[0:03] Good afternoon, and welcome to the Board of Education meeting of Wednesday, or Thursday, March 26, 2026. The public has been invited to attend board meetings through several telecommunication platforms, those of Verizon 42, Comcast 95, and via live stream online. In alignment with board policy, an individual group organization intending an open session of the board may not engage in any conduct, including visual demonstrations, such as the waving of placards, signs, or banners that disrupts the session.

[0:33] where that interferes with rights of others to attend and observe the session.

[0:37] The board will have a hard stop at 630 for dinner.

[0:40] Please stand for the pledge.

[0:44] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and

[0:49] to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God,

[0:54] indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

[1:00] Ms. Harrison, please do the roll call.

[1:02] Ms. Ricks.

[1:03] President.

[1:04] Dr. Ten.

[1:06] President.

[1:06] Ms. Watts.

[1:07] Let's present Mr. Alistair, Ms. McCoy, Ms. Shambley, Ms. Mosley, Ms. Mallow,

[1:19] I am confirming a quorum.

[1:21] Thank you. We will now move on to the approval of the agenda,

[1:26] Mr. Barnes, do you have any changes?

[1:31] Chair Mallow, there are no changes.

[1:33] Can I please have a motion to approve the agenda?

[1:38] Yes.

[1:38] Second.

[1:41] Dr. Tannen?

[1:42] Yes.

[1:43] Ms. Riggs?

[1:43] Yes.

[1:44] Ms. Watts?

[1:45] Yes, Mr. Alistair?

[1:46] Yes.

[1:46] Ms. McHoy?

[1:47] Yes.

[1:48] Ms. Chambley?

[1:49] Yes.

[1:49] Ms. Mallow?

[1:50] Yes.

[1:51] Motion carries 70.

[1:52] We will now move on to public forum.

[1:54] Public forum is the opportunity for members of the public to provide their views to the school

[1:59] board and the comments are not met to be the viewpoints of the school board, the superintendent

[2:03] or school system.

[2:04] At this time, if participants have any materials to be provided to the board, please give it to the Security Officer and staff will ensure it's distributed to board members.

[2:13] In accordance with Board Policy 2040, the public forum may not be used to address individual personnel issues.

[2:20] Complaints identifying individual students, matters that are on appeal, topics for which the board schedules formal public hearings or advertising or solicitation for products and or services.

[2:31] The board expects that speakers deliver their comments with the decorum and respect appropriate

[2:37] to the conduct of the public's business.

[2:39] Given that board meetings are broadcasted and streamed, comments should be appropriate

[2:44] for all ages and all potential audience members.

[2:47] In accordance with policy 1000, the board encourages participants of public form to refrain from

[2:53] using language that is indecent, profane, or threatening.

[2:56] Please be advised, however, that the public comment may contain themes, language, or behavior

[3:01] that viewers find objectionable and may not be suitable for younger viewers.

[3:06] Speakers will have three minutes to present their topic.

[3:08] At the end of three minutes, an end buzzer will alert that time is up and the microphone

[3:12] will automatically turn off.

[3:15] Please email your full testimony to boe at hcpss.org.

[3:20] First up is Liam Hartner, Javier Hernandez, and Jalen Vielslick.

[3:31] And please correct me if I got any of those names wrong.

[3:34] And

[3:41] for your mic to be on, just make sure that the green light is on.

[3:48] Good afternoon.

[3:50] My name is Liam Hartner.

[3:51] I'm here with some of my fellow members to represent Howard County FFA in Agri Science

[3:54] Academy.

[3:55] We're here to share how agriculture education and FFA impact and benefit students, schools

[4:00] and the local community.

[4:01] I joined FFA in the fall of my junior year when I started at the Agri Science Academy

[4:06] at ARL.

[4:07] Agriculture has always been the most important part of my life from showing livestock,

[4:14] breeding

[4:14] being involved in the Howard County 4-H program.

[4:18] Over the past year and a half in the Ag Academy at an FFA,

[4:22] I've competed in competitions, shared my knowledge of animal agriculture and

[4:25] plant science with the local elementary schools, built a network of friends and

[4:28] industry professionals, and developed my leadership skills.

[4:31] Some of my achievements include placing first place at the state FFA

[4:36] livestock evaluation contest and presenting on the national stage at the national convention.

[4:41] One of our many programs, agriculture awareness days, a collaboration with

[4:44] the Howard County Farm Bureau and Howard County Public Schools.

[4:47] This event allows our FFA chapter to foster teamwork between FFA members and stakeholders,

[4:51] and seventh grade students are educated about the farm-to-table process.

[4:55] We're here today to ask for your continued support and going our amazing program in the classroom,

[4:59] supporting our various agriculture outreach programs and our many trips to engage with other members looking toward the same goal.

[5:05] The agriculture industry is deep with opportunities,

[5:08] meeting the needs of all our students as imperative as they have interests in animal and veterinary science,

[5:12] as well as plant environmental science.

[5:14] Thank you so much for your time.

[5:16] Good afternoon.

[5:17] My name is Jill and Bellasek,

[5:18] and I am an 11th grade student, a first year ARL student,

[5:21] and I'm currently serving as a second vice president

[5:24] of our FFA chapter.

[5:25] I am also a seventh generational farmer,

[5:27] and I'm here to share how agriculture, education,

[5:29] and FFA programs benefit students, schools,

[5:32] and our local community.

[5:34] I chose to join the academy because of my passion

[5:36] for agriculture and my background in farming.

[5:38] Being a part of this program has allowed me to expand

[5:40] my knowledge and places like animal science and genetics, including working with companies

[5:45] like trends of the genetics. Through FFA and agriculture education, I've developed

[5:49] leadership, teamwork, and problem solving skills that go beyond the classroom. Our program

[5:54] makes a strong impact on the community through events like trunk or treat, the Lisbon Parade

[5:57] and Dane andapolis, and I'm currently preparing for the livestock evaluation contest at the

[6:02] State Convention in June. This helps me build critical thinking and decision making skills

[6:07] that I'll use in my future career.

[6:08] I'm hoping to go to college in the Midwest

[6:10] and join a collegiate livestock judging team

[6:12] and I plan to spend the rest of my life in agriculture

[6:15] as it has been such a big part of my life.

[6:17] We ask for your continued support

[6:19] of agriculture education,

[6:21] supporting agriculture as an investment in the future.

[6:23] Thank you for your time.

[6:25] Good afternoon, my name is Javier Hernandez

[6:27] and I'm a second year member

[6:29] of the Howard County Future,

[6:30] Formers of America and the Agriculture Academy.

[6:33] Through FFA, I've gained experience in areas

[6:35] such as plant science and agricultural technology. More importantly, I have built leadership and

[6:40] communication skills that will carry on to my careers and my everyday life.

[6:46] For me, these

[6:46] opportunities have gone far beyond the classroom. I am a second place in a regional speaking competition

[6:51] where I analyze research and talked about consolidation in the meatpacking industry and its impact on

[6:57] the economy. I also completed an apprenticeship through North Carolina agricultural and technical

[7:02] state university where I studied cross-priced elasticity within the beef corner soybean value chain.

[7:08] FFA has also allowed me to make a direct impact with my community.

[7:12] We created and shared cars with another school to help young students be motivated with the transition in the middle school.

[7:19] Also, I work with my classmates to construct a garden contributing to the space that supports both education and the environment.

[7:26] Every project we take on, every project FFA takes on helps us develop skills while gathering,

[7:31] giving back to the community. I ask that you continue to support agricultural

[7:35] education so more students can have these opportunities.

[7:40] Thank you. Next up,

[7:49] next up is policy bright who will be followed by Mahogany Hut

[7:53] Butler.

[8:06] Chair Mallow, Superintendent Barnes and members of the board. When I attended

[8:09] high school in the 1900s our English curriculum was pretty standard.

[8:13] Catcher in the Rye 1984 Brave New World, a separate piece to Kill a Mockingbird, some

[8:18] Shakespeare.

[8:19] We read books by mainly if not exclusively white authors.

[8:22] Literature could have given us any, literature that could give us any views into the lives

[8:27] of people who did not share our lived experiences was not taught.

[8:30] Even the history we studies was white-washed and devoid of any information about who first

[8:35] occupied the state where I was raised.

[8:37] So avoidant was the state to the topic of indigenous people, a lake in the recreational

[8:42] area of Minneapolis was named after a Southern Civil War era senator who had

[8:47] never even been to Minnesota. As an adult I've made up for lost ground by

[8:51] spending a good amount of time reading just about anything and everything I can

[8:54] get my hands on as you are aware.

[8:58] I was very happy to have my sons assigned books

[9:01] by diverse authors. Persepolis by Margin Satrapi a graphic novel about her life

[9:07] in Iran. Farewell to Manzanar about the author's life and an internment

[9:10] Camp during World War II, books that have been added to the curriculum since my sons

[9:14] graduated that provide other, our students with some more great perspectives include

[9:18] Just Mercy, The Other Westmore, and The Hate You Give to Name a Few.

[9:22] Our students will one day leave Howard County and venture into the greater world.

[9:26] Reading these books and studying our world from multiple perspectives will help them understand

[9:30] the many different lives that populate our country and world.

[9:33] As Clay Cain author of Burn Down Masters House put it, these stories are not divisive, they

[9:39] They are clarifying.

[9:40] They force us to reckon with who we are and where we come from.

[9:44] They threaten the comforting myths of equality and fairness many would prefer to believe.

[9:48] Perhaps, just perhaps, the real fear isn't black and brown people knowing their history.

[9:54] Its young white children being inspired.

[9:56] The possibility that they might see themselves not in the oppressors but in the rebels, the

[10:00] freedom fighters, the ones who dared to demand a better, more just world.

[10:04] That's why this novel is for everyone.

[10:06] A story not confined to race or ancestry, but rooted in universal struggle.

[10:12] Diverse curriculum benefits our entire community.

[10:15] It helps us understand the world through multiple perspectives.

[10:18] It's not to be feared but embraced.

[10:20] As we approach budget season, please do not allow narrow-minded people to bull you into eliminating

[10:27] it.

[10:28] And one more thing.

[10:30] Build the mill.

[10:31] Next

[10:40] up is Mahogany Hut Butler, who will be followed by Julie Miller online.

[10:55] Good afternoon. My name is Mahogany Hut Butler. I am the proud president of the PTSA at Lake

[11:02] Elkhorn Middle School. And I also went to school in the 1900s. I am here to celebrate our wonderful

[11:11] school, our staff, and our kids, and our community. And I'm also here to ask for continued support.

[11:17] With very limited assistance, we have been able to fully repair at least one of our water

[11:25] fountains, and our kids have come back and said this is the coldest water ever.

[11:30] We have replaced the stage curtains, we have beautiful signage throughout the building

[11:37] and outside.

[11:39] We also have alumni posters highlighting former like Elkorn Middle School students who are

[11:45] now college athletes, and we also showcase student artwork throughout our hallway.

[11:55] Our wonderful staff, specifically our custodial staff, is working really hard to keep our

[12:01] building clean for staff and students, specifically Ms. Yume Owens and Mr. Moses Oce.

[12:08] and we also have a fantastic representative of like Elkhore Middle School through Ms.

[12:14] Shante Owens Young who just received the Middle School Counselor of the Year.

[12:20] So also with the support, one of the things I want to be clear about is our kids,

[12:27] our parents and our staff can't clean what is broken.

[12:32] Again, so we are asking for regular maintenance and regular upkeep of our building.

[12:39] 35 out of the 35 classrooms with tiles have cracked missing tiles or stained.

[12:46] Our gym floor is uneven and peeling, and 37 classrooms with 37 classrooms have peeling paint and damaged walls.

[12:54] Again, we can't clean what is broken.

[12:56] That also goes to furniture, ceilings, basic needs.

[13:04] Again, celebrating our school, we just had a fantastic Black History Month celebration

[13:08] where poems, step team, band, orchestra, history, and proclamation happen, also a wax

[13:15] museum of students who were fantastic, it was just amazing.

[13:20] We also had a night of excellence where we celebrated our National History Day participants

[13:25] and the kids were presenting to students, other students, staff, and their families on what their projects were.

[13:35] We also provided, our school provided dinner and the kids were just celebrated, which is great.

[13:40] With the National History Day, I just want to say this is the second year that Lake Elkhorn Middle School has placed in the counties for

[13:50] national history day and we also just our LEMS debate team just won their debate and thank you very

[13:59] much. Thank you.

[14:07] Next up is Julie Miller online. Please go ahead. Thank you. My name is Julie Miller.

[14:15] I'm the parent of two students at Cradle Rock Elementary. They're in kindergarten and second grade

[14:19] and I also serve as the Secretary of Cradle Rock's PTA. Thank you to the members of the board for

[14:24] your time this evening. I'm here today to share my experience at Criterock and how much

[14:29] it changed in the short amount of time. Two years ago after my son's first year of kindergarten,

[14:33] I felt disconnected and disenchanted with our school. When I heard about the experiences,

[14:38] families were having other schools, it felt like we were missing out, attending a school that lacked

[14:42] communication and opportunities for engagement. Our unkempt school grounds didn't create a place

[14:47] that we could feel pride in. I'm sharing a campus with Lake Elkorn Middle School also meant

[14:52] Chaotic dismissal experience where students from kindergarten through eighth grade were intermixed it was less than ideal you could say I lacked the warm

[15:03] My family even considered moving to another area to get away from the school. The idea of what we thought would be our forever home and leaving it was really unsettling, especially with a two and a half percent interest rate.

[15:30] when the new principal is understandably incredibly busy.

[15:33] He listened, he validated my concerns,

[15:35] and he promised that I would start to see changes.

[15:38] He told me that he might be small,

[15:40] and they might take time, but they would add up

[15:42] to a very different school experience.

[15:45] And two years later, already, I can tell you, he was right,

[15:48] more headed in the right direction.

[15:51] Brick by Brick, Mr. Notary, and the Criterok team

[15:53] are building a school community that I am proud to be part of.

[15:56] I see it in the cleaner grounds that welcome students every day.

[15:59] Thank you to HCPSS grounds for your support there.

[16:03] Fresh paint gives students pride in their building.

[16:06] Improved communication puts parents at ease.

[16:10] An intentional and frequent programming

[16:12] led by our community school's leadership connects families.

[16:17] We're seeing better response in teacher recognition.

[16:20] We got 100 responses this year,

[16:22] posted 29 last year.

[16:24] And we're seeing families stepping up in a huge way

[16:27] that PTA never saw before.

[16:29] And our Zillow listing rating is going up, which means our,

[16:34] the reputation is impacting our house values, which everyone thinks about.

[16:37] It's been incredible to watch.

[16:39] But there's one thing that's missing from our campus community.

[16:42] And that's a new sign.

[16:43] We share our campus with like Elkhorn and Krillerock.

[16:46] So if you're heading west, you see one school name.

[16:49] If you're heading east, you see the other.

[16:51] At a school campus that already lacks a strong physical facade,

[16:54] a clear, modern side would make a dramatic difference.

[16:56] It would help build pride among students and families and clearly identify both schools.

[17:01] It's time to update the sign of Criterok Elementary in Lake Elkorn Middle School.

[17:05] This small but meaningful step would continue to build morale, community, and

[17:09] pride in the school that for too long has felt forgotten.

[17:13] Thank you so much for your time.

[17:21] Thank you.

[17:22] Next step is Karen Beaterman.

[17:50] Good evening, members of the board, Superintendent Barnes.

[17:53] I'm doing this kind of on the fly, didn't know there would be a spot.

[17:56] But I'm Karen B. Darman with the Donloggan Middle School PTA.

[18:00] Both the Donloggan Middle School and Oakland Middle School are scheduled for

[18:04] a renovation for 701 student enrollment.

[18:08] However, I notice that Donloggan Middle School has 12,000 square feet less than

[18:13] Oakland Middle School, why?

[18:16] Why were 1500 square feet of general classroom space for

[18:22] for Don Lagan, cut between the schematic and the design development.

[18:28] Why does Oakland Mills Middle School have 15 more, 1500 more square feet in their general classroom space than they do?

[18:37] This is not equitable.

[18:39] You have pulled contingency funds three times for

[18:43] Oakland Mills Middle and including more in this capital budget cycle.

[18:46] Meanwhile, you continue to cut DMS every chance you get.

[18:50] But, just like I had to fight back to save our addition.

[18:54] This is after the belt to learn the buckle.

[18:57] This is getting, it's really getting old.

[19:00] If you look at the bar chart that I've included consistently, Dunluggin has less square footage

[19:05] than Oakley Mill's middle by significant margin for the majority of the classrooms.

[19:11] So my solution is if you look at the exterior walls, if you pull them back just a few feet,

[19:16] I know that's not free, but if you pull them back a few feet, you could get more square footage in all the classrooms.

[19:25] As you know, the school is going to have to last to another 50 years because we are broke in the county.

[19:31] DMS is the most overcrowded middle school in Howard County, and 51 new homes are being built on Grey Rock Road.

[19:38] Yes, they are, they are barely districted, but I know they're coming back that's already been in the discussion.

[19:45] Switching gears, I did reach out to IAC for a few things, including portapoddies that I want you to know on record that the portapoddies at Centennial High School were the only school with portapoddies is not in their FCI score.

[20:00] So, I asked Dan Loubley and he graciously took my call and I appreciate that, Dan.

[20:05] When you do your assessments this spring, summer, when you do your assessments to please include port-a-potty points, and I can't even believe I have to say that in your score, so that can be reflected.

[20:18] I also want to let you know that there are feminine hygiene bills out, SB 427 that requires feminine hygiene dispensers and all women's bathrooms.

[20:27] And then there's another bill on the floor, HB541, about stacking feminine hygiene dispensers.

[20:33] How can you be in compliance?

[20:35] Because I called Bobby's porta-potties, you cannot bolt feminine hygiene dispenser to a porta-pottie.

[20:41] And why did our porta-potties go from four to two?

[20:44] There are only two porta-potties right now, Centennial City, and they're used to be four.

[20:48] Can you please look into that?

[20:49] Thank you very much.

[20:50] Thank you, Dr. Chen, for being an absolute-

[20:54] That concludes public forum.

