[00:00:02]
>> WE ARE ON. WE'RE GOING TO CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER.
[1. Opening Items]
THIS IS THE TUESDAY, MAY 21ST, 2024 BOARD WORK SESSION.WE DID HAVE A CLOSED SESSION, AND NOW WE'LL LOOK TO HAVE OPEN OUR SESSION.
WE DO HAVE THREE BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE, AND MICHELLE WYMAN IS ATTENDING VIA ZOOM, CORRECT?
>> CORRECT. WE HAVE HER. SO WE HAVE TROY, MARK, AND MYSELF HERE PRESENT.
WE WILL LOOK FOR SOMEBODY TO MAKE A MOTION TO OPEN A MEETING.
>> I MAKE A MOTION TO OPEN THE MEETING.
>> THE MEETING IS OPENED AND WE WILL BEGIN WITH A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS IS A PRETTY DARN SPECIAL MEETING TONIGHT, I BELIEVE.
WE HAVE A GREAT AGENDA. ALL THE MEETINGS ARE SPECIAL, BUT THIS WAS REALLY AMAZING.
IT'S AN AMAZING TIME OF YEAR, REALLY. THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON.
IT'S EXCITING. I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA.
>> WE APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA.
>> AGENDA IS APPROVED. WHAT IF WE DIDN'T DO THAT? WHAT IF NO ONE WOULD TAKE THAT MOTION, I GUESS GO?
>> MAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE. [LAUGHTER].
>> THEN THAT GREAT MEETING WOULDN'T HAPPEN.
WE HAVE SOME ACTION ITEMS STARTING WITH AMENDMENTS TO THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT.
[2.01 Amendments to the Negotiated Agreement between Caroline County Public Schools and the Caroline County Educators’ Association (Teachers)]
>> IT BRINGS YOU GREAT PLEASURE ACTUALLY TO HAVE DOCTOR ROB WILLOUGHBY, OUR SUPERVISOR OF HR WHO IS ALSO OUR CHIEF NEGOTIATOR AND MISS ZANIE BAUMAN, TEACHER AND PRESIDENT OF CCEA WITH US TONIGHT TO WALK THROUGH THE AMENDMENTS TO THE MO ITEM NUMBER 202.
TO WALK THROUGH THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT BETWEEN CAROLINE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE CAROLINE COUNTY EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION.
>> YES IT WAS ON THE PAPER I READ. NO. THAT'S FINE.
I ALMOST SAID THE WRONG THING WHEN I LOOKED UP.
I'M GLAD TO HAVE DOCTOR WILLOUGHBY HERE AND MISS BAUMAN TONIGHT FOR THIS AWESOME MOMENT.
>> WELL, WE MET WITH THE CCEA NEGOTIATING TEAM UNDER AMY'S LEADERSHIP STARTING JANUARY.
REALLY, IT'S A CONVERSATION THAT STARTED BACK IN NOVEMBER WHEN WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO SOME GUIDANCE FROM THE AIB AND MSD IN A JOINT MEETING AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO SAY, AND NEITHER DID CCEA.
WE CAME TOGETHER IN THIS ROOM AND WATCHED TOGETHER AND WE HOPE FOR SOME GUIDANCE.
WE SAID, WELL, WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO DESIGN SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR US.
WE DID MEET ON 30 APRIL AND WE REACHED A TABLE AGREEMENT.
WE HAD PREVIOUSLY NEGOTIATED THAT WE WOULD BE THIS YEAR IN SOME WAY, MAKING TEACHER STEPS AND YEARS OF SERVICE EQUAL AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BY GIVING TWO STEPS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, REPRESENTING FY17 AND FY25 TO THOSE THAT QUALIFIED AND THEN TWO STEPS MID-YEAR REPRESENTING FY23 AND 24.
SOME OF OUR FOLKS WILL GET AS MANY AS FOUR STEPS OVER THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR.
IT WILL MAKE THE YEARS OF SERVICE EQUATE AND THUS FULFILL OUR CHARGE, BUT THEN ALSO FIX SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2017, WHERE WE'VE BEEN OFF FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
IN DOING SO, WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A CAREER LADDER THAT WE'LL BE SUBMITTING TO THE AIV AND MSD FOR APPROVAL.
YOU'VE SEEN DRAFTS OF THAT CAREER LADDER THAT IS REALLY A CREDENTIAL BASED SALARY SCALE, MEETS THE DEFINITION OF THE LAW.
IT STARTS TEACHERS THIS COMING YEAR THAT ARE IN THEIR FIRST CONTRACT, WILL GO ON THAT CAREER LADDER WITH A SALARY OF 555, WHICH DOES START TO MOVE US TOWARDS THAT 60,000 WE HAVE TO GET AT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO CYCLES.
THEN, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN LAST YEAR WITH A NICE COLA NEGOTIATED LAST YEAR AND SEVERAL ITEMS OF LANGUAGE AND THIS YEAR, BEING ABLE TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE STEP OF CONVERSATION AND THE CAREER LADDER, WE AGREED TO ONE, EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE AGREEMENT.
IT WAS DUE TO EXPIRE IN TOTALITY, JUNE 30, 2025, EXTEND THAT TILL 2028.
WITH ANOTHER YEAR OF SALARY ONLY NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE OUR CAREER LADDER MAY GET EDITS AND FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE TO COME BACK AND NEGOTIATE.
[00:05:05]
THEN AFTER THAT, WE'LL RESUME OUR TRADITIONAL SALARY PLUS TWO OPENERS PER SIDE.I THANK AMY FOR HER LEADERSHIP.
SHE'S NOT WITH US TONIGHT, BUT TERESA MILES FOR BEING A FANTASTIC PARTNER IN THIS AND GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO COME TO THIS AGREEMENT SO QUICKLY AND HAVE IT BE RATIFIED BY THE GROUP.
>> IT WAS GREAT. I LOVE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER.
IT WENT VERY SMOOTHLY THIS YEAR.
IT DEFINITELY FELT LIKE WE WERE PARTNERS IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION TO SOMETHING.
ROB AND I WERE ABLE TO DO A TOWN HALL, WHICH WAS GREAT TO EXPLAIN THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE WERE ABLE TO EXPLAIN IN DETAIL THE CHANGES THAT WERE HAPPENING.
THEN IT WAS RECORDED AND IT WAS SHARED OUT SO IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THE VIRTUAL TOWN HALL, YOU COULD GO BACK AND LISTEN TO IT.
WE STILL DID RECEIVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A LOT MORE IF WE HADN'T HAD DONE THAT TOWN HALL SESSION.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING NEXT YEAR WORKING TOGETHER, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE WORKING TOGETHER JUST TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GO BECAUSE DEFINITELY WE WERE VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THE CAREER LADDER.
I FEEL LIKE OURS COMPARED TO OTHERS, IT'S VERY EASY TO FOLLOW.
I THINK THAT'S TO ROB, HOW ORGANIZED IT.
A LOT OF COUNTIES THEIRS IS GOING JUST STRAIGHT ACROSS, AND TO ME IT'S CONFUSING.
ROB DID AN AWESOME JOB, COLOR CODING IT, AND MAKING IT THAT IT'S MUCH EASIER TO FOLLOW.
I KNOW THAT'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO THAT.
>> BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK BOTH FOR THE HARD WORK THAT BOTH ROB AND AMY PUT IN.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOUR TEAMS AS WELL.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD TO REESTABLISH YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUST AND I THINK THIS IS ANOTHER STEP IN THAT DIRECTION.
WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT FOR GRANTED THAT IT'S THERE, BUT I THINK WE HAVE CREATED A MUCH BETTER RELATIONSHIP, A HEALTHIER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BOTH.
IT'S SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON.
AGAIN, I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR.
IT MAKES ME EXTREMELY HOPEFUL ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO NEXT YEAR WITH THE SUPPORT, CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS.
I APPRECIATE THE ASSOCIATION LOOKING TO EXTEND THE TEACHER CONTRACT A LITTLE BIT TO GIVE MORE ROOM FOR THE SUPPORT WORK, BECAUSE WE DO KNOW WITH THE LENGTH OF IT BEEN CLOSED, IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG LIFT.
>> WE WANT OUR FOCUS TO BE ON THE SUPPORT STAFF, THEY DESERVE IT.
>> IT IS INCREDIBLE THAT WE'RE BOTH ON THE SAME PAGE, IT HAPPENS. IT'S BEEN GREAT.
I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT YOU GUYS HAVE PUT IN AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT ROB HAS PUT IN.
ABOUT THE TOWN HALL, I WANT TO THANK YOU AS WELL BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A TYPICAL STEP THAT HAPPENS ACROSS THE STATE IN NEGOTIATIONS WHERE BOTH ARE SITTING TOGETHER HELPING TO EXPLAIN AND REALLY EXPLAIN AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT THAT'S BEEN AGREED TO AT THE TABLE AND HOW IT INDEX PEOPLE.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT WENT IN AND WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION BECAUSE OF THAT.
