It was an even fuller house this time around at the 4pm session of the BOE meeting.  Many were in attendance to honor the outgoing student member of the board, Peter Banyas, and to honor and recognize those who had been promoted to administrative leadership positions.  There were many family members in attendance, including kids of all ages getting the opportunity they might not have had in a long time of sitting quietly through a mostly boring to them meeting.  (It's hard when you can't see over the person in front of you!)  It was incredibly sweet to see so many proud family and friends.  

Public Forum topics included:
gratitude for HCPSS an Howard County library system partnership and materials representing all families
Healthy school start times- asking for robust communications plan, highlighting the benefits and need for school start time changes

Next up was the signing of the contract with American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

The SMOB gave his final report, recapping the highlights and accomplishments of his year on the board.  

The superintendent's report started with the recognition of many who were promoted.  He touched on summer programs that had already started and those that would be starting soon.  He mentioned the summer meals program, the availability of take home covid tests for those participating in summer programs, and the extension of the deadline to express interest in participating in virtual focus groups on redistricting.  (The new deadline is Friday, July 1, by 5pm.  The form is at the end of the feasiblity study survey.)

A report was presented on the program evaluation that was performed on Ukeru.  Ukeru, which means "receive" in Japanese, is a comforting and restraint free crisis management program.  It was being evaluated as an alternative to restraints.  Hanover Hills, Thunder Hill, and Waterloo Elementary schools were program implementation sites.  There were a lot of questions and discussion on this program, the currently used program, safety care, and what should be done going forward.  If you'd like to view the discussion in full, on this or any other item, you can go directly to that portion of the agenda in the meeting video by clicking on the agenda item (it's 8. A Program evaluation of Ukeru System).  

School Start Times Update
The consultants gave their update on the process and sought the board's direction on the transportation service model and technology improvements.  Here is the full report.  Here is the power point presentation.  The recommendations were approved.  

I did not attend the 7pm session in person, I instead headed over to Long Reach HS for the first redistricting community session, which I will comment on in my next post.  I did catch the 7pm session online at a later time and took these notes.  

There was no one signed up for public forum.

Bids and Contracts were approved.  The next quarterly agenda was approved with a discussion of cell phone usage at school to be added.   

The audit plan was also approved.  The Operating Budget Review Committee (OBRC) gave their final report for this school year.  The board did their evaluation of the OBRC and rechartered it for next year.  There was some discussion on what groups should be potentially added or removed from having a seat on the OBRC but no changes passed at this meeting.  

The final report of the night was on instructional use of technology.  There was a motion to look into the feasibility of not charging families for damage to chrome books which passed.  

RThe feasibility study is a report created annually by the HCPSS Office of School Planning that is presented to the Board of Education, usually in June. It summarizes trends and gives projections for enrollment at each school as well as at each school level and by regions.  It gives recommendations for how growth and changing enrollment can be handled through building additional capacity, redistricting, or through changes in programs or the addition or moving of relocatable classrooms.  

From this year's feasibility study

"Enrollment projections are a valuable planning tool to help predict the need for new or expanded schools and determine how many teachers are needed each year in each school and grade. Enrollment projections are also used for facility planning purposes to estimate the expected needs for each school, including the potential for relocatable classrooms, new seats, and removal/placement of regional programs. Each year, the Board reviews the capital planning options and boundary adjustment considerations through a feasibility study. The report has four goals:
• Inform the long-term planning process.
• Facilitate discussion for decisions that may lay ahead.
• Provide strategic information to the school system.
• Prepare for school boundary adjustments.
The Office of School Planning presents the student enrollment projection, projection trends, comprehensive strategies for the capital improvement program (i.e., timing, location and number of seats in additions) and the need for attendance area adjustments anticipated within the ten-year Long-Range Master Plan. This is primarily an analysis of needs and potential strategies to address those needs. Any plans examined in this document may only be implemented through the Board’s approval of the capital budget and/or attendance area changes. Funding constraints may not allow capital projects recommended in this document to proceed as recommended. Annual enrollment projections are also used in short-term decision-making, such as determining staffing, school supplies and allocating relocatables." (pg 4)

Ultimately, the board decides what action to take based on the recommendations given.  Funding (or the lack there of) plays a big part in whether recommended projects remain on the long range plan or if they get pushed farther out, or off the list completely.  

