[0:00] Soon. This is chairwoman jane lichter. I call to order the meeting of the board of

[0:05] education of baltimore county for tuesday, january 13th, 2026.

[0:10] this evening's board of education meeting is being broadcast through the bcps

[0:14] online live meeting broadcast and on bcps tv, comcast

[0:19] xfinity, channel 1 0 7 3 and verizon fios, channel 34.

[0:24] in order to efficiently conduct this meeting, all voting items this evening will be done by

[0:28] roll call vote. May I have a motion to go into the closed session

[0:32] as permitted by the open meetings act as found in the annotated code of

[0:37] maryland general provisions article three dash 3 0 5

[0:41] b one b seven and b eight to discuss the appointment,

[0:45] employment assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation,

[0:50] removal, resignation or performance evaluation of appointees,

[0:55] employees or officials over whom it has jurisdiction or any other

[0:59] personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals. Consult

[1:03] with counsel to obtain legal advice and consult with staff, consultants

[1:08] or other individuals about pending or potential litigation.

[1:13] so moves leski. Thank you. Is there a second? Second

[1:17] doki. Thank you. May I have a roll call vote please. Ms. He?

[1:23] yes. Ms. Fong.

[1:28] ms. Harvey? Yes. Ms. Abe?

[1:32] yes. Ms. Leski? Yes.

[1:37] dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. Mcmillian? Yes.

[1:41] ms. Poey. Mr. Young?

[1:45] yes. Ms. Doki? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes.

[1:50] thank you. Thank you.

[1:54] good evening. This is chairwoman jane lichter. I now call to order the

[1:58] meeting of the board of education of baltimore county for tuesday, january 13th, 2026.

[2:05] I invite you to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag to be led by ms. Foresight onga.

[2:09] we'll then have a moment of silence and recognition of those who have served education

[2:14] in baltimore county,

[2:18] ance to the flag of the united states of america and to

[2:23] the republic for which it stands, one nation under god,

[2:27] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[2:39] thank you. Tonight's board of education

[2:44] meeting is being broadcast through the bcps online live meeting broadcast

[2:48] and on bcps tv, xfinity channel 1 0 7 3

[2:52] and verizon fios, channel 34. In order to efficiently conduct

[2:57] this meeting, all voting items this evening will be done by roll call vote.

[3:04] the first item on the agenda is the consideration of the january 13th agenda.

[3:09] are there any additions or changes to tonight's agenda, mr. Young?

[3:15] yes. Mr. Lichter. I move to add contract rbe dash 8 0 2

[3:20] dash 26 edgemere elementary school deed of easement to

[3:24] the, to the agenda as item l 24. Thank you.

[3:28] is there a second? Second eski. Thank you. Is there any discussion?

[3:36] may I have a roll call? Vote please. Ms. Hem? Yes.

[3:41] ms. Harvey? Yes. Ms. Oobe?

[3:46] yes. Ms. Leski? Yes. Dr. Savoy?

[3:50] yes. Mr. Mcmillian? Yes. Ms. Humphrey? Yes. Mr. Young?

[3:54] yes. Ms. Doki? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Thank

[3:58] you. The revised agenda is approved

[4:03] and the agenda stands as now presented

[4:07] earlier this evening. The board met enclosed session pursuant to the open meetings act for

[4:11] the following reasons to discuss the appointment, employment assignment,

[4:15] promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation

[4:19] or performance evaluation of appointees, employees or officials over

[4:24] whom it has jurisdiction or any other personnel matter that affects one or more

[4:28] specific individuals. Consult with counsel to obtain legal advice

[4:32] and consult with staff, consultants or other individuals about pending or potential

[4:36] litigation. The closed session summary and the open session information summary

[4:41] can be found on board docs under the board meeting agenda date.

[4:47] the next item on the agenda is personnel matters, and for that I call on mr. Mccall.

[4:59] good evening. Good evening. Chair, ter, vice chair, harvey, superintendent, dr. Rogers

[5:04] and member board. I'd like the board's consent for the following

[5:08] personnel matters. Tonight we have retirements, resignations,

[5:13] leaves, and educator licensure appointments.

[5:17] thank you. Do I have a motion to approve the personnel matters as presented in exhibits

[5:21] d one through d four? So move

[5:25] young. Thank you. Do I have a second? Second, harvey.

[5:30] thank you. Any discussion?

[5:36] may I have a roll call vote please. Ms. He? Yes.

[5:40] ms. Harvey? Yes. Ms. Oobe? Yes.

[5:44] mr. Luki? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. Mcmillian?

[5:48] yes. Ms. Ey? Yes. Mr. Young? Yes. Mr. Romanowski? Yes.

[5:53] ms. Ter? Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Our

[5:57] next item is public comment. This is one of the opportunities the board provides to hear

[6:01] the views and receive the advice of community members. If not selected to address

[6:05] the board, members of the public may submit their comments to the board members

[6:09] via email@boeatbcps.org. The baltimore

[6:14] county police department's homeland security unit and office of school safety

[6:18] has recommended safety and security protocols, which are posted in

[6:22] the boardroom and available in board docs and on the board's participation

[6:26] by the public website. While we encourage public input on policy programs

[6:30] and practices within the purview of this board and this school system, this

[6:35] is not the proper form to address specific student or employee matters or

[6:39] to comment on matters that do not relate to public education in baltimore county.

[6:43] inappropriate personal remarks or other behaviors such as language that promotes

[6:47] violence against a-b-c-p-s employee or that disrupts or interferes with

[6:51] the conduct of this meeting are out of order and will not be tolerated. Persons

[6:56] who otherwise disrupt or disturb this meeting will not be allowed to continue their remarks and

[7:00] will be escorted from the meeting. Please observe the three minute clock, which will let you know when

[7:04] your time is up. The microphone will be turned off at the end of your time or prior to the time

[7:08] at the discretion of the board chair.

[7:12] at this time, we will start with school system affiliated groups and our

[7:16] speaker is ms. Leslie weber from our pta council of baltimore,

[7:21] and I believe she is virtual. Ms. Weber.

[7:25] yes, I'm here. Can you hear me? Hi. Yes. Good evening. Thank

[7:29] you. Good evening, chair lichter, vice chair harvey board of education members

[7:33] and dr. Rogers. I'm leslie weber, president of the pta council of

[7:37] baltimore county, a county council public hearing featuring testimony

[7:41] on ice and two bills to support and protect. Our immigrant mixed status community

[7:46] is taking place tonight, the chair of our justice equity, diversity

[7:50] and inclusion committee, edwin perez, who often testifies before the board

[7:54] of education registered to speak on behalf of pta council

[7:58] bill 97 25 would establish the office of immigrant affairs

[8:02] and a permanent chief of immigrant affairs bill 98 25.

[8:07] the trust act would ensure that county employees and police focus on public safety

[8:11] rather than civil immigration status. National pta recognizes

[8:15] that the separation of children from their families or the looming threat of it creates

[8:20] toxic stress and trauma that cause lifelong harm to a child's

[8:24] brain development. Many of us are aware that a number of bcps parents

[8:28] fear sending their children to school, which is a tragedy. These bills

[8:32] are about dignity, safety, and equity. They ensure that baltimore county is a place where

[8:36] every student, regardless of their family status, can reach their full potential.

[8:42] national pta's position, rights and services for children in immigrants

[8:46] and mixed status families asserts that all children have the right to a quality

[8:50] education. Adequate food and healthcare national pta

[8:55] recently shared important know your rights resources with members. These were

[8:59] resources from the national immigration law center and center for law and social

[9:03] policy, explained the rights of parents and caregivers who are being apprehended

[9:07] and detained resources from the immigrant family mental health

[9:11] advocacy program at the institute for juvenile research. Detail how

[9:16] families can talk to their children about what's happening with immigration enforcement.

[9:20] as noted in the national pta information shared with members, national

[9:24] pta urges everyone to take action to support policies, the support of safe and

[9:28] supportive school environment for all families and students, including students

[9:32] in immigrant and mixed status families. We're happy to share national pta's

[9:37] position and resource resources with anyone. Thank you. Thank you,

[9:41] ms. Weber. Our next category are our unions, and

[9:45] our first speaker is mr. Billy burke from case who is

[9:49] also virtual. Good evening chair,

[9:53] mrs. Lichter, members of the board and superintendent dr. Rogers. Thank

[9:57] you for the opportunity to speak to you on behalf of case. I want to begin

[10:01] by acknowledging the shared gravity of this moment. We are under no illusions

[10:06] regarding the fiscal climate facing our county. We recognize that

[10:10] the budget before you requires making the impossible choices that define

[10:14] leadership cases always sought to be a partner in these difficult

[10:18] conversations. In fact, just last year, our members stood in

[10:22] solidarity with the system by signing a memorandum of understanding

[10:26] to delay pay increases until january. We did that with one

[10:30] goal in mind to protect the positions and livelihoods of our case

[10:35] members and to prevent the very cuts we are discussing tonight.

[10:39] however, as we look at the fy 27 cost saving budget,

[10:43] we must be honest about the human cost of these efficiencies.

[10:47] the proposal to reduce 524.6 positions, including

[10:52] over 324 due to staffing formula changes, 40

[10:56] assistant principals positions and 36 central office

[11:00] positions reaches deep into the heart of our school communities. While

[11:04] these are presented as fiscal adjustments, they will be felt as service adjustments

[11:09] by the most important clients. We serve our students. When

[11:13] these cuts take effect, the environment changes. Fewer staff members will

[11:17] be available for the critical supervision of students at the car lines and in the hallways

[11:21] during arrival and dismissal. We must also acknowledge that 36

[11:26] central office positions being cut represent a loss of the vital expert

[11:30] backbone of our district. These individuals provide the specialized curriculum

[11:35] support, legal compliance and operational logistics that allow,

[11:39] that allow our school-based administrators to focus on their buildings.

[11:43] some case members were called to hr meetings today. I can only assume the

[11:48] reassignments have begun. When central offices thinned, the administrative

[11:52] burden inevitably shifts back to our principals and aps

[11:57] reducing 40 assistant principals place as places an immense burden

[12:01] on the remaining administrators who are already working at capacity to

[12:05] ensure safety and instructional excellence. Beyond the logistics, our

[12:09] administrators will spend the coming months as the primary support system

[12:14] for teachers and staff entering the priority transfer process

[12:18] to mitigate the instability of the this, that this causes

[12:22] cases making a formal request to the board tonight, as assistant principals

[12:26] and central office case members are reassigned dues to these cuts,

[12:31] we request that no new hires either internal or external

[12:35] be made until every single impacted case member has been

[12:40] placed in either a promotional or lateral position. We must prioritize

[12:44] the talent and dedication of those already serving bcps

[12:48] before looking elsewhere. We acknowledge that the cuts are unavoidable.

[12:53] however, we advocate tonight for the members of case who will bear the brunt

[12:57] of these reductions we proved last year through our mou there

[13:01] that we are willing to sacrifice to save jobs. Thank you

[13:05] for your time and your partnership. Thank you mr. Burke.

[13:10] our next speaker for unions is ms. Kelly olds from tabco.

[13:24] good evening. Good evening. Thank you. Chair

[13:28] lichter, vice chair harvey, dr. Rogers and members of the board for the opportunity

[13:32] to speak tonight. I want to acknowledge and appreciate that the

[13:36] budget presented yesterday includes the funding for the third year of our bilateral wage agreement.

[13:41] I particularly appreciate treating our bilateral wage agreements as fixed

[13:46] costs. We agreed to a three year contract so we could spend time

[13:50] focusing efforts on initiatives that advance students, educators, and schools

[13:54] away from the bar, and that is where we turn our attention

[13:58] now. These cuts are too deep. We are

[14:02] concerned they will be detrimental to the gains our educators have helped win

[14:07] with our students. We must work together to curb

[14:11] their scope, size, and impact. The reason I say we are concerned

[14:15] about these cuts instead of something more definitive is because we also

[14:19] call for additional transparency around these cuts. To have the

[14:23] public discussion about cuts and losses, the public needs to know fully

[14:29] what is planned. The more the public, including our county

[14:33] leaders at the courthouse in towson, understand what could be lost. The more we

[14:37] can together work to increase county funding to reduce the potential harms

[14:41] that would fall upon our students. In my 22 years at lans

[14:45] zone high school, we had years with large cuts, painful

[14:50] cuts to our faculty. The years after those cuts,

[14:54] morale was impacted. Students lost access to the adults and resources

[14:58] they needed. Class sizes grew to sometimes unmanageable numbers,

[15:04] which brought all the negative results of students having less access to

[15:08] caring adults working with them.

[15:15] sorry, I have to turn the page. It's got stuck. . It limited

[15:20] educators to work in small groups. It limited educator's ability

[15:24] to work in small groups with learners and reduced the individual attention. That can

[15:28] be the true catalyst for learning. I've also seen when

[15:32] former students come back to the school to see a beloved educator that is particularly

[15:37] heartbreaking when they find out that they have been transferred because of cuts.

[15:41] it reduces community continuity and works against the, and

[15:45] works against the gains in cultures outta school. All of

[15:49] this is to say the work now is to reduce the size of these cuts.

[15:55] I've said it here before I've said it to any of you that I've

[15:59] met with and I will say it again. Now let's work together

[16:03] transparently with our cards on the table to call for more

[16:07] than 2% over maintenance of effort at the budget budget release

[16:11] event. Yesterday, dr. Rogers talked about the loss of over 2000

[16:16] students from our system. We share the concern with student loss

[16:20] and firmly believe that we must maintain resources in our schools to

[16:24] continue to make baltimore county public schools the best place to educate children in this county.

[16:30] thank you, . Thank you, . Our next

[16:35] category are nonprofit community groups, and our first speaker is marietta english from

[16:39] the baltimore county naacp cp.

[16:59] good evening. Good evening.

[17:03] good evening. Chair lecter, vice chair harvey, board members and superintendent

[17:08] rogers. My name is marietta english and I'm chair of axo

[17:12] and the education committee for the baltimore county branch of the

[17:16] naacp. The baltimore county branch of the naacp

[17:21] represents the entire county and our membership is far and wide

[17:25] and I'm happy to be back after suffering from a fall and

[17:29] the flu. If you notice, I haven't been here, so I'm happy to be here to speak with you today.

[17:34] I would like to commend dr. Rogers and the staff of bcps on

[17:38] having high schools in the top 50 in the state, including pikesville

[17:43] where my granddaughter attends and will be graduating in may.

[17:47] and this is a great accomplishment for baltimore county public schools.

[17:52] I would like to commend dr. Rogers and the board and on the presentation

[17:56] of the budget yesterday. The accomplishments of baltimore county

[18:01] are outstanding. You have managed to do a lot with a little bit.

[18:05] I was happy to see that the labor agreements will be met. This

[18:10] is huge in the current environment. I know it was difficult,

[18:14] but your inclusions of all the stakeholders holders as you

[18:18] develop this budget is to be commended. I also said as

[18:23] on some of the committees as a, as we, what our

[18:27] budget priorities would be. We don't always get what we want.

[18:31] however, we have essentials that will help us as we move forward.