THANK YOU. WE ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL FOR THE.
>> COMMENTS FROM OTHER BOARD MEMBERS?
>> I HAVE A COMMENT. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO THANK ROB, AMY, TERESA FOR WORKING TOGETHER.
THIS I FEEL LIKE AT THE BEGINNING OF MY TIME HERE ON THE BOARD, THIS WAS A STRESS RELATIONSHIP THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD REALLY DID WANT TO SEE.
WORKED THE WAY IT'S WORKING NOW AND THROUGH DOCTOR SIMMONS, THROUGH YOUR WORK, THIS HAS BECAME A REALITY THAT THIS IS A GREAT THING.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS, MISSES WAYMAN TROY, RICK, AND MYSELF FOR NOT QUITTING ON THE TEACHERS FOR NOT QUITTING ON THE SYSTEM ITSELF, AND SEEING THROUGH THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES AS BOARD MEMBERS WHEN WE HAVE DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT THINGS.
WE WANT TO SET AN EXAMPLE ON HOW PEOPLE SHOULD BE TREATED IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND HOW THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WOULD BE RAN.
THE FOUR OF US THAT ARE HERE THAT REMAIN, WE'RE GOING TO WORK TO DO THAT AND TO SHOW EVERYBODY ELSE HOW BOARD MEMBERS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK TOGETHER, AND REALLY, HOW WE WANT TO SEE THIS WORK FOR THE BETTER OF THE STUDENTS AT THE END, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE EXHIBITED.
THAT'S WHAT DR. SIMMONS HAS EXHIBITED.
[00:10:02]
THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM HAS CAME TOGETHER TO DO AND IT'S WORKING.I REALLY DO APPRECIATE WHAT'S BEEN DONE AND WE ALL DO.
I THINK I'M I CAN SAY I'M SPEAKING FOR THE FOUR OF US WITH THIS MESSAGE THAT WE ALL REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT, SO THANK YOU.
>> MICHELLE, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD?
>> JUST SIMPLY THAT I'M HAPPY TO SEE FOR [INAUDIBLE] AND REACH THIS GOAL.
THAT'S A VERY GOOD THING, CAROLINE COUNTY SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THERE'S SO MUCH CREDIT TO BE GIVEN.
THERE'S SO MUCH GOOD WORK THAT WAS DONE HERE AND PARTNERSHIP TAKES PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER, AND SO THE COMMENTS YOU MAKE, AMY, ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP SO POWERFUL AND THE WORK YOU'VE DONE, REALLY, IT'S A RISKY THING THAT YOU DO TO STICK YOUR NECK OUT TO DO THIS, AND THAT'S SO MUCH APPRECIATED.
IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT YOUR MEMBERSHIP SUPPORTED YOU.
HOW ABOUT THAT? HOW COULD THAT MUST HAVE FELT?
>> TO HAVE THAT KIND OF SUPPORT.
THERE'S A REASON. THEY'RE NOT JUST GIVEN IN.
YOU'VE REALLY LOOKED OUT FOR THEM AND YOU'VE GOT, GREAT PARTNERS TO WORK WITH, AND I'LL SAY THIS ABOUT THE TOWN MEETING, EVEN IF IT DIDN'T STOP ONE QUESTION.
EVEN IF IT DIDN'T ANSWER A SINGLE QUESTION, THE STATEMENT TO DO THAT IN THAT EFFORT, AND IT WAS LEGITIMATE AND THE TWO OF YOU DOING THAT, IT'S A STATEMENT TO EVERYBODY THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AND GET COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AND IF IT DIDN'T PRODUCE FUNCTIONAL VALUE, THAT'S OKAY.
I KNOW THAT IT ANSWERED QUESTIONS.
BUT IT WAS SUCH A GOOD THING TO DO RATHER AND PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AND DO THAT TOGETHER AND JUST REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
BUT WHAT MARK SAID, I CAN'T SAY IT TO HER.
I THINK WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD.
>> WE NEED A MOTION AND THEN DO THIS WAY, WE'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR US.
>> MICHELLE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION?
>> I MOVE THAT THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT BETWEEN TEACHERS ASSOCIATE THE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND CAROLINE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
WE'LL CALL A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR.
>> IF WE DON'T HAVE A PICTURE, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
>> RICK, I THINK SANDY WANTS HERE TO PRETEND TO SIGN WITH ME.
>> I THINK SANDY'S ALSO SAYING WE HAVE TOO MUCH PILES IN FRONT OF US.
>> I HAVE A THIRD COPY, IF YOU WANT TO ACTUALLY SIGN INCASE THERE WAS AN ERROR.
>> EVERYBODY LOOKING UP FOR A MINUTE. HOLD ON.
THEN LOOK DOWN AND SIGN. EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM WILL SAY, REALLY, THEY WERE SIGNING.
THIS COULD BE ONE OF THOSE SIGNINGS THEY DO WHERE THEY DO IT WITH 20 PENS.
[00:15:05]
>> WE HAVE ONE MORE ACTION ITEM WHICH IS HERE FOR OUR CONSIDERATION TONIGHT.
[2.02 Amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Caroline County Board of Education and the Administrators and Supervisors Association of Caroline County]
DR. SIMMONS YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT AWAY.I WANT TO THANK DR. WILLOUGHBY, AS OUR CHIEF NEGOTIATOR AS WELL, AND MISSES HANTY AS PRESIDENT OF THE ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION OF CAROLINE COUNTY, ASAC, AS IT'S KNOWN FOR THEIR WORK IN REACHING A TABLE AGREEMENT ON A MEET AND CONFER DOCUMENT ON AMENDMENTS TO OUR MOU TO HELP STRENGTHEN OUR SUPPORT OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM MOVING INTO NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
DR. WILLOUGHBY AND MISS HANTY I'LL PASS TO YOU GUYS.
>> EACH YEAR WITH OUR ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION, WE GO THROUGH A PROCESS CALLED MEETING CONFER.
IT'S NOT QUITE AS FORMAL AS NEGOTIATIONS TO MAKE AMENDMENTS TO OUR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.
THIS YEAR, THERE ARE THREE MAJOR CHANGES THAT WE HAVE NEGOTIATED, HARD-FOUGHT NEGOTIATIONS WITH MISS HANTY ONE IS THAT ADMINISTRATORS RECEIVE STIPENDS FOR CELL PHONE USE BECAUSE WE DO USE OUR CELL PHONES IN OUR EMPLOYMENT.
>> THAT STIPEND WILL GO UP SLIGHTLY $300 A YEAR TO $450 A YEAR.
THE SECOND HAS TO DO WITH RETIREMENT.
IT CURRENTLY IS WORDED IN THE MOU, AND IT'S REALLY WORDED IN AN ASSUMPTION THAT YOU'RE COMING INTO ADMINISTRATION FROM TEACHING.
THAT TYPICALLY MEANS YOU HAVE A JULY 1 RETIREMENT DATE.
THAT MEANS THAT FOR RETIREMENT, YOU WOULD GIVE US SIX MONTHS NOTICE, BUT OUR ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION REPRESENTS ADMINISTRATORS THAT WERE TEACHERS AND ON THE INSTRUCTIONAL SIDE, BUT ALSO, THAT ARE IN THE OPERATION SIDE.
THEY HAVE BEEN HIRED IN NOVEMBER OR MAY OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
INSTEAD OF HAVING THOSE HARD AND FAST JULY 1 AND JANUARY 15, SIX MONTHS NOTICE.
WE DON'T WANT TO STOP ANYONE FROM BEING ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FULL SERVICE RETIREMENT BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT TO HANG ON FOR SOME ARBITRARY DATE THAT WAS REALLY WRITTEN FOR ONE PART OF THE ASSOCIATION AND NOT THE OTHER.
THEN THE THIRD IS, AND THIS HAS BEEN OUR PRACTICE FOR AS MANY YEARS AS WE CAN REMEMBER, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO SALARY WE REALLY TAKE OUR LEAD FROM WHAT THE TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE.
THE TEACHERS THIS YEAR NEGOTIATED STEP INCREASES.
THE ADMINISTRATORS WOULD RECEIVE A STEP INCREASE, ONE SINGULAR STEP INCREASE ON THEIR PAY SCALE.
THERE IS A CAVEAT THERE THAT WE WILL SPEND THE NEXT PART OF THIS COMING YEAR LOOKING AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE PAY SCALE.
WE HAVE TO DO THAT FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE, OUR CAREER LADDER THAT'S BEING SUBMITTED BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR HAS TO HAVE A TEACHER LEADERSHIP/ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL LANE TO IT.
WE HAVE TO TALK THROUGH THAT, BUT THEN TWO, ONE OF THE STATED PURPOSES OF THE CAREER LADDER AND OF THE BLUEPRINT LEGISLATION WAS SO THAT FOLKS, IT WAS PERCEIVED, DID NOT HAVE TO GO INTO ADMINISTRATION TO EARN A HIGHER SALARY.
