREAT TRACK RECORD WITH IT? >> YES, SHE DOES. [LAUGHTER] >> I DIDN'T HEAR WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE PERCENTAGES OF THE PRIVATE PROVIDERS WHERE WE WERE. >> IT'S BY THE KID, RIGHT? >> YES. >> SO WE HAVE 38 STUDENTS OUT OF? >> THIRTY-EIGHT. >> YEAH. WE HAVE 38 KIDS IN A PRIVATE PROVIDER SETTING, OUT OF WHAT? PROBABLY 350 IN PRE-K? >> YES. >> A LITTLE OVER 10%. >> A LITTLE OVER 10%. MRDC SHOT US UP. >> WHEN YOU APPLY FOR A WAIVER FOR THAT, THAT'S TO THE AIV? >> YES. AIV HAS TO PROVIDE A WAIVER, WHICH WE EXPECT EVERYBODY. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY SYSTEM THAT GOING TO BE THERE. >> [OVERLAPPING] SYSTEMS THEY'RE ALL [OVERLAPPING]. >> SOMETHING THAT CHANGES IN A YEAR OR TWO WITH THAT AS FAR AS THE WAIVER PROCESS OR NOT. >> I'M NOT SURE PAST 27, TO BE HONEST, I'LL HAVE TO DO A LOOK AT IT, I DON'T KNOW. >> THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE. >> THERE'S SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT. >> I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT IS. >> I THINK ONCE THEY START GETTING LEVEL SETTING AND YOU REALIZE THE PERCENTAGES ARE ATTAINABLE, I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY MIGHT ADJUST. >> THAT'S PART OF WHAT THIS CONVERSATION WAS AND THE FACT THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HELP MAKE THIS ATTAINABLE, WHAT NEEDS TO BE PROVIDED TO PRIVATE PROVIDERS TO HELP THERE BE MORE INTEREST FOR ONE THING. >> INTEREST. >> IN GETTING PRIVATE PROVIDERS BECAUSE OF THAT, AND THE OTHER THING IS FOR DISTRICTS THAT ARE BELOW, ASKING FOR THE WAIVER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING AS A DISTRICT? WHAT EFFORT ARE YOU PUTTING OUT TO TRY? ARE YOU TRYING, I GUESS IS THE THING. BUT IT SEEMED LIKE THE WAY THEY WERE TALKING, IT SEEMED LIKE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, THAT WAS GOING TO BE A LOT MORE DIFFICULT TO GET A WAIVER. BUT IT WAS GOING TO BE MORE ALONG THE LINES OF, WHERE ARE YOU DOING THAN IT IS AT THIS POINT? >> I THINK WHAT WE'RE HERE. LIZ, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO SAY SOMETHING. >> I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THE LATEST UPDATE WE'VE HAD IS THAT THEY PUSHED THE DATE FROM MAY 1 OF FALL SO THEY GAVE US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S THAT THEY ONLY HAD IT SO FAR. >> I REALLY THINK THAT THEY NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE AREAS BECAUSE EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK THAT THE PERCENTAGE PROBABLY SHOULD REFLECT WHAT OPPORTUNITIES EXIST. IT'S LIKE THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS QUALIFICATIONS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE 40 SOMETHING SCHOOLS, 44 SCHOOLS THAT QUALIFY FOR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AND YOU'LL NEVER GET THERE, HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO ALL OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS? HAVE YOU BEEN PUTTING US ON A SLIDE AND SCALE? [LAUGHTER] >> I THINK REAL THING IS THEY ARE GOING TO NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. I DO HAVE A FOLLOW-UP FOR LIZ HERE IN A SECOND BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR THE BOARD TO HEAR IT. I BE ABOUT PRE-K. I THINK SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE'RE END UP SEEING, MARK, AS WE LOOK FORWARD AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, THE STATE IS DELAYING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PILLAR 2. THE WAY THAT THAT HAS COME OUT OR START A PILLAR 2 TIER TWO KIDS. THAT CAME OUT IN THE BUDGET AMENDMENT BUT DIDN'T COME OUT AS LEGISLATION. TECHNICALLY, IT DID THROUGH THE BUDGET. WE'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS BUT WHEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS MOVE INTO TIER 2, THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH STUDENTS WHO COME IN AT THE TIER 1 LEVEL, THAT WILL FILL OUR SLOTS. BUT ONCE YOU MOVE INTO TIER 2, AND YOU PROBABLY HEARD IT OVER MAKING LEGISLATIVE CALLS, LARGER SYSTEMS, PARENTS WILL PAY A SLIDING SCALE FOR THEIR KIDS TO GO. DOES THAT MEAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS MOVE INTO A BILLING PERSPECTIVE THAT WE'VE NEVER DONE, AND IT'S BASED OFF OF INCOME? IF THERE'S NO PRIVATE PROVIDERS, THE EXPECTATION WILL BE THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ENDS UP BEING THE PROVIDER AT VARIED COST LEVELS TO PEOPLE, THAT THEN WE HAVE TO STAND UP BILLING TO DO IT. THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, WHICH BECOMES AN INTERESTING CHALLENGE, AND WE HAD A FASCINATING WITH THE INNER AGENCY ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION. [00:20:02] LOCALLY, HERE IS TO TALK ABOUT OU PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS AND HOW WE MOVE THINGS FORWARD AND WHAT SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT? WE DIDN'T ENTER THE PRE-K CONVERSATION. WE DIDN'T THAT DAY. BUT IT'S FASCINATING LISTENING TO THE FOLKS WHO WERE HERE ABOUT WHAT OTHER SYSTEMS ARE REALLY HAVING TO THINK ABOUT. WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT LONG-RANGE PLANNING, IF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS TO SUPPORT MORE STUDENTS IN PRE-K AND PRE-K 3 IN PARTICULAR, AND I'LL LET LIZ DIG IN THE QUESTION WHEN I ASK IT, BUT PRE-K 3, PRE-K 4 IN A LOT OF WAYS. BUT THAT IS A WHOLE NEW BUILDING PIECE THAT PROBABLY WASN'T THOUGHT ABOUT AS IN DEPTH AS IT SHOULD. BUT JUST CREATES INTERESTING CAPITAL NEEDS AT A TIME WHEN CAPITAL BUDGETS AREN'T INCREASING AT THE RATE TO MEET UP WITH SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION ALONE, LET ALONE HAVING TO DO SOMETHING WITH ADDITIONAL PRE-K SPACE. THE CURRENT MODE OF THINKING OF AN ADDITIONAL PRE-K SPACE IS FIND UNUSED PROPERTY WITHIN YOUR DISTRICT TO LEASE. REALLY EASY TO SAY, PROBABLY IN AN URBAN AREA OR EVEN SUBURBAN, DIFFICULT TO SAY IN A RURAL. VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING PRE-K 3. MY QUESTION FOR LIZ, WHAT HAS BEEN PROBABLY OUR BIGGEST LEARNING IN THE PRE-K 3 REALM THIS YEAR, GOING INTO IT LIKE WE DID? WAS PROBABLY BEEN OUR BIGGEST LEARNING AS WE PREPARE FOR NEXT YEAR? >> I WOULD THINK DEPENDING ON THE DAY, IT DIFFERS. I THINK JUST DEFINITELY HITTING ALL OF THEIR NEEDS. THERE'S 13 OR 14 OR 15, VERY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, WHICH WE'VE MADE GREAT STRENGTH WITH THEM IN LOTS OF PROGRESS. BUT I KNOW THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS, THEY WERE JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE BECAUSE YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE EVER BEEN IN A STRUCTURED SETTING AND SO YOU SEE ALL THAT NICE COOL STUFF TO TOUCH. THEN IT'S LIKE WAIT, WE HAVE TO SHARE IN LEARNING ALL THOSE THINGS. I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY JUST BEING MORE PREPARED IN THE SENSE OF MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE STAFF THERE THAT WE CAN BREAK INTO SMALLER GROUPS. BUT IF WE NEED TO TAKE A COUPLE OF KIDS OUTSIDE TO DO SOMETHING WHILE WE FOCUS ON TEACHING SOMETHING ELSE INSIDE, THAT WE HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY. BUT THERE HAS JUST BEEN SOME THINGS THAT I NEVER EVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO ASK FOR, AND I HAVE. [LAUGHTER] IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN INTERESTING. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S REALLY GOOD TO GO INTO A CLASSROOM NOW AND SEE WHERE THEY WERE AND THEN WHERE THEY ARE NOW BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE MOST OF THEM [INAUDIBLE]. [LAUGHTER] I WALKED IN THE OTHER DAY AND I WAS LIKE, THESE KIDS LOOK DIFFERENT. I WAS JUST HERE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. I WOULD SAY THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE WE ARE WITH IT. BECAUSE DEFINITELY WE HAVE THE STAFF, WE HAVE THE TEACHERS THAT ARE READY AND WILLING, WE HAVE THE GOOD CURRICULUM AND SUPPORTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I THINK IT'S JUST THE PLANNING PIECE BEHIND IT AND MEETING ALL THAT INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. >> THANK YOU. FOR ME, I'M HEARING THAT IT'S THE SAME APPROACH I SEE WITH A LOT OF THINGS. THAT ONE SIZE FITS ALL, THEY'RE NOT TAKING LOCAL NEEDS INTO CONSIDERATION. CAROLINE COUNTY NEEDS AND THEY PROBABLY GET TIRED OF HEARING THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PLACES. I THINK SOME COUNTIES, YOU COULD SAY ARE VERY SIMILAR TO OTHERS AND WE'RE REALLY NOT. IF THEY'RE TIRED OF HEARING THAT, WELL, THEY OUGHT TO HEAR IT SOME MORE. DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE THROWING YOUR HANDS UP, YOU'RE REALLY TRYING HARD, YOU'RE REALLY DOING GOOD WORK HERE AND TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK. ONE OF MY QUESTIONS WAS, WHAT WAS IT THEN AND WHAT IS IT NOW? YOU JUST ANSWERED THAT SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALSO ABOUT THE PRIVATE PROVIDERS, YOU CAN'T JUST INVENT THEM. >> WE CAN'T MAKE THEM. >> THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WANT TO DO THAT AND AREN'T GOING TO DO THIS. IT'S TOO MUCH. THAT'S A CHALLENGE. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE AND THEY CAN RETHINK IT AT THE STATE LEVEL ALL THEY WANT. WELL, DO THEY HAVE A MACHINE THAT PUTS OUT PRIVATE PROVIDERS BECAUSE WE'D BE HAPPY TO BORROW THAT MACHINE FOR A WHILE. >> FOR SURE. JUST FOR REFERENCE, LAST YEAR WHEN WE WROTE IT IN THE 60S AS OF MARCH OF 2024, WE HAVE 56 LICENSED PROVIDERS IN CAROLINE COUNTY. OUR NUMBERS ARE REALLY [INAUDIBLE]. >> I GUESS, IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S GOTTEN HARDER FOR THEM? >> YES. >> [OVERLAPPING] STAGE. >> SURE. WELL, AND HEATHERS TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE. HOME DAYCARE USED TO BE UNDER A DIFFERENT DIVISION. NOW THEY'RE UNDER MSDV. SO WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT FOCUS. IT JUST DOES AND IT'S MADE IT MORE CHALLENGING FOR HOME PROVIDERS. >> AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER TOO, THEY'RE LOOKING AT OFFICE OF CHILD CARE REGULATIONS, AND THEN YOU THROW ON THE REGULATIONS TO BE A PRIVATE PROVIDER, TO GET ACCREDITATION AND ALL THAT STUFF. >> SO DOES CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE HAVE A PROGRAM WHERE THEY WOULD QUALIFY? THEY'RE A PRIVATE? [00:25:02] >> I DO NOT THINK THEY MEET THE CRITERIA WHERE THEY WOULD QUALIFY [OVERLAPPING]. IT'S REALLY [OVERLAPPING]. >> I DON'T I KNOW A LITTLE KID WHO WENT THERE SEEMED PRETTY GOOD, BUT HEY, CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE, WHY DON'T YOU DO THAT? HELP US OUT. SO I THINK THE OTHER QUESTION IS HAVING RAISED A THREE YEAR OLD AND A FOUR YEAR OLD? THERE WERE THREE AND THEN THEY BECAME FOUR. IF I SPENT A WHOLE DAY WITH ONE OF THEM, I WAS EXHAUSTED. SO I CANNOT IMAGINE. I'M GLAD THEY'RE ABLE TO DO THIS, AND THE PROGRAM WE HAVE IS TERRIFIC. BEHAVIOR, I DIDN'T SEE IT AS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES. ALL YOU NEED IS ONE WONDERFUL LITTLE THREE YEAR OLD WHO'S HAVING A FIT. HOW DO THEY NAVIGATE THAT? A THREE YEAR OLD ALL DAY? THE HAPPIEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE WHEN I WAS RAISING A THREE YEAR OLD WAS A NAP TIME. [LAUGHTER]. >> WE DO HAVE A NAP TIME, SO THAT IS A GREAT SNACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. BUT WE DEFINITELY, A LOT OF CREDIT TO THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT I HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP. AND THERE'S BEEN DAYS WHERE YOU'LL SEE ME, MY TEACHER SPECIALIST, ALL OF US IN THERE JUST LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE GOING TO BE THE TEACHER. YOU CAN SEE IT, TAKE IT FROM A DIFFERENT ROLE, DIFFERENT ASPECT. I'M REALLY TRYING TO SUPPORT THAT WAY AS WELL. >> WOW, THAT'S JUST VERY IMPRESSIVE. >> I'D LIKE TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT LIZ'S WORK BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT, YOU DERRICK TOUCHED ON THIS, DR. SIMMONS TOUCHED ON THIS, THINKING ABOUT SPACE, YOU DON'T REALLY THINK ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE TOILETS, THE SIZE OF THIS [OVERLAPPING]. >> WATER FOUNTAIN. >> THE BUSES, THINKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, WHAT THEY'VE HAD TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTING THREE YEAR OLDS. IT'S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SITUATION. LIZ HAS NAVIGATED THAT WITH GRACE AND STYLE, AND SHE'S ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH TRANSPORTATION AND HER TEAM TO ENSURE THAT IT HAPPENS WITH THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT WE HAVE, TO A LOT OF KIDS, TO GET BACK AND FORTH ON A FULL-DAY PROGRAM. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS IS TALKING ABOUT NAP TIME. I WAS IN THE PRE-K-3 AT PETERSBURG AND I WALKED IN AND THERE WERE LIKE FIVE KIDS ON A COT SLEEPING AND THE OTHER SEVEN OR EIGHT WERE UP DOING THREE YEAR OLD THINGS WITH THEIR THREE YEAR OLD TEACHERS. AND I THOUGHT, WELL, YOU DON'T EVEN GET A BREAK BECAUSE THEY'RE ROTATING YOUR NAPS. [LAUGHTER]. >> I THINK I WANT THAT. >> EXACTLY. SO IT'S LIKE THINKING ABOUT WHAT SHE'S DONE IN THE LIFT THAT SHE'S MANAGED TO DO AND SHE LOOKS AMAZING. SO SHES LIKE SHE'S STILL UPRIGHT. THINKING ABOUT ALL THE CHALLENGES SHE'S HAD, I HAVE A DEEP APPRECIATION FOR WHAT SHE'S HAVING TO DO AND HOW, YOU'RE RIGHT, THREE YEAR OLDS ARE JUST THREE, AND THINKING ABOUT THEM IN A FULL DAY PROGRAM IS A LOT. SO SHE'S ALWAYS OPEN TO IDEAS, STILL LOOKING FOR OTHER NEW INNOVATIVE WAYS, AND I THINK THAT'S PRETTY GREAT BECAUSE SHE'S A CONSUMMATE LEARNER. >> WELL DONE. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS. MORE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS? >> THOSE ARE GOOD THINGS. SO WE HAVE OUR PILLAR 2, DR. ROB WILLOUGHBY IS A PILLAR CHAIR, AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THIS IS FOR HIGH QUALITY AND DIVERSE TEACHERS AND LEADERS. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PRIORITIES FOR RECRUITMENT AND REDESIGN, THERE IS A KEEN FOCUS ON ENSURING THAT WE HAVE DIVERSIFIED STAFF AND HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF. WE STILL HAVE A GAP BETWEEN WHAT OUR STUDENTS LOOK LIKE VERSUS WHAT OUR STAFF LOOKS LIKE, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK TO CLOSE THAT GAP, AND A HIGHLIGHT REAL FROM THE PILLAR 2 WORK IS THAT WE'VE GOT 52 APPLICANTS, RIGHT DR. WILLOUGHBY? >> FIFTY-TWO STAFF MEMBERS WHO WANTED TO BE PART OF THE RECRUITING, 35 WERE ACCEPTED. >> SO THE RECRUITING THAT'S GOING ON AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WIDEN OUR SCOPE AND VISIT AND DR. WILLOUGHBY CAN SPEAK TO THE RADIUS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IMPACT, AND BEING ABLE TO ACCESS TESTIMONY AND OUR STAFF GOING TO OTHER HIGHER ED UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES TO PREACH WHAT WE DO HERE AND TO TRY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN OR TRY TO RECRUIT AND THEN REACH FOR RETENTION. SO DR. WILLOUGHBY DID AN AMAZING JOB OF WIDENING THAT RADIUS AND THAT SCOPE AND CONTINUING TO PUTTING OUR SHOW ON THE ROAD, SO TO SPEAK. AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SHORTAGES, ALTHOUGH DR. WILLOUGHBY MIGHT HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS REGARDING SOME OF OUR APPLICANTS AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE ALREADY FILLED. I THINK HE DID SHARE WITH YOU IN A STAFFING REPORT RECENTLY, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE SHORTAGE, AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT OUR FUNDS THAT WERE REALLY HEAVY FUNDING STREAM FROM LEADS, WE NEED TO MOVE THAT INTO OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT. SO CONTINUING TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN AND DR. WILLOUGHBY AND I WORK WITH THE TITLE 2 WORK, [00:30:05] WHICH IS HELPING US TO BE INNOVATIVE. WE HAVE A PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR. WHAT WE CAN DO TO BE MORE STRATEGIC ABOUT RECRUITIN , RETAINING, AND MAINTAINING FRESH DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR NEW TEACHERS, AND OUR NON-TENURED TEACHERS. PAY STILL BECOMES A CHALLENGE, AND AS DR. WILLOUGHBY CAN SPEAK, WE TALKED TODAY A LITTLE BIT, HE SHARED WITH ME SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT HOW ADMINISTRATOR, WHEN YOU START CLOSING THAT GAP BETWEEN WHAT TEACHERS MAKE AND ADMINISTRATORS MAKE, WHERE'S THE REAL DESIRE TO BE AN ADMINISTRATOR. AND ESPECIALLY ALL THE ADDED PRESSURES THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT WHEN IT COMES TO MANAGING A BUILDING. AND THEN WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT NBC AND CAREER LADDER REQUIREMENTS. ALL OF WHICH YOU HEAR ABOUT, I KNOW, THROUGH REGULAR UPDATES WITH DR. WILLOUGHBY. AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS HAPPENING CONSISTENTLY WITH THE WORK THAT WE PROVIDE AND UPDATES WE PROVIDE AT OUR BOARD MEETINGS BECAUSE THIS IS THE BLUEPRINT WORK AND WE'RE WORKING ON IT CONSISTENTLY. SO OUR SUPERVISOR OF DATA AND RESEARCH IS ACTUALLY THE ONE THAT FACILITATES AND IS OVERSEEING THE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS AND THE NEW TEACHERS THAT ARE IN THE PROGRAM. SO WE HAVE 47 TEACHERS THAT ARE PURSUING A NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION, WHICH IS PRETTY GREAT. THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING. AND SO WE HAVE A FACILITATOR THAT WORKS WITH THEM TO MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT AS THEY WORK THROUGH THAT RIGOROUS PROGRAM AND THE FACILITATOR PROVIDES ALL OF THOSE SUPPORTS. WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO FUND THAT FACILITATOR. AND WHEN WE MOVE INTO THE CAREER LADDER, I BELIEVE SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES WILL. DR. WILLOUGHBY CAN SPEAK TO THOSE A LITTLE BIT. PARTNERSHIPS WITH CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE AND EASTERN SHORE HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE ALL ASPECTS THAT WE NEED FOR TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD A PIPELINE AND GROW YOUR OWN COOPERATION WITH THE LOCAL SALT LAKE UNIVERSITY AND SOME OTHER ONLINE UNIVERSITIES SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS AS THEY MOVE INTO TEACHING PROGRAMS AND ALSO TEACHERS AS THEY NAVIGATE THROUGH THE NEW TEACHER JOURNEY. SO WE HAVE THINGS TO CELEBRATE HERE. WE ARE ON TRACK TO MEET THE 60,000 FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS IN JULY 1 OF 2026. