[14:43] Good morning everyone. At this time, I'd
like to call the board of education
[14:46] meeting to order. As you can see, we do
have a quorum present today. Can I have
[14:50] a motion and a second to approve today's
board meeting agenda?
[14:54] » Motion.
>> Motion by Mr. Smack.
[14:56] » Second.
>> A second by Mr. Gordy. All those in
[14:58] favor? I.
>> Any opposed? Thank you very much. And
[15:02] now can I have a motion to enter session
under provisions of article 3-35B of the
[15:07] annotated code of Maryland for the
following reasons. To discuss personal
[15:11] personnel matters section 3-305B1
I
[15:16] and discuss legal matters section
30-305B7
[15:21] and to discuss school safety section
3-305B10.
[15:26] So I need a motion and a second to enter
into session.
[15:30] » Motion
>> motion by Miss Cutlip and a second by
[15:33] Miss Mccomomas. All those in favor?
>> Any opposed? We are now in close
[15:38] session.
[2:14:38] Good afternoon everyone.
>> Good afternoon.
[2:14:43] » What a full house we have today. It's
nice to see everybody here today. Um at
[2:14:47] this time I'd like to reconvene the
board of education meeting. Uh today we
[2:14:50] had a closed session meeting that was
held pursuant to general provisions of
[2:14:53] article 3-305B
of the annotated code of Maryland to
[2:14:57] discuss personnel matters to discuss
school safety and to and to um consult
[2:15:03] with council. During the closed session
the board unanimously approved a
[2:15:07] contract with Ark Systems in the amount
of $398,874.
[2:15:13] This funding is for a contract through
the Stronger Connections grant. Today,
[2:15:18] Pastor Ken Ellson is with us from the uh
Spence Church in Snow Hill, and he will
[2:15:25] lead us in today's invocation. Please
remain standing for the pledge of
[2:15:28] allegiance.
[2:15:36] Let's pray together.
Father in heaven, how thankful we are
[2:15:41] for this board of education, for this
school system, and we thank you that
[2:15:44] they still see the need to open their
sessions with prayer. Lord, we come to
[2:15:49] you today asking for your wisdom, for
your guidance, and for your direction.
[2:15:53] And I pray that uh things would be done
according to your will, for the best
[2:15:56] interest of our kids, for the best
interest of those who work with our
[2:16:00] kids, and for this county. And so, Lord,
we commit this time to you now. We pray
[2:16:05] in Jesus name. Amen.
>> Amen.
[2:16:10] To the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for it
[2:16:16] stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice
[2:16:21] for all.
>> If if everyone could remain standing.
[2:16:27] First of all, I'd like to thank Pastor
Ellington for coming and giving that
[2:16:31] invocation today. But um may I have a
moment of silence to honor Aaron Taylor?
[2:16:38] She was a educational assistant at Cedar
Chapel Special School. So we'd like to
[2:16:42] have a moment of silence, please. Thank
you.
[2:16:51] Thank you very much. And Pastor Ellison,
thank you for coming back and uh giving
[2:16:56] that lovely invitation. And you're
welcome back any
[2:17:01] we know you're retiring but we want to
have you back anytime you want to come
[2:17:04] back and give an invocation.
[2:17:09] Okay. And now I'm going to turn it over
to our superintendent for the
[2:17:14] superintendent's monthly report.
[2:17:19] » Thank you, Mr. Ferrante. It is hard to
believe that we are a little more than
[2:17:24] two weeks into the school year, but what
a great start to our school year it has
[2:17:29] been. We officially welcomed our
students back on August 31st, and I am
[2:17:34] incredibly proud of the successful
opening of our schools. There is an
[2:17:38] extraordinary amount of work that goes
into preparing for that first bell to
[2:17:42] ring. from our teachers and our school
leaders to transportation to food
[2:17:47] service to custodial teams and
maintenance teams, our technology staff,
[2:17:51] our support staff, and so many others.
Um, to everyone who helped us ensure
[2:17:56] that our students walked into a school
that was ready for them, thank you. You
[2:18:00] might see a little addition. We've added
some slides because our student reps
[2:18:04] have done a great job of submitting some
slides and we have slides for them. But
[2:18:07] we'll also have slides to accompany my
reports from here on out just so that
[2:18:10] you can get some visuals of the things
that we're talking about. One of my
[2:18:15] favorite traditions is our first day of
school tour when our board of education
[2:18:18] members, our executive leadership team
uh join me in visiting all 14 of our
[2:18:23] schools in one day. From the early
morning arrivals at Pocamok Elementary
[2:18:28] to waving goodbye to Ocean City
Elementary students uh and everywhere in
[2:18:32] between, we had the wonderful
opportunity to welcome our students, to
[2:18:36] thank our staff, to greet our families,
and see firsthand the excitement that
[2:18:40] comes with new beginnings. This year, we
added a little more reading into the
[2:18:44] journey. Several board members and
executive team members join me in giving
[2:18:48] out books from the back seat to students
along the way.
[2:18:51] » [snorts]
>> I love this initiative because it makes
[2:18:54] our commitment to literacy tangible. A
simple interaction, a student receiving
[2:18:59] a book and knowing that an adult
believes that reading matters can have
[2:19:04] an impact far beyond that moment. And
literacy has given us something to
[2:19:08] celebrate already this year. On
September 8th, in conjunction with
[2:19:12] National Literacy Day, we announced that
Pocamok Elementary School, Ocean City
[2:19:17] Elementary School, and Snow Hill
Elementary School were named Bright
[2:19:21] Spots top schools in literacy by the 74,
a nationwide nonprofit educational news
[2:19:28] organization. The recognition identifies
schools whose students were
[2:19:32] outperforming expectations in reading.
The phrase outperforming expectations is
[2:19:37] important to me. Our goal is not simply
to celebrate where our students are
[2:19:42] today. It is to know every student by
name, strength, and need and then
[2:19:47] provide them with instruction,
intervention, encouragement, and
[2:19:51] opportunities that move children
forward. Congratulations to the
[2:19:55] students, to the families, to the
educators, and the entire school
[2:19:59] communities at Pocamok Snow Hill and
Ocean City Elementary School. This is a
[2:20:04] national recognition that is certainly
welld deserved. We also began the school
[2:20:09] year with some wonderful statewide
attention. On August 31st, Maryland
[2:20:13] Matters published an in-depth feature
examining Worcester County's academic
[2:20:17] success and the culture behind it. And
during my interview, it was interesting.
[2:20:22] Um, I was one of the folks that he
interviewed and the author uh of the
[2:20:26] article shared that this is not the type
of article he writes, but he was so
[2:20:31] fascinated by the performance and work
of our school district that he had to
[2:20:35] write an article outside of his normal
articles that were just about politics.
[2:20:39] So, that was exciting. The article
highlighted our students leading
[2:20:43] performance in both English and
mathematics, but more importantly what
[2:20:46] makes Worester County special, and that
is individual attention to students,
[2:20:51] experienced and committed educators,
strong relationships, and a culture in
[2:20:57] which everyone who works in our schools
understands that they have a role in
[2:21:01] educating our children. I was
particularly pleased that the story
[2:21:05] captured something I say often and that
is we are all educators. Whether you
[2:21:11] stand in front of a classroom, drive a
school bus, prepare a meal, maintain a
[2:21:15] building, answer a phone, coach a team,
or lead a school, you contribute to the
[2:21:21] experiences of our students every single
day. Our success is never the result of
[2:21:26] one person or one group of people. It is
the result of a culture built over many
[2:21:31] years by people who care deeply about
our children. And I I would be remiss if
[2:21:36] I didn't say most of the people sitting
in this room today for our Hall of Fame
[2:21:40] recognition um are exactly those same
people that I'm talking about who over
[2:21:45] the years have created that culture of
excellence and that wonderful student
[2:21:50] experience that our students have. So,
thank you for being here today and thank
[2:21:53] you for all your contributions to our
school system. Speaking of our students,
[2:21:57] the start of the school year also means
that activities, athletics, clubs,
[2:22:01] performing arts, and other
extracurricular activities are underway.
[2:22:06] Our sports teams began competing last
week, and students throughout Worcester
[2:22:10] are once again finding ways to pursue
all of their interests, develop their
[2:22:14] talents, and represent their schools
with pride. Balancing academics with
[2:22:18] these commitments takes discipline,
responsibility, and hard work. And I
[2:22:22] wish all of our students, coaches,
advisors, directors, and staff who
[2:22:27] support them a wonderful year. These
experiences are an important part of a
[2:22:31] well-rounded education, and I know that
our students will continue to make us
[2:22:35] proud both inside and outside of the
classroom. Finally, Worester County's
[2:22:40] story is going to reach an even broader
audience very soon. On September 22nd, I
[2:22:45] will have the opportunity to sit down
with a better learning podcast to talk
[2:22:49] about Wester County Public Schools. what
makes our school system successful and
[2:22:53] the people and the practices behind that
success. I'm looking [snorts] forward to
[2:22:57] sharing our story because our story is a
story worth telling. And more
[2:23:01] importantly, our story belongs to all of
us. We will be sure to share the episode
[2:23:06] with our community once it becomes
available. As we move further into this
[2:23:10] school year, I hope that we hold on to
all of that energy that we felt on
[2:23:14] August 31st. We have so much to
celebrate, but we also know there is
[2:23:19] important work ahead. Our challenge is
to take the culture, relationships, and
[2:23:24] commitment that we have made that have
made Wister County successful and
[2:23:28] continue to push ourselves to be even
better for every student who walks
[2:23:31] through our doors because every story
matters and every child belongs. Thank
[2:23:36] you. Back to you, Mr. Ferrante.
>> Thank you, Dr. Wallace. And
[2:23:39] [clears throat] now I'd like to turn it
over to our student representatives who
[2:23:42] are here to give us their monthly
reports from their respective high
[2:23:45] schools. And we're starting this month
with Savannah from Pocamok High School.
[2:23:49] » Thank you, Mr. Ferrante.
[2:24:06] Thank you for letting me stretch you and
challenge you asking you to do slides.
[2:24:09] So, thank you for your patience because
they're going to have to trade off their
[2:24:12] iPads.
>> Thank you, Mr. Ferrante. It has been an
[2:24:15] exciting start to the school year here
at Pokemok High School, and we were
[2:24:18] truly getting off on the perfect foot.
Our students and staff have jumped right
[2:24:22] into learning creativity, connection,
and building the kind of friendships and
[2:24:26] experiences that make high school
memorable.
[2:24:29] In Miss Chose art class, students
showcase their creativity by
[2:24:33] incorporating unique patterns,
meaningful details, and even even Bible
[2:24:37] verses into their artwork. Meanwhile, in
the library, under Miss McCormack's
[2:24:41] guidance, students engaged with
resources and curated a book selection
[2:24:44] for the English 10 unit, including a
book tasting event exploring themes of
[2:24:48] power and freedom. And learning isn't
stopping when the bell rings. Our
[2:24:53] afterchool academy is officially taking
off with 10 activities designed to help
[2:24:56] students discover new interests, build
skills, and make connections. From
[2:25:01] academic support and math momentum to
Hudson's FitFam, gardening, sign
[2:25:05] language, morning weightlifting, K-pop
critics, cool Eats, basketball, mock
[2:25:09] trial, and esports. There is truly
something for everyone. Sessions will
[2:25:14] run from September 29th to December
10th, with most activities seeing Monday
[2:25:19] through Thursday from 3:00 to 4:45 p.m.
and weightlifting getting an early start
[2:25:23] from 7:15 to 7:48 in the morning. From
September 18th to the 20th, 26 Pokemoke
[2:25:31] students will visit Smith Island with
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to study
[2:25:34] the Chesapeake Bay's health and future
of islands like Smith and Tangier,
[2:25:39] engaging in activities such as
mushmarking,
[2:25:42] marshmucking, canoeing, and crabbing.
The data collected will be used in
[2:25:47] various science courses at PHS.
Additionally, from September 24th to the
[2:25:51] 26th, seven Poke seniors will visit
seven college campuses in the greater
[2:25:55] Philadelphia area with Miss Matthews and
Dr. Finch to learn about the college
[2:25:59] process, meet current students, and
explore campus differences. Of course,
[2:26:04] being a Warrior is about more than
academics. We closed out an amazing
[2:26:08] first week with our annual club rush on
September 4th, where students had the
[2:26:12] opportunity to choose from more than 20
clubs and organizations. Our mission is
[2:26:16] simple. 100% of Pokémon warriors plugged
into something positive. Find your
[2:26:20] tribe, try something new, discover what
you're good at, make connections, get
[2:26:24] involved. Being a warrior isn't just
about showing up, it's about being part
[2:26:28] of it. And speaking of tribes, our tribe
inductions were amazing. Students were
[2:26:32] placed into one of four tribes: Elevar,
Integras, Vinceri, and Fortis. And of
[2:26:38] course, I have to give a special shout
out to Foris, the green tribe.
[2:26:40] Obviously, the best tribe. As we say,
four tribes, one school. and all the
[2:26:45] tribes are bringing the energy, the
pride, and the warrior spirit. Our
[2:26:49] Warriors are also making us proud on the
athletic field. On September 8th,
[2:26:53] volleyball earned an impressive 3-0
victory over Wycom High School, while
[2:26:57] field hockey dominated St. Michaels 8 to
zero with goals from Cameron Parker,
[2:27:01] Khloe Daniels, Khloe Holland, Olivia
Scorbot, and Autumn Rian. At the cross
[2:27:05] country meet hosted by Parkside at
Salsbury City Park, Ryland George won
[2:27:09] the race with a time of 16 minutes and
32 seconds. The entire golf team has
[2:27:14] improved and team members have improved
by 10 strokes or more. Congratulations
[2:27:18] to all fall sports. We are also proud to
welcome the state board of education
[2:27:23] member, Mr. Chesterfield, along with our
board of education members on September
[2:27:27] 1st as they visited our schools to
welcome new students and staff back for
[2:27:31] what we know will be an amazing school
year. Next week is community schools
[2:27:35] week. Under the leadership of Mr.
Carlton Cartwright. We forg partnerships
[2:27:39] between community members, families, and
community resources to ensure all
[2:27:43] students have what they need in order to
learn and grow. Strong schools equal
[2:27:47] strong communities. As we continue this
journey, we are grateful for the people
[2:27:51] who make these opportunities possible.
Thank you to our board of education for
[2:27:55] your continued support of Poke High
School and our students. We also want to
[2:27:59] give a special shout out to Miss Lines,
Miss A, and Miss Crease for the support
[2:28:02] they provide our school's counseling
department. And most importantly, our
[2:28:06] students. And finally, thank you to Dr.
Rain, Dr. Finch, and Mr. Pastel for your
[2:28:10] continued support, leadership,
organization, and dedication you bring
[2:28:14] to our school. It is an exciting time to
be a Pokémon Warrior. We are learning,
[2:28:18] competing, creating, connecting, and
finding our tribes. And we are just
[2:28:22] getting started. Go Warriors. Now on to
Elena from Snow Hill High School.
[2:28:30] » [applause]
[2:28:49] » Thank you for bearing with me. Thank
you, Savannah. Snowhole High School has
[2:28:53] launched the 202627 school year with a
tremendous energy and enthusiasm and a
[2:28:58] shared commitment to excellence. From
meaningful professional learning for
[2:29:02] staff to outstanding student and
community engagement opportunities, the
[2:29:06] opening weeks of school have highlighted
the strength of our Eagle community for
[2:29:09] sure. The excitement through the
building has been evident as students,
[2:29:12] staff, families, and community partners
have come together to create a positive
[2:29:16] and successful start to the school year.
[2:29:22] There you go. We begin the school year
by welcoming our faculty and staff back
[2:29:27] for a day of professional learning and
collaboration. During our first teacher
[2:29:30] workday, staff focused on strengthening
connections between school and county
[2:29:34] initiatives in the WCPS five dimensions
of teaching and learning framework.
[2:29:39] These discussions reinforce our
collective commitment to highquality
[2:29:42] instruction, meaningful student
engagement, and continuous growth for
[2:29:45] both educators and students. Building on
that momentum, we were thrilled to host
[2:29:50] our annual Big Batch, which once again
drew an outstanding turnout from
[2:29:54] students and families. Students visited
the school to pick up schedules and
[2:29:58] iPads, meet their teachers, learn about
clubs and extracurricular opportunities,
[2:30:02] and connect with community
organizations. Events like the Big Bash
[2:30:06] play an important role in creating a
strong sense of belonging, ensuring
[2:30:09] students begin the school year informed,
supported, and excited. I know me and my
[2:30:13] friend Maddie had a blast.
Another special highlight during the
[2:30:17] opening weeks of school was rising
Eagles Day where freshman focused
[2:30:20] mentors played a critical role in
welcoming our new students. These
[2:30:24] student leaders helped incoming freshmen
navigate the building, answering
[2:30:28] questions and becoming familiar with
school routines and expectations. Their
[2:30:31] willingness to serve a role as role
models demonstrated the very best of
[2:30:35] Snow Hill High School and provided our
freshmen with a warm and supportive
[2:30:38] introduction to the Eagle family.
We also celebrate an excitement
[2:30:42] achievement for our school community as
Miss Kirsten Conway, Worcester County
[2:30:46] Public Schools 2026 teacher of the year
[snorts] received a brand new vehicle
[2:30:51] through the incredible generosity of the
Herrick family of automotive
[2:30:55] dealerships. We are grateful for
Herrick's continued partnership and
[2:30:59] commitment to recognizing and supporting
excellence in education. Their
[2:31:02] generosity reflects the strong community
support that makes Worester County such
[2:31:06] a special place to teach and learn. That
spirit of community partnership was
[2:31:10] evident once again when Delm Marva
Shorebirds welcomed Superintendent Dr.
[2:31:14] Nette Wallace and Miss Kirsten Conway,
WCPS teacher of the year to a recent
[2:31:18] game. We also extended our sincere
appreciation to First Financial Federal
[2:31:23] Credit Union for its general donation to
Worcester County Public Schools.
[2:31:27] Partnerships like these strengthen
opportunities for students and staff
[2:31:30] alike and reinforce the value our
community places on education. We would
[2:31:35] also like to recognize Worester Gold, a
consistent and valued supporter of
[2:31:38] Wester County students. Through ongoing
financial assist, Worester Gold has
[2:31:43] helped students and families overcome
economic challenges that might otherwise
[2:31:47] create barriers to success. Most
recently, the organiz the organization
[2:31:52] gener generously donated school supplies
for both students and staff, helping
[2:31:56] ensure everyone began the school year
equipped with the tools they needed for
[2:31:59] success. Their unwaving unwavering
dedication and generosity continues to
[2:32:04] make a meaningful and lasting impact on
our school community. Another point of
[2:32:08] pride for Snowhill High School is the
recognition of Coach Chris Atkins who
[2:32:12] was named the 2026 best youth coach in
Wester County by Coastal Style
[2:32:16] Magazines.