THEY COULD STAY AS TEACHERS AND EARN A HIGHER SALARY.
I WOULD SUBMIT TO YOU, AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE, THE BLUEPRINT HAS SUCCEEDED IN THAT MISSION.
POSSIBLY EVEN MAYBE MOVING THE PENDULUM A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR TO WHERE WHO IS GOING TO WANT TO GO INTO ADMINISTRATION IF YOU CAN MAKE THE SALARIES ON THE CAREER LADDER FOR A 10-MONTH POSITION? WE WILL NOT ONLY LOOK AT THAT LEADERSHIP TRACK OF THE CAREER LADDER NEXT YEAR, BUT WE'LL LOOK AT THE ANS SALARY SCALE AS A WHOLE, BECAUSE WE NEED GREAT TEACHERS.
WE WANT GREAT TEACHERS IN FRONT OF OUR KIDS, WE WANT THEM TO STAY IN THE CLASSROOM FOR AS LONG AS THEY WISH TO DO, BUT OUR SCHOOLS NEED LEADERS AS WELL.
TRYING TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR THAT IN THE BLUEPRINT ERA WILL BE OUR CHARGE FOR NEXT YEAR.
THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN CHANGES.
AGAIN, THANK YOU TO MS. HANTY AND HER TEAM.
WE MET, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE 14TH, AND IN ONE MEETING, WE'RE ABLE TO WALK AWAY WITH AN AGREEMENT, AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATORS RATIFIED VERY QUICKLY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT AND FOR BEING SO FLEXIBLE WITH US.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THE ONLY THING I'LL ADD IS I CAME TO CAROLINE COUNTY BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT WAS A FAMILY, AND I MOVED FAR AWAY FROM MY BLOOD FAMILY TO BE A PART OF THIS FAMILY, AND I'M STILL HERE 18 YEARS LATER.
I JUST THINK THIS RELATIONSHIP, WHAT WE DID AT THE TABLE THE OTHER DAY, COMFORTABLE.
WE PUT EVERYTHING OUT ON THE TABLE.
WE HAD SOME SERIOUS TALK, BUT WE GOT IT DONE, AND IT WAS EASY-PEASY.
I APPRECIATE ROB AND HIS TEAM AND THE OTHER ASAC LEADERSHIP AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID.
>> DR. SIMS, ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT ADD?
>> DR. WILEY [PHONETIC] IS VERY ACCURATE, AND I APPRECIATE HIM RAISING THAT POINT AND ASAC UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEING.
[00:20:01]
WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT OUR ADMINISTRATOR PAY SCALES.I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE MOST EXCITING THING FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR WITH PERCEPTION ABOUT ADMINISTRATION, BUT YOU CAN'T RUN A SCHOOL SYSTEM WITHOUT GOOD ADMINISTRATORS.
YOU CANNOT, PERIOD, FULL STOP.
THE BLUEPRINT IS GOING TO PRESENT SOME REAL CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH AND I'M GLAD THAT EVERYBODY IS WILLING TO SIT DOWN AT THE TABLE NEXT YEAR AND LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
OUR ADMINISTRATORS ARE A VERY SMALL GROUP OF EMPLOYEES, SMALL IN NUMBER, BUT VERY NECESSARY.
IT'S GOING TO BE SOME REALLY GREAT CONVERSATION.
WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES NAVIGATING.
OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS WILL BE NAVIGATING IT AS WELL, BUT THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME EFFORT AND PROBABLY SOME REAL HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT DEVELOPMENT PIECE.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT WE WORK ON NEXT YEAR.
>> BOARD MEMBERS, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? MICHELLE, ANYTHING ADDITIONAL?
>> GREAT WORK. MY COMMENT WAS ALREADY MADE, BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, ANYWAY, THAT BLUEPRINT LEFT OUT OTHER PARTS OF THE WORKFORCE TO SUPPORT STAFF, THE ADMINISTRATORS.
THAT'S THE BAD NEWS, I SUPPOSE.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE TEAM HERE, THE LEADERSHIP HERE IS LOOKING AT THAT, AND THAT'S UNDERSTOOD AND THAT SOMETHING THERE HAS TO HAPPEN.
NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW THAT GETS FIXED, BUT IT'LL BE ADDRESSED.
>> YOU JUST NEED A MOTION. WHOEVER WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS ONE. THEY'RE FIGHTING.
>> I'LL COMMOTION, WE APPROVE THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR THE CAROLINE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION.
>> THANK YOU, MICHELLE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, ALL IN FAVOR.
>> [INAUDIBLE]. I GUESS I'LL START HERE [INAUDIBLE] THERE.
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE BUYING THE CAR JUST PASSING THE PAPER ALONG. THERE YOU GO, RICK.
>> TROY I THINK I'M READY TO TURN MINE OFF, BY THE WAY.
>> MINE WAS BLACK, SO I KNEW IT WOULDN'T DO.
>> I'VE ALREADY SIGNED THAT ONE.
>> THEN SHE CAN GIVE YOU THE PEN.
>> THE OFFICIAL COPY FOR ASAC.
>> THEY'RE GOING TO NEED ONE HECK OF A BOTTOM.
>> IF ANYBODY WHO'S WATCHING AT HOME OR TRACKING THE SCORE OF THE COLONEL RICHARDSON BASEBALL GAME. HAVE A GOOD EVENING.
>> THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD ONE.
>> THAT'S ALWAYS A GREAT THING.
IT'S JUST SO GOOD TO SEE THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE WORKING TOGETHER. IT'S REALLY NICE.
>> SHOULD I PLAN TO COME IN THIS WEEK TO SIGN THOSE?
>> NO, MR. BARTON WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT NEEDED TO SIGN AS PRESIDENT, SO YOU'RE GOOD.
YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME, BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO COME IN TO SIGN THOSE.
>> I HAD YOUR BACK. ACTUALLY, THE CREW HERE DID, MARK, IN PARTICULAR, SUGGESTING THAT YOU MAKE THE MOTION FOR THE TEACHERS AGREEMENT.
THAT WAS REALLY NICE, VERY APPROPRIATE.
>> YES. MICHELLE DOES GIVE US A GREAT PERSPECTIVE AS A VETERAN AND A RETIREE FROM THE SYSTEM FROM MANY DIFFERENT APPROACHES, SO WE VALUE THAT.
>> CAN MICHELLE TELL US HOW MANY YEARS SHE'S BEEN IN EDUCATION FOR?
>> YOU CAN ASK IF YOU WANT TO.
THAT'S LIKE ASKING SOMEBODY HOW OLD THEY ARE.
WE'RE INTO DISCUSSION ITEMS, AND TONIGHT,
[3.01 Special Education Staffing Plan]
[00:25:01]
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFFING PLAN.>> YES. I'LL JUMP IN REAL QUICK. JUST THE LEVEL SET.
I AM EXCITED TO HAVE MRS. MCDONALD HERE TONIGHT TO REVIEW THE STAFFING PLAN WITH OUR BOARD.
AS PART OF SPECIAL ED STAFFING, THE BOARD IS REQUIRED TO APPROVE THE SPECIAL ED STAFFING PLAN, WHICH TYPICALLY COMES AT THE JUNE BOARD MEETING. IT'LL COME TO YOU IN JUNE.
WE DO THE WORK SESSION IN MAY TO REVIEW IT IN THAT WAY.
IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS AFTER YOU DIGEST, WHETHER TONIGHT OR JUNE, WE'RE READY TO DO THAT, SO WE'RE NOT COLD VOTING WITHOUT HAVING TIME TO GO THROUGH IT.
MRS. MCDONALD HAS WORKED VERY HARD TO PULL THIS TOGETHER AND I APPRECIATE HER EFFORT.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL LET YOU JUMP RIGHT IN.
>> I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY IT'S ALMOST AS EXCITING AS A NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT.
DR. SIMMONS, PRESIDENT BOBBY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, I'M EXCITED TO PRESENT OUR DRAFT STAFFING PLAN.
I DO HAVE THE FULL DOCUMENT THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO.
I DID JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU JUST A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS YEAR.
NOW, I'VE SEEN YOU A FEW TIMES, BUT PART OF ME, WHO I AM AS A PERSON IS REFLECTING AND THEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE.
I DID WANT TO SHARE A LITTLE PICTURE FROM OUR CCAC STAFF APPRECIATION CELEBRATION.
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF MEMBERS OF THE TEAM HERE WHO HELPED SET UP AND CLEAN UP AND RUN THE EVENT.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO JOINED US BECAUSE IT WAS A REALLY GOOD TURNOUT.
WE HAD ALMOST 100 PEOPLE THERE TOTAL.
WE HAD OVER 35 STAFF NOMINATED AND SOME STAFF HAD MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS, FROM BUS DRIVERS, TO BUS ASSISTANTS, INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS, GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, SPECIAL ED TEACHERS.
IT WAS A REALLY NICE TURNOUT AND JUST SOMETHING FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IT CAN BE STRESSFUL DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
TO ME, THIS IS LIKE CHRISTMAS.