[20:57] We will now move on to the student representative report from Oakland Mills High School.

[21:02] Please come forward.

[21:21] Can one of our staff members give Ms. McKenna a microphone?

[21:29] Sorry, Ms. Grant, I remember the first name, not the second name.

[21:35] Please go ahead.

[21:36] Good afternoon, Board of Education members and superintendent bars.

[21:40] Hi, I'm McKenna, I'm the senior class president.

[21:43] Good afternoon, my name is Shelter, I am the sophomore class president.

[21:47] I'm Liz, I'm the first vice president.

[21:50] And I'm Jake Favaro, I'm our executive board president.

[21:52] We are also here, joined with two of our assistant principals, Miss Bond and Miss Proctor,

[21:58] our SGA advisor, Miss Florida, and our principal, Mr. Williams.

[22:03] Thank you for the invitation to present, we have lots to highlight from this year to share.

[22:08] Okay, Okamil's continues to be a place where we are challenged and supported academically.

[22:18] Our Deca chapter and business classes continued with their coffee shop brewed awakening

[22:22] and expanded to after school service.

[22:25] Their annual soft skills seminar for sophomores and juniors developed students networking skills

[22:29] with mock interviews, shark take pitches and other professional training.

[22:34] At the International Career Development Conference Qualifiers, seniors Taj Verma placed first

[22:40] This place in business finance and Camille Scott took first for a career development project.

[22:45] Sophomore Dallas Peerman placed second in business administration management.

[22:48] Our DECA chapter also won gold in the membership campaign by doubling their members.

[22:53] Our Robotics Club continues into its third year and receives second place for the Innovae Award.

[22:59] They worked with Howard and Wildlife and helped start a Guildford Park team.

[23:03] We are also home to the only high power and certified rocketry club in the country.

[23:08] Currently on track to break their altitude record of 5,000 feet the first weekend after spring break.

[23:14] Our Science Olympiad team completed at Princeton and placed six overall in our region.

[23:19] They placed top three in 15 different regional events.

[23:23] We also introduced new members this year into our 11 organizations.

[23:29] These groups completed service hours both in and outside of school and contribute to our great sense of community care.

[23:35] Of note, our scholar leadership program is hosting a prom dress sale to offer $20 dresses

[23:42] and open to anyone.

[23:44] And our alpha achievers recently attended the Harambe conference, the M.O.K. junior

[23:48] breakfast, and welcome 36 new ink ductees.

[23:52] This Friday, the journalism and your book classes are going to the University of Maryland

[23:57] College Park to take part in a state wide meaning of school publications.

[24:02] They were engaged in workshops and seminars, and here from guest speakers from the field of journalism.

[24:09] Outside of the classroom, we've also accomplished a lot.

[24:13] Our SGA had an extremely successful and active year.

[24:16] We kicked off the year with an enthusiastic homecoming celebration, including hallway decorations, a pep rally, the football game, and the wonderful dance.

[24:25] Our fourth annual winter parade was a huge success, incorporating the largest number of parade participants and spectators yet.

[24:31] But we followed this with the holiday hangout in the cafeteria, reclubs an organization's hosted crafts, a bake sale,

[24:38] base painting, book giveaways, and a pizza dinner sponsored by our PTSA.

[24:43] This new December tradition is quickly becoming a beloved one.

[24:47] Our SGA officers were active at the state level this year.

[24:51] We sent a delegation of students to the Maryland Association of Student Council's fall leadership conference at Northwest High School in Montgomery County.

[24:59] Senior McKenna-Gran and sophomore Rose Kamaloo led a workshop on communication and students voted on legislation.

[25:07] Our second Maryland Association of Student Council's participation was very recently.

[25:13] We were joined with delegations from Wild Lake and Long Beach High School to take our largest group to date 40 students to the annual convention in Ocean City.

[25:24] At this conference, we joined over a thousand other student leaders from around the state to engage in leadership development and networking.

[25:32] While there, the Howard County delegation received top awards.

[25:36] Our advisor, Ms. Florida, won, was named the Maryland Association of Student Council's Advisor of the Year.

[25:42] Ms. Lindsay Miller from Longreach received the Unsung Hero Award, and an ensemble of performers from OM,

[25:48] one first place in the talent show, reprising a song from our spring musical.

[25:54] During the month of February, we hosted our Black History Month assembly with the theme

[25:58] legacy and legacy's emotion, which exhibited a living museum celebrating Black History and

[26:03] all they contribute to society.

[26:06] Directed by very own Amaya as we had performances by our performing arts groups, the Divine Nine,

[26:11] Black Student Union and African Student Association Club.

[26:16] Our food pantry continues strong settling records again this year with the support of our staff

[26:22] leadership team and the cadets of our JOROTC program, our Food Pantry Serve close to 100 families

[26:31] per month. This year to date, we have served almost 900 families over 4,000 people to date.

[26:42] Care for our environment was also a theme this year. Our Youth Climate Institute hosted a

[26:47] plant and pull event, multiple active action projects, and are currently planning an environmental

[26:51] a mental friendly science project.

[26:53] The OEM Eco-Munity held over 10 campus events and

[26:58] cleanups targeting our stadium and sports fields.

[27:01] Our final arts department continued to shine this year.

[27:05] They hosted another concert for kids in December in partnership with the WBAL Kids Campaign.

[27:10] Our theater department put on a fall play as well.

[27:12] Trap and a spring musical, Cinderella, and also participated in the ITS Theater and Howard County Theater festivals.

[27:19] I will be performing at the Maryland Music Educators or Association Conference, various

[27:24] musicians perform at Savage Mill recently, and our guitar student, Ensemble Shred Heads,

[27:30] perform at several school assemblies, amazing us all, and we'll be hosting the Shred Fest

[27:35] this coming year.

[27:38] Most recently, our choir program led by our claim director, Dr. Coleman, went to New York

[27:44] to perform at Carnegie Hall.

[27:46] Our active minds chapter hosted an open mic style event that encouraged students to share a positive video message

[27:53] before midterms and has been working in our school to support and improve student mental health.

[27:58] And we've also been happy to enjoy many visits from finals for freedom this year.

[28:03] This year, our model UN has gone to four conferences across the county for debates.

[28:07] members, A.M. and Desta, one best position paper, and Iola Yahaya, best position paper,

[28:14] and honorable mention, and Kora Wood, one of verbal commendation.

[28:19] Two of our major programs, Welcome Home, and Why Not Me, continue their efforts this year.

[28:24] We hosted three Welcome Home events, which connect staff, members, and students, and meaningful

[28:28] conversations to build understanding and community.

[28:31] Our Why Not Me program had over 50 participants, pairing upper-classmen ambassadors with under-classmen

[28:36] to work on study skills and improve their sense of belonging and access to upper level classes.

[28:42] No surprises here, but our sports teams also had a great year.

[28:47] Our football and both girls and boys basketball programs had winning seasons and went to the county championships.

[28:54] The boys soccer team had the furthest playoff run in seven years, finishing as the regional runner up.

[28:59] Our wrestling team went to states led by Raul Rodriguez, two time state finalists in Orlando, Castilian.

[29:05] who won six place at states.

[29:08] We also had four wrestlers win as county champions.

[29:11] At counties, our girls team led by Joey and Alexa and

[29:15] Hadaya, one first, second and third place.

[29:18] Hadaya and Joey went on to win first and third at regionals as well.

[29:22] Our varsity cheer placed second at counties and went to regionals for

[29:26] the fifth time in a row.

[29:27] Our boys and girls track team also dominate both indoor teams,

[29:31] one counties and regionals where relay team set county records.

[29:35] At the new balance nationals, our girls 4 by 200 team broke a county record and placed 9th in the nation.

[29:42] Sophomore Payton Buchanan placed 21st nationally with her 400 meter time.

[29:47] It is evident that both academically and extracurriculars, we are excelling.

[29:53] Part of what makes OM the community that it is, however, is the way we care for each other and stand together.

[30:00] This year, our SGA both spread-headed and collaborated on several efficacy projects that united our community, both in school and at large, around common goals. We recently hosted a voter registration drive and collaboration with Miss Kenning from the Department of Student, Family, and Community Partnership, and new voters.org. Despite our disappointment that we were unable to secure our renovations, we are proud about how our community acted and came together. We organized multiple protests including

[30:29] a student walk out involving over 1,000 participants and dozens of members of our community came and testified.

[30:36] What that showed us is that this isn't just about a new building.

[30:40] It's about the environment we learn in and safety of our community.

[30:43] Students, teachers, and staff that create a true home for each other.

[30:48] We're proud of how our community came together.

[30:50] But moments like this remind us how important it is that student voices are not only heard but acted on.

[30:56] That's something we'll continue to advocate for moving forward.

[31:00] Earlier this month, we collaborated with the leadership of our SCOPE, a SCOPE-ON-AS-LATINOS

[31:04] club, to plan an anti-ice walk-out to unify around our community and stand together,

[31:09] declaring that all of our students are welcome, important members of our school.

[31:13] In preparation for this demonstration, SGA hosted an advocacy workshop alongside a SCOPE-ON-AS-LATINOS.

[31:19] At this workshop, we taught students how to advocate for any issue they are passionate about

[31:23] to various levels of leadership, including how to sign up to give testimony here at a board meeting

[31:28] at county council meetings and how to contact state and federal legislators.

[31:33] In conclusion, OM is pretty great, in my opinion.

[31:37] Our community is filled with incredible people who really care about those close to them.

[31:42] Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

[31:45] It's an honor to represent our school here.

[31:46] So,

[31:58] normally we would have your cluster rep, which is Ms. Mosley, be the one to speak

[32:04] and address you, but said she's not here, I will speak on her behalf, and then also

[32:08] let the superintendent speak.

[32:10] And what I'm going to say is the one thing you didn't talk about is your own leadership.

[32:16] You have all demonstrated to this audience to anyone listening how true leaders are born,

[32:23] forged made and and show themselves and you have shown to be true and upright. We are so

[32:32] impressed and I can tell you there were a lot of jaws drop and in the back behind you people

[32:37] that don't know you they were like they did what so kudos to you well done be proud of where you

[32:46] are and what you've done because we are

[32:53] yet I'm certainly proud of you and every every time you don't

[32:58] I don't know this, but my first day on the job in Howard County a long time ago, not back in the 1900s but it feels like that.

[33:05] I spent at Oklahoma Mills High School as a math coordinator running our professional learning.

[33:09] And so I always have a special affinity for your building in that way because it marks my beginning of my tenure here.

[33:17] And you know, when I go to the cons for kids where I was there with Mr. Williams just a week or two ago walking around,

[33:24] It's just all the things you describe are evidence.

[33:27] It feels like family, feels like home.

[33:28] I know it's home for you.

[33:30] But you make everybody that walks in feel that way.

[33:32] Students always greet me, bring me in, provide feedback, staff always, fiercely.

[33:38] I mean, nobody, well, it's probably every school says this, but your staff love you a great deal

[33:41] and show it by helping making sure you're prepared for the next step.

[33:46] So I'm just grateful that you've had the chance to show everybody what I know and get to see

[33:52] When I'm there, just how impressive your school is and the people in it are the most impressive things.

[33:58] So, thanks for sharing and appreciate you all.

[34:06] Thank you, you can return to your seats or depart if you so choose.

[34:12] Next up is our student board member report, please go ahead, Mr. Alistair.

[34:16] Hello everyone, my name is Aaron Alistair and this year I serve as Howard County student board member.

[34:21] Now I'm going to start with my remarks on the student presentation because I don't want to miss them heading out.

[34:26] Oh, they're saying, all right.

[34:28] Firstly, I wanted to thank the Oakland Mills team

[34:31] for coming here today.

[34:32] I really appreciate all your feedback.

[34:34] And I enjoyed hearing about your honor

[34:36] sighties, your musical performances,

[34:38] your science Olympiad wins, and your winter parade.

[34:41] I did not appreciate hearing about your sports wins.

[34:43] That is not something I take joy in.

[34:47] So thank you so much for taking your time

[34:48] to come present to the board and to come share your advocacy.

[34:51] Thank you guys.

[34:53] Yesterday was an extremely important day here

[34:55] and Howard County for student government.

[34:58] Yesterday, representatives from 20 middle schools

[35:00] and 13 high schools gathered at Well Lake High School

[35:03] to choose the final two candidates

[35:05] for the next student member of the Board of Education.

[35:08] So I wanna congratulate Fineless Gavin Falcone

[35:10] from Long Beach High School

[35:11] and Mark Lee from River Hill High School

[35:13] for their advocacy and wish them luck

[35:15] in their campaigns in the next few months.

[35:18] Last night, I also attended HCASC's March General Assembly

[35:21] and there we discussed a possible HCASC budget

[35:23] with ideas ranging from Gerald Sheebus thing as something that we were collectively talking about

[35:28] to graduation courts for seniors who are graduating from age cask. We also began the process of

[35:33] gathering feedback for our midterm and final review process, policy review process, and it was

[35:38] interesting to hear the middle schoolers talking about finals in midterms compared to the high schoolers

[35:43] and that kind of difference between their opinions. So yeah, that's it for me. Thank you, everyone.

[35:51] Next up is the Superintendents report.

[35:54] Good afternoon board members.

[35:56] You know, we are in the season of celebration last night.

[35:58] The pleasure of joining two of our board members at the celebration of excellence,

[36:03] sponsored by the Council of Elders who celebrated 700 of our

[36:08] excellent seniors who have earned GPA of at least 3.0, many earning

[36:13] over a 4.0 in that celebration.

[36:16] our partnership with the Council of Elders is important to our district as we continue to seek

[36:22] opportunities to lift up and celebrate our Black and African-American students

[36:28] for their work in the classroom and in the community. And we'll continue with this scene.

[36:32] It was our really, it's the unofficial kickoff to senior celebration season. So I'm getting excited.

[36:37] We'll talk about graduations in a minute.

[36:41] Let's kick off the celebration season here this evening

[36:43] by introducing a new member of our professional family.

[36:46] I'd like to ask Kristen Erickson to please stand and be recognized.

[36:51] Kristen is our new director of specialized special education programs.

[36:55] And she's joined this evening by her children, John and Kaylee.

[36:59] Please join me in welcoming Kristen in this new role.

[37:08] That's how we do it, Kristen.

[37:09] We feel the house to recognize you.

[37:10] Thank you for being here.

[37:11] We look forward to celebrating your success and

[37:13] I look forward to getting to know you better as we move through these next weeks and months.

[37:16] On this evening, we're also celebrating two of our school counselors who were recognized

[37:21] recently by the Maryland School Counselor Association or MSCA.

[37:26] We'll start with Reservoir High School's Stephanie Thurman.

[37:29] Stephanie, would you please stand to be recognized?

[37:41] Stephanie was recognized as our school system's 2025 school counselor of the year, and she was

[37:46] just named the 2026 Maryland Council of the Year and MSCA's high school counselor of the

[37:52] year.

[37:52] Stephanie has been with our county for over 21 years and this recognition is a well-deserved

[37:58] honor to celebrate her dedication to the counseling profession and the community she serves.

[38:03] Those Stephanie's inspirational leadership and data-driven through her inspirational leadership

[38:08] and data-driven focus, she and her department have been able to identify and eliminate so

[38:13] many barriers for our students to support their success.

[38:17] Joining Stephanie this evening is her administrator and principal Reservoir High School from

[38:22] from Resort High School, Dr. Cream Short Ridge.

[38:24] Let's give Stephanie one big round of applause.

[38:36] The hits keep coming.

[38:37] In addition to celebrating Stephanie,

[38:39] I'd ask that Lake Elkhorn Middle School,

[38:41] Shanteo and his young, to please stand, to be recognized.

[38:49] Shanteo was recently selected as SCA's

[38:53] 2026 Middle School Council of the Year for the State of Maryland.

[38:57] She is dedicated to ensuring every child has a safe harbor,

[39:01] helping her students to navigate challenges

[39:04] and thrive socially and academically.

[39:07] Her authenticity and then pathic nature allows students

[39:10] to connect and receive the supports they need

[39:13] to be successful.

[39:16] Joining Shante this evening is one of our administrators

[39:19] at Lake Elkhorn Middle School Assistant Principal

[39:21] Katina Evans.

[39:22] Let's give Shante a big, well-deserved round of applause.

[39:34] You know, I say often that if students aren't available

[39:36] to learn, they can't learn.

[39:38] And both of these counselors go above and beyond

[39:41] and do everything they can, including reaching out to me

[39:44] when they want to talk about things.

[39:46] So I appreciate the partnership,

[39:48] and the time we've spent problem solving

[39:50] and listening together.

[39:52] Moving on, this is, we're going to celebrate this person.

[39:55] He's unable to attend, but is worthy of our celebration.

[39:58] Beth Rosas is a fifth grade teacher

[40:00] at Running Brook Elementary School,

[40:01] and she has been named Maryland's 2026

[40:04] Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year

[40:06] by the Maryland Council for Social Studies.

[40:09] Beth is nationally board certified, has been teaching in Howard County for 20 years.

[40:14] She is driven by an innovative spirit and passion for social studies, which helps to

[40:18] make the content accessible, meaningful, and engaging for all of her students.

[40:22] In addition to being a dedicated social studies curriculum writer, she's a member of a cadre

[40:27] of mentors that support the simulated congressional hearings.

[40:31] Beth has played an integral role in uplifting and supporting fifth grade teachers across the

[40:34] county.

[40:35] Let's, she's not here, but let's make sure she can hear us in celebrating Beth for this amazing honor.

[40:45] Moving on, as many of you know, we took pictures with our counselors in this person.

[40:49] I want to recognize Jennifer Van Kirk.

[40:52] Jennifer, Jen is stepping away in her role as executive director for the Bright Mines Foundation

[40:57] after five years of exemplary service.

[41:00] Give her a round of applause and I'll move.

[41:07] Jen, I'm super grateful for your devotion into supporting our staff,

[41:12] staff, our students and families during your tenure.

[41:15] I just want to share a few of the ways that Bright Mind has impacted our total community

[41:19] under the exceptional leadership.

[41:22] To date, Bright Mind has provided more than $270,000 in grants to over 200 educators since

[41:29] the grant program was conceived in 2009.