Coach Atkins amplifies the qualities of
[2:32:20] leadership, dedication, and
sportsmanship that inspire student
[2:32:23] athletes to reach their full potential.
The lessons of grit, discipline,
[2:32:27] teamwork, and perseverance that he
instills in his athletes extend far
[2:32:31] beyond the wrestling mat and contribute
to the overall growth and success of our
[2:32:35] school.
[2:32:39] As we reflect on the first weeks of
school, it is clear that Snowhole High
[2:32:43] School is off to an exceptional start.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our
[2:32:47] students and staff for their hard work,
flexibility, and commitment to making
[2:32:50] the opening of school a resounding
success. We also thank the Wester County
[2:32:55] Board of Education and the executive
team for their continued support and
[2:32:58] partnership. Together, we are building
on a strong foundation and look forward
[2:33:02] to a year filled with achievement,
growth, and opportunities for every
[2:33:05] eagle to soar. The dedication of our
students, staff, and families and
[2:33:09] community partners continues to de
demonstrate what is possible when we
[2:33:13] work together toward a shared vision of
excellence. And now on to Jaden with the
[2:33:17] report of Steven Decar.
[2:33:46] days.
Days may be getting shorter, but the
[2:33:50] list of activities and events is getting
longer at Steven Decar High School. Even
[2:33:55] before the official first day of school,
Seahawks have been busy. First, many of
[2:34:00] our students dedicated countless of
hours to volunteering in the community
[2:34:03] over the summer. Next, members of our
theater and band programs mentored
[2:34:08] rising seahawks
and worked on their craft throughout the
[2:34:12] summer, while members of both the
National Honor Society and the National
[2:34:16] English Honor Society were on hand for
tours and kindness during our annual
[2:34:20] freshman Seahawk day. We also
administered well over 100 SAT exams
[2:34:26] during our Saturday administration in
August and we are poised for a hundred
[2:34:31] more throughout the various Saturday
administrations this school year.
[2:34:35] Lastly, members of our wonderful class
of the 2027
[2:34:39] launched their region at the top with
the peaceful beach sunrise get together
[2:34:44] celebrating the start of their senior
year with friendship, laughter, and
[2:34:49] beginning to their final chapter.
[2:34:54] To kick off the school year in an
exciting fashion, we hosted our do what
[2:34:59] Decar does back to school community
event where families met teachers,
[2:35:04] learned about Decatur clubs and
extracurricular activities, talked with
[2:35:08] school counselors, and enjoyed some good
old-fashioned community camoder. We also
[2:35:12] started the school year with students
elections and now we have a new batch of
[2:35:16] wonderful leaders to promote Decatur
spirit and work with our staff to build
[2:35:20] upon our positive school climate.
[2:35:25] Meanwhile, our 15 fall sports teams have
been cruising through their seasons in a
[2:35:30] spectacular fashion. Our other clubs and
extracurricular programs are off and
[2:35:35] running with the NJOTC program
presenting the colors during our Friday
[2:35:39] night lights event. The Key Club, Fellow
Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
[2:35:45] Morgan's Message, and the Surf Rider
Club are all busy, and our National
[2:35:49] English Honor Society will host its
induction ceremony on September 22nd.
[2:35:54] Last but not least, we are currently in
the midst of ex of an exciting
[2:35:58] homecoming week, complete with the fun
dress days, evening competitions, the
[2:36:03] pep rally on Friday, the football game
Friday night, and the dance on Saturday.
[2:36:07] Other events on the horizon include the
ROA Kappa Honor Society induction
[2:36:12] ceremony
and the service awards ceremony on
[2:36:16] October 20th. In closing, thank you for
everyone for making our school system so
[2:36:21] great and best wishes to everyone for a
safe, productive, and happy school year.
[2:36:28] [applause]
[2:36:44] Greetings from Wester Tech. Here's a
fact check. The Worcester Technical High
[2:36:48] School as we know it now was built in
2008, 18 years ago. There were 440
[2:36:54] students enrolled across a dozen or so
programs. Today, there are currently 866
[2:37:00] students enrolled in over 222 programs
with five more pathways in the pipeline.
[2:37:06] This is the highest enrollment Worcester
Tech has had in its history. The start
[2:37:11] of the 202627 school year has been
amazing. Within the first week of
[2:37:16] school, students and staff started
building strong relationships through
[2:37:20] foundational rigorous hands-on learning.
From building brick walls and masonry to
[2:37:26] wiring outlet boxes and electrical to
baking biscuits and baking and pastry to
[2:37:31] securing a crime scene in criminal
justice, our students have hit the
[2:37:35] ground running. As you can see in the
images, even our school counselors got
[2:37:39] in on the action.
[2:37:44] Our administrative team visited all
classes during the first week of school,
[2:37:48] greeting students and making them all
feel welcomed. A Skills USA pep rally
[2:37:53] was held last Friday and students got to
experience something completely
[2:37:57] different from a traditional pep rally.
Between chanting skills or USA, students
[2:38:03] learned about what it means to be a
career leader, participate in a career
[2:38:07] and technical student organization, and
compete in local, state, and national
[2:38:12] competitions.
Through the school's total participation
[2:38:16] program, all students are automatically
members in the Skills USA and can take
[2:38:21] advantage of experiences, leadership
opportunities, and resources. This
[2:38:26] month, Worcester Tech focuses on the
theme of safety. In classrooms, teachers
[2:38:30] are discussing and demonstrating what it
looks like to be safe in the workplace.
[2:38:35] Students are learning about proper
personal protective equipment and
[2:38:38] workplace best practices. During this
month, we will be conducting a battery
[2:38:44] of safety safety drills, including bus
and safety drills to comp complement our
[2:38:51] safety theme. Finally, we kick off our
weekly restorative circles with our
[2:38:55] skills USA lesson on safety in the
workplace.
[2:38:59] Teachers have been busy teeing up their
instructional focus for the year. During
[2:39:03] faculty meetings and PLC's, teachers are
working on school improvement planning,
[2:39:09] students learning objectives, areas for
instructional focus, and preparing our
[2:39:14] program advisory committee meetings.
Worcester Tech SAC
[2:39:20] members will come together to discuss
the state of the school on September
[2:39:25] 23rd at Snow Hill High School. Worcester
Tech hosts parent teacher conferences on
[2:39:30] September 24th from 5:00 to 7:00. We
look forward to seeing our parents there
[2:39:35] on this evening. On November 7th, Wester
Tech holds its annual golf fundraiser at
[2:39:40] Ocean City Golf and Yacht Club. Proceeds
go to support student travel to our
[2:39:45] state and national STSO competitions.
Information is posted on our website and
[2:39:52] Facebook page. Worcester Tech thanks the
board of education, Dr. Mr. Wallace and
[2:39:57] the executive team for their continued
support of our students and staff.
[2:40:02] Now back to you, Mr. Ferrante.
>> Thank you, Jaden,
[2:40:09] Jaden, Elena, and Savannah. I just want
to thank you. I know we try to throw
[2:40:13] something new at you today with this new
video and you guys seamlessly did a
[2:40:16] great job anyway. So, thank you for
bringing your reports.
[2:40:20] [applause]
[2:40:22] And now I'll turn it over to Dr. record
for our monthly school safety report.
[2:40:28] » Thank you, Mr. Fonte. As an information
item for the month of September, the SA
[2:40:32] uh the safety report reflects a
successful start to the school year. All
[2:40:38] schools are actively applying the tools,
strategies, and practices reinforced
[2:40:42] through our summer training and the most
notably safety conference. Across
[2:40:46] Worcester County Public Schools, uh we
remain committed to fostering a culture
[2:40:51] of care for each student and staff
member. This commitment is reflected
[2:40:55] both in the daily practices of our
students and staff as well as the
[2:41:00] continued development and refinement of
each of our school safety and emergency
[2:41:04] plan. One of the items in a school
safety and emergency plan is the drills
[2:41:08] that were mentioned in the student
report. So, good job. Uh these plans are
[2:41:13] currently being reviewed here at the
central office prior to me uh signing
[2:41:17] off by the superintendent and then
submitted to the Maryland Center for
[2:41:20] School Safety. And the purpose is to
ensure accuracy and alignment with both
[2:41:25] state and our county safety protocols
and procedures. Uh in addition, each
[2:41:30] school continues to work collaboratively
with the assigned Worcester County
[2:41:33] Sheriff's Office school resource deputy
and uh much like in the years past,
[2:41:39] every Worcester County Public School has
an SRD assigned to each school each day
[2:41:44] and provided uh providing that layer of
support, visibility, and partnership
[2:41:48] within our school. And finally, for the
board's knowledge, several school safety
[2:41:53] grant opportunities are currently on the
horizon, and Worcester County Public
[2:41:57] Schools is actively pursuing external
funding opportunities to further
[2:42:01] strengthening and enhancing our school
safety measures.
[2:42:05] This concludes the September safety
report. Back to you, Mr. Fonte.
[2:42:08] » Thank you, Dr. Recorder. Board members
have any questions for Dr. Record
[2:42:11] regarding the safety report?
Okay, seeing none, we'll move forward
[2:42:15] and I'm going to move over to Mr.
Tolbert for the monthly blue blueprint
[2:42:19] report.
>> Thank you, Miss Fonte. Uh this week's
[2:42:23] blueprint update is primarily
informational. Uh yesterday during the
[2:42:26] monthly meeting of blueprint
implementation coordinators, the
[2:42:29] accountability and implementation board
or AIB shared its draft 2027 2028 level
[2:42:35] four implementation pathway requirements
and its 2027 2028 level 4 teacher leader
[2:42:40] pilot requirements. As a reminder,
Worester County Public Schools opted to
[2:42:45] participate in the level four teacher
leader pilot. This pilot allows local
[2:42:49] education agencies to implement their
level four teacher leader career ladder
[2:42:54] plans while providing additional
flexibility in the amount of time
[2:42:57] teacher leaders spend teaching in the
classroom. The pilot is also designed to
[2:43:02] help identify promising practices,
challenges, and lessons learned that can
[2:43:06] be shared statewide and used to
strengthen the future implementation of
[2:43:10] level four teacher leader roles. Once
final 2027 2028 level four teacher
[2:43:15] leader pilot requirements are released,
Worer County Public Schools will begin
[2:43:19] reviewing the state's parameters and
determining our next steps from for
[2:43:23] implementation. The AIB anticipates
several opportunities to gather feedback
[2:43:27] from participating school systems
throughout the pilot year, including
[2:43:31] site visits, uh, participant surveys,
interviews, and end ofear district level
[2:43:36] reporting. In other blueprint news, the
state has released version three of the
[2:43:40] comprehensive prek literacy policy,
which is currently available for public
[2:43:44] comment. Individuals are encouraged to
review the proposed updates and provide
[2:43:48] feedback to the state. That concludes my
blueprint update. I'd be happy to answer
[2:43:52] any questions that the board may have.
>> Board, have any questions for Mr.
[2:43:56] Tolbert regarding the blueprint update?
>> Okay, seeing none, Mr. Tolbert, I'm
[2:44:00] gonna stick with you for the
comprehensive independent financial
[2:44:03] examination.
>> Uh, yes, Mr. Bronte. Uh, as you know,
[2:44:06] we're in the very preliminary stages of
the uh financial audit. Um, just
[2:44:11] briefly, Kate and I did have a status
update call with the auditors last
[2:44:15] Wednesday. Uh, the auditors are in the
middle of conducting interviews with
[2:44:19] staff. They're interviewing all my
finance staff as well as myself. Um they
[2:44:23] confirmed that they do have access to
both our financial system system and our
[2:44:28] document imaging system so you can do
their research and testing. Um they have
[2:44:32] received the initial information they
had requested and they're reviewing that
[2:44:35] information. Um they will review they
will use that information from this
[2:44:39] review to begin their testing. Uh to
this point the orders have been working
[2:44:43] remotely but they may be on site in the
future depending on what items they need
[2:44:47] to look at. If they're not available
remotely, they may have to come on site.
[2:44:50] Uh we'll continue to provide board
monthly updates. We have another update
[2:44:53] with auditors uh in two weeks and we'll
provide you an update at the October
[2:44:57] meeting. Any questions on the audit?
>> Thank you, Mr. Toart. Uh board members,
[2:45:00] any questions regarding the update,
financial update? Okay. Thank you, Mr.
[2:45:05] Tolart.
>> You're welcome, sir.
[2:45:06] » Okay. And now it's time for audience
recogn recognition uh from the following
[2:45:11] groups in the audience. And I see one
already standing out there from the
[2:45:15] Wester County Teachers Association.
[2:45:19] Good afternoon, Beth. How about the
Wister County Education Support
[2:45:23] Professionals?
Everybody's with us from there today.
[2:45:26] Wister County retired school personnel.
[2:45:36] » September 22nd.
[2:45:40] » Thank you for the invitation, Helen. We
appreciate it.
[2:45:44] Worcester County uh bus contractors. Any
out there with us today? How about
[2:45:48] representatives from various schools,
PTA, Saks?
[2:45:52] Okay. Thank all of you for being here.
We appreciate it. Um we have a couple of
[2:45:57] board proclamations today. Um the first
one is for community school liaison
[2:46:02] appreciation week, which is September
13th and 19th. And I'm going to have Mr.
[2:46:07] Buchanan read that for us.
>> Okay. [clears throat]
[2:46:12] Community school uh liaison's
appreciation week September 13 through
[2:46:16] the 19th 2026.
Whereas community schools provide
[2:46:21] integrated student support expanded
learning opportunities, active family
[2:46:26] and community engagement, use
collaborative leadership and strategic
[2:46:31] practices to improve outcomes for
students, families, and the community.
[2:46:36] Whereas the community school liaison are
the key to successful community schools,
[2:46:41] creating, strengthening and maintaining
the bridge between the school and the
[2:46:45] community.
And whereas the community school liaison
[2:46:49] facilitate and provide leadership for
the collaborative process and
[2:46:53] development of a continuum of services
for children, families, and community
[2:46:59] members within a school neighborhood.
And whereas Worcester County Public
[2:47:04] Schools has six community school liaison
who work diligently to create and manage
[2:47:10] the partnerships that allow all of our
students to learn and communities to
[2:47:14] thrive. And whereas community school
liaison through their role deliver a
[2:47:20] strong monetary return on investment for
community schools and their communities
[2:47:25] with studies citing a return of $7 for
every dollar invested in the salary of a
[2:47:30] community school liaison.
And whereas Worester County Public
[2:47:35] Schools is joining a national community
school coordinators appreciation week
[2:47:41] with the Institute for Educational
Leadership Coalition for Community
[2:47:46] Schools to celebrate and lift up their
work across the country. Now therefore,
[2:47:52] it be it resolved that the Worcester
County Board of Education proclaims the
[2:47:56] week of September 13th through the 19th,
2026 as community school liaison's
[2:48:02] appreciation week. And to honor the
community school liaison's diligent work
[2:48:08] to serve our students, families, and
communities. It is signed by Todd A.
[2:48:14] Ferrante, president of the Worester
County Board of Education, and Dr.
[2:48:18] Annette Wallace, superintendent of
schools. Lauren,
[2:48:22] [applause]
[2:48:33] » thank you.
>> Thank you, Lauren.
[2:48:37] [applause]
[2:48:39] » And next uh is National School Lunch
Week, which is October 12th through the
[2:48:43] 16th. And um Mr. Gordy is going to read
that for us.
[2:48:48] National School Lunch Week, October 12th
through 16, 2026.
[2:48:53] Whereas the National School Lunch
Program plays an important role in
[2:48:57] helping to ensure that every child in
the nation is ready to learn because the
[2:49:02] hungry or undernourished child is less
likely to be an eager and attentive
[2:49:07] student. And whereas the National School
Lunch Program has a demonstrated
[2:49:11] commitment to our children's health and
well-being, serving nutritious meals
[2:49:16] that are balanced for vitamins,
calories, which support healthy eating
[2:49:20] patterns. And whereas in Worcester
County, all 14 public schools
[2:49:25] participate in the National School Lunch
Program directly supporting student
[2:49:30] success. [snorts] And whereas the
success of this effort is due largely to
[2:49:35] resources and creative local food
services administrators, managers, and
[2:49:40] staff working in cooperation with
parents, teachers, community groups,
[2:49:45] government personnel, and students.
Therefore, be it resolved that October
[2:49:50] 12th through 16, 2026 be proclaimed as
National School Lunch Week, a time to
[2:49:57] celebrate the importance of a program
that helps keep students nourished so
[2:50:02] they can learn. Be it further resolved
that this proclamation be made part of
[2:50:06] the minutes of the board of education
adopted this 15th day of September,
[2:50:10] 2026. This document is signed by our
board president, Mr. Todd Ferrante, and
[2:50:15] our superintendent, Dr. net Wallace.
>> Thank you.
[2:50:17] » Congratulations.
>> Thank you. With us today is Otis Collins
[2:50:23] who does an outstanding job running that
program. Thank you, Otis, and thank all
[2:50:26] of your staff.
[2:50:34] [snorts]
>> Okay, [applause] thank you.
[2:50:39] And next on the agenda, um, we have, uh,
some awards to give out, but we're going
[2:50:44] to be, I think, going outside for our
Hall of Fame presentation. So,
[2:50:47] » we'll do it here.
>> We want to do it in here. Okay, perfect.
[2:50:51] So, we'll be right down.