[18:36] we will be supporting you in annapolis as we fight for more funding

[18:40] for our schools. We want to continue the growth of our students.

[18:44] what you have accomplished with just a little is amazing.

[18:49] I wanna, again, thank you for your support of axo. I'm sure that

[18:53] our students in axo who participate are enriched

[18:57] by their experiences in the schools and help us move forward.

[19:01] I look forward to working with you, superintendent rogers and

[19:05] the board as we move forward. Thank you. Thank you. We're

[19:10] glad you're feeling better. Thank you. Our next speaker is jacob

[19:14] gerding from the maryland association of school librarians and also virtual

[19:19] mr. Gerding. Um, good evening, uh, members of

[19:24] the board and superintendent rogers. My name is jacob

[19:28] gerding. I am the president of act as well as the

[19:32] advocacy chair for the maryland association of school. Librarians.

[19:37] maslow's submission is to ensure every maryland student has equitable

[19:41] access to a high quality school library program

[19:45] while being teachers of record for up to two classes a day

[19:49] is less than ideal. We appreciate that bcps has worked

[19:53] to retain secondary library positions in this budget.

[19:59] the blueprint for maryland's future requires a total transformation

[20:03] of our secondary schools to ensure college and career readiness.

[20:08] a central strategy in the bcps blueprint implementation plan

[20:12] is the integration of project based learning. Pbl

[20:16] cannot succeed in a vacuum. It requires an instructional

[20:20] engine, a specialist who can collaborate across departments

[20:25] to teach students how to construct meme from complex research.

[20:29] a secondary librarian is that engine. When

[20:34] a librarian is, um, a teacher of record,

[20:38] you shut down the pbl hub for an entire school building

[20:42] during those hours. We recognize in this

[20:46] moment the immense staffing pressures facing bcps.

[20:51] we understand that in, in a fiscal crisis,

[20:55] scheduling a librarian to teach two classes a day is a

[21:00] necessary compromise. However, mazel must

[21:04] be clear this is not an ideal solution and

[21:08] going forward, it should not become a long term

[21:12] strategy. By making librarians teachers of record,

[21:17] you add the administrative weight of grade testing and conferences to

[21:21] a specialist who is already tasked with managing a school-wide digital

[21:25] collection and maintaining compliance with the freedom to read act.

[21:31] mazel urges the board to commit to a sunset for this strategy and

[21:35] to protect the flexible scheduling that makes secondary libraries work.

[21:40] do not avail a premier district to create library

[21:44] deserts in our middle and high schools. That's ensured that

[21:48] the blueprint for maryland's future remains a plan for student excellence

[21:53] with flexibly scheduled librarians and programs,

[21:58] uh, that by certified librarians they have proven records

[22:02] for improving student achievement. Thank you. Thank

[22:07] you. Our next category are individual

[22:11] citizens or students, and our first speaker is sharon soff.

[22:24] good evening. Good evening. I hope you can hear me with

[22:29] this on because I don't wanna spread what I have. Um,

[22:33] I'm sharon soff, um, and I am a special education

[22:37] advocate that's been working with this county for over 20 years.

[22:42] um, and I saw a headline this

[22:46] morning that greatly concerned me about

[22:50] increasing class size to 25 students per teacher.

[22:57] I deal with teachers and administrators and department

[23:02] of special ed on a daily basis and one of the things that

[23:06] comes up a lot is class size

[23:10] came up this morning at a meeting where a concerned parent was saying,

[23:14] well, what do I do? I have of

[23:20] my child in a class of 26 kids and she's in

[23:24] kindergarten. 26 kids in a kindergarten class

[23:28] shouldn't be happening. But my other alternative

[23:32] is take her off diploma track because

[23:37] there isn't a lot of the in between.

[23:42] we have to find a way to keep students in

[23:46] smaller classes because our teachers are already

[23:51] overburdened. They have fewer resources

[23:56] and I can tell you how difficult it is to get

[24:01] assistance, aides, paras, whatever you wanna call them, into

[24:05] classrooms in baltimore county when they can make

[24:09] more money in other districts.

[24:15] you can't hand, you can't handle 25 kids in

[24:19] a kindergarten class when you have ieps for

[24:23] behavior for developmental disabilities. It's just

[24:29] not a workable situation and I am

[24:33] getting so many phone calls from parents with younger kids

[24:37] this year that I am literally turning people away.

[24:42] I cannot handle that kind of a caseload.

[24:47] we know our special ed staff has been overburdened for a while.

[24:52] we have fewer speech and language therapists, fewer special ed

[24:56] teachers. We have to find a way to not

[25:01] cut staff and to not increase class size

[25:06] because the ones that are going to suffer the most are our students

[25:11] and I'm already seeing it at the lowest grade level.

[25:16] so I think that we should reconsider that class size.

[25:21] thank you. Thank you. And we hope you feel

[25:25] better too. Our next speaker is stacy nunn.

[25:38] good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Chair lichter

[25:42] to all board members and to dr. Um rogers superintendent, dr. Rogers.

[25:47] my name is stacy nunn. I'm a library media specialist at southwest academy

[25:52] who is enthusiastic and proud of this tireless work locally

[25:56] and nationally. This evening I volunteered to speak for school

[26:00] library media specialists in baltimore county as a unified voice

[26:05] to affirm the critical instructional role of certified library media

[26:09] specialists and the importance of our position. We've

[26:13] all seen the breakdown of blue blueprint for maryland's future

[26:17] and we are familiar with comar of course, but tonight

[26:21] I am pointing out directly to baltimore county public schools,

[26:26] um, policy 6,200. The board of education of

[26:30] baltimore county recognizes that the school library media centers provide equitable

[26:34] access to print and digital resources essential to 21st

[26:38] century learning, um, teaching and learning throughout the district

[26:43] school. Librarians uphold this policy daily by sustaining inclusive

[26:48] resource rich learning environments that support both students and staff.

[26:52] in alignment with the policy. Librarians collaborate and co-teach

[26:57] with classroom teachers to integrate information literacy

[27:01] research and technology skills and content area instruction. In

[27:05] addition to these core responsibilities, librarians manage comprehensive

[27:10] library programs that encompass collection development, digital

[27:14] resource management, student access, instructional technology support,

[27:19] and school-wide literacy initiatives. These duties are

[27:23] foundational to student achievement and require specialized training

[27:27] and certification. Collectively, baltimore county librarians

[27:32] represent a significant instructional workforce. Our strength lies

[27:37] in numbers. It also lies in our shared expertise and the consistent

[27:41] impact of schools across the district. At the same time,

[27:45] the scope of the responsibilities assigned to the librarians has expanded to

[27:50] include teach the teaching of two additional courses outside of our certified content

[27:54] area. As a result, library program data, including

[27:59] instructional reach, collaboration and access metrics,

[28:03] have been significantly impacted. Despite these measurable effects,

[28:07] school librarians have met this challenge with professionalism, adaptability,

[28:12] and continued commitment to students in schools. We raise these data

[28:17] informed considerations to advocate for thoughtful alignment between policy,

[28:21] practice and staffing while librarians continue to meet the expanded

[28:25] expectations. Um, sustaining high quality instruction,

[28:30] um, and equitable access at scale requires intentional support. In

[28:34] addition to maintaining our positions, aligning workload and non certi

[28:39] certificate instructional focus, we want to be reassured that

[28:43] um, baltimore county school library

[28:50] programs and

[28:54] thank you. Our next speaker is

[28:58] makita scott, who is virtual

[29:03] ms. Scott. Yes. Hi, good evening. Can you hear me okay? Yes.

[29:08] great. Good evening, chair lichter, vice chair harvey, members

[29:12] of the board and superintendent rogers. Thank you for

[29:16] the opportunity to speak this evening. I am here to follow up on the presentation

[29:20] delivered to the equity committee and a letter I sent to the full board

[29:25] regarding the equity council's recommendation for the fiscal year

[29:29] 2027 operating budget. These recommendations

[29:33] are grounded in equity centered solutions that are essential

[29:37] so that baltimore county public schools can create a system where all students

[29:41] thrive. At the time of the presentation, the

[29:46] supporting documentation was not available. It has since been uploaded to

[29:50] board docs and I urge all board members to review it in full. The

[29:54] recommendations reflect the collective work of the equity council, community

[29:58] members, parents and educators whose lived experience and

[30:02] professional expertise informed this process. This was thoughtful,

[30:06] rigorous, work rooted in the real needs of our students and families. We look

[30:11] forward to the full board's discussion on how these recommendations can be meaningfully

[30:16] considered as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget.

[30:20] our expectation is not simply acknowledgement but transparent

[30:24] communication regarding feasibility next steps and timelines.

[30:28] equity requires follow through and we remain committed to working in partnership

[30:33] with the board to advance this work. I would also want like

[30:37] to request an update regarding the board's required anti-bias

[30:41] training for board members. Senate bill 2 93 requires due

[30:45] to board of education members to complete anti-bias training at least once during

[30:50] their term. This requirement took effect on july 1st, 2025.

[30:54] at this time, we are requesting written communication from board leadership outlining

[30:59] when this training will begin and when it will be completed. This is a matter of

[31:03] both compliance and leadership. Finally, I'm requesting an update on the policy

[31:07] introduced by ms. Ey at the prc committee meeting on april 1st, 2025,

[31:13] drafted by tabco and casa. This policy was intended to provide clear

[31:18] guidance to staff regarding parental consent for the release of information

[31:22] and access to know your rights resources. If the board does not plan to

[31:26] adopt this policy, we ask, uh, request a clear explanation

[31:31] of that decision and information about what policy will be used in its place.

[31:35] our schools and community really deserve clarity and consistency,

[31:40] so we thank you for your service and your attention to these matters. And we

[31:44] as the equity council, look forward to continued dialogue and concrete action in the

[31:48] interest of equity, transparency and accountability team. Thank

[31:52] you very much. Have a good evening. Thank you. Our next speaker

[31:56] is ramona ba.

[32:11] good evening. Good evening, good 2026.

[32:16] I would say happy new year. Um, but based on everything that we've heard,

[32:20] there's a lot of consternation, there are a lot of legitimate concerns, there are a lot of pain.

[32:25] um, so I will say, um, good 2026 and we hope that it's

[32:29] a better, a better year for everyone. Um, many

[32:33] of you know me in my connection with the pta council. I come today wearing

[32:37] my other hat and that's a volunteer coordinator and a

[32:41] member of several national volunteer organizations, including americorps,

[32:47] a former organization called the campus outreach opportunity league, the

[32:51] corporate volunteer council of united way. I come in

[32:55] support of policy number 1260

[33:00] regarding volunteers and offer some, I don't know

[33:04] if this is a time to do that 'cause I couldn't figure out the agenda. Um, but

[33:08] to offer some suggestions and some feedback on how

[33:12] we can look at volunteers in a new, especially in

[33:16] light of the current staffing and budget situation. I've lived

[33:20] long enough to know this is not new what we're going through, and I've

[33:25] lived long enough to know that there's talent, there're volunteers,

[33:29] and for some of my critics we're not saying have volunteers instead

[33:33] of staff, teachers and workers. What we're saying is there's a

[33:37] new look that we have to present on volunteers. First regarding

[33:41] the policy. I would suggest that we include a statement about nonprofits

[33:46] as a part of that. Secondly, the policy is written, focuses

[33:51] almost entirely on training and what we are suggesting, what I'm

[33:55] suggesting is that we include a statement that recognize the value

[33:59] of volunteers from a youth

[34:03] volunteer organization perspective. According to united states

[34:07] sensors, volunteerism is rising.

[34:11] um, 16 year olds and above are doing a lot of service.

[34:16] 75 million people are volunteering. The majority

[34:20] of it comes from millennials. As we think about volunteerism,

[34:24] let's have a policy and I would offer that we add a b that

[34:28] will provide recognition for meaningful structured

[34:32] student youth volunteer programs. And I would also

[34:37] add a thank you and my c would be

[34:41] to add a recognition component. And I'm using this as a very public opportunity

[34:46] to say thank you because a couple of years ago I was

[34:50] selected one of your volunteer champions. I hold that award out often.

[34:54] my grandson says, why? I said, because it reminds me that

[34:58] I'm not finished. So those are my suggestions. And in addition to implementation,

[35:03] it says director, superintendent to implement the policy, excuse me,

[35:07] address respiratory issues. Um, I would say add rule 20,

[35:12] rule 1260 because if I'm looking at this the first time,

[35:16] there are other opportunities for me to get more information.

[35:20] thank you. We hope you feel better too.

[35:24] our last speaker is, um, bs farone.

[35:41] good evening. Good evening. Happy new year.

[35:45] uh, happy for accomplishments, I hope.

[35:50] um, please read my letter to you. I send my email. It's

[35:55] lengthy. Um, I want to focus

[35:59] on two points. I read,

[36:03] uh, the good job that the, uh, uh,

[36:08] the website has portrayed the students. So

[36:13] a few days ago, basically the front page talks about

[36:18] our students and what they accomplished

[36:22] in the year 2025. And it's an interview

[36:26] if you didn't see it with, uh, about 15 or maybe 20

[36:31] students. So the first person

[36:36] said, what accomplished in year 2025

[36:41] said, learning music. The second student said,

[36:46] I was accepted in college. That's great.

[36:52] the third one said, I got a job. The fourth one said

[36:56] I passed sat. The fifth

[37:00] one said, I got rid of bad friends.

[37:06] the sixth one said, I do not know.

[37:12] the seventh one said, finally I can

[37:16] make money. The f1 said, finally,

[37:21] I can grow a goatee.

[37:25] the next one said, I got a new car.

[37:29] and the last one very impressive. I finally

[37:34] made it to the end of the year.

[37:38] so as an observer, it's a good job

[37:42] done by the media department, but it really

[37:46] shows the low bar that is set by the current

[37:51] superintendent and the previous ones.

[37:56] students portray that their aspirations

[38:01] are low. Nobody said

[38:06] anything about their accomplishment in

[38:10] doing research or accepting accepted in hopkins

[38:15] or university or research institution

[38:19] or anything like that. You know, it's about making money. It's about

[38:24] goatee music, et cetera. And I, I think if

[38:28] you add that to the, um,

[38:32] small amount of improvement

[38:37] that the superintendent has made, which I talked about,

[38:42] the system is not really set for progress.

[38:50] thank you. I know three

[38:54] minutes just flies by .

[38:59] the next item on the agenda is the superintendent's report, and for that I call

[39:03] on dr. Rogers. Thank you. Good evening,

[39:08] chair lichter, vice chair harvey, and members of the board. Um, at

[39:12] this time, the communications team has, uh, provided a

[39:16] preview of the budget presentation. Um, all of you who are

[39:21] familiar with team bcps know that we have been engaging in these conversations

[39:25] around the fiscal climate for the last three years. Um,

[39:30] and so we're gonna take a look back at some of the conversations that

[39:34] we've had in the community, um, along with what our priorities

[39:38] have been focused on our students. Thank you.