IT'S SOMETHING WHERE IT'S HAPPY AND THERE'S NO STRESS AND WE CAN JUST CELEBRATE WHAT FAMILIES ARE RECOGNIZING FROM OUR STAFF, THAT WE'RE MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT.
>> IT'S NICE TO SEE WHOLE FAMILY THERE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE FAMILY, PARENTS AND SIBLINGS, AND SO FORTH. REALLY NICE EVENT.
>> IT WAS GREAT. WE EVEN HAD SOME OF OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS FAMILIES NOMINATED RACHEL IRELAND ONE OF OUR EARLY INTERVENTION TEACHERS.
WE REALLY DID GO FROM BIRTH TO 21.
I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS AMAZING.
DINNER WAS DELICIOUS, AND I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A REALLY BIG SUCCESS.
I WAS TRYING TO CLICK ON THIS.
>> I AM BY HEART AN ELEMENTARY TEACHER.
I LOVE TO LOOK AT THINGS AS GLOWS AND GROWS.
I WANTED TO HIT THE GLOWS FIRST, MEANING THE POSITIVE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN FROM THIS YEAR AND THE THINGS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE.
THE BIGGEST GLOW FOR US, I THINK AS A DEPARTMENT, IS HOW MUCH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE TO STAFF.
OUR BIG MISSION FROM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM WAS TO PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
INITIALLY, IT STARTED AS TEACHERS, PROVIDING IT TO TEACHERS, BUT IT HAS EVOLVED TO BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS, ADMINISTRATORS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS.
WE HOSTED A VERY LARGE YEAR-LONG TRAUMA-SENSITIVE SCHOOL BUILDING SEMINAR, AND WE WERE ABLE TO INVITE ALL OF THOSE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, COUNSELORS, AND JUST REALLY LEARNING ABOUT WHAT TRAUMA IS AND HOW TO BUILD SOME OF THOSE TRAUMA SENSITIVITY SKILLS THAT WE MIGHT NOT HAVE BECAUSE WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR KIDS EXPERIENCE.
WE EVEN HAD SEPARATE WORKSHOPS FOR FAMILIES TO ATTEND ABOUT HOW TO WORK ON REGULATING CHILDREN AT HOME, PUTTING ROUTINES IN PLACE TO HELP MAKE THINGS SMOOTHER.
THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE I PUT, WE'VE DONE LOTS WITH OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS' STAFF.
WE HAVE TRIED TO JUST REALLY BUILD THE CAPACITY OF THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE, WHETHER THEY ARE OUR VIRTUAL SPEECH THERAPISTS, OR VIRTUAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.
WE'VE KEPT UP WITH DOING THE TACT-2 CERTIFICATION, WHICH IF YOU'RE NOT AWARE, THAT IS A PROGRAM THAT WE USE FOR VERBAL DE-ESCALATION WHEN STUDENTS ARE BECOMING ESCALATED, TO TRY AND BRING THEM BACK DOWN TO A MORE REGULATED STATE.
IT SAYS SELECT CAROLINE COUNTY STAFF JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A PHYSICAL COMPONENT,
[00:30:06]
BUT THAT IS THE LAST RESORT, BUT IT'S HELPFUL FOR THE RIGHT STAFF TO HAVE THE RIGHT TRAINING IN CASE IT DOES GET TO THAT POINT.OUR LEAD SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST TAKES THAT ROLE IN BEING THE TRAINER.
WE'VE DONE A LOT WITH GOALBOOK.
I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD ME BEFORE SING THE PRAISES OF GOALBOOK.
I STILL LOVE IT. CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE, I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE TRAINING TO OUR OTS, PTS, OUR AUDIOLOGISTS, OUR VISION AND HEARING TEACHERS FROM THE MENTOR CONSORTIUM.
SO THEY HAVE SOME EXPOSURE TO CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE JUST BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A HUGE INITIATIVE FOR OUR COUNTY.
THEN I WAS ALSO ABLE TO TAKE A LARGE TEAM TO A SPECIAL EDUCATION LEGAL CONFERENCE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, SO WE COULD COME BACK WITH LOTS OF FUN LEGAL INFORMATION, AND THAT'S GOING TO DRIVE SOME OF OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR COMING OFF.
>> I THINK THAT'S WHEN OUR ATTORNEY WAS AT [INAUDIBLE].
>> I ATE LUNCH WITH HER ONE DAY.
>> I DON'T KNOW SHE CHARGED US FOR THAT, BUT IT WAS OKAY. [LAUGHTER] WE WORKED TOO MUCH.
>> NO, SHE DID NOT. [LAUGHTER]
WE WERE BOTH EATING, SO IT WAS FINE, BUT SHE WAS THERE AND IT WAS NICE BECAUSE WE SAW A LOT OF THE SECTION CHIEFS, AND EVEN THE ASSISTANT STATE SUPERINTENDENT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, THEY WERE ALL THERE.
WE ACTUALLY FLEW ON THE PLANE BACK WITH THEM, SO I WAS EVEN ABLE TO ASK THEM SOME QUESTIONS WHILE WE WERE SITTING IN THE AIRPORT.
FOR ME, I LOVE LEARNING NEW THINGS AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT I'M UP TO SPEED WITH WHAT IS COMPLIANT AND EVEN WHAT'S BEST PRACTICE.
THAT WAS REALLY, I THINK, ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR ME FOR THIS YEAR.
>> I DO WANT TO ADD TO, I THINK, MISS MCDONALD'S GLOWS.
SHE WAS NOT HERE WHEN WE ACCEPTED HER AS OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPERVISOR.
WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND CONGRATULATE HER THIS EVENING NOW THAT SHE IS HERE.
>> YOU WERE AT THAT CONFERENCE. [LAUGHTER]
>> NOW SHE'S HERE, SHE'S NOW OUR OFFICIAL SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPERVISOR.
WE WANT TO [OVERLAPPING] CONGRATULATE HER.
>> [OVERLAPPING] PICTURE WHEN YOU'RE DONE, OR?
>> YEAH, WE'LL DEFINITELY [OVERLAPPING] A PICTURE BEFORE YOU.
>> BUT YOU GOT THE COOL EARRINGS.
>> YEAH, I DID HAVE THE EARRINGS.
[LAUGHTER] THEN WE KNOW TOO THAT OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF ARE BEING PULLED IN MILLIONS OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, AND THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT WE WANT TO TEACH THEM, AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME.
SOMETHING THAT WE DID LAST YEAR AND ALSO THAT I PUT INTO THE FEDERAL APPLICATION THIS YEAR FOR OUR FUNDING IS TO JUST PROVIDE THE BEFORE AND AFTER-SCHOOL PAID OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO CO-PLAN AND GET SOME EXTRA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
OF COURSE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO ACCESS THAT, BUT IF THEY WANT TO, IT'S THERE.
PROVIDING AFTER-SCHOOL WORKSHOPS FOR NEW TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST QUARTER, BECAUSE SPECIAL EDUCATION IS NOT JUST TEACHING.
THERE'S LOTS OF COMPLIANCE AND PAPERWORK THAT GO ALONG WITH IT, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION WHEN THEY START.
I THINK I PUT SUMMER 2024 BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THIS YEAR'S PD CALENDAR.
JUST KNOW THAT THAT'S SUPPOSED TO SAY 2023.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE SOME IDEAS FOR 2024.
I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER BIG THINGS, ESPECIALLY SECOND SEMESTER ON IS I WORK A LOT WITH THE MATH AND ENGLISH SUPERVISORS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR TEACHERS ARE GETTING THE PD ON EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTION, AND THAT'S TO HELP ALL STUDENTS.
BUT JUST REALLY MAKING SURE THAT OUR TEACHERS KNOW CONTENT OF WHAT THEY'RE CO-TEACHING.
WE HAVE A NEW FAMILY SUPPORT COORDINATOR THIS YEAR.
HER NAME IS CASEY IRBY, AND SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT SECAC EVENT.
SHE'S PUT ON MONTHLY PLAYGROUPS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS' FAMILIES.
SHE'S GOT LOTS OF REALLY GOOD IDEAS FOR PARENT TRAINING.
WE'RE JUST REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE HER ON BOARD.
SHE WANTS TO REACH OUT TO FAMILIES.
SHE'S DONE A LOT OF NETWORKING WITH THE OTHER COORDINATORS ON THE SHORE.
THEN THE PARENT SURVEY RESPONSE RATE.
EVERY FALL, OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS' FAMILIES GET A SURVEY THAT THEY HAVE TO FILL OUT AND SEND BACK TO THE STATE.
THEN IN THE SPRINGTIME WE HAVE PRESCHOOL AND THEN SCHOOL-AGED SURVEYS.
ON OUR, IT'S A DRAFT REPORT CARD, BUT I WOULD STILL COUNT THE RESULTS AS ACCURATE, THAT WE EXCEEDED THE STATE TARGET FOR HOW MANY FAMILIES RESPONDED, WHICH WAS A GOAL OF OURS FROM LAST YEAR.