[2:50:59] » Anyone who's on that committee,
[2:51:13] Oh, look. There was a note there that
said, "Invite Dr. Andes and Miss Shaw to
[2:51:17] join you." We we we were on the same
page, Mr. Fonte and I. Um,
[2:51:23] good afternoon everyone. Uh
it's it's heartwarming for me to look
[2:51:30] across this room and see so many of my
former um teachers. Miss Stewart, I want
[2:51:35] to let you know I don't have any gum in
my mouth because Miss Stewart was my
[2:51:39] vice principal. She was always getting
me on that gum check. Y'all that were
[2:51:43] there. Miss Stewart know. Um but so many
people who have played a part um in in
[2:51:49] my success as a human uh and as a
teacher and an educator in Worester
[2:51:53] County Public Schools. Um, and it's just
a really nice full circle moment to look
[2:51:57] around this room and see so many of you
that have influenced myself and others I
[2:52:02] know sitting up at this table and
mentored us and gotten us here to this
[2:52:05] moment. There is there's so many of you
in this room. So, I'm grateful to have
[2:52:09] this celebration today to honor two
individuals um and their contributions,
[2:52:13] but also I'm grateful to have the
celebration to bring us all together
[2:52:17] today. Uh, it's my pleasure to
officially introduce everyone to our
[2:52:22] second class of inductees into the
Wester County Public Schools Hall of
[2:52:25] Fame. The Hall of Fame recognition
program is a partnership program between
[2:52:29] the school system and the Wester County
Retired School Personnel Association of
[2:52:34] which both Dr. Andes and Miss Shaw are a
part. This recognition program was
[2:52:39] kicked off in 2022 and accepts
nominations on a rolling basis with a
[2:52:44] committee reviewing nominations each
spring. This [snorts] year's class of
[2:52:47] inductees is a small group but a
powerful one uh in which both I have
[2:52:52] connections with both of these
individuals uh in two different ways. Um
[2:52:56] both members of this year's class have
made remarkable contributions to our
[2:52:59] school system and we are proud to have
one of them uh with us here today to
[2:53:04] celebrate. And I'm going to ask Miss
Butler to join me up here.
[2:53:13] » [applause]
[2:53:24] » Come on up. Come on up here.
[2:53:29] » All right. While I have her here with me
who got kept me straight at Snow Hill
[2:53:33] Elementary School and I appreciate that.
Uh, Miss Barbara Butler devoted more
[2:53:37] than five decades to educating,
mentoring, and advocating for the
[2:53:41] children and families of Wester County.
I think that in itself deserves a round
[2:53:45] of applause.
[2:53:49] [applause]
[2:53:52] Her career included service as a teacher
at Cedar Chapel, Snow Hill Elementary,
[2:53:56] and Snow Hill Middle Schools, as well as
leadership and mentoring roles for many,
[2:54:02] many students and many, many educators,
including I know myself and and Dr.
[2:54:06] Record as well.
Following her classroom career, Miss
[2:54:11] Butler extended her impact through the
creation of the Haven House Tutorial
[2:54:15] Program, which grew from a
community-based effort into a thriving
[2:54:19] school partnership serving some of Snow
Hill's most vulnerable students. She
[2:54:23] later helped Snow Hill Elementary
School's 21st Century Community Learning
[2:54:27] Center, which earned state recognition
for student achievement. Her lifelong
[2:54:31] commitment to educational opportunity,
community service, and ensuring that
[2:54:36] every child had the support created a
legacy that continues to benefit
[2:54:42] generations of Worcester County Public
School students. Ladies and gentlemen,
[2:54:45] please join me in honoring Mrs. Barbara
Butler.
[2:54:49] [applause]
[2:54:57] » [applause]
[2:55:03] » We're going to give her the floor.
>> Thank you. I appreciate that.
[2:55:15] I thank you all for your presence here
today. It is indeed an honor to be
[2:55:21] inducted into the Worcester County
Retired Teachers Hall of Fame. My
[2:55:26] educational career began in 1964
upon graduating from Buoie State
[2:55:31] College, now Buouie State University. I
was born and raised in Frederick,
[2:55:37] Maryland.
And it was upon my graduation I became
[2:55:41] employed in the Worcester County Public
Schools. I've served, as they stated,
[2:55:45] for 58 years in Worcester County. This
is the only county I've ever worked in.
[2:55:52] And I'm so proud of that. I really am.
[applause]
[2:56:02] And as Dr. Wallace stated, "My career
began teaching split grades first and
[2:56:06] second at the Chapel Elementary School,
which was located in Newark, Merlin,
[2:56:11] just below the Worcester County Board of
Ed here, which was at that time um old
[2:56:17] Wister High. So I taught first grades
for 30 21 years later moving into
[2:56:24] administrative positions
and I was the first vice principal at
[2:56:29] Snow Hill Elementary School because the
elementary schools did not have vice
[2:56:33] principles.
Okay. So my 58 years in the county 25 of
[2:56:40] those years were spent with the Haven
House afterchool program. And that
[2:56:44] program, I'm so proud to say, and I tell
the story, originated under the
[2:56:49] direction of pastor Reverend George, was
the the pastor of Ebenea Church, local
[2:56:56] clergy, the business community, and our
past president, Dr. Superintendent, Dr.
[2:57:03] John Andes. And I tell that story
everywhere I go because I'm proud of it.
[2:57:08] I really am. And as a result of that,
um, I have to say that I've when Gary
[2:57:14] passed, he used to be president here of
this board and he was the warden of the
[2:57:19] jail. So when he passed, we started a
scholarship in his name. So we've given
[2:57:24] scholarships out for the last eight
years. Many of which of you are donors
[2:57:29] to that scholarship every year. We have
other fundraisers such as the daddy
[2:57:34] daughter dance, the mother u son spring
fling, and I rock in a rocking chair for
[2:57:39] four hours at $25 an hour. But do you
know that these last eight years we have
[2:57:46] given a total of $45,500
[2:57:52] to deserving students here in Worcester
County.
[2:57:59] I would like to um extend a thank you to
all my representatives here today. I
[2:58:05] have my nephew who is here unless he
stepped out. Um my student Oh, he's here
[2:58:11] taking the picture.
So that's William Delauer and and I'm so
[2:58:16] grateful to have him here with me
because he just lost his wife about a
[2:58:20] month ago. But he's been very very
supportive of me as the family has of
[2:58:24] him. And I would like the other
colleagues, people who worked with me,
[2:58:28] whether it's the elementary school, the
middle school, the Haven House program,
[2:58:32] please stand. Come on, Marin Lo. Get up
off of it. Okay.
[2:58:37] So, it's a lot of you. And then all of
my donors, whether it's Oasis Ministry,
[2:58:43] [applause]
Gary Munford, please stand. Come on,
[2:58:47] Wanda. Get up. And there are a lot of
you sitting in here who give every year
[2:58:51] for that scholarship. And it's because
of you it is possible that we can do
[2:58:56] that. And I thank you all again for your
presence. And let's continue to work
[2:59:01] together to make a difference.
[2:59:06] [applause]
[2:59:12] » Okay, I'll take that from you. I'm going
to give you some in a minute. All all I
[2:59:16] can tell you is I never had a chance to
work with Miss Butler, but I know that
[2:59:20] she's a legend and you're seeing a
living legend here and what she's done
[2:59:23] in this county. Let's give her another
round of applause.
[2:59:51] Okay. How about all my supporters here?
Please.
[3:00:03] » This is great.
[3:00:17] This is
[3:00:25] » Oh my god.
[3:00:39] We're still moving.
[3:00:59] » [applause]
[3:01:13] » Where you at?
>> Hold on. Dr. Anes,
[3:01:17] » I I just want to correct the record.
I just want to correct the record with
[3:01:23] this fabulous young lady here. When
Barbara Butler comes to you and tells
[3:01:28] you you're going to do something, you do
it.
[3:01:34] So, I had absolutely no choice.
She invited me to the house on Dyon
[3:01:40] Avenue, explained exactly what they
needed, and then gave me a deadline to
[3:01:45] provide those services.
>> [laughter]
[3:01:47] » I you cannot say no to this young lady.
She does not accept no. And that's the
[3:01:53] reason the Haven House program was so
successful in Dyton Avenue and so
[3:01:57] successful at Snow Hill Elementary
School. The lives that she has impact is
[3:02:03] her legacy. And we're so fortunate and
blessed when she left Buouie State
[3:02:08] College, she came here. In my opinion,
Barbara Butler is the best comb here
[3:02:14] we've ever had. from West County.
[applause]
[3:02:22] » Thank you.
[3:02:27] » Congratulations.
>> That is so sweet.
[3:02:29] » I just had to say to Miss Butler, I
said, "Is that Mr. Glendon Jones?"
[3:02:34] » That is my third grade math teacher. And
I'm just going to say this to you
[3:02:38] because I was probably naughty, but
teachers don't get to hear this enough
[3:02:43] often. and I became a math teacher and
you were part of the reason for that.
[3:02:46] So, thank you, Mr. Jones.
[applause]
[3:02:53] I'm sure he never thought that when I
was in his classroom, but here I stand
[3:02:56] today. Nonetheless,
uh we have a second inductee, and I'm
[3:03:01] not sure is any of uh Miss Lana Williams
family here with us today. Her son, come
[3:03:06] on up, please. Sean, come on up.
[applause]
[3:03:16] It's so interesting the connections that
we build over the years because and I
[3:03:20] tried to find this photo, but when I was
a student at Snow Hill Middle School,
[3:03:24] your mom was in charge of PR for the
county and myself and Sarah Pewy, who's
[3:03:28] Marty Pusy's daughter, if anybody know
Marty Pusy, won a poster contest and we
[3:03:32] got a billboard that was at Steven Decar
High School. We won a I won a art
[3:03:36] contest. That's a surprise. It surprised
me and Sarah, but your mom was the one
[3:03:41] who did it and we got to go up and
honestly I think we got to like climb up
[3:03:45] and stand on the billboard and there's a
photo of us with that billboard. So, I
[3:03:48] knew your mom so well from that
experience and she was she was a lovely
[3:03:51] person. So, we're happy that you're here
today when we can honor her. Miss uh
[3:03:55] Lana Ray Williams dedicated 35 years of
her 38-year career in education to
[3:04:00] Worcester County Public Schools, serving
first as an elementary and middle school
[3:04:05] teacher be before becoming a central
office leader in professional
[3:04:08] development, public relations, and
special projects. Among her most
[3:04:12] enduring contributions was helping to
establish and coordinate the Worester
[3:04:16] County Teacher of the Year program
beginning in 1988 with I believe our
[3:04:21] first teacher of the year, Miss Cecilia
Dennis, who oddly enough was also my
[3:04:25] social studies teacher. So really weird
connections, but but beautiful
[3:04:30] connections in our community, creating a
tradition that continues to celebrate
[3:04:34] excellence in teaching today. She also
developed and supported innovative
[3:04:39] opportunities for students and
educators, including the summer
[3:04:43] enrichment and acceleration programs and
the expansion of the children's theater
[3:04:48] experience across the county. Known for
her warmth, enthusiasm, creativity, and
[3:04:53] ability to bring people together, Mrs.
Williams was a tireless champion for
[3:04:57] Wester County Public Schools, who helped
tell the school system story and turn
[3:05:01] new ideas into lasting programs for
students and staff. Mrs. Williams passed
[3:05:06] away in 2004 and while uh and her son
here is Shawn, right, is here with us
[3:05:11] today. So, please join us in honoring
her with a round of applause.
[3:05:15] [applause]
[3:05:21] » Thank you. Uh those of you that that
remember my mom know that she loved her
[3:05:26] job here almost as much as she loved
fashion. Uh she changed her look a lot
[3:05:31] over the years, over the decades. Uh but
she did. She loved her job. She loved
[3:05:35] Wester County and she would be very
honored by this. So, thank you very
[3:05:38] much.
[applause]
[3:05:43] » So, so I did know Miss Williams and I
knew her more as Shaun's mom because we
[3:05:48] graduated together, but what I can tell
you about her is not only was she a
[3:05:53] fashion statement, but when she smiled,
she lit up the whole room. And she was
[3:05:58] nice to everybody, she'd walk down the
hall and say hi to every student. She
[3:06:03] would say hi to every person. And she
was just a very warm, welcoming person
[3:06:07] and she was a pleasure to be around and
we were lucky to have her in our school
[3:06:11] system.
[3:06:14] [applause]
[3:06:38] We will take a brief intermission and um
allow the um families and the honores um
[3:06:45] to exit and view the updated
installation in the hallway and then
[3:06:49] we'll come back together in about 5 to
seven minutes. So um if you go right out
[3:06:52] in the hallway, Mr. Bevel Aqua can lead
the way maybe and show you. You can't
[3:06:56] miss it, but the new installation is
there so you can see and maybe get some
[3:06:59] photos. Then we'll start in about 5 to 7
minutes.
[3:18:20] and our school community. Through its
organization, they provide financial
[3:18:24] assistance to students and families who
are experiencing financial hardship,
[3:18:28] helping to ensure that every student has
access to the resources that they need
[3:18:32] to succeed. Most recently, Wister Gold
generously donated school supplies for
[3:18:37] both students and staff in our Snow Hill
schools. This thoughtful contribution
[3:18:41] helped our students and educators
prepare for a successful school year and
[3:18:45] demonstrated the organization's genuine
commitment to supporting our schools.
[3:18:49] Wister Gold exemplifies what it means to
be a strong community partner. Their
[3:18:54] generosity, compassion, and commitment
to meeting the needs of our students
[3:18:58] made an impact that will last forever.
On behalf of Wester County Public
[3:19:03] Schools, thank you to Wister Gold for
being a valued partner and
[3:19:06] congratulations.
[applause]
[3:19:16] [clears throat]
[3:19:24] [applause]
[3:19:27] And now I'd like to ask the Pocamok City
Charge, Mount Zion, and St. James United
[3:19:31] Methodist Church forward.
Come on, whoever's a part of it. Come
[3:19:38] on.
Come on up and stand with Mr. Ferrante.
[3:19:44] I think it's meaningful to note that to
uh the importance of our faith-based
[3:19:49] partners and the work that we do as a
school system. We have an organization
[3:19:52] being honored today and we also have
individuals. So, our faith-based
[3:19:55] community is an important part of the
success of our school system.
[3:19:59] It is my pleasure to recognize the
Pocomoke City Charge, Mount Zion and St.
[3:20:03] James United Methodist Church. They have
been a steadfast partner to the
[3:20:07] students, families, and educators of the
Pocamote community, demonstrating an
[3:20:12] unwavering commitment to supporting our
schools. Throughout the year, the church
[3:20:15] provides school supplies, resources, and
supports school celebrations. One
[3:20:20] especially meaningful tradition is the
church's back-toschool worship service
[3:20:24] which brings together students,
families, educators, and community
[3:20:28] members to encourage and uplift them as
they begin each school year. And every
[3:20:32] year I get an invite. And every year
it's on the same day as my church's
[3:20:35] celebration for my preacher who's here.
So maybe next year we need to have a
[3:20:39] joint celebration so that I can attend
and all of our churches can get together
[3:20:43] and pray for the school year cuz it
makes me sad every year to miss it.
[3:20:48] Through their generosity, service,
encouragement, and genuine care, they
[3:20:51] exemplify what it means to be a true
community champion. Their partnership
[3:20:56] strengthens our schools, and they help
ensure that Pocomoke students and
[3:20:59] educators know they are valued,
supported, and surrounded by a community
[3:21:03] and church family that believes in their
success. Congratulations, and thank you
[3:21:08] all for all that you're doing. And
please continue to keep us in your
[3:21:10] prayers.
[3:21:14] Honestly,
[3:21:31] [applause]
[3:21:41] this this next group is is one that has
been also making an impact for years and
[3:21:46] years and years in our community and a
major impact. If you are uh with Ry's
[3:21:50] crew, could you come forward?
I know
[3:21:56] [applause]
[3:22:00] it's our pleasure to recognize Ry's crew
for their meaningful investment in the
[3:22:04] students of Worester County. Ry's crew
has demonstrated a genuine commitment to
[3:22:08] supporting young people by providing
both financial resources and meaningful
[3:22:12] opportunities to help students feel
supported, included, and connected in
[3:22:17] their own community. At BIS, Ry's crew
generously funded essential toiletry
[3:22:22] items for students in need. They also
support Pop Warner football players by
[3:22:27] providing pizza with an opportunity um
for lunch and fellowship with high
[3:22:31] school football players. Through their
generosity and continued support, they
[3:22:35] continue to strengthen the partnership
between our schools and our community.
[3:22:39] Their investment helps provide students
with the resources, experience, and
[3:22:42] encouragement they need to believe in
themselves, imagine their future, and
[3:22:47] succeed. I got BIS's little motto in
there. Congratulations to Ry's crew, and
[3:22:52] thank you for making a meaningful
difference in the lives of Wester
[3:22:55] County's young people. We appreciate
you.
[3:22:58] [applause]
[3:23:12] » [applause]
[3:23:19] » That's Todd's wife, just just in case
you didn't know. [laughter]
[3:23:23] I feel like I should clarify that just
in case. Just in case. Um, do we have a
[3:23:28] representative from Seaside Plumbing
here? Oh, yeah. Okay. You're Come on up.
[3:23:34] You're not my normal two people and so
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[3:23:40] » Oh, we're happy to have you. We're happy
to have you. Um I I have to say Seaside
[3:23:46] has just been and I'm just going off the
record for this. Um they have just been
[3:23:51] when we think about connecting um our
students with meaningful apprenticeship
[3:23:56] opportunities that has been a challenge
in the state of Maryland. Um the
[3:24:01] apprenticeship program can be very
challenging. Um, I honestly think like
[3:24:05] not only are they a bunch of super
gracious, wonderful people, but I
[3:24:10] believe they're also an example of
brilliant business people because if I
[3:24:14] was running a business, I would do
exactly what they're doing, and that is
[3:24:18] investing in the next generation of
students to come work for them. They
[3:24:22] were our first apprenticeship partners.
And so, can you we just give them a
[3:24:26] round of applause for that? [applause]
[3:24:32] So today we're honoring Seaside Plumbing
for their outstanding partnership with
[3:24:36] Wester Technical High School, preparing
students for successful careers. Seaside
[3:24:40] Plumbing has opened doors for students
by accepting Wester Techch graduates
[3:24:43] into their apprenticeship program and
providing valuable opportunities for
[3:24:47] students to gain real world experience
in the plumbing trade. And I'm going to
[3:24:51] tell you, that's one of the people that
you really need to show up at your house
[3:24:53] when you have a problem. So each year
the company also visits Wester Tech uh
[3:24:58] to conduct an assembly and introduce
students to career opportunities to help
[3:25:02] them see the possibilities within the
skilled trades. Their commitment extends
[3:25:06] beyond the classroom though. They are a
participant in our stat camp and they
[3:25:10] run a summer program that transports
students to the work site to get
[3:25:14] hands-on exposure to the plumbing
profession. They've also partnered with
[3:25:19] our school's criminal justice program
and helped created a realistic crime
[3:25:22] scene for students to investigate and
learn from. Um, their mentorship, their
[3:25:27] hands-on experience, their career
opportunities, and their willingness to
[3:25:31] help us and be our partners um is really
second to none. And so, I just I just
[3:25:35] want to I'm so grateful to you guys. And
it's nice to meet new people from
[3:25:38] Seaside.