[39:48] our systems key priorities and investments are all focused on moving bcps

[39:53] forward. We know that implementation science tells us that it takes about

[39:57] three years of investing in an infrastructure,

[40:01] really focusing on professional development and implementation before

[40:06] we start to see student progress move forward. We are fortunate,

[40:10] uh, in bcps that it has not taken three years before we have started

[40:14] to see progress in our students. Baltimore county public schools

[40:19] has invested in early childhood education, high quality and diverse

[40:23] teachers and leaders, college and career readiness opportunities for

[40:27] students and more resources to ensure that all of our students are

[40:31] successful. This will be another difficult budget cycle for our school

[40:35] system and other leas across the state with the continued

[40:40] expansion and implementation of the blueprint and probable

[40:44] lower federal, state, and local revenue. For this

[40:48] reason, we will ensure that our communities understand the differences between

[40:52] the operating budget and the capital budget processes, know how our

[40:56] funding is spent and accounted for, and understand how different roles

[41:01] across team bcps directly impact the experiences

[41:05] of our students. We have spent the last several months engaging our staff,

[41:09] families, and stakeholders in conversations about the budget and priority areas

[41:13] for our system. It is important to us that our community knows and understands

[41:18] sources of bcps funding, how funding is spent, and

[41:22] where they can find additional information. As we did with the last two budget cycles,

[41:27] we will ensure that we give extra scrutiny to all budget submissions to help

[41:31] identify potential savings that can be redirected to offset potential

[41:35] shortfalls. Over the past two fiscal years, bcps

[41:39] has made more than $168 million in reductions and eliminated

[41:44] hundreds of positions to address budget shortfalls and including

[41:48] 69 supervisory level positions. I'll submit

[41:53] a balanced proposed budget to the board of education for its review and deliberation.

[41:57] some key things to note about the proposed budget, it will be aligned to the county

[42:01] target of a 2% increase above what we receive in fy 26.

[42:05] the proposed budget will include the full year three compensation package

[42:09] for team bcps staff and to ensure that the budget is balanced and meets

[42:13] the county target. It will also include additional reductions.

[42:18] my commitment to you and to all of our employees is

[42:23] unwavering. I wanna use this time to speak not only

[42:27] to that commitment, but to reground us in what we

[42:31] are all committed to, which are the 111,000 students that we

[42:35] serve. My commitment to you is that I'm going to respond to

[42:39] our students. I'm going to make sure that everything that we

[42:43] do puts our students first, not only in

[42:47] word, but indeed sustaining our forward progress will

[42:52] require continued investment in the priority focus areas that we know

[42:56] are working for our system. These investments will yield positive results,

[43:01] not just for our system, but also for the county and the state.

[43:16] next on the agenda is the chair's report, and welcome to our first board of education

[43:20] meeting of 2026 and happy new year. I hope everyone had a restful winter break.

[43:25] many thanks to tap go and e-s-p-b-c for organizing their annual

[43:29] legislative breakfast at summit park elementary school this past saturday.

[43:34] the event gives elected officials and board members an opportunity to hear and discuss

[43:38] the efforts of team bcps focusing on successes as well as areas

[43:42] needing improvement. I appreciate my fellow board of members and the many

[43:46] elected officials who dedicated their saturday morning to attend, listen

[43:50] and engage in conversation. Thanks as well to tapco and e-s-p-b-c

[43:55] members who joined us. Your participation and insights are essential as

[43:59] we work together to advance our system. I would also like to express

[44:03] my appreciation for the opportunity I had to visit woodlawn middle school last

[44:07] friday. As we initiate the fy 27 budget approval process,

[44:12] it is essential to remain focused on our core purpose, our commitment to

[44:16] improving student outcomes for all bcps students. Visiting classrooms

[44:20] allowed us to watch and listen to teaching and learning. There was mutual respect

[44:25] among staff and students. Notable examples of student leadership

[44:29] and environment that was both safe and well organized. I'm very proud of the

[44:33] work that is being done at woodlawn middle school under ms. Arch's leadership,

[44:37] and I realized that we witnessed is not an anomaly, but rather an example of the

[44:41] hard work our school leaders and staff are doing throughout bcps

[44:46] on behalf of our students. This brings us to our budget. Shortly.

[44:50] dr. Rogers will present the proposed fy 27 budget. I'd

[44:54] like to thank her for assembling our school and system leadership team together yesterday

[44:59] and providing a detailed overview of the proposed budget. Our presentation

[45:03] offered valuable insight into the process and the

[45:07] rationale behind the recommendations. I appreciate her commitment to presenting

[45:12] a balanced budget while prioritizing full funding for our staff's compensation

[45:16] packages. This reflects her ongoing discussions with our county executive,

[45:21] specifically the percentage above maintenance of effort that the county executive has indicated

[45:26] she would support achieving this funding priority. A full compensation

[45:31] for staff requires careful adjustments in other budgetary areas.

[45:35] the difficult decisions proposed have been informed by staff and community surveys.

[45:40] dr. Rogers direct engagement with stakeholders across the county and

[45:44] a research driven approach to budgetary reductions.

[45:48] dr. Rogers, based on all information gathered, is putting forward a balanced budget

[45:52] that reflects substantial input and thoughtful planning in a challenging fiscal

[45:57] time. Though we are just at the start of the approval process,

[46:01] I'd like to thank all those who contributed their feedback and to all of the staff

[46:05] for the hard work that has been accomplished so far. While bcps has seen

[46:09] notable progress over the past three years, more is needed for every

[46:13] student to succeed. It's imperative that our budget decisions keep student

[46:17] achievement at the forefront. Next on our agenda is our student

[46:22] member of the board report. Good

[46:26] evening board chair, mrs. Lichter, vice chair, mrs. Harvey, superintendent. Dr. Rogers

[46:30] members of the board, staff families and bcps students.

[46:35] the new year has started with momentum and collaboration across baltimore county public schools.

[46:39] one of the most meaningful projects this month has been working last month has been working with our

[46:43] office of school safety to develop a student centered psa explaining the il you guys

[46:48] emergency response protocol. Ensuring that every student understands what to do in

[46:52] an emergency is essential, and I'm grateful to be a part of contributing to a resource that will continue to support

[46:56] school safety in all of our schools. I've also been working closely with

[47:01] fellow board members to restructure and strengthen our area education advisory councils so they

[47:05] better reflect the needs, identities, and voices of students and families they serve.

[47:09] alongside this, I had the opportunity to attend the annual tapco and e-s-p-b-c

[47:13] legislative breakfast where I heard directly from educators and legislators about

[47:18] policy shaping our classrooms. I've also been recently recruiting students

[47:22] for this year's student handbook review committee to ensure policy decisions remain grounded in

[47:26] student experience. But the highlight of these past few months has undoubtedly been

[47:30] the series of school visits. From conversations with administrators to listening

[47:34] sessions with students, each visit offered something uniquely powerful. I heard about

[47:39] activity buses expanding access to afterschool programs. I heard of pizzas with principals.

[47:43] events that help rising sixth graders build early relationships with school leadership. And

[47:47] I even heard about the inspiring learning and earning approach at general john stricker middle

[47:51] school, where students are motivated to stay engaged, accountable, and supported. Across

[47:56] the across the county. Principal advisory councils are thriving and it's encouraging to

[48:00] see students not only included but uplifted within their school communities.

[48:04] our baltimore county student councils has been going strong and we're excited to be hosting the

[48:08] maryland association of student councils on january 20 at lock grave high school for

[48:12] their annual legislative session. This is one of the most important events of the year where

[48:17] students from across the state come together to debate and pass ma's official bill stances for

[48:21] the legislative session. As one of ma's state legislative affairs

[48:25] coordinators, I'm grateful for the opportunity to help facilitate these conversations.

[48:29] during this session, we will also select the finalist for the position of the state student member on

[48:34] the board. An essential step in elevating strong student leadership at the state level.

[48:38] I hope to see many bcps students present as we come into the new year.

[48:42] I also wanted to use this as an opportunity to restate and clarify the m's role.

[48:47] the student member serves as a bridge between students and the board, bringing forward student perspectives,

[48:51] highlighting concerns, and ensuring the lived experiences of young people guide decision making.

[48:55] the smop provides insight. Insight that only someone living the day-to-day reality of

[49:00] our schools can offer. In essence, the sm ensures that students are not just talked about but

[49:04] truly heard. Thank you and happy new year to every student, stakeholder, decision

[49:08] maker and educator who continues to speak up, engage and contribute to making our school system stronger.

[49:13] thank you. The next item on the agenda is unfinished

[49:17] business, the proposed fy 2027 county capital budget. And

[49:21] for that I call on dr. Grim.

[49:34] good evening. Good evening. Chair lecter, vice chair harvey, members of the board superintendent

[49:38] dr. Rogers, uh, here this evening for the board's,

[49:42] uh, vote and hopefully approval on the, uh, capital

[49:47] budget request. Okay, thank you. May I have a motion to approve

[49:51] the superintendent's proposed fy 2027 county capital budget.

[49:57] so move young. Thank you. Is there a second? Second hen.

[50:01] thank you. Any discussion?

[50:06] just check teams. Okay.

[50:10] may I have a roll call vote please. Ms. Hen? Yes. Ms. Harvey?

[50:16] yes. Ms. Oobe? Yes. Ms. Leski? Yes. Dr.

[50:21] savoy? Yes. Mr. Mcmillian? Yes. Ms. Humphrey?

[50:25] yes. Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Doki? Yes. Ms. Lichter?

[50:29] yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay.

[50:33] one second. Okay,

[50:38] the next item on the agenda is unfinished business report on board

[50:42] policies. This is the second reader for these policies and for that I call ms. Christina

[50:46] pumphrey, chair of the policy review committee. Thank

[50:50] you. Members of the board, the policy review committee asks that the board accept the committee's

[50:55] recommendation to amend the following board policies, board policy 1260

[50:59] school volunteers board policy 1600 publics charter schools

[51:04] board policy, excuse me, 32 10 purchasing guidelines.

[51:08] these policies are presented to you on tonight's agenda as exhibits j one through

[51:13] j three. Thank you ms. Ey, board members, are there any separations

[51:17] being requested? Okay.

[51:23] okay. Then may I have a motion to accept the recommendations of the board's

[51:27] policy review committee for board policies? Twelve sixty sixteen hundred and thirty two.

[51:33] 10. So moved. Thank you. Is there a sec? Oh, we don't need that because

[51:39] comes from the board, from the committee. So may I have a roll call vote

[51:43] please. Ms. Han? Yes. Ms. From, um,

[51:47] ms. Harvey? Yes. Msee? Yes. Mr.

[51:51] luki? Yes. Dr. Savoy?

[51:56] I'm sorry. Yes. Thank you. Mr. Mcmillion? Yes. Ms. Humphrey? Yes.

[52:00] mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Doki? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank

[52:04] you. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is action

[52:09] taken in closed session. And for that I call on ms. Ti.

[52:22] good evening. Good evening, chair. Lichter, vice chair harvey.

[52:27] dr. Rogers, members of the board this evening enclosed session you

[52:31] considered and took action in appeal hea 26 dash 0 1 0.

[52:37] this would be an appropriate time for the board to approve that action.

[52:41] thank you. May I have a motion to approve the action taken enclosed session on hearing

[52:46] examiner case hea 26 dash oh one oh and authorized

[52:50] ms. Gover to sign for those board members not physically present.

[52:56] so moved. Whoop . So move ms.

[53:00] leski. Is there a second? Second, dominos. Thank you. Any

[53:04] discussion?

[53:08] may I have a roll call though, please? Ms. Ham? Yes. Ms. Harvey?

[53:14] yes. Ms. Abe? Yes. Ms. Ky? Yes. Dr. Savoy?

[53:19] yes. Mr. Mcmillion? Yes. Ms. Poey abstain.

[53:24] mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Doki? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank

[53:28] you. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is contract. Oh, thank

[53:32] you. The next item on the agenda is contract awards. And for that I call him mr. Young

[53:37] chair of the building and contracts committee. Members of the

[53:41] board, the board's building and contracts committee met on monday, january 12th, 2026.

[53:46] items l one through l 24 were forwarded to the full board for

[53:51] approval. Thank you mr. Young. Board members, are there any requests for

[53:55] separations? Okay.

[54:00] do I have a motion to approve items l one through l 24.

[54:09] so moved ky. Thank you. No second is needed since the recommendation comes

[54:13] from the committee. Any discussion mr. Mcmillian?

[54:18] uh, yesterday evening I got cut off

[54:22] during the building and contracts committee. I was actually in a school and the service was

[54:26] terrible and I got disconnected on the last contract

[54:30] on the spares point contract for the track replacement. What's

[54:34] the timeline of that, ms. ?

[54:40] um, this summer as well. Excuse me. It'll be this summer. They'll be

[54:44] starting. Um, you need to come to my, the microphone is azaria. I'm

[54:48] sorry. It's okay.

[54:55] the timeline in this one is similar to the other three that we've already

[54:59] taken. Um, they'll be starting in the spring and, and it'll

[55:03] be completed over the summer. So we'll be starting in

[55:07] spring of 26 here in a couple months. Yes. Have you,

[55:12] I'm assuming we coordinated with the school and the athletics and everything.

[55:16] okay. Thank you. Thank you. Any further discussion?

[55:24] may I have a roll call? Vote please. Ms. Ham?

[55:28] yes. Ms. Harvey? Yes. Ms. Abe?

[55:32] yes. Mr. Ky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes.

[55:36] mr. Mcmillion? Yes. Ms. Humphrey? Yes. Mr. Young?

[55:40] yes. Ms. Doki? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Thank

[55:45] you. The next item on the agenda is the report on artificial

[55:49] and turf grass fields. And for that I call on dr. Grim. And mr.

[55:53] s good timing, .

[56:06] good evening. Good evening. Good evening, chair lichter, vice chair harvey, superintendent dr. Rogers

[56:11] board. Uh, mr. S and I are here this evening to provide

[56:15] a report on artificial and grass turf fields.

[56:23] so our purpose this evening is, uh, to share with you our status

[56:27] regarding artificial and grass turf fields. Um, and briefly to

[56:31] share with you. So bcps and rec and parks have collaborated

[56:36] to develop and maintain athletic fields to effectively serve our, our

[56:40] schools in our communities. And this really started back in 2006.

[56:46] um, it started, uh, for a need based on durability

[56:50] and playability because our fields were being so heavily

[56:55] used, um, and we were struggling to maintain those natural grass,

[56:59] uh, turf fields. Alright, good

[57:03] evening. Um, there's been a lot of discussion nationally regarding synthetic turf fields

[57:07] and natural grass at all levels of sport. Uh, I would like to highlight and

[57:12] provide information regarding some of the differences as pertains to first heat.