[00:35:01]
THE PARENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF BEING INCLUDED AS AN IEP TEAM MEMBER, MAKING SURE THEIR VOICE IS HEARD.THAT'S EXCITING. THEN POST-SECONDARY OUTCOME, THERE IS AN INDICATOR ON OUR REPORT CARD.
IT'S CALLED INDICATOR 14, AND THAT HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON WHAT WE DO WITHIN THE SYSTEM FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH IEPS STARTING AT AGE 14.
THE INDICATOR 14 LOOKS AT AFTER THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL, ARE THEY IN HIGHER EDUCATION? ARE THEY IN CERTAIN TRAINING OR APPRENTICESHIP? THE STATE KEEPS TRACK OF THAT DATA, AND THIS YEAR WE MET IT, AND THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING, BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING HISTORICALLY THAT WE HAVE STRUGGLED WITH.
I THINK THAT THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH WHAT IS COMING FROM THE INITIATIVES WITH LINDSEY AND ERIC COOK, AND PEGGY WHITMAN, OUR TRANSITION SPECIALISTS.
ANY MORE GLOWS YOU CAN THINK OF?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT WE HAVE SHOWN SOME OF THE DATA, THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR DATA, AND YOU'LL SEE SOME END OF YEAR DATA THAT'S GOING TO REALLY BE EXCITING.
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE SUPERVISORS FOR INSTRUCTION, MATH AND ENGLISH, PARTICULARLY FOR THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, WE'RE SEEING OUR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND AML STUDENTS, SHOWING SOME SIGNIFICANT GROWTH, AND THAT IS THROUGH THE NEW COLLABORATION WITH MISS MCDONALD WITH THE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISORS.
I THINK THAT'S THE REASON WHY IT'S SO SUCCESSFUL IS THAT COLLABORATION WORK THAT'S HAPPENING AND THEN WORKING TOGETHER TO REALLY HAVE MEANINGFUL INTERVENTIONS THAT HELP EVERYONE AND ALL STUDENTS.
I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE THAT.
HEARING MISS MCDONALD TALKING THIS EVENING, THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAS SHE ACCOMPLISHED IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE EXPERTISE THAT SHE CONTINUES TO BRING.
HER ACCELERATION OF WHAT SHE'S DOING IS JUST PHENOMENAL, AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY BENEFIT OUR STUDENTS, MOST IMPORTANTLY. THANK YOU, MISS MCDONALD.
>> I DID GIVE A LITTLE SHOUT-OUT TO DR. WILLOUGHBY AND ERIN THORNTON, BECAUSE I'VE ASKED THEM A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STAFFING PLAN AND ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND WHAT ALL THE MONEY MEANS.
IT'S JUST BEEN REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE THE SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY COMING IN MID YEAR.
THEN OF COURSE, I HAVE MY GROWS, AND THAT'S JUST INCREASING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.
WE STILL REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON INCREASING GRADUATION RATES FOR THOSE COHORTS, BUT THEN ALSO DECREASING DROPOUT RATES.
I THINK WE'RE JUST STILL COMING BACK FROM THE PANDEMIC.
I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD SYSTEMS IN PLACE FOR MONITORING STUDENTS, NOT JUST SENIORS, BUT THE UNDERCLASSMEN WHO SOMETIMES FLY UNDER THE RADAR BECAUSE WE'RE THINKING ABOUT SENIORS GRADUATE, GRADUATE, GRADUATE, AND SOMETIMES THOSE NINTH GRADERS AND 10TH GRADERS ARE THE ONES THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET SOME OF THEIR CREDITS CAUGHT UP BEFORE THEY FEEL LIKE IT'S SO OVERWHELMING THAT THEY CAN'T GET TO THAT POINT.
THEN OF COURSE, JUST COMPLIANCE BECAUSE THAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION.
DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING COMPLIANT HIGH-QUALITY IEPS, BUILDING STAFF CAPACITY.
ONE OF MY BIG FOCUS AREAS FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR IS WORKING MORE WITH OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS, JUST BECAUSE THEY WORK SO MUCH DIRECTLY WITH OUR STUDENTS, AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO DO SO.
>> THEN WHEN LOOKING AT LAST YEAR'S STAFFING PLAN, THESE ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT YOU'LL SEE, NOT A HUGE DIFFERENCE, BUT JUST FACTORS IN ME LOOKING AT THIS YEAR'S.
FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, LAST YEAR THROUGH THE LEADS GRANT, WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE FOUR PSYCH INTERNS.
WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP OUR SIX SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS POSITIONS.
WE HAD 10 TOTAL YEAR, FOUR WERE INTERNS THAT OUR LEAD SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS SUPERVISE, AND THEY ARE ALL COMING BACK ON BOARD NEXT YEAR AS IN-PERSON, FULL TIME SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST.
WE WILL HAVE FIVE ON SITE PSYCHS AND THEN CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE ONE WHO WILL BE A CONTRACT VIRTUAL, BUT WE DO HAVE THE POSTING OPEN AND IF SOMEONE POPS UP AND THEY ARE AN IN-PERSON SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST AND THEY'RE GOOD FIT FOR THE SYSTEM, THAT WOULD BE, OF COURSE, IDEAL JUST BECAUSE WE SEE AN INCREASED NEED FOR THAT BEHAVIOR SUPPORT BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN THE BUILDINGS.
COORDINATORS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
[00:40:02]
WE ARE STILL PLANNING FOR TWO.RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ONE, BECAUSE WE HAVE A VACANCY, BUT THAT WAS POSTED AND WE HAVE INTERVIEWS COMING UP.
HISTORICALLY, THE WAY THAT IT WAS STRUCTURED WAS THERE WAS AN ELEMENTARY COORDINATOR AND A SECONDARY COORDINATOR.
I THINK THIS IS TBD, TO BE DETERMINED JUST BECAUSE WHOEVER THAT COORDINATOR IS AND WHAT EXPERIENCE THEY BRING JUST MIGHT CAUSE A RESTRUCTURE OF MAYBE THE LENS THAT THEY FOCUS ON.
WE HAVE INTERVIEWS NEXT WEEK, I THINK.
THE BIGGEST THING THOUGH THAT THEY DO, THEY SUPPORT THE TEACHER SPECIALISTS, SUPPORT THE TEACHERS TO STAFF THE ADMINISTRATION, THEY OVERSEE COMPLIANCE, THEY GO TO SOME HIGH PROFILE, POTENTIALLY CONTENTIOUS IP MEETINGS IF NEEDED.
THEY DO OBSERVATIONS AND EVALUATIONS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF.
THEN, LIKE I SAID, DEPENDING ON THEIR EXPERTISE AND WHAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE, WE JUST MIGHT ADJUST WHAT THEIR OVERSIGHT IS.
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER SPECIALISTS, JEN MANGRUM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HER, SHE WAS A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AT DEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SHE CAME ON BOARD WITH US IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR BECAUSE WE DID HAVE A VACANCY CARRIED OVER FROM THE SUMMER.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE OUR SECONDARY TRANSITION TEACHER SPECIALIST, AND WE HAVE FOUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER SPECIALISTS, SO WE PLAN TO KEEP THOSE THE SAME.
ONE OF THOSE TEACHER SPECIALISTS WILL TAKE THE ROLE OF MONITORING WHAT IS CALLED SIGNIFICANT DISPROPORTIONALITY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE STATE DOES IS THEY MONITOR CERTAIN AREAS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, LIKE OVER IDENTIFICATION OF CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS FOR A SPECIFIC DISABILITY, THEY MONITOR DISCIPLINARY REMOVALS OF DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR EVEN LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
ARE WE PUTTING TOO MANY STUDENTS INTO LESS THAN 40%, WHICH IS A MORE RESTRICTIVE PLACEMENT? THEY KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE NUMBERS.
THEY LET US KNOW WHEN MET A RISK RATIO THAT IS SIGNIFICANTLY DISPROPORTIONATE.
CURRENTLY, THIS UPCOMING YEAR WE'RE LOOKING AT A LENS ON DISCIPLINARY REMOVALS.
I TALKED TO DR. DOWNS, THAT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE ONE OF THOSE FOUR TEACHER SPECIALISTS WHO REALLY TAKE THAT ROLE OF LOOKING AT THE DATA, MAKING SURE THEY'RE IN THE BUILDINGS WITH ADMINISTRATORS, HAVING THE PARTICIPATION IN THE DISCIPLINE REVIEW COMMITTEE, JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT WHAT DISCIPLINARY REMOVAL SHOULD APPLY FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
BUT ALSO, JUST KEEPING AN EYE ON THE OTHER AREAS.
I DID ALSO REACH OUT TO OTHER DISTRICTS ON THE SHORE, JUST TO SEE WHAT THEIR CASELOAD PROJECTIONS WERE FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ADEQUATE STAFFING AS FAR AS TEACHERS GO, AND CAROLINE COUNTY LOOKS PRETTY GOOD COMPARED TO OTHER DISTRICTS.