[41:35] They've distributed over 93,000 books to children in Howard County to emphasize and strengthen

[41:42] in early childhood literacy and invested in more than $700,000 in classroom technology

[41:48] and tools for students. This past year alone, 33 students received scholarships worth

[41:53] a little over $65,000. Gen is also a strength and community engagement event. It's also

[41:59] strength and community engagement events that foster greater awareness in the community

[42:03] about our school systems needs. And this awareness is critical so that we can encourage sponsors

[42:09] and donor to address targeted needs and help to eliminate opportunity gaps that are faced

[42:14] by our students and educators. As she embarks on the next adventure, I know on behalf of our

[42:19] community and our board, when I say thank you, Jen, for your hard work in advocacy. The Bright

[42:26] Minds Board of Director is launched to search for the new executive director who will have very

[42:30] large shoes to fill, so we will stay tuned for the announcement. I want to thank you again and thank

[42:36] the MIP board members are here to support you.

[42:38] Let's give her a round of applause.

[42:45] Appreciate everyone's patience as these remarks are lengthy.

[42:49] A common email that keeps appearing in my inbox

[42:51] the past few weeks is a request for us to announce this year's

[42:54] high school graduation dates and times.

[42:56] And I suspect board members are receiving similar inquiries

[42:59] and I know that so is the county executive.

[43:02] I understand the frustration the families and staff feel

[43:05] and attempting to plan time off from work, travel arrangements

[43:08] for families, celebrations, and everything else that goes into this important day of celebration.

[43:14] And while we're really fortunate, we're exceptionally fortunate to have a local venue like Maryweather Post-Pervilian

[43:20] that allows us to have graduation ceremonies to be held under cover, protection from weather and provide shade on sunny and high-temperature days,

[43:29] ceremonies at Maryweather also allow schools to accommodate a very large number of guests without having to limit a participation.

[43:37] We also are able to stream our ceremonies live online, so family that are out of state

[43:41] or out of country can watch.

[43:43] Downside is their concert venue that generates a great deal of revenue.

[43:47] And so they tell us each and every year that they can expect, that we can expect to hear

[43:52] from them with a final decision somewhere in mid-April.

[43:55] But I'm pleased to announce that earlier today our team was able to finalize the Times

[44:01] dates location or times and dates for each school and we'll be communicating that information

[44:07] if tomorrow if not if not tomorrow early next week we're just making sure all the information

[44:13] is in a format that our families can benefit from so thank you to the team and I'm looking

[44:18] forward to having a sore neck from smiling so hard when shaking hands with our 4,000

[44:23] or so seniors wrapping up board members I want to I want to conclude by uplifting and celebrating

[44:28] some exceptional news, some surprising news that we received today.

[44:35] Earlier today, County Executive Calvin Ball announced to the press conference

[44:38] that he is fully funding the Board of Education's requested capital budget at $98 million.

[44:48] Yeah, that's definitely worth it.

[44:54] I'm so very appreciative for this unprecedented

[45:00] This commitment in our school buildings and capital needs. This commitment by county executive

[45:05] ball will result in critical upgrades, renovations and repairs that will benefit so many communities

[45:11] across our county. Through this extraordinary investment, students and families and

[45:17] local mills, Stevens-Farris, Thunder Hill, all of U.S. states, all of a city, valley,

[45:21] mead, and Mount Eberin will benefit from significant renovations and additions. Major HVAC projects

[45:28] will serve communities and McGill's common Dickinson carriage hills,

[45:32] Jefferson Hills, Kendall Ridge and Longreach.

[45:35] Students and families in autumn overlook,

[45:37] Worthington Fields, Hampton Hills,

[45:39] Hillchester, Locust Park, and Phelps Luck will benefit

[45:42] from extensive upgrades to their community buildings.

[45:46] At a new elementary school,

[45:48] we'll serve communities in Savage, North Laurel,

[45:50] Jessup, and South Eastern Columbia,

[45:52] a space that has experience explosive growth in recent time.

[45:56] As you can see this impact, the impact of this investment is more than significant.

[46:03] It is monumental, and it touches just about every corner of this school system.

[46:09] It also builds on a strong upward trajectory of support.

[46:14] Just last year this time, Dr. Ball invested $67 million, and prior to that, it was $61 million, and 52 before that.

[46:22] And so you can see an investment of 98 million surpasses all prior years and positions our school system to make meaningful progress on critical capital gains or keep capital needs across our county and takes a big bite out of our deferred maintenance list.

[46:39] I want to commend our Board of Education for your hard work and the difficult decisions that you faced and made throughout the process.

[46:47] Yes, there are so many additional projects that we even though we got 98 million that we wish we could have been funded because they are absolutely necessary.

[46:55] And my hope is that we can bounce off of this historic investment and accelerate timeline, the accelerated timelines for the projects that can now be included will provide so much added relief and provide some opportunities for those things that have been deferred.

[47:08] Thank you to our operations team led by our Chief Operating Officer Cornel Brown, Dan

[47:13] Loubly, our Executive Director of Capital Planning and Construction for their leadership and

[47:18] making sure that voices in front of the community were a priority throughout the process.

[47:24] Appreciate the information you were providing to the board in a timely process.

[47:29] The operating capital budget processes each year bring anxiety because difficult decisions

[47:35] who must be made each year.

[47:37] Yet Howard County stands out across the state

[47:39] for its collaborative approach.

[47:41] We bring together elected officials,

[47:44] our community members, our families,

[47:45] our educators, our board, in-unison,

[47:48] together on behalf of our children.

[47:50] It's a process that I deeply value,

[47:52] and I hope continues for years to come.

[47:56] And in this year, thanks to Calvin Ball,

[47:58] our county executive, it's paid off.

[48:02] So, I just want to say today is a day that we should celebrate together.

[48:07] This was worked on together, and it's certainly tremendous news for our school system.

[48:13] This concludes my report.

[48:24] I'm going to wait until the room clears before we call the next speaker.

[48:30] But it will be our appointment for H. Kasa.

[49:15] Since the commotion has mostly cleared with our gas leaving the room, we are now moving on to the Howard County Association of Supervisors and Administrators, our HCASA union.

[49:30] Please go ahead.

[49:33] Good afternoon members of the Board of Education, Superintendent Barnes, my name is Karim Shortridge.

[49:38] I'm here speaking tonight on behalf of the Howard County Association of Supervisors and Administrators,

[49:44] H. Kasa, the principals, assist the principals, directors, coordinators, and

[49:49] other system leaders who work every day to ensure that the students of Howard County Public School

[49:55] system receive the educational experience that puts their academic success and well-being first.

[50:00] First, tonight we come to you with both pride in our work and deep concern about the future

[50:09] of leadership in our school system.

[50:12] Harvard County is facing a growing crisis, one that will have direct and lasting impact

[50:19] on students if not addressed.

[50:22] This crisis is the declining stability, sustainability, and pipeline of school leadership.

[50:33] So let me be clear from the start, great schools begin with great leaders.

[50:39] Decades of educational research consistently and unequivocally tell us that

[50:45] school leadership is second only to classroom instruction and its impact on student learning.

[50:51] principles and assistive principles do far more than manage buildings. They set

[50:58] instructional vision, support teachers, ensure safe learning environments, manage

[51:05] complex student needs, and build the culture that allow students to thrive. When

[51:13] leadership is strong and stable, schools thrive. When leadership is stretched

[51:19] then undervalued or consistently turning over, students feel the consequences first.

[51:28] Through disruptive instruction, teacher burnout, we can school culture and lower academic

[51:36] performance.

[51:38] This is why the issue we bring forth tonight is not simply a staffing issue.

[51:45] It is a student issue.

[51:46] It is an instructional issue, and it is a system stability issue.

[51:53] Recently, the Howard County Association of Supervisors and Administrators conducted a job

[51:59] satisfaction survey of administrators and supervisors across Howard County public school system.

[52:06] The results should concern all of us.

[52:10] Overall, morale among administrators was reported to be 2.1 to 2.8 out of 5, indicating

[52:18] widespread dissatisfaction and a significant decline from previous years.

[52:27] Administrators reported feeling professionally undervalued, physically and emotionally exhausted,

[52:36] it and increasingly disconnected from decision-making at the system level.

[52:43] Many described a culture of people by day, paperwork by night.

[52:49] Will leaders spend their days managing student needs, safety issues, crisis situations, only

[52:56] to spend their evenings and weekends trying to keep up with administrative demands.

[53:01] High school administrators reported working 15-hour days, covering multiple events each

[53:09] week in addition to full instructional leadership responsibilities.

[53:16] Middle school administrators demonstrated, described situations where a single assistant

[53:21] principal is responsible for the discipline and safety needs of an entire building.

[53:26] an expectation that many describe as unsustainable.

[53:33] Elementary and middle school leaders report growing concerns about special education supports,

[53:38] student behavior needs, and safety challenges, including incidents of physical

[53:45] aggression that often occur without adequate staffing or resources.

[53:51] Central office staff and non-certificated supervisors express frustration.

[53:55] of top-down culture, reduced staff, and resources, and deteriorating working conditions.

[54:05] These realities are not theoretical.

[54:10] They are happening every day in our school system.

[54:14] And they are pushing many talented leaders to ask an increasingly difficult question.

[54:21] Is this work sustainable?

[54:24] Compounding these challenges is the growing issue of compensation inequality.

[54:32] Many administrators report that highly experienced teachers of national board

[54:36] certifications often earn more than the administrators who supervise them.

[54:42] Using MPIA district salary data, HCASA analyze the tax salaries for teachers,

[54:49] Assisted Principles and Supervisors.

[54:54] What the data showed confirms with many educators already recognize.

[55:01] There's a significant salary overlap between experienced teachers and some administrators.

[55:08] In some cases, teachers with national board certifications earn as much or more than the administrators who supervise them.

[55:17] This data is especially worrisome considering that teachers work 10 months out of the year and administrators work 12.

[55:27] That means an educator, teacher, considering leadership roles are being asked to increase their work year by 20%

[55:37] We'll also take it on dramatically expanded responsibilities crisis management staffing shortages compliance requirements community relations and instructional leadership

[55:51] This is what researchers call salary compression

[55:56] So let me be clear teachers deserve to be well compensated

[56:02] I'm going to say that again, teachers deserve to be well-compensated.

[56:08] The improvements and the teacher compensation under Blueprint for Maryland's future is

[56:13] meaningful progress for our profession, but we must also recognize the unintended consequences.

[56:23] One of the financial workload and stress realities of administration significantly outweigh the

[56:28] benefit fewer outstanding educators, teachers, choose to pursue leadership.

[56:38] And when responsibilities

[56:39] grow faster than compensation, interest in leadership roles declines sharply. The data

[56:47] reflect this reality. Within the next four years, about 20% of the current HCOS administrators

[56:56] will be eligible to retire.

[56:59] At the same time, the applicant pipeline has dramatically declined.

[57:06] Qualified principal applicants dropped from 75 to 28 in a two year period.

[57:12] Qualified assistant principal applicants fell from 192 to 74 over the same time.

[57:19] And as of late October, there were only 17 qualified principal applicants system-wide.

[57:27] This is not a fluctuation.

[57:30] This is a collapse, and the leadership pipeline occurring at the same time, retirement

[57:37] eligibility is accelerating.

[57:41] If this trend continues, the consequences will be significant.

[57:44] But if we fail to address this imbalance, we risk weakening the very leadership pipeline

[57:53] that our schools depend on.

[57:55] In addition to compensation concerns, administrators report feeling limited autonomy and decisions

[58:02] that directly impact their schools from staffing allocations and staffing decisions made without

[58:09] their input.

[58:10] to professional learning requirements that may not align with the specific needs of their students.

[58:20] School leaders want to lead.

[58:23] School leaders want to innovate.

[58:25] They want to respond to the unique needs of their communities.

[58:31] But too often they feel constrained by systems that do not fully recognize the complexity of

[58:39] of the work happening inside school buildings.

[58:44] Let me emphasize something very important tonight.

[58:47] The administrators of Howard County Public School System

[58:50] remain deeply committed to our students.

[58:54] Every day, principals, assistant principals show up early,

[58:58] they stay late, they attend evening events,

[59:01] support families in crisis, manage safety issues,

[59:05] coaches, coach, teachers, and advocate for students.

[59:10] They do this work because they believe in public education,

[59:15] and they also believe in the children of this community.

[59:20] But dedication alone cannot sustain a system.

[59:25] With an intentional action, we risk losing the very leaders

[59:29] who hold our schools together.

[59:32] and when experience leaders leave, the consequences ripple outward.

[59:41] Teacher turnover increases, instructional consistency suffers, school culture,

[59:48] weekends, and students ultimately lose the stability they need to be successful.

[59:54] How it county has long been recognized as one of the permits.

[1:00:00] Chair, school, systems, and the nation. Maintaining that recommendation requires more than excellent teachers and strong curricula. It requires a strong, supported, and sustainable leadership core. Each cost of stands ready to work collaboratively with the Board of Education and the superintendent to address these challenges. We believe the solution can be found through a

[1:00:29] addressing compensation structures that discourage leadership advancement.

[1:00:35] Evaluating administrative workload in staffing models, strengthening support for

[1:00:40] student behavior, and special education needs.

[1:00:43] Ensuring school leaders have meaningful input into decisions that affect their buildings.

[1:00:51] Rebuilding trust in communication between system leaders and school-based administrators.

[1:00:56] Our goal is not criticism. Our goal is partnership because the success of our

[1:01:06] administrators teachers and central office staff are all interconnected and at

[1:01:13] the center of all this always are our students. Howard County students

[1:01:20] deserve schools that are stable, safe and led by leaders who have the

[1:01:26] time, resources, and support necessary to focus on what matters.

[1:01:34] Instruction, relationships, and student success.

[1:01:39] So tonight, we ask the board to recognize the urgency of this moment.

[1:01:46] A leadership crisis does not happen overnight.

[1:01:48] It develops slowly through burnout, attrition, and a shrinking pipeline of future leaders.

[1:01:58] But if we act together, if we act now, we can protect the leadership strength that has

[1:02:06] long been a cornerstone of this school system.

[1:02:10] Howard County has always prided itself on doing what is best for our students, addressing

[1:02:19] the sustainability of school leadership as part of that responsibility.

[1:02:25] HCAS is committed to being part of the solution and we look forward to working with you to

[1:02:31] ensure that our schools remain places where both students, educators, teachers can thrive.

[1:02:39] Thank you for your time, and thank you for your continued commitment to the students of Howard County.

[1:02:57] We have at least one hand up, so we have about a minute and a half to take questions.

[1:03:03] Please go ahead, Dr. Chen.

[1:03:05] First of all, thank you, thank you for showing us the data.

[1:03:09] I think the pipe is very visual, see how the challenge of issue coming.

[1:03:14] And the board definitely have a discussion.

[1:03:16] and we, because of the blueprint, they increase in the teacher

[1:03:19] commensation, National Board of Certified and the incentive

[1:03:23] to the Title I School instruction.

[1:03:26] And in the budget, we try to prioritize the classroom.

[1:03:29] And the budget reality, we may not cover everything.

[1:03:33] I think you've got very high light issue.

[1:03:35] It's the unintended consequence.

[1:03:37] And I do have a question about two issues tied to the principal

[1:03:43] side, you know, in the budget we talk about adding AP, a system principle, and also talk

[1:03:51] about adding school culture and safety assistance. From organization perspective, we want

[1:04:01] to hear your feedback because the budget will come in back, we may have some very difficult

[1:04:07] decision. I think the feedback can help us understand where we are.

[1:04:13] So I definitely appreciate the recognition of needing to increase assistive principles

[1:04:20] and also security assistance, both, and let's kind of talk about them separately, assistive

[1:04:28] principles are instructional leaders, assistive principles are typically training to be

[1:04:33] principles, right?

[1:04:34] And so their jobs, their job description are really focused on instruction while our security

[1:04:42] assistance are ones that really support the, the, the, the climate of a building and ensuring

[1:04:50] that our building isn't already a place for learning. So both of those are very critical.

[1:04:55] And I'm going to have to stop us there because time is expired.

[1:04:59] I know at least another board member had a question, so I'm going to ask the perhaps you

[1:05:06] send it to Dr. Shortridge, and if I'm not mistaken, it's K-A-R-E-N, underscore K-A-R-I-M.

[1:05:15] I am.

[1:05:15] I'm underscore Shortridge.

[1:05:16] I'll let you say it then.

[1:05:19] I am underscore Shortridge at H-D-P-S.

[1:05:23] Or you can look for him at Reservoir High School.

[1:05:25] I do want to take ten more seconds and recognize many of the folks that you brought with you.

[1:05:32] I see a great deal of administrators in the room.

[1:05:36] Could they all please stand up and be recognized for coming to school every day and working so hard?

[1:05:50] We appreciate that you're with us day in and day out.

[1:05:55] This concludes our appointment, and again, we will wait for the hub hub to clear the room.

[1:06:38] Next up is the personnel agenda.

[1:06:41] Do I have a motion to approve the personnel agenda?

[1:06:47] So moved.

[1:06:50] Second.

[1:06:51] Thank you.

[1:06:52] Dr. Chen?

[1:06:54] Yes.

[1:06:54] Ms. Ricks?

[1:06:55] Yes.

[1:06:56] Ms. Watts?

[1:06:56] Yes.

[1:06:57] Ms. McCoy?

[1:06:58] Epstein.

[1:06:59] Ms. Ambley?

[1:06:59] Yes.

[1:07:01] Ms. Mallow.

[1:07:02] Yes.

[1:07:02] Motion carries 501.

[1:07:05] Okay.

[1:07:05] Next up is the consent agenda restricted, Ms. Watts?

[1:07:09] I'd like to poll 6C and just ask the superintendent if the Dunmoggan Middle School Renovation

[1:07:20] Edition project needs to be voted on today, because we have a full answer to all of our questions

[1:07:25] that we've sent in.

[1:07:26] Yeah, so I spoke to Mr. Brown, he said not today, but we'll work to get those questions answered as soon as possible

[1:07:33] so that we can get a vote because you know delays cost time money. So we'll get those answers.

