Board of Education of St. Mary’s County

Meeting of:  Regular Session                                         Held:   February 14, 2007

                                                                                                Board of Education Meeting Room

The regular meeting of the Board of Education of St. Mary’s County was held on Wednesday,

February 14, 2007, in the Board of Education Meeting Room, 23160 Moakley Street, Leonardtown.  The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m. by Dr. Salvatore Raspa, chairman.  Board members present for the meeting were:

            .Dr. Salvatore Raspa, Chairman

            .Mr. Bill Mattingly, Vice Chairman

            .Ms. Cathy Allen

            .Mr. Gary Kessler (left meeting at 12:15 p.m.)

.Ms. Mary Washington

.Ms. Brittany Thurston, Student member

Motion to Enter Into Executive Session

Mr. Mattingly made a motion that the Board enter into executive session to discuss personnel and property acquisition issues (Article 24, Section 4-210(a)1,11).  Ms. Allen seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.

Reopen Regular Session

Dr. Raspa reconvened the regular meeting at 12:24 p.m.  The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 

Showcasing our Schools

• Due to the two hour delay for students and staff, the Great Mills High School (GMHS) students will present their African American History Month speeches at the March 14^th Board meeting.  Dr. Charles Ridgell, director of curriculum and instruction, highlighted activities being celebrated in our schools during the month of February for African American History Month.  Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools, noted he had submitted a letter to the editor about Black History Month.

Approval of Agenda

Ms. Allen made a motion to approve the agenda as presented.  Mr. Mattingly seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.

Superintendent Report

Dr. Martirano reported on the following:

• Weather update with the two hour delay due to bad weather
• Article about Mary McElroy, graduate of GMHS who has gone on to become the first African American Female Athletic Director in NCAA Division I at Georgia State
• Unsung Heroes Enterprise newspaper article honoring staff and students as follows:

.Benjamin Simmons – retired teacher for his service to the elderly and civic groups;

.David and Daniel Delozier, brothers and high school students at Chopticon High School (CHS), for their 620 combined volunteer hours at St. Mary’s Hospital;

.Darlene Barnes, 3^rd grade teacher at Green Holly Elementary School (GHES), for

 her involvement with children’s programs throughout the community;

                        .Donna Voorhaar, secretary to the principal at GHES, for her involvement with the

 Lexington Park Rescue Squad and Advanced Life Support unit;

.Edy Hall, bus driver, for her and her husband’s involvement with raising foster

 children.

• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) is producing a video/DVD series on thinking skills and they have selected St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) to film various classrooms
• Congratulations to Briana LaBatt, 7^th grade student at Leonardtown Middle School (LMS), for her interview with Liz Crenshaw, news reporter, from NBC4, where she re-enacted her science fair project
• Our Chinese teacher Zhijun Peng was featured on the front page of the Baltimore Sun recently
• Congratulations to Caitlin Brooks, student at CHS, who was named a finalist in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program
• Our office of Professional and Organizational Development now has a resource library of materials for use

Recognitions

• Dr. Edward Weiland, director of human resources, recognized the following staff for receiving National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS):  Ms. Crystal Brookens, coordinator of mathematics in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Ms. Susan Evans, teacher at Piney Point Elementary School (PPES), Ms. Mary Kimberland, teacher at Spring Ridge Middle School (SRMS), Ms. Likie Milton, teacher at SRMS, and Ms. Joanne Shang, teacher at Hollywood Elementary School (HES).  Dr. Martirano presented them each with a wood plaque and a certificate of appreciation and thanked them for their hard work and dedication.

Consent Agenda

Ms. Allen made a motion that the following consent agenda items be approved:

.Regular and Executive Session Minutes of January 31, 2007

.Administrative and Supervisory Appointments

.New Employment

.County Kids African Drum Troupe Grant

.Request for Student Activity Funding

.Future School Site

.FY 2007 Categorical Transfers           

Ms. Washington seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

The following action items were presented to the Board of Education (BOE):

• Mr. Brad Clements, chief operating officer, and Ms. Kimberly Howe, supervisor of capital planning, presented the School Boundary Proposals/Redistricting Plans for approval.    Ms. Allen made a motion that the Board approve the redistricting plans as presented by staff for implementation in the 2007-2008 school year.  Mr. Mattingly seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.
• Mr. Dan Carney, chief financial officer, presented the FY 2008 Budget for approval.  Dr. Martirano noted that the budget is a very responsible budget and the Board members noted their support of the proposed budget.  Mr. Mattingly made a motion to approve the proposed budget, which will then be forwarded to the county.  Ms. Washington seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.

The following information items were presented to the BOE:

·        Dr. Andy Roper, supervisor of athletics, presented the Wellness Report.

·        Mr. Scott Smith, director of secondary instruction, administration, and school improvement, and Mr. Robert Taylor, principal of the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center, presented the Tech Connect Program.

• Mr. Carney presented the FY 2007 January Financial Report.

Reports

.Ms. Washington noted her attendance at the following events:  Tri-County Middle School Honor Chorus Concert, SMCPS On-Site Health Review with representatives from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE); Reading to students at Leonardtown Middle School (LMS), Leonardtown Elementary School (LES), Benjamin Banneker Elementary School (BBES), Green Holly Elementary School (GHES), Esperanza Middle School (EMS) and Greenview Knolls Elementary School (GVKES); and the Black History Breakfast at the Waldorf Jaycees sponsored by Majority Whip Steny Hoyer.  Ms. Washington also highlighted some of the books that she has been reading to students during African American History Month.

.Mr. Mattingly noted his attendance at the following events:  Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) Legislative Meeting, On-Site Health Review with MSDE, and a Federal Relations Network (FRN) Conference where he spent a day on Capital Hill with congressional leaders.

.Ms. Allen noted her attendance at the following events:  Tri-County Honor Chorus, Band and Orchestra for Middle and High School Festival, MABE Legislative Meeting, On-Site Health Review with MSDE, traveled to Annapolis for the Ways and Means Committee hearing on High School Assessments (HSA) and the Business Education Community Alliance (BECA) Scholarship Fair at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM).  Ms. Allen also highlighted several legislative bills: Physical Education requirement bill and a Charter School bill that Senator Roy Dyson is co-sponsoring and asked for Board consensus to have the Superintendent write a letter of support for the charter school bill.

Future Board Meetings

The following future meetings will be held:

.Multi-Agency Breakfast Meeting, Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 7:45 a.m., Leonardtown

 Library Meeting Room, Leonardtown 

.Regular Board Meeting, Wednesday, March 14, 2007, 9:00 a.m., Board Meeting Room,

 Leonardtown

.Joint Meeting with College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Board of Trustees, Thursday,

 March 29, 2007, 1:00-3:00 p.m., Board Meeting Room, Leonardtown

Adjournment

Dr. Raspa adjourned the regular meeting at 3:11 p.m.

Dr. Salvatore L. Raspa                                        

Chairman

Dr. Michael J. Martirano

Secretary-Treasurer