WE'RE SIMILAR IN MOST ELEMENTARY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL, IF NOT ON THE LOWER END COMPARED TO OTHER DISTRICTS.
THEN ALSO, I DID JUST WANT TO TOUCH ON THE VIRTUAL SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SERVICES BECAUSE THAT HAS BEEN A BIG DISCUSSION AND IT'S JUST BEEN A THING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
I THINK THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RIGHT NOW FOR SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS IS LIKE 0.03%.
YOU JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM.
THERE JUST AREN'T ENOUGH OF THEM TO GO AROUND, SO WE DEFINITELY HAVE HAD SOME TRIALS WITH GETTING IN-PERSON SPEECH THERAPIST HERE IN THE DISTRICT, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A FOCUS FOR ME FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, WE DO HAVE POSITIONS THAT WILL BE MOSTLY VIRTUAL, WE DO HAVE SOME RETIRED SPEECH THERAPISTS WHO LOVE CAROLINE COUNTY AND THEY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF US AND THEY WANT TO COME BACK AND THEY DO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS IN THE BUILDINGS.
I WILL SAY THAT MOST OF OUR STUDENTS SUCCESSFULLY ACCESS VIRTUAL SPEECH.
BUT THERE ARE STUDENTS WHO REALLY NEED THAT IN-PERSON SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE USING A DEVICE OR THEY JUST DON'T DO WELL IN FRONT OF A SCREEN,
[00:45:01]
THAT IN-PERSON INTERACTIONS ARE IMPORTANT.WE DO HAVE SOME STAFF LINED UP FOR THAT AS WELL.
>> I'LL CONNECT TO THE VIRTUAL SPEECH THING AS WELL, AND I APPRECIATE MS. MCDONALD BRINGING IT UP.
EASTERN SHORE SUPERINTENDENT HAD A MEETING WITH THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, THAT MSDE, FORGET HIS FULL TITLE.
>> YES. WITH THE, BASICALLY, SPECIAL EDUCATION ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, AND MSDE IS VERY WELL AWARE OF THE SHORTAGE OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPISTS FOR IN-PERSON THERAPY AS WELL AS THOSE COMING OUT OF PROGRAMS. IT'S ONE OF THOSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION.
IT'S A LONGER GAME. IT'S NOT AN AUTOMATIC FIX.
BUT THEY ABSOLUTELY RECOGNIZE THE SHORTAGE OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE FOLKS COMING OUT OF HIGHER ED.
THEY ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND THE LIMITING FACTOR OF PROGRAMS ONLY ACCEPTING X NUMBER OF PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE NOT BEING VERY MANY PROGRAMS IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, AND THAT IS ONE OF THEIR PRIORITY AREAS THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON TRYING TO SUPPORT TO GET MORE COMING OUT.
IT DOESN'T FIX IT IN THE SHORT RUN.
BUT TO BE HONEST, IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE RECOGNITION OF THE LONG TERM IMPACT OF THE CHALLENGES.
THEY'RE FACING IT IN ALL THE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE.
FRANKLY, IT'S NOT REALLY A PAY ISSUE.
IT'S MORE A PEOPLE ISSUE THAN A PAY ISSUE, BECAUSE THEY JUST DON'T EXIST.
NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE TO GO AROUND.
THEY'RE NOWHERE NEAR CLOSE TO MEETING THE SUPPLY.
AS MUCH AS WE WANT TO MOVE OURSELVES OUT OF THE CONTRACTED SERVICES PIECE FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY,AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TO DO THAT, THAT'S GOING TO BE A SHORT TERM REALITY FOR US FOR PROBABLY A COUPLE OF YEARS, AND WE CAN DO RECRUIT AND WORK TO GET PEOPLE HERE EVEN IF IT'S CONTRACTED TO GET THEM IN-PERSON, WHERE WE CAN, VIRTUAL IS WORKING.
BUT IN-PERSON CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVE?
>> ARE WE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH VIRTUAL AND DO WE HAVE ENOUGH TO VIRTUAL AS WELL OR WE RUN INTO THAT PROBLEM TOO?
>> I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOW MANY SPEECH THERAPISTS WE HAVE ALLOTTED.
IT'S REALLY JUST FINDING THE PEOPLE TO COME.
>> IT'S THE CONTRACT, THEY WERE FILLING THEIR PIECE IN ORDER TO BE PAID FOR IT.
>> DEMAND CREATED AND SUPPLIED.
THE UNIVERSITIES DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PROGRAMS.
>> THE COHORTS ARE REALLY SMALL.
>> ONE OF THEM, THEIR COHORT CANNOT BE LONGER, BUT LARGER THAN I THINK, 16.
>> YEAH, IT'S REALLY. ACTUALLY [OVERLAPPING]
>> THE STAFF TO SUPPORT BIGGER CLASS SIZE.
>> PROBABLY. THEN AT THE END OF APRIL, I WAS ACTUALLY LITERALLY ON MY WAY TO PENNSYLVANIA.
I HAD THE HR SUITCASE, I HAD ALL THE SWAG, AND I GOT A PHONE CALL THAT THEY WERE CANCELING THE FAIR THAT WAS THAT EVENING BECAUSE ALL OF THEIR GRADUATES HAD FOUND JOBS.
NOT FOR LACK OF TRYING, BUT I WAS READY TO GO WITH EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD OFFER THEM.
>> THOSE SPEECH LANGUAGE GRADS ARE NOT JUST GOING INTO PUBLIC, I HEARD THEY'RE GOING INTO HOSPITAL SETTINGS, THEY'RE GOING INTO PRIVATE SETTINGS.
>> THERE'S SO MANY OPTIONS FOR THEM.
>> YEAH, THERE'S A REAL SHORTAGE THERE.
>> FOR SOMEBODY WHO WANTS JOB SECURITY, GOING TO THAT FIELD, BUT GOOD LUCK GETTING INTO A PROGRAM.
>> THAT'S THE CHALLENGING PART WHEN WE STARTED MAKING PHONE CALLS IN THE WINTERTIME TO UNIVERSITIES.
I WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO CONTACT DEPARTMENT HEADS ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD PEOPLE IN OUR DISTRICT WHO ARE INTERESTED IN TRANSITIONING TO SPEECH LANGUAGE THERAPISTS AND WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT THAT OPPORTUNITY.
NONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT I COULD EVEN FIND PROVIDED THEM TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR JOB WHILE THEY DID THEIR PROGRAM, WHICH WE HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT FOR OUR OTHER TEACHING STAFF, AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO COMPLETELY STOP WORKING, AND I BELIEVE IT'S OVER A YEAR.
IS TWO YEARS. THEY HAVE TO STOP WORKING ALTOGETHER AND GO FULL TIME ON SITE.
WE ACTUALLY HAD PEOPLE WHO WERE INTERESTED IN TRANSITIONING.
>> WE CAN EVEN GROW. [OVERLAPPING]
>> BUT WE CAN GROW OUR OWN IN THAT DEPARTMENT.
ONE THING I ALSO WANT TO JUST TOUCH ON REAL QUICK BEFORE WE MOVE OVER, CASELOADS.
DID YOU WANT ANY CLARIFICATION ON WHAT THAT MEANT WHEN WE WERE REFERRING TO CASELOADS FOR THE TEACHERS? ARE YOU GUYS CLEAR ON WHAT THAT MEAN? [OVERLAPPING]
>> MAYBE WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN POST OUR OWN.
>> WELL, NOT EVEN A FAIR BUT TO HOST OUR OWN TEACHER TO TEACH THESE PEOPLE [OVERLAPPING]
>> I'M SURE EDUCATION CONSORTIUM FOR THE EASTERN SHORE OR THE MID SHORE, WHICH WE'RE PART OF, IS TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF TRYING TO TACKLE THE SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY PIECE AS WELL FOR RECRUITMENT AND TRYING TO FIND OTHER OPTIONS.
[00:50:03]
MY BELIEF IS THE MODEL IS NEVER GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.>> SOMEONE'S GOING TO GIVE AT THE TOP [OVERLAPPING]
>> THEY'RE WILLING TO DO STUFF DIFFERENT WITH TEACHING CERTIFICATIONS.
>> THE STATE HAS BEEN WILLING TO DO STUFF WITH OTHER CERTIFICATIONS AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES.
THE LEADS GRANT, WHICH ERICA HIGHLIGHTED WITH THE SCHOOL PSYCHS, WITH US GETTING MONEY THAT ALLOWED US TO HIRE INTERNS.
>> PAY DIVIDENDS FOR US. ALL FOUR ARE STAYING WITH US.
THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE WAY TO CRACK THE NUT OF THE MODEL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE RIGHT NOW TO GET THEM TO CHANGE THAT PIECE.
>> THEY'RE JUST NOT MOVING [OVERLAPPING] LIKE THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENTS.