[57:16] um, as many of you are aware, um, natural grass,

[57:20] uh, surfaces normally don't extend over a hundred degrees even in hot weather,

[57:24] uh, whereas your synthetic fields can exceed 150 degrees in hot weather. Fortunately

[57:29] for us, um, each one of our schools is equipped with a wet ball globe thermometer that

[57:33] our athletic trainers and athletic directors use, which accurately measures direct

[57:37] sun heat, and coupled with our heat guidelines, prevent us from having kids out and extenuating

[57:42] heat on these surfaces. Um, as it pertains to safety, um,

[57:46] older turf fields have shown higher rates of foot and ankle injuries, but subsequently,

[57:51] newer turf systems show no difference between the two as it relates

[57:55] into 70, 72% of most studies. Um, concussions for

[57:59] all competitive sports were lower on ter synthetic turf fields. However,

[58:04] uh, there have been a few studies among high school football players where there was a rising

[58:08] in concussion rates. Um, this is normally a generally linked to increased

[58:12] turf usage and poor turf maintenance. So if you're not taking care of the field the way

[58:16] it's supposed to, chances are more than likely that you are pro, um, prone

[58:20] to some more injuries. Um, as it pertains to environmental impacts,

[58:25] synthetic turf fields hindered water infiltration and has disposed challenges with

[58:29] chemical concerns from the crumb. Uh, rubber infill natural grass

[58:33] requires heavy irrigation and chemicals impacting water use and waterway quality

[58:38] despite ecological benefits. Um, bcps is looking into

[58:42] alternative fillers. I mean, as you guys know, a lot of the, um, conversation

[58:47] is regarding, uh, the rubber crumb infill. Um, but we are looking

[58:51] towards plant-based alternatives and cork, um, solutions to alleviate concerns

[58:55] around the ground rubber, um, trade offs and considerations to be considered,

[59:00] uh, choosing between turf and grass involves balance, balance and safety, sustainability,

[59:04] operational feasibility, and I say that bcps and b and recreation

[59:08] and parks have benefited from the installation of turf fields across the county. Next slide.

[59:14] um, bcps, um, recreation and parks collaboration on turf installation

[59:18] at most of our high schools has been a complete success. Uh, currently there are

[59:22] seven bcps high school sites that do not have synthetic, synthetic fields.

[59:27] these schools include chesapeake, delaney, eastern tech lock, raven owens mills,

[59:31] patapsco, and western tech. It is important to note that eastern tech and western tech,

[59:35] um, both, uh, s both essex and uh, catonsville community

[59:39] to host, uh, a majority of their athletic games that, uh, are on turf fields.

[59:44] next slide. Status and funding. So where are we at?

[59:48] um, uh, here's the status and the funding information. As it pertains to the schools who

[59:52] currently do not have turf fields. Chesapeake high school, there is a local bond

[59:57] initiative in place for partial funding of design. Uh,

[1:00:01] they would need additional funding, uh, will be required to complete the design, and

[1:00:05] then any, for any type of, uh, installation of a turf field.

[1:00:10] delaney high school. Um, there is, um, a replacement

[1:00:14] scheduled for turf field in their new design. So they are scheduled to get a turf

[1:00:18] field installed, um, with the new design at delaney high school.

[1:00:22] eastern tech also has a local bond initiative for feasibility planning

[1:00:26] services for athletic master plan. Presently, there is conjecture regarding

[1:00:30] the amount of space that they have on campus and the ability with that type of field there.

[1:00:34] uh, western tech does not have any field space. They play all their

[1:00:39] games off campus, hence it's why they used the community college. Uh, so there's nothing in

[1:00:43] place for them and there is no funding at this time regarding the situations at owens

[1:00:47] mills and lock raven. So with that, I will turn it back over to dr. Grim. Next slide.

[1:00:52] so we wanted to share with you, uh, our two recent standalone

[1:00:56] artificial, uh, turf field projects. Those were at kenwood and parkville.

[1:01:00] this slide shows pictures of the kenwood turf field and the

[1:01:04] parkville, uh, turf field, again as standalone projects. So just

[1:01:08] the turf field, um, itself and, and sometimes some of the additional

[1:01:13] infrastructure that's a part of that. Uh, kenwood was $1.4 million

[1:01:17] and parkville was $1.2 million. Those projects

[1:01:22] began, um, and were largely completed in, in 2023. I think they

[1:01:26] turned into 2024 as well.

[1:01:31] to give you some idea of artificial turf maintenance, as mr.

[1:01:35] sy referred to, um, we have two different groups working

[1:01:39] together, collaborating, and we referenced, um, baltimore county recreation

[1:01:43] and parks earlier. It's really baltimore county property management that assists

[1:01:47] us with our artificial turf maintenance. And so this

[1:01:52] slide depicts what, uh, bcps grounds does on a, on either

[1:01:56] a, a, a daily basis, again for these, uh, stadium

[1:02:00] artificial fields and what, uh, baltimore county property management does

[1:02:04] in terms of, um, their, um, their maintenance of

[1:02:08] it. And so when you look at something like applying an anti-microbial

[1:02:13] or the, the gmax testing, the, the shock attenuation, um, those are

[1:02:17] our annual things that we coordinate again with the county

[1:02:23] in terms of our grass turf maintenance. Um, this is

[1:02:27] what includes the stadium fields. So these aren't all the other fields at these school sites.

[1:02:31] these are, are specific to those stadium fields and, and what

[1:02:35] we do because these are our grounds and how we take care of them,

[1:02:40] again, on a, on a daily, weekly, or as needed basis.

[1:02:46] to give you a sense of what some of the costs are. Um, for

[1:02:50] artificial turf, again, we have, uh, 17 sites. It costs

[1:02:54] us approximately $68,000 in total each year,

[1:02:59] averaging $4,000 per site. This includes our labor and materials

[1:03:03] only. It doesn't include vehicle equipment, costs, fuel,

[1:03:07] um, and, and any other specialties that, that have to occur there. And again, that's,

[1:03:11] that's our cost. That's not the county government cost.

[1:03:15] our grass turf sites, the six sites that we do have total

[1:03:20] about, uh, 81,000, uh, averaging, 13,500

[1:03:25] per site. And again, they include the, the same type of breakdown.

[1:03:31] and with that, we thank you, um, and we open it up for any questions.

[1:03:37] are there any questions from board members, ms.

[1:03:41] doki? Yes. Um, I remember a while back at a

[1:03:45] delaney presentation, we were talk, I spoke to someone from the board of directors at the

[1:03:49] maryland state fairgrounds, and there was some talk or interest in, um, possibly working

[1:03:54] together to redevelop the infield at the maryland state fair

[1:03:58] track to, uh, and cooperation with bcps to use that

[1:04:02] as, you know, one of our field locations, I mean, the lighting, seating, parking,

[1:04:07] everything seemed kind of ideal. It it would if

[1:04:11] the cooperation would work. Was there any communications ever made

[1:04:15] about that? Uh, to my, to my knowledge, we have not been

[1:04:19] approached by the maryland state fair, uh, or state fair grounds with any type of

[1:04:23] proposal or anything regarding those fields. Would it be them that have to approach you

[1:04:27] or is it something that we'd have to procure or, I mean, could you,

[1:04:32] would it be an open community? I just, I don't, how would that work exactly? Um,

[1:04:36] like any community member that would like to en engage us in something that's their

[1:04:40] property, they would typically reach out to us and, and say, are you, are

[1:04:44] you interested in using our site or interested in partnering with us?

[1:04:49] um, sometimes a local school site, if they have a need to use a particular,

[1:04:53] um, particular site might reach out specifically, but that's not something the

[1:04:58] school system would normally do. And you're saying they did not reach, reach out to you

[1:05:02] to, to my knowledge, no. Because I think I, I, I think I remember that you were at

[1:05:06] that meeting with delaney. Uh, it was a while. It was not. It was like in 24

[1:05:10] probably, um, early on. And, um, I remember kathleen videll

[1:05:14] was there and she came up, she's one of the, on the board there to, to my knowledge,

[1:05:19] no one has reached, no one reached out, no one's reached out to me personally about using the fairgrounds

[1:05:23] site. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Other questions, ms. Humphrey?

[1:05:28] hi. Thank you for the presentation. Um, I requested this be added to the

[1:05:32] agenda and unfortunately don't have the correct notebook for my questions. So I'm gonna try to recall,

[1:05:36] um, why I proposed this initially. I know that we had two different,

[1:05:41] um, stakeholder groups come out and speak to us about turf fields versus, um,

[1:05:45] grass fields. One was the health and safety, uh, committee from pta

[1:05:50] council. Um, and their concerns, which one of which I believe you addressed were the,

[1:05:54] um, having glow thermometers available to test the temperature of the turf

[1:05:58] fields. Um, so am I correct that you said they're available at every turf field that

[1:06:02] we have at the moment? All 24 high schools have them. Okay, thank you.

[1:06:06] um, and what was the other thing? Oh, well you mentioned alternative fillers. So is

[1:06:10] that something we're looking into? Is that something that, um, might be

[1:06:15] proposed for, um, upcoming, upcoming fields that are to be built at, you know, at

[1:06:19] this point? Or replacing fields that are already,

[1:06:23] you know, it's looking at? Well, to answer your question as to looking into the newer fields that will be

[1:06:27] installed, I'm not quite certain if it is potentially possible,

[1:06:31] but it is something that we will have a discussion regarding if that can be

[1:06:36] changed out in terms of the rubber infill versus the, um, cork or the plant base.

[1:06:40] but it is looking forward into the future in terms of, um, newer installs.

[1:06:44] okay, thank you. Our our partners at recreation and parks are also looking into

[1:06:49] alternative fills as well. Okay. Awesome. Um, and the other question,

[1:06:53] I didn't just lose it. Oh, they also mentioned, um, possible,

[1:06:57] if I'm recalling this correctly, signs posted at the

[1:07:01] turf field locations to, um, note the safety hazards

[1:07:06] and what to look out for the differences between, you know, when you're on a turf field as opposed

[1:07:10] to a grass field. Is that something we've ever thought about? And like, again, I'm going without my

[1:07:14] notes, so to be very specific, I'd have to go back and I will get back to you with that if you don't recall that conversation.

[1:07:20] I don't recall that conversation at all. Okay. I mean, we have plenty of signage out and again, would

[1:07:25] be willing to add any additional signage, um, that really has

[1:07:29] not been brought to us in terms of posting signage about

[1:07:33] any, um, risk as it pertains to, uh, turf fields. Okay,

[1:07:37] thank you. Yeah, and I will, I, we will find that information from the meeting where they spoke

[1:07:41] and send that out to you so that you're aware. And if any, there's anything I forgot,

[1:07:45] , maybe we can, I can ask that question again. I appreciate your presentation, mr.

[1:07:50] mcmillion. Gentlemen, uh,

[1:07:54] dr. Graham, has eastern tech's feasibility study been, been

[1:07:58] finished? Uh, no. It, it, I believe it was scheduled to begin

[1:08:03] in, uh, december. And so we do, we would not have

[1:08:07] the final, no, that's the money, the final report on that. That's the project that's funded by the legislative?

[1:08:12] yes, sir. That's part of a, that, that was part of the legislative bond initiative

[1:08:16] from 2025 from last year. And mr. S the

[1:08:20] 17 schools that currently have the turf, how many of them have,

[1:08:24] have had it a second time? I couldn't give you that number off

[1:08:28] the top of my field. I mean, off the top of my head, I know that catonsville some

[1:08:33] the, the older fields that were part of the original start. Catonsville, woodlawn,

[1:08:37] harford. Um, there are probably about two or three other schools, so I'm thinking about five

[1:08:41] or six are probably on their second field. And any schools that have got it a third time,

[1:08:46] I don't believe so. Okay. And is towson do to get it in their new construction?

[1:08:50] I believe so, yes. That's one of the first phases of construction.

[1:08:55] thank you. Thank you. Any other questions?

[1:09:01] all right, thank you, gentlemen. Thank you. The next item

[1:09:05] on the agenda is the report on the proposed fy 2027 operating

[1:09:09] budget request. And for that, I call on dr. Rogers.

[1:09:15] thank you. Board chair lichter, vice chair harvey, members of the board. I'm pleased

[1:09:19] to present the official fiscal year 2027 proposed

[1:09:23] operating budget. Before we begin, the communications

[1:09:28] team has created an introduction video.

[1:09:46] every dollar has a purpose. Each investment

[1:09:50] strengthens our foundation. A budget is about more than

[1:09:54] just resources and funding. It's about unlocking

[1:09:59] potential, creating pathways for success.

[1:10:04] investing in team vcps fast

[1:10:08] forwarding student achievement, working together to

[1:10:12] engage, empower, and excel every

[1:10:17] dollar counts. Baltimore county public schools

[1:10:21] is deeply committed to ensuring that every student, regardless

[1:10:25] of background or circumstance, has access to the resources

[1:10:30] they need to thrive. And we are putting those resources

[1:10:34] where they matter the most. Closest to our students and schools.

[1:10:39] we've made significant investments in early childhood education,

[1:10:44] curriculum, special education, recruitment and retention,

[1:10:48] professional learning infrastructure, school support,

[1:10:52] community schools, and safety and climates, and those investments

[1:10:56] are making a difference. In two years, we've made great strides

[1:11:01] in our efforts to fast forward student achievement. Students are

[1:11:05] demonstrating improved proficiency in math and language arts. We've achieved

[1:11:09] significant improvement in higher rated schools. The number of

[1:11:13] four star schools increased by 82%, and five

[1:11:17] star schools rose by 21%. 64 schools

[1:11:22] improved their maryland star ratings. Bcps has 23 5

[1:11:27] star schools, the highest number in the state for the

[1:11:31] second consecutive year. Our operating budget reflects

[1:11:35] our values, high expectations for students and staff,

[1:11:39] and commitment to pursuing excellence in all areas of

[1:11:43] our work. The development of the bcps budget requires several

[1:11:47] months of collaborative and deliberate work. Community engagement

[1:11:52] and input is paramount. And team bcps stakeholders

[1:11:57] are encouraged to engage in the process and provide feedback

[1:12:01] through surveys, community meetings, advisory and stakeholder

[1:12:05] groups, principal and central office meetings, board presentations

[1:12:10] and more. Your voices played a critical role in the development

[1:12:15] of the fy 27 operating budget. We are aligning

[1:12:19] resources with priorities, allocating resources in an equitable

[1:12:23] and transparent manner, and are committed to a balanced budget

[1:12:28] that moves bcps forward. Let's stay the course team

[1:12:32] bcps. Our collective efforts and strategic investments

[1:12:36] are helping to make b-c-p-s-a premier system in the

[1:12:40] state and nation.

[1:12:49] thank you. If we could post the powerpoint

[1:13:02] almost. All right. So we will begin this evening. The same way that I began

[1:13:06] with the community yesterday. We exist to educate

[1:13:10] all students. We exist to educate all students at high levels despite

[1:13:15] what schools they attend, despite what their needs are in bcps.

[1:13:19] over the last several years, our student demographics have changed over

[1:13:23] the last five years. This slide depicts the increase in the

[1:13:27] number of economically disadvantaged students that we serve.

[1:13:32] the increase in the number of multilingual learners, our fastest

[1:13:36] growing population in team bcps, and

[1:13:40] you'll see a slight increase in the number of students receiving special education

[1:13:45] services in baltimore county public schools.

[1:13:49] three years ago, our charge was very

[1:13:53] clear.

