BoardNotes: November 2022

Caroline County Board of Education meetings are livestreamed and may also be viewed after the meeting has concluded. For information about the Board of Education, including agendas and meeting schedules, please visit the Leadership page of our website.

Denton Elementary band students opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. They were accompanied by Principal Crebs, Assistant Principal Grow, and Band teacher Ms. Oesterle.

At the start of each meeting, the board of education president reads the Mission Statement, "In partnership with families and community, we prepare all students to achieve college, career, and life readiness through a challenging and progressive educational experience."

The Board recognized Dr. Rebecca Wivell, Dean of Students for Caroline Career & Technology (CCTC), for recently completing a doctoral degree in Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction with a focus in literacy from Salisbury University.

News Release

Board Member Reports

• Mr. Jones highlighted his attendance at the MABE Annual Conference. He expressed appreciation for the perspective gained of all the great things in Caroline County. He also said that networking with other Board members from across the state was a highlight.
• Ms. Wayman highlighted her attendance at her first MABE Annual Conference. Her takeaway was meeting student board members from other counties and learning about their roles.
• Mr. Plutschak highlighted his attendance at the CRHS Homecoming and spending time with students, families and local commissioners.
• Ms. DiGiacomo highlighted the value of her relationships with staff and students. She said she’d been hearing positive things about LMS and NCHS, and gave kudos to the students at the NCHS game and concession stand.
• Mr. Barton highlighted his attendance at the MABE Annual Conference and expressed how proud he is of Caroline County.

Superintendent's Report

Dr. Simmons presented his goals for the 2023-24 school year. He explained that all the work sessions this year will be connected to one or more of his goals with the priority being improvement in academic performance for all students, strengthening communication with the community, parents and staff and implementation of Blueprint.

Student Reports

North Caroline High School Student Board Representative Leslie Monter Casio highlighted events and information for the schools in the north county including: the start of Prek, Fall picture day, diagnostic assessments completed, Suicide Prevention Month activities, middle school dance, and Homecoming activities (including an exciting win in football and student spotlights / celebrations. She also mentioned important upcoming events.

Colonel Richardson High School Student Board Representative Levi Divjak highlighted events and information for the schools in the south county including: Hispanic Heritage Month, Elementary Movie Night, Back to School dance, Book Fair, Suicide Prevention Month activities, Homecoming activities, Red Ribbon Week, Go Purple events, and college application week. He also mentioned upcoming fall fun events.

The Board approved personnel items as presented by Dr. Robert Willoughby, Supervisor of Human Resources. They also approved the minutes from the September board of education meetings.

Dr. Willoughby brought the Family Life and Human Development Programs Policy to the Board for review. He highlighted the following changes: title change to Comprehensive Health Education so it no longer singles out one unit. The body of the policy has been completely revised to mirror COMAR and the framework. Dr. Willoughby also highlighted the need to allow families to opt out of certain lessons with the Family Life unit. After a brief discussion, a motion was made to delay the approval of this revised policy to allow for public comment. This will be brought for a vote at the November 7, 2023 Regular Board meeting.

The Board approved a list of policies recommended for retirement.

Background: Each year, CCPS Policies are reviewed on a rotating basis to determine the need for revisions or potential retirement. As this is a relatively new process, there are many active policies that have not been reviewed for a number of years. Because of this, some policies may no longer be relevant and therefore should be retired.

The Board approved the FY24 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan (CMP) as required prior to its submission to the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC).

Background: The IAC requires an annual update of the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan. This plan represents one of several activities enabling the IAC to monitor and evaluate how well Maryland’s school systems are systematically and comprehensively protecting the state’s capital investment. Caroline County’s specific objectives for its CMP are to:

1. Provide the most effective environment possible for teaching and learning.

2. Minimize potential disruptions to the educational program.

3. Preserve and protect the asset value of school property and facilities.

4. Maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of facility functions and systems.

5. Provide the foundation for effective risk management and preventative maintenance programs.

The Board approved citizens nominated to serve on the Citizens Advisory Committee.