>> THERE'S NOT A RESIDENT TEACHER CERTIFICATION, WHICH I KNOW THE LANGUAGE HAS CHANGED AS OF APRIL 1, BUT THERE'S NOT A COME TRAIN UNDER US AND WORK TOWARDS YOUR SERVE IN THAT FIELD.
>> WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE SOMETHING [OVERLAPPING]
>> IF WE DO, IT MIGHT BE ONE WE CAN MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT.
>> I WAS GOING TO SAY PART OF IT TOO IS, SPEECH IS CONSIDERED A RELATED SERVICE, AND SO THEY'RE A HEALTH-RELATED SERVICE PROVIDER.
THEIR LICENSING ACTUALLY GOES THROUGH MARYLAND, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND IT'S JUST WE NEED THEM HERE, BUT THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT HURDLES THAT GET IN OUR WAY.
JUST PERSONAL PLUG, MY OWN CHILD HAS AN IMP FOR SPEECH, SO IF ANYTHING, THIS IS MY THING.
HE DOES VERY WELL WITH VIRTUAL SPEECH.
HE ALSO LIKES SCREEN TIME, SO I THINK HE THINKS IT'S COOL.
[BACKGROUND] [LAUGHTER] BUT IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING, WHETHER THEY'RE VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH.
I HAVE A GOOD, KNOCK ON WOOD, FEELING ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
I'VE ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO FILL A LOT, IF NOT ALL, OF THE POSITIONS.
HAVING THEM ALL START TOGETHER IN AUGUST, I REQUESTED THAT THEY START BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS, SO I HAVE SOME TIME WITH THEM TO TEACH THEM ABOUT MARYLAND AND COMAR.
IF THEY'RE COMING FROM MAYBE AN OUTPATIENT SETTING, THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE SCHOOL SETTING BECAUSE IT'S VERY DIFFERENT.
SO JUST TRYING TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE SUPPORTIVE AND THAT THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL AND WE KEEP THEM.
>> ONE THING THAT MS. MCDONALD DID MID-YEAR WAS TO ESTABLISH A VIRTUAL REGULAR MEETING WITH THEM, CHECKING IN, GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH US ON A RELATIONSHIP LEVEL SO THAT THEY FEEL CONNECTED TO OUR SCHOOLS AND TO MS. MCDONALD.
I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN IN ON SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS AND IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN RETENTION AND HELPING THEM HEAR THEIR CONCERNS, GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE SO THAT THEY ARE NOT AS LIKELY TO DIP OUT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A CONNECTION.
NOW SHE'S CREATED THIS CONNECTION WITH THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS AND KNOWS THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CHECK IN, AND I THINK THAT HELPS WITH RETENTION AS WELL.
>> I'M HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT CASELOADS, IF YOU WANT ME TO JUST CLARIFY A LITTLE MORE, WE LOOK AT NUMBER, BUT ALSO YOU'LL SEE IN THE STAFFING PLAN DOCUMENT, THAT WE ALSO LOOK AT THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT THAT STUDENTS NEED.
YOU MIGHT SEE A TEACHER HAVE FIVE STUDENTS ON OUR CASELOAD, BUT THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL NEEDS OR SIGNIFICANT COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR NEEDS THAT REALLY DRIVE THE NEED TO KEEP THOSE POSITIONS.
THIS IS MY RECOMMENDED STAFFING FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE DID NOT HAVE TO CUT ANY SPECIAL ED POSITIONS, SO THEY WOULD ALL STAY THE SAME.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND WHEN WORKING WITH FINANCE AND WORKING WITH HR ON SOME STAFFING PROJECTIONS WAS LAST YEAR WITH THE EXPANSION OF PRE-K 3, THOSE TEACHERS USED TO BE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, AND THEN THEY WERE MOVED TO BE CLASSROOM GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS.
WE HAVE ONE SPECIAL EDUCATION POSITION THAT IS FUNDED THROUGH PASS-THROUGH, WHICH IS OUR FEDERAL SPECIAL ED FUNDING THAT WAS ORIGINALLY FOR THAT TEACHER WHO MOVED OVER TO GEN ED.
MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD JUST BE TO REALLOCATE THAT POSITION TO DENTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
[00:55:01]
WITH PRESTON AND RIDGELY HAVING THE PRE-K 3 PROGRAMS. EVENTUALLY, SOME OF THOSE KIDS GO BACK TO DENTON AND WE ANTICIPATE ABOUT 14 OR 15 STUDENTS WITH IPS GOING INTO PRE-K AT DENTON THIS UPCOMING YEAR, SO THE NEED THERE IS DEFINITELY THERE FOR THAT POSITION.IT'S NOT A NEW ONE, JUST A RE-SHIFT TO DENTON.
>> YOU'RE NOT REQUESTING ANY EXTRA?
>> NOT REQUESTING ANY NEW, NO.
I WAS TRYING TO THINK IF THERE WAS ANYTHING ELSE.
THIS HAS THE STAFF WHO ARE FUNDED OUT OF LOCAL AND THEN WITH THE PASS-THROUGH, THE FEDERAL FUNDING.
I THINK THERE'S FOUR SPECIAL ED TEACHERS WHO COME OUT OF OUR FEDERAL FUND APPLICATION AND THE REST COME OUT OF THE LOCAL BUDGET.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I FORGOT TO MENTION WHEN WE WERE TALKING, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT SPEECH A LOT.
BUT CURRENTLY, THE WAY THAT THE VIRTUAL SPEECH SERVICES WORK IS WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANCE, BRING THE STUDENTS TO THE SPEECH ROOM, SO THAT THEY CAN BE THERE TO DO ANY TECHNICAL SUPPORT, TROUBLESHOOTING, REDIRECTION FOR BEHAVIOR SUPPORT.
BUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND THAT IN ONE OF THE GRANTS FROM LAST YEAR, THAT WE HAVE A FEW SUPPORT STAFF POSITIONS.
OF COURSE, THEY'RE GRANT-FUNDED, SO THEY END EVENTUALLY, BUT I PLAN TO POST THOSE POSITIONS, SO WE CAN HAVE THE IAS WHO ARE CURRENTLY SUPPORTING THOSE STUDENTS WITH VIRTUAL GO BACK INTO THE CLASSROOMS AND WE CAN HAVE OCCASIONAL TEMPORARY STAFF TO PROVIDE VIRTUAL.
I HAVE FIVE OF THOSE COMING FROM SPECIAL ED GRANTS, SO THAT'S EXCITING.
>> BECAUSE THEN WE CAN HAVE MORE SUPPORT WITHIN THE CLASSROOMS.
>> I FIND THAT 7.8 INTERESTING.
>> THAT'S BECAUSE OUR PRESTON SECRETARY, SHE'S NOT FULL-TIME.
LAST YEAR, IT WAS THREE DAYS A WEEK, WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE TO FOUR, JUST BECAUSE THERE IS AN INCREASE IN STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AT PRESTON, EVERYWHERE, BUT SPECIFICALLY AT PRESTON AND THAT'S THE ONLY SCHOOL SO FAR THAT DOES NOT HAVE A FULL-TIME SECRETARY.
MAYBE NEXT YEAR WHEN YOU SEE ME, I MIGHT ASK TO BUMP IT UP TO EIGHT BUT FOR RIGHT NOW IT'S WORKING.
>> I KNOW. MAYBE A LITTLE DECIMAL INCREASE.
>> IF IT GOES TO FOUR DAYS. [LAUGHTER]
>> DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
>> THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING.
>> THE DOCUMENT, PLEASE REVIEW IT.
I PLAN TO SEND IT TO THE CCAPP MEMBERS AS WELL JUST BECAUSE PUBLIC INPUT IS PART OF THE STAFFING PLAN.
IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE A CALL OR MEET WITH YOU TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF IT.
THIS WAS ANOTHER CCAPP EVENT THAT WE HAD.
IT WAS OUR SENSORY FRIENDLY HOLIDAY EVENT AND THOSE WERE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS WHO NEEDED SERVICE LEARNING HOURS.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE THEM SOME HOURS TO HELP US SET UP AND CLEAN UP AND THEY HAD A GOOD TIME.
LOTS OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING.
>> IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO, DOESN'T IT?
>> JUST TO SHARE SOMETHING ELSE THAT MS. MCDONALD HAS DONE.
RATHER THAN JUST CONTINUE TO DO THINGS COPY AND PASTE, MS. MCDONALD REALLY DID A DEEP DIVE INTO THE STAFFING PLAN AND THE WAY THAT WE CONSTRUCTED, THE WAY THAT IT'S DEVELOPED, AND SOUGHT OTHER RESOURCES TO SEE HOW OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING THINGS TO GET INFORMATION AND WAS ABLE TO, I BELIEVE CREATE A STAFFING PLAN THAT REALLY REFLECTS A LOT OF DEEP THOUGHT AND REFLECTION AND INTROSPECTION AS TO WHAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE NEED HERE.
