BoardNotes: November 2022

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Preston Elementary School band students were on hand to lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. They were accompanied by music teacher Mr. List and Principal Angeloni.

The North Caroline High School Leo Club was recognized for outstanding service to the community.

For more details, please read the related News Release.

North Caroline High School Coach James McCormick was recognized for his years of service to student-athletes at NCHS. For more details, please read the related News Release.

Board Member Reports

Mrs. DiGiacomo spoke at the Next Generation Scholars meeting about her career path and experiences. She applauded the work of Next Gen Coordinator Abby Trice.

Mr. Plutschak met with principals at all schools and was "welcomed with open arms" He appreciated learning more about schools in the northern end of the county as he had no previous experience with the schools there.

Mrs. Wayman attended the Martin Luther King Day program. She said it was great to see such a large number of students with five schools represented and a lot of student participation in the program. She appreciated how much the event had grown throughout the years.

Mr. Jones also attended the MLK event. He was happy to see such a large turnout of community and religious leaders, and appreciated hearing each speaker’s perspective on Dr. King.

Mr. Barton participated in Special Olympics Maryland Polar Bear Plunge and was the announcer for the Cool Schools event. He especially appreciated being able to shout out the sizeable contingent of students from both CRHS and NCHS.

Superintendent's Report

Dr. Simmons shared the timeline for the Blueprint for Education and shared his appreciation for the work of Blueprint Coordinator Tara Downes, and Blueprint Pillar chairs Lindsey McCormick, Elizabeth Anthony, Robert Willoughby, and Elizabeth Saylor, and their committee members. He explained that chairs had a combined total of over 300 hours since December 1 to produce the draft document for MSDE's Feb. 1 deadline. This time has been spent on research, content development, and gathering and organizing data. In addition, they have attended steering committee meetings, pillar committee meetings, and other Blueprint-related meetings. Dr. Simmons noted that this is a heavy lift when combined with the regular duties of their positions, and that larger systems had the same Blueprint responsibilities but also had more staff to share the work; smaller systems do not. The upcoming Board Work Session will be on the topic of the Blueprint.

Dr. Simmons also noted that it was School Counselor Appreciation Week, a job that "ain't what it used to be." He explained that the job has gone beyond creating schedules, and that school counselors have to know their students, their families, and all the resources available. Dr. Simmons asked that people thank their counselors for the tremendous job they are doing in meeting those needs.

Directors Report

Mr. Mengal, Ms. McCormick, and Ms. Anthony reported on various activities in their areas throughout the past month.

Student Representative Reports

Colonel Richardson High School Student Board Representative Shelbi Briggs highlighted events and information for the schools in the south county, and North Caroline High School Student Board Representative Leslie Monter Casio highlighted events and information for the schools in the north county.

Finance Report

Chief Finance Officer Erin Thornton provided a finance report to the Board for the period ending January 31, 2023.

The Board approved personnel items as presented by Dr. Simmons.

The Board accepted the proposed FY 2024 Preliminary Budget which will now be submitted to the Caroline County Commissioners. Chief Financial Officer Erin Thornton noted that the budget reflects an increase from the Caroline County Commissioners and the State of Maryland. Projected state revenue reflects unofficial and preliminary data, as well as the county appropriation. When the official data is reflected in the State aid calculations, the actual revenue for next year may change. Additionally, as guidance is updated regarding increased state revenues based on Blueprint, the budget may need to be adjusted to reflect this.

The Board approved Calendar B (after Labor Day start) for the 2023-2024 school year. Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Tara Downes explained that the development of the 2023-2024 school calendar was accomplished through the efforts of the School System Improvement Council and Citizens Advisory Council. Two draft calendars were developed for consideration. Those calendar options were shared with the school community and a survey was deployed to solicit feedback to inform the board's decision. The survey asked respondents to choose the most preferred calendar and 69% of respondents chose calendar option B as their preference.

News Release

The Board approved revised Policy XII.120.50, Board of Education Aspiring Teacher Scholarship, which reflects an increased allocation in the FY23 budget, allowing the Board to award four scholarships each year. This revision appears in Section V(a).

Dr. Simmons shared the 2023 Career Fair Schedule as coordinated by Human Resources.

Legislative Presentation

Board member and MABE Legislative Committee Representative Mark Jones and Dr. Simmons provided an update on proposed legislation that has the potential to impact education in Caroline.

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Email: pio@ccpsstaff.org
Website: carolineschools.org
Location: Caroline County, Maryland
Phone: 410.479.1460
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