Board of Education of St. Mary’s County

Meeting of:  Regular Session                                         Held:   May 9, 2007

                                                                                                Board of Education Meeting Room

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

May 9, 2007, in the Board of Education Meeting Room, 23160 Moakley Street, Leonardtown.  The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. by Dr. Salvatore Raspa, chairman.  Board members present for the meeting were:

            .Dr. Salvatore L. Raspa, Chairman

            .Mr. Bill Mattingly, Vice Chairman

.Ms. Cathy Allen

.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 9:41 a.m.  The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.  Dr. Raspa noted that Mr. Kessler was out of town this week on business.

Showcasing our Schools

Ms. Kathryn Miluski, principal, Ms. Debbie Settle, physical education teacher and students from  Town Creek Elementary School highlighted their physical education program.

Approval of Agenda

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

Superintendent Report

Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools, reported on the following:

• The St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) Vaccination Program had the highest participation rate in the State of Maryland.  Nearly 60% of all school aged children, ages 5-11, in St. Mary’s County participated in a statewide influenza vaccination program last fall.
• Congratulations to the following elementary schools and their physical education staff who have been selected as a Maryland Physical Education Demonstration School for 2007-2009:

.Hollywood Elementary School – Mary Kaye Roper and Trish Tillotson

.Town Creek Elementary School – Debbie Settle

• Congratulations to Richard O’Donnell, athletic director at Chopticon High School, who has been selected as the District IV Athletic Director of the Year for 2006-2007. 

• Congratulations to Leonardtown Middle School who won the State Middle School MESA competition on Friday, April 27^th.  They placed 1^st in the mathematics and glider competitions and placed 2^nd in the hovercraft, bridge, trebuchet, and effective communications competitions.  They will be competing in the National MESA
  USA competition in Baltimore in June. 
• Congratulations to the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center team who won the Envirothon competition on Thursday, April 26^th.  The Leonardtown High School team came in 2^nd with only a ½ point behind the winning team.  The winning team holds the traveling trophy for a year and then passes it to the next winning team.  The three top teams each win a beautiful wildlife print for their school.
• Attended the Recreation Parks 5^th Annual Teen Court Dinner on May 1^st where SMCPS was presented with a framed certificate.
• Congratulations to Great Mills High School and Leonardtown High School for their high performance on the 2006 Maryland School Performance Program.  Ms. Tracy Heibel and Mr. Dave O’Neill, principals, accepted certificates on behalf of their schools.

• Congratulations to Ms. Vivian Azopardi, and Ms. Tammy Hart whose names were drawn for the first quarterly “Work Hard and Be Nice” cash prize.

Recognitions

• Ms. Kelly Hall, director of elementary instruction, administration and school improvement, announced that Mechanicsville Elementary School was presented with the Bronze Maryland Quality Award at the 22^nd Annual Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Conference and Awards Ceremony at the University of Maryland recently.  Dr. Martirano presented a certificate of appreciation to Ms. Barbara Abell, principal, and representative students from Mechanicsville Elementary School for their achievement of this prestigious award.
• Dr. Charles Ridgell, director of curriculum and instruction, and Dr. Martirano recognized Mr. Ken Smith, supervisor of instruction for career and technology education, who was named the 2007 Career and Technology Education Outstanding Secondary Distinguished Service Award of Excellence.
• Dr. Edward Weiland, director of human resources, and Dr. Martirano announced that May 7-11, 2007, has been designated as Teacher Appreciation Week and May 8, 2007, has been designated as National Teacher Day.  Resolutions were presented to Ms. Jan Emerson, president of the Education Association of St. Mary’s County (EASMC) and Ms. Rhonda McCarthy, Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher.

Public Comment

Public Comment was received as follows:

Name                                                   Subject

Ms. Jan Emerson                                  Teacher Appreciation Day

Ms. Becky Grover                                New teachers group (AAE)

Ms. Candy Cain                                   Support of the Chesapeake Public Charter School

Consent Agenda

Mr. Mattingly made a motion that the following consent agenda items be approved as follows:

.Regular and Executive Session Minutes of April 25, 2007

.Administrative and Supervisory Appointments

.Chess in Maryland 2007 Grant

.Request for Student Activity Funding

Ms. Washington seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

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

• Mr. Dan Carney, chief financial officer, presented Policy “BIDA” (Board Member Expenses) for 2^nd reading and approval.  Ms. Washington made a motion to approve the changes to the policy, which will then be incorporated into the St. Mary’s County Public Schools policy and regulations manual.  Mr. Mattingly seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.
• Mr. Brad Clements, chief operating officer, presented Sections of “E” Policies (Transportation) for 2^nd reading and approval.  Ms. Allen made a motion to approve the “E” section policies (“EE, EEAE, EEC and EEE”) as presented by staff.  Mr. Mattingly seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
• Ms. Regina Greely, supervisor of library media, presented Policy “IJ” (Instructional Materials and Resources) for 2^nd reading and approval.  Ms. Allen made a motion that Policy “IJ” be approved.  Ms. Washington seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
• Dr. Martirano presented the Chesapeake Public Charter School (CPCS) for approval. After a power point presentation and discussion from the Board, Ms. Allen made a motion that the Board support the Superintendent’s recommendation to remove the probationary status for CPCS to move forward with an August 2007 opening; monitor status to ensure successful opening and sustainability of CPCS; and provide the Board of Education with monthly updates on the progress of CPCS prior to opening in August 2007.  Ms. Washington seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.  Ms. Thurston, student member, asked that the record show that she is in support of the motion.

The following information item was presented to the BOE:

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

Reports

.Ms. Allen noted her attendance at the following events:  Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) Legislative Committee Meeting, MABE Board of Directors’ Meeting, Guest Reader at Mechanicsville Elementary Schools’ American Girl Reading Club Tea Party, Leonardtown Middle School National Junior Honor Society Induction, and the Chesapeake Public Charter School Parent Meeting at the Lexington Park Library.

.Mr. Mattingly noted his attendance at the MABE Insurance Trustee Pool Conference last week with SMCPS staff that was very informative.

.Ms. Washington noted her attendance at the following events: Senior Gala at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center, Speaker at Great Mills High School Freshman Scholars program, Annie, Jr., play at Spring Ridge Middle School, First Missionary Baptist Church

Graduation Ceremony for Seniors where Mr. Theo Cramer, director of academic support, was the keynote speaker, Chamber of Commerce Literacy Training for Fluency Volunteers, Special Olympics Spring Games at Leonardtown High School, Teen Court Annual Dinner at the Church of Christ, Chesapeake Public Charter School Parent Meeting, Agnes Meyer Teacher of the Year Ceremony, Great Mills High School authentic school visit and the NAACP Women’s Tea Party at the Crystal Room .

Future Board Meetings

The following future meetings will be held:

.Regular Board Meeting, Thursday, May 24, 2007, 6:00 p.m., Board Meeting Room,

 Leonardtown

Adjournment

Dr. Raspa adjourned the regular meeting at 12:11 p.m.

Lunch Break

A lunch break was held from 12:11 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Motion to Enter Into Executive Session

Ms. Allen made a motion that the Board enter into executive session for the purpose of a student appeal hearing (Article 24, Section 4-210(a)2).  Ms. Washington seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.

Dr. Salvatore L. Raspa                                        

Chairman

Dr. Michael J. Martirano
Secretary-Treasurer