[3:25:53] » [applause]
[3:26:00] [laughter]
[3:26:03] » before they leave. Uh, okay. And now to
our individual awards. Uh, the first
[3:26:08] people I'm going to invite up are no
stranger to me. However, I did tell them
[3:26:11] that I was not responsible for their
nomination. And I don't know, Mr. Green,
[3:26:15] was it who who was our snowhole person
responsible? It was Mr. Green. So, you
[3:26:19] two actually have to come forward
because they they don't like to do that,
[3:26:22] but they have to come up. So, Pastor Ken
and Mary Ellson, um, come on up.
[3:26:32] It is my pleasure to recognize them as
community champions for their years of
[3:26:36] dedicated support of our school
community. And their support goes all
[3:26:40] the way back to when I was a student at
Snow Hill Middle School and they ran
[3:26:44] like an afterchool thing and they would
come pick us up. And the coolest thing
[3:26:47] was that Miss Mary had a station wagon
that had a seat that faced backwards.
[3:26:54] And when they would pick us up to take
us to our youth group stuff after school
[3:26:57] from the middle school and that was
really the first of its time because no
[3:26:59] churches around here were really doing
that at the time. Um I got to ride in
[3:27:04] the back seat. I felt special. So they
started that was one of the the first um
[3:27:08] connections I think that they made with
our schools. But um they have uh the two
[3:27:13] of them alongside with some church staff
have demonstrated a commitment every
[3:27:17] year by visiting each of our school
campuses to pray um over the building
[3:27:22] student staff and school community each
year before the school system starts.
[3:27:26] They also graciously host Snow Hill High
School's balarat ceremony each year um
[3:27:31] on the eve of graduation. Their ongoing
service to students and families reflect
[3:27:35] tremendous compassion, faith, and
dedication. And their willingness to
[3:27:39] consistently support and uplift our
school community and myself uh has had
[3:27:43] such a meaningful and positive impact on
every single student and family and
[3:27:47] staff member. So, congratulations to
Pastor Ken and Miss Mary. We wish you
[3:27:51] well in your retirement, although I wish
you weren't retiring still. So, I'm just
[3:27:54] going to say that one more time, but I
know you're not going to be strangers.
[3:27:57] So, thank you for all of all you've
done.
[3:28:29] He said, "Oh Lord," that was a prayer.
[laughter]
[3:28:31] started.
>> We've been here 37 years and we've been
[3:28:36] involved with the schools because our
children were in the elementary and the
[3:28:42] middle school when we came here and then
in 1998
[3:28:46] I was uh asked to come and be an
educational assistant at the middle
[3:28:52] school. It was the 10 happiest years of
my life and I loved the children and
[3:28:59] then because for whatever reason my
sight was taken away and I became blind
[3:29:07] [snorts] but
a few years after I became blind and
[3:29:12] this year I'm volunteering at the middle
school to be with the children again
[3:29:19] [applause]
and I love [cheering] that Hi. And I'm
[3:29:23] looking forward to being there this year
with the kids. And um we used to take
[3:29:29] kids to youth
groups, our youth group to Christian com
[3:29:36] conferences and stuff. And if you're a
Christian, you'll understand me when I
[3:29:42] say there's really no greater joy than
to see a youth give their life to
[3:29:48] Christ. And I have really enjoyed that.
I don't guess Miss Butler's here. Is
[3:29:53] she?
>> Miss Butler just left.
[3:29:55] » Oh, well,
>> but we can't send it to her to show you
[3:29:58] here.
>> No. Okay. Well, all I was going to say
[3:30:00] was somebody said that she was a come
here. Well, we were come hearers, too.
[3:30:08] And one day, Kim bought me a little
magnet to put on my refrigerator that
[3:30:15] said, "I wasn't born in Snow Hill, but I
got here as quick as I could."
[3:30:20] [laughter]
[3:30:23] » Thank you, Miss Harris. [applause]
[3:30:30] We are also thrilled to recognize Miss
Dawn Richardson. So, if you can come on
[3:30:34] up.
>> [applause]
[3:30:41] » Thank you. Thank you.
[3:30:47] » We are thrilled to recognize her um from
the Wester County Health Department as a
[3:30:51] community champion for her exceptional
commitment to students and families in
[3:30:54] the Pocamo community. Dawn is a trusted
and valuable partner for our schools,
[3:31:00] providing programs such as girls growing
gracefully and just for guys, which give
[3:31:04] students safe and supportive
opportunities to build confidence,
[3:31:07] develop social emotional skills,
navigate challenges, and form positive
[3:31:11] relationships. Through her genuine
connection with young people, Dawn has
[3:31:15] become a trusted mentor and caring adult
for many of the students that she
[3:31:19] serves. Her dedication extends beyond
students to the families in our
[3:31:23] community. She helps connect families
with really important resources. She
[3:31:27] provides education and support for them
and serves as a vital bridge between our
[3:31:32] schools and the Wester County Health
Department. Dawn's compassion,
[3:31:35] consistency, and willingness to help
whenever she is needed truly embody the
[3:31:39] spirit of a community champion. Again,
congratulations, Dawn.
[3:32:26] done.
[3:32:30] Okay. um all individuals who've now
we're at public comment. Um I did want
[3:32:35] to point one thing out. I want to thank
um Harford County for not hiring Dr.
[3:32:40] Andes because he was a come here too.
Okay. [laughter]
[3:32:45] All individuals who sign up to address
the Wester County uh Board of Education
[3:32:48] may do so for one or two minutes
regarding information, accommodations,
[3:32:52] or concerns which may need future board
attention. Concerns that are specific to
[3:32:56] an individual will not be discussed in
open session should be directed to
[3:32:59] appropriate district personnel for
investigation. I know we don't have
[3:33:02] anyone on the record, but I always ask,
is there anyone that is wishing to speak
[3:33:06] today?
Okay, seeing none, it's time for our
[3:33:11] meeting reports and we'll begin. Uh,
excuse me, it's time for our consent
[3:33:15] agenda. Um, and
[3:33:21] » let me use the other mic.
It always happens. So, um, does any
[3:33:27] board member have anything they wish to
be pulled from the consent agenda today?
[3:33:31] Miss Scotland,
>> I just had some questions on 73 and 74.
[3:33:36] » Okay. So, 73 and 74 before we approve
um we will
[3:33:45] the one is the contract award for
Maryland Maryland Coalition for
[3:33:48] Inclusive Education.
Um
[3:33:52] this is um I don't know if uh who wants
to address this either Dr. Wallace or
[3:33:59] » Yes.
[3:34:05] » Dr. Wendy, you can come on or Brian.
>> Brian, you want to go ahead and you can
[3:34:09] uh turn the mic on, please.
[3:34:13] » Are you talking about the time clocks,
Brian?
[3:34:15] » No, this is the first one is the
contract award for the Maryland
[3:34:18] Coalition for Inclusive Education. Okay.
>> Test. Yes, that's working. Thank you.
[3:34:23] » Your question for Mr. for Dr.
>> How are you? Um, some of this might be
[3:34:27] redundant. And again, I'm new. I think
it's on. I'll just pull it closer. Um,
[3:34:32] just a couple of questions. I I read
through the packet. I printed it out and
[3:34:36] you know, I I see the numbers and I see
what it says, but I guess more on just
[3:34:41] where it says policy facts. I was just
kind of curious why it was worded as
[3:34:45] like procured through a legally awarded
piggyback contract. if you could just
[3:34:49] explain that and then just overall in
general, apologies if I missed it. Was
[3:34:54] this in the budget that we approved
prior somewhere in a line item or is
[3:34:58] this something new?
>> So if am I on?
[3:35:00] » Yes, you're on.
>> Um so this is a part of our title one
[3:35:03] part A school improvement plan. Um it's
an annual grant process through the ESSA
[3:35:07] consolidated plan. Um the process in our
procurement and our policy is if we
[3:35:12] would like to use a legally binding
contract that another LEA or local
[3:35:16] education association has used so we can
get similar pricing uh we have that
[3:35:20] opportunity to utilize it. So that's why
we've gone through that piggyback
[3:35:24] contract process.
>> Okay. Okay. Yeah. I just I was looking I
[3:35:27] was confused because when I saw the list
of schools I didn't see us on there. So
[3:35:30] it just kind of
>> Yeah. It's it's it's just a I guess a
[3:35:33] formality process just to make sure that
you actually have a copy of the
[3:35:36] contract.
>> Okay. And then the second part, this was
[3:35:39] in the prior budget that we voted on
already.
[3:35:42] » Yes. This I I think this is part of a
title one money.
[3:35:45] » So this would be a part of our um the
this will be a part of our title one
[3:35:49] part a school improvement grant which is
a part of our ESS consolidated plan that
[3:35:53] comes out every fall which we submitted
July late Julyish early August give or
[3:35:59] take.
>> So a grant. Yes.
[3:36:01] » Okay. Okay. That's all.
>> So that's all for now. Do you have a
[3:36:05] question on 7.4 for the time clock.
>> Yeah, for the
[3:36:08] » That's for Mr. Tolbert.
>> The time clock.
[3:36:10] » Thank you, M. Thank you, Dr. Thank you.
>> Um, similar question about the budget.
[3:36:15] Was that in there? And then I guess a
crossover question when it said, you
[3:36:20] know, like clocking the employees and
stuff and is that going to transfer over
[3:36:24] to the substitute part for like when we
need bus substitutes as well or is No,
[3:36:28] because they're contracted and this is
just the employee side of it.
[3:36:32] » It's not for the contractors, it's for
the employees.
[3:36:35] Okay.
>> And and and it was it was it was asked
[3:36:38] for a small increase was asked for in
the budget for uh time and attendance
[3:36:41] software and also we um had a fixed
asset management system that we had been
[3:36:46] paying for for the past couple years. Uh
we did not renew that contract this
[3:36:50] year. We're using the power school
product which has a fixed asset module
[3:36:54] that's already included in our package.
So we saved some money there. And also
[3:36:58] part of the time clock plus is smart
find. It's going to replace absent
[3:37:02] management uh substitute calling system
that we currently have at about a third
[3:37:06] of the cost. Those states combined are
helping us fund this time clock plus.
[3:37:10] » Okay. When you say included that this
was kept with like the breakdown paper
[3:37:14] when we went with the colored part. This
part was in there at the end.
[3:37:19] » It was included within the line items in
the big budget that you got.
[3:37:22] » Okay. In your big budget book.
>> But it it stayed when that was approved.
[3:37:26] This
>> was a small increase. What we asked for
[3:37:29] for timekeeping. Yes. software. Yes.
>> Okay, that's it.
[3:37:32] » Okay,
>> thank you. And also, we anticipate that
[3:37:35] this would be um having a software
system for our hourly employees is
[3:37:40] something we're um
>> as a as a organization, we're trying to
[3:37:44] anticipate things that will be
weaknesses um in our audit and we know
[3:37:49] that I don't know that if this has been
talked about before or if we're just
[3:37:53] anticipating.
>> We're just anticipating.
[3:37:55] » Okay. Yeah, we anticipate that this is
going to be a requirement that comes out
[3:37:58] of our audit and so we're getting things
straight
[3:38:00] » before ahead of time. [laughter]
>> Okay. Thank you.
[3:38:02] » Okay. Uh board members, any other
questions uh regarding the consent
[3:38:06] agenda?
>> Okay. Uh if not, I need a motion to
[3:38:09] approve the consent agenda items.
>> So moved.
[3:38:12] » Motion by Miss Mccomomas.
>> Second.
[3:38:15] » A second by Dr. Annies. All in favor?
>> Any opposed? Okay. Thank you very much.
[3:38:20] Now I'm going to turn it over to Miss
Sills for the curriculum and instruction
[3:38:23] report.
Thank you. It is my pleasure to
[3:38:27] introduce our Worester County Judy
Center early learning team. Um I learned
[3:38:31] from Dr. Welch re recently that um this
year will mark a special milestone.
[3:38:35] We'll celebrate 25 years since Worester
County Public Schools received its first
[3:38:40] Judy Center grant for Snow Hill
Elementary School. And over those 25
[3:38:44] years, the Judy Center program has
transformed significantly, growing into
[3:38:48] three comprehensive early learning hubs
serving children and families across the
[3:38:51] Buckingham, Pocamok, and Snow Hill
communities through our early learning
[3:38:55] opportunities, family support, community
partnerships, and connections to
[3:38:59] essential resources. The Judy Centers
play a very important role in helping
[3:39:04] shape our youngest learners and help
them be in ready to uh enter school um
[3:39:09] successfully and ready to thrive. So,
we're very proud of the team and how
[3:39:14] this program has evolved and I'm excited
about the direction that they're
[3:39:17] continuing to take this work. I was uh
talking to Latoya in the hallway when we
[3:39:21] took our break. Um, and we were talking
about how it was kind of serendipitous
[3:39:25] that the team is presenting today. It
was just by chance that they happened to
[3:39:30] be here on the same day we were doing
all of these community recognitions and
[3:39:33] our hall of fame and [music] this team
has so many strong connections with so
[3:39:38] many of our honores. So it it worked out
so well that you guys are here today. I
[3:39:42] was so excited for that. Um Dr. Welch
leads the team as our coordinator and
[3:39:46] multicight director and
[3:39:52] » excellent leader
>> fan club
[3:39:54] » little fan club. Um and she is going to
introduce the team um and they're going
[3:39:59] to share highlights of their work, the
growth of their program um and all the
[3:40:02] initiatives they're excited to take on
this year.
[3:40:05] » Dr. Welch, before you do that, I want to
give a special thank you before they
[3:40:08] start their presentation. As part of our
literacy initiative, um, one of the
[3:40:12] things that we've spent a lot of time
this first year doing is making
[3:40:16] connections that are intentional with
all of the, um, supports that we have in
[3:40:20] our school system. The Judy Center is
one of those supports when we talk about
[3:40:24] early childhood, our title one, and our
community schools. And they have done an
[3:40:28] excellent job making connections with
one another. And I also want to thank
[3:40:31] them from the bottom of my heart because
they are stretching and growing
[3:40:34] themselves professionally in order to
meet the needs of our students and our
[3:40:38] families. And so these these folks right
here are doing magical things um with
[3:40:42] our earliest learners and they are a
huge part of the success in grade three
[3:40:47] where we are and all the celebrations we
have around literacy. So thank you all
[3:40:50] before you present for all that you're
doing and for all the learning that
[3:40:54] you're doing and stretching and growing
yourself. And thank you Dr. Welch for
[3:40:57] your leadership. Well, we're excited to
be here this afternoon. Um, I have the
[3:41:02] pleasure of working with the ladies
sitting in front of you. Um, we're going
[3:41:07] to share information today on the
Worcester County Early Childhood
[3:41:12] Learning Hub. Um, we're really excited
about this work we're doing. We're also
[3:41:18] going to be going through our all of our
um component standards. Our Judy centers
[3:41:24] are located in our three title one
schools. Pocamok, Buckingham, and Snow
[3:41:29] Hill. And the work they do aligns, like
Dr. Wallace said, perfectly with her
[3:41:36] vision for all children reading on grade
level by grade three. I think one of the
[3:41:41] things that's important to note is that
we're completely funded by the Maryland
[3:41:46] State Department of Education through a
grant, which is just under a million
[3:41:49] dollars. And what we've been able to do
this year, which we're so proud of, is
[3:41:55] expand services through acquiring local
grants. And I'm proud to say that we're
[3:42:02] in the numbers of over 50,000 in grant
funds for that the team has written for
[3:42:08] um programs and resources for our
families. [applause]
[3:42:12] So, it's my pleasure to introduce my
team. Um, look, I'm getting tearary. Dr.
[3:42:18] It's been such an emotional afternoon
because all those people were in my life
[3:42:22] too, Dr. Wallace. Um, I am so excited to
introduce them. They worked so hard
[3:42:27] every day. And I'm going to start down
on this end. I've And they're going to
[3:42:31] stand and wave. Um, I've got Miss Latoya
Pernell. Latoya is the site facilitator
[3:42:36] at Pocomoke Elementary School. Next,
I've got Miss Natasha Johnson. Natasha
[3:42:42] is also um at Pokamok Elementary uh
family service coordinator. I've got
[3:42:47] Tanya um Davis. Tanya is um the site
facilitator at Buckingham Elementary
[3:42:53] School. I've got Jesse Talls uh site
facilitator at Snow Hill Elementary
[3:42:58] School. Blair I'm sorry, let me get it
right because she got married on
[3:43:02] Saturday. [snorts] Meredith Lynch Blair
Meredith
[3:43:07] [applause] Blair is the family service
coordinator at Buckingham Elementary
[3:43:12] School. And last but not least, the
wonderful Ashley Fitham, who is the
[3:43:16] family service coordinator at Snow Hill
Elementary School. So, we have a really
[3:43:21] great presentation to share with you
today. The work is exciting. I mean, my
[3:43:25] job now is holding babies. I held two
yesterday and had the best little play
[3:43:29] group in the whole world at Pocamok
Elementary and Snow Hill Elementary
[3:43:32] School. So, I'm going to turn the
microphone over to Miss Tanya Davis and
[3:43:36] she's gonna share.
>> Thank you, Chris.
[3:43:42] The mission of the Judy Center is to
support children ages birth to five and
[3:43:47] their families. Through early learning
programs, we prepare the children for
[3:43:51] school readiness and help them build a
strong foundation for success in school
[3:43:55] and life.
[3:44:02] Next, we will have our five components
by Miss Victoria.
[3:44:07] » All right. Thank you, Miss Davis. So
first component is full day full year.
[3:44:12] Second component is our family support.
Third component is our family
[3:44:17] engagement. Fourth is our um early
identification and outreach. And our
[3:44:22] fifth one is partnership. Don't worry,
we're going to explain each and every
[3:44:26] one of them.
[3:44:30] Thank you, Miss Pernell. All right.
First component, full year, full day.
[3:44:34] Pretty much explains what it is. Um
there's a Judy Center. We're consistent
[3:44:37] year round. services providing for 12
months meaning we are here all through
[3:44:42] the summer providing services for our
families um and also in our catchment
[3:44:48] area. So Pocamok, Snow Hill, Buckingham
um we're just here. We're here for
[3:44:54] everybody for our communities. Um our
family support um pretty much we help
[3:44:59] get our families. We are a resource hub.
So whatever you know they might need
[3:45:05] Hello. Oh, okay. um goal setting, case
management, which is what I do, Miss
[3:45:10] Blair, Miss Ashley. Um family education,
home visiting, um food support, that's
[3:45:16] what we do. Um
and with the education, I have been
[3:45:21] working with a Turkish family. Come on
up, Miss Pernell.