[1:07:39] So, Terminal, I'd like to pull that and maybe put it on the agenda for next time so that we can have all the

[1:07:45] answers before that. Okay, so

[1:07:49] So please move item 6c to the consent agenda restricted for the next board meeting, which

[1:08:00] will be April.

[1:08:02] Give me a second.

[1:08:06] Someone else knows it.

[1:08:07] You can feel free to.

[1:08:07] Chair Mello.

[1:08:08] Yes.

[1:08:09] Can I make suggestions that maybe don't specify the date because we may have a closed meeting?

[1:08:15] Okay, so with hopefully to have all questions answered so that board members can feel comfortable with the report, do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda restricted items, donations, bids in contracts, and meeting minutes for March 9th, 2026.

[1:08:41] So moved.

[1:08:42] So moved.

[1:08:44] Second.

[1:08:45] Thank you.

[1:08:47] Dr. Chen.

[1:08:48] Yes.

[1:08:49] Miss Ricks.

[1:08:50] Yes.

[1:08:51] Ms. Watts.

[1:08:51] Yes.

[1:08:52] Ms. McCoy.

[1:08:53] Yes.

[1:08:53] Ms. Shambley.

[1:08:54] Yes.

[1:08:55] Ms. Mallow.

[1:08:56] Yes.

[1:08:56] Motion carries 6-0.

[1:08:58] Okay.

[1:08:59] Next item is the consent agenda.

[1:09:04] Just trying to make sure we don't have anything to be pulled.

[1:09:08] I see no hands.

[1:09:09] Can I have a motion to approve the consent agenda?

[1:09:13] So moved.

[1:09:15] Second.

[1:09:17] Dr. Chen?

[1:09:19] Yes.

[1:09:19] Ms. Ricks?

[1:09:20] Yes.

[1:09:21] Ms. Watts?

[1:09:22] Yes.

[1:09:22] Mr. Alistair?

[1:09:24] Yes.

[1:09:24] Ms. McCoy?

[1:09:25] I'm staying.

[1:09:27] Ms. Shambley?

[1:09:29] Yes.

[1:09:30] Ms. Mallow?

[1:09:31] Yes.

[1:09:32] Motion carries 601.

[1:09:35] Thank you.

[1:09:36] We will now move on to proclamations.

[1:09:37] Can I have a motion to approve the proclamations for school library month,

[1:09:43] national volunteers and partnership recognition, Arab-American heritage month,

[1:09:48] and month of the military child?

[1:09:51] So moved.

[1:09:53] Second.

[1:09:55] Dr. Ten.

[1:09:56] Yes.

[1:09:57] Ms. Ricks.

[1:09:57] Yes.

[1:09:58] Ms. Watts.

[1:09:59] Yes.

[1:09:59] Mr. Alistair.

[1:10:00] Yes.

[1:10:01] Ms. McCoy.

[1:10:02] Yes.

[1:10:02] Ms. Shambley.

[1:10:03] Yes.

[1:10:04] Ms. Mallow.

[1:10:05] No.

[1:10:05] Yes.

[1:10:06] Motion carries.

[1:10:06] 7-0.

[1:10:08] Next up is our administrative agenda.

[1:10:10] We will begin with legislative reports report.

[1:10:16] I believe there are a number of items being pulled for discussion, so I will recognize the

[1:10:25] first hand that goes up that has questions about discussion if

[1:10:34] there is one.

[1:10:36] It's me but I'm let me find my oh my questions

[1:10:41] Okay, um, well then if would you like to wait happy happily? I just need to okay with regards to

[1:10:48] HP 0575 which I believe is

[1:10:52] regarding

[1:10:54] I can't remember the title is looking can you help me with the title?

[1:10:58] I'm Danielle looking legislative and legal affairs officer in the office of the general council

[1:11:01] the bill you're referring to is HP 575, student attendance, excused absences for civic engagement.

[1:11:11] Can you please share why the committee recommended not supporting it?

[1:11:21] The recommendation of a pose on this bill is simply rooted in the fact that it is a policy mandate.

[1:11:26] So typically, as a village-led platform, the board opposes policy mandates because they are something that the board prefers to do locally with input from families, students, staff, the community.

[1:11:39] Thank you.

[1:11:40] On this particular item, I wanted it pulled for separate vote as I intend to support it.

[1:11:48] But I would prefer to support with amendments if that were the opportunity.

[1:11:56] In the meantime, please go ahead and Ms. Watts.

[1:11:59] I had a question about HB0837 and in I sent my question and you kind of responded

[1:12:06] but I was hoping you could kind of expand upon your answer to help me understand this better.

[1:12:11] So, the recommendation is for students to receive their physical 12 months in advance of the start of school,

[1:12:20] if I'm understanding this right, or the start of the sport.

[1:12:24] And it seems like it's harder to meet the 90-day requirement if that is the case.

[1:12:29] So, the current requirements for student athlete physical examinations related to the length of time

[1:12:36] is that a physical examination form must be dated within 12 months of the start of the

[1:12:40] trials for that sport.

[1:12:42] So this gives greater flexibility than what was in the bill in terms of 90 days before

[1:12:50] the start of the school

[1:12:54] year, the school year.

[1:12:55] Yes, sorry.

[1:12:56] So I gave the example of if we started September 1, went back 90 days, that's June 1, whereas

[1:13:02] now a student could get it in May, June, and it still be valid for that entire school year.

[1:13:08] And I think maybe I didn't understand it's 12 months at the start of the tryout of it.

[1:13:14] Okay. Okay. All right. I understand now. Okay. I have one more. I have another one.

[1:13:26] Maybe I

[1:13:33] can confirm that HB1054 can be a subsection of our current policy, the AI policy.

[1:13:45] Can it be a subsection of what we currently have for like academic dishonesty or does this need to be a standalone policy?

[1:13:51] Let's see, what number again?

[1:13:55] HB1057.

[1:13:59] 575, I thought you said 5-4 at first.

[1:14:01] 5-7.

[1:14:02] So the way that the language in that bill reads, it says honor before 120 days from the date that the department releases the guidance required under subsection A1 of the section.

[1:14:13] and each local school system shall have

[1:14:16] an artificial intelligence policy aligned with the guidance.

[1:14:20] So our comment there was that it either needs to be

[1:14:23] a very specific section that is dedicated to AI

[1:14:26] or its own policy.

[1:14:28] So it can be like a standard of what we,

[1:14:30] just as like one of the standards that we currently have

[1:14:33] for our policy.

[1:14:35] Are you saying yes?

[1:14:36] Yes, okay.

[1:14:37] Okay, one more, another question I had.

[1:14:43] HB-1205, yes, it felt like this was an unfunded mandate and you know I was

[1:14:50] on legislative committee was like trying to like always decline something

[1:14:53] and with amendments and that feels like that's what's happening here is that

[1:14:56] we're trying to like maybe decline something but keep

[1:15:00] Very, very small portion of this bill and it feels like it's something that maybe we should just not support. That's certainly an option. The recommendation was to support with amendment. And the amendment would be to remove any and all requirements within this bill that required us to increase the minimum wage to $25. And leaving, which is different from prior iterations we've seen of this bill, this bill had a study in it where they were going to actually require MSTE to go and look at each school system to estimate.

[1:15:29] like accurately asked me what it would cost for school systems to do this and also where

[1:15:34] what the increase in the student per pupil would need to be in order to fund that increase.

[1:15:40] So we were saying leave that study so we can see what that picture is and really truly get an

[1:15:46] account of it across not only for us but across the state and then remove everything else that is

[1:15:51] a requirement within the bill. Okay. All right. Thank you. Termella, if it's okay with you,

[1:15:58] I'm okay putting back in. Hold on.

[1:16:15] Sorry. My screen moved. Okay, you're okay putting back in.

[1:16:21] HB 1205. Okay. HB 1057. Okay. HB 0837. Okay. And I think that's all. Okay.

[1:16:38] Okay. So, Ms. Rex.

[1:16:44] Thanks. So I had a question about HP 1074. That was one we didn't have a position. Are we discussing that or we just not discussing that?

[1:16:53] You are welcome to ask or discuss absent a discussion. It will convert to no position. Okay.

[1:17:00] So I was just curious about that one, the part that I was interested in understanding

[1:17:10] was the part where it's saying that it would have to, like, the reasoning for dismissing

[1:17:18] a board member would have to be public and that it's currently, or currently an ethics

[1:17:24] panel complaint is treated as confidentialness of board authorizes its release.

[1:17:29] I'm just curious if that, if the concern is that something would be shared that we shouldn't share,

[1:17:37] or that we would be required to share something that might be like, I don't know, legally a problem

[1:17:43] or something like that. I wasn't completely clear what.

[1:17:48] So initially, what's more to understand is that the bill sets up a new grounds for removal

[1:17:54] of a board member by the ethics commission based on a recommendation. That's not currently in

[1:17:58] regulation so when we say that the current regulations make those confidential that's not something so it's not something you already consider when we talk about what's confidential under ethics regulation, so it would be a new grounds removal that then could be made public.

[1:18:15] Okay, so I don't know, I'm trying to find the words, but it seemed like something that it was saying that something would have to be made public, is that not the case?

[1:18:25] No, that is the case under the bill that those recommendations would have to be made public

[1:18:32] If this were to pass. Okay, so is I guess the

[1:18:38] The concern I mean there's several things in here and I mean some of it's like what what is a relative that you know

[1:18:43] You're considering as far as somebody who might be benefiting

[1:18:47] Which you know whatever that's fine, but that I don't know is there something then that that is kind of the hold up

[1:18:53] that we're like, is it just that, I'm not sure what I mean by hold up.

[1:19:00] So we didn't have, you guys didn't have a position, the committee didn't have a position.

[1:19:07] I mean is it just that we didn't feel strongly or there was something they were concerned about?

[1:19:11] No, I don't think it was that they were concerned about it.

[1:19:13] It was just they wanted to have the full discussion of the board of what was in that bill

[1:19:17] and whether or not you guys wanted a position on the bill.

[1:19:20] We didn't have a staff recommendation as that's a board governance bill.

[1:19:23] And I

[1:19:26] don't know if anybody else wanted to comment on that or we just don't feel real strongly

[1:19:33] either way.

[1:19:34] But if there's not a concern that having to make public something that previously we would

[1:19:42] or we would choose to make public or not, that's not a concern as far as legal issues.

[1:19:56] Ms. Watts.

[1:19:56] So I don't have a concern about that to your in-laws, it makes sense.

[1:20:04] So I'm okay with supporting that as a position for the board.

[1:20:09] The one I did when I opposed was Hoco 1526, I think that's overreach, so I'd like to

[1:20:16] oppose that.

[1:20:18] And that's all I had.

[1:20:22] Okay.

[1:20:24] Seemed no more hands, then, can I have a motion to approve the board's legislative committee

[1:20:30] recommendations?

[1:20:31] exclusive of HB0575, HB0962, HB1074, and HOCO 1526.

[1:20:45] Sure.

[1:20:47] And we did have a cell moved, and I'll second it.

[1:20:50] But that was HB575, HB0962, HB1074,

[1:21:02] and HOCO 1526.

[1:21:07] Ms. Watts, your hand is up.

[1:21:15] Would it help to have the names? Okay,

[1:21:21] yes.

[1:21:28] That is on page 13. Public Campaign Financing for Board of Education.

[1:21:38] Okay, I think we are ready to call the vote on that.

[1:21:40] Okay, just for clarification, you said 0, 5, 7, 5, 0, 9, 6, 2, 1, 0, 7, 4,

[1:21:51] Hoco 15-26.

[1:21:54] Okay, thank you.

[1:21:57] And I have the motion by Ms. Chambley and a second by Ms. Mallow.

[1:22:00] Dr. Chen.

[1:22:02] Yes.

[1:22:03] Ms. Ricks.

[1:22:05] Ms. Watts.

[1:22:06] Yes.

[1:22:07] Mr. Alistair.

[1:22:08] Yes.

[1:22:08] Ms. McCoy.

[1:22:09] Yes.

[1:22:10] Ms. Chambley.

[1:22:11] Yes.

[1:22:11] Ms. Mallow.

[1:22:12] Yes.

[1:22:13] Motion carries.

[1:22:14] 7-0.

[1:22:15] Thank you.

[1:22:16] Do I have a motion to move all items marked as, quote, four-board discussion to no position

[1:22:23] unless otherwise specifically voted on?

[1:22:33] So moved.

[1:22:38] Dr. Chen.

[1:22:42] Basically, if so, we're going to vote on each of those individual bills.

[1:22:47] But if it was in, if it was in, marked in the packet as for discussion and no, it's

[1:23:01] a formality.

[1:23:02] It's going to go to no position regardless.

[1:23:07] Because if it doesn't have a position in, if it was for discussion then it doesn't have

[1:23:12] recommended position for the board that we just voted on. So it would remain as for discussion

[1:23:21] which means no position. So I was trying to have a be a formality of it goes to no position.

[1:23:31] Okay. Motion fails. So do I have, I'm actually, do you want to go and just watch your hand

[1:23:42] us up? Please, go ahead. I moved to support HB0962. This is the campaign finance.

[1:23:51] Second.

[1:24:00] Dr. Chen?

[1:24:06] No, this is no position.

[1:24:11] I'm sorry. Did you say support HB0962?

[1:24:14] to correct. She did. Okay. But it's okay. No position. Okay. So to support no decision.

[1:24:23] Got it. No, no, no. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Just support. Okay. Miss Rick's. Yes.

[1:24:44] Miss

[1:24:44] Ms. Mallow. Yes. Motion carries 7-0. Ms. Watts, you still have the floor. I moved to support

[1:24:53] HB1074. This is the in-laws. I'm sorry, could you say it again? What it is?

[1:25:02] HB1074. No, I meant

[1:25:03] what you said after that. Oh, it's in-laws about in-laws. The public ethic laws? Ethics. I heard

[1:25:09] in-laws and I'm like was

[1:25:19] there a second I don't believe there's been a

[1:25:26] second unless Miss Shamley did you second that no but I'm happy to second

[1:25:32] it I'll second it I didn't want to talk over anyone okay

[1:25:39] Dr. Chen sorry can you repeat a motion again yes move that the board support

[1:25:46] Board HB-107-4, Public Ethics Law, Participation, Restrictions and Requirements for Local Government and School Boards.

[1:25:56] Yes.

[1:25:57] Ms. Ricks?

[1:25:58] Yes.

[1:25:59] Ms. Watts?

[1:26:00] Yes.

[1:26:01] Mr. Alistair?

[1:26:02] Yes.

[1:26:02] Ms. McCoy?

[1:26:03] Yes.

[1:26:04] Ms. Shambley?

[1:26:12] Yes.

[1:26:14] Ms. Mallow?

[1:26:15] Yes.

[1:26:15] Motion carries, 7-0.

[1:26:18] Ms. Watts?

[1:26:19] I move to oppose HOCO 1526.

[1:26:25] Could you please identify what it is?

[1:26:27] Inspector General.

[1:26:35] Second.

[1:26:38] Dr. Chen.

[1:26:39] Epstein.

[1:26:40] Ms. Ricks.

[1:26:42] Yes.

[1:26:43] Ms. Watts.

[1:26:45] Yes.

[1:26:46] Mr. Alistair.

[1:26:47] Epstein.

[1:26:49] Ms. McCoy.

[1:26:50] Yes.

[1:26:52] Ms. Chambley.

[1:26:54] Yes.

[1:26:55] Ms. Mallow.

[1:26:56] Yes.

[1:26:56] Yes. Motion carries 5-0-2.

[1:27:00] Thank you.

[1:27:02] I assume that is the remainder of your, okay.

[1:27:07] I move to oppose HV-0575,

[1:27:21] and I

[1:27:25] don't have the name of it because I didn't draw that down.

[1:27:27] But this is the same thing that the civic engagement, the civic engagement, this is the same position the committee took.

[1:27:36] Dr. Chen, Ms. Ricks, Ms. Watts, Ms. Alistair, Ms. McCoy, Ms. Shambley, Ms. Mallow, no.

[1:27:51] Motion carries five, too.

[1:27:54] Thank you all.

[1:27:55] This concludes our legislative report.

[1:27:57] We will now move on to the next agenda item.

[1:28:01] which is five four-year adjusted cohort graduation

[1:28:05] and drop out rates and annual trends report.

[1:28:12] We welcome to the table a

[1:28:17] group of distinguished educators.

[1:28:41] Good evening, Chair Mallow, members of the Board of Education,

[1:28:44] Superintendent Barnes and Dr. Turner Little.

[1:28:46] I'm Dr. Jeffrey Fink, Director of High Schools

[1:28:48] and I'm joined this evening by Dan Rosarag,

[1:28:51] Director of Strategic Initiatives and Dr. Keisha Logan,

[1:28:54] Executive Director, Director Curriculum Instruction and Assessment.

[1:28:58] This presentation provides a brief overview of the graduation outcomes included in the board report along with several of these strategies currently in place to support students in successfully completing high school.

[1:29:11] Overall, more than 90% of Howard County public school system students graduate within four years and the systems drop out rate remains below 5%.

[1:29:19] At the same time, the data shows disparities in graduation outcomes among several student groups.

[1:29:24] This evening we will provide a brief overview of the data, offer some context for the class

[1:29:30] of 2025 and highlight several school-based and system-level supports designed to help

[1:29:34] ensure students remain on track for graduation.

[1:29:38] I will begin with a comparison of how our county's graduation outcomes with the state and

[1:29:42] several nearby school systems.

[1:29:51] It's important to understand the context for the class of 2025.

[1:29:54] This group began 9th grade during the 2021

[1:30:00] The year 2022 school year, which was the first year students returned to school buildings following COVID-related closures. As a result, many students were transitioning back to in-person learning during the start of their high school experience. State assessment requirements also varied across cohorts during this time. The class of 2021 was not required to participate in state assessments for graduation. For classes of 2022 through 2024, assessments required were reduced to English 10.

[1:30:29] 1, Algebra 1, and the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment or MISA.

[1:30:35] In addition, students in the class of 2025 were the first cohort required to meet updated

[1:30:39] graduation requirements.

[1:30:41] The total number of credits increased from 21 to 22, and the mathematics requirement increased

[1:30:47] to four credits with two courses required beyond geometry.