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS WITH THE 10% INCREASE. HOWEVER, WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF GAP. BUT WE DO HAVE TIME TO CLOSE THAT GAP, AND WE THINK WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND AGAIN OUR LOCAL EDUCATOR ASSOCIATION HAS A PHENOMENAL RELATIONSHIP WITH DR. WILLOUGHBY, DR. SIMMONS, AND IT IS YIELDING SOME GREAT RESULTS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING SURE THAT WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, AND THERE'S NOT ANY RUB WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH REGARDS TO THE BLUEPRINT, THE CAREER LADDER AND NEGOTIATIONS. ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BULLET? >> HEAR NONE. >> I'M SORRY. >> I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GETTING. >> WE'RE GOING TO GROW YOU, STAND BY. |>> ON SLIDE NUMBER 15. I JUST HAD TO REFER TO MINE. >> TELL ME WHICH ONE. I CAN SEE THAT THERE. >> THE FOURTH BULLET. >> YEAH. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT ONE A BIT? >> HOW WE'RE EXAMINING FUNDS TO SUSTAIN DEPOSITION? >> WELL, I GUESS MY QUESTION, IS THAT POSITION ONE PERSON OR IS THAT POSITION? >> IT'S A CONTRACTED POSITION. >> OKAY. >> CHRIS NEVILLE, LONGTIME SPECIAL EDUCATOR AT COLONEL MIDDLE, IS ALSO A NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHER, AND SHE RETIRED I THINK TWO YEARS AGO. WE'VE CONTRACTED WITH HER USING FUNDING THROUGH MARYLAND LEADS TO COME BACK AND PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OUR CANDIDATES AND OF COURSE, LEADS IS GOING TO SUNSET. WE'RE LOOKING AND I SAID LOCAL BUDGET FUNDS. I THINK WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO LOOK AT TITLE 2 FUNDING. >> WE'RE TRYING TO COVER PHASES FIRST. >> BUT NOT LEADS FUNDING. BECAUSE LEADS IS STOPPING HOW WE CONTINUE THIS POSITION. BECAUSE 4017 HAS GOT 10% OF OUR TOTAL TEACHERS. NEXT YEAR, WE'LL HAVE A NEW GROUP COME IN. WE'VE SET THAT WE CAN TAKE ABOUT 25 A YEAR. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL BE 25 BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THIS PATHWAY. JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT WE CAN KEEP THAT POSITION AND CHRIS'S SUPPORT FOR THOSE FOLKS TO HELP NAVIGATE THEM. >> I'M SURE THAT'S IMPORTANT. >> IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. [00:35:02] >> SIDE 16. THE THIRD BULLET, YOU HAVE THE SCHOOLS LISTED THERE. I KNOW YOU SEE SALISBURY IS LISTED ABOVE. BOY ALSO HAS A PROGRAM AT CHESAPEAKE THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK INTO. >> THEY HAVE A PROGRAM. >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> IT'S FOR DOCTORS. >> THEY ALSO HAVE A FANTASTIC SUMMER PROGRAM FOR CONDITIONAL TEACHERS. IT'S VERY INTENSE. IT'S IT'S ONLINE. IT'S I THINK FOUR DAYS A WEEK. BUT OUR CONDITIONAL TEACHERS CAN GET 15 OF THEIR 18 CREDITS IN TEACHING LEARNING. OVER THAT SUMMER. WHAT THIS IS REALLY TALKING TO AND THIS IS WHERE YOU TAKE A MULTI PARAGRAPH TO ANSWER AND TRY TO. THIS IS REALLY TALKING TO WHERE WE HAVE AGREEMENTS TO HOST STUDENT TEACHERS. IF WE HAD SOMEONE THAT WANTED TO COME AND STUDENT TEACHER IN ONE OF OUR CAROLINE SCHOOLS, WE WOULD WE WOULD SIGN MOU WOULD CERTAINLY ALLOW THAT BECAUSE LET'S FACE IT, IF THEY'RE HERE AND THEY'RE STUDENT TEACHING IN OUR BUILDING, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET HIRED. >> YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT THESE ARE WHERE WE HAVE THESE ACTIVE AGREEMENTS, SALISBURY OF COURSE, AS WE HAVE PEA SCHOOL IN BOTH GREENSBORO. BUT THEN WE HAVE THESE OTHER ACTIVE AGREEMENTS TO HOST STUDENTS. >> FOR THEIR METHOD THEIR STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE. ALSO CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE, WE HAVE SOME STUDENTS WHO ARE DOING THEIR OBSERVATION HOURS, WHICH IS THE PRECURSOR TO THE STUDENT TEACHING COMPONENT. WE'RE REACHING OUT AND GETTING THEM SOME PLACEMENT TOO. ESPECIALLY THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN ARE IN OUR TAM PROGRAM AND NOW THEY'RE HERE AND THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO COME BACK AND KEEP CONNECTED TO US. >> WE'RE ALSO WORKING THROUGH THE FINAL STAGES OF THE MOU AGREEMENT WITH UMES FOR THEIR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER UNIVERSITY PROGRAM. I SURE REPORTED PREVIOUSLY, DOCTOR WARREN'S PROGRAM TO PARTNER AND CONNECT THAT COMPONENT AS WELL. >> YEAH, THAT WILL YIELD RIGHT AWAY. >> ALL RIGHT. >> BUT IT WILL BUILD THAT DEADLINES STUDENTS WHO THEN PROBABLY COME BACK TO CAROLINE TO TEACH. >> THANK YOU. YES. >> WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT THE STUDENTS LOOK LIKE AND WHAT THE STAFF LOOKS LIKE. THE STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS, IS THAT A MOVING TARGET? HAS IT CHANGED? IF YOU GO BACK 10 YEARS AGO, IT'S CHANGED? >> YES. >> IF YOU GO OUT 10 YEARS FROM NOW, WILL IT HAVE CHANGED? I THINK THERE MIGHT BE A LOT OF POLISH IMMIGRANTS. THAT'S MEANT TO BE A JOKE. HOW IS IT GOING TO CHANGE? PEOPLE COULDN'T PREDICT, 30 YEARS AGO, WHERE WE ARE TODAY. YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY PREDICTING 30 YEARS FROM NOW, BUT TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS, FIVE YEARS, HOW IS IT GOING TO CHANGE? GREENSBORO CERTAINLY HAS CHANGED, OTHER THINGS IN THIS COUNTY HAVE CHANGED. >> I THINK IF WE HAD A DEMOGRAPHIC THAT WAS MORE DIVERSE AND WE SAW A POPULATION OR SUBGROUP MOVING IN A TREND OVER TIME? >> YES. >> WE GO, OKAY, WE'RE OUT OF SYNC HERE. WHAT OUR DATA SUGGESTS IS WE HAVE A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION. I DIDN'T BRING MY NOSE, BUT ABOUT 57% WHITE, I BELIEVE ABOUT 19% HISPANIC LATINO, 14% AFRICAN AMERICAN. OUR STAFFING DEMOGRAPHIC IS NOT EVEN CLOSE. WE'RE IN MAYBE 91% WHITE FOR STAFF AND MAYBE 4% AFRICAN AMERICAN AND 2% HISPANIC LATINO. YOUR POINT, YES, IT'S GOING TO CHANGE OVER TIME, BUT WHETHER IT STAYS THE SAME OR CHANGES, WE'RE STILL NOT CLOSE TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE. >> THE GAP IS AS LARGE? >> YEAH IT'S LARGE ENOUGH. >> PROGRESS COULD HAPPEN IN VARIOUS NUMBER. DEMOGRAPHICALLY, MR. BARTON, LOOKING AT INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE FOR US, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR COUNTY DEMOGRAPHICS, THE OVERALL CENSUS DATA FOR THE COUNTY IS NOWHERE NEAR AS DIVERSE AS A STUDENT POPULATION. THE OVERALL COUNTY CENSUS DEMOGRAPHIC, AT LEAST FROM THE LAST ONE THAT WE LOOKED AT, OUR ADULT POPULATION IS NOT BELOW OUR SCHOOLS. THAT'S A GOOD CLARIFIER WE HAVE IN OUR REPORT ABOUT TRYING TO LITTLE HERE STUDENT MATCH MORE OF OUR STUDENT POPULATION. BECAUSE THAT REALLY IS WHERE THE YOUNGER FOCUS WHERE THE DIVERSITY TENDS TO DO MORE OF A COUNTY. >> AS THOSE STUDENTS MOVE THROUGH THE SYSTEM TO GET OLDER, CERTAINLY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE OR THOSE THAT WANT TO GO INTO THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, TRYING TO GET THEM BACK HOME, THAT'LL HELP. >> ALSO GROW YOUR OWN. >> THAT'S WHAT I MEAN. >> OUR SUPPORT STAFF DEMOGRAPHIC IS MORE DIVERSE THAN OUR TEACHER DEMOGRAPHIC. TO HELP SUPPORT STAFF BRIDGE THAT GAP TO GET A TEACHING CERTIFICATION. [00:40:06] I GO BACK TO I'M NOT TRYING TO OVERSIMPLIFY, BUT THEY'RE ALREADY HERE. THEY'RE ALREADY IN OUR BUILDINGS AND THEY ALREADY LOVER KIDS, SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET THEM TO HAVE A TEACHING CREDENTIAL SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE THAT NEXT STEP? >> RIGHT. >> TO ME, THAT IS THE SINGLE MOST VALUABLE STRATEGY THAT WE CAN GET THE MOST BANG FOR OUR BUCK. BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY WITH US. >> THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY. THEY'RE ALREADY GO THROUGH THE SYSTEM. GET THEM BACK HERE. >> ARE WE HAVING MUCH LUCK WITH THAT CURRENT SUPPORT STAFF. WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE. >> WITH OUR LEADS, WE DID A REPORT A COUPLE OF JUST A MONTH OR SO AGO, AND I WANT TO SAY WE'VE GOT 30 SOME FOLKS THAT ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SOME PURSUIT OF SOME CREDENTIAL OR DEGREE OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE TO TRY TO MOVE TOWARDS TEACHER CERTIFICATION OR SOME LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATION. >> YOU CAN START WORKING ON THREE YEAR OLD, NO. >> RIGHT. >> I THINK YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION, BUT YOU THINK WHEN TRYING TO FIND REVERSE TEACHERS THAT NATURAL LEADS? THAT WE FIND MORE SUCCESS THROUGH GROWING THEM OURSELVES THAN WE DO GOING OUT AND RECRUITING THEM AND BRINGING THEM IN? >> I THINK IT'S EASIER IF YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE THAT'S ALREADY HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR COMMUNITY ITSELF AND AND I WRITE TO THIS A LITTLE BIT IN THE LARGER PARAGRAPH OF. IF YOU'RE NOT FROM CAROLINE COUNTY AND YOU'RE GOING TO COME TO CAROLINE COUNTY, THERE'S SOME THINGS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ADJUST TO WHEN IT COMES TO RURAL LIVING, WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESSIBILITY OF DIFFERENT. YOU HAVE TO WANT TO BE HERE. TRYING TO CONVINCE THAT HIGH SCHOOL OR I'M SORRY, THAT COLLEGE SENIOR TO MOVE HERE, AND LET'S JUST BE REAL ABOUT IT. MAYBE MOVE HERE WHERE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE YOU IS SOMETIMES A TOUGH SELL. BUT IF YOU'RE ALREADY HERE AND YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING FOR US, AND WE INVEST IN YOU. THAT'S AN EASY PITCH. EXACTLY. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE GIVING UP ON IT. WE'RE RECRUITING AS HARD AS WE CAN RECRUIT TO TRY TO GET OUR NAME OUT AND HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND HAVE PEOPLE KNOW THAT CAROLINE'S A PLACE THAT THEY CAN COME. BUT YEAH, I THINK RECRUITING IS GOING TO GET US TEACHERS. GROW YOUR OWN IS GOING TO GET US DIVERSITY. THAT'S HOW MAYBE IS A GOOD WAY TO PUT IT. >> DO YOU HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF OUR SUPPORT SIDE OF HIRING. BECAUSE IF WE AREN'T HIRING DIVERSE SUPPORT STAFF, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET. >> CORRECT. >> YES. >> YEAH. >> CORRECT. >> I THINK SOME OF THE PLACES THAT DR. LI BING HAS BEEN GOING HAS BEEN SENDING OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF TO GO RECRUIT. SOME OF THOSE PLACES ARE SIMILAR TO HERE, AND SO IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A HUGE SHIFT FOR THEM. AND THEN WE CAN ALWAYS SWEETEN THE DEAL AND SEE IF YOU'RE ONLY FOR 5 MINUTES FROM THE BEACH. YOU'RE ONLY AN HOUR FROM DC OR BALTIMORE. I DO KNOW THAT SOME OF THE SCHOOLS THAT HE HAS SENT TEAMS TO RECRUIT REFLECT OUR GEOGRAPHIC AREA, RURAL, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU GO TO NORTH CAROLINA, WEST VIRGINIA, WHICH IS WHERE SOME OF THE SCHOOLS WERE AND I KNOW MS. MCDONALD WENT WE'RE PROBABLY DOUBLE SALARY WISE. THEY GET EXCITED WHEN THEY SEE THAT NUMBER. >> YEAH. ONE PLACE FOR BLUEPRINT STOPPING US. >> CORRECT. >> CORRECT. MR. PLUTSCHAK ALSO HAS A QUESTION. THE POINT THAT THE SCREEN IS NOT THERE. >> SORRY. I DIDN'T WANT TO BLUR EVERYBODY OUT. ROB, I JUST SAID A QUESTION UNIVERSITY, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PERCENTAGES. WAS THAT TEACHERS AND YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID IT, BUT I MIGHT HAVE MISS IT I'M SORRY. WAS THAT TEACHERS OR WAS THAT ALL OF SAY INCLUDING SUPPORT AND STUFF LIKE THAT. >> THAT'S JUST TEACHERS. THAT'S THAT'S WHAT THE QUESTION IS ASKING, SPECIFICALLY, IT'S JUST TEACHERS. SO THAT'S JUST THE TEACHER POPULATION. >> DID YOU GET THAT TROY? >> PERFECT. THANK YOU. >> GOOD QUESTION. I DON'T THERE'S ANY OTHERS. >> ROB, THE ONLY OTHER PIECE THAT, AND I'LL JUST HIGHLIGHT IT BECAUSE IT DID COME IN A CONVERSATION A COUPLE OF US HAD RECENTLY. THE LETTER HAS VERY POSITIVE ASPECTS TO IT. IT DOES ELEVATE ONE GROUP OF STAFF, AND IT'S GREAT THAT IT DOES. IT'S JUST THE CHALLENGE THAT THE SYSTEM WILL FACE OF SUPPORTING THE OTHER TWO GROUPS. [00:45:03] BECAUSE AS IT CREATES A GAP, AS IT ELEVATES TEACHERS, IT WILL CREATE A LARGER GAP FOR SUPPORT, WHICH WILL LEAVE MORE BEHIND AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT WILL ABSOLUTELY DIMINISH THE DESIRE OF ANYONE TO GO INTO ADMINISTRATION. WE ARE ALL WELCOMED FOR PUNISHMENT, WHO ARE SITTING IN HERE. BUT THAT GAP WILL CLOSE RAPIDLY, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE ENTRY LEVEL ADMIN POSITIONS LIKE APS AS THAT TEACHING SALARY GOES UP BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO SMASH AND THEY'RE GOING TO EXCEED. WE JUST HAVE SOME THINGS HERE AS A SYSTEM. I KNOW AS WE PROGRESS INTO NEXT YEAR AND THOSE THINGS, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE LOOKING AT DATA ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM AS A BLUEPRINT PUSHES US IN THAT ESSENCE. >> THAT HAS A FINANCIAL RIPPLE EFFECT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE IT, WE WANT TO HAVE ANYONE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CREATE THE GAP. THE FUNDING. >> ONE OF THE STATED GOALS OF THE CAREER LADDER, IF YOU READ THROUGH THE BLUEPRINT, WAS TO MAKE IT SO THAT TEACHERS CAN BE PAID RIGHTFULLY SO FOR THE PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATION THAT THEY'RE IN WITHOUT HAVING THE NEED TO JUMP INTO ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE THAT SALARY. EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE NOT ADOPTED A CAREER LADDER YET, I CAN CONFIDENT TELL YOU, THEY'VE ACCOMPLISHED THAT GOAL. BUT IN ACCOMPLISHING THAT GOAL, IT THEN LEADS TO THE QUESTION OF, SO YOUR GOAL WAS TO MAKE IT SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO JUMP INTO ADMINISTRATION SO WHO'S GOING TO JUMP INTO ADMINISTRATION? BECAUSE IF THIS IS THE SET OF CREDENTIALS THAT YOU CAN GAIN ON THIS SIDE OF THE CAREER LADDER AND THIS CREDENTIAL IS WORTH THIS MUCH MONEY AND THIS CREDENTIAL IS WORTH THIS MUCH MONEY AND NOW I'VE GOT MY SALARY HERE BECAUSE I'VE GOT MY CREDENTIALS AND I'VE GOT ALL MY ADD ONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THEN THE SALARY HERE FOR ADMIN HAS TO BE, YOU CAN'T EVEN MATCHING IT DOESN'T EVEN WORK BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE 12 MONTHS. UNDER THE CAREER LADDER, THESE FOLKS NEED THE SAME CREDENTIALS, EXCEPT ALL THOSE ADD ONS GO AWAY WHEN YOU JUMP. BECAUSE THEY'RE ONLY FUNDED FOR TEACHERS. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE THAT UP IS THROUGH LOCAL BUDGET. THAT'S GOING TO BE THE CHALLENGE BECAUSE JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF DAYS THAT YOU WORK, 12-MONTH POSITION VERSUS 10-MONTH POSITION WITH NO STATE FUNDING TO HELP SUPPORT. STILL GOING TO BE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TO BE A CAREER LADDER ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. STILL HAVE TO HAVE IT. BY 2029, GOT TO BE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TO BE A PRINCIPAL. BUT NONE OF THE MONETARY INCENTIVES FUNDED BY THE STATE AGAINST THAT WEALTH INDEX THAT HELPS US ALL GOT TO BE LOCALLY FUNDED FOR THAT. >> IF THAT GAP'S NOT VERY BIG, WHY WOULD YOU JUMP TO THAT. >> IT'S ALMOST, AND THIS IS ROB'S, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY OVERCORRECTED AND THAT'S GOING TO CALL THE PROBLEM THAT WE'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH IN A NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE. >> NOT THAT IS DOWN [OVERLAPPING]. >> BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING READY TO BLOW YOUR MIND AT PILLAR 3. I WANT TO ALSO SHOUT OUT TO DR. WILLOUGHBY. HIS WORK IS SO INNOVATIVE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CAREER LADDER AND HE HAS THESE IDEAS. I'M HEARING OTHER WOOD PRINT COORDINATORS TALK ABOUT WHAT ROB IS DOING AT M&S MEETINGS AND HOW, WITH VERY LITTLE RESOURCES AS FAR AS STAFF, AND WE'RE VERY SMALL WHEN IT COMES TO THINK TANK PARTNERS FOR DR. WILLOUGHBY, HE'S A PARTY OF ONE. >> I JUST TALK TO MYSELF. [LAUGHTER]. >> BEING SO INNOVATIVE AND SO CREATIVE, IT TAKES A LOT OF REFLECTION AND TENSION AND THEN RELATIONSHIPS THAT HE'S BUILT WITH THE ASSOCIATION AND WITH THE TEACHERS AND WORKING FOR NEGOTIATIONS IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. I WANT TO SHOUT OUT TO THE WORK THAT HE'S BEEN DOING TO GET US MOVING ALONG AND TO ACTUALLY NOT JUST MEET BUT REALLY BE ENRICHED WITH WHAT THE WORK IS THAT WE'RE DOING. THE RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN HUGE WHEN IT COMES TO FILLING OUR PIPELINE AND RECRUITING. PILLAR 3 IS COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS. IT'S OUR LENGTHIEST AND MEDIEST PILLAR PHYSICALLY. IT TOUCHES A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS AND LINDSAY'S JOB TO BRING IT ALL TOGETHER INTO A SERIES OF RESPONSES AND BRING HER TEAM TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING COVERED IN THIS AREA. SHE'S DONE AN AMAZING JOB POINT IT TOGETHER. AND, AGAIN, [NOISE] AS YOU REMEMBER, THIS ALL WAS JUST SHARED WITH US IN JANUARY. THESE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM PILLAR 3, AND I WANTED TO START OFF WITH, AND YOU'LL NOTICE AS YOU LOOK THROUGH HERE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT CONTENTS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SPECIAL POPULATIONS WEAVED INTO THE CONTENT, [00:50:03] AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT INNOVATION WHEN IT COMES TO RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR KIDS. IT COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF INSTRUCTION AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AND THE CTE, IT INVOLVES A LOT OF DIFFERENT MOVING PARTS. WE'LL START OFF WITH COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. NINETY EIGHT PERCENT OF OUR K-5 ELA TEACHERS HAVE BEEN TRAINING LETTERS. THAT'S HUGE. WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH GETTING VOLUME 2 OUT BECAUSE OF ITS TIME COMMITMENT. HOWEVER, WE HAVE A PLAN TO GET THE TRAINING TO NEW TEACHERS AND GETTING US INVOLVED WITH STARTING OUR SUMMER COWARDS THIS YEAR. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH LETTERS TRAINING AND ENSURING THAT OUR STAFF ARE GETTING ONGOING PRESSURE DEVELOPMENT WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENCE OF READING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SHARED WITH YOU AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THE TEAM CAME FOR THE MTSS UPDATE. THAT WORK IS GOING STRONG, AS YOU SAW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR DATA PRESENTATION THAT YOU RECEIVED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. THAT'S THE STUDENT OUTCOMES PART OF PILLAR 3, AND THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE WITH THE MTSS TEAM, OF LOOKING AT THE WHOLE STUDENT UTILIZING DIFFERENT DATA POINTS TO CREATE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE INTENTIONAL, MEANINGFUL, AND PROVIDING TARGETED EVIDENCE BASED INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT OUR KIDS. I'M NOT SELECTING FROM A MENU OF OPTIONS THAT WE'RE NOT EVEN SURE IF THEY HAVE AN IMPACT. THAT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED HERE IN DETAIL IN THE PILLAR 3 SUBMISSION. WE'RE SUPER PROUD OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN GOING ON AND IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, WE'RE SEEING AMAZING RESULTS. THE SUPERVISORS ARE IN BUILDINGS MONTHLY WITH THEIR COACHES AND WITH THE TEACHERS TO REVIEW DATA. DATAS ARE GOOD DISCUSSION. AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED TO PERFORMANCE MATTER TO HAVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED AT THEIR FINGERTIPS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN MAKE LIVE-IN-MOMENT DECISIONS WHEN IT COMES TO INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS. THIS IS MORE OF AN EXTENSION OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE WERE JUST HAVING ABOUT TARGETED EVIDENCE BASED INTERVENTIONS AND HOW THOSE ARE HAVING AN IMPACT AND HOW WE'RE MONITORING THAT PROGRESS ON A REGULAR BASIS SO THAT WE'RE SEEING IT'S NOT WORKING, WE CAN MOVE INTO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. THE MCAP DATA WAS SHARED WITH TEACHERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY KIDS WHO WERE ON THE CUSP, SO TO SPEAK. BETWEEN PROFICIENT, NOT PROFICIENT AND PROFICIENT, OR BELOW PROFICIENT AND PROFICIENT. THE SCHOOLS HAD COMPASS TO GO BY WHEN IT CAME TO TARGETING CERTAIN STUDENTS THAT WE COULD REALLY LEAN INTO SPECIFIC SUPPORTS. WE'RE SEEING TRENDS MOVING UPWARD WHEN IT COMES TO STUDENTS RECEIVING INTERVENTIONS AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THEM ON MCAP AND ON ONGOING DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENTS AS WELL. THAT WAS ENGLISH, THIS IS MATH. AS YOU KNOW, WE SHARED WITH YOU A FEW MONTHS AGO, MATH STRUGGLES WITH HAVING INTERVENTION, PROGRAMS, AND STRATEGIES. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OGAP, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY MSDE AND IT IS A MATH TIER 2 INTERVENTION, AND HERE IT SHARED WITH YOU MULTIPLICATIVE AND ADDITIVE REASONING FOR GRADES K-5. WE ARE EXTENDING OUR OGAP TRAINING AND WE'RE GETTING DEEPER INTO THE PRESSION DEVELOPMENT THIS YEAR AND IN THE SUMMER. WE'RE CONTINUING TO ENSURE THAT THAT WORK IS HAPPENING. WE ARE SEEING THE RESULTS FROM THE INTERVENTION. I THINK SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS HAVE BEEN SHARED WITH YOU RECENTLY. AGAIN, WE'RE CONSISTENTLY SPENDING ENERGY AND TIME AND FUNDS TOWARDS PROGRESSION DEVELOPING OUR TEACHERS SO THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE THE EXPERTS, THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO SPEND MOST OF OUR ENERGY AND OUR TIME. AGAIN, THEY RECEIVED PRESSION DEVELOPMENT BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WITH MCAP DATA AND HOW THEY CAN IDENTIFY AND LOOK AT THAT DATA STRATEGICALLY TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR KIDS WHEN IT COMES TO TIER 2 AND TIER 3, REMEMBER TIER 2 IS HAPPENING IN THE FASTER BLOCK AND TIER 3 IS HAPPENING IN ADDITION TO IT. IT'S CORE PLUS MORE PLUS MORE. OUR KIDS ARE GETTING MORE THAN THEY'VE EVER NEEDED OR HAD. WELL, NOT NEEDED, THEY'VE BEEN GETTING MORE THAN THEY'VE EVER HAD BEFORE AND THE RESULTS ARE STARTING TO SHOW. WE'RE LOOKING AT ALGEBRA READINESS AND SUCCESS. SO ALGEBRA 1, WE'RE WORKING WITH DESMOS AND ILLUSTRATIVE MATH TO ADDRESS THE TIER 1 AND TIER 2 NEEDS, AND THEN MATH 180 IS THE TIER 3 INTERVENTION. WE'RE CONTINUING TO BUILD ON THAT. THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR TO LOOK AT OUR INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND HOW WE CAN DELIVER IT EFFECTIVELY. CONTINUING TO GET TRAINING. WE DO SEE THAT WE'RE SHOWING SOME GROWTH AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THAT IN PROGRESS MONITOR AS WE GO ALONG. AGAIN, THE TRAINING FOR ALL OF OUR INTERVENTIONS IS CONTINUOUS AND ONGOING SO THAT WE STAY ABOVE AND AHEAD. ANYBODY WHO IS COMING ON BOARD NEW, WE HAVE A PLAN FOR THOSE NEW TEACHERS TO GET THAT SAME TRAINING SO THAT WE CAN STAY CONSISTENT WITH THEIR TRAINING, [00:55:01] WHAT THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE SUPPORTS. AGAIN, WE GOT CLARIFICATION FROM MSDE AND AIB ON HIGH QUALITY SCHOOL DAY TUTORING. ESSENTIALLY, IT'S THE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING DURING THE CLASSROOM, TIER 2 AND TIER 3 DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. WE TALKED WITH YOU ABOUT INTEGRATED TIERED SYSTEM AND SUPPORTS AND HOW WE'RE UTILIZING ALL DIFFERENT DATA POINTS, BEHAVIOR, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, TEACHER INPUT, AND ASSESSMENT DATA TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO THAT STUDENT. THAT REQUIRES THIS DEPARTMENT HERE, IT REQUIRES OUR CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF, AND IT REQUIRES OUR TEACHING STAFF TO BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, AND IT ALL WORKS TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY. YESTERDAY, TITLE 4 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR, DON CORBIN, CAME TO VISIT AND HE WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH SOME OF THE SUPERVISORS WHO WERE ACCESSING THE TITLE 4 ACTIVITIES AND USING IT IN CLASSROOMS. CONSISTENTLY, WE WERE HEARING, AS HE WAS TALKING TO TEACHERS, AS HE WAS TALKING TO SUPERVISORS, EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING IS WORKING TOWARDS ONE COMMON GOAL. EVERYBODY IS SEEING THE CONNECTION WHEN YOU BRING IT IN, IT'S INTEGRATED. IT'S NOT SILOED, IT'S ALL COMMUNICATING TOGETHER. THAT'S REALLY WHAT MAKES THIS SPECIAL, IS THAT EVERYBODY IS WORKING TOGETHER AND IDENTIFYING WHAT STUDENTS NEED RATHER THAN WORKING INDEPENDENTLY AND MAYBE EVEN IN OPPOSITION WHEN YOU DO THAT, SOMETIMES HAPPENS. WE DO HAVE A GOOD NEWS ON OUR NINTH GRADERS ON TRACK. WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE OF ALMOST 5%. I'D LIKE FOR LINDSAY TO SHARE OUT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE WERE JUST TALKING THIS AFTERNOON. THIS DATA IS A LITTLE BIT LAGGING BECAUSE WE HAVE RECEIVED NEW CCR STANDARDS. THIS IS WHAT WE HAD TO SPEAK TO IN THE BLUEPRINT RESPONSES. HOWEVER, WE ARE SEEING SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS IN OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE QUALIFYING AS COLLEGE AND CAREER-READY. LET YOU SPEAK [OVERLAPPING] >> THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS I'M NOT SURE IF YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR, BUT THAT THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS WERE CHANGED, I BELIEVE, IN FEBRUARY. ONE OF THE NEW MEASURES IS TO HAVE AN OVERALL GPA OF A 3.0 AND TO HAVE EARNED ALGEBRA 1 CREDIT WITH AN A, B, OR C IN THE COURSE. WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT OPTION OVER BEING PROFICIENT ON MCAP, ELA, AND MATH, WHICH IS THE OTHER OPTION, WE FIND THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO MEET THIS 3.0 AND THE SUCCESS IN THE ALGEBRA 1 COURSE. OUR DATA FROM ONLY THE MCAP AND BEING CCR IS THAT 9.2% THERE. HOWEVER, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE NEW CCR MEASURE, THAT PERCENTAGE OF CCR WILL DRASTICALLY BE HIGHER. >> WE CAN'T CAPTURE THAT UNTIL THE END OF YEAR, BECAUSE THAT DATA HAS TO COME OUT AND THEN WE HAVE TO GET END OF YEAR DATA. WE'RE WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE IT MIGHT BE, BUT WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL END OF YEAR DATA TO BE ABLE TO DEFINITIVELY SAY THESE STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR CCR. THE EXCITING PART OF THAT IS WE'RE TRENDING UPWARDS, WE'RE IN A REALLY GREAT SITUATION. THE OTHER GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE NEED TO CREATE INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PLANS FOR EACH STUDENT WHO'S NOT CCR. WE'RE THINKING THAT WE HAVE TO DO INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PLANS FOR 90% OF THE STUDENTS. IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO BE ONLY HAVING TO DO IT FOR A VERY SMALL NUMBER. THE WORKLOAD ON THE STAFF. >> SMALLER NUMBER. >> SMALL. >> SMALL. >> I DON'T WANT TO OVER-EXAGGERATE. IT'S STILL GOING TO BE A LARGE TASK. [LAUGHTER] >> THE ONE QUALIFIER THAT I DO WANT TO GIVE, AND THE INFORMATION WAS SHARED WITH THE BOARD WHEN MSD WAS CONSIDERED, CONSIDERING THE CHANGE FOR A CCR AND THE IMPACT. BUT I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR FOR EVERYBODY THAT MSDE DIDN'T LOWER THE BAR FOR CCR. THEY ACTUALLY HAD AN OUTSIDE ENTITY, AIR RESEARCH, TO DO SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH ON HOW KIDS ENTER COLLEGE AND CONSIDERED COLLEGE-READY, MEANING THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE, AND THEY WENT BACK TO ATTRIBUTES THAT KIDS HAD. THE PRIOR CCR MEASURE WITH A 9.2% FOR KIDS WHO WERE PASSING IN THE STATE ASSESSMENT, AT THE POINT IN TIME, AND IT WAS A NEW STATE ASSESSMENT. THEY WERE PASSING IT AT A HIGHER LEVEL. WE NEED A HIGHER SCORE PROFICIENCY IN [INAUDIBLE] CCR. WHAT THEY FOUND WAS IT REALLY DIDN'T MATTER HOW THEY DID TEST. WHAT REALLY MATTERED WAS THEY HAVE A 3.0 GPA AND DID THEY PASS ALGEBRA 1. PART OF THEIR RESEARCH ACTUALLY SAID, PROBABLY A 2.7 [INAUDIBLE] AN A. STATE BOARD LANDED ON A 3.0 AND AN A IN ALGEBRA 1. >> A, B, ACTUALLY. >> SORRY, C, I HAD IT BACKWARDS. C IN ALGEBRA 1, 3.0 GPA OVERALL AS THEIR INDICATOR, [01:00:01] WHICH IS A MUCH MORE ACCURATE. IT WASN'T LOWERING THE BAR FOR KIDS. IT WAS ACTUALLY FINDING AN ACCURATE BAR FOR WHERE KIDS WERE BEING SUCCESSFUL IN COLLEGE. I DON'T WANT YOU LISTENING FROM HOME THINKING THAT IT WAS LOWERING STANDARDS AND ACTUALLY WAS SETTING THE STANDARDS. [OVERLAPPING] >> IT WAS LEVEL SETTING, AND IT WAS A MORE ACCURATE PREDICTION, WHICH IS WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO BE FOCUSING ON. THESE INDIVIDUALIZED CAREER PLANS, WHILE PROVIDING THE CORRECT SUPPORTS AND THE APPROPRIATE SUPPORTS, THE STUDENTS THAT WILL BE GETTING THAT [INAUDIBLE] ACTUALLY NEED THAT, RATHER THAN STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT NECESSARILY NEED IT TO BECOME COLLEGE AND CAREER-READY. WE ARE STILL WORKING ON ACCESS TO POST-CCR PATHWAYS. THERE'S CERTAIN WAYS YOU CAN GET TO A CCR CREDENTIAL AS YOU GRADUATE. IT'S STAMP ON YOUR DIPLOMA. THAT IS THROUGH THE AP PROGRAM OF STUDY, DUAL ENROLLMENT, MIDDLE EARLY COLLEGE, AND CTE PROGRAMS WITH APPRENTICESHIPS. LINDSAY HAS BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY WITH CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE TO FINE-TUNE AND WORK WITH THEM TO COLLABORATE ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, AND ALSO MSDE, BECAUSE THEY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE WITH US AS WELL. IT'S INTERESTING THAT WE'RE HAVING TO SPEAK TO THIS WITH PLANS AS WE'RE CONTINUING TO GET GUIDANCE AT THE SAME TIME. ALL THE PILLARS ARE DEALING WITH THAT, AND THIS IS NO EXCEPTION. WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS ALL THE CAREER COACHING IS GOING ON AND THE WORK THAT LINDSAY'S BEEN DOING WITH HER COORDINATOR AND HER COACHES ON INFUSING ALL OF THIS INTO THE STUDENT DAY, WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO ACCESS CAREER EXPLORATION, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO ACCESS SOME NAVIANCE ACCESS. TYPICALLY, THAT'S THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL WHERE THEY'RE DOING COLLEGE AND CAREER COUNSELING, APPLICATIONS IN THERE. LINDSAY HAS CREATED A GREAT SCAFFOLD, SO THAT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE STARTING TO EXPLORE THROUGH CAREER EXPLORATION WITH THE COACHES AND WITH THE BEABLE PLATFORM. WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT IT YESTERDAY. IT WAS HAPPENING IN SOCIAL STUDIES. IT WAS REALLY NEAT FOR DR. DON CORBIN, WHO WAS FROM MSDE TO SEE THAT AND TALK TO KIDS ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. THEY'RE ABLE TO DO SOME CAREER EXPLORATION THAT WAY SO THAT WHEN THEY GET TO HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY START FILLING THEIR NAVIANCE WORK, THEY CAN START REALLY BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO DO. >> SORRY. >> WHAT? >> I APOLOGIZE. I WON'T EVEN SHOUT OUT TO THE CAREER COACHES. THEY'RE DOING A FANTASTIC [OVERLAPPING] [INAUDIBLE]. THEY ARE EMBEDDING THEMSELVES IN THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL WHERE THE KIDS KNEW QUICKLY WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS. FANTASTIC WORK. I DON'T WANT TO JUST BREEZE OVER THAT. WE DIDN'T, BUT I'D REALLY JUST WANT TO GIVE THEM A SHOUT OUT FOR THE AMAZING WORK THEY ARE DOING. THAT IS A DIFFERENT POSITION FOR US. >> WHAT'S EXCITING ABOUT THE COACHES [OVERLAPPING] >> BUT THEY'RE IN IT. >> THE COACHES THAT WE HAVE. MANY OF THE DISTRICTS OPTED TO HAVE THAT OUTSOURCED. WE CHOSE TO HAVE THEM AS PART OF OUR STAFF, AND AS A RESULT, LIKE DR. SIMMONS SAID, THEY'RE EMBEDDED. IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY HERE WHO ALREADY KNOW THE AREA, WHO ALREADY KNOW THE STUDENTS AND WHO ALREADY CAN IDENTIFY WITH THE OPTIONS THAT THEY HAVE, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THOSE OTHER DISTRICTS DID CHOOSE TO GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE FACING SOME CHALLENGES THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS A RESULT OF THAT. CAN I JUMP IN? [OVERLAPPING] BUT FOR A BRAND NEW PROGRAM AND HAVE A NO GUIDANCE AND NO FRAMEWORK, OTHER THAN PROVIDE EVERY SIXTH THROUGH 12TH GRADE INDIVIDUALIZED CAREER COUNSELING. THAT WAS THE GUIDANCE THAT WE RECEIVED. THE CAREER COACHES CAME ON BOARD, AND WE CREATED THAT PLAN. AIB AND THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD HAS SAID ALL MEANS ALL. I CAN SAY, OTHER THAN ABSENCES, LIKE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ABSENT AND NOT, OTHER THAN ABSENCES, EVERY SIXTH THROUGH 12TH GRADER HAS HAD AT LEAST ONE, IF NOT MULTIPLE, OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE CAREER COACH IN EITHER WHOLE GROUP SETTINGS OF EXPLORATION OF STRENGTHS AND INTERESTS, OR IN SMALL GROUP SETTINGS, OR INDIVIDUAL. WE CREATED A REFERRAL FORM THAT HAS BEEN SENT OUT EACH QUARTER TO ALL OF THE SCHOOL STAFF. IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT THAT YOU THINK MIGHT NEED TO TALK TO A CAREER COACH, THERE'S A REFERRAL PROCESS. WE USE THAT SAME ITSS, MTSS TIER 1, TIER 2, TIER 3 ASPECT OF THE CORE PLUS MORE PLUS MORE. [01:05:05] WE USE THAT SAME FRAMEWORK WITH CAREER COACHING. THANK YOU, DR. SIMMONS, BECAUSE I AGREE, THEY CAME IN, THEY JUMPED IN AND THEY ARE 100% EMBEDDED IN OUR SCHOOL. >> WE GOT VERY LUCKY. >> [OVERLAPPING] WELL, I CHOSE WELL. >> YOU WERE GOING TO FIND LOCAL PEOPLE WHO KNOW THIS COUNTY AND KNOW OUR KIDS. >> CORRECT. >> OUR TRUST. THEY EMBEDDED SO QUICKLY. IT WAS MASSIVE. >> THAT REFERRAL, UNLIKE THE OTHER REFERRAL, IT'S NOT SUCH A GOOD THING. >> IT'S A GOOD REFERRAL. >> THIS IS [INAUDIBLE]. >> IT'S JUST A GOOGLE FORM REFERRAL THAT ANY TEACHER CAN COMPLETE. [OVERLAPPING] >> A COMMENT. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE CAREER COACH IN SIX THROUGH 12. CAN YOU TALK OR TELL ME A LITTLE BIT, WHAT'S THE BEABLE PLATFORM? >> YEAH. BEABLE PLATFORM IS A PLATFORM THAT DOES TIE IN STRENGTHS AND INTERESTS INTO AN ACADEMIC AREA ALL AROUND CAREERS. WE'VE EMBEDDED IT IN SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM IN SIXTH GRADE IN BOTH SCHOOLS HOPING TO EXPAND TO SEVENTH GRADE NEXT YEAR WHERE THE TEACHERS CAN USE SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT AND TALK ABOUT CAREERS AND TALK ABOUT THE STRENGTHS OF LEADERS IN COUNTRIES AND IN THE HISTORICAL, I LOOK AT DR. WILLOUGHBY, BUT IN THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, FROM A SOCIAL STUDIES LENS. >> THAT COULD BE SO OLD. >> NO. WE HAD THINGS ON, THEY WERE STUDYING I'M GOING TO SAY THE MAMMOTH, BUT THAT'S I DON'T THINK THAT'S IT. BUT A ANIMAL FROM MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS. WELL, THAT WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO BE IN THEIR LESSON FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. BUT WHAT WE DID IS WE TOOK THAT AND SAID, WHAT WOULD THE STRENGTHS AND THE INTERESTS OF AN ARCHAEOLOGIST BE? DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THOSE STRENGTHS AND INTERESTS, AND WE MADE THOSE CONNECTIONS? >> YES. >> IT'S JUST TYING IT ALL TOGETHER. >> THAT IS REALLY COOL. >> THANK YOU. >> BY THE WAY HOLD ON. CALL ME A DINOSAUR. WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY, SO I DO HAVE ONE STUDENT IN SIXTH GRADE, AND IT HAS BEEN INTERESTING TO HEAR HER COME HOME AND TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO WHEN SHE GROWS UP AND IT'S DIRECTLY BEEN BECAUSE OF THESE, WHETHER IT BE THE LITTLE QUESTIONNAIRES OR THE EXPERIENCES IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT IT'S BEEN MULTIPLE TIMES THIS YEAR SHE'S CAME HOME AND TALKED ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS I'VE HEARD ABOUT ABLE FROM HER. IT'S BEEN INTERESTING, SO IT'S GREAT. I CAN CARRY ON INTO THE FUTURE, IN SEVENTH GRADE AND OTHERS, IT'S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW THAT IT'S PUT HER IN HER MIND INTO THINKING ABOUT HER FUTURE. >> RESTRAINTS, AND THAT'S THE INTENTION, IS THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO BILL THAT OUT TO DIFFERENT GRADES. THE OTHER THING THAT IT'S NEEDED ABOUT BEING ABLE IS IT'S I WOULD SAY IT'S ADAPTIVE SO MUCH AS IT IS WHEN THE STUDENTS START READING INFORMATION ABOUT CERTAIN CAREERS. IT PROVIDES OTHER HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF THIS? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT, AM I CORRECT IN THAT? IT RECOGNIZES WHAT THE STUDENTS ARE LOOKING FOR AND READING OR MAYBE EVEN THEIR STRENGTHS. >> THERE'S VARIOUS LEVELS OF THE TECH AND THERE'S. >> IF THEY FIND THEIR STRENGTHS ARE XYZ THROUGH A LINE OF QUESTIONNAIRES, IT WILL PROVIDE HERE SOME IDEAS THAT YOU MAY HAVE OF CAREER THAT WOULD MAXIMIZE YOUR STRENGTHS. IT REMINDS ME OF WHEN WE WERE IN COLLEGE AND YOU WERE LEAVING, YOU'RE FINISHING UP AND YOUR MENTOR, YOUR COACH AS YOU GO THROUGH COLLEGE, THEY DO A APTITUDE TEST TO SEE WHERE YOU MIGHT PROFESSIONALLY, WHICH YOUR STRENGTHS MIGHT PROFESSIONS MIGHT SUIT YOU. WE'RE DOING THAT RIGHT NOW AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL. >> WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO IT AT THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL OR THE END OF COLLEGE, IT'S STARTING TO BE A LITTLE TOO LATE. [OVERLAPPING] >> WE'RE ASKING THEM EARLIER. >> NO, WE ARE NOT ASKING. I DON'T WANT ANYBODY THINK WE'RE ASKING SIXTH GRADERS OR SEVENTH GRADERS OR EIGHTH GRADERS TO MAKE DECISIONS ON WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO LATER IN LIFE. BUT TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES MORE TO UNDERSTAND THEIR STRENGTHS, THEIR INTERESTS, AND TRULY THEIR VALUES. THERE'S ACTIVITIES AROUND, WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN WORKING NIGHTS, WEEKENDS, THINGS LIKE THAT. THERE ARE CERTAIN JOBS THAT IF YOUR FAMILY VALUES ARE, I WANT TO BE HOME FOR DINNER EVERY NIGHT AT FIVE O'CLOCK. YOU SHOULDN'T BE A PILOT. THERE ARE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THAT. >> WELL, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO WANT TO ADD AS WELL, [01:10:03] AND TRY TO TELL MY KIDS THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT THEM AT FOUR PIECE. BUT IT'S BEEN NEAT TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS WHEN THEY'RE YOUNGEST. HAVING A KID WHO WAS JUST IN MIDDLE SCHOOL LAST YEAR, WHO'S NOW IN HIGH SCHOOL AND ONE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL SO I CAN COMPARE OTHER EXPERIENCES, BOTH HAD ONE EXPERIENCES, NOT THAT. BUT THE CAREER FOCUSED CONVERSATIONS THAT MY MIDDLE SCHOOLER HAS HAD THIS YEAR, AND IT ALL REVOLVES AROUND YOU KNOW THAT GUY WHO COMES. YES, I DO. BUT IT'S IT'S NEVER BEEN, I THINK THAT'S THE NEAT THING BECAUSE GOING WAY BACK IN THE HISTORY FILE HERE WHEN THIS COUNTY MADE THE DECISION YEARS AGO TO GO TO CAREER MAJORS, THE FEELING WAS WE WERE MAKING A PUSH OF MAKING KIDS FORCE HIM TO DECIDE A PATHWAY A HIGH SCHOOL. WE WEREN'T, BUT I GET THE FEELING OF IT. I ABSOLUTELY GET HOW IT FELT THAT WAY. THAT'S NOT THE CONVERSATIONS AT ALL THAT MY MIDDLE SCORES COME HOME WITH. LET'S COME HOME WITH I REALLY LEARNED ABOUT THIS AND I THINK LIKE I REALLY LIKE DOING THESE THINGS. I'M LOOKING AT THESE CAREER OPTIONS MAYBE WHEN I GET OLDER, BUT IT'S BASED OFF OF I LIKE THIS, I LIKE THAT. MY STRENGTHS ARE THIS. IT HAS CREATED A MUCH DIFFERENT CONVERSATION THAN THE CONVERSATION WITH CAR SOFTBALL PRACTICES OR WHATEVER ELSE, AROUND THOSE THINGS THAT ARE BROUGHT UP BY HER, BUT IT'S ALL AROUND THE STRENGTHS OF THE STUDENT, WHICH IS SO DIFFERENT AS OPPOSED TO I WANT A JOB THAT PAYS A LOT. >> RIGHT. >> OR I WANT A JOB, WHAT CAREER THIS. >> ULTIMATELY LIKE MY EXAMPLE WITH THE ARCHAEOLOGIST IS SOMETHING THAT WAS ALREADY GOING TO BE DONE. MY ULTIMATE, A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD WOULD BE THAT ABSOLUTELY EVERY TEACHER IN CAROLINE COUNTY WAS HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH STUDENTS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE BECAUSE IT CAN BE 100% EMBEDDED INTO EVERY CONTENT, EVERY SUBJECT AREA. >> THIS IS REALLY COOL. >> AGAIN, HIGH IMPACT VERY QUICKLY. >> ONE OTHER COMMENT I HAD THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE PRESENTATIONS WE HAD IN OUR LAST WORK SESSION WE WERE SO POSITIVE AND SO REWARDING TO HEAR. THAT IS I DON'T WANT TO QUOTE YOU WRONG, BUT I THINK IT'S A POSITIVE QUOTE, BUT THE TEACHERS ARE THE EXPERTS AND YOU'RE TRYING TO HAVE THIS ALL WORK THROUGH THE TEACHERS, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE SPENDING YOUR TIME FOCUS BECAUSE THERE'S A MISNOMER THAT'S BEEN SAID RIGHT IN THIS ROOM IN THE PAST, THAT WHY IS IT THAT THE TEACHERS AS EXPERTS AREN'T BEING UTILIZED THAT WAY? WHY DON'T THEY HAVE ANY SAY, WHY DON'T THEY HAVE ANY INFLUENCE ON WHAT'S GOING ON. YOU'VE JUST DEMONSTRATED TONIGHT, BUT ALSO LAST MONTH, THAT THE TEACHERS ARE INVOLVED. THE TEACHERS DO HAVE ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH THESE STUDENTS AND TO USE THEIR EXPERTISE, AND YOU REFER TO THEM AS EXPERTS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. >> THEY'RE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD AND THEY'RE PRACTITIONERS, AND CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY WHERE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO BY STUDENTS AND IT'S ALSO THE RIGHT THING TO DO BY OUR STAFF AND OUR TEAM. AS WE EXPLORE THAT, WE CONTINUOUSLY REFLECT ON WHAT IS IT THAT THEY NEED AND THEY PROVIDE US INPUT ON THAT AS WELL ON AN ONGOING BASIS. THE FINAL PIECE TO OUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PILLAR 3 IS CONTINUING ON WITH THAT ACCESS TO POST OF CCR PATHWAYS. RECOGNIZING THAT LINDSAY HAS REGULAR MEETINGS WITH CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE AND THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THOSE PATHWAYS IN THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE REGARDING DUAL ENROLLMENT, AS ADDITION TO THE EARLY COLLEGE AND THE PATHWAYS FOR STUDENTS TO REACH DUAL ENROLLMENT. THE OTHER PIECE WE HAVE IS WE JUST RECEIVED NOTIFICATION THAT WE'RE GETTING GUIDANCE RIGHT NOW ON THE AP PATHWAY. AS THERE WAS A DATE DIVE, I GUESS, INTO OUR DATA, CAROLINE COUNTY SCHOOLS OUR PATHWAY IS APPROVED AS CONSIDERED THE MARYLAND AP OPTION. THE NEXT STEP THAT WE HAVE WITH THAT PROCESS IS THAT LINDSAY IS GOING TO DEVELOP A AP COMMITTEE AND THEY'RE GOING TO WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND THEY'RE GOING TO WORK TO REFINE WHAT THAT WE HAVE THE COURSES AND WE KNOW WE NEED TO ADD A COUPLE. BUT WHAT THIS TEAM IS GOING TO DO IS CONSIDER A MAP ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AGAIN, MORE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, MORE INPUT FROM OUR TEAM, OUR TEACHERS, WE'LL BE DOING A LOT OF THE INPUT AND PROVIDING GUIDANCE AS THEY SEE FIT AS THEY KNOW THE KIDS, AND THAT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN ON AN ONGOING BASIS. [01:15:01] >> ONE MORE THING ABOUT PILLAR 3. >> SURE. >> I JUST ACTUALLY REALIZED. ANOTHER POST CCR PATHWAY THAT I THINK IS IN HERE, BUT IS NOT IN M, AND I DIDN'T PICK UP ON THAT IS CTE AND IRCS AND APPRENTICESHIP. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE REALLY DUG DEEP INTO OUR CT PROGRAMS. WE'VE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE AND TOOK A LOOK AT YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP VERSUS REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP AND SOMETHING CALLED SCHOOL TO APPRENTICE, WHICH IS THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL OF REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP, AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE MOVING TO. THAT IS GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR US BECAUSE IN CAROLINE COUNTY, WE DO NOT HAVE ONE BUSINESS APPROVED FOR A REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP. ACROSS THE STATE, THERE'S NOT AS MANY EITHER. IT TRULY IS MORE OF THAT SKILLED TRADE, ELECTRICIAN, SO FORTH OF THE YOU WOULD SAY TYPICAL REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS, AND MOST OF THOSE YOU TYPICALLY NEED TO BE 18. THAT IS NOT WHERE A HIGH SCHOOL REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP OPTION IS TRULY AVAILABLE. BUT WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THAT. WE ARE CONTINUING TO BUILD OUR YOUTH APPRENTICESHIPS AND WE'VE RECEIVED NEW GUIDANCE ABOUT INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS AS IT RELATES TO THE 45% OF OUR STUDENTS IF GRADUATING CLASS NEED TO GRADUATE WITH EITHER AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIAL OR APPRENTICESHIP. FORTY FIVE PERCENT IS ALMOST HALF OF OUR POPULATION THAT NEEDS TO BE WITHIN THOSE BUCKETS. WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE AS MANY PROGRAMS AS POSSIBLE THAT HAVE INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS ATTACHED TO IT BECAUSE WE FIGURE YOU HAVE TO HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES TO GET TO THAT 45%. I'M NOT SURE WHY I MISSED THAT TODAY, I APOLOGIZE. BUT I WANTED TO BE SURE THAT WE TOUCHED ON THAT. >> NO, I APPRECIATE THAT. >> THANKS FOR ADDING THAT, THAT'S REALLY POWERFUL. >> THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT THIS BOARD WILL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH RIGHT NOW, THERE'S GUIDANCE OUT. WERE THERE ASKING PUBLIC FEEDBACK? >> YEAH, IT'S NOT CLOSED. >> THE PUBLIC HERE IS CLOSED, WE'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT COMES BACK FROM THAT GUIDANCE BUT THERE WILL BE IMPLICATIONS, WE'LL WAIT TO SEE THE DEPTH OF THEM IN THE FUTURE FOR OUR BOARD TO CONSIDER IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS ABOUT PROGRAMMATIC OFFERINGS BECAUSE NOT ALL CTE PROGRAMS OFFER INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS. WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO DO A DEEP DIVE ON OUR CURRENT OFFERINGS AND WHAT THE FUTURE OFFERINGS COULD BE [OVERLAPPING] PROGRAM CHANGES FOR US. >> WHAT ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS DOES CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE OFFER TO US BECAUSE THEY MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE DON'T AND SO FORTH AND SO DEFINITELY A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. BUT YES, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS WE ARE GOING TO HAVE, PROBABLY IN THE NEXT YEAR, TAKE A VERY HARD LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CTE PROGRAMS. THERE'S BENEFITS. EVEN IF IT DOESN'T HAVE AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIAL, THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY BENEFITS TO SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS, BUT WE STILL HAVE TO MEET THAT 45%. >> GUIDANCE IS FORTHCOMING. WE REALLY LIKE YOU. THAT'S A BIG QUESTION MARK WITH REGARDS TO THE BLUEPRINT AS THIS SUBMISSION APPROACHES US. AGAIN, WANT TO SHOUT OUT THE WORK THAT LINDSAY AND THE TEAM THAT PUTS THE INFORMATION INTO PILLAR 3 AND THE WORK THAT GOES BEHIND IT AGAIN. IT'S A REFLECTION OF WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING. IT'S A REFLECTION OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN IMPLEMENTING. THAT IS WHAT'S REALLY POWERFUL ABOUT IT, IS BECAUSE, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT DOING IT TO CHECK A BOX, WE'RE NOT DOING IT TO MEET, IT AUTOMATICALLY MEETS REQUIREMENTS. HOWEVER, WE'VE ADOPTED THOSE AS OUR GOALS AND AS OUR CHARGE AND SO IT'S HAPPENING ORGANICALLY AND IT'S HAPPENING WITH MEANING. NO ONE FEELS AS THOUGH IT'S BEEN PUT UPON THEM, IT'S JUST PART OF OUR LANGUAGE. CUTS OFF TO THE LINDSAY AND THE PILLAR 3 TEAM AS WE MOVE THROUGH THAT. THE NEXT ONE'S PILLAR 4. THEY MAY HAVE THE QUESTIONS FOR LINDSAY. WE MOVE ON TO PILLAR 4. PILLAR 4 SPEAKS TO THE RESOURCES, ALL STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL. THERE'S CO-CHAIRS FOR PILLAR 4 BECAUSE WE HAVE ERICA MCDONALD AS ADVISOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, WE HAVE CHRISTAL HARKOWA, SUPERVISOR FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED MM AND MLS BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH SPOKEN TO IN THIS PILLAR AS WELL. THEN NIKKI FISHER A SUPERVISOR FOR STUDENT SERVICES. THIS IS THE WHOLE CHILD ASPECT TO THE BOOK FRAMEWORK. [01:20:09] WITH REGARDS TO ML POPULATION, WE KNOW THAT ML USED TO BE EL, SO IT'S MULTI-LINGUAL LEARNERS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THAT NUMBER AND WE'RE NOW AT 580 STUDENTS THIS YEAR, AND I'M SURE STILL GROWING. I'VE PROBABLY HAD SOME SINCE THEN. >> IT'S ABOUT 600. DID I HEAR IT CORRECTLY? >> I THINK WE WILL DEFINITELY BE CLOSE TO THAT. EVERY WEEK, WE HAVE A NEW STUDENTS COME AND A LOT OF NEWCOMERS AND STUDENTS WITH INTERRUPTED EDUCATION. >> CHRISTAL AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING FURIOUSLY TO WORK WITH THAT RAPID INCREASE. THE LIAISONS ARE WORKING HARD, WE SEE THEM IN ALL THE SCHOOLS MOVING AROUND. WE ALSO SEE THAT WE HAVE ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES THROUGH FAMILY NIGHTS, THROUGH EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THE SCHOOLS TO ENGAGE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH, COMMUNITY NIGHTS. WE HAVE TWO MLL FAMILY COORDINATORS, AND THEY'RE BOTH DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB OF KEEPING THE COMMUNITY CLOSE AND FIELDING ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS AND COMMUNICATING BACK WITH MISS HARKOWA ON THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS AND THE FAMILIES. AN INCREASE IN STUDENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, BOTH IN SCHOOL AND OUT OF SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL HOURS AND THEN CONTINUING TO WORK TOWARDS PROVIDING MORE TRAINING. AGAIN, WE GO BACK TO THAT PIECE ABOUT TRAINING OUR TEAMS, PROVIDING SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT SO THAT THEY CAN HELP SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AROUND ML STUDENTS. THAT'S FOR THE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PIECE, THIS IS FOR THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. ML TEACHERS ARE RECEIVING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGAIN, INVESTING IN OUR TEAM, INVESTING IN OUR STAFF, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AROUND COTEACHING IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS AND ELEMENTARIES. WE HAVE A LOT OF TRAINING IN WIDA ACCESS. I'LL LET MISS HARKOWA SAY WHAT WIDA MEANS BECAUSE SHE CAN ROLL IT OFF THE TONGUE. [LAUGHTER] >> WIDA IS A COMBINATION OF WISCONSIN AND OTHER STATES THAT ARE DATA AND ACHIEVEMENTS. THEY HAVE CHANGED THE MEANING OF WHAT WIDA IS AND IT JUST HAS REMAINED WIDA BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT HAS BEEN REFERRED TO SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE WIDA CONSORTIUMS. >> IT PROVIDES ASSESSMENT DATA, AND IT PROVIDES PROGRESS MONITORING DATA, CORRECT? FOR OUR ML STUDENTS. >> YES. WIDA ACCESS IS WHAT OUR MCAP DATA IS BASED ON, AND WE HAVE SIX YEARS FROM THE TIME A STUDENT ENTERS ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS [NOISE] TO HIT THAT EXIT, WHICH IS A 4.5. WIDA MODEL WAS ADDED THIS YEAR AS A BENCHMARK. WIDA ACCESS IS GIVEN IN THE WINTER, AND BY THE TIME WE GET OUR SCORES BACK IN JUNE. IT'S OLD DATA, IT'S LAGGING. WE ADDED WIDA MODEL BASED ON WHAT SOME OF OUR OTHER NEIGHBORS ARE DOING TO COLLECT AND HAVE DATA TO MONITOR IN-BETWEEN. >> MISS HARKOWA'S TEAM HAS BEEN IN THE BUILDINGS WORKING WITH THE ML TEACHERS TO ENRICH AND ENHANCE THE ELD, WHICH IS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHICH IS HOW WE BUILD OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY. >> IT'S EMBEDDED IN THEIR SCHOOL DAY. >> IT'S PART OF CM >> CORRECT. IN ORDER TO BE, AGAIN, PROVIDING THOSE TARGETED INTERVENTIONS, THOSE TARGETS FOR THOSE STUDENTS. THE ONGOING PROGRESS MONITORING HAPPENS. IN FACT, MISS HARKOWA AND I ARE HEADING OVER THIS WEEK OR IS IT NEXT WEEK FOR OUR ML WALK THROUGH? >> 26TH. >> 26TH, NEXT WEEK. WE'LL BE GOING THROUGH AND DOING THOSE PROGRESS-MONITORING WALK THROUGHS TO SEE HOW OUR STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF ARE WORKING TOWARDS REACHING THOSE GOALS. A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE AROUND THAT, AND WHAT MISS HARKOWA HAS DONE IS SHE'S CONNECTING WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S OVERLAP AND THAT THERE'S INTEGRATION RATHER THAN WORK THAT'S COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR OUR STUDENTS' SCHEDULES. WELL, REGARDING THE STUDENT SPECIAL NEEDS, STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, I'M SORRY. [OVERLAPPING] >> NO, YOU'RE GOOD. ARE WE OKAY BECAUSE THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT PARTS? >> DO WE MAYBE JUST GO AHEAD AND JUST ASK THEM QUESTIONS? [OVERLAPPING]. [01:25:02] >> I'M SORRY? >> WALK THROUGH. >> AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE CREATED LOOK-FOR TOOLS. EVERY CONTENT AREA OR SPECIAL PROGRAM AND INSTRUCTION HAS A TOOL. IT'S TO COLLECT INFORMAL DATA. WE'RE LOOKING AT INSTRUCTION FOR MLL SPECIFICALLY, I'M LOOKING TO SEE ARE THEY FOLLOWING WITH THE ELD STANDARDS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE OUR OWN STANDARDS JUST LIKE OTHER CONTENT AREAS. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SCAFFOLDS THAT ARE PROVIDED. WHAT KIND OF ACCOMMODATIONS? HOW ARE THEY MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ACCESS INSTRUCTION? IF TRANSLATION IS NEEDED, THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT IS PROVIDED. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE PLANNING PIECE. WE'RE LOOKING AT, IF THEY'RE CO-TEACHING, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? ARE THEY FOLLOWING THE CO-TEACHING MODEL? IT'S A TOOL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TELL THAT WHAT THEY'RE DOING INSTRUCTIONALLY ALIGNS WITH WHAT OUR GOALS ARE FOR, OUR OVERALL INSTRUCTION. >> ONE THING THAT WE WORKED ON AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, LIKE YOU SAID EACH DEPARTMENT AND EACH AREA CONTENT HAS A LOOK-FOR TOOL. WE SPEND TIME TYING IT TO OUR DISCERNING INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS A LEARNING TARGET IS ALIGNED TO THE ACTIVITY, AND THEN STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN INSTRUCTION. AS YOU KNOW, THAT INCLUDES CERTAIN STANDARDS AND CRITERIA AS A PART OF THE TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM AND THE OBSERVATION TOOL. WHAT WE DID WAS WE REFLECTED ON THOSE TWO INITIATIVES, TWO DISTRICT GOALS THAT TIES TO THE OVERALL TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM, THEIR OBSERVATION, AND THEN THE LOOK-FORS ARE CONNECTED TO THAT. IT PROVIDES THEM MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK THAT DIRECTLY HAS AN IMPACT ON THEIR SUCCESS CRITERIA. LIKE THE NESTING DIALS. THE LOOK-FOR TOOL IS HERE, THE INFORMAL OBSERVATION WHICH IS TIED TO THE DISTRICT GOALS AND THE TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM HERE, AND THEN THE OBSERVATION IS HERE. THEY'RE RECOGNIZING IT AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THEM AND POSITIVE AND MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK FOR THEM AS WELL. >> THAT'S GOOD. >> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MISS HARPER OR REGARDING MLS? >> ALL IS GOOD. QUICK SHOUT OUT TO OUR COORDINATORS. MISS MONTGOMERY AND MISS SHAW WHO ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. TEACHERS ARE AS WELL. BUT WHAT'S BEEN REALLY IMPRESSIVE IS THE DATA APPROACH THAT THE ML TEAM IS TAKING, FOCUSING IN ON DEVELOPMENT OF ALL THE KIDS AND THE PROGRESS. I APPRECIATE THE AMUSING MODEL. YOU GUYS ARE WORKING LIKE CRAZY [LAUGHTER] TO PROGRESS THROUGH THAT WITH THE DATA. YOU'RE TRACKING, YOUR WORK WITH STAFF, HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE AND I THINK THAT THAT IS GOING TO PAY OFF. >> WE INCLUDE OUR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS. WE DO PD WITH THEM ON THE HALF DAYS, SOMETIMES TWICE A MONTH, SOMETIMES ONCE A MONTH, IT DEPENDS ON. >> YOU GUYS HAVE TRULY CREATED AN ML FAMILY TO SUPPORT EVERY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT YOU GUYS ARE TAKING THE BRANCH OUT OF JUST THE ML TEACHERS. MISS HARPER AND I'VE HAD THE CONVERSATION, WE TALKED BOUT IT, WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIRE ENOUGH ML CERTIFIED TEACHERS. WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIRE ENOUGH TRANSLATORS. WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN PROVIDE A SCHOOL FULL OF FOLKS WHO HAVE A LANGUAGE RICH ENVIRONMENT THAT CAN SUPPORT OUR KIDS AROUND THE STANDARDS TO HELP GET THEM TO REACH WHERE THEY NEED TO, AND THEY HAVE DONE AN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE JOB. WE'RE RE-ESTABLISHING AND BUILDING A NEW STANDARD IN ML. WE LOST SOME OF IT DURING THE PANDEMIC, OBVIOUSLY, BUT IT IS CLEARLY BEING RE-ESTABLISHED AND PUT IN PLACE AND YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB. ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BUILDING LEVEL, DON'T MEAN THAT DIMINUTIVELY BY SAYING DOWN TO BUILDING. >> OUR TEACHERS ARE IN THE TRENCHES. >> LITERALLY IT'S GOVERNED EVERY JOB. IT'S PERMEATING EVERYWHERE, AND I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE TRUST ALSO IS SO HUGE IN OUR ML COMMUNITY. WE'RE DEFINITELY KEEPING THAT IN PLACE. THANK YOU, GUYS. >> OUR COORDINATORS, OUR MLL FAMILY COORDINATORS, WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE A NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKER, AND A NATIVE HAITIAN CREOLE. WITHOUT MR. ROSARIO AND MISS LULU, I DON'T KNOW THAT OUR FAMILIES WOULD FEEL SO CONNECTED TO SCHOOL. >> ONE THING I WANT TO SHOUT OUT TO MISS HARPER TOO IS THAT THERE REALLY ISN'T A VIABLE CURRICULUM FOR ML. WHILE EVERYBODY HAS A CURRICULUM THAT THEY CAN WORK WITH, MISS HARPER AND HER TEAM HAS TO DEVELOP AND CREATE IT. AGAIN, BUILDING THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH TEACHERS, USING THEM TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND INPUT, HER TEAM HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB OF PROVIDING THAT BECAUSE WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW THERE'S JUST NOTHING THAT YOU CAN GRAB NATIONALLY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR ML LEARNERS IN THE CURRICULUM. [01:30:03] IT HAS TO BE DEVELOPED HERE. >> WE'RE REQUIRED BY MSD TO PROVIDE AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ALL THE WAY FROM ELEMENTARY AND KINDERGARTEN WHEN WE START PROVIDING SERVICES UNTIL THEY GRADUATE. WE HAVE HAD TO TRIAL AND ERROR, LOOK AT DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND FIND ONE THAT IS [INAUDIBLE] CORRELATED, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE USING NOW AND HOPING THAT IT'S GOING TO HELP OUR STUDENTS FILL THEIR ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND THAT IN TURN WILL HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL ACADEMICALLY. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MISS HARPER HAS REALLY PLACED SERIOUS EMPHASIS ON. SHE CONTINUES TO BRING THAT AND ELEVATE THAT REGULARLY IS, HAVING STUDENTS BE ABLE TO WEED OUT. THEIR SCORES CAN THEN BE IF THEY'RE MOVING OUT OF THE PROGRAM. >> THEY HAVE TO HIT 4.5. >> THAT'S A BIG LIFT AND A BIG GOAL, BUT THE EARLIER THAT THEY CAN DO IT, THE BETTER CHANCE THEY HAVE AT SUCCESS. HER FOCUS ON THAT, SHE CONTINUOUSLY PUTS THE EMPHASIS BACK ON THE GOAL OF GETTING OUR STUDENTS TO TEST OUT OF THE PROGRAM EARLIER ON AT A YOUNGER AGE SO THAT THEY'RE NOT IN THAT ROTATION OF NOT BEING ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN THEY GRADUATE. SHE HAS A BIG JOB, AND AS YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS JUST CONTINUE TO GROW. >> MANY OF THESE PILLARS, THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS. IT'S JUST ALMOST OVERWHELMING TO SEE HOW YOU'RE ADDRESSING IT, HOW MANY PIECES AND IT'S MIND BLOWING. >> I WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS DOCUMENT, I READ THROUGH IT ON SUNDAY AND IT READS, I SENT THE EMAIL TO THE TEAM. IT WAS IT WAS JUST LIKE A BEAUTIFUL NARRATIVE. IT CREATES A PICTURE THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY VISUALLY FEEL WHEN YOU READ IT BECAUSE IT'S PART OF WHAT THEY DO. IT IS INTEGRATED, AGAIN, BACK TO THE ITSS COMPONENT. IT IS AT THE FOREFRONT. IT IS A CONSTANT WORK IN PROGRESS AND THE PASSION OF WHAT THEY DO. THE BUY IN AND ENGAGEMENT FROM THE TEACHERS TO THE SUPERVISORS IS EVIDENT. THAT'S WHY IT'S WORKING SO WELL. >> MISS LULU IS STILL HERE. >> YES. I JUST SAW HER A COUPLE DAYS AGO. >> I HAVE TO TELL YOU, MANY THANKS TO MS. FISHER AND DR. SIMMONS BECAUSE SEAFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT TRIED TO TAKE HER FROM US, AND SHE AT THE TIME, SHE WAS STILL IN HER OCCASIONAL TEMPORARY INTERPRETER, LIAISON POSITION. WITH OUR COMMUNITY OF SCHOOLS WORK, WE WERE ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE HER OUR MLL FAMILY COORDINATOR. WE WANT TO BE EQUITABLE, TO OUR OTHER LANGUAGE THAT A LOT OF OUR FAMILIES ARE SPEAKING AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE SUPPORT ON THE SOUTHERN END. >> WE WERE DETERMINED. >> WE WERE NOT LETTING HER GO AND MR. WILLOUGHBY WAS QUICK IN MAKING THAT PHONE CALL BEFORE THE DEADLINE BECAUSE SHE HAS REALLY HELPED AND EVEN GOING BACK TO WHEN I WAS AND YOU WOULD KNOW BECAUSE YOU WERE [INAUDIBLE] . [OVERLAPPING]. WHEN I WAS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND PRINCIPAL, SHE REALLY HELPED ME BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FAMILIES AND OUR HAITIAN CREOLE COMMUNITY. >> THAT'S SO GREAT TO HEAR. >> YEAH. WE'VE HAD A LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH MS. LULU. >> WE'LL MOVE ON TO IMPROVING EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. MS. MCDONALD HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB WITH LIFTING THIS IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, CREATING A WHOLE GROUP APPROACH TO WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEED WITH DISABILITIES. ONE THING THAT'S NOT IN HERE THAT I'D LIKE TO SHOUT OUT IS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, SHE MET WITH HER TEAM AND DEVELOPED A MISSION FOR HER SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. THEY REPEAT THAT MISSION, IT'S AT THE FRONT OF ALL OF HER AGENDAS, AND THE MISSION IS A TESTAMENT TO THE GROUP, THE TEACHERS ARE THE SPECIALISTS. THE COORDINATORS AND THE SUPERVISORS WORK TOGETHER TO DEVELOP THE MISSION. THEY ALL HAVE OWNERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IT, AND THEN TWO AREAS OF FOCUS, BOTH OF WHICH SHE HAS FULLY IMPLEMENTED AND IT'S GETTING TRACTION AND IT'S MOVING FORWARD AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE SOME GREAT RESULTS. THAT'S NOT IN HERE, BUT I WANT TO SHOUT OUT TO THE MISSION THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CREATED. IF SHE HAS IT ON HAND, IF SHE CAN PULL IT UP, SHE CAN PROBABLY READ IT TO US. >> I'D PROBABLY SAY IT IN MY SLEEP. [LAUGHTER] BUT IT'S ABOUT US PROVIDING INNOVATIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF OUR STAFF, [01:35:05] BUT ALSO TO INCREASE THEIR RETENTION. IF THEY FEEL SUPPORTED, THEY WILL WANT TO STAY. WE DON'T WANT TO KEEP TRAINING NEW TEACHERS JUST TO HAVE TO TRAIN A DIFFERENT COHORT OF TEACHERS THE NEXT YEAR. BY GIVING THEM THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED IN REAL TIME, THAT WILL HOPEFULLY KEEP THEM WITH US. >> TWO OF THE INITIATIVES AND THE FOCUS AREAS ARE AROUND USING THE RESOURCE THAT WE HAVE FOR PROGRESS MONITORING AND FOR IEP WRITING SO THAT THEY HAVE SUPPORT FOR THAT BECAUSE IT IS A HEAVY LIFT, IT'S A LOT TO GIVE A CASE LOAD OF STUDENTS. BUT WE HAVE A RESOURCE THAT WE ACCESS THAT PROVIDES APPROPRIATE PROGRESS MONITORING TOOLS AND APPROPRIATE GOALS SO THAT THEY CAN TAP INTO THOSE AND GRAB THEM SO THAT WE ARE ALL HAVING THE SAME GOALS DISTRICT WIDE. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON AND THE OTHER PIECE IS EFFECTIVE IEP DEVELOPMENT AND IEP MEETING PROTOCOLS. THAT'S REALLY BEEN HELPFUL AS THEY MOVE FORWARD TO ADDRESS THOSE THINGS. WE FOUND OUT THROUGH TEACHER INPUT THAT THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS STRUGGLE WITH. SO HER DEPARTMENT IS PROVIDING SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT AROUND WHAT THOSE TEACHERS HAVE SAID, WE NEED SUPPORT AND WE NEED HELP ON. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE FEEDBACK IS GREAT. THEY LOVE IT. THEY LOVE THE PD. >> THEY SPECIFICALLY LOVE GOAL BOOK TO THE SYSTEM AND IT HAS EVERYTHING FROM EARLY LEARNING SKILLS TO SECONDARY TRANSITION. THERE ARE RESOURCES ON THERE FOR SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS TO USE TO HELP THEM WITH PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE FOR IEPS, TO HELP WITH GOAL WRITING. OF COURSE, WE TELL OUR TEACHERS DON'T COPY IN PAST THAT IDEA FROM GOAL BOOK, THAT IT NEEDS TO BE SPECIFIC TO THE STUDENTS NEEDS. BUT IT'S A GREAT IDEA FOR THEM TO GO OFF OF, IT EVEN HELPS US WITH IMPACT STATEMENTS. BASED ON THE STUDENT'S FEEDS AND WHAT THEIR DISABILITY IS, IT HELPS TO GENERATE RESPONSES TO SHARE WITH FAMILIES LIKE HOW THEIR DISABILITY IMPACTS THEIR EDUCATION. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE WERE SHARED WITH LAST YEAR IS THAT WE DID INITIATIVE INVENTORY TO KIND OF SEE, WHAT DO WE HAVE, AND WHAT IS WORKING, WHAT IS NOT WORKING AND HOW DO WE KNOW? AS WE DID THAT DEEP DIVE INTO THAT, ERICA AND HER TEAM DEVELOPED HIGH LEVERAGE STRATEGIES INITIATIVE THAT THEY WANTED TO DIG INTO THAT WE'RE ALREADY PAYING FOR. LET'S DIG DEEPER INTO WHAT WE'RE ALREADY PAYING FOR AND PULL IT OUT AND MAKE IT MEANINGFUL. AS A RESULT, WE HAVE GOT SOME GREAT RESOURCES WE'RE LEANING INTO THOSE JUST LIKE PERFORMANCE MATTERS. WE WERE PAYING FOR IT, WE REALLY WEREN'T USING IT TO ITS BEST TO HIGHEST ABILITY. THE SAME THING THAT IS HAPPENING HERE WITH THE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR. AS WE DIG INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, I'M GOING TO GIVE AN OVERARCHING VISUAL. ERICA IS PART OF THE MTSS DISTRICT TEAM, WHICH INCLUDES THE CONTENT SUPERVISORS. AS THEY START TO DEVELOP, THEY DEVELOPED AN MTSS PROCESS FOR THAT FOUR PLUS ONE PLUS MORE, THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WE'RE SEEING ONE TWO AND THREE. SHE IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THAT TEAM BECAUSE IT'S IMPACTING HER STUDENTS AS WELL. ANY TRAININGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, ANY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ANY TIER 2, TIER 3 INTERVENTIONS, SHE'S TIED CONNECTED TO THEM, AND IT ALSO HELPS US WEAVE IN THE FUNDING SO THAT THERE'S RESOURCES THAT WE NEED. SHE'S RIGHT THERE TO HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS AND SHE'S THERE WITH THE CONTENT SUPERVISORS AS THEY DEVELOP THE PLAN. AS A RESULT, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND OUR [INAUDIBLE] TEACHERS ARE GETTING TRAINED AND SUPPORTED IN THE SAME PROGRAMS. WE'RE NOT PULLING FROM DIFFERENT PIECES AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THEIR PROGRESS MONITORING THROUGH THOSE SPECIFIC EVIDENCE BASED STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES AND THEY'RE CHECKING IMPACT. WE'RE NOT PULLING FROM DIFFERENT RESOURCES TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING. IT'S ALL THESE ARE FOCUSED AND IT'S ALIGN. IT'S YIELDING SOME AMAZING RESULTS FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND OUR GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS HAVE STRUGGLED. THEN OF COURSE, SHE'S BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY WITH HER GRANT WORK TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE COLLABORATIVE PLANNING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THEN COVERAGE FOR TEACHERS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THIS AMAZING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. DISPROPORTIONALITY THAT IS ONE AREA WHERE SHE'S WORKING VERY HARD ON. I KNOW I'VE BEEN WITH MS. MCDONALD WHEN SHE'S LOOKING AT DISPROPORTIONALITY, WHICH IS ANY TYPE OF DISCIPLINARY PRACTICE OR REFERRAL SYSTEM WHERE THERE'S A DISPROPORTIONAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS THAT RECEIVE A DISCIPLINE REFERRAL. THERE'S A FORMULA THAT WE CAN'T QUITE FIGURE OUT THAT MSD HE HAS. [01:40:02] HOWEVER, IT IS WHAT WE HAVE TO USE TO WORK WITH. WE TRIED TO CRACK THE CODE. WE'RE STILL STRUGGLING WITH THAT. BUT WHEN ERICA IS WORKING WITH MS. FISHER ON THE DISCIPLINE DATA TO WORKING WITH MELISSA [INAUDIBLE] ON DISCIPLINE DATA, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PREDICT WHERE WE MIGHT NEED TO FOCUS OUR ENERGIES ON. AS SHE DOES THE DATA DIVE AND SHE HAS ACCESS TO THIS DATA, IT'S HELPING HER MAKE PREDICTIONS AND IT'S HELPING HER TARGET PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR STAFF AND OUR CENTRAL OFFICE PEOPLE. DID YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THAT? >> YEAH. BUT I THINK MELISSA AND I ALMOST CRACKED THE CODE FOR THE RISK. IT'S A RISK RATIO. YOU'RE LOOKING AT STUDENTS IN SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHICS, SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOW MANY OF THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS WERE SUSPENDED OUT OF HOW MANY TOTAL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. AND YOU'RE HAVING TO, MSD DID IT FOR ME. BUT THEY CALCULATE THE RISK RATIOS AND THEY TRACK IT HISTORICALLY. IF THERE'S A BIG INCREASE, THEY LET US KNOW AND WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IT WRITING A PLAN FOR IT. OR IF IT DECREASES, THEN SOMETIMES WE GET OUT OF HAVING TO GET OUT OF THAT PLAN AFTER TWO YEARS, IT'S INTERESTING TO LEARN ABOUT. >> IT HAS BEEN THE YEAR OF DATA. >> STATISTICS WAS NOT MY FAVORITE CLASS. [LAUGHTER] >> STATISTICS IS TIED TO THAT DATA, SO NOW IT'S INTERESTING. THE OTHER PIECE IS THAT WITH THE GRANT WRITING WITH GRANTS IN GENERAL, WE HAVE MONTHLY, WELL, HAVEN'T MET LATELY BECAUSE WE HAD THE CONSOLIDATED APPLICATION TO COMPLETE, BUT WE HAVE REGULARLY SCHEDULED GRANT MEETINGS, ALL THE GRANT MANAGERS MEET REGULARLY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS THAT WE NEED AND HOW CAN WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER? THAT WAY, THE BIG PIECE OF WHAT WE GET IS FROM GRANTS, THIS IS HELPFUL AND HAS TO BE STRATEGIC ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ACCESSING AND WHO CAN HELP WHO CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. MCDONALD BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SEL? >> I JUST THINK THE GOAL BOOKS SOUNDS REALLY WORTHWHILE. [LAUGHTER] [OVERLAPPING] >> IT'S REALLY COOL. [OVERLAPPING] >> IT SOUNDS REALLY WORTHWHILE [INAUDIBLE]. [OVERLAPPING] >> IT EVEN HAS BEHAVIOR GOALS, IT HAS SEL GOALS, INVENTIONS IN THERE. IT'S REALLY GREAT. [OVERLAPPING] >> IT SAYS YOU GET GREAT FEEDBACK? >> YEAH. WE'VE HAD OVER 10 YEARS. [OVERLAPPING] >> YEAH. >> IT'S EVOLVED A LOT. EVERY MONTH, I FEEL LIKE I GET AN EMAIL FROM THE CONSULTANT AND SHE SAYS, I HAVE SOMETHING NEW FOR YOU. LAST MONTH, THEY REVAMPED THEIR TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD PROGRAM, SO THERE'S ANCHORS AND, THERE'S FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING, AND THE SECONDARY SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT IS PART OF WRITING IAPS FOR AGES 14 AND OLDER. I COULD SHOW YOU GUYS IF YOU'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT, I LOVE IT. >? UNLESS WE PROVIDE THE SPACE FOR THEM TO GET PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AROUND THIS RESOURCE, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT AND USE IT, SO THAT'S WHY IT'S PART OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHERE WE GIVE THEM TIME TO LOOK INTO IT AND GIVE US FEEDBACK. WHAT DO YOU NEED MORE TIME TO DO? WHAT IS IT THAT SUPPORTS AND HELPS? AS UPDATES COME, SHE'S ABLE TO EMBED THAT IN HER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL. AS WE MOVE ON TO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK CAROLINE COUNTY DOES AN AMAZING JOB. I WANT TO GO BACK TO MS. MCDONALD REAL QUICK. SHE IS A ROCK STAR. SHE HAS BEEN INNOVATIVE, IMAGINATIVE, RE-IMAGINING EVERYTHING AS SHE MOVES ALONG IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AS YOU KNOW, SHE STEPPED INTO THIS ROLE AND SHE HAS JUST BLOWN THROUGH ALL OF THE AMAZING WORK, AND SHE LIVES A MISSION THAT SHE AND HER TEAM CREATED. MS. FISHER, AS WE MOVE INTO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND THE REST OF PILLAR 4, ONE THING THAT, A, MS. FISHER HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB WITH, BUT CAROLINE COUNTY AS A WHOLE, OUT OF NECESSITY, OUT OF OUR FAMILY LIFESTYLE IN THIS COMMUNITY IS TO BUILD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO VERY WELL, AND I KNOW THAT DR. SIMMONS IS ON EVERY SINGLE COMMITTEE, ON EVERY SINGLE FOUNDATION. [OVERLAPPING] >> [INAUDIBLE] EVER CREATES [INAUDIBLE] ROOM TO SIT ON IT. [LAUGHTER] >> WELL, I SAW MS. WYMAN WALKING INTO ONE YESTERDAY. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS REALLY ILLUSTRATE AND SHARE ALL OF THE AMAZING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE DO HAVE GOING ON. IT IS A LIST TOO LONG TO SHARE. IT WAS SHARED IN LAST YEAR'S BLUEPRINT. I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO SHARE IT IN THIS ONE. I THINK THE QUESTIONS AND THE RESPONSES DIDN'T LEND THEMSELVES TO THAT. [01:45:03] BUT WHAT WE DID ASK WAS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, HOW IS IT WORKING AND IS IT HAVING AN IMPACT? THAT IS WHAT MS. FISHER RESPONDED TO IN THOSE QUESTION. I'M SURE THAT YOU WERE FULLY AWARE OF THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT AND HOW OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL COORDINATORS ARE WORKING TOGETHER. MS. FISHER IS A GREAT JOB OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER FROM THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO HAVE THEM HAVE CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION. I KNOW IT'S NOT IN HERE, BUT THE EQUITY COMMITTEE WORK, THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT WORK, COMMUNITY SCHOOL WORK, IT'S ALL CONNECTED AND RELATED, AND THE GOALS ARE THE SAME, IS TO HELP SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED, AND THEY'RE HIGHLIGHTED DOWN HERE AS FAR AS WRAPAROUND SERVICES. THE NEXT SLIDE WILL SHOW MORE. AS WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED TO USE DATA TO BE ABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, AND WE JUST CAN'T GO WITH, WE THINK THIS, WE FEEL THIS. THE DATA IS HELPING US BE STRATEGIC ABOUT WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEED. HERE ARE THE INTENTIONS OF WHERE WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING FOR STUDENT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELLNESS, AND ALL OF THESE INITIATIVES OR STRATEGIES ARE WHAT OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE WORKING WITH US ON AND ALSO OUR BEHAVIOR HEALTH SUPPORT. MS. KARA HAWY IS NOT HERE. SHE'S PART OF MS. FISHER'S TEAM. SHE IS INSTRUMENTAL IN MAKING SURE THAT WE STAY CONNECTED TO THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE FOR SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL WELLNESS, AND MAKING SURE THAT REFERRALS HAPPEN QUICKLY, AND THAT WE'RE STRATEGIC ABOUT WHO DO WE KNOW, WHO CAN WE ACCESS IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR KID. MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY GIVES US THAT INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO BE LASER FOCUSED AND ALSO TO BE RESPONSIVE QUICKLY. ANY QUESTIONS AROUND HER COMMENTS AROUND THAT. >> JUST TO COMMENT, AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE BOARD HAS ANY QUESTIONS. WHAT CAME OUT THIS YEAR THAT DIDN'T THE LAST TWO WAS AROUND THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WORK, CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY GRANT FUNDING. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF THE WILD WEST. ABOUT TWO YEARS, THE MONEY WAS COMING AND THE GUIDANCE WASN'T, AND IT WASN'T FOR LACK OF ASKING QUESTIONS, BUT THE DISTRICTS WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE SPENDING THE MONEY APPROPRIATELY. THE GUIDANCE WAS RELEASED IN FEBRUARY, END OF FEBRUARY WE RECEIVED GUIDANCE, AND IT'S BEEN VERY GOOD TO GET THE GUIDANCE. BUT I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO NICOLE AND ALSO OTHERS THAT THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS COORDINATOR SHE'S WORKING WITH AT OUR SCHOOLS AT COLONEL MIDDLE, FEDERALSBURG, AND GREENSBORO BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY TO NOT ONLY UNPACK AND UNDERSTAND THE GUIDANCE, BUT TO HELP THE SCHOOLS PREPARE PLANS MOVING FORWARD. AS A DISTRICT, IT'S LIKELY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FOUR ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR. I SAY LIKELY BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED THE OFFICIAL FINAL. I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE BUDGET SECTION LATER. BUT IT DOES LOOK VERY LIKELY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FOUR ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR, SO GETTING THAT GUIDANCE DONE RIGHT NOW WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE FOUR NEW SCHOOLS, AND PART OF THE LEGISLATION THAT WAS APPROVED THIS YEAR EXPANDED A LITTLE BIT UPON THE BREADTH OF THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TEAM THAT NEEDS TO BE ESTABLISHED IN THE SCHOOLS. IT'S A LITTLE MORE FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE WE HAVE BROADER BASED STAKEHOLDERS AND WE HAVE THAT AT GREENSBORO AND FEDERALSBURG AND WE'RE BUILDING THAT AT COLONEL MIDDLE, BUT I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT'S GOING INTO IT WITH NICKY'S LEADERSHIP AND WITH THOSE SHE'S WORKING WITH, AGAIN TO BUILD THOSE PARTNERSHIPS. WE HAVE GREAT PARTNERSHIPS COUNTY WIDE. WE HAVE GREAT PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN A SCHOOL, BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS CAPTURE IT WELL, AND WE DON'T ALWAYS CAPTURE IT WELL AT THE TABLE, AT THE SAME TIME, WITH THE RIGHT VOICES, AT THE RIGHT MOMENT, AND THAT'S THE IMPRESSIVE PART OF THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WORK IS WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO I WHICH IS THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT WORK THAT'S HAPPENING AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, IT'S ALMOST BRINGING THAT TYPE OF TEAM APPROACH WITH MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL TO HELP WITH ACTUALLY BRINGING THE RESOURCES INTO THE BUILDING DURING AND AFTER THE DAY. >> THAT'S ONE OF THE BULLETS WE HAVE ON THERE IS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT TEAMS, AND I THINK IT'S AMAZING THAT CAROLINE COUNTY IS DOING THAT WORK, AND I KNEW YOU WERE PART OF THAT LEAD TEAM IN GETTING THAT GOING, AND THE FACT THAT WE'VE MADE SURE TO INTEGRATE ALL OF OUR COORDINATORS AND THEN VARIOUS MEMBERS OF OUR SCHOOL BODY ONTO THOSE TEAMS. BUT THEN THAT ALSO CREATES THAT RECIPROCITY FOR THEM TO BE ON THE TEAM. IN EVERY SINGLE THING THAT ARE IN THIS FIVE ACTION TEAMS IN THE COUNTY ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE HAPPENING IN OUR SCHOOL. BUT I THINK THE BIGGEST THING THAT WITH COMMUNITY SCHOOL IS, AGAIN, COUNTY COUNTY IS UNIQUE AND THIS REALLY CREATES THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR SCHOOLS TO BECOME THE HUBS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE WHICH [INAUDIBLE], [01:50:01] [LAUGHTER] THE HUBS THAT THEY NEED TO BE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A [INAUDIBLE] IF WE DON'T HAVE CERTAIN THINGS AND YOU NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE BEING AT YOUR SCHOOL AND GETTING [INAUDIBLE]. [OVERLAPPING] >> IT'S THE HUB THAT THEY ARE IN A RURAL SENSE BUT THEY'RE JUST NOT HUBBING, AND THIS HELPS FORMALIZE WHAT THAT SHOULD LOOK LIKE, WHICH IS REALLY NEAT. >> I ALSO WANT TO GIVE MS. FISHER A SHOUT OUT AS WELL, WHAT'S NOT CAPTURED HERE IS THE WORK THAT SHE DOES AROUND STUDENT SERVICES, YOU HAVE BEHAVIOR, YOU HAVE YOUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH, YOUR PPWS, YOU HAVE THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS ASPECT OF HER ROLE, AND THEY'RE CONNECTED. IT'S JUST AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION, IT'S AN ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY, AND IT'S AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF DATA THAT SHE NAVIGATES THROUGH. SHE CONTINUES TO KEEP THE FOCUS ON WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS AS SHE NAVIGATES THROUGH THIS. BUT HER DATA THAT SHE USES TO ACCESS ALL THIS, HELPS WITH ALL THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL WORK AND SHE'S ABLE TO TAP INTO THAT AND CONTINUE WITH INITIATIVES THAT HELP OUR KIDS AND HELP OUR ADMINISTRATORS. ONE OF THE LITTLE SHOUT OUT THAT I WANT TO GIVE HER AS WELL IS THAT SHE'S IN CHARGE OF DISCIPLINARY REVIEW COMMITTEE AND SO WE'RE LEVEL SETTING, WE'RE CALIBRATING, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR ADMINISTRATORS TO BE ABLE TO, AGAIN, PROVIDE INPUT. THEY'RE THE ONES CREATING THE PLAN SO THAT WE CAN BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES, WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH APPROACHES, HOW IS IT CONNECTING TO STUDENT SUCCESS, AND THAT LEADS INTO WHAT IS THE STUDENT NEED. MS. FISHER IS ABLE TO SAY, IN FACT, I SAW IT HAPPENING, WE WERE IN A MEETING NOT LONG AGO, WE HAD A STUDENT THAT'S STRUGGLING COMING TO SCHOOL, SHE IMMEDIATELY JUMPED INTO ACTION, CONTACTED A COMMUNITY RESOURCE THAT WE HAVE, MIDSHORE MEDIATION AND STARTED TAPPING INTO SOME OTHER OUTSIDE RESOURCES, AND THINGS ARE IN PLACE. BECAUSE SHE HAS ALL THAT PERSPECTIVE, IT'S BEEN REALLY LAUNCHING AND TAKING OFF VERY QUICKLY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MY SHOUT OUT TO HER ON THE WORK THAT SHE DOES AND HER TEAM. [OVERLAPPING] [INAUDIBLE]. >> DR. DOWNES, I'M GOING TO GRAB MINE IF THAT'S OKAY. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> BECAUSE I'M GOING TO HIGHLIGHT, I'LL MOVE QUICKLY, AT LEAST IN THE FIRST ONE, WHICH IS STAKEHOLDER [INAUDIBLE]. RESPONDING TO THIS QUESTION WITHIN THE PLANNED SUBMISSION. WHAT'S LARGELY GOING TO BE IN THE ANSWERS THAT I TRIED TO GO THROUGH AND HIGHLIGHT, PILLARS 1, 2, 3, AND 4. WE'VE WORKED REALLY WELL WITH OUR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE FEEDBACK. LIZ HAS DONE A FANTASTIC JOB IN ACTUALLY BUILDING LAST YEAR, TWO YEARS AGO, AND CONTINUING TO WORK WITH AN AMAZING GROUP OF FOLKS TO SPEARHEAD THAT EARLY CHILDHOOD PIECE AND IS GOING VERY WELL. I'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING IN PILLAR 1. THROUGH THIS RESPONSE, I'LL ALSO BE HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK THAT ROB HAS DONE IN PILLAR 2 AND WORKING WITH INSTITUTES OF HIGHER ED AS WELL AS WITH OTHER HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS HIS WORK WITH OUR ASSOCIATION, AGAIN, TO FIND NEW AVENUES TO GROW, SUPPORT, AND RETAIN OUR STAFF, PILLAR 3, BE HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE NOT ONLY IN COMMUNICATING THROUGH SSIC SAC, SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL, STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OUR CURRICULUM TEAMS WORKING WITH OUR TEACHERS ON SOME OF OUR COMMITTEE WORK, BE HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK THAT LINDSAY HAS DONE WITH HER AND COOK WITH THEIR WORK THEY'VE DONE IN CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE, EMPLOYER ASSOCIATIONS, THE WORK THAT THEY ARE BEGINNING TO REALLY DIG INTO ON THE COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR CTE, WHICH IS A LIFT. IT REQUIRES A ROBUST APPROACH AND THEY'RE DOING IT. BUT WE'RE CONNECTING SO MUCH WITH OUR COMMUNITY. I'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING IN PILLAR 4, WHICH WE JUST TALKED ABOUT ALL THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED, WHETHER IT'S WITH OUR ML FAMILIES OR SPECIAL EDUCATION FAMILIES THEN SERVICES OR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. THE FIRST QUESTION DOES ASK, HOW DO WE SOLICIT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT? WE'RE GOING TO TACKLE IT BY THE THINGS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO WORK THROUGH IN MY RESPONSE, AND I WILL. WE'VE NOT WALKED OUT WITH A BIG BLAZING BANNER IN CAROLINE THAT SAYS, WE'RE DOING THE BLUEPRINT. HEY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BLUEPRINT. PLEASE COME SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT BLUEPRINT. WE HAVEN'T. THIS ISN'T ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO COME TO THE PILLAR 1 BY SAYING, HEY, IT'S PILLAR 1. LET'S TALK ABOUT BLUEPRINT. IT'S EARLY CHILDHOOD WORK. IT'S PRE-K EXPANSION. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR KIDS, AND EACH ONE OF OUR PULLERS IS TAKING THAT APPROACH. WE HAVE CONSCIOUSLY NOT STOOD UP FOR THE BULL HORN AND YELLED, HEY, WE'RE DOING THE BLUEPRINT IN THE COUNTY BECAUSE FOR ONE, THE BLUEPRINT IS JUST WHAT THE BRIDGE TO EXCELLENCE WAS BEFORE THAT, WHAT THERE WAS A PLAN BEFORE THAT. AT SOME POINT, WE'VE GOT TO STOP FALLING IN BLUEPRINT, [01:55:03] BECAUSE THIS IS JUST THE RULES OF THE ROAD. IT IS WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. AS THEY'RE LOOKING AND AS WE'RE PROVIDING EVIDENCE AND PULLING THINGS TOGETHER, ONE OF THE THINGS I HOPE THE NIAB STARTS TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT DISTRICTS ARE DOING THE WORK. WE JUST MIGHT NOT BE CALLING IT SPECIFICALLY WHAT IT IS BECAUSE OF A NAMESAKE. FRANKLY, I THINK IT WORKS BETTER WITH OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE MY FOCUS ISN'T THE BLUEPRINT. NOBODY IN HERE'S FOCUS IS THE BLUEPRINT. THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT THINGS IN THE BLUEPRINT THAT'S AWESOME FOR KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE AWESOME STUFF FOR KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. BUT IF WE CALL THE BLUEPRINT, THAT IS ALSO A POLITICALLY CHARGED TERM IN SOME COMMUNITIES. I'D RATHER TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES. THE SECOND QUESTION THAT I HAVE TO RESPOND TO AND TO THAT, BUT THIS IS PROBABLY THE BIGGER PIECE FOR THE BOARD, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATION AROUND THE BUDGET IN THE FUNDING RESOURCES MOVING FORWARD. I DID PROMISE AARON THAT ONE. MY ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, I WILL NOT ALIENATE THOSE WHO HAVE TO READ THE DOCUMENT BECAUSE THEN SHE HAS TO WORK WITH THE FOLKS FOR BUDGETING AFTER THE FACT. BUT WE WORK REALLY HARD. WE'RE A SMALL SCHOOL SYSTEM. A LOT OF OUR ABILITY IS TO BE ABLE TO TRANSITION FULLY INTO THE FUNDING REQUIREMENTS THAT THE BLUEPRINT IS ASKING US TO DO. IT'S NOT A LACK OF DESIRE TO WANT TO MEET EXPECTATIONS AT ALL. WE HAVE A HIGH DESIRE TO MEET EXPECTATIONS THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO WITHIN THE LEGISLATION. BUT IT'S A REALITY PICTURE AS A SMALL DISTRICT. WE DON'T HAVE EXTRA FOLKS SITTING AROUND IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT TO WAX POLITICAL ABOUT WHAT THIS MAY LOOK LIKE. WE GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE IT. WE RECEIVE THE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT, 189 DAYS AFTER IT WAS DUE. WE HAVE LESS THAN 90, START PUTTING IT IN PLACE. WE WILL GIVE IT A YEOMAN'S EFFORT, BUT WE ARE FULLY EXPECTING AS THE AIB HAS SAID IS THAT FY25 IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BASELINE YEAR. I AM FULLY EXPECTING FY25 TO BE A BASELINE YEAR IN TERMS OF HOW WE STRUCTURE OUR BUDGET AND GET IN THE RIGHT PLACE. FOR US AS SMALL AS WE ARE, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD STRENGTH, BUT WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD PUT OUR EGGS IN THE BASKET OF DOING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. WE WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT'S PROVIDED BY MSDE AND THE AIB TO DO IT RIGHT FIRST TIME. WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO TRY AND TRY AND TRY AND KEEP NOT DOING IT RIGHT TO GO BACK AND REDO. AGAIN, A SMALL DEPARTMENT OR A SMALL SCHOOL SYSTEM. I WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT AS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR US MOVING FORWARD. THERE IS GOING TO BE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. WE'RE WE'RE HEARING FROM THE AIB AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR SCHOOL SYSTEMS OF SIMILAR SIZE TO BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH A CONSULTANT AROUND BUDGETING TO THE STUDENT LEVEL AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. WE'RE HOPING THEY HEAR US. THEY PULLED BACK AN APPLICATION ON A GRANT TO REWORK IT. I'M HOPING THEY HEARD US. BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT. IT'S JUST WE WANT TO DO IT RIGHT. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE SUPPORTS. I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN OUR TEAM TO DO IT RIGHT. BUT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A MEASURED APPROACH TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR FUNDING FOLLOWS THE STUDENT BY THE TIME WE NEED TO. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE SMART APPROACHES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT EVERYTHING IN THE RIGHT BUCKET IN THE FIRST TIME SO WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND REWORK AND REDO AND DO EXTRA WORK. BUT I DO APPRECIATE THAT THEY HAVE GIVEN US THE GUIDANCE. I DO APPRECIATE THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO SUPPORT DISTRICTS. AARON'S WORKING WORKING HARD ON IT. CHUCK AKERSON IS WORKING HARD ON IT ON LINING SYSTEMS JUST WITH WHAT WE CAN RIGHT NOW. BUT WHEN WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT, WE'VE BEEN CLEAR THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO MOVE TOO FAST UNTIL WE HAVE THE ACTUAL RULES. THE BABY BLUE BOOK, WHICH IS WHAT THEY'RE CALLING THE FIRST GUIDANCE DOCUMENT, IT'S A GOOD FIRST STEP. BUT THERE'S A LOT IN THERE THAT STILL SAYS A LOCAL SYSTEM CAN DETERMINE LOCAL FLEXIBILITY. THERE'S MORE GUIDANCE NEEDED, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ASK TO HELP GET THAT SUPPORT JUST BECAUSE AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO DO IT WRONG THE FIRST TIME. THERE'S SOME LARGER SYSTEMS WHO HAVE DONE SOME AWESOME WORK AROUND THIS, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THEIR WAY IS RIGHT. THEY'VE DUG IN, THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS, BUT NOBODY HAS SAID, HEY, THE WAY THEY'RE DOING IT IS THE WAY YOU NEED TO DO IT. IF THEY DID, WE'D HOP RIGHT ON BOARD AND HAVE IT IN PLACE IN NO TIME. WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. I WILL ADDRESS THE NEED THERE TO HELP SUPPORT. THERE ARE SOME FUNDING CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH. TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT IN THE BUDGET PIECE, BUT I KNOW IN LINDSAY'S SLIDE AND WE TALKED ABOUT CCR. [02:00:05] THE STATE MAKING THE CHANGE IN CCR FUNDING IS HUGE. OUR FUNDING NEXT YEAR IS BASED OFF 9.2% OF OUR KIDS QUALIFYING AS A CCR STUDENT. HOWEVER, WITH THE NEW CALCULATION, IT'S SEVERAL HUNDRED KIDS QUALIFIED FOR CCR, WHICH WILL BE GREAT IF WE WERE FUNDED AT THAT. WE WEREN'T. >> THE FOLLOWING YEAR. >> YEAH. IT'LL BE THE YEAR AFTER. BUT THERE'S A WHOLE WHOLE DUAL ENROLLMENT THING WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, BECAUSE THE MONEY WON'T LINE UP FOR ONE YEAR. OUR DUAL ENROLLMENT COST THIS YEAR WAS JUST UNDER $300,000. OUR TOTAL ALLOTMENT FOR CCR NEXT YEAR IS 90,000. NOT TO BELABOR IT, BUT LOOK, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE JUST BEING CONSCIOUS OF BECAUSE WHAT WE'LL HAVE TO DO IS SO SAY WE OPEN IT UP AND WE DO THE SAME AMOUNT OF DUAL ENROLLMENT NEXT YEAR. AARON IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO CODE THE MONEY GOING IN, BUT WHEN I GO OVER EXCEED $90,000, I HAVE MORE DUAL ENROLLMENT COSTS TO INCUR. WHERE DOES THAT EXTRA $210,000 COME FROM? BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CODE IT SOMEWHERE. THERE'S NOT ENOUGH IN FOUNDATION AND I'M GETTING LOST IN ASSAULTS. THAT BECOMES THE PROBLEM YOU GET INTO BECAUSE EVERYTHING GETS DONE IN A CATEGORY NOW WHERE IT HASN'T BEFORE. THOSE ARE JUST THE CHALLENGES. AGAIN, WE WANT TO DO IT RIGHT ONE TIME, AND THAT'S JUST ONE SMALL SLIVER. WE PAY DUAL ROLL BILLS TWICE A YEAR. BUT DOING IT WRONG THE FIRST TIME WILL CAUSE LOTS OF PAIN WHILE WE'RE HAVING EVERY OTHER EXPENSE COME IN THE DOOR. WE JUST WANT TO GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. THAT'S WHAT WE'LL HIT ON IN PILLAR 5. I DON'T HAVE WORRIES OF US DOING IT RIGHT PROVIDED WE'RE GIVEN THE GUIDANCE AND WE WILL MAKE SURE WE HAVE TO HIT. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT BUDGET FORECASTING, AND I WILL WRITE TO THE FACT THAT FURTHER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED IN BUDGET FORECASTING SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO IT AND THE FORMULAS ARE DEVELOPED BY THE STATE. THE STATE LAST YEAR UNDER PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP, ESTABLISHED A WORKBOOK THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO WORK FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THE CORRECT BUDGET FORECASTING AND IT DIDN'T WORK. NOT JUST FOR US, BUT THE CFOS ALL RECOGNIZED THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT ERRORS AND WE WERE TOLD TO STOP USING IT. WE DID. THAT'S THE THING WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT TOOLS TO USE TO FIGURE IT OUT. BUT WE'LL WORK THROUGH IT AND AND I BELIEVE WE WILL, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. >> THEY'LL STOP USING ACCOUNTING TO RECALL? >> YEAH. >> AFTER YOU'VE ALREADY EATEN IT. >> YEAH. >> IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE ALONE. IN THE MEETINGS WE HAVE, THERE'S EVERYBODY'S STRUGGLING. AT LEAST WE'RE STRENGTHEN NUMBERS WHEN IT COMES TO. >> WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. WE WILL. WE'LL DEFINITELY FIGURE IT OUT. THAT IS OUR BLUEPRINT PLAN UPDATE IN 37 SLIDES AND 127 MINUTES. WE APPRECIATE OUR BOARD'S PATIENCE AND QUESTIONS. SEE, I TOLD THE BOARD IT WAS GOING TO BE A LONGER MEETING FROM. WE HAD TO GO OFF OUR SHORT ON THE LEFT. >> I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK, DEVOTION, DEDICATION, BRAIN POWER, EXPERIENCE, AND ALL OF IT. >> THAT'S NOT A GRAY MATTER IN HERE. IT'S NOT A WRINKLES AND GRAY MATTER. >> ON THAT SIDE. >> BOTH SIDES. >> YEAH. >> ALL WORK OVER THERE. NO, IT'S JUST REALLY IMPRESSIVE AND INCREDIBLE, AND HERE'S THIS MASSIVE BLUEPRINT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO CALL IT THAT, AND HERE'S THIS CHALLENGE THAT'S ALMOST OVERWHELMING. YOU COULD THROW YOUR HANDS UP. NO. IT WAS ROLL YOUR SLEEVES UP AND DEMONSTRATE THE SKILL ABILITY, KNOWLEDGE, AND TEAMWORK TO GET IT DONE. BEYOND IMPRESSIVE. YOU HAD A RIGHT TO SAY THAT USING THAT WORD BLUEPRINT. WELL, IT'S GETTING SOME REALLY BAD PRESS, SO TO SPEAK, OR BAD REPUTATION BECAUSE WHAT IT'S DOING FINANCIALLY. THERE'S THAT SIDE OF IT, BUT THEN THERE'S ALL THESE EFFORTS AND PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES AND THESE PILLARS. THE GREAT WORK YOU'RE DOING IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. FOR THE STUDENTS, ULTIMATELY, FOR THE COMMUNITY BEYOND THAT AND FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WORKING ON IT, IT'S JUST AMAZING. THAT'S WHERE IT'S NOT A NEGATIVE, IT'S A POSITIVE. IF WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD WORK, DON'T WORRY ABOUT CALLING IT. >> YEAH. WE DON'T NEED TO HASH TAG BLUEPRINT. >> YEAH. >> IT REALLY JUST NEEDS TO BE. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING. I THINK THAT'S A BETTER EXAMPLE OF ADOPTION WHEN IT'S NOT TAGGED AND LABELED AND BRANDED BECAUSE THAT GOES AWAY. BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE INTENTIONALITY, [02:05:01] AND WE TALK ABOUT WEAVING IT INTO OUR PRACTICES, THAT TO ME, ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M LISTENING TO BLUEPRINT MEETINGS, AND WE'RE GIVING FEEDBACK SAYING, WE'LL JUST DO IT DIFFERENTLY, OR JUST RE-IMAGINE JUST, WE'RE HEARING THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. YOU JUST HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE INTENTION OF THE BLUEPRINT. WELL, I THINK THIS TEAM DOES. HONESTLY. >> THAT'S WELL SAID. IT'S CERTAINLY ILLUSTRATED IN EVERYTHING YOU'RE DESCRIBING TO US THAT IT'S POSITIVE OUTCOMES, POSITIVE OBJECTIVES, POSITIVE DESIGN, AND THE REGULAR OUTCOMES ARE ALREADY STARTING TO HAPPEN. >> WE'VE MADE IT OURS, RATHER THAN PUSHING IT IN, WE'VE MADE IT OURS, SO THERE HAS MORE MEANING TO IT. >> GOOD. >> QUESTION. YOU SURE? THEY'D LOVE TO STAY LONG. >> YEAH, I PICKED UP THE BUDGET DISCUSSION IS GOING TO TAKE ABOUT 127 MINUTES. [LAUGHTER] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, EVERYBODY. >> DISCUSSION OPEN. >> THE LAST DAY, THAT'LL TAKE [OVERLAPPING]. >> THANK YOU EVERYBODY. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> BE SAFE GOING HOME. >> THANK YOU GUYS. >> THANK YOU. >> [BACKGROUND] PROBABLY JUST ONE SECOND. >> I'M SORRY. I'M TRYING TO GET ALL MY STUFF, IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU'RE LEAVING THE GROCERY STORE AND SOMEONE IS BEHIND YOU. [LAUGHTER] >> YOU'RE GOOD. TRUST ME. >> WE CAN DO IT. >> YEAH. WE NOW KEEP GOING TO INDIVIDUAL ACTION ITEMS. [4.01 2024-2025 Preliminary Budget Request] >> YES. >> PRELIMINARY BUDGET. >> YOU HAVE AN ACTION ITEM FOR ME TONIGHT FOR ACCEPTING THE BUDGET. THE BOARD DECIDED THAT WE COULD DO THIS IN APRIL AFTER LEGISLATIVE SESSION HAS ENDED. THOUGH WE MAY NOT HAVE A TRUE FINAL PICTURE YET, BUT WE HAVE A FAIRLY ACCURATE AND I'LL LET ERIN EXPLAIN HOW ACCURATE AND HOW WE ARRIVED TO WHERE WE ARE. BUT TONIGHT, WE'LL SIGNIFY IF THE BOARD ACCEPTS THE HANDING OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGET TO THE BOARD, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH IT OVER THE NEXT PROBABLY ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO REACH A FINAL BUDGET BY JUNE, BUT THIS DOES REPRESENT OUR BEST EFFORT AT THIS TIME BASED OFF OF THE REVENUE PICTURE THAT WE ARE FORESEEING. AS WE EXPLAINED LAST MONTH, WE DID RECEIVE THE CORRECTION IN STATE AID FOR COMPENSATORY EDUCATION. THAT'S REFLECTED IN THIS AS WELL. I'M GOING TO PASS TO ERIN TO EXPLAIN HOW WE ARRIVED AT THE NUMBER AND HOW WE'RE LANDING AND YOU'LL NOTICE SOME CHANGES FROM THE LAST TIME WE TALKED ABOUT IT, WE'RE JUST GOING TO WALK THROUGH AFTER THE BOARD. >> GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT BARTON, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR. SIMMONS. YOU'RE HAPPY FOR YOU THE PROPOSED BUDGET SUMMARY FOR FY '25. THIS DOCUMENT JUST TO EXPLAIN, IT REFLECTS ANY CHANGES COMPARED TO THE CURRENT YEAR OPERATING BUDGET. IF YOU DON'T SEE A LINE ITEM LISTED ON HERE, THAT MEANS THAT THAT LINE ITEM IS STAYING THE SAME AS IT CURRENTLY IS IN THE OPERATING BUDGET. ALSO, I WANTED TO MENTION UP AT THE TOP PART FOR REVENUE. THIS IS JUST OUR UNRESTRICTED REVENUE. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY GRANTS. IT ALSO DOES NOT INCLUDE THE CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY MONEY THAT'S COMING IN AS A RESULT OF BLUEPRINT, BECAUSE WE TREAT THAT MONEY AS RESTRICTED MONEY. UNDER THE UNRESTRICTED LOCAL AND STATE REVENUE, YOU'LL SEE THE AMOUNT THAT WE ANTICIPATE TO GET FROM BOTH THE LOCAL COUNTY GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS THE STATE. I WILL SAY, IT'S APRIL 16, AND WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE FINAL STATE AND LOCAL SHARE AMOUNTS. THIS IS MY ATTEMPT. I HAD TO PIECEMEAL IT FROM VARIOUS DOCUMENTS. I USED THE PRELIMINARY LOCAL AND STATE REVENUE DOCUMENT THAT WE RECEIVED BACK IN JANUARY, AS WELL AS THE CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET NUMBER 2, AS WELL AS THE BLUEPRINT IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATOR FUNDING THAT CAME IN WITH HOUSE BILL 1082. I PIECEMEALED ALL OF THOSE AMOUNTS TOGETHER AND PROJECTED AN INCREASE OF AROUND $4.3 MILLION. I WILL SAY THAT THESE FIGURES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BECAUSE WE ARE STILL TRYING TO GET ANSWERS TO THE PRE K FUNDING AS PART OF THE BRF AT THE END OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE TIER 2 ENROLLMENT PRE K ENROLLMENT IS NOT GOING TO BE FUNDED IN FY25, SO WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT THAT MEANS. WE HAVE 41 STUDENTS THAT ARE TIER 2 ENROLLMENT. AT THIS POINT IN TIME, SINCE WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY FIGURES, WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO LOSE FUNDING FOR ANY OF THOSE. [02:10:02] THERE'S STILL A LOT OF QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THAT. >> YEAH. I THINK IT SEEMED TO BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT CAME IN LATER IN THE BUDGET PROCESS TOWARDS THE VERY END OF SESSION, SO I THINK THEY'RE TRYING TO WRESTLE THROUGH WHAT IT REALLY MEANT. >> WE HAD A CFO CALL LAST THURSDAY AND THEY COULDN'T TELL US WHAT IT MEANT. >> YEAH. >> LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND STILL NO ANSWERS. WE'RE STILL WAITING. THAT FIGURE MAY GO DOWN DEPENDING ON HOW THAT PRE K FUNDING, WHAT HAPPENS THERE. AS WE GO DOWN, THE NEXT PART IS THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS LINE ITEMS AS WELL AS THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED. IN PART 2, THOSE ARE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS FOR TWO BLUEPRINT PROGRAMS THAT CURRENTLY ARE BEING TREATED AS RESTRICTED FUNDS. THEY'RE ACCOUNTED FOR SEPARATELY. BUT NEXT YEAR, THEY NEED TO BE ROLLED INTO OUR UNRESTRICTED OPERATING BUDGET. BOTH OF THOSE PROGRAMS ARE SHOWN UP ABOVE IN PART 1 AS AN INCREASE IN REVENUE, BUT THEN WE'VE GOT TO BACK THEM OUT BECAUSE IT'S REALLY NOT AN INCREASE IN REVENUE. IT'S JUST A SHIFT IN THE WAY WE'RE ACCOUNTING FOR IT BECAUSE THE FUNDING HAS BEEN REDIRECTED FROM RESTRICTED TO UNRESTRICTED. BOTH OF THOSE PROGRAMS JUST WASH OUT. IN PART 3, THOSE ARE THE SAME COST OF DOING BUSINESS LINE ITEMS THAT YOU SAW LAST MONTH. A COUPLE OF THE LINE ITEMS HAVE INCREASED SLIGHTLY, THE DUES, THE TRANSPORTATION, THE CUSTODIAL SUPPLIES. THOSE AMOUNTS, I HAD TO INCREASE SLIGHTLY JUST BASED ON THE PAST MONTHS, ACTUAL EXPENDITURES. I WAS LIKE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR FOR THOSE LINE ITEMS. YOU ALSO SEE THAT THERE ARE NOW PLACEHOLDER FIGURES AND LINES 1 AND 2 FOR THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS AS WELL AS THE FIXED CHARGES. NOW, THESE ARE JUST PLACEHOLDERS. WE HAVE NOT STARTED NEGOTIATING WITH CCEA YET. WE'VE JUST NAILED DOWN SOME DATES, SO WE'RE GOING TO START NEGOTIATING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. FOR RIGHT NOW, IT'S JUST