[3:45:26] Um these translator earbuds, they work.
Um, so while we're waiting for her to
[3:45:32] get um what she needs for her English as
a second language with the adult ed, um
[3:45:37] she has been using these. She used them
yesterday for the first time during our
[3:45:41] little learners try playgroup
and they worked. She was so excited. She
[3:45:47] was able to participate. Her kids were
able to participate. So they work
[3:45:51] wonders. They work wonders. So um $99 on
Amazon.
[3:45:59] All right. Hello everybody. I'm going to
go over component standard number three
[3:46:02] which is family engagement. And there's
two main pieces to this um component
[3:46:07] that when we look to start talking about
it which is little learners for little
[3:46:11] learners is our play group and that we
for that we follow the MSE early
[3:46:14] learning standards which cover covers
children birth to just under four.
[3:46:19] Beyond that it is the college and career
readiness standards. So, in our little
[3:46:23] learners classrooms, it might look like
we're having fun and singing and
[3:46:26] dancing, which we are. But there is a
reason behind every single thing that
[3:46:30] we're doing. We follow those standards
to make sure that we're working on early
[3:46:33] literacy, early math, maybe uh fine
motor development. Um, it's a really
[3:46:39] important thing for us to integrate into
our playrs and also teach the parents
[3:46:43] why we're doing what we're doing so that
they can go home and and practice those
[3:46:48] skills there as well. The second part to
that is the um family engagement events
[3:46:53] themselves and we are um asked by the
state to do 12 of those at least 12 of
[3:46:59] those per site per year. So some of them
are whole group in conjunction with our
[3:47:04] title one and our community schools.
Whether it's a literacy night, a math
[3:47:08] night, our whole school is there and
it's a great opportunity for our
[3:47:12] families to meet um the admin team, the
school counselor who they're going to go
[3:47:16] and register with um in the spring to
see the teachers interacting with their
[3:47:21] students. It's a great opportunity for
their families to feel like they're a
[3:47:24] part of our bigger school community
right from the very beginning. And so
[3:47:28] many of our families, this is the first
experience they have with our school
[3:47:31] system. So, we want to make sure it's a
really positive one right from the very
[3:47:34] beginning. The only exception to the
rule when it comes to following the
[3:47:38] early learning standards is we have
three family engagement events a year
[3:47:42] that are just for fun. We're celebrating
our families for them coming out and
[3:47:46] dedicating all their time getting their
little ones ready for school. That's our
[3:47:50] prom, our preschool prom, our spring
celebration, and then we have an
[3:47:54] endofear field trip to um Frontier Town.
And that's really again just to build
[3:47:59] our Judy Center community and celebrate
those parents and all the time and
[3:48:03] dedication they have put into their
kiddo. So um the number component number
[3:48:08] four is early identification and
outreach. And really that just talks
[3:48:11] about wants to know how are we um
working with families who have a child
[3:48:15] with a disability or a suspected
disability. The easy answer to that is
[3:48:19] that we our doors are open to everybody.
We we try to accommodate anyone who can
[3:48:23] come in the door. If you can get there,
we're going to work with you. We also um
[3:48:27] work closely with our infants and
toddlers families, our team to make sure
[3:48:30] that those families who have a kiddo
that might have a concern, if there's
[3:48:34] something that pops up on an ASQ or a
family notices something or we notice
[3:48:38] something, our family service
coordinators can make a referral to our
[3:48:41] infants and toddlers team to get the
ball rolling on getting that family some
[3:48:44] extra support. Um the outreach piece,
we're we're supposed to do two formal
[3:48:50] outreach um events a month. If you know
any of us, the outreach does not stop.
[3:48:55] If there is a baby around us, we're
going to find you and ask you where that
[3:48:58] baby is during the day. We send people
to other counties and talk about their
[3:49:02] Judy Center if they're not one of us.
So, it's an ongoing process. If you know
[3:49:06] anybody that has a baby, send them our
way. We will put them in the cor the
[3:49:11] correct um school and get them some
help. Okay. Thank you. I'm gonna pass it
[3:49:15] on to Yes.
>> All right. First of all, Dr. Wallace,
[3:49:21] open your bag real quick. Okay.
>> All right. First of all, hold your bag
[3:49:26] up. Hold your bag up there. The other
way. There's a QR code. So, if you scan
[3:49:33] that QR code, it goes straight to our
interest um form. Now, Dr. Wallace, open
[3:49:38] your bag.
>> Yep.
[3:49:42] Pull out your t-shirt.
>> Okay.
[3:49:44] » Yeah. That
>> Yeah, girl. Yeah.
[3:49:49] Yeah. Go ahead and put it on. Go ahead.
Go ahead.
[3:49:54] We got something special on that
t-shirt, too.
[3:49:56] » Huh? Y'all are now a part of the
outreach team. So, when you walk around
[3:50:03] with your t-shirt, there is a QR code
that goes straight to our interest form.
[3:50:09] So, if you don't know a lot about the
Judy Center, you ain't got to even talk
[3:50:13] to them. Just tell them scan it. So, our
um partnerships, these are just a few of
[3:50:20] the partners. Our partners are growing
every day because they're hearing the
[3:50:24] wonderful work that the Judy Center is
providing. So, just to name a few, we
[3:50:28] already mentioned our infants and
toddlers, of course, Worester County
[3:50:32] Public Schools. Give y'all hand give yel
a round of applause. our people's
[3:50:36] services, our adult education, we have
Wister Gold, we have um the library, we
[3:50:43] have the Rotary Club, we have we got
better no that is now first waves, we
[3:50:50] have first waves, we have our bundles of
joy, we have our um daycarees, we have a
[3:50:56] lot of partnerships that we are
connected to and we have um a steering
[3:51:00] committee where we meet with all of them
throughout the year. I think I got the
[3:51:04] next slide, too.
I just heard, "How can we help?" Is that
[3:51:10] what I just heard? That's what I just
heard. I think I JUST HEARD HOW CAN WE
[3:51:13] HELP. [laughter and screaming]
I'M GLAD YOU ASKED. SO, here's our
[3:51:17] calendar of events for October. You have
all of the calendar events for each site
[3:51:24] on here. If you are able and you are
free, come and join us to our events.
[3:51:31] Now, I just want to say one thing.
October 22nd. So we have a trunk or
[3:51:35] treat every single year. Okay. Chunk or
treat is kind of fun. Da da da da da.
[3:51:39] Okay. This year because our wonderful
superintendent gave us a brilliant idea.
[3:51:46] So our theme is going to be there is a
story in every trunk.
[3:51:52] All right. So if you can come on out.
We're going to encourage our partners
[3:51:57] for each of their trunk to be some type
of story. whether it be elementary
[3:52:01] school level, middle school level, or
high school level. Dr. Rain, Mr.
[3:52:05] Stigler, I'm sorry I ruined the
surprise. I didn't tell y'all yet, but
[3:52:09] that's what it's going to be. So, we're
excited about that and we're excited to
[3:52:13] get our community a part of it. But like
I said, every single site has something
[3:52:19] interesting going on every single month.
So, if you are available, please come
[3:52:23] out and join us. Thank you so much for
this opportunity.
[3:52:32] We're so happy with the work that we're
doing. Um I you can tell some of us love
[3:52:36] the microphone, others like to control
the computer over here. I tried to get
[3:52:41] them all to stand up and talk today, but
um we're giving them technical jobs
[3:52:46] here. And that's I want to just um let
you know that they're being very modest
[3:52:52] about the work they do. We have to give
an MSDE survey twice a year that uh
[3:52:58] surveys parents on school readiness and
child development. This team got a 98%
[3:53:03] satisfaction rate from their parents
around the work that they're doing and
[3:53:09] extremely positive comments. In fact,
last week I got a an email from one of
[3:53:13] Tanya's parents just saying how this
program is accessible to her because
[3:53:19] it's free. She's a stay-at-home mom and
we just don't have those opportunities
[3:53:25] in our rural communities. So, the things
that we're doing, the services we're
[3:53:30] providing, the home visiting, we're
transitioning to a brand new program. I
[3:53:34] know you all are surprised, but we've
worked together to make a lot of
[3:53:37] positive change this year. And we're so
excited to start on year two of just
[3:53:43] drudging forward and making sure all
kids are ready for school. Um, do you
[3:53:47] have any questions before we move on?
And the ladies can answer anything that
[3:53:50] you want them to.
>> Board members, Dr. Andy's,
[3:53:54] » I don't I don't have a question. I just
want to thank you for all the work that
[3:53:59] you do. Dr. Welsh, thank you for your
leadership. Uh, this is exciting. I'm
[3:54:04] hope I'm able to attend these events. If
you ever need a therapy dog,
[3:54:10] » uh, let me know and I'll bring a woolly
rough coat collie to an event and, uh,
[3:54:17] as a therapy dog. And uh I also want to
point out that Judy Centers, they got
[3:54:22] their name from the fact that
Congressman Stanny Hoyer, who's retiring
[3:54:28] this year, and he's been in the House of
Representatives since 1981,
[3:54:33] his wife Judy
>> Judith Hoyer, right, was an element was
[3:54:38] an early childhood education teacher in
Prince George's County. Then she oversaw
[3:54:43] u the uh early childhood education
program in Prince George's County and
[3:54:48] unfortunately she passed due to cancer.
And so consequently the Judy Centers
[3:54:53] throughout Maryland are named after a
phenomenal early childhood education
[3:54:59] teacher and leader. So I I thank you for
everything you do. Uh contact me if you
[3:55:05] need a fluffy therapy dog to come to any
event. Thank you.
[3:55:10] » Thank you, Dr. Any
other any other board members?
[3:55:17] Um Chris, I just want to again I echo
some of what Dr. Annie said, but thank
[3:55:21] you for your leadership and just sitting
here, I want to start standing up and
[3:55:25] jumping around because these ladies are
so enthusiastic. I mean, they they have
[3:55:28] so much enthusiasm. I can only imagine
how much fun you have.
[3:55:31] » Come to a playgroup sometime. It would
blow you away to see babies. Just
[3:55:36] yesterday, there were three brand new
within the last four months babies at
[3:55:42] Jesse's site. Latoya had one up front
that's pretty new at one year. And we,
[3:55:48] this is the crazy part, there are three
pregnant moms at Snow Hill site
[3:55:52] yesterday. Wow.
>> So, we've got job security at least for
[3:55:55] now. But Dr. Andy's failed to mention
that 25 years ago in February, he pulled
[3:56:01] me out of my first grade classroom and I
started that first Judy Center in at
[3:56:06] Snow Hill Elementary School and it was
uh quite the roller coaster ride at
[3:56:10] first because we really didn't know what
we were doing and then we figured it out
[3:56:13] really quickly. Dr. Walker was uh very
um important in that uh journey and it
[3:56:19] was a great opportunity for our
community and now three communities. So,
[3:56:24] thank you for having us this afternoon.
We really appreciate
[3:56:27] » Oh, they have a video.
>> Let's see. Let's see the video.
[3:56:30] » Oh, you want to see it? It's babies. It
was 7 minutes and we had to tailor it
[3:56:34] down cuz Natasha got a little excited
with the pictures. Thank you everyone.
[3:56:38] » Thank you.
[3:56:55] Up
[3:57:04] first
[3:57:13] time.
[3:57:24] » [panting]
[3:57:27] » Down
every day
[3:57:35] down.
[3:57:45] Heat.
[3:58:05] Heat.
[3:58:41] Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
[3:58:46] [applause]
[3:58:49] » Okay,
Miss SS, we're still with you and you're
[3:58:53] going to bring up Tamara, right?
>> So, our first presentation focused on
[3:58:59] our littlest learners um and starting
out. Our second presentation is going to
[3:59:04] take us into our extended um day
learning and summer programs. We're
[3:59:09] going to highlight our summermies and
the wide range of summer learning
[3:59:13] opportunities that are available to
students in Worcester County Public
[3:59:15] Schools. Uh we have a long-standing
commitment to providing free highquality
[3:59:19] summer learning. This year, more than a
thousand students participated in
[3:59:23] programs designed to strengthen academic
skills while also providing engaging
[3:59:27] enrichment, relationship building, and
new experiences. Um, additionally they
[3:59:32] participated in targeted reading and
mathematics instruction, STEM, arts,
[3:59:36] health and wellness, other enrichment
opportunities that included stat camp,
[3:59:41] um, focusing on career exploration, and
then Crescendo Camp, which expanded
[3:59:45] access to music education for students
across our county. We are excited to
[3:59:50] take a closer look at the students we
served this summer and what their
[3:59:53] experience was. And uh, Tamara has some
excellent data to share as well. It's my
[3:59:57] pleasure to turn the presentation over
to Miss Tamara Mills and find out more.
[4:00:02] Thank you.
>> Thank you so much. Thank you for that
[4:00:04] lovely introduction. I don't have gifts
and I don't have a cheering section. I'm
[4:00:08] sorry. Oh,
[applause]
[4:00:12] thank you so much. I love that. Thank
you. Thank you. Um, so I'm just going to
[4:00:16] talk a little bit about summer today and
all the wonderful things that happened.
[4:00:19] Um it there is a lot of data in these
slides. So I encourage so I'm going to
[4:00:23] go quickly but I encourage you if you
want to really dive into it. We will
[4:00:27] have this posted on our website after
the meeting and I think you all have it.
[4:00:30] Um board members you have it in case
there are any additional questions. So
[4:00:35] just a couple of things our summer
academy at a glance I have the dates
[4:00:38] here. Um we'll talk just a bit about
demographics and what we really try to
[4:00:42] focus on is that whole child growth. So,
as Miss Sil's um mentioned, there's a
[4:00:48] lot of opportunities for students in the
summer. We try to keep it very student
[4:00:51] centered. And after our traditional
program that I'll talk about, we'll talk
[4:00:55] about the Crescendo Camp and the Stack
Camp. So, as you mentioned, over a
[4:00:58] thousand students this year, you'll see
that we definitely have higher
[4:01:01] participation at our elementary and uh
intermediate levels, which is great. We
[4:01:06] saw a little bit of a decrease in the
middle school this year. So, that's
[4:01:08] where we're going to focus some efforts
next year in trying to get more of those
[4:01:13] students in. Um, and you'll see that
over almost half of the program is free
[4:01:18] and reduced meal students, which is
really important. They get those summer
[4:01:21] meals and then they get the education
part and the enrichment piece. about 27%
[4:01:26] of the summer program was our was
special needs students and then um
[4:01:30] almost 10% and our of our ML population
which is great because summer is a
[4:01:34] wonderful opportunity for them to be
getting that additional support and
[4:01:39] intervention. Um participation by site
tech had the largest program but that is
[4:01:45] mainly because they have our stat
program which we'll talk about later.
[4:01:48] Um, but then just under that is
Buckingham Elementary and Snow Hill
[4:01:53] Elementary, which are title one schools.
So, that's really important to get those
[4:01:56] title one students in. And then you'll
see Pommo Kai and Snow Hill Middle just
[4:02:00] after that.
For our early learn learning kiddos, the
[4:02:04] the classes really focus on learning
routines, language, play, and
[4:02:08] interaction. At the elementary level,
we're focusing on foundational literacy,
[4:02:14] numeracy, and the hands-on practice that
sometimes um the that additional
[4:02:18] hands-on practice that's needed beyond
just a regular school year. And then for
[4:02:22] our secondary kiddos, um and I still
call them kiddos even though high
[4:02:26] schoolers, sorry ladies don't want to be
called kiddos, but um it's really more
[4:02:31] about targeted academic support and
skill building. So really taking a look
[4:02:35] at what skills they need to then be
successful after traditional high
[4:02:40] school. So we again we try to focus on
small groupoup interventions. So as
[4:02:45] you're if you're going through a summer
academy class you'll see they are
[4:02:48] smaller typically than a traditional
class. Um we love the fact that it
[4:02:53] allows the teachers to really model and
practice skills um again more so than
[4:02:59] during the regular year. We also focus a
lot on the the fact that it's summertime
[4:03:04] and really having uh a lot of fun. So,
you know, yes, it's learning and yes,
[4:03:09] sometimes it's tutoring and
interventions, but it's also a fun place
[4:03:13] for our kids to be. They play games. We
have outdoor experiences.
[4:03:17] Um and then relationships are really
important. It again gives our teachers
[4:03:22] that opportunity to expand upon
relationships, maybe get to know the
[4:03:26] parents even better than they normally
would. um and it allows for us to check
[4:03:31] in a lot of times with our social
emotional um needs for some students.
[4:03:36] We started last year, not not 26 but 25.
Um what I really loved about the kind of
[4:03:43] transition of the exec team is they
really wanted to start focus on what's
[4:03:46] really happening in summer, right? We
hear about it, we see pictures, but it's
[4:03:52] really nice. They started doing
leadership walks. Some of you guys have
[4:03:55] joined them over the last two years. Um
but really kind of walking in looking at
[4:03:59] the engagement um is you know noticing
is the instruction really targeted, is
[4:04:05] it responsive? So we really appreciated
those visits from our executive team to
[4:04:10] really kind of guide us and improve the
program over the years. Um we did have
[4:04:14] over 600 students, parents and staff
complete a survey this year um
[4:04:19] voluntary. We sent it out at the end of
summer academy and said give us your
[4:04:23] feedback. Um we were really really
pleased on a scale of one to five for
[4:04:28] several different indicators. Um
overwhelmingly anywhere from 73 to 92%
[4:04:33] is scoring our program at a four or
five. And for kids to do that you know
[4:04:38] number one a lot of people think kids
don't want to be at school in the
[4:04:41] summer. The fact is yes they're learning
but it's a lot of fun. So for them to
[4:04:45] say that their overall experience was
nearly at a 90 90% of those students are
[4:04:51] saying a four or a five was very
exciting. And then our staff voice
[4:04:57] really great numbers. We were really
happy to see that our staff was happy.
[4:05:01] They enjoyed the opportunity and they're
scoring at a four or five overwhelmingly
[4:05:05] high. And then our family students as
well. So we can see here one one area we
[4:05:10] want to work on is our communication. Um
the extended school administrators did a
[4:05:14] really great job this year and it was
fairly new of sending home a meet your
[4:05:19] teacher um sheet because typically you
know you get that during the school year
[4:05:24] but then here comes summer you have them
for 19 days or so and you don't know who
[4:05:29] is teaching your child necessarily
unless you make it a point to ask. So,
[4:05:34] um, a lot of the extended school
administrators sent home those, um,
[4:05:38] those meet your teachers, and I think it
really did improve the communication
[4:05:42] between the schools, but we still have a
little ways to go on that.
