Board of Education Meeting: November 11, 2008

Watch Meeting by Agenda Item

• Click on agenda item
• Click on Watch Now button to view video of that item
• Summary will appear if available
• To hide summary, click agenda item again

Full Agenda (PDF)
NOTE: The Board postponed the discussion of Goal 1: Ensure Success for Every Student: Achievement Steering Committees (Continuing the Dialogue on Race) for a later meeting. Also, the order of the agenda was amended to the order listed below.

Approval of the Agenda; In Honor of Veterans; American Education Week

In Honor of Veterans: In honor of Veterans Day on November 11, the Board, along with students, parents, MCPS staff and members of the community, saluted the sacrifice of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. The Board passed a resolution commemorating Veteran’s Day and the Gaithersburg High School NJROTC presented the colors, prior to the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

American Education Week : The Board declared November 16–22 to be observed in Montgomery County Public Schools as American Education Week, a time to appreciate the importance of continuing support for schools.

Public Comments

Board/Superintendent Comments

Legislative Platform

The Board approved a legislative platform for the 2009 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The major recommendations of the platform fall under the categories of funding/accountability, local board authority, and students. The legislative platform provides a vehicle for summarizing the Board’s positions on priority issues, without precluding the consideration of specific legislative and budget issues that arise during the legislative session. Among the key funding issues on the Board’s priority list for the 2009 General Assembly are protection of full funding of the teacher retirement program by the State of Maryland, ensuring adequate state capital funding for school construction projects, and preservation of full commitment to state support for the operating budget formula.

2009-10 School Calendar

The Board approved the calendar for the 2009–10 school year. School will begin on Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, before Labor Day. The 2010 spring break will begin on March 29, 2010. The school year will consist of 184 instructional days, including four contingency days for emergency closings. Teachers have 193 scheduled duty days, plus 16 hours of unscheduled professional time. 2009-2010 School Year Calendar

Consent Items

Human Resources

Presentation Plans

The Board approved the preliminary plans reports for the Redland Middle School improvements project and the Fox Chapel Elementary School addition project.

Monthly Financial Report

Secondary Pilot Courses

The Board discussed and approved development of pilot courses in high schools and designated as active those courses that have completed the pilot process successfully. The Board voted that five courses become active countywide, starting in fall 2009, and 14 courses become restricted to specific high schools, upon recommendation by the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs. The Board also approved 10 new pilot courses—six career and technology education courses, three externally developed International Baccalaureate courses and one noncore high school course.

Board of Education Policies

The Board tentatively approved revised Policy AEB, Strategic Planning for Continuous Improvement, to reflect recommendations of a work group convened by the Board Policy Committee to review policies that relate to parental involvement and the school improvement process. The revised policy aligns with the Malcolm Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence and Our Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence, The Strategic Plan for the Montgomery County Public Schools.

The Board rescinded Policy ECL, Use of School Space by Montgomery College, because it is regulatory in nature and does not rise to the level of policy. The Board also rescinded Policy JFB, Return of Graded Work, K-12, because the issues it addresses are superseded by Policy IKA, Grading and Reporting.

The Board also approved a revision of the Board of Education Handbook.

Board of Education Items

Items of Information

• Board Meetings & Calendar
• Board Members
• Public Participation