[1:13:58] dunno what that our

[1:14:02] charge was very clear. Our task was to identify

[1:14:07] the priorities that were needed in team bcps to address the needs of our

[1:14:11] students. We were to reverse a trajectory of more than a decade

[1:14:16] of academic decline. We are very pleased

[1:14:20] that we have been able to use community feedback. We've been able to

[1:14:25] use examination of our data, as well as

[1:14:29] review of our procedures and processes to identify four

[1:14:33] priority areas. Those priority areas remain the same. They are

[1:14:37] academic achievement infrastructure, making sure that our processes

[1:14:42] help us to move forward, as well as state-of-the-art

[1:14:46] facilities for our students. Safety and climate, both social emotional

[1:14:51] as well as physical safety and climate and highly effective teachers,

[1:14:55] leaders, and staff.

[1:15:08] while some have criticized our gains as not enough,

[1:15:12] I'm very proud of the progress of baltimore county public schools.

[1:15:16] uh, one of the things that we wanna make sure that the community notes is

[1:15:20] all of the data that we share publicly are either comparisons

[1:15:25] to the rest of the state of maryland, all of the 23 of districts

[1:15:30] or the united states of america. In this slide

[1:15:34] in particular, this references the maryland report card.

[1:15:38] this past year, every student group across all levels

[1:15:42] demonstrated proficiency improvements in both mathematics and

[1:15:46] language arts. It's also important to note that school quality and

[1:15:51] student success improve for students at the elementary, middle,

[1:15:55] and high school levels. In two short years, we have had significant

[1:15:59] improvement in the higher rated schools, specifically for star schools.

[1:16:04] those have increased in bcps by 82%,

[1:16:09] 21% increase in five star schools. 64

[1:16:13] schools over the last two years have increased, improved

[1:16:18] their maryland star ratings. For the second year in a row, we have the highest

[1:16:22] number of five star schools in the state of maryland.

[1:16:33] okay, I'm gonna have to say next slide if this is not working. Thank you.

[1:16:38] this slide depicts the maryland report card star ratings. As I've shared before,

[1:16:42] across all 24 districts, the maryland state department of education

[1:16:46] ranked all schools and nine out of the top 10 elementary

[1:16:51] schools in the entire state of maryland are in baltimore county public schools,

[1:16:56] and two of the top five high schools are in baltimore county

[1:17:00] public schools as well. Next slide, please.

[1:17:05] this slide shows our year one and our year two results in

[1:17:09] a variety of areas. All of these areas on the slide are

[1:17:14] external. They are validity and reliability tested. The

[1:17:18] data point that we point to the most that we work on together

[1:17:23] collaboratively at the central office level, as well as in the school level

[1:17:27] three years, day in and day out, is chronic absenteeism.

[1:17:32] we believe that no matter what we have available for our students, what

[1:17:36] resources, what supports, none of it will mean anything and will have

[1:17:40] an impact on them unless they are in school. As a direct result

[1:17:45] of our collaborative efforts, baltimore county public schools had

[1:17:49] the highest percent improvement in the state of maryland. And over

[1:17:53] two years, we have more than 9,000 students who now come

[1:17:57] to school on a regular basis who were not attending school prior to that.

[1:18:02] there are a variety of other data points here, including the state assessment

[1:18:06] results, our improvements there, the wida assessment for multilingual

[1:18:11] learners, teacher retention, as well as graduation

[1:18:15] rate and mesa. Next slide please.

[1:18:20] it's also important for us to share with our community that when

[1:18:24] bcps had the opportunity to receive more funds, we

[1:18:29] invested all of those funds directly in our students. The research

[1:18:33] is clear about what it takes to reverse a trajectory of academic decline.

[1:18:38] there must be an intentional and investment in the school

[1:18:42] system in bcps. Since fy 25,

[1:18:46] we have invested intentionally in early childhood, adding

[1:18:51] more than 2000 full day pre-k seats curriculum,

[1:18:55] making sure that now all of our students have literacy curriculum from kindergarten

[1:18:59] through grade 12. That is evidence-based where we are teaching the

[1:19:03] science of reading. And the same is true for english language development.

[1:19:08] we have had a community schools expansion where now we have 110

[1:19:12] of our schools that provide wraparound supports for our students and families.

[1:19:17] we've implemented a differentiated school support model. This was to

[1:19:21] ensure that all schools have different needs and that we were providing

[1:19:25] support to our schools that were designated as highest needs, our

[1:19:29] comprehensive school improvement and targeted school improvement schools, where they

[1:19:34] received shoulder to shoulder support inside of the classroom,

[1:19:38] inside of the leadership teams to help advance the progress of our

[1:19:42] students. Professional learning has been a focus for us,

[1:19:46] not only for schools, but also for central offices and all of

[1:19:51] operations to make sure that everyone has access to the most

[1:19:55] uptodate strategies to do their best work on behalf of the students

[1:19:59] that we serve. You'll also know on this slide, recruitment retention,

[1:20:03] increasing investments in special education safety enhancements

[1:20:08] to also include additional mental health supports for our students

[1:20:13] and infrastructure. Our enterprise resource planning project,

[1:20:17] as well as 11 major construction projects

[1:20:21] have been completed since fy 25.

[1:20:27] next slide, please. One back

[1:20:34] specific to how we have responded to the needs, we have added additional

[1:20:38] positions to serve our schools. On this slide, you'll see the list of

[1:20:43] positions that went directly into schools to support our

[1:20:47] students and their targeted needs. Everything from iep facilitators

[1:20:51] at the elementary level, to educator retention teachers to

[1:20:55] additional counselors, charter of school positions, special area

[1:20:59] teachers and student safety assistants have been part of our

[1:21:04] investments in team bcps. These investments have been made

[1:21:08] possible because of the support of the board of education, the support of our county

[1:21:12] executives, as well as our county council, when times

[1:21:17] were plenty and we were able to increase compensation and provide

[1:21:21] enhancements, we did exactly that. The middle

[1:21:25] column shows the direct investments that we have made in all

[1:21:29] of our employees. Everything from raises for every single

[1:21:33] employee and team bcps to being two years ahead of

[1:21:37] the blueprint. Mandated 60,000 starting salary for teachers,

[1:21:41] which brings us to, near the top of the scale in the

[1:21:45] state of maryland, national board certified teacher incentives, several

[1:21:50] memorandums of understanding for our staff members, including

[1:21:54] caseload management, instructional leadership teams, particularly at

[1:21:59] our elementary schools, to create the infrastructure needed for student

[1:22:03] progress, classroom coverage, secondary extra class

[1:22:07] period, and increase in hourly wages for contractual

[1:22:12] employees as well as our bus drivers and attend assistance.

[1:22:16] um, the total amount of that investment has

[1:22:20] been $104.1 million in additional compensation

[1:22:25] and enhancements. And as I mentioned earlier, we have had 11

[1:22:30] new addition renovation or replacement capital projects. And

[1:22:34] as of january 8th, the amount of money that has been

[1:22:39] invested in infrastructure has been more than $569 million.

[1:22:45] next slide, please.

[1:22:50] and so it is important for us to point to the investments

[1:22:54] that we have made in our students in schools, as well as

[1:22:58] their forward progress. We know what the charge was three short

[1:23:02] years ago. We have seen positive progress after

[1:23:06] year one and year two. Year three is our opportunity

[1:23:11] to either solidify our position as forward moving

[1:23:16] as a school system and truly re reversing that trajectory or

[1:23:20] an opportunity for regression.

[1:23:24] it is our goal to make sure that we are moving forward. And so we

[1:23:29] do not want to have anything that distracts

[1:23:33] our teachers and staff from the work ahead of us and the

[1:23:37] students that are in the classrooms. And so this budget that I am proposing

[1:23:42] this evening for your review and consideration and deliberation

[1:23:46] over the next, uh, several weeks, is

[1:23:51] in with that in mind, it is informed by the feedback

[1:23:55] of many people in team bcps. Next slide please.

[1:24:02] next slide, please. And so it is very important that

[1:24:06] we face our fiscal realities. We have a clear plan

[1:24:10] for how to address the challenges that we see ahead

[1:24:14] of us, and also to respond to the feedback that we have received

[1:24:19] across the last several months. Before we begin with that,

[1:24:23] we just want to make sure that there is clarity around the budget. The budget

[1:24:28] includes six funds. Most of our conversation over the last several months

[1:24:32] has been specific to the operating budget, which is includes

[1:24:36] the general fund, which is all of our system operations. So

[1:24:41] all salary, wages and benefits, and all of the day-to-day spending

[1:24:45] for the school system is a part of the operating budget. It also

[1:24:49] includes the special revenue fund and other components. The only other

[1:24:53] thing I'll point to your attention in the orange section is the

[1:24:57] capital projects fund. We have both the state capital budget and the county

[1:25:02] capital budget, which the board of education voted on this evening.

[1:25:06] those are very separate processes to make sure that we

[1:25:10] deal with all of the construction needs of our facilities.

[1:25:21] the fy 27 budget development process, uh, began several

[1:25:25] months ago. As a part of that process, we engage with

[1:25:29] many people. This slide depicts all of the

[1:25:33] groups that we have had an opportunity to hear directly

[1:25:37] from, from the advisories, pta councils, principals, and monthly

[1:25:42] meetings, central office leadership. We have sent out surveys

[1:25:46] to all stakeholders in the community as well as a, a separate

[1:25:50] survey to our principals to which our reported those findings.

[1:25:54] we had five different community conversations to hear directly,

[1:25:59] um, from our community. The board of education

[1:26:03] has also had the opportunity over the last several months to hear operating

[1:26:07] budget presentations. Uh, they are listed on this slide,

[1:26:11] as I have done for the last three years. We have also had two

[1:26:16] by two small group meetings. Those were held in december. And this is an

[1:26:20] opportunity for our board of education members to ask me any direct

[1:26:24] questions that they have about the budget. Also this year, knowing

[1:26:29] that we were in an especially fiscally challenging

[1:26:33] time, um, making sure that I was hearing any and

[1:26:37] all considerations for reductions in the budget

[1:26:41] areas to, um, inspect for necessary

[1:26:46] changes we're a part of those meetings. We also held the fy

[1:26:50] 27 budget overview presentation, I believe in,

[1:26:54] uh, december as a part of the budget development process

[1:26:59] to make sure that everyone had access to as much

[1:27:03] information as possible, and everyone was able to weigh in

[1:27:07] on what their priorities were. As a part of those discussions,

[1:27:12] um, the responses came back and they were clear,

[1:27:16] um, to the survey as well as individual face-to-face meeting.

[1:27:21] um, our families, our staff members told us that

[1:27:25] there was, um, concern over providing support

[1:27:29] to struggling students. Um, we also heard that

[1:27:34] there was, um, support for keeping class sizes

[1:27:38] as small as possible. But what we heard the loudest,

[1:27:42] um, from all, uh, stakeholders across the system

[1:27:47] was to prioritize compensation. That prioritizing

[1:27:51] the full compensation package was extremely important

[1:27:56] to members of team bcps. And so this proposed budget

[1:28:00] does just that. Next slide, please.

[1:28:06] we have shared the budgeting elements, um, that we have used. On one

[1:28:10] slide of this slide. It depicts research, uh, that

[1:28:15] georgetown university, their omics lab, has been sharing for

[1:28:19] the last few years, um, particularly with the ending of esser funds

[1:28:23] for school systems to consider, um, to make reductions in their

[1:28:27] budget as that was a fiscal reality, um, across

[1:28:31] the united states. What you see that's unique to bcps on these

[1:28:35] slides, you see the check marks for every area that we

[1:28:40] have implemented as a school system. Um, next to that,

[1:28:44] you have specific, uh, measures that we have taken in team bcps.

[1:28:49] I wanna remind everyone that we are in a third year of a

[1:28:53] central office hiring freeze. Uh, we have lifted our freeze,

[1:28:57] uh, temporarily in the summers for a short period of time,

[1:29:02] um, to staff. Um, the only other exception

[1:29:06] is when a position comes up, if a, uh, chief from a

[1:29:11] division believes that it is mission critical, they are able to apply

[1:29:15] for an exception. Um, we do not automatically have,

[1:29:19] not automatically, will not automatically fill, uh,

[1:29:23] positions that become open, whether they are for retirements, for,

[1:29:27] uh, promotions, or for resignation of staff members.

[1:29:32] as part of our fiduciary responsibility, um,

[1:29:37] contract review for the first time this year, uh, we reverse sorted

[1:29:41] all of our contracts that we had in team bcps from the most

[1:29:45] expensive contract to the, um, smallest contract

[1:29:49] that we had and what we were looking for as a cabinet. What, uh,

[1:29:53] chiefs went back and looked for in their teams was an opportunity

[1:29:57] to either renegotiate contracts for a, um,

[1:30:01] reduced price to reduce, um, amounts

[1:30:06] of goods that we procured if we were pro procuring a certain,

[1:30:10] um, amount of an item, or to

[1:30:14] eliminate contracts in their entirety. And in a few slides, I will share

[1:30:19] some of the results of that. Uh, zero based budgeting. This is our third

[1:30:23] year in a row of implementing zero based budgeting where we

[1:30:27] evaluate all expenditures. We require evidence,

[1:30:31] um, of actual either expenditures or

[1:30:36] escalations, uh, that are in contracts. Um, we do

[1:30:40] not automatically provide for all divisions, uh,

[1:30:45] the same amount of, uh, budget all budgetary allocation that

[1:30:49] they receive the previous year. Um, we have no new initiatives

[1:30:53] in this budget unless, uh, mandated. And, um,

[1:30:58] we also, uh, ex ex took extreme

[1:31:02] scrutiny, uh, around our new request, and you will see the results of that shortly

[1:31:06] as well. Uh, we also engage in a position analysis

[1:31:11] this time, uh, with an external source. Uh, for the last few

[1:31:15] years, as you know, we have made position reductions in team

[1:31:19] bcps. We have normed with our, um,

[1:31:24] uh, other neighboring districts. We wanted, because

[1:31:28] we had such a, um, heavy lift in front of us,

[1:31:33] we wanted to have national comparison and wanted to benchmark

[1:31:38] with a partner that deals with budget benchmarking. And I'll

[1:31:42] share that data shortly. Uh, we reviewed all of our master schedules,

[1:31:46] uh, to make informed decisions based on courses where

[1:31:50] students were currently enrolled, uh, to ensure that

[1:31:54] our recommendations were aligned to our student needs.

[1:31:58] um, and we looked at all of our formulas, our formulas that are public

[1:32:03] facing, ensuring that, uh, what we had

[1:32:07] as a formula was what we had implemented in our schools

[1:32:11] and additional grant offset opportunities where there were there opportunities

[1:32:16] in federal funding for us to move additional

[1:32:20] positions from our operating budget to our grants. Next slide, please.

[1:32:27] over the last two fiscal years, we have reduced

[1:32:31] the operating budget internally by $169 million.

[1:32:36] this includes a reduction in central office supervisory

[1:32:40] positions. One of the pieces of feedback that we heard from our

[1:32:44] community members was around the size of our central office.

[1:32:49] um, we examined that feedback. We, uh,

[1:32:54] reviewed our positions. We looked for efficiency and made

[1:32:58] those changes. Um, I also want to note, uh, for our

[1:33:02] community members that part of these $169 million

[1:33:06] worth of reductions, um, really focus on central offices,

[1:33:11] uh, uh, large portion of our reductions.