[4:05:46] And again, this is just a summary slide
of a lot of the information from the
[4:05:50] surveys that you're welcome to dig into.
I did choose two schools to kind of look
[4:05:54] at some data um, or to share with you
rather, some data or some highlights.
[4:05:59] Um, so this is Pokemok Elementary
School. We pulled together some pre and
[4:06:03] post data on school readiness, literacy,
and math. Um, just a couple of things
[4:06:08] that I want to point out. Their
attendance was fantastic at 87%.
[4:06:12] Anything over 80% in the summer, it it's
really good. Um, SKBs, which are their
[4:06:18] early childhood skills, knowledge, and
behavior scores went up 26 points from
[4:06:23] the beginning of summer program to the
end. And then in their grade one math,
[4:06:28] um, they had a 4.4% four% incre or 4.4
point increase of their average scores
[4:06:36] from their pre- to their post test. So
that was very exciting.
[4:06:39] And then I took Pokug Middle School and
Snow Hill Middle School and just kind of
[4:06:44] looked at again a couple of the math
pieces of math data. And the reason I
[4:06:48] chose math is that our coordinator for
math, Sarah Blackburn, this year she
[4:06:53] revamped the curriculum for the summer
program um because we got some feedback
[4:06:58] in past years that yes, it was good, but
they didn't know if it really addressed
[4:07:02] some of the um significant learning
deficits. And so she took data to took a
[4:07:09] look at what students are really
needing. And so at Pokemok Middle, they
[4:07:13] had an 18% increase in the average score
from pre-to post test in their skills.
[4:07:18] And then at Snow Hill Middle, a 24%
increase in that average math skill. So
[4:07:24] really good numbers and really um
showing us that the changes Blackburn
[4:07:28] made did make an impact.
Sorry, I'm talking very quickly.
[4:07:36] [laughter]
>> I did. Thank you. This is probably our
[4:07:41] mo most in-depth summer academy report.
Well, it definitely is the most we've
[4:07:44] ever done, but I think it's important to
really focus more on it. Um, and Dr.
[4:07:48] Wallace, you've pointed out just really
making sure that this opportunity is is
[4:07:53] used and used well. So, we had a
crescendo camp also thanks to our
[4:08:00] funders, our Worester County Education
Foundation and Chamber of Music by the
[4:08:03] Sea um for a couple of reasons. one,
expanding our current strings program is
[4:08:10] very important to all of us. It really
it's it's an art form that a lot of
[4:08:14] students don't necessarily have access
to and and then just overall providing
[4:08:18] more access to students in the area of
music. So, we started a program um we
[4:08:26] this year we took one full week um 22
rising fifth and sixth graders from
[4:08:32] across the county and we decided to we
we worked with Daniel Bowen from
[4:08:36] Symphony 21 who is actually a Decar grad
and an amazing musician. He's done work
[4:08:42] all over the world and he brings in
musicians from all over the country and
[4:08:47] sometimes from other countries and we
wanted them to have this experience
[4:08:52] » [clears throat]
>> excuse me, an experience where they
[4:08:54] could try something new and they could
really kind of find what they loved. I
[4:08:59] mean, we were really surprised. I was
really surprised. Maybe you won't be Dr.
[4:09:02] Andy's. I was surprised at how many
students had never picked up a violin
[4:09:07] and by the end of that fourth day was
like, I want to play the violin. So, it
[4:09:12] was really overwhelmingly positive. It
wasn't just like, oh, this was fun. It
[4:09:16] was like, this is what I want to do. Um,
so that was wonderful.
[4:09:22] So here were some of the concepts that
we focused on. Um again string
[4:09:26] instruments, ensemble performance, so
performing with a group of students, not
[4:09:31] just by yourself, producing sound, stage
lighting and how the lighting can impact
[4:09:37] the mood of the music and how people
experience it. And then creativity
[4:09:44] and just a couple of demographics
pieces. Um 68% of our participants were
[4:09:49] farm students. So again, that population
of students who may not be able to go
[4:09:53] out and get lessons or go out and buy a
violin. 14% were special needs students.
[4:09:59] So again, giving them an opportunity
that they might not have or see or
[4:10:06] really be exposed to um during the
regular day. And I do have a short
[4:10:11] video, but I'm I'm gonna hold and see if
we just have a couple seconds at the
[4:10:14] end. Um, our next program that we that I
wanted to highlight is our stack camp.
[4:10:20] Many of you have seen our stack camp
before and you've visited and I thank
[4:10:23] you for that. I do want to point out
that we have Miss Nancy Schwenderman in
[4:10:26] the audience and she's here to support
us. Um, this funding for this program
[4:10:31] comes from Rural Maryland Council and
our local county commissioners. So, she
[4:10:36] works in our economic development office
and really the point of this program is
[4:10:41] to work with students on kind of two,
well, I'd say three-fold, right? One is
[4:10:46] to on her end to really start developing
internships and apprenticeships. For us,
[4:10:51] it's about career exploration and really
having students experience the tech high
[4:10:55] school before they go to the tech high
school. and um and also just again
[4:11:01] getting kids that um may not be doing
anything in the summer to now try
[4:11:06] something new and and experience the
tech high school. So at a glance we had
[4:11:10] 118 registered um 70 of those registered
for both sessions. It's two two-week
[4:11:16] camps.
[4:11:20] Um by grade level we're finding we
extended it to eighth grade a couple of
[4:11:24] years ago. We started at just n to 12th
graders. we extended it and uh eth and
[4:11:29] ninth graders overwhelmingly make up um
the majority of our students
[4:11:34] for countywide participation. Obviously
with having a larger population at the
[4:11:38] north end, Decatur uh middle and high
tend to have the most um but it's also
[4:11:42] great to see that there are quite a few
of our Pamok and Snow Hill students
[4:11:46] because we want all students to be able
to experience this.
[4:11:50] And then of the pathways that seemed to
be the most popular, um we had laser
[4:11:55] cutting, cosmetology, audio and video
production, biomed, and carpentry.
[4:11:59] Rounded out the first or the top five.
And we took a look at some growth. So is
[4:12:06] Tony Bevakqua still here? Oh no, he had
to dig uh do pop out. But he provided he
[4:12:12] helped us provide some of the pre and
post data. So, with each pathway, a
[4:12:16] student will take a skills assessment at
the beginning and then they'll take an
[4:12:21] assessment at the end. Um, and you'll
see that from session one to session
[4:12:25] two, um, they had great growth in the
the actual skill or skills that they
[4:12:30] were working with. And this is 16
pathways, but the reason it's different
[4:12:34] on here is because there were 14
pathways, but two of them, a lot of them
[4:12:39] duplicated. Two of them were only in one
session. And so the 14 plus the two
[4:12:43] extra.
And that is a wrapup essentially of all
[4:12:49] the wonderful things happening during
the summer months in Worcester County
[4:12:53] Public Schools.
>> You have Okay. I just
[4:12:57] » Go ahead and play the video.
>> Okay. I loaded up the video and it's
[4:12:59] just going to be a second like there's
it's like a 10-minute video, but what I
[4:13:02] did was just
let me see. Not sure if our sound will
[4:13:08] cooperate.
Heat.
[4:13:25] [music]
[4:13:31] Heat. [music]
[4:13:38] » [music]
[4:13:46] [music]
[4:14:22] » And those students had not ever picked
up a violin four days prior to this. So,
[4:14:27] it was very exciting.
>> Any questions? Okay, board members, any
[4:14:33] questions?
>> Yes, Miss Mcomeus.
[4:14:35] » I I managed to get to the crescendo.
>> Yes.
[4:14:38] » Oh my gosh. They were so excited about
playing violins and and talking with
[4:14:43] them to realize they'd never picked one
up before.
[4:14:47] » I I was in awe over how excited they
were. Um and I also had the privilege of
[4:14:53] being able to visit stat camp and
between the two, thank you. I mean, our
[4:14:59] kids are so unbelievably blessed to have
this in the summer and to be able to
[4:15:05] maintain both their skills,
reading, math, whatever, as well as
[4:15:14] exploration of what they want to do.
Thank you.
[4:15:17] » Thank you. And thanks so much to our
funders. We could not do this without
[4:15:21] the multiple grants and the generous
community members and our county
[4:15:25] commissioners. and um we couldn't do it
alone. So, it's it's really been great
[4:15:29] over the last several years really
expanding these opportunities.
[4:15:33] » Any other board members? Dr. Andy's um I
just wanted to thank Miss Mills Tamara
[4:15:39] for your outstanding leadership of this
program. I think this is one of those
[4:15:43] other duties as assigned. I I believe
that's correct in my assumption and you
[4:15:48] do an absolutely phenomenal job. Uh the
crescendo camp was your idea.
[4:15:54] It just say no,
>> it was a collaborative idea, but yes.
[4:15:58] » No, it was your idea. You made it
happen. You pulled it off and you built
[4:16:04] confidence in those 22 students because
the violin is one of the most difficult
[4:16:10] instruments to play, very difficult
instrument to play. And if a student can
[4:16:15] play the violin, they can do anything in
their lives. So, thank you.
[4:16:20] » Thank you. I appreciate it. And I do I
want to also thank Dr. Wallace for sort
[4:16:24] of having first of all for supporting
the arts the way she does because as I
[4:16:28] go to state meetings I don't always find
that other coordinators in my shoes feel
[4:16:33] that kind of support. Um and and then
she has lots of crazy ideas too and and
[4:16:39] she's like can we make this happen? Of
course we can make it happen.
[4:16:42] » Cameron never tells me
>> yes
[4:16:45] » but I have an idea that we'll talk
about.
[4:16:46] » Oh boy. Oh boy. [laughter] See what I
mean?
[4:16:49] » Any other um any other board members
have any comments?
[4:16:52] » Yeah. I'll just say as a former violin
player from fourth to seventh grade that
[4:16:56] it's not always the most soughta
instrument. It's lumpy on the bus and at
[4:17:01] the bus stop, but they probably wouldn't
have picked that. But that was a pretty
[4:17:05] cool upbeat thing. And then hearing you
say like the top um categories in my
[4:17:09] brain as a mom, I'm just like, "Oh,
they're all the hands-on categories
[4:17:12] because these kids like to be busy and
they like to be doing things and this is
[4:17:16] giving them an opportunity to try
something that they may never do."
[4:17:19] » Absolutely.
>> So, I think that that's awesome.
[4:17:21] » Thank you. Thank you. And we really are
in this rural area a daycare desert as
[4:17:25] many people know. So the summertimes
they're hard on parents and families. Um
[4:17:30] and while daycare is not the purpose of
summer academy, it certainly provides
[4:17:34] that place where our kids can do things
that parents might not otherwise have
[4:17:39] the opportunity to to provide for them.
>> Any other board members? U Tamara, I
[4:17:43] just want to first thank you for your
leadership.
[4:17:46] » Whatever you take on, you do an
outstanding job with. you've you've done
[4:17:50] so many different programs and you
always do the best for us and we
[4:17:53] certainly appreciate it. But more than
anything else, the opportunities that
[4:17:56] these these young uh students get to
participate in. I went to stack camp as
[4:18:02] well. Um it was it was outstanding, you
know, from from going to different
[4:18:07] rooms, being outside with the goats, um
all different um experiences that we
[4:18:12] had.
>> Everybody loves the baby goat.
[4:18:13] » Yeah, the baby goats were great. and
then and then just all all the different
[4:18:18] programs that we're able to offer the
students in the summertime. It's it's an
[4:18:22] incredible opportunity for them. So, I
just want to thank you and your staff
[4:18:26] for what you do. Um it's really great
and we we look forward to continuing it
[4:18:30] and I want to hear about this idea that
Dr. Wallace has. So,
[4:18:33] » thank you. I guess I guess I do too.
[laughter]
[4:18:37] » Thank you.
>> Thank you all very much.
[4:18:40] » Thank you.
[applause]
[4:18:46] Okay, now I'm going to turn it over to
Dr. Record. We have um Miss Phillips
[4:18:50] coming up for a special education
staffing plan. Thank you, Mr. Fonte. It
[4:18:54] is my pleasure to introduce uh Miss
Wendy Phillips and Miss Best Cropper who
[4:19:01] will be coming forward to discuss the
staffing plan in different phases. Uh
[4:19:06] Mr. Fronte, the discussion and
presentation should [snorts] follow with
[4:19:11] a recommendation for approval as an
action item if that's okay.
[4:19:15] » Yes, I see it here and I I'm I'm
assuming Dr. Recorder that the
[4:19:19] superintendent approves
>> that that is the plan. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
[4:19:25] » So, um without further ado, we'd like to
u direct your attention.
[4:19:30] » Welcome Phillips.
>> Thank you.
[4:19:34] » I think I just push it up. It's on.
There you go. You're on now.
[4:19:39] » Okay.
Gosh, I following that. I don't know
[4:19:44] about you guys, but I think we need this
every week and I need it on Tuesday
[4:19:47] afternoons and I'm going to come to
every single one because I walking out
[4:19:50] of here with pom poms in my hand for
Worcester County Public Schools and our
[4:19:54] powerful community. Hearing about our
community that supports our our families
[4:19:58] is just um absolutely amazing. So, I'm
going to talk to you today. Let me
[4:20:03] present her view. Sorry.
Okay, I'm going to talk to you today
[4:20:07] about the staffing plan. You have the
staffing plan in front of you, but I'm
[4:20:10] going to give you some information to
help you understand some of the um the
[4:20:14] data around everything that we do uh
with our students in Worcester County
[4:20:18] Public Schools. So, here is our part C
and part B numbers right now. Um in part
[4:20:23] C, that is birth to age five. Um those
students have an individual family
[4:20:29] service plan different than the IEP.
It's an IFSP. Um and it uh we have 201
[4:20:38] last year, children last year. It is our
highest number yet. Um we were at 88 in
[4:20:45] 23 24 that is basically the majority of
that is because of the outreach that
[4:20:51] we've done with our communities and
we've started a literacy program back in
[4:20:55] 22 23. We started a lit literacy program
called Mother Goose on the Loose where
[4:21:00] our teachers are and service providers
actually go to the libraries and they uh
[4:21:05] teach lessons and then give out our
information. So, hey, by the way, we're
[4:21:09] the we're the infants and toddlers and I
think the Judy Center is actually uh
[4:21:13] doing that program now too. But
originally, it started in special ed
[4:21:17] through a collaboration with Somerset
back in 2223. So it is um really helped
[4:21:22] us get children from there, get that out
there and then of course our outreach
[4:21:26] with um the pediatricians and other
other services that we
[4:21:30] » Can you also talk about your new
referral to qualify?
[4:21:34] » Oh yes. when um kids well we have a
universal referral form um that's on the
[4:21:39] website and that um when uh thanks to
best crap for setting that up um what uh
[4:21:45] parents can go on there uh ask for
resources a request for resources and it
[4:21:50] goes out to all of the early childhood
partners um and then um Bass also has a
[4:21:56] card uh a um what is it
>> a QR code um and you can scan that and
[4:22:02] you can get that and that's something
that they've had for years within the
[4:22:05] infants and toddlers program. Uh a a
card that they leave um everywhere. So
[4:22:09] you can find those um and that outreach
has really helped us get our babies. Um
[4:22:16] you can see that uh we serve the least
amount in zero to one and that's because
[4:22:21] they might not be referred yet. The
developmental disabilities might not be
[4:22:25] there yet um and they might not see
them. Um and then our majority are in
[4:22:30] that two to three category because
pediatricians everybody starts to
[4:22:33] realize when students are you know maybe
struggling meeting in uh in one of those
[4:22:37] five domains meeting expectations um and
we look for them there. So part B we
[4:22:43] actually have the highest number here we
have 839.
[4:22:47] Um this has not raised the percentage of
students with disabilities in Worcester
[4:22:53] County. We've raised, we're still at 12%
of students with disabilities, but our
[4:22:58] population in Worcester County has
increased. So, and then of course I'll
[4:23:02] show a little bit on the next slide. Can
we go back to your part C and just make
[4:23:06] the I just want the board to know that
we intentionally with the help of Bess
[4:23:10] and Wendy and Chris Welch um
intentionally made that connection with
[4:23:15] that referral form of when kids don't
qualify for birth to three because one
[4:23:20] of the things we know is we can identify
our struggling readers as early as 18
[4:23:24] months. And so what happens is is kids
are referred and then they don't
[4:23:28] necessarily qualify for the part C. And
what we're what we have then is that
[4:23:34] automatic connection that goes to the
Judy Center. So the Judy Center connects
[4:23:38] with them even if they don't qualify for
the part C. So that was something that
[4:23:41] was is an intentional something that
we've done as a team um to to help meet
[4:23:46] our reading initiative because we know
if we can get them early that's where we
[4:23:49] see the most traction. So that that was
something and thank you for making that
[4:23:54] accessible so that it shares out to
everybody now because that's a really
[4:23:57] big deal. It seems like something small,
but the problem was is when kids aren't
[4:24:01] qualifying for part C, we were missing
them in our district. And so that's
[4:24:05] allowed for us not to miss any kids. And
our and going from 88 to 201 um we are
[4:24:11] really Yes, we are really uh capturing
our our students um and get their
[4:24:17] children babies um at that time. Okay.
Um in this is uh what the disabilities
[4:24:24] within Worester County Public Schools.
Um you can see that the greatest number
[4:24:28] of students with disabilities or the
greatest percentage is SLD. That's our
[4:24:32] students with dyslexia, disgraphia,
um those types of disabilities and
[4:24:37] that's our greatest number of students
at 27 uh.4%. Maryland is at 25%. So
[4:24:43] we're right in line with Maryland. Our
second is OI, other health impaired.
[4:24:47] That might be a student with ADHD. That
might be a student with um diabetes that
[4:24:52] impacts their education. um it's a
health related uh disability and that's
[4:24:57] at 22.4%
and Maryland is at 16%. Um and autism is
[4:25:04] our third at 17.4%.
Where and autism in the state is at 19%.
[4:25:10] So we're close to the state on all of
those and those are our top three. I'm
[4:25:14] going to the next thing I'm going to
show you is going to blow your minds
[4:25:16] though. Just look at this.
our developmental delay, which is not
[4:25:22] one of the 13 IDA categories. It's
actually a uh eligibility that you can
[4:25:26] identify kids from birth um not yeah
birth and infants and toddlers until age
[4:25:31] eight and then they have to transfer
over into one of the other 13 IDA
[4:25:35] categories. With our increased
identification for students, children in
[4:25:41] part C, our developmental delay has gone
up 131%. because we're we're getting the
[4:25:47] children younger and this has happened
um since we've had 131% increase since
[4:25:53] 2015. Um and mainly since the 22 23
school year we've ended up you can see
[4:25:59] with the infants and toddlers how much
we have uh increased [music] our
[4:26:02] outreach and our autism growth is at
70.5%. Which is huge.