The projections in this document always start with official September 30 enrollment numbers from the previous year.  They then project changes to enrollment based on apartment turnover, resales, new construction, and "other factors."  Residential construction is only considered "new" for one year.  The OSP's "other factors" are a little less clear, but the feasibility study lists, "all other contributing factors to change in enrollment between years for each school and includes projected change due to cohort size rising to the next level, changes to cohort survival rates, changes in birth counts from 5 years ago, change in birth to kindergarten survival rates, adjustments to out of district counts (including known exemptions at time of projection), students moving into an attendance area between birth and five years old, and adjustments based on previous projection accuracy." (pg 9)  If you look at this year's chart, as well as at the last few year's charts, for many schools this is listed as a negative number.  

These projections don't take into account enrollment changes that happen throughout the school year, unless they remain into the September 30 official enrollment number for the next school year.  In the last couple of years, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the resulting shift of many families to homeschooling or private school has had a marked effect on the accuracy of enrollment projections.  The 2019 redistricting as well as decreasing birthrates were also pointed to as affecting projection accuracy.  In years past, they have boasted of a good level of accuracy on the county level, but averages can obscure outliers. 

Information from this report is also shared with the county council to inform their allocations for new residential development under the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO).  In theory, APFO should help to give the school system time to address capacity issues before additional residential development comes online (it doesn't really).  Why is it also listed in this document as something slowing down development and pushing out the need for addressing capacity? (pg 2) 

There is one more candidate forum for Board of Education that I'm aware of before the primary and that is this Wednesday, 6/15/22 at Howard Community College hosted by the League of Women Voters.  The forum begins at 3pm with county executive candidates and continues with other offices through 9:15pm.  Board of Ed is scheduled to begin at approximately 5:45pm.  The forum will be livestreamed on their facebook and youtube and broadcast on 

• Verizon FIOS=channel 41
• Comcast Xfinity = channel 96

Below is my one stop shop document with information on forums past and present with links to watch some of the past ones.  I was sent or was able to find with a quick google, links to some, but not all of the forums online. 
Use the google docs link to access the most up to date version of this document and to use its links.  
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iQqBY68NgszRtxH6WtaGwwJK7fSrfM6IKF4M-gR3l5k/edit?usp=sharing

I attended the 4pm meeting in person but had to catch up virtually with the 7pm session due to our middle school orchestra concert.  
It was nice to be back in person to observe the meeting.  The last time I had been there had been for public forum in May 2021, speaking for the last time as PTA President on behalf of the EES PTA.  At that point people were allowed in to testify or speak at public forum by appointment, and ushered out at the conclusion of their remarks.  

The meeting began with public forum during which topics covered included support for Pride Week and LGBTQ students, concerns about restraint and seclusion, gratitude for additional summer meals site, and concern over backlash against LGBTQ affirming events.  

The superintendent announced many new administrative appointments and promotions as well as administrative transfers.  Current Long Reach High School principal, Joshua Wasilewski, was announced as the first principal for the 13th high school which will open in school year 23-24.  

The student member of the board recapped the board's visit to the three school construction/renovation projects currently underway in his report.  

The superintendent's report included an in person celebration of teacher and principal of the year winners from 2020, 2021, and 2022.  Other topics mentioned included high school graduations, the Bright Minds Foundation Celebration, a meeting with Congressman Sarbanes and County Executive Ball on expanding mental health supports, the state superintendent visiting HCPSS, and a celebration of 237 staff who are retiring.  The superintendent also made mention of the naming process for the new high school, which is governed by policy 6050.  A naming committee will be convened in September which will submit a recommendation to the board in January.  

A report was presented on school start times.  The final bell times schedule will not be set until redistricting is complete but a first draft will be shared in July.  Bus routing will take place in late fall and early winter.  Approximately 4000 students could be affected by the change to the walk zones in the proposed updates to policy 5200.  Walking distance is measuring walkable paths.  Two action items will be presented at the next board meeting.  

Policy 4060 Medicaid Reimbursement for Health-Related Services - approved effective immediately
Policy 6060 Community Improvements to School Sites or School Facilities- approved effective July 1, 2022
Policy 4050 Procurement of Goods and/or Services- approved effective July 1, 2022
Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: Middle and High School- Report  Proposed Changes **Public hearing will be July 14 and Board action on August 16**
Dr. Walker mentioned that course lists for next year are now available on synergy under more options, 2022-2023 courses (for the grades that have class choices).  I immediately looked up my rising 9th grader's classes.  Schedules and teacher assignments will be available late summer.

Feasibility study presentation began.  

7pm session
Public forum topics included concern about restraint and seclusion, supporting LGBTQ students, and concerns about school shootings

The redistricting consultants continued the presentation, covering the portion with potential redistricting scenarios.  
There is an online survey, community input meetings during the summer, planned focus groups that people can apply to participate in, and then public hearings in the fall.  

I will have lots more to share about redistricting in a future post.

-Meg