[1:33:15] were in the central offices over the last two years. Uh, we also

[1:33:19] last year were able to, uh, not make any changes with

[1:33:23] our staffing allocation formulas. Uh, as we looked school by

[1:33:28] school of all of our formulas to make sure that we were in alignment,

[1:33:32] uh, the first year we eliminated vacant positions that for years

[1:33:37] we had had on our books we were budgeting for. Um, but they

[1:33:41] remained open and we made reductions in built-ins. Everything

[1:33:46] from reducing travel, reducing, um, cell phones,

[1:33:50] stip stipends, reducing, um, supplies and et cetera,

[1:33:55] were part of the work, uh, that we engaged in for

[1:33:59] the last two years. Uh, this is important to note, uh, because

[1:34:03] now we have come to a, uh, portion when we have the

[1:34:07] third year of reductions where these opportunities

[1:34:11] are no longer available in the budget. And so they require

[1:34:15] us to make difficult decisions in order to honor

[1:34:20] the feedback that we have received from our stakeholders about the priorities

[1:34:25] for fy 27. Next slide. Please

[1:34:30] also wanna make sure that we highlight where the funding comes from.

[1:34:34] um, bcps is not revenue generating. We receive

[1:34:39] all of our funding from the local, state, and federal government.

[1:34:43] um, a small portion from other, you'll see on

[1:34:47] the, uh, pie chart that the majority of our funding comes from the

[1:34:51] local government, um, followed by the state, as well

[1:34:55] as a smaller portion from the federal, um, government.

[1:35:00] uh, we have heard comments about how much money, um, baltimore

[1:35:05] county public schools receives for the budget. We receive a

[1:35:09] generous budget. Um, we want to, uh, reiterate that maintenance

[1:35:13] of effort is the law. Um, our budget is likely

[1:35:17] the third largest budget in the state of maryland as we

[1:35:22] are the third largest school system in the state of maryland.

[1:35:26] um, we are grateful, uh, to be in a county

[1:35:30] where our local partners have funded us above maintenance

[1:35:34] of effort, meaning above what is required. Last year,

[1:35:38] our funding was 3.5% above what is what was

[1:35:43] required. And so out of the funding that we received, um, last

[1:35:47] year, we received, uh, approximately 30 million additional

[1:35:51] dollars above what was required. But the bulk of funding that we

[1:35:55] received was required based on the per pupil

[1:36:00] appropriation. So the number of students that we have, um, in our schools

[1:36:04] and the funding from the year before, our funding target this year,

[1:36:08] uh, from our county executive, is 2% above

[1:36:12] what we received last year. If we want to compare that

[1:36:16] to maintenance of effort, that is the equivalent to 3%

[1:36:21] above maintenance of effort. Um, as I stated, we do not generate

[1:36:25] our own funding. All of our funding comes with strings attach.

[1:36:30] all of our expenditures must be accounted for, whether these are

[1:36:34] expenditures at the central office level or at the schoolhouse

[1:36:39] level. Um, you will note, as happened this evening, uh,

[1:36:43] part of what happens in many board of education meetings are

[1:36:47] contracts. Um, as a part of those contracts that are listed on board

[1:36:51] docs, there are budget appropriation limits. There are terms to the budget

[1:36:55] and specific vendors. Uh, those terms apply to

[1:37:00] all schools and all offices. We have individual

[1:37:04] spending transaction limits, and we have return reporting

[1:37:08] and external auditing requirements in team bcps

[1:37:13] for all of our funding. Next slide, please.

[1:37:17] many factors have changed since january, 2025. Um, as

[1:37:21] we have shared, this is a challenging fiscal climate.

[1:37:26] um, factors at the federal level has changed. Uh, bcps

[1:37:30] we are watching, um, with you at the same time about the changes

[1:37:35] at the us department of education and what the impact might

[1:37:39] be on us directly as a school system. This is important to

[1:37:43] us because we have more than 1100 positions that

[1:37:47] are funded by grant funds. Um, the

[1:37:51] future of this funding source is unknown. Um, however,

[1:37:56] we are, um, uh, pleased that federal

[1:38:00] funding is appropriated one year in advance

[1:38:05] of when, um, we plan to, uh, use those funds.

[1:38:10] um, at the state level, uh, the structural deficit

[1:38:14] has, uh, increased. I believe the most recent number is about a $5 billion

[1:38:19] structural deficit. Um, while school system funds

[1:38:23] are in a protected trust, uh, known as the blueprint,

[1:38:27] the concern that we advocate for is, um,

[1:38:32] the, uh, budgets moving forward that stretch

[1:38:36] out the funding. The only way that that is able to be stretched

[1:38:40] out is by, um, providing less than anticipated

[1:38:45] annually to the school systems. And so last year, uh, we

[1:38:49] advocated in annapolis, um, for that not

[1:38:53] to happen. Um, it was a, uh, good year for school systems

[1:38:57] last year at the state level. The governor's budget has not yet been

[1:39:01] shared for this year. However, we do, uh, know of one risk that

[1:39:05] I will share, um, uh, shortly. And, uh,

[1:39:09] we plan to be in annapolis. Again, I invite any and all

[1:39:14] members who want to advocate on behalf of team bcps to join me,

[1:39:18] uh, as I will be there, often advocating on behalf of our 108,000

[1:39:23] students. And at the local level, uh, what we have to appreciate

[1:39:28] is that they receive their funding from the federal and the state level. And

[1:39:32] so, uh, a reduction at those levels also

[1:39:36] impact them. And so I am, um, grateful that our

[1:39:40] county executive not knowing what will come out of this legislative

[1:39:45] session, which I believe, uh, begins tomorrow, um,

[1:39:49] has committed to team bcps an above maintenance

[1:39:53] of effort budget. Um, what she has committed to is,

[1:39:58] uh, the equivalent of $29.73 million

[1:40:02] above what is required, um, for the

[1:40:06] school system based on our enrollment in our formulas.

[1:40:10] next slide, please. And

[1:40:14] so, it's important that we take a look at student enrollment, um,

[1:40:19] as, uh, you are aware of, as we have shared this previously. Enrollment

[1:40:23] has not bounced back, uh, since covid. This is the trend

[1:40:28] in the state of maryland and baltimore county. Public schools is no

[1:40:32] different. Uh, we have had an opportunity to examine some of the

[1:40:36] reasons, um, for the decline in enrollment. What we have learned

[1:40:40] is over the last 10 years, particularly in baltimore county, um,

[1:40:45] or specifically in baltimore county. And, uh, there are, uh, some

[1:40:49] data to, uh, support this. There is a lower birth rate overall,

[1:40:54] um, over the last 10 years, which has an impact on the number of school

[1:40:58] age children, um, that are available to come to our public schools.

[1:41:03] uh, there has been an increase in homeschooling, uh, since, uh,

[1:41:07] the pandemic, although this last year we were successful and attracting,

[1:41:12] uh, more homeschooling families back, uh, to our online

[1:41:16] programs. Um, in bcps, we have noted for this last

[1:41:21] year, the immigration policy has had an impact on our multilingual

[1:41:25] learners and their, um, attendance in school. And so

[1:41:29] these are some of the reasons. And, um, at the same time, as you know,

[1:41:33] wages and benefits are increasing. And I bring this to your attention

[1:41:37] because all of our funding sources, um, at the federal

[1:41:41] level, at the state level, and at the local level, they are tied

[1:41:45] directly to enrollment. So based on the number of students that

[1:41:50] you have attending, whatever the formula is, it is multiplied

[1:41:54] by the number of students. And so when you have fewer students attending,

[1:41:58] there are fewer funds coming into the school system.

[1:42:03] if we take a closer look, next slide please. At

[1:42:07] student enrollment, um, we will share, uh,

[1:42:11] some data that is specific to, uh, what we

[1:42:15] are anticipating for fy 27. Um, important to

[1:42:19] note on this slide. Um, it includes, uh, not only the

[1:42:23] wages, but the benefits as well. Um, so for fy

[1:42:27] 27, we are anticipating $46 million worth

[1:42:31] of additional revenue for team bcps. Um, some of

[1:42:36] that is at risk, which I will share in the upcoming slide. Um,

[1:42:40] and it is also important to share that under

[1:42:45] any funding scenario that we had planned for team

[1:42:49] bcps, um, all members of team bcps were to

[1:42:53] receive a raise. The second half of the year two compensation

[1:42:58] was built into any and all projections that we had.

[1:43:03] um, that amount is $28.1 million.

[1:43:07] so $28.1 million of the 46, uh, million

[1:43:11] dollars increase, um, was something that we planned for.

[1:43:16] um, $60 million is the cost of additional compensation

[1:43:20] for the three year, the year three of the compensation package.

[1:43:24] when you add the benefits, it increases to $64.9 million.

[1:43:30] so right here on this slide, um, we can see the math problem

[1:43:34] that the budget, um, poses for us in team bcps,

[1:43:39] right there, just in compensation is a $47 million

[1:43:44] gap. This does not include increased costs for fuel,

[1:43:49] for, uh, contracts and et cetera. This is just for compensation.

[1:43:54] next slide, please. As I stated before,

[1:43:59] there is a risk of the full state funding that we are aware of,

[1:44:03] uh, prior to covid. You'll recall, uh, that school systems

[1:44:07] compensatory education or what we used to call farms.

[1:44:11] um, specifically we are speaking about economically disadvantaged

[1:44:15] students. That number was determined based on farms or

[1:44:20] snap, uh, certification. There is, um,

[1:44:24] a potential risk to move away from the hold harmless,

[1:44:29] um, that we have been operating under to going back to

[1:44:33] direct certification using forms, um, or snap

[1:44:37] benefits. Um, as I shared with you, everything that we do is based

[1:44:41] on enrollment. So based on the number of students that attend baltimore

[1:44:46] county public schools, there is a potential loss of $15.45 million.

[1:44:52] uh, we have already started working on this, um, in

[1:44:56] november, when this information came to us, um, state, um,

[1:45:00] association of superintendents, we all came together,

[1:45:05] the executive, uh, team of which I am president elect. We

[1:45:09] wrote a letter to the governor requesting two things that are depicted

[1:45:13] on this slide, and overall hold harmless for fy 27.

[1:45:18] so we do not have this negative impact on our school system

[1:45:22] budgets and a provision that would ensure that no school system receives

[1:45:27] less compensatory funding. In other words, less funding

[1:45:31] for economically disadvantaged students than was provided in this

[1:45:35] current fiscal year. As well as a continuation of hold harmless

[1:45:40] for community eligibility, uh, programs of which

[1:45:44] we are a part of that. Um, as you know, we provide free meals,

[1:45:48] breakfast and lunch to all of our students. This is the third year

[1:45:52] in a row, and we do not want anything that would jeopardize,

[1:45:57] um, our students having access to meals and

[1:46:01] reintroducing food insecurity in our schools. Next slide, please.

[1:46:07] and so, one of the questions that we wanted to answer very clearly and very plainly

[1:46:12] for all members of our internal community and all members of the external

[1:46:16] community, is about bcps, uh,

[1:46:20] spending and the, uh, amount of funds that we receive.

[1:46:24] um, sometimes in isolation, hearing the size of the budget,

[1:46:29] um, uh, people ask the question, well, where is the money

[1:46:33] going? Uh, the purpose of this graphic is to answer that

[1:46:37] question. Um, 82 cents of every dollar

[1:46:41] of our $2.7 billion goes

[1:46:46] to employees in baltimore county public schools. And

[1:46:50] while sometimes it is stated, if only you do x,

[1:46:54] you'll be able to close the budget gap. We wanna make sure

[1:46:58] that people know that that is not correct. 82 cents,

[1:47:03] what you see in dark green shows you the percentage

[1:47:08] that goes to different members of team bcps.

[1:47:13] so it is proportional. And so comments about non-represented

[1:47:17] staff. Non-represented staff are part of the one

[1:47:21] penny that also include contractual employees.

[1:47:26] the largest portion of our budget, and rightfully so, goes

[1:47:30] to represented tabco represented employees.

[1:47:34] that is followed by afscme represented employees,

[1:47:39] e-s-p-b-c, followed by case ope,

[1:47:43] and then all others. What's important to note is 18 cents

[1:47:48] is what else is used to operate the entire school system.

[1:47:52] when I say operate the school system, I mean all

[1:47:57] of the lights, the light bulbs, the light builds, everything

[1:48:01] that you can think of. All of our, um, rental

[1:48:05] agreements, our buses paying for non-public placements

[1:48:10] supplies, it is 18 cents. And so no

[1:48:14] matter how much work we do around the edges to

[1:48:19] trim, cut, reduce, find efficiencies

[1:48:23] for the 18 cents. At the end of the day, 18 cents

[1:48:27] is still 18 cents and everything has a cost. Next

[1:48:31] slide, please. So, as I alluded to earlier,

[1:48:36] we engage in a staffing analysis, um, to ensure

[1:48:41] that there were no blind spots that we had missed either internally

[1:48:45] or with making comparisons to other school systems. In

[1:48:50] maryland, we partnered with education resource strategies. They have been

[1:48:54] working for more than two decades with schools, districts, and state

[1:48:58] leaders. More than 30 systems, um, focused

[1:49:02] on budgets, focused on how to shift resources and

[1:49:06] opportunities to ensure that, um,

[1:49:10] staffing is aligned, um, to create budget

[1:49:14] efficiencies while still meeting the needs of the students. Over the next

[1:49:19] few slides, I will share some of the findings.

[1:49:24] so this first slide depicts leadership in central office management

[1:49:28] positions. Um, you'll note for each one of the slides,

[1:49:33] uh, there is baltimore county, and then a comparison to the

[1:49:37] median. Uh, while they have worked with well over 30 districts,

[1:49:41] they identified the eight districts that had the eight school

[1:49:45] systems that had demographics that were closely aligned,

[1:49:50] uh, to baltimore county public schools and identified the medium. Uh,

[1:49:54] what you see here is our percent of overall staff and leadership and

[1:49:58] management is leaner less than

[1:50:03] the median in baltimore county public schools. When you take a closer

[1:50:07] look at the adjusted leadership and management, and you're looking at

[1:50:11] specific position areas, um, executive directors, area

[1:50:16] officers, coordinators, managers, et cetera, um, you will also

[1:50:20] note that our positions are

[1:50:24] much less than the median of the comparison

[1:50:28] districts. Next slide, please.

[1:50:33] when we look at instructional ratios, this is what's happening inside of our school

[1:50:37] buildings and special education positions. Uh, the first,

[1:50:41] um, graphs in, uh, the golden rod and

[1:50:45] eggplant, those are the instructional ratios. We first have

[1:50:50] teachers only when we're comparing all teachers to our student

[1:50:54] population. And then what you have in purple, our teachers and what they

[1:50:58] are terming teacher assistants, tas include all of our

[1:51:02] paraprofessionals, any classroom assistants, as well as paraeducators.