[4:26:08] » I I see.
>> Can I ask a question real quick?
[4:26:15] I'm sorry the the mic. It's my fault.
What age? What's the earliest age they
[4:26:21] can diagnosed autism? Just asking
because I had an autistic son. So,
[4:26:27] » well, the medical and the educational um
there's a medical diagnosis or an
[4:26:31] educational eligibility. There's two.
There's two different. So, we are
[4:26:35] education educational eligibility under
IDA. Sometimes kids come with us with
[4:26:40] that autism diagnosis in in preK3,
pre-K4 or they get it within infants and
[4:26:46] toddlers. Most of the time they do not
that medical diagnosis, but
[4:26:49] educationally we can actually do all the
assessments here and say they make the
[4:26:53] they are eligible under autism one of
the those 13.
[4:26:57] » They had the educational characteristics
of a child with
[4:27:00] » Right. And and when when do you see
those? Well, we in like she said earlier
[4:27:05] with infants and toddlers, we we are
looking for a developmental delay.
[4:27:10] » Okay.
>> Um substance of those eight babies that
[4:27:13] you saw up there um those normally are
come to us from the NICU and they're
[4:27:17] substance exposed newborns or a child
with a medical
[4:27:23] » need or a genetic disorder.
>> I'm sorry.
[4:27:26] » No, no, no. I I love the questions and
we love talking about it. We could talk
[4:27:29] about it every day all day. Um, okay.
So, we um we have seen a significant
[4:27:35] increase, but Maryland itself, we've
seen a 70% increase since uh 2015 in
[4:27:40] autism. Maryland itself has seen a 123%
increase. So, although we've seen a
[4:27:45] large increase here in Worcester,
Maryland is is much um much larger than
[4:27:51] what we have seen here in Worester.
>> Okay.
[4:27:55] » And it's not advancing. It's not your
hair. Click here.
[4:28:00] I'll just click it. Oh, there we go.
Okay. Um here is our uh heat map for our
[4:28:05] students. Um where they are placed. Uh
preK 3 and four are lumped together
[4:28:10] because in our data system uh the IEP
system doesn't see them as separate. So
[4:28:14] that um although they look like there's
a lot there that if you divide that by
[4:28:18] two, you have about the same as everyone
else. So it's about we normally sit
[4:28:23] about 50 to 60 across the 15 grades that
we we service in Worcester County. Um
[4:28:28] you can see that our highest are sixth
and tth grade. Well, they were the
[4:28:32] highest last year in fifth and ninth
grade when I presented with you. Um our
[4:28:36] 12th grade population is one of our
lowest. Um and what's great is that's
[4:28:42] because the kids have been exited along
the way, which is fantastic because
[4:28:46] we're seeing more students uh be exited
within Worcester County, which is
[4:28:49] fantastic because an IEP isn't a
lifetime sentence. It's to help you uh
[4:28:53] get back to grade level. 68% of kids
that participate in infants and toddlers
[4:28:58] in part C by grade three they will be
exited with from their IEP if we get
[4:29:02] them early which is amazing. Um and then
in the 12th grade it's um it's great to
[4:29:08] note that 11 of those students are our
students on our 18 to 21 program which
[4:29:13] are at uh Wurwick uh community college
and our project search program another
[4:29:19] uh community outreach that our community
does such a wonderful job with. So, we
[4:29:24] do have a continuum of services in
Worcester County Public Schools. It
[4:29:27] you're required to have one uh with um
under IDA. Our students start in the
[4:29:33] regular education uh classroom. They can
actually be many people, it's a myth
[4:29:38] that a special educator has to be in the
classroom because the starting of the
[4:29:42] continuum is they can be in a classroom
with just a general educator and they
[4:29:46] can provide services to them and the
special educator can consult. we move to
[4:29:50] the next step of our continuum and that
is full inclusion with special education
[4:29:55] teachers in their co-eing in and out. Um
and then uh within that full inclusion
[4:30:00] classroom, the special educator, the
general educator and or instructional
[4:30:03] assistant can provide those special
education services um on the majority of
[4:30:07] IEPs that is on there. Um these services
can also be provided outside of the
[4:30:12] classroom and you're supposed to be able
to have you're supposed to have special
[4:30:15] classrooms which we do here in Worcester
County Public Schools. We have our rise
[4:30:18] classrooms and then we have our Cedar
Chapel Special School which is a school
[4:30:22] made up of self-contained classrooms. Um
and then of course our highest uh level
[4:30:29] um or the most restrictive LRE is uh
special schools, public separate day
[4:30:33] schools, homeschool homebound um and
residential programs. Within all of
[4:30:39] those programs, our students are
entitled to related services. Speech,
[4:30:44] OT, PT, orientation and mobility, travel
training, recreational training, all of
[4:30:50] that. So,
okay.
[4:30:56] Oh,
there we go. Um, our le least
[4:31:00] restrictive environment is the highest
uh inclusive environment in the state of
[4:31:04] Maryland. And we also have the highest
um achievement in the state of Maryland.
[4:31:08] So we include our students the most and
our students achieve the highest which
[4:31:12] is pretty amazing.
>> That's awesome.
[4:31:14] » Yes, it's fantastic. Um and then of
course we also have the least
[4:31:18] restrictive environment for preschools
because why would we uh exclude them at
[4:31:21] such a young age? We need they need
language and they need to be with their
[4:31:25] peers.
>> Okay. Part B, some some uh data for the
[4:31:29] hardest working people in Worcester
County Public Schools, which is the
[4:31:32] special education department um across
the county. Um 8,794
[4:31:38] uh hours of special education uh
instruction occurred weekly by all of
[4:31:43] our special education providers. 9,197
hours with the related services if you
[4:31:49] add all those related services on top.
We had a 163 students attend extended
[4:31:55] school year regularly which is
phenomenal when we only have 839
[4:31:59] students with disabilities. 163 of them
attended extended school year which was
[4:32:03] absolutely phenomenal. and we had 60
students, which is an amazing program
[4:32:08] that participated in our work program
over the summer, which is not part of
[4:32:11] the um IEP. It's part of a um
collaboration that we have with Doors,
[4:32:16] the Department of Rehabilitation
Services, another community outreach
[4:32:19] program. Um and all of our students go
with a job coach. Uh many of our
[4:32:23] teachers uh like the rest the um
the release of duties uh as of teaching
[4:32:32] and actually just going and being with a
child at a job site and they love it.
[4:32:35] And we get the teachers and they work
with the students and help them uh
[4:32:38] develop and develop resumeums and work
and have those skills, those soft skills
[4:32:43] that are not taught in school. Um and we
had 60 students and it was amazing. So,
[4:32:48] if you see any of these businesses, the
Commander Hotel, Frontier Town, every
[4:32:52] all you guys can just take a little
vacation there. Uh, Frontier Town, I
[4:32:55] know you want to go to some Western
Park, uh, Flagship Cinemas, go to a
[4:32:59] movie, Atlantic Hotel, Jolly Rogers, and
I go on and on. So, try to support these
[4:33:05] businesses that support us. But,
do you have any questions,
[4:33:11] » board members?
Miss Kell,
[4:33:15] » I do. Um, so if I'm understanding this
correctly, part C goes from 0 to 5, but
[4:33:20] part B overlaps from 3 to 21.
>> Yes.
[4:33:22] » Yeah. So, um, part C, Maryland is one of
the only states that offers an extended
[4:33:27] IFSP. [music] Um, and a little bit more
about the extended IFSP. An IFSP is an
[4:33:31] individualized family service plan. So,
we write outcomes for the family, not
[4:33:35] for the child. So, um, it's a coaching
model. So those service providers
[4:33:41] provide coaching to the caretakers that
are caring for that child in their
[4:33:44] natural environment. So that would be
daycarees um where uh wherever that
[4:33:49] child is during the day. We don't remove
them from that environment to have them
[4:33:53] come get it services at a school. We
would provide them in the in their
[4:33:56] natural environment and the caretaker is
the best caretaker of the child because
[4:34:01] they know the child. So then we coach
that parent to provide those or the
[4:34:05] daycare provider or the child care
center. um uh we we go everywhere. Um we
[4:34:13] provide them to provide the service to
the provide coaching to them to provide
[4:34:16] the service to the child. So then it
happens when we're not there and that
[4:34:21] happens um birth to three and then that
extended IFSP if the parent has a couple
[4:34:26] choices if the child still
qualifies in part. So you get extended.
[4:34:33] So you have a a meeting with both part C
and part B. So you have the whole
[4:34:37] infants and toddlers team comes. There's
about nine of them. And then you have
[4:34:41] that school team, another probably about
nine people come together and they
[4:34:45] decide what's best for the child.
Whether that child um chooses itinerate
[4:34:49] within part B services in a school um
that child goes to a prek3 classroom,
[4:34:54] that child continues in an extended IFSP
and they can do that up to age five. Um
[4:35:02] many parents because we have preK3
um choose preK3.
[4:35:07] Many parents, some parents don't choose
preK3. Um we find that our outcomes are
[4:35:13] greater for those families that do
choose preK3 and have their kids come to
[4:35:19] us all day and then we we can intervene
all day long and then hopefully to to
[4:35:23] release them from that IEP by grade uh
three.
[4:35:27] » Okay, perfect. And then so so C was
essentially like more encompassing of
[4:35:32] everybody involved and when they're in B
it's more student related.
[4:35:37] » So part yes. So um I think you're asking
yes part C is family centered and then
[4:35:42] part B is um school age.
>> And then for the referral thing that you
[4:35:46] said I think that's great. The Judy
Center had their QR code. You have one
[4:35:49] because somebody reached out to me a
while ago that was new to the area and I
[4:35:52] reached out to somebody. I wasn't really
sure where to send them. So this is
[4:35:56] great. What would you say is it's
actually I'm sorry I didn't cut you off.
[4:36:00] It's actually a resource inquiry. It's
not a referral because if it's a
[4:36:03] referral then it would start Judy
Center's timeline. It would start our
[4:36:06] timeline. It would start start
everybody. So it's a referral and then I
[4:36:10] um triage those with my um secretary and
we send them out to each of the agencies
[4:36:15] that we um partner with.
>> Okay. What would you say is the main
[4:36:20] difference in when you when you say
qualify? Like some of them don't qualify
[4:36:23] for this. What is the main criteria
differences there between C and B?
[4:36:28] » Yeah, so that's a great question. So
we're not look, we are looking for a
[4:36:32] developmental delay
>> in part C. So you have to have a 25%
[4:36:36] delay in one or more of the areas. So
it's you know they're babies and um the
[4:36:43] milestones are much different and as
they get older that it grows bigger. So,
[4:36:49] Judy Center has always come to um our
meetings and then uh last year it kind
[4:36:54] of stopped a little bit with staffing
and then they started to come again this
[4:36:57] year. Um so, there's been we only
receive about uh half of a percentage
[4:37:03] point of referrals from the Judy Center,
but we do have a great relationship with
[4:37:07] this Judy Center. Um, we receive uh I
think it's it's 10% from parents and uh
[4:37:15] I want to say 80 something% from
pediatricians because we have a great
[4:37:19] relationship with our pediatricians. So
that QR code, you'll find the postcards.
[4:37:23] I actually saw one at the car car wash
the other day. I was so happy.
[4:37:26] » Um and I took a picture of it on the
floor um and then picked [laughter] it
[4:37:30] up. But um those we we cover the county
in those um postcards. And once we did
[4:37:36] that and I think we did that in like 23
24 we started to see an increase um once
[4:37:41] we started to do that PR. Okay. Yeah.
>> Yeah.
[4:37:46] » Any other board members? Dr. Andy's
>> I just wanted to thank you for your
[4:37:51] leadership and uh I especially want to
thank all of the teachers.
[4:37:55] » Yes. in the area of special education
and our general education teachers who
[4:38:00] work so hard to create the data that you
just shared which is significant
[4:38:05] improvements every year with a child
making growth every year. So thank you.
[4:38:11] So, and I just want to say first of all,
um, we have a very successful program.
[4:38:17] Um, and that's with no in no part not
not due to the two of you who have
[4:38:21] worked very very diligently and hard on
it and the staff that's behind you. But
[4:38:26] I wanted to say that one of the things
that I think obviously it seems like the
[4:38:31] key to our success is identifying early
and then getting them back into the the
[4:38:36] mainstream which which is is seems to be
what we're doing and it seems to be
[4:38:41] working.
>> So
[4:38:43] » locate, identify, and evaluate. That's
our
[4:38:45] » identify and evaluate. Yeah,
>> but I want to thank you for what you do
[4:38:50] and thank your staff and and I know it's
a lot of work and you guys do a great
[4:38:53] job at it. So, thank you. We love what
we do every single day.
[4:38:56] » Yes.
>> And like I said, I mean, after attending
[4:38:58] this, I I do think we should do this
every week. [laughter]
[4:39:04] » Okay.
>> Today has really gone fit it fit well
[4:39:07] together. And just to sort of close out
our academic um presentations for today,
[4:39:12] um having the Judy Center partnering
with our special ed report that we will
[4:39:16] have to Mr. Fonte will ask for approval
for in just a minute. um really has been
[4:39:21] has hopefully given our community and
our board a full circle vision into what
[4:39:26] we're doing. And what I was speaking to
earlier that I think Miss Cutlip was
[4:39:30] asking about was I had a personal
experience where we actually had a had a
[4:39:34] child who got tested for speech and
didn't qualify. And so what happened was
[4:39:40] is like no one told us, hey, there's a
Judy Center. And so that's something
[4:39:43] that we've been very intentional about.
we had and talked about of making sure
[4:39:48] because like I wish we had known that
there was and I'm in education and I I
[4:39:52] like it's new it's it was new to me at
the time because I wasn't I was in a
[4:39:56] different role. Um, and so making sure
like all of our things are connected
[4:40:00] together and we've been looking at our
data very closely and our growth data
[4:40:04] very closely over the past year and I
will tell you between the Judy Center
[4:40:10] and these ladies and their teams at up
to first grade that's where we're moving
[4:40:14] kids and so like our third grade scores
are in great part to the work that we do
[4:40:21] before our students even get to us. And
the data tells us that like if we don't
[4:40:26] solve it by then, we in general don't
solve it and no school system solves it.
[4:40:31] So the we're going to be spending lots
of intentional time continuing to make
[4:40:36] like 1% adjustments to our programs that
support our earliest learners. Um
[4:40:42] because that is where we see and like
when we get them in preK3, we see the
[4:40:46] most definitely bang for our buck there.
um because we had them all day and
[4:40:50] they're in they're in the setting that
we want for them to get because at that
[4:40:53] age there's it's so much social like all
of those things are like learn through
[4:40:57] social and play and so they're so so
important. So truly thank you to the two
[4:41:02] of you for your leadership because you
change kids lives every day.
[4:41:06] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[4:41:08] » So board the superintendent recommends
this. Thank you. Sorry,
[4:41:13] » the superintendent recommends this and
I'm going to ask for a motion and a
[4:41:16] second to approve the 2026 2027 special
education staffing plan as presented.
[4:41:21] » Motion.
>> Motion by Mrs. Cuddlip.
[4:41:24] » A second by Mr. Gordy. All in favor?
>> Any opposed? Thank you so much. And now
[4:41:29] I'm going to turn it back over to Dr.
Record to begin the administrative and
[4:41:32] physical operations portion of our
agenda.
[4:41:37] » Thank you, Mr. Fonte. Um, in the
personnel exhibit as presented, uh, we
[4:41:43] have new hires.
Linda Garcia, educational assistant,
[4:41:49] Berlin Intermediate School,
Deutborn, educational assistant, Ocean
[4:41:55] City Elementary School. Nicole Nelson,
cafeteria manager, Ocean City Elementary
[4:42:01] School.
The superintendent would recommend the
[4:42:05] personnel exhibit as presented and
discussed in close session.
[4:42:10] » Okay. Can I have a motion to approve the
personnel exhibit as presented and
[4:42:16] discussed today in close session?
>> So moved.
[4:42:18] » Motion by Mrs. Mccomomas.
>> Second.
[4:42:20] » A second by Miss Scotip. All in favor?
I.
[4:42:23] » Any opposed? Thank you very much, Dr.
Record.
[4:42:26] » Okay. And now um going to turn it back
over to you for policy revisions because
[4:42:31] we have quite a few of them.
>> Yes. If you would find it appropriate,
[4:42:36] can I move to the
>> Yes. Absolutely.
[4:42:40] » Board, in your packet, you have the
policy revisions that you can follow
[4:42:44] along.
[4:43:02] Mr. Fante, if the board finds it
acceptable, uh, if you'd like me, I can
[4:43:07] go over each of these now and then if
you would and you can vote on them and
[4:43:11] if you want me to pull any of specific
policies, I can do so.
[4:43:14] » Yeah. What we'll do is you'll start with
the grading policy and we'll work our
[4:43:18] way down. If there's any questions board
members can ask, uh, then we'll just
[4:43:22] approve them all at one time unless
there's any changes. Okay.
[4:43:25] » All right. Thank you. So, going in the
order that I believe it is in your
[4:43:29] packet, u policy
2B8
[4:43:34] is the uh markup copy, excuse me,
grading policy. Uh that policy uh notes
[4:43:41] changes at minor language changes. It
also aligns with our current practice in
[4:43:46] the area of section B. If you look in
section B, it adds the preK component.
[4:43:52] And additionally in section B the
changes align to our current practice in
[4:43:56] the dual enrollment program uh which is
currently u uh allows us to meet the
[4:44:02] requirements of the blueprint. The
second the last in this policy is the
[4:44:07] language change in section F which is a
uh very minor language change in the
[4:44:14] change of the um person that oversees
that department an area of digital
[4:44:20] learning.
[4:44:24] » Dr. Andy's
>> um I just have one suggestion and that
[4:44:29] is F2. Um I really like Diane Stoultz.
She does a fabulous job, but I don't
[4:44:35] think we should specifically name the
individual in a policy
[4:44:39] » that uh Dr. Andy is that her name is in
there because that is required by law
[4:44:43] now for the name of the person to be in
that policy.
[4:44:46] » It's required by law.
>> That's why it's not new. See how it's in
[4:44:49] the black because it's already there.