[1:30:52] For students pursuing the program choice for world language, the two required credits must

[1:30:57] plus also now be in the same language.

[1:30:59] And this context is important as we review graduation outcomes for this cohort.

[1:31:08] So for the 4,747 students who entered high school in the 2021-2020 school year as the

[1:31:16] class of 25, 91.3% graduated within four years, which was down from 93.54% for the class of 2024.

[1:31:25] The dropout rate increased to 4.95% compared with 3.6% the prior year.

[1:31:32] Overall, these trend lines show a steady decline in the four-year graduation rates since 2021 and

[1:31:37] a corresponding rise in dropout rates over the same period.

[1:31:45] So this slide shows how the class of 2025 compares with the state and nearby school systems on four-year

[1:31:52] adjusted cohort graduation and dropout rates.

[1:31:54] For graduation, Howard County posted a rate of 91.3%, which is above the state average of 86.44%.

[1:32:03] Among the surrounding districts that are shown here, Howard County had the second highest graduation rate following Frederick County at 94.05%.

[1:32:11] For dropout rates, Howard County public school system was at 4.95%, which is lower than the state average of 9.87%.

[1:32:19] Howard County also had the second lowest dropout rate among those shown here, again following

[1:32:24] Frederick County at 3.4%.

[1:32:27] Together these comparisons show that while Howard County maintains a relatively high

[1:32:30] graduation rate and a relatively low dropout rate, we do remain focused on eliminating disparities

[1:32:35] and ensuring all students receive the supports needed to stay engaged and successfully complete

[1:32:40] high school.

[1:32:45] Among racial ethnic groups, Hispanic Latino students had the lowest graduation rate and

[1:32:51] highest drop-out rate for all years.

[1:32:54] Can you move the microphone closer to your mouth?

[1:32:57] Sure, sorry about that.

[1:32:58] Thank you.

[1:33:00] Compared to the prior school year,

[1:33:01] the class of 2025 graduation rate for Hispanic Latino students

[1:33:06] decreased by eight percentage points,

[1:33:08] and the drop-out rate increased by eight percentage points.

[1:33:12] Over half of the students who dropped out

[1:33:14] in the class of 2025 were Hispanic Latino students.

[1:33:18] Decreases in graduation rate for the class of 2025 compared to the class of 2024 were observed for all racial ethnic groups except for Asian and white students.

[1:33:30] Asian, Black African American and white students drop out rates remained within 1% in 2025 compared to 2024 for all other racial ethnic groups drop out rates increased.

[1:33:43] Next, Dan, can you back your slide up wanted to see double advanced and we didn't get to look at that chart while you were talking about it just so folks can breathe it in.

[1:34:11] This slide shows graduation trends from 2021 to 2025 by receipt of services, which include students who are economically disadvantaged, have limited English proficiency and who have IEPs.

[1:34:24] Students with limited English proficiency had the highest drop-out rate and lowest graduation rate of any student group in 2025.

[1:34:33] Limited English proficiency status is determined at the end of the year.

[1:34:39] Multilingual learners who reached English proficiency by the end of the school year in 2025 were no longer categorized as limited English proficiency.

[1:34:48] and the 2025 graduation class had a higher than average exit rate of students from the English

[1:34:54] language development program. In addition, the dropout rate for students with limited

[1:35:00] English proficiency increased by 18 percentage points from 2024 to 2025. The graduation

[1:35:08] rate for students categorized as economically disadvantaged or having an IEP also decreased

[1:35:15] in 2025 when compared to 2024, but it should be noted that the definition of economically disadvantaged expanded in 2023 to include students receiving Medicaid.

[1:35:29] Howard County continues to see strong overall graduation outcomes, more than 90 out of every 100 students graduate within four years, and our annual dropout rate remains below 5%.

[1:35:40] We will not be a great school system, however, until we are great for all students.

[1:35:46] And we are continuing to revise and utilize existing structures while also identifying

[1:35:51] new initiatives to ensure that all students graduate high school.

[1:35:58] At the school level, high schools use student support teams to regularly monitor student

[1:36:04] progress toward graduation.

[1:36:06] These teams review key indicators such as attendance, course performance, and credit attainment.

[1:36:11] When students begin to fall behind, the teams coordinate appropriate academic and behavioral interventions.

[1:36:18] This process allows schools to monitor cohort progress and

[1:36:22] develop targeted support plans for students who may fall or are behind in credits.

[1:36:32] Starting in August 2025, our district began strengthening the multi-tiered system of supports or MTSS.

[1:36:40] A framework required by the Maryland State Department of Education or MSEE.

[1:36:44] MTSS is a school wide approach designed to provide high quality instruction and specialized

[1:36:50] support based on each student's unique needs.

[1:36:54] By establishing shared expectations and using data to drive decisions, we ensure that every

[1:37:00] student receives strong tier 1 or core instruction in every classroom.

[1:37:06] For those who need more help, MTSS provides clear pathways to tier 2, where students receive

[1:37:13] leave targeted interventions and supports in small groups, and for those students who

[1:37:18] need additional targeted intensive interventions, those are available in Tier 3.

[1:37:25] This consistent system-wide response ensures that barriers to learning are identified and

[1:37:31] addressed early with a goal of directing improving graduation rates by being more consistently

[1:37:36] responsive to student needs.

[1:37:38] Given

[1:37:43] the increase in mathematics credit requirements, schools are paying particularly close

[1:37:48] attention to math performance.

[1:37:51] Through collaborative planning and school improvement processes, schools regularly review

[1:37:55] math data and provide targeted supports where needed.

[1:37:59] These supports may include co-taught classes, intervention sections that are built into the

[1:38:04] schedule, and summer programming to help students remain on track for graduation.

[1:38:09] The

[1:38:14] data also showed disparities in graduation outcomes for Hispanic Latino and Black and African American students compared to the system average.

[1:38:24] Schools address this through several structures that focus on early identification and support.

[1:38:31] Student support teams regularly review attendance, course performance, and credit attainment

[1:38:38] to identify students who may be falling behind in credits toward graduation.

[1:38:43] When students are identified as needing additional support, schools coordinate targeted

[1:38:49] academic interventions.

[1:38:51] These may include tutoring, intervention sections, and credit recovery options.

[1:38:56] At this system level, the continued implementation of MTSS is strengthening Tier 1 instruction while ensuring students have access to additional supports when needed.

[1:39:08] The overall goal is to identify needs early and to provide timely supports so students can remain on track for graduation.

[1:39:20] And several targeted strategies are also in place to support our multilingual learners, our MLs.

[1:39:26] Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, each high school will have at least one full-time

[1:39:34] English-language development teacher assigned.

[1:39:37] As funding allows, we'll continue working to reduce caseloads for these teachers.

[1:39:43] The English-language development office will also continue using Title III grant funding

[1:39:48] to support scholarships that allow students to access evening and summer courses through

[1:39:53] innovative pathways.

[1:39:54] And finally, professional learning.

[1:39:57] Professional learning across the system continues to include strategies for supporting

[1:40:02] our multilingual learners through strong tier 1 instruction and appropriate differentiation.

[1:40:12] For students with individualized education programs or IEPs, graduation planning is

[1:40:19] individualized and focused on balancing intervention and graduation requirements.

[1:40:24] IEP teams work with students and families to identify pathways that may include additional

[1:40:31] support courses, summer school, credit recovery, or extended five or six year completion timelines

[1:40:38] when appropriate.

[1:40:40] The Department of Special Education has also invested in additional planning time and professional

[1:40:45] learning for co-teachers to strengthen instruction in general education classrooms.

[1:40:51] programs. Transition teachers and career readiness advisors also support students in identifying

[1:40:58] pathways aligned with their post-graduation plans.

[1:41:03] And finally, there were also changes

[1:41:06] to credit recovery opportunities in 2025. Due to the expiration of recovery funding, seniors

[1:41:13] were limited to recovering one credit through the Innovative Pathways summer program.

[1:41:17] This reduction may have contributed to the lower graduation rate for the class of 2025 compared to the class of 2024.

[1:41:28] Moving forward, staff plan to allow seniors to recover up to two credits through this program.

[1:41:36] The system will allow review, the system will also review current credit recovery opportunities including innovative pathways to evaluate participation,

[1:41:46] accreditation, credit attainment, and graduation outcomes, and determine how to strengthen these opportunities within available resources.

[1:41:54] This concludes our presentation at this time we have staff available to answer any questions that you may have.

[1:42:02] And we will have questions, so.

[1:42:04] We are going to begin with Ms. McGoy.

[1:42:09] First of all, thank you for the report.

[1:42:14] It's like the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[1:42:17] and my concern is that pretty much everything that I saw about helping to address the issue it's about fixing students and not so much about helping teachers in their beliefs and attitudes and I say it all the time we I think we just heard from the administrators talking about relationships.

[1:42:42] And so that is a big piece of it and so if you've got teachers who don't recognize that

[1:42:50] their attitude and belief may be impacting the way that they engage with the student,

[1:42:56] it doesn't matter a lot about all the things we're trying to do to fix the student.

[1:43:01] So we can, you know, address it around the edges but we're not really addressing the primary issue

[1:43:10] which is, do these teachers believe that these students are worth their time are capable

[1:43:16] of doing the work, and teachers have a lot on their plate, so I know that it's hard,

[1:43:23] but I don't see anything that is addressing that fundamental piece.

[1:43:29] And so my question is, is it somewhere in the process down the road?

[1:43:33] because it seems like we're, you know, we're trying to fix it with blinders.

[1:43:40] That's such a great point, Ms. McCoy, and that would certainly be embedded in our professional

[1:43:45] learning.

[1:43:46] You're also going to see the us addressing mindset as we continue to implement our MTSS.

[1:43:55] That is at the core of helping teachers to understand how they are implementing strong

[1:44:01] wrong tier one instruction and collecting data about how students are doing.

[1:44:06] And so that over time, they're giving students what they need during tier one and

[1:44:12] not rushing to provide students with interventions, keeping students within the classroom to provide them the supports that they need through tier one instruction.

[1:44:22] And addressing through professional learning with MTSS will really help us to be able to help teachers to extend those mindsets.

[1:44:30] and that culturally responsive instruction.

[1:44:32] So in professional learning with MTSS is where that will be addressed.

[1:44:36] It's such an important point.

[1:44:39] And I just want to make it clear, I'm not talking about teachers giving students a pass

[1:44:44] because you know, you don't expect more of them.

[1:44:46] So it's like, guys, okay, in that lane.

[1:44:48] That's just, that's like, what is it, the soft bigotry of the expectations.

[1:44:54] Right.

[1:44:55] Okay. Thank you.

[1:44:56] Yep.

[1:44:57] Next up is Dr. Chen.

[1:45:00] Thank you. I think a question about the further slides talked about the graduation over years. I just occurred so what's the typical graduation before COVID? It's a 90, 94, 95. Do we have the data before COVID? Oh, prior to COVID. Yeah, probably.

[1:45:29] I mean, we can pull that data and I'll get it to you. Okay. Yeah. I think I assume it's probably a little bit higher that anyway.

[1:45:36] From the slide seems to mention about it's a very multiple factor impact graduation.

[1:45:44] And the requirements is gathered, you know, adjustment seems more strict.

[1:45:49] And the COVID impact still lingering there.

[1:45:52] So that's why we see some of the graduation seems not as to be that we want.

[1:45:59] So one question, tied to the multilingual or LEP, what I hear is the students initially

[1:46:13] in the multilingual, then they overcome the proficiency, how they move out.

[1:46:19] So the data is kind of skewed, so is that true?

[1:46:24] That's what I hear.

[1:46:25] So when I look at it as a channel by services, our EP, the percentages of drop of

[1:46:32] pre-significant, is that data has some security issue.

[1:46:37] I don't know if you understand, you know, initially the students that we have a

[1:46:40] poor student, they, some of the students that they, English become proficient,

[1:46:46] they move out.

[1:46:47] Then what's left is relatively, you know, still not a proficient.

[1:46:51] So the data set is main not to reflect the host do them body essentially, it's kind of skewed, so I don't know if that's true.

[1:46:59] That's right, it's a sample size large enough to drag down the large population.

[1:47:03] I noticed it made a comment to Miss Watts about students receiving language services.

[1:47:09] I was wondering if a 37% rate, current rate of graduation, which is precipitous drop.

[1:47:16] I was wondering why, for sure, would that be enough to pull down the overall population?

[1:47:23] So is that what you're talking about?

[1:47:25] Yeah, yeah.

[1:47:27] And that's something that we can dig a little bit more deeply into just who are the students that comprise that those numbers?

[1:47:37] Yeah.

[1:47:38] Yeah, I think I hear some side story, you know, some are still once they overcome that they're actually doing very well.

[1:47:45] They are much better.

[1:47:47] That's true.

[1:47:47] You know, not just average, they are doing better.

[1:47:49] But anyway, I think it's in one data point, but in the data, there's a very diverse, right?

[1:47:55] The population behind, you know, even Asian America, there's a lot of people struggling.

[1:48:00] And even African-American, there's an immigrant population and people born here.

[1:48:05] I might have the data, I don't know how we will flag that,

[1:48:08] but we're always lamping to one data.

[1:48:11] But it's actually the needs in each data point

[1:48:14] is very diverse, essentially.

[1:48:16] Absolutely.

[1:48:17] Thank you.

[1:48:19] Next up is Ms. Rex.

[1:48:22] Thank you guys for being here and answering our questions.

[1:48:26] So the class of 22 always takes out to me.

[1:48:29] My daughter was in that class.

[1:48:30] And looking and being aware of some of the things

[1:48:34] that they didn't have to do because it was COVID and so they weren't able to do all these things.

[1:48:40] It just kind of seems like it was a little bit of a natural experiment and I'm curious if you're

[1:48:45] where, if the state or if anybody is looking into kind of what has been, what has happened since then,

[1:48:54] like what are those students up to? So obviously there's some students that, you know, if some of the

[1:48:58] requirements have been there, they, you know, they were on the margins, they might have not

[1:49:02] of graduated on time or might not have graduated at all, but then did. So I'm just curious if

[1:49:08] you're aware of if anybody is looking into what kind of has been the result of some of

[1:49:13] those requirements. Obviously, I'm not looking to make requirements less. We want to have people

[1:49:17] prepared well for what comes next, but I'm just curious if there was anything that has been looked

[1:49:23] with that with that group.

[1:49:27] I mean, all good questions.

[1:49:30] So Caroline Walker, Chief Equity,

[1:49:32] I have to look.

[1:49:33] Yeah.

[1:49:33] No, today, I can't believe I'll say that.

[1:49:36] So today, from that point of view,

[1:49:38] the state's also looking at it

[1:49:39] because they did see the state trend of decline in this year.

[1:49:43] So they are talking about whether or not some of it was,

[1:49:47] because we did have higher graduation rates during COVID.

[1:49:50] And that was a statewide trend.

[1:49:52] and it is likely to be different things that we did.

[1:49:55] For example, in our system we didn't have midterms

[1:49:58] and finals which may have had some impact.

[1:50:01] We also asked teachers to use grace when possible

[1:50:03] so that may have had some impact

[1:50:04] and that was a statewide trend.

[1:50:06] They are also trying to think about it

[1:50:08] as the team talked about the things that were added

[1:50:10] since then to see if that is part of the reason

[1:50:13] that it is looking a little different.

[1:50:16] Certainly the services and supports

[1:50:18] we put in place in COVID were different.

[1:50:21] And we do need to think about what it is that we can do that replicates some of those

[1:50:25] pieces.

[1:50:26] And we've had some of those conversations at the state level as well.

[1:50:30] Thank you appreciate that.

[1:50:31] I know there was watching might are and appears there was definitely things that were pulling

[1:50:36] them down and some things that were pulling them up so I'm glad to hear that they're looking

[1:50:40] at that as well.

[1:50:41] So thank you.

[1:50:44] Next up is Watts.

[1:50:47] I think I have like two just very, very quick things.

[1:50:51] I feel like if we overlaid this data with career and college readiness,

[1:50:54] we would start to see the exact same thing.

[1:50:56] And so, this is one of the reasons why I asked for like our five focus areas

[1:51:00] to pull away from graduation, right?

[1:51:02] Because it's too late.

[1:51:04] But the time we get the graduation data, like they are out in the world doing, you know, stuff.

[1:51:08] And so I was, you know, I've been advocating for this look at ninth grade.

[1:51:11] All right, like a ninth grade.

[1:51:12] look at 10th grade was happening like then where we can make these adjustments and I think

[1:51:16] my ask is the timing in which we bring this report is it something that would be more

[1:51:21] beneficial for us to bring with career and college readiness and talk to super tenant

[1:51:24] and Dr. Turner a little about this because it feels like if we had that data together then

[1:51:29] we could kind of have maybe a more robust conversation about this is what we're doing in high school

[1:51:35] 9th grade whatever and this is where we're going yeah I'm going to give you this question

[1:51:41] and I'll probably ask the same thing for math after this.

[1:51:43] You talked about the MTSS support.

[1:51:47] And my question always is, does our schedule support

[1:51:51] the ability for us to put these supports in place, right?

[1:51:54] I know that sometimes the even tier two intervention

[1:51:56] is not necessarily has to happen outside the classroom.

[1:51:58] It can still happen within small groups within the class.

[1:52:00] And so I do ask this question about,

[1:52:03] are our schedules built in a way in which

[1:52:05] that we can actually put in these supports in place?

[1:52:08] That is a part of our plan for implementation for an effective MTSS.

[1:52:14] Currently, system wide, we do not have all of our structures in place and having schedules to be able to do that is a big part of it.

[1:52:23] So we're starting by examining our elementary and middle school schedules to be able to ensure that there is time for tier two and

[1:52:33] tier three supports built into the day for our students.

[1:52:36] We're examining what our schedules currently look like.

[1:52:39] We're working with our school leaders to be able to see if there are, because there are some schools that have some things in place and are making it happen.

[1:52:48] And certainly, tiered supports are happening in schools.

[1:52:52] We think that there are ways that we could be doing that in a consistent and coherent manner across the district, and that's what we're working to implement.

[1:53:01] And so we are working on that, that is a part of the plan for implementation.

[1:53:06] I'm so grateful for that question because this is the root of it.