[1:51:07] um, baltimore county. Um, our instructional ratio of

[1:51:12] students to all teachers, and our instructional ratio of teachers

[1:51:16] and tas is higher than the median. If

[1:51:20] we take a look at special education teachers, so only special education

[1:51:24] teachers assigned to our special education, uh, students,

[1:51:28] which that staffing is separate and different from our general

[1:51:32] education, uh, students. Um, you will note that our staffing,

[1:51:37] again, is higher than the median. Um, they

[1:51:41] have identified the, um, the implied number

[1:51:45] of ftes higher than the median, where we have well over a hundred

[1:51:50] positions higher in than the median. Um, this is, uh, pointing

[1:51:54] to that our, um, in these two areas that

[1:51:58] baltimore county public schools is well-resourced.

[1:52:05] and the final slide from the staffing analysis is around our student support,

[1:52:09] uh, services positions. Um, how are we supporting our

[1:52:14] students outside of the classroom? So the first area is around pupil

[1:52:18] services and enrichment. That includes, um, supervisors in this area,

[1:52:22] coordinators, managers, social workers, guidance counselors, um,

[1:52:26] that service our students. You will note that bcps is,

[1:52:31] um, right at the median with 3.6. Um,

[1:52:35] but what I wanna call your attention to is the green and the dark

[1:52:39] blue. Um, while we are at 3.6 and aligned with the median

[1:52:44] by overall positions, we have fewer, uh, middle management

[1:52:48] positions, which are highlighted in green and more counselor positions,

[1:52:52] which provide direct services to our students. To take a closer look

[1:52:56] at counselors, um, you'll note the last bar graph, um,

[1:53:00] the median while the ask a recommendation is two 50 to one,

[1:53:05] um, baltimore county public schools is continuing to make headway and very

[1:53:09] close to that recommendation. We are at 2 69. Um,

[1:53:13] we are lower, um, than the median in

[1:53:17] terms of the number of counselors that we have provided for our

[1:53:22] students over time. Um, I have shared highlights from this report

[1:53:26] as part of what is posted on budget 1 0 1. Um,

[1:53:30] the report for baltimore county public schools will be posted there along

[1:53:34] with the comparison of the eight other districts, um, that will be posted,

[1:53:39] uh, this week. Next slide, please.

[1:53:43] and so we have made reductions. Uh, this slide speaks to our

[1:53:47] reductions in built in costs. Uh, built in costs are not optional. These

[1:53:51] are fixed obligation, um, everything from transportation

[1:53:56] to, um, textbooks, technology license, telecommunication,

[1:54:01] paying insurance, and facilities maintenance is a part of this.

[1:54:05] uh, what's highlighted for you in bold are the areas where we

[1:54:09] are reducing our built in costs. Those are diesel and unleaded

[1:54:13] fuel, telecommunications facilities, maintenance

[1:54:18] devices and software license fees, reduced workforce

[1:54:22] development carryover and it contract services

[1:54:26] and vehicle parts. Our total reductions in built-in costs

[1:54:30] is $4.07 million. And this is at

[1:54:35] a time where costs are rising. Next slide, please.

[1:54:41] um, as I shared, we reviewed all of our contracts, and some of

[1:54:45] this work is ongoing as we are working directly with

[1:54:49] vendors, uh, to renegotiate. This slide captures,

[1:54:53] um, negotiations that have, um, uh, continued

[1:54:58] opportunities to, um, uh, avoid different costs.

[1:55:03] um, you'll see here, uh, assessments, uh, from,

[1:55:07] uh, research, accountability and assessment facilities,

[1:55:12] transportation information tech technology and

[1:55:16] curriculum and instruction. Reduced costs

[1:55:20] from, uh, the price of, um, cost for assessments,

[1:55:25] our facilities, support services, cost avoidance, and on budget 1 0 1,

[1:55:29] we will have posted those specific, uh, contracts, um,

[1:55:33] that have allowed us for fy 26 and moving forward to,

[1:55:37] um, avoid, um, this, uh, tremendous cost,

[1:55:42] um, elimination of duplicate, uh, gps,

[1:55:46] our ability to reduce our ukg, um, license,

[1:55:51] our ability to align our microsoft license to positions that

[1:55:55] people have. Um, in across our system, the

[1:55:59] board approved, uh, pause on, um, ib in

[1:56:03] elementary and middle, which has yielded, uh, forward progress for

[1:56:08] those students. That, uh, pause also comes with a savings and

[1:56:12] the continued use of structured literacy as part of our

[1:56:16] hmh, um, contract, uh, that is

[1:56:20] separate from our costs that we have in our budget for

[1:56:25] contractual personnel. Um, across our budget for years,

[1:56:29] we have had contractual personnel either, uh, work for

[1:56:33] a certain period of time over the school year to address needs

[1:56:37] in departments and divisions or work. Um, throughout the year,

[1:56:42] uh, the team has gone in and made reductions in excess

[1:56:46] of $8.6 million in this area,

[1:56:52] reductions in new spending. So typically, um, there is

[1:56:56] new spending that must be added to the budget, uh, based on

[1:57:01] the needs of the school system. This slide shows for you the historical

[1:57:05] bcps new spending, uh, for the years of 2021 and

[1:57:10] 2022. Um, the amounts in the operating

[1:57:14] budget were lower than before, and that is because we were receiving

[1:57:18] esser funding. Um, part of that esser funding went

[1:57:22] specific lead to salaries, wages, contracted services and

[1:57:26] benefits. Um, the numbers that you see on these, uh,

[1:57:31] line items for 20 21, 20 22, they don't reflect

[1:57:35] all of the esser spending, or excuse me, all of the esser funding that we have

[1:57:39] received. They only reflect the additional esser funding

[1:57:43] that we used, uh, for wages and benefits in those

[1:57:47] two fiscal years. Um, in 2025, uh,

[1:57:52] we had 69.7 or $69.8 million

[1:57:57] of additional new spending. Last year, we reduced that amount

[1:58:01] dramatically, um, to $24.4 million.

[1:58:05] and this year, we are moving forward. Uh, I am proposing

[1:58:09] a budget that reduces that amount by 73.6%

[1:58:14] to $6.4 million. Next slide, please.

[1:58:21] even with all of the reductions that I have detailed for you, that is not enough.

[1:58:25] I recall your attention to the, uh, enrollment

[1:58:29] and our enrollment, the gap between our revenue

[1:58:33] and the costs for compensation and our commitment to fully fund

[1:58:38] both year three of the compensation package in addition

[1:58:42] to the second half of year two. And so this slide

[1:58:46] details the additional reductions, net position reductions.

[1:58:51] um, we have, uh, this number includes 594.4

[1:58:55] for a total of $58.9 million. It includes

[1:59:00] 111.5 school-based positions tied to enrollment. This

[1:59:04] is a number that you will see in our operating budget annually.

[1:59:09] um, it is always, um, tied to the september 30th enrollment

[1:59:13] and tied to the funding that we receive from our sources. In addition to that

[1:59:17] 324.8 position tied to a change in

[1:59:22] staffing allocation formula on this slide, you will see the proposal

[1:59:26] to have no change to our youngest learners, uh, pre-k and kindergarten

[1:59:30] at 22. Um, but moving grades one through 12

[1:59:35] to 25 actualize those save savings. It's

[1:59:39] important to note at this time. Um, in our, uh, master

[1:59:43] agreements, we have no layoffs and no furloughs. Um,

[1:59:48] our these reductions, um, can be actualized,

[1:59:52] the majority of them through annual attrition. Uh, annually

[1:59:56] we hire hundreds of teachers into baltimore county public schools.

[2:00:01] um, what this means is that we would hire fewer teachers

[2:00:06] in fiscal year 2027. Um, we also have

[2:00:10] 36 additional central office positions, 40

[2:00:14] assistant principal positions over the formula,

[2:00:18] 23.3 staff development positions, 12.3

[2:00:23] secondary reading positions based on the schedules

[2:00:27] and the actual sections, uh, that our students are in,

[2:00:32] what their data, uh, calls for that they need, uh, 5.2

[2:00:37] reduction in online learning programs and an additional

[2:00:41] $449,782 in

[2:00:45] contractual employee services. Um, we have, uh,

[2:00:49] met with our directors of title one and,

[2:00:54] um, community schools to review opportunities to offset

[2:00:59] positions from the operating budget to the grants. This has yielded

[2:01:03] in a reduction of 41.6 positions, totaling $5.2 million.

[2:01:09] um, it includes, uh, ppws counselors, reading specialists

[2:01:13] and staff development positions. Um, additional it

[2:01:17] reductions for $2.75 million and reduction in summer

[2:01:22] school costs for, uh, $432,000.

[2:01:28] also, want to highlight for you, uh, the increased

[2:01:32] use of fund balance. Uh, last year we had some conversation

[2:01:37] about our use of, uh, fund balance, if you will recall,

[2:01:41] in the fy 26 budget. We began with proposing,

[2:01:45] uh, $18 million to be used from the fund balance. We increased

[2:01:50] to $30 million of the fund balance to fund additional compensation,

[2:01:55] uh, for our staff members. Um, after our final,

[2:01:59] uh, negotiated agreements, uh, we moved to $37.8 million

[2:02:05] of use, um, of our fund balance. This fy 27

[2:02:10] budget proposes that we increase even more

[2:02:14] to $50 million of, uh, fund balance use

[2:02:18] for the upcoming year. Um, it's important to note that when you

[2:02:22] look at the fund balance, you will see the cushion that is necessary,

[2:02:26] um, from the county re uh, recommendation for

[2:02:31] emergencies and contingencies. And you will see, um, I

[2:02:35] believe it's another $20 million. Um, above that

[2:02:39] I want to call your attention to a few slides ago. And the

[2:02:43] state funding risks that we have of, um,

[2:02:47] 14, uh, more in excess of, uh, excuse me, $15 million.

[2:02:53] um, what it means if we do not, um, ensure

[2:02:57] that we have proper fund balance available and we are not successful,

[2:03:02] um, in our advocacy in annapolis, is

[2:03:06] that we would be looking, uh, for $15 million.

[2:03:11] um, and I believe that's the correct, uh, number of additional

[2:03:15] reductions to the budget. Um, and so I just want to, um, highlight

[2:03:20] that for everyone, the need that we are indeed increasing

[2:03:24] the use of fund balance to try to mitigate and offset some

[2:03:29] of the, um, reductions that we have to make internally,

[2:03:33] and the need for us to be fiscally responsible and ensure

[2:03:37] that there are funds remaining in the fund balance in case,

[2:03:42] um, we receive some, uh, information from this legislative

[2:03:46] session, um, in annapolis. Next slide.

[2:03:51] our new spending, as I shared, is minimal. Um,

[2:03:55] we are moving from 24.4 million to 6.4 million.

[2:04:01] uh, what is on this slide is what is absolutely necessary. You'll

[2:04:05] see $3.46 million for our two charter schools

[2:04:10] that are coming online as is required. And, um,

[2:04:14] uh, speech and language pathologists we have invested

[2:04:18] in reducing the caseload. Um, you'll see that the

[2:04:23] amount here, the, the cost, um, needed to continue that

[2:04:27] and special education, um, nine special education paraeducators

[2:04:32] and 11 special education teachers for a total of 20 staff

[2:04:36] members to support our scls, our cls

[2:04:40] and our continuum of service, um, programs in our schools

[2:04:45] to directly meet the needs of our students. That is a total of an additional

[2:04:49] spending of $5.23 million in academic

[2:04:53] achievement in the area of infrastructure.

[2:04:57] the only things that are here are, um, required.

[2:05:02] um, you'll notice facilities, uh, management, uh, the

[2:05:06] 12 building service workers that are needed, um, for the additional

[2:05:11] square footage and our new projects. So you'll note ock,

[2:05:15] sos point high school, lansdown high school, and deer park,

[2:05:20] um, elementary school. The square footage has requirements on, uh,

[2:05:24] staffing to maintain that square footage. Uh, you'll also,

[2:05:28] um, note, uh, where I see a,

[2:05:32] uh, typo, where you see the fte and it says 20 under

[2:05:37] research, accountability and assessment, please let the record reflect

[2:05:41] that is false. It is zero in that line,

[2:05:46] and what is uploaded will be corrected. Uh, but what we are requesting is

[2:05:50] $55,000 for a contractual transcripts,

[2:05:54] um, office, uh, person to respond to all of

[2:05:58] the transcript requests for the, um, school system and,

[2:06:03] um, data analytics, um, office, which I believe is,

[2:06:07] um, uh, $110,000 or $55,000,

[2:06:12] pardon me, $55,000 for that amount. So that correction will be made.

[2:06:16] um, uh, for the record, uh, in safety and climate, I wanted to share,

[2:06:21] while we have no new expenditures, I did want to respond to our community.

[2:06:25] as you know, one of the things that, uh, we did was put out a

[2:06:29] survey, uh, directly to the community regarding

[2:06:33] the continued use of omni alert in our schools. And we

[2:06:37] had a sev separate, uh, one question survey that went directly to our

[2:06:42] principals about the continued use of omni alert in our schools.

[2:06:46] um, it was very important for us that we heard directly from principal principals,

[2:06:50] uh, because as you know, um, if there were any emergency,

[2:06:54] they are indeed the first responders in a school. Um, what we

[2:06:59] heard from our communities, more than 2,700 responses,

[2:07:03] um, more than 75% of the members of the community,

[2:07:07] um, uh, said that they supported continued

[2:07:11] funding of omni alert in schools. When we looked at the data from our principals,

[2:07:15] eight out of every 10 principals, 80% of our principals, um,

[2:07:19] requested the continued funding of omni alert in schools. And so wanted to

[2:07:24] make sure that we closed, uh, the loop on that. Next slide, please.

[2:07:31] this slide, uh, details the compensation costs while I gave an

[2:07:35] overview and reference to enrollment. Um, this slide, the

[2:07:40] first, uh, column represents our unions. We also have non-represented

[2:07:44] here, um, the year two, as I indicated, every budget

[2:07:49] scenario accounts for raise for all employees. So what the

[2:07:53] cost of that is broken out by union is in the second

[2:07:57] column. Uh, the third column, um, details the full

[2:08:01] year three compensation costs. These include the

[2:08:05] benefits that we are required to pay. And so you see the total cost,

[2:08:10] um, represented both in table form as well

[2:08:14] as the pie chart.

[2:08:21] next slide, please. And so we'll move into the financial summary. So when

[2:08:25] we look at the general fund revenue, um, the local proposed budget

[2:08:29] is, um, uh, a little more than, uh,

[2:08:33] a, a billion uh, dollars here. Um,

[2:08:38] you see the state is 992.5 million,

[2:08:42] and for other and federal funds, 67.9,

[2:08:47] uh, totaling, uh, two, uh, almost 2.1 billion.

[2:08:54] next slide, all funds revenue. Uh, this shows you the general

[2:08:58] funds, but as I, uh, shared before, the operating budget has

[2:09:02] six different funds. And so this slide, uh, captures those six funds.