SO I APPRECIATE HER INNOVATION IN DOING THAT AND BEING BRAVE TO BE ABLE TO REWRITE IT IN A WAY THAT IS TRULY INTENTIONAL AND BELONGS TO CAROLINE.
AND FINDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST WHERE MAYBE THEY WEREN'T THERE BEFORE.
>> VERY FRESH LOOK, VERY READABLE.
SHE'S TOUCHED EVERY WORD WHICH I THINK IS AMAZING.
[01:00:01]
YOU THEN FIND OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST ELSEWHERE.SO I WANT TO RECOGNIZE HER FOR DOING THAT AS WELL.
>> NEEDLESS TO SAY SPECIAL EDUCATION IS EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.
EVERY DISTRICT HAS THAT CHALLENGE BEFORE THEM, AND I JUST WONDER WHERE IT'S GOING.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON IT.
>> BUT ALSO THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ARE THE MOST CHALLENGING.
>> AND HAVING CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN THE COUNTY AND THEN HAVING A CHILD WHO GOES TO SCHOOL IN CAROLINE COUNTY, I JUST FEEL LIKE IT JUST GIVES YOU THAT EXTRA PUSH TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR STUDENTS AND DO WHAT'S BEST FOR STAFF, BUT JUST ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO WHAT THEY REQUIRE.
>> COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, BOARD.
SO THAT'LL COME BEFORE US IN JUNE?
>> BUT MAYBE WE'LL VOTE FOR IT.
>> IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU IN JULY OR THE SPECIAL WORK SESSION IN JUNE.
>> IT'LL COME BACK EVERY TIME.
>> REALLY WONDERFUL. WELL DONE.
>> SO NOW WE ARE AT UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS.
[4. Upcoming Meetings/Events]
THE EVENTS LIST IS GETTING SHORTER.>> I NOTICED THAT EARLIER AS WELL.
>> PLEASE CONTINUE TO CHECK THE BOX ON THE GOOGLE SHEET FOR EVENTS COMING UP.
I KNOW WE'LL SEE EVERYBODY AT GRADUATION, WHICH THEY ARE NEXT WEEK.
>> FOR ME, PERSONALLY I GUESS FRUSTRATING OR DISAPPOINTING THING IS I JUST COULDN'T MAKE IT TO AS MANY THINGS AS I WANTED TO.
THE REST OF MY LIFE GETS IN A WAY.
AND I'LL COMMENT ABOUT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR.
SO ON THE 23RD, TWO DAYS FROM NOW? THE FINAL AMP CLOCK PROJECT, SO I WAS THERE FOR THEIR PROPOSALS.
I'M GOING TO BE IN PENNSYLVANIA COMING BACK THAT DAY.
IT'S THE ONLY DAY I COULD HAVE GONE UP THERE.
AND WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT SOME OF THE STUDENTS HAVE PRESENTED THEIR PROPOSALS.
I HAVE RUN INTO THEM, OTHER PLACES, INCLUDING AT THE YMCA.
THIS GROUP, I'VE SEEN THEM DO THEIR PRESENTATIONS MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND THEY'RE USUALLY VERY RESERVED, A LITTLE SHY TO DO THIS, THEY'RE QUIET.
AND IT'S REALLY A STRETCH FOR THEM TO GET UP AND DO THAT.
SO MR. HALE HAS REALLY CHALLENGED THEM TO EXPAND THEMSELVES INTO PUBLIC SPEAKING.
I'D BE INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT HIS COMMENTS ARE ABOUT IT.
IF ANY OF YOU GO THAT DAY, MAYBE YOU WANT TO ASK. YOU WERE THERE, RIGHT?
>> THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE OUTGOING AS A GROUP.
AND THEY THREW COMEDY INTO IT.
ONE OF THE STUDENTS PRESENTED HIS PROPOSAL WAS LEBRON JAMES CLOCK.
THIS IS A RELATIVELY SHORT GUY AND HE SAID, OH, IT'S HIS GOAL TO BECOME LEBRON JAMES AND THAT HE'S GOING TO BE AN MBA BASKETBALL PLAYER.
HE SAID ALL OF THIS WITH A STRAIGHT FACE [LAUGHTER].
I SAY HIM AND HIS FATHER, THEY'RE NOT LIKE FRIENDS, THEY JUST KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
AND TOLD HIM HOW GREAT HE DID, TOLD HIS DAD HOW GREAT HE DID.
AND HE SAYS, WELL, HE WORKED ON IT A LOT AND IT'S NICE TO HEAR THE FEEDBACK.
THESE GUYS ALL GO TO THE YMCA, SO I SAW THEM THERE.
HE DID ONE THAT WAS A DWAYNE JOHNSON, THE ROCK CLOCK.
AND HE SAYS, YEAH, HE'S GOING TO BE DWAYNE JOHNSON.
THIS GUY, I CAN'T IMAGINE HE EVER COULD BE BUILT LIKE THAT [LAUGHTER].
THEY WERE JUST SO FUNNY AND SO DEAD PAN, BUT THEY WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES.
THERE WAS A GUY WHO PROPOSED A GUITAR CLOCK AND HE ACTUALLY DID A GUITAR RIFF.
SO WHERE DID THESE GUYS COME FROM? USUALLY, THEY ARE VERY SHY AND WITHDRAWN.
SO I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED I CAN'T BE THERE.
SO MICHELLE, IF YOU CAN MAKE IT OR SOMEBODY CAN GO THERE.
THERE WERE A THREE WAY TIE, IF I RECALL.
AND WE HAD TO HAVE A RUNOFF TO FINALLY COME UP WITH THE ONE THAT I THINK IT'S A TRACTOR.
>> IF YOU ATTEND THE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL THAT'S COMING UP IN GRIGSBY, MAKE SURE YOU LOOK FOR THEM.
>> I'LL BE THERE. I'LL BE WORKING FOR THE ALIANS CLUB, SO I WILL LOOK FOR THEM.
THAT'S GOOD. THEN I'LL GET THAT OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME INTERACTION WITH ONE OF THEM.
ANYWAY, I JUST SINGLE THAT ONE OUT.
[01:05:02]
THERE'S SO MANY GOOD THINGS COMING UP AND GRADUATIONS.I'M SURE AT LEAST WE KNOW WHO'S GOING TO BE SPEAKING AT THE GRADUATIONS REPRESENTING THE BOARD.
I'M SURE HE'LL TALK FOR HALF AN HOUR [LAUGHTER].
>> IT WILL NOT BE 35 MINUTES [LAUGHTER].
>> IT WILL BE APPROPRIATE TIME TO PUT IT.
>> I'LL BE RESPECTFUL OF THOSE WATCHING.
SO THE ANNUAL ISMET CONFERENCE THAT'S COMING UP ON JUNE 17, WILL MORE INFORMATION COME OUT?
>> I THINK WE'VE SENT THE EMAIL OUT.
IT'S A FULL DAY CONFERENCE, RACHEL HEISE AND IKE LEGGETT FROM ME IEV WILL BE THERE.
DR. WRIGHT FROM MSDE WILL BE THERE AS WELL.
IT'S THE CONFERENCE PUT ON WITH FOR ALL BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENTS.
AND ACTUALLY, THIS YEAR, IT'S NOT AT CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE, IT'S ACTUALLY AT WHAT'S THE POLICE IN COUNTY ISLAND.
I THINK IT AT CHESAPEAKE BAY BEACH CLUB THIS YEAR.
I BELIEVE IT'S AT CHESAPEAKE BAY BEACH CLUB ON KEN ISLAND.
>> SO IT SHOULD BE A GOOD CONFERENCE OR A GOOD MEETING FOR THOSE WHO CAN MAKE IT.
WE STARTED ROUGHLY PROBABLY ABOUT 8:30 OR 09:00 IN THE MORNING.
>> ALL DAY FOR AN ABBREVIATED DAY.
WE HAVE THE DISTRICT LEVEL RETIREMENT. THAT'S A COW BARN?
>> VERY GOOD. ANYTHING ELSE THERE, FOLKS? THE LIST HAS GOTTEN SHORT. WE NEED TO ADD TO IT.
>> WE WILL IN SEPTEMBER. WE HAVE AUGUST [LAUGHTER].
>> A COUPLE OF THINGS. I CAN'T RECALL.
>> WE'VE GOT TO DO OUR PHOTO. DO YOU WANT TO DO IT NOW OR AFTER?
>> THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER.
>> GREAT REMINDER. WE'LL GRAB IT AFTERWARDS.
>> TAKE ANOTHER ONE [OVERLAPPING] GOT ADJOURNED FIFTH GRADE.
>> THANK YOU, MICHELLE, FOR BEING HERE. WE'LL GO.
>> WE COULD PUT MISS WYMAN ON THE SCREEN.
YOU ALL CAN SIT IN FRONT OF HER AND SHE'LL BE PART OF THE PICTURE.
>> THANK YOU, MISS WYMAN. WELL DONE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.