[1:53:09] Like, our response to the question, what do we do when students don't aren't learning?

[1:53:14] As intended, it has to be systematic, it has to be evidence-based.

[1:53:18] And it can't be after school lunch recess, it has to be built into the, it has to be part of the plan.

[1:53:24] So I appreciate the question, I'm grateful for the answer.

[1:53:27] And there are districts all over the country that have figured out in schools all over the country to figure out how to make that work.

[1:53:34] And many of those districts look just like our districts.

[1:53:37] So it won't be because we can't do it or it's just we have to, we have to do it.

[1:53:43] It's required, it's necessary.

[1:53:46] And I'm glad we're getting a better answer to that question because it just felt like

[1:53:51] catches catch can prior to this effort.

[1:53:54] So thank you.

[1:53:56] And I'm happy to hear that it's going to be a systematic approach because I do feel like

[1:54:00] like Howard County often has allowed a lot of flexibility that sometimes does not translate

[1:54:08] down into meeting students' needs, so I'm glad that we're looking at that as well.

[1:54:12] That's all I have.

[1:54:13] Thank you.

[1:54:16] I guess next up is me.

[1:54:19] So I have, I think, four questions.

[1:54:22] The first one is have we looked at what the graduation rate would have been if there wasn't

[1:54:31] that second math credit required for this last cohort?

[1:54:39] We haven't yet, but we can.

[1:54:41] It's actually something that we can look at.

[1:54:45] It's not an easy request, however,

[1:54:48] because it actually gets average in the DPA.

[1:54:50] There's no system and synergy

[1:54:52] that catches the fourth math necessarily that way.

[1:54:55] So we'd have to think about how to best do that.

[1:54:57] But it is possible.

[1:54:59] We'll get to that and think through it.

[1:55:01] Could it be extrapolated backwards of these are the students that didn't graduate and we

[1:55:10] looked at that grouping and found that 16% of them didn't get that final math credit.

[1:55:21] It's highly unlikely to be a large percentage of students that way that would be in the

[1:55:26] dropout.

[1:55:26] What is probably hidden the most from this is that there are five year graduates.

[1:55:32] And so we're looking at a four year graduation rate and there are probably many students

[1:55:36] who actually graduate in a five year pathway.

[1:55:39] So I don't know that the dropout would be the way to get it, your question.

[1:55:43] But I do hear your question and I think we could think about how to best do it.

[1:55:47] Okay.

[1:55:48] Appreciate that.

[1:55:49] And then I guess the equivalent question is, have we looked at how would graduation

[1:55:56] rates have been expected to be different if we had had the second summer school credit available to students.

[1:56:07] We can certainly look at the number of students who participated in it and then extrapolate from there.

[1:56:14] So we can do some analysis and try to figure out what a better picture would be.

[1:56:20] And fundamentally there are still things that didn't go as well as they should have for students.

[1:56:23] So we also need to rethink what our programming pieces are to what Dr. Logan has talked

[1:56:29] about, what Ms. McCoy mentioned.

[1:56:31] There is additional work that has to happen here in equity ways.

[1:56:36] As Dr. Chen left it out, we were very concerned about our ML students and very concerned about

[1:56:41] other students that really emerged as having needs that were much greater than we were addressing.

[1:56:48] And so there is still some equity work that needs to happen beyond there, but we do think

[1:56:53] we can do that analysis?

[1:56:56] Okay. Because of your answer, it actually added one quick question.

[1:57:02] When we look at, say, page six of graduation rates on the top and drop out rates in the bottom,

[1:57:11] those numbers don't necessarily align. For example, has an IEP at a 67% graduation rate,

[1:57:18] but only a 3% dropout rate. That's a pretty big gap that doesn't add up to 100.

[1:57:28] Can we, in the future, also have a five-year graduation rate presented as part of this report?

[1:57:36] And are there other reasons for the discrepancies?

[1:57:41] I'm like seeing 83 and 9 in for economic disadvantage and those again don't add up to close to 100.

[1:57:51] We absolutely should share with you the five-year graduation rate.

[1:57:53] It's not with the state reports on but I think it would be useful for you to look at and we can share some of that because you're right.

[1:57:59] There are places that that's true and it has a lot to do with what you're describing.

[1:58:02] Right, speaking of what we report on to the state, do I recall that the state sometime in the 20 teams changed how we define dropout to the point where if we don't know what's happened to the student, even if they've moved halfway across the country or to even another country, we have to count them as students.

[1:58:29] Yes, you'll see it's a very limited basis of who's not part of the count.

[1:58:35] It's in the report, there's some text that describes how limited it is.

[1:58:38] It's a very, very small group that starts with us that we cannot trace their location.

[1:58:43] It really, we have to trace everyone's location.

[1:58:47] So, we actually are doing, so you're saying that this is pretty accurate in terms of that it's only a small population who we can't trace.

[1:58:58] I'm saying that it is more restrictive than it had been in agreement with you and from

[1:59:05] a philosophical stand, I think it's a good practice for us to try to find where all

[1:59:09] of our young people are and it is probably reducing rates across the state because it

[1:59:15] was more restrictive.

[1:59:19] Okay. So we don't think, because it's across the state, we don't think there's an added

[1:59:28] inaccuracy, a large inaccuracy in the data.

[1:59:34] There is an accuracy in the data, but it's

[1:59:36] consistent in accuracy. How about that? Okay. I can accept that. And then my last question

[1:59:42] is have we done back mapping, my timer's going off, have we done back mapping for linking

[1:59:54] a lowering graduation rate and how it's

[2:00:00] It's individually tied to students with chronic attendance issues and if we've looked at that, have we then looked at to see where it started? We have not recently, we have in the past in what may be a least surprising headline students who start to not come to school are much more likely to not be in school by the time they come to the end of senior year.

[2:00:31] and it starts in any grade and it's not just here, it's nationally.

[2:00:35] So it is really important to continue to have good habits of coming to school

[2:00:39] because you are much more likely to make it to graduation if you do.

[2:00:43] I guess one of the reasons I'm asking is if we,

[2:00:47] other than the obvious, if you're not in school, you're not learning,

[2:00:50] but have we seen any specific trends like seventh grade

[2:00:55] we're seeing, okay, if they start missing, even more

[2:00:59] at that point, that that's where we need to reach out to the families in a different

[2:01:05] directed sort of way towards improving attendance and saying, hey, what your kids doing today

[2:01:11] is going to affect them more than likely in high school.

[2:01:16] I don't remember if our data said anything, but nationally, it's actually predicted from

[2:01:21] the very start of school.

[2:01:23] So national literature says that coming to school is important from the very get and

[2:01:28] And students who regularly have good habits and of attendance in kindergarten are more likely to graduate than students who do not.

[2:01:35] And when students have more flexibility and independence in high school, and they're making more of those choices themselves, and it starts to demonstrate itself more, that's even more clear indicator, it has a stronger correlation with what happens in the future.

[2:01:50] Yeah, and what I hear Ms. Mallow leading us toward is a space that I think is a really important space to be on.

[2:01:57] How explicitly are we being with families and sharing that trend data?

[2:02:03] And, you know, I think it's okay to, it's not alarmism, it's just, it's just hey, this is some data you may not know.

[2:02:10] You may not understand that it really works against you if you're not getting your kid up and get in the school or if it's like just I think that's the thing that

[2:02:19] And I'd want to talk to Mr. Bassett's team with our team to think through.

[2:02:26] I know that it happens in schools when we make those calls through conversation.

[2:02:30] I just don't know how consistently and widespread.

[2:02:33] I certainly don't say it enough.

[2:02:35] And so that's really good feedback.

[2:02:38] I appreciate that.

[2:02:39] Thank you.

[2:02:41] Are there any further questions?

[2:02:43] I see no other hands.

[2:02:46] Thank you for your time and expertise in bringing this to us tonight.

[2:02:50] We now move on to the Middle School Mathematics Report,

[2:02:59] and we will be joined by

[2:03:04] Ms. Jenny Novak, John Ray, and John San Giovanni. Oh, and Mr. Larner.

[2:03:13] I thought it

[2:03:13] was the J team.

[2:03:16] We're J cubed, but sorry to disappoint.

[2:03:24] You are allowed to adjust the chair if you find that it

[2:03:27] is has you very close to the ground.

[2:03:34] Luckily, the camera is at an angle where it is not as dramatic on the camera as it is

[2:03:40] for those of us here on the dice.

[2:03:46] Good evening, Board Chair Mallow, Board Vice Chair Rick, members of the Board of Education,

[2:03:50] Superintendent Barnes, and Deputy Superintendent Turner Little.

[2:03:54] My name is Jenny Novak, I'm the Director of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment, and

[2:03:58] I'm joined this evening by John Ray, Coordinator of Secondary Mathematics and David Larner, Executive

[2:04:02] Director of Elementary Schools. This evening we will provide an update on the ongoing

[2:04:06] work in the middle school mathematics focus area highlighting district and school level

[2:04:11] progress and outlining next steps to address disproportionality in this in the data.

[2:04:16] This work directly supports our goals of increasing mathematics proficiency and ensuring students

[2:04:21] are on track for college and career readiness. Over the past two years our district support team has

[2:04:26] taken a disciplined approach analyzing data trends identifying high impact instructional strategies

[2:04:32] and aligning professional learning and school improvement efforts to those strategies.

[2:04:36] We will share efforts that this team has supported in the areas of school improvement and district level supports.

[2:04:43] In Appendix A of this report, you will find detailed tables and graphs showing data from the spring 2025 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program or M-CAP.

[2:04:53] When we look at our M-CAP data over time, we do see some encouraging signs.

[2:04:57] across most grades, proficiency rates have increased steadily from school year 2022 through

[2:05:03] school year 2025.

[2:05:04] At this point, between 43% and 58% of our students are meeting proficiency depending

[2:05:09] on the grade level.

[2:05:11] In middle school, grades six through eights have demonstrated steady upward trends reflecting

[2:05:16] the impact of increasingly consistent instructional practices, implementation of high-quality instructional

[2:05:21] materials, and coordinated systemic professional learning efforts.

[2:05:25] While these gains are important, they are still modest.

[2:05:28] They are not yet where we want to be in terms of ensuring that all students are consistently

[2:05:32] meaning grade level expectations.

[2:05:35] To address these challenges, schools implemented one of the three key strategies aligned with

[2:05:41] our pre-K-12 comprehensive mathematics plan.

[2:05:44] First, building student agency and self-efficacy, helping students see themselves as capable

[2:05:49] mathematics mathematicians. Second, strengthening MTSS, ensuring that tier one instruction is strong, and that tier two and tier three supports are timely and effective.

[2:05:59] Or three, improving formative and summative assessment practices so that feedback is meaningful and instruction is responsive.

[2:06:06] This year, the majority of schools selected strategy two as their focus, reflecting a system-wide recognition that strengthening core instruction and intervention systems is essential for improving outcomes.

[2:06:17] It should also be noted that administrators have been provided with ongoing professional

[2:06:21] learning to support implementation of the selected key strategy during their administrator

[2:06:26] curriculum and instruction or ACI meetings.

[2:06:29] There are several strengths in our system that we want to build on.

[2:06:33] First, differentiation in middle school mathematics classrooms is widely present, observed to date

[2:06:38] in 98% of classrooms.

[2:06:40] Teachers are using visual supports, multiple representations, and strategic grouping

[2:06:44] being among others to support access to grade level content.

[2:06:48] Second, middle school mathematics classroom environments are strong.

[2:06:51] Students report that their teachers care about their success, and

[2:06:55] most students believe they can learn mathematics.

[2:06:57] That belief is a critical foundation.

[2:07:00] Third, teachers are consistently engaging in strong formative practices,

[2:07:04] such as monitoring student thinking and prompting students to explain their reasoning.

[2:07:08] These are not small things, these are the core instructional moves to support learning.

[2:07:12] And the opportunity now is to deepen and extend these practices.

[2:07:16] I'm going to turn it over to John Ray who's going to share more details about some actions we've taken in strategy one.

[2:07:21] Thank you.

[2:07:22] Under strategy one, our focus has been on strengthening student agency and

[2:07:27] self-efficacy by connecting research, student voice, and instructional practice.

[2:07:32] We are in year two of a partnership with West Ed and illustrative mathematics to better understand what drives student engagement,

[2:07:40] management, persistence, and success in mathematics.

[2:07:43] We have elevated student voice through surveys that provide real time insight into student

[2:07:48] confidence, sense of belonging, and classroom experiences.

[2:07:52] In using that data, we launched inquiry cycles and math labs where teachers collaboratively plan,

[2:07:58] observe, and refine instruction, specifically strengthening discourse, reasoning, and

[2:08:04] student ownership of learning.

[2:08:06] We plan to scale this work across schools through coaching and targeted professional learning to ensure more consistent, high impact classroom experiences for all students.

[2:08:18] Students in eight middle schools complete math disposition surveys at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.

[2:08:25] These surveys help us sample and measure growth in students' confidence, math identity, perceptions of usefulness,

[2:08:33] and perceived expectations from others, including their teachers.

[2:08:38] And you may have seen the detailed data in Appendix C on pages 26 to 28 of the report.

[2:08:46] Complementary student practical measure survey items have been used to examine specific classroom experiences,

[2:08:52] including participation in small groups, whole class discussion and explanation of reasoning,

[2:08:58] Listening to and questioning peers and student perseverance when encountering challenging

[2:09:05] math tasks, collectively these tools provide insight into both students' beliefs about

[2:09:11] mathematics and the instructional conditions shaping those beliefs, while the foundations

[2:09:17] are strong there are clear areas where we need to improve.

[2:09:21] Student discourse is not yet where it needs to be.

[2:09:24] Only about half of students report regularly explaining their reasoning and less than a third report questioning their peers.

[2:09:33] Whole class participation is also significantly lower than small group participation.

[2:09:38] In addition, some students do not strongly identify themselves as math people.

[2:09:44] They see math as important, but not necessarily as something they own or feel confident in.

[2:09:50] And we also see differences by course level, advanced middle school math courses tend to

[2:09:56] include more discourse and multiple strategies while on level and intervention classes have

[2:10:03] higher levels of teacher-directed instruction with fewer opportunities for deep thinking.

[2:10:08] This is a critical equity issue.

[2:10:11] All students, not just those in advanced courses, must experience rigorous, engaging mathematics.

[2:10:19] And despite these challenges, the data also reflect a strong foundation to build from moving forward.

[2:10:26] Most students report that they feel supported in their classrooms.

[2:10:30] Believe they can learn mathematics and are willing to persist through challenging work.

[2:10:34] We also see positive classroom experiences.

[2:10:38] Students are comfortable, sharing in small groups, engaging with multiple strategies and learning from their peers.

[2:10:45] Importantly, teachers are beginning to see the impact of this work with increased student

[2:10:49] participation, stronger explanations, and improved classroom culture emerging through

[2:10:54] coaching cycles. At the same time, the data highlighted a couple or key opportunity.

[2:11:01] Student-to-student discourse remains limited, particularly in whole class settings and gaps

[2:11:06] in confidence and math identity persist, especially for students with IEPs and multilingual

[2:11:11] learners in on grade level and intervention course settings.

[2:11:16] This reinforces where we need to focus next to ensure all students experience mathematics

[2:11:21] as engaging, rigorous, and empowering, and now I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Larner.

[2:11:27] Thank you.

[2:11:28] As a reminder, the second strategy is the implementation of MTSS for instruction intervention.

[2:11:34] As you can see on the screen, several actions for the strategy.

[2:11:37] We want to highlight a few of them, the ongoing professional learning to strengthen MTSS implementation

[2:11:43] and in Tier 1, 2, and 3 supports was provided throughout the course of the year.

[2:11:48] And a self-assessment tool to look at Tier 1 differentiation was developed and implemented

[2:11:54] across schools.

[2:11:57] In terms of evidence of implementation, the collaborative math and classroom visits, which I'll talk

[2:12:03] about in this and the next strategy, happen by staff members in the Secondary Math Office

[2:12:09] the data here is very impressive.

[2:12:12] Evidence of differentiated in 98% of middle school classrooms visited to date, reflecting

[2:12:16] strong implementation of tier one instructional practices.

[2:12:20] And then you can take a look at the next bullet in content learning environment and process

[2:12:23] over 50% of those classrooms had differentiation in those areas.

[2:12:29] One opportunity to expand differentiation is by product, meaning the choices that students

[2:12:34] have to demonstrate their understanding.

[2:12:36] So only about a third of the classrooms show that, so that's an area for possible growth.

[2:12:42] Again, the strategy three was effective formative and summative assessment and meaningful feedback through it.

[2:12:49] Again, you can see the actions on the screen, a couple that I want to highlight.

[2:12:56] The using of the benchmark and unit level assessment data to provide timely standards aligned to evidence of student learning.

[2:13:02] and the piloting of the Comprehensive Benchmark

[2:13:05] and Central Reporting System,

[2:13:07] which strengthens the coherence, transparency,

[2:13:09] and data-informed decision-making.

[2:13:11] Again, the classroom observations

[2:13:13] which I mentioned earlier showed several things,

[2:13:16] including opportunities for students to share strategies

[2:13:19] in most classrooms observed,

[2:13:21] supporting collective sense-making and understanding,

[2:13:23] and again, an opportunity to deepen practice,

[2:13:26] more open-ended questions,

[2:13:28] looking for teachers to use more open-ended questions,

[2:13:30] and strategic use of student work

[2:13:31] to build that conceptual understanding and student agency.

[2:13:37] And this is where our professional learning and coaching will continue to help us move forward.

[2:13:42] HCPSS is committed to ensuring that all students achieve success in mathematics.

[2:13:47] Staff will continue to implement HCPSS's Pre-K-12 Comprehensive Mathematics Plan,

[2:13:52] support school improvement and district math goals,

[2:13:55] conduct collaborative mathematics classroom visits,

[2:13:58] provide targeted professional learning and quote coaching,

[2:14:00] and Strength and Benchmark and Unit Assessment Systems.

[2:14:04] And as we move forward, our next steps

[2:14:06] as a team continue to be refining school improvement strategies

[2:14:10] for school year 2627, refining support for on-level

[2:14:14] and interventions, examining the alignment

[2:14:17] between grading practices, benchmark performance,

[2:14:20] and also local and state assessments.