[2:09:06] you'll see the general funds special revenue, which are all of our grant funds

[2:09:11] for the operating budget subtotal. Um, uh, listed

[2:09:15] below are the internal service funds, capital project funds,

[2:09:20] uh, which is, uh, dramatically smaller as this is not a bond

[2:09:24] year, uh, for construction projects, uh, debt service

[2:09:28] fund and enterprise funds for a total of, uh,

[2:09:34] almost 2.5, uh, billion for the fiscal

[2:09:38] year 2027 proposed budget.

[2:09:44] and so I want to, um, uh, close by highlighting what

[2:09:48] the fy 27 proposed budget, um, does. The fy

[2:09:52] 27, uh, proposed budget, um, acknowledges

[2:09:57] and addresses the, uh, conversations that we've been having over the last,

[2:10:01] uh, three years. Um, that, um, we are in fiscally

[2:10:06] challenging times. Uh, we have challenges, um, um, across

[2:10:10] levels. Um, we, we have, uh, social challenges, uh, political

[2:10:14] challenges and fiscal challenges. Um, we have, uh, done

[2:10:18] our due diligence to go out into our communities, um,

[2:10:23] to hear about what is most important,

[2:10:27] um, understanding and recognizing that we can't do everything.

[2:10:32] what is most important. And what we heard, um, loud

[2:10:36] and clear was prioritizing recruitment and retention by honoring

[2:10:41] year two and year three of the compensation package for

[2:10:45] all members of team bcps was most important. And so

[2:10:49] this proposed budget includes both things

[2:10:53] in our budget, year two and year three, our balanced budget

[2:10:57] also acknowledges and extends gratitude to our county

[2:11:01] executive for while not having, uh, what is

[2:11:05] going to be proposed in the governor's budget, still making a commitment to

[2:11:10] the school system of funding us above maintenance of

[2:11:14] effort of funding us 2% increase above

[2:11:18] the, uh, funds that we received last year, which as I shared previously,

[2:11:23] equates to 29.73 millions of dollars.

[2:11:27] um, not receiving this funding, jeopardizing not receiving

[2:11:32] above maintenance of effort, uh, would call for additional

[2:11:37] reductions, um, in an already challenging, um,

[2:11:41] budget season. I think what we wanna make sure that everyone understands,

[2:11:47] um, is that we absolutely have a plan, um,

[2:11:51] to address the priority that bcps has

[2:11:55] laid before us. Um, we are, uh,

[2:12:00] understanding that our students now more than ever,

[2:12:04] uh, need us to focus on them and what it is that

[2:12:08] they need in the classrooms. Um, when, uh, everyone

[2:12:13] sees our budget book posted, uh, tomorrow, which it will be online

[2:12:18] tomorrow, um, our cards are on the table. Our books are open. There

[2:12:22] will be no questions about, um, how we are making

[2:12:26] changes, what positions are being reduced. And so I think, uh,

[2:12:30] one of the questions we heard earlier was whether or not, um, we

[2:12:34] have started reassignments. We have not started reassignments, um,

[2:12:38] as, uh, this is a proposed budget for fiscal year 2027,

[2:12:43] as is my, um, uh, requirement, uh,

[2:12:47] in this, uh, position for the board's review, deliberation, and final

[2:12:51] decisions. Uh, but we also believe very strongly as we as

[2:12:55] focus on climate and environment, um, and

[2:12:59] safety, not only physical, but social emotional, um,

[2:13:04] that also is true for our employees and team bcps. And

[2:13:08] so while we post positions in a budget book, we

[2:13:12] owed it to our staff members for them not to come to work tomorrow,

[2:13:17] uh, to open a budget book and find out that their positions were

[2:13:21] proposed for reductions. And so there were courtesy conversations

[2:13:26] to let staff members know what, um, if something

[2:13:30] impacted them, that it was indeed in the, uh, budget book,

[2:13:34] uh, we remain in a freeze. Um,

[2:13:38] I want to, um, uh, start to close with the same way that I closed yesterday.

[2:13:43] uh, we exist to educate students, all students. We

[2:13:47] acknowledge the tight fiscal times that we are in.

[2:13:51] our responsibility at this time is to do everything that we

[2:13:55] possibly can to remain focused on the needs of our

[2:14:00] students. We have to spend the next few months delivering

[2:14:04] high quality instruction and all of our classes

[2:14:08] the very first time. Because our 108,000 students, no

[2:14:12] longer are they 110,000, our 108,000

[2:14:16] students are depending on each and every one of us. This

[2:14:21] is the opportunity for baltimore county public schools as,

[2:14:25] um, uh, judged by maryland state

[2:14:30] department of education as compared to 23 all other

[2:14:34] districts in this school, uh, in the state of maryland, as compared

[2:14:39] to other school systems across the nation. This is our opportunity

[2:14:43] to determine whether or not year three marks

[2:14:47] continued forward progress for our students who are counting on them, or

[2:14:51] are we going to regress because we are losing focus on what

[2:14:55] is happening in the classroom, and we are not listening to

[2:14:59] the messages that people have communicated. I fully acknowledge

[2:15:04] that this is tough and this is difficult. Um, if we

[2:15:08] had a choice, we would make different choices. But in tough fiscal

[2:15:13] times, in tight realities, we need to present

[2:15:17] a budget that addresses the information that we have

[2:15:22] received. We have received loud and clear that compensation must be

[2:15:26] a priority. We have received loud and clear from our largest

[2:15:30] funding partner that the commitment that can be made

[2:15:34] is 2% above last year. I believe

[2:15:39] that part of my responsibility in representing team bcps

[2:15:44] is to respect the message from our funding partners. And that

[2:15:48] is what this proposal brings forward. I am

[2:15:52] open for any and all additional funding sources.

[2:15:57] I absolutely have a plan for ways that I would be restoring

[2:16:02] positions, um, in the budget. If those funds come, uh, to

[2:16:06] fruition, I will be right back in annapolis, the same place I

[2:16:10] was last year, um, on countless visits, advocating

[2:16:14] for our students who are counting on us. I invite any and all members

[2:16:19] of team bcps, the public at large, uh, all of our

[2:16:23] esteemed board members and et cetera. If you would love to join me in

[2:16:27] baltimore county in moving to annapolis on behalf of our students,

[2:16:31] please feel free, uh, to come and advocate on our students.

[2:16:35] and so with that, we are here for the students. We are committed to

[2:16:40] continuing our work throughout the rest of the year, and I look forward to

[2:16:44] the open conversations around the fiscal realities

[2:16:48] and the fy 2027 proposed budget. Thank you.

[2:16:54] thank you. So thank you dr. Rogers, for that very detailed report. That was a lot of information

[2:16:58] for us to digest. A lot of information for you to present. Um, you obviously

[2:17:03] know this information 'cause I'm sitting next to you and didn't see any notes, but it was all,

[2:17:07] it was all coming out. So, um, thank you for our public. There will be a

[2:17:11] public hearing on tuesday, january 20th, 2026,

[2:17:16] um, in person in this room. So sign up for speaker. Registration

[2:17:20] was open this morning online, and it will close at 3:00 pm on monday,

[2:17:24] january 19th, 2026. A waiting list will

[2:17:28] also be available 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting in person. Again,

[2:17:33] that's next tuesday, january 20th, our public hearing on the

[2:17:37] proposed budget board members, that was a lot of information to digest, so please,

[2:17:42] um, submit any questions that you may have on this proposed operating budget

[2:17:46] to dr. Rogers by wednesday. Whoops.

[2:17:50] we're, we're going to submit questions and come back. Not really about

[2:17:54] the, it's not a budget question. Question about, okay, let me just, can I finish this

[2:17:58] in the, okay. Um, right. Submit any questions you have

[2:18:02] about the information provided. And again, the budget book will be online to dr. Rogers

[2:18:06] by wednesday, january 21st, so that she can be prepared for discussion

[2:18:10] at our january 27th work session on the budget. Okay, ms.

[2:18:15] doki, it's more of a, um, in alignment with the calendar. We were

[2:18:19] supposed to get the proposed budget book today. I was just wondering what the reason was for delaying

[2:18:23] until tomorrow. So, um, what

[2:18:27] we shared several months ago is that we are going to provide, uh, printed

[2:18:31] copies of the online budget book for anyone who requested. I believe ms. Gor,

[2:18:36] um, took a list of names or, or she

[2:18:40] will take a list of names of anyone who wants a printed copy. Um,

[2:18:45] and she'll share the process that she's using to get them to you.

[2:18:49] why wait till tomorrow to post the online version then?

[2:18:53] so that's what we have done annually, yes.

[2:18:58] but according to the calendar, we're supposed to receive it today,

[2:19:02] the budget calendar on our website, and

[2:19:06] I don't, I didn't get an email about the, on, about a printed one. I don't know if

[2:19:10] anybody else did. Yes, you received that, uh, several months ago. Um,

[2:19:15] I believe in august, um, where we shared

[2:19:19] that we would be printing them on the night of the budget meeting.

[2:19:24] um, and this was to avoid any confusion

[2:19:28] about the online book versus the hard copy book. Uh, because

[2:19:32] the budget team works until the, uh, 24th hour,

[2:19:36] making sure that they're reviewing all funding as they receive new and

[2:19:40] updated information from state and other, um, uh, offices.

[2:19:45] they make sure that those numbers are correct. And so that was provided,

[2:19:50] uh, I believe late august, um, to all

[2:19:54] board of education members that moving forward ms. Gor would be printing

[2:19:58] online versions to ensure that there was, uh, no,

[2:20:03] uh, difference between the hard copies and the online

[2:20:07] version of the book as previously, I believe it was a two

[2:20:11] week window in advance when those books were printed. Sorry, just one last follow

[2:20:15] up. So is the, is it finished the books, is the budget

[2:20:19] book finished? Like, is it ready to be posted? I'm just curious as to

[2:20:24] why we're not getting even an online version. Why wouldn't, since we, we, we

[2:20:29] switched, we're switching. We're not getting it for anyone unless we request one. Why we're not posting it

[2:20:33] now online so we can start looking at it.

[2:20:37] she will post it first thing in the morning. As far as the request for written,

[2:20:42] um, written format. Can we still make that? I, I don't recall.

[2:20:46] yes. Okay. Yes. Just lemme know if you, if you wanna print one,

[2:20:51] please let her know. Asap so that she can get 'em to us.

[2:20:56] go ahead. Do that now. Yeah. Before we leave. Yeah, of

[2:21:00] course. She can send you an email. Whatever she feels is best,

[2:21:04] however you'd like to tell it. You can email her right this minute and say, I want it. You can let her know before

[2:21:08] you walk out. Um, go ahead. How will

[2:21:13] we get it in time to submit questions? Can we

[2:21:17] have it by this delivered as we do the hearing? Right? She will have 'em delivered to your home.

[2:21:22] I think our questions are due. Well we can extend. Okay. Thank you.

[2:21:26] the deadline for the questions from wednesday. I'll let you know when the

[2:21:30] deadline for the questions is. Was that all the, there was hands up over

[2:21:35] here too before. Did that answer all your questions? Mine was answered. I over, I must have overlooked

[2:21:39] to august email. I don't remember seeing that email. So that answered my question. Thank you.

[2:21:46] okay. Other questions? Lemme make sure online,

[2:21:52] okay. I'm not

[2:21:56] sure ms. Grover will either resend it or we don't even need the email

[2:22:01] at, we just need you to tell her yes, I'd like a printed how many people would

[2:22:05] like a printed copy of the book?

[2:22:11] okay, we will assume it's okay. It's okay. We will

[2:22:15] assume that, um, or you can find out from dr. Savoy and ms. Harvey

[2:22:19] if they too would like it. And ms. Um, fong. Is that everybody?

[2:22:23] yep. Okay. Whew, that was

[2:22:28] miss pump free . Okay, let me go on to the next thing.

[2:22:35] alright, the next item and the last item is board member comments

[2:22:39] and any agenda setting items. So if you have a comment or an agenda setting item,

[2:22:43] please raise your hand. You can always send me your items.

[2:22:47] um, ms. Eski, thank you. This is, um, a second request

[2:22:52] for a presentation on elementary science.

[2:22:58] um, okay. Just an overview of elementary science. So we

[2:23:02] had one of thought, right? And I know that there was a lot of, um,

[2:23:07] follow up information that the public was asking for in terms of learning time

[2:23:11] and how many minutes per day were spent with science

[2:23:16] and how instruction was impacted if certain schools focused more on ela

[2:23:20] and math, you mean currently how it's being delivered. So just

[2:23:24] sort of a follow up presentation regarding okay. That impact.

[2:23:29] thank you ms. Umen. Thank you. I have two agenda requests.

[2:23:34] one is a deep dive presentation on the staffing benchmarking

[2:23:38] report that we heard about tonight. Um, I'd like to request that board

[2:23:42] members get copies or I heard dr. Rogers say that the report will be shared

[2:23:47] publicly online. Um, if that could be made available at least two weeks prior, um,

[2:23:51] to the presentation so that board members can submit questions in advance. And,

[2:23:56] um, yes, so we can submit questions in advance

[2:24:00] for that. My second, um, request is also data intensive, but I'd

[2:24:04] like to request historic attrition, um, data that we can

[2:24:08] and trend analysis information as well as the fiscal impact

[2:24:13] on instructional salaries and the impact on fund

[2:24:17] balance and the use of that fund balance as a result of that attrition

[2:24:21] and how that's been reallocated.

[2:24:26] okay. You know that? Yes. Or you can also send, um, did you get

[2:24:31] that ms. Gover? I'm sorry? Did you get ms. Hen's

[2:24:35] requests? Okay, thank you. I thought I saw another,

[2:24:39] did I see any more hands? Ms. Humphrey? I, I mentioned this

[2:24:43] already to the lgr committee, but I would like to, um, discuss

[2:24:47] the possibility of the board supporting the superintendents, um, what she talked about on

[2:24:52] the slide show this evening, the 24 school system request to the governor and,

[2:24:56] um, uh, requesting that we, you know, we not switch

[2:25:00] from the hold harm list to direct certification using snap in forms. Okay.

[2:25:04] um, and that's the request for the legislative and governmental group to add that as

[2:25:08] well. Well, I would like it to be a full board discussion, you know, full board request, but I believe

[2:25:13] the process would be to run it through lgr first. Okay.

[2:25:18] okay. Let me check teams.

[2:25:24] okay, I don't see anyone's hands up. Ms. Hen. Um, to follow up

[2:25:28] on ms. Humphrey's request, I'd like the, um, full board to discuss,

[2:25:32] um, tab co's legislative priorities in, in full and that

[2:25:36] may also need to, um, in be initiated in lgr,

[2:25:41] but okay, for then it did come to the full board.

[2:25:50] others. Okay, lemme get back

[2:25:54] to board ducks.

[2:26:01] the last item on the agenda's announcements. Another reminder that the board's public

[2:26:05] hearing on the superintendent's proposed fy 2027 operating budget

[2:26:09] will be in person on tuesday, january 20th, 2026, beginning

[2:26:14] at six 30. Online. Signup opens january 13th, 2026.

[2:26:19] the board's next meeting will be held on tuesday, january 27th

[2:26:23] at 6:30 pm thank you everyone for joining us tonight and the meeting is

[2:26:27] now adjourned.

Jan 13, 2026 Board of Education Meeting

Agenda

Transcript