>> But what if the I'll ask the
[4:44:53] » You have to change your Yeah,
>> you have to change it on
[4:44:55] » You have to change the policy.
>> I'm I'm change the person
[4:44:58] » because I was the originator of the
policy changing to have Diane Sultz in
[4:45:02] black. noticed that the change in the
policy is not Diane's name. It is just
[4:45:06] the title there.
>> Okay. So Diane, I love Diane Stall.
[4:45:11] She's fabulous. There's nothing against
Diane.
[4:45:14] » Correct.
>> So that name stays there or that name.
[4:45:17] » Can we just change it to current? Add
the word current. Would that help or no
[4:45:21] what he's saying?
[4:45:24] » This is last year's policy. The only
change
[4:45:28] was I don't know why the state with a
new policy a couple of years ago. So the
[4:45:35] change to the policy I'm sorry I I never
forget that the change I'm getting tired
[4:45:40] the change to the policy is just the
title there her name is already in that
[4:45:45] because that was required and we had to
send that to the state that way.
[4:45:49] » I know it is seems very
>> odd
[4:45:53] » odd. I'll let you say it.
>> Yeah. Okay. Well, we understand we have
[4:45:58] to follow what the state's regulation
is. Any other board members have any
[4:46:01] other um questions or changes to this
policy? Okay, Dr. Recker, you go. We'll
[4:46:07] move to the next one.
>> All right. Hazardous walk-in conditions
[4:46:10] policy 6A6.
You'll note that it's a simple language
[4:46:14] change moving from supervisor to
manager. [snorts]
[4:46:20] » Any questions, board? It's very simple,
just supervisor to manager. Okay, Dr.
[4:46:26] Record, good. Absence of bus contractors
policy 6B4.
[4:46:30] You'll notice two areas, excuse me,
three areas of a language change,
[4:46:34] changing supervisor to manager.
>> Okay.
[4:46:39] Board members, any questions?
Okay, Dr. Re, move forward.
[4:46:45] » And school safety and security and
school closure policy 7004.
[4:46:51] There's a minor language change in
supervisor to manager.
[4:46:57] Okay, board members, any questions?
>> The superintendent
[4:47:03] seeks approval for the policy changes as
presented.
[4:47:06] » Okay, board members, if there's no other
questions, can I have a motion and a
[4:47:10] second to approve the revised policy uh
as presented today?
[4:47:15] » So, move.
>> Motion by Miss Mccomomas.
[4:47:18] » Second by Mr. Buchanan. All those in
favor? I.
[4:47:20] » Any opposed? Thank you, Dr. Appreciate
that. Um, also you're the presenter, so
[4:47:27] when you get back up to the podium,
we'll go through the negotiating teams.
[4:47:47] Thank you, Mr. Fonte. As an information
item, there are negotiated team members
[4:47:51] that have been submitted and uh each
year the board um meets and meets
[4:47:58] confers and negotiates uh with both uh
collective bargaining units, unit one
[4:48:04] and unit three. Uh unit one being the
Worcester County Teachers Association.
[4:48:08] The following members are listed for the
board side of the negotiation team.
[4:48:18] » [snorts]
>> Uh, Jennifer Sills, Vince Tolbert,
[4:48:21] Carrie Steers, Dr. Michael Brown, and
Teresa Torpey.
[4:48:27] » And don't forget yourself
>> and and myself. Yep. Sorry. Uh um,
[4:48:31] additionally, the Worcester County
Educational Support and Professional
[4:48:34] Association also negotiates with the
board and uh, that is unit three and
[4:48:40] those negotiated negotiation teams are
presented. myself, Jennifer Sills, Vince
[4:48:45] Tolbert, Carrie Steers, Mr. Ois Collins,
Mr. Sam Sleikum, and Dr. Jennifer Rain.
[4:48:54] » Okay.
And we have a excellent working
[4:48:57] relationship with uh both of our
associations. Uh I know Dr. Wallace um
[4:49:02] meets and discusses in um but when it
comes time for contract negotiations
[4:49:07] each year, it is a requirement. The
negotiation teams will submit their uh
[4:49:13] teams to us in the future months and
then with your uh permission under the
[4:49:18] guise and direction of the
superintendent we will begin the
[4:49:21] negotiating process.
>> Yes, this is updated annually in
[4:49:24] September board. So we always see these
come before us just to let us know who
[4:49:28] is on the negotiation teams.
>> Okay.
[4:49:31] » I just my only question is who decided
these teams?
[4:49:34] » Uh the the superintendent appoints
these.
[4:49:37] » Okay. Yes,
>> I will tell you we decide on these teams
[4:49:41] yearly. We meet as an executive team is
a decision we make. In the past, um
[4:49:46] historically in our historically, um the
same people served on the negotiating
[4:49:52] teams for
lots of times. And so since I become the
[4:49:57] superintendent, I have made sure on a
rotating basis that every single
[4:50:00] principal is getting an opportunity to
serve on the negotiating team. So you
[4:50:05] will see different names here than you
saw last year and you will see different
[4:50:08] names next year because I believe it's
important for everyone to be a part of
[4:50:11] the process. Not for example Annette
Wallace to serve on the negotiating team
[4:50:15] seven times because we you know we only
have those two slots. So we're rotating
[4:50:19] and we've made sure I believe we're down
to one principal who has not served yet
[4:50:26] these people
of these principles have ever served.
[4:50:33] Any other questions, board members?
Okay, moving forward. Um, we have the
[4:50:38] FY28 capital improvement program and um
Dr. Cook will be up here to educate us
[4:50:45] on that.
[4:50:50] Welcome back.
[4:50:55] All right. Thank you, Mr. Ferrante and
fellow board members.
[4:50:59] Each year the local every local
education agency is required to submit a
[4:51:03] capital improvement program or CIP to
the inter agency commission on school
[4:51:08] construction. This year's submission
format may look slightly different um
[4:51:12] from previous years as the IA has
recently as September 1st launched its
[4:51:18] new business management system process
for collecting CIP requests. So if
[4:51:22] anybody has seen one in the past it
looks slightly different. Um, as
[4:51:27] reflected in your board packet, the IST
is still working through some technical
[4:51:30] issues within the new platform. However,
our staff has been working closely with
[4:51:34] the IA to ensure our submission is
completed accurately and that any system
[4:51:40] generated errors are addressed promptly.
Turning now to the FY28 capital
[4:51:45] improvement program. This year's request
includes several key projects that align
[4:51:49] with the memorandum of of understanding
previously approved by the Worcester
[4:51:53] County Board of Education, Worcester
County government, and the IAC. These
[4:51:58] requests include construction funding
for Buckingham Elementary School
[4:52:01] replacement project, construction
funding for the Berlin intermediate
[4:52:06] school replacement project. Also, the
CIP includes construction funding for
[4:52:10] Worcester Technical High School roof
replacement project. In addition, the
[4:52:14] CIP identifies future capital priorities
along with the projected timelines and
[4:52:19] estimated costs, including a roof
replacement project at Steven Kater High
[4:52:24] School, a roof replacement project at
Ocean City Elementary School. This
[4:52:30] afternoon, the superintendent recommends
board approval of the fiscy year FY28
[4:52:35] capital improvement program and
authorization to submit the plan to the
[4:52:38] inter agency commission on school
construction for state review and
[4:52:42] consideration.
Okay, everybody had an opportunity to
[4:52:46] read their 42 pages the capital
improvement program. Dr. Annies, I know
[4:52:51] you did. So, you have a comment, sir?
>> Yes. I I just wanted to thank Brian, Dr.
[4:52:57] Cook, for the excellent job that he's
doing uh in preparing this report as
[4:53:03] well as the other areas of school
construction, renovation, those type
[4:53:07] things. In my conversation with Dr.
Cook, I just want to reiterate what he
[4:53:12] just said. On September 1st, the IA
changed the forms
[4:53:17] and expected
uh everyone to be able to complete those
[4:53:21] forms. However, in changing those forms,
they did not take in consideration all
[4:53:27] the different nuances of the 24
different school systems in the state of
[4:53:32] Maryland, such as, as an example, we
have anou. So when you put theou numbers
[4:53:38] into that magic form that they have, all
of a sudden it doesn't work quite right.
[4:53:42] So if you when you look at the um RCIP,
you'll notice that Dr. Cook put a
[4:53:48] footnote in there to help everyone
understand that the numbers that they
[4:53:52] see don't necessarily adhere to the
numbers they may be expecting because
[4:53:59] the numbers simply don't click because
that form from the IA when you put in a
[4:54:04] number it populates other places. So
consequently,
[4:54:09] I'm hoping uh by the time we present the
CIP to our county government because
[4:54:14] that's the next step after our board
approves it, that will be fixed by the
[4:54:19] uh inter agency commission on school
construction and we'll be able to be
[4:54:23] able to provide them with what I refer
to as a clean form. I hope what I just
[4:54:30] said makes sense to everyone.
>> Yes. Um September 1st is a very odd time
[4:54:34] to to enroll roll out a form that's
statewide and not really test piloted.
[4:54:41] Um we got to see it in um versions in
the summer, but we didn't actually get
[4:54:45] to touch it until September 1st when it
became live. So not not really the
[4:54:50] timing I would have preferred. However,
um we've worked with our local contact
[4:54:56] person and every time we find errors,
which we have found errors that we've
[4:55:00] made sure that we've communicated them.
So our piece on their side is accurate.
[4:55:05] » And just one question,
when does the inter agency commission on
[4:55:09] school construction want this one our
CIP submitted?
[4:55:13] » Um it will be submitted on October 5th.
Um just for those of you guys watching a
[4:55:18] timeline that is the day before our next
commissioner meeting, we've we've gone
[4:55:22] and communicated that their timeline no
longer works with our timeline as well
[4:55:26] as multiple agencies for the state. So,
they will allow us to once we go to
[4:55:31] Worcester County Commissioners, we'll
get that hopefully get our acceptance
[4:55:34] letters and we'll be able to add that as
an addendum onto our application.
[4:55:39] » So, just to clarify so everyone in the
community understands, we get a new form
[4:55:42] on September 1 and they expect
everything to be submitted to them by
[4:55:46] October
>> 5th.
[4:55:47] » 5th.
So, I I thank you for your work. I thank
[4:55:51] you for working through it. I thank you
for working with the staff at the IA uh
[4:55:56] to get through these what I call
hiccups.
[4:56:00] » There have been some technical
challenges on their side. Yes.
[4:56:03] » Thank you. Any other board members? Dr.
Cook, thanks for all your hard work on
[4:56:08] this project. It's appreciated,
especially with the changes coming
[4:56:12] before you. So, um it's not sometimes
they don't make it easy, but uh we
[4:56:18] appreciate it. And um without any other
um questions, can I have a motion and a
[4:56:23] second to approve the FY2028 capital
improvement program and the
[4:56:28] authorization to submit the approved CIP
to the inter agency commission on school
[4:56:33] construction as presented?
>> So moved.
[4:56:35] » Motion by Dr. Andes.
>> Second.
[4:56:37] » Second by Miss Mccomomas. All in favor?
>> I.
[4:56:40] » Any opposed? Thank you, Dr. Cook.
>> Thank you.
[4:56:44] » And now I'm going to turn it over to Dr.
Wallace for our next agenda item. Yes,
[4:56:48] thank you, Mr. Fonte. Uh, just to give
the board and community a little bit of
[4:56:51] background, and Mr. Tolburn might have
to help me with this number. The county
[4:56:55] commissioners uh, in either 2004 or
2009, do you remember which year it was?
[4:57:00] » 2009.
>> 2009. Yes. So, they set up the trust and
[4:57:04] um, signed a document that said there
would be an OPED investment committee to
[4:57:09] our knowledge and the OPED investment
committee and Mr. Tolbert since he's
[4:57:14] been here and I don't know what year he
started but I would guess he was here in
[4:57:17] 2009
um has not met and we're fairly
[4:57:21] confident that perhaps they have not met
because the board has a member that is
[4:57:25] appointed that the board of appoints uh
I'll bring you I'm bringing you a
[4:57:28] recommendation to appoint um nonetheless
we got Mr. Mr. Tolbert was notified that
[4:57:33] they would be beginning this uh to meet
again or meet start meeting I don't know
[4:57:38] either uh and that the board I asked for
the documents uh supporting that we were
[4:57:43] sent those from the county um and it
does state that I uh that the board will
[4:57:48] actually has to actually appoint someone
to this committee. So um it is my
[4:57:52] recommendation that our board appoint
Mr. Tolbert who was our chief financial
[4:57:57] officer as our representative to serve
on the OPED um investment committee for
[4:58:01] Worester County.
>> Okay board I think um it was
[4:58:04] Commissioner Gulius
>> who was instrumental in in starting uh
[4:58:08] this committee um at that time and uh
with that I'll call for a motion and a
[4:58:13] second to appoint Vince Tolbert to serve
as the board of education's
[4:58:17] representative on the uh county's OPED
committee.
[4:58:21] » Motion by Mr. Buchanan.
>> Second
[4:58:23] » a second by Miss Mccomomas. All those in
favor?
[4:58:26] » I
>> Okay. Any opposed? Great. Vince, you got
[4:58:28] a new job.
>> Thank you. [laughter]
[4:58:33] » Thank you, Vince. Appreciate it.
>> Okay. Now, it's time for me to open up
[4:58:39] the floor to our fellow board members
for any comments they may have uh
[4:58:43] regarding school system or anything
they'd like to discuss.
[4:58:48] Mrs. Cutlet.
>> Um, first I would like to say that you
[4:58:52] guys do a great job. Good job on the
slides. It was nice to see all the
[4:58:56] excitement at like the first week back
to school, first week or two. So, kudos
[4:59:00] on that. Um, safe homecoming
[clears throat] to Decatur for Hokco
[4:59:04] weekend for all the kids. I know they're
super excited about that. Um, the next
[4:59:09] thing I would like to say, I hate to do
it, but it has to be said, especially on
[4:59:13] a day where it was so exciting and like
a positive, uplifting, everything kind
[4:59:16] of went to another, but somebody a staff
member reached out a few days ago. So,
[4:59:20] I'm going to um just kind of comment on
that, but it was already something that
[4:59:24] was on my own personal radar. I did have
a staff member reach out um and express
[4:59:29] some sincere disappointment, which I do
wholeheartedly share to be honest, about
[4:59:35] the lack of
public
[4:59:39] remembrance of 911. It was also the 25th
year anniversary of this attack by
[4:59:45] terrorists on our country. We lost
nearly 3,000 people that day.
[4:59:50] I don't have a problem seeing that
morning. I woke up personally and I put
[4:59:53] something on my page. I put something on
my business page and um all I saw that
[4:59:59] day was something saying happy Russia
Shana which is totally fine. I have no
[5:00:03] problem with that. However, I do think
that considering
[5:00:08] the significance of that day that we
should have done something um first
[5:00:12] responders, the aftermath, the unity
also of America. I mean, we have
[5:00:18] students of all different backgrounds,
all different races, all different
[5:00:20] religions. I do think that this was a
missed opportunity and I do share the
[5:00:25] disappointment from that person that
reached out. So, I I just have to say
[5:00:28] it.
>> Okay. Thank you. Um, any other board
[5:00:33] members? Dr. Andy's.
>> Uh, thank you, Mr. Fronti. I wanted to
[5:00:37] express my sincere thanks and
appreciation to, as our superintendent
[5:00:42] said in her report, everyone who worked
hard this summer to get our schools
[5:00:45] ready. uh board of education members. We
were at every single school on the first
[5:00:51] day and it's just absolutely incredible
to see the cleanliness of the building,
[5:00:58] the teacher engagement into the
classrooms, seeing the classrooms
[5:01:02] prepared all for our students to welcome
them back. The smiles on their faces,
[5:01:07] everybody was happy. The weather was
perfect. It was a grand and glorious
[5:01:12] day. And I just want to thank everyone
who works so hard to make sure that the
[5:01:17] first day of school, which in many ways
is probably the one of the most
[5:01:21] important days of the school school year
successful. And I also want to do a
[5:01:26] shout out to the early childhood three
four kindergarten. I don't know how they
[5:01:32] get all the kids on the right buses. I
don't know how they do it. and to our
[5:01:36] bus contractors who in their big yellow
stretch limousines successfully get
[5:01:42] those three and four year olds and five
year olds to the right houses at the end
[5:01:46] of the day. I I don't know how they do
it, but I want just want to thank them.
[5:01:51] And finally, I want to shout out and
thank our faith community.
[5:01:56] our our faith community stood up for us
and as you saw recognized today, they do
[5:02:03] so many things for us in helping support
our students in in just providing
[5:02:09] supplies and materials and encouragement
and all of those kinds of things each
[5:02:15] and every day. So, I want to thank our
faith community. And when I was a high
[5:02:19] school teacher, assistant principal and
principal, I could walk down the hall or
[5:02:25] had kids in the class and I knew who
which kids were part of a faith
[5:02:29] community.
I could tell it right away. So, thank
[5:02:35] you faith community. Thank you Sunday
school teachers. Thank you pastors.
[5:02:40] Thank you lay leaders. Thank you for
everything you do to help our students
[5:02:45] live, learn, and grow in faith. Thank
you.
[5:02:51] » Thank you. Any other board members?
Okay, seeing none, um I'm going to turn
[5:02:57] it over to Dr. Wallace because she has
some um announcements and important
[5:03:01] dates to share with us.
>> Just a couple. Thank you, Mr. Fonte. Um
[5:03:05] on October 7th, our elementary and high
schools are closed for students. Um and
[5:03:09] we will have professional development um
on the for those uh grade bands and our
[5:03:16] middle schools will be open on that day.
On October 16th, schools and offices are
[5:03:22] closed for the MSEA uh convention. That
is the education and support staff
[5:03:26] convention in Ocean City. Um and then on
October 21st is our next regularly
[5:03:31] scheduled board meeting. But remember, I
think on the 22nd maybe you have to
[5:03:35] decorate your trunk like a story. So,
don't don't forget about that, too.
[5:03:39] Maybe. Yeah, the 22nd.
>> Yeah. And I think Yeah, I I I was just
[5:03:45] getting ready to I was on top of it,
Don. I was just getting to remind
[5:03:48] everyone that our next board meeting
because of uh we have some meetings in
[5:03:52] Annapolis will be on a Wednesday. So,
that'll be on October 21st, which is a
[5:03:57] Wednesday. And with that board, I'll ask
for a motion and a second to adjourn
[5:04:02] today's open session meeting. A motion
by Miss Conlet and a second by Miss
[5:04:07] Mccomomas. All those in favor? Any
oppos?
[5:04:11] » We are ajourned.