[2:14:22] We recognize that our student performance

[2:14:23] is not yet where we aspire for it to be.

[2:14:26] However, we remain fully committed

[2:14:29] to leveraging research-based practices and resources

[2:14:31] to better meet student needs and improve our outcomes.

[2:14:36] And finally, as we close, we do want to thank

[2:14:38] the dedicated members of our district support teams

[2:14:41] middle school mathematics focus team.

[2:14:43] Their commitment has been essential

[2:14:45] to our continued growth and improvement.

[2:14:47] They are also here with us this evening

[2:14:49] if you have additional questions.

[2:14:51] So thank you, Board, for the opportunity to share

[2:14:53] this important work with you.

[2:14:54] And we welcome any questions you may have.

[2:14:58] and it's going to be sn...

[2:15:00] I'm surprised there are questions. So let's begin with Ms. McGoy. Okay, thank you for the report. And this is definitely an area that I am very interested in. And one of the things that I want to ask is, when we talk about, I was just looking up, how does the U.S. compare with other countries in the way that we teach math?

[2:15:27] And are we actually teaching math in a way that is the most effective way?

[2:15:36] I recognize that other countries have things where they, you know, they pick certain groups

[2:15:41] of students who, you know, so they, of course, their scores are going to look great.

[2:15:45] But I can't, I don't know if that's the case for all the countries in the developed countries.

[2:15:52] So, you know, I'm not a fan of all the recent, the trial and arrow ways that we do things

[2:16:02] and like somebody writes a paper that, oh, let's try this and our kids are guinea pigs.

[2:16:07] But the question is, are we really teaching math, especially at the elementary school level

[2:16:13] and the San Giovanni, because that's where the gap starts, our children, you know, and

[2:16:22] in the eyes of the public, where people gleefully say, I'm not good math, but they would never

[2:16:29] say that about reading, except for people like me who struggle with math, with reading.

[2:16:34] But are we really doing, are we doing what MSDE is telling us to do because we have to,

[2:16:44] or are we doing the absolute best that we can to get our children to grasp math?

[2:16:52] We can always do better.

[2:16:55] We've never arrived.

[2:16:56] We will never arrive.

[2:16:57] And that's an attitude and a belief that we have because we are always trying to improve.

[2:17:01] back to your original question with the research.

[2:17:06] I think internationally it's going to really depend on comparing how instruction is implemented

[2:17:14] with also how it's being measured and what tool is being measured.

[2:17:17] So there's a lot of measures ranging from OECD assessments to nationally NAEP and then at

[2:17:28] the state level MCAP, and also using assessments like PSAT and SAT, and then Advanced Placement Exam.

[2:17:36] So that depends.

[2:17:38] In Howard County and Mathematics, and I'm speaking for Mr. San Giovanni also,

[2:17:42] we never ask mathematics teachers to implement anything that is not researched affirmed.

[2:17:49] And so having both of us served on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Board of Directors,

[2:17:55] We are deeply involved in that research, and involved in keeping up with that research, and I would say that our teaching practices are aligned with the last probably 20 to 30 years of research that's been synthesized by organizations like the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and others.

[2:18:15] And our approach is, you know, it's balanced.

[2:18:20] It's student focused and student centered and problem based.

[2:18:23] And yet there are sometimes where explicit instruction is really, really important.

[2:18:29] Where sometimes I need to model the thinking process that I as a teacher, as a mathematician,

[2:18:35] might use to solve a problem and then engage in question and

[2:18:38] answers with students and engage in opportunities to practice.

[2:18:42] And that's what takes place in Howard County.

[2:18:45] So the long answer, or the short answer is yes.

[2:18:49] And that's kind of a long answer, but I think it does depend on what we're using to measure.

[2:18:52] When you look at MCAP, and then you follow those students onto PSAT, and SAT, you see quite a different result in terms of even recovery after what the pandemic has done across the country and across the world, mathematically to students.

[2:19:11] And my last question is, and thank you for your response, when it comes to our colleges

[2:19:17] and universities.

[2:19:18] We can't control the whole world, but we in Maryland, we can at least do something.

[2:19:22] What are we doing to help our elementary school teachers be prepared?

[2:19:27] Because people who go into elementary ed aren't necessarily lovers of math sometimes.

[2:19:32] How do we do anything to encourage the preparation for our teachers before we have to try to fill in the gap in professional development where we don't have enough time?

[2:19:48] Is anything being done there?

[2:19:49] Mr. Sanjeevani.

[2:19:51] Sorry.

[2:19:51] Good evening.

[2:19:52] John Sanjeevani, coordinator of Elementary Mathematics.

[2:19:54] That's a wonderful question and it's right on point.

[2:19:56] We continue to partner with higher ed and help give them guidance about our needs of our

[2:20:00] teachers.

[2:20:01] But there's a lot of work still to be done and to your point on the elementary side, there's

[2:20:06] a lot of training that is invested in literacy and other aspects which are tremendously important.

[2:20:11] But many of our teachers have had challenges historically with teaching mathematics because

[2:20:15] of their own dispositions, right?

[2:20:17] and also there's a lot to do in a day and that opportunity to know the

[2:20:23] math well, to teach it well, can be compromised. So to answer your question, we

[2:20:27] continue to work with higher ed. We don't guide their direction in policy, but we

[2:20:30] try to give them as much input as possible to support our teachers. Thank you.

[2:20:36] This is what's okay. I'm gonna try to get you out of here before dinner. I'll do

[2:20:41] I do my best because I could talk math all day.

[2:20:46] So I will say just kind of a complement.

[2:20:48] The visitations are huge.

[2:20:49] Like being able to go into the schools

[2:20:51] and see what's happening.

[2:20:52] And I know you guys have a very small but mighty team.

[2:20:56] So it's really important that you can get into classrooms,

[2:20:59] evaluate what's actually happening,

[2:21:00] and then actually report that data back.

[2:21:02] So thank you for that.

[2:21:05] I just went to a webinar that was talking about research base.

[2:21:08] I was saying like, you know, the research has been there

[2:21:10] and has been steady for, you know, decades now about inquiry-based learning and as kind

[2:21:17] of that first tier one instruction and that you do need direct instruction when you get

[2:21:21] to other tier. So summary of what you said. And then I want to kind of, well, I'll bring

[2:21:29] this up and hopefully this will be quick. So I've noticed the data showed a little bit

[2:21:34] of a summer slide, maybe, that's what in the 25 to 26, or in 26, 25 data from last year

[2:21:41] to this year, and showed the kind of a little bit decreasing of retention there.

[2:21:48] On that.

[2:21:49] Yes, in the math scores.

[2:21:50] And so I was curious, because you did mention the math lab, and I brought this up before,

[2:21:55] is there any interest in doing a summer math lab, so we've been talking about what we can

[2:22:01] do to retain learning over the summer.

[2:22:05] We've talked about what kind of academic programming we could have

[2:22:09] as well as professional development that could occur over the summer.

[2:22:14] And I feel like a math lab might be a good opportunity for us to kind of fill

[2:22:18] that gap of academic summer slide, give our families a summer camp option

[2:22:24] that is academically rigorous, provided by us, and give our teachers a place to learn

[2:22:29] how to teach good math.

[2:22:30] So I just say I bring that up as a question.

[2:22:33] I think that's a wonderful idea.

[2:22:36] For those that aren't familiar with math lab, math lab

[2:22:39] is a process where a teacher is engaged in some pretty deep

[2:22:46] planning with mathematics coaches and other content

[2:22:50] experts around a particular lesson.

[2:22:52] It's like a lesson study for those that are familiar with that.

[2:22:57] And it's incredible in terms of what comes out of just that planning cycle.

[2:23:01] And then they're teaching a lesson, sometimes multiple times.

[2:23:05] And then analyzing the results from that lesson, including student voice feedback.

[2:23:11] So including, it might, for the observers, look like a wonderful lesson and

[2:23:16] people are paying themselves on the back.

[2:23:18] That went just exactly the way we hoped.

[2:23:20] And then you survey students and ask them, well, how did it go for you?

[2:23:23] And some students might come back with feedback that says it was kind of okay, but not great.

[2:23:30] We've been doing that and triangulating that data with not just the observation piece,

[2:23:35] but also what students are saying in response to that lesson.

[2:23:39] And we've been kind of baselining and then measuring that after the math lab.

[2:23:44] And it's been incredible.

[2:23:46] And we think that that process is definitely scalable in Howard County.

[2:23:50] And I love the idea of also doing it over the summer because as you may have picked up the map data that's in the report is fall map data.

[2:23:57] So what are we measuring?

[2:23:59] That's our slide, right?

[2:24:00] Yeah, right.

[2:24:02] So how can we impact that?

[2:24:05] Maybe through professional learning, like a math lab, you know, during our summer programs and opportunities that we have to engage with kids in various ways.

[2:24:33] Yeah, so everybody has, I think, a very personal math story and it may have started as early

[2:24:41] as you can remember back when you were in school.

[2:24:43] and it may be a story that's continuing.

[2:24:47] And as Mr. McCoy said, a lot of people,

[2:24:51] particularly in this country,

[2:24:52] still don't view themselves as math people,

[2:24:55] or find it okay to say, I'm not a math person, right?

[2:25:02] And you gotta think about the messaging

[2:25:03] that that sends to our young people.

[2:25:06] Everybody also has a very personal and unique math identity.

[2:25:12] And a math identity is impacted by the way in which I view myself as a math learner.

[2:25:18] It's also impacted by the way I perceive others view me as a math learner or a do-or-mathematics.

[2:25:24] And sometimes that has to do with the way in which society views me.

[2:25:28] And what's really important is that math identity in action,

[2:25:33] whether it's when you're doing math in the real world or you're doing math in a classroom, is called agency.

[2:25:38] And when we don't support student agency, in other words opportunities for students to reason and think mathematically and reflect and ask questions of each other and listen to each other and engage in mathematical discussions and do mathematics in math class in in the real world.

[2:25:56] then what we're doing is we're in many ways

[2:26:02] harming students identity and opportunities for agency.

[2:26:06] And so what we're measuring is not just persistence,

[2:26:10] perseverance, the usefulness of mathematics

[2:26:13] and the way in which students view others as,

[2:26:17] or in the way in which students think others view them as mathematics,

[2:26:20] but we're also measuring that math identity.

[2:26:22] Are we growing throughout the course of a school year?

[2:26:25] Okay, so we've done that in eight middle schools and we've got some really compelling data.

[2:26:30] And some of it hits some assumptions that I think that it really pushes on some assumptions

[2:26:35] that I think we might have about some students and we're wrong sometimes when we analyze

[2:26:43] that data.

[2:26:44] And it's also impacting teacher practice.

[2:26:47] Absolutely.

[2:26:49] Thank you.

[2:26:51] And go ahead, Dr. Chen, realizing that dinner is nearly upon us.

[2:26:56] Very quick, you already mentioned about the mass identity.

[2:26:59] I think that really culturally, we really need the camping for mass is cool.

[2:27:05] We always like to sport is cool, but the mass is cool.

[2:27:08] I think we need to do that. I think that enjoy the positive struggling.

[2:27:13] Because the mass is sequential, you cannot skip that.

[2:27:16] And then the effort of measure how much time you spend on the mask, you cannot saving be efficient, but the mask you've got to spend a time.

[2:27:26] How much you spend, how much effort you're there and how much result coming out.

[2:27:31] So I think it's a culture we need to work on that.

[2:27:36] How can we empower them, the kids, do a self-discovery.

[2:27:40] They should be way better than they think sometimes.

[2:27:43] Thank you.

[2:27:43] We love it.

[2:27:44] Thank you.

[2:27:45] That was the remainder of the questions.

[2:27:47] Thank you so much for this presentation and for your work.

[2:27:51] Thank you.

[2:27:51] Bringing our students up further and further in mathematics.

[2:27:55] This brings us to the dinner recess.

[2:27:57] We will return at 7 p.m.

[2:27:59] Thank you.

[2:28:06] Welcome back to the evening session.

[2:28:10] We will begin with public forum.

[2:28:15] Public forum is the opportunity for members of the public to provide their views to the school

[2:28:19] board and the comments are not met to be the viewpoints of the school board.

[2:28:23] this is superintendent or the school system.

[2:28:25] At this time, if participants have material to be provided

[2:28:28] to the board, please email it to boe at htpss.org.

[2:28:33] In accordance with board policy 2040,

[2:28:35] the public forum may not be used to address individual

[2:28:38] personal issues, complaints identifying individual students,

[2:28:41] matters that are on appeal, topics for which the board schedules

[2:28:44] formal public hearings or advertising or solicitation

[2:28:47] for products and or services.

[2:28:49] The board expects the speakers deliver their comments

[2:28:51] with the decorum and respect appropriate to the conduct of the public's business.

[2:28:55] Given that board meetings are broadcasted streamed and comments should be appropriate

[2:28:57] for all potential audience members in accordance with policy 1000, the board encourages

[2:29:01] participants of public form to refrain from using language that is indecent profane or threatening.

[2:29:05] Please be advised, however, that the public comment may contain themes, language,

[2:29:10] or behavior that viewers find objectionable may not be suitable for younger viewers.

[2:29:13] Speakers will have three minutes to present their topic at the end of three minutes,

[2:29:17] an end buzzer will alert that time is up and the autophone. The microphone will automatically

[2:29:25] turn off. First up is Aaron Parker who is virtual and then our second person will be Brittany

[2:29:32] Home Horn Wolf also virtual. Please go ahead Ms. Parker.

[2:29:39] Good evening. My name is Aaron Parker. I'm here tonight to emphasize why the adoption of high-quality

[2:29:44] instructional materials grounded in the science of reading is imperative for Howard County.

[2:29:50] HQAM is a comprehensive core instructional resources that are aligned with college

[2:29:55] and career readiness standards and evidence-based approaches aligned with the science of reading.

[2:30:00] These materials are specifically designed to provide rigorous instruction by utilizing worthy

[2:30:05] and complex texts, including novels, and tasks that foster critical thinking and deep knowledge building.

[2:30:12] Key criteria for HQIM as outlined in the MSTE framework include affirming students' cultural

[2:30:18] and linguistic backgrounds, providing equitable access for students with diverse learning means,

[2:30:23] securing foundational skills, tackling great appropriate complex texts, pursuing a five-volume

[2:30:29] of writing, following an evidence-based approach to teaching oral and written language, featuring

[2:30:35] systematic, sequential, and explicit instruction in areas like phonology, morphology, and syntax,

[2:30:41] providing explicit tools focused on enhancing an educator's pedagogical content knowledge,

[2:30:46] and providing clear guidance for planning, differentiation, and responsive teaching.

[2:30:50] The science of reading is not a fad or philosophy, it is a vast interdisciplinary body of research

[2:30:57] that explains how proficient reading develops and how we can most effectively teach it.

[2:31:02] To support our educators and students, we must provide them with materials that reflect

[2:31:06] that evidence.

[2:31:08] We must move beyond the balance literacy habits that exist in Howard County's homegrown

[2:31:12] ELA curriculum for middle and high school, which leads to inconsistent quality and doesn't

[2:31:17] align with the science of reading.

[2:31:19] Evidence-based HQIM allow teachers to internalize the content and prepare to differentiate instruction

[2:31:26] for the diverse needs of their students.

[2:31:29] Research shows that when students are taught using high-quality ELA materials, they make significant

[2:31:34] games and performance.

[2:31:36] We want every teacher to be an expert in teaching reading and every child to receive instruction

[2:31:41] that prepares them to read at proficient and advanced levels.

[2:31:44] For the adolescent literacy curriculum to be truly evidence-based, it cannot assume

[2:31:49] that all students have mastered foundational skills.

[2:31:52] It must include explicit instruction in advanced-word study, specifically morphology and multicellabic

[2:31:58] word-to-coding, to help students access complex grade-level texts.

[2:32:02] Secondary instruction must also focus on syntactic awareness, robust vocabulary development,

[2:32:08] and building deep background knowledge across all content areas.

[2:32:11] By investing in a standardized, externally validated H-U-I-M's, and providing our teachers

[2:32:17] with a professional learning to implement them with fidelity, we are choosing to fix

[2:32:21] Tier 1 instruction and improve reading success for all.

[2:32:25] I am honored to serve on the work group that will be looking at selection of H-U-I-M's

[2:32:29] for pre-K through 8 curriculum.

[2:32:31] Thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to providing our recommendations.

[2:32:36] Thank you so much.

[2:32:37] Thank you.

[2:32:38] Next up is Brittany O'Horne Wolf, please go ahead.

[2:32:47] Good evening everyone, my name is Brittany Horne and I am honored to speak with you tonight

[2:32:52] as a current PTA president of Craterock Elementary School.

[2:32:56] I'm also a proud parent to two children, one in second grade and one in third, who has

[2:33:01] been a part of the Craterock family since pre-K.

[2:33:04] I'm happy to share the remarkable experiences and improvements that I've seen firsthand and

[2:33:09] and believe have made our school a truly wonderful place

[2:33:11] for learning and growth.

[2:33:13] First and foremost, I want to thank and shout out

[2:33:15] the community's schools program

[2:33:16] and our dedicated coordinator, Stephanie Doves.

[2:33:19] Her efforts have provided our students

[2:33:20] with remarkable opportunities to connect and grow.

[2:33:23] Thanks to the program and Ms. Doves' hard work,

[2:33:26] Quiderock has hosted several exciting events

[2:33:28] and opportunities for our students and families,

[2:33:31] including our first school dance since prior to COVID,

[2:33:35] a back-to-school block party that was done

[2:33:36] collaboration with like Outquars, Community Schools program, the PTAs and our community partners,

[2:33:42] multiple free after school programs including gardening club, basketball, a philanthropy program,

[2:33:47] and cheerleading just to name a few. And a monthly staff breakfast that we started doing this year,

[2:33:53] so that is coordinated through Stephanie Dobs and hosted by parents and community partners,

[2:33:57] just to celebrate our staff for all that they do. I would also like to commend our hardworking staff,

[2:34:02] staff, our principal Dan Oteri and the dedicated administrative staff are always going above

[2:34:07] and beyond for their roles. One of the highlights of our school year is the annual musical production.