PLACEHOLDERS, IT'S REALLY ALL IT IS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET. LINE ITEMS 15, AND 16 UNDER PART 3, THOSE ARE NEW. YOU DID NOT SEE THOSE LAST MONTH. THOSE ARE LINE ITEMS THAT I NOTICED THAT NEED TO BE INCREASED TO REFLECT ACTUAL EXPENDITURES. AS FAR AS PROPOSED ADDITIONS, THE SUPERINTENDENT IS REQUESTING THAT YOU ADD THREE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT POSITIONS AS WELL AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT NORTH CAROLINA. WE DO HOPE TO KEEP SOME OF OUR OTHER POSITIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY GRANT FUNDED THAT ARE FUNDED IN MARYLAND LEADS, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO FIND CREATIVE AVENUES SO THAT THE LOCAL OPERATING BUDGET DOES NOT HAVE TO PICK UP THE COST OF THOSE POSITIONS. WE'RE TRYING TO FIND FUNDING AND CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY MONEY. >> YEAH. THERE ARE SOME POSITIONS THAT IF WE UTILIZE LOCAL FUNDING LOCAL UNRESTRICTED, AND WE CAN'T PICK THEM UP IN COP AND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FUNDING AT SOME POINT IF WE NEEDED TO. WE'RE TRYING TO BE VERY SMART ABOUT THE WAY POSITIONS MOVE OUT OF THESE EXPIRING FEDERAL GRANTS AND STATE GRANTS TO PICK THEM UP IN A WAY THAT ACTUALLY IS SUSTAINABLE, AND IT DOESN'T CREATE ANOTHER PROBLEM DOWN THE ROAD. THE PROPOSED ADDITIONS DOWN THE BOTTOM AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, THE THREE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT POSITIONS ARE CURRENTLY FILLED, THEY'RE PAID FOR OUT OF OUR [INAUDIBLE]. THE MODEL WE'RE USING HAS BEEN VERY BENEFICIAL FOR THE TECH SUPPORT OF HAVING TECH SUPPORT POSITIONS IN THE BUILDINGS. THIS WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT. THEN THE NORTH HIGH ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL POSITION, AS YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY BEFORE, NORTH CAROLINE HIGH SCHOOL, SCHOOL WITH 1,300 STUDENTS BE HARD PRESSED TO GO BACKWARDS AND GO TO TWO ADS, AND A PRINCIPAL IS IT FOR A SCHOOL THAT LARGE. THEY'RE NOT SLATED TO GET ANY SMALLER, MAYBE SLIGHTLY, BUT I WOULD SAY WITH OUR INCREASE OF STUDENTS MOVING INTO THAT COUNTY, WE DID SEE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN SOUTHERN END WITH SOME OF OUR ML STUDENTS. BUT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, OUR INCREASE HAS BEEN [INAUDIBLE] AND GREENSBORO HAS NOT REALLY SLOWED DOWN. NORTH CAROLINE HIGH SCHOOL, WE HAVE TO ASSUME, IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO STAY BASICALLY ALMOST 1,300 KIDS OR MORE. [NOISE] THOSE ARE THE PROPOSED ADDITIONS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. >> I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT BACK UP ON LINE NUMBER 3, THAT'S THE WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR OUR HEALTH INSURANCE, AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GET UPDATED RATES THIS WEEK. [LAUGHTER] WE'RE WAITING, I'M HOPING THAT THERE WILL BE SOME SAVINGS THERE IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE LINE ITEM. [02:15:02] WE ARE CONTINUING TO GO THROUGH A BUDGET THOROUGHLY TO IDENTIFY OTHER AREAS WHERE WE CAN HAVE SAVINGS THAT MIGHT BE AND JUST TURN OVER THE RETIREMENTS. WE'RE GOING TO REPLACE THOSE POSITIONS WITH TEACHERS WHO ARE AT THE LESSER PAY. WE ARE CRUNCHING THOSE NUMBERS NOW TO SEE WHAT SAVINGS WE CAN IDENTIFY THERE. >> WE'RE STILL EXAMINING SOME LEASE PAYMENT. OPTIONS OF GETTING OUT OF SOME THAT WE CAN PAY AHEAD AND WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT OTHER EXPLORATORY OPTION ON THE TABLE TO WORK THROUGH. >> SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY AS MANY SAVINGS AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN ULTIMATELY PUT THAT MONEY INTO LINE ITEM NUMBER 1, WHICH IS THE SALARY ENHANCEMENTS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. >> ANY QUESTIONS? >> YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE HEALTH INSURANCE AMOUNT YOU SUSPECT MAY GO DOWN? >> YES. THAT'S A VERY CONSERVATIVE 6.5%. THAT'S THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. >> THAT IS PRETTY GOOD COMPARED TO OTHER YEARS? >> YES, IT ACTUALLY IS. ACTUALLY, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST OUT OF OUR ESMEC HEALTH ALLIANCE. THEY CALCULATE THE INCREASE FOR EACH COUNTY BASED ON USAGE AND WE'VE HAD A GOOD YEAR. KNOCK ON SOME WOOD. >> I'D LIKE TO THINK EFFORTS HERE LOCALLY WHO HAVE MADE THAT DIFFERENCE, AND IT COULD JUST BE THE LUCK OF TURNING THE CARD AND HAVING IT COME AROUND. [OVERLAPPING] >> YMCA. >> YES. >> I WILL BE HONEST. WE HAVE GREAT FEEDBACK IN THE SUPPORT ENGAGEMENT SURVEY AROUND BRINGING BACK THE WELLNESS INITIATIVE. YMCA MEMBERSHIPS HAVE BEEN BENEFICIAL WITHIN [INAUDIBLE], THE WALKATHONS THAT THE WELLNESS COMMITTEE HAS SET UP TO DO, EVEN TALKING TO [INAUDIBLE] SHE STILL CAN'T GET OVER HOW EXCITED PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AND REALLY [INAUDIBLE] IN THOSE, BUT JUST TRYING TO BE MORE FOCUSED ON EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING. >> THAT'S GOOD. >> I COULD LOOK THIS NUMBER UP, AND I'LL FILL THEM AROUND AND SEE IF I COULD FIND IT. I FOUND IT FOR FY '23, BUT I COULDN'T FIND IT FOR FY '24. THE COUNTY SHARE LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR WE'RE CURRENTLY IN? >> LAST, 16,081,000. >> SO '23, IT WAS 16 MILLION AND SUCH. THAT'S THE NUMBER I DID FIND, SO IT'S GONE UP. THE COUNTY SHARES GONE UP. WELL, ACTUALLY IT'S THERE, 2.3 OR 2.4. >> FOR THE CURRENT YEAR, THE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT CALCULATION WAS HIGHER. THEN FOR FY '25, THEY'RE SWITCHING OVER TO THE LOCAL SHARE. THE LOCAL SHARE IS THE HIGHER AMOUNT. >> IT'S WORTH NOTING IF THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND STAFF ARE NOT YELLING AT US. [LAUGHTER] >> NO. I HAPPEN TO BE AT THE BUDGET MEETING LAST TUESDAY. >> BLESS YOU. [LAUGHTER] >> I HAPPENED TO BE AT THE BUDGET MEETING LAST TUESDAY. THE CORRECTION THAT WAS DONE FOR [INAUDIBLE] COST THEM ADDITIONAL FUNDING, AND IT ACTUALLY WAS A GOOD CONVERSATION. I WANT TO SPEAK FOR THEM. THERE'S FRUSTRATION IN JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY LOCAL SHARE, WHY NOW? IT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE I GET IT, THE DISTRICTS THAT SEEM TO BE GOING INTO LOCAL SHARE FIRST ARE THE LEAST WEALTHY OF THE DISTRICTS. DORCHESTER COUNTY MOVED INTO LOCAL SHARE LAST YEAR AND HAD A COUPLE MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE, THEIR COMMISSIONERS SAID FINE. THIS YEAR, IT'S CAROLINE COUNTY. I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE, BUT THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE THE DISTRICTS ON THE LESS WEALTHY END SEEM TO BE MOVING INTO IT SOONER THAN OTHERS. ALL DISTRICTS WILL EVENTUALLY BE THERE WITH FULL LIMITATION, BUT I KNOW THAT WAS THEIR PIECE OF TRYING TO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT. >> SURE. >> I GET IT. >> GO AHEAD, TROY. >> SORRY ABOUT THAT. >> NO PROBLEM. >> I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE SCHOOL RESOURCE. YOU SAID IT BEFORE AND I COULDN'T REMEMBER. WHAT WAS THE REASON WHY WE'RE JUST PUTTING ON A [INAUDIBLE] IS IT A NEW COST OR IS IT A COST THAT WE WERE ALREADY PAYING, BUT WE JUST NEED TO PUT IT IN? >> IT WAS A COST THAT WE WERE ALREADY PAYING, BUT WE NEEDED TO TRUE IT UP. WE HAVE NOT TRUED THAT LINE ITEM UP SINCE WE ADDED THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. >> WE WERE JUST PAYING 150? [02:20:02] >> THAT LINE ITEM WAS WELL OVER BUDGET EVERY YEAR BECAUSE IT HADN'T BEEN TRUED UP. >> I KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID BEFORE, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER. THANK YOU. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. >> MR. PLUTSCHAK, IF YOU'RE AWARE, THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE PAY FOR THE OFFICERS WHICH HAS AN IMPACT ON US. THIS IS WONDERFUL THEY HAVE, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP. [OVERLAPPING] [LAUGHTER] >> WELL, THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION AND ALSO A VERY GOOD ANSWER. I APPRECIATE YOU PICKING UP ON THAT, TROY. >> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? >> IF THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, WE NEED TO HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT. IF WE DON'T PASS THAT MOTION OR DON'T MAKE A MOTION, [OVERLAPPING] I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. WE'LL BE HERE TILL MIDNIGHT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED TO US? >> I MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED TO US. >> SECOND. >> WE HAVE A SECOND. >> ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION? OR IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION FIRST? >> [OVERLAPPING] NO. >> ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION? >> AYE. >> AYE. SO WE'LL TAKE THAT AS AN AYE? [LAUGHTER] I HEARD A GRUNT. IT PASSES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. A LOT OF GOOD WORK HERE. >> YES. >> WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S SOME PLACEHOLDERS HERE. IT'S THE BEST ESTIMATE YOU CAN DO AT THIS TIME, AND I KNOW YOU'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON IT AND KEEP US INFORMED. >> CERTAINLY. [4.02 Last Day of School] >> NEXT ACTION ITEM IS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, WHICH IS TOMORROW, ISN'T IT? NO. [LAUGHTER] >> YEAH. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE INTERESTING ACTION ITEMS THAT THE BOARD ACTUALLY HAS TO TAKE ACTION ON. STATE LAW REQUIRES 180 DAYS OF SCHOOL. THE BOARD SETS THE CALENDAR, THE BOARD SETS THE CALENDAR WITH THE NUMBER OF SNOW DAYS, THE BOARD SETS WHAT HAPPENS IF WE USE OR DON'T USE ALL THE SNOW DAYS. BUT NOW THE BOARD HAS TO DECIDE THAT BASICALLY THE ACTIONS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY TAKEN TO SET THE CALENDAR, SET THE DAYS AND THE NUMBER WE HAVE TO BE THERE IS TRULY WHERE YOU WANT THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL TO BE. BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU SET THE CALENDAR. OUR SCHOOL CALENDAR FITS 180 DAYS, 190 TEACHER WORK DAYS, THREE ADDITIONAL DAYS WERE BUILT IN FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER AND WE DID USE TWO OF THOSE DAYS. WHEN YOU SUBTRACT ONE DAY OFF OF THE 183-DAY CALENDAR, IT PUTS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON JUNE 12TH, AND THE LAST WORK DAY FOR TEACHERS ON JUNE 13TH. SO I ASK THE BOARD FOR YOUR APPROVAL TO MAKE THE OFFICIAL LAST DAY OF SCHOOL JUNE 12TH OF 2024. >> I'M JUST PULLING MY CALENDAR TO SEE WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT IS. >> [OVERLAPPING] IT'S A WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, RIGHT? >> YES. >> IT'S A WEDNESDAY FOR STUDENTS AND THURSDAY FOR 10-MONTH STAFF. >> YOU WANT TO WAIT TILL [INAUDIBLE] >> WE HAVE TO GET A QUORUM. TROY IS ON THERE, BUT YEAH, WE WOULD NEED A QUORUM PRESENT TO VOTE. >> YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO GO UNTIL FRIDAY? >> MONDAY SOUNDS GREAT, REALLY JUST WRAP THEM AROUND ON MONDAY. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD WHEN CALENDARS END LIKE THAT. >> MONDAY THE 10TH? >> [LAUGHTER] YOU CAN'T GO LESS. IT'S A SHALLOW 180. >> SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE 180, 190, AND THE DATES WE'RE LOOKING AT ARE JUNE 12TH FOR STUDENTS, LAST WORKDAY JUNE 13TH? >> YEAH. >> WHAT ALTERNATIVE IS THERE THAT WE WOULD VOTE FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT? >> MR. WARREN, THAT'S A WONDERFUL QUESTION. WE CAN PONDER IT FOR HOWEVER LONG THE BOARD WOULD LIKE. >> I'M NOT GOING TO WALK OUT ANYMORE. [LAUGHTER] >> THAT'S KIND OF IT, RIGHT? UNLESS THERE'S QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR YOU WANT TO MOVE THAT UP TILL MAY AND INVITE THE STATE ON THAT, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO? >> YOU GET A MOTION. [LAUGHTER] >> I MAKE A MOTION WE SUPPORT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO END THE SCHOOL YEAR ON JUNE 12TH FOR STUDENTS AND JUNE 13 FOR TEACHERS. >> PERFECT. >> I SECOND THAT MOTION. >> ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION? >> [OVERLAPPING] AYE. >> NONE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. [OVERLAPPING] >> THANK YOU ALL. STACY FOR A SECOND. [LAUGHTER] >> THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL [OVERLAPPING] >> MR. BARTON IS GOING TO CREATE A LOT OF WORK FOR ME. [LAUGHTER] >> YES. >> TO GO SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT. [BACKGROUND] >> GO AHEAD, TROY. >> JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, ON MAY 24TH, [02:25:01] I KNOW THAT WE'RE LETTING THESE GUYS OUT, TESTING, DRIVING UP, AND ALL THAT GOOD. IS THERE A WAY THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY LET OUR EMPLOYEES OUT JUST A LITTLE EARLY? NOT KEEPING THEM THE WHOLE DAY? >> MR. PLUTSCHAK, THAT WOULD BE, AND I MEAN THIS ALL RESPECTFULLY, IT WOULD BE A SUPERINTENDENT'S DECISION THAT I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THAT DAY OR IT WOULD HAVE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS IF THE BOARD WERE TO MAKE THAT DECISION. >> THAT'S WHAT I WAS WONDERING IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD [OVERLAPPING] >> THAT COULD BE SOMETHING A SUPERINTENDENT COULD CONSIDER ON THAT DAY, BUT I WOULD CAUTION THE BOARD OF MAKING THAT THEIRS BECAUSE WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION FOR A SET NUMBER OF FULL WORK DAYS AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. BUT IT HAS BEEN PART OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PURVIEW [OVERLAPPING] IF THAT OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF ON THE HALF DAY OF A FRIDAY. >> THEN I SUGGEST WE LEAVE THAT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MAKE THAT DECISION ON MAY 24TH. >> GREAT QUESTION. >> HE'LL TAKE THAT UNDER ADVISEMENT. [LAUGHTER] THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT TROY. >> YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT POINT. [OVERLAPPING] >> GOOD QUESTION. THAT'S A GREAT SEGUE TO UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS. [5. Upcoming Meetings/Events] WE HAVE A LONG LIST OF THEM. EVERYBODY KEEP WORKING AT THAT. ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO POINT OUT? >> MY TYPICAL PLUG OF PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU USE THE GOOGLE SHEET. [LAUGHTER] WE DID TALK TO COLONEL RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL TODAY. THEIR ARTS SHOW IS THE SAME TIME AS OUR BOARD MEETING, SO MR. SHERMAN IS GOING TO WORK WITH THEM TO OPEN UP AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO WALK THE SHOW PRIOR TO. PREVIOUSLY, THEY'VE ALLOWED THAT. COLONEL HIGH HAD JUST SHARED THAT THEY APOLOGIZED FOR BEING ON THE BOARD NIGHT. AFTER EVERYBODY GRABS USING COLONEL AUDITORIUM WITH CONCERTS, PROM, AWARDS PROGRAMS FOR SENIORS, GRADUATION SETUP. THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY FREE TIME, KNOWING HOW MUCH WORK GOES INTO SETTING UP THE ART SHOW. WHICH I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. BUT THEY'LL MAKE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE SHOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY OR WHATEVER THAT DAY, TO BE ABLE TO JUDGE AND OBSERVE THE ARTWORK. >> I NOTED THAT AS WELL. I ALWAYS LIKE TO GO AND THEN REALIZED IT WAS REALLY RIGHT EXACTLY WHEN WE STARTED OUR MEETING. SO MAYBE WE CAN GO BEFORE THAT IF POSSIBLE. ONE THING I DO WANT TO POINT OUT, BECAUSE I MENTIONED IT AT OUR MEETING LAST TIME ABOUT THE PROCESS TO FILL OUR VACANCY. I ONLY HAVE FOUR INSTEAD OF FIVE IN THE VACANCY AND WITH THE ADVICE OF COUNCIL, WE WERE FOLLOWING THE STATUTE, THE PROCESS TO REPLACE THAT INDIVIDUAL POSITION TO PUT THE FIFTH PERSON, AND SO WE WILL BE SENDING OUT A CALL FOR APPLICANTS. WILL BE COMING SOON. I'M NOT GOING TO GO OVER ALL THE DATES PER SE, BUT IT WILL BE ADVERTISED AND THERE'LL BE A SET OPENING AND CLOSING DATE COMING UP VERY SOON. I THINK AS SOON AS MONDAY, WE'LL BE PUTTING THAT OUT AND IT'LL BE OPEN FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS, I THINK. BUT ONE OF THE KEY THINGS TO REALLY EMPHASIZE IS NOT ONLY THE SERVICE THAT'S REQUIRED OF A BOARD MEMBER, BUT IT HAS TO BE SOMEONE FROM THE FIRST DISTRICT. SO IF THERE'S SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO LIVES IN PRESTON AND FEDERALSBURG OR DENTON, THEY WILL HAVE TO FIT THE EXAMPLES. THEY'RE NOT ELIGIBLE. IT'S GOT TO BE SOMEBODY FROM THAT DISTRICT, AND THE DISTRICT LINES ARE PRETTY SPECIFIC. WE WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC INFORMATION. IT WILL BE A PUBLIC PROCESS TO MAKE THIS SELECTION BUT THE BOARD HAS AGREED TO MOVE FORWARD AND CARRY OUT THAT ACTION. ANY COMMENTS BY THE BOARD MEMBERS WANT TO MAKE ABOUT THAT? YOU'RE GOOD. >> JUST THAT I AGREE WITH THE PROCESS. >> WE WILL DO OUR BEST. IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, WE ARE AT THE POINT OF ADJOURNMENT, IF WE CAN HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. >> I MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN THIS BOARD MEETING. >> I'LL SECOND. >> THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR? >> AYE. >> AYE. >> AYE. WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, MARGARET. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.