Background: Each year, members of the Board of Education and school principals alternate the responsibility of making nominations to the Citizens Advisory Committee. This year, the school principals have submitted the following people to serve for a period of two years:

DES: Stefanie Johnson

FES: Alouse Jean

GES: Edith Ramirez

PES: Lisa Cody

CRMS: Richard Petroske

LMS: George Raburn

CCTC: Lisa Thomas

CRHS: Carrie Cooper

NCHS: Stacey Gardner

September Enrollment Update

Supervisor of Student Services Ms. Nicole Fisher updated the Board on unofficial September 30 enrollment figures. She highlighted the following points:

• The first COVID year is being dropped from the calculations.
• Students on home instruction have increased which is a trend across the state and nation.
• Greensboro Elementary is trending up and is the highest in 10 years.
• Middle School is trending down.
• North Caroline is trending up which correlates to the Greensboro Elementary and Lockerman Middle increases.
• Local housing rental availability is very limited so there is not an influx of new students expected in most areas.
• A large amount of the land in the southern end of the county is in agricultural preservation; new development is limited. However, the amount of Haitian Creole students is expected to increase due to the many international crises occurring.
• The Hispanic population is also expected to grow in the northern end of the county.

Class Size Report

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Dr. Tara Downes updated the Board on class sizes for the 2023-2024 school year. She expressed that the figures aren’t much different from last year and it is consistently evaluated throughout the year. She highlighted the World Language class with one student is not actually one student sitting a class with a teacher but was absorbed into another classroom while getting support from staff in French 3. She also noted the difference in Federalsburg Elementary grades 3 and 4. The Principal made the decision to allow for more significant academic and SEL gains that are needed for their third graders. They expect next year to go back to 3 teachers in 3rd and 4th grades.

Budget Calendar

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Simmons reviewed the upcoming budget calendar including Board meetings where the budget will be presented, presentations to the Commissioners, and internal and external stakeholder groups.

New Policy XI.110.40 – Distribution of Materials In Schools and On School Property

Dr. Willoughby presented a new policy for consideration to establish a clear procedure for outside organizations distributing information and materials to students. This policy defines direct distribution as limited and prohibited materials. The policy also states materials must be a direct extension of an educational program, clarifies school sponsored events, and allows for joint programs with formal agreements like Parent Teacher Organizations, Caroline County Recreation and Parks. Currently outside organizations may use a digital flyer platform (Peachjar).

This was the policy's first reading. It is now open for public comment and will come back to the board at the November meeting for a vote.

BOY iReady and DIBELS Data

Supervisor of Data and Research Melissa Mulligan presented the beginning of the year iReady and DIBELS diagnostic data. She explained this data is available quickly to inform teachers and administrators to be able to shift lessons to meet the students where they are. She explained the three different types of assessments and the diagnostic screening tools we use.

Supervisor of Instruction for Math Dr. Vondenbosch explained that while the students have not fully recovered from the effects of the pandemic, they are trending in the right direction with improving scores and are performing at a rate similar to the rest of the nation. She explained that students 2-3 grade levels below are receiving Tier 3 interventions and are receiving additional support each day, and teachers are continuously monitoring all students for formative data.

Dr. VonDenBosch stated that a teacher learning gap was identified and will be addressed with new professional development to address how to observe and interpret data. She also shared that the instructional team is currently working on standard unit assessments so teachers and supervisors can easily see where changes and improvements need to be made. She noted this is the first year using mCLASS Math, and she anticipates significant growth by mid year because students know more than expected.

Melissa Mulligan and Supervisor of Instruction for Reading Katey Allis-Fisher reviewed the district's ELA data. Ms. Allis-Fisher explained that the students are making improvements from the COVID-19 closures and additional resources are being given to close learning gaps. While discussing the DIBELs assessment data, Ms. Allis-Fisher noted that this assessment rates heavily in speed so while students may be reading slower, they are more accurate.

Melissa Mulligan moved on to Common Lit, a platform our secondary teachers use to support data-driven instruction. The assessments are completed in class and give immediate feedback and support to be able to plan quickly. It also includes a variety of supplemental lessons for Tier 2 Literacy and Reading so students have options to read materials of interest to them.

Dr. Downes also explained that the instructional team is in the process of doing a thorough review of the tiered system of support and is being cognizant to not over-diagnose students. They are also developing an inventory initiative to grow the capacity and limit fatigue.

#OneCaroline #CarolineFamily

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

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