[2:34:13] It's a fantastic and free opportunity for fourth and fifth grade students to participate in.

[2:34:19] This success is made possible through the dedication and hard work of our music director, Alyssa Lawrence,

[2:34:24] along with the support of our staff and parent volunteers. Additionally, our school community garden

[2:34:29] maintained by our family involvement contact Kathleen Miller has blossomed into a cherished resource

[2:34:35] teaching students and families valuable gardening skills and providing fresh produce and enhancing the

[2:34:39] beauty of our campus. Initiative like this truly demonstrate the spirit and collaboration and learning

[2:34:45] that defines our school community. The duty center and our collaboration with the community school's

[2:34:50] coordinator Cindy Drummond at Lake Elkhorn Middle School and their PTA president Mahogany Butler

[2:34:56] have been pivotal in creating resources and a supportive network for all families,

[2:35:01] allowing us to grow stronger together and to create a sense of community.

[2:35:05] While school ratings and perceptions can sometimes overshadow the positive

[2:35:09] aspects of our school, I do want to take this time just to shine a light on the incredible progress

[2:35:14] and achievements at Craterock Elementary School.

[2:35:17] We are a community of hard working families dedicated to the success

[2:35:21] and development of our children which can obviously be shown.

[2:35:25] Our school is a vibrant nurturing environment where students thrive and I'm so proud to be a part of the community.

[2:35:31] Thank you for your time.

[2:35:33] Thank you.

[2:35:34] This concludes public forum.

[2:35:37] Next up, we'll be appointments and I believe Mr. Schmidt is online and he will need the assistance of staff to advance the slides.

[2:35:51] Please go ahead, Mr. Schmidt.

[2:35:54] Thank you so much. And I appreciate the help of the tech support there. Let me know when it's

[2:36:01] the presentation is up. So I may begin. It is up. Please go ahead. Beautiful.

[2:36:12] Okay. Good evening.

[2:36:13] I'm here to talk about the results of our annual job satisfaction survey, which we conduct every year.

[2:36:19] I'm going to start talking about the survey itself and the movement of the results from this year

[2:36:23] here, explicitly. Second slide.

[2:36:28] The very first job satisfaction survey occurred back in

[2:36:31] 1980 and it was conducted by the University of Maryland. The current survey began in 2010

[2:36:36] and the questions that we ask are held largely consistent over time so that we can track

[2:36:40] responses. We sometimes include the items to the survey to capture current issues at the

[2:36:45] time, for example, COVID, but not this year. The only difference this year is that we change

[2:36:51] software platforms. We conduct the survey around the same time every year, either in late

[2:36:57] January or early February and typically in combination with our local internal

[2:37:03] union elections. All bargaining unit employees and not just

[2:37:08] us paying members are eligible and are directly invited to participate using Secure, individualized

[2:37:13] links and directly to email. We take the integrity and the security of the survey very seriously.

[2:37:18] All the responses are anonymous and treated as confidential.

[2:37:21] This year, we had 4,858 employees participate in the survey of slightly from last year, roughly 4%.

[2:37:29] Next slide.

[2:37:32] The results are publicly accessible on our website, H-C-E-A-N-E-A dot org.

[2:37:38] The JSS was originally conceived as a way to inform employee transfer requests ahead of the April 1st deadline for voluntary transfers.

[2:37:45] It has since expanded to gauge overall, excuse me, employee jobs, satisfaction, and confidence in the school system.

[2:37:52] HCEA's elected building reps meet with their administrators individually to discuss the results, identify root causes, discuss opportunities for improvements as well.

[2:38:02] HCEA reps often present their school's results to their worksite members at a meeting.

[2:38:07] HCEA leaders and staff also meet with division of school leaders as well as an HR to discuss trends and support for schools.

[2:38:14] Finally, the jobs satisfaction survey is essential to each CEA's mission, which is to elevate staff voice and their working conditions.

[2:38:21] As a union, we believe that our core, that workplaces are made better when employees have a voice.

[2:38:26] That's something not all employees and all occupations can say, and we don't take that for granted.

[2:38:32] Next slide.

[2:38:34] Here's what the dashboard currently looks like, and again, it's what you're going to find on our website.

[2:38:40] You can actually break down things by system wide or have worksite comparisons between buildings.

[2:38:48] Or generally just do a deep dive into the data per question from one building itself.

[2:38:54] Next slide.

[2:38:56] Now I'm going to show you the system wide results for this year.

[2:38:59] I will not be presenting worksite specific data.

[2:39:01] However, these results again are available on our dashboard.

[2:39:04] And I'm happy to have a conversation offline or answer any questions tonight.

[2:39:08] Next slide.

[2:39:13] Let's start with morale.

[2:39:14] This is the top-blind job satisfaction rating,

[2:39:17] and it's also what defaults on our dashboard.

[2:39:20] This year, morale is down slightly from last year.

[2:39:23] 68% of participants agree overall that morale at my work site is good.

[2:39:30] Next slide.

[2:39:33] Let's look a little closer by school level.

[2:39:36] Both elementary and middle school saw slight declines in overall morale,

[2:39:39] about high school saw a small increase.

[2:39:42] And again, you can see that cross reference over time

[2:39:44] on this slide, don't all look back to 2019.

[2:39:49] Next slide.

[2:39:50] When we look by bargaining unit,

[2:39:52] morale is largely steady compared to last year.

[2:39:55] You can see that it's only off depending upon

[2:39:58] how you look at it between the certificated units

[2:40:00] or ESP units by one to two percent.

[2:40:04] Next slide.

[2:40:07] One of the things that Mr. Barnes has emphasized

[2:40:09] is the importance of staff voice.

[2:40:13] What we see here in a question about open communication

[2:40:15] speaks to that goal, and we see that staff feel

[2:40:18] that there are worksites maintain a culture

[2:40:19] of open communication and trust.

[2:40:22] You can see that in a 69% bar for 2026.

[2:40:28] Next slide.

[2:40:30] Part of that trust is feeling that your administrator

[2:40:32] will evaluate your work performance fairly,

[2:40:35] and not based on favoritism.

[2:40:37] Here again, we see 89% of staff are all

[2:40:39] agreeing that they are fairly evaluated.

[2:40:44] Excuse me, 86% this year compared to 89% last year.

[2:40:48] We also see a very slight decrease in student misbehavior

[2:40:53] that interferes with learning.

[2:40:55] Let's dig into that a little bit more.

[2:40:57] As you can see, there are 62% last year compared this year,

[2:41:00] excuse me, compared to 65% last year.

[2:41:03] Next slide.

[2:41:05] When we look at the last three years by level,

[2:41:07] what we see is that the decrease is being driven primarily

[2:41:10] by secondary. Elemetry remains stubbornly high. So if you look just in that last column for

[2:41:16] 2026, you can see on that elementary school 69% feel that student misbehavior interferes with

[2:41:24] learning at the elementary level middle school is 60 as well as high school was 60.

[2:41:31] Next slide.

[2:41:33] What we also see is continuing support for enforcing discipline. I want to note that this question

[2:41:39] has nothing to do with the severity of the consequence, which teachers are often not

[2:41:43] privy to, but having to do with the administrative support of teachers when a consequence is necessary.

[2:41:50] So luckily, this number stayed pretty consistent from last year.

[2:41:54] And you can see that even though there is a trend, it's very minimal over the past several

[2:42:00] years.

[2:42:03] Next slide.

[2:42:04] Those incremental improvements align with the confidence in the new superintendent, which

[2:42:08] which is the highest it has been since 2019,

[2:42:11] or excuse me, last year was the highest it has been since 2019,

[2:42:14] this year dipped a little bit down to 65%.

[2:42:19] Next slide, confidence in the board is also an issue.

[2:42:24] There's still progress to be made,

[2:42:25] but we're encouraged to see it roughly

[2:42:28] just off the kilter from last year,

[2:42:31] certainly not as bad as it was in 2024.

[2:42:35] Next slide.

[2:42:37] We are currently in the first full year of a three-year agreement.

[2:42:41] And what we see is an as-and-as-and-as-and-fruimment-staff thing that they are paid fairly.

[2:42:48] The reliance on being able to know what you're bringing in because you're in a multi-year contract.

[2:42:53] There's certainly much better than the year-to-year that we've dealing with in the past.

[2:42:58] Next slide.

[2:42:59] These results hold true for both units, improving nine points for sophisticated and six points for ESC.

[2:43:09] Next slide, we also see a slight uptick, but overall negative outlook on support for students receiving special education services.

[2:43:18] Next slide, when we break it down by level, elementary school is by far the lowest, though we are seeing improvements at the second or the level, which is something that we should celebrate.

[2:43:30] Next slide, finally, we also see the client and staff reporting that their PD experiences are meaningful and worthwhile.

[2:43:36] Let's break this down a little bit by level again, meaningful means it's relevant to their actual job and worthwhile means it's a good use of their time.

[2:43:45] So you can see in this year we're at an all-time low of 34%.

[2:43:49] And this is the first year that the system implemented the systemic PD on the portion of what used to be the wellness days.

[2:44:00] Next slide. What we see is a downward trend across all levels and the lowest ratings

[2:44:06] months among high schools. What we hear most often from staff about their professional

[2:44:10] development experience is that they're quote one size fits all. And what the data shows

[2:44:15] here is that that approach is not working very well.

[2:44:22] Next slide.

[2:44:26] That's it for the survey this year,

[2:44:28] but I'm happy to take any questions or speak with anyone offline if there are questions about

[2:44:31] individual work sites, or overall questions that you would like to discuss at this time.

[2:44:37] Please go ahead Ms. Watts. Can you say for the scales? Can you explain how the scales are rated?

[2:44:46] So it's like a yes-no? That's how you get a percentage of.

[2:44:50] So the scales haven't changed. You have like a, you know, a agree, somewhat agree, disagree,

[2:44:59] This

[2:45:02] So, if I look at the data that talked about student behavior, for example, that was one that was, like, rolled down, is that what my, what my agreement between, like, somewhat agree or agree strongly. Okay. All right. Thank you.

[2:45:18] Sure.

[2:45:23] Ms. Rex.

[2:45:25] Hi.

[2:45:26] Thank you for bringing your report.

[2:45:30] I would just curious if there was anything that really stood out to you this year or alarmed

[2:45:37] or surprised you in this survey.

[2:45:41] I think there's two things to highlight.

[2:45:46] And I touched upon that a little bit in the presentation.

[2:45:49] One is the PD. We continue to have some difficulty across the board with how especially the approach to PD from the school system is that kind of a one-size-fits-all approach, which we know doesn't work for students.

[2:46:07] Yeah, we still try to use the same approach when it comes to adults.

[2:46:11] And especially when, you know, regardless of level, when you have a variety of positions in the same room, receiving some of the same PD, it's going to sit differently per position.

[2:46:23] You know, what one person can take it away from it is going to be a lot different than perhaps another position.

[2:46:29] So we are working with not only the PD office, but I've already spoken with Mr. Barnes about some ideas of perhaps about how we can approach this from a curriculum standpoint.

[2:46:39] instead of a systemic system-wide PD, so that it's not such a one-size-fits-all approach.

[2:46:47] The other thing to highlight, I think, still is especially support with students with special needs.

[2:46:55] And what I want to highlight here is it's not necessarily, you know, this is not a student-based problem,

[2:47:02] per se, it's that we are consistently not set up for the type of students that we are seeing come

[2:47:09] into the system.

[2:47:11] You know, that's a multi-pronged problem regarding, you know, that includes, you know, regional

[2:47:18] programs that include staffing levels, things of that nature.

[2:47:22] But what I do want to uplift especially is the ongoing collaboration with Dr. Bronson

[2:47:29] and D.S.C. and Dr. Webster as the CAO.

[2:47:32] I don't think there's a week that goes by where I'm not talking to either one of them

[2:47:37] in some way shape or form regarding either feedback on something or support that we're looking at at a particular school and more often than not, especially compared to years in the past,

[2:47:52] if I'm on the phone with them, they're already aware of the issue that I'm bringing forward to them before I even open my mouth and tell them what school.

[2:47:59] So I do have to highlight the importance of that, really, of that working relationship there.

[2:48:05] Thanks, Mr. Schmidt.

[2:48:08] Next up is Dr. Chen.

[2:48:10] Yeah.

[2:48:10] Thank you.

[2:48:11] I think I'm going to share.

[2:48:12] I think it's always good to look at the feedback.

[2:48:15] I think it's so many years of collecting data.

[2:48:18] In terms of the scale.

[2:48:20] Besides the scale, do you collecting additional comments?

[2:48:23] Yes.

[2:48:24] So I'm sorry.

[2:48:26] I didn't mean to cut you out.

[2:48:27] Did you have anything else to extend on that question?

[2:48:29] That's the first question.

[2:48:30] Yeah.

[2:48:30] You can answer that question.

[2:48:30] Okay.

[2:48:30] Okay, we do have comments.

[2:48:33] The one thing unfortunately it took us a little bit more time this year to gather the

[2:48:37] data as we changed platforms so that it was something where we used SurveyMonkey in the

[2:48:46] past.

[2:48:46] This one gets, we get a little bit more in what we have in the new platform to kind of drill

[2:48:52] down into the data.

[2:48:53] There are individualized comments that I touched upon just a hair in the presentation.

[2:48:58] We are still tagulating those, but what we do with those is those are particularly brought to the building rep and then the building rep can have a conversation with the localized admin for that building about them.

[2:49:12] What we try to do at first is remove identifiers or point honestly if it's a one off comment that is more say personality based than an actual issue at the school.

[2:49:29] We don't fold that into the data and then what we do is with my between myself and staff at HCEA

[2:49:37] Help the rep in ways to kind of use that data to inform any you know kind of growth or movement at the school moving forward.

[2:49:45] The other thing that we have this year that's the hardest thing so far to kind of tabulate will probably the last thing that we have available is

[2:49:53] is rating of particular administrators.

[2:49:57] And so that is something also that between the comments,

[2:50:01] we do not publicize.

[2:50:03] We will use it if the school system asks for it,

[2:50:06] especially division of schools and other leaders.

[2:50:10] But yeah, those things are still forthcoming.

[2:50:13] We hope to have those completed soon as we come back from break.

[2:50:17] Okay, thank you.

[2:50:18] I think you know, one thing that for the school boy

[2:50:22] very interesting. It's pretty low. It's a feeling great, but I do in the three years and in the

[2:50:29] board, I think it's not easy to make a lot of decision. I think every view of our board do a

[2:50:36] pretty decent job, but I welcome any feedback, particularly how can we serve the students and the

[2:50:45] teachers. So thank you. Sure, I think that'll be certainly something to drill down into,

[2:50:50] once we have the comments especially related to that question and I'm happy to have those conversations.

[2:50:58] Well with the signal of that timer that means that we thank you for your time Mr. Schmidt

[2:51:05] time is expired and it was actually all of the questions we had for you also. So have a great

[2:51:11] evening or thank you very much. Yes have a great evening. Appreciate it thank you guys thank

[2:51:16] Thank you, she's for again, for the tech out.

[2:51:19] And next, we will move on to the appointment for AFSCME.

[2:51:23] I see Glenda Robertson is on with us, virtual.

[2:51:27] So if you would like to go ahead, you can.

[2:51:35] Yes, I'm just here to advocate for my members.

[2:51:39] We're still hoping that the budget get funded

[2:51:44] so that we can get our salaries increase

[2:51:50] and the wages and everything for our members.

[2:51:53] So we're just here just to, you know,

[2:51:55] ask that the board members just, you know,

[2:51:59] just look out for us and make sure that, you know,

[2:52:02] at least the budget covers our salaries

[2:52:04] and our increases for our members.

[2:52:06] And that's pretty much it.

[2:52:10] I don't see any questions from board members.

[2:52:13] So thank you for taking the time to speak with us

[2:52:17] And we really appreciate the work your folks do, and appreciate that you are out here requesting fair and honest wages for honest work.

[2:52:27] Thank you.

[2:52:27] Thank you so much.

[2:52:29] Have a good night.

[2:52:30] This concludes our appointments for the evening and takes us to board member reports.

[2:52:37] First up, we'll be Dr. Chen.

[2:52:39] Yeah, I think I just want to echo the superintendent

[2:52:43] for our dementia about in his report about the capital budget.

[2:52:48] I want to take this chance to thank you county government

[2:52:50] and county executive board to fully supporting it.

[2:52:54] I know it's a challenging time.

[2:52:55] There's a lot of needs in the county.

[2:52:57] But it's a time to prioritize our school infrastructure

[2:53:02] and we hear from the middle school as well.

[2:53:05] There's a lot of needs.

[2:53:06] I think we also have Centennial and the Oklahoma high school waiting.

[2:53:11] Hopefully we can address sooner is better.

[2:53:14] And also the operating budget is a big unknown.

[2:53:17] And we do have the needs just like a, I think, a principal just report.

[2:53:24] Those positions, it's not just, you know, it's neat, really neat for the school system.

[2:53:31] And also the media specialist and the science purification.

[2:53:35] Okay, hopefully we can fully fund it as well.

[2:53:38] And that's my big wish.

[2:53:40] Thank you.

[2:53:41] Please go ahead, Ms. Rex.

[2:53:44] Thanks.

[2:53:45] It's been a very busy time,

[2:53:47] and I just wanted to thank all the folks

[2:53:49] that put together the National History Day.

[2:53:52] I go for Park on Saturday.

[2:53:53] It was a wonderful time, and they took me around

[2:53:57] and let me experience a bunch of it,

[2:53:59] and also all those that were involved

[2:54:01] with the Council of Elders event last night.

[2:54:05] And then I just wanted to shout out three of my girls out, so we're honored.

[2:54:09] Jada, Arianne, and Sydney, so that's all.

[2:54:13] Thanks.

[2:54:17] I see no other board reports, so I will simply end with thank you to the county executive for fully funding the board's capital budget.

[2:54:31] And we look forward to robust funding for operating budget.

[2:54:38] And with that, this meeting is adjourned.

Mar 26, 2026 4 & 7 p.m. Meeting of the Board of Education of Howard County - Howard County